She knew it was wrong but still she didn’t want to stop. She couldn’t. Hermione was a very logical person and she was known among her peers to never act without thinking of all the consequences her actions would carry. And still here she was, two steps away from the door of an old house that would lead her to possibly the worst decision she could make and even then she prayed for it to be the right choice.
She took her time to observe the house and it’s surrounding area trying to prolong the moment to have a little more time to think, even if she deep down knew she wouldn’t turn back. This wasn’t only about herself, it was about the lives of all the people she knew and the ones she didn’t. It was about the lives of wizards and muggles alike. If only she could see the outcome of these it would be easier.
Taking a deep breath she went to knock at the door and before she had the opportunity to even touch it the door opened slowly. As far as she could see the hallway was empty.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” she hears herself asking even when she knows for sure that yes, there is someone here. Bellatrix Lestrange. Or as she apparently likes to be called now, Bellatrix Black. Hermione steps into the house and the door closes smoothly.
“I was starting to think you weren't going to come in. Too scared of little old Bella.” Bellatrix says with amusement in her voice. “But no, it’s true that no one is called the brightest witch of her age if they aren't a bit curious about everything, I would know really, I was called that too for a while.”
Hermione wasn't surprised by these, after all she had read the purebloods’s family book at least twice. She had to know who she was going against, what good was she in this fight if she didn't know as much as she could? After all that was her biggest strength, her knowledge built by hours and hours of reading every book she could get her hands on.
“Bellatrix stop playing. You said there was an explanation for all of this and that you would tell me when the right time came. That time is now so start talking now or I'm leaving.” she said, starting to doubt what she was doing.
Her entire being almost trembling in fear of the witch that was still out of sight. How could she believe anything that Bellatrix was going to say? What price would she pay if she made the wrong decision? If she said or did the wrong thing?
“I can hear you thinking over there. As you can see, now I have someone to fight for. Even if that means amending all my mistakes. Which, if I may say myself, are a lot.” she says, the last part nothing more than a whisper, and then she steps out of the dark and makes a gesture with her head to follow her.
She looked better than the last time Hermione saw her, but that isn’t saying a lot really, after all last time she was barely out of Azkaban. Her skin to pale, bags under her eyes, her hands seemed to tremble and, surprisingly, she was incredibly pregnant. Hermione really didn’t want to think about who the father might be, after all the things she has heard about this woman and her obsession for that man, that monster . After a few seconds she turned around seeing that the young woman was’t following her.
She raised an eyebrow and pouted. “Come on pet, we have things to discuss”.
Startled by the giggling Bellatrix, who had started to walk again, she shakes her head and follows her into a room that looks just as old as the rest of the house. There is only a table with four chairs there that look like the minute someone touched them they would break. The older witch sits in one of them with a sight, the chair squeaks but Bellatrix doesn’t show any sign of caring about it at all.
Hermione pauses in front of the table facing her, not really knowing what she should do. After all, a calm Bellatrix was scarier than a screaming one. You know what to expect for the latter, but the former one? It was completely unpredictable.
“Come on. Take a seat. I don’t bite, or at least not anymore.” She says, completely amused by the look that the other witch was giving her. “But well, who knows, maybe if you ask nicely …” She continues not letting Hermione talk and raises a suggestive eyebrow.
The witch finally sat down after a few moments. Not saying the first thing that came to mind was difficult, after all she was Griffindor, but like with a lot of other things, she had practice. Her friends simply thought that it was just who she was but, truth be told, when she was younger she had found herself in difficult situations because of her mouth, so with time, she learned to think before she talked.
“On the note you sent, hmm, you said that you could help in exchange for some help for yourself.” She stopped and tried to think how to continue. “How could I possibly help you ? As you well know I’m on the run. What do you even need help with?”
Bellatrix sighed and rolled her eyes, frustrated that she needed to explain it at all. “Well, if you haven't noticed yet, I’m pregnant.”
A beat passed, neither of them saying a word. Hermione waited for her to continue but the older witch just sat there looking at her as if she had just explained to her everything she needed to know.
“I can see that.” Hermione said softly, trying to stay calm “but that doesn’t exactly explain why would you need me.”
“Well, despite what everyone thinks I’m not completely crazy. I can see that all this pureblood business is complete bullshit… I mean look at the Goyle family, they are all idiots. But well, a girl's gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to protect her family.”
Bellatrix pauses, scrunches her nose and nods.
“So you joined him to protect your family?” Hermione asks a bit confused by the information that it 's been dumped on her and doing her best not to think about how oddly adorable Bellatrix’s face was while scrunching her nose.
“Among other things, yes. But enough of that. I need somewhere safe for my daughter when she is born until all this ends. And as much as Narcissa wants to help me she is in need of help as much as I am.”
“So you need me to… what exactly? Because again, I’m on the run, if I had somewhere safe to go I would .”
“Nothing like that really. I just need you to get a letter to Andromeda for me. I can’t reach her safely because of the Order but you wouldn’t have a problem with it. They know you and trust you.”
“Ohh” Hermione whispers thinking about the older witch’s request. “Even if I could do that, which I’m not sure I could, how can I trust that the letter can be traced? How can I trust that you are telling the truth?”
“Honestly, if I wanted to do something like that, why would I come to you and not to literally anyone else who would believe me the moment I told them my oh so tragic story?”
The younger witch was taken aback by the answer she received. “Fair point… I guess?” She was silent for a few moments before continuing. “So if I help you with this, will you help us win the war?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“And how would you help us exactly?”
Bellatrix sighed yet again “Well, of right now I’m ‘his most loyal follower’ so I can provide you with information and aide you in the battles that are coming.”
Was she about to make the right choice? Would this decision be the one that would kill them all or save them? She believed her, not knowing exactly why, but what would everyone else say? And Neville? How could she ever look at him in the face again knowing she helped the witch that made him lose his parents to madness? She could already feel the beginnings of a headache.
“The Longbottoms, could you help them?” She asked already knowing which was the most likely answer.
The witch almost jumped out of her seat and clapped in delight. “I was starting to think you would never ask.” She said giggling. And after a few seconds she became the most serious she has seen her so far.
“Well Narcissa has been investigating the mind for longer than I can remember. Saying that since she was a natural legilimens she should know everything about it. Honestly she is such a bookworm… But I guess in a way I’m one too. Anyways she thinks that after being tortured for a long period of time, once the trauma the mind is going through is too much, the wizard doesn’t lose their mind even if it appears so, she thinks that the mind raises a barrier, similar to the one people use in occlumency but more instinctual, to hide behind like a last minute defense but then when the torture is over the mind doesn’t register it so they end up trapped there.”
Hermione tries to process all this information before responding. Could it be true? Could she help them all?
“So… then you think there is a way to help them escape that? A way to cure them?”
“Theoretically yes, but we don’t have anyone to try it on really so we aren’t one hundred percent sure it will work.”
The young witch raises a hand to her chest as if trying to calm her heart while looking like she is doing her best not to start crying.
“I will help you” Hermione says after a few seconds. “I will help you but I hope that you know that if you have lied to me in any way I will find you and I will destroy you.”
They look at each other in the eye, a battle of wills. After a moment Bellatrix smiles, satisfied. Then she leans back on her chair for the first time since she sat down and puts a hand on her belly, her posture completely relaxed.
“Deal .”