mamalil

I am so going to hell for this one.

She'd taken the Mudblood girl and run.

The revelation had come when she was grazing her knife along Hermione's throat -gently, lovingly- whispering of how she could make a cut just here and keep her bleeding for hours. And the girl had looked straight into her eyes, cold and furious and terrified and beyond caring now. The Mudblood looked her own death in the face and did not flinch.

And Bellatrix's hand had trembled.

The girl was a font of information, a companion to the Potter brat. She knew what the boy was doing, knew his whereabouts and movements. She was vital to Lord Voldemort's plans, even if it was but for this one instance in time.

And Bellatrix had dragged the girl up from the floor and started Apparating, flitting over land and sea for hours until they were both exhausted and Bellatrix was half dead from the shock of betraying her Lord. She had, naturally, turned her wand on Hermione, cursing her almost to the breaking point for making her into a traitor.

Then she'd kissed her, a little Mudblood mutt young enough to be her own daughter and filled with the foolish lies that Dumbledore nourished his puppets on. Bellatrix looked into those burning hazel eyes and vowed to begin cutting the strings.

They'd eventually ended up in Canada, of all places, and Bellatrix swallowed her pride and followed Hermione's lead among the Muggles of Toronto. There was plenty of power in the land, at least- plenty of 'manitou', as some of the locals called it. And the falls were damned spectacular.

And sometimes, sometimes she turns over in bed, catches Hermione's half-smile, and it's almost love. Never for long, for the bitterness of the past can never be banished, but for a few minutes every day they live their folly.

It was not the first foolish thing Bellatrix Black had done in her life, but it would likely be the last. The Dark Lord found traitors, always, it was only a matter of waiting. He would find and destroy them both, and Bellatrix knew she would welcome his wrath when the time came.

But for now...for now Bellatrix stands in the kitchen of their house in the woods (far, far from prying eyes), hot tea in her hands. She tucks the tea cozy around the pot, turns her eyes to the rising sun and waits for Hermione.

***
You can't tell in this bit, but it's all dark and creepy and abusive. Sogoingtohellsogoingtohellsogoingtohell.