Chapter 25: Truth HurtsChapter TextHermione stirred, still lying in the warm sand which was surprisingly comfortable. She was lying in the shade, it seems and there was something soft underneath her cheek. Her pack seemed to be gone and there were pleasant smells of freshly cooked food wafting all around her.
"Hi there, sleepy head," sounded the pleasant voice of Bellatrix. It took a few moments for Hermione to register where she was. Her eyes opened and she found herself lying in the shade of the pitched tent next to her. The sky above her mimicked a noon sun while Bellatrix sat at the camping stove cooking a meal.
"Hmmm," Hermione groaned. "What time is it?"
"Just past noon," replied Bellatrix. "I woke up about an hour ago. Left you sleeping, set camp but put a pillow under your cheek. You didn't even notice."
Hermione sat up and let out a yawn before taking in her surroundings... which were utterly breathtaking. The two witches were camping on the beach of a pristine and beautiful atoll environment with the green of a mountainous jungle island behind them and the stark blue ocean ahead… though she supposed said 'ocean' was technically speaking a lake. The island snaked around like a ring along a sinkhole filled with almost clear blue salt water. Most impressive yet were all the floating islands: all of them surrounding them on all sides, floating slightly above.
"This is the center island," said Bellatrix after following Hermione's gaze. "You can get a good sense of the cosmology of this place too. And, so far, no monsters or mind-altering fog. Things are looking up."
The wasp was doing much better too, teleporting around from the roof of the tent, to the cooking stove, to the beach ever so often. Zipper was certainly paying at lot of attention to the food. That wasp, it seems, was always hungry.
"Hm, smells nice," said Hermione as she regarded the pot on the stove: beef stew. "And you still managed to avoid blowing us both up with that propane tank."
Bellatrix chuckled. "Don't underestimate me, Hermie," said the curly-haired witch. "I'm not just a pretty face, you know? Here."
Bellatrix held out a wooden ladle with a bit of cooked beef on it. Hermione took a bite and chewed. "It's good."
"Oh, of course it is," she said. Bellatrix seemed a bit distant, however, and her bravado melted like snow in the sun in an instant.
"What's wrong?" asked Hermione.
The curly-haired witch cast her eyes down a bit. "Back there... in the fog. There were parts of me which were screaming at me to kill you. Or to leave you behind as a distraction so I could escape. I..." Bellatrix muttered and Hermione could see the shame in her eyes.
"But you didn't," Hermione whispered.
"But..."
"You didn't," Hermione repeated, reaching out to caress Bellatrix' cheek. The curly-haired witch offered a brief smile before looking away. "Besides, I wasn't exactly a model of courage back there."
By now, Bellatrix had poured the stew into two bowls and served it to them both, along with a cup of tea. Of course, a hot meal and a hot drink in this climate might be a bit counterproductive, but national pride won out: they were Brits, after all. Together they ate inside the coolness of the tent and spent some time documenting their experiences. It was mostly contained to log entries, as there had not been many photographs or samples from the fog biome to catalogue other than a few scrapes and pictures from the corpse of the one creature which followed them. But they had wanted to preserve at least something of their experiences.
They emerged from the tent barely an hour later. Looking at their surroundings, Bellatrix took out her omniculars for a peek. "How about get some more exploring done?" asked Bellatrix. "We're both well rested and it'd be a shame to waste a full day."
"Heh," Hermione chuckled. "This might look like a paradise, but who knows? We might come across a flock of rabid piranha-poodles."
"Always the optimist," Bellatrix winked.
From their location on this floating island, they got a good sense of its layout. The atoll they were standing on was ring-shaped, wrapped around a large center sinkhole. The best way it could be described was an atoll without an ocean around it, as where the ocean would normally be was instead the edge of the world leading off into the void. The inner ocean gave it a sense of calm, however and the place seemed to be teeming with life.
Benign life, for a change.
Their wasp friend followed them along, having recovered as well. In fact, they encountered more giant wasps, as well as a flock of borses trotting along the shade of the judge. Several cat-like creatures were lazying about underneath the palm trees... or what looked to be palm trees, at least, seeing the shade of green was inordinately bright and the sheer amount of coconuts they bore was staggering. The island was also home to a large variety of colourful birds... birds which emanated a magical glow as they traversed the island, changing colour to match their surroundings much like chameleons. Hermione made sure to gather a few shedded feathers as samples.
Hermione could only close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of the sun and the breeze on her skin: this place was absolute paradise.
For one, Bellatrix was enthusiastically taking photographs again while Hermione was getting more samples of the local flora. Of particular interest were a group of flowers which resembled orchids, but were seemingly leaning into the breeze to always catch as much light as possible. By now, she had gathered so many different kinds of seed pods that she could fill a whole greenhouse with and she honestly couldn't wait to try to grow some of them.
The plan was to make a walk along the inner ring of the atoll to get a good feel of the lay of the land, pitch the tent again on the beach and, after a good's night rest, head inland to explore the jungle. It was about five in the afternoon when both witches came across a familiar sight.
"There's another one!" said Bellatrix as they encountered yet another shimmering wildlife crossing. "That's seven so far."
"Hm," said Hermione after she watched Bellatrix place a conch-beacon near it. "I'm willing to bet that you can get to every single biome from this central island. It certainly explains why there's so many different species of animal walking around here."
The wasp teleported with a crack and was sat on Bellatrix' head, which he usually did whenever he seemed to be getting tired or hungry. At least Trix didn't seem to mind. "Let's finish exploring this island first before we head to another one."
"Perhaps we should try to find one which leads back to the grasslands biome first," suggested Hermione. "So we won't have to pass through that fog biome again on the way back."
Bellatrix made a face. "You sound like you want to go back home."
"I don't," said Hermione quickly. "Not yet, anyway. But it's always good to have a plan. I mean, do you really want to go through that hell a second time?"
"I suppose not," said Bellatrix, looking less than convinced. "I wonder what makes this island so special, though. Or maybe it's just because it's the center one that all the other islands connect to it?"
"Hm," replied Hermione as they stood at the edge of the jungle. "We haven't even scratched the surface. I feel we could spend years here in the Fae Realm before we'll get a complete picture."
Bellatrix grinned at her. "That means... we'll have to return plenty of times." There was an eager glint in her eye when she spoke those words. Eager for more adventure, more exploration, more freedom. With her. Hermione would be greatly lying if she said that sounded unappealing.
"Hopefully better prepared," said Hermione. "We prepared for savanna land safaris, not for arctics, desert or mind-altering foglands. Hell, we're still dressed too warmly for the humidity of this island. I don't know about you, but I'm sweating like a pig. This is not a climate for an Englishwoman."
It was then that Zipper took off and rushed to the treeline, causing both girls to turn their heads. There, sat on piece of driftwood, were three more giant wasps. Hermione looked in fascination as Zipper approached the three wasps, sat down on the driftwood and twitched his antennae. The four wasps started to move in unison, dancing around each other for a moment before turning their heads towards each other, twitching their antennae in unison.
"What are they doing?" asked Bellatrix.
"Communicating, I think," replied Hermione.
All four wasps turned their heads and hopped to face in the direction of the two girls.
"I think Zip just pointed us out," chuckled Bellatrix.
With a crackle, the four wasps teleported right in front of the girls, causing Hermione to start. Though Bellatrix was amused and giggly, Hermione felt rather uncomfortable having four giant wasps circling them. Thankfully, they was not aggressive, but rather as curious and friendly as Zipper was. They seemed to be studying them, and so Hermione made a point to study them in return. Hermione noticed that these seemed to be steady patterns in the way they hovered, the way their antennae twitched and… were they clicking their mandibles together? The wasps seemed to have a very sophisticated method of communication, perhaps even a language. The wasps were more intelligent than Hermione had given them credit for.
Looking closer at the wasps themselves, Hermione noticed that there seemed to be a variation of colour and patterns on their chitinous hides. Of note were smears of luminescent pollen in other places than their legs and it didn't seem haphazardly applied by randomly scrubbing against a large flower. It fact, it seemed to be more deliberate. Was this… decoration? A form of self-expression, maybe?
Bellatrix was taking some pictures. The flash confused the wasps momentarily before they took interest. After taking more pictures, Bellatrix decided to reward the wasps for their time with some food. The curly-haired witch took out yet another one of their largest chocolate bars and undid the wrapper. The smell did immediately catch the attention of the wasps. After reaching into her pack, she took out a jar of jam and started smearing the contents over the chocolate bar with a knife.
"Will you please stop feeding all our good stuff to wasps?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. Bellatrix made a face and ignored her as she held out the yummy treat to the curious wasps. Naturally, all four wasps feasted enthusiastically from the jam-covered chocolate. When their meal was finished, the four wasps seemed to communicate some more. Both girls looked on in fascination as the four wasps teleported up into the trees and moved towards one of the coconut-like fruits. They started chewing at the stalk with their mandibles and, in total unison, held on to the heavy fruit before it could fall to the ground. The four wasps moved like synchronised swimmers as they flew into the air with their heavy prize, moving it to hover above a large rock on the breach. The coconut was dropped and neatly split in two when it hit the rock at just the right angle.
Bellatrix had been taking pictures the whole time, and was just as surprised as Hermione was when the wasps teleported behind them and started to nudge them towards the fallen coconut. The inside of the coconut was not white as expected, but glowing blue. Hermione carefully picked up one half, as did Bellatrix.
"Remember to take some samples. I'm not sure…" Hermione started to say, but Bellatrix had already scooped up the blue glowing coco with her finger and popped it into her mouth.
"It's good," said Bellatrix.
"What are you doing?!" hissed Hermione. "You don't know if that's poisonous or not!"
"It isn't," said Bellatrix. "It feels right."
Hermione was about to retort when she realized that, once again, Bellatrix was simply far better attuned to magic than she herself was and Hermione did, in fact, sensed the magic emanating from the juicy fruit. Perhaps the wasps were trying to repay them for the tasty treat.
"Come on, eat it," Bellatrix smirked. "Don't be rude."
"Rude to wasps?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Perish the thought."
The wasps were looked at her expectantly. Carefully, she took a small scoop of the coco and put it in her mouth. Not only did it taste really good, but the magic did have an instant effect. All her senses were seemingly doubled in strength. She could see better, she could hear better. She felt the caress of the breeze as it passed gently over her skin and through her hair. The buzzing of the insects became louder and more intrinsic.
"Whoa," Hermione blinked as her vision become starkly eagle-eyed in such a way that she needed to adjust herself for a bit.
"Yeah," giggled Bellatrix, her Mancunian voice sounding incredibly melodic to her ears.
"We really, really need to bring some of those nuts with us," said Hermione. "If we can grow these back home…"
"Way ahead of you," smiled Bellatrix as she strode over to a few fallen nuts which were seemingly already sprouting. Though she struggled a bit to fit them, Bellatrix managed to gather five of them in their largest sample container.
By now the wasps were pleased that their gift had been appreciated. There was a bit more dance in the air before the three other wasps took their leave to apparently forage some more food along the shoreline, leaving Zipper with the two girls.
"Amazing feeling. Intense," said Hermione. "Only now, I feel even warmer."
Bellatrix perked up a moment, gazing towards the jungle. "Hear that rumbling in the distance?" she spoke. "Thanks to that coco, I now do. And I think that might be a solution to our problem."
Hermione gave her a questioning look, to which Bellatrix smirked and grabbed her by the wrist to pull her into the jungle. It didn't take long for Hermione to let out a relieved sigh as the thick, lush jungle was mercifully much cooler and shaded than the beach they had come from. As the trees stood close together, the underbrush was relatively sparse underneath the thick canopy. More colourful birds had chosen their sanctuary here and Zipper flew in right behind the two witches, but soon buzzing up to go snack on a ripe piece of fruit hanging from one of the trees.
A still grinning Bellatrix kept pulling Hermione forward as the roar was getting louder and louder, a roar Hermione soon recognized as falling water. The source of which became clear soon enough: a large, pristine clear pool of water at the base of a ten meter high cliff which sported a tiered waterfall while, at the base of the pool, several smaller streams led further into the jungle. The canopy was partially broken above, allowing the sun to shine down upon parts of the water. It looked to be deep enough for a really nice swim.
"I was hoping we'd find this," giggled Bellatrix, finally letting go of Hermione's wrist. While Hermione was still contemplating just how beautiful this partially shaded pool was, Bellatrix had already dropped her pack on the ground and was unbuttoning her top. Honestly, it was quite bewildering just how adept Bellatrix was at taking off her clothes, as scant half a minute later, Bellatrix stood on a rock wearing only her silver necklace. Again, Hermione could only admire her sculpted body, long curly hair cascading over her back.
With a whoop, Bellatrix rushed forward and dove into the pool with a resounding splash. She remained under water for a moment, gliding underneath the surface of the water like a dolphin. And when she emerged, she burst from the surface of the water, throwing her hair back as if she was a siren of old.
"Come on in!" Bellatrix beckoned over a with a smile. "The water is nice!"
Hermione swallowed hard, but soon steeled herself. She'd been in this position once before and wasn't going to miss out on having fun skinny-dipping in an idyllic forest pool for a second time. This time, she wasn't a nervous virgin anymore and could hold her own against the amorous Bellatrix. This time, there wasn't a damn monster to interrupt their fun. This time, Hermione started to undress as swiftly as she could and, now unabashedly naked, dove into the pool after Bellatrix.
Oh, it felt so good. The fresh water on her skin was just the right temperature and after hours of traipsing around a rather hot beach, it was just what she needed to cool herself. The magic from the coconut made it feel even more soothing. Her head popped up from the surface and found a smiling Bellatrix swimming towards her.
"See?" Bellatrix smirked. "I always have the best ideas, don't I?"
"Arrogant..."
"Oh, pish-posh, you love it!"
The two girls swam towards each. The water was deep enough for them to swim in, but shallow enough for Hermione to feel her toes touching the silty bottom of the pool. They were still facing each other when Hermione suddenly lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Bellatrix. The two girls giggled and had a bit of a light struggled before they pressed their bodies together and lips were crushed to lips. Hermione swooned when Bellatrix kissed her with a tremendous hunger, feeling her soft tongue circling around hers playfully. The young witch swooned and tilted her head slightly, allowing Bellatrix to deepen their kiss even further. Pleasant sensations which were doubled by the power of the magic coconut.
She felt the brush of butterfly wings in the pit of her stomach. Here, in this pool, being kissed by the girl she loved, Hermione felt completely and utterly content. She felt soft hands sliding over her skin, coming to rest on her shoulders... until she suddenly and unceremoniously found herself being dunked into the water.
A startled Hermione resurfaced, coughing up a bit of water which had found its way into her lungs by Bellatrix' nasty prank. She narrowed her eyes and looked around where her girlfriend had swam off to since. Naturally, this meant war and Bellatrix had to be punished!
Bellatrix had found her way over to the tiered waterfall, and stood underneath it. The plunge of roaring water poured over her, causing the curly-haired witch to laugh in merriment. Hermione showed a wicked grin and swam towards it. The water was much shallower here, only coming just above their knees. Perfect.
Hermione approached Bellatrix from behind, joining her underneath the waterfall. Immediately, she felt the water cascade upon her, threatening to push her down under its weight. "Hush!" she yelled over the roar of the water. "You're mean and I have to punish you!"
"Oh?"
Hermione snaked one arm over her waist, hand rising to cup one of Trix' lovely breasts. The other hand lingered on her thigh.
"You've been very mean to suddenly dunk me," said Hermione. "And now you must face the consequences."
Apparently, that was more alluring to Trix than Hermione would have liked it to be, judging from the laugh. Already, she felt Bellatrix' nipple hardening against her palm. Hermione gently started nippling on her earlobe. Her hand slid up, two fingers gently rubbing between Bellatrix' legs before plunging into hotness.
The gasp and the shudder came instantly, with Bellatrix letting out a series of moans with every crook of her fingers. Oh, Hermione was a relative newcomer to the world of physical pleasures, but she was a quick study and learned by doing. The past few days, Bellatrix had only been to happy to teach her or let her use her for practice. Hermione would be the first to admit that she was just starting out, but judging by the way Bellatrix' body responded to her ministrations, she was getting the hang of it. Of course, she probably had a little help from the coconut.
"You're so wet..." Hermione whispered.
"Duh," replied Bellatrix, managing to smirk in between sighs.
"Oh, be quiet!"
Quiet was something Bellatrix wasn't going to be. With water cascading down upon the both of them, sighs turned into moans as Hermione treated her to gentle, rhythmic strokes while kneading her lovely, impossibly soft breast with her other hand. Bellatrix craned her neck back, laying her head on Hermione's shoulder. The young witch took the opportunity to gently trail kisses over her cheek while continuing to pleasure her as best she could.
Moans turned into mews... something which she learned happened to Bellatrix when she was close to going over the edge. Hermione slowed somewhat to give her love some more time to enjoy the moment until finally a shudder went through the curly-haired witch's entire body as she finally died her little death.
Hermione was sure to catch her as Bellatrix was going weak in the knees and having her girlfriend hit her head on the rocks would surely be a poor end to a fun experience. Hermione guided her from under the waterfall and let her slide into the pool where Bellatrix floated for a moment with closed eyes and a rather satisfied grin.
This only lasted a moment, though. Quickly, Bellatrix rolled around in the water, satisfied grin turned into a cheeky one as she raised her hand and wagged a finger at her, her alluring eyes giving her a look of 'come hither'. It made Hermione smile as she left the waterfall and entered the pool again where the two girls first embraced for a loving kiss.
Again their tongues met and again Hermione was overcome with the gentle softness of Bellatrix' exploration and the wonderful feeling of her body pressing against hers. When Bellatrix broke the kiss, she gently whispered in Hermione's ear. "I know just what to do with you, you filthy little witch," husked Bellatrix, licking Hermione's ear for good measure.
Hermione found herself pushed backwards into the waterfall, gently lifted up to be sat on a rock. She was underneath the waterfall again, but this part of the waterfall was much wilder: the water fell over her with more roaring intensity. With the water up to the underside of her ribs, Bellatrix pressed her body against hers after parting her legs for easier access, nipping at her skin on a steady trajectory downward. Hermione groaned when her curly-haired girlfriend stopped at her breasts and gently rolled the tip of her tongue over an erect nipple … and was disappointed when Bellatrix stopped to continue her path downward.
She could hear Bellatrix whisper the words to a bubble-head charm just before submerging herself. Hermione arched her back and let out a strangled exclamation when receiving the first lash of the tongue.
With fingers digging into the skin of her legs to keep her in place, Hermione was subject to a relentless onslaught. Through the distortion of the clear water, Hermione could see exactly what Bellatrix was doing... a mass of curly-hair wafting through the water between her legs like black seaweed dancing in the currents. She threw her head back, into the path of the fierce falling water and grit her teeth. Hands searched for something to grab and found it in the curly black hair.
This did serve as a stark reminder that Hermione still had so much to learn. Bellatrix' tongue traced irregular patterns and mixed speeds, making it hard to prepare for the onslaught of pleasure. And when she felt two fingers enter her as well to work in unison with that merciless tongue, she was well and truly lost.
Hermione panted, trying to delay the moment by doing calculus in her head... anything to distract her... anything to delay what she knew was coming.
It was a fruitless effort.
Waves and waves of pleasure crashed upon her shores. An exclamation of such a volume escaped from her lungs that near them flocks of birds fled from the trees. Her entire body went limp and her body slid into the water, carried by the currents of the wild waterfall. Bellatrix was there to catch her, however, holding her in her arms until her motor control returned.
Hermione smiled at her. A loving smile, she imagined.
"Hm," Bellatrix joked. "Teachers always told me I had a filthy mouth."
"Keep it that way," Hermione managed to say before both girls giggled.
After their rather amorous stint in the waterfall pool, both witches laid out towels on the beach to simply lazy about. Perfectly positioned in the shade of some overhead palm trees, Hermione was content to let her bare wet skin dry while feeling the warm air above her and the warm sand below her. Normally, she would never ever do this, but considering the only other human here was her equally naked girlfriend lying mere inches away from her, she no real problem with this level of decadence. The coconut was still doing its job, though the effect was very slowly diminishing.
"Who would have thought months ago," Bellatrix spoke softly. "That I'd be lying naked on a beach on a tropical atoll in what's possibly another dimension right next to my muggle-born lover after a naughty romp under a waterfall."
That made Hermione laugh. She looked up to watch the rays of sunlight breaching through the palm canopy above. "I'd have to say that the past few months have been completely unreal."
"I've always wondered," said Bellatrix. "I mean, we pure-bloods talk a lot of shit about muggle-borns, I freely admit that. But I wonder if the muggle-borns talk shit about us."
"Hm," Hermione closed her eyes and suppressed a giggle. "Well, you know, I'd like to say I've kept the moral high ground and refuse to play that stupid game of prejudice Olympics."
"But?" Bellatrix asked.
"You bunch of chinless, inbred, stuck-up, infuriating, smug, snobbish, arrogant, condescending, pretentious, vain, inconsiderate, self-centered, patronising, pompous, dishonest, Machiavellian, resentful, overemotional, lazy, narrow-minded belligerents are just too bloody annoying to keep quiet about it!" Hermione exclaimed, turning her head to see an incredulous Bellatrix staring back her her. But when she cracked a smile, the curly-haired witch simply had to giggle.
"We're not that bad... are we?"
"Oh, you have no idea."
"I suppose a lot of the things we say about muggle-borns aren't too flattering," Bellatrix muttered.
"Judging by the things pure-bloods say to our face," said Hermione. "I shudder to think what you say behind our back."
"Pretty much the same, I'd wager," said Bellatrix with a shrug of the shoulders. "Generally speaking, you're lazy thieves riding the coat-tails of the real wizards who had to do all the hard work and endure all the hardships. Or you whore yourselves into a proper wizards' bed to legitimize your own bloodline by ruining another. Not willing to work a day in their lives, just take government hand-outs and attend school for free which we fund through our tax money."
"Heh," Hermione snorted. "That sounds a lot like the things my grandparents used to say about foreigners."
Bellatrix thought for a moment. "Funny you mentioned foreigners. Part of me is foreign blood. Pure foreign blood, but foreign blood nonetheless. If you look at my family, you can clearly see the difference in attitudes towards muggle-borns between the family on my mother's side and my father's side."
"Oh?" Hermione replied.
"Hm," Bellatrix nodded. "On my father's side, the true Blacks, that's where you find all the hardliners. Those who actively despise anything muggle or muggle-born. All for purification of the wizarding race. On my mother's side, things were quite different. They are more... uhm, how to say this right? Subtle? I mean, my oncle Achille really doesn't like it, even when we're just joking around, but he's really only focused on his artwork to bother with society on the whole. Even so, my father's side of the family considers him a bad influence on us. And mum, well, she's mostly just thinks that muggle-borns should be helped to prevent them from becoming beggars, cut-purses and thieves on the street."
Hermione chuckled for a moment. "No offense, Trix, but from what you've told me about your mum, she rather strikes me as being a classic example of a champagne socialist. Someone who might mean well, but actually lacks a lot of understanding about how the people outside of her circle actually live their lives and what their motivations might be."
"You're probably right," laughed Bellatrix. "Still, when you compare attitudes towards blood purity in different countries, you'll find that the UK has the most hardliners. It's generally a bit toned down in most continental countries. And it's completely non-existent in the Americas... which is why uncle Orion has forbidden the three of us to ever go there."
"Sounds like an excellent reason to visit," Hermione said.
"Hah, you decadent rebel," Bellatrix winked. "Still, I wonder why blood purity idealism is strongest in the UK. If pure-bloods are superior, surely they are superior everywhere, no?"
"Hm," said Hermione. "Perhaps it's just less subtle here. Even if people don't talk about it as much doesn't mean the idea isn't there."
"True, I suppose."
"Trix?"
"Hm?"
"Do you still believe in pure-blood superiority?"
Bellatrix remained quiet for a time. "I don't know," said Bellatrix. "So far I've seen one example of brilliance. But one example doesn't necessarily prove or disprove anything."
"I suppose that's fair," said Hermione. "Still not very nice, but fair."
"I'm not in this life to be nice."
Hermione looked at her for a moment. "Stop acting so tough. You don't have to prove anything to me. I know you have a soft side. You should let it out more."
Bellatrix grumbled. "After almost seven years of Slytherin and growing up in my family, it's something I've learned to switch off."
"I'd like to think that after all our chats and adventures, you've become a bit more open with your vulnerabilities."
She heard Bellatrix shift slightly. The talk was obviously making Bellatrix uncomfortable. "Only to very few people," she finally spoke, her voice almost a whisper. "Hermie, you... you don't have to prove anything to me either."
Hermione turned her head towards Bellatrix. Her curly-haired girlfriend had a bit of an awkward look to her expression. She merely smiled warmly. Perhaps it was time to strike when the iron was hot.
"Do you trust me enough to come back to 1998 with me?"
Bellatrix closed her eyes and sighed through her nose. She sat up and looked away from Hermione. "Not this again… Look, what we share together is wonderful, don't get me wrong? And I realize that you know certain things. But what you're asking me is just too much!"
She stood up now, her pale sculpted body accented by the shadows underneath the trees. "Family is important to me! You expect me to leave my sisters behind?! I'm not afraid of a laughable charlatan with a circus tent!"
Perhaps it was the power of the coconut making her bolder. Perhaps she was just desperate after days of agonizing over it, but Hermione closed her eyes and took the plunge. Hermione rose from her own towel, desperation creeping into her voice. It was now or never, and before she knew it, she blurted it what had been on her mind for days. "Trix!" she heard her own voice cracking as she felt her own breath quicken. "If you go back to 1968, you will have no future!"
Silence.
Dead silence.
All that could be heard was the calm ocean, the breeze rustling through the leaves and both their laboured breathing. Slowly, ever so slowly, Bellatrix turned around to face her… with tears in her eyes. She was absolutely seething. "YOU PROMISED ME!" shrieked Bellatrix with an intensity which made Hermione wince. "You promised me you wouldn't tell me anything about my future! YOU PROMISED!"
Hermione stepped forward, grabbing Bellatrix by the shoulders. "I KNOW WHAT I PROMISED!" Hermione shouted back. "I'm sorry! But I'm desperate! And I'm selfish! Because I love you! That dark wizard you so lightly refer to as a 'charlatan with a circus tent'. He… he will…"
Bellatrix expression was one of turmoil, absolutely torn between anger, sadness and terror. She started pacing back and forth. "I... I can't... I... That charlatan is full of shit! I know that! You know that! He… He can't… He can't be… My... sisters! I... I have to go back! If he's really that dangerous, I need to protect my family! My sisters! "
"Trix," Hermione whispered, eyes red with tears while shaking her head slowly. "If you go back to 1968, your sisters… They… They will suffer for it."
Hermione had to be careful: Bellatrix' reaction to learning the full extent of her future madness had broken her mentally. Hermione would not mention specifics, or even think of them in case Bellatrix was trying to read her mind. But by mentioning just the hurt done to her much beloved sisters even in the vaguest possible way, meant she had struck proverbial gold. It was cruel, yes, but it had to done.
Of course, denial and anger came first. "No! NO!" Bellatrix shrieked in her face after taking angry strides towards her. "It's not true! That's impossible! We are the Black sisters! WE HAVE AN UNBREAKABLE BOND!"
Hermione merely looked at her sadly. "I'm so sorry, Trix."
For a moment, Bellatrix looked at her with wide, searching eyes as if she was hoping to find lies in Hermione's expression. Apparently, she found none when there was a distinct look of disbelief and resignation as the reality of the situation started to sink in. Hermione was upon her quickly as Bellatrix sobbed and sank to her knees. The young witch knelt besides her and held her, quite relieved that Bellatrix didn't push her away: she had, in her opinion, every right to.
"I don't know what will happen to you if you come with me to 1998. The future will be yours to make," said Hermione. "But I do know what will happen to you if return to 1968... and it's not going to be pretty."
"Don't tell me anything more," Bellatrix whimpered. "I don't want to know. I don't even want to think about it. Nothing more than you've already told me."
"I promise," said Hermione, closing her eyes. "And I'll keep it this time. Just remember... whatever happens in 1998, you'll have me. If you still want that, of course."
Bellatrix looked up, a half-smile one her tear-streaked face. "W-why would I not want that?" Bellatrix replied softly. "I... I just need some time to wrap my head around all this."
"I understand," said Hermione as Bellatrix stood up and looked in the distance, apparently lost in thought.
Bellatrix sniffed, shaking her head. "I should have known, really," sighed Bellatrix. "You were always so vague. So evasive. If there were good things in my future, you wouldn't have been. At least… at least we could use the Fae Mirror to travel back and forth, right?"
Hermione bit her lip. "It… It will stop working."
"What?!" When?!"
"March next year."
"How do you know…" Bellatrix demanded, before closing her eyes. "Someone from the past told you it will. Of course."
"Your uncle Achille did," Hermione confirmed. "And when the Fae Mirror stops working while you're at the wrong side of it, your fate will be sealed."
For a moment, it seemed as Bellatrix was about to say something when an odd look came over her. She took a few steps forward and peered in the distance, squinting her eyes a bit.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, but Hermione ignored her and kept peering. Hermione tried to follow her gaze to see what she was looking at. And then, she saw it: on the other side of the atoll, across the great water filled sinkhole, a black dot stood out in the distance. It was stood on the beach, having emerged from the jungle. Immediately, Hermione got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"See that?" Bellatrix asked.
"Yeah," Hermione added. "I see it too."
Hermione looked over to her pack to grab the omniculars and aimed them at the black dot, hoping against hope that she was wrong.
She was not.
A hulking muscular beast, a fiery red mane and a large bloodied horn filled her vision as the black unicorn simply... stood there, looking in their direction. Then, it simply turned around and sauntered off back into the jungle, completely out of sight.
"Do you think it spotted us?" Hermione asked, her voice in a quiet hush despite the creature being so far away it obviously wouldn't be able to hear them.
Her face grim, Bellatrix kept scanning the jungle rim. "I'm absolutely sure it did," she responded. "Those six eyes aren't there for nothing."
By the time Hermione put down her omniculars, Bellatrix was already putting on her clothes hastily. "Come on," Bellatrix said. "We've got to keep moving."
"So much for some quiet time on the beach," Hermione sighed and started to gather her own clothes.
Bellatrix snorted. "You call what just happened quiet time? I shudder to think what you'd call tumultuous then!"
Chapter 26: DiscoveriesChapter TextRonald Weasley stepped inside the Three Broomsticks. By now it was some almost eleven o'clock and most of the inn's usual bustle had died down. Rosmerta was still at the bar, as per usual, and was tending to the few quiet patrons who had yet to go home or up to their rooms.
"Ah, good evening mister Weasley," greeted Rosmerta. "I'd offer a pint, but we're close to time. Making a late night call?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," said Ron as he took a stool near the bar. "Investigating rumours of sightings up North. Didn't lead to anything."
"Escaped Death Eater?" she asked while cleaning glasses.
"Rodolphus Lestrange," said Ron. "One of the last ones still on the loose. Rotter is about as slippery as an oiled-up eel in a pool of green soap."
"Thank you for that lovely mental image," said Rosmerta. "He can't keep running, though. You'll catch him one day."
Ron nodded in thanks. "I know it's late, but I'm hoping to see Hermione. How's she doing?"
"Hermione?" asked Rosmerta. "Why, she's been a model guest of the most part. Room's paid up for the month, she makes no fuss or noise and on the rare occasions I do catch her, she's always up for a bit of friendly chatter. She does keep irregular hours, I've noticed, so I've given her the key to the front door so she can come and go as she pleases and I know she can be trusted the lock the door behind her. Very responsible young woman."
"Irregular hours?" Ron frowned. "She goes out at night?"
"Quite often, yes," said Rosmerta. "For a research project, she says. Likes keeping busy, that one."
It did sound like Hermione to want to keep her mind occupied. However, that didn't explain why Hermione hadn't been returning any of his owls. Granted, Hermione could be obsessive at the best of times, but considering she had no school work to focus on, he would think she'd have plenty of time to respond. This did not sit well with him at all.
"When did you last see her?" asked Ron.
Rosmerta thought a moment. "About... four days ago. Or was it five? Yes, I think it was five."
"Five days?!" Ron blinked.
"Oh, I know she's been in," said Rosmerta. "She has had dinner brought up to her room on a serving tray which she always left in perfect condition afterwards. Like I said, a model guest. Why don't you go up to her room? She's likely there if you want to pay a visit. She usually doesn't go out until much later."
"I believe I will do that," said Ron, standing up and headed towards the stairs.
Hermione's room was in the nicer part of the inn, just above the common room at the end of the hall. He took note of the 'do not disturb'-sign hung from a hook on the door to her room. Judging from the dust on the top, it had been a permanent fixture for weeks on end.
He knocked. No answer. He knocked again, more urgently.
No answer.
As Ron wasn't here in any official capacity, he couldn't ask Rosmerta to open the door for him. Not that that would stop him, of course. His auror training had given him means to enter a room discreetly, after all. After flick of the wand, the lock opened with a satisfying 'snick'.
"Hermione," he spoke to the door. "I'm coming in. Hope you're decent!"
He grabbed hold of the doorknob and gently pushed it as he stepped inside. The moment he did, his jaw dropped to the floor. Hermione, of course, was nowhere in sight, but it was the state of the room which troubled him: stacks of books and papers were strewn about the room in a meticulously organized fashion and the walls were completely covered with notes, papers and even the occasional photographs. Red ribbons connected most of the notes, but even so, whatever subject matter Hermione was researching, he had to admit it was way over his head. He saw schematics of what looked to be magical vortices, but he had never really paid attention in Theory of Magic. There were some bits of folklore here and there, some fragments of rituals and a few newspaper clippings from... 1968?
"What the bloody hell happened in 1968?" Ron whispered to himself. "What is this?!"
Ron cursed to himself when he saw the name 'Bellatrix' in some notes. It was obvious that Hermione had never completely recovered from her experience at Malfoy Manor and from the war in general. In a way, none of them had. He had his own nightmares quite often. But all this was starting to worry him more and more.
The next batch of papers made his blood run cold: his nan was a Black. Cedrella Black had turned her back on her family and was subsequently disowned when she married his grandfather on her father's side. His nan had always ever been kind, but she had made sure to make her family well aware how to recognize the dark arts and to warn them to stay away from it. Among the worst of the dark arts were blood rites. Blood magic drained the life-force of the caster or leeched a victim to give a caster amazing amounts of power, but the cost could be great.
Though blood rites were banned by the Ministry, he knew that many of the pure-blood families knew how to perform them as part of their 'birth right' and often did so in secret.
"Blimey," he muttered. "What have you gotten yourself into, Hermione?"
Ron steeled himself: someone like Hermione would be well aware of the dangers and dark sides of blood magic and he couldn't bring himself to think that the friend he knew would actually perform a blood rite willingly.
Someone had to be making her do this.
And he was determined to find out who so he could drop-kick him or her straight to Azkaban. Still, he'd need to be careful and leave the entire room as undisturbed as possible. If Hermione got clued in that someone had been in her room, she might end up doing something drastic or even flee and that was not what he wanted right now.
Still, he needed clues and he found it after another search through the notes on the wall: it was a map of magical lay-lines running through the Forbidden Forest and he was just willing to bet that it was significant. There was a central point where all the lay-lines intersected and the flow of magic was at its strongest. Of course, it did helped that Hermione had circled the point of intersection with a red marker.
He took out a notebook and made a copy of the map as good as he could. Afterwards, he locked the door and hurried back downstairs.
"Is she not in?" asked Rosmerta. "Curious. I didn't see her leave today."
"You said five days ago was the last time you saw her?" asked Ron. "Did something appear off? Might she have been nervous? Or acting queer in any way? Any detail might help."
Rosmerta put her fingers to her lips. "Well, no," she said, squinting her eyes as she thought.
"Anything might be of use, even if it seems small."
"She seemed to be preparing for some kind of trip," Rosmerta snapped her fingers. "It was one of those rare days when she was having her dinner in the common room and when I brought her her fish 'n chips, she was so concentrated on the list she was working on that I actually startled her. I couldn't help but notice that she was writing down all manner of different tinned food items. But that was all I saw."
That made Ron's blood run cold: was Hermione going to flee the wizarding world? What on Earth would she be needing supplies for? And how could this be related to the blood ritual she had been working on? So many questions.
"Right," said Ron. "Keep Hermione's room under lock and key. No one goes in! If you see Hermione, try to keep her from leaving the inn and discretely send me an owl as quickly as possible."
"What is this about?" asked Rosmerta, concern etched on her face. "Is Hermione is trouble?"
"I hope to Merlin she's not," Ron muttered before taking his leave. Stood in front of the Three Broomsticks, he examined the map he had drawn. It was the only clue he had so far of Hermione's location. More was undoubtedly buried in the myriad of notes and drawings on the walls of her room, but he didn't have the time or the knowledge to sort through all of that. No, that place in the forest would be her best option.
If he even managed to bloody find it, of course.
Once again, Andromeda found herself in the middle of the woods, in the dead of night in the depths of winter. But this time, she was not alone. A rather petulant muttering sounded next to her as she had convinced Cissy to come along with her tonight. Her little sister was hugging herself and had clattering teeth despite the thick fur coat she wore. She had been desperate to have Cissy join her tonight, but after all the trouble she had getting her out of bed and with her she slowing them down during their trip through the woods, Andromeda wondered if it had been a good idea.
In fact, they had already lost sight of Bella and if they didn't get to the glen quickly, they could possibly miss vital clues.
Thankfully, when they arrived, they found Bellatrix waiting by the pool in the middle of the glen. They stopped short at a fallen tree and could see Bellatrix pacing back and forth, apparently waiting for the pool to become active.
"There she is," said Cissy, making Andie wince at the loudness of her voice. But when Cissy stood up and leaned over the tree to get a better look, she quickly yanked on her cloak to pull her back down.
"Watch it!" Andie hissed. "You want to get caught? I swear, you're about as stealthy as a mountain troll!"
Cissy huffed and made a face. "Well, if you're going to be rude about it... why am I here anyway?"
"Because Bella's been acting strangely as of late," said Andie. "She's been going out at night into the woods for weeks now and it's probably been on a daily basis. How she even manages with so little sleep, I'll never know. And she's meeting someone here."
"Really?" Cissy thought for a moment. "I don't see anyone else."
Andie checked her pocket watch. "Just a few seconds more."
She heard a gasp besides her when a powerful magical blue glow bathed the glen. From a distance, they could see Bellatrix kneeling besides the pool. "Whoa," Cissy finally exclaimed. "What is that?"
"I don't know," said Andie. "But whomever Bellatrix is talking to, she's inside that thing."
"Inside?" Cissy frowned. "That... doesn't sound good. What if it's some kind of siren or kelpie?"
"Doubtful," said Andie. "Sirens or kelpies wouldn't have strung along Bella for months. They would have struck at the first opportunity."
Cissy scoffed. "This is Bella we're talking about. She's no fool and there's nobody quite as suspicious as she is. She won't fall for any old charlatan's tricks."
"That's what worries me. Listen to Bella's voice," Andie said and gave Cissy a magical bronze horn. Once put at her ear and aimed at the conversation Bella was having, she would hear it as if she was stood right next to them.
Cissy listened to the conversation and as soon as her eyes grew wide, Andie know that Cissy had realized what she had already concluded. "Andie. Bella. She's... she's in love."
Andie nodded grimly.
"If Bella's in love with you, you can make her do anything!" Cissy exclaimed, almost a bit too loudly again. "Remember when Evelyn challenged her to jump a bridge into the water even though it was way too high and..."
"... she jumped down anyway without a second thought even though she knew better and broke both her legs," Andie said. Even though Evelyn was appropriately horrified that Bella had actually done it, the older Slytherin had never apologized for it. And even after her recovery, Bellatrix refused to see reason. Truth be told, the thing Bellatrix and Evelyn had was the very epitome of a toxic relationship where either girl used each other. Andromeda knew that. Cissy knew that. But Bella always refused to see reason.
"You see my dilemma," spoke Andromeda. "What do you make of this Hermione?"
Cissy listened for a little while, and her eyes narrowed a bit. "That's just it, I can't tell anything about her. She sounds perfectly normal, nothing out of the ordinary. And that worries me."
"Me too," said Andie. And that was the point, really. All three of them were in Slytherin and all three were trained to both see and find hidden meanings behind everything and anything. This girl in the pool had to be up to no good.
"Wait..." Cissy hissed suddenly. "It's... subtle. But it's there. It's in her tone, her hesitation, her... choice of words. She's hiding something."
"Noticed that too, hm?" Andie chuckled. "Yeah, Bella doesn't."
"She's in love," Cissy repeated, switching out her horn for a pair of omniculars. "That critical part of her brain is shut down now and... oh, Merlin's sake, what is she wearing?! And that pack. Is... it that our tent?!"
Curious herself now, Andie picked up her own pair of omniculars and took a peek. Indeed, Bella seemed anything but dressed for the cold weather. Underneath her long coat, she wore a cotton... safari outfit? Was that a pith helmet sat on the root next to her? The pack to her side definitely looked like one that housed the family tent. "Is it," said Andie. "Bella had Sebastian deliver her some things from the manor last weekend and she's been acting really mysterious about it."
"Looks like they're getting ready for the blood-rite," said Cissy. Both she and Andie looked and listened as she and the mysterious Hermione inside the pool started their chanting after taking out their daggers and running it across the palm of their hands. Or, at least, Andie presumed that Hermione was doing the same.
"Not a chant I recognize," said Cissy, dead serious now. "Though the pattern of the intonation suggests opening a gateway."
"Yeah, I got that too," said Andie. A few moments later, Bellatrix disappeared in a flash of light.
"That happened before?"
"Yes," said Andie. "I've been looking into who the other person could be, but I've found no record of Hogwarts students or Hogsmeade inhabitants named 'Hermione'. I've been using father's connections to search through Ministry records, but they haven't turned up anything yet. Somehow, I doubt we'll find something. Still, Bellatrix should reappear very soon."
So they waited.
And waited.
"How soon?" Cissy asked after a few minutes had passed.
Andie, now very worried, stepped out from her hiding spot. "Something is wrong."
Inland, the jungle had become noticeably thicker and the ground noticeably more uneven and rocky. Thankfully, the air was cool, though with the non-existent sun apparently setting and with the thick canopy above, it was darker than it should be. They would have to find a place to set camp soon.
And that was a problem. It was obvious that they were being stalked by a massive apex predator out to eat their flesh. As thick as this jungle was, it was difficult to see far ahead. And she had seen just how stealthy the black unicorn could be, especially for a creature that size. Hermione glanced around nervously every so often, looking for odd movements in the underbrush or stopping to listen for odd sounds in the distance. So far, the jungle was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aside from the occasional insect chirp or the tweet of a bird in the distance, all that could be heard were their own footsteps or the breeze through the treetops.
Another worry was that Bellatrix hadn't said a word to her ever since they had left the beach. Where Bellatrix had always been surprisingly chatty during their travels, she was now quiet and contemplative. Where Bellatrix was always snapping pictures, her camera now hung unused from her neck by its strap.
Granted, there wasn't much to take pictures of here, but it still worried Hermione: had she nipped their relationship in the bud? Well, she had come here to set out to save Bellatrix. Preferably, she would have liked to have saved Trix and have a relationship with her, but if she had to sacrifice their relationship to be able to take her with her to 1998, that was how it would have to be. Still, romantic feelings weren't just gone... perhaps... perhaps it could be salvaged...
Hermione hoped beyond hope, but felt a sting in her heart regardless.
God, she was such an abject failure. Everything she touched withered and died. Useless, pathetic, pitiable. Here was a girl who unmistakingly loved her to bits and yet Hermione had found a way to bugger it up. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. Not even here, in a different reality, could she escape these feelings, these thoughts. There was no hope. No way out.
Then, as if Bellatrix had been listening to her thoughts, the curly-haired witch turned her head to smile at her. A smile filled with warmth and... dare she think it? Love? Then, Bellatrix turned her head again and continued walking in silence.
A great relief washed over Hermione: they were still okay. They were still in love. But, she supposed, it was simply a lot to take in for her. She let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. That meant the only immediate concern was about being suddenly rushed, pierced and torn to ribbons by the stealthy black unicorn.
So there was that.
By now, there'd been a steady upward slope they had been following. This floating island was shaped much like an uneven bowl: the sea water in the middle, the beach as a ring around it and, in turn, a jungle around the beach with hilly mountain-like terrain on one side. And it seemed as if they had found the mountains. Traversing this bit of the floating island would turn into a bit of a scramble soon.
"Hermie?" sounded the voice of Bellatrix, first words spoken since the beach. Its appearance was so sudden that it almost startled Hermione.
"Hm?" asked Hermione, trying to keep the immense dread building up in the pit of her stomach from spilling out. She was so certain that the next words out of Bellatrix' mouth would be to reject her.
"We should probably look for a good place to set up the tent," said Bellatrix. "I'm thinking a ridge or, if we get lucky, a cave. We can set up a magical shield at the mouth of the cave, like we did back on the foggy island. Or on a ridge, we can at least cloak the tent with an invisibility spell."
"Or both," said Hermione, looking around her nervously. Again, relieved by the lack of rejection and increasingly worried about being eaten alive.
"You're really worried, aren't you?"
"And you're not?!"
"Sure," said Bellatrix. "But I know we're smarter than it. And we've defeated it once before."
"Because we got lucky!"
"Nonsense," Bellatrix smirked. "Skill! And willpower."
"You're more optimistic than I am," said Hermione. "Where did our wasp friend go?"
On cue, the wasp now named Zipper came flying back from ahead, apparently having found a path the two girls could follow. The wasp hovered and turned in circles towards the path, urging them forward.
"Hermie," said Bellatrix while stepped towards the pointed out path. "We're alright. Really."
"But..."
Before Hermione could get another word in, Bellatrix simply turned around, grabbed her hands and gently kissed her on the lips. "Hermie. Just how long have you been sitting on that secret? How long have you been wanting to warn me about what was to be my future?"
Hermione lowered her gaze briefly. "Almost from the moment we met," said Hermione, softly.
Bellatrix let go of her hands. "That's the thing," said Bellatrix. "I've been thinking back to a lot of our conversations. You kept your promise until today, but you've also been subtly trying to warn me. A lot of the things we talked about during our nights at the Fae Mirror are making so much sense now."
Hermione could only nod. Bellatrix gave her another smile, raising her hand to lay it on her cheek.
"And that... that... that is why I will go with you. To 1998," said Bellatrix, while Hermione stiffened. Was she really hearing this? However, Bellatrix' eyes grew watery until tears ran over her cheeks. "I'm going to have to leave a lot of things... people... behind. There... there are those who I'll want to say goodbye to. My oncle Achille, though I think he will understand. Perhaps maman, though it would likely be better to just leave her and father a letter. But... Andie and Cissy... I'll have to explain to them... need to explain to them... why... why I won't be there for them in the coming years..."
A sob came and Hermione could see that Bellatrix was close to breaking down. She stepped forward, wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry," Hermione whispered. "I'm so sorry."
"I want a future..." Bellatrix sniffed. "And... one for my sisters. A good one. Even if that means I'm not in it..."
"There'll time for goodbyes," said Hermione. "And, if it's any consolation, both of them are still alive in 1998. I don't mind spilling the beans on that."
"So, I'll still have them," smiled Bellatrix. "And, I'll have you. Sounds like... a good deal, no?"
Hermione realized that she was still trying to convince herself and only needed to give a little push.
"You'll always have me," Hermione smiled back, right before kissing her on the lips.
After she broke the kiss, she found Bellatrix had lain a gentle hand on her cheek. "I'd better," Bellatrix told her with a smirk.
Hermione felt like a great weight had fallen off her shoulders. After months of trying to save her from a dire fate, an ugly future, she had finally done it. Where first she had set out to keep an unexpected friend from walking down a path leading to self-destruction, Hermione had now convinced Bellatrix to avoid the path altogether. Better yet, Trix would be in her future too now. There would be a future which the two of them would forge... together.
Hermione felt happier than she had ever been since the end of war. And before. The mere idea of having Trix in her life, with her, building something with her. So many possibilities.
"Trix," Hermione whispered. "You… you make me feel my life is worth living again."
For a moment, the curly-haired witch seemed shocked and at a loss for words. An incredulous stare soon morphed into a cheeky and somewhat sultry grin. "Well," said Bellatrix. "I suppose we should start looking for a secure place to set up camp. No point in all of this if we both get eaten by a murder-unicorn."
"It would at that," said Hermione as she pushed herself forward through the heavy underbrush. By now, there's been a steady upwards slope. Hopefully, they would be able to find a better spot on the high ground, where they could be above the treeline to have a good vantage point while they hid their tent with magic.
After all, especially after what just happened, Hermione was very much in the mood to make love again. Preferably undisturbed by murder-unicorns, as Trix had put it.
The overgrowth appeared to be clearing up after a more steeper climb, though the surface of the rocky hills were still very much covered with vines. So much so, that Hermione almost missed it. But when she saw it, she paused after stopping dead in her tracks. Hermione simply stared in disbelief. Bellatrix first gave her a questioning look, until she followed her gaze and let out a gasp. "Hermie. Tell me you see that."
"I see it," Hermione swallowed hard.
Though it was almost completely obscured by encroaching vines, Hermione could still make out an obviously carved out stone stairway.