Chapter 19: BuzzingChapter Text
With a groan, Hermione's eyes fluttered open. After a moment of disorientation, she realized she found herself in the sleeping bag in their tent, staring at the sun pouring in through the canvas skylight.
Curious. She didn't remember returning to the base-camp. Nor being put to bed. The last thing she remembered was... lying in Bellatrix's arms as she clutched her tightly and pressed her head against her chest. Almost instinctively, Hermione closed her eyes and felt a smile creep over her face. That had been so nice. So very nice indeed. It was almost worth being poisoned by flowers and dying to an endless sleep.
She had slept in her clothes, obviously, though they seemed scourgified and Bellatrix had removed her boots before putting her to bed. Hermione did feel very much rested and fully recovered from the many blood rites she and Trix had performed the days before. She stretched and got up. Bellatrix herself was nowhere in sight, so Hermione quickly made the sleeping bag and sauntered into the bathroom area to splash some water in her face.
Once she left the tent, she found that the location had changed. Their base-camp was now located somewhat near the lake, but thankfully far away from the field of red flowers which had almost done her in the previous day. The beaked creatures were still there, leisurely sifting through the water with their beaks. It was a sunny day again, warm and welcoming, though the lack of actual day-star in the sky was still a little disconcerting.
"Ah, good morning, sleepy-head!" greeted Bellatrix. Her friend was sat on a fallen look while looking rather out of her depth. She had apparently unpacked the camping stove and a tank of propane to put a kettle on for morning tea. Unfortunately, she didn't quite know how to work it, but had managed to fasten and connect the tank properly, at least. Next to her stood one of the five-litre square water bottles and she had apparently decided to drink some water instead.
"Morning, Trix," Hermione yawned. "How long have I slept?"
"Almost fifteen hours," smiled Bellatrix.
"Explains why I feel very relaxed and energetic. How about I fix us some breakfast, hm?"
"Good," said Bellatrix. "I'm witch enough to admit that I can't for the life of me figure out how this muggle contraption works."
Which was probably a good thing, though Hermione didn't say that out loud. Hermione started to turn on the camping stove, when she realized something was off with the tank. "Trix?" she asked. "What happened to the safety lock on this tank?"
"Oh, the red thing?" Trix called over from her perch. "I couldn't get it to disengage, so I knocked it off with a rock."
Hermione blinked. "You… you… knocked it off…"
"With a rock!" Bellatrix added cheerfully.
Right. Hermione couldn't smell any gas, but decided not to take any chances. She put the small tank away in one of her sidepouches for disposal later and went to fetch another propane tank from her pack just to be on the safe side. The camping stove was operational a few minutes later. After putting the kettle on for tea, she decided that since she hadn't eaten the previous evening, it was time for a hearty and filling full English fry-up breakfast. Baked beans, bacon, sausages, mushrooms and tomato, all from tins. While eating rather ravenously, both girls did have a bit of a conversation between bites.
"Hm," said Hermione before taking a bite of bacon. "So explain to me how the tent got here."
"Oh," said Bellatrix, taking a bite from a sausage. "I went back to fetch it."
"You... left me here while I was sleeping?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, don't look at me like that," Bellatrix pouted. "I charmed you with a shield and covered you with an illusion. Besides, I sprinted for the most part and was back in little over an hour. I think it's for the best if we change our plan and bring out base-camp along instead of leaving it behind in case, you know, something like this happens again."
"Maybe you're right," shrugged Hermione. "Wait... you put me to bed?"
"I figured you earned a rest," said Bellatrix. "Oh, this realm definitely has a day-night cycle. You should see the sky at night. It's beyond gorgeous. There's a great view from the sleeping bag through the sky-light, but you slept through it all."
Hermione felt her heart skip a beat: she and Bellatrix had shared a bed last night and she had slept through it all. "Hm, sorry I missed it," said Hermione, muttering wryly.
"You'll get another chance soon enough," smiled Bellatrix.
"I'd better," Hermione spoke before she caught herself and quickly focused to devouring a particularly hearty bit of mushroom. "So, what did you eat last night?"
"Oh, this," said Bellatrix and held up an empty tin of spam. Hermione blinked. Somehow, the mental image of someone whom was basically a wizarding aristocrat used to eating delicacies from golden plates eating raw spam from a tin with a plastic spoon was deeply comical. "I don't know why you're so negative about it. It was really nice."
Truth be told, Bellatrix never ceased to amaze her.
After a hearty breakfast, the two witches broke camp and, after saying their goodbyes to the grazing borses, decided to follow the stream feeding the lake further north. The stream ran parallel to the forest and led further into the grasslands, which give them more of an opportunity to explore. There were also more fields of the red flowers, much larger than had been at the lake. The two girls wisely decided to give those a wide berth, but it limited their options somewhat.
After losing some time by walking around a particularly large, seemingly endless field of large flowers, they found the stream again and followed it further north.
Every so often, Bellatrix would put down another magic conch on a stick to serve as a beacon. All in all, there was a nice path to follow back to the exit of this Realm should they need it. They came to a location near the stream where the plant-life was noticeably larger. The flowers they encountered looked like run-of-the-mill dandelions, though they stood as tall as sunflowers, with stems as thick as mooring ropes and flowers the size of a serving table.
"Nice bit of shade," said Bellatrix, taking a sip from her canteen while sitting down. "Bit of a break?" she asked while handing the canteen over to Hermione. Hermione took a sip and agreed: the non-existent sun was bearing down on them and the weather was rather stiflingly hot midday. A bit of a rest would do her wonders. She sat down and leaned against one of the giant dandelions, wiping the sweat from her brow.
"I suggest we go to that forest tomorrow," said Bellatrix. "The canopy should give us some cover."
"Hm, sounds heavenly," replied Hermione.
Hermione closed her eyes: she was used to hiking, certainly, but this was a distinctively un-British climate. Bellatrix didn't seem to be comping much better, though she seemed to be driven by pure enthusiasm. Funny thing, really: she had never expected to be exploring a strange new alien magical land with the younger version of an insane dark witch. Such wonders the universe could hold.
Though, she supposed thinking of Trix as insane wasn't fair. Bellatrix Black wasn't Bellatrix Lestrange and should not be judged so unfairly.
She suddenly felt a weight on her head. That was odd. Did something just drop on her? Still, though the weight was there, it hadn't heard it and it wasn't falling off either.
"Uhm, Hermie..." Bellatrix started to say while Hermione looked up to see two antennae poke over the brim of her pith helmet... along with a pair of mandibles. It didn't take long for her to put two and two together, especially after she recognized the shape.
"Trix..." she hissed through clenched teeth, trying to remain as still as possible. "There's a giant wasp on my head!"
"I see it..." Bellatrix replied with a hushed whisper.
The giant wasp turned around slightly, giving Hermione a full view of its abdomen and, more disturbingly, the stinger at the end of it. A stinger the size of a butterfly knife, even while still mostly sheathed. Her body betrayed her by way of involuntary shudder. Thankfully, the wasp didn't seem to be agitated by it.
"Hold on," Bellatrix sounded, followed by the tell-tale sound of a camera snapping.
"What?!" Hermione blinked. "There's a wasp the size of a large house cat sat on my head and the first thing you do is to snap a picture of it?!"
"Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" Bellatrix shrugged.
"Get rid of it, of course!" Hermione hissed. "Just... avada kedavra it!"
Bellatrix blinked in response. "That's... a bit excessive."
"Excessive?!" Hermione balked. "You're not the one with a giant wasp sat on your head!"
The wasp was shifting again now, turning around on top of her head as if it was a turret. Meanwhile, Bellatrix drew her wand and sort of aimed it at the wasp. "Alright," said Bellatrix. "Let's see if I can lure it away with a bit of light."
Before Bellatrix could say anything else, there was a loud crack and, to Hermione's relief, the wasp was gone. The relief didn't last long, however, as the wasp was now sat on Bellatrix' head instead. So... a giant teleporting magical wasp the size of a house cat. This was just getting better and better. Bellatrix, for her part, seemed frozen but more curious than afraid.
For the first time, she got a good look at the wasp. It was indeed the size of a particularly large cat, but much resembled the yellow-jackets from home, though its adornments were more of an orange-yellow. A big set of compound eyes were on either side of a head which also sported a small set of mandables. So far, the wasp was yet to make an aggressive move, but with a stinger that size it wasn't worth the risk.
"You were saying?" Hermione hadn't meant to sound quite as smug as she did, but felt it was a deserved payback. She took out her own wand and aimed it at the insect.
"What are you doing?!" Bellatrix said without moving a muscle.
"Hold still..."
"Have you ever even cast the killing curse before?!" Bellatrix hissed. "You don't strike me as a particularly dark witch, Hermie."
"Well... no..." Hermione replied.
Bellatrix bristled. "Then don't! You'll either fail completely, fry your wand core, accidentally hit me with it, or all of the above! No killing curses if you have no experience with it! I have a better idea. Hermie, open the bag with the provisions and fetch a chocolate bar."
Hermione did so, holding it out. Bellatrix made a bit of a motion with her fingers and the chocolate bar levitated towards her. Once she had it, she gently and awkwardly undid the wrapper with one hand. Slowly, but surely, she brought it up towards her head. The wasp, now having picked up on the sugar content in the air through its merrily twitching antennae, seemed supremely interested and shifted towards it. It reached out and carefully took a bite out of the chocolate bar with its mandibles. The taste was apparently enjoyed quite much, which was what Bellatrix had been hoping for. She held the bar away from her and the wasp took off, wings buzzing. It hovered around the chocolate bar and quickly gobbled up the rest of it. After the bar was consumed, it hovered in between the two girls.
"See?" Bellatrix smiled. "He's just hungry."
"Trix!" Hermione hissed as she watched her friend reach out again. "What are you doing?"
By now, Bellatrix was patting the flying wasp on the head, gently rubbing the chitin between its eyes. "See?" Bellatrix said. "He's friendly."
Hermione mood turned towards exasperation. "Trix! It's a wasp! They lay eggs in still-living paralysed creatures! They eat caterpillars! Have you seen the size of the stinger on that thing?!"
Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "Don't be so bigoted, Hermie. It's unbecoming."
Hermione blinked. Once. Twice. "Bigoted?! Me?! You are calling me a bigot?!" Hermione retorted, causing Bellatrix to cross her arms.
"Yes, I do, in fact," Bellatrix countered, eyes narrowed. "This creature has done nothing to us and all you've wanted to do is kill it. It hasn't attacked us. It hasn't stung us. It's hasn't made a single aggressive move. Why does it deserve to die?"
"What's next? You telling me I'm racist against wasps?!" Hermione muttered back. "It's a wasp. They are aggressive pests!"
Bellatrix' expression never changed. "It's a witch. They are irredeemably evil. They deserve to be burned at the stake."
"What's that got to do with anything?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer to it.
"It's a mudblood," said Bellatrix. "They are wicked and untrustworthy thieves. They don't deserve to wield magic. There was a time when I held that as an unshakable truth. Hermie, you taught me to open my mind. Before I met you, I never would have willingly associated with a muggle-born."
Hermione shook her head. "Are you comparing me to a wasp?"
"That's not the point," said Bellatrix. "And you know it."
Hermione closed her eyes, now well and duly chastised. After a few deep breaths, she spoke softly. "An oak and a reed were arguing about their strength. When a strong wind came up, the reed avoided being uprooted by bending and leaning with the gusts of wind. But the oak stood firm and was torn up by the roots."
Bellatrix frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Aesop," replied Hermione after slinging her backpack to her back. "Something I'll do some catching up with once our expedition is over. Seems I can still learn from it."
"Enough of a break?" smiled Bellatrix. "We still have some ground to cover."
"Yeah," said Hermione, watching as the wasp hovered around the dandelions while the two girls went along their way.
Thankfully, the rest of the day was rather uneventful. There were no more fields of poisonous flowers, giant wasps or anything else unsavoury. The witches spent most of their time chatting as they traversed the grasslands, cataloguing and naming several more types of, thankfully benign, flowers and observing another flying creature in the distance with binoculars. Bellatrix added plenty of more photographs to her collection and by the time the light of the sun started to dim, it was time for the girls to set up camp. Tomorrow, they would explore the nearby forest.
They had dinner by the campfire. Not that a campfire was needed, but now that the non-existent sun was apparently setting, it was just a pleasant addition to their camp. And then, finally, came the moment Hermione had been dreading: her first conscious night in this realm... and spending it sharing a sleeping bag with Bellatrix. After dousing the fire, Bellatrix cleaned up the campsite and went inside. With a lump in her throat, she made her way inside only to find Bella already in the sleeping bag, looking up at the sky through the canvas skylight. Hermione washed up at the sink and exchanged her clothes for a set of pink pyjamas. Girly, she knew, but it was comfortable and she made no apologies for it.
When she emerged from the dressing area, she rushed towards the sleeping bag, only to dive into it and lay on her back, stiff as a board. Even so, she could feel Bellatrix's closeness as she lay next to her, staring up at the sky.
"How amazing is that?" said Bellatrix, referring to the light about. Stars... or whatever they were supposed to be, shone brightly in the deep purple night sky. Though it all, ribbons of green light shone among wispy strands. "Aurora Borealis in this alien world," smile Bellatrix, eyes fixed above. "Beautiful."
Hermione's gaze was not on the sky, but on the girl next to her. She couldn't help but smile when gazing upon her countenance, an expression of childlike innocence upon in. "Indeed. Beautiful," whispered Hermione.
Why was she doing this? Telling herself that it was to help herself by helping Bellatrix, but undeniable truth: she had feelings for Bellatrix. Romantic feelings. Hermione was open-minded enough not to be shocked by being romantically attracted to a girl.
In love.
'Say it for what it is, Hermione.'
She was in love with Trix.
Perhaps she had been ever since Bellatrix mentioned she had dallied with girls in the past. Perhaps learning that little fact got the ball rolling. Part of her yearned to confess her feelings for her, but... she wasn't sure how Bellatrix would react. Certainly, she seemed to be more accepting for muggle-borns now, but friendship and romantic relationships were two very different things. Worse yet, it might impede her attempts to save Bellatrix from becoming her future self.
So for now she would keep her feelings to herself and gazed upon the sky. A day of walking had tired her out enough to quickly slip into mires of sleep. Unfortunately, sleep decided not to be kind of Hermione.
Hermione was once again on the cold floor of Malfoy Manor, a heavy weight shifting on top of her. Bellatrix Lestrange, her face twisted in a frightening mask of abject rage, lowered her head to scream in her ear. "FILTH! LIAR!" she shrieked, causing Hermione to attempt to shy away from her. Apparently, Bellatrix found this amusing, and made a point of it grab a fist-full of hair and slam the side of her head into the hard tiles.
Pain exploded through her skull, the sudden move leaving her more than a little dazed. Hermione cowered underneath the wicked woman's terrifying form. "Tell me... TELL ME! WHEN DID YOU TAKE IT?! WHEN WERE YOU IN MY VAULT?!"
"I never was!" Hermione felt tears run over her cheeks. "Please... please, I didn't take anything."
Hermione screamed as the woman literally bent down to take a bite onto the nape of her neck. "Please... please... don't hurt me anymore," Hermione cried.
Apparently, the begging amused Bellatrix enough to let out a fierce cackle. "Oh, it'll end. But not before I get my answers. And not before you scream so hard your vocal chords will tear. Filthy, filthy little mudgirl. You think you can walk among your betters, strut around thinking you are our EQUAL?!"
"Please... I haven't done anything to you!" Hermione trembled when the cold blade of a knife was dragged over the soft skin of her cheek.
"Hm," Bellatrix chuckled. "I wonder how many bits I can cut off your body before you'll faint. I'm guessing four. Shall we find out together, hm?"
Hermione had never felt so terrified. So helpless. This wasn't something she could reason herself out of. This wasn't a problem she could solve with her smarts. This woman was relentless and merciless.
"Oh!" Bellatrix giggled like a little schoolgirl. "I have such a lovely idea!"
Hermione felt Bellatrix roll up her sleeve and once the tip of the blade carved through her flesh, she could do nothing else but to close her eyes and scream through the blinding pain.
"Hermione?" sounded in the darkness. "Hermione!"
The voice of Bellatrix Lestrange and faded into that of the younger Bellatrix Black. Malice giving way for concern and worry. Hermione's eyes shot open and found herself drenched in sweat while staring up at the alien sky through the canvas skylight above, intensely colourful even at night. She was... not in Malfoy Manor: she was in pyjamas in the big sleeping bag she shared with... with...
Bellatrix's much younger face hovered over her, her expression in stark contrast to that of her older self Full dark curls fell down the side of her head. The girl, also clad in her own sleepwear, gently lay her hands on Hermione's cheeks. "You were having a nightmare," said Bellatrix. "You were screaming."
Hermione fought to keep her breathing under control, panting as she tried to push the nightmare far into the back of her mind. "Trix..." Hermione muttered. "I... I'm sorry I woke you, I... Just a dream. It's nothing."
"Didn't sound like it was nothing," Bellatrix pursed her lips. "You were screaming for someone to stop hurting you."
Hermione sighed. "You're right," she replied softly, sitting up while Bellatrix starting running a hand through her brown hair. "It wasn't 'nothing', I... that person can't hurt me anymore. Ever."
"Good," replied Bellatrix, her expression one of determination. "Because if anyone or anything even thinks about hurting you, they're going to have to get through me first!"
Hermione regarded the seventeen-year old Bellatrix. Though the girl whom had become one of her closest friends had her moments of fool-hardy bravado, this was not one of it. From her expression, Hermione was certain that she had meant every single word.
"Trix," Hermione smiled warmly and gently flowed into the other girl's arms, embracing her tightly. The embrace was soon returned, with Bellatrix parking her chin on her shoulder and snaking her arms around her back.
At that very moment, Hermione felt more safe than she had ever felt before. She trusted Trix as much as she hated the woman she could potentially become. She felt ever more determined to try to prevent that from ever happening.
"I'll save you," Hermione whispered softly.
"What?" Trix frowned and let go of Hermione to look her in the eye. "That doesn't make any sense at all. I thought I was comforting you."
"I was just saying," Hermione replied. "That I'd do the same for you."
Bellatrix smiled briefly. "Well. I don't feel like sleeping much at the moment. How about we just watch the stars for a bit. Or, well, whatever passes for stars in this strange realm."
"Lets."
After some moments of chatting and watching the stars together, Hermione had calmed down enough to try to catch more winks. Only to wake up again in a tent barely illuminated by starlight above. By now, Hermione had gotten over her initial fear and embarrassment over sharing a sleeping bag with Bellatrix, especially after what had happened earlier in the night. Apparently, it was around two-thirty in the morning... according to her watch at least. This Fae Realm did have a tendency to mess with her sense of time, after all. Still, this was the time she usually got up to make her trek into the Forbidden Forest to talk to Trix for the past few months, so it was no surprise her body was still used to that pattern.
More to the point, Bellatrix still lay sleeping next to her, on her side and head smushed against the pillow. She looked so... peaceful. So innocent.
Hermione supposed that everyone had the potential to become a monster under the right circumstances, but if there was one thing she had learned, was that monsters were once perfectly normal, well-adjusted people.
Well... in case of Trix, mostly normal and mostly well-adjusted, when looking at her from a certain angle.
And right now, Hermione was definitely looking at Bellatrix from a certain angle. She was sleeping, right? What was the harm? And, well, it was Bellatrix whom had suggested the two of them would share a sleeping bag. It'd be hard not to look, wouldn't it? And look she did.
Carefully and quietly, Hermione lifted the top of the sleeping bag ever so slightly, letting enough light in to sneak a peak. Unlike her own pyjamas, Trix had decided to sleep in a top and shorts, giving Hermione an excellent glimpse of her toned legs: the legs of a Quidditch chaser. Hermione swallowed hard as her eyes followed every curve. Bellatrix was a combination of brains and brawn. Funny really, earlier this night she had been too upset to notice, but now? Bellatrix was given all of Hermione's undivided and lustful attention.
Seriously, Trix really was good at everything she did... well, except for social situations, Hermione supposed.
Eyes roved further to her belly and her abs. And her chest. Oh dear god and what a chest it was. Rising and falling slowly with every rhythmic breath. Hermione felt her own breath quickening, her cheeks reddening and her body tingling. Trix' breasts were a tad bigger than her own, which caused her a slight pang of jealousy.
And then, finally, her face. Her strong jawline, her curly mane and her intense countenance. God, even while sleeping, young Bellatrix had such an unbelievably strong presence. It was no wonder that Voldemort had wanted to recruit her for the Death Eaters and considered her such a valuable asset.
Well, not if Hermione could help it. Trix was her friend. And Hermione was going to make damn such that Voldemort wouldn't get his claws inside her head.
No, Hermione wanted Bellatrix all to herself. All of Trix. All to herself. Every bit of her.
Immediately, Hermione paused. That was on odd thought to have. Where did that come from? Still, she had to admit the attraction was undeniable at this point. All those feelings soaring through her she had yet to make sense of.
She dared a touch. Gently, slowly and methodically, Hermione slowly raised her arm and reached towards Trix. Slowly, ever so slowly, her fingers reached for curly dark hair. And with the tips of her fingers kissed silky softness, she gently started stroking back and forth.
God, so soft.
The tips of her fingers buried ever deeply into a silky soft ocean of curls.
"Hmmm," sounded from Bellatrix, a smile spreading on her face while her eyes were still closed. Her friend shifted a little closer to her. Then, all of a sudden, Hermione gasped when her friend's eyes fluttered open and Hermione literally felt like she had been caught with her hand in the till. Even for a sleep drunk Bellatrix, it was hard to miss that Hermione had her hand in her curly hair.
Thankfully, Bellatrix wasn't angry or repulsed, but merely smiled.
"Sorry, I..." A blushing Hermione started to say, but Bellatrix chuckled.
"It's alright," Bellatrix replied softly, but shifted a little closer to her, startling Hermione when she raised her own hand.
"Quid pro quo. It's only fair," Bellatrix smirked when she noticed Hermione's discomfort and reached out her hand, far less slowly and carefully than Hermione had. A shudder went through Hermione when she felt fingertips sliding through her hair. Back and forth, back and forth. Once again, Hermione's breath quickened, especially when Trix's smirk transformed into a soft smile.
Her hand stopped her stroking motion, only to rest her palm on Hermione's cheek and gently rubbed the skin with her thumb. Again, Hermione blushed profusely as wicked thoughts once again made her way through her lust-fogged brain. Bellatrix shifted a little closer to her. Was she... Was she going to?
For a moment, Bellatrix looked very unsure of herself. Dark eyes spread wide open. Searching. Questioning. Doubting.
Then, determination. A slight smirk. A slight tilt of her head. A slight but sure shift towards her.
God.
Was she… going to kiss her?! Sweet merciful god, Trix was actually going to kiss her!
Hermione whimpered slightly, closing her eyes and preparing herself mentally for something she had only dared to dream been about for weeks.
But instead of Bellatrix' soft lips on hers, there was... the sound of buzzing and a slight weight dropping on her side. When she opened her eyes, she was confronted with the sight of a giant wasp walking over their sleeping bag.
"AH!" Hermione exclaimed and shifted away from Bellatrix, all sense of romance now completely ebbed away.
"Oh!" sounded Bellatrix, a bit more cheerful. "Our friend's back!"
The romantic moment now well and truly lost, Hermione rolled her eyes, curling up her body while the curious wasp was seemingly exploring the outside of their sleeping bag. "Wonderful," she sighed with a sarcastic edge on her tone of voice. "Did he teleport inside?"
"No," said Bellatrix. "The canvas is enchanted with an anti-apparition charm. Standard security, really. Hm..."
Bellatrix pointed towards the doorflap and, following her gaze, Hermione could notice that the bottom half of the doorflap was parted. "Hah," laughed Bellatrix. "He must have figured out how to work the zipper. You're very clever, aren't you?"
Hermione didn't know what was more disturbing... the fact that a giant wasp had managed to zip open the tent to crawl inside or that Bellatrix was cooing over a giant wasp while it was merrily play-biting at Trix' wrist with his mandibles.
No, scratch that. The most disturbing thought what that she could have been snogging Bellatrix right now if it hadn't been for that goddamn wasp interrupting them!
Chapter 20: Apex PredatorChapter Text
Despite a moment of sheer panic in the night, Hermione did sleep quite well next to Bellatrix in the sleeping bag, as did her friend. The next day, however, their almost kiss wasn't a topic either girl were ready to discuss and they had their breakfast in relative awkward silence, broken only by the sound of a curious wasp buzzing and teleporting around as he checked out all the different types of camping equipment with surprising amounts of curiosity.
After breaking camp and setting off, the two witches found themselves standing at the edge of the forest scant fifteen minutes later. As this land was not travelled, there were no paths. They would literally be the first humans to enter this place. Still, there were some signs of habitation: a series of hoof-prints led into the forest as it seemed some of the animals of the grasslands sometimes entered the forest by this route. The trees itself looked pretty much like regular trees, even if their leaves were so green it almost seemed as if they would give off neon light at night. The trees were densely packed together, bathing the forest in a dusk-like darkness underneath a thick canopy high above.
"Ready for more adventure?" Bellatrix asked with a smirk.
"Ready to traverse a cool forest," said Hermione, wiping the sweat off her brow. "Especially after those devilishly hot grass-plains."
Meanwhile, the wasp had, of course, been following them, merrily buzzing along with Hermione eyeing it warily. Until it became clear to the wasp that they were going to enter the forest. From that point, the wasp seemed to get a bit agitated and started hovering in front of them.
Getting a bit miffed at this buzzing annoyance now hovering in between her and the coolness of the forest, Hermione swatted at it with her hand. "What's up with that thing?!" Hermione muttered, swatting at it again.
"Huh," replied Bellatrix. "If I didn't know any better, it almost seems as if he doesn't want us to go into the forest."
"It probably just wants to eat more of our chocolate," Hermione crossed her arms. "Especially after a certain someone has been feeding it. There's only a finite amount of chocolate I brought, Trix."
Bellatrix shrugged. "We have enough."
"That's no excuse to feed three of our precious chocolate bars to a giant wasp!" Hermione protested. "You're only encouraging it to hang around us."
Bellatrix gave her a slight grin and reached over to tap her on the nose with her index-finger. "I think you're just covering for your nasty chocolate habit. Just... say... no..."
Hermione huffed. "Oh, shut up! Chocolate for breakfast gives a good energy boost on a hot day!" she added, earning herself a giggle from Bellatrix. Together, the two of them brushed past the hovering wasp and entered the forest. Looking over her shoulder, Hermione was surprised to see that the wasp wasn't following them. It kept hovering just outside the treeline, giving the both of them what seemed to be a rather forlorn look. If Hermione didn't know any better, at least.
The wasp was quickly forgotten when Hermione enjoyed the coolness of the forest, in stark contrast to the grasslands. Bellatrix walked next to her, big smile on her face as she took more steps towards the unknown: it only endeared her further to Hermione. Meanwhile, the young witch took in more of the atmosphere of the forest, the chirping of birds and crickets... well, she assumed they were birds and crickets, but couldn't be sure, of course. What did strike her was just how dense and dark this forest was. There was some sunlight breaking through the canopy far, far above their heads, but down here among the broad tree-trunks, it was almost as dark as it would be in the evenings. It certainly went a long way to explain why there was so little underbrush.
Bellatrix did complain about a lack of proper lighting to take photographs in, but that was a minor complaint. After about two hours of walking, they came to what seemed a be a clearing. A large tree had fallen and had dragged a few of his neighbours down with it, causing a bit of a break in the canopy. It was a perfect place to set up camp, which the girls did. After having a cup of tea inside the tent, both girls studied the map and decided on a direction to walk in. Unlike in the grasslands, they had no landmarks to rely upon, so a compass became their lifeline.
Hermione was left inside the tent and had just come out of the bathroom. After washing her hands, she stepped into the larger sitting area of the tent again and froze. After first she didn't know what to make of the large shadow cast against the side of the tent. It was almost two meters high and four meters long, but distorted in such a matter that she could not make out what it was. The shadow moved slowly along the canvas of the tent and it disappeared. Hermione waited for it to appear again, but it did not.
Curious, she stepped outside the tent where she found Bellatrix humming a song while rummaging through her pack. Hermione made a walk around the tent to see what she could see. There were the rows of trees surrounding the clearing, as well as the fallen tree trunks and the dead branches sticking out. There was the opening of the canopy above, of course, and the lightfall might have cast some strange shadows upon the tent.
Maybe.
She walked back to the front end and saw that Trix had found what she'd been looking for: another conch on a stick, which she promptly stuck in the ground. Another beacon to light their way home and in this thick forest, they would undoubtedly need it.
"Trix," Hermione asked. "Did you see something odd?"
"Yeah," Bellatrix laughed. "This entire forest. This entire realm. You have to be a bit more specific, Hermie."
"No, I meant something just now," said Hermione. "Did something pass the campsite?"
"I think I would have noticed," replied Bellatrix. "Didn't see a thing."
"Huh," Hermione rubbed her chin. "Maybe it's just me, then."
"Ready for more discovery?!" Bellatrix grinned.
Hermione grinned in response: Bellatrix' sheer enthusiasm was more than a little infectious and she walked beside her as they made their way deeper into the forest. Today was day four of their two week expedition and Hermione reminded herself that she was yet to think of a strategy to 'break the cycle' as Achille Rosier had told her to do. How would she even go about it? She did have one idea, though. This idea was to break the cycle by convincing Bellatrix to join her in her own time-line. If she wasn't around in 1968 to join the Death Eaters, she obviously never would. And if the Fae Realm really existed out of time, she could break the time-loop without consequence... or so she hoped.
The key to this plan was to convince Bellatrix to join her. But how to do it? Facts and logic might help: she couldn't marry Lestrange if she were to leave her time-line. The argument of potentially escaping her loveless arranged marriage her worked well enough when Dumbledore had recruited her as a spy so it might be enough to convince her again.
Or, she could simply tell her the truth: 'if you go back to 1968, you will become the insane servant of a cult leader who will make you do horrible things. Come with me to 1998 and claim a future free of him'. Perhaps that would be the best scenario. But she didn't know how she'd respond.
Or, she could simply say. 'I love you, Bella. And I think you love me too. Come with me. Be with me in 1998'. Though the thought of confessing her love to Bellatrix made her a little weak in the knees, she was savvy enough to realize that it might actually end up pushing Bellatrix away if it turned out she wasn't interested after all.
Alternatively, she might just knock her out and drag her into 1998 against her will. But she knew for certain that Bellatrix would likely never forgive her and that if it ever came to a one-on-one confrontation between them, she was unlikely to win a duel with Bellatrix... and then she'd lose her forever. No. That wouldn't do.
She'd have to strategize a bit more. Perhaps an opportunity would yet present itself.
"Look there, between the trees," Bellatrix pointed out. "There's light up ahead."
"Hm," said Hermione. "Have we reached the other side of the forest already? Let's investigate."
They approached the edge of the forest and stepped out into the sunlight, only to find themselves quite literally at the edge of the world. In front of them was a rocky edge and beyond that, a steep drop into nothingness. Near the edge were a few more smaller floating rocks. "Whoa," said Bellatrix, her gaze following the edge to either side. It followed along the forest for as far as the eye could see, making a bit of a bend to the side much further along. On the other side, they could see a bit of a grasslands where a similar rocky edge ended the world.
"Whoa indeed," said Hermione. "More confirmation that we are standing on yet another one of those floating islands like the one above."
"You think this world consists entirely of floating islands?" Bellatrix asked.
"Well, I don't think this is a flat planet," Hermione replied. "Though I know a few muggles who would be really happy to have their flat-Earth theory confirmed somewhat."
"Wait, what?" frowned Bellatrix. "Muggles actually believe the Earth is flat?"
"Some muggles," Hermione stressed. "And by some I mean a tiny minority. Whom are mostly ignored and considered quite barmy by the general populace," she was quick to say. The last thing she needed was to give Bellatrix more ammunition to look down on muggles.
They wandered along the edge of the floating island for a bit until they came to a large hole in the rocky side, looking much like a pool or a lake, but instead of water, it contained nothingness. Keeping a respectable distance, Bellatrix peered into it.
"I seems to go on forever. I wonder what happens to anything that falls into this."
"Careful," said Hermione. "I'm not sure you want to find out."
The curly-haired witch picked up a stone and dropped it into the void. It started falling. And falling. And falling. Eventually, Bellatrix took out her binoculars and followed it. "I can't see it anymore. I think it's still falling, though."
Somehow gazing into the void started to make Hermione feel a bit uncomfortable, especially now that she knew it was also below her. "Could we go back into the forest, please?"
Bellatrix smiled at her, apparently sensing her discomfort. "Sure," she said. "Let me just snap a few photographs first."
Hermione waited patiently as her friend did so and was beyond relieved when they returned to the forest. They walked through the dense trees once more until they heard the rush of water in the distance. It was revealed to be a small clear stream not unlike the one they had seen in the grasslands. They followed it and, to their delight, found the most idyllic of scenes. Inside what seemed to be a gathering of vines and trees was a rocky drop-off: a waterfall pouring down into a basin from which the stream continued on its way. A cool, refreshing pool of water formed underneath the waterfall. Above them there was another opening in the canopy, bathing the fresh and clear pool with radiant sunlight.
"Wow," said Hermione while Bellatrix snapped a few more pictures before putting down her camera.
"Hey, Hermie," grinned Bellatrix. A rather wicked grin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"With you I can never tell," chuckled Hermione, earning herself a stuck-out tongue from Bellatrix. But when Hermione saw that Bellatrix was starting to unbutton her jacket, she froze. "Trix," she bit her lip. "What are you doing?"
A smirk. A wink. "What do you think?"
Hermione felt all the blood rush towards her cheeks when she realized what Bellatrix was about to do. God. Was she really... A jacket fell to the ground, next to her backpack. A pair of boots followed. Hermione had to look away when trousers and, eventually, underwear joined the pile. She only dared to peek after hearing a splash.
Hermione swallowed hard and looked back to the basin, where a rather playful Bellatrix was swimming in the water. The water might be clear, but it was not clear enough to show anything but the contours of Bellatrix's body which was both a blessing and a curse. "Come on in!" Bellatrix giggled. "Hermie, the water is great!"
Hermione started shaking her head vigorously.
"Oh, yellow chicken!" Bellatrix yellowed back, bobbing up and down in the water. Good god, the only thing she was wearing was that silver necklace of hers. Hermione was so torn between desperately not wanting to look and desperately wanting to gaze upon what would undoubtedly be Bellatrix's magnificent body. "Come on! Who's gonna know?!"
"I will!" Hermione retorted. "And you will!"
And finally, Hermione did dare to look. And when she looked, she found that Bellatrix was standing underneath the waterfall. Like a siren of old, she let the water fall upon her, throwing her head back and letting out a hearty laugh. "This place is beautiful!" she let out a yelp when she almost slipped and steaded herself by putting her hands on the rock-face.
Hermione let her eyes rove over her pale skin, following the curves of her body. "You're beautiful," she whispered, almost inaudibly.
"What?!" Trix yelled out over the sounds of the falling water.
By now, Hermione's breathing had gone a bit shallow, her hands were trembling a bit and her loins, god, her loins were on fire. Lust gave her courage it seems. "Sod it, I'm getting in that pool," muttered Hermione and started to unbutton her own jacket. A splash of water sounded again, and judging from the sounds Bellatrix was swimming over to her. Immediately, her courage faltered again, but it was too late to turn back now. Her jacket ended up on the pile of clothes.
"Ahah!" Bellatrix let out a sultry chuckle. Oh dear god... sultry?!
However, when Bellatrix got a little closer, she seemed to go a little quiet. Just as Hermione was about to ask what was wrong, she turned her gaze from the magnificent sight of her friend's exposed breasts until she saw that Bellatrix was transfixed on her forearm.
"Trix?" Hermione asked.
"Who... who did that to you?!" Bellatrix demanded, her voice one of sheer indignation. Then she realized what Bellatrix meant: the word 'mudblood' had been crudely carved into her flesh and had left an ugly cursed scar behind. Of course, Bellatrix had never seen it as Hermione had only ever worn long sleeved jackets or pyjamas around her. Bellatrix's eyes were transfixed on the scar and she suddenly lashed out to grab her wrist with surprising gentleness, after which she let her eyes rove over the scar in an intense study.
"This... this is a cursed wound!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "It'll never go away!"
Hermione closed her eyes. "It happened... during the war. I was captured. My captor wanted to make a statement," she said, omitting one vital detail.
Bellatrix turned her gaze upon her, lip trembling with rage. "Hermie. This... this is vile!" she spat in anger and condemnation. "I know I might have done some awful things to muggle-borns and others in the past, but I've never done any permanent damage! I never would! The person who did this..."
Hermione cast her eyes downward. "She'll... she'll never hurt anyone ever again."
"GOOD!" Bellatrix replied. "I can't imagine doing something like this in a million years! Hermione, I... I'm so sorry someone did that to you."
And that was it. Two things happened to Hermione in that very moment. For months, Hermione felt like she had been on the slow decline, having been plagued with nightmares and trauma. But hearing Bellatrix's condemnation and apology for an injustice she had yet to do to her and, in all likelihood, would never do to her, caused a great weight to fall off her shoulders. The second thing was that the younger Bellatrix had confirmed to her beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was indeed a very different person than the one she would eventually become. Her body started to shake as tears started to rolling over her cheeks.
"Hermie?" Bellatrix asked. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Hermione laughed through her tears. "I've never been better."
"Doesn't look like it," Bellatrix adopted a pouty expression. Add that expression to her being naked in a pool on an alien world made her the cutest thing ever.
Hermione knew what tactic she was going to use: she was going to tell Bellatrix that she loved her. After what had just happened, she couldn't tell her anything else.
She was emboldened enough by this turn of events that she was quick to shed the rest of her clothes and ended up in the pool very quickly after that. The water was cold, but refreshing and it had been a long time since she had taken a swim. No longer minding being naked in close proximity to an equally naked Bellatrix, a warm and fuzzy feeling was accompanying the lust still soaring through her body. She was treading water while Bellatrix swam over to her. Hermione quickly dipped her head into the pool, running her hands through her hair while Bellatrix offered her a smile so warm and sultry that it made her lusts burn at a full blaze once more.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Bellatrix asked again. Both girls were facing each other now, shoulders just above the waterline.
Hermione said nothing. Instead, she slowly reached out with her hand to gently wipe a lock of curly black hair from Bellatrix's cheek. Then, she lay the palm of her hand on her cheek and gently rubbed her cheek-bone with her thumb. God, her skin was so soft.
But what even better was that Bellatrix's pale skin showed a distinct reddish discolouration in her cheeks. Was... was she blushing?! Hermione took another look and could only conclude that indeed she was.
Their eyes met. Brown stared into dark and vice versa. Hermione felt a shudder go through her body when she felt a hand graze her side while Bellatrix floated towards her. Their bodies were so close now they were almost pressing together, while Bellatrix' other hand found a perch on her shoulder and gently rubbed back and forth. For a moment, Bellatrix adopted a stony expression, which quickly transformed into a cheeky smirk which seemed to be telling her 'Hermione, I'm absolutely going to kiss you now.'
Hermione had no idea what her own expression was telling Bellatrix right now, but she was reasonably sure it was something along the lines of 'Trix, if you don't kiss me within the next ten seconds, I'm going to hex your tits off!'
Bellatrix tilted her head slowly while closing her eyes. It was coming. It was happening! Hermione closed her eyes and eagerly awaited lips on hers.
And then. Nothing.
In fact, a disappointed groan followed when she heard a splash and felt a rush of water indicating that Bellatrix had swam away. She opened her eyes and was about to give Bellatrix a piece of her mind for being such a horrible tease when she saw Bellatrix had stood up near the edge of the pool, a few meters away, the waterline coming to her belly-button. Hermione, eyes transfixed on her friend's body, drank in the sight of her: water-droplets running down her pale skin, the slight musculature on her arms, her wet curls as they clung to her back, the loveliest of breasts with nipples slightly hardened from the coldness of the water. She watched Bellatrix with an equal mix of shame, arousal and awe. But when her gaze finally shifted from a lovely pair of breasts to Bellatrix's face, Hermione froze.
Bellatrix's stony expression was one of concern as her gaze betrayed an intense study of the dark forest beyond.
"Hermione," said Bellatrix in a hushed voice, not looking at her but making a hand-gesture at her to remain quiet. "Do you hear that?"
"I don't hear anything," replied Hermione.
"Exactly," Bellatrix hissed.
And then Hermione noticed it too. It was almost hard to notice over the sound of the waterfall, but when she noticed it, she froze: the forest had good completely quiet. No bird. No insect. Not even the wind. All Hermione could hear were the subtle sounds of the waterfall and the beating of their own hearts.
"There's something out there," Bellatrix whispered. "And we've been making far too much noise."
"Something's out there?" Hermione asked. "What is out there?"
"Something that's been stalking us. And clever enough to figure out when we're most vulnerable," Bellatrix hissed.
Hermione nodded. Vulnerable as in out of their clothes and backed up into a grove with only one real exit.
"We need to get out of this forest as quickly as possible," Bellatrix said while slipping out of the water and making a grab for her clothes. "Get back to camp, pack our stuff and bug out."
Hermione followed suit, making a grab for the towel. "Leave it!" said Bellatrix, taking charge of the situation. "Just get dressed and get going! I've read enough horror stories to know how this'll play out. Hell, I've written about this particular scenario before!"
Together, the two young witches ran through the forest trying to make as little noise as possible. Bellatrix had her wand out, pinging the conch-beacon at their camp every so often to make sure they were still headed in the right direction. Hermione still heard or sensed nothing, but she did notice that Bellatrix was getting increasingly tense and nervous. Perhaps that could be because she was more attuned to dark magic? Or perhaps it simply was that this was basically something that only happened in horror stories?
There was a sigh of relief as they saw the light beyond the trees which led towards the clearing and their camp. They had to gather their belongings quickly and then make their way to the other beacon just outside the forest. Relief, however, quickly transformed into terror. A large shadow jumped from the trees and slammed its bulk in front of them, cutting off their route to the camp.
No. Not a shadow.
A creature.
It was the black unicorn. Though calling it a unicorn would be a bit of a stretch, as this lumbering thing in front of them was only resembled a horse in the vaguest possible terms. Its skin was as black as coal, its eyes as blue as ice: six baleful eyes, three clustered together on each side of its head all focused upon them. The creature had the vague profile of a horse, but it was much, much larger. A scarred, muscular frame and thick legs, befitting the ancient and massive apex predator which it obviously was, instead of hooves it had sharp talons at the end of its legs. In the middle of its head was a large curved, blood-stained and serrated horn, at least 90 centimeters long, accentuated by a fiery red mane. A horn now aimed squarely towards them. Worst came when the creature opened its maw: its jaw stretch open far into its neck, much further than a maw should be able to open. Inside were multiple rows of jagged teeth. Most horrifying was the massive bellow it let out: the unholy mix of a horse's whinny and a lion's roar.
"Run!" Bellatrix shouted as she and Hermione skidded to a halt and turned as quickly as they could, dashing off back the way they came. Behind them, the ground shook as the creature started to give chase, its massive bulk navigating the dark forest which obviously was its home with disturbing ease. Both witches drew wands and tossed spells over their shoulders blindly, hoping beyond hope that one of them would manage to hit the creature and do some damage to slow it down. Neither of them dared to look back, but both knew it was futile to blind-fire at that thing.
Panic gripped Hermione by the throat as she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air and let out a scream... but the expected agonizing end of being crushed in that monster's jaws thankfully never came. Instead, she found herself being hoisted up into the air by an invisible hand which deposited her high into a tree ahead of them. A few moments later, there was a pop of an apparation as Bellatrix appeared beside her. The moment Hermione realized what had happened, she allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.
Next to her, a panting Bellatrix checked herself. Upon receiving a questioning look, Bellatrix bit her lip. " Apparating while in a panicked hurry is a good way to get a branch stuck up your arse."
Hermione nodded and looked down. Far below, some eight meters down, the now frustrated monster started to pace circles around the tree. "You think it'll leave if we wait long enough?" Hermione asked in between breaths.
"No," Bellatrix shook her head. "Absolutely not."
"Could we apparate back to camp?"
"We've got the determination," said Bellatrix. "But not the deliberation. And certainly not the destination. Do you know where the camp is from here?"
"No," Hermione sighed, knowing that if they were to try they would likely end up somewhere in the middle of the forest where the creature still had all the advantage.
"What about the killing curse?"
"What about it?"
"Do you think it could work on it, Trix?"
"Why do you keep thinking that I actually ever cast the killing curse?!" Bellatrix hissed angrily. "I've dabbled in the Dark Arts, sure, but I've never touched an unforgivable! There's more to dark magic than the killing curse! For Merlin's sake, stop being so judgmental!"
"Right, right, sorry I asked," said Hermione, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Below them, the creature bellowed, but not in frustration. It almost sounded like a mocking tone. It knew it had them. It knew they could not escape.
Next to her, she suddenly heard the snap of a camera along with the tell-tale flash of light. Slowly, Hermione turned her head to Bellatrix. "Trix?" she muttered, her voice low and accusing. "Seriously?!"
Bellatrix shrugged, still holding on to the camera. "What? When will I get another chance?"
"Priorities, Trix!"
Below them, however, there was an angry and anguished bellow, following up by some more thundering as the creature started pacing again.
"Hey, did you see that?" said Bellatrix. "It didn't like the flash."
"Hm," muttered Hermione. "With six eyes, that's not exactly surprising."
Apparently, the creature was enraged enough to run a few meters back, only to jump forward and hurl itself right into the tree. The entire tree shook while Hermione yelped when she hung on for dear life. Below them, the creature was either to trying to knock them out of the tree or trying to bring the whole tree down to get at them. She supposed it didn't matter which.
"We need to do something and fast!" Hermione pressed.
"Got an idea," Bellatrix grinned. "Get ready. And cover your eyes!"
Before Hermione could even ask what Bellatrix was going to do, the curly-haired witch was already doing whatever she was planning. Her curved wand aimed downward, from the tip started to glow a bright light. As Bellatrix whispered words of a spell she didn't recognize, the ball of light started to grow larger and brighter, becoming more and more unstable. Hermione did what she was told and covered her eyes.
She only heard, not saw, what happened next. A whoosh of released magic, an explosion below, a flash that was brief and almost blinding even through her covered eyes. An agonized bellow sounded. Hermione was grabbed by the wrist and felt like she was being forced through a rubber tube. She landed on her two feet and was so disorientated that she almost fell over when Bellatrix grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her along.
The two witches ran into the forest, trying to put as much distance between them and the monster as possible. Indeed, the anguished bellows sounded further and further away as they ran, but she knew it would be looking for them.
The two girls collapsed when their legs couldn't carry them anymore, slumping against the trunk of a tree to catch their breath. "Okay," Hermione panted. "That was quick thinking."
"Now what?" Bellatrix said.
"We need to get to the camp," said Hermione. "All our supplies are there."
Bellatrix motioned her to be quiet and scanned the forest. "I don't hear it. Or sense it."
"Sense it?"
"You didn't sense it?" said Bellatrix. "I felt his thoughts from a distance. I'm not as good as legilimency as I'd like, but that creature's intentions were hard to miss. It's smarter than it looks, Hermie. Way smarter than it looks."
Legilimency. Of course. Bellatrix Lestrange's skill with it was legendary. Bellatrix Black, on the other hand, was not quite as practised, it seemed. She reminded herself to guard her thoughts somewhat.
"I've never been good at legilimency," chuckled Hermione.
"It and occlumency are basically required skills in Slytherin," said Bellatrix, her voice a whisper. "Though I have always been far better at occlumency. Trust me, that's the better skill to have anyway."
Swiftly and quietly, the girls tried to make their way back to camp. If Hermione had been a religious woman, she'd thank God on her bare knees that Bellatrix had brought those magical conch-beacons. Every tree in this damn forest looked alike and they had ran in a seemingly random direction. Bellatrix's wand found the beacon and the girls headed in the direction it pointed as quietly as possible. Curiously, the path back to the camp seemed a bit on the long side, but then again they had no idea how long they had been on the run.
More disturbing, however, was that they hadn't heard the creature in quite a bit and the forest once again had gotten eerily quiet. Once they got to the camp, they'd pack up their goods, get their packs and get the hell out of the forest, hoping against hope that the creature wouldn't follow them into the grasslands.
"Look!" Bellatrix whispered at the light between the trees while holding her wand. "There's the clearing!"
The two girls smiled at each other as they quietly but quickly rushed forward. Only the didn't find themselves in the clearing, but rather at the edge of the forest, now suddenly facing the void beyond the confines of the floating island.
"What?!" Bellatrix hissed. "How did we end up here?! We followed the beacon!"
Hermione closed her eyes and let out a horrified shudder while slowly raising her hand towards a large rock at the very edge of the plateau. On top of it lay the uprooted conch-beacon which had once stood in front of their tent.
Almost immediately, there was the sound of heavy footfalls coming from behind them as the black unicorn emerged from the forest. And by god, it even looked more terrifying out in the daylight. Tall and muscular, this creature of nightmares was the undisputed king of the Fae Realm. Muscle rippled underneath scarred skin as it let out a whinnying bellow, almost sounding like laughter.
Indeed, not only was it smarter than it looked, it was cruel as well. It was mocking them after having toyed with them.
The King had a craving for exotic meat... and witch was apparently on the menu.
"Right," Bellatrix steeled herself, wand in hand. "Hermie, it can't be in two places at once. You run towards the grasslands, just follow the edge of the forest. Don't stop and never look back. I'll lure it away from you and give it a merry chase."
"Don't be stupid! You can't outrun that thing!" Hermione pressed. "What if it catches you?!"
Bellatrix squared her jaw. "Then I hope I'll give it the shits!"
"That's not funny, Trix!" Hermione shot back.
"IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE!" Bellatrix shrieked back. "Go, Hermie. Be ready."
"Trix, no!"
Bellatrix grinned at the advancing creature. It knew it had them. Or at least one of them. It was taking its time. But Bellatrix was not someone whom would go down lightly. Hermione could feel the air charge with magic as Bellatrix was going to use every spell and skill she had in an attempt to survive. "Smile, you son of a bitch," Bellatrix snarled at it. "You and I going to have some fun."
Oh, she tried to hide it, but Hermione could hear on her voice just how scared Trix was.
Then it hit her.
'Smile, you son of a bitch', sounded through her mind and it gave her an idea. For once, all those Sundays spent watching crap films with her father was good something more than simple family entertainment. If only she still had it in her sidepack...
The creature was really getting closer now and if she wanted to execute her plan, she would need a distraction. Thankfully one came from an unexpected source: the sound of angry buzzing drew closer and a few moments later, their giant wasp friend came rushing in to help. When flying towards the creature, the wasp used its momentum and pointed its abdomen downward, stinger fully unsheathed. It plunged into the black unicorn's side, causing the creature to bellow and snap angrily at the buzzing wasp, whom immediately withdrew only turn and attack again.
This was the moment Hermione needed. While the creature was distracted, she rummaged through her sidepack and took out one of the small propane tanks meant for their camp's cooking stove. It was the one where Bellatrix had rather foolishly tried to open by slamming a rock against the safety pin. Though it wasn't leaking it seemed, Hermione didn't deem it safe for normal use anymore. So now she would use it for something else entirely.
"HEY!" Hermione shouted, holding the propane tank high. When the creature turned, Hermione threw it into the hair and then magically propelled it towards the black unicorn. Almost on instinct, the black unicorn bit down upon the tank, puncturing it.
Perfect!
With a yell, Hermione unleashed a fireball unto the creature. Normally, that would not have done much damage to this beast, but as soon as the magical fire touched the escaping gas, it set off an explosion which knocked both girls off their feet.
Hermione had the wind knocked out of her when she landed on her back, but sported a triumphant grin while slowly getting up. She expected to see a mass of torn, mangled and charred flesh, but was dismayed to see the black unicorn looking to be very much much alive.
And very angry.
The creature had lost half of its face and three of its eyes. Its lower jaw was shattered and dangling, while exposed and torn flesh hung from its neck. But skin was regrowing, bones cracked as they re-knitted, and flesh was reattaching itself to its face. It was regenerating. And at a disturbingly fast rate. One of the eyes had already reformed in the time Hermione took to share a look with Bellatrix.
"OH, COME ON!" Hermione let out a cry of frustration.
Now it was Bellatrix who stepped forward with grim determination. "Hey!" she shouted. "Ugly! Here I am! Come and get me!"
That attracted the creature's attention. The black unicorn's four remaining blue eyes focused on her while its body was still healing. "Come and get some juicy and succulent pure-blood witch meat! Yeah, come here! It's me you want! Muggle-borns taste like mud anyway!"
For a moment, Hermione felt a bit angry, until she realized that Bellatrix was projecting thoughts to the creature to make her seem to be a more enticing target. Bellatrix took a few steps back, standing at the very edge of the rocky plateau. "Yeah, that's it. Tasty, tasty witch. Right here."
The enraged black unicorn lowered its head, its long single horn poised to skewer Bellatrix like it had likely done with so many creatures of this realm. With a bellow, it rushed forward to claim its prize. At the very last moment, right before the horn would plunge into Bellatrix' chest, she apparated a meter to the side.
Too late did the black unicorn realize what Bellatrix had been trying to do. It tried to correct its charge but its bulk and momentum caused it to keep its forward motion and then toppled over over the edge of the world. It let out an angry and mournful whinny when it started to plummet into the void below, falling and falling and falling.
Breathing a sigh of relief, both girls stood at the edge and looked down.
"I don't see it anymore," said Hermione.
"Good riddance," smiled Bellatrix as both sat down on a large rock. As the adrenaline started to wear off, they started to feel their exhaustion and the pain of their many cuts and bruises. But they were alive. Hermione couldn't help but smile as the wasp buzzed over and landed right next to her: obviously feeling she had misjudged it, she carefully patted the wasp on the head. The creature seemed happy and rewarded her efforts by giving her a few play-bites to her wrist with his mandibles.
"Oh, wow," Bellatrix shouted to the heavens. "What an adventure!"
"An adventure, she calls it," Hermione snorted. "I didn't sign up to be chased by monsters!"
"Bollocks!" Bellatrix snorted. "I should have taken more photographs!"
"Priorities, Trix."
"Yes, I agree," Bellatrix pouted. "I should have prioritized photographing that beast a bit more. Now I'll never get the chance!"
Hermione first gave the curly-haired witch an incredulous look. Then smiled. Then started laughing. Bellatrix soon joined in and both girls laughed and laughed as if it was the last time would be able to. They slumped against each other while still caught in a gale of laughter and, honestly, Hermione didn't recall the last moment she had felt so alive.
Then, they both stopped laughing. Both witches sat so close to each other now, gazing in each other's eyes. What happened next was almost purely driven by instinct. There was no more doubt, no more hesitation. Hermione's heart skipped a beat when Bellatrix's face inched closer to hers, tilting slightly. Hermione did the same, closing her eyes just before their lips finally touched.
So soft.
So incredibly soft.
Their first kiss was chaste. Gentle. A promise of more to come.
Hermione could smell Bellatrix, feel her close. Her heart pounded in her chest. Even though this was only a brush of lips, it was already so much more than Hermione dared to dream. She wanted this moment to last forever.
Alas, time was a cruel master and she almost groaned in disappointment when Bellatrix broke the kiss. She opened her eyes only to find the curly-haired witch staring into them while gently swiping a lock of hair from her face with her thumb after having lain a hand on her cheek. Hermione repaid Bellatrix back in kind, laying a hand on hers and gently stroking her up and down.
"Again..." Hermione demanded... though it was less of a demand and more of an eager croak.
Bellatrix chuckled and leaned in again.
Their second kiss was even more glorious. It started chaste again, but Bellatrix soon got a bit more daring. Hermione whimpered when she felt Bellatrix part her lips and gently started probing her mouth. Careful and slow, she tasted her lips, but when their tongues touched it was a feeling stronger and more intense than pure magic.
In that moment, there were no concerns about family, time-lines, futures, pasts. There was no Fae Mirror, no Far Realm. There were no war trauma's, no arranged marriages or dark lords looming over them. There were no floating islands, no black unicorns, no monsters in the dark. No worries. No concerns. No dangers.
There were only the two of them. And the feelings they had for each other.
And when Bellatrix once again broke the kiss, they held each other tightly and smiled at each other. But Hermione had gotten a taste of the meal and hungered for more. "Again!" she demanded.
Bellatrix chuckled briefly and was only too happy to indulge her. Hermione went on the offence this time: though she lacked Bellatrix's skill at kissing, she certainly didn't lack for enthusiasm. She snaked her arms around her curly-haired friend and held her tightly, while Bellatrix ran a hand through her hair and lay it on the back of her head, keeping her firmly in place.
They kissed hungrily and aggressively as if their lives depended on it. Tongues wrestled for dominance and Hermione almost lost it when Bellatrix moaned into her mouth. This was it... this was the moment she had dreamed about... the moment she'd been waiting for ever since she figured out she was in love with her friend from another time. Hell, she had pleasured herself to fantasies about this at an almost daily basis, but in this case reality was so much better than a fantasy.
The kiss was again broken, but they still held each other as she sat on the ground and leaned against the rock.
"Trix," Hermione whispered, her voice a hoarse croak. "I..."
"Sssh," Bellatrix put a finger to Hermione's lips. "You don't have to say anything, Hermie. I feel the same way."
In that very moment, Hermione felt happier than she had ever felt before in her entire life.