Title: Acceptance

Author: PerfectPride

Pairing: Bellatrix/Ginny

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Violence and Sexual Content

Disclaimer: It goes without saying that none of the Harry Potter world or its' characters belong to me, unfortunately.

Summary: Ginny is not who people assume her to be, but is Bellatrix either?

i.

Since Ginny was a young child, she hadn't really known who she was meant to be. Yes; she was a Weasley, yes; she was a pure-blood witch, and yes; she was human. Beyond that, she wasn't sure of anything. Life was all about choice really, and in turn, choices led to consequences. Tom's diary had proved to Ginny that a split second in which she had decided to put quill to parchment paper could lead to a perilous predicament where her life was put at risk, but beyond that, what had she really learnt about herself? She was a Gryffindor and therefore held braveness within, but then again there were others who were equally as brave; Cedric Diggory as a Hufflepuff, for instance. Therefore, Ginny had slowly discovered over time that people could categorise you all they wanted, but it didn't mean that you needed to be defined by that one single word.

Tough.

Fierce.

Independent.

In childhood Ginny had been shy, but no longer did the shyness feature in her personality, because Ginny had chosen to extinguish it. Harry Potter had been part of her life, until she chose to eliminate him, and then when there was nobody else, Ginny had felt relieved because she was no longer judged for whom she had chosen to love. After the war it was nice to be alone at night, to walk through quiet forests all over the country before returning home to sleep, just pacing towards nothing in particular. Her professional life by day was all about Quidditch, (another decision she had made for herself purely based on the fact that she happened to be good at the popular wizarding sport) and maintaining certain appearances because that was simply what was expected of her. Be who you want to be, but only within respectable realms in public.

The generous salary that Ginny was afforded by her contract with the Holyhead Harpies meant that she was able to buy a grand cottage in the English countryside, on the outskirts of Shropshire. When she was hidden behind the grey stone walls and thick panes of glass with the curtains drawn and wards surrounding the property, she felt completely at ease. Outside of the cottage grounds there were no other nearby houses, and so Ginny was able to relax fully, free from curious stares and wandering eyes of individuals who recognised her famous red hair and sharp cheekbones.

It was during one of her walks through a forest near Wiltshire in early autumn of the year 2001 that Ginny found herself to be no longer alone. At first she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary; there were the usual noises from animals and wildlife that she had grown used to after so many nights spent prowling, but this late Friday evening, something had felt not quite right to Ginny. Her senses had been heightened ever since the era of Voldemort when she had been told had important it was to remain alert, and during her working life she had seen what could happen if you took your eyes off the Snitch for one second during a game. Constant vigilance, isn't it, Moody?

Unfortunately, Ginny didn't have much information much to go on; all she had heard was the crunch of leaves underneath something's foot, behind her and positioned around two metres to the left. Having enough common sense not to react to the noise, Ginny carried on moving forwards, although she slipped her hand inside of her black coat pocket, in order to draw her wand. Then, cleverly sliding the wand up her sleeve, she pulled her hand casually back out, wand ready for whatever she was going to have to face.

Ginny's chance came around twenty seconds later when there was another sound of leaves crackling, this time only around one metre to her right, but still behind her. Spinning around, she screamed, "STUPEFY!" inside her mind, using a non-verbal spell as she did not wish to alert whatever was behind her to her use of the Stunning Spell. She realised that an accomplished witch or wizard may be able to defend themselves more easily if given a verbal warning, and she wanted the time advantage herself. This was exactly why she had focused so hard on learning how to cast spells silently; it was far better if the enemy had no clue what you were thinking beforehand.

Luckily, this worked in Ginny's favour as she soon heard a thud on the ground, indicating that she had hit whoever was stalking her. Heart thudding but expression cool, she walked towards the sound at a normal pace, not stupidly slowly the way that they did in Muggle films, or dramatically the way that they did in wizarding theatre performances. This was real life and it wasn't a game; Ginny had no time for messing around when her life was possibly in danger. Whilst it clearly wasn't Voldemort behind her considering the fact that he had been destroyed forever, there were still threats out there, and dark witches and wizards to beware of.

Passing the sea green bush that obscured her view of the unknown fallen entity, Ginny's blazing eyes fell upon a slumped figure, dressed in the darkest of dark black. The figure wore a ragged cloak and had their hood up, obscuring their face and therefore making it impossible to identify them without moving their body. Having no desire whatsoever to touch the individual, Ginny waved her wand, using it to flip the figure onto their back, thereby revealing who they were, and causing Ginny to gasp in surprised horror.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

ii.

Forcing herself to recover rapidly, Ginny used the Mobilicorpus Spell to take Bellatrix back to her cottage. She could easily have Apparated but she wanted time to think, and an opportunity to decide what to do. Her instincts were telling her not to hand Bellatrix in to the Ministry, although she didn't fully understand why she would think in such a way. She hated Bellatrix and everything she stood for, with her pure-blood mania and her unmistakably evil nature. After all, if Ginny was of the opinion that everything was about choice then surely Bellatrix could have chosen to change, or at least learnt to keep her opinions to herself. Why couldn't she simply have hated Muggle-borns quietly without spending her entire life trying to maim and murder them?

Ginny only awoke Bellatrix once she had removed her cloak and confiscated her wand, leaving her in just a black corseted dress. Moreover, she made sure that the Death Eater was magically bound to a corner in her attic, and therefore unable to escape. Whispering the word "Rennervate" under her breath, Ginny watched as Bellatrix slowly came to life once more. Her curls bounced around in the air as she moved her neck back and forth, and her eyes stared open within seconds, probably as Bellatrix realised there was something very wrong with the situation that she was in.

What could have been no more than ten seconds or so later, Bellatrix's eyes met Ginny's own, and she snarled in anger. "You filthy little blood traitor! Free me at once!"

Slowly, Ginny shook her head. She wasn't quite sure what to say yet, and so silence was her best option.

Bellatrix let out a scream of rage. "LET GO OF ME!"

Deciding it would probably be a good idea to put more secure wards up around the attic to prevent anybody seeing in through the window and to prevent them hearing what was taking place inside, Ginny waved her wand back and forth. Feeling tired, she flicked her wand at the royal purple arm chair across the room, pulling it towards her so that she could sit comfortably, continuing to watch Bellatrix. At this point in time the older witch was staring in furious shock, apparently speechless. She seemed to be taking in the situation, unable to believe what was happening to her.

"Why are you alive?" Ginny asked calmly.

"Why am I... what sort of a question is that?! Are you a moron?" Bellatrix spat.

Ginny cocked her head to the side. "I watched my mother kill you."

Bellatrix shook her head, and grinned suddenly. Madwoman. "No. No, my blood-filthy darling, you saw your mother stun me into unconsciousness. Afterwards, when they left me with the other bodies to rot in a blown-apart classroom, I slipped away. But before I did so, I transfigured someone's boot into a wig exactly like my own hair, and placed it on the head of a badly beaten and unidentifiable female corpse. I dressed the corpse in my clothes, snuck out of Hogwarts, and for all intents and purposes, disappeared."

Searching her head, Ginny had a vague memory of the Death Eaters being tossed carelessly aside in a pile, not afforded the same respect the war heroes had been. She hadn't expected Bellatrix to be so open with her, but then she didn't exactly have anything left to lose, did she? "How did people not notice that the person whose identity you stole was missing?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "I assume she was a Death Eater from her choice of clothes. Not all of my Lord's followers were known, even at the end."

It made sense, unfortunately. Now that she thought about it, Ginny was sure that there had been some of their own people that had been unidentifiable, or even shredded into little pieces. At the time it had disgusted her too much to read about, or to ask questions when she just wanted to forget. Ginny had just been happy to be alive, well and free from the oppression of Voldemort's wizarding world, when she had been unable to wander alone at night. Practically every minute of every day, she had been watched by someone in her family, and even when she slept at night she was aware of her parents coming into the room to check on her, as though she slept deeply and peacefully, and would therefore be unable to defend herself should the need arise.

"Are you just going to stare at me, or are you actually going to tell me why I'm here?" Bellatrix demanded. "Maybe you just want to tell me how much you hate me?"

"I don't hate you," Ginny said calmly. "I hate everything that you stand for."

"There's a difference?" Bellatrix asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yes," Ginny replied, brushing some strands of loose red hair back towards her ponytail. "And as for why you're here, I don't know. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Marvellous," Bellatrix said sarcastically. "Perhaps you could tell me whether I'm staying here or if you're going to hand me in to the Ministry? Or whether you going to let Potter have a go at me first?"

Feeling a stab of anger in her chest, Ginny fought to cover it up so that Bellatrix didn't see. "Harry has nothing to do with this."

Nevertheless, Bellatrix seemed to comprehend exactly what was going on inside of Ginny. Evidently her famed Legilimency skills still worked just as well as they always had, as she gave a twisted smirk. "Oh... you're no longer Potter's little bitch?"

That did it. Incensed by the repulsive creature before her, Ginny rose to her feet, and without hesitation, she slapped Bellatrix across the face, making her head crack backwards against the wall. Then, she did it again. And again. And again, until the rage had completely diminished, and she was able to sit back in the chair. "In case you're wondering, that was for Sirius, Tonks, Lupin, and every other person you even so much as thought about killing, you insane animal!"

Groaning, Bellatrix allowed her head to slump forwards. "Didn't think you had it in you, filthy one," she muttered.

"You don't know me," Ginny clarified. How can you, when I don't even know myself?

"No?" Bellatrix rose her head, focusing once more. She taunted, "Well, I know this much, sweetie. To keep me here like this says more about you than it does about me. What sort of fucked up situation is this?"

"It isn't like you have anywhere better to be," Ginny said with a shrug. "Your Master is dead so you might as well stay here."

Wild eyes, Bellatrix was incensed. "Don't... don't you dare..."

"Dare what? Say he's dead? He is gone for all eternity. You're alone, Bellatrix."

"No..." Bellatrix's bottom lip quivered, making her look childlike. "No, don't say such evil things..."

"I'm going," Ginny said, and she swished her wand, sending Bellatrix to the floor so that now she was able to sit and move her arms and legs, although she was contained to one tiny little block of the attic by the wards Ginny had placed around her. "Goodnight, Bellatrix. Sweet dreams of hell."

Pushing her chair backwards, Ginny walked out of the attic. A last minute decision, she pointed her wand at the door, and waited for the shriek of terrified anger to come from within.

Now, Bellatrix was surrounded completely by darkness. There would not be one chunk of light to allow her to see, to feel what was around her.

It'd be like she really was dead.

iii.

For the next twelve hours, Ginny avoided Bellatrix. She wasn't sure what else there was so say, and what she could do with the crazed, older witch. If she could have, she would have avoided her for the next week, but she knew that even Bellatrix wouldn't be able to survive that long without any attention. At the very least Ginny would have to provide water on a daily basis, and food occasionally too. Although everything else could be ignored if she so chose to, but Ginny wasn't sure that was what she wanted. As much as she hated everything Bellatrix had done, she wasn't sure that she wished to make her suffer in such ways.

As a result, Ginny soon found herself walking towards the attic, filling the room with light, and staring at the tiny woman on the floor. She had never realised just how miniature and human Bellatrix was, but the way her head was balanced between her legs, tilted over, she looked more vulnerable than ever before. It invoked feelings in Ginny that she wasn't familiar with, and therefore she decided it was necessary to rectify the situation immediately, before she became more confused than she currently was.

"Good morning, Bellatrix," she said politely.

"Good morning, my psychotic little blood traitor," Bellatrix replied sarcastically. There were pronounced bags underneath her eyes as though she hadn't slept at all in the past few days.

"I think you'll find that you belong to me now," Ginny said, the words falling from her tongue before she had really thought about how they sounded. Like Bellatrix is yours eternally.

"I would rather die than belong to someone as disgusting as you," Bellatrix sneered. "You repulse me with your betrayal of blood purity."

Taking slow steps towards Bellatrix, Ginny decided to forego the armchair, and to instead sit on the floor opposite her. "Why?"

"Why what?" Bellatrix asked.

"Why have I betrayed my blood purity?"

Bellatrix laughed madly. "Where do I start? You have befriended Mudbloods like the Granger girl, and fought against my Lord who only wanted the best for the purest of us. You have sullied yourself by allowing the filthy Potter boy to touch you, and by claiming that all wizards and witches should be equal, regardless of their ancestry."

Ginny considered the accusations thoughtfully. "So what you're telling me, Bellatrix, is that I should hate anybody who isn't pure?"

"Exactly," Bellatrix said, satisfied that she had been understood.

"In that case I should hate you, for you are far from pure. Isn't it the truth that pure-blood witches are to make respectable housewives for their husbands, to bear at least one son to continue the family line, and to always abide by the rules given to them by their husbands?" Ginny continued. "As far as I'm aware, you have done none of those things. You've maimed and murdered your way through life and done as you pleased with no concern for what is expected of you in the purest of senses, beyond the status you were born with."

Immediately, Bellatrix turned white. It took a few seconds more, but eventually, she tried to lunge for Ginny, enraged by her words. "SMUG LITTLE BITCH!" she yelled. "CRUCIO! CRUCIO!"

"You need a wand for that," Ginny said calmly. "Would you like me to show you?"

Quietening down, Bellatrix's dark eyes widened fearfully, making her look younger than ever before. "No. No please, not that."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Bellatrix insisted. "Please, I beg of you. Not that."

Processing her thoughts, Ginny decided that it was rather interesting that Bellatrix seemed to be so scared of the Cruciatus Curse considering the way that she dished it out like cake at a child's birthday party. There was something intriguing about the fact that she relished handing pain out to others, but was unable to accept it herself to the extent where she quite literally begged for it not to be used. Ginny had no real intention of attempting the curse anyway, but the reaction she had provoked in Bellatrix was something she decided to use to her advantage in the future. Bellatrix may be a Legilimens but in her frightened, weakened state, Ginny was able to hide her mind away much more easily than if Bellatrix had been her usual powerful, crazed self.

"I don't owe you anything, so why should I grant your request?" Ginny asked. "You could have killed my mother, and you rejoiced in my brother's death." Don't hate me for this, Fred.

"Cursing me won't change that," Bellatrix said shakily.

Ginny paused, considering. "I suppose not," she mused aloud, watching as Bellatrix looked visibly relieved.

"So does that mean you're freeing me?" Bellatrix said with optimism, staring up at Ginny.

"No," Ginny informed her. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet."

When Ginny looked at Bellatrix, she wasn't sure what to think. When she begged and pleaded, Bellatrix almost seemed like a normal witch as opposed to one of the darkest to ever live. It showed how appearances could be deceptive, and how you could never claim to know somebody from just a few words of conversation. Had Ginny thrown her wand to Bellatrix and freed her, then she had no doubt that Bellatrix would have turned on her and cast the Cruciatus Curse, even though she was terrified by the mere idea of it happening to herself. All in all, Bellatrix was an intriguing witch, and there was still much that Ginny wanted to discover about her as time went on.

Well, she'd just have to keep Bellatrix for now. And probably remember to feed her at some point soon, too.

iv.

The strangest thing about Bellatrix was the fact that although she talked about Voldemort, she never mentioned her husband. It led Ginny to ask why, because Rodolphus Lestrange had also been a Death Eater, and so she imagined that he would have gotten on well with Bellatrix before he died during the Battle of Hogwarts. As days passed, it became clearer than ever to Ginny that the only being Bellatrix was ever concerned for was Voldemort, or to be more accurate, the only being that Bellatrix had a disturbing infatuation with. Very rarely did Ginny judge somebody, but she challenged any sane witch or wizard not to be unsettled by that particular piece of information.

"Why are you obsessed with Voldemort?" Ginny asked, a week after Bellatrix had been living with her. She was sat in her armchair once again, facing Bellatrix who was sat in her usual spot on the floor.

"You speak his name?" Bellatrix said, shocked. "Someone as unworthy as you has no right to..."

"Be quiet," Ginny chastised. "Unless you are going to answer the question."

Bellatrix threw her a sulky look. Apparently, she couldn't resist the opportunity to talk about her beloved though, as she said wistfully, "He is like nobody I've ever met before. The power he exuberates... the calm manner in which he captures the attention of everyone around him. Never have I met anybody sobeautiful."

Thankfully, Ginny was smart enough to realise that Bellatrix was referring to Voldemort's apparently beautiful personality as opposed to his physical looks, else she would have laughed aloud. Moreover, upon considering Bellatrix's words, it was actually not that crazy an answer. Many people found power and domination attractive, and so coupled with Bellatrix's views on blood purity it made sense for her to see Voldemort as attractive rather than revolting in the way that those against him did. "And you saw no faults in him?"

"My Lord is perfect," Bellatrix said passionately. "I suppose that physically he would not be considered beautiful, but that is of no importance as he made up for it in other ways."

"You would have liked him as Tom too then," Ginny told her. "He had physical beauty at that time in his life."

Bellatrix stared. "And how would you know?"

Surprising herself, Ginny found herself recounting the story of the Chamber of Secrets. Even more startling was the fact that Bellatrix listened throughout, and didn't attempt to argue with her or insult her for the way in which she spoke about Voldemort. In all honesty it made Ginny slightly suspicious, because since when had Bellatrix been willing to listen to her Master being dishonoured? There had to be an ulterior motive, but until it was made clearer, Ginny had no hope of finding out what Bellatrix was trying to achieve.

"What happened to the diary?" Bellatrix asked, when Ginny had finished telling her story.

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know who had it after it was destroyed."

"Do you have no idea at all?" Bellatrix pressed.

As Ginny viewed the desperate look in Bellatrix's eyes, she understood. Bellatrix wanted the diary back to see if there was some way she would be able to communicate with Voldemort, and bring him back to the world once more. Even though it was more than obvious she was a smart witch, being in denial was so much easier than accepting that he would never come back to rescue one of his most faithful. Ginny imagined that Bellatrix would hate to be told this, but she felt like she had no choice. It was time to put a stop to the constant hoping. Or at least try to.

"He's dead, Bellatrix," Ginny said firmly. "He will never come back to save you, so you may as well give up hoping. And whilst you're at it, start using the past tense when talking about him; you're frustrating me."

"Insolence!" Bellatrix screeched, the snap in her personality evidence for Ginny to see. "He has come back before and he will return once more!"

"He had Horcruxes before!" Ginny reminded her. "Now, he doesn't have any left and there is no way he can come back, mortally or immortally. Accept this, Bellatrix."

"No..." Bellatrix whispered, with her head down, and rubbing her arm. "I need to find him... he will be somewhere in the forests. My mark..."

"You have no need to worry for that," Ginny dismissed, surveying the faded black mark with revulsion. "In time, perhaps I will give you a new one." A tattooed mark of mine.

Looking up, Bellatrix snarled at Ginny. "Don't even think about touching me!"

"I'll do what I want with you, because you no longer have any rights," Ginny reminded her. "And really, this is the best alternative you have to being out there, unless you'd prefer to be locked away in Azkaban."

Bellatrix looked at Ginny in disbelief. "What happened to you? What happened to the ickle Weasley girl who was going to save the world, have lots of lovely ickle babies with Potter and live happily ever after?"

Ginny swallowed. "She grew up." And realised that normal wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

"So now... you're going to keep me forever?" Bellatrix asked in a disbelieving whisper.

Long-term plans hadn't even been considered by Ginny yet, but now that the question had been asked, she had to pay it thought. There were so many risks associated with what she was doing; losing her family and friends, losing her career, or even being imprisoned, but she didn't think she could bear to set Bellatrix free either. Bellatrix would probably only spend the rest of her life trying to seek revenge on Ginny anyhow, and that was one enemy that she did not want to create. Overall, it seemed that the only decision Ginny felt she could make was to keep Bellatrix.

"Yes," Ginny told her.

"And torture me?" Bellatrix added, a slight quiver in her voice that amused Ginny. Whoever would have thought that the torturer had a fear of being tortured?

"Not if you behave yourself," Ginny said honestly. She was strong enough, but she didn't think she was capable of seriously hurting Bellatrix. Even after everything she had done, that wasn't why she wanted Bellatrix here. Still, she had no idea why she appeared to be so obsessed with the older witch, but she supposed that time would tell what her intentions were if she couldn't figure them out for herself.

Bellatrix visibly relaxed. "Then... what are you going to do to me?"

Standing up to leave, Ginny paused. "I don't know."

v.

When Ginny wasn't with Bellatrix, she was alone. Her friends and family weren't her priority anymore, for as much as she loved them, she couldn't risk them finding out about Bellatrix during an impromptu visit to her home. Ginny had sealed off all entrances to the house, and warded it so that should anyone approach, she would immediately be alerted which would give her time to deal with Bellatrix. There could be no mistakes and so she had vigorously double and triple checked everything both with magic and by testing, for if she was found out then she could possibly face Azkaban. As far as she was aware, she was the only one to know that Bellatrix was still alive, and the trouble that would be caused should others discover this fact did not bear thinking about.

Ginny's first six months with Bellatrix had gone fairly smoothly. Not once had Bellatrix tried to escape, and although she usually refused to cooperate with Ginny by spitting at her, attempting to lash out, and once even biting her hand, for the most part things were ok. The wards around the attic had remained in place to prevent anybody except Ginny from entering, seeing or hearing what went on inside, and she had given Bellatrix a bed upon which she could sleep. Moreover, Ginny allowed Bellatrix to roam around the room whenever she wasn't there, and to use the bathroom next to the main attic room whenever she so wished. She even provided Bellatrix with reading material so that she wouldn't be bored.

As time progressed, Ginny began to take care of Bellatrix in other ways too. She provided her with new dresses and robes that she imagined Bellatrix would be happy to wear, and she provided her with makeup, hair, skin and teeth products too. They were wizarding products but with harmless magical properties as Ginny didn't want Bellatrix to have anything at her disposal she could use against her. Nevertheless, Bellatrix seemed to use them anyway, probably to give herself something else to do.

Ginny was no fool; she knew that what she had done was crazy and that at any point in time Bellatrix could snap, overpower her, and free herself if she managed to get her hands on Ginny's wand. Still though, Ginny believed she had taken a worthy risk. For the first time in her life she looked forward to going home, she no longer needed to walk through the woods at night, and she slept better than ever. Sometimes she even slept on the small attic landing outside Bellatrix's room, feeling the inexplicable need to be close to her.

Insanity loved company, apparently.

The day that Ginny finally accepted that she was definitely in the same league of crazy as Bellatrix for having her very own little prisoner, she decided to confirm it in writing, so to speak. Armed with all of the materials she needed, she entered Bellatrix's room on a rainy Saturday, and she sat opposite Bellatrix who was lying down on the bed. For several minutes Bellatrix ignored her (something she frequently did) until finally, she accepted that Ginny wasn't going to go away.

"What do you want?" Bellatrix snapped. "I'm not in the mood to talk."

"That's fine," Ginny told her. "I'm not here to talk; I'm here to mark you as mine."

Glancing down at the needle, ink, and various other items that Ginny had placed on the bed in front of her, Bellatrix shrieked, "No! No you are not going to come near me!"

"Yes, I am," Ginny said patiently.

"I'm scared of needles," Bellatrix lied.

Sighing, Ginny pointed to the 93 tattoo that was located on Bellatrix's neck. "You've already had a tattoo so that clearly isn't the case."

"Azkaban tattooed that on me," Bellatrix protested.

Although Ginny had no idea whether or not Bellatrix was lying again, she decided to ignore her wishes. After all, she was the one in control, the one who had the power. If she wanted Bellatrix to have a tattoo then she would bloody well have one. "I will allow you to choose where you have the tattoo," Ginny offered.

"I am refusing to have one at all," Bellatrix said stubbornly.

Ginny sighed. "Either you cooperate with me or I will magically bind you and tattoo you all over your body. Your choice."

Thirty seconds or so later, Bellatrix admitted defeat. "Fine," she hissed. "But I want it to be small."

"I wasn't planning on giving you a massive tattoo anyway," Ginny replied solemnly.

"What will it say?" Bellatrix asked.

"It will say 'G' and therefore shouldn't take very long at all," Ginny informed her.

"'G for Ginny, I take it?" Bellatrix said, sounding disgusted.

"Of course," Ginny said with a smile. "Where do you want it to be?" Really, she didn't give a damn where Bellatrix wanted the tattoo. The entire point was that somewhere on her body was a mark that stated she was Ginny's property, and so whether it was on her leg or her arse, it didn't matter. Ginny didn't particularly want to tattoo Bellatrix's face, but she doubted that the raven haired witch would request a tattoo there anyhow.

"Somewhere here," Bellatrix said eventually, pointing to her ribs on the left side of her.

Before Ginny approached Bellatrix, she bound her hands together with rope. It was a necessity to ensure that she was not put in a vulnerable position. "Ok," she said, as she finished tying the rope. Pulling the black leather vest top that Bellatrix wore, Ginny gestured to a spot just underneath Bellatrix's ribs. "By here?"

"Fine," Bellatrix growled.

As Ginny prepared the needle and ink, she couldn't help but glance up at Bellatrix's newly revealed skin. It was the most she had ever seen of Bellatrix, because she allowed her to undertake her own personal hygiene tasks on her own without any supervision. It wasn't as if she would ever be able to escape through the bathtub, was it? For Ginny, to see the flawless, porcelain skin of Bellatrix's stomach was nothing short of mesmerising. Someone as repulsive inside as Bellatrix shouldn't be allowed to look the way she did; it was too much of a warped contradiction.

Pushing Bellatrix backwards onto the bed, Ginny swung her legs to the right and leant over her. Touching the Death Eater's skin was strangely pleasant, and Ginny could feel the body heat radiating from her as she positioned the thin needle an inch or so away from Bellatrix's stomach. Using her wand to keep the needle hovering, Ginny allowed the ink to drip through, and used her wand to direct the needle where she wanted it to go. Not wishing to take her eyes away from the needle and risk making a mistake, Ginny was unable to see Bellatrix's expression, but she guessed it would be one of pain judging by the small whimpers coming from her.

The black ink was wet against Bellatrix's skin, but the G was soon distinguishable. Although it wasn't perfect due to the fact that Ginny was not practiced in the art of tattooing, it was a decent enough job due to the simplicity and size of the letter. Sitting back to admire her work, Ginny gazed in amazement at what she had managed to achieve. Finally, there was something that stated Bellatrix belonged to her and her only, for there was no longer Rodolphus or Voldemort to lay claim upon her.

Deciding that there was no longer a risk of Bellatrix attacking her considering that the task was over, Ginny freed her hands once more. After putting away her tattooing equipment the only thing that remained to be done was to cover the tattoo to protect it, and so Ginny patched it up, making sure that she did so carefully. She was conscious of causing unnecessary pain to Bellatrix, and even though she realised how insane that made her sound, she had gone past the point of caring. Nobody knew how she behaved around Bellatrix or even that Bellatrix was alive, and therefore nobody could judge her. Where was the harm in what she was doing?

So focused was Ginny on observing the patched up tattoo, that she failed to notice Bellatrix lunging towards her. Although Bellatrix didn't get her hands on Ginny's wand, (which flew to the floor as Ginny was taken by surprise) she did manage to grab hold of Ginny's hair and pull it backwards. Heart thudding, Ginny was vaguely aware of the fact her neck was bared to the raven haired witch, before she felt teeth sink into her skin, biting together hard. As the pain tore through her, Ginny cried out and attempted to knee Bellatrix in the stomach, determined to control her once more.

Nevertheless, it was Bellatrix that had the upper hand as she flipped herself on top of Ginny and pinned Ginny's hands behind her head. Struggling, Ginny attempted to free her wrists, but the position she was locked into made it extremely difficult for her to fight against Bellatrix. There was a wild look in the dark witch's eyes that Ginny hadn't seen in a long time, but was now plain to see as Bellatrix stared down at her, a manic grin on her face. It didn't achieve quite the same effect as her Azkaban photos due to the fact that she was clean and fairly well kempt unlike when she had been held in the famous wizarding prison, but it did send shivers down Ginny's spine.

"What are you going to do now, my filthy little creature?" Bellatrix mocked.

Ginny considered her options. Her hands were useless and Bellatrix had fastened her legs beneath her, leaving her unable to move them. In fact, the only part of her body that Ginny was able to move was her head and neck, but of course she wasn't in the right position to cause Bellatrix any serious damage. She supposed that she would be able to bite Bellatrix, but she didn't really feel like doing that to her face, and she wasn't at the right angle to be able to attack her neck.

Really, Ginny's options were extremely limited, which was evidently why her brain decided to take a less violent action.

Ginny lifted her head and kissed Bellatrix directly on the mouth. Holding their lips together for as long as the strength in her neck would allow her to, Ginny closed her eyes and allowed herself to become enthralled in the feeling of Bellatrix's surprising softness, entirely unlike her harsh, abrasive personality. Ginny was so involved in the pleasant moment between herself and Bellatrix, that she only just noticed as Bellatrix loosened the grip she had on Ginny's wrists.

The sensible thing for Ginny to do would have been to immediately grab hold of Bellatrix or summon her wand, but instead she found herself tangling her hands around Bellatrix's raven curls and pulling her head downwards, continuing the passionate kiss. Ginny was vaguely aware of Bellatrix responding to her, and encouraged, she slid her legs out from the tight position underneath the older witch, and she spread them around Bellatrix's legs, drawing their bodies closer together.

Drawing back, Ginny stared up into Bellatrix's brown eyes, noting her dilated pupils. "Is this what you want, Bellatrix?" Ginny breathed. "Do you want us to fuck?" She traced her ink-stained fingers down Bellatrix's cheek, leaving faint black smudges against her skin.

Bellatrix cackled, throwing her head backwards. "Are you asking my permission? I have been your prisoner against my will for months yet you are afraid to have me sexually?"

"I'm not afraid," Ginny denied. "I just want to hear that you want me."

Looking down at Ginny thoughtfully, Bellatrix paused, before she sunk her hot, wet mouth against Ginny's in a wordless reply to the request. Satisfied with this, Ginny fluttered her eyes shut and forgot about every terrible thing that Bellatrix had ever done. One couldn't be defined by the mistakes they had made; they were only defined by every individual moment that they chose to partake in. The way that she felt right now there was no way that Ginny could allow herself to be disgusted with Bellatrix, because even as she scratched her long, piercingly sharp nails down Ginny's stomach, it was done carefully with just the right amount of pressure so as not to cross the line between pain and pleasure.

Gasping, Ginny pulled off her ruffled white blouse, throwing it to the floor. Soon it was followed by her jeans, Bellatrix's dress and several items of underwear until the two women writhed naked on the bed, Ginny tumbling on top of Bellatrix. In retaliation for the bite that Bellatrix had inflicted upon her earlier, and the resultant throbbing in Ginny's neck, she bit Bellatrix's right breast, smirking at the way the older witch cried out. Unwilling to let Ginny go unpunished, Bellatrix scrammed her nails down Ginny's back this time, with so much pressure that Ginny knew for a fact she had drawn blood. Nevertheless, Ginny didn't make a sound, determined to be stronger than Bellatrix and able to stand the sharp pain.

As Bellatrix began nipping at her jaw line, Ginny felt her clit throb harder, and rammed her hips downwards, rubbing herself against Bellatrix. The tiny sparks that jolted through her nervous system resulted in Ginny squeezing her eyes shut, and breathing harder than she ever had before during fucking. As far as Bellatrix was concerned, this time the moan that came from her lips sounded much more pleasurable, and with a proud arrogance, Ginny told herself that there was no way Rodolphus could have ever made her scream that way. Voldemort either... he was no Tom, after all.

Lowering her head, Ginny began sucking desperately on Bellatrix's centre, her tongue swirling around and drawing yet more vocalised feelings from Bellatrix. She had never pleasured a woman like this before but it felt so natural, and she desired the taste in a way that she never had with men. As dramatically disgusting as it sounded, it felt right that she could do this to Bellatrix because when all was said and done, she was still a beautiful woman underneath all of the wrongs she had committed. Nothing highlighted this more than the way she cried out when she finally came into Ginny's mouth, flooding her with her salty-sweet juices.

Throwing herself against the bed, Ginny stretched her arms upwards, breathing deeply as she attempted to catch her breath. She barely had a chance as within seconds Bellatrix had climbed on top of her and began to scrape her teeth along each of Ginny's breasts, paying extra attention to her rosy nipples. Involuntarily she parted her legs, encouraged by Bellatrix's hand slipping in between her legs, and thrusting two fingers inside of Ginny without any warning. Fortunately she was already wet, and so she raised her hips, rolling them upwards in a suggestion to Bellatrix that she should touch her.

"Enjoying this?" Bellatrix enquired, a cruel teasing edge to her voice.

"Shut up," Ginny rasped. "And serve me..."

Indescribable eyes widened as Bellatrix listened, lowering her head and nipping at Ginny's skin as she buried her head between Ginny's legs. With just the right amount of painful pleasure, Bellatrix alternated between using her tongue and teeth against Ginny's clit, and twisted her fingers inside of Ginny. A blissful feeling overtook all other emotions inside of Ginny until all she could think about was the pulsing of her centre, until finally she was pushed past the point of no return, and she came violently, suppressing her screams by biting down on both sides of the inside of her mouth.

Tasting blood, Ginny closed her eyes and rolled out from underneath Bellatrix. Her body felt satisfaction, but her mind felt only nausea. Temptation for the enemy is fine; fucking the enemy can lead to nothing but chaos.

vi.

In the days that followed, Ginny could hardly bear to look at Bellatrix, let alone talk to her. She had given herself to someone who would never be anything more than just a wanted fuck. Whilst she wasn't the sort to dream of hearts and flowers and a romantic relationship based on sweetness and light, Ginny had never envisaged that she would have the complete opposite either. To spend her life with someone who could never be anything more than stolen moments, knowing that every time she gave herself to Bellatrix she was breaking the law was something that Ginny didn't know if she could manage. With Bellatrix held under duress it meant that Ginny too was committing a crime herself by concealing the fact that she was alive instead of informing the Ministry of Magic.

One Monday after a rather appalling Quidditch practice that day, Ginny checked on Bellatrix to make sure all was well. She found her sat in the purple armchair and facing the door, as though she had been expecting Ginny's arrival. "Hello, my Ginny."

"Hello, Bellatrix," Ginny said stiffly, ignoring the personal pronoun, her tone of voice making her sound far too much like her own mother than she would have liked to.

"Bad day?" Bellatrix enquired airily.

"Better than yours, I imagine," Ginny said drily. "At least I actually have freedom."

From a brief glance in Bellatrix's direction, Ginny saw her raise her eyebrows. "You don't seem yourself... that reply was a little childish by your usual standards."

"Maybe I'm just fed up of you," Ginny snapped, anger pulsing at her temples.

"Come now, you don't mean that!" Bellatrix exclaimed in mock outrage. "Aren't I an important factor in your life?"

Ginny didn't want to let herself think about the answer to that right now, because she knew it would lead her to say something that ultimately she would regret. Since she was a little girl she had been good at lying, and so honing her extremely well-practiced skills, she said, "You're nothing but a burden."

Bellatrix cackled, as though well aware that Ginny wasn't being honest with her. "Are you honestly telling me that you don't feel anything for me?"

Remaining silent, Ginny looked anywhere but into Bellatrix's eyes.

"Your lack of a response says more for how you feel than any words ever could," Bellatrix said smugly.

Hating the way that Bellatrix was in control, Ginny forced herself to face Bellatrix, realising she needed to make herself domineering if she wanted to put Bellatrix in her place. For the moment she would have to put her own battling emotions to one side in order to make the older witch see that she had no place taking over when she was the belonging and had a duty to behave herself. Long gone were the days when she could throw curses around as she pleased, creating havoc wherever she went and destroying the most lovely of things just because she felt like it.

"Be quiet, Bellatrix," Ginny ordered.

Bellatrix flashed Ginny a grin in response. "I'm seeing a pattern start to emerge here, ickle Ginnykins," she announced. "The Boy Who Lived... The Woman Who Survived..." Bellatrix said, grinning.

"Fuck you," Ginny said sharply.

"Hmm," Bellatrix moaned, closing her eyes. "Wouldn't you just love to do that again?"

Once again, Ginny found that she couldn't answer aloud, but this time, her head automatically told her the answer. She would love to fuck Bellatrix again, and again, and again, and that was the whole problem because for reasons already discovered, they could never simply be. The crimes Bellatrix had committed were too sadistic, too vicious, and nobody other than Ginny would ever be able to see past that. Therefore, only one choice remained for Ginny. She would be unable to let herself watch it happen, but ultimately the fact that it would happen would be the one thing that saved her.

"You need to leave," she said. Raising her wand, she brought down the wards around them. "Go. I don't care where, I don't care what you do, but get out."

"What?!" Bellatrix shrieked, her playful act over when she saw just how serious Ginny was.

"I won't tell anyone that you have been here," Ginny said calmly, not allowing her voice to shake. "And you can take whatever you need from the house with you; food, water, knives... I don't care. You can stay the night and leave tomorrow if you like, because I won't be here."

"What do you mean, you won't be here?" Bellatrix demanded. "Where are you going?!"

Turning around, Ginny didn't give a reply. Instead, she left swiftly, closing the door behind her, and no doubt leaving a shell-shocked Bellatrix in her wake. Half-walking, half-running down the stairs, the moment she was out of her front door and outside the protected area of her house, Ginny Apparated.

Anywhere. Take me anywhere.

vii

After spending the night walking through violent winds near Snowdon mountain in North Wales, Ginny returned home. Her cottage was silent in the way that it usually was and there was no sign that Bellatrix had taken anything with her. In fact, there was no evidence that she had so much as left the attic where Ginny had left her, and so suspicions raised, Ginny headed up the stairs. She listened carefully for any sign of life as she did so, but it wasn't until she had made her way up the second flight of stairs leading to the attic and opened the door, that she saw.

"You're still here," Ginny observed, surprised to see Bellatrix with her knees drawn high and her arms curled around herself, as she sat against the wall. "I thought you would have left immediately after I removed the wards."

Bellatrix looked up. "To go where?"

Ginny shrugged. "Your sister? Narcissa, I mean." Not Andromeda; the good version of yourself.

"No," Bellatrix refused.

Confused, Ginny took another few steps into the room, and as a precaution, she placed the wards back up again. It wasn't that she expected Bellatrix to stay, but the last thing she needed was for someone else to make a sudden appearance and overhear their conversation. It was all well and good to leave Bellatrix with the opportunity to escape at three o'clock in the morning, but at this time of day it was nothing short of extremely risky. She could just imagine the look of horror on her mother's face if she popped around; Molly Weasley was starting to get extremely annoyed with Ginny's refusal to allow her to visit, after all.

"Why?" Ginny asked, genuinely curious.

"She has no reason to protect me now when the only result for her would be Azkaban. Not to mention the fact that neither Lucius or Draco would allow her to. As I do not wish to continue Apparating from place to place, being here is really my best option," Bellatrix said, sounding rational for once. "And... well if truth be told, I like not being alone."

"Oh," Ginny said. "What about your search for Voldemort?"

Bellatrix looked up, dark eyes fixing on Ginny. "The Dark Lord is... in all likelihood... he is gone."

Never had Ginny expected to hear such words from Bellatrix. She had always expected her to protest Voldemort's eternal life until her very own dying breath, because her devotion was exactly what she was famed for. The first time that the wizarding world had believed Voldemort to be gone she had refused to believe and had gone searching until the Aurors had finally caught up with her. Ginny didn't know what had changed her mind, but imagined that it had been helped on the way by the constant publications such as the Quibbler and The Daily Prophet (which Bellatrix had probably come across whilst Apparating around the country) and their closer-to-the-truth than usual articles about how Horcruxes had been used by Voldemort. Acceptance at last.

"You on the other hand, are here," Bellatrix continued.

"Oh," Ginny repeated, her heart thudding.

"Oh indeed," Bellatrix said. Wide eyed and childlike, she asked tentatively, "May I stay?"

A request. Bellatrix Lestrange requesting something of Ginny Weasley. Never in a million years had Ginny imagined herself to be in such a situation, because no imagination could ever create what was ultimately an insane notion. Everything sensible told Ginny she never should have gotten herself involved with Bellatrix in this way, when she could have just been an attractive prisoner for her to look at. Now, she had become far more and there was no going back when Ginny knew that turning Bellatrix out would mean that every day for the rest of her life she would be frightened that Bellatrix would be captured and killed. Somewhere along the way, Bellatrix had become the air she needed to survive.

"Yes," Ginny said, her voice nothing but a whisper. "You can stay."

viii.

Before Ginny could trust Bellatrix, she knew that she would have to test her.

A week later when the wards enclosing Bellatrix to certain areas had been extended to surround Ginny's entire house, allowing Bellatrix to roam freely from room to room, Ginny was settled in her own bedroom, with Bellatrix lying naked underneath the duvet next to her. It was nearing midnight, and feigning tiredness, Ginny threw her wand onto the bedside table next to her instead of sleeping with it in hand as she usually did. She had ensured that she had been seen by Bellatrix, for that was after all, an integral part of the plan to see whether Bellatrix really did intend to stay for the first time with her or just wanted access to a wand.

As far as Ginny could tell, one of two things would happen. Either Bellatrix would ignore the wand and prove her loyalty, or she would threaten Ginny with it in order to gain access to her own wand (which Ginny had safely stored behind one of the portraits on the wall in the kitchen) before torturing and killing her. Whilst she wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect of being tortured before death, nor did she particular want to die, she couldn't say she minded much either. Bellatrix made her feel alive in ways that nobody had ever managed to do before, and so to live a life without her would be tantamount to be going back to a tiring existence and life of pretence.

With the light switched off, Ginny fluttered her eyes shut after peacefully gazing at Bellatrix for what may be the very last time. It made her sad to think in such a way, but it was important that she remained realistic so that she could continue to consciously make decisions, even if they were sometimes insane and led to nothing but trouble. Whatever happened, at least Ginny would be able to rest easily knowing that either way she had her answer, even if she was resting in death. Sleeping easy is all that matters.

Half an hour later during which Ginny remaining still as a statue, her breathing steady, Bellatrix began to move slowly. Ginny had to control her instincts and not react as Bellatrix leant over her body and Ginny assumed, reached for the wand next to her. Knowing that any second now she was going to find herself with a wand to her throat, Ginny counted in her head, keeping herself steady and relaxed. She knew that there was no point in fighting back when ultimately she would be leaving herself in an unfulfilled state.

Seconds later when there was still no reaction for Bellatrix, Ginny began to wonder what was going on. Listening hard, she realised that she couldn't even hear Bellatrix hovering above her anymore. Pretending to shift in her sleep, she turned to the side and fluttered her eyes open, giving herself time to adjust to the dark. Once she had done so she noted that her wand was gone, and Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen. Feeling nervous, she threw her legs out of the bed and unsteadily rose, intending on going to the kitchen to see if Bellatrix had discovered her own wand and left.

However, as she walked down the stairs and turned the corner, she noted that there was light coming from the living room. Slowly, she walked towards it, not sure if she wanted to know what was happening, for if Bellatrix was indeed still here there was no way of knowing what she was doing. Raising her hand tentatively, she pushed the door open with no clue what she was going to walk in on. Thousands of possible images flitted through her mind, from Bellatrix practicing the Cruciatus curse on one of her family members in vengeance, to Bellatrix stood waiting for her, ready to throw The Killing Curse her way.

Instead, what she saw surprised her. Bellatrix was sat on the living room floor wearing Ginny's blood-red, silk dressing gown and casting jets of light from wall to wall, and using the wand to send black, tiny songbirds flying around the room in a spell that Hermione had also taught Ginny to use back when they had been at Hogwarts. After a few seconds of watching Bellatrix from behind the door, Ginny stepped around the door, and made her presence known.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Turning to face Ginny, Bellatrix lowered the wand, the birds disappearing and the lights fading. "I couldn't sleep."

"You... couldn't sleep?" Ginny repeated, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

"Yes," Bellatrix said. "And I miss doing magic so I thought I'd use your wand whilst you were asleep."

Ginny frowned, and crouched next to Bellatrix. "Why haven't you asked for your own wand back?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "I assumed you wouldn't allow me to have it back."

Unable to comprehend what was going on, Ginny tried to understand why Bellatrix was being so... submissive. She had always been such a domineering character, always in charge, and the only person that had even been able to control her, Lord Voldemort, was dead. What was it that made her reluctant to ask Ginny for her wand and at least find out if it was possible? If Ginny had been accomplished in Occlumency then she would have looked inside of Bellatrix's head to discover the answer, but as it was she would have to rely on Bellatrix telling her the truth.

Phrasing her question carefully, Ginny asked tentatively, "What is it that makes you willing to listen to me?"

Cocking her head to the side, Bellatrix stared into Ginny's eyes. "I'm not sure you want to know the answer to that."

"I'll be the judge of that," Ginny replied. "So...?"

Exhaling, Bellatrix raised her hand and fluttered it down the side of Ginny's face, just barely making contact before she pulled her hand away again. "You remind me of my Lord in so many ways..." she whispered, leaning towards Ginny, and placing an intense kiss on her lips, before drawing back slightly. "You are different, yet the same."

"How?" Ginny prompted, closing her eyes. She knew that she should be insulted by the comment, but for an inexplicable reason, she found herself to be apathetic.

"You are the person I always wanted him to be," Bellatrix told her. "The things that you say and the way that you conduct yourself make you seem so alike."

"And how are we different?" Ginny asked quietly.

Bellatrix laughed breathlessly. "You are more beautiful. And... you allow yourself to feel."

"I see," Ginny said, not knowing what else there was to say.

"And so now that I have come to this realisation, I am going to have to respect you in the way that I respected my Lord. Don't you agree, my Lady?"

"Yes," Ginny acknowledged. "But I don't wish for you to call me that. Simply calling me Ginny will be sufficient."

Nodding, Bellatrix pressed her hands against Ginny's neck. "Of course... my Ginny."

Ginny smiled, relishing the sparks that had began jolting her veins, making her feel truly alive, more so than ever before. "Would you like your wand back now, Bella?"

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "Yes! I... yes of course!"

Pulling Bellatrix towards her for a passionate kiss, Ginny paused just before their mouths connected. "You're going to have to earn it..."

As Bellatrix slid her hands into Ginny's own, Ginny pushed Bellatrix underneath her, fitting their bodies together in an imperfect puzzle. Whilst they could never walk down the street hand in hand, or having a respectable relationship to be seen by all, what Ginny would have with Bellatrix was going to be worth far more than that, and would make it a risk worth taking. Exhilaration, passion, and finally fulfilled longing for satisfaction were going to give Ginny the life and love that she had always wanted. Bellatrix Black (for Lestrange was no more) was hers. Forever.

Fin