A/N: Real life has been kind so I was able to update this sooner than expected :) Don't hate me for this chapter! :P Some reviews have been addressed at the after the second A/N. If you like it, then please review and let me know.

I currently have no beta so all mistakes are my own and I apologise for any I missed.

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and the original storyline are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling.

Read, review and most of all… Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Logic versus Passion

Hermione

Hermione's hand was clenched firmly over her mouth, her scream was not only still ringing in her ears, but it also had dashed the faintest of hopes that this was all a nightmare. She stood staring at her reflection in a mirror on the dresser by her bed, tears were silently streaming down her face. The other girls looked just as shell shocked as she was, they stood around looking stunned, not knowing what to do and muttering minor words of comfort, even Lavender.

But Hermione didn't listen to them, she was far too mesmerized by her reflection to take heed of anyone else. Her gaze kept switching between the pillow on her bed and the mirror. Before then leaning in closer to get a better look. Hermione's hand slowly came, deep inside she harboured another hope, that what she was seeing was an illusion. But as her hand lightly brushed over her head, that hope was also snuffed out. Fresh tears stung at her eyes as her fingers brushed against her bald head. Not a trace of her unruly brunette hair remained, every single strand was instead forming an outline on her pillow where her head had rested in the night.

'How… How did this happen…?' Wiping the tears away roughly with the back of her hand, she looked over to the empty bed next to hers, Bellatrix's bed. 'Of course! She has to be the cause! That… That spiteful pureblood bitch! That evil, conniving cow!' Fresh tears continued to flow down her cheeks, only this time, they were tears of fury, at both Bellatrix and herself. 'I should have known better! How could I be so naïve! A truce?! All that did was paint a target on my back!'

After the Quidditch incident, Hermione had been racked with guilt over what she had done. She had felt no satisfaction, no joy, no sense of triumph, only disgust at herself for stooping so low. Her ill feelings only deepened throughout the day as wherever she went, she heard people talking about the accident. Each overheard comment of best wishes just twisted the knife in deeper and by the end of the day, Hermione was so consumed by remorse and shame that she couldn't sleep.

'This is what I get… For having a conscience…' Hermione thought bitterly as her hand slowly came down from her head. 'Well no more! Bellatrix Black, Bellatrix Lestrange, they are one and the same… And she will pay! Right now!' Wiping the tears away once more, Hermione chucked on her uniform as fast as humanly possible, still ignoring the other girls and barely paying attention when one mentioned going to fetch a Professor.

After finishing getting dressed, Hermione grabbed her wand with a fiery determination. Purposely leaving her bag and school supplies behind, Hermione stormed out of the room, wand in hand, she ran down the stairs, ignoring the gasps and comments as she passed students. Hermione knew how she must have looked, but right now she couldn't care less about how they saw her, now was not the time for vanity, now was the time for action. Both Harry and Ron were already in the common room when Hermione arrived, and the whole room went dead silent the second she set foot in it, a few first and second year students sniggered slightly, only to be silenced by their older housemates.

"Bloody hell…" Ron muttered, looking gobsmacked and moving towards her.

"Hermione? What happened?!" Harry asked cautiously, not failing to notice the wand held tight in her hand.

"Where is she?!" Hermione snapped with a tone of intense anger, matched only by the dangerous look in her eyes. "Where is that bitch Bella?!"

Both Ron and Harry's facial expressions changed to one of hate, now that they knew who was behind whatever had happened to her. When neither of them could give her an answer, a boy from across the room spoke up. "Do you mean that new girl? Belladonna? She left like five minutes ago." He said, flinching slightly from the look Hermione gave him.

Without a word, Hermione left the common room and continued running down the stairs, jumping down the last few steps on each case in the hopes of catching Bellatrix up. The boys followed close behind, they kept asking her to slow down and to wait, but Hermione was determined to catch Bellatrix up. Turning off at the third floor, Hermione took the corridor Bellatrix usually took, hoping that the pureblood hadn't decided to change her route today.

As Hermione approached a corner, two familiar voices caught her ear. One belonged to Ginny, and the other… By the sounds of it, a smug and cheerful Bellatrix. Clenching her fist tighter around her wand, Hermione sharply rounded the corner to see Ginny and Belladonna standing midway down the corridor, casually chatting.

"YOU!" Hermione shouted as she stormed closer. Both of the girl's turned their heads, as did other students who hadn't already noticed Hermione and her new appearance. Ginny's mouth dropped wide open when she caught sight, while Bellatrix briefly smirked before pretending to also look shocked.

"Oh my… Hermione?! What happened?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny get away from her!" Ron shouted angrily from not far behind Hermione.

"Are you ok?" Bellatrix asked softly, though Hermione was sure she detected a hint of amusement in her tone. Ginny looked confused, her eyes darted back and forth between the boys, Hermione and Belladonna.

Overcome by hate and anger, and spurred on by Bellatrix's subtle mockery disguised as false concern. Hermione raised her wand without warning and flicked her wrist in a violent motion. 'Fraglans Aculeus' Hermione casted, sending a fiery orange light at the dark haired girl. Her Scorching Sting Hex caught Bellatrix completely off-guard and hit her across the side of her face. The pureblood gasped and recoiled in pain, her hand came up to comfort her cheek, Bellatrix hissed in pain with a look of shock on her face, which Hermione couldn't tell if it was genuine or for show. Not that she cared either way.

"Hermione what the hell!" Ginny shouted, taking a step towards Bellatrix while ignoring her brother's demand for her to move away. Before Ginny could intervene and before Bellatrix could recover, Hermione swished her wand once more. This time her new spell sent Bellatrix flying back a few meters before landing hard on the stony floor.

"I can't believe I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt! Well not anymore! If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" Hermione shouted at the pureblood as she laid on the ground, ignoring the murmurs from the other students.

Bellatrix sat up on the floor and slowly got to her feet, the right side of her face was burnt from Hermione's hex. Bellatrix looked livid, if looks could kill, Hermione was sure she would have just dropped dead, but then to Hermione's surprise, the pureblood smiled. "That's the smartest thing I've heard you say." Bellatrix jeered as she threw her head back and laughed. "Show me what you really got muddy!" And with that challenge, Bellatrix whipped out her wand and immediately sent a spell back at Hermione before she could disarm her. Instead Hermione deflected it away, smashing a suit of armour in the process. The fight was on.

A still confused Ginny and the other students who had been in the corridor at the time, cleared out of the way for fear of being hit. Ron and Harry started to flank Hermione, getting out their wands to assist her. "Aww can poor little Hermione not stand alone? Shame." Bellatrix mocked, as she looked at the boys joining her side.

"No guys, this is my fight." Hermione said over her shoulder.

"But Hermione…" Harry began to say.

"No Harry! This is between me and her." She snapped back at the chosen one. Harry stared at her for a moment, his eyes were filled with a familiar hate, a hate born from Bellatrix killing Sirius, 'She killed Sirius!' his eyes seemed to shout at her. But eventually he nodded and stepped back, lowering his wand with Ron following suit shortly after.

"You sure this is a good idea Hermione? What if you get caught?" Ron asked, but Hermione didn't answer, instead she took a step forward, it was too late to turn back now, she had to see it through to the end.

"Such a brave lion." Bellatrix said with a grin before raising her wand and adopting a duelling stance.

'Ok Hermione, this is it. If I lose, people will carry on taking advantage of me, and walking all over me…' Hermione thought as she too took a duelling stance. 'If I win though… Bellatrix will probably never rest trying to get me back. If that's the case, then so be it.' Thinking back to all her books and lessons, about all the references to a successful duellist needing a calm state of mind. Hermione tried to push her anger for the pureblood aside and concentrate on the duel.

For a moment neither of them acted, each of them were sizing each other up and all the while, the crowd grew. 'I attacked first before, may as well again now.' Flicking her wrist, Hermione quickly casted her next non-verbal spell. 'Expelliarmus!' A bolt of red light shot out down the corridor at Bellatrix, who merely deflected it at a nearby painting, whose occupants shouted out cries of protest. Grinning at Hermione, Bellatrix sent two spells straight back, a pair of purple lights weaved around each other before smashing harmlessly against her shield.

'Densaugeo! Everte Statum!' Hermione sent a pair of spells of her own at Bellatrix, only to hastily throw up a shield as a blue light shot passed between them. Just like before, the spell bounced harmlessly of her shield, as did the next, and the one after that. Just like their previous duel, Bellatrix was unrelenting, her body twist and turned elegantly with each spell she fired and blocked. Hermione's professors had always said duelling was an art, but Bellatrix took it a step further, she duelled as if it were a dance, a dance with death. 'And I am her partner.' Hermione thought with a frown as she observed for a weakness in Bellatrix's defences.

'Expulso!' The corridor was lit up with a variety of colours as Hermione and Bellatrix exchanged spell after spell. Blues and reds, purples and yellows, continued to erupt from their wands and smash against each other's shields and their surroundings. Hermione could see how their duelling tactics differed; hers was safe, methodical and text book, her techniques and approach all derived from what she had read or what she had been shown in class. Whereas Bellatrix… Hermione could see the passion in her eyes and in the way she moved, her choice of curses and counters made no sense, it was all so… Incoherent. It shouldn't have worked, and yet it did. Bellatrix seemed to just go with the flow, like an artist spurred on by inspiration, or a dancer feeling the beat of the music and moving in rhythm to it.

'Head versus heart, logic versus passion.' Concluded Hermione as she blocked another spell. 'Now that I see and understand that, how do I beat her?' She asked herself angrily, nothing would give her greater pleasure then besting Bellatrix. 'I can't lose to her after all she's done!' Feeling herself starting to lose her cool and her anger building up again, Hermione sent three powerful spells back to back right at her tormentor. All of which Bellatrix managed to block, but this time, not as elegantly, in fact if anything, Hermione was sure Bellatrix had almost faltered under that barrage. Repeating her action, Hermione watched as Bellatrix was forced back a couple of steps and for a split second, a look of apprehension flickered on the pureblood's face.

But before Hermione could work out why she suddenly had Bellatrix on the defensive, or if Bellatrix was just bluffing in an attempt to lead her to a false sense of security. A loud masculine voice boomed throughout the corridor. "Expelliarmus!"

The spell sent both Hermione's and Bellatrix's wands flying down the corridor. Tearing her gaze away from Bellatrix, Hermione looked behind the pureblood to see the approaching dark figure of Professor Snape, pushing his way through the students, wand in hand. "Well well well… What have we here?" The dark haired professor said slowly in a cold tone of voice, his dark eyes surveying over both Hermione and Bellatrix, who had turned to see who had intervened.

Hermione could feel his eyes lingering on her and watched as his mouth turned into a sneer. "New haircut Granger?" Hermione bit her lip and dropped her gaze, ignoring the quiet comment from Ron in the background, which sounded vaguely like 'Greasy haired git.' "Two… Gryffindors fighting… And here I thought it would be a bad morning. Follow me, now!" With a sharp gesture of his hand, he beckoned for her and Bellatrix to follow. Looking round, Hermione gave her friends one last look, both of whom mouthed words of support to her, before she slowly began following a very pleased looking Professor Snape.

The walk to Professor McGonagall's office seemed to take a lot longer than usual. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and stare at both herself and Bellatrix, as they were escorted by the intimating Head of Slytherin. Hermione wondered what was going through their minds seeing her with no hair and Bellatrix with a half burnt face, clearly some students found the sight amusing especially the Slytherins they had passed. It took so long to reach their destination that Hermione was sure Snape had deliberately paraded them through the school for all to see, and by the time they did reach McGonagall's office, Hermione had grown very self-conscious about her appearance.

Snape stopped dead by the door then gestured for them both to wait outside by the wall. "Wait here, and don't even think about making a peep." He sneered before then knocking hard on the office door and entering the room without waiting for an answer.

"Do come in why don't you Severus. What can I do for you, I was just about to go down for breakfast." McGonagall's voice drifted through the open door. Hermione stood and waited anxiously, twiddling her fingers. 'She's going to be so disappointed in me…'

"Breakfast may have to wait Minerva. I have something for you." Hermione heard Snape say in a smug tone of voice. "In here, now." He commanded coldly from the room. Bellatrix, who hadn't looked at her once since Snape intervened, turned her head to regard her, before she rolled her eyes and entered the office. Taking a deep breath, Hermione followed suit.

McGonagall's office was spacious and well lit by a multitude of candles, a large chandelier and two windows. One large one was directly at the back of the room and a smaller one on the left wall in the corner. Red and yellow décor populated the walls and surfaces, Gryffindor banners hung from the wall in between portraits of various famous Gryffindor pupils. Bookcases packed with books and parchment lined most off left wall, save for a desk under the smaller window that looked out onto the courtyard. The right wall however had a large fireplace with a small table and two maroon seats by it, a trophy cabinet could also be found taking up most of the space on one side of the fireplace. On the other side of the fireplace was a large portrait, which Hermione knew concealed the entrance to McGonagall's own private quarters.

And in the middle of that all, sitting at a large desk filled with an assortment of supplies and instruments, was Professor McGonagall, whom was looking very strictly at the pair of them. Her eyes flickered over the pair of them but she didn't say a word, instead she looked at Professor Snape. "Could you please Severus?" She asked, gesturing to the door. Without acknowledging his colleague, Snape turned to lock the door, before casting an enchantment on it. "Now, what in Merlin's name is going on here?"

Before either of them could answer, Professor Snape chimed in. "I found both Miss Granger and Miss Black here, duelling on the third floor corridor." The greasy haired Professor paused and looked straight at Hermione before smirking. "Apparently, according to some trustworthy students. Miss Granger attacked Miss Black unprovoked."

"Thank you Severus." McGonagall said with forced politeness before turning to look straight at Hermione, who silently gulped hard. "Is this true Miss Granger?"

Hermione was just about to answer the elderly witch when Snape once again interrupted. "I will be, by the way, deducting 100 points from Gryffindor for the blatant disregard for rules."

Gritting her teeth, McGonagall looked back at Snape. "Very well." She stated flatly.

"Each." Snape added with a slight smirk.

"Yes, thank you Severus." The Head of Gryffindor glared hard at Snape before returning to look at her. "Well Miss Granger?"

Not being able to look at her elder in the eye, Hermione looked at down at her hands and nodded. "Yes Professor." Hermione muttered then forced herself to look back at her Professor.

The look on McGonagall's face spoke volumes, she didn't even look angry in Hermione's eyes, which just made her feel worse. "I am very disappointed in you Hermione, I expected much better from you. Especially being one of my prefects. You are meant to be setting an example for the rest of the school, not breaking rules in plain sight!" McGonagall said in a cold hard tone, the disappointment in her voice was crystal clear. Hermione had no answer to that, never in her life had she felt so ashamed and embarrassed. 'This is all Bellatrix's fault!' Hermione thought bitterly for a second, before sighing deeply. 'No… It's both our faults… I should have known better, I shouldn't have been so naïve and I definitely shouldn't have taken her bait…'

The frown across McGonagall's brow deepened, she gave Hermione one last disappointed look before looking at Bellatrix. "Although, I find it hard to believe Miss Granger wasn't provoked, Miss Black. Does Hermione's sudden hair loss have something to do with you?"

"No Professor. I was talking to a… Friend. When Hermione attacked me out of nowhere." Bellatrix said casually without a care in the world.

Hermione's head snapped in Bellatrix's direction and glared at her. "You lying cow! You did this while I slept!" She shouted, pointing at her head while taking a small step forwards Bellatrix.

Folding her arms, Bellatrix smirked and leant in close to Hermione. "Prove it mudblood." The dark haired girl said in a strangely seductive and smug tone of voice.

"I… I can't! But we both know it was you!" Hermione said hesitantly, Bellatrix's remark and tone had thrown her slightly. 'She's… Right… I have no proof… What if I got it wrong?'

Bellatrix's smile grew wider, she turned her head and held her hand up to her ear. "I'm sorry what was that? I didn't hair you." She said with a giggle.

Hermione's face went bright red with sheer embarrassment, 'She's making a fool of me, even now!' Moving a few more steps towards Bellatrix, Hermione lashed out and pushed Bellatrix. "Enough!" McGonagall shouted loudly over Bellatrix's giggling, Snape grabbed a hold of Hermione's shoulder roughly and pulled her away. "You are acting like a pair of first years!" The elderly witch said, her stern gaze kept alternating between the two girls before settling on the amused Bellatrix. "Severus, would you kindly fetch me a vial of Veritaserum. We shall soon see if Miss Black is telling the truth or not." Snape nodded yet didn't move, his eyes fixed clearly on the pureblood girl.

The laughing stopped immediately. "What?! You can't use that on me! Using it on a student is forbidden!" Bellatrix snapped at McGonagall.

"Usually yes. However you are not officially a student, there is no record of you, you don't truly exist." Professor McGonagall said calmly, her gaze catching Hermione's briefly and Hermione was positive she saw the faintest of smiles.

"If you use it on me I'll tell everyone the truth!" Bellatrix threatened as she continued to protest loudly, however, the uncertainty in her voice was becoming increasingly clear.

A deafening silence filled the room. Hermione look between both the pureblood and her Head of House, the two were glaring intensely at each other. Bellatrix may have been vague with her threat, but everyone present knew exactly what Bellatrix was threatening to reveal. "Go ahead Miss Black. There's the door, tell people now. I'm sure plenty of people would love to have words with you if they knew the truth, on both sides. I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to protect you from them all." McGonagall said after a long pause then pointed towards the door. "Your choice."

Hermione forced herself not to look shocked or surprised at her Professor's statement. 'Is she calling her bluff? But what if Bellatrix isn't bluffing?' Hermione suddenly felt very concerned. The events that were unfolding were all her doing, if she had just let Bellatrix walk all over her, then Professor McGonagall wouldn't be in this predicament. Being pushed around by Bellatrix was nothing compared to the trouble of her identity coming out would cause, Hermione believed. 'There are good reasons why Dumbledore went through the trouble of concealing her...' Hermione watched Bellatrix closely out of the corner of her eye, she could see how the pureblood was seriously considering it. One thing that Hermione had learnt about Bellatrix in her short time here was, she was no coward, and she wouldn't be deterred by the idea of trouble. In fact she most likely would welcome it.

Finally, Bellatrix answered. "Fine!"

A chill shot down Hermione's spine, by the sounds of it, McGonagall's attempt at calling Bellatrix's bluff had failed. Yet Bellatrix's lack of movement implied otherwise. "Fine what?" McGonagall asked coldly.

"I did it, I cursed the mudblood's hair to fall out." The dark haired girl finally admitted, crossing her arms once more and pouting. 'I guess she was bluffing after all.' Hermione thought and let out a small sigh of relief.

"There, now that wasn't hard was it Miss Black." She replied with a slight smile which disguised the relief on her face.

The pureblood scowled and pointed directly at Hermione. "I did it to get her back! For putting me in the hospital wing all weekend!"

The smile on her Professor's face quickly vanished at Bellatrix's accusation. "Miss Granger? Is that true?" She asked Hermione, unable to hide her astonishment.

"Only because she attacked me first! Then there was that incident in potions!" Hermione defended, despite knowing how petty she probably looked right about now.

"Why you ungrateful little…" Bellatrix growled out in a low tone, her fists clenched and this time, it was her to advance on Hermione. Only to be stopped and held back at arm's length by Snape. "That was an accident! Have you forgotten how I helped you?!" The dark haired girl shouted over Snape's arm.

"Merlin's beard!" McGonagall exclaimed, resting a hand on her forehead, the Professor shook her head and sighed. "I think we are all going to need to long chat, starting tonight. Detention here tonight at 8 and every night until I decide otherwise. I'll be sure to have a words with Dumbledore about your future here Miss Black if this is how you are going to behave!" Professor McGonagall paused for a second and let her remark sink in before taking a deep breath and continuing. "We have granted you asylum here Miss Black until you can return, but if you are going to start acting like you used too…"

The message was clear Hermione thought, if Bellatrix wouldn't play by the rules here then they would find somewhere else for her to go, somewhere where she would be monitored closely and kept secure. Bellatrix must have understood the underlining meaning also as her face had grown dark and her jawline tight. "People may get… Suspicious, about this morning's events." Snape began to add, cutting through the thick tension that had descended upon the room. "An adequate cover story will be needed. Perhaps we should let it circulate that Miss Granger attacked Miss Melania out of jealousy or perhaps Miss Granger borrowed one of her hair products, it went wrong and she took it out on her."

'What?!' Hermione mouth dropped open and found herself having to resist the urge to spin around and argue with Professor Snape, she was already in enough trouble and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. "No." Professor McGonagall replied sharply, frowning at her colleague. "I am not having Miss Granger's name besmirched just to cover up for Miss Black." Once again the deputy's gaze found Bellatrix's. "This is not the 1960s anymore, the Black Family name doesn't carry the same weight it used to and you are definitely not above the repercussions Bellatrix, not anymore." Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself smiling at McGonagall's little dig, instead she forced herself to keep a straight face and listen to what was being said. "No, if people ask, you will both tell them the truth. That you, Miss Melania attacked Miss Granger in her sleep and that Miss Granger hit back."

Hermione gave the pureblood one quick look while her attention was fixed firmly on McGonagall. Bellatrix was shaking, with what Hermione undoubtedly believed was anger, her face had gone bright red, her lip was trembling and her dark orbs seemed to burn with hate. 'I bet this is the first time she's ever truly been told off, without having power and influence on her side.' A sense of triumph and satisfaction filled her deep inside upon seeing Bellatrix knocked down a few levels, she was no longer as high and mighty as she believed, at least not in this time period. "Oh? And what am I meant to say if people ask why I did it?!" Bellatrix asked through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps you should have thought about that first. Anyway I was under the impression you never needed a reason to torment and attack your peers. I'm sure you can think of something." Ignoring the latest dark look Bellatrix was giving her, McGonagall's gaze shifted to her colleague. "Severus will you take Miss Black to the hospital wing, get that burn checked out. I'll follow soon with Miss Granger."

Professor Snape nodded and grabbed Bellatrix's shoulder, who quickly shrugged him off. Without another word, and after giving Hermione one last hateful look, Bellatrix stormed out of the room with Snape following. Shaking her head, McGonagall got to her feet and shut her office door, recasting the charms before turning to face Hermione. "Right Miss Granger, I want to know everything that has happened. And don't miss a detail."

"Yes Professor." Hermione replied as her Professor guided her over to the seats by the fireplace.

After taking a seat, Professor McGonagall conjured up a pot of tea and two cups then proceeded to pour the hot beverage. Thanking the older witch, Hermione had a quick sip to quench her dry throat before she started from the very beginning. She recounted the first initial attack in the dormitory on the night Bellatrix arrived, her snide remarks both then and after their duel in their Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Her feelings and her observations, their conversation in the Hospital Wing, she told McGonagall every last bit, right up to the point Professor Snape had found them. Hearing herself say it all out loud, did make Hermione wonder who was more in the wrong. While Bellatrix did attack her first and say some cruel things, Hermione had retaliated by unintentionally putting her in the Hospital Wing… When she looked at it like that, Bellatrix's actions and words seemed almost trivial. Perhaps it was no wonder Bellatrix hadn't gone along with the truce, they were far from even. Were they even now?

After Hermione finished talking, McGonagall sat back in the chair shaking her head. "I see. It was foolish of you to believe you could handle Miss Black, Hermione, I expected you would have more sense than that." Her Professor said softly, the disappointment in her tone once again became clear. "We should have kept a closer eye on her, but we trusted you to come forward the moment she stepped a toe out of line."

Feeling ashamed for a second time, Hermione looked down at the cup in her hands as she fidgeted. "I know Professor… I just… I don't know, I didn't want her thinking all muggleborns were an easy target. I guess part of me wanted to prove myself to her, that despite being a muggleborn, I'm just as smart and gifted as her, and that maybe she would see that and… Not treat me as an equal, but respect me enough to be civil… I don't know, I'm not sure what came over me." Shaking her head, she forced herself to meet her Head of House's gaze, she owed her that much at least. "I was always taught that most bullies are cowards… If you stand up to them, they soon back away… But Bellatrix…"

"Hermione, you have nothing to prove to the likes of her." McGonagall said in a sympathetic tone, no longer did her tone carry her disappointment. "I do sympathise with you Hermione. Don't forget, I was her Professor for seven years, I know all too well what Miss Black is like and how she get under your skin and more importantly, how she can get into your head." Her Professor looked away as she spoke and stared off into the distance, as if she was looking back. "She is no mere bully, many fine students fell victim to her while she attended Hogwarts, even if we could rarely prove it was her behind it." Exhaling deeply, her Professor put her cup down and stood up. "Come, we best get you to the Hospital Wing."

Nodding, Hermione finished her drink and stood up, but she wasn't ready to go just yet, there was a something she was curious about. "Professor? Was she always this way?" Hermione asked as they moved towards the door.

"Yes, but far worse. Before she had the power of the Black family name behind her, it made her almost untouchable." McGonagall came to stop by the door, her hand resting on the handle. "She doesn't have that advantage now but that doesn't make her any less dangerous, she'll be even more unpredictable then ever… A word of advice Miss Granger, don't stoop to Miss Black's level. Nothing will give her greater pleasure than to have reason to make your life hell." And with the warning, her Professor opened her office door and began leading her to the Hospital Wing.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed chapter 8 :). If you have any questions, feel free to pm me or leave them in reviews and I'll answer them next time round. I'll update soon as I can. And remember, each review gives Bellatrix and Hermione warm fuzzies ;)

Artemis Noir: I certainly have no plans on making Hermione that way :)

Ladyfun: Yes poor Hermione :P though she did kick back this time. Hermione has always been one to try see the good in others and give them the benefit of the doubt, she did so with Snape for years, and Draco at times. Which does make her naïve at times.

Mnmpowers: Thanks you :) I've always seen Bellatrix Black and Bellatrix Lestrange as different people, it's always fun writing about how one becomes the other. Oh don't worry about that, there will be no rushing in that department, will come when it's good and ready. Although lust and temptation may come before the touchy feeling stuff ;)