Hermione cursed and shivered as the frozen wake of wind from the Quiddich player who had shot past her moments ago seeped under her red and gold scarf. There were only a sprinkling of people in the stands watching the Quiddich tryouts due to either the typical november cold or lack of interest and though the young witch would gladly be elsewhere with them, Ronald bloody Weasley had insisted she come to see if she also thought some meatball on the other team was cheating. Ron was on the far side of the pitch but Hermione wasn't overly interested in what he was doing- not his homework though, she knew that. She considered sneaking away and just going down for breakfast but Ginny had said she would meet her out here so that they could go into Hogsmeade for books and it would be just her luck to leave minutes before Ginny arrived.

She drummed her fingers on the dew dampened wood which made her seat and craned her neck to see if there was any sign of the red head. There wasn't, so she hunkered down into her scarf and waited.

She was about ready to call it quits when she finally noticed Ginny making her way towards her up the steps. She got up from her cold hard seat and stretched her legs, taking one last glance at Ron who was focused on another player before leaving the spectators area down the same stairs which Ginny had climbed up just a moment ago. They talked for a while about their predictions for how well Ron would do as they walked through the castle towards the front entrance and both came to the conclusion he'd probably get Keeper since he always said it was his strong point. Hermione held out her arm- she had passed her apparition test first time and as soon and she could after turning 17 and made good use of it, especially to leave the school grounds while she still could before the Anti-Disapperation Jinx was re-established after it was taken down to aid the evaluation and reconstruction of the school building. Ginny took her arm, and they both disappeared with a small pop. They reappeared seconds later in the high street of Hogsmeade, taking a minute to get their bearings.

"So," the red head said cheerfully, when her head had cleared, "Where first?"

Hermione grinned at her friend. She was glad they had all decided to stay at Hogwarts and complete their schooling. The clean up from the battle was taking weeks, each section of the school being closed off one bit at a time and magically re-assembled whilst the students took their lessons in temporary classrooms, or even outside in some cases. Persuading Harry and Ron to stay had been the hardest, but after being assured that their positions within the ministry were secure either way, she'd finally swayed them. Sometimes though, she got the impression Ron had stayed more for the never ending free food than his exams.

"Well, I thought I'd look for a book on house elves. I want to find out more about them, you know?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What, like... Anatomically..?"

Hermione shoved her playfully as they walked through the streets towards Tomes and Scrolls. "No Ginny, not anatomically. I mean where they came from, their roots, that sort of stuff."

The red head laughed and nodded with a theatric air. "Oh, roots, riigght."

Hermione laughed to and quickly gave her the V's. "Im not an elf pervert!" She exclaimed, a little too loudly as a few other students also enjoying their saturday gave them funny looks. Laughing, the two girls walked along along the bustling streets towards their destination.

Tomes and Scrolls was one of the first shops they came across and Hermione wasn't wasting any time- the shop smelled like dust and parchment and years and it was Hermione's kryptonite- once she got anywhere near it she was guaranteed to be lost to the rest of the world for hours until she could pull herself away.

Ginny patted her arm. "Hey, I'm gonna go and see George at Weasley's, I'll be back in a bit, yeah?"

Hermione nodded. "Sure, I'll be in here." she said gesturing vaguely at the door to the old bookshop. Ginny smiled and wondered across the street to her brothers joke shop. George had found it hard to continue the business without Fred, but after so much encouragement from the majority of the students after the war had been won only six months ago, he had decided it was what Fred would have wanted, and re opened within a few weeks in his honour. Despite this, Ginny still liked to keep an eye on him.

Sighing, Hermione pushed open the door or her favourite shop with the tinkle of the bell that let the owner know someone had arrived. The owners wife, Johanna was high above her on one of the many ladders that were employed to reach the top shelves in certain areas, shuffling books into their rightful places.

She glanced down and smiled in familiarity as she noticed Hermione. "Hermione, good to see you- what'll it be today my lovely?" She said as she pushed herself precariously along the shelf to put the last book from under her arm back.

Hermione smiled politely. "I was looking for books on Elves, their culture and history and such." She answered hopefully.

Johanna pointed towards the back right of the shop without hesitation. "You'll find all books of that sort along the back two rows." Hermione followed her point and gave the tiny woman an appreciative look. "Thank you." She said, making her way carefully down the narrow maze of shelves towards the back of the shop.

The deeper into the store she went the warmer it seemed to get and by the time she had found her way to the right shelves and despite the fact that it was early November outside, she found herself unbuttoning her long coat. To her relief a back door had been propped open, probably to air the place out or fight damp and she carried a pile of interesting looking books over to sit by it, enjoying nice cool breeze that tempered the stuffy warmth as she flicked through them. 'Elves: A History' was the first to go on her 'no' pile- it was slightly simple, and she got the idea it was probably more for younger children than older teens. 'Elven Myths and Legends' and 'What You Never Knew About Your House Elf' were also quickly added to the pile on her right for similar reasons. After some consideration she decided that the facts in 'The True Lives Of Elves' were slightly questionable and added that too to the growing pile on her right. The last book in the pile she had brought with her from the Elven section wasn't looking hopeful as she picked it up and heaved it onto her lap. It was older that the others, leather bound and yellowing slightly and the gold calligraphy on the crimson cover was faded and difficult to read at a glance. 'The Ghost Of Elven Past' sounded to her suspiciously like a Dickens novel but nevertheless she opened the book out to a random page and began to read.

"...What is interesting to note, however, is that this fact has been seemingly buried even within the Elven community itself over centuries of servitude and obedience to the point where few Elves, let alone people, actually recall it. Why then, we must wonder, has nobody attempted to remind the world of this phenomenon before we forget entirely? It seems ludicrous that no one is aware of the potential of such a powerful gift within their House Elves, but even more so that the Elves know nothing either. Could it be that we have forgotten for a reason? Could it be, that the Elves have spent the last few hundred years wiping this detail from our memories so that The Corvus Effect could become once more their most heavily guarded secret? Maybe this would explain why they so happily serve us, so that they might get close and work their magic on us in our sleep or when our backs are turned..."

Hermione looked up as Johanna appeared from behind the Centaurs and Minotaurs section.

"Find what you were looking for?" She asked.

Hermione glanced down at the heavy book in the lap. "Well, there is this one book that seems to be quite interesting, 'The Ghost of Elven Past'."

The small woman peered at the book for a moment. "Ah yes, Ratweed's work." She said, almost reverently. "There are some who'd call him mad, genius if you ask me- do you know, when he was eight years old her predicted he would die on the 17th of August from a fever at the age of 97? Right, too he was, died that very day 89 years later of fever. Wonderful man in his day though, loved mythical beasts, elves, dragons, erklings, goblins, pixies, everything. Knew all there was to know about them, especially elves."

Hermione looked thoughtfully down at the pages. "What's the Corvus Effect?" She asked, staring at the words on the paper.

Johanna shrugged as she swapped two books around that had caught her OCD attention. "Couldn't say, but if you'd like the book to find out then consider it a gift, you're quite welcome to have it."

Hermione smiled "Thank you, thats very kind."

Johanna waved her hand. "Not at all, you're mine and Dravid's most loyal customer- speaking of which.." She said as the bell above the door on the other side of the shop rang. She gave Hermione one last smile and then disappeared back through the shelves towards the waiting customer. Hermione found a piece of scrap paper lying on the floor behind her and used it to mark the page of the book before turning and putting the book in her enchanted bigger-on-the-inside bag which was propped up by the open door which led into one of the quieter alley ways, wishing there were more people in the world like tiny Johanna. She glanced up into the empty street whilst she fastened her bag, intending to get up and leave to find Ginny but upon looking back up a split second later jumped a little and froze. Sat motionless as a gargoyle only a few inches from the wooden line that marked the threshold of the property, its large brown eyes unmoving and fixed on the young witch, was a sleek black cat. Its tail was wrapped neatly around its paws and its ears were pricked as it stared at her. There was something unnerving about it that Hermione couldn't put her finger on, something familiar yet something dangerous. She mentally shook herself. How could a little cat be dangerous? But even as she slowly stood, something about the way the cat looked at her made her uneasy.

Where the bloody hell did you come from? She thought to herself as she stared back at it.

She broke the cats gaze for a few seconds, looking back over her shoulder to see if anyone inside was seeing the cat too, or if maybe she was imagining it. Seeing no one, she looked back to where the cat had been and blinked in confusion as she saw it had vanished. She leaned out of the door and looked up and down the street for it and saw it padding quickly and quietly down away from the high street and towards the outskirts of the village. Realising she was a lunatic, she found herself speed walking out of the shop and after it.

This is all going a bit alice in wonderland, now. She thought to herself in slight exasperation. She chased the cat around several corners until the logical part of her brain started to fire up the warning alarm that even with Voldemort dead and gone, wandering off down back alleys alone when no one knew where you were was still a dangerous pass time. She was very much on edge by the time the cat stopped dead in the middle of the road. It rounded on her like a predator and she looked behind her once more, nervous. She turned back just in time to see the cat hurtling through the air towards her face, claws outstretched and legs poised to grab her. Her reaction was immediate, not thinking for a moment about what she was doing.

"Stupefy!" She half shouted, waving her wand at the cat just in time to save her face from the claws. The cat flew backwards, and to Hermione's shock through several plaster boards that were leaned against the wall opposite with some bricks and a sack of rubble which was probably from a building that had suffered during the war. A cloud of white dust arose, obscuring where the cat had landed from view. Immediately horrified that she might have killed a defenceless, if aggressive cat, Hermione slowly edged towards the gradually clearing chalky dust, still weary that the cat might jump back out at her.

When she saw what lay on the ground however, dead cats suddenly became the least of her worries. She swallowed hard and shook her head. She must be dreaming, she must have fallen asleep pouring over the books in Tomes and Scrolls, she must have. There was no way in hell this woman could still be alive. Her left arm twinged. Bellatrix Lestrange lay on the floor before her in her usual style black dress temporarily stunned but very much alive. Hermione screwed her eyes closed and told herself to wake up as she heard the woman stirring.

Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up wake-

"Well that was slightly rude, muddy."

Hermione opened her eyes and tried to breathe properly through her fear as Bellatrix got to her feet.

"You...?"

Bellatrix strolled languidly to block Hermione's only exit and cackled. "Hello muddy, it's been too long." She said cheerily.

Hermione flushed with anger at the nickname but didn't dare voice it. I'm not getting out of this alive...

Bellatrix smirked and took a step towards her. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?"

"Get away from me you murderous bitch!" Hermione shrieked, veering out of the dark woman's way towards the ally's wall. Bellatrix's face darkened immediately and Hermione instantly regretted saying it.

"How dare you speak to your better like that, filthy mudblood!" The woman growled, closing the distance between them. Hermione pressed herself against the wall and glanced towards her exit, considering running, but the distraction only meant she never saw danger coming as the back of Bellatrix's hand hit her cheek hard. Hermione yelped in a mixture of surprise and pain but refused to raise her hand to stroke the stinging skin and give the other witch the satisfaction, instead blinking away the tears and letting her cheek turn a soft red.

"I asked you a question!" Bellatrix hissed, grabbing Hermione's jaw and forcing her to turn her head and look at her.

"I-" hermione tried to work out what it was Bellatrix wanted to hear and stabbed at apology. "I'm- I'm sorry," She said, closing her eyes very briefly and praying it was the right answer.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her. "Sorry what?"

Fortunately for her, Hermione had played this game before with Bellatrix and was more that prepared this time around. "Sorry.. Mistress.." She said through gritted teeth.

Bellatrix let go of her face roughly and grinned slyly. "Oh, muddy remembers how to play!"

"Learned from the best.." Hermione muttered under her breath. Slap. Her other cheek began to burn as her face was thrown to the other side by the force behind Bellatrix's blow.

"Don't you dare answer me back!" The woman shouted.

Hermione's eyes filled involuntarily with tears once more and she tried to make her trembling fingers file her wand down out of her sleeve without the other woman noticing.

If she catches me trying to arm myself she'll kill me without hesitation.

"Too fucking right I will mudblood, so best not, ay?"

Hermione froze and her pounding heart momentarily stopped as she wondered if she'd been stupid enough to say her thoughts out loud- except she knew she hadn't, which only left one other option.

...Fuck.

Bellatrix smirked. "Tut tut. Language muddy." She said disapprovingly.

Occlumensy. How could I forget that?

"Because mudbloods are all filthy stupid animals, and you're proof." Bellatrix said in answer to a conclusion that should have been private. "I'll be having that." She added coldly, pointing at Hermione's sleeve. The girl hesitated but sensing another slap she began fumbling in her sleeve for her wand, eventually grasping it and pulling it out. Bellatrix all but ripped it from her grasp and threw it behind her.

"Now, muddy," The woman said, backing out of Hermione's breathing space only to pace back and forward in front of her thoughtfully. "What shall we do about this little... predicament?"

Hermione knew better than to stay silent, and scrambled for an answer. "I- I don't know.." She said, trying hard to keep the fear out of her voice. Bellatrix glared at her and Hermione instantly realised her mistake. "Mistress.." She grudgingly corrected herself before she was hexed. Bellatrix seemed slightly pacified and after another dark look began to pace again.

Desperately, she tried to keep her thoughts to a minimum, something that wasn't easy under the circumstances, and think of a way out of the mess she had landed herself in at the same time. Bellatrix stopped pacing suddenly and the younger witch's eyes snapped back to her face from the floor.

"I wouldn't bother, I can see into that head no matter how hard you try, muddy." A dark smile flickered across her lips and she once again returned to stand far too close for Hermione's liking. "I've seen your thoughts whilst I was sat on you- they weren't totally focused on appropriate matters now were they, muddy?"

Hermione cringed inwardly as she felt herself blushing. She looked away and clutched at her arm as she remembered. Bellatrix cackled in amusement. "How is the arm, by the way?"

Hermione glared at her. They both knew damn well it was scarred beyond the help of anyones healing magic but Bellatrix's. "Just as you left it, mistress.." She said subduedly, resenting herself for saying mistress as fluidly as she had. Where was her Gryffindor courage? Taking a deep breath, the younger witch straightened up a little.

"What do you want from me?" She said with as much fake confidence as she could muster. Bellatrix's forearm was against her throat in an instant and she bored her eyes into Hermione's as she brought her face as close as she could without actually touching her. Something akin to satisfaction registered behind Bellatrix's dark eyes as she heard Hermione's breath catch in her throat and she wondered how far she could push her, how much effort it would take to remind her of the last time they'd been left alone together.

In the softest murmur Bellatrix could manage she pressed her lips against Hermione's ear. "I want to have a little conversation with this one, girl to girl." She said, grinning as Hermione choked slightly on thin air. Hermione looked straight ahead as she saw the past, shaking as she felt the ghost of the dagger slowly slice her skin once more.

"You know, we could always do the other arm, muddy." Bellatrix whispered dangerously. The fresh words seemed to jolt Hermione out of it and she panicked, pushing wildly against the other witch in an attempt to push her away but the other witch was deceptively strong and Hermione's shaking limbs didn't stand a chance.

"Let me go you bitch!" The younger witch all but screamed as she felt hope drain away. She got the tip of Bellatrix's wand under her chin for her efforts and stopped struggling, breathing heavily as she fought the urge to cry.

Bellatrix looked furious as she pinned the girl to the wall harder. "Wrong move, muddy." She snarled.

She's going to kill me. This is it.

"Here was me considering being generous and letting you live," The dark witch said, almost wistfully. "And that's how you repay me." Without another word Bellatrix pushed the tip of her wand into Hermione's soft skin and took a deep breath ready to shout the fatal words. Hermione squeezed her eyes closed and said goodbye to her parents and friends as she prepared for the curse to hit her.

"But.."

Hermione opened her eyes a fraction when she heard the word, but still not getting her hopes up.

Bellatrix dragged the tip of her wand down the middle of Hermione's throat slowly. "What could I expect? You are just a mudblood I suppose, aren't you?"

The younger witch got the impression that this was one of those times she was expected to answer. "Yes, mistress.." She said with as little hatred as possible in an attempt to survive.

Bellatrix made a vague noise of consideration. "Tell you what, muddy," She said finally, "You tell me something I want to know, and I'll let you leave in one piece."

Hermione was instantly suspicious. But what choice do I have?

"What do you want to know?" She said shakily.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes.

"Mistress.." Hermione added.

Bellatrix let it go. "Yes or no?" She said, her demeanour like a sheet of ice, ignoring Hermione's question. Hermione didn't see that she had much choice but to say yes, though she wasn't overly sure what she was consenting to. She wasn't stupid enough to say no to the woman.

"Yes... Mistress..."

"Good. Don't fight this."

Hermione didn't have time to wonder what that meant before she felt Bellatrix crash through her defences and burst into her mind. Images flashed past her minds eye as Bellatrix rummaged for whatever she wanted and Hermione began to panic once again as the invading witch strayed towards the area of herself within Hermione's mind. Bellatrix couldn't find out. The younger witch started to bury the subject, throwing random images and memories which might distract Bellatrix at her in quick succession, things Dumbledore had said, secrets of Harrys, anything that might put her off the scent but sensing her desperation Bellatrix only fought harder and quickly overcame her trivial obstacles. To Hermione's silent dread, the department of mysteries was dragged from the pile and all she could do was watch on in horror as the one woman in the whole world Hermione never wanted to witness the event from her perspective scanned through it.

As soon as she was done, Bellatrix pulled out of her mind and stared at her hard. "So it was you." She said, her expression unreadable.

Hermione swallowed hard and looked at the floor.

"You blocked that curse."

Hermione risked looking at the older witch. She could see the cogs turning in her mind.

"If you hadn't blocked that curse, it would have hit me. Sirius would still be alive."

Hermione felt guilt constrict her as she heard Harry's godfather's name but Bellatrix seemed suddenly overjoyed at her discovery. "Well, well, muddy. What would potty and weasel think of that? Protecting me? Getting Sirius killed?"

Hermione suddenly didn't have the strength to deny it. Bellatrix was right.

The darker witch sensed her resignation. "Not even a word to justify yourself?" She said in something close to amazement.

Hermione opened her mouth but nothing came to her and she just sighed heavily.

Bellatrix cackled in the deranged way that she did. "No? Not even any reasons why?"

Hermione turned her face away to escape Bellatrix's eyes. "No mistress." She said, the last word barely audible. Bellatrix turned her face back just as she had done before.

"We're not lying, are we muddy?"

Hermione looked at her helplessly. "I- I.." Not for the first time that day, words failed her.

"I could always find out." Bellatrix growled, pushing teasingly against Hermione's re-established mental barriers. Hermione really didn't want the woman in her head again and she could feel Bellatrix's patience wearing thin.

There are still things in there I don't want her to see. I'll have to tell her the truth...

"I... I didn't hate you..." Hermione hoped with all her might that would be enough.

Bellatrix dug her nails into Hermione's shoulder. "Don't make me resort to slapping it out of you, mudblood, give me a straight answer."

I guess not.

The young witch flailed for the courage to speak, but her mouth disobeyed, refused to say what was right behind her teeth. Slap. Bellatrix hit her harder than she had the first two times as her patience snapped. "Answer me!" She shouted.

Hermione snapped at much the same moment. "I don't know!" She shouted back, momentarily surprising the other woman.

It didn't last, and Bellatrix's patience was all but gone. "Liar! Tell me why I shouldn't kill you, mudblood."

Hermione was about to give up hope when suddenly a reason for Bellatrix not to murder her and leave her in the gutter occurred to her. Unfortunately, Hermione realised that she was totally relying on Draco Malfoy to have been telling the truth to her when they had had a strange 45 minutes of not-quite-friend-but-not-as-enemy-as-usual-ness in the only detention she'd ever received which she had shared with the boy in her second year. But it was that or nothing.

"I killed your husband.." She said, hoping those wouldn't be her last words. Bellatrix was silent for a long while before she spoke. "You killed Rudolphus? Hermione Granger shot a killing curse?"

Hermione shuffled uncomfortably. "No... He was tormenting a girl and I... I fired Sectum Sempra... He bled to death.." She wasn't in anyway proud of herself, but it had been war- Rudolphus had picked his side, and he picked badly.

Bellatrix narrowed her dark eyes. "Murdering my husband is your reason for me to spare you?"

Oh shit.. Hermione's heart pounded as she prayed and prayed that Draco had a truthful bone in his body.

"Draco told me you hated him, he said that it was an arranged marriage- I couldn't see you being the sort of person that would allow anything to just be arranged for you, least of all marriage, even back then so I thought he was telling the truth-"

"As amusing as it is listening to you hysterically babble, muddy, you can stop now. Yes, I did hate Rudolphus, I tried to kill him myself a few times, but the dark lord would always stop me." Bellatrix said petulantly, looking at the sky momentarily. She brought her eyes down to Hermione's. "Sectum Sempra.." She mused thoughtfully, "Drawn out and painful, oh muddy, we could actually have been friends if you weren't so filthy. No matter. Fine- you killed Rod for me, I'll let you live. This time. " Hermione swallowed hard, not wanting to get up hope too quickly, but as she did, Bellatrix moved away from her slightly.

"You never saw me, I was never here. I'm dead to the rest of the world, I'm not being hunted, and that's how it's going to stay." She snarled. Hermione nodded dumbly.

"Good, then we understand each other." She said, pushing herself away from the wall she was leaning on. "Now get out of my sight." She said pointing to the direction Hermione had come from. Hermione hesitated but then turned and started to walk away as fast as possible, knowing she was damn lucky to be doing so. When she looked back over her shoulder, Bellatrix was already gone. Her heart was pounding as she made her way quickly back through the network of alleyways, relieved that she could remember the way. She passed the back of the bookshop and decided that she should go back through it incase Johanna realised she had never left earlier. She stepped inside and made her way to the front of the shop, happy to be somewhere safe. She passed Johanna as she made for the door.

"Oh, Hermione, sorry dear you were so quiet back there I thought you must have left, your friend came in here looking for you about half an hour ago and I told her I thought you'd gone."

Shit.

"Oh its alright, I was just absorbed in a book, you know me." The younger witch said, putting on her best cheery smile. "Though I'd better be off to look for her." She added.

Johanna nodded. "Yes, yes, of course, sorry again."

"Really, it's no problem." Hermione assured her as she opened the door and stepped out into the street.

Shit, shit, shit. Hermione thought hopelessly as she crunched over the snow that lined the curbs and into the street. Her first thought was The Three Broomsticks, partly because Ginny might be there, but mainly because she really needed a drink to calm herself down. Her heart sank a little further when she saw her friend wasn't there. She ordered a butterbeer regardless and sat down well away from the windows and other people to calm her nerves.

Don't panic Hermione, she doesn't want to be found, she'll leave you alone. Just get back to school and by the morning she'll be long gone and it'll all be forgotten. She told herself. Nevertheless, the young witch could still feel the tip of Bellatrix's wand gracing down her throat with every sip of her drink she took.

A/N~ Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, even just a few words 3