A/N: This will be a bit longer than my other story, it will have at least one more chapter. Feel free to make guesses if you want to. After reading this you'll understand what I'm talking about ;D Please write a sentence or two of review, it would really mean a lot.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own any of the characters, even though it would be such fun if I did. They all belong to J. K. Rowling.

Warning: Mentions of abuse.

It required all Hermione's strength to get home in her current state. She could barely stand, let alone walk. She was counting the remaining steps, fifty to reach the bottom of the steps, 5 steps until the door. Every part of her body was hurting, every movement made her wince in pain. Finally she entered the manor and made it to the couch, slumping down on it. She didn't bother closing the door behind herself. Now that she finally reached her destination, she let the tiredness take control and then everything went blank. She didn't even have the energy to call for her lover.

Bellatrix was starting to get angry at Hermione for being away for so long. She was pacing in their bedroom, growing more impatient by the moment. After what felt like hours she decided to go after her, so she rushed down the stairs, but she wasn't prepared for the sight. The younger witch was laying on the couch, covered in blood, bruises and at some places Bella could make out handprints. 'No, that can't be,' she thought as she rushed to her. Not her Hermione. But the signs were there, the girl looked like she had been beaten into unconsciousness. The dark haired witch was relieved to see that her young lover was still alive and sat down into one of the armchairs, waiting for the brunette to wake up.

A few hours later Hermione stirred, whimpering in pain the movement caused. At first she didn't know why she was in that state, and then she remembered what happened. She immediately opened her eyes and jumped up, thinking she was still there. The pain she felt from the sudden movement was unbearable, and she fell back to the couch. After she realised she was at home, she calmed down a bit. She didn't notice Bellatrix sitting across her.

The dark witch woke up from her restless sleep to the sudden noise. She saw the girl jumping up, looking terrified and then fall back. She rushed over her, sitting next to her.

"Hermione, what happened to you?" She asked. As she looked at her, she saw the handprints, and anger immediately started to pump in her veins. She would hold it back for now, she needed to know what had happened.

Hermione felt someone sitting down next to her. She immediately knew who it was and felt safe for the first time in hours. Then she realised that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell the woman the truth, at least not the complete truth.

"I've gotten into a fight." She said simply, hoping that Bella wouldn't start asking questions. It was a naive thought, one that turned out to be wrong.

"Sweetie, you can't fool me. You've been beaten. Who was it?" The last sentence was practically spat out. The older woman wasn't famous for controlling her anger, and she was very close to losing her temper.

The young witch sighed. Of course Bellatrix wouldn't just let it go. "Fine, but you have to promise me that you won't seek revenge," she said, hoping to Merlin that her lover would listen to her. Again, she was wrong. The dark haired witch wasn't someone who listened to people, not even to the one she loved.

"Hermione.." she said warningly. "Tell me. Now," added Bellatrix.

The girl whispered something Bella couldn't hear. She leaned closer, her ear inches away from the brunette's mouth. When she heard the name, she immediately jumped up, feeling more furious than she's ever been.

"WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?" She screamed. "TELL ME, HERMIONE, WHAT DID HE DO TO YOU?" Her breathing was heavy, her nostrils were flaring and there was a look of absolute insanity in her eyes. She looked positively terrifying.

"H-he hit me a-and tortured me," the younger witch stuttered. She started to cry, there were all kinds of emotions running through her, like shame, desperation and fear of what would happen if Bellatrix found out the whole truth about what happened.

The dark witch was pacing around the room like a wild animal waiting for its prey, wanting to rip open the cage it was forced to be in. She stopped to look at her lover when she heard a sob. She saw the tears, the pleading look, she could almost hear the words she wanted to say. Bella started to take in deep breaths to calm herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She just kept picturing him towering over her, shouting abuse at her, as well as inflicting it physically. She could see her lover cowering away from him as far as possible, reaching the wall and burying her head in her hands, hoping that if she couldn't see him, he couldn't see her either. Bella looked really unnerving now, as if she was about so spit fire. The vein in her neck was pulsating madly, the adrenaline fuelling her already flaming anger.

"Bella, please.." Hermione whispered. She has never seen the older woman so furious before, and it wasn't like she was rarely angry. Bellatrix was a very impatient person, and it didn't take much to wind her up.

The dark haired witch was snapped out of her thoughts by her witch's whisper. It was very tempting to just go and make that vile man regret being born. But she couldn't leave Hermione like this, she needed to get cleaned up, healed and tucked into bed. She lifted the brunette into her arms and carried her upstairs to the bathroom. The girl protested and begged her to let her clean herself alone, which she found really odd.

"Hermione, is there something you're not telling me?" Her voice was much calmer now, she managed to get her anger under control.

"No, nothing," said the younger witch, trying to keep her voice as steady as she could. Apparently, this time she was successful, because Bella didn't say anything, she just gave her a suspicious look and left. When she was alone, Hermione let the tears flow freely, crying silently as she washed away the blood, carefully touching her bruised skin. But there was one thing she couldn't wash away: the humiliation. After she was ready, she wrapped a towel around herself and slowly crawled out of the tub. When she opened the door, she saw Bellatrix standing there waiting for her. Upon seeing her lover, the dark haired witch went to help her, putting one arm around her waist. She led her to their bedroom, and pulled the cover over her before placing a soft kiss to her forehead.

"Rest now, love," she said before walking out of the room. Now she could give him the punishment he deserved without having to worry about Hermione. She checked if she had her wand and apparated away.