Chapter Text
“My lord, please, if you would-”
"Bellatrix, my most loyal," the dark lord said as he sat upon his throne-like chair. In order to maintain control over his empire, he decided to take a more destiny-driven, royalty-angled approach to his command since he had rid the world of the boy-who-lived. “What do you think the world sees when part of my inner circle harbors an enemy of my rule?”
“I-”
“That wasn’t rhetorical, you fool.” Voldemort hissed, red eyes flashing. Her teeth gritted once again as her Lord interrupted her. Her stomach churned with anger. After all of this was done, her mudblood's back would feel the pain of her whip. The girl would feel the wrath she could not release on her cowering sisters. The fools believed they could fool their Lord, could fool HER! “I will tell you what happens! They begin to think I am weak. That the resistance is strong and that I, their Lord , am weak!”
Bellatrix remained motionless. Her ears picked up the audible swallows of others in the room. They were afraid to do more. Any movement could catch the snake-like man's attention when he was like this.
Bellatrix Black was living her best life. She was her Lord’s most trusted, a practically untouchable position. She ruled over the Death Eaters, headed the Auror’s Department, rooting out the resistance. To find her youngest sister had been hiding a key member of the resistance under her nose this whole time had been an embarrassment. To find it had been her other sister, Andromeda Tonks, had been a death sentence.
There was no sense in hiding a known member of the resistance, whether she was a sister or not. It was Narcissa's duty to know better. Not only did she risk her life, but also Draco's and Bellatrix's. After their side had won, had Bellatrix attempted to find their wayward sister? Sure, she had, but only to remind her who she really was and to bring her back to the life she was all meant to live, not to allow her to conduct her secret resistance from her basement, as their little sister had. When Narcissa was a child, she used to guard her sisters’ secrets from their parents. Never had she kept something from Bellatrix.
“It is right to punish them, but they are pure, my lord. The great battle has left so few of the noble houses intact. Spilling their blood would be a great loss.”
“A great loss indeed,” Voldemort mussed, his wand twirling in his hand. His gaze was fixed on the two bound women in front of his throne.
Like melting ice, fear trickled down Bellatrix's spine. She ignored Narcissa's attempts to catch her eye. “Please, allow me to take their punishment.”
Green light flashed so quickly that no one considered stopping it. “Such a loss. The Skeeter woman will write an article about how the resistance killed them both."
“Wake up, you filthy beast.” Bellatrix’s stringing hex struck the sleeping girl’s face. “We have work to do.”
Hermione woke with a start, her hand immediately going to the growing welt on her already bruised cheek from their last row. A curse was on the tip of the Gryffindor’s tongue before her brain woke up enough to realize what a bad idea that would be. Her mistress did not approve of such language, despite not having a problem with using it herself.
The girl had been the dark witch’s captive for years, going from house-elf-like-servant to assistant of the head of the Auror department. The widowed witch often had the muggleborn help her with boring paperwork and the necessary background research into her targets. Bellatrix, although the smartest witch of her own generation, preferred using magic and dueling than sitting behind a desk. The years in Azkaban had given her a distaste for sitting still.
“What’s going on?”
It wasn't the first time Bellatrix entered her room with a stringing hex and barely understandable commands. She was a chronic insomniac, and everyone in her household, especially her assistant, was expected to be available at all times.
Bellatrix growled, gripping the girl’s sleep shirt, tearing the front with her aggressive hold. “Listen to me you, little moron. You are going to bloody fix this because he doesn’t get to do this to me, his most faithful! ”
“Mistress-”
“Shut up! We don’t have much time. He will know. He always knows!” She glanced around the room with suspicion in her glance, as her eyes darted from one place to another. “He could be listening now.”
Hermione pushed back against the headboard of Andromeda’s old bed, glad when Bellatrix let go of her ripped shirt. Her mistress was no stranger to paranoia. Since Azkebhan, the woman had changed. Sometimes, she heard whispers in her head of conspiracies being conducted against her by the mudblood. “What are-”
“I told you to shut up!” Her wand pressed down on the quivering flesh of Hermione’s throat. “You are going to do exactly what I say. You are going to fix everything!”
Hermione waited silently. She was motionless, a mouse waiting for a snake to strike. The wand withdrew leaving an indent on pale flesh. The older witch glared at her for a second longer before slamming a knapsack into the girl’s stomach. “Take this. It’s the only thing you are going to take with you.
“Where-”
“There isn’t time.” Her necklace fell from her neck. Hermione hadn’t noticed before, the time turner pendant nuzzled low between the older witch’s ample breasts. “You are going to go back and fix this. If Andy-” she stopped, collecting her words. Her slave had never seen her like this. “If she doesn’t marry that filth , it will all be fixed. Stop her!”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Hermione was certain that Bellatrix was experiencing one of her episodes .
“Listen here, you little shit. HE KILLED THEM ! He killed my sisters, and he is going to kill us. The only way to stop this is to stop my sisters from ever joining the light.” She nodded her head like this all made perfect sense to the girl. “Yes, you are perfect for this. She would never listen to me. But you! She will fall for you easily, always into the bookish ones.”
“What-”
“In the bag is a potion,” she pointed to the sack in Hermione’s lap. “It is my greatest achievement. It will make you pure.”
Grasping the girl's chin in her hand, Bellatrix leaned forward. Hermione's jaw ached under the pressure. The dark witch wanted to make sure she had the girl’s full attention. “You have to stop Andromeda from marrying that mudblood. You have to stop this! Make the unbreakable vow to me!”
Hermione swallowed as the witch gripped her wrist, holding her wand over their conjoined hands. Her sisters have been killed and her last line of defense to sanity has been severed. If her slave did not cooperate now, Bellatrix would not hesitate to kill her. She always had others who could help her, even if she did not trust them as much.
“Swear Hermione Granger that you will stop Andromeda Black from marrying Ted Tonks at any costs. That you will do all you can to keep my sisters together with me.”
“I-” Bellatrix glared at her when she stumbled. Her gaze told of death if the girl did not agree. “I swear.”
The magic swirled around their hands. It burned into Hermione’s flesh like fire, but she was left unscarred.
Bellatrix let go and put the time turner around her neck. “Go. Fix this.”