mickume/harry_potter_tiny · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Bellatrix nodded, her eyes following him. It seemed that she'd caught Snape's eye because he held firm eye contact with Bellatrix before making his way to his seat.
"And the other wizard there, near Dumbledore?" Bellatrix asked.
Hermione looked at a teacher she was unfamiliar with. "I don't know," she admitted, before remembering Ron mentioning a name from when he'd updated her about Harry.... Slughorn, maybe? "I think he's the new DADA professor."
"He doesn't look like a DADA professor," Bellatrix said. "He seems more like Charms or transfiguration. Even potions."
"What makes you say that?"
"The way he dresses," Bellatrix said. "He's a man who takes his time with things. The Dark Arts and, by proxy, the defence arts are about being fast, reacting quickly and going with your instincts. Professor Snape looks more like a DADA professor."
Hermione was inclined to agree, but she explained how the job was likely jinxed. Hogwarts had failed to keep anyone longer than a year, whereas Snape had always been the potion's master.
As it was, after the feast, Hermione was quickly proven wrong as Dumbledore announced that Professor Slughorn (who Hermione had recalled the name correctly) was to become the new Potions professor and Snape had taken on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post––something Harry loudly yelled "No!" in response to, calling the attention of the room briefly onto him.
Hermione watched as Snape didn't react, his eyes looking to Bellatrix until he noticed Hermione's attention on him, and then he looked away to where Dumbledore was returning the attention back to the start of the year speech.
"I was right," Bellatrix noted as Dumbledore announced for them to head to their common rooms.
"You were," Hermione agreed. "Now come on, I have to show the first year where the Gryffindor common rooms are."
In the girl's dormitory, the girls flocked to Bellatrix. Lavender and Parvati asked a hundred and one questions as Kellah Thompson stood quietly beside them, listening with interest.
"Who's she?" Ginny asked, standing in the doorway beside where Hermione leaned.
"Ron and Harry didn't tell you?" Hermione asked.
"Just said Dumbledore made you some caretaker of her. They really hate her, so who is she, and why do they hate her so much? Is there something you're not telling me?" Ginny asked, wagging her eyebrows in a way not so dissimilar as to her elder twin brothers.
"No," Hermione scoffed, looking away as she ignored the twisting feeling inside her. "Dumbledore asked me to help her adjust to Hogwarts."
"Huh, he didn't get you to do for that Serena Bellwether when she transferred from that American school."
"Ilvermorny. And Serena was placed in Ravenclaw," Hermione reminded, dodging around the truth.
"She's pretty fit," Ginny said. "I thought George was exaggerating."
"Your brothers spoke of her?" Hermione asked, looking at Ginny.
"Yeah, when we went and got our school supplies. They said you'd gone a day earlier with Tonks. How is she, by the way?"
"Fine," Hermione said. "Why?"
"Overheard Mum telling her she deserved better than whoever broke her heart."
Hermione frowned. She hadn't noticed Tonks being heartbroken when she'd seen her. Looking back on it, she had been more distracted than usual. "Sirius is alright though, isn't he?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice to a whisper, so no one overheard. "He survived the ministry with only a nasty hex."
"Name's cleared and everything, too. I think he still has to stay at his house though, to keep it still, you know...the place," Ginny said, looking to make her point clear. "Anyway, not related. I know he's going to Tonk's parents" house loads for Sunday dinners. He's cheerier, too, now that he's not so stir crazy."
Hermione wasn't surprised. Sirius had seemed a bit...stuck when she'd first met him at Grimmauld. Like he was still in his twenties. She made a note to herself to write to him. Maybe she could get further information on Bellatrix. As she understood from her last conversation with Dumbledore, few people were in the know. Harry, Neville and her were likely meant to be the only ones, though Harry would have demanded to tell Ron. She doubted Sirius knew otherwise. He'd probably be at Hogwarts under some delusion of protecting Harry.
Hermione half-wished she could have told Ginny, but she knew her friend would have been on Ron's and Harry's side, and it was nice, for the moment, that she wasn't making any judgements.
Bellatrix had apparently had enough of being spoken to and had somehow managed to get the girls to leave her alone as she came and stood by Hermione, looking at Ginny like she was trying to assess something.
"I'm Ginny," Ginny said as she stuck out her hand, though Hermione could see she was testing her as much as Bellatrix was likely assessing her back.
"Bella," the woman responded, slowly reaching out to shake her hand in an old witch's greeting.
Ginny's head quirked as she let go. "So you're from a wizarding family?"
"A dead family," Bellatrix responded. "Are you in this dormitory as well?"
"No, a year below. But I'm mates with Hermione here."
Bellatrix gave a short nod before turning to look at Hermione. "You said you were going to show me the bathroom later?"
"Oh, right, of course." Turning to Ginny, she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, hey? Are you going to try out for the team now that Harry's Captain?"
"Easily. Been practising over the Summer. You'll have to come and watch it. What about you, Bella, do you like Quidditch?"
Hermione turned to see the witch's face alight in a similar way they had when Hermione had brought up duelling. "I would need equipment," she admitted. "I wasn't aware Hogwarts had teams."
Hermione suspected that was a lie but was pleased nonetheless when Ginny beamed, "Oh, yeah, four teams. One for each house. When tryouts are on, you can borrow brooms from the school. You just have to tell Hooch ahead of time. I'll show you how to do it later this week if you like?"
Bella nodded, offering a smile, and Hermione felt like a breath had been released from her chest. At least some of her friends were getting along...even if it was based on a lie.
"Thanks, Ginny," Hermione whispered to her friend as Bellatrix went to collect her things for the bathroom.
Ginny offered back a wink as if to say something more though Hermione was uncertain of its meaning.
Hermione had been waiting for Bellatrix to come downstairs for breakfast when Harry cornered her to explain how his nose had been broken. It was apparently by Draco when Harry tried hiding in the Slytherin Carriage underneath the invisibility cloak. When Harry had told her the obscure discussion he overheard, Hermione found herself frowning.
She couldn't imagine why someone like Voldemort, who was all-powerful, would choose a kid who hadn't even finished school, but it wasn't...entirely out of the realms of possibility. Historically speaking, young boys were often the best recruits for war. Before his passing, her grandfather spoke about how the government would recruit men during World War II.
Nonetheless, Draco might have been lying in some way. Though Hermione didn't believe that entirely. It was a big lie that would quickly unravel, and Draco wasn't usually so stupid. She and he were often close with their marks in exams.
If she was being honest, she suspected Draco was, at most, exaggerating his importance in some larger plan, which was concerning. Perhaps Voldemort was expecting to take over the school by next year.
"We shouldn't worry," Hermione assured, "Dumbledore himself said he'd increased security, and the Order––" she stopped talking as she caught hold of a fourth-year passing with a fanged frisbee. "Hold it!" She snapped, "They're banned. Hand it over."
The fourth year slumped, handing it over and just as Ron began excitedly commenting how much he wanted one, his face went dark as Bellatrix descended the stairs, her bag over one shoulder.
"Come on, Harry. We should get to breakfast," he said.
Hermione watched them leave, feeling the pain tug at her heart before she sucked in a breath and smiled at Bellatrix. "How'd you find your first night?" She asked.
"Fine," Bellatrix said. "I noticed that you charmed your curtains."
Hermione bit her cheek. She'd hoped Bellatrix hadn't noticed when she waved her wand quickly at them last night. She hoped more so that the other girls hadn't noticed. "I don't want anyone to get worried," she said, though that was a lie. She was terrified that they would hear her screaming and thrashing in the night.
Lavender and Pavarti were horrible gossips, and it would slip all the way to the Slytherin girls before she knew it. While she tried not to care what others thought of her, she didn't want people to know she had nightmares.
"I should make some dreamless draught, but I know that it can cause long-term problems with sleep, so I don't want to use it too often, and while I've searched the market, the only other thing is something called Sweet Dream Tea, but it's so expensive. I don't know how anyone can afford it."
"With money and influence," Bellatrix said.
"So it keeps most of the people who need it most. It's like wolfsbane. I don't understand why the Ministry doesn't offer subsidies. It would help them in the long run, especially with wolfsbane. Then the people who need it most aren't out there hurting others. Or they're able to keep regular work, or..." she trailed off, adjusting the strap of her bag. She could see that Bellatrix wasn't listening to her.
Ignoring the hurt, she tried to ask, "Are there any classes you're excited about since reading the coursework?"
"Defence and transfiguration," Bellatrix said. "I've also been assigned Care of Magical Creatures."
Hermione's eyebrows went up. "Oh... that's...with Hagrid."
"The half-giant from the feast?" Bellatrix asked.
Hermione blinked. Bellatrix had surmised quickly of Hagrid's blood status, though she supposed it would be quicker for someone with a background in magic. Or, perhaps, Bellatrix just recalled, like she recalled so many other things.
"Yes," Hermione said. "He's charming, if...enthusiastic about his class."
Bellatrix didn't say anything. And when they arrived at breakfast, and Professor McGonagall handed out their class sheets, Hermione looked over the woman's shoulder to see what they'd been added to.
They shared a near exact timetable: transfiguration, potions, charms, defence against the dark arts, arithmancy and herbology. The most significant difference was that Hermione took arithmancy while Bellatrix took Care of Magical Creatures. She had apparently chosen care of magical creatures in arithmancy's place.
"We have Ancient Runes first, today," Hermione said. "This year's subjects are about curse breaking and runes, which is fun."
"Curse breaking?" Bellatrix said, looking up. There, an interest had returned to her. "Will we get to do practical?"
"I think, in the seventh year, we get to go on a class trip, actually," Hermione said. "At least I know some seventh-year students do for the held careers day."
"And this year?"
Hermione frowned. "Some smaller stuff, mostly it's theory, but it's fascinating."
Bellatrix sighed but didn't say anything as they went to Runes. While the first class was interesting, Hermione found herself sinking in horror as Professor Babbling assigned not only two translations and readings that she handed out but a fifteen-inch essay. By the end of class, Hermione felt panic begin to set in. This was one subject. What about the rest of them?
"You don't have to do the readings," Bellatrix reminded as they headed to the Defense classroom. "She said it was additional."
"Of course we have to. The additional readings will be useful when it comes to the NEWT examination. To be ahead, you need to do all the readings, ensure you have the best marks and..." Hermione trailed off, feeling the words leave her. "It matters if you want to get the best marks."
"That's ridiculous. They only matter if they're helpful," Bellatrix said. "You don't have to prove that you're the best."
"Of course, I do if I want to go where I want! I need the best marks, the best spellwork. I don't have the luxury of connections in the wizarding world."
"You don't need connections to get you everywhere. What do you even want to do?"
Everything, Hermione thought. She wanted every option available to her, every job offer, every opening, everything because the truth was that all she knew was that she wanted to make the world better somehow. "I haven't decided yet," she admitted, feeling a sharpness rise in her chest. "Do you know what you want to do with the rest of your new life?"
Bellatrix looked at her, and Hermione wished, not first the first time, that she could know what was going on inside the woman's mind.
Before the witch could answer, however, Harry and Ron arrived for class. Both of the boys looked reproachfully at her, keeping their distance. Seeing that they still cared for a moment this morning was lovely. It would have been better if they at least tried to get along with Bellatrix so they could see how different she was from the dark witch at the department of mysteries.
It wouldn't happen, Hermione reminded herself. Especially with Harry, who insistently believed Snape was evil and now believed Draco to be a death eater. Not that the latter was...entirely out of the realms of possibility, Hermione thought.
Before Hermione could speak to the boys, however, the classroom door opened, and Snape stepped into the corridor. His dark hair framed his face as the growing queue of students quietened. Hermione watched as his eyes wandered over the class, hovering over Bellatrix again.
"Inside," he said.
They all stepped inside, and Hermione found herself looking around the room. The curtains had been drawn over the windows, with the only light coming from the candles. Pictures of cursed people now sat on the walls (though Hermione hoped they were put up for their benefit and it wasn't a permanent display that the earlier years saw).
Hermione went to reach for her copy of Confronting the Faceless out of her bag when Snape spoke as he closed the classroom door. "I have not asked you to take out your books."
Hermione quickly shoved the book back into her bag, stowing it under her chair. Bellatrix folded her arms, leaning forward on the desk with interest as she studied the pictures. Unlike most students, she didn't look at the images with morbid curiosity or fear. Hermione watched her stare at them as if trying to figure out some puzzle in her head.
Maybe they all seemed familiar to her.
Snape took to stand behind his desk, speaking of the dark arts. Hermione listened as he explained the dark arts as a varied, ever-changing, eternal magic, liking them to a hydra before explaining how in defence, you must be as varied and quick as the darker magic itself. It reminded her of how Bellatrix spoke of the dark arts and how Harry had once spoken of them during their last year in Dumbledore's Army.
"These pictures," Professor Snape indicated as he swept past a select few, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the cruciatus curse..." he trailed off, looking to Bellatrix. Hermione, too, glanced at the witch, watching the woman's eyes.
Bellatrix's eyes ran over the picture before glancing at Snape, her expression hiding whatever thought she had.
"Or feel the Dementor's Kiss," Snape continued, moving to the following picture, "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."
Hermione wondered, there, if he was looking to trigger something in Bellatrix. All three things were connected with the woman. But if Bellatrix failed to react how he expected, Snape didn't show it.
"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" Parvati asked, her voice pitched with fear. "Is it definite? Is he using them?"
"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape said with a sneer towards Pavarti, "Which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again."
Hermione had no doubt. It was clear the Dark Lord intended to use every piece of dark magic to get his way, and now, more than ever, they needed to learn defence against the dark arts to fight such creatures.
"You are, I believe, complete novices in using non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"
Hermione shot her hand into the air, the answer present in her mind. Snape paused, looking around the room, and again Hermione noted his pause on Bellatrix before he gave a curt, "very well–Miss Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about the kind of magic you're about to perform," she said, quoting The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, that she'd read over the Summer (and in truth, the Summer before). "It gives you a split-second advantage."
"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6," Snape said. Hermione could hear the condescension leaking through his voice and felt her mood drop as Malfoy and his friends snickered behind her.
Hermione felt the excitement of the class simmering inside her until Snape allowed them to separate into pairs on the practical side of the classroom. They were to attack or defend non-verbally at one another, though Professor Snape declared that he doubted anyone would manage it today.
Bellatrix smirked as she came to stand before her. "Shall I attack or defend?" Bellatrix asked.
Hermione felt the excitement return. "Attack."
The curse was thrown, quietly, silently as quickly as if she'd spoken the words, and Hermione felt the reaction quick. The word protego flew through her thoughts as she made the wand movement, watching the spell bounce. The classroom paused. Most had barely begun, yet she could hear them whispering, wondering if they had actually done it. "Impossible," she heard from Malfoy, "probably whispered the spell out the side of her mouth."

Bellatrix nodded, her eyes following him. It seemed that she'd caught Snape's eye because he held firm eye contact with Bellatrix before making his way to his seat.

"And the other wizard there, near Dumbledore?" Bellatrix asked.

Hermione looked at a teacher she was unfamiliar with. "I don't know," she admitted, before remembering Ron mentioning a name from when he'd updated her about Harry.... Slughorn, maybe? "I think he's the new DADA professor."

"He doesn't look like a DADA professor," Bellatrix said. "He seems more like Charms or transfiguration. Even potions."

"What makes you say that?"

"The way he dresses," Bellatrix said. "He's a man who takes his time with things. The Dark Arts and, by proxy, the defence arts are about being fast, reacting quickly and going with your instincts. Professor Snape looks more like a DADA professor."

Hermione was inclined to agree, but she explained how the job was likely jinxed. Hogwarts had failed to keep anyone longer than a year, whereas Snape had always been the potion's master.

As it was, after the feast, Hermione was quickly proven wrong as Dumbledore announced that Professor Slughorn (who Hermione had recalled the name correctly) was to become the new Potions professor and Snape had taken on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post––something Harry loudly yelled "No!" in response to, calling the attention of the room briefly onto him.

Hermione watched as Snape didn't react, his eyes looking to Bellatrix until he noticed Hermione's attention on him, and then he looked away to where Dumbledore was returning the attention back to the start of the year speech.

"I was right," Bellatrix noted as Dumbledore announced for them to head to their common rooms.

"You were," Hermione agreed. "Now come on, I have to show the first year where the Gryffindor common rooms are."

In the girl's dormitory, the girls flocked to Bellatrix. Lavender and Parvati asked a hundred and one questions as Kellah Thompson stood quietly beside them, listening with interest.

"Who's she?" Ginny asked, standing in the doorway beside where Hermione leaned.

"Ron and Harry didn't tell you?" Hermione asked.

"Just said Dumbledore made you some caretaker of her. They really hate her, so who is she, and why do they hate her so much? Is there something you're not telling me?" Ginny asked, wagging her eyebrows in a way not so dissimilar as to her elder twin brothers.

"No," Hermione scoffed, looking away as she ignored the twisting feeling inside her. "Dumbledore asked me to help her adjust to Hogwarts."

"Huh, he didn't get you to do for that Serena Bellwether when she transferred from that American school."

"Ilvermorny. And Serena was placed in Ravenclaw," Hermione reminded, dodging around the truth.

"She's pretty fit," Ginny said. "I thought George was exaggerating."

"Your brothers spoke of her?" Hermione asked, looking at Ginny.

"Yeah, when we went and got our school supplies. They said you'd gone a day earlier with Tonks. How is she, by the way?"

"Fine," Hermione said. "Why?"

"Overheard Mum telling her she deserved better than whoever broke her heart."

Hermione frowned. She hadn't noticed Tonks being heartbroken when she'd seen her. Looking back on it, she had been more distracted than usual. "Sirius is alright though, isn't he?" Hermione asked, keeping her voice to a whisper, so no one overheard. "He survived the ministry with only a nasty hex."

"Name's cleared and everything, too. I think he still has to stay at his house though, to keep it still, you know...the place," Ginny said, looking to make her point clear. "Anyway, not related. I know he's going to Tonk's parents" house loads for Sunday dinners. He's cheerier, too, now that he's not so stir crazy."

Hermione wasn't surprised. Sirius had seemed a bit...stuck when she'd first met him at Grimmauld. Like he was still in his twenties. She made a note to herself to write to him. Maybe she could get further information on Bellatrix. As she understood from her last conversation with Dumbledore, few people were in the know. Harry, Neville and her were likely meant to be the only ones, though Harry would have demanded to tell Ron. She doubted Sirius knew otherwise. He'd probably be at Hogwarts under some delusion of protecting Harry.

Hermione half-wished she could have told Ginny, but she knew her friend would have been on Ron's and Harry's side, and it was nice, for the moment, that she wasn't making any judgements.

Bellatrix had apparently had enough of being spoken to and had somehow managed to get the girls to leave her alone as she came and stood by Hermione, looking at Ginny like she was trying to assess something.

"I'm Ginny," Ginny said as she stuck out her hand, though Hermione could see she was testing her as much as Bellatrix was likely assessing her back.

"Bella," the woman responded, slowly reaching out to shake her hand in an old witch's greeting.

Ginny's head quirked as she let go. "So you're from a wizarding family?"

"A dead family," Bellatrix responded. "Are you in this dormitory as well?"

"No, a year below. But I'm mates with Hermione here."

Bellatrix gave a short nod before turning to look at Hermione. "You said you were going to show me the bathroom later?"

"Oh, right, of course." Turning to Ginny, she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, hey? Are you going to try out for the team now that Harry's Captain?"

"Easily. Been practising over the Summer. You'll have to come and watch it. What about you, Bella, do you like Quidditch?"

Hermione turned to see the witch's face alight in a similar way they had when Hermione had brought up duelling. "I would need equipment," she admitted. "I wasn't aware Hogwarts had teams."

Hermione suspected that was a lie but was pleased nonetheless when Ginny beamed, "Oh, yeah, four teams. One for each house. When tryouts are on, you can borrow brooms from the school. You just have to tell Hooch ahead of time. I'll show you how to do it later this week if you like?"

Bella nodded, offering a smile, and Hermione felt like a breath had been released from her chest. At least some of her friends were getting along...even if it was based on a lie.

"Thanks, Ginny," Hermione whispered to her friend as Bellatrix went to collect her things for the bathroom.

Ginny offered back a wink as if to say something more though Hermione was uncertain of its meaning.

Hermione had been waiting for Bellatrix to come downstairs for breakfast when Harry cornered her to explain how his nose had been broken. It was apparently by Draco when Harry tried hiding in the Slytherin Carriage underneath the invisibility cloak. When Harry had told her the obscure discussion he overheard, Hermione found herself frowning.

She couldn't imagine why someone like Voldemort, who was all-powerful, would choose a kid who hadn't even finished school, but it wasn't...entirely out of the realms of possibility. Historically speaking, young boys were often the best recruits for war. Before his passing, her grandfather spoke about how the government would recruit men during World War II.

Nonetheless, Draco might have been lying in some way. Though Hermione didn't believe that entirely. It was a big lie that would quickly unravel, and Draco wasn't usually so stupid. She and he were often close with their marks in exams.

If she was being honest, she suspected Draco was, at most, exaggerating his importance in some larger plan, which was concerning. Perhaps Voldemort was expecting to take over the school by next year.

"We shouldn't worry," Hermione assured, "Dumbledore himself said he'd increased security, and the Order––" she stopped talking as she caught hold of a fourth-year passing with a fanged frisbee. "Hold it!" She snapped, "They're banned. Hand it over."

The fourth year slumped, handing it over and just as Ron began excitedly commenting how much he wanted one, his face went dark as Bellatrix descended the stairs, her bag over one shoulder.

"Come on, Harry. We should get to breakfast," he said.

Hermione watched them leave, feeling the pain tug at her heart before she sucked in a breath and smiled at Bellatrix. "How'd you find your first night?" She asked.

"Fine," Bellatrix said. "I noticed that you charmed your curtains."

Hermione bit her cheek. She'd hoped Bellatrix hadn't noticed when she waved her wand quickly at them last night. She hoped more so that the other girls hadn't noticed. "I don't want anyone to get worried," she said, though that was a lie. She was terrified that they would hear her screaming and thrashing in the night.

Lavender and Pavarti were horrible gossips, and it would slip all the way to the Slytherin girls before she knew it. While she tried not to care what others thought of her, she didn't want people to know she had nightmares.

"I should make some dreamless draught, but I know that it can cause long-term problems with sleep, so I don't want to use it too often, and while I've searched the market, the only other thing is something called Sweet Dream Tea, but it's so expensive. I don't know how anyone can afford it."

"With money and influence," Bellatrix said.

"So it keeps most of the people who need it most. It's like wolfsbane. I don't understand why the Ministry doesn't offer subsidies. It would help them in the long run, especially with wolfsbane. Then the people who need it most aren't out there hurting others. Or they're able to keep regular work, or..." she trailed off, adjusting the strap of her bag. She could see that Bellatrix wasn't listening to her.

Ignoring the hurt, she tried to ask, "Are there any classes you're excited about since reading the coursework?"

"Defence and transfiguration," Bellatrix said. "I've also been assigned Care of Magical Creatures."

Hermione's eyebrows went up. "Oh... that's...with Hagrid."

"The half-giant from the feast?" Bellatrix asked.

Hermione blinked. Bellatrix had surmised quickly of Hagrid's blood status, though she supposed it would be quicker for someone with a background in magic. Or, perhaps, Bellatrix just recalled, like she recalled so many other things.

"Yes," Hermione said. "He's charming, if...enthusiastic about his class."

Bellatrix didn't say anything. And when they arrived at breakfast, and Professor McGonagall handed out their class sheets, Hermione looked over the woman's shoulder to see what they'd been added to.

They shared a near exact timetable: transfiguration, potions, charms, defence against the dark arts, arithmancy and herbology. The most significant difference was that Hermione took arithmancy while Bellatrix took Care of Magical Creatures. She had apparently chosen care of magical creatures in arithmancy's place.

"We have Ancient Runes first, today," Hermione said. "This year's subjects are about curse breaking and runes, which is fun."

"Curse breaking?" Bellatrix said, looking up. There, an interest had returned to her. "Will we get to do practical?"

"I think, in the seventh year, we get to go on a class trip, actually," Hermione said. "At least I know some seventh-year students do for the held careers day."

"And this year?"

Hermione frowned. "Some smaller stuff, mostly it's theory, but it's fascinating."

Bellatrix sighed but didn't say anything as they went to Runes. While the first class was interesting, Hermione found herself sinking in horror as Professor Babbling assigned not only two translations and readings that she handed out but a fifteen-inch essay. By the end of class, Hermione felt panic begin to set in. This was one subject. What about the rest of them?

"You don't have to do the readings," Bellatrix reminded as they headed to the Defense classroom. "She said it was additional."

"Of course we have to. The additional readings will be useful when it comes to the NEWT examination. To be ahead, you need to do all the readings, ensure you have the best marks and..." Hermione trailed off, feeling the words leave her. "It matters if you want to get the best marks."

"That's ridiculous. They only matter if they're helpful," Bellatrix said. "You don't have to prove that you're the best."

"Of course, I do if I want to go where I want! I need the best marks, the best spellwork. I don't have the luxury of connections in the wizarding world."

"You don't need connections to get you everywhere. What do you even want to do?"

Everything, Hermione thought. She wanted every option available to her, every job offer, every opening, everything because the truth was that all she knew was that she wanted to make the world better somehow. "I haven't decided yet," she admitted, feeling a sharpness rise in her chest. "Do you know what you want to do with the rest of your new life?"

Bellatrix looked at her, and Hermione wished, not first the first time, that she could know what was going on inside the woman's mind.

Before the witch could answer, however, Harry and Ron arrived for class. Both of the boys looked reproachfully at her, keeping their distance. Seeing that they still cared for a moment this morning was lovely. It would have been better if they at least tried to get along with Bellatrix so they could see how different she was from the dark witch at the department of mysteries.

It wouldn't happen, Hermione reminded herself. Especially with Harry, who insistently believed Snape was evil and now believed Draco to be a death eater. Not that the latter was...entirely out of the realms of possibility, Hermione thought.

Before Hermione could speak to the boys, however, the classroom door opened, and Snape stepped into the corridor. His dark hair framed his face as the growing queue of students quietened. Hermione watched as his eyes wandered over the class, hovering over Bellatrix again.

"Inside," he said.

They all stepped inside, and Hermione found herself looking around the room. The curtains had been drawn over the windows, with the only light coming from the candles. Pictures of cursed people now sat on the walls (though Hermione hoped they were put up for their benefit and it wasn't a permanent display that the earlier years saw).

Hermione went to reach for her copy of Confronting the Faceless out of her bag when Snape spoke as he closed the classroom door. "I have not asked you to take out your books."

Hermione quickly shoved the book back into her bag, stowing it under her chair. Bellatrix folded her arms, leaning forward on the desk with interest as she studied the pictures. Unlike most students, she didn't look at the images with morbid curiosity or fear. Hermione watched her stare at them as if trying to figure out some puzzle in her head.

Maybe they all seemed familiar to her.

Snape took to stand behind his desk, speaking of the dark arts. Hermione listened as he explained the dark arts as a varied, ever-changing, eternal magic, liking them to a hydra before explaining how in defence, you must be as varied and quick as the darker magic itself. It reminded her of how Bellatrix spoke of the dark arts and how Harry had once spoken of them during their last year in Dumbledore's Army.

"These pictures," Professor Snape indicated as he swept past a select few, "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the cruciatus curse..." he trailed off, looking to Bellatrix. Hermione, too, glanced at the witch, watching the woman's eyes.

Bellatrix's eyes ran over the picture before glancing at Snape, her expression hiding whatever thought she had.

"Or feel the Dementor's Kiss," Snape continued, moving to the following picture, "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."

Hermione wondered, there, if he was looking to trigger something in Bellatrix. All three things were connected with the woman. But if Bellatrix failed to react how he expected, Snape didn't show it.

"Has an Inferius been seen, then?" Parvati asked, her voice pitched with fear. "Is it definite? Is he using them?"

"The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past," Snape said with a sneer towards Pavarti, "Which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again."

Hermione had no doubt. It was clear the Dark Lord intended to use every piece of dark magic to get his way, and now, more than ever, they needed to learn defence against the dark arts to fight such creatures.

"You are, I believe, complete novices in using non-verbal spells. What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"

Hermione shot her hand into the air, the answer present in her mind. Snape paused, looking around the room, and again Hermione noted his pause on Bellatrix before he gave a curt, "very well–Miss Granger?"

"Your adversary has no warning about the kind of magic you're about to perform," she said, quoting The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6, that she'd read over the Summer (and in truth, the Summer before). "It gives you a split-second advantage."

"An answer copied almost word for word from The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6," Snape said. Hermione could hear the condescension leaking through his voice and felt her mood drop as Malfoy and his friends snickered behind her.

Hermione felt the excitement of the class simmering inside her until Snape allowed them to separate into pairs on the practical side of the classroom. They were to attack or defend non-verbally at one another, though Professor Snape declared that he doubted anyone would manage it today.

Bellatrix smirked as she came to stand before her. "Shall I attack or defend?" Bellatrix asked.

Hermione felt the excitement return. "Attack."

The curse was thrown, quietly, silently as quickly as if she'd spoken the words, and Hermione felt the reaction quick. The word protego flew through her thoughts as she made the wand movement, watching the spell bounce. The classroom paused. Most had barely begun, yet she could hear them whispering, wondering if they had actually done it. "Impossible," she heard from Malfoy, "probably whispered the spell out the side of her mouth."