mickume/harry_potter_tiny · Datasets at Hugging Face

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Bellatrixgrabbed her bag and pulled out the vial in the back pocket. Pouring some onto the face wipes Hermione packed with it, she pressed it to the wounded area on Hermione before waving her wand over it. Slowly, Hermione felt the headache ease.
"Did you mean to wallop me?"
"At the moment I did, you were getting good, and I got caught up in the moment," she said before handing Hermione the cloth to hold to her head. "That was an oversight."
"It’s fine," Hermione said, giving a tight smile. "No permanent harm done."
Bellatrix frowned, her eyes darting over the wound before she pulled back. "I suppose not," she said. "But I’ll be more mindful next time."
"Well, given that it’s ended like that, I think we should finish there."
Bellatrix frowned. "One more," she said. "You’ll become scared, otherwise. Get back on the horse and do it one more time, and then we’ll stop."
Hermione wanted to protest, but instead, she sucked in a breath and nodded. "Fine, one more time," she said, agreeing to stand.
They went to where Bellatrix had marked the area, and Hermione stood, holding herself firm.
"Not so tense," Bellatrix teased. "Loose, loosen your body."
Hermione sighed, easing her muscles and gave a look. "Better?"
"Better," Bellatrix said. "But not perfect."
Hermione felt her annoyance strike at the comment, "I know what you’re trying," she said, bowing low. "I won’t fall for it."
"Of course not, it’s a cheap tactic, and I’m sure you’re entirely
by it," Bellatrix said, giving her a look that said she knew better. They rose, and Hermione turned her back. She took her first step, feeling her anger grow––because Bellatrix was right. It was a
, easy, stupid tactic; somehow, with that single sentence, Bellatrix was beneath her skin.
They took their paces, and then Hermione turned, whipping her wand as she cast, "
Bellatrix deflected Hermione through her own
back, throwing it off into the woods as Bellatrix cast another spell. Again, Hermione deflected, better, closer and Bellatrix deflected again. Hermione cast this time, taking points to remember that while Bellatrix was deflecting, she could attack.
Over and over, she threw spells, her tongue slipping over the words as they ran through the woods. Hermione stepped over the fallen bough she’d previously tripped over. She dodged behind a tree but didn’t wait, sliding out to cast again, quicker and quicker as she dodged Bellatrix’s spells, until––"STUPEFY!"
Bellatrix rocked, her arm up, halfway through casting.
Hermione squealed, running over to undo the spell. "I did it! I did it, I did it, I—"
"Yes," Bellatrix said, easing as she shook out her tense muscles and stared at her. "That takes you to three to my...eighteen, I believe?"
"Doesn’t matter," Hermione said, "It means I’m
Bellatrix rolled her eyes, scoffing, but there was amusement on her face. "You did well. I think that’s the longest we duelled," she said. "You overthink. You’re good if you stop thinking about the other person’s actions and just react."
"React? But each spell has a moment, there’s a time––"
"Did you actually think that time? Or did you instinctively know what to do?"
Hermione went to argue that she had thought about it, but...in truth, she hadn’t. When she saw an in, the spell had been out of her mouth before she could think about it.
"Practice," Bellatrix said, "Preferably with many different partners of different skills."
Hermione huffed. Sure, when she said it like that, it seemed easy, but she knew otherwise. She’d practised with the DA, and yes, of course, she’d grown brilliant and thrived underneath Harry’s tutelage, but it hadn’t been enough to get an
in the OWLs, so clearly, it wasn’t enough.
"I mean it, stop overthinking things, and you’ll be an excellent dueller," Bellatrix said.
Hermione huffed, uncertain that would ever be the case—if there was anything that she was, it was an overthinker.
Hermione had purchased a present from the department store nearby and sent it along with Harry with an apology for not being there on his birthday, advising that she would explain everything once they arrived at Central Station on September 1
Harry had written back to her understanding whilst advising of his new status as Quidditch Captain. Hermione had excitedly written back that Harry was in line with the prefects and had access to the same bathrooms that she and Ron did. Along with Harry's letter came one from Ron, telling her that Mr and Mrs Weasley were looking to organise a trip to Diagon Alley if she wanted to join.
For the extra protection
, he'd advised.
Hermione wrote back, apologising again, advising that Nymphadora Tonks had already been in contact to announce that she would be taking her, but Hermione hoped to see them soon. As it was, when Hermione had written to Dumbledore requesting to meet up with her friends, Dumbledore had said a short message relaying that it might be best if Bellatrix continued to learn of the muggle world without being overwhelmed by other things.
Hermione knew that for whatever reason, Dumbledore was worried about Bellatrix and Harry meeting––either he believed that Harry would do something or that seeing Harry might trigger a response.
Sighing, Hermione sat back, looking over at the clock. They were waiting on Tonks, who should have arrived at eleven. It was already five past eleven, and all Hermione could hope was that Tonks was notoriously late instead of something having happened.
As of late, the Daily Prophet was reporting a death in almost every issue. It was enough to make Hermione feel ill. People were being kidnapped and murdered. Whatever had happened at the Department seemed to have kick-started something on the other side.
Before Hermione could worry about it too much, the bell rang from downstairs.
Leaping from her seat, Hermione rushed downstairs and opened the door. Standing in an oversized coat was the familiar face of Nymphadora Tonks—though instead of her usually coloured hair, she was sporting a short, mousy-brown cut.
"Tonks!" Hermione squealed, pulling her into a hug.
"Wotcher, Hermione!" Tonks laughed. "Dumbledore sent me on a top mission, it seems." There she pulled back and looked at her, brows raising. "Why aren't you at the Burrow?"
"I...have a friend staying," Hermione said, smiling. "She's transferring to Hogwarts this year."
Tonks stepped across the threshold, entering Hermione's home as her eyes ran over the space. "Your house looks like my family home," she said. "Your parents are dentists, yeah?"
"They are. They're both here if you would like to meet them," Hermione said, leading Tonks through to the lounge room. There, her parents pushed up from their chairs on the couch as they turned the television off.
"It's lovely to meet you," Hermione's mother said. "Hermione's told out so much about you."
"You prefer Tonks, is that right?" Her father asked.
"Wotcher! And yeah, I do. That's what you get when your mother names you
," Tonks said, her voice sneering over her name.
"Well, it's a lovely name either way," Jean said. "Can I get you a cuppa?"
"Oh," Tonks stood, "Ah, I should probably get Hermione and her friend to the shops. I'm on a schedule at Dumbledore's order," she said
To that, Jean frowned. "Order? Is something the matter?" She asked, turning to look at Hermione.
"No, mum. Tonks just helps the headmaster out from time to time," she lied, giving a pointed look back at Tonks. "Maybe if we're quick, she can have a cup of tea when we come back home."
Jean gave a strange look that she shared with Hermione's father before nodding. "Well, you three have fun. And here, in case you don't have enough," Jean said, pulling out some cash.
"No, mum, it's fine. I promise I have enough."
Jean gave a sceptical look and pushed it into Hermione's hand. "Then get yourself some lunch while you're out. You can give me the change when you get back."
Hermione frowned but didn't argue, setting the money in her purse. "I'll go and get Bella," Hermione said, leaving the lounge room to head upstairs again. Knocking at the guest room door, she waited for Bellatrix to open the door. "We're leaving. Did you have everything?"
Bellatrix stepped out of the room, hands deep in her jacket pockets as she tugged the bedroom door shut-–almost as if she were hiding something. "We'll need to stop at Gringotts."
"I need to go there anyway, so that works," Hermione said. "Was there anything not on the list that you needed?"
"Probably," Bellatrix said, giving a vague response. "Though if we have a babysitter, it will be harder."
"She's not our babysitter. She's...." Hermione trailed off, looking behind her in case her parents had followed. "It doesn't matter. What do you need? I could help, or––"
"Don't worry about it," Bellatrix said, her eyes sharp. "It's not
if that's what you're worried about."
"I didn't––Bella, wait—"but before she could stop the woman, Bellatrix had walked downstairs, hands in her pocket with a bag slung low on one shoulder. Hermione froze from the upper floor, wondering if Tonks would recognise her, but all the witch did was politely greet Bella and introduce herself.
Hermione watched as Bellatrix turned to her, mouthing
before she offered a vague greeting back. It would have to do. Manners did not come naturally to the witch, and while Hermione tried to set an example, it was clear that either Bellatrix wasn't picking up the hints or deliberately ignoring them.
"Ready, Hermione?"
"I'm ready," she assured Tonks, coming to step forward. Tonks pulled out a port key, and within a minute, they had disappeared.
Portkey travel was, by far, one of Hermione's least favourite magical transportation, superseded only by anything to do with flying.
They landed in an alley in Diagon Alley, and Hermione paused, leaning against the wall as she held her stomach for a moment as Tonks checked her. "It gets better," she promised. "I used to get sick all the time, but you get used to it after a while."
"Few years, maybe, depends. The less you avoid it, the easier it gets," she assured. It wasn't comforting advice. Hermione stepped back and drew a breath as she tried to push off the feeling. It passed as soon as they exited the alley and the smell of the bookstore wafted near her, comfortingly.
Diagon Alley wasn't the usual bramble she expected. It was still busy, but there were fewer children now. Some of the shops were closed too. Hermione looked over before her eyes fell on Ollivanders, noticing the closed sign.
"Did Ollivander––?" She asked.
"Disappeared," Tonks said. "We think You-Know-Who has him."
"But where will the first years get their wand?"
"Other wand places," Tonks said, looking sad. "But Ollivanders was superior. When I got my second wand issued as part of being an Auror, they wanted me to go elsewhere, but Moody was firm. Ollivanders. Never had a wand backfire from them."
Hermione stared off at the shop before pulling her eyes away. The cafes were closed, and even the ice cream store had its doors shut.
"Did you need to go to Gringotts?" Tonks asked.
"If that's alright?" Hermione said. Tonks nodded, leading them down Diagon Alley to where the bank was. All the while, Hermione felt her eyes dart around. "Is this really because of Death Eaters?" She asked.
"Dementors," Tonks said. "Do you get many Dementors in Bulgaria, Bella?"
"I know of them," Bella advised quietly, and there was a paleness to her expression. Hermione wondered if she did remember. If some visceral part of her knew what the effects of a dementor felt like.
Hermione remembered her third year. She remembered what they felt like on the train and what they felt like when she'd stood with Harry watching them descend on Sirius and Harry both. She could still remember that cold feeling like everything had turned to ash. It'd been fatiguing, terrifying as she felt so far away from herself...and then, it'd stopped. No one, no matter how mad or cruel, deserved to feel like that for every waking moment and second of their life.
"Got your key?" Tonks asked.
Hermione nodded, but Bellatrix hesitated.
"Don't worry. Dumbledore set aside funds for you, Bella, as a part of the transfer student scholarship."
Bellatrix paused and then gave a soft incline of her head. It seemed Dumbledore had thought of everything for them.
As it was, going to the bank was relatively painless. The goblins lead them to Hermione's vault, first and foremost, and then they headed to a separate area Hermione recalled when she first started, where the Hogwarts scholarship funds were kept. Bellatrix was permitted to withdraw up to one-hundred galleons––though she only withdrew half of that.
Then they went to each of the areas: first to Madame Malkins for the robes; to the potions supplies, where Hermione stocked up, avoiding Tonk's eye as she purchased over 60 galleons worth of items and then requested further information about their mail order; to Flourish and Blotts, when Bellatrix purchased an advanced book titled Duels and Duel-Nots on top of their school studies; before they ended up passing the Quidditch shop.
There, Bellatrix seemed to pause, hovering to look at the brooms before Tonks pointed out down the road, "There's Fred and George's shop," Tonk said. "We can go and say hi if you like."
"If you don't mind?" Hermione said, glancing between Bella and her both. When Bellatrix's eyes finally pulled away from the brooms, she provided a blank expression.
"A joke store?" She asked.
"Yes, but they're good friends."
Bellatrix paused to look at the signage before giving a tight grimace. "Weasley?" She said.
"Have a problem with the Weasleys?" Tonks asked, on the defensive.
Bellatrix looked to Tonk, raising her brow. "I don't know them," she said. "It's an odd name."
Tonks" shoulders eased, and she gave a look that made Hermione fearful that she was growing suspicious of Bella. But before Hermione could leap to defend her, Tonks gave an odd, barking laugh. "I suppose it is. They're an old Wizarding family name here. Good people."
"So you and Hermione have said," she said, eyeing the signage again. Hermione frowned, trying to push the concern from her mind as she entered the shop. Unlike the rest of Diagon Alley, the joke shop was alive with people, thriving with customers who ran around, looking for the first time, as if they were happy.

Bellatrixgrabbed her bag and pulled out the vial in the back pocket. Pouring some onto the face wipes Hermione packed with it, she pressed it to the wounded area on Hermione before waving her wand over it. Slowly, Hermione felt the headache ease.

"Did you mean to wallop me?"

"At the moment I did, you were getting good, and I got caught up in the moment," she said before handing Hermione the cloth to hold to her head. "That was an oversight."

"It’s fine," Hermione said, giving a tight smile. "No permanent harm done."

Bellatrix frowned, her eyes darting over the wound before she pulled back. "I suppose not," she said. "But I’ll be more mindful next time."

"Well, given that it’s ended like that, I think we should finish there."

Bellatrix frowned. "One more," she said. "You’ll become scared, otherwise. Get back on the horse and do it one more time, and then we’ll stop."

Hermione wanted to protest, but instead, she sucked in a breath and nodded. "Fine, one more time," she said, agreeing to stand.

They went to where Bellatrix had marked the area, and Hermione stood, holding herself firm.

"Not so tense," Bellatrix teased. "Loose, loosen your body."

Hermione sighed, easing her muscles and gave a look. "Better?"

"Better," Bellatrix said. "But not perfect."

Hermione felt her annoyance strike at the comment, "I know what you’re trying," she said, bowing low. "I won’t fall for it."

"Of course not, it’s a cheap tactic, and I’m sure you’re entirely

by it," Bellatrix said, giving her a look that said she knew better. They rose, and Hermione turned her back. She took her first step, feeling her anger grow––because Bellatrix was right. It was a

, easy, stupid tactic; somehow, with that single sentence, Bellatrix was beneath her skin.

They took their paces, and then Hermione turned, whipping her wand as she cast, "

Bellatrix deflected Hermione through her own

back, throwing it off into the woods as Bellatrix cast another spell. Again, Hermione deflected, better, closer and Bellatrix deflected again. Hermione cast this time, taking points to remember that while Bellatrix was deflecting, she could attack.

Over and over, she threw spells, her tongue slipping over the words as they ran through the woods. Hermione stepped over the fallen bough she’d previously tripped over. She dodged behind a tree but didn’t wait, sliding out to cast again, quicker and quicker as she dodged Bellatrix’s spells, until––"STUPEFY!"

Bellatrix rocked, her arm up, halfway through casting.

Hermione squealed, running over to undo the spell. "I did it! I did it, I did it, I—"

"Yes," Bellatrix said, easing as she shook out her tense muscles and stared at her. "That takes you to three to my...eighteen, I believe?"

"Doesn’t matter," Hermione said, "It means I’m

Bellatrix rolled her eyes, scoffing, but there was amusement on her face. "You did well. I think that’s the longest we duelled," she said. "You overthink. You’re good if you stop thinking about the other person’s actions and just react."

"React? But each spell has a moment, there’s a time––"

"Did you actually think that time? Or did you instinctively know what to do?"

Hermione went to argue that she had thought about it, but...in truth, she hadn’t. When she saw an in, the spell had been out of her mouth before she could think about it.

"Practice," Bellatrix said, "Preferably with many different partners of different skills."

Hermione huffed. Sure, when she said it like that, it seemed easy, but she knew otherwise. She’d practised with the DA, and yes, of course, she’d grown brilliant and thrived underneath Harry’s tutelage, but it hadn’t been enough to get an

in the OWLs, so clearly, it wasn’t enough.

"I mean it, stop overthinking things, and you’ll be an excellent dueller," Bellatrix said.

Hermione huffed, uncertain that would ever be the case—if there was anything that she was, it was an overthinker.

Hermione had purchased a present from the department store nearby and sent it along with Harry with an apology for not being there on his birthday, advising that she would explain everything once they arrived at Central Station on September 1

Harry had written back to her understanding whilst advising of his new status as Quidditch Captain. Hermione had excitedly written back that Harry was in line with the prefects and had access to the same bathrooms that she and Ron did. Along with Harry's letter came one from Ron, telling her that Mr and Mrs Weasley were looking to organise a trip to Diagon Alley if she wanted to join.

For the extra protection

, he'd advised.

Hermione wrote back, apologising again, advising that Nymphadora Tonks had already been in contact to announce that she would be taking her, but Hermione hoped to see them soon. As it was, when Hermione had written to Dumbledore requesting to meet up with her friends, Dumbledore had said a short message relaying that it might be best if Bellatrix continued to learn of the muggle world without being overwhelmed by other things.

Hermione knew that for whatever reason, Dumbledore was worried about Bellatrix and Harry meeting––either he believed that Harry would do something or that seeing Harry might trigger a response.

Sighing, Hermione sat back, looking over at the clock. They were waiting on Tonks, who should have arrived at eleven. It was already five past eleven, and all Hermione could hope was that Tonks was notoriously late instead of something having happened.

As of late, the Daily Prophet was reporting a death in almost every issue. It was enough to make Hermione feel ill. People were being kidnapped and murdered. Whatever had happened at the Department seemed to have kick-started something on the other side.

Before Hermione could worry about it too much, the bell rang from downstairs.

Leaping from her seat, Hermione rushed downstairs and opened the door. Standing in an oversized coat was the familiar face of Nymphadora Tonks—though instead of her usually coloured hair, she was sporting a short, mousy-brown cut.

"Tonks!" Hermione squealed, pulling her into a hug.

"Wotcher, Hermione!" Tonks laughed. "Dumbledore sent me on a top mission, it seems." There she pulled back and looked at her, brows raising. "Why aren't you at the Burrow?"

"I...have a friend staying," Hermione said, smiling. "She's transferring to Hogwarts this year."

Tonks stepped across the threshold, entering Hermione's home as her eyes ran over the space. "Your house looks like my family home," she said. "Your parents are dentists, yeah?"

"They are. They're both here if you would like to meet them," Hermione said, leading Tonks through to the lounge room. There, her parents pushed up from their chairs on the couch as they turned the television off.

"It's lovely to meet you," Hermione's mother said. "Hermione's told out so much about you."

"You prefer Tonks, is that right?" Her father asked.

"Wotcher! And yeah, I do. That's what you get when your mother names you

," Tonks said, her voice sneering over her name.

"Well, it's a lovely name either way," Jean said. "Can I get you a cuppa?"

"Oh," Tonks stood, "Ah, I should probably get Hermione and her friend to the shops. I'm on a schedule at Dumbledore's order," she said

To that, Jean frowned. "Order? Is something the matter?" She asked, turning to look at Hermione.

"No, mum. Tonks just helps the headmaster out from time to time," she lied, giving a pointed look back at Tonks. "Maybe if we're quick, she can have a cup of tea when we come back home."

Jean gave a strange look that she shared with Hermione's father before nodding. "Well, you three have fun. And here, in case you don't have enough," Jean said, pulling out some cash.

"No, mum, it's fine. I promise I have enough."

Jean gave a sceptical look and pushed it into Hermione's hand. "Then get yourself some lunch while you're out. You can give me the change when you get back."

Hermione frowned but didn't argue, setting the money in her purse. "I'll go and get Bella," Hermione said, leaving the lounge room to head upstairs again. Knocking at the guest room door, she waited for Bellatrix to open the door. "We're leaving. Did you have everything?"

Bellatrix stepped out of the room, hands deep in her jacket pockets as she tugged the bedroom door shut-–almost as if she were hiding something. "We'll need to stop at Gringotts."

"I need to go there anyway, so that works," Hermione said. "Was there anything not on the list that you needed?"

"Probably," Bellatrix said, giving a vague response. "Though if we have a babysitter, it will be harder."

"She's not our babysitter. She's...." Hermione trailed off, looking behind her in case her parents had followed. "It doesn't matter. What do you need? I could help, or––"

"Don't worry about it," Bellatrix said, her eyes sharp. "It's not

if that's what you're worried about."

"I didn't––Bella, wait—"but before she could stop the woman, Bellatrix had walked downstairs, hands in her pocket with a bag slung low on one shoulder. Hermione froze from the upper floor, wondering if Tonks would recognise her, but all the witch did was politely greet Bella and introduce herself.

Hermione watched as Bellatrix turned to her, mouthing

before she offered a vague greeting back. It would have to do. Manners did not come naturally to the witch, and while Hermione tried to set an example, it was clear that either Bellatrix wasn't picking up the hints or deliberately ignoring them.

"Ready, Hermione?"

"I'm ready," she assured Tonks, coming to step forward. Tonks pulled out a port key, and within a minute, they had disappeared.

Portkey travel was, by far, one of Hermione's least favourite magical transportation, superseded only by anything to do with flying.

They landed in an alley in Diagon Alley, and Hermione paused, leaning against the wall as she held her stomach for a moment as Tonks checked her. "It gets better," she promised. "I used to get sick all the time, but you get used to it after a while."

"Few years, maybe, depends. The less you avoid it, the easier it gets," she assured. It wasn't comforting advice. Hermione stepped back and drew a breath as she tried to push off the feeling. It passed as soon as they exited the alley and the smell of the bookstore wafted near her, comfortingly.

Diagon Alley wasn't the usual bramble she expected. It was still busy, but there were fewer children now. Some of the shops were closed too. Hermione looked over before her eyes fell on Ollivanders, noticing the closed sign.

"Did Ollivander––?" She asked.

"Disappeared," Tonks said. "We think You-Know-Who has him."

"But where will the first years get their wand?"

"Other wand places," Tonks said, looking sad. "But Ollivanders was superior. When I got my second wand issued as part of being an Auror, they wanted me to go elsewhere, but Moody was firm. Ollivanders. Never had a wand backfire from them."

Hermione stared off at the shop before pulling her eyes away. The cafes were closed, and even the ice cream store had its doors shut.

"Did you need to go to Gringotts?" Tonks asked.

"If that's alright?" Hermione said. Tonks nodded, leading them down Diagon Alley to where the bank was. All the while, Hermione felt her eyes dart around. "Is this really because of Death Eaters?" She asked.

"Dementors," Tonks said. "Do you get many Dementors in Bulgaria, Bella?"

"I know of them," Bella advised quietly, and there was a paleness to her expression. Hermione wondered if she did remember. If some visceral part of her knew what the effects of a dementor felt like.

Hermione remembered her third year. She remembered what they felt like on the train and what they felt like when she'd stood with Harry watching them descend on Sirius and Harry both. She could still remember that cold feeling like everything had turned to ash. It'd been fatiguing, terrifying as she felt so far away from herself...and then, it'd stopped. No one, no matter how mad or cruel, deserved to feel like that for every waking moment and second of their life.

"Got your key?" Tonks asked.

Hermione nodded, but Bellatrix hesitated.

"Don't worry. Dumbledore set aside funds for you, Bella, as a part of the transfer student scholarship."

Bellatrix paused and then gave a soft incline of her head. It seemed Dumbledore had thought of everything for them.

As it was, going to the bank was relatively painless. The goblins lead them to Hermione's vault, first and foremost, and then they headed to a separate area Hermione recalled when she first started, where the Hogwarts scholarship funds were kept. Bellatrix was permitted to withdraw up to one-hundred galleons––though she only withdrew half of that.

Then they went to each of the areas: first to Madame Malkins for the robes; to the potions supplies, where Hermione stocked up, avoiding Tonk's eye as she purchased over 60 galleons worth of items and then requested further information about their mail order; to Flourish and Blotts, when Bellatrix purchased an advanced book titled Duels and Duel-Nots on top of their school studies; before they ended up passing the Quidditch shop.

There, Bellatrix seemed to pause, hovering to look at the brooms before Tonks pointed out down the road, "There's Fred and George's shop," Tonk said. "We can go and say hi if you like."

"If you don't mind?" Hermione said, glancing between Bella and her both. When Bellatrix's eyes finally pulled away from the brooms, she provided a blank expression.

"A joke store?" She asked.

"Yes, but they're good friends."

Bellatrix paused to look at the signage before giving a tight grimace. "Weasley?" She said.

"Have a problem with the Weasleys?" Tonks asked, on the defensive.

Bellatrix looked to Tonk, raising her brow. "I don't know them," she said. "It's an odd name."

Tonks" shoulders eased, and she gave a look that made Hermione fearful that she was growing suspicious of Bella. But before Hermione could leap to defend her, Tonks gave an odd, barking laugh. "I suppose it is. They're an old Wizarding family name here. Good people."

"So you and Hermione have said," she said, eyeing the signage again. Hermione frowned, trying to push the concern from her mind as she entered the shop. Unlike the rest of Diagon Alley, the joke shop was alive with people, thriving with customers who ran around, looking for the first time, as if they were happy.