"I swear, she's getting worse by the day," Bellatrix muttered.

"What was she using on me?" Hermione asked.

"What?"

"Earlier. What was she doing? I could feel she was influencing me."

"You noticed that? You should tell her that next time, I'm sure she thought you didn't notice at all." Bellatrix grinned. "Charm, that's what she was using. At least, that's how I call it, don't know if it has an official name. It's a sort of lure, I believe."

"Makes sense."

"You're not angry?"

Hermione shrugged. "It helped."

Bellatrix brushed away an escaped lock of hair and wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist, pulling her snug against her body. "Let me Apparate us straight to our final destination, hmm?"

Without waiting for a response, she pulled them both into the squeezing feeling of Apparition and landed them neatly in her bedroom.

"Do you know how much you turned me on, getting that guy off while sucking at his neck?" Bellatrix whispered in Hermione's ear as soon as both had regained their bearings. "Do you even know how sexy you looked?"

"I-oh!"

Bellatrix licked the shell of Hermione's ear before nibbling on the lobe. Her hand snaked under Hermione's skirt to cup her delectable ass and she returned her knee to between Hermione's legs.

"Grind yourself on my leg, Missy; make yourself feel good. I want to see you come undone."

Hermione pulled back, only to plant her lips wildly on Bellatrix's, hands buried in the older witch's hair, her hips gyrating uncontrollably. She moaned and threw her head back as Bellatrix squeezed a breast.

"So wanton," Bellatrix hummed against Hermione's neck. The girl momentarily tensed. "I love it," Bellatrix continued. "Let go, pet. Let go of your inhibitions. Give yourself to me."

"Yes," Hermione moaned. "Yes."

They kissed again, wild, free. No longer willing to wait and tease, Bellatrix ripped the buttons off Hermione's shirt.

Hermione gasped. "Your—"

"I've got plenty more," Bellatrix interrupted. "Hmm," she continued, massaging Hermione's breasts. "I had forgotten you were wearing my lingerie."

She sucked on a pert nipple through the black lace. Hermione threw her head back, arching her back, and pressing her breast against Bellatrix's mouth. She promptly picked Hermione up and dropped her on the bed; Hermione quickly bounced back up, losing control of her movements and blurring slightly.

"You," she mumbled against Bellatrix's lips. "Too many clothes."

"Whatever you say, pet," Bellatrix murmured, divesting herself of her vest while Hermione made short work of the buttons on her blouse.

There was a slight hesitation after Hermione pushed the blouse off Bellatrix's shoulders. "I've-I've never—"

"Doesn't matter, pet," Bellatrix said, pulling Hermione towards her, pressing their bodies together. "Follow your instincts, girl."

This seemed to encourage her. She softly cupped one of Bellatrix's breasts, dragging her thumb over the erect nipple. Bellatrix moaned and Hermione took the opportunity to kiss along her jaw, up and down her neck, finding all the sensitive spots.

When Hermione pinched the nipple she'd been rubbing against, Bellatrix lost it. With a growl, she pushed Hermione back onto the bed, immediately moving to pin her hands above her head.

"You're mine, Missy," she growled, her lips just out of reach of Hermione's. "Don't move those hands."

Hermione shook her head, mute, and Bellatrix smirked. She leaned over Hermione, loving the way the witch strained to be kissed. Instead of obliging, she kissed the hollow at the base of Hermione's neck, eliciting a mewl that held middle between disappointment and excitement.

Her kisses moved downwards, hands roaming fingers occasionally flicking nipples. Hermione mewled and squirmed, arching her back in search of more. Bellatrix pulled on a bra strap, making it snap back against Hermione's skin.

"Shall I take this off?" she teased.

"Yes. Yes, please!"

"Hmm, I think not." Bellatrix grinned wickedly.

"Bella! Please."

Bellatrix merely grinned and moved lower still. She found the zipper on Hermione's skirt and pulled it down her legs, ignoring the low heels Hermione was still wearing. Moving back up, she kissed the inside of Hermione's thighs, causing the girl to squirm again.

"Hmm, you smell delicious, pet," Bellatrix murmured as she buried her nose in Hermione's sex. The latter squealed, then moaned. "You look utterly delicious, Missy. You should see yourself, all spread out on my bed, panting, blushing, wanting. Such a good girl."

She smirked as Hermione stared at her as Bellatrix wiggled out of her skirt, having long lost her own heels somewhere in the room. She crawled back onto the bed.

"What do you want, pet?" she asked, skimming her hands over Hermione's body, enjoying the shivers it caused.

"Everything, anything. You."

"Needy little thing," Bellatrix answered, cupping a breast and squeezing lightly. "What if I make you wait? Don't move those hands, pet."

Hermione's eyes flashed and before she even realised they had moved, Bellatrix was pinned to the mattress with Hermione sitting astride her.

"Don't forget what I am, witch," Hermione purred. "I might not like it, but I will use it to my advantage."

Bellatrix gulped, too turned on for words. Hermione smirked, obviously no longer worried about holding back. Her fingers trailed down Bellatrix's arms towards her breasts, fingering the fine lace of her bra.

"I'm guessing you've got more of these too?" Hermione murmured.

"Yes."

"Good."

With a grin that would have shamed the Cheshire cat, Hermione ripped through the bra as if it was made of paper, freeing Bellatrix's breasts.

"Beautiful," she murmured, moving down Bellatrix's body so she could comfortably bend over and flick her tongue around the erect nipples. "Shall I tease you, Bella?" she asked. "Shall I tease you like you were teasing me?"

Bellatrix glared. "No."

Hermione hummed and wrapped her lips around a nipple sucking on it. Bellatrix cried out, bucking her hips as the sensation shot right to her lower belly. She felt Hermione settle a leg between hers and she started unapologetically grinding her soaked pussy against Hermione's leg.

"It seems I'm not the only wanton creature here," Hermione murmured before switching to the other breast.

Bellatrix reached around Hermione's back and undid the clasp of her bra. Smiling, she tossed the cumbersome garment to the side, focused on exacting revenge. As predicted, Hermione moaned and lost concentration as soon as Bellatrix enveloped the girl's breast with her hands. She used the distraction to turn them back around and resumed her dominating position.

"Nice try, pet," she murmured in Hermione's ear, causing the girl to smirk. It was an expression that suited her well. Bellatrix's next words made Hermione's eyes cloud with lust again. "Shall I make you scream now?"

"Yes, yes, please!"

Chuckling, Bellatrix moved down again, lavishing some attention to Hermione's wonderful breasts before pulling her knickers down her legs. The smell of Hermione's need assaulted Bellatrix's nose and she dragged two fingers through the wet folds before popping them in her mouth.

Bellatrix moaned. "Just as I expected," she murmured. "You taste exquisite."

She smirked as she noticed Hermione's blush. Deciding to quit her teasing, she got comfortable on the bed and let her tongue follow the same path her fingers. Hermione gasped and groaned, pressing her pussy into Bellatrix's face.

Bellatrix planted an arm across Hermione's abdomen to push her down. She suckled and nibbled on Hermione's labia, eliciting all kinds of interesting sounds from the girl. When she finally closed her mouth around a swollen clit, Hermione shuddered and cried out.

It didn't take Bellatrix long before she had Hermione squirming and clawing at the sheets. When she inserted first one, then two fingers and slowly started moving them, Hermione promptly started begging.

"Bella. Bella, please. Please, Bella. Please."

Grinning, Bellatrix picked up the pace, using the tip of her tong to flick Hermione's clit in time with the thrusting of her fingers. A few heartbeats later, Hermione exploded with a loud cry, shivering and spasming around Bellatrix's fingers and against her mouth.

Once Hermione came down from her high, Bellatrix licked her through a couple of aftershocks before wiping her face and crawling up the bed.

"Taste yourself, pet," she said, offering her still wet fingers to Hermione.

Hermione wrapped her lips around Bellatrix's fingers and sucked. The sensation shot straight through Bellatrix's body, causing her to moan and close her eyes. She clenched her free hand in the sheets as Hermione's tong circled and lapped at her fingers.

When Bellatrix tried to pull away, Hermione grabbed her wrist. She started nipping at the pad of each finger, quickly licking away the sting, then sucking on them. Bellatrix went limp, her hips moving on their own accord, mewling at Hermione's ministrations.

"Let me touch you, Bella," Hermione eventually softly asked.

"Yes," Bellatrix sighed.

"It's just-"

Bellatrix's eyes snapped open and she moved to kiss Hermione. "Stop worrying, pet," she murmured against Hermione's lips. "You'll get the hang of it quickly enough."

She kept kissing Hermione, encouraging her as her hand wandered lower. Bellatrix gasped as they finally slid between her folds, nudging her clit. Hermione started exploring, her touch light and teasing, until she finally started rubbing circles over the most sensitive part. Bellatrix mewled.

"Here?" Hermione asked, her nose nuzzled against Bellatrix's shoulder.

"Yes. More pressure, please, Hermione. Oh! Sweet Merlin, yes!"

Bellatrix could feel Hermione smile against her skin. Kisses travelled along her collarbone and down to her breast until Hermione was flicking her tongue against a nipple.

"Fuck me with your fingers, Missy," Bellatrix growled. "Just make sure your claws don't come out," she added as an afterthought.

"Right," Hermione murmured, before doing exactly what she was told.

Bellatrix could tell she was inexperienced – the thrusts of her fingers uneven, unable to hold rhythm – but she didn't mind. When Hermione curled her fingers, Bellatrix bucked and cried out. She started playing with her clit, and with Hermione lightly biting down on a nipple, Bellatrix became undone. She moaned as she climaxed, her back arching and her free hand clenching in the sheets.

When she came down, she found Hermione staring at her, a smile lighting up her face.

"You did wonderfully, pet," she murmured, still breathing heavily.

Hermione gently pulled out her fingers. Bellatrix watched as the girl looked at them for a bit, then popped them into her mouth. Growling, Bellatrix pulled a surprised Hermione on top of her. They ended up snogging for quite some time before Hermione stretched out against Bellatrix's side, head on her shoulder. Feeling comfortable, Bellatrix quickly drifted off.

xXxXxXx

The next morning, Bellatrix awoke alone in her bed. She was momentarily annoyed, then realised Hermione had probably had a good few hours left before sunrise. She wondered what her girl had been doing to pass the time.

A 'plop' told her the arrival of a house elf.

"Mistress is awake! Good! Mistress must come. Bitsy has been most distressed for hours."

"Don't you dare open the curtains, Toma," Bellatrix growled in warning. "And if Bitsy has been distressed for hours, she can remain distressed for fifteen more minutes. Get me my coffee."

"Yes, Mistress."

The coffee appeared on the table a minute later, but Toma stayed next to it, hopping from one foot to another. Bellatrix glared at him, but he wasn't deterred.

"Alright. Alright!" she finally exclaimed. "I'm coming."

Pulling her dressing gown tighter around her, she followed Toma down to the kitchen. Bitsy was sitting on the table, sobbing and pulling at her ears. Bellatrix could see she had already hurt herself.

"Mistress!" Bitsy wailed as soon as she spotted Bellatrix. "Bitsy has failed you! Bitsy is not a good elf!"

Bellatrix frowned at the creature. "What happened?"

"Bitsy has failed you!"

"Tell me exactly what happened," Bellatrix repeated, her voice stern.

"After Mistress fell asleep, young Missus walked around the house for a bit, then wanted to leave. Bitsy tried to stop young Missus, but young Missus got angry. Then Bitsy got confused and young Missus was gone. Bitsy couldn't stop young Missus, Bitsy bad elf!"

"Hermione is gone?" Bellatrix shrieked. She didn't like how panicked that made her feel.

"Young Missus returned," Toma answered.

"Oh, good." Bellatrix snorted. It seemed Hermione had figured out how to use her Charm. "Bitsy, you're not a bad elf," Bellatrix said, sitting down. "Hermione Charmed you. Remember when Mistress Malfoy did the same to Rin?" Bitsy nodded. "You are not to be blamed."

"Bitsy got magicked?"

"Yes, you got magicked. Now, where's my breakfast? And more coffee."

It was too soon in the morning to deal with distraught elves.

By the time sunrise was due, Bellatrix was once more sitting in the lounge chair next to Hermione's bed. The girl started twitching, then opened her eyes, smiling as she spotted Bellatrix next to the bed.

"You Charmed one of my house elves," Bellatrix commented dryly.

"She wouldn't let me leave."

"On my orders." That wasn't exactly true, the elves had simply picked up on the fact that Bellatrix didn't want Hermione to leave.

"You ordered them to keep me prisoner?"

"No, Hermione, not prisoner! Just…never mind. Where did you go?"

Hermione sat up on the bed, looking petulant. "I only went back to my apartment, to pick up some essentials. You know, a toothbrush, underwear, clothes, books, that sort of thing."

"You count books as essentials?"

"Well, they are!"

Bellatrix stood and leaned over to give Hermione a small peck on the lips. "I believe you, Missy. Now let's take a look at those clothes, hmm?"

She walked into the closet and started rifling through the few things Hermione had brought.

"By Morgana, why do you insist on keeping that pretty figure hidden under these … bags?"

"They're not bags! They're knit sweaters. And they're comfortable. And I li—"

Hermione stopped talking so abruptly mid-sentence, that Bellatrix poked her head around the closet door. "Everything okay?"

"You-you think I'm pretty?"

Bellatrix sauntered back into the room and to Hermione, cupping the girl's cheek.

"Wasn't yesterday proof enough? I wouldn't mind a redo if I need to convince you," she said, her lips only a hairsbreadth from Hermione's. The girl blushed and Bellatrix smiled. "Now what are these?" she asked, holding up something she'd found in the closet.

"Jeans."

"Jeans?" She shoved them into Hermione's hands. "Put them on!"

"Now?"

"Yes, now."

"Could you…"

"Turn around? No." Bellatrix grinned. "I saw you naked yesterday, Missy, I sure am not turning around now."

Again, Hermione blushed. "Okay then." She hiked up the large T-shirt she had been sleeping in and knotted it around her waist, exposing plain, cotton knickers. Then, she put on her jeans.

"Ooh," Bellatrix hummed. "These can stay." Hermione giggled. "The rest, however," Bellatrix continued, "cannot."

"What?" Hermione protested. "What's wrong with my clothes?"

"They make you look like a homeless person."

"Excuse me?"

"I will take you shopping."

"Can't," Hermione sniped. "Dead during the day, remember?"

"Then I'll take you shopping once you can stay awake when it's light."

"And what will I wear in the meantime? I don't see what's wrong with my clothes! And I can't afford an entire new wardrobe."

Bellatrix moved in again, wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist. "I liked seeing you in my clothes," she murmured in the girl's ear.

"That doesn't solve anything," Hermione answered, but the fight was quickly leaving her voice.

"I'm filthy rich, Missy. Let me take you shopping."

Hermione grumbled, but tilted her head, allowing Bellatrix access to her neck. "As long as it's not all black."

"You can have some grey," Bellatrix teased, nibbling on Hermione's pulse point. When she moved to kiss the girl, however, Hermione pulled back.

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet," Hermione exclaimed, dashing off to the bathroom.

"Silly girl!" Bellatrix shouted after her, grinning.

Sometime later, they found themselves at the kitchen table, where Bellatrix was enjoying a hearty lunch and Hermione was staring at another bowl of broth.

"I want that croissant today," she moped.

"Then you'll have one," Bellatrix answered, "after your broth. What did you eat for dinner yesterday?"

"Uhm…"

"Tell me you ate dinner."

"I wasn't hungry," Hermione answered with a shrug, refusing to meet Bellatrix's eyes.

"Hermione!"

"I know, I know. I'll eat properly today, okay?"

"I'll spoon feed you if I have to," Bellatrix grumbled, making Hermione laugh.

They were interrupted when Toma appeared next to them. "A letter for the Mistress," he said, handing it over with a small bow.

"Thank you, Toma," Bellatrix said, recognising Cissy's handwriting.

"You've forgiven him?" Hermione teased once Toma was gone again.

Bellatrix shrugged, opening the short letter and reading it. "It seems Cissy wants to see us again today."

"Already?" Hermione asked. "Surely I've had enough blood for now."

"I don't think it's about you drinking, Missy. If I read it right, Lucius has some information."

"Oh, okay."

"Let's go in an hour or two. I want to show you something first. It seems you missed one of the most interesting rooms of the manor."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. Now eat your breakfast and I'll take you."

"Are you ready?" Bellatrix asked sometime later when they were standing in front of what seemed just another door.

"Stop teasing me, Bella."

Bellatrix smiled and opened the door to the library, allowing Hermione to walk in first. The girl froze just inside, staring at the rows upon rows of books. Then, she clapped her hands. "Books!" she squealed, before flinging herself between the racks.

Bellatrix laughed at her exuberance, following at a more leisurely pace. She watched, amused, as Hermione ran her fingers along the book's spines, only to dash to the other side of the aisle to do the same, and then aisle after aisle. There was an eager, playful light in her eyes which Bellatrix hoped to see more of; there had been something sad about the girl ever since she had met her in the bar.

Hermione finally settled on a settee with a book on her lap. She was soon completely engrossed.

"Have you forgotten about me, pet?" Bellatrix teased, picking up Hermione's feet and placing them on her lap after sitting down. She laughed as Hermione tried to cover up for her sudden fright at hearing Bellatrix's voice.

"No," she answered, looking away, "of course not."

"I forgive you, but just this once." Hermione gave her a sheepish smile. "What are you reading?" She pushed the book up so she could read the title. "Wards of ancient times?"

"I work- well, I guess I used to work for the Charms Development Department in the Ministry. My interest lies more with curse-breaking though, but nobody wanted to hire me."

"Why not?"

"They said I didn't seem 'up for the job'". Hermione shrugged.

"You look too timid, Missy," Bellatrix offered.

Hermione shrugged again. "I guess it's a moot point now, given the, uhm, situation."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, who's going to hire me now? Unless I find a job as a night guard or something, there's not much I can do, right?"

"I'm more than happy to provide for you," Bellatrix offered, knowing she was treading thin ice.

"Don't you get bored, doing nothing all day?"

"Well…"

"And I don't want to live on the goodwill of someone else. I should be able to provide for myself!"

"You know—"

"How do they all survive, anyway?" Hermione pressed on, ignoring Bellatrix. "Are they all filthy rich or something?"

"Most of them, yes."

"Oh."

"Let's talk this through with Lucius and Cissy. They'll no doubt know what your options are. Okay?"

"Okay. Let me just finish this chapter, alright, and then we can go see them?"

"Alright, Missy."

Three chapters later Bellatrix tapped Hermione's knee. Just like before, the girl spooked.

"You sure get absorbed," Bellatrix laughed.

"Sorry."

"Don't be, it's cute, but I do think we should be going."

"Right, right," Hermione said, looking sad to put the book down.

Bellatrix shook her head, amused. "You'll have plenty of time to read later."

"I know," Hermione answered with a sigh. She got up and stretched. "Come on, let's go see what news they have." Bellatrix took her hand and they started walking to the front door. "Can't you Apparate us out?" Hermione asked. "You Apparated us in yesterday."

"Being lazy?" Bellatrix teased.

"I prefer to call it functional."

Bellatrix snorted. "If you say so, Missy." She did, however, Disapparate them from within the manor.

As she had the day before, Narcissa was waiting for them at the front door, joined by Lucius and Draco.

"You are right," Lucius said, "she does look like a copy of Bella."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to them, Missy," she whispered to Hermione.

"It's slightly disturbing," Draco commented.

"Draco!" Narcissa snapped. "Either you behave, or you get lost."

"Sorry, mother." He turned to Hermione and, probably to placate his mother, gave her a curt bow. "I don't believe we have been introduced. I'm Draco Malfoy." He took Hermione's hand and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles.

Hermione blinked and blushed. "Hermione," she said. "Hermione Granger."

"Well, Hermione Granger, shall I escort you to the parlour?" He didn't wait for an answer put placed the girl's hand in the crook of his elbow and led the way. Lucius shook his head with mirth while Bellatrix glared after the boy.

"Don't worry, Bella, dear," Narcissa stage whispered. "He's already courting someone else."

"Good," Bellatrix ground out. Intensifying her glare as Draco winked at her from over his shoulder.

Narcissa and Bellatrix followed the others into the parlour and they all settled down for tea. There was some small talk before Lucius got to the point.

"I asked around, Hermione, to see if I could find out who your sire is. It seems the southern covens have been warned by the ones in France of a rogue."

"A rogue?" Hermione asked.

"One who has been cast out of his coven and our society as punishment," Lucius explained. "It seems this rogue has crossed the Channel and wandered into England. There have been some reports of drained Muggles, but he hasn't been found yet. The Ministry has been alerted so they can help with the search. Of course, this rogue can't be allowed to continue roaming."

"What will happen if the Ministry finds him before you do?"

"Then he will be handed to us for judgement. Not that the Ministry knows what that entails. There's a 'no questions asked' understanding."

"How's that possible?"

"Money, dear Hermione," Lucius simpered. "Money."

Bellatrix thought he looked way too smug about it.

"There's one more thing," Narcissa piped up. She grabbed Lucius's hand, causing Bellatrix to narrow her eyes with suspicion. "Hermione, dear, the council would have a fit trying to decide what to do with you. In previous cases, the made vampire didn't survive being abandoned. They mostly got killed by Muggles, or they killed themselves. We hoped to prevent all that by, if you agree, of course, adopting you as our ward."

Hermione frowned. "What does that mean?"

"It means we take full responsibility of you, Hermione, like your sire should have. We teach you everything you need to know. Any mistakes you make in the first ten years of your existence are reflected back on us as wrong guiding. Any punishment will also reflect back on us. If you accept, however, you will be bound to obey us within the same timeframe. And with 'bound to' I literally mean 'bound to'. If we command you to jump, you will jump."

"You- You would do that? For me? But—"

Hermione glanced at Bellatrix and Narcissa smiled. "You can keep living with Bella, dear. No need to move into our mansion. Besides, I doubt my dear sister would agree to let you go."

Bellatrix stuck her tongue out at her sister.

"Very mature, Bella," Lucius drawled.

"You don't have to agree immediately, of course. It's just, we don't know what will happen if the council doesn't have a ready-made solution. They're convening next week, so you still have some time to think it through."

"Uhm, okay, I'll-I'll think about it."

Bellatrix took pity on the girl, who looked completely baffled and lost for words. "On a different topic," she said. "Hermione has expressed her wish to continue working. Are there jobs available for your lot?"

"Our lot?" Draco mimicked.

"Oh, hush boy, you know what I mean."

He huffed and took a sip from his tea. Lucius turned towards Hermione.

"Where do your interests lie?"

"Well, I was working in Charms but I would much prefer curse-breaking," Hermione answered, having pulled herself together.

"You're lucky then," Lucius said. "Gringotts is more than willing to employ vampires as curse-breakers. We're a bit more difficult to kill, you see. I do believe one of their master curse-breakers at the moment is a vampire. Bertrand, if I'm not mistaken. I'll see if I can reach him."

"Really? Thank you!"

"You're a curious little witch," Draco commented. "You must have been a true swot that I didn't notice you at Hogwarts."

Hermione turned towards him, her eyes narrowing. "Do you think so, now? Well, if you don't watch out, I might start thinking you are a bit of a prat."

Bellatrix burst out laughing and her mirth only grew when she noticed the shocked look on Draco's face. He was gaping like fish on dry land. Narcissa was staring at the pair and Lucius was smirking.

"It seems your uncouth ways are already rubbing off, Bella," he commented.

"Good," Bellatrix answered. "It would be a shame if she turned all prissy and pristine like you are. I'll make sure you don't rub off too much."

Narcissa let out a long-suffering sigh and the four of them smirked at her.

xXxXxXx

Later that evening, back in the Lestrange library, Hermione was lying down on the settee, her head in Bellatrix's lap.

"Are you okay with it?" she asked Bellatrix.

"With what?" Bellatrix answered, closing her book and petting Hermione's hair.

"With me becoming a ward of the Malfoy's?"

"Yes. I'd rather you be their ward than anybody else's. But you have to decide for yourself, Missy."

"Is Draco going to take advantage of the whole 'bound to obey' thing? He really does seem like a prat."

Bellatrix laughed. "That's because he is. But no, Lucius won't allow it. None of them would misuse you, pet. I think it's meant to prevent new vampires from doing absolutely stupid things, like starving themselves."

"How long is it going to take for you to let that go?" Hermione whined. "I thought it would kill me!"

"Silly, silly girl. I'll stop once you're healthy again, alright?"

"Well, I'm doing my best. I ate your dinner as my lunch, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. I'm proud of you."

Hermione harrumphed.

"You'll stay here, won't you?" Bellatrix asked.

"Yes, I'm staying right by you, Bella," Hermione answered.

"Good. Good." There was a short silence. Bellatrix looked down at Hermione, who had her eyes closed and was enjoying being petted. "Say, Missy, you aren't thirsty by any chance?"

Hermione opened her eyes. "Really Bella?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "I like it."

In a flash, Hermione was straddling Bellatrix, tilting the witch's head to one side. "Do you now?" she whispered against Bellatrix's pulse.

"Are you going to make me beg for it?"

"Perhaps."

"I'm a bad influence."

Hermione giggled. "You most definitely are."

Laughing, Bellatrix wrapped her arms around Hermione and Apparated them to the bedroom. It was one of many, many pleasurable nights to come.