The Inner Peace

A/N: Thanks to Experience
My Dreams, wicked, SnapesSweetheart and class=SpellE>catysmom for the reviews!

Chapter 3

Hermione apparated into a large
entry hall and quickly disillusioned herself. She hurried up the winding marble
staircase and made her way quietly to the furthest wing of the house. Hearing
voices behind her, she quickly pressed herself against the wall of the family
wing and waited as the pair passed the hallway.

“Lestrange, we shall have to talk
this arrangement over some other time. I’m expecting my son to check in soon
and I believe they are using your library this time?” drawled a semi-familiar
voice that Hermione couldn’t quite place due to her nervousness.

“Yes, I believe that was where the meeting was set up. I
shall escort you myself,” answered her father in a clipped tone, as though he
knew she was there.

Once their voices had faded, she let out her breath and made
her way to the fourth door on the left. She was surprised to see two women
sitting in on her bed quietly talking. One was visibly older with gentle
features and graying hair, the other was younger with sleek black hair and vibrant
blue eyes that held a tint of red when in public. Marveling at the irony of these
two women being the only stable things in her life, Hermione softly set her bag
down on the floor, and watched the two women for a moment.

She had been afraid that her parents would try and bring her
to the Dark Lord when the Grangers, really w:st="on">Lorraines, brought
her to meet them. But they hadn’t even discussed politics and tiptoed around
that seemingly large elephant in the room. The topic of war was avoided at all
costs and Hermione, or Veri
as they called her, came to feel comfortable with the two people that the class=SpellE>Wizarding world was most scared of, besides the Dark Lord.

She released the cloaking spell and scuffed her feet,
alerting the two women to her presence. Giselle or Gran, as Hermione had begun
to call her, smiled at her while Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at her unexpected
arrival and with the knowledge that certain men were in the house that should
not see her daughter. Hermione gave them both a quavering smile and the two
women, noticing immediately that something was wrong, pulled her to them and
engulfed her in a hug. Hermione sobbed out the story of her husband’s betrayal,
her hurt and her insecurity of what to do next. Giselle left quietly, allowing
Bellatrix some time alone with the girl she had gone to prison to protect. The female
Death Eater practically cooed and hugged the girl tightly until she felt her
even breathing. As Bella quietly slipped out the door, her husband emerged out
of the shadows with the doors *click* behind her.

“Well?”

“Damn Potter! I knew he would do something like this. Rudy
he’s destroyed her and that whore of his took away her self-respect!”

“At least she’s well shot of him. On the plus side, she
isn’t at that damned headquarters anymore, maybe now …?”

“Rodolphus Malthusian Lestrange!
Are you fucking kidding me?! Our baby has just gotten out of the eye of the
storm and is hurting, I say we take advantage of this and send her away – away
from this idiotic war and her potential to be hurt. She may not be mine by
blood but I love her more than should be possible of the ‘insane’ Bellatrix class=SpellE>Lestrange” ranted Bella with a short cackle to punctuate
her last sarcastic sentence.

“I know dearest, but He isn’t going to wait forever; perhaps
merely a dinner or some such, where they can be introduced and let that be
that.” He raised a hand to stop her interruption, “We have to tell Him before
He finds out on His own. We haven’t gotten this far, just to be set back by
hiding something. I love her as much as you do, Merlin help
me, but this is the best way of keeping her safe. And once they’ve met, He’ll
just be glad she isn’t at Potter’s side anymore.”

“I agree with Him on that.”

“Indeed. Well what do you propose we do with her ma Belle?
We can’t simply stuff her in a cave, she won’t abide that,” he grinned at the
spitting mad image of his daughter though.

Bellatrix bit her lip, reminiscent of Hermione, and looked
thoughtful, “I have a glimmer of an idea, let me get some post out and I’ll
tell you all about it.”

“Bella … your eyes are glinting, what are you thinking my
love?”

A/N: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>A shortie I know,
but I wanted to give you a little bite to nibble on over the weekend.