Meeting Draco's Aunt

Chapter 5

Monday came around rather quickly and Hermione was rather excited to spend the entire day with Bellatrix, they had offered an invitation to Narcissa who had to decline despite her sheer disappointment, she'd insisted they all go out for a girls weekend this Saturday though, despite Bella's objection.

"Ready?" Hermione calls, knocking the woman's door. Bellatrix opened it and offered a smile.
"I suppose." She grabs her cloak.
She wore a knee length black dress with a round cut neck and a silver chain with a little stone resting just above her breasts. Her hair was loose, flowing freely down her back and on her feet a pair of black heels.
"You look nice." Hermione smiles, the woman stopped dead in her tracks staring at the girl.
"What?" Hermione swallows, she'd not seen anyone reacted like that to a compliment before.
"Ah, I...I said you look nice." Hermione repeated. The woman cleared her throat, the compliment startled her, completely knocked her off guard and she could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks. She mumbled something as she hurriedly walked past Hermione, who hid a smile, she had indeed caught the woman blushing.

The pair walked side by side as they left the house, Narcissa was having another meeting with her friends and wasn't all that impressed she didn't get to go shopping with them. Hermione glanced at the woman and felt slightly underdressed compared to her...then again they were only going to the book shop, she always wore jeans and a jumper why is she over thinking this?

The pair entered Hogsmeade and Bellatrix already began regretting her decision, eyes turned in her direction. She inched closer to Hermione who unexpectedly linked her arm with Bella's and dragged the woman along.
"Oh Bellatrix look!" Hermione instantly left the woman go and made her way to the cat at the pet store, Bellatrix followed silently behind, an amused expression on her face.
"It's a cat Hermione."
"But look at that face." Hermione gushed, Bellatrix didn't quite understand what the girl saw, it was simply the most ugliest cat the woman had ever seen. Not to mention it's missing one eye and his facial expression just looked blank.
"Isn't it just the sweetest."
"I'm not going to lie dove, that's got to be the ugliest cat I've seen." Bellatrix came to stand beside her.
"Don't say that, you'll hurt its feelings."Hermione frowns at the woman.
"Just ignore her, she doesn't really mean it." Hermione said, nodding in the direction of the witch. The cat just began heaving in response.
"See, that's what he thought of you." Hermione responds earning a chuckle from the witch.
"Come on you, or we'll be here all day."
Hermione said her goodbye to the cat before linking her arm with Bella's once more.

Hermione made her way to the book shop happily dragging Bella along. Bellatrix didn't really speak much, she took in their surroundings and the people around them. A few stared, some whispered as they went by. Some women even hid their children, and that hurt. She wasn't a monster
"Hey, you okay?" Hermione stops, eyeing the silent woman over.
"What?" Bella looks to the witch snapping out of her thoughts.
"I asked if you were okay" Hermione repeats unthinkingly tucking a strand of loose curl behind her ear.
"I erm...mhm" Bella swallows, this witch really had no idea what personal space was, she never once hesitated she just went for it.
No one really dared do that to Bellatrix, most people were weary to even talk to her.
"Just ignore them, they're probably just jealous of how pretty you are." The little creature on her shoulder chitters causing Bella to jump.
She'd forgotten he was there.
The woman clears her throat,
"We better get going, that shop will be shut at this rate." She said, turning her attention to the floor. Hermione however, noticed the tint of pink that found its way to her cheeks yet again, it made her wonder about a lot of things. One thing she noticed was the woman couldn't take a compliment.

The pair began their journey once more and eventually they arrived at their destination.
"After you." Hermione smiles opening the door.
"Thank you." Bella offers a smile as she entered the shop, the smell of old books hit her instantly and memories of her time here as a child came flooding back.
The shop was filled with books of all sorts from romance novels to horrors, from fiction to scientific...any book you could ever need.