Bellamione - her beloved monster

20. A Trip To Hogsmeade

"Lacewings, boomslang's skin -" She read from a seemingly endless list.
"Don't distract from the obvious."
She wrinkled her nose, "I don't."
Hermione rolled her eyes and put her hand on her friend's.
But Bellatrix pulled hers away, "I'm still mad, doll."
She stopped, for Slughorn stepped through the rows of tables and checked the students' cauldron.
"Remarkable Ms. Selwyn, Ms. Black. You continue to improve over and over again."
As the professor moved on to the Lestrange brothers' project, Hermione leaned over to her friend's ear and murmured, "See, you can't deny it, we make a perfect team.
This elicited an arrogant smile from the born Black, "That confident, doll?"
"I learned from the best."
"I should hope so." Bellatrix brushed a raven black strand from her forehead.

A joyous roar of laughter rang out, Potions class was over and the students left the dungeons.
All except the two young witches.
Professor Slughorn turned to the two again, "Black, Selwyn, there's another Slugclub party coming up, I can count on your presence, can't I?"
Hermione glared at her friend, who crossed her arms.
"I'd love to, Professor." Came shooting out of Bellatrix's mouth.
"Here, keep up the good work." The teacher praised them both and handed them each a silver invitation, which was so enchanted that the letters danced around on the paper.
They left the stuffy room and crept up the dungeon stairs.

"Are you looking forward to it?"
"What for?"
"To the party! Bella, do you have a dress yet?" Hermione tugged at her robe.
"Don't you remember what happened last time?" The witch with the shock of dark hair grinned and patted the dust off the fake Selwyn's cloak.
"Do you want to come to Hogsmeade with me? I want to buy Christmas decorations and I don't feel like doing my transformation house task."
"Who does?" The black-haired witch's warm laugh stopped Hermione from shivering.
"Do you have presents for Andy and Cissy yet?"
"Honestly? Not really, another reason to accompany you."

Only a few minutes passed and the two witches were wrapped in thick cloaks and Slytherin scarves.
The cold air didn't stop them, they hooked up and trudged along the stone paths into the small village.
Hermione had luckily picked up a few Galleons from the future and was pondering what she could give her friends.

The first shop they entered was a small one that smelled of cinnamon, Dervish & Banges Shop.
Individual quills stood in the window and on the shelves were bottles of colorful ink.
Hermione ran her fingertips along the dusty shelves and finally bought a new pen set with black nibs and different colored ink for Andromeda.
Shortly after, she and Bellatrix browsed a bric-a-brac shop together and found the perfect gift for Narcissa.
It was a sparkly bracelet with little beads in periwinkle blue.
Hermione peered through one of the shelves, noticing Bellatrix grimacing and sticking her tongue out.

The young witches started laughing and hurried out into the cold again, past Madam Puddifoot's café where two familiar figures were sipping tea in love.
"Isn't that your sister there with -"
"Malfoy!" Bellatrix wasn't sure whether to be disgusted or laugh, so she tugged at her friend's cloak.
She pushed open the shop door, a fine chime of bells rang out, and all eyes fell on Black and Selwyn.
The blonde student expertly set down her teacup and eyed her nearly frozen sister: "Bella, what are you doing here?"
"Good question. What are you doing here?"
Narcissa screwed up her face and wrinkled her nose, "This is a couples café, what are you doing here?"

But her big sister had already pulled out a chair at a nearby table and pulled out the house menu.

"Sit down, doll." She looked Hermione in the eye with a grin, "What do you want? I think I'll have a hot chocolate."
The brown-haired witch settled down with red cheeks and leaned towards the born Black, "You heard her, this is a couples cafe. They'll all think I want something from you!"
"But don't you?" Bellatrix laughed, "Just kidding, you need to enjoy your life doll, you never know when some idiot will come along and ruin it for you."

And even though Hermione sipped her tea in shame, she managed to keep herself cool.
Afterward, she had gotten everyone a Christmas present, except for Rodolphus.
After all the stuff he had acted towards her and Bellatrix, she had decided against getting him anything.

For Rabastan and Corban, she had got a mixed bag of sweets for each of them from Honeydukes. For Lucius, she found a new pocket watch with a classy-looking leather strap.

Back at Hogwarts, the two witches sat on Black's bed, poking their heads over a transformation book and snacking on their errands from the honey pot.
"What did you get for your sisters?" Hermione tilted her head and brushed a jet black curl from the student's face.
"For Andy, a book called A Thousand Magical Events and Their Consequences, and for Cissy, a new hat with a brooch."
"That sounds good."
"Do you have something for me yet too, doll?" Bellatrix raised her left eyebrow.
"Me? Why would I buy a present for the most arrogant witch far and wide at Hogwarts?"

But at that moment, she lied.
She had already spent nights pondering what to get her friend and finally came up with the perfect idea.

She still had a mixtape from the future in her suitcase and it seemed perfect for the headstrong free spirit she called Bella.

Her eyes fell on the little cassette:

Side A:
Hey Jude - The Beatles
Once Upon a December
Asleep - the Smiths
Heroes - David Bowie

Side B:
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Come On Eileen - Dexys Midnight Runners
Super Freak - Rick James
Down Under - Men at Work
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles