Dark Waters Require Warmth

Chapter 7 - It Was a Stormy Night

"This trip is off to a fucking great start Andy! I might as well jump overboard now so that I might actually have a better chance of surviving with the sharks than onboard with your shitty sailing skills!!" Bellatrix yelled over the hard downpour of rain.

~flashback~

Hermione woke up at 6:00 in the morning and heard what she had not been expecting. Rain, and lots of it.

She got up out of her bed and threw on a deep red cardigan quickly and headed upstairs to see if two of the Black sisters were already discussing the problem.

"Well obviously it's not the right conditions for tagging today Cissy. Even though Hermione will be disappointed, her safety is all that I care about on this trip." Hermione heard Andromeda speaking quietly with her sister.

"I know, I know. Maybe she can find something else to do today so that she doesn't feel like it's a day wasted away."

"Could you please help her with that? I know she has looked up to you for a while now, and she was probably practically vibrating when she knew she would be out working alongside her favorite ecologist."

"You're just stroking my ego Andy, but I will do it for her because she means a lot to me too. I guess it's too bad her and Draco aren't straight. I would have loved to have her as my daughter-in-law..." Narcissa and Andromeda seemed to end the conversation there, so Hermione entered the control room. "Hello Andy, Narcissa, it seems to be quite the rainy day isn't it?" Hermione tried to make light of the conversation knowing that if she seemed calm about it, maybe no one else would worry. Right?

Andromeda kept staring straight ahead but replied, "Oh, good morning my early riser. Yes, it seems to be 'a rainy day' alright. We might have to push some of your plans a bit back, because I don't want you going in with such terrible diving conditions."

"Well lucky for us, I already planned ahead! I made one regular plan of my most optimistic and ideal two months of research, and followed by that, four other separate plans, the last accounting for at least two full weeks worth of terrible conditions. It would still include enough time to accomplish all the research I want to do." Hermione smiled at the two sisters who simply stared at her in awe.

"Well then, I guess you have everything handled then. Cissy, would you please go with Hermione and figure out what rainy day plans she has for today? I would like some alone time this morning." Andromeda smiled lightly and nodded at Hermione, focusing back at the waves ahead of her.

"Come, dear." Narcissa led Hermione out and into the kitchen where they had a simple seating area with a couch. Narcissa made herself a cup of tea and Hermione gasped, "I almost forgot to wake up Bellatrix!" She grabbed a cup of coffee as quick as she could, glancing at the clock to make sure she still had time. '6:29, I can still make it.'

She headed downstairs carefully, making sure to not spill the to-go cup as the waves rocked the boat. When she got to Bellatrix's room, she knocked and opened the door about an inch. She whispered Bella's name and didn't hear any response, so she entered quietly, closing the door behind her.

"Bellatrix?" Still nothing. 'I didn't peg her as a heavy sleeper." She thought to herself as she looked her over for the first time. Bellatrix was lying quite contorted, with one arm hanging off the bed, and the other wrapped around her head. 'How does she sleep like this?' Even though she looked completely uncomfortable, her beautiful curls framed her face perfectly, making her look like a sleeping goddess. Hermione remembered why she was staring at this woman, and brought herself back to reality.

"Bella? It's time to wake up."

"I brought your coffee. Black, just the way you like it." She approached the sleepy beauty and kneeled down next to the bed, hoping she wouldn't startle her if she awoke abruptly. She almost screamed when she felt a hand grab her wrist. The boat swayed, making her nearly drop the coffee.