Black's House for Little Witches

8

A/N: Sorry for the wait. This chapter took forever to write. It's also way longer than I intended.

Hopefully you read and enjoy. :)

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Hermione did not like side-along apparation. She hadn't passed the test to receive her apparation license, and Bellatrix didn't want to take the Floo into the Leaky Cauldron, so they'd side-along apparated to a spot just near the entrance to the upper side of Diagon Alley. On landing, Hermione would have fallen to her knees if Narcissa hadn't caught hold of her.

"Easy now, love," the older woman murmured. She gently placed her hand on Hermione's back and started slow, soothing circular motions. "Slow breaths. The dizziness will fade in a moment."

"Where are we starting?" Bellatrix asked.

"I told Andy she could have lunch with Ted," Narcissa answered. Her hand never left Hermione's back. "And yes, I promised she could go alone. She's not a child, Bella, and we'll be nearby in case something happens."

Bellatrix huffed. "You still have your bracelet, yes?"

Now that she'd recovered from the dizziness, Hermione looked up and saw Andromeda nod dutifully. "Yes. And also the necklace you made me. See?" She pulled a chain out from under her shirt. A simple silver chain with a charm that looked like it might have been the crest of House Black.

Bellatrix hummed softly. "Good girl. Fine then. I suppose you can go and meet your friend. We'll meet by Fortescue's at three." She narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do not leave the Alley without us, Andromeda. Understood?"

Andromeda nodded seriously and then, after hugging both of the older women, dashed off without another word. Hermione might have found her departure a bit rude if she didn't understand the other girl's desire to get away before Bellatrix could change her mind.

Narcissa, however, seemed to feel differently. "Where are her manners?" she muttered to herself. She rolled her eyes before sending a half hearted glare toward Bellatrix. "She gets that from you, you know."

"You don't think anything will happen to Andy, do you?" Hermione asked quietly.

Bellatrix shook her head. "While I do worry, there are safety measures in place." She gestured to Hermione's wrist. "Should either of you get lost, you can tap that bracelet three times, and it will activate a locator spell to guide you back to myself or Narcissa."

"What if you're in two different locations?"

"It'll lead you to whoever is closest," Narcissa answered. "Andromeda has a necklace that contains a port key for times of extreme emergency. It can send her home if it detects high levels of distress from her."

"You can do that?" Hermione's eyes widened in fascination.

Bellatrix nodded with a small smirk. "You can do all kinds of things if you're dedicated enough to the required research."

Hermione nodded fervently. "I can be. Harry and Ron made fun of me for it a lot." She frowned after a moment. "I'm not really sure Ron meant it in a joking way, really," she added in a quieter volume.

"Well, from what we were told, you did quite the impressive amount of research," Narcissa commented. "Your essays were some of the best from your group, according to Minerva."

Hermione perked up at that statement. "Really? She said that?" she asked, trying to contain her hopefulness.

Bellatrix nodded. "That was part of the reason we agreed to take you in. You're very bright, Hermione, and I know you'll be powerful one day, but no one fostered that properly for you." She shook her head slightly. "We can discuss that another time. Today is supposed to be for a fun outing. Where would you like to start?"