Black's House for Little Witches

30

A/N: I added a sprinkle of angst to the story again. It's just a smidge, though, and we're right back into the fluff. Please remember to keep in mind that I am 100000% making up how magic and bonds work in this story. It's all just for fun. I have some dialogue that required some translations. They're a little bit spoiler-y, so I'm going to put them in the end note.

I hope you read and enjoy if you made it this far. :)

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A soft knock on her bedroom door interrupted Hermione's bedtime routine. She quickly finished putting her kitten onesie on and then called, "Come in."

The door opened, and then Bellatrix stepped. "Hello, sweet girl. Getting on alright?"

Hermione nodded. She ducked her head and shyly asked, "Could you, could you read for me?"

Bella grinned. "Of course, love, but I need to talk to you first."

That sounded bad. Hermione didn't really have reason to think that, but that was usually the way people started a conversation that led to bad news.

Still, she climbed into bed and settled down, allowing Bellatrix to tuck her into the blankets. Crookshanks curled against her side, purring loudly as he did.

Bella inhaled a long breath. "Tomorrow morning, I'm going into the office," she started. "I was asked to help with a project, but I'm also going to turn in my resignation. I probably won't be here when you wake up, but I'm hoping to be back by lunch."

Hermione tilted her head. "You're going to work?"

"Temporarily. I'm also resigning, but I'm going to help with this particular issue first."

"Does Andy know?"

Bellatrix smiled softly. "She does, but she's also used to me going to the office." She reached for Hermione's hand as the girl nodded slowly. "I just want you to be prepared for when I'm not here. Your bond is still settling, and there's not really any way to know how you'll react to the presence of my magic being gone."

Hermione pressed closer to the woman. "Is it bad if something happens?"

Bellatrix shook her head. "It's perfectly natural, Hermione. This is the first time you're experiencing a temporary separation. It's normal to feel out of balance and not quite right." She pressed a light kiss to the top of Hermione's head. "But I need you to remember that it's only for the morning, love."

Hermione fiddled with the fabric of Bellatrix's shirt. "Is there any way of knowing what a reaction might look like?"

"Andy experienced something like this once. She said that she felt cold, but once we returned, that cold went away." Bellatrix hugged the girl tightly again. "I promise this is only temporary, sweet girl. I will be back, and then I shouldn't have to leave again until your bond is more permanently settled."

"What are you gonna do instead?" Hermione asked. She shifted to cuddle up against the woman's side. She was a little nervous about what kind of reaction she might have, but hopefully things would be okay. Bella would be back. She wasn't going to be gone forever. It would only be a few hours. Narcissa and Andy would still be there. There wasn't anything to be anxious about.

Bellatrix hummed softly as she patted Hermione's back softly. "I'm going to focus more on the family businesses. They weren't neglected, per se, but I plan to be a little more hands on, and possibly explore other avenues of business."

Hermione nodded again. She climbed up into the woman's lap and settled down once more. She held a hand out and, with a soft "Accio," summoned a book off the large bookcase in the corner of her room. It was a massive bookshelf, larger than anything she'd had growing up, and it looked so barren with only a few books on it. She needed to fix that. Maybe she'd ask if Harry or Neville wanted to go to Diagon with her sometime soon. Or Andy, even.