My Professor

Chapter 16

Knowing most everyone would still be in the hall, along with all the Professor's, Bellatrix instantly yet silently exited the castle, robes billowing behind her. She entered the cold night air, not once looking back. Completely unaware of the brunette following her.

Bellatrix went to the place she was so fond of, the edge of the cliff where a certain Gryffindor once accompanied her. The witch looked out over the sea, watching the waves crashing against the cliffs edge. And the moon making its appearance, as the sun disappears.  Bellatrix inhales closing her eyes, enjoying the wind in her hair. Opening them, she walks closer to the edge, sitting down on the ground about 6 feet from the cliffs edge she pulls out both bottles taking a swig from the one, inhaling deeply the witch lay down, looking up at the sky as it slowly began getting darker and darker. Bellatrix inhales once more, closing her eyes enjoying the relaxing sound of the sea.

"Thats a lot of alcohol for just one person."
Bellatrix eyes shot open to see Hermione staring down at her. She sat up eyes widen with surprise
"What are you doing here?!" She'd been caught, she daren't look at the girl.
"You didn't eat anything, and now you're drinking. Do you really think that's wise?" Hermione came to sit beside the older woman.
"What do you care?!" Bellatrix snaps.
"Believe it or not but I do care, despite the fact you can be rude, terrifying and not to mention snappy, I've seen another side to you, a pleasant almost caring side, and I think that the whole rude and snappiness is just a cover up." Hermione looks at the witch. Bellatrix laughs
"Cover up of what, please do tell."
"I think you're someone who's dealing with a lot and no one to talk to, someone who's lost so much throughout your life so you turn to drink.
Hoping to drowned your pain and fears away. I believe deep down there's a young witch with a heart so big, and she's trying to escape the cage she's trapped in, yet day by day slowly losing hope, slowly giving in to the devil trying to break her." Bellatrix laughs manically.
"That's funny."
"That's why you are the way you are, you push people away because you're afraid to let them in, afraid if they get to close they'll be taken from you."
"You know nothing!" Bellatrix snaps.
"I know what it's like to have the ones you love snatched away from you." Hermione's gaze drops to her knees as she brings them up to her chest. "It's no good hiding things, you need to let things out, it's no good bottling it up." She shifts her attention to the woman. "And what happened last night, it's not good keeping these things to yourself, it's not healthy, I'll admit I don't know whats going on with you, in your life, but you need to get it off your chest. I understand if you don't trust me, but what about Professor Mcgonagall or Professor Snape? We want to help you Professor, I want to help you, but it's kinda hard to do without your cooperation." Hermione looks at the woman, A moment of silence passes by
"Its not weak to talk about how you feel you know. " Hermione sighs her gaze dropping to the floor, another moment of silence passes by, Hermione's diverts her attention to the moon that's appeared.

"I have no one to talk to." Bellatrix whispers so quietly Hermione just about heard it.
"Of course you do, there's Professor Mcgonagall, Professor Snape-"
"Minerva worries to much as it is, if she found out what was going on now, I don't think her heart be able to take it...and as for Snape, he'd just tell Minerva anyway. They tell each other everything." Bellatrix stares at the bottle in her hands.
"This isn't new is it? What's going on, that dream..."
"No Granger, it's not new, it's been going on for years, Ever since..." Bellatrix inhales, she takes another swig.
"Ever since what?"
"Why are here Granger, what do you want?" Bellatrix looks at the girl.

"To make sure you're okay."
"Why?"
"I told you, because I care." Hermione's attention drifts to the woman.
"No one ever just cares Granger, that's not how it works, not for someone like me. People only care until I'm of no use."
"That's not true, Professor Mcgonagall cares."
"Minerva doesn't count, nor does Severus."
"What about Dumbledore?"
Bellatrix laughs hysterically, she didn't clarify why though. Hermione sighs, her eyes falling back to the ground, she notices Bellatrix's hand on the ground, she takes a deep breath before reaching for her hand and lacing there fingers together. She looks up at the frowning woman, half expecting to be cursed or something.
"I care." She met the woman's eyes. Bellatrix did her best to search Hermione's eyes, for any signs of deception, but there was none.
"I mean it." Hermione squeezes the woman's hand. Bellatrix smiles slightly, her gaze drifting to their joined hands.

Hermione smiles, studying the woman. She truly was beautiful. Bellatrix looks up at Hermione before laying down on the ground.
The girl looks down at her Professor, finding herself lost for words. She looked like an angel, an angel Hermione found herself wanting to kiss.
"The stars are pretty, aren't they?" Bellatrix looks up at the starlit sky. Hermione swallows coming back to reality. She lay down beside the woman, their hands still entwined.
"Incredible." Hermione smiles.

The wind was chill, and the stars burned brightly on the blanket of darkness, Bellatrix lay staring up at the brilliant sapphire pallor of electric light that are the stars.
And Hermione glanced at Bella as she gazed up at the stars, Hermione smiles and came to the conclusion that this star was the most beautiful star she'd ever seen. So she needed a little mending, but who didn't?
"Do you have a favourite star? I personally can't Choose just one."
"Bellatrix." Hermione whispers.
"Bellatrix now is it? What happened to Professor?" Bellatrix smirks turning her head to look at the girl.
"Bellatrix is my favourite star." Hermione smiles back.
"It is?" Bellatrix whispers, her brows furrowing slightly. And if Hermione looked hard enough she could see the tint of pink in the woman's cheeks. Hermione smiles bringing the woman's hand to her lips. "She is." Hermione whispers, eyes meeting Bellatrix's.

Those deep pools of dark-hickory swirls seized the depth and the heaviness of a thousand untold stories, which imprisoned the sweetness of chocolate and the bitterness of strong coffee. They consisted of raw emotion and if Hermione were to observe closely, they will reveal the exact thought that crosses her wondrous mind. But that was the trick, you had to look, truly search her eyes and the answers were all there.

Hermione couldn't hide the smile on her lips, she no longer had control over her own body, she'd lost herself in the eyes of her Professor.
Hermione could see something unfamiliar in the woman's eyes, a spark could be seen in her brown-mahogany orbs, that held a mischievous glint that could be noticed next to the swirls of rich cinnamon that rimmed her iris. They glow with humor and playfulness that Hermione hadn't seen before, nevertheless, her eyes possess a sadness that placed a sorrowful veil, which cloaked her eyes, it seemed as if it muted the happiness in her eyes.

Hermione felt the woman gently squeezing her own hand and managed to tear her attention away from the woman's eyes only to see the corners of her lips turn upwards. She was smiling. A true proper smile. There was something about the way she smiled, Hermione felt butterflies in the pit of her stomach and she could feel her own smile getting wider, the woman had the kind of smile that made you feel happy to be alive and just that little bit more human.

The corners of her gorgeous eyes lit up with happiness, little adorable wrinkles making there appearance, and that's when Hermione saw all the buried kindness eclipsed behind those wonderful hickory and cinnamon swirls. There was some sort of goodness in her eyes, which tells you that no matter what she did, their intention will never carry any hint of malevolence or viciousness whatsoever. The kindness may not necessarily be shown or exposed. But if you look closely, you can reveal all the mysteries that are hidden in the deep beds of those big, brown bambi like eyes.
And in that moment, just like that, Hermione knew she'd fallen for her Professor.