Halloween Treat from lee-bella
Author: lee_bella
Title: In the Coffer Where Her Shadow Lies
Pairing: Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Lestrange
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and its characters are not mine.
Warnings: A bit dark
Summary: In the dead of night, Hermione stands before the ebony wardrobe in her tidy bedroom, staring at the pitch-black doors that are shut as tightly as the door to her secrets.
Notes: Happy Hallowe'en! I wanted to write something gothic for the occasion, hence this drabble was born. Thank you for reading.
In the Coffer Where Her Shadow Lies
In the dead of night, Hermione stood before the ebony wardrobe in her tidy bedroom, staring at the pitch-black doors that gleamed darkly in the candlelight. The doorknobs glinted silver and cold. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the wardrobe, reached into the shadowy compartment, and pulled out a black dress she had only worn once.
The dress smelled faintly of dried flowers. She ran her hand over the velvety fabric, fingers tracing the delicate black lace, the tarnished silver buttons, the silken ribbon. She took the dress in her arms and pressed it to her body. The dress embraced her like a lover, possessing her.
She remembered full red lips, eyes dark as the abyss, and a full-bosomed figure that could fill out the dress with life. She remembered the flash of a knife, the sweet, warm breath on her neck, and coils of long black hair tumbling down her face.
She shivered, a thrill trailing down her spine.
That woman was always with her, behind her, beside her, inside her. Nevertheless, she never saw her beyond a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye, the hem of a black dress swishing just out of sight, a silhouette that was merely a stranger in the crowd. Tonight was Samhain, however, and she felt the woman press up against her, seducing her with ghostly caresses.
Her heartbeat quickened, she looked into the mirror; a woman stared back at her with pitch-black eyes. Was that Hermione-or Bellatrix-or both?
An eternity later, she saw only herself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she returned the dress to its hiding place and shut her secrets away. In the enveloping stillness, she thought she heard something rustle in the dark-like a dress brushing against polished wood.