To you, 30 years from now

Chapter 2 - Memories

The first thing she saw when she come to her senses, was the pale face of the girl called Bellatrix. That one was almost hovering above her. There was a mix of curiosity and fascination in the young woman's eyes, as she looked down into hers. When Hermione got up, she leaned back and give her a cup in which there was water. Hermione gulped it down, she then looked at the woman. She still could've sworn to have seen here somewhere, sometime... but her memories were fading, she couldn't even remember the names and faces of her friends she had known, before she had been dragged into this place or... into this time. 

"Okay, first things first", Bellatrix spoke with a firm tone in her voice, "are you a muggle or a muggleborn?", she asked. Hermione knew what those words meant, but she didn't know what of those things she really was. She had no idea, it was as if the holes in her memories got bigger and bigger, swallowing everything she knew about herself. "Because I for sure won't help a muggleborn, or even a muggle.", said Bellatrix in a firm manner. 

"I am not a muggleborn", the truth was, that Hermione had no idea if she was one or not, but she knew, that she needed help and she couldn't be picky with choosing whom to help her, so she lied without even knowing that she did, about not being a muggleborn, "my parents are both wizards, but I can't remember their names.", she added. 

"That is troublesome.", Bellatrix looked at her. "Well I can't stay here forever, I have to go back to Hogwarts, to learn more about stuff I don't even really care about.", she said. 

"You don't care about magic?", asked Hermione. 

"It's not that I don't care about magic, just not the type of magic they teach you at Hogwarts. You know, that wishy washy stuff? I'd rather learn real magic, the one that allows you how to fight.", Bellatrix took out her wand and looked at it. "That would be better.", she said to herself. 

"I think I can help you with that", Hermione suddenly remembered a lot of magic she had learned from a boy whose name had escaped her mind, she felt a sharp pain inside her head, but she ignored it as best as she could, "I've learned how to do a lot of stuff, like disarming, shocking and even making a patronus."

"A patronus?", Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. "You want me to believe that?", she asked. 

"Just watch.", Hermione grabbed her wand, raised in the air, thought of the happiest memory in her mind, and then, she whispered. "Expecto Patronum.", and to Bellatrix surprise, a bright figure came out of her wand, one in the form of an otter. 

"So, you barely have any memories left, and yet you're able to make a bloody Patronus?", asked the young witch. "What exactly was that happy memory just now?", she asked. 

"I guess it was the one I had recently. When you helped me.", admitted Hermione and felt her face turning slightly red. 

"I'm charmed.", Bellatrix laughed. "But you'll have to do more than that, to get a date with me, miss 'I-don't-know-who-I-am'.", she giggled and then walked up to the door. Before she left her cabin however, she turned around. "Can you teach me some of this stuff?", she asked her. 

"If you help me in return.", answered Hermione. 

"I'll bring you food, and I guess the books I have at Hogwarts. You seem to be kind of a bookworm, so maybe that'll cure your boredom.", she said, waved at her as a goodbye and then left the cabin, leaving Hermione alone. 

Once Bellatrix was gone, Hermione at first tried to remember, she tried to find the memories she had lost, but there were almost none to find. She remembered seeing a witch, one year younger than her, with flaming red hair, she saw a boy, with dark hair and one with red hair. But she couldn't really remember their faces, or remember their names. She felt lost once again. She then walked out of the cabin, and looked at Hogwarts. 

She had been there once, that she knew. She didn't know, why though. Almost everything she knew about her life was gone, and yet she knew the magic she had learned from a boy whom she didn't even know his name or his face? She could remember how she had been at Hogwarts, but she couldn't remember her parents names, or if she was even a muggleborn? It was strange to say the least, and her mind developed the conspiracy theory, that something had tampered with her mind for a specific goal. The question was, what that goal was. 

Hermione spend the rest of the day trying to remember, but to no avail. Her memories were almost completely gone. The one thing though she could remember very well, was the girl who had helped her. Bellatrix, the girl with dark wavy hair, a pretty and pale face and deep dark eyes, where one could get lost if they looked to look into them. Hermione took a nap. She awoke, when someone opened the door to her cabin. Immediately she was on guard, she had already raised her wand at the person who had entered the cabin. And she was relieved, when she saw that it was none other than Bellatrix. 

"My goodness", she gasped, "you scared me!"

"Well imagine how I feel, I'd thought I was going to get blown into pieces by you.", replied Bellatrix. "And you wouldn't want to blow the person who brought you dinner to piece now, don't you?", she showed a small basket that she was carrying. Hermione smiled. She was still happy about the fact, that someone was helping her. 

"Thank you for the dinner.", she said and sat down on her bed. 

"Don't mention it", Bellatrix opened the basket, and took out a pumpkin pie and two bottles of butterbeer, "just remember to teach my your stuff, and we're quit.", she added and then sat on the only chair in the cabin. 

"Of course, do you really think I'd forget that?", asked Hermione. 

"I don't know, you seemed to have forgotten quite a lot.", replied Bellatrix. 

"Jerk.", said Hermione and begun eating her pie. Bellatrix took a spit out of one bottle, and then looked at Hermione. The latter noticed her gaze. "Something the matter?", she asked Bellatrix. 

"Oh no, it's nothing.", she looked away and Hermione could've sworn that she was blushing. 

"Alright then, so when do you want to start your training?", she asked. 

"Tomorrow. I have to go soon anyway, because otherwise they'll notice I'm gone. But yeah, tomorrow, if that's okay for you.", said Bellatrix. 

"Of course. I'll have what I need in here.", replied Hermione. 

"Not everything", Bellatrix gave her a small sack, in which, after Hermione opened it, she saw a couple of coins, "here's some money, if you want to buy anything. It's not that much, but it's surely enough for a book or two, or candy, or whatever you like.", she added. 

"Thank you."

"Hey like I said earlier: 'don't mention it'", the two girls laughed at that. They talked after that. Hermione didn't have much to talk about, so she mostly listened to Bellatrix. The girl had much to talk about, and while she talked, Hermione couldn't help but realize how pretty she looked, when moonlight shined through to window onto her. After two hours, Bellatrix hurried back to Hogwarts and Hermione went back to sleep.