The Dark Mark

Epilogue

3 years later....

Bella and Hermione were married in only three months after the proposal. They had wanted a short engagement because they both agreed that they had already faced so much they couldn't bear to wait any longer. It was a simple outdoor wedding at the family cabin surrounded by friends and loved ones. It was as if Hermione's chest opened and Bella's heart was transplanted into her own that day. She had always heard that everything changes once you get married but the pair had just grown closer if that was even possible. Hermione had never felt more in sync with another person in her life. They honeymooned in the Maldives and Hermione recalled the blue waters but most of her memories came from inside the bedroom. The majority of the week was dedicated to discovering each other as newlywed wives.

Over the past three years, Dr. McGonagall had stepped down from her practice leaving it to Hermione who stepped up as head psychologist in the practice while returning to University to receive her doctorate. She was two years into her four year program to earn her Doctorate degree in forensic psychology and while this left her very busy, she had the luxury of working the hours she wanted to work. Bella was patient and understanding during this busy time so Hermione never felt any pressure coming from the older woman. She understood when Hermione had to work late or stay up all night studying. Bella even offered her assistance to help her study though those nights usually just ended up in a pile of sweaty wrestling limbs.

Bella had continued to run her tattoo shop. She felt truly lucky that her arm had returned to 90% functioning after her second and last surgery. She still to this day faced hand tremors if she pushed herself too hard or worked too long. In light of this, she realized she needed to step back from full time tattooing, she dropped down to tattooing her long time clients and took on the responsibilities of running the shop. She and Tonks took on a new apprentice who now was working for them full time with her own clients. When Bella hired the young girl, she didn't know that she had actually hired her niece's soulmate. Tonks and her fiancé were the two main tattoo artists at The Dark Mark and Bella couldn't be happier with the way things had turned out. After her second surgery and the wedding, Bella and her sisters went to the bank and took the necessary steps to gain full ownership of their trust funds. After the years of torture and abuse, it was time for them to live happy and comfortable lives though that's a story for another day as Bella would often say to her wife, never quite giving her all the dirty details of her childhood.

Hermione Black pulled up outside of their small cottage on the outskirts of London in Debden. The cottage came complete with a picket fence and a thatched roof. How she ever got her wife to agree to live here was something she would never understand.

Her wife.

No matter how many years had passed, Hermione would never tire of the fact that she was lucky enough to be the one to call Bellatrix Black her wife. She put her car in park and climbed out of the ridiculously flashy Black Lincoln Navigator that her wife and insisted that they needed though it was just the two of them in the family. "Well, the three of us now," Hermione thought as she pressed the automatic lock and made her way up the walkway to the front door. It was unlocked as always as she pushed her way inside. The lights were dim in the entry way as she had expected given the hour. She looked at her watch and it was already half past 8. "I need to start leaving the library earlier," she internally scolded herself.

When Hermione walked into the living room, her feet stopped and her heart skipped a beat. The sight before her was her wife laying on the couch. She was on her side, hair partly covering her face, mouth slightly open, covered up to her waist by a thin blanket. Her arm was extended out, snuggling their excited looking husky puppy. The puppy began wagging its tail when Hermione entered but she had it on good authority that Nova was sound asleep moments ago. The wagging tail was constantly hitting Bella in the stomach, she stirred and stretched, "Nova, quit," came the sleepy voice of the dark hair woman, reaching out bringing her arm tighter around the small pup. Nova let out a little whine and backed out of the arm and ran over to her other mother. Hermione dropped her bag and sat on the floor, Nova was on the immediate offense, attacking her with licks and head butts. Bella yawned and stretched again, reaching out for the pup and when she didn't feel her she said quietly, "traitor," slowly opening an eye, spotting her wife playing lovingly with their fur baby. A slight pink tinge crossed her cheeks.