To you, 30 years from now

Chapter 3 - Practice

Hermione slept long. She almost slept during half of the day. When she woke up, and she looked at the watch she had carried ever since she had fallen into this time, she noticed how it was already afternoon. She ran her hands through her hair. As usual, her hair was messy, she got up and looked for a mirror, but in the little cabin, there wasn't any mirror to find. Slightly frustrated, Hermione bound her hair together, dressed herself with the now dried clothes from yesterday, and left the cabin, with nothing but her wand and her sack of money. 

She planned to buy herself some new clothes. And maybe a hair brush, so she could for once in her life, tame her hair. Although it still seemed to be largely impossible. She walked to Hogsmeade, another place she for some reason was able to remember. There she bought herself new clothes. They weren't fancy, but neither was she, and for what they were, and for their price, they looked good and simple. She had bought herself new underwear, some jeans, t-shirts and scarf. With all of that in a bag, she walked across the little town. She already saw a couple of Hogwarts students, many of them looking at her, asking themselves, when they've had never seen her before. She didn't mind their looks. Soon she returned back to the cabin, where she begun praciticing the charms and spells she still somehow knew. And to her surprise, she was still able to use them all without any trouble. 

"Hey Wonderchild", sang Bellatrix and when she turned around, she saw the girl walking up to her, "how's it going?", she asked. 

"Good.", answered Hermione. "I've bought myself some new clothes and after that, I've been practicing ever since.", she revealed. "And I still got it.", she said proudly. 

"You drop into this place from nowhere, have almost no memories, and yet you are able to master stuff, that not even graduates are able to do", Bellatrix laughed, "you really are one wonderchild."

"I guess that's supposed to be a compliment, yes?", she asked. 

"Of course it is.", the witch looked at the tree, at which Hermione had fired a couple of spells. "So, are we going to practice now?", she asked. 

"I promised you, didn't I?", replied Hermione. 

"Then let's get started.", Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed it at the same tree, at which Hermione had fired spells just prior. "So what are we going to do first? A little patronus?", she asked. 

"Well Patronus aren't simple things, that's a rather complex spell.", Hermione looked at the ground, before looking at Bellatrix again. "Why not start with something simple, a simple disarming spell?" 

"I already know how that one works.", revealed Bellatrix. 

"Yeah, but do you know, how to use it in combat?", asked Hermione. 

"Now you're talking!", Bellatrix said excited. She moved a couple of meters away from Hermione. "So, what should I do now?", she asked. 

"Raise your wand as quickly as possible, and act as if you'd want to fire a disarming spell at me.", said Hermione. 

"Alright teacher.", Bellatrix raised her wand. She was quick, but Hermione was quicker, and before Bellatrix had much time to say anything, Hermione had already said the known "expelliarmus", which had led to Bellatrix's wand flying a good few meters behind her. The dark haired witch ran to her wand, and picked it up. "That was a lucky shot!", she yelled. 

"Well let's see if it really was.", Hermione smirked and they did it again. And again. It took a good two hours, until Bellatrix was able to react to Hermione. Then when Hermione yelled the word to disarm her, so did Bellatrix. Their spells hit each other and the same time, knocking them both from their feet onto their ground. Bellatrix laughed. Her bright laugh was infectious, and so Hermione also started to laugh. They both got up to their feet, and then went back to get their wands again. 

"Double K.O", said Bellatrix, "it means that two people are equally good."

"Or equally bad."

"Touché", Bellatrix giggled, "how about we go to Hogsmeade?", she asked. "For one or two hours?"

"If it isn't as taxing as teaching you stuff, sure.", replied Hermione. 

"A teacher is only as good as their student.", Bellatrix said and held her head up high. Hermione smiled. She had started to enjoy the banter between Bellatrix and her. It was one of the few things that stopped her from running away and searching for a new life somewhere else. 

The two of them sat down in a bar, where they both ordered a butterbeer. Once they were drinking it, they again, started to talk about how their days had been. Hermione asked Bellatrix about her family, but from the way the latter got quiet and started to avoid the topic, she realized, that it was a touchy subject, so she changed it to whatever she would teach her tomorrow. 

It was the start of a friendship, and without them knowing, something more than that as well.