Playing with Fire

Chapter 71

So Barty is a bit fucked up right now... Poor Hermione...

Anyways, I have recently been trying to do some fanart but I am terrible at it. BUT if you guys can draw, I'd love to see some Barty/Hermione fanart <3

Enjoy the chapter xx

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Without his wand, Barty couldn't cause any real damage. That didn't mean that he wasn't restless. He was often pacing up and down his office for hours. Hermione found it hard to see him like that, but she admired him for staying to loyal to her. He hadn't broken their agreement yet. He really listened to her and tried to keep his emotions in check.

It was five days after the incident at the Dark Lord's palace, and Barty became only more and more tense. It felt to Hermione as if he were a bomb that could explode any moment.

"Love... You're not really calming down, are you?" she asked him.

"I'm not... On the contrary... I feel so much anger... It's bottling up. I feel frustration, anger, sadness, embaressmemt, humiliation, all that I feel at once. I'm trying so hard not to show it."

"You do need to get rid of those feelings. Why won't you just focus on me and the baby? Make some room for love in that dark mind of yours."

"That's just it, Hermione," he growled. "I need to see Longbottom with a dagger in his throat. I won't rest before I've seen that."

"Well, you're definitely not getting you wand back," Hermione said.

"Then can we at least go downstairs for dinner? I'm bored to death," Barty sighed, as he finally stopped pacing the room. "I'm Headmaster, I should show myself every now and then."

"Too many things can make you snap again. I don't want you lashing out on students," Hermione said.

"Locking me up here is making me snap! It's driving me insane! You think putting me in this room and letting me take care of Jonathan is going to cure me or something. Well, I've got news for you, it isn't working. Yesterday, I felt the urge to strangle you again. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to scare you, but the urge was there. I didn't act upon it because I love you. I feel so much anger... So much..."

"You're addicted to killing. And if you think finishing off Neville is going to help you with that, then you're wrong. You're an addict. That's what's driving you insane here, because you can't terrorize anyone here," Hermione said, and she knew she was right.

"Aren't you afraid I'll terrorize you?" he asked, taking a step closer to her.

She stood her ground. She wanted to believe he would never try to kill her, but the reality was sadly very different. But if he would kill her, he wouldn't have anyone to stop him. Her death would take away his last bit of sanity.

"I am afraid for that, yes," Hermione said sadly. "Because right now, I can still talk to you and reason with you. But the moment you snap, it's all over. I just hope that you are strong enough to fight your urges and that your love for me and your son conquers."

"It will," he promised, pulling her towards her to kiss her. When he pulled away for a moment, he breathed: "I still want to go downstairs, love."

"I told you, no. You want to feel their fear again. It's not happening," she said sternly, pushing him away.

But he wouldn't let her push him away, he kept her between his arms in a tight embrace.

"Then I guess I'm stuck with you," he growled. "My captor."