Hermione paused, feeling her chest tighten at the sound as she looked away. That morning, it had been an absolute lie when she’d informed Ginny that she didn’t like Bellatrix in that way. The truth was, those feelings were being to scare her. Bellatrix was becoming more and more central in her mind, and Hermione was terrified that if she allowed her heart to be passed to the witch, the woman would smash it in an instant, taking great pleasure in Hermione’s pain.