Perfect Bait - June ‘76 (The Lestranges)

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Entering the vast study, Bella tossed her hair as she moved over to her husband, annoyance flashing across her face. Surely he had been listening when she told him the nights plans. Rabastan had only just graduated and gotten his mark, which meant it was time for them to hunt as a family. Not time for being utterly boring, which is all she could see happening. Perching on his desk, she crossed her legs as she adjusted her dress, doing her best to attract his attention. Guaranteed this dress showed far less skin than she normally wanted in this sort of game, always quite pleased at the way her husband got around the muggle men who dared to approach her. But tonight was not about them.

“Rabastan will be here soon, and you aren’t even ready to go are you?” she sighed as she looked over the books on the desk, lazily picking them up and turning them over. “It going to be a busy night. Some sort of event going on, Merlin knows what the muggles have to celebrate. But it means it will be crowded. Plenty of filth to pick off.” With so many muggles out, it meant they could have more fun. Usually they had to limit themselves, find the weakest link and go. But on a night like this, no one would realize if two or three muggles didn’t make it home.

“Are you going to come, or should I find someone to bring home tonight atter Rabastan and I are done?”

[Deleted]

Rodolphus Lestrange was not having a good day.

There was this newbie hotshot unspeakable that was introduced to the Department of Mysteries this morning, some fresh-out-of-nappies mother’s boy with connections to the Minister or something, not that Rodolphus actually cared when it came to such things. For one thing, everyone that he deemed important and of proper social standing in their society had already been made acquaintance. Please, you cannot hide your bloodline in pureblood society, no matter who your connections are. Minister be damned.

The boy hadn’t lasted an entire day before he had managed to melt himself with a rather nasty concoction that was still in its beta-testing stage. Needless to say, they were all quite relieved that they would not be dealing with the boy again, and the Minister would be receiving a special vile of potion this afternoon. It was nice to be an unspeakable, since no one ever questioned them about anything. Idiots. They had no idea what kind of free pass that gave him and Rookwood, not to mention the vast information web that Rookwood had been secretly maintaining and conducting in the Department of Mysteries.

The Dark Lord had been demanding as of late, though it was nothing Rodolphus couldn’t handle. Whatever his Lord wanted, he delivered. It was as simple as that. Rodolphus did not see himself as a servant, but rather going along with the tide that would yield the results that he wanted, albeit the process was not one he would have chosen for himself. But it was all a necessary evil, a sickening means to a sickening end. He had sworn to himself under his father’s whip, that he would make this world bleed as he had and burn along with all the filth and scum that infested it. He did not give a rat’s ass to what became of anyone else, as long as Rabastan and Bellatrix stayed beside him.

The Lord of House Lestrange was broken out of his dark thoughts as his wife pushed open the doors to his study, walking in with the grace of nobility and proudly claiming her place by his side, though her face said otherwise as she started her rant. His eyes betraying him as they treacherously traced over his wife’s delicious curves, lingering slightly at the delectable flesh that was exposed so carelessly in front of his eyes. Damn tease.

“I missed you too.” Sarcasm dripping from every word as the pureblood stood up from his seat, unbuttoning his work robes in favor of something more…peasant-like as he snapped his fingers for their house elf to bring him the desired style of clothing. He could give as good as he got – taking more time to button up plain black robes over his toned yet scared body than was necessary. “Some muggle music concert. Yes, I listened.” sliding his wand into his arm-holster. “I want to practice my aim tonight, see how many and how fast I can shoot down with a reducto. Going to use a knife again?” gesturing towards his family heirloom, a sapphire encrusted gold dagger with intricate designs along the blade and hilt with their family name inscribed on the bottom. There was also a matching sword, but Rodolphus rather thought it was too heavy for a woman to handle, hence he lent the dagger, instead, to his wife. Rabastan was the one he would entrust the sword with, as Rod trusted him with his life, and the responsibilities of this family.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

She didn’t miss the way his eyes explored or lingered, she never let herself miss that. The best part of being attractive was the way people looked at you, the way you could catch them staring when they thought no one was looking. Flipping over another paper, she rolled her eyes at his words, waiting as patiently as she could for the elf to return, Her own eyes lingered on Rodolphus as changed. While she didn’t condone the abuse of his father (she thought the man was a fool, really), she saw the lasting effects it had. Not only phyiscally, but mentally as well. Not that it mattered, not when they fit so well. The universe had molded them together, they had a lifetime of memories and moments. She had been lucky for her father to set her up so young, considering her sister’s prospects had all been near the bottom of the barrel.

Picking up the knife he had motioned to, a grin crept across her face. The heirloom was priceless, like many of the objects they owned. While it truly didn’t belong to her - she had only married into the family after all - the blade had seen plenty of muggle blood in her hands. While magic was truly a gift, it took the fun out of a kill. There was no torture, just instant death. There was no pride in that, no matter how effective it was. But - she sat the blade back down, giving a sigh. In such a large gathering, there wouldn’t be time. It was Rabastan’s night, his time to shine. “Another night, we don’t want to keep all the fun from your brother do we?”

Reaching out, she pulled gently on Rodolphus’ robes to bring him to her, meeting his lips in a kiss. Whatever annoyance he felt towards her or the night would fade, she would make sure of that when they got home. She only pulled away as the door behind her opened, turning to see the man of the hour standing in the door. “Rabastan, you have the most frustrating timing. Have I ever told you that?”

[Rabastan Lestrange]

Not too long ago, walking up the path to this house would have left him with the mental drain of attempting to control his emotions ultimately. The house of his father was a house of torment, of deadening, of attempts of draining any inherent good out from within the Lestrange boys. But since Rodolphus' coming-of-age and their disposal of that wretched man, the manor house had gone through a cleansing. It was not homey in the colloquial sense of the word, not at all, but it was somewhere that, at the very least, Rabastan knew he was safe. Nevertheless, since his graduation he had chosen to move in with an ally instead of take up residence here; he and Aaron had a flat of their own, and Cordelia was already making herself at home there. He had begun at the Ministry, he had been Marked...

An eventful June, indeed.

For whatever reason he had been summoned here by Rodolphus and Bellatrix, he felt that the night would become another event to add to the growing list. Knowing the two of them, a congratulatory dinner in could hardly be what they had in mind. He let himself in, and was pointed in the direction of his family by one of the newer house elves. The study? Do we have an assignment? Upon pushing open the study doors, however, his slight hopes of this being a night promoted by their Lord were dashed. He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest, as his sister-in-law complained at his arrival. "Need I remind you that you invited me? For this precise time?"

[Deleted]

Maybe Rodolphus should have been worried for his younger brother, should have been more worried about them all really, but he wasn't. The Dark Lord was not one to be taken lightly, and the man was ruthless as he was clever. He should be feared, for the power he wielded would not allow otherwise, and that was how he commanded the respect and loyalty of Rodolphus. A sickening means indeed. Their whole family was invested in this man's cause, and it would only mean the downfall of the House of Lestrange should this quest for dominance and destruction end in failure. That was not going to happen. Rodolphus had worked too long and endured too much for this to end in disappointment. He would take back what was his and rain hell on the world that had deserted him and his brother. It was only a matter of time before he got what he wanted.

Bellatrix had always had a way with getting under his skin, often teasing and dangling him on the precipice of insanity, though she could just as easily distract him to the point of forgetting whatever it was that was previously on his mind. He never could manage to stay annoyed at her for long, a single weakness that only she could exploit, though it irritated him to no end. "Weren't we about to leave?" Rodolphus murmured against her soft lips, defiant as ever as he teased her. He could feel the annoyance of his day melt away to something akin to excitement, though whether that was due to their family activity or the after party, was to be decided. His arms came up to her waist in a way that could only be described as possessive while he nipped at her lip, drawing blood before sucking on it slowly.

If had been anyone else who had interrupted them, Rodolphus might have had to melt that person with a potion too and dump them down the toilet. As it was, his younger brother had impeccable timing. Sighing in frustration though genuinely happy to see his brother, Rodolphus pulled back to greet his brother with a rare smile. "Not the first time." chuckling despite himself, not bothering to step away from his wife.It's not like any of them hadn't seen way worse better than this.

Taking out a portkey that he had made earlier today - Rabastan could take care of the legality and record of it later - the older Lestrange held it out to all parties involved. It was time for some family hunting in muggle London.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

If Rodolphus was annoyed with her, he didn’t let her see it. She often found it quite easy to pull him from one of his moods, where he’d sit and brood and just be so boring. Bella preferred this version of her husband, the one teasing her just as she did to him. It was odd to say the she felt safe in his arms, as she was perfectly capable of keeping herself safe. But it was nice to know there was someone who would always have her back, regardless of the circumstances. And that commitment meant far more than love ever would.

As annoying as Rabastan’s interruption was, she had to laugh. “And probably not the last time, hmm? Come on, get over here Bunny.” Rodolphus pulled out a Portkey - not Bella’s preferred way of travel - but it really was convenient. Reaching out, she took a hold of it, and once Rabastan joined them the world was gone from beneath their feet.

Landing in heels wasn’t easy, but it was with grace that she managed to steady herself as they arrived, a dark alley that couldn’t be far from the muggle music event with how loud it was. “Halfway through the 70s, you think they would have come up with something more tasteful by this point,” she commented as she moved to hook her arm through Rodolphus’. “Now, Rabastan, are you ready to have some fun?”

[Rabastan Lestrange]

Rabastan gave a roll of his eyes to the antics of his family, chuckling slightly as Bellatrix used that awful nickname on him, but came as called. His brother held an object out to the group; as Bellatrix's hand was so quickly upon it, Rabastan assumed it was a portkey. Are you trying to get me fired? He met his brother's eye for confirmation momentarily before gripping the portkey. They were instantly swept away from the manor, jostling against each other through space, until they were unceremoniously dumped somewhere...dark and humid.

The portkey - which he assumed was now his responsibility to cover up - dropped them in a deserted alleyway, and he pocketed it swiftly. Having been traveling with this mode of transportation much too commonly during the weeks since his graduation, Rab's landing was steady, and he took in the surroundings studiously. Music was practically shaking the ground beneath their feet, echoing in the narrow alley; streetlamps lit the road beyond in a half-assed manner associated with most things muggle, and a pack of drunken animals stumbling past them shouting something about "Those f*cking Saints stole the Cup from the Red Devils!" confirmed that he was back in London proper. He shoved up the sleeves of his button-up with a slight sigh, the unseasonably warm and humid air something he'd only just gotten out of for a moment at the manor, and met his sister-in-law's eye warily.

"That depends," Rabastan said carefully. "What's the game?" 

[Deleted]

Rodolphus had never been one of the pureblood extremists who wished to exterminate muggles as if they were the termites that infested their homes. He could care less for the purity of blood in other people, seeing as purebloods tended to produce idiots quite nicely on their own. A particular platinum blonde family came to mind. Lucius was every bit of the spoiled prince that he likely fancied himself to be, though in Rodolphus’ opinion, he was just a spoiled and useless pretty boy that had never gotten his hands dirty in his life.

Pft, there really should be two classes of purebloods – the worthy and the useless.

When it came to killing…Rodolphus really had no preference when it came to bloodshed, so long as the act was performed in a satisfactory way and the filth had been taken care of. He would kill a pureblood just as easily as he would slit open a muggle’s throat, and not feel bad about mixing the two together. There was only his family and everyone else, and only the former’s existence mattered to him.

While the Head of the Lestrange house was nowhere near obsessed with muggle killing as his dear wife, he could appreciate the opportunity to practice his magic and aim, and there was also the fact that muggle-hunting always puts Bella in a wonderful mood.

Owing to Rabastan’s new promotion into their ranks, Bella had suggested this little family outing to help ease his brother into this new life. Rodolphus had, of course, agreed to the proposal, and so here they were, shrouded in black and hidden from view in a dark deserted alley somewhere in muggle London.

Now it was time to get the show on the road.

“Dispose of the muggles in any way that you can, you can start by that one over there.” Rodolphus was, of course, referring to the drunken bimbo laughing and chatting away as she stumbled across the cobbled street with her equally silly and very pissed friends. God the sounds was grating on his nerves. “Anything you want to add Mea?” reaching down to hold her hand, silently keeping her from charging off in excitement and slaughtering half of them before Rab could even get the first shot in.

Leave some for the kids, love.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Oh, how the energy in the air felt when muggles gathered, it was the perfect atmosphere to go hunting in. And introducing her brother-in-law to the game was thrilling, because perhaps this could become a family activity, something for the three of them to do when the world got a little bit boring. Rabastan was too new to the ranks to get into anything really fun for the Dark Lord, but she knew he’d be given the chance to prove his loyalties soon enough. He was a Lestrange after all, and they had been loyal followers for quite some time.

Rodolphus had her hand in his, as if he could feel her anticipation of the kill. Oh, letting Rabastan take the lead certainly took some of the fun out of it, but as her wand had twitched she simply eyed the muggle Rodolphus has pointed out, a smirk pulling at the corners of her lips. “Besides don’t get caught?” she asked with a laugh, her fidgeting only increasing as she began to pull Rodolphus down the alley. “I can’t tell you how to kill, obviously, you lack certain..assets that you could use to distract them, pick them off one by one...”

Stopping herself as they got closer - nails digging into Rodolphus hand as she constrained herself, she gave a pointed look to Rabastan. This was his time to shine.

[Rabastan Lestrange]

Why'd you even ask?

Before the guarded words were out of his mouth, Rabastan knew the answer he would receive. He should've been expecting this, really. It didn't take a genius to see what his brother and sister-in-law had in store for him. Bellatrix had a sheen to her eye that he'd never seen before, seemingly on a high as she was held back by Rodolphus. The youngest chuckled slightly at her words, having heard stories about how the woman used her "assets" to acquire unwitting prey.

You should've expected this.

If he had proven anything to himself, and the pair, within recent weeks - it was that he was capable of killing. Ridding the world of their father was something the Slytherin graduate was still processing; it had been necessary, to secure both his and Rodolphus' continued existences. He did not regret the part he'd played. But he had not joined the Dark Ranks to kill non-magical people. He had joined to take down the witches and wizards who were intent on keeping their kind hidden. The mudblooded simpletons were of no consequence; and what joy - or adrenaline - could be found in killing something with no power to give a fight? If the Dark Lord had ordered him to do this - to make a scene, cause chaos, take out some important muggle - he would not hesitate. Because it would be part of the greater plan, surely. He could spin this night into something of significance, couldn't he? Even if it was just practice...he briefly wondered what Cordelia would think of this, but put the slight worry aside quickly. For the Lord, even if not assigned by him.

"I won't get caught," he stated evenly as his footsteps as his sister-in-law's eager stare bore into him. It was obvious that Rab was meant to begin the "excitement," and maybe, he thought, he would find this more enjoyable than he anticipated. This was a chance to learn from more experienced fighters, in a real setting. For the Lord. The trio avoiding suspicion and notice meant that they'd need to be subtle; that the deaths could be explained away by the muggle authorities that found the bodies. And so he slid his wand into his dominant hand, sticking to the shadows of the alley as the woman his brother had indicated fell behind her group of friends. He let himself think through a plan for another moment. He checked his watch, an unnerving calm settling his bones as he realized his readiness to take another life.

"Silencio," he said quietly, wand aimed at her back. He quickly sent a trip jinx her way, followed by a whispered "Carpe Retractum." The magicked-into-existence rope wound tightly around the fallen girl's waist, and dragged her a short distance into the alley at the flick of his wrist. It wouldn't be long before her friends realized she was gone, although Rab hoped that their loud chatter, overall distraction, and noise from the music venue had them in oblivious bliss for now. He had to be quick. Ignoring the eyes of his fellows, the young Death Eater looked down to the girl. A few years his senior, red hair "feathered" in fashionable muggle style, eyes wide as she opened and closed her mouth in confusion, bare legs scratched and bloody from the fall and drag against the cobblestones. This is nothing personal. He planted a foot on her chest to keep her on her back, necessary for the last step in his plan. It may not have been the most creative plan, but it was efficient, and no muggle authority would have any questions about her death. "Vomitare Viridis." Immediately, a rush of bile flew up the woman's esophagus, and she struggled to turn to the side in panic; he pressed harder on her chest and sent a charm for good measure to keep her immobile. It was not a pretty way to go, Rab thought as he stared down at her, face in neutral control until her eyes had rolled back. Done, Rab checked his watch. He definitely would've had a faster time by being less discreet about her means of death, using the Killing Curse or similar, but...not bad, and believable.

A small smirk lifted a corner of his mouth. If he learned more of these tricks, perhaps the Dark Lord would have use for him in specific muggle - or wizarding - killings, which, admittedly, would be satisfying. Getting their people into power meant taking down other authorities, obviously. That in mind, he swiftly cleaned marks of his shoe from her chest, cleaned splattered vomit from his otherwise shining Oxford, and stepped back. He was still inwardly critiquing his performance, but pointed to the street.

"Go on, then."

[Deleted]

Rodolphus was many things, the words ‘genius’, ‘ruthless’, ‘charming’, ‘gifted’ were only a small portion of descriptions to his name, though as much as he’d risen above all the horrors in his life, he was still a man, and a jealous and possessive one at that. Despite his high intellect and mental discipline, he still hated the lustful gazes from men and women alike aimed towards his wife; and being the proud woman that she was, Bella did nothing to discourage those advances. No, she encouraged it and then some. It wasn’t surprising to come home and find her already quite occupied in her bed – he had told her to take it the wing furthest from theirs because he would kill anyone who dared to sleep with his wife in his bed (he’d long since given up on his wife ever being monogamous and had simply chosen to ignore her ‘pets’ altogether) – and it irked him to no end that his jealousy amused her. Though turnabout had been fair play when he’d been with Violet, and Bella was the one left jealous and annoyed with his having a mistress and giving her all the attention and love that should have been saved for his wife. Revenge had never tasted so sweet.

But he digressed, this night was not about their complicated relationship. No, tonight was about his brother, his initiation and his ‘joining the ranks’. …and apparently his readiness to kill…quite thoroughly thinking through the intricacies of the act so as to avoid muggle suspicion at that, albeit different from what he’d had expected, but still quite doable in his opinion…had him nodding in approval, even if Rodolphus himself preferred something a bit more…clean. “Inspired.” not giving the body on the ground a further glance as he placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, making it a point to encourage his brother more. Merlin only knew how much a father-figure either of them had once upon a time. “Well thought-out.” smiling slightly before setting his eyes on his own target. “A good start.”

“Although I can certainly slay them like Randolph Vanderhyde, I prefer more…‘refined’ means most of the time.” whipping his wand out of its holster and flicking it towards a group of rowdy teenagers, Rodolphus seized the mind of the lanky teenager in the back with little to no effort. “Imperio.” filling the boy with a sudden rage and hatred for his friends before he started attacking them like a madmen - choking the life out of the blonde before ramming the redhead’s face into the nearest wall, bashing him repeatedly before slicing his own neck with a broken glass shard found on the ground.

Feeling his magic dissipate as the life drained out of his victim’s veins, the snake turned back towards his family, not feeling the least bit bothered by his recent actions. “I intend to refine my aim and power today.” shrugging nonchalantly before leaning in to press a quick kiss to his wife’s temple. “Try not to kill them all at once. At least leave some for Rab.”