Us Against The World - Bella, June 30, 1967

[Deleted]

f*ck…

The first born son of Radolphus Lestrange picked himself up from the familiar spot on his father’s study, feeling every nerve end in his body screaming at him to just stay still for once, but of course, being the stubborn and prideful and masochistic boy that he was, Rodolphus just had to stand up in his defiance and walk out of his own personal torture cell with the dignity and poise of someone who hadn’t been screaming his voice hoarse a moment ago under the cruciatus curse. Yes, his father had moved on from physical violence in his old age, finding torture curses much easier to cast than over exert himself and risk a stroke. After all, he couldn’t die now could he? Not when his Lord depended on him so and his family’s honor was at stake – Radolphus Lestrange couldn’t risk dying before his true heir became of age, or else his bastard son would be able to claim all his titles and estates legally, since he was the one who had made Rodolphus his heir in the first place.

These lessons were hardly anything new to the Lestrange heir, having been used to them since before he could remember. But instead of the usual meaningless and pathetic drunken excuses of his father, the old man had simply told him that he would be offered to his master as sacrificial sheep in hopes of pleasing the Dark Lord and securing his place amongst Lord Voldemort’s ranks.

The snake had made it back to his own room in his own wing of the house – of course he wasn’t actually considered family, so he wasn’t allowed to live with the rest of the Lestranges (not like he actually wanted to), the only person he ever wanted to see was Rabastan, and his brother took asylum in his wing more often than not anyway – leaving the old man in his own pathetic drunken state. Rodolphus would not even blink if his father had miraculously choked himself to death with his drunken hurling. The man was clearly an imbecile.

While Rodolphus had heard enough from his father to know that Lord Voldemort was a formidable man and likely the only wizard who could take on Albus Dumbledore, he still felt a sense of dread at pledging his loyalty to the Dark Lord. He had wanted freedom and revenge all his life, wanted to raze hell on this world for making him suffer even now, but with this recent order to become a pawn in the Dark Lord’s game, Rodolphus felt nothing but dread at the thought. He knew his freedom was good as gone now, and the only thing he had left was his revenge, and Bella and Rab.

He was so tired of being everyone’s pawn. He wanted to be himself, wanted to have a life that was his. But it seemed fate was determined to turn him into the monster that he had despised all his life. There was anger and violence inside him, Rodolphus had never tried to deny it, but he had wanted to be more than just a cruel and pathetic man, more than his own father. He wanted to be great, wanted to be free, and wanted to be left alone. Though as time went by, he could feel the darkness eroding his soul, feel the last bits of innocence leaving him to be replaced by hatred and bitterness. It was only a matter of time before even he could not recognize himself as the boy who once just wanted to have a normal life.

The young man carefully leaned back in his favorite armchair, shifting gingerly to avoid aggravating his oversensitive body even more. Under any normal circumstance, it’d take a while for the effects of the cruciatus to wear off, but seeing as Rodolphus was not a normal wizard, he could recover in much less time. His mind, body, and soul had long since been used to receiving pain - he could tolerate a great deal more than most now. That, and the fact that the brilliant Slytherin had been smart enough to cast a numbing charm on himself beforehand to equalize the effects slightly and take the edge off. Now he just had to wait for the pain potion to take effect for him to recover.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Furious didn’t even begin to cover it.

After a very successful school year, her father had called her into his study. She was positive that he was just going to shower her with praise, she was being the perfect child. She was dating Rodolphus, the first step in any decent marriage, and they were getting along splendidly. She had stopped picking fights in school - well, at least she had stopped getting caught. She was absolutely positive that her O.W.L. grades would all be to his pleasing once they came in, and she had just celebrated her sixteenth birthday. In just one year she’d be of legal age, making her way in the world.

But that meeting with him hadn’t gone as planned, and she couldn’t stop crying as he paced around her room. How could he have been so cruel to her? She had so carefully formulated a plan, made a decision for her future that she had assumed he would agree with. Rodolphus thought it was a good idea - why couldn’t her father?

”The Dark Lord has requested to meet you, you will be accompanying me to a dinner in a few weeks.”

What did this Dark Lord want with her? She knew who he was of course, her father had spoken highly of the man and his vision. But it had been made quite clear to her today that she wasn’t going to be anything other than a proper pureblood wife, staying at home and having children. How did that even correlate to meeting this man?

Unless he means to marry you off to him...

The thought hit her suddenly and she stopped her pacing. Surely that wasn’t the case? Her engagement to the eldest Lestrange son had been set her entire life, and she could not marry a man as old as her own father! But if she wasn’t allowed to go and work in the Ministry, she certainly didn’t see any other point in attending a formal gathering the Dark Lord was holding.

She was across her room quickly, wand being slipped up her sleeve as she grabbed the floo powder from the top of her fireplace, green flames taking her away from the Black estate to Rodolphus’ room at the Lestrange manor. She knew she had to look awful, tears covering her face and now covered in soot, but she wasn’t about to stay at her home when she was this distraught.

Thankfully her boyfriend was in his room, and after cleaning herself off with her wand she was squeezing into the chair with him, burying her head in his shoulder. “I’ve had the most awful day.”

[Deleted]

Time had alluded the Slytherin as he slumped in the comfort of his armchair, taking solace in the fact that his tormentor was passed out drunk in his own study while his step mother was likely busy gossiping with the other pureblood hags at some tea party or whatever ladies did these days. Neither of them were going to bother him today, and that realization did more for his relaxation than any potion could.

The pin-prick burning along his nerve ends was still there, though the snake had experienced this feeling enough times to know that it was just an aftereffect of the curse, and he would feel better in a week or so, maybe even sooner. His wary mind slid in and out of consciousness, slipping from his more pleasant memories to the numbness he had come to rely on in his most painful moments. It was likely something his brain did to keep him sane and protect him from actually snapping, or it was already a sign of Rodolphus’ insanity. Either way, he had survived yet another lesson of his father.

His fireplace had suddenly flared up in emerald green flames, and out stepped his betrothed and girlfriend of more than two years. Bellatrix’s presence had long since been proven to be the balm for his pain, though he rarely said anything about them to her nowadays, not wanting her to worry or worse, do something reckless in his stead as she would no doubt stalk over to challenge the older Lestrange. It was a good thing she had come when she had and not sooner, because then she would have found him screaming at his father’s feet, writhing in pain under his spell. Rodolphus absolutely loathed the fact that he could do nothing to his father, as he was still underage and let’s face it, he needed the old man to keel over to gain access to the Lestrange family assets. He was also certain that he would lose everything, including Rabastan and Bella should the older Lestrange decide to disown him. That was why he had endured everything up til this point. He wanted to hold on and take back everything that was his and make his father pay.

It was only a matter of time before Rodolphus became of age and could take this family by force, if need be.

Darker thoughts were replaced by lighter ones when he felt his girlfriend snuggle up against him, pressing her face into his shoulder in a rare show of softness, though pleasant feelings were quickly dashed too when he felt her tears staining his shirt while she spoke of her bad day. “What has happened?” feeling a deep frown start to form on his brow as he reached out with sore arms to lift her onto his lap, letting her lean against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing and tracing random circles on the small of her back to comfort her.

Every move and breath seemed like a struggle, making every cell in his body scream out in pain and for him to stop moving. But pain and pleasure had always been their thing, ever since she had saved him when they were seven years old, and helped to comfort and heal him despite her limited knowledge of healing magic. The Slytherin had come to depend on her, finding comfort in her soothing touch and care.

‘Let me be there for you this time.’

“What’s wrong?” sore arms wrapping around her to shield her from whatever it was that had upset her so. "Mea."

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

This was a side of her personality that most didn't get to see. She couldn't let people think she was weak, and she'd learned a long time ago that showing emotions was out of the question. How many times had she been told by her father that he would give her a reason to cry if she didn't stop crying? No, she needed to pull herself together before she saw anyone besides her boyfriend. He was the only person she could really trust.

His quiet words only caused more tears to fall, and she shook her head as he pulled her into his lap. She didn't know what to tell him, guilt hitting her hard as she thought about her father. Cygnus Black was a stern man, strict in his rules for his three daughters. But he wasn't cruel, something that could not be said for Radalphus Lestrange. It felt wrong for her to complain about her own father when she knew the sort of things her boyfriend suffered at the hands of his.

At his gentle prompting, she sat up to look at him, wiping under her eyes as she let out a sigh, "I am strictly forbidden to pursue a job at the Ministry after school. My father said I need to focus on being a good wife." If Cygnus had the wits about him to pay her any mind, he would have already known that she was doing just fine in that regard. Leaning back against Rodolphus, she wrapped an arm around his neck before adding, "He also told me I have to accompany him to a meeting with the Dark Lord."

[Deleted]

Rodolphus could feel his betrothed’s anguish and pain, understanding her frustrations and anger at her father’s orders as he too was a prisoner of his family name. The glamorous name and titles that both of them carried were like wings given to help them fly higher, and yet they were also unbreakable chains that held them to the ground, keeping them prisoners to their fate as heirs of ancient pureblood families. Freedom was the price they had to pay in order to stay on top in this world…though sometimes Rodolphus wondered if maybe the price was too high for them to bear. He wanted freedom more than anything, for him and for Bella and Rab, and yet destiny seemed determined to slap him in the face with not only his father, but his father’s master as well.

When would he be done with all this?He wanted so much more for himself, and the only family that mattered to him.

The Slytherin still had a few more years to go before he could spread his wings and rain hell on his family. But until that day, he was powerless to change his current living conditions and status, let alone give his girlfriend any real support. He could be the perfect lover to his betrothed, and yet he did not have the power or the leverage to help her achieve her dreams and become something more than what society had planned for her. They were both stuck and there was nothing they could do about it at this point.

Rodolphus was never one to lie to his betrothed, even if it was to comfort her. There were no secrets between them, and Rodolphus liked to think that he could count on Bella to be the same with him. Who could they trust if not each other? Granted Rodolphus had Rabastan, but Bella only had Rodolphus. He would not disappoint her. “…you already are.” giving her a sad smile as he cupped her cheek tenderly, turning her head so that he could look into her reddened eyes. “I am sorry that…I am in no position to help you.” brushing away her tears, as futile as it may be. He wanted to be so much more than just a helpless teenager. “When I’m of age…when I can take this family by force…you won’t have to be afraid of anyone anymore…I can give you anything you want then…” His arm tightened around her, pulling her closer against him as his fingers stroked her cheek.

He hated this helplessness.

“I’ve received the same announcement from Radolphus. ” The snake didn’t even want to think about meeting his father’s master. He just knew that his life would be different from that point on, and his old life would be a thing of the past. But at least they still had each other. “We will survive this.”

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Rodolphus was such a kind person, hidden underneath the layers of hatred that had come from the years of abuse at the hand of his father. The wretched man was always nothing but kind her, treating her like she was a princess. How he thought being kind to her, and yet so cruel to his own son would somehow win her over was impossible for her to understand. She cared for Rodolphus, perhaps even loved him.

And to hear that he had was to expected to appear before their father’s master as well was surprisingly reassuring, because perhaps her assumption had been wrong. If both of them were going to be there, it couldn’t be that her father was planning on changing anything about her situation. But it was also still a concern, to be summoned before this man she had heard so much about. His values were understandable given the kind of people they let into the school, but they were so young.

“You can’t do anything to Radalphus that could get you in trouble,” she mumbled as she rested against him. She understood why he wanted to do what he did, and she certainly would help if she could. But not if it meant losing him, she couldn’t do that. “I’m not afraid of anyone, not as long as I have you. Tell me has he done anything to you today? I have more potions to bring you back at my house.”

[Deleted]

They had weathered his father’s abuse and her father’s strict ways of discipline. They had both been forced to grow up fast since they could remember. Yet maybe it was these hardships in life that made them perfect for each other; their bonds forged in the fires of hell, binding them forever as they continued to fight for every breath each day.

They would survive this. They would have their freedom one day.

The pain and heaviness of his body reminded him just how far from his dreams he was, being weighed down by so many unbreakable chains in this house that had become a prison of its own. But the girl in his arms and his brother, along with all the anger and hatred that had been festering since he could remember would not let him fail, giving him the strength and steel to keep moving forward. He had held on too long for this all to end in disappointment.

Rodolphus Baldesarre Lestrange was a survivor. He had proven that time and time again.

The weight against his chest was painful in and of itself, her touch making his body scream in pain, though at the same time, the teenager wouldn’t dream of pushing her away, knowing the balm for all his pain was the girl in his arms, and her alone could sooth him like no other. Her presence was all that he needed to heal. “I know.” frustrated more than anything that he had to wait. They could not afford to be reckless or impatient. It had to be perfect. “I am the same.” Her words giving him strength and comfort more than anything. Bella’s faith in him had never wavered, and it was all he needed to hold on. His arms tightened around her in response, wanting her to know just how much they meant to him.

The teen wanted so much to lie through his teeth and say that he was fine, but it had been an unspoken agreement from the start that there would never be any secrets between them. They trusted each other unconditionally. “Maybe a pain-potion and numbing charm. I’ve already casted one earlier but I think it’s wearing off.” he murmured against her lips before leaning in for a slow kiss, feeling warm from her concern. There wasn’t really a cure for the cruciatus curse. The pain could not really be cancelled, as it attacked the nerve endings and was as physical as it was mental. Rodolphus had simply learned to apply the numbing charm so stimuli weren’t felt as strongly, hence blocking some of the enhanced oversensitivity the curse caused, but the effects weren’t nearly enough to give him relief.

Thank Merlin he had a very high threshold for pain.

“I can take it. I have you.”

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

This world was so awful to the both of them, and it hardly seemed fair that they had to just accept what was being demanded of them. She understood why her father expected her to obey him, she knew her place in their world as a woman. She also happened to think it was an extremely outdated way of thinking. Women were perfectly capable of doing what men could - in many aspects - and to dismiss her simply because of gender was absurd. It was bad enough he’d decided who he was going to marry her off at such a young age, but she couldn’t dismiss her father too much. If there was anyone she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, it was most certainly Rodolphus.

But she did worry, because one of these days Radolphus might go to far, and she would not accept that. She’d wanted to kill the man since she was seven years old. His hatred of his eldest son brought the rage out of her, and she’d snapped at the elder Lestrange more than once over the years over the conditions she’d found Rodolphus in. She had also made it quite clear that in no way would she remain a part of the Lestrange family if anything were to happen to her betrothed - to both of their fathers. If they wanted their perfect daughter-in-law, it meant keeping Rodolphus alive.

Because they were the same, and meant for each other. She smiled into his kiss, trying to hide the fact anger was bubbling up inside of her. She wanted nothing more than to give Radolphus a taste of his own medicine, let him feel the effects of what he did. And while she knew Rodolphus felt he could handle it, she didn’t understand why he had to. “I know,” she murmured back, before doing her best to gently get up. “Timsey.” The crack announced the arrival of the elf, and Bella didn’t even bother to look over to her. “Go and fetch the potions from my house, and don’t waste time.”

It only took a few moments for her to retrieve her wand and cast a numbing charm, and Timsey returned with the bag of potions that Bellatrix kept in her room. She waved the elf away, pulling the needed vials out as she perched on the edge of the chair. No need to cause him any pain, that was the opposite of what she wanted to do. “Here,” she whispered as she handed them over, running a hand through his hair. “I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but I was afraid my father intentions for me to meet his Dark Lord. But if we’ve both been summoned...what do you think he wants?”

[Deleted]

If there had ever been a possibility that Rodolphus Lestrange could feel love, then perhaps it would be for the person that had been there since almost the beginning, taking care of him despite her inexperience at the tender age of seven. She had never shrunken away from his bloody wounds, nor had she ever shrunken away in disgust at the scars that had failed to fade away and lined his body. Delicate hands cleaned and applied salves to his many wounds before carefully dressing them; potions always being on hand since the first time she had caught his father teaching him a lesson; lullabies sung in the dark of the night, whenever she was around for a visit; kisses and caresses brushing away the pain and anger that lingered in every ugly scar, giving new meaning to each mark on his broken body, as if claiming them as her own, replacing old memories with new ones every time they gave into their uncontrollable lust for each other…

Rodolphus owed Bellatrix Black a great deal. And he supposed the only luck he had had in this wretched world so far was her and Rabastan. They were what gave him the strength to endure everything…

He knew that she hated his father as much as he did, maybe even more, but her loyalty to him alone was enough for him right now. At least he had her, the only person besides Rabastan that he could truly trust and count on. Cold blue eyes locked onto ones that were so similar to his own as he smiled sadly, leaning back in his armchair, trusting her to take care of him. Of course, Rodolphus could do all this by himself if he really wanted to, but there was just something about Bella taking care of him that made it more enjoyable. Less miserable.

The young master let out a sigh as her numbing charm took effect, dulling the sharp pin-prick pains he was feeling before he chugged down the various potions to help mend his body, feeling his eyes close on reflex as he felt her hand threading through his messy hair. Though the smile quickly slipped off his face as he realized the implications of her words.

No. Hell no.

Mea was his.

Sharp eyes opening to stare at his betrothed, instantly feeling his body tense up in preparation to fight. No one was taking her from him, no matter how powerful they might be. “You’re mine.” reaching out to pull her onto his lap again, not even blinking at the pain because there were much bigger problems when Bella was concerned. Though thankfully it hadn’t taken long for his logical mind to regain function as the sudden rush of anger and possessiveness faded back to the background. “...our fathers are offering us as sacrificial lamb to the Dark Lord to prove their loyalty and because the Dark Lord needs more followers for his cause…” holding her in his arms again, as he struggle to get the words out, not liking their taste in his mouth. “…my guess….he needs new blood…” a bad feeling in the pit of his gut at the impending meeting.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

As much as she hated the situations they were both forced to live, the knowledge of healing with both magic and potions was handy. She knew she’d have top marks, and Slughorn would be so proud of his little club member for her abilities. But the price of her knowledge was the pain Rodolphus was forced to bear. She would often remind him that it was only just a little while longer, and then they would be free from all of this. Once they were of age and married everything would be theirs, and Radolphus would be a mere memory.

The change in her betrothed’s face was brought to let her know he understood what her thoughts had been, the low words he said to her sending tingles up her spine. If there was one thing she enjoyed, it was getting her other half riled up. Because while she was his, no matter what anyone thought, it was fun to be reminded every so often when his jealous side would come out. She rested back against him, absentmindly fiddling with the buttons on his shirt as she listened. If the Dark Lord was looking for fresh followers, why ask to see them? They were still in school, she highly doubted there was much they could be useful for.

“I don’t want to serve this Dark Lord,” she said quietly, turning her head to place a kiss on his neck. “Why can’t they just let us be?”

[Deleted]

Why indeed?

Why was everyone so intent on butting in on their lives? Whether it his parents, or her parents, or even the Dark Lord…every single person seemed content with ruining their lives just for their own gain. Rodolphus was so fed up with the never-ending cycle of things, of always being the weaker one, forced to lower his head and live like a beggar, begging for scraps at his father’s table. It hurt him more than he’d care to admit that Bella had to be with someone like him, someone who could not even protect himself from his father’s lessons...

She deserved better.

And yet, the bastard was too selfish to ever let go of his betrothed, needing her to anchor him to this reality and not lose himself in his quest for revenge. No matter how much of a monster he became, he knew Bella would always be there with him, and that thought gave him more comfort than anything else. She had never abandoned him…

Sighing half in satisfaction and half in defeat, the teen threaded his long fingers through the lush dark locks of his girlfriend, liking the way her silky strands felt against his fingers as he stroked her hair as gently as he could manage. “…me neither.” Not looking forward to swearing his loyalty to a man that he barely knew, let alone his father’s master. “I don’t know either…I just want us to be free…” resting his cheek on her head as he tried to think of something, anything that would make their situation seem less bleak.

“…perhaps it is time we start preparing ourselves…” they needed to be stronger, be more powerful than even the toughest opponents, until one day, no one could stand in their way anymore. If freedom had to be fought for every step of the way, then Rodolphus Lestrange was ready to kill every last one of the people standing in his way.

He was done being the weak.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

The Dark Lord was a necessary part of life, that was something she had learned in the last year. A school friend of her fathers - and of Rodolphus’ father, he’d shown up last summer with promises seeping from his lips of a word without filth. Her father had gladly eaten it all up, as had many others in their community. She had heard plenty of hushed whispers about the man over the years - …Did you hear that Tom Riddle has gone missing? Some are saying he killed her before he left.... - but to actually meet him? He had come by the house when he first returned to England, met with her father in his study. Her mother had shooed them all to their rooms, demanded that they still out of sight while the two talked business. Something she was positive had happened at the Lestrange household as well last summer. From what she knew, it had been a small group of former school buddies. Vanderhyde, Meadowes, Black, Lestrange, Nott… old men with ambition that needed a leader.

And a leader was exactly what Voldemort was. Her father had already sternly lectured on her on his name, insistent that she not even dare to think of the man as anything but Lord Voldemort or the Dark Lord. They why of it all was never answered, as most of her questions about the mysterious stranger did. Suppose soon he won’t be a stranger any longer. The only thing she truly knew was the underlying fear in the voice of her father and Radolphus Lestrange when they spoke of him. Any someone that her boyfriend’s father feared? It didn’t mean anything good for them.

“I think it’s long past time for that,” she murmured quietly, sitting up so she could look at him. He was always so tired from his father’s punishments, even if he wouldn’t admit it. She could see it, even when he put on a face for others. And she was growing quite tired of the way his father treated him. “They are taking marks, I overheard my father and uncle speaking about it. Proving their loyalty to this Dark Lord by doing it, from what I gathered. Uncle Orion isn’t, of course. I overheard that at tea, about him and Aunt Walburga being sympathetic to the cause but fools for not taking part.”

She stood from her spot on his lap, stroking his hair gently as she began to wander around his room. “It’s a game, isn’t it? Father thinks this Lord Voldemort will be better than Grindelwald. Says they have a plan to remove all the mudbloods from society, but it will take years obviously. Mother doesn’t even let us see him when he comes over, but she’s a fool if she thinks I don’t have ways to listen in on what’s going on in my father’s study.” While her sister’s weren’t nearly so fascinated by the changes happening around them, it had all but consumed her father in the last year. This new work that he was doing for this man was going to secure them a better future. A future where she would still be nothing more than a wife.

“You know, I do wish to marry you. After school and all that, I’ve grown quite fond of you,” she said quietly as she turned to him, her pacing around the room paused. “But I want more than that too. I say we learn to play this game, better than them all. If this Dark Lord wants you to do work, I think you should.”

[Deleted]

Loyalty…

Something so unfathomable for the young man as he leaned back carefully against his squashy armchair, sinking slowly into the cushioning so as not to further aggravate his oversensitive body. In his short life, the bastard son had only known two people that deserved his respect and loyalty, and neither of them were this so-called Dark Lord. What’s more was that Radolphus Lestrange practically worshiped the ground he walked on, and that in and of itself was enough to make Rodolphus’ hair stand on end.

Who was this Lord Voldemort?

A frown immediately made itself known as the young man felt the weight of his betrothed suddenly disappear. He did not like it when she got up or pulled away from him, though his creased brows and annoyance were quickly placated when soft delicate fingers threaded through his messy dark locks, calming him as she wandered about his room.

Unlike most purebloods, Rodolphus didn’t give a f*ck for the blood status problem, though it wasn’t like he was suicidal enough to actually admit that out loud. Sure, his blood was amongst one of the purest, but even that meant little in his family, when all they saw was a bastard that’d failed to die in the womb of his foolish mother. So no, the snake did not hold the same beliefs as the rest of the pureblood community. Whatever he had, he’d worked and fought for with every struggling breath. That, was what he believed in.

Though Rodolphus was abruptly pulled out of his darker thoughts when his betrothed’s eyes met his own, pulling him back to reality and her. And even though they’d known they were to be wed some day and had been dating for the better part of the last two years, it still took the young lord by surprise that his fiancé would so readily admit to him that she wanted to marry him, and even go so far as to say that she was fond of him. A strange rush of emotion briefly passed by and warmed his insides, though Rodolphus was rational enough to push that aside for now. “I’m glad…I feel the same.” a rare smile curling at his lips as he held his hand out to her, wanting her back in his arms. Why did she have to get up in the first place? “We will.” having every confident that they could excel and win this game.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Her father - and Rodolphus father - were so fond of this Dark Lord. It didn’t matter that her father spoke in whispers to his colleagues about the man, she’d long ago learned how to listen in without being noticed. If there was any benefit to being a woman in this world, it was that she could do a lot of things unnoticed. No one paid attention to the eldest Black daughter as long as she didn’t look like she was eavesdropping. And while she doubted that Rodolphus was fully listening to the rant she was going on, (if anything - what he needed was to rest!), she couldn’t help it. She had spent her whole life learning how to play games, how to get what she wanted without demanding it from her father. That was part of being the oldest, really. Narcissa could simply demand whatever she wanted and get it - Oh, your father took Narcissa to see the horses - but her and Annie? Once their youngest sister had come along, they had been pushed to the side.

But at least she did have Annie, even if her younger sister wasn’t as close to her as they had been as children. Rodolphus knew all her secrets of course, they’d simply been so long that it would be impossible for him not to know. But Annie had been her first best friend, the first person to look up to her. Annie had made learning how to sew, and play an instrument, and ride a horse bearable, because at least Bella hadn’t been learning those things by herself. And still, Annie was sheltered from the cruel reality of things - she wasn’t even betrothed yet! No, all those things had been reserved for Bella. Bellatrix was the example, the one to set the standard her sister’s would follow. And how could she let them enter a world where they were ignored? If Rodolphus did what he was asked, maybe they could change things. For all of them.

For now though, she went back to him as he smiled at her, gently settling back into his arms. “You should rest,” she murmured as she rested her forehead against his. “I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise.”

[Deleted]

He was so tired of this, all of this. Tired of the fake obedience, tired of the fake loyalty, tired of the punishments for being who he was… He had not chosen any of this, and yet life had seemed determined to thrust him into this huge void of anger and despair, where dreams were shattered in the face of cold hard reality. Rodolphus had learned long ago to survive in the dark, with only Rabastan and Bellatrix there to light his way.

How nice would it be to finally be on top? To finally have the freedom he so craved? If this Dark Lord could lead them towards such a future, then it would be foolish of Rodolphus to miss such an opportunity to seize the future that they’d always wanted.

Do it for us.

The filth and useless had no part in this new world, and Rodolphus would prove that he had a place at the Dark Lord’s table, worthy of the honor and respect that he’d fought for so long. He’d replace Radolphus Lestrange one day, he was sure of it. His father was old and weak and surely no longer of use to Lord Voldemort once he had Rodolphus in his service. It would be a sweet reward indeed to decapitate the source of all his pain.

Though for the moment, the world seemed to have returned from its off-kilter state as his betrothed snuggled back into his arms, soothing his worn body with her presence and reassuring words, instantly taking him back to the time when she’d first healed his soul. The world could burn as long as Bellatrix was still alive and well in it and unfailingly by his side. “As always.” murmuring sleepily as he leaned in for a soft kiss before pulling back to bury his face in her neck, letting her breathing lull him to sleep.