CHAPTER I
Bellatrix paced the circular chamber, muttering nonsense to herself. Her tangled hair drifted about her shoulders, obscuring her face from Rodolphus.
“Bella darling, you’ve been walking in a circle for half an hour! We have a meeting to get to. The Dark Lord will punish us if we are late!”
Bella stopped abruptly and turned to face Rodolphus,
“I’m not a fool, Roddy! I know we have to go! I’m thinking…”
“About what, my dearest?”
“Nothing…nothing at all…”
Bellatrix’s icy response contrasted drastically with Rodolphus’s warm, friendly question. She rolled her eyes and swept out of their chambers, her ragged black skirt swishing around her legs. Rodolphus was left sitting on the padded windowsill, head cocked slightly, staring in wonder after the woman who did not return his admiration. Slowly, he raised himself and crossed the richly decorated room. He pushed the heavy wooden door open, and strode down the chilly corridor to the meeting room.
Lord Voldemort was seated on a carved marble stone, raised slightly above the plain wooden chairs that held the other Death eaters. Rodolphus scanned the room quickly and took in the arrangement of his colleagues. Snape, as usual, filled the coveted seat to the Dark Lord’s right. Bella sat to the left of Lord Voldemort, followed by Lucius Malfoy and Fenrir Greyback. Rodolphus sighed and walked quickly to his seat, halfway between the Dark Lord and Wormtail.
Voldemort cleared his throat ever so softly, and immediately the hall fell silent. The Death eaters turned their attention wholly towards their leader.
“Now, my friends and followers, as you’ve all heard, Potter and his little friends are on the move. After various failed attempts to stop him…” Greyback and Lucius cringed, “…I have finally come to a conclusion. To stop the best of Dumbledore’s Army, we must send the best of my army.”
At this, every heart in the room started racing. Each Death eater wanted desperately the chance to prove themselves to the Dark Lord. Some more than others, certainly, but the raw hope in the faces of those seated around the table was clear. Voldemort smiled gently to himself, they were so very easy to manipulate.
“By this I mean Severus,” he inclined his head towards Snape, “and Bella…” he looked to his left, “Severus has informed me that Potter will be heading South this week, toward Canterbury. I want you two to be waiting for him there. Capture them and bring them here.” he paused thoughtfully, “Will you be needing any assistance?”
Bellatrix’s eyes shone with pride. This was what she lived for, being chosen as the best in her Lord’s army, and being sent on a mission that was obviously so important to him.
“No my Lord! I don’t need any help, I can capture them and bring them to you alone!” she cried.
Voldemort chuckled and turned to Snape,
“And yourself?”
“Thank you my Lord. I believe some assistance may be useful if we are to complete this mission properly. Formidable witch as I’m sure you are, Bella, I would prefer to outnumber Potter and his friends.”
Snape replied in his hard voice. Bella’s eyes narrowed. Veiled though the mockery was, she was no fool to Snape’s scorn.
“As you wish, Severus, I’m sure some of us need more help than others,” she snarled in return before turning her worshipful gaze back to the Dark Lord,
“My Lord, let me take them on! I want to kill the boy!” Bellatrix hissed, her voice almost breaking with emotion.
“Why, Bellatrix! I must be the one to kill Potter, you know that!” Voldemort answered her, his tone ever so slightly mocking.
Bella nodded quickly and withdrew into herself. Snape raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Rodolphus, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I suppose this meeting is finished. You are all dismissed!” ordered Voldemort. He stood, causing a commotion around the table as the Death eaters rose with him. The Dark Lord turned glided through the archway behind him, towards his chambers. As the Death eaters watched him leave, Lucius Malfoy broke the silence,
“Well I guess it’s clear who the Dark Lord prefers! Are you two proud?” he asked bitterly. Narcissa came up behind him and folded his hand in hers.
Bella flashed a grin at her brother-in-law,
“Why, Lucius! The Dark Lord has always made his preference clear! Those who have served him most faithfully will always be rewarded in the highest way,” she laughed vivaciously.
Lucius looked murderous.
“Come Lucius, Draco will be arriving from Hogwarts soon, we should greet him,” Narcissa whispered gently, tugging at his hand. Lucius shot a poisonous glare at Bella and turned to follow his wife out the door.
All the lesser Death eaters had already left the room, leaving Bellatrix, Snape, Rodolphus, and Yaxley standing together in a corner.
“Well, Rodolphus, Yaxley, you will accompany Bella and me to Canterbury?” Snape enquired formally.
“Of course, Severus, I have to keep an eye on my wife, after all,” Rodolphus chuckled good-naturedly, throwing his arm around Bellatrix, who looked even deadlier than Lucius had. Yaxley simply nodded his affirmation.
“We should pack. The Dark Lord will expect us to beat the children there, and be waiting for them,” Bellatrix ordered haughtily, ducking out from under Rodolphus’s arm, “We meet in the Common Room in 1 hour. I will not tolerate lateness,”
She swept out of the room with the poise of a queen, leaving the three men staring after her.
“Her highness has spoken,” said Snape, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Make it two hours, she can’t leave without me,” he smirked and left the room.
Rodolphus shrugged at Yaxley and they exited together.
Chapter II
The mission had gone wrong. All hell had broken loose and the Ministry was tracking the Deatheaters.
Once again, the Death eaters had gathered in the meeting hall, yet this time, the mood was sombre, and apprehensive. All around the table, men and women sat with their heads bowed, fiddling with bits of thread and fabric in their laps. Not looking at the pale figure seated at the head of the table.
“So…” Lord Voldemort began, “It happens, yet again…my Death eaters have failed me. Again.”
He read the expressions of those around the table. Snape was staring straight ahead. Bella was huddled against her chair, tears welling in her eyes. Lucius appeared to be smirking.
“My Lord-“ Bellatrix began, her voice pleading.
“NO!” he shrieked, “Apologies do not solve anything, have never solved anything! And they never will! You have disappointed me, all of you! Yaxley, Rodolphus, I never expected much of you anyways,” Voldemort’s eyes were stony, like rubies.
Yaxley and Rodolphus exchanged a glance, they had been pardoned. Insulted, yet pardoned. Voldemort turned to his right, looking at Snape,
“Severus…I trusted you…I see that trust is for fools, and that is the downfall of the great. I think…I was mistaken. You are not a leader. You never have been.”
“I apologize, my Lord. The Order did not inform me that they would have an escort,” Snape’s voice was hard.
“It is your job to find out!” hissed Lord Voldemort.
Silence followed. Minutes passed. The only sound in the drafty chamber was air. Wind, and breath. Finally, Bella broke the silence. She sobbed, burying her face in her hands, she tried to muffle her tears. Voldemort turned slowly towards her, his face almost quizzical.
“And what of you, Bellatrix…?” she shuddered at her name, “Such…power…so much possibility…gone.”
She raised her tear streaked face.
“My Lord-“
“Enough! All this grovelling, begging! You think you are a loyal servant?!”
“Yes my Lord, always!” Bella cried,
“No! A loyal servant would not fail me in this way! Perhaps, you are growing more like your family? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, after all. Will you join your niece, Nymphadora? Or your sister, Andromeda? Perhaps…your cousin…Sirius…”
The Death eaters were silent. They had never seen his rage this powerful. They were frightened. Bella sobbed harder,
“My Lord, I tried! I tried to capture them! It was their escort!” Bella cried, her face pleading, her voice desolate.
There was a pause, as the room waited for Voldemort’s response.
He laughed, a terrible, cold chuckle that echoed around the stony room. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes as she heard Lucius join, his laugh mocking her even more. Gradually, the room filled with soft laughter, the worst kind. Only Snape and Rodolphus remained silent, watching her. After a moment, Lucius’s booming laughter overpowered the soft titters of the other Death eaters. Bellatrix glared at him.
She stood, drawing her wand and pointing it at him, her stance that of an experienced duellist.
“Enough!” she shrieked, trembling, “At least I came back alive! It’s more than most of you could have done! And yet you laugh, all of you! Would that the roles were reversed and you stood here, fighting for your dignity!”
Her hand was shaking, her eyes crazed.
“But, there is a reason that I will always sit near the head of the table! Closer than any of you!” she glanced towards Voldemort, who was sitting silently, watching her, amused. She inhaled deeply.
“It’s because loyalty breeds power. And love breeds loyalty!” she whispered quietly.
You could have heard a pin drop in the room. The silence was deeper than any before. Once again, it was broken by laughter. Cold, high, and cruel. Voldemort’s laughter cut Bella’s heart like Basilisk’s fang. Snape rolled his eyes and chuckled, smothering his laughter in his long black sleeves. Lucius didn’t bother to hide his laughter. Rodolphus looked down, his face crimson with humiliation.
Bellatrix looked around, her face crazed with pain and sorrow. She knocked over her chair and fled from the chamber, her hair flying out behind her, tears glistening on her face.
“Rodolphus, you should attend to your wife…” the Dark Lord’s voice carried his tone of mockery over the table.
Rodolphus nodded, stood quietly, and walked out the door, his head held high, but his heart sinking low.
Chapter III
Rodolphus gently pushed open the heavy wooden door to their bedroom. He peered in cautiously, only to duck back out, dodging a hex from within the room. He cast a quick Shield and entered the room, to be greeted with a sorrowful sight: his usually proud wife lay, crumpled by the window. Her wand lay on the floor beside her, looking alone and powerless. Her tangled hair fell over her face and down her back, shielding her from the world. Her body shook with silent tears.
“Bella-“
Rodolphus started, stepping towards her, hand outstretched. A ragged breath tore from Bellatrix’s defeated form. She raised her head and looked at him, her tearstained face expressionless. It was as though a Dementor had sucked out her soul, leaving only an empty husk behind. Rodolphus felt the same way. His wife, whom he loved, had just confessed her love for another man, in front of him, no less! He sighed, his shoulders slumped. They were two defeated people.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he whispered softly, “Come on, Bella,” his rich voice caressed her name, yet she shied away.
“Do it myself,” she whispered back, lifting herself off the floor and stumbling into the bed. Bella huddled under the covers and slept, seemingly dead.
Rodolphus collapsed in the armchair beside the fireplace, lost in thought, perhaps, when she feels better, she won’t love him anymore…perhaps, things will go back to normal…No. Not normal. Normal was loving him. His thoughts tormented him, perhaps, if I care for her…she might love… he scarcely dared to think it, me…? He shook his head, ashamed of himself, I’m like a schoolboy. Hoping for the affection of the most popular girl in school.
He roused himself and looked to his sleeping wife. Waving his wand, he moved the bed over and created another single bed beside it. She needs some time alone. He changed his robes and climbed into bed.
To sleep, perchance to dream, perhaps to love.
Chapter IV
A week later
“Bella, I know you’re hurt, but sulking isn’t helping anything!”
Rodolphus sat on the bed beside Bellatrix. Her glassy eyes stared unseeingly towards the wall.
“You have to get up!” he cried, “I’ve been caring for you for a week, this has to stop. Aren’t wives supposed to take care of their husbands?”
Rodolphus looked out the window at the half-moon. He sighed and kissed Bella on the cheek.
“I know you’re hurt, but remember that I love you, and I hope you’ll be better tomorrow…”
He stood and left the room. Bella watched him go, smiling to herself.
“Tomorrow…” she whispered before drifting into sleep.
The next day, Bellatrix woke with the sun. She dressed, pulled her hair into some semblance of order, and walked into the eating room that she shared with Rodolphus. She sat down at the table and waved her wand, causing a tray with two goblets and a dish of food to appear. Bella filled each goblet with red wine, and into one, she poured a stream of clear liquid from a vial around her neck. A drop of the liquid splashed onto her dress, searing the fabric and leaving a tiny, smoldering hole.
Smiling softly to herself, she levitated the tray and walked back into the bedchamber.
“Rodolphus? Darling? I’m awake, I feel much better!” she said animatedly, greeting her husband.
“Bella…?” Rodolphus looked confused, “Are you sure? It’s been an entire week!” he sounded annoyed.
“Yes, I feel, I feel alive again,” she smiled, setting the tray down on the table beside him.
“You just, woke up today feeling good as new?” Rodolphus clarified angrily, his voice rising.
Bellatrix knelt beside his bed, resting her hands on the edge,
“Yes! I felt fine the entire week, I just…needed some time to recover,” she batted her lashes.
Rodolphus sat up, and slapped her.
“You bitch! You tell the world that you love another man, and then take advantage of me? Merlin’s beard, you bitch!”
His face was red with anger.
Bellatrix picked herself up off the floor and brushed off her skirts. A red mark stood out on her pale cheek. She picked up the two glass goblets, and held one out to Rodolphus.
“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, here,” Rodolphus took the glass, “A toast, to your health, husband dear,”
If Rodolphus had been wiser, he would have seen the cold, calculating look in Bella’s black eyes, or heard the irony in her sensual voice. But no, he lifted the goblet to his lips, and drained the wine. Bella drank her wine and sat down upon the bed, dragging him down towards her. He sprawled across the bed, head in her lap.
“I’m glad you’re better,” he whispered, gazing up at her.
“A life for a life,” replied Bella, smiling,
“What?”
“Nothing…”
Within minutes, Rodolphus started coughing. His face paled and his eyelids started fluttering.
“Bella, something-“
“Shhh, darling, don’t speak,”
Bella lowered her head and kissed him softly on the lips. She felt the sting of the poison on her lips and smiled.
Bellatrix paced the circular chamber, muttering nonsense to herself. Her tangled hair drifted about her shoulders, obscuring her face from Rodolphus.
“Bella darling, you’ve been walking in a circle for half an hour! We have a meeting to get to. The Dark Lord will punish us if we are late!”
Bella stopped abruptly and turned to face Rodolphus,
“I’m not a fool, Roddy! I know we have to go! I’m thinking…”
“About what, my dearest?”
“Nothing…nothing at all…”
Bellatrix’s icy response contrasted drastically with Rodolphus’s warm, friendly question. She rolled her eyes and swept out of their chambers, her ragged black skirt swishing around her legs. Rodolphus was left sitting on the padded windowsill, head cocked slightly, staring in wonder after the woman who did not return his admiration. Slowly, he raised himself and crossed the richly decorated room. He pushed the heavy wooden door open, and strode down the chilly corridor to the meeting room.
Lord Voldemort was seated on a carved marble stone, raised slightly above the plain wooden chairs that held the other Death eaters. Rodolphus scanned the room quickly and took in the arrangement of his colleagues. Snape, as usual, filled the coveted seat to the Dark Lord’s right. Bella sat to the left of Lord Voldemort, followed by Lucius Malfoy and Fenrir Greyback. Rodolphus sighed and walked quickly to his seat, halfway between the Dark Lord and Wormtail.
Voldemort cleared his throat ever so softly, and immediately the hall fell silent. The Death eaters turned their attention wholly towards their leader.
“Now, my friends and followers, as you’ve all heard, Potter and his little friends are on the move. After various failed attempts to stop him…” Greyback and Lucius cringed, “…I have finally come to a conclusion. To stop the best of Dumbledore’s Army, we must send the best of my army.”
At this, every heart in the room started racing. Each Death eater wanted desperately the chance to prove themselves to the Dark Lord. Some more than others, certainly, but the raw hope in the faces of those seated around the table was clear. Voldemort smiled gently to himself, they were so very easy to manipulate.
“By this I mean Severus,” he inclined his head towards Snape, “and Bella…” he looked to his left, “Severus has informed me that Potter will be heading South this week, toward Canterbury. I want you two to be waiting for him there. Capture them and bring them here.” he paused thoughtfully, “Will you be needing any assistance?”
Bellatrix’s eyes shone with pride. This was what she lived for, being chosen as the best in her Lord’s army, and being sent on a mission that was obviously so important to him.
“No my Lord! I don’t need any help, I can capture them and bring them to you alone!” she cried.
Voldemort chuckled and turned to Snape,
“And yourself?”
“Thank you my Lord. I believe some assistance may be useful if we are to complete this mission properly. Formidable witch as I’m sure you are, Bella, I would prefer to outnumber Potter and his friends.”
Snape replied in his hard voice. Bella’s eyes narrowed. Veiled though the mockery was, she was no fool to Snape’s scorn.
“As you wish, Severus, I’m sure some of us need more help than others,” she snarled in return before turning her worshipful gaze back to the Dark Lord,
“My Lord, let me take them on! I want to kill the boy!” Bellatrix hissed, her voice almost breaking with emotion.
“Why, Bellatrix! I must be the one to kill Potter, you know that!” Voldemort answered her, his tone ever so slightly mocking.
Bella nodded quickly and withdrew into herself. Snape raised his eyebrows, and glanced at Rodolphus, who shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I suppose this meeting is finished. You are all dismissed!” ordered Voldemort. He stood, causing a commotion around the table as the Death eaters rose with him. The Dark Lord turned glided through the archway behind him, towards his chambers. As the Death eaters watched him leave, Lucius Malfoy broke the silence,
“Well I guess it’s clear who the Dark Lord prefers! Are you two proud?” he asked bitterly. Narcissa came up behind him and folded his hand in hers.
Bella flashed a grin at her brother-in-law,
“Why, Lucius! The Dark Lord has always made his preference clear! Those who have served him most faithfully will always be rewarded in the highest way,” she laughed vivaciously.
Lucius looked murderous.
“Come Lucius, Draco will be arriving from Hogwarts soon, we should greet him,” Narcissa whispered gently, tugging at his hand. Lucius shot a poisonous glare at Bella and turned to follow his wife out the door.
All the lesser Death eaters had already left the room, leaving Bellatrix, Snape, Rodolphus, and Yaxley standing together in a corner.
“Well, Rodolphus, Yaxley, you will accompany Bella and me to Canterbury?” Snape enquired formally.
“Of course, Severus, I have to keep an eye on my wife, after all,” Rodolphus chuckled good-naturedly, throwing his arm around Bellatrix, who looked even deadlier than Lucius had. Yaxley simply nodded his affirmation.
“We should pack. The Dark Lord will expect us to beat the children there, and be waiting for them,” Bellatrix ordered haughtily, ducking out from under Rodolphus’s arm, “We meet in the Common Room in 1 hour. I will not tolerate lateness,”
She swept out of the room with the poise of a queen, leaving the three men staring after her.
“Her highness has spoken,” said Snape, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Make it two hours, she can’t leave without me,” he smirked and left the room.
Rodolphus shrugged at Yaxley and they exited together.
Chapter II
The mission had gone wrong. All hell had broken loose and the Ministry was tracking the Deatheaters.
Once again, the Death eaters had gathered in the meeting hall, yet this time, the mood was sombre, and apprehensive. All around the table, men and women sat with their heads bowed, fiddling with bits of thread and fabric in their laps. Not looking at the pale figure seated at the head of the table.
“So…” Lord Voldemort began, “It happens, yet again…my Death eaters have failed me. Again.”
He read the expressions of those around the table. Snape was staring straight ahead. Bella was huddled against her chair, tears welling in her eyes. Lucius appeared to be smirking.
“My Lord-“ Bellatrix began, her voice pleading.
“NO!” he shrieked, “Apologies do not solve anything, have never solved anything! And they never will! You have disappointed me, all of you! Yaxley, Rodolphus, I never expected much of you anyways,” Voldemort’s eyes were stony, like rubies.
Yaxley and Rodolphus exchanged a glance, they had been pardoned. Insulted, yet pardoned. Voldemort turned to his right, looking at Snape,
“Severus…I trusted you…I see that trust is for fools, and that is the downfall of the great. I think…I was mistaken. You are not a leader. You never have been.”
“I apologize, my Lord. The Order did not inform me that they would have an escort,” Snape’s voice was hard.
“It is your job to find out!” hissed Lord Voldemort.
Silence followed. Minutes passed. The only sound in the drafty chamber was air. Wind, and breath. Finally, Bella broke the silence. She sobbed, burying her face in her hands, she tried to muffle her tears. Voldemort turned slowly towards her, his face almost quizzical.
“And what of you, Bellatrix…?” she shuddered at her name, “Such…power…so much possibility…gone.”
She raised her tear streaked face.
“My Lord-“
“Enough! All this grovelling, begging! You think you are a loyal servant?!”
“Yes my Lord, always!” Bella cried,
“No! A loyal servant would not fail me in this way! Perhaps, you are growing more like your family? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, after all. Will you join your niece, Nymphadora? Or your sister, Andromeda? Perhaps…your cousin…Sirius…”
The Death eaters were silent. They had never seen his rage this powerful. They were frightened. Bella sobbed harder,
“My Lord, I tried! I tried to capture them! It was their escort!” Bella cried, her face pleading, her voice desolate.
There was a pause, as the room waited for Voldemort’s response.
He laughed, a terrible, cold chuckle that echoed around the stony room. Bellatrix narrowed her eyes as she heard Lucius join, his laugh mocking her even more. Gradually, the room filled with soft laughter, the worst kind. Only Snape and Rodolphus remained silent, watching her. After a moment, Lucius’s booming laughter overpowered the soft titters of the other Death eaters. Bellatrix glared at him.
She stood, drawing her wand and pointing it at him, her stance that of an experienced duellist.
“Enough!” she shrieked, trembling, “At least I came back alive! It’s more than most of you could have done! And yet you laugh, all of you! Would that the roles were reversed and you stood here, fighting for your dignity!”
Her hand was shaking, her eyes crazed.
“But, there is a reason that I will always sit near the head of the table! Closer than any of you!” she glanced towards Voldemort, who was sitting silently, watching her, amused. She inhaled deeply.
“It’s because loyalty breeds power. And love breeds loyalty!” she whispered quietly.
You could have heard a pin drop in the room. The silence was deeper than any before. Once again, it was broken by laughter. Cold, high, and cruel. Voldemort’s laughter cut Bella’s heart like Basilisk’s fang. Snape rolled his eyes and chuckled, smothering his laughter in his long black sleeves. Lucius didn’t bother to hide his laughter. Rodolphus looked down, his face crimson with humiliation.
Bellatrix looked around, her face crazed with pain and sorrow. She knocked over her chair and fled from the chamber, her hair flying out behind her, tears glistening on her face.
“Rodolphus, you should attend to your wife…” the Dark Lord’s voice carried his tone of mockery over the table.
Rodolphus nodded, stood quietly, and walked out the door, his head held high, but his heart sinking low.
Chapter III
Rodolphus gently pushed open the heavy wooden door to their bedroom. He peered in cautiously, only to duck back out, dodging a hex from within the room. He cast a quick Shield and entered the room, to be greeted with a sorrowful sight: his usually proud wife lay, crumpled by the window. Her wand lay on the floor beside her, looking alone and powerless. Her tangled hair fell over her face and down her back, shielding her from the world. Her body shook with silent tears.
“Bella-“
Rodolphus started, stepping towards her, hand outstretched. A ragged breath tore from Bellatrix’s defeated form. She raised her head and looked at him, her tearstained face expressionless. It was as though a Dementor had sucked out her soul, leaving only an empty husk behind. Rodolphus felt the same way. His wife, whom he loved, had just confessed her love for another man, in front of him, no less! He sighed, his shoulders slumped. They were two defeated people.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he whispered softly, “Come on, Bella,” his rich voice caressed her name, yet she shied away.
“Do it myself,” she whispered back, lifting herself off the floor and stumbling into the bed. Bella huddled under the covers and slept, seemingly dead.
Rodolphus collapsed in the armchair beside the fireplace, lost in thought, perhaps, when she feels better, she won’t love him anymore…perhaps, things will go back to normal…No. Not normal. Normal was loving him. His thoughts tormented him, perhaps, if I care for her…she might love… he scarcely dared to think it, me…? He shook his head, ashamed of himself, I’m like a schoolboy. Hoping for the affection of the most popular girl in school.
He roused himself and looked to his sleeping wife. Waving his wand, he moved the bed over and created another single bed beside it. She needs some time alone. He changed his robes and climbed into bed.
To sleep, perchance to dream, perhaps to love.
Chapter IV
A week later
“Bella, I know you’re hurt, but sulking isn’t helping anything!”
Rodolphus sat on the bed beside Bellatrix. Her glassy eyes stared unseeingly towards the wall.
“You have to get up!” he cried, “I’ve been caring for you for a week, this has to stop. Aren’t wives supposed to take care of their husbands?”
Rodolphus looked out the window at the half-moon. He sighed and kissed Bella on the cheek.
“I know you’re hurt, but remember that I love you, and I hope you’ll be better tomorrow…”
He stood and left the room. Bella watched him go, smiling to herself.
“Tomorrow…” she whispered before drifting into sleep.
The next day, Bellatrix woke with the sun. She dressed, pulled her hair into some semblance of order, and walked into the eating room that she shared with Rodolphus. She sat down at the table and waved her wand, causing a tray with two goblets and a dish of food to appear. Bella filled each goblet with red wine, and into one, she poured a stream of clear liquid from a vial around her neck. A drop of the liquid splashed onto her dress, searing the fabric and leaving a tiny, smoldering hole.
Smiling softly to herself, she levitated the tray and walked back into the bedchamber.
“Rodolphus? Darling? I’m awake, I feel much better!” she said animatedly, greeting her husband.
“Bella…?” Rodolphus looked confused, “Are you sure? It’s been an entire week!” he sounded annoyed.
“Yes, I feel, I feel alive again,” she smiled, setting the tray down on the table beside him.
“You just, woke up today feeling good as new?” Rodolphus clarified angrily, his voice rising.
Bellatrix knelt beside his bed, resting her hands on the edge,
“Yes! I felt fine the entire week, I just…needed some time to recover,” she batted her lashes.
Rodolphus sat up, and slapped her.
“You bitch! You tell the world that you love another man, and then take advantage of me? Merlin’s beard, you bitch!”
His face was red with anger.
Bellatrix picked herself up off the floor and brushed off her skirts. A red mark stood out on her pale cheek. She picked up the two glass goblets, and held one out to Rodolphus.
“Now that you’ve gotten that out of your system, here,” Rodolphus took the glass, “A toast, to your health, husband dear,”
If Rodolphus had been wiser, he would have seen the cold, calculating look in Bella’s black eyes, or heard the irony in her sensual voice. But no, he lifted the goblet to his lips, and drained the wine. Bella drank her wine and sat down upon the bed, dragging him down towards her. He sprawled across the bed, head in her lap.
“I’m glad you’re better,” he whispered, gazing up at her.
“A life for a life,” replied Bella, smiling,
“What?”
“Nothing…”
Within minutes, Rodolphus started coughing. His face paled and his eyelids started fluttering.
“Bella, something-“
“Shhh, darling, don’t speak,”
Bella lowered her head and kissed him softly on the lips. She felt the sting of the poison on her lips and smiled.
