Disclaimer: None of the Harry Potter characters are my property. Only the plot of this story belongs to me. The HP universe belongs to J.K. Rowling (thank goodness, she wrote the books…she's relieved me out of hours of boredom) and is distributed by Scholastic Press, a division of Scholastic Inc, here in the United States. Since I have taken the time to write this disclaimer, there is no reason anyone should feel the need to sue me.

A/N: This story was born from the result of me taking a writing break from my now AU seventh year fic "Shattered Illusions." For those that would read both this one and "Illusions", I had decided that I wanted to write additional chapters for it it before I post more chapters for it. The story is not discontinued...I will finish it, sooner or later.

This story is also the result of my boyfriend asking about why there is such a lack of Voldermort/ Bellatrix fics out there, compared to other pairings in the HP universe. I couldn't give him a decent answer, so I decided to write one. It's out of my element but I can, at least, give it a good shot. Here's for you, baby!

This story is meant to only encompass three chapters, at the most and is canon – compliant as of Deathly Hallows, disregarding some of the Epilogue. Oh, yes…it is rated M for a reason. I didn't want to get ahead of myself and write some raunchy scene with the story a T or lower rating and forget to change it. So for now, it stays at M.

Please read and give any constructive criticism, if you feel as though it is needed. Thanks.

"Broken Immortality"

There was Pain… there was Darkness.

There was Redemption…there was Light.

I had been Broken…I couldn't be made Whole.

How could I bring back the Pieces?

Of

My Life.

My Soul.

No one really Knows.

My Knowledge, Though…

I will become One.

Once my time is Done.

-- B.W, 2008

Pathetic, isn't it?

I have spent the last ten years down here, listening to the screams of the Fallen all around me. It was a tortured existence…one even I couldn't have thought of in my wildest imaginings. Death had always been my worst fear…my greatest enemy, and here I was, constantly reliving it over and over again. I could do nothing to stave it off…couldn't sleep, couldn't eat…all I could do was just stare into the unrelenting darkness and wish…and just wish that I could just fade away.

I was born Tom Marvolo Riddle…born to a weak witch of a mother and a pathetic excuse of a Muggle father. I spent the better part of my life running…ashamed of my blood…ashamed of whom I was. As I grew older, I became more powerful…more dangerous and anxious to revel in my own power. I took on the name of Lord Voldermort, and met my downfall in a scrawny little boy. There is no point in thinking about what I could have done differently, back then. All I know is that I waited, patiently… years for my next chance to destroy my greatest enemy.

What happened? I was defeated again.

My arrogance and my conceit got the best of me and now here, I am, chained to a wall…weak, defenseless and powerless. My followers…my Death Eaters… surely, they had been rounded up and tossed into Azkaban for life, if not already down here with me. I couldn't think about that, though. I had lost everything, because of that foolish boy. I couldn't truly acknowledge the fact that I had been bested.

I have to find some way to get break free.

Unlikely, isn't it?

A loud, creaky sound jerked me out of my thoughts and I shivered, as I heard…more, like felt something move around me. This was hardly uncommon. Sometimes, something slimy and cold would slither through my legs, sinking its fangs into areas I would rather not mention; other times, something dry and hot would settle across my nose and mouth, cutting off precious air, and making me thrash and fight for my forsaken life. It wasn't as though I could die again. It was a rather effective scare tactic…and I could only close my eyes and wait for the torture to begin once more.

"Riddle?"

I opened my eyes at once at that unforgivable name and peered through the darkness once more, only to see nothing as usual. This was a first; hearing a human voice. It had to be nothing good, and I decided to refrain from saying anything in answer. I didn't want to give whomever this entity was, any ammunition against to use against me. Foolish of me, wasn't it? I was already in Hell…what could they possibly use against me?

"Riddle?"

Still, I didn't say a word.

The entity let out a low sigh, almost as if he were amused. "Fine, if you're in the mood to play games, I'll be glad to oblige you."

I heard a muttered whisper, felt a blast of wind whipping around me, and then, it hit me. In mere seconds, my skin felt like it was on fire…it felt as though it was sliding away in pieces. I couldn't breathe…my lungs felt like they were disintegrating into ash. My arms were snapped, clean off of my sockets…my legs were bent the opposite of which they were supposed to go.

There was cackling laughter all around me…there were even more sharp stabs of pain as various sharp objects flew and impaled me further against the wall. I tried to scream…tried desperately to make my presence known, but then…the choked gasp was immediately cut off by what felt like a stake implanting itself in the middle of my throat. My eyes rolled back into my head, and I began to shudder.

My final death was imminent.

I was finally going to be free.

"Stop."

At once, the wind dissipated and there was nothing but silence for a moment. I could feel the blood pulsing out from the wound in my throat and the deep gorges in my skin were harsh, in their righteous fury. I was in unrelenting pain but hey, I was in Hell…there was going to be no release for me. I was the chosen one for their new brand of torture…I should have known that they were going to use me for practice sooner or later. There was no time here, in the official sense of the word…I could be tortured for what seemed like days, weeks or even years without pause. It was an unbearable thought.

"I guess you want to listen, now."

I could only gurgle, blood spilling out of my mouth and down my chin. The entity laughed. "Good."

There was a clap and all of a sudden, blinding light. I closed my eyes against its brilliance and hoped that this wasn't some other form of torture. I was too terrified to open my eyes…yes, I, Lord Voldermort, didn't want to open my own eyes. Having been held captive for so long, I knew it had be a normal reaction…there was no way I wanted to see what was going to kill me; I knew that there was no way that I could escape it. Yes, it would have been better to die in the darkness.

"I can't believe that you were supposed to be the one that everyone feared. I think not…what a coward you turned out to be. I expected you to last a lot longer than you did," the entity said, a low and lazy tone evident in his voice. "Well, I guess it was my mistake. Would you just open your eyes, you cowardly fool?"

Not anxious to be brutalized anymore than I had already been, I opened my eyes to peer around my surroundings. It appeared as thought I was chained, high off of the ground, in a large oval room made of rock. I wasn't the only occupant; there were several other beings chained against walls, also. It was also obvious that they had been there way longer than I had been; most of them were at the skeletal stage, and logically, truly dead. I had the nastiest feeling, though, that they were alive; trapped in a decaying body of their own making. If I had the strength to shiver at that moment, I would have.

"If you are done looking around, I would suggest that you bring your attention to me."

Hastily, I looked down upon the figure. He was standing below me in the middle of a pathway that had roaring fire on either side of it and staring at me. He waved a hand and a blast of steam billowed from the fire and washed over my body, causing me to wish that I could cry out in pain. I didn't know who he was, nor what he wanted with me but at the rate he was going, I wasn't all that anxious to find out.

"Let me introduce myself," the man said, in a loud, clear tone, "my name is Lucifer. I am the Morning Star and I rule over this merry place that you call Hell. You wouldn't know much about me…but that is purely irrelevant, at this point. I have come to you for a reason; I require your assistance, regarding the wizarding world from which you came to me."

I couldn't help but grow deathly still. He needed my assistance with the wizarding world? For what purpose?

"At first, I thought I would show some manners and ask nicely," he said, folding his hands across his chest and floating into the air only to hover in front of me, "but then, I thought about it and I realized that with a snap of my fingers, I could make you wish that you never existed. This is not a request, Riddle…I require your expertise."

He was almost inhuman in his angelic beauty…large black wings and all. Tall and muscular, he stared at me though dark eyes that bespoke of the millennia that he had spent torturing the souls that the misfortune of coming down here. There was something truly dangerous about one who knew he had nothing to lose…truly dangerous about one who reveled in others' pain and misery. He wasn't only the personification of evil…he was evil, itself.

A fresh wave of pain washed over me as he reached out and brushed a finger against my broken skin. Oh, yes…he reveled in our collective misery. It gave him strength…it gave him his power. A crooked smile crossed his face yet again as he conjured up a knife and pointed it at my genitals. My eyes could only slide closed as I waited, for whatever hand that cruel Fate must have dealt me.

My eyes flew open and I gurgled when I felt a sharp pain stab me in the general vicinity. He smiled, lazily brushing his black hair behind his ear. "Oh, do you want to know for what purpose do I need you?" He laughed, reaching out and shoving the stake even deeper into my throat, "That for me to know and you to find out. You will help me, Riddle…you don't have much of a choice. Even you can't be foolish enough to disobey me…"

"I'll send for you when you are needed." Lucifer said, smirking evilly as he continued to hover in front of me. "Oh, yes…rest easy and don't let the demons bite. They don't get nearly enough fresh blood in their diets. It's rather sad, actually."

With another clap, there was darkness yet again and moments later, there was a loud, creaky sound, signaling his departure. I could only peer through the darkness once more and wonder about his purpose for me. Did he plan to stage some attack on the wizarding world? If that was the case, what in the hell did he need me for? I had obviously failed at my plans for world domination. Maybe, he just needed an inside eye for something? I could, at least serve him in that purpose.

All I could do was wait...

Either for my death.

Or…

My redemption.