Title: Harry Potter in the Realm of the Dead
Chapter Title: His Lordship
Author: Avril13
Rating: Strong M (Definitely!)
WARNINGS: Starting from the next chapter the story will occasionally contain scenes of violence, sexuality and sometimes sexual misconduct. The plot will still be the most important part of the story.
Chapter Word Count: 5300
Date: 10 June 2007
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
A/N
Thank you all for reading so far and reviewing. This chapter was included in both stories in order to make a smooth transition and let everyone the opportunity to update favorites and alerts. The next chapter will be published only in the story "HP in the Realm of the Dead." If you wish to review, please switch to the new story. Please read the warning before reading.
THERE IS NO POINT READING THIS STORY WITHOUT READING "Curse" FIRST!
Chapter 1- His Lordship
"Harry is that really you?" Harry heard the dearest voice in his head.
"Yes mum" he hissed. "Oh I must think like a human."
"What have you become, Harry?" That was another voice in his head.
Harry trembled. "I followed my fears." He thought.
"But you must be among the living. Harry, what have you done? Why did you change the past?"
"So you know?"
"Yes we do. We know everything about you."
"I had to. I had to mum. When I was little, Uncle Vernon used to lock me in the cupboard without dinner. I would imagine I had a home and my parents were still alive. I was imagining my mother would kiss me on Sunday morning while I was still in my bed, and there would be breakfast waiting for me downstairs in the kitchen. And my father would take me to a football match in the afternoon. That's all I ever wanted, mum. That's all. That's why I did it."
Harry felt happiness, sorrow and desperation all at once.
"Oh my son! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Sometimes I wish we had all died that night!"
"But you must leave at once! This isn't a place for the living!" He heard his father's voice.
"No I don't want to leave you!"
"But you can't stay! This is the realm of the dead!"
"But you aren't dead. I've been told you were kissed! "
"Yes that's true. You see my son; we all have two parts of our soul. One is the immortal; it passes from one person that died to the other that was just born. The other one exists only while we're living. That's our life force and it disappears when we die. Dementors suck the living part of our soul, and then the immortal one isn't free to find another home. Therefore we're doomed to stay forever in the realm of the dead. Our physical bodies rot in the dungeon you must have seen, but never die. We feel the pain that our bodies suffer and the pain of being here. It's not that people don't remember their previous lives, it's just so unbearable remembering this place and they loose all memories of it and everything that had happened before it as soon as their souls find a new home. That's why we didn't know you brought us back to life."
"I brought you back to life?"
"Yes. In the realm of the dead time doesn't exist. There can be many lives but only one death."
"Does Sirius know?"
"No. He'll realize what had really happened only when he arrives here again."
Harry felt his blood cooling. He knew he wouldn't be able to go back if he lost consciousness.
"Mum, dad, I have to go now. But I'll be back."
"No! You mustn't come back. You don't know what's lurking down here!"
"Mum, dad, I'm so sorry for doing this to you. I didn't know!"
"We know son. We love you with all our hearts no matter what!"
"You must go now!"
Harry started sliding up through the waves of desperation and misery. He knew those were feelings of souls of others that were kissed. The way up seemed much shorter. The fog disappeared and suddenly he saw light.
"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was looking at him worriedly. She'd gotten used to his serpent form and could tell by then if something seemed wrong with Nemesis. Harry slid towards the fireplace. He knew he had to warm up his blood before transforming back into a human.
"Athena sent you a message by Patronus. It says it's urgent."
"It wasn't cold in here" Harry thought. "My blood cooled while I was dreaming, just like I actually was there. If something had seized me I wouldn't have come back!"
Hermione understood what Harry was trying to do and summoned some heat to help him warm up.
"I wish I could talk to you in Parseltongue." Harry said after becoming a human again.
"I've already researched that. It's not possible to learn it. One either has it or not." She gave him a piece of parchment. "This is from Athena."
Harry took the parchment.
Dear Harry,
Malfoy manor is not safe. I will meet you in the Blacks summerhouse. You already know where it is. It is empty since Bellatrix died and Narcissa fled from the country. I'm on my way and you must come as soon as you can. DO NOT APPARATE!
Athena
"I have to go!" Harry told Hermione. "You stay here with the twins and make sure they don't do anything silly."
"Should I say 'Yes sir'?" Hermione asked sarcastically.
"No. But bear in mind that we're in the middle of a war and every mistake can be our last. I'm counting on you Hermione! Don't let me down!"
sss
After one hour of flying Harry landed in the bushes near the pond and quietly transformed into a serpent. He knew the Black's summerhouse very well. His parents used to take Rose and him there while it still belonged to Sirius. Later he came again when Narcissa and Draco visited Bellatrix. It was supposed to be deserted, but he spotted a faint light coming through the heavy curtains from the guest house. It wasn't difficult for him to sneak in. As he already suspected somebody was in the lounge. But he certainly didn't expect to see Lucius Malfoy talking to Cornelius Fudge. Harry came closer. The two men were sitting at the table. Lucius was pouring a drink into their glasses.
"I don't see why we couldn't meet in the library up there." Fudge asked.
"It's because only members of the Black family can come and invite someone in. One of those ancient wards the Black family is so proud of. Obviously since Narcissa left me taking Draco with her, the bloody house doesn't consider me a member of the family."
"Yes I have heard of their wards. There are rumors that even You-know-Who can't break their magic." Fudge said sipping his tea. "Speaking about your master… He must be very displeased with your wife's betrayal."
"The Dark Lord has turned even against his most loyal followers."
"Like you are?"
"Yes, like I. If it wasn't for that Mudblood girl, my only son would be dead!"
Harry clenched his teeth. Even after admitting that Hermione saved Draco's life Lucius couldn't call her anything else but Mudblood. He rushed downstairs determined to make him pay for that when he heard familiar hissing.
"Where do you think you are going, young man?"
"Athena!" Harry stopped and turned to the cobra who was hiding behind the curtain.
"There will be time to teach them a lesson, but not just yet. We must find out what they are up to."
"Lucius, has anyone told you before that you have a serious attitude problem?" Fudge sneered.
"You're not here because of my manners, are you?"
"No. I am not."
"So, why are we here then?" Lucius was as arrogant as ever.
"I've got to know who's willing to die for his master and who would join the winning side when the opportune moment comes."
"And what do you offer in return for that little favour?"
"What do you expect?"
"In an unlikely case that you succeed, you will confirm that I was on your side all along. I will retain all mine and my wife's property, and be reinstated to all positions I held. In addition I expect a high position in the Ministry."
"Like education?"
"Don't be ridiculous! I already had that. How about national security?"
"That can be arranged. Well, if that's all, let's work on the details. But first you must sign here. I won't tell you what's going to happen if you break our agreement and tell your master any of this, but you can guess."
Lucius took the quill and put his signature on the parchment in silence.
"We must have that list." Athena hissed. "Fudge is up to something."
"Severus Snape will be your connection." Fudge proceeded in a commanding voice. "As a half blood nobody takes him seriously and we'll exploit that. You shall report your findings to him every week. Do you have any questions?"
"What if I have to leave the country too?"
"Well you won't. At least not before I say so. Make sure I have that list soon. Once I have it I won't need you anymore."
The two men stood up.
"Oh yes, one more thing." Fudge added.
"What?"
"You might be interested in this article in the Reykjavik Inquirer." Fudge smiled spitefully into his face.
"Why on Earth…" Lucius stopped in the middle of the sentence stunned by something he saw in the paper. He grabbed it and after half a minute of frantic reading he vigorously tore it apart and threw it into Fudge's face. The two wizards left the guest house and disappeared into opposite directions.
"What was that?" Harry asked when they left.
"It seems that Lucius is suddenly disenchanted in his beloved Dark Lord!"
"Athena, Sirius and Mad-Eye are under arrest, Fudge is about to disband the Resistance and sixty children…"
"I know everything!"
"But how?"
"As I told you I still have connections in the Forbidden Forest. I also know some people in the High Council."
"But you said…"
"That I'm too old for adventures?"
"Well, yes."
"As the matter of fact I'm not that old." Harry looked at her puzzled. "You see, humans live quite intensively and burn their life force fast. On the other hand, snakes, as cold blooded animals are far more rational. Only humans have much more life force to spare. It means that in last two hundred years or so I spent mostly in serpent shape I aged less then twenty in human terms."
"And that's why you chose to remain a serpent!"
"It isn't the only reason, but I don't want to talk about it." Athena answered leaving no room for further discussion. "Let's see what made dear old Lucius so upset." She mended the paper.
"How did you do that?"
"Oh I learnt in time how to cast some basic spells in my serpent shape. It does come in handy. But you must be snake much longer than you have to be able to do it yourself."
Harry looked at the paper. There was a photograph on the front page showing Narcissa and Draco, completely naked and obviously embarrassed in front of a fireplace in what seemed like a local pub full of people. Draco held his hands on top of his private parts and tried to conceal his mother who was kneeling down holding her arms over her breasts in humiliation. Finally the local constable arrived, covered them with blankets and escorted them outside through the cheering crowd.
Harry laughed and looked at the title above.
Obscenity in local pub as couple of Brits appeared naked
A naked couple of Britons appeared from the fireplace yesterday evening in the jam-packed local pub. The bartender said they apparently had to flee from a jealous husband and misstated the destination. An unnamed source from the Ministry said they refused to reveal their identity, but they were obviously mother and son. Their story that they had a mishap in the Floo network is unconfirmed. The source also said that there were no mishaps where people lost all their clothes and possessions recorded in history. The charges for obscenity were dropped after the couple agreed to join a survival expedition to Greenland.
Harry laughed. "So he did it after all!"
"Who did what?"
"Ryan from Dublin. He said the smugglers Floo network was unstable and a mishap could have easily happened."
"I think it's time to move to the main house." Athena said apparently uninterested in hearing any more details. "We'll be much safer there."
"But didn't you hear Lucius? Only members of the Black family can enter the house."
"Sirius is your godfather isn't he? Since your parents are officially dead, you are technically his son. Let's check it out, shall we? Of course you must be a human for that."
They headed up hill towards the summerhouse. It was difficult for Harry to see anything since he was a human again and Lucius and Fudge took all the lanterns. He hesitated for a moment and then he tried to open the door. It swung silently before he even touched it like it was inviting him into the house. Harry stepped inside and after a few seconds he invited Athena. She slid in and the door closed after her, making absolutely no sound.
Harry looked around. As soon as the door closed the torches on the walls lit the lobby. It was exactly like he remembered it. The floor was decorated with the finest mosaic dominated by the Black's family crest. On the tapestries on the walls were depicted scenes from hunting dragons and other magical creatures.
Suddenly he heard a high pitched voice "Hurry up you lazy lots! We must greet our master!"
Athena quickly hid behind the curtain as Harry faced an old house elf. She was panting and bowing in front of him followed by two pale and skinny teens with blank expressions on their faces. Harry hardly recognized Neville Longbottom and a girl a few years younger than him. Resisting the urge to try "Finite Incartium" on them he stood silently waiting for the house-elf's next move.
"Polly is waiting for your orders, master!"
"Who do you think I am, Polly?"
"Young Harry Potter, our new master!"
"Who told you that?"
"It was in the house log master, like always!"
"Who else knows I'm here?"
"Nobody else master. Only Polly."
"What about Kreacher?"
Polly stepped back terrified. "Oh master wants Polly punished! Master wants Kreacher to come and punish Polly!"
"No, wait! I don't want to punish you! I want to know whether he knows something!"
"Oh no. Kreacher doesn't belong to the Land!"
"Polly, you have to do everything I tell you, is that so?"
"Yes master, everything you command!"
"Now tell me everything you know about land, Black family and why I'm your master. That's an order!"
"Yes master, I is telling Master everything. Polly is telling what is written in the family journal."
"Go on then!" Harry became impatient with Polly's politeness.
Polly started reciting like she was in trance. "A thousands years ago, the Land was wild and lawless. Monsters terrorized those that had nowhere to go but to live here. People lived in fear. But there was one man that refused to be afraid, who was willing to stand ground no matter what. The Land had been waiting for such a man for a long time. One night when he was in the woods the Land spoke to him. And he made a vow. He swore that when times of trouble came he and his family would stand ground and protect the Land at all cost; that he would not spare neither the invader of the Land nor the traitors and that in that battle he would not hesitate to risk his own children's lives for the sake of the Land. And the Land gave him power. And the Land gave power to his children. And they killed all of the monsters and villains and brought peace to the Land. His hair and his eyes were black; as black as coal. And people called him Black. He built the house on the hill above the pond in the very heart of the Land. And whenever times of trouble came the Black family was there to protect the Land. Sirius Black wanted to spare you, my master, from the battle, so he broke the vow and lost his right to be the lord of the Land. Narcissa fled with her son and lost her right as well. But you master, you stood ground. You rejected the offer from the evil wizard to join him even after facing the threat that you sister would die. When your parents die, your younger siblings become your children. And the Land gave you a name: Algol Black."
"I have my name! It's Harry Potter!" Harry shouted.
"Oh yes, master has his name. Yes. And the House knows it. Harry Potter name was in the log. But in the journal it says Algol Black. That's how the Land calls master. The land has its reasons. Not blame Polly. Polly just say what I know." Polly shivered expecting punishment.
"Don't be afraid of me. I will never, ever hurt the innocent!" Harry pledged. "The boy and the girl aren't my slaves anymore. Until the curse is lifted treat them as guests. I want them to have a bath, clean robes and they will eat the same food I eat. Is that understood?"
"Yes master!"
"I need to go and get my friends here. You take care of that until I'm back!"
"But master, we have the fireplace."
"I can't use it. All fireplaces are being monitored."
"Not the one in master's bedroom. Not even the Dark Wizard could use it. My late mistress never invited him into the house. The late mistress was the only one before my master that could say no to the Dark Wizard."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yes, Polly is sure. Polly know. Polly will tell everything master want to know."
"Am I still a Black if my parents come back?"
"Oh no. Master mustn't. Please master! Don't raise them from the dead. It is a bad magic. Black magic. You can't raise their souls. Undead don't have feelings. It's bad. Master will suffer. Not even the Dark Wizard dared to do that. The Land will never see them as living. The Land see the soul. She not see dead."
Polly's eyes widened. "Polly bad. I is telling master what to do. Bad Polly! Bad Polly!" She started punching herself on the head.
"Stop it! I command you to never hurt yourself again! Do you understand?"
"Yes master."
"I order you to always tell me the truth and everything you know about what I intend to do!"
"Yes master."
"I want to invite my friends."
"Master need not do nothing. The Land knows who is master's friends. Yes it does. The powder is by the fireplace. I show master the way."
The room was very much like any other in Black's residencies, with heavy curtains on the windows, and massive dark redwood furniture. Without wasting his time Harry took the powder and threw it into the fireplace exclaiming "Weasley's hideout!"
sss
"It's not working Hermione. It can't last more than a few seconds." Fred was trying to improve his image spell.
"Why don't you try the permanency charm right after you cast it?"
"That what I've been doing all day!"
"What about casting the permanency before your spell for the area where the spell will be cast?" Hermione didn't want to quit that easily.
Fred muttered his spells. The image appeared in the center of their shelter. They waited for several seconds expecting it to disappear. Then they waited for a minute. It was still there. They looked each at other in triumph, but before they could say anything Harry popped from the fireplace.
"Get ready! We're leaving in a minute!" He told Fred.
Fred didn't move.
"Fred have you heard me? We've got to go! Where're the others?"
Then he heard chuckling behind him. Harry turned and faced the twins and Hermione hardly holding their laughter.
"What do you think you're doing?" He asked angrily.
"Practicing and improving our spellcasting, commander." Fred 'reported'.
"We don't have time for this now. But it's brilliant! We better leave it there. Let's go!" He took the powder.
"Harry where are we going? And how come we can suddenly use the Floo network?" Hermione asked.
"This is a secure channel. We're going to the Black's summerhouse. It's almost as safe as the Headquarters! Just trust me on this, will you?" He looked at them and after they nodded their heads he exclaimed "Black's summerhouse, the master's bedroom!"
sss
Harry, Hermione and the twins rushed from the bedroom into the corridor and then to the library. Athena was waiting there. This was the first time Harry saw her as a human. It was apparent that she was a Malfoy. Her long silvery hair framed an old but still beautiful face. She looked at them curiously with the bluest eyes one could possibly imagine. She was dressed in old fashioned, but elegant robes. As they entered the room she made a curtsy.
"Your lordship." Her appearance and voice were graceful, almost royal.
Hermione and the twins looked at her and Harry in bewilderment. Harry was confused, but managed to bow and say.
"I welcome you to my humble home Lady Malfoy." Harry kissed her hand, "Please meet my friends. This is Hermione Granger, I told you about her."
"Indeed he told me so much that I feel like I already know you Miss Granger. It's a great pleasure to meet you in person, at last."
"The pleasure is all mine, Headmistress."
"Thank you. I like that title better. I was disowned by the Malfoy family anyways."
"And these are Fred and George Weasley."
"I heard about you too, young gentlemen."
The twins bowed, not knowing what to say.
"Athena, I mean Headmistress," Harry faltered.
"Yes Harry, you may still call me Athena. Though I look younger as a serpent don't I?"
"That was exactly what I was going to ask. Why did you transform into a human after so many years?"
"Because I can't hide anymore." Athena responded slowly. "There's something very dangerous going on. I wasn't here accidentally. I was following our former Minister. He met with the ambassadors of four continental powers. He promised them an uprising that will fail miserably and be suppressed in bloodshed. They can use it then as an excuse to intervene. Their cohorts of criminals, adventurers and mercenaries are already waiting for the signal. Once they are here they won't leave. I'm afraid they plan to take all the land and perhaps reinstate Fudge as a puppet minister with no real power."
"But how they expect to defeat Voldemort and the Dementors? They know that even Dumbledore failed to do that!"
"They think that Dumbledore was too soft, too old and too overrated. They also think that the Dementors will betray Voldemort as well. Anyways after reports that a teenage girl deflected them single-handedly, no one treats them as a serious threat."
"And what about Voldemort?"
"They think his power was always overrated too, and is fading."
"So if I make Voldemort weaker I'm helping them!"
"Only if they really come. And they won't if there's no uprising. We must warn Sirius and Moody. It's only a question how."
"I have an idea! Fred, George, you're supposed to be the greatest pranksters ever, aren't you?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Can you fool Madam Pomfrey that one of you is seriously injured?"
"Well, yeah! Piece of cake! Why?"
"Hermione will take George in. You two must find Sirius and Mad-Eye and tell them what's going on. Hermione, you must persuade as many people as you can to join us here. They all trust you." Harry was completely carried away.
"But Harry, if Fudge and his trusted men are there they'll arrest me!" Hermione said.
"Don't you worry Hermione! We'll take care of that!" Fred bragged.
"How?"
"Give me your wand."
Hermione pulled her wand from her sleeve and gave it to Fred.
"Watch this." Fred snapped the stick he found by the fireplace and laid it by the Hermione's wand. He muttered spells while holding his wand above them. The stick changed its shape until it looked just like the wand.
"Yes, I know. It's a replica. Every Auror knows about that trick!"
"You just wait."
Fred took another stick and repeated the spell. Then he muttered different spells for some time. He'd never looked so focused and somber.
"There." He sighed in relief. "Try something simple."
Hermione took the wand. It looked and felt just like the original. "Lumos!" She flicked the wand and light lit her face.
"How?"
"I stored some basic spells in the replica. That's what every wizard can do with someone else's wand. If used, the replica leaves the same signature as the original."
"This is how we do it." George joined them. "You conceal your real wand so nobody can find it. Then you conceal this replica so it can be found if they search really hard. If they ask you to hand over your wand you give them the fake one. Then they search you and eventually they find the other replica. They cast a few spells and take the signature. You use your real wand later. It got us out of trouble in several occasions." George laughed.
"Young men, I can only thank Goodness you were not around Hogwarts when I was Headmistress. But if you ever come back to finish your studies I'll personally take care you will have an 'O' in Transfiguration!" Athena didn't hide how impressed she was.
"So what will be your 'injury'?" Harry asked George.
"Poisoning! Madam Pomfrey remembers us from our young age. She treated us several times for poisoning while we were at Hogwarts. I'll make a great show this time!"
"I'm sure you will. You can hide two broomsticks from the house near Headquarters, because they'll probably take yours. Fred and I will escort you to the Forbidden Forest. I have a little job for the two of us while you and Hermione are there. And remember: You can't apparate here!"
"Athena you're welcome to stay in my home as long as you like."
"Thank you Harry, but I have to pay some old friends a visit. Oh, one more thing." Athena added casually. "Haven't you forgotten something?"
"What would that be?" Harry asked.
"You must have the antidote to counter Veritaserum." She continued, "Just in case."
"But it's very complex potion! Where can we find it now?" Hermione asked.
"Master told Polly to always tell the truth and everything I know about what master intend to do."
"Yes Polly, speak."
"There are many potions in the cellar. Late mistress was afraid of Veritaserum. Late mistress had many secrets."
"Thank you Polly. Show us the way."
"You actually have a house elf, your lordship?" Hermione hissed on their way down.
"Well, it comes with the land."
"And how come you own the land? Doesn't it belong to the Black family?"
"I'm the Black family now. It's a long story."
"Over here!" George exclaimed. "There must be years of potions supplies in here!"
The place looked like a wine cellar only with bottles of potions instead of wine.
"Only the late mistress could come in. Not her husband, not even Dark Wizard knew about this cellar." Polly explained.
"Thank you Polly. Well done. I'll make sure you'll be well rewarded." Harry said looking at Hermione.
"Lets take what we need and get going."
sss
Rodolphus Lestrange was very nervous. This was the first time he had to face his Dark Lord on his own. At all other occasions he had escorted his late wife Bellatrix. She visited the Dark Lord alone much more often then with him and he never asked any questions. He had never loved Bella. Oh no, nobody could have loved Bella. He worshiped her like a goddess. He belonged to her like a slave. But above all, he was afraid of her.
He walked down spiral stairs for quite a while until he reached a small black iron-studded door. It was low and narrow as the entrance to a vaulted grave, ascended by a ragged step, the dust on which lied untrodden. In hideous mockery of ornament, this ghastly portal was surmounted by a set of gyves and chains, which hung in a square niche, and looked like the remains of some human skeleton kept there as a horrible warning to scare anyone who came near. And that was the door Rodolphus was about to open. Only the fear of his Dark Lord gave him enough courage to do it. He stepped inside trembling. The room was empty, lit by black candles. On the other side of the chamber resting on the dais was a huge marble block covered by blood-red velvet. As he walked closer, he saw Bellatrix lying on it. Her naked body was not only perfectly preserved, but looked twenty years younger. This was Bella on the day he had married her. Her black hair was tidily spread around her head in a perfect circle. Her hands were lying by her side. The only piece of jewelry she wore was a large amethyst medallion on a red-gold chain around her long, perfectly shaped neck. Rodolphus shivered.
"You're so beautiful!" He cried.
"Yes she is, isn't she?" Voldemort appeared behind Rodolphus.
"My Lord!" Rodolphus kneeled before Voldemort.
Voldemort grinned but his eyes remained cold. He looked at Rodolphus like a hawk. "I'm glad you managed to find my secret quarters. Nobody will spy on us here! I don't want anybody to see Bella!"
"My Lord, if there was anything that could be done to bring her back! Anything at all, I would the first to do it!"
It was quite a safe pledge and Rodolphus knew it. There was no magic that could bring someone back from the dead.
"I'm glad you said that. It couldn't work without your consent."
Rodolphus looked at him in bewilderment.
"Since the day she died," Voldemort continued, "I was thinking of nothing else but how to bring her back. Indeed, not even my magic can raise her from the dead. Her immortal soul is lost forever. But there is something I can still do. I rejuvenated her body as you can see. It took a lot of effort and many had to give all their blood for that. And now all I need is a life force from a willing giver to breathe into her. Your life force Rodolphus!"
"My Lord!" Rodolphus stepped back.
"My faithful Dementors will help me!"
Rodolphus fell on his knees overwhelmed by the presence of the Dementors who entered the room. They obviously didn't affect Voldemort who was looking at Bellatrix and smiling.
"Bientôtma Belle, tres bientôt, and we'll be together again!"
Rodolphus collapsed onto the floor struggling to breathe. One of the Dementors glided towards him and grabbed him by his shoulders. Helplessly lying on the floor Rodolphus saw an eyeless face beneath the hood inching closer. He felt the breath from the shapeless hole that was sucking air with hissing sound. He couldn't see anything but the darkness of that hole. Rodolphus knew he was looking into the deepness of Death. He faintly tried to break free, but after a few seconds the twitching stopped and Rodolphus remained motionless on the floor. The Dementor silently glided towards Bellatrix and loudly exhaled into her mouth.
With a slight wave of his hand Voldemort dismissed the Dementors. They left carrying Rodolphus' body among them. Voldemort watched Bellatrix in tense silence. Finally her eyes opened and she looked at him.
"My Lord."
"Bella!" He took her by her hand.
Bellatrix rose into a sitting position effortlessly.
"What does my Lord command?" She asked in a monotone.