Disclaimer: After spending Several months in a mental institure, I am now fairly certain that I am not J.K. Rowling and, as such, I do not own Harry Potter. I'm just a guy who had an idea for a story, with a few OC's as well.

Harry Potter and the Grim Decision
Chapter 7: Life and Death
By: Nanio-713

Harry was standing alone in the cold, dank, dark dungeon doing small stretches to alleviate his aching muscles. It is bad enough they're torturing me, Harry mused, but you would figure that I'd be allowed to sit down a bit. Well, Death Eaters have never been known for being nice or compassionate so I don't know why I'm surprised. Still, spending a little over a week in this position does tend to wear on one's nerves. Harry mused on the use of various possible tactics often used during torture to annoy the victims when he heard the door open. He began to grin as he said, "Well, you're here early today. I usually get a full eight hours alone before you come back to talk to me. I'm touched that you enjoy spending so much time with me."

His grin faltered slightly once he saw that Rudolphus and Lucius were not alone. The two Death Eaters were followed by a woman wearing a pair of dark red pants with a pair of matching boots and vest, all of which were leather. The clothing did not show any cleavage, but it did hug her voluptuous figure nicely. Her robes were loose, making it obvious that they were soon going to be discarded. He looked at her face to see an ivory colored face, full red lips, eyes as dark as black-holes, thin eyebrows, and hair so long it reached her lower back in waves. Harry's face turned to stone, "Very nice to meet you again, Mrs. Lestrange."

Bellatrix raised an inquiring eyebrow as Harry raised his mental shields, "I must admit some surprise that the feeling is mutual, Mr. Potter. You are looking in surprisingly good health."

"Your husband and Mr. Malfoy heal me after they're done with their exploits."

"Yes, but one would've expected more scars to remain visible besides…" Bellatrix squinted slightly, "five new scars." She turned to the Lucius and Rudolphus, who have been ignored up to this point. "What tactics have you used so far on him? How effective were they?"

Rudolphus stared at Bellatrix with almost pure contempt as Lucius described their unsuccessful attempts at breaking Harry. Bellatrix listened with professionalism and immediately turned back to Harry once the report was done. "Well, I must admit that you've handled yourself exceptionally well. However, you will not find my treatment to be as easy my husband's," Bella spat the last word out with contempt. "I am a much more proficient Occlumens, which means that you will not break into my mind as you did with your… previous torturers."

Harry paused for a moment before extending his mental awareness. Harry loved this little trick and often associated it with the Muggle radar since this trick allows him to sense the mental strength of those around him without actually connecting to anyone's mind. If one had no training in mental defense, a talented Legilimens could even read your thoughts in this manner. Harry surveyed the defenses of his new enemy to find that she had a surprisingly powerful shield. He doubted that she was stronger than him but, like his own comparison to Tonks, he guessed that the difference in strength was so small it was practically negligible. Harry smirked as he said, "No, with you in this little game now I'm sure these proceedings will get much more interesting. Are you going to start the activities today, or will those two gits over there warm me up for you?"

Bellatrix smiled and shrugged off her robes. "Actually, this session will be just you and me. These two gentlemen will be leaving right now."

Rudolphus shook his head. "No, we're staying right here and watching everything you do, especially if he starts giving out information. We must report anything he says to the Dark Lord personally."

Bellatrix didn't face away from Harry as she said, "I will tell you everything the boy says, and you can then tell it to our Master."

"I think not, my beloved." Bellatrix turned to glare at her husband as he said, "We cannot have you making a fool of us in front of our Master, so we will stay here and hear everything from the boy's lips personally. You know better than to question us, so get to work."

Harry was surprised when, contrary to what he expected Bellatrix to do, the woman closed her eyes and breathed deeply before grabbing her wand and facing Harry. Then, she pointed her wand at him and cast a non-verbal spell at Harry. The spell was dark brown and hit Harry square in the chest. Harry suddenly felt every muscle in his body tense. His arms tightened, his buttock clenched, his back became rigid, and he began to breathe heavily since his lungs became less cooperative. Even his genitals tensed and began to act as if he was aroused and a headache formed because of the instantaneous rush of blood to his lower regions. Harry felt a brief instant of panic before his Occlumency training kicked in and he calmed himself. He watched Bellatrix as he dealt with the strange sensation and watched as his mind was surrounded by a mental field. He realized that Bellatrix extended her mental awareness to include Harry and noted that Lucius and Rudolphus were not included in the field. He watched as Bellatrix lowered her outer shields to expose her conscious mind. There, he heard her think. Now we can speak in peace. Are you comfortable, Mr. Potter?

Harry was momentarily surprised before replying, I am most comfortable, yes. I will admit to being surprised at this current change in events, Mrs. Lestrange. Why are you talking to me in this manner?

Harry, – May I call you Harry? – We are linked by the mind right now. With such intimate contact I will not mind if you call me Bellatrix. Harry nodded for a moment before Bellatrix openly thought, I am talking to you like this because I would prefer to be alone when torturing a victim, and if I cannot be alone then I would rather be the only one able to hear you when you snap and begin telling me everything you know.

Harry smiled at Bellatrix. Do you really think making me tenser than a girl at a rapist convention would make me give up all my secrets? Oh Bellatrix, what do you really have planned?

I never said that this was going to break you. I cast that hex to simply get on your nerves for a while. I'll leave that on you for a while longer before slicing away at your skin. You'll see that being cut while tense hurts a lot more and bleeds less. Plus, I want to see how a body reacts to burns while in the state you are in, so I think I'll use some hot pokers as well. I know you've been burned and cut before, but my being a better Legilimens means that you cannot block me when I reach the more sensitive areas of your body. She looked at the rather large tent that has formed in his pants and sighed, it will be such a waste to harm such a wonderful specimen such as you but that, as they say, is out of my hands. Breaking you is my job, in the end, and I cannot do it without wounding your… ego.

Harry's conversation with Bellatrix was interrupted when he suddenly heard Rudolphus bark, "Well, are you going to start or stare at the boy all day? If this one spell is all you've planned than I don't see why we brought you here at all! I should've known you would be useless here. Unless, of course, we wanted you on your knees before us while we worked on breaking Harry."

Lucius said, "Rudolphus, please shut up!"

Bellatrix turned to Rudolphus and snapped, "Silence, you miserable piece of bat droppings! I am doing something too subtle for you to wrap your silly little mind around so I would appreciate it if you would just shut up!"

Rudolphus chuckled softly as he pointed his wand at Harry, "Bellatrix, that was cute but I do think you should leave a job like this to the men. We asked for your help, and you've now given it: You've tensed his whole body to allow the Cruciatus to be more effective, and now all Lucius and I have to do is keep him under the Cruciatus long enough for him to break while you hold off the boy's Legilimency. Lucius and I will take over this session starting now. CRUCIO!"

Harry jerked as the first curse hit him. Lucius' curse followed soon after, although the man was shaking his head and muttering under his breath. Bellatrix glared at her husband and stepped away from the two men and sat down on the circular table to watch the struggle. Harry quickly reinforced his Occlumency shields with his entire mind, abandoning any thought of using Legilimency because of the presence of Bellatrix Lestrange. His mouth opened and released an inaudible scream as he felt his muscles burn like they were covered in acid, boiling and melting them, due to the spell Bellatrix cast on him earlier. His headache suddenly felt like ten migraines pulsing through his head and his veins felt like they were carrying rusty knifes throughout his body. His skin burned as if a hot fire poker was being rubbed over his entire body, and he began fighting insanely in an attempt to break free from his bonds. Harry felt this agonizing pain course through his body for an untold amount of time, feeling as if he was going to go insane in any minute. Harry thought he was going to implode from the pressure strangling his body until…

Bellatrix gasped in alarm when she saw Harry's eyes open wide, darting around like some wild beast looking to devour something whole. Harry's eyes rested on his wand and he yelled, "Accio wand!" His wand flew out of Rudolphus' hand and a wave of air slammed into Lucius, knocking the man almost across the room, nearly hitting Bellatrix as he flew past. Bellatrix stood as Rudolphus began to float in the air towards Harry. Rudolphus tried to move but found himself immobilized as his face stopped about one foot away from Harry's. He looked in the boy's face, seeing the insanity in the boy's eyes. They were not the eyes of the boy he's been torturing for roughly the past week – far from it, actually- as they looked like the eyes of an animal: primal, predatory, and merciless. His expression darkened until Harry himself appeared to be death incarnate. Suddenly Harry screamed, causing Rudolphus to scream and Bellatrix's eyes to widen at the scene before her. Rudolphus began to squirm as Harry screamed, and his limbs began rapidly twisting and cracking at odd angles. The bones in his arms cracked as they flailed in odd angles, and the occasional snap could be heard as a part of Rudolphus' body was twisted into an unnatural angle. His body seemed to crush into itself as he moved into a fetal position and he began to twirl as his body crushed in on itself. Bellatrix, realizing that her husband was dead and Harry was distracted with what he was doing to the man's body, shot a powerful stunner at Harry just to see a bright flash and a ward surround himself and Rudolphus' body. She ducked as her stunner rebound towards her and watched the crushed form of Rudolphus Lestrange fall to the ground as Harry slowly ceased his screaming and slumped towards the floor, unconscious and being held up only by his bonds. Bellatrix noticed absently that Lucius stood and moved himself next to her, watching the now deformed body at Harry's feet slowly ooze blood onto the dungeon floor. The blood reached the barrier placed by Harry and began to pool, confirming Lucius' thought that nothing can pass through said barrier.

Lucius sighed and said, "You were a stupid man, Rudolphus. We were supposed to let Bellatrix handle the boy, but you had to prove that you were the master, and no one else beside our Lord can take Potter to task. Well, you've just been taught that you are only a mortal in the largest sense."

Bellatrix snorted, "Lucius, The man was just taught that if you push a fatigued and angry wizard too far his magic reacts violently. If he'd have let me do what you asked of me, I could have broken this boy by the end of the week for you. I would have taken him to the precarious edge between sanity and madness in order for you to get your answers, then we would have handed him over to our Lord for judgment. Instead, we just made Harry a liability. Now we have to inform the Dark Lord that Harry's more trouble than he's work and needs to be killed immediately."

"No," Lucius asked, "He can still be broken. First, we need to find out how powerful this barrier is. If we cannot break the barrier, then maybe we can use the body to cause enough guilt that he breaks anyway. Regardless, the boy has been through enough suffering here to be on his last leg when he comes to. You and I can finish this mission now and take all the credit for breaking Harry instead of giving it all to Rudolphus."

Bellatrix paused for a moment before nodding. She moved out the way as Lucius began casting various spells and charms meant to test the barrier's strength and see if there are any weak points. He worked slowly, testing each part with slightly stronger curses and jinxes, attempting to shatter the barrier. Bellatrix watched the barrier as Lucius worked, memorizing how it looked and referencing all the wards that she knew. The barrier was transparent, colors flicked across various parts of its limits to let her know how large the barrier was. It reminded Bellatrix of those bubbles she saw Muggleborn children play with when they return from the Muggle world. She snickered slightly of the irony that the most powerful barrier she had ever seen someone cast reminded her of a Muggle toy, especially since she worked in a group that saw Muggles as lesser life forms. She watched as Lucius' spells became stronger and stronger, going from a stunner, to a bludgeoning curse, then to various dark spells. Finally, in frustration, he cast a Cruciatus at the barrier to break it only to see it hit the barrier and stop. The spell forced itself against the barrier for a brief period of time before bouncing back towards its caster. Lucius quickly dodged the Cruciatus and spoke as he stood up. "That's it, the boy has signed his death warrant. The only thing that I think could force itself through that barrier is the A-K, and the Dark lord wants him alive so we'll either have to break the boy's mind with word games or call him here to kill Potter now."

"I think I can break Potter, but I will need one thing from you." She watched Lucius as he paused for a moment before nodding. "I'm going to need to be alone with him. If you want my mind games to work, then I need total privacy. He'd only try to get the two of us at each other's throats if we're here together regardless of how emotionally and mentally fatigued he is. If I'm here alone than he has no one to distract me with."

Lucius nodded as he idly twirled his wand between his fingers. "I'll give you until next Wednesday. That's 7 days before I tell our Lord. If you need me I'll be in my personal chambers. You'll probably only see me when I'm eating unless you need my help. This is now your project, not mine. I gave it up when I called you in to break him." He walked to the door and began to step out of the dungeon before pausing and saying, "It wasn't my choice, Bellatrix. I didn't originally want to be involved, but it was necessary to show my loyalty to our lord."

"You don't feel any regret or remorse for your actions," Bellatrix replied. "However, that's all in the past now. There's no point crying over spilt potion, so just leave me to destroy the boy's mind. After all, who better to destroy someone's mind than one who has had their mind destroyed before?"


Bellatrix waited for nearly three hours before Harry came to. By that time the body at his feet was beginning to let off a small odor. Harry raised his head as if in a daze before looking back down and seeing the twisted mockery of a human body at his feet. A demented smirk graced Harry's face for a moment before going blank and he raised his head towards Bellatrix. He watched her for a moment before saying, "I guess you got all of your information while I was unconscious. How long before Voldemort comes to kill me? Why am I surrounded by a ward, shackled to a wall, and have a dead body at my feet?"

Bellatrix concealed her flinch at hearing the Dark Lord's name by hopping from her perch on the table and said, "You created the barrier yourself after going insane from my now dead husband and Lucius' attack. You killed my husband in a rather impressive feat of wandless magic and we can't get through the barrier to remove the corpse without killing you. The barrier prevents any Legilimency from being able to cross your barrier, so I haven't been able to receive any information from you. Trust me; I would have raped your mind if it wasn't for this barrier."

Silence reigned between the prisoner and torturer before Harry asked, "So where did Lucius go?"

"He's been dismissed and now I'm the one who has to deal with you," Bellatrix replied. "So, do you remember killing Rudolphus? I know you remember, and if you don't then you can easily use your Occlumency to remember. Did you enjoy it? Do you want to do it again?"

She expected Harry to lash out or become angry, but instead he became quiet. Sighing, Harry said, "I remember now, thanks to my Occlumency. No, I'm not sad. He was an evil, sadistic person and it was his time to move onto the other side. If I hadn't sent him along, then it would've been something else. Either way, he was meant to die today."

"What makes you say that, Potter? How do you know that my husband was fated to die today? Why wouldn't he have died from some disease, old age, or before he was released from Azkaban? Surely you don't think of yourself as a bringer of death? Or have you been planning on killing Rudolphus?" Bellatrix smiled wickedly, "Yes, you seem to have become more accustomed to murder. First you cause the death of your godfather, and now you intentionally killed my Husband."

Harry's face remained completely blank, "I don't know how I know that Rudolphus was supposed to die today. Maybe I have some ability with seeing, or maybe I was planning this. I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that he's supposed to be dead and there was nothing anyone could do about it. It's the same thing with Sirius. He was not meant for this world anymore, and I've accepted his passing. Have you, Mrs. Lestrange? Or are you Ms. Lestrange now?"

Fuck, Bellatrix thought, he doesn't seem to be the least bit affected by Rudolphus' murder or his torture! She folded her hands across her chest and said, "This is the Wizarding world, Mr. Potter, and as such I go back to my maiden name of Black. I have accepted Sirius' death since before I killed him."

"I somehow doubt that, Ms. Black. I saw you when you were fighting him and you did not shoot a single spell that could have killed him. If you had accepted his death at that time you would have fired spells that would have cut, maimed, or otherwise done permanent damage to him."

"Like you did to that Death Eater in Diagon Alley?" Bellatrix quipped.

Harry chuckled, "I almost forgot about that. Whose foot did I cut off, anyway? They're probably still peeved that I made sure they'll never walk with both legs whole again."

She smiled, "I believe you know the man, since he specifically asked to capture you. His name was Nicholas Gibbon, and he was the old representative for the Potter seat until you booted him out. He was a but upset with you after the Dark Lord finished torturing him for failure, and wanted you as a trophy to bring himself back into his good graces."

Harry smirked, "His name is Nicholas Gibbon? I thought his name was Gibbons." Harry shrugged, "One letter doesn't matter anyway. He shouldn't have shown me that dangerous spell if he didn't want it thrown back at him. There's a reason you can cast spells non-verbally, as you have shown when you took over this little party of ours. So what happens now?"

Bellatrix paused, "Why do you fight for the light? What is your motivation for protecting those who bounce from worshipping you to shunning you?"

"I don't fight for the entire Wizarding world. They're little more than flocks of sheep willing to be lead whoever is in charge. No, I fight for my friends and for my parents who were killed by the half-blood bastard named Tom Riddle who is also known as Voldemort."

"Stop defiling my master by calling him a half-blood!" Bellatrix snapped, "He is the direct descendant of Salazar Slytherin, one of the purest lines in the world."

"Riddle had a witch for a mother and a Muggle for a father, which is why we had to go to a Muggle cemetery for Voldemort to be resurrected. He needed bone of the father, so they had to dig up a piece of his Muggle father's corpse. Ask Pettigrew, he was there when Voldemort was resurrected. He heard your Lord say that his father was a Muggle."

Bellatrix held back her temper and calmed herself before switching subjects, "Your friends can be placed into the sheep category as well. I know that they've all turned their backs on you at one point in your life for something akin to rumor, jealousy, or a blind belief. Even Dumbledore had forsaken you in your 5th year. Why do you fight for those who turn their back to you?"

"Dumbledore is a manipulative bastard who was scared to be near me," Harry replied. "He turned his back on me to protect himself against Voldemort and I never said I was fighting for him. I'm fighting for my friends: Ron, Ginny, Hermione, Cho, Tonks, and Remus. You're more than well aware that they have all stuck by my side. I've overlooked any time they turned their back on me because we're all young and make mistakes. Tonks and Lupin haven't turned on me yet, and they have shown me true loyalty. I can't leave the fight knowing what Voldemort will do to them, so I will destroy all of you in order to make the world safer for them. Once that's done I don't care what happens to the Wizarding world." He took a breath and watched Bellatrix for a moment before asking, "Why do you fight for Voldemort? Don't tell me you hate Muggles so much that you're willing to kill every wizard in Britain who disagrees with you without a little more to keep you going."

Bellatrix frowned, "Why I do what I do is none of your business. I fight for the Dark Lord because the Pure-Bloods of this world are the only ones fit to rule the world they have created. Half-Bloods and Mudbloods do not understand our world enough to be able to rule us competently. We are making sure that the lesser members of our society know there place!"

"Said one of the few members of a dying breed," Harry mocked. "Bellatrix, the Pure-Bloods are dying. Within three generations the Pure-Bloods will be outnumbered by Half-Bloods and Muggleborn wizards, and within six generations they will be practically wiped out. If you had to remarry, what are the odds that you'll find a suitable husband that is, at best, not a third cousin once removed? If you had a child, how close to your own blood would he or she be to their intended?"

"There are plenty of foreign Wizards that are Pure-Bloods, Harry. Just because I refuse the lower echelon doesn't mean that I cannot marry someone of pure descent from another country."

Harry shrugged, "That's a temporary solution that will only delay an inevitable outcome. The Pure-Bloods are dying Bella, and the Half-bloods and Muggleborns are here to stay. You cannot kill all the Muggles in the world since there are far too many."

"First, don't call me Bella. Second, I am not saying that they all have to die. I am just saying that they should not learn magic."

"How long do you think the Wizarding world can survive without Muggleborns? If we removed all Muggleborns the Wizarding population in Britain will decrease by almost half. Without Muggleborns and Half-bloods, the entire British Wizard community would be practically nonexistent. You would probably be able to fit every Pure-Blood into Diagon Alley with room to spare!"

Bellatrix huffed, "Why do you care anyway? You yourself have admitted that you do not care about these so-called sheep, so why fight the Death Eaters walking down the street? You could have just left with that girl you were with but you decided to stay. It seems to me that you care a lot more than you let on."

"I felt it was a moral obligation to fight those who want to torture others in plain sight. I know a lot of good people in the Wizarding world, and unfortunately you can't separate them from the flocks of sheep when Death Eaters arrive. So, in order to protect my friends I have to protect the sheep as well. Its only when you attack the specific friends I mentioned earlier that I start paying back in interest."

Bellatrix and Harry watched each other for a while before trading idle banter about the reasons they fight for their prospective sides. It sounded a bit repetitive to Harry after a while, but he expected that to happen and quickly accepted it. The next day passed in a similar manner: First he was asked about why he followed on Dumbledore's side, and he retorted with a similar question about Voldemort. Every once in a while, she asked about spies and traitors to get Harry to admit a name, but Harry quickly retorted by asking Bella a similar question.

Bellatrix admitted that she enjoyed the banter, although it was wearing on her nerves. The boy ignored the body at his feet, as well as the stench. He acted as if there was no dried blood attached to his feet, and that the Barrier standing between the two was non-existent. However, with another day gone she knew she only had six days to go.

Harry felt exhausted, but held himself strong in front of Bellatrix. The foul odor of death was almost overwhelming at first, but Harry quickly learned to block out the smell. The blood on his feet made them itch, and often caused a surge of guilt whenever he tried to scrape it off by rubbing his feet on his leg. He was, after all, the reason that blood was there in the first place. He was beginning to feel small hunger pains, yet he knew they wouldn't bother him for another couple of days since he was used to being starved by the Dursley's. His conversations with Bellatrix were fun because he knew that she was becoming unnerved by his statements.

The Third day was incredibly exhausting for the pair. Bellatrix walked into Harry's chamber wearing thick brown robes and a stern expression on her face. Then the both stared each other down for almost an hour, with neither saying a word. Then, they began debating heatedly about the importance of Wizarding bloodlines, which were controlling what aspect of the Wizarding world, and how the Bloodlines affected every aspect of the Wizarding world. Harry scored a few points in his favor when he explained how most of the Witches and Wizards in power were either Half-Bloods or at least unbiased in their opinions. However, Bellatrix upset him greatly when she pointed out how the key positions in the Government, the Business world, and entertainment were comprised of Pure-Bloods. The debate went for very long before both tired for the day and Bellatrix left once again.

It was the fourth day that really set things off though. Bellatrix walked into the dungeon wearing thick black robes once again and walked directly to her usual spot in front of Harry. She watched him for a moment as he stood proudly before her despite his fatigue. She opened her mouth to speak but Harry stopped her by quickly asking, "Did you hate your husband?"

Bellatrix blinked, "Pardon me?"

"Did you hate your husband?" Harry repeated.

Bellatrix replied, "Why would you ask me such a question?"

"I noticed that you and your husband did not necessarily see eye-to-eye when you arrived to take over in my torture. I wanted to know whether it was because of recent troubles, or if you just never liked your husband."

"I loved my husband when we were first married, but he slowly showed me that he was not worth loving." Harry looked at her in an inquisitive manner before she continued, "Rudolphus was never able to impregnate me. This angered both of us since society expected us to bear Pure-Blood children. Children I would have been happy to have if it wasn't for the fact that Rudolphus could not complete his task. We tried for one year before he gave up, and I was never able to care for him the same way again."

"So all of your marital problems have stemmed from that fact," Harry stated. "Did this have anything to do with your becoming a Death Eater?"

Bellatrix glared at Harry, "I don't see how my problems with Rudolphus could be connected to my deciding to join the Dark Lord."

"But I do see the connection. Rudolphus could not impregnate you, so he made you useful by making you work for the Dark lord. Otherwise, Narcissa would be right here next to you instead of at home doing whatever rich Pure-Blood wives do."

Bellatrix looked as if she was contemplating breaking that Barrier with her own teeth if necessary when she said, "When the Dark Lord enlisted the aid of our family, Rudolphus immediately jumped at the chance. It was at his whim that I joined too. It wasn't completely my own decision, but I did want to serve my Master."

Harry smirked, "No, you didn't. Not at first, anyway. I've heard the Marauders talk about you; you were always a bit off but never as insane as you are now. Something must have happened since you started becoming a Death Eater. What was it that made you completely fall in love with torture and mayhem?"

Bellatrix did her best to meet Harry's eyes, "Why do you want to know? Do you want to become as psychotic as I am supposed to be?"

""No, but it would help me understand the mentality of a Death Eater. I understand the beliefs, the reasons, and the requirements, but I do not understand the motivation. I do not understand why you would be so willing to destroy the life of another with such ease and disregard for moral repercussions."

Bellatrix lost her internal struggle and lowered her eyes from Harry's where they rested on her dead husband. How is he doing this to me? She tried to calm herself before she began to hyperventilate. How is he interrogating me so effectively? "When something happens enough times you begin to accept it, and even enjoy it. It rips away a part of you and forces itself in the vacant area."

Harry nodded, "It destroys you a little. It causes you to shrink back and try to escape, but you know you can't escape as it begins to rip and tear at parts of your mind." Bellatrix's eyes shot up to look at Harry. "The only way to get rid of the pain, the suffering, and the loss is to grab it and pull it into you. You let it grow and fester inside of you until the only thing left is the satisfaction of knowing you beat it by loving it."

She couldn't breath. She couldn't think straight and couldn't move her eyes away from Harry's. "When did they begin abusing you, Bella? Did they only hurt you, or did they rape you too? How long was it before you cracked? When did you first scream in pleasure when they forced themselves into your body?"

Bellatrix couldn't look at Harry anymore. She turned around and nearly tripped as she stumbled towards the table. "What makes you think you know anything about what I have been through. The Dark lord has never allowed me to suffer needlessly by those Neanderthals!"

Harry shook his head, "Of course you didn't suffer needlessly. You suffered just enough to accept their decision as to what your function was. You did not want to enjoy murdering and torturing as much as you do, so Voldemort and his groupies did the same to you until you understood how good it could make you feel not to be on the other end. You're the only one truly capable enough to truly understand how good it feels to be on the giving side of the wand as opposed to the receiving end."

She swung around to face Harry with a look of fire in her eyes. "You don't know what its like! You can't comprehend how… how…"

She tried to force the words out of her mouth, but it was to no avail. Harry said, "I know what its like. I know what its like to be locked in a dingy piece of darkness with nothing but a dingy piece of cloth to wrap around you. I know what its like to be forced to do things I didn't want to do, and get smacked around for little more reason than the entertainment of others. I know what its like to be shunned just because one person says I'm not worth being noticed. I know what its like to be bent over and be destroyed while others stare and watch."

The fire left the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange as she saw Harry Potter. This was not the Harry Potter that destroyed Voldemort and lived in the Wizarding world. This was not the Harry Potter who showed Lucius Malfoy and Rudolphus Lestrange that they were mere mortals. This was the Harry Potter who was shown the dark side of the world in all its glory and still managed to spit in its eye. This was the Harry Potter who will live to the end of time if he so chose.

"It is too late now. It's too late for me to do anything. I shall follow this path until the end of my days, and it is only then that I will find Salvation."

"No, it isn't too late. You have a chance to escape these shackles and find redemption in the Wizarding world. I can guarantee your safety. If you help me escape, then I can get a full pardon for you if you give me all the information you have on the Death Eaters and become my personal spy. You will only have to correspond to me. Not to Fudge, Madame Bones, any Aurors, any Spies, or Dumbledore. You will only have to talk to me."

Bellatrix turned and saw Harry watching her intently. She could not stand it anymore. She could not watch Harry as he showed her how weak she truly was compared to him. She could not watch him knowing that he was right about how everything she clung to for her sanity was nothing but an illusion that was never meant to survive this war. She could not watch him shine a small ray of hope into her world. She stumbled out of the room feeling sick. She struggled to make her way back to the chambers that she and Lucius used as their apartments, hoping beyond all hope that Lucius was true to his word and didn't come out to see how she was doing.


Bellatrix slowly stirred the cup of tea in her hand with one finger while the other hand held her head. She slowly moved the spoon as she watched the tea slosh around in her cup. She changed out of the heavy robes she was wearing and was now sitting in the kitchen area of her and Lucius' apartments wearing a light silk teddy and a slim robe over it. She knew that any man would give half of their life to see her wearing this outfit for them, and was happy that no one could see her like this.

"I'm amazed you are still up this late and night."

Well, at least she still had her tea. "What are you doing out of your rooms, Lucius? I thought that you weren't coming out until Wednesday morning."

Lucius sat across the table from her and began making a cup of tea from the pot sitting in front of Bellatrix. "Well, I need to eat so I usually come out after you've gone to sleep. I didn't expect you to be sitting out here when I came to eat."

Bellatrix watched as Lucius prepared his tea, counting the amount of times he sneaked glances at her in her mind. Lucius loved to pin her down and shove his miniscule appendage into her rear when they were breaking her, and she new that he was itching to do it again. It has been a long time since he's last seen his wife, after all. He reached for the tin of sugar, but paused and reached further towards her hand. He reached within an inch before she said, "Touch me with that disgusting hand and I will knock you into insanity myself. I can easily blame it on Harry if the Dark Lord asks me about what happened."

Lucius pulled his hand back quickly and grabbed the sugar tin. As he prepared his tea further he asked, "So how have the conversations with Potter been going?"

Bellatrix began to rub her temples. "He's got the sharpest mind I've ever seen. I have doubts that anything I'm doing is affecting him."

Lucius nodded, "Do you think we should call in our Master now?"

Bellatrix stopped stirring and stared deeply into her cup. There is no way I can break Harry. There is no way to break him. I don't even want to break him anymore. I want to help him. I want to save him. I want to… "Give me until Wednesday, Lucius. If I cannot do it by then, than I cannot do it at all."

Bellatrix new that he saw how stressed she was. She knew that anyone could tell she was shaken. However, she could tell that he considered her strong enough for the task the Dark Lord gave them when he nodded and retreated into his room with his tea in one hand.


Bellatrix stood in front of Harry wearing the same thick robes she wore the day before. Her hair was loose and cascading down her back, nearly reaching the slight but still visible swell of her buttocks. She looked at Harry with a steel glint in her eye as she said, "I don't think I should believe you."

"You have every right not to."

"You're chained to a wall and surrounded by a ward I doubt you can even break, even though you were the one who cast it."

"I have worked miracles before."

"I don't even know how I will give you any information."

Harry smiled. He closed his eyes and used his Legilimency to send out a probe. This probe floated down between his feet, where his wand stayed ever since he summoned it out of Rudolphus' hand. Flakes of blood fell off the wand as he slowly wrapped his probe around his wand and lifted it into the air. Harry had no idea that he could use Legilimency to do wandless magic, but he was glad that he chose more productive things to do at night rather than wallow in despair. He raised his wand until it was in his hand before re released his probe. He turned to Bellatrix and said, "When you see a white Owl you will know. Alohomora!"

The shackles holding Harry snapped open, and Harry stumbled slightly and almost tripped over the body of Rudolphus Lestrange. He took a moment to steady himself before saying, "I have enjoyed myself immensely in this prison, but I think my welcome has ended. It really is time for me to go."

"Oh, I don't think so, Mr. Potter." A chilling voice said as the door slowly opened on its own accord. Bellatrix and Harry both turned to see s snake-faced man walk in followed by Lucius Malfoy. Voldemort saw Harry and smiled, "I've only just had time to drop by and say hello."


A/N: This is one of the hardest chapters I've ever written in my life. I hope it was worth it.