August 1972

"Where were you?" Rodolphus asked as soon as Bellatrix walked through the door.

"Belfast. We were training," she explained with a smile on her face.

"Training until four in the morning? It must have been a very intensive session," Rodolphus coldly replied.

"It was." She smiled more broadly at the thought of the magic they had used that night.

"Where did you go after that? You smell like wine and…" Rodolphus trailed off.

"Back to an abandoned castle in the Republic of Ireland. It was lovely," she told him. "Legend has it that Salazar Slytherin was born to the court wizard there."

"The Dark Lord took you there? Did he touch you?" Rodolphus quietly asked, jealousy in his voice. She wasn't sure what he was jealous about, though; he ignored chances to sleep with her constantly.

Bellatrix tensed and coldly replied, "What does it matter if he did? It's not like you do."

"Bella, it's not that I don't want to-"

"But it is. You don't want me," she argued.

"Maybe so, but what do you care? You love him," he countered.

She looked away, not wanting to lie. "Do you love me?"

Rodolphus thought for a moment. "I don't know, Bella. What I feel- it's complicated. I understand why you love the Dark Lord. He's an incredible wizard; I would die for him… He won't take you as a wife, though."

"He doesn't have time for a wife- for a family," she lamented.

"If he did, you wouldn't feel the same way about him," Rodolphus replied.

She nodded, knowing he was right. "I want to share in his greatness," Bellatrix spoke softly.

"We will. We, who are loyal, will be rewarded. We, who believe in the supremacy of pure, magical blood and fight to restore the heir of Salazar Slytherin to his proper place, we will sit at his right hand and share in his power and glory," Rodolphus promised.

"Someday…" she trailed off, dreaming about the day when she would be the Dark Lord's queen, and they would rule over the Muggles and the creatures.

"And I'll be there for you. You're a witch like none other. You're a wonderful fighter, and you challenge me intellectually. I enjoy being married to you, and anyway, we couldn't put our families through the humiliations of a divorce," he insisted.

"No, certainly not. I can't imagine asking them to go through that," Bellatrix agreed. Of course, if the Dark Lord asked her to, she would, but she couldn't divorce Rodolphus over something simple like that they did not love each other. Marriages were a tool, and as long as she and Rodolphus were better off married than apart, they would remain thus.

They remained in silence for a few moments. "How was it?" Rodolphus asked.

"Oh, it was quite good, we killed a few IRA members. That would have been easy itself, but the Dark Lord taught me some interesting curses to use on them," she vaguely replied.

"How was he?" Rodolphus pried for the information.

"Brilliant, as always," she replied with a dreamy look on her face.

"In both parts of the night?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'll only give specifics on the first part of the night," she told him- a little bit resentful that he would consider trying to ask her to talk about what the Dark Lord had done in the second part of the night. Admittedly, Rodolphus could use any help he could get.

"I wish the Dark Lord would give me lessons, but Father says I'll have to prove myself as a top Death Eater, first," he lamented, allowing jealousy to creep into his voice again.

"The Dark Lord holds you in high regard. He just has little time, so he only gives lessons to me, because, well, you have to be at a pretty high level when you start," she explained.

"I'm not sure that's the only reason he chooses to give you private lessons, but it's all right. I'll learn one way or another. If you would teach me, though, I would appreciate it very much," Rodolphus asked.

"Of course, I will. The more of us that have high proficiency in the Dark Arts, the faster we'll win," Bellatrix agreed.

"Thank you. I can't wait until the moment when we can say we've won, and it's all worth it," Rodolphus sighed.

"You and me both. Rodolphus, I'm tired," Bellatrix admitted.

"All right, let's go to bed." Rodolphus led her up to their room, where they settled into bed together. He put his arm around his beautiful wife, and she accepted his affection, knowing very well that he would not ask to go any further.

"If you ever want me to touch you, all you have to do is ask. I won't deny you pleasure," he promised.

She sighed. There were times she'd practically begged him to have sex with her, but he never seemed to understand even her least subtle suggestions. He just didn't want it, and what was the point of sleeping with a man who didn't lust for her? "Okay, just try to get some sleep. I'm exhausted from training."

Rodolphus removed his arm from his wife, and they fell asleep next to each other, but with both their hearts resting far from the Lestranges' mansion.