Bellatrix walked slowly around Castle Lestrange, wandering through Rodolphus' memory. She ignored the memory itself, which was of Rodolphus and Rabastan playing wizards' chess. Bellatrix had come into the Pensieve with Rodolphus in order to see her home. It was a heavy stone castle with stained glass windows, and Bellatrix mused,
"This seems a lot like Hogwarts."
"They're similar, yes," Rodolphus told her. Bellatrix asked,
"We sleep in different beds, you and I?"
Rodolphus hesitated, and then he nodded. "Your suite is pale powder blue, next door to mine. Mine is mustard yellow."
"And you'd spent nights with Stella right next door to me?" Bellatrix asked. Rodolphus' cheeks went red, and he shook his head.
"No," he insisted. "No, she never stays the night. That… that always seemed wrong. I stayed at her flat in London sometimes. You never minded that."
"I wouldn't mind if she stayed here." Bellatrix studied a portrait of a plump old wizard on the wall and asked, "Who's this?"
"Some old relative. Marcus or Mark or something," Rodolphus said. He quickly added, "I wouldn't have Stella overnight next door to your rooms, Bella. And I wouldn't ask you into my rooms, either. I always came to you if… you know…"
"How often did we have sex, you and I?" Bellatrix asked plainly, and Rodolphus seemed surprised by her candor. She gulped, and he blinked a few times before he said softly,
"Only a few times in total. Our wedding night. Two or three times since. It never quite seemed like the right thing to do. But I've cared about you for years. I hope you know that."
"I can tell." Bellatrix smiled at him, and she observed, "I like these carpets. I think I'm in love with the Dark Lord."
She raised her eyes to Rodolphus, and he threw up his eyebrows as he nodded. He licked his bottom lip and said,
"Maybe you were before, too."
"I most certainly was," Bellatrix nodded. "These arched ceilings are gorgeous. I adore the starry sky murals up there. I don't think he loves me back, but he's attracted to me."
Rodolphus crossed his arms, and he asked her,
"Can we pull out of the memory now?"
"All right." Bellatrix shut her eyes and yanked herself out of the Pensieve, and soon enough she was staring across the low table in her sitting room at Rodolphus. He gave her a serious look and informed her,
"You are free to do whatever makes you happy. I care deeply for you and I want you to be happy. You and I were contracted by our parents to be married, and we've always been very good friends. I hope that a part of that friendship means wishing happiness for one another."
Bellatrix nodded and told Rodolphus,
"I want to have sex with him."
Rodolphus smirked and shrugged. "It has to be mutual, you know."
Bellatrix glanced away. "Yes. That's the rub, isn't it?"
Rodolphus huffed and said, "I think he thinks very differently about you than about anyone else, Bella. You go ahead and chase him if you want."
Bellatrix drummed her fingers on her knee and asked, "So my rooms are powder blue? Can that be changed?"
"You don't like powder blue?" Rodolphus sounded surprised.
"Not really," Bellatrix said, shaking her head. "Could it be dark blue? Dark like the night?"
Rodolphus grinned and nodded. "I'll have the paint, curtains, and linens redone before you move back into Castle Lestrange. It's not a problem."
"Thank you," Bellatrix said sincerely. She stood and walked over to where Rodolphus sat on the sofa, and she stood between his knees. She took his kind-looking face in her hands and tipped it up until he was staring up at her, and she bent to kiss his forehead.
"What a lucky wife I appear to be," she said, "and what a lucky girl Stella is."
Rodolphus took Bellatrix's hand and kissed her knuckles, squeezing her fingers a little, and he told her,
"You let me know if there are any other memories you need from me."
"I appreciate you showing me so much of school and the castle," Bellatrix said, for she and Rodolphus had spent an hour examining memories from Hogwarts and their home. She brushed her thumb over his hand and released it, and he stood. She nodded and told him, "Have a good night."
"You, too, Bella." He touched the tip of her nose and smiled a little at her, and he walked right out of her suite. Bellatrix sat, staring at the Pensieve, and she realised her father must have worked very hard to get her a good marriage match. If it truly was the Pureblood custom to match up daughters into marriages, then Cygnus Black III appeared to have tried hard to make his eldest daughter happy. He'd succeeded, it seemed. Rodolphus was happy in the marriage, and he had Stella. Bellatrix was happy in the marriage… and she wanted Lord Voldemort.
"Bella?"
She looked up, jarred from her reverie by the appearance of Lord Voldemort in the doorway of the sitting room. He waited there and asked cautiously,
"May I come in?"
"Of course." Bellatrix was confused by the fact that he'd asked permission. He shut the door quietly behind him, and then she read an awful expression on his face. He frowned deeply as he walked into the sitting room, and he came to sit opposite Bellatrix.
"I've just received an owl," he said. "I'm afraid your Grandmother Irma Black has died."
"Oh." Bellatrix furrowed her brow. "That's too bad."
Voldemort cleared his throat. "She had a sudden attack of the heart. The Healers were not able to revive her. It was extremely unexpected."
"I'm sure my father must be very sad," Bellatrix nodded, and Voldemort seemed almost irritated as he said,
"You may not be especially broken up because you don't remember her, Bellatrix, but you and your grandmother had a very close relationship. I remember you often had tea with her; she was very supportive of you becoming a Death Eater. Your father and mother will expect you to be devastated. Your presence at the funeral is mandatory, and you will be expected to be very upset."
"Ah. Yes. Of course. Play-acting," Bellatrix nodded. She sighed. "When is the funeral?"
"In two days," Voldemort said. "If you'd like to go to your parents' house… you know, I'd really prefer if you didn't. You will not convince them. You should send an owl to your father stating that you are quite upset and still healing and that you'll be at the funeral on Sunday."
"All right," Bellatrix nodded. She hesitated and asked, "Will you be at the funeral, My Lord?"
"Erm… no." He shook his head and scratched at his hair a little. "You may not be aware of all the dynamics, but… Lord Voldemort does not really make public appearances anymore."
"Oh, he doesn't?" Bellatrix threw up an eyebrow. "Is he much too important for things like funerals?"
Voldemort rolled his eyebrows. "Image is very important, Bella."
"Of course it is. And maintaining an image of being too important for funerals is very important indeed," Bellatrix nodded gravely. He narrowed his eyes at her and shrugged.
"What, I'm meant to just show up at every wedding and funeral and birthday party as if I'm some ordinary man?"
Bellatrix choked out a laugh. "I'm sorry; I forgot just how very extraordinary you are in comparison to everyone else."
He seemed angry then, and she tempered herself, sighing and tucking her hair behind her ears as she conceded,
"I understand. You mustn't look like a mere mortal."
"A what?" he asked in a sharp clip, and Bellatrix shrugged.
"Like one of us. One of your servants. You must exist separately. For image. I understand. I'm just anxious, that's all. I'm going to botch this; I just know it. Someone's going to figure out that there's something very wrong with my brain."
"Rodolphus and Rabastan will take good care of you," Voldemort assured her, and Bellatrix chewed her lip as she nodded. She remembered what Rodolphus had said, that she was free to pursue her own happiness, and she found herself murmuring,
"He's a very good husband. A sweet man."
Voldemort said nothing in response to that. Bellatrix raised her eyes, and she nodded.
"I think I must have been very lucky to have been matched with him."
"Perhaps you were," Voldemort said in an irritated voice. "What do I care?"
His cheeks went a little pink, and his eyes flickered around the room, and suddenly Bellatrix realised he was… jealous? She frowned and scoffed a little, and she suggested,
"Perhaps I'll ask him to help me make a memory. You know what sort of memory I mean."
"Go ahead and do that," Voldemort snapped. "He's your husband. If you ask him, he'll help you."
"Hmm." Bellatrix folded her arms over her chest and nodded. "I wonder what Rodolphus' erect penis will feel like inside of my -"
"Bellatrix." Voldemort hissed her name, his face twisting into an ugly sneer, and he shook his head. Bellatrix raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
"He's my husband. I'm sure he'll help me make loads of new memories. After all, there are lots of positions, right? The man on top, the woman on top, the man behind. I'd like to make memories of all those variations, and I'm sure that Rodolphus will -"
"Stop it." Voldemort flew to his feet, storming over to where Bellatrix sat, and she felt her body flush wet and hot. She slowly stood, staring up at him, and she balled her fists at her sides. She spoke more quietly now, and she said to Voldemort,
"Rodolphus cares very deeply for me. I'm sure that the memories he'll make with me will be of gentle sex. Or perhaps he'll be more passionate. I won't know until he shows me. What do you think, Master? Will he be -"
She stopped then, for he'd taken her jaw in his hand and lowered his face until their lips were a hair's breadth apart, and he whispered against her lips,
"Those memories are mine to make."
"Are they?" Bellatrix's voice was steady, but her heart was racing. Voldemort kissed her, his mouth aggressive and smooth at once, and when he pulled away, he said in a low, sibillant tone,
"I will give you memories of moaning in the shower, of clutching at sheets whilst you come, of being filled with my seed, being pounded into the mattress. Those memories are mine to give you."
"Then give them to me, Master," Bellatrix whispered. "Please."
She yelped a little then, for she'd been swept off of her feet in a sudden gesture, and Voldemort was quickly carrying her into the burgundy bedroom.
Author's Note: Wooooooo! He's finally giving in! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but as you can tell, the next chapter is going to be one giant lemon (followed by a funeral… lol. I would really appreciate feedback on this story, since I can see tons of people are reading it and I'd love to know your thoughts. Thanks so much!
