Once again, thank you all who have encouraged me to continue this story. I'm pretty sure that I would not have made it to chapter 10 without the support :')


Draco

I have lost my father, my uncle and the pride I have in my house along with the loss of my freedom. They all perished at Derby, where the House of Slytherin was humiliatingly defeated.

The Tower of London has been my home for the past few months, a haunted, dark and depressing place. The moment the House of Gryffindor claimed victory, the king ordered Bellatrix and me to be locked in here.

We were given rooms overlooking Tower Green, where traitors were beheaded. Our rooms are dark and filthy, not to mention small. There is nothing to do here except walk on the creaky floorboards around and around the room, encountering rats and mice in the meantime.

The only company I have is Bellatrix, though I would rather do without her presence. When she is not weeping, she is raging at me, like a lunatic.

Her eyes are becoming larger and larger, like dark hollows full of deep secrets and her cheekbones are becoming more and more pronounced as she eats lesser and lesser every day and slowly wastes away.

But every day, the first thought on my mind when I wake up in this bleak place is of Hermione.

Is she well at Tutbury, I wonder. Is she even alive? I think with a shudder. It would be so simple for the King to order her poisoned and pass off her death as a tragic illness.

The traitor, how dare he even call himself king! I think with a flash of anger. The throne is rightfully Hermione's, it is her birthright, not a piece of gold that can be stolen.

Every day, I wake up with fresh plans to plot and escape from this place, but the guards are as unyielding as the dark stone walls surrounding me. Even after offering them gold and jewels, they do not agree to let their guard down for a moment and let me slip out.

The days grow longer as my stay in the Tower lengthens.

Will I die here? I wonder. Will the king order me beheaded on some nonsensical charge?

Thoughts of ending my life at my own hands are never far from my mind. It would be so simple to end the captivity that I am stuck in and escape from the torture and oppressiveness of the Tower.

But whenever these thoughts surface, so does Hermione's sweet face.

We have had so little time together and it does not seem right to leave her on her own in the cold, cruel place that England has turned out to be.

I will restore her to her throne, I vow to myself, I will see her as queen again and I will rescue her from the clutches of the usurper.

We will be united and on the same side this time, I will never be on her opposing side again, I swear vehemently.

And so every day I walk around and around the same room, on the same creaky floorboards and formulate fruitless plans to free myself and Hermione.


Bellatrix

Tom Riddle is arrested, my dear Tom, and it is all my fault.

He is in the same building that I am imprisoned in, and he is no doubt being questioned, maybe even tortured, all because he willingly agreed to pay a visit to Tutbury Castle personally and ensure that the then-queen was poisoned.

All because he still had enough love in his heart for me to agree to undertake such a risky endeavour. But look where that love took him?

On the rare occasion that I manage to sleep, it is a troubled one and nightmares of Tom being tortured for information plagues me. Sometimes, I can even hear his screams of pain in my dreams.

Tonight is one of the nights whereby I wake up from a nightmare of Tom, feeling as though I have been tortured myself. Certainly, images of Tom's pain is torture enough for me.

I sit up straight in bed, fresh tears leaking from my eyes. These days, sorrow and pain is prevalent in England.

The full moon visible from between the half-drawn curtains fills me with a certain kind of longing.

In what seemed like lifetimes ago, it was under cover of darkness, and under the benevolent light of the moon, that Tom and I had met, in silent corners, in dark, deserted corridors. Those meetings had been what I lived for.

And I remember very clearly; the first time Tom had kissed me had been under the glow of the full moon.

I sigh and stare blankly into space. I am not a witch like my husband made me out to be, I am only a young, heartbroken girl. Yes, I would have killed the then-queen if I had a chance, but it was only for the good of my House...

"Your Grace,?" a groggy voice calls out to me in the darkness.

I jump, drawn out of my pondering. "What is it, Pansy?" I ask my maid, the owner of the voice, rather crossly.

"Tom," her tone now takes on an excited lilt. "Tom is here to see you." She walks over to my side of the bed quietly but quickly.

"He came, Your Grace, he came. But beg your pardon, you have to hurry, Tom came to you secretly, you don't have much time with him" Pansy says, as she helps me down from my bed and hands me a shawl.

I smile for what feels like the first time in weeks. Besides me, Pansy, my most loyal maid since I was a child, shares my joy.

Throwing a glance back to my sleeping husband, I am relieved to note that he is a heavy-sleeper and immune to minor disturbances.

"Tom, I am so glad to see you again!" I cry out the moment I set eyes on him.

Tom seems older than when I last saw him, lines which were previously non-existent are now present on the features that I know so well.

"Ah, Bellatrix, my dear-" is all Tom manages before I launch myself into his arms, never wanting to let go.

Suddenly, I remind myself that Tom would have been married by now and with all the willpower I can muster, I untangle my arms from around him.

"My wife abandoned me the moment I was arrested," Tom says with a bitter smile, as if reading my thoughts. "My wife was disloyal and ran off with another man, leaving me as if our marriage vows meant nothing at all."

I reach out for his hand, wanting nothing more than to share his load and be by his side.

"I still love you Bellatrix, despite everything, I still do," Tom pauses and smiles wanly. "I often questioned myself in the long days that followed my arrest in the bleakness of the Tower. There was only one reason why I was willing to put my life at stake and betray my house and even my queen," Tom clasps my hands in his and we sit side by side in the darkness, and for the first time in a long while, I feel at peace.

But a small, nagging part of me refuses to surrender to the blissfulness of the moment. The Slytherin monster within me reminds me of the last words my father-in-law, the head of my house, ever told me.

I was to kill the queen. Even now, when the uprising has failed so badly, I still feel that it is my duty to kill the queen. Even if it may seem insignificant now, I still want to fulfil my duty.

Tom notices the expression on my face. "What is it, Bellatrix?" He asks, concerned.

I take a deep breath and turn to face him. I have to take a gamble that he loves me enough to turn against his house yet again.

The fatigue on Tom's face tears away at my heart as well as my conscience, but I press on. After all, I am a true Slytherin at heart and my loyalty to my house comes first and foremost, above everything else.

Yes, I am truly sorry that I have caused so much suffering for Tom, and it pains me greatly to have to make the same request of him, but my duty as a Slytherin duchess comes first. That has been drilled into me since I was a child. Despite my heartache, I have to press on.

Turning to Tom, I murmur, trying to force a smile onto my face, "Will you help me to do one more favour, just one more favour?"

Tom stares at me suspiciously, it is clear that he knows what I am up to.

"I need you to help me kill the queen," I breathe, trying my best to charm him into doing my bidding again, yet hating myself as I do so.

"Bellatrix!" Tom says, with a note of anger in his tone, dropping my hands. "Surely you do not expect me to go through this...nightmare again, or perhaps worse?" he gestures to his wasted form.

"Yes, I love you, but have you not considered that what you ask of me is too much?" Tom continues. "I am loyal to the House of Gryffindor now, no longer belonging to the House Slytherin, surely you must understand that?" His tone softens and he looks at me almost pleadingly.

When he sees that I have no response, he says quietly, almost to himself, "I did the favour you begged of me the first time because I love you and felt guilty for marrying another woman instead of you."

Tom pauses and lowers his voice so that even in the silence, I have to strain to catch his words. "But my love does not stretch so far as to attempt such a traitorous deed to my house again. My loyalties are no longer the same as yours. I am sorry, Bellatrix."

"If you are not for my house and my cause, then I cannot love you," I hear myself say coldly, all the warmness between us gone like a candle snuffed out.

I push aside all other thoughts and rise to my feet, numbness taking the place of the love that I felt for Tom.

The Slytherin duchess within me speaks again. "I must invite you to take your leave and never return again. I cannot keep those who are loyal to the House of Gryffindor by my side."

All this time, I have told myself that deep down, Tom Riddle was still loyal to me above all, but I am evidently mistaken.

"Bellatrix!" The wounded cry leaves Tom's lips as he stares at me as though he does not recognise me.

"Leave now," I repeat myself, not looking at him, as emotionless as the wooden floorboards under my feet.

As he leaves, the man who meant so much to me looks back and gives me the saddest look I have ever seen.

But still, I do not cave in, I do not call him back and run into his arms, I do not break down and cry anymore. I stand tall and firm, the heiress of the House of Slytherin.


It's amazing because I actually have some idea where this story is headed (I usually don't plan my fanfics...) This one's the exception!

I know all you Dramione shippers are desperate for more Dramione moments but be patient, good things come to those who wait

And the usual plea for reviews...but seriously, they are essential to a writer ;)