The innocent can cry without the guilty getting hurt.
You ask who you love and you don't know, no, do you?
The spirit of God just passes right through you.
You gave away heaven handed right to you
And I can see it all. Tell me, is it true?
Kiss me, my darling. Darling, I need you.
Hollywood Undead "SCAVA"
THIS CHAPTER IS RATED R: Strong impacts of violence, coarse language, Graphic violence, GORE.
LOTS OF GOREY VIOLENCE.
Viewers if these things bother you scroll down to the first RG line breaker because all the graphic violence is a the beginning of this chapter.
And there is a mention of rape in France.
You have been warned.
Chapter Twenty
"Ashwood"
Tonight was the night. All the Death Eater's crowded around the long dining table in Riddle Manor, listening to Barty going over the plan once more before dividing them into groups.
Dolohov would be leading the main attack on the Auror's house with; The LeStranges, The Carrows, Yaxley, Rookwood, Avery Jr, Jugson and Macnair.
Rosier Snr would be leading the attack from above with; Selwyn, Mulciber Jr, Evan Rosier, and a few new recruits Bellatrix and Rodolphus didn't know the names of.
Cygnus would take a small squad to attack the back of the property with; the werewolves, Nott Snr, Crabbe, Goyle and Bulstrode.
Barty would take the remaining Death Eaters; Igor Karkaroff, Mulciber Snr, Thorfinn Rowle, Travers, Wilkes, Avery Snr and a few Bulgarians that travelled with Dolohov and Igor.
The plan was to swamp the Auror's house, taking the man by surprise and then killing him and his family.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus were thankful that no one could see their faces underneath the masks. They were shitting themselves. They were thinking about what Dolohov said about Cygnus and him wanting Barty dead. Who were Cygnus's allies and were they going to kill Bellatrix and Rodolphus as well for being Barty's favourites? The worst part of this all was they could hear Rebecca's voice telling them to leave.
They couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong about tonight and it wasn't about killing the head of the Auror's department. Though that could actually be beneficial for the UK and someone who right for the job could step in and actually protect the citizens of the country.
No there was something else afoot and the longer Bellatrix and Rodolphus sat there, waiting to apparate to Ashwood, the louder Rebecca's voice got.
Dare they abandon the mission and just go to the muggle town they've become so fond of?
"That is all my comrades. Now, let us avenge our Master and kill them all."
A sea of black uniform and dark metallic masks marched out of the dining room, heading down stairs to the front yard. Bellatrix and Rodolphus held each other's hands, trailing close behind Dolohov whom yet put his mask on.
All at one the Death Eaters apparated to the forest near Ashwood, black streaks of their apparition made it look like a storm was coming over head the small town of Ashwood.
The groups split up, taking their positions and waiting for Barty to give the signal to attack.
Dolohov pulled Bellatrix and Rodolphus aside away from everyone else.
"I'm going to give you two this one chance to leave now," The couple looked at Dolohov quizzically, the man shrugged. "I'm not Crouch, I can tell you two don't really want to be here. So just go."
The memory of the drain pipe flooded Bellatrix's mind before Rodolphus could even utter a thank you. "Wait no, we can't leave. My father is going to use the storm drain behind the house to ambush Crouch."
Rodolphus and Dolohov looked at her, looking more pale than usual.
"Shit." Dolohov muttered.
The Albanian wizard apparated to where Barty was, leaving the couple again once more.
"A goodbye and maybe a thank you would be nice." Rodolphus said to no one but himself. Bellatrix giggled at her husband's witty behaviour until she felt a presence behind them. The couple turned around to the sight of the other Death Eaters pointing their wands at them.
The Carrow sister took off her mask, revealing her oddly shaped face. "You two support Crouch, do ya? Well Black said to git rid of any traitors."
Oh shit.
This wasn't good.
Before either of them could cast a hex a big massive streak of blinding white light enveloped the town and then the next thing they heard was a small Army of Auror's all shouting stunning hexes.
Red bolts of the hex hit all the trees next to them. The Death Eaters ran off into different directions, ducking and weaving between the trees.
Rodolphus and Bellatrix held on to each other as they ran for the lives.
"If it ain't the fog murderer it's the fucking Aurors chasing us." Rodolphus laughed, not believing their bad luck.
"Don't forget the undead sweetie!" Bellatrix replied, laughing as well.
Hot on their tail was two Aurors and a stray Cygnus loyalist who hasn't noticed the Aurors. The three enemies threw as many spells as they could at the couple but Rodolphus and Bellatrix blocked them.
They heard another Auror shouting out to the two Aurors and then suddenly the LeStranges were left to duel Yaxley.
One would assume that the two could easily smite Yaxley but the blonde man had a lot more experience from fighting in the first Wizarding War.
He sent a string of unknown curses at them, breaking through their protection shields and sending them backwards. Rodolphus hit a tree and Bellatrix landed in the grass beside him. Hitting the tree fractured some bones in Rodolphus's and he yelled in pain, rolling on to his side.
Bellatrix tried to help him up but Yaxley flicked his wand in a slashing motion, tearing open Rodolphus's body at random spots. Blood spurted on to Bellatrix's mask and clothes. She shrieked in horror and Rodolphus blacked out from the pain. Yaxley laughed. "What's the matter love, 'aven't you seen blood before?"
Her heart thumped widely against her chest. She wasn't going to let her husband die. Bellatrix didn't even remember standing straight up and knocking Yaxley to the ground with a powerful 'crucio maxima'. She didn't remember how her anger turned the curse into reddish purple streaks of lighting, wrapping around Yaxley's body and burning him at the same time.
Three other Death Eaters came to Yaxley's aid. Still in an uncontrollable state of blind rage, she laughed maniacally at them.
Hexes and curses flew past her, hitting the tree around her as she stalked over to them.
She flicked her wand at the Death Eater on her left, creating a hangman's noose out of magic and yanked him up off the ground, squeezing every last breath out of him. You could hear the bones in his neck breaking one by one.
Yaxley was still on the ground being tortured as the bolts from the curse continued melting through his skin.
Bellatrix looked to the Death Eater on her right and yelled "Expulso Maxima!"
A bright blue light shot out from her talon like wand and hit the man square in the chest, his body coming apart as if a grenade hit him. The last remaining Death Eater in front of Bellatrix ran for his life. Bellatrix let out the Fiendfyre curse and the her fiery monstrous beast chased after the man.
Rodolphus came to just as his wife killed the Death Eater with the explosion curse. Slowly he got himself into a kneeling position and watched in pure amazement as his wife kicked arse. Looking over to his right he saw a Death Eater sneaking up to Bellatrix.
Acting on instinct he quickly pointed his wand at the Death Eater and yelled. "Avada Kedavra!"
The green bolt striking the Death Eater jolted Bellatrix out of her crazed state and quickly turned to face her husband, happy to see he was okay.
"Rod!" She almost cried with joy, running over to her husband.
The French man was drenched in his own blood, the open wound on his face kept bleeding though a bit less now.
"We need to leave." He groaned, feeling weaker by the second.
Bellatrix carefully wrapped an arm around him and eased him up. They made it about five metres before the Aurors started casting a shield charm to keep everyone in. They looked up in horror as the white walls crept over the town.
They wouldn't be able to apparate underneath the magic because it would just pull them back in. They started running as fast Rodolphus's body would let him.
Meanwhile Dolohov and Barty were battling Cygnus and the werewolves at the storm drain pipe.
"Do you think the Dark Lord actually cares about you Barty? He comes to me for recruits. He comes to me for everything! I should be his most trusted servant, not you!" Cygnus screamed, casting killing curse after killing curse in Barty's direction.
"Pah! The Dark Lord does not need you anymore Black, he has your daughter now and when he returns she shall be at his side along with me."
This made the wizard go ballistic. He unleashed a fire storm around them, incinerating any near by Aurors trying to get close to the Death Eaters.
Savage looked on to the battlefield before him and saw that there was no way to outrun the Aurors. Three Aurors appeared behind Savage, trying to subdue him but tonight being the full moon he was immune to most of their hexes. The full moon shined down on him and the Aurors immediately backed off as he transformed into a beast.
Savage charged at the Aurors, ripping one of their throat's out with his teeth, crushing a head with his hands and tore open the chest of the last Auror, tearing his organs out one by one.
Dolohov narrowly escaped one of the werewolves' who lunged at him and the Auror behind him got killed instead. All around him he saw the Death Eaters getting rounded up by the Aurors, a giant beast made of fire eating the town away, civilians running from the horror, a white light covering the sky and werewolves chasing after him.
One of the eleven remaining werewolves got killed by an Auror by sheer accident. The Auror was suppose to be going after Dolohov but the Albanian jumped out of the way.
Barty sent a crucio Cygnus's way, knocking the older wizard to the ground. Cygnus grunted in pain and Barty towered over him.
"It ends now Black, Avada-" A bright orange light threw Barty across the field of grass, his leg snapping in two as it hit a tree.
A few Aurors ran towards Cygnus but the wizard was dragged into the drain pipe by Savage. The Aurors ran into the massive pipe and quickly got lost in the network's maze design.
They heard a deep rumbling growl before six werewolves came out of no where, tearing their arms right out from their sockets, skin and muscle pulling apart in a cobweb like pattern and blood spewing out to paint the walls.
An Auror managed to flee and came so close to escaping the drain pipe when a claw shot out from behind, punching through his back, ribs breaking and being pushed aside as finger latched on to the beating heart. The hand then moved upwards, tearing his throat apart and the hand appeared out of the opened wound.
The wizard gagged and gasp for air but it was no use as he died a second later.
The werewolf dragged the body back into darkness, leaving the wizard's wand near the entrance of the drain pipe.
The Carrow siblings and Jugson were cornered by Aurors and a burning house. Jugson flicked his wand in a slashing motion and the Auror he was pointing at, her torn open from the inside out, he clothes falling off of her as her organs spilled out from her stomach. The Carrow siblings cheered but then suddenly the the Death Eaters were sent flying through the burning house, their bones snapping on impact.
Rookwood and Rowle were running through the forest, being chased by ten Aurors. They foolishly tried to apparate and were yanked back by the magic shield. Rookwood's thigh was impaled by a broken tree and Rowle's arm was stretched out so much that the bones broke in to three dozen pieces, his muscle and skin looked like a bloodied cobweb.
A curse from an Auror sent Bulstrode's left eye flying from the socket and the eyeball was stepped on by another Death Eater. Nott lost an ear and a piece of his jaw, Mulciber Snr accidentally set himself on fire and killed himself.
Ashwood became a bloodied battle scene.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus struggled to keep out running the white wall which was getting closer and closer to the ground. Spells flew over their heads as they deflected the Aurors' advances.
They were so close to escaping they just needed to keep running.
Getting sick of falling behind the Death Eaters one of the Auror's apparated a few feet in front of where the wall will be touching down.
Panic flooded the couple. This was it, they were going to go to Azkaban and never see Hermione again.
Bellatrix tried to cast Fiendfyre again but nothing came out. The Aurors had them surrounded now, there was no way they were going to make it out of the barrier now.
Until that it is, the fiery beast Bellatrix created earlier started making its way over to the couple.
The Aurors yelled to run as the beast began chasing the closest Auror to it.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus immediately bolted outside of the zone, just making it out alive.
Rodolphus collapsed to ground, struggling to breathe and Bellatrix almost started crying with relief. They made it out of the zone, there's no way the Aurors could contain them now. She was just about to say something positive to Rodolphus when her fiendfyre started eating the magical barrier, her face dropping as the white light flickered and cracked like glass.
"Rod get up!" She urged, already helping her husband up.
Rodolphus was sickly pale and she knew if she didn't get him to a hospital soon, he was going to die.
Aurors ran after them as Bellatrix and Rodolphus made their way down the hill. This time they didn't trip over rocks.
Once Bellatrix they were far enough away to apparate, she took them to the muggle hospital in Hermione's home town, landing dead centre in a room full of doctors and nurses.
Daniel was immediately at their side, calling out orders left right and centre. Rodolphus had passed out again and this time there was a very high chance he would never wake up again.
The doctors and nurses took Rodolphus away to surgery while the remaining staff took care of Bellatrix.
"No I wanna be with my husband, RODOLPHUS!" Bellatrix shrieked.
She collapsed to the floor sobbing.
"Don't let him die, I love him!"
RG*RG*RG*RG
Rodolphus spent the next two weeks in hospital in an induced coma. Between the muggle medical staff and Lucius applying healing potions, the French man should be waking soon. Though the injuries he suffered would leave permanent scars on his face and body. The healing potions should shrink the width of the scars on his face, leaving thin lines instead of the thick ones covered in stitches.
Bellatrix rarely left his side. Rebecca would sometimes convince the witch to come home with her and Hermione to eat something and have a shower.
Hermione was absolutely distraught over Rodolphus's state. Every time she would visit the little muggle born would either be in Bellatrix's lap or sitting on the bed next to Rodolphus, reading him the stories he used to read to her.
Narcissa, Lucius and Draco would often visit with their friends. They were quite startled by the muggle machinery in the hospital room. The friends they made here in the muggle town would stop by and leave flowers, a change of clothes for Bellatrix and food for her. Even Ted dropped by.
Ever since Rodolphus has been in hospital Bellatrix had forgotten about Crouch and everything else that happened at Ashwood. Almost losing her true love broke her and she finally understood why Rebecca had been so concerned in the first place. Their naiveté of believing nothing bad happening to them made them vulnerable. It was too fucking dangerous to be doing what they were doing.
It was a few days away from Bellatrix's birthday, August 19th, and all Bellatrix wanted was for her husband to get better.
If Bellatrix did try to spend a bit more time outside she would have found out that the synagog was holding sessions to pray for Rodolphus's recovery. Rebecca and Hermione attended those sessions, praying in Hebrew that Rodolphus will be okay. Though Rebecca, coming from a Judo-Roman Catholic family, prayed in Latin.
Draco drew some pictures for his uncle with his cousin Stefen which were hanging off the railings on Rodolphus's bed.
Rabastan collapsed to the floor, crying when he saw his brother in the hospital bed.
He wasn't dead but it felt like he was, his unmoving body slightly cold, a faint heart beat on the heart monitor and donor blood bags hanging off of hooks. Bellatrix didn't know whose blood it was the helped her husband in the early stages but according to Daniel it came from people in this town.
She laughed at the bitter irony one late night. The blood they used to think was impure was the one thing that probably saved Rodolphus's life. No, not probably, it actually did save his life.
Oh Cygnus would have flipped his shit if saw the muggle blood mixing with pure-blood.
Though looking at the colour of the muggle blood and talking to Daniel about how blood works…. she had literal evidence that there is no such thing as 'pure-blood'. Just rare genetics that carried the gene to activate the magic in human DNA.
She started crying after Daniel left.
All the half-bloods and muggle-borns she had bullied in the name of blood supremacy… blood supremacy didn't exist. It never existed. Her father and mother lied to her. And now she sat in the darkness of the room in the middle of the night, thinking about all the children she had hurt out of her own self hatred.
Bellatrix fucking hated herself for being such a cruel child.
She wished she could take it all back. She wished she could take all of the pain she had caused in the name of blood supremacy and the need for approval from her parents.
How could she be so selfish? After all the pain her own parents inflicted upon her… why would she make others feel what she felt? How dare she justify her own cruelty by using her parents abuse as an excuse?
She looked up to the stars outside of the room's window and kneeled in front of the window. She started praying to the Viking Gods, begging to spare her husband's life and apologised for all the horrible things she has ever done.
Rodolphus has always been there by her side. He was her first boyfriend and he never ever once thought she was a freak. Unlike the other students who made fun of her in their first year. Rodolphus has always had her back on everything. She remembers the time Rodolphus threw himself in front of Cygnus's enraged state and took the blows for her.
Though Bellatrix desired familial love, Rodolphus gave her a love that she never once thought she would find.
And now he was laying unconscious in a hospital bed, all because he agreed to do this last mission with her.
She blamed herself for the state he was in. Her father's hatred for her reached out to Rodolphus and now he was here.
Bellatrix broke down in tears in the middle of praying. She tried to be strong for her husband but she was too broken from her shit life. She dragged herself over to her husband, pulling herself up so she could lay next to him.
"Rodolphus please come back to me… I can't do this without you." She sobbed, stroking the scars on his beautiful face.
"Remember the first time we met? I bumped into you by accident but you apologised instead of me? Or how about when you asked me out.. you-"
"I brought you to the garden and gave you a silver bird skull necklace." Rodolphus whispered groggily.
Bellatrix stared wide eyed at Rodolphus, thinking she was dreaming. Rodolphus slowly opened his eyes and smiled at his wife.
"You're so beautiful Ma Cherie." He spoke hoarsely, reaching out push her dark curly hair out of her face.
Bellatrix sunk into him, crying against his shoulder.
"Don't cry.. you're gonna make me cry." He tried to joke, wanting to cheer up the love of his life.
Bellatrix managed to sit up a bit and started kissing Rodolphus repeatedly, speaking between each kiss.
"I -*kiss*- love -*kiss* -you -*kiss*"
Rodolphus felt her tears falling on his own cheeks. With weak arms he reached out to hold her.
"I love you too Bellatrix."
Bellatrix rested her forehead against his, still crying tears of joy.
"I missed you so much.. please don't ever leave me again."
RG*RG*RG*RG
Somewhere in the middle of France Cygnus was waiting outside a cave as Savage raping a child and her baby sister.
They had been on the run for two weeks now and Cygnus was furious that his plan didn't work. He was so sure that they would have dealt with Crouch before the Aurors arrival but then again his informant Dawlish was suppose to be in charge of the Aurors during the Ashwood trap.
He hoped that Barty would be getting the death sentence. He made sure to pay off Igor to defect and to give evidence at the trials.
RG*RG*RG*RG
The next morning….
Barty Crouch Snr stared in disgust at his from his seat in the court. All the Death Eaters that were captured at Ashwood were all chained in seats in the middle of the court room, Dementors circling above them; trying to get close enough to suck the souls out of them.
The other ministers, the jury and news reporters were all gasping and talking about Barty Crouch Jr.
No one could believe that a minister's son took over the Death Eaters in the name of Lord Voldemort.
Photographers snapped every shot of the Death Eaters in court, the light reflecting from Barty Snr's glasses. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his wife pleading to let their son go.
He couldn't.
Ever since their son had been born, the child was nothing but a constant problem for Barty Snr. He would constantly use the imperious curse to control his son's behaviour and actions, which often left empty spaces in the child's mind and would forget a lot of things.
The curse, unknowingly to Barty Snr, impacted on Barty Jr's psychological development growing up, leaving half of his brain still stuck in a child like state while the other half was a fracture adult mind that didn't know the difference between right and wrong.
It was because of Barty Snr that his son turned out this way.
Barty Jr's mother tried her best to protect him from her husband but Barty Snr was unafraid to Imperio his wife when he felt it was needed.
Every witch and wizard leaned in close to their radios as Barty Snr finally delivered the sentencing.
Barty Snr cleared his throat and glared at his only son, regretting ever having children in the first place.
"The jury finds you all guilty of conducting a terrorist organisation, the death of many muggles and I hereby sentence all of you ten life sentences."
The court room filled with chatter and Barty, whom looked like he had been crying throughout the whole hearing, puffed up his chest and looked straight in to his father's eyes.
""The Dark Lord will rise again, Father! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful!We did his bidding!"
Draco looked at his parents with his big grey steel eyes, seeming confused about what the man said on the radio said.
"Mummy who's the Dark Lord?"
Narcissa immediately switched the radio off and Lucius picked up his son.
"He's just a nobody. Come on lets go play some Quidditch." Lucius said reassuringly, glancing at his wife who seemed frightened.
Bellatrix confessed to Narcissa that her and Rodolphus were Death Eaters but only to protect Hermione. So naturally Narcissa worried for her sister and stayed as close as possible.
None of the sisters knew about Cygnus and Savage running off together though. None of the Aurors could confirm who was and who was't there but they captured the majority of the Death Eaters and that was good enough for them.
RG*RG*RG*RG
Hermione and Rebecca came into the hospital early in the morning to check up on Bellatrix and Rodolphus. Daniel gave them a call this morning informing them that Rodolphus is awake now but still sore from his injuries. Hermione drew a picture for Bellatrix and Rodolphus, it had; Hermione in the middle with Marcus and Emily on the right and Bellatrix and Rodolphus.
Underneath Marcus and Emily it read: My Mummy and Daddy. Underneath the drawings of Bellatrix and Rodolphus it said: My Superhero best friends.
As soon as Rebecca opened the door Hermione came bolting in, rushing to Rodolphus's side.
"Roddy!" She squealed happily, trying to jump on to the bed with him. Rodolphus pulled her up and hugged her.
Rebecca and Bellatrix grinned at the sight of Hermione telling Rodolphus how much she missed him and the picture she drew for them
"See, now where ever you two go we will always be together."
Rodolphus wiped a stray tear from his cheek and smiled at Hermione. He didn't think being unconscious for two weeks would make him miss any one. Rodolphus kissed Hermione's cheek in a fatherly way and thanked her for the picture.
The French man looked over to Rebecca and gestured to walk over to him. Bellatrix gave up her seat for Rebecca and sat next to Rodolphus on the other side.
Rebecca almost started crying because seeing the three of the sitting together like reminded her of the day Hermione was born. It scared her and broke her heart to see how identical Rodolphus was to Marcus and Bellatrix to Emily.
"Long time no see Rebecca." Rodolphus said, still grinning.
She smiled back, trying not to see the resemblance between him and Marcus.
"Yeah, long time no see."
A/N: I did try to write a lot for Ashwood but I wasn't to sure of how much I could get away with violence wise.
Also happy Valentine's day people.
Hermione is Jewish, if none of you caught on to that yet.
Please check out my profile page for a better description of the characters.