A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter forty and be on the lookout for chapter forty-one soon!

November 1969

Rodolphus could sense that something was different when this meeting was called. He still wasn't entirely used to the sting of his Dark Mark when the Dark Lord was requesting his presence, a feeling that would start out as an uncomfortable prick of a needle and steadily grow in intensity like the crest of a wave the longer you ignored it. It was best to make your excuses wherever you were, and aparate as quickly as possible. It gave the added benefit of seeming especially ardent, when really, he was just too soft to handle much of the pain.

This time, though...this time, something was different.

He had been trudging through another dreadfully boring dinner with his father when he felt the call. It seemed that his father could only talk of two things lately - formalizing a betrothal between him and Sophia Greengrass over the Yule holiday, and finding Rodolphus some other job once he completed his apprenticeship with Nott.

The calling seemed to have completely skipped the uncomfortable pins and needles sensation and jumped straight into the sharp, burning pain. Rodolphus couldn't stop himself from groaning in agony, ripping up his sleeve and pressing a hand to the ugly thing. "You aren't being called?" he asked his father.

"No," his father confirmed, unable to disguise the hint of concern in his dark eyes. "It's best not to keep him waiting."

Rodolphus did not need to be told twice, wanting to do anything he could to stop the pain, and apparated away from his family's estate to wherever he was being called. A sigh of relief passed his lips when he arrived. Looking around in confusion, he realized that he must be at Voldemort's personal residence, somewhere he'd never been before.

The office that he had appeared in had probably been opulent at one point, but it's luxury had faded over the years. The tapestries were left looking shabby and dusty, the fireplace had been stained by soot, and the couch appeared threadbare and faded. The only thing that appeared to have been kept in good condition was the well polished wooden desk, covered in stacks of parchment and rare books.

The Dark Lord sat behind the desk, pouring over an old map, and was seemingly unaware of his entrance. On one of the arms of his chair, Bellatrix sat perched, grinning at Rodolphus in a way that promised he wouldn't like what was set to transpire. She looked far too comfortable by half with the dangerous man, and briefly he wondered if there was any truth to her desire to be with the Dark Lord. Were they lovers? He didn't think that the Dark Lord was capable of something like love, but perhaps Bellatrix fulfilled a pesky human need in him.

"Hello Bellatrix," Rodolphus greeted, needing to twist the knife. "How is Augustus?" he asked, reminding her of her fiance. Augustus Rookwood was no wizard to be trifled with, either, and he wondered if he knew about the way his soon to be wife fawned over the Dark Lord, that she would happily kill him if it meant a relationship with Voldemort.

"Rodolphus," she answered with a sneer, her good mood vanishing. "He's just dandy. And Sophia? Has your father finally imperioed Garett to make his betrothal dreams come true?"

"Enough, Bella," the Dark Lord said, clearly not interested in the bickering of the two of them.

"What?" Bellatrix asked, hardly sounding innocent. "I just don't understand how he will get any self respecting witch to marry him when the stench of mudblood still lingers on him."

Rodolphus felt his cheeks heat up, wanting to defend Hermione and their relationship, but knowing that he couldn't, not with this audience. It would practically be suicide to talk back. He tried to think of some quip to throw back in Bellatrix's face, but he came up empty handed.

It didn't matter though, as the Dark Lord was talking then. "Yes, unfortunately, Bellatrix has been telling me about your unfortunate little dalliance with the mudblood from Hogwarts," he said with a frown. "Hermione Granger, is it?"

A shiver ran up his spine at the thought of the Dark Lord knowing who Hermione was. He'd already hurt her once, the thought of putting a target on her head made him feel even worse. "Yes, my Lord," he agreed, knowing that there was no point in denying it, not when Voldemort already knew the specifics. "She was a bit of fun before I got married," he lied, swallowing thickly. "But nothing more."

"And she is a mudblood?" Voldemort asked, raising one dark eyebrow.

"I didn't look into her blood status too deeply. I was more interested in what was under her skirt than what was in her veins," he said, hating the crass language. Oh, if Hermione could see him now, he was sure that she would kill him herself.

"Understandable, for a boy of your age," the Dark Lord said, though the disturbed look on his face indicated that he didn't really understand one bit. "However, this does pose a bit of a problem. When you joined my Death Eaters, I generally try to give everyone a fresh slate moving forward. After all, everyone makes mistakes."

Rodolphus stood still, biting the inside of his cheek so that he wouldn't rashly shout that Hermione wasn't a mistake...that joining the Death Eaters had been.

The Dark Lord stood from his chair, uncaring that Bellatrix was pushed off the arm in the process. "Having a relationship with a mudblood though is a bit more serious. It's reasonable that other people...your brothers...can't look past it," he said, moving to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. "It makes everyone question your loyalty. And I can't have someone who is supposed to trust you with their life wondering if you aren't really a blood traitor underneath it all."

Bellatrix was grinning again, looking like the kneezle who'd caught the snidget. Like she knew something that Rodolphus didn't.

"I am loyal, my Lord," he said, feeling his shoulders slump. Despite being bigger than the other wizard, Voldemort could always make you feel small when he leveled that red gaze at you. "And, I'd do whatever I could prove it to you. And my brothers."

"I'm so glad that you said that Rodolphus," the Dark Lord crooned, pressing his hands to Rodolphus's arms. "Because there is something that you can do. I need you to kill your little mudblood mistake. Then, I think you will have much better success as a Death Eater. And I think your father will have better luck finding you a bride."

"Kill Hermione?" he asked, feeling as though his breath had been stolen from her. "My Lord, I don't even know where she is."

"I'm sure you can figure it out, if you want to prove yourself to me," the Dark Lord said with a grin. "Bellatrix saw her in Diagon Alley just the other week."

Rodolphus's eyebrows furrowed, wondering how Bellatrix had casually bumped into Hermione when he hadn't been able to find her no matter how hard he'd searched. Perhaps Hermione was beginning to let her guard down? "In that case, I think it should be no trouble at all," he said, his mind spinning, wondering how he was going to get through this.

The Dark Lord returned to his chair, effectively dismissing Rodolphus once he had heard what he wanted to. Bellatrix returned to her perch beside him, still unnoticed by the dark wizard. "Tell Hermione I say hello, Rodolphus," she said maliciously.

Rodolphus apparated away, not able to return home. Instead, he went to the little pub in the village by his home, needing time to think. Of course, this would suit Bellatrix perfectly. Either way, Rodolphus would end up miserable. He just wished he knew why she was so dead set on ruining his life.

Ordering a pint, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to do this. He couldn't kill Hermione, but he couldn't not kill her either, unless he wanted to be killed by the Dark Lord. Despite his best efforts, Rodolphus could not see a way that this would end well, but then again, strategy had never been his strong suit. Hell, he couldn't even win a game of wizard's chess. He needed to speak to Arthur.

Sending off a little note, he waited in a back booth for the redhead to show up. It didn't take long before Weasley was flooing in, looking concerned.

"Lestrange," he said, head turning side to side to see if there was anyone there to recognize him, before he slid into the other side of the booth. "You used the code word. What's happened?"

Rodolphus pressed his hand to his face. "You Know Who has ordered me to kill Hermione to prove my loyalty," he said, feeling miserable, as if the weight of the world was on him. "And I can't...I can't do it obviously. Not when I love her. But, I'm not really seeing a way where this doesn't end up killing both of us."

Arthur looked stunned, as though it was the last thing that he was expecting. "Oh, wow, yes, that is quite the issue," he agreed, toying with the golden wedding band on his hand. "How did You Know Who even find out about Hermione in the first place?"

"Bellatrix," Rodolphus said grimly. "For whatever reason, she's made it her mission to destroy me. I think this suits her purposes perfectly."

Weasley was staring at the fireplace, perhaps turning plans over in his mind, thinking through the possibilities. "Don't worry, Lestrange," he said finally, his face growing hard. "We can sort this out. I promise, we will handle it in a way that...in a way that no one gets hurt."

"How is she?" Rodolphus blurted out, needing to know that Hermione was still okay. "Is she...is she doing well?"

"Hermione is good. Determined, happy," Arthur said after a beat of silence.

Rodolphus frowned. None of those things really sounded like happy, but he supposed that it did sound like Hermione. He couldn't stand that he had hurt her so badly and still hadn't been able to communicate how sorry he was. "Can't I just talk to her for a few minutes, Weasley? Just let me apologize to her and then I will leave her alone if that's what she wants," he begged, hating how the other wizard held all the cards.

Arthur frowned. "That's not going to happen right now Rodolphus," he said emphatically. "Especially not now that you've been ordered to kill her."

"What? Do you think I actually would?" he questioned, feeling hurt. After everything he'd done, after risking his life for Weasley, without knowing what or why he was doing things, he couldn't believe that Weasley thought he would actually hurt Hermione.

"No, of course not, just...it's more dangerous for her than ever," Weasley said. He paused, looking as if there was something more he wanted to share, before he decided against it, leaving Rodolphus to wonder just what was going on. "Listen...I promise that she is being well taken care of, and that...maybe one day soon you will be able to see her again. But you promised that you'd do whatever you could for her, and well, she doesn't need to see you right now."

"Well, what does she need me to do then?" he groused, wondering when he'd get his life back from the little promise he'd made.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, Rodolphus," Arthur said, looking tired. "And we will handle your order to kill Hermione, okay?"

Rodolphus felt himself nodding, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. Sitting tight and waiting was driving him mad, especially with the things he was expected to do as a Death Eater. But, he would do it, if it was the only thing keeping him tethered to Hermione.

He just hoped it would pay off.