Chapter Two
"So where were you last night?" Rodolphus asked, I was washing the dishes after our dinner the next evening. In the morning, I woke to being alone, he had left for his job to keep us looking like a normal wizarding couple. He worked out in Knockturn Alley, a marketer for potions; in Hogwarts it was his best class, and decided to turn it into an occupation of sorts to help us get by. I worked once as a barmaid, it was a good job, but when my horrid expression of madness was plastered throughout the streets of Diagon Alley, I had to quit and live off my husband's finances. It isn't as tough as one may think, our home isn't as extravagant as my sister's, and it is only the two of us, so the demands of a family with a child aren't existing. Lucius bought our home, as a kind gesture so whenever he needs a favor, he knows exactly who to go to, so traditional house payments weren't one to worry about. Rodolphus and I never used electricity, as the muggles call it, we prefer a fire; the interior motive being that if a throng of aurors were on our path, we could light the house a flame and escape with the clothes on our backs and the wands in our pockets. I turned around, laying a dry dish to it's side on the rack next to the other, throwing the rag in the sink and drying off my hands. "You know where I go in my evenings, Rodolphus. We have the same boss, it isn't anything you haven't done. "
"You were very restless." He put down his tea and walked over to me, his arms going around my stomach, I felt his dirty-blond locks curve around my cheek as his head rest against mine. "And you kicked me a few times." I felt his lip pout against my temple, I grinned and held his hands in mine.
"Aww, poor baby woke up with bruises on his shins?"
"Yes." He whimpered.
I laughed and gave his pouty lips a kiss, pulling at his hair and growling. "Well, perhaps you should tie my legs down so I don't kick you, hmm?" His eyes sparkled behind their hollow caves created by Azkaban. My gorgeous Rodolphus suffered in appearance as I had, our faces were hollow and pale, but it was a ghastly beauty which I saw illuminate from my spouse, I suppose he felt the same way about me, but I could think otherwise about my appearance. "Oh dear, you like that idea, don't you?" He nodded slowly. I laughed, slapping him with the dish rag and taking off upstairs into our bedroom. He snuffed the torches with a flick of his wand and chased after me, slamming the door shut once he reached our chambers.
"Bella, Bella, dressed in yella'. Come make me a happy fella'." He sang out, god did I hate it when he uttered that sick little tune. I stifled a groan from my hiding spot, the last time I belted out a cry of disgust and he found me. I couldn't let him win again, oh no, not again. He stalked through the room quietly, humming the tune of his little rhyme, I watched him through the crevices in the closet, and beyond the shoulders of hanging coats and shirts. "Come out, come out, where ever you are.." He jumped forward, lifting the skirts of the bed, frowning in disappointment. I grinned and rolled my eyes, he knew where I always hid, he just had different ways of finding me. "Belly! Come out!"
"Auuuuuuugh.. Rodolphus! Not another nickname!" I shoved myself out of the closet, sparing myself the triumphant speech he would make once he found me.
"I knew that would get you out." He laughed. I rolled my eyes and walked to my vanity, removing my rings and tossing them into a porcelain dish, then fell back into bed and sighed. He reached out and took my hair, twirling it in his fingers.
"Mm, so what did everyone's favorite bad guy want from you this time, Bella?"
"He was being real cryptic about it, made me laugh though. Something about me being the only one to satisfy his desires and needs and blah blah.. "
Rodolphus grimaced. "He hasn't fallen in love with you, has he?"
"Merlin knows. I tremendously doubt it though, he puts enough love and devotion into his final plan to kill that Potter child. To cloud it up with silly fantasies about an affair with your best worker, it's very unlike him."
"Quite. Hey, did you ever think of what would become of us after Potter is finally gone?"
"Well, Potter is the biggest obstacle, after that, Europe will cower in fear of us and only purebloods will triumph, I suppose."
"Reminds me of Hitler." He rolled his eyes and grinned. Rodolphus took a liking to history books he forbiddingly read behind his mother's back, everything was a reference to something else whether if they had done it first or if we had. "Doesn't it? A man denouncing any one not pure to his liking and killing them off bit by bit until his race is pure?" I climbed up further into bed, holding a pillow over my face.
"Please, spare me the history lesson about the similarities between a muggle and our Lord's intentions. It's bad enough you're comparing him to a muggle, why not just go over to him and say, ' Hi Tommy Boy! Kill me! ' " He laughed and wrapped an arm around my side, kissing into my neck. "Affection isn't going to get you off the hook."
"Will it at least get me off?" I slapped him with the pillow and snuffed the torches positioned across the room. He climbed atop of me and held me, nibbling on my neck and pulling at the skin. It hadn't been any different since we were in school with each other, our relationship together. I don't want to get sappy, but for a person such as myself to talk about love and whatnot seems a little ridiculous to you, hell, even to myself. Rodolphus was that only person who could make me smile and laugh as much as I do. He's trusting and sweet, and given the right situation, he'll surprise you with fantastic ideas dealing with the work we secretly did. It was a shame had he not been the Lord's best servant, our plans would be better, more precise, and hell, that Potter child would be dead by now. "I've got it." He laughed, looking up at me with those sparkling, sunken eyes, stroking his fingers along my breast. "We get one of those ... boom weapons, that the muggles use, and while that bastard child isn't looking, BOOM! Right in his head!" Okay, so maybe not so precise, but it was very helpful to anyone who was too lazy to conjure up a good spell.
It had been days since we last heard from our master, but once more, a week later, in the middle of the night, he beckoned. We both rose from our bed and dressed, vanishing from our bedroom and appearing back at the famous meeting spot. We walked through the halls absent mindedly, bursting through the door into a grand chamber room and sat at a table surrounded by the other followers. In place of Lucius was my nephew, looking as tired and unaware as ever, I took a seat next to him and pulled my nails through his comb marks. "Not the place to be tired, little one." He frowned and rolled his eyes, slapping my hand away from him. The other death eaters chuckled, Rabastan and Rodolphus exchanged words and chuckled awhile, as well as Macnair, Crabbe, Greyback, and the others. It was soon that the filthy rat Pettigrew shuffled through the door, laughing in a crazed fit and announcing his Darkness. We all stood, pulling our hoods over our heads, looking down to our feet. Voldemort came through the door with a graceful gesture, sneering at Pettigrew and shoving him down with a forceful kick. He found his way to the head of the table, Pettigrew pulled out the chair for him to sit, and pushed it back in once he did. Nagini slithered up the arm of the chair, hissing to her mate, then resting against his chest. We sat once we were told, and it was a silent and cold room.
"My followers.. " He smiled.
"My Lord." We all replied.
"Aah, it brings me such joy to call you to this meeting. After many months of deliberation, I've finally come up with a plan." Many Death Eaters chuckled under their hoods, I heard Draco yawn. "You know for sixteen long, excruciating years, I've been waiting to finally kill that boy. During those long, long days, many of you have felt the kiss of dementors and swore under your breath against me, but here you are, still loyal, and still awaiting that day like I have. Today, is that day." We lifted our heads, staring down at the table in hope of a final end to Harry Potter. He rose from his seat, kicking Pettigrew once more, then walked along the row of seats, dragging his nails on our shoulders. "Year by year, as he gets stronger, I grow stronger. Many think that I grow weaker, but no. Every year, one more of Harry's support group have fallen to my power. Bellatrix, and Severus, have done well in those departments. Now, Potter has no loving god-father, or pseudo-grandfather, to help him get by in his final war against me. "
I thought of Rodolphus' idea of the boom stick, biting my lip, trying not to laugh; I noticed Rodolphus was thinking the same thing. Draco yawned again and fell back against his chair, keeping his head down,. I glared, giving him a rough pinch to wake him up, he whined and I slapped his thigh, hissing at him lowly. Voldemort continued. "My death is inevitable, however. But do not worry, my followers, I have a plan to keep myself living forward into the new generation, incase Potter lives, which I promise, he won't, but if he does, I'll be ready. I have already talked to one of my followers about this plan, and they have fully accepted." I looked up, was I the only one he talked to? What did he mean by living forward? I gasped and glared up at him, for the first time ever in my life did I disagree with him, but I couldn't have said anything, I wasn't supposed to. Malfoy looked up instead.
"Live forward into a new generation? What the hell is the point? Saint Potter will defeat you with his Weasley little friend and that mudblood tramp he hangs around with." I heard Greyback growl across the table, Voldemort looked up, his eyes gleaming at the hooded boy. "There's no point in trying to defeat him. He's too strong. You'll never do it! He always wins. ALWAYS!"
"And I suppose you could do it alot better? Mm. I suppose you could, of course, you couldn't defeat some decrepit old school master of yours when clearly he hadn't the strength to stand on one foot! " He swooped behind the table, ripping off Draco's hood and grabbing him by his hair. "Do not put my plans into question, young Malfoy. Why don't you shut up while you still have the breath and strength to do so!" He forced him back into his seat, I shuddered and sighed, looking over at Draco whose eyes had teared up, his face red, body almost frigid. "If the young boy could only perform my tasks as well as he questions them." The rest of us laughed softly, I rolled my eyes and rubbed Draco's back, throwing his hood back over his head.
The meeting continued, Malfoy kept his mouth shut, but the rest of us hadn't, we argued over Voldemort's plans for killing Potter, mainly because it included the loss of some of us. I jumped up, slamming my fist on the table. "The only reason your life is going to be lost, Macnair, is because you're always playing with your ridiculous moustache when really you should be helping us fight off aurors!"
"I suppose that's nothing compared to the constant bragging over being, ' the dark lord's most loyal servant ' all the time! As if anyone takes that as a threat! YOU'RE DONE FOR, LESTRANGE!"
Rabastan and Rodolphus looked up, Rodolphus glared at Macnair, taking a glass and throwing it at him. I grabbed Rodolphus before he leapt over the table. "Let go of me, I want to rip that little caterpillar from his upper lip and strangle him with it!"
"COME ON BELLATRIX, LET HIM GO! Your husband can't kill anything! I'll pummel him into a pulp!"
"OH REALLY?"
"YAH REALLY!"
The two men swung their arms at each other, Voldemort glared, sending a blast between the two of them. "IF...you two..are finished.." They sat down, glaring at one another. I stroked Rodolphus' hand and rolled my eyes. "This isn't Hogwarts, children, so kindly grow up or GET OUT!" The rest settled down. "I will be the one to decide who dies and who lives! " The meeting continued, glances were exchanged, Voldemort made sure no one were to get out of hand by threatening to kill the next person who had an outburst. It ended, Rabastan and Rodolphus shook hands, then I took my husband's and kept him away from Macnair, sneering at him as he passed. Voldemort grabbed my shoulder, holding my back, I kissed Rodolphus and followed Voldemort into his office again.
"Have you considered my offer, Bellatrix?" He turned around and removed Nagini from his chest, only to have her recoil and sleep again.
"Well, now that I figured out the whole purpose is to make me carry your next spawn, no, I won't do it."
"You won't? Why's that?"
"Because! I am your top because of my love for going out there in the front lines and killing and getting the job done with no matter how violently I have to do it! You can't just simply take that away from me because you want to start a new line of evil!"
He sneered and walked forward, "You don't want to help your master? Your lord you so devotingly worship? How can you say you're my top servant when you won't even service me?" He stepped forward, removing his wand, drawing it towards me.
"It ...It isn't that I don't want to displease you, sir.. I don't want to because it could interfere with your plans with Potter.. " I cowered, moving to my knees and pulling at the ends of his robe. "Sir, please." He sneered, backhanding me to the floor, pointing his wand at me once more. I flew back against his wall suddenly, feeling my insides twist and sting with pain.
"...You will complete my needs, Bellatrix. And don't worry, your incubation will have no interference in my plans." He dropped me, putting his wand back and helping me from the floor after I fell. He kissed my cheek and pulled the messed hair from my eyes. " Go, you'll be called only at the right time. " I shuffled to my feet, wiping my eyes and pulling my hood up.
"Good night, my Lord." And quickly I followed out after my husband.
