Aurelia Lestrange was laid on her back, her arms overextended at either side of her and pinned down by the taut vines that had transfigured from the ground. She caught sight of a figure at her side before her mind was emptied. She knew what he had done, he had cursed her as he'd promised to do so when they met earlier. For a brief moment before she gave up, she was filled with sorrow because he was supposed to do that before her initiation with Voldemort, her thoughts of anguish ricocheted around her head as she boldly fought against his spell, but the intensity was too strong. The heavy weight of that of the girl's grief and pain evaporated from her body and mind. Aurelia felt a sort of elation, she felt at peace, she was free.
Lucius Malfoy had taken control of her, to free her from the memories that her forthcoming journey into their realm would create. He stood and looked at the state of her, her eyes were vanquished of their sparkle, they stared out into the distance with a hazy glaze over them. Her arms looked uncomfortably bent backwards, her elbow joints inside out and the bones protruded into the night air which caused her pale skin to look even more so. He took a hold of one of her wrists and individually plucked each thorn that had embedded into her skin. He walked around to the other side and worked on releasing her other hand and then turned his attention to those at her neck. He realised that he now had full possession of her, he could do what he wanted with no fight from her, but in fact it was those objections that he normally took pleasure from. Besides that, she was so gravely damaged he didn't know where best to touch her to take her home safely.
Under his enchantment Aurelia moved as he directed. With his mind he was able to control her physical actions and the longer she was spellbound by such a strong Imperius curse then the less of her own mind would be left. Lucius took off his cloak and wrapped it around Aurelia, he scooped the girl into his arms. Aurelia rested her head on his chest and he momentarily rested his chin atop of her head and closed his eyes. Having her close again gave him comfort. He considered undoing his spell, he couldn't think of any way this was going to work, how could he go ahead with it? How would he be able to fulfil his promise to her and more importantly how was he to get away with this should he get caught. He disappeared from the graveyard with a thunderous clap and elegantly stepped into the grounds of his mansion with Aurelia draped over the crook of his arms.
Lucius took one step into the lobby of his home and was greeted there by Bellatrix's cackle that echoed through the halls, the noise evoked a tooth grinding reaction from Mr Malfoy. Lucius lifted his tired eyes to see his wife stood in the hallway, she scrutinised him with her own eyes, her body radiated with disappointment as she folded her arms and tilted her head up.
At that moment a figure appeared at the top of the stairs and attracted the attention of Mr Malfoy away from his wife, his cool blue eyes glistened in the candle light and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
Voldemort descended onto the stairs of the Malfoy Manor, his dirty bare feet paused on each step before he was standing at the bottom, right in front of Malfoy. Lucius thought he had been caught, his rat-tailed hair shook in front of his face as he held his head down. The weight of Aurelia suddenly was very apparent, and she burned into the muscles of his arms and back, he couldn't let The Dark Lord see Aurelia's muted eyes just yet, as he looked to her wide eyes, they closed as if she was asleep. Lucius knew he had bitten more than he could chew now, he used to hold such power and presence in his very own hands but the fall of his own son and his stint in Azkaban had ruined the once noble and highly respectable man he used to be, and now, in the entrance way to his own home, he stood and cowered under the embarrassment that he had become.
The slit-like nostrils of Voldemort sucked at the air around Mr Malfoy. Lucius's quick mind worked though many ways he could escape the discovering of what he had done; ways he could explain his curse or perhaps who else he could frame. If Lucius was to relinquish the Imperius curse now, then the girl might regain full memory and be alert enough to accuse him right there and then. Malfoy lifted his head for just a moment, he saw Voldemort snarl like a dog and his top lip lifted to reveal his stained teeth before both his hands came forth into the space between them.
As quick as a flash of lightening one of Voldemort's hands fiercely clasped around the empty air and the other propelled forward and upwards towards the ceiling and with his hand movements Lucius flew and collided with the chandelier and tumbled back to the cold marble floor. Aurelia Lestrange's limp and rag-doll-like body glided gracefully to the Dark Lord.
"I do not recall giving instructions for you to remove her" Voldemort hissed. "From this day forth, no one is to disturb her...and that includes you, Lucius."
Bellatrix grinned at the further fall of Lucius Malfoy, it only paved her own way to greatness in the presence of The Dark Lord. Her dark and brooding eyes watched as he ascended the stairs with her daughter in tow behind him.
Even though Voldemort's physical appearance had transformed him into something inhuman, because he had played with the rules of mortality too much and he had bent his way around the rules that were left, she still found him incredibly attractive. She had admired his power and insatiable hunger for more, she greatly agreed with their cause and his blatant cruelty further enflamed her sexual desire for him. Bellatrix had used a love potion many times before, she would use only one drop for one night with him and in the pouch at her waist she had just one more drop left in a vial. The Dark Lord had left himself with a physical form he could not come back from should he perish. Bellatrix knew his only option now was to bequeath an heir, and she had willingly sold him the body to produce one, however an ache in her stomach had begun to grow, because she also knew that meant her daughter now had the pleasure of his body which Bellatrix greatly yearned for.
Although Aurelia was led upstairs, she was later hidden in a dungeon underneath the Manor, the room had no windows and one door with bars across a small square hole. She had a large bed and private bathroom and that was all. Aurelia was not consciously aware of her surroundings and with Lucius distracted she was still and quiet when put to bed.
Lucius Malfoy hid in is office for the remainder of the night. He drank solidly, 10ml of whisky one after the other until the large crystal decanter was half empty. Once morning came, he left his quarters and stumbled down to a seemingly empty house. All was quiet, it was then he remembered his obligation to Aurelia. In his head he gave her everlasting instructions; to welcome the Dark Lord's advances and to fulfil his wishes. Malfoy hoped that by doing that he'd relieve some of his duties while she was under his spell, he also considered that maybe now was a good time to lift it... But what if she had company... He didn't know where she was hidden, he searched all the bedrooms and bathrooms and the hidden passage ways of his home. Until he recalled that at the back of the dining hall was a small wooden door. Over the past year Voldemort had used Malfoy Manor as an interrogation unit, he kept traitors and suspects in those dungeons until he was ready for them, or until their time had run out.
Malfoy tentatively lowered himself down the steps to the rooms below. His dishevelled hair lay limp and trembled in front of his face with strands caught on his Velcro-like stubble on his cheeks. He didn't have his wand to light his way for that was taken by Voldemort, so he felt his way along the stone brick walls. He came to an opening in the wall, his arms reached out and padded the wall as stone turned to wood. Lucius slowly lifted his head and pressed his face against the cold metal bars. Inside that dungeon the area was lit by fire but was empty. He carried on. His leather heeled shows stepped delicately along until he came to another dip in the wall. His breath quickened as this room appeared to be dark inside. He whispered her name and commanded her to answer him, but he heard no response. Malfoy called for her again and he heard a faint voice behind him. He turned and could make out the darkened shape of another doorway across the small hallway.
He checked back up towards the stairs before crossing and placed his hands on the damp wood of the door, he tried the handle but it was locked, probably enchanted too. He thought of Aurelia coming to him and he heard the ruffle of bed sheets and two hands slid up the metal bars and clasped around them. He had found her. If he was to succeed with sparing her of what was to happen to her, he would have to take up residence in these dungeons. He checked he was alone before he hot footed it over to the other darkened room and tried the door. It was open. Inside was a simple wooden bench for a bed but it was too open, he could easily be found in there. Malfoy needed a way to enter Aurelia's room.
The girls' hands were still on the bars as he exited the dungeon he had inspected. Malfoy first checked the hall was empty before dashing to her. He plucked her fingers from the bar and pulled what he could of her hand through the gap. He wrist was dark and crusted with blood, her hand was cold. He almost asked her if she was ok, forgetting that she would not answer as herself. Malfoy held her hand cupped to his cheek and was about to lift his curse when he heard a clatter from above. He panicked and ran into the empty dungeon cell and quietly clicked the door closed and listened to what he could over the sound of his own heart hammering on his ear drums.
"You said you trusted Snape so why are you visiting her again?" The unmistakable whine of Bellatrix Lestrange filled the air "come upstairs and join me for a drink."
"Lestrange you said so yourself that Snape can't be trusted, or is it you that I can't trust?" Voldemort answered back, and the mechanical noise of a lock unlocking echoed in the silence between them.
Bellatrix did not reply, her shoes clacked on the stone floor as she retrieved away from the dungeons. Lucius Malfoy peered over the edge of the hole in his door, his drunken state was dampened by his adrenaline. He strained to listen to what was happening in the room opposite.
Voldemort's groans were violent and seemed to get louder the more Lucius grimaced away from the sound. Malfoy pressed his hands to his ears and willed the beast to stop devouring Aurelia.
Malfoy's eyes shot open when he heard screams, Aurelia's screams. They were primitive and hoarse, the kind of scream that comes from a body as they witness their last seconds. Lucius stood to full height, he wanted those screams to stop, the more he wished for them to stop the more violent the battle between yes and no became.
Upstairs, Narcissa stopped in her tracks, she had become accustomed to the terrifying noises that oozed from the walls of her home, but none had compared to the horror of what she could hear at that moment. She hated the situation she was in, she hated her sister, but she was thankful her Draco was not at home to be witness to the atrocities that assaulted her ears.
Lucius Malfoy's brain was filled with his memories of his Aurelia and the notion that he had also been the first to hurt Aurelia in the way that she was with Voldemort. Perhaps it was that his blood was diluted with ethanol or that he was losing his mind, that he was now warped with guilt. The more he wanted to escape both his mind and the dungeon, the more Aurelia protested Voldemort in their cell.
Inside that cell The Dark Lord revelled in that his presence was unwelcomed by the girl. She had her hands pressed to her ears and her eyes clamped shut. Voldemort had her hair gripped at the scalp in both his hands and their bodies connected for what would be the last time. Aurelia was left crying, her body convulsed with the spasms of her lungs, and across the hall, Lucius mimicked her movements as Voldemort left them both.
As time continued in the Malfoy home, Lucius had become more distant and vacant, his mission to aid Aurelia had left him with no time to sleep, eat or go about his own Deatheater business. He had resorted to whiskey to keep him awake during the day and his physical appearance failed to hide his state of despair. The paranoia of not being there to control Aurelia had taken a hold of him with full force, there was only one positive thing that developed; now he had a pretty convincing and conscious looking version of her to parade in front of Voldemort. She had yet to be revealed to any of Voldemort's followers, but as Christmas came it was evident that she was growing a child in her belly. To the special few who were gathered for a meeting around the elongated dining table in the Malfoy home, and that included Voldemort, Aurelia's child was just 8 weeks grown but concealed inside her uterus was a foetus of four months gestation.