Hello, my dearest friends!

I cannot believe so much time has passed since the latest update - and so much had happened! However, I hope all of you are safe and healthy in this crazy times, and that you will enjoy this chapter I wrote for you!

My biggest thanks to iRedeem and Love. Fiction. 2022 for their continuous support, and of course, to all who reviewed!

Have a wonderful week!

Rabastan didn't spend a lot of time with her recently. Once she got back from work, he wasn't there, as she knew enough about him to ask. The good thing about it was that Bella was out of the house as well. Caroline had to fight shivers while thinking about her sister in law.

Bellatrix changed. She was very different even before, but it seemed Azkaban had driven her over the edge. Caroline didn't let her mind magic wander around the one from Bella. It felt unstable. Unstable but also dangerously strong.

She came home once, only to meet with Bellatrix in the dining hall. Her sister in law had the crazy look on her face that she lately wore so often.

"Well well," she started, "look who finally came home." Caroline occluded and put her mental magic on highest alert.

"Hello, Bella," she said, with her voice rid of any emotions, as she slowly started to reach towards Bella with her magic. "Is there anything I could do for you?"

"Oh yes," Bellatrix said and her eyes widened. "You could perhaps tell me, what is this?" Only then did Caroline notice that her sister-in-law held a letter in her hand.

She reached out with her magic, but Bellatrix's own defenses were too strong to be breached just like that and without being noticed.

"I will gladly tell you, Bella, but I am afraid I have no idea what kind of letter it is that you're holding," she answered calmly, while she was buying herself some time to get around Bella's shields. "Perhaps you could enlighten me?"

"Oh, I most certainly will, dear sister," Bellatrix laughed and started coming towards her. Caroline felt shivers coming all over her body. Bella's mind felt wrong. It felt like it was deprived of sanity and it was difficult to navigate.

Caroline didn't reply to that and just raised her eyebrows and focused on what she did best. For a second, she was terrified Bella's somehow found out all her deepest secrets she so desperately tried to keep hidden, but now she was a bit calmer. This wasn't about her son or Dumbledore. There was nothing about either of them in Bella's thoughts.

"Why haven't you told us that you are so involved in the current Hogwwrats matter?"

Ah. There it was. Now Caroline got a clearer hang of it and understood a bit of Bella's thoughts. The letter was from Umbridge.

"Oh, you mean the business with the new headmistress? I was just trying to be a bit useful," Caroline stated, heading the conversation in such a direction that Bella would mind the least. Hopefully.

"Dear Madam Lestrange - Merlin, that does sound good, doesn't it?," Bellatrix laughed as she started to read. "It was an absolute pleasure to have you on our grounds. I would like to personally thank you for your visit and would like to invite you again and arrange our next appointment. Do you think Miss Edgecomb could be healed enough to make the statement for the minister we talked about? I most sincerely hope so. I am looking forward to hearing from you. Signed, Dolores Jane Umbridge, Headmistress." Bella chuckled aloud.

"My dear sister, you are most certainly full of surprises!" she now said, her eyes widening. "I am just a bit wounded that you haven't told us about it!" Nothing about Bella's mind said sadness or hurt. She was, however, truthful, when she said she was surprised. That emotion, Caroline felt strongly.

"Infiltrating Hogwarts, Merlin! The Dark Lord will be so pleased to hear that!" She sounded like a child who was just promised a lollipop. And her mind appeared excited about that too.

"Who's infiltrating Hogwarts?" Caroline was so focused on Bella that she minimized her senses on anything else. She spread her mind magic at a light speed in the direction of the voice. She recognised the men just by their minds before she even saw them.

The mind she knew the best. Rabastan. Curiosity and discrete affection. Rudolphus. Lucius Malfoy. Augustus Rookwood. Antonin Dolohov. And hostility. Strong hostility. Martin Avery. Mulciber. Great. The last were the men she hated more than most.

Caroline slowly turned towards the voice of her brother-in-law, who was watching the two women curiously. Caroline shifted her attention towards her husband, who focused solely on her, and from whom she could sense a slight nervousness.

"Now, that's a story I would like to hear," a rough voice with a strong russian accent said. Caroline sent a soft smile to Antonin Dolohov, who offered her one in return.

"Is this about Caroline's impressive work with the new Hogwarts headmistress?" Lucius entered the discussion diplomatically and Bella's eyes widened at that and she turned towards the blonde wizard.

"You knew about it?" she hissed, but Lucius didn't seem to let it bother him a bit as he calmly answered. "I did indeed. As did Rabastan."

But before her husband had the chance to comment as well, Avery entered the conversation as well. "Work with the new Hogwarts headmistress? As of Umbridge? What do you have to do with her? She's supposed to be mine."

Oh, that was correct. Umbridge was on Avery's to-do list, based on the orders from the Dark Lord himself. Nut Avery was also the one Caroline didn't feel the need to explain anything. "I have seen the opportunity and took it," she answered calmly to Avery.

"Opportunity? You?! You stay away from her or you will fuck it all up!" Avery's mind was now a cluster of contempt, anger and hate. Caroline wouldn't dare to enter his mind fully in such a company, but she still got quite a good feeling on what was going on in his mind. He despised her. Considered her a shame of their wizarding society. And was envious that despite the fact that he was much better wizard, it was her who ended up married to one of the wealthiest and respected families in Britain. Maybe not "respected" anymore, not after the fiasco with Longbottoms, but still. She didn't deserve to call herself a witch.

"So far, I think I have managed to do more than you, Avery. Last time I checked she was not under Imperius. And from the two of us, it was me who managed to get herself an invitation to Hogwarts. Right to the students," Caroline's voice was cold as ice. They weren't young teenagers anymore. She knew all the present Death Eaters cared about was strength. And no matter how weak her standard magic was, she herself wouldn't be seen as weak.

And the effect was there. She could sense it. Surprise. A small recognition. Acknowledgment. She felt it from the group in the room. With the exception of Avery and Mulciber. Their history was too deep and their hatred too old.

"You're just a lucky bitch, that's all. In twenty years, you manage to do one thing right, and want acknowledgement?" Avery was starting to lose it.

Caroline quickly calculated. There were several possible outcomes of this. She chose the one where Avery would pay the biggest prize. While she could sense the increasing tension in the room, she focused her attention on the man in front of her, and sent a bit of encouraging emotion towards him. To make him truly lose it.

"There's no need to-" Caroline played her calm part, but Avery, pushed by her own magic, didn't let her finish.

"Yes, there is a need to! There's a need to point out that you should rot between the muggles a long time ago! Useless bitch. You're not even pleasant to look at! Rabastan shouldn't worry that there's no Lestrange heir. From what I think, it's better to have no heir, than a child with your genes."

Wow. That was a harder blow than even Caroline anticipated. Several things happened at once. She could hear the protests of others, her husband's own voice, but for the first time, she was quicker than all of them.

Caroline drew out her wand at the very same time her mind magic attacked the mind of Avery. She was pointing her wand towards him as he was frozen to the spot, with eyes wide open. His mental shields were close to non existing, and his mind was now fully in her grasp. And for everyone else, it seemed like she would just send a nonverbal hex towards him. She used the moment of surprise of everyone in the room to her advantage and let herself dip into the thoughts of her opponent.

She had to be quick, very quick. Caroline navigated his thoughts and memories with a scaring precision, until she found something that stood out.

She carefully, yet quickly, took a closer look. And there he was.

A younger Avery, just as she remembered him from school, with an even younger girl, crying in his lap. His younger sister.

"Rabastan proposed to her, Martin. He's engaged to her. "

Caroline welt a shift in the room, so she quickly drew out, but needed a second to process it. Avery's sister was into Rabastan?

Avery still stood in front of her, unable to do anything, as Caroline still held his mind.

Rabastan carefully approached her, and put his hand on her arm, in order to put her wand down. "I understand your outrage, darling. But let him go," his voice was calm, but she knew inside, he was also angry.

"You have to release his mind, Carol," his thoughts shouted to her.

She slowly let him slip out of her grip, as she kept lowering her wand.

"It's a pity, Martin," she heard the voice of Augustus Rookwood, "that no one cares what you think."

Caroline turned her head towards the former unspeakable, who gave her a slightly questioning look.

Rudolphus came to help with an attempt to release the tension a bit as he chuckled. "It looks like my little sister-in-law won this round, Avery."

"How dare you." A hiss towards Avery from the other side of the room.

Caroline almost forgot Bella was also in the room. Her sister-in-law wasn't one to take insults lightly. Her eyes were wide and she also pointed her wand towards the Death Eater.

"Now, here's what I think, little Avery." Oh Merlin. Caroline already knew she wouldn't be the only one who disliked what was coming, when Bella used her childish voice.

"I think that you will present a great target for Caroline to practise. It's about time she tried the Crutiatus. Our lord will welcome her warmly."

Silence filled out the room.

"Bella," Lucius again tried the diplomatic solution, "I don't think there's a need for that. I am sure Avery won't insult the Lestrange house again."

Avery however, did not comment on that. And Bella noticed it as she again switched to her childish voice. "Oh? Will he not?"

Avery didn't respond. He was too furious to think clearly now.

"What should I do?" Caroline reached out to her husband, who also seemed a bit nervous.

"Come on, dear sister, I'll teach you," Bella got excited again.

"Bella," Rudolphus tried this time, but his wife sent him such a look he decided against finishing the sentence.

"Do it. She won't stop otherwise." Was Rabastan's response in his mind.

Bella approached Carol from behind, whispering into her ear. "I know he's been a cunt to you for years. Make him pay."

But there was no way Caroline would cast a Crutiatus curse, even if she wanted to. She reached out to her husband again. "Just for a few seconds. Do it. Otherwise she'll make the target out of you." Although she could hear her husband's voice just in his head, she thought she sensed a small amount of desperation beneath it.

"Do it," Bellatrix hissed in her ear and Caroline slowly raised her wand again.

"We'll see what kind of a teacher you are, Bellatrix. Good luck. She couldn't even disarm me," Avery said mockingly, but Caroline felt the slight fear from him. She already took him by surprise today.

"Come on!" Bella's voice was now getting more intense.

As Carol pointed her wand to the men who made her school years hell, she prepared her mind. She took one breath in and out, before she attacked his mind. Avery fell to his knees, shined with pain and grabbed his head, as she was targeting all his senses. She stopped after a few seconds, quickly lowering her wand and looking around the room while breathing quickly.

Bella shrieked with excitement and clapped her hands. "And nonverbally! Now, now, what do you say to that, Avery? I am very proud, dear sister, very proud indeed!"

The others in the room didn't seem to share the same excitement, and some of them even looked at Avery with pity in their eyes. Except Rabastan. He didn't show any pity.

"That was too much excitement for me to get before sleep. I'll better get going. See you all soon," Augustus said to the room, before grabbing Dolohov by his shirt and dragging him with him. Mulciber then helped Avery back on his knees, before they too exited without saying a single word.

"As much as it pains me to leave you here, my dearest wife is waiting for me. It seems our meeting today was longer than we anticipated. I will take my leave. Good night," Lucius commented, polite as ever and exited the room with a slight bow of his head.

Only the Lestranges were left.

"How about whiskey to celebrate?" Bella started again, "afterall, this is groundbreaking news, sister! Now you truly are a part of this family!"

This time, Rabastan didn't wait with his response. "Thank you Bella. Me and Carol will celebrate in private."

Rudolphus smirked at that. "We'll leave you two to it, then." And he too, took his wife by her hand and let Caroline leave the room with her husband towards their part of the manor.

They were quite on the way, until they reached their own private rooms, which Rabastan secured with some more privacy charms.

They stood in silence, with Rabastan doing his best to shield his mind.

"Say it," Carol broke the silence.

"Say what?"

"That it was stupid," it came back to Caroline that her performance tonight would have consequences. But Rabastan didn't answer right away and gave her a long look before answering.

"I think you gained what you could out of the conditions," he said and made a few steps towards her. "You surprised them. In a good way. Merlin, even Bella was impressed. And…" he paused.

"And…?" Caroline asked, as she didnt want to enter his mind now. She wanted him to be honest.

He was now standing so close to her, that all it would take would be a short movement of her head, and their mouths would meet.

"And if Bella wouldn't make the suggestion to you, I would drag him out and beat his ass myself."

That was it. Caroline leaned forward and kissed the man she called her husband. He didn't pull away and instead dragged her even closer to him. She raised her hands above her head, and he quickly pulled her out of her sweater, and then moved his mouth to her neck.

She moaned. He remembered it all. He kept kissing her neck, as his hands moved to her breasts.

"Merlin, Carol," he whispered, "do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" Well, that feeling was mutual, because Caroline was slowly losing her head.

She curled her fingers in his hair and he moved lower, and started to suck her breasts. With that, she just kept moaning. She couldn't keep quiet anymore.

She wanted to move her hands towards Rabastan's sacred place, but he just pushed her hands away.

"I think I owe you this one." Before she could protest, he waved his wand, all her remaining clothes were gone, and he pushed her towards the wall.

He kept kissing her on all the places of her body and she tangled her hands in his hair even more.

"Let's keep the hands of yours on side for now. This one's for you." He waved his wand again and her hands were secured to the wall above her head. And paradoxically, for the first time in weeks, Caroline did not perceive Rabastan even as the smallest threat.

He moved his fingers between her legs and made her spread them a bit. Sensation came over her body, as his fingers did the wonders down there, while his mouth was taking care of her breasts and neck.

Then, to her greatest pleasure, his mouth moved down as well, and her insides exploded. "Rabastan," she moaned.

Merlin, how he missed it. He watched his wife shake with pleasure as he raised up, and kissed her on the mouth. He knew he loved her. He had for the past twenty years. He knew she knew it as well. He hadn't said it aloud. But he still distrusted her. She changed. But she couldn't possibly fake this. Fake the chemistry they had between each other. Even with her magic she couldn't possibly be such a good liar.

"Do you want it?" he whispered against her ear. "Do you want me?"

For a second, the world stopped for the both of them, as Caroline sank her eyes into those of her husband. For the shortest moment, she dropped all her mental shields, and whispered a single word.

"Yes."

That was all Rabastan needed. He quickly freed himself from his own clothes and was ready to connect the two of them.

"I want you, too," he whispered as he entered his wife and took her against the wall, as she put her legs around him. Sometime during the act, Caroline felt the bonds on her hands falter, and tangled her fingers in Rabastan's hair once again.

Now, both of them moaned aloud. Caroline had her eyes closed as Rabastan pace kept increasing. She knew she would reach her climax soon. She moaned his name as she did and her body was shaking. She felt Rabastan come inside her just a few seconds after that.

He leaned his forehead against hers and for a moment, they were both quiet, just breathing heavily.

Until Rabastan whispered. "I'll take care of you. I promise."