i really had no idea what i was doing with voldemort in this one. i've never written for him before, and i can only hope i did a good job. i figured he would be inclined to be a bit nicer to lucius for reasons that i can't put into words. read and review

The door closed behind him, but he was not aware of what type of sound it made. He quickly made his way over to the rigid chair and took up a bended knee in front of it, bowing his head to the person who had spoken.

"Come come, Lucius, there's no need for all of this." The voice spoke again, but all the same, a pale hand was extended to Malfoy, which he took and pressed his lips to. "Rise my servant, and properly sit." With a wave of the same pale hand, another hard back chair was conjured out of thin air and placed opposite of the one Lucius was kneeling before.

"Yes, my Lord." He rose to his feet and crossed over to the chair. Sitting down rather hastily, he tried to keep his composure in check.

A harsh laugh echoed around the small room. "My child, as I said earlier, there is no need to pretend with me."

Lucius shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his chair.

"But if you wish to keep up the façade that you are indestructible, then by all means, go ahead, but be warned Lucius, it is only a façade." Malfoy made no move to speak, but noted with slight unease that the voice of his master sounded almost father-like and his words sounded strangely like a warning.

Lucius did not think himself weak. He could not think of himself as weak. "Yes Master." He said, after several strained minutes of silence.

"But," Said the raspy voice. "You do not wish to believe this, do you?" And slowly, the man rose from his chair. With another wave of his hand, the fire in the grate blazed to life, sending particles of dust swirling around the room. Illuminated by the light, one could quickly assert that this was indeed no man, or at least, not a normal man. He was deathly pale with a bald head and his once prominent Roman nose was beginning to fold inwards on itself. He looked rather like a man sized snake, but this didn't seem to bother Lucius in the least. He still sat rigidly in his chair, gaze now set on the growing fire.

"No. You don't." Voldemort answered the question for him. "You would rather keep on with your acting and put on pretense, pretending to be something you're not. Correct?" The Dark Lord gave him no time to answer and instead continued. "But, you're so horribly mistaken, my dear friend. You've already been conquered. You've already been used and then thrown out like an old crippled house elf."

Lucius knew what he was talking about without having to think twice, but still, his Master felt the need to press on, to pour salt in the already opened wound.

"By a woman." For the third time, Voldemort waved that deathly pallid hand of his, and this time as he did so, the fire blazed higher than ever before a blurry image formed in it. Lucius could make out two figures, running down what appeared to be a set of stairs. One appeared to be chasing the other. Minutes passed by and suddenly the images became quite clear.

"A night at the Lestrange Manor, my friend." The Dark Lord said with a flourish to the image in the fire. "While you are at home, having an emotional breakdown and realizing that you've lost everything you've ever had control of, she's doing this…"

Lucius watched as Rodolphus chased Bellatrix down the stairs, making movements to grab her, but always coming up short. There was a rather lopsided grin on his face as he sped up in a vain attempt to catch his wife. With a pain, Lucius realized that they never had done anything like this. They had never chased one another around. She'd never lost complete control of her character with him before, but with Rodolphus, she seemed to be so much more, so free. With another wave of pain, he realized that he never truly knew the real Bellatrix. Whenever they had been…….she'd always been such a bitch and he had never seen the other side of her which Rodolphus always did.

"She has used you, time and time again, and yet, every time you look upon her, hunger flashes through your eyes." Those words jerked Lucius back to the present, back to reality. "All the time, you thought you had control of her, when it was really her who had the control over you." Lucius thought he saw a sneer form against those grey-green lips, but before he could make anything of it, his Master had turned his back on him and was now watching the activity within the fire.

"And yet, my troubled friend, you find yourself wondering what it would be like if you would have stayed with the eldest instead of going for the younger. You wonder what it would have been like had you not helped with the murdering of Regulus Black, had she not turned her back on you."

Lucius shivered quite suddenly. He had wondered these things, but he had never intended for anyone to ever know. There were thoughts hidden in the back of his mind that he was quite ashamed of, but this was the price one paid for being a servant of darkness. There were no secrets in this brotherhood.

"Yes, my Lord." He spoke for the first time in several minutes, his voice dry as if he had not used it in years. His attention was focused on the fire, almost hypnotized. Rodolphus had caught Bellatrix somewhere in the foyer of the house and had managed to pin her to the floor. What they were doing, Lucius didn't care to describe or watch. Averting his gaze to his cane, he swallowed hard.

"Look at me, Lucius." Malfoy felt his head involuntarily move as if an invisible hand were turning it and holding it in place. He shut his eyes, not wanting to watch Lestrange run his hands over what had been his—the scene was unfolding behind the Dark Lord who now stood with his back facing it. "I can change all of that. You will no longer have to wonder what would have happened had you not settled for the easy way out. Do you want that?"

Lucius hesitated. There had to be a trick somewhere. Why was his master volunteering to help him? Sure, he was one of the most trusted, in the inner circle, but it was not known of the Dark Lord to do random acts of kindness.

As if reading Lucius' thoughts, Voldemort let out another cold laugh. "My dear friend, again, you mistrust me. I only wish to help you, but the help will not last forever." Another cold laugh as his own hand replaced the invisible one beneath Lucius' chin.

Malfoy fought back a shiver. The hand was so cold, like ice. He heard someone give what could have been passed off as a moan from within the fire.

"I'll only ask you once more." The Dark Lord warned. "Do you want a chance to see what would have happened?"

Another moan. Not hesitating for a moment, Lucius shivered and muttered "Yes."

"Very well then."

The last thing Malfoy saw was that pale hand, waving in front of the fire again.