Rabastan had never woken up in a strange bed before.

He had always – always – slept in his own bed with Rodolphus in the next room and vials of strengthening potions within arm's reach, had never even been allowed to sleep anywhere else, and now he was in a small, unfamiliar room on a hard, uncomfortable bed and there was someone in the bed with him.

"My Lord?" Rabastan asked in a small, quavering voice. He was trying to remember last night, but everything was just an unsettling blur of hot kisses and burning pain. Burning pain in his arm, burning pain between his legs…

He lifted his left arm and stared at it.

The Dark Mark shone black upon his pale skin.

"My Lord…" he breathed. He was awed by it – it was such a lovely, beautiful mark that it made him tremble with delight that the Dark Lord had bestowed it upon him. "Oh, my Lord, it is…"

"It pleases you that you have taken it," he said, taking Rabastan's arm and dragging one fingertip slowly over the mark. Rabastan's back arched as a shot of pain ran through his body and the Dark Lord released him, a smirk playing upon his lips.

"You will be a fine Death Eater, Rabastan," he told him. "You have already done so well…" He trailed off suggestively and a flush rose in Rabastan's cheeks.

"Thank you, my Lord," he whispered, sitting up and glancing around the small room. His robes were folded neatly upon a chair and he wondered whether the Dark Lord had placed them there, because he was quite sure that he had been in no state to fold his clothes last night. He wasn't even sure that he had been in any state to remove them. But maybe he had – he couldn't remember…

"There will be another meeting in a fortnight," the Dark Lord said, suddenly sounding rather businesslike and using a voice quite different from the low, almost seductive purr that he had been using before. "At the same time, in the same place. I trust that you can remember that?"

"Yes, my Lord." Rabastan nodded quickly and tried to heave himself out of bed to fetch his clothes. It took great effort and stars burst before his eyes. He had to cling to the bedframe to stay upright and half expected the Dark Lord to extend a helping hand.

He didn't.

Perhaps it was rude to expect that the Dark Lord would help him, even after he had taken him to bed. Just because he had lain with Rabastan didn't mean that he was suddenly his lover…

Rabastan couldn't remember the last time that he had gotten out of bed without the help of vial after vial of potions. He had been told so many times that he absolutely needed them, but he felt little worse now, without them, than he usually did when getting out of bed. Perhaps he would talk to the Healers – perhaps he would talk to his parents – and tell them that he didn't need the potions anymore…

"Goodbye, my Lord," he said, keeping his eyes on the ground while he did up his robes with shaking hands. "I am so grateful for… for all of this…"

The Dark Lord didn't say anything, and Rabastan couldn't bring himself to say anything more, so overwhelmed was he by emotion.

When he Disapparated and returned home, there was a sinister silence over the manor. A small chill ran up Rabastan's spine and he glanced around.

The door to the parlour was open.

"Hello?" he called out softly, pushing it open a little further and looking inside. As he had feared, his parents were sitting together with matching stony expressions on their faces, and Rodolphus, Andromeda and Bellatrix were on the other sofa. There were tears on Andromeda's cheeks.

"Where have you been?" Maria demanded, standing up and striding forward, grabbing Rabastan by the front of his shirt. "You've been out all night!"

"I know– I stayed with the Dark Lord–"

"And you didn't think that we'd be worried? Have you been drinking?"

Rabastan closed his mouth quickly. There must have been alcohol on his breath.

"You have!" Maria cried. "You've been off with the Dark Lord, drinking and…" She trailed off, sniffing the air slightly. "And… you smell of…"

Rabastan's face went crimson and Rodolphus let out a short, mirthless bark of laughter. "You didn't… you slept with him?"

"Shut up!" Rabastan hissed.

Maria looked ready to faint and Joseph stood up, catching her and guiding her back down to her seat before turning on his son. "Rabastan…"

"Don't start with me!" Rabastan's voice rose to a high, hysterical pitch. "I've done nothing wrong – I only did what he asked of me as a Death Eater! Look!" He pulled back his sleeve, showing off the Dark Mark emblazoned on his skin. "I did what the Dark Lord asked of me – ask her…" He pointed at Andromeda. "Ask her what her excuse is!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Andromeda told him, her cheeks going pink as she dashed tears from her eyes. "I haven't done anything!"

"That boy you've been with–"

"Boy?" Bellatrix looked at her sister, eyes narrowing. "What boy?"

And now it was Andromeda who people were looking at accusingly. Andromeda's face was flushed bright red. She glanced around, clearly looking for an ally and finding none.

"She's been with a boy," Rabastan told them. "Up on the moors – I don't know who he is, but he isn't a Pureblood. Not from a proper family. I'd recognize him if he was. At least the Dark Lord isn't–"

"Be quiet!" Andromeda said, pushing Bellatrix and Rodolphus away, rising to her feet and striking Rabastan across his face. "You know nothing! You said it yourself, you don't know him, you don't know what he's like–"

"So it's true?" Bellatrix asked, also standing. She pulled her sister around and shook her. "Who is he, Andi? Mother and Father–"

"Don't you dare tell Mother and Father!" Andromeda shouted, pushing her sister back. "Don't you dare!"

"Andromeda…" Maria took Andromeda's arm firmly, pulling her back. "What is this? Is this true? But you and Rabastan…"

"Well, Rabastan's obviously not interested in people like me," Andromeda said with a sneer. "He'd obviously rather be with a man…"

"Shut your mouth!" Rabastan spat, fresh colour flooding his cheeks. "He's not just a man, he's the Dark Lord! He wanted me…"

Rodolphus snorted. "As though you haven't been fantasizing about him for weeks. You've wanted him ever since you first met him – you've got his letter under your pillow…"

"I have not!"

"We will discuss that later!" Maria said sharply. "Andromeda…?"

"All right- I've been with a boy…" she said, clearly thinking it better to get the confession over with, "but I haven't slept with him–"

"But people wouldn't approve of him, would they?" Rabastan asked, a triumphant smile twisting his lips. He could see a flash of fear in Andromeda's eyes and he laughed. "What is he, Andromeda? A Mudblood?"

"Don't call him a Mudblood!" Andromeda cried, then blanched. "I- he's not–"

"Talk to her," Rabastan said to his parents, his voice full of derision. "Tell her off for who she's been with – running about with a Mudblood is worse than going to bed with the Dark Lord…"

Andromeda glared at him. Her eyes were full of pure hatred.

He had never seen her look even half so disgusted and he didn't stay to find out what would happen. He didn't need to. Whatever did happen, it would be bad for Andromeda and any scandal about Rabastan sleeping with a man would be forgotten.

Rabastan strode out of the parlour and hovered on the stairs, gripping the banister for support and listening to the fight. Maria was berating Andromeda, telling her that she was as good as her daughter and she would not stand for her humiliating herself like this. More than once, Rabastan heard Andromeda start to say something, only to be cut off with the sound of flesh on flesh and he wondered whether Maria had slapped her or whether Bellatrix had.

Bellatrix, he would have guessed.

A small part of Rabastan felt guilty for listening to Andromeda's humiliation with such pleasure. Andromeda had, after all, once – once – been someone that he would have given up his life for, and though that time had passed entirely, perhaps he still ought to have protected her. Perhaps he should have, at least, not gone out of his way to be sure that she was beaten down. Perhaps he should have been silent, should have avoided telling his parents and just allowed them to attack him for how he had spent the night instead of diverting blame to Andromeda, who was, after all, innocent…

But he pushed those thoughts away.

It was better for Andromeda to be disgraced than for him to be.