Disclaimer: I think I'm just going to steal other authours disclaimers, just so I have something new and interesting to 'disclaim' every chapter.

Title: The Ties That Bind

Authours Note: It's all Volders and Bella here--- ya'll get an inside look into the workings of their minds. XD

Summary/ Warning: Dom/ Sub, HGRW, PPBZ, RLSB, NLDM, TNSB, NMLM, LVBL …and of course HPSS.

Chapter 31: Snakes and Weasels

:Parseltongue:

"Conversational thoughts"

Private thoughts, shared memories

Ginny Weasley had some rather interesting thoughts racing through her head at the moment, though none were as important as the sense of satisfaction that filled her. For as long as she could remember, no one had ever taken her seriously. She had always been just the younger sister, the shy daughter, the neglected friend. And now… well. Now she was making her own destiny, and reveling in the decision.

Tom Riddle had accepted her into the fold as easily as if her betrayal was common place. Who knew? Perhaps it was. Bellatrix knelt beside her, staring at their Lord with a look of utmost servitude on her face. Ginny struggled to copy the expression, wanting to be accepted by the Death Eaters as easily as their Master had accepted her.

The ginger-haired youth turned her gaze once more on the still form of her new Lord, and her lips curved up in a genuine smile. The Tom Riddle she had once known had looked almost like this, though there was the obvious difference in age and maturity. This Tom was robust, vibrant, full of life where his predecessor had been pale and ghostly. For Ginny, this was the icing on the cake.

Who would she rather serve, after all? The old, demented man with a head full of whimsy and foolishness? Or a strong, confident leader whose followers knew he had great and glorious plans? There was no choice. As she waited for her Lord to notice her again, a shifting figure in the corner of the enormous room caught her eye. A flash of a smile, a slight gesture of a hand, and Ginny knew who it was in this crowded room of hoods and masks.

Percy had always been her favorite brother.

There was nothing in the world that could have moved Bellatrix Lestrange from her subservient position. It was the only place she wanted to be, even as her Lord insisted on swelling with pride over his newest acquisition. So what if the she-Weasel had followed her older brothers footprints? That was nothing new, surely. Weasley's were nothing if not willing to follow in another's path.

She could only barely manage to keep the unhappy grimace from her face, and even then her Lord and Master glanced over to her. But at his regard, all uneasiness faded away. And so when she lifted her face to his, he saw nothing but her joy at being in this room, in his presence, almost the center of his attention.

The flare of his nose made her pale, however, and drop her eyes immediately. What had she done? She had followed her orders from the last meeting- the proof of that was kneeling next to her- she had not lashed out at anyone other than Rodolphus in weeks, and even though she had not been able to bring Narcissa to heel yet, her Lord had not expected that of her so soon.

What else could it be?

And then Bellatrix flinched as she realised Severus was not present, nor was Lucius, and her Master had made it her job years ago to know where his two most faithful males where at all times. She had fallen behind in the job recently, as her Lord had been sending her on the strangest of errands, but that was no excuse.

Her attention was captured by the entrancing sound of her Master's new voice, and she risked peeking up at him through her lashes once more. The look of victory gracing his face made her heart race in reaction and with longing, but she ruthlessly murdered any thought that might be misconstrued. Her Master had never shown any interest in her, and she knew it was foolishness to force that man- for he was, now, a man, in all senses of the word- to do anything.

"Ginevra Weasley," that voice said, and Bellatrix bowed her head for it was not her name, "you come before me, and kneel at my feet, and offer me your allegiance." The pause was ominous, and yet the stupid child still gazed at the man who might kill her with a word. "Why?"

For her part, the child did not make the rash decision to speak without thinking, and Bellatrix found herself thinking that maybe the ginger would make it as a Death Eater after all. Though if she kept her Master waiting much longer her life would surely end soon.

"Because I am tired of being led by a foolish old man and being treated like a child when I know that I can do so much more." The ginger paused, and added in an almost undertone, "And I can't stand being invisible anymore."

Voldemort shifted in his throne, and Nagini flowed down the steps as he hissed at her. Bellatrix felt no fear when the snake wrapped its coils around her, nor when those poisonous fangs were unsheathed and held ready to strike. The Weasley did not flinch, to her credit, but her eyes betrayed her and followed the path of the gigantic creature.

Ginny's eyes were fixated on the snake, even though she knew she should look up at Tom, should not be looking at Bellatrix any longer than she already had, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Tom merely reclined in his throne while his creature threatened Bella, and Ginny fought to look away. "All good reasons, I must admit," he mused, his honeyed voice sending shivers down Ginny's spine that she could not control. "But I demand much from my servants. Look at my Bellatrix, how she just waits patiently for whatever I want to do to her."

Ginny was looking, and resisting the urge to throw up.

"Look at her face. There is no fear, no need to protect herself from me. She trusts my judgment completely." Ginny had to admit the truth of that statement. Bella was absolutely unprotected, unable to free her arms from the serpents coils, and utterly uncaring of either fact. A quick hiss from her Master had Nagini rearing back even further, readying herself to strike.

And yet Bella still held herself with dignity. Ginny could not comprehend it. Was it something one learned, to leave all concern for yourself in the care of another? Or was this all an elaborate show? Nagini surged forward, and Ginny cried out in dismay.

The assembled Death Eaters stilled as they saw what had happened. Tom just watched, amusement gracing his face, as Ginny jerked away from Bella's body. Nagini's mouth was wrapped around that pale white throat, coils taught around the still body. Bellatrix' eyes fluttered open after a moment, and she gently extricated a hand, and touched the serpents lithe form.

Nagini released Bella's throat, and Ginny fell back in wonder. There was not a mark on the beautiful neck, and she couldn't help it- she glanced up to Tom. "-how?"

"Bellatrix has learned not to hide anything from me, or doubt me. One day, you will be as she is now." Her Master recalled Nagini to his side, and she slid away from Bella with a hiss. Bella's hand fell with a hint of reluctance that Ginny couldn't comprehend. What was there to be reluctant for? Hadn't she just cheated death? But Tom once more demanded her attention, and she gave it to him.

How could she not? When he was in the room, there was no one else in the whole wide world who mattered. He stood, and Ginny caught her breath. Was he going to come down-? Yes. Tom stepped off of his dais and came towards her, wand already in his right hand. With a soft gesture, Ginny's wand was suddenly in his left hand, and he stopped in front of her.

Placing the tip of her wand over her left forearm, and letting his joins hers, Tom stared at Ginny, dazzling her. "Do you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, accept my Mark?"

And what other answer was there, other than a breathless "Yes."? And even as she felt her own magic flow through Tom, and back into her own body, mixing their power so it could never be separated, the only thought in her mind was that she had never been so close to someone so beautiful, so strong, so powerful.

And when Tom's magic began to Mark her flesh and Magic with a tattoo of pure power, she could only wonder at him. Even when the pain became impossible to bear, and even when darkness began to streak through her gaze, Ginny could still think. And what she thought had Tom smiling, though she couldn't see it.

Harry Potter had nothing on Lord Voldemort.

Bellatrix watched the Initiation, not allowing any emotions to show on her face. The girl's emotions, however, were disturbingly easy to read, and they were not making her happy. Hero-worship would only go so far with her Lord, and once that wore thin the child would begin to regret her decision.

But a truly amused smile lit her Lords face, and Bellatrix stopped thinking entirely. He had all the access he wanted to her thoughts, and who knew what he might hear? Why was he amused?

The chit fell to the ground in a dead faint, and Bellatrix regarded her with a disdainful expression. Her Master gestured to the crowds of Death Eaters, and a cloaked and masked man ran up to kneel before his Lord.

"Pick her up," Voldemort commanded, and the male did just that. And then Bellatrix- and indeed everyone else present- knew who it was. Only one person in the entire audience would cradle a Weasley with that much care, and it would only be another Weasley. Ugh. Disgusting, the lot of them.

Voldemort gestured to the limp body, and announced, "Behold, your newest sister. Treat her as such, and there will be no problems." He waited for one moment, for their acknowledgment, then sneered. "Get out."

They fled.

Bellatrix rose slowly, not interested in leaving quite yet. There was still the fact that she had failed in one of her duties, and her Master must know. She felt Voldemort's eyes on her, and walked slowly over to his throne, where he now sat. Dropping to her knees, Bellatrix bowed her head and awaited her punishment. Either for her failure, or for disobeying his most recent order.

He just watched her.

Voldemort knew why Bellatrix had remained behind, and approved. If nothing else, his most faithful servant knew her duties and never allowed herself to neglect a punishment.

For a long, long while he just watched her, noting that her breathing had only increased slightly, that she was ready for whatever punishment he saw fit. His finger absently stroked Nagini's head as the serpent watched her Master's favorite Servant with him.

"You once again reestablish my trust in you, Bellatrix." Voldemort stated, watching her curiously for her reactions. Nothing. He wasn't sure whether to feel pleased at her discipline, or annoyed. So he began to try to fluster her.

"I see you do not approve of my newest member. What was the phase? Ah, yes. 'Hero-worship will only go so far, and then she will begin to regret her decision', was it?"

Bellatrix nodded, and Voldemort sneered. Of course his Bellatrix was right- she always was. It just took her a moment or two to come to the heart of the matter, and when she did- ahh, there it was. The quick intake of breath, the sudden upward glance that was quickly aborted, the shoulders that suddenly relaxed as she realized what her Master was planning.

"And now you see, my Bellatrix, what I have done." He laughed, and did not notice the shiver that raced up Bellatrix' spine and vanished. "I have sown the seeds, have I not? I will tear them apart from the inside." His voice vanished and became a snarl, but neither noticed.

His Servant looked up from her study of the floor, not able to keep her decorum as she delighted in his newest plan with him.

"Oh, my Master," she breathed, sapphire eyes lighting up with glee at the thought of what he had done, "she will be perfect." Voldemort smiled, a quick, vicious smile as an idea came to him.

"Yes. She will be." And to set the trap, "If only Severus and Lucius had been here to see the glory of my plan." The light in her eyes extinguished itself, and her head bowed of its own will.

"Master, forgive me. My lack of attention to my tasks is entirely my fault."

And there it was- the reason he loved her and Severus above all the rest of his followers. No excuses, no carefully concealed lies to try and mislead him. They took responsibility for their actions, and accepted their punishments without so much as a grimace. And so, as he usually did, he would forgive her. For this mistake was not her fault, for once, and he was feeling unusually magnanimous.

"There, there, my Bellatrix," his voice was soft, reassuring, and only succeeded in raising her suspicions, "I know my wishes have been a burden to you recently." He cut her off with a raised hand when she began to protest, and continued. "And all that I require of you would certainly overwhelm a lesser person, but just this once I will release you from your punishment."

That she now regarded him in open distrust was disregarded, and Voldemort felt a wild glee in his heart as he took in the beautiful woman before him. Ah, but baiting Bellatrix was game to be played with caution and tact, and he was a Master of more than people.

"For, you see, I did not Call Severus nor Lucius tonight." Bellatrix inhaled sharply at the insult to both men, and Voldemort watched as she tried not to be insulted for them. An Initiation was one of the rare ceremonies where everyone was involved. All of the Death Eaters became linked to the newest member- even Bellatrix had felt the link to the child snap into place.

The Dark Mark was more than a mere way for Voldemort to summon them- it was a way for the Senior Death Eaters to control the younger, more wild members. That Severus and Lucius had both been excluded was nearly inexcusable, and only allowable in that Voldemort himself had made the decision to cut them out of that link.

"I can see you are wondering why I have done such a thing," and Bellatrix didn't even bother to acknowledge that he was right. "You see, both Severus and Lucius are my most trusted males, and yet, both of them are spies for Dumbledore." He laughed at Bellatrix' wide-eyed look, and nodded. "Oh, yes. They both 'spy' on me."

"And yet they still live, my Lord?" The quiet question encompassed all of Bellatrix' questions, and Voldemort snarled.

"Of course they do, woman. They are mine, bound to me by heart and blood and magic, and Dumbledore has no more control over them than the wind has control over a mountain. They feed my enemy false information, and bring me true strategies and tactics in return. They are the most helpful Death Eaters I have ever inducted."

And there it was- the flash of insight over that flawless face. "You think that somehow Dumbledore might find out about the she-Weasel and demand that they control her? And since that is something they could do, they would have no choice but to comply to maintain their positions." And just like that, Bellatrix' world was right again.

"Indeed." Voldemort stood, and Bellatrix rose gracefully to her feet as well. "Now, there is one more task that awaits you before you may go."

Bellatrix raised a brow, and waited for her Lord to tell her what to do next.

Voldemort hissed at the great snake, and turned to Bellatrix. "Nagini needs to be fed." He left the snake alone with the woman, hiding his amusement at the sight of the woman's face. The one thing that Bellatrix hated more than her husband was watching Nagini eat. So Voldemort usually made sure to have her feed his darling serpent.

Bellatrix stared in disgust at the snake, who stared up at her with faintly pleading eyes. Feed me, those eyes said plaintively, I have not eaten in so long. Bellatrix sighed, and gestured for the serpent to proceed her to the dungeons.

"It's a good thing I like you, snake," she said on the long walk down, "otherwise I would leave you to starve." When they reached the lowest level, Bellatrix let the snake roam the cells, looking for a suitable meal. Everyone held in this particular section of the Manor was doomed, though they did not know it.

This was where Nagini was permitted to choose her food, and even as Bellatrix thought that the snake slid into one of the further cells soundlessly, coming upon a sleeping male mudblood. "A good choice, dear," Bellatrix said as she learned against the far wall to watch, "he hasn't been in here so long he's started to stink yet."

The snake hissed at Bellatrix in response, and for a moment the woman wondered what it would be like to understand the Language of Serpents. But she dismissed that as Nagini began the task of paralyzing the man with her venom, and swallowing him whole. Bellatrix was merely along to ensure that nothing untoward happened to her Masters pet while she had her little snack.

This chapter is happily and wholeheartedly

DEDICATED to fresh42jazz, because long reviews still work, especially when they leave my heart as happy as that one still does. And when I see it in with my Ties folder (cuz yes, I did save it to read and reread over and over again), it reminds me that updating isn't just about me. Thanks, babe. Hope you like the chap… otherwise the dedication would suck, wouldn't it?

And for all of my other faithful readers, thanks for sticking with me. I know I haven't been the best updater ever… so, yea.

Thanks.

Hugs and Love,

Netrixie