12 November 1981
Isle of Mull
"Master, the owl's come back!" Bellatrix said, pattering down the stairs into the sitting room. She had a letter in her hand, and it had obviously been waterproofed. It was pounding rain outside, and the letter appeared completely dry. Voldemort wandlessly Summoned the letter from her hands and broke open the Malfoy seal on the envelope, pulling out the letter inside.
Most Benevolent and Fearsome Master,
Evan Rosier was intercepted in travel by Alastor Moody. Though Moody sustained serious and permanent injuries, he escaped. Evan Rosier was killed.
Albus Dumbledore and the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix attempted to enter Malfoy Manor. A dozen or so of us held them off; they left when we took Dedalus Diggle hostage on our side of the wards and shields.
We killed Diggle after interrogating him; he revealed that Dumbledore is planning on brute force attacks on whatever Death Eaters he can find.
I hope this information is useful, Master. It is my recommendation as your lieutenant and as your servant that you stay hidden even to us, so that if we are captured, we might not surrender your whereabouts to the Order of the Phoenix. To that end, I will expect a response only if you have specific orders for me that differ from what we have been doing. I trust in you, Master. We all do.
Sincerely,
Abraxas Malfoy
"I have to kill Dumbledore," Voldemort scowled, and Bellatrix asked softly,
"With all respect, My Lord, hasn't that been what you've been trying to do for years?"
"Yes, but now he's desperate. He's coming out into the open. Think of how many of his we've killed. Gideon and Fabian Prewett. Dorcas Meadowes. Benjy Fenwick. Marlene McKinnon. James and Lily Potter and their boy from the prophecy. Frank and Alice Longbottom and their boy from the prophecy. Andromeda and Ted Tonks and their girl. Moody's wounded. He's drowning in casualties."
"So you think you could set a trap for him," Bellatrix nodded, and Voldemort smirked.
"I think we could set a trap for him. I think we put you in your parents' house and send an owl to Andromeda. From your mother, begging Andromeda to come to the house and make rights with you, since you're staying there. Begging her to leave Ted Tonks."
"You think my mother doesn't know Andromeda's dead?" Bellatrix asked disbelievingly. Voldemort pinched his lips and shook his head conciliatorily.
"No, you're right. She almost certainly does know. I don't… I don't exactly have a good idea."
"Well, I think Malfoy's right about keeping you hidden for now," Bellatrix said. Voldemort chomped on his lip and went over to the writing desk, and he asked,
"Is that owl still upstairs?"
"Yes, Master," said Bellatrix.
"I'm going to send a letter. When I do, I want you to send it by owl."
He took out a parchment and a quill, and he scribbled,
Malfoy,
Destroy this owl the instant you finish reading this letter.
Pass round instructions to Summon me through the Dark Mark if anyone spots Albus Dumbledore. I will Apparate to the site of the Summoning at once.
L.V.
"I wish I had a better plan," Voldemort said later that night. "I can't believe it's still raining." He stepped into his shower, unashamed now of nudity around Bellatrix. She leaned against the doorjamb of the bathroom and murmured,
"I think it's the best plan you could have, My Lord. This way, you're putting the minimum of other Death Eater lives at risk. You'll come if he comes out of his hiding hole."
"And what of me in my hiding hole?" Voldemort asked from inside the shower. He scrubbed at his grey hair, and Bellatrix said carefully,
"You killed nine of his just a few days ago, Master. It isn't as though you've been idle."
"And you've made a Horcrux," he pointed out. "Our Dark Magic has been active and strong. Powerful. We have been powerful."
"Have we?" Bellatrix was quiet, but near. He could feel that she was near. He shivered a little, standing beneath the warm water, and he said almost gently,
"Come here."
There was a pause of a few moments, and then the curtain peeled back and Bellatrix stepped into the tub. Voldemort stepped back and let her get under the warm water, and when he watched the drizzle of water over her breasts, falling off her peaked nipples, he felt himself going hard. He mumbled rather clumsily,
"I want… sorry, but I…"
"How about this? My Lord?" Bellatrix sank onto her knees and put her hands on his hips, and he hissed through clenched teeth as she opened her mouth and pressed his tip through her slightly parted lips. Voldemort savoured the way she suckled him into her mouth, wet and warm and tight and…
Burning. Burning, burning, burning on his left forearm.
"Fuck!"
Voldemort tore back the curtain of the shower and shut off the water, shoving Bellatrix off his quickly softening cock. He wandlessly cast a Hot Air Charm on himself to dry off, and he Summoned his robes and wand from the bedroom. He tripped a little as he was hurrying into his trousers. Bellatrix climbed out of the bathtub naked and cried,
"Master! You've been called? Shall I come?"
"Yes! Hurry up and get dressed!" he exclaimed, and Bellatrix rushed into the bedroom dripping wet. Voldemort didn't have time right now to be angry about the fact that their session of oral sex had been interrupted. Someone had seen Dumbledore. He shoved his glasses on, realising he'd be no good blind.
He and Bellatrix were ready in less than a minute, but it seemed so slow. By the time they finally Disapparated off the Isle of Mull, Voldemort was shaking with anticipation. Where were they even going? As he shut his eyes and pressed his wand to his Dark Mark, he could see Yaxley's manor. He Disapparated with Bellatrix coming by Side-Along, and he came to in the gardens outside Yaxley's house.
He and Bellatrix were thrown into a storm of spells, of bright lights flashing all around him. He narrowly dodged a Stunning Spell that whizzed by his head as he searched for Dumbledore. He quickly saw him and aimed his wand at him. Dumbledore saw him at once, breaking away from his duel with Yaxley to cry,
"Stupefy!"
"Nice try, old man," Voldemort sneered, smacking the spell away with his own wand. The Death Eaters that had gathered - Lucius Malfoy, Yaxley, Augustus Rookwood, and Antonin Dolohov - were all in masks but instantly recognisable to Voldemort. They cast Killing Curses now that their master had come, for they seemed emboldened by his presence. Suddenly Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, and Sturgis Podmore collapsed, one by one, taken down by green Curses. Dumbledore cried out in horror, putting up mighty shields and Disapparating just as a Killing Curse was aimed at him by a very ambitious Bellatrix.
He came to in another spot of the garden, and Voldemort saw a split second window. He aimed his wand at Dumbledore and began to incant the Curse.
"Avada -"
But then Dumbledore Disapparated again, over and over, and Voldemort realised what he was doing. He was taking the bodies of Doge, Vance, and Podmore with him by complicated Side-Along. He Disapparated one more time before Voldemort could properly aim and incant a Killing Curse, and then he was gone.
"He'll be back," growled Dolohov, and Rookwood said breathlessly,
"We killed three of their fucking bastards! All of them except for Dumbledore!"
"All of them except the one who matters!" Voldemort cried, and he slashed his wand angrily, tearing through the gardens with a fiery slash of light. He was angry with himself. If he'd only gotten here sooner… no, that wouldn't have mattered. He sighed and nodded at his masked Death Eaters.
"Fine work killing Doge, Vance, and Podmore. We missed him this time. We'll get him the next. Tell the others to call me through the Mark if Dumbledore makes another appearance. Coward that he is, I wouldn't count on it… but we all know he will. Call me when he does. Goodnight, gentlemen. Bella, come with me."
The others watched curiously as Bellatrix walked brazenly over to Voldemort and took hold of his sleeve, and Voldemort gave them a crisp nod and Disapparated, and when he and Bellatrix came to inside the house on the Isle of Mull, she put her hands on his chest and sighed heavily, murmuring in a gentle voice,
"I know you are angry and disappointed, Master, and I want you to know that you can always take that out on me."
He stared down at her, studying her pretty face for a long moment, and he nodded.
"Let's go upstairs. Finish what we started."
Author's Note: Dang. Almost got him, but not quite! But Dumbledore's allies are dropping like flies. How much more resistance can there be?
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