Hoarse whispers could be heard in the kitchen of Twelve Grimmauld place"Narcissa! Cissy?" Rodulphus shook the woman he'd laid out on the hearth rug. Withdrawing his wand he directed a spell at her "enervate!" The prone body jerked and her pale eyelids shot open. On regaining consciousness Narcissa found herself in a suffocating arm lock, as Rodulphus embraced her, smothering rough wet kissed over her face.
"Rodulphus I'm fine just please let me breathe."
Rodulphus loosened his grip. "What happened? What power does that little Mudblood have to redirect our magic back?"
"I don't know." Narcissa struggled to free herself completely.
"MacNair will finish her off."
Narcissa looked pained and closed her eyes for a moment.
She sighed gently as if releasing tension. "I think not." she breathed. Adding in her usual haughty manor, "I have little faith in him."
"What are we going to tell my brother? we have come back empty handed he won't like it."
"I will talk to him, he reacts better to me than you."
"Yes. Why is that cissy?"
"Women have their ways."
"Yeah well, it won't work on my brother, he doesn't like women. All they do is give him ammunition to torment me about your faithlessness."
"You and your brother think that's all females can do, I use my femininity yes, but I have more than that."
Rodulphus rose from his knees and held out a hand to pull Narcissa up.
She showed no surprise at his action, once upright he pulled her roughly into him, his strong hand gripping her wrist painfully.
She looked him straight in the eye unflinching.
Rodulphus was inches away from her face; she could feel his hot stale breath. He closed the gap quickly and she submitted to his rough, urgent kiss. As he became more heated she pushed him firmly away. "I need to see your brother, further delay will anger him."
He stepped back smirking. "You're so cold. My Bella was so warm, so full of passion..."
"I'm not Bella."
"No, but you will bring her back for me, you promised. You're the closest thing I have to her right now."
"Then what? When Bella returns what will you say? Will you tell her how you took her sister?"
Rodulphus' face fell.
"No I thought not, you never think very far ahead do you my love."
Narcissa stroked her hand across his beard with an evil smile across her face. "Don't worry I can keep a secret, if you can do as your told."
He stood back from her thinking over her words and recognising the blackmail hidden between them.
He growled "Bitch" quietly.
"Hmm, nice start darling, wait here, I'm going to your brother."
She pointed to the fireside chair. Rodulphus sunk into the large armchair still scowling.
Narcissa mustered up all her energy, straightened her robes and left with her head held high.
In the corridor she allowed herself a moment of weakness as she shuddered distastefully at the kisses she had endured, and the pain the curses still left in her body. Leaning against the wall she gave the pain time to dull. Then she set off up the stairs towards the bedroom she thought of as the torture chamber.
She knocked on the door.
A cruel high voice answered, "Enter."
Without flinching she stepped into the room, looking around by the window she saw the haggard stooped form of Rabastan.
"Master?"
The expressionless puppet turned around. "Hello Traitor. I never realised how beautiful treachery could really be." Narcissa knew the voice, The voice was clearly Voldermorts.
"You killed your servant my lord. Do we not follow your example? Is that not a treacherous act?"
"Rabastan took credit for your work, he said he found the stone. Rabastan gave up the struggle of containing me within him. He was only interested in himself. My remaining Death eaters are little more than bumbling fools, but then there is you. You are not a fool, frustratingly I cannot read your thoughts. Where as Rabastan was an open book, you on the other hand are closed, and that intrigues me. I do not trust you. It is your fault I lost the war against Harry Potter. I should kill you now!"
"Maybe you should, but you can't, can you?" She replied. Voldermort did not answer.
"You need your own body, at the moment your powers are limited to mind manipulation. Although clearly you cannot manipulate mine. I betrayed you, and it was a mistake. I loved my son, that seemed to be worth my life. Now I realize there is a greater good, and I neglected it. I see the future; it is you who leads us there. You need to bring order between muggles and wizards, it is only you who can. My vision of the future came to late, I betrayed you… I am sorry. I will expect punishment, even so I will return you to your body."
She finished speaking and waited for Voldermort's reaction to her words.
"Why can't I read your mind?"
"We all have our gifts, concealment is mine, my lord."
"Did you get the wand?"
"No, Antonin Dolohov reached for it, it was a trap. Severus Snape had turned it into a port key. I fear Antonin maybe dead, I'm aware that Severus will now most likely have the wand."
"So what good are you to me witch? You failed, and now I am a Deatheater down."
"He was going to try and keep the wand anyway, he hated Rabastan, all of them did, I read their minds,I saw their mutiny in the making.
Severus however is under my command; it was he who gave me the stone. I can get him to give me the wand and the cloak. It appears that Harry Potter trusts him; he will give him the cloak, I will get Severus to bring them to us. We can meet at the department of mysteries at midnight."
"Why the department?" Voldermort asked sharply.
"Because that is where the shadows of life reside, that is the place to call back those who are lost. Did you not hear the whispers of those contained?"
"I was too occupied in my fight against Harry Potter, I did not see it. However I can't trust you."
"I don't expect you to, but I know you have no other option other than to wait for that body your possessing to rot, then what? I can restore your body… your power, if I do can I trust you?"
There was a silence that was broken by a high-pitched cackle. "It seems we are well matched, although I dislike being forced into a corner. But I understand you have been the instrument to my partial return. I'm not stupid; you have reasons of your own. Give me one reason why you would return me to life? One that isn't about your loyalty to me or the greater good... I do not believe those motives."
"I love my family, I betrayed you for the life of my son. My son is now safe. However my sister is lost to me. I need Bellatrix back, I was hoping to redeem her when you return."
"Ahh yes… little Bella, what a hold she had on those she loved, and how is her widow? Is he not consoled? How pleased Bella would be to know he has been comforted on her loss."
"Does that mean you agree?"
"As you said, you are my only hope. But I don't trust you. When I, Lord Voldermort return, be assured about my guard, it will be up. If everything goes to plan I see no reason to harm you or your little sister, she was always a good servant of mine. Go, and seduce Severus and get the hallows."
"I think Severus has already been seduced. I believe my charms are not to his taste, however his mind bends to mine, he allows me to manipulate him. I will use the Imperio. Severus will do our bidding."
"Who has won his dark heart? Surely his dead Mudblood Potter girl hasn't been at last, forgotten."
"Harry Potters Mudblood friend."
"You jest! Another Mudblood? He seems to have poor taste in ... I would say women, but she is almost a child."
"She's of age. In truth he is a little old for her. Severus knows it and has been fighting the attraction. To my knowledge he hasn't admitted anything, but the girl does cling to him my lord."
"Well I shall enjoy killing Hermione Granger. Severus Snape promised me his heart and soul. His heart was never mine. Before I kill him, again! I will show him he can give in to no one else. I shall have the honour of breaking Severus treacherous heart a second time. I will rip his heart right out of his chest. Love hurts, does it not Narcissa?"
"It does my lord."
"What of MacNair, Rookwood and Lestrange? Where are they?"
"Rodulphus Lestrange is in the kitchen waiting for me. I suggest my lord that you keep away from him. He was scared of his brother. I think he hated him. Nevertheless, Rabastan was his family, his reaction to the corpse you are possessing will not be good. As to the others, do not despair I will talk to them. Rookwood in particular hated Rabastan. I'm sure he would be the one to take you to the department of mysteries, he knows his way around the ministry very well. I have access myself using the form of Cho Chang. Keep to the room here my lord, either myself, or Rookwood will return to escort you to the department. In just a few hours you will be back as yourself once again, my Lord Voldermort"
The corpse remained inanimate at this speech, and then the cold clear voice spoke out again. "So be it, my fate is in your hands. I have no other choice. It is clear to me that only you can return me fully."
With this Narcissa bowed and made her way out of the room that reeked of death.
Back in the kitchen she heard voices. Cautiously, she entered to see Rookwood and MacNair talking to Rodulphus.
Upon seeing her, Rookwood immediately asked, "What did he say?"
"It's complicated. He's not annoyed with us and he trusts me to complete the job."
"Balls! Rabastan is always annoyed, and he would never trust you completely."
Narcissa ignored him and continued,
"I have Severus under the Imperio, he will obtain the objects and bring them to us at the department of mysteries."
The Death Eaters looked at her in surprise.
"That sounds simple." Rookwood stated.
"It's fool proof… fortunately." she replied.
"Rodulphus may I have a private word?"
The surly Wizard stood up to follow her. "Gentleman please wait here. I will be back in a moment with further instructions."
The remaining Death Eaters nodded and took a seat to wait. Narcissa led Rodulphus up to the spare room furthest away from Voldermort.
The sullen wizard sat heavily on the bed, his heavy lidded eyes fixed on her.
Narcissa sat down next to him and took his hand. He flinched in surprise at the action but remained passive.
"There has been an accident, your brother played with what he did not understand. I gave him the resurrection stone, and he used it against advice. He attempted to bring back Lord Voldermort, it backfired and the soul of Voldermort possessed him. Unfortunately his body couldn't handle it."
"Are you saying my brother is dead?"
"Yes."
His face showed shock and disbelief. "I need to see."
"No you don't, Voldermort still has possession of his body, it's not a pretty sight, Voldermort is helpless, and trapped within your brothers body."
"He killed my brother! Like he killed Wormtail?"
"No. Wormtail was treacherous, you know that. The Dark Lord needs his followers he has no reason to kill them. It was an accident, Rabastan's own impatience killed him."
"What do I do now? I hated my brother, but he was still my brother... And I..."
Narcissa cut him off, "I know we love our family no matter what. Soon Bella will be back, that's all you really need."
"I need vengeance!"
"Against the Dark Lord?" Narcissa asked.
"No against the blood traitors that caused all of this."
"Then trust in the Dark Lord to bring that about." Narcissa replied.
Rodulphus nodded. "When Bella comes back... What about you?"
"Bella doesn't share darling." She said with a mocking smile.
"No she doesn't. Do we tell her about our arrangement? Will you go back to Malfoy?"
"No to both my dear, it was fun while it lasted. You should get some rest, sleep here and I will wake you in a few hours.
Rodulphus looked pained and confused as Narcissa let go of his hand and rose to leave.
He reached out and pulled her towards him. "Sleep with me!" he growled.
"I think not" she said as she tried to pull away.
"The last time. I promise, I need this... I need you."
Realising there was no option but submission, Narcissa sighed as he drew her in. She allowed his distasteful, sloppy embrace, feeling his rough hands groping at her clothes. She felt his teeth scraping across her neck, she lifted her arms and placed her hands on his face, raising it to look him in the eye, she swept a brief kiss across his lips and placed her forehead against his. Closing her eyes the kitsune created the vision of pleasure that he was anticipating. Then she removed herself from his large figure. Watching him pointlessly flail about on the bed gripped in the hallucination she had created, she felt nothing but nausea.
For the first time she questioned her own methods.' Did the end really justify the means?'
She left the room, ignoring his disgusting moans and groans, shutting the door on the wizard that truly believed his affair with Narcissa was real.
She quickly made her way back to the Kitchen and the waiting Deatheaters.
Explaining the situation with lord Voldermort took some time, once they were satisfied with her explanations; they also went to rest after their missing nights of sleep. Then Narcissa prepared to visit Severus and Draco.