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The Purple Black

Bellatrix stood in the middle of the empty room, staring at the shards of glass. They had scattered across the room, the nearest falling just near the tip of her boots. She tilted her head slightly and nudged the jagged shard, watching the reflection of light glittering through the fragment. She considered fixing the thing whilst she waited, for something to do if nothing else. She had called her lord five minutes ago now, though it seemed like a decade ago. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her hand absentmindedly wandering to her empty wand holster. The dark witch let out a small huff of laughter. It was pathetic when she truly thought about it. Six legal aged wizards had been defeated by three children, barely of legal age and a fucking House Elf. She thought of where they may be now. Had they managed to heal the mangey elf? She doubted it. Her aim was true and the splatters of blood on the floor only proved that she had hit a vital part of the elf. Would they mourn such a pathetic, useless creature? Possibly. It gave her at least a small ounce of amusement to think of the boy who lived crying over the cold corpse of her sister's ex-servant. Bellatrix barely flinched as the door of the room opened, it sounded so distant in her mind that she didn't even register who she knew it would be.

"Bellatrix . . ."

The cold voice sounded displeased, she could sense the irritation and confusion in his voice without even looking to him. Though the voice was enough to snap her from her thoughts. She spun on the spot and dropped to bow in the direction of her master, barely taking notice of the sharp sting that shot through her left leg indicating that she had knelt in glass.

"My Lord . . ." She murmured, not daring to look as she could hear his footsteps slowly approach her.

The Dark Lord took his time approaching her, clearly taking in the scene of the room and trying to decipher for himself what had taken place before his arrival. She listened to the gentle swish of the glass clearing from around her, his purposeful steps walking around her before he stopped. He was just behind her.

"Rise, Bella . . ."

She was almost scared to do it, taking advantage of her mess of curls briefly falling in front of her face as she flinched at the thought of what she knew was to come. She slowly drew herself tall, stretching her figure to an upright position step by step until she finally raised her head. The man remained behind her, she was almost grateful as she did not have to stare into his piercing red eyes.

"Why did you call me, Bellatrix?" Lord Voldemort practically whispered, causing a shiver to run down the witches spine as he placed a hand on the woman's hip and slowly turned her to face him. His hand lingered on her wand holster, staring at the empty leather for a moment before looking to the also vacant place she usually slipped her dagger into. "You are wandless."

"Yes, My Lord." Bellatrix was surprised to find that she had the ability to speak at all, though as The Dark Lord removed his hand and brought up his gaze to look directly into her own dark eyes she felt a lump hit her throat. It was as if she already had a constricting hold around her windpipe. She almost wished he would just start with the punishment, save her from having to explain the travesty that had occurred.

"Why did you call me?" The Dark Lord repeated, his emotionless stare boring into her.

". . . Potter . . ." it was all Bellatrix could bring herself to say, she noted the glint in the man's eyes as she said the name.

"You have Potter?" The Dark Lord raised a hairless eyebrow, though as she remained silent his eyes narrowed, "No, if you had Potter you would be singing with joy," he raised his hand to the woman's cheek. It was a gentle touch and to any onlooker it would appear affectionate, loving even, but she knew better and soon enough she felt the dark painful magic crackling underneath his touch as it threatened to rip through her. "If you had Potter you would be grinning ear to ear, skipping and laughing in your little celebrations . . . but you are fearful, you are wandless. You are surrounded by evidence of a battle yet there is no Potter in sight."

"My Lord—"

"No excuses, Lestrange," Voldemort hissed, grabbing hold of the woman's hair and pulling harshly so she was forced to look up at him from an awkward angle, her knees bending slightly to try and take away some of the painful pressure, "What happened? Tell me now."

"Th-The snatchers brought three in," Bellatrix gasped through the pain, though she knew it was nothing compared to what she was about to experience.

"Why did you not call me immediately?" Lord Voldemort demanded.

"Th-they gave false names, My Lord." Bellatrix tried as hard as she could to keep her voice calm, though the whimper of pain and fear still crept its way in, "t-two boys and a girl. P-Potter didn't look like Potter, his face was disfigured. Though we had suspicions we wanted to be sure before we disturbed you, My Lord. We-We tried, My Lord—Ah!"

Bellatrix let out a blood-curdling scream, she had not noticed as The Dark Lord had drawn his wand, slowly inching it to her neck. She only realised it's position as the intense agony screamed through every inch of her body like an intense fire, burning her from the inside out. He still gripped firmly onto her hair as she twisted horribly in her grasp, letting the curse play out for a few moments before he stopped. He pulled her to stand, removing his grasp from her hair he barely acknowledged the few strands that had ripped from her scalp falling to the floor as he harshly took her chin in her grasp.

"You said we . . . who else was a part of this?" Voldemort hissed, "Tell me now, Bellatrix!"

"N-Nymphadora, the Malfoys, Pettigrew . . . Pettigrew is dead." Bellatrix whimpered.

"You will show me," The Dark Lord demanded.

"Yes," she breathed, nodding as best as she could she tried to regain her senses to look straight into his eyes.

The moment she was staring into his cold red eyes she felt the onslaught on her mind. It took her a moment to bring down her automatic defences of occlumency but soon enough she could see the events playing in her mind. She was putting Delphi on her bed, she was running to the gates, her thoughts lingered on the disfigured face of the Potter boy for a moment before she was in the Manor with her prisoners. She was commanding Draco to try and identify the boy. She spotted the sword and it was not only her own anger she was reliving but The Dark Lords, his flash of hot white anger crippling her from her own thoughts for a moment before with a whimper she concentrated on the events again. Nymphadora was torturing the girl then Bellatrix was on top of her, branding the witch for what she was. The Goblin was summoned, not giving her the answers she wanted. She was walking back to the girl, ready to end her miserable existence. That was when the battle ensued, brief in its existence as she grabbed the girl. Then there was the elf, Bellatrix simpered in her Master's grasp as he watched the rest of the events unfolded, finally reliving the group's disappearance. The invasion on her mind ceased. Bellatrix fell as she was pushed from her masters grasp.

The silence was deathly. Bellatrix could not help herself as she simpered on the floor, her mind racing as she thought of what her master would do to her. Perhaps she was wrong, perhaps he would kill her. She almost felt relieved at the idea, for she could not stand the thought of failing her master. Though it was with another whimper that she thought of Delphi, she could not leave her motherless. He would not leave his daughter motherless . . . she hoped.

"You lost your wand?" Voldemort's voice was eerily calm.

"Y-Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix breathed.

"You lost all of the prisoners?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes, My Lord," Bellatrix repeated.

"You were defeated by a group of children and an elf?"

"Y-Yes, My Lord," she raised her head slightly to look at the man, almost wishing she hadn't as his glare of disapproval fell upon her. She tried to raise herself slightly but with a slash of the man's wand and a sharp sting on her cheek she was thrown backwards, she felt the hot trickle of blood fall down her cheek as she laid spread out on her back on the floor. She dared not move another inch.

"Where are the others?" The Dark Lord asked, "Why are they not here with you to face their fate?"

"I-I sent them away . . ." Bellatrix said, "M-My Lord . . . the sword."

"You have lost me Potter!" The Dark Lord bellowed, "You lost your wand! You lost all of the prisoners in the manor and yet you still remind me of your failures?!"

Bellatrix whimpered, screwing her eyes shut for a fraction of a second before The Dark Lord stormed over to tower over her, throwing another Cruciatus at the witch. She didn't even notice that she was laying in the broken glass of the chandelier, the shards digging into her back was nothing compared to the agony of her master's wrath.

"You wish to take their punishment, Bella?" The Dark Lord whispered as he lifted the curse, lowering himself to crouch over the broken witch. He brushed the wild hair away from her face, she was too pre-occupied with riding out the residual pain of the latest curse as she forced herself to keep her eyes open and turned her head to look at her master.

"I—I failed you . . ." Bellatrix's voice was raspy, having screamed too fiercely at the last instalment of pain, "I—I was in charge here . . . My Lord . . ."

His thin lips curled slightly for the briefest of moments before he rolled his eyes, slowly drawing himself to his feet. He pointed his wand at the woman, "Very well, Bellatrix . . ."

Bellatrix's eyes were wide as she stared at the tip of his wand, though her fists were clenched as she readied herself for what was to come.

"Oh dear Merlin . . ." the voice was muffled and distant as if spoken from underwater, though it was most definitely the horrified cry of her niece.

She didn't hear the footsteps but felt the vibrations as they pounded towards her, a weight falling to the floor next to her.

"Bella," she knew Rodolphus was close, though he sounded so far away and as hard as she tried she could not open her eyes. She could not even gather the strength to yell out in pain as he gently placed a hand on her injured face and directed her to where she felt his face mere inches from her own. "Bellatrix look at me!"

She tried, she tried as hard as she could, but the moment she gathered enough strength to open her eyes even slightly she only saw a flash of a fuzzy shadow in front of her before the dim light of the room was suddenly too bright to bear. She let out an involuntary whimper, the sound barely audible as it escaped her lips.

"Open the doors," Rodolphus commanded, pausing for a moment before he spoke again, "stop gaping like an idiot and do as I tell you!"

A blinding pain shot through her as she felt her husband's arms envelop her, her mouth opening in a silent scream as she could not register his hurried whispered apologies.

"Come on, Bella," Rodolphus murmured, "I'm sorry, just stay awake, just stay with me, Bella—"

It was too late, the world went black around her. She was being ran through the halls, barely registering her arms hanging limply down beside her.

"Sh-She'll be okay, right?" Nymphadora panted as she clearly ran beside them.

"Get me the potions kit," Rodolphus growled.

The world went black again. She was being lowered onto a bed, her bed. She briefly thought of Delphi, how she had placed her on the bed what seemed like an age ago. She wondered where the child was, though was soon distracted by the pains surging through her body.

"Get out," Rodolphus hissed as Bellatrix heard the distant clatter of the bag of potions being dropped beside her.

"I can help," Dora argued.

"I said get out!" Rodolphus growled.

"I—" Nymphadora hesitated, "I'll go look after Delphi . . ."

The door closed and Bellatrix could feel herself being pulled into the comfort of the pitch black nothingness of her mind again.

"No!" Rodolphus yelled, he moved his wife's face to the direction of his own again, "You stay with me Bellatrix Black, do you understand me?"

The use of her maiden name amused her, he only called her by such when he was determined to catch her attention, to remind her faintly of their younger days, an almost loving nickname now, that only he was allowed to use. She gathered her strength and forced her eyes open again. It took a while for the room to return from a fuzzy blur, though soon enough she could make out the face of her husband. His features were determined, a steely gaze to anyone who didn't know him as she did, but she could see the worry in his eyes, she could see his love for her. Her mouth twitched into the slightest of smirks.

"There she is," Rodolphus whispered, smiling ever so slightly.

"Rod—" Bellatrix croaked.

"Shh," Rodolphus shook his head, drawing his wand as he pulled away from the witch slightly, "this may hurt . . ."

He was right. Soon he was using every healing spell he knew, forcing potions down her throat as she struggled to maintain consciousness through his efforts. She would not give up, she would fail her lord if she died, she would fail her daughter, she would fail her husband . . . Though soon her body gave in and she fell back into the darkness. She didn't know how long had passed when she finally became aware of her surroundings again. The pain was still apparent, but compared to what she had felt previously it was like she had merely bruised herself all over, compared to having felt like she had severely broken every bone in her body. Maybe she had broken every bone in her body. It wouldn't have surprised her. She tried to mentally assess the damage to herself, though as she became more aware of her surroundings she realised the warm touch of a hand as it enclosed on her own. She twitched her fingers, attempting to grip better onto what she assumed was the hand of her husband.

"Bella?" Rodolphus whispered, weight moving on the bed as she realised he must be sitting perched on the edge.

Bellatrix forced her eyes open, her thoughts confirmed as she saw her husband looking down on her, his head rested in his hand as his elbow rested on his knee, sat frozen with his face in his hand. He was frozen, as if scared to look in case he had imagined the movement.

"Rod . . ." Bellatrix managed to speak, her weak voice barely above a whisper.

The man turned to look at the witch. His eyes were red as if he had been crying, his face pale and seemingly more aged than usual. She couldn't help but think her exploits throughout the years had probably forced the few grey streaks into his hair. He moved carefully, moving off of the bed he crouched over her head, brushing the hair from her face in an undoubtedly affectionate gesture.

"How do you feel?" He murmured.

"I've been better . . ." Bellatrix breathed, "I think I've probably looked better too."

Rodolphus shook his head, the shadow of a smile on his features as he looked to the woman, "I won't deny it . . ."

"But I've looked worse too . . . ?" Bellatrix was almost afraid to know the extent of her injuries.

"You were out for nearly a day . . ." Rodolphus said as he gave a slight nod.

"Not quite the record then . . ."

"No," Rodolphus couldn't help but let out a huff of laughter despite the situation, "that would be three days."

"Mmm," Bellatrix closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on the gentle touch of her husband as he caressed her hair, "where's Delphi?"

"Dora has been looking after her," Rodolphus said.

"She has Cassie . . ."

"Narcissa's been helping," Rodolphus added.

The witch nodded, hissing as even the slight movement caused vibrations in her skull.

"Don't move," Rodolphus said. She felt his weight leave the bed for a moment, not even caring as she felt weakness at her need to have him back with her caressing her hair. She opened her eyes again, watching as he took a potion from the side, pouring a slight amount of steaming liquid into a glass. She tried to sit up slightly but soon whimpered at the effort. "I said not to move, did I not?"

She let out a huff in response as the man walked over to her, a smug smirk playing on his lips for a moment before he sat back next to her. "I'll be as gentle as I can . . ." Rodolphus murmured, slipping his spare hand under his wife he gently lifted her head ever so slightly.

The pain was undoubtedly there, though she chose to ignore it as best as she could, focusing on her husband's gaze she did not break eye contact. She opened her mouth as he pressed the cool glass to her lips. The liquid trailed like fire down her throat though she did not break eye contact nor flinch a bit, focusing on Rodolphus. The moment she had finished the potion she felt a blissful numbness flow through her body, it was like floating in a warm bath. She barely realised Rodolphus removing his grasp from her until she lolled her head to the side and saw him putting the glass on the counter and arranging the potions.

"Rod . . ." She called, waiting for him to turn around before she used what strength she had to pat the bed beside her.

He smiled slightly, walking around to her other side she watched as he got onto the bed. She could move better now, though she preferred to pretend otherwise as she allowed her husband to pull her into his arms. He held her in his gentle embrace as he pressed his lips to her wild hair.

"What happened?" Rodolphus asked quietly.

"Did Dora not tell you?" Bellatrix sighed, "I heard her . . . She sounded . . ."

"Horrified," Rodolphus rolled his eyes, "I don't think she's ever seen the results of the full wrath of The Dark Lord like that . . ."

"She won't," Bellatrix said, "she won't fail him . . ."

"She did," Rodolphus spoke more firmly, "you took the blame."

". . . He would have killed them all," Rodolphus would not have heard his wife's whisper if he had not been inches from her lips when she spoke.

He knew the woman had a lesser seen softer side, he also knew that she preferred to hide that part of herself. He understood though, he knew she did not care for Lucius, but her sister was in that room, her niece and even though he knew she cared little for her nephew he knew she would think of her sister should he be killed. He stroked her hair, letting her arm rest on his side as she rested her head on his chest listening to the steady strum of his heart.

"You never cease to amaze me, Bella," Rodolphus sighed.

"What stupid thing will I do next, hmm?" Bellatrix murmured.

"Precisely," Rodolphus chuckled, kissing the witches hair, "but for now, rest."

". . . It will be over soon . . . I can feel it . . ." Bellatrix whispered.

He didn't say another word, choosing not to think on his wife's words. He did not dare to think of what would happen to them at the end of the war. Though he obviously hoped for and worked towards glory for his master, there was a niggling feeling at the back of his mind. He did not want to think how this war would end. He merely wanted to relish in the ever rarer moments of quiet affection he received from his wife, holding her bruised body against his own as they both laid together in silence.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed, please do leave a review as I love reading them ^_^

The Purple Black