Bellatrix did not know what she had done wrong. For the past few days since his last encounter with his Master, Voldemort never again called for her. She was even excluded from a recent Death Eater meeting in the Malfoy Manor. When she attempted to enter the meeting room uninvited, she saw that there were low-ranking Death Eaters guarding the doors. It was unusual as they usually don't bother with putting door guards. As if the guards were placed just for her. True enough, they stopped her from going further and told her Voldemort's will.
"Madame Lestrange, forgive us but the Dark Lord ordered us to not allow you to participate. He wanted you to know that you will be called in the case that you are needed."
It meant the Dark Lord currently has no use for her.
It was unacceptable. She was his best lieutenant, and she should be involved in all of the Inner Circle's plans.
Bellatrix knew that it was because of the incident a week ago.
She remembered how he cursed her for being a seductress.
But I only did what I was told, didn't I? She consoled herself.
Bellatrix Lestrange is a defiant witch; always a rebellious one back in her school days at Hogwarts. But through the years, she learned to suppress herself and submit to her Master. She knew all too well the punishment for insolence.
I should apologize, she thought to herself.
The worst punishment that Voldemort can give her is completely ignoring her. She'd accept a thousand lashings or hours of the torture curse if it meant garnering attention from her Master.
It's certainly better than being ignored.
After rehearsing her apology in her mind, Bellatrix got up from sitting on the windowsill of her room, determined to see her Master. She quickly went to the main hall where Lord Voldemort's office is located. As she neared the door, she heard her Master shouting from inside.
"Silence!" It was not exactly a shout, more like a loud hiss.
Bellatrix immediately stopped in her tracks. She bit her lip in anxiety for hearing her Master raise his voice like that. She decided to listen to the muffled voices to get an assessment of the situation before barging in.
There was a long pause, and Bellatrix could feel the tension inside the room.
Slowly, Voldemort began to speak.
"It was a mission I believed you could accomplish easily." He spoke carefully, and his followers all knew by experience that a grave punishment will follow whenever he spoke like this.
"You need only raid the Prewett manor to threaten their relative Weasleys. No need for a skirmish. Intimidate them with curses, and leave after assuring that they have fully submitted to fear. And now you are telling me… you have failed?" Bellatrix flinched at the severity of her Master's tone. She could not hear the muffled responses through the door, and she imagined that those inside were cowering in fear of their Lord.
Suddenly, terrible screams rang out of the room and Bellatrix instinctively moved away from the door. A couple of sobs and pleads for apology were heard along with the crackling sound of the Cruciatus curse. It went on for several minutes; for a moment, Bellatrix thought the punishment would never end.
Finally, Voldemort spoke slowly, "Avery, Nott, Lestrange. You have all failed me. I expected more from all of you."
Bellatrix grew anxious upon hearing the names. Lestrange. Rodolphus Lestrange. She hadn't seen her husband since their release from Azkaban.
Voldemort continued, "You have received your punishment; but know that I have not yet forgiven you fully, until you have proven yourself useful to me again."
Thinking the conversation has ended, Bellatrix prepared herself to barge inside the room but then someone spoke,"I-I can still prove myself, my Lord, let me get my revenge by hunting the Prewetts!"
Rodolphus' voice echoed "I agree, Master. We know where they have fled. We-"
"You must think highly of yourself, if you considered fighting with those wounds." Voldemort's voice grew colder as he scolded his Death Eaters.
Bellatrix heard no response, and she took this as a cue to barge inside the room.
Voldemort's head snapped up upon seeing her walk in uninvited. The three kneeling Death Eaters slowly and cautiously turned their heads around. Rodolphus' eyes widen as he saw his former wife. Not that they had officially divorced, but they both knew that their release from Azkaban meant a new life. The only thing that binds them together now is their devotion to the cause.
Bellatrix did not even spare a glance to the kneeling men. Her eyes followed her Lord the moment she came in. She slowly knelt, with her head raised, looking directly at her Master.
Voldemort narrowed his eyes on her. Despite kneeling like the two, she exuded an air of confidence bordering on arrogance.
She knows, he thought. She definitely knows that Lord Voldemort deemed her higher than most of his Death Eaters. Everyone knows; even if Voldemort hated to admit it. She was, and will always be, his favorite. And there are times like these that she just loved flaunting it. Those are the moments when Bellatrix irritated him the most. It makes him want to remind her of her place. Makes him want to hurt her by treating her like the rest of them.
"Forgive me for my intrusion, Master. But please, allow me… to continue this mission for you." Bellatrix spoke slowly, seductively. She purposely chose words that will appeal to Voldemort's sense of superiority.
The nerve. Voldemort scoffed, "And you think you're capable?"
Bellatrix bowed, "It's true, Master… that I haven't faced battle in the past months since I've returned." She lifted her head and dared looked at him straight in the eye. "But I have finished recovery. All this time waiting, I am more than ready." She paused and gathered her nerve.
"I never failed you, haven't I?" She paused, seemingly waiting for Voldemort's answer.
Rodolphus glanced at her in horror. Voldemort simply raised his brow on her. For some reason he felt proud by her bravado.
"…I have not failed you in the past, My Lord. And I never will." Bellatrix finished, her eyes pleading.
Voldemort knew her capabilities well, he personally trained her in the Dark Arts. He had seen her battle, and it made her proud. For a moment he thought of going with her but not helping her – just to see her up close while she unleashes her spells. Voldemort found the idea appealing as it has been a long while since they have been in battle together.
He shook his head, and he was reminded why she kept Bellatrix at bay for the past months. She always made him remember the past, incited feelings in him that should already have vanished.
Still, Bellatrix completing the mission sounds more plausible than sending any other Death Eater.
Voldemort looked impassively at Bellatrix, "Very well."
Bellatrix's eyes lit up in excitement. She smirked in anticipation, "Thank you master! I shall depart immediately tonight at midnight, My Lord."
Voldemort gestured to the kneeling men in front of him, "Coordinate with these three to determine the location of the Prewetts." He turned to Bellatrix with a glare, "But you will be doing this mission, alone. Understood?"
Bella nodded vigorously, "Of course Master. I shall not fail you."
For a moment, Voldemort stared at her adoring eyes. He then sighed to himself and quickly turned away to leave the room.
It was nearing midnight. Voldemort leaned back on his chair and allowed himself a break from planning his collusions in Wizarding Britain. He rubbed his temples as he stared at the maps, letters, and newspapers he was examining on his desk. Voldemort thought that good fortune was on their side when the Ministry for Magic did not believe the Potter boy's claim that Lord Voldemort was back. Albus Dumbledore, however, believed the boy. Voldemort was sure that Dumbledore would start gathering his allies again in an effort to stop him.
Voldemort sighed. It was his mistake to allow the boy to escape the graveyard.
Suddenly, the grandfather clock in the library chimed, and Voldemort was pulled away from his thoughts. It was dangerous, for him to stop thinking about his plans even for a moment. It will cause his mind to wander to something else… Some distraction that he should not be minding…
Bellatrix.
Voldemort stared at the clock signaling midnight and weighed his options. He decided that he simply needed to see how she was doing as he cannot have another failure after the previous one. Voldemort stood up and called Rodolphus in his mind. He needed to know where Bellatrix was.
Voldemort stood there in silent awe. A large fire was burning at the foot of the hill he was standing on. The house that was initially there is slowly turning into ash, its inhabitants' cries drowned in the sound of fire roasting the wood.
"My Lord!" Bellatrix cackled as she saw her master standing on top of the hill, overlooking the masterpiece she created. She immediately apparated to his side. Voldemort did not turn to meet Bellatrix's gaze, focusing instead on the scene before him.
Lord Voldemort inhaled the smell of the burning wood. This was a sacrifice she dedicated to Him. He relished in the powerful feeling of a Master accepting the offering of her servant. After what seemed like an eternity, He turned to her. To Bellatrix's surprise, Lord Voldemort's eyes reflected her desire, as the warm color of the flame dyed His blue eyes.
Yes, I intentionally did the capitalization of Voldemort's name and pronouns referring to him in that last paragraph. To me it was representative of how powerful he was currently feeling at the moment.
I just wanted to emphasize that this story will focus more on behaviors and attitudes of characters, and not much on the larger, overarching story of the Wizarding World.
Bellamort shippers, unite!
Please do drop in a review if you can.