Special delivery for alyxbradford Title: Flash Crimson Author: melusinahp Recipient's IJ/LJ name:alyxbradford Rating: NC-17 Pairing(s): Bellatrix/Rodolphus, implied Voldemort/Bellatrix Word Count: 3,500 Warnings: torture Authors notes: Love to S., my beta.
Every night it was the same. Rodolphus would awaken to the first notes of the dawn chorus to find himself alone in the large, cold bed he should have been sharing with his wife. After the familiar feeling of chilled lead had settled in his stomach, he'd attempt to go back to sleep. He'd invariably fail.
The rest of the early morning would be spent pacing their bedroom. One moment he'd rage and slice the bed curtains through with a flick of his wand. She'd chosen them. He'd never liked them. He'd feel a sharp, short burst of pleasure in destroying something that was hers. Immediately after this, he'd fall to his knees, face in his hands, disgust at his own petty weakness biting into his muscles like hundreds of stinging insects. He made sure the curtains were repaired before his wife returned.
She did return. At least he had that. She always came back to him, although he knew she saw him as a burden and nuisance. Bellatrix respected no one but her Lord. Their Lord.
When his parents had first informed him of his betrothal to Bellatrix Black, Rodolphus had been over the moon. The Blacks were a powerful, well-respected family. He could only benefit from the match. She was beautiful – famous for it – and full of power and spirit. They'd travelled in the same circles at Hogwarts, although he'd never dared to think… He remembered watching her sweep through the corridors, her long, glossy hair trailing after her, so tall, so confident in everything she did. Lesser students would duck out of her path, and if they weren't quick enough they'd be sorry. Bellatrix knew hexes that made Rodolphus's toes curl with horror and delight.
They'd spoken now and then, but they'd never been close. She'd hardly given him the time of day, if he was honest with himself. Now, however, she would be his – his to touch, his to fuck, his and no one else's. She'd be at his side when the Death Eaters met. It could only mean good things.
If he'd thought that having one of the Dark Lord's best and brightest as his wife would raise his own profile, however, then he'd been sorely mistaken. Bellatrix would stand at the Dark Lord's left, Malfoy would be at his right and Rodolphus… He remained amongst the others, faceless, waiting until an extra body was needed.
It cut him. The shame was like a blade between his ribs making his shoulders stoop and his hands curl into fists.
He took comfort from the knowledge that he and only he had possession of her body. Her strong, slender, perfect body lying supplicant beneath him as he fucked her, hard and fast, gripping her wrists against the pillow. He'd slam his cock into her over and over, trying to make an impression, a dent, to make her see that he was there. She'd allow him. That's what it felt like. She'd deign to allow him entrance. Occasionally, she'd deign to let him make her come. Those were the occasions when he came closest to feeling true joy. He'd watch her face grow damp and red, watch her teeth dig into her lip, her eyes squeeze closed in ecstasy, and his mind would fill with lust and frantic triumph. Thoughts he'd never dream of allowing himself in the light of day would rush through his mind, thoughts like, You may have her mind, you may have her soul, but you'll never have this!
He'd believed it, too, for the first years of their marriage. He'd had no reason to think that her attachment to the Dark Lord was driven by anything other than sheer loyalty and veneration. Her attachment was fierce, no mistake; it was intense, obsessive even. Rodolphus had never dreamed it could be carnal, however. The man had a face like a snake; what kind of woman would want that?
Bellatrix, it seemed, and increasingly so each day. When Rodolphus groped for her in the dark, she'd turn her back to him. If he persisted, she'd snarl at him to leave her alone. She didn't want him. He didn't satisfy her. He was barely a man at all.
Rodolphus would end up rigid with shame and helpless fury, wanting to hurt her, to cut her, to hold her down and take from her what was rightfully his. He didn't, though. He didn't dare.
Finally, one night after she'd spurned him yet again, Rodolphus forced himself to stay awake. Sure enough, as the clock struck two, she slipped from their bed and started to dress. Rodolphus sprung after her, naked and grabbed her upper arm as tightly as he could.
"Where are you going at his late hour?"
Bellatrix turned on her husband, baring her teeth and hissing. "Stay back, Rodolphus. I've work to do."
"You're going to see Him again, aren't you? That's the fourth time this week. And always under cover of darkness. What exactly is it that you're doing for our Lord, wife of mine?"
Bellatrix yanked her arm out of his grasp and straightened her back. "I'm doing what we all should be doing. I'm helping him in aide of the cause."
"Helping him? Is that what you call it? What kind of help leaves whip marks on your back? What kind of help leaves your lips bruised and swollen?"
Bellatrix smiled. Then she parted her lips and laughed, keeping her eyes fixed on her husband's. Rodolphus stared back at her, transfixed. Her dark eyes glittered with mirth and contempt. His body went cold and numb. He'd kill her. He'd have to. This simply could not be borne.
With a roar he leapt at her, arms extended and reaching for her throat. With a quick twirl, however, she was gone and he landed heavily and painfully on the floor. He remained there, shaking and clawing at the carpet, until their house elf found him and bid him come for breakfast.
She didn't even try to hide the love bites after that. She'd purposely turn her back to him as she undressed, letting her robes slide slowly down her shoulders, gazing at him contemptuously over her shoulder, her mouth bent into a smile that made him want to snap her elegant neck. It was the fact that she could have healed the wounds so easily, but chose not to that got to him. She didn't even have enough respect for him to bother hiding her infidelity.
Rodolphus got on with things. He tried not to let his resentment show when in the Dark Lord's presence, but it was a weak and futile attempt. Even Rabastan seemed to be avoiding him; he must have stunk with disgrace and weakness.
When word eventually came that the Dark Lord had fallen, Rodolphus felt a thrill of sheer white joy. He was gone, gone from their lives. Bellatrix would be his alone now, at long last. She'd have no alternative.
He found that Bellatrix without her Dark Lord wasn't a Bellatrix he particularly wanted, however. She refused to accept that he was gone. She searched for him incessantly. She stopped bathing, didn't change her robes or brush her hair. One night, things finally came to a head. She'd heard some fifth hand snippet of gossip that the Dark Lord had been spotted. The Longbottoms – Ministry Aurors – were involved. She was going to confront them and force them to tell her where she could find her beloved Master.
"No! It's over. You're not leaving me again. This is your home, and I am your husband, your true master. You will stay here with me."
Bellatrix sneered and raised her eyebrows. "Dominance doesn't suit you, Roddy. I've seen you for what you are -- a fool, a mouse of man. I'd slit my own throat before I'd call you master."
And with that, she spun. Rodolphus acted instantly. His arm snapped forwards, and his hand gripped her arm just in the nick of time. There was a sensation of movement; he was squeezed, breathless, and then, with a crack, they were standing outside in the dark.
Bellatrix gaped when she saw he'd followed her, and then stormed away down a narrow dirt path through the trees, saying, "As you wish. We'll see if you've got the stomach to stand behind your words."
Rodolphus followed quickly after her, shivering in the cold night air. After another ten yards Rabastan and Barty Crouch appeared, waiting for them. Rabastan stared at his older brother, his brow knitting, and scowled. Barty laughed and said, "You've brought your puppy along tonight, Bellatrix? How amusing. It shall be interesting to see how he reacts."
"Hush, Barty," snapped Bellatrix, shooting the boy a look that made him shrink backwards, giggling nervously. "This is no time for wit. We have work to do tonight, possibly the most important work of our lives. The future of the wizarding world depends on it."
With that, Bellatrix swept onwards; the three men rushed after her. After several moments a small cottage appeared nestled between some clusters of trees. Warm lights burned in its windows, and a soft trail of smoke puffed from it chimney.
Bellatrix didn't hesitate, but shouted, "Alohomora!." The door burst inwards.
Two startled, frightened faces greeted them inside in what looked to be the sitting room. "Frank! Get N—" The woman's words were cut off as Bellatrix shot a repelling hex towards her, making her body fly backwards and slam into the wall. The man leapt forward, and a flash of red hit Rabastan square in the chest, taking him down. Rodolphus fell to his knees at his brother's side. Barty was now duelling with Longbottom. Bellatrix had the woman at wand point on the floor.
After awakening Rabastan with, "Rennervate," Rodolphus ran to Bellatrix's side. She turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed and piercing. "Let me have the woman," he demanded.
Bellatrix raised her chin and curled her lip. "Really, Rodolphus?"
"Yes!" Rodolphus threw the full force of his anger into his gaze. Perhaps it had some impact, because his wife took a step back and allowed him to take possession of the woman at her feet.
He stared down at the Longbottom woman, and she stared back, her face creased with hatred and disgust. Rodolphus blinked and then pointed his wand at her. His head was swimming. He felt woozy.
Bellatrix, however, was completely focussed. She shooed Barty away from the Longbottom man whom he'd finally subdued and proceeded to question him. "Where is he? Where is the Dark Lord? What has Dumbledore done with him?" She had one booted foot on Longbottom's chest. Bending forwards at the waist, she spoke quickly but clearly, her voice harsh and pointed. "Tell me! You can hide nothing, I will tear the truth from your mind!"
Longbottom spit at her and shouted, "You're mad! Voldemort is dead. You can torture us till morning and it will still be true. He's gone. You've lost."
Bellatrix hissed and moved her face closer to the helpless man. "Oh, I've not lost, my big, brave Auror. I'm only beginning to fight."
And with that, she cast the Cruciatus Curse on him. Rodolphus watched spellbound as the man writhed and screamed. Spittle flew from his mouth and then blood as he bit down onto his own tongue. It was grotesque but fascinating.
Once Longbottom recovered, there were curses, insults, and accusations. The man called Bellatrix things that made Rololphus raise his eyebrows and laugh because it was so quaint to think that his wife would be insulted by them. Then came the denials. The protestation that he knew nothing, the Dark Lord was gone, they were insane to think otherwise, insane to keep cursing him when there was nothing he could tell them to make them stop, even if he'd wanted to.
Rodolphus glanced at his brother. Rabastan's face was pale and clammy. He lurked by the door rather than joining in, claiming to be acting as a lookout. His lack of stomach for their task gave Rodolphus a feeling of grim satisfaction.
Barty acted like the child he was, trembling with excitement and jumping about, unable to keep still for even a moment. "Let me have a go, Bellatrix! Please, just one little curse. I've been practising." Bellatrix laughed and gave him the go ahead. No more than five minutes had passed before Longbottom was a shivering, sobbing wreck.
The woman at Rodolphus's feet was broken with tears. Her eyes never once left her husband. As it became evident that he was empty, his mind burnt through by dark magic, she cried out his name in agony, pulling at her hair with her hands.
Rodolphus had never had cause to cast an Unforgivable before. With a nervous glance towards his brother, he lifted his wand and pointed it at the woman, clearing his throat. Her head snapped to look at him, her face burning with both fear and determination. Glancing at Bellatrix, Rodolphus licked his lips. She met his gaze, her mouth twisted into a sneering smile and she tossed her head, making her hair tumble off her shoulders and down her back.
Rodolphus gritted his teeth and turned back to his intended victim. Thinking of his wife, thinking of all the shame and humiliation he'd suffered at her hands through the years, Rodolphus let the anger build in his gut. It burned like acid, swirled and finally shot in a flood through his arm as he cast the curse for the first time in his life. "Crucio!"
The woman screamed. Her body twisted and flailed. Her fingers dug and tore at the carpet beneath her. Somewhere above them in the house, a baby began to cry.
Rodolphus had never felt so powerful. It was as if he'd awoken from sleep. He ended the curse and watched as the woman collapsed, her muscles going limp. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat, her expression raw, almost infantile. "Oh Merlin," she muttered to the ceiling, her voice choking on a sob.
"Crucio!" Rodolphus kept his wand pointed at the woman, but turned his head to focus on his wife. Bellatrix's face was flushed, she was panting. Her eyes glowed with enjoyment.
The woman's screams were beginning to take on a rough, animal quality. Even when freed from the curse, she'd twist her body and claw at her face with her nails. Rodolphus prodded her with the tip of his shoe and her body contracted, curling in on itself like a sea anemone. He couldn’t stop himself. It was too fascinating. Once again, he lifted his wand. "Crucio!" Her spine snapped backwards and once again she screamed, muscles twitching, neck bent at an impossible angle. Her voice sounded rough and torn with overuse.
The Longbottom man was still gibbering incoherently. They'd got nothing from either of them. Either they'd made the fatally foolish error of keeping the information Bellatrix wanted to themselves, or they'd genuinely just not known what had become of the Dark Lord. The woman was motionless and silent now, staring sightlessly into the distance. The muffled sound of the child's cries could still be heard through the ceiling.
Rodolphus felt hands sliding over his shoulders. It had been decades since anyone had touched him that way. He inhaled and smelt the particular, spicy smell of his wife's sweat.
"Leave us." Her voice was loud and calm and brooked no argument. Rabastan and Barty scuttled out of the room, Barty giggling and leering back at them as he left.
Rodolphus stepped into the centre of the room, and Bellatrix circled him, face still, eyes bright. Her thin shoulders were heaving and her hair was damp with sweat. She trailed the tip of her wand across his chest; Rodolphus grinned, feeling shivery with excitement and triumph. She swept towards him in one swift movement and grabbed his crotch in her hand, squeezing him hard and twisting. Rodolphus jumped and swore, then backhanded her sharply across the face. She laughed and then pushed him backwards.
Snarling, Rodolphus leapt at her, gripping her by the shoulders and slamming her against the wall with all the force of his body. Continuing to smile, Bellatrix thrust her knee up between his legs until it was pressed firmly against his crotch.
"So you want me now, do you?" Rodolphus hissed at her. "You fickle bitch. You inconstant cunt."
"I want you now, and I'll have you now, Roddy." Her fingers dove into his hair and she pulled his face towards her own. Rodolphus kissed her hard. He dug his fingers into her shoulders hoping to leave bruises. He bit her lips and ground his hardening cock against her pelvis.
Tearing at the front of her robes, Rodolphus freed her breasts and then bent his head to them. He licked and bit at her nipple, digging his teeth in hard and thrilling to the sound her sudden, sharp cry. With one hand squeezing her other breast, he tore the robes from her shoulders. She moaned, and he felt her fingers working at his crotch, unfastening his robes below his waist. In a moment, she had his cock in her hand.
He pushed his finger into her and she was wet, wetter than she'd ever been for him before. He rubbed at her clit, not bothering to be gentle, and she ground herself against him, moaning from the back of her throat. "Now, Roddy. Fuck me now."
Rodolphus grabbed the back of her thigh and pulled it up until her knee was bent about his hip. Then he took his cock in his hand and rammed it into her, making her scream with pleasure. He fucked her hard, fast, grunting and growling, wanting to tear her, to make it hurt. Gathering a rope of her hair in his fist, he pulled her head back and then dug into her exposed neck with his teeth. She tightened her grip on him with her leg and scratched her nails across his scalp. Rodolphus increased the pace of this thrusts, breathing hard, knowing he was going to come in a moment, but wanting to draw the pleasure out as long as possible. He wanted to break her, to make her scream his name, to show him that finally, once and for all, that she was his.
He felt her cunt tightening around his cock and a whine escaped his throat as the pleasure threatened to reach a peak. Then she was writhing against him, moaning from the back of her throat and grinding her hips against him in time with his thrusts. Her orgasm pushed Rodolphus beyond the edge of control and he came, shouting, "Bellatrix! You bitch, you slut, you Salazar-forsaken whore."
The world was red and pulsing. It seemed to have narrowed to just the two of them. "You're mine, Bella. Mine!"
"That's what you think, Roddy. But it's never really been true, has it?"
Rodolphus pulled back his arm and slapped her across the face hard enough to make a thin streak of blood fly from her mouth. She turned back to him, met his eyes, her own burning and delighted, and licked the blood from her lips.
As he pulled out of her and re-fastened his clothing, Rodolphus could hear that the baby was now shrieking. Bellatrix smirked at him and then gathered her torn robes up and around herself, shaking out her hair. Barty was giggling in the doorway. The first light of day began to pour in through the windows. "You're mine," whispered Rodolphus, and Bellatrix laughed.
The Aurors didn't even give them the chance to fight. The air turned red and then there was naught but darkness.
Rodolphus remained dazed through the trial and sentencing. None of it seemed real. The only real thing was Bellatrix, standing straight and proud, refusing to admit either regret or defeat. She was his. All that power, all that strength. His.
"You're mine, Bella!" he shrieked as they were dragged down the icy corridors of Azkaban. "Don't you forget it! You're mine and you always will be. He's gone forever and you belong to me!"
Her only response was laughter – echoing against the stone walls, seeming to get louder even as the doors to their separate cells were slammed shut and sealed. Laughter. It never seemed to end.