You

“Hey, you.”

Bellatrix smiled at her husband.

Rodolphus felt his heart sore.

He approached the counter and took her hand in his, brushing her curls behind her ear.

There wasn’t much that could make him happier.

After the horror of a day he’d had, one look at his Bella made him remember what it was all for.

“Hey.” She breathed, cupping his cheek and giving him a kiss that sent his stomach fluttering.

Pulling away, he noted the smile was content. It wasn’t truly happy, she looked troubled.

He sighed.

“Still worried about it?”

“I can’t stop.” Bella pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I just keep thinking, what if we missed something or what if it doesn’t work out and we have to-“

“Bella.” He squeezed her hand. “Nothing is going to happen. I took care of everything. No one expects us. It just takes time.”

His wife blew out a breath, nodding.

“You’re right, Rod, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He grinned. “It’ll all work out, my love.”

He released her, moving behind the counter and although they had been married for a year, she couldn’t help her wandering eyes.

Long, dark hair and a stubbly chin. A smile that could melt ice and such beautiful eyes.

It reminded her of their first meeting.

It seemed decades ago when he repeatedly tried to woo her in increasingly adorable attempts.

She ignored him continuously. Trying her hardest to set him off and see him jealous. It was only after the guy she slept with to piss him off went missing did she look at him.

Truly look at him.

And she said, “What pretty eyes.”

And he smiled. “I could say the same.”

And then it was history.

Bella didn’t want to give him a chance, she wrote him off like his younger brother.

A whiny rich brat, all bark.

But when it came down to it, her Rodolphus had bite.

“Ready?”

“Of course.”

Hand in hand, they opened the door behind the counter and descended into the basement.

Rodolphus felt giddy. Like they were newlyweds.

Just a few months ago, they were at each other’s throats.

They were fighting, screaming, crying and arguing daily.

Couples therapy, sharing a hobby, taking breaks.

Nothing worked.

It only took Bella breaking down in front of him for them to realize something needed to change.

So they finally tried the final option.

They were reluctant. Very, very reluctant.

And it didn’t work the first time.

Or the second.

But the third was something special. They were both enamored and enchanted and it was like they were when they first got together.

Although it would take time, the couple had faith. It had been a long time since they had been so excited and they couldn’t be more grateful.

They took the stairs slowly, smiling and their eyes fell on the savior of their marriage.

Inside of a large, wall to ceiling glass cage, was Hermione Granger.

She looked like a wreck.

The light brown curls they fell in love with formed a sweaty bushy mess atop her head. Her eyes frantic and hateful.

Her normally clean and tidy illusion was in shambles as her blouse and skirt were wrinkled and frazzled, clinging to her body with sweat.

That was good, Rodolphus mused, there would be no secrets between them. No illusions.

Hermione needed to get it out of her head that she needed to look good or be anyone but herself for them.

There was a silence in the room.

Bella and Rod were ecstatic but the atmosphere around Hermione was completely different.

She looked terrified.

It broke Bellatrix’s heart to see her that way but it was necessary.

The girl was going to get them caught and yes, her and Rodolphus took drastic measures to keep her mouth shut but it was for her- their own good.

Because she would come around.

She would understand what they had to do for love and love them for it.

She had to.

“Let me out.”

Her voice was hoarse, practically a whisper.

Seeing as she probably spent the ten hours since she awoke screaming, it was understandable.

“Hermione,” Rod started, “We can’t.”

“Not until we know we can trust you.” Bella added.

The girl stared at the couple, her eyes frantically flicking between the two.

Her friends.

How didn’t she see this sooner? She was supposed to be smart.

“Let me out, please. Please, please, please, I swear I won’t tell anyone or-or go to the cops if you just open the door.”

Her captors exchanged a glance.

“Please.” Hermione’s voice broke. “It’s not too late.”

They continued to stare in silence and although she screamed at herself not to, Hermione started to panic.

“Come on, just open the door and we can pretend I didn’t see anything.”

She approached the glass wall of her cage and put her hands against it, pleading.

“You don’t want to do this, you don’t. You’re good people, I know you are, remember? I told you I believe you. Just please, please open the door.”

Nothing.

“Open the fucking door!” She slammed her hands against the glass.

The two flinched. Bellatrix had never heard the girl curse before.

“You’re fucking psychopaths! Let me out! Let me the fuck out! You’re gonna rot in prison for this I swear to god I’ll make sure of it!”

The girl’s voice turned shrill as she screamed.

Calling for help, calling them names, cursing them, crying and just screaming.

Rodolphus noticed his wife’s face. The hurt in her eyes as she cut and cut with her words.

So he stepped forward.

“Hermione.”

The girl broke out of her hysteria, licking her watery eyes to his.

“I understand you’re upset. I know. I would be too.” He chuckled. The girl’s demeanor didn’t change. She wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“You have to understand that you’re not in your right mind. You were going to make rash decisions, you were going to leave us for God’s sake! I love you too much to let you make hasty decisions you’re going to regret.”

“Oh god.” She sobbed, raising a hand to cover her mouth. “Oh god!”

Bellatrix gingerly approached, placing a hand on the glass. “Hermione-“

“Get the fuck away from me!”

She rapidly stumbled away from Bella, raising her hands to pull at her hair, wailing.

“You’re crazy you’re fucking crazy! Oh god what do I do, you-“

She choked on her sobs, raising her eyes to stare in horror at them.

“You-you killed Remus! You killed Ro- Ro- oh my god you killed Ron!”

Hermione was hysterical. Sobbing and wailing and cursing and crying and Rodolphus knew you weren’t ready to talk rationally yet.

It was hard for her, he understood. Really he did.

He had been watching her for far too long not to know she had a fear of not being in control and right now, she wasn’t.

It was a flaw, but he loved her including her flaws.

This was good for her. It would help her get over her need for control.

Because she wasn’t in control and she was spiraling and Bellatrix knew just as well they could do nothing about it now.

Time, all good things took time.

Rodolphus deposited the danish in the small sliding stray embedded in the cage for ‘secure cash transactions’ while Hermione screamed at him to ‘get the hell away from her’.

Bellatrix wordlessly waited for him, then the two began to approach the stairs.

“Wait, wait, wait. You can’t leave me down here!”

Hermione frantically ran to the glass again, pressing her body close to catch a glimpse of their rapidly disappearing forms.

“I’m sorry! Please don’t leave me down here! Bella! Rodolphus please! I’m sorry! Don’t leave me!”

Bellatrix faltered, glancing back down the stairwell but Rod firmly gripped her wrist, shaking his head.

They needed to make her understand nothing good would come from hysterics. Understand just how much she wanted them to stay.

“Please please don’t leave me, come back, I’m begging you!”

The girl needed time. Bellatrix resolved, continuing up the stairs. She needed time and they needed to have a united front.

God knows she’ll have a lot down there.