You

‘They were tipsy, the two of them and they were laughing about something or the other.

“You’ve never read Jane Eyre?”

“Never.”

“You’re drunk and lying to me.”

“Not drunk, not lying.”

“Oh come on,” There was a glint in Rodolphus’s eye, “That’s like the ‘Legally Blonde’ of books. Every girl who reads is obsessed.”

“And I’m what? A potato?”

It sent them both into another fit of laughter. The first time Hermione could recall laughing after Ron went missing.

“You have to read it.” He said as he stood from the sofa.

A brief panic set over her as she rose as well.

“Where are you going?”

“To get you a copy,” He called. “I refuse to let you commit this treason any longer.”

Hermione smiled, traipsing towards the large bookshelf opposite the doorway and ran her fingers across the spines.

She enjoyed the organized colours, ordered from dark to light, as well as the fact they seemed in peak condition.

Turns out she must’ve been drunker than she thought because as she made her way to the sofa, she tripped.

Strong hands wrapped around her and she was pulled flush into a broad chest.

“You’re definitely drunk.” He smiled softly at her and Hermione smiled back.

“I should probably get home,” She pulled away from him weakly, still holding his wrist. “I need to wake up early tomorrow for-“

Rodolphus pressed his lips to hers with a passion burning through his soul. He felt like Romeo and every inch of space between them was a warring Capulet trying to pull them apart.

Even though it only lasted a second.

Hermione’s eyes widened immediately. She let out a muffled protest against his lips, pushing him away.

“Bella.” She said simply, staring at him with those expressive eyes and she was just so beautiful and kind that Romeo wanted to take her on that fucking sofa.

But Hermione wasn’t his Juliet. Not yet at least.

“I’m going home.” She stated firmly, “You should talk to your wife.”

Rodolphus followed her to the door. His heart thudded in his chest and he wished he could stop you. To explain he wasn’t a scumbag cheater and force her to listen before she did anything rash.

But he didn’t.

And he let her go.’

————————————————————————-

The girl shot up from her seat in the corner, curled up in a ball of frivolous protection.

Placing her hands against the glass, she gave Rod a watery smile as he settled himself on the wood desk in front of her cage.

“Good morning.” She breathed and he smiled.

She was learning.

“Good morning, you.” He stood at his full height, approaching the sliding tray and noting when she flinched, taking a few steps back.

And that’s exactly why you’re in there. He thought. You’re not ready.

“Coffee, how you like it, and one of our Bella’s danishes. I know they’re your favorite.”

Hermione didn’t approach until Rodolphus had backed away and he wondered how she thought he wouldn’t notice these little signs of defiance.

“Thank you, Rod.”

And god had it been a long time since she had called him Rod.

“You’re welcome, Hermione.”

He sat with her while she ate the danish as though it would be her last meal and he mused to himself.

‘You probably do think it’s your last meal but you don’t need to worry, I’d never hurt you. Even though you’ve been so ill mannered, I’ll stay with you because I love you and you’ll learn eventually.’

Her eyes snapped to his warily as he shifted to sit in the chair behind the desk.

Eventually.

“I know you have a lot of questions, I understand.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Go ahead.”

“I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“I understand, Rod, I do. Please just-“

She closed her eyes, catching herself as she took deep breaths.

“I know you’re scared I’ll turn you in, but I won’t I promise.” Her eyes pleaded at him. “I-I barely even saw anything- no, I don’t know what I saw, I was confused and scared and I- it could’ve been anything.”

The girl looked at him meaningfully. His blank face was almost scarier than his smiling one.

“I’ll tell you what you saw.”

“No, don’t-“

“You saw Ronald Weasley’s teeth in a jar in the ceiling tiles.”

“Stop-“

“I was plucking out his teeth so the body would burn when you arrived and I must’ve forgot to put everything back in place.”

Hermione squeezed her eyes tight. Nausea flooded her stomach at the memory of her friend’s rotting teeth. The image of his corpse, toothless and burning made her gag.

“Please stop.”

He said nothing. Merely studied her impassively.

“Listen, Rod. I don’t know what I saw.” She stated it firmly, willing him to understand. “Maybe I wasn’t even at the house that night.”

Realization flooded through him. She was giving him an alibi.

“Maybe I wasn’t even in the country.” She laughed hysterically, “You know my family’s French, I’ll go and I swear to god you’ll never see me again.”

“You’re not in there because of what you saw.”

Hermione swallowed.

“You’re in there because you need to learn, to understand that whatever I do, I do it for you.”

He pinned her with his stare. She felt sick.

“Because I love you.”

“Don’t, don’t say that.”

“Why?”

“It’s not true!” She cried out, “And maybe because you’re married! With a daughter, I-“

Tears filled her eyes, she stumbled back into the makeshift bed of blankets and a pillow on the floor.

Rodolphus watched as she hugged the pillow to her chest, sobbing into it.

“Bellatrix is aware of how I feel and she feels the same, Hermione.”

He stood, approaching the glass and she continued to cry.

He wanted to go in there. To stroke her hair and hold her to her chest and comfort her so much better than a fucking pillow could.

“I didn’t want it to be this way, truly. But you have to learn, you need to know to put your trust in me, that I will always do what’s best for us.”

“There is no us!” She glared at him. “You’re a murderer and I could never love you-“

“SHUT UP!” He roared, banging his fist against the glass.

Ignoring her look of fear, Rodolphus took deep, calming breaths.

She doesn’t mean it, she doesn’t know what she’s saying. She’s scared of her love, he understands. She needs time to adjust to how things are going to be now.

“Rod-“

“You have questions.” Breathe through the nose, 2, 3, 4. Out from the mouth. “Go ahead.”

Hermione watched him compose himself. Watched him rake his hands through his hair and recalled how easily he held her down and knocked her unconscious.

How strong he was.

And how intimidating.

Rodolphus is smart. So, so smart and the chances of escaping diminished by the minute. There was no outsmarting him.

She just had to play along.

“How, umm,” She cleared her throat, “How’s Delphi?”

He brightened, sighing in relief. “Good, good. She misses you, you know. Toddles around the house saying ‘Mia, Mia’ all day.”

He chuckled, she mustered a smile.

“And Bella’s okay?”

“Oh she’s just,” He laughed, “It’s Ike we’re newlyweds again. She’s so excited you’ll be staying with us and she has a lot more time to be with Delphi now that we’ve closed the bakery.”

She faltered.

“You closed the bakery?”

“Of course. Told everyone a pipe burst to give you some,” He hummed, “Adjustment time.”

Adjustment time. She repeated to herself. No one was coming.

Rodolphus leveled her with a probing look.

“You haven’t asked about Ron.”

She hastily wiped her eyes.

“Or Remus.”

“I know,” She snapped. “I don’t want to know.”

“Hermione,” He chided gently, clicking his tongue. “You need to. You need to-“

“Learn.”

He sighed at her attitude. She was more like Bellatrix than she would ever know.

“Remus was first, as you know. He was the perfect Professor but he was hiding something.”

Turning to the table, he frantically searched the drawers till he found what he was looking for. The laptop.

Remus’s laptop, more specifically and Hermione had no idea what he was hiding.

But he would show her and she would understand.

“He was a monster.”

Turning the computer around, the video played loudly in the quiet room.

‘“Remus, say hi,”

The Professor frantically shoved his dick back in his pants while the girl pulled her clothes back in order, flushed.

“Turn that shit off James.” He growled, the barely legal student pushed past him and Remus grabbed her wrist earning a slap in the face.

The cameraman laughed heartily, as the professor cradled his cheek, watching her leave.

“That’s going to bruise, Moony.”

“Shut the hell up.”

Remus shouldered past the camera man and thumped down the hall with James following close behind.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, my man. I’m proud! Moony’s getting pussy.”

The camera shook as Remus gripped James by his shirt. His glare was murderous and his hair was disheveled and the scars on his face were making him look a lot less perfect than he normally was.

“I swear to god James say one more thing.”

He pulled him forward and slammed him back against the wall.

“Say one more fucking comment. I dare you. I dare you.”

“Moony, chill, I’m just-“

The camera dropped to the floor, thumps of fists landing, blood splattering.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Crack.

Two bouts of heavy breathing turned to one.

“James?”

The camera was pointed to the wall. The previously white wall that now held little splatters of James’s blood.

Remus’s calls and wails were all consuming and although it wasn’t visible, Hermione could practically see him sobbing over James’s limp body.

A few minutes of heart breaking cries before he composed himself. The sobs fading into silence and the sniffles turning into the rustle of clothes.

His heavy footsteps were louder and louder till the camera was picked up.

Panning up his disheveled clothes until it landed on his face. Remus’s bloody and bruised face that wasn’t as sad as it should be about his friend’s death.

He looked determined, fierce.

As if he made a decision only he would ever know about.

His eyes were hard, lips thinned and a vein pulsed in his forehead.

In that moment, he truly did look like a monster.

It flipped to show the cream carpets before shutting off.

Hermione saw her own teary eyes in the black screen before Rodolphus slammed it closed.

“You see, Hermione?” He was smiling.

She just watched her best friend’s father get murdered and he was smiling.

“No one’s perfect, especially not him. He was a monster. That girl? In the video? His student.”

Hermione was silent and he was smiling and James was dead and she would never fucking get out of here.

“He was going to try that shit on you, he thought,” Rod laughed. “He thought he had a chance with you.”

Hermione was silent.

“So you see? You needed me, us. We were protecting you and technically, it was self-defense.”

Hermione was silent and Remus was dead and James had been murdered.

“He found the cage and he just started screaming-“

Rodolphus paused. He recognized the vacant look in her eyes and he knew she wasn’t listening.

Not truly.

He sighed.

Time, she needed time.

“Bella will bring you lunch, if you’re good.” Curt, simple. This behavior wouldn’t be rewarded with company.

Tucking the laptop back in the drawer, he made his way to the door.

“Wait,” Her voice cracked, “Wait, please don’t leave me down here. Please.”

He didn’t falter.

As much as she hated the man, Hermione didn’t want to be alone after what she saw.

She didn’t know what she’d do.

Helplessly, she watched him leave her down in the basement.

Down where no one would find her.

“Could you- please just leave the light on, please please please.”

He closed the door behind him.

The light flickered off.