Bellatrix Black-Lestrange/Rodolphus Lestrange

He was the perfect choice for a husband. His family were pure-blood aristocrats, and his family believed in pure-blood supremacy. Their families also grew up together and even her younger sister, Andromeda, who was sixteen, had been seeing the younger Lestrange, Rabastan. However, she really knew nothing about the older brother, Rodolphus. She tried to tutor him once when he was a 7th year and she was a 4th year, but he just slept through it.

She had always been very smart for her age, however, she was never as outgoing as her sisters, and so she really never paid others around her much mind, so the things she did know of him came from stories, and they were not very pleasant ones. She always kept to herself, and her views, which were much the same as her own family, yet she felt in her heart she was more adamant about them, but was still to shy to express it. She wanted to do much more, but never had the courage. So Bellatrix Black always kept to the shadows, unsure of herself, but always weary and suspicious of others..

This evening was the celebration of her engagement to Rodolphus Lestrange. The two had not seen one another since he left Hogwarts, and now they were engaged. She at eighteen, he at twenty-one. Other then the choice of family, she wanted nothing to do with the marriage. She would do her duty, and be a proper wife, in name only. Other then that, she wanted nothing to do with him. How she would tell him this, she had no idea. She only had a month till the wedding, so she had to think of something.

She walked slowly into the ball room with her head held high, with a simple dress of black and her hair loose, trailing down her back. She walked past everyone, noticing everything, but without showing that she was, and greeted her parents, and the Lestrange’s with the proper etiquette. Rodolphus was not standing by his parents, so the inevitable was still to happen. So she took her place between her parents and the Lestrange’s, greeting the guests with kind smiles and hand shakes.

Think of this as a game.

Six words. One mantra. One answer to all the woes and worries that had been depriving the young Lestrange of sleep for the past couple of days, ever since his parents had announced his imminent engagement to Bellatrix Black, the preceding daughter in a perpetuating line of proud purebloods. Far from being surprised his future had been so nonchalantly bided out, what worried him the most was how the introduction of this new, unexpected character into his life, would come to gear into the ulterior play he had designed for himself and even for his younger brother.

In his mounting vigil every night, each hour had been spent trying to remember the most significant features of the woman he was to wed. Two years his junior and also a proud descendant of Salazar's brethren, seldom run-ins within the halls of the castle had left a vague imprint in Rodolphus' mind. The memory was of a quiet, perhaps even aloof, little girl that seemed to keep little to no company with her, other than that offered by her sisters. From others, he remembered, the acknowledgment received from the school's faculty. Then, gleaming above all hearsay and memories, was the brief episode in each of their lives in which they had been brought together one afternoon with the purpose of tutoring. He had been too tired to pay any attention to her, his eyelids stealing a life of their own and intermittently shutting down. Consequentially, he knew, she would have assumed his cavalier attitude to her efforts had been done on purpose, when in fact, his inherent rebellious will had nothing to do with his disinterest. The sitting of his N.E.W.T.s had been the responsible ones, forcing him to burn both sides of the midnight oil.

Think of it as a game, Rodolphus. He repeated, and this time the voice inside his head sounded heavier, deeper, full of a knowing confidence. Just think of this as a game, play and bend the rules. This is what you are good at.

Even when he was still a young b0y, Rodolphus had learnt to think of everything as a game, never meant to be taken seriously. Life in itself had even been homologued to meet these standards. Everyone had the exact same opportunities to excel or perish, to shine or dim out. Friends, acquaintances and even family they all represented different chips of value or worth, all amassing a certain score, one that would help him to get what he wanted, what he desired. The trick to succeeding, the goal, was to always keep one's objective clear, one's purpose unfazed by triviality or little games.

His purpose was to be glorious. To be remembered and admired by many. An epitome for an epoch. A landmark.

A couple of russet eyes stared at his reflection on the full-body mirror of the sitting room where he waited, the image they returned that of an august and tall man, appearing far too much older than his scarce twenty-one years of life really represented. He was handsome accordingly to everyone's standards, his gaze cool and collected, even in the direst of circumstances. Currently, his raven hair, the one trait he actually shared with his younger brother and both had inherented from both of his parents, had been swept back and glued, making him don an overall deportment of elegance honed by his last name.

The room was full with guests by now, and while they all kept to their exclusive social cliques, the topic that travelled from each of their mouths was the same: the marriage that was mere weeks away, a pristine example of what was expected of every single family in the Wizarding World. The hushed voices were immediately quieted down as Bellatrix Black entered the room, her grace and beauty reaffirmed with every single sturdy step she took forward; her eyes not bother to acknowledge anyone that did not interest her.

Slowly, he walked over in her direction, stopping in front of her. He allowed her eyes to take her in wholly, appreciating her. The left corners of his lips curved slightly in what would later become a trademark smile of his, "While I do believe we have been previously introduced, I do not think things had been done so properly. Rodolphus. Rodolphus Lestrange." He extended his hand forward for her to take, inviting her to walk for a bit with him.

Let the games begin.

As Bellatrix greeted her guests, she could not help but notice the couple keeping to themselves in a corner of the room. A couple in love, whispering sweet nothings to one another. Something she knew she would never have, or want. The couple was that of her sister Andromeda, and her soon to be husband’s brother, Rabastan. A marriage between the two of them was promising, and now that she herself was being married off, her sister was free to marry for love, as long as he was of a pure-blooded family. So their union would be a perfect one. Her gaze was now brought to the man who stood in front of her. Rodolphus Lestrange. She allowed him to take her hand as she smiled politely. “It is a pleasure, Mr. Lestrange.” She let him guide her away from their parents; her stomach was in knots, and she knew her palms were sweaty.

As they walked out of the room, she diverted her eyes, side-ways, up into the man’s face. The young face she once remembered was now gone, replaced by a much older, darker facade. Once out of the view of preying eyes, she removed her hand from his, and placed her hands together in front of her as they walked, not saying a word, but keeping her attention away from the stranger next to her.

Why did she have to be the eldest daughter? She felt as if she had been bartered away, with out any consideration. The family was a good choice, but still, if she really had a choice, she would prefer to remain un-married for her entire life. Customs were however, upheld, and she would do her duty. She decided to lead the way to her mother’s sitting room where they could be alone, if only for a brief period of time. She sensed that was what he was looking for.

Once inside the room, she sat down like a poised doll, on the lounging chaise, as if she was the woman of the manor. Still, feeling uncomfortable, she felt her cheeks start to flush. She lowered her face to the side, attempting to hide her embarrassment and shyness. Being alone with a man was very uncommon for her, in fact, aside from her father, she had never been alone with a man before. The man before her had airs of confidence and assurance, and she knew, if it wasn’t for his family name, they would not be a well suited match. She tried to keep her hands still as she laid them on her lap, but they started to fidget, nonetheless.

“Please have a seat,” was all she was able to say, rather softly, still unable to look at him. Bellatrix was not very good when it came to being around other people. She could hold a polite smile when need be, but she choose the ‘do not speak, unless spoken to’ rule when she was among society. By listening more then speaking, she was also able to size up a person, and their ideals. Being so quiet, she was able to go unnoticed. During these times, she was able to learn quite a bit from mere gossip, to business dealings. One thing she had learned, that fascinated her greatly, was the whispers concerning Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort.

Bellatrix had soon came to discover that his strong views were shared by herself. She knew her family had been followers, just not adamant followers. Given her outward personality, one would never know just how strongly she believed in this man’s cause. That in it’s self, is what held her back in doing anything about it. No one would listen to her if she tried to speak her mind, and no one would ever take her seriously. She was after all, just a woman, a doormat to be stepped on, a soon to be wife of a highly respectable wizard. ‘Seen and not heard.’ That would soon become her life.