rodolphvslestrange-a

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

rcbastan​:

𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫

diagon alley | @beforedawnstarters​​

        ❝   hey,   are   we   doing   alright   over   here   ?   ❞ 

“i had sent someone out to look for you, actually,” imbecile either ran scared or is truly about as useless as he originally thought. he nodded his head reaching out to touch his brother’s arm, “i’m fine. are you alright?” he had been half expecting his brother to meet him at borgin & burkes but when a few hours had gone by he knew that he needed to search out for him himself. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

prcttyinpinks​:

closed . / @rodolphvslestrange​​

           ❝ have  you  heard  anything  new  ? ❞  dolores  suddenly  questions  rodolphus ,  sitting  by  the  bewitched  fireplace  with  a  curious  ear  as  she  uses  the  inactive  floo  network  to  eavesdrop  .   some  chatter  was  rather  boring  ,  shuffling  through  other  channels  for  something  more  entertaining  than  scared  whispers  over  something  that  wasn’t  even  going  to  escalate  .  she  finally  decides  to  stand  from  her  seat  ,  pacing  towards  the  only  window  in  the  shop  they’d  taken  refuge  in  away  from  the  planned  raid .  ❝ they’re  stilltrying  to  apparate  ,  ❞  she  says  with  a  critical  tone  in  regards  to  a  young  wixen  pair  in  the  street  sporting  anxious  expressions  .  ❝  how  long  are  you  planning  to  hide  here  ?   eventually  someone’s  going  to  be  looking  for  you  ,  don’t  you  think  ?  ❞      

they had been safe when everything hit, knockturn alley was never the most popular hive but it was a great place for the two to set up some kind of camp while they waited out the impending chaos that was happening outside. he had looked out the window with a cigarette in hand watching as very few people ran out on the cobblestone but never entering borgin & burkes. it was a safe bet for them. “nothing yet,” he says with a sigh, the ministry as it seems, was also down, everything had gone dark when the raid hit. he stubs the end of the cigarette on the small tray and walks towards dolores and try and listen in for anything. “a couple of hours maybe? i’m going to have someone search for my wife and brother and perhaps bring them here but i know they’re fine.” their family was always fine when it came to crisis, he had given rosine a warning of what was going to happen and had hoped that she had come prepared but she was an excellent witch and knew that she would do her best and excel in it. “and you? what exactly are you looking to hear?” his smile is polite but with a genuine curiosity, he figured most communication would be shut down by now since they had shut everything down, he supposed people would be on the look out for j. pippin’s, it seemed that they were boxing the man in with no escape but there were so many of their people on the inside it would be a battle to find him. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

gammaoricnis​:

“  one  would  think  he’d  want  to  make  you  his  pretty  little  bride  ,  don’t  you  think  ?  perhaps  he  should  offer  you  a  room  at  his  ,  so  you  can  rest  well  .  ”  bellatrix  was  usually  a  level  -  headed  woman  ,  she’d  spent  years  perfecting  that  about  herself  ,  but  in  the  comfort  of  her  own  home  as  she  watched  rodolphus  through  the  mirror  ?  a  part  of  her  was  unable  to  push  down  the  gentle  roaring  of  annoyance  that  had  been  building  for  months  now  .  to  an  extent  ,  she  knew  very  well  it  had  to  do  with  herself  only  —  yes  ,  her  husband  and  riddle  were  old  friends  ,  but  between  the  many  meetings  and  encounters  ,  and  her  place  as  wife  to  the  chief  warlock  ?  the  part  of  bellatrix  that  was  unable  to  swallow  her  pride  was  ,  ultimately  ,  just  a  bit  wounded  .  and  then  there  was  a  side  of  herself  that  was  .  .  .  uncharacteristically  mad  that  she  was  being  treated  like  someone’s  wife  .  someone’s  wife  who  had  dinner  alone  every  night  ,  while  her  husband  was  having  important  meetings  .  fuck  .  "  it  ran  as  long  as  it  ever  does  ,  rodolphus  ,  but  neither  of  us  should  be  surprised  by  now  .  "  the  apology  was  welcomed  but  graced  with  only  a  hum  ,  her  necklace  dropping  with  a  bit  too  much  gusto  onto  it’s  bowl  ,  tongue  clamped  between  her  teeth  to  keep  her  temper  from  rising  —  she  was  being  unreasonable  .  instead  ,  bellatrix  got  up  and  moved  to  grab  her  cigarette  case  ,  unbothered  by  the  night’s  chill  as  she  opened  a  window  and  let  nicotine  at  the  very  least  attempt  to  soothe  her  .  "  did  he  say  anything  important  ,  at  the  very  least  ?  "

“hm” he says, coming up behind her, “i can’t imagine myself sleeping next to him, love,” he says, his nose pressed against her collarbone, unable to really distinguish exactly what she was feeling other than a genuine annoyance that she was entitled to feel, he pressed another kiss to the side of her head before he finished getting undressed into his sleep clothes. he knew that it must have been more difficult for bella, knowing that she had given herself one-hundred percent to the cause but was regarded less so, it had infuriated him as well, bellatrix was a gem among many and had a valuable place when it came to the death eaters, she was the reason for most of his successes and wished that everyone could see her such as so. “if it makes you feel better,” he says, grabbing his cigarette tin case and following after her on the windowsill, “i would have rather been with you.” he couldn’t have remembered the last time that he had a dinner with his wife that wasn’t cancelled because of tom riddle, a name that only very few knew him by, rodolphus being one of the unlucky ones, he didn’t care much for the man now, just that there were things as chief warlock that he could get away with to help with the cause but it didn’t mean it didn’t annoy him still. “when does he ever?” he asks very simply, lighting his cigarette now, “i think he just likes to hear himself talk.” he had gotten closer towards her, their knees close towards the other, “what about you?” he asks, wondering about her day, if it was more exciting than his. “i care more to hear about what you have to offer than tom riddle,”

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

BEN BARNES Photographed by Jay Gilbert For His Songs for You EP

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

@firewhiiskys​

​“it’s not as good as yours, but i did bring some alcohol for tonight,” rod says laying down the bottle on aydin’s table. “i would’ve been more thoughtful with my gifts but i did come straight from the ministry, you’ll have to forgive me.”

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

oflestrcnges​:

              the  crack  of  a  smile  was  still  tainted  with  bits  of  despair .  it’s  a  falsely  that  rosine  knows  rodolphus  had  become  expertly  trained  on  growing  up  -  and  probably  even  more  so  now  that  he  was  pushed  to  carry  a  family  name  that  she  still  wanted  to  be  a  part  of  .  ❝  at  least  share  some  of  the  burden  with  me  this  time ,  ❞   she  says  as  if  the  last  few  years  hadn’t  happened  .  they  were  simply  born  to  live  ,  right  ?  

       but  that  had  never  been  the  reality  for  them  ,  she  thinks  .  rodolphus  was  the  agent  ,  rabastan  the  defender  ,  and  rosine   …   she  wasn’t  even  exactly  sure .  she’d  wasted   years  imagining  a  life  that  was  different  ,  pushing  for  it  to  happen  with  a  stubborn  mind  but  here  she  stood  and  she felt  so  flat  .  to  stand  in  the  middle  suddenly  felt  like  a  sham  ,  a  farce  to  make  one  feel  invincible  but  with  two  sides  battling  for  attention  ,  one  must  always  win   .  to  imagine  the  darkest  power  in  the  same  room  as  them  sinks  the  last  shred  of  hope  , ❝  what’s  it  like ?   are  the  stories  true  ?  ❞   even  with  his  two  hands  balanced  on  her  shoulders  ,  they  fail  to  hold  her  steady .  she’s  to  say  yes  ,  she’s  to  look  brave  ,  she’s  supposed  to  willingly  give  up  everything .  

    she  averts  her  gaze  at  the  prick  of  water  ,  refusing  to  fall  into  the  need  to  look  or  even  feel  defeated .  ❝ i’m  scared  , ❞   it’s  the  truth  that  he  deserves  to  hear  .  it  had  been  her  choice  to  show  up  ,  she  had  decided  to  to  take  this  on  –  a  choice  she’d  been  forced  to  take .  ❝ i  just  don’t  understand  .  what  do  i  have  to  offer ,  rod ?  i’ve  got  nothing  to  lose  .  not  anymore  -  ❞   and  what  was  rodolphus  losing ?

this wasn’t the life that he had wanted for himself, but when you’re the eldest and had the last name like lestrange he knew that it was inevitable the life that you were meant to live, he had only hoped that his siblings could go unscathed. it was different now, he knows that, he knew the expectations that their parents had bestowed on them, and he had tried his best to be enough so that it could be enough for their parents, when it came to betrothed's but blood status always won in the end but could be forced down if you were part of something more—like the death eaters—he had never wanted this for his siblings but he had to live with the consequences that weren’t his fault—but still felt apart of anyway. he had tried to protect rosine from the world of all the vipers but in the end they ended up stinging her anyway, infecting her in a way that rodolphus couldn’t fix. he loved her too much and tried to shelter her from this world before it inevitably caught up with her—it wasn’t fair. 

“i am my brother and sisters keeper—“ he says with a slight smile, “so you don’t have to be,” he had took on much more than he should have, but with his position at work and death eaters he should be used to it—and he was, it’s just when it came to his own family it was much different—it was personal. “they’re all true,” he says, his voice is more quiet than usual, he had tried to keep his grip on her enough to hold on to himself and the reality they were both about to face. he had looked at his sister with enough care and worry that he could manage without trying to frighten her, but he was scared. he never wanted this, and now his biggest fears were happening in front of his eyes and he could do nothing about it. 

“i’m sorry,” he says, without saying much else. “i wanted to protect you from this world but i failed,” even if she had reached out for it for herself, it didn’t make him feel less guilty. he had wanted so much more for her, and he hoped that despite all of this—she would still get all of that. “it doesn’t matter,” he says quietly what she does and doesn’t have to offer, he will take anything good and suck you dry from it. “we are all just vessels in his game.” he whispers, and then within seconds of saying it, voldemort appears in his fire place, looking at his surroundings before giving rosine and rodolphus an uneasy smile, and rod thinks its on purpose as he tries to shield his sister he loves so much away from him—but its useless, he already sees her, and its too late. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

BEN BARNES Photographed by Jonny Marlow For InStyle Magazine

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

gammaoricnis​:

—      𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐑       /      @rodolphvslestrange        ・

to  say  that  things  had  been  difficult  would  be  an  understatement  ,  and  it  was  in  quiet  moments  like  these  as  midnight  ticked  over  that  bellatrix  tended  to  allow  herself  to  think  ,  and  plan  ,  and  plot  .  working  had  kept  her  busy  during  dinner  ,  a  good  book  had  allowed  the  hours  to  fly  relatively  quickly  ,  but  as  she  sat  on  the  velvet  seat  of  her  vanity  and  tucked  the  robe  her  mother  had  gifted  her  on  her  wedding  day  around  her  ,  bella  couldn’t  help  but  let  her  mind  wander  .  the  lock  of  hair  she  was  brushing  was  more  a  distraction  than  anything  else  as  she  met  the  dark  eyes  of  her  reflection  ,  brows  furrowing  just  a  bit  —  until  now  ,  every  move  she’d  made  had  been  reactionary  .  the  situations  were  assessed  ,  talked  over  ,  and  then  things  were  set  in  motion  with  a  good  dose  of  hope  thrown  in  for  good  measure  —  if  something  happened  ,  they  responded  accordingly  ,  and  so  on  and  so  forth  :  a  life  running  in  the  precarious  balance  of  a  circle  fueled  by  chance  more  than  anything  else  ,  if  she  were  honest  to  herself  .  it  had  worked  ,  of  course  it  had  ,  but  how  much  of  it  had  been  luck  and  powerful  names  ?  how  much  of  it  had  been  a  miracle  ?  the  hairbrush  was  set  down  with  a  loud  clunk  ,  a  deep  breath  exhaled  as  an  irritated  sigh  and  lips  pressing  into  a  thin  line  as  bellatrix  studied  herself  .  how  long  could  they  ,  could  she  ,  go  on  without  a  contingency  plan  —  a  defense  just  in  case  the  wind  blew  the  wrong  way  and  the  house  of  cards  that  was  her  life  came  tumbling  down  ?  was  she  not  already  messing  with  fate  ?  “  christ  .  ”  the  huff  she  let  out  would  have  amused  her  if  she  wasn’t  caught  up  in  her  thoughts  ,  the  notion  that  merlin  most  definitely  wasn’t  enough  to  help  now  amusing  but  not  enough  to  cut  the  tension  she  felt  in  her  shoulders  .  the  brunette  sat  there  ,  eyes  on  herself  ,  even  as  she  heard  rodolphus  arrive  and  his  footsteps  up  the  stairs  ,  a  hand  dropping  the  emerald  earrings  into  a  crystal  bowl  and  eyes  moving  from  her  own  to  capture  her  husband’s  in  the  mirror  .  "  i  was  expecting  you  for  dinner  .  did  anything  happen  ?  "

rod had been feeling the stress the past couple of weeks, it didn’t help that work had gotten so busy and he felt like he couldn’t breathe most days but he handled it all in stride, he was prepared for this, he knew what he had to do. but there had been this thought in the back of his mind since the last time that he had seen voldemort, the need to prepare if something were to happen. he hadn’t approached the subject with bella just yet, trying his best to keep distracted when it came to talking about the future even though he knew that he wanted more. with all the wixen children going back to school it loomed in the air for him, if he and bella could have that, but how could they when everything was so fucked as of late? time was ticking and fast. tonight he had another meeting with voldemort, he had been having a lot of those, it was meant to be quick, but merlin did he like to talk and he hadn’t had the time to send a quick message that he wouldn’t be home for dinner. he had wanted to see the progress with josie, if she was holding her end of the deal well enough and rodolphus had answered as honestly as he could without divulging anymore, he knew that he was trusted by the dark lord that he would take whatever he gave him. 

by the time he got home, it was late, and he wasn’t even hungry anymore, the exhaustion of a long work day and the meeting wore on him. he had an idea that bellatrix would be up, he had checked her usual spot before coming upstairs and seeing her sitting before her vanity. he had given her a quick glance before he took off his robes and started working on his shirt. he had looked up at her again, before saying, “i had a meeting with Him.” he says, his pause was intentional, walking closer towards her placing his hands gently on her shoulders before leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek. he sat down on the edge of the bed. “it ran longer than usual,” wanting to put in a quick quip about him just liking to hear himself talk but decided against it. “i am sorry about dinner.” he was actually looking forward to it, it had been a long time since they had dinner together—he missed her and her presence. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

amclias​:

open starter.

any pub of your choosing | @beforedawnstarters​

                       ❝   since   when   did   it   become   closing   time   ?   i   swear   i   haven’t   been   here   that   long,   but   i   guess   the   empty   glasses   count   the   hours   for   us,   yeah   ?   ❞

“what can i say i am great company,” he laughs at himself briefly before finishing off the beer. he hadn’t realized how the time had gone by, but nevertheless he was thankful for it, it had been a long time since he had hung out with a friend over drinks. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

oflestrcnges​:

         the  trek  home  took  longer  than  it  should  have  ,  and  it  partly  had  to  do  with  the  dread  that  was  weighing  on  rosine  and  when  she  stepped  into  the  foyer  -  it  only  got  heavier  .    she  knows  it  is  irrational  to  hold  some  blame  over  rodolphus  for  what  it  is  to  come  in  the  next  few  hours  ,  but  rosine  had  also  willingly  put  herself  in this  situation .  the  war  had  always  been  nonsense  ,  an  excuse  to  avoid  the  other  crippling  problems  in  the  wixen  world  but  she’d  only  ever  contemplated  getting  involved  for  her  brothers’  sake .  it  was  because  of  rodolphus  she  was  able  to  fly  under  the  radar  for  so  long  and  when  she’d  been  with  aydin  -  but  that  all  seemed  to  be  in  the  past  now  .  this  was  her  future  ,  and  there  was  no  other  person  than  herself  she  trusted  to  protect  rodolphus .  he  was  her  big  brother  and  rosine  had  gotten  to  the  point  of  getting  tired  of  watching  him  sacrifice  so  much  for  her  and  for  others  too .   ❝  you’re  stressed  too  ,  arent  you  ?  ❞  rosine  points  out  the  obvious  when  she  steps  into  the  room  with  her  eldest  brother  ,  sporting  a  burning  cigarette  and  his  heart  on  his  sleeve .  if  she’d  been  so  hellbent  on  trying  to  get  her  brother  to  stop  using  that  wretched  thing  as a  clutch  ,  rosine  would  have  asked  for  one  too  but  instead  her  nail beds  had  become  victim  .  ❝  is  he really  coming  ,  rodolphus  ?  ❞  there  wasn’t  any  need  to  clarify  who  she  was  speaking  about  -  even  the  name  was  enough  to  provoke  fear  .  

rod didn’t want this for his siblings, that much was true. if he could keep them in the dark forever then that was much easier, but it was getting harder to. when he had saw rosine at that last meeting he knew that the end was over for all of what rosine had tried to build to make everything much safer for her future before it had all ended. what rosine didn’t know was that he had tried to make aydin’s family safe, because despite what they had made them break up, he had done his best to fix. 

but he was one man, and nothing was certain. when he had seen rosine at the last meeting he had known that it was the beginning of everything. “i feel like that is my constant state of being,” he briefly jokes, letting out a puff of smoke out of his window before he had ashed the cigarette. he had wanted to tell bella everything, but she had been so busy with everything he hadn’t known where to start. he was trying to save his sibings from the life that he had been having to live for years now but it wasn’t working. he was voldemorts right hand man now, whategver he had wanted, rod had to give him, even if it was the allegiance of his siblings. 

“he is coming.” he says, without the lack of uncertainty , when voldemort had meant something he would always come through. he would come, and he would suck the life out of every moment that rosine and rod would have. rod was voldemorts most trusted follower, he wouldn’t trust just anyone. he looks over at his sister before reaching out to her, “whatever he says, agree with,” he’s rushed holding onto both of her shoulders in despair, if you want to live this is how you survive, he doesn’t know how to tell her that by the end of this, things would be so much different, the history of the wixen world would hang on the both of their shoulders now. “if i know anything,” he says in a whisper, “it’s this: he will ask us to make a sacrifice we both can’t refuse,” 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

Ben Barnes photographed by Mark Harrison, 2019

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

I never wanted to be a god

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

rvbvstn​:

“whiskey, of course.” he laughs slightly, he couldn’t remember the last time he had tea. rabastan listens intently as rod finally discloses on this, and wonders once he does what the big fucking secret had been the whole time. “why keep this from me though? it sounds simple, brother. i don’t see why this was some big secret.” so josie was trying to rise in the ranks? “she shouldn’t be allowed in the ranks to begin with rodolphus, she’s a muggleborn, she’s filth. why is this being allowed at all?” he spoke very calmly, very rationally and hoped this would not lead to another argument but he had to speak the truth. “i get plenty done in public.” he chuckled to himself mostly but he understood what his brother meant. “but why this piece of trash? why not someone worthy of us? and why do you care so much about someone who is meant to be disposable? you’ve gotten close to her, it’s easy to tell for anyone with eyes, and that doesn’t look good for you brother.” it was his turn to be protective. “the bells? never heard of em, but can i help? i’m itching for a mission these days." 

he pours both of them a glass and sliding it over towards his brother. it’s hard to imagine where they both were now in their lives, he often misses when they were all back home, when the biggest of their responsibilities was not to embarrass their parents at family gatherings. he didn’t know how else to explain it to his brother, rod was a secretive man, and he tried to keep the people that he loved in the dark as much as he could so no one else could find them and hurt them. rodolphus had often felt the weight of everything on him; wanting to protect his siblings from people they were meant to trust because despite knowing who they were and their power—it was the only way to protect him. their parents were very cold people, the love that they had given their children was sparse and rodolphus had often tried to make holidays better by stepping up and being the parent they never really got because he loved his siblings more than anything. “voldemort apparently sees something in her,” he says, taking a drink of the whiskey, “i’m just following his lead,” even if he never went into anything with blind trust. he doesn’t know how to tell him that she’s trying to protect her sister in the same way that he was trying to protect rabastan—because that’s what people do for the ones that they love. rosine and rabastan were all that he had for family other than the blacks, but they were his blood and maybe that was one of the only things that he and josie could relate to. “when the time comes i’m sure she will be disposed of,” it’s a fact that they both had to live with, thinking back on their conversation before she had offered herself up. “i know how it looks,” he says, shaking his head, there wasn’t much that he could do. “just one of the many masks of a politician,” he tries to joke, but it was true. “work not busy enough for you?” he smiles, shaking his head, “i assume most cursebreakers live a far more faster and exciting life than most.” certainly more than his own job, but he liked doing what he did. “of course brother. i’m afraid there is a certain bell, a healer, that knows too much.”

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

arcturus-regulus​:

who: @rodolphvslestrange​

“Do you have any temporary tattoos i can borrow?”

“is the mark on your arm not enough?”

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

@oflestrcnges​

where: the lestrange home. 

​he’s pacing back and forth in his office, they’ll both be here any minute, it’s late, and he feels jittery, afraid to stop moving. he grabs the pack of cigarettes out, his fingers shaking slightly as he lights it and pouring himself a drink and setting it on his desk. he didn’t want rosine to get involved in this. he hadn’t even wanted rabastan in it either. it had been easy, in the beginning, rodolphus was slowly rising to power thinking that if had weighed all on him than neither of his siblings would have to do anything other than act the part. it had always meant to be that way—he was the older brother, he was meant to be the protector, but he felt like both of them were marked with a death wish. it hadn’t bothered him, hurting the muggleborn, it was just another face in the crowd, but his younger sister now having to care for all of the lives that rodolphus would hurt was a whole other matter. his political image couldn’t suffer, it was why they were doing it in the first place, the weight of the world felt like it was sitting on his shoulders weighing him down and he couldn’t even talk about it much less think about it. he takes a deep breath, an even deeper inhale of the cigarette. he had told rosine to come earlier so they could talk about it, knowing fully well there was no way they could back out of it now but they could figure out a plan, even if it was one that could fail. rod would try, because of course he would, it was his sister. 

[rodolphvslestrange-a]

it’s okay to murder people but it’s not okay to disrespect your wife btw