Fic - "In The Wrong Light" (Lucius Malfoy/Bellatrix Lestrange, NC-17)

[thaneofcawdor]

Title: In The Wrong Light
Pairing: Lucius Malfoy/Bellatrix Lestrange
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Fingering, brief genital abuse, possible non-con.
Word count: 1,957
Summary: A post-Azkaban Bellatrix languishes in a spare room in Malfoy Manor. Lucius naturally believes he knows a cure for her erratic behaviour.
A/N: Originally this opened with Lucius failing

Comments

[thaneofcawdor]

I do?! I did?! Success! I've never tried them before. I was sort of terrified but now I am secretly proud. Thank you for reading and being lovely.

[thaneofcawdor]

It's my pleasure :D Lucius in particular is fun to get to grips with. I'm flattered that you mem'd it!

[chairs]

I actually have no recollection of how I came across them in the first place, but I've been a quiet admirer of your Bellatrix/Barty fics for some time now. When I came across this, I felt strongly compelled to come out of hiding and leave a comment. Typically a rigidly devoted Lucius/Narcissa shipper, I found myself engrossed by this every step of the way. It's so stark and hauntingly, hopelessly feral. You write a delectably mad, brutally chilling post-Azkaban Bellatrix, and I loved every second of it, truly. I'll be adding it to my mems. Great work!

[thaneofcawdor]

This comment made my entire morning. What can I say except thank you so, so much? I kind of felt that Bellatrix needed to be shown as someone who isn't really to blame for what she's doing at this point in time and that Lucius isn't a grandiose aristocrat or a suave master of seduction but someone who takes advantage and would gladly take it without regret. I'm glad you did come out of hiding, your feedback is both helpful and complementary. And your icon is hawt on top of all this.

[entrenous88]

Oh, really fascinating! Lucius is such a bastard, and he's so arrogant about the risks he takes and games he plays. Though I suspect here, Bellatrix is giving him more than a run for his money. Interesting look at the madness she's suffering, and the misogyny fueling Lucius's every action toward her (and Narcissa).

[thaneofcawdor]

Yes! To have got the raw bastardry that I feel lies at his core across strongly makes me intensely pleased. I don't think Rowling ever fully exploited his character in the series, beyond showing him as an elitist snob - the joys of fanfiction allow us all to remedy this, obviously! All the finery in the world couldn't hide his real grit from Bellatrix, who went through fire and came out stripped to the basics of human nature, and she can see the same savagery in Lucius. The idea that they might not as untouchable and grand as she used to believe exacerbates her condition. After this initial point in time, though, overly dwelling on this would prompt her to fashion the image of blind, excessive cruelty and grandiosity everyone else sees.

Thank you tonnes for your feedback and the rec in quibbler_report, too!

[entrenous88]

You're welcome! I hope it garners you more readers for this great fic!

[dexstarr]

So I think I read this the day you posted it, but needed a few days to process my overwhelming love for the way you write, and the way you wrote these two.

Utterly fucking delicious, perfect, and amazing.

This may be the best Bella-post Azkaban I've read. You wrote her the way she should/would be, recovering from fourteen years of mental torment and loneliness and every other tribulation she faced in prison. A lot, myself included, tend to think she'd be this strong woman on day one of release, but I think your version is way more accurate. Plus there are great hints of the canon Bella.

Lucius...oh my. Such a caring brother-in-law...I love how he deals with her. It's so right for the both of them, and the little observations he makes is just so Lucius. I also greatly enjoyed the little hints of Narcissa, and comparing her to Bella

[thaneofcawdor]

I actually think I'm blushing a bit... especially the part where this is "the best Bella-post Azkaban" you've come across!! Thank you so much! This makes me so excited! My initial reaction to praise is to figuratively ball up and roll around happily like an armadillo on crack and I'm still doing it now so please forgive the inanity of this entire comment.

"Some of my favorite lines:
-Narcissa was more obedient but teaching was his forte."
THAT line was hell - I was like, "I love this line, but... is it too random?" and then I tried taking it out and I missed it, so it went back in and then got moved around a bit and then just got left there... I'm insanely happy that you like it. I'm insanely happy about everything you said. I'm insane, full stop.

Ahem... what do you like the idea of Lucius doing, you know, if I were to hypothetically write this hypothetical little sequel for you? *Innocent smile*

[dexstarr]

LMAO! I do the same thing. Well grin nonstop like a fool. I think I'll try the armadillo thing next, that sounds fun! :D And you deserve every bit I wrote, this fic is seriously amazing.

I personally enjoyed the bit about Narcissa being obedient because well I like her, but also, with the other little hints about his wife, such as Bella wearing her clothes, it just fit so nicely IMO.

What would I like Lucius to do...hmmm. This requires some thinking. I don't know, honestly!

[thaneofcawdor]

The armadillo has so much more to offer to the world of emotional display than just making people laugh with its silly face! I highly recommend adopting its stance on rolling around merrily.

The funny thing is, when first encountering Narcissa I didn't particularly care for her; then she grew on me, rapidly. Her and Bella have such a fascinating dynamic.

I'm starting to wonder what she'd do if she walked in on Bella "earning her wand back" from the master of the house.

[burnlikepetals]

This was brilliant! You write so well. It takes me aback at how perfect Bellatrix's dialogue is.. everything is so spot-on to what she would say, how she would say it, all her mannerisms included.

[thaneofcawdor]

This is because I am actually Bellatrix, working under the assumed disguise of a fanfic-writing 20-year-old.

*Shifty eyes*

...But seriously, this is wonderful praise. I always feel like I'm about to take a shot in the dark with what I make her say but I suppose the uncertainty of it all suits her mental state to perfection. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

Incidentally I had a peek at your journal and the Parseltongue on the paperwork leads me to believe that you're hilarious.

[burnlikepetals]

hahaha, thank you :)