𝐑𝐎𝐘𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃 | ℒ𝓊𝒸𝒾𝓊𝓈 ℳ𝒶𝓁𝒻ℴ𝓎

Chapter 31: Pureblood

Lucius hurried to Catalina's side and fell on his knees, next to her body. The pain given by the curse was gone but her body was still shaking from the shock. Her lower region still hurt and it was like someone pulled her uterus from her.

Her hazel eyes were fixed nowhere in particular, her vision being blurry despite of her eyes being wide open. She mumbled something incoherently while sweat dripped on her face, mixing with the blood. Her tears never stopped flowing.

Lucius placed carefully a hand behind her head, lifting it gently and trying to make her look in his eyes. Her own eyes were empty like she was dead but he could tell by her breathing and her beating heart that she was very much alive. She stared somewhere, at the wall, behind his head. The glimmer in her eyes was gone. Her skin was dirty and extremely pale while she had dark circles under her eyes and redness covering them. He could barely recognize her anymore but he knew that she was still the woman he loved the most in this world.

One single tear of his rolled down his cheek and fell on her face. "Look what they did to you." He cried, feeling powerless at the sight in front of him. "I'm sorry, it's my fault they took everything from you." He cried and whispered while staring into her lifeless eyes. "Why haven't you told me?" His eyes moved for a brief second to her legs that were covered in blood.

He couldn't stand to see that image so his eyes went back to his face. "My child, our child." He whispered. With one hand, he gripped her shirt in his fist, trying to hold back a scream of desperation and hurt.

Draco turned his back towards the scene, being too much to bear. His best friend was half dead and he could do nothing to save her. The room full of Death Eaters reminded him that he was outnumbered and if he tries anything, Catalina would surely die faster.

He heard Bellatrix laughing evilly.

"How touching." She mocked the older Malfoy. "You mixed your royal blood with that of a mudblood. I did you a favor. Now you don't have to see what might happen to a half blood child of yours." She said, pouting.

Lucius ignored her and moved a few strands of Catalina's hair from her face. The blood and sweat glues it to her skin.

"She is an inferior and disgusting creature, Lucius. And you are a pureblood rich wizard that can get anything with a flick of his wand. Don't dishonor your status like that." She tried to make him feel less sympathy towards the girl he loved.

Catalina felt her dry throat hurting but she still managed to speak one word. "Lu...cius..." she wanted to tell him to not listen to Bellatrix. To tell him that he is more than what he was taught to be, he was the person with whom she fell in love. A man who could overcome what he was taught and learn to be empathic, soft and gentle. A man who can love.

Despite her lack of words, only the mentioning of his name in a weak voice, drew Lucius' attention. Even if she couldn't communicate her thoughts, he understood what she meant only by that one word. Sha had a way of getting to his heart only by using her voice with softness. It was weird, he thought. She didn't need to express her feelings towards him through words because he understood her perfectly.

He noticed that her eyes were now focused on his face. He brushed her bruised lower lip with his thumb and cupped her face.

The older Malfoy got closer to her ear and whispered "You will be alright, trust me. I love you." 

Before anyone could say or do anything, Voldemort entered the room, his eyes falling on the touching scene in front of him. He smirked.

"Lucius and...?" He paused, his eyes moving to Catalina's face. Her eyes widened in fear. He looked terrifying. His skin was grey, several black veins could be seen underneath it, his eyes sparkled, his face was disfigured and he wore long, black robes. He was like the monsters from the stories she heard when she was a child. Now she understood why Lucius was still loyal to him: even his figure was enough to spark fear. Her eyes moved to his hand and noticed that he held the Elder's Wand. Dumbledore's wand. Which meant only one thing: Dumbledore was dead.

"His girl, I presume?" Voldemort spoke calmly. 

"She is a mudblood." Bellatrix spat with hatred. Lucius turned his face towards her angrily.

"How unfortunate..." Voldemort paced around the room. "She has information about the boy?"

"She had. But we don't need her anymore, we have the boy." Pettigrew spoke enthusiastically.

"Then... Lucius."

Lucius got on his feet, turning towards Voldemort hesitantly. "My Lord." He spoke with his voice barely audible. He had to hold so many emotions in: fear, grief, anger, sadness. And all for Catalina and their dead child that didn't even get to feel his mother's arms holding him to her chest.

"Imperio." Voldemort flicked his wand towards Lucius. "Now you have the honor." He chuckled darkly.

Lucius, involuntarily, drew his wand and turned towards Catalina. He tried to fight his own body and his movements as much as he could, but he knew it was futile when it came to this curse. His eyes widened in panic as he pointed his wand at her.

"Crucio!"

Catalina's body started to twist again in pain. She felt like her back was snapped in half, letting out a scream that filled the room, making Voldemort chuckle. Her hands tried to grip something, anything to find support but she couldn't. She cried in pain as she felt the pain traveling in every cell of her body, ripping her piece by piece.

Tears fell on Lucius' face as he tried his hardest to lower his wand but his muscles resisted. He didn't have control over his body anymore and Voldemort used him like a puppet to torture both of them.

"Please, kill me." She pleaded Lucius with tears in her eyes.

Lucius' heart clenched at her painful words and what bothered him the most was the fact that she was the cause for those pleadings. He was the one hurting her and he could do nothing to stop it and take away her pain. 

"Nagini... get ready for your meal." Voldemort looked behind him at the snake that came hissing and crawling, being eager to fill it's belly once again. It stopped next to Voldemort, waiting expectantly the moment her body would give up. She was a strong one, Voldemort admitted to himself. Too bad she was a mudblood, she would have been a wonderful Death Eater.

"This is taking too long, Lucius." He addressed the man who tortured her. "Nagini needs her food."

With all the power he had in him, Lucius managed to say only one word. "Dracooo!" He shouted as loud as he could, snapping his son from the trauma and the shock that he was in. Draco looked towards his father, then to Catalina.

He gripped his wand tightly in his hand and with full speed, he was at Catalina's side, grabbing her almost dead body and apparating.

Lucius slowly lowered his wand as the place she laid was now empty. Voldemort's smile disappeared and Nagini hissed in anger.

The older Malfoy breathed heavily, calming himself down as he wasn't under the curse anymore.

"Do not worry, my Lord. She won't resist two cruciatus curses. She will be dead by tomorrow." Bellatrix reassured him.

"I hope so." He said, throwing Lucius' a look.