Downfall | Lestrange

Chapter Six

[Chapter Six]

Further, into the night, Elizabeth held Roderick close to her body as the man cried into her shoulder. She hadn't expected her question to reduce the man to tears, however, it seemed the realization had hit Roderick harder than even he expected. He seemed so frail and vulnerable at the moment, all the anger that she held earlier in the day towards him had vanished because his words suddenly became true. He really didn't wish to serve the Dark Lord, despite what his family wanted, it wasn't what he wanted. Unfortunately, he had figured it out when it all seemed far too late to turn back.

Running her hands through his thick hair, Elizabeth hoped to soothe him, trying to reassure Roderick that everything was going to be alright. However, it was much harder for him to come to terms with it all. The sudden realisation that his job as a Death Eater was not what he wanted his purpose in life to be. He didn't wish to be The Crow anymore, he wanted to be Roderick.

He wanted to be the man that didn't abandon Elizabeth's side when she wanted his company, not to end up spying on the Order when he could very well be happy with his future wife, sharing in laughter and conversation. Nor did he want to be the man that brought her to look at him in frustration because she didn't agree with what he did. When Elizabeth looked at him, all he wanted to see was a woman staring back at him with pride and admiration in her eyes. But he couldn't do that if he was actively serving the Dark Lord.

However, for several minutes, he was able to close his eyes and just relax in her hold, listening to the soft sound of her breathing and welcoming the gentle touch of her hands. Eventually, though, he pulled away from her, opening his swollen eyes that were red from the irritation. The sleeve of his robes was used to wipe his face before he gazed up at her. He was left speechless, as the small glow of the fireplace in her room, illuminated the woman's face. Her expression was full of nothing but concern as her hand trailed down from his hair and touched the side of his face.

"You don't have to go back, Roderick, " she informed him quietly. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

For a moment, Roderick didn't understand what she was talking about but it finally clicked, only bringing him to snort harshly before replying. "Oh, you mean I can simply just walk away for what I signed up for? What I dedicated myself to with flesh and blood as my signature?"

Elizabeth pressed her lips together for a moment, not willing to argue so that they kept the noise to a minimum. "Roderick, you didn't have much of an option back then. You were a child, back in school when you were pressured into all of it. But you're an adult now, you can make your own decisions for yourself. If you don't wish to be part of it, you can walk away."

His anger was not with Elizabeth but he couldn't help but scoff at her innocence when it came to the situation that he was involved in. 

"Walk away? Beth, you do not walk away from the Dark Lord. You can't! Don't you understand? I am bound to him whether I want to be or not!"