“MACDONALD.” she pauses , curiosity lingering within the air between them. it was no surprise she’d found him wandering around the darkened alley , and yet still for some reason she’d felt a cold chill rush down her spine . his stance was regal, as was his words that felt so eloquent that it took mary aback if only for a moment that he, himself, had shown her any shred of decency . normally, she’d be scolded and scowled at within the likes of the close. yet, tonight was different, tonight she’d donned a black cloak that covered her bodice if only to guise those who’d found her insufferable. ingredients stashed away at her hip, and interest piqued, she gives in. “ ’m afraid not , my night is just beginning . ‘ gentle shrug rolls from her shoulders, the company in which she’s kept anything but acceptable and yet she’s never been one to steer clear of a game of cat and mouse. “ lestrange , correct ? “ sickeningly saccharine tone laces the words she weaves . “ may i ask why it ended ? not even midnight and you’ve given in. “
“macdonald.” most definitely not a surname of note and she was likely not a pureblood, shame. a pretty face was often wasted on poor blood. raising a brow at the status of her night, he allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips. “should i be questioning your motives? little good happens in these parts in broad daylight, let alone at night and i’m very much a man of the law.” satisfaction strikes him at her recognition of him and he nods, offering her a strong hand to shake. “rodolphus,” he confirms, dropping the formalities. how formal could one be in a dark alley with a stranger? nevertheless, he’s interested and he regrets his night coming to an early close. “i’m a working man, i’m afraid. i’ve had a long day and tomorrow will be another.”
the door to his office slams shut behind her as she storms in, her eyes a little wild, the darkness in them seemingly complete. she doesn’t have the peace of mind to sit down — so she stands, her stare as angry as it is hollow, lacking any sign of humanity, soul or life. “ did you know what they were gonna do? “ she whispers, but it comes out more like a cat like hiss, angry and afraid and threatening all at once. something in her shifts, and she takes another step forward, a hand raising, a finger pointing at him. “ did you. fucking. know? “ words are repeated again, but slower this time, carrying more weight. she hates that after ten fucking years, she still can’t immediately tell what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling. what goes on in that brain of his. so she watches him like a hawk closing in on a corpse, pitch black eyes spitting fire. not that it makes her any wiser.
rodolphus isn’t surprised when his wife invites herself into his office and he doesn’t have the energy to entertain it either. a sigh escapes him and he continues with his paperwork, refusing to acknowledge the accusations being thrown at him. he’d let her wear herself out before he attempts to talk some sense into her. finally raising his head to give her his attention, he sets aside his glasses and waits for her silence before he begins talking. “did i know what, bella?” he asks plainly, meeting her dark gaze. “did i know that someone was going to make a glorious fuck up of the mission last night or that the cover of it in this morning’s paper would be piss poor?” raising a brow inquisitively, he’s unable to prevent his patronising tone. “be more specific.”
WHERE: Diagon Alley
WHEN: May 29, 3:27PM
WHO: Open
Parts of the Daily Prophet article had been echoing through Lily’s head all day, causing small explosions of anger to happen under the surface. That they dared paint Benjy as a bloodstained, violent madman and had added that photograph and still feign neutrality … it was so transparent. They didn’t think he was innocent and didn’t even bother to hide it. And then there was the fact that Benjy’s story had gone to one of her ‘more experienced’ colleagues, and she was left reporting on minor stories. Light work, dull work. Work that allowed her to dwell on the way of reporting of the wizarding Britain’s biggest newspaper and grow angrier and angrier. In the end, it was the cobbled street of Diagon Alley that met Lily’s wrath. One stone sticking out was enough to send her stumbling. “Morgana’s saggy tits!” she exclaimed, before regaining balance, cheeks flushing. “I mean – oops.”
rodolphus despised big news stories. his commentary was always required, publicly and privately, yet in both his answer remained the same. he was a politician, he had little to say that wasn’t minced into something completely meaningless. the man’s guilt is unconfirmed, they’re investigating -- no further comments. wandering idly through the street - and yet still more purposefully than half its inhabitants - his attention was piqued by a loud complaint. amusement flashed across his features at the ordeal, especially since he recognised the person in question. a mudblood, reporter too. he has more runs ins with reporters than he really likes. “a bad day already?” he asked in jest, choosing to ignore her interesting profanities for the sake of her dignity. “surely they should be keeping you busy up in there?” nodding vaguely towards the building, he managed to keep his expression pleasant enough.
Gone was the bustling noise of bodices weaving past one another within the slender alleyway that was Diagon Alley, what replaced it was as close to silence as Mary could hope. Sliding beneath the shadows, she’d gone unnoticed entering –– and now exitng ––– Knockturn Alley and making her way towards the partially dim storelined streets. Perhaps, in actuality, it hadn’t been her smartest approach. Yet, there was an inkling of curiosity that ate away at her, as if an itch upon flesh that she seemingly could not scratch. Just hours earlier there had been whispers of fright, witches and wizards turning at every corner scared for what they might find lingering in the shadows. However, Mary was certain that if they were to come across her, there’d be nothing but a snide glance and an albeit welcoming remark as to the why. Why was she seen parading about Knockturn Alley when just about everyone was under scrutiny for their actions, what was she hiding? Footfalls are light as ever, the girls arms wrapping around slender bodice if only to keep her warm as a slight summers breeze makes its way towards her. The streets had gone silent, and for once she’d found a small solace in it. Perhaps it’s why she wasn’t paying attention. Although, it was the denial of the fact that the liquor lingering upon her lips from hours prior was to blame for her mindlessness. Taking a swift turn into the open cobblestone, bones crashing against –––– “ Do ya mind?” Gaze now trailing up her companies figure before heaving a small sigh, arched brow follows as thinned lips spread into a slanted smirk. “Going somewhere are we?”
rodolphus was always caught up in shifty work in shifty places, unbeknownst to everyone whom it didn’t involve and out of the hours in which he was paid. the shiftiest of said work was always found in knockturn alley. an arch brow raised at the presence of another, caught up in thought and inattentive of her surroundings. it was in poor interest to be so oblivious and thus, perhaps somewhat deliberately his shoulder rammed into her delicate frame. everyone had a reason for wandering so late and he was intrigued as to what excuse she’d offer. “apologies,” he mused, her smirk mimicked on his own sharp features and amusement glimmered in his eyes. “home actually, the exciting part of my night is over.” looking her up and down, he merely offered a pleasant smile. “can the same be said for you, miss--?”
helllooooo, so i’m char and i’ll be bringing you this god awful man. i’m super friendly n i want literally everything so definitely hmu to plot. beware, this is very informal but it’s late and i’m a professional slacker
rod was born to two considerably elderly parents, they’d been trying for an heir for an incredibly long time so when he was born it was of the highest importance that they didn’t make any mistakes with him
his childhood consisted of harsh words and learning skill after skill and lesson after lesson in order to shape him into exactly what he needed to be
he was a quiet child, observant and he didn’t openly misbehave and yet there was always something to be punished for - they aimed to teach him discipline and disciplined he became
he inherited the lestrange good looks with his dark hair and shocking blue eyes as well as his father’s cool temperament, this was good news for them
when rabastan was born, he felt a sense of relief, believing some of the pressure would be taken from him but this wasn’t the case and thus he learned to suppress his emotions at an early age
at hogwarts he was very much a ringleader and commanded authority everywhere he went with both his name and natural air of dominance
he was well liked by teachers and never explicitly stated his views on blood purity outside of his circle even though they were heavily assumed
rodolphus always had high aspirations - within the death eaters and out - he had always aspired to be minister for magic and while it something said in jest to friends at school, it was also far from a joke
after his father’s legacy with the death eaters came to an end, the dark lord was eager to welcome rod to his troops upon hearing that he was very much his father’s son
being a death eater provided him with the power and control that he always craved and social situations were always limited in but it also tested his self-control
once he’d had a taste of this new world, it became increasingly difficult to keep his other aspirations in hand and his public image under control so he was forced to reign himself back in - he gained nothing but temporary pleasure from murder and violence, his career would leave more permanent satisfaction
so he made his way up the ranks in both the dark lord’s respect and ministry positions with careful discipline and restrained desires
his marriage to bellatrix was one of convenience and a good choice in terms of status for both of them but surprisingly it works as neither share too much affection for the other - nevertheless, he’s still not too pleased his wife is in love with someone else
for a while, an heir was a priority for him but eventually it become apparent this wouldn’t be the case and he’s slowly started to accept that he and rabastan may be the end of a long line of lestranges
while he believes heavily in blood purity, rod is only loyal to the dark lord on the surface. he sees the bigger picture, the likelihood of a leader dying is reasonably high and he sees himself at the face of the movement if that’s to be the case
the death of his father left him the head on the family and met with challenges that weren’t previously his problem, e.g. his timebomb brother which put a strain on the relationship in recent years
in the past year, he finally made his way up to senior undersecretary to the minister - only one step away from his ambition - which left him in a perfect position to cover up for his fellow death eaters and push an age
with all the added pressure and responsibilities, rod is finally beginning to crack and that’s shown mostly in moments of bloodlust
ANYWAY, thank you for coming to my very long and very delayed ted talk
character inspo: tommy shelby (peaky blinders), elijah mikaelson (tvd/to), tywin lannister (got), frank underwood (hoc), negan (twd), magneto (marvel)
character tropes: villian with good publicity, the chessmaster, aloof big brother, ‘blackmail’ is such an ugly word, cultured badass, noble male, roguish male (with rabastan), tall, dark and handsome, even evil has standards, faux affably evil
character aesthetics: black leather shoes, strong handshakes, whiskey tumblers, paperwork, reading glasses, forced smiles, uncomfortable silences, steely blue eyes, political speeches, daily prophet appearances, cold laughter, chess pieces, bloody hands, muttered incantations, rolling eyes, expensive suits
RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE ✖ DEATH EATER ✖ TAKEN
↳ FC: Cillian Murphy
❝ how long before a legend becomes a god or forgotten? ❞
BASICS :
[ NAME ] : Rodolphus Erebus Lestrange
[ AGE ] : 31
[ HOUSE ] : Slytherin
[ BLOODSTATUS ] : Pureblood
[ OCCUPATION ] : Senior Undersectretary to the Minister for Magic
BIO :
The world is an oyster for some and this is very much the case for Rodolphus. He had everything he needed handed to him and what he didn’t have, he simply took. Cool and indifferent in his manner, he made the perfect politician and that was perhaps his saving grace when his family’s beliefs were brought into the spotlight. Smile, be pleasant – apologise for the loss of their loved ones and swear you’ll do everything in your power to put their murderer to justice – walk away, chuckle to yourself, you don’t fancy the idea of Azkaban. A new world is coming, one where only the pure of blood will prevail and Rodolphus very much intends to be the face of it.
Rodolphus is the older brother of RABASTAN LESTRANGE and the husband of BELLATRIX LESTRANGE. He is a Death Eater and, together with his wife, he is seen as one of Lord Voldemort’s most loyal servants. After the First Wizarding War Rodolphus is imprisoned in Azkaban after the torture of ALICE and FRANK LONGBOTTOM but escapes together with other Death Eaters in 1995. He fights in the Second Wizarding War and is later imprisoned, again, with a life sentence.
