Rodolphus was suddenly unable to focus on anything in the room aside from Emmeline, barely noticing the way SnapeĀ sidledĀ up alongside he and Mulciber to put his two cents in, his mind too focused on Vance as she reared back slightly and hocked a large glob of spit right onto his face. With a horrified yell, he stumbled back before reaching up to wipe the spit from his face, eyes burning brightly with anger as they turned back on his victim.
He didnāt care what Snape was doing, didnāt care that Mulciber seemed to want to take his time and draw this out, this little traitor had just spit on him and he was beyond livid as a result. It didnāt occur to him that this was what she wanted, to rile him up, because he was far too gone to think clearly by the time he marched back towards her and shoved Snape out of the way without any regard at all for where he might land. It was Snape, after all. He wasnāt someone they actually needed, at least in Rodolphusā opinion.
āYou disgusting little slut!ā The man roared, shoving the tip of his wand right into her jugular and snarling at her as he moved down to her eye level, his own bright blue eyes dancing with rage. His body buzzed with adrenaline and his brain screamed for him to just do it, to end it here because there was no point in waiting. Heād have more fun gloating to her friends, the Marauders, than he would spending hours letting Snape and Mulciber do as they wished with her. He had never been much for sharing anyway.
Pressing his wand even further into her neck, Rodolphusā lips curled over his teeth and he let out a low, almost inhuman growl. āGive me one good reason why I shouldnāt slit your throat and watch you bleed out right here.ā He demanded, half tempted to just avada her and be done with it. āDo you really think any of them would missĀ you? The girl playing second fiddle to everyone around her, not near exciting enough to ever make any sort of impact. Why do you think your precious Marauders havenāt come for you yet? It didnāt take them very long with Barty, did it? I suppose you mean even less to them than that whore, McKinnon.ā He spat out, jaw tight and face hard before he pulled away and backed up to give himself room away from her in hopes of reeling his rage in a bit. Anger made room for error and he wasnāt going to have this get out of hand on his account.
āOne more outburst like that, Miss Vanceā¦ and Iāll have to pay mummy and daddy a visit.ā He threatened, anger still twisting around in his belly and turning his blood white hot. Turning from her, he sent Mulciber an impatient look, hoping heād understand that they needed to move this along a bit quicker because he was now in no mood for games. Ā āCrucio!ā He cried, wand pointed straight at the blonde as he finally tore his eyes from his housemate and turned on her, watching as she writhed in pain. If this didnāt get his point across to Mulciber, he was afraid little would.
āThe thing is, little raven, you might think thereās hope left, but there isnāt at all. Even if you get free of this, by some miracle or otherwise, you wonāt remember enough to do anything about it and in a few shorts weeks, youāll be right back where youāre sitting now, bloodied and broken all over again. So itās really in your best interest to comply. After all, we really neednāt involve anyone else in this. As entertaining as it would be to torture your friends until you crumble, I believe we can skip all thatā¦ donāt you?ā He voiced, wand still on her and forcing unimaginable pain to flow through her, like tiny knives cutting right into every nerve in her body. After a moment, he pulled his wand away, ending the curse and looking at her expectantly. āI do hope weāve come to an understanding, you and I. If not, I hear Miss Meadowes is in dire need of a bit ofā¦ re-education.ā
Humans wereĀ inherentlyĀ social creatures, wizard or not. They longed for a chance to belong. They wanted to know what made them different from others. Sometimes, it even made them better. Mulciber approved of that, overall. After all, pureblood society was the foundation of the wizarding world. Sometimes, though, he would have preferred it if it was only him. The more people that were involved in something, well, Mulciber usually liked to work alone.
He stepped back as Rodolphus stuck his wand to the girl's neck. Escalating so quickly. He supposed that he didn't really blame him, not considering the girl's actions, and yet... It was all so inelegant.
There really wasn't any point in repressing the sigh that issued forward from his lips when Rodolphus cursed her. HeĀ gave him and exasperated look, putting his hands in his pockets. Obviously, Rodolphus didn't require any assistance. The Cruciatus Curse was a bit of aĀ cop out, or so Mulciber thought, but it was effective... up until the point that it drove its victims to madness. There were cleaner, more reliable methods. Sadly, it didn't seem as if those were going to be used.
Mulciber was, however, nothing if not loyal. He would play the heavy-handed game if he had to. He circled around so she could see him again, leaning somewhat casually against the wall. "You see, Miss Vance, it doesn't matter if you break. Rodolphus here may very well curse you unto the limits of body and mind, and you might be able to hold out." He paused, smiling beatifically. "Do you think your friends are as strong?"
