Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything in their magical world. These characters and their world belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.

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The cave was dark and she no longer had her wand to light it. It didn’t matter. There was nothing that she needed to see. The cave was secluded and safe; that was what mattered. Seclusion was the only hope Bellatrix Lestrange had left.

Then a disturbing thought occurred to her. Hope for what? Hiding in the cave, she might survive. Perhaps no one would find her, but what did that leave her? She could live out her days alone in the dark with nothing but rats for company. She knew that she could never return to civilization.

Her back rested against the cold wall of the cave and she was reminded of her days in Azkaban. They were almost preferable to her current situation. In Azkaban she had something to hold onto. Her days were spent dreaming about what her future would be when her master returned to power. Those days were over; she knew what life with Voldemort was. It was not what she dreamed.

She could no longer look at her master with love and desire. She could no longer refer to him as the Dark Lord or think of him as a superior. Her eyes had finally been opened to what he was. Unfortunately, her epiphany came too late.

In order for Bella to see the truth, she had to witness the death of her youngest sister. Narcissa had been cruelly murdered in front of her—in front of Draco. Draco had failed the Dark Lord and his punishment was the death of his mother.

Bella had tried to comfort her nephew, but it had been futile. He couldn’t be comforted. There were no words that would make him feel better. There was nothing she could do that would take away his pain or hers. She hadn’t seen her nephew since the day her sister died.

She also hadn’t seen her master. Allowing herself to be in the same room with him would have been a death sentence. The thought of groveling at his feet sickened her. She knew that she could no longer be his devote slave. He had taken Narcissa from her and that was unforgivable.

Sighing, she wondered where Draco had ended up. Had he turned to the light side to avenge his mother? Surely, he too, would turn away from Voldemort. Her nephew could never serve the man who took his mother. But what if he hadn’t gotten away? What if he had been captured? Voldemort would show him no mercy. If he was found, he would be killed.

Her hand brushed against the locket around her neck. There was a time when that small piece of jewelry had meant the world to her. She always knew what it was and that made it more special. She could still remember the day she received it.

Only eighteen years old, she was still very much a child. Her heart was opened to him. His charm and grace had drawn her to him from the moment they met. He called himself the Dark Lord and she knew that he would become her lord.

Apparently, he knew it too. He took a special interest in her, always making sure to spend some time with her alone. At the time it had meant the world to her. It never occurred to her that she was nothing but a fly becoming trapped in his web.

On her nineteenth birthday she had been called to him. She had been ecstatic. The Dark Lord had remembered her birthday. It was an honor above all others. Clearly, there were many more important things he could be doing than helping her celebrate, but he had made time for her.

Without hesitation, she Apparated away from her party and to his side. She was greeted warmly. He smiled at her, which was a rare occurrence and would not allow her to kneel. Instead, he offered her a chair and handed her a small box.

“This is something that I have wished to give you for some time now,� he told her. “I thought your birthday would be fitting. It is of great importance and I trust that you will protect it with your life.�

“Of course, my lord,� she replied.

As anxious as she was to open the box, she refrained from doing so. She knew that she had to wait for her master’s consent. Offending him after he offered her a gift would be unforgivable.

“You may open it,� he said, clearly seeing her anticipation.

Removing the box’s lid, she gasped. The silver locket glistened in the light provided by the fireplace. Bella was used to fine jewelry—she was a Black. Even she had never seen anything so delicate or beautiful.

Her master took the necklace from the box and fastened it around her neck.

“It looks perfect on you,� he replied, looking rather satisfied with himself.

“T-thank you, my lord,� she stammered, still unable to believe that he would give her something so phenomenal.

“Remember, Bella,� he told her, “this locket is very important. I am trusting you to keep it safe. As long as you have it, you will have a piece of my soul.�

The words had hit her like bricks. Instantly, she knew that her master was not speaking figuratively. She had always suspected that he had a Horcrux. Considering his desire for immortality, it only made sense. However, she never expected to be trusted with it.

In years to come, she kept her word. The locket remained safe and in her possession. She had even been able to sneak it into Azkaban with her. It had never left her. There were times it was the only thing that kept her sane—her only link to her precious master.

She had even allowed her cousin to die because of the necklace. It had been used to trap Regulus, test his loyalty. The test had been failed. Information had been leaked to Regulus giving him the opportunity to steal the locket, which was a fake, as the original never left her neck. Once the fake Horcrux was destroyed so was Regulus. She hadn’t even flinched. She simply continued to guard her treasure.

Now she knew it was the only way he could die. If she were to destroy the locket, his piece of soul would die with it. He would be made mortal again and surely be killed. If she destroyed the locket, she could avenge her sister.

But would it be worth it? Voldemort would be dead, but it wouldn’t bring Narcissa back. It wouldn’t keep Draco safe. It wouldn’t allow her to walk out in the open. No matter what the outcome, rather Voldemort lived or died, her family had no hope. Nothing could bring her sweet sister back. Nothing could save her or her nephew. If Voldemort died the Ministry would see that they were sent to Azkaban as Death Eaters. If Voldemort lived he would see that they died as traitors.

She took the locket from her neck and clutched it in her hand. Her decision had been made. She couldn’t save herself and the best she could give her nephew was good wishes. However, she could kill the person who killed her sister and that was a start.

Sitting the locket on the ground, she debated what to do next. Her knowledge in this area was minimal. Hogwarts had failed to teach her how to destroy a Horcrux. Hogwarts had failed her in many ways.

Sighing, she decided to take the most direct approach. Without a wand, there was really only one way she could go about destroying her once treasured piece of jewelry. Feeling around on the ground, her hand touched a large rock. Without hesitation, she grabbed the rock and smashed it on the locket.

To her surprise, the metal did not simply break. It fell into two pieces and a streak of yellow light emitted from its center. A smile touched her lips as she realized that it had worked. The soul had been destroyed by the yellow glow.

The yellow glow proceeded to surround her and she felt peaceful. The smile remained on her face as she closed her eyes, knowing that she had stopped a great evil.