I've Noticed You Before (Rodolphus)

Rodolphus Lestrange was sitting in the back of the library, head hung over an old issue of the Daily Prophet, as he thought about what his life would be like if he wasn't engaged to Bellatrix Black. The old newspaper, despite being a back issue, held a certain amount of sentimental value for Rodolphus. This issue had changed everything for him. Distorted the life he'd come so accustomed to living. Flipping to the back, his eyes landed on the black and white photo he'd seen countless times: a portrait of him and Bellatrix, arms around each other, as they posed stiffly for the camera. Though they were smiling, any fool could see the misery in their faces. This was the issue their engagement had been formally announced to the wizarding world. He liked to think of it as the beginning of the end.

Dramatics aside, Rod was absolutely certain this was probably the worst thing to have ever happened to him. Neither he or Bellatrix had been given much choice in the matter. They were controlled by their parents and the threat of being cut off from the family fortune. Such was the life of a wealthy pure-blood. The big day was looming over him more and more, like a harpy gripping her talons into his shoulders. Part of him had always felt that it wouldn't make a difference, his marriage to Bellatrix. That their future as husband and wife was a mere formality. If you thought he was going to be committed to her just because they were bound by holy matrimony, then you better think again. He had every intention of continuing the lifestyle he lead now. In all honesty, he and Bellatrix could probably come to some kind of arrangement regarding their... extracurricular activities. Ahem. He didn't expect her to remain a nun throughout their marriage just because the thought of throwing her a bone was enough to make him sick. They would learn to live with it. But it was a matter of principle. He would never be free again. He would always be chained to her, and she to him, no matter how hard they tried to struggle against it.

All his life, Rod had never felt any kind of desire to be married. He wasn't an idiot, though. He was a respted member of a wealthy, pure-blooded family. He had responsibilities to uphold, so Rod had always known that marriage was in the cards for him. As much as he loathed the institution. But weren't they animals? What animal mated for life? It just wasn't natural to tie yourself to someone unconditionally; it was completely inhuman. An invention. Probably thought up by a woman, he thought with an exasperated roll of his eyes. Staring down at the newspaper, gaze fixed on Bellatrix and her stupid smile, it was all he could do not to set it in on flames with his wand. In fact... "Incendio." he murmured dryly, watching the paper burn to ashes. Rodolphus sighed, shaking his head. That witch had pushed his buttons one too many times.

Merlin, why was he being such a wanker today? What he needed was a distraction, something to sink his teeth into and get his mind off of all this madness. He was Rodolphus bloody Lestrange, after all. It was time to remind himself of that. He wasn't going to be Bellatrix's docile beast, fetching her her sodding slippers in the morning. Though Bellatrix never said it aloud, Rod knew there was nothing she hated more than seeing him with a woman that wasn't her. They hated each other, but still that demon felt she had some kind of twisted claim over him. Bellatrix would make a great soap opera, actually.

Lifting his head, his grey-green eyes scanned the quiet library, searching for someone to entertain him. And if that someone happened to piss off poor, ugly Bellatrix, well, then that was just a fringe benefit. As he looked about the library, Rodolphus was growing displeased with his assemblage of prospects. Was there a girl in here who was half-way decent and he hadn't already shagged? It was then that his gaze focused in on a Ravenclaw girl sitting alone at one of the other tables. Her head was down, absorbed in the textbook before her. She was tapping her quill furiously, to a point of annoyance. She seemed so lost in what she was doing that Rod wondered if she would even be in the right mindset to pay him any mind. With a shrug of his shoulders though, Rod decided it wouldn't pose much of a challenge. After all, he had little doubt in his capabilities. He swaggered over to her and then sat down in the opposite chair. Flicking his eyes toward the book in front of her he asked, "Business or pleasure?"

She was pretty, Rodolphus decided. Frankly, that had been his one and only motivation for crossing the room to share her table. She was pretty. That was really all Rod cared about, at least when it came to women. He didn't need her to be funny or interesting or smart – though he was presuming she was given her House situation. Women, with their endless chatter and inexplicable obsessions with love and romance, were a vexation Rod couldn't stand longer than the time it took to bed them. After that, they were more than welcome to get their arse out of his sight. Door's that-a-way. In Rod's completely unblemished opinion, women were pretty much good for one thing. Beyond that, he didn't see much use for them. Regarding the nameless Ravenclaw girl with one of his intense stares, he gave her a small smile. Why hadn't he seen this girl before? Oh, right. They were in the library.

It was quite a miracle actually that Rod entered this Valhalla of knowledge today. Even Madame Pince had deigned him with a look of both suspicion and bewilderment. After all, if Rodolphus Lestrange was in the library, it could only mean one thing: trouble. However, he hadn't given her a reason to reprimand him yet, – though she'd been eyeing him like a hawk for the last hour – as he'd promptly made his way to one of the vacant tables, here only for the intention of reading the newspaper without bother. Really though, the library was practically an alien planet to the Slytherin. There were certain places Rodolphus frequented: the dungeons, the astronomy tower, the Quidditch pitch, and so forth. But the library – home of future spinsters, pimple-faced geeks, and general shut-ins – certainly wasn't one of them. As could be expected, Rod wasn't exactly a top-notch student. In fact, he was quite at the bottom of the academic totem pole. The way Rod saw it though, he had a hunger and passion for adventure and thrills. Why would he waste his youth in the dark, cobweb-ridden stacks? He was much more interested in experiencing life rather than reading about it in some dusty, old book, thank you very much.

His all-consuming and ceaseless thirst for adventure and danger could be seen his everyday life. He was a chaser for the Slytherin Quidditch team. He pursued any girl of his choice, regardless of the lengths he would have to go through. Not to mention he was without fail up to some kind of debauchery inside or outside of the walls of Hogwarts. Yes, it could be safely assumed that caution wasn't exactly something Rodolphus adhered to. He was without shame, or embarrassment, or, to a certain degree, common sense. Which was why joining the Ravenclaw girl at her otherwise vacant table was an easy task for him, something he didn't need to put a lot of thought into. It was just another day of trying to do something new, pushing the boundaries as far as he possibly could. Talking to women was not something had gave him nerves or anxiety. He lived for the chase, the challenge that a woman might pose, the possibility that she might turn him down, and the possibility that he could change her mind. It was all a circus to him, a circus that provided for him with both satisfaction and a major ego boost.

Wordlessly, Rod tilted the book slightly upward just enough so he could read the title. Nodding his head with a certain amount of empathy, he set it back down and looked her in the eye. “Ancient Runes...” he said this more to himself than to her. The edges of his lips curled into a wry smirk at her following words, and he casually shrugged his shoulders in response. “I've found a fairly effective method for avoiding classwork: stop showing up.” Even though he laughed afterward, he certainly wasn't joking. Rod could hardly remember the last he attended a legitimate class. He wondered what this studious Ravenclaw would think of that. “Rodolphus Lestrange, by the way.”

Rodolphus looked the girl over carefully, trying to decide what would or wouldn't become valuable to him later on. Green-blue eyes traveled across her candid face, that fair skin, her honey brown waves. His gaze lingered on her hesitant smile and then shamelessly studied the gentle curve of her body. Tact had never especially been his forte. When his examination was over, he met her stare once more, offering her a coy smirk. Immediately the girl struck him as being an aloof sort. Stand-offish and independent, completely unlike himself. Rodolphus didn't limit himself to a certain kind of girl; he'd been with Virgin Mary-types, with Queen Bees, Mary Magdalenes, girls that danced on table-tops, girls that read books, girls who loved him, girls who just loved his body, girls who were outgoing, girls that weren't. The point was, Rodolphus enjoyed variety and would have grown bored simply shagging the Integra's of the world. That was what particularly intrigued Rod about this Ravenclaw girl She was certainly different.

There was also just the added bonus of being with someone new, the prospect of a new opportunity, a new conquest. Something fresh and exciting. Rodolphus had no problem re-visiting old lovers, assuming they met his expectations; he'd shagged Integra a countless number of times, after all. But in the end, he always preferred the possibility of the unexplored. It was so easy for him to grow bored, to realize he had no desire to touch what he'd already touched. Looking upon the girl now with her uncertain smile and sharp eyes, that was exactly the notion she held for him. If she failed to please him the way he hoped she would, it wouldn't matter. He could always just move on to someone else. Until then, he was more than willing to see what she had to offer him.

It would be even kinder if your arrogance didn't outweigh the intention. He blinked and smiled at her explicit use of sarcasm; it was a language he knew well, and there were few who were quite as fluent as him. A psychiatrist would tell him it was some kind of defense mechanism, a method of deflection, but truthfully, Rodolphus had always been this way. Whether it was a product of society or birth, Rod wasn't sure, nor did he particularly care. Rod personally liked to think of it as an asset, not a hindrance, especially when talking to women. Why bore them with the same old pick-up lines they'd no doubt heard a dozen times when you could bring something new to the table? O.K. So Rod wasn't an especially nice guy. In fact, nearly everything that came out of his mouth was a jab of some kind. A joke. A punch-line. But since when did girls like nice guys? Never.

“This is the part where you introduce yourself.” he murmured. This girl was absolutely adorable, if a bit socially awkward. He saw the way her eyes lingered on his mouth, the way she tried to pretend he wasn't having an effect on her. It was a similar routine with most women. He talked. They oggled. He kissed them. They swooned. It was a song he had played so many times, he practically had the sheet music memorized. Even still, he never tired of it. The chase. Running a hand through his thick, dark hair, Rodolphus' lips curled upward in a smirk. That blush of hers was intoxicating. “And what exactly have you heard about me?” he inquired with a playful tilt to his voice. For all his seemingly nonchalant-ness, Rodolphus was actually quite curious. What did the world think of Rodolphus Lestrange? Rod could take a few wild guesses on that note.