Inell's Fanfiction Archive

She watched the blade glisten in the soft glow of candlelight. When it touched the flushed skin, so smooth and covered with a light scattered of freckles, she inhaled as she listened to it slowly slice through the thin flesh. The canvas moved but his hand remained steady, working with the hands of an artist.

"Do you see the way I use the blade?" he asked casually, the canvas’ soft whimpers ignored as he pressed deeper. "Treat it gently and it will do anything you wish, Bella."

"May I try, my Lord?" she asked eagerly, unable to look away from the marks he was creating. She looked at the image he was using, her fingertips tracing it carefully. It was difficult to believe a Muggle had been responsible for such beauty.

"Are you sure you’re ready?" He gave her a slight smile and she knew he was testing her. When she nodded, cool fingertips brushed a lock of hair from her cheek before handing over the scalpel. "Treat your canvas as a work of art, Bella. Slow and steady. Watch as the blood comes to the surface. Do you think she suffers more if you are fast and rough or slow and precise?"

"Slow, my Lord," she said as she recalled an earlier lesson. The blade was small but perfect for the incisions she was making on the swell of belly before her. "Always allow time when you’re creating. Fast and sloppy is for Muggles."

"Good girl," Voldemort complimented as he moved behind her.

Bella looked back at the decades old photograph and continued to imitate the work of the unknown Muggle, pleased when the canvas finally stopped moving.

The End