Thank you for your support and reviews! Winter is coming, so have a little bit of Barty. And Sirius. And Remus.

I feel warm already :)

„Sirius, calm down…"

„NO!"- the wizard yelled and grabbed another plate, smashing it against the wall. Remus cringed but refused to surrender. The noise his friend was making would surely wake Rose and that would do no good.

They were in the kitchen, trying to find some kind of solution to this whole mess.

"Sirius, she'll get better, remember what she went through…" – he tried one more time. It was no use.

"I remember perfectly well, thank you! Did you see her?! She nearly lost her mind in that hell! Crouch is insane, I don't want to think what he did to her-"

"Then don't" – Remus said firmly. "Do not think of it. There's nothing we can do about it. Now, we must focus on helping her regain her strength and forget about all of this."

"If I had been able to leave this damned house, helped to search for her…"

"Dumbledore did everything he could do. There was no clue, it was impossible to track her down. She's here with us, now."

Sirius didn't respond. He still paced along the kitchen table, but it looked like he wasn't going to destroy anything else. Remus sighed in relief. He looked up at the ceiling, listening closely for a moment but heard nothing. The girl was still asleep.

That afternoon she went into hysterics, crying and calling for Crouch. Sirius became furious as soon as he heard her pleas to take her back to the Death Eater. The things she went through…Remus didn't want to think about them, but he had to. Without knowing what happened to his former student, he was unable to help her at all. Was she tortured? There were no marks on her body, but Cruciatus Curse didn't leave any signs on the victim; as far as Remus knew, Crouch excelled in these kind of spells. One thing was sure – someone tampered with her mind. The girl was terrified and wanted nothing more than to be reunited with her captor. Lupin had no idea what to do about it. Sirius' bloodlust wasn't helping in any way.

'Time' Dumbledore said. But how much of it? Days? Months? Years? An unpleasant feeling ran through wizard's body as his thoughts wandered to his old colleagues – Alice and Frank Longbottom. Their encounter with Barty Crouch Jr ended up in 's Janus Thickey Ward. If Dumbledore's 'time' won't help, Rose will share their fate. At times, the cruelty of the world was too much for Remus Lupin. Witnessing all of this death, suffering, enduring the pain of his transformations… There were many precious moments too, but they were like a candlelight: beautiful, but easily swept away.

The clanking of pots shook him out of those sad thoughts. He looked up and saw Sirius, still looking angry, chopping the onion as if the poor vegetable was a Death Eater in person.

"What are you doing?", Remus asked, bewildered at his friend's behaviour. Sirius wasn't the best cook in the world. Seeing him now, as he nearly chopped off his fingers was an entertaining sight, indeed.

"What do you think? I'm making some food for her. Who knows what that son of a…" – Sirius growled, clenching dangerously the knife.

"Yes, yes, that's good idea", Remus interrupted hastily, "but let me help you. We wouldn't want to poison the poor thing."

And with a grin, he dodged a small onion that came flying right at his face.

It took Rose a few days to calm down. She spoke a little, but never about her husband. No one pressured her.

Tonks visited her often, telling her about neutral things such as work, weather, a few gossips. Nothing about Voldemort or Death Eaters. Rose smiled at her, or at least tried to. She was grateful for her company. She smiled at Sirius too, and at Remus, Kingsley and everyone who came by to look at her. The Death Eater's victim. Their expressions, full of pity, were driving the girl insane. Dumbledore was observing Rose closely, coming by for a cup of tea and to check how she felt. It was even worse than poorly concealed whispers and worried looks of other members of the Order.

One evening Rose seemed to be in a good mood, considering recent events. Dumbledore had been talking with Lupin and Sirius for hours, so she had a little time to draw something. Lupin brought a sketchbook and pencils for her, to help her relax. It was a good idea and Rose was very grateful for that.

What could they be discussing right now?, she thought, while sketching. Voldemort's plans? Harry's safety? Her mental health?

Soon, Dumbledore will come, she was sure of that. He'll ask about the precious artefact that remains hidden in Crouch's house. The Amulet of Ananke, capable of granting almost any wish. Too much power for one man.

Even the noblest of hearts can be corrupted by great power.

And Rose wasn't so sure about the purity of Dumbledore's heart.

It was half past eight, when the girl's premonition came true. There was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in!", Rose called, already knowing who wanted to talk to her.

"Good evening", Dumbledore spoke with a smile, taking a few steps towards her. "How are you feeling?", he asked.

"Good.", Rose replied, attempting to smile. It was her usual response to all inquiries about her well-being. "Please, sit down, sir.", she said and smiled again. For some reason, the action was making her sick.

The headmaster took a seat and looked at Rose, his blue eyes penetrating her as if trying to guess her thoughts.

"First of all", he said after a moment of silence, "I would like to apologize, for everything that had happened to you. I am aware that your mission was tough to complete and that it was very dangerous. There's no doubt it was too much for a girl your age."

The witch observed the old man with indifference.

For the greater good. What is a life of some unknown woman compared to lives of thousands? Dumbledore made it seem like a hard choice, but Rose knew that it wasn't so hard at all. He was just making her feel better. Pretending that she wasn't just a pawn.

"It's most important now for you to recover quickly.", he said, " I'm afraid that the war is only beginning and there will be much, much more to do in order to defeat Voldemort."

Rose didn't say anything. Of course, there was much to do for her. The yellow topaz shaped as a pear. Her Christmas gift. Barty said it had been in his family for centuries. The girl had it in her hands, hidden safely in her bedroom along with other jewellery her husband gave her. During all those days when she combed the whole house in search of the Amulet, it was there all along. And now it was lost. Rose was here, far away from the drawer in her bedroom, far away from Barty.

The only way to retrieve the thing was to come back.

"I failed to do my task", Rose said quietly, looking at Dumbledore. "I don't have the Amulet. I didn't find it."

The old wizard's gaze was intense, but held no sign of suspicion. He sighed softly. "It's good to have you safe here, Rose. It's all that matters."

The girl looked away from him. It was a lie, she knew it. Of course he had to be glad that she was out of danger. It was a right thing to feel that way in this situation. He couldn't say: 'I'm disappointed. We could destroy Lord Voldemort, but you have failed and now we are back to square one.' Rose knew that deep inside, the professor thought so. But he hid it well, maybe even from himself and looked at her with compassion.

"Don't blame yourself. There are other ways to defeat Voldemort. In fact, I think I'm very, very close to finding a solution."

His expression changed for a second and Rose saw an old, tired man, anguish written all over his face. In a moment though, everything turned back to normal. The familiar twinkle returned to Dumbledore's blue eyes and he smiled.

"Rest now. Sirius will flay me alive if he sees you tired because of me. He growls at every person who makes any sound while you're sleeping."

Rose smiled.

"It's very kind of him.", she whispered. Dumbledore winked at her and left. She was alone again. That felt strangely good.

What was the solution Dumbledore told her about? For some reason it made him very sad. Rose couldn't find an answer no matter how hard she tried. After some time Remus brought her supper, asking about her well-being. She responded in her usual way, reciting the words and forcing a smile. She ate, took a bath and went to sleep.

What is Barty doing right now?, she wondered. The girl hoped that he didn't hurt Winky for not bringing her back. She trembled at the memory of his fury; the man had an incredibly short temper. Was he at home? Or maybe he was out there, killing, torturing, looking for revenge?

He probably hates me, Rose thought, clenching her fist into a ball. The smallest amount of trust she had managed to gain from him was lost. Chances that Barty actually believed that she was taken against her will were scarce. He was mistrustful, full of hate and grudges. All of this; it was too much for her. She felt sick, used by everyone around her. Betrayed. Staged as a bait. Afraid of pain and death that will certainly befall her once her husband finds her. He didn't love her, couldn't love her. She was a toy, a pleasant distraction. Now, when Barty was far away from the girl, she could come to some rational conclusions, at last. The Death Eater was obsessed with her, but didn't care for her in the slightest.

Those thoughts hurt as hell, but there was no other choice, or so Rose thought. If she accepts the truth, she will gain strength to survive all of this. There was no point in deluding herself.

It would be so easy, so good to escape from all of them; but she couldn't. She wouldn't be able to live in some foreign country, knowing that she had a tool in her hands to stop Voldemort and hadn't used it.

"I'm not afraid", Rose whispered into darkness. Tears ran down her cheeks, drenching the pillow, but the girl kept whispering.

"I am not afraid of you. I am not afraid of you."

Her wedding band glistened slightly in the moonlight.

The night was cold, a drizzle coming down from the sky, dampening the man's hair. He didn't seem to mind, though. He set up the collar of his leather coat and continued to stalk down the empty street.

He was looking for something, very scrupulously. There was a wand in his hand, hidden from any Muggle's view, but ready to strike a curse on those who'd dare to stand in the wizard's way.

For days now, the man had been combing the entire county in search of something. Something precious he lost. Something that was stolen.

The responsible ones would pay.

For now, though, he had to find her.

The man was not sure, what he'd do to his woman once he got a hold on her again.

Kill the unfaithful wench., the annoying voice in his head whispered venomously.

"No!", the wizard growled, baring his clenched teeth. No, no, he wanted her alive. He needed to know for sure…

There was one thing that Barty Crouch Jr despised more than anything.

Treachery.

Treachery must be punished. If the girl turned out to be the little, snaky bitch he suspected she was, he would rip her to pieces. But if not…

There was a small chance she was not. That she wanted to remain by his side. He wouldn't kill someone who had been faithful to him. She was too pretty, too soft, smelled too good to do such a thing.

The man's body shook slightly.

It was difficult to focus solely on searching for the witch, now, when the Dark Lord planned to capture the prophecy as soon as possible. Maybe even kill the Potter boy at the same time. Barty had to help his master, he'd get his Rose later. The prospect of spending one more night without her warm body near him wasn't a pleasant one, but he had to endure.

He endured imprisonment in Azkaban and in his own home, by the hands of his father.

He could endure a little more.

Rose trembled in her sleep. Someone kept calling for her. 'Barty?' She sat up immediately.

"Who-?"

"Shhh, it's only me.", someone whispered in the darkness. Rose blinked a few times, trying to recognize the intruder in her room.

"Sirius?", finally, she said. "What's the matter?"

The wizard was silent for a moment. Rose could feel his gaze on her; full of sympathy and concern. It made her very uncomfortable for some reason. Minutes passed by, without a word being spoken.

"I couldn't sleep.", Sirius confessed after some time. "I – sometimes, I feel like I'm still in Azkaban. Imprisoned."

The girl said nothing. She could tell, by the slight slur in her friend's voice that he had drank a lot before coming here. It was sad, how such once handsome, strong young man turned into a bitter, broken shadow of himself. Rose remembered all those evenings in this house, so long ago - or maybe it was just few months? - when they sat together and joked. She felt good back then. He seemed to be better, too, despite being forced to sit in this gloomy house all the time. Now he was even more depressed and tense.

"Rose?", he asked softly.

"Yes?"

"We're alike, you and me", said Sirius, smiling sadly. "Both held in prison for so long, that we cannot break free from our cages."

He fell silent for a moment. Rose didn't know how to react to all of this. Long time ago, she would have been happy to be so close with Sirius. But not now. She felt extremely sad for him. She hated Voldemort more than ever.

"I hope that someday you'll be free, Rose.", he said quietly.

"You'll be free, too, Sirius", said Rose firmly. "The Dark Lord can't hide forever. Soon, everyone will see the truth-"

Sirius chuckled.

"What?", Rose asked, not knowing what was the matter now. The man in front of her was drunk, that was certain.

"You even call him like the Death Eaters", he said, still chuckling.

Rose blushed furiously.

"That's not funny!", she exclaimed, glaring at her companion. "It's just- I just-"

"I know", Sirius spoke, reaching for her hand. "I am sorry, I must have had a little too much of Firewhisky."

Rose said nothing, but allowed him to hold her hand. She knew what she had done – she called Voldemort the same way Barty kept calling him.

"It's just a habit.", she whispered.

"I know." Sirius whispered back.

Suddenly, Rose withdrew her hand from her friend's grasp. It wasn't right. The atmosphere in the room began to change, at she didn't like that in the slightest.

"You'll have a hell of a headache tomorrow", she joked, trying desperately to change the subject.

It was dark, so she couldn't fully see the wizard's face and reaction. He was silent for a second before laughing out loud.

"Yes, I suppose you're right sweetheart!"

He got up slowly.

"Well, I'll be leaving now, before Moony accuses me of harassing young girls during their sleep.", he said and turned around, tumbling over a carpet. With a chuckle he left Rose alone.

His laughter was fake, she was sure of it.

But he was drunk and she couldn't give him the warmth he certainly needed. Not anymore.