Chapter 1

The Madman's Rose

The house was a good atmosphere for a Death Eater reunion, with its dim lighting, grimly poignant undertone and suggestions of additional decoration that looked more than a little malevolent. It was just my luck that the Dark Lord himself had chosen here, of all places, to withhold a meeting with the most wanted people in the entire wizarding world.

But hey, who was I to argue; a young daughter of a Death Eater whom could only sit and chew crossly on a bit of toast while the rest discussed sneaky malicious little secrets as if I weren't present; in my chairs, at my dining table, in my kitchen- I might add.

Unfortunately, the said house as you might have guessed was my house. I didn't mind the dark, in fact; I rather liked it- as being in light areas made me feel vulnerable and open while dwelling in darkness had a bit of a comforting sense to it. But the presence of an entire cult of Death Eaters? That was never pleasant.

I might've been a Slytherin, but I was no Death Eater nor slave of the Dark Lord's. I was to simply be silent and polite to our "guests" as instructed by my father. I really didn't have much of a choice…

What annoyed me the most was the way these people treated me, and it seemed slightly out of character honestly. My father was popular amongst the others, believe it or not; and they all had good cause to treat me just as well (luckily). Heck, it was nice not having the alternative of being hated by such dangerous people, however being sapped over wasn't necessarily fantastic either.

The Death Eaters often swarmed me with their pathetic pet names; things such as "Malady, My dearest, sweetheart, mistress, and so on, so forth… Especially that chump, Peter Pettiwhatever (I usually just referred to him as Wormtail, quite a suitable name really) who practically smothered me with his seething "politeness." I could sense he really only did it out of fear towards my father- probably thinking he was expected to do it or else he'd get in trouble from the rest. The coward usually cast hopeful glances up at my dad after saying such things. What he didn't know was that I didn't want to hear him talk at all; and I really, really did not want to be here.

Of course, Wormtail was here already- along with Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback. As I already stated, I didn't like Wormtail. Neither did I like Fenrir- who reminded me of some kind of feral beast on a bloodthirsty rampage. Which, he was- being a crazed werewolf and all. Bellatrix; well, she could only be described as literally bat-shit crazy. There was a certain charm about her though when she was amongst allies; and quite surprisingly I didn't mind her as much as the others. As long as she wasn't in one of those nutty crazy psychotic phases again where almost everything in sight seemingly ended up demolished.

There was only one person who I actually liked; my best friend. Draco Malfoy- a fellow Slytherin pal of mine who would be arriving soon along with his parents Mr. Lucius and Mrs. Narcissa. I was aware of Draco's tendency of cruelty- however we somehow bonded over the prospect of being the two youngest people in the room with a bunch of convicted killers- and at Hogwarts we'd found one another as friends through sheer fate. We were kinda both in the same situation of pressure under our parent's expectations of becoming a dark wizard. However, even when those matters where irrelevant, there was a certain chemistry between us.

I was delighted when the Malfoy's arrived (thought I didn't show it, staying quiet as instructed) as Draco himself pulled up a chair next to me and studied me for a moment, platinum blonde bangs slightly winded after what I assumed was a broom flight to the meeting place.

"Well, you sure look saltier than usual."

"Do I?"

There it was; our normal dry sarcastic start of conversation. That seemed to comfort me a bit, having something predictable and normal to rely on. He smirked, a teasing gleam in his eye as he looked me over again.

"You're not usually this sour." I gave him a half-hearted glare and sighed grumpily, rolling my eyes.

"Hmm, I wonder why?!"

Any outsider wouldn't guess we were friends. We had a strange way of expressing it. We shared a trait of dry sarcastic humor and usually poked fun at one another trying to get an upper hand. It was a constant competition; but I liked it. I needed something like Draco to stimulate my brain and give me someone to humor with.

Besides, even if we took shots at one another regularly, we both thought it was funny.

"Hey- look at that, Wormtail's already giving you the lust eyes again."

My face contorted into disgust at that. It was no secret Wormtail, as old as he was, had some kind of pervy thing going on for me. It brought bile to my throat. A threw a death-look over at Wormtail who quickly averted his gaze with a rat-like twitch of his head; his pathetic frame shaking instantaneously with fright.

Draco simply snorted, quite amused at the display.

I decided to stay quiet, as I was currently so disturbed, so pissed, and so outrageously pushed to my limits; I feared if I opened my mouth something would slip out that would cost me allot. Probably even my life, if the Dark Lord was here. I knew I had a tendency to do that anyway. So, I settled for shooting Draco a look that read "I swear to god, I will get you back for this later…"

And I turned my head once more to watch as the last of the Death Eaters filed in, sat down, and officially began the meeting. There were many of them I didn't know, to my surprise. People I hadn't seen before. Probably because the Dark Lord had pretty much just returned after years of silence and absence. Those who were on "hiatus" during this time period had apparently returned.

They all caught on to that traditional greeting of the young lady (me) I suppose as they entered, taking example of everyone else who was calling me by my pet names and approaching graciously before bowing, kissing my hand (oh god, ew..) and greeting me with a "What a pleasure to meet you, Malady.." or, "Please, I thank you for your presence Mistress.."

I never really understood this procedure, as it had always kinda been that way. It had started when I was small- and I hadn't been smart enough then to realize what was going on, so now in my older days I had learned not to question it. All I knew was that I was expected to smile real wide and nod politely while responding with something equally as pleasant.

But still, all these ludicrous nicknames. I was no better than that ridiculous snake of the Dark Lord's.

Though, there was one man who caught my attention as he stepped into my household. The room got instantaneously silent, and the man cast wild eyes around the table as if daring someone to speak. There was an aura about him; some kind of cloud of insanity that followed his gaze that wasn't… Normal. Even for a Death Eater.

His face was frail and bony- as if he were almost starved; straw blonde hair with tints of caramel honey in its color wildly strewn about in an unkempt mess about his head. Still, he couldn't be more than a few years older than me. He was practically my age. His eyes withheld a madness- a fury, and an ambition in their deep chocolate brown depths. His pointed face was dirty- along with his dark shirt and leather trench coat that was a little oversized for his thin, slender frame. He was covered in white… powder? I didn't know what it was.

He made me tense- and I straightened up immediately at his presence. He found the closest chair available next to the spot we all knew that the Dark Lord would be sitting, and I- being purposefully as far away as possible from that specific spot- could only really get a small glimpse at him every now and then.

But even so, I was drawn to him- and my eyes kept lingering over to that spot where I knew he was sitting.

"Who… Is he?" I asked in a whisper, nudging Draco and nodding in the direction of the strange man who had just entered.

In a hushed voice, Draco answered me in an undertone that was barely audible- even as I was next to him.

"Barty Crouch Jr." He said, a tint of disbelief in his voice as he spoke the name.

"Barty Crouch… Junior." I muttered, testing the name on my own lips.

"Just got back from Azkaban I expect. Sure looks like hell, doesn't he? Makes you wonder what happens in those prison cells..."

I nodded grimly, just as I finally managed to get a good look at him. Right as I had begun to observe properly, his own eyes swerved about and rested directly on me.

It was almost as if my lungs had been seized of all the oxygen I had- and I found myself both transfixed and terrified at the same time. He stared relentlessly into my eyes; before a playful smirk crossed his lips. And… His tongue had flicked out of his mouth and grazed the top of his lip as he continued staring.

I felt myself shiver- but I held my composure and stared right back boldly at him. I wasn't going to show I was intimidated by some freak in front of such a judgmental audience.

Once more, his tongue flicked out- faster this time, and he cocked an eyebrow at me before slowly turning away, a hint of amusement on his wild face.

Once his eyes had left me I let down my composure and let out a ghastly shiver, letting the expression of terror cross my face finally.

"What a dreadful creature…" I muttered to Draco, who of course found such unfortunate events on my part hilarious. He was chuckling and nudging me teasingly.

He was trying to make fun of me meanwhile trying to avoid the attention of his father; knowing his shenanigans would get him into trouble.

"Seriously!" I said, trying to convey to him that I found this very severe. "Did you see his tongue?! What the bloody hell was that about?"

Draco finally quit his bickering with me and shook his head, laughing still like I was a fool.

"Oh, he always does that. But I'll mind you; he definitely only does it when he gets excited. By the looks of it you've got him a little more than just that."

"Ohhhh, nooo, grosss Draco! No, that's disgusting…" I groaned, bringing the palm of my hand to my face in aggravation. I couldn't really tell if he meant excited in a happy-stabby evil criminal plotful way, or… Yea… That way.

"I'm just kidding…!" He said, frowning as his father caught his eye.

And, as expected-

"Draco, silence."

We both silenced.

Soon enough, we learned why- and that presence that always alerted everyone in the room immediately swept over the household like a blanket- but a quilt made of ice, not warmth. Wormtail began cringing and whimpering, until there he was- right in front of us.

The Dark Lord…

I hated that feeling you got before he showed up. When you felt that specific sensation you always knew he was coming.

Striding around the room in his dangerous poise, he took his seat like the king he knew he was- and took in the sight of us all with his snake eyes; sniffing the air with his snake nose- and forming words with his snake mouth.

I turned to look at Barty- to see his eyes wider than they had been when he'd first joined us, and it was obvious that he was clinging on to every last word the Dark Lord spoke. I looked away, and listened obediently.

Well, not really- I appeared to be listening obediently, but usually these things took about an hour or so, and I often took to drifting off into my own thoughts.

It took about thirty minutes of plotting between the Death Eaters before I figured everyone was distracted enough that I could talk to Draco again.

"Draco, where is Snape?"

"School is starting soon, so probably at Hogwarts." He said, grimacing at the idea of school. I knew he didn't like Hogwarts. However I thought differently so I simply ignored the prospect and nodded.

Soon enough, to my relief- we were dismissed. And, to my further relief; the Dark Lord had left. However, things had taken a turn for the worst as I realized that the Death Eaters where to be staying at my house until further notice from the Master. My heart sank at this. I didn't want nasty ratty Wormtail, feral Fenrir, and crazy Bella staying in my house. Sure, Draco was fine, but everyone else…. Ugh.

I kept up my act of politeness however until I stumbled outside and blindly thrashed about in the yard with fury- Draco following behind. Apparently, even in my display of rage he didn't understand that now was not the time to make jokes.

He opened his mouth to speak- and he started, but I was finished. Angrily I turned tail on him and hissed at him to leave me alone and go back upstairs. I knew he could take it, he had thick skin. Shrugging, he gave me a look of exasperation and dramatically made his way back inside.

I gave an angry sigh- and made my way over to the pond that lay directly north of our backyard. I liked the pond, as it was always kind of dark with trees shading its tranquil presence- making me feel covered and safe in shadows. Nobody could see me, so I was hereby secure. However the occasional bits of light filtered through the trees leaves and created speckles of stardust along the water's surface; where I then peered into it curiously as I always did.

I could always unwind here, and as the lake focused on my reflection slowly I found my own face staring back up at me.

There was my hair that stretched all the way down to my mid back; the top of my head being my natural raven black color while the majority of the rest of my curls where dyed an intensely vibrant electric blue that faded in an ombre pattern to light baby blue. I took great pride in my hair, and after dying it I'd always felt it was my best feature. It made me look exotic and noticeable. I admired it for a while, trailing my fingers down the soft curled spirals that faded from black, to electric blue, to baby blue.

Then, my gaze shifted to my face. I had a decently pretty face, though I felt like I could never really decide how I felt about my physical image. I had my usual skillfully applied makeup on, the black winged eyeliner being my trademark addition. Yes, there were my nice cheekbones and expressive dark chocolate brown eyes. I had once thought I was the ugliest child ever, and I had also once thought I looked like a princess. Those where different times, though. Now, I wasn't sure what I was.

The most noticeable thing about me however was probably my social markers, or my clothes so to speak. I was your classic punk gothic metal head. Though, not as intense as allot of those types. I had on some cuffs with chains and crosses on them that decorated my wrists over my long-sleeved shirt with a well-known metal band on it; the scary design frozen in place on the fabric. There was also my studded belt, my chain, my jeans, and leather combat boots. Yes, I was slightly intimidating, and many tended to prejudge me based on my harsh outer appearance at first. But truly I was normally quite friendly. Not today though, having Death Eaters in my house. That was understandable.

I broke out of my trance and once again found myself contemplating on how I could solve this visitor problem.

"Damn Death Eaters…" I growled to myself, shaking my head and watching as my reflection copied my actions.

"Am I really all that bad, dear? Surely you could use some company in your distress…"

In that instant I could've sworn I jumped so high I'd have reached space; but no, the voice that had elicited from somewhere behind me. I inhaled sharply, and turned to see who this intruder was. He had spoken almost teasingly, playfully… Mischievously.

There he was, staring back at me with that same arousing intensity.

Barty Crouch Jr…

I was appalled, and shocked beyond belief. My brain couldn't decide whether to be furious, scared, or surprised. So, I just sat there and gazed at him like a fool.

How on earth had he found me here?! And furthermore, why on earth WAS he here?!

My mind took a moment to process his voice. It was tainted with an accent, Scottish maybe? The way he used it was like silk, soft- but of course dangerous nonetheless. I realized then that I was probably in mortal danger, sitting here alone and vulnerable with a Death Eater who had just escaped Azkaban (and was still more than likely at the start of recovering mentally from the feat..)

He seemed to be very much enjoying my reaction, and a crooked smirk crossed his lips as he watched me with burning passionate amusement.

But I took a moment instead to process his words. Easily, I maintained my dignity like I always did, straightened up as I had before- and lifted my head pridefully and met his crazed eyes with as much indifference on my face as I could manage.

"What do you want." I said coldly, in statement rather than a question.

"Forgive me," He drawled, nearing me slowly like an advancing predator. Every muscle- every bone in my body screamed "danger"

But I was frozen, and I watched him approach.

"Where are my manors?"

"I don't know, why don't you go run off and find them before talking to me." I replied hotly, my courage building up as a result of my returning anger towards the Death Eater.

He tilted his head and his manic grin grew in size, as my reply seemingly had the opposite effect as I intended. It had… excited him?

Yes, it had- there was that tongue flicker thing he did.

Finally, he took that moment to take one last step so that he was now entirely in front of me. I stood, and looked up at him expectantly.

His eyes lowered for a moment, and he bowed his head slightly.

God, what. Did. He. WANT?

"I apologize for not introducing myself properly sweetheart, I'm afraid the situation at hand prevented me from interaction with you."

Did he really come all the way out here to "introduce himself?"

I hadn't noticed before, but he had one hand hidden behind his back; and in that instant he removed it from secrecy and presented me with a brilliant white rose. I was momentarily shocked once more… Though after a few more seconds of recovery from this strange gift I acknowledged it as nothing more than some sort of spiteful trickery. He took hold of my hand and kissed It as if he where some kind of gentlemen (which was completely ironic in his current state; as he was still dirty and physically reduced to a mental savage)

His lips where moist, probably from the licking- and as he pulled away from my hand he licked his lips once; twice more in his strange rapid little way.

I stared down at him coldly, letting him know that I was not that easily fooled. He grinned cockily back up at me. I was briefly reminded of the look the Big Bad Wolf gave Little Red Riding hood in the fairy tales as he stalked her.

"Tell me, what are you doing out here all by yourself? Where's your little snake friend, hmm?"

"I…" I stuttered, then cursed under my breath before realizing my mistake.

Barty was quite pleased at this.

"That's none of your business. I came out here to be alone, and that condition does not exclude you." I said finally; feeling proud of my recovery.

He chuckled, a surprisingly gentle velvety sound that made me feel a little dizzy.

"Goodness, are you feisty. I suppose I'll see you at dinner then, dear."

And then, he began to simply walk away as if our so called "conversation" had never occurred. For some reason, this made something stir inside of me. Who did he think we was, coming and leaving as he chose? Messing with me, getting inside my head with his stupid little grin? And then he figured he could just leave?

"Wait! Stop!" I called after him.

He paused, then turned around with that bloody arrogant snicker on his face.

"W-Whats your name?" I asked.

What? Why in God's name would I ask that?! I already knew the question to that answer, so why on earth-?!

"Barty." He said, and for the first time since I'd met him that smirk turned into something that looked almost like a genuine smile. A real one.

"Barty Crouch Jr." He finished, a hint of distaste in his tone as he said it.

"Barty…" I said. That made him happy again at least, I thought; and he gave one last brief lick of his lips.

"And your name, dear?"

"Jazlynn."

And just as I'd said his name, he tested out mine as well.

"Well, as I said before. Pleasure to meet you, Jazlynn." A shiver ran down my spine, and I managed a curt nod. Something about him having the power of knowing my name was strange.

"See you at dinner."

Another lick.

And with that he finally departed from my presence. In my hand, I still held that same rose. For a moment I contemplated on what I should do with it. It was very easily potentially dangerous- and I had not yet uncovered Barty's motives for what he had done. But, I knew they were probably malevolent.

Still, a part of me wanted to keep it. I wasn't sure why; though maybe it was because it was the nicest gesture any Death Eater had ever made towards me.

Still, that could be for deceitful reasons… My logic told me.

And so finally, I made my decision and left the rose there on the boulder that sat soundly directly under my trees, a few inches away from the edge of the pond where I often sat and pondered. I would be sure to come back and investigate it more. Hopefully, if I found it was harmless, I would keep it.

"Barty Crouch Jr." I muttered. "What a madman."