Well, here we are. Second to last chapter and the climactic scene. Enjoy (is it even right to say that under these circumstances?).

It was only now that Lord Voldemort knew the true danger of feeling, and it was all over Ginerva Potter, a blood traitor. Guilt and panic ate away at the lining of his stomach, the marrow of his bones. If it wasn't for the fact that he had to stay there, be there to fight Rose... well, he would have died.

Everything, all of this, was his fault, and at that moment it seemed to only be his. If he had noticed that he hadn't seen his mum all of Easter break, he could have prevented her torture. If he had caught Rose earlier, hadn't been so weak, she might have never been taken. If he hadn't been himself, Dark Lord, Rose may never have become this way.

"Why?" His voice sounded tinny and distant, as though he had a bad phone connection.

"She was in the way," said Rose. "I tried to convince her to help me by giving me the password to the Ministry archives, she refused. I told her the cause I serve, she tried to curse me."

"She isn't even a Slytherin!"

"She sided against me, just like Frank. She will be counted among the wicked."

"I won't allow it," said Albus.

"And neither will I." Frank appeared beside Albus, his robes billowing about dramatically.

"You came," said Albus, his great relief evident in his voice.

"Of course, said his friend cheekily, and for a moment a glimpse of Frank-before-Snape could be seen. Then Frank turned toward Rose, his face set, his wand pointed steadily at her. Rose's eyebrows shot up.

"Well, well, well. It seems that Slytherins always band together, doesn't it, Severus? And here I was thinking your were an abnormality."

"You're forgetting, Rose, that I was sorted into Gryffindor last September."

"Its mistake," said Rose, waving a hand airily. "We can all see very clearly where you stand."

"Step away from Mrs. Potter, Miss Weasley," said Frank in the low, dangerous voice of Severus Snape. "We can squabble about my loyalties at a later date."

"She's betrayed Godric same as you have. She deserves everything coming at her."

"Rose, she is your aunt!" Albus blurted out. Frank's hand, the one not holding the wand, found Albus's shoulder and gripped it, warning him to calm down. Albus took a deep, steadying breath, trying to ignore the pain of his damned feeling, trying to forget that he was anything but a Dark Lord because Dark Lords do not cry over their mums.

Rose's wand, surprisingly, lowered from the immediate threat of Frank Longbottom. Unfortunately that meant that it was pointing directly at the prone figure of Ginny Potter. Albus's breath caught in his throat, and he had to resist the urge to close his eyes, curl in a ball, and cry from the pain of it all. Dark Lords were not this vulnerable. Voldemort was not this vulnerable, but somewhere far away and long ago a boy named Tom Riddle had been.

"Don't," Albus begged, knowing what was coming, what had to come. Rose smiled.

"Crucio." His mum's screams filled his ears. He had to keep his stoic facade on, but his mask was crumbling. Tom Riddle was sobbing in that godforsaken orphanage, than it was the others sobbing because of Riddle. Because of him, Voldemort. They hurt him and he hurt everyone and Rose hurt his mum and nothing ever changed. The pain never stopped hurting, even when the origin was dead and gone, and all of it was his fault. This blood was on his hands.

The reflection he saw staring at him was hideous and mutilated and angry and wrong. His soul was so shredded that nothing could possible knit together the gaping wounds. Blood dripped from him, blood from all his killing and failure and the death of that boy who had been so like at Hogwarts, who had chances but never took them and had turned into a literal monster in a quest to free everyone from pain he only created more of.

"Rose, I'm warning you," said Frank as Albus fought to stay in the moment.

"You wouldn't dare, not when I have my wand pointed at the traitor." Frank's jaw tightened.

"Just watch me dare," he whispered. Rose's eyes widened and she stopped the curse. Frank looked a bit surprised at his own success.

"Rose, step away from my mum," said Albus.

"No," said Rose. Albus drew his wand. It shook from the pain that still consumed him. "You think that you're intimidating me?" There was suddenly a loud crack and all the torches dimmed. Albus heard Rose give a soft gasp.

"I didn't do that," said Albus. "Honest-" The torches behind Rose flared and she turned. A striking silhouette was outlined in the flames. I bent down beside Albus's mum, taking her pulse, then drew up to its full height.

"Drop the wand." When Rose heard the voice she visibly relaxed.

"You do know how to make an entrance," she said, "but you can't fool me, uncle." She waved her wand lazily, causing the room to be lit brightly again and every detail of Harry Potter to be made visible.

"I never thought I'd see this from you, Rose," he whispered. Rose let out a little, breathless laugh.

"Of course you didn't, Uncle Harry. I'm the good one, after all. The nice one, the one everyone takes for granted because I'm just there. I'm nothing compared to the others; I'm not special enough for this family. But now... now I'll show you. I'll show all of you how I can be more than good, nice Rose Weasley. I'll show you how I can be great, too!"

"What if you don't need to be anything more, Rose?" said Albus. Rose spared him a glance over her shoulder.

"You really think talking will help at his point? You are dead, Voldemort. You and Severus and all your Slytherin friends are going to die."

"I don't think so," said Frank as he shot a spell at her back. She blocked it easily.

"Drop the wand. Rose," said Albus's father.

"You're betraying me too?" Rose was enraged. "You were supposed to be my biggest supporter! What's wrong with you, uncle?"

"You are not my niece. Now drop the wand and step away from my wife and son." For a moment Rose's eyes were wide with shock. Then they narrowed, sparkling dangerously. Her wand rose and whipped in circles above her head. "Alicanaman achum achum achum alicanaman!" she shrieked.

Wind rushed around the room, blowing out the torches and enveloping everything in an unnatural darkness. It suffocated Albus, stealing his breath away. He could no longer find Frank or his father.

"Avada Kedavera!" The darkness was broken for a moment by a flash like green lightning. His mum arched her back and collapsed. Rose's gleeful expression, though visible only for a moment, would stay with him the rest of his life.

In the darkness he began to shatter. He fell to his knees. "Mum!" he shouted. Across the years he heard the other children who had shouted that word in that tone, who he had caused this pain. More and more join the hoard of wrongs he had up to this point been ignoring. He was guilty of so much and that guilt tortured him. It was worse than that darkness in the afterlife. This was the darkness of his own soul.

"Sectumsempra!" Another light, a red one, illuminated the gloom. He saw his father's back arch, overlapped by so many others. Blood spewed across his vision. A sharp crack sounded and suddenly the darkness was gone. So was Rose.

Albus dragged himself to his feet. Rank had been flung against a wall and was unconscious. His mum was dead, killed by the Killing Curse. His father...

Albus staggered over to where his father lay and collapsed beside him. The curse had cut deep gashes into Harry Potter's body. His intestines and blood were spilled on the harsh white-tile floor. Hand shaking, Albus applied pressure, not knowing what else to do. How could he fix this... this horror he had caused?

"Dad... Dad, hold on," he sobbed. "I'll get you out of this, I promise I will-" He was stilled when a blood-stained had reached up to caress his cheek.

"Al..." Blood bubbled from his father's lips, destroying whatever words the great Harry Potter had left for his son, his greatest enemy.

"It's all right, Dad." Albus caught the hand as it was about to fall, cradling it against his cheek, tears running between the calloused fingers. "I'll make sure the family's safe, I promise." Albus's father smiled and breathed his last.

Well, shucks. That was painful to write. Review, please.