Hello my pretties! How have you all been?

I'm back finally with another chapter. I have decided that I should start updating my profile with my posting schedule. So you allcan see when the next chapters will be up.


Thank you to Cassie-011, Nicole1024, AlexisDumbee and Liam1094 for leaving comments!


I didn't expect to be woken up.

One second, my mind floating in blissful darkness, was unawareness. The next, there was cognition.

The scent of damp soil was what registered first. I grumbled lightly as the pungent petrichor burned pleasantly in my nostrils. It wasn't until my ears started working that my will power allowed me to raise my head.

I was in the Forbidden Forest.

Wow…why wasn't I surprised?

My body slung numbly, held by a spell that stopped me from moving about. I floated inches off the floor, the body binding hex keeping me hovering so I could see the dark cloaked figures crawling about.

None of them seemed to have realized that I'd woken up. Did that mean nobody had decided to make sure to keep the spell Snape had put on me?

Where was Snape?

Keeping my eyes narrowed to slits, just in case anyone turned their heads to me, I did a quick sweep of the camp site.

There were about twenty or so death eaters…humans. They were either walking – no, pacing – or they sat around a green fire, huddled close within themselves as they thought about whatever it was that death eaters thought about…eating death, maybe…

Although their cloaks were still on, some of them had lost their masks. Some were hit hard as well, carefully trying to dab away at specks of blood or trying to sew back torn skin, tapping wand at their injuries.

I spotted the Malfoys, looking apprehensive as they stared at their wounded comrades. The woman who clutched at Lucius's arm, glanced around every once in a while. I made sure to close my eyes every time she would look in my direction.

The death eaters weren't alone. Two enormous giants hunkered just outside of the human group. Their shadows cast large spots of darkness around the place. Rock like faces stayed fixed upon the ground. I didn't know if they were maybe regretting leaving the mountains and coming here to this.

A woman stood up, tall, so thin she was probably starved and clad in a tight black corset dress that would've made it impossible for her to fight in…but I knew she had probably rained hell.

Bellatrix, her posture nervous, looked around at the Malfoys. I saw her thin lips twist in disdain before she looked away into the forest again, as if waiting for someone. She stood still, unmoving, her eyes still fixed firmly on the tree line and I stared at her, transfixed when another movement drew my eyes away. They soon widened in horror.


I wasn't the only one who had been trussed up in the Death Eater's captivity. I didn't know how I could've been so blind and careless to not think about it before when I'd been canvassing the castle earlier.

How could I forget Hagrid?

His huge body – still much smaller than the two pure blooded giants – trembled under his own weight. Unlike the spell that made me unable to move, leaving me at the base mercy of whoever had charge of me in the bunch of cruel bastards, Hagrid was tied with ropes, a tree acting as anchor point.

And he was staring straight me…

I started, as much as I could when his warm brown eyes, now a little puffed up under whatever he'd endured, gazed right at me, slow and unblinking. When our eyes met, he blinked once, as if to acknowledge me.

I wanted to cry. He had stilled but we both knew that neither of us would dare attract attention to us. We didn't know what their orders were.

It was ages when we broke our stares, turning to another sound that came from the woods.

I focused my eyes where Bellatrix had started walking at, her thin, wobbly legs carrying her to barely the edge before she was bowing away, backing off as if she was being pulled on a leash.

I don't know what I was expecting when I first laid my eyes on him.

I had of course seen him…once. At the Ministry, when we'd all followed Harry, to find that it had been a trap to get at a prophecy. Harry had divulged the details to me, broken after having no one to talk to and I'd lent my ears and my shoulder as well.

That one peek at the tall robed figure, imposing as he sneered over a twitching Harry had been etched in my mind ever since, subject of many nightmares.

Looking at him now, I didn't know if I could keep up at the act for long.

It was one thing to see Voldemort in the doomsday appearance he propagated. Right now, he looked entirely more monstrous, not ghostly…just grotesque.

Is that what his loyal followers saw now?

"My Lord," Bellatrix Lestrange whispered.

Voldemort paid no attention to the woman who looked at him, ready to lay down for him to walk over her. Instead, he looked around the campsite, eyes resting over each and every member of his followers.

The Death Eaters had all stood up at his arrival, some looking down in fear, while others were biting down questions, the way they chewed at their lips.

Then finally, before I could even anticipate it, his head was turned straight at me.

"I see our guest has awoken." Voldemort said in the high cold voice that had shaken the castle before.


A terror so vast gripped at me that I would've frozen up even without the spell binding me. Voldemort was heading straight for me, his bare feet producing soft crunches of leaves. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly. There was pure silence before I felt the too close presence of a Dark Lord in front of me. He didn't say anything, simply waiting for my first reaction.

What was I going to give him? Was I going to have my eyes shut when he inevitably got bored and decided to kill me? Or was I going to snap a snarky remark at his stupid no nose face before he cursed me into oblivion?

I am a Merlin damned Gryffindor!

I opened my eyes, staring right into burning red eyes with black snake like pupils. Voldemort's face was blank, staring at me with a pensive look on his face, slit eyes flickering all over my face in a close inspection.

"Such courage, you look straight into my eyes when not even my bravest enemies would look at my face." He whispered.

I didn't answer, instead running my eyes over his face, copying him. A stark white face, he stood out the palest within the people in the forest. He had no nose, of course, only two small slits that served for nostrils, flaring every time he drew breath within his too thin, skeletal corporeal form.

A thin line of mouth, no lips purse impossibly at my examination. Was this really what his experiments had done to him? The handsome man, that Harry had described he'd seen in the pensieve and down in the Chamber of Secrets, reduced to this…mess?

He smirked suddenly, as if he could read my thoughts before turning away.

"Snape is dead. That is probably why you awoke. Not many would have been able to break through his spell, he made sure to keep you safe at least, for my…questioning." He turned, gesturing to his followers.

"Master, the girl…is she really necessary?" Bellatrix said suddenly.

"Quiet, Bellatrix," Voldemort said coldly.

The woman nodded. Her adoring eyes; fascination dripping from them made me scoff in disdain. It was sickening. The sound echoed in the small clearing, making heads turn to me. Eyes flashed with fury, some took steps forward. I saw Lucius look away instead.

"I have to second the question, actually. Why am I here? Why haven't you killed me yet?" I asked loudly.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hagrid shake his head at me violently, making shushing motions with his head.

Voldemort was slow to turn, looking at me with those horrible eyes for a passing glance; he looked at his followers again.

"I have given Harry Potter an hour. One hour and only one hour, he has been given to turn himself in. He will do so if he wishes for no more bloodshed. He will come here to trade for you."

The last word, Voldemort aimed at me.

I glared at him, heat pooling around my neck. So Snape hadn't been lying. The bastard, even dead was mocking my sanity.

"Bullshit, you just don't want to lose more people. Harry will not come to die for me. You can't make me beg for my life." I growled.

"Rose, shut up!" Hagrid snapped.

Voldemort's smile was cruel. "I do not need to make you beg, Roselle Alton. It will be Harry Potter who will do the begging. Of course, since you have shown so much interest, in the case that Harry doesn't show up. I will gladly allow you to die." He said, a pleasant tone to his voice as he issued a threat to my life.

I fell silent as Voldemort's smile fell, eyes turning hard as he turned away from me, waving Bellatrix off and moving to the center of the field, thin white hands caressing the wand that belonged to Albus Dumbledore.

"Now we wait."


I don't know how long I was there, surrounded by the death eaters, all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Boy Who Lived. Maybe it was fifteen minutes, half an hour…

Every second passing by was making them antsy. They would shuffle about, avoiding eyes, murmuring under their breaths. The giants were now eyeing Hagrid, who was steadily looking paler.

Only Voldemort stood still.

He had sent a few death eaters into the forest before, eyes watching them depart before pacing a few steps ahead. Then…there it was…

A huge ball of light, similar to what was holding me but only golden in color materialized in the space he had freed. For a wild second I thought he was concealing it within his robes when the contents of the ball stopped me dead.

It was a snake, an enormous, dark greenish brown snake, coiled in its holdings.

What in the world…?

I knew that Lord Voldemort was the heir of Slytherin; I knew that he was a parseltongue but I had only heard vaguely that he had one snake as a pet. The fact that he carried it around with its own protection was…

You would never take Voldemort as a pet fanatic…

Voldemort turned to gaze at the snake, a thoughtful purse to his nonexistent mouth before looking irritated, to Bellatrix who had, yet again appeared at his elbow like an over excited Labrador.

"Not now, Bellatrix," I heard his hiss echo in the clearing as the woman bowed off again, shooed away.

Why would she keep going to him to get kicked away time and again? Didn't she have any self respect?

Voldemort's final look before turning still as a statue again was at me, as if he could hear each thought. What with him being a legilimens, I wouldn't be surprised if he could. I looked away at Hagrid's closed eyes pointedly.


Mere minutes had passed, my head slowly lolling downwards. Blood rushed in my body in an odd way and my eyes had begun to droop when Yaxley and Dolohov stepped out into the clearing. I cracked an eye open in suspicion as both men drew back their hoods.

People began to flutter at their arrival. Fenrir Greyback, the feared werewolf who had sneered when our eyes met with his tongue obscenely lapping at his lips, looked up from biting his own nails. Rowle paused in the act of dabbing at his bleeding lip. Even the Malfoys looked at them. The men slowly approached their master, who stood as he had been for a while now, as if made of grotesque marble. The tension in the air had even woken up Hagrid, looking around dazed.

Every eye was fixed upon Voldemort now, who stood with his head bowed, and his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him. Behind his head, still swirling and coiling, the great snake Nagini floated in her glittering, charmed cage, like a monstrous halo.

When Dolohov and Yaxley rejoined the circle, Voldemort looked up.

"No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov.

I couldn't help it.

A sigh of relief escaped my lungs before I could consider my surroundings.

Heads whipped towards me, but no one dared do anything, to take any steps towards Voldemort's precious hostage.

Voldemort's expression did not change. The red eyes seemed to burn in the firelight. Slowly he drew the Elder Wand between his long fingers.

"My Lord," Bellatrix had spoken. She walked several steps towards him, her hand trembling as if she was going to touch his arm.

Voldemort raised his hand to silence her. I saw him turn his face at her in warning and she fell back, reprimanded again and she did not speak another word, but eyed him in worshipful fascination. I twisted my face, disgusted.

"I thought he would come," said Voldemort in his high, clear voice, his eyes on the leaping flames. "I expected him to come." He turned, the ends of his robes brushing leaves away from his feet as he stood facing me. Eyes followed him, even the giants and the snake seemed to be looking at me. "I didn't think he would let you die." He spoke softly.

"I told you already; I don't expect to be saved. I don't need to be saved at all. So you can take your traps and lay them elsewhere."

Voldemort ignored my statement tilting his head. "It would seem like you were dispensable after all to Harry Potter." He continued.

I narrowed my eyes. He was baiting me, baiting me into doubting Harry…

No, I couldn't let him do that, I thought to myself, ignoring the barb that his words sent through me for a second.

Hagrid was violently shaking his head. "Don't listen to him, Rose." He shouted once but I didn't answer him, keeping my hard stare on Voldemort instead.

He wouldn't win. I wouldn't let him win this.

Nobody spoke. Glances were exchanged between the two glares, red burning into brown. I refused to back down first, even when I could feel tiny pin pricks behind my eyes. My heart began to thud in my chest. It seemed as if Voldemort was getting closer but he hadn't moved a muscle.

"I was, it seems . . . mistaken," said Voldemort.

"You weren't."


I looked up, Voldemort turned, and his eyes found the solitary figure standing at the very edge of the tree line.

He was staring straight ahead, into the eyes of his enemy. There was an odd light glinting behind his eyes, as if he knew something that no one else did. Knowing Harry, I knew that was probably true.

The next thought I had, had been to curse Harry Potter to the pits of hell. Why would he show up here? Why would he come to die?

Had he come for me? Did Aberforth and Voldemort manage to actually hit on that one aspect? I groaned out loud.

Silence ensued as Harry's eyes flickered to me, the sound of my groan catching his attention. He looked away just as quickly.

The illusion was gone as soon as it had come. The giants roared as the Death Eaters rose together, and there were many cries, gasps, even laughter. Voldemort had frozen where he stood, but his red eyes had found Harry, and he stared as Harry moved toward him, with nothing but the fire between them.

Then a voice yelled: "HARRY! NO!"

Hagrid had managed to get out of his daze, his eyes fixed on Harry with a panic that I had never seen before.

"NO! NO! HARRY, WHAT'RE YEH -?"

"QUIET!" shouted Rowle, and with a flick of his wand, Hagrid was silenced.

Bellatrix, who had sprung up to her feet, now looked eagerly from Voldemort to Harry; deep breaths making her chest expand and deflate excitedly. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort's head.

"Harry," my voice broke through first, "what are you doing? Why did you come?" I asked.

Harry hesitated, not looking at me directly but Voldemort tilted his head a little to the side, considering the boy standing before him, and a singularly mirthless smile curled the lipless mouth.

"Harry Potter," he said very softly. It was hardly audible. "The Boy Who Lived,"

None of the Death Eaters moved. I cast a look over the people surrounding the two opponents and curled up, stretching to escape the seal of the magic encasing me. Similar to me, Hagrid was struggling as well. Loud sounds of Bellatrix panting filled the arena with white noise, until Voldemort spoke again.

"Well boy, why don't you tell Roselle why it is that you came?" He prompted.

I stopped, looking back to where Harry was still diligently staring at Voldemort. "I'm here. Within the hour, like you wanted; so just let her go." He said finally.

Voldemort smiled and the wind changed. He had raised his wand, and was now taking his surroundings and backing off, leaving a clear path towards me. If he wanted to allow, Harry could walk straight to me.

I stared at the space between us, suddenly wishing that Harry would do exactly that. Take those few hurried strides and get to me.

Voldemort was still pointing his wand idly in the space between. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded.

It seemed that people were already catching on. Hagrid looked petrified; his death eaters were looking at me, some with blank, disinterested looks on their face and others with vindictive pleasure.

Harry finally looked at me head on, and I knew what was going to happen. I knew even before I saw the decision snap into Voldemort's eyes. Then the words framed in his mouth.

"NO!" I heard, as if through a tunnel, far off and fading fast, the last thing I heard. The green light came next, the last thing I saw.

And everything was gone.


And there we have it! I enjoyed writing this chapter somehow.

Leave me your thoughts please! Have a good day!