But I'm at one with the silence

Azalea's heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Thud-thud thud-thud thud-thud. She was in the Hogwarts library's restricted section researching foreign different strategies on how to compete in the bloody triwizard tournament. Bloody hell, she didn't want to do this. The more she learned about this stupid competition, the more reluctant she was to even attend it. But she had no choice in the matter, Dumbledore wouldn't stand up for her, he refused to get her out of this mess.

She cast a quick tempus, and cursed under her breath. Yes she had the cloak, but she didn't want to get scolded by Hermione when she got back to the girl's dormitory for being out past curfew. She pulled out the Marauder's Map and scanned for where the various professors were. Dumbledore was in his office, as always. Professors McGonagall and Snape were on their separate patrolls. Huh, weird. Moody was in his private rooms, that much was usual, but there was a Bartimus Crouch on the map. He must be visiting to set up the next challenge. Moody was standing very still, but this Bartimus Crouch was pacing fast around the room in jerky motions.

She had become rather close with Professor Moody, as he had sort of taken her under his wing, as a mentor of sorts. He was dropping hints about the various challenges, and was giving her private lessons in defence on spells that would be useful for the final challenge. All she knew so far was that it would be deadly, and test her on skills that she didn't yet possess. She was only a fourth year after all.

She vowed to herself to ask Moody about Mr. Crouch's visit tomorrow during her tutor session. Azalea packed up the book she would be 'borrowing' from the restricted section into her brown dragonhide satchel bag, and tightened the cloak over her once more and snuck her way out of her newest hiding spot.

It was well into the next day when she remembered that she wanted to question her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but she had to wait until her free period for the day. That was when she had her private lesson with him. It was right after class with him, which was convenient. Her excuse was she always stayed after class to ask about the homework for the day, or something of another. She was slow to pack up her belongings, which was out of the norm for her.

"Something wrong Potter?"

"Professor Moody, I have a question to ask you."

Out with Potter, I haven't got all day."

"Are you friends with a Bartamus Crouch?"

She studied his face as she asked, looking for any facial expression changes. Very lightly, she noticed that his good eye, his right eye, was twitching, and he flicked his tongue out at the corner of his mouth, almost like a lizard. She noticed he did that a lot more often now.

"Why do you want to know Potter?" he stated gruffly.

She was grasping for straws for an answer. How did she get away with asking without exposing the Marauder's Map.

"I um... I was just curious. I saw him yesterday in the castle as I was walking towards your personal rooms to ask you a question about the reading for the book you assigned me, but I didn't want to interrupt anything." she rushed to explain.

"He's connected to the tournament and I just kinda wanted to know if he was a good guy or a bad guy."

"No, don't trust him. Batimus Crouch is not a good man."

"Okay Professor."

After a few moments had passed, while reading from the latest defense book assigned to her, she had another question to ask.

"What do you think i should do? About the tournament I mean. I really don't want to compete and Dumbledore won't even lift a finger to try to get me out."

"I'm not sure Potter. I don't think anyones sure."

The rest of the tutoring session passed as normal, and this time, Azalea didn't waste time packing her bag up. Her thoughts were racing though. Somehow, she knew he wasn't being honest about something, but she wasn't quite sure what it was yet. As per her habit, she looked around quickly and pulled out the map to inspect who was where. She didn't feel like running into Malfoy or any of his cronies, nor did she feel like being mobbed by Cedric's fanbase. Still, no one believed her that she didn't put her name into the Goblet of Fire. Even her best friend, Ronald, didn't believe her at all. It was disheartening, really.

Quickly, she had to hide the map again as Professor Moody exited the classroom to head to wherever he went to after lessons were done for the day. Once he had passed, she pulled it back out. Tapping the map with her wand she said,

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Why was Moody still in his private rooms when he just walked past her, and why was Bartimus Crouch the one who just walked by her? This was highly suspicious, especially if 'Professor Moody' was the one who told her that Bartimus Crouch was dangerous.

So Azalea Potter did what she did best, she went up to the dormitory and got her invisibility cloak out of her locked trunk, and crept back down to where on the map Moody's private rooms were when it was nighttime. She didn't run into anyone while heading down, thankfully.

A quick alohomora unlocked the door, and she cast a silencing spell on herself. After a full minute of her heart thundering loudly in her chest, she turned the knob and opened the door and entered the room. Unfortunately, she wasn't the smartest witch in her year, meaning that she accidentally and unwittingly tripped one of the silent detection wards placed on his door. He knew when someone was entering his rooms.

She crept further into the room, glancing at her map to confirm that the other Moody was still there, which he was. She was so busy trying to figure out what was going on that she didn't notice the third person on the map.

Bartimus Crouch Jr was having a very long day. He had been tutoring Azalea Potter per Lucius Malfoy's orders, so she would survive to the end of the tournament. He was to ensure that she would be the one to reach the cup, which was charmed to be a portkey to the graveyard in Little Hangleton. He was about to take another dosage of that foul concoction called Polyjuice Potion when one of the vicinity wards tripped in his private rooms.

"Shit! Shit shit shit! Who in the right hell is stupid enough to break into Alastor Moody's private roms?"

He didn't have time to get new polyjuice potion, and his flask he had on him was empty. He had to go into that office now, before his secret was found out.

He cast a silencing spell on himself, wordlessly as to not arouse awareness to the intruder. There was no one visible, so he cast the spell to reveal where anyone was.

"Homenum Revelio!"

It confirmed his suspicions. There were three people in the room. One was him, one was the real Moody, and one had to be the intruder.

He whispered, "Point me intruder." And his wand pointed towards the desk next to his trunk. He reached out and his fingers felt the distinct silky smooth fabric of an invisibility cloak. He ripped it off and saw at once who it was.

It was Azalea Potter. Well fuck.

Azalea Potter was confused so she looked down at her map, and nearly shrieked. Instead of there being two people in the room,there were three. She whipped around and looked at the door and this time, she really started to panic. Someone had yanked her cloak off of her

There was a man, with shoulder length light brown hair and dark brooding eyes. She reached out to grab his wrist to remove the cloak, but his grip on it was way too tight. Azalea was afraid that she would rip the material and she wouldn't ever forgive herself for being that careless. She grabbed his wrist, his bare wrist.

Both of them froze at the magical sparks that shot out around them, the warm thrum of it in their chests. The soulmate bond solidified.

She was in shock. She had known previously about the soulmate bonds, she read up on them in the beginning of the year with Hermione. Both of them were standing stock still for a good moment before she tried to bolt away. She was terrified. This strange man was her soulmate and she didn't even know who he really was. The map said he was Bartimus Crouch but he did not look like the old man that she knew as Bartamus Crouch Sr. Who was this strange man; just who exactly was her soulmate?

Barty was frozen in panic and dread. He was soul bonded to Azalea Potter of all people? He was supposed to be his master's right hand man but he was bonded to the enemy. He was doomed. The moment he felt her hand loosen, he reversed the grip, grabbing her thin wrist tightly and letting go of the cloak. Using his strong grip, he yanked her close to him, even as she dug her heels into the floor to resist it. Eventually she gave in, or her strength failed her, and she was pulled close to him, front to front pressed together. He could feel the heat radiating off her body, as close as she was to him.

"What are you doing here Potter. It's well past curfew don't you know. I should take points off of Gryffindor." he said while flicking his tongue out as was what he did.

"Who are you?" she whispered in horror.

"You aren't Moody, who the bloody hell are you? And you definitely don't look like Bartamus Crouch Sr..."

"I should certainly hope not. I hate the bloody bastard. He is my father after all. I have more cause than most to hate that son of a bitch. He locked me away."

"What's your name.." she whispered. "I didn't know he had a son..."

"Well, little soul mate of mine, my name is Bartemus Crouch Jr but you may call me Barty." he said with a wink, still gripping onto her wrists tightly.

By now, she wasn't even trying to get away. In fact she was leaning against him with most of her weight. He flicked his tongue across his lips and her eyes followed it closely. She took a deep look at him. He had a slight crazed look to his steel grey eyes, light brown hair that reached to his ears, and a tall lanky frame. He had a surprising amount of strength for his muscle size too. She flinched away from the look in his eyes. She was just a fourteen year old girl, and she was scared.

"Why did I never hear about you then?" She said quietly.

"Well don't you know, darling-" he stopped to flick his tongue out again,

"Father dearest, he threw me into Azkaban with my fellow compatriots after the Longbottom scene." He flexed his hand, still holding her tightly so she couldn't get away.

"Az-Azkaban? Longbottom scene? I-I don't understand.."

"Well don't you know? My claim to fame was helping Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange touture little Nelda's parents into insanity. Woulda killed them too if we got the chance." His grip tightened even more and she flinched.

He was hurting her and he didn't even notice at first.

'Well shit, I think I scared my soulmate a tiny bit.' he thought to himself.

Azalea was scared. She was beginning to panic. This strange man, this Azkaban escapee, was holding her hostage and she hadn't told a soul where she was going. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Well shit i think i'm about to die. I should have told someone I was coming here. I guess this is a happy gift for Vernon and Petunia." she muttered out loud, unknowingly.

Barty cocked his head out to the side. Petunia? Vernon? Who were they and why would they be happy about his soulmate's death? He was curious. He hummed under his breath.

"Petunia, Vernon, who the hell are they?"

"Well if i'm dying anyway i might as well bring them down with me. After your master failed to kill me as a baby I was placed with my muggle relatives. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Vernon likes to break bones and Petunia likes to hold my hand to a hot frying pan if I so much as burn the food. I'm sure this is going to be the greatest gift knowing that their freakish niece is going to be dead."

He twitched, violently. She really was prepared to die? She thought he would be capable of killing his own soulmate? He would never!

"They hurt you?" he whispered deadly quiet.

"Yes." She whispered back.

"Where do they live?"

"Number 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey. Why?"

"No reason, I might just pay them a little visit later on."

"Oh you're going to visit them and tell them i'm dead in person? That's rather kind of you."

"Dead? No no no, I'm not going to kill you. Don't you know you're mine?"

"Yours?"

"Yes, Mine. My soulmate. Mine to hold. Mine to cherish. Mine to protect. Mine to love. Mine to possess."

"I don't- I don't think i understand you. Aren't you a death eater? Don't you work for Voldemort? Why don't you want to kill me? Everybody else does... I vanquished your master..." she trailed off.

"I don't care about the Dark Lord. You're all I care about now. You're all that matters. You're all that I want and you're mine."

And with that he pulled her flush against him, and smashed their lips together in a very violent but passionate kiss. She gasped in surprise of course. The very last thing she was expecting was a kiss. Maybe a crucio or an avada to the head but not this. Azalea felt his hand running through her hair and leaned into it. She clutched onto his shirt and pushed into the kiss trying to get closer.

"Yours?"

"Mine."

"Should I keep this a secret for now?"

"Yes. No one can know."

"It's okay. I've always been one with the silence."

But i'm at one with the silence