Remus sat in the armchair, tired and sad. Sirius was pacing around the room, his entire form shaking from rage; as he was practically seething. From the moment Remus had arrived with the girl at Grimmuald Place, his friend had been furious and extremely worried. They both managed to silence the portrait of Mrs. Black, but they hadn't managed to silence Rose. She had been crying since the moment Remus had brought her inside; she acted like she didn't recognize them at all. After an hour of failed attempts of calming her down, the men decided to call for help. Remus said that it would be best not to take her to Saint Mungo's as long as it's not absolutely necessary. She was in shock, she could tell someone about the Order, Sirius' whereabouts or other important things. What's more, the Death Eaters could be looking for her already. Remus could swear that he had heard a house-elf screaming when he and Rose Apparated. A Death Eater's servant for sure.
Dumbledore arrived as soon as possible, and Sirius carried Rose to one of the bedrooms. The girl wailed and struggled like mad all the way upstairs. It wasn't normal. Her eyes were wide and frightened. It felt as if they were her abductors, unlike the Death Eaters that kept her for all those months. Dumbledore was very concerned too. He asked the men to wait in the living room, until he called them. Sirius didn't want to obey at first, but one stern look from the older wizard silenced him and he went away with his friend, clenching his fists.
"Why is it taking so long?!" he exclaimed, pointing at the door.
Remus didn't move from his armchair. He just lowered his head and sighed.
"It's not an easy matter, Sirius. The girl had been abducted...Merlin knows what they did to her. She's in some kind of shock..."
The black-haired man kicked the chair with all his might. Remus was surprised that he was this concerned about the girl, but decided to leave the subject. Rose's well being was important for him, too. He had grown fond of the girl while she was at school and he spoke with her from time to time whenever they met here, in the Order's headquarters.
Another hour passed and finally Dumbledore came down. He appeared to be very tired. Sirius approached him as soon as he entered the living room.
"What's wrong with her?" he asked. Dumbledore didn't speak at first. He just sat down in one of the armchairs and sighed, taking off his spectacles and rubbing his eyes. Sirius was stroking his beard nervously. Remus just observed the older wizard, waiting patiently.
"She wants to go back," Dumbledore said, glancing at them from over his spectacles.
"What?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Remus sighed; he was anticipating this. From the moment she acted like she didn't know him, from the moment he saw that strange fear in her eyes when he had touched her.
"She wants to go back, to the place where she had been since her disappearance."
"Yes, but why?!" Sirius demanded. "They abducted her, possibly tortured..."
His fists were white from clutching.
"What have those bastards done to her?" he wondered in a low voice. His old friend glanced at him. It was one of those moments when Padfoot reminded him so strongly of a dog. An angry dog.
"I've managed to extract some information from her. Not much, but it will suffice for now. She had been taken to Voldemort by the Death Eaters. There...they gave her a choice. Marry a Death Eater or face a fate worse than death."
"What?!" both younger wizards exclaimed. Dumbledore raised his hand.
"If you want me to continue, don't interrupt me, please. It's vital that you know all of this, if you want to help her."
"As I said," he continued, "Rose has been put in a difficult situation. She made a choice and agreed to marry young Barty Crouch."
"Merlin's sake," Remus whispered. "That man's insane..."
Sirius hid his face in his hands. Dumbledore stood up, and started to pace around the room while talking.
"She had been under Crouch's protection from there on. He kept her imprisoned, away from the world. I don't know what he had been doing to her, but it seems that she developed some strong feelings for him."
Sirius laughed shortly, the sound similar to a dog's bark.
"Of course," he muttered bitterly, his hands trembling. "Imperius Curse, huh? Or Amortentia. The bloody bastard fed her with lies and manipulated her so she wouldn't want to escape."
"The thing is," Dumbledore replied softly, "that she's not under any curse. She wasn't fed with any potion, either. I checked."
"Then what it is? Don't tell me she joined them on her own will.", Remus asked, shaking his head. Rose would never joined the Death Eaters, but if Crouch had bewitched her...
"Rose doesn't support Death Eaters. I can swear to that. But she cares for her husband. She's in a state of shock, because she was torn away from him. She understands that she'll not see him again. And if she does, he'll probably think that she had betrayed him and ran away to the Order. She's afraid, more than ever. For months she had been only with him and now she's free. But the bond between them was being build for a long time and seems to be incredibly strong. It's Stockholm Syndrome," Dumbledore explained, taking a seat once again.
"And what's that?" Sirius quipped impatiently.
"Muggles defined this affliction. It happens when someone is being hold captive. Sometimes the victim starts to feel an attachment to their captor, especially when the captor shows some signs of kindness towards the victim. Crouch may be mad, but he knew how to handle Rose, so she wouldn't escape. The attachment I'm talking about helps the victim to survive. When an escape is impossible, it's best to be on the abductor's side. It's a self-preservation. Rose's mind had no other choice. She would go mad from constant fear otherwise. Fighting back was out of question, too; Crouch would torture her or kill her."
Dumbledore looked at both men, with serious expression.
"I know that it's difficult to understand this, but I must ask you to try. She's safe here, but she might want to go back to her husband. We must not let this happen. After a time, the syndrome will pass, and she'll be back to normal."
"Imagine a young girl, barely out of Hogwarts," he continued, "Kidnapped by the Death Eaters. What did she see, when they brought her to Voldemort? Was she introduced to Bellatrix Lestrange? Mulciber? Greyback? The sole sight of Lord Voldemort's face would be enough to bring grown men to their knees. And she's barely a woman, young and inexperienced. What threats Voldemort whispered to her? Did he use Cruciatus? Maybe Crouch used it too, when she was disobedient. And then, Barty Crouch Jr. takes her home. He gives her a warm bed, food, his house-elf to carry out her every wish. Except being freed, that is. He threatens her and she's afraid, so afraid... But if he has some wits left, and during last year he showed that he in fact has, then he will try to manipulate her. It must be something stronger than Imperius, less fallible than a potion. He shows her his good side. He pleases her and keeps her company when she's alone in her prison. He's all she has. He becomes her world."
"And if she disobeys," Remus spoke with a hoarse voice, "he threatens her again. So she won't forget who's in charge. The fear."
Dumbledore nodded.
"Sometimes the abductor grows fond of his victim, too. I was forced to use Legilimency on Rose; she's not able to speak right now and we needed information. I saw the way Crouch looks at her. He's obsessed."
"So he brainwashed her?" Sirius growled. "And she thinks he cares for her?"
"It's complicated, but more or less, yes, she thinks she's important to him." Dumbledore answered. There was a moment of silence between the three wizards.
"How can we help her?" Remus asked after awhile.
The Headmaster sighed.
"Time. She needs time to recover, to forget. She needs protection, too. As I said, Crouch is obsessed with her, he will be looking for her. I can't tell you what for. Maybe he'd take her home and keep her as his toy, until he gets bored. Maybe he'll punish her. Or kill her. Honestly, I don't know. I need to think, to make a proper plan. This situation is very hard."
"You need to keep her here. It's the safest place I can think of," he added, looking at Sirius. The younger man nodded. His face was as white as a sheet, fists clenched. For a moment, Remus was worried that his hands will start to bleed from the nails digging in skin.
"Do not criticize Crouch in front of her. It will give the opposite effect. She'll defend him. Gain her trust, be kind to her, and most of all, be patient with her. It's hard to understand her feelings, but we must do everything in our power to help her. I'll send an owl to Molly Weasley. A woman's hand is what we need right now."
With those words, Dumbledore stood up and went to the door. Before he went out, he looked behind and told them one more thing:
"She's asleep now. I gave her a strong Calming Potion. Keep an eye on her."
When the door closed after the old man, Remus looked in Sirius' direction.
"We must wait now, until she wakes up. Do you want to watch over her first?"
Sirius nodded and went upstairs immediately, taking two steps at a time. Remus rubbed his face. He was exhausted by the whole situation. What if Rose wakes up and starts to panic again? What if she tries to escape? Remus wasn't sure if his best friend could be indulgent enough as to understand her feelings towards Crouch. Sirius wasn't a patient man and he hated Death Eaters. What if he snaps at the girl for defending one of them? A man who kidnapped her and kept her imprisoned?
'I'd better check on them', Remus thought and followed his friend, to see how their charge was faring.
Winky cried in the corner of the cellar, her wails echoing the room. Her master had nearly killed her, when he found out that she returned without his wife. The Cruciatus Curse wasn't as painful though, as the inhuman noise Barty made when he stopped torturing his servant. Winky was glad to receive the punishment.
'Winky's a bad house-elf. She let down her master. Again, Winky failed to do her work properly!' the tiny creature thought, when Barty ordered her to get away from him. Winky's heart was broken. She watched as he had smashed everything in the living room, calling his young wife "a traitorous bitch." He believed that she abandoned him. Winky tried to explain; she swore that Rose was taken against her will, that she cried for help.
The house-elf wasn't sure if her master understood, but he calmed down a little. The first wave of fury had passed and the man just collapsed by the wall, still screaming, but making no other move. His head was in his hands, he pulled at his hair. Winky wanted to comfort him so badly, but she knew she shouldn't. He was no longer a little boy she remembered. When he ordered her to leave, she knew that was the best thing to do. He'd kill her if she came close.
Soon, though, she will have to check on him. Now that her mistress was gone, Winky was the only thing her master had in the world. She'll support him, no matter what. This time, she won't let him down.
Hours passed and Barty Crouch Jr. was lying on the floor, his breath shallow. He had earlier Apparated to the town where Rose was shopping, but he found no trace of her. The witch in the store hadn't seen anything. There were no witnesses.
'Liar,' a nagging voice in his head told him. 'Little slut deceived you and you were stupid enough to fall for her tricks.'
No. Winky said she was screaming. She didn't want to go. But maybe Winky was a liar, too? No, no, she couldn't be. House-elves were loyal to their masters, and he was Winky's master before Rose had ever came.
Where was she? He must calm down, calm down and interrogate Winky. If he knew what the bastard who took Rose looked like, it would be easier to find her. He was pretty sure, that it was one of Dumbledore's minions. They've stolen Rose and now they were probably filling her head with lies against him. Well, they weren't lies entirely, but Dumbledore will make sure that his crimes will appear bigger than they in fact were. His wife was loyal, though, she wouldn't believe them. Or would she? He no longer knew if she was truly his. Maybe she has been deceiving him all this time. He captured her, held her against her will. Maybe she planned to do this.
Those thoughts were killing him. He remembered Mad-Eye Moody. During his time as a teacher, he often repeated the auror's words - 'trust no one. Constant vigilance.' He knew how women were like. They were deceptive opportunists, who cared only for themselves. His mother was the only exception.
He gave another cry, when he remembered the face of his dead mother. No, no, no, he can't think about them. She was dead, and so was his poor excuse of a father. The Dark Lord was his only family now. And Rose.
He must find her, no matter what. At the very thought of sleeping without her near, Barty started to shiver even more. It was an awful feeling, like being in some kind of detox. He needed her. She was his; he'll find her and kill everyone who participated in her disappearing.
But what if she'll turn out to be a traitor after all? He hated traitors. A new wave of anger flew through him at the thought. With a loud crash the chandelier hit the floor in the living room, glass shattered to hundreds pieces, covering the carpet. Barty's eyes were wide.
He didn't know what he'd do if she turned against him.
Later on, he summoned Winky. The house-elf was shivering and sniveling all the time. He should have killed her for not protecting his wife, but sentiment took the better of him. After all, she cared for him through all these years. Thanks to her, he had been able to escape his father and join the Dark Lord. She reminded him of his mother. Too kind for her own good, weak, vulnerable. He was a fool to presume that such a creature could keep Rose safe and prevent all of this. If someone was at fault, it was him. He had let his guard down and now he was facing the consequences.
"What did he look like?" Barty ordered his servant in a rough tone. Winky trembled a little, probably afraid of being cursed once again.
"Get a grip of yourself, Winky. I need information. Now," the man said, doing his best to be patient.
"Yes, Master. That man...h-he had scars on his face. Brown hair, around forty years old. Winky had never seen him before. Mistress was crying that she didn't knew him, but he kept calling her by her name," the house-elf squealed. She wiped her eyes with her tiny hands.
"My poor Mistress..." she whispered. Barty said nothing. With a blank face, he went to his bedroom. It was empty. He must sleep, to have strength. The description Winky gave him was vague, but Barty knew a lot about the members of the Order. He suspected who took his wife.
The werewolf, Lupin.
With this knowledge, it would be easier to find her. He'll start nearly in the morning, now he was too exhausted to think correctly. Where the beast could take her? Snape could know, but he's a traitor, no matter what he says. He would sooner aid Lupin than help Barty.
The man still shivered slightly. He was feeling oddly cold. Making plans and wondering about the most likely places where Rose could be wasn't helping him to sleep. The awareness of her absence was difficult to bear. After an hour of lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, Barty gave an exasperated sigh. He stood up and exited his room. Slowly, he approached Rose's bedroom. He knew the way very well, he in fact had been living there during past few months. He hesitated for a short time, before entering the room.
Everything was just the way Rose had left it in the morning. Her nightie still lied on the floor, where he'd tossed it the previous night. Quietly, he crept to the bed. The bedding smelled like Rose; like flowers and fruits. Like her perfume. Without a though, he slid under the covers and lied on her pillow. He felt lonely, more than ever, more than in prison, in this house. He had something precious and now he had lost it. He felt betrayed, angry at Lupin, Winky, Rose for making him feel that way and himself, for succumbing to such pathetic emotions. Soon, his breath became shallow and his whole body started to shook. He refused to make a sound though, no one must know he's weak.
Only Winky saw him, hiding in the doorway. She knew. It hurt her to see her young master suffer, but deep down she was a little relieved, too.
He proved to be human after all. Even if only a little.
