AN:

First of all, I'm terribly sorry. You can flay me alive and feed my corpse to the crows. Life wasn't easy on me during last year. I've had to endure many difficult problems, some of them are still unsolved. I doubt that they can ever be.

Still, life goes on. As I said on my profile, I never abandon my stories. Thank you so much for your support and your patience. Here's another chapter of Snake's Nest. If there are grammar mistakes - let me know, I'll correct them. As always please, let me know what you think. You are the ones that I write for, your opinion is very important to me.

Without further gabbing, here we go!

Rose was combing her hair, her moves slow, precise. The bedroom was lit only by few candles, but her make-up and her dress were perfect; more than ever.

The dress was white, long, clasped on the girl's arms by two small, silver brooches. A silver necklace adorned her neck – yellow topaz glistened in the faint light like a small star.

Rose was afraid of exiting the room, but somehow she knew that she had to. She put back her comb and stood up slowly. The carpet felt soft and comfy under her bare foot. She'd gladly stay there, in safety, but there was no choice.

He was waiting.

The corridor was dark, grim. Portraits were casting sinister looks at Rose, who walked carefully, her head high, not wanting to show how afraid she truly was.

'Come, come' they whispered softly. 'The Beast is waiting'.

She didn't want to. The monster surely will devour her, tear her body limb from limb. But she had been so alone for so long, that she'd already forgotten if this monster was a friend or foe. She wanted someone's company so badly, that it made no difference if it was a human, or a beast.

She was trapped there, forever. She ate food that the Beast's servant gave her. Her fate was entangled with this giant, gloomy house. Like Persephone's.

The living room was as dark as the corridor. The girl stepped inside, her white gown shining slightly in the light of the moon. The only bright thing that the monster had seen for days.

He was sitting in the armchair, dressed in a frock coat. Like a true gentleman. His eyes were empty, he did not smile, nor scowl. He just sat there, breathing, living. Existing.

Rose approached the armchair and took the monster's hand in her own. It was warm as she softly squeezed it. There was no response.

"The moon looks beautiful tonight", the girl whispered.

The monster kept silent. When his prey kissed him on the cheek, he didn't even blink.

An empty shell.

The portraits in the room cackled.

'Stay with us, stay, stay' , they repeated. 'You've always wanted a family, haven't you?'

"Please, do something", Rose whispered, burying her head in her husband's chest. " I don't want to be here alone, forever."

Still no response.

The empty body could not speak. It couldn't even think. His dirty soul was stolen as a punishment.

The Dementor's Kiss wasn't as sweet as his little wife's. It was cold and brutal. Perfect thing for a cold and cruel murderer.

Rose was terrified; she trembled and sobbed quietly, knowing that no one would comfort her.

"Do you see what he has done to himself?", someone spoke from the shadows. The girl gasped and looked up. There, by the window stood a tall woman. Her hair was bright red and looked odd in this dark, gloomy place. She held a spindle in her hand.

The monster didn't even blink.

"Who are you?", Rose whispered.

The woman's stern face didn't express any feelings. Suddenly the witch remembered Greek marble sculptures that she had seen in a muggle museum, so long ago, when her parents were still alive.

"You know perfectly well who I am.", the woman spoke. Her voice sounded distant; Rose squeezed her husband's hand, seeking his protection from the intruder. He gave no reaction.

"What a dark, sad place, this house is", said the red haired woman. "Soon, the whole world will look the same way".

She took a step towards the kneeling girl.

"The darkness is coming. Born from the hate and the pain of a small, abandoned child. Isn't it marvellous?"

She said that, but her face was still void of any emotion.

"Isn't it marvellous", she continued taking another step forward, "that everything in this universe has its cause? Every strand of fate is connected to some other. Look at this."

The strange woman motioned at the monster. Rose spoke against her better judgment, her voice shaking.

"He's not 'this'. He's my husband."

The intruder didn't seem to be fazed by her words.

"Maybe he was, one day.", she said. "Now he's dead and this shell here resembles him only in appearance."

Her long, white gown rustled as she walked near the armchair, where the monster sat.

"If his father had loved him more, or learned to show him his affection, would it make a difference?", she whispered, placing a hand on Barty's head.

"Or maybe the boy would still break his parents' hearts, seeking the wrong company? Surely, the girls who laughed at him would make him bitter and distrustful, but would it be enough to join the Death Eaters? Or maybe, if he had met a loving woman, just before he made friends among Voldemort's followers, things would be different?"

The woman's words were painful to Rose.

"What does it matter now?", she spoke angrily. "What's done is done."

"Yes", the woman smiled for the first time, it was a mysterious, disturbing smile. "What's done is done."

"But", she spoke again, "changing this one's fate wouldn't make any difference to the world, would it? It would save his and his parents lives for sure, but what about the others? Neville Longbottom's parents would be still tortured, by Bellatrix Lestrange and some other Death Eaters. Every life Barty Crouch Jr had taken, could be taken as easily by another Voldemort's follower."

"Still, if Barty Crouch Jr had never existed", she continued, slowly stroking the monster's hair, "there would be no one to help Lord Voldemort return. Peter Pettigrew was too weak. What do you think?"

The question didn't seem to hold any silent threat, but Rose came closer to her husband as if she could protect him from the intimidating woman.

"Do not worry child", the woman spoke as calmly as always. "He will not be removed from this universe. Not yet."

The woman's face was pale and her calm demeanour was unsettling. Her golden spindle glistened in the moonlight.

"One quick movement of my hand and a strand of someone's life is broken." she whispered. "Or twisted with another's. I promised to not meddle with human battles and arguments, but this world will perish if I do not take action."

Suddenly, Rose felt very dizzy. The jewel that she had been looking for.

"Yes, my Amulet. The Amulet was my reward for being loyal to the just cause.", the woman spoke. "It would be disastrous, if it fell into wrong hands. Imagine having such power, as to grant almost any wish. It could turn back the time itself and change the fates of many people. It cannot bring back the dead ones, but can prevent their deaths by removing the cause of them."

For a moment she was silent.

"Do you understand now?"

Rose nodded, her face white as a sheet. One wish to save everyone. All of Voldemort's victims.

"And do you understand", the woman continued " that Albus Dumbledore cannot be trusted with such a weapon?"

At these words, Rose blinked, confused.

"Why?", she asked.

"Even the noblest of hearts can be corrupted by great power. The greater the man is, the strongest temptation."

'For the greater good', Rose remembered. Dumbledore gladly offered her as a bait, in order to win against Voldemort. Both wizards were powerful and extremely clever. Two players playing chess, using everyone else as a pawn. Nothing more.

"Yes", she whispered.

"Good" the woman said, "You must protect the Amulet. And you'd better forget everything and everyone from the world you know. Don't ever look back. If need be, you must be prepared to destroy every person you love. Just as I did."

With these words, the strange woman became even more frightening. Slowly, large, red stains appeared on her gown. She had blood on her delicate hands too. The metallic scent hit Rose's nostrils, making her sick. She held back the urge to throw up, covering her nose and mouth.

The monster gave no reaction whatsoever.

"The blood repulses you, girl?", the woman asked, with a cold almost cruel smile. "What about his blood?", she pointed at Barty.

"I had to kill my own husband to protect my world. And when I've done it, the world I knew and loved ceased to exist. It was never the same, not without him, not when I had to live with the knowledge that he was vile and greedy. He died a fool, meddling with things and beings far greater then he was. And I had to pay for it."

With a sudden movement she came so close that Rose could see small freckles on her pale face.

"Are you ready to pay?", the woman whispered.

Rose backed away slowly, shaking her head. "I don't know", she whispered.

The red-haired woman just smiled. Once again, the smile didn't make her less ominous; it wasn't even human. It was distant, beautiful in its own way, but most of all – frightening. Rose was sure that the intruder didn't come to comfort her. On the contrary – she came to warn her, to prepare her for the inevitable.

She must be the one to stop all of this. To use the Amulet. To destroy Lord Voldemort. She'll meddle with things and beings far greater then she'd ever be.

The woman nodded. She extended her blood-stained hand and touched Rose's necklace. The yellow topaz glistened in the moonlight.

"Use it wisely", she said.


Rose woke up with a start. Her hand reached immediately to her side, searching for her husband. He was nowhere in sight.

"Barty?", she said, her voice hoarse. It was strange, really. The girl's throat hurt, as if she had been screaming for a very long time. At first she couldn't remember why she felt like that. Her dream was terrible, still vivid in her mind. She felt dizzy, and very, very tired. Everything else was blurred, not clear. A village, a shop, the bench she sat on, the house-elf…

"Rose?", a masculine voice whispered, not far from her. The girl blinked a few times to fully take in her surroundings. For some reason she had trouble with doing so.

"Thank goodness you're awake", the man said with a relieved sigh. "Snape had been here", the man's voice became somewhat annoyed, "and gave you a strong Sleeping Draught. I was afraid he overdid it."

It took Rose a few moments to recognise Sirius Black. It was so long ago, when she had seen him for the last time. Long ago, when she still had a crush on him, when she was innocent and silly. Before Barty Crouch Jr had stripped her of her childhood and everything she held dear. Making himself the only thing that mattered to her.

The bedroom was unfamiliar, adorned in green and silver. It belonged to a pureblood wizard, there was no doubt about that.

Grimmauld Place.

Slowly, Rose remembered everything that was not Barty. Her body shivered slightly. Sirius was looking at her intensely, concern written across his features. When she gave a small sob, he immediately reached for her hand. It wasn't a good idea.

The girl started to panic, mumbling something incoherent. The older wizard, though, heard enough to feel another wave of rage coming at him.

Barty. Barty. Barty.

The door had opened and a man entered. The same man that took her away. He seemed to be as worried as Sirius, but calmer, his face wasn't so stern, angry.

The girl didn't care in the slightest. She didn't see the wand and didn't hear the Calming Spell that Remus Lupin casted on her. Everything went black and at least for a moment, there were no Death Eaters nor Order of the Phoenix.