A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! I've been on holiday for ages, and then other things came up, and it's been really difficult to keep on top of things! But anyway, hope you like it – now I've finally done it ;) review? xoxo

Bella waited in the common room, partly in the hope that Rabastan would come back, and maybe she'd have some kind of an idea about how they were meant to act around each other now, and partly because she couldn't face going back into the Great Hall. The common room was literally empty. Bella was the only person there, and it felt colder than ever. The common room has always been such a warm place for Bella, because it was the symbol of everything that mattered to her. It was the Slytherin common room for a start, and house pride meant so much to her, but besides that, all her friends were there (besides Barty Crouch), the portraits in the common room were only of purebloods, and both her sisters would be around at some point. House pride, friends, family and being pureblood. Everything that mattered.

'Bella?'

Even the sound of his voice made her jump up with her wand out before she even set eyes on him. Roddy was back, looking considerably dazed, with his tie loose and lopsided, and his shirt half un-tucked. There were grass stains on his suit jacket, evidently from when he fell after James hexed him.

'Get away from me.' She growled at him, backing away from him even though he was nowhere near her. His expression was nothing short of complete confusion.

'What?' He asked finally, after realising she really wasn't joking.

'Don't come near me.' She told him, her voice raising without even thinking. 'I don't want you anywhere near me.'

'What… what did I do?' He questioned, although, Bella was starting to believe his act. He might actually have been confused. Did he get a concussion when he fell?

'You don't remember?' Bella said, quieter this time, though her wand was still raised.

He shook his head. 'I thought I blacked out. Reckon I had too much to drink.'

Bella observed him for a while, just to be sure he wasn't bluffing. It didn't seem like it, but even if he'd forgotten what he tried to do, it didn't excuse him of it.

'I'm leaving.' Bella said, without any other explanation, and she stalked past him and swept through the portrait hole. He stared after her, wondering what the hell he could have done to make her so angry with him. But he didn't follow her. He knew that she was too wound up to ever listen, and one of them would probably end up getting hurt.

Bella made her way to the owlery. She didn't have any reason to go there, apart from needing to go somewhere quiet and secluded. And that seemed perfect. It's not as if the owls were going to ask her why she wasn't at the party. Maybe she'd send an owl back home, just for a chat.

When she got there the old wooden door was ajar. She sighed, as it seemed like she was not destined to be alone tonight. Wherever she went, it just seemed like other people would follow. She hoped they were just first years writing home about their first few months, or asking for sweets or something.

She couldn't see anyone when she entered, and she smiled when she thought that maybe the door was just left open from whoever was there before her, and had now left. She sat down on the wooden bench by the school owls and stared out of the window.

'A little over dressed for writing home, aren't you?'

Bella knew the voice and couldn't help smiling even before she turned around. Barty Crouch was leaning against the stone wall, his bow tie untied around his collar, and that familiar smirk on his face.

'Only a little.' Bella smiled, as he sat down in front of her.

'Not enjoying the party, then?' He asked conversationally, casually giving the tawny owl beside him a pat on the head. It's head spun around to bite him, but he had already retracted his hand.

'Not really, no.' Bella answered honestly, but she wasn't in the mood to give him all the gory details. She didn't want to talk about them just yet. Maybe even ever.

'I saw what happened, you know.'

Bella stared at him, unable to stop her dark eyes widening. 'How?'

Barty shrugged. 'I was outside.' Bella didn't reply for a moment, she was just watching him and thinking, until one factor came into her head.

'Why didn't you help? Why didn't you do anything?' She questioned harshly, her eyes narrowing at her friend. He didn't respond straight away, he just looked at the floor.

'I couldn't, could I? Because a certain Potter sprang to the rescue.'

Bella bit her lip and ran her hands though her hair. Of course, she'd forgotten about that. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, but he'd seen James.

'It's okay, you know, Bella,' he continued calmly, placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. 'I'm not going to say anything. You know I'm not.' Bella just nodded, she couldn't do anything else.

'It's not serious,' she managed to say quietly. 'I promise it's not. It was. But not now.'

'Why are you telling me this?' Barty grinned at her, and she choked out a laugh. He patted her on the back and leant away from her again, and prodded the owl, once more avoiding its beak.

'I want to go home.' Bella sighed, speaking her mind. Barty just nodded and watched her. He knew something was up, but he knew it had been for a while. He could just tell. 'Ever since Evan and AJ left, everything's gone bad. Absolutely everything.' And then Tom Riddle popped back into her head. 'Mostly.'

Barty stared at her. 'Mostly.' He said in agreement, but he said it cautiously. He was trying to coax more information out of her. Bella met his gaze. She knew her best friend, and she understood instantly that he knew she was withholding things.

'Tom Riddle was back here, you know,' she said, forcing her tone to be casual.

'I think I know where this is going…'

'And he asked me to-'

'Bella, don't.' He interrupted her before she'd even had a chance to finish. 'Don't do it. I know part of what he's planning, he told me some things while I was working with him in the holidays. He's not a nice person. He stole from a client, Bella. He stole something very valuable, and the next week the client was found dead in her home. Is that a coincidence?' He told her seriously, his eyes shining with worry. Bella swallowed hard. Maybe it was just a coincidence?

'I don't… I don't know.'

'Tell me you didn't agree.'

'I…'

'Tell me.'

'I can't.'

Barty got up instantly and kicked the wooden bench he'd been sitting on. The leg of the bench splintered and caved in on itself, the bench drooping to a slanted position. 'God, Bella! I told you on the train!'

'I know you did,' Bella tried her best to keep her voice calm and try and reason with him. 'but he's just… and I was in a really bad place…'

'Don't even try!' He held his hand up to her and she stopped speaking instantly. She didn't like this side to Barty. He'd only ever shown his temper when he was trying to protect someone, and she did not like being on the receiving end.

'I'm sorry…'

'Shut-up, Bella.' He snapped. 'I don't want to hear it. Besides, why do I need an apology from you? For not listening to me? Hardly. You ought to be apologising to yourself, you're the only one you've let down here.' He took a deep breath and looked back at her slowly.

'Do you know why I told you to stay clear of him? Why I told you what a bad person he is?' He asked her, a sudden and unexpected calm in his voice.

'No…'

'Because he got to me first. I was working to keep a roof under my head. He promised me that if I joined him, he'd let me stay with him for free, and give me food off his own plate. That sounded like an offer made in Heaven. But trust me, it's not. Sure, he'll train you and teach you all these amazing spells and curses, and they seem cool because they're dangerous. But after that, it starts getting weird. He'll ask you to meet him in dark pubs in the middle of nowhere, where everyone's wearing hooded cloaks and speaks in hushed tones. Or he'll meet you on the street, and there's a drop of blood on his shoes, but he's got that look that says you shouldn't ask.' His eyes clouded over and turned dark as he explained. Bella couldn't believe what he was saying, and surely Tom wouldn't do that… she really liked him – why would he do that? 'He's been writing to me, Bella. Telling me that a place in his group is being made for me, that I can leave school soon. I don't want to leave school. I don't have a home, and Hogwarts gave me one. I shouldn't abandon that for someone who has every intention of burning it to the ground.'

'He wouldn't-'

'Yes, he would. He's powerful beyond his age, by a long shot. I'm sure Dumbledore didn't realise that when he turned down his application for the Defence Against the Dark Arts post. I'm sure he would have phrased things a little differently had he have known.'

'Phrased things differently? How do you… He told you, didn't he? He wrote to you.' Bella finally understood it. He was telling the truth, every word of it. That had just proved it. What had she got herself into? But it didn't change the fact that she still liked Tom. She really liked him. And maybe there wasn't a way to get out of this now… Maybe she'd just have to stay. She could just stay with Tom, and then maybe he'd realise he liked her so much that he had to stop all his business and just be with her. Hopefully.

'Bella,' Barty got down on the floor in front of her and took her hands in his, then met her gaze. 'promise me you won't do anything stupid – you won't go looking for Tom.'

'Why would I go looking for someone who wants to do that?'

Meanwhile, in the basement of and abandoned shop in Knockturn Alley, Tom Riddle sat at his desk, just staring at the ceiling. The door opened with a creek, and he spun around instantly. Evan Rosier gave him a nervous smile and crept into the room, anxiety almost radiating off him.

'Well?' Tom probed, when Evan said nothing.

'He, um, he said you need to make him an offer he can't refuse.' Evan repeated quickly, almost as if he could lessen its meaning. Tom remained motionless for a moment, as Evan's nervous smile dropped and his eyes turned scared. Eventually, Tom laughed. But it was cold.

'An offer he can't refuse.' He repeated, like it was the punch line of a good joke. 'We'll see about that.'

'Although I did see someth-'

'I know.' Tom cut in. 'I know what you saw.' He'd obviously been rummaging through Evan's thoughts while he had the chance. Occlumency was something he'd learned at a very young age, and it had given him a vast advantage so far. 'I think I know where to start with that offer.'