Perhaps it was the lull of peace that the previous days evoked, or maybe it was Mother's ease with her, but she should have known that Barty was different, and that her gut feeling on the first night, urging her to apologize again, was correct. Barty was a slytherin, through and through. Slytherins, they never struck openly, biding their time in patience as they waited for you to slip up, unlike Gryffindors whose rage could bluntly be seen.

Slytherins could also create their own opportunity, subtly leading you like a mouse towards a trap.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Barty asked, his tone light. At this, Madeline was only happy that her brother held great concern for her. Barty had been asking that question and some other questions everyday without fail.

"Like a baby," she nodded, assuring him. She didn't want him to worry unnecessarily.

Barty smiled, nodding along with her. They were in the library, with their own respective books on their laps as they sat on the ground against each other, face to face with only their books separating them and their backs leaning on the book shelves. Their favorite place by the window sill was too cold these past three days, so they chose to move towards the inner part of the library, where the warmth stayed all year due to the books that surrounded them. It was a fine morning, they had just eaten their breakfast and Mother gave them free rein on what to do. Since it was December and both of them were not a fan of the wet coldness of the snow, the siblings happily stayed indoors and indulged themselves with piles of books.

"I'm glad," Barty spoke again, his eyes glancing at her, away from his book. "You see? You just have to take your potions."

Madeline hummed, her eyes stuck on her book. It was a book on dreams - The Dream Oracle by Imago - or in other words, a divination book. Ron would have laughed if he saw her right now, resorting to this hogwash. Unfortunately, it was the only branch of magic that discussed dreams in the manor's book collections. She knew that there were medical books on the mind, and perhaps the books on mind art discussed dreams too, but Madeline couldn't be sure until she had her hands on those books. She was disappointed when she found out medic books and mind magic books were not among the Crouch Family's interests, but divination books were. Then again, the Crouch family had always been dabbling in politics and divination was said to be a great aid for it. In any case, she would have to settle with visions of death and the grims for now.

Barty was still talking.

"Handy, that potion is. Though I suppose one must consume it each night to prevent any restless nights. Of course, it would be easier if you have someone to remind you to take your potions. You have me and Mother for that, but you've only been here for three days."

Madeline again hummed, acknowledging Barty's words, though her mind was shifting to the prospect of acquiring more books in between reading passages of how dreams were the key to unlock the mind eye, blablabla. Perhaps she could have access to a certain breadth of magic if she talked to the right people…

" - And you've been in Hogwarts these past months… So do you?"

She looked up to him, tilting her head. "Do i?"

"Have someone to remind you at Hogwarts."

Madeline smiled. Barty's concern for her was adorable. "I don't. I am not planning to advertise my sleeping situation to anyone, Barty. It's... a weakness that can be exploited, I suppose. I don't have a friend close enough for me to feel safe to divulge my weakness onto, down there in the dungeon."

She left Barty with his thoughts.

If she had just looked over her book, she would have noticed that Barty had frowned. He thought for sure that Maddy had some new friends that made her forget to write to him. He was fine if Maddy had new friends, really. Friends would be good for her - He would know, he had a friend, after all. But if those friends made her forget about him… well, it would become a different matter entirely.

Now, looking at his sister as he mulled over her offhanded reply, he realised that Maddy was speaking the truth. It made him feel guilty for accusing her, though he supposed he was warranted to think so, as the Maddy he knew would always speak to him, no matter what. Maddy even often went to his room when the nightmares awoke her, back before her nightmares stopped. Maddy relied on him.

His frown grew deeper. If it wasn't some outside influence... could it be that something in her changed? Or perhaps, he looked at his sister's choice of book then back to her, did the dreams change?

"What is it?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts at this. Barty blinked and met his sister's curious eyes.

Maddy raised an eyebrow. "You've been staring at me for some time."

Looking down to the pristine rug of the library, Barty considered his option. He could keep on dancing around the subject until Maddy slipped up, drawing her answer bit by bit on the matter of her dreams and the reason she ignored him, - or he could ask her plainly about it, though the chances of her answering it would be very small.

But did Maddy ever slip up?

He looked up, his next move had been chosen. "Your nightmares. Can you tell me about it?"

Madeline took a few seconds too long to answer. Her eyes were looking away as she did so, as if she was preparing an answer. A fabricated answer.

"I remember feeling intense fear. I screamed myself awake a couple of times," she answered, not answering him at all. Barty was not impressed, and he openly scowled at her words.

Madeline quickly added, her tone consoling, "It's nothing for you to worry about, Barty."

"Yes, it is." He sneered, surprising her with his display of contempt. It surprised him too. His patience seemed to have burnt out after hearing her words, his blue eyes unknowingly turned stormy. "I don't want you to ignore me again, therefore the nightmares have to go."

Madeline's mind was scrambling as her eyes widened and searching, trying to figure out where in her words that she had said wrong, or could have triggered his anger. She thought everything was going well, Barty had just shown his concern, and she was trying to ease his worries - So what went wrong?

"Well, I can't control the nightmares..."

Barty scowled deeper at her reply, glaring at her with his cheeks red in barely suppressed anger.

"Sure, but you didn't lose your ability to write because of it, did you?"

His reply almost made her flinch. It was true that she stopped writing on her own volitation…

The realization came upon her just then.

His questions were never about showing his concern, weren't they? She pondered as she scrutinized Barty's scowl. He was gathering information, prying - And it was all devised because he was still angry. Madeline cursed at herself. She knew Barty was still angry. She should have apologized again the morning after she first arrived at home. Yet the peaceful days of holiday put her off her intention to do so, and now Barty was seething with resentment.

Then again, Madeline thought she had done her part to earn Barty's forgiveness for ignoring him. She also did not ignore him on mere whim - she actually had her own problem to face! She was hurt that Barty said the nightmares had to go not because the nightmares were bad for her, but because it was bad for him. And he said it like it was so easy to deal with these nightmares - What did he think she was doing these past days when she scavenged books on dreams? Did he think she was divining the bloody number of her future children? She was trying to stop these dreams!

(She was not being defensive. She was not.)

As her emotion ran high, Madeline lifted her chin and said bitterly, "I have promised I won't ignore you again, haven't i?"

The sound of thick tomes pounding against the ground resonated across the room.

Barty had slammed his book on the floor, she realised. Her mind was painfully slow as it processed that fact - and Barty had yelled.

"I don't want your promise! You broke it once, what would stop you from breaking it again?"

His voice cracked by the end of it, and somehow, it was this and not the volume that made Madeline flinch. The crack did not sound like it was caused by his throat hurting, like how it used to happen when one shouted in anger - it happened because his tears had started to fall, as his voice grew weaker.

Watching Barty's errant breath, his hand furiously rubbing off the tears that had wet his cheeks and drenching his eyes, Madeline finally saw the truth in the situation. Hidden beneath Barty's sudden anger - and perhaps his growing grudge - something else had inhabited Barty's mind.

Hurt. Fear.

Barty's last sentence echoed in her mind and Madeline exhaled painfully. She had hurt him deeper than she had thought, she realised. It was just something over a month of no letters - but Barty had always had fears of abandonment, hadn't he? She had been aware of it since the very beginning, from the way Barty always hung upon the ideas of spending time with father. It was just last year that she took notes that Barty had let go of his earnest attachment with father and replaced it with one with her.

And she went stomping over that fear, hurting him.

Of course he was afraid.

Madeline found herself in tears.

She didn't think she would cry over this - she's an adult in mind, for fuck's sake! - but she did, and she too went furiously rubbing off her face, erasing the wet sensation off it. It was too much. Her head analyzed too many things. Her own mind was saying hurtful things about herself, and she still had to fix this situation with Barty - Why were the tears still pouring? Don't bloody tell her it's the influence of fucking hormones in this no good of a body-

"Maddy? I'm sorry I yelled," she heard Barty pleaded, panic seeping in his tone. She looked up to see Barty's confused eyes at her state.

She could guess what Barty had seen. Full of tears, her face red from ear to ear and her body crouching, it was not the picture of herself she had ever let Barty see. She didn't think she ever cried in front of Barty before. No, even if she displayed her vulnerabilities candidly in front of him, she had never cried in his sight. She supposed she always wanted to appear to be a strong, dependable older sister.

Now she hung her head down in shame, sniffling her snot. "I'm sorry I broke your trust."

They sat there side by side, composing themselves by evening their breath and fiddling with their clothes in the attempt to fix its unruffled state. The silence allowed them to wonder in their own thoughts. It was a good time to introspect upon their actions.

The siblings stayed like that for a long time.

Barty, eventually, broke the silence as he whispered the most honest words spoken that day.

"I just don't want you to ignore me too."

That twinge in her chest came back upon his words. She shook her head vehemently. "I won't. I won't ignore you again."

Her brother met her eyes, identical blue eyes stared solemnly at one another. She straightened her back at this, hoping her conviction to make true to her words spoke through.

As if he had found what he was looking for, Barty nodded.

"Alright. I still think the nightmares have to go, though." He gave her a reproaching look, "Don't think your skittish attitude around the subject goes unnoticed. You used to be so flippant when you talk about them, and now you seem to avoid it. Something must have changed."

Madeline tried not to cringe. The nightmares from before were just the remnants of the war, a matter that did not concern her new family. She was honest when she said they couldn't do anything about it. Now her nightmares were all about her current life - the nightmares revolved around them. She supposed they could have helped if she let them.

Letting them help means telling them about all of it though. It was not an option, with all the risks following it.

She shrugged Barty's observation off. "Relax. It did change, the nightmare that is. But it's nothing drastic, I was just a bit shaken off that the nightmares came back worse than it was before, that's all."

Barty wisely shut his mouth, though he suspected that his sister was only acting nonchalant about it so that he stopped talking about it. Perhaps his decision to just confront her with the question on the dreams was a wrong move, after all. But he supposed there were some good things that came from this fight; he felt better after talking (and shouting) to Madeline for one. He merely sighed as he let go of the subject and picked up his book.

.

The holiday afterwards was back to pleasant, and as Madeline had a soft spot for the Christmas ornaments, she spent not little of her time helping Winky stick mistletoes, ivies, and holly plants around the manor and adding fairy lights on the walls in between spending her time with Barty, previous fight already forgiven though not forgotten.

When Christmas came around, Mother left them with Winky as she went to a ministry ball with Barty Sr. The siblings spent the day together of course, and they were curious when they got two owl deliveries, carrying a gift box each. Barty was so excited at the prospect of presents that he forgot himself and just went straight to open one of them without seeing the intended recipient nor the sender's name. Madeline certainly did not mind as she watched his joy.

Bethany appeared to have given her mittens - The girl had indeed made a comment on how cold Madeline's hands were. Barty immediately lost his interest at this present and moved on to the next one.

The second box contained some muggle stationary, courtesy to Amanda, to whom Madeline had complimented the practicality of her writing tools when she saw her use them. Barty commented on how weird the ballpoints were, before he tried writing with it and got completely entranced.

"It immediately dries!" He yelped, his hand rubbing the tint trails on the paper over and over. "We won't smudge our writing with these… ballpoints. Fascinating."

She nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "It is fascinating. Quills are good for precision practice but when you want to scribble down your thoughts, these ballpoints will do the job better with less time."

"Precision practice?"

Madeline blinked at her brother, who was looking up from the ballpoints to her. She forgot this was not common knowledge. "Why, yes. Wizards and witches have to aim their spells to their target with wands to make it work. In duels, our target could be as far as 8 meters away from us. It could even be farther. Quills can help train our muscles to do fine motoric skill so that we may aim more precisely with wands."

She had found out about this particular fact in third year, when she was so immersed in her workload that she was tempted to use muggle pens to write all her assignments. Of course, she first consulted this idea to Professor Mcgonagall and the professor directed her to a comparative research conducted by a muggleborn wizard concerning the spell casting precision of wizards and witches who used quills daily and those who used muggle writing tools. She only used pens at minimum after that.

Barty looked intrigued with her words, though what precisely intrigued him, she did not know.

"Did you send them gifts as well?" Barty asked, finally putting down the ballpoints.

She hummed. Madeline was glad she had the forethought to send her friends christmas presents. It had been years since she last celebrated Christmas (her family oddly did not exchange gifts during the holiday) and the last Christmas she had as Hermione was spent with Harry in a graveyard - and in an abandoned house where they cried for Ron's absence and got attacked by Nagini… It was good to finally celebrate Christmas again. "I did. I gave them both a box of sweets from honeydukes and a necklace that warms when they are in the presence of malicious intentions towards them."

Barty's curiosity shot up, his back straightened as he turned his full body towards her. "Did you make them yourself?"

She tilted her head at him. Her automatic answer was a lie, but… "What do you think?"

"I think it's well within your capabilities."

The certainty in the way he spoke of her capabilities was touching - But she did neither confirm or deny his words, as enchanting an object with something as complicated as intention detection charm was not something a normal eleven years old child could do. Barty just hadn't known the extent of improbability of the words he uttered so confidently.

Instead, she gave him a lazy smirk. "What faith. I suppose I should feel flattered."

Her tone was mocking him, and Barty would not be Barty if he did not mock back.

"Well, I hope you feel flattered. Who knows when you will feel it again."

She huffed. "I'll have you know I got many compliments from the professors."

"Exactly my point," the boy grinned. "Getting flattered by some old people and by someone as charming as me are two completely different things," he cheekily proclaimed.

"As a matter of fact," she started then paused.

Regulus Black and Rabastan Lestrange were quite charming as they flattered her with intelligent discussion, she had wanted to say - But she did not think this type of teasing would go well with Barty.

Her brother lifted his eyebrow, urging her to continue.

She turned her gaze at her new mitten. "Nothing."

Barty's eyes narrowed.

"Say it."

Her eyes rolled. Of course he would push. "Let it go, Barty."

"No, you were going to say something!"

She looked back at him, exasperated. "I was going to say Professor Slughorn can be as charming as you if he wants to be," the lies fluidly came out of her mouth, making Barty's face pinched.

"The drunk professor? The one with a waddling walk and round belly?"

She grinned. "Exactly."

Barty shuddered.

.

Like each year after she was freed from her isolation, the Crouch family had dinner together to celebrate her birthday (yes, even Barty Crouch Sr). The Christmas festive became merrier, a form of present from Winky and Mother decorated the dining room with photos of her from each year. Unlike Barty, she never felt embarrassed when Mother did this. It might be because Hermione Granger's childhood photos were an utter disaster - Madeline Crouch's photos were exquisite in comparison, even the one where she pushed a flobberworm in Barty's face.

However, she made a note that the amount of gifts this year was unusual. Four was the typical gift amount she received, but she could see there was an extra present box there. Being confined in her family manor, she never met anyone therefore she never had many gifts. She also did not inform anyone at Hogwarts of her birthday, so she was left wondering who her mysterious gifter was. When dinner was over, she finally got to open her presents, with Barty peeking from behind her to see each of the content. Their parents stayed on their chairs, watching the children's antics as they drank the tea Winky served.

The first gift was from Barty Crouch Sr, which turned out to be a fancy Eagle feathered quill and a journal book. She gave her thanks, earning a nod from the man.

"Successful people plan their days to achieve great productivity, Madeline. Use the journal well."

Internally rolling her eyes, she answered monotonically with a simple "Yes, Father." The man had been getting more snobbish after an article in the prophet came out, commending him for his role in deflecting the unknown threats that loomed over Britain. As if doing more PR would help against Voldemort.

The second present was a white dress and a note from Grandmother Adele, and the next one was from Barty, who gave her a small jar of concoction and its refill… She turned to him.

"What is it?"

The boy only gave her a secretive smile, making her eyes narrowed. She opened the jar lid and right when it was opened, a serene smell invaded her sense. She closed the jar before it completely took her.

"A dry serene concoction?" She said, voicing her speculation. Madeline saw Barty grinned.

"Got it at one try."

Dumbfounded, Madeline stared back and forth from the jar to Barty. "You made this?"

"For your sleep," Barty nodded. "You said you wanted to reduce your use of dreamless potion… well, I made this for the nights you decide on not taking the potion. It won't get rid of your nightmares, but it probably will decrease the chance of nightmares. Nightmares come from fear, right? The serene concoction will make you feel less fear. Just put it inside your pillow, and it won't have any side effects on your body as long as you don't use more than a jar in one night."

Madeline's mind raged as she stared at the jar, pondering over the concoction's effects - over the implications.

She turned to look at Barty's smug face, and at the moment, she couldn't care less. "You're a genius."

Barty grinned, "I try."

She couldn't help it. Madeline tackled her brother, giving him kisses on his cheeks as she repeatedly said thank you in between the kisses. Out of her sight, Barty Crouch Sr. was completely flabbergasted at this display of affection, though Mother shushed him, not wanting for him to interrupt the moment.

Barty laughed as he told her to get off. When she did yield to his request, her wand was already in her hand. She bestowed upon him the best brother sticker.

"Sweet!" The shout radiated his joy.

At the same time, his senior counterpart was squawking at the blatant law-transgression.

"Young lady!" The man spurted out. "You can not just use your wand -"

"Oh, hush, Bartemius…" Mother softly interjected again, not surprised at all by her daughter's skill to flawlessly conjure something. "It's just harmless magic. There is no point in getting so worked up." She drank her tea.

Whatever conversation occurred between her parents afterwards was left unheard, for Madeline was still awestruck on Barty's gift. It was simply ingenious - to remove the fear from her dreams! It would surely make her nights more restful. Staring at the jar, Madeline was tempted to hug Barty again. She turned to her brother, who was still looking at his newest sticker.

"Thank you," she repeated, her heartfelt tone made him look up to her. Barty gave her a soft smile in return.

"Well, let's open the rest of your gifts to decide if my gift is the best gift among them after all."

She smirked at his confident tone. Returning her attention to the other two gifts, she chose to open Mother's first. When a pair of mirrors as big as her face were revealed to her, Madeline immediately noticed the array of runes on their border. She knew what they were.

"Two-way mirrors!"

Turning to mother, she caught mother's winning expression teased Barty. It was completely justified. "These are expensive, not to mention rare! How on earth did you get them, Mother?"

Mother only gave away a cryptic smile. "Oh, I have my ways..."

Madeline shook her head, still not quite believing she had one of these artifacts. The only pair she knew was the Black's, as Sirius gave Harry one.

"Am I still winning?" Barty chirped, making her roll her eyes fondly. She said her thanks to Mother, promising to put one of the pair in the manor so that they could communicate when she was at Hogwarts. Madeline then focused her attention on the last present.

The black paper wrapped box was as big as her school trunk. It was light when she brought the box closer to her, though she suspected the giver charmed it with feather-light charm. A parchment of note greeted her first when she opened the box, and as she read the note, her eyebrows shot up as she did it, Barty had taken a peek of the box content.

"Books!" He announced merrily. "Are they from your friends, Mad?"

Madeline, however, was still distracted by the sender's identity. It was true that she had sent the lady a letter, but she didn't expect her to readily grant her request…

She lifted her eyes from the note. "It's from grandmother, actually."

"Mother sent you those books?" Mother asked, bewildered. "Why, she didn't tell me she would give you books! Has she finally listened to my words, after all? I've been trying to convince her you like books more than you like dresses for a while now, dear."

"I'm afraid your advice has not been heeded, Mother," She lightly replied. "Grandmother Adele still gives me dresses. I have her present right there."

Mother frowned as she followed the direction she was pointing at. Indeed, there was a box with a dress in it among the gifts. "Then, who - ?"

"Charis Black."

The name was uttered in a cutting tone, with such intense disdain that Madeline frowned as she turned to look at the source.

Barty Sr. was seething. Madeline also noted that it was the first time she had heard Barty Crouch Sr. refer to his mother, and she didn't miss the way the man called his mother a Black, rather than a Crouch. Still, she confirmed his guess plainly with a simple yes.

There was a pause.

Then,

"We will return the gifts," The man said with finality. Madeline met his stern gaze.

"I will do no such thing."

Barty Sr.'s eyes narrowed.

She couldn't care less as she continued. "They are my gifts. It is my right to decide on what to do with them."

"There will be no Black's books in my house," the man demanded, stressing syllables.

She smiled. "Then how fortunate that these books are not the Black's books."

At this, Barty Sr. left his chair to approach the box. His gestures were almost uncontrolled, his patience barely there. The man took one closer look at the titles and bawled.

"These are dark! They are definitely hers!"

"These are mine now," she retorted, remorselessly, "Therefore, they are Madeline Crouch's."

Something flickered in the man's eyes. The rage was evident, boiling just under his skin, ready to be unleashed if the impudence continued, and Madeline tacitly kept her silence.

The room felt colder than it was.

It was a while before Barty Crouch Sr. regained his coherence. "I will not allow any child of mine to learn dark magic," the words were spat, giving another light at this fight.

Madeline of course knew of her father's aversion to dark magic. It was the reason why their library did not have any book of that nature. Still, it was quite outrageous of him to mark these books as dark. She glanced down to the books, reading the title one by one. Indeed, Charis Crouch only gave her the relevant books from what she requested.

"They are mind magic books. For my nightmares."

Perhaps it was the child in her, but as Barty Sr. did not offer her any reaction, she turned to the others. Mother, she saw, was frozen, her blue eyes wide. Barty, though, seemed to be startled when he saw her looking at him.

(Is Maddy asking him to help her?)

"Mind magic is not dark, from what I've read," Barty blurted out, breaking the silence. He gulped when Father turned his head slowly at him. His voice grew smaller. "Only its connotation made it seen as dark. I don't think Maddy will read people's minds without their permission any time soon…"

"And how do you know of that magic?" Father asked, suspicion filled his voice. Barty visibly clammed up.

She could not let Barty Sr. 's ire go to her brother. "Learning legilimency is not in my interest," Madeline interrupted calmly. "I need these books for my nightmares and my nightmares only."

"Bartemius –"

"How did the vile woman come to know to give you books on mind magic?" The man asked, returning his focus on her. Madeline's eyes narrowed at the man for cutting off her Mother's words. She chose honesty to annoy the man more.

"I wrote to her."

"You dare-"

"Yes I dare," she cut him. This time he was the one whose words were cut off, she mirthfully thought. "It is you who decide to reject her as family, but you can not decide for us."

Barty Sr.'s face was full on red. "You will find that I very much have the ability to do so. I am the head of this family - "

"And yet Grandfather holds the Wizengamot seat," she cut him again, deadpanned. Everyone knew the one who hold the seat was the head of the family, except for those who were chosen to be proxy.

If Barty Crouch wasn't going to blow up before, he surely would now.

"You will respect me."

"For that, you will have to respect us too," she jabbed.

There was another pause following her words as Barty Sr processed her insolence, and a thought passed by her mind.

Madeline had always been all for standing up against her Father, but she must admit that she might have stepped over the line when she made a comment on the head of family matters… she couldn't take back her words though. Before the man could open his mouth, probably to barrate her, Madeline ranted.

"Is it so difficult to stop for a moment to listen?" She started, her eyes pleading. "I only want to use all the means available to me to solve my issue. I know Charis Crouch has the potential means to help me, so I wrote to her. Is it so wrong for a girl to write to her grandmother? Does your conflict with your family matter more than helping me get rid of my nightmares? Can you, at least, pretend to care for a day?"

At her words, the man seemed like he had just swallowed whatever words that had danced at the tip of his tongue. He surprisingly stayed silent with an unreadable expression for quite a while.

He looked, she dared say, thoughtful.

Would her words get through his skull? Who knows, but at least the words were now out in the open.

After a while, the man spoke calmly.

"You should have consulted with us first before you contacted her."

She lifted an eyebrow at this silent admission. "Would you have listened and allowed me to read her books?"

He didn't answer.

Madeline knew, though. Looking at the troubled man, she knew he wouldn't have allowed it. He would even go as far as using Winky to spy on her correspondence and intercepted her letters if she ever spoke of her intention in reaching to the lady. He had used Winky for worse, after all.

"Has everyone said their piece?"

It was Mother who spoke the question, her voice calm with the firmness of a steel. Madeline didn't answer her, though her silence was apparently sufficient. Mother smiled, strained it might be. "Lovely. Now - We will sit down, and we will enjoy the refreshments Winky prepared for us together. As a family."

Madeline tried to bury the urge to smile as she followed Mother's words. Some years ago, Mother wouldn't have been bold enough to assert herself in one of Madeline's disputes with her father. She was glad that Mother had found her voice. Perhaps Mother was now aware that she must occasionally leave her docile wife shell?

"Madeline."

She pulled herself out of her thoughts. "Yes, Mother?"

Mother sat on her chair, her disapproval was clear with how she pursed her lips. "You should have consulted with us first before you write to Lady Crouch."

She flinched.

Now that Mother said it, she must admit that it was impulsive to write to a woman she didn't know anything about, except for the fact that Barty Crouch Sr. distanced himself from her… She mumbled an apology, feeling chastened. Mother was visibly satisfied.

"And Bartemius," She finally said, sounding like she put much effort in uttering the words. Perhaps she did put a great deal of effort as she braved herself and spoke, "The books will stay."

Barty Sr. looked like he wanted to argue, but at his wife's stern glare, he mumbled a quiet 'Yes - Well, we'll talk about it later…'

Barty and Madeline exchanged a smile.

.

December, 29th, 1972

Dear Lady Crouch,

I was delightfully surprised when I saw your gift. Please have my gratitude for your concern and generosity. I am certain the books will greatly help me to resolve my sleeping problem - The books on occlumency particularly look promising.

You were right in your assumption, and yes, you were right in your caution, though I choose to ignore it. My parents deserved to know if I made contact with you, Lady Crouch, even if they disapproved of my actions.

I deeply appreciate your offer to consult with you in the matter of mind magic. Perhaps I will, though you must know that this granddaughter of yours will stubbornly try to solve her problems on her own. I have my own mind and my own will, you see. I implore you to take this as a precaution before you exhaust yourself trying to tame me. I may be one of the serpents, but I am so much more.

I would very much love to continue our correspondence. I quite agree with you, it was heartless of your children to deny an old lady the joy of grandparenthood. Did they think you would get enough entertainment from withering old tomes? I wonder where they got the idea.

Looking forward to be better acquainted with another member of the family,

Madeline