Corruzione (A Barty Crouch Jr Fanfiction)

NINE - Sycophantic

Darcy was busy during the holidays, so busy in fact with her apprenticeship at the ministry, attending Order meetings, and doing school work that she hardly noticed that she hadn't spoken to Barty in months. But late at night when she couldn't sleep she'd think about him, about his assurance to her. It had held steadfast so far, Voldemort had not come after her.

Really she thought about that night in Diagon Alley where he had left because she had said something she didn't mean. She wished she could reverse it, to tell him that it didn't have to be like this. She thought about sending a letter to him, but what would it say?

I'm sorry. I don't wish I'd turned you in.

She scoffed to herself thinking about how childish it sounded. The weeks passed and then a few more and she was back at Hogwarts, trying to bury herself in her friendship with Daphne and forget him. There hadn't been anything between us anyway. It wasn't until she visited Hogsmeade one weekend that they met again.

Darcy and Daphne strolled down the lane, snow on their boots and a pink tinge to their cheeks. Darcy had Cassius on her shoulder, he loved visits to Hogsmeade because she would let him catch mice in the Shrieking Shack. But now he screeched and hopped off her shoulder. "What is it, Cassius?" Darcy asked.

"Come on, Dars, it's freezing, you can feed him when we get to the Three Broomsticks," Daphne said. Daphne had not taken Cedric's death well even though Darcy knew him better. Cassius hooted and nipped at her feet. "Ignore him, come on," Daphne said exasperated.

"No, I think he wants me to follow him." Darcy knelt beside Cassius but he only fluttered away, to a path leading to the Shrieking Shack.

"See, it's mice he wants." Daphne pointed out.

"You go on, I'll catch you up."

"I can't sit on my own, people already think I'm a loser."

"Go and sit with Fred and George then, they won't mind, I saw them go into the Three Broomsticks earlier," Darcy said. She had a fair idea what is was Cassius was trying to tell her but she didn't have the courage nor the inclination to explain it to Daphne. Daphne trudged off ahead and Darcy took the path down to the Shrieking Shack.

She turned a corner of the snow-laden path, lined with trees, and saw on a rock, Barty. She felt everything at once, guilt, annoyance, happiness but all that she could utter was his name, he smirked back, his hands in his coat pockets, and his hair was thankfully back to normal color.

"I know, I leave many women speechless." He said. Cassius had fluttered onto a boulder beside him and the shrieking shack loomed in the distance. She approached him through the snow, it was thicker there, off the path.

"I'm sorry," she said, "for what I said to you."

"It's forgotten," he replied, gesturing that they both sit. This was not how she had pictured their reunion. She had pictured a hug, perhaps even a kiss but that had been in her imagination, they were not together, and they meant very little to one another. I have to remember that. "Voldemort is scared of you, he thinks he but himself at risk by giving the dark mark to you. He won't try to contact you."

"You made good on your promise, you didn't have to." She said, gently.

"I did, it was me who got you into this mess," he said and took her hand from where it rested in her lap, her finger was still missing. Darcy saw a flicker of hopelessness pass across his eyes.

"I wouldn't take it back." She murmured and Barty looked at her.

"Of course you would, if I hadn't come along, you'd have been a twelve NEWT student dating Oliver Wood and an apprentice at the Ministry." He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I should just leave you alone." He got up to leave.