CHAPTER 9: RUFUS SCRIMGEOUR

Flashback

(Severus POV)

"Not bad, kids, not bad at all, you almost had us there," growled a beast-like voice.

Fenrir Greyback was back up on his feet, as well as five of his werewolf companions, their wands pointed at Ilya and Severus.

End of Flashback

(Severus POV)

The situation was not looking good. Severus put a lot of power into the explosion he cast and was panting heavily. Ilya looked exhausted as well: she was barely standing up, and was wincing. She appeared to have sprained her ankle.

Severus placed all he had into it, put all the power he could possibly muster into it. He thought the spell was enough.

It wasn't.

As far as Severus remembered, he got a clear shot at the combined force of Death Eaters and werewolves. Their defensive formation required them to almost huddle together, and therefore the spell he cast should have worked well enough. Yet, these half-man-half-wolf monstrosities managed to take a hit without appearing to suffer any serious damage, save for a few scratches and burn marks.

Greyback smiled triumphantly.

"Avada…" he began. But then, in an instant, he froze, then, he completely turned his back on Severus and Ilya, as he and his werewolf companions did the same.

"PROTEGO!" the werewolves shouted together, just in time to block around a dozen jets of red light that were speeding towards them. Then, the six half-man, half-beast wizards grabbed their fellow companions, as well as five of the masked figures.

"It seems that luck is on your side this time…till next time then…" Greyback grinned at them, as he and his company began to twirl, then vanished, just as around twenty newcomers, Ministry Officials by the look of them, arrived at the scene. They were safe. Ilya seemed to be think that the danger was over now, as she whispered two words, and the flower shield that was protecting Lily and the others disappeared.

"Trace…off."

Severus was just about to let out a sigh of relief, when he saw something brown speed towards the white-haired girl beside him, almost tackling her to the ground.

"MS. ILYA! MR. SEVERUS!" cried the eleven-year-old girl, as she wrapped her arms tightly around Ilya. "THANK GOODNESS YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"

-BREAK-

(Severus POV)

"Evelyn…" Severus gasped, as he watched the brown-haired girl continue snuggling up to the white-haired one.

Ministry officials were now crowding the Evans residence. From the symbol on their robes, he could tell that they Aurors, and other members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Severus could hear them talking, as they gathered around the scorched patch of ground where his spell assailed the Death Eaters, where two masked figures lay unconscious. Three of the Ministry Officials were already interviewing Lily, her parents and her friends. Severus noticed that they (Lily and company) were continually shooting glances at him and Ilya, who was currently trapped in Evelyn's embrace. Severus, Ilya and Evelyn were now standing behind a tree (The same tree where Severus hid in ambush) to avoid attention, partially hidden from view.

Severus wanted to talk to Lily, but he didn't know what to say to her. He did not have the right words, did not know how to explain the whole situation to her. Besides, right now, he was more concerned for Ilya. He was sure Lily and the others (Ugh… and the others…can't believe I just thought that, pondered Severus to himself.) would be fine. After all that happened, Severus was extremely tired, both physically and mentally.

"Evelyn, I'm glad you're worried about us, but you still shouldn't have come here," Severus heard Ilya gently scolding the younger female. "It's not safe."

"But I thought…I thought…" stammered the brown-haired girl.

"Still," the white haired-girl gently responded. "You shouldn't be putting your life in danger. You shouldn't be making your brother worry too much. He would never have allowed to come…"

"Indeed, I wouldn't have, but she grabbed on to me as I was about to Apparate, and wouldn't let go," said a low voice behind the raven-haired young man.

Severus jumped in surprised. He turned around. The raven-haired boy did not even notice nor hear the man approach.

He was tall. As the man stood face to face with them, Severus noted that he only reached up to the man's chin (Severus was about a head shorter.). He wore a stern face, and had a commanding air around him. He was young, but Severus could tell from the man's face that he had gone through rough times in life. There were already a few strands of white visible among his brown hair, and there were black lines around his fierce brown eyes.

"Good evening," he formally greeted, as he held out a hand to Severus. "I am Evelyn's brother. My name is Rufus Scrimgeour."

Severus took the hand and shook it.

"It is an honor to meet you sir," replied Severus, knowing the man's reputation. "I am…"

"You are Severus Snape," the man cut him off. "And the young lady must be…"

"BROTHER!" cried Evelyn cheerfully, as she charged the man like a small tank.

To Severus' surprise, Rufus Scrimgeour actually knelt down and caught his sister, to prevent any chance that the girl hurt herself.

"Evelyn…you're… choking…me," the Dark Wizard Catcher said pleadingly to his sister, as he desperately gasped for breathe, the girl's arms were hung around the man's neck, as she happily swung back and forth it.

Severus' mouth fell open. Just a few moments ago, the man had the look and air of someone formidable, a man who hunts down powerful Dark Wizards for a living. Right now, however, the Auror looked as if a five-year old could take him down easily.

-BREAK-

(Ilya POV)

Ilya, for a short while, was deep in thought. For the second time in one day, she allowed her enemies to escape. One miscalculation affected the result.

Werewolves. Ilya had never met one before, even in her world, but she had heard stories about them. They were half-human, half-wolf beast, and when it was full moon, the wolf side would be at its strongest, hence the transformation.

According to the legends, werewolves are both vicious and powerful. They have heightened senses which far surpasses a normal human's. They have greater physical strength, endurance and their battle instinct is astounding. Also, it is said that their wounds heal at least five times faster than a normal human's. In some stories, it is even said that werewolves are immortal, and the only way to kill one would be to put a silver bullet through its heart.

With her Reinforced hearing, she heard what one of Lily's companions, Remus Lupin was telling a Ministry official.

She heard the initial exchange between the boy and the man called Fenrir Greyback before, and Ilya was now able to confirm three things.

First, Fenrir Greyback was a werewolf.

Second, ten of the seventeen people she and Sev fought, including Greyback, was a werewolf.

Third, Remus Lupin was also a werewolf.

The fact that she failed to notice something odd about some of her adversaries irritated Ilya. She felt it. She sensed it. She felt that there was something different in the air. At first, she thought it was just the aura of battle preparedness that the Death Eaters had. But now that she thought about things, there was something else. She should have been able to tell. Right now, as she focused a bit of attention to Lupin, she realized.

These werewolves, Ilya finally dawning on a conclusion, had a feel to them, similar to Dead Apostles.

Dead Apostles. Vampires. They are powerful beings, able to use magic, and their physical abilities far surpasses that of a humans'. They also have very long life spans, and are indeed, extremely hard to kill. Ilya fought a number of them in her world, so she knows. She knows how tasking it is to slay one, let alone survive an encounter with one. When Ilya fought against the Dead Apostle Endou, one on one, it was only through sheer luck that she managed to win. A split second advantage made all the difference. Otherwise, she would not be alive right now.

The truth was. Ilya was impressed with the spell Sev used. It caused a huge explosion, and Ilya was sure that it would have either killed, or at least badly injured their enemies. She knew that all wizards were bound to have some level of magical resistance, but an attack of that magnitude should have been enough to incapacitate all of them.

Yet Greyback and more than half of the werewolves were almost undamaged. Though they were not in the level of Dead Apostles, werewolves were undoubtedly strong. Still…

If she had finished off the Death Eaters at Diagon Alley in the first place, then this wouldn't have happened. When she fell off the roof, Ilya actually twisted her ankle, so her movement and evasion was considerably diminished. While she knows it will heal soon enough, Ilya hated the fact she had been injured at such a critical moment.

Sev was exhausted from using his spell. Lily and her friends not used to such situations, and were frozen on the ground, useless. She, Ilya, after two consecutive battles, was also low on steam, not to mention she was badly strained from maintaining the Aius to protect useless statues…erm, Sev's friends.

If the Aurors hadn't arrived when they did…well, while she was sure she could find a way for them to survive, she was sure they would not be able to end it unscathed.

Still, what is done is done, no sense dwelling., thought Ilya. I guess I better try and get a move on with my research. I may need to do a lot of planning, and information is the key. For now though…

After finally freeing himself from his sister's headlo…embrace, the tall, brown-haired man, Evelyn's brother, the Auror Rufus Scrimgeour, approached Ilya and, like with Sev (Rufus told his sister that he needed to talk to "Ms. Ilya and Mr. Severus" alone, then asked one his colleagues to watch the girl for the time being. Evelyn complained, but seeing his brother was being serious, reluctantly went with the female Auror), the man also held out a hand.

"Scrimgeour, Rufus Scrimgeour."

"Emiya, Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya," replied Ilya, shaking the hand.

"Now, then, that the formalities are over," began Scrimgeour in a business-like tone. "I would like to ask you a few questions."

Interrogation, as expected, thought Ilya.

"In case you haven't noticed, Mr. Auror, there are at least seven other people here, aside from me and Sev, who had a front row seat to what transpired here," said Ilya, before the Dark Wizard Catcher could even begin with his first question. "If you need answers, well, your colleagues are already getting it out of them."

"No, I'm not asking you about what happened here," said the brown-haired man. "I want to ask you about something else."

"And that would be?" said Ilya.

"Why did you save my sister?"

Ilya paused for a moment. She had not expected such a question, especially from an Auror. Was it some sort of trick question? Was the man trying to fool them in some way?

No. Rufus Scrimgeour may be a Dark Wizard Catcher, but from what Ilya can tell, based from all that she saw about this man, he cared a lot for Evelyn, and undoubtedly prioritized his sister over his profession.

"Do you really need to have a reason to go and save someone who is in trouble?" asked Ilya, replying to the question with another question.

The Auror fell silent for a while, looking at Ilya straight in the eyes.

Then, he smiled.

"I see," he said finally, his face lighter and less harsh.

"And what about you?" Scrimgeour turned to Sev. "Don't tell me you helped out for the same reason?"

The Auror was looking at the raven-haired boy intently. So was Ilya.

Just tell him yes, the white-haired girl thought, and she actually started mouthing at Sev to follow her lead. Ilya was sure the boy understood her gesture.

"No," said Sev finally. The Auror raised his eyebrow, then his eyes narrowed.

What the hell do you think you're doing? Ilya mouthed at the boy furiously.

"No?" inquired the Dark Wizard Catcher, and his face was starting to harden again. "Then why did you face the Death Eaters? Why did you help out my sister?"

Ilya noticed that the Auror was becoming serious again.

"It was never my intention to help your sister," Sev began. "In fact, had Evelyn not told us you were her brother, I never would have known. As for facing off against Death Eaters, I know that's stupid. I'm a Slytherin sir, and it is in my nature to be cunning enough to avoid life-threatening situations."

"Then why did you do it? Why did you face them, when you could have just stayed out of harm's way?"

"I just wanted to protect Ilya, nothing else matters," said the raven-haired boy, honestly and bluntly.

The air froze for about a second. And then…

"I see, I get it now," Scrimgeour said. The previous tension was gone, and the Auror was now wearing a wide smile on his face.

"You… you weren't serious just now, were you?" Ilya asked Sev, her face burning red.

"No, I'm not joking. I'm completely serious," replied Sev honestly as he turned his head towards Ilya. He too, was blushing.

Rufus Scrimgeour, the renowned, serious, young, Dark Wizard Catcher, was laughing heartily.

"Of course you were serious," the Auror added. "You don't need a reason to protect the girl that you like now, do you?"

"Wha… what do you… wha…"

"I…huh…what was I…what?"

The teasing statement from an unexpected source caused Ilya and Sev to blush even more deeply, as both of them stammered.

An uncomfortable minute passed, as Rufus Scrimgeour continued laughing.

-BREAK-

(Rufus POV)

Finally, the Auror managed to control his mirth, and spoke once again in a businesslike tone. There was, however, no force or pressure stressed in it this time.

"Now, seriously, Sev…" Rufus began, still chuckling a little bit.

"It's Severus," the raven-haired boy interrupted.

"Alright then, Severus? Ilya? It's okay with you if I addressed you in those names?"

Ilya merely nodded. Severus merely grunted.

"Great, and I'd appreciate it if you stop calling sir, Mr. Scrimgeour or ," said Rufus, putting stress on the last name. "Just call me Rufus."

Rufus cleared his throat and continued.

"Anyway," he began. "I really need you tell me what happened here. True, my colleagues are already interviewing the Evans, but I would like to hear your version of the story." Rufus looked at them intently.

The two remained silent, however.

Rufus sighed.

"Look," said the Auror in a low voice. He waved his wand in the air and muttered a spell. Immediately the world around them was silent.

"Privacy ward," said Rufus. "Look, if you don't trust me I completely understand. But I'm sure that the people over there are telling my colleagues all the details, without holding back, from their point of view. I won't be able to help you if I do not have enough information."

A moment's silence. Then…

"How can we be sure we can trust you?" she asked in scrutinizing voice, looking Scrimgeour straight in his brown eyes.

"Well, if you want me to, I will swear an Unbreakable Vow to never divulge to anyone any and all sensitive information you give that you don't want others to know unless you personally give me permission to do so," he replied.

"Unbreakable Vow?" inquired the white-haired girl, but her question was immediately followed by the raven-haired boy's shout, looking shocked.

"WHAT?" Severus shouted. "Unbreakable Vow? But if you break it…"

"If I break it, I die," Rufus finished the sentence. The Auror noticed that Ilya's eyes slightly widened from this piece of information.

"How do you form this…contract?" the girl said finally.

"This is how it goes," said Scrimgeour in a businesslike tone…

-BREAK-

(Rufus POV)

"Those two are with me," reported Rufus to his superior Richard Parker, head of the Auror Office, pointing at the raven-haired boy and white-haired girl who were currently sitting under a tree with his sister Evelyn. "I've already finished asking them questions."

"Alright then," said Parker. "I will be expecting your detailed report on my table by tomorrow morning."

The young Auror merely nodded.

"But you know," Parker continued. "I really think we ought to take these people in for questioning, especially those two..."

"Don't worry Richard. They're good people, I'm sure of it," said Rufus.

Flashback

(Rufus POV)

Rufus Scrimgeour. He was a man of action. He has two main goals in life. One, to rid the world of evil. Two, to keep his sister safe and happy.

Thus he became an Auror, a Dark Wizard Catcher. In just six months from his entry to the Ministry, he has been given that position, and performed his task so well, that in no time, he had the trust and respect of his colleagues, even though he was the youngest. The head of the Auror Office, Richard, a fifty year old veteran, was a very good friend, who Rufus looked up to as his mentor. The man was unlike many in the Ministry, who focused in politics and self-gain. Richard Parker was different. He too, truly wanted to make the world a better place, and for this Rufus respected him. They had a similar goal.

By eliminating Dark Wizards, the twenty year old Auror believed that he was making the world a better place, a place where his sister can live safe and happy.

The events of the day just proved him wrong.

While he was out on a job, helping the members of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical creatures get rid of trolls attacking a wizarding village, a plot to kidnap his sister was set in motion.

It was just another ordinary day. His sister, Evelyn, had just received the acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was ecstatic. Rufus promised the girl that he would go with her to Diagon Alley.

Rufus broke that promise.

The Auror did not have a choice. There was an emergency, lives were at stake. Trolls were attacking in force, and his assistance was required. Rufus knew that by helping out he would be able to save lives, to get of evil creatures who were harming the Wizarding Community.

At first the girl was pouting, complaining. She did not want her brother to leave her. Eventually, Rufus was able to calm her down, by telling his sister that she can go on ahead and that he'll catch up with her later. Excitement rose up in the girl's eyes. Evelyn was happy again.

Then, as he had just taken down the last troll, word reached him that Death Eaters were attacking Diagon Alley.

Evelyn.

In an instant Rufus realized that he overlooked something. He was an Auror, a Dark Wizard Catcher, and he hell knows of his reputation as a young and talented wizard. Even Lord Voldemort himself, who was the current leader of the Dark Forces (as Rufus dubs them), wanted to recruit him, though of course, the Auror refused. He had nothing to fear. In the three years he was in the Ministry he had already survived through a number of battles, and managed to take out a number of powerful Dark Wizards in the process. He was always in danger, and thus he was always prepared. He could face the dangers.

But Evelyn could not. She was just a child, she did not know of the harsh realities of the world. Scrimgeour was horrified, realizing how careless he had actually been. By letting his sister go to Diagon Alley, alone, unprotected…

It would only be natural for his family to be targeted, and Rufus only had one… The attack on Diagon Alley… the letters from Lord Voldemort… the Ministry Official Rufus has suspected was on the Dark Lord's side, overhearing his conversation with his sister…

Without another thought, Rufus quickly Apparated to the place, and frantically looked everywhere for his sister, running around like a madman. Then, he saw people crowding, Ministry Officials, the media, bystanders, near a destroyed building, Eeylop's Owlery.

Evelyn wanted to buy an owl.

Fear gripping his heart, fear he had not felt even when a Killing Curse missed him by an inch, Rufus hurried to the place. He ignored everyone, ignored his fellow Aurors, ignored the media, ignored the questions. There was only one thing in his mind: find his sister, keep her safe, make sure she is safe.

The he heard a voice.

"Brother! I'm over here!"

Rufus turned in every direction, frantically searching. The usually calm and collected Auror was in a panicked state, it took him a while to pinpoint where the voice had come from.

And then she saw her. Evelyn. His precious little sister. She was alive. She was safe.

Without pausing to think, he ran as fast as he could and then embraced his little sister. Thank God! She's alive. She's safe. Rufus cried silently as he embraced his sister.

Then Rufus noticed something. A white handkerchief was wrapped around his sister's leg. Her eyes were a bit puffed, as if she had just cried. At once, his Auror instinct began manifesting itself.

Fortunately Rufus and his sister managed to get away before the media could hassle them. Back in the safety of their house (which was protected by Fidelius Charm, aside from other enchantments, and Rufus was Secret Keeper, meeting that only he and Evelyn can enter it), he asked his sister what happened.

Immediately the girl jumped into telling him about how a white-haired girl and his boyfriend protected her from twenty mean Dark Wizards of You-Know-Who. Evelyn told him of how a girl named Ilya took down the twenty hooded men while the boy defended her.

"And then, she started shooting spells at You-Know-Who's people, they didn't stand a chance," Evelyn was saying.

Rufus was confused. What her sister was saying did not make any sense. It was nothing short of impossible. How can two wizards manage to hold their own surrounded by twenty, and Death Eaters at that?

The Auror then decided that it would be better to just take a look at what happened himself.

While Rufus did not yet teach his sister Occlumency or Legilimency (as it is a stressful matter, and it could hurt a child) he did teach Evelyn how to extract her memories, into silver strands (Rufus taught her this so that he could get a good look at whoever was bullying his sister and pay them back.). The Auror, after all, owned a Pensive.

Evelyn handed him the memories. Then, after placing them into the basin, he jumped in.

To say the he was shocked would be an understatement. Rufus was extremely surprised with what he saw. Rufus watched as the silver haired girl wandlessly cast multiple jet black balls of light and fired them at the Death Eaters, while the raven haired boy stood in front of her, maintaining a Shield Charm on standby. The green-eyed girl, who ever she was, was an incredibly talented witch. But the battle was that the only thing that got Rufus' attention.

It was the boy. Rufus watched the memories, from the moment the white-haired girl first arrived, up to the time when the she and the raven-haired boy left.

The young man was Severus Snape. He was a Slytherin, ambitious, and, as the Auror remembered while he was still in school, the raven-haired boy was undoubtedly a supporter of the Dark Lord. Severus Snape was always talking loudly about it in the Slytherin common room, with his buddies (including Avery, Wilkes, Mulciber, Nott) who were also Dark Lord fanatics. Severus actually looked up to Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Black, who were ahead of him in years. (True, Rufus was also a Slytherin, but he had never, not even once, thought of joining Him. Rufus' stand was against evil, and as far as he is concerned, Lord Voldemort was evil. Then again, the reason why he was Sorted into the Serpent's House was probably because of his great ambition to rid the world of evil, talk about ironic.)

"Ilya, take the girl and run. I'll hold them off." Rufus saw the memory raven-haired boy state.

Rufus was confused by the young man's sudden turnaround. He was facing off against the Death Eaters, against Lucius Malfoy, who he idolized, of all people. After all his rants of wanting to become one of the Dark Lord's Servants, here he was, openly defying them.

Rufus was pondering on things. Later that evening, however, a snowy-white owl arrived at his house, carrying a note. The message was short.

Death Eaters Attacking

Spinner's End, Evans' Residence

Ilyasveil von Einzbern-Emiya

Immediately Rufus Scrimgeour alerted the Ministry, and got dressed as quickly as he could. He did not know why, but he believed the message, for some reason his Auror instinct screamed at him that it wasn't a hoax.

He was just about to leave for the designated Apparation Point (Rufus got a message via owl of where the Aurors will assemble before proceeding. Parker, his boss, as well as many of his colleagues, trusted him, so his claim that there are Death Eaters was accepted without question.) when he felt someone tugging at his clothes.

It was Evelyn, and she was holding the note the white owl was carrying. She wanted to go, but Rufus told her that it was too dangerous, and that she can't come. Unfortunately, just as Rufus began to spin, his sister grabbed onto him again, and got brought along ride.

Sighing, Rufus placed a Disillusionment Charm on the girl before any of his colleagues can spot her (The Aurors, of course, placed Disillusionment Charms on themselves before heading out for the Evans' as well.). He did not want them to be distracted by an irresponsible Auror who brought a little girl along.

They arrived at the Evans' just in time. Their sudden appearance forced their enemies' retreat. It appeared that Fenrir Greyback and his pack of wolves were collaborating with Lord Voldemort. Rufus caught a glimpse of something that looked like a large pink flower before it disappeared. The Auror was curious, but he was much more interested. There they were, the white-haired girl and the raven-haired boy who apparently saved his sister's life.

Sensing that it was safe, Rufus removed the Disillusionment Charm he cast on his sister (Resulting in a raise of eyebrows from his colleagues.), and allowed her to go to the white-haired witch.

The Ministry officials now started their inquiry. Being Aurors and fighters as they were, all of them immediately noticed the white-hair and raven-hair who were quietly slipping out of sight with the brown-hair, behind a tree. Rufus, however, asked Parker, the Head Auror, for permission to be the one to interrogate them, so the others proceeded to interviewing the Evans residents.

The yard was scorched, the house was damaged. Two Death Eaters left lying on what appeared to be the remains of a huge explosion. The young Auror was already sure as to who were the ones responsible for it.

Thus, he questioned them. He wanted to know why they did what they did. Rufus could never be completely at peace if he didn't know the reason behind their actions. Then, two statements, one each from the white-hair and the raven-hair, felt as if they were piercing through Rufus' very being.

"Do you really need to have a reason to go and save someone who is in trouble?" said the girl.

"I just wanted to protect Ilya, nothing else matters," the boy declared.

I just wanted to protect Ilya, nothing else matters... Keep his sister safe and happy

Do you really need to have a reason to go and save someone who is in trouble? Rid the world of evil.

Scrimgeour couldn't help himself from laughing. The words were different, but for all purposes, their essence was the same.

I will save every person I can save.

I will save who I want to save.

I will protect everyone.

I will protect the ones I love.

Contradiction. The two concepts, while both meaning well, contradict each other to an extent.

Selflessness

Selfishness

Yet, which one is really selflessness?

Which one is really selfishness?

Rufus Scrimgeour felt as if he was looking at two mirrors, each mirroring one of his firm beliefs. The girl wanted to save everyone. The boy wanted to save the ones he truly care for…

Still, which path should Rufus Scrimgeour take, the one or the other?

Finally he found the right answer.

He smirked inwardly, as he looked at the blushing faces of the girl called Ilya and the boy called Sev, as the Auror teased them.

There was no way he can choose one or the other.

He will choose both, he will never give up on either.

Selfishness it is… well in a good way…

End of Flashback