Author's Note: This chapter, umm, might be a little upsetting for the squeamish. You have been warned. : )

Chapter Thirty Seven

Stalking Flora Carrow to her home turned out to be a much simpler task than Antonin expected. He'd anticipated he would have to wait hours for an opportunity to find the blasted witch and then distract her long enough to place a tracking spell on her without her knowledge. As soon as he returned to the cottage after the Resistance meeting, he Apparated directly to the woods just outside of Hogwarts. No one paid him any mind as he waited for the girl (or her twin, it didn't really matter) to make their exit from the castle. When no one was around he slipped into some heavy cover just off the path. He wanted the element of surprise to complete his task. For whatever reason, Flora Carrow had been assigned to guarding the hostages in the dungeons for most of the day. He knew it would only be a matter of time before she left the castle to head home.

He was waiting a grand total of ten minutes before the witch showed her face. The girl was surrounded by at least three other junior Death Eaters laughing as they walked through the gates. She was safely ensconced in the middle of the group, obviously the center of attention. Were the ranks of the Death Eaters getting that desperate for female companionship after the murder of Viola Richmond and Edana Whatever-the-Fuck? He certainly couldn't understand the appeal of the woman who looked like an underfed vulture. No one in the Carrow family had been blessed with great beauty or brains. Perhaps it was simply as Rabastan informed him against his will. The girl had certain skills that appealed to the young wizards.

At first he was concerned that she would Disapparate from the location without giving him an opportunity to cast the tracking spell. He had only a vague idea where the girl and her twin sister lived with their widower father, Artemas. The idiot elder brother of the two Carrow family members already existing beyond the Veil, Antonin remembered him from school. Artemas was a few years ahead of him and about as intelligent as a flobberworm. When Alecto was considered the brainy one of the family, there were obvious issues with the gene pool. If they weren't a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, there was no question that Artemas' father-in-law, a member of a less pure Slytherin family, would've never consented to the engagement. Antonin was frankly surprised that Artemas had been clever enough to impregnate his equally unattractive wife.

One by one the entourage surrounding the hateful twin took their leave. Briefly Antonin worried that he might lose the contents of his stomach when Flora was left alone and he witnessed one of the senior Death Eaters slip out of his own hiding place not far from him to greet the witch. Flora beamed at Avery, a Death Eater old enough to be her father and perhaps half as intelligent.

"I thought they would never leave," Avery crooned into the girl's ear.

"Were you waiting long?"

Avery chose not to respond to her question with words, but with action. Antonin wanted to curse his own eyes out of his skull when he witnessed the over-exuberant use of Avery's tongue. The sounds of his inept seduction were enough to make their unwitting witness ill. Wishing he could get the image out of his mind, Antonin pointed his wand at the girl and muttered the tracking spell. At least Avery's attempt to snog the girl like an infatuated teenager on the road to Hogsmeade provided adequate distraction.

"Will you meet me again tonight, my dear?" Avery asked, the moment their lips disengaged from the other with a sickening suction.

"I will try to get away. Is your wife getting suspicious?"

"You let me worry about my wife."

Antonin was ready to Avada them both if he had to listen to their conversation much longer. He sincerely doubted that Mrs. Avery cared one bit where her husband disappeared to. His patience was wearing thin with the disgusting couple.

"I will make certain I have our usual room ready."

Their observer rolled his eyes when he was subjected to another round of inexpert fumblings. Flora smiled at the older wizard once more before Disapparating home. Avery stood in the lane looking every bit like a lovesick fifth year. It turned Antonin's stomach even more than it already was. Avery's moment of inattention was all that Antonin needed. It would make him feel better he was certain.

"Avada kedavra!"

A familiar green curse shot out of the end of Antonin's wand striking its unsuspecting victim directly in the chest. He rolled his eyes once more when he realized that the wizard had died with that simpering expression still plastered on his face. Antonin used a strong banishing charm to send his lifeless body far into the woods. If he was lucky, it wouldn't be discovered before wild animals found it first.

With the tracking spell firmly in place on its victim, Antonin was able to Apparate directly to the rundown Carrow family home. No one in the family seemed to be successful enough at managing the family finances to be able to afford enough upkeep on the manse. It appeared as if a strong gust of wind would knock the entire structure down. The benefit of dealing with a family not known for their astuteness was that their wards were simple to pull down. Antonin hardly had to concentrate to remove what were likely generations of enchantments. The family was never high on anyone's list of priorities and as they certainly didn't own anything worth stealing, their wards could've been demolished by a halfway decent cursebreaker with his mind focused on his lunch.

Antonin crossed the small grounds with a purpose. He wanted to get this task over and done with. There were many more after this needing the same attention. If he was unable to break into the Lestrange Manor to rescue his witch, he would wreak as much havoc on his former brethren as possible. With his wand held firmly in his right hand, he used his left to pound on the front door. Only moments later it was opened by the same witch he'd been stalking.

"What the fuck do you want?" Flora demanded.

He disarmed the inattentive witch in a single motion. Realizing that she was no longer able to defend herself, Flora Carrow began screaming at the top of her lungs to anyone who could hear. Antonin first silenced and then stunned the girl. Just as her slim body was crashing to the floor of the foyer, Artemas and Hestia came running in with their wands drawn. It should have been embarrassing for their entire bloodline how easy it was for Antonin to stun them both in quick succession. Of course Hestia was still little more than an untested child and Artemas had never had the fortitude for dueling.

Antonin cast Homenum Revelio to ensure no one else could come running to their rescue. Satisfied that the three lying passed out on the floor were alone, he lazily conjured two chairs in the middle of the entrance hall. Levitating and binding the twin girls into the chairs was a simple task.

"Rennervate. Rennervate."

The two horrible females came back to their senses swiftly after he removed the stunners. At least they had enough sense to show some fear for their captor. Antonin loved the feel of his victims' terror. It was indescribable and intoxicating. Flora (he could tell by the hideous necklace she was wearing around her neck in the shape of an 'F') attempted to recover some of her earlier bravado to Antonin's intense amusement.

"Always knew there was something wrong with you," she spat.

He was standing in front of her after only two steps. The feel of the back of his hand crashing into her soft cheek was one he desired to experience again almost the moment after it was over. So he did. With both of her cheeks red and tears filling her eyes, Flora refused to back down despite having no power at all.

"Jealous that I never paid you the same attention I paid all of the other old men?"

Antonin scoffed.

"I assure you that I have never wanted a member of your family to touch me."

"That your plan then? Just wipe us all out?" demanded Hestia. Her eyes were clear and Antonin felt a begrudging amount of respect for the girl. "You already killed Uncle Amy and your whore killed Aunt Allie."

"Tempting," he admitted, choosing to ignore the slur against Hermione. They were already dead where they were sitting. No reason to waste his breath trying to teach them manners.

His gaze fell over to their unconscious father lying just inches away from their feet. As if they could sense his diabolical plan, both girls stared at their father with widened eyes, too terrified to say anything. Antonin had no compunction ridding the world of more Carrow scum. They were a truly worthless family. He pointed his wand at the wizard he hated from school, the cries of the doomed man's daughters ringing in his ears. Moments later after another green stream of light, Artemas Carrow was dead. Collateral damage, but none that Antonin would lose sleep over.

"What do you want from us? We'll do anything!"

Any amount of respect Antonin might have had for Flora Carrow dissipated in the moment she began bargaining for her life. The ranks of the Death Eaters had truly gone foul if these were the recruits. Begging for one's life was an insult to all of the brave witches and wizards who'd died before her showing no fear. Hestia, on the other hand, simply stared back at her captor with cold eyes.

"This is about your Mudblood, isn't it?" Hestia asked calmly. "Have you been killing us to impress her? Make her love you?"

Antonin removed one of his knives from the inside pocket he kept them stowed. Hestia's expression didn't change when the cool, cursed steel met her skin in a promise. She would've made a fine Death Eater if she hadn't been related to the imbeciles wishing to ruin his life. Flora's sobbing was distracting, but Hestia never once broke eye contact with the man. When she felt the steel against her throat she actually had the audacity to laugh. Antonin's respect for her grew.

"Go ahead, Dolohov."

Slicing through one's throat is a deceptively simple process, but one that is easy to mess up with inexperience or even lack of desire. Antonin remembered the mess he made of his first throat cutting. The cut had been too shallow and his victim took a long time to die. He learned with practice that sometimes the shallower cuts are more desirable if one really wants to watch their victim suffer in death. A deep slice across the carotid artery will kill a person in seconds. It is a much more humane method of murder.

There was no doubt how he wished to bring about Hestia Carrow's demise. He gripped the girl's hair to yank her head back. Not once did her unblinking eyes move from his. She was going to meet her death showing no distress. With her throat exposed, Antonin swiftly sliced her neck in the perfect spot to bring about her almost immediate death. Hestia's blood gushed from the open wound, coating them both. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to revel in the scent of death. It was something he feared he would never grow tired of.

The moment was ruined by the fearless woman's twin sister screaming like a banshee. Flora witnessed the death of her other half with none of her stoicism. Her tears were embarrassing. Her pleas for him to spare her were pitiful. He slapped the hysterical woman's cheeks again to his intense satisfaction.

"Please, I'll do anything," she pleaded. "Do you want me to suck your cock? You can fuck me however you want. I'll make you feel so good you forget your Mudblood!"

"You are pathetic. It's no wonder why Hermione hated you."

Antonin slowly sliced her throat with his knife, taking his time, enjoying the screams of the woman below him. Her death was messier and infinitely more satisfying than her twin sister's. She tried to struggle, but a firm hand on the back of her neck prevented too much movement. Flora Carrow sobbed every second until the moment she died.

He Apparated back to the cottage only moments after assuring himself that both Carrow sisters were indeed dead. When his feet landed in front of his door, he took a few moments to cast several cleansing spells to rid his clothes and skin of any lingering blood. With two slit throats there had been a great deal. Every time he returned home from a summons following that night he forgot to remove the blood and terrified Hermione in the Lestrange library, he made certain he was clean before crossing the threshold of their home. He didn't want to pollute their sanctuary with the remnants of his orders and he certainly never wanted to scare his witch again.

Theo and Rodolphus were standing over the 'Unredeemable' List when Antonin entered the cottage. They looked up at him, nodded and returned their gaze to the list. Antonin crossed the small space to the table. Both men moved out of his way as he picked up a discarded quill. In quick succession he crossed off 'Avery', 'Carrow' and 'Carrow'.

"You have been busy," remarked Rodolphus, his admiration evident in his tone.

"And all I've done since we left the meeting is make a sandwich," Theo muttered.

Antonin smirked at the boy. He always enjoyed his quick, cheeky wit. Ruffling the younger wizard's hair in a manner he knew Theo hated, Antonin headed towards the kitchen. In his rush to leave the Carrow ancestral home, he'd not thoroughly cleaned his knives. It was a terrible habit to get into. A man is only as good as his weapons, he was told once. As he rinsed the knife used to kill the last two members of the pureblood Carrow line, he belatedly wondered how Hermione would feel about him washing blood off in her kitchen sink.

The other two occupants of the cottage present followed him into the kitchen. He assumed they were curious about his exploits of that afternoon and he couldn't really blame them. The most their group had ever taken out at once was two on the day that Edana and Jugson died in the tea shop. Three and in such quick succession was impressive.

He had already described the manner in which Avery died, leaving out the part that still turned his stomach about him practically dry-humping Flora in the process. Just as he was finishing up describing how Flora and the rest of her family met their end, the front door opened. A very pleased Thorfinn came strutting in the kitchen moments later. It was obvious to the three men gathered that he was in an exceptionally good mood. No one wasted the opportunity to roll their eyes at his buoyant mood.

"If this is how you act every time you get a decent shag, I can't wait to move out," Theo said with a snort.

Thorfinn's face confirmed his confusion at his roommate's remark.

"How do you know about that?"

"You and the lovely Miss Rushden were not as discreet in your choice of location as I am sure you hoped," answered Rodolphus, his cheeks tinged faint pink once more that day.

"I'd really like to go the rest of my life without seeing you mid-fuck again if you don't mind," added Antonin.

The burly wizard had the decency to be shamed for at least three seconds before laughing out loud.

"Sorry about that," Thorfinn apologized though his sincerity was questionable. "Heat of the moment and all. I'm sure you can all understand."

"She is every bit as lovely as you have described her," Rodolphus said. "Though I would have preferred to not have been introduced to her in such familiar manner. Perhaps next time we meet you can keep your hands to yourself."

"At least Antonin has the decency to not strut around the place every time he has an enjoyable encounter," Theo added. "Even if he is pants at silencing spells."

Antonin turned around from the sink long enough to smack Theo in the back of the head. Far from being hurt, the younger wizard laughed. It felt strange for the four of them to be laughing after such an emotionally trying day.

"Yes, well, that's not exactly why I'm in such a good mood," Thorfinn admitted. "Don't get me wrong. It certainly helped, but the real reason is because I found McLaggen."

Antonin dropped his almost clean knife in the sink before spinning around abruptly.

"Is he dead?" Antonin asked in a fair imitation of the blonde wizard's question from earlier in the day.

"Not yet. Thought you all might want to be present."

All four men were standing inside Cormac McLaggen's sparsely furnished Hogsmeade flat only minutes later. The three veteran Death Eaters were more than just mildly surprised when Theo insisted that he would join them. Before that evening he had managed to keep his hands completely clean after the murder of his father many weeks earlier. Antonin surveyed the main room of the flat. Either the arsehole was just about to move out or he was in the process of moving in. Unpacked (or packed) boxes littered the space. There were very few pieces of furniture.

In the middle of the room tied up in the only chair Antonin could see was the bruised and bloody Resistance rat. McLaggen's face was bloody. His nose was obviously broken and both eyes were swollen. Antonin and Rodolphus both gave pointed looks to Thorfinn upon seeing his capture. Rowle simply shrugged his shoulders at the attention.

"What? He wasn't cooperating."

McLaggen's mouth was gagged, but he struggled to scream at the appearance of the four formidable wizards in his home. Antonin navigated his way around several towers of boxes to approach their hostage. He pointed his wand under the man's chin and threatened to make this experience much more painful than necessary if he made a sound. McLaggen vehemently nodded his head in understanding. Antonin removed the gag from his mouth. The boy spat out blood and gasped for air. Thorfinn might have been a little too forceful in his bondage.

"Why were you ordered to kidnap Hermione?" Antonin demanded, his wand still poking into McLaggen's chin.

The idiot boy refused to answer the question. After Antonin repeated himself at least four times, Rodolphus calmly asked him to step out of the way. It was hoped that a few rounds of the Cruciatus Curse might loosen the cretin's tongue. Theo stopped Antonin from casting the silencing charms with a smirk. Young Nott coated the space heavily in effective muzzling spells. They all wanted to hear him scream. Rodolphus was exacting in his application of the torture curse. He might not be a man who thrived on violence, but when he loved, he loved deeply. Hurting their Hermione had been a poor decision. McLaggen thrashed violently against the confines of his bounds. He screamed his throat raw.

"I don't know anything!"

Rodolphus applied the curse again. He was frightening in his cool, unruffled demeanor. Gone was the lovable Saint Bernard that lived for naps and belly rubs. In its place was the notorious Death Eater who had committed countless acts of violence at his master's and his wife's request.

"I swear I don't know anything!"

Lestrange applied the curse at least five times before they decided he truthfully didn't know anything. Well, they were convinced by the second time. The last three were just for fun. Rodolphus lowered his wand and stepped back into the semi-circle of Hermione's Harem.

"I was ordered to follow her," McLaggen wheezed out. "I saw her once at the market and I scared her. Put a tracking spell on her when she wasn't looking."

Thorfinn turned to address the other members of their rebel group.

"When we get her back, we really need to teach Princess what it feels like to have a tracking spell cast on her."

McLaggen began hissing in a similar way they were all used to. He was desperate to pull his left arm out of its confines to find some relief.

"That your first summons, boy?" Rodolphus demanded. McLaggen nodded. "The longer you resist the Dark Lord, the more insistent he becomes until the pain is unbearable. He can track you through that Mark."

Thorfinn untied his left arm. Cormac cradled it to his chest.

"We'd hate for you to pass out from the pain or worse, lead the Dark Lord here," continued Rodolphus.

Thorfinn pointed his wand at the boy's arm. A non-verbal spell separated the limb from his body just above the elbow. McLaggen's screams were piercing and painful to his listeners. As blood poured out of his gaping wound, he passed out. Theo serenely approached their victim. He grasped the remains of his arm in his left hand and pointed his wand at the end of the stump. The acrid smell of burning flesh assaulted all of their noses. When McLaggen's wound was properly cauterized, Theo forced a blood replenishing potion down his throat. Theo massaged his throat to get the unconscious boy to swallow. Moments later he started to come back into consciousness though certainly not by choice. Theo saw the shocked and impressed expressions on his comrades' faces.

"I learned a few things from my father before I killed him."

McLaggen's whimpering proved that he was in an unimaginable amount of pain. Certainly Theo's composed confession to murder was unsettling as well.

"If you're doing all of this because of Granger, she's really not worth it." His voice was quiet, but clear. "Not a bad shag but messed up in the head. She sucks a pretty good cock only because you can't get her to shut up otherwise."

It was the absolute wrong thing to say. Rodolphus stepped up to punch him several times in his mouth. McLaggen was spitting out teeth with his blood when the animagus stepped back. His tears were running down his bloody cheeks, but somehow no one felt any remorse for their behavior. The idiot boy really didn't understand who he was dealing with.

"You are going to tell us everything you know," declared Antonin, using his knife to slice through the boy's shirt. When his muscular chest was completely exposed, the wizard began his questioning. "Why did you take Hermione?"

"I already told you!"

Antonin sliced into McLaggen's chest. A gash about two inches long began to drip more hot blood down his stomach. McLaggen was openly crying now. They'd already found his level of pain tolerance and far surpassed it. He knew he was a dead man, but the human need for survival prevented him from just giving in. It wouldn't take much longer, Antonin was positive.

"Why were the other hostages taken?"

"I don't know."

Slice. Scream.

"Is the Dark Lord going to kill Hermione?"

"I swear I don't know!"

Slice. Scream.

"Is the Dark Lord going to kill all of his hostages?"

"Probably, but I don't know!"

Slice. Scream.

By the tenth or eleventh question, McLaggen's entire chest was a network of weeping wounds. The pain became too much and he finally passed out again. Theo shoved another blood replenishing potion down his throat. After a rennervate, McLaggen sputtered and began to weep.

"We can continue all night," Antonin assured his hostage.

"I swear I don't know anything else! All I was supposed to do was to find Hermione and take her to Lestrange. I swear I don't know anything else."

Antonin was satisfied that he would get no more information out of the boy.

"Of all the women in the world, you touched the wrong one."

McLaggen found a last burst of strength to scream while Antonin carved a message into his chest in large, clear letters. The boy was almost insensate by the time Antonin stepped back to examine his handiwork. In large letters that covered the expanse of his broad chest was written the word 'Rat'. He thought it appropriate considering what he was tasked to do in order to become one of the Dark Lord's followers. The others approved.

Rodolphus crucio'd him one final time. He didn't hold the boy under long for fear that he would finally lose his mind. It had been a rather stressful evening for him after all. When he stepped back Thorfinn gleefully used his brute strength to his advantage. He punched the almost lifeless face until it was red, swollen and hardly resembled a human being. Theo calmly requested Antonin's knife. Surprised by the appeal, Antonin handed it over. The youngest of their group cut McLaggen's throat in a manner eerily similar to the manner in which Hestia Carrow expired earlier in the day.

The four men stood staring at the deceased body of the man who dared to touch their Hermione for several minutes until the smells began to become bothersome. A quick glance at a clock on the wall showed the time to be just after ten. It had taken them two hours to exact their revenge. Antonin hated that he didn't feel the satisfaction he normally did after a grueling torture session. Killing McLaggen didn't bring him any closer to Hermione. They wondered aloud what they were going to do next.

"We are in Hogsmeade. Can't be too hard to find more Death Eaters," suggested Rodolphus.

They opted to split up once outside the door to McLaggen's flat. Thorfinn was headed to the popular Three Broomsticks to lure unsuspecting Death Eaters to the alley. He'd had some success killing Marcus Flint in that exact manner. Rodolphus was certain he could find his own entertainment for the evening. Theo excused himself from any further activities for the night and Disapparated home. Antonin knew just the person he wanted to take out next and he knew he would be locking up the gates to Hogwarts at exactly midnight.

No one had stumbled upon Avery's body if the calm manner everyone conducted themselves going in and out of the Hogwarts gates was any indication. Antonin was certain that if another dead body was found, even if in a less grotesque condition than Crabbe and Goyle, that the area would be on high alert. His plan would not be successful if he had to deal with those who actually paid attention. One of the disadvantages of being a young Death Eater was lack of experience in being aware of all of the dangers that could be found in a seemingly innocuous area. With the vast majority of the Inner Circle dead, the newer recruits were not nearly as careful as they should have been.

Graham Montague proved this the moment he stumbled into the woods off of the path to Hogwarts to take a piss. A seasoned Death Eater would've surveyed the area thoroughly with both their eyes and a couple of spells before unzipping their pants and closing their eyes to groan in relief. He never saw the flash of green light hit him in the chest. Antonin banished his body, pants still unbuttoned, far into the woods. The scavengers of the area were going to be eating well.

Terrence Higgs and Zoe Accrington only had eyes for each other when they passed out of the gates of the castle. An obvious blossoming Death Eater and Death Eater relationship, they stopped several times in the middle of an open clearing to kiss and grope each other. Antonin wasn't sure when the outside gates became such a hotspot for lascivious behavior, but he wished he hadn't been forced to witness so much of it that day. He hit Zoe mid-snog in the back with an Avada.

Dispatching Higgs should've been a simple act at that point. The wizard was still fairly untested and usually relegated to menial tasks that didn't require a great deal of finesse. Antonin realized to his detriment that perhaps he had been underestimating the kid. Finding your romantic partner dead with your tongue still in her mouth had to have been disconcerting, but Higgs was alert. He scrambled out of the way of Antonin's next curse easily. In the few seconds that it took Higgs to hide himself inside a clump of thick trees, he was able to sound the alarm.

Antonin tried to Disapparate from the area with zero success. Whatever Higgs had been able to do had enacted Anti-Apparition wards. He could hear shouts coming from inside the grounds of the school. Cursing to himself, Antonin remained crouched in his hiding spot. Higgs was refusing to give away his position by hurling curses haphazardly in Antonin's direction. Smart move, boy.

When five Death Eaters emerged from the gates to join their comrade, Antonin knew he was well and truly fucked. Two or three he might have been able to take, but six? Impossible. He considered slipping further into the darkness of the woods to hide until they were convinced the threat was over, but a buzzing in his ears told him that wasn't an option. The entire area was locked in a fairly strong containment field. He could certainly break the enchantments, but that would take time and would easily give away his position.

Higgs emerged from the safety of his cover when his fellow Death Eaters arrived. No doubt they were expecting Resistance fighters to suddenly send a barrage of curses at them. If they had been aware that they were fighting only one man who was suddenly feeling all forty-eight of his years and all two hours of sleep from the night before, they would've laughed in his face. Determined that no one was going to take him down without a fight, Antonin hurled a silent Entrail-Expelling curse in Higgs' direction. He died with a scream in his throat.

The remaining fighters began shooting everything they could into the exact spot Antonin had been in only moments before. A quick roll and a furious sprint got him to safety at the very last moment. Trees were exploding all around him. His ears were ringing. At least he could be certain that if he didn't make it out of that area alive, there were at least three wizards left who had proven they would do just about anything to get Hermione back. He was not worried that she wouldn't be taken care of in the event of his death.

From the safety of his new cover, he was able to take down another fighter with a simple Avada. Well, if one could ever consider the use of that curse as simple. All of the attention was turned and focused on his new area. The boulder he was hidden behind exploded in his face. Temporarily blinded by blood running into his eyes from a head wound, Antonin feared this would be the end. He started launching random curses into the general area he knew the others were still fighting from. Screams indicated that at least a couple made their mark. Wiping his eyes, he felt the point of a wand in the middle of his forehead.

He lifted his gaze to stare into the depths of Pansy Parkinson's brown eyes. She looked almost manic in her desire to end his existence. When she realized who she was pointing her wand at she began to laugh.

"Oh, I am going to be so rewarded for this. Avada…"

Pansy crumpled down to the ground. Antonin was really growing rather tired of being saved at the last moment by his attacker being hit in the back with a curse. It was causing him to be sloppy and less attentive. How could he be an effective warrior if he assumed that he was always going to be saved at the last second?

Felix Travers was the last man standing. He smirked down at Antonin with the closed smile he'd adopted since the Dark Lord thought fit to rip his tongue out of his mouth months earlier. Travers had been tasked with a failed mission and upon returning with the bad news, the Dark Lord reached his bony hand into the wizard's mouth and pulled until his tongue was outside of his body. The subsequent loss of blood almost killed the man. A Dark curse to the remnants of his tongue by their master ensured that growing that part of his body back would be impossible.

"Uhh, thanks, Felix," Antonin said, feeling ill at ease by the sudden appearance of the man.

Since he was no longer able to speak, Travers waved his wand in the air. A series of words appeared in the night sky. Antonin rolled his eyes the moment he read them.

"Yaxley sent me to keep an eye out for you."

"Why?"

Felix shrugged.

"Said you might try something big and daft."

Antonin snorted. Well, he hadn't been wrong. Travers smirked again.

"I've been waiting for you in the castle. Heard the alarm and just knew it was you."

"Yeah, well, thanks again."

"What the fuck, Travers?!"

Antonin crouched back down in the brush. Travers spun around to see Sal Selwyn rushing towards him. The Keeper of the Keys couldn't contain his horror at the sight of so many dead bodies.

"Resistance. Struck fast and left."

Thankfully Selwyn was an imbecile or he would've realized that the containment field was still operational. No one would've been able to get out if it was still up. Antonin rolled his eyes from his hiding place.

"Fuck! I better go report this to the Dark Lord."

Just as Selwyn's back was turned, Antonin sent an Avada straight for him. It was cowardly to curse an enemy in the back, but he couldn't be arsed to care at that point. Travers didn't seem to mind. Simply helped him banish all of the bodies far into the woods with the others once they'd jointly pulled down the containment. It was an ignoble manner to treat one's enemies, but at least the wolves would be happy.

"Please try to be more careful, Antonin."

He shot Travers a two fingered salute that only made the wizard laugh. When the area was cleared, Travers waved and Disapparated. Antonin wished he knew where he was headed, likely off to find Yaxley. Every muscle in his body was screaming, but he wanted to find the others. Make certain they were all right.

Thorfinn was easy to find in the alley just behind the pub. He was not quite as successful as Antonin had been, but it was a weeknight just a week before Christmas. Even in the midst of a dystopian society like theirs, the bad guys still had annoying in-laws to visit for absurd family dinners.

"Hey, Antonin, I was just about to call it a night," Thorfinn said the moment he was joined in the alley.

"How'd you do?"

He pointed to three lifeless figures piled up near the rubbish bins. Not too terrible. Antonin was impressed. Without any of them coming right out and admitting so, they knew that the end was coming. They were going to have to start upping their game if they wanted to make any kind of impact.

"You seen the pup?"

"Not yet. I'm not sure where he went."

"Probably back home with Teddy now," Thorfinn suggested. With a laugh, he added. "Cold air not good for his bones."

Antonin snorted. At fifty-three Rodolphus was hardly an old man by either wizard or Muggle standards, but the three younger wizards teased him at every opportunity. He took it all in stride. Antonin thought he was secretly pleased by the attention. Rowena knew he wasn't used to positive attention from anyone else in his pre-Argos existence.

"There's an anti-Apparition ward around the village after midnight," Thorfinn explained. "We'll have to walk a bit to leave."

They walked through the empty streets in silence. Usually when the two of them were alone together they had very little to say. Once upon a time they worked well together as partners, but by the end of the war, they ceased to get along. Throw in all of the drama with Hermione and it was likely they would never be close. At least Antonin had been able to grow past the point of just outright hatred for the burly blonde. They had a begrudging respect for the other. It would have to be enough.

"So Miss Rushden seemed nice," Antonin said, surprising himself. He didn't know what possessed him to bring up Thorfinn's love life. Topics of conversation between the two men weren't usually that difficult to find.

"Yeah, Lottie's great," Thorfinn agreed. "Couldn't breathe when she walked in. Bit of a shock."

"Old girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Wanted to marry that girl."

"Maybe you still can."

Thorfinn snorted.

"I'm not saying that wouldn't be great, but I don't see that happening. Lottie and I have a lot of history together, not all of it good. I imagine she'll end up with the Robert bloke who had the bollocks to protect her in that place."

"But this afternoon…" Antonin was confused. It seemed they were reconciling when he witnessed the debauchery against the tree.

"I don't know. That kind of felt like 'goodbye' to me."

They reached the end of the anti-Apparition point just then. Both men arrived at the front door of the cottage moments later ready for a long, hot shower and a warm bed.