43
THE fear that pumped through Norah's veins as she stalked her way down a dim alleyway of Knockturn Alley, following the cloaked figure of Augustus Rookwood's unmistakable towering silhouette was almost literally sickening to her.
"I can't believe I'm really doing this. Merlin damn it." She kicked aside a pebble with the edge of her boot. "Oooh! I really am a stupid woman at times. Tonks was right. I shouldn't have come down here alone. Shit. Ollie and Tonks are gonna kill me," she moaned, whispering to herself in a voice full of self-loathing and hatred.
Maybe at this stage, it would be better off for Rookwood to just kill her. To save Ollie the torment and heartbreak.
Bile rose in her throat as her heart leaped up into her throat as Rookwood glanced over his shoulder as he led the way only once, a twinkle of something dark and sinister in the man's heavily lidded and dark eyes and a dark little chuckle escaped past his lips.
"You'll be interested to hear what I have to say, little dove. Trust me, she-wolf, it's worth the little chat this afternoon, I promise," Rookwood taunted with a smirk, the edges of his lips curling upward to reveal his teeth and pink gums that made Norah instinctively bare her sharpened incisors at the man.
"Are you fucking kidding me, Rookwood?" Norah growled through gritted teeth as her hands shook at her sides. This wasn't like Rookwood at all, to tease, it wasn't in the Death Eater's nature, but had something happened? Did Father know about Ollie?
That she'd actually managed to fall for him?
Oh, Merlin, oh shit, oh, god, he knows the truth somehow. He sent Rookwood after me and Ollie, and Dad knows, Norah thought wildly, a surge of panic pricking at her heart.
He had to know, there could be no other explanation for it. He was…he was teasing her. Toying with her.
Father had to know. Though the moment Norah rounded the corner on her heels, she found herself staring straight into the tip of the Death Eater's wand. Norah instinctively growled a deep throaty guttural sound as she swallowed down the bile in her throat.
"Back the fuck away from me," she snarled through gritted teeth as a dark shadow, the shadow of the wolf within her, flitted across her pale features as her haunches raised in a threatening pose, silently warning Rookwood not to come near.
Rookwood's thin lips curled upward in a twisted smirk, a wide unnatural grin like that of a Cheshire Cat. "You've got a lot of fear in you, little bitch, don't you? Fear and doubt, I can smell it on you," he growled, his flaring nostrils moving wildly. "Not very brave for a puppy sorted in Gryffindor."
Norah swallowed and retreated away from Rookwood as much as she possibly could, though she only succeeded in backing herself against the cold brick wall of the back of Borgin and Burke's shop.
She'd barely managed to fumble for her wand hidden up the left sleeve of her thick black sweater, though a pitiful mewl escaped her cracked lips as she felt her wand fly from her hand, without even hearing Rookwood utter the Disarming Spell at all.
The shifty little bastard was quicker than Norah ever remembered. "Stay still, bitch, if you value your life. I don't want to hurt you, little dove." The man immediately in front of Norah growled, his dark eyes squinting in malice as his sharpened teeth flashed in the darkness of the alleyway.
"You're so small, little she-wolf. So…fragile, but you always were a pretty little witch. For a disgusting dog," he sighed, smirking as he moved in closer, pocketing Norah's wand into an inner pocket of his black woolen robes.
He moved his free hand on Norah's cheek even lower, an almost tender gesture that made Norah want to puke over his shoes. He lightly gripped his hand around her neck as he continued rubbing the other over Norah's ribs.
"Go piss up a rope, Rookwood, and get out of here before someone sees you skulking around Knockturn Alley!" Norah hissed, baring her fangs at Lord Voldemort's follower, though she felt wretched tears betraying her at the moment stinging her eyes. She really wasn't sure what Rookwood wanted.
What was his point here? Why had he followed her? Was it to send a message from Father?
"Shhh," he shushed, letting his index finger hover over her lips. "I won't hurt you, dove, unless you make me." Augustus Rookwood smiled, eliciting a tremor of fear that went up and down her spine. "I could do it, you know, Miss Jameson, but I won't. I rather like you pretty, but it would be painfully easy."
Norah blinked, sticking out her lower lip in a pout and trying to back herself further against the brick she was already pressed pretty firmly against.
"I could break your little ribs so fast, she-wolf," Augustus Rookwood noted in a sickeningly casual way as he ran his rough, calloused hands up and down the blonde werewolf's breast and side, dragging his fingertips across the line of her ribs underneath her black sweater as his hands wandered as if to emphasize the point he wanted to make. "All I would have to do is push you, Jameson."
He did this as he said it, pushing Norah against the wall.
"And then push you more, a little harder next time, slowly crush them. I don't look like the kind of man who would raise my hand to a woman's face, do I? I don't, Jameson, so the only thing I could do to you is hit you elsewhere, Jameson," he growled, leaning in so the tip of his nose almost touched Norah's.
She winced, tempted to squeeze her eyes shut so as to avoid looking him in the eyes, but she was not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing just how afraid he made her. Norah stared up into her father's colleague and something of a friend's eyes.
They looked…not right. In fact, she'd take it a step further to say that the man was looking insane.
He was looking amused in a cruel way like he was enjoying relishing in Norah's uncertainty and her fears of wracking her brain trying to figure out why he'd sought her out in Diagon Alley this morning.
Norah squeezed her eyes shut against her better judgment, trying to fight against swells of nausea that caused a coil in her gut to twist and lurch.
"R—Rookwood?" she whimpered in a low whine. She frowned, raising her hands up toward Rookwood's arm and grabbing at it, trying to pry it off him. "You're—you're right, you could, but you don't need to prove it. I've seen it," Norah gasped.
Rookwood smiled, finally easing his grip a bit, no longer pushing his palm against Norah's ribs. Still resting his hand against his friend's daughter's jaw and neck, the Death Eater ran his second hand down the young witch's side, before settling on her hips.
"You're acting like a disgusting pervert and a creep, Rookwood. Cut the shit and stop grabbing me and tell me why you're here!" Norah yelled as she frowned, shoving against Augustus's chest as hard as she could muster, feeling tears prick at her eyes as her heart started pounding relentlessly inside her chest.
She wished she could make a mad grab for her wand, but there was no getting it from the inside pocket of his cloak. Not without having to touch him. And that, given the way he was acting towards her, was something she wasn't willing to do just yet.
"What a mouth you have on you, she-wolf," Rookwood smirked and laughed as he pressed his arm hard across Norah's throat, almost cutting off her air supply as her lungs started to burn and heave. "Are you getting angry, little puppy dog? Am I invading your personal space?" he laughed, a teasing lilt to his tone.
Norah gritted her teeth together, squeezing her eyes shut as tears dripped down her lids despite her best efforts to tamp them down. She couldn't breathe. She grunted and groaned, her fingers of her wand hand outstretched as she groped for the handle of her wand that stuck out of Rookwood's pocket.
She couldn't even beg the Death Eater to let go, to tell the man that what he was doing to her was potentially lethal. Rookwood was putting so much force into the simple gesture. This could actually kill her…she couldn't breathe.
Norah tried to say something, but it only came out as a weak and unintelligible whimper. She reached both hands up towards Augustus's arm, trying to pull it back away from her, but the bastard was stronger than he looked.
She was sure she was unintentionally scratching at her own neck with her long fingernails, but she couldn't manage to bring herself to care now.
"Please…" she whispered hoarsely, squeezing her eyes shut again as tears streamed down her face.
"We've played around this little game long enough. Let's cut to the chase then now, shall we?" Rookwood coed, sounding so damned smug it made Norah want to sink her own incisors into the column of the man's throat at the next full moon and turn him into a wolf-like she was, the thing that he hated the most, regardless of how much trouble she would get into with Father and with the Dark Lord.
"Why…are you…here?" Norah gasped out in a weak choking whimper, still trying to claw at Rookwood's arm holding her own throat hostage.
"To check on your progress, Jameson. Your father asked me to keep tabs on you. I was only too happy to volunteer for the job. He left you a little gift. Consider me the messenger, little she-wolf," he remarked in a smooth, languid tone, his fingers twitching as he waved his wand and a wrapped package appeared out of mid-air. "Take it, bitch," he growled, finally removing his hand off her throat.
A tense and tired release sent the slightest whiff of the chilly autumn air through Norah's lungs. She turned her head to the side as she coughed, inhaling the bitter London breeze until her heartbeats slowly returned to normal. She only turned back around when she felt whatever package Rookwood had brought on behalf of Greyback being practically shoved into her chest.
She looked at it numbly, her blue eyes going blank, glossing over as she reached out with violently shaking hands to take the package.
"We know about the werewolf's upcoming marriage to Lestrange's disgusting blood traitor of a niece. Your father's decided to pay his respects to the happy couple on that day, wolf, you and Brennan had better be there, or we're going to come looking for you, and you know what happens if we're forced to do that, don't you, Miss Jameson?" Rookwood spat, his face hardening as he watched Norah unwrap the package clumsily, the color draining from her face as she held up a beautiful and elegant sky-blue sleeveless silk gown that would show off her hair.
Norah tried to speak, but it felt as though there was a Silencing Charm on her mouth. Her tongue felt like clay in her mouth and her mouth felt dry.
The dark realization hit her square in the chest, almost causing her equilibrium to fail her, like Rookwood himself had hit her with a Knockback Jinx.
Her father was going to attack Lupin and Tonks' wedding.
She breathed out one more shaking, terrified breath before letting out a small scream, though before she could muster up more strength in her lungs and on her throat to scream as loud as she possibly could, it was drowned out by the fact that she was still out of breath and her voice seemed temporarily hoarse from nearly being choked to death.
It was better than staying silent about all this.
"Help me!" she screamed, reaching with her free hand to grope for the handle of her wand. "Rookwood, please! Don't! Stop! Don't do this! Lupin? Tonks? Ollie? Someone, anybody, help me!"
"Norah?" A worried, frantic voice called out from somewhere nearby. It didn't sound close enough to make the young witch feel like she'd been saved, but it wasn't far enough to keep Norah from feeling utterly hopeless either. Someone was nearby, looking for her, yelling her name. It sounded like Remus's quiet voice. He was close by.
A surge of hope ignited within her chest. Norah inhaled a sharp, shaking breath, blinking, and trying to turn her head towards the source of Lupin's worried voice. Was that really Lupin's voice calling out to her?
"Lup—"
But before she could let out another shaky whine as Rookwood kept her pinned firmly against the brick wall of Borgin and Burke's and shoved her even harder. So hard that it stung and sent swells of pain up and down her back.
Her cheek scraped roughly against the cold stone once more. She felt her arm jerked back again, fingers digging into her side as her attacker pressed her firmly against the wall, scratching at her skin like her nails were claws.
"Hold still, bitch," Rookwood's harsh voice growled. "I'm not through with you yet, Jameson. I still owe you one for your partner ruining my fucking face," he whisper-hissed through clenched teeth. "Shut your mouth for once and hold still, dog, or you're going to get hurt." He paused, almost seeming to reconsider his words. "Seven hells, you're getting hurt anyway. I really don't want to ruin your pretty little face, but I think it's only a rather fitting punishment."
"No! Ngh-let go of me, you creep!" she screamed, wildly thrashing, and squirming underneath the Death Eater's ironclad grip.
What the bloody hell had she been thinking? She was an excellent dueler, of that there was no contesting it, but she was no match for someone the likes of Rookwood. Tonks had been right, damn her.
Coming down to Knockturn Alley alone had been stupid, reckless, and foolish. And now judging by the murderous look in Rookwood's dark-lined eyes, he was going to hurt her.
"Y—you don't have to do this, Rookwood," Norah pleaded in a whisper, trying to keep her aggressor happy by not being loud, but also still not willing to quietly submit to whatever fresh torture Augustus Rookwood had in mind for her. She was going to start screaming again if the guy didn't stop. He had to, he just had to stop, didn't he?
"Please, Rookwood, just stop…" Norah breathed, her voice small and meek as her chest rose and fell so rapidly that she wasn't even sure at this point if any air was reaching her lungs. She knew the minute the words left her mouth she'd made a grave mistake by speaking as Rookwood let out a growl as he grabbed at Norah's hand, wrestling it up towards her other arm and pinning both against her back as he flipped her over and shoved her against the wall.
"Shut your mouth, puppy, so I don't have to make you," Rookwood's increasingly annoyed voice hissed, whispering his words into the shell of her ear that caused bile to rise up at the back of her throat. "This'll be a lot better for me if you're not dead during it, but I can't say I might not enjoy it anyway."
Norah felt a wave of queasiness wash over her body as she felt the man's hand down by her hips again, his finger curling around the material of her black lace dress. Both her arms were trapped…
"No, Rookwood, don't! Not—not this, please!" she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut as tears streamed down her cheeks in steady tracts. She tugged futilely at her arms and thrashed her body as best as she could, but her attacker had her pinned.
She wasn't going anywhere Rookwood didn't want her to. Her arms were trapped, her lungs overworked and underfilled, her vision failing her as black spots crept in at the edges of her lids, threatening to blind her if she couldn't control herself. Norah had never felt more panicked in her life, not even her first encounter under the streetlamp with Rookwood had left her feeling this utterly shaken, or in so much pain, exhausted, and terrified.
"Please, stop!" Norah whined as she felt his hand caress its way up and down her spine tenderly, almost like a lover would. "Please don't do this!"
"Norah? Where are you?" Now Tonks's voice sounded close, but still not close enough for Norah. "What's happening? You have to tell us where you are! Lupin and I are coming to get you, Jameson!"
"Tonks? Lupin? Is it really you? Help me!" Norah screamed, frantic tears choking up her words. "I—I'm behind Borgin and Burke's! R—Rookwood's here, he's got my wand!" she wailed, feeling herself lose her resolve to try to keep fighting as the hand on her already-bruised arms squeezed threateningly, hard enough to break her arms now.
"Shut your mouth, you little bitch," Rookwood's angry growl sounded menacingly behind her. Norah felt so drained and exhausted. She didn't think she could keep fighting against the Death Eater's iron vice grip for too much longer.
Norah's legs felt like they'd been hit with a Jelly Legs Curse. Her vision seemed to be slowly fading and she wasn't even sure she was really breathing anymore. If she weren't being held up by Rookwood and slammed against the wall of the back of Borgin and Burke's, she'd have probably fainted by now.
"Norah?" Lupin yelled again, closer this time.
"Lupin?" Norah gasped, her hoarse voice tiny and breathless in between hysterical, shaking sobs. "Please help me…" The fact that her voice was so quiet and strained was not making her feel hopeful.
Tonks and Lupin and Ollie weren't going to be able to hear her at this rate, with her energy drained, her voice, the only potential weapon she had left as long as Rookwood had her wand, was almost useless.
Shrinking down as far as she possibly could, squeezing her eyes shut, and trying to take her mind somewhere else, Norah sobbed painfully. She could hardly breathe or speak. She didn't know if she should call out again at this point.
What if she got her friends hurt? What if Lupin and Tonks rushed in headfirst to try to save her and got killed because of her? She didn't think she could live with herself at all.
Maybe it would be better for Ollie and the entire rest of the Order of the Phoenix if Rookwood were to just kill her in one of his fits of rage.
"I…" she started to plead through hysterical sobs as she sniffled, but Rookwood interjected, letting out a hiss.
"You might have enjoyed this if you wouldn't have panicked," the Death Eater noted in a low voice, whispering into the young blonde's left ear, pulling Norah's head back painfully against her chest as he tugged on a fistful of her blonde hair. "I may have to bow out now, so your pathetic little friends don't discover me before it's time. But I'll be seeing you again, little she-wolf." He smirked, looking down his nose at the silk dress draped over Norah's arm. "I look forward to seeing you in it," he teased. "I'll find you again, sweetheart. I wouldn't want to disappoint you. Or myself, but your endless crying and whining like the pathetic puppy dog you are, has drawn attention. We'll find time to finish this, Norah."
Vehemently shaking her head and choking out another pained sob, Norah squeezed her eyes shut.
She was so scared. Just because Augustus Rookwood said he was going to stop didn't mean he would. And it didn't mean the Death Eater was leaving. He could mean he was stopping just for a minute or two, enough time to kill Lupin and Tonks and Ollie and then come back and finish her here.
Norah's wolfish hearing perked up as she heard Rookwood let out a frustrated growl through gritted teeth, a thumping sound that sounded to her like he'd kicked out at the brick wall with the edge of his boot.
She hoped the man broke every single one of his toes. She shivered with clenched teeth as she waited for the inevitable attack, but it didn't come.
"Your loudmouth seems to have saved you from me this time, unfortunately, little wolf. We'll have to cut this short, for now, but remember what your father said. We expect to see you and the boy there at this little party, and if we don't, you're mine."
With that, the Death Eater relinquished his grip on Norah and shoved her harshly against the brick wall of Borgin and Burke's.
Her eyes were still closed as she felt the familiar rushing whoosh of the slight breeze blow her bangs off her forehead, that always accompanied someone Apparating or Disapparating.
The noise caused her to jump, a hand clutching a fistful of her dress's material near her heart as the loud crack! of Rookwood fleeing the scene rent the air, making her jump, her frayed nerves even worse.
A loud clattering sound told Norah he had at least had the decency to leave her with her wand.
Fumbling for it with groping, shaking fingers, she reached for it as she used the wall of the shop as a back brace and sunk down to the ground, shaking her head, and squeezing her eyes tightly shut, crying.
She still felt like she could barely breathe.
She was scared, confused, heartbroken, and in a lot of pain. She couldn't believe what had almost happened. Just thinking about what she'd narrowly avoided made her want to throw up as she tasted bile.
Rookwood had been twenty seconds away from hurting her, in the worst possible way she knew.
Norah was so drained, physically, and emotionally that she couldn't even do anything about it. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, much less think. She felt numb and disoriented and really dizzy.
Norah shuddered as a cold chill went down her back, curling further in on herself, clamping a hand over her mouth as a pained sob worked its way out of her mouth. She just wanted to fucking disappear.
To leave London and never come back, just like that old crone last night during her and Ollie's date had said.
The worst of it hadn't even happened, but it could have.
It almost did. She couldn't do this to Ollie. The fact that Greyback and a few men under Voldemort's command were hellbent on attacking Lupin and Tonks's wedding here in another week or so should have been more than enough to make her want to flee. To leave Ollie a heartfelt letter saying she'd never wanted to do this to him, but she had to leave.
They were targeting her friends' wedding, because of her. There was no way for her to ever feel safe again except this was the only way, but to flee.
Though before she could, the sound of relieved exhales pulled the blonde werewolf from the swirling tempest of rage and conflicting thoughts in her mind. Lupin rushed towards Norah first, Tonks trailing close behind.
Ollie was nowhere to be seen. Norah wasn't sure if that was good or bad.
"Norah!" Lupin ran up to his fiancée's friend, kneeling into a low crouch and putting her hand on the young witch's back as soon as they'd found her.
Tonks kept her wand at chest level, wildly looking to the left and right for any signs of Augustus Rookwood or any other Death Eaters that might have happened to accompany him to Knockturn Alley today.
She seemed to be alone. Norah didn't have any obvious injuries that Tonks could see from this angle, but she rested firmly on the cobblestone street, breathing hard, burying her face in her hands. And Norah was crying. Not just tears of pain, but terrified, heartbroken, breathless-sounding sobs.
Tonks had never seen her friend so upset before, not even her first hellish night in the Order had caused her to break down and lose control quite like this. She seemed more scared than she was hurt and didn't seem like she wanted Lupin or Tonks to look at her by the fact she shirked away violently from Lupin's touch and continued crying into her hands the moment Lupin set a hand on her shoulder.
"What happened, Norah? Are you alright—" Remus cut himself off with furrowed brows and a frown as Norah brought up a shaking hand and pushed the older man's arm back away from her.
"Don't touch me!" Norah shrieked, wincing shakily, shrinking down into herself even further.
"It's me, Norah, Tonks, and I aren't going to hurt you…" Lupin did his best to assure her, putting his hand lightly on Norah's left arm near her wrist. "Let me see you. Are you hurt? Do we need to escort you to St. Mungo's? Let me see you," he ordered, when he became somewhat certain his wolfish sight picked up on blood on the woman's hands between her fingers, and her cracked and bleeding knuckles.
"No!" Norah sobbed, close to hysterics at this point, curling in further into a ball as she turned away from Lupin. "Just go away and leave me alone, Lupin!"
"Norah!" Lupin let out a low wolfish growl from deep within his chest, his chest humming rhythmically from the sound as he allowed his irises to flash golden yellow in his annoyance with her behavior, his voice a lot more serious this time. He did not, in his current mood and worried, agitated state, have time for this kind of behavior from Norah.
He just wanted to make sure Ollie's partner was alright.
They'd sent the frantic man to the other side of Diagon Alley to look for her, though he and Tonks secretly hoped they'd be the ones to find her first. Considering how fiercely protective Ollie had become of Norah, there was no telling what the man's temper would be like if he'd been the one to find her like this.
If Norah was mad at him for some reason, then he was just going to have to get over it.
"Let me see," he repeated in a low, almost threatening growl as he held out his hand expectantly. "Now," he added when she didn't answer. Norah was visibly shaking as she shrunk down even further but said nothing more to them.
She inhaled a shaking breath as she lifted her chin and nervously met Lupin's gaze before looking towards Tonks, who was now standing in front of Norah with a heartbroken look of shock on her face.
"I promise you're safe with us, Norah. We'll get you back to Headquarters, get you cleaned up, and then I think all of us need to have a discussion with Dumbledore," Tonks answered, her face as grim as a graveyard, and her tone even more solemn as she looked at the young blonde werewolf's face paling. "I don't know why you're doubting us, Jameson, we're your friends. Ollie's your boyfriend. But it might help all of us understand explain what's going on," she added, gingerly rubbing the back of her head. Norah winced, biting down on her bottom lip.
She must have hit her head when I jinxed her and knocked her out, Norah thought wildly. Her suspicions were confirmed when Tonks shot her a slightly perturbed look and briefly inclined her head, silently communicating in their way that she had heard her.
Tonks nodded to Norah and pressed on, fingering her wand in between her thumb and forefinger. "We can't help you if we don't know what the bloody hell is going on. I promise that none of us in the Order will hurt you, in any way. Never, ever, you've my word. I thought you knew that, and Ollie will understand, I hope," she grumbled darkly under her breath, a flicker of anger and ire darting through her flashing steely grey-blue irises as she fixed Norah with a pointed glower.
Norah flinched. She knew Tonks was none too pleased with her that she'd jinxed her and had gone off alone and was more or less concealing the truth from them all.
But what else was she supposed to have done? Inhaling a shaking breath, Norah swallowed thickly past a lump in her throat and slowly nodded.
"I—I know, I just…Wh—what happened, it was stupid of me to wander off on my own. I know that," she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut to fight against a swell of nausea. "I know none of you would hurt me. I—I'm sorry for freaking out, Remus," she muttered, shooting the other wolf an apologetic look. "I'll tell you what happened, just hear me out, it's—it's not going to be an easy conversation for me to have, a—and Ollie's going to hate me when he learns the truth," she gasped out in a choked, pained whine.
Lupin nodded as he extended his hand to help her up, indicating that he would keep an open mind.
Norah shakily rose to her feet with Lupin's help, not protesting as the older werewolf slung his arm around her shoulder and helped her stand upright, and started to walk forward away from the wall.
"A—and…please don't think less of me, you guys," Norah whispered shakily, glancing down at her boots, wishing a hole in the ground would open up again for a second time and swallow her whole again, though this time, she wasn't sure she wanted out. "I—I h—had no other choice, he said he'd kill us both if I didn't—if I didn't do this," she sobbed.
Lupin frowned as he felt Tonks nudge beside him to prepare to Disapparate alongside Remus and Norah, but only after sending her Patronus to the other side of Diagon Alley to let Ollie know they'd found Norah and were bringing her back, and to get Dumbledore. It was time they all learned the truth.
"Of course we won't, Norah," Lupin frowned, as they turned on their heels and Disapparated from Knockturn Alley, not once daring to look back.
Glad help came for Norah before things got way worse! Coming up, the truth is finally revealed as Norah confesses the truth to everyone, but how will Lupin and Tonks, and especially Ollie, react to Norah's harsh truth about Greyback's plan?