At this point, according to my master doc, this is the start of the 311th page, so here we are! Just last week, this fic passed 3000 views, and I just have to say that I'm super hyped about that. All of your support means so much to me.

Also full disclosure, I was listening to playlist called Gross while I was writing this. Very useful.

I AM NOT PROFITING FROM THIS. ALL RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND/OR EVENTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING (even if she is a total rat bastard)

Chapter 25

The next day, the Order was gathered in an undisclosed location. While Shacklebolt and Moody were in charge of trying to explain what went down during the holiday party, a few of them had been tasked with efficiently interrogating Rosier.

"He's still upper class. If he gets away and sees your faces, then that's the end of it. Get what you can, obliviate him, and turn him loose." Moody advised before tugging on the brim of his cap and disappearing with his colleague. Rose, the twins, and Hestia looked between each other before looking down at Rosier, who was unconscious in the snow.

"So...I don't know about you blokes, but I've never interrogated anybody before." Gideon admitted. They nodded before looking at Rose. She held up her hands.

"Neither have I. I might have lived in seclusion, but I wasn't an evil hag." she explained before nudging Rosier aimlessly with her boot.

"Well, we should probably bring him somewhere he wouldn't recognize. That way, he can't retrace his steps in the rare chance that he does somehow remember this." Hestia advised, and they all nodded in agreement.

"Where's the best place then? The back room at the Hog's Head?" Fabian tried, but Rose shook her head.

"No way, how would we get him in there without looking suspicious? I'm pretty sure Aberforth would kick our asses. He's uncomfortable enough with us holding regular meetings in there as it is." They all murmured an uncomfortable agreement. There was another moment of silence before a huge grin stretched over Rose's tired face.

"You guys feel like playing a little dress up?"

Rosier blinked sleepily. The first thing he noticed was that there was a sack over his head, obscuring his vision. The second thing he noticed was the smell. Salty, putrid, like old fish. The third was the blaring of some sort of loud horn, which made him jump in alarm, where he tried to shriek, but he found that he had also been gagged. Firmly secured where he was, the young wizard began to panic, panting heavily.

"Well well. Looks like our friend is awake." a woman's voice "Move the bag." she instructed, and Rosier flinched against the blinding light as he blinked. Looking around, he saw two tall men and the woman between them, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to identify them.

"Nice try, but you won't be seeing us. Now then, let's get down to business." the woman nodded to one of the men, and he stepped forward, ripping off Rosier's sleeve. Starting to sweat, the man couldn't understand what was happening. He tried to talk, mouthing uselessly against the cloth that was tied just a little too tight through his mouth.

"No talking. Not yet. We're going to soften you up first." the woman pulled up a chair across from Rosier and sat down casually. He could see that she was holding something in his hands, which was clear enough. It was a simple hammer, from what he could tell.

"That mark on your arm identifies you as a member of a problematic group. One started by a mister Tom Riddle. Although he has you calling him the Dark Lord. Is that correct?" she pointed to his Dark Mark with the hammer, but Rosier refused to acknowledge her, instead hoping that somebody would come and find him. The woman tutted.

"Unfortunately for you, that's not how these things work. I ask a yes or no question, you nod or shake your head. We're not going to be tolerating anything else." she sighed before viciously bringing the hammer down on his left knee. Rosier screamed out in pain, unable to double over. Tears swelled at the corners of his eyes.

"Once more. You're a Death Eater, correct?" the woman was still deathly calm. Rosier didn't answer. This time, she brought the hammer down twice on the same knee, and this time something cracked. Head swaying in pain, the woman slapped him in the face twice.

"Wake up, Rosier. Nod if the statement is true." He nodded once, chest heaving. The woman looked over his shoulder for a moment before looking back to him.

"Excellent. Next, I'm going to show you pictures of people. If they're in your little club, give us a nod. If you lie, I'll smash your hands. Ready?"

Hestia watched Rose as she rinsed her hands in a bucket of water outside the abandoned boathouse. In the end, they had opted to go to a location in Muggle London. That way, Rosier wouldn't even know where he was even if he wanted to.

"You say that you've never tortured anybody, and yet here you are. However, your methods are...crude." the small dark haired witch looked uncomfortable.

"I used to watch a lot of TV when I was younger. No-maj shows had all sorts of nifty little ideas that you'd never use as a witch or wizard. It's just one more thing to mess him up." Rose didn't even blink as she dried her hands on her pants. Rose had told them to all wear muggle clothing as a precaution.

"And doing this doesn't make you feel sick?" Hestia watched as Rose's thin hands came up to the back of her neck, where she stretched her arms and back out, looking up at the grey sky.

"Not really. The way I'm looking at it now, I'm doing a necessary evil. Besides, I won't kill the guy, even though we should. I'll maim, but never totally kill. At least not on purpose." she met Hestia's intense grey eyed stare. She could see something in Rose, a hesitation to say something else, but instead she worked her jaw and recast her disillusionment charm.

"Let's get back to it. I'm sure Gideon and Fabian have been messing with him long enough now." Back in the empty boathouse, Rose picked up the bloody hammer and resumed her position in front of Rosier. Gideon and Fabian were snickering to themselves, and Rose gave them a withering look before cracking her neck and looking at their captive. Sweat made his stringy brown hair cling to his forehead, and his dull eyes searched her face restlessly.

"For this round, now that you've exposed your pals," she began "I'll remove the gag. I'll ask you some more complicated questions. Do anything funny, and I'll pull out your teeth." She looked down at his mashed, ruined hands, "As you can tell, I'm a woman of my word." With a flick of her hand, the gag was whipped off him, and the first thing Rosier did was to mumble a spell deliriously. Before he could finish, Rose was out of her chair, hand gripping his sweaty, grimy jaw with vice-like intensity.

"Well, that's one. Which one should I take first? A canine? A molar?" she asked sweetly. She could see Hestia shift her stance behind the chair, knitting her fingers together and pursing her lips. Rose could tell that this made the other witch deeply uncomfortable, but she pressed on. Rosier cried out before Rose even had her wand near his face.

"No wait! Please!" he blubbered, and Rose stopped, waiting for him to speak again.

"If I tell you anything else, he'll kill me!" Rosier confessed. The witch let go of his face and wiped her hand off on his dinner jacket.

"And what makes you think I won't kill you if you don't talk?"

"Because you're weak." Rosier laughed as he spit up blood on the ground.

"Dude what the fuck," Rose jumped back, cringing "I didn't even hit you in the face, where did all that blood come from?"

"That's really unhygienic." Hestia muttered distastefully from the back.

"Anyway, come on...Evan. That's your name right? Evan Rosier? Well buddy boy, we know your name, where you live. All sorts of little details. We won't kill you, but we can make your life hell." Rose tried to do her best impression of a threatening mafioso. To his credit, Rosier managed to put on a brave face. The twins raised their eyebrows in simultaneous disbelief at the audacity of the wizard.

"Not another word will leave these lips. I'll be killed by him, but he will gut you traitors as well!" Rosier spat again. Rose looked at the group with her before rolling up the sleeve of her hoodie.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." she sighed before winding up a punch.

With her still slightly swollen ankle propped up on the low coffee table at Ted's flat, Andromeda sighed. Ted was preparing some tea for them, humming to himself.

"I don't understand how the raid could have gone so badly. They had a heads up, clearly. Moody and his bunch must have been seen from the hillside where they were hiding, or maybe Rose was spotted. I thought the plan was flawless Ted." Andromeda moped. He came to sit next to her on the cramped lumpy sofa, and patted her hand affectionately.

"Yeah, it didn't go how we wanted. But soon, Rose will come back with information for us. We'll be one step closer to stopping the menace." he sipped his tea.

"That's not my point. What I'm saying is that somehow, we have a traitor in our midst." Andromeda said suddenly, and this made Ted stop. He put down his cup and held both her hands, deep concern on his face.

"Andy, that's a serious accusation. How could you even say that?" he almost sounded a little hurt.

"I'm not accusing you Teddy. But how else would they have known? They began clearing out the party minutes before the barrier had even come down completely. My parents were already on their way out. I only managed to hold Bellatrix for as long as I could because I told her the truth." Andromeda exclaimed in frustration. She took a deep breath before apologizing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. It's just that...you know I'm not quite sure what I was thinking during all of this. That somehow I could keep both halves of my life at once? Cissy is young, naive. She'll want nothing to do with me after this, that's for certain. And how could I expect Bellatrix to trust me again?" her voice was quiet and broken. Ted gently stroked her head as Andromeda leaned on him.

"It was a difficult decision that had to be made at some point. You've tried to change their minds before, and it didn't work. You can't make a change overnight by yourself. But, they're your sisters, and I don't think they'll ever truly stop loving you, Andy." Ted assured her.

"Maybe. All things considered, we really should look into whether or not somebody has been feeding information. This is a dangerous game, and we should avoid getting hurt if absolutely necessary." Andromeda muttered. Based on her tone, Ted could see that she didn't want to talk about her family anymore. But this brought up another point he wanted to discuss. Something he wasn't proud of, and yet it needed to be said.

"Andy, we shouldn't be in the Order anymore." he blurted suddenly, and Andromeda lifted her head, giving Ted a surprised blink.

"What?"

"It's getting too dangerous. We're having a baby. I mean look, you got hurt already, what if something worse happens? Besides, if we draw too much attention to ourselves, who knows what else could happen? Andy, this isn't a game."

"But what about everybody else? I mean, Albus is relying on us, trusting us to-"

"We don't have to stop helping them, but we can't be in the thick of it anymore. Look, I set aside some money, I can get us a nice place farther from here. A quiet neighborhood, near a good school. Your pains have been getting worse, and the morning sickness. You have to take it easy." he didn't like pleading with Andromeda, he knew it made her feel like she was an impetuous child.

"I'm not weak. I can handle the fight." she insisted.

"You're the strongest woman I know, and you know I love you. But Andy please, the baby. And you. You're both in danger." Ted paused before sighing "If you don't like the arrangement, then we can come back. Andromeda pursed her lips. Resting a hand on her stomach and rubbing it thoughtfully, eventually she nodded slowly.

"Fine, but we should at least wait to hear what Rose and the others find out. And if we're leaving, where will she go?" Andromeda couldn't imagine that the older witch would want to stay with them forever, especially with a kid running around. It was hard enough just to get her to stay put in Ted's flat.

"We'll figure something out."

"Thank you for allowing us to meet here, Hestia." Moody nodded towards the slight witch, who nodded back.

"I figured it would look less suspicious to have us all back at Aberforth's, given what's happened. Sorry it's a little cramped though."

It was late, after everybody had gotten out of work, and they were all crammed into the small sitting room, piled on the sofa and leaning up against walls or sitting on stools.

"I hope the interrogation went well, because Kingsley has had to mow through an obscene amount of paperwork this past week. The Black family is especially affronted, demanding reparations for harassment, despite that all of them ran except for Sirius and Andromeda. Some of the other guests have as well. However, thanks to the twins and Andromeda, we've been able to cross reference the complaints with the list of guests to better determine who might be suspect." Moody began with his announcement. While this was promising news, it was still embarrassing to think of how poorly the raid was handled. Rose took this moment to clear her throat and speak up.

"From what Rosier told us, You Know Who was supposed to hold a meeting at the house later that night, possibly to induct more members, we're not sure yet. Lucius Malfoy, the Lestranges, and a number of others have been confirmed to be working with this clown. Hestia wrote down the finer details." she explained, her throat tightening when she said the name Lestrange. Andromeda noticed, and tilted her head a little but didn't comment.

"And what of Rosier? I hope you found a good way of covering up." Moody grumbled.

"Yeah, no he's not going to remember a thing." Rose assured the gruff Auror. There were sighs of relief, and then a simultaneous quiet cheer when they all heard the kettle whistling.

"If you'll excuse me, that'll be the tea." Hestia got up from her armchair and clambered over legs and awkwardly placed Order members. The four youngest members, who Rose had taken to calling the Little Shits, were situated towards the outer ring of the meeting. Sirius and James had both complained, stating that they all had a right to be able to see what was going on.

"Just shut up and stand where you are, we're not playing fucking Monopoly or anything." Rose growled, suddenly irritated. "You have ears, don't you?"

"Blimey, you're just as bad as Bellatrix." Sirius grunted, and Rose went to strangle him before Ted grabbed her arm and Remus pulled Sirius away from the snarling woman. Remus growled back, and that's when Kingsley stepped in, waving his arms to clear the air.

"Now now, no infighting please, we have enough problems as it is. Let's all take a breather, drink some tea." he sighed "I trust you all had a good holiday during all this?" There were murmurs, and the twins jumped into a story about a wild family party they had. Rose shook Ted off before pushing past Sirius and James and going to stand outside on Hestia's back stairs to smoke. Soon after, Andromeda joined her outside with two cups of tea. The older witch quickly put out her cigarette and took a steaming cup.

"You know that smoking is bad for your health right?" Andy asked, and Rose shrugged.

"It helps me calm down when all I can think about is getting angry. I don't know why I've been so irritable and explosive lately." she paused, wondering if she should tell the truth about the party. Looking at Andromeda in the dim light filtering through the curtains onto the porch, a knot twisted in her stomach again.

"It's annoying, how much you look like her." Rose finally chuckled bitterly, cradling her cup and staring at the bricks on the house next door. She heard Andromeda make a noise of disgust in her throat.

"Believe me, I know. I've been hearing that same shite since I was young."

"She...sort of saved me in the maze, before I set it on fire." Rose blurted. Andromeda's hands clenched slightly.

"Oh?"

"I thought it was you for a moment. But no, it was her. Something was wrong though, like a part of her wasn't quite there. Bella just brushed me off when her husband showed up."

"That certainly doesn't sound like her," Andromeda said woodenly "She hates his guts. I've only met the man a handful of times myself though. Can't say he's got much to offer. Seems like a git." Andromeda drained her cup.

"I feel like we need something stronger to talk about all this." Rose mused.

"None for me, unfortunately." Andy patted her stomach "Besides, a sober approach for serious topics might be best, don't you think?" she cast a sideways glance at her friend.

"Yeah. Probably."

"So what's bothering you then? You've never snapped at Sirius like that."

"I'm worried about Bellatrix. I'm afraid she's in too deep. But I'm also afraid that maybe," she sucked in a lungful of air in an attempt to stop herself from breaking down "Maybe that we're not...right for each other after all. We're toxic. I can't help her the way she needs it. I don't know what she needs anymore, and I can't talk to her the way I used to. We've both changed a lot."

"That's true."

"Andromeda, I feel lost. Like there's nothing I can do anymore. She told me she was going to kill him herself, but Andy I shared a mind with that guy. Bellatrix won't be able to do it. I sure as hell can't."

"You don't know that. If we work together, I'm sure we can all defeat him." Andromeda didn't have her usual conviction in her voice. Rose could tell she was wearing the woman out, and it made her feel guilty. Sighing, she stood up.

"Sorry, I know this stuff bugs you a lot. We should go back inside and see what's up with the rest of them."

Sitting by her window and looking down on the snow covered street, Rose vaguely remembered visiting Hogsmeade with her friends. That had been a good day. A lot of the holiday spirit had passed quickly since the failed raid, combined with the Order's constant somber attitude. Her world felt grey and empty again, and Rose was beginning to resent it.

"Rose, you up for a little outing today?" There was a knock on the open door as Ted stuck his head inside her room. She turned around from her hunched position, hair unwashed and face haggard.

"Not really." she answered.

"The twins have invited us out to the pub for drinks later tonight. I was thinking maybe you could help me shop for things for the baby?" Ted asked hopefully, but Rose's crusty withering stare made him shrink back a little. All she could think about were Hugo and Henrietta.

"When have I ever shown an interest in babies? Do I look like I know what a baby would like?" she asked, and Ted frowned. Rose felt guilty again. She knew that he was trying. Trying to help Andromeda, who had now become a permanent resident in his flat. She was showing now, the bump noticeable. She complained about the kicking and the strange movements.

"You haven't left the flat in days. We're both worried about you. Even Hestia has sent letters. Andy told me you didn't want to read any mail." he continued. Rose kept staring out the window, ignoring him.

"I was thinking...maybe I should just go back to America. I'm old enough to leave on my own now." she muttered. She heard Ted move from the door to stand next to her bed.

"We're not rushing you, because of the baby that is. You know you're one of Andy's oldest friends, you can stay with us as long as you need."

"No that's alright. I'm mooching at this point. You and Andy need your own lives. Besides, I'm sure my uncle wants somebody to hang around with, somebody to do more of the tedious work for him. He had a blast at the ball, by the way." Rose chuckled.

"Rose, I'm serious."

"Why do you feel like you have to help me?" Rose snapped suddenly, and Ted backed away.

"Is it because I was some strung out kid in the woods that happened to know your girlfriend? We never met in school, I don't know a damn thing about you. And you just take me in?" her tone was accusatory. The wizard just kept backing up. Feeling Peppers coil around her, Rose knew she was having another panic attack. All of her fears were welling up, simmering just under her skin. Just as Ted was about to say something, Rose could feel tension in the air, the very magic around them snapping taught like a rope.

"Ted, is everything-" Andromeda came to the door just as Rose sprung off the bed towards them.

"Get down!" She roared as an explosion rocked the apartment. What sounded like a canon next to her ears was actually several spells cast at once from different directions, all aimed towards Ted's apartment. Rose had her hands on the shoulders of both Ted and Andromeda as she apparated them out of her room and behind a dumpster a few blocks down the street.

"Mother fucker…" Rose wheezed, having been grazed on the ribs by something that had gone flying. Ted and Andromeda collapsed on the ground in a heap, the wizard luckily catching his fiance in time before she knocked her head. She could hear screaming as more explosions sounded off.

"What's going on?" hissed as he helped Andromeda into a sitting position before going to help Rose to her feet.

"I'll bet you my left shoe, it's those goddamn Death Eaters." she spat, making sure Peppers was safe before putting the silver ring on her finger and pulling out her wand, ready to go on the offensive. Crouching and moving at a swift pace, she crossed the street and hid behind a metal trash can. Ted stayed hidden around the corner of the building while Rose crawled closer to the apartment. Smoke and dust filled the air, making it difficult to really see what was going on, but she could see blue light from people's wands. More than likely, they were checking the rubble for bodies.

"There's a muggle here!" a man's gruff voice called.

"Kill em'." Responded the other, and Rose heard a weak gasp as a flash erupted in the dust. Gritting her teeth, Rose aimed her first spell for where the flash came from, transfiguring her wand into a long chain. She heard a yelp and felt the tug as she yanked her wand back and drew a masked man out of the smoke, his robes trailing down the icy street as he flailed helplessly. When he got close enough, Rose punched him in the head, stunning him slightly and knocking his mask off. She didn't recognize the man underneath, but it didn't matter.

"You just murdered Mrs. Beasley. You fucking monster." Rose hissed.

"Just some filthy muggle. They're less than the mud beneath our boots!" the man laughed, but stopped when Rose aimed her wand at his bloody face. Before she could make a move, a volley of spells whizzed past her, forcing Rose to dodge back to cover. Rose flung a fireball at the Death Eater, but he disappeared in a puff of black smoke, soaring into the grey afternoon sky and far from sight.

"I'll get help!" Ted called out to Rose, and she quickly saw the glowing blue dog patronus bound past her and down an alley.

"Okay great but get up here and help me!" she shouted over the noise. Not being able to see her targets was one thing, but having them return fire was an entirely different story, something she wasn't used to at all.

"What do we do about the neighbors?" Ted asked after eventually moving forward. The spells stopped momentarily, and Rose could hear bricks falling and rubble being moved around as the Death Eaters closed in on them.

"Well, the apartment we could play off as a gas explosion...shit I don't know, just lock all their doors and close the curtains." Rose responded as she cast a spell that caused the rubble to shift and roll, a wave of bricks hopefully landing on Death Eaters. Resounding shouts of alarm most likely meant she had hit her target.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage, but hopefully the Ministry will be able to help us out." As he said this, there was the sound of apparition all around them. Molly and her brothers appeared close to them, Gideon getting tagged on the arm by a hex as he landed in the street.

"Bloody hell!" he yelped, and Fabian quickly yanked his brother behind the building with them.

"Get Andy out of here!" Rose barked, and Molly nodded brusquely as Rose pointed back to the woman who looked torn between crying and fighting.

"Is there anybody else coming?" Ted asked as he got to work trying to heal up Gideon's arm.

"Moody's getting a force together as we speak, is it Death Eaters?" the ginger asked, and Ted nodded.

"Rose nabbed one before they noticed we survived. They destroyed my flat, as you can see." Their conversation was interrupted when they all heard Molly and Andromeda shout in alarm. A Death Eater, smaller than the others, had appeared in a dark cloud. The Death Eater removed their hood, and the frizzy mass of dark curls was evidence enough.