A/N: Okay, so I really like this chapter. I was quite happy with it when I wrote it anyway. And guess what- No cliffie this time! But, but, but! I don't know if I'll be able to update every two-three days for a while because I've sort of developed a mental block and am stuck on chapter 13 currently. But don't worry, I'll continue to update even if slightly slowly!

One more thing, this chapter is approx. the halfway mark. I think this story will probably be about 20 chapters, give or take a few. So, cheers! Let's celebrate the milestone 10 with some RxS.

Thanks to all my awesomesauce reviewers: Lizzy0308, Love without expectation, SaruDM, x-rayLady, Firemaker, XXXmeggie-loves-to-readXXX, Missdagane, Mrs. Theodore Nott, lilbuddie715, sundance1989, ainat92, Cass, Kirra993, SFred93, silvermist76, reader91, lunapeacock, Roseweasley85, arrrgghimapiratenow, Pal the bad ass and emeralda363. Loved your reviews for the last chapter, in a sort of freakish-sadistic way ;)

And all those who faved/alerted: MereLamb, 00Laila00, Firemaker, waltraute, Sundance1989, arrrgghimapirate now and pugluv24.

Damn, my author's notes are long...We shall tarry no longer! Proceed!

Chapter 10:

Rose lashed out viciously with her foot, catching the man by surprise. His head whipped to the side with a terrible clacking sound and he righted himself, eyes blazing with pain and fury.

She managed to evade his grip, scuttling away on all fours. She looked back to see that he had staggered to his feet and was now lurching towards her. Still on the floor, Rose crawled backwards, barely aware of the bloody pools soaking through her clothes.

Her heart caught in her throat as her back hit a wall- she could go no further. Her wand was lying next to Albus' prone form where she'd dropped it in her haste and shock. Another terrifying scream was ripped from her as the mutilated figure in front of her lost its footing, toppling over a corpse, his body landing on hers.

She was vaguely aware of it opening its mouth, saying something. But she was too terrified to take it in, all she could see were the bleeding gums and rivulets of scarlet running down his chin and throat, drops splattering her shirt.

"…end..t..ple-"

Rose struggled out from under him, unable to take in what was happening. She lashed out again, her palm hitting his face with little effect. Still, he struggled to speak, to form words which were beyond her understanding.

"…plea..se…t..pain…"

Hands still on the remnants of his face, she shoved with all her strength. He raised an arm to defend himself, or maybe to strike her; she didn't know which. But the sight of the bloodied stump, still fresh after it's severing was too much for her. She let out a strangled cry, unable to scream past the tangible panic blocking the throat.

Where the fuck was everyone else in this godforsaken house?

As if on cue, the door burst open, and Rose could honestly say that never before had she been so glad to see the look of absolute fury on Scorpius' face.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Scorpius whipped around as a shriek pierced the deafening silence of the manor. It was distinctly feminine and clearly terrified. Following the sound, he found himself on the third floor, shoving open doors leading to empty rooms, the other aurors hot on his heels, until finally the last one swung open to reveal two crumpled forms, one struggling on the floor, the other hunched over the first.

As the knockback spell left his wand, he caught a flash of familiar red hair from the corner of his eye. It brought to mind the fleeting image of Rose Weasley, but pushing away the absurd thought that the figure on the ground may indeed be her, he strode towards the injured auror, without a backward glance to allay his fears.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Within seconds, the disfigured man was off her, his form crumpling against the opposing wall. Scorpius bypassed her completely, his focus entirely on the man.

She watched through a white-tinged haze as he leaned over the slightly stirring form. He crouched down lightly, wand at his side. With growing disbelief, she witnessed the two sharing a brief exchange of words.

Rose didn't know what had been said, but next thing she knew, Scorpius had raised his wand, there was a jet of green light, and the man on the floor was dead.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Proudfoot burst into the room, right behind the junior Malfoy, his worst fears were confirmed. There lay all nine bodies, the bodies of his comrades, motionless, disfigured, lying in pools of their own and each other's blood.

His heart caught in his throat as he ran forward, not allowing his emotions to overcome him. He was fully aware of his team's presence behind him, as they ran forward, dropping beside the fallen figures, checking for pulses.

Mr. Potter and James spotted Albus right away, falling to their knees beside him. Proudfoot, for the first time, in his lengthy career, found himself at a loss. The dead and alive-if there were any- were being tended to and there was naught for him to do but stand there, wrestling with his rage and grief.

The bastard- the bastard who had done this- he would pay. There was no trace of him in the manor, he had left but shortly before them, obliterating any evidence which would point to his identity. He prayed that their purpose for coming here would not be reduced to one of carting away the bodies of their brothers- surely some were alive, even if just one...

Proudfoot did a double-take as he spotted the blood-covered female slumped in the corner. He made to rush forward, to make sure she was not dangerous, and more importantly, alive. But Malfoy beat him to it. Never had Proudfoot seen him looking so enraged, so completely out of control, then as he yanked the girl off the ground, her cries of protest falling heavily on his ears.

Proudfoot started forward grimly, wishing to protect the young lady, whoever she may be. But he was distracted mid-stride by the wondrous call of "There's a pulse!"

XXXXXXX

The aurors, Scorpius and Rose included, converged on the still figure now lying on his back.

Actual tears were streaming down Harry's face as he clutched the hand of his son like a lifeline. A pulse, so faint, but present all the same…

He knew though, that Albus was hovering between life and death. If they left it too long, there wouldn't even be that fluttering beat, growing softer all the while.

"James…James take him to Mungos. Quickly, before it's too late."

His eldest son shook himself out of his trance-like state, his expression one of horrified disbelief as he stared at his dying brother. He nodded tersely, wasting no time with words. One resounding crack, and he and Al were gone.

Harry turned, exhausted to the others. "Is anyone else….are there others?"

The vice grip around his heart tightened its tenacious hold, squeezing the breath out of his chest as the others shied away from his gaze, looking down and away, anywhere but into his green eyes. The despair was like a sinking boulder pulling him under, so that even his own vision swam momentarily. How many had died?

He was torn from his torturous thoughts by a feeble cough and then a louder one as one of the figures on the ground turned over abruptly, spitting out clotted blood by the mouthful.

Relief swooped down on Harry as he rushed to the wizard's side, praying that at least one more could be saved.

XXXXXXXXX

Rose had never been so scared in her life as when Scorpius had finally spotted her and swooped down, spitting rage in such great quantities, she could almost feel her courage shriveling up and leaving her for good.

He'd pulled her to her feet, shaking her roughly till she'd cried out in pain. His eyes were hard flints of steel, completely unrecognizable. If she hadn't known him, she would have mistaken him for a killer or an insane madman. After all- after all, had she not just seen him kill someone?

Why had he done that? Immobilising him was one thing, but killing? There was blood on his hands in more ways than one now, and quite frankly Rose was terrified.

Convinced she was next, she let out a startled squeak as Uncle Harry's voice sounded from across the room. "There's a pulse!"

Heart racing, she watched as James apparated away with Al. The relief in the room was palpable, and as for Rose…her own personal relief mixed with guilt at her lack of feeling for the others, who weren't so lucky, swept through her so completely, she swayed where she stood.

Scorpius had let go of her and was already by her uncle's side as she righted herself, placing one palm against the wall for support.

She had to leave before the others finally came into their senses and realized that not only were they not alone, for some unfathomable reason, their leader's niece was hanging around looking as if she'd been part of the bloodbath.

Swiping a random wand off the ground near her feet, she staggered out of the room, hoping desperately that no one witnessed her exit.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Scorpius scanned the room agitated, looking for the tell-tale flash of red. But there was so much red in the room…on the floor, across the walls, each surface splashed liberally with it. The aurors were apparating away in groups of two, each supporting a dead wizard.

Ernie Macmillan was the second wizard to be saved. And the last. The rest, all eight including Gawain were dead and brutally so. Looking at their wounds made Scorpius reconsider the extent of their opponent's insanity.

Killing death eaters was one thing, killing ministry members another…

He glanced back involuntarily at the crumpled figure of the man he'd killed, feeling a pang of sorrow but no regret. He wouldn't have lasted much longer and the agony he was suffering was beyond anything a mortal should have to bear, for even a minute more than was necessary.

Nodding to Proudfoot, Scorpius stalked out of the room, his mind back on Rose. His rage had been numbed by disbelief and grief but now his mind was clearing and it was throwing one thought repeatedly at him, fueling his rage.

I'm going to kill Rose fucking Weasley.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rose was lost. She was completely, utterly, irrevocably lost. The manor was a maze- how had she not noticed before? When she'd come in, she'd been checking the rooms systematically, one by one. But now that she was starting from the finish line, she had no idea which direction to proceed in.

To make matters worse, the wand in her hand was unfamiliar as if it were someone else's limb tacked on to her body. The analogy made her stomach roil unpleasantly as it brought to mind a visual of the carnage she had left behind her.

Her eyes shut tightly, of their own accord as images flew through her mind. The glassy eyes, the blood, the stench of death…Her heart clenched in fear for Albus again, but she reassured herself that he was in the best hands available. He would be in Mungo's by now receiving his treatment…he would live, she was sure of it.

But if he didn't….Rose shoved away the parasitic thought, before it could take root and drive her insane. Her only prerogative now was to get out of here before anyone noticed she'd even been there in the first place. Why had she come? What had she hoped to achieve?

Rose's heart sank as she thought of Scorpius and the way he had looked at her. The fury in his eyes, the…animalistic rage. She was in trouble, big time.

Because like it or not, she had just tossed herself directly into the path of the proverbial avada kedavra, and for what? All she'd done was witness death and destruction on a scale she'd never seen before.

Looking around herself in despair, she wondered how she was to get out…the thought struck her like an anvil and she cursed her stupidity.

Of course! Had James not just apparated out of the building? Clearly the wards had been taken down completely! And she'd been wandering around like a complete blithering fool for fifteen bloody minutes now! She raised the strange wand, hoping she wouldn't splinch herself with its inferior magic.

"Stop."

She started violently, eyes snapping open. The voice was cold, yet oh-so familiar. She raised her sheepish gaze to meet Scorpius' smouldering one.

"Er…hi?"

He ignored her idiotic statement and strode forward, grasping her arm. Before she could say another word, she was being compressed from each side as they apparated, appearing outside her apartment with a pop. Another second, and he had pushed her inside, the door closing behind them with a resolute click.

Rose backed away from Scorpius warily. He was furious- that much was obvious. But there was something else in his eyes, in the way he held himself that she couldn't read. And it scared her. Because whatever it was, it didn't bode well for her.

She cleared her throat nervously, licking her dry lips. "Well. That was-"

"Shut up."

Rose's mouth snapped shut obediently.

"I'm-"

"Shut. Up."

In a startling flash of motion, he was close, too close and her back was pressed up against the wall behind her. "Scorp-" Rose broke off with a gasp as his wand tip connected with her throat, forcing her chin up.

"I could kill you right now."

His voice was lower than she'd ever heard it. His words sent a chill through her spine, and she shivered involuntarily, gaze fixed on his shoulder.

The wand dug deeper into her throat, and her eyes snapped back up.

Her breath caught as she noticed just how close he really was. His eyes had found hers and she couldn't look away, though her mind was screaming at her to push him away, to leave, that he had no right treating her this way.

"Is that what you want?" he whispered. Rose regarded him with confusion before her mind connected this statement to his previous one. "Do you want to die, Rose?"

"I-of course not! That's absur-" she broke off with a sharp intake of breath as his lips brushed hers lightly, touching but just barely.

"Because," he murmured against her lips. "It would seem that you have a certain penchant for danger." Rose was acutely aware of his wand as it trailed down her throat, tracing tantalizing patterns around the hollow, caressing her jaw line.

Rose swallowed nervously, the small movement bringing their lips into fuller contact. She wanted to lean forward, close the infinitesimal distance left…

Instead she said, "Why are you doing this?"

He was so close to her, his chest against hers, that she felt him stiffen at her question. Barely aware that her eyes had fluttered close, they opened again as he took a step back, his shoulders tense and silvery eyes still filled with…what were they filled with? She couldn't tell. But they reminded her of storm clouds right now, angry and dark and foreboding.

He moved away, and she was acutely aware of each step he took away from her. And before she knew what she was about, her hand was curled around his wrist, holding on with a fierce intensity.

His gaze landed on their joint hands first then rose steadily up the length of her body to meet her frantic eyes.

"What?" he bit out, as if even that one word pained him, as if a moment more in her company was a moment too many.

Rose stepped closer, her mind crystal clear but completely devoid of rational thought.

She poured all her anger into one swift action, grabbing his shirt and pulling him down till his mouth was on hers.

His lips froze against hers even as she tried to coerce his mouth open, kissing him roughly, with bruising force. She let go of his wrist, winding the hand around his neck instead, the other still clutching his shirt. This time it was his back against the wall.

Rose let out a growl of frustration as he remained stiff and unmoving beneath her. Pulling away, she gave him a glare that would have made anyone else's knees knock together with sheer fright. Scorpius just stared back at her blankly, not shying away from her burning gaze.

"Kiss me."

He raised an eyebrow, finding it in himself to be sardonic even at a time like this. "Is that what you want?" he said again. Rose laughed harshly. "No, I wanted you to reject and humiliate me you bastard, that's why I launched myself into your arms."

Scorpius' lips quirked up ever so slightly and Rose had only a second or two to feel triumphant, before he had whirled them around, pinning her between him and the wall.

"I think that can be arranged." He whispered devilishly and before Rose could ask him what exactly he meant by that, his mouth was on hers again, hot and yielding. He pushed past her lips instantly, deepening the kiss till she could feel its effects all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes.

Rose forgot how to breathe, and for a delicious moment she even forgot where she was and just about everything else that had ever entered her mind. It was just Scorpius, the touch and feel and taste of him and the wall pressing into her back-

Rose nearly yelped as the wall suddenly disappeared, her legs pressing into another hard surface. She was barely conscious of him having moved them and forgot all about it a moment later, as he hoisted her onto the table, her legs coming up to wrap themselves around his waist, automatically, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His hands weren't still. Far from it. They traced burning patterns over her skin, the cloth separating them doing nothing to diminish the heat. If anything, she could feel each nerve lighting up in a way it had never before…as if they were all individual firecrackers and they'd all been lit simultaneously.

Her fingers wound into his hair, the other hand trailing down his chest, feeling each defined contour, the hard muscles and heat of his body. She was vaguely aware of her back pressed against the surface of the table. He was hovering over her, placing kisses along her jawline, and as her hands scrabbled to find purchase on the slippery surface, her hand knocked against a light object. It clattered off the table, landing with a deafening smash.

Rose's eyes snapped open and colour flooded her cheeks as she realized exactly what she was doing and with whom. She pushed Scorpius back at the same time he leaned away himself, and their eyes met, wide and disoriented.

His eyes were dark and hair messed up from where she'd tugged it roughly and Rose was aware of her own swollen lips as she tugged her shirt down sharply from where it had ridden up.

"I-"

"We-"

They'd spoken simultaneously and Rose almost forgot who had said what. But nothing needed to be said- or rather, there was too much that needed to be said- and they nodded hastily at each other, looking away instantly.

Rose pushed past him brusquely, closing her door behind her and slumping against it, awaiting the return of reason. Thirty seconds later, she heard Scorpius' door close with a resolute snap.

A/N: Yay! Just so y'all know, I read an entire Julia Quinn before writing this chapter. And I have never ever attempted something like this because I'm a prude (yeah, right...) and don't write sex scenes. And I probably never will write sex scenes either, cos that would have to be 100% from imagination. (What? I'm 17.)

Oh, for those who wondered, Harry is head of the Aurors so he doesn't lead a specific unit. That's why Proudfoot is usually boss. Kinda like how principals don't teach classes. (Unless you go to my school.)

Anyway, review and let me know what you thought of this chapter...I'll be checking my mail obsessively for the next few hours!