Author's Note: Okay, I said I would do Jugson. Yeah, well, I lied, so here's Augustus…

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Augustus Rookwood

Augustus is bent over his sheaf of papers when they come for him. He looks up, a pleasant smile on his face should they feel the urge to ask a question. But that does not happen.

The men are Aurors, and Augustus's first thought is that very few Aurors come down to the Department of Mysteries. He does not realize, even when their grim faces and angry expressions become evident, that someone could have discovered his secret.

Augustus loves mysteries. He was a quiet child, a child of dark questions and one fascinated by the secrets of the heart. He knew about secrets at a young age, hushed, few words that, if whispered to another's ear, could leave a man dead on the floor by the next morning. There were concealed mysteries that no one wanted, burdens that people shied from, hidden things that men and women would die to keep covered.

He learned about weaknesses, something he could not afford. So Augustus became secretive, watching, and very careful. But when the Dark Lord came, he had offers beyond extraordinary. He let Augustus do things, things he could have never done before. He learned about pain, about personal power, and the power beyond personal, the kind that is not limited to just the mind and heart.

Augustus thought he understood it all. He even thought he understood betrayal, but he never realized it would actually hurt so much.

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Author's Note: I don't know about you guys (that, ah-hem, are going to review, right?), but I'd always thought this guy was pretty interesting, so I hope I did him all right. You?