A/N: I felt pretty cool writing this, like it's some spy story. I guess technically it sort of is, but this was pretty bad ass. It gets kind of graphic with the violence though, so beware. Also, thanks to everyone for the sudden influx of reviews! I love it! Please keep them coming!
misslak: Thank you so much as always! Sorry for no Remus, but there will be lots of him in the upcoming chapters, so I hope that makes up for it!
S38: Hahahaha sorry, no shagging in this chapter. Maybe someday sigh...
CurseDoll: I'm honestly not really sure how to respond to your review haha. It'd be kinda counterproductive to kill off my main character, right? But thanks for all the favoriting and reviewing! I really appreciate it ^_^
sarahmichellegellarfan1: Thank you as always! More Remus coming soon!
MaeveD: Thank you so much for the kind review and of course for reading! I'm glad I have a name to your virtual voice now. Sorry for the wait!
JazzyPoole: Thank you! I like leaving little hints, so I'm glad you enjoy them too haha. And Remus and Rowan will work it out... eventually...
Guest...?: Thank you so much! I don't know your internet name, but I appreciate the warm review! I hope you continue to read and enjoy!
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Chapter 31: Of the Act of Murder
A deep silence fell upon the green hills of the Scottish wizarding village of Wigtown. The humidity seemed to absorb all sound and light, settling heavily upon the empty streets. Rowan Delacroix, Emmeline Vance, Arthur Weasley, and Dedalus Diggle were positioned as the support teams. Rowan and Arthur perched high on the roof of a house in the middle of the street at one intersection, and Emmeline and Dedalus perched on another at the end. All four melted into the shadows with heavy Disillusionment Charms.
Rowan's dark clothes stuck to her skin with sweat. A drop slowly rolled down her neck, and she had to force herself to not move and wipe it away. Her breath felt sticky and heavy with the heat. She looked down the street past Emmeline and Dedalus at Lestrange Manor in the distance. The yellow lights from the windows glowed menacingly. She glared at it momentarily before looking back down.
There was a faint popping sound from a dark alleyway. Silence settled again then followed by muffled voices and shuffling feet from the opposite direction, rapidly approaching them. A pair of dark-robed men appeared, silver masks glinting in the faint moonlight.
"It came from over there," one said lowly, gesturing towards the alleyway. She held her breath as they moved towards the end of the street away from her tree, but just as they were about to turn the corner, a sleek silver tabby cat crept from the shadows. Black markings circled its eyes like glasses perched on a nose. It looked up at them with narrowed eyes and hissed, back arched.
"Fucking cat," one of them growled, kicking at it. The cat sprang away and hissed again but didn't budge. The men cursed at it softly before turning and walking back the way they came.
They waited a few moments. The cat sat still at the entrance of the alleyway, green eyes glinting in the darkness. Finally, it let out a long careening meow that echoed softly down the street. Rowan's chest tightened before turning towards the opposite end of the street and letting out her own high-pitched meow. She heard Emmeline echo it back, the sound bouncing down the empty street. All clear.
Rowan heard the softest of shuffling from the alleyway and saw the faintest movement of shadows. She could make out a subtle shift in the darkness, though at first glance, the street appeared empty, but then she saw a series of soft footprints appear in the dirt roads.
There was a faint glimmer of light hair that she recognized as Remus', and Rowan felt her breath catch – the Disillusionment Charms on the assault team were fading. She and Arthur pointed their wands at the slow peeking of heads in the darkness and wordlessly cast a fresh series of charms upon the party below. She glanced around and listened carefully for the Death Eaters again as their wands glowed a faint white from the roof, but she saw no indication of them.
After recasting the last, she and Arthur followed them soundlessly over the roofs of the houses, peering down onto the streets for any sign of enemies. The cat ran ahead of the group towards Emmeline and Dedalus.
Suddenly, the cat hissed loudly. Rowan doubled her pace across the roofs, leaving Arthur to watch the rear. Below, she saw the cat arching and spitting venomously at a group of three different Death Eaters, all much taller than the last pair they'd seen. One stepped from the trio and sauntered towards the cat. Despite the mask, Rowan could almost see the smile on the man's face.
"Hello there, pussy cat," he drawled. "What a beautiful creature you are!"
The cat arched defensively and backed away slowly, teeth bared. The Death Eater approached it slowly, almost in a strut.
"It's quite a hot night, isn't it? Surely, you must have some cool place with your other kitty friends to escape to," he said.
"You know, you remind me of someone," the Death Eater continued. "And those markings – it's uncanny how similar animals can resemble humans. Why, if I didn't know any better…" he trailed off.
Suddenly his hand shot out, grabbing the cat roughly. It let out a long blood-curdling shriek, claws tearing wildly at the robes of the Death Eater, but he laughed and held it out in front of him, hanging it by the neck.
"Professor McGonagall! How nice of you to visit us on this beautiful summer night!" he shouted gleefully. The other two Death Eaters laughed riotously, and Rowan felt her blood run cold. She could hear Arthur's faint footsteps running towards her. She glanced down to make sure that the assault team was still disillusioned before looking back at the laughing dark wizards.
"I haven't seen you in so long, Professor!" the man continued, ignoring the choking shrieks from the cat. "I'd nearly forgotten you were an Animagus. But then again, you are the Transfiguration professor." He shook her hard, and Rowan's throat tightened painfully as she saw the cat's head jerk. Her body flopped violently.
"But why are you running around here like that, Professor? Why don't you come out and talk to us? It hardly seems fair. What was that reversal spell you once taught us?"
Rowan could hear the sickening grin in the Death Eater's voice. Her stomach lurched as she saw him raise his wand.
"Oh yes!" he shouted mockingly, pointing the wand at her still-thrashing form. "Ani-"
Rowan's wand shot out before she could think. "Stupefy!" she shouted. A red beam of light shot out at the wizard, and he let out a strangled cry before collapsing to the ground. Professor McGonagall collapsed with him but scrambled to her feet before sprinting into the shadows. Rowan could see a painful limp in her back left leg.
The remaining two Death Eaters shouted and started shooting spells wildly towards the roof, though they ricocheted off the brick and wood. She ducked behind a brick chimney, glancing down at the street to ensure that the assault team was still unharmed. She saw a slight glimmer and let out a breath of relief before gripping her wand and jumping out from behind the chimney. She released another burst of white light, effectively silencing the wizards then hitting them with a Stunning Spell.
As they collapsed to the ground, she quickly leapt down from the roof and grabbed the two Death Eaters, then pointed her wand at the third and magically pulled him to her. As she began stripping them of their robes and masks, she heard a quick pattering of footsteps towards her.
"Change in plans," she whispered, thrusting a mask out to whomever was next to her. She recognized the man beneath it as a young Slytherin who had been a year behind her at Hogwarts. She scowled at him. The next was also a recent graduate, but the last one – the one who had threatened Professor McGonagall – was Abraham Avery, Jr., one of her old school enemies. She smiled bitterly.
"Good thinking," a deep voice replied – Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Remus, James! Come put these on!" he called quietly.
She saw the three slowly reappear as they moved forward, quickly pulling the dark robes and masks from the Death Eaters and donning them in a hurry. Rowan tied the three Death Eaters together with conjured ropes.
"I'll take these three to the Ministry for questioning," she heard from her left. She looked up to see Minerva McGonagall looking down at her, looking pale and hair unusually disheveled. There were large purple handprints forming around her neck painfully. Rowan nodded.
"Are you okay, Professor?" she asked quickly. The older woman nodded with a grimace as she grabbed the group of men with effort.
"Sprained ankle, but I'll be fine," she answered. "Be careful and good luck," she whispered before Disapparating with a pop.
Rowan looked around and saw the three men now dressed in black robes and silver masks. She knew they were her friends, but something about the menacing uniform made her shiver despite the excruciating heat. She glanced behind them and wondered where Sirius and Gideon stood.
"Hey! Who's over there?" someone shouted. Rowan turned quickly and pressed herself into the shadows, relieved to see that her Disillusionment hadn't faded yet.
The two Death Eaters from before reappeared from around the corner, and Kingsley straightened up to look at them. They jumped slightly.
"Oh, Abe, I'm sorry! I didn't realize it was you!" one babbled apologetically.
"What have I told you about using names, you idiot!" he boomed. Rowan marveled at how similar he sounded to the now-arrested Death Eater. The bumbling Death Eaters flinched.
"Sorry! My apologies!" he whimpered. "We'll just, uh, continue our patrol then!" They then scurried off.
They stood in silence for a moment, listening for signs of any other disturbances. Rowan heard a faint meowing coming from the dark house at the corner – Emmeline was checking to see if they were okay. Rowan meowed back.
She turned to look at the three men before her. Her insides curdled a bit at the sight, but she moved from the shadows.
"We'll be off then," Kingsley said quietly. "If we run into trouble, we'll let out the signal. Be sure to keep on guard. Fabian and Frank will probably have taken out some of the guards already, but we can't be sure. Be safe."
Rowan squeezed his hand to let him know that she heard him and he nodded. He turned and began walking towards the house, followed by James. Remus lagged behind for a moment, glancing around for Rowan's hidden form, and she reached out to squeeze his hand. He jumped slightly in surprise but then squeezed back.
"Please be careful," she whispered. Fear crept up her spine. He nodded.
"You too," he whispered back. Then he turned and followed after the group, and Rowan watched them walk away with an empty ache in her stomach.
Remus approached the menacing house behind Kingsley and James. His chest felt tight enough to implode. He didn't know why Kingsley chose him for this – he wasn't good at talking his way out of tight spots like James. Wouldn't Sirius or Gideon have been a more logical choice?
Kingsley opened the door to the manor, and they stepped into a large foyer with high ceilings. An ornate goblin-made chandelier hung menacingly, emitting a low yellow glow. Gray cobwebs hung from it like lace.
"What was all of that racket out there?" demanded a haughty voice.
A tall statuesque woman with thick, dark, shining hair stormed towards them. Her face was beautiful and strong with heavy-lidded eyelids and thin lips, but there was a dark air of superiority about her. Remus recognized her as Sirius' older cousin Bellatrix Lestrange. He noted smugly that Richard Delacroix had recently taken down her father-in-law.
"Just a damn cat – probably in heat," Kingsley answered in Avery's voice. Bellatrix scowled.
"Fucking cats," she spat, eyes sparking maliciously. "Useless, filthy creatures!"
A shrill, blood-curdling scream came from the basement. It bounced from the walls and against the chandelier. Following the scream came muffled shouts and thuds. Remus had to suppress the fear that trembled through his legs.
"Oh dear," Bellatrix drawled. "It seems our house guests aren't enjoying the companion I sent down." She grinned maniacally. "Who would've thought prudish little Marly McKinnon would be such a screamer?"
Another shriek vibrated throughout the manor, and Bellatrix's grin widened even more. He was startled by his sudden urge to slap the smile from her face.
"Ah, music to my ears," she said almost wistfully. "I'm going to go find my husband. Why don't you see if you can offer our guests any refreshments?" she said lightly.
Remus watched her with barely contained rage. She danced up the stairs, humming an indecipherable tune to a strange rhythm, skipping a step with each change in pitch in the shaking screams. He wanted to burn the stairs and her with them.
When they saw her disappear down the halls and heard a door close, James turned towards them.
"Holy shit, Padfoot! What the fuck is wrong with your family?" he spat.
"Yeah, she's a fucking monster," muttered a voice from behind Remus. Sirius and Gideon remained Disillusioned. Another scream rang through the house.
"Quiet!" hissed Kingsley. James bowed his head in apology. "We need to get to the McKinnons. Fabian and Frank should be around here somewhere distracting the guards. If we're lucky, they'll have knocked them out by now. Sirius, Gideon: you two stay at the entrance of the basement and keep watch. Signal if the Lestranges start moving again. James, Remus, and I will try to overtake whoever is down there with the McKinnons. As soon as I make the signal, we run for it. Questions?"
They all shook their heads, and the three disguised members took off to find the basement. Gideon remained behind at the base of the stairs in the foyer and Sirius remained at the basement entrance. Remus took a deep breath as the remaining three moved down the narrow stairs into the dark. He hoped that Rowan was safe outside.
The stairs down to the basement in the Lestrange's Manor were long and narrow. Kingsley led James and Remus down carefully as the haunting screams of a woman shook louder and louder up the narrow corridor and into their ears. Remus was grateful for the silver Death Eater mask on his face, for it hid his visible flinch with every shriek and groan.
Finally, the basement came into view: a large gray cement expanse with long dark bars standing in a row from floor to ceiling. Behind the bars lay three people in tattered, dirty clothing – two men and a woman. They were very still.
Along the wall outside of the barred off area was a young blonde woman shackled in a medieval looking machine. She was doubled over with her wrists and neck clamped in a single wooden block that hung from the ceiling in chains. Blood trickled down her chin, pooling with rhythmic drips on the cold cement floor. Her eyes were bloodshot, and as Remus looked harder, he could see the clothing on her back torn open and soaked with dark red blood. Deep, wide gashes were cut into her skin. Her entire body shook with sobs.
It was Order of the Phoenix member Marlene McKinnon.
"Oy, Avery!"
A young slender man with brown hair donned in black but sans robes and mask stood in front of the crying young woman – Evan Rosier. Remus' throat constricted with rage at the sight of his old classmate. Red splatters adorned his arms and even part of his face. He held his wand in one hand and a whip in the other. He grinned at them.
"What's with the whip?" Kingsley asked calmly. Remus was astounded at how levelheaded he could remain in the presence of such brutality.
"I like the feel of it," Rosier answered gleefully. "There's something more satisfying - something visceral - about manual labor that you don't get from a wand, don't you think?"
He brought the whip down hard with a deafeningly crack on Marlene's back. She let out a choking shriek and then broke into a fresh wave of tears, trembling violently under the weight of her own body. Her hair stuck to her face wetly in a mixture of tears and blood.
"Oh sh-sh-shh," Rosier cooed quietly. He kneeled down so that he was face to face with Marlene. "This is all your fault, you know? You're being so uncooperative. If you just answered my questions, we wouldn't have to keep playing this game. And look," he said softly, gesturing towards the three other men with a faint smile. "You're embarrassing me in front of my friends."
"I told you I don't know anything!" she sobbed. She thrashed her head as he held a hand to her face, dragging his nails down her cheek softly.
"Oh, but that's not true. You know where the Order headquarters is, your fellow members' names. The list goes on and on. Anything would do," he cooed. He dug his nails into her skin roughly and she cried out in pain.
"Rosier!" James blurted. Remus looked towards him with fear.
The Death Eater held Marlene's face tightly but turned to look at James. Annoyance flickered across his face.
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"Lestrange wanted a word with you," James said calmly.
Rosier assessed him quietly for a moment, and Remus' panic simmered in his lungs. Finally, Rosier let go of Marlene's face and stood, throwing his whip against the wall roughly.
"What the fuck does she want now?" he muttered angrily. "I'm sick of her ordering me around like some fucking house elf. That stupid bitch needs to be put in her place."
He stormed towards the stairs, turning away from the gruesome scene, but just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Kingsley hit him in the back with a Stunning Spell. He fell to the ground with a grunt.
James ran forward and grabbed him violently, conjuring ropes to restrain him. He jerked him around roughly and tossed him to the side angrily.
"What a fucking psycho!" he spat. "What is wrong with these people?"
As James frantically wiped the blood from his hands, Remus and Kingsley rushed towards Marlene. Her eyes widened in fear, breath surging rapidly in gasps.
"Marlene, it's okay. It's your friends," whispered Remus quickly as he undid the locks on the wood and chains. "We're going to get you out of here."
Her eyes filled with tears. "R-Remus?" she stammered breathlessly. "H-how…?"
"We'll have time to answer questions later. We have to get you and your family out of here now. Can you stand?" asked Kingsley.
Marlene tested her legs shakily as they released her wrists and head. Her knees gave out for a moment, and Remus shot forward to grab her. She steadied herself on his arms and stood slowly, legs still trembling. Kingsley assessed her wounds calmly and whispered a series of incantations over them. Remus saw the bloody gashes start to close up. After a few moments, she was able to stand with Remus' support, though it looked as if she carried a heavy weight on her back. Her skin was a sickening shade of white.
James had moved to the caged off area and had opened the door. He was already inside, kneeling next to one of the men, who appeared to be Marlene's older brother Derek. When the man didn't wake from his shakes, he shocked him with a Rejuvenating Charm, and he shot up, gasping loudly with limbs flailing in panic. He cried out in fear at the sight of James' mask.
"Derek! Derek!" James stammered, trying to keep his voice down. "It's James Potter! It's okay!" James removed his mask to reveal his face.
Derek's flailing stopped, but he kept his arms over his face. He peered almost frozen through his arms at James with wide eyes. His yellow hair stuck to his face with a sheen of sweat and grime.
"James?" he whispered disbelievingly.
James smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, it's me. Come on, we have to hurry!"
Derek staggered to his feet, wobbling dangerously, but as soon as he saw Marlene hanging onto Remus' shoulders, his strength seemed to come back to him. He stumbled forward in panic towards his sister.
"Marly!" he cried. His breath caught at the sight of her blood-heavy clothes and the caked blood and tears on her face. He ran his hands frantically over her cheeks and hair. The blood smeared over her skin and onto his hands. She flinched but smiled weakly.
"It's okay. I'm okay," she whispered encouragingly. His mouth quivered, but he held himself together, taking her from Remus' grasp so that he could support her while Remus moved forward to help James.
He didn't make it past he bars though. James looked up at him and Kingsley with fire in his eyes and a trembling mouth – the McKinnons' parents were dead.
"Shit," Kingsley whispered. Remus looked over at the young McKinnon siblings. They both gazed at their parents' bodies with tears in their eyes. Marlene's hands gripped her brother's shirt tightly, while he looked murderous.
"We have to leave them," Remus said quietly. Shame hit him hard as he saw the hurt in the blonde siblings' faces, but he knew they couldn't escape with the extra weight.
"B-but our parents! They-" Derek stammered with wide eyes.
"Remus is right," Kingsley cut in firmly. "I'm terribly sorry, but you two are our priority. We have to get out of here as quickly as we can before anyone notices that you're gone."
The siblings trembled with quiet tears. Marlene hiccuped quietly. Derek's grip on her tightened, but he nodded in understanding. Remus swallowed his guilt and moved quickly towards the stairs.
At the middle of the stairs, he pressed himself against the wall and looked up. The dim light seeped into the dark passageway. He listened carefully and didn't hear anything. He knocked softly against the wall twice. He heard another soft double knock back from Sirius. He turned back down the stairs and nodded at Kingsley, who quickly gestured for the other three to follow quickly.
As they moved up the stairs, Remus looked around quickly for any sign of other Death Eaters and saw only empty hallways. He heard the soft whisper of Sirius' footsteps. As they approached the next corner to the foyer, he heard another double knock. Gideon knocked twice back. They moved forward.
Remus kept his wand tucked into his sleeve but gazed around the foyer and up the stairs to watch for Bellatrix, Rabastan, or Rodolphus Lestrange. The McKinnons staggered forward with Kingsley and James holding up the rear. The door opened slowly – Remus assumed from Sirius or Gideon's doing – but just as they were about to move out, shouting and the sounds of thrashing erupted from the basement.
"Escaped! The prisoners have escaped!"
Remus felt his blood run cold. How had Evan Rosier had already come to? Kingsley grabbed the McKinnons and shot out into the night. Shouts and feet thundered throughout the house, and Remus heard a slamming of a door from above and saw a mass of dark hair bolt down the hall. Bellatrix Lestrange screamed with spitting venom.
"FAKES!" she shrieked at Remus and James. She threw green light down the stairs towards them, and they leapt out of the way, narrowly missing her Killing Curses. "FAKES! FAKES!" she bellowed.
"Let's go!" Remus shouted at James, and they tore out of the house. He heard Bellatrix thundering down the stairs and crashes of furniture and spells behind them.
As they ran out into the night, Marlene struggled forward with Derek pulling her desperately along. Kingsley was in front, and Remus could see the Disillusionment Charms fading slowly from Sirius and Gideon. A shock of red hair began to appear in the darkness. He then saw a flash of white light from the roof of a nearby building and a Shield Charm covered them.
A flurry of green light started shooting from the house, and Remus heard Bellatrix's raging voice screeching through the night air.
"MUDBLOODS! TRAITORS!" she shrieked. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
But then he heard her grunt and thud, and Remus hazarded a glance back to see a wizard donned in dark robes sprinting past her limp body, which now laid on the ground. He threw his mask to the ground – Frank Longbottom. Behind him, another wizard burst from the house, and he saw flaming red hair poking beneath the hood – Fabian Prewett.
"We have to get beyond the manor barrier!" the Auror shouted.
The group sprinted down the empty streets, but then another group of about five Death Eaters blocked them off, appearing from the next street over. Remus saw Kingsley raise his wand in preparation, but a barrage of red light rained down from the roofs, hitting all of the Death Eaters with a series of grunt and shouts. Remus looked up and saw Rowan, Emmeline, Arthur, and Dedalus with arms raised. Their Disillusionment Charms had finally faded.
"GO!" Arthur bellowed at them.
"Kingsley! Get the McKinnons out of here! We'll hold them off!" James shouted, turning back towards the manor. A small wave of dark-robed wizards were quickly closing the distance. Evan Rosier led the group, looking bruised but murderous.
Marlene was still struggling. Her face was stone white from the blood she'd lost, and Remus could hear her gasping raggedly with the strain. Derek was pulling her along but was also staggering slightly from his own injuries. Rosier wasn't far behind. Rowan and the rest of the support squad were shooting protective spells around the siblings and hexes into the swarm of Death Eaters. A few dropped to the ground with loud grunts and shouts, but there were still at least six or seven quickly closing the gap.
Sirius ran forward to grab Derek. He yanked him off of Marlene, and Fabian grabbed him, dragging him away with a burst of strength. He shouted for his sister, but just as Sirius was about to haul Marlene over his shoulder, a burst of green light hit her in the back.
Remus felt the shouts fall away as he saw the light in Marlene McKinnon's eyes fade. Her mouth hung open in a silent gasp, eyes still wide with fear. She collapsed into Sirius' arms with a flurry of arms and yellow hair, and as she hit the ground, all he could hear was Derek's screams.
Rowan breath left her as she saw the blonde woman fall to the ground in a heap. Sirius held her body with fearful eyes, disbelieving. She heard Arthur and Emmeline screaming at him to move, but he stared at the lifeless form in his arms as if he too had been hit with the Killing Curse.
Rowan saw Evan Rosier below. He was nearly upon Sirius, wand drawn. Her lungs seized, and before she could stop herself, she had thrown her body off of the roof and onto the Death Eater's body.
"NO!" she screamed. Her voice seemed to jolt Sirius from his daze and catch Rosier's attention. He cried out as she came barreling down on him. He didn't have the time to draw his wand on her, and they collapsed to the ground in a storm of limbs.
Sirius tore Rowan off of the Death Eater, but they quickly found themselves surrounded by another five. They stood with backs pressed against each other. She held her wand out fiercely, keeping an eye on the groaning Rosier, who was pulling himself slowly from the ground. The other three support team members had leapt from the roofs and stood around the Death Eaters but at a careful distance. Rowan could hear Derek screaming. She saw Fabian dragging him away past Remus, Frank, and James, and soon, there was a pop, and they were gone. She felt a slight bit of relief.
"You," Rosier breathed venomously, glaring Rowan down. He grinned slowly, and she bristled angrily. "I've been waiting for this day for years, you little bitch. The half-breed lover and the Black family disgrace – how deliciously perfect," he said silkily.
"No," Rowan said quietly. "It's all of us against just you, Rosier. You're totally outnumbered."
"Like I give a shit," he sneered. "But this reminds me of something," he said giddily. He grinned at her. Her skin crawled.
"What?" she spat. He giggled, high-pitched and grating. Her stomach churned with nausea.
"The fire burned, the screams were heard, the house came tumbling down!" he sang gleefully. Rowan felt the blood drain from her face.
"Oh yes," he taunted. "We had some fun, yes, we did – me and your half-breed loving master. Shall I burn you away like poor old bumbling Belby?"
Heat shot up into Rowan's lungs. She felt her arm burn.
"It was you!" she seethed. Every muscle in her body tightened with rage, and she thought that fire might burst from her throat. Her hand clutched her wand so tightly that she thought it might break. It seemed to vibrate in response.
"Me!" Rosier cried giddily. "Oh, you should have heard him! The serious ones are always the most fun," he mocked. Rowan's blood boiled. "I have to say he put up a pretty good fight for an old man, but he went down just like they all do – burning and screaming." His eyes pierced into her.
Rowan could barely breathe. She felt as if she was choking on her own rage. Heat scorched into her flesh and bones, and she wanted to feel Rosier's face beneath her hands as she tore him limb from limb. She wanted to hear him scream with agony.
"My only regret though," Rosier continued softly. His voice was nearly a whisper. "Was that you weren't there. Imagine my disappointment when I realized you'd stepped out, after all of the preparations I'd made! Talk about bad luck!" he said dramatically.
The red anger seized Rowan, and before she knew it, icy blue light shot out from her wand.
"Frigio Ignus!" she screamed. Blue flames erupted around Rosier's chest, and he screamed out in pain. The sound sparked a flurry of shouts. Bursts of light shot chaotically through the darkness suddenly as the Order and Death Eaters clashed. She felt the pressure of Sirius' back against hers disappear as he contorted and dodged as he dueled. Beams flew around her as she stormed towards Rosier's flailing body. He was thrashing on the ground wildly, writhing in agony.
It was the same hex that she had been hit with nearly two years before. As she thought of the all-consuming pain, the anger and hatred she wanted Rosier to feel, it had nearly burst from her wand on its own. She kicked him roughly in the side as he screamed.
"You bastard!" she screamed. "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!" She kicked him again and again, noting the sound of cracking in his sides under the pressure from her boots – she'd broken a couple of his ribs. Her legs flailed and burned as jolts of electricity seemed to seize them wildly. The flames had died out already, but he was still twitching with pain, eyes rolling back into his head and groaning sickeningly. She fell upon him with thrashing hands. She grabbed him by the shirt collar and threw him into the ground violently, smashing his face into the dirt. Her arm seared.
But then he laughed – a low, haunting sound.
She let go of him quickly and stared, staggering back slightly. His laughter was soft, breathy, but as he struggled to roll over onto his side, wheezing and coughing, the laughter grew. The sound shook her to the core and the chill of fear crept up her spine again.
"You're soft," he gasped, pushing himself up onto his hands. "You're soft!" he said more loudly. "Is that really the best you can do? A silly Frost Fire Curse? Really?" He laughed harder, painfully. Spit bubbled at the corner of his mouth. The anger came surging back.
She shot the blue flames at him again in a blind screaming rage, and he collapsed back to the ground shrieking. She watched him numbly as he writhed. The sounds of battling around her signified that only a few remained standing, but she didn't bother to look or defend herself. She burned the image of Evan Rosier's thrashing body into her heart with relish. She wanted to carve the sound of his screams into her bones like a symphony.
When he finally stopped twitching, he lay on the ground wheezing, but a weak smile still played on his lips. A gasping laugh broke through, but he couldn't muster enough air to continue. She stalked up to him and thrust her wand into his face.
The words were in the back of her throat. Her tongue and eyes were numb. Her arm burned.
"You can't do it!" he gasped gleefully, the corners of his lips twitching upward with amusement. His chest rose and fell with effort. His breath came in short, labored wheezing. "You're weak! You're nothing without your half-breed boyfriend! And blood traitor Daddy isn't here to save you! Useless! You're nothing! NOTHING, you stupid whore!"
Blinding rage - she fell upon him again with fists and elbows and knuckles. Her fists collided painfully with his face, but it was distant. Beneath her knuckles came crunching, cracking, spitting, but she didn't hear it. She didn't see it. Her mind was a blank slate. Her ears roared deafeningly. Distantly, she realized that her throat was searing, that she was screaming, but she didn't know the words. Were they a language that she knew?
But then her arms went limp, like a switch had been flipped. She was on her knees, leaning over Rosier's body. He twitched, gasping for air, staring at her with wide eyes.
Nausea hit her.
His mouth gaped with blood oozing from his lips. His cheeks were black and purple with several gashes in his skin. Small pebbles from the concrete were embedded into his face and neck. He gurgled sickeningly. Her throat squeezed painfully shut with ice and disgust. Her lungs heaved loudly, raggedly with exertion. Her cheeks burned with sweat and fire. She couldn't even recognize him.
What had she done?
But then there was a shriek, and Rowan's head jerked up. Bellatrix Lestrange had woken up from her collapse and was hurdling towards her, blind fury in her face and dagger in her hands. Her arm reached up, and Rowan saw the silver blade leave her fingers, flying through the air. It all seemed so slow, and yet she couldn't seem to move her arms. She couldn't dodge it. She felt the panic seize her skin and lungs with creeping ice. She closed her eyes to prepare for the impact.
But it never came.
She felt the pressure of a heavy body fall against her, and when she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of cold, dark eyes boring into hers. Blood bubbled at the mouth, dribbling down the chin.
Evan Rosier had taken the dagger.
She felt her blood run cold as he smiled, red and wide. He coughed, spraying her face with blood. His fingers dug into her shoulders painfully. His nails dug into her scars painfully, and then he leaned forward and smeared his tongue and lips up her cheek, slowly, wetly. She felt the hot bubbling saliva from his mouth drip down her face and his breath sear her skin. She couldn't move.
"Murderer," he whispered into her ear.
As he pulled away, he kept his eyes locked with hers. He fell to the ground slowly, a jerking of joints and gravity, and as he crumpled to his knees, then his side, the light left his eyes. A red smile still grazed his face.
Rowan leaned over the lifeless body of Evan Rosier. His eyes continue to pierce through her, and she couldn't seem to find her lungs. Her burns seared painfully as she felt the wet dripping from his mouth's remains on her cheek fall onto her scarred arm. The world pulled away from her.
Then suddenly, she felt her feet leave the ground, and there were hands on her waist. She looked up and saw fury in the face of Bellatrix Lestrange hurdling towards her, but she was moving backwards, her innards bouncing and her vision jolting painfully. The sound of the dark woman's screaming came rushing back into her ears, but before she could decipher what she was saying, she felt the world around her suck into the void. She was going back to London.
When the ground re-solidified, Rowan and her captor collapsed to the ground. She gasped and struggled, trying to find her arms and legs. She heaved, suddenly feeling a wave of nausea hit her, as if the gravity had been doubled momentarily. She choked back the sick and coughed into the ground, feeling the cold cobblestone digging into her cheek.
Suddenly, she felt herself being hauled up by rough hands and shaken violently. Her head jerked painfully.
"What is wrong with you?" someone shouted in her face. She tried to focus her gaze, but the world still seemed to be spinning. Finally, she got her bearings and saw a pair of green eyes burning into her frantically – Remus.
She struggled to speak but couldn't find her words. His anger seared into her, and she felt her face burn with sudden shame, though she didn't know why.
"You could have been killed!" he bellowed. She flinched at his tone. "How could you be so reckless, so STUPID?"
Then his arms were gripping her so tightly that the air was forced from her lungs. She felt hot bubbling tears hit her neck and the trembles of his chest against her own. A wave of guilt hit her, and she brought her arms up hesitantly to embrace him.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. Without warning, grief hit her, and she felt her own tears begin to surface. "I'm sorry!"
They held each other and cried silently for a few moments. She fisted her hands tightly in the Death Eater's robes he still wore, and he clung to her desperately, burying his face in her hair and running his hands frantically over her. When their tears subsided, they pulled away slowly, both red in the face from their tears. Remus reached up and wiped her cheek. His face melted darkly.
"There's blood all over your face," he whispered. Rowan reached up and pulled her fingers away, which were covered with red ooze. She thought of Rosier's parting gift and trembled, remembering the hot gush of wetness from his tongue, the roughness of his cheek, his breath on her face and ear. It was very cold. Remus' gaze softened sadly. He kissed her hair gently.
"We should probably get moving," a voice said.
They pulled away from each other, and Rowan suddenly remembered the rest of her team. She looked around and saw that everyone was accounted for. Sirius had a nasty black eye forming and James had a swollen, bloody lip, but otherwise, everyone looked relatively unharmed. Her chest seared with disbelief – how had they all survived?
"We need to get back to Headquarters. Derek and Fabian should be there by now," Kingsley said quietly. Frank nodded.
"I'm taking Rowan home," Remus said firmly.
Rowan gaped up at him. His gaze was hard on Kingsley with his lips set into a taut line. It was as though he'd completely switched with someone else in a mere second.
Kingsley assessed him quietly before nodding. "Alright," he said quietly. "But you two will need to make a report to Dumbledore tomorrow morning then."
Remus nodded and held Rowan to him tightly. As they watched the others gather themselves and begin to Disapparate, she looked up at him. His eyes burned into hers. The heaviness of his silence made her lips tremble, and she felt him pull her into the void.