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<div class="chap-title">
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46. Chapter 46
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</div>
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<div class="chap-text">
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<p><em>I definitely don't regret posting on Saturday. Thank you all so very much for
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your reviews. It's been great reading your reactions and I couldn't help but laugh
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evilly at times.</em><br/>
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<em><strong>Small warning. The upcoming chapter contains pain and violence</strong>.
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Enjoy!</em></p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p class='c1'><strong>Chapter 46</strong></p>
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<p>When Harry next woke, his body was no longer frozen. He still couldn't move,
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though and when he opened his eyes he found out why that was. He was lying flat on
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his back on what used to be part of the long table that ran along the middle of the
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lab but was now transfigured into what seemed to be a rack. A medieval torture device
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Harry knew from some of his history books. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he
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thought of what the device could do.</p>
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<p>"I see that you're finally awake," an unfamiliar voice said. Harry shifted his
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head to look in the direction the voice had come from to find an unfamiliar person
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staring at him. It was a tall man who seemed to be rather old. His short hair was
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mostly grey bit still showed flecks of the brown it once probably was. His eyes –
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though brown – were cold and serious and showed none of the joy that his smile seemed
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to emanate.</p>
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<p>"Who are you?" Harry asked, surprised that his voice hadn't trembled.</p>
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<p>"Don't you recognise me?" the man asked. "We have been brewing together for a
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while now. I should hope that you wouldn't forget me after all we've been through
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together."</p>
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<p>"John?" Harry asked, trying to shake the confusion from his still murky brain.</p>
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<p>"In the flesh," the man said with a small bow. "Well, not exactly, of course.
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Since I'll be done here in a few hours, I don't have the need to drink that dreadful
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Polyjuice potion anymore."</p>
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<p>Harry growled as he struggled against his bonds. But it was no use. "Who are
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you?!" he shouted.</p>
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<p>The man laughed but his eyes still held no joy. "Shout all you want, dear friend."
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He said amusedly. "I've had the common sense to cast a silencing spell on the room.
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No one will hear you."</p>
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<p>Harry just stared at the man now, willing him to answer his question but not
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wanting to ask it again.</p>
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<p>"Oh, alright," the man said. "I'm surprised that you don't recognise me. I go by
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the name of Augustus Rookwood."</p>
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<p>Harry gasped as he stared at Rookwood. "What?" he asked. "Why would you even be
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here?"</p>
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<p>"Think, Harry," Rookwood said. Harry felt dirty just by hearing his name on the
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Death Eater's tongue. "It was a means to witness the results of my experiments
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first-hand. This disease was my masterpiece, you see? And it was going rather well –"
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Rookwood glared menacingly at Harry, slapping him lightly – almost playfully – in the
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face. "- Until you and Snape came along. Honestly, from one scientist to another, did
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you think it polite to come in between me and my research?"</p>
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<p>"You were murdering people!" Harry exclaimed.</p>
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<p>"Muggles," Rookwood shrugged. "Vermin that is no better than the mice that gnaw
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away at your walls, or the rabbits that ransack your garden. I never hurt an actual
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person."</p>
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<p>Harry stared at Rookwood, dumbfounded to realize that the man was completely
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serious.</p>
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<p>"You've hurt one of my friends!" Harry accused.</p>
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<p>"A muggle friend?" Rookwood asked, his eyebrow raised in question. "So get another
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one. They are as replaceable as dogs."</p>
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<p>Harry felt a white-hot flash of rage as he struggled against the chains that bound
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him once more, wanting nothing more than to punch Rookwood right in the nose.</p>
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<p>"Calm yourself, Harry," Rookwood said evenly. "You might hurt yourself before
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<em>I</em> get a chance to. Now, I've noticed that fine little artefact you carry
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with you."</p>
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<p>"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry spat.</p>
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<p>"Don't play dumb with me, boy," Rookwood warned. "I've seen you use that cuff many
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times over. Daily even. You use it to stay in touch with your father. It's rather
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heart-warming, really."</p>
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<p>Rookwood gently stroked Harry's arm right above the cuff and Harry shivered
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involuntarily.</p>
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<p>"What say you we summon him here, shall we?" Rookwood asked. "After all, he had
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much to do with ruining my experiment. Not as much as you, mind you but I would still
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like to send a message that it will not do to mess with my plans."</p>
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<p>Rookwood clicked the small quill out of the cuff and ignored the growl that
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escaped Harry's throat.</p>
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<p>From his vantage point, Harry could see the message that Rookwood was sending to
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Snape.</p>
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<p>'<em>If you want to see Harry alive one last time, come alone to lab 7 within 15
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minutes.</em>'</p>
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<p>"You realize that you can't win against him, right?" Harry said, trying to get a
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reaction out of the stoic potioneer. But the man just smiled at him.</p>
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<p>"Oh, dear boy," he said warmly. "I've had plenty of time to prepare for this
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eventuality. Your dear old father does not stand a chance."</p>
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<p>"You're mental!" Harry said.</p>
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<p>"I beg to differ," Rookwood replied as he sat down on a stool next to Harry. "I'm
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simply a tad distraught that you got in my way. It's a pity, really –" Rookwood
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pulled on a handle that caused the chains around Harry's limbs to tighten painfully.
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" – I was truly enjoying cooperating with you, watching the next generation of
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brewers develop. And then, you went and did this."</p>
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<p>Rookwood sounded almost sad when he pulled the handle again and Harry grit his
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teeth as he felt the painful strain on his limbs.</p>
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<p>"So this is all some kind of sick act of revenge?" Harry asked, breathing a bit
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more heavily than before.</p>
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<p>"Exactly so," Rookwood said. "I realize that it might come across as petty –" he
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pulled the handle again, " – and in a way, I suppose that it is. But even a man as
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patient as myself has his limits. And I will not have you or Severus thwart me ever
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again."</p>
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<p>When Rookwood pulled the handle once more, Harry finally cried out. He heard a
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popping sound and felt an excruciating pain in his left ankle that was only suffering
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all the more because of the inhuman strain on his body.</p>
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<p>"AAAARGH!"</p>
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<p>"Hush now," Rookwood admonished. "We've scarcely begun."</p>
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<p>"Let me go, you psychopath," Harry snarled through gritted teeth. "I can't believe
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you're torturing me simply because your ego was bruised!"</p>
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<p>Rookwood looked at him sharply, glaring daggers at the boy before he smirked
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unnaturally wide. "My research is all that I have left now," he said, patting Harry's
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injured ankle. He cocked his head to the side as he continued to regard Harry.
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"You've taken that away from me. So now, I'll take away from you what you deem most
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precious."</p>
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<p>"You can never – AAAAAH!"</p>
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<p>Rookwood pulled the handle again, a positively bored expression on his face as
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Harry felt both of his wrists snap at the same time. There was nothing he could do to
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stop the tears from flowing down his face.</p>
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<p>Rookwood leaned over and gently wiped away his tears. "Don't cry, young
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apprentice," he said soothingly. "You have to be strong. Can you do that for me?"</p>
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<p>"You're a MONSTER!" Harry spat. He tried to bite the hand that was still wiping
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away his tears but Rookwood was too fast.</p>
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<p>"Perhaps I am just that," Rookwood mused. "I fear that my beliefs and ideals are
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no longer accepted in this strange new world." He leaned leisurely against the
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handle, almost teasing Harry since he could not expect when next it would be pulled.
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"I was once revered as someone knowledgeable; admirable even among my peers, you
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know?"</p>
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<p>"Among your Death Eater friends, you mean," Harry snarled.</p>
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<p>Rookwood clicked his tongue. "Don't forget that your father was also one of us."
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He laughed bitterly. "Your <em>father</em>," he repeated amusedly. "If Lord Voldemort
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were still alive he might have wiped out the continent when he learned the news."</p>
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<p>"But he's not," Harry replied with a sense of accomplishment. "We killed him. The
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two of us together."</p>
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<p>"And now the two of you will die together, won't you, you little runt?" Rookwood
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spat in a tone that seemed very different from the way he had been talking earlier.
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Harry nearly blacked out when he felt the strains finally dislocate his right ankle
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but there was something in the air that kept him from doing so.</p>
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<p>"Enjoying the pain?" Rookwood asked coyly. "Judging by the number of scars on your
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body, you are somewhat of a masochist."</p>
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<p>If Harry had been able to struggle at his bonds, he would have but not only was
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his strength leaving him fast, his limbs could and would not cooperate with him
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anymore.</p>
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<p>Harry didn't respond. He simply glared at Rookwood, clenching his teeth together
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with so much force that he wondered if they would break soon. All the while he was
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wondering where in the world Snape was and what was keeping him so long. Had he
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fallen asleep again?</p>
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<p>"Tell me, Harry," Rookwood said sweetly. "Do you want me to continue? Does this
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strike your fancy?" He pulled the handle again, a bit further this time and Harry
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screamed in agony when he felt his elbows pop out of their sockets. It was some of
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the worst pain he had ever felt. Immediately, he felt his hands go numb and was
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vaguely aware of feeling his heartbeat in his ankles and the unnatural strain on his
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kneecaps. Surely, they would be the next thing to go.</p>
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<p>"STOP!" Harry shouted.</p>
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<p>"Oh?" Rookwood cooed. Harry vaguely got the impression that the man was becoming
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more and more unhinged the longer he talked to him. "Not as much a fan as I thought,
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then? It's alright. You can just beg me to stop instead, hm?"</p>
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<p>"Why are you doing this?" Harry cried, his voice now decidedly unsteady.</p>
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<p>"I already explained this to you, Harry," Rookwood snarled. "You need to learn to
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listen. If Snape had already made his appearance, the pain would have already
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stopped. Did he misplace the floo powder or something?"</p>
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<p>"He won't come," Harry said, a part of him hoping that Snape would stay away but a
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larger part of him hoping that his father would come to rescue him. "He's too clever
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to walk into a trap like this."</p>
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<p>Rookwood nodded. "Once upon a time, I would have agreed with you," he said, gently
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brushing a strand of hair out of Harry's face. He smiled. "But not anymore. He cares
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for you. I've seen it. And you know it."</p>
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<p>Another twitch of the chains and the distinct sound of cartilage snapping and
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bones breaking. The pull at Harry's already destroyed ligaments was agonizing enough
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on its own but the feel of his knees dislocating as well as his kneecaps breaking,
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elicited a howl of deep pain. One that made Rookwood chuckle.</p>
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<p>"Poor little Harry," he teased. "Was able to defeat Voldemort when he was still a
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child but can't seem to hold himself together after a few minutes of torture."
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Rookwood laughed. "No pun intended."</p>
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<p>As Harry breathed, he couldn't help the keening that escaped him. He would be
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horrified at himself had he been able to think beyond the pain.</p>
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<p>"If you're going to kill me anyway, why don't you?" he practically begged.
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"There's no need for all of this."</p>
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<p>"If Severus doesn't get here within five minutes, I will," Rookwood said
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placatingly. "But for now, you'll just have to hold on for a moment more. Don't
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worry. I'll sit with you."</p>
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<p>Rookwood moved his stool to sit slightly behind Harry and to the boy's horror, the
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man started stroking his hair.</p>
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<p>"Everything will be alright," he whispered in a tone that could have been
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described as lovingly had it come from anyone else. "Soon, there will be no more
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pain."</p>
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<p>Harry sobbed because of the horrific pain that would not leave his abused limbs
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alone. He wanted desperately to pass out but was unable to. To make matters even
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worse, Rookwood began singing, ever so softly as he continued stroking Harry's hair
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as would a mother to comfort their child.</p>
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<p>"Stop it," Harry hissed through the soft humming. But Rookwood ignored him and
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kept gently stroking the boy, now occasionally kissing him on the forehead.</p>
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<p>Harry's breathing hitched painfully as he tried his best not to move. How did he
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always get into these kinds of messes?</p>
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<p>"Dad," he croaked desperately, as Rookwood placed a soft kiss in his neck.</p>
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<p>"I think you may be right, Harry," Rookwood said softly. "Severus seems to care
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less about you than he does about himself. But that's alright. You have me now."</p>
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<p>Harry shuddered in pain and disgust as Rookwood's hand caressed his chest softly
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as it travelled down. "It is nearly time," he whispered in Harry's ear. "Can you hear
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the ticking of the clock? Tick –" he stroked Harry's thigh, grinning as the boy
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whimpered. "- tock."</p>
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<p>Harry didn't register what happened next all that well but he became aware of the
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distinct feel of a powerful blast of air and the sudden disappearance of Rookwood's
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presence.</p>
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<p>"Stay away from my son!" Snape shouted and Harry lifted his head slightly to look
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at the entrance to the lab in relief. Snape stood there, his wand extended and a
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furious look in his eyes. His gaze flickered towards Harry momentarily. He flicked
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his wand and Harry was liberated from his bonds. The sudden flood of renewed agony,
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caused by the abrupt release caused him to cry out in pain once more but Snape didn't
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rush to his aid, as he would no doubt normally have done. Instead, he kept his eyes
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trained on Rookwood who was laughing as he got back up.</p>
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<p>"Making an entrance at the very last minute, Severus?" he asked gleefully. "I
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never took you for one who appreciated dramatics. But I'm sure that Harry loved you
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drawing out his agony as much as you have."</p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p>Snape did his best not to allow Rookwood to distract him with his taunts. It was
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already difficult enough not to hurry to Harry's side and take him away from the
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wretched man standing across the room. The boy was clearly in agony, not to mention
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the foul things Rookwood was doing to him as Snape arrived. He shuddered at the
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thought. This man had truly descended into madness.</p>
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<p>Snape took a few daring steps forward when Rookwood clicked his tongue.</p>
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<p>"Not so fast, Severus," he chided. "You should watch your step."</p>
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<p>Snape growled and flicked his wand in Rookwood's direction, cursing to kill. But
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Rookwood erected a shield as he crouched to take cover behind the table.</p>
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<p>"Tell me, Severus," Rookwood hissed. "What do you get when you combine chimaera
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oil with phoenix feathers?"</p>
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<p>Snape angrily thrust his wand forward, causing the table to explode into thick,
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jagged pieces. He quickly erected a shield of his own to shield both him and his son
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from the chunks.</p>
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<p>Rookwood flicked his own wand in retaliation but instead of firing a curse, he
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tipped a jar on one of the shelves next to Snape, causing it to fall the floor, the
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oily substance within spreading quickly. Before Snape could respond, Rookwood
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summoned a phoenix feather that was hidden underneath the table in Snape's vicinity
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and dragged it through the oil.</p>
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<p>Snape tried erecting a shield to protect himself from the blast but he was not
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able to do so in time. The arm that he raised instinctively to shield his eyes took
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the brunt of the damage. Judging from the pain, Snape guessed that he suffered
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third-degree burns at the least. A fire was started because of the blast that was now
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burning through the shelves quite quickly and heading towards the tipua leaves via a
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path created by the oil.</p>
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<p>At that moment, Snape had to make a split decision. He could focus his attention
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on Rookwood and try to incapacitate him as soon as possible or he could stop the fire
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from reaching the tipua leaves. If he didn't do the latter, the toxic fumes released
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by the burning leaves would no doubt prove fatal within minutes. He could protect
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himself with a bubblehead charm but Harry would have no such protection. The choice
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was an easy one to make.</p>
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<p>Snape focused his attention on the fire, vanishing oil that had not been set
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alight yet as well as casting aguamenti to douse the flames. This allowed Rookwood to
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start firing hexes and curses as he pleased but Snape knew that the man was not the
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best dueller. And even while focused on the fire, he still managed to block and dodge
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most of the enemy spells fired in his direction. Some weren't even close to
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connecting with him, which Snape could only be thankful for at that moment.</p>
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<p>When he finally managed to douse the fire, he turned his attention back to his
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former colleague.</p>
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<p>"Stop this right now, Augustus," he snarled, worrying more and more about his son
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that lay writhing in tremendous pain. "How do you even expect to win this?"</p>
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<p>"There is always an answer," Rookwood replied easily. "But I'm not about to tell
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you what that is."</p>
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<p>Snape fired a slew of Sectumsemprae in Rookwood's direction, wanting nothing more
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than to sever the man's head clean from his torso. A few of the curses connected with
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Rookwood but the man didn't seem the least bit perturbed, despite the blood he was
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now rapidly losing.</p>
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<p>"That's not very original, coming from you, is it?" Rookwood taunted. Snape just
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grit his teeth as he did his best to ignore the stabbing pains that ran through his
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arm. He then noticed that Rookwood produced a potion and lifted his wand to try and
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make a pre-emptive attack.</p>
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<p>"Should you really be looking this way?" Rookwood called. "Your son is coming
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perilously close to dying!"</p>
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<p>Snape's heart skipped a beat as he glanced over at Harry and realized that
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Rookwood's missed attacks from earlier had actually been spot on. He had blasted
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several jars that were placed strategically in Harry's vicinity. A sort of gas
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erupted from all of them that seemed to mix into something that Snape could only
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imagine would be highly lethal.</p>
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<p>He cursed under his breath, erected a shield and moved closer to Harry. But
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Rookwood wasn't even attempting to block him from doing so at that moment. Instead,
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he drank the potion. Snape noticed the sickly black colour of the potion and thought
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he knew what it was but didn't have the time to dwell on it at that moment. As soon
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as he reached Harry, he charmed a gust of wind into existence that blew the gas in
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Rookwood's direction. For good measure, he cast a bubblehead charm on Harry to
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prevent any future traps of this manner.</p>
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<p>"I'm sorry, dad," Harry groaned. Snape wanted very much to comfort Harry but he
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knew that he couldn't afford the distraction. Harry seemed to understand as he closed
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his eyes and bit his lip.</p>
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<p>"I'll wrap this up quickly," Snape said softly so that Rookwood wouldn't hear him.
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He focused his attention on Rookwood again and noticed that the man's earlier
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injuries had vanished completely. It then became clear as day what the man had
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drunk.</p>
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<p>"You must really be desperate," Snape said stoically. "I'm starting to believe
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that you do not have much of a plan, after all."</p>
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<p>"I <em>had</em> a plan, Severus," Rookwood snarled as he now came towards Snape as
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if he feared his assaults no more. "But you and your little apprentice saw fit to get
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in the way of that."</p>
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<p>Snape cast a blasting curse at Rookwood that the man was too slow to block but
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even though it connected, it hardly seemed to have any effect. As was to be expected,
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of course.</p>
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<p>Now Rookwood cast several hexes in a row. Snape blocked and dodged what he could,
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crying out in agony when he landed painfully onto his injured arm.</p>
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<p>"Oh, did you hurt your arm?" Rookwood asked. "Maybe you need some burning salve!"
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with another flick of his wand, a jar of said substance flew off the shelves and
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would have landed on Snape's head had he not ducked underneath a part of the table
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that still stood upright.</p>
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<p>"No?" Rookwood asked as he marched closer. "You are so unkind to reject my
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assistance. I thought we were old friends."</p>
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<p>Snape sent another cutting hex Rookwood's way and cursed heavily when it seemed to
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cause absolutely no damage.</p>
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<p>"Let Harry go, Augustus," Snape said. He crawled underneath the table to come out
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the other way. "It's me you really want."</p>
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<p>"Is it?" Rookwood asked. "And since when do you know anything about what I want?"
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he cast another spell at Snape that was about to land somewhere on his left shoulder
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so Snape stepped to the right and out of the way. No sooner had he done that when he
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heard an awful snapping sound and the sudden sharp feeling of the breaking of bone
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and the piercing of flesh. He inhaled sharply when he became aware of the pain and
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glanced down to see what seemed to be a bear trap compressed around his foot. Only,
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he knew that it hadn't been there a moment before.</p>
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<p>"I've always been better at transfiguration than you have," Rookwood pointed out
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smugly. "Misdirection as well."</p>
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<p>Snape was aware of the jar of acidic Asian scorpion venom sitting on top of the
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shelf above Rookwood and tried his best not to glance at it, lest Rookwood realized
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that it was there as well. Balancing his weight on his healthy leg, he pointed his
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wand at Rookwood's chest to distract the man but used his left hand to wandlessly
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topple the jar over. Unfortunately for Rookwood, he was standing right beneath it as
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the jar smashed and the acid splashed all over his head and back.</p>
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<p>Rookwood didn't scream. He didn't writhe. He didn't exhibit any sort of signs that
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he was in pain. His clothes were smoking somewhat and melting where the acid had
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landed but his skin didn't seem to react at all.</p>
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<p>"Your death is going to be a very painful one," Snape sneered. "I do hope you're
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prepared."</p>
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<p>"I will take you down with me before that happens," Rookwood snarled. "Just look
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at you. You're stuck."</p>
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<p>"Am I?" While Rookwood had been dealing with the acid, Snape had quickly tapped
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the trap with his wand, ordering it to release him. It was now tossed aside, laying
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forgotten next to Snape's mangled foot.</p>
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<p>Rookwood growled and cast another slew of spells in Snape's direction. He blocked
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each one easily as he kept his gaze locked onto Rookwood's.</p>
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<p>"You're losing focus fast, Augustus," Snape said mockingly. "Tick tock, as you
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say."</p>
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<p>Snape realised that at some point – probably before they had even started fighting
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– Rookwood had become completely unhinged. There was a crazed look in his eyes and
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the way he was breathing rapidly between clenched teeth made Snape surprised that he
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wasn't frothing at the mouth.</p>
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<p>"Tick-tock," he said again, purposely taunting his adversary.</p>
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<p>"I'll show you," Rookwood growled. "Avada –"</p>
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<p>Much could be said about the killing curse but there was a good reason that it was
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not the only spell in a Death Eater's repertoire. Not only was it always obvious that
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it was to be cast, its wand movement left the caster in question wide open and the
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curse took a long time to cast. Time that was very precious in the midst of battle.
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Which is why this was precisely what Snape had been waiting for.</p>
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<p>As soon as the first syllable left Rookwood's mouth, he ducked and threw himself
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under the table again, seeing nothing but Rookwood's feet as he uttered the second
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syllable. Non-verbally, he cast his next spell, by firmly planting his hands on the
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floor, his wand connecting both hands as he envisioned the ground to crack. It did
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under his command as Rookwood uttered the second syllable of the second word. But it
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was fast enough. He lost his footing as the ground opened up beneath him and he
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stumbled to fall onto the jagged cracks that the stone had formed, only to have the
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floor close up around him again.</p>
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<p>This was not a spell meant to wound anyone but to capture someone. Rookwood could
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not have protected himself against that. Snape got up from under the table as
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Rookwood stumbled, his balance broken by the awkward position in which he was
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captured. He had not dropped his wand though and was now aiming it in Harry's
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direction.</p>
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<p>"I can still kill the boy," Rookwood snarled. "If nothing else, I can
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<em>still</em> take his –"</p>
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<p>Snape did not allow Rookwood to say anything else. He drew back his hand for a
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moment before punching Rookwood square in the jaw as hard as he could. This did not
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injure his old colleague but it did cause him to drop his wand.</p>
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<p>"You will never lay another hand on Harry," Snape growled as he stepped on
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Rookwood's wand, cracking it with his weight. "In fact, you will never lay another
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hand on anyone. Your time is up."</p>
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<p>Rookwood laughed. "What makes you so different?" he asked. "Why can <em>you</em>
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continue living your life while <em>I</em> can't?"</p>
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<p>Snape sneered, showing nothing but disgust for the Death Eater now babbling in
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|
front of him. "As a very good friend of mine once said: 'It's our choices that show
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|
what we truly are'. And I would like to add to that that these <em>choices</em> gave
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me the right while <em>yours</em> condemned you."</p>
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|
<p>Rookwood grinned broadly as he stared at Snape. "Tick-tock," he said. Some blood
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|
drizzled from between his teeth.</p>
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<p>"Tick-tock," he said again as gashes and cuts appeared all over his body. Blood
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|
started oozing from all over his body.</p>
|
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<p>Where the acid had touched him before, his skin now started to melt until it
|
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|
started to look like candle wax. "Tick tock!" he screeched as more and more injuries
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|
started to litter his body. Injuries that Snape knew could never be survived.</p>
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<p>"Tick-tock," Snape agreed. "It is the sound of your life running out."</p>
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<p>Rookwood said no more. His eyes glazed over as his body crumpled. His arms dropped
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|
lifelessly next to him as his body half-collapsed as it was still captured in the
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|
stone maws of the floor. Snape was suddenly very aware of the broken pieces of
|
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Rookwood's wand still under his foot. And as sudden as this battle had happened, it
|
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was over. Nothing to show for it but a broken laboratory, a dead Death Eater and two
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mangled potioneers.</p>
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<hr size="1" noshade="noshade"/>
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<p><em>Did you all enjoy the chapter? I certainly loved writing it! Please let me
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know what you thought in a review. Tomorrow I will post the very last chapter. See
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you then!</em></p>
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