Seventh Year
"Hey Red!" James jumped up from his seat to greet her as Rose arrived at the ceremony of the Anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. Their parents had been a major part of the battle and, as a result, their entire family were still important people in the wizarding community. As such, the family took up the first and second row of seats on one side of the aisle every year.
"James, you saw me ten minutes ago," Rose pointed out as she took her seat in the second row, referring to the part of the morning where she and all of her cousins had blocked the entrance the Great Hall with their reunion.
"Yeah, but-" James was cut off as Rose's mother turned around to hush them because the ceremony was about to begin.
Just as Headmistress McGonagall took her place at the front of the crowd, Rose's long time best friend, Scorpius Malfoy, slipped into the seat beside her.
"Hey." He nudged her with his shoulder and if looks could kill the look Ron, Rose's father who had twisted around in his seat upon Scorpius' arrival, would have incinerated the boy with just his glare alone.
"Hey." Rose nudged him back but turned her full attention to the podium set up in front of the Black Lake as the Headmistress began to speak.
"We have all assembled on the spot where the Second Wizarding War met it's end to remember," McGonagall started. "We remember the sacrifices made and the lives lost in order to bring an end to the terror that seized the Wizarding World for many years in the form of a man who referred to himself as Voldemort."
When the Headmistress had finished her speech, a long, beautiful thing that brought many in the crowd to tears, she read off the names of those that had died in the war. It had been a long war and it was a long list, Rose felt the sharp stab of sadness many times as she heard the names of many people her parents had known and told stories of, people who's lives had been cut unfairly short.
It was when the Headmistress went to turn things over to to Rose's uncle Harry that all hell broke lose. Rose's Nana had been sitting in the seat closest to the aisle in the second row. Had. Currently, she was being held against a burly looking man who looked all to familiar to Rose, though she couldn't quite place why at the time. It didn't matter just then anyway, Rose jumped up just as quickly, she noted, as almost every war veteran in the place. Most of the younger generation sat there in a shocked daze. Something however, Rose would come to call it instinct but at that moment it was simply something, had driven Rose out of her seat and into action.
The crowd was in an unorganized frenzy, which Rose quickly turned to her advantage. This man, whoever the hell he was, had obviously been in the game of making peoples lives a living hell for a very long time. Rose was certain he wasn't just flashing his wand around. He would use it. That meant she would use hers.
Slipping into the frantic crowd and making herself just another body was easy enough. Shrugging her way through the crowd, and ignoring the occasional look as someone recognized her trademark carroty hair, Rose worked her way into a position to where she had a clear shot at the back of the man who held her Nana hostage. She also had a view of her frenzied looking father casting half-hearted spells at the man, not wanting to hit his mother on accident and her mother and Uncle Harry work with Ministry security on crowd control. All the while, the man was yelling obscurities thing about something called the 'New Order' and how it would rise someday and would end the current 'corrupt' Ministry.
Yeah, yeah. Sure. Rose thought. Her parents had heard of the New Order before and the Ministry had deemed it a bunch of old coocks with to much time on their hands. The would do things like attack old ladies but they couldn't do any real damage at the moment. Rose tried to zero in on a shot that had no chance of hurting her Nana Molly that would actually do some damage to the man, but he held her in such at way that it was impossible.
Then, just as Rose was preparing herself to do something stupid, like step out from her place in the crowd, Nana pulled through by putting every ounce of strength in her tiny body into stomping on her attacker's foot. It worked. He slipped enough that he inadvertently pulled Nana out of the way enough for Rose to get a very clear shot at his back.
"Avada Kedavra!' Rose pointed her wand at the small of his back as the words to the killing curse flew out of her mouth, fuel by adrenaline and what could only be considering a good dose of craziness.
The man's body buckled at the impact of the spell hitting him and Rose watched, stunned by her own actions, as her Nana slipped away from the now dead man's grasp. Dead. The fact that she had just killed someone hit Rose like a ton of bricks.
She had a tight grip on her wand as the crowd started to surge forward, officials wanting to speak to her and what seemed like a million people who were simply to curious for their own good. Cameras flashed, that would be Rita Skeeter still obsessed with twisting the big story. The place was a flurry of activity but Rose was quiet, to quiet, as she let herself be led away. She didn't cry. There wasn't anything to cry about. The man, if you could really call him that, had been a terrorist. She was simply giving herself time to take it all in. Rose Weasley, seventh year Gryffindor who planned to lead as normal a life as possible had just killed someone, a terrorist. So much for escaping the family image.
"Rose?'' The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, said her name like a question rom his seat behind McGonagall's desk.
"Y-yes, Prime Minister?" Rose's voice shook slightly but her words were fairly clear. She was beginning to come to terms with what she had done, to accept it.
The Prime Minister cleared his throat as he carefully chose his words in this very delicate situation.
"Rose you have just... ended," He hesitated, unsure of his phrasing but pushed on. "You have just ended one of the few Death Eaters' children the Ministry has had it's worries about for many years. Blaise Zambini never seemed to repent after the war, even after your father and uncle saved his life once."
Shacklebolt paused for a moment, letting the information sink in before he began to speak again, as if he were afraid he was in danger of overwhelming her.
"Zambini's actions today were those of a terrorist, Rose. Your's were those of a hero."
"Thank you, sir." Rose's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Tell me," Shacklebolt began as he walked around to the front of the desk and sat on its edge. " What do you plan on doing once you graduate from Hogwarts Rose? I've spoken to both your parents about it in the past and they have no idea what your plans are."
"I plan on getting a desk job. At the Ministry."
"A desk job?" The Prime Minister was completely surprised, that was the last thing he'd expected to hear from the young witch.
"Yes, you know, the Assistant of the Under-Secretary of the Secretary of the Head of some department or another." Rose rambled out the ridiculously long title.
"Well Rose, if you decide by the time the school year ends that you'd rather not waste your time on a meaningless job, I have an offer for you. I've been looking over your school file," he picked up the folder Rose had noticed him read in when she walked in and she could see her name scrawled across a tab at the top.
Flicking open the folder, Shacklebolt started to read off information in a bulletin-like fashion. "Let's see, stellar grades in every class, every year... except Divination. In fact, it says here you took the class in your fourth year but were promptly transferred after your third class do to yourself not being 'a good fit for the class'. Those are the Headmisteress' exact words."
He gave a huff of laughter when he moved on to the next page in the file. "However, once we get over to detentions it says that you were polishing plaques for a week because you stood up in the middle of a class, called the professor a washed up old crack who's head held as much substance as a crystal ball and who didn't know her arse from one of the teacups she had the class staring into. Then you walked out of class. Is that right?" Shacklebolt asked trying, and failing, to contain his laughter.
"Yes, sir." Rose managed a small grin, despite the circumstances.
"Well Rose, it's like I said. Considering your excellent marks, you're heroic actions today, the fact that you aren't heading in any specific direction at the moment and, umm, let's call it your 'spirit', I think you should really consider becoming a Hit Wizard when you graduate."
Kingsley paused and stared intently at the young witch. "Rose, would you at least consider my offer?"
"Yes, I can do that."
The Prime Minister nodded. "That's all I ask."
There was a pause.
"Are we done here?" Rose asked, suddenly.
Kingsley barked out a laugh. "Yes Rose, we are done here."
"Wonderful," The nervous red head almost sprinted for the door.
"Oh, Rose."
"Yes, sir?"
"You must not mention my offer to anyone. Ever. It does not matter what you decide. Am I making myself clear?"
There was a nod.
"Then go be with your family."