"You know that if you hold that glass any tighter it's going to crack. And seeing as you're jobless right now I don't think you can afford to go on emotional rampages," joked Tony.
"I can't help it, I'm a Weasley," said Rose as she placed down the glass. He was right of course, she couldn't afford to throw a tantrum. Not because of a fear of breaking things but because she had no logical reason to. She might have taken a long time to figure out her feelings for Steve but Steve had been sure of them and in her effort to run away from her emotions she stomped on his. He was happy now and Rose just had to accept that the source of happiness wasn't her.
"Maybe some distance would do you some good," said Molly.
"It's what caused the problem in the first place," said Rose.
"Not distance in that sense," said Lucy, "Maybe you should just find things to do. Before you broke up you used to spend all your time at the bookstore or with Steve. Maybe you should find something that is not attached to him. Maybe it can help you move on."
It made sense, what Lucy pointed out. All her previous activities had some connection with Steve so it was hard to be happy for him when she was surrounded by his presence. She could go to the American ministry but that would just mean running away again as they would keep her within the wizarding world. She needed to find something to distract herself with. She needed to find the same thing her cousins found at the Burrow, that unmistakable euphoria.
"But what can I do? My schooling is not very practical for any job in New York and I really don't want to go back to the bookstore," said Rose.
"You can go to school here. Study nursing since it's what you wanted to do back home. You've always been brilliant in school so it shouldn't be a problem. And Molly and I can take care of the rent. You did let us live there for free when we first arrived so it's only fair," reasoned Lucy.
"I can bribe the school if they don't let you in," offered Tony before Molly slapped his shoulder.
"I don't that would be a big problem. Rose is the daughter of the brightest student of the older generation," said Molly.
And with that Rose had a new path she was following. She applied for a nursing program and within two weeks she started classes. It was nice to have something to do and she longer moped around the flat. It also gave her a purpose. Before she was content in working at a bookstore, never really doing anything but now she was doing something with impact. She was saving lives.
She never had something challenge her as much as nursing. The material was easy enough to learn but a lot depended on individuals. She needed to observe at all angles, figure out the combination of symptoms and which of the many possibilities was the right one. She had wanted to be a healer back when she was young but as she grew older she lost interest in it. Everything seemed to be solved by a simple wave of a wand and she never really realized the depth that came with it.
Sometimes she missed the possibilities of magic. How a simple potion can re grow bones or a simple incantation fixed fractures but the satisfaction she got from actually working with a patient was something not present in the magical world.
She would sometimes go to a local clinic and watch nurses work, they welcomed a pair of free hands and stripping sheets had not specific certificate requirement. They gave her little tips and she formed bonds with fellow nurses. It was something Rose never really formed at Hogwarts and she reveled in it now. She was so caught up with this new world that she never noticed how she was slowly leaving her old world behind.
_***…***_
"Rose promised she would be here today. Where is she?" said Molly as she fidgeted in her dress.
"The party just started. I'm sure she'll be here eventually," Tony said.
"If she doesn't come because of Steve…"
"You can't blame Steve for her behavior. She left him so he found someone else. Rose could have called or wrote or a million of other things but she didn't," said Tony.
"I know. She messed up but she's family so I have to take her side," said Molly.
"Even if she's wrong?"
"I'm not saying that what she did is right but she's hurting too. Steve moved on so why can't I want the same for her," defended Molly.
A cheery hello interrupted Tony and they both turned around only to be greeted by Rose. She was wearing a simply dress and her hair was a mess. It looked like she ran home and threw the dress on before dashing back to meet with Molly.
"I'm sorry I'm late. The head nurse asked me if I wanted to work with some children today and I lost track of time. You would not believe how amazing it was Molly! I love working with older patients but children are such a fresh breath of life," Rose chatted enthusiastically.
"Someone seems happy," Tony said as he eyed Molly from the side, "So you're enjoying it then?"
"I love it. I mean I loved working at the book shop and I was happy enough but nursing is so…it's just so much more. I feel like I'm alive there, like I'm really alive and buzzing and it's just wonderful," said Rose.
"Well it's nice to see you looking happy again," Molly said softly.
"Not happy, euphoric," corrected Rose.
"Well I'm glad you found something to do. Now let us go to the bathroom because your hair looks like a mess," said Molly.
Rose didn't even argue as she let Molly drag her away. She knew she hadn't spent much time with her cousins but they were always at Stark Tower. Just because she could grudgingly accept that Steve moved on didn't mean she wanted a constant reminder. Besides the clinic helped her clear her mind. She was slowly letting Steve go, though she didn't think she could even completely forget her feelings. She screwed up with Steve but she learned her lesson. Her baggage didn't weigh her down as much and perhaps this would mean her future relationships wouldn't suffer the same tragedy.
"You could have at least put your hair in a bun," Molly said as she smiled fondly. Rose may not care too much about her appearance but she always made an effort to look out together.
"I didn't really have much time to think about it. The head nurse offered me an internship. I mean an official one with paperwork and everything," said Rose.
"I didn't think you would be so involved with this. When Lucy brought up the idea I thought it would be a nice way to help you clear your mind. You didn't like Healing back home so I didn't think this would last," confessed Molly.
"I didn't think I would like either. But it's so different, so muggle, and it challenges me. And I think it's making me a better person," Rose added the last part quietly.
"Is this about Steve? Because I want you to know that you didn't do anything wrong. You had to sort your emotions and you can't control your feelings," said Molly.
"But I could have handled it differently. I should have given Steve the benefit of the doubt," Rose said quietly.
"Why didn't you?"
"You remember back in Hogwarts? I was always watching people, thinking I was the greatest thing ever since I could read the situation so well. I never had to participate with people to understand because I thought I observed everything," Rose gave a bitter laugh, "I was so presumptuous. Honestly I don't know why Steve even liked me."
"You have more than one personality trait," said Molly.
"And yet that one trait overshadowed everything else. But I guess one good thing came out of it all. I'm getting past my old fears."
"What do you mean?"
"Like this internship. I got it because of my skill, a skill I had to learn. If I wanted to do this back home I would never know if I got it because I'm good at it or because I'm a Weasley. But here I know why I got it and I had to work for it. No slacking off with minimum work," said Rose.
And it was true. Rose would get away with minimum work before. Working at the book shop was easy since all she had to do as simple routine things and she was doing something she knew well. Nursing required study and extra work. She had to take the initiative and look for opportunities to get real life experience. She was sweating and experiencing frustration and she loved it all. She was finally creating the real Rose Weasley.
_***…***_
She was working on her internship for one month before she finally had the guts to go to Stark Towers. She still had feelings for Steve but they had dulled to something less painful. His relationship with Amanda was still strong and it hurt seeing them together but she no longer got the same overwhelming feeling of guilt when she saw them. And she made him happy so she couldn't really find it in her to truly hate Amanda.
She missed her other friends too so she didn't see why she should let the small discomfort she felt bar her from her social life. Just because she was busy exploring a new aspect of her life didn't mean she should ignore others.
"Rose, you came," said Lucy as she entered the room.
"Had a free night," smirked Rose, "Did you lose another fight with a lizard?"
Lucy touched the fresh scar on her arm before she answered Rose, "Not a lizard this time. But it did have very sharp teeth."
"Thanks for narrowing down the possibilities. Have you seen Bruce? I wanted to talk to him about his latest research."
"He's talking with Steve right now but he'll come and mingle eventually. I can tell you all about my latest job in the mean time," offered Lucy.
"It's fine, I'll go look for him," said Rose. Lucy gave her a measured stare before nodding and leading her towards Bruce and Steve.
"Hi"
She could tell her appearance was a big surprise. They both halted their conversation and turned around to fully face her but all they did was stare. She hoped it was because she was willingly talking to Steve and not the fact that she had missed so many get togethers but either option was plausible.
"Rose," Bruce finally broke the silence, "It's nice to see you again. I've heard you've been busy."
"Yeah…the clinic can be so crazy. But I did manage to find time to read your latest research article. I thought it was really interesting but I did find spots that seemed so Lucy."
Bruce smiled at the comment, "She's been around the lab so often I've started to pick up her manners. I didn't think anyone would notice though."
"It might have just been me. How about you Steve? Did you notice anything different from Bruce's writing quirks?"
Steve looked a bit taken back but answered the question nonetheless. "I haven't read his article actually, too much science terminology."
"Well I suppose that's true but the difference doesn't have to be in his writing. His speech sometimes sounds like Lucy too."
"I guess I never really noticed," said Steve.
"Well both of them have been around here a lot so you might not have noticed. I don't think I would have if I wasn't discussing the article back at work. Caroline, the head nurse for my regular shift, was talking about it and that's when it really clicked," said Rose.
"You've been talking about my articles with the other nurses?"
Rose blushed slightly at Bruce's questioning tone. She didn't see what the big deal was. His articles were interesting and Caroline always had a strong interest in science.
"You have a few fans at the clinic," grinned Rose.
"So you're a nurse now? I thought the study period was longer," said Steve.
"I bullied my way in," said Rose, "I went and job shadowed a few nurses and eventually I warmed up to them. Nothing helps you fit in more than changing the dirty sheets willingly."
"Well it must have paid off if you're doing an internship while still going to school," said Bruce.
"Yeah well I would have done it regardless. Not the internship but the work. It's just so interesting and I feel like I'm accomplishing something. I guess I found my true calling then," said Rose.
"No more books for you then," teased Bruce.
"I wouldn't go that far. I just found something else to share my love with. Oh! Lucy is waving you over, I think. Or maybe it's me…no it's you," said Rose.
"She probably wants to show off her new scar," said Bruce.
"The one with the teeth? It looked pretty fresh to me"
"She got another one? Well I better go before she hits someone with her arms," said Bruce as he walked towards Lucy. Rose found herself wishing she had a drink or food or anything really to occupy herself from the awkwardness.
"What made you decide to be a nurse?" Steve eventually asked.
"Well Lucy suggested it and I just went along with it. But once I started I found it very interesting. My mom and dad were these local heroes back home and after this one incident that made them famous dad went on to being a police."
"I always thought it was because it would be the natural thing to do. He saved a few lives so he found a job that did the same thing. I guess it took nursing for me to figure out the real reason," said Rose.
"And what reason is that?"
"Well it sounds cheesy but I think the reason is love. He loves his family so he wants to protect them but I think he loves his city too. The people he lives and works with, he went to school with a lot of them, and I think he found protecting them with security was the best way to show that," said Rose.
"Do you think it goes for every hero?"
"I hope so. My Uncle George, remember the one who owns a joke shop, he was part of the event my parents were in and I think his reasons for founding a joke shop are the same. He wants to spread happiness and I think that's his way of showing his love."
"It's a bit idealistic. I would have thought you had a more cynical view," admitted Steve.
"I might have, a few weeks ago. And there are lots of reasons why people do things but it's nice to think that at least one of the reasons is noble."
She didn't dare look at Steve. She knew he was a hero and that he would take her definition personally. Or at least try to see if it applied to his personal experience. She knew that not everyone chose a job for love. People did it for money or because they were interested in a certain subject. But she knew she kept herself in the nursing program because she came to love her job and its implications.
"Well it was nice talking to you. I better go and say hi to Natasha though. She'll kill me if I don't even greet her after not seeing her for so long," said Rose.
She heard his soft good bye before taking a deep breath. She managed to survive a conversation alone with him without going crazy. A few days ago she probably would have just stood there but she was glad she was able to talk to Steve like a regular person.
Perhaps their relationship was over but she hoped this meant that they could at least be friendly to one another.
_***…***_
"Do you know what this means Rose? You have a chance with Steve!"
"Honestly Molly I think you're a bit too happy with this piece of information. Should I warn Tony about his new competition?"
"There's no need for your cheek here. You know how you feel about him and I'm sure he still has feelings for you. Your all sorted out and there's no other woman. Go and talk to him," insisted Molly.
"You're not being fair to either Rose or Steve," injected Lucy.
"How is putting back together a great couple not fair?"
"Have you ever considered that maybe I don't want to get back together with Steve? Or that Steve doesn't want to get back together with me? Yes we mended the bridge a bit but that doesn't mean we should go and dance on it," said Rose.
"I think what Rose means is that they are not the same people any more Molly. They've changed and going back to an old relationship wouldn't be fair to their development," said Lucy.
"Besides we've been friendly to each other and I've stopped avoiding the Tower so you see me more often," said Rose.
"I just want you to be happy," muttered Molly.
"But I am happy. I'm working at a marvelous place and I'm meeting a whole lot of amazing people. I don't need a relationship to be happy," said Rose.
"I know. It's just I feel bad when we go out on dates and you're alone," admitted Molly.
"If I recall I did the same to you. Besides I'm not alone. I've made friends with some of the nurses and we go out together sometimes."
And with that Molly decided to let the issue go. But Lucy's words were still ringing in Rose's head. She had changed. She was a different person and so was Steve. The relationship they had had been based on common interest and a familiarity with each other but it seemed so shallow now.
If Steve wanted the same laid back girl she was back then a new relationship could never flourish. She was too different now. She found a purpose to her life and she was happy with it. The same way her mum campaigned for rights she took care of her patients. She had a passion now that extended beyond reading books and people. She was no longer just an observer but also a quiet background worker. She had added to her personality and it wouldn't be fait to assume that Steve hadn't done the same. It was the nature of things, to move on and grow, and Rose did not begrudge him for it.
But today she had no work and she planned to enjoy herself s she shook off her thoughts before heading to a small café. She had found this place a while ago and she fell in love with their pastries. They weren't the same as the ones in France but they were still very delicious. But more than the food what she really enjoyed was the atmosphere. She might have found a new passion but books would always be a part of her.
The café had a huge literary circle and Rose loved discussing books with the new friends she had made while sipping coffee. She missed talking about books and having arguments about characters and treating the characters made of words as real as the movie stars gossiped about in magazines.
She almost smiled as she realized how nerdy she sounded but just as she turned the corner she stumbled out of the side walk as her head met a human shield.
"Steve?"
He looked as surprise as she was to find each other in such a casual setting.
"Rose, how are you?" said Steve.
"Good. I got a day off and decided to go and do something enjoyable. What about you?" said Rose.
"I was going out for some coffee," said Steve.
"Oh? Where at?"
"The…Starbucks?" He trailed off.
"Want to go somewhere better? Nothing against Starbucks but the place I have in mind is special," said Rose.
Steve didn't look one hundred percent sure but nodded nonetheless. They might be friendly to one another but there was still some level of awkwardness that refused to go away.
She led him down the familiar road as the small coffee place came to view. She had found this place on accident after a long morning of caffeine deprivation but that quickly went away when she met the literary circle that was meeting that morning. Tired as she may be she was still part Granger so when they started discussing a book she had recently read Rose was happily debating with the mismatched group and had frequented ever since.
It had a bar type of feel but the patrons and customers were all very friendly people. She went up to register and ordered her coffee and as soon as Steve ordered she took him towards a free table. The burgundy tinted walls gave the room a dark feel but it the cheery mustard décor added a hint of home. It always reminded her of Hogwarts and it seemed to relax Steve too.
The cashier called out their names and Rose went up to grab their order before going back to sit with Steve. She wasn't too surprised to see Larry sitting at the table. He was the unofficial leader of the literary circle and he always tried to make newcomers feel welcome. In fact the reason she kept coming back after the first time was because he reminded her so much of her grand dad.
"So Rose you brought in a new member?"
"Yeah, I kidnapped him from Starbucks," said Rose.
"Trust me," Larry turned to Steve, "After having a cup here you'll never go back."
"We'll see," Steve said politely.
"Well anyways Rose, Joe came back from some trip and is talking about this teenage romance novel she read on the plane ride. Something about vampires and such," said Larry with a teasing smile.
Rose shook her head as she joined the already heated debate going on a few tables over. She gleefully cheered Larry on as he joined the rumble and quipped in her own opinions as she watched from afar. She was concentrating on the chaos so when she turned to Steve she was a little shocked to see a small frown adorning his face.
She tried to decipher his puzzled frown and it took her an embarrassingly long time to figure it out. While she read avidly during their brief relationship she never really discussed what she read with such enthusiasm. She asked questions about research paper that Tony or Bruce wrote but she never really spoke about them lovingly. She always spoke from a critical point of view, tried to be as scientific in her analysis but she was discussing novels in an emotional sense now. Steve had never seen that because she never discussed her passions.
They had similar interest and Rose had stuck to those during their brief dating period. She didn't necessarily hide her other interest she just didn't actively proclaim them. Their relationship was built on mutual likes and it never really moved on from that comfort zone. Of course they had only dated for a few months and there were secrets they were keeping from each other but she never took the initiative to push the relationship to new limits. She never challenged him and he never challenged her because they both were afraid of losing a person that accepted them with such open affection and they both didn't want to destroy the potential of a serious relationship.
But that fear also stopped them from developing their relationship. Yes Rose broke up with Steve and they had a nice relationship because they were comfortable with each other but they didn't have that fire the adults in her life had in their relationships.
Her parents at glance didn't seem liked they would make a great couple but if you looked deeper you saw what it was that held them together. They seemed too different and they clashed over the most ridiculous topics. But that was all surface, love has layers and it takes more than a few threads to complete the tapestry.
They challenged each other and forced each other to question their views and find ways to defend their opinions. They had some similar interest, it's impossible to be friends for so long and not have some sort of base, but what really made their relationship was that they made each other into better people. It was the same thing for her grandparents and her uncles and aunts and it was even something that Molly and Tony shared. They had that ease of knowing that they could butt heads over details but at the end of the day they still accepted each other.
She never got a chance to do that with Steve because she never let Steve come too close to her. She skirted away from anything that she deemed dangerous and that doomed their relationship. It wasn't anything she did on purpose but rather some instinctual response that had ingrained in her psyche while growing up in the wizarding world. But she was slowly leaving that behind in the muggle world. She had found something that she strived in and she was forming bonds with people without second guessing their motivations.
"Well I can see you're not a literature brat," teased Rose.
"I never even knew they had bars where literary minds gathered. Well I knew of them but I didn't think they would discuss teenage fiction," said Steve.
"Were you expecting old pushy men talking about philosophy and the importance of a great American novel?"
Steve had the decency to blush at her slightly accusing tone.
"Well you're welcomed to come to these meetings, maybe we can prove you wrong," said Rose.
"I'm not really a literature person," said Steve.
"You can read right?"
"Yes but I don't analyze the books like you do," said Steve.
"You don't have to. Just read a book and tell us your opinion. It's that simple. We don't expect everyone here to sprout literary theory, we just expect people to give their honest opinion and back it up," said Rose.
Steve looked a little skeptical but Rose didn't give up, "You like movies right? Well if we watched Arise, My Love and I asked you to tell me your favorite part would you be able to do that?"
"Of course."
"It's the same thing with a book. You can read anything and someone in the room will have at least heard of it. Or you can tell us the plot and people will ask questions. It's not always going to be this great debate," said Rose.
"I'll think about it," said Steve after some consideration and Rose couldn't help but beam at him.
_***…***_
It had been a few weeks (six her brain provided) since she dragged Steve to the coffee shop the first time but he started popping out every now and then. They had regained some of their old easy banter and even went to watch a movie with some of the literary circle regulars but they were still in friendship territory.
Rose wasn't sure if she really wanted to move away from it. She appreciated the fact that Steve accepted her quirks and was willingly spending time with her but she wasn't sure if she wanted to jump back to a relationship. Steve wasn't exactly the same person she had dated. He had more stern opinions and while he still was as polite as ever he asserted himself more. It wasn't a bad thing but it meant their relationship wouldn't be the same easy going one they had started with.
They had small disagreements and would argue over ideas but they didn't dampen the friendship. And the spats weren't that big of a deal but the put her slightly on edge because they reminded her so much of her parents. She knew if they got back together it would more serious and have even greater potential and she didn't want to mess up again.
She wanted to tell him about magic but how do you tell someone that you're a magical being? She wasn't afraid of his reaction anymore but she just didn't know how to tell him. Or more importantly when to tell him.
Should she tell him before even considering a relationship? At the beginning or should she wait for him to admit his Captain America secret? Should she take him to the Burrow and let him figure it out or should she just wave her wand and show him magic?
These were the questions that she was contemplated about as she walked to the bank. Actually they were bugging her all week but she really wanted to reach a solution soon. She had just reached the bank when her pocket began to vibrate. She had bought a charmed sneakoscope that looked like a cell phone so when she felt the vibrations her heart quickened. Something bad was going to happen.
She was already in a flight position when a blast from the building brought her crashing to the ground. She could hear screams coming from afar. She had never experienced the cries of war, the cries of help and desperation, and they shook her to the core. She wanted to run away from them, these horrible screams.
She was turning around when a small whimper caught her gaze. A young boy was strewn across the sidewalk. He looked so young and it reminded her of Hugo. Maybe he was the Hugo to some other Rose and suddenly she couldn't bear the thought of leaving him to die alone.
Maybe it was her profession or just human condition but seeing the little boy covered in blood forced Rose to jump to the danger. She had to save him regardless of the possibility of more explosions. She would never sleep with a clean conscious if she let the boy die now.
She made her way quickly to him before taking in his injuries. Her nursing instinct took over and she almost groaned in frustration when she saw the depth of his gash. He would bleed out if she waited for an ambulance. A little boy would die all because he was near a bank that was targeted by bomb-crazed maniacs. Or he would if she was a muggle. She was a witch and a simple wave of a wand would make him a survivor. He was already unconscious and there was no crowd so no one would ever know.
She would never dreamt that moment of mercy would have such heavy implications.
_***…***_
She was going back to her flat when she noticed a car was following her. If fact she was pretty sure that the very same car had been following her earlier that day. But of course that could just be the coffee talking as she had drowned plenty of cups the night before as she attempted to study for one of her classes. But that theory quickly flew out the door when a man stepped out of the car.
Immediately his posture reminded her of a ministry worker. Everything from the freshly pressed suit to the slightly tilt of the walk screamed Look-at-Me-I-Work-for-the-Government. She had seen the very same expression on Uncle Percy though he tried to tone it down at the Burrow.
She really hoped this was the American ministry hoping to chat with her rather than a muggle officer. But alas, Rose didn't share Uncle Harry's luck.
"Miss"
"Yes," Rose said cautiously.
"We had a few questions about the bombing of the bank," he said smoothly.
Rose hope it was simply about the bank. No one had seen her use magic and the building had been bombed so there was no way a security camera could have caught her. Maybe the bomb was planted by terrorist or something equally serious and they simply needed her statement. So it was with great nervousness that Rose followed the man into his car.
She didn't know where they were headed but figured it was somewhere important if they wasted resources following her. She knew muggles reacted to an extremity to terrorist threats so the behavior didn't seem so odd to her. Considering that the Avengers had an epic battle a while back it didn't seem like a stretch that they would spend as much money necessary to prevent a wide scale attack. For all she knew the bank bombing was one in many.
The building they arrived to was a bit plain. In fact it looked like a boring normal building that would have passed through her visions without a second glance. She was led inside and treated to a security scan and it was only once she passed the reception area that she began to suspect the seriousness of the situation.
The place had the feel of the Auror office. But she didn't have much time to dwell on it as she was quickly shuffled into a small room. There was a coffee maker and some cups and packs of sugar along with a circular table and chairs but the room lacked warmth. It was almost like an interrogation chamber with a badly done cheery paint job.
"Please have a seat. Someone will be here to take your statement shortly," the man said.
She didn't have to wait long before that someone came in. He was tall and the eye patch reminded her so much of the pictures of Alastor Moody that she felt herself straighten up on instinct. Stories of him were famous among the Weasley household that even the mere mentioning of his name gave the entire young Weasley horde the desire to prove themselves.
His stare was unnerving and Rose just wanted him to look away. She wanted to talk, dance, shout, anything that would make his stare less accusing. Perhaps her fear was obvious because the man turned his gaze to a stack of papers in his hand before glancing back at her.
"Rose Weasley, studying to be a nurse, originally from England," he stated and she nodded in confirmation.
"Can you tell me everything that happened the day you local bank was bombed," he said.
"I wasn't really paying attention but I remember walking to the bank around 10 in the morning and right before I reached it I was thrown back to the side walk by the blast. I stayed until the police came and took my statement and then I went back home," she said. She had done more than that but she couldn't very well tell him she used magic.
"Is that all you remember doing," he pressed.
"I saw a young boy," she stated carefully, "I'm studying to be a nurse so I went to him and checked his injuries. They were a little bad but after checking his wounds I concluded that they weren't seriously life threatening."
The man hummed before turning his attention to a glass behind her. "I want you to think real carefully at what you've told me. Leave nothing out," he tried again.
"I told you everything, just like I told the police," Rose frowned.
He nodded before he gave some sort of signal. A bright picture filled the wall and with horror Rose realized that it was footage from the attack. It wasn't the banks camera but it was one on the edge of an alley. It didn't give the best angle but it still showed enough.
"See what I want to know is how you knew about the attack," he said, "Even before the blast you're already positioned in a position of fight or flight. Either you knew about the attack or you're hiding something."
Rose sat stunned with disbelief. He didn't know about magic. She had gotten lucky. Well not lucky because there was some evidence showing she wasn't completely average but it wasn't so bad. She could fix this. She could give this scary man the answers he wanted to hear.
"My parents worked against terrorist attacks back home. Small attacks and stuff and my dad used to take me to his office and gave me a tips. I guess some lessons just stuck," Rose shrugged in an apologetic manner.
He didn't look convinced but he moved on from her explanation. He played the video again and this time Rose noticed what else got his attention. As she hesitated to heal the boy it was clear that she did something to him and the slight glow of magic was slightly visible but she wondered if this was because she knew of her act or if the magic residue was painfully obvious.
"You stated his injuries were not serious? I looked through the boy's medical report and they state that he is an anomaly. His internal injuries were serious and yet his outer wounds suggested otherwise. He is lucky that extensive scans were made since he reported no pain and could have otherwise gone undiagnosed," he said.
Rose paled at the information. She never studied extensive healing back home. She learn a few numbing spells and a few other spells to treat her brother from Quidditch injuries but she never thought about internal injuries. She just saw the blood and reacted to the surface wound. She had thought that magic would encompass it but she didn't stop to think otherwise.
"Of course he wasn't in danger of dying," he continued as he watched Rose closely, "But it did offer some discrepancies to your testimony."
She couldn't stop the small sigh of relief. Magic didn't endanger the boy's life. She got lucky but either way the boy survived.
"Care to explain how this is possible," he demanded.
Rose refused to answer. She may be willing to tell Steve (and by extension Tony and Bruce) about magic but she wasn't about to risk her magic over some unknown government worker. He could go through theories all he wanted, Rose wasn't about to tell him the truth.
"Perhaps this will help loosen your tongue," he said as he got up from his chair. He played with a switch and Rose felt her mouth form a small 'o' of surprise. She could see the entire Avengers cast standing in a room that was clearly watching her questioning.
"Maybe you can explain to your friends what happened. Maybe you are part of the terrorist that planted the bomb? Testing some new non-government approved serum on innocent children?"
His accusations were harsh and had no one been watching she wouldn't have said a thing but Steve was watching. He was listening and she couldn't bear the thought of losing him again. He might have forgiven her first mistake but he was patriotic to the core and if he thought that Rose would harm the country in any way he would cast her out of her life for good.
She never dreamed she would spill her secret in a situation like this but perhaps it was a blessing along with a curse. She wouldn't have to think up of ways to tell him now.
"I'm a witch," was all she said as she stared down at her hands in suspense.
_***…***_
She didn't say anything after she uttered that one sentence that brought out so many implications. The man questioned her but Rose refused to say anything else. She was already in hot water for telling him she was a witch she wasn't about to spill any more secrets. She could only hope the Ministry would come rescue her soon. Molly surely would have noticed her absence. If not Molly then Lucy would have known the second she was placed in the interrogation room.
It would seem Fate was smiling at her because after a few hours she heard the recognizable voice of a fellow wizard. She only knew it was a wizard because it was the same wizard that had drawn up her initial paper work when she first applied to move to New York. He wasn't a close family friend but he had gone to school with her parents. Ernie Macmillan, was his name, Rose recalled.
She could see the man was slightly shocked as the blond wizard entered the room with an air of utter most confidence. Her father thought he was a bit of a snob but Rose thought it fit his persona very well.
"Rose, it's been a long time," he greeted, "I should have known I would have to bail you out of trouble sooner or later. You are a Weasley after all."
"Who are you?" the man rudely interrupted.
"Ah. Yes I didn't properly introduce myself. Ernie Macmillan. I am a representative of the British government here to bring Rose Weasley back home."
"I didn't know the government was fostering terrorist."
"We're not. Rose Weasley is the part of a scientific research and as thus property of the British government. You have no concrete evidence to accuse her of acts of terror and you'll find none," said Ernie.
"She said she was a witch," the man stated.
Ernie turned to her sharply before he turned his attention back to her accuser. "She was given an experimental serum when she was younger and it was later evident that it gave her some sort of…upgrade. She is the only one and this upgrade seemed almost magical. A witch was the most convenient label we could place on her," Ernie explained.
"A scientific experiment?" the man said skeptically.
"I doubt you'll find that hard to believe," Ernie gestured towards the still watching Avengers, "She has magical healing abilities and is no harm towards society. But she is still property of the British government so I am afraid you'll have to excuse us as I am going to have to take her back."
Ernie gave the man no chance of protest as he swept her out the room. His grip was a bit painful but he didn't relent until they were safely inside a Ministry car.
"What were you thinking Rose? Telling him you were a witch? You're lucky this reached us back in England otherwise you would have created a huge nightmare," stressed Ernie.
"What do you mean?"
"You family has a lot of hold over the Ministry. Hermione created some documents to validate what I said and to prove you are the ONLY person with 'magic'. Any other person would have Obliviated the whole lot and snapped your wand," explained Ernie.
"You mean you won't snap my wand," said Rose in surprise.
"There was talk but in the end people were swayed to be more lenient. But you were given a choice. You could join the Avengers and pretend you are the only magic user or go back home and face the music," said Ernie.
"Why?"
"Your dad explained your relationship with the Avengers. He convinced that this can be used to have strong relations with the muggle world," explained Ernie.
"What if I don't want to be an Avenger? I don't particularly fancy the idea of joining some secret military group," said Rose.
"You go back to England and you're given some choices. Either way we are going to have to explain you to the American military. You're going to be under their watch for a while," said Ernie.
Rose was silent as the entire conversation washed through her. She might have hated the fame her family had but irony decided to slap her face since it seemed the one thing she hated now saved her from a worse fate.
"Just think about it," said Ernie as he pulled over to the American Ministry.
She could see the appeal of becoming a superhero. She saved lives every day as a nurse she was sure it wasn't such a leap in profession to save lives with magic. But she didn't want it. Her parents were heroes because of circumstances, not choice, and all they craved for was normality. It was something she wanted too. She loved saving lives as a nurse not because she saved lives through extraordinary means but because she formed bonds with a patient. She took care of them, saw them regularly, she got to know them as people so when she saved their lives she was saving a person and not just a life.
She always worked from the shadows, observing people, going into the spotlight went against her nature. She wasn't born to be a leader even though she had found a new drive and ambition it didn't mean she had a complete remake of her personality. She still liked to observe and play strategy. If she became a hero she would be a pawn and it wasn't something she was willing to become freely.
She needed to look at the situation in the simplest terms to avoid the mistakes she had made with Steve. No more analyzing the possible outcomes or imagining future scenarios. All that mattered was the core of the situation. She could live a lie or face the consequences of her actions.
Perhaps the Sorting Hat wasn't wrong after all.
A/N: A longer chapter but there is a lot of details that had to be shown. There is still a lot of jumping around but I tried to show key moments and hopefully they are reasonable enough.
I also wanted to give Rose something to work for. Nursing seemed like a good option because while it requires a ton of work and is a very serious job you can get a nursing degree in 9 months (with an accelerated program) or 2 years and it doesn't require background. Rose going to a muggle university would require more extensive knowledge of schooling while nursing would not. It is also a profession that deals with saving lives and it gives Rose and Steve something in common that is more binding than small things like movies.
Also while the revealing of magic is serious it's not like she showed her true powers and it was somewhat fixable. Rose is still going to have to pay for this but it won't be to the extreme since she does have a famous family that tweaked the situation for her.
As always comments are welcomed and I'd love to hear your reaction to this chapter.
Thank you for all the reviews and to everyone that favorite or is following this story.