Rosearia
Rosearia spun away from the obviously irritated man with a sorry smile. She felt embarrassed that she had let slip her lack of experience when it came to broomsticks, and now Severus was angry with having the burden of teaching her once again. She frowned. Why would that bother him so? I thought we had a wonderful time brewing. We were finally getting along and...well...it was very nice being around him. She missed the way he had been when they were alone, and, though she would never admit it, she missed the way he smelled, of herbs and a slight hint of musk from the forest. It was heady and addicting. She couldn't understand why the other members of the staff disliked him so. She chuckled to herself as she drifted around the grounds, thinking of his dour demeanor and harsh tongue. Okay maybe I can understand why he isn't so well liked, but really if any of them took the time to get to know him, they would enjoy his company like I do. The only one who wasn't shocked that she seemed not to mind her "punishment" was Poppy. She hadn't been the least bit surprised that Rosearia had begun to look forward to the evenings brewing with the young professor.
"He really is misunderstood. He acts the way he does to keep people away, but under that rough exterior is a man who is capable of extreme love and loyalty. He's had a hard life, not unlike yours, my dear."
Knowing that he had been through a lot of hardship made her heart melt even more for the austere Potions Master. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice that she had made it all the way to the Black Lake until her feet squished in the rich mud on the bank. She paused in her musings to cast her gaze over the dark water. Tilting her face up she closed her eyes and let the wind wash over her. She relished in it, breathing deeply. I will never tire of this feeling, the feeling of being free. She glanced down at her left wrist, where her bracelet had begun to buzz gently. Poppy was calling her back to the Hospital Wing. Taking one last deep breath, she bounced on her toes for a second before she gathered her skirts and took off for the castle.
A month flew by, and Rosearia was to busy with her duties in the hospital to start her flying lessons. Not that Snape bothered to seek her out for them either. With Halloween a few days away the Hospital Wing was filled with victims of pranks ranging from silly to downright malicious. They had girls with faces full of bursting boils, pets with swollen tongues, ears that drug along the ground, teeth that hit the floor...the list went on and on. So the night before Halloween Rosearia found herself making rounds with Poppy, checking on the children that had to stay overnight. She carried a basket full of Pepper-ups, Boils-be-Gone, Anti-Shrink, Calming Draught, and a potion specially tailored to counter act the Weasley twins' creations. They were almost done when Minerva entered. Poppy waved for her to wait in her office while they finished up.
"I wonder what she wants" Pomfrey stated as they made their way back up to the front. Rosearia placed the significantly lighter basket on the little table outside the office door as they entered. Minerva stood up from the couch she had waited on, her hands folded primly in front of her.
"Ah, Poppy! Yes. Well I came to see if you wouldn't mind taking my rounds tonight, I have a last minute engagement that requires my attention." the stern Gryffindor Head stated matter-of-factly.
Poppy wasn't the last bit fooled. Crossing her arms, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Uh huh. You have a date with Albus don't you?"
Minvera turned a shade of pink that clashed with her strict nature. Rosearia gasped like a school-girl. "You and the Headmaster?!"
Poppy smirked, moving to elbow the Transfiguration professor playfully. "Oh Minny here has had his heart for a decade now. They make quite the adorable pair." The matron's face turned serious. "I am sorry, Minerva, but there is to many students here that need my attention. The pranks are getting a bit out of control." Her eyes narrowed, hinting not to subtly that the unruly children who needed to be dealt with were mostly from Gryffindor. McGonagall's face fell as she nodded in understanding. Rosearia stepped forward.
"I can do your rounds tonight, Deputy Headmistress."
Minerva's head snapped up, her eyes hopeful. "Really?! You would?! I mean" she sent a Poppy a pleading look. "if Madame Pomfrey allows it." The elder mediwitch rolled her eyes, glancing at Rosearia out of the corner of her eye. She nodded once, smiling.
"Fine. She can take over for tonight. Go have fun, Minny." the matron smiled as Minerva hugged her most uncharacteristically, patting her back.
"Thank you!" the professor stated as she nearly bounced out the door with Rosearia following close behind, unable to keep from giggling at the normally severe woman's antics.
"So where are you two going?" she asked as Minerva led the way out of the Hospital Wing.
"We are apparating to Paris to eat at the top of the Eiffel tower under the stars! He said he has a special surprise for me." Minerva gushed, a dreamy look in her eye. Rosearia smiled, happy at the obvious love on the elder woman's face.
They separated at the Great Hall after Minerva told her the areas she would be patrolling till 2am, saying that she had to go get ready for her big date. Rosearia waved her off and turned towards the entryway.
"Okay" she stated to herself. "I have floors 1-3, the grounds from Hagrid's hut to the Quidditch Pitch, and the dungeons. Best start from the top." She marched up to the third floor, and made her way slowly back down, making sure to check all of the little nooks and crannies along the way. As she reached her starting point again she decided to walk the grounds before heading to the dungeon for a bit of fresh air. All was clear till she reached the pitch, where she found two seventh years snogging in the equipment storage room, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. She escorted them to their dorms without informing their Heads of House, which surprised them. She told them it was because of the coming holiday, but really it was because she couldn't find it in herself to see them get punished for something that didn't hurt anyone. She finally made her way down to the dungeons, well after midnight.
It didn't take long before she didn't recognize where she was. "The dungeons are much bigger than I thought" she said out loud. She had only ever been as far as the Slytherin common room, and the complete silence unnerved her. It was pitch black down here, and she longed for a light, but Minerva had warned her not to use one, as students that were out of bed would see it before she found them, and they would run and hide until she passed. So she relied on her ears and trailed the tips of her fingers along the cold stone wall. She could feel her nerves growing tighter and tighter, she jumped a foot in the air when a rat ran over her foot. Her heart pounded in her chest as she continued on through the twisting catacombs deep under the castle. Her hand brushed something wooden, and she stopped to feel around it. A door! She felt for a handle and turned it.
Severus
He was patrolling the dungeons when a ear piercing scream shattered the silence. He broke into a run, a thousand scenarios streaking through his mind. There were nasty creatures down here, boggarts, ghouls, and the worst of the ghosts. That's why he patrolled every night, regardless if it was his shift. He knew these dungeons like the back of his hand. He rounded a corner and spied a light coming from an open door. His stomach twisted when he realized what room someone had stumbled into. Some unlucky soul had unknowingly wandered into the room that housed the nastiest boggart ever to be caught at Hogwarts. Albus had named it the Pavor Nocturnus or Night Terror. Severus had met it when it had escaped a few years back, and it made even he shiver in fear. It had caused five students to pass out from fright, and had cornered two more. It was the only boggart known to physically harm people. Instead of simply scaring them with their worst fear, it takes on the physical powers of the your fear as well. The giant snake it had turned into when cornering the students had bitten one, poisoning her like the real thing.
He rushed into the room, wand at the ready, when the scene made him freeze. There, on her knees with her face in her hands and sobbing, was Rosearia. Standing in front of her was a hulking bear of a man with short blond hair dressed in a gold tunic and white leggings with a glittering jeweled belt and sword on his hip. He wore a large shiny golden crown with enormous rubies in it. He couldn't see the man/boggart's face as it faced the mediwitch, but he heard its booming voice.
"You thought you could hide from me?! Did you think I would not find you, you stupid girl?! Did you think I would simply let you go? That I would leave you be and give up infinite power?! The only reason I allowed your continued presence at that school is because you haven't yet turned 21. I still have your mother at my side. She never caused this much trouble. But I am here to collect you, and this time, you wont get away."
A long, thick golden chain appeared in the man's beefy hands. He rattled it and laughed as Rosearia jumped in fright. Her big blue eyes were enormous as she looked up from her hands, tears streamed down her cheeks as she started to beg, falling back and inching away until her back pressed against the wall.
"No...please. Please don't. NO! NO!" the boggart clamped twin gold cuffs on her wrists, thin chains ran from them, joining into one and growing larger till it formed the chain that dangled from his hand. The man laughed.
"Come little genie. Time to go back in your room." At that her eyes went wild with terror. He gave the chain a hard jerk and Rosearia fell forward, catching herself with her elbows. The beast stepped up and pulled the chain straight up, raising her arms over her head till her toes were just barely touching the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face as the man leaned in close, his face in her hair "Never forget, genie. You. Belong. To. ME."
Snape had been staring transfixed at the scene unfolding before him. But when she went limp he snapped out of it. He raised his wand and pointed it at the cuffs on Rosearia's wrists. "Relashio" he stated in his even voice, belying the anger and the need to protect her that filled him.
The chains fell, dropping her to the floor. He winced as he heard a crack when her head hit the stone. The boggart merely glanced at him before returning its attention back to the girl laying unconscious at its feet. Its face was large, flushed with anger and sweaty, with small, ice blue eyes filled with insanity. Snape flicked his wand at the creature's back.
"Levicorpus"
The creature roared as it was flung into the air. Severus rushed forward and picked up the petite, limp body bridal style and ran for the door, slamming it shut wordlessly and wandlessly as soon as he cleared it. He kept going till he burst into his private chambers, freezing as he realized where he was. He stood staring at the beat up couch, wondering why in the hell he had run the entire way and why on earth he brought her here, instead of the hospital wing.
That thought prompted him to look down at the woman currently in his arms. Her face was impossibly pale, completely colorless. Her cheek pressed into his chest as he held her. He moved towards the couch and gently laid her on the cushions, summoning a thick black blanket to cover her. He checked her pulse before flicking his wand in the direction of the hearth, lighting a fire.
"Winky." he said quietly and waited for the soft pop that signified the house elf's arrival.
"Master Snape. What can Winky do for you?"
Snape wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of alcohol that surrounded the little elf. "Fetch some tea and chocolate, if you would. Two cups. Some sugar cubes and honey on the side please."
Winky frowned "Sugar cubes and honey? Master Snape never has sugar cubes or honey in his tea..."
"Just. Do. It." Snape stated in a voice that brokered no argument. The elf nodded and disappeared. A second later a tray laden with a large steaming teapot, a bowl of sugar cubes, a small pitcher of honey, two cups, a large unwrapped bar of chocolate, and some warm biscuits appeared on the coffee table beside him. His stomach growled loudly as the delicious aromas wafted up and he realized he hadn't eaten for some time. But a stirring on the couch had him turning away from the food.
