Serpents and Thorns: The Building Storm

By Jedi Blu, Lady at Large

Beta: Foggy Librarian

Notes: Flu's gone. Evil Professors still at work. AND THIS STUPID EDITOR TOOK OUT ALL MY PUNCTUATION. Meaning QuickEdit, of course, not Foggy. So I apologize for any of those little mistakes, I tried to get them all but you never know...

.s.L.y.T.h.E.r.I.n.

CHAPTER TEN: It's a Jolly Holiday with Rose

.s.L.y.T.h.E.r.I.n.

Sirius Black looked through the fire at her, obviously trying to determine if he was actually hearing what he thought he was hearing. "You want to do what?"

"Plan an outing. Harry, you, and me. We can go to a muggle park, even the Forbidden Forest has some nice spots—"

"I know," he grumbled. "I haven't forgotten the last time I was in the Forbidden Forest with you either."

Rose laughed lightly, then smirked at him. "We did let you out of that hole again, Sirius. You deserved it."

"I'm lucky you and your slimy boyfriend didn't kill me," he retorted, referring to an incident when Severus and Rose had exacted a small bit of revenge on him. "You never did apologize for that one."

"And I never will," she retorted, now grinning impishly. "So are you in or aren't you?"

"Snape won't be there?"

"No. Severus won't be there," she replied evenly. "He doesn't know you'll be there, either. But I don't think Harry and I know each other well enough to actually have fun together. I'm sure you'll liven things up."

"I would like to talk to him..." Sirius's voice trailed off. "I tried a while back, with the fire you know."

"Sirius, that's dangerous," Rose immediately rebuked—his expression darkened. "Anyone could walk into the common room and catch you—and if Umbridge found out—"

"I've heard Harry got detention with her, for something he did in your class," Sirius stated accusingly.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "I didn't sick the evil toad on him, if that's what you mean. She came in unannounced, and there was little I could do when he started arguing with her out in the corridor. She's a horrid person, Sirius, but if your godson can't keep that temper of his in check—"

"My godson is also your nephew, and from what I can tell you're not exactly doing your best to check up on him and keep him out of scrapes."

"He's fifteen years old," Rose countered. "What do you want me to do? Hold his hand? Spank him when he misbehaves?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at her. "Do you even know how he's doing in Occlumency? Or have you asked your precious Snivellus yet?"

"Severus," Rose replied calmly, "has told me that the lessons aren't going well at all. Harry can construct no barriers, isn't even making an attempt at it. Severus knows more about Harry's personal life than he ever wanted to and Harry's not fighting back much."

"Probably due to Snape's lack of respect for his students—or maybe he wants to see Harry fail."

"If you're stupidly implying that Severus is still a Dark wizard I'll thank you to correct that right now," she growled at him, and he could see easily that she would love nothing better than to reach through the fire and throttle him.

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Poisonous mushrooms never change their spots, Rose."

She came to her feet, standing away from the fire, and turned her back on him. "If that's all you have to say I have no further reason to chat with you. This was a bad idea. I'll talk to Harry myself."

"No, you won't. I don't trust you either," Sirius snarled. "This Saturday, Forbidden Forest at noon outside of Hagrid's hut. Follow the paw prints." He vanished from the flames, and Rose shivered angrily before throwing herself into her chair. "Stupid, smelly, arrogant, idiotic prat," she hissed.

.s.L.y.T.h.E.r.I.n.

Harry had his hands shoved in his pockets, and was leaning against the wall of Hagrid's hut, wondering what exactly was going on. Professor Evans, his aunt, had only informed him the evening before—privately—that she wished for him to meet her there. He had no idea what was going on, nor was he sure he should have come alone. Hermione and Ron had a prefect meeting, however, and they had been so...worrisome lately that he hadn't even told them what he was up to. Let them figure it out, if they could stop bickering long enough to do so.

He was wearing one of the green sweaters Molly had made him the previous Christmas, though it was getting a little short in the arms. He wasn't growing nearly as quickly as Ron, which was a relief—it meant his clothes fit longer.

"Ah, good, you came alone," Rose Evans said, appearing around the corner of the hut and smiling kindly at him. She was dressed casually as well, and Harry was surprised to see how muggle-ish her clothing was. She wore faded denim jeans, brown hiking boots, and a dark red sweater. She had a brown fuzzy scarf around her neck and a matching knit cap atop her head. She looked ten years younger than she normally did—she wasn't wearing glasses and her hair was down brushing past her shoulders in auburn curls.

His aunt was very good looking. She looked a lot like his mother had in photographs, except her coloring was slightly darker. Harry felt a momentary wistfulness…a short daydream… that this was his mother standing before him rather than his aunt, but he brushed those feelings away and offered her a smile. "Professor, what's going on?" he asked, completely respectfully.

"Oh, not too much at all. I just thought you might enjoy a short outing—to get away from the school for a little while and relax." Her smile was small, but genuine, and she took in his appearance carefully. "How were the detentions with Umbridge? They're over now, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Harry answered, though he shoved one hand further into his pocket and drew out the other to scratch behind his ear. "They weren't that bad. Lines."

"Ah. Only lines," Rose met his eyes, wishing for a moment she had Severus's gift for Legilimency. She had the sneaking suspicion Harry wasn't telling the whole truth, but she brushed that thought away and offered him an even cheerier smile. "Things can't get much worse with her around. She's only a nuisance, Harry. But enough about that toad—erm, Madame Umbridge."

Harry grinned at the slip of her tongue and gestured towards her clothing. "So you're dressed muggle. Where are we going, Professor?"

"Please, stop calling me that," she interjected lightly, flipping one end of her scarf over her shoulder. "We're going to take a dog for a walk, in a lovely park just west of the Forest."

Immediately the boy perked up, excitement lit his eyes. "A dog? What sort of dog"

"An ugly, mangy mutt," was her dry answer. Rose knelt and brushed at some dried leaves near the base of the hut, then brushed away a few more until— "Ah, here we are! His paw prints. Come, Harry, we have to track the mutt before we'll be permitted to have any fun at all."

Falling into step beside her, Harry followed his aunt into the Forbidden Forest. At first they didn't speak much, they just watched the small path the paw prints of a large black dog had made. Then Harry ventured, "Aunt Rose..."

She smiled at the new title and looked over at him—indeed, he was nearly as tall as she was. Perhaps he would have his father's height—or his grandfather's. Peter Evans had been a taller man. "Yes, Harry."

"Why are we doing this?" he asked, his green eyes alight with curiosity. "I didn't think students were allowed to leave the grounds without permission, either."

"They're not. But your legal guardian arranged things with the Headmaster, and you are being escorted by a competent member of the staff. You're well within the rules, Harry. As to why we're doing this...well, you need some fresh air to clear your mind a little."

He scowled but shrugged. The implication of that phrase, and her emphasis on the words, told him all he needed to know. "I don't know why you married such a...Professor Snape. He's been telling you about my remedial lessons, hasn't he?"

"He told me a little," she confessed, sighing. "Occlumency isn't easy, Harry, but Severus does know what he's doing. He taught me enough of it to get by for a while, until I stood under the threat of Vertisium—Truth Syrum, you understand—I held up very well with his methods."

"He's not a good teacher," Harry bit out, moodily. "All he ever does is criticize, ridicule, and punish his students. I'm not so sure I want him on our side of the war."

Rose briefly counted backwards from ten to control the flurry of words she wanted to rebuke the boy with. 'He's just a child,' she reminded herself. 'He doesn't know anything about Severus except what Severus wants him to know.' She tried a different tactic. "He is your uncle, Harry." It worked about as well on him as it had on Severus.

Harry jerked as if he'd been struck by her and stopped in his tracks. "That's not my fault," he responded defensively. "Snape's probably a worse relative than the Dursleys."

"I doubt that," she answered, sighing. "Harry, do you know anything about the man? Anything about his past, his personal history?"

"Only what I've caught glimpses of," he replied bitterly, "the few times I've gotten anywhere near touching him during our lessons. He's a black—"

"No more adjectives, please," she interrupted, then she began walking again, following the prints in the soft earth. "Harry, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I know you don't like Severus, but don't let your personal feelings get in the way of you learning something imperative to your survival."

"Dumbledore said I wasn't possessed or being possessed by Voldemort, so why do I have to know this stuff anyway? No one tells me about the Order, so I don't have any secrets to hide. No one tells me anything! Except to stay out of trouble, sit tight, watch what I say..." He groaned. "I hate it. If I'm so important to the fight then why haven't I been taught what to do before now? Why hasn't anyone told me what's going on?"

"Has it never occurred to you," Rose said carefully, "that we're not just doing this for you, Harry? That there are other lives at stake? If you can see the thoughts, dream the dreams of the Dark Lord than he can do the same with your thoughts and dreams. We cannot tell you anything until you can protect yourself from that. Harry, you're acting like a spoiled little boy who won't take his medicine just because it tastes bad. From your experience, aren't the more useful and potent potions those which do the greatest mending?" she asked.

"If Snape's medicine than you can have my share, thanks," Harry returned, scowling. "I'd rather be diseased."

"Obstinate and stubborn," Rose grumbled. "Lovely combination of your parents in that one, Harry."

They continued to walk in silence for a few moments before Harry ventured, slowly, "What was my mum like? As a girl, I mean."

Rose smiled softly at him, and then shrugged. "Perfect, almost. Angelic, beautiful, warm-hearted, patient. All the Evans girls were stubborn as mules, though. Your mum wasn't very judgmental, she was smart, everyone who really knew Lily liked her. She stood up for the underdog—even Severus a few times. For the longest time she couldn't stand your father, because—well."Rose cast a side-long look at him. "There are two sides to every story, Harry. Everyone thought your father was the smartest, wittiest, most athletic young man at Hogwarts. He and Sirius could have had any girl they wanted, and teachers doted on them. Remus joined in on the friendship, but surprisingly that didn't help them mellow out any. They were just boys, of course. Arrogant, proud, sure of themselves. Severus, when he met them, wasn't at all like them. It didn't take long for them to dislike him and for him to hate them.

"Your father and Sirius did all sorts of things to Severus—granted, most of the time Severus got his revenge or even started it. Lily couldn't stand the inter-house fighting, especially with her sister being a Slytherin. It didn't help when James tried to convince her I was Snape's girlfriend. So she didn't like him. Not until their sixth year, when he matured and she didn't catch him picking on Severus every time she turned a corner."

Harry blinked at her, surprised by this side of things. "I knew Severus hated my dad 'cause of the Shrieking Shack, but I thought that was all."

Rose shuddered. "Now that was a horrible night."

"You were there," Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses, he nearly tripped over a root in the path. "You...you saw what happened."

She shrugged and brushed an auburn curl out of her eyes, tucking it securely under her cap. "Yes, Harry. I was there."

The werewolf leapt through the air.

The heart-rending scream of a woman filled the air. "NO!"

James Potter leapt in front of Severus, wand-raised.

The door slammed in front of the werewolf.

There was another howl.

And a bark of laughter.

"But let's talk about pleasanter things," she said brightly, ducking with him under a low branch over the path. "Like you. I don't know anything about you. D'you have a girlfriend?"

Harry blushed but shook his head immediately. "Not really."

"But there is a girl you're interested in, isn't there?" she asked, grinning impishly at him. "I can tell by the way you're blushing. Anyone I know, Harry?"

"Um. Maybe. The Ravenclaw Seeker...Cho Chang..." He blushed more and shrugged. "She's a nice girl."

"And very pretty." Rose nodded, but her eyes narrowed a little. Cho Chang was a Ravenclaw which made her incredibly intelligent, and one of the most emotional girls Rose had ever met. During one of the classes at the beginning of the year they started a discussion in class about trolls and dragons, and someone inevitably brought up the Triwizard Tournament, and Chang had burst into melodramatic sobs and fled the room. Rose respected the fact that the girl lost someone important to her, and Cedric Diggory's death was very tragic, but after sharing that experience with other members of the staff she found they ALL had had Cho do roughly the same thing in their classes.

The Boy Who Lived, and would indeed have to face Voldemort down to the death one day, needed someone who was a bit more stable emotionally. Or so Rose thought. But he was just a boy still, and Cho Chang might grow out of her behavior. So Rose tactfully changed the subject.

Before long they emerged from the Forbidden Forest and found themselves looking across a Muggle road to a large park filled with trees. And sitting under one of the trees, eyes alert and taking in everything, was a very large black dog.

.s.L.y.T.h.E.r.I.n.

Rose and Harry had spent the afternoon playing with the dog—chasing each other, throwing sticks, telling jokes, and resting in the shade for a while enjoying the peacefulness of the day. Shortly before they had left, Harry had wandered into a densely wooded area with the dog, so Sirius could transform and they could have a word together. They had wanted to be back at Hogwarts before the sun set, however, so they started through the woods again just before that.

Harry spent the walk back to the school telling Rose the more humorous stories involving him and his cousin Dudley, as well as stories about his first year at Hogwarts and all the trouble he, Ron, and Hermione got into. Rose had laughed and shared some of her more amusing experiences as well, including some with Severus.

Although Harry hadn't objected to his Potion's Master being brought up, he always looked surprised when Rose had something nice to say about the Boy Severus Snape. He brushed most of it off, though.

He entered the common room of Gryffindor tower with a smile, and headed for his dorm so he could change for dinner, when Ginny intercepted him. "Harry! Where've you been? Hermione and Ron have been looking for you everywhere—they just gave up and went to the library to study for History."

Harry shrugged, still grinning happily. "Just went to a park. Found a nice stray dog to pal around with."

Ginny's mouth rounded in an 'O' as her eyes lightened, she smiled brightly at him. "I'm glad you had a good afternoon, then. After a week of suffering Umbridge you needed it." She waved over her shoulder and disappeared out the portrait hole. "See you at dinner, Harry."

"Yeah, see you."

.s.L.y.T.h.E.r.I.n.

"You really should stop breaking into my chambers," Rose said upon entering her room and finding Severus sitting in her chair, her most comfortable chair, reading a book. "It's not a great habit."

He smirked up at her and shrugged, his black eyes flickering with amusement. "You're looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed—or so the saying goes," he murmured, taking in her happy smile and casual attire. He leaned forward in his chair and examined her closely. "You've got mud all over your pants."

"It was a little damp out, but we had so much fun." She turned and headed for her wardrobe, but was immediately halted when Severus stood and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling him back against his chest.

He bent his head down, his lips grazed her neck, and he inhaled her scent—rain... "Why," he drawled slowly, putting his lips now just over her ear, "do you have a very large, mud-brown, paw-print on your rear?"

Rose shuddered, then looked over her shoulder at him. She smiled, nervously. "Um. Good question..."

Special Thanks to My Reviewers: Evil Duckie, heather, Loraliant Angelisa Snape (will correct that last mistake in final draft!), Lydia, Black Sheep Alone, Arashi7, nabenabe, Cat Alex, kiss-of-cuteness, and Heather!

No time for individual responses today, but here are the answers to a few of y'all's questions.

Ruben Fahle: WAY too much interest in Rose is right, but while he was introduced only a couple of chapters ago he's not going to figure into this story for a while yet.

Rose vs. Umbridge is a fun subplot I've thrown in to give the toady witch a run for her money. Don't worry about Harry's detentions and the DA, he handled them well in Book 5 and he'll handle them well in this fic.

Snape and Muggle Movies: Snape has NEVER seen a Muggle movie, not even with Rose. But the idea is an entertaining one and may take some looking into…Mary Poppins, anyone?

See ya!

-JB-