A/N: Again I apologized that this hasn't been Beta-ed as my Beta is still missing. I apologize as well for the fact that I was not able to get a second chapter up this week (as I had promised) this is due to the fact that I had a job interview earlier on this week, and I came down with a cold on Thursday. I hope you like this chapter, still got more coming but I hope you enjoy it! And a shout-out to MysteryTears for inspiring me with the Death Eater Wannabes confrontation with Rose! I'll talk with you guys at the bottom!
A/N2: Thanks to MysteryTears for pointing out the fact that I needed to go over this. I'm sorry to those of you who noticed the mistakes, I haven't been feeling well up till now and I wanted to get the chapter to you as soon as I had posted it so that I could rest and get better. Hopefully I will have another chapter up earlier on this week, maybe even tonight or tomorrow as I will be going to the midnight premier of "Breaking Dawn" tomorrow and then on Saturday I have a twenty first to go to. So this week will be pretty busy for me and thus I will try to get the chapter out earlier than usual.
Chapter 11 – Angel's Should Never Fall
Rose laughed maniacally, she was outside down in the shallow depths of the lake with James, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Lily, Mary, Alice and Frank splashing around in the cool liquid and having an over the top water fight, it was girls against guys; Peter was sitting on the shore underneath a tree cooling down and trying to catch his breath. They had literally run down to the lake after having breakfast already in their swimming wear. Rose was wearing a black and white polka-dot bikini underneath an overly large white t-shirt she had brought specifically for wearing over the top of her bikinis while she was living in America. The other girls were in similar swim wear, all of them in bikinis underneath their overly large tee-shirts. The boys were in boxers and shirts, Sirius and James however had chosen to take off their shirts once they were down at the lakes cool waters. It had taken almost all of the group's efforts to persuade James and Sirius to wear their shirts while they all had breakfast though they all knew that the shirts would have been dislodged from their bodies as soon as the lake was within the boy's sights.
However Rose's laughter was not simply of mirth, she was laughing maniacally because of the wide-eye, unblinking, jaw-slacked look that a completely drenched Sirius Black was shooting her way. She had just managed to enchant a large sum of water to rise out of the air – behind Sirius's back – and fall directly over the unsuspecting boy who had in fact been shooting an 'Aguamenti' spell at Frank. Remus and James had been aware of what Rose was doing and so – in an attempt to aid her – were also distracting their best friend; However now with a drenched Sirius look at her in disbelief, Rose could not stop laughing.
"Okay, Okay! I'm calling time out." Rose said in between her laughter, as she clutched tightly onto her sides. Sirius shoot her a dirty look and she knew instantly that he was seething because she had just taken his chance away to get her back but she simply smiled brightly instead and looked directly at the seething boy. "Don't be so serious Sirius; you'll get your chance to get me back." Rose said bright and cheerily towards the boy and she laughed again as she heard him curse underneath his breath as she made her way over to where Peter was sitting. Rose laid out her beach towel; it had the symbol of a rising sun and a full moon, overlaid by the crossing of two wands - the symbol of W.I.C.C.A; her old school – before she sat down on it.
"Hey Peter, why aren't you joining in?" Rose asked the fairly chubby boy. It was true just from a look at him that he hadn't grown out of his baby fat but he seem a fairly nice boy; though Rose didn't know him that well and she strained to get the boy to give her at least some recognition.
"I will in a little bit." Peter replied before it was all silent between them. Rose watched on as her friends continued to play in the cool crystalline waters. Rose had slept in this morning which was not unusual as it was the weekend and she did not know if Severus had been down here this morning. Rose let out a sigh as she thought of Severus and of all of the pain that she knew he was suffering from. Lily had announced to all of them this morning that she had agreed to go to Hogsmead with James next week – their first weekend at Hogsmead for the year – and from all the cheers and congratulations – the congrats were mainly for James though – Rose knew that going to Hogsmead was a good thing.
After a little while of catching her breath – as she sat in the silence with Peter, a rather boring guy on closer inspection, clearly a 'groupie' to James and Sirius and even Remus – Rose got back up and joined in with the group again. Lunch was approaching and she wanted to get in a few good hours under the sun just enjoying time with her friends; friends that as she spent more time with them she knew that they were becoming exceptionally dear to her.
Rose looked across the room to the Slytherin table as she had felt a couple of sets of eyes on her and found that not only were Narcissa and Bellatrix staring at her and whispering amongst themselves but there was also a tall, pale blond boy with Narcissa his aristocratic nose shoved into the air but also a dark looking boy next to Bellatrix whose skin was a the type of tanned colour she should have gotten in America with dark absorbing eyes and a lip licking younger boy whose eyes though light in comparison to the boy sitting beside him his eyes were absorbing as well and once Rose looked at the four she couldn't look away. Rose was aware that others were looking as well, but the only other person she caught looking at her was Severus and even then he was not really look at her but glaring at the back of James's head as James was holding lily's hand who had chosen to sit beside him.
Rose knew that she would have to talk to him about it. Try again to comfort him or distract him long enough to make him forget; if only momentarily.
Rose looked down dejectedly and pushed the steamed vegetables around on her plate with her fork. When Rose looked up again her eyes connected with Remus's who shoot her a sheepish smile. Rose looked around for her pumpkin juice avoiding Remus's eyes again, she drained the glass slightly parched from their day in the sun and when she looked back up there was a twinkle deep in his eyes. Rose could feel an insistent knocking on her mind, and when she looked up again she could see Severus looking at her directly, a little crease in his forehead as he thought hard; Rose knew instantly that he was trying to communicate with her. Rose didn't want the thoughts of everyone else inside of her mind so she quietly excused herself from the great hall and once she was a fair distance away from the room she opened her mind and reached out for Severus.
Severus? She asked her thought flying from her mind – Rose had sat down on the stairs leading down to the ground floor – and reaching out for Severus as she waited for his reply.
Rose, I just wanted to see what you're doing tonight. Severus replied, she could simply imagine his lips curling up into his trade mark smirk and Rose found herself smiling at empty air.
I don't have any plans tonight. Did you want to do something? Rose asked she could feel his joy and excitement but could hear in his "inner voice" that he was trying to hide his emotions from her.
Yea sure, that's if you're positive that you don't have anything to do. Severus replied trying to sound nonchalant but on the inside he was having an over drive of positive emotions. Rose laughed out loud for a moment and she knew the sound reverberated to Severus in her mind.
Yes I'm positive Sev; I'm out by the stairs. Rose told him before closing the connection off and as she waited for him she reached out to James. She could imagine the little crease on his forehead as they communicated and Rose gave off another laugh.
Just thought I'd let you know James to contact me if you need me. I'm going to hang out with a friend for a bit, Rose said letting James know that she won't be in the common room, to contact her – through their minds – if there was an emergency and to otherwise leave her be. She knew that he would catch onto the underlining of her thought out words because let's face it James Potter was not completely oblivious. Rose didn't wait for James's reply but quickly shut down the connection as she heard footsteps approaching her.
Rose looked up expecting to see Severus instead she saw the group of Death Eater wannabe's standing above her. The tall, pall blond boy – most of the student body knew him as Lucius Malfoy – towering over her, his arms crossed over his chest and a permanent scowl on his lips. Narcissa and Bellatrix Black were on either side of him and for a moment Rose thought that Lucius and Narcissa looked like the 'perfect' couple before she noticed tall, dark and absorbing and lip-licker as well as the 'scare-crow' boy – or as most of the Slytherin house knew him as Walden – Waldo - McNair – and two other boy's one really tall, the other really fat but both looking the part of the idiotic henchmen.
"Hello Miss Ashmore, as you're probably well aware I am Lucius Malfoy. My associates and I just wanted to have a word with you if you would kindly step aside with us." Lucius sneered, his aristocratic nose pointed high in the air as he looked down it at her. Rose stood up quickly on the step her feet had been resting on, she was standing at least three steps higher than Lucius and she was barely on eye level with him.
"And what if I don't want to step aside with you and your associates," Rose put as much venom into the word 'associate' as possible. She had the sense that these Death Eater Wannabe's were trouble but she wasn't going to just allow them to bully her around.
"Well then I would hate if that happened but I would have to resort to force," Lucius sneered again. He knew that anyone and everyone was underneath him, including all of the Dark Lord's other followers. Lucius was the biggest supporter of his Lord's cause and if this girl had proven to be a Mudblood he would have been seen making her know her place in this terrifying and terrific world.
"Why exactly can't we have this little discussion out here?" Rose asked her lips curling up into a sneer to bet her mother's; she wasn't going to back down. Not to a cocky, arrogant, stuck up, aristocratic jerk like Malfoy.
"The halls of Hogwarts are not only filled with eyes and ears of flesh but of art as well," Lestrange replied stepping up beside Bellatrix. Rose chanced a quick look at the mysterious boy and she was reminded why she had looked away before. It was as if his eyes were trying to draw her in and completely absorb her into him. They weren't worried that other students would hear them but that the portraits of Hogwarts would.
Rose could sense someone approaching and she hoped against hope that it was Severus but Rose could not afford to reach out to him at that moment. She had – after all – Lucius almost a breath away from her. She had to only distract them for a minute more but who could she distract easily enough without getting the others angry. The fat duo, Lip-licker, or Scarecrow boy? All four of these boys made her shiver in repulsion. She could hear footsteps approaching and she stopped the squeal of joy escaping her when the wannabe Death Eaters turned around to see who was quickly approaching them. It seemed as if they all held their breath in anticipation for the on-comer.
Severus could hear a commotion up ahead. Lucius and his associates had left before Severus had the chance to and he hoped that they had not gone after Rose but knowing all the rotten luck that she had, that they most likely had left the great hall in search for her.
Severus urged his feet on faster. He knew by know that Lucius and his associates would have turned away from Rose, their whole attention on the "on-comer" being himself and that they were awaiting to see if it were friend or foe, but even though they automatically sorted Severus into the friend category - simply because he was a Slytherin - Severus had no intention of helping them hurt Rose. However Severus knew that he wouldn't win in a fight if there was more than two of them and Severus had seen the large group of eight leave together and there was no way for him to fight eight of them by himself. The only way Severus could save Rose was if he used his cunning and brains to overpower his housemates; it's a lucky thing he had plenty of both!
The footsteps were quickly approaching the corner and it felt as if the few seconds that it took for the on-comer to round the corner seemed as if they went on forever but at last the on-comer rounded the corner, at first it was a single black boot underneath the Hogwarts student trousers and then a leg, and then half of the body and a single strand of greasy black hair but it was enough for Rose to know that the man of the hour had arrived.
"Ah Severus, we were simply getting to know Miss Ashmore a little bit better. She's been very evasive of us since the start of the semester. Miss Ashmore I would like you to meet Severus Snape another associate of mine." Lucius sneered once Severus had finally turned the corner and was now standing beside Lucius. There was a dark look in Severus's onyx eyes, a look that clearly told Rose to keep quiet.
"She knows who I am Lucius. I've had a small discussion with her earlier on in the week. She has kindly agreed to meet with me tonight, so that I could continue to inform her of our alliances. By the end of tonight hopefully she will know the difference between right and wrong." Severus replied his voice cool and calculated but Rose could feel the tension tolling off of his body in waves, and his fear rolling between their minds like the soft lapping of water on the shore.
"I see," Lucius sneered, his grey eyes drifted to Rose for a moment and she refused to shiver in horror from the lustful look in his eyes before he walked away motioning for the others to follow him.
Severus didn't say anything as he pulled Rose up the staircases until they reached the top of one of the four towers of Hogwarts. Severus closed the door behind them and locked it before he walked over to Rose his large, man hands resting upon her shoulders squeezing lightly. "Are you okay?" Severus asked, his concern burning through his deep baritone voice and simmering deeply within his eyes.
"I'm fine Sev, just fine. Are you okay?" Rose asked her own concern obvious even though there was a slightly curve to the left-hand side of her lips.
"I'm fine, I was a bit worried that I was going to be too late but your fine, they didn't do anything." Severus said murmuring to himself moving away from Rose and towards the little balcony. Rose chuckled softly, Severus's behaviour was endearing and Rose was grateful that Severus was open and free with her rather than being closed off; like he was to the rest of the world. Rose slowly made her way over to Severus, who was resting his arms against the balcony ledge, his head in his hands.
"Let's just forget about those Death Eater Wannabes Sev. What did you want to do tonight?" Rose asked as she placed her hands against his shoulders. She could feel the tension in his shoulders and slowly she started to knead the knots out. Severus's groan of pleasure encouraged Rose on to continue kneading out the knots.
"I keep thinking that she's going to turn away from him, every time I see Potter making a move on her but she doesn't." Severus murmured as Rose continued to knead out the knots in his shoulders. He couldn't look at her, he didn't want her to see how weak he was but he needed to talk to someone. There was no-one else who would listen to him.
"Lily's chosen James, Severus. Besides if she can't forgive you for your mistake then she doesn't deserve you." Rose replied, the words were harsh and cutting but they were true and he needed to hear them. Yes, he made a mistake by calling Lily a 'mudblood' but if Lily couldn't find it in herself to forgive him – her supposedly best friend – then Lily didn't deserve him.
Rose continued to massage Severus's shoulders in silence until she could feel all of the knots had disappeared from his shoulders. Rose moved from where she was standing so that she could lean on the balcony beside Severus. One look at Severus's defeated face and Rose knew that she had gone too far.
"I'm sorry Sev," Rose said softly, at this Severus looked up at Rose. She could see the pain deep in his eyes, the hopelessness he felt, and the crushing weight of losing Lily. "You love her, don't you?" Rose asked softly and Severus quickly looked down in defeat.
"Yes," Severus replied, his deep baritone was broken and the pain was clear in his voice. Rose reached out for him and held his hand as Severus moved to rest his head on her shoulder. Rose looked up into the night sky, the full moon was a night away and she couldn't help but think of Ethan and their pack. They would be suffering tomorrow night and there was nothing here for Ethan to have any comfort unlike America, where she knew the rest of the pack would have at least some comfort during their night of suffering.
Remus, Sirius, James, Peter and Frank had quickly left after Rose had left the great hall. Now the five boys sat around in their dorm room, Remus on the end of his bed, James and Sirius on Sirius's bed and Peter and Frank on James's bed.
"Rose is very pretty, isn't she Remus?" Frank said getting the interrogation rolling. James, Sirius and Frank had been quiet observant of Remus and Rose and of how much time they had been spending together. They had decided that they needed to have a little chat with Remus after they had caught Remus watching Rose pulling off of her shorts before when they had gone down to the lake. They had also caught him watching the girl dry off, her large tee-shirt discarded as she dried her body.
"Yes," Remus growled not understanding where his friends were going with this but not liking it at all either. Remus could feel Moony stirring and it made the boy restless.
"I reckon she could be very naughty if you gave her a reason too, if you know what I mean." Sirius smirked, giving James a nudge in the ribs. Everyone knew that James was infatuated with Lily, what they didn't know was that he too had had a crush on Rose when they were younger and for a moment James was about to get defensive over the girl before he remembered why they were doing this. To get Remus to spill the beans over whether or not he had feelings for Rose and if anything had happened between them. However James didn't need to get defensive as Remus had already jumped to the chase.
"No, don't speak about Rose like that. She's as innocent as they come." Remus growled as he jumped to his feet. Quickly crossing the small space and roughly grabbing the front of Sirius's white shirt.
"Hey, Hey calm down Moony. All we want to know is if anything's happened between you and Rose." James quickly said getting up and pulling Remus away from Sirius as he noticed how quickly this was getting out of hand.
Remus sat down dejectedly. Had anything happened between him and Rose? Not really, although he had tried to kiss her. She didn't reject him completely but she hadn't welcomed his touch either. "No, nothing's happened; although I did try to kiss her. And before you ask, yes I think she's the one." Remus said looking up directly into James's eyes. It was as if a silent conversation passed between the two boys and within seconds the conversation was over and James was smiling brightly which lifted Remus's hope up.
"I'll be happy if she chose you Remus, you deserve someone who'll love you for all of you." James said as he sat back down. James caught a glimpse of the moon from the corner of his eye and he knew that they had one more thing to discuss; how they were going to keep Rose oblivious to the fact that Remus was a werewolf.
Ethan Cox sat at the desk in the Defence against the Dark Art's teacher's office as he marked the third year's papers. He could feel the effects of the moon bearing down upon him, it was tomorrow night after all and although he knew that Mister Lupin may not be prepared for it, Ethan was! In Ethan's seventh year for his "Werewolves 107: An Advance guide to preparing one's self to the full moon" (A class for all the werewolves in his seventh year) Ethan had to create anything to hinder the effects of the full moon as their major project. A lot of the other student's tried to create potions, or spells or charms to hinder the effects and a few tried to create physical objects to hinder the effects as well; Ethan was one of these few, one out of eight to be exact. He had created a physical cage; the metal was infused with wolf's bane a plant that burned a werewolf. The cage was portable and could fold in on itself with a simple charm but could also be strengthened with another charm. The only thing necessary was for the werewolf to be locked in with another charm. Once the werewolf was inside of the cage, he (or she) couldn't be removed until the sun had risen.
Ethan sighed deeply putting down the last essay he had just finished marking and picked up the letter that Hathaway had sent to him. It was pretty much a catch up letter but Hathaway had said something interesting; that he was working with Whitman (a boy quiet similar to the Snape child, at least in his extraordinary abilities with potions, that had been in their year) on a potion to hinder the effects of the full moon on a werewolf. He explained that the potion was to allow the man to keep his mind – something that Ethan and his pack had wished for desperately during their years at W.I.C.C.A, so much so that they had asked Rose for help – and sanity while the man suffered through the night of the full moon. It was quiet an impressive feat if they could achieve their goal. Ethan smiled slightly, he knew with Whitman and Hathaway on the job that they would succeeded in their goal no matter the obstacles. Ethan only hoped that it wouldn't take them too long; he hated the night of the full moon and the easiness that he could hurt someone else and he wondered how Mister Lupin felt about it as he moved over to the window looking out to the object which was the bane of his existence; the moon.
A/N: So what did you guys think of this chapter? Loved it, Hated it? Want to Squeal or Scream? Or do you want to bash your head against the desk as you cry out "why?" I want to know! SO please review. This week's title was inspired by the lyrics "Angel's should never touch ground" if you can tell me who the artist is and what the song is called you get an extra long preview. If you review you still get a preview. And yes at this point Severus is STILL in Love with Lily, and it will be A WHILE before those feelings subside and give way for love of another ^.^