Chapter 29

Rose sat staring at her soup while Neville chatted her ear off. He was telling her all about Professor Lupin and how much he had already learned even though he was bad at spells. It had been a few weeks since the boggart and Rose had heard all about Snape being dressed in Neville's grandmother´s clothes. Rose still couldn't forget what Lupin had told her, that her parents were dead. Rose ran her hand through her hair stopping Neville from the throws of his passionate one sided conversation with her. ¨What's wrong, Rose,¨he asked.

¨Nothing,¨Rose mumbled.

¨Please you only run your hand through your hair when you're upset or super stressed,¨Neville pointed out. ¨Is it Malfoy again?¨

¨No, and besides I´ve forgiven Malfoy and he hasn't done anything extremely stupid since the hippogriff,¨Rose said rubbing the arm that had been injured. Madam Pomfrey had taken off her bandages but Rose´s arm was still stiffer than it use to be. Rose had the scars too, Madam Pomfrey had asked her whether or not she wanted them but Rose insisted on keeping them.

Rose looked around but barely anyone was in the Great Hall for lunch except Malfoy and her other Slytherin peers. ¨My parents are dead,¨Rose told him.

¨What? How? Are you ok,¨Neville asked. So she explained the dementor attack on her, to the boggart, then to what Lupin had told her about her parents. Neville listened intently not missing a thing. He knew his best friend had been in an orphanage and she had explained to him what happened over the summer but this was different. Neville felt sorry for her that she would never get to know what her own parents looked like or how much they loved her.

The next few weeks went by quickly. Potions had wasn't hard but she was now tutoring Neville. Rose had become Professor Trelawney´s favorite student in a matter of lessons. On the flip side Care of Magical Creatures had become dull since all they have been doing is looking at Flobberworms. Rose would sometimes visit Hagrid and Buckbeak when she had the time.

Rose was ready though for the quidditch season to start. She was ready for something fast paced and exciting to distract her. So on the first Quidditch practice Flint stood in front of them. ¨Now this year we are not going to lose to Gryffindor. I have set up some brutal tactics to memorize which is basically hit anything out of Rose and Draco's way when they are in action.¨ They headed out to the field and Rose began passing with one of her teammates until Flint had them work on scoring on the three rings on Miles Bletchley´s replacement. She got the quaffle past him everytime, but by the end of practice her arm began to hurt.

That evening Rose just went straight up to bed to do her homework. She listened to Pansy Parkinson and the rest of the girls talk about Hogsmeade on the thirtieth of October. Rose just burrowed under the covers and fell asleep.

On that fateful day of Halloween, Rose watched from the owlery as Draco walked away from the castle with his promise of Zonko nick nacks and Honeydukes sweets looming over him. Rose walked out of the owlery after sending a letter to Miss Flora and walked down to Professor Lupin's office to get more answers. When she got there Harry was leaving. ¨He has work to do,¨he explained.

¨Oh so you won't mind if I walk with you then,¨Rose asked and Harry shook his head. ¨How has school been for you this year?¨

¨Alright, DADA is the best, and quidditch has finally started,¨Harry answered.

¨Ya Flint is awful during the beginning of the season,¨Rose complained.

¨Aren't you the only girl on the team?¨ Harry asked.

¨Ya and I hate to brag but I´m the best too since Malfoy has butter fingers,¨Rose joked and Harry laughed.

¨Ya he does,¨Harry agrees. ¨Why are you friends with him anyways?¨

¨He nice to me,¨Rose answered looking down at her feet.

¨You fancy him,¨Harry states with a sly tone to his voice.

¨I do not,¨ she protested running her fingers through her hair. ¨So change of subject, any new adventures come up yet this year? Any mystery that I can be apart of?¨

¨Nothing really except Professor Trelawny predicting that I will die,¨he said.

¨Last year it was Marcus Flint, but honestly I purposely tried to kill his when he had me try to be beater,¨ she admits. ¨The stupid bluger missed.¨ Harry laughed.

¨So why aren't you at Hogsmeade,¨Harry asked. Rose was quiet. ¨My uncle wouldn't sign the form.¨

¨My guardian wouldn't either,¨Rose told him, she cringed at her words. It wasn't that Miss Flora wouldn't, she just couldn´t.

¨What about your parents,¨Harry asked.

¨Dead,¨she answered.

¨Mine too,¨Harry said and Rose ran her hand through her hair.

¨Well they should be getting back and Draco promised me Honeydukes sweets,¨Rose said.

¨Ya Hermione and Ron should be back soon,¨Harry told her. They both went their separate ways.

¨Man Rose, I wish you could have been there,¨Draco said. They were sitting in the Slytherin common room at a table by one of the windows. Rose was eating a chocolate frog from the bulging bag of sweets. ¨Everything was so busy and the shrieking shack was so cool and eerie.¨

¨Isn't it the most haunted building in Britain?¨ Rose asked.

¨Ya and I swore I heard a shriek,¨Draco insisted.

¨Cḿon you walking hyperbole, let's get up to the feast,¨Rose lightly teased.

The feast was a normal feast, pumpkins floating around the ceiling, Blaise and Draco ganging up on Rose about her being a vegetarian, then the small chatter of the walk back to common room. Back at the common room all the Slytherins were in their pajamas when Snape gathered their attention.

¨You are all wanted back in the Great Hall and you shall stay there until further notice,¨Snape told the common room. So Rose confused and sleepy tied her hair in an extremely messy bun before following the rest, and falling into to step next to Draco. In the Great Hall Professor Dumbledore's eyes fell on her before flicking away after a few moments.

¨The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the school,¨Dumbledore explained and the doors behind us shut. ¨I´m afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want prefects to to stand guards at the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbances should be repeated to me immediately,¨Dumbledore exclaimed to the whole school. He was about to walk away before he stated,¨ Oh, yes, you will be needing...¨ with a flick of his wand purple fluffy sleeping bags appeared on the floor.

¨Everyone into their sleeping bags,¨Percy barked. ¨Come on now, no more talking. Lights out in ten!¨

¨Do you think it´s Black,¨Draco whispered to Rose.

¨No idea, I hope not,¨Rose whispered back. ¨I'm too tired to talk about it now.¨ Rose was asleep when her head hit the pillow.

Draco looked at her with some of her red hair covering her face. He sighed and laid down to her in the next sleeping bag. He was just about to doze off when he heard Rose´s name being uttered above him. Draco clenched his eyes shut and listened. ¨What about Rose Evans?¨"Professor Flitwick asked Nearly Headless Nick.

¨She is still unaware that Sirius Black is after her but Dumbledore says she should know,¨ Nearly Headless Nick replied.

¨Good, good. She needs to have her guard up, we can't have another sweet girl be murdered in the hands of sympathizer,¨Flitwick said.

Draco looked over at Rose who let out a small snore. She looked beautiful and right there he made a vow that would change his life forever. That he would never let anyone harm her and that he would protect her no matter what.