The seasons changed very quickly from fall to winter. Rosie woke up a few weeks after her embarrassing talk with Moony, the first day of winter break to be exact, to find that she had indeed gotten her period.

Rushing down to the defense office, she didn't even wait until he was awake to tell him. Instead, Rosie burst into his chambers and woke him up. It was not as embarrassing talking about girl stuff with Moony as is was with Severus.

There had been problems between the potions professor and Rose for the past few weeks. The problems stemmed from the overwhelming game of secret keeping that she was playing.

She had been pulling away from Severus scared that he would read her thoughts. It was also due in part to the fact that Rosie had been using sex to quell her anxiety more and more often now, which cut out the necessity to have Severus around as much.

The biggest problem was though was that she missed him. It was sometimes difficult for her to think of excuses to go down and visit when she was mostly controlling her negative symptoms on her own.

Cedric had been only too happy to oblige Rose's crazy whims, but the pair had never progressed beyond the physical realm of a relationship. The sex had become better.

Rosie would say that the first time together was not a good indicator of either of their sexual abilities. She had begun to enjoy it enough so that the only negative part was the soul crushing shame that she felt in hiding it.

The outbursts had lessoned significantly.

If Severus had noticed the distance that she'd been keeping, he did not mention it. Cedric had gone home for the winter break and so had all of her friends aside from Neville. This was kind of nice because she didn't really get to spent a lot of time with Neville personally so, she was looking forward to getting to know him better.

Moony had promised to take Rosie Christmas shopping on the first day of the winter holidays in Diagon Alley. This meant that after she had happily informed him of the arrival of her period, she had to quickly rush back to Gryffindor tower to get ready.

Pulling on a pair of flattering dark blue robes that Severus had helped her pick out last summer, she pulled her hair up into a quick twist and looked in the mirror.

It was amazing how she had changed in the span of one year. Her breasts had grown, she was taller, and she generally just looked more mature than she ever had before.

Unfortunately, the only mature part about her personality was the persistent sexual prowess. The rest of her had remained one hundred percent little girl.

Rosie debated popping in to see Severus before she left on her trip to the Alley with Moony but she reasoned that it would be better to go after they got back. There would be more to talk about.

She and Moony walked to the school gates. Once they were past the gates, he apparated them to The Leaky Cauldron. Rosie still did not like to apparate.

"Would you like a butterbeer?" Moony asked her with a smile. She agreed and they sat for a moment in the pub.

"Moony, do you think my mom would have approved of me spending so much time with Severus even though they ended their friendship badly?" She asked.

"Of course, she would. Severus was a very dear friend to her. I think she would probably be angrier if he didn't take care of you."

"My dad wouldn't approve though right?"

"No. I can say for certain that he would not." Moony chuckled.

"He would forgive me though. Severus said once that there was probably very little that I could do that James Potter would not forgive me for." She mimicked her professor's drawl.

"You know love, I haven't seen you spend a lot of time with Severus these past few weeks. Why is that?"

"I'm kind of… scared of him right now." Rosie frowned.

"Did something happen?" Moony looked concerned.

"I don't want him to look in my mind and see… what I've been doing." She wrung her hands together.

"Ah." Moony sighed. "I wonder my dear if it wouldn't be better to just tell him? You know, the way he encouraged you to tell me about last year?"

"I can't Moony, he would be so disgusted with me."

"I can't imagine that he would. The more likely situation is that he would be disgusted with me Rose, but please do not let that stop you. Regrettably, it has always been so."

"No, you don't understand. Once he told me that the consequence to behaving that way when you are young is that you will have to admit to your future partner that you did not wait for them."

"Why on earth would he say that?"

"He felt pretty bad after I think because I was sad about, you know, the bad stuff, he told me that he had been wrong… but I don't know if I believe him."

"He must have just had a lapse in judgement Sweetie. You should really talk to him. I'd hate to see you two drift apart."

"Really? Even though he hates you."

"He doesn't hate you, and your contentedness is much more important than my own." He replied earnestly.

The pair strolled along the Alley for a while picking out Christmas gifts. She had gotten Hermione a set of nice Witches' robes. She didn't have any yet. For Ginny, she had gotten a pair of quidditch gloves and a muggle dictionary.

Ron would receive a book about quidditch and an assortment of treats. The rest of her friends and peers got small token gifts. Rose briefly thought about buying something more for Cedric but changed her mind.

They were not dating.

When she finished the majority of her shopping, Moony suggested that they head to the bookstore. Rosie knew that he had an affinity for books, not unlike Hermione. They arrived at Flourish and Blotts laughing, their arms linked. She felt lucky to have Moony.

The bell tinkled as the pair entered the shop and immediately, Rosie's contentedness disappeared. Her blood ran cold. The shop was not very large and to her right, a large banner was tacked onto the wall next to a stage, it read,

Book signing with Gilderoy Lockhart.

She stood frozen staring at the figure on the stage surrounded by reporters. His eyes made contact with hers that instant and something feral flashed behind them.

At that point, Moony began to worry. He shook her lightly to try and rouse from the stupor in which she'd fallen. From the stage, Lockhart grinned and before Rosie was prepared, he strode over to her.

She could not move; her body was frozen.

"Why if it isn't the beautiful Rosie Potter." His words cut her like knives.

He took Rosie's hand in his and gently pulled her over towards the stage. Rose followed him without question. Her mind was already too far gone.

Moony shot them a puzzled look but did not move to stop her.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present Rose Potter, the Girl Who Lived. I had the pleasure of teaching Miss Potter last year. I'm sure you can all see why she quickly became one of my favorite defense students." He boasted pulling her into his side and caressing her face.

Cameras flashed. Rosie's mind was blank, her body was numb. She couldn't scream. As soon as Lockhart finished, Rosie peered over at Moony with pleading eyes full of fear.

It was at that same moment that realization dawned on his face.

Finally, Lockhart let Rosie go. She stumbled back over towards Moony who caught her expertly in his arms. Her eyes were fixed on a blank spot on the wall behind them.

Unresponsive, Moony encouraged her to walk with him outside. Rosie was grateful but the gratefulness was masked by impending hysteria. The only person in the world that she wanted to see… that she needed to see in that moment was Severus.

He would know what to do. He always did. Severus fixed everything. Instinctively, Moony seemed to know that. He gripped her tightly and apparated them to the Hogwarts gate, creating his patronus, and sending it off to carry a message.

If Rosie had been coherent in this moment, she would have been curious as to how he did it.

The dementors at the gate circled the pair and Rosie felt the urge to vomit. It felt like forever before she noticed the large black clad figure rushing towards them at the gate.

"What happened?" He demanded fiercely, his glare fixed on Moony.

"Rosie had an encounter with her previous defense professor in Diagon Alley." Moony stated calmly, still supporting her weight.

She could feel Severus try to meet her gaze, but she stared right through him. Reaching forward to bring her close, Severus closed his hands around her shoulders like he had when they'd viewed the memories together. He did not say anything. Instead, she allowed him to guide her into the castle.

Moony followed them, his face wrought with concern.

As they entered the potions office, Severus encouraged her to sit down on the couch. He took the spot beside her and Moony sat on the desk. Still, Rosie did not speak. She did not make eye contact, and she did not move.

Her body was rigid and hers eyes wide with the echoes of shock that still coursed through her veins.

"Rose." Severus tried.

She ignored him. Her mouth too frozen to form words. Lockhart had touched her. He had put his hands on her, crushed her against him in hug… caressed her face, like he hadn't been the one to destroy her.

Rosie knew that Severus was going to induce her panic. He was the one who had first tested the idea, he had taught it to Moony. She knew that there was no way to avoid it, but still her body resisted.

Rosie was powerless to stop the wave of emotional turmoil that was beginning to set over her. Bile rose in her throat and she leaned forward putting her head in her hands. Groaning loudly, her hands curled around her hair. She winced from the pain but did not stop.

Severus reached forward with a swift motion and pried her hands out of her hair. This was how it started. Feeling the magical recoil, Rosie resisted.

Her body arched away from his and the tension began to build. There was something different this time… more intense. The ball of anxiety in her chest grew and grew until it was all consuming.

When it felt as though her heart might burst from her rib cage, Rosie's mind lost touch with the world and she exploded. Magic surged out of her in all directions like a tidal wave of energy. The wave was brief but powerful and it left her drained of all the tension that she had been carrying.

With her sensory ability now restored, Rosie opened her eyes.

Severus was slumped against the wall by the office door clutching at his head. Moony had been pushed back off of the desk and was in the process of righting himself.

The desk itself had gone flying into the wall, breaking one of the legs and spilling its contents onto the floor. Practically the only things that remained untouched by the outburst included herself and the couch.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She began to sob.

Almost on command, Severus rejoined her on the couch, his face still contorted in pain from the impact.

"Rose. Control your emotions." He commanded stiffly taking her arms in his hands.

Moony stirred and began to get up from across the room.

"He touched me." Rosie choked out. "Like it was nothing, like he didn't even remember."

"He remembered." Severus assured her, his eyes flashing.

"Rose, I'm so sorry I didn't realize that he was the one…" Moony started.

"Shut up Wolf." Her potions master interrupted.

"Breathe child. Breathe deeply. Tell me. Where would you find a bezoar if you were creating an antidote to poison?"

Rosie gazed up at him strangely, but said, "In the stomach of a goat."

"Good. Now how about Angelwood? Where does it grow?"

"Under soft moss in forests that have high snail populations."

"How about Grimmwood?"

"It is a product of beetle infested pine trees."

"Excellent. Now one more. What is the first ingredient in the Wolfsbane potion?"

"Aconite" Rosie replied, her voice evening out and her panic receding.

"How do you feel?" He asked pointedly.

"A bit better." She sighed and rested her head on him. Moony was watching them intently.

"Tell me what happened."

She took another deep breath. "He was at the book store."

"Who?" Severus asked raising his eyebrow.

"Lockhart." Rosie glared.

"What happened when you entered the store?"

"I froze. He saw me right away and pulled me onto the stage. He held me against him, said I was his best defense student." Her eyes began to prick with tears again.

"Ok. You were very brave today." Her professor sighed.

"I don't want to do this anymore." She breathed, her voice desperate. "I don't want to have outbursts, I just want to be in control, I want to have normal feelings."

"I know child, but this is only natural. Besides, you have not had an outburst in weeks. You are doing very well."

"I'm not." She cried, face flushing.

"Rose, I would hardly call one outburst a month a failure." He said seriously, his eyes firm.

"No! You don't understand Severus. I have been stopping them." Rosie confessed hiding her face, which was now red with shame.

"What do you mean stopping them?" He drawled. His tone grew colder.

Moony got up from where he was perched on the desk and came to sit by her other side. He took her hand and began to rub circles over it.

"Lupin, what is she talking about?" Severus demanded as Rosie hid her face further.

"I… Severus… Rose has been seeking out… other forms of emotional release." Moony said slowly.

Rosie couldn't help herself, she looked up to see Severus' reaction.

"What kind of emotional release?" His voice was dangerously low now.

Her stomach curled. She could not speak the words.

Moony must had realized that her tongue was tied. "Severus, please do not become cross with Rose. This reaction seems very normal in her situation."

"Don't tell me how to react." He barked. "What have you done girl?"

Rosie looked to Moony pleading him to continue for her. Severus saw the exchange and glared. He too turned to Moony and slipped into the same threatening tone once again, "What am I not aware of?"

Moony sighed. "Rose has been finding great comfort in regular sexual encounters over the past several weeks."

Severus' eyes widened and he turned away from Moony staring at her once again. His piercing eyes met hers and his mouth opened in surprise.

"You. What?" He asked slowly, his voice every bit as menacing as before.

"Severus…" She tried, but her cut her off.

"You have been trying to quell your anxiety over the sexual abuse that you suffered by having more sex?" Disbelief was evident now in her professor's voice.

"I…yes." Rosie lowered her eyes.

"Good god. With who?" Suddenly, his eyes flashed and he turned to Moony.

"You haven't been…?" Severus started, rage evident in his tone.

"Merlin Severus no! Never. I would never." The man replied holding up his hands.

"Who was it Rose?" Severus asked again. Rosie felt nervous to tell him. She didn't want Cedric to get in trouble.

"Severus please don't be cross with him. Be cross with me, but not him."

"Tell me."

"C…Cedric Diggory." She stuttered. Her face flushed scarlet once again.

Severus was silent for a moment, expressionless. "You have been having sex with fifth year, sixteen-year-old Hufflepuff prefect Cedric Diggory?"

Rosie just nodded. Her head hung in shame. Moony's hand was still on hers. He squeezed it lightly. Severus stood up abruptly. He turned around and with his entire body weight, smashed his clenched fist into the desk.

A crack formed where he had hit. Rosie shrieked and Moony flinched.

"I try so hard with you Rose. I have tried to steer you in the right direction. I have worked hard to earn your trust. Countless times I have shown you that your wellbeing is my only concern. Now, I find out that all of that is nothing to you, that I do not even posses enough of your confidence, enough of your respect for you to confide such a major decision to."

"Severus I'm so sorry! Please, I was scared to tell you. I didn't want you to think less of me." Rosie whimpered.

Severus put his head in his hands briefly, then he looked up at her again. "Go into my chambers and wait for me there. I want to have a word with your pet wolf. Alone."

Rosie scampered away not wanting to test his patience anymore and closed the door to Severus' chambers unceremoniously.

Remus was left alone with Snape. The man towered over him from where he sat on the couch, but he was not intimidated. This was still Severus Snape. It would take more than a demonstration of rage for Remus to be frightened of his childhood enemy.

"Severus. Was that really necessary?"

"You. You dunderhead. Do you really think that you have the right to just waltz in here and take over the situation like you have any idea how to deal with it? Do you really believe that you know the child well enough to make decisions for her? To conceal her decisions from me…"

"You must understand that Rose, she was horrified at the thought of you knowing. She said it helped. I taught her the contraception charm. I thought it was harmless."

"You encouraged her?" Severus spat.

"I helped her protect herself." He replied smoothly.

"What have I done to her to make her so frightened?" The man growled slamming his fist into the desk again.

"Forgive me Severus, but I don't think it has so much to do with what you've done. I think it is who you are to her."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You are practically her father Snape. That is how she sees you. Can you think of any little girl who would willingly discuss her sex life with her father?"

"I am not her father. Potter is her father." He hissed.

"James was her father yes, but you've taken over that role in her life. Maybe if things had been different, if Sirius didn't do what he did… If I had fought for her… it would not be so, but Snape, that is how she sees you."

The man recoiled, but continued to glare at Remus for longer than needed.

"Get out of my sight." He spat again and turned toward the door to his chambers.

He shook his head and made a motion to leave praying that he let the poor girl off easy. Remus could not imagine how she must be feeling in that moment.