Disclaimer: This story was made without any intention of profiting from it. Only the original characters and the plot are mine. The rest of it belongs to JKR.
A/N: Here's the next one. Sorry for the delay but I was out of town last weekend and was busy for the last week. I hope you like this. Please review.
Chapter 54: Rose's recovery
Three days after she had escaped from Malfoy Manor and been brought to Hogwarts by Dobby the house-elf, Rose was still in the Hospital Wing, recovering from her injuries and lack of sleep and receiving several potions during the day to help her recover. Even when she was getting the potions, she was groggy and barely aware of her surroundings.
James and Lily remained constantly by her side except for meals and a quick shower. James had not even gone into the Ministry for work, leaving the Ministry in the capable hands of his deputy, Arthur Weasley. His daughter was more important than his job.
Harry and the others came as often as they could, before going to the Great Hall for breakfast, in between breaks and in the evenings after dinner, often staying until a few minute before curfew, especially Neville. James and Lily had allowed the boy to sit on the bed beside Rose, holding her hand. They knew that Neville blamed himself for the kidnapping since he had left Rose with the imposter Ti but left him alone. They knew Rose would straighten him out once she was better.
James watched Rose sleep that third night as he looked back at the time she had been missing. That week had been one of the most stressful in his life, just like all the times Harry had been on one of his 'adventures', especially since they hadn't known how she had been kidnapped.
The conversation overheard by Blaise Zabini between Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy had given them unexpected information. James couldn't believe that Wormtail had been the one to take Rose from Nott since three years ago Dolores Umbridge had told him that his traitorous friend had been kissed by a Dementor in Azkaban after his recapture following his attempted kidnapping of Ginny Weasley. James had immediately ordered Sirius to investigate the matter.
With great glee, Sirius had Umbridge brought in for questioning and managed to make her confess that the Kissing of Wormtail had been a fabrication. The truth that came out was that someone had removed the anti-Animagus charm placed on Wormtail just after he arrived in Azkaban, thinking that he was still stunned but Wormtail had just pretended to be unconscious and had taken the opportunity to immediately transform and escape. Because of the scandal and embarrassment it would cause to the Ministry, Fudge had ordered the whole matter covered up with the Dementor's Kiss story. James cursed himself for not insisting on seeing the body of Peter after getting the news from Umbridge. One good thing that had come out of their new discovery was that Umbridge had been arrested for the cover-up and an arrest order was out for Fudge who had ordered it in the first place.
As for Theodore Nott, he had been expelled from Hogwarts for what he did and was now in a cell in the lowest level of the Ministry. He had turned seventeen in December so it was perfectly legal to interrogate him under Veritaserum. That corroborated the information gained from the Pensieve memory of Blaise Zabini. In addition, they learned that Nott had received his instruction to kidnap Rose around a month before from his father who had received it from Voldemort. It seemed that Voldemort had become impatient with Draco's lack of progress in his assignment to kidnap Rose and reassigned the mission to Nott Sr. and his son without telling anyone else, most of all not Lucius or Draco.
James would gladly bet his family's entire vault that Lucius had not been happy to learn that someone else had succeeded in a task given initially to his son. He didn't want to be Draco when the two next met not that he'd give them the chance to do so. In addition, James now wondered what would happen to the Death Eaters at Malfoy Manor once Voldemort found out that Rose had managed to escape. It wouldn't be pretty and the thought of it caused James to grin. The bastards deserved any amount of pain their lord gave them.
There was also the problem of Draco. Based on the memory, it was clear that he was still working for his father and Voldemort. It made him dangerous to be at Hogwarts though he had not yet committed a crime. James had to come up a reason to take him to the Ministry. He decided that Draco was a witness to Rose's kidnapping due to what was seen in Zabini's Pensieve memory and could be in danger from the Death Eaters. So, over the objections of Snape and Dumbledore, James had Sirius, Tonks and Kingsley take Draco into protective custody at the Ministry. It wasn't a perfect solution but it was the best way to keep Draco from doing any possible harm.
James was startled out of his thoughts by a scream. He looked up to see Lily trying to awaken Rose who was thrashing around in her sleep, obviously in the throes of another nightmare. She had had several already over the past three days but hadn't woken up from them. James rushed to Rose's other side and wrapped his arms around her.
"It's all right, sweetie," James said as he rocked Rose. "You're safe at Hogwarts." His heart clenched to see his little girl in such distress.
"D-Dad?" she asked groggily, "Am I really with you?"
"Yes, Rosie," James said, "You're really here with me and your mum."
Rose embraced him tightly and began crying.
James ran one hand soothingly through her hair while the other rubbed her back. "Shh, it's all right. I'm here. You're safe now." Lily sat down beside them, rubbing Rose's back as well.
After a few more minutes, her tears slowed down and turned to sniffling.
"Do you want to talk about it?" James asked her quietly. He felt her shake her head. "All right, that's okay for now. You just rest now, sweetie." He kissed her on the forehead and laid her back on the bed. She was asleep almost immediately.
James sat back down in his chair with a sigh. He lowered his face into his hands. He felt Lily's arms encircle him. He turned to embrace her as well. They heard the door of the Hospital Wing open. Breaking away from each other, they turned toward the door and found Professor Dumbledore standing there. The Headmaster entered the room and walked up to them.
"Has she awakened yet?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, Albus but only for a few minutes," James said. "She broke down when she realized that she was safe and we were with her."
"So she hasn't said anything about what happened to her?" Dumbledore asked.
James shook his head. "No, Albus. I think it's too recent. She's had a very traumatic experience. I doubt she'd care to remember it."
""I see," Albus said. "James, I think it is imperative we find out what happened to Rose while Voldemort held her."
"No, Albus," James said, "I don't want her to go through whatever that monster did to her. That'll surely happen if we force her to remember that."
"James, we need to find out if Voldemort knows anything about the training Harry, Rose and the others have been going through. We can only find that out if we see exactly what he did to her."
"No, Albus, no," James said, vehemently in a soft voice, trying not to awaken Rose. "I will not have her further traumatized. We will wait until she feels ready to tell us, not a moment sooner."
Dumbledore sighed. "Very well, but I hope it will not be too late then. I'm sorry, James, I truly am, that she had to go suffer. I will ask Severus to try harder to find out what happened but it appears that Tom does not trust him as much as he used to."
"Too bad, Albus," James said. "I don't really trust him either."
"James!" Lily said.
"Oh come on, Lily," James said a little loudly, "I know you've known the git since you were kids but he's always been creepy and fond of the Dark Arts. It wasn't a surprise to me that he became a Death Eater. I still don't know why you think he was legit about turning spy, Albus."
"He had his reasons, James," Dumbledore said. "I trust him to be truthful to me about his role."
"He was my best friend for a long time, James," Lily said. "You know he was the one who told me I was a witch. Even when he was sorted into Slytherin and me into Gryffindor, he remained my friend for several years. You, on the other hand, were an arrogant git who tormented him with your friends because of the way he looked. You're lucky you grew out of that phase or we wouldn't have gotten married."
James sighed. "I'm sorry, Lily. I still don't like him, especially since he called you a Mudblood in Fifth year and never apologized."
"Is that why Snape hates you, Dad?" Rose's voice suddenly piped up.
The three adults turned to see Rose looking up at them from her bed. James and Lily moved to sit down beside her.
"Hey," Lily said, taking hold of her hand, "I thought you were asleep."
"I was, but then I heard Dad's sultry tones," Rose said, smirking at her father.
James felt his cheeks flare hot with embarrassment while his wife glared at him. He took Rose's other hand and said, "I'm sorry for waking you, Rosebud. I was just having a discussion with Albus. Go on back to sleep."
"Dad," Rose whined, "Don't call me that. I'm not four anymore. Actually, I'm not sleepy anymore. So it's true that Professor Snape was a Death Eater. And he was Mum's friend from childhood? Wow, wait 'til Harry and the others hear about this."
"Rose," Dumbledore said, smiling down at her, "I'm sure they will be fascinated. What do you remember about your captivity?"
"Albus," James began to protest but stopped when Dumbledore raised a hand.
Rose's lips began to tremble then she flopped back down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Her voice came out very soft, requiring Dumbledore to lean closer to her.
"I-I woke up in the cell I saw in my vision, chained to the floor and wall. Two Death Eaters came into the cell a few minutes after I woke up and took me to the same living room I saw in the vision. He was waiting there, V-voldemort. He w-wanted me to use my powers to help them, offered me power and wealth, told me to forget my family. I t-told him that family was everything to a Potter."
James felt his heart swell over hearing this. It was one of the most important things his father had taught him.
"He tried to use the Imperius on me. I managed to break out of it t-then he got angry and used the Cruciatus on me." She looked up at Dumbledore and her parents, tears flowing down her cheeks. "It hurt so much, much more than when Bellatrix used it on me in Diagon Alley. I-I passed out and came to in the cell."
"You were gone for more than a week, Rose," Dumbledore said. "Did he use the Cruciatus on you every day?"
Rose nodded her head shakily then started to cry. James felt fury for Voldemort and heart ache for his daughter run through him. He gathered her in his arms and turned to Dumbledore. "That's enough, Albus. She'll start reliving the memories of being under that damned curse. Let her rest some more. You can ask your questions later."
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and saw the scene. "Albus, did you wake that poor girl to interrogate her? I told you to let her rest a few more days. She's suffered terribly. She doesn't need to go through it again so soon." She came up to Rose's bed and started waving her wand over Rose who had fallen asleep again. James lay her back down on the bed.
Dumbledore sighed. "All right, I'm sorry for what she's gone through. I'll be back tomorrow."
Madam Pomfrey stopped what she was doing and glared at Dumbledore. "You may come back to visit, Albus," she said, "But not to interrogate her again. She still has some healing to do. Any agitation can set that back significantly."
"Very well, I will not question her until next week. Is that satisfactory, Poppy, James, Lily?"
James thought it was reasonable though he really didn't want to know anymore about what Rose had been through. If he did, he might want to go out and hunt Voldemort down, not caring that he wouldn't be strong enough to kill the evil wizard. It wasn't what his family needed.
"We'll see, Albus," Lily said. "It will depend on how Rose is doing. I really don't think Voldemort was interested in knowing about Harry's training, not when he wanted Rose for her Seer powers."
"All right then," Dumbledore said. "I'm truly sorry for upsetting her again. Good day."
James watched the Headmaster walk out of the Hospital wing then turned back to watch Madam Pomfrey continue her examination of Rose.
"How is she, Poppy?" he asked once Madam Pomfrey lowered her wand.
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Well, James, she is healed physically so she may get out of here in another day or two. She'll still have some soreness for a few more weeks, maybe a month. However, I want her to avoid any heavy physical activity for that same time period. That includes flying."
James winced. "It's a good thing Gryffindor had its last match already or she'd throw a fit. Then again, she just might."
Madam Pomfrey gave him a small smile. "She's just like her brother, and her father. Between the three of you, I think I've treated Potters more than any other family. I know you have two more children, James. I think I'd better have one of these beds engraved with your family name."
"Oh, funny," James said, "Then you'd better have two since they're twins."
Madam Pomfrey sighed. "With you as their father, I wouldn't be surprised if they'll surpass the Weasley twins in their shenanigans. Well, I'm off to have some dinner. You two should eat when you get the chance. I'll be back later to give Rose her potions for the day."
"All right, Poppy," James said. "We'll have the house elves bring us something later."
He watched the matron head out the door of the Hospital wing then turned around to continue watching Rose. Half an hour later, he heard the door open again. Looking up, he saw Harry, Ginny and Neville at the door. The three teens came up to them and sat down on the bed opposite Rose's.
"How's she doing, Dad?" Harry asked.
"She's a lot better than when she got here," James said. "Poppy said she can get out of her tomorrow or the day after at the latest. However, she'll need to take it easy. No heavy physical activity for a month and that includes flying."
"Oh boy, she won't like that," Neville said.
"That's for sure," Ginny agreed.
"Well that's too bad," Lily said. "She was worse off than she was after the Diagon Alley attack. She's lucky to have managed to escape as it is. So I don't care how much she begs, make sure she doesn't do anything strenuous for the next month."
"Sure, Mum," Harry said. "We'll do that. Um, why don't you and Dad go have some dinner? The three of us will watch her."
James did feel hungry now that he knew Rose had recovered physically. He looked at Lily. "What do you think, Lils?"
Lily looked thoughtful for a few moments before nodding. "Since Rose is much better, why don't we have dinner at the Manor? I'm sure Albus won't mind us using his fireplace to Floo home. I want to check on the twins. We haven't seen them in three days. I know the Grangers are doing their best watching over them but they're still Muggles and can't really control magical babies well. We can also get some more clothes so we can continue staying here."
"Brilliant idea, luv," James said. He turned to Harry. "All right, Harry. We'll be only an hour or two. Just let us know if she awakens or anything happens."
"Sure, Dad," Harry said. "We'll be okay here."
James nodded and got up, extending a hand to Lily and pulled her up from Rose's bed. He turned to Neville. "Go ahead, son. I know you want to sit beside Rose and hold her hand. I don't think she'd mind." He grinned at seeing Neville's cheeks redden before walking off to the door, pulling Lily after him.
Once they were outside the Hospital Wing, Lily pulled away and slapped him on the arm, hard, and whispering to him, "Shame on you, James, embarrassing the poor boy like that. He's not as tactless as you."
"I know. That's exactly why I did it. He's a great kid. I'm glad he's Rose's boyfriend. Hopefully, he's the one for her. I so don't want her to date any guy like I was at their age."
Lily smiled. "I think you have nothing to worry about. The way I've seen them look at each other reminds me of Molly and Arthur. After more than twenty years of marriage, those two act like teenagers around each other."
"And what about us?" James asked. "Do we still act like teenagers around each other?"
Lily's smile widened into a grin as she wrapped his arms around him. "Oh I hope so. I'm still in love with you as much as when we were at school here. In fact, after seeing you stand up to Albus for Rose, I think I've fallen in love with you again."
James lowered his head to Lily's and kissed her hard on the lips. After a few seconds of passionate kissing, he broke away and grinned down at her. "Oh, Lily, I love you so much, just as much as I did when I was eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen and seventeen. Let's go home. Maybe Harry, Ginny and Neville won't mind watching over Rose for a couple more hours."
*******
Rose woke up a couple of hours after Dumbledore had questioned her about her captivity with Voldemort. She felt much better than when she had escaped except for a few sore muscles. The first thing she noticed on regaining consciousness was the large calloused hand gently holding onto one of hers, caressing it.
She thought it was her father's hand since he was the last person sitting on her bed before she fell asleep again. But when she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that it was Neville holding her hand as he sat beside her, all the while reading a book. He hadn't noticed that she was awake.
She looked around and saw that it was still dark outside through the windows of the Hospital Wing. On her other side, Harry was seated in a large squishy armchair with Ginny on his lap, each reading a different book.
Rose yawned then. In an instant, Neville dropped his book and held her hand in both of his. Harry and Ginny jumped out of the armchair and were kneeling beside the bed a second later.
"Rose, you're awake," Neville said, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it. "How do you feel?"
Rose smiled up at him. "A lot better than when I got back I can tell you. How long have I been here?"
"About three days," Ginny answered. "Dobby brought you here Sunday night. It's now Wednesday night, an hour to curfew."
"Where are Mum and Dad?" Rose asked. "They were here the last time I woke up."
"They went home for a quick meal and to see the twins," Harry said. "They've been here since you were brought here, never leaving your side except for a meal and a quick shower. They even brought a bag with a few clothes with them so they could change without leaving Hogwarts."
"I wanted to stay here with them, Rose," Neville said. "We all wanted to wait for you to wake up but everyone else insisted you were in good hands and we had to attend classes."
Rose smiled and reached out to gently caress Neville's cheek to stop his rambling. "Don't worry, Nev. I know you would have. It's all right. I love you."
Her hand moved to the back of his neck and pulled him down so his lips met hers. When he responded to her kiss, she moved her lips and slid her tongue against his lower lip. Neville opened his mouth slightly, allowing her tongue to enter and engage his tongue in a sensual ballet.
She lost all awareness of their surroundings as she continued their passionate snogging. She concentrated on the feelings and pleasure of the moment, wanting them to banish all her memories of her captivity. Without any further thought, she pulled Neville toward her and began running her hands down his back and sides.
A very forceful cough broke through the fog in her mind, letting her know that she and Neville were not alone. She felt a twinge of disappointment as Neville broke the kiss and pulled back. Looking to her other side, she saw Harry and Ginny standing beside them, their faces as red as Ginny's hair.
"I, um, hate to break up your private moment but I don't think Mum and Dad would like to see just what I witnessed," Harry said. "I really didn't have to see that either."
"Then turn around and don't watch," Rose countered, "Or better yet, get out and snog Ginny in a broom closet. I want some time alone with my boyfriend whom I haven't seen in more than a week."
"No way, Rose," Harry said. "There's no way I'm leaving you and Neville alone. I promised Mum and Dad to watch you until they come back."
Rose felt offended and angry at Harry's words. "I'm not a baby, Harry," she growled. "I can take care of myself. In fact, I managed to escape Malfoy Manor all by myself. Ginny, please talk some sense into your husband."
Ginny was saved from answering by the sound of the door opening again. All four teens looked toward the door to see Ron, Hermione, Maggie and Ti come into the Hospital Wing.
At the sight of Ti, Rose felt shock and terror course through her. What's he doing here? Didn't he kidnap me? Why aren't they doing anything to him?
She could feel her heart hammering in her chest as he approached her. She lost all awareness of anything other than Ti who was the last person she was with before waking up in that cell, a person she had not thought would turn a wand on her. As he got nearer, she saw Neville's wand on the bed beside them. Thinking He's not going to get me again, she grabbed the wand and leaped from the bed, pointing the wand at Ti.
She heard someone say "Stupefy!" before she blacked out.
*******
To say that he was shocked by what Rose did was putting it mildly but Harry moved the moment he saw Rose grab Neville's wand and jump off the bed. He jumped up, drawing his wand in the same motion and fired a stunner at Rose. It hit her before she could cast a spell at Ti, to whom she had pointed the wand and she collapsed to the floor.
No one moved for several seconds. Then, getting over his shock, Neville quickly picked Rose up and placed her back in her bed. He took his wand and slipped it back in his sleeve holster. Then they all sat down around Rose's bed.
"What the hell just happened?" Ron asked. "Why did Rose try to attack Ti?"
"I have no idea," Harry said. "We were just talking when you four came in. Then she just went barmy, grabbing Neville's wand and pointing it at Ti. Do you think she's Imperiused?"
"I don't think so," Ginny said. "If she was, wouldn't you be a more probable target for her to attack, not Ti?"
"Merlin, what utter idiots we are," Hermione exclaimed.
"What are you talking about, 'Mione?" Ron asked.
"Think, Ron, who was the last person who was with Rose when she was kidnapped?"
"It was Ti," Maggie answered. "Y-you think she thinks Ti kidnapped her?"
"It would be a logical assumption," Hermione said. "She wouldn't suspect that it was Nott using Polyjuice to look like Ti."
"But I wouldn't do what she thought I did," Ti said, tears starting to form on his eyelids. "I wouldn't try to kidnap her."
Ginny sat beside him and placed her arm around him. "We know, Ti, but I guess that's why it worked so well. Nott knew we'd never think you'd try to kidnap her. That's why Neville was worried leaving her with him. He thought he was you and trusts you. We still trust you, Ti and Rose will again once we explain everything to her."
"I-I hope so," Ti said. "I don't want to lose her as a friend."
"You won't," Ginny said, "We'll explain it to her. She'll realize that you could never have done that to her."
"Maybe Ti shouldn't be here when she wakes up," Ron said. "She might go barmy again."
"Ron!" Hermione said, "We can't make Ti leave."
"No, Hermione," Ti said. "I think its best I'm not here when you explain what happened that day. It's all right. I understand why she tried to hex me. I'll just go back to the common room. I do have some homework to finish." He got up and started walking to the door, his head bowed.
"Wait, Ti," Maggie said, "Do you mind if I go with you? I have some work to do myself."
Ti shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind. Come on."
Harry felt sad for what Ti was going through as he watched Ti and Maggie leave. He couldn't blame Rose for what she did. It was a natural reaction to someone she thought had attacked her.
He turned to talk to Hermione but noticed a small smile on her face as she stared at the door. He turned his mental attention to Ginny to ask her about it and was a bit surprised to feel a bit of joy plus an emotion he couldn't immediately identify coming from her. It felt like a bit of happiness mixed with anticipation and smugness. Her attention was also on the door.
"What's going on, Gin? Why are staring at the door? Is something going on between Ti and Maggie?"
"Not yet, but I hope so."
"Huh? Since when did they fancy each other?"
"Oh, Harry dear, you're such a boy sometimes. Never mind, I'll explain it to you later."
Harry decided to drop the matter and return to the matter at hand. "So, do we wake her up or let her sleep?"
"Um, I think it would be better for us to wake her up and explain everything to her," Hermione said. "I think your parents haven't had time to do that." She waved her wand over Rose and said, "Ennervate."
Almost immediately, Rose awoke and sat upright, looking widely around. After a few seconds, she looked at them. "All right, did someone Stun me? What the hell for? Where's Ti? Where's my wand?"
"Hold on, sis," Harry said, slowly sitting down beside her. "I think you need to get a grip and relax. Whatever you believe, you're safe here. No one in Hogwarts wants to harm you, especially Ti."
"What Harry said is true, Rose," Neville said, gently taking her hand, "You think Ti is connected to your kidnapping, don't you?" When Rose nodded, tears starting to form in her eyes, he said, "In a way, you're right but you're also dead wrong. It wasn't Ti who came up to us that day. It was Theodore Nott Polyjuiced to look like Ti."
"P-Polyjuice?" Rose asked, "Really? How do you know that?"
They explained to her all about what Zabini had overheard between Draco and Nott and how it was confirmed by Nott himself under Veritaserum.
"So Draco was supposed to have been the one to kidnap me but old Moldy got impatient and gave the job to Nott who then got a bit of hair from Ti's comb which Draco had borrowed and then Nott used the hair to take Ti's form and that's who came up to us then Stunned me afte Neville left?" Rose asked. "Wow, that's just too much." She flopped back down on the bed and groaned. "And I almost hexed Ti because of that. Oh Merlin, I owe him a big apology. It's a good thing someone got me first. Just who did that?"
"Er, it was me," Harry said. "I saw you grab Neville's wand and I knew you were going to do something you would greatly regret later. I had to stop you."
"That's fine, Harry," Rose said. "I really would have regretted it once I knew the truth. Hell, I regret it now. Oh Merlin, I almost hexed one of my best friends. What if he doesn't want to forgive me and doesn't want to be my friend anymore?"
Harry chuckled. "I don't think you have anything to be afraid of, Rose. He said just about the same thing before he left. So, I think he'll forgive you."
"Where is he anyway?" Rose asked.
"We felt it best if he wasn't here when you woke up," Ginny said. "We didn't want to risk you trying to hex him again. Don't worry. Maggie's with him."
"Oh?" Rose asked as a grin appeared on her face. "That's good. I'm sure she'll keep him from feeling down. It'll be good for them."
Ron and Neville exchanged puzzled looks. Harry thought he knew what she meant but didn't think it important for his two friends to understand it now. At least someone was with Ti to make sure he was distracted from what had happened.
"Okay, so do you understand now how you were kidnapped, Rose?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah, I got it," Rose said. "So what happened to Nott and Draco?"
"Well, first of all," Ginny said, "After we found out about what Nott did, no one wanted to move against them until you were found. So we decided that we had to prank them to get back at them."
"I had this powder from Fred and George that causes whoever ingests it to undergo a gender change complete with clothes and jewelry," Harry said. "I attached a trigger spell to it so it won't affect anyone else. I then had Dobby put it in the food meant for the Slytherin table. When Draco and Nott came to breakfast last Sunday, I wandlessly cast the trigger spell on them."
"You should have seen them, Rose," Ron said, grinning. "Both grew the largest boobs I've seen and were dressed in the tackiest evening gowns with high heels and gaudy jewelry. It was hilarious. They ran out of the Great Hall with everyone laughing at them."
Rose laughed. "Oh that was a brilliant prank. I wish I could have seen it."
"Don't worry," Neville said. "I think Colin took several photos. You can see them when you get out of here."
"Anyway," Harry said, "It wore off after a couple of hours. Then Sirius and two Aurors came by to arrest Nott during lunch. I'm surprised he stuck around after the prank. I guess he wasn't the one who came up with the plan to kidnap you. They brought him to the Ministry and threw him into one of the cells in the lowest level.
"What about Draco?" Rose asked.
"He's also at Ministry," Harry said. "However, unlike Nott, he's not under arrest. He's sort of under protective custody."
"Protective custody?" Rose asked, "What does that mean?"
"Well, since Draco hadn't committed a crime, he couldn't be arrested and held in the Ministry like Nott. Dad then came up with the idea that since Malfoy knew Nott was the one who kidnapped you, he's a witness. But as a witness, he'd be in danger from any supporter of Voldemort especially Nott's father so he had to be taken to the Ministry for his own safety. At least he isn't here to be a danger to you or the rest of the school. Because, since he was ordered to kidnap you before Christmas, he's clearly still working for Voldemort."
"Merlin, so he hasn't changed his ways after all?" Rose asked. "Does Ti know? How did he take it?"
Harry sighed. He really felt bad for his young friend. "He saw Zabini's memory with us. After that, he realized that Draco's been playing him all along. It hit him hard and he broke down. He's better now. He even helped us with the prank."
Rose then yawned. "Wow, I guess I'm still tired."
"Get some more sleep then, Rose," Neville said, kissing her gently on the lips. "We'll be here until your parents get back."
"Yeah, sis," Harry said. "Then we'll be back in the morning so don't you worry. Everything's going to be fine."
"All right," Rose said. "Thank you, all of you, for explaining what really happened when I was kidnapped." She squeezed Neville's hand and smiled at him. "I love you."
She closed her eyes. Her breathing slowed down after a few seconds, signaling that she had fallen asleep again. The Hospital wing became silent except for the soft snores coming from Rose.
After a few minutes, the door opened and Harry's parents walked in. "Sorry kids," James said, a wide grin on his face belying his words, "We took a bit longer than we thought."
"That's okay, Dad," Harry said. "We don't mind. How are the twins?"
"They're doing great," Lily said. "I can't believe they're three already. Oh Hermione, your parents send their best. They really miss you in spite of the letters you've sent by owl. Here, they sent a letter with us."
"Oh thank you, Mrs. Potter." Hermione said, taking the letter from Lily. "It's been a lot easier to send them letters since they moved to Potter Manor. I couldn't send an owl with a letter as often as I wanted or my Muggle neighbors would have gotten suspicious."
"Well, you kids better get back to Gryffindor Tower now," James said. "It's just fifteen minutes to curfew. We'll watch Rose now."
"Okay, Dad," Harry said. "Um, can I talk to you guys for a minute? You should know what happened while you were gone."
"Something happened?" James asked.
"Yeah but its fine now…well…you see, Rose woke up while you were gone. We talked for a bit." Harry didn't mention the passionate snog between Rose and Neville. His parents didn't need to know that. "Then, Ti came in with Ron, Hermione and Maggie. Rose had a bit of a negative reaction to seeing Ti."
Ron snorted. "Negative is an understatement, mate. She almost attacked him."
Lily gasped. "What on earth for?"
Harry sighed. "Mum, we forgot who the person Neville supposedly left Rose with was. It was Ti, well really Nott Polyjuiced as Ti but Rose didn't know about all that. All she saw was the person who had probably stunned her and brought her to Voldemort. So, she thought she was going to be kidnapped again."
"So what did she do?" James asked.
"She grabbed my wand which was beside me and was about to hex Ti," Neville said. "Luckily, Harry managed to get the drop on her and stun her before that happened. We had to make Ti leave before reviving her. We didn't want a repeat of that."
"Poor Ti," Lily said. "I guess he took that hard, especially given their history together."
"Yes, Lily," Ginny said. "I'm afraid he was feeling bad when he left. But Maggie went back with him to Gryffindor Tower so I'd say he's feeling better now."
Harry felt a bit puzzled by that but decided it wasn't important for the moment. "Anyway, Mum, Rose felt awful after we told her the truth, even thought Ti might not want to remain friends with her. We managed to convince her otherwise. Then we had to tell her how we found out who kidnapped her. She was quite surprised by all that, especially about Draco. Then she started yawning and she went back to sleep. That was just a few minutes ago so she'll probably sleep the rest of the night."
"All right then," James said. "Thanks for telling her. I wasn't going to tell her anything about that until she was ready to leave the Hospital Wing. I didn't think she'd remember what happened enough to think Ti was responsible. I'm glad you were here, Harry. I doubt I still have the reflexes to stop her. Thanks again. Now, off to bed with you lot. You can come back after breakfast."
"Okay, Dad, Mum," Harry said. "Good night." The others said their farewells to the Potter adults and the five Gryffindors left the Hospital Wing.
As they climbed the main staircase, Ron piped up. "So, was I right or was I right?"
"About what, Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Malfoy, of course," Ron answered, looking at her with a bit of exasperation. "I told you he hadn't changed. Remember? None of you would believe me. I kept saying it again and again. Now, you see I was right all along. The git's still the same git he always was. He was just pretending to get close to us. I think you guys owe me an apology."
"An apology?" Ginny asked, looking indignant, "Really Ron, so you were right about Malfoy not being a good guy after all. Well, I think you were saying that for the wrong reasons."
Ron sputtered, "T-the wrong reasons?"
Uh Oh, this isn't going to be good, Harry thought. He could feel Ginny getting angry through their bond.
"Yes, Ron," Ginny said, "You just said that because you were jealous. You saw Malfoy spending time with Hermione and said that to try to keep her from being with him. Though you had the right idea, you didn't actually know he hadn't changed. So don't throw it in our faces or say 'I told you so' because you weren't really right."
"B-but that's beside the point," Ron said. He turned to Harry as they reached the 7th floor. "Come on, mate, back me up here."
Harry raised his hands. "Um, sorry, Ron, but I have to agree with Ginny. Though you have pointed out many times that you didn't trust Draco, most of those times were when you were having a row with Hermione. So, it doesn't really count. I also don't think it's something you should be proud of. It would have been great if Draco had actually turned away from his father's ways. Instead, he's still our enemy. It's not something to gloat over."
"Fine!" Ron yelled, storming off down the corridor to the Portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Stubborn git," Ginny muttered. She turned to Hermione. "I swear, Hermione, a few more seconds and I would have hexed him."
"That's okay, Ginny," Hermione said. "I was going to as well. I love him but your brother sometimes chooses the wrong moments to say things. I do agree that he was right all along but he really shouldn't act proud about it. I'm just glad Ti isn't with us. I don't know how he would have taken what Ron said. It was one of the bones of contention he and Ron had for the past year."
"You think we should check on Ti?" Harry asked. He didn't like seeing his young friend look so sad after what happened between him and Rose. "I'm sure he took Rose's attack on him badly even if he understood why she did."
"Probably," Hermione said, "But I'm sure he'll bounce back once Rose talks to him and apologizes. I'm sure Maggie's already improved his spirit."
"I do hope so," Harry said. Harry remembered then that Hermione and Ginny had seemed happy to see Maggie accompany Ti back to Gryffindor Tower plus there was Rose's reaction to hearing about that. A possible reason for that came into his mind.
He turned to Hermione. "Hey, wait a minute, does Maggie fancy Ti? I have noticed her paying more attention to him lately and being more friendly and supportive. I never would have thought her to be so cunning in snaring a bloke."
He then noticed Neville turning pale. "Whoops, sorry mate, forgot it's your sister we're talking about."
"Please don't say things like that, Harry," Neville said. "You make it sound like she's seducing him. I'd like to think of her as an innocent girl for a while longer."
Harry slapped him on the back. "Well, welcome to the club, mate. You now know how Ron and I feel sometimes. It's hard when you realize your little sister isn't little anymore. By the way, thanks for being so supportive of Rose earlier. I know you care so much for her, just like I care for Ginny. If she had to fall for a bloke, I'm glad it's you."
"Thanks, Harry," Neville said. "That means a lot to me. Rose will really appreciate that."
They came up to the Fat Lady's Portrait and, giving her the password, entered the common room, finding it empty since it was now past curfew.
"I guess Ron decided to go to bed," Harry said. "Well, I hope he cools off by tomorrow and sees how wrong he was to gloat."
"Hey, isn't Ti's birthday on the 24th?" Hermione asked suddenly. "That's next Friday."
"Merlin!" Harry exclaimed. "You're right, Hermione. We've been so concerned with Rose that we forgot."
"We can still throw a party for him, Harry," Ginny said. "We can also have it as a celebration for Rose. I think she'd like that."
"Yeah, you're right, love," Harry said. "Let's plan it now before we go to bed."
