Time passed. She met Madam Pomphrey every week; she and Harry kept her frenzy quiet. Rose had fooled everyone else and both were wary of showing the world how well she could lie. (Rose thought Harry was reassured by her inability to lie to him; he knew what she was, though, and loved her for it)

(not the reincarnation. No one knew about the reincarnation)

(but Harry knew that for all she acted happy and friendly and sociable, she would smile just as widely at an enemy writhing in pain at her feet)

(she might be tired of death but everything else was fair game)

(she wondered if Harry was ever afraid of her)

(he wasn't. He hid it better, didn't embrace it as she did, but they had once been the same)

(she would figure it out one day)

(but not yet)

Of course, no matter how much she'd hoped, Harry wouldn't just let go of the fact that Rose had been ready and willing to run herself into the ground to try and protect him. He dragged her into the Room of Requirement one day in February, made to look like her bedroom at Potter Manor. It was large and airy, sunlight streaming in through the windows. Above them, stars glittered on the ceiling, motes of light occasionally breaking off and drifting lazily to the ground. In a corner next to the windows, the wooden floor turned abruptly to rock. They had converted a corner of her room into a rocky outcrop over a small pond. Macha loved sunning herself on the rocks, stretching out her wings, and was (surprisingly, given the wings) a graceful swimmer. The Room couldn't create life, but in the real Potter Manor that pond held little fish. Sometimes Sirius snuck in a frog and they'd all wake up to her screams when it inevitably made its way onto her face.

It felt too cheerful a place for this conversation, but both of them felt safe here. When they were younger (and even now sometimes), Harry would sneak into her room at night when he couldn't sleep.

Harry sat beside her on the bed, staring down at his hands. He looked lost and confused and hurt, and Rose looked away; she couldn't bear to see his face.

"Why would you do something like that?" Harry asked quietly.

"You almost died," she whispered. "You almost died, and I couldn't do anything but watch."

"It was an accident," Harry said. "I'm fine now, aren't I?"

(No, it wasn't, she wanted to say. It was Quirrell, she wanted to say)

(but this Harry had never been challenged to a midnight duel. He didn't know about Fluffy. Hagrid had not taken him to Gringotts to pick up a grubby little package. He had not hovered over the forbidden forest on his broom, overhearing a conversation. He told her about the pains in his scar but rolled his eyes when she tried to warn him about Quirrell)

("He's pathetic," Harry had said.

"He only seems pathetic. Harry, please."

"I still think you're being paranoid, Rosie, but I'll be careful around him, how about that?")

"You're fine this time. What about the next time? I need to be ready to –" She spoke quickly, words tripping over each other in her haste to get them out, wanting him to understand -

"To what? Save me? That's not your job, Rose. Sirius and Remus –"

"Weren't here this time. What if next time this happens, I'm all alone? What if I run for help and you die in the meantime?"

(it was her job, though)

(Harry was her, she was Harry – they were twins, two parts of a single soul, one and the same)

"… You still shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard."

"I won't anymore. Madam Pomphrey and I made a deal."

Harry raised his head and stared at her. "I meant that I don't ever want you to put your life at risk for someone else again. Not even me."

"I wasn't about to die, Harry. I'm fine."

"You're fine this time," Harry echoed. "If you die for me, I'll never forgive you."

She met his gaze with equal resolve.

"Then I'll die happy, because at least you'll be alive to resent me."

(is what she wanted to say)

But Rose remembered that, no matter how old he acted, her brother was still a child. He was eleven. He didn't need that kind of weight on his shoulders, not when he had an unknown prophecy hanging over his head already.

(how like Dumbledore, her mind sneered, to keep things from him for the Greater Good)

(shut up, she told it fiercely)

She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. Harry hugged her back just as hard, his fingers digging into her back.

"Don't die for me," he said quietly. "Promise."

Rose closed her eyes. "I promise," she said.

(she hoped she could keep that promise)

"Good," Harry said. "Now tell me what I can do to help."

"The incantation for the Locking Spell is colloportus," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "The wand movement, as you can see in your books on page 231, is the swish and jab we've been practicing. Please practice on the locks in front of you."

"Colloportus," Rose said, swishing and jabbing. The lock in front of her closed with a click.

"One point to Hufflepuff," Professor Flitwick smiled. "Well done, Miss Potter. Perhaps you could unlock it as well?"

They hadn't covered the Unlocking Charm yet. At this point, Rose thought the professor just wanted to give her an opportunity to show off.

"Alohomora," Rose said, pointing her wand at the lock. It clicked open, and Flitwick awarded Hufflepuff another point.

"Teacher's pet," Justin coughed beside her. Rose pulled a face at him but didn't deny it.

"Jealousy is unbecoming," she teased. She ran through Justin's most recent attempt in her mind. "Try pronouncing the 'p' more."

"Coll-o-PORT-us," Justin said. His lock clicked closed and he beamed. "I take it back, you're brilliant."

"Thanks, Justin," she laughed. On her other side, Susan gave an audible sigh of exasperation.

By the time class had ended, Rose had won Hufflepuff an additional five points for helping her classmates. Roger Malone and Sally-Anne Perks grinned at her in thanks as they streamed out of the class and headed down the stairs towards the Great Hall. Rose allowed herself to be drawn into a discussion on the Locking Spell with Padma Patil, who'd gotten it soon after she had, and pretended not to notice she'd been heading towards the Ravenclaw table until Susan called her name tentatively.

"Rose?"

Rose glanced up as if in surprise, then looked back at Padma.

"There's no rule about sitting with other Houses," she ventured. Padma, bless her soul, sent Susan a reassuring grin.

"You can't be asking a Ravenclaw to cut off an intellectual discussion," she gasped dramatically. Susan laughed.

"Never. I suppose we'll see you in Potions, then?"

"Yes. Thanks, Susan!" Rose beamed. On the inside, she was cackling. She turned back to Padma.

"Anyway, I really don't think muggle lockpicks would work on a lock locked with the spell. Colligo means 'to bind' in Latin, not cincinno, which is 'to lock,' which implies that it's a binding spell, not just a locking one."

"And you think that 'to bind' implies some sort of continuity?"

"That's exactly what I think. You know, we could just ask around to see if anyone knows a muggle lockpicking technique," Rose laughed. Padma pouted.

"But this debate is so interesting!"

"Maybe later, then," Rose acquiesced. Padma laughed.

Madam Pomphrey had been one of the few adults Rose had been able to trust. When she'd returned to Hogwarts for her seventh (eighth? No one was ever quite sure) year, they'd learned about supplement potions. She'd recognized the potion as one of the more common ones Madam Pomphrey had given her during her many stays – its bright pink was very distinctive. Next time she'd landed herself in the hospital wing (someone had pushed Draco Malfoy down the stairs. He would've broken his neck had she not broken his fall), Madam Pomphrey had tried to give her another supplement potion.

"I don't think I need it anymore," she'd told her. "I'm never going back there."

Madam Pomphrey had frowned at her. "I hadn't been aware you'd gotten your Healing license, Miss Potter."

Rose had relented. Later she'd learned about the long-lasting effects of malnutrition, which the supplement potion worked to mitigate, and cried in Hermione's arms for fifteen minutes.

Ron, bless his tactless heart, had been far more concerned with the reason she had ended up there in the first place.

"The ferret?" He'd said in disbelief. "You hurt yourself to save the ferret?"

Rose had shrugged. "I couldn't just watch him die."

Ron and Hermione had exchanged a look. Hermione had sighed about her 'saving people thing'. Ron had made her swear to never do it again.

("… You haven't got a crush on him or anything, do you?"

"Ron!"

"What?! It's a valid question! Are we sure she hasn't been dosed with a love potion? She's never given a rat's arse about Malfoy before and now she's breaking his falls with her own body."

"I don't have a crush on Draco Malfoy, Ron."

"… That's exactly what you'd say if you did.")

(he'd been a prejudiced git, but he'd abandoned her twice and both times he'd come back. He'd never left her again after that, had defended her ferociously against anyone who would criticize her)

(he had just proposed to Hermione before Rose had been ki-)

(no, her mind whispered. Don't go there. Not yet)

The day after her and Harry's talk, they gathered their friends in the Study Room. Rose had finally decided to come clean.

(as well as she could, anyway; some things she couldn't tell anyone about)

"Does this mean you're finally going to tell us what you've been up to?" Hermione asked.

Rose stared. "What."

"We know you better than that, Rose," Hermione said disapprovingly. Behind her, Harry smirked.

"Neville and I convinced her not to push," Theodore said. He sipped his tea, looking the epitome of the lounging, snobbish pureblood. "We figured we'd wait 'til Harry got out of the hospital wing to knock some sense back into your head."

"… and if he hadn't been able to?"

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that, Rose," Hermione said primly. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "There's no guarantee this won't happen again, although I must say I'm glad it didn't come to that."

That sounded… horrifyingly ominous. She glanced at Harry, who evidently hadn't known by the look on his face: a mixture of awe and fear. Rose could relate.

"… I thought I was being subtle," Rose said weakly. Did these eleven-year-old versions of her friends really know her that well? That's unfair, Rose reprimanded herself. Hermione, Neville, and Theodore were people in their own right; they weren't just undeveloped copies. They were different people too, having been through different experiences.

(she seemed to forget that all too often)

"No one apart from us and Susan noticed," Hermione reassured her.

"Susan noticed?" Rose said in disbelief. Had everything she'd thought been a lie?

"Of course she noticed, you share a room with her!"

"You're being awfully slow today," Theodore noted idly. "Are you feeling alright?"

"No. My entire image of myself has been shaken!" Everything she'd thought had been a lie. She was definitely not alright, her brain was a half-sentence away from leaking out her ears!

Harry sighed. "She's being dramatic. She's just shocked she's not the cleverest, sneakiest person in the world. Give her a moment."

Hermione hummed sympathetically. "Well, it had to happen sometime."

Neville snorted softly. "You're one to talk. Didn't you have an identity crisis when Rose beat you in Transfiguration?"

"… I got over it, didn't I?"

"You didn't speak to her for three days."

"Shut up, Harry."

Theodore looked delighted. "Oh? Why haven't I heard about this? What a delightful piece of gossip."

"… You're a prat, Nott."

(she spent four days in a horrified daze, reconfiguring her self-image)

(they waited for her patiently and she loved them for it)

She didn't forget about Susan, of course.

("Does this mean I can finally know where you're sneaking off to all the time?"

"... I didn't realize you'd noticed."

"Hermione's right, you really are thick sometimes. I live with you, Rose. What kind of idiot would I be if I hadn't noticed my roommate regularly disappearing for hours?")

(she asked her friends if she could invite Susan into their group.

"Finally," Hermione exclaimed.

"Maybe now she'll stop bothering us for information all the time," Neville sighed.

"As long as she doesn't curse me on sight," Theodore said.

Harry, the little shit, cackled)

She got them back when she showed them the secret passageways though. Hearing their yelps as they were doused in a green goop was immensely satisfying. It stained, but only in places usually covered by robes. Something about the goop reacted oddly to the enchantments woven into robes (she wasn't entirely sure). Remus had modified an existing potion and sent it to her when she'd promised photos.

She sent them.

Remus charmed his letter to echo his laughs and she set it off when they were all in the Badger Hole.

(Theodore had won over Harry and Susan had immediately taken to the name. With Neville as neutral mediator, she and Hermione hadn't stood a chance)

Neville had gotten a new wand over Yule. His spells were ridiculously overpowered, as he'd been shoving his magic through a glorified stick this whole time, so they all agreed he ought to learn control before practicing dueling and learning spells with the rest of them. He'd grinned sheepishly, but there was a pleased flush on his cheeks. His confidence had improved dramatically with evidence of his magic and the support of his friends.

Of course, there were still accidents.

("Bombarda!"

"Neville!"

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't think it'd be that explosive – "

"It's the exploding spell, Longbottom, what do you mean 'you didn't think it'd be explosive'?!")

(or, Rose thought, examining the pleased glint in Neville's eye, they weren't really accidents at all)

(which… well, fair enough. Theodore didn't exactly hold back with his snark)

Her lessons with Madam Pomphrey were going well. As Ostara passed, Rose had finally gone beyond theory and basic diagnostic charms and had begun medical and healing spells. Of course, just because she'd begun medical spells didn't mean she was good at them. It was a novelty to not get a spell perfectly correct within the first five attempts – for all that it was disheartening, there was a small part of Rose that kind of liked it.

"Show me your bandaging charm," Madam Pomphrey ordered. They were in the hospital wing, which was empty, surprisingly enough.

"Ferula," Rose cast. Bandages appeared out of thin air and wrapped around the leg of the dummy in front of her.

Madam Pomphrey cast a silent aguamenti. The bandages shed the water at first but soon soaked through.

"Better," Madam Pomphrey smiled.

Rose wilted. "They're soaked."

"But still in place." She tapped the tip of Rose's nose. "Don't look so glum, Miss Potter. You've made astounding improvement."

Rose sighed but she was slightly cheered. She had had no idea ferula could be so complex. A simple one conjured plain cotton bandages and eased the pain slightly. Madam Pomphrey's ferula were water-, fire-, and dirt-resistant, eased pain moderately, and absorbed a small fraction of any residual damaging magic.

"Ferula can be used for more than broken bones," Madam Pomphrey had told her. "Cast it on a snake bite to draw out a bit of the venom. Cast it on a wound from diffindo that episkey won't heal and it'll keep the wound stabilized and slow blood loss. Depending on the relative power of the diffindo and ferula, it might even heal the wound a bit."

"Thank you, Madam Pomphrey," Rose said earnestly. "I really appreciate this."

There was an amused glint in Madam Pomphrey's eye. "Don't thank me just yet, Miss Potter. We've only spoken about a few simple charms for physical ailments. There's still spell damage and countercurses, magical creatures, and potions accidents. There's plenty more to learn."

"I look forward to it," she beamed.

The matron gave her a small smile. "Read chapter 5 of Everyday Healing for next week, Miss Potter. Run along now."

Rose grinned and left with a spring in her step.

Harry and Rose stayed at school over the Easter break. With exams coming up in just over a month, they'd been inundated with enough study schedules from Hermione that that fact had been ingrained into their brains. Studying, however, was a cruel and unusual form of torture for Rose. This was first year material, after all, and she'd already re-learned the theory in far more detail than she had the first time around just by paying attention during class and doing her homework. It was shocking how much that did to further her comprehension – studying now felt like a monotonous review, and she often had to go to the Room of Requirement and blow up a few stone columns just to let off some steam. She tried to keep her boredom discreet though – many of her friends in the study group were legitimately studying, and it'd be rude to showcase her knowledge so openly. Exams themselves were just as easy – Rose would be incredibly ashamed of herself if she scored anything less than Outstanding.

In all honesty… she'd forgotten about the dragon.

"Guys," Harry said, slamming his hands down onto the table. "You would not believe what Hagrid just did."

"Oh, no," Neville sighed. Hermione patted him on the back sympathetically.

"He's got a dragon," Harry said emphatically. "An actual dragon egg. It's sitting in his bloody fireplace right now."

Susan stared. "… but it's illegal to keep a dragon in Britain," she said weakly.

Theodore rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I'm more concerned with the fact that soon there'll be a baby dragon on the grounds."

"He lives in a wooden house," Hermione said miserably.

"Believe me, I know," Harry sighed. "But he won't be moved. Which is why I need your help."

"I'm not helping you smuggle a dragon out of Hogwarts," Rose said firmly. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about Norbert, but in her defence she'd lived through twenty years since it'd happened. The Norbert thing had been a catastrophe all-round though, especially since –

"No one saw you, did they?" She asked worriedly.

"I'm not that stupid," Harry scoffed. "I have ways of staying hidden." Hermione and Neville grinned slightly, and Rose slumped with relief. Harry was far cleverer than she'd been; she doubted he'd ever leave the Invisibility Cloak lying in the Astronomy Tower.

"Anyway, I need you to help me come up with the plan to get the dragon out and keep Hagrid out of trouble."

Susan bit her lip. "Are you sure that Hagrid should get out of trouble though?" At the outraged looks coming from the Gryffindors, she hurriedly continued. "I mean, if he doesn't see anything wrong with having a dragon egg, what's stopping him from doing something like this again?"

Rose thought of the acromantula colony in the forest. She liked Hagrid, but…

"He means well," Harry said stubbornly.

"She's got a point, though," Theodore said mildly.

"I agree with Theodore," Rose put in. "Look, you know I like Hagrid as much as you do, Harry, Hermione, Neville. But you must admit that he's the kind of person who'd do something like this again if he could. I don't want him thrown in Azkaban, but I also don't want to look over my shoulder for dragons or acromantula or whatever for the next seven years."

"I think we should go to the Headmaster," Hermione said decisively. "He let Hagrid stay on after he was expelled, didn't he? He'll know what to do."

Everyone hesitated. They all disliked the Headmaster's politics but…

"I think it's a good idea," Neville said hesitantly. "I'm not his biggest fan, but I'm pretty sure he does care about Hagrid. He's also Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot; he won't let Hagrid get thrown in Azkaban."

Susan made a face. "No offense, but I'd like to stay out of it if that's alright. I'm not that close to Hagrid and my Aunty doesn't want me near the Headmaster too much anyway."

"What? Why?" Hermione said, then blushed at the looks she got.

Later, Susan mouthed at her.

"My dad would flay me if he found out," Theodore sighed. "Sorry." He didn't sound very apologetic at all.

"Fine," Hermione said. "Harry, Rose…?"

"I'm the witness, aren't I?" Harry said.

"I suppose we don't have a choice," Rose sighed.

"Make sure Hagrid understands he can't do this again, alright?" Susan asked. "I'll have to tell my Auntie otherwise."

Hermione grimaced. "Don't worry, Susan. We'll make that very clear."

In the end, Norbert was smuggled to Romania. Rose wasn't sure how, but she supposed Dumbledore must've had a lot of connections. He said he would speak to Hagrid about raising dangerous creatures near schoolchildren, after they'd delivered Susan's warning. No points were lost, and so no one became pariahs. The whole thing made her wonder about how Charlie Weasley had explained the sudden appearance of a baby dragon – and exactly what sort of friends he had that he could ask them to smuggle a dragon out of another country and they'd happily drop their things and help.