I'm surprised that you guys are actually interested in reading this haha, but that makes me really happy. :)
DISCLAIMER: I'M NOT PROFITING FROM THIS IN ANY WAY. ALL RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING
Chapter Four
Bellatrix had been minding her own business, inspecting her nails and thinking of more ways to torment Rose when the very girl just collapsed. Many people gasped in shock, and the boy next to her even yelped a little. The dark haired witch brushed some unruly curls behind her ear and stood up a little to see what was happening. Apparently, the annoying new girl had been answering questions, bashfully playing with her hair when other students would ask how they might improve their potions. And then, Bob's your uncle, she promptly stood and ate shit. Bellatrix had laughed out loud, because it was just so unexpected. If her class rival could be more humiliated, then she was all for it.
Her sisters, on the other hand, had taken a liking to Rose Damonne, and Bellatrix often caught them following after her, chatting with her during meals, and more than once just being plain nice to here.
"I don't like it when you talk to her." Bellatrix had pouted one morning in early October. Narcissa and Andromeda only rolled their eyes. She couldn't threaten them effectively anymore, because they knew she adored them too much. Not that Bellatrix would ever admit it.
"Oh please Bella, she's harmless." Andromeda chided as she put eggs on her plate. Narcissa was happily drawing on a piece of paper and humming to herself. Bellatrix looked over and saw she was drawing a small snake.
"Cissy is that your homework? Don't draw on it!" Bellatrix took it away and tucked it under her little sister's books. The blonde stuck her tongue out, and ate a muffin. When she finished, she cast Bellatrix a doleful look.
"Rosie draws on her papers, and she's so smart!" she grumbled. Andromeda shook her head. It would appear that her older sister's ire was now ignited.
"Don't give her a pet name! She's not a Slytherin, and she's not pureblood. That girl isn't worth talking to." the curly haired witch ranted, stabbing at a slice of ham as she spoke. Andromeda winced at this, but a smirk crawled onto her face, and she casually looked over at the Gryffindor table.
"You know Bella...you do spend an awful lot of time following her."
"As if. I just like to bother her." she sipped her pumpkin juice dismissively.
"Only bother? Not torment?" Andromeda mockingly pouted at her, and Bellatrix whipped a scone at her head, but the brunette just laughed and swatted the pastry away.
"Whatever. I've lost my appetite." she sniffed and left the Great Hall. As she began to walk to the door though, she saw Rose rushing out hurriedly. Intrigued, Bellatrix nonchalantly followed. Ever since their tussle (if it was even that) in the library, Rose hadn't interacted with the younger Blacks unless absolutely necessary. She was even trying to distance herself from Bellatrix, which almost offended the Slytherin. Maybe now, she could get a little fun. Rose was making her way to the Quidditch pitch.
"Funny, never took her for a sports person. Whatever, most Gryffindors are." Bellatrix mused. A group of younger students passed Bellatrix and she growled at them, which promptly made them get out of her way and pray that they would live past lunch. Rose didn't even look back, although Bellatrix was sure she would have heard or at least felt her following her. When they got outside, Rose kept walking, but she didn't go to the pitch, and instead followed the path down to the groundskeeper's hut. Even more intrigued now, Bellatrix cocked her head and kept following.
"What are you up to?" the raven witch mumbled to herself. Most students weren't out here at this hour, where a light fog still hung over the ground and the clouds were still grey and low, like a blanket. Everything seemed a little colorless as the two moved down the path, past the hut, and now to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Bellatrix hid behind a tree and watched as Rose plunged into the dark woods without hesitation.
"What the bloody hell?" Bellatrix had to keep herself from shouting. Rose was skilled with a wand, but she was no fighter. She would get killed in there! Not that the Slytherin cared. It's just that it was a surprise. Gripping her own wand, Bellatrix followed as well, trying not to get her skirt and robes snagged on thorns and branches. Apparently, Rose didn't care because she was much farther ahead, easily clambering over enormous tree roots. Snags of grey and red fabric were on the lower plants as Bellatrix passed, and she could only imagine the complete wreck that Rose's uniform would be after this. She huffed and started to run through the woods because Rose had done the same, and she was losing track of the girl.
There was a noise, like a hooting, somewhere off in the distance, and it sent chills down Bellatrix's spine. She was hardly afraid of anything, but even she didn't know what could be in these woods. She also couldn't help but wonder how strange it was for a student to delve this deep into the forest . When she turned around, Bellatrix could no longer really tell where she had come from, and the idea of being lost in the woods made her a little nauseous.
After what seemed like an hour, Rose finally stopped quickly in a small clearing. Bellatrix hid again, this time behind a tree that had fallen. A small amount of sun dappled through the trees, adding an otherworldly glow to Rose, who was standing in the middle of the clearing, staring at the ground. Bellatrix dared to peak over the tree, and saw that the girl had crouched down in the fallen needles and was digging with her hands. She seemed frantic, scratching at the dark earth and flinging in every direction. Her sleeves were pushed up to her elbows. The brunette suddenly unleashed an animalistic screech, and Bellatrix could feel the raw magic blast over her head when she ducked quickly.
"Where is it." Rose hissed. She flung a relashio at a tree in her anger. It was an enormous tree, and it didn't move for a moment. Slowly, it slid forward on the cut and began to lean into the clearing. Bellatrix's eyes widened and she shot up from her hiding spot. This caught Rose's attention and she whipped to face the other witch. Her eyes were wide in shock, and quickly narrowed into a glare. She lifted her wand to cast a spell, seemingly unaware of the tree about to crush her.
"Move you idiot!" Bellatrix shouted, but Rose cast incendio, which narrowly missed Bellatrix as she vaulted over her hiding spot and barreled into Rose, catching her around the waist and shoving them both out of the tree's way. There was an enormous boom, and there was a shower dirt as the tree slammed to the ground. Bellatrix lifted her head and could smell burning. Apparently that incendio had managed to strike another tree, where it had begun to blaze.
"Well shit." she gasped. She then remembered that she was on top of Rose, who only had a smug look on her face. Bellatrix yelped, and went to scramble off when Rose pushed her wand into her pulse point.
"If you tell anybody what happened here, I'll kill you." she hissed. Bellatrix grabbed the girl's wrist and pinned it to the ground.
"You're a fucking twat." she seethed back, before getting up and brushing herself off. Rose also got up, but made no effort to clean up. She just stared at Bellatrix, a glint in her eye. Suddenly a little uncomfortable, Bellatrix looked away and gestured to the mess that Rose had created.
"Nice job, Damonne. You made a right fucking mess." the tree was still burning. Instead of a retort, Rose just uttered a low chuckle. She had scratches all over her legs, and her socks and skirt were torn. A braid was falling out of place, and she had pine needles in her hair. There was a smudge of dirt on her jaw, and Bellatrix also noticed that Rose's wand was still pointed at her.
"Leave me. Now." she spoke evenly, and she didn't look mad, but Bellatrix could feel some power behind her words. Before Bellatrix could say anything, there was the sound of thundering in the distance, but the rumbles could be felt in the ground.
"What the—" Bellatrix began, but Rose snatched her wrist and began yanking them back across both falling trees and the flaming one, which had begun to give off copious amounts of smoke. The thundering almost deafening as they ran, getting more cuts. Bellatrix's stomach flopped and jolted.
"Damonne! What the hell is going on?" she shouted, but Rose appeared not to have heard her. The girl had a snarl frozen on her face as she flung a spell behind her. Bellatrix turned around and almost thought she saw a man riding a horse. Or was it?
"Really for someone as intelligent as yourself, you'd think to shut up for a moment." Rose hissed. Bellatrix hid a small self-satisfied smile. Damonne thought she was intelligent. The pair burst out of the woods, but didn't stop running until they were near the caretaker's hut. The thundering of hooves stopped, and they hid behind a rock wall along the path. Bellatrix was panting hard, and she leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she caught her breath.
"Shit, Damonne, what did you do?" she gasped out. Her clothes were a mess, and they were definitely late for classes. Rose, unphased, slipped her hand into Bellatrix's and pulled her to her feet.
"Go to class. Say nothing." and she turned and left without a second glance.
This was...well Bellatrix couldn't seem to remember the date, but Rose had been acting weird ever since that day. In potions, she was the quiet one as usual, answering questions, but she was rigid. Bellatrix had noticed that she even stopped drawing on her notes. But after she collapsed, she was back to her old shy self.
"Hey. Damonne. Get over here." Bellatrix saw the girl jump as she turned. Rose's face was a deep red, and Bellatrix couldn't imagine how embarrassing it was to pass out in class. She snickered. Kids in the hall gave Bellatrix a wide berth as she stood in the hall, waiting for Rose to walk back to her.
"What do you want, Bellatrix?" Rose asked quietly, not making eye contact.
"You look like a dog that's been kicked. Look me in the eyes when I talk to you." Bellatrix scolded, but Rose just shrugged, still blushing furiously. Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix grabbed a braid and tugged Rose into a side hall.
"Now, I know you'll 'kill me', but I must know," she sneered "what the devil you were doing in the Forbidden Forest, digging like a mad dog?" she jabbed a finger at Rose, who looked genuinely confused.
"I haven't gone into the Forbidden Forest, Black. I don't know what you're talking about." she huffed. She looked tired.
"Of course you were," Bellatrix scoffed "I saved your little arse. You're welcome by the way." she crossed her arms imperiously across her chest. But Rose only looked more confused, and if possible more embarrassed.
"You...saved me?" she asked quietly. She was bashfully fiddling with her hands.
"Yes well, you were going to get pulverized by a tree. Would have been terribly messy." Bellatrix looked at the ceiling.
"Thank you." Bellatrix almost couldn't hear it.
"What was that?" she theatrically widened her eyes in disbelief. Rose picked her head up, and looked Bellatrix in the eyes. The witch noticed the distinct ring of dark brown around green and lighter brown around her pupils. Hazel. But they were watering. Bellatrix grimaced a little and looked away.
"Okay go away. And get some rest, you look like a ghoul." Bellatrix sighed and left the hall hurriedly, raven curls bouncing. Rose just stood there, shoulders quivering as she tried to hold back tears.
When she got back to her dorm after classes, Bellatrix flopped onto her bed and let out an unladylike groan.
"Stupid girl." she mumbled into a pillow she hugged over her face. There was a soft knock on the door before Andromeda walked in. She closed the door behind her and sat on the green duvet cover.
"Something wrong, Bella?" she mused, patting her sister's stomach. The older girl only groaned louder. Andromeda smiled to herself.
"Is this about that girl?" she asked, and Bellatrix stopped groaning. She slowly lifted the pillow off her face and squinted at Andromeda.
"What girl?"
"Oh you know...Rose." she shrugged in mock innocence. Bellatrix wrinkled her nose at the girl's name.
"Oh please Bella," Andromeda rolled her eyes "you literally make every effort to find her and harass her. Nobody else seems to ruffle your feathers like she does." her sister explained as if it were obvious. Bellatrix crossed her legs and put the pillow in her lap, still glaring at her sister. Andromeda rolled her eyes again, and took her sister's hand.
"Bellatrix. You've given her a lot of attention lately, albeit probably negative. But we've seen, you know? Cissy and I." she gave a small apologetic smile. Bellatrix looked away.
"She draws you, you know." this made Bellatrix's breath hitch a little. She frowned.
"So? She draws a lot."
"AHA!" Andromeda pointed triumphantly, and jumped up from the bed. Bellatrix put her face back in the pillow.
"Shut up Andy." she mumbled.
"You like her!" Andromeda cheered and clapped her hands. Bellatrix threw the pillow at her head, and knocked the young brunette over, who was still giggling at her newfound discovery.
"I do not...I just think she's interesting. In a weird way!" she quickly said. Andromeda stopped giggling and frowned.
"How so?"
"Well…" Bellatrix began "she looks rather...lifeless? Doesn't she? With all you think about Americans and their stupid Ilvermorny, she should be more…" she gesticulated in a wild motion.
"I just want to understand. I mean, she's incredibly intelligent, and good with her wand," Bellatrix remembered how easily Rose had been able to defend against her pranks "but she doesn't have that fire that a dumb Gryffindor would." she frowned, realizing she was telling Andromeda all this and that it was too late to go back on it. Andromeda thought for a moment before frowning deeper.
"Bella, she's clearly depressed."
"Sad?! Is that all?" the oldest Black shouted.
"She cries so much Bella, you can't see it on her face? You know she hardly ever talks to anybody, and never to us now since you probably scared her." Bellatrix did feel a little guilty over this. She remembered how Rose had began to cry after Potions, but she didn't even know how to make her feel better. But just being sad? That didn't explain her recently bizarre behavior. Andromeda noticed her sister sulking a little, and she patted her knee.
"You should try to hang out with her. Instead of, you know, attacking her. Also, that would greatly reduce your number of detentions." she advised. Bellatrix shook her head.
"No I bet she's scared of me, Andy. Plus, you know, the whole Gryffindor-Slytherin thing? It would destroy my reputation." she sighed, and then her eyes widened "If father ever found out!" her hands tightened into fists, and she buried her head again.
"Bellatrix, you have my word that I wouldn't say one word to anybody. And you know Narcissa. She may be young, but she wouldn't utter a word. But do you really value your reputation so much? I mean, seven years is a long time. You can afford a little leniency…" her sister trailed off. Bellatrix lifted her head.
"Okay get out."
"What?" Andromeda scoffed.
"Your little talk? I'm done. Get out, I'm tired." Bellatrix lied, and she pushed Andromeda off the bed. The brunette huffed and tossed her curls.
"Whatever. You're a brat. Sweet dreams." she said bitterly and slammed the door on the way out. Bellatrix rolled onto her back, her hair a raven mane about her head, and moped. Maybe she could risk this…? After a few minutes, she heard a pop, and a letter appeared on her nightstand. Lazily tossing her arm over, she picked up the letter, and her heart dropped. The seal was the House of Black.
Rose caught her breath when she saw the positively gorgeous Slytherin walk away. She had so many questions swirling in her brain, but the first one was easily "What the hell is going on". She stopped a young Hufflepuff passing in the halls and asked the date. He gave her a look, but told her it was October 23, 1968. She apologized and thanked him, then briskly made her way back to the Gryffindor dorms. Rose crumpled into an armchair in front of a merry fire. The warmth was comforting, but her head hurt, and tears began to trickle down her face.
"It wasn't there."
Rose lurched and almost screamed. Now she knew who it was in her head.
"Tom?" she said, almost fearfully. His weird snake face flashed in her mind, but his red eyes remained imprinted in her vision. It reminded her of what happened if you stared at the sun too long, and it left behind those spots.
"Yes! It's me. We didn't find it. But I did find something better." he hissed out. His voice sent tingles down her bones. She thought she must have been crazy. Rose scrunched her eyes shut, she could hear the blood rushing in her ears from the strain.
"This will only work if you follow my exact instructions."
"You took over my mind!" Rose shrieked "I'm missing entire days!" she hissed when a sharp pain stabbed the back of her head.
"Yes, and have no qualms about doing so again. You will do what I ask, or face the same fate once more." Rose could feel his sneer, despite his voice being monotone and raspy. Rose shrunk in the chair and grimaced.
"...If I do what you want, will you leave my head?" she whimpered.
"Yes."
"Okay. Fine. What do I have to do?" she asked tentatively, but there was no answer.
"Rose, you alright down here?" Terry scared the shit out of her as the curly haired girl gently touched her shoulder. Rose swallowed her breath and nodded.
"Yeah I'm good. Just enjoying the fire."
"Really? Because I thought that I heard you scream." Terry sat in the armchair across from Rose on the other side of the fireplace. She fiddled with her hands before finally talking.
"Rose...you know you can talk to us, right? Me, the twins, Cyril. We're here you know." she began uneasily, but she leaned forward, trying to look Rose in the eye.
"We care. We're your friends. So if you ever feel like you're trapped, I'm just letting you know that you aren't."
"Why do you care?" the small-voiced response shocked Terry a little. Rose was staring at the fireplace, the lights and shadows morphing her face, but her eyes remained empty.
"What?"
"Why do you care about me or my feelings? I'm literally the worst person to be friends with. Ever."
"Rose I really don't get what you mean by that…"
"Oh please, I've heard people talk. I'm quiet, and apparently I look as dead inside as I feel. I'm not even that talkative." she threw her hands out in exasperation. Terry frowned.
"You really feel that way?"
"Well yeah because it makes sense. By all definitions, I'm a terrible friend."
"I hear you cry at night, Rose." Terry stared at Rose, who still looked into the fire, but the American now looked embarrassed.
"You've cried every night since you've been here. I've never brought it up because I hardly see you anymore, but I want to help! I feel like an awful friend because I just want to help, but I haven't been able to!" Terry almost sounded like she was arguing.
"Terry I'm fine."
"No! You're not! Please just tell me what's wrong? How can I help?" she pleaded now. Rose sighed and closed her eyes.
"Terry, honestly I'm fine. It's just...allergies." she trailed off and left the common room. She felt tired, and she wanted to cry again. So much fucking crying. Rose just wanted her last year to be done with so she could just go back to America and have some semblance of normalcy in her life.
"You know?" Terry called after her "Come to the Halloween party. We can all hang out, you won't be alone. It'll be fun, Rose." but this only made Rose groan a little. It's not that she didn't love Halloween, but it had come a lot faster since Tom took over a few days of her life.
Bellatrix had somehow managed to become ever more dangerous after their encounter, and nobody was safe from her hexes and pranks, if they could even be called that. She even cursed her own housemates, flinging a spell at one boy that made him croak like a frog whenever he went to speak. And all because he hadn't gotten out of her way fast enough. In potions, she was an absolute menace. When Rose had gone to gather ingredients, she noticed that practically all the Bulbadox powder was missing. She didn't need it, but she thought it was strange. And as if on cue, there were several small explosions all around the room, and a devious cackle.
"Ms. Black...fifty points from Slytherin, and detentions for a week." Slughorn said tiredly. She just cackled again. Most of the students' potions were ruined, and Rose was sure that at least a few cauldrons had been damaged. Her's, however, was untouched, although something had been added that ruined it regardless. Rose just stared at it dumbly for a moment before shrugging. It wasn't necessarily hard to recreate, and since she had gotten back into developing her dream potion, she just felt more comfortable working with potions. The brunette had begun experimenting with several potions in fact, but mostly those that healed wounds or were antidotes to poisons; a lot of them tasted awful and worked too slowly, so she wanted to improve on them. Staying later in potions each week, she had seen less and less of Bellatrix out of class, although she heard of her exploits from others.
"She threw a book at my ead'." Hugo grumbled as they trimmed the dead leaves off a dittany plant. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled a little.
"She has been pretty...irritable lately, yeah." she passed him some fertilizer and he scoffed.
"That's jus' an understatement. Damn near scalped a girl in divination with a saucer. Musn'tve liked her reading, I'll bet ya." he chuckled darkly and sprayed some water on the plant. Rose nodded along. She liked Herbology. It was relaxing, and Hugo's easy going personality made it better.
"Hugo, what do you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?" Rose asked as she tried to place a charm on the plant to keep insects away. It wilted some leaves.
"Uh...well…I don't really know. I don't exactly have any specific skills, so I'm not sure what I would want to do." he shooed her away and cast the right charm.
"Are you serious right now?" Rose gave him a disbelieving look. He shrugged and yawned.
"Hugo, you're amazing at Herbology. Can't you do something with that?" she gestured at the plant for emphasis. He nodded his head and mulled it over.
"I 'spose. I'll talk to Henrietta about it. She usually knows more about jobs and stuff." he picked up another plant off the floor and began caring for it. Rose watched him work and asked him what Henrietta would want to do after school. He gave a short laugh.
"Probably Auror. Or prison guard." he snorted.
"Aw no!" Rose laughed "She's too nice for that! I don't think she'd hurt a fly."
"You kidding me? She throttles me when she sees that I didn't do my arithmancy homework, and she's right scary when she wants to be. Anyway, what do you want to do, Rose?"
"I don't know...really I just want lunch." she hurriedly covered. For some reason, she felt a pang of guilt when she realized she would have said "I want to go back home." Hugo nodded sagely.
"Yeah. I could use some ham I s'pose." Rose laughed a little nervously. But what could have Hugo expected? It would almost be two months that she was at Hogwarts, and four in the UK. In DADA, Cyril studied her carefully. His contemplative green eyes flickered over her and he smiled. She flung a depulso at him, and it snagged his leg.
"You seem to be in a better mood, Rose. How come?" he got up quickly and put up a protego as she attempted expelliarmus. She tried to hide a smile as she cast stupefy and he yelped.
"I just like kicking your ass in dueling." she released the spell and he landed with a oof as the wind was knocked out of him. She walked over to the defeated boy and nudged his head with her foot.
"I win. Again."
"That was good, Damonne. But might I suggest letting Mr. Ashby down a little easier next time around?" Professor Morpho clapped his hands, and he had a grin on his face. Rose guessed that he was somewhere in his forties.
"Sure thing Professor." Rose nodded and helped put the desks back in order so the class could continue their lesson on dueling. Cyril plopped himself in the desk next to her and brushed a lock of hair out of his face. Rose smiled at him and took out her parchment and quill. It was true, she had been in a better mood. Strangely, she wasn't having nightmares anymore, and Bellatrix seemed to be avoiding her. And despite the constant nagging feelings in the back of her mind that she just wanted to sleep and cry, she was feeling a little more uplifted.
"You sure do like to doodle." Cyril whispered as they worked. Rose nodded, although at this point they were more full blown sketches than doodles. She had gotten better at shading and backlight, using it to capture people's features better.
So...you going to the Halloween party?" Cyril asked casually. Rose scribbled some notes down and shrugged. He continued whispering.
"Well, I'm going, and so are the twins. I think that other girl, Terry? She's going too. You really should come along."
"Mr. Ashby, if you're going to pester your fellow students, might I suggest you do it in someone else's class and not mine." Morpho didn't stop writing on the chalkboard as he said this. A few students snickered.
"Cyril's got a crush." a Slytherin boy chuckled. Cyril looked at his notes quickly and stopped whispering for the rest of class.
During CMC, Terry and Henrietta peered at Rose expectantly as she gently tried to feed a streeler.
"Sooooooooo…" Henrietta huffed out, and Rose gave her a quizzical look.
"So what?" she pulled her hand away quickly when the snail advanced towards her fingers. Rose didn't feel like being in pain today. The blonde Hufflepuff tossed her hands up in the air in irritation. It struck Rose that she really didn't act like a Hufflepuff.
"Are yae going to the party, Rose? Bloody Cyril tried to ask in your last class, did you give him an answer?" she said, as if it were obvious. The Gryffindor dropped another piece of cabbage in front of the snail.
"Henrietta, maybe a little more tact next time." Terry advised. Her snails were content and rather sluggish. She seemed to have a knack for this. The other girl merely continued on her tirade.
"He never shuts up about you. Every time we're at lunch it's 'Oooh Rose this' and 'Rose that'. It's friggin annoying." she sheepishly looked at Rose "Not that there's anything wrong with you." The brunette just blushed a little. So Cyril did like her.
"Well. That sucks." she said flatly.
"What sucks?" Terry adjusted her glasses and frowned.
"Cyril is cool, but I'm not like...into him." she said slowly. If they were drinking something, Terry and Henrietta would have done a spit take.
"What do you mean? He's gorgeous!" Terry spluttered and blushed. Henrietta nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I don't know. It's just that I don't really think about him that way. We're friends." she shrugged, but her friends only gasped loudly.
"That's a travesty, really. I mean, he's so handsome, and kind! And he's brilliant on a broom!" Terry exclaimed.
"He plays Quidditch?" Rose asked.
"Well I mean you never go outside so you wouldn't know, but yes he does. He's the seeker!" Henrietta practically shouted. For some reason, this got their feathers in a ruffle.
"Well I mean if you guys like him so much, tell him. May the best girl win." she grinned wickedly.
"Poor Cyril. Gonna' crush his heart." Henrietta said sadly, shaking her head. A little flame ignited in Rose, and she turned on the blonde.
"Why is it 'poor Cyril'? Huh? Poor him because I'm not interested?" a few students turned their heads in surprise. They never heard Rose get angry before. Or even really talk above a whisper.
"You know what would suck, guys? If I lead him on, and said 'Yes Cyril. Sure thing, I'll go to the party with you.' I refuse to lead him on. That would probably be the worst thing to do to him. Ever." she paused "Besides kill him." Now why had she said that? The fire in her quickly died, and her body was tingling.
"Ahem." Professor Kettleburn cleared his throat uneasily. Rose blanched and realized that she had stood up and had drawn a lot of attention to herself in that short time. She excused herself and left the classroom. Terry leaned to Henrietta and whispered, "I was actually with her up until she mentioned killing him."
Prepared to go hide in the library, Rose came to a screeching halt when she nearly collided with Professor McGonagall. The older woman peered down her nose at Rose before speaking.
"I was actually about to fetch you, Damonne. The Headmaster would like to see you in his office immediately." she turned on her heel. Rose followed the woman's flapping robes, and wondered what on earth this could be about. The halls were strangely empty, and an autumn chill had crept it. The transfiguration professor was silent as they walked, and it made Rose even more nervous. Peppers was a comforting presence around her neck, and he nuzzled her jaw.
"Whatever it is, it can't be that bad, can it?" she thought, trying to calm her heart, which felt like it might burst out of her chest.
"I hope you intend to register with the Ministry." the woman said cooly. Rose snapped to attention in surprise.
"Pardon?"
"The mandrake leaf. I'd recognize that smell anywhere. If you intend on becoming an animagus, you need to register. Otherwise, you'll be sent to Azkaban." she stated flatly. Rose self-consciously breathed into her hand and sniffed. Ugh. It was actually really bitter, and her eyes watered.
"Um, yeah I'll do that then. Can I ask why I'm being called to Dumbledore's office?" she twisted a braid nervously. The pair rounded a corner and began walking up a set of large stone stairs.
"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you, unfortunately," and she really did sound sympathetic for a moment "but I wouldn't really worry too much dear." They eventually reached an alcove and stopped in front of it. There was a large stone griffon sitting there, but nothing else. Rose stared at the stone creature and turned her head to McGonagall, a little confused. The older woman rolled her eyes.
"For Godric's sake, I don't believe I need a password by now, just let us in." and the griffin moved aside and revealed a spiraling set of stairs. McGonagall lead Rose to the top and opened an ancient oak door. What greeted her was a massive room, an office of sorts. There was the entryway, the rounded walls opening up to a desk. There must have been about a hundred portraits, all moving about and occasionally talking to each other from across the way. Farther to her left, there was a large stone bowl on a pedestal that Rose didn't recognize. On either side of the desk were two sets of metal stairs that wound up to a second floor of sorts. The walls next to the stairs were shelves jam packed with various books, and the second floor had some large complicated looking device made entirely of metal as well. Sitting in the high backed chair behind the desk, hands folded pleasantly and soft eyes smiling behind half-moon spectacles was Albus Dumbledore. Rose gulped. He looked unassuming enough; his hair was turning silvery grey, although there was a slight touch of auburn still lingering in strands of his long beard and equally long hair. His face was wrinkled at the corners of his eyes and mouth, and it looked like he smiled often. Rose relaxed a little bit, but was still very wary.
"Please. Do have a seat." he gestured softly at a chair that had appeared in front of his desk. Rose turned around to look at McGonagall, and she nodded before turning back the way she came, and left the office. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, and it relaxed Rose even more. Dumbledore smiled pleasantly and nodded before pulling a small bag out of a drawer.
"Care for a bean?" he asked, and Rose shook her head. He popped one in his mouth and grimaced a little.
"Ah. That would be...gravel." he nodded and put the bag back into the drawer.
"Gravel? What kind of candy is that?" Rose couldn't help but ask.
"Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans." Dumbledore declared. So every flavor must have meant every flavor. He folded his hands again and looked at Rose contemplatively.
"How are you enjoying Hogwarts? Your grades so far have been outstanding, and you've won many points for Gryffindor."
"Oh I like it here. It's nice." she said automatically. Something in the back of her mind began to itch and tingle.
"Mmm, yes I see that you say that, but you don't really think it, do you? Oh, no it's perfectly alright. I can only imagine what you've had to go through these past weeks." he stroked his beard. Rose looked down at her lap a little guiltily. Somehow, this old man had seen through her mask. She fiddled with her hands before looking up.
"It really is...a nice school. And I'm glad I got to finish my education here. But to be honest, sir...I'd rather be back in America. I miss my friends." she knotted her skirt up in her hands nervously as she spoke. Dumbledore considered her words for a moment.
"Perhaps. Or maybe you haven't given Hogwarts the chance to grow on you. Your professors describe you as brilliant in all aspects. But they say you're quiet as well, and prone to mood swings. Perhaps there's something holding you back in a social light that you should confront." he adjusted his spectacles "You have quite a few people who are interested in becoming closer friends, and maybe even a few admirers." he winked and Rose blushed a little at this. She really did feel bad for Cyril. She just wasn't interested in him.
"But these mood swings...they have proved to be troublesome." the old man said uneasily. Rose felt like she should mention that she didn't actually remember about a week of her life, but her head pounded painfully at that thought.
"You were seen going into the Forbidden Forest, and some good friends of mine have informed me that you caused an awful lot of damage in the woods. Might I ask, what for?" he looked a tad less laid back now as he leaned forward in his chair a little. Rose frowned.
"Honestly sir? I don't know." she explained lamely. But that's not what she wanted to say. Her mouth froze shut in that moment, she wanted to shout and scream that somebody was in her head, but that horrible stabbing pain only returned. Dumbledore frowned deeper at this and sighed.
"Miss Damonne, I know that you are having a difficult time, but I should warn you that allowing your emotions to...take over in a way can be dangerous. And for somebody as strong as yourself, ah well I would rather not think about it." he looked sad for a moment.
"Crooked-nosed idiot." Tom hissed, and Rose grimaced. Dumbledore seemed like a nice enough guy. And what he was saying had some truth to it; maybe she didn't give anybody a chance like she should have. If anything, it would make time at Hogwarts a little more bearable.
"I'll take your advice sir. Thank you." she sighed in relief.
"Ah. Yes well, you'll also be getting detentions because of the damage done to the forest. As well as entering it to begin with." he held up a hand when she was about to quietly protest. He grinned a little.
"But, out of the goodness of my heart, your detentions won't start until after Halloween. You'll be taking them with Professor Slughorn. He has so graciously offered to head them," he pulled out the bag of beans and picked through them "Enjoy the party? And ah, do watch out for some of the toffees and chocolates. They have a habit of being charmed in some rather unfortunate ways." he chuckled and put a bean in his mouth.
"Ugh...soap." Rose grinned at this. She had expected punishment eventually, but she was happy that she had gotten off relatively easy. Slughorn liked her, and she could just work on her potion while she was there. And since it was usually until curfew, she wouldn't run into Bellatrix. Not that she couldn't handle her. Rose nodded and thanked Dumbledore politely before leaving his office, feeling more uplifted for some reason. Yes, she decided, she would go to Terry, Cyril, Hugo, and Henrietta, and open up more. She would make this work. She would finish that potion, and finish her year at Hogwarts.
"This will be easy!" she smiled broadly to herself, for the first time in a very long time.