It felt like it took my three years to write this chapter, I was getting so frustrated with it. If it isn't obvious enough after this, Rose is terrible at problem solving, and her brain is always in three million places at once.
Also, it turns out I had to completely scrap and consequently rewrite basically the entire middle portion of this fic because I'm terrible at math. To say that I'm stressed is a wild understatement.
I AM NOT PROFITING FROM THIS, AND ANY RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING
Chapter Seven:
Dumbledore exited the floo in the Ministry, and began a determined march to the Minister's office, with whom he had made an appointment. Nobby Leach was not well liked in the Ministry, and most believed he would step down soon. After all, as the first muggle born Minister, he wasn't popular with the powerful families who practically ran the Ministry. Dumbledore hoped that the man would at least be able to help him with the current dilemma; Rose Damonne.
"Ah, Headmaster Dumbledore. What may I help you with?" Leach asked when the greying wizard entered his office. Leach was a man of medium height, but his features looked too small for his face. He had tiny dark eyes and a thin mouth, and an even narrower nose.
"No need to call me Headmaster, Albus is just fine. And as for help, I surely hope you can." Dumbledore seated himself in a chair across from the Minister and waited for the man to pull out his glasses before continuing.
"I'm sure you remember hearing about a former student? Tom Marvolo Riddle?" he began, and Leach cringed.
"Yes. Quite a shame really. A menace to society."
"I agree with you, but he is not dead. He grows more powerful with each passing day. I have reason to believe that he is influencing some of my students." Dumbledore leaned forward a little to convey how serious he was in these accusations.
"Albus, he hasn't been heard about since the mysterious death of Bagshot. Why would he bother now?" Dumbledore could understand the other man's apprehension; saying that Tom was back to lurking around was serious. It could mean another crusade against muggleborns and that wasn't something anyone wanted. Or at least decent people wanted.
"One of my students has been acting in a way one might when under the imperius curse. I have reason to believe he may be behind this. She displays remarkable talent and would be an ideal target for him." Dumbledore stated cooly. But he needed the Ministry. He didn't want to lose another student if he could help it. Leach mulled it over.
"What would you have us do, Albus? Do you know where he might even be?"
"I was hoping she could be brought in. Questioned or examined maybe. That could reveal his whereabouts." he was sure that Rose would be alright with this. She must have wanted help, she always looked so troubled. Ironically, it never occurred once to Dumbledore that Bellatrix Black could have been a factor in her misery. In fact, the oldest Black's antics never struck him as particularly evil. While she did openly voice her distaste for anybody who wasn't a pureblood or a Slytherin, she wasn't going around and trying to kill them.
"We could manage that. After the holidays, I presume?" Leach directed a charmed quill on his desk to begin putting this into his schedule. Dumbledore nodded.
"I would prefer as soon as possible, but I feel she's already been put through quite enough already. After the holiday break, I will personally escort her here." the Headmaster was pleased that the Minister was easy to persuade. Leach nodded and shook Dumbledore's hand.
"Anything to help the wizarding community in these trying times. I trust I'll have your vote in the next election?"
"Perhaps. We'll see how the Quidditch matches run, hmm?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in his eye, before turning with a slight flourish of his cloak. Leach's face colored at this, but he sat back down at his desk.
Rose expected Dumbledore to summon her to his office to ask about Peppers, but the word around school was that he had gone out for the day. Which was fine with her. But she found herself constantly fiddling with the ring all day, something her DADA professor commented on.
"Distracted, Damonne?" he queried. Rose put her hand down and continued writing her essay.
"No sir, just thinking." she didn't look at him, but he still stood near her desk.
"I'm sensing some tension in the room. Everybody need a little breather?" he asked the room. The students lifted their heads and looked at their teacher. He smiled and nodded.
"I think it's high time we had more dueling practice! Can't get rusty you know!" he instructed them to move their desks and chairs. Cyril spoke up.
"But sir, we only usually duel on Fridays. Why are we practicing more?" he clearly wasn't looking forward to having his ass handed to him by Rose again. Despite what happened at the Halloween party, Cyril still talked to Rose as if he didn't have his heart broken a little. Rose was thankful that neither of them tried to make it awkward.
"Mr. Ashby, are you teaching the class? No? Didn't think so. Okay class! Find a partner." Rose immediately looked at Cyril, who sighed helplessly. Rose smiled.
"It's okay Cyril. I won't hurt you too bad. I promise." she drew her wand. The Hufflepuff boy drew his own wand, already bracing himself for defeat. Rose started off easy, and lazily flung expelliarmus to see if he was ready. He dodged it with the grace of a cat wearing rubber boots, and tried to throw a spell back.
"Avifors!" he cried, but Rose had already cast protego, and the spell bounced and hit another student, who promptly turned into a sparrow. Cyril kept his wand raised and waited for Rose to make the next move, but she was only grinning at him and slowly circling. He did the same, and launched another spell. Rose gave a little gasp when she realized her shoes stuck to the ground. A careless mistake, she scolded herself, and quickly slipped off her school shoes and wordlessly cast bombarda at the ground in front of Cyril. He yelped when the stone exploded in front of him and he scrambled backwards.
"Rose take it easy!"
"Whoops! Sorry!" she apologized lamely, but she thought it was kind of funny to see him panic. Most of the students had given the pair a wide berth, and watched the spectacle.
"C'mon Cyril! Let her have it!" a boy jeered. Another boy whooped at this. Rose ignored them and chuckled.
"Cyril, I know you can fight me! You're smart! Come on, just land a hit, you can do it." Rose moved closer and he backed up again.
"Baubillius!" he shouted, and a flash of white light streamed out of his wand. Unfortunately, he had telegraphed his move, and Rose simply stepped to the side of the spell.
"Everte statum!" he cried. But Rose was unstoppable. She just kept dodging the spells, and she only laughed a little when he got flustered. He dropped his wand and held his hands up.
"Nope. You've won. I know when I'm done for, and I've been beat. I figured it out the last five times as well." he laughed nervously.
"No." Morpho's voice made many students jump, and Rose faced the professor.
"Sorry sir?" Rose asked. His arms were crossed and he looked disappointed. Something about his demeanor was...off. And yet very familiar, Rose was afraid to consider the implications.
"No, one of you needs to finish this. You can't just surrender." the professor's voice sounded more gravelly and harsh, less like himself.
"Sir, he can totally surrender. And he did. So the duel is over." Rose said slowly. Morpho looked pretty angry.
"Clearly Mr. Ashby isn't capable of ending this. You are, Damonne, so do it. Finish the duel. Or I'll take points from Gryffindor." he spat. A few Gryffindors grumbled and looked at Rose. She suddenly got a brilliant idea, and maybe it would shut Morpho up. She felt that familiar fire in her gut rise to her face and smirked.
"If you say so sir." and she mentally apologized to Cyril before shouting.
"Incendio!" a jet of bright fire erupted from her wand, and Cyril screamed. But under her breath, Rose quickly cast the flame-freeze spell, and her friend began to giggle.
"Rose—-hahaha—Rose stop you win." he writhed in the flames, and several students grimaced at such a weird display. Rose did a very dramatic bow and put her shoes back on before turning to her professor, who had blanched a little when he saw one of his students nearly consumed by fire, his face pale.
"What's up next?" she asked sweetly before helping the others put the desks back. She had never had this much fun dueling at Ilvermorny, she had to admit. Probably because there were a lot more rules about dueling there than here at Hogwarts. Morpho shook his head in confusion before going back to his desk and reading a book.
"Finish your essays." he said in a shaky voice. Cyril followed Rose out, and gave a short laugh.
"Rose, you really almost set me on fire. Impressive, considering who you are." he gave her a friendly clap on the back. Rose laughed too, but she looked at him as they walked.
"What do you mean 'who I am'?" she shouldered past two younger students who were gossiping in the hall. Cyril shrugged.
"You're usually pretty quiet. Bloody smart, mind you, but quiet. Fire just didn't seem like something you would use." he said.
"Oh." Rose muttered. But it irked her. Just because she was quiet didn't mean she was powerless. Bellatrix had found that out the hard way.
"I mean, just by looking at you, you can't assume much." Cyril continued.
"Oh. I guess I'm full of surprises." Rose grumbled. As they moved through the crowds, Rose hissed when she felt a sharp sting against her back. Whipping around, she caught a glance of Bellatrix sauntering off down the hall. Cyril turned as well and looked confused.
"You alright Rose?" he kept looking around. She gripped his shoulder and turned them around to keep walking.
"Yep. All good." she said shortly and moved them on the their next classes. She only had to endure a study period in the Great Hall and then she could relax in her dorm. Or so she thought until she remembered she had detentions all that week. With Slughorn and Bellatrix. She shook her head in disbelief at her own forgetfulness, especially after last night, and trudged onward. Cyril waved as they parted, and she walked into the Great Hall. She was pretty early, so she sat down at her usual spot and set out her books so she could get some work done. When all else failed, she could always look to good old-fashioned book work to soothe her nerves. And despite all the weirdness, she was glad the work was easy. Otherwise she would be an awful lot more stressed. She contentedly scratched away on parchment with her quill when she heard a light cough. It was professor McGonagall, who glanced at Rose kindly before resuming her walk down the aisle between the tables. Rose smiled back. The head of Gryffindor house was strict and sharp, but as long as you weren't completely inept, she liked you. After about an hour of working, Rose went to leave the Great Hall when McGonagall stopped her.
"I'd go out tonight if I were you. Electrical storm and all." she nodded and walked away before Rose could say anything. Was she trying to get her killed? And then Rose remembered that goddamn mandrake leaf in her mouth. How she had forgotten about that little project, she didn't know. But now there was a little scheduling conflict; detention began late, presumably around the same time as the storm. Rose knew there was no way in hell she would miss out on the chance to finally become an animagus.
"I can figure this out." she told herself firmly, gripping the ring on her necklace. She hoped that whatever she would end up as, it wouldn't be stupid, like a wolf or an insect. She shivered at the thought of being a beetle for the rest of her life.
That night, Rose walked into the Potions classroom and sat quietly at her desk, ignoring Bellatrix's staring and waiting for Slughorn to give her an assignment. He turned around and nodded.
"Good, you're here. For you, why don't you make something fun?" he smiled, and Rose looked confused.
"Fun, professor?"
"Why yes! You're quite proficient at creating potions, why don't you try something with a little more oomph." he emphasized the last word with a wave of his hands. Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Well, I guess?" she wanted to see the look on Bellatrix's face, but she didn't want to turn around. Slughorn looked at the troublesome young witch and sighed.
"Just try not to destroy anything while I'm gone." and he made a beeline for the door. Rose wondered why he left the room all the time. Before Bellatrix could get the drop on her, Rose vaulted over the desk and also ran for the door, much to the surprise of Bellatrix, who had a book in her hand and was poised to strike.
"What the living fuck, were you going to hit me with that?" Rose gawked. Bellatrix grew red and flustered.
"No, you idiot! It's a book about...something that could help you, it's not important now. I was just surprised when you jumped over the table like a damn animal." she tossed the book on the desk and plopped down in a chair again. She squinted at Rose.
"Where are you going?"
"None of your business." Rose said quickly, and she walked to the door. She never realized how creaky it was until she was trying to be stealthy. Bellatrix didn't relent, and instead walked up behind Rose, who was peeking out into the corridor.
"Really? Because it looks like you're going somewhere." she grinned broadly. Rose ignored her.
"Nope. Now go away before I hex you...or something."
"Oh please. Now if you're sneaking out, you'd need to know that Pringle makes rounds of these corridors in a very specific pattern, and if you want to get out without being detected, you'd need an expert." Bellatrix said nonchalantly. Rose had no idea who Pringle was, but she just rolled her eyes.
"I don't need help, Bellatrix."
"Fine. Suit yourself." she pouted and went back to her desk. But she still watched as Rose cast muffliato on herself and left the classroom. And of course she immediately followed and did the same. She would never pass up an opportunity for some fun. Rose quickly charmed her hair and robes to be a different color, blonde hair and Slytherin robes. Maybe if anybody saw her, they wouldn't know it was her right away. There wasn't anybody out currently; most students were in their dorms, so Rose moved quickly to the stairs. All she had to do was get outside, and the clock tower courtyard was the closest. Bellatrix watched as Rose ran up the stairs out of the dungeons. It reminded her of how she followed her to the Forbidden Forest, and she hoped that this wouldn't be a repeat.
"And then I told him 'I don't think they mean every flavor, John'." a boy spoke and Rose practically threw herself behind a suit of armor to hide. Two boys, Slytherins, passed by her. She held her breath even though she knew they wouldn't be able to hear her. But something they saw in the hall made them run down to the dungeons even faster, and Rose realized that she had been tailed. She gave Bellatrix an "Are you kidding me." face before going down the corridor again towards the courtyard. Bellatrix stuck her tongue out and followed. Thankfully, Rose didn't run into any more trouble, and she burst into the courtyard. The storm had already begun brewing, the wind whipping her braids about her face. Fiddling with the mandrake leaf in her mouth, Rose pulled the vial of animagus potion she had prepped out of her robes. Bellatrix sat on a bench at the far end of the courtyard and watched the Gryffindor girl stand in the storm.
"Damonne, what are you doing?" she called. Rose ignored her and waited. Electricity crackled in the air, and the hairs rose on their arms. Bellatrix shivered and watched as Rose suddenly downed the potion she was holding and swallowed. With a crack, lightning struck her directly, and Bellatrix shrieked a little. But after the light and smell of copper cleared, Rose simply stood where she was and seemed otherwise unharmed.
"Damonne, I swear you do the weirdest shit." Bellatrix yelled, and she stomped over to Rose.
"Okay, well I told you not to follow me." the Gryffindor shrugged. Bellatrix crossed her arms and cocked her hips.
"You said you didn't need my help. Be more specific next time." she smirked, but she still looked over Rose. The brunette finally realized what she was up to.
"Oh my god, you're concerned about me!" she said in disbelief. Bellatrix immediately flushed at this and threw up her hands.
"I am not! Why would I give a rat's ass about you?" but Rose was already putting the pieces together.
"No this makes sense, you totally care! That's why you're always following me around. That's why Andromeda said that you probably wouldn't kill me." she said softly. And suddenly she felt very bad for Bellatrix. She was fearsome, like the human embodiment of a hurricane. Which meant that few people dared to ever get close to her, besides her sisters. Rose's heart broke a little at this thought. Bellatrix sneered, but she looked a little defeated.
"I don't care about you. I just think that you're not as bad as the rest of these idiots." she muttered and scuffed the stones with her foot. Rose could barely hear her over the howling of the wind, and rain was beginning to beat down on the pair. Rose gave the raven haired witch a tiny smile before backing up.
"Okay I have to do this before I fuck up." she laughed a little and thought very hard about changing her form. Bellatrix watched her with a brow raised. Rose scrunched her eyes shut and felt a tingling sensation in her legs. It spread to the rest of her body and the tingling began to feel like little pins, and soon like she was being consumed by fire. Rose cried out and writhed, doubled over now. Bellatrix stepped forward but Rose whipped her head up to face her. The girl's pupils were small points of black and her eyes were gold, making the curly-haired witch falter a little.
"Stay back please." Rose growled out, teeth gritted in pain. The pain began to ebb and Rose felt like she was melting. The courtyard seemed to get a little brighter and she could feel the cold wet stone beneath her hands. But when she looked down, they weren't hands anymore, but very large paws. It was like a sensory overload. The sound of the wind, the sting of the rain, and the overwhelming smell of Bellatrix, who was staring.
"A bit on the nose, isn't it?" she finally said over the storm. Rose experimentally stretched out and forward in all her feline grace and swished her tail. A rumbling rose in her chest and she let out a low roar.
"Okay keep quiet, we don't want some nosy git reporting us. We should go back inside." Bellatrix stalked past Rose and didn't wait up. Changing back, Rose followed and winced. It didn't feel good, but maybe she would get used to it. When they were safely back in the classroom, both of them turned on each other, fingers pointed.
"You!" Bellatrix hissed "You're an animagus."
"Well now I am, yeah. Was it cool?" Rose couldn't help her childish grin. Bellatrix rolled her eyes with a sneer.
"A lion? Really Damonne? You couldn't have picked something less obvious, like a hedgehog?"
"If you're so smart, Black, you should know that an animagus can't pick what they turn into. And you…" she pointed back, but her words faltered. Despite how much trouble Bellatrix had caused her, Rose didn't hate her, and she felt that some sort of neutral ground with the powerful witch would be good. So she didn't want to go at her, accusing her of wanting to be friends. Bellatrix waited for her to finish her sentence, but it never came.
"Anyway, why did you do it?" the girl asked. Rose sat in a chair and gripped her locket.
"I thought if I could maybe turn into a bird—"
"Salazar's knickers, you thought that you could just fly away?" Bellatrix cut her off. Rose looked at her in mild surprise.
"Yes, actually."
"Well, looks like you're stuck." she sniffed and sat down in another chair with a toss of her curls. Rose just nodded. And then got up and went to the shelves go gather ingredients.
"What are you doing now?" Bellatrix asked, bored. She was watching Rose move around from under lidded eyes, chin resting on her arms as she leaned on the desk.
"I'm going to test a new potion. Well, it's actually just a Draught of Peace, but it could be better…" she trailed off as she stood on the tips of her toes to grab a jar of powdered moonstone off the top shelf. When she had all the jars, she placed them on a table and hunted for a spare cauldron, which she found in a corner. Taking off her robe and rolling up her sleeves.
"Damonne, you can't modify that potion, it's fickle." Bellatrix mumbled.
"Yeah, well I'll figure it out." she shot back. She heated the cauldron before putting in a base and allowing it to come to the right temperature. She gently tossed in moonstone powder and the potion flared green. Rose stirred, waiting for it to turn blue. She was so focused that she didn't notice when Bellatrix moved her chair to the table and watched her work.
"Were you smart at Ilvermorny?" she asked, looking very bored. Rose just "mhm'd" and kept stirring. Bellatrix cocked her head and looked off to the side, a pout on her lips.
"Which one of your parents is a muggle?"
"My dad." the potion was almost there.
"Does he have a job?"
"Yeah. He—uh—he's a gardener." Rose grabbed more moonstone and poured it until the potion was purple.
"Gardener," Bellatrix wrinkled her nose "What a terribly mundane thing to do."
"Well he likes it, so that's what he does."
"What's your mum do?"
"Works for the Ministry. Got a transfer last year so…" Rose stirred some more.
"How does your dad garden? Without magic?"
"He uses tools. Trowels, watering cans, hedge clippers."
"What if the plants die? What does he do then? Does a 'trowel' bring them back?"
"No. The plants just die. And he has to get new ones." Bellatrix watched as Rose picked up a vial of syrup of hellebore and the two watched the potion simmer.
"That's stupid. Do you have any sisters?"
"Nope. Only child."
"Oh...Did your dad live in a cave?"
"Did he what?" Rose added syrup until the potion turned a bright shade of turquoise. Bellatrix tapped her fingers on the table impatiently.
"Did he live in a cave? All muggles live in caves, yeah?"
"No, he didn't live in a cave. He lived in a very nice house. Haven't you seen No-maj London? That's not a series of caves." Rose said, a little surprised.
"Is he Muggle royalty?" Bellatrix asked, confused. Rose laughed.
"God I wish. But nah, my dad is a regular guy."
"Did they name you Rose because he likes to garden?"
"Yeah." the potion had simmered and turned purple, and Rose added porcupine quills that had been shaken. The potion flared red. Bellatrix smirked to herself; she'd never think that she would ever hear Rose talk this much. Maybe she could get her to talk more.
"So I'm guessing you won't say it." Rose said mildly. Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at her.
"Say what?"
"Why you've been upset for a few days. It's that arrangement?" she stirred the potion, never taking her eyes off it. Bellatrix straightened up and glared at the table. She didn't say anything.
"Okay." Rose said simply. The potion now cast an orange glow on her face. When Bellatrix looked at her, The Gryffindor seemed passive and almost thoughtful, but she didn't say anything else.
"You can ask me more questions if you want. I don't really mind." and in truth, she didn't. It was helping to pass the time. Bellatrix turned back to look her in the eyes this time, but it was hard because Rose was keeping a very close eye on her concoction.
"Why do you act all quiet and simple one moment, but totally stark raving mad the next? You get this bloody creepy look on your face, and suddenly it's like you're a whole other person." Bellatrix blurted. Rose hissed at this; she could feel the screams begin again.
"Ah...yeah it's the voices." she managed. She really wished that the other witch hadn't said anything. They murmured between her ears, wordless threats that thrummed at the base of her skull, steadily becoming frenzied.
"Voices? What are they saying?" Bellatrix asked, thoroughly intrigued now. Rose looked at her darkly, and the other witch saw a glimmer of that 'creepy look'.
"They want me to kill people. So I've been trying to not do that." she gritted out. More porcupine quills were added, and the potion was turquoise again. Bellatrix couldn't tell if Rose was serious or not.
"Oh. Alright." she stretched, and an awkward silence settled between them. The quiet simmering of the potion as Rose stirred during the final step actually lulled Bellatrix to sleep, and she quietly snored, head buried in her arms on the table. Rose glanced at her quickly before pulling out her wand and waving it over the potion.
"Cessabit." she whispered lightly, and the potion shimmered. It smelled awful, but there wasn't an explosion so the potion must have worked. Getting a small ladleful of the stuff and walking to the far end of the classroom, she took a deep breath. The voices had started to get louder as she worked, and she hoped that this potion would help. Steeling herself, she tipped the spoon into her mouth and swallowed. It tasted like piss, and she almost spit it out, but Rose kept her mouth shut and hopped in place a little to loosen up.
"You foolish child, what did you just drink?" Tom hissed. Rose rolled back her shoulders and hoped her potion would not only drown out the voices, but maybe also get rid of the murderous tendencies that Tom incited. For a moment, everything was normal, and Rose felt a little disappointed. But then it was like a giant, fuzzy blanket was dropped on her world. She felt so safe and comfortable, like she was wrapped in a wool sweater.
"Wow." she breathed simply. Walking back over to where Bellatrix was, Rose pulled up a chair and sat across from her. The girl looked like a goddess right now, her dark curls shimmering in the candlelight, her face peaceful in sleep. Rose smiled softly and also laid her head down on the table to look at Bellatrix more. The witch snored softly, but to Rose it was a sweet sound.
"You're not so scary now, are you?" she whispered. Bellatrix shifted in response, and grumbled. Rose giggled quietly and sat back in her chair, looking at the stone ceiling of the classroom. Everything seemed so clear to her now. She was so good at potions, why not become a potions professor. With a little gasp, she got even more excited.
"No! I can sell potions!" but her train of thought switched quickly again "Aw but I don't care about money." she frowned a little.
"Who are you talking to?" Bellatrix groaned sleepily. Rose gasped again in awe and took the girl's face in her hands, scaring the hell out of the other girl.
"My potion worked!" she whispered, eyes wide.
From Bellatrix's point of view, Rose's freezing cold hands clasped either side of her face, and the Gryffindor was staring into her eyes with a hazy glimmer. Bellatrix had reached for her wand, and tried to pull away, but Rose kept a firm hold.
"Do you want some?" she asked, still using that airy voice. Bellatrix grimaced and took Rose's wrists.
"Let go of me or I'll hex you, Damonne."
"Aw, you're always in such a bad mood, this will help!" she smiled softly.
"I don't want to drink whatever you just did. You're clearly drugged off your ass." she said, glancing warily at the cauldron.
"Okay, that's alright. But, I need to tell you what's going on before it wears off. I don't want to risk drinking too much of it in one go." Rose chuckled lightly, crossing her arms behind her head and sighing softly.
"So, basically what's happening is there's this guy in my head. He looks like a snake, and his name is Tom. He makes me do stuff and then I don't remember it, like when I supposedly went to the Forbidden Forest. And also your dorm." she frowned a little. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I would never mean to, you know." Bellatrix let her finish speaking.
"So yeah, Tom keeps trying to get me to kill somebody. Keeps saying that if I do, I'll feel better. That I can use all my anger and sadness to fuel some powerful magic."
"Who does he want you to kill?" Bellatrix asked, leaning forward "You probably shouldn't be near them, unless you want to become a murderer."
"Oh well you see, that's the problem. He really wants me to kill you, for some reason. But don't worry, I won't. I don't want to hurt anybody, really." she said simply. Bellatrix laughed at this.
"As if you could kill me! Hah!"
"What, you don't think I have what it takes? To be that strong?" Rose tilted her head. Bellatrix rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, he wants to get rid of Muggles completely, and build some sort of wizard utopia. He's crazy." she waved a hand dismissively.
"Then why you? 'Wizard Utopia' doesn't seem to be your style." Bellatrix wondered out loud.
"No clue. Hey, when's detention over?"
"How should I know?"
"You're always in detention. I'd figured that you would have at least known the time it ends by know." Rose yawned.
"Whatever Damonne."
"You said before you would help me. Or wanted to help me. Don't give me that look, you already told me that you just wanted to see me suffer or whatever, but regardless you said that you'd help. How do you intend to do that?" Rose held onto her locket and rubbed her thumb over it. Bellatrix shrugged.
"Don't know. I didn't think that you'd actually be crazy. I was expecting that I could probably blow something up or scare somebody and that would solve it." Rose laughed a little at this.
"You know, for how incredibly smart you are, you're a terrible strategist. My plan for now is to drink this potion, because it seems to be holding Tom at bay. I just need some bottles." she looked around the room lazily. There were probably some in a cabinet somewhere. Bellatrix still looked very sleepy, and she just yawned and said that it was fine.
"How come you're so tired?" Rose asked. Bellatrix waved her hand.
"Piss if I know. Why do you care?"
"Just curious." Rose smiled at the Slytherin girl, who just stared back. Bellatrix had never seen Rose so at ease. She wasn't nervously playing with her hair, her brows weren't fixed in an expression of worry. Her eyes seemed more expressive, deep even. Rose's lips quirked.
"You must be pretty exhausted, because I don't think you've ever looked at me for this long. Did I make you upset?" Rose teased lightly. Bellatrix scowled over her slight blush and put her head back in her arms.
"Shut up Damonne. Wake me when Slughorn gets back." she grumbled. Rose hummed to herself happily and leaned on her elbow, resting her cheek in her hand. A slight chill had crept into the potions room, and despite the potion, Rose felt a tad antsy. Getting up, she located some bottles and filled them all as quietly as possible. Waving her wand, she cleaned the cauldron and put it back in the corner. Shrinking all the bottles, she tucked them away in robes. When Slughorn walked in about twenty minutes later, Rose was still feeling relatively calm. He gave her a nod, and she remembered that she had to wake up Bellatrix.
"C'mon. Time to go." she said gently, give the girl a little shake. Bellatrix whimpered quietly before grumbling and blinking the sleep out of her eyes. Slughorn looked at her disapprovingly, but didn't say anything. Rose bid him goodnight and left the potions classroom, smiling absentmindedly to herself. With all the potion that she brewed, it could keep Tom away long enough to get some research done, maybe a way to figure out how to stop him. Bellatrix follower her out numbly, ruffling her curls and blinking slowly. Her lips were in a pout after waking up. Rose couldn't help but stare at them, they were just impossibly perfect. Bellatrix peered at her and rolled her eyes sleepily.
"Got to bed, Damonne." she turned away. Rose felt a little pink creep onto her face and whispered "Goodnight Bellatrix."