Writing this has suddenly becoming a disgusting struggle, and I'm not happy with it at all, but my editor convinced me not to set my computer on fire and trash the whole thing. Shoutout to her for that piece of advice. I've been working on my other projects in between this, hopefully those will be a little more fulfilling.

Making Rose into a likable and well rounded character has been a challenge because I used to have an unconquerable hatred for OCs. I'm not worried about self insert, I'm just more worried about her becoming a carbon copy of something else I've read before. Character development is one of my biggest...requirements I guess when it comes to something I read or write myself. And I guess I want Rose coming out of this whole thing having learned some important lesson. It just sucks that I've already made her out to be a complete idiot.

Anyway, y'all know the drill. Review if you enjoyed. Thanks again for all your support.

I AM NOT PROFITING FROM THIS. ALL RECOGNIZABLE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING

Chapter 18

The next day, Rose could feel the ache in her bones as she marched through the forest, still in search of the ruins. She was sure that any sort of rocky outcropping would serve as a good base of operations. Her stomach rolled and flipped uncomfortably as she thought about her dream, her face twisting into a deep glower as she ground her teeth.

"I can't believe she just…" she muttered to herself.

Bellatrix uncharacteristically rose from her slumber with a jolt and leapt from her bed, scaring her roommates half to death as they were getting ready for the day. She could still remember how reverently Rose, or Voldemort rather, had whispered the name of the book in the DoM.

"Apocrypha…" she whispered to herself as she made a beeline for the library, not bothering to answer the ghost of the Bloody Baron as he questioned her behavior. The hurried tapping of shoes alerted Bellatrix to the fact that somebody was following her. Andromeda stifled a yawn as she went to catch up with her sister who was practically running now. The few students on their way to the Great Hall shrieked in alarm and hurriedly got out of the bristling witch as Andromeda tried to get a response from her sister.

"Bella what's wrong? Where are you going?" she was almost pleading now, never having seen such deadly focus on Bellatrix's face. The older witch felt her blood thrumming in her veins, anticipation vibrating under her skin and making a sweat break on her forehead. She needed to know what was in that book, what had Rose so worried, and why it was so bad. Clenching and unclenching her hands, she ignored the pinched look that Pince gave her as she flew past the librarian. Stopping in front of the large reference book, Bellatrix cleared her throat.

"I need information on Apocrypha." she asked the thick tome. The pages flapped and turned wildly as the book sorted itself out.

"Bellatrix, what are you doing?" the auburn haired sister asked, but was interrupted when the directory book slammed shut and there was the sound of rattling and flapping coming from the restricted section. Both sisters looked at each other before Bellatrix tried to make her way over to the infamous section of the library. Madame Pince happened to be there quicker, and she barred their path. Tossing her curls, Bellatrix stood as tall as she could in front of the woman.

"Step aside. I need to do research for a project." she fibbed. The librarian was not so easily fooled. In a flash, she was sitting in Dumbledore's office, sulking as she watched the old man search through a pile of sweets on his desk.

"Lemon drop?" he offered. Bellatrix scowled at the headmaster instead of answering.

He chuckled and gave her an appraising glance before sighing to himself, popping a small tart candy in his mouth. There was an uncomfortable, terse silence between the two of them, although Dumbledore seemed unphased by this. Bellatrix sat on her hands, tapping a foot impatiently as she watched the man. Her temper was simmering just below the surface, and eventually she could hold it in no longer.

"You were the one that brought her to the Ministry. It's your fault." she seethed. Dumbledore feigned ignorance and gave Bellatrix a mild look of surprise.

"I'm not quite sure I follow." he leaned forward a little as Bellatrix seethed with barely disguised rage. Slamming a fist in his desk and bolting up from her chair, the dark witch began to shriek at the headmaster, heedless of the consequences she might suffer for it.

"You absolutely useless old goat! You were the one who brought Rose to the Ministry, where something happened to her, and it ruined her! Now my best friend is running from the authorities when she should be here with me!" her voice cracked a little, but her eye twitched in irritation. Dumbledore paused for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I accept responsibility for my actions, Bellatrix. I am deeply sorry that you also have to suffer for this." he paused again, like he was contemplating something very serious. Bellatrix was quickly losing patience for this codger's antics and was about ready to blast him to pieces if he didn't somehow fix this.

"You're Chief Warlock, just call this off! Rose doesn't deserve to be treated this way." Bellatrix demanded, practically growling in anger.

"Do you know why she was brought to the Ministry, Bellatrix?" Dumbledore asked quietly. This got Bellatrix's attention, and she slowly sat down again.

"You were taking her to get help, because something was wrong with her mind. Did you get curse-breakers to take a look at her?" the young witch asked.

"And Aurors as well. We have evidence that Rose may have unintentionally become a sort of disciple of a very dangerous individual. Somebody that he can mold to be his right hand. For example, her wand is almost identical to his, and he has seen this as a form of kinship between them. She has powerful blood, we fear the worst in that aspect. Rose has demonstrated an astonishing amount of magical prowess for a student her age." Dumbledore explained, and Bellatrix felt a wave of confusion at the headmaster's revelation.

"When she escaped custody, Rose went directly to a restricted section of the Ministry and obtained information for this man, as well as for herself. Bellatrix, young wizards and witches study powerful, dark magic in America that we don't dare bring to light here. By learning what she has, Rose has awakened a highly volatile form of magic that hasn't been taught in centuries. Based not on harnessing the magic energy around us, but taking it from living creatures and using it for her own gain. Almost overnight, Rose has become a highly dangerous witch, likely unaware of what she has truly done."

"You see, when the first witches and wizards left for America, they tried to live out in the open, mixing with Muggles. But it didn't last long, and soon witch hunting became a common sport, an object of entertainment and release for bored Muggles. In a panic, the remaining magical families sequestered themselves from the non-magical world, much like we do. This led to the idea of pure-blood supremacy, to the point where the revelation of anything magical was punishable by death. Witches and wizards couldn't marry Muggles, creating stagnant bloodlines rather quickly. The Gaunt family is a famous example of this. Seeing their error, the new American Ministry allowed a school to be built, in order to foster a more positive outlook on those that weren't born 'pure'. The ban on mixed marriages was lifted, and slowly the wizarding population recovered."

"I'm sure that didn't go over well with some families." Bellatrix interrupted, fully aware of how this story would play out.

"Exactly. So there has been class separation. New families lost the old ways of their ancestors, while the pureblood families held onto their ancient magic. An example of this would be what Rose has acquired for herself. As a possible offspring of the Gaunt bloodline as well as the deceptively powerful German family, the Sauers, Rose quite possibly has no idea of what power she possesses. Which is why I can't allow her to run off. I can't demand that the Aurors back off, because if she becomes an ally of the dark forces, we're all doomed." Dumbledore finished his impromptu history lesson on a grave note. Bellatrix had no idea who the Sauers were, but she knew the name Gaunt. They had been prominent in England once, but that was well before her time. Looking up from her hands, which had been fidgeting, Bellatrix gave Dumbledore a dark stare.

"I don't really care," Bellatrix said, causing the normally calm Dumbledore to frown as he straightened up "I will use everything in my own power to get her before you do. And you can't stop me." she stood and left the old wizard's office before he could get another word in. Bellatrix decided that it was her turn to make a difficult decision, one that she didn't want, but for Rose, she would do anything. In her dormitory, Andromeda and Narcissa watched as their older sister brushed her hair and pinned in neatly into place.

"Bella, if you do this, mother and father will never let you hear the end of it, they'll practically own you!" Andromeda cried out, but Bellatrix only brushed her off, a mask of determination on her elegant face.

"This will all work out, I promise. It's the least I can do to make sure that Rose is safe."

Standing at the front door of her own hoe, Bellatrix had never felt more apprehensive in her entire life. She had never been the kind of girl to ask her parents to do anything for her, but today that would have to change. The door opened and a house elf showed her inside to wear Cygnus and Druella were sitting by a roaring fire in one of the smaller parlors in the house. Her mother allowed a quick confused glance at her daughter before watching her husband stand and turn to look at his eldest.

"Strange that you have come here, unannounced. Have you come to discuss your marriage to Rodolphus?" the head of the household asked. Bellatrix inhaled slowly and mustered her courage.

"I'm doing this for Rose. I'm doing this so that we can be together when the time is right. I can do this." Bellatrix repeated to herself.

"I am. But I need something in exchange." the young witch said firmly, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Cygnus only raised an eyebrow.

"An acquaintance of mine is currently being hounded by the authorities, I need you to use your connections to stop the manhunt on her."

"Friends with common criminals now, are we Bella? I won't do it." her father said simply and turned his back on her. Panic welling in her chest, Bellatrix lurched forward and grabbed her father's wrist, forcing him to turn and face her.

"Father please, this means a great deal to me. I promise that if you do this for me, I won't...I won't be any trouble. I'll marry Lestrange and I'll be out of your hair. Besides, I'm sure it wouldn't take much to just stop this." her urgency caused Cygnus to stop and stare at his daughter. Never had he seen her so frantic, so undone over somebody he had never heard her mention before.

"This isn't some tramp that you've taken a liking to, is it Bellatrix? I hope you know that if it were, the lad would end up dead in a ditch in mere seconds."

"No father! She's a close friend of mine, a powerful witch who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Bellatrix remembered what she had learned from Dumbledore earlier that morning "She's a descendant of two powerful families, perhaps you've heard of them. Gaunt and Sauer." When she said that, Druella also jumped from her seat with a gasp of surprise.

"Impossible! Both families died out decades ago!" her mother hissed, and she looked at Cygnus with alarm. The dark haired man stopped and thought for a moment.

"Dumbledore himself told me this, and that she is powerful beyond belief. And that a powerful wizard is training her himself. He believes in the power of purebloods, father. She is nothing but a friend to me, and to our cause." Bellatrix wanted to throw up, touting her knowledge like this, just to get her father to comply so that he could throw his power around and make sure Rose was safe.

"If she were related to either of these families, her blood would be tainted with mud by now, certainly spoiled by weak genes." Cygnus sighed. Bellatrix pressed further, now desperate.

"But father, it would be prudent of us to assist her, so that she may continue her training. Surely losing a witch so powerful to the Ministry would be a blunder on all accounts." the dark witch tried. Cygnus seemed to think harder.

"The Dark Lord would most likely appreciate his apprentice being alive, Cygnus." Druella pushed, a look of scheming already crossing her aristocratic features "And it certainly would be a small trifle to simply call off the dogs. This powerful young witch would technically be indebted to us. And for Bellatrix to finally be more complacent?" her mother continued as if Bellatrix wasn't even in the room. The young witch just waited with bated breath, her eyes trained on her father as he considered the pros and cons.

"Very well. But I have a few demands of my own, Bellatrix," Cygnus narrowed his dark eyes at the witch, and she tried not to shrink back a little "any further attempts to stall or halt your marriage to Rodolphus Lestrange must cease henceforth, and I expect you to behave like a proper young woman. Secondly, this friend of yours is to no longer have any further contact with you. Clearly, she's caused some sort of distress, and as powerful as she may be, she's still impure and therefore unfit to consort with The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black."

"What?! You can't possibly expect me to agree to that! It's not fair!" Bellatrix shrieked suddenly, and narrowly avoided the swing that her father took at her.

"You do not speak to me like that in my own home!" Cygnus thundered. Bellatrix's eyes widened when her father pulled out his wand and attacked her.

"I really shouldn't have done that." she thought to herself glumly when a powerful stinging hex landed on her right cheek, making her eyes water.

"Cygnus please." Druella said as she moved to stop her husband, but he was nearing a blind rage as he attacked his daughter.

"Crucio!" he shouted, and Bellatrix couldn't stop the shriek that burst from her lungs, followed by dry heaves and sobbing as liquid fire coated her skin and filled her veins in waves. She didn't know how long he had tortured her, but just before she blacked out, Cygnus' face appeared above hers, and he gave her a look of distaste.

"I'm disappointed in you, Bellatrix. I had come to believe you were better than this. You'll get what you want, but I expect you to hold up your end of the deal."

By now, Rose had spent a few days wandering around the forest. Those ruins that people spoke of were clearly well off the beaten path, and the young witch was beginning to regret her search. It was one afternoon that she happened upon a small stream, deep enough for her to wade into a bathe.

"Break time, Peppers." Rose took her ring and transfigured it, allowing the python to drape himself on low branches in the sunlight. Dropping her pack and stripping, Rose sank into the icy water and dove under, relishing the feel of crisp water moving through her long hair, which had taken a beating after not being washed for a while. Floating to the surface, she scrubbed the dirt from her skin until she was red. The sound of a strangled squawk caused Rose to turn suddenly, but it looked like Peppers had just snatched a bird out of its nest and was enjoying his meal. As the sun got lower and a chill crept into the air, Rose exited the water and carefully cast a drying charm. She only burned her arms a little, but it was still an impressive display of control.

"It's gonna be dark soon buddy. What should we do?" Rose asked Peppers, who just stared at her as he coiled around the trunk of the tree. Buttoning up her overalls, she looked beyond the stream to see a clearing in the waning sunlight. Ash and birch trees surrounded the grove, creating a sort of natural fence. Rose gathered her things and draped Peppers on her shoulders, exploring further.

"Close to water, and far away enough from any people. We'll set up camp here. It's better than wandering aimlessly. This way, we'll have a base of operations to search for Voldemort from."

"Foolish girl, what makes you think you'd be able to find me? What makes you believe that I would be hiding in the woods like a common animal? Like you?" Voldemort hissed. Rose knocked the side of her head with the heel of her palm.

"Shit, I guess I forgot to block him out." Rose frowned. But what he said had a grain of truth to it; she didn't really know where he could be. The "haunted" ruins could just be paranoid muggles, or a pixie infestation. She was grasping at straws.

"But what the fuck else am I supposed to do? I'm a wanted criminal." Rose sighed. Pulling out her wand, she took a deep breath before muttering a string of spells. At the farthest edge of the clearing, at the base of a large lone oak tree, she began to physically shape the old tree into a small home. The transfer of energy from the earth to her bones and then back into the earth was a strange feeling, almost addictive as Rose shaped the door and windows. She could feel as the fibers of the wood stretched and warped to form rooms and solid walls, though the tree never changed shape on the outside, save for said windows and doors.

"Alright I should stop now." Rose thought to herself, but the pull of the magic was becoming too much for her to fight against. It felt like she was sinking into the dirt, a part of her being transferred into the home she was creating.

"This is bad oh shit oh shit." the brunette widened her eyes in a panic. Losing control, the tree began to groan and warp. Sweating profusely, Rose finally managed to bite down on her tongue, effectively silencing herself so she could drop her wand. Peppers let out a hiss of surprise when she dropped to her knees, gasping and tasting copper in her mouth.

"Couple of expansion charms, combined with that forbidden knowledge," Rose huffed to herself, wiping her brow "no problem. Just entirely redefining how magic should be used." standing up, she viewed her handiwork. The door was small, barely big enough for her to squeeze through, but it would do for now. Orange light from the setting sun came in through cracks and splits in the bark around Rose, letting in wind. As she delved further, she found a small room to her right with an even smaller one adjacent to it, with a larger central room facing the entrance.

"I'm glad my magic-addled brain had time to think of creating rooms. That small one would make a good bathroom." she noted. Laying Peppers on the ground, she watched as the python grew in size until he was about fourteen feet long. As he slithered along the wooden floor, Rose spent the rest of the evening casting wards and charms, anything to make her shelter a little more hospitable. Finally, she laid blankets and a jacket for a pillow down, sprawling across them and trying to get comfortable. Peppers drew himself under her neck and over her stomach.

"Goodnight buddy. Hopefully I'll get my shit together so we can...get our collective shit together." Rose murmured, not quite ready to fall asleep. She would hate for Voldemort to grow too powerful, she felt like she had the chance now to prevent something terrible.

"He's just one weird guy. I can beat one weird guy. I can do that, and I can save Bellatrix. I have to." she whispered firmly to herself. The slow rhythmic breathing of Peppers lulled her to sleep.

Rose spent every day from then on training herself in mind and body. She would antagonize Voldemort just to train herself to block him out. She knew it was dangerous, it had to be.

"Don't look at me like that," she told Peppers with a slight frown "My legilimency is fantastic at this point. Well, close to fantastic. I just have to practice occlumency now." she reassured the reptile as she started constructing basic furniture for her home. A bed and a table were already there, as well as a few shelves and a basic cupboard. A series of branches had been set up near a window for her familiar to sun himself.

"I'm writing Bella a letter, and then I need to go out and hunt." she told him before sitting down at the table. It was a quick note, just as short as the others she had written the dark witch, ones that Bellatrix hadn't answered.

Hey Bella, just writing to ask how you're doing. We haven't dreamed together in awhile. You know how to reach me if you have to. I miss you.

Love, Rose

Sighing with dejection, Rose folded the note and sealed it with a bit of beeswax she had painstakingly collected from a hive she thought was vacant. Going outside with the note and green quill, Rose turned the feather into the small owl, and sent it on its way. While Bellatrix never answered her, the owl always returned to the tree shack, so that was something on its own. After releasing the bird, she morphed into a lion and began at a leisurely pace through the forest. She liked living in the Forest of Dean far better and the Forbidden Forest. There were plenty of plants and animals that were safe to eat, and there weren't too many creatures that tried to kill her immediately. Once, she had smelled a small herd of centaurs on the wind, but they were only a few miles away, so she remembered to steer clear of them.

Running through ferns and brush, Rose came along the edge of the forest, closer to where hikers would be. She knew it was foolish, but hearing people and being near them kept her grounded. The giggle of children splashing in a cold stream made her stop. About seventy yards away, a family happened to be camping as the months warmed up. There was a campfire going, and Rose could smell fish in a skillet, frying over the steady flame. As acrid smoke gently plumed into the air, Rose's ears twitched at the sound of a shrill whistle and a mother calling for her kids to come back towards the camp. The witch felt a twinge of guilt as she watched the siblings sprint across the muddy riverbank over small stones to their mother, who had set the picnic table with things for lunch. She missed her mother and father, more than words could ever convey.

"I can't go back to her though, not like this. Never." Rose growled deep in her chest. The overwhelming shame boiled in her gut and made the young witch want to curl up into a ball and die. She remembered what she had done in vivid detail, every day.

She had been sleeping snug in her bed when the sound of creaking floorboards woke her from her slumber. A glance at the clock on her bedside table indicated that it was two in the morning, so it was technically Christmas. Not wanting to wake up earlier than she had to, Rose tried her best to fall back asleep.

"What do you think you're doing, foolish child?" Tom had hissed to her, making her jolt from her dozing.

"Please go away." she whimpered, holding her head. It ached unbearably, she just wanted the pain to go away for once. She could see and feel as her legs moved out of bed, taking her with them. Her own arm took her wand off the bedside table.

"What if that noise you heard was an intruder? A boggart perhaps, something that has come to ruin your precious time with your family. Don't you want to see what lurks in your home?" he rasped. Rose couldn't answer him back, though she tried. Her own fear was blending with his words that stirred deep seated paranoia, irrational fears that hadn't plagued Rose since she was a child. What if her parents were in danger? She could help them. Her steps, controlled by Voldemort, brought her out into the hallway. She didn't cast lumos, and instead stepped close to the wall, wand brandished as she stepped down the stairs and into the kitchen. Rose could hear shuffling and rustling coming from the living room. A soft thump of something heavy and a quick muttering of a curse sent Rose into overdrive. Her vision started to tunnel, her heart pounding in her chest as blood roared in her ears.

"Kill the man who has dared to enter your home. Kill him, you know the spell." Voldemort urged. Rose was breathing heavily now, her wand felt heavy in her hand and she pointed it towards the dark silhouette moving around near the Christmas tree. The soft glow from the plastic light on the tree did little to help illuminate the room, setting Rose even more on edge.

In her panic, Rose should have realized that her father was the one by the tree, setting out gifts. It wouldn't have made sense for anybody else to be there that night, but the combination of her own crippling fear and Voldemort's interference, it made for a nightmare.

Silent screaming, like white noise, shrieked over and over in Rose's head as she stepped forward silently, not wanting to startle the intruder. Just as she was about seven feet away, the silhouette straightened and turned quickly, the movement looked jerky and wrong, yet Rose could barely see. All she heard was a garbled groan as green light lit up the room. All the young witch could think about was how much she wanted to get rid of the intruder, how she didn't want him to hurt her family. As she cast the killing curse, the silhouette turned, it's face lit up by the sickly green. Her father was revealed there, but for a brief moment he looked like a grim visage of death, face gaunt and tired, pain the only emotion registering on his face. As Rose watched him drop to the floor, the fear drained from her, leaving a hollow emptiness she couldn't even begin to describe. She dropped her wand, the clatter an empty sound that didn't even register with her.

"Dad…" her voice was a hoarse whisper, barely audible. He didn't answer her as she began to shiver, her knees unable to hold her up any longer. Her father's mouth was slightly slack, his eyes glassy and cold as they reflected the whitish-yellow. Rose wanted to reach out to touch his face, reaching a shaking hand forward as she felt her throat closing up. She froze in her motion when she heard her mother.

"John? Is everything okay down here?" she sounded still half asleep. Rose coughed out a sob, covering her mouth and lurching backwards, away from her father in horror, starting to hyperventilate.

"Hey, what's going on down-" her mother froze in the doorway as she put on her glasses, before moving forward past Rose, kneeling at her husband's side. Rose watched as her mother started to panic, shaking John vigorously. She took her own wand out and cast various spells, trying to revive him.

"Mom." Rose could barely choke out. Her mother, curly hair sticking out in places, turned wildly and looked at her daughter, who was holding her knees to her chest and crying. She crawled over to Rose and cradled her, holding the young witch close to her chest as they both cried.

"It's okay baby, we're gonna be okay." her mother whispered to her as she rocked back and forth. They were both struck mute with shock as Aurors were called, and the scene was investigated as her father's body was taken to St. Mungo's for an autopsy.

Rose ran through the horror of her crime every night before she fell asleep. She could feel it wearing on her psyche, making her drift from her already loose grip on reality. It quickly became her undoing.