Get ready for some metamorphosis, kids. You've had to read 25 chapters of Rose moping and generally being problematic. This where CHANGE happens! Also I'm posting from my phone again because I couldn't wait to get out of work for this.

I AM NOT PROFITING FROM THIS. ANY RECOGNIZABLE CHARACTERS, PLACES, AND/OR EVENTS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING

Chapter 26

"Stay back you wretch!" Molly cast protego just in time before Bellatrix had tried to hex her. Bellatrix cackled, kicking snow into Andromeda's face before rapidly attempting to hex Molly again. Rose had to give the other Gryffindor some credit; she was quick with a wand.

"Bellatrix! Leave her alone!" Rose broke cover to run back down the street, feeling the crackle of magic as spells whizzed past her. The dark witch turned rapidly, her face obscured by a silver mask with gold scrolling. The mouth was clamped shut with small pieces of metal, but Rose could see her eyes. There was visible surprise, and her glance flickered to Rose's stomach where there were still bits of wood embedded in her body.

"Rose I can't! Bellatrix cried, her voice sounding like it was a thousand miles away.

"What? What do you mean?" Rose shouted, backing away even as Bellatrix now had her wand pointed at her.

"He's powerful! Far too powerful, Rose I need help, please!" Bellatrix sounded frantic, and her eyes were crazed behind her mask.

"Stop fucking fighting me for one goddamn second so I can help you then!"

Rose heard Bellatrix sob again, but the sound twisted into a cackle again, and then switched back. She was having a mental breakdown. Distracted, Rose couldn't stop the dark witch when she knocked the wand from Rose's hand and tried to stun her.

"Bella!" Andromeda cried out, and this made Bellatrix look in her direction before the pregnant woman hexed her own sister, sending her tumbling.

"Don't hurt her!" Rose cried in anguish, forcing herself to her feet and running back. Bellatrix saw that she was still outnumbered and prepared to leave. Just as black ash and smoke enveloped her, Rose took a flying leap and collided with her, sending both of them hurtling through the sky. Wind shrieked in her ears, and Rose felt like she was about to vomit as she tumbled and twisted in the air. Bellatrix was struggling to get her off, shouting incoherently. In a final somersault, Rose coughed and sputtered as she suddenly felt very cold, but her back burned ferociously. She tried to say something, but there was no air in her lungs.

"Where did you put us, Damonne?" Bellatrix panted. She had landed flat on her back, the wind knocked out of her. She ripped her mask off to suck more air into her lungs. Rose didn't answer, just gasped.

"Rose?"

"Fuck…" was the only noise the dark witch heard before she finally struggled to her feet. Rose had landed on a wooden fence, neatly impaled on a corner post, though it hadn't gone all the way through. It looked like they were in a small park of some sort, secluded and surrounded on three sides by more buildings.

"No no no no." Bellatrix tripped and stumbled in the snow before falling up against the fence, grasping at Rose's hand. The post had bent out of the ground a little, and Bellatrix slowly was able to grasp Rose around the shoulders and maneuver her off it. The brunette witch whimpered and clutched at her chest aimlessly.

"My bag...on my hip…" Her hand was shaking as she felt around the waist of Rose's jeans, patting until she found a small pouch. It clinked, full of different vials.

"Which one? Rosie which one?" Bellatrix's voice was frantic and shrill as she looked at all the different colored liquids. Rose couldn't respond as her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to suck in oxygen.

"No no, no please. Um, uh...flip you. I have to seal the wound." Bellatrix apologized as she turned the other witch on her side. Underneath her, the raggedy band t-shirt that Rose had been wearing when the apartment exploded was torn to shreds, exposing the nasty gouge that the post had left. The snow had long since turned a deep scarlet from all the blood.

"I-Rose I don't know how to heal this." Bellatrix choked "I can't...oh...oh okay wait!" she remembered a spell, it was for knitting. Her grandmother used it once for socks. She had hated those socks. As soon as she started the incantation, Rose screamed, writhing in pain.

"Shh, Rose no please, somebody will hear us." she rocked on her heels anxiously, the blood now soaking into the hem of her dress. Her hands coated, making it difficult to hold her wand properly. The skin folded and knotted and stretched over itself. Rose cried out more.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, this was never supposed to happen, I shouldn't have dragged you into any of this." she whispered feverishly. As the skin formed a large red scar, Bellatrix turned Rose back over, and let out a soft gasp when she saw how pale the brunette looked.

"Stay with me Rose. Come on, which one will help you? Is it green? Purple?" she begged, but Rose could only croak. As she shifted, Bellatrix saw a glittering vial slip out from under her shirt on a chain. She grasped the glittering vial and held it up for Rose to see.

"What about this? Is this some sort of miracle potion? Will it work?" Bellatrix didn't wait for an answer as she unclasped the chain. Rose's eyes fluttered open for a moment, just as Bellatrix glanced at the sky nervously. Slowly, she grasped the Death Eater's hand and held it closed around the necklace, refusing the woman.

"For you." Rose's voice was barely audible now as she went unconscious from blood loss. Bellatrix watched in shocked silence for a moment before. The world was deathly silent for a moment.

"Rose?" Bellatrix's voice was small, her eyes wide with fear as she cradled the motionless witch.

"You get away from her!" there was an alarmed shriek, and Bellatrix turned her head, looking through a curtain of dark curls to see a short dark haired witch barreling towards her. Bellatrix recognized the bright green glow of the killing curse as the spell was cast at her hastily. She cast one last look at Rose before standing and turning into a dark plume of smoke and fleeing the scene. Rose let out a soft breath, hand clutched helplessly around the vial of unicorn tears.

Bellatrix crash landed in a field, miles away from the town. Unable to continue traveling any longer, the dark witch sat in the long dead grasses heavy with clumps of snow.

"You killed her." The voices hissed. Bellatrix clutched the sides of her head.

"It's not true!" she insisted.

"She will die because of you. The one good thing you had in your life, and you couldn't even hold onto that."

"Shut up!" Bellatrix roared, and she unleashed a wave of magic, igniting the grasses instantly.

"Maybe you never loved her. She was just another stone under your boot, something to kick and leave forgotten on your path to your own destruction."

Bellatrix was panting as she cast bombarda in any direction she wished, trying to use the noise to drown out what she was hearing. It was what she had thought before, in moments of weakness.

"You were just children. She's a witch of low standing. And what did you get for loving her? Heartache when she didn't rescue you on your wedding day. Soul crushing pain when she didn't kill Rodolphus that night. And why would she have wanted to? You're insane."

She screamed out louder until her throat was raw and she felt bile rising from her gut. The sound of footsteps made her stop and turn around quickly to see what was going on.

"You alright miss?" An old muggle man had come across her, a farming tool slung over his crooked back. She understood why she had acted the way she did in that moment. Bellatrix couldn't bear to feel her pain any longer, she wanted somebody else to suffer instead.

"Crucio!" with her twisted wand aimed for the old man, he crumpled like a sack of potatoes with a weak shout. As he writhed in the field, Bellatrix cast the unforgivable curse over and over again, even when he stopped moving.

"I hate you!" she shrieked, screaming to herself.

"Bellatrix." The sound of his voice made her stop. Blinded by rage, she went to cast the cruciatus curse on Voldemort, but he cast aside her wand with a wave of his hand. The skeletal man with dark hair just took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Come now. I have some real work for you. To take your mind off such trivial matters." he said in a silky whisper.

"Put her on the couch there." Molly instructed Ted and Hestia. It was only after Rose was gone for a few minutes with Bellatrix that Andromeda demanded they go and find her. Hestia was quick to use a tracking spell, which she was able to do with Rose's own wand. Unfortunately, it misfired a little and set her robes on fire, but the mousey witch was able to locate her several streets over. When she saw Bellatrix Lestrange crouched over her body, she attacked the Death Eater, only to watch in anger as the witch escaped.

"Does anybody have blood replenishing potion with them?" Ted asked nervously as he watched Rose's shallow breaths. The sound of an infant crying made the group gathered in the Weasley's living room made them start for a moment. Molly clucked nervously.

"Sorry, that would be Bill. Commotion must have woken him up." and she bustled out of the room "Check the pantry, although I'm sure there's nothing in there of any real use." she called over her shoulder before going upstairs.

"Rose always has all sorts of tonics with her, check her purse." Gideon advised, wincing as Fabian tried his best to heal his arm.

"I'm not going through her things!" Ted hissed with embarrassment, but Andromeda pushed her way through the group to rifle through said pouch herself. She held up a shimmering coppery vial. Uncorking it, she poured the contents in Rose's mouth. Slowly, color returned to her face in a few minutes, as Molly came downstairs holding Bill.

"Is she doing any better?" asked the frizzy haired witch. Rose coughed roughly and groaned in response. She looked around with droopy bleary eyes, confusion registering.

"She bounces back every time, it's like magic." Gideon chuckled as he wrapped a bandage around his brother's arm. Andromeda looked at Rose in mild relief before her face hardened. The brunette once again couldn't meet her gaze, and instead stared at the baby Molly was holding.

"Since when in the hell did you have a kid?" she asked, still staring at Bill. Everyone looked at Rose with a mixture of disappointment and mild amusement.

"So you don't remember Molly being pregnant for nine months and never attending meetings?" Ted asked in disbelief. Rose gestured at Bill with one hand.

"Ted, that's a whole ass baby. How would I even forget that?" she retorted, offended that he would suggest she was so oblivious.

"To be fair, she has a habit of never leaving your flat unless-"

"Oh shit, Ted your apartment." Rose smacked her forehead in dismay, then winced in pain. Molly scowled at her briefly while holding Bill to her chest.

"Language." she warned.

"Rose, the apartment isn't the problem." Andromeda said softly, her voice bordering on a dangerous tone.

"I agree. The real question is, why were you all targeted? Other than the fact that you're Order members, it was broad daylight and in an area that Death Eaters had never even been before. Also, why did you attempt to fight Bellatrix on your own? You could have died." Hestia pointed out, sounding worried.

"Personally, I'd like to know why you were attempting to defend both us and Bellatrix at the same time?" Molly sounded suspicious. Andromeda finally took her eyes off Rose to look at her friend with a pointed roll of her eyes.

"You know why she did that. I don't think I would ever say this, but Rose seems to have developed a complex since she's been with us."

"Shut up Andy, I don't have a complex." Rose growled.

"You still think Bellatrix is capable of love. I'm her sister for Salazar's sake, and I've seen firsthand what she's become over just a few short years. I don't see why you can't just separate yourself from that." Andromeda argued. Everybody else in the room besides the two of them became acutely uncomfortable.

"Every time we talk about this, it's like you're dead set on reminding me about how fucked up she is. Am I not allowed to try and help one of the few people I actually like? What, so she's on the opposite side of this bullshit, wouldn't you rather have her fighting on your side? All that aside, she is your sister!"

"Why do you keep arguing at that point when you have no siblings? Families can break apart Rose! You should know that, of all people. You continue to have this detachment from reality. There is more to life than Bellatrix." Andromeda's tone was biting. Ted went to his fiance to try and calm her down, but Andromeda brushed her off. The Gryffindor witch stood shakily from the couch so she could project her voice more clearly. It was incredibly painful, but she didn't care anymore. Gideon and Fabian looked like they were trying to leave, but Rose was practically bellowing with rage now, making them jump out of their skin.

"Andromeda, leave me the fuck alone with this! There has to be more to this than 'my sister is bat shit insane'. Are you jealous or something? Correct me if I'm wrong, but we made each other happy, and next to nobody got hurt because of it!"

"Rose, you had friends at Hogwarts, don't you remember them? I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about the others. As the year went on, you distanced yourself from them as you got closer to Bellatrix, you abandoned them."

"Stop that."

"Whether you liked it or not, I'm sure they cared about you. And what did you do? You just left. Bellatrix told me why, and at the time, maybe I was inclined to believe her, but the more I think about it, the more I question the authenticity behind her story. From what you even told me, the details are vague."

"Andromeda shut up." Rose warned again, feeling herself getting dangerously close to snapping.

"So were the rumors true? Did you really kill your father? The way I'm looking at things, it all adds up. Not to mention the deaths of those twins on your hands-" Andromeda was cut short in her tirade when she realized what she said. Rose also looked like she had the wind knocked out of her.

"I didn't mean that." Andromeda amended quickly, "Rose it's just she became obsessed with revenge after you left. She wanted to kill You-Know-Who, and seeing you becoming obsessed with her hit too close to home-" but Rose wasn't listening. The room was eerily silent as everyone stared at the witches. Drawing in a single shaking breath, eyes brimming with hot angry tears, Rose turned away from Andromeda and pushed Hestia and the twins aside so she could leave the room. Slamming open the front door, she shuffled across the dirt drive, around a small stone wall, where she stopped and felt around in her pocket for her wand. Try as she might, she had never managed apparating without her wand at least within reach. She sighed bitterly, knowing that going back into the house to find it would have been embarrassing enough.

Standing out there by herself, an idea came to mind. Something that made her incredibly hesitant, but maybe it was time anyway. Uncle Jesse had always said she was welcome back anytime. She also owed her family an explanation as to why she had disappeared off the face of the earth for a few years. On top of it, she felt wildly uncomfortable being anywhere near Andromeda or the Order.

"Probably can't go too far without this." Her shoulders slumped when she heard Ted call from the house.

"Shouldn't you be inside consoling Andromeda?" Rose asked when the Hufflepuff wizard handed her wand over. It felt warm and comforting in her hand, even as her mind grew heavier with the weight of what had happened in the past week. Ted pursed his lips briefly before looking back at the Weasley's house.

"Maybe. But whether or not we can believe what just happened in there, I think we can all agree that it was a cruel dig. Nobody needs their dirty laundry aired out like that." he said with no small measure of sympathy.

"I don't want your pity, if you don't mind me saying it." Rose muttered caustically, then she patted her friend lightly on the arm "Before I go, I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done. I've been a huge asshole, and an even shittier roommate. But I figured now was as good a time as any to make my exit." she shrugged.

"Will you at least say goodbye to Andy before you go?"

"No." Rose said after a moment of deliberation "I don't think I will. But, I'll write to you guys. Let me know when your little nightmare is born so I can send a gift or something."

"You know, I'm still not sure why you can't just stay a little longer." Ted's tone changed and he sounded hurt.

"Oh come on, not you too." Rose groaned.

"It's just a little fight, you two will work it out. You always have. Is it the Order? Is somebody harassing you?" Ted looked like he was actually going to fight somebody on her behalf, and the thought of that managed to make Rose crack a smile.

"Aw, Ted, are you going to miss me or something?"

"Of course I will, you bloody fool!" he cried "Before Andy lived with us, you were the only person I knew would be home for me to talk to. And you're the only other person I'm friends with that grew up with Muggles. I mean, nobody else had so much encyclopedic knowledge about vinyls. I'm going to miss eating takeout with you. Not to mention you're the only one who doesn't wear robes constantly like some stodgy old person." Ted admitted, and before he could talk anymore, Rose rushed forward and hugged him tightly.

"You've got a big heart. Andromeda should be happy to have somebody as great as you, Ted. I'll miss you buddy." she sniffed. Rose never expected to actually feel sad about leaving. Resentful, yes. But after all the pushing she tried, it seemed like Ted had managed to stick with her somehow. Like really friendly glue. Pulling away and wiping away some tears that threatened to spill over.

"What do I tell the others? Will you tell them?" Ted wondered, and Rose scratched the back of her head nervously.

"I was kind of hoping I could just leave? And they would all sort of wonder what happened but never really look into it?" she answered sheepishly.

"That's so dramatic." Ted argued.

"It is, but I've never been good at confronting anything. These fights with Andy have been super draining because of that." Rose admitted "But there are some loose ends I've been meaning to tie up anyway."

Ted looked like he didn't quite understand what she meant, but nonetheless he nodded and stepped back, scuffing the dirt with his foot. Rose looked at the house once more and saw that Andromeda was looking out the window at them. She backed away quickly when she saw that Rose had caught her.

"I'll make sure to write. I'd say I was stopping by your place to get my things, but I don't think that's happening. Sorry about that, again."

"Ah, it's not your fault. It's thanks to you that we even got out of there alive. Shame I had already paid for the month though. Oh well." Ted sighed.

"The rest of those guys are super supportive, I'm sure you'll get plenty of help." Rose added as an afterthought before sighing and looking over herself once more. Feeling the slight tickle of a cold breeze on her back, Rose realized that she was still wearing her t-shirt, now torn to shreds. Ted looked at her and then gaped in surprise.

"Oh! It slipped my mind, but we did manage to salvage a few things from the wreckage. Andy patched it up while you were asleep." Ted ran back into the house and returned shortly with her father's sherpa jacket. It was well-worn at this point, and Rose could see faint charring and a few poorly sewn patches in places.

"She said to tell you that she was sorry. She's happy to hear that you won't stop talking to her." Ted informed Rose as she winced while putting on the comforting jacket, still a little too large for her, but it fit better now that she was older.

"This means a lot. Seriously, don't make me reconsider staying." Rose started to tear up again.

"Would you?" Ted asked hopefully.

"Hell no, I hate this fucking country. If I ever come back, it needs to be for a very good reason." Rose chuckled sadly, and Ted laughed with her as well. With a final gentle pat on her shoulder, Ted waved her off as Rose apparated.

Landing on her doorstep, Rose cursed under her breath when she realized just how much pain she was actually in.

"Look Peppers, we're back." Rose grunted as she tried not to twist her torso too much. Staring at the front door for what felt like an eternity, she wondered if her mother was even still home. If she was, how would she react to seeing her daughter?

"Let's pray she doesn't call the cops or something." As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she hesitated. And pulled her hand back.

"I could just leave now. And never look back. Jesse wouldn't say anything, I know he wouldn't." she stepped back off the porch, and turned her back. But as she did, she could hear the door creak open.

"Hello? Can I help you?"

Oh that was definitely Barbara. Frozen to the spot, her heart pounding wildly, Rose could only stare at the ground before turning back and facing her mother. It only took the aging woman a split second before her face became as white as a sheet.

"Baby? Is that you?"

"Um...hi Ma." Rose croaked. Barbara sobbed as she flung herself off the front porch and at Rose, gripping her so tightly that Rose cried out in pain, seeing spots.

"Mom, my back. Fucking hell." she managed to say.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAY TO ME AFTER ALL THIS TIME?" Barbara cried, and Rose could barely manage to stay conscious as she was dragged into the house. Tugging off her jacket and forcing her daughter to sit on the old sofa, she saw the shirt and then saw her back. When she heard her mother gasp, Rose twisted to try and see, only making it hurt worse.

"What, what is it?" Rose asked. She knew that she had a bad fall with Bellatrix, and that she had been at the Weasley's for a few days, but nobody had told her the extent on her injuries.

"Rosie, honey what have you been doing? Where did you get this? Where have you been? I have so many questions." Her mother blurted. Rose cringed at how worried she sounded, but how could she blame her?

"I'll explain everything, but hang on. Can you spread this numbing draught on my back for me? It really hurts." Rose asked, out of breath.

"Honey it looks like you got stabbed with a really big spear. How are you even alive right now? Who did this?" Barbara didn't even seem too concerned by the fact that Rose had suddenly reappeared on her doorstep without warning. She was comforted by the fact that her mom was still very much a woman of action. At the same time, she knew that things had changed and they would both have to get used to it.