Not a Pretty Sight

by baaahumbug

To her, it was a pretty ring. To him, it was his mother's. To the laws of soulmates, it was everything. Unaware of the laws of soulmates, Rose puts on the ring only to find she cannot take it off without having found her soulmate. Will she find him, or more importantly, does he want to be found? An enemies to lovers tale of heartbreak, confusion, and love. Rated M for safety.

13. The Silent Treatment

Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter. All ideas are my own.

Monday rolls around quicker than I'd like it to, especially when I remember that the beginning of a new week means another detention with Malfoy. Why is it that when you really dread something, it tends to come around faster?

A fresh week is a fresh start, a time to forget about all the chaos of the previous 7 days and embark on a new chapter, which today I am very happy about. Although this happiness doesn't last too long, when at breakfast James reminds me that we now have extra Quidditch practise on tonight, Tuesday, and Wednesday, to prepare for the match on Thursday.

I remind him that I can't make Monday or Wednesday, due to my detentions, which, as expected, goes down like a sack of shit, however I promise him that I will try and wiggle out of Wednesday's. I only promise him this so he will stop whinging like a toddler, but then when I consider it for longer, I think Slughorn may actually let me off. After all, Malfoy is on the Slytherin team too, and Sluggy will want Malfoy to be on top form the night before a match.

The rest of my day is just boring really. So much for a fresh start.

Charms and Defense against the Dark Arts were just dull, you'd think because we're now 6th years and doing our NEWTS, that the content would get more interesting, but it seems that all we're doing is theory at the moment.

I never understand why the teachers do this, what use is it if I know the theory behind spells but not know how to cast them? Yet I notice that they're all a bit on edge this week, probably because of the impending Quidditch match.

As much as the teachers spout about 'inter-house unity', when it comes down to Quidditch, they are just as brutal and lethal as us. At breakfast today I saw Professor Trelawney telling Slughorn that Slytherin were destined to win on Thursday, which resulted in Hagrid 'accidentally' pouring milk into her lap. So much for subtlety.

I make a mental note of the fact that we're not using magic at the moment, remembering that I need to write to Mum and Dad this week, as they always talk about this woman who taught them in 5th year, and refused to teach any practicals, only theory.

I think her name was Umbridge or something, but I'm not 100% sure, she's not been brought up in conversation and the books on the Second Wizarding War still haven't been written yet. It's still too fresh for many, and I understand why.

The war may have ended over 20 years ago, but that doesn't mean that prejudice and evil was stamped out overnight. Still today there are occasional events where children of Death Eaters, who feel slighted by how their parents were treated after the war, have tried to stage a coup on the Ministry or started a riot in Muggle hot spots. Nothing more ever usually comes from it, and the occasions are few and far between, but they still act as a reminder of what could happen, and what evil has gone before.

My parents don't really like to bring up pre-war times, and I can't blame them.

I can't imagine having to do what they did, having to deal with everything they went through at their age. I mean, I had a meltdown over nothing yesterday, so how I would've dealt with the war I'll never know.

But then again I know that problems are subjective, you should never dismiss someone else's issues even if you think yours are worse, as what they're dealing with is personal to them. Making a comparison between the two helps no one, if anything it only makes the other person feel bad that they have a so-called 'minor' problem. What use is it to know that your problem isn't as bad as someone else's?

For example, in our lives, we're not faced with the threat of war, due to everything our parents fought for and sacrificed, so to me, my 'minor problem' of detentions, Quidditch matches, and boy issues, is my biggest worry in my day to day life.

And currently, my biggest worry facing me is tonight's detention.

I'm dreading the countdown to it, when I finally walk into Transfiguration it only serves as a reminder of the fact that scrubbing cauldrons with Malfoy is only 2 hours away. I try to comfort myself by thinking that I, after tonight, only have 2 detentions left.

It seems crazy at how quickly time has run away, it is now November, and the arrival of the cold wind has only increased my bad mood. I love Autumn and Winter, they are my favourite seasons, but if this wind carries on the way it's going, Thursday's Quidditch match is going to be a nightmare.

And we need to win, at whatever cost, whatever it takes. I don't care if I have to physically throw myself off that broom to get the quaffle through the hoops, there is no way on earth I am losing to Malfoy.

I've decided that I'm going to continue to not speak to him tonight, why should I? He has only made my problems worse recently, so I am resorting to cutting him out of my life, just as I did before these detentions started. He can go fuck up someone else's life for all I care, as selfish as it sounds I just don't want it to be me.

The silent treatment will work nicely I think. I'm hoping it only increases his anger more, so he's sick of the sight of me, so much so that he sees me on the pitch and is so distracted by his rage that he really fucks up the game.

Either that or he'll end up knocking me off my broom, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Later on today, Professor Mcgonagall teaches us something interesting that I've never come across before.

Transfiguration is one of my favourite subjects, mainly because of Mcgonagall, but also because the subject fascinates me, as nerdy as that sounds. Because of that I usually know what's going on as I've pre-read all of this years lessons, after all, I'm not Hermione Granger's daughter for nothing, but not today.

I think Mcgonagall has become wise to my ways, and is now switching the lesson plans up a bit, she's probably sick of me answering her questions before she's already finished asking it.

She introduces us to a rare piece of magic, 'quod absconditum', which I have never heard of. At first, it sounds simple, like normal transfiguration, taking one object and turning it into another, but it is more complicated.

If an object goes through 'quod absconditum', the matter of the object (what it means and makes up), becomes binding to magical law. For example, if I took my Potions book and turned it into a chair, it may appear as a chair, but nothing has changed the fact that the history and knowledge of the book still remains hidden within the chair, it is still, in the eyes of magic, a Potions book.

The magic itself means more, it is much more powerful, and that is why, after spending the rest of my day researching it, I am stumped. I can't find any real life examples of 'quod absconditum', which is probably why my explanation is so shit, as I can't link it to reality.

Despite this, I am still absolutely fascinated.

There are certain branches of magic, like soulmates for example, that I feel drawn to, and 'quod absconditum', which I don't really understand, is one type of that magic. I just can't work out why.

---

When I walk into Detention tonight, my mind is still stuck on what we learned in Transfiguration today, but also on the upcoming Christmas Ball.

I'm hassled by Lily on my journey down, her demanding to know what I'm going to wear to the event. To be honest, my head has been too wrapped up with other business to even begin to think about the dance, but when she then finds out I haven't even got a dress, it's like I've just told her I'm about to start the 3rd Wizarding War single handedly.

"WHAT? ROSIE! What do you mean you haven't thought about it, you've even got a date you idiot!", she screams, practically accosting me, hitting me on the arm with her Charms book.

"I know Lils, I need to sort it out. I'll start looking for one after the Quidditch match this Thursday, or I'll just wear one I have already.", I mumble sheepishly.

Telling Lily I haven't planned an outfit is like someone telling me they hate Wizard Chess, I just wouldn't understand it. Now thinking about it, I should've just asked for her help in the beginning, as I should've known she'd end up being involved in it somehow.

Is it bad also that she has to remind me that I have a date? I've forgotten about it already, despite the fact it's only been less than 24 hours since I last saw him? I tell myself that it's the match thats plagued my brain with forgetfulness, that there is no other reason why I'm already dismissing him.

"NO NO NO!", she shouts, punctuating each no with a hit to my shoulder, "You can't wear a dress you've got already, your wardrobe is a disasrer!"

I ignore the insult about my clothes and let her continue.

"Anyway, the theme this year is our house colours, you have to dress in either red or gold"

Seriously Hogwarts? House colours? Am I back in Primary School? Out of all the houses to be in, when it comes down to the colours, I wish I was in any house but Gryffindor. Red and gold? With my hair? I'm going to look a disaster.

"This weekend I am taking you dress-shopping whether you like it or not young lady", she affirms, linking my arm with hers as she accompanies me down to the dungeons.

I always find it funny when Lily calls me young lady. Not just because I'm older than her, but because she reminds me so much of Aunt Ginny when she does.

Lily is the spitting image of Aunt Ginny. I always say that if it weren't for the fact she adores her dad, you would never know she was his. Silky long auburn hair, a smattering of freckles, a feisty demeanour that I bet would make even Voldemort turn in his grave. She is a Weasley through and through, that much is clear, and it's in moments like these when I'm reminded of how much I love her.

Of course I love her regardless of her helping me with my outfit, but it's so much more than that. The fact that I hadn't even thought of what I was going to wear, but she'd already planned it out for me, just sums her up, she is always looking out for others.

"Okay Lils, I'll be there, I promise.", I smile at her, squeezing her arm.

"Good, Dom and Rox are also coming. Bring Alice and Evelyna if you like. Anyway I've got to run, Slughorn is on my case about a missing assignment and I don't fancy bumping into him right now", she laughs, kissing my cheek and bouncing away, her long hair flowing behind her.

"I know the feeling", I mumble under my breath as she walks away.

"Of course you do.", a cool voice drawls, "little know-it-all".

Snapped out of my reverie, I turn to face Malfoy, who's smirking his signature smile which makes me want to slap him silly.

A voice in my head tells me to retort. 'Go on, you know you want to', it argues, but I let myself ignore it. I'm going to stick to my plan of ignoring him, it pissed him off well enough yesterday, and I just can't be bothered to deal with him right now.

And so I do, I stick my nose up in the air as I did the day before, and stalk into the Potions classroom, not bothering to keep the door open, letting it slam into him as he follows me in.

And for once in his life, he's seemed to listen to me. We don't speak another word to each other for the entire detention, although I can practically hear the insults churring in his head.

I look up from time to time, allowing myself to steal a glance at his pale face, and he's concentrating hard. Eyes narrowed, eyebrows furrowed, he looks like he's in the midst of deep thinking. He's looking at the floor, but I can tell he's not really admiring the tiles, he's seeing straight past them.

Chilly air envelops me as I work, sitting and scrubbing the cauldrons as I've done for the past 4 weeks. I let my mind run away with itself, thinking of Quidditch, Anto, the Christmas Ball, and remind myself that these set of detentions are nearly over, which I can't wait for.

When Slughorn sticks his head in, his nasally voice informing us that we are welcome to leave, I'm shook awake from my daydream, and get up and leave as quickly as I entered.

In passing, I ask him about missing Wednesday's detention, which he agrees to, allbeit but reluctantly. I think he only did so when he remembered it's Gryffindor vs Slytherin, I could see the moment in resonated in his brain, and the lightbulb switched on.

Only this time, as I leave, Malfoy doesn't follow me. He's still sitting, scrubbing away, despite Slughorn's interruption that we can leave.

I don't let this sight trouble me, but it makes me think of the letter yesterday, "my son is determined, and when he's set his heart on something, he will stop at nothing to get it."

Is that why he let us work in silence tonight? Why he didn't try to get a rise out of me? That he thinks I will finally crack one day and give in? That if he lets things go my way, I will eventually boil over and reveal my deepest darkest secrets?

Well if that's what he's planning on, he'll never ever know what's in that letter. Not that he will anyway, as I have no desire to ever tell him what's been written to me.

I know that it's his mother's letter, so maybe I should let him know, but then again it's private. It was addressed to me, and to me only, and that's the way it's going to stay. I feel like she's written this to me for a reason, that reason being currently unknown, but you don't randomly write a letter to someone you met once without having a purpose behind it.

When I'm finally back in the Gryffindor Common Room, it's deserted, empty and alone, apart from the roaring flames in the fireplace.

If the place is ever this quiet, it's like a sanctuary to me, I can just curl up on the leather sofas, under a nice blanket, and read a good book. But I don't feel like doing that tonight.

My head is still tired from crying 2 days ago, and is swimming with plans for the week. I just wonder how everything will end up unfolding. Times like these, I wish I had a time turner, and that I could throw myself forward a few months and see how it all plays out. I know it will all be okay, and right now, I am exactly that, okay, but a little reassurance from my future self would be nice.

Sleep comes slowly tonight, creeping in bit by bit, until suddenly I'm in a deep slumber, my only thoughts lying with my week ahead.

Chapter 13 done, I'm not completely happy with it so sorry it's a shorter one. Thank you for all being so understanding with recent events. Hopefully things will only get better - I am okay and planning on returning to uploading regularly. I also don't know if I addressed this in the last Chapter, but this story is now looking like it's going to be much more than 30 chapters, after all, we haven't even embarked on the main plot line yet :). Next update will be tomorrow, Monday 31st May, I still haven't decided on my upload days, but they're looking to be Tuesday's and Sunday's for definite, with extra's during the week if I can, so make sure you follow so you'll be alerted when I post!

Please review if you're liking it!

I'm just going to give you a quick run down on the characters and their ages/houses.

Rose Weasley - 16, Gryffindor

Albus Potter - 16, Slytherin

Alice Longbottom - 16, Ravenclaw

Evelyna Finch - 16, Ravenclaw

Scorpius Malfoy - 16, Slytherin

Zander Zabini - 16, Slytherin

Mateo Nott - 17 (just turned), Slytherin

Eliza Change - 17 (also just turned how ironic), Gryffindor

Belle Pickering - 16, Gryffindor

Ciara Finnegan - 16, Gryffindor

Astrid Thomas - 16, Gryffindor

James Potter - 17, Gryffindor

Fred Weasley - 17, Gryffindor

Lucas Thomas - 18, Gryffindor

Anto Harrison - 18, Gryffindor

Lily Luna Potter - 14, Gryffindor

Hugo Weasley - 14, Hufflepuff

Roxanne Weasley - 16, Gryffindor

Louis Weasley - 15, Ravenclaw

So far unseen characters:

Dominique Weasley - 18, Ravenclaw

Lucy Weasley - 17, Gryffindor

Victoire Weasley - 22, was a Ravenclaw

Molly Weasley - 21, was a Slytherin

Teddy Lupin - 23, was a Ravenclaw

I think that's everyone, but knowing me I have probably missed some people.