Rose Among the Thorns: The Third Evans Sister
By Jedi Blu, Lady at Large
Standard Disclaimer Found Here: Hinky and Pinky the dwarves have been at my computer again, and it looks as if they've gone and posted another fanfic. So it's not my fault, J.K.! Really, it's not!
ITALICS: In this chapter, Italics are thoughts, emphasized words, or letters. Thank you!
This is sort of like Filler-Material, and the next couple of chapters after this are more light-hearted. They actually could be cut all together and the story would still make sense, but I had too much fun writing them. So there. :-P
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CHAPTER NINETEEN: Not Openly Admired
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"Are you sure inviting him to come to Paris with us was a good idea?" Lily Evans asked, for the thousandth time, on the morning of February the second, 1976. Rose was only just up to strength, having taken a month to completely recover from her illness.
The boy in question, Severus Snape, had hovered over Rose like an over-protective bat the entire time. She had only to look over her shoulder to see him nearby, reading or simply staring off into space. While Lily found this change incredibly strange, Rose wasn't sure what to make of it. It was like waking up one morning and finding the Prime Minister had appointed you a bodyguard on the off chance someone might try and shoot you.
"It'll be good for him, Lily," Rose said absently, thumbing through the Daily Prophet she had received earlier. "A nice change from being alone at the school."
"You still aren't trying to be his avenging angel, are you Rose?" Lily asked, frowning disapprovingly. They were in the Great Hall, both sitting at Gryffindor table idling away the time between morning and afternoon classes.
"Of course not," Rose said with a snort. She darted a quick glance up at her sister. "I'm allowed to bring a friend with me to Paris, and Severus is the only friend I seem to have. Besides, have you forgotten what he's done for me?"
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm very grateful for the sacrifice he made by sitting next to your hospital bed for nearly a month, and I won't forget it. You obviously aren't going to let me forget it." Lily glanced to her side and smirked. "Uh oh. Arrogant bullies at three o'clock."
Rose winced and sighed. "Why can't they just leave me alone, Lily? Is it too late to hide?"
The older Evans darted a glance towards the doors of the Great Hall. "Yes, they've seen us."
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had entered the Great Hall and were making straight for the red-heads at the table. Black was walking in his usual cocky manner; he was almost strutting, while Lupin had hands in his pockets and was smiling openly as he chatted with his companion. He silenced and directed his smile towards the girls as they neared. "Hello, Lily," Remus said lightly. "Hello, Rose."
"Good afternoon," the two chorused together, with identical looks of skepticism.
"Hello, Black," Rose was quick to include the slightly taller, darker Gryffindor. "What can we do for you?" She wanted to get whatever it was over with.
Black started to open his mouth, his eyes narrowed and decidedly annoyed, but Lupin beat him to the answer. "We were actually wondering what you two had planned for Hogsmeade Weekend," he said quickly, his cheerful expression still in place. "It's coming up, and we thought we could get together a group and have a bit of a party."
The glare he received from Rose was icy, but Lily hastily put in, "We're not sure what we're doing yet. We may keep it just a day for the two of us. It's been a while since we've spent time together, right Rose?"
Rose narrowed her eyes. "Right."
"Well, if you change your mind, let us know." He took Sirius Black by the arm and steered him away quickly. "See you later!"
"You know, Remus Lupin I don't mind all that much, he's actually fairly intelligent and a prefect. He must have something good to recommend him, so why does he bother to hang around with such complete prigs?" Rose gave her sister a tired smile. "How do you survive in that House, Lily?"
"It's not all that difficult; I often wonder how you survive, though. Especially in these troubled times." She pointed to the story in the newspaper Rose had just been reading. The headline was Dark Magic Runs Rampant In Rural Countryside, with a small picture of a wizard farmer gesturing wildly as he tried to explain to Aurors what he had seen. "I can't imagine what sort of things your House-mates talk about."
The Slytherin quickly turned the paper over to conceal the headline and tried to give her sister a reassuring smile. "They're just children, Lily, they don't talk about such things even if their parents are involved."
"Mmmm." Lily didn't look at all satisfied with that answer. "I—"
"Oh, look, there's Severus!" Rose bolted from her seat. "He's going to help me with some Defense homework. 'Bye, Lily!" Rose had no intention of discussing the politics of the Slytherin house with her sister. As most would have suspected, Slytherin House was crawling with rumors and even truths of Dark Wizards and Witches. Several children slyly hinted that their parents were at the forefront of the 'Movement.' There were even rumors of a leader, of his name, and many referred to him in whispers as only 'The Dark Lord.' His followers weren't being called much yet, except for 'The Chosen,' and 'The Purebloods.' Of course, it was often mentioned slightly within Rose's hearing that the 'filthy mudbloods' didn't know what was coming to them. Rose often shuddered in private at these barbs, but coolly snubbed and ignored the Slytherins who said such things in public.
Severus went to Slytherin table, and Rose soon seated herself next to him. He was one of the few Slytherins who remained silent about 'the Dark Lord,' and all such other things. He was, it seemed, completely neutral. This suited Rose Evans just fine, and she was glad to keep away from political discussions with him.
The gangly, pale fifth year had changed a great deal since Christmas holiday because of Rose's extended effort to make his life lighter, and he actually managed to smile once in a while—so long as he thought no one was looking. He was a bit more pleasant in conversation, and no longer was a silent friend. He made it known to other Slytherins that Rose Evans was off limits for pranks, jibes, and the like simply by sitting with her—openly—at meals and in the common room. It was rare to spot one of them without the other in between classes, on weekends, and evenings. Some not-so-friendly tongues wagged that Rose had latched onto the only pureblood who was low enough to speak to her, or that Severus had latched onto the only student no one else would befriend in hopes of gaining some sort of status. Of course, those were mostly the jealous tongues that wagged about so stupidly.
Then there were others, such as Bellatrix Black, who tried to trick Rose into admitting her relationship with Snape was more than simple friendship. "Slytherins just don't make friends, Rose Evans," she whispered one night as the girls in their dormitory huddled around some particularly difficult History of Magic assignments. "They make alliances, they make conquests."
Catlina Wilkes had tittered a bit. "So, has Snape made his conquest yet?"
"Or have you made yours?" Kleonike McCain returned with equal relish.
Rose had snorted, told them they were all full of nothing but fluff, and brought the topic back to the homework.
Things were changing, Rose knew that well enough, but she most certainly wasn't about to tell anyone else her half-baked theories about what was going on. She liked to think that Severus Snape actually might need her, as no one else really seemed to. Maybe she couldn't be his avenging angel, but she could at the very least be his friend.
Severus, for his part in all of this, was formulating plans at every turn. He was always seeking an advantage, always on the look-out for something that could give him the upper hand whether it be in the present or in the future. Rose Evans was still a person of great value, and it seemed that her value increased day by day. She was smart, quick-witted, talented, and was proving to be a witch of great power. Association—or friendship—with her was to his advantage even if she never provided the crucial link to the Gryffindor bunch.
Besides that, he found he didn't dislike her. She didn't annoy him, she wasn't at all stupid, she actually seemed to care about him, and she made him feel as if...as if he mattered. Severus Snape would deny all this in a heart beat, of course, but so long as it remained unspoken he could deal with it. She was—he gritted his teeth here some—a good person. How she had come to be in Slytherin he was still not quite sure, but he made note of that fact mentally. She was a Slytherin, so there had to be more to her than what there seemed.
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Sirius Black was having a problem. Almost as much of a problem as James Potter had. It seemed that no matter what he did a certain third year—a third year—wanted nothing to do with him. It was the first time he had met with such a brick wall when it came to the opposite0 sex. She was so young; she should've been flattered he was having anything to do with her. She was also a Slytherin, the mortal enemy of his house. So why couldn't he merely forget about her and go along his merry way making life a living Hades for her like he did to others of her kind?
'For one,' he told himself, 'she doesn't act like a third year. For two, she's incredibly brilliant; her marks show that she's probably doing better than her own sister did as a third year. For three, she's rather good looking. Well, okay, so she's actually fairly cute. Er, pretty.' He sighed and smirked a bit to himself. 'And the most obstinate, determined person I've ever seen.'
He vividly remembered the slap to his face in response to his bullying her. Rose Evans was not one who would be impressed by his name, his wealth, his charm, his looks, or his bullying. He should've expected such, Lily and she were related closely. So why wasn't he...attracted...to Lily as much as to Rose? He couldn't say, but he knew he wasn't. Maybe it was because Lily was so open about who she was and what she expected, while Rose had a touch of mystery to her personality, and a touch of darkness. Lily was as pure and clean as fresh snow, whereas Rose seemed to go deeper than that.
Maybe it was because he was a Black. He strongly denied all affinity towards the Dark Arts, but still...it was in his blood to admire people like Rose Evans who was more intriguing than straight-laced Lily Evans.
But she was just thirteen, he had to constantly remind himself of that. Even if she didn't act it she was two years his junior.
Still, that didn't seem to stop Snivellus from trailing her like a lost puppy. Quite frankly, Sirius Black despised the Slytherin fifth year and would pounce upon the slimy git in a heart-beat if he ever found Snape to be harboring ill will against the youngest Evans girl.
Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which he was beginning to grow out a bit. "I'm sorry, Moony, what were you saying?"
Remus Lupin rolled his eyes. "I was saying that Headmaster Dumbledore had just ordered you to tap-dance across the lake with a frog while whistling 'God Save The Queen,' you idiot. You weren't paying any attention at all, were you?"
"Sorry. Lost in thought," Sirius responded with a wan smile.
"You have it bad," Remus returned, smirking.
"Have what bad?" Sirius asked, then winced and wished he hadn't have.
"A crush on Rose Evans. Honestly, you'd think you'd act like less of a jerk when you talked to her if you really wanted to get on her good side. She can't stand you being within twenty feet of her, Padfoot." Remus chuckled and slung a pillow at his friend—they were in their dormitory reading up on the latest Quidditch matches.
Sirius neatly dodged the pillow, having become a good Quidditch player (though he wasn't on the house team) over the years he wasn't about to be hit by something moving so slow. "Why would I have a crush on a Slytherin witch?"
"I dunno." Remus turned back to his sports paper. "But it's painfully obvious. You do know Saint Valentine's Day is coming up, right?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sirius demanded, his expression dark.
"Nothing, Padfoot. Just making conversation."
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Rose came storming into the library on February fourth looking as if she wanted to spit fire. When she slammed her books on the table she and Severus regularly worked at everyone in the vicinity winced and Madame Pince cast a terrible glare in her direction. Severus Snape, however, didn't even look up.
"Did you know there's absolutely no cure short of death for a werewolf?" He asked, studying his book intently. "Nor is there anything which a werewolf could take to keep him from losing his human mind. You'd think someone would've come up with something that would at least keep the brutes tame by now. It would probably be very complex, granted, but surely someone's been working on a prototype...." He looked up and seemed to realize that, while Rose was glaring daggers at him, he wasn't the object of her sudden dark mood. "Something wrong?" he asked, calmly marking his place and shutting the book.
She sat and then drew something out of her book bag and handed it to him. "Read."
Curiously, he unfolded the piece of parchment and did as instructed.
To Rose,
Ten days 'til St. Valentine's day, and a Hogsmeade Weekend as well. It's a day to enjoy with one you admire, and
ask that terrible question, will you be mine? Lilies are white, too openly pure, while Rose is much more mysterious,
darker, and the flower associated with admiration, jealousy, innocence, death, friendship, secrecy, and love.
I wish you could know me for who I truly am, because then I might have a chance with you.
-Admiring In Silence-
Severus's eyes narrowed as he read the note and his entire countenance seemed to grow darker. "What a load of idiocy." He handed it back to her, still looking upset. "He's obviously a complete simpleton."
Her look of murder went from the paper to a look of hurt towards Severus. "Why's he a simpleton? For admiring me?"
"No," Severus said, rolling his eyes. "For trying to pull the 'secret admirer' stunt. It's been done. It's stupid. You're not impressed by this at all, are you?" he asked, looking suspicious.
Rose sighed and relaxed some, causing Severus to tense and study her a bit closer. He still seemed to worry over her long-gone illness showing any signs of resurfacing, which Rose thought was very kind of him. She smiled and shrugged. "It is flattering, Severus, even if I do have a pretty good guess of who it is. His identity is the only thing that's really upsetting me."
"Oh really?" Severus tilted himself back in the chair, looking skeptical. "Who is it, then?"
"Isn't it obvious? Charm just oozes off of this paper, and the symbology isn't lost on me either. He compares me to Lily, and who would know Lily better than someone in her house? And who do we know who's tried to corner me into a date or dance except Sirius Black?" Rose shook her head, looking down at the letter again and missing the interesting look Severus cast her. There was envy in his eyes, and the frown heightened that envy to downright jealousy.
"You think Black honestly has the brains to do something even this simple?" Severus asked, flipping his book back open.
Rose darted a glance back up at him, raising her eyebrows. "Well, who else? I suppose it could be someone I've never even noticed before. But who if not Black? Some love-sick Hufflepuff?" She snorted and sighed, tucking the letter back in her bag. "So what should I do?"
"What should I care what you do?" he countered, concentrating on the book. "Confront the idiot or let him stew about it. Personally, I think it'd be a bit torturing if you didn't even indicate that you were suspicious of him." He smirked. "He won't know what to think."
"I can't believe he stooped to anonymous letters," Rose added, smiling some. "It's not as flashy as I'd expect from him."
Severus Snape could only shrug an answer. "Shouldn't you be studying for an Arithmacy test?"
"I suppose so." Rose sighed and began to pull out her books.
You know…I can all ready guess what people will accuse me of fairly soon. Hehe. Writing in circles. Don't worry; you'll see what I mean. Oh, and the reason I've posted this so quickly (i.e., not a full week from the last post) is because I'm turning out chapters fairly quickly. Unless I hit a block soon you'll get the chapters faster than you have before. Cause for dancing in the street, right? Of course, right! Ahem.
To Those Kind People Known As Reviewers:
Illume: Food for thought is an excellent thing to find, especially when you have a starving mind. Sorry, old adage. I thought it was about time for Severus to get a few presents, and his present for Rose…well, for those who didn't catch it, that's what he went to talk to Madame Pomfrey about. She helped him get the things, so it wasn't until right then that he planned on anything. Hope you enjoy this chapter. ;-)
Toth8: The error you pointed out has been noted and will be fixed when the story is reposted without author's notes. :-) Thank you so much for telling me about things like that, it helps me improve. Don't hesitate to tell me about anything else. And Petunia isn't at the point yet where she's going to completely hate magic or those of magic, you'll see that coming up. She didn't always hate Lily, I promise you that. Oh, and wasn't her gift very sensible? Gee, I wonder who could've helped her pick it out….
Emprezz Andromeda: Hehe. Does this count as rocking on? I do hope so. This is so much fun to write, and I hope the next few chapters (though light on angst) will be enjoyed by you, Your Imperial Highness. Thanks for the review!
Loraliant Angelisa Snape: Are you sure you were in a blah mood? You typed the way I do when I'm on a caffeine high. Anyway, in response to your review: you will note there is a frog mentioned in this chapter, and that was done for your benefit. Yay! Although I'm not sure what else you want. Could you be a bit more specific in your next review? Hm…. I'm not promising I'll write to please you—heave preserve us when authors start doing that!—but I will honestly respect your opinion and consider it. This goes to all reviewers, by the way. Hope you like this chapter!
Stonecoldfox: Whatever the reasons, I thank you for sticking around with me. It's wonderful to see the same people review over and over and over and over and over (er, you get the idea) so that I know someone's enjoying himself/herself. Let me know what you thought of this one. Not as cute as the last chapter, but still….
Midnight Lilly: I'm glad you like Rose. If people didn't, this story sure would've been short. Thank you for the review.
Lysaandi: Poor Severus won't have too many problems for the next three chapters, other than being annoyed with Rose's admirer. Thank you for reviewing!
Elvesmagic010: That's quite a compliment when the 'filler chapters' always come out well. This story has become something that I love to write, and I do hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I am writing it. Thank you for standing by!
Remember to review, make suggestions and complaints, that way I can know what sort of a job I'm doing! I'm most grateful for all those who've reviewed so far. Thank you!
-JB-