Rose Among the Thorns: The Third Evans Sister

By Jedi Blu, Lady at Large

Standard Disclaimer Found Here: I do not own anything that is not mine. Rose is mine, though. Leave her alone.

Italics are thoughts, emphasized words, or letters. Thank you!

NOTE: I'm about to go out of town for a week and I won't have access to a computer. Hence I will be posting this chapter (ooooo, aaaaahhhhh…). And I'll get another up Friday morning if it's possible. Thanks for reading!

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: May Day

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The gentle sunlight of May was streaming through the windows of every classroom that Wednesday morning, and almost every student was looking out with longing towards the grounds of Hogwarts. Almost every student. Severus Snape was studying desperately hard for his O.W.L.'s, they were only a month away, and more than ever he sought to prove himself. He was especially concentrating on the Defense Against the Dark Arts sections, and Potions were also being subjected to his scrutiny. It was hard to catch Severus without finding him surrounded by parchment and books, he even took his notes with him to meals and stayed up late reading study materials.

And then there were his weekly sessions with the Headmaster; every Sunday evening Severus disappeared into Albus Dumbledore's office and would not come back until after curfew. No one was sure what was going on, but rumors flew around Hogwarts as they always did. Secretly Severus was Dumbledore's son and that was only just revealed to him at the death of Severus's mother (everyone knew about that, of course), or Snape had been caught performing Dark Arts and Dumbledore was punishing him, or Snape was a spy in Slytherin House to find out who really was taking part in the terrible things going on in the real world. The list went on, but these were the more popular bits of gossip.

Rose had finally gotten out of Severus what was really going on, but only by cornering him and being fearfully stubborn about it. What she had learned was incredible, and she very nearly wished that she had personal lessons in Occlumency, DADA, and access to all the wonderful stories that Albus Dumbledore had been a part to. The Headmaster would also tutor Severus in whatever the boy desired, and did so because he had taken upon himself, and upon the school, the role of guardianship until Severus came of age.

After her final class let out, Rose went immediately in search of Severus and found him in the library, as was usual of late. "You're such a kill-joy, Severus," she muttered, sitting down beside him. He didn't even look up. "It's a beautiful day outside and all you seem capable of is shoving your nose in books. You don't look at all well, either," she added, wondering if he had even heard her yet. "You're thinner than usual, and pale, and you don't look tidy. I realize you're under stress and in mourning, but you should still take care of yourself."

Still the boy did not look up, or even blink in reaction to her words. His lips were moving slightly, soundlessly, as he tried to absorb the contents of the gigantic tomb before him.

Rose bit her bottom lip, a look of genuine worry crossing her face. Hesitantly she reached up with one hand, touching a strand of his limp, greasy hair, and pushed it back behind his ear so that she could see more of his face.

He did pause now, lifting his eyes from the enormous potions book to look at the girl seated beside him. "What do you want?" he asked, but his tone was not at all biting or unkind, or even bland. His lips twitched, slightly, as if he were tempted to smile.

The girl sighed, her shoulders slumped slightly. "I'm just worried about you, Severus."

"Why?" He glanced down at his book but his black eyes immediately came back up to meet hers. "Besides the obvious."

It was startling for Severus to make a joke, even one so dry, so that Rose surprised herself by letting a small giggle escape her. "At least you're in a good mood," she noted, raising her eyebrows at him. "Severus, you don't look at all healthy right now," she added, more serious.

A shrug was the only answer she was met with. "What are your plans for today?"

"I was going to go outside and study a bit," she answered, allowing him to evade her this time. "Get some sun."

"It's too distracting outside, if you ask me," he returned, running a hand through his hair. "The library is at least quiet."

As if to confirm that fact Madame Pince seemed to materialize at their side only to hush them before stalking off to help a first year with a very large book.

"I see," Rose answered, smiling slightly. "Well, if that's the way you study best I suppose that's what you need to do. But I need some air. I'll catch up with you tonight in the common room and quiz you over your Arithmacy notes, okay?"

He nodded, then turned back to his book, bending over it so closely his nose almost touched the pages. Rose resisted the urge to giggle again, knowing he was doing it for her benefit. It was strange that Severus was actually making jokes, or making any attempt at levity at all, that Rose was still uncertain at times whether he was joking or not.

No sooner had she settled down beneath an old beach tree, with her Tranfiguration book open, than did another bag of books drop down beside her. She glanced up, not sure who to expect, and felt herself bristle as Sirius Black lowered himself to the ground next to her. "And here I was thinking it would be a pleasant afternoon," she muttered, pulling her book up so as to block him out.

Sirius put a hand to the book and lowered it, easily, so that she was face to face with him. "Well, I have been known to grant wishes to deserving young ladies before." He smirked when she only rolled her eyes at him. "Where's your boyfriend, Evans?"

"I wasn't aware I had one," she returned tartly. "Unhand my book, Black."

"Of course." He took his hand away and leaned back against the tree, folding his arms. "Y'know what I can't understand, Evans? Why would a girl like you pursue a slimy little git like Snivellus?" She only turned a page in her book. "He's ugly, not the brightest of the bunch, and certainly not at all popular. He's poor, has no family, and is tied to the Dark Arts so much so that he stinks of it." Rose was becoming tense beside him. "And yet you, a smart, sophisticated, kind of cute kid persist in kissing the ground he walks on. It's perplexing."

Rose shut her book with a snap then turned to glare at the Gryffindor boy. "Severus and I are friends, and it isn't any of your business to know why. However, if you persist in calling him names in my presence I will be forced to do something about it."

He raised his hands in mock defense. "Far be it from me to challenge an Evans. Just venting some curiosity, Rose."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not scared of me, so don't pretend to be." Then Rose raised her eyebrows at him and thought of her own questions to pose. "So long as we're venting curiosity, here's one for you. Why would a wealthy, popular Gryffindor fifth year continue to annoy and pursue a plain Slytherin third year?"

"Well," he began, his smirk in place once more, "perhaps because the third year really isn't so plain, and is very mature for her age. Perhaps because she's genuine and doesn't put on all the false characters and attitudes that so many other girls do. Perhaps the Gryffindor isn't even sure why he continues to pester her."

Rose was taken aback by his forthright answer, and her face clearly showed her surprise.

"Oy, Padfoot!" a shout came from the hilly slop leading to the castle. The two looked up to see Peter Pettigrew gesturing wildly for Sirius to come.

Sirius Black sighed, then cast one last charming smile at Rose, before removing himself and his books to see what Pettigrew wanted.

"Padfoot indeed," Rose muttered, finally turning back to her book. "Insufferable, arrogant lout."

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"You're most irritating, Evans," Severus Snape muttered as he led her quietly to the Requirement Room. "I can't do anything anymore without you wanting to tag along."

Rose only grinned and shrugged. "So? What's your point? You know you like the company."

He rolled his eyes and opened the door, thinking clearly of what it was he needed...the Potions Practice Room. The two Slytherin students entered to find the room set up like a potions lab, complete with cauldrons, ingredients, texts, and so forth.

"There, you see?" Severus waved a hand around to indicate the room. "No problem at all."

Rose was going through the books in an instant. "Wow. Some of these are very advanced, and one or two...well, they look like they should be in the restricted section of the library."

"Only because of how advanced they are." Severus shrugged that off and went to one of shelves that contained vials of liquid which were carefully labeled. Obviously he used the room often, as there were shelves holding several notebooks which bore his name on the spine. In no time he had a cauldron simmering, a large book open next to it, and he was taking meticulous notes as he added ingredients and stirred the solution.

Having tired of reading the large, very complicated volume she had picked up, Rose positioned herself next to Severus and looked down into the cauldron at a strange, bubbling liquid. "What's this?"

"An experiment," he answered, not even glancing up from his notes.

"What sort of experiment?" She looked carefully at the book and discovered, to her surprise, it wasn't a text book or a potions book. "And why are you reading that?"

Laying in front of Severus Snape was a copy of a contemporary book by an anonymous author, Hairy Snout, Human Heart. It was a book about werewolves, written by a wizard-turned-werewolf and published quietly. Rose had read the book because of an assignment given to her in her history class, but would have thought Severus would've shirked reading any such 'nonsense.'

"There are lots of people who have tried to cure werewolves," Severus explained, still studying the book intently, "and they've all failed or killed a wolf while trying, which amounts to the same thing. But what if, instead of curing the werewolf, there was a potion or spell which could mute the effect of being a werewolf? Something that would allow the creature to keep the mind of a man even while in the body of the wolf. It would keep others safe, keep the disease from spreading. It would subdue the transformation. Curing it all together is too complicated, but...." He shrugged and finally looked up, offering her the smallest of smiles. "Call it a hobby."

"Interesting hobby. But who would've thought that Severus Snape would try and brew a potion to help werewolves." She picked up his notebook and read some of what he'd written. "You believe liquefied silver to be a necessary ingredient?"

"Yes, which would make the potion both expensive and hard to brew, but silver is the only known mettle which has any effect on the creatures. It's also the only ingredient I'm lacking— I cannot buy it, and the room has yet to provide me with it. That leaves only one option, and I will not stoop to stealing potion ingredients. Not anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'd also need a testing subject, but walking up to a wolf in the Forbidden Forest isn't exactly the best way of doing things."

"No, it wouldn't be very safe," she agreed, kindly ignoring his comment about stealing. "Could you explain all of this to me, Severus? I'd like to know what you've come up with, and I swear I won't steal your idea." She grinned, cheekily at him. "I'm not as talented at potions as you are, anyway."

He rolled his eyes, but the smirkish smile was there. "Of course. It's a bit advanced, though, and it's taken me years to figure this much out. Now, here," he began, flipping to the front of his notebook. They were in that room for hours, until well past curfew, but Rose had since learned the spell associated with being 'overlooked.' There was no worry of being caught.

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Albus Dumbledore, from his position at the head table in the Great Hall, was able to see a bit that the students weren't aware of. One such thing was the growing bond between Severus Snape and Rose Evans. The Headmaster was, for the most part, pleased with the friendship the two shared and knew well that both of them needed it. Rose was notorious for being an outcast, and much the same could be said about Severus. The young boy kept himself so apart from others, too, so that most thought him a great simpleton. Except for the teachers. The teachers were all amazed at the advanced thinking and skills of the boy.

The Headmaster was only too happy to help Severus learn more, to give him lessons in things that weren't normally taught at Hogwarts or at a one-on-one level.

He also watched the Gryffindor table, and felt a small bit of consternation when his eyes landed on four of the House's most popular students. They were all very talented, and all had struggles of their own to overcome, but the arrogance and conceit that was prevalent among them was all that even teachers seemed able to see at the time. While Albus was no Seer, he mentally predicted there would be a lot of trouble from that lot one day, whether in his school or out in the real world.

The real world. The world he was forced to keep his students sheltered from and at the same time prepare them for. The war with Lord Voldemort was growing more dangerous each passing day, and Albus feared what it would come to. The Wizarding World was a hard place to be of late; no one even spoke to strangers anymore, for fear they worked for the Dark Lord. The Ministry of Magic was doing all it could, but Albus Dumbledore was beginning to realize it wasn't enough.

They needed his help, but how? How could he aid the countless aurors and officers of the Ministry without being seen as undermining the government? He could not, would not challenge the authority of the Minister, an old friend of his. But there had to be a way to be a silent help.

And he would think of one.

As always, thank you for reading and reviews are ambrosia to me. ;-) Hint, hint.

NOTE: I'm very pleased the last chapter was so well-received and I hope to continue to amuse and entertain my reviewers with the following chapters. The last chapter, in which Albus Dumbledore actually wept with Severus, was hard to write but I believe it offers a wonderful theory into the Headmaster's relationship with Snape. Blood is binding, but sharing tears can be equally so.

PREVIEW: The next chapter is one you've been waiting for, it's "Snape's Worst Memory…Or Is It?" Keep in mind, there could be numerous reasons that Severus would've kept that memory (and others) from Harry in OotP. Following that chapter…I'm going out of town. But when I return you will receive "Summer Doldrums," in which Petunia and a Rubix cube will make an appearance. After that comes "Mischief Begun," which features the infamous Marauders' Map. ;-) Enjoy!

To My Reviewers:

Moriann: Honestly, I don't mind praise so long as it's truthful and constructive. You're a wonderful fan, I'll have you know, and I look forward to your reviews. Thanks so much for that. If you ever have any suggestions or something other than a compliment to share, go for it. ;-)

Billiejoe: Thank you. :-) Glad you're enjoying the read. But I'm afraid I don't recognize the things you referenced in your review, regarding the Mithril ring. Yes, Mithril, borrowed from the wonderful world of J.R.R. Tolkien. I probably should've put a disclaimer in there somewhere about that…. Oh well.

Rae Roberts: I missed a 'rather?!?!' I've been trying to avoid that word since the last time you pointed it out and I thought I had done away with it. Oh dear. Sorry it was there to bother you and THANK YOU for pointing it out. Yup, Lily's POV is essential in this story, and it is more realistic. Rose, however, does notice things that her sister doesn't, so in the end it all evens out. Villains are always difficult. I don't like writing them at all, so you won't see much of Sarpedon.

Draluck: It's great to find an enjoyable story once in a while, isn't it? Explaining the tie between Severus and Dumbledore was a lot of fun to write, and I could actually see something like that happening between the two of them. Hope to hear from you again!

Black Sheep Alone: Oh…my…goodness! You're still around?!?! I figured you would've given up on me a long time ago. Fortunately, I update this story much, much more often than I do my original works. I really need to work on that, huh? I know what you mean about the SS/HG stuff. Makes me shudder. Something like that just wouldn't work, y'know? Besides, HG/RW is much better.

Illume: Severus Snape is often miss-portrayed (in my opinion) as one extreme or another. I rarely find a story with him in it that I like. He's just a person placed under terrible circumstances, and he's bitter about his past. I identify with him, actually, and I've had Albus Dumbledores in my life to help me realize there's a light at the end of the tunnel. So if the last chapter came off as realistic, then I did what I set out to do. Thank you for the kind, honest reviews. Keep them coming, and I'll keep the chapters coming.

Nabenabe: Told ya I did angst. :-D Sarpedon is evil and terrible and I hate him. I'm glad you feel the same. Hope you like this lighter chapter. :-D

See you next chapter!

-JB-