Chapter 7: Pardoned

Rose's gazed was fixed on the newspaper. Severus watched as she was drained of all color.

"What is it," Severus asked, pulling her from her trance.

Rose looked at Severus, "No, don't get up," She said hurriedly as Severus pushed himself from his seat. She moved towards him. Severus grabbed a hold of her arm to steady himself.

"What did you see?" he pushed. The Daily Prophet was still in her hand.

"Nothing," she said distractedly. "I just feel like I saw a ghost," she said more to herself.

At that moment, the spirit of an 18th century healer floated by the open door.

Severus gazed at Rose with arched brows.

"You know I didn't mean literally," Rose snapped.

"Give me the paper," Severus told her.

"I told you it was nothing," Rose said, though she knew that she only sounded more suspicious.

Severus wordlessly held out his hand. Rose sighed and passed the Daily Prophet over to him.

The headline read 'Malfoy Family Pardoned.' Severus had already seen this when he was reading the paper earlier. The story had made the front page. Accompanying the article were pictures of all the Malfoys that had been deatheaters, along with Narcissa. Draco, Lucius, and beside Lucius's picture was that of a grinning young man who, despite the black and white image, Severus knew had the signature Malfoy white blond hair and gray eyes. Severus knew this man from school; he had been a first year Slytherin when Severus was a seventh year. Severus knew this man from the occasional glimpses he got without his deatheater mask. Severus also knew this man from somewhere else.

Severus though for a moment and then it hit him. He had most recently seen this man's face in Rose's memory when he had been using legilimency against her. In her thought, he was smiling brighter than in this photo.

"Tiberius Malfoy," Severus blurted, searching Rose's face.

She kept her face blank, but she swallowed as if pushing down a sob. "What about him?" She tried to keep her tone even.

"You told me you moved here to follow a man," Severus said slowly, "and I have seen that ring you wear on the chain around your neck."

Reflexively, Rose touched the spot on her chest where the ring rested.

Severus gripped his wand in his pocket, almost without meaning to, he used legilimency on Rose again. Her memories appeared to him stronger than before because he was so close to her, still gripping her arm.

-Tiberius Malfoy appeared in the forefront of her mind. "What are you doing to me?" he asked her, a smiled creeping onto his lips. He embraced Rose.-Then a rush of words and jumbled images. "It's our secret for now," Tiberius's voice said. Rose moved her hand from side to side, looking at how the ring played on the light-more flashes of color and sound. Rose laid across Tiberius's bare chest, a pensive look on her face as she hesitantly brushed a finger against his Dark Mark.-The scene changed. "What did you do!" Rose screamed. "Nothing," Tiberius defended, "I didn't, I didn't kill anyone."-Another image of Tiberius laughing, Rose's sweet chime harmonized along with his as he swept her up into his arms.-Then, Rose looked at herself in a mirror, she was half keeled over a sink, she was wearing a white dress, her face crumpled in agonized sobs.-

"Stop," Rose shouted, pushed Severus from her mind. The images fell away. The real Rose materialized in front of Severus. Angry tears ran down her cheeks. "Dammit, Severus," She cried. "You can't just…" she trailed off and realizing that Severus still had a grip on her, she ripped her arm away from him so that he swayed on the spot.

"You and Tiberius Malfoy," Severus said with the unspoken question of 'How?' audible enough as if he had spoken it.

Rose looked at Severus with disbelieve that he was continuing the subject "I guess your philosophies change when you fall in love with a girl with nonmagical parents." Her words were harmless, but they somehow felt like a jab. Severus knew that, thanks to Potter, Rose and the rest of the wizarding world knew about Lily.

"Tiberius was murdered by his sister, Karis," Severus uttered.

Rose pulled at her hair unconsciously. "I have always wondered if that was an act of anger or love," she said, her voice shaking violently.

Severus looked at her with alarm.

"Might as well get it done quickly," she said, "rather than whatever You-Know-Who would do when he found out that one of his deatheaters was planning to marry a Mudblood."

"Don't," Severus pleaded, flinching at her last word, "don't call yourself that."

"And now he's getting pardoned!" she almost screamed.

"Rose," Severus said.

She sunk into a chair with her head in her hands. She steadied her breath. "I need a moment, Severus," she said with a professional coldness, "would you like to go back in bed."

"I will be fine here," Severus slowly lowered himself into the chair beside Rose.

Rose stood up at once, she grabbed the Daily Prophet, and then disapparated.

It was William that came to see Severus the rest of the day. William was colder than usual to Severus, probably knowing that Severus had made Rose cry.

"No, No," Severus groaned in his sleep. He tossed and turned, the sheets tangling around his ankles, simulating the binds of a giant snake. "Please," he moaned.

Rose came rushing up to him. He was fully dressed, shoes and all. His brows were knit together, and the whisper of tears flecked the corners of his eyes.

"Severus," she put her hand on his cheek, "Severus, wake up."

Severus jolted awake. His eyes were wide and he was out of breath. "Rose," he muttered into the darkness.

She grabbed his hand and he squeezed it back, anchoring himself to the here and now.

"You were having that dream again," Rose muttered.

"Right," Severus dismissed. Severus sniffed once and cleared his throat. He took his hand back from Rose and wiped his eyes quickly. She pretended not to notice. "You're back, I see," Severus said nonchalantly, yet even he heard the note of astonishment in his voice.

Rose signed. "Of course, I'm back," she told him, though her voice was a little harder than usual.

"And you're still angry with me," Severus noted.

Rose pressed her lips together. "Oh, I'm livid," Rose confirmed. She stared at Severus, the darkness of the room acting as a mask. "But I realized something," she told him.

"And what would that be," Severus asked.

Rose took in a deep breath. "Ever since I met Tiberius, I have been pushing people away," she said, trying to keep all the emotion out of her voice. "I moved away from my entire life for him. I hid and kept our relationship a secret. Then after-" she couldn't bring herself to say the words. "Well," she continued, "I went home just now, completely furious and I just wanted to talk to my friend about how angry you made me." She paused and bit down on her lower lip. "But then I realized that you are my only friend, Severus."

Severus gazed at her for a moment. He was speechless. He had not expected her to say that. "Well," he finally said, "that is unfortunate for you."

Rose let out a humorless laugh. "You're telling me," Rose signed.

"Well go ahead then," Severus told her.

"Go ahead with what?" Rose asked.

"Go ahead and tell your 'only friend,' about that patient of yours."

The ghost of a smile appeared on Rose's mouth. She sat herself on the edge of Severus's bed. "Well he used legilimency against me, again," Rose emphasized. "He knows all my secrets now," her voice became more serious. "I wasn't ready for him to know all my secrets."

"He sounds like a real arse," Severus said under his breath.

Rose let herself laugh. "He is a bit," she confirmed, "but not so bad when you get to know him." Severus let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Rose then ran her eyes up and down Severus's body. "I see you didn't let William help you undress."

Severus scowled at her. "Did you expect me to," he asked sardonically.

"No," Rose admitted. She stood and began unlacing Severus's shoes.

Severus peered at her, watching as she took care of him even though he had just been horrible to her. "You don't want me as a friend, Rose," Severus said earnestly.

Rose paused to look at him. "And you don't want me as a friend," she replied, "I am kind of a mess. But regardless, here we both are." She placed his shoes under the bed. Then she carefully began to unbutton his collar and then down his torso, exposing his pale chest. She helped him free his arms from his sleeves. She then moved down to his trousers and slowly worked them down his legs.

Severus bit down on his tongue, distracting himself from her soft touch.

"Would you like to just sleep in your pants tonight?" she asked.

"Fine," Severus breathed, noting how exhausted she sounded.

Rose pulled the blankets over Severus's near naked body.

"How about some dreamless sleep potion?" Rose offered.

Severus shook his head.

Rose shrugged. "To each their own," she said as she pulled out a vial from her pocket. She popped the cork and drained the potion like a shot of fire whiskey. She then pushed her little cot right beside Severus's bed and laid down next to him. "Goodnight, Severus," she mumbled.

"Goodnight," Severus said, but it was too late, she had already fallen asleep, heavy with potion. He was painfully aware of her closeness. He found it hard to relax, feeling the heat radiating from Rose. When he did finally drift off, his dreamed in images from her memories, except she was looking towards him and not Tiberius.

Readers,

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think.

TJ