Chapter 41: Tiberius Malfoy

"We should be studying," Janet shouted against the music in the nightclub.

"We studied all day," Monica yelled back.

Janet looked unsure as she glanced around the dancefloor with dizzying lights.

Rose touched Janet's arm. "I promise we can hit the books extra hard tomorrow."

"If we are not too hung over," Monica exclaimed.

Rose smirked. She was excited to get away from her textbooks for an evening. It was early summer, and Rose had seldom stepped away to explore London. She had always wanted to venture to the U.K. She wanted to be immersed in both the nonmagical and magical history of the place. When she was given the option to do her healing internship at St. Mungo's, she knew she had to take the opportunity. She wanted to visit museums and step into the old towns written about in Jane Austen books. She also wanted to visit Ollivander's famous wand shop, travel to Hogsmeade and get a glimpse at Hogwarts where some of the most famous witches and wizards studied, from Albus Dumbledore to Merlin himself. For tonight, however, Rose was just fine settling on a not so cultural experience. This no mag nightclub was exactly what this healer ordered.

Rose wore a sequin green dress that rested high up her thighs and sunk low down her chest and back. Rose was hoping for some very mindless, carefree entertainment tonight, no potion making, no curse breaking, no magic in general.

"Let's get you a drink," Rose said to Janet. Rose did not know Janet and Monica well, but they were the only three women in their cohort so they all naturally drifted towards each other.

"I'm fine," Janet said. It was not her idea to be there at all. She was the type of studious individuals that felt vastly uncomfortable in crowds. Rose, who did love the quiet things in life, greatly appreciated a fun night out.

"We shouldn't pay for our drinks," Monica said. "We are three hot, single women in a nightclub, drinks should be given to us."

Rose grinned at Monica. "Competition?" she asked playfully. "First girl to get a drink wins."

"Deal," Monica agreed, holding out her hand. Her and Rose shook on it.

"That was a bad deal to make," Janet said to Monica.

"Why?" Monica returned coldly, putting her hands on her hips.

"Because," Janet said, "that man has been staring at Rose since the moment we walked in."

Both Monica and Rose turned their heads at the same time to where Janet was indicating.

Rose never thought she believed in love at first sight, but something happened as her brown eyes met with the gray. Time seemed to stand still, like they all say. The loud room became a deafening silence. Every other soul surrounding them was a blur. Rose flinched and time speed to its normal pace again and the atmosphere erupted in a vast wave of sound and commotion.

Rose turned towards the other girls again. "He is insanely hot, right?" she asked. "Like freakishly so?"

"Oh yeah," Monica confirmed.

"And he is coming over here," Janet said.

"Right now?" Rose almost panicked.

Both of her companions nodded feverously.

Rose swallowed hard as there came a gentle tap on her shoulder.

She turned.

The man that stood before her was even more stunning up close. He had white blond hair, piercing gray eyes, and a cocky smirk that suggested that he never had any trouble getting his way. The man was just slightly taller than Rose.

"Want to dance?" the man asked her.

Rose blushed and nodded.

The man confidently placed his hand on her lower back and with a light pressure, led her to the middle of the floor.

"What's your name?" The man spoke in her ear.

"Rose," she said back.

The man flashed her a dazzling smile. "I'm Tiberius," he told her. Then he placed both his hands on her hips, and they swayed to the music.

Rose knew she was grinning like an idiot, but she couldn't help it. This man was so handsome, he was pulling her close to his body, and he was grinning right back at her.

One dance became two and then five with several drinks along the way. Rose was sure she had won their game. She looked around for her group but couldn't find Janet and Monica anywhere. This was only a testimony to the lack of real friendships they felt for each other. Rose would never want to lose track of her actual friends in a nightclub.

"What are you looking for?" Tiberius asked.

"Nothing," she replied.

Tiberius then took her by the hand and led her off the dancefloor and out the door.

The night air felt especially refreshing and crisp after being in the crowd. Though the London streets still bustled, they seemed oddly quiet compared to inside of the club.

Rose eyed her hand joined with this stranger's. Her gaze followed his arm up and fell upon his face.

Tiberius gave her a little sideways smile. Every time he looked at her, Rose's stomach did somersaults. She wondered if he knew. He looked extremely pleased with himself. He knew.

"This alright?" Tiberius asked her. "It was becoming too crowded in there."

Rose nodded and Tiberius led her into a side alley. It was not deserted. This seemed to be a popular post-club hangout. There was a ledge to sit and groups of people were there smoking, couples were kissing, and drunk men and women rested there waiting to sober up before moving on.

Rose felt a little unsteady herself. This man had bought her three drinks in less than an hour span. She stumbled a little as they walked.

Tiberius grabbed her by the waist to keep her from toppling over. "Easy," he said, "Here." He sat her on the ledge in the far corner away from other people. He sat beside her. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. She had not even noticed what he was wearing. She was too preoccupied with the mere being of him. He had on a pair of dark jeans, a white button down, and he had been wearing a black suit jacket; It was warming Rose in more ways than one now that it was wrapped around her.

Tiberius pushed up his sleeves, revealing somewhat muscular forearms. Rose stared at his exposed flesh intently. In her drunken state, she was easy to become hyper-focused.

"Rose, right?" Tiberius said, pulling Rose's eyes back to his. "It was hard to hear you in there."

"Yes," Rose told him. "It wasn't that hard," she continued. "I could tell you said your name is Tiberius and that is kind of a strange name."

Tiberius laughed. "Well forgive me for trying to come up with some sort of conversation starter."

"You are forgiven," Rose told him.

"I didn't hear that you are American in there," Tiberius said. "What brings you to London?"

"Excellent conversation starter," Rose said playfully.

"I thought so," Tiberius agreed.

"I'm a doctor," Rose lied. "I'm here doing a residency program."

Tiberius made a face.

"So clearly you had a bad experience with doctors," Rose laughed.

"Doctors are just people that cut up and poke people," Tiberius told her. "Do more harm than good if you ask me."

"Well, I am very good at cutting and poking people," Rose said not offended, but rolled her eyes.

"Good thing you're pretty," Tiberius told Rose. "Otherwise, I might have been scared off."

"I'm also extremely smart," Rose informed him.

"Well, aren't you confident?" Tiberius said with a grin.

"You're one to talk," Rose returned.

"Am I?" Tiberius questioned.

"Yes," Rose said with exasperation. "You ooze womanizing confidence."

"Womanizing confidence," Tiberius repeated.

"I can tell you've done this all before," Rose told him, "and successfully by the looks of you."

"I have actually never been here before," Tiberius said.

"Yeah, okay," Rose said with disbelief.

"Really," Tiberius assured her.

"Sure," Rose said.

"I don't get out much," Tiberius said simply.

"Why not?"

"My family doesn't approve of me going out to nightclubs or doing much in general outside the family," Tiberius said.

"Um, you look like an adult to me," Rose said pointedly. "You look older than me."

"I'm twenty-eight," Tiberius said with narrowed eyes. "I can't be much older."

"Seven years," Rose said.

"That's not much," Tiberius said.

"It's enough," Rose played. "I couldn't even hold my head up when you could hang from monkey bars."

"I never hung from monkey bars," Tiberius said.

"What kind of deprived childhood did you have?" Rose exclaimed.

"It wasn't deprived," Tiberius defended. "I had every toy I ever wanted, and I had two older siblings to play with."

"So, you're the baby," Rose rationalized teasingly, "Is your family having trouble letting go? Is that why they won't allow you to go to nightclubs and meet woman."

"You realize that this whole conversation so far has consisted of you teasing me and calling me old," Tiberius said. "I believe you owe me a few complements."

Rose smiled at him. "I think you are very handsome," she said, "you know, despite being so old."

Tiberius rolled his eyes. "I'll take it."

Rose sighed and leaned against his shoulder.

"Tired," Tiberius smirked.

"No," Rose said lightly. "You got me drunk. The world is suddenly spinning."

"Are you sure that is not because I'm here?" Tiberius joked, putting his arm around her shoulders. "You're awfully friendly. Fulfilling that stereotype of a typical American girl."

Rose grinned to herself. "I am not a typical American girl," she said. How many typical girls could transfigure someone into a toad for calling her a 'typical American girl?'

"I suppose I can see that," Tiberius said, looking down at her.

"And perhaps you are not the old, womanizer I took you for," Rose said. "Or maybe I'm just falling for whatever you're putting down." Rose straightened slightly and moved her face closer to Tiberius's. Their lips met lightly, certainly not the forceful kiss she was expecting from this man. They pulled apart slightly and their eyes met. Tiberius's pupils dilated as he stared at Rose, eclipsing his gray irises. Despite the gentleness of the kiss, Rose's heart was pounding as if Tiberius had pushed her up against a wall. "That was better than I thought it would be," Rose commented, made braver by the alcohol.

"It was," Tiberius replied somewhat breathlessly.

"Maybe it was a fluke," Rose said.

"We should probably try again," Tiberius said. "Just to see."

"I think I would like that," Rose whispered.

"Me too."

Rose quickly eliminated the space between them. This time the kiss was not so light. Their lips parted and their arms wrapped around each other's bodies. It definitely was not a fluke. After that moment, Rose didn't want to do anything but kiss Tiberius.

Rose came back to that nightclub almost everyday for a month. Tiberius would be there every time. They would find each other instantly as if there was no one else in the room. Sometimes they would not even dance, they would just go sit in that alley and talk for hours, only stealing away for private moments. Everything was completely innocent and uncomplicated. Rose learned very little about Tiberius's life in general terms. She did not know what he did for a living or where he went to school, but she felt like she knew him on a much deeper level. He told her how he felt different from the rest of his family, how he always felt like an outsider, how he tried to please his family but never really felt like they truly knew him. He soon was telling Rose that she was the only one who truly knew him. It was so easy to talk to Tiberius, easier than it had been with anyone. Rose knew she was in love with him. She considered telling him everything. If he felt for her what she felt for him, surely, he could accept her being a witch.

They laughed a lot. Rose had never felt happier in her life. Tiberius was always funny and had a playful personality. Until one day, things changed.

It was early July, 1995.

Rose spotted Tiberius walking toward the alley beside the nightclub. It was a hot night, but Tiberius was wearing a long-sleeved shirt under his suit jacket.

Rose ran towards him, unable to stand the distance a moment longer.

She knew something was wrong the moment she was in front of him. "What is it?" Rose immediately asked.

Tiberius ran his eyes up and down Rose's body several times, his expression conflicted.

"Tiberius?"

At the sound of her voice saying his name, he pulled her into his arms. Rose gasped at the suddenness of it all. Tiberius buried his face in Rose's hair. His whole body was shaking.

"What is it?" Rose cried.

"Rose, please don't ask me," Tiberius said in a quivering voice. "I can't..."

"Okay, okay," Rose soothed. "You don't have to say anything to me now. But, whatever it is I can help you."

Tiberius pulled away. He looked closed to tears. "You can't help," he said in a harsh tone.

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, trying to disguise her hurt as anger.

Tiberius looked around him several times anxiously. "Can we get out of here?" he said hastily. "Can we go somewhere private?"

"Sure," Rose said anxiously. "I can take you back to where I'm staying. I have a roommate, but she usually stays with her boyfriend."

"Fine," Tiberius said fiercely. "Whatever." He grabbed Rose's hand. "Lead the way."

Rose was not used to navigating the underground, but she tried to act like she knew where she was going. She usually apparated everywhere.

Tiberius did not seem to notice that Rose kept getting lost. He was quiet and grave. He seemed to want to hold her hand and be close, but the moment anyone's head slightly turned in their direction, Tiberius would drop Rose's hand and stare off in the opposite direction as if he didn't know her.

When Rose locked them both into her flat and confirmed that they were alone, Tiberius finally seemed to breathe freely, yet he was still clearly nervous. He kept clenching and flexing his left hand.

"You are in some sort of trouble with someone?" Rose guessed. "With the law?"

"I am in some sort of trouble," Tiberius told her.

"What sort of trouble?" Rose begged him. "You can tell me. I won't think any less of you."

"How can you say that?" Tiberius threw back. "You don't even know..."

"It's just...I..." she blushed.

Tiberius's eyes widened. "I love you," he blurted. "But I-"

"I love you too," Rose interjected before he could say another word.

Tiberius glanced around the room nervously as if he expected someone to jump out and object. He grabbed Rose and kissed her as if out of desperation. He ran his hands up and down the sides of her body. Rose could feel pressure building deep in her body. Her hands clawed against his back.

"The bedroom," she suggested in a gasp. Rose did not want her roommate walking in on this and ruining the moment. She forgot to feel curious about what had upset Tiberius. Her brain could only register that he loved her, and she wanted to show him just how much she loved him back.

Tiberius nodded roughly.

Rose hurried them to her room and they both collapsed onto the bed in a fit of passion. Tiberius was on top of her. Rose reached down and cupped his growing erection. Tiberius's eyes rolled back in response. Rose shimmied her dress up her body and Tiberius yanked it over her head. He leaned in and began kissing down her collarbone. Rose reached out and began tugging on his jacket to take it off.

Tiberius froze.

Rose looked up at him questioningly.

Tiberius hesitated for a moment before throwing off the jacket and letting it fall to the floor.

He pulled away as Rose went for the buttons on his shirt. "We needn't…" he paused, "Can't we just…"

"I want to see you," Rose said greedily.

"I just…" He climbed off her.

"What?" Rose said, sitting up. "Do you have a bad tattoo or something that you don't want me to see."

Tiberius's body stiffened.

Rose's brows knit together as she saw the muscles in his left arm tense. Rose stood from the bed, she moved to face Tiberius, her back pressed against her bedside table. "I want to see it," she said trying to keep her tone straight.

"It's really ugly," he confirmed, keeping his eyes casted down.

"I'm sure it isn't a big deal," Rose heard herself say. With her hands behind her back, she carefully eased open the nightstand drawer.

Tiberius allowed himself to look at her.

"Show me," she demanded nervously.

Tiberius undid the button on his cuff and rolled the sleeve of his left arm up.

In one swooping move, Rose grabbed her wand out of the drawer and pointed it directly at Tiberius's heart. "Get out!" she shouted at him.

Tiberius quickly pulled his sleeve back down, hiding the dark mark. "You're a witch!" he exclaimed, standing up.

"And you're a…" Rose couldn't bring herself to say it. "Get out!"

"Rose, let me explain," Tiberius said, holding his hands up to her, completely defenseless. He did not seem too concerned that Rose had her wand posed to strike. "I can't believe you're a witch! This changes everything." He was almost smiling.

"That mark on your arm changes everything," Rose said. "Don't you see my wand. Leave before I have to curse you." Her wand arm was shaking, he knew she was no threat.

"Since you're a witch, we can-"

"NO!" Rose shouted. "Absolutely not!"

"But don't you see?" Tiberius continued, taking a step towards Rose. "I thought you were a muggle and that would never work. But you are a witch!" He grabbed Rose's wand arm and gently lowered it. "I love you. I loved you five minutes ago when I thought that we could never be together."

"We can never be together now." Rose said, her eyes filling with tears. She thought about yanking her arm away from him, but it wasn't within her power in that moment. "Do you hear yourself?"

"Rose, I love you," he pleaded.

"Stop saying that! How could you possibly." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and held her wand so that the tip was touching his chest. "I have non-magical parents. I hate everything that dark mark represents. I hate you!"

Tiberius frowned. He still seemed unthreatened by her wand. He rested his right hand over his dark mark as if trying to cover it up. "You hate me?" he whispered.

"Yes," Rose confirmed.

"You had just told me that you loved me too."

"Well everything changed in a very short amount of time," Rose said. "You changed."

"Rose-"

"Everything Harry Potter said is true," Rose interjected. "He wasn't lying like the Daily Prophet said. He's back?"

Tiberius's face went pale and he nodded.

"Go," she said in a defeated tone.

"Rose, please."

"Why haven't you left yet?" she pushed. "Go!"

"I'll go," he whispered. "I just want you to know that I don't feel that way about…you know. It's not what I believe."

"Your dark mark says something different," Rose said.

Tiberius gave her one last lingering look before leaving her without another word.

Tiberius had told Rose that she knew him better than anyone. She thought about everything she was told about his family and everything she believed about him. She tossed and turned in her bed that night, unable to fall asleep. The next day, she was unable to focus on any type of healing. Her superiors went as far as telling her to go home before she killed someone.

By nine o'clock that night, Rose decided she knew very little about Tiberius, but she also knew that she was deeply in love with him.

Without really knowing what she was doing, Rose apparated to their meeting place and there he was, waiting for her.

Rose stared up at the ceiling blankly. She was half listening to Esme's voice in the next room as she played with her toys.

Rose had a scrap of Daily Prophet pressed against her heart. It was from the article written about the Malfoys' being pardoned by the Ministry.

"What are you doing to me." Rose could hear Tiberius's voice just as clear as if he was standing next to her. She had thought about his face and voice so often, she was sure she had it memorized perfectly.

"What are 'you' doing to me," Rose laughed. She laid her head on his bare chest. Her fingers knotted in the translucent hairs that ran across his breastbone.

Tiberius rested his palm on Rose's cheek as if protecting her from something.

"Tell me again what it will be like?" Rose said.

Tiberius grinned to himself. "We will move to some far-off place in South America and live in a one room hut in the rainforest."

"You change the story all the time," Rose accused, tilting her head to look at him

"Do not," Tiberius played.

"You do!" Rose laughed. "Yesterday, you had us living in the North Pole in an Igloo."

"I'm entitled to change my mind," he told her.

"The week before you had us on our own island," Rose pointed out. They had been talking about where to runaway to for months without forming a solid plan. It was just fun to escape for a little while, but too terrifying to actually escape.

"You ask for this story a lot," Tiberius told her.

"It makes me happy to think about," Rose said simply.

"Me too," Tiberius said, mostly disguising the pain in his voice. "So, we will live in the rainforest in our hut with our five children."

"Five children?" Rose asked with raised brows.

"Oh yes," Tiberius said.

"And who do you plan on having all these children with?" Rose teased.

"The lady in the hut next door," Tiberius said without skipping a beat.

Rose nudged him "Hey!"

"Alright, alright," Tiberius said, "We will have four children, but they must all be boys."

"Three girls and one boy," Rose negotiated.

"We can figure out logistics later," Tiberius said in a businesslike tone.

Rose giggled. "We will probably need to change our names," she suggested.

"Very true," Tiberius said. "I was thinking some combination of Malfoy and Rosamond."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Malmond or Rosafoy?"

"Oh," Tiberius said with mock seriousness. "Those are both awful."

"How about Smith," Rose said.

"Not too conspicuous," he said. "Perfect."

Rose's mind seemed to get lost in reality and her face darkened.

"Hey," Tiberius said gently. He opened his arms for her, and Rose did not hesitate to allow herself to be wrapped up in them. "It doesn't matter where we go. We will be together and that will be enough. That will be all we need. At least, it will be for me."

"Me too," Rose confirmed.

"I love you so much," Tiberius told her. "More than I can ever tell you."

Rose closed her eyes tight and hugged herself to Tiberius even closer. His dark mark rubbed against the skin on her back. "I love you too."

"Mama!" Esme called.

Rose's eyes flew open. She quickly stood and stashed the newspaper clipping away. "Coming Esme," Rose called back.

"Mama," Esme said when she saw Rose. "When is Papa coming?"

Rose sighed. "You miss Papa, don't you?"

"Yes," Esme confirmed.

"I'm sure Papa misses you too," Rose said, picking up her daughter. Esme clung to Rose's neck.

"I want Papa for Halloween," Esme said.

Rose gave Esme a little sad smile. It was Halloween day. Severus and Ephraim were at Hogwarts. Esme didn't see much of Severus these days and Rose knew that it bothered them both. "Papa doesn't like Halloween much," Rose warned.

"Why not?" Esme asked in surprised. "It's fun."

Rose thought for a moment. "I think it scares him a bit," she told her daughter. Rose pressed her lips into Esme's hair. "Would you like to go see Papa at work today?"

"Yeah!" Esme cheered.

It was mid-afternoon. Severus would be done with classes soon. Rose sent a message up to the school for Neville with her patronus, asking him if he would lift the enchantments to let them onto the grounds. Rose's heart ached as she watched the silver doe prance away. She tried not to give it much thought. Once Neville replied that he would meet them on the edge of the grounds, Rose packed up Esme and they walked together up to the school.

"Down," Esme told Rose as they reached the edge of the grounds. Esme had insisted that Rose carry her halfway from their house, but now that they were so close, Esme could not hold in her excitement long enough to be still. She loved coming to Hogwarts but most of all Esme loved to be with Severus and 'help' him with his work.

"Rose," Neville called from several feet away.

Rose placed Esme on the ground and she took off running towards Neville.

"Hi Neville," Rose greeted halfheartedly. She felt sick about just showing up unannounced at the school when she knew Severus did not want to see her. But her feelings were unimportant. This was about the children spending time with their father. Also, despite Severus not wanting to be with her, Rose hated the thought of Severus being alone on the anniversary of Lily's death. Rose thought being with the children would perhaps make this evening bearable for him. She hated that she cared about that, but she did. If she didn't care so much about Severus's feelings, she would not even be in this mess with him and she wouldn't be so unhappy.

"What are you doing up here?" Neville asked, looking at Rose with concern.

"Um Esme wanted to surprise Severus with a visit," Rose said.

"Hurry," Esme called behind her as she continued to run ahead.

"We're coming," Rose called back. "Keep going, Love. We'll catch up."

"You two still not..." Neville trailed off awkwardly.

"Not really," Rose answered flatly, looking off to the side.

"Hannah is pretty worried about you," Neville said. "I know she really misses you."

"I miss her too," Rose said. "I've been a really crappy friend lately."

"She knows you're going through stuff," Neville comforted.

"Yeah," Rose said, kicking a fallen pinecone.

"If you need anything or need to talk..."

"Thanks, Neville," Rose said gently. "I appreciate that, really I do."

"I mean that for both Hannah and me."

"Thanks," Rose mumbled. She would have liked to talk to Hannah and Neville about what was going on. However, she knew that sharing their marital problems would just make matters worse. "Have you seen him much? How is he?" she asked.

Neville shrugged. "He is pretty much exactly how I remember him from when I was a student," he told her, trying to keep his voice casual.

"That bad," Rose returned. It had been told to her on several occasions that Severus Snape, in general, had improved upon meeting her. Now he seemed to be back to square one. Rose, of course, knew about his coldness towards her these days, but she had seen some physical differences as well. He seemed to have decreased the amount of sustenance he took in and his face became sunken. His skin became sallow from all the extra time he spent in the dungeons these days. He also began neglecting to wash his hair and it hung in greasy curtains around his face.

"Come on!" Esme cried.

"Okay, okay," Rose said, pasting a smile on her face. "You are so demanding for someone so young."

"I'll see you later, then?" Neville asked.

Rose nodded. "Yeah, see you." Then she took off after Esme.

Esme was always so transfixed by the castle, she liked to wave at all the paintings, many of them knew her by name and greeted her as 'Ms. Snape.'

Rose led Esme down to the dungeons, though, Esme already knew her way.

"Darling," Rose said to Esme, "Papa is still teaching so you have to be quiet when we go in, okay?"

Esme nodded and put a finger to her lips.

"Good girl," Rose whispered, picking her up and then eased Severus's classroom door open slightly and peered in.

Rose saw Severus swooping around the dimly lit room like an oversized bat. He inspected the contents of his students' cauldrons from the end of his hooked nose. He passed several desks without comment, but then he halted in front of a girl with curly brown hair. "And what is this?" he sneered at her. "Well?" he hissed when the girl was silent.

"Regenerating potion," the girl mumbled, dropping her head.

Severus shook his head slowly. "No, it is not," he said drawing out the words. "How you passed your O.W.L. in potions I will never understand, Ms. Tally." Severus stirred the potion a few times. "Where did you go wrong?"

"I don't know, sir," the girl said, barely opening her mouth.

"Tell me," he continued in a taunting voice, "are you able to read?"

Rose groaned from outside the door.

The girl did not answer.

Severus stared at her expectantly.

"Yes, Professor Snape," the girl said.

"Read that line," he pointed to the instructions in her book. "There."

"Add three mandrake leaves," the girl read cautiously.

"And you added the mandrake leaves, did you not?" Severus hissed.

"No," the girl stammered, "no, sir."

"I see," Severus said. "No marks today I'm afraid."

Rose grimaced at the sick pleasure Severus seemed to be getting out of tormenting this girl.

"And ten points from Ravenclaw," Severus added, just to make the girl feel worse. "Class dismissed."

Rose saw the girl clean up her workstation faster than anyone else and bolt from the classroom with tears in her eyes.

Esme and Rose walked in as the rest of the students were walking out. Rose heard a few whispers behind her as she did sometimes from Severus's students. "That's Snape's wife and daughter."

"Really?" someone else replied, "Can't be."

Severus looked up from his desk. His face momentarily looked surprised but almost immediately he wiped all emotion away.

"Would you let anyone talk to your daughter the way you spoke to that girl?" Rose asked in greeting.

Severus scowled at her and then let his eyes briefly fall on Esme. "How I choose to manage my classroom is up to my discretion and doesn't concern you," he replied harshly.

Esme watched her father cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" Severus questioned wearily.

"Esme misses you," Rose told him, adjusting their daughter in her arms.

"Yes," Esme said, holding out her little arms for Severus.

Severus's face softened slightly as Rose handed Esme to him; she did her best not to get too close to Severus in the exchange. Rose's eyes examined Severus's hands. It had become her habit to do this. He was still wearing his wedding ring. She wondered how much longer he would keep it on. One night, out of anger, Rose had taken hers off and thrown it across the room, only to erupt into sobs and hurry to place it back on her finger.

"Happy Halloween," Esme cried at Severus.

"Yes," Severus drowned.

"Mama says you're scared," Esme told her father.

Severus looked confused and irritated all at once. "Why would I be scared?" he asked his daughter and then eyed Rose skeptically. He did not like her telling their daughter negative things about him.

"You don't like Halloween," Esme explained. "Don't be scared, Papa, don't be. I'm here." Esme patted Severus's cheek lightly with her little palm in comfort. Then she hugged his neck tightly, clear unconcerned about the curtains of unwashed hair.

Severus continued to stare at Rose as he held his daughter to him, but his face did not look angry anymore.

Rose reached out and stroked Esme's hair lightly once. "The children miss you so much," Rose told Severus.

He did not say a word.

"Stay at the house tonight," Rose told him.

Severus's brows knit together.

"I will go elsewhere," She said quickly. "Just be with the children, please."

"And where will you go?" he finally asked, his tone empty of emotion.

Rose shrugged. "I will figure something out." She vaguely thought she would stay with Tobias. They had reached that level of comfort at this point. She already dug herself a grave, she might as well lay in it.

He nodded at her once as if in thanks.

"Sure," she muttered back, feeling herself become tearful again. It was difficult for her to speak to Severus much longer than this and be able to keep from crying. "Do you know where Ephraim is?" she asked. "I want to see him before I leave."

"He just finished with charms," Severus told her.

"Thank you," she returned. "Esme, mama's leaving now."

Esme turned towards Rose in Severus's arms. "Mama stay too."

"No baby," Rose told her. "I have to go."

"Go where?" Esme asked.

Rose smiled at her daughter sadly. "You will have so much fun with Papa," she said. "I love you." Rose held her daughter's little hand for a moment. Her eyes lifted to Severus's. Rose blinked hard and she flinched away. "Well, I need to go." Rose half ran out of the classroom.

Severus stared intently at the path Rose had taken, not quite sure how to feel. As he held his little daughter it was hard to be angry. He unconsciously touched his hand to the mirror that was inside the pocket of his robes.