Thanks again for the feedback, I'm doing my best to post updates as quickly as I can! Just wanted to include a side note that the piano song I imagine Rose playing in this chapter is "The Spin" by Greg Haines if you want to give it a listen. I don't own anything!
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"Severus" Lupin greeted me when I apparated to his side amongst the bushes in Mrs. Figg's front yard.
"Lupin"
"Did Dumbledore mention anything about the Dursley's leaving? They drove off with three suitcases and Rose is inside with Mrs. Figg now."
"Apparently Rose wrote to the Headmaster only yesterday; the Dursley's are going on holiday and left her behind."
My assumptions about Rose's care and wellbeing while she was living with her muggle family had all been shattered by this point. I'd had suspicions of neglect since she came to Hogwarts in desperate need of nutritional potions her first year, but after observing her with the Dursley's for the first time a week ago and then hearing of their plans to leave her on her own while they went on holiday, it was clear she hadn't been spoiled, or anything close to it, for a day in her life with them. Still, I'd had much worse treatment growing up with my abusive father. Surely the overly affectionate doting that was bestowed upon the child by all of the Hogwarts staff, apart from myself, made up for what she lacked at the Dursley's.
"Only yesterday she wrote to him?"
"Yes, as I said. Shockingly proactive, isn't she?" I said, derision dripping from every syllable. From the letter Dumbledore had shown me, it seemed clear that Rose had known about her family's departure since her return from Hogwarts, yet she hadn't confided in the Headmaster until the last minute. Nor, for some reason, had Mrs. Figg made us aware of the change in arrangements, though she wasn't the brightest squib in the broomshed.
The other Order members had reported that Rose wasn't leaving the house at night anymore, apart from taking an occasional midnight run around the neighborhood. It seemed her drinking had stopped and I hoped she'd stopped taking the stimulant pills too. Even if she was improving with the help of the extra potions and draughts we'd owled to her, Dumbledore still agreed we should take her to Grimmauld Place within the next few days. With her family gone, there was no need to consider the potency of the blood ward spells anymore and she'd be better off at Headquarters.
I'd added the fifth year summer potions assignment to the package of potions at the last minute before sending it off, in part because I wanted to annoy her with the reminder since last year she'd turned her summer assignment in late, but mostly because I wanted her to keep distracted and busy. Not that I expected much to come of it, she was carelessly horrid at best when it came to Potions.
Lupin and I both watched as Rose went to the loo and came back to the dated sitting room, not able to keep still once she sat down. I'd detected a flare of anxiousness from the charmed ring on my finger before she'd left the room, but that had now transformed into a nervous, hectic energy.
Rose moved to the piano at Mrs. Figg's suggestion, playing with unmitigated concentration as the song began to build and flow out into a stream of soft yet dizzying melodies. There was a definite element of sorrow among the chords, even as the song increased in tempo and the notes reached higher and higher. It was impossible not to get wrapped into the song as Rose played, and Lupin and I both drew closer to the sitting room window as we watched and listened from outside.
When she'd finished, the song ending on an almost hopeful note, I cleared my throat and backed away to our original crouched hiding spot among the damp plants, Lupin following suit more slowly.
"I didn't even know she could play" Lupin said, his eyes hazy with unshed tears.
I was moved by her playing, but was surprised by Lupin's reaction "Surley you must have. The number of times Professor Flitwick brags about her in the conference room after one of their lessons, you'd think she was Beethoven."
"Who's that? Ah, the muggle composer you mean?"
I didn't bother responding as I could see Rose was rapidly approaching the front door, intending to go for another run. I dragged Lupin further into the foliage to hide us both as she left, quickly picking up speed as she bobbed down the sidewalk.
"Ughhhh" I groaned aloud, not thrilled that I was the one that would have to chase her down as Lupin's shift watching her had ended with my arrival.
Lupin chuckled, "She's faster than even James was, isn't she? Well, I'm off, good luck keeping up with her" He said jokingly, for a moment seeming to revert back to his marauder-like self.
Lupin disapparated and I began to follow Rose, jogging at a much slower speed but keeping her within my sight. My lungs quickly started burning as I tried to keep up with her pace, my black robes not helping matters in the swelteringly hot weather. I quickly transfigured my robes into baggy athletic-wear to camouflage myself from any curious muggles who would be confused to see a fully grown man exercising in, what to them would look like, an oversized black dress and coat.
I caught up to her when she stopped to drink from the park's water fountain before moving on, but her pace was unrelenting and I quickly fell behind again. I felt a sudden shift in the weather as the wind began to pick up, and I raised my gaze to see dark storm clouds gathering above. It wasn't until I felt a horrible sense of dread that I understood what was happening, even if it made no sense.
I began to sprint in the direction I'd seen her headed in, panicking as my ring glowed red and began to burn my skin.
Why are they here? Surely the Dark Lord didn't send them from Azkaban, I would've known if that was his plan.
Time seemed to be moving too slowly as I ran down the street, desperate to find her. I began to fear that she'd taken a different route when I saw her, pitifully trying to conjure a patronus as three dementors surrounded her. She dropped to her knees in a dead faint, falling on her right side as her head crunched against the sidewalk.
I thought of Lily's eyes, crinkled around the edges as she smiled. Remembered her endearing, convulsive laugh before I felt a flash of warmth through my chest, my Doe charging from the tip of my wand and scattering the dementors that had their heads lowered to Potter's. The pulling and sucking sound they'd been making stopped and they'd fled by the time I reached her, and I watched as a small trickle of blood ran down her temple.
"Potter!" I shouted, trying not to jostle her as I reached to check the pulse at her neck.
She'd crumpled so quickly in the face of the dementors, conjuring only wisps of a silvery patronus when I knew she'd been fully capable of the spell in her third year. I quickly took stock of the situation, happy that no muggle witnesses had been nearby but quickly casting shielding charms around us in case Voldemort was behind the attack.
I knew I had to get us both out of here; with her lying unconscious on the side of the road I would be powerless to stop Voldemort if he or his followers came to take her. But I didn't want to apparate with her if she had a serious head injury, and I could only apparate to Hogwarts entrance gates anyway — it would take too much time to get her to the Hospital Wing from there. I quickly sent a messenger patronus to Dumbledore to tell him what was happening before grabbing a discarded glass beer bottle lying in the gutter and creating an illegal portkey from it, unconcerned with the possible consequences since unauthorized portkeys were never closely monitored.
"Rennervate" I said, casting my wand over Potter's limp form. I didn't want to wake her but it would make assessing her injuries much easier before we portkeyed to Grimmauld Place.
She groaned and lifted her hand to her temple before opening her eyes, trying to sit up.
"Wait, stay still Potter" I said, pushing her back down.
"Snape?" She replied, sounding dazed as she squinted at me.
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Dementors…then my mum screaming, fainting…" She'd taken her hand from her temple and was examining the blood that was now smeared across her fingertips.
My brow furrowed "You heard your mother screaming?"
"Mmmm, it's what I hear when dementors get too close. Remus said it's 'cause dementors make us relive our worst memories…she's screaming as Voldermort's murdering her." she slurred as she spoke, her words barely distinguishable.
My chest contracted as she finished explaining, horrified at what she'd just revealed. No wonder she was so affected by them in her third year; she'd survived through some truly grisly experiences. And to think some part of her mind had locked away the memory of her parents being murdered, that she could remember the sound of it happening…
I shuddered, relieved that I would never have re-live Lily's last moments as intimately as her daughter had to. Or maybe she was concussed and had just imagined Lily screaming? Confusion and memory loss was a sign of concussion after all, though her explanation of events had sounded convincing enough.
"Potter, you've hurt your head. I'm taking you to Grimmauld Place, can you stand?"
Some clarity seemed to return to her eyes, the fogginess that had been there fading slowly. She rolled up and onto her knees, resting back against her heels in a seated position for a moment. Her eyes closed as she wobbled to her feet, flinching away when I reached to hold her under the elbow.
"I'm only trying to help you up Potter, we need to hurry"
She didn't reply, her head wobbling as she tried to steady her gaze. She buckled suddenly, hands grasping her knees tightly as she doubled over and was violently ill. I reached up to drag her hair out of her face, resting my other hand on her back until she stopped heaving.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded, shakily rising once more and not flinching away from me this time as I supported her.
"Right, the portkey is that bottle lying in front of us. I'll countdown and we'll both grab it on three, understood Potter?"
Her eyes bulged open suddenly and she began to back away from me towards the entrance of the underpass tunnel. I let go of my grip on her, seeing terror flash across her face as her breathing quickened.
"No portkey" she said, now a few meters away from me and the old bottle.
"Potter, get back over here! There's no time for this!"
"No portkey" she repeated, shaking like a leaf as she took another step back.
"I can't apparate with you, it would put too much pressure on your head and I don't want to make your injury worse."
"No!" She said like a petulant child, another trickle of blood leaking from her head wound and winding its way down her neck.
"Oh for the love of Merlin, why not!?"
"The Cup…not again"
"What cup?" I said, striding towards her. I was trying to be patient, I knew she probably didn't know or couldn't control what she was saying in her confusion, but I couldn't take her stubbornness much longer. "This is a bottle, a beer bottle that's going to take us to Grimmauld Place. We need to go now, come on."
I grabbed her by the hand to guide her back to where the unassuming portkey sat on the sidewalk, but she yanked her hand back, refusing to budge.
"Not again" she said, making eye contact with me for the first time, "The Cup…never again."
"Wh—? Oh" I said, comprehension finally dawning on me. The Cup. The Triwizard Cup. The portkey that had propelled Potter and Diggory to the graveyard where Voldermort had risen and the boy had been murdered.
"Listen, you'll be fine Potter. Enough of this now, come" I said, beckoning her forward gently. She didn't budge, still swaying slightly side to side as she looked at me, then at the bottle on the ground.
"If I didn't let the dementors harm you, why would I hoodwink this portkey, hmmm?" I asked, desperate to get the urgency of the situation through to her thick skull.
"Trust me." I tried again, "Don't you want to see Sirius?" I said, bribing her with the thought of being reunited with the dog.
The bottle began to spin and glow against the rough pavement — the countdown was on.
I quickly pulled her over to the bottle and she didn't resist this time.
"One, two, three!" I shouted over the whooshing sound and the wind that swirled around us. We grabbed opposite ends of the bottle and were lifted high into the air. I clutched Potter to me when we began to descend, knowing she'd fall again upon arrival if I didn't help her.
We thudded down and I held Potter tightly against my side to be sure she landed on her feet, across from us Grimmauld Place. Thankfully no muggles had noticed our sudden appearance. Number 12 revealed itself as we approached, quickly crossing the street and entering through the front door.
I didn't loosen my grip on Potter once we'd entered, pulling her through the entranceway to the back of the house where the dining room lay.
I entered the dingy, grey room to see Sirius and Lupin standing from the dining table, raising their wands at the sudden intrusion.
"Rose? What the—?" Sirius's confusion was muffled by Rose coming towards him, pulling him into a tight hug which he returned, still shocked.
"You're alright" Potter kept repeating, hugging Sirius close "You're alive."
"I'm okay, Rosie, don't worry." Sirius said, wrapping both arms around the girl.
"What the hell happened?" Lupin asked, lifting Rose's head off of Sirius's shoulder and tilting it to the side to get a better look at the wound.
"Dementors" I said, the two marauders staring at me in shock as I quickly recounted what had happened.
Rose finally let go of Sirius, swaying on her feet as she dropped into a chair, holding her head between her palms and folding forward so her head rested between her knees.
I rushed forward to kneel at her side and she raised her gaze to meet mine when I placed my hand on her back. Her gaze was dazed again, and…apologetic? Her pallor turned a light green and I understood, conjuring a bowl to put underneath her chin as she was sick once again. I vanished the bowl and its contents when she'd finished, rising to my feet only to see Dumbledore and Madame Pomfrey appear, one after the other, in the massive fireplace across the room.
I retreated to the far corner of the room as they began assessing her, Madame Pomfrey encouraging her to stay awake whenever her head dropped.
Dumbledore came to my side once Pomfrey had finished healing the gash on Potter's head, asking questions about what had occurred in a low voice. He accepted my conclusion that Voldemort wasn't behind the attack, never having mentioned anything similar to the assault that had just taken place.
"Severus" Madame Pomfrey called me over. Lupin stood from his position beside Rose to let me pass, but Sirius didn't budge an inch.
"Do you have any stimulant potions on you? I suspect a concussion, and she shouldn't fall asleep for the next few hours if that's the case."
I snorted humorlessly at the irony of the situation, feeling my irritation heighten at the close call I'd just gotten Potter out of, and beyond aggravated at her behavior during the summer holidays thus far.
"I think she's had enough already, isn't that right Potter? Wouldn't want the golden girl to overdose, now would we?"