Chapter Twenty-Six: And Love Said No

Chapter title taken from the HIM song.

"I could never forget about you."

Pretty intense chapter up ahead! I want to say thank you so much to those who are still reading :)

Someday she'll find out. Then what are you going to do?

Rosalind shook her head, as if movement could shake away her thoughts. Professor McGonnagal called her in to ask about Emma who had a fainting episode during charms. She specifically asked if she has had that happen to her involving a Memory Charm, to which Rosalind replied that Emma used to pass out from stress.

Of course you lied. Anything to save yourself.

"Go away," she muttered out loud, startling the older gentleman in the lift. She had returned to work to talk to Harry and Bowen at the Auror's Office, having mentioned that she knew someone who might have information. They were sitting in Harry's office, Bowen smoking a cigar and Harry sitting on the edge of his desk. They smiled at her, waving her into the room.

"So you mentioned you have someone that could be useful to this werewolf and foreigner thug case?" Bowen asked within a puff of smoke. "Who is it?"

"Rodolphus Lestrange," she said simply, taking the seat directly in front of Harry. "I talked to him the other night."

The two men nearly chocked on their saliva. "The same Rodolphus Lestrange who threatened you at the Azkaban breakout? Who tortured Neville's parents?"

Rosalind nodded. "That's the one."

"How in the hell did you get in contact with him?" he asked almost stung. "He's a wanted Death Eater."

"Former Death Eater, he assured me," she said nervously. "He gave me details of how they broke out of Azkaban."

Bowen's brow raised. "Continue."

"They were being recruited. They had visitors in and out of Azkaban that had heard of the Death Eaters and they were trying to plot with them for a mass breakout. The deal was supposed to be that if they broke them out, the Death Eaters would help them in whatever their plan was."

"So the Death Eaters are all with them now?" Bowen asked.

"No," Rosalind continued. "Death Eaters don't work with Muggles or with werewolves. But they planned on the breakout and double crossing them so they could get their freedom. Somehow the message wasn't passed along to Lucius who wasn't in agreement with the plan anyway and he got left behind."

The men eyed each other, piecing the puzzle. "And the rest of the Death Eaters?"

Rosalind shrugged. "I don't know. He made it sound like no one was actually going to follow through with it, they just wanted out. But I'm sure he could find his way back in if he needed to."

"Interesting," said the Boy Who Lived, stroking the edge of his desk. "What does Lestrange want out of all of this?"

"Immunity," Rosalind said hesitantly. "He wants his life back. But I didn't guarantee him anything."

Harry shook his head, his eyes rolling to the ceiling. "If he thinks he won't go back to Azkaban for what he did to the Longbottoms he's one thick bastard."

Rosalind stayed quiet. She really didn't care what happened to Rodolphus, but she did care that Ares could potentially grow up without a father. "I know. But I think he could be useful."

Bowen sighed. "Perhaps he could. We'd have to commit him to an Unbreakable Vow to ensure he doesn't do anything rash."

Harry strummed his fingers across the oak wood, thinking hard. "Do you have a way of contacting him and making sure he gets here without being a threat?"

Rosalind nodded. "Yes. I can bring him in."

"Excellent," Harry said with a click of his teeth. "And if he blows his cover either they'll kill him or the Dementors will have him. Bring him in tomorrow morning. We'll question him and decide from there."

Rosalind sucked in her breath, unsure if she was relieved or not. "Alright. I'll have him ready for you."

Still in his nightclothes and reeking of last night's drunken endeavors, Rodolphus Lestrange stomped silently into the Ministry of Magic's Department of Law Enforcement. His hands were clasped behind his back by invisible handcuffs, Rosalind walking behind him to maneuver him in the right direction, with Draco following suit. She pushed him into the interrogation room, removing the spell so his hips and legs were bound to the chair. The entire department looked through the glass window into the room, shocked that a Death Eater was in the Ministry again.

Rodolphus chuckled when Rosalind bound him to his seat. "How is it that you still look sexy when you're tying me up?"

"I can still kick you out and send you to Azkaban," she retorted in disgust.

He grinned, showing off his decaying teeth. "Come with me. It's not that bad."

Draco shot him with a stinging spell as Rodolphus cursed out loud. "Stand down. You don't want to make this any harder than it is."

At this Rodolphus let out a full-bellied laugh. "How does it feel, Draco, being on the other side of the law? Does it make you feel better bossing your uncle around?" he shook his head in amusement. "Still doing the cowardly thing like your father. Bloody coward."

Draco raised his wand as the door swung open and Harry stepped in. He stared coldly into the former Death Eater's eyes, not bothering to greet him. "Send Dawlish in here," he instructed Rosalind. "You two are dismissed."

Rosalind nodded as she and Draco switched places with the Auror. They stood on the other side of the glass with the rest of the department, watching eagerly as Harry drilled his man. Rosalind was surprised at how calm he was behaving, a quality that she lacked. No matter the insult that Rodolphus threw at him, he never wavered. Rodolphus knew much more than he initially led on, forcing Harry to decide that he would be useful.

Finally at the end of the interrogation, the former Death Eater spoke calmly. "I only have one request that I want to be guaranteed."

Harry raised his brow, almost blending into his glasses. "Oh yeah?"

"My family. I don't want them to be affected. My son-I don't want him getting hurt."

Harry's head cocked to the side. "You have a son?"

"Yes. With Daphne Greengrass. I want her to be protected as well." He spoke it so plainly, as if it wasn't a secret. "Rosalind is friends with them if that's any type of confirmation."

Harry and Dawlish gawked at each other, unsure what to say. Rosalind nodded awkwardly, face flushing, gesturing them that it was true. Harry cocked his head to the other side, shifting his attention to Rodolphus. "Alright. We'll send someone to make sure they're not being harmed." He cleared his throat, shuffling a roll of parchment in his hand that was recording the conversation. "But as of now you are a confidential informant of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but you are also high-risk. Your every move will be watched. Understood?"

Rodolphus sighed, leaning his back against the chair. "Understood Mr. Potter."

Harry snapped his fingers for Rosalind to grab him. "Take him to his holding cell in the eighth level. We'll send someone on watch."

She unbound him from his chair, binding his hands once more. Rosalind held his hands to his back, shoving him into the elevator and down to his cell. The elevator sunk slower than usual, opening its door to the cold, drafty floor. As she moved him into his cell, Rodolphus finally looked grim. He was staring at the grimy floor, beginning to accept his decisions.

"Do me a favor, could you?" his arrogance faded. "If something happens to me, take care of Daphne and Ares. Make sure they're alright." For a moment he sounded afraid. "They're not going to let me off easy from here...and it would mean a lot if you could make sure they're okay."

Rosalind eyed him. He had never spoken to her in that tone before. "Daphne is my friend. Of course I'll look after her."

For the first time Rodolphus gave a genuine smile. "She likes you a lot, you know. I appreciate it." He stared at her as she closed the gate, letting out a deep sigh. "I don't know what I would do without them." He was no longer looking at her-he was staring blankly out the bars of his cell, the weight of his actions reaching him. For a fraction of a second she almost sympathized with him, before leaving him alone with his thoughts.

How odd, she thought, that someone who has done such malicious things can still feel emotion and attachment to others. That even a Dark Wizard-or former one-could have a family that he cared about. She walked back to her desk deep in thought, a part of her hoping that Ares would not grow up in a broken home.

"Did you hear me? Rosalind!" Harry's voice snapped her out of her trance. "Dawlish will be with Rodolphus but if the language barrier becomes an issue when he goes undercover with him we might need you. Is that alright?"

Her eyes widened at the thought of being around those people again. "Like going undercover?"

"Yes, we'll give you Polyjuice Potion and anything else you need," he answered quickly. "But I need to know that you're okay with it."

She nodded. "I can do it. I've been undercover loads of times."

"Good. Now go comfort Malfoy he's looking exceptionally grim."

Rosalind glanced over at her partner, who was scribbling shenanigans on a scrap of parchment. She sat on his desk, forcing him to stop writing. He gave her a disgruntled look.

"Cheer up," she said cheerfully, keeping herself from stroking the side of his head. "What's wrong?"

Draco sighed. "Nothing. It's just weird arresting my uncle is all." He scrunched up the roll of parchment, throwing it into the wastebasket. "You reckon he'll be useful? Or do you think he's pulling our leg?"

Rosalind shrugged. "I don't know. I think he will be for the most part. I'm hoping they don't call me in though...I haven't been undercover in a long time."

Draco looked up at her almost sympathetically. "You'll be fine. I can go with you if you want."

She sighed, muttering her thanks and returning to her desk, finding herself noticing his mannerism: the way he held his quill as he wrote, the way the same strand of hair fell over his eyes, the way he would scowl when he was in deep thought. Her charm bracelet tinkered as she scratched her quill on the parchment, piecing the remains of the puzzle before them together. She shuffled through previous cases of werewolf attacks and known werewolves, which were difficult to find given the fact that most werewolves did not want to admit they were one for fear of isolation. But most had a trait in common: they were alone, with no friends or family, with likely no one to care if they were missing. It was almost as if they were recruited for a bigger purpose; it appeared that negotiation wasn't an option.

As soon as the clock chimed signaling the end of her shift, Rosalind snapped her notebook shut heading straight to the lift. Christmas break had officially started and she had to be at King's Cross Station to pick up Emma. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet from excitement, smiling from ear to ear. She nearly ran out the lift when she spotted a tall, lanky ginger-haired man talking to a pretty blonde. An arrow shot straight through Rosalind's heart seeing George with someone else. For a moment their eyes crossed paths, and as hard as she tried to keep smiling, her eyes fell from disappointment. George glanced at the girl in front of him and back at Rosalind, looking slightly torn. She slowed her pace, hoping-praying-that George felt as gutted as she did, hoping that he felt terrible for being at the Ministry knowing full well they would run into each other.

A large, round-bellied wizard knocked into Rosalind's back, causing her books and notes to spill over onto the floor. She cursed him, face flushing, rushing to pick up her belongings as the man left without a word. "Just great," she muttered to herself as she picked up her favorite quill, now soaked from the fountain. She looked around frantically for her bottle of ink, finding it rolled over and cracked at the side. She let out a groan, annoyed that she'd have to buy another one. She stood up to her full height, as George Weasley stood in front of her.

He gave her an awkward, one-eared smile. "Hello," he said with a hand in his pocket. "How are you?"

Rosalind paused, giving him a frustrated, angry look. "I'm fine," she said calmly as she tucked a frizzed curl behind her ear, her bracelet shimmering in the light.

George nodded slowly. "That's great to hear." He scratched his nose nervously, eyeing the bracelet on her wrist. "Listen...I've been meaning to talk to you-"

"About what?" she snapped in a low voice. "You made it clear you didn't want to see each other anymore and could've owled me or something-"

"I know," he said quietly. "And I apologize. It was a lot to think over." His lips pursed as Rosalind's frown deepened. "I just didn't know how to approach you."

"Why? Did you think I would hurt you?" she asked, her face burning.

George's face quivered. "I'm not sure." He took in a deep breath. "But to be fair you ran away before I had a chance to say anything."

Rosalind's face fell. "Because I'm a coward. I didn't think you'd want anything to do with me. Not after-not after everything I've done." She was staring at the wooden floor, unable to face him.

"But I do," he said gently. "It was just a lot to take in. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous."

"Nervous about what?" she asked, still staring at the floor.

"Everything," he continued in a low voice. "I got scared and backed off. I knew you were too good to be true and that was it."

"That was it?" she repeated, meeting his gaze, eyes burning. "You were looking for a flaw? You said nothing would change-"

"Maybe I was wrong...but I'm not sure." He glanced over at the pretty blonde, who was sitting at the cafe reading a book waiting for him, the back of her head familiar.

"She's the girl that was in your shop the other night," she said, a knot forming in her throat. "And the same one when I left your place a few weeks ago." She paused, eyeing him as he shuffled his feet nervously. "Was she the one you visited the other day in St. Mungo's? With the dragon pox?"

He nodded as his ear reddened. "Yes she is. She's a nice girl."

Rosalind stared at him dumbfounded, swallowing the stubborn knot. "Were you seeing her at the same time as me?"

He nodded again slowly, one hand still in his pocket. "Not the entire time."

"What do you mean not the entire time? Were you with her Halloween night when the shop had an incident?"

"Yes but there really was an incident at the shop," he added quickly upon seeing her expression. "She happened to be there already and by the time I realized what time it was it was too late to go to the party so I owled you instead."

Rosalind's brow twitched, the grooves of her mouth searching for the correct words. "But everything you said to me-"

"I meant it all." His lowered head looked into her eyes. "Promise."

"Then how did-? I don't understand," she said holding back a stream of tears.

"I don't either," George continued. "It wasn't planned it just happened-she was easy to talk to and whenever you were with your Slytherin friends she'd always be around and we ended up spending a lot of time together."

"Why are you telling me this now?" she finally sputtered. "Are you with her?"

George shook his head. "I am not. She is a wonderful person but it wasn't until you opened your mind up to me and I was crushed that I realized how much you meant to me all along."

"I'm sorry," she said staring at the floor once more. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you."

"Rosie don't-"

"No George it's true," she said, blinking away tears. "And I can't be mad at you for what happened with her because I ended up in the same situation."

George bit his lip, both hands in his pockets. "I know. I know about Draco."

"It was an-what?" she asked flabbergasted. "How did you know?"

"You said it yourself love, you're a lousy Occlumens."

"Oh," was all she managed to say, her hands beginning to shake. "I'm still sorry."

George sighed, his toes drawing circles in the wooden floor. "I know you've felt guilty for a lot of things in your life, that being one of them. I didn't want you to keep feeling guilty."

She glanced up at him, a long tear streaming down her face. "Why? I hurt you."

He gave her a curt, somber nod. "But I was doing the same as you even if you didn't know about it. I know we had decided to take things slow and we never entirely established our relationship that's why seeing her didn't feel like a breach of trust-because we had both stated we weren't ready for a relationship." He cleared his throat as Rosalind listened intently. "But then it became bigger than I intended and I-"

"I get it," she finished for him. "You didn't want to get hurt and the safer option was to have a backup plan."

George mouth quivered. "Yes, even if it was unintentional."

Rosalind sniffed, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes. "You shouldn't feel bad. I never deserved you in the first place and I always knew that." Her chest heaved from crying. "I thought-I thought you were too good to be true, you seemed so perfect it made me anxious and it was all new to me-"

"It was new to me too," he cut in. "What I felt for you was overwhelming and something I never knew I could experience."

"So what was the problem? Before you found anything out?"

George opened his mouth, the hinges on his jaw constricting. "You're so damaged...and I am too. I was afraid we'd hurt each other more than help. I didn't know what to do."

"So you just gave up." She wasn't asking, she was awaiting his confirmation.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. I gave up because I was afraid of taking a chance."

Rosalind shook her head, letting out a rattled breath. "I can't be mad at you because I was afraid too. I've never felt I could be with anyone because of what I've been through and what I've done...I always felt you would forget about me and leave me for someone else. Someone better for you."

George let out a low sigh. "I never wanted to leave you." She met his gaze again, his eyes reddened with tears. "I could never forget about you. You made me so happy."

Their eyes connected, shining from the reflection of the salted streams. "You made me really happy too," she admitted. She wiped her cheek, smearing mascara onto her sweater. She held her breath to keep herself from crying more. "So what happens now?"

George shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps neither of us are ready for a relationship."

Rosalind sniffed, staring into the floor once more. "You're right."

"We can still be friends I hope," he said gently. "I really care about you."

Rosalind didn't answer. "I hope you do."

He took a small step closer to her, pulling her into a hug. "You mean so much to me Rosie, I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you."

She inhaled his scent, a flood of memories penetrating her: the first time they met, their first date to Hogwarts, their first kiss, her birthday. It was too much. She pulled away from him, wiping her nose. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

George's face looked pained. "I know." He rubbed his arm awkwardly. "It would mean a great deal to me if you showed up to Christmas dinner. Emma is still invited."

She stared at him. "Wouldn't that be weird with your girlfriend there?"

"She's not my girlfriend," he said firmly. "She's just a friend. And she won't be there. Harry, Ron and Hermione will be there too, it's kind of a neighborhood event. Loads of people will be there."

She continued to stare at him, slightly confused. "I'll think about it." She glanced at the watch charm on her bracelet. "I have to go. I have to pick up Emma from King's Cross."

George smiled nervously. "Alright. I hope to see you around."

Rosalind tried to smile but couldn't raise her cheeks. "Me too." She turned around, wiping her face once more, stepping into the fireplace, sprinkling in Floo Powder for the train station.

The blowing of the whistle and smokey smell indicated the Hogwarts Express had arrived. Rosalind rushed to platform 9 3/4 as a band of kids ran out to greet their families. At the back of the line was little Emma, glasses askew as she struggled to carry off her luggage. Rosalind came to her rescue, picking up her trunk and holding her hand. "Oh sissy I missed you!" she cried as Emma half-hugged back. "How was the ride?"

"It was okay," she said pushing her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. "Same as usual." Rosalind frowned, sensing something was wrong. She dropped the subject, making their way back to the fireplace. Emma walked in first with the Floo Powder with Rosalind shortly behind.

The apartment was quiet, clean and bright; Rosalind had made sure it looked presentable for Emma's homecoming. "Are you hungry?" she asked excitedly. "I have your favorite dessert for tonight."

"I'm not hungry." Her voice was flat.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

Emma ignored her, pulling out a stack of documents, setting them on the table in front of Rosalind. "I read this yesterday. It's interesting."

Rosalind's stomach dropped as she read the front page-it was the police report of the night her parents died, complete with all the notes. "Where did you get this?" she asked slowly.

"I ordered them." She was staring at her older sister, waiting for a reaction. "You should read them."

"I already know what they say," Rosalind answered, skimming through the pages, holding in her disbelief. "Why do you have this?"

"Why did you lie to me?" Her voice was angry, her coal-like eyes bulging from their sockets.

Rosalind hesitated, lifting her face from her hands. "Because I thought telling you our parents were murdered would cause you a lot more problems than telling you they died in a fire."

"Why were these people after you? Were you in a gang?"

"No it was the opposite-we were resisting the gangs and they must have tracked me down. I was basically a cop but everyone down there has a price and is usually bribed-maybe they gave them my real name, I don't know-" she looked at her little sister, her lip quivering as she fought back tears. "Why are you asking this? You're too young to know-"

"I am NOT too young to know!" Emma cried. "I'm not stupid Rosie, I'm sick of you and everyone else thinking that!"

"I know you're not," she answered in a low voice. "I was waiting until you were older."

"Were you planning on telling me you manipulated my memory too or were you gonna leave that out?"

A knot formed in Rosalind's throat, the mental blow punching her in the gut.. "What did you say?"

Emma's arms were crossed, mouth agape. "Why do you always lie to me? Did you think I would never find out?"

"No Emmy that's not it-"

"You killed those two people that broke into our house, didn't you? I saw you do it!" her eyes were beginning to swell.

Rosalind sank into her chair, her hands gripping the arms tightly. "What else do you remember?"

"Lots of bits and pieces now that I have been jogging my memory," Emma said in a smaller voice. "They killed mom and dad and you killed them with that fire lasso spell that's in the police report."

Rosalind stared at her sister in disbelief, a wave of nausea in her stomach. "What else was I supposed to do Emmy? If they killed me they would've killed you too."

Emma's face fell. "But kill them?" she asked in a tiny voice. "How could you do that to someone?"

"To save us-to save YOU!" she screamed, causing the smaller sister to cower in the corner. "Do you know who those people were? They were hit men looking for me, not our parents, it's my fault they died! I had to kill them or else they would've killed us both!"

"That doesn't explain why-"

"I didn't want to erase your memory," she sniffed, eyes swollen with tears and snot running down her nose. "But I panicked and was so scared you'd turn out like me." She wiped her eyes, looking deranged. "I didn't know how else to protect you."

"By messing with my memory?" she exclaimed. "That doesn't make sense."

Rosalind's breathing slowed, her mind racing. "I didn't want you to end up like me," she repeated. "I didn't want you to be traumatized, to actually remember what happened...I figured it would be easier if you didn't know they were murdered." She paused, her elbows resting on the table. "I thought wiping your memory once would be enough but it wasn't. It turns out traumatic events affect our brains so much they leave a deep impact-every night you'd be screaming from seeing it happen all over again." Her voice was lower, still calm, her eyes staring at the police report in front of her. "I just wanted you to grow up happy and normal. It wasn't supposed to be continuous-"

Emma had one arm over her chest, holding onto her other arm awkwardly. "I don't know what to say," she said as tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I always thought something was wrong with me or I was crazy because I would have those dreams all the time and I couldn't tell dreams from real life sometimes..." she wiped her nose, her glasses fogging up. "When was the last time?"

"About a year before you left for Hogwarts." Her eyes were swollen from the day's events. "The older you got the less often you had the nightmares."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Rosalind stood as her sister began to cry silently. She held her, moving them to the floor next to the crackling fireplace. "I'm so sorry Emmy. I'm sorry I've ruined everything for us."

"I don't know what to feel," she said in a hollow voice.

Rosalind's stomach panged as she stroked her sister's head, calming her down. Eventually her breathing began to slow, her eyes closing. Rosalind cradled her, her eyes nearly swollen shut. She stared down at her little face, torn, praying that someday this would just be a distant memory for them both.

Woo, that was a long chapter! I know a lot happened, and there's more to come! What a long day for everyone. Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter will be more lighthearted and dealing with Christmas :)

Next chapter: Heartache Every Moment