Chapter Five

"Rose, where are you child?" Poppy's voice called out.

"In the library at the end of the hall Madame." Rose called back setting her book down on the table beside her, as the medi witch came into the library.

"Well some one has been renovating." Poppy shook her head as she set her bag down and looked about.

"The headmaster decided that it would be easier to add more rooms, so I wouldn't have to wonder all over the castle to get things done. That and with the extra guests…" She shrugged.

"Well that does make me feel a little better to know that you won't have to wonder all over the castle. It will put less strain on your body." Poppy nodded, relief showing clearly on her face. "Now, I would like to do a full scan again, Rose, so if we may retire to your room?"

"Of course Madame." Rose nodded and limped to her room, leaning a little heavier on her cane then she had been before. "My leg is a little stiff from sitting still so long." She explained quietly when she saw the concerned look. "That and my pain potion ran out a little while ago."

"You didn't take more?" Poppy asked as she gestured for her to lay down on her bed after they entered her room and closed the door.

"It wasn't that bad and I was only sitting I didn't see a point in taking more until the pain got worse." Rose shook her head.

"Rose." Poppy looked at her in concern. "I know you don't like taking a lot of pain potion, but if there is pain, take it. It is the reason why you are on that particular potion and not a slightly stronger one. It isn't addictive and it would take you over three years to become accustom to it, to the point it wouldn't work anymore." She began casting spells as she spoke, watching as all the data appeared on a piece of parchment beside her. "Remove your pants I want to look over your scar."

Rose struggled a little but got her pants off and laid back down and felt Poppy's wand trace of the long scar incanting the spell that would let her know exactly how the wound was healing.

"How has your leg been feeling with the new balm Severus did up for you?" She inquired as she began looking over the two parchments.

"Well I only got the first treatment last night, but my leg was a lot better in the morning." Rose replied turning her head a little to look at the nurse. "I took Uncle's advice and moved about carefully all day."

"You can get dressed Dear." Poppy nodded, still looking over the results carefully. She looked up when Rose finished dressing and sat on the edge of the bed. "My main concerns are your eye and your leg. The scans show that your eye is slowly healing, continue with the salves as you have been and we will recheck it in a few days. The true relief is that the eye itself wasn't damaged, just the skin around it so you wont have any vision impairment." She shuffled the pages and looked over the leg scan. "The scar is fading, some of the damage is healing but not the extent I had hoped." Poppy sighed and sat on the edge of the bed next to Rose. "I'm afraid this just confirms that the limp will be permanent. It may get a little better but…"

"But there isn't much chance of it." Rose nodded slowly in understanding. "What about the pain and the muscle cramps?"

"It will ease with time, Rose. As the damaged areas heal the pain will lessen, and the muscles won't cramp as much…" She hesitated and set her hand on Rose's shoulder. "But I am afraid that with the damage you do have you won't be able to walk more then fifteen minutes at the slow pace you have now before having to rest and take more pain potion. These rooms are about as far as you will be able to get around, the potions lab at the most with out doing more damage." She explained slowly.

"You're saying I won't be able to attend classes." Rose said softly.

"No you won't Rose. There are just too many stairs and too far a distance for you to do so." Poppy sadly shook her head. "Severus will have to arrange to have you tutored if you wish to finish your school or you can focus on your paintings and carvings." She reached up and gently stroked the girls hair. "I doubt that you will be able to leave these quarters very often bar the odd trip to Diagon or to be levitated outside to sit in the sun for a bit…"

"But other then that I won't be going any where." Rose nodded stiffly her face blank.

"The only way around that would be to have the operation for an artificial leg." Poppy nodded slowly. "Things would be a lot harder for a few months but you would be back to moving around. It would be your choice." She slowly stood and picked up her bag. "I'll let Severus know the results, but for now all we can do is continue the pain potions and the massage therapy."

"Thank you Poppy." Rose whispered as the witch left her room, closing the door gently behind her. A tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it and roughly wiped it away before grabbing her cane and limped as quickly as she dared to her work room and shut the door firmly behind her.

She looked through the different size canvas's and pulled out a medium on and set it on her easel. She uncapped her paints and began to slathered on the background colour of pale golden yellow, until the paint covered the canvas in a good thickness. Then washed the brush and added a few colours to her pallet and mixed it until she had a rich redish brown and covered the lower half of the painting. She washed out the brush when she finished and stared at the painting for a few minutes waiting for it to be touch dry.

With a thin brush and dipped into the black paint and began adding lines to give the perception of depth. Lines were added to the red paint to make it look like wood paneling on the floor. When done she had two yellow walls and a wooden covered floor.

She sat back washing the brush and look thoughtfully at her second empty easel and called for Binky.

"Yes Mistress?" Binky asked as soon as she appeared.

"Binky I would like a cup of tea and I need you to find my money pouch and head to the Artistry store, I want four two metres by three metres canvas's." She said as she limped very carefully with out her cane to her desk and wrote out what she wanted and handed the order to Binky.

"Yes Mistress." Binky nodded, took the note and disappeared, she reappeared a few moments later with a large tea mug and popped away again.

Rose waved her wand over the wet painting and a gentle warm breeze over the wet paint, slowly drying it enough to add more layers to it.

"Binky is back Mistress." The elf announced twenty minutes later just as she had finished drying the top layer.

"Place one of the canvas's on the big easel please Binky." Rose said absently sipping at the last of her tea and picked up another brush and looked at her paint pots. "Binky could you find the recipe for my paints and their colours and see if Draco or Uncle Sev is willing to brew up some more for me if they have time?" She requested and she began adding more layers of paint, after mixing a few more colours up. "I need to know if they don't have the time for it because I will need to go do it."

"Yes Mistress." Binky said and disappeared, after digging through the desk draw to find the recipes and the shelves for the packaged paints ingredients and clean pots.

Three hours later she had four indistinct dancers in the room and turned to the larger canvas while waiting for the paint to dry. She chose the biggest brush she had and began covering the canvas, before doing the dry spell again, and bit by bit small detail began appearing as she frequently changed brushes and colours.

A gentle knock caught her attention and called out a distracted enter.

"I have more paints for you Rose." Draco said softly as he carried in a large tray of pots already capped and entered the room and set them down behind her running out pots.

"Just five colours or did Binky give you recipes for a few extra?" She asked distractedly as she frowned in concentration as she worked on adding patterns to a rich blue rug on the floor.

"Extra, you have two purples, two browns, skin tone, silver and gold." He answered quietly, glancing over the two paintings she was working on. "Professor Snape said he would look over your recipes if you want and make up extra colours for you."

"Hmm, ask Binky for a list of colours I use the most, it would be helpful…" She nodded slightly with a small smile tugging at her lips as she washed out her brush and turned back to the dancers and began added more detail, in quick short movements with a very thin brush. "Thank you for the paints Draco." She added as she saw him shift a little out of the corner of her eye.

"Here is requested list of colours." Binky announced handing the list over to Draco. "Mistress is going to need bigger paint pot holder." Binky announced looking a little panicked and popped away.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked hovering at the door.

"I will be." She said softly. "Just got some unsettling news."

"Need anything before I turn in for the night?"

"No thank you Draco, you get some rest it's late." She shook her head slightly as she changed colours and began adding hair to the dancers, now that she had finished with their faces.

"Good night Rose." He murmured before closing the door behind him.

She began humming as she finished off the dancers and began adding details to the walls. Time began to blur as she slipped into a slight trance as her brush moved in time with her soft song.

She didn't notice when Binky handed her pain potions to drink, or cups of tea. She didn't notice when Binky removed the emptied paint pots and replaced them with full ones. Or when the elf changed the solution in the cleaning pot when it got too dirty or when the finished dancers painting was removed from the easel when she moved to the large on and continued adding more and more detail, absently adding spells to the portrait.

She absently ate the pieces of toast, cookies and grapes that Binky gave to her, to keep her going.

Rose blinked tiredly as she set her current brush in the cleaning pot and looked over her paint pots and blinked again. The table that held the colours had expanded and now held well over two dozen colours. There was also three more easels in the room then she remembered having, each holding a drying painting. She only remembered doing two of them, the other three were a mystery…well there was the dancing boy that she had no idea was…but more details had been added. A white owl was flying around him along with a phoenix. It also had a frame done in Holly with the owl, a snake, a phoenix, a lily and a stag beautifully carved into the frame.

She looked over the other two with a small frown, a dark haired teenager was standing in front of a white haired teenager, his hair reaching his shoulders and his arms wrapped possessively around the boy. They were both in Slytherin Hogwarts robes. In the dark haired boys arms was a old potions book, standing in front of desk with a brewing potion. It appeared they were in an empty class room working on something and the white haired boy had interrupted the dark haired boy. It had an ebony frame, covered in snakes and if she wasn't mistaken potions ingredients, with two family crests on the top left and right corners.

The other unknown was those two boys again, this time a little older. The white haired boys hair had gotten long and reached his elbows. Both were dressed elegantly, standing in a hall way, not touching but looking at each other with longing and pain in their eyes. Just the right of them was a large open door and from what she could see there was some sort of ceremony going on in side. She looked a little harder at the clothes before she realised that it was Graduation. Again the frame was ebony, the same two crests in the corners but this time there was only potions ingredients, nothing else.

Shaking her head a little she looked back to the large portrait she had been working on, from what she could tell it was all but done. It was of a study, shelves filled with books, there was a brown couch on a thick blue rug in front of a roaring fire. Filing cabinets sat behind the desk carved beautifully out of mahogany, paper work was scattered over the desk, a quill had been thrown down and leaked over a few pages and the ink well was dry. There was a photo on the desk that she couldn't quite see, the red old fashioned leather chair had been knocked over. She looked closer over the entire painting and found crests woven in to the rug that were almost unnoticeable.

She held up her wand and murmured 'Tempus'. Smokey numbers appeared and she blinked a few times. 14:00. It was two in the bloody afternoon. She had been painting for eighteen hours straight.

She picked up her cane and winced as her leg spasaimed painfully a few times.

"Binky." She called out, gritting her teeth.

"Mistress done?" Binky asked looking hopeful.

"Yes, I need a pain potion to get to the bathroom to wash the paint off." She hissed out between her teeth and was thankful Binky moved the stood so she could sit down and wait while Binky popped off to grab one of her pain potions. It didn't take her long to reappeared and hand over the little vial and Rose drank it down as quick as she could.

"Mistress want lunch?" Binky asked "Mistress's Uncle demanded to be told when you were finished and he would join you for food."

"Yes, yes lunch." Rose nodded tiredly and limped her way to the bathroom and washed the paint off her hands and her face where it had gotten smudged on at some point. She saw no one as she made her way to the dinning room and sat down at the table where only tea was set up. It didn't take long before soup appeared in front of her and another bowl in her Uncle's place.

Rose looked up from her soup as her Uncle stalked into the room looking agitated. She watched him closed as he gracefully slid into his seat and looked up at her. The same onyx black eyes from her last two paintings glittered back at her.

"How are you feeling?" He inquired, his voice was neutral.

"Tired." She shrugged a little listlessly before narrowing her eyes a little. "Did you come into my work room this morning?"

"I did, I tried to get you to come to breakfast." He nodded slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Were you focused on the past?" She asked again.

"Again why do you ask?" His voice started to sound a little impatient.

"I now have two painting of you when you were younger…with another handsome young man." She replied watching him carefully, and sighed as she saw pain enter his eyes. "If you wish I will put them some where, where you won't see them." She added softly.

"Have you activated them?" His voice was soft and barely heard.

"No, they aren't dry yet." She shook her head. He said nothing and returned to his meal. Rose bite back a sigh and finished off her soup. "Did Poppy tell you the results of my latest scans?" She asked quietly, not looking up at him.

"She did." He replied and then sighed. "I'm assuming that it trigger this latest session of all night painting?"

"I…" She paused and pushed her bowl away from her a little and leaned back in her chair. "I didn't want to see any one or think about it until it had all sunk in."

"Understandable." He nodded slowly. "Let me know when you are ready to discuss things, Rose, but you need to make a decision with in the next two to three weeks."

"What are my choices?" She inquired looking down at the table.

"I can arrange tutors from you, to continue your schooling. You can chose to forgo the rest of your schooling and focus on your paintings, or you can begin you potions mastery if you wish. Or you can choose to have a replacement limb, go through therapy, and tutoring." He said as he finished off the soup and the bowls vanished.

"Guess I have some thinking to do." She nodded slowly.

"May I see them?" He suddenly asked after a few moment of silence.

"Of course." She nodded and led the way to her work room. She perched on her stool while he looked over the painting she had done.

"You danced?" He asked a little surprised looking at the dancers.

"Professionally." She nodded. "I was even here in England a few times to compete. That is from the competition last summer, my partner and I came in second by a bare fraction of a point." She smiled in remembrance. "I guess I won't be doing that again." She sighed.

"These two look familiar." He frowned a little pointing to the red haired couple, the man was a few years older then the girl.

"The Weasley's." She smiled fondly. "We've been in competition for the last two years. Bill and Ginny are great dancers and have complete and utter trust in each other when they dance. Since they joined the competitions it has been a true challenge to win, been lots of fun."

"Hmm." Was his only response before looking at the finished dancing boy and then looked over at the two with him in it. His posture went stiff and his face completely blank, but his eyes glittered with emotion. He reached out and gently ran his fingers over the frames, taking in every detail. "Put them away for now, please Rose." He asked softly. "There may come a day where I will want these memories again."

"As you wish Uncle." She answered softly.

"Another Conclave?" He asked in surprise looking over the large painting of the study.

"I think so." She nodded. "There are crests in the patterns of the rug. I think it is apart of a set to go with the lounge room one. From each room I'm guess they will be able to pass on different information."

"Hmm, that other one started filling not long after your visit with Poppy, mainly Potter's father and grandparents so far." He frowned. "Potter was muttering about needing his study to pass on some information…" He glared at said study.

Rose yawned and quickly covered her mouth.

"You need to rest, you can finish off the spells later once you have gotten some sleep." He said sternly and helped her to her feet and led her out of her work room. "At this rate your sleep cycle is going to be complete messed up." He growled as he opened her door and helped her to her bed. A few flicks of his wand and she was clean and in her pyjama's and her covers pulled back. He grabbed a jar from her bedside tabled and applied it to her scar down her leg and then began massaging it in gently but firmly. He then handed her a potion. "Drink it."

She easily recognised it as dreamless sleep and gave him a light glare in protest but drank it down and laid down properly, quickly pulled down into sleep even as he continued working on her leg.

00000

Rose woke feeling groggy and out of focus. Working on auto pilot she grabbed a change of clothes and her cane before limping to the bathroom. The hot shower fixed her up but she still felt a little out of it. She doctored her scars, dressed and headed for the dinning room, where everyone had already gathered and eating breakfast.

"Feeling better?" Draco asked as she sat down and just stared at her empty plate for a few moments before fruit toast appeared on her plate with a large mug of tea.

"Hmm" She answered as she reached out eagerly for the tea and eyes still half lidded began sipping at it.

"Will you be in your work room all day today Rose?" Severus inquired looking her over carefully.

"Hmm" She nodded and set her cup down and began eating her toast.

Severus nodded and got up and doctored her back before leaving the room to wash his hands and returned to his breakfast. "What is everyone doing today?" He asked looking at the two young boys.

"I was hoping for some lab time this morning and then may I go flying?" Draco asked quickly looking up from his porridge.

"You may help me with the hospital potions if you want." Severus nodded. "You may go flying if your homework is done."

"Yes sir." Draco nodded slowly, thinking hard.

"Potter?" Severus looked at the dark haired boy.

"I will be in the library again sir." Harry sighed. "I don't have long to get all these spells and wards memories before my birthday. Between tutoring from my family and my homework I doubt I will get out today."

"Hmm, we'll see." He nodded slowly. "What have you gotten finished?"

"Charms, Transfiguration and History. I still have potions, DADA which is nearly finished, CoMC which just needs to be reread, herbology and divination." He replied with a small sigh. "Plus there are the extra tutoring I was taking privately with The Headmaster's permission."

"And what does that entail?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Ancient runes and Arithmancy." Harry shrugged. "I've been doing them privately for just over a year…" He sighed. "Since Ron and I fell out and Hermione isn't talking to either of us, I needed something to fill in the time." He looked down at his food. "I am dropping Divination this year, probably CoCM too."

"Rose or Draco might be able to help you with your private classes, both got good scores last year if you need it." Severus nodded. "If you finish, CoCM and DADA you may go flying for a few hours after lunch if you wish." He looked over all three of them. "I will be in the practice lab until two pm doing potions of the hospital wing if you need potions help then come and see me, or if you wish to brew some of your own for practice. I will be unavailable until dinner after that. After dinner I will be in my study for any homework help you need, My study is at the back of the library now with all the remodeling." He added with a small quirk of his lips. "Any questions?"

"Does any one have an owl order catalogue?" Harry asked as he finished up. "I need to order some more parchment if I am going to get all my homework done, I thought I had more then I do." He sighed.

"I have plenty you can have." Draco shrugged.

"So do I" Rose spoke up properly for the first time looking a little more in focus.

"When do our lists come out for the year?" Draco asked with a small frown. "And will we be able to go to Diagon to get our stuff?"

"Lists come out around the 10th of August, and that is still being decided." Severus replied. "Anything needed before then should be owl ordered, if you don't have the money it can be loaned until you can get to your vaults."

"Yes sir." Came the chorus.

Finished with her breakfast Rose looked at her Uncle and at his nod returned to her work room. Once again she looked over her paintings and had Binky put the two with her Uncle in them away covered so they wouldn't get dust or damaged. The dancing boy and the four dancers were hung up on her walls and activated.

Perched on her stool she watched them both for a few minutes with a reminiscent smile before turning to the study and looking over it carefully to make sure that it was done. With a satisfied nod she moved into her carving room and had Binky carry the painting in and laid on the work table.

She had Binky draw out long lengths of Mahogany wood and cut into the right lengths for the frame and began casting spells, carving in leafy vines with lilies on them. When she was done she had Binky varnish them and looked over her wood pile.

Slowly an idea began to form in her mind and she smiled. She found thin sheets of copper from her old stocks and levitated them to the table before sitting down and lifted one single sheet apart from the other and began cutting out shapes. She spelled the sharp edges blunt so she wouldn't accidentally cut herself and set a large cauldron shaped piece on two blocks of wood and shook some ebony powder all over so it covered it evenly and got Binky to fetch her the medium blow torch and hook it up to the gas.

She pulled on a apron, thick heat resistant gloves and goggles and applied heat to the bottom of the metal and watched as the powder melted into a black liquid. She continued until all the powder was liquid before turning off the torch and waited for a few moments for it to cool off so she could move it out of the way. She did this with each piece of metal, some times using different colours until she was done.

She then pulled out a piece of soft brown oak and once she was sure all the liquid was solid began to piece it together until she was sure she had the all the in the right place. She then very carefully glued all the pieces together and reinforced it with a strong sticking spell and then stuck it to the wood.

Very carefully she began to adding in carved images in the background and then carefully sanded it and varnished the wood. She added a few little details with her paints and left it to dry.

She turned back to the study and found that it had dried and Binky had attached the frame for her. She cast a few spells on it and then levitated it out of her workrooms and down to the library.

She leaned on her cane looking about.

"Harry?" She called out when she couldn't spot him.

"Down the back." He yelled back.

She limped forward and found him in a discussing with a man who looked like his twin, except where Harry had bright emerald eyes this man had hazel.

"Rose, I would like you to meet my father, James Potter." Harry grinned at her. "This is Rose, She's Professor Snapes Cousin."

"Niece." She corrected him gently with a small smile. "Mr Potter, how are you finding the Conclave?" She asked gesturing to the painting.

"Its very nice." He grinned.

"Where do you want this?" She turned the painting around so they could see the study.

"You made these?" James gaped at her.

"Yes I did, together they took me nearly two days to get done, with very little sleep I might add." Rose nodded.

"Umm, right next to each other if they'll fit." Requested Harry.

"No problem." She shifted the lounge down a bit and settled the Study next to it. She cast a few more spells at it and then nodded. "all done." She looked at James. "Next time you want another room, just asked Harry to pass on the Message I was up for eighteen hours doing the study yesterday, at Hogwarts insistence."

"I'll try and remember" James shook his head. "How old are you?" He asked tilting his head a little.

"Sixteen, I turn Seventeen in November." She shrugged.

"You're a Master?" He inquired. Rose nodded and showed him her marks. "What's the second Mark?"

"I'm A Master Painter and a Carver, wood mainly but I can do stone."

"Would you be willing to do up a portrait for me?" James asked looking wistful. "If I can get some pictures to you for the image?" He glance around his painting and then at the Study. "I'll have some money transferred from our Vault to pay you for your wonderful work, I certainly think you've earned it."

"You're going to insist on paying aren't you?" She sighed.

"I am indeed." James nodded. "You need to pay for your supplies some how, what do you charge?"

"100 gallons for a normal soul portrait, 300 gallons for the Conclaves, as they take so much more time and power to create."

"Is that standard?" Harry asked, eyes a little wide.

"For a young unknown Master painter yes." She nodded. "Once I get a bit more practice in and get better at my work the price will rise…probably when I turn twenty five…I might not, it's not like it's law." She shrugged. "Some times I give them away as gifts, some times I sell them to who they were painted for but if they are requested or ordered then I charge for them. Those I paint on my own time because the image appeared I may only charge half price for or give away." She looked back to James. "Who did you want me to paint?"

"My Lily." His voice nearly throbbed with longing. "She never got her portrait done, the only one I have was never finished and was destroyed when Voldemort attacked our holiday home." He sighed. "all that is left are photos."

"As long as I have a few Clear and unmarked photos I should be able to." She nodded slowly. "Normal portrait size? What Crest goes on it, since it will be a master and not a copy?"

"Normal size." James nodded. "The crests is this one…" He pointed to a crest above the fire. It was the Potter crest but instead of the Lion in the middle there was a Lily Flower.

"May I borrow a page Harry?" She asked gesturing to the parchment sitting beside him. At his nod she copies the Crest down in a few seconds. "Full name?"

"Lily Elizabeth Evans Potter." James replied, looking a little hopeful.

"I've seen this before…" Rose frowned as Harry passed her one photo from his Album that he had near by for some reason. It was of a young red haired, green eyed woman studying in a library, books and parchment were spread out everywhere and there was a smudge of ink on her nose. "Mr Potter did you ever send my father any pictures of you and Mrs Potter?" She asked softly.

"Who's you father?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That would be me, James." Sean said dryly as he stepped into the Conclave.

"Sean!" James jumped up and gave Sean a bear hug. He stumbled back when Sean shoved him hard. "What was that for?" James exclaimed startled.

"You bastard you never told me you were dead in all your letters to me!" Sean yelled. "For years I thought the papers were lying and you were just hiding away…" Tears welled up his eyes. "It nearly broke my heart when Rose told me the truth and why."

"Huh?" James turned to look at Rose.

"You needed only one person to believe strongly enough that you were still alive in order to keep you wards stable." Rose shrugged. "It was all apart of my apprenticeship."

"oh." James looked a little upset and sheepish. "I am sorry Sean, you were the only one far enough away from the danger that it was safe enough to contact." He glanced at his son. "Though if I had known that Albus had sent Harry to live with the Dursleys I would have told him." He sighed. "As to your question Rose, I did send a few photos to Sean but not that one…it's the only copy."

"But I've seen this before." Rose growled and then blinked. "Wait…was this taken here in Hogwarts?"

"No, here at Potter Manor in our library…why?"

"Because I've seen it in my dreams. Hogwarts send me images some times and puts a strong insistence on the image so I will paint it…This image was sent to me a few nights ago…but your study overrode it." She shook her head. "I can start on this one later, I have a few other pieces to get done first." She turned to go and stopped as a white owl flew in to the library and settled on the back of Harry's chair.

"Hey Hedwig." Harry smiled and scratched her head. "What you got there?" He pulled a letter off her leg and opened it. "Hey it's from Ginny!" His smile got bigger.

"Ginny Weasley?" Rose asked with a raised eye brow.

"Yeah…you know her?" Harry asked with a small frown.

"I meet her two summers ago and every summer since with her Brother Bill." Rose grinned. "We are friendly rivals." She shook her head. "Harry come with me for a moment and I'll show you how I know Ginny…" She gestured for him to follow. "I gotta ask…you ever been dancing in the rain with your owl and a phoenix?"

"Why…" He broke off. "You painted it?" He blinked in shock.

"Hogwarts insisted." She nodded. "I didn't realise it was you until I saw your owl" She let him into her work room and led him to the paintings.

"Wow, it looks like a photo." Harry breathed looking at the painting of him dancing in the rain with Hedwig and the phoenix.

"It's not like other portraits though," Rose shook her head. "Hogwarts didn't want that, she wanted a memory. So it is very much like a photo…or rather a short video clip."

"Wow." Harry then caught sight of the four dancers. "You dance?" He asked in surprise.

"I used to." She nodded, giving a sad smile. "This is of last summer, they beat us by a quarter of a point."

"Used to?" Harry frowned.

"I can't anymore." She gestured to her leg. "It's a shame because I was looking forward to this summers competition…I painted it so I would have at least a visual image of how good I was and how much I loved it."

"Can I ask…" He hesitated.

"Did you hear about the attack in LA at the beginning of the summer?" She asked quietly as she limped to her stood and sat down.

"Yeah, the papers reported that no one died but I figured if the explosion was as big as they said it was then there had to be casualties." He nodded.

"I was there that day." Rose whispered. "My entire family was, except for Uncle Severus. I was the only survivor of my family. Last I heard the body count was just over two hundred, with over three hundred injured or crippled." She pointed out the still portraits behind her. "My family, you met Sean, he's my dad. There is a full portrait in my room. I fell into a coma for two weeks after I woke initially in the emergency ward. I woke half blind and couldn't move properly, a few hours later I was told they didn't make it…I was given something to eat and pain killers and told of Uncle and shipped off to Saint Mungo's. I hadn't even been awake five hours and I was in a place I didn't know to go and live with an Uncle I had never met." She shook her head. "The first week here I was a mess." She smiled at Harry. "This is my second week here and awake." She chuckled as he just blinked a few times at her. "I'm still not completely sure it has all sunk in" She set the picture down on her stool and limped over to the blank canvas's and picked up a normal portrait sized one and set it on the easel.

"I should get back to my work…and I'll let you get back to yours." Harry gave her a half smile before scuttling out of the room.

"Binky." She called as she watched Harry disappear down the hall.

"Mistress?" Binky asked.

"Take the Dancing boy and…" She broke off thinking. "No…" She said slowly. "Ask the Headmaster when he has half an hour to spare could he visit my work room, and only if he is sure he can?" She asked instead.

"Yes Mistress." Binky nodded and popped out of the room.

Rose shook her head and uncapped all her paints before beginning the background of what would soon be Lily Potter. It didn't take her long to get the background painted in and left it to dry and hobbled to the second half of her work room and checked over her metal and wood picture and smiled at how well it had turned out.

She cast a gentle polishing spell over it, followed by a dust free spell, protections and then careful turned it on it's side and attached the hanger and levitated it out to her painting room and hung it up on her wall with a look of pride.

The metal pieces made up the image of her Uncle making a potion, cauldron included. In the background was his lab, carved into wood. There was also a border of beautifully carved snakes and dragons that surrounded the picture like a frame.

The metal pieces had been enamelled making them shine and look more realistic, making the picture look almost 3D. It was only fourth time she had ever succeeded in making such a picture, out of the nine she had tried to make.

She turned and hurried back into her room and began cutting pieces again, carefully melting the enamel on the metal and then waiting for it to cool. When it was dry and glued it together and stuck it a board of dark mahogany. She carefully cared flames into the background, adding only a few faint touches of paint. The boarder was flames and then carefully varnished the entire thing, cast drying charms, dust free and protection charms, added the hanger. From the hanging of her first metal picture to hanging her second had only taken her three hours. She was damn proud.

Her stomach gurgled and she made her way to the dinning room for some lunch and snacked on fruit salad and a glass of pumpkin juice before returning to her room for a pain potion and back to her painting of Lily. Humming under her breath she began adding details to the library that could be seen, though it was mainly the desk, books, papers and Lily.

Looking at what she had done so far she rubbed her cheek wondering if she should do a bigger one as well and let James and Harry pick which one they wanted. At least that way they could use the information in the library as well as the study.

With a small nod to her self she pulled her wand out and summoned a bigger canvas that was twice the size of the one she was working on and finished off the one she was doing before starting on the bigger one half an hour later.

"You wish to see me, dear child?" A soft whispery male voice inquired.

"Hmm?" Rose's head titled up but she didn't turn from her detailing of the library on the larger canvas. "Headmaster?" She asked absently.

"Yes, dear." She could hear faint amusement.

"The Dancing boy was finished." She informed him with a small frown as she washed out a brush. "It's on the wall if you wish to look."

"Thank you." She heard the shuffling of his robe and shoes on the floor and entered properly and headed for the paintings.

She dipped her brush in the auburn paint and carefully painted in Lily's hair, and a few spines of books before washing out her brush again and wiping it on a rag, changed brushes to a thin brush to add details to her face.

"Have you recognised the boy yet?" She asked softly as she continued painting but took a quick glance at the headmaster.

"No I can't say that I do." The Headmaster was frowning.

"It's Harry, Hedwig and if I am not mistaken Fawkes." She told him with a gentle smile. "He saw it this morning and recognised it, it was something that happened a little while ago."

"I don't think I have ever seen the boy that happy." The headmaster breathed in sadness and amazement. "You dance quite well, Rose…who are your rivals?" He inquired.

"Bill and Ginny Weasley." She replied absently nibbling on her chin as she worked on a delicate bit. "It's from the International Dance competition of the Under Twenty fives, last summer. Bill only slipped in because of Ginny. They barely beat me."

"This is an amazing pieces of work of Severus and Fawkes, Rose." The headmaster sounded over whelmed. "It almost looks like you would reach out and touch them…how exactly did you do it?"

"Enamelled Copper." She absently answered adding very fine details including the Mrs Potter Crest on the cover of a book. "I've made ten to date and only five have ever turned out well, those two I did today and are the best." She sat back a bit to look it over carefully before changing brushes and filling in a few gaps. She did add a small Potter crest so James could slip in. "Have you seen the Potter Conclave paintings yet?" She asked as she finished off with a satisfied nod.

"You can do Conclave Paintings?" The headmaster turned to look at her sharply.

"Keyed in to specific crests so only those names can enter." She nodded and cast a drying charm over the painting. "Hogwarts insisted. At this moment James is teaching Harry about Potter Manor and how to take over the wards on his birthday." She looked up at the headmaster. "They are down in the Library." She rose and levitated the larger painting and picked up the smaller one and grabbed her cane. "I'll show you." She led him down to the library where Harry was talking and nearly a mile a minute and chuckled. "Sounds like you are having fun."

"Rose!" Harry grinned. "Headmaster." Harry nodded and shifted slightly to the side so his father could see the elder man.

"Albus!" James grin. "Rose is a miracle worker!"

"Say it again." She chuckled and turned the pictures around so he could see them.

"Lily." James breathed.

"I wasn't sure exactly how big you wanted it. I had nearly finished the smaller one when I thought I would do a slightly bigger on so you could access the library as well as your Study." She explained why she had two copies.

"Rose you are a true miracle worker." James said with tears in his eyes. "It was only four hours ago I asked if you could do one…"

"I'm a fast worker." She shrugged. "Which would you like?"

"The larger one please." Harry whispered. "You can see her better."

"I thought so, I tried my best so she was a little easier to see." Rose nodded and set Lily on the desk and began casting spells.

"I thought you couldn't use magic?" Harry asked frowning.

"I'm a Master, therefore exempt." She replied concentrating as she cast spell after spell. "There, give her a few minutes so reorientation herself…but James you can step through." She smiled as she finished and James rushed into the new painting, kneeling beside his wife, murmuring softly to her as she jerked and began looking around quickly. "I'll leave you to get acquainted." She said softly and limped back to her workroom.

She sat down carefully and flexed her leg a little and winced. She called Binky for a pain potion before limping into her carving room and sat down at her work bench and pulled out some gold wire that was nice and thick and cut it to length.

Working slowly and diligently she slowly turned the wire into a thick banded ring. She carefully soldered it together and dug through a few draws with little gems in them and cast a few spells on the gem before setting it in the ring. She gave it a quick sanding and polish and it was done.

"I didn't realise you made jewellery too." The headmaster commented from near by.

"You startled me." Rose jumped a little.

"My apologies." He said. "I thought you had heard me."

"It's alright." She shook her head and set the ring down. "Yes I make Jewellery too, Rings, Pendants, bracelets, paintings, tables, desks, chairs, cabinets and frames. I can charm them too. Moods, danger, callings or signal a similar ring or pendant, Health, protection that sort of thing."

"Could you make some for me?" The Headmaster asked after a few moments of looking thoughtful.

"There's parchment there." She pointed to down the workbench. "Write out how many, male and female, ring or pendant or bracelet and what charms you want, if you want gems or plain." She said with a small shrug. "I don't mind, it gives me something to do. If you have a design in mind do a quick sketch and I'll make them up."

"Would you need any supplies?" He inquired as he looked up from the page.

"Depends on how big you want them and how many." She said cutting a silver length off the reel and began the same process over again. Twenty minutes later she had a silver ring to match the gold one. She then cut a length of gold and silver and looked towards to door and gave a faint smile. "Gold or silver Uncle? Ring, Bracelet or Necklace?" She inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"And what are you making demon child?" He asked dryly.

"I thought you might want to keep track of your charges." She replied with a shrug. "Each ring is charmed to inform the master of mood, health, location and if they are in danger of the wearer, there is also strong protection charms on them. Silver is for Draco with the Emerald and the Gold is for Harry with the ruby." She explained as she with a few complicated turns of her wand and a few twirls of pliers she made a gold and silver entwined bracelet, that she carefully joined, sanded and polished before adding a small link to it. She then flattened out a piece of gold with a depression in it and dug through her gems and pulled out a dark blue sapphire and set it into the depression, sealed it in, connected it to the bracelet and cast a barrage of charms and protections on it and set it aside. "See?"

"That is incredible to watch." The Headmaster beamed.

"If I must, it will be a neck chain in silver." He sighed. "Though it would be a relief to know that I'll know you are all where you are supposed to be and not getting into trouble."

"Small link or large link?" She asked as she flicked a tape measure around him measuring his neck and then cut off the right length of silver coil.

Severus spotted a piece of parchment and quickly sketched the idea he had had before handed it to her. "What do you think? I take it that the master has to have three of the same stones in it?"

"Yes." She nodded looking over the quick drawing. "Yes that is workable." She nodded and began incanting and making movements with her wand before putting her wand down and dug through the draw of gems and pulled out a Ruby, Emerald and a blue sapphire. She picked up her wand again and continued incanting and began pushing the smaller gems into the neck band that was almost like a torc. "Like?" She asked pausing in her spell casting.

"Like." Severus nodded.

She continued casting and the a final long string on something other then latin and tapped each piece of jewellery before laying her wand down and smiled. "Done." She handed the torc to him so he could look over it carefully. "Once these are on, only you will be able to remove them. They can also be programmed to be emergency portkeys that they or you can engage."

"Could be useful." He nodded slowly. "Can you do those?"

"No I don't know how, but I can rig it so once the spells are in place you can activate them as well." She shook her head.

"What password would you like?" The headmaster asked pulling his wand out.

Severus gave two passwords and the headmaster set them on the rings.

"What about you Rose? It's better to be safe." Severus said after a moment.

"Good point." She nodded slowly. "Use 'Graceford' For mine."

Rose nodded and began spell casting again tapping all four pieces again. "Password to trigger them?" She asked in a whisper.

"Separate ones?" He asked and she nodded. "Use the same."

She said the passwords and tapped the torc four times. "Done." She sagged a little.

"You alright?" The headmaster asked in concern. "You used a lot of magic in the span of an hour."

"I'm fine." She smiled. "I just need a good meal."

Severus waved his wand. "It is time for dinner, will you be joining us Albus?"

"No, I have a dinner meeting with Minerva." He shook his head. "Let me know what you need to make these dear." He handed the parchment to her.

"I'll get started later, I'll send Binky to you if I need anything."

"I do expect a bill at the end." Albus smiled before heading out.

"But…" Rose protested.

"It does no use to argue Rose." Severus shook his head warily. "You will never win. Not with Albus Dumbledore. And it's best to be honest or he will give you an outrageous about to pay you for it." He helped her to her feet. "So how do I tell this thing works?"

"I'll write out instructions for you after dinner." She nodded slowly and followed him out to the dinning room where Harry was already waiting, but Draco wasn't any where in sight.

"Twinky get Draco for Dinner." Severus said to elf that appeared and placed dinner on the table. It was roast beef, with toad in the hole, mashed potatoes, beans, peas, corn and gravy.

"Yes Master." Twinky nodded and disappeared.

They served up what they wanted along with their choice of Drinks and had started by the time a bleary Draco stumbled into the room and did the same. It was quiet all through dinner until the dirty plates disappeared.

"These are emergency Portkeys." Severus said handing the rings to the boys. "They also have protections on them that will keep you from injury from any minor spells. "Draco your activating word is Mento, Potter yours is Riddle. They will bring you back to these rooms." He waited until they were on before continuing. "I can also remotely activate them if something goes wrong, they can't be removed except by me, they were made by the headmaster…" he paused. "We'll be in trouble if there are anti-portkey wards though."

"They are beautifully made." Draco said in appreciation looking at the ring on his right ring finger. "Must have cost a fortune."

"Actually Rose made them, the headmaster just set the portkeys." Severus smirked as Draco gaped at Rose.

"Is there anything in the arts department you can't do?" Draco whined.

"I can't sing, I can barely play the piano." She shrugged.

"You can sing, I've heard you while you are painting." Harry protested.

"Not very well, I can hold a tune but I couldn't get into the choir." She shook her head.

"So what did you make for you?" Harry asked gesturing to the ring.

"A bracelet." She held up her wrist so they could see it.

"Gorgeous." Draco breathed. "I saw a bracelet like that last summer and it cost well over four hundred gallons."

"Silver, gold and gems do cost quite a bit." She nodded. "But it is a lot cheaper to by the pieces and make them myself."

"Any one want pudding?" Severus inquired.

"No, I'm rather full." Rose shook her head.

"Maybe later." Harry shook his head and Draco shrugged but shook his head.

"How much of our work did you get done today boys?" He asked sipping at his scotch.

"I managed to finish off my Arithmancy Homework, so I only have Potions and Ancient Runes left, and I finished those six potions you assigned me this morning." Draco reported.

"Then you may go flying tomorrow, no more then two hours please." Severus nodded, looking pleased. "Potter?"

"I got my DADA and CoCM finished, plus I got my Herbology done and redid my History." He had a pleased little smile on his face. "And I got through another six spells I need for the wards." He paused thinking. "So I only have Ancient Runes, Potions and Arithmancy. And another eighteen spells, three wards and a bit of family history left."

"You may fly tomorrow if you wish as well." Severus nodded in approval. "And what did you get done today Rose?" He asked in amusement.

"Three paintings and two metal impressions, plus four pieces of jewellery." She chuckled.

"Metal Impressions?" Draco asked in confusion.

"Sure, feel free to look on my workroom wall tonight. You'll see what I mean. The Headmaster really likes the one I did of Fawkes." She grinned. "They are good cause they only take three to five hours to do."

"You can do a painting in four." Harry pointed out with a chuckle.

"A small to medium yes." She nodded. "Large ones like the Study room and the Conclave take up to Twenty hours to do non stop." She paused looking them over. "Each."

"No wonder some mornings you are dazed or grumpy." Draco shook his head.

"I enjoy it." She shrugged, she looked at Harry. "Would you like the Dancing in Rain painting?" She asked. "Free of charge, the old girl wanted you to have it."

"Old girl?" Draco blinked.

"Hogwarts, she is where most of my recent paintings have come from." She nodded. "I already gave the Headmaster and Remus one each on her insistence."

"You can hear her?" Harry blinked.

"If you know how to listen, yes." She nodded with a smile and looked at her Uncle. "I'll go do that list up for you." She said before limping back to her work bench and began writing out the list.

When she was done she looked over the headmasters list and sketch and then began looking over her supplies to make sure she had enough material to make the amount needed. She finally decided that she would just make them and then when she began to run low request some more of the needed material. She guessed that some where going to be spares as gifts or something.

In the end her list was;

20 gold necklaces.

10 silver necklaces.

15 gold bracelets.

15 silver bracelets.

20 gold rings.

20 silver rings.

The necklaces and bracelets were all to have a small phoenix on it if possible, colour didn't matter. The rings were to have the flame carved on either gem or on the outside of the ring.

Not quite sure what the headmaster wanted exactly she made one of each, with out the spells on them. Each had the requested pendent or carving on it. When she was done she glanced at the clock she had installed. Ten pm.

"Still enough time to get his approval." She murmured and summoned Binky, and wrote out a quick note asking if these were what he had in mind, they were yet to be spelled but she wanted to know if she had gotten the designs right.

"Mistress?"

"This letter and jewellery go to the headmaster and wait for a reply." She said handing it all over. "And this list goes to Uncle."

"Yes Mistress." Binky nodded and popped out. It wasn't long before Binky returned with everything and handed it all back. "Headmasters note under yours." Binky said before popping out again.

Rose nodded and read his reply and smiled. He liked her designs on the flame and said to make all the little phoenixes to flames instead, if it wasn't going to be too much trouble.

Rose nodded slightly to her self and began clipping wire to the right lengths and began on the rings.

"Mistress need anything from Binky?" Binky asked popping into the room an hour later. "Binky going to help school elves clean for awhile if Mistress not needing me."

"Not right now Binky." Rose shook her head. "But tomorrow, I want you to go through the Jarrah wood and pull out pieces for a small mantle location clock and a grandfather clock."

"Yes Mistress." Binky nodded and popped out of the room.

"Rose?" She looked towards her door and saw her uncle walking through her first workroom. "You should head to bed soon, you've used a lot of magic today."

"I suppose you are right." She side and set her tools aside and limped out waving the lights off as she went. "Will you be doing my leg every night Uncle?" She asked softly as he opened her bedroom door for her and followed her in.

"Yes, I would like to see if it makes any difference in your weekly scans, plus I know it makes it easier for you to walk around in the morning." He nodded firmly and paused at her fire and stared into it to give her privacy to change and joined her at the bed when she called him over. "In the Mornings I have seen you walk a lot easier then when you don't have the salve…" He paused slathering the salve on her injured leg and began rubbing it in, trying not to wince in sympathy when she whimpered or hissed. "You walked around too much today." He chided her. "You are only this bad when you do."

"I guess I did." She gritted her teeth in pain and reached out into her bed side draw and downed a potion.

"How many have you had today?" He asked softly.

"Three, that was the fourth I think." She said tiredly and moaned when he hit a tender spot.

"Well I know what your gem feels like when you are in pain now." He sighed sounding tired himself. "It goes cold, the colder it is the more pain you are in." He shook his head. "I now know why you put each gem far enough apart, or I would never know who was in need."

"I think emotions are going to be the hardest to pick out with the torc." She said quietly, relaxing slowly as she felt her leg muscles soften. "Pain is usually cold, anger is hot, upset feels wet and pleasure feels like a gentle breeze on your skin near the gem." She shifted a little in her pillow getting comfortable. "Danger pulses against the skin, the faster it is the more danger they are in, like a heart beat. If it is fast and zaps you, then activate the portkey, that is extreme danger…mortal peril kind of thing."

"Good to know, mostly you listed the spells they were protected from, you didn't go into the mood…what about health?" He asked gently, moving down to her knee.

"Well you know the emotional side of it, feeling nausea and headaches it buzzes against the skin, fever the gem will flash and will increase at how high it is…" She began explaining.

"I'm guess they wouldn't activate for a light headache or feeling slightly queasy right?"

"Correct. Headaches and nausea that is throwing up or your head is pounding not just aching." She nodded sleepily. "Fever is for over 101 Fahrenheit, like wizards flu or something like that or worse."

"Bleeding too much?" He questioned. "Or broken bones?"

"Torc will jump and continue to jump until you find them…as to who the torc will jump in the direction of the gem in concern." Rose murmured falling asleep.

"Thank you for easing the worry Rose." He said softly.

"Welcome." She mumbled sliding into true sleep, hearing only a faint chuckle in reply.

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