A/N: The Song Title's will be starting with the next update. Again thank you always goes to my Amazing Beta that takes this from being good to be great! I don't know what I'd do with out here and of course without my amazing readers ;) Enjoy! Warning there's a little Sev/Rose fluff in the next chapter though it's hardly anything worth a mention and we get a preview of Rose's future in a dream! Exciting stuff lol and I'll stop blabbling now so you can read lol!

Chapter 5 – Saving Him

The Sorting ceremony did not take long and when all the first years had been sorted into their houses via the always correct sorting hat, Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts, stood up to address the sea of faces looking in his direction. Their attention was focused on his every word.

"Welcome new students and old. I hope that we have another magical school year," Albus chuckled to himself over his choice of words before continuing. "Now, I know that you all must be famished, but before we start the feast we still have one more student to be sorted. Miss Ashmore is a transfer student from our American friends at Wizarding Intelligence for the Completely Capable Adolescent. Now, I would like to tell you all about W.I.C.C.A as Professor McGonagall goes to get Miss Ashmore. W.I.C.C.A is not only a school for Wizards and Witches alike but for Vampires, Werewolf's and other half-human creatures able to perform magic. Miss Ashmore will be starting her sixth year here and I hope that you all treat her with the utmost respect." At this Rose and Professor McGonagall entered into the room. Rose could feel every set of eyes in the room watching her and it was slightly unnerving. She had heard Professor Dumbledore introducing her and giving a slight bit of her history at W.I.C.C.A and even with Rose's mental wall in place; she could hear the thoughts though not as clearly as she would have had if her mental wall was not up. The thoughts sounded as if they were muffled as they pounded against her mental wall.

Professor McGonagall gestured for Rose to sit on the stool and Rose obeyed the silent order. She could still feel every set of eyes on her as Professor McGonagall placed the sorting hat on her head.

Ah your mind is quiet, unlike any that I've had the pleasure of observing. The husky voice of the sorting hat resounded inside her head, and it seemed to have gotten past her mental wall without any difficulty. Do not fear I haven't taken down the wall. Ah I can see your cunning and lies, you'd be great in Slytherin but there is more to you than that isn't there? Ah yes, I can see your Intelligence and a unique wisdom for someone your age and with those you'd be great in Ravenclaw but still there's more ah yes, your quiet brave and even at the age of five you were brave. Loyalty isn't something that I can find in your mind but none have been loyal to you, have they? Where, oh where do I put you girl? Perhaps, with your new friends? You would be great in any house. So I suppose it better be….

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat yelled and Professor McGonagall lifted the hat off of Rose's head. Rose smiled brightly and made her way over to the Gryffindor table where the four boys' were waving her over.

"And now let's eat," Professor Dumbledore said as soon as Rose had sat down and the tables were filled with delicious food; that made even Rose's mouth water.

It wasn't until Peter had gotten onto his third serving that Remus – whom was sitting next to Rose – spoke up. "What was it like at your old school, with the vampires and werewolves?" He asked. The three other boys across the table stiffened up for a moment but relaxed just as quickly. It was a movement that didn't miss Rose's eyes, but she chose to ignore it as she answered Remus's question.

"It's different to what it is here. We had to know who was a vampire so that we could be careful of letting them get too close to our veins and then there were werewolves, who wanted their identities out in the open. They were usually locked up in the detention block in individual cells on the full moon so that they didn't hurt anyone, but all the guys were prats. It wasn't worth anything to get too close to them, unless you wanted a broken heart or to be dead." Rose could see the sick look on Remus's face and felt a stab of remorse; Rose felt as if she had said too much. "But some of them were friendly enough. I just got a lot of, well, attention from the guys and the girls were jealous of that attention." James gave a slight chuckle at the last part.

"Well, I doubt that's going to change too much. It seems that every male is watching you in here Rose. You're lucky that you've got us." James teased, the lopsided smile still firmly in place. Rose could feel the truth of his words as she felt hundreds of eyes staring at her blatantly; it would seem as if they had never seen a girl before.

Severus had watched the new girl from the moment she had come into the hall and he remembered her as the girl that had stopped outside of the compartment he had been in on the train. She was beautiful, with her flawless pale skin, her dark mahogany hair flowing in perfect waves down her back and her blood red lips stretched into a soft smile. He had hoped that she would be sorted into Slytherin. He may have had a chance to get to know her if she had. He had been sorely disappointed when the sorting hat had bellowed out that blasted house. Even as the house name had been called out he still hoped that she wouldn't be sucked into the Marauder's little group but he was, again, sorely disappointed when he saw them waving her over, her smile growing as she saw the boys. He watched her easy banter with the boys that he loathed most of all and knew that he would have no chance at all to get to know her. Hell, if they had turned Lily against him then he had no chance with a new girl.

Malfoy let out a low whistle as he caught sight of the new girl and Severus gave a small sigh. "She's hot," he heard Malfoy say.

"Yea well there's no point Lucius. She's with the Marauders." Severus sneered, his hopes quickly deflating as he continued to watch the beautiful new girl's easy banter with the boys he loathed.

"Still there's no harm in showing her a little of the Malfoy charm," Lucius replied flashing Severus a brilliant smile.

"And what of Narcissa," Severus asked as he drained half of his goblet of pumpkin juice.

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her, right?" Lucius said waggling his eyebrows at Severus who let out another small sigh.

Rose looked up and met the black eyes of the boy she had seen in that compartment on the train watching her. She smiled softly as her cheeks heated up and she knew that her blush would be obvious to the boys sitting around her. Remus hadn't missed her blush and he looked around trying to find what had made her blush before his eyes landed on Severus Snape who was now talking with Lucius Malfoy. Remus could feel Moony stirring inside of him and he had the sudden urge to protect Rose from their wandering eyes. Remus quickly squashed this urge and engaged in a conversation with his best mates as Rose took to eating the food in front of her. He was, after all, no better than them if he couldn't stop watching her every move.

Rose finished her serving of roast beef and vegetables and took a few sips from her goblet of pumpkin juice. Professor Dumbledore stood up again once everyone had finished their dinner and deserts and addressed the assembly of students now watching and waiting patiently for him to speak.

"We start another school year, and as Professor Allen left us last year we have brought a new teacher to fill her place. May I present Professor Cox who will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. The rules are the same as always, no students are permitted to go into the Forbidden Forest and Mr Filch has a list of contraband items as I am aware there are 151 items on the list in his office. Curfew is nine for first to fourth years and ten for fifth to seventh years. Please make sure that you are all in your houses before curfew is in place. Prefects, please take first years up to their dorms first and once the first years have left everyone else should go to bed unless if you want detention on your first night back." Professor Dumbledore's tease was evident to Rose but everyone else seemed to not notice it.

"I'll see you guys later," Remus said and it was only then that Rose noticed the Prefect badge that gleamed in the light over his heart. The three boys and Rose said goodbye to Remus and she watched his confident stroll as he made his way over to the red-head girl that Rose had seen early that morning with James.

The first years were led out of the great hall by the prefects and the rest of the students followed soon after. They were a little bit away from the great hall door – and out of sight of the teachers – when Sirius snickered as he pushed to the ground the boy that Rose had caught watching her in the great hall.

"Watch were you're going Snivellus, you could have knocked over the fair maiden." Sirius says pointing his wand at the boy now sprawled on the ground. Peter is egging Sirius on behind him and James is standing next to Sirius his wand pointed at the boy on the ground. Rose see's that James's lips are pulled into a smirk so similar to his lopsided smile that the smirk almost looks like it is mocking James's smile.

"Levicorpus," James chants and Rose could feel horror spreading over her as she watched the boy's body float up into the air, victim under James's wand. Yes, there had been prejudices between the houses, there were even prejudices towards the half-humans at W.I.C.C.A but there hadn't been bullying. It simply hadn't been condoned.

"NO!" Rose could hear the word rip from her throat and then she could feel herself tugging at James's wand arm. "NO James. Put him down. Please put him down." Rose begged the boy she thought she knew, begging him to stop this injustice towards a boy that she didn't even know.

Severus hadn't been watching where he was going. He had been trying to get down to the Slytherin dorms and away from the Marauders as fast as he possibly could, but he still ended up accidently running into Sirius Black. Who was almost as bad as James Potter, almost but not quite. Still, Black was horrid and Severus regretted it almost immediately when he accidently knocked into the Gryffindor. Severus looked up with horror and then loathing as he realized who he had knocked into. He heard the new girl cry out as he twisted and writhed up in the air and he saw her horror at what was happening to him. He was surprised that she was upset at what was happening to him. She was, after all, with the Marauders. Shouldn't she be enjoying what was happening to him then? But her horror was evident and Severus couldn't deny that she was upset with what was happening. He wanted to say something, anything to get the horror-shocked look away from the girls beautiful features but no words came.

"NO, please James stop; Just put him down." Severus heard the girl beg as she tugged on Potter's arm. Potter's face was filled with surprise as if he had forgotten that the girl was there.

"Why should I stop Rose?" Potter asked his voice filled with surprise and curiosity. It figured that her name would be based off of a flower. First Lily and now Rose.

"Because it's wrong James!" Rose said her attention on James alone. How many times as kids had she told him that it was wrong to bully the muggle kids? How many times had she reprimanded him, not talked to him because he wouldn't listen to her? His eyes drifted away from the boy and met hers, she could tell that he was remembering by that little crease in between his brow and Rose waited to see if he would listen this time. It was to Rose's surprise that James nodded his head and said "Libracorpus," James didn't let the boy down gently though and Rose gave James a hard glare before she walked over to the boy.

Severus was surprised that Potter listened to the girl. Who was she? And why could she make Potter do the one thing that Lily could not make him do?

Rose made her way over to the boy on the ground and knelt down next to him.

"Come on Rose," James called trying to pull her away from Severus.

"Go on without me, I'll catch up." Rose said her eyes never leaving the boy's face. It wasn't until she heard the three boys' footsteps getting further and further away from her that she asked "Are you okay?" The boy's eyes turned away from the retreating Marauders and met Rose's own forest green ones.

"Yea I'm okay," The boy said as he got up. "Thanks," was the only word that slipped from his lips when he had gotten to his feet.

"Don't mention it, James should have known better. I don't know how many times I told him when we were kids that bullying other people is wrong." Rose said on a sigh. Severus eyebrows were shooting up towards his hair line. So they knew each other as kids, she must have originally been from England rather than America, Severus's mind concluded as he tried to joined the dots.

"I'm Rose, by the way," Rose said sticking her hand out to shake the boy's hand. Instead of shaking her hand the boy bowed over at the waist and kissed it. She could instantly hear the boy's thoughts - although effectively muzzled by the separation of their hands through the glove – and Rose instantly blushed at the thoughts swirling through his mind although his thoughts were purely innocent.

"I'm Severus," Severus said as he stood back up. Rose smiled softly and Severus couldn't help but smile along.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Severus though I wish it had been under different circumstances," Rose said genuinely and she watched as the smile reached his eyes.

"Likewise, Rose," Severus said, his voice as soft as silk. He still had hold of her hand and he reluctantly let it go knowing that he best be moving on.

"I've got to go but I hope I see you again, Severus," Rose said taking a step away from the boy and turning around and going up the stairs that the Marauder's had gone up.

Rose followed the path that James's open mind laid out for her, he was probably the only one that knew of her secret and he hadn't told the others, yet. Rose found the Gryffindor common room easily but she didn't know the password. She didn't want to do this but it was the only way that she was going to get in. So Rose let down her mental wall and ignored all the thoughts that swarmed into her head. Rose strained to find the one mind that she was looking for and when she found it she connected with it.

Please open the portrait James, Rose thought hoping that James got her message. She didn't hear his answering thought because she had broken the connection and slammed her mental wall back into place as soon as she had sent the message. It wasn't long until the portrait opened and James was standing inside of the frame.

"What's the password so I know next time?" Rose asked James. He just looked at her for a while almost as if he had never seen her before.

"It's apertus." James says before he walks away from the open portrait. Rose follows him into the Gryffindor common room and is instantly bombarded with the red and gold colours of her new house.

"I'm going to go to bed," Rose says to James. James gives her a nod of the head to show that he heard her and points Rose in the direction of the girl's dormitories. Rose could feel sleep slowly tugging at her mind and it wasn't until Rose was in her dorm and in her bed with the curtain drawn shut that she gave in to sleep's embrace.

A/N: Thoughts? Did you like it, hate it? And what of James's and the Marauder's behaviour? Do you think Rose will condone it? Or will there be problems between the Gryffindors on their first day back? Let me know what you think and I'll try to have the sixth chapter to you guys soon! Also just for anyone who's interested there's a link to a couple character pic's (on my profile) for you guys to check out. And I know that Lucius is meant to be like a few years old than Sev but I like the Malfoy charm so shoot me lol.