Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. He and everything else from the books are the property of JKR and I claim no right to any of it. I do not make any money through the writing of this story.

AN: Yea! You don't know how happy I get when I'm able to follow through with my promise of weekly updates. Midterms are over, but that means the semesters course work will just get harder so I honestly don't know when I'll update again. If I go on a writing binge I just might have something posted before the end of next week. Sorry this one's so short, I have an idea for how the chapters should go and there's a reason why I stopped this one where I did

Chapter 11

The Dragon Camps

They followed Rose's faye light well into the night, over less then enjoyable terrain at that. Apparently the little ball of energy had no consideration for those that couldn't float above the ground. In the predawn light they finally, and thankfully, spotted the smoke from the camps fires. Rose marched ahead, paying little attention to her companions, both still licking their wounds from the night before. Walking towards the gates that surrounded the camp Rose looked around. 'Surely they weren't protected just by wards.' she thought testing the boarder.

Giving a small 'hm' sound drew the light near her. "Dites-lui que nous sommes ici. En anglais." she whispered to the light. Giving a single flicker of acknowledgment it floated effortlessly through the gate and towards the camp.Nodding in satisfaction she turned towards the others, eyes sweeping over their muddy, disheveled appearance. Holding in a sigh she saw the questions on their faces. "It's gone to tell Uncle Charlie that we're here." They still looked at her openly, a mixture of wonder and disbelief on their faces. "Honestly you two, it's just a spell. A sort of mix of a locating charm and a patronus. Out dated, but that just means the Ministries no longer pay attention to it. Untraceable magic."

Feeling the light approaching them again, she turned, watching with some amusement as their broad shouldered uncle lumbered up the path towards them. He really was getting too old for this. The mid fifties may be barely beginning middle age but it was certainly old for still doing field work. Squaring her shoulders she prepared herself for what was to come. Stopping in front of the gate her uncle looked at them with no small amount of surprise. "Hiya, Uncle Charlie." she managed to chirp out, giving a small wave. His eyes settled on her, deep blue and stormy with emotion. Just like her Dad when he was angry 'Oh, boy,' she thought, gulping slightly. 'This is not going to be fun.'

The small cabin her uncle lived in was at least warm, her thin cloths doing very little to keep her warm. Setting as straight as possible in the rickety wooden chair she was teetering on, she waited for what ever would come next. Her eyes darted around as he paced in front of the fireplace. Stopping suddenly, he turned to glare at them. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't Flo your parents, all of you parents, and tell them exactly where you are at." he said, straightening himself to look down on them.

Silence prevailed for a few moments, none of them meeting his eyes. Al finally piped up, puffing out his chest slightly. "Because we're on a mission." he said, trying to sound important. Rose shook her head at his words, still trying to live up to the legacy that was his family.

Turning her eyes back towards her uncle, she took in his anger, it seemed he wasn't impressed either. "You should let us stay, because they already know who we are." she spoke softly, a lump forming in her throat. Taking a deep breath she looked her uncle straight in the eyes. "It's too late to just go home, Uncle. If we go home now they'll track us down. They know what we look like, where we were at before. They even know our names." At this part she glared at Al. If he hadn't been so intent of impressing that stupid girl with his name, they never would have been identified. Turning back to her uncle, she saw recognition on his face. "Please, at least here we can keep everyone else safe. We won't stay long, just till we get work from some others who can take us in."

Uncle Charlie's eyes swept over her, sizing her up. Nodding only slightly he spoke souly to Rose. "You can stay, but you have to work. No freeloading or anything. I think the midwives were looking for someone new to apprentice anyway." he said, walking over to the Flo. Rose paid very little attention as he spoke to someone quickly. Blinking rapidly as he turned to once again glance at them she felt her heart still. "Rose, you will go to the midwife's hut, it at the other end of the camp, a small thing with a pouch. Only one over there. You'll be working with her and the doctors during your stay here." He handed her a large, fur lined coat before turning his attention to the boys. "You two," he growled while pointing at them. "Will be working in the pits. Hard work. Maybe that will take some of the arrogance out." His eyes lingered over Al for a moment while he said that.

Slipping on the coat Rose stood, stopping only for a moment to glance at Al. "I still haven't forgiven you." she said, the words sounding sharp at abnormal to her own ears. Turning to glance at Scorpius her face softened. "Goodnight, Scorpius." Nodding once to her uncle she didn't bother to look back.

The hut was just as Uncle Charlie had described, and the small, slightly plum witch that resided with in was a welcome. She'd been fed and briefed on her new duties, early mornings and late nights filled with chores. After she had been given a tour of the facilities there she had been ushered off to bed, a reminder that the next day would start promptly at seven, and not to be late to breakfast.

The next morning ran smoothly, as did the succession of days after that. With work six days a week, Saturday being spent learning about different herbs and remedies, the weeks flew by in a blur. Rose began to enjoy her job, taking the time to clear her mind, letting it contemplate things that she had been ignoring. It gave her a peaceful feeling, finally getting over her anger at Al, and her confusion about Scorpius. With any luck she would be able to forgive them sooner then expected.

tbc.

Next: The Naturalist: Rose mets someone very interesting.

AN: As always, please review. Thanks for reading! Also, if you want answers to the plot the easiest way is to review, I sometimes let things slip in my responses, aka I give clues. It's no fun if you know every thing.