AN: Hi, sorry about the long wait, I was having trouble with writers block. Hopefully that's all fixed now. This chapter's pretty short, just some bonding between the three of them. Hope you enjoy :)

The first couple of weeks had been an adjustment for them all. Remus had offered his services as a Defence Against the Dark Arts tutor for students taking their OWL's and NEWT's. He'd nearly been overwhelmed by the response and could now be found in an empty classroom most days offering help to whoever came to him. He was quickly becoming the student's favourite Professor and there were students in there all hours of the day.

Harry also found his feet pretty quickly. He was young and resilient and had his new friends to help him adjust. He enjoyed most of his lessons, coming back to the rooms Rose and Remus shared babbling about which potion they'd done today and how in Transfiguration his matchstick was silver and pointy even if it wasn't quite a needle yet. The only clouds in Harry's new life were Professor Quirell and Malfoy. DADA was a joke. Quirell was afraid of his own shadow and Harry had taken to asking Remus to teach him. It didn't help that he kept getting headaches in DADA and couldn't concentrate on what Quirell was teaching them. Ron reckoned it was the garlic. Malfoy, however, was a problem that seemed impossible to solve. He appeared to have a vendetta against Harry for no particular reason, deliberately provoking him and picking on his friends to get a reaction. Only once did he insult Rose to Harry's face and after Harry put him in the hospital wing he didn't do it again. No one else dared say a word against her. They'd seen the blind fury that Harry had had when he attacked Malfoy and none of them were suicidal.

Rose was the only one struggling to find her feet; for obvious reasons. She didn't belong in this world and she often felt like an outsider looking in. She quizzed Remus and Snape relentlessly so she could answer questions Harry brought to her and she'd read all of his textbooks. Snape was a hard taskmaster for potions but he was patient and took the time to explain something to Rose if she didn't understand. It helped that Rose was one of the most driven and intelligent pupils Snape had ever taught and, although he said nothing to her of this, he was already shaving years off his original estimate for how long it would take her to get a Potions Mastery. While there were some potions ingredients that were harmful they were surprisingly few as long as you took the proper precautions and with a couple of added safety measures Rose was as safe as any potions apprentice would be. Potions didn't normally require magic, only a little to control the temperature of the cauldron and with a bunsen burner heating it and a spell that measured the temperature Rose could manage that.

Harry's first flying lesson was the first time Rose and Remus were on opposite sides of an argument and it served to drive home the differences between them. Professor McGonogall had told them what had happened and Remus had been coldly furious. Rose, on the other hand, hadn't seemed to had a problem with it. She'd enquired after Neville and made sure Malfoy would be punished but she seemed fine with what Harry had done, even congratulating him on making the Quidditch team (even if she wasn't sure what that was).

"What were you thinking?" Remus demanded as soon as the door to their rooms closed behind them. "Your first time on a broom and you attempt a fifty foot dive? Have you any idea how dangerous that was?"

"I couldn't just let Malfoy get away with it," Harry argued. "Someone had to stand up and stop him. Besides, the Remembrall was a gift from Neville's gran and he'd have been upset if he'd lost it." Lily's obstinate green eyes stared up at him out of James' face and Remus had the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to win this argument. Harry had the worst possible mix of Lily's kindness and James' disregard for rules with his reckless bravery and her logical reasoning. Remus tried to appeal to sense.

"Harry, you can't stop every bully. Sometimes you just have to walk away, or at least get help from a teacher. You really could've been expelled you know, and that would have ended badly for everyone." A scoff from the other side of the room drew his attention to Rose.

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived, they're hardly going to expel him. Although," she added thoughtfully. "I am surprised he didn't get punished, after all, he did go against Madam Hooch's direct wishes." Remus frowned at her; she was being too calm by half.

"Well I'm surprised you're not more upset," he said. A horrible thought occurred to him. "You don't encourage Harry with these foolish ideas, do you?"

"Depends on what you mean by foolish," Rose replied. "Jumping on a broom without flying on one before, yeah, that was stupid." Harry ducked his head, ashamed. "But standing up for another student?" she shook her head. "I can't disagree with that."

"He could've seriously injured himself! And you're acting like it's fine."

"But he didn't. I've seen his reflexes Remus, he was in no danger. And even if he was ..." she shrugged. "Accident happen. No one's safe forever, Remus. Besides, now that Madam Hooch knows he can fly he doesn't have to go to those lessons which gives him a free period for studying."

"Excuse me for still being stuck on the fact that he almost killed himself," Remus snapped "And even if you ignore that he still almost knocked Malfoy off his broom."

"What was I supposed to do?" Harry demanded. "He laughed at Neville getting hurt, insulted him and then stole something of his. Am I supposed to just let that slide?"

"Standing up for what's right is more important than the rules," Rose agreed quietly from her corner. Remus stared at her. He knew it was impossible for personalities to be passed along by blood adoption but for a moment she sounded so much like Lily it wasn't even funny. And Harry and Rose he might be able to argue with, but he'd never won an argument against Lily.

"Fine," He said, throwing his hands in the air. "I give up. I'll see you at dinner." He walked out, ignoring the surprised glances that Rose and Harry exchanged. Unknowingly, Remus had done more for their opinion of him in one argument than he had in several weeks of being kind. For the very simple fact that neither of them had had an argument with an adult and not been hit.

Rose skipped dinner in the great hall that night, ostensibly because she was studying but really because she didn't want to risk Remus' temper. She was deep in a book about Charms when there was a hesitant knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," Rose called absently. Remus entered with a plate of food in one hand.

"We missed you at dinner," he explained, handing the plate to her and perching on the chest of drawers. "Didn't want you to go hungry."

"Thanks," Rose said, putting her book to one side and cancelling the stasis charm by waving her hand through it. "I kinda got lost in my book," she added, giving him a sheepish smile.

"I ... uh ... I also want to apologise," he added, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding her eyes. "About earlier. I shouldn't have lost my temper." Rose blinked at him.

"You lost your temper?"

"Yes." Remus frowned at her. "I shouldn't have shouted at you like that, you were right. I was just worried about Harry." Rose gave him a half-smile.

"If that was you losing your temper then you have nothing to apologise for. Everyone loses it now and again." She looked back at her plate, clearly assuming the conversation was over. Remus left, taking it for the dismissal it was. He was worried about Rose. Worried and confused. What kind of life had that girl been living?