Chapter 10: Announcement and Memories

The weeks following the first task went by very quickly. Classes resumed as usual and for Severus that meant working with Rose. Somehow things changed between them after the first task. She was no longer angered at the drop of a hat and Severus could even be seen hiding a smile. Even his students were disconcerted by the change. He was even heard complementing Hermione Granger on her work. He constantly forgot to take points away from Gryffindor.

At mealtimes he could be seen talking and laughing with Rose. They had somehow found their old balance back. They could often be found together talking. when Rose was not busy teaching the Beaux Batons delegation, she was to found helping Harry and his friends with homework, visiting with them in the Gryffindor common room or she could be found either brewing potions or reading the latest Potions research with Severus. Albus and Minerva could not help but notice the change in Severus.

"Minerva, am I wrong to think that our very own Potions Master could be moving on from his past?" Albus asked her, one evening as they all settled in for dinner in the Great Hall and watched Severus and Rose enter the Great Hall together once again.

"It does look like it, Albus," Minerva replied happily. "It was about time too!"

Dumbledore stood up and commanded the attention of the entire Hall.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to let you all know that we will be holding the time honoured Yule Ball on Christmas Day from 8 in the evening to midnight in honour of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Only students who are in their fourht year or older may attend though an older student may take a younger student as their partner for the evening. You have all been required to bring formal dress robes for the occasion. Champions you and your partners will get the ball started so make sure you see Professor McGonagall for dancing lessons every Tuesday from 6 in the evening until 9."

Squeals of excitement could be heard from every corner of the Great Hall. Rose turned to Severus, her eyes shining.

"You'll be attending won't you?"

"I have to," he sneered. "Honestly, we could do without these occasions where horny adolescents prance around and let their hormones do all the work!"

"Don't be such a grouch Severus, remember that not too long ago you and I used to dance at those "horny adolescent displays of hormonal prancing." Rose teased.

Something went cold in Severus' eyes. He remembered all too well the last Yule Ball he had attended. The events surrounding that night almost put him in Azkaban.

"Don't you remember our last Yule Ball, Rose?" He asked coldly.

Roses eyes filled with terror as the memory rushed back to the surface. She had been able to suppress it enough to avoid thinking about it. The memory always haunted her at night though. The nightmares she still suffered because of that night.

"She had entered an empty classroom hoping he would follow her and she would be able to talk to him alone. The hall was simply too crowded and it was bad enough that they danced everything together, if someone overheard her confession to him, it would be the end of her. The jeering would not stop and it would simply give James and Sirius more fodder to tease poor Severus.

The door creaked open and she called out.

"Severus? Is that you?"

She heard some heavy panting and before she could turn around to see who it was, she was pushed onto a desk and thick calloused hands began to pet her.

"So the little lioness wants to be with the big bad snivelly snake?" the voice leered at her. "What would Lily say if she were to hear of her sister creeping into classrooms and trying to seduce snakes?"

"Get off of me!" Rose screamed, as the hands began to roam over her body. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to a standing position. He turned her around roughly and forced his lips on hers. She fought, punched his chest and tried to push him away but he was too strong. Panic soared through her body and she frantically tried to get him to unhand her. His hands began roaming, trying to touch places that were meant only for someone who would deserve her love. She bit his lip and in the seconds that he let her go she screamed at the top of her lungs. he slapped her hard across the face.

"Shut up Mudblood!" He spat at her. He went to kiss her again but a wand at his throat stopped him.

"Unhand her Pettigrew!" a deep baritone voice warned dangerously.

"She came here, she wanted it!" Pettigrew said defensively.

Severus grabbed Pettigrew by the scruff of the neck and threw him away from Rose. At that very moment, the rest of the Marauders came into the room.

"What happened here Snivellus?" James jeered.

"You should ask your ratty little friend, Potter." Severus answered contemptuously.

Rose stepped out from behind Severus. The shoulder of her gown was torn and exposed some of her fragile skin, her hair was dishevelled, a bruise was becoming more and more visible on her cheek and her lips were bleeding and bruised.

"Snivellus, what did you do to Lily's sister?" James growled.

"Nothing, your little rat over there though had a lot more to to with this than he cares to say!" Severus replied angrily, as he put a reassuring arm around Rose's shoulders.

"James, please, Peter made me kiss him and he tried to go further even though I tried to push him off. He hit me..." she began to cry.

"James, do you really think I would do that? It was the snake!" Pettigrew said in a panic. His beady little eyes gleaming. " I came in and she was with the snake. I took points off of Slytherin for sneaking around when he attacked me. I only hit Rose trying to defend myself against the snake."

"No!" Rose screamed.

Lily came in and seeing her sister dishevelled and crying she ran to her. Rose told Lily the story but neither her nor the Marauders believed.

"He called me a Mudblood, Lily!"

"Severus, how could you!" Lily yelled.

"It wasn't him!" Rose exclaimed.

James cast a spell and Severus was in the air, suspended upside down. Rose screamed for James to stop but no one would listen to her.

"Snivellus, if you touch or go near Lily's sister again, I will make sure that everyone will call you Miss Severus Snape!"

Rose ran out of the room. She ran to the roof of the Astronomy Tower, her little safe haven that only Severus knew about, and hoped that he would follow her there. She was rewarded with his arrival thirty minutes later.

"You'll freeze to death Rose!" He exclaimed as he put his robes around her shoulders.

"Severus, I am so sorry! I tried but they wouldn't listen to me." Rose cried putting her arms around his waist a burying her face into his chest. Sobs wracked her body as she cried for the violation of her body, for being called such a horrible name and the horrible things James had said about her friend. Severus rubbed her back and let her release her grief.

"It doesn't matter Rose, justice will be served. You can go to Dumbledore..."

"No! I don't want anyone to know about this!" She interrupted, shaking from head to toe.

"Alright! Don't cry, but I will make sure that he never can do something like this to you again!" Severus vowed as he enfolded her in his arms and tried to take all her pain away. After a while, he pulled her away from him and tried to hide her bruises and heal her lips. He kissed her on the forehead, picked her up and carried her to the Gryffindor portrait."

Rose's face paled at the memory. Severus' face was set with a grim expression. Neither spoke before she walked away to see her students. The joy of the last few weeks had been murdered with the shattering memory of a time long past.