Chapter Four
Rose breathed a sigh, running her slender fingers through her heavy curls that were soaked from her shower. She had expected the hot water to ease the tension in her muscles like it always did during the day of the full moon. Yet she didn't feel relaxed at all. Her muscles were still tensed, as if she were waiting for a hunt. She glanced at the mirror, the fog making it nearly impossible to see her reflection which was something she loved after her scorching showers.
"Rose, are you almost ready?" The voice of her cousin Lily drifted through the door of the bathroom, soft and meek. Rose exhaled a soft chuckle, almost just a huff of air. Lily and James were the only two who knew how to truly act when she was like this, the wolf scratching at the surface. Running her fingers through her curls once more, Rose opened the door to see Lily waiting for her.
"Lily, calm down. I'm not going to bite your head off," Rose stated, her attitude completely different from the usually cold and collected version. Lily glanced up, a brief meeting of eyes before looking down at the floor once more.
"You might not. But Uncle Bill always said to show submission to the wolf, it's a sign of respect," Lily stated in a matter of fact tone.
Rose snorted before walking to her trunk and searching for something to wear to Hogsmeade. Slowly she shifted through the articles of clothing, knowing the wolf was influencing her clothing choice today. Lily watched her cousin, chewing on her bottom lip as her emerald green eyes traced the scars that decorated her cousin's neck and back.
"Quit staring Lily. If you want to ask me something, just spit it out," Rose's voice wasn't harsh, it was emotionless, detached. Lily knew Rose hated the scars that decorated her neck and back, knew she hated when anyone ever asked her about them.
"I-I-I," Lily stammered, choosing to look down once more before speaking.
"What? What would you like to know? If it hurt? If I regret it? If I would choose another course of action?" Rose questioned, taunted. She slid a pair of tight black jeans up her slender legs, turning to face her cousin in just her jeans and black lace bralette, her auburn curls hanging loosely down her back and covering most of the scars.
"Well, yes," Lily murmured, playing with a loose thread on her top, chewing her bottom lip between her teeth. Rose's cerulean blue eyes were more topaz in color today, something Lily had become accustomed to during the full moon.
"It hurt like nothing I could ever describe. It felt as if my body had been lit on fire from the inside, only it never goes out, even now. I don't regret it. These scars meant I protected you, Al, James, Aunt Ginny, Hugo, and Mum. They meant I protected the people I cared about most. I would do it all over again. I would go through this pain, suffer this curse because it meant I kept everyone I love safe. I'm not ashamed of these scars Lily. I'm proud because they mean I stood up for something that matter to me, the same Mum, Dad, and Uncle Harry did during the war," Rose stated as she came to stand in front of Lily, crouching until she was eye level with the younger girl. Lily sniffed quietly, a single tear sliding out of the corner of her eye. Rose snorted before grabbing her cousin's shoulders and tugging her to her.
"Lily, it's alright. Stop crying, please stop crying. Al and James will kill me if they found out I made you cry," Rose was begging, pleading with her younger cousin. Lily laughed a watery sound, before shaking her head against Rose's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, really I am. Thank you Rose, thank you so much. I never really understood what it was that you did, what you honestly gave up, but thank you so much," Lily was babbling, she knew she was babbling, and Rose could only snort at her cousin's jumble of words.
"If it meant keeping you safe, Lily, I would do it all over again. Now, enough with the sadness. I need to finish getting dressed. I don't think James and Albus appreciate it if I walked around in just my jeans and bralette," Rose teased lightly, gently wiping the tears from her cousin's cheeks. Lily released a giggle, nodding in agreement and sitting back a top the trunk in front of Alice Longbottom's bed.
"I think Scorpius would be the one to complain the loudest," Lily commented lightly, watching Rose from the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction to her words. She watched as Rose's hand froze over a piece of fabric, the shirt she would be putting on before continue on its path.
"Don't be ridiculous Lily. Why in Merlin's name would Scorpius get upset over me walking around in my jeans and bralette," she scoffed at the idea, shaking her head before pulling the white vee neck shirt over her head.
"Leather jacket is hanging on the mirror," Lily stated, watching Rose pull her hair from the collar of her shirt. Rose nodded her thanks before sliding her arms in to the cool material of the jacket.
"Get ready Lily, the carriages to Hogsmead will be leaving soon," Rose murmured softly before sliding her feet into a pair of black leather boots her mother had gifted her a few years back.
Lily only waved in acknowledgement before disappearing into the bathroom that connected to the girls' dormitory. Rose moved silently down the stair case, hands in her back pockets and thoughts drifting to the more wild nature of her curse. Rose was so caught in her thoughts she wasn't paying attention to where her feet were taking her until she was standing before the window. Her cerulean eyes were more amber now as the day progressed and the full moon drew nearer. She inhaled a deep breath, something she realized was a mistake quickly after the action. With the full moon only hours away, her senses were sharper. The familiar spicy scent drifted to her nostrils. She closed her eyes, attempting to reign in her wolf.
"You look different Rose," Scorpius spoke, his voice rough. Rose's shoulders tensed as his breath ghosted over the shell of her ear, her eyes screwed shut as she mentally counted from ten.
"I always look like this," she commented, taking a step forward to put space between them, to control her beast.
"No, no you don't. This is different from how you usually look Rose," Scorpius stated, mirroring her movements, and taking a step towards her.
"What do you mean?" Rose questioned, pivoting on the balls of her feet to face the taller boy. She took in his appearance, how relaxed he looked out of his school uniform. It wasn't a sight she usually allowed herself to enjoy. His platinum blonde hair was tousled in a way only he could manage. A plain black shirt clung to his defined chest, the short sleeves hugging his biceps. Scorpius wasn't overly built, more toned than anything else. A pair of light wash jeans hung loosely on his narrow hips, and his storm colored eyes were watching her intensely.
Scorpius cleared his throat, obviously attempting to find the right words to explain what he was implying. However he was saved from that when Albus and Lily entered the common room, both picking their way over to where the couple were standing.
"You two ready to head to the carriages?" Al questioned, a large grin on his face. Rose glanced between the three before deciding she couldn't stay in a carriage with Scorpius sitting so close to her. She was likely to do something idiotic, like give in to what the wolf was pushing her towards.
"I think I'll meet you three at the village. It's nice today, and I think it would be great to enjoy the snow for once," the words were rushed before she pushed herself between her two cousins and rushed out of the portrait hole that led to their common room. Scorpius shared a confused look with Al, unsure as to what just happened before Lily clearing her throat and nodding her head forced either of them to move.
"Rose! Rose!" Al shouted racing after his cousin, Scorpius and Lily right behind him. Rose didn't pause her steps, didn't look over her shoulder, she kept rushing down the crowded corridors. She knew it wouldn't be long before the two Potters and Malfoy heir caught her, and by that point she was silently praying to be in the open air, where Scorpius's intoxicating scent wouldn't be able to drive her wild. She easily slid between the students that were crowding the corridors, eager to get to the carriages, and she just wanted to put space between her two cousins, best friend, and herself. She really was turning mental. With a shake of her head, Rose concentrated on pulling the Maruader's map to the front of her mind, silently thanking her mother for her photographic memory. She needed the fastest route to the doors of the castle, the fastest route away from her cousins and friend. Her eyes widened as she recalled a corridor not too far from where she was, turning sharply and rushing down the correct corridor. Her movements were a blur even in her mind's eye, something she wouldn't be able to recall later when she attempted. Sooner rather than later she was in the front hall, the grand doors looming in front of her.
She rushed into the cold December air, shrugging her jacket closer around her even if the action was pointless. Rose didn't get cold, her body temperature ran too high for her to feel the effects winter had on others. She kept her pace brisk, pushing herself to move faster to stay ahead of her cousins and Scorpius. However that action also proved to be pointless. Albus, Lily, and Scorpius caught her just as she was leaving the Grounds.
"You are not walking to Hogsmead alone Rose Marie Weasley. Your father would skin us alive if we allowed that," Albus spoke, obviously annoyed at his cousin ditching him. He understood when Rose needed space. He understood when she didn't need others around her. He understood her moods, and he refused to walk on eggshells around her when the full moon was near and she wasn't entirely herself. They shared a connection the rest of the Brood didn't quite understand, a connection his mother often said was similar to what his Aunt Hermione and Dad shared. They were just connected, and they could often speak with just a look. So he was annoyed that she would try to leave him behind.
"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just… I'm just eager to be off school grounds Al," Rose mumbled, stumbling over the excuse she knew he would see.
And he wasn't entirely happy about the lie she just spoke. His nostrils flared as his temper rose. Albus had always been the calm child of the Brood, not inheriting the famous Weasley temper as everyone else had. He had inherited his father's temperament much as Rose had inherited her mother's. He was always proud that others could never anger her, always relaxed when others boiled over. Yet today he wasn't relaxed, he wasn't calm. No he was angry.
"You know what Rosie, whatever. You want to go off and brood, be my guest. Just don't expect me to bail you out when you're being chased by some creature. I'm tired of you acting as if we don't give a damn. I'm tired of you wallowing in doubt and pity and I'm sick. I'm sick of how you can't seem to pull your head out of your arse. We love you, Rose. We all care about you," Albus shouted, his temper surprising both Lily and Scorpius who had never seen Albus angry. Rose however had. She knew how to handle it, however, she wasn't in the right mind to.
"Go fuck yourself Albus Severus Potter. I'm truly not in the mood for your temper tantrums today you spoiled runt," Rose snarled before taking off at a run, her wolf leading her to the wilderness of the Forbidden Forest, a place no one would follow her into.
"You're going to be in so much trouble if James finds out about this," Lily whispered, her emerald green eyes wide as her cousin disappeared from sight.
"What do you mean if? How could you talk to her like that Al? You of all people know how much stress today puts on Rose. You know she needs space today and you just continued to push her," James shouted from where he had been standing, a few yards away. He shook his head, dark wild hair flying around him before he raced after his younger cousin. He found her just beyond the entrance, knee deep in snow and her hands cradling her face. Silent sobs shook her shoulders and James breathed a sigh, quietly walking behind her before tugging her to her feet. He hated seeing his cousin like this, especially when she had sacrificed so much already.
"He's just being stupid Rose, don't worry," James whispered into her hair as he pulled her to his chest.
"He's right. I've been wallowing in pity and doubt. I'm sorry I put you all through so much, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," James sighed, mentally deciding to throttle Albus after he had calmed his cousin. He knew it would be a while and he just continued to hush her, breathing comforting words into her ears while he waited for her tears to dry.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it. I'll be getting to Ron and Hermione's reaction to Rose being bitten soon, no worries.