Soooo I'm back. You are all probably a bit pissed at me (which is totally justifiable), but I guess my only excuse is that life happened. Grad school is way more work than I was anticipating and then I got caught up dealing with some things in my personal life too...BUT I have not abandoned the fic! I may miss a few updates here and there, but I promise I won't ever just leave you hanging permanently. Anyway, thank you so much to those of you who are still around to read TDLR! Let's get on with it, then:

The Partnership Proposition

December 26, 1944

Thankfully, her hangover had eased by the time Warren stopped by her house to pick her up the next morning. It was free of other headaches, too: she fully expected that her mother would eye her with disdain when Rose announced that she would be traveling to Diagon Alley and shopping the post-holiday discounts (as Evelyn generally discouraged any sort of behavior that would make their family come off as even remotely cheap), but Warren's presence spared her the discomfort.

Diagon Alley was as bustling as ever when they arrived, despite the rumors that the wizarding hub had been all but deserted in the looming threat of Grindelwald. Apparently, the arrival of the holidays was a sufficient distraction for most – things seemed positively copacetic that morning.

They strode together down the main drag, talking lightly and stopping in a store every so often. First was the Magical Menagerie, then Flourish and Blotts where she was forced to tear herself away from the allure of undiscovered knowledge as a courtesy to Warren. After all, they were on their first real date: a reality that had yet to wholly sink in.

Rose truly was having a pleasant time, though admittedly she wasn't much of a shopper unless it entailed browsing things like books or something academic-related. Warren must have caught on to her selective enthusiasm because when they reached Mr. Mulpepper's Apothecary, he stopped and asked her if she wanted to go inside.

"Sure," she smiled at him, supposing that it was rather sweet that he had anticipated what she wanted to do.

The herby aroma that greeted them as they stepped through the entrance was oddly comforting; it took her back in time to the hundreds of potions she had brewed over the years and her childhood adventures with her grandfather, when they had spent hours foraging in the woods for rare ingredients to replenish his personal stores.

She stepped along the rows and rows of glass jars as Warren followed closely behind her, pretending to take an interest. While she appreciated the effort, she wasn't fooled – Potions and Herbology were by far his worst subjects.

Rosemary was in the middle of telling herself that she should wrap up her browsing before it became tiresome to Warren, just as she had done at Flourish and Blotts when a jar of dried lily buds caught her eye. She lost herself in gloomy nostalgia for a few seconds, remembering Valentine's Day morning just under a year ago, when she had awoken in the library surrounded by hundreds of the flowers as a gift from Tom. Before that day, she had never so much as heard of them, but after that day she had done extensive reading into their use in Potions.

It all felt much longer ago than it really was. What happened to the Tom she knew in the beginning?

These thoughts quickly dissipated as she heard a familiar voice: "Long time no see, Horton."

She glanced to her right and saw Jasper Donohue standing before her, wearing a dark green apron and a black quill perched on his right ear which stood out considerably against his light blonde hair. "Good to see you, Jasper," she smiled pleasantly. She had completely forgotten that he worked in the store – in fact, the idea of Jasper having a job at all remained a rather foreign concept to her after his several years of doing whatever he pleased with no responsibility.

He turned to Warren. "My apologies – what was your name, again?"

"No worries mate," Warren replied with a kind smile, though she thought she could hear a bit of tension in his voice. "It's Warren Cramer."

He snapped his finger. "That's right. So, what brings the two of you in today?"

"Just shopping around," Rosemary shrugged. "How was your holiday?"

Jasper's smile faltered for a fraction of a second before he said, "Oh, you know, rather stressful. But with family around that's relatively expected."

Rosemary nodded in agreement and assumed she would hear all about whatever situation he was referring to through Faye.

Jasper cleared his throat. "Anyway…I suppose I could do my job: are you looking for anything particular today?"

"Not really; I just enjoy looking at everything." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Warren fidgeting slightly and knew that he was ready to leave. "Well, we should be off. There are a few other stores to visit before lunch."

Faye's brother nodded and looked at her with his sharp gaze for what felt like a long time, but it was really only a couple of seconds. Then, he looked around and leaned in toward her, his voice dropping to a half-whisper as he said: "You know, our shipment from South America is set to arrive tomorrow and there will be some very rare finds. If you stop by afterhours sometime this week, I could give you a first look."

She was rather surprised that he suggested it; while she had known Jasper for years through Faye, they had never spent any significant amount of time together. Then again, they had chatted quite a bit about potions and his job at Slug Club earlier that year...and she was rather curious to get a behind-the-scenes look at the store. Besides, it wasn't as though she had anything better to do for the rest of the holiday break; at least this was an excuse to get out of the house for a bit. "That sounds lovely. I'll plan on it," Rose smiled at him and gave him a wave goodbye.

"I'm sure he wants to give you a look of something," she thought she heard Warren mutter under his breath as they walked down the front steps of the shop.

Rosemary pretended she didn't hear him, rather bothered by the fact that his comment sounded quite like something Tom might say (though at least Warren's version of jealousy presumably didn't border on insanity).

Thankfully, any tension between them quickly dissipated as they rounded the corner and Warren spotted Quality Quidditch Supplies and Comet's broom showroom next to it. Suddenly, he turned to her and asked in an uncharacteristically nervous voice: "I know you're around Comet stuff all the time, but do you mind if we stop in?"

She was surprised that he actually seemed to be concerned with her entertainment – she could remember countless times that he had droned on to her about his Qudditch tales. Perhaps she had been too quick to assume that their new relationship would take on the same qualities that their friendship had; he really was acting very sweet. It was a pleasant surprise that gave her a bit of much-needed reassurance about her decision to take things further with him.

Rose smiled at him, feeling rather optimistic for essentially the first time in weeks. "Of course."

Warren grinned and a childlike gleam appeared in his eyes as they strode through the entrance of Comet's showroom. The store assistant, a raven-haired twenty-something that looked relatively familiar, greeted both of them with considerable enthusiasm. He stepped out from behind the counter and asked if there was anything they needed help with and that their newest model, the Comet 191, was "setting the new standard for the future of broomsticks".

Clearly, he had no idea who either of them was.

Warren and Rose looked at each other in amusement before assuring the assistant that they were just browsing. He moved on to a couple of middle-aged wizards that had walked in behind them, while Rose followed Warren across the room to the wall-mounted display that held five Comet 191's.

She disregarded the large "Do Not Touch" sign below the display, unable to resist reaching out and running her hand along a brilliantly polished mahogany handle. "They're beautiful." She smiled at Warren, just about to congratulate him on the broom he had spent all summer working on, when she saw him frowning at one of the brochures containing the model's specifications. "What is it?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons," he said in a tone that was non-characteristically sad.

It caught her off guard and she gave him a concerned look. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Warren shook his head, his voice quickly returning to normal while a fake smile found its way on his face. "Let's get lunch."

Rose nodded and dropped it for the time being, though she knew from the silence between them as they left the store and started down the street toward The Leaky Cauldron that something was still bothering him. "Warren," she said, pulling him off the street and under a snow-covered tree. "What is it?"

At first he looked hesitantly at her, but then sighed and said: "The polish-protecting charm I developed over the summer didn't make it into the final model…" He ran a hand through his hair and added quickly: "Like I said, I'm sure your father had his reasons. I mean, obviously they came up with a better solution and I completely understand – but what if he thinks I'm not cut out to join the staff since I didn't come up with the right solution in the first place?"

Rosemary shifted uncomfortably, unsure of who to defend: Warren or her father. After all, it was a bit presumptuous of Warren to expect something he had developed as an intern to make it into a final model unchanged. But she did also see where he was coming from.

"I think that my father doesn't sell anything made by interns on principle, no matter how good it is. When you get hired after Hogwarts you could propose the exact solution and he'd probably include it in the final design."

"If I get hired after Hogwarts."

She couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes. "Please. He adores you."

Warren smiled back at her and stepped close to her, placing his hands on the side of her arms. "Thank you. All of this means a lot coming from you."

He cared about getting a position at Comet so much that it was almost laughable. Rosemary realized in that moment that it was rather ironic that he, a naturally very talented Quidditch player, would rather become a Broom Engineer than obtain the glory that could come with a position on a World Cup team, but perhaps this was simply the Ravenclaw in him.

As Warren's eyes danced with hers, she became quite aware of what was going to come next. Her eyes closed automatically as his face slowly lowered to hers. Meanwhile, a whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind and she found herself worrying about whether or not he would notice how chapped her lips were, if their kiss would have any sort of spark (unlike last time), and, more than anything else, if she were truly prepared to move on and kiss someone other than Tom.

But soon, none of it mattered anymore: his lips grazed softly against hers and their kiss was delightfully…

Ordinary.

It wasn't at all reminiscent of the passion she had felt for Tom through every kiss, every touch. But it didn't feel purely familial either, which was certainly a relief. As she allowed herself to sink into the moment, she realized how warm he was and could feel the strength of thousands of Quidditch matches and practices through his coat as she delicately placed her hands on his chest.

Just as she was thinking that kissing Warren was something she might actually be able to get used to, a sharp crack sounded overhead. Rosemary had yelped and jumped away from him in time, successfully evading the damage of the broken tree branch, but Warren on the other hand was abruptly covered from head to toe in snow.

They looked at one another for a few seconds, each of them making sense of what exactly had just happened. Then came the simultaneous burst into laughter.

"Look at that – somehow you managed to escape unscathed," Warren teased her as he began to brush himself off. "How coincidental…"

"What are you suggesting?" she asked him coyly.

He smirked. "Oh, I think you know." Then, out of seemingly nowhere, he lunged for her, grabbed her around the waist, and scooped up a handful of snow.

She knew exactly what he intended to do by the threatening look on his face. "Warren!" she screeched, attempting to squirm herself out of his grasp.

It was futile due to his strong grip, however, and soon the icy fluff had been dropped down the back of her shirt. She screamed and he finally released her while doubling over, roaring in laughter. Rose tried to glare at him as she flailed around and attempted to get the snow to drop down the back of her coat and onto the ground, but his laughter was infectious.

They were still giggling and bantering back and forth to each other when they finally walked into the crowded tavern for lunch and were seated. It wasn't until Warren excused himself for a few moments to say hello to a few of his Quidditch mates sitting on the other side of the pub that she glanced up to see Tom at the table directly adjacent to them.

Across from him sat Jennings and another man, who presumably had something to do with the Tournament as well. She was watching him as he took a sip of whatever he was drinking (scotch being the most likely candidate) when his eyes suddenly landed on hers.

Rosemary froze, unsure whether she should look away or acknowledge him. The way he was looking at her unnerved her – it couldn't be described as bitter, angry, or even neutral. It was simply empty, as if they were perfect strangers. But no, even that was a bit of a stretch. The truth in his eyes told her something much more unbearable:

To him, she no longer existed.

"I would rather a romantic relationship turn into contempt than turn into apathy. The passion in the extremities make it appear as though it once meant something. We grow from hot or cold, but lukewarm is the biggest insult." ― Criss Jami

She found herself in The Leaky Cauldron once again two days later as she was passing through on her way to see Jasper. The pub was just as crowded as it had been when she visited with Warren, but it certainly appeared to be a dodgier crowd. Not that this was surprising – it was quite late by the time she snuck out of her house.

As she exited the tavern and stepped into Diagon Alley's main street, she slipped on a bit of ice and bumped into a tall, cloaked figure who was smoking a cigarette. She glanced up as she went to apologize, but it was so dark outside that she couldn't even make out their face. "Sorry," she muttered as she hurried away down the street.

Rose could feel the eyes of the eerie, dark figure on her as she went and suddenly she was walking very quickly. About a minute or so later, she was one street over and knocking at the shop's front door, anxiously shifting back and forth between her feet. As she waited for Jasper to answer an odd feeling spread over her that made her feel as though she was being watched once more.

At first she was afraid to look around, but she did anyway, and spotted the same mysterious, cloaked figure rounding the street corner. Sufficiently startled, she knocked at the door again – a bit more forcefully this time. She chanced another glance down the street and the figure was quickly approaching.

Still no Jasper.

She was definitely regretting coming to town at such an hour – how could a few potions ingredients possibly be worth it?

Her heart began to pound in her chest and she was halfway through knocking a third time when she frantically reached down and tried the doorknob instead. To her surprise and immense relief, it was unlocked and she quickly let herself inside, not daring to look back at the street again.

Rose turned the deadbolt into place and let out a long exhale, though her heart was still racing from adrenaline. The shop was quite dark, but she spotted a horizontal band of light under one of the doors at the end of the hall.

"Jasper?" she called as she started toward it. When there was no answer, she tried calling his name again, this time from right outside the door.

Suddenly it swung open and there was Jasper, staring at her with surprise: "Rosemary? You came."

She nodded with a smile, relieved that it was he who had answered and not the shop owner, Mr. Mulpepper. That might have been difficult to explain. "Sorry I just sort of barged in...The door was unlocked and I tried knocking..."

"My apologies…I'm just in the middle of preserving some ploosnar weed. Want to see?"

"Yes," she replied eagerly as Jasper stood aside and let her into the room.

"Actually, why don't I show you around a bit first?" He brought her over to a large, rectangular planter that took up an entire wall. It was filled with probably a hundred different species of plants, some that recognized instantly and others that she couldn't place at all. "We transplant much of what comes in until it's ready for preserving," he told her. Then, starting from the left, he gestured at each botanical and told her its name. "Here we have Gillyweed, Knotgrass…"

When he finished, he turned to her and grinned proudly when he saw the look of awe on her face. "And that's only the plants…I'd show you the rest of what we sell in the store – the beetles and powders – but there are other members of the staff that work with those sorts of things and it's all locked up in their personal workshops at the moment, I'm afraid."

"Not a problem," she said absentmindedly, too preoccupied examining the diverse collection of flora to actually listen to anything he was saying.

He smirked. "You're an absolute boffin…I suppose it's rather nice to know that some things never change."

"No, I'm not," she said she blushed and pulled her finger away from a young vine of Devil's Snare. Though sadly, she knew he was right – she adored learning about this sort of thing.

"Let me fascinate you further and show you the preserving method…Have a seat." He gestured to one of the stools next to a long work bench.

Rosemary watched intently as Jasper took the seat next to her and pulled on a pair of work gloves. Then he reached into a large jar of the bright purple ploosnar stems and took out a handful. He worked meticulously and explained the process as he went, first sorting out the ones that were high enough quality to sell and then diving into the complicated preserving method. It was rather difficult to reconcile the fact in her mind that this was indeed the same Jasper who spent much of his time at Hogwarts fucking around.

"So, do your parents know you're out this late?" he asked her while he doled out the finished product into about fifty identical glass jars and passed them to her so she could twist the lids on.

"No..."

Jasper smirked. "I thought not. You're not as saintly as they all say, are you?"

Rosemary shifted uncomfortably in her chair, wondering if he somehow knew about how she had blatantly defied her parents to be with Tom. Had Faye told him? No, she wouldn't have done that…but she probably did tell him about their drunken exploits over the years.

"You see, I'm hoping you might consider…collaborating with me on something." She could tell that he was trying to choose his words very carefully.

"On what?"

"Have you heard of ECB?"

She nodded, remembering the first time she had heard of it: that night in the Hogwarts Owlery earlier that year when she had found out that Markus was dealing. Rosemary had no idea where Jasper was going with this, but she was beginning to get a bad feeling about it all.

"Well, what would you think about brewing it?"

The glass jar she was holding toppled out of her hands and she caught it just in time before it rolled off the bench and shattered on the floor. "What?"

Jasper was behind ECB? And he wanted her to help?

"It'd be a partnership – you'd brew, I'd take care of the rest. In return, you'd be paid, of course…with money, if you want, but seeing as you're not exactly destitute, I was thinking something a payment more along the lines of things like this." He withdrew a small vial from his pocket labeled "Veela Hair" and held it up with a pointed look.

Rosemary almost gasped – Veela hair was a very tightly regulated ingredient and tremendously difficult to obtain.

"So…what do you say?" he prompted her, placing the vial on the bench right next to her hand.

She snapped out of her awe and said dryly: "I think I'll pass. Last I checked, the school generally frowns upon brewing narcotics."

"And? You'd be a perfect fit for the job."

"What in the bloody hell makes you say that? I'm Head Girl, you know…"

"Precisely."

She gave him an incredulous look.

"Nobody would ever suspect you, the innocent and proper Miss Rosemary Horton," Jasper smirked. "I know better and I know that I'm one of the very few who do. And it would stay that way – I wouldn't tell a soul. It would be just between us."

She glared at him. "It's already being sold, meaning someone's already brewing it."

"Well, I've certainly been doing my best on my own. I've been trying to work out the recipe mechanics for quite some time and I just can't get it quite right. I'm decent at Potions, but I'm certainly not you."

"I'm not that good…" she couldn't help but blush.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't give me that. I've had to listen to Faye complain about how you outshine everyone in that class for years."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. You'll have to find somebody else."

With Tom out of the picture, Rosemary was just getting used to the idea of having a life unbothered by complications…the last thing she needed was to throw another one in the mix. Especially one that would get her expelled.

"I could find somebody else, but I don't want to. After running into you the other day at the store, I was sold. You should be the one doing this…You'll do it justice."

Rosemary rolled her eyes. "It's brewing drugs, Jasper. There are probably kids making knock-off versions already."

"That's quite possible. But wouldn't it be nice to be responsible for coming up with the recipe that is both the safest and most effective? Kids will find a way to get what they want anyway…wouldn't you feel better as Head Girl knowing that they're at least using a safe version?"

Rose bit her lip and picked up the vial of Veela hair, examining it in the light. He had a point, she supposed. What if something awful happened to the students that she could have prevented? Plus, the prospect of expanding her collection of rare ingredients was quite tempting…

But of course, this would jeopardize everything in the face of the half-normal life she had attained. She had only begun getting back on track with her destiny: graduate from Hogwarts, settle down with a respectable man, have a perfect (or at least superficially perfect) life with the support of her family. It might be a somewhat depressing destiny in her eyes, but she had realized as of late that it no longer mattered. She was a Horton and regardless of what she might want, that fact alone was the governing element of her future.

And using her powers as Head Girl and her Potions talents to provide illicit substances to the Hogwarts student body was certainly not something a proper Horton lady would do.

She handed the vial back to Jasper. "I'm sorry. I can't."

He didn't seem particularly convinced as he smirked and said: "Alright, Rosemary. Well if you change your mind, you know where to find me."

I know, no Tom. But next chapter is all him, so I'm going to make up for it!

A huge thank you to those of you that reviewed and really gave me the encouragement I needed to get things back on track with my writing: Mrs. TomMarvoloRiddle, Juti, Oksanallex, Queentakesjack, A regrettable decision, RosiePosie15, Khaaotic, Guest, MissCarbon, CharlotteBlackwood, and Guest!