La Vie en Rose

Summary: The best thing about being seen as nothing more than pitiful, traumatized children is that no one would believe it possible for any of them to conspire with the Fae to kidnap the Girl-Who-Lived. FemHarry.

Just a warning: FemHarry, AU, Language, Clichés, Non-Cannon Character Death, More in the Future…

Just so you know (Name): FemHarry's name is Andromeda Rhoswen Potter. The name Andromeda means "Ruler/Protector of Men" and was the name of an Ethiopian princess whose mother angered the gods. To placate the gods, Andromeda was fastened to a rock to be used as a sacrifice to a sea monster, from which she was rescued by Perseus. In astronomy, Andromeda is a large northern constellation between Perseus and Pegasus as well a galaxy located two million light years away. Rhoswen is a Welsh name meaning "White Rose" as well as "Fair/Blessed Rose".

I don't own anything related to Twisted Wonderland or Harry Potter!

Chapter 4. Dragon Plant for Dread

RON

The smell of potions' ingredients and blood filled his nostrils as he sat down. Ron grimaced, propping his bad leg up a low stool and closing his eyes as he rested his head against the cold wood of the mahogany table across him.

The position was more than a little awkward and every inch of him ached, but the ginger-haired wizard didn't as much as stir. Instead, he listened to the hurried footsteps, whispers, and solicitous murmurs coming from the other occupants of the room.

"…and we need more Murtlap Essence and Blood-Replenishing Potion."

His eyebrows twitched as the sound of Susan Bones' voice got closer and closer. And, although he couldn't see her, her voice alone was enough for Ron to believe that she would collapse at any moment. The poor Hufflepuff sounded exhausted, and Ron felt a rush of sympathy towards the older girl.

The D.A. was mostly composed of fighters or small children that were trained in information gathering. Actually, their little resistance group only had three trained healers and, although Ron had little to no direct contact to any members of their group during his time on the run with Andromeda, he knew from Neville's weekly written reports that Susan and the others were nearing a breaking point. Everyone tried to lessen their burden and help as much as they could but, sometimes, it just wasn't enough.

So, Ron was rather surprised that Susan hadn't collapsed or started to scream at any bystander who as much as breath too loud in her presence.

"The last time I saw them," Neville Longbottom mumbled from somewhere on his left, "Fred and George said they would be brewing more…"

Susan sighed.

"Good. Can you tell them to deliver the first batch to Daphne when they finish it?"

Neville didn't say a word, but he probably gave her some kind of answer as Susan thanked the blonde-haired Gryffindor. Then, a moment later, Ron heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer until a hand reached out to tap the top of his head gently.

"Get up, Ronald," Susan ordered. "It's your turn."

"For what?" he asked, opening his eyes to glance at the auburn-haired witch hovering over him with an unimpressed look on her face.

She pursued her lips, " Ronald."

Sighing in defeat, Ron nodded and reached out blindly for his cane before pushing himself off his seat. Susan gave him a look reminiscent of Poppy Pomfrey; daring him to as much as think of escaping.

With a sigh, the ginger-haired Gryffindor smiled at the other teen before walking towards one of the few empty beds in the Headquarters' Infirmary. Unsurprisingly, it felt as uncomfortable as it looked; making him think that he was now sitting on a bed-shaped rock instead of a hospital bed.

"Are you in pain right now?" Susan asked as he set his cane aside.

He stayed in silence for a moment, watching as she opened the potions cabinet next to his bed before shrugging his aching shoulders.

"Nothing that I can't handle."

She made a pause, hand hovering what he recognized as a vial of Pepper-Up Potion. Then, she mumbled something inaudible under her breath and grabbed a few more potions that looked far from appetizing (Was that smaller one even drinkable?).

The auburn-haired Hufflepuff closed the cabinet with her left foot and placed the ten potion vials she was holding over the small table next to his bed. Ron grimaced but drank every foul potion she shoved into his hand (He wasn't a Potions Master but Ron knew enough about the subject to say that it was a type of Nutrition Potion).

"You know," a familiar whispered from the bed beside his, "I think she leaves the worst tasting Potions for us."

Ron's lips twitched as he turned his head to look at Andromeda. She was still dressed in her dirty, bloodstained clothes but her bandages had been changed and she had washed the blood from her face; making her look less like she had just stepped out from a Muggle's horror moving picture.

He felt himself relax at the sight. Logically, he knew that she wasn't healed completely — None of the D.A's healers had the training necessary to deal with all curses and alignments that were no doubt plaguing Andromeda.

But knowing that she did get some kind of help was enough for him. He could and would find a more experienced Healer to care for her appropriately later.

"It's Madam Pomfrey's fault," he said with a grin, not even trying to keep his voice down. "She is the one who taught Susan to be so mean."

Susan rolled her eyes with a huff, pulling her wand from the pocket of her overalls.

"If you think that's me being mean then you clearly don't know me."

Ron snorted.

Ah, yes. Of course. How could he forget the terror that was Susan Bones? How could he forget the Evilest Badger in the castle or the fact that she does, in fact, bites?

Susan narrowed her honey-brown eyes, "Are you mocking me, Ronald?"

"I didn't say a thing!" he said. Ignoring the snickering coming from the other side of the room, he eyed the way tip of her wand started sparking dangerously.

"You were thinking it, mate."

"Shut up, Thomas," Ron said.

Dean Thomas snickered again, leaning against his pillows as though he was watching some kind of play.

"Maybe you should apologize," Andromeda suggested nicely, glancing at Susan with a hint of apprehension. Not that he could blame his best friend; the other witch looked like she was seconds away from exploding.

"Sorry," Ron smiled, an idea coming to life in his mind. It wasn't a good one but it was something that he wanted to do, "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I forgot how sensitive Hufflepuffs are."

Susan's nostrils flared. Her wand started glowing a suspiciously shade of blue that was rather familiar.

"You — You want to die?!" Someone, probably Michael Corner, spluttered from his bed near the door

Ron couldn't help it: he snorted. He pressed a hand against his mouth to keep himself from breaking down laughing when Susan's face twisted from one emotion to another in question of seconds.

Honestly, no one could blame him for taking the opportunity of annoying her. It was good to see the auburn-haired witch showing something other than exhaustion. It made her look alive.

" Ron," Andromeda sighed, the fear from before being replaced by amusement. The green-eyed teen knew him well enough to understand what he was doing.

"Sorry," he guffawed. "Sorry!"

"You're not," she said dryly.

No. He wasn't.

Susan took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling until she wasn't at the brink of killing him. She gave him a evil look but didn't do or say anything as she started throwing healing spells at him in a not so gentle manner.

Finished with changing the bandages around his arms and legs, as well healing his broken bones and the cuts on his face, Susan summoned a ceramic bowl with a rather sticky, purple liquid inside it.

"It's for the scars on your leg. I found the beginning of an infection," Susan said with a frown. "I don't know how you're even walking."

"Pure spite."

She rolled her eyes at his overly cheerful answer. Then, she turned to look at Andromeda, pointing her finger at the raven-haired girl who blinked slowly in response.

"I need to check on the others." Susan said slowly, "Do not move too much."

With that, she crossed the room and made her way to Dean. Ron watched her for a moment, knitting his eyebrows as the amusement from early was quickly replaced by concern. Slowly, he turned to look at Andromeda.

"Why can't you move too much?" Ron asked, not even giving her a chance to answer before more questions started leaving his lips, "Are you ok? Do you need anything?"

Maybe he had relaxed far too early? Ron cursed himself. He should've known better than to think that they would have time to find a better for her later — No. She needed one now and —

Andromeda sighed, cutting his panicked train of thought off, "My neck."

"Oh," the ginger-haired wizard pursued his lips, leaning back and raising his head to stare at the white ceiling of the Infirmary.

Andromeda had a lot of cursed scars from the war, but it was that one cut on her neck was the only that almost succeeded in killing her. Ron closed his eyes, trying to banish any the moment of Malfoy Manor, of screams and his hands being soaked in blood as he tried to keep his best-friend and sister alive while begging for her to not leave him like how Her —

He jumped when a dainty, calloused hand was placed above his.

Blue-eyes locked with understanding, otherworldly green-eyes. Ron swallowed, more than a little upset with how his emotions and thoughts seemed to be out control lately; going from one extreme to the other in a blink of the eye. It made him feel crazy and hated it.

He squeezed Andromeda's hand, moving to grasp her far too boney wrist.

There was a pulse.

"The cut was made by a knife coated with old Blood Magic," Andromeda said, tapping her mattress. "It won't heal properly. Speaking too loudly can open the wound, moving too fast, breathing…"

Ron fingers tightened around her wrist, not liking the tone of her voice.

"We'll find someone to help," he informed her.

And he would do it sooner rather than later. He wouldn't allow for it to keep hurting her.

Andromeda hummed. She didn't seem like she believed him but her lips still curled up in that pained, mockery of a smile of hers.

"Before or after we go traveling?"

"We can travel and look for a Healer if we don't find someone before leaving," Ron said firmly, not giving her a chance to start putting obstacles on her way to happiness as she always did.

She stared at him for what seemed to be an eternity. Then, slowly and hesitantly, Andromeda nodded her head.

None of them spoke again after that, enjoying the peace and quiet.

It didn't last though (It never did). Soon, the mahogany doors of the Infirmary opened to reveal a rather frantic looking Cho Chang. The long-haired, grey-eyed witch froze when she noticed Andromeda and Ron, both now staring at her with sharp eyes; both ready to fight if needed despite the fear and dread that gripped their hearts.

Susan approached her to check if the older witch was hurt but Cho shook her head. The former Ravenclaw girl tried to explain what was happening but all that came out of her mouth was a mess of words and anxiety.

"Cho."

Cho stopped, turning to look at Andromeda.

" Breathe."

Ron watched as the older witch seemed to remember how to breath, inhaling a lungful of air. She pulled her twin-braids, shifting her weight from one foot to another before she finally managed to say something coherent.

"The Ministry is trying to steal our friends' bodies!" she practically screamed, bursting into tears.

Ron felt his heart drop.

Something told him that things would only get worse from then on.

Hope you liked it and please, don't forget to:

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– Cissnei.