𝐔𝐧𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥

The Irrefutable Rose

Blanche woke up with a splitting headache and a feeling of deep, deep regret stuck in her chest.

The presence of Narcissa seemed to have deprived her of any common sense. She ran to Snape, literally threatened him, then opened her mind to him, dumped her past on him, and APOLOGIZED, IN THAT ORDER, and what for?

She gave away sensitive information to the biggest snitch the history of magic had ever known, and she didn't even get to know why Narcissa was there in the first place. It was illogical.

Have I finally gone insane?

Thankfully it was the weekend; that meant that she wouldn't have to deal with teaching on top of the situation, but still, everyone was everywhere. Blanche didn't feel like being around people but, living in the castle, she couldn't avoid them.

She groaned, dragging herself out of the bed. She took a shower and got dressed in her usual clothes; however, she felt like she needed a change.

Blanche looked at herself in the mirror, and what she saw startled her. Her eye bags were prominent, showing her lack of sleep and, most of all, her glaring misery. Her hair was longer than she remembered, messy, and her black gown was bandy. She straightened it quickly, slightly upset from her lack of control on... well, everything.

Pull yourself together. Dominate yourself, she thought as she pinned her hair in a tight braid.

No one changed the world by avoiding it, she said to herself, mustering the courage to go have breakfast in the Great Hall.

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

I need to set a goal for the day.

Gathering her thoughts, she promised herself to talk to Snape. She still didn't know why Narcissa appeared on the map and the newfound awareness that she had made a series of mistakes was devouring her. Moreover, she was humiliated by her loss of control the night prior. To be comforted by Snape, of all people... she felt violently embarrassed. 8 billion people on the planet and she managed to mess up.

She finally got out of the room, regretting it immediately when a group of students passed by her. They had their coats on. They probably were heading to Hogsmeade, without a care in the world; and she probably looked at them with a little too much intensity, since they accelerated their pace. She envied them.

She suddenly missed her childhood, when she didn't really know what her parents were up to and she didn't care, she just loved them both. She missed the good times she had with Lorraine before she got involved with the organization; she had changed so much in so little time that Blanche never had the chance to say goodbye to her sister. Lorraine's abrupt change and her sudden coldness had hurt her more than she ever thought possible; and it was still an open wound many years later, especially after seeing her again.

She was brought back to reality by a known voice. "Good morning, Blanche!" said a smiling Flitwick, hurrying into the corridor. He stopped abruptly, raising his eyebrows: "Merlin, what happened to you?"

Blanche just smiled and avoided the question, replying: "Good morning Filius, how are you?"

Forcing natural smiles was an art she mastered to be socially acceptable, and it came in handy. Flitwick didn't seem convinced, but he glossed over her discomfort and they had a pleasant chat while heading towards the Great Hall. Blanche appreciated the distraction, and her mood was better by the time they parted ways.

"Oh, I've already had breakfast. I'm going birdwatching, but don't tell anyone or I'll never hear the end of it," he said, winking at her. "How fitting for the Ravenclaw's Head of House" she giggled, very amused. He jokingly rolled his eyes at her before waving goodbye and disappearing out of the school's main entrance.

She nonchalantly entered the Great Hall taking her seat at the table. Minerva was still there, actually about to leave the table. She smiled, greeting Blanche, and she asked: "how's the barrier work going?"

Blanche had forgotten about it. "I... we are working on it", she lied. Minerva studied her, but she said nothing. She just nodded seriously and took her leave, putting her hand on her shoulder as she was passing behind her. Was it an encouragement? A warning? Blanche really couldn't tell, and a shiver ran down her spine.

She didn't feel hungry anymore and immediately left, leaving her food untouched. Sprout wasn't there. She probably was busy with her garden. While walking down the hall, she noticed Morton and Knight sitting together, whispering with concentrated expressions. She could tell that they were up to something. Great. She ignored them, and she decided to visit Sprout's garden to distract herself.

When she arrived, she immediately spotted her bouncy hair, now tucked behind her ears, crouched on some kind of plant. It was a sunny day, a bit chilly, but still pleasant. The light illuminated part of the garden, filled with vases and colorful plants of every kind. Herbology was fascinating, but Blanche never got into it: her only knowledge came from her school years, so she just enjoyed the view.

Sprout was concentrated on what seemed like a strange variant of Hydrangea.

"Hello, Pomona," she said, with a clear voice. Sprout raised her head and smiled in her direction, gesturing to make her come closer. "Look at this beauty!"

Blanche studied the plant. "What is it?"

"Well, it's a very special flower. It's a strange type of rose that Severus specifically asked to grow, so I, and the students, obliged. I know that it doesn't look the part, but it's a Rosa Cinerea, commonly known as the Irrefutable Rose. It's very versatile, but as you can see, its characterizing trait is the thorns covering the entirety of its stem. When powdered, they are a very precious and rare ingredient, used for a very peculiar category of potion. Well, a controversial category." she explained to Blanche enthusiastically.

"A controversial category?" Blanche asked, raising her brows. Sprout nodded. "It's a fundamental ingredient to make any potion belonging to the same group as the Veritaserum. As I said, controversial."

"I see."

Classic Snape.

Thinking of Snape... she needed to find him.