The Hidden One

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"What did you say?" Ron asked. Rose reached over and grabbed the knife from him. He had picked it up again and was moving the knife as if he was cutting but was just hitting the cutting board again and again. Rose got a small cut on her finger from the knife but it quickly healed. She didn't notice Harry staring at her hand.

"But how could she have known? Maybe she has an invisibility cloak-" Hermione mused.

"But what did you say?" Ron asked again, a little more force to his voice.

"Well, I was too busy making sure Rose and Harry were ok that-" Hermione finally answered just to stop when Snape came over and interrupted.

"Fascinating though your social life may be," Snape drawled. "My class is not the time to discuss is. Ten points from Gryffindor."

"Reading magazines as well?" Snape asked, picking up the magazine from where Hermione had thrown it down. "Another ten points from Gryffindor. Ah, but of course-Harry Potter must-"

"Do you ever get tired of being a bully?" Rose yelled, standing up as she did so. Hermione quickly tugged on her arm to try to get her to sit down. Snape frowned at the girl.

"Sit down before I take more points from Gryffindor," Snape growled. Rose slowly did so but turned her back to the Professor as he read the article, stopping every now and again to make comments.

"Well, this seating arrangement won't do. Weasley, you stay here. Miss. Granger next to Miss. Parkinson, Mr. Potter that desk in front of mine and Miss. Black in between Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Nott," Snape instructed. The quartet angrily separated and Rose sat down in her new seat so harshly that she almost made the chair fall over. Rose angrily started making her potion.

"I'm sorry about the article," Draco whispered to Rose.

"The article is a bunch of crap," Rose said simply.

"Yeah, right. Skeeter accused you of dating, like 5 people. Including your cousin!" Theodore Nott yelled. A few people looked over at them but turned as soon as Draco glared at them. Rose turned to the boy.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rose asked. The boy smiled brightly and stuck out his hand.

"The name's Theodore Nott but you can call me Theo. That kid behind us," Theo said, nodding over his shoulder to another Slytherin boy. "That's Blaise Zabini."

"Yeah, I know your names," Rose scoffed, turning back to her potion.

"Then why did you ask?" Theo inquired, a teasing smile on his face. Rose rolled her eyes at the boy and turned to Draco.

"Why did you look so upset earlier?" Rose whispered.

"Because that woman was horrible to you and then had the audacity to mention myself and my father," Draco explained.

"Makes sense," Rose responded. Draco nodded and the students made their potions quietly until the door to the classroom slammed open and Professor Karkaroff stormed in and started talking to Snape, who tried to ignore him.

"Wonder what that's about," Theo mumbled. Rose and Draco shrugged their shoulders. Karkaroff didn't leave, even when the lesson was over.

"Oh, my dear Rose! I'll miss you!" Theo yelled once they were in the hallway. Harry had dropped some ingredients and was cleaning them up so Rose was waiting on him while the Slytherin boys were going somewhere else.

"I literally met you like...five minutes ago," Rose reminded the boy, her eyebrows furrowed. She looked to Draco, who looked very embarrassed to be with the boy. Blaise Zabini also looked very embarrassed.

"That doesn't matter! We're best friends now!" Theo shouted and started skipping away, Draco and Blaise reluctantly following him.

"I never agreed to that!" Rose yelled at his back.

"I don't care!" Theo yelled back. Rose rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. Harry almost immediately ran out of the room, grabbing her wrist and pulling her behind him. She got him to slow down and interlaced their fingers.

"What is your problem?" Rose excalimed. Harry looked at her with wide eyes.

"Gotta tell Hermione and Ron too!" Harry responded and they ran up to the common room.

"Harry, Rose! What took you so long? You had to find a broom closet or something?" Ron teased from where he was sitting by the fireplace, Hermione sitting in the chair next to him . Rose and Harry collapsed onto the couch across from him and Rose quickly used her wand to send some sparks his way, causing him to jump and glare at her.

"So I stayed after class and Karkaroff showed Snape something on his arm and Snape yelled at him. He said something about it being clear or something. And remember when Moody and Snape were arguing and Snape grabbed his arm? Something is on their arms," Harry rushed out.

"You made me run for that?" Rose asked, looking very unimpressed.

"I thought it was important," Harry mumbled.

"Not important enough for me to run," Rose mumbled back, using Harry's lap as a foot rest.

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"Sirius says hi and he's very sorry you couldn't come," Hermione informed Rose the second they got back from Hogsmeade. Rose had detention with Mcgonagall for hexing someone who had insulted Hermione, so she wouldn't have been able to go to Hogsmeade even if the ministry allowed it. Rose had the suspicion that Mcgonagall had given her detention on a Hogsmeade day so that Rose would have something to do.

"What else did he say?" Rose asked, sticking her feet under Harry's legs for warmth. They were sitting in the common room but they couldn't get a spot next to the fireplace. Rose barely paid attention as Harry lifted her hand and seemed to examine her finger.

"He thinks it's weird, everything going on with Mr. Crouch. Ron is going to write a letter to Percy and see if he can get any news. Sirius also told us that Crouch's son was convicted as a Death Eater but he died not long after getting to Azkaban. He also thinks that the interaction between Snape and Karkaroff was weird and that was about it," Hermione said.

"Oh, and he misses and loves you and says to be careful," Ron added.

"Did you give him my message?" Rose asked, nudging Harry. She had told Harry to give Sirius a letter she had written. She had told Sirius everything that had happened, other than her feelings for Harry, and she asked for advice. She also told her dad how much she loves and misses him.

"Hmm...what?" Harry replied. He was still looking at her fingers. Rose noticed that he had examined every single finger. She remembered the cut she got in potions class and quickly took her hands away from him. "Er-yeah, yeah I did."

"Good...thanks," Rose muttered.

"No problem," Harry replied. "Say, Rose? I couldn't help but notice that your scar from where Lupin scratched you is almost gone. How did that happen?"

Rose shared a panicked look with Hermione as Ron looked at her arm too.

"I'm...I'm not sure," Rose lied. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"And I've noticed that the only scar you seem to have is this one on your hand," Harry mentioned. Rose looked and saw the familiar scar on the palm of her left hand. It blended in with the lines of her hand so she barely noticed it.

"I...I guess I just have tough skin," Rose stammered. "Oh, look at the time! I have to pee!"

Rose ran up to her dorm and Hermione quickly stood up too.

"Hermione!" Harry said and she looked at him. "What's up with Rose?"

"Nothing. So drop it," Hermione basically hissed before running up the steps to her friend.

"They're lying," Harry said.

"Yeah, maybe, but don't make them upset. I don't want antlers again," Ron huffed. Harry nodded but stared at the floor, determined to find out what was wrong with Rose.