Beauty and the Beast (Remus Lupin)

91.

Rose lead the way for her and Draco as they walked down the main steps. Trying to get as far away as she possibly could from the Great Hall, she ended up finding Ron and Hermione on the final step together.

They both turned around and stood up together. Ron's face was stained with tears over his lost brother while Hermione still seemed to be crying.

"Have you two seen Harry?" Rose asked.

"Not since we came back from..." Hermione cried a bit more.

"Snape is...Snape's dead..." Ron hugged Hermione as he broke the news to Rose and Draco.

"And your family...? How are they...?"

"Not so great."

Rose twirled her wand as she prayed that Ron wouldn't ask her anything. He was there, after all. There was nothing left to be said.

"What's he doing here?" Ron asked about Draco.

"I'm helping him." Rose said.

"Why are you helping him?"

"Why not?" She shrugged, "we're all on the same side here."

"Like hell we're not! He tried to kill us in the room of requirements!"

Rose turned around and Draco didn't even seemed fazed. "That's your problem Ro, you're too trusting."

Rose walked past Ron and Hermione with Draco following behind her. "He wasn't even trying Ron." Hermione told her and Rose stopped to listen, "It was Crabbe and Goyle that were doing it. He tried to stop them."

"It doesn't change the fact of what he's done in the past!" Ron said.

"Just shut it, Ronald." Rose turned to him, "We get it. You lost your brother but we're all mourning people."

"You lost your cousin, who you barely even knew. You act like you're the only one who's affected by Fred's death. You're right, I AM his brother."

Hermione gasped, "Ron stop it!"

"Ok, I lost my cousin who I barely knew." Rose rolled her eyes, "But may I remind you how she was my only family left."

"Right, and I have 5 other siblings so the one who died doesn't count?"

"I never said that!"

"Ron! Stop it, you don't get where she's coming from!" Hermione cried.

"My brother died for you and the next thing you do is run around with Malfoy while we're at war! Fred died for nothing! She doesn't even know where she's coming from."

But she did. Rose had just about every right to be as upset as Ron was. As much as she wanted to bite her tongue and stay quiet, her emotions overpowered her. "I was wrong! Whenever I needed someone, Fred was ALWAYS there! That was MY person! Mine! Imagine if that was Hermione! Imagine Hermione was the one who died! However you would've felt...that's exactly how I felt...Exactly how I felt."

Ron had seemed to have eased up a bit but Luna was walking over.

"Hello." Luna got to them, "It's been almost an hour, Ro. Remus is looking for you. He's in the Great Hall."

"Ok, thanks Luna." Rose wiped her tears and started leaving, "Come on, Draco."

They left towards the hall in silence. It wasn't until they got to the doors where Draco finally talked, "I can't go in there."

"Why not?" Rose turned around.

"It's not right...At all." He started walking away and towards the entrance.