Metanoia | J. POTTER

6 | confrontations

Rose sat in a windowsill in an abandoned corridor, her sketch pad perched on her lap, quill in hand. She tapped the end of the quill against her chin in thought, her mind coming up blank.

It was easier to think of something to draw when she was around other people and once she started something, she could finish it alone. But alas, she had been avoiding those she considered friends for days now because all they wanted to do was talk about James and she did not want to talk about him.

Even though it was cleared up with Lily and the involved parties had come to an understanding, nobody would stop talking about it. Rose just wished that something more eventful would happen so she wouldn't have to hear about how horrible of a person she was for sleeping with her sister's boyfriend. Of course, there wasn't a single word about James.

Rose let out a groan as she pulled out her wand and waved it over her belongings, sending it back to her bed in her room. She was art blocked.

"Rose," someone spoke up and she turned in surprise to find Severus Snape approaching her. She shifted positions so that her legs were dangling over the edge of the windowsill and she was facing him. "We need to talk."

"We do?" Rose inquired with a raised eyebrow.

Calling the two acquaintances was pushing it. They merely tolerated each other for Lily's sake but Lily and Snape hadn't been friends since he called her mudblood. Rose was unbothered by the comment because she heard him talk in such a manner all the time but Lily was appalled. It was as though she truthfully couldn't see that Severus Snape had never been a good person.

"How could you do that to her?" he demanded, any neutrality that had been present on his face had been thrown out the window. To put it simply, he was livid.

She huffed, hopping off the ledge, "Do what, exactly?"

"Treat her like that," he spat, gesturing with his hands in a wild manner. "After everything she's done for-"

She put her hand up, cutting him off, "You're going to lecture me on how I've been treating my sister. You?"

"I've apologized. She-"

"Apologies mean nothing when you do nothing to fix your behavior," Rose reminded him. "I know how you treat the other muggleborns at this school. Lily does too."

"That's not-"

"Forgive me," she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I have things to do." She began to walk away but quickly spun around, producing a Protego charm just in time to send whatever hex or jinx he was aiming at her back his way. "You couldn't have possibly thought that would have worked?"

He shot another spell her way but she easily blocked it, "Come on, Snivellus, you can do better than that." He scowled before sending another, more powerful spell her way. Only not powerful enough. "The Dark Lord would be so disappointed."

There had been talk around school about Lord Voldemort and his recent endeavors. Most people only knew what the Daily Prophet talks about but any Slytherin knows more than the Ministry is telling. Half of them are in on it.

Rose sent her first offensive spell his way, hitting him in the arm. He moved to send another one her way but someone called out from behind her. "Rose! Stop it!" She turned around to see her sister running her way, James a few steps behind.

James's eyes widened as he reached into his pocket for his wand. "Watch out!" he tried but he hadn't been quick enough and neither had she. She turned around in time for whatever hex or jinx he had used to hit her square in the chest. "Rose!" she could hear James shout and the scream from her sister rang in her ears.