The Hidden One

memorials

Rose didn't really pay attention for the next month. She could remember her family having to say goodbye the next morning to help Dumbledore. She could remember Draco wrapping her in a tight hug the second he saw her, Theo and Blaise not far behind. She could remember the looks she received, looks of both pity and hate. She could remember having to tell Cedric's parents what happened. Eveything else was just a blur.

Harry and Rose were never far apart. They were always holding hands or touching shoulders. It was a common sight for the Gryffindors to walk into the common room in the morning and see Rose and Harry laying on the couch asleep. For days, Hermione could barely look at Rose without tearing up and Ron often looked awkward.

Rose was very glad that Harry never brought up her healing him. If anything, it seemed as if had forgotten it. As if he had thought it was just part of a dream. Rose didn't want to bring it up again because she knew that she would have to lie.

Dumbledore had asked the students not to ask Rose or Harry what happened, and the students listened to him. The quartet didn't even talk about it, and they rarely talked about what the future looked like.

"Mum asked if you could come straight to us for the summer, but Dumbledore said you have to go to the Dursley's first," Ron told Harry one afternoon.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"She said Dumbledore has his reasons," Ron answered. "And we've got to trust him, right?"

Rose had talked to Dumbledore and he told her that Fudge wasn't going to change his mind on Rose living with the Malfoy's. Her stuff had already been moved to their mansion and they were prepared to take her in. Marlene and Remus were already in trouble for visiting her on the last task, so there was no way Rose could live with them. Dumbledore also made it very clear that she was not to tell Harry about the prophecy or her healing, but Rose had already planned on keeping it quiet.

Harry felt as if he could talk to very few people, and one of those people was Hagrid. Rose felt as if she couldn't leave Harry's side, so she would visit Hagrid with Harry. At one visit, Hagrid hinted that Dumbledore had given him and Madame Maxime a task, but he refused to elaborate.

The first day that Rose felt as if she was really, 100% there was the last day of school. Dumbledore had arranged a sort of memorial for Cedric and Rose didn't want to go.

"You ready?" Hermione whispered. Rose nodded and walked to the door before hesitating and sitting in front of the vanity. Rose summoned a pair of scissors from her trunk and started cutting her hair before Hermione could even make a sound of protest. Rose was halfway done with her hair before Hermione even knew what was happening.

"Let me help," Hermione whispered once she got over her shock. Rose nodded and handed Hermione the scissors. Five minutes later, Rose's hair was barely brushing her shoulders. It wasn't a great haircut but Rose didn't care.

"Thanks, Mione," Rose whispered. Hermione smiled at her through the mirror as she used her wand to vanish the hair that she had just cut off.

"Let's go," Rose sighed and stood up. Hermione linked their arms and they walked down the steps. Harry and Ron were waiting for them there.

"Your hair!" Ron gasped. "It's so short! Why?"

"I-I needed a change," Rose shrugged. It was a big change. Her hair had almost reached her butt before. She felt 10 times lighter with her new hair.

"It looks nice," Harry whispered. Rose gave him a small smile and grabbed the hand he had held out for her, unlinking her arm from Hermione's in the process.

The quartet walked to the Great Hall in silence. The walls had been decorated with black drapes. The real Mad-Eye Moody was sitting at the professor's table, looking very nervous. Karkaroff was gone but Madame Maxime was still there, talking to Hagrid. The students were all basically silent and the few small conversations ended the second Dumbledore stood up.