Chapter 360 - – Animosity

When Rowan woke up on Sunday morning, she recalled why she was still rather furious. Ignoring the unpleasant memory of the night before she rolled out of bed to change. Stomping her way to breakfast she sullenly sat down and began to eat. Thankfully she was the only in the Great Hall as everyone was still sleeping in from last night.

"Well, well, if it isn't our dear champion," a snarky voice said from behind her.

"Jorkins, what do you want?" Rowan icily said without turning around to face the pesky, weasel-faced witch that was Bertha Jorkins. Thankfully, it was Jorkin's seventh year. "I am in no mood to play games with you. I have a very low bottom line this morning and I will pull out my wand and hex you."

The normally sulky, plump girl wore an expression of triumph this morning. "I don't believe a word of what your brother and Greengrass said last night," Bertha Jorkins crisply said. "I'm certain that it was all your idea all along."

Rowan's hand tightens around her knife and fork as if contemplating stabbing them into the plump witch before her. Controlling herself, Rowan flashes Jorkins a cold smile. "Even if that was the case, there was no coercion involved as I was still chosen as the champion for Hogwarts. A mere fourteen-year-old is considered to be a far better witch than yourself, Bertha Jorkins." Jorkins flushes scarlet in humiliation, before stomping away and back to the Ravenclaw table.

Those in the Great Hall whisper and point at her. Some believing Severus and Terry's words last night and others not. While others whispered it must have been because of the three founders' bloodlines Rowan possessed that the best candidates had been ignored by the Goblet of Fire.

Afraid she'd explode, Rowan quickly finishes brunch and leaves before more people arrive in the Great Hall. She spent the rest of the day hiding out in the room of requirements in an exercise room. She swam, she ran, she punched, and just did everything in her power to exhaust her anger.

It mostly worked as by the end of the evening she'd exhausted herself. Later Rowan stopped by the kitchens for dinner and to visit Nadira. Feeling much better than before she finally returned to the Slytherin dorms and fell fast asleep.

The next morning, Rowan got up to face the world again. Feeling much better after yesterday, she decided to add an exercise regime to her schedule. She'd just wake up an hour early at least three days a week, but no more than five to exercise in some way. She found that she couldn't even run a mile in eight minutes anymore. It took her twelve minutes, which she frankly found quite disgraceful.

Since Rowan had not been present yesterday evening, but she heard from Regulus that Terry and Severus had both gotten howlers. Unable to hide an evil smirk, she listened to Regulus regale the tale. Terry's mother had shouted and mentioned some unmentionable things with the promise that he'd be grounded come summer and be sent to the family farm. He'd be doing physical labor as punishment. And for the delicate Terry, this would be equivalent to him serving hard time.

Severus's Howler, on the other hand. had been rather scary, Regulus confessed. In an icy tone that filled them all with shivers, Reginald Prince had quietly asked what in Merlin's name Severus thought would happen. Had Severus not lost enough people in his life to stand to lose another? That was all the howler had said, nothing more, but Severus looked like he'd been stabbed over and over and was bleeding out at a rapid pace. Which frankly Rowan viciously thought it served him right.

On the bright side, Terry and Severus are given plenty of glares from the Hogwarts student body, who blamed them for the entire calamity. Needless to say, Terry and Severus had taken to not wandering on their own. Not that they couldn't handle themselves, but it's a bit difficult to duel ten or more individuals in higher years than yourself. Ah, yes, they learned that the hard way.

The rest of the day, Rowan was given a mix of looks of pity or disbelief. Some still didn't believe that she hadn't known, but that wasn't her problem anymore. She was stuck with the title of champion whether she wanted it or not. Though she did at least get her cloak back in the end. The two girls from Beauxbatons, who she had lent her cloak too were profoundly grateful to her.

And Rowan did somewhat cheer up after especially after haven seen that Igor Karkaroff had it just as bad as she did. Apparently, there was a bit of contentious air running in Slytherin against Karkaroff led primarily by Delilah Pizarro. There was not any obvious blatant bullying, but there were certainly sniggering remarks made by the Slytherins about protecting one's behind and trousers. Needless to say, Igor Karkaroff had earned himself the quiet nickname, "The Trouser Champion."

Feeling that more energized after that, Rowan made sure to disregard the presence of Severus and Terry in between classes, and simply ignored them when in class. Everyone knew she was angry with them both as she refused to sit next to either them even going as far as to sit with Quyen Crowley and her gang. Even Crowley and her gang knew better to antagonize Rowan and silently accepted the new temporary sitting arrangement of her sitting next to them.

And to be perfectly honest, Rowan actually found herself mildly, but pleasantly surprised by Quyen Crowley. Despite being aloof and snappish, Crowley was not that bad of a seatmate and was actually rather bright. Quietly Rowan found herself reevaluating the girl, who she had been antagonistic from the very start. They would probably never be very good friends, but there wasn't any reason why they couldn't at least be civil to each other and friendly upon occasion.

And despite Rowan's bizarre newfound rapport with Crowley, she had not changed her mind regarding Hortense Sicca and Gertrude Fowl. Those two girls were still as spiteful and nasty as always, but at least they had learned to keep their mouths shut in her presence. Not that they had a choice because if their parents heard about it, there would be high hell to pay.

Though some classes were harder than others to ignore Terry and especially Severus in. Take for example in their Alchemy class with Professor Boas, where Severus and Rowan are the only two students in the classroom. Rowan didn't make any conversation beyond that which was required, and Professor Boas noticed. But he couldn't very well force Rowan to talk to her brother as he'd even been present at the event.

Interestingly enough the delegation of students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons did in fact attend seventh-year classes. But only those that were part of their curriculum and those that weren't were taught by one of the professors, who knew of the subject or by the Headmasters themselves. Which still wasn't an issue with Rowan given the fact that she was attending 6th year classes at the highest level and not the 7th year level classes.

Nor could Albus Dumbledore do anything about the subject either. If he tried to force Rowan to speak to Severus it was always in cold curt tones and never beyond what the subject entailed. In effect, Dumbledore's office had become the scene out of something out of the Cold War. Rowan ignoring Severus and Severus doing all in his power to try to get her to talk to him again.

Finally, in the second week since the event, one evening, Dumbledore finally held Rowan back to privately talk to her. Severus kept glancing back at them as he left the office leaving Rowan staring at Fawkes and Dumbledore solemnly at her. The moment the door closed, and Dumbledore was certain Severus was gone, he said, "Rowan, how much longer are you going to continue this?"

"Until he apologizes," Rowan instantly replied as she turned to stare Dumbledore right in the eyes.

"I've already forgiven him," Rowan tiredly confessed as she slumped back in her seat. "Don't get me wrong, I still feel rather hurt, but I'm no longer as angry as I was before. And I will be getting even, later on, believe me. And despite everything that's occurred Terry's already apologized, but Severus still hasn't said anything of the sort to me."

Dumbledore wryly smiled as he says, "Then once he apologizes things will go back to normal."

"For the most part, yes," Rowan plainly stated. "But Severus has to learn to apologize. He's never been much good at it as his pride won't allow him to. It's important to say, you're sorry even if it won't change the circumstances nor the outcome."

"I see," Dumbledore wisely said. "It's a good lesson to learn. But I hope you don't mind me giving him a hint."

"I won't mind," Rowan frankly admitted. She was starting to miss Severus whether she wanted to admit that out loud or not. He was her twin and she'd never been this angry with him for this long before.

"Run along then," Dumbledore said, "Dinner's being served as we speak."

Nodding at Dumbledore, Rowan leaves as he stares at her long after she departed from his office. Something about her words stabbed him right in the chest. "It's important to say, you're sorry even if it won't change the circumstances nor the outcome."

Had he ever said those words to Aberforth? He frankly couldn't remember, but nor did I believe so. But it was much too late now, Aberforth would never stand to hear those words from him now.