Hello, all. As the school year comes to the close I've decided to take up writing again. My last project ended up being a sort of disaster, at least grammar wise. It was mostly due to the fact that I wanted to write, but didn't have the time to edit. While I cannot promise the quality of this will stay, I am hoping this story will be short and simple. It is in the same universe so I will try to stick to the characters I have used in Till the Wind Sets You Free and Paper Moon, but I may have tweak some things. However, I have decided to center this story on Rose. Centering it on Rose will be a challenge for me, because she was never really my favorite of the Next Gen. I always loved Albus, Scorpius, and Lily. Lily/Scorpius along with Albus/Scorpius are some of my favorite pairings. This one will have some OC characters and I will be flirting a bit with wizarding/muggle politics. I hope you enjoy!
It took her a good hour to get ready in the morning. In all honesty this was the least favorite part of the day. At times she wished she could just step out, no makeup with her untouched. She looked too much like her mother, though, with her curly hair. Then she got cursed with the damn Weasley freckles. Granted she'd given up her red hair a while ago, exchanged it for a more flattering shade of chocolate brown.
Every morning, Rose was amazed how muggle techniques could transform her as well as any charm. Her freckles were gone and frizzy bob was sleek, falling to frame her face. She smiled in the mirror and smoothed down her robe. Dark purple in color, she would typically eschew it for something that blended in a bit better but the Daily Prophet was a reputable wizarding organization. They valued traditions. She could stand sticking out on a London street if it meant her bosses like her a bit more because of who she was. Not who her family was.
Rose left the bathroom and went to the kitchen to grab a muffin along with an apple and the food she'd prepared for lunch the night before. This she deposited into her lunch bag. Then she grabbed her purse which looked more like a large tote bag. Small purses with expansion charms were all the rage in the wizarding world, but Rose was rubbish at finding things, a bag with a trick like that didn't help much.
At the door she slipped on a pair of low heeled shoes and was out. Her flat was in a mostly muggle complex, but it was much cheaper and closer than most of the expensive ones located near the Daily Prophet. Wizards didn't care about commuting since they could apparate, so flats close to places of employment weren't in high demand. Rose almost always splinched herself if she went further than a few blocks, getting her license was a stroke of luck on the third time. The only places she felt comfortable enough to apparate was to home or one of her relatives house.
Still she left her flat with twenty five minutes to spare. It took ten to get there plus eight maximum to pick up a coffee at her favorite shop. Then she would arrive seven minutes early. However, when she stopped in front of the shop her face fell when she saw a 'closed for renovation sign'. She crinkled her nose knowing that meant she would hope that someone started hot water so she could make a cup of tea. There was a small shop downstairs but that was wizarding coffee. Her Aunt Ginny said she was being a snob, that there was no difference. That didn't change the fact that the coffee at the shop she had was the best in years. Not only that, but the owner was accepted wizarding money. He was muggle but he had relatives that were wizards.
"Are they closed?"
"Yes," she said, turning around to look at a man in front of her.
His shoulders slumped a bit and a frown crossed his face. "Do you know somewhere else to get good coffee? This is my favorite place."
"There's a chain one down the street that's pretty good." Rose didn't remember the name of it. She'd never been inside.
"Thanks, are you going there?"
"I'll have to grab some at work; I'll be late if I go down there."
"Maybe, I'll see you around." His frown lifted a bit as he looked at her. He lingered for a few moments before starting down the sidewalk once more. Rose bites her lip and sets herself straight before going to work. Her schedule was disrupted, but her day would not be ruined because of this. She continued her way to the office, arrived with 12 minutes to spare and stopped in the café.
With a cappuccino in hand, she made it upstairs with eight minutes before she was actually supposed to be at work. She put her things away and saw the line of notes on her desk, sighed and got started.
The place didn't open up again until Saturday. Rose went there before she went over to Victoire's to babysit for her. As she got in line she saw the man from the other day. He was in jeans and a t-shirt. Her eyes scanned him and then rested on his watch. Muggle.
"That place was good if you're wondering."
"Oh?" The line moved quickly, but he stayed beside her even when she ordered. "That's good."
"Yeah, not as good as here though. I think my goal is to find somewhere around her that's decent."
Rose smiled and handed over the coins before walking to the counter. "I'm stuck in my routine. I always go to the same place." She shrugged.
"Then maybe I'll see you around again." He gave her a smile and was headed towards the door before she ever got her cup of coffee in her hand.
Rose tried to push the thought of him out of her head before went over to Vicky's, but it was hard to do. By some miracle she was able to apparate there with her body fully intact and not drawing any attention to herself on the Muggle Street. She let herself in to the muggle house, checking to see that no one was around before casting the unique charm. "Teddy? Vicky?" she called out. Before she knew what her, she saw a flash of blonde hair and then saw the girl latch herself to her legs. "Hey, Stella, how are you doing sweetie?"
"Aunt Rosie!" she exclaimed.
"Nice to see you too, sweet pea."
"Sorry about that." Victoire walked in the room with a smile a on her face. Her robes were silky and clung to her body as the flowed naturally to the ground. You would never guess that she had a child. Even her face looked much too young and untouched. Rose had always hypothesized it was the drop of Veela blood in her veins. "Thank you so much for doing this." Victoire gave her a wide genuine smile. Every inch of her was her mother, much like Rose.
"It's fine," Rose said. "I like spending time with Stella." She gave a smile to the girl who still clung to her leg. "Is there anything I need to know?"
"She's as spirited as Dom and Roxie combined. If you get her to take a nap I'll buy you a coffee." She nodded toward the to-go cup, then glanced down at her watch. "Merlin. I don't understand how anyone can live with a Potter. Teddy is always late."
"I'm a Weasley I understand more than you know." She let out a laugh. "Hugo is exactly like dad in some ways."
"Yeah, Teddy isn't exactly a Potter but I feel like Uncle Harry and James have rubbed off on him."
Rose nodded and knelt down to Stella's level. "Why don't you find your dad and get him to hurry up."
"You're playing dirty now."
Rose shrugged and looked at her cousin. "Teddy can handle her, he's an auror after all."
Victoire smiled and was about to speak when Teddy came in with Stella trailing behind just a few moments later. "I'm sorry, love, I have to go."
"Go? Go where? We've had this planned for weeks." Victoire smile quickly left her face, her arms crossed over her chest, and eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"I can't tell you the details, I'm sorry." He learned forward, grabbing her arms and kissing her firmly on the lips. "Stella, honey, I have to go to work. Can you give me a hug goodbye?"
"You're gonna be back tonight, right?" The blonde child stuck out her bottom lip and held out her arms waiting for her dad to behind over and hold her tightly. "Mommy's good at singing lullabies, but you're better at stories. I need both."
"I know you do my Stella Star." He kissed the top of her head and then got to his feet. "Sorry to have you come all the way over here Rose."
Rose just nodded and set clamped down on her jaw not wanting to say a word. Her father had been an auror for the better part of her life and while her mum was not called out on emergencies she still worked hours that were much too long. This was a part of Weasley-Potter life for better or worse.
"Looks like we're staying home," Victoire whispered. "I'm going to go change." She smoothed the front of her silky robes and went up the staircase.
Stella stood watching and tilted her head. "Is mummy mad?"
"No, but she's probably a little said. Let's make up some tea, does that sound good to you?"
Stella nodded. Rose got her settled down in the living room with some coloring pages while she put the kettle on and searched the cupboards for the biscuits that Victoire claimed not to have or to even enjoy. Teddy always kept them stocked for a time like this.
The blonde emerged 20 minutes later in a pair of well-worn jeans and t-shirt Rose suspected was Teddy's. "I should be used to this by now." She gathered her silky, long hair into messy bun atop her head. She was Weasley through and through, but looked exactly like a Delacour. Rose, though, without quite a bit of work would not be able to disguise her heritage.
"It doesn't get any easier."
"I used to do the same to him when I worked in Urgent Care. My hours may not be the most normal, but at least they are consistent." She sighed and walked over to the stove where the kettle was already whistling. Magical kettles always boiled faster than the dented muggle one Rose kept in her flat. "Damn muggles," she muttered.
"What?"
"That's what all this is about…" Victoire pulled out a wand and recited a spell that would keep Stella from hearing their conversation. "I shouldn't be mad, but that's what all this is about. Politics and sending Aurors to do their bidding." She sighed. "Thanks for offering to babysit, but I'm just going to spend the day with Stella."
"You've been looking forward to this even for weeks."
"Because Teddy and I would get to spend the day together." She let face fall, no longer kept her neutral expression. With a hand pressed to her mouth, Rose saw her resolve crumble. She moved her body so if Stella looked up all she would see was her aunt's back and not her mother's face. "I just miss him so much."
Rose pulled her cousin in for a hug and in that moment she realized something. Meeting that man and hearing Victoire talk made her realize that someone had to untangle what was going on in the Ministry. Why couldn't it be her?
