The summer had been a record breaker in terms of heat but now at the end of August it had cooled off some. It had really put a dampener on Rose Merrick as she half arsed packing to return to Hogwarts for her penultimate year in education. She had turned sixteen that summer, she was an August birthday, and was mourning the summer. Sure, she was excited to see her friends again but she wasn't looking forward to the distance, not being able to see her mother and sister every day wore on her, especially this year, her sister Victoria was now starting her first job at the ministry in the trade office. To go back to Hogwarts without the other girl was a wrench.
"You will just have to try harder with the other people in your year Rosie." Her sister said from the doorway to her room. It was a beautiful room with a classic style too it, even the four poster bed was selected to not shout at anything else in the room. It was full of delicately carved furniture and pretty patterns.
"I know that Tori but I don't want too, it's always hard enough when you are there, now you're not going to be." Rose pouted throwing her clothes onto her neatly made bed covered already in champagne coloured bedding and the contents of her winter and school wardrobe.
"We are going to Grandma Fawley's for tea; mum wants you packed by the time we get back." Victoria said with direction nodding to the mess her sister was creating.
Rose sighed out of her nose throwing her head back, her arms going limp by her sides as she stood in the double doors of her wardrobe.
"Fine, see you later." She said quietly. Victoria shut the door with a tight smile.
Rose struggled through packing her trunk by herself; her parents had directed their house elf Dinky not to help her as it was something that she needed to do by herself.
Finally as the sun was lowering in the late afternoon nearing evening she finished. All she had to do now was play records and wait for her family to return from her mother's, mother's house for dinner. It would be a while as Grandma Fawley as she was known to the Merrick house was a talker. That woman would pin you in the house with conversation until dark.
With a huff Rose picked herself up heavily from her bed, donned her white lace kimono that fell to her calves and wandered down the stairs in search of a book from the library.
"Oi James!" She heard as she reached the base of the stairs in the lobby.
Curious she looked towards the source of the sound, it appeared to be coming from the street out the front of the house, accompanied by a loud engine noise.
James may have responded but Rose didn't hear it because she opened the large black front door and the brass door knocker rattled on the wood.
The sight that greeted her was that of Black and Potter on and in a motorcycle and sidecar. It was blue, old looking and sounding very ill. James hopped out of the side car pulling off his goggles and helmet.
Curious Rose pulled the door to behind her and padded out down the circular gravel drive to the large garden gate to investigate. She just reached the open wrought iron gate when the bike gave a sad sounding cough and died.
"That doesn't sound good." Rose said startling the boys.
The boys gazes snapped to Rose simultaneously.
"Merrick?" They both chimed. Rose smiled,
"What are you doing here?" Sirius demanded almost rudely. Rose looked back at the house she had come out of, The Dowager House standing tall at four stories and beautiful with the wisteria covering half of the Georgian front face.
"I live here. Why are you here?" She asked in a gentler tone.
"Getting some last minute supplies for school. Pads thought the beast could make it." James lightly kicked the sidecar.
"Well I was clearly wrong wasn't I?" Sirius said frustrated pulling off his helmet and goggles.
"I know a guy, can you push it?" Rose said confidently, moving to open the gates and slip out.
"Won't people miss the princess Rosemary?" James mocked. Rose pulled a face at him sticking out her tongue.
"Actually no. They are at my Grandma Fawley's so they won't be back until after dark." Rose said primly stepping out into the silent road in front of the bike.
"Why? Is it contractual?" Sirius said sarcastically barking a laugh. Rose smirked,
"No, she's a talker." Rose said nodding for them to follow her. They did follow her to the garage three streets over and round a corner.
"You had a good summer then Merrick?" James asked politely.
Rose looked back and tipped her head from shoulder to shoulder pouting.
"It was alright, the garden party was way too hot and should not have been held but other than that yes good, went to France again, which was nice. You two?" She replied, she turned back to where she was walking missing the look of communication between the two boys. James's asking, and Sirius debating then shrugging.
"Was great, I got a new family member." James said with a smirk,
Rose's head whipped round, her face the epitome of confusion.
"He means me. I got kicked out." Sirius said rolling his eyes. Rose could tell it was an act and that he wasn't strictly alright with the change in living circumstances, it was the way he flexed his grip on the handlebars.
"Right." Rose said nodding once. She pointed to the auto yard on the other side of the street halting all conversation then.
They followed her directions pushing the lumbering beast of a machine into the driveway of the garage.
"Rosie!" Came a cry from the handsome man in overalls wiping his hands on a dirty oil cloth. He emerged from the dark recesses of the mechanics shop. He had an oil smudge on his face and a beaming smile.
"Hiya David." Rose greeted kindly, a tired look flittered over her pretty roundish face that only Sirius seemed to catch.
He looked back at the young man coming towards them with suspicion. Some habits that he had grown up having ingrained into him died hard, instant suspicion of Muggles was one of them.
"I've not seen you all summer, where've you been?" David asked stopping just short of her with a form of familiarity that hinted at a shared past.
Rose stepped back a little,
"Not in the Rose and Crown." She smiled overly sweetly at him. David's beaming smile faltered a little and he took notice of the two others that she had with her.
"Hi." James waved a little awkwardly.
"My friend's bike has packed in, could you please take a look at it?" Rose asked sweetly.
David looked at James who was stood a little way off of the bike and then at Sirius who had perched himself on the black leather seat.
"Sure, on one condition." David said with a firmness that suggested that he wasn't going to back down.
"What is it?" Rose sighed pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You come down the pub before you go back to school." David said. Rose nodded,
"Just look at the bike David." She said tiredly, smiling tightly leaving the boys with the muggle man.
She could hear Sirius talking to the mechanic from where she stopped at the end of the large driveway.
"I'm sensing that you and 'David' don't exactly get on?" James said as he stopped next to her looking out on the large expanse of fields. Rose looked at the taller boy next to her; he had his hands in the pockets of his lightly flared jeans that he wore with a black Led Zeppelin t shirt and cord jacket. The low sun reflected off his glasses masking his concerned eyes.
"Not really. Being the only pureblood children in the village was difficult, David was a nice boy, he then asked me out and we did for a while but…"
"Those kinds of relationships never work." James finished nodding.
"Yeah." Rose agreed. An idea bloomed in James' head. Sirius had liked Rose for a while, he had only told James once but he knew his friend would help the girl out. He had also watched the same boy struggle to write Rose a single letter over the summer but he sent Lilly loads.
"Take Sirius to the pub with you tonight." James suggested bumping Rose's shoulder lightly with his arm.
"What?" Rose asked looking back at the boys by the bike. She pushed back a long lock of caramel hair that had fallen in front of her face.
"Davie never said you couldn't bring someone with you, just that you had to go. This way you won't be alone and Sirius can be here to pick his bike up first thing. I'll tell my folks where we are." James explained.
"Or you could send them a letter and both come with me?" Rose said brightly, James smiled,
"You really don't want to be left in that pub alone do you?" He chuckled.
"Nope, it's full of the people I went with to the village school." She laughed back.
Sirius looked up at the sound of her laugh. It was loud and not particularly melodious but he liked the sound of it. He pushed the glossy curls back on his head to see her better.
David scoffed when he saw the look on Sirius' face.
"Forget it mate." David said confidently. Sirius looked at the blonde man; his face was long and very masculine. The bushy eyebrows with the heavy set brow and the wisps of a moustache it could only be described as unrefined masculinity. Sirius thought on his own aristocratic features and smiled to himself.
"Forget what?" He looked back to David now his eyebrow cocked.
"Princess Merrick doesn't sully her hands with the likes of us anymore." David explained as if he was talking to another muggle.
"Right."
"Got some boyfriend at her posh bloody school that she hates to leave." David looked up to Sirius' grey eyes then.
"You go to her school don't you?" He realised, regret written all over his face.
"Yes, I do. Tell me more about this guy she likes then." Sirius prompted with a smirk.
"Well apparently he has dark hair and is about the same height as her and is 'extremely handsome and he knows it' whatever that means, she said he makes her laugh." David shrugged bitterly looking over the bike again.
"Oh right. I've never seen her with anyone but I'll keep a look out." Sirius said conspiratorially.
"Alright." David said a wicked gleam in his eye, "Should be ready tomorrow lunch, about twelve."
Sirius stuck his hand out for David to shake and beamed a mischievous grin, "Fantastic, thanks."
Sirius collected the bag from the sidecar and headed over to the pair of his friends clapping James on the back.
"Alright?" James greeted him.
"Fantastic, should be ready tomorrow lunch apparently."
"Great because we are staying here tonight and going to the pub with Rosemary." James said confidently smiling. Sirius looked to the long haired girl and brightened.
"Brilliant. You should know I shattered his illusions about your school boyfriend by the way." Sirius admitted walking off into the road. James laughed and followed him.
"You what?!" Rose demanded hurrying after them.
"Like glass." Sirius said with mock sympathy.
Rose groaned.
"Why? Why would you do that?" She shoved the boys shoulder and he laughed again.
"Because the poor man was mooning over you bitterly." Sirius answered, "It was the right thing to do."
"No the right thing to do was to say nothing." Rose instructed guiding them back to the Dowager house.
A minute later they reached the gates,
"That was my excuse for not dating him; he's asked me about it loads." Rose protested. James and Sirius looked at each other and both mock gasped,
"Rosemary, that's lying. That's wrong." Sirius mockingly admonished.
"I am shocked, who has corrupted you so?" James said pressing his hand to his chest.
Rose let out a noise of frustration shoving James as he burst out laughing.
Together they walked up the gravel drive and into the house.
Sirius let out a low whistle.
"Well, well, well, you really are a princess Rosemary." James taunted a blushing Rose.
"No I am not Potter." Rose protested.
"I think the chandelier begs to differ Rosie." Sirius said raising his eyebrows at her pointing at the light fixture hanging over the staircase. Rose just rolled her eyes and walked through a door to the corridor to the kitchen.
"Dinky, we are having two more for dinner." Rose announced entering the stone floored kitchen,
"Friends of Miss Rosie?" Dinky squeaked, Rose smiled and nodded in response.
"Wizards." Rose said pre-empting the coming question. Dinky smiled and nodded running off to the stove.
"Oi Rose." Sirius called, Rose followed his voice back to the hall. She came back to see her family piling in through the door,
"Rose who are these boys currently filling my hall?" Her father asked. Victoria smiled at them while Rose's mother was looking Sirius over with blatant disapproval.
"They're friends from school Daddy, James Potter and Sirius Black, their bike broke down and they need to stay the night." Rose explained nervously. Ignatius Merrick was a large and intimidating looking man, a half blood that had excelled at Quidditch and gone on to work in the Sports department of the Ministry.
"Well, I don't know about a Black under my roof." Ignatius grumbled.
"I was kicked out by them too, don't worry about it, sir." Sirius said with a false positivity.
"Oh you're the one…" Raina Merrick realised setting a hand on her husband's arm. "You're more than welcome to stay." She assured.
Rose beamed at them,
"Have you informed Dinky? I won't have her being put out. Have you finished packing before your friends descended?"
Rose stood a little straighter,
"Yes, yes and yes Mummy." Raina nodded once and then headed off to the kitchen to inform Dinky again about the visitors.
Victoria headed off upstairs and Ignatius shifted awkwardly.
"Have you informed your parent's boy?" He asked James. James shook his head,
"Not yet, sir."
"I'll drop them a note." He turned and walked into his study, the room was the first door to the right of the front.
"That was as brief as my family meetings." Sirius muttered, while James rounded on Rose.
"Mummy and Daddy?" He said incredulously.
"Oh shut up." Rose snapped, "Come on, I'll show you where you're staying."
Rose led them up the decorative wooden staircase that ran up the middle of the hall and into a room next to hers with two single beds in it.
"I'm right next door; bathroom is the door one further on." Rose said.
"What time are we off to the pub? My mum gave us some muggle money for the London trip just in case we needed to catch a train." James said as he sat on one of the very squishy beds. Sirius throwing his whole body on to the bedding.
"Probably about eight or nine, the Rose and Crown is full of them then." Rose shrugged leaning on the door frame.
"How come you can get served? Isn't muggle legal age eighteen, that's what Dawley said and he's a muggle born, he'd know." Sirius asked.
"Lavenam's Rose and Crown has a really lax policy on age, the landlord is an old coot and as long as his pub is full of people in the evening he doesn't give a Niffler's penny."
"Oh right." James nodded running his hand through his hair messing it up further.
When they reached the pub at half nine after the family dinner had finished, it was full of people their age including David who cheered as they walked in.
"You came!" He pushed his way through the small gathering of people in the limited space of the pub to reach them. He had already had a few. "It's a good job too because I stayed later to finish it."
"Have you eaten David?" Rose frowned concerned. David shook his head,
"Liquid dinner." He proffered his half-drunk pint and laughed. Sirius smirked and breathed out a little laugh making eye contact with James who was wearing the same expression.
"Dinks, yeah?" Sirius clapped his hands together with a smile. Rose nodded,
"You know what I drink." She said dismissively, Sirius answered with a nod and looked at a confused James who shrugged,
"Whatever you're having." He said, Sirius nodded again and headed to the bar.
"Will he be okay with the money?" James whispered to Rose, she smiled and nodded gripping his arm and pulling him to the last remaining table.
"He'll be fine; I gave him a crash course at Christmas. He was curious and asked me and Lilly."
David followed them and pulled over another stool.
"So you go to Rosie's school?" He set down his pint his unfocused eyes locking on James, "Who's the guy she left me for? Do you know him?"
"Honestly David, don't." Rose sighed. She had thought something like this would happen. James' face lit up,
"Oh yeah, he's a great guy. Loyal as a dog." He said cheekily winking at Rose. She tried her hardest to supress a smirk but failed. James was messing with David.
Rose looked up to see Sirius grinning, he was taking it all in, the smell the chatter about 'Football' and the general muggleness of the place. He caught Rose's eye and winked at her, he grinned harder at the blush it brought to her cheeks.
Rose's eyes flickered to the open seat next to her and he nodded once in understanding. 'Do not leave me next to David.' Was what she had said with her eyes, and Sirius never one to leave a girl stranded and uncomfortable, understood what he had to do.
"That'll be one pound four." A wizened old man behind the bar said holding out his hand. Sirius looked at the money in his hand that Rose had given him before they entered and handed over a pound note and some of the copper coins that looked like Knuts. That seemed to satisfy the old man because he walked away down the bar to a local boy asking for another pint.
Sirius took the three classes in both hands and carefully walked over to the table, he did so while Rose held David's attention until he was almost upon them and took the seat next to Rose.
"One whiskey, ten years old." He handed Rose her tumbler, "One pint of beer, lager." He handed it to James who looked excited to be trying the new muggle drink, "and one for me. Cheers." He pressed his glass against Rose's with a smile and took a big gulp.
"Slow down." Rose hissed. Sirius pulled a face at the taste of the drink and after swallowing barked a laugh.
"Cheers for fixing my bike mate." Sirius said to David who tightly smiled and looked about the room. He spotted one of his friends and waved in acknowledgement.
"No bother mate." He dismissed taking another large drink of his pint. Then Rose saw an idea bloom in his head, it was like a light came on behind his eyes and she knew what it would be about.
"Say, you two go to school with our Rosie, maybe you could shed some light onto a mystery that the whole village has wondered about. The mystery about the Merrick Family."
"Don't know what you mean mate, Rosemary is as open as a book." James said confused leaning back onto the wall in his seat.
"Ah that's odd see, my dad's mate Billy, he married Rosie's aunt and then he just closed off." Sirius looked at Rose.
"Uncle Billy married my mother's sister, Aunt Phyllis who went to our school." Rose explained. Sirius nodded understanding.
"Yeah and he just stopped talking to everyone, moved off. Which is weird, you see, because when they were seeing each other he told my dad, right, that he would make them stay in Lavenam and go to the school with the local lads and take his surname. He gets married to the Merrick and suddenly he can't talk about the family no more and they move away and then I hear that little Johnny is going to the same school as Rose in September." David explained.
"That's up to Uncle Billy David." Rose insisted taking a sip of her amber drink.
"What I want to know though is why didn't he insist the kid have his name?" David pushed.
"That's weird actually." James agreed looking at Rose.
"It's a family thing, it's a part of the 'family constitution'" Rose began air quoting the words, "Once the marriage licence is signed then they become part of the Fawley bloodline, certain assurances are needed in order for the line to live on. Such as the party that didn't attend the school we go to not pass their name on. They are not allowed to talk about the family activities to their other friends."
"Ah right. I get it." Sirius said his voice deepening unexpectedly. James nodded as well.
"Well I don't. Something is up with your family and I know it." David accused Rose.
"Look David. I get that you are maybe still sore about me and you last year but it was a year ago, we've both changed since then." Rose said trying to placate the irate man.
Sirius inched his stool a little closer to Rose, watching the situation closely. He understood to greater depth now why she wanted both of them there to be at her side, it was like walking into a lion's den.
"Sure, you have all these new friends. You and Tori. Even that garden party that nobody is invited to, why would you want to slum it with us plebs?" David grumbled.
"I think one of your friends is trying to get your attention Davie mate." James said quickly pointing to the young man at the end of the bar looking over constantly.
David just stood abruptly and swaying slightly walked across the bar.
Rose rested her head on Sirius' shoulder as James burst out laughing.
"Muggles mate, you can't write this stuff." He laughed, Sirius joining and then Rose who rubbed her right hand on her face and groaned.
"I can see why you didn't want to come alone Rosemary." Sirius chuckled. "The beers good though."
"Yeah, since Uncle Billy divorced Aunt Phyllis there has been disquiet. He signed the licence in full knowledge of what would happen to him if he tried to divorce her. The contract clearly states that the muggle party will present with memory like issues." Rose said explaining what to her was a fair deal.
"What does it actually say in regards to them though?" James asked sipping his beer.
"Specifically, if they are not of magical ability or blood they will have to sign an enchanted contract that if voided will mean that they are to have the memories of magic removed. They are to surrender their name and fortune to the family and that they are not to talk of magic to any muggles, it's impossible for them to after they have signed, they can talk of the family but the words that come out are muggle filtered." Rose explained in between sips of her drink.
"That's recommended by the ministry actually mate." Sirius nodded to James, he had relaxed in his seat too, his arm over the back of Rose's chair.
"It keeps the family safe." Rose shrugged.
"But your Uncle divorced your Aunt?" Sirius prompted. Rose nodded,
"Billy hated not being able to talk to anyone about us, he hated just being with us towards the end, even little Johnny when he presented traits." Rose said, "So he filed for divorce and my Dad struck his name from the contract, Uncle Billy then became Billy who had been hit in the head and gotten partial amnesia, it was a bit strong actually, he forgets who he is sometimes."
"Merlin's beard." James muttered,
"Well he did hit Johnny too at times to try and stop him from presenting magic and then my Aunt found out and that was the last straw, kicked him out that night." Rose said, the boys frowned, suddenly understanding the extremes that had been taken.
A quiet moment passed as the three took in the atmosphere of the pub. This was shattered by a loud squeal.
"Rose!" A blonde girl exclaimed in her too loud and too high voice.
"Ah fuck. Here we go." Rose muttered. She pushed a tight smile onto her face. Debbie White was weaving her way from the door to the table, her face fully painted with makeup, her eyelids bright colours, her hair a mess of carefully placed pin curls, her top a light halter and her skirt falling to just mid-thigh all of that with white plastic platform calf boots made her look as muggle as can be.
"Bloody Nora." Sirius slipped.
Debbie reached the table taking David's vacant seat and leant over,
"Hiya Rosie, not seen you in ages! Who are these two handsome fellas you've got with you?" Debbie asked,
"This is James, and this is Sirius." She introduced them. "They go to my school."
"Debbie." She said smiling in what she thought was an alluring way.
"Oooo, the mysterious school in Scotland." Debbie said tying to be charming.
"It's not that mysterious." Sirius said suppressing a burp.
"Well either way, I bet it's better than anything round here."
Sirius jumped banging into the table. His widened eyes shot to Rose.
Debbie had run her manicured hand up his leg rather higher than he was comfortable and it was a bit of a shock.
"What is it you do?" James asked politely. They had begun to drink a little quicker and James was half way through his pint. They had been there for just under an hour.
"Oh I'm up at the factory, secretary office." Debbie waved her hand as if dismissing the comment.
"So where are you two from?" She asked the boys ignoring James and Rose, her gaze caught by Sirius.
"Well, I'm from London but James is from the West Country." Sirius said trying to divert the attention away from him.
Rose rested her head on Sirius' shoulder gently and smiled tightly at Debbie.
"That's interesting. Where abouts in London?" Debbie pushed not getting the message. Sirius let his right hand fall forward over Rose's shoulder.
"Islington." Sirius said shortly.
"My village is actually similar to this place." James offered, again he was ignored and Rose could see it was starting to get to him.
"That's nice, specks." Debbie said with a fake smile. "London is far more interesting than a little village in the west country."
"Don't take offence James, it's not like Debbie even knows where that is. In fact, it's a wonder that Debbie got here, who drove you this time? Was it the guy that's married or is it the other one?" Rose snapped finally reaching her limit with the older girl.
Sirius smirked down at Rose; this was a side he had never seen from her before. At school and with them she was as nice as pie, even to the Slytherins calling her a blood traitor. Butter wouldn't melt with that Rose but now, now she was showing her thorns fully.
"At least I don't act like a stuck up bitch." Debbie snapped back, "You and that sister of yours, Tori." She sneered.
"Now that's a bit strong." James tried to say.
"Debbie, you look ridiculous, and a bit trampy." Rose said with a sympathetic smile that everyone knew was fake.
"You'd know all about trampy leading David on all this time." Debbie hissed. Rose leant forward then,
"You want him, go ahead. That violent dick has been mooning after me for years, while I was only ever nice to him. I never led him on Debbie. If you go now he should just be drunk enough not to laugh in your face." Rose said bitterly pointing to the blonde man at the other side of the room leaning on his friend.
Debbie got up from the small table, her eyes shining with furry.
"One of these days Rosie you're going to find someone who's as cutting as you are, I hope to God I am there to see it. You could do with being taken down a peg or two." With that she flounced off to the other side of the bar and hung off David.
Sirius looked at his two inches of pint left and took a bigger mouthful while letting go of Rose.
"I'm sorry that I forced you two into this." Rose said finishing her drink. James laughed,
"No, it's alright. Where else would you get a bitter man and mild cat fight all in one place?"
"A Quidditch pitch?" Sirius mused; James nodded considering the point,
"The cauldron shop." James countered,
"The train station." Sirius shot back,
"The Leaky Cauldron." James offered,
"The ministry?" Sirius asked with a grin. Rose began to smile at their banter and breathed a laugh.
"Quality Quidditch supplies." She said quietly,
"There you go see, nothing to worry about. We won't even send a written account of this to Moony." James said laughingly.
They finished their drinks and stood as one shuffling out of the pub.
They can't have taken more than ten steps from the door when it opened again. David ran out into the road stumbling slightly his head whipping about finally seeing the three walking off down the road teasing Rose to make her giggle.
"Oi!" He called out angrily.
James looked back but they kept walking.
"Oi Rosie!" He shouted again.
"This guy just does not give up, does he?" Sirius asked Rose incredulously laughing.
"What do you want mate?" Sirius shouted back.
"Rosie. You're not coming back are you?" He called again. Sirius slung his arm around the girl's shoulders,
"Nah mate, think she prefers us." He laughed, tickling her waist.
Rose shoved his arm off her shoulders giggling. They left a red-faced David in the road and walked off to the large gates. The childish larks continued up to the gate, James barked, Sirius laughed and did a wolf call. Rose just laughed at their antics, not fully understanding the inside reference just guiding them inside the building.