Does Your Mother Know?

Chapter 2 – The Guessing Game

A/N: Thanks for the positive response in reviews! I know I've put the pairing up as Harry/Hermione but that doesn't mean Harry is Rose's Dad. It just means regardless of who Rose's Dad is, Harry will be there for Hermione and Rose anyway.

I hope you continue to enjoy the fic, and thanks again guys!


Rose was sitting in her room reading a book when she heard her Mother talking to someone in the living room. She frowned and got to her feet, as she peered through her bedroom door she grinned as she saw Victoire making small-talk with her Mum.

'Vicki, hey!' she said when she saw her best friend.

July was nearing its end now and it had been over a week since Rose had seen Victoire. When she was stuck here with only her Mum and the drunken idiots in the pub for company that seemed like an incredibly long time.

Hermione smiled and said, 'I'll just get dinner on Rose, Victoire said she'll be staying.'

'Okay, thanks Mum!' Rose said, dragging Victoire into her bedroom and shutting the door.

'Do you come bearing news?' Rose asked in a whisper.

Victoire nodded eagerly, 'Dad told me at dinner last night, Uncle Ron has been offered the position, but he isn't sure if he should take it.'

'Really?' Rose asked, her face falling.

'But don't worry, Dad is trying to convince him it's a good idea. He doesn't know what we're doing of course, but I think he suspects we're up to something,' Victoire cut in.

'Well, at least he didn't ask,' Rose said, 'and there's hope…right? That he might take the job?'

'Of course there is,' Victoire said, and they passed the time scheming some more as only two Slytherins could.

When dinner was called by Hermione, another opportunity presented itself.

'Are you busy next Saturday Rosie?' Hermione asked over the delicious steak pie they were eating.

Rose shook her head, 'No, why?'

'It's your Uncle Harry's 35th birthday party,' Hermione said, 'he's having a little family party at his house. He invited both of us, and you didn't make it last year.'

Rose frowned slightly, she hadn't seen her Uncle Harry since she found out he could be her Father. Victoire nudged her as her Mum asked, 'are you alright sweetheart?'

'Fine mum,' Rose lied, 'yeah, I'll go. It will be nice to see Uncle Harry again.'

'Good,' Hermione said with a smile, 'he'll be glad to see you again too.'

Rose now felt incredibly anxious for Saturday to come around, but she knew it was a good opportunity to scope him out and see if he'd been asked to take the Defence against the Dark Arts position yet.


Saturday happened to be a bright sunny day, and as Rose dressed in a simple summer dress and ate breakfast with her Mother, she tried not to let her worries show. But her Mother knew something was up.

'What's wrong Rose?' Hermione asked with a slight frown.

'Nothing,' Rose lied weakly.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her daughter, 'I know you sweetheart. What's on your mind?'

Rose sighed, quickly coming up with a lie to get her Mum off her back, 'It's just 7th year. I've always had a lot to live up to, with you being the smartest witch of your age, and now I have the responsibility of Head Girl.'

Her 'lie' wasn't too far-fetched, in fact it was true. It just wasn't what was worrying her right now.

'You are your own person,' Hermione said, 'people don't compare you to me. Do they?'

'All the time,' Rose said, 'didn't you know?'

Hermione shook her head.

'Mum, you got O's in all of your N.E.W.T's after surviving a war and missing your whole 7th year,' Rose said, a smirk playing on her lips.

Hermione couldn't help but smile slightly, 'I learned most of what I needed for my N.E.W.T's in 6th year, it's nothing special.'

Rose raised an eyebrow at her Mum, 'You were amazing Mum, you could have gotten any job you wanted. Why are you still running this dump?'

'I guess after the war I just like the peaceful life,' Hermione said gently, 'and all the jobs the Ministry threw at me would have meant I would have been working 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday. This way I got to raise you.'

Rose frowned, 'Thanks Mum.'

'What for?' Hermione asked in surprise.

Rose shrugged, 'Choosing me over your life.'

'I didn't choose you over my life,' Hermione said honestly, 'you are my life Rose.'

Rose was quiet for a moment, feeling guilty all of a sudden about her search for her Father and how much she was keeping from her Mum.

'Mum…' Rose began tentatively, 'I'm going into 7th year now…and I just wondered if you could…' she trailed off, losing her nerve.

'If I could what?' Hermione asked.

'If you could let me and Victoire go to Diagon Alley on our own this year,' Rose compromised.

Hermione chuckled, 'Sure,' she said as she got to her feet, 'but for now we need to leave for Uncle Harry's. We're going by floo.'

Rose nodded and got to her feet too, 'Thanks Mum,' she said as the floo powder was thrown into the fireplace. She followed her Mum into the green flames and emerged in the kitchen of her Uncle Harry's renovated London home.

'They'll be outside,' Hermione said, leading Rose into the sunlit back garden where a few of Harry's close friends were gathered. She knew almost everyone, all of the Weasley's and their respective spouses and children, this was good because it meant Victoire was here, but it was also bad because it meant that not one, but two of her possible Fathers was here.

'I'll leave you two to it,' Hermione said with a smile as Victoire rushed towards them, 'I'm going to wish Harry a happy birthday, make sure you do too before we leave.'

'I will,' Rose promised as her Mum walked away and Victoire reached her.

'You will never guess whose here,' she said with an amused grin.

'Who?' Rose asked, looking around in surprise.

'All three of your prospective Fathers.'

'What?' Rose asked sharply, 'Professor Longbottom is here too?'

Victoire nodded, 'He's talking to my Dad right at this very moment. Do you know who else is here?'

Rose's eyes widened as she saw who Victoire was referring to, 'Scorp…shit, Scorp is here!'

'And his Father, you know he and Harry are friends,' Victoire said casually, 'your Mother knows you two are friends. Just try to avoid snogging his face off.'

'Thanks for that fantastic advice Vicky,' Rose said sarcastically.

At that point Scorpius walked up to them with Teddy Lupin, Harry's Godson and Victoire's older boyfriend.

'Hey Victoire, Rose,' Scorpius said far too casually.

Teddy raised an eyebrow, 'Which one of your parents doesn't know about your relationship then?'

Rose chuckled, 'My Mother of course. She'd go crazy if she knew.'

'And yet your ex-death eater, pureblood Father is cool with it?' Teddy asked, glancing to Scorpius in amusement.

Scorpius shrugged, smirking slightly, 'What can I say? It's an extreme reversal of roles,' he joked.

Teddy laughed and glanced around briefly, 'Vicky told me about your Dad search. You narrowed it down?'

Rose nodded, the nerves about her Fathers re-surfacing.

'Are any of them here?' Teddy asked curiously.

'All of them are,' Rose replied weakly.

Teddy's eyebrows shot up at this and Scorpius nudged Rose, 'You might as well tell him who they are, Victoire will do it when we're not here if you don't.'

Victoire only grinned in response to this so Rose smiled weakly, 'Uh well the three possible Fathers I've found are Ronald Weasley, Neville Longbottom and Harry…Potter.'

Rose hadn't thought it was possible for Teddy's eyebrows to rise any further, but they did, 'Harry? And Professor Longbottom?' he laughed and patted her on the shoulder, 'have fun working through that one Rosie,' he said as he walked away.

'Don't listen to him, he's just been an arse,' Victoire said quickly as she shot off after Teddy.

Rose sighed and turned to Scorpius once more, 'He's right. What am I supposed to do?'

'Just act natural,' Scorpius said with a smile, 'we'll work things out later. I'm going to get Dad to try and find out if Harry's taken the Defence post yet.'

Rose nodded, 'Okay, I'll see you…sometime.'

'Love you,' Scorpius whispered before walking away and leaving Rose standing alone in the garden. She sighed and began to make her way over to Harry so she could wish him a happy birthday when something stopped her.

'It's just Rose, she's been difficult lately.'

Rose recognised that voice instantly, it belonged to her Mum. She glanced over to where she was talking to Luna and Ginny a couple of metres away.

'What do you mean?' Ginny asked.

Hermione sighed, 'It's like everything has to be a fight these days.'

'She's just growing up,' Luna said, 'testing her boundaries.'

'I thought so too at first, but it's more than that,' Hermione said, 'she's being so secretive and jumpy…no matter what I do she only pushes me out more.'

'Maybe you should take a step back and let her make her own decisions,' Ginny suggested, 'she's well on her way to becoming an adult now.'

'I know,' Hermione said weakly.

'That's the problem, isn't it?' Luna asked with a smile, 'you don't want her to grow up.'

'It feels like yesterday she got her Hogwarts letter,' Hermione admitted, 'the time has just gone too fast…I'm not ready to let go of her quite yet.'

'You'll need to learn,' Ginny said gently, 'you have a year, give or take, until her graduation.'

'Don't remind me,' Hermione said faintly.

'Will her Father be at her graduation?' Luna asked.

'I don't know,' Hermione said honestly, 'I'm not sure who he is, and he definitely doesn't know about Rose.'

'I don't want to push like I did when Rose was little, Hermione,' Ginny said, 'but maybe you should make an effort to get him there. If I was in Rose's position I know that I would want my Father there.'

Hermione frowned and changed the subject quickly, Rose was frozen in surprise from the small section of the conversation she had heard.

'Hey Rose!'

Rose jumped and spun around, 'Oh, hey Uncle Harry,' she said, relaxing very slightly, 'happy birthday.'

'Thank you,' Harry said with a smile, 'are you alright?'

'I…I…' Rose stopped herself and shrugged.

'What's wrong?' Harry asked.

Rose sighed, finally spilling out her feelings to someone, 'I've been looking for my Dad. I want him to be at my graduation.'

'Have you talked to your Mum about it?' Harry asked, pulling a couple of seats over and sitting down with Rose.

'I couldn't do that,' Rose said quietly, 'I tried once and she blew her top at me.'

Harry frowned, 'Well, I think that summer after the war is a time in her life she wants to forget. It was probably the memories that set her off, not anything you did.'

'Maybe…but I still don't want to talk to her about it,' Rose admitted.

'Do you know anything about him?' Harry asked.

Rose shook her head, 'All Mum told me was that it was a summer romance with a foreign wizard. He had gone home before she knew she was pregnant.' That was the truth, or part of it, that was all Hermione had ever told Rose about her Dad.

'Then I'm afraid I can't help you, because that's all your Mum ever told me,' Harry said.

'Thanks anyway Uncle Harry, sorry to bring this up on your birthday,' Rose said.

Harry smiled, 'Don't be silly Rose, it's not even a significant birthday. Congratulations by the way, on your 'secret' romance with Scorpius.'

Rose's eyes widened, 'Oh! Uncle Harry, please don't tell Mum, she doesn't know and she'll-'

'Freak out,' Harry finished, 'don't worry your secret is safe with me.'

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but Harry predicted her words, 'and I'll keep your other secret too.'

Rose smiled and thanked him once more then he moved on to talk to other people at the party, leaving Rose more confused and conflicted than before.


'Any closer to finding that illustrious Father of yours?'

Rose spun around at the familiar voice, 'No, what are you doing here Septimus?'

Septimus smiled as he leant against the brick wall by the old pub, 'Buying my school supplies, like everyone else.'

Rose narrowed her eyes at her friend, 'Aren't you here with Scorp?'

'I'm meeting him here,' Septimus said, 'what are you waiting around for?'

'Victoire,' Rose said, 'I'm meeting her here.'

'Hmm,' Septimus said thoughtfully, 'that's a weird coincidence.'

'You're horrendous Septimus,' Rose said, 'you knew I was meeting Vicki here, that's why you chose to meet Scorp here! She won't go out with you, she's with Teddy.'

'And that's not going to last forever,' Septimus said smoothly, 'she'll come to her senses.'

'Who will?'

In a feat of lying so spectacular it made even Rose gape, Septimus turned to Victoire with a smile and said, 'Rose's Mother, when she finds out about the quest for the Dads.'

'Oh,' Victoire said, 'I'm sure she'll come around eventually. I mean she has to, right?'

Rose nodded, 'I guess so,' she said, shooting a glare in Septimus's direction.

'Are we waiting for Scorpius?' Victoire asked as she looked around.

'As usual,' Rose said simply.

'He's late for a reason today,' Septimus said, 'he's waiting for his Father to come back from the meeting with the governors. The one deciding the final staff positions for the school year.'

'It's a bit late for that isn't it?' Victoire asked, 'term starts in 2 weeks.'

'2 weeks is plenty of time to settle in and write up some class plans,' Rose reasoned hopefully.

'And it looks like our new Defence professor and flying coach will be doing just that,' a new voice said, making the other three all turn towards him.

'Scorp…' Rose said slowly, 'are you saying what I think you're saying?'

Scorpius grinned, his blue eyes glinting with amusement, 'I'm saying all three of your Dads are going to be at Hogwarts for your final year, and as Head Girl you get privileges to the Professors.'

'This is your best chance of finding your Dad, Rose,' Victoire said excitedly.

Even Septimus smiled, 'If you can't find out this year, when can you find out?'

'I guess,' Rose said, half-grinning, and half-grimacing, 'this is either going to be the worst school year of my life, or the best…'

'It's certainly going to be interesting,' Septimus voiced.


Platform 9 ¾ was buzzing with excitement and shrouded in smoke like it was every year. The sounds of the old steam train filled the air, along with the hoots of owls, meows of cats and sounds of excitement from children.

Rose walked along the platform with her Mother, looking for her friends out of the corner of her eye as she did so.

'Here will do Mum,' Rose said when she spotted Scorpius and Septimus up ahead.

'Are you sure?' Hermione asked.

Rose nodded and kissed her Mum on the cheek, 'I'll see you at Christmas.'

'Have a good year sweetheart,' Hermione said with a smile, 'and do make sure to write. I want to hear all about being Head Girl.'

'I promise I will,' Rose said, still feeling the twinge in her gut at leaving her Mum, the same twinge she had felt in 1st year.

'I love you,' Hermione said as she kissed Rose on the cheek.

'I love you too,' Rose said as the first warning whistle sounded. She hauled her trunk onto the train with her owl in his cage in her other hand and then the second whistle sounded.

Rose stood by the door, waving to her Mum until the train rounded the corner. Then she moved up the train through the carriages until she found the compartment that Scorpius and Septimus were settling into.

'Hey Rosie!' Scorpius said happily as he lifted her trunk up for her and kissed her lightly.

'Hey Scorp,' Rose said, sitting down heavily next to him, 'hey Septimus.'

Septimus nodded in her direction, 'Do you reckon Vicki might actually sit with us on the train now that colourbrain has graduated?'

'Leave Teddy alone,' Rose chastised.

Scorpius was hiding a smirk as he said, 'Yes Septimus, I suspect she will.'

Not long after those words had been spoken Victoire found their compartment and sat down next to Septimus. As the train wound its way through the British countryside the conversation turned, as it so regularly did, to Rose's Dads.

'Do you know how you're going to find out which one is your Dad yet?' Victoire asked.

Rose groaned, the subject was now just terrifying, 'I have no idea…I guess I just need to get close to each one so I can try and suss out which one is most like me…'

'Well you know how to get close to Professor Longbottom,' Victoire said eagerly, 'join the Herbology club.'

Rose sighed, 'Yeah…I figured I might have to do that.'

'As for Weasley, you're already on the Slytherin team, that's about as close as you can get to the flying coach,' Septimus said dryly.

'And then you've got your Uncle Harry,' Scorpius finished, 'you could always offer to chair the duelling club?'

Rose nodded, 'So I'm joining clubs this year, as well as trying to balance my N.E.W.T's, Quidditch and being Head Girl.'

Scorpius patted her on the back sympathetically and Septimus said slightly wickedly, 'Well you wanted to find out who your Dad is.'


'My face still hurts.'

'Oh shut up Septimus,' Victoire said in amusement as she, Rose and Scorpius climbed into a carriage with him.

'Yeah, you deserved a slap after your comments about her Dads,' Scorpius added.

'That's low Scorp,' Septimus said with a shake of his head, 'bros before hoes.'

'Who are you calling a ho?' Rose asked with a raised eyebrow as the carriage moved off.

Septimus rolled his eyes and got slapped again by Rose for this notion.

Scorpius sniggered as the carriage weaved towards the castle with its glowing lights.

'Still feels like coming home, doesn't it?' He said.

Rose nodded, 'It always does.'

'It's weird to think that we'll never get the Hogwarts Express to school again, or attend another sorting ceremony,' Victoire said.

'At least you get to see Louis being sorted,' Septimus reasoned.

Victoire nodded, 'Yeah, I'm glad about that. I have no idea what house he'll be in though.'

'Well, I doubt he'll be a Slytherin,' Rose said, 'you're the odd one out. You're the only Weasley ever to be sorted into it.'

'And he doesn't have the brains to be in Ravenclaw,' Victoire remarked.

'He'll probably go into Gryffindor like the rest of your clan,' Scorpius said.

'My clan?' Victoire asked with a raised eyebrow.

'Well there are a lot of you,' Septimus said.

'Not that many,' Victoire objected.

'And you do all have red hair,' Scorpius added.

Victoire rolled her eyes, 'No we don't, does my hair look red to you?'

'Yes,' Septimus deadpanned.

Victoire hit him in the arm, 'It's strawberry blonde!'

'So you always say,' Septimus said under his breath, this time getting hit by Rose.

Victoire rolled her eyes, 'And we aren't all in Gryffindor anyway, Molly is a Ravenclaw, and Rose is in Slytherin.'

'Molly is a pain in the arse,' Septimus said.

'And I'm not related to you,' Rose added.

'If your Dad is Uncle Ron, then you are,' Victoire said with a smirk.

'Can we stop talking about my potential Fathers please?' Rose asked in exasperation, 'I'm nervous enough about seeing them all in the same room without you three constantly bringing it up.'

'Well you won't have to be nervous for much longer,' Septimus said as the carriage came to a stop at the gates.

Rose sighed as Scorpius helped her climb out of the carriage and hooked his arm through hers, 'You don't have anything to be nervous about. They don't know anything yet, this is our little secret for the moment.'

'I just feel like I should be able to look at them and know which one is my Father,' Rose admitted as Victoire and Septimus trailed behind, bickering about something or other.

'Don't expect to see something straight away,' Scorpius said quietly, 'just keep looking and you'll work it out.'

'Isn't it hard for you Scorp?' Rose asked as they entered the bright, warm entrance hall, 'knowing who your Mother is but not being able to see her?'

'Sometimes,' Scorpius admitted, 'but I have Dad. Its harder knowing my Mother didn't want me though, at least your Dad has the excuse that he didn't know you were his daughter.'

'But why?' Rose asked as they walked into the great hall with the crowd, 'when my Mother got pregnant weren't they suspicious?'

'I don't know, maybe,' Scorpius said, 'but if your Uncle Harry believed the foreign wizard story, the other two probably did as well.'

'And what if the foreign wizard story is the truth and none of them are my Father?' Rose asked despairingly.

'I doubt that scenario will come to pass Rose,' Scorpius said as he kissed her on the cheek and pulled her onto the bench at the Slytherin table, 'now try and calm down for the sorting.'

Rose nodded and tried to do just that as Victoire and Septimus settled down on either side of she and Scorp on the bench. But as she glanced up at the head table and saw all three of her potential Fathers, her heart fell and the burden of it all hit her once more.

The first years weren't in the hall yet, so Rose took the moment she had to look at her Fathers again more carefully. With his messy black hair, vivid green eyes and slightly unshaven look, her Uncle Harry looked exactly the same as he always had. He also looked nothing like her. Further along the table she saw no resemblance at all between her and Ronald Weasley, with his bright red hair and very blue eyes. Sitting next to Headmistress McGonagall, was the Deputy Headmaster, Herbology professor and Head of Gryffindor house, Neville Longbottom. Compared to the other two Rose did resemble him most because they shared the same hazel brown eyes, although Rose's hair was slightly darker than the Professor's mousy brown hair.

Rose sighed heavily, in terms of looks, it seemed very possible that the Professor was her Father. Her thoughts were interrupted as Professor Longbottom got up and left the hall, presumably to lead in the first years and then read out their names to be sorted. He had been deputy head when Rose had been sorted too come to think of it.

While they waited Rose vaguely tuned into the discussion Scorpius, Septimus and Victoire were having about the Quidditch cup this year and how they really ought to win it since Gryffindor had won the last two years. Eventually Professor Longbottom brought the first years into the hall, brought out the stool and the sorting hat, picked up a scroll of parchment and cleared his throat. The hall automatically fell silent.

The rip that was the hats mouth opened and it sang its song, spouting the same old stuff it did every year, and then the sorting began. Rose was only paying attention to names she recognised, Louis would be near the end anyway with his second name being Weasley. Not much of interest did happen until the first of the two Weasley's being sorted had their name called out.

'Louis Weasley.'

Louis walked forward confidently and had barely had the hat on his head when it shouted, 'Gryffindor!'

As Louis joined his sister Dominique, and cousins Fred and Roxanne, the second Weasley had her name called out.

'Lucy Weasley.'

The more tentative redheaded girl walked forward and the hat sat upon her head for almost a minute as it made its decision. Eventually it shouted, 'Hufflepuff!', and with wide eyes Lucy joined the table. Becoming the first Weasley to be sorted into Hufflepuff.

With the sorting ceremony over McGonagall stood to welcome the students, 'Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts, and welcome to your first year at Hogwarts,' she added for the benefit of the first years, 'as usual the forbidden forest is forbidden to all students, and Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that all products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are banned on school premises.'

It seemed even the Headmistress couldn't hide a slight smile as she said this, 'This year we have two new additions to the staff of Hogwarts so I would like you to welcome our new flying coach, Ronald Weasley,' he stood and smiled awkwardly as people clapped, 'and our new Defence against the Dark Arts professor, Harry Potter.'

Rose watched her Uncle Harry gracefully get to his feet and smile and wave as the students cheered. He took his seat again, and McGonagall announced the start of the feast. Food began to appear on the golden and silver platters as Septimus said, 'you can't be Potters daughter, there's no way you're that graceful.'

It was true, Rose was clumsy…like Professor Longbottom.

'I know what you're thinking,' Scorpius said as he put some food on her plate, 'but it's too early to guess. Eat something Rosie, you don't look so good.'

'I'm just stressed,' Rose said honestly as she put some food onto her plate and smiled, 'you're right, it's far too early to guess at anything like that.'

TBC :)

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for reading ! :D

Holly

xxx