Using the prompt 'bedroom'

Chapter Ten

Hugo watched from his bedroom door as Lily hauled her trunk down the flight of stairs. She was dressed in Muggle clothing, yet her neck was wrapped with the maroon and gold Gryffindor scarf. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she looked positively thrilled to be going back to Hogwarts.

Albus and James were already waiting at the bottom, laughing and talking about the next Quidditch match.

They were already discussing Quidditch. They really were well and truly over what had happened.

"You coming to say goodbye, Hugo?" Lily asked kindly, stopping at the next flight of stairs to wait for him. "Hogwarts isn't going to be the same without you in all my classes," she added with a smile.

Hugo shrugged and followed her down the stairs and then the next flight until they met James and Albus at the bottom.

Rose – as expected – was nowhere to be seen.

James noticed Hugo looking around. "She's already said goodbye," he said. "I don't think she was happy about it, though."

Which is understandable, Hugo thought. He just nodded at his cousin.

"You're okay that we're going back, aren't you?" James then questioned, now looking concerned. "You understand?"

Hugo nodded again. He understood why they had to go back. People had to move on with their lives. Hugo wished he could go back with them, but he also knew that wouldn't be a good idea.

Aside from the sympathy he knew he and Rose would get, he wasn't prepared for all the looks and special treatment he knew was to come. He didn't want to be treated like he was special just because his parents had been killed. He didn't feel special at all, in fact.

He felt like there was something missing – something that would never be replaced and he just wasn't ready to face the reality quite yet.

The holidays were coming up in a few weeks and his cousins would be home again. After that, he probably would go back to Hogwarts. There really was only so much time he could spend at Grimmauld Place – especially when either Harry or Ginny were constantly checking up on him.

It was as if they thought he would sink into some kind of deep depression just because he didn't talk to them much. But it was Rose they needed to worry about. She was dealing with it a lot worse than he was – he knew she was.

Rose only got angry when she was upset. It was her they needed to check up on.

"You all packed?" Ginny came into the narrow hallway from the kitchen. She was the one who would be taking her three children through London to the Leaky Cauldron.

As the Hogwarts Express was inactive during term and it was a bit much to ask for them to send it to King's Cross just for three students, a connection had been made between the Leaky Cauldron and Hogwarts for James, Albus and Lily to transport.

Why it had to be the Leaky Cauldron and not Grimmauld Place, Hugo didn't know. He never had understood the protective enchantments around Hogwarts. Not a single thing had happened in his two years there.

"You want to come and see them off?" Ginny asked Hugo. "I was thinking we could go into Diagon Alley afterwards... get an ice cream or something?"

Hugo shook his head. There she went again, trying to keep an eye on him at all times.

"I'm not in the mood," he said to her.

"How can you not be in the mood for ice cream?" James asked. "Especially from there?"

Hugo shrugged. He just wanted his cousins to leave so he could go back up to his room.

"You're weird," Lily said.

"Lily!" her mother scolded, causing Lily to turn away guiltily.

"Sorry, Hugo," she said.

"Rose says it to me all the time," Hugo told her. "I'm used to it. And, besides, I am weird." He tried to smile, but failed.

Lily gave him a hug. "You're not really weird," she said. "I think you're cool."

James ruffled up his hair. "Yeah, you're not that bad for a second year," he added. "One of the better ones, anyway."

"Thanks," Hugo replied.

Ginny looked up at the clock on the wall. "Alright, we better go," she said.

"Where's Dad?" Albus questioned. "Not going to say goodbye?"

"I'm coming; I'm here!" Harry came through the kitchen door just as Albus had spoken. Harry was looking rather flustered; he'd probably had to leave work in a hurry to get there. "Sorry, I got caught up."

"In the kitchen?" Ginny questioned with raised eyebrows.

"Work stuff." Harry waved her away and gave each of his children a quick hug. "Have fun, kids!" he said, smiling at them. "And don't cause too much trouble."

"You know us; never had a detention," James replied with a shrug.

"If that were true, it would make me very happy," Ginny said, ushering them out the front door. Their voices died away slowly, leaving Hugo and Harry standing in the silent hallway.

"Well, it's going to be a lot quieter now, that's for sure," Harry said eventually. He looked at Hugo. "Whenever you feel ready to go back, just let us know, okay?" he said. "Even if it's tomorrow, we'll take you."

Hugo nodded. "Maybe after the holidays," he said.

"Whenever the time is right for you."

"Am I meant to be ready now?" Hugo wondered out loud, before he had even realised.

"No, of course not," Harry told him. "Don't worry about those three. They're just... well they're them. Always wanting to be in the action. Most holidays, they're begging to go back after a few days." He seemed to read Hugo's unspoken thoughts. "They were devastated about what happened," he assured him. "They're just dealing with it in a different way."

Hugo nodded again. "Okay."

"You want to do something?" Harry then asked. "Ginny probably won't be too long, but we – along with Rose – could maybe go to Diagon Alley... the Burrow... somewhere?"

Why was it so hard for them to accept that he just didn't want to do anything other than go up to his bedroom and not talk to anyone? Surely, they had had moments like that when they were his age? Moments where they didn't even have an excuse to do it?

He sighed. They were going to keep bothering him until he agreed.

"Alright," he said, trying his very best to sound as uninterested as possible so Harry knew he was only doing it because he was being pestered. "But good luck convincing Rose."

"Actually, it was Rosie's idea," Harry said. "She said we all needed to get out of the house – especially you. She looks out for you, mate. She really cares about you."

"Then why does she try to beat me up all the time?" Hugo questioned humorously.

Harry laughed. "I'm not sure, but I've heard little brothers can get quite annoying sometimes. Or little sisters, in your dad's case."

Hugo smiled. "I'll never know what it's like to have a little brother or sister," he said.

"So treasure your big sister, because she loves you very, very much," Harry said.

Rose came bounding down the stairs, looking almost happy.

"You convinced him to go?" she questioned, looking at Harry.

Harry looked from Rose to Hugo. "I think so?"

Hugo nodded. "Yeah, okay."

"Great." This time she did smile. "Where do you want to go, Hugo? Diagon Alley? The Quidditch shop there? Um..."

"What about that place Mum and Dad used to take us to?" Hugo asked.

Rose looked confused, as did Harry. "What place?" they asked at the same time.

Hugo looked pointedly at his sister. "You know, that place."

Rose's smile faltered. "Oh."

"Either of you care to share where this place might be?" Harry interrupted.

Both of them ignored him.

"I-that was our place, Hu," Rose said.

"I want to go there," Hugo argued.

"Are you talking about that area down near a river in Scotland?" Harry asked.

"How did you know about that?" Rose questioned, seeming shocked that Harry knew of a place their parents had taken them a number of times. It had been a spot they had been going to for as long as Hugo could remember. It had always been just the four of them. They never invited anyone else.

"They told me they liked to take you there," Harry said. "It had a lot of meaning to them."

"Like what?" Hugo asked. He had just thought it was a nice place they had discovered.

"Before they decided to move to Huddersfield, they considered building a house there," Harry said.

"What? Why didn't they?" Rose cried. "It's so nice there."

"I know, but they didn't think your grandparents would enjoy it all that much when they came to visit. Places like that don't really appeal to Muggles, I'm afraid. So they decided to make it kind of a holiday trip for you instead."

"They never told us that," Rose said.

"Probably because they knew you wouldn't be happy about it." Harry smiled at them. "We can go there if you want. I know where it is."

Hugo nodded, but Rose shook her head.

"That was where Mum and Dad took us," she said firmly. "It was our spot."

"Is there anywhere else you want to go, then?" Harry asked.

Truthfully, now that he had thought of the spot by River Nith, Hugo didn't want to go anywhere else. It had been almost a year since he had last been there and there had been so many good memories from days spent playing by the water.

Why did Rose have to be so stubborn?

"Diagon Alley, I guess," he mumbled.

OOO

Diagon Alley was the same as any other day. Witches and wizards strolled up and down, stopping to talk when they saw someone they knew, peering through shop windows and sitting out the front of cafes.

There was never something new to do in Diagon Alley. Even George's shop was much the same. And there were only so many times one could go in there without getting bored.

But, of course, that was the first place Harry took them.

The shop wasn't as packed as Hugo ever remembered it, but that was probably because George's best customers were all at Hogwarts. A few adults strolled through with their young children, but for once, Hugo had plenty of space to move.

"Greetings."

Hugo spun around. George was coming towards them on a levitating platform, which he lowered to the ground slowly and stepped off gracefully.

"What can I help you with?" He smiled from Hugo to Rose.

"We're just looking, thanks," Rose replied and vanished to the 'school pranks' section of the shop. From the corner of his eye, Hugo then saw her make a detour to the love potions and was thankful James wasn't there to see it.

"And, Hugo, my number one customer, how can I help you?"

It was true that Hugo had once been George's tester for new inventions, which he had loved. He was always getting everything new for free, which would make his cousins or – once he started school – the other students jealous.

He just wasn't in the mood right now for anything.

Hugo shrugged.

"I've got just the thing," George said. "Follow me."

Hugo glanced up at Harry, who just shrugged. Laughing was probably what he needed, but not what he wanted. But he followed George to the back of the shop anyway.

Boxes filled the small space – more so than usual.

"I – er – haven't really been in the mood for sorting," George admitted. He disappeared behind a pile of boxes, before appearing again, clutching a small glass object that looked like a fish tank. "I was going to post this to you a while ago for your opinion, but then..." He trailed off.

Hugo took the tank from George; not because he wanted to, but because he felt obligated. "What is it?" he asked.

"Breed your own Plimpies," George answered with a wide grin.

"Plimpies?" Hugo questioned. Out of all the creatures George could have chosen, he had decided on Plimpies?

"They're designed for the younger ones," George continued. "Freddie and Roxie's age. They love looking after them and there's a spell on there that means they won't grow much bigger than your little finger. Perfect gift for kids, don't you think?"

Hugo wasn't going to admit it, but he thought it was a bit disappointing. What had happened to things like the Death Skates George had given him two Christmases ago? His mum had been furious after they had decided to take him up a tree and then drop him. He had broken his arm because of it, but he had thought they were pretty cool.

Strangely, they had been taken off the market pretty quickly, though.

"Yeah, they're great," he lied.

George knew he was lying. "I know it's not really your thing, but to be honest, something as calm as these might do you good. Take one for Rose too." He took out another tank and put them both inside a bag, along with two sealed paper bags. "Everything you need to know is in here," he continued.

Hugo thanked his uncle and then met Harry where he had left him. Rose had returned as well, clutching a small bag. Hugo wondered if there were love potions inside.

She refused to meet his eye.

"Who's up for an ice cream?" Harry asked.

Harry and Ginny were determined that he have an ice cream.

"Yeah, okay," he said. Just to make them happy.

They left the joke shop and began to make their way to Florean Fortescue's along the sunny alley.

Yay! Another chapter :) Thanks for all your reviews. And special thanks to both The Original Horcrux and LillyMay77 for reviewing every chapter, slightlysmall for going on a reviewing spree the other day and also reviewing every chapter, and DobbyLovesSocks for beat-ing AND reviewing. You guys are amazing :)