Chapter 11
Rose looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed, wrapping her coat more tightly around herself. Remus had asked to meet her atop the North Tower again, but she wouldn't be surprised if their meeting was cut short. Those clouds looked heavy enough to dump snow on them at any moment.
"Hey, sorry I'm late."
Rose turned to see Remus climbing up onto the roof and smiled in amusement. "You were late last time too. This time I was expecting it." She didn't mention that she'd only just gotten here herself.
He chuckled and took a seat beside her, looking at the sky. "Snow tonight."
"Probably." She replied. The silence stretched on.
"So...um… Did you enjoy the Feast?" he asked finally. Rose nodded quickly, glad to have something to talk about.
"The best one yet I think."
He grinned. "Thanks to the Pharaohs?"
She giggled and nodded again. "Yeah." She looked down at her forearms, at the bandage there. She'd gotten the members to sign their names on them! Ramses, Tutankhamen, Seti, and Hatshepsut. The muggles had no way of knowing that the 4 most famous pharaohs of Egyptian history were a music group, they actually believed they had the real mummies.
Remus grinned. "How are you going to get that off without messing it up?"
"Off? Why would I take it off? I'm never taking it off, are you kidding?" she said in her best fangirl voice. The pair laughed and Remus pulled out his wand.
"May I?"
She sighed and nodded. "Fine."
Remus preformed a perfect stiffening charm, and then cut through the bottom of the bandage. They worked to carefully extract her arm and fix the cut, making the bandage as perfect as it had been a moment before. Only now, she'd be able to shower.
He handed her the bandage and she beamed, smiling at it. "I am going to hang this on my wall…probably in a glass case."
Remus laughed. "Somehow, that wouldn't surprise me. Sirius' wall is covered in posters, he's probably jealous."
She looked up in surprise. "Sirius likes the Pharaohs too?"
He nodded, looking at the clouds in worry again. "He's obsessed. Never listens to anything else, I swear."
"Wow…never pegged him for a fan of their stuff." She admitted.
Remus chuckled. "Sirius is very concerned for his image…he's got a bad habit of hiding the extra stuff that makes him who he is."
"Why? I mean…isn't that kind of pointless? If people only know a few things about you, they assume they know the rest."
Remus gave her a look. "So why do you do it?"
"Do…what?" Rose asked, suddenly feeling like she'd walked into a trap he'd set for her.
"You realize that no one knows anything about you, don't you? You hide so much that people think there's nothing to you beyond plants."
Rose flushed. "I don't…" she sighed. "People don't like me when I show more than that."
He looked at her, and as if he could read her thoughts, he said the one thing on her mind. "Bullies?"
"Yeah. Those Slytherin boys in second year? It was only later that they used the whole muggle born thing as their excuse. Before that, it was because they thought I was strange in other ways."
"Like what?"
"Like finding out that my parents could barely afford the school supplies to send me here. Or that they were both Hippies, anti-war, and all about their peace, love, and drugs. Like the fact that I grew up in the back of a crazy colored van traveling around Europe, and I can tell you what kind of marijuana you're smoking just by the smell." She spat angrily. "I was a love child, they were never married… And they still live together, traveling around and singing songs and pretending that the world is made up sunshine and rainbows."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"Yes! Well…alright, not really." Rose amended. "It's just so…embarrassing. It's easier not to tell people."
"But that's your parents. That's not you." Remus pointed out. "How come you don't let yourself be weird or anything?"
Rose looked at him in confusion. "Be weird? Why would I want to be weird? I'm weird enough as it is."
The boy only shrugged, looking as if he was searching for the right words in the clouds overhead. "Rose…you're afraid to be different. You're afraid that if people find out that you're not just like everyone else, then they'll dislike you. Right?"
The girl nodded, looking at her knees. "That about sums it up."
"Well…look at Cassie. She doesn't care if people find out about things that make her different." He said with a shrug.
"Yes, but that's because she's pure blood. If she's a bit strange, people don't blame it on her parents."
"And do you?"
"Do I what?"
"Blame your quirks on your parents?"
"No." Rose admitted.
"Then there's no reason to let other people do it either. Trust me Rose, being different isn't always a bad thing. And if people say it is, then it's likely because they don't understand, or because they're jealous. Because the people who make fun of people who are different, are usually boring old normal people."
"I…suppose you're right." Rose said after a moment. The statement was very slowly starting to sink in.
"Of course I am." Remus said with a grin getting to his feet. "I'm off, it'll snow soon and I don't want to be out here when it starts. Coming?"
"Yeah." She said, quickly grabbing the autographed bandage and following him to the edge of the rooftop, letting him lead the way inside. The two walked down the spiral stairs together to the base of the tower, where Rose gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you Remus. No one has ever really explained things quite like that before."
He smiled and shrugged. "No problem. Oh! Before I forget…when do you think would be the best time to ask Cassie to the dance?"
Rose giggled and pulled him into an empty classroom so they wouldn't get caught. "Never." She said, grinning even as she said it.
"Pardon?"
"She doesn't want to go with anyone, she told me. She says this way she can dance with whoever she wants. Your best bet is to meet her right when the dance starts, and ask for the first dance. And at the end of it, ask if you can have the last one too."
Remus looked thoughtful. "You know…that makes sense!"
Rose grinned. "Of course it does. This way, the night will begin and end with you. It's the perfect way to make sure it sticks in her mind."
She thought of what she's have to suggest when Sirius inevitably asked her for the same advice. Though, he'd already asked… oh well, she'd figure it out when she got there.
Remus beamed. "Sounds good to me. Now there's just one problem. I need to learn to dance."
Rose bit back a laugh. "Don't try too hard, Cassie doesn't know how either."
"She doesn't?"
"Nope." The brunette said, green eyes shining. "Nothing fancy at least. Spinning around in circles is the best she can do, so you'll be fine."
Remus chuckled. "I admit I'm glad about that. I've never been much of a dancer."
Rose smiled. "Then it'll work out perfect. It's late, I'd better go. Thanks again!" she said. She stopped at the door, turned and hugged him tightly for a fleeting moment, and then slipped out of the classroom.
She was back in her dormitory soon after, changing into a nightgown and sliding between the sheets of her bed. She stared at the ceiling for a long hour before sleep claimed her mind. She had a lot to think about.
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Bad news: This chapter kinda bugs me, but I can't get it right no matter how hard i try, so i'm leaving it, lol. Good news: I spent all yesterday afternoon writing, and i'm already up to chapter 16! This story is sooo much fun, I hope you're enjoying it as much as i am!
If you are, then review and tell me! I get a zillion hits on this thing, but only three people ever review. I'd really appreciate it if people would send just a quick review so i know how many people are actively reading this. It doesn't have to be fancy, just let me know that i'm writing for more than just my three reviewers!
Your Humble (and happy) Authoress,
Whisperwings
