So I looked at the stats for this story the other day- there are people from over 70 different countries reading this. That's incredible! And for a girl who can count on one hand the number of times she's left her own country, it's kind of mind-blowing!

Thank you so much! X

Rose hummed absently to herself as she let herself into the house, calling out a greeting to Sirius as she did so.

"We're in the kitchen!" came the answer.

"We?" she questioned, toeing her shoes off and placing her violin case to one side. "Harry!" she beamed when she spotted him. "I didn't know you were home today!"

"You forgot? Oh cheers." He hugged her tightly, suppressing a yawn.

"Tired?" Rose smirked.

"A little." He shrugged.

"Well go to bed then." She rolled her eyes.

"I was waiting up for you. Didn't realise quite how long you were going to be." He said meaningfully, glancing at the clock. She gritted her teeth.

"Well Sirius must have told you I'm rarely home before nine." She said tightly, grabbing a glass of water.

"He did. What are you thinking, Rose?"

She frowned at him. "You have no right whatsoever to dictate my schedule, Harry James."

"It's almost ten at night! And you're just coming home!" Harry exclaimed.

"It's none of your business what time I come home!"

"It is when you're my sister!"

Rose slammed the glass onto the table. "That doesn't give you the right to control me! I am not a child! Mon dieu, you think you can come home after nine months and begin giving orders? You 'ave no right!"

"You're being ridiculous!" Harry glared.

"I am being ridiculous? You should look in the mirror, mon frère, then you will see ridiculous!" she snapped, her French accent becoming thicker and thicker.

"You cannot come home at ten o'clock at night!"

"Says who, hm? You are mon frère, pas mon père. It is no business of yours! I do not need a babysitter!"

"Well apparently you do! You're certainly acting like a child!"

"Moi? 'ave you looked at yourself lately? You are the one 'aving temper tantrums in the corridors at school parce que you did not like what someone said to you!"

"And you are the one who thinks you can be a dancer instead of getting an actual job!"

"That's enough!" Sirius snapped, stepping between them when he saw Rose visibly recoil. "Harry, go to bed!"

"But-"

"Now!"

Rose stayed silent as Harry stomped upstairs. "You need to eat something, and then off to bed with you as well."

"I'm not hungry." She whispered.

"I don't care. You haven't eaten since breakfast." He pushed on her shoulder to sit her on a chair and went about making her beans on toast, something simple enough he wouldn't mess it up, he thought ruefully.

He'd almost finished when he heard a muffled sound from behind him and turned to see Rose with her face buried in her hands, shoulders shaking. "Rose?" he abandoned the beans and crossed to her, sitting next to her and wrapping an arm around her. "Hey, come on angel, don't cry."

"I can't do this." She wept. "I can't do this. All we do now is argue, or avoid each other. And I don't know how to stop it."

Sirius shushed her gently, embracing her as alarms sounded in his head. What did he know about crying girls?

"It's okay…" he soothed.

"Mais it's not!" she cried. "We used to talk every day- I 'aven't spoken to him since 'e warned me you were coming! He does not talk to me unless 'e needs 'elp or advice! 'im et moi… we don't work without Maman! I am losing 'im! And I cannot stop it!"

"You won't lose him, Rose, you won't. He's your brother."

But this only provoked a fresh wave of tears and Sirius could only hold her as she sobbed, and wonder why no one else in her family had picked up the feelings she'd obviously been keeping bottled up for a long while.

Neither of them saw an angry Harry standing in the hall, having come down for a glass of water, fury crossing his face as he stalked upstairs. It wasn't fair! Sirius was his Godfather- he didn't even know Rose was his daughter so why was she being comforted while he was sent to bed like a child!?

He threw himself on the bed, glaring bitterly at the ceiling. It wasn't fair.

The next day, Rose was gone before dawn and Harry had slipped out of the house to see Gideon at the gym before Sirius could say anything to stop him. The worried man penned a frantic letter to Minerva, not knowing how to deal with the warring teens. He sat drumming his fingers, hoping for a reply and fearing the outcome.

Meanwhile Rose walked into the hospital room that her mother lay in, not pausing when she saw a familiar dark figure leaning over her. "Bonjour professeur."

"Hello brat." He greeted, not looking up. She placed her backpack by the chair and wandered over to him, peeking over at his notes.

"No change… is that good?"

He considered for a moment. "It's certainly not bad."

"It is better than nothing, I suppose." She sat on the chair by the bed, taking Emmeline's hand in her own as Snape frowned, eyes tracking her movements.

"Indeed." He murmured. "You're here early today. It's not dark yet."

"Dance finished early- one of the rats fell and broke her foot so Madame DuBois accompanied her to the hospital." Rose explained, resting her chin on one knee.

"I see." He screwed the lid on a vial, watching her from the corner of his eye. "How was your exam last week?"

She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. "Not terrible. Tiring though. I'm glad it's the holidays. Were yours any better?"

He sneered. "Dunderheads didn't know the difference between the eye of a newt and eye of a toad."

She snorted. "How could they not tell that?"

"Dunderheads." He repeated in answer. She smiled slightly; it didn't reach her eyes. Snape considered her for a moment, before shrugging and continuing his work. When he turned around again less than ten minutes later, Rose was fast asleep, her head resting on her mother's bed and he breathing slow and even.

After a long moment, Snape transfigured a blanket and laid it over her, frowning down at the sleeping girl. Considering she had a family who claimed to love and care for her, she was so very alone, he thought to himself, sneering as he wondered what kind of people left a child to live alone for months at a time with only a house elf.

But it wasn't his problem, he shrugged. He gathered his things, casting one last look at the girl before he stalked out, angry with himself for getting involved in this at all and at the same knowing his pride wouldn't let him walk away.

The relationship between Rosalie and Harry continued to be strained long past the end of the Easter holidays and into the summer. Harry had finished his exams with little fanfare, other than Remus Lupin resigning after Minerva had confirmed to him that what Harry had said was true. Consumed with guilt over abandoning the man who had once been his brother, the werewolf had vanished from the school shortly before the end of term, although Harry suspected that the reason Sirius borrowed Hedwig so often was in order to write to him.

Sirius entered the kitchen early in the morning at the beginning of July, surprised to see Rosalie sitting at the table bent over some papers. Generally she'd left the house before he was even awake, off to school or extra lessons or whatever it was she happened to be doing that particular day.

"Good morning." He greeted. She barely glanced up, murmuring an absent hello. "What are you doing?" He questioned as he poured out a cup of coffee for himself.

"Just some forms."

She continued writing in her slanted cursive as he wandered over, peering at the... Application forms?

"What are you doing?" He repeated, frowning now. She sighed.

"I told you- forms. Why all the questions?"

"What are you applying for?"

"A dance school."

Sirius's frown deepened. "Why are you changing schools?"

"What it this, twenty questions?" She scowled at him irritably, beginning to gather the papers up.

"You're being very secretive. It's not like you." He pointed out, his concern mounting.

"How would you know?" She retorted. "You don't know me."

There was a pause. "Perhaps not." He admitted. "But I've been living with you for months, I'd hoped you trusted me."

She was by the doorway now but paused and bit her lip, looking at the floor as if trying to decide something. "I was offered a place at a prestigious dance school. A friend of Madame DuBois was visiting and saw me performing." She admitted.

"Another school in Paris?" Asked Sirius suspiciously.

"No." She looked him straight on, voice flat. "It's not even in France."

He looked incredulous. "You're leaving? And you didn't think to tell anyone?"

"Why do you care so much Sirius?!" She snapped, eyes flashing. "Harry is your godson, pas moi!"

"And you think that means I don't care? Of course I do! I don't understand why you would leave when I've heard how hard you fought to stay!"

"I told you I could not do this anymore! Pretending that it doesn't physically 'urt every time I see 'arry? Je ne suis pas that strong!" Rose yelled at him, and he saw her eyes were shining with unshod tears. Well, he thought, she must be upset if she was switching languages without realising it.

"But is leaving really the answer?" He asked, gentling his voice. She pressed her lips together, looking away.

"Je ne sais pas." She admitted. "But I do not what else to do. I do not necessarily want to go, but I cannot stay."

"Harry will be back at Hogwarts soon..."

She scoffed. "And 'ow will that 'elp? We grew up togezzer in this 'ouse- 'e does not 'ave to be 'ere for the memories to 'urt." Tears were streaming down her face as she looked at the papers in her hand. "This way is best." She whispered. Then she looked back at him. "Do not tell, please. This is what I want. 'E will 'ave 'is life, and I will 'ave mine. It is what is best."

And she walked away.

Sirius scrubbed his hands over his face, indecision wracking his body. He didn't want the siblings to be separated- he had not doubt that Rose did not intend to return- but equally he had witnessed the disintegration of the remnants of their relationship and had seen the effect it had had on Rose. How could he ask her to remain in that situation?

He slumped in his seat, and scowled angrily down at the letter on the table from Minerva informing him she was unable to leave Hogwarts for the foreseeable future.

"Merlin Emmeline." he muttered to himself. "How did you end up with two such stubborn children?"

"I don't think she had that much of a choice." A mild voice said from behind him. He glanced up to see Harry in the doorway.

"Did you hear what Rosalie said?" Sirius questioned tiredly. Harry looked confused.

"No?"

"She's leaving, for some dance school abroad." Sirius told him bluntly. Harry gaped at him.

"She wouldn't." he said at last.

"Well she is." His godfather said in frustration. "Harry, I don't understand the relationship between you two, but if you want to stop her you better apologise to her."

"Why am I the one apologising?!" he questioned indignantly.

"Because you're older and supposedly more mature."

Harry felt his emotions ball in his stomach as he pushed away from the table and wandered around the house, unsure what he was actually doing until a voice pierced the haze of his thoughts and he was drawn towards piano.

"Daylight

See the dew on the sunflower and the rose that is fading

Roses wither away like the sunflower

I yearn to turn my face to the dawn..."

Rose sang, not noticing the shadow move in the doorway behind her. Harry was watching her, pain lancing through his chest as he realised that this was the first time he'd heard his sister sing all summer while usually she wouldn't shut up. He moved forward a few steps, listening as her voice rose and fell with the melody of the piano.

Harry moved forward so that he was just behind her but Rose still didn't know he was there, her eyes closed as she lost herself. Another movement caught his eye and he looked around to see Sirius standing in the doorway as well, his face soft as he listened. Their gazes met, and Sirius nodded towards the oblivious girl. Fix this, he mouthed. Harry nodded.

"It's so easy to leave me

All alone with the memory

Of my days in the sun

If you touch me you'll understand what happiness is..."

Harry joined in, leaning over to play the final notes as their voices entwined.

"Look, a new day has begun..."

Rose fell silent, allowing her hands to fall into her lap as Harry joined her on the bench. "Sirius told me you're leaving."

"It's a good school." She murmured in reply.

"And you want to go there?"

She pressed her lips together. "I don't want to be here anymore. There's better than nowhere."

"Roses wither..." Harry murmured.

"What?" She looked at him for the first time, gaze questioning.

"The song. Roses wither. And I didn't even notice." He explained sadly.

"Harry..." She began in a sigh but he shook his head.

"You were right. I took you being here for granted."

"I've never minded that, Harry." She denied. "I minded you forgetting I was here unless you needed something. I minded treating me like you did. I minded you thinking you could dictate my life..."

"I know. And I'm sorry." He said honestly. She looked at him uncertainly. "Rosie... Rose you're my sister. I worry about you."

"And what the hell do you think I do when you're off putting your life in danger at Hogwarts?" She snapped. "I spend months and months wondering whether you're even alive! Because the great Harry Potter can't be bothered to remember to even send an owl telling me otherwise!"

Harry frowned at her. "That's not fair!"

"I-!" She clamped her mouth together, resting her head in her hands for a long moment. "I am not going to fight with you again." She said lowly.

"I'm not trying to argue with you Rosie." He sighed. "I'm trying to apologise to you."

"I don't want your apology." She stood, closing the lid of the piano.

"What do you want?" Harry asked in frustration. She smiled bitterly.

"Isn't that a question?"

Harry looked at her sadly, seeing past the facade she was using to the pained eyes underneath. "Are we really so broken, Rosie?" He whispered. "You're my sister, my very best friend. Are we really so far gone that we can't fix this?"

There was a long silence.

"Maybe it's more a case of not knowing how." she replied in a voice so soft he might have imagined it.

"Maybe." He agreed. "Or maybe we're both just too stubborn to admit we need to try."

Her mouth twisted in a faint smile, eyes meeting his. "Probably."

He reached out, sliding his fingers against hers and holding on so that she couldn't pull away. "I refuse to lose you. We need to fix this."

She swallowed, turning her head to gaze out of the window. "I don't know if we can."