Using the prompt 'unholy place'

Chapter Twenty-One

There was no food in the kitchen. There hadn't been for a few days now. Rose had eaten it all in the first week she had been staying in Huddersfield. There was a small grocery store just down the road that she had walked to many times before, but she also had no money.

She had nothing, and she didn't even care. She didn't care that there was an Auror sitting out the front of her house – trying to stay hidden – so they could keep an eye on her. And she didn't care that she was feeling homesick even though she was home. She hadn't realised how much she would miss her family – her brother.

All she cared about was being close to the two people who didn't give up on her. She'd never appreciated it until now, but as she thought back, she realised they had always been there for her. They had been there for her when she had come home at Christmas after her first year at Hogwarts with very few friends. They had supported her when she had made the decision to become more independent. They hadn't even complained. They had simply told her if that was what she wanted, then they would leave her alone.

She gave a dry laugh at the thought. It was funny that when they were around she hadn't wanted anything to do with them, and now that they weren't here, she wanted them to come back.

You can't have everything, Rose, she remembered her mum telling her many times. Back then, she didn't understand, but now she did. She had said she wanted her parents to leave her alone and they had.

Who was she to complain now that they were gone?

"It's my fault," she said, picking up a photo frame that rested on a cabinet beside the table. How she had resented eating there sometimes.

Pictures were all she had left of them now. Pictures and their rings which she still wore on her finger.

Setting the frame back in its spot, Rose left the kitchen and entered the living room, her stomach growling from lack of food. She'd probably have to go back soon; back to Grimmauld Place. She didn't want to, but unless she was going to die of starvation, she had to. There was food there.

Hugo was there.

He was the only one she missed. He was the only one she regretted leaving. The look on his face when she had boarded the Knight Bus had been nothing but surprise and sadness. And then she had gone and told him to shut up.

What are you doing, Rosie? She could almost hear her mother's pained voice echo through the room. Don't do this, Rosie.

"I can't help it," she answered softly. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore." She sat on the couch; the one her dad had read stories to her on, the one she had fallen asleep in her mother's arms on.

What was happening to her? Why was no one else like this? Why was she sadder than everyone else? Hugo wanted to go back to school. Her cousins had gone back to school. There had even been times she had caught Harry and Ginny with smiles on their faces.

Yet Rose felt worse than she had two months ago. Even when she had broken her arm when she was five, it hadn't hurt this much. Her mum and dad were there to comfort her while the Healer fixed her arm up. They were there to tell her it was going to be okay.

But they weren't there this time. She had no one. Which, of course, was her own fault. She'd left them.

And there was still no word on the one who had killed her family. She'd never be caught, Rose had decided. No one was doing anything. Even Harry had given up.

The only sound that filled the house was from outside. A car drove past on the all but silent street, its wheels scraping against the gravel. Through the window she saw it belonged to the people who lived two houses away. She used to play there all the time with the two Muggle children her age. She wondered what they knew about her parents' death.

Nothing, she answered herself. The Ministry messed with their minds.

There was another sound. Rose's stomach grumbled. She really needed to eat.

There were a few coins she had managed to scrape from searching the house, but most of it was wizard money. With the amount of Muggle money she had managed to find, it would probably buy her an ice-cream.

"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," she reasoned, digging through her jean pockets for the coins. Then she remembered. I have a piggy bank! And it was filled with Muggle money. The thought had fascinated her as a child. She used to tease her cousins with it.

Stuffing the coins back in her pocket, she ran upstairs to her bedroom. The bed was made up neatly (she had been sleeping in her parents' bed) and her posters of Quidditch teams she didn't even like hung on her wall.

The money box was sitting on her desk, untouched and bursting with coins and notes that most of her friends (and her dad) didn't understand. In that moment, it didn't matter that she had been keeping that for a special occasion. Nothing mattered. Unless she wanted to go back to Grimmauld Place – which she didn't – then she needed to use it for food.

She opened the box up and tipped out its contents onto her desk. There were forty-five pounds and seventy pence, which – if she added it up right – was equal to about nine Galleons.

"More than enough to buy a week's worth of food!" she said cheerfully. She placed the money in a purse and went back downstairs. Her hand was on the doorknob when she remembered the Auror out the front. They had tried to be discreet, but she had caught them changing over one night when she had been looking out the window.

At the time, she had been furious. It was Harry's doing – she knew that much. He didn't trust her to be able to look after herself. But afterwards, she had forgotten they were even there. None of the Aurors approached her. They stayed quite a distance away, in fact, so it was easy to forget they were there at all.

With a shrug, she turned the handle and stepped onto the driveway. The fresh air was nice; the light breeze was blowing her hair back slightly. It felt good to be outside. She needed to do it more often.

The grocery store was a ten minute walk from the house. Rose had always gone down there during the holidays – sometimes because her parents asked, other times because she felt like it. There was always something soothing about being with Muggles. Probably because they didn't gawk at her when she gave her name.

Weasley! Your uncle is Harry Potter?

It got rather tiresome hearing it over and over again.

She began making her way down the road, passing her neighbours. Mrs Greene was outside, tending to what she liked to think of as a garden. The elderly woman barely glanced up as Rose passed by, which felt odd. Rose was always used to Mrs Greene's kind words as she went past. It was sad to think that she probably didn't even recognise her anymore.

"Hello, Mrs Greene," she called before she realised what she was saying. This time the woman did look up, revealing the dirt on her clothes from kneeling in the flower bed.

There was a flash of recognition on her face, but she looked at Rose curiously. "Hello, dear," she said, smiling. "It's a lovely day, don't you think?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah," she said, returning the smile. Her dad had always hated the woman. He'd never given a reason why.

"Are you new around here?" Mrs Greene continued. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Have you moved into the house down there?" She pointed to Rose's house.

"Yeah," Rose said again.

"Oh, that's wonderful. The place has been empty for years."

Anger bubbled inside of Rose. What had the Ministry done? They had wiped these people's memories completely. They had no memory of her mum or her dad or what had happened. These people had the luxury of not feeling the pain Rose felt.

It didn't seem fair.

"Oh, well, I used to live there," Rose told her. "A while ago."

Mrs Greene was surprised. "You did? I have lived here for many, many years and I don't recall anyone living in there for a good twenty years or so." She went silent for a few moments. "No, the last people to live there moved out eighteen years ago and they didn't have any children."

Rose shrugged, pushing down her anger. If she used magic, then the Ministry would take her back to Grimmauld Place. "Well, I'm older than I look," she lied. "I used to live here with my mum and my dad and my younger brother. But then someone broke into our house and killed my parents while my brother and I were at school. Now we live with our aunt and uncle and our cousins who don't even care. But I moved back here now."

Mrs Greene's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?" she asked.

Rose shook her head, noticing the slight fear that flashed across the old woman's face. "Never mind," she mumbled. "See you, Mrs Greene."

Before she could get a reply, Rose hurried away, turning right at the end of the street. There were more cars on the road now; some going towards the main part of the town, others moving away from it. Rose paid them no attention.

The Auror was probably following her, but she didn't even care. They could follow her all they wanted.

"Rose?"

Rose stopped in her tracks. She knew that voice. "Maddy?" she questioned, spinning around to face a girl she remembered playing with as a child.

Maddy grinned. "Hey," she said, before softening her expression slightly. "I'm sorry about your mum and dad, by the way. That woman sounds like a nasty piece of work. I was so upset to hear, and I wanted to ask if you were okay, but you were at school, and then I heard you were living with your aunt and uncle – Harry Potter of all people – so I couldn't really." As she spoke, she walked to Rose to give her a hug.

Rose had no choice but to return it, confused as to what Maddy was talking about. Had the people who had wiped the memories forgotten Maddy's? Or had the charm just not worked on her? "You... you know about that?" she spluttered.

Maddy nodded. "Yeah. Mum told me. She read about it in the Prophet. Listen, she doesn't think your dad would have killed your mum or anything like that. She was furious when she read that."

"The Prophet?" Rose questioned. "How... what?"

Maddy smiled. "Mum went to Hogwarts," she explained. "She was a few years younger than your parents, though. I'm... I took after my dad, though," she added sadly. "He was a Muggle."

In all the years Rose had known Maddy, she had never said anything. Never once mentioned Hogwarts. Not even when Rose had lied when she was eleven, telling her she was going away to some boarding school.

Maddy seemed to know what she was thinking and she shrugged. "Mum kind of liked to keep things... low key," she said. "When Dad was alive, magic kind of freaked him out. And when it became obvious I wasn't going to get any letter, well, she decided to only use it when she needed it. Then Dad died and we kind of just continued to live like that. And, I was kind of jealous of you and your brother," she added, smiling.

"Because you're a Squib?" Rose asked.

Maddy nodded. "It doesn't bother me now, though. I've heard the stories of what it was like for our parents. I'm not sure I want to go."

"Hogwarts is great!" Rose exclaimed, still in shock from what her friend had just told her. Why hadn't her parents said anything? Did they even know? "Uh... sorry... what House was your mum in?"

"Hufflepuff. Don't worry, your parents didn't know either. They didn't know Mum."

"But she knew them."

"Everyone knows your parents, Rose."

"You could have told me," Rose said.

"So you could have told me how much fun you were having there?" Maddy questioned. "No, I liked it when you didn't know. It made it easier."

For you, Rose thought. She would have given anything to share something with someone that wasn't her family. But she also understood where Maddy was coming from. It would be difficult to know about magic but not be able to use it.

"I was about to go to the grocery store and buy some food. Do you want to come?"

Maddy nodded. "Yeah, sure. It's good to see you again," she said as they made their way together along the footpath.

It didn't take long to walk to the grocery store after that. Nor did the two girls say another word to one another. Rose was still in shock from her friend's revelation. How could Maddy have never told her? How could she have just let Rose go on thinking she was a Muggle? There were so many things she would have done differently if she had known.

Which is why Maddy didn't tell you, she said to herself.

"So, you live in London then?" Maddy asked as they approached the store. She held open the door for Rose and then followed behind.

"No, I live here," Rose replied, making her way to the fruit and vegetable section of the store. "Grimmauld Place is where my aunt and uncle live. I just happened to be staying with them until a week ago."

Maddy didn't answer. She simply followed Rose as she put some tomatoes into a bag.

It didn't take Rose long to get through what she needed. She wasn't going to be there any longer than she needed to be. The Auror was probably outside – disguised – and becoming impatient.

She took her fruit, vegetables and other staples to the counter. The cashier smiled at her. "I haven't seen you in a while," she said kindly.

Rose's eyes widened. Another person who recognised her. "Are you a w –"

She was stopped by Maddy resting an arm on her. The girl leaned closer. "I think it was only those in your street, or nearby," she whispered.

Rose looked back up at the woman. "Yeah," she said. "I've been busy." She paid for the food and Maddy helped her to carry the many bags back through the door. "I'll walk you home," she said.

"Shouldn't you be at school?" Rose asked her conversationally as they returned to the footpath to go back home.

Maddy shrugged. "Took the day off," she said. "School's almost finished anyway."

Almost finished? Did that mean her cousins would be back soon? "You shouldn't be skipping school," she accused half-heartedly. It was only to make conversation, really.

Maddy laughed. "Yeah, I know."

They reached the doorstep of Rose's house. If she had been in any other mood, she would have invited her friend in. But she didn't. She simply turned to her and smiled weakly. "Thanks," she said.

Maddy returned the smile. "Any time," she replied. "It's better than being at home... or at school." She handed Rose the bags of food.

Without another word, Rose unlocked the front door and entered the living room, leaving Maddy standing out the front. Once she had placed all the bags on the table, she walked upstairs and collapsed onto her parents' bed. Like every other night she had spent in this house, the tears began to fall.

She didn't know why it happened, but she just cried. And cried. And cried. And then she fell asleep.

Why had no one come to bring her home? Didn't they care?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And thanks to Joey for beta-ing after she got tired of my pestering :)