A/N: wow, this took me longer to finish than I expected! I've had a busy time since I last updated, most notably being going on a short course at the university I really want to go to, which was amazing. The weather where I am has been absolutely fantastic, a heatwave apparently, but today it's due to be thunder and lightning...no sign of it yet though, it's hot and sunny outside right now! I'll be going on holiday probably on wednesday for about 10 ten days, so I probably won't be able to update for a little while, unless I manage to write anything on the long car journey. (it'll be about 8 hours in the car each way, yay.) However, I came up with another new plot idea yesterday which I'm mulling over and considering popping in over the next few chapters! Anyway, another reasonably long chapter from me, hope you like it. It continues on from what happened last chapter, so I hope you haven't forgotten what happened, since it's been so long ;) hahaha
Chapter Twenty-One
There had been a knock at the door at about 1am.
"Come on, I need Albus and Scorpius. We're all going home now." Harry called from the other side of Rose's bedroom door. They'd been chatting all evening, Merlin knows what about. It seemed they'd talked about everything imaginable and absolutely nothing of any use.
Rose was sat at the top of her bed, her pillow bunched up behind her. At the foot of the bed, Scorpius was leaning up against the footboard with another of her pillows, and in the middle, Al was lying on his back across the bed, chin on his chest and his head propped up against the wall, pillowless. At the sound of Harry's voice, they stopped talking and shared looks of disappointment. Albus sat up, his neck cracking.
"Eurgh." He said, tipping his head to either side and stretching. Scorpius got up reluctantly, taking Albus's hand and pulling him up off the bed. Rose got up and followed them downstairs, to where the hallway was filled with people chatting loudly and clutching coats and bags.
One by one, Rose received final birthday wishes from each member of her family, before they either Disapparated or retreated to the kitchen fireplace.
"We're home all weekend, so we'll be back tomorrow." Albus reminded Rose, with a quick hug. "Happy early Birthday."
"See you tomorrow." Scorpius was next in line for a hug, holding onto her for much longer than Albus had. Rose realised how tired she was as she melted into his embrace.
"Sleep well." he said, letting her go and smiling.
"I will." she said, knowing it was true. Boy, she was going to sleep like a baby, she was exhausted. Albus and Scorpius departed with James, Lily, Ginny and Harry, and very soon the hallway was empty, save for Hugo, Ron and Hermione.
"Bedtime I'd say. Even for you, Birthday girl. You don't want to be tired tomorrow." Hermione told her children. Hugo disappeared upstairs immediately, claiming the bathroom first.
"Thanks for tonight." Rose said, hugging both her parents. "Goodnight."
"You're very welcome." Hermione hugged her daughter tightly.
"It's not every day my daughter turns sixteen." Ron grinned, hugging his daughter even tighter. Rose had lost count of the amount of hugs she'd been given today. She grinned back at him.
"Not yet Dad, tomorrow."
Ron laughed at her and tugged on one of her red curls. "Go on smarty-pants, off to bed."
Rose headed up the stairs, and waited outside the bathroom door.
"Huuuugo. Hurry up." she knocked. He opened the door, revealing a face with toothpaste smeared all around his mouth.
"Hue, your face." Rose reminded him. He lifted his sleeve and wiped away the froth, before disappearing into his bedroom.
"Night!" He called.
"Night." Rose replied, heading into the bathroom to brush her teeth tiredly. The taste of Firewhiskey and lemonade had lingered in her mouth all evening, and it wasn't as pleasant as it tasted when she first drank it. She spat the toothpaste out into the sink and looked up into the mirror. They were right about how pink her cheeks were. Maybe it wasn't the alcohol, maybe she had just become a permanent blush-er thanks to Scorpius Malfoy.
She splashed her face with cold water and left the room, reaching her bedroom and undressing quickly. She moved the pillows back to their rightful spot at the job of the bed, and climbed in. The house was cold on this early November night, and she was grateful to snuggle down under the blankets. Switching off the light and turning over in bed, she was pleasantly surprised to find that her pillow smelt of Scorpius. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, and was very soon asleep.
She woke slowly the next morning, rare winter sunlight shining in through the open curtains. She guessed it was about half eight. Reluctant to leave her warm bed, she turned onto her side and pulled the blankets up closer around her, enjoying the quiet. Her thoughts turned back to the night before – the surprise celebration, James and Fred spiking her drink, that moment in the kitchen with Scorpius. Rose sniffed her pillow, but was disappointed to find all she could now smell was the scent of her own shampoo.
She had been laying in bed dozing happily for almost ten minutes before a knock on the door came. Her brother was first to pile into the room, then her mum and dad following behind. They all climbed onto the bed with her, singing 'happy birthday'. Rose sat up, allowing her brother to come and sit next to her at the top of the bed.
"Happy Birthday." Hugo grinned when they finished singing. Rose smiled back, "Thanks Hue."
"Happy Birthday, dear." Ron hugged his daughter, and then Hermione was next.
"You have visitors downstairs... I must warn you, they've attempted to cook you a special birthday breakfast." Hermione told her daughter. Rose knew immediately who she was talking about.
"You make yourself decent, and I'll send them up, hm?"
"Yeah, thanks." Rose grinned.
"Then when you're ready, come on down for presents." Ron added, and then her family left her to it. Rose leapt out of bed and went straight to the bathroom, washing her face and brushing her hair as best she could. Back in her bedroom, she straightened out the blankets and puffed up the pillows, then climbed back in when she heard footsteps on the stairs. There was a knock on the door moments later.
"Come in!" She called out, and the door opened. Albus came in first and jumped on the bed, followed by Scorpius who was a little gentler as he sat down, his hands full with a big tray of plates.
"Mooorrning!" Albus looked up from where he'd landed on his back next to her.
"Morning. Are you quite comfortable?"
"Almost." Albus pulled one of Rose's pillows down behind his head. "Now I am. I hope you're hungry."
Rose just laughed at him, and pulled her pillow back. Albus wiggled upwards to sit up next to her. Scorpius slid the tray onto her lap.
"Happy Birthday." he winked.
"Mmm... thanks." Rose said, looking down at the full English cooked breakfast in front of her, complete with a cup of milky tea and a single rose in a tiny vase.
"Wow, thanks! You've really outdone yourselves." She said, starting to eat when her growling stomach reminded her that she was starving. "Have you two eaten?" She asked.
"Yeah. We began with double this food, but ate most of it as we went." Albus grinned. Rose just laughed as Albus patted his satisfied stomach.
"So, how's your head?" Scorpius asked.
"My head?"
"Any kind of hangover headache at all?"
"No, not really." Rose shrugged. "I feel fine."
"Wow. Fair enough. Lucky you... couldn't say the same for James though." Scorpius chuckled.
"Why, how's James?"
"Walking dead. Foul mood, stinking headache, came downstairs long enough to eat as much as he could get his hands on, then went back to bed." Scorpius said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Oh really? Ha. Serves him right." she laughed.
"Yes indeed... I'm sure Fred will be feeling just the same this morning, if not worse." Scorpius looked pleased.
"Oh, hang on, I forgot something." Albus leapt up off the bed suddenly and hurried out of the room. His footsteps could be heard hammering down the stairs.
Scorpius and Rose both realised they were alone together in her bedroom at the same moment. Rose, as usual, went a little pink and concentrated on looking at her plate as she ate. Scorpius however had his eyes fixed on her.
"Great breakfast. Didn't know either of you cooked." Rose commented, cracking under Scorpius's gaze.
"Well your father gave us a few pointers. And your mum told us how you like your tea. As for the rest, it was just me and Al." Scorpius said. "Oh, and the Rose was Lily's idea, she picked it and made us promise to give it to you before we left the Potters' this morning."
Albus's footsteps could be heard hurrying back up the stairs again.
"Aww, that's sweet of her." Rose smiled, looking up finally, but looking at the door expectantly rather than at Scorpius.
"Got it." Albus was breathless, almost falling through the door holding a parcel. "Grandma told me last night to give you this this morning, so you could wear it for your birthday. I'm sure you can probably guess what it is." he handed her the parcel.
Rose smiled. It was always a knitted sweater or cardigan from Grandma Molly. Always. She tore open the parcel and pulled out – yes, she'd guessed so – a chunky hand-knitted cardigan in a deep emerald green. Rose held it up to herself.
"Looks like Grandma's backing Slytherin this year." Albus laughed.
"Green suits you." Scorpius smiled crookedly, looking pleased.
When Rose had finished eating, the two boys got up off the comfy bed.
"Hey, I'll take this. We'll leave you to get dressed." Scorp said, picking up the tray, taking the cup of tea and leaving it on the bedside table, popping the rose in the vase on the desk, and pushing Albus out of the bedroom.
Twenty minutes later Rose arrived downstairs, wearing her new cardigan and a happy smile.
"Molly was right about the colour." Hermione smiled, giving her daughter a hug. "Ready for presents?"
"Of course she's ready." Ron yelled from the lounge. Hermione lead her daughter into the lounge, where Albus, Ron and Scorpius were waiting. Rose was surprised to see that the lounge had almost completely been returned to normal. The furniture was all back in its normal places, only the banners and balloons remained. Oh, and the throne had been moved in from the dining room and placed next to the sofa like an armchair. Rose groaned inwardly, but sat down in the big pink throne with a smile anyway.
The lounge didn't stay tidy – it was soon filled with scraps of torn wrapping paper and opened envelopes. A big pile of unwrapped gifts was growing at Rose's feet; one of the advantages of having a huge family.
Charlie's gift - as promised - had been fantastic. He'd brought her a large photo album bound in a deep red-brown dragon skin, and a huge dragon claw that had been filed in such a way to be used as a pen.
"Right, last one." Ron announced, pulling a large bag out from behind the sofa. Rose had thought she'd already opened the last one.
"This is from your mother and I." Ron grinned, looking excited as he passed her the bag.
"These." Hermione corrected, sharing an equally excited expression.
"Yes, these. Sixteen is a special age, and you are a special girl, we thought you deserved something extra special this year." Ron told his daughter. Rose listened, resisting opening the bag while he was talking. She was getting increasingly excited now. The bag was very big, and rather heavy.
"We hope we got the right things... The man in the store said it was the best-"
"Just let her open it, Ronald." Hermione cut him short. Ron laughed. "Yes, of course. Go on, Rose."
Rose grinned and opened the top of the bag, to reveal two parcels, wrapped in pretty pink paper and tied with silver bows. One was very big, the other was small.
"Which should I open first?" She asked, pulling them both out and putting them on her lap. The size, shape, weight... nothing gave her any clue as to what they could be. Ron was beaming excitedly.
"Little one first." Albus suggested. He couldn't work out what they could be either. Ron and Hermione had told no one what they'd bought for Rose.
"Okay..." Rose grinned, picking up the little rectangular parcel and giving it a shake. It didn't make much of a noise. She tore back a strip of the pink paper and her breath caught in her throat.
"Ohh..." She whispered, tearing it open a little further. The familiar apple logo reflected the light. She pulled the box out of the paper, and held it up. An iPhone.
"Oh my goodness, mum, dad..." Rose was shocked, but certainly in a good way. She moved to give them a hug, but the larger parcel was still on her lap. "I can't believe it, thank you." She grinned.
"Go on, open the next one." Hermione urged her with a smile. Rose didn't need telling twice, and began to pull the pink paper off the next rectangular parcel. She didn't bother trying to shake this one, she couldn't wait. Rose's mouth dropped open when she saw what was inside.
"No way!" She pulled off the rest of the paper and dropped it to the floor, staring in awe at the box on her lap. Macbook Pro. She lifted it carefully to the floor and ran to her parents, embracing them both. She was taken aback.
"Thank you both so much." She said, squeezing them both tightly. Hermione and Ron shared a pleased look.
"You're very welcome, my lovely." Hermione squeezed her daughter back.
"Glad it's the right one. The guy in the shop said they're top of the range, so we took his word for it. I couldn't understand a word of his Muggle-speak about RAM and whatnot." Ron explained. Rose was still grinning when she returned to her seat, and lifted the two items into her lap carefully, examining the packaging.
"Dad, it's perfect. Absolutely perfect. Thank you so much." Rose said, still a little in shock.
"Oh, and one last thing." Hermione added. "We had an electricity supply run to the house while you were at school yesterday, and plugs fitted in your bedroom. We had to disguise them though. Certainly took a bit of memory modification too, after the Muggle electricians saw your father playing with his broomstick in the garden... Anyway. Come and see." Rose gaped at her mother, grabbed the two boxes, and followed her out and up to her bedroom. She laid the boxes ever-so-carefully onto the bed and watched her mother wave her wand, causing three seemingly bare patches of wall to reveal plug sockets.
"So now you can get it plugged in and set up and everything." Hermione smiled. Rose put her arms around her once more.
"I can't believe it." she whispered. "Thank you."
"You are most definitely welcome. It's about time we started helping you out a little with things like this... Ron doesn't really get it, but I lived as a Muggle till I was eleven. I don't want you to feel disadvantaged compared to the other kids."
"It's okay mum... really."
"I knew you'd say that." Hermione smiled, then moved towards the door. "I'll send Albus and Scorpius up – I'm sure they're itching to see what's in the box."
"Thanks mum."
As soon as Hermione had left the room, Rose got to work, opening the larger box first. She opened up her borrowed school laptop at the same time, and opened up her inbox. She had a message from Jake.
Happy Birthday Rose! Have a fantastic day. See you soon. Jake x
Rose smiled and tapped a quick, excited reply.
Thanks Jake! Wow, you won't believe it. My parents got me an iPhone and Macbook for my birthday! I cannot believe it... I'm just about to start setting it up now – send me your mobile number so when I have the phone sorted I can send you a text!
She grinned and pressed send, and turned round at the sound of Al and Scorp coming into the room.
Forty-five minutes later, the laptop was set up, and she had already sent her first text message to Jake. With Al and Scorp by her side, she browsed apps and music, investigated new mac programmes, and got to know her new prized possessions.
"This... is so cool." Scorpius grinned, watching Rose work the laptop. It certainly looked a look sleeker than the other one.
"It's amazing." Rose grinned back. She found the photobooth programme and opened it. The webcam light lit up green, and the faces of Rose, Scorpius and Albus appeared on the screen in front of them. Albus flinched, moving back from the laptop. He moved again slowly, lifting up his hand and waving it about.
"It's like a mirror..." Albus said eventually.
"It's a camera actually; a webcam. You can look at the picture as you take it. And you can use it to see other people on their laptops, and talk to them and stuff." Rose explained, flicking through the different effects. Scorpius began to pull faces into the camera.
"Smiiiiile..." Rose said, and clicked the button, starting the countdown. 3...2...1...flash! The first ever photo taken on her new laptop. She took another, and another, and they all pulled stupid faces at the screen, laughing together. Afterwards, they flicked through and Rose chose her favourite and set it as her background.
"What do you think then?" Rose asked.
"Perfect." Albus grinned.
"Damn, am I that hot?" Scorpius joked, admiring the photo of him. Albus elbowed him, and a pillow fight shortly ensued. Rose moved out of the way quickly, placing her new laptop down lovingly on the desk next to her new mobile phone and standing back to watch the boys play-fight with a grin.
A/N: yeah, so hope you liked that, and hopefully it won't be too long before I manage to update again! Please review :)