Turning fourteen didn't feel like a very big deal to Rosie. In fact, she tried to avoid thinking about her age on a regular basis. Age was never a joyful topic of discussion when it was centered around her. Rose was tired of hearing phrases like, "He tried to kill a one year old," "You were only twelve," "He's three years older than you."
Now that she was fourteen, she knew that nothing would change. Cedric would be turning seventeen the week after her birthday, which meant that he remained three years older. The fact that she was now going to be fourteen didn't change the fact that she had been brutally violated when she was twelve, or that she was to go to trial the next week.
Voldemort trying to kill her as a baby remained a prominent issue as they all sat perched like sitting ducks waiting for the return. Age didn't change a thing, so Rosie was surprised when she awoke the morning of her birthday feeling so much joy.
Moony had woken her up at eight in the morning with such a wide grin that she thought he might hurt himself.
"Good morning Princess." He greeted her, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Morning Moony." Rosie reached out to give him a hug, her eyelids still heavy.
When Moony had successfully trapped her in his arms, he whispered, "I know that I`ve missed a lot of birthdays, but I want you to know that I'll be here for all the rest of them."
"Aw Moony, don't worry about it. I know you will." She sighed into him.
Sometimes Rosie fantasized about leaving her life behind to live a peacefully in solitude with Moony, drinking tea and eating porridge. It was then that Sirius entered the room, a cupcake in hand with a single candle resting on top.
"Happy Birthday Rosie!" They both chimed and Sirius leaned in to give her a hug as well.
That afternoon, Moony had done exactly what he had said he would and had invited Cedric, Severus, and Ginny over to have dinner. Rosie hadn't really wanted to do that, but Moony seemed pleased so she had decided not to say anything. However, Rose couldn't see a way in which the dinner wouldn't end badly.
The best-case scenario was that it would be awkward, and the worst case would be extreme humiliation and/or the need for serious damage control. Severus and Sirius in the same room was never a good idea, not to mention throwing Cedric into the mix.
Rosie didn't dress up for the dinner. She didn't think it warranted uncomfortable clothing. Instead, she left her hair long and put on a button-down plaid jumper with tights. Moony had made ham and potatoes with various other side dishes, and Sirius had planned something for dessert.
Cedric had been the first to arrive, greeting her with an enthusiastic kiss and placing a small box next to the wrapped presents that her guardian and Sirius had laid out. Next was Ginny, who gave her a long embrace and did the same. When Severus arrived, everybody looked up. Rosie moved forward to wrap the man in a tight hug, which he awkwardly returned.
"Thanks for coming Severus." She whispered.
"Naturally." He drawled, eyes scanning the room.
Rosie knew that this was uncomfortable for him. Severus hated socializing, especially with his childhood rivals and Rose's boyfriend.
"Hi Professor Snape!" Ginny called from the kitchen where she and Cedric stood.
"Miss Weasley." He nodded curtly. "Mr. Diggory…" Her guardian's tone lingering over Cedric's name.
If she'd thought that Moony was sore over the incident at the Longbottom Manor, Severus was still positively furious, but Rosie had pleaded with him to behave.
"Erm, Hello Professor Snape sir." The boy stuttered.
Moony, who was a godsend as usual, announced that dinner was ready and he and Sirius, who had not said a word since Severus arrived, had begun to set the table.
Rosie took the spot next to Severus and Cedric sat on the other side of her. She knew that nobody else wanted to sit next to the dour potion's professor, and Cedric was too nervous to sit with either Moony or Sirius. Ginny was happy to be anywhere, so she at across from them next to Moony.
The silence was palpable. The only sounds were the gentle clinks of forks and knives touching. Ginny was squirming anxiously. Rose knew that she didn't like the silence. Sirius cleared his throat.
"So, Rosie, did you hear that they're gonna have Veela as cheerleaders at the world cup this year? Sounds kind of dangerous to me."
Rosie's brows furrowed. Before Rosie could ask what that meant, Severus interjected.
"Of course, you would focus on that Black."
"What's a Veela?" She questioned.
Sirius glared at Severus and then coughed. "They are… extremely attractive women who turn into these nasty bird things."
"Oh, why are they dangerous?"
Moony laughed from his spot at the table. "Because they hypnotize men Rosie. Any man who is attracted to women in general becomes prey. Padfoot is saying that it might be dangerous because the stands are so high up, the men might try to jump."
Rosie's eyes widened.
"You would be familiar with Veela, Lupin. I believe they too are classified as dark creatures." Severus spoke from beside her.
"Severus!" Rose admonished, swatting his arm lightly.
Cedric shot her a look. He didn't know about Moony's condition. She just shook her head.
"It's actually pretty hilarious to watch Rosie. The guys, they get these glazed expressions over their faces…" Ginny giggled. "I for one am bringing a blindfold for Dean!"
"Oh! You're going with Dean?" Rose squealed.
"Yes! Well, my family`s going too, but he invited me to sit with him."
She grinned broadly and then turned to Cedric.
"Now, don't forget to pack your blindfold Ced. I am not going to stop you if you try to jump out of your seat to go ogling after another woman." Rosie teased lightly.
The boy blushed.
Sirius coughed again, his body shaking with silent laughter. Moony's eyes were alight with mirth. Cedric must have decided in that moment to try and relax because he smiled and turned to Moony.
"What was it that you were saying the other day about Professor Snape being right about me? Who was it that I remind you of?"
Rosie tensed and her hands gripped the table. Severus turned to stare at her questioningly, and her face reddened.
"Ced. You did not just ask that right now." She gasped, embarrassed.
Moony was now positively quaking in amusement. He wiped a tear from his eyes and turned to Severus.
"Mr. Diggory is referring to dear Rosie's Oedipus Complex."
Cedric spat out his pumpkin juice. "I'm sorry?"
Severus looked as though he was fighting his own laughter, not wanting to be caught enjoying himself in the presence of marauders.
Ginny interrupted the discussion. "What is an Oedipus complex?"
Rosie glowered at her friend. "Gin! Seriously?"
Severus cleared his throat. "An Oedipus Complex Miss Weasley is a psychodynamic theory in human psychology, which states that young girls are unconsciously attracted to their fathers and are subsequently jealous of their mothers. However, nowadays, it has become more commonly known as an attraction to men similar to one's father." He explained, converting momentarily into Professor Snape.
Rosie groaned, dropping her head so that it hit against the table with a resounding thud. Cedric made a soft little noise of discomfort. "Erm. You think I'm like Mr. Potter, Professor Snape sir?"
"Astoundingly." He replied at the same time that Sirius interjected, "He's not that much like James."
Rose rubbed her temples. "Considering I have never held a single conversation with James Potter I don't see how I would have chosen to date Cedric for those reasons."
"That's why it's unconscious my love." Moony winked.
"Oh my god, enough. Please. You are all awful. It's my birthday!"
Sirius, who also seemed to find the topic displeasing, scratched his head and then turned to Rosie.
"You know, on this day, fourteen years ago, your mother was so angry. She'd gone into labor, but it was taking forever, and St. Mungos refused to admit her until she was closer to delivering. She was in so much pain all day, and James tried everything, but the only thing that made her smile was talking about you."
That made Rosie smile too. "Did they know I would be a girl?"
"No." Moony replied. "Lily wanted a boy. She had the nursery decked out in blue for months. Harry James Potter, I still remember how sure she was. Your dad though, he wanted a girl with red hair like your mom`s."
"Aw shit, well I guess I was a big disappointment then for everyone." She chuckled.
"No, because the moment that they saw you they were in love. James suggested they call you Harriet." Moony continued.
"I vetoed that one. I said that you`d never find a boyfriend with a name like Harriet. That made James even more keen, but Lily wouldn`t have it." Sirius chimed in.
"Harriet? That is horrendous." She cringed. "Why did they choose Rose?"
Sirius glanced at Moony, who shot him back a look of confusion.
"You know, we never asked." The werewolf replied. "I kind of figured that it was just a tradition, flower names for girls." Sirius offered.
Just then, much to everyone`s surprise, Severus spoke.
"Rose, was your grandmother`s name."
Her eyes widened and she smiled. Rosie wanted to ask the man more questions about her grandparents, but she knew that he would not want to answer them in front of everyone. She resolved to wait until later.
Ginny, who was not aware of the obvious tension that would ensue asked another question.
"What was Mrs.… um, Lily Potter like? Was she like Rose?"
Rosie cringed as she felt Severus tense beside her. Moony smiled gently and responded,
"She was very much like Rose. Uncommonly kind. She was maybe a bit softer around the edges than our Rosie, but definitely quite similar."
Trying to make Severus laugh, Rosie nudged him and said, "I think that`s Moony trying to say politely that she was much nicer than me."
He raised an eyebrow. "Indeed… you are known to partake in certain activities that might constitute you as… How did Lupin put it? Rough around the edges."
Cedric shifted uncomfortably to her right. By this time, everyone had finished eating dinner, and Rosie began to clear away the plates. That was Sirius' cue. He disappeared into the other room and came out holding a large pink cake with fourteen candles shimmering brightly in the dim light.
A huge grin was plastered on his face. The cake read,
Happy Birthday Rosie
"Aw Siri, did you go out and buy this? You shouldn't have." She gushed, pulling the man into a brief but affectionate hug as soon as he placed the cake on the table. He returned the hug and beamed down at her.
"Make a wish Rose."
Rosie closed her eyes, trying to think of something to wish for. It came to her with sickening clarity in that moment. The only thing that she wished for was for the trial to go well, and for Lockhart to be punished for hurting her. That is what she thought of as she blew out the candles.
Rose didn't think that birthday wishes were supposed to be that morbid.
After cake, it was time for presents. Ginny came forward first, holding out a party bag stuffed with tissue paper. Rosie opened it to find a little golden snitch tucked inside of a small black box.
"It`s for practice." She smiled.
Rosie giggled with excitement as she took the snitch out of its box and it sprang to life. Tossing it up in the air, the delicate wings beat rapidly, and it tried to fly away. She reached up and caught the little ball deftly in her right hand. Sirius was staring at her, his eyes wide and his expression, almost… longing. It was the same expression that he`d had when she'd first met him in the shrieking shack.
"Your dad used to play with one of those." He whispered softly.
Now Rosie understood. This was Sirius` dead parents face. She knew Moony's and Severus', but she'd never paid much attention to Siri's. It was the face that he made when he forgot that she was Rosie and not James. They all did it.
"Thanks Ginny, this is brilliant." She beamed, trying to ignore Sirius, and leaned into to hug her friend.
Cedric put his hand on her back and blushed as she turned to look at him holding out a thin velvet box. Inside was a pretty silver charm bracelet. It had only two charms on it, a little ruby encrusted lion, and a yellow topaz jeweled badger. It was Gryffindor and Hufflepuff.
"Oh Cedric. This is so lovely." She gasped allowing him to clasp it onto her wrist.
Once again, the familiar sensation of guilt began to creep through her body, trailing up her spine and making her shudder. He was so bloody nice, and she was terrible. Rosie tried to squash the bad feeling down and swept him up into a not-so-appropriate kiss, allowing her hands to come down, curling around his torso.
Severus cleared his throat and Cedric pulled back.
"Me next Rose!" Siri called from the other side of the room. She hadn't even realized that he'd gone and come back.
In his hands was a long, thin package. The shape was unmistakable.
"You didn't." She started, her face frozen in shock. The man grinned at her. Opening the package quickly, Rosie realized that he had in fact done it.
He had bought her the firebolt. It was the newest and fastest broom invented. It had come out around the time that he'd escaped Azkaban. Rose squealed with excitement and threw herself at him. The ex-con picked her up and twirled her around.
"Thank you, Siri." She sighed genuinely.
"Anything for you Little Prongs." He replied. Rosie noted the new nickname in her mind.
He`d never called her that before. When she turned around again, Severus was glaring as usual. Rosie winked at him. His glare deepened. Cedric was watching them with his eyebrow raised.
Moony shuffled towards her, glancing sideways towards the firebolt, and then holding out a package for her to take. She assumed this was his gift to her. Rosie smiled and took the gift from her guardian, but when she tore the wrapping paper away, she was left speechless. Her eyes stung with emotion and her breath caught. Moony had given her a photo album full to the brim with picture of her parents.
He must have been collecting them for months. Opening the album to the first page, Rosie let out a pained little cry as she came face to face with her eleven-year-old mother, smiling brightly next to another Gryffindor girl. Below that photo was one of her father and Sirius around the same age.
The album seemed to move in chronological order as her parents aged. There was even a picture of a tiny little Severus, smiling of all things, next to her mom. They looked to be around thirteen.
"Oh Moony." Rosie breathed, a single tear trailing down her cheek.
She quickly wiped it away and held the book to her chest. Rosie suddenly felt very vulnerable. Fighting tears, she spun around looking for a way out, to get away from all of the eyes watching her grieve.
Moony's face flashed with alarm. "Honey, I`m sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"N…no, it's wonderful Moony, I just, erm, I think I will look later if it's alright with you." Rosie stuttered, trying to mask the emotion.
Sirius grimaced and set an arm around her heavily.
"Now, let's see what Ol'Snapey there got you Rose." He said, changing the subject and picking up the neat black box that remained on the table.
Severus was staring at her pointedly. It would be unnoticeable to anyone else, but she knew this his face was etched in concern for her. Rose flashed him a small smile, trying to communicate her stability. Touching her locket softly, she moved to pry the box open. Much to Rosie's surprise, out popped a red teddy bear. It had the Gryffindor emblem sewn on the chest.
She was puzzled at first but knew that Severus would not give her a teddy bear for no reason. Turning the bear over gently in her hands, Rose noticed a flower embroidered on the bottom of the right foot… it was a lily. Going on instinct, she took the plush foot in her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Rose Potter. She's the most amazing gift I've ever been given." Lily Potter's voice chimed.
Rosie clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle the whimper that left her lips. The bear fell to the floor and she moved away. Turning around and scuttling into the next room, the tears beginning to flow liberally. It wasn't that Rose didn't love and appreciate the gifts, and the time it must have taken to create them, she just, wasn't in the right state of mind at that moment to handle the grief that would inevitably follow.
Expecting Severus or Moony, she was surprised to find that it had been Cedric who`d decided to come after her.
"Rose. Come here." He motioned, pulling her into his arms. She pressed her face into his chest, tears wetting the boy's shirt.
"I understand Rose. I do. I grew up with the same thing after my mother... Everyone wants to give you things that remind you of your parents… they want you to feel the same way that they did about them, but it's hard. Especially when you never knew them." Cedric explained.
"I just… I love the gifts, they are so special, and I'll treasure them forever, but right now with the trial getting closer and… my birthday was never really a very nice day for me, I don't think I was prepared."
"When my mother died, I was only four years old, and my dad, he didn't talk about her for a long time. When he finally did start to tell me about her and show me pictures, it was so overwhelming that I almost didn't want to see."
"I never realize how much I missed them until I knew more about them." Rosie admitted weakly. "My relatives never… well they never did anything. I'd never even seen pictures before Hogwarts. I guess I'm just learning more and more of what I missed out on."
"I know Rose, but the thing is, as weird as it feels, the people that knew our parents only do it out of love." He tried to reassure her. "Listen, Professor Snape looked like he was about to hit something when you left, and Professor Lupin was just staring at the floor. You should go back in there."
"What do I say to them?" She whispered.
"You'll just have to fake it. Put your Gryffindor bravery to good use, put on a smile, and go and give out some of your heart stopping hugs. Got it? Explain that you were just overcome, but that you love the gifts."
Rosie sighed and shot Cedric a watery smile, letting him wipe the tears from her cheeks and kiss her forehead softly. That was exactly what she would do.
