Disclaimer: I don't own Rose Granger-Weasley, Newt Scamander or any other character created by J.K. Rowling. My aim is merely to entertain and play around with them a little.
Chapter thirty-eight: In which Rose opens up to people
Their Brazilian carer guided the gang through the intricate maze of Rio's streets, and into a more residential part of town. Over there, the buildings looked much more 'modern', or 'Occidental' should be the right term. There was a spot of French architecture into the lines; and of American rigour for the lack of flourishes on the façades.
Joao brought them to a building that he announced was a hotel for magical people. Muggles, or 'Non-Magicals' as he used the American vocable, saw an old building with a fallen roof and burnt down interior.
After they'd checked in and taken possession of the two bedrooms they had been allocated, the group of friends gathered, minus their new companion, in Newt and Theseus' room. Nagini went to sit on one of the two beds and hugged herself, visibly more than uncomfortable about being there. As usual in those cases, Tina went to sit by her to offer comfort, and Rose joined them with a small smile for the Maledictus.
Theseus sat on one of the two chairs, and Newt remained standing, eyes trailed on the walls and décor, as if trying to make sense of any of it.
"So," the eldest sibling started, drawing everyone's attention, "what now?"
Rose looked at Newt. "We have a book-signing tomorrow in the city. 10 am. But you and Tina are not obligated to stay. You could….visit." She put an emphasis on the word, to signify that 'visiting', for her, meant 'searching'.
Theseus met her gaze and pursed his lips. "I don't want to leave you three alone in a strange place."
"Me neither," added Tina, to cut short the annoyed answer that Rose had ready. The brunette seemed to know what she had prevented, too, for her dark eyes were trailed on her red-headed friend with a pointed look. "I think it better if we stay together at all times."
Newt nodded absent-mindedly. "Yes, better, no doubt."
Theseus sighed, eyes going to the walls as well, trailing on the abstract representation of Rio itself. "Do any of you think Abernathy might have been here alone? To make us believe they're all here?"
Rose shook her head immediately, mirrored soon after by Nagini and Tina. It was the black-haired woman who answered, though, surprisingly. She usually remained silent unless spoken to. "They're here. Don't ask me why, but I can feel Credence is close."
Newt, at that, turned to her, his usual magizoologist's curiosity letting itself known. "Is it one of your abilities? Can you always feel other cursed people around you?"
Her dark eyes met his, almost apologetically. "No, I'm sorry, Newt. Just him."
Tina squeezed her hand tighter. Rose understood the gesture. Nagini's bond with Credence had been forged through necessity, but their mutual trust and affection for one another had strengthened it. Who were they to question her on her instincts when weirder things happened every day?
Newt seemed disappointed, but didn't add anything.
"Fine, then," Theseus continued, lips pursed and severe look in his eyes. "Tonight, we'll go to dinner in the lobby. Tomorrow, book-signing. Tina and I will monitor those who come into the venue, just in case. But we stick together. All the time. No exceptions."
He said that last part while staring at Rose, who couldn't stop herself from adding a snarky remark. "Even when we have to go to the restrooms? That will be tiresome…"
He glared at her, but didn't add anything before standing. "I'll go check where we'll be eating tonight."
"You shouldn't go alone," snapped Newt immediately. His brother stopped at the door but didn't turn around. "You have to abide by your own rules, Theo."
"I'll go with him," Nagini offered, letting go of Tina with a grateful smile. "I need some air."
Theseus nodded and waited until their dark-haired friend had joined him to exit the room, leaving Newt, Tina and Rose alone.
Tina was the first to sigh. "Well, he surely is protective."
Newt nodded, taking a seat on the opposite bed to face them. "Too much, sometimes."
The Auror nodded, before turning to Rose with a small cheeky smile. "So, what was that all about? With that Joao guy?"
Rose met her gaze, her own wide in surprise. "What…what do you mean?"
"Well, he was visibly taken with you from the moment he saw you…" Rose grunted, and Tina's smile turned more contemplative. "You should get to know him, you know. He may be a good guy. Someone you'd like to spend time with."
"Rose is in love with Theseus," Newt blurted out, as a way to stop Tina's meddling, but succeeding instead in making his sister blush to the roots of her hair and shaking her head, although incapable of articulating a single word.
To her astonishment, however, Tina didn't appear surprised at all by the claim, and carried on as if it was a normal topic. "I know that, but that doesn't mean that she has to patiently wait for him to love her back. She can keep her eyes and heart open in case someone better comes along."
"Theseus already loves her. He just doesn't want to say it," Newt answered in the same matter-of-factly tone.
Rose, this time, managed to counter with "Oh, stop talking as if I wasn't in the room! And Theseus doesn't love me like that! He'll never love me like that!"
Tina glared at Newt, as if angry with him for talking about Theseus at all, and she grabbed Rose's hand. "Rosie, you have to remain open to love, you know! Waiting for a man to make a move can be exhausting enough without pushing away those who are actually trying to get your attention…"
Rose still shook her head. "Tina, we're here only for a little while. I can't possibly enter whatever relationship with a man I barely know just to try and move on from what I feel…"
The Auror sighed, having apparently accepted defeat. That is, until she said "Whatever hurt you in your past, you need to let it go, honey…"
The past. Rose met her friend's gaze, and the full stupidity of the situation hit her like a freight train. The past. She had never told Tina the truth. She'd told Newt immediately; Queenie without really meaning to; Jacob by proxy; Dumbledore because he could help; Theseus when she first met him; and Leta, eventually. But she had never told Tina. And now, she was regretting it.
With a pointed glance towards Newt, Rose fully turned towards her friend and took both her hands. "Teens. I'm so sorry I haven't told you before, but…there is something about me that you need to know." The brunette's eyes widened, but she nodded, letting Rose start her tale with a shaky voice. "You see, I wasn't really born in 1905…"
Almost an hour later, and before Theseus and Nagini came back from wherever they'd gone to, Tina had buried Rose under a hug of such magnitude that the younger witch had to ask her to release her, unless she wanted her dead by asphyxiation.
"Rosie, I'm…I'm…" Tina faltered, tears gathering in her eyes, as rare as that was. "'Sorry' doesn't even begin to cover it. I can't believe I've done something so cruel! To you! I'm…I'm a…I'm a monster!"
"No," Newt cut in, kneeling in front of his would-be lover and taking one of her hands while Rose still held the other. "No, you're not. The Tina who did that will never exist, because Rose did what she had to. Queenie never joined Grindelwald. She's safe, she's home, and she's going to have a baby. It wasn't you. It won't be you."
Perhaps it was the determination in his green eyes, perhaps it was the fire with which he'd spoken, but Tina slowly nodded, wiping her tears away before drawing Rose into another hug, uttering her apologies again and again and again.
At that moment, the door swung open, revealing the rest of their small gang, plus their Brazilian guide.
Joao's eyes searched the room until they found Rose, and he smiled widely, the same hint of flirtation in his gaze as he announced, with little care for Tina's obvious distress, "There's going to be a ball!"
Which made Newt, Rose and Tina start in surprise.
Theseus, having clocked their quizzical expressions, and their guide's apparent unwillingness to explain further, took it upon himself to elaborate. "A very powerful Brazilian Pureblood family is hosting a ball tomorrow night. The local Ministry believes that Grindelwald or his followers might make an appearance to try and rally some of the guests to their cause. I agree."
Newt rose from the floor, nodding with a pointed glance at the painted wall again. "It would be a good idea to attend."
"But how?" Rose cut in. "We can't invite ourselves to a party hosted by people we don't know!"
Joao smiled at her, winking as he answered "The eldest daughter is set to come to your book-signing tomorrow morning. You just have to make sure that you get invited after that."
Newt's brow furrowed, then he turned to his sister. "We will have a greater chance of that if you do the talking, then, Rose. I'm not that good with being interesting."
"That," she countered, clocking Tina's amused smirk, "is a big fat lie, but I'll let it slide." She chuckled before looking back at their guide, whose smile had turned into a look of wonder when she'd laughed. She found it charming. "I'll do my best to get us invitations."
"You'll have no trouble there, Miss Rose," Joao said with another wink, before turning back to Theseus and bowing the head. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good evening to you!"
Theseus was let courteous when he answered back, but Rose was actually starting to think that Tina was right: maybe getting to know Joao wouldn't be such a bad idea…
In the end, it took Rose less than five minutes to get invited to the Silvas' ball. Adriana Silva, their eldest daughter who'd come get Newt's book and signature, only caught a glimpse of her before she decided that she was her new best friend.
Her English was broken, but enthusiasm and gestures were making communication easier. When Rose asked if her friends could come with her, Adriana didn't even flinch and grinned widely before announcing 'Of course!' with a cute rolling of the 'r'.
So there they were. The Silvas owned a mansion on the outskirts of Rio. Their garden ended in a private beach on which most of their guests Apparated, including the gang, who Joao had tailed, obviously posting as their interpret.
It quickly appeared that the 'ball' would be hosted in every single room of the ground floor. The entrance hall was filled with people holding champagne glasses – maybe the 1920s was a time when even wizarding families favoured champagne – while the fining-room had been transformed into a ballroom in the corner of which sat instruments that played on their own, an old wizard sitting by waving his wand at the end of one song to start another.
Rose walked up front, having been formally invited first. She was greeted by Adriana who introduced her to her parents, neither of which spoke English, apparently, and two younger siblings, a boy named Fernando and a girl named Ana. She was talking in a quick and animated Portuguese, pointing at Newt every now and then no doubt to explain who he was. Both parents bowed the head respectfully at their impromptu guests, and the group moved to the ballroom to try and locate someone they knew.
Rose let out a breath as soon as she'd grabbed a glass of what wasn't champagne at all, but Giggle Water in copious amounts. After taking a small sip, she noticed Theseus' tense stance newt to her, while Tina and Newt were taking a turn of the room and Joao had already pulled poor unwilling Nagini onto the dancefloor.
"Do you think they've used Polyjuice?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"It's a possibility," he answered, lips pursed and gaze hard.
Rose sighed, glancing up at him and clocking his unease. She knew him better then, she knew that he usually was this tense when on a mission; but he'd acted like this when in private too, when he visited her and Newt. She didn't like it one bit. "Are you really that angry, Theseus?"
"Angry about what?" he asked, dropping his grey-green eyes to her.
"About my coming here."
His gaze was aflame then, with anger and a worry and a determination that she'd never think she'd ever see directed her way. "Of course I am really angry about that, Rose! You're putting everyone at risk!"
She huffed. "No, I'm not. He'd try to harm you if I wasn't there too. And don't try to deny it. By the way, I feel much safer here with all of you than I'd feel if I'd stayed home alone."
He didn't back down. "You'd have been protected by Aurors, day and night."
"People I don't know and don't trust," she hissed. "Don't ask that of me. And stop acting as if I was a porcelain doll unable to defend itself."
He leaned down, almost as if he was trying to frighten her. "You're a Healer, Rose, not a fighter."
Stomping and turning from him, she ended the 'conversation' with a "Then you don't know me as well as you imagine." She saw Tina and Newt from afar, and decided to join them, leaving a still fuming Theseus behind. She didn't care.
Before she could reach her brother and her friend, though, she was stopped by a familiar grin. Joao had finished dancing with Nagini, whose beauty had apparently appealed to another wizard who was leading her on the dancefloor. She seemed a bit more relaxed, but not extremely so.
"Miss Rose, care to dance?" the flirtatious Auror asked, and she sighed, thinking that dancing would perhaps help her forget the stupidity Theseus had just displayed. Nodding, she took his hand, and he gently led her into a gentle sway back and forth.
The music now resembled a fado, prompting the couples to stop waltzing and to adjust to the slower tempo. Rose thought it looked like slow-dancing, something that wouldn't be invented for another couple of decades; but she enjoyed the familiarity all the same.
With a hand on her waist and the other holding hers, Joao looked like one of the happiest people on Earth. Rose blushed without meaning to, and he smiled wider even, if that was possible. "You truly are a woman of great beauty, Miss Rose," he said in a secretive tone.
Blushing deeper still, she looked away from him. "Thank you."
"I wish you could stay in Brazil for a while longer," he added, making her look at him again.
"You do?"
He nodded, his smile softening. "I must look like a man who likes to flirt. And I do. Everyone in Brazil likes it." She chuckled, and he did the same. "But I really want to know you better."
It made Rose think about Tina's words the previous day. That she needed to let go of her past and to start living. She knew the chance of her going back to the 2020s were next to nil, now, but somehow, she had started to make peace with it. And to be honest, she wasn't so sure she'd want to go back. If anything, she'd rather pull her family into a time portal and bring them here…
Joao was letting her think. He wasn't pushing her to know what her thoughts were about, or overly toward. She appreciated it. It was nice to be treated this nicely by an attractive man. She couldn't deny that 21st century men were not always that gentlemanly. Far from it.
At long last, she stopped their dancing, and with a smile, she asked "Would you accompany me outside? I feel like walking through the gardens."
His smile was dazzling, and he let himself be led away. Rose didn't try to locate any of her friends. She wanted to be alone with a lovely man, just for a few moments…
The Silvas' gardens were amazing. Palm trees had been planted to offer some shade, but most of the flowers and plants they encountered were of Western origin. Rose was struck then by the fact that Latin Americans – or at least Brazilian Purebloods – seemed to look as European as they could. As if their own culture was shameful. She hoped it changed soon…
They found a stone bench near a trickling fountain at the back of the gardens, and sat down, Joao handing her a glass of Giggle Water as they did so.
It wasn't awkward. Rose wondered why it wasn't.
"So, Miss Rose," he started after taking a sip, "are you one of these modern women who have a job, or are you a stay-at-home witch?"
Rose met his mischievous gaze. She felt like he already knew the answer and told him so. "I think you are already aware of what I do, Auror Santos." He chuckled. "I'm a stay-at-home Healer. I help my brother Newt with his creatures, and we have written a book together."
He nodded, visibly impressed. "So a female Healer, and a writer. Truly remarkable." His smile turned a bit sad. "My sister Lucia wanted to become a Healer too, but our parents refused. She's married now, and I think my brother-in-law lets her study healing when no one is looking…"
Rose's own gaze softened. "You have a sister?"
"Three," he said with a smile. "Maria is the eldest. Then there's me. Lucia is one year younger than me. Juliana is still attending Castelobruxo."
"Castelobruxo is your wizarding school, isn't it?"
He nodded. "It means 'wizarding castle'. Better than your 'Hog's warts', don't you think?"
She couldn't help the laugh that followed. "I can't deny that it has a nicer ring to it…"
Joao stared at her, as if in awe of her laugh. "Do you and the Scamanders have other siblings?"
She shook her head slowly. "No, we don't. But before I was adopted into their family, I had a younger brother. Hugo."
He looked surprised. "You were adopted? I thought…I thought-"
"You thought I was their biological sister?" He nodded. "No, I'm not. Don't let the ginger hair fool you." She smiled, contemplative. "I lost my family. My parents and brother. Newt adopted me into his own as if I'd been asking him for paper and quill…"
"You do look a bit alike," Joao confirmed. "But you appear to be very close."
"We are," she said in a smile. "He's the best big brother I could ever have had."
"Do you like Rio, so far?" he asked then, changing the subject as if fearing an end to their companionable conversation.
Rose pondered, and chuckled a bit. "It's too warm for me. Far too humid. But other than that, it's a truly beautiful place." She silently wondered if the infamous favelas of Sao Paulo were already as horrifyingly poor as they were a century later. Maybe Rio wasn't as beautiful as she thought, then…
Joao chuckled too. "I've been to England once. It's far too cold for me. And too much rain."
They both laughed at that. Rose was at ease, and continued on her path to know this man better. "Have you always wanted to be an Auror?"
"A Caçador?" he looked at the sky, lost in thought. "Not always, no. After what happened in Europe, that War…" he sighed. "I suppose I wanted to make sure my family was safe. No one could fight; not my father, who's a Potion Master; not my brothers-in-law who are all in business. So I became Caçador to be able to protect them."
"That's a…very commendable choice."
"And you? Always wanted to be a Healer?"
She smiled. "I have. My parents? Not so much. My mother would have wanted me to become an Auror – female Aurors are more common in England than female Healers – and my father wanted me to play Quidditch. But I always knew I'd be a Healer."
"You played Quidditch?" Joao's hazel eyes were wide with wonder. "What post did you play?"
She smiled proudly. "Chaser."
"I was a Keeper." He smiled softly. "Maybe one day England and Brazil will be against each other in the World Cup, and we'll attend together."
Rose's smile turned fonder. She'd attended the 2014 World Cup Final with her family, of course. The one during which her mother's ex-boyfriend, infamous Viktor Krum, had given Bulgaria its first win. Brazil had lost, but the team's play had been flawless. "Maybe," she whispered.
Joao kept looking at her as if she was a dream come true. And she had to admit that he truly was an amazing man. Kind, brave, family-oriented, funny… It struck her then that he was probably wondering whether or not he could kiss her. And in the same moment, she realised that not once had she needed to spin lies during their conversation. She'd been entirely honest.
Maybe that's why she leaned in too…
"I'm telling you, it's too dangerous!"
Rose and Joao started away from each other. She blushed, feeling like a little kid caught by her parents. With a twinge of regret, though, for she had really wanted to kiss Joao.
"They won't ssee anything, they're too sstupid!"
That voice. The hissing sounds of consonants pronounced with a forked tongue. Rose had heard it once before.
Abernathy.
She put a finger to her lips, and Joao nodded. They both tried to identify where the voices came from, and saw two silhouettes, hidden in darkness, that were walking away from the mansion. They didn't look like Vinda Rosier and James Abernathy, which confirmed her earlier suspicions that they'd used Polyjuice. Their voices, though, were unaltered.
"Jusst our luck that they had to be here…" the former MACUSA official hissed again.
Rosier growled. "He suspected it. No matter. These Purebloods will be easily rallied. If not here today, then somewhere else tomorrow…"
Abernathy hissed, and Rose pictured him using his lizard tongue as a snake. "I hope you are right… I really want a piecce of Goldsstein…"
"Patience, my friend," the French woman said as they got further and further away. "Patience. One day, they'll come to us. And we'll have fun then."
Their hushed voices faded in the night, until Rose heard the unmistakeable 'pop' of two people Disapparating.
She turned to Joao. Forgotten was their moment or their almost-kiss. Instead, they both stood from the bench, determined and serious.
"Let's go," the Auror said. The only sign that anything romantic might have happened between the two of them was that he grabbed her hand…