It was cold for summer. Moonlight shone through the biggest window in the Burrow's sitting room. The serene glow was cut sharply in half by a sliver of orange light coming from the kitchen. All the hope and giddiness my trip to Malfoy Manor had brought was extinguished like a candle.
My stomach twisted with dread when I heard voices coming from the kitchen. I couldn't make out any of the words, it sounded like everyone was hissing. Pumpkin sneezed making his presence known on one of the sofas.
"Shh!" a voice came.
I turned on the spot, the floorboards creaking under me. Around the corner of the fireplace, I could see Hugo, Fred and Dominique huddled around an extendable ear.
"Where were you?" Fred mouthed. He didn't smile or wiggle his eyebrows making a joke out of it like he would if this was any other summer. Instead, he frowned at me.
I was saved from answering by Dominique who pushed Fred gruffly, bringing the extendable ear even closer to her own. It was on low volume.
Hugo made a gesture for me to come over and sit beside him on the floor. I stepped forwards without thinking, my curiousity guiding me. Then a sickening feeling washed over me as I sat. I really didn't want to know what was being said but at the same time, I needed to know. I wished I could've stayed at the Manor for longer. It, surprisingly, was starting to feel warmer there than at the Burrow despite the dust, muted tones and empty space. The air felt lighter.
Oh my Merlin, life was taking a weird turn.
Across the room the clock showing Dad, my uncles and aunt ticked away. Everyone except Aunt Ginny and Uncle Charlie had their arrows pointed to home. Dad was here. His chubby young face stared at us.
"Dead end-"
"What do you mean it was a dead end, Ron?"
"Do you want me to get you a dictionary?" Uncle George chimed in. "You probably have one in that suitcase of yours."
I could feel Uncle Percy go red. "It is a briefcase and I know what a dead end means. The ministry needs specifics, it can't keep taking your word, Ron, it's bad paperwork."
"The. Mission. Was. A. Failure." Dad spat. "Harry. Was. Not. There."
"Ron, please," Grandma Molly scolded. "Keep your temper under control it is not going to help us find Harry any faster."
"But what will we find?" Uncle Percy added. "The statistics show wizards missing for more than forty-eight hours are fifty times more likely to be dead. That percentage goes up every day and what day is it today-"
"SHUT UP!" Dad roared.
"PERCY!"
"RON!"
Uncle George provided, coolly, "Day twenty-one almost twenty-two."
"This is Harry," Dad said desperately. "He wouldn't give up if it was any of us."
"'Arry has a strong 'eart," Aunt Fleur's distinct French accent inputted. "Ze's survived the killing curse twice-"
"Hear, hear." Hagrid muffled voice added, followed by the loud sound of him blowing his nose.
"It's alright, Hagrid," Grandad said. "We'll find him. Alive," he added, I imagined more for Dad's sake than anything.
"I think it's time for bed," Grandma said. "We're not getting anywhere with a lack of sleep."
"But no lack of food and eating-"
"Shut up, George," Dad said over the sound of chairs scraping. Fred and Dominque immediately shot up, pulling the extendable ear with them.
'Almost twenty-two' played over and over in my mind. That couldn't be right but then again, I thought as I tried to help Hugo up, he swatted my hand away, it did feel like I had been imprisoned in the Burrow for the entire summer. I hadn't spoken to my parents properly for twenty-two days. I had seen more of the Malfoy as of tonight. I shuddered. Everything was out of balance.
I threw myself beside Pumpkin. He sat up and sniffed my jumper. He purred, he knew exactly who's scent was on it. I stroked his fur. Dom and Fred pretended to be reading the Quibbler, that's all we had at the Burrow endless copies of the Quibbler. The Daily Prophet was forbidden from entering the Burrow. I was hoping Scorpius could tell me why.
"Don't say anything about my absence." I murmured to Hugo beside me.
He nodded, his head resting on his palms.
"You really couldn't care less, could you?"
"I'm not stupid that would bring Dad down on top of me." He mimicked Dad's gruff tone. "'Why didn't you stop her?' 'Why didn't you come get me?' 'The war is starting again… blah, blah, blah I'm going to eat some meat and drink some firewhiskey-'"
Dom scowled, "Can you just not, Hugo, there's not enough room in this house for your ignorance."
"Don't speak to Hugo like that, Dom," I felt the tips of my ears burn red. It was like she was saying it to me as well.
"Thanks, Rose," Hugo muttered and sat back. "I just want this to be over."
Dom, unable to hold herself back from a good fight, snarled. "That's a privilege some of us don't have. Some of us know suffering-"
"A press scandal because your dad's a half-werewolf," I challenged, my temper was bubbling. "Excuse me if what a bunch of ancient purebloods have to say is suffering."
Hugo snorted. "Leave it, Dad will kill you if he hears-"
"Excuse me, Rose, not all of us can afford to skip around with Malfoy!" Dom was getting to her feet.
"That's my business," I stood up as well. "And has nothing to do with you. All you've heard is rumours."
"I know-"
"Dom, come off it." Fred waved his copy of the Quibbler at her. "Rose doesn't know what she's talking about give it a couple of years-"
Something snapped inside of me. While they were tucked away safely in a joke shop, I was out on the streets of Diagon Alley hiding from and fighting against death eaters. I almost died but I couldn't tell them because I knew and I understood the consequences. I was feeding the Malfoy's information to keep them safe-
"You spend your time playing with extendable ears!" I charged over to them. "WHAT MAKES YOU SO SPECIAL?"
"I WILL-" Dom was up in my face now.
"Dominique and Rose will you please!" Grandma Molly appeared out of nowhere and pushed us apart. She was holding us by the front of our robes. "Act your ages!" her features were contorted in anger- angrier than when I asked about clean clothes. She released our robes pushing us backwards.
"Sorry, Grandma," Dominque said venom in her voice. "Some people just need to be taken down a few pegs- or a few more shorty-"
"Get out of my sight!" Grandma Molly snapped. "I'm disappointed in the both of you! Now!" she scolded. "As for the rest of you extendable ears…"
I met Dad's blue eyes and started moving. That was a conversation I didn't want to have whether he had heard Dom's Malfoy comment or not. I scooped Pumpkin up. He hissed at being moved from his warm spot. I held him to my chest like a shield as I walk past the adults in the hall.
"I expect better from you, Rose." I heard Dad say behind me.
Several flights of stairs later I was in Aunt Ginny's old room, a room I was starting to feel was becoming permanently mine. Just give it more books and it would be mine.
I placed Pumpkin beside me and took a deep breath. The quiet of the room made it suddenly very hard to breathe. I was all alone again. It felt like I didn't have anybody. I touched my eyes expecting to find tears but they were bone dry and felt itchy. I rubbed my eyes. I couldn't cry since Diagon Alley, I didn't know what was wrong with me.
"Maybe Scorpius is right." I exhaled, Pumpkin was watching me. "Maybe it did hit me deep… turning my insides to dust without me even feeling it…" I pulled my fists from my eyes. And cocked my head at Pumpkin. "Thank Merlin, there's no room at the Burrow for explosive-" I almost cursed. "Behaviour," I settled for and sighed.
Pumpkin meowed.
"Yeah," I laughed weakly. "Scorpius misses you and was asking about you."
At that Pumpkin turned away from me and went back to sleep, his snores filled the room. I looked around the dark room, the walls were bare. I had taken down the quidditch posters but the flowery wallpaper underneath them was discoloured and pealing.
I curled up into a ball on my bed and shut my eyes still not feeling the sting of what Dom said.
"Rosie…" Someone shook me. I smiled, it was Scorpius clearly, he was the only one who ever called me that nowadays. Ninety percent of the time when he said my nickname he was smiling, something good was happening, it was safe-
"Rose, Rosie, come on you have been asleep long enough. Mum's coming soon-"
"Dad?" I yawned. It was morning, the sun was streaming through the window freckling my legs and Pumpkin was no longer curled by my legs.
"Everything okay?" he asked me.
"Yes," I said automatically, sitting up.
"Last night… you got to stop picking fights. I get it. You're bored-"
"She insulted Hugo, I was standing up for him."
"Hugo can take care of himself."
"Dom was the one who wouldn't let up."
"I don't care, that's not why I'm up here." Dad rubbed a hand across his face, under his eyes were heavy and purple. "I let you sleep in for long enough. Just focus on going back to Hogwarts, Rose. You can't get caught up in this there anyway if you keep your nose out of it. Keep your nose out of a lot of things at Hogwarts. Stick with your cousins this year and keep an eye on Hugo for us. Don't try to make it eventful."
"Fine."
"Rosie," Dad leaned back against the wall. I moved my foot away from him, his weight was making it go numb. "Do you know where Albus has been?"
"No."
"You're friends-"
"We're not."
"Look out for him as well."
Who's going to look out for me? I almost said but the frown that involuntarily crawled across my face must've said it all.
"Don't worry, Rosie. We have every Auror out looking for him." Dad said, getting the wrong message again. "But Albus he has been gone as much as you've been in Grandad's shed."
My cheeks felt hot, yeah, just Grandad's shed.
"He refuses to be anywhere near Ginny, Lily and James or us. He said something horrible about Harry."
"What?" I could probably guess what it was.
"It's not meant for your sweet ears."
I blinked. Then what Scorpius had whispered in my ear last night before we went back inside the Manor would definitely make Dad cringe. It was making me feel suddenly hot. I pushed back my hair, trying to push breathy words to the back of my mind. Why did anything like that always have to come back to bite at the most inconvenient times?
There was a knock at the door.
"'Mione?" Dad called.
The door creaked open after a second. Mum pressed her lips together as she came in, holding a basket full of folded clothes. I smiled. Laundry was suddenly the greatest gift in the world.
"I got the rest of your clothes," the ones that are too small and large. "From your wardrobe," Mum said.
"Thanks, Mum," I replied, happy to permanently part with the Weasley jumper.
"I thought you would appreciate it." She placed it at the end of the bed.
Dad dusted his hands on the legs of his pants. "I suppose I'm not needed or wanted now."
"Oh, Ronald." Mum rolled her eyes. She looked more tired than Dad, the lines around her eyes and her forehead made her look older.
I didn't protest to Dad leaving. Mum understood me more than Dad and I missed her more. I stretched my arms out for a hug that never came instead Mum took Dad's place on 'my' bed and slumped against the wall, so out of character. I frowned.
"That's a nice cold wall," Mum said, the smile on her face had disappeared.
"I have only seen glimpses of you since Uncle Harry…"
"Someone has to find him." Mum crossed her arms and sent a look at the door. The door Dad just walked through. Merlin knows what that man has done now. "Everyone's working around the clock to find him… it feels hopeless- no it doesn't." she shook her head, not at all sounding like my confident, powerful Mum. She sighed. "Just focus on school, Rose."
"Dad said the same." And she probably told Dad to say that in the first place.
"Get those marks, stay with the books for as long as you can." Mum pressed her lips together again and for a second I thought she was about to cry. My eyes darted to the ceiling, that was the last thing in the world I wanted to ever see.
"Mum, you're working so hard-"
"Not enough," Mum said. "And I heard about last night. You cannot afford to be petty. I'm doing this for you and Hugo without Harry…"
I clasped my hands together, I knew what she meant and I believed what she meant but still, I thought back to the argument I had with Scorpius and employed one of his choice phrases. The longer I talked the longer she would hopefully stay.
"But Harry's just a wizard."
Mum shut her eyes. "I am going to pretend you're smarter than that and didn't just say something so insensitive. I'm so sick of it." she murmured. "Sick of it all."
"I'm sorry."
"It's happening again and no apology is going to fix it." Mum pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Mum? I didn't mean-"
"Not you." Mum stood up, it took effort. "I was talking to myself. It helps sometimes. I'm busy and I still have to say hello to Hugo. I'll see you later. Focus on going back to Hogwarts." She said, almost out the door now. "Write to me."
And she was gone.
"But you never write back!"
Author's Note: Back to Hogwarts next chapter. Thanks again for reading and reviewing. It means the world to me!
