I can't believe I've reached the fifteenth chapter! Wow… Anyways… Here it is…
Title: The Future is Waiting
Chapter 15: End of a Dream
Three days later, Harry found Rose in the library. Books lay scattered on a table between two long, large shelves of enormous books.
"What're you doing?" said harry, approaching the secluded table.
"I'm doing a piece of homework, if you can't see," replied Rose coldly without looking up.
"Er, what subject for?" said Harry, wanting to keep the conversation going.
"It's for Potions, if you can't read," she replied in the same cold tone. Harry remained silent for a moment.
"Are you still mad at me?" asked Harry.
"No," said Rose.
"Then, why won't you talk?" said a confused Harry.
"I am talking. But I'm still irritated about what you did," she replied flatly.
"Er… Was it… about the kiss?"
"No."
"So you liked it, huh?" Rose looked daggers at him. "Okay, so not the kiss. What did I do…? Something about… You said I was naïve?" Roes made a noise of approval. "You said – you said something Japanese… Ana – anata? Anata wa taiho… No, not that… Anata wa tai – "
"Anata wa taihen muzai no desu," finished Rose.
"Yeah, that… What does that mean?"
"'You are so innocent,'" said Rose.
"What? What's this all me being naïve and innocent thing?" Rose made an impatient and irritated noise. Harry sighed. "Okay… I don't understand, all right? But anyway, why aren't you mad at me?"
"Do you want me to get mad at you?" said Rose testily.
"No! So… so you like Malfoy, don't' you? I mean, you'd choose him over me, won't you?"
"No."
"You like me better than Malfoy?" said Harry incredulously.
"No," repeated Rose. Harry blinked.
"Are you giving us an even footing?" asked Harry.
"No," said Rose for the fifth time in the conversation. Finally, she looked at Harry. "I'm not giving you or Draco anything."
"You don't like both of us?"
"Just – drop it, will you? You and Draco are my friends. But I don't like you because you two are such airheads with boiling tempers when you don't even know your cute little selves," she said, turning back to the large book she was holding, flipping through the pages. "Unless you figure out what I mean with you being innocent and naïve, I don't want to talk about this again. Now back off, little hero, because I still have loads to do without you adding to the lot."
Harry was caught speechless.
"Honestly! Courting sessions are not allowed in the library! Now, off with you two! Go on! Take those books and do your sickly sweet talks somewhere else!" shrieked the librarian, Yahiko-sensei, whom Harry expected to be gay, in his Japanese accent. Yahiko-sensei was rumored to hate lovers, and some say that he had given detention to a couple he saw walking down a corridor hand in hand.
In these eyes, more than words, more than anything that I've spokenAs the skies turn to grey my heart's just about to crack open
So the story goes
There's something you should know
Before I walk away and I blow the ending
I never wanna be without you
Oh no, here I go
Now you know what I feel about you
There's no running
I must've been wrong to doubt you
Oh no, there I go, no control
And I'm falling so now you know
Harry felt lighter the next few days. He was back on speaking terms with Rose, and Liar was given a month's worth of detentions as her punishment for trying to kill Rose. The incident, however, spread like wild fire, and everyone at Bridgework seemed to suddenly care much more about the Ashworth-Lair rivalry. Harry heard rumors about the Ashworths and the Lairs, how they used to be close families, and how they came to fight later on. Harry did not know which was true, but did not dare ask Rose.
"So, are we staying here for Christmas?" asked Harry during dinner a week before December.
"What d'you mean?" said Ron after swallowing a mouthful of roast chicken.
"Are we allowed to go back to London or Hogwarts for a vacation?" said Harry.
"No. I just went to ask Professor McGonagall earlier, and she said we can't go back to Hogwarts. But she said we could stay at an inn up at Castlerest if we want a different view, if we want to get away from Bridgework for some time," said Hermione. Harry's spirits slightly descended.
"Great! We can stay at Rose's!" exclaimed Ron, spitting bits of chicken everywhere. "How about it, Rose?"
"Yes, that's great…" replied Rose, though unenthusiastically.
"Whassamatter?" said Harry in his goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Don't get me wrong… I do want you there. But, I can't come with you. I have to go somewhere during the vacation… But you can still stay there without me!" Rose explained.
"That's fine – " Ron started, but Hermione shot him a fierce glance and talked.
"Rose, we can't stay there without you! I mean, you own the house! And, how will we ever understand Mrs. Sanada and all those Japanese people who stay there?"
"Sanada-san knows a little bit of English too. And Draco… I expect he'll want to go with you. He knows a little Japanese too…" said Rose.
"Yeah, that'll be okay – Ouch!" Hermione did something to stop Ron from talking.
"But what's the point in staying at your house if you're not there?" said Harry now. Rose gave a little smile.
"I will visit once in a while… You will see me there… Please come… The house needs guests, you know," her smile became broader.
"Well, okay but – "
"Where are you going anyway?" said Ron suddenly. Rose was not able to speak. Harry had the feeling she was trying to keep it out of the subject.
Hermione seemed to think so too, so she shot at Ron, "That is absolutely none of your business where she wants to go! You're lucky enough she let you stay at her house!"
Rose gave a laugh to cover her worried eyes.
December came in a blizzard. The grounds were covered in feet of snow, and it was impossible to see the outside through fogged windows. Mostly, Bridgework students were the ones who went for a vacation. The few Hogwarts students who went out, too, were those who had made friends with Bridgework students and agreed to visit their homes scattered all over Japan.
"This is where we part, I guess," said Rose, when they reached the train station.
"Why are you talking like that?" said Malfoy dramatically, holding Rose's hands in his own. Rose laughed.
"You'll be going on the train to Castlerest as we did before. You're going East. I'm going West. I'll be heading for Swordswing up in Nishi Tora," said Rose.
"We'll be miles apart, then…" said Malfoy in the same dramatical voice. "Take care, Rose…"
"Cut the crap, Malfoy!" said Ron.
"See you, then," said Harry.
"Take care, Rose!" said Hermione.
They made to go up the train; first was Hermione, then Ron. When it was Harry's turn, Rose gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and Malfoy's eyes widened. Rose gestured for Harry, who stared too, to go on the train already. Malfoy was still staring at her when she gave him, too, a kiss on the cheek. Malfoy flushed.
"You two are just love struck, aren't you?" said Ron. The train was journeying slowly to Castlerest. They got a compartment all to themselves.
"Shut up, Weasley," snarled Malfoy. He turned to the window and leaned his head on it. He was gazing outside, though there was nothing really interesting for everything was covered in snow.
"But Harry seems to be in a much more ecstatic condition than Malfoy, doesn't he?" said Hermione to Ron. They both grinned.
"What?" said Harry, trying to look innocent.
"Puh-lease! You've been smirking nonstop since you got on the train?" said Hermione.
All in all, Harry had enjoyed his month's stay at Rose's house. Nowhere had he felt more pampered, but he did not dare go over the limit. He treated Sanada and the other servants nicely, as he had seen Rose do so. Ron was right; Rose had grown up with them, and she treated them as her family. The servants, too, love Rose as their own daughter, and respect her deeply.
On one of the evenings, Sanada-san even brought a large photo album containing Rose's baby pictures. Everyone in the household just seemed to adore her.
"It was them Ashworths who doesn't know how precious she is," said Sanada-san. She was very poor in English but they understood her story. "They never give her any importance when they was alive. But even they're bad attitude towards her, we servants still feel sorry that Rosu-san never get to know her family."
"Erm, Sanada-san? How did – how did Rose find out that her family died? How did you tell her?" asked Hermione.
"Oh…" said Sanada-san. "That was difficult. We did not knew when to tell Rosu-sama, or how… But Eugene-sensei and Dumbledore-sensei told us that we were not keeping the truth from her… That we should tell her," she sighed. "So, we tell her when she was four years old, when she started asking questions. She is very brave, Rosu-sama. We explain everything to her, and she just nod and say yes… She show she understood… She don't let anyone see her crying…"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"After we tell her what happened to Ashworth family, she acted normal in front of us. Smiling, very cheerful. But we know, she cry in her room at night. Silent, of course. Even in grieving, she don't want anyone to know her pain…"
There was a very pregnant pause. Hermione seemed to be fighting back tears again. Malfoy was staring determinedly at the floor. Ron kept making odd gulping noises. Sanada-san continued peering over them. Harry was thinking things over.
If he had known at an early age what truly happened to his parents, would he have acted the same? He did not know. He was convinced, for ten years, that his parents died in a car crash. He was too busy saving himself from the Dursleys' attempts to terrorize his life. He did not pause to think, to reflect, that perhaps his life would be different had he known his parents.
"When Rosu-sama turned five years old, she meet the Malfoys," Sanada-san continued, smiling at Draco Malfoy, who had looked up when he heard the name. "I think you know, Drako-sama, Rosu-sama did not like Malfoys much. But she was happy seeing Malfoys, they were the closest thing to a family she find."
Harry felt more sorry for Rose. The Dursleys, however nasty they were, were still blood relatives of Harry's. Rose's whole clan, all of the Ashworths, were gone. The closest thing to a family she had were the Malfoys, who were not even related to her.
"Things were worse for Rosu-sama when she meet the Lairs. Lairs were close to Ashworths before, when You-Know-Who isn't in power. They put all sort of thing in Rosu-sama's mind. Things about Ashworths that wasn't true. Rosu-sama know better, however, and she wasn't influenced.
"She grow up on her own, I must say… She don't have family, yet she is very strong to go on her own… I must say, like you, Hari-sama," she smiled at Harry.
"But… she wasn't alone, was she? I mean, she had you… All of you to look after her," said Hermione to Sanada-san.
"We are here to serve Rosu-sama… Her family's money bind us to do so… But she prove to us she worth more than the money Ashworths leave her. We raise her as a baby because of orders of older Ashworths. But we did not think of leave her when they died. The baby need us. When she grew up, she bring joy to us. She learn fast, very brave, understanding to us…
"In her first year at Bridgework, she prove that she can handle herself without anyone look after her. Before she start second year, we told her it is time we servants leave. We know she can stand on her own. But she plead us not to leave. She mention anything but pay raise! We decide to stay, but I ask her why she don't mention pay raise. She say that she don't believe money will make us servants stay. She say we were more than servants to her, that raise will not show how she feel for us. She tell us we are her family…
"With that, she prove to us that she know her priorities right. She know what is right and wrong. She grow up by herself, because we never tell her what is right and wrong. For a servant never scold her master. But she still know. She still grow up…"
Harry had never understood Rose better. It seemed as though the only mystery was who Claire was. He did not have the guts, however, to investigate about Rose or Claire through her servants who seemed to respect her very much. One sleepless night turned into two; two turned into four;nights without sleep.He was so eager to get back to Bridgework and tell Rose about all that he had found out. He was dying to tell Rose that he'd understood him. He wanted to comfort Rose.
"Claire? Why are you crying?" asked Harry. Claire sobbed uncontrollably in his arms.
"I'm – I'm just so happy, Harry," she replied betweed sobs.
"Why? What happened?" said Harry.
"You – you finally know her… You understand now… You should understand now…"
"Who? Rose?"
"Harry, this is the last time I will see you here… Even if you don't understand why this dream occurred with me in it, I know you will understand what will come in the future…"
"How d'you mean?"
"The next time you have a vision of this place, you will not see me here anymore… I am very grateful to have met you, Harry… Thank you, Harry! Take care!"
"No, wait! Why? Where are you going?"
"I care about you, Harry… No matter what happens, I will always care about you… So always take care of yourself… Farewell, Harry!"
"No… No… Don't… Don't go…"
"Potter? Oy, Potter!" said Malfoy's voice. Harry opened his eyes. Draco Malfoy was peering over him, a look of irritation on his face. He had probably woken Malfoy up. "What's the matter with you?"
"What? Why? Why'd you wake me up?" said Harry, trying to recall his dream.
'You were moaning in your sleep, Potter. 'No… Don't go…' Whom were you talking to?" Malfoy teased.
Harry realized. Claire was saying farewell. She mentioned something about what will happen in the future. She said that Harry should understand… something… What was that something Harry should understand? He could not remember. Harry had a bad feeling about Claire's farewell, like he was going to lose something too. He felt as though something was going to go along with Claire's departure, something important to him.