It's several weeks before her wounds close and leave nothing but a shiny pink scar, it's not a pretty thing but Rose isn't worried about the aesthetic of it seeing as she's alive and not rotting somewhere in the forest. Still, Old Hob gives her a special cream to rub along the scar to help with the pain and quicken the fading process. Rose isn't sure it's going to work but she applies the cream every day as instructed by the aging hobbit.
Rose pops the lid back on the jar as she opens her mouth to let the hem of her shirt tumble from between her teeth.
She and Bilbo are going to the market to get groceries and some other items that Bilbo is in desperate need of. Normally someone comes to deliver his groceries but with Rose finally able to leave the house without her hobbit friend hovering at her side it's decided that it might be best to get groceries themselves so that Rose can see Hobbiton and meet some of the people.
Several days ago Bilbo has convinced Rose to go through some of the clothes that belonged to his parents. He'd said that since no one else was using them Rose might as well pick through them before Bilbo got around to giving them to those who might be in need of them. While Rose is incredibly thankful she's not entirely sure how to pay Bilbo back.
Oh, she's paid him certainly. The doubling charm is good for a great many things and without the government restrictions placed on the currency of this world Rose is more then capable of repaying Bilbo's generosity in that way... It's just that Rose feels like that's a bit impersonal considering all Bilbo's done for her since she barged into his life the way she did.
With a sigh Rose checks herself in the mirror. Belladonna Took and Bungo Baggins' clothes had obviously been too small for Rose's taller stature and leaner frame but with a little transfiguration and charm work she'd been able to get them fit to her body and in her preference of style easily enough. Currently she's wearing a pair of dark trousers tucked into her boots, a white shirt, a vest, and her trusty leather coat. To finish off the look Rose slings her satchel over her shoulder so that the strap lays across her chest.
Deciding to leave her hair the way it is Rose grabs the small coin purse Bilbo had gifted her off the side table and makes for the kitchen where Bilbo is probably making a list of all the things he'll be needing to buy today.
"Morning Bilbo." Rose greets as she makes for the table where breakfast is already laid out.
"Good morning, Rose. Sleep well?"
"Well enough I s'pose. You?"
"Very well indeed, thank you."
Rose smiles as she pulls out her seat, the smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee hitting her as she lowers herself into the chair. Briefly wondering if living with a hobbit is healthy for her Rose begins loading her plate with various bits. Most of what she sees on the table is actually pretty healthy all things considered, but Rose has also taught Bilbo how to make a few breakfast items common in her world and those aren't nearly as healthy as one would think.
"Are you excited to be getting out of the house, Rose?" Bilbo asks once they've both settled at the table.
"Extremely. I haven't been cooped up like this since I was a fourth year." Rose comments before shoving a a chunk of pancake in her mouth.
"What happened?"
Rose swallows before she speaks, her mother didn't raise a heathen after all.
"I might have broken a couple of ribs flying around in the back yard when I wasn't supposed to. Mum was livid."
"What were you doing if you knew you weren't suppose to be out there."
"Hugo, my brother, wanted to try out for the Hufflepuff team and I told him I'd practice with him. We ended up doing less practicing and more dinking around then we should have."
Bilbo's brows furrow.
"Did he make the team?"
This makes Rose smirk, a twist of the lips and a raising of the eyebrows that has always implied infamous mischief.
"Oh yeah," Rose says, "he got positioned as a Beater."
The rest of breakfast is spent explaining quidditch to Bilbo, who seems to get the concept of the game without really understanding it. Rose tries to explain as best she can but there's only so much she can do with words so she's going to have to figure out a way to show Bilbo a proper game. Projecting the thought into his head won't work as there are simply too many details that Rose could lose in the process.
Maybe she can find a way to make a pensieve.
Rose helps Bilbo clear the table and put away the left over food before following him out of the house. He doesn't even bother locking his front door, something about hobbits not being thieves. Rose thinks that's oddly optimistic and quickly locks his door as he makes for the front gate.
Walking from Bilbo's home to the market isn't bad and Rose finds herself entertained by children playing and men ambling along with their carts and women gossiping as they too head for the market. It's nowhere near as fantastic as Diagon Alley but there's more then enough to keep Rose's mind occupied- a feat not so easily achieved considering Rose usually gets bored with things that aren't able to hold her attention for longer then a few minutes.
Once they reach the market Bilbo goes about buying his groceries, explaining things to Rose and introducing her to people as they go along. At one point Bilbo gets caught up talking to a man with thinning brown hair and doesn't seem too interested in ending the conversation anytime soon. Which is perfectly fine because Rose has her own money and an insatiable urge to explore.
Slipping into the crowd Rose allows herself a moment to take everything in without it having to be explained to her.
There's a stand not too far away selling bolts of fabric, a man selling fresh bread, and a young girl selling flowers out of a prettily woven basket. It's so different from what Rose is used to that she almost doesn't notice when Bilbo slides up next to her, too caught up in her musings and fascinations.
"What's your favorite flower, Rose?" Bilbo asks, noticing her lingering stare on the flower girl.
"Isn't it obvious?" She asks coyly causing Bilbo to blush.
"I didn't want to assume. I'm sorry if I mi-"
"I prefer yellow daisies, magnolias, or snowdrops." Rose tucks some of her hair behind her ear to get it out of her face, silently regretting cutting it before she left for Peru. "When I was younger I loved roses but then those were all I ever got from anyone on special occasions so I kind of resented them for a while... It was my cousin Albus that started getting me assortment bouquets."
"That was kind of him."
"Albus is an incredibly gentle soul. I think you'd have liked him."
It seems to please the hobbit, her statement, because he beams up at her while absently tugging at the delicately woven suspender straps no longer hidden beneath his coat. Bilbo is rather well dressed, very dapper. Rose isn't sure if that's due to his own personal style or his upbringing... Either way it doesn't matter she supposes. Bilbo is a remarkably well-dressed man and Rose has always enjoyed the company of well-dressed people.
Movement out of the corner of her eye draws Rose's attention away from Bilbo and to a very tall, very lovely man making his way down the path that leads through and out of Hobbiton. He's got long hair dark like a raven's wing and delicate features. Rose gets the impression that she should be mystified by his beauty but... Well, not to be unkind but she grew up with Fleur and her children and there's really no one prettier then Fleur or Victoire or Dominique, even Louis is unreasonably handsome.
All the same, she taps Bilbo with her knuckles and motions down the lane to the man wandering by without so much as a glance toward the market.
"Who's that?" Rose asks and Bilbo turns to stare at the man for a moment.
"Oh, likely a Rivendell Elf, they pass through Hobbiton every so often." Bilbo explains and Rose frowns.
"Where is Rivendell?"
"Several days west of here. The Lord of Rivendell is an elf named Elrond, he is said to be very wise."
Rose purses her lips as she watches the elf-that-isn't-Elrond disappear from her line of sight.
Very wise, wise, wise. Rose thinks of her mother and Luna and her uncle George. Elves, she remembers Bilbo saying one night over dinner, are immortal and have a certain type of magic all their own. Maybe he could help her find her way home, and even if he can't maybe he knows how to get into contact with one of the wizards of this world. There are so few and contacting them has proven difficult.
Pursing her lips Rose turns back to Bilbo.
"How would one get a letter to Lord Elrond of Rivendell?" She questions.
"Well, I suppose you could sent a letter through the post... Might take some time though as most hobbits don't tend to go farther then Bree if they leave Hobbiton at all."
Because whhy wouldn't they leave and explore the world, right?
"That seems rather a waste of time then." Rose mutters, already thinking of ways she can get a letter to the Elf Lord.
A Patronus may work but there's no way of telling if her message would be relayed privately, a letter sent over such a long distance isn't exactly safe from prying eyes either. Rose might trust the Hobbits well enough but she knows better then to trust a curious human. The last thing she wants is her secret getting out to the world. Perhaps she could make the trip herself? Bilbo said it was west of Hobbiton and she could always get herself a map.
"How do you send letters?"
Rose looks to Bilbo, "I beg your pardon?"
"Letters, how did you send them before?"
"Oh, um, we use Owl Post for the most part... Unless we need to contact muggles, then we use the muggle post systems." Rose says.
"Owl Post?"
"Yes, we use owls to fly packages and letters wherever they need to go. I often used my brother's owl to send letters to my mother and father when we were in school."
"Didn't you have one?"
"No. My familiar was a cat named Junipurr Soft Paws."
"... Juniper Soft Paws..."
"I was eleven and she was fluffy!"
Eventually Rose had started calling her Junipurr instead of using her full name but that was only because Sirius and Fred always gave her so much shit about it. Still, she reserves the right to say that Junipurr Soft Paws is an amazing name. They were simply jealous of her amazing naming abilities.
"I'm not judging you."
He is, kind of. That's alright.
"I didn't say you were."
Rose tries to toss her hair over her shoulder but the auburn strands are still too short to have the same effect the action would have had if, say, Lily had done it. Short hair had always been the best for Rose's line of work as she could scrape it into a bun to keep it out of her face without it being too heavy or too hot should she ever need to let it down. That's not an issue here but Rose still hasn't really let her hair grow further then her shoulders in years... That might change in the future though.
"Right... Have you considered getting an owl?" Bilbo asks, fingers plucking at a loose string on his waist coat.
"A couple of times. They make good familiars and it would have been easier to sent letters but I never got around to it and now... Well, it doesn't matter much now."
She watches as Bilbo's shoulders deflate a bit and quickly offers a kind smile.
"But it's alright. I'll write a letter for Lord Elrond and send it in the post like everyone else, might be less suspicious that way right?"
"Perhaps."
The witch smiles as she rocks back on her heels and tips her head back to stare at the sky, at the clouds, at the little mass of scarlet feathers that streaks through the blue and white before disappearing behind a tree.
~X~
Dear Lord Elrond,
No.
Rose crumbles the paper, tosses it in the bin, and starts again.
To Lord Elrond of Rivendell,
My name is Rose Weasley of Bag End.
Sigh, crumble, start again.
Lord Elrond of Rivendell,
My name is Rose Weasley, I am in desperate need of your insig
Rose huffs angrily as she tosses the parchment into the bin with her other attempts.
It's been several weeks since that day in the market and Rose still hasn't gotten a proper letter written up to send to Lord Elrond. She's never had any trouble finding words before so what's the issue now? She needs to discuss her situation with someone other then Bilbo and she needs to do it as soon as possible because not doing so feels like a betrayal, like she's stating with Bilbo on purpose without so much as a thought to how her family is taking her disappearance.
Are they even worried? Do they even know she's missing?
Uncle Bill would have been the first to know. He'd been team leader after all, there to observe and train the new recruits who'd somehow managed to snag a spot on Rose's team. It's why he'd been assigned. Rose hadn't needed the supervision, the other trained and seasoned curse-breakers hadn't either, he'd only been there to make sure the younger ones didn't get killed and now look; Rose is gone, Bill is going to have to break the news to her family, then what?
Mourn. They'll mourn her, bury her somewhere beautiful, and eventually they'll heal. It'll always hurt, Rose has seen what losing uncle Fred did to uncle George, but they'll heal in time.
If she manages to find a way home will it be worse for them? Will so much time have passed in her world that her parents have felt the stabbing pain ebb to a dull ache between there ribs? Will they even believe her? Will they accept her back home?
Stupid question, of course they will.
But everything will be different if that happens.
Sucking in a rattling breath Rose attempts to wipe away the tears building in her eyes before they can fall down her cheeks, stop the floodgates from opening or at least get control of herself. It doesn't help much but the attempt is comforting in its own way. Her mother and father wouldn't want her to cry about this. Not now anyway, maybe later after she's explored all her options but not now.
Minutes pass in which Rose sucks in quiet, shaking breaths and lets herself cry a little bit.
Because no matter how much her parents would want her not to cry Rose is only twenty-four years old and she's scared. Curse-breaking isn't an easy job and it's certainly not safe but at least she'd known what was happening when she chose to go into the field- seduced by her uncle Bill's stories of adventure and danger and helping keep people safe. Sure, her job literally means she breaks curses for Gringotts but she's actually helped indivigual people outside of the bank too. Saved lives, in fact.
But this isn't something she or any of her associates are trained for and Rose has no idea what to do now that she's here and don't have a way to contact an expert or research her options.
Blinking hard, Rose rises from her chair and makes her way to the kitchen.
Bilbo went out a few hours ago to visit one of his cousins, a Took or something like that. He'd seemed rather excited about it and Rose hadn't wanted to invite herself along no matter how much she needed out of the house. It isn't her family and she isn't going to make Bilbo responsible for her introduction or entertainment when he's going to visit family.
His presence isn't hard to miss though.
Rose makes herself a cup of tea as she thinks of ways to distract herself, keep her mind occupied and off of the letter she needs to send but hasn't. What can she do? She can clean, she can make something to eat, she can paint the walls blue and green and magenta just for the delight of watching Bilbo sputter about it later. Her wand vibrates almost violently in her hand when she touches it.
Sycamore wands aren't known to take boredom well. They burst into flame a lot of the time and Rose has tried, really tried to keep her wand occupied and entertained but it's really bloody hard when there isn't anything really new to do. Hobbits have a pretty cement system and it's a good system but not one Rose is used to following or living by.
"If you explode on me," Rose whispers to her wand as she twirls it between her fingers, "I'll simply have to make another one and then you'll miss out on all the fun."
She's not sure that wands are sentient enough to understand what she's just said but it seems to catch the gist of it because pretty soon after the words tumble out of her mouth the sycamore wand stops vibrating and simply warms in her hand. With a curt nod Rose begins twirling the pretty sycamore wand between her fingers as she wonder what she'll do with her newfound free time.
Deciding that Bilbo really needs new curtains, like yesterday, Rose points her wand at the drab white lengths of fabric but just before she can go about turning them into lacy blue beauties said hobbit comes strolling through the room looking please as punch. He doesn't even seem bothered by the fact that Rose is currently hovering suspiciously around his curtains.
"You're home early." Rose intones, pulling back to distance herself from the curtains.
"I've gotten you a present."
"A what?"
"A present."
"That's very sweet, Bilbo, but you really didn't have to."
The comment is dismissed with a wave of the hand and a significant look.
Rose honestly doesn't know much about Hobbits but what she's seen is this; they're a rather family oriented bunch and they're especially doting on those in their immediate families. Grand displays of affection don't seem to be uncommon and while none of the presents have been overly extravagant Rose isn't going to let that soothe her into a false sense of security.
"Well come on then! I want you to see your present!" Bilbo insists.
Merlin give me strength, Rose thinks even as she allows the shorter man to practically drag her from the kitchen, into the foyer, and out into the front yard where he eagerly thrusts his hand in the direction of a large cage sitting on the gate. Something in Rose goes very, very still and it tastes like anticipation.
"Bilbo?"
"I went to visit my cousin today, a Tookish cousin, and I told him of your interest in owls and asked if he might be able to tell me where I might purchase one. He wasn't able to find any owls, unfortunately, but he did know of a woman who found an injured Raven in her garden just the other day... I thought that perhaps you might be able to help it?"
A quick glance at Bilbo then Rose is making for the cage, carefully pulling up the fabric covering it to get a look at the raven kept withing. It's wing is wrapped in white cloth so Rose can only assume his wing is broken- an easy enough fix all things considered. Easing the cloth back over the cage Rose turns to Bilbo.
"Thank you, Bilbo." She says to the hobbit, whose response is a brilliant red blush.
"You're very welcome, Rose."
Rose grabs the cage and begins making her way inside to the kitchen where she can remove the cloth and get a better look at the raven's wing without risking it trying to fly off into the wild. When she makes it to the kitchen Rose places the cage on the tale, removes the cloth covering, and opens the cage door so that she can attempt to scoop the raven out without startling it too badly.
"Hello pretty bird," she coos at the raven, hand slipping around its body so she can pull it out and to her chest. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Obviously, the raven doesn't believe her because it begins to car and peck at her, it's uninjured wing beating frantically in an attempt to fly up out of her grasp. Rose merely holds it with gentle firmness as she pulls out her wand and places it against the bird's injured wing so that she can run some diagnostic charms.
Healing hadn't been a major area of study for her but all curse-breakers are required to undergo a basic healing class through St. Mungo's before they can be sent out into the field. Rose had seen the value of the class so she'd made sure to remember everything she'd learned from the healer who taught her and the rest of the trainees.
A broken wing is nothing compared to what Rose has been forced to recon with. She can help this bird.
"Episkey." Rose says, wand aimed at the bandaged wing.
There's a loud garble from the bird in her arms and a soft crunch that's almost inaudible. Rose smiles as she begins carefully unwrapping the bird's wing. She pushes her magic into the bird's body as she does, to make sure that there aren't any other injuries or unfavorable reactions to the spell she just used. There isn't. But something does reach out and latch onto her, something wild and aching and intelligent.
The bird in her arms stops struggling.
"What was that?" Bilbo asks.
"Basic healing charm. It fixes things like broken noses and small cuts... I figured that since the bones in the wings are so delicate that it wouldn't hurt to try."
"Is it healed then?"
"Might be. I took the required healer courses and that's it, my knowledge of healing is limited."
"Oh," Bilbo looks mildly disappointed, "I see."
Snorting, Rose slips the bird back into its cage so that she can go about getting it food and water without it flying off and potentially injuring itself again.
"I'll show you how to make a bruise healing paste if you want. Maybe some other potions as well... Would depend on if the ingredients are available or not." Rose says as she rubs her palms on her thighs to get rid of the moisture that's spilled onto her hands as she pours water into a small bowl.
After the bowl is full Rose carefully cuts little chunks of meat up and puts them on a plate. Both dishes go into the cage where the raven eagerly begins taking his lunch. Rose watches him for a moment to make sure he knows that there's nourishment waiting for him before turning to look at Bilbo.
"I would like that." Bilbo says, eyes bright and gleeful.
"I think I would too."
She hasn't attempted potion making yet due to the fact that she's not even sure she can get her hands on some of the major ingredients. Hopefully she can find the items needed for the less intense potions that she'd learned to make in her potions classes. The reality of the situation is that Rose probably won't be able to make very many potions, if any at all, but she's always enjoyed a challenge and she thinks it would be interesting to at least try to make them.
Without access to all the needed materials and tools Rose might even be forced to improvise. Wouldn't that be interesting? She'd been taught to make potions with very a very strict set of steps, any divergence from those steps could have resulted in pretty nasty consequences.
Grinning, the young witch throws her hands up above her head and tips back until her back arches and there's a sharp pop from somewhere along her spine. Bilbo cringes away from the sound and turns to look at Rose with big, wide, horrified eyes.
"That was horrible." Bilbo says to which Rose shrugs.
There are a lot of things that Rose does that makes Bilbo either incredibly uncomfortable or makes him thinks Rose was raised by savages... Which, yes, maybe her upbringing wasn't exactly the same as Bilbo's but Rose thinks his discomfort has more to do with the fact that he wishes he could be as carefree and amazing as Rose. Hobbits are, after all, expected to act a very specific way.
"That was amazing. I feel much better."
"You're a heathen."
Rose takes a napkin off of the table, wads it up into a ball, and tosses it at Bilbo's head to which the hobbit squeaks before tossing it back at her. With reflexes honed from years as a seeker Rose hooks her foot around the table leg and throws herself back so that the chair rocks back onto it's two back legs as Bilbo's weapon flies over her head.
She laughs.
"Oh! Next time!" She says as she tips the chair back, grabs the bird cage, and rises so that she can make her way to the bedroom while Bilbo sputters about how there will most certainly not be a next time as Rose so eloquently put it. Rose just rolls her eyes and makes her way to her bedroom. She'll get Bilbo to loosen up one of these days.
