Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Author's note: I dropped Stan's mother's accent too. Sorry. The first sentence she speaks has as much of an accent I could put into writing but the rest is just normal. Same with his sister. Please review!
I gaped at him. Was he serious? The smile still perched on his face began to slowly slip off. His blue eyes showed nothing but hurt.
"I mean… You don't have to stay here… I know you don't have anywhere to stay so I just thought it was a good idea." Stan turned his eyes to the ground. And suddenly the Stan that was shy and nervous was back in front of me, so unsure of what to do. And how could I say no to that? It would be like kicking a puppy. I gave him a weak smile to show him it was all right. I got my light trunk from the compartment overhead and headed after him and through the doors of the Knight Bus, which where shut firmly behind me. I took my eyes off the ground long enough to notice my surroundings. It was so beautiful, I thought. I looked around and trees surrounded everywhere. Their colors changing, perfect hues of yellow and red. There was a large opening in between the many trees and positioned there was a big Victorian looking house. It had fading yellow paint on the outside and the door was painted a hideous green. There were big bushes around the house, and the grass was so unruly it looked like a savannah.
"I bet it is hell to rake leaves," I murmured, still memorized by the house. Although it looked big, I felt the love all around it. It was enveloping me. Stan knocked on the door. "Why are you knocking on the door? This IS you house, isn't it?" Stan shrugged and looked away quickly. We waited for a while, a minute passed and my heart rate began to decrease a little. Why was I worked up about meeting his mum? It's not like I was girlfriend or anything. I blushed at the words. I remembered Hunter's face at the restaurant.
"Listen, I'm sorry, babe. But I just don't see us going anywhere. I mean we don't have a future." He said, not even a trace of guilt on his face.
"You should have told me that a year ago, before you stole my heart." I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. Although I couldn't say I was surprised. I knew he had been sleeping with his slut of a secretary for the past 3 months.
"It's not you… It's me-"
The door opened quickly and a middle-aged woman opened the door. I could tell right away she was Stan's mother; her bright blue eyes matched her son's to perfection. They had the same color hair, a light brown.
" 'Ow many times do I 'ave to tell you? You live 'ere! You don't 'ave to knock!" She slapped the side of his head playfully. I already adored her.
"Sorry, Mum. I forgot my keys," He smiled and kissed her cheek, Mrs. Shunpike had a huge smile on her face. I cringed at this small exchange. My mum had never smiled at me like that. Mrs. Shunpike finally noticed me. She stared at me, in shock. I could tell because her mouth formed a perfect 'O'. I shifted the weight of my feet awkwardly.
"You never told me you were bring a girl over!" Mrs. Shunpike said to her son. She pronounced this as if it was the most unbelievable thing she had ever heard of. We stared at each other for a few seconds until I looked away embarrassed. "I never thought someone as beautiful as you" She pointed at me, "would end up with someone like that," She said pointing at her son. My face turned bright red. That sounded like something my mum would say.
"Gee, thanks, Mum." Stan said, clutching his heart. He mimed a knife going through it. I could tell he wasn't offended though, he rarely was. Mrs. Shunpike suddenly realized what she had said.
"I didn't mean it like that darling, I just meant… you never had much luck with the ladies." She said flatly, she looked down again. "Well, come in! Come in!" She ushered us inside of the house quickly. I was stuck in the landing staring at a big open living room that stretched out in front of me. The walls were painted a beautiful bronze color that took my breath away. To my right I could make out a kitchen. And to my left was some carpeted stairs.
"I'm sorry, dear. I didn't get your name." Mrs. Shunpike said to me. She put the kettle on.
"Brooke Flintwood," I responded and I sat down warily beside Stan, who was seated at the kitchen table. The kitchen looked old and I could see watermarks and several scratches. It seemed palpable though, unlike anything at my house. I touched the cherry colored top just to make sure it was real and tangible. In the center of the table sat a variety of different books, stacked almost to my eye level. I could tell apart the many muggle classics. Mrs. Shunpike laughed.
"Well that will change soon, I hope." She smiled to herself, referring to my last name. And I blushed red. I forgot to tell her we weren't dating. What happened to introducing myself and immediately making it known Stan and I weren't dating. "So how long have you two been-" Mrs. Shunpike was interrupted by a large shriek. Her eyes darted to the kitchen door where a girl about 9 or 10 stood with her mouth hanging open. She had the same blue eyes but a mop of tangled blonde hair.
"STAN!" She yelled and ran right to him, throwing herself in his arms.
"Hi, Abby," He said smiling. "My sister," He mouthed to me. I nodded. I heard a lot about Abby, when she was first born until the last day of summer before my 7th year. I felt a tug at my heart. I wished I hadn't left then. Abby regained her composure and backed out her brother's arms.
"Where have you been for the past few weeks? I've been so lonely without Maddie and Tyler." She said, and I knew she was referring to her other siblings, probably off at Hogwarts. I'd only heard praise about them from Stan.
"I've been busy…." He trailed off, looking at me. I knew it was a signal not to say anything. Wait, why was looking at me like that? I didn't even know what he did with his spare time. I hadn't seen him for 6 years… was it?
"Who the hell are you?" Abby asked staring at me. Her mother gasped.
"Language, Abby!" Mrs. Shunpike roared, "That's Stan's girlfriend!" She said smiling. Abby's mouth formed a similar "O". My face blushed again. I was watching Stan and suddenly it was like he was having an epiphany. His face of confusion suddenly turned to embarrassment. I wasn't sure whose face was redder, his or mine. He stood up suddenly.
"She's… Brooke's not my… We aren't like… We're not…" If possible his face turned redder. He collapsed into his chair; his face was in his hands.
"We aren't dating." I stated, not daring to look Mrs. Shunpike in the eyes. Stan uncovered his face.
"I mean, I wouldn't mind it or anything… Oh God," He started and broke off. I stared at him, so aware of his mother's stares. Now I looked like a bad guy.
"It's not like that! I never turned him down or anything! We just… fell out of touch. This is the first time I've seen him in six years. I'll admit I did have a thing for him when I was at Hogwarts. Oh God… I just mean we haven't thought of anything like that," I collapsed next to Stan, covering my face with my sweaty hands to try and get it back to a normal temperature. I stole a glance at Mrs. Shunpike, who was not angry and demanding me to get out of her house, like I thought she would. Instead, she only wore a slightly confused expression. Abby though, looked like she had no idea what was going on.
"So have you two had sex?" Abby asked plainly. Mrs. Shunpike gasped.
"Abby! Language!" She yelled at her daughter, mortified.
"So have you?" Abby asked. Stan groaned and I felt more nervous. This time Mrs. Shunpike looked at me curiously instead of reprimanding Abby.
"No," I lied. I looked down, when I heard the kettle whistle. It knew I was lying. Oh Gosh. "Yes." I felt tears pricking in my eyes. Mrs. Shunpike dropped the cup she had been holding. It shattered into a thousand different pieces. "Reparo" I whispered and the cup fixed itself. Abby stayed silent.
"I'm too young to be an aunt, so you'd better watch it." She said suddenly left. I would have laughed if the situation weren't so tense. Silence filled the room and I suddenly wished I could go back in time. How could I have been so stupid? You don't tell your boyfriend's mother you've had sex!
"So let me get this straight. You have had" Mrs. Shunpike paused "Sex" she whispered and paused again before continuing "but you are not dating." She shook her head. Disappointment filled her eyes.
"We were kind of dating when it happened. But it was 6 years ago," Stan managed out, his voice cracking on the last few words. My throat was so dry, and the rug suddenly became very interesting to me. "I need to have a word with you, Brooke." Stan said quickly grabbing my hand and literally pulling out of the kitchen and through a door that led to a bathroom. I would have normally laughed at the irony. Both of us were too embarrassed to look at each other. I stared at the porcelain bathtub admiring it's gold clawed feet. "Why did you say yes? She would have believed you if you said no!" He whispered angrily.
"I don't want to lie to your mom! And besides it's true!" I said, tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I quickly suppressed the urge to gather him in a hug and cry like I had so many times before. He locked his eyes on mine.
"You told me to forget about it! You said you didn't ever want to see me again! And then you show up at the Knight Bus tonight and what am I supposed to do? You look so dang sad. I loved you Brooke!" He said. I could feel his eyes burning into mine. He glanced at his watch. "It's already 1 in the morning!" He grumbled, trying to change the subject. "Maybe we should get to bed. You know, talk about it in the morning." I looked at him sadly.
"I was scared, alright?" I choked out the words before tears spilled out of my eyes. We weren't talking about my confession to his mother anymore, but about our old feelings. I turned my back to him, facing the wall. I suddenly felt his strong arms wrap around my body, I gave one last shaky sob, and turned around so my head was against his chest. He smelled like the Knight Bus, a welcoming scent, probably cinnamon. How I missed this. He shook his head but didn't let go of me.
"I don't think you understand, Brooke. I don't want what we had before. I don't want a fling. I don't only want to be the person you go to when your parent's marriage is in trouble. I want someone here all the time." He said, into my hair. He kissed the top of my head, barely touching it with his lips. "I know you can't do that though." I shook my head.
"I'll try. We can start over. Be friends first." I said and pushed him back. He smiled.
"Yeah. We can see how it goes. As friends." He said. I nodded but bit my lip. Was this just a rebound? I looked up into Stan's blue eyes. I saw myself staring in them. This was the man who knew all of my secrets, who loved me when no one else could. It took all of my strength to not summon the Knight Bus every night for the past 5 years. I shook my head. I just want to be with him right now, that's all. Stan opened the door and we exited hand and hand. Stan led her to the kitchen. "Mum, Brooke can stay the night in my room, right?" He asked innocently enough. His mother looked at me stonily and slowly nodded her head.
"If I hear any weird moans coming from your room, then tomorrow you will both be hit by the Conjunctivitis Curse."