Oh sorry, this chapter kinda got lost in the flurry, but I recovered it from the other computer.
"Oh, I'm feeling so much better, thanks. Rose, don't fret, I still remember what's been happening for the last few years, I just needed to cope with some things, that's all."
As cheerful as her mother was now, it was still bugging Rose that she'd been so withdrawn for the last four to five years.
"Cope with some things, right. Four years to cope can make out a good life for your daughter, right?" She said bitterly.
Her mother shook her head and sighed. "It's not that simple." She said sadly.
Sirius sat in the sidelines, but every now and then, he noticed Rose's mother looking at him, and she didn't seem to want to be so discreet about it.
He remembered when Remus said that her mom couldn't remember other people at all, only Rose, but wondered why she seemed to… recognize him.
Even though she didn't even bother to ask who he was, Rose could also tell that her mother knew something about Sirius.
"I think I'll go for today. Frieda told me to visit the old house." Rose said with an unreadable face, getting up from her place.
Sirius had no choice but to follow her out, but he caught a last glimpse of Rose's mother, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was crying silently.
"Hey, wait! Come on, wait a second, will you?" Sirius had trouble keeping up with her quick pace, and Rose seemed entirely oblivious to his being there.
Looking around and seeing nobody around, Sirius changed into a dog and with four legs, caught up with Rose easily.
She walked an entire kilometer until they reached the outskirts of the town, where Sirius could hear the rumbling of trains beyond some fields.
He could only see one road: The one they were walking on, and high grass surrounded it, and one could hardly see a thing through all of it.
At last, Rose stopped in her tracks and sat down carefully, panting from exhaustion.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you? Why are we here anyway?" Sirius asked, after returning to human and sitting down beside her.
"I'm going to take a train to my hometown. I need to visit the old house." She said quietly.
"You could've told me that sooner." Sirius said angrily, but then sighed.
"I wanted company, I'm sorry. Stupid." She said, punching her own head.
"Hey, it doesn't matter. I wouldn't have wanted to be left behind anyway." Sirius said.
It was the old house. Nobody was there, as nobody was for over seven years.
He never wanted to go back to the place, but he had no choice. His only haven was the house next to his, the one where she used to live.
It was empty, and a long time ago, he'd dashed all hopes of her coming back. That's why he never did willingly.
He was now sitting beside the grave of her father. He had been a guiding father, more one than his own.
More than a hundred times, he'd snuck into the house unnoticed just to be where she used to be.
If anyone had known, they might have thought it a verge on obsession, but it was merely an escape for him.
He was doing his best at school because he wanted the power over his own life, nothing he had before.
He always regretted going back for the summer, but kept high hopes of her coming back. It never happened, though.
So now, he was sitting on the dirt-covered floor, silent and hoping nobody would find him and that he'd be able to stay there the whole day.
Whatever God or gods that manipulated fate didn't seem to take to him with liking, as he heard the sounds of human activity outside the house.
He jumped quickly and used the back door to get out, brushing his black hair out of his eyes and crossing the fence with not ease but familiarity, as he'd done this a hundred times before.
"Huh? Someone's in there!" Rose exclaimed, sprinting to the doorway and muttering a mix of words, definitely not a simple spell, but more of a password.
She yanked the door opened and sighed to see no one there, and as Sirius stepped into the dusty house, he noticed Rose examining to see if there was anything stolen or missing.
"This is your old house?" Sirius queried, noting a dirt-crusted muggle picture on the old fireplace.
"Yes. To be honest, I hate this place, but it holds a heck of a lot of good memories." Rose answered, her back turned to him.
Sirius scratched dirt off the frame, and held it up to light, seeing two familiar faces and one new one.
Rose had pink hair in the picture, shorter than now and a rounder face filled with childish joy, and possibly mischief.
It was Rose's mother in the middle, round-faced like her daughter, still with silver hair, appearing that the color wasn't affected by age or anything.
Then there was a man who he assumed to be Rose's father. Somehow, he looked familiar with his hard-set, well-formed face, and without the thin line of facial hair tracing over his chin to his upper lip, he might've been mistaken for a female.
But more importantly, to Sirius, he would've mistaken the man to be someone related to Mare.
He then saw another picture, which, for some reason, he felt he had to check, and he did, dusting off what obscured it.
There it was, a scene where two children, a wizard picture where the subjects moved, and the two were laughing together, playing tag.
One was Rose, he could tell, but the other he didn't know.
But he felt he did. It was biting at him, the familiarity, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
It felt like it was so obvious that he felt frustrated not knowing.
(A/N: First of all, to my fave first reviewer, as you can see, it's not Sirius who is Rose's childhood friend, hehe, three guesses who, if you're right, it shall be revealed in the next chapter)
"Hey, who's this?" Sirius asked, pointing to the boy.
"That- That's- We used to play together, but I forgot who it is." Rose said, sighing.
Right then, Rose ran to the back door and yanked it open like the front door, and Sirius caught a glimpse of what he assumed to be the backyard.
It was a grassy place, probably nice before, but now full of growing weeds and other things.
A fence surrounded the place, a door visible in the back, but now covered shut by vines.
There in the middle of the yard was something out of place: a gravestone.
There it stood, unusually clean and void of growing weeds, and even a small bunch of respectful flowers.
"I thought you said you haven't been here for a while." Sirius said.
Rose kept silent, and her eyes were wide open in shock.
"Who-" She started, touching the bunch.
"These were my father's favorite flowers. The only ones who knew that were family and-" She cut herself off, staring at the fence door.
She turned tail and walked back to the house, and then she said, "Stay here."
The house was old but somewhat resembled a chimney, and Rose was relieved to see people moving around inside.
She knocked on the door nervously, and it was opened by a thin, pale woman with stringy hair.
"Oh, is it you? I think I remember you." The woman said weakly.
"I used to live in the next house, ma'am. Is your son here?" She asked awkwardly.
"Yes, he's here now that his father went out." She said bitterly.
The woman let her in, and when she stepped in, she saw someone sitting by the old fireplace.
A boy with somewhat long black hair, sitting there silently, turning to her.
Then she knew.
"You-… It's you. I can't believe you were right there all these years…" Rose whispered.
"Who do you think you are?" He questioned angrily.
"Don't you remember? I'm your old friend…" She said quietly.
"Rose… You… It was you? All this time…" He said.
He hugged her stiff form, and Rose felt confusion coming to meet her, but with it, mixed emotions of relief and joy.
The joy of finding him again, the same joy he shared.