It was… unexpected, to say the least. The person from her past was one of her present as well, and it burned Rose inside for not knowing, when the answer was in front of her.
"I know, but I promise I'll see you again…" Little Rose said, shaking her head at his protests.
"But you can't leave!!! No!" He shouted angrily.
She said nothing, but cried silently, clutching his hand.
The voices called her to come, and that they'd bring her to her foster parents' house.
"I have to go." She said sadly.
He said nothing, but she hugged his stiff form tightly.
Rose spoke her last parting words.
"I love you, Severus."
(A/N: Didn't expect that, did you?)
Now she could remember. It hadn't been that hard, once things had settled, to get used to the idea that the unpopular, brooding Slytherin that was completely against the marauders was her former best friend.
Well, right after the short 'scene' as she referred to it, her mind went blank and she just ran away from him, out of the house.
She tried to hide her exhaustion from Sirius and told him that she was leaving.
When he asked why, she just said, "Get out of the house or I'm locking you in with it."
Sirius looked at her scathingly, but more warily as he realized something was wrong.
For the rest of the holidays, Rose had become brooding and gone into seclusion.
(A/N: As serious as this was supposed to be, all I can imagine is a sack-shaped Rose sitting in the corner with blue aura while Sirius sweatdrops)
Then, for the last three days, Sirius finally broke the down and out atmosphere.
"Hey, I thought you were going to visit your mom again or something. What the heck is wrong with you?"
Rose was sitting at the table doing sketches, and looked up wearily at Sirius.
"A bunch of things. I don't know why I'm so bothered, really… Just…" She sighed, stretching her arms.
She looked up at him for a second, then sighed again.
"Are you worried?" She asked.
"No, just irritated." Sirius lied.
Rose pouted and continued drawing quietly.
"Hey."
…
"Hey!"
…
"Okay, you win; I'm worried!" Sirius surrendered, and Rose got up grinning.
"Say it again." Rose said.
Sirius glared at her, but she kept on grinning.
"I was worried, now I'm just creeped out. Stop smiling like that!" He said.
"I think we should get ready to go back to Hogwarts. Let's pack." She said simply, as though nothing had happened.
Belle was worried like heck. As enjoyable as her holidays would be for anyone, she was missing Rose too much.
She hadn't replied to a single one of her letters. Although, Rose did send her a bunch of drawings for Christmas, which Belle treasured.
She looked at them everyday.
One was with her and Rose and her sitting in a pile of giant gifts. Rose used magic drawing pencils and pens and the drawings scurried around, climbing atop the giant gifts and sometimes getting some open to get amazing gifts.
Another had a girl in a field. It couldn't have been Rose, but she looked a lot like the girl.
"Maybe a relative?" Belle mused.
A bunch more, she liked. But one particular one caught her attention.
Two children were playing in a place that looked like a mix of a backyard and a garden.
One kid had black, shiny looking hair that fell over his head like dead vines, and his pale skin gave the impression of a sick plant.
"Or maybe a dead Devil's snare." Belle muttered, watching the children play around.
She then noticed the little girl. She was pretty enough, her hair changing different colors. It was obvious that it was Rose, as a child, but who was the other kid.
It was strange, but he reminded her of someone…
"Nah, it can't be." Belle said to herself.
"Great, another guy in her life." She muttered, laughing dryly.
She fell back on her bed and looked up at the magic calendar, which had snowy owls flying around a perfectly calm snowy forest.
"Three days to Rose, three days to Rose…" Belle chanted to herself, embracing the drawings carefully.
"Hey, kiddo." Belle looked up at her older sister, who just entered the room.
"Hey, Ella, just wondering… Have you ever NOT wished you were a witch?" Belle asked.
Belle's older sister was a squib, at least a bit of one.
She had a bit of magic in her, but her full potential was composed of lighting a tiny fire without a match or the ways muggles did it.
Thus, Ella dropped out of Hogwarts at age fourteen.
Now she was eighteen, and even if most of their relatives weren't really keen on 'associating' themselves with her, Belle loved her sister.
"SCREW YOU!" Were her exact words when one of her great aunt something or others even suggested that they disown Ella.
Being in third year at the time, Belle got an earful, but when the reunion was over, their parents gave them a month's worth of Christmas chocolate.
"For sisterly bonds." They had said.
Another thing Belle loved about Rose right at that moment was that her second name was also Rose.
Right at that moment, Belle needed all the sisterly advice she could get.
"Ella, remember when you said people are free to love anyone they want? That's how people find true love?" Belle said.
"Well, yeah, of course. Why? Is my baby sister finally grown up?" Ella's words slurred and she grinned teasingly.
"So, who's the lucky guy?"
"Well, it's that. Umm, it's not that simple. Remember that thing we talked about before?" Belle stuttered.
"Which one? THAT one? The one we supposedly weren't going to speak of, seeing as we're…" Ella started, her eyes widening.
"Yes, that one. Hey, I think…" Belle started.
"You can't be serious. Tell me you're not!" Ella said, retching slightly.
"Well, I KNOW it's love, the real kind. I just don't know what to make of it…" Belle said quietly.
"You're really in love, right?" Ella said after a while.
Belle nodded.
"Then go for it, unless you think differently. Your choice, whether you tell that person or not." Ella said.
Belle rolled over in her bed as Ella left, and she took time to mull things over.
She looked at the drawing, where Belle was now hugging Rose tightly, both of them smiling widely to the real Belle, saying, 'Merry Christmas'.
Belle shook her head while grimacing, and finally put the drawings aside.
My choice. She thought to herself.