Chapter 5

Uncle Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I should have expected that," he groaned, while James was looking positivley furious.

"I think I'm going to go kill him," James said in a surprisingly measured voice, his eyes firey and hands curled into fists. I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Come on, we just-"

"You just kissed?" He snarled, eyes locked on the direction Malfoy went. "What'll happen next? You'll just fuck? Did you see his smile? It was like he'd won a pot of fucking gold!"

"James-" Uncle Harry started just as James' lid flew off.

"Albus fucking told us, but I didn't think that you-" he growled at me "-would ever fall for a prick like that! He just wants to get in your pants and you're going to let him?"

"What the fuck, James?" I growled. "Whatever I do has nothing to do with you - you can't control me! And why would you think that I wouldn't like him? Just because we have the same blood going through our veins it doesn't mean that I'd do the same thing as you. You hardly know me!"

He angled his body towards me, stalking up to me like a predator. "That's because you don't let us. You'd prefer to go galavanting off with Malfoy than ask us for help."

I stood there, shocked, saying, "What did Albus tell you that made you hate him so much?"

"Protecting your little boyfriend?" James sneered, his hands balling into fists. Then he turned to his father. "I'm gonna go see Uncle George," he practically snapped, sending a last glare in my direction before strolling off.

I watched him stalk away as Uncle Harry said, "Rose, I know what happened to your parents and Hugo was wrong, and I know me and your aunt didn't deal with it as well as what we could of, but we were hurting, too. I know that you're coping with this pain in a different way to us, but I – and your cousins – would really like it if you came home. Please, Rose. Just come home."

I looked at Uncle Harry. "You can't just expect me to approach you with open arms. The way Ginny used to look at me was as if it was all my fucking fault. I didn't want them to die." I blinked away a tear that was forming.

"Honey, nobody blamed you. I promise you that."

I shot him a rueful smile. "You know how many times I wanted to die after they went? I was in the same fucking room like a coward. I deserve that fate. They didn't."

"Don't say that, Rose," Uncle Harry tsked. "You'll come home with me and Ginny and that'll be the end of it."

"No. I won't come home with you and Ginny. She hates me, James hates me – you're just trying to make things difficult for yourself. I really don't see the point, Uncle Harry." I looked away from him, blinking back tears. He didn't understand. He didn't know that I had just been thrown out, and I had to keep it that way. If he did, he would force me to leave with him.

"Why do you hate the idea of living with us so much?" Uncle Harry said. I didn't imagine the hurt in his tone.

I started playing with my fingers. I didn't want to lose the only person who really looked out for me – the person who took me shopping for my wand and robes and books when I was going to be a first year, the person who held me when I screamed through the night, the person who watched me leave with my godmother after the funeral. He had lost a lot, too. "I feel guilty when I see her."

"Who? Ginny?"

"Yeah. She always looks at me as if I'm weak and tiny and as if it was my fault. She makes me want to-" I stopped myself. "I think I'm gonna grab some ice cream," I decided.

Uncle Harry put his hand out. "I have talked to her. She loves you a lot, you know? She just finds it hard because you remind her so much of Ron and Hermione."

"I know," I said, pressing the heel of my hands to my eyes. "And I don't want to hurt her anymore." That was a lie. She hurt me so, so much. She was a living relative of my father's and she couldn't stand the sight of me.

"Where are you staying?" Uncle Harry relented. I was shocked to have gotten through to him so quickly, but I couldn't tell him that I didn't have anywhere to stay or that Diagon Alley would now be my permenant residence until Hogwarts.

"The Leaky Caldron. And then I'll head back sometime tomorrow." Uncle Harry nodded, pulling out some coins from his pocket. I shook my head to say no, but he didn't allow it.

"Hermione would kill me for letting this happen, you know? A teenager alone in Diagon Alley." Uncle Harry shook his head but nevertheless, he placed a handful of Galleons on the coffee table between us. He fished around in the other pocket before pulling more out from there, and then pressed them into my hand. "I know you're proud, but if you throw these into a wishing well, I will find you." I smiled, shaking my head.

"Thanks, Uncle Harry," I said, looking down at the coins. "And I'm really sorry. I do want to stay with you guys, but I don't think I can." Whenever I went to their house, it would remind me of Christmas dinner and unwrapping presents and Hugo and my mum and my dad and I couldn't do it.

"It's okay, sweetie. Just remember that you're welcome to pop by any time. Will you be visiting for Christmas or Easter?" I shook my head. Uncle Harry nodded, as if expecting it.

I opened the door to The Three Broomsticks at around ten to eleven, and I saw the guy who I had talked to previously in the day wiping the counters. I asked the bartender for a Butterbeer, taking a seat on one of the barstools to kill the time.

I sipped on the drink and my mind wandered to the day's events. I wouldn't ever mention it to Malfoy, but I was thankful for his appearance in Borgin and Burke's. If he hadn't been there, then this day could have been a lot worse. Even so, I was quite curious about what business he had to do there. I knew he wasn't stalking me – that was just weird – but did he have any links to the Death Eaters? I shook my head. He wouldn't have.

I knew first hand that Borgin and Burke's was a shop, so did Malfoy want to buy anything from there? But that place was full of…creepy things. What would Malfoy want? What could he want?

Everything just linked back to the Death Eater theory.

Around five minutes later I forced myself to down the butterbeer, walking around to the front of the bar and standing in the corner for a second. After half a minute the person who was (hopefully) going to hire me saw me standing awkwardly in the corner. He strode over, opening the bar door for me before motioning me through.

"How was your day?" he asked, leading me through a door and into a small room. It looked like an office of sorts. There was a door to the left, which I assumed lead to the cellar that held all of alcohol and stuff.

"Quite good, thanks. Yours?"

The man looked at me and smiled. "My name's Rixon. Yours?"

"Rose."

"Okay, Rose, all we have to do is fill in some paperwork to see your suitability. You're the only applicant so far, so the prospects are high for you." When I rose an eyebrow at him, he said, "People don't really live in Diagon Alley unless they own a business, and many aren't willing to commute." I nodded.

Rixon handed me some papers. "I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," he said, giving me privacy to fill everything in.

My first issue was my age. I was planning on lying, but the trouble with having well known parents meant that everyone knew my age. I started to fill the form in truthfully, hoping Rixon wouldn't mind a sixteen year old dealing alcohol. I needed the cash. I needed to buy some books and have some money left over for my time in the school year. I couldn't empty the bank out, because who knew when I would have to use it.

Rixon strode in after a couple of minutes, placing a Butterbeer on the table in front of me while sipping his own. "Nearly done?" he asked. I nodded, handing him his pencil and paper before leaning back with the drink.

Rixon's eyes flitted over the paper. They stopped at one point, before tsking. "I think you filled the sheet in wrong, darlin'," he said, changing the six of my age to an eight. He winked, sipping his drink before scanning the rest of the sheet. "All looks to be in order," he said. "We don't open until twelve pm, so you'll be here then?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"What's the pay?"

Rixon smirked. "Two galleons, twelve sickles an hour." I would be able to buy one school textbook an hour.

"Great. But this job is only temporary until Hogwarts, right?"

"Right."

So even though there is not much shipping right now, I promise thee that the next chapter, while gruesome, is very Rose/Scorpius dominated.