18 December 1976
Sirius swallowed nervously as he stood before Charlus Potter's study. Roseberry and James were napping in front of the fire in the living room when Sirius left them. He took a deep breath and rapped confidently on the study door.
Charlus was sitting behind his desk, a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose, when Sirius stepped into the study.
"What brings you here, my boy?" he asked kindly.
"Mr. Potter, I—uh, I had something to ask you," began Sirius hesitantly.
"Well, out with it, then."
"I—well, as you know, Rose and I have been dating for a while now. I know we are still young—"
Charlus frowned.
"And I don't mean to say we would do anything right away. Of course we'd wait until we both graduated. What I mean to say is, I love Roseberry very much, sir, and I would like to make her my wife one day. Mr. Potter, I would like to ask you for Roseberry's hand in marriage. If she'll take me, that is." Sirius let out a nervous sigh of relief.
Charlus sat back in his chair, contemplating the boy, "I do not doubt that you care very deeply for my niece and she, you. But you are correct in saying that you are both young. You are of age, Sirius, but Roseberry has over two years left at Hogwarts. Much can happen in two years, especially as young as you are. Not to mention the year you will spend apart after you graduate and Roseberry completes her final year at Hogwarts. Do you think it wise or kind to ask her to wait for you? To tie herself to you while you begin a new life without her? Do you think it would do yourself justice?"
Sirius paled, "I—I—"
Charlus rubbed his chin, "Here's my offer to you, Sirius. Give it another year. If you feel the same way about her in a year, you have my blessing to ask her to marry you. In the meanwhile, I hear from James that you have procured a flat. I will give Roseberry permission to stay with you in that flat as often and for as long as she wishes so that you may become better acquainted with each other."
"Th—thank you, Mr. Potter."
Charlus paused, clearing his throat, "I would imagine that you are familiar with, ah, contraceptive charms?"
Sirius reddened furiously, "I—uh, yes, sir, but we—we haven't, that is to say, we aren't having—"
Charlus held up a hand, "Well, it is best to be prepared if such an occasion does arise. Now, if you have no more to discuss with me, would you be so kind as to send Rose down to see me?"
"Thank you, Mr. Potter."
Charlus stood and took Sirius's arm, "Dorea and I consider you a son, Sirius. We would love nothing more than to welcome you into the family. I just want the both of you to take your time and make sure that this is what you want. I would hate for your friendship to suffer because you rushed into things." He patted Sirius on the back and ushered him out the door before settling himself back behind his desk.
Sirius made his way to the living room and shook Roseberry's shoulder.
"Go 'way," she mumbled, curling into a tighter ball.
"Rose," he whispered.
She opened one eye and reached up to tug at the sleeve of his shirt, "Come here and snuggle."
"Rose, your Uncle Charlus is waiting to speak to you in his study."
Roseberry grudgingly sat up, pouting, "Do you know what about?"
"Just go talk to him."
Roseberry sighed, "Okay, but keep my spot on the rug warm, will ya?" She stood and kissed his cheek before bounding out of the living room.
Roseberry found her uncle sitting at his desk in the study, a snifter of brandy in his hand. She perched herself on his desk, swinging her feet, "Sirius told me you wanted to speak to me, Uncle Charlus."
Charlus rubbed the bridge of his nose thoughtfully before looking up at her, "Roseberry, you really like Sirius, don't you?"
Roseberry looked a little nonplussed, but she nodded, "I do, Uncle Charlus."
"Do you love him, Rose?"
Roseberry blushed, but looked him evenly in the eye, "Yes, Uncle Charlus, I do. I love him very much."
Charlus nodded, "As I thought. Well, dear, I think I would feel more comfortable about the increasing seriousness of your relationship if you spent more time alone together, getting to know each other without James or your other friends as buffers. I am giving you permission to stay with Sirius in his new flat as often and for as long as you like."
"Oh…uh…thank you, Uncle Charlus," said Roseberry, looking a little taken aback.
Charlus took her by the shoulders and kissed her cheek, "You may look like your father, dear, but you are my sister's daughter. Of that, there is no doubt. You are fiercely devoted to Sirius. I only want to make certain that your love for him is one that will last. Now, pack your bags, dear. I believe Sirius will be moving into his new flat this afternoon and you should go with him."
.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.
James, Roseberry, and Sirius met Remus and Peter in Diagon Alley to help Sirius in his quest to furnish his new flat. Sirius delegated the task of interior decorating around his major furniture choices to Rose. It was after purchasing several curtains and throw pillows that Roseberry made it back to where the boys were standing around a large bed, two bunk beds, a sofa, several cushy armchairs, and a dining set.
"I just don't know how we're going to get all this to the flat," Sirius was saying, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Maybe we can hire one of those Muggle vehicles. A moving van," suggested James.
"Who'll drive?" asked Peter.
"Maybe Rose has a license," suggested Remus.
The boys turned toward her questioningly. Roseberry raised an eyebrow, "Seriously?" Meeting the dumb looks with weakly suppressed smile, she sighed in mock exasperation, "Sirius, how old are you?"
"Seventeen," he said frowning.
"Know any good spells to shrink all this?" she waved an arm at the assortment of furniture.
Sirius flashed a bright smile in her direction, "See? That's why I keep you around." Turning back to the furniture, he shrunk the items, placed a featherweight charm on them, and handed them out to the others to carry.
The group made their way back to Sirius's flat in Muggle London and began moving him in. The flat consisted of a surprisingly large master bedroom with an en suite bath, a guest bedroom, a guest bath, a modest study, and a large room that served as a kitchen, dining room, and living room. With the help of magic, the flat was fully furnished in a matter of hours and the boys sank into the living room furniture to relax and watch Sirius's muggle television.
Roseberry tied an apron around her waist and busied herself in the kitchen. "No, go relax with the boys," she said to Sirius, kissing his cheek and pushing him toward the sofa. "I can manage dinner myself."
"Come on, Padfoot," called Remus. "You're missing the second half of the game. It's muggle football."
"Muggle British football," corrected Rose. "American football is so much more intense." Roseberry stuck out a tongue at Remus.
"Um, muggle rest-of-the-world football, you mean," retorted Remus. "You Americans are the only ones who refuse to call a game involving a ball kicked around by the foot by its proper name. American football should be called run-ten-yards-with-a-ball-tucked-under-the-arm-then-break-for-commercials."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Rose, rolling her eyes.
"I don't see how either game could beat quidditch," mused Sirius, walking toward the living area, bottles of butterbeer in hand.
"Spoken like a true pureblood," said Rose and Remus in unison, earning them both a glare.
.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.~*~.
By the end of the game, Roseberry had set the dining room table and called for the boys to eat the dinner she had prepared. The hungry boys attacked the food ravenously and she was soon surrounded by languid conversation and a belching contest between James and Sirius.
"Lovely," she said with a sneer as she was subjected to a particularly loud and noxious belch, courtesy of James, by simply leaning in to clear the table.
The boys stayed for another hour, playing Exploding Snap, before heading home. Sirius saw his friends out, imploring them to come back for another, longer, visit. He returned to the living room to find Rose curled up on the couch, asleep. He stood watching her for a few minutes before nudging her awake. "Come on," he said as he pulled her up. "Let's get you to bed."
Roseberry nodded and followed him down the hall carrying her traveling bag. She stopped in front of the guest room and started to open it.
"Um, well, I was thinking," Sirius began hesitantly, "if you wanted to, we could maybe—I mean, I did get a rather large bed for my bedroom…far too large for just me, you know. Of course, if you don't want to, you're more than welcome to use the guest—"
"No, I'll go with you," said Roseberry with a small, shy smile. She took his hand and let him lead her back to his bedroom. She took a change of clothes and some toiletries out of her bag and slipped into his bathroom. She came back out having changed into a lacy red tank top and a matching pair of boycut panties.
Sirius had already undressed and turned down the bed. He sat nervously on the edge of his bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Rose walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. He looked bashfully up at her and leaned up for a kiss. Rose returned the gesture, her chest pressing down on his. Sirius ran his hands up Rose's bare legs and she shifted to straddle his lap. He rolled her over onto his new bed and pinned her arms down. He nibbled at her neck and kissed her throat. His hands travelled down her arms and over the scanty lace covering her breasts. His thumb brushed over her hard nipples and her hips bucked against his.
"Can I—can I taste you?" Sirius asked hesitantly.
"Can you—what?" asked Rose, trying to make sense of his words through the haze of his presence.
"Can I taste you?"
"I don't understand."
Sirius kissed her quickly on the mouth and maneuvered lower on the bed, pulling off her underwear as he went. His teeth nipped gently at the sensitive skin of her inner thigh as he kissed his way up her legs. He hesitated a moment, looking up at her as she stared down at him in wide-eyed confusion. He smiled at her reassuringly, then tentatively licked at her inner folds.
"Oh. Can you taste me?" she gasped, understanding. "Um—yes?"
Sirius grinned up at her and delved further in his exploration of her. He rewarded her moans and whimpers by burying his fingers further into her while he kissed and licked at her. Roseberry's fingers tangled themselves in Sirius's hair, urging him on until she cried out and shuddered violently against him. Sirius crawled up next to her and pulled her close to him. She gave him a kiss and peered up at him through half-lidded eyes before her hands worked their way down his chest and tugged at the waistband of his boxers. Sirius grasped her wrist and pulled her hand away. "It's not that I don't want you, Rose," he whispered in her ear, "It's that I don't want you to feel like you have to reciprocate." He kissed her forehead and tucked her head under his chin, "Let's go to sleep."