Chapter 5

"Sal," James called a few days later as he flooed into the flat after a hectic day at work, "you here?"

"Bathroom," he replied.

"I need to talk to you," James chuckled and a few minutes later Salamander appeared from the bathroom and sat down in the living room where his flatmate had opened them both a couple of butterbeers, he had a sly look on his face and Sal began to feel wary as he sat down.

"Go on then," he said jovially wondering what he was going to say, maybe he had decided to move in with Annemarie and he was about to leave him in the lurch.

"Did you sleep with Rose?" he asked bluntly as Sal took a swig of butterbeer from the bottle.

"What?" he blurted spitting the contents of his mouth all over himself in shock.

"I knew it," James laughed.

"How do you...did Rose tell you?" he asked curiously, they had not actually spoken about it since it had happened and he was assuming that Rose was keeping it as quiet as he was.

"Well no," he went on, "I needed to borrow Dad's pensieve to go over a few memories to do with an old case at work so I called there tonight before I came home. When I opened the cupboard I saw memory fog swirling around and realised that someone had left it behind so I peeked in and saw the two of you, here on New Year's I watched you talking for a few minutes and then you kissed and headed into your room." He gestured towards Salamander's room with his head and concluded, "I didn't watch anymore but it was pretty obvious what you were going to do!" He raised one eyebrow then as he watched the colour rise in his flatmate's cheeks. "I take it that the memory was Rose's?"

"Well it wasn't mine," Sal replied looking away from his friend.

"She must have done it at the party last week, oh..." he went on pausing for a second, "that's what she must have been talking about when..."

"When what?"

"I was teasing her about getting drunk in front of everyone and she seemed to be taking it quite badly saying that no one needed to know, she must have thought you'd told me about it all and I was taking the piss! No wonder she was so touchy," he chuckled. "So, what happened?"

"I don't know," Sal replied, "I can't remember! The last thing I know is that we left the Cauldron together, she'd been collared earlier by that married guy and I took her away from him giving her a kiss and pretending that we were together." James' eyes grew wide at the mention that there had been a kiss, "But then she was worried that he might call at the house when she was alone and she'd give in to him so I told her to come back here and stay in your bed seeing as you'd be at Annemarie's. Anyway I remember us flooing back here but the rest is a blur, we woke up the next morning in my bed and both felt very embarrassed about it all."

"Well I reckon that memory will tell you what happened!" James joked, "Rose must have had the same trouble recalling it and decided to find out what had really gone on! So you've only seen her at Vernon's party since then?"

"Yeah, I left her to get dressed again and then she left just before you came home on New Year's Day, I only saw her for a minute last week at the party and we haven't talked at all."

"So why do you think it happened? Do you fancy her?"

"I don't know, I've never thought of her like that before, I mean she's pretty and intelligent and all but she's always been your cousin and a friend, I never tried to see her as anything else. In the morning I assumed she was embarrassed about it all and wanted to forget it ever happened, as you knew we had drunk – a lot!"

"Well I don't know about forgetting it," James chuckled as he waved a clear vial around in the air, "It seems clear that she wanted to see it again or even see it for the first time if she couldn't remember! I corked it up so no one else found it, don't want the rest of the family stumbling across something this juicy!"

"Hey!"

"Are you going to watch it?" James goaded, "I could get you a floo appointment to Mum and Dad's if you want it's in Dad's study!"

"No!" Salamander shrieked indignantly.

"Why not? It'll be better than looking at Witch Tits!" he joked referring to the most famous wizarding men's magazine, "At least you'll be starring in it!" he laughed raucously.

"Piss off James!" he replied launching a cushion at his flatmate who dived out of the way before it hit.

"Hey, you'll be the one that's mad when the flat's a mess!" he giggled trying to sit up but watching for any more flying furnishings. "Go on, don't tell me you don't want to see it!"

"Well..."

"I knew it, you do like her!"

"I don't know," Sal replied shyly.

"What do you mean you don't know?" James asked becoming more serious, his friend had been hurt badly recently and he knew his cousin had too. While the thought of Sal and Rose getting together had been quite exciting to James he was also aware that they would both treat anything new with trepidation and he didn't want either one to be hurt again.

"Like I said I've never thought of Rose in that way before we've grown up together and were at school together. I mean she is a beautiful girl and she's great company but she's your cousin and I'd always been with Gloria."

"But...?"James interjected sensing that this thought about his cousin was changing inside Sal's head.

"Well ever since New Year's-"

"You've been thinking about her!" James interrupted excitedly.

"Well not exactly but I haven't been thinking about Glors, in fact I haven't even cared about Gloria and what she did, it suddenly didn't seem to matter anymore and I actually felt quite relieved that we weren't together anymore, not because I would have been cheating if we had but I guess because...I was glad it had happened, I just wish I could remember it."

"Watch the memory," James returned, "I'm serious we can go home and do it now."

"No, I can't, I'd feel like I was intruding on Rose's memory."

"But it's your memory too Sal."

"Yeah but from Rose's perspective, it's hers and I'd feel like I was violating her," he said honourably.

"Well we could always use your memory."

"No, it's best left in the past and out of my head I think, that's what Rose wanted I'm sure."

"Whatever you say mate but you'd better get that back to Rose before anyone else claps eyes on it, you may not want to see it but there are plenty of Witch Tits buyers who would pay a pretty penny to see it!" James chuckled as he threw the vial towards his friend. Looking at it once Sal shook his head and put it into his pocket deciding he would return it to Rose at work the next day. "And talk to her about it too, you never know!" James added feeling a little excitement again, it would be good for both of them to be with a decent person after what they had been through.

"Yeah," he replied but James did not notice the unconvinced tone in his voice.

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Taking a deep breath Salamander knocked on the office door which read Rose Weasley, Muggle Office, "Come in," called a sweet but frazzled sounding voice from the other side. He opened the door slowly and walked inside to see Rose with her head bent over a pile of papers, she was surrounded by vases full of flowers, piles of stuffed teddies and a multitude of soft embroidered cushions. Also hovering above her were paper doves and cherubs shooting messages across the room which she seemed to be casually setting on fire with a flick of her wand.

"Rose," he ventured and her head shot up.

She felt her stomach flip as she looked at his deep dark eyes and she had to look away before she blushed obviously, it was the first time since the party that she had seen Sal and the memory of seeing him touch her body was still at the forefront of her mind, "Salamander," she replied quietly while shooting another message emerging from the end of a cherubs arrow.

"What's all this?" he asked gesturing to the overcrowded room.

"Chris," she sighed looking fed up.

"Is he still hassling you?"

She nodded her head and he inspected the contents of the room again, "Ever since I came back to work he's been turning up in the elevator every morning and evening to talk to me and when I started getting here late or leaving late he started sending me all this crap," she gestured at the floating messages and other love tokens. "I keep ignoring it but he won't let up, expects me to be his bit on the side and feel good about it because I'm young and should be having fun not getting myself tied down to someone. Why is it that the only person ever to have been into me as much as I was into him is married and can't commit? I swear I'm fated!"

"Don't say that Rose," Sal said softly relishing the fact that they had not seemed uncomfortable around each other yet and perhaps they would be able to go on as good friends even though the more he looked at her now the more he realised that he was developing feelings for the pretty red head.

"Well I don't see anyone else around here that's into me do you?" she barked.

Maybe me, he thought to himself but he dashed it away and decided to tell her what he had come to say. "Er...Rose," he began and she looked up at him sensing that she might not like what he had to say, "James knows about New Year's Eve," he hated to have to bring it up now that they seemed more casual around each other again and he knew immediately from her stiff reaction that she had not wanted it bringing up either. "I didn't tell him," he blurted wanting to make it clear that he would not betray her like that, "he found a...memory in his Dad's pensieve," he finished looking shyly away.

"Oh god," Rose shrieked, "I thought...I thought it would go away after I'd watched it," she said blushing furiously again knowing that Sal now knew she had watched what they did on New Year's Eve, what would he think of her? That she liked to watch herself having sex?

"You can only get rid of them by putting them back in your head or destroying them," he said. "James didn't watch...much, he said, but he corked it for you," he concluded taking the vial from his cloak pocket and holding it out for Rose to take.

"Did you...?" she gestured at the bottle containing swirling fog.

"No," he said adamantly shaking his head, "No I...it's your...memory I...I didn't want to...intrude."

"Th...th...thank you," Rose replied looking down and picking up the bottle. "I suppose I'd better get rid of it," she whispered as she uncorked the top and pointed her wand at it. Sal assumed she was going to extract it and put it back in her head but instead she muttered, "destructo," and the swirling fog exploded quietly and dispersed. He had been right, Rose wanted to forget about it and had obviously just been curious to see how it had happened, perhaps she had not seen all of it anyway James did not know how far the memory had gone. "Well at least no one else will know."

"So we just...forget it now?" Sal asked somewhat forlornly. Rose nodded back at him and tried to smile at but it came out as more of a grimace and Sal could tell she felt stressed. "Rose are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just...I need to leave on time tonight because Dominique's coming over at half past five and I know he'll be waiting in the lift for me," she sighed.

"Do you want me to talk to him?"

"It won't do any good, he knows we're not...together," she whispered slyly, "I've just had a hectic day here combined with this lot," she indicated the shooting cherubs again and blasted another message before Sal could read what it actually said, "I just want to get home without any more hassle."

"Well let me help you," Sal offered.

"How?" she asked still using a defeated voice.

"Well I'll come out with you, walk you to the floo...if you want, at least it'll get you there tonight even if he doesn't believe we're a couple all the time."

"Really?" Rose asked feeling her stomach flip again, "That would be...thanks."

"Come on then," he said as she packed a few things into her bag and grabbed her cloak from a hook on the wall. When she reached the door he opened it for her and they stepped out together before beginning to walk down the long corridor towards the elevators. As they approached Salamander saw Chris loitering near the grille and without thinking about it he grabbed hold of Rose's hand and took it in his own, Rose felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body at his touch and she felt her cheeks grow hot again but she let it happen and walked purposefully towards Chris who had just noticed what was going on.

"Rose?" he said as they reached the elevator, "What are you doing with...him?"

"We're going home," Salamander returned gripping her hand tighter and feeling a light flip in his stomach as he did so.

"Come on Rose, I know you're not going out with this dork," he goaded as the elevator reached them and the grille slid back. Sal and Rose stepped in still hand in hand and Chris jumped in behind them, "get rid of him and come home with me," he whispered in her ear but she refused to acknowledge him.

"Why don't you just leave her alone?" Salamander shouted back at him as the lift came to a stop at the atrium floor.

"What's it got to do with you?" Chris sneered.

"A lot when you're upsetting someone I care about," he replied walking swiftly towards the floos still holding on tight to Rose's hand, she was completely bewildered by the way he was standing up for her and realised she was enjoying simply holding his hand.

"Showering someone with gifts and flowers is upsetting is it?" Chris spat as Sal held Rose's hand up in the direction of the nearest fireplace, "Rose come on," he implored looking pleadingly at her but Sal gestured for her to go and let her hand drop before rounding on the man causing her so much misery, Rose just heard Chris call her name again as she whirled out of view and back to her own home. "She's never going to go out with you, you know," the now angry man shouted at Sal who turned on him angrily.

"And how do you know?" he spat venomously, he had seen immediately how this man's behaviour was affecting Rose and wanted to stand up for her like a man should for the pretty young Weasley.

"Because you're not her type," he laughed, "too dorky, Rose wants a real man, one who'll-"

"Sleep with her and then go back to his wife?" Sal interrupted feeling his blood begin to boil, "Hound her and beg her to be nothing more to him than a whore?"

"She'll have everything she ever wanted from me. I'll shower her with whatever she wants and she can still live a carefree single life coming to me for what I can give her best, a good night in bed!"

"Everything except the one thing she really wants, someone who will love her and commit to her and do anything for her."

"I can do enough for her in bed!" he chuckled and Sal had to hold back his fists, "Best of both worlds, be young free and single but satisfied when she needs it!"

"Best of both worlds for who? You who has a family and a wife to feed him and look after him and a quick shag when you feel like it, Rose needs more than that, she's worth more than that."

"No she's not mate, she's a fireball and bed but that's about all she's good for!" His restraint went out of the window at his words and before he knew what had happened Salamander had punched the despicable man in the face. Reeling in shock Chris fell to the floor clutching his bleeding nose.

"Don't speak about her like that," Sal growled slowly, "Rose Weasley is a beautiful and intelligent girl who has everything to offer the right man."

"Jealous much?" Chris said through gritted teeth, "She's never going to shag a man like you!" he laughed and Salamander found himself becoming angrier by the second.

"Oh yeah? Then how come she already has?" he blurted and the moment it had passed his lips he knew he had made a mistake, that was Rose's private business and the last thing she needed was for him to share it with the bloke who would not leave her alone.

"She wouldn't!"

"She did," he coughed desperately searching for a way out of this situation now, "so just leave her alone you creep, have you not got the message? She's not interested in you so get out of her face and quit sending her teddies and love notes, go back to your wife and leave decent people alone!" he shouted before turning on the spot and apparating away before he could make the situation any worse, though he thought to himself when he appeared seconds later in his flat, there wasn't really any way to do that.