Using the prompt 'on the roof'
Chapter Six
Hugo wasn't going to lie. It had been a hard couple of hours. He wasn't sure how many times he had played this day over and over in his head, but it hadn't been at all like he had imagined it to be.
So many people had shown up to say goodbye to his parents. So many people had sat there crying because his mum and dad were gone. He had expected people to be sad and he had expected them to cry, but he hadn't expected that... whatever that was.
After the funeral, Hugo had been warned by Harry that people would want to see him. People he didn't even know would want to come up to him, tell him how sorry they were and offer their condolences. As kind as he knew they were being, Hugo was in no mood to listen to them.
He didn't want anyone to tell him how wonderful his parents were – or had been. He knew that. He had experienced firsthand what they were like and he knew them better than almost anyone. No one needed to tell him.
So he had escaped after the funeral and found a place where he would be left alone and no one would ask him questions. He was sitting on top of the roof of the Burrow, watching the events below. His parents were gone now and everyone had gathered there to support one another.
Ginny hadn't been able to stop crying all day and Rose had started after her speech. Everyone was gathered in the yard with food and drinks, talking in hushed tones. He heard a few remarks of 'where's Hugo?' but no one really thought to look up. If they did, they would have seen his long, gangly legs hanging over the edge.
Hugo wasn't sure why he hadn't been able to cry; it wasn't something he could control. It just hadn't happened. As sad as he had felt when Harry and Ginny had revealed the news, he couldn't cry. Rose had sat there and her tears had come instantly and she hadn't stopped since. Hugo on the other hand... Hugo hadn't cried once.
What did that even mean? That he didn't care about his mum and dad like everyone else did? That wasn't true; he had cared about them very much. They were the only parents he knew and he hadn't wanted to lose them. What was he supposed to do without them?
She hadn't said anything, but he was sure Rose was angry with him because he hadn't cried. She probably thought he didn't even care. But he did; he cared more than anyone, probably. He couldn't even sleep in his bed anymore because he knew it was the same one his dad had slept in during his time at Hogwarts.
As he watched his family and friends of his parents (who he didn't even know) mingle and no doubt talk about them, Hugo's mind wandered. He wished he had done something different – anything – that may have changed the outcome. What if he had told his mum to be careful before he had boarded the train? Would she have listened to him? No, but she probably would have listened to Rose.
Rose was the favourite – he knew that and had learnt to deal with it. She was the smartest and the oldest. He was just Hugo, the second child who everyone put up with.
What if something had been different, though? Maybe his parents would still be alive if one little thing had been different.
Something Harry had told him last night echoed in his head: You may be missing them, Hugo and you have every right to. But I know that they will be thankful that it wasn't you and because of that, I know they're happy. The two people they loved more than anything else in the world are safe and well. They'd want nothing more.
Was that true? Hugo didn't know, but it didn't give him any comfort. His mum and dad were still gone and he would never see them again. He was twelve years old and an orphan.
Movement behind him caused Hugo to jump. He turned his head, thinking someone had finally found him, but thankfully it was only Rose. He didn't mind if she joined him. She was the only one who got it.
"Everyone's looking for you," she said. "They're worried. But I never bothered to tell them where you were."
Hugo nodded. "Thanks."
"So, what you doing up here?" she then questioned, her own legs dangling over the roof too. "It's a great place to hide, by the way."
"I just had to get away," Hugo told her. "I don't want anyone's sympathy."
"Yeah, it gets a bit tiresome," Rose confessed. "I know they mean well, but telling us they're thinking of us isn't going to bring back Mum and Dad."
"Why would someone do that to them?" Hugo asked suddenly, expressing a concern that had been bothering him for a while now. "Who'd want to kill them?"
Rose shook her head. "I don't know. And Uncle Harry won't tell us even though it's obvious he knows. He says he needs proof first... who cares about proof? If they're the reason Mum and Dad are gone, they deserve to be punished."
Hugo agreed. No one deserved to get away with murdering innocent people.
Rose put her arm across his shoulder. "They don't get it, do they?" she asked. "They think they understand, but really, they have no idea. None of them do."
They sat in silence after that, Hugo enjoying the serenity his sister brought him. He was surprised at how supportive she was being. Normally, the pair of them barely spoke to one another. It wasn't that they hated each other, but they just had different interests. Rose preferred to excel at everything she did and was more into chasing boys (Scorpius) than anything else. Hugo preferred his own space, doing his homework when it was necessary, not when he felt like it, and, really, he wasn't into girls all that much.
He and Rose hardly saw each other at Hogwarts and when they were home, they rarely interacted unless it had been forced upon them by their parents. So, the fact that his sister hadn't left his side since it had happened was confusing, yet extremely comforting.
He liked her company.
"I wonder if they can see this." Rose broke the silence that had filled the roof. Below, people were still huddled in groups, talking about one thing or another. "You know, can they see everyone who has come to say goodbye to them? Are they happy?"
"I think so," Hugo answered confidently. "Dad would love the fact that so many people have come here."
"Yeah, and Mum would be really embarrassed and try and brush it off as some other reason." Rose laughed and for once, it seemed like a genuine laugh. "They'd love this."
"I liked your speech, by the way," Hugo then told her. "It was... nice."
Rose smiled. "Thanks... I still wish I had said more, though. It didn't feel like it was enough."
Hugo shook his head. "It was more than I could ever say," he replied. "It was nice."
Below them, familiar voices interrupted their suddenly peaceful mood. It was their two grandmothers, both sounding rather angry and flustered with one another. They seemed unaware that their grandchildren were directly above them, able to hear every word they were saying.
"...what do you mean they will be safer with you? That's absolutely rubbish! Hermione did fill us in on all the trouble you had years ago. The kids would be safer living with us, away from all the... the magic!"
"We can protect them!" Molly argued. "Harry tells us it may not have been a random attack. We all know what happened and if Harry's suspicions are right, then there is a chance she will come after the kids too. I don't mean to be rude, but the truth is, if they come, you will have no chance to stop them. They will kill you all. At least with us they will have magic to protect them."
"Magic has killed my daughter and two of your sons! I'm not going to put my – our – grandchildren in danger too. They're the only family we have left. If what you say is true and those kids are still in danger, then surely they will be safer away from it all. We'll take them somewhere safe... we'll change our identities if we have to. We'd do anything for Rose and Hugo; we just don't want them to end up like their parents – Ron and Hermione would never want that."
Hugo chanced a glance over the edge of the roof. Both of his grandmothers were glaring at each other, each with their hands on their hips. Neither of them were going to win that battle, he knew it. They were each as stubborn as the other and each thought they were in the right.
He looked to his right, where Rose was sitting. Her face had gone bright red and her lips were pursed together in fury. Hugo was slightly worried she would jump from the roof in anger and begin yelling at both of them.
If it wasn't so high up, he would have done that too.
"Molly, dear, there is no reason to discuss this now." That was Arthur, his voice etched with grief as he tried to stay calm. "What matters is that we have lost two people dear to us and the children who are talking about have vanished."
Hugo instinctively dragged his legs closer to his chest. Rose followed suit.
"What do you mean they've vanished?" Molly snapped.
"No one can find them, dear," Arthur said calmly. "Hugo has been missing for a while and Rose also disappeared not so long ago. Harry's searching for them down by the stream, but no one has heard from them in a while. We've become slightly concerned; both are understandably in a bad way."
There was some grunting, scuffling and some hushed whispers and the next time Hugo looked below, there was no one there. He looked back at Rose.
"Should... should we go down?" he asked uncertainly.
Rose shook her head, apparently furious with what had just occurred. "No. Let them suffer for a while longer," she said.
"I don't want to leave the magic world," Hugo told her, his fear at what he had just heard settling in. He was twelve years old; no one was really going to pay attention to what he wanted.
"We won't," Rose promised. "We're going to live with Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry, they told us and that's what we want, so they'll have to let us."
"Well, well, you are your parents' kids after all."
Hugo almost jumped out of his skin at the deep voice and he shot to his feet. If it hadn't been for George grabbing his wrist at the last minute, he probably would have plummeted to the ground.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose questioned, getting to her feet slower than what Hugo did.
"It means that despite the fact that you probably would be safer with your Muggle grandparents, the two of you would prefer to throw yourself in the midst of danger. So much like your mum and dad." He grinned awkwardly at them, letting go of Hugo.
Hugo's stomach clenched. "We're really in danger?" he asked.
George shrugged. "No idea, Harry won't say anything. You probably are... but then again, if we all went into hiding in the Muggle world, we'd all be safer." He glanced behind his shoulder. "Come on, you two, do you really want to worry anyone today? Ginny is already jumping out of her skin with concern and she's started yelling at Harry for losing you. She thinks something terrible has happened to you."
"How did you find us?" Rose questioned.
"I saw you making your way up here, Rosie," George said. "And then I saw Hugo too." He held out his hand to her. "Come on, your Grandma Weasley wants to cook a lovely roast dinner for everyone."
Rose accepted his hand and George helped the pair of them to the ground. There were people still hanging around, but the crowd had significantly thinned as it was getting late. Hugo followed his sister and uncle into the Burrow.
"Oh, there you two are!" It was Ginny, her worried expression changing to relief in front of them. "Where did you disappear to?"
Hugo shrugged. "Around," he said.
"They weren't that far away," George assured her. "They just needed some time alone."
It seemed George was the only one who got it.
Ginny continued to fuss over both of them. "I'm glad you came back, though," she said. "We were all so worried."
Hugo let her drag him to the table and sat down. He had had his time alone and he felt calmer now.
He was ready to deal with what anyone else threw at him for the rest of the night.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I want to thank you all for all your positive feedback on this fic. It's honestly something I am really happy with, so I'm glad it's getting good feedback! Thank you to DobbyLovesSocks for betaing it for me. Much appreciated!