Using the prompt 'hatred'

Chapter Twelve

Their grandparents lived an hour outside of London in the town of Sunbury. Rose knew it was where her mother had grown up and she had visited their place frequently. The house was small, and although Rose enjoyed going there to see them, she hated staying overnight. She and Hugo would always find themselves being the ones forced to sleep on the floor of the living room, which resulted in them getting next to no sleep. She would always miss her home back in Huddersfield whenever she was there.

It felt strange going there without her parents, too. She knew that Harry was trying his very best to make them feel as comfortable with him as possible, but it was never going to work. The truth was; he was their uncle, not their mum or dad. He could try as much as he wanted, but it was never going to change the fact that she was visiting her grandparents without them.

"This it?" Harry questioned. "Haven't been here for many years."

Rose nodded. She recognised the crooked window at the front. She and Hugo had spent many days looking out of it. "This is it," she confirmed.

"They'll be delighted the two of you are coming to see them," Harry said as they made their way up the narrow path to the front door.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to change my mind and want to live with them, though," Rose replied. She turned to Hugo and smiled at him. "They can't make us," she promised him.

He nodded weakly as the door opened before any of them had the chance to knock. Her grandmother was wearing a blue blouse and matching pants. Her greying hair was pulled back and she looked positively relieved to see the three of them standing in front of her.

"Oh, darlings!" she exclaimed, pulling both Rose and Hugo towards her.

Rose held onto her, feeling the warmth and comfort her grandmother brought. She had spent the past weeks with her dad's family that it wasn't until she was standing there that she realised how much she needed something to remind her of her mum. As proud as she was of her magical heritage, she was also proud of her Muggle family. As a child, it had made no difference to her – and it still didn't. Family was family and she needed as much of them as she could get right now.

"Come in, come in," she urged, ushering the three of them inside. "Sorry, I don't have anything ready for you. I only got Ginny's letter a few hours ago. Not that it matters; we are delighted that you wanted to come and see us."

They followed her into the kitchen. There was still no sign of her grandfather.

"Where's Grandpa?" Hugo asked.

"Oh, he'll be back soon, dear," their grandmother assured him. "He was out when I found out, but I called him straight away and he's on his way back from London as we speak. It's a shame he can't just magically appear like you can, eh?" She directed the last part at Harry, who nodded uncomfortably.

Any hint of the anger and frustration Rose had seen at the wedding had disappeared. Her eyes showed tiredness that hadn't been there before, but for someone who had just lost their only daughter, she seemed to be holding up pretty well. Rose wished she had her grandmother's composure.

"Would you like anything to eat? To drink?"

Rose, Hugo and Harry all shook their heads.

"We just wanted to see you," Rose confessed. "Because... we thought you might be missing us." It was the truth. Rose's main reason for coming here was for their sake, not her own. But it brought a sense of calmness to her that she hadn't felt at Grimmauld Place.

"We were missing the two of you dearly," her grandmother said, nodding. She seemed to study them for a few moments, before smiling and turning around to pour herself a mug of coffee.

Rose and Hugo sat themselves at the table, along with Harry. He seemed awkward – as if he felt he didn't belong there. But that was strange, because he had been her mum's best friend. He knew them as well as anyone; well, she thought he did.

"Is there anything you would like to do while you're here?" They're grandmother joined them at the table, clutching her steaming mug of coffee.

Rose shook her head again. "Just talk," she said quietly.

"Of course... it must be terribly hard for the two of you losing them like that. It was a shock for all of us, really. I –"

"– Not about that!" Rose interrupted. "Anything but them, please."

"Oh, yes, of course..." Her grandmother's eyes met Rose's and she couldn't help but notice how much they reminded her of her mum's. They had the same eyes, the same face and they wore the same smile. How she missed that smile.

It seemed her grandmother was thinking on the same line, because after a moment, she smiled. "You two really do look like your father," she said.

"It's the hair," Rose answered, smiling weakly.

Everyone laughed, filling the room with much needed humour.

"Yes, perhaps it is, but... there's more to it than that too. Though, I can see your mother's qualities in both of you as well."

Rose smiled. She liked hearing that. She liked hearing that she was like both of her parents. Everyone always said she looked more like her dad – as did Hugo – but they also told her she was a lot like her mum in many ways too. Just like her mum, the Sorting Hat had debated whether or not to Sort her into Ravenclaw or Gryffindor.

It had eventually decided on Gryffindor, saying something about Weasley blood running strong in her veins when it came to hard times. Maybe this was what they Hat had meant. Maybe it had foreseen this moment and had placed her in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, because it knew she wouldn't be able to think logically like a Ravenclaw should.

Gryffindors were known for their irrational thoughts at times.

Or maybe it was just the fact that she had the last name Weasley and both of her parents had been Gryffindors, so the Hat thought she should just go there. Because she certainly wasn't feeling brave right now. She wanted nothing more than to go home – to her real home – and lie in her bed for the rest of her life.

"Well, enough of that for now!" Her grandmother jumped to her feet. "It's a rare, beautiful day outside and your grandfather should be home soon. How do you all feel about a picnic?"

OOO

The wind blew gently across her face as she sat with her back against the garden wall. It really was a nice day outside, and while her grandparents, brother and uncle all sat under the sun, Rose found herself more comfortable in the shade.

Or, perhaps it was because she was alone. Once upon a time ago, she had been more than happy with as much company as she could find. She would rarely be anywhere in Hogwarts without someone accompanying her. But after her friends and cousins had made it clear they didn't understand, she hadn't wanted them around.

The solace was comforting. It wasn't lonely.

She had joined them all for lunch, but afterwards, had disappeared behind the shed. She remembered how she and Hugo had made cubby houses there when they were younger. They would raid the cupboards in the house for blankets, sheets, or anything else they could find and drape them over the small shrub to her left and the old, unused car to her right.

They'd play for hours there and would demand that it be left there until they returned. It never was, though. They would always have to make a new one whenever they came back to visit.

With a heavy sigh, she rested her head against the fence. It didn't matter that she was sitting in a bed of roses – oh, the irony – she just wanted to be alone.

Maybe she would like to live here after all. Despite the size of the house, she felt more alone than she had at Grimmauld Place. They left her to do her own thing.

It wasn't until the sun had moved and she was no longer in the shade that they bothered to go looking for her. It was Harry who found her, joining her in the garden bed.

"We wondered where you got to... it was Hugo who said you might be here." His tone was calm – he wasn't going to disturb her if she didn't want him to.

"This was where we used to play," she told him. She looked up at her uncle. "Why don't you remember this place?"

"It's been years since I've been here, Rosie. Many, many years. After the war... your grandparents didn't really want anything to do with the magic world. Your mum brought them back from Australia, told them what had happened and they shut us out."

"Mum too?" Rose wondered. They had never been comfortable with magic – she knew that – but they had never been against it either.

"No, they wanted her to leave our world; to forget who she was."

"That's crazy!"

"They were scared, Rosie. They had just had their memories restored, only to find out that their only daughter had sent them to another country and had fought in a war... you would be too."

"But they came around eventually, right?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, they did. Your mum didn't listen to them, of course... it was a hard time for everyone, Rosie, and your mum and dad were two of the strongest people I knew."

Rose picked one of the flowers, not caring that the sharp thorns had drawn blood. "Part of me hates them, you know," she finally said.

"Who?"

"Mum and Dad. They just left us without saying anything. They never said goodbye, they never told us... they just left us alone." She said it calmly, but it certainly wasn't how she was feeling. As sad as she felt about them dying, part of her was furious that they had left her with no parents. She needed them.

"They didn't want to, Rose. They never wanted to leave you; they loved you."

"You keep saying that," Rose replied.

"And I will keep saying that until you believe me."

"If they loved us, they wouldn't have left. They would have fought and they would have survived. Maybe they were sick of us, so they thought it was better if they died so they wouldn't have to put up with us anymore. Maybe we were really awful kids. I did say some mean things to them."

"That's not true, Rosie."

How was Harry remaining so calm?

"Maybe they hated each other too."

"Never."

"Then how come they would fight all the time? They didn't love each other anymore. That has been obvious for a long time now."

"If... Rosie, if you saw the way I found them when... when I did, you wouldn't be saying that."

Rose stared at him. His eyes had suddenly filled with tears, which was not what she had intended. She was just angry with everyone. She was angry at Harry for being so calm, she was angry at the person who had killed her parents and she was furious at her parents for leaving her.

She hated them for it.

"How did you find them?" she asked quietly.

"In a way that told me they had fought and that they had died... trying to protect each other. I know your parents, Rose, and the only thing they would have argued about in that moment was who was going to protect who. Both of them would have wanted to keep the other safe."

"So they were too busy arguing over that to try and keep themselves safe?" It was an accusation Rose assumed Harry would shut down, but to her surprise, he shrugged.

"Perhaps."

"I wish we knew what really happened."

Harry put an arm across her shoulder, drawing her closer to him. "We all do, Rosie, we all do."

OOO

There was only one other bedroom in her grandparents' house, and normally it was occupied by her parents. Even though it took less than five seconds to Apparate back home, they did stay there as frequently as they visited. And Rose wasn't going to break that tradition just because her parents were gone.

Harry had offered to take them back home, but both Rose and Hugo had refused. Despite everything, Rose had enjoyed the day and she knew Hugo had too. It really had been good to escape the magical world. There were fewer reminders that it had been magic that had killed her parents.

Her grandmother really had had a point at the funeral.

Harry had offered to stay with them, but Rose had insisted he should go home. They would be fine without him. They probably needed to be there without him.

Once upon a time ago, Rose and Hugo had fought about having to share a room together. But now, they were sleeping only inches apart, sharing the bed their mum and dad had once slept in. It felt odd, but also comforting. As much as she teased him, made fun of him and fought with him, she really did love Hugo and she was worried about him. He was her brother and she had to be there for him; he had no one else.

Her brother's deep breathing let Rose know he was asleep, and as she lay there, thinking about the day's events, she heard light footsteps stop in the doorway. Then another set of feet.

"They really don't deserve this," she heard her grandmother whisper. "To lose their parents at such a young age... I can't even imagine what it must be like for them."

"They've taken it hard... naturally." That was Harry's voice. He mustn't have left yet, despite it being very close to midnight.

"I thank you, Harry... for looking after them like you have. It would have meant a lot to Hermione and Ron to know they are being well cared for."

"We all love them," Harry responded. "And... they asked us a long time ago if anything ever happened to them..." His voice became even quieter and Rose wondered if he was crying.

"I know," came the reply.

There was silence after that, but Rose knew they were still there and she didn't dare move. She didn't want them to realise she had heard them – they had thought they were having a private conversation.

"They were so proud of them." It was her grandmother who spoke first – her voice still a whisper. "And, as much as I miss Hermione – and Ron – I know they would have given their lives anyway if either of them had been in danger."

"That they would have," Harry agreed. "Anyway, I should be going. Ginny will be worried... take care of them, will you?"

"They are our first priority," Rose's grandmother promised.

"Thank you."

"We love them too, Harry. Remember that."

The footsteps finally vanished and a short while later, all the lights were switched off and Rose was left in complete darkness – and complete silence. Hugo stirred beside her, but didn't wake.

"I'm looking after him as best as I can," she said quietly, turning her head towards him. "I promise you that I am."

And she hoped that that was enough for her mum and dad. She hoped they really were proud of her.

I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you're still enjoying where this is going. And thank you so much for all your lovely reviews. It really makes my day :)

And thank you DobbyLovesSock for her awesome beta-ing!