Using the prompt 'by a thread'
Chapter Twenty-Three
The bus stopped two blocks from Grimmauld Place. It had been a very unpleasant, quiet bus ride. For the most part, Rose and Hugo had been by themselves. There were one or two others who joined them along the way, but in the end, Rose and Hugo were on their own.
They didn't even bother speaking to one another. Rose was still partly furious at her brother for coming out to be with her. What had he been thinking, risking his own life like that? He knew that woman was out there and he had gone anyway!
Another part of her just didn't want to talk to anyone. What was the point? She only ended up yelling at them.
Rose wasn't stupid. People could keep telling her over and over that she wasn't herself, but she knew that already. She felt the anger bubbling inside her every second of every day, just waiting to burst at any moment. No matter how many times she did let it out, it just came back again.
She knew it wasn't good for her and if she had been thinking clearly, she would have kept her emotions intact. But, as her mum used to say: Rose was Rose. She inherited her temper from her dad. She couldn't help it that she got upset easily. If she could control it, she would.
But, she still made a promise to herself. She was going to try very hard to be nice to everyone. After all, Hugo had come a long way just to bring her home. It counted for something, right? He must have cared a little bit.
"Uncle Harry probably already knows we're coming back," Hugo said as they began to make their way back to Grimmauld Place. "That Auror probably told him."
Rose didn't answer him. Just stay calm, she said to herself. He's done nothing wrong.
It was quite difficult to get into Grimmauld Place because of all the magical enchantments placed around it. Some were existing from many generations ago when it was home to the notorious Black family; others had been added by Harry – mainly to keep the media out. Now, it was virtually impossible to find unless they were family or somebody went through the Ministry to get there.
What if Mum and Dad had done that? Rose wondered of her own house. Maybe they wouldn't have been dead.
Still, seeing as Rose and Hugo were family, upon reaching the street, the house became immediately visible. Apparently everyone who wanted to enter used to have to use magic to get inside, but with so many of them now underage, Harry had disbanded that idea. What use was having a house for family when even his own children couldn't get in on their own accord?
Expecting the worst, Rose slowly opened the front door. Part of her had expected her aunt and uncle to greet her there and then, but the hall was empty. It was silent.
"Er... hello?"
Rose spun around, rounding on her brother. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Do you want them to yell at us?"
"They're not going to yell at us, Rosie," Hugo replied confidently. "They've been worried sick for the past week."
Just as the words had left Hugo's mouth, Ginny appeared from the second landing. Relief seemed to overcome her as she ran towards them, engulfing both of them into a tight hug.
"Thank God you're both safe," she said, hugging them close to her. The hug only lasted a few seconds, though. Once the relief had worn off, it was replaced by anger. She took a step backwards so both of them were in her vision.
Rose swallowed. She knew this was to come.
"I have no idea what either of you were thinking," she scolded. "Running away like that. Hugo, I am completely shocked that you would just take off like that without a word. One moment I thought you were in your room and then when I went upstairs to see if you wanted breakfast, you weren't there."
Hugo turned his head away sheepishly. He had never liked getting into trouble, Rose surmised. Even as children he'd always be the one to give them away. Rose could guess he'd never received a detention at Hogwarts either.
"And you, Rose!" Ginny's full attention was now on her niece. She didn't blink. Ginny could be quite terrifying when she wanted to be. "What were you thinking taking off like that? Harry and I are responsible for both of you and for a week, we had no idea where you were!"
That was a lie. Why else would Harry have put an Auror out the front to guard her house? She remained silent, though, remembering the promise she had made to herself earlier.
Ginny continued. "You have no idea what it was like watching you get on that bus, Rose, with no way of stopping you. Your parents trusted us to look after you and you're not making that an easy job. We were so concerned for your safety. No doubt Hugo's told you about who's out there. You can't do that, Rose. The last thing anyone wants is to lose the two of you as well." She turned to Hugo again. "And may I ask how you got all the way to Huddersfield by yourself? There was no evidence of you riding the Knight Bus – Uncle Harry checked."
Hugo's face had turned bright red and he scuffed his feet against the wooden floorboards. Looking at him in that moment was like looking at their dad. Rose had never seen the similarities before.
"Icaughtthebus," he mumbled.
Ginny folded her arms over her chest, her fierce expression not easing at all. "You what?"
Hugo coughed, making it clear he really didn't want to be there. "I... I caught the bus," he said.
"No, you didn't," Ginny answered confidently. "They would have told Uncle Harry."
"He caught the Muggle bus," Rose offered.
"You what?"
Neither Rose, nor Hugo spoke as rage filled Ginny's expression. She was furious with the pair of them. Any concern she might have once had had completely disappeared at this revelation. And it probably had little to do with the fact they had taken off now. Ginny was as untrusting of anything Muggle as their dad had been.
"You leave the safety of this house in the early hours of the morning – when it's still dark – and walk two blocks away to get on a Muggle bus?"
Hugo shrugged.
"Hugo! Do you know how dangerous that is? Do you know what kind of people are out there?"
"I have a wand," Hugo answered simply.
"Which you're not allowed to use outside of Hogwarts," Ginny argued.
"Unless in emergencies," Rose stated.
"Anything could have happened to you." The anger had now left their aunt and the fear had returned.
"But it didn't."
A tear trickled down Ginny's face, and she shook her head in disbelief. "We made a promise to your mum and dad that if anything were to ever happen to them, we'd do anything for you. And we lost you within months of having you. You have no idea how worried we were. We thought..."
"I never saw her," Rose interrupted. "She never came to the house. Hugo told me he saw her. I want to see her too."
Ginny shook her head. "No."
"That's not fair! She killed my mum and dad and now she's out there walking around as if nothing happened. The law sucks!"
Ginny's face relaxed even further. "I know that, but there's –"
"– No, there is something someone can do. What about Scorpius' dad?"
The promise Rose had made mere minutes ago had already been broken. Her temper had flared once again, and her cheeks were burning with anger and frustration. She'd hoped that maybe, just maybe, Ginny would forget being angry with her and just be happy to have her back. How many more times could this happen before she completely lost it? It was like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and just one little push would send her tumbling over the edge and into oblivion.
"They're doing everything they can," Ginny said. "But, you can't see her, Rose. I didn't want Hugo seeing her either, but your Uncle Harry thought it would be a good idea. Which it wasn't, Hugo soon discovered," she added hastily, seeming to sense the brewing argument Rose was about to use.
Rose turned to her brother. He simply shrugged.
"You said it was good seeing her," she accused. "You said it helped."
Hugo shrugged again, obviously not wanting to become involved. "It did, I guess. But she was a bit frightening."
"I still want to see her," Rose stated. "When you have another reason to bring her in, let me know. I'll go and see her."
Ginny was silent. She didn't dare argue with Rose in this moment, but it was obvious she wasn't going to let her go and see the woman. Rose would have to talk Harry around. He was a lot easier to crack and he had already let Hugo see her.
"Anyway," her aunt said after a while of the three of them standing silently in the hallway, "I'm just glad you're both safe and back. The school year ends soon and your cousins will be home in little under a month. I thought you might have gone back there." She took Rose's bag from her hand. "Let's get you upstairs and rested."
Rose didn't need to rest, but she nodded anyway, sucking in a deep breath to calm herself. She really would try to be nice. She wouldn't argue with anyone who tried to help her – especially Hugo – and she wouldn't act like she was ungrateful for anything they did for her either. Because she wasn't. Not really. She was just sad.
OOO
It was late into the evening when Harry arrived home from the Ministry. He arrived via the Floo and the moment he stepped away from it, Rose threw her arms around his middle, hugging him tightly.
Her sheer force caused him to stumble back a few steps, but he quickly gathered himself and hugged her back.
"Hi, Rosie," he said, sounding rather confused by her sudden show of affection.
"I'm sorry for leaving," she said, burying her face into his body. "I'm sorry."
"Th-that's okay, Rosie," Harry replied, patting her back. "You're safe now. That's what matters."
With her arms still wrapped around his waist, Rose looked up at her uncle. "Can I see her?" she asked.
From somewhere behind her, Hugo scoffed. Rose ignored him. Part of her was trying to convince Harry to allow her to see her parents' killer, but another part genuinely did appreciate everything he'd done. He'd organised their funeral, set the Ministry about finding her, and he had even put an Auror in Huddersfield just to keep an eye on her. The Auror probably had better things to be doing, but thanks to Harry and that Auror, she had felt safer (despite not wanting to admit it).
Harry pulled away, catching on. "When we have her for good," he said, "you will."
Rose frowned. "Fine," she sighed. "But... I really am sorry," she added, looking between Harry and Ginny. "I didn't mean to frighten either of you."
"I can't begin to imagine what you and Hugo are going through," Ginny replied. "I can't begin to imagine the pain you're feeling. I'm not trying to – neither of us are. We just want to help you, and for the two of you to remain safe."
Rose nodded, staying silent. That was what had caused her to leave. Pain. She had been angry, frustrated, fed up with everyone, but that was all caused by the pain she felt at losing her parents. She just wanted them back. Was that too much to ask for?
"But we do understand that both of you need your own space, too," Harry added. "And we're sorry that you have felt trapped here. That was the last thing we wanted for you. We were just trying to make you feel as at home as possible. I guess we went a little overboard."
"You did well," Rose assured her uncle. "It just felt like you were trying to replace them – to be like them. I don't want anyone to replace them."
"I can assure you that we weren't trying to do that at all," Ginny said. "No one can replace them, Rose. Never." She threw an arm around Hugo, who was sitting beside her on the couch. "We just love you and want the best for you. That's all."
Once again, Rose wrapped her arms around Harry's waist, holding him tight. "I love you, too," she said. "And they did as well. They'd appreciate everything you've done for them. And us."
She felt Harry kiss the top of her head. "You're family, Rosie. You're a Weasley. Family is what matters the most."
There was another hand on her back now. Ginny's.
"I'm still amazed that my brother managed to have two beautiful kids such as yourselves. Who would have thought, huh?"
Rose smiled. Then she laughed. It felt good to laugh, and she hoped her mum and dad were laughing with her.
Wherever they were.
Joanna said to blame her for the lateness of this chapter. I need to hassle her more than I do :P I hope you enjoyed this chapter, though, and these few are kind of the lead up to the next big thing, so stay tuned.
Also, in 2014, I am once again doing the Year of Gift-Giving - meaning the first 12 people to request fics will get them. The list is on my profile, so if you'd like a fic, PM me with any pairings and prompts you'd like. First in, best-dressed.