(Using the prompt 'so must you lie in it?)

Chapter Forty-One

This was the third time Rose had been back to her house since her parents' deaths, but it was the first time she hadn't felt the need to cry, or to throw something.

It looked the same as the last two times. The car was still sitting in the driveway, untouched for many months. The garden had overgrown, but her parents had never put all that much emphasis on that part of the house anyway.

One spell, and it's all good again, her dad used to say. Though, she did remember spending some weekends in the garden when she was younger. She always enjoyed watching her dad use magic.

Harry muttered Alohomora to unlock the door, and they were all greeted by a strong, musty smell from months and months of the house being closed up.

James coughed. "Geez, maybe someone should have come up to clean it a bit more," he said, waving away dust with his hand.

"James, do you know how to think before you speak?" Ginny asked with accusation.

"No, it's okay," Rose said. "He's right… but that's what we're here for, right?"

Ginny smiled. "We have a long way to go, though."

And she was right about that much. Dust had taken over the house, and even the curtains on the windows had gigantic holes from moths on them. Rose looked around her living room, not knowing where to begin.

"How about me, Aunt Ginny, and Lily all start downstairs?" Harry suggested. "And the four of you do upstairs? Al and James – you might want to help them clean out their rooms."

"I'm up for that!" James said cheerfully.

Everyone else agreed, and Rose made for the stairs. She stopped at the bottom.

"What are we actually going to do with the furniture?" she asked her uncle. She hadn't even considered that until now. She was at Grimmauld Place now, she didn't really need the furniture.

"Well," Harry began, "I don't know much about Muggle real estate, but if you leave the furniture here, I believe it can put the price up on the house a little. Though, some of it will have to go." He pointed to the moth-eaten couch. "It's up to you – it's all yours."

Rose looked to her brother, but it seemed he had made up his mind as quickly as she had. They had no use for anything anymore. "Leave whatever you can here," she said. "Though, I would like to keep my bed if that's alright?"

Harry nodded. "That's definitely alright," he said.

The thought of finally being able to sleep in her bed again brightened her mood. The bed she had at Grimmauld Place was okay, but hers was much more comfortable.

"I'd like to as well," Hugo added.

Harry nodded again. "We'll call some other people in later to help us move anything you want to keep. For now, just find everything."

They made their way upstairs, stopping in the hallway. James took charge.

"I'll take Rosie's room," he said. "Al, you take Hu's."

Albus didn't like that idea one bit. "Of course, you give me the messy one," he said.

James grinned at his younger brother. "That's why you've got to call these things first, little bro," he said, clapping Albus on the back.

"Anyway, my room's not that messy," Hugo said, a hint of offence in his voice.

"There you go!" James said, before taking Rose's hand and leading her to her room. It was, of course, spotless, save for the dust that had accumulated over the months.

She'd gotten most of her personal belongings the first time she had gone back, but there were things that she had left behind. She opened her wardrobe, and looked at all the parchment and books she had used for school over the years.

"I'm surprised you didn't take these earlier," James commented. "Rosie leave school work behind?"

Rose shrugged. "I couldn't even think about school back then. I couldn't think about much actually. It's still hard."

James nodded, letting her know he understood. "It does feel weird being back here," he confessed.

Rose had forgotten that James' last time in the house was probably last Christmas. Almost a year ago.

"It's so quiet." He went to her window, which overlooked the small yard. "I remember playing Quidditch out here with your dad," he said. "And you sulking, because you were jealous that he was spending time with other people, and not you."

Rose smiled. She had been quite jealous as a child.

"It's such a long time ago now, isn't it? Back then, I never would have thought that I would be standing in your room, helping you clean out your room because they're… gone."

Rose joined her cousin by the window and placed a comforting hand on his back. "Neither did any of us," she said. "Parents aren't supposed to die."

"Especially not our parents," James added with a smile. "The heroes of the wizarding world."

Rose nodded, agreeing, before wandering back to her wardrobe. She wanted to get everything out this time, but she had no idea where to begin. Her clothes were gone, but there was so much other stuff she didn't know what to do with. Old birthday and Christmas presents she had grown out of, books, old essays… everything most people would have disposed of, but she hadn't.

She picked up an old broomstick she had been given at Christmas when she had turned four. Back then, she hadn't minded Quidditch, and she had begged her parents for a broomstick. And she had loved it until she had fallen off it. That was probably when her dislike for the sport had started – when she thought it had almost killed her.

"Do you want to keep that?" James asked.

Rose nodded. "Everything in here I want to keep," she said.

"Alright, well, I'll go downstairs and see if Mum or Dad can give me a bag of some sort to put it all in. You start somewhere else." James left, leaving Rose on her own.

She looked around, letting out a sigh. Where do I start? she wondered. She gazed over her room quickly before deciding there was nothing there for her to do until James returned with her bag.

Against her better judgement, she decided to wander across the hall to her parents' bedroom. The door was closed, and as she opened it, she gasped. The bed was unmade and appeared as if someone had been sleeping in it.

Albus poked his head out of Hugo's room. "Everything okay, Rosie?" he asked.

Rose nodded. "Yes, it's fine," she promised. "Just keep helping Hu."

Albus hesitated for a moment, but complied. Rose entered the room.

As quickly as the shock had come to her, the realisation had also dawned. She'd been sleeping in that bed when she ran away from Ginny. She was the one who left it unmade.

Tenderly, she sat on the edge, running her hands over the spread. So many times she had slept in between her parents. As a child, she'd slept in there more than she had her own room. She'd always loved their company at night.

James appeared in the doorway, clutching a bag. "You ready to start?" he asked, obviously feeling awkward to be standing in his aunt and uncle's room. He looked around hesitantly.

"Can you do my room?" Rose questioned. "I want to do Mum and Dad's." There was still so much stuff in there that needed collecting. She couldn't just leave it here, or throw it out. They'd obviously kept it for a reason, and she was going to do the same.

"But… Rosie… I don't know."

"Just keep everything," Rose said. "Anything you find, I want to keep it."

"Even if it's broken?"

Rose nodded. "Keep it," she instructed.

James didn't look completely convinced, but he nodded and left.

Once she was alone again, Rose got off the bed and opened her parents' wardrobe. She remembered it had been the only place she had seen Hugo cry the whole time. The only time he'd let the pain overcome him.

She'd always admired how strong her brother was. Even in a time like this, he had been the one to act like the big brother. She owed him a lot.

She rummaged through the bottom of the wardrobe, searching for anything else, but it appeared nothing else was there anymore except for some shoes. Clothes were still folded neatly, untouched for many months.

She took out a red dress she remembered seeing her mother in on more than one occasion.

"I always liked this one," she said to no one in particular, holding against her body. "It's beautiful."

And it was. Her dad had even said so, and he was never one to offer compliments freely. Well, not when Rose and Hugo were around anyway.

She set the dress on the bed. Her mum wouldn't mind if she borrowed it. She'd probably be delighted actually.

She took out the rest of the clothes after that sorting them into ones she wanted to keep, and ones that could be given away. She put some of her dad's clothes aside for Hugo (not that he was big enough to wear them) and kept two more items from her mother.

Her parents' work robes didn't make the cut. She had debated on the matter, but decided against it. They were nothing special. Everybody wore the same.

Next, she moved to the draws. Rose and Hugo had always been forbidden to look in those draws, her parents always telling them it was private. But now… well now they weren't there to stop her.

She opened the first draw which was overflowing with bits of loose parchment. She picked one up, but there was nothing exciting on them.

Work-related stuff, she decided. Most likely from her dad. Her mum wasn't that messy.

Nonetheless, she removed every scrap of parchment from the draw and put them on the floor. She'd give them to Harry. He'd know what to do with them.

The next drawer was one she really wished she hadn't opened, and she closed it just as quickly. Someone else could sort through that; someone who wasn't their daughter.

The third drawer obviously belonged to her mum. Everything was stacked neatly, and were in piles. There were a few work-related items in there, but mostly they seemed to be personal things.

Naturally, the first thing Rose was drawn to was something that looked like a journal. Who wouldn't be interested in reading what their mother had to say?

She spent a long moment staring at the cover, debating whether or not to invade her mother's privacy (even if she wasn't there to stop her) until she eventually decided to read it.

Just one page, she told herself.

She opened it to the first page, but before she got past the first word, the page turned on its own accord, stopping on a date that was only a few days before her parents' death. The day she had gone back to Hogwarts after Easter.

Rose looked around the room, half expecting to see someone there, but there was no one.

It must be enchanted, she said to herself. But then, why had it turned to that date?

She started reading, her mum's neat handwriting easily legible.

Rosie's still upset about something, and I can't for the life of me work out what it is. When we took them to King's Cross today, she gave us the briefest of goodbyes. And when Ron offered to carry her trunk for her, she snapped at him.

Even he has no idea what the matter with her is, but I'm starting to become worried. Something's obviously troubling her and she's refusing to talk to either of us about it. Normally Ron can crack her, but she seems even angrier with him than she is with me.

I think it might have something to do with what she said the other day. She didn't even say it, actually, just implied it. It's too hard for me to repeat, but I just wish she'd know that we love her very much.

Even Ron lost his temper with her the other day, and that never happens. Ron and Rose have a very similar temperament, but I never see them lose it with each other. But I guess even he has to draw the line with her at some stage. He felt bad about it afterwards, of course, but he had every right to get angry with her in that moment. I don't blame him at all.

Yes, we get angry with her sometimes, but that's only because she's refusing to listen to us. There have been so many times I've considered telling her (and Hugo) about what happened – with Ron, and that poor boy, and the threats we've been getting – but I don't want to break their innocence. They're blissfully unaware that they might be in danger, and I want to keep it that way.

Some might argue that it's better for them to know. Our children are more than capable of looking after themselves, but after what we went through at their age, I don't want them going through the same thing.

There's this unexplainable desire inside of me to protect them for as long as I can, and I know Ron has it too. We don't want them worrying about that kind of thing – thinking there's a chance they might die.

We have the situation under control for now, and I know they're safe at Hogwarts. Whatever fate comes for us – whatever might happen – at least they're safe.

But it doesn't change the fact that I know Rose is resenting us for keeping such a close watch on her. I don't blame her. She's fifteen years old; she doesn't want her parents treating her like she's five, making sure she's with us all the time. I understand her completely, but my love for her is too strong and to lose her (to lose either of them) is a far worse fate than having my daughter hate me.

I'd rather her think me the worst person in the world and have her hate me, than to see her dead.

Ron says he's getting closer to finding Begonia, but I also feel she's getting closer to us too. We get a threat at least once a day now, and I'm starting to really worry that her threats will turn into something more. She really hates Ron, and all I can think about is that Rose and Hugo are safe. She can't get to them. That's all that matters.

A few months ago, Rose would have been a complete mess reading that, but she managed to compose herself. She'd already guessed that her parents had known they were going to die (or at least she was going to make a move), but now it was confirmed. Her mum hadn't said as much, but the way she wrote, she was worried. She knew Begonia Webb was going to come for them.

And she remembered that fight with her dad. It had confused her. They never fought. He'd always be the one to back her up if she fought with her mum. In most situations, he'd always side with her, and now that she thought about it, that fight had really messed with her head. She'd always turn to him when she was upset, but in that moment he was the one that had upset her and she hadn't known where to turn to.

Maybe that was why she had been so angry at King's Cross that day. Maybe subconsciously she had still been angry with him over what had happened.

No, not angry; upset. She only got angry when she was upset.

She closed the book and set it aside, before taking out everything else from that drawer. She didn't dare look at anything else. It was private.

Once everything was out and on the floor or the bed of their room, Rose went back to her own to see what James was doing. He was still getting everything from her wardrobe into the bag, which quite obviously had an Undetectable Extension Charm on it.

He smiled at her as she entered.

"How is everything?" he asked. "I'm just about finished here." He put one last text book into the bag and then closed it. "Done!" he said, obviously relieved.

"We can work on Mum and Dad's room now," Rose told him. "I have everything out already, it just needs to be put away."

A moment of resentment flashed across her cousin's face before he nodded and smiled. "Alright," he said.

"But, I need to get Uncle Harry for something," she added, remembering the middle drawer that she hadn't touched. There are some things belonging to Mum and Dad that their children really shouldn't touch."

James raised an eyebrow at her. "What kind of things?" he wondered.

"I'll go and get Uncle Harry," Rose repeated, and she hurried downstairs. She found them all in the kitchen. Ginny was stacking away plates and cups and other kitchen things. Harry and Lily were cleaning the table which was full of more parchment and food Rose had forgotten to put away after staying there.

"How's it going up there?" Ginny asked, smiling at her.

"Good. We've done my room, now we must do Mum and Dad's. But…." She blushed. "I might need your help, Uncle Harry."

Harry looked at her curiously. "Is everything okay?" he asked, sounding worried.

Rose nodded. "Yes, it's just… well… I think I now know why Mum and Dad would never let me or Hugo look into their drawers."

Still appearing confused, Harry nodded. "Okay, I'll come and have a look," he said. "Lily, finish cleaning up this."

Lily nodded and Harry followed Rose up the stairs. "What did you find?" he asked, but Rose shook her head.

"You'll see," she said.

She led him to her parents' bedroom and opened the middle drawer. James was sitting on the bed, staring wide-eyed at the spot. Rose guessed he'd looked too.

She opened it for him, and Harry smiled. "I see," he said.

"Can you get rid of all that?" Rose asked. "I don't want to…."

Harry nodded, grinning from ear to ear now. "No problem, Rosie," he said. He took out his wand, and the drawer's contents vanished. "All good now?"

Rose nodded. "Thanks," she said.

"If there's anything else you need help with, just let us know, okay?"

Rose nodded again, and Harry went back downstairs. Rose turned back to her cousin, who was looking a little shell-shocked.

"You looked, didn't you?" she asked.

He nodded. "I never thought… they…." He never finished.

Rose laughed. "Hey, they're my parents," she said. "Imagine knowing your parents possessed such things."

James looked disgusted. "Ew," he said.

Rose spent some more time with James, putting her parents' things in another bag. It took them a lot longer than it would have taken someone who could use magic, but they got through it pretty quickly anyway.

When the bag was tied up and everything was packed, they carried it, and the one from Rose's room downstairs. Albus and Hugo had joined the others now, and they were all around the table, having lunch.

"We've finished mine and their room," Rose explained.

Harry nodded. "We've done the kitchen, and the living room. Everything's almost out, and someone will come back another day to do a massive clean of the place."

"I can do that," Rose said. She'd always hated cleaning, but strangely, she wanted to do it this time.

Harry shook his head. "It works much faster with magic," he said. "I'll probably come back next week some time. I've found all the documents for the realtor and everything too, so I'll contact her some time as well. We can discuss prices and everything before you go back to Hogwarts."

Rose nodded. It was all being finalised, wasn't it?

"It's going to be sad letting this house go," she said.

Harry nodded, understanding. "I know," he said. "But, I think you're doing the right thing. I really do."

Rose thought so too, but it didn't stop her from feeling so down about it. She smiled weakly. "Do you mind if I just go and have a little rest?" she asked. "Cleaning has kind of taken it out on me?"

Everyone nodded. "Take your time," Harry said. "We have all day. We're about to start taking down all the magical enchantments around the house in a moment. Clearing outside."

Rose nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll help in a little while." She gave them all one last smile, and then went back up to her now empty bedroom. She collapsed onto her bed.

This was probably going to be the last time she ever spent in this room. She might as well savour it.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, and the next thing she knew, she was being shaken awake by Ginny.

Thank you Sunny Lighter for putting up with my irregular updating. Your are amazing!