Transient Resolution

April 12, 1944

She stared at the spot he had Disapparated from until her father took her by the wrist and pulled her back to the house. She was still in too much shock to bother fighting from his grip.

By the time they reached the front door, her shock had been replaced with fury.

"What have you done?" Rose spat at her father, though she feared she may already know the answer.

"Now, Rosemary, I understand that you're upset. But that boy is a complete fraud." Basil spoke calmly and rested his hands on Rose's shoulders to comfort her. She realized with dismay that it was exactly as she had feared.

"What are you going on about?" her mother asked, still standing in the foyer "Basil, he was a perfectly nice young man!"

"Evelyn, Rose…he's not who he says he is. He's a half-blood. He lied."

Her mother gasped.

Rose narrowed her eyes at her father. "How do you know?"

"Through a former employee at Comet. I only just remembered…Oh darling, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. I'm sure it comes as a great shock. Even I was convinced for a while..."

She ripped herself away from his touch. "And that means nothing? You say yourself that you were convinced. He's basically a pureblood. The truth is a formality!"

Her father's face grew increasingly somber. "You knew." He shook his head. "I don't believe it. You let a half-blood into our home. You let him sit there and lie to us."

Rose had never seen her father so disappointed in her. It left her feeling entirely conflicted. She didn't want her parents to be unhappy with her, but she cared too much about Tom to let them win.

She could see the heat rising in her father's cheeks and she looked at the floor.

"Does any of this mean anything to you!?" he roared. She jumped at his voice; he had never actually yelled at her before. "We are the Hortons! There is a great deal of pride that comes with bearing this name, don't you understand? No, of course not. You'd throw it away for some worthless, illegitimate suitor!"

Rose's eyes began to tear up at his words, but she pushed them back. She was surprised her mother hadn't joined in on his berating of her, but it was clear that Evelyn was still in complete shock. The room was completely silent for a few seconds except for the sound of Zisly's small broom dragging the fragments of shattered glass against the floor.

Her father straightened his tie and lowered his voice. His tone grew even and threatening: "I would suggest, given that you only have one year to fulfill our agreement, that you spend your time searching for a proper match."

Rose glared at him. Like hell that was going to happen. She stormed past them and toward the staircase that led to her room.

"Rosemary Horton, stop walking across my floor with your filthy feet!" her mother cried.

Rose remembered that her feet were caked in mud from running down their long driveway and that her shoes were still in the front lawn where she had tossed them. She ignored her; it wasn't as though Evelynwas actually the one that would clean it up anyway. That was Zisly's job.

Finally, she reached her room. She locked her door behind her and stepped into her adjoining bathroom; her hand was shaking slightly as she turned on the water and rinsed her feet before drawing herself a bath. As she slid off her dress and lowered herself into the water, she felt as though she wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come. Her mind was swirling and knew she wouldn't be able to make sense of anything until she could see Tom again.

Rose had hoped the bath would calm her nerves, but it did little. She didn't even bother running a comb through her wet hair, pausing only put on her bathrobe and grab her gin and cigarettes from her trunk before stepping outside onto her balcony to wait for him. The air was chilly and would have been frigid combined with her wet hair, if she could actually feel it. Right now she felt numb to everything.

Finally, after smoking three cigarettes and taking numerous swigs straight from the bottle of gin, she glanced inside at the clock: 11:53.

"Accio wand," she attempted weakly, wishing that she was as talented in wandless magic as Tom was when it didn't fly from her room and into her outstretched hand.

In defeat, she wandered back into her room to retrieve her wand. It wasn't in her coat pocket, or her school robes, or her nightstand: the only three reasonable places she would have put it.

"Where the fuck are you, you fucking stupid wand?" she said aloud in frustration as she began searching her trunk, throwing her neatly-folded clothes out of her way and onto the floor around her. It was nowhere to be found.

She collapsed on the floor next to her trunk, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling as she pondered where else it would possibly be. Had she left it at school? Or, worse, on the train? Of course she would lose her wand at the most inopportune time. She groaned. This would mean a special trip to Diagon Alley with the parents she had been so keen on avoiding for the remainder of the holiday. She couldn't just go back to school without one; what if her old one didn't turn up? Nor could she simply go to Ollivanders alone; there was a lengthy paperwork process involved for replacement wands, as it was highly discouraged ever to have more than one.

She was beginning to dread it so greatly that it had temporarily distracted her from the situation with Tom. Then, miraculously, she glanced to her right and it was there, sitting on the edge of her vanity. It had been behind her the entire time she had been tearing apart her trunk.

"Fuck you, wand." She shook her head in disgust and took another drink before she snatched it off the table, pointing it at her bedroom door and muttering the incantation for the Imperturbable Charm.

She returned to the balcony and climbed up to sit on the railing, dangling her legs over the edge. It had begun to rain, but she didn't care; she would wait for him through hail if she needed to. Her eyes scanned the gardens behind her house, looking for the glimmer of his familiar pale skin in the moonlight.

12:04.

Her heart quickened. What if he changed his mind and didn't show?

But surely he would. He had told her just last week that he loved her in return and she believed him. She trusted him. He wouldn't just abandon her like that.

Right?

Thankfully, just as the panic was beginning to set in, she saw his form in the distance. It was dark and she could barely make him out, but she knew it was him when she recognized his confident gait. Relief washed over her and she swung her legs back over the railing, standing once more. It took a moment to steady herself because of the gin; when she finally did, she waved at him.

Just seeing him give her a small wave in return made her feel infinitely better. She watched him as he briskly crossed their lawn, stopped at her balcony, and looked up at her with a solemn look on his face.

For a moment they just stood like that, staring at each other in the rain.

When she began to come to her senses again, she pointed at a large trellis leaning against the house near her balcony and whispered, "You can climb up this!"

Tom nodded, though he looked rather skeptical of the wooden structure's stability as he walked over to it. Rose watched as he cautiously scaled it and pulled himself onto the platform where she stood.

She threw her arms around him the moment she had the chance and he held her in return. Just as it began to pour. They stood there for at least a minute until Rose pulled him inside and shut the doors behind them. "I'll get you a towel."

He shot her a look of alarm.

She pointed at her bedroom door. "I casted the Imperturbable Charm. They can't hear us." The look of worry didn't completely disappear so she sighed. "We'll test it…ZISLY!"

They waited a few seconds and the house-elf didn't appear. Finally, he gave her a small nod of his approval.

Rose walked to her bathroom to fetch a couple of towels and caught a glimpse of her haphazard appearance in the mirror. Her hair was a wild, tangled mess and she had forgotten that she was still wearing only her bathrobe. She cursed herself mentally for not fixing herself up a bit before he arrived.

Then she reentered her bedroom and she cursed herself again as she realized her clothes were still strewn about her floor. Perfect; on top of everything else, he would now think of her as a complete slob.

"I'm sorry I was late," he murmured as she returned to him and gave him one of the towels. She unbuttoned his suit jacket and slid it off his shoulders, increasing the number of clothing items on the floor by one. "I Apparated at the end of your street so they wouldn't hear me."

She could smell the scotch on his breath as he spoke. "You've been drinking," she said.

"So have you."

Rose nodded and an unbearable silence grew between them. They had so much to say, but they were both clearly struggling to find the right words to do so. His face was grim as she pulled him to sit with her on her bed, positioning herself so they were facing one another.

"My father told me what happened," she offered in attempt to begin some sort of communication between them. "Well, sort of."

He said nothing and looked away from her.

"I told them that I'll always see you as a pureblood and they should too."

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that did a load of good."

His comment stung; she thought she had done the right thing. She had defended him. Perhaps the alcohol in her bloodstream was making her more sensitive than usual, but she couldn't help the bitterness that leaked out in her voice: "Well, I'm sorry I didn't know how to act. I didn't exactly expect things to go the way they did."

"You're right, I suppose this is entirely my fault," he snapped, suddenly angry.

She immediately regretted using such a bitter tone toward him before. "That's not what I said at all! Tom, we both knew there was a chance this would happen. I just didn't think it would. Everything was going according to plan-"

"It was a stupid plan." He narrowed his eyes and gave her a condescending look she had only ever seen him give other people.

It slowly dawned on her that he blamed her. Not even he was on her side anymore. She couldn't stand it, nor could she stand the look he was giving her as though he thought of her as trivial and foolish.

Her temper began to boil over, each syllable she spoke teeming with icy sarcasm: "You're right, Tom. I must be so stupid to come up with such a ridiculous plan."

She stood from the bed, narrowing her eyes at him just as he had to her. Her anger seemed to worsen as she continued to speak and her voice reflected it, growing harsher and louder. "You must think I'm so silly and foolish for failing to think of something better than the plan that you agreed to. The plan I only had a weekto think of because you didn't bother to tell me sooner."

At this point she had completely lost control and was essentially shouting at him: "You're right! It was so stupid of me to lie to my parents for you! I was so silly to defend you! And so foolish to think that the fact that I love you made it worth it!"

It seemed like time had stopped in the aftermath of her outburst. Tom was overcome with pure shock as he watched her standing there, still seething. He had never seen her so furious with anyone, certainly not him.

Then came the profound, gut-wrenching guilt. He had done this. There was no room for his own anger any longer.

His limitless pride, selfishness, and temper had been the cause and this was exactly the sort of thing he had been so worried about when they first went steady. He loathed himself for the hurt he saw in her eyes and vowed never to allow it to happen again.

He reached out to touch her arm and she jumped away as if he had scalded her. "Rose," he said quietly.

She crossed her arms and glared at him. The degree to which he had hurt her was still hitting him.

"I'm sorry, I-" he faltered, not knowing quite what to say.

The way she was looking at him terrified him; it made him think that he might be extremely close to losing her. He couldn't let that happen. He had to say something.

Then, everything came out at once: "Rosemary, I don't think you're stupid, silly, or foolish. Not at all. This entire situation is my fault and I'm sorry I took it out on you…If you wish for me to leave, I'll do so."

Her gaze softened slightly. "You don't have to leave."

He was instantly somewhat relieved. At least she didn't hate him entirely. Although, he probably would have stayed regardless of her answer. Tom held out his hand again and this time she hesitantly took it, allowing him to pull her back to the bed.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

"…I don't know." But he knew he couldn't lose her. Just a moment ago, he thought he might and it was the worst he had ever felt.

Suddenly, all he wanted was to be close to her. He wanted to be close and to drown out their despairing thoughts. Tom leaned forward and kissed her. His mind slowly began to go blank as lips pressed more and more passionately against hers. He pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her, exploring her mouth with his tongue and burying his hands in her hair.

It was going so well until he was trailing his lips down her neck and she tried to push him away. "Tom, stop…"

He did, and looked up at her. "Why?"

"This isn't a solution."

"No," he ceded. "But we'll think of something in time."

"We're running out of time." She bit her lip and sighed. "When Markus and I broke things off, I made a deal with my parents that I would find someone suitable before we graduated from Hogwarts. If I don't…they'll make the choice for me."

This new bit of information was enough to make his head start pounding; honestly, could their situation actually get any worse? Still, he had come to accept the fact that he was responsible for their predicament and he would take it upon himself to find a solution. He didn't want her to worry any longer; he had put her through enough already. Somehow, no matter the cost, he would find a way to charm her parents and convince them that he was essentially a pureblood.

"It's over a year away," he told her gently. "I'll think of something." He looked into her eyes, which were swimming with reservations. "Do you trust me?"

She still looked hesitant, but she nodded anyway.

"Good. Try not to think about it any longer."

"That's much easier said than done," she said with a sigh.

"Well, wouldn't you know it…I already have a solution for that problem." He smirked and kissed her again, feeling pleased when she didn't try to push him away.

Tom felt her begin to lose herself in the moment as well when she began to kiss him harder, holding his face against hers with her small hands. He tugged at the bow on the front of her bathrobe and it fell open easily. She got to work on his clothes, still somewhat damp from the rain, while his hands traced her smooth skin up and down.

She pulled off his shirt and attempted to tug down his pants, but there was only so much she could do on her own. He stood to assist her in her pursuits, casting each article of clothing aside while she untangled herself from her robe. They climbed beneath her blankets and embraced once more and felt their naked bodies press against each other for the first time.

Rose sounded giddy and he was convinced that he had sufficiently distracted her from her worries: "You're always so cold! It feels wonderful."

"And you're always warm." It was true – the warmth of her skin was almost enough to make him sleepy.

He allowed his hands to roam wherever they pleased: her round, supple breasts, the smooth curve of her hips, the enticing place between her thighs. He kissed down her neck and to her chest, glancing up at her as he pressed his tongue to one of her bright pink nipples. He flicked it with his tongue and she made a pleasant noise when he bit it lightly. While his fingers pleasured the other, her hands seemed to touch every part of him that she could reach. He was addicted to the way she touched him.

Tom slid his fingers down her stomach and he pushed apart her legs slightly to allow his exploration to continue. Though he had felt her there several times in the past couple of months, each time seemed as enthralling and sensational as the first. Rose moaned softly as he glided his finger between the first two folds and circled her tiny, raised peak; it never failed to elicit such a reaction and, as such, it was one of his favorite places to touch her.

He moved his hand down further, tracing the outside of her opening before carefully sliding a finger inside. She closed her eyes and gasped into his ear, pulling his head away from her breasts and up to her mouth. She nibbled on his ear and kissed the side of his jaw, which sent nice waves of pleasure down his spine. He felt her wetness increase exponentially as his finger explored her. The moans were growing louder and he moved his finger more swiftly, eager to see her approaching climax.

But then she did something he hadn't anticipated: she pushed his hand away from her. "Not yet," she said in a teasing voice while recovering her breath. He exhaled sharply as she then reached down and stroked him. It was such a delicious sensation and it drove him entirely mad. He wanted her, all of her. He wanted to be as close as he possibly could to her.

It took nearly all his willpower, but he removed her hand from him. She gave him a puzzled look, but she quickly realized what he was doing when he spread apart her legs and positioned himself between them. He kissed her forcefully and teased her opening with his member. She was so wet he could barely contain himself.

But, he forced himself to pause and look into her eyes. "We don't have to do this, if you aren't ready."

Her pleading eyes told him she wanted it just as much as he did, but he needed to hear it from her. "I want it," she whispered.

Tom realized that he actually quite enjoyed hearing her say it. "What exactly do you want?" he teased, pressing himself close to her.

"I want you to take me."

He smirked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said as she squirmed beneath him impatiently.

Tom was satisfied enough and ached too much for her to continue their game. Another time, perhaps. Finally, he slowly pressed himself inside of her.

She let out a scream and he looked at her in alarm. "It's alright," she said. "Keep going."

He was glad she said so because this was the best feeling he had ever experienced. The feeling of her wrapped around him was completely overwhelming and electrifying. He didn't think it could feel any better until he pressed himself all the way into her. She gasped sharply and he hoped he wasn't hurting her, but at this point it felt impossible to stop. He began thrusting in and out of her and groaned in pleasure as she wrapped her legs around his back, allowing him to deepen his thrusts.

They moved in a rhythm together, the pace quickening every few moments. Fortunately, she now seemed to be enjoying it fully; her face showed no indication of pain. Tom was too lost in the moment to have any idea how long they had been at it. He felt himself growing close to his climax. He was sweating and panting and moved even faster.

"Oh, Tom!" Rose moaned loudly. Her nails dug into his back and he felt her contract around him, giving into her orgasm. It was just enough to send him over the edge.

"Rose," he groaned. His arms felt weak as he thrust himself into her a few more times before finally allowing himself to finish inside of her.

He collapsed on the bed next to her, completely exhausted. She curled up next to him and kissed his face as he closed his eyes and attempted to regain his breath. When he opened them once more, she was watching him. Her hair was even more wild and untamed than before; he found it outrageously attractive.

Tom put his arm around her and she rested her head on his chest. He looked up at the ceiling. "I hope I didn't hurt you…"

"Only a bit at first, but that's to be expected," she said, sounding as exhausted as he felt. "Just so you know, I had them cast the Contraceptive Charm last summer when I had my yearly at St. Mungo's."

He had been so caught up in everything that it had failed to cross his mind, but her words were a relief nonetheless. "I see." Then he smirked as a few satisfying realizations dawned on him. "Do you know what this means?"

"Hm?" she looked up at him in sweet curiosity.

He looked down at her with a gratified smirk. "You're mine now, Miss Horton. Completely and utterly mine. And I'm going to take great pleasure in fucking you senseless as often as I wish."

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered." – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Thank you to all of you that have followed/favorited and to these wonderful readers for their reviews: I thought I was the only one, danceegirl92, OptimusPrimegirl213, I. Am. Thalote, CharlotteBlackwood, Mrs. WaylandOdinsonBlack, aviditas, and RosiePosie15!

I'm sorry I posted this so late...I went out drinking after I finished my last exam and sort of lost track of time. But, now that I'm officially done with exams, I'll have more free time to write! :D

Good luck to the rest of you that still have finals this week, or have them coming up!