Easter Dinner
April 2, 1945
Rosemary had done her best to avoid thoughts of Tom all weekend. But she would be on the Hogwarts Express the following day and she could no longer put off deciding how exactly she was going to deal with the situation between Tom and her. Before their spat, she had full intentions to tell him everything, but now…
She walked onto her balcony and lit a cigarette.
Something had sparked his temper. But it wasn't just the question she had asked about other girls, she knew that. He had already been acting strange from the moment he came to her room. The encounter in the corridor, when she had lingered behind to see Warren, had surely bothered him. Or maybe he had read her mind and seen that she was with Warren instead of Faye.
Rosemary was angry with him, too, for the way he had reacted to her question, but clearly it hadn't been the right time to ask. Did she even really have a right to ask, given her own situation? She was too blunt when she was nervous…and Tom certainly made her nervous.
Regardless, all she felt now was stupid and childish. It didn't even matter if he had been with anyone else after they had broken up (which, she realized, was also her fault). She had been so wrapped up in trying to figure out his feelings from trivial gestures that she had been blind to what had been in front of her for weeks. All the time he spent with her, the plans he had involved her in, the occasional compliments that caught her off guard, the way he touched her – it was so obvious that he felt the same way.
And she had only just realized it.
Her heart pounded excitedly and she was tempted to skip Easter dinner altogether, return to Hogwarts to find Tom, and finally tell him how she felt. But surely that would be too difficult to explain. Although she was more than ready to open her heart to Tom, Rose knew it was essential to keep the threat of her parents at bay for as long as possible.
It was almost laughable, really. Rosemary was perfectly aware that, if they got back together, she and Tom would probably be forever changed by the wounds that they had dealt the other during their time apart. Even so, they would also be in exactly the same place that they started: doing everything they could to hide their relationship from her parents.
She took a drag of her cigarette, closed her eyes, and leaned against the balcony railing. Two and a half months and she wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone ever again, unless she chose to do so. She would be free to do (and date) exactly as she pleased and could estrange herself from her family, if that's what it would come to – and she was fairly sure that it would.
Tom paced across his bedroom floor, wondering what Rosemary was thinking at that very moment. Did she loathe him completely for what he said to her in the heat of the moment? Did she have at least some idea as to what had him so worked up? He knew he hadn't been that direct with his feelings, but how could she fail to see any of it?
Still, he had been stupid and impulsive. Tom regretted the way he acted toward her as soon as he slammed her bedroom door behind him, but his pride had prevented him from returning.
He had allowed his unfortunate traits of impatience, jealousy, and egotism to get in the way when the simple truth of the matter was that he wanted her. And he was pretty damn sure she wanted him too, despite what she may or may not have done with Cramer.
And so, as irritated as he was with himself (and to some degree, her), he was almost positive that everything was salvageable. Perhaps, before visiting Raoul's home that evening, he could swing by her parents' estate and end this nonsense once and for all.
But he wouldn't. Showing up on her doorstep would certainly create a scene with her parents and she would hate him for that. He could be patient for one more day, but only for that long. He was done with their unending games and done with waiting. She had to choose, once and for all: Cramer and her parents, or him.
"While we wait for the Avery's, why don't you take Warren for a walk in the gardens, dear? The blossoms are early," Evelyn smiled glamorously in the young couple's direction.
Rosemary nodded, her smile for the evening still glued into place, and led Warren outside by the hand. His palm was sweaty, probably from the stuffiness of her parents' sitting room.
"Do you have a smoke?" she found herself asking him, if only to find an excuse to let go of his hand. He did, thankfully.
Rosemary led him around the grounds. There wasn't much to look at because spring had only just begun and the earth was a bit damp and sticky from a recent spell of rain, but being outside in the cool air was infinitely better than being inside. For a while, she could pretend just a little less.
"Let's sit," she gestured to a bench in the center of the garden. It would have been gorgeous if it were summertime, surrounded by rose bushes and artfully trimmed hedges that Zisly cared for so meticulously. Would she ever see the gardens in their prettiest months again?
She felt Warren's eyes on her. "What are you thinking about?"
"Change," she said quietly, tilting her head back to stare up at the vast sky.
"Change isn't all bad."
She found herself smiling at the fact that soon– very soon– there would no longer be a need to pretend with him. "No, I suppose not."
But then he smiled back at her, so obliviously confident and she suddenly felt like crying, realizing how fucked up it truly was to be so excited to rid herself of him. After all, he was once one of her closest friends. But it wasn't entirely her fault, was it? Warren had even acknowledged the fact that she still had feelings for Tom; surely he would see some of this coming.
Why did he even fancy her, anyway? She knew that she was attractive and intelligent (she had to be to catch Tom's eye), but those weren't good enough reasons to stay after everything she had put him through already. Was it the simple fact that she was one of the few pureblood girls left that weren't promised to anyone already? Was it the position at Comet he was guaranteed if they were married?
She was appalled at herself when she realized that she had actually asked him why he fancied her. Warren took it well, though, and was quiet for only a moment before placing his arm around her. "Do you remember when we first met?"
"The Sorting Feast?" They were, after all, in the same house.
Warren laughed. "Well, technically yes. But we didn't actually talk until our first flying lesson…"
"Oh Merlin, don't remind me." She nearly shuddered in embarrassment. Professor Swiftlar, their Flying instructor, had asked her to give the class a demonstration after he realized who her father was.
"You looked absolutely terrified." He pinched her arm lightly.
"That's because I was."
"But you mounted the broom, got about five feet in the air –"
"And fainted," Rose snapped and glared at him. "Yes, I remember."
"Well you were only out for a minute or so. I've seen far worse on the Pitch, you know." He gave her an amused look. "Anyway, Swiftlar had me take you to the Infirmary to make sure you were alright. Madam Lalonde made you lay down and gave you some sort of potion when you told her, quite matter-of-factly, that she had given you the wrong one. We were both fairly impressed…an in the case of Madam Lalonde, a bit irritated."
"Well, I had been at St. Mungo's for quite a while before coming to Hogwarts."
"Well to me, you looked absolutely brilliant...and maybe a bit arrogant. I don't know, I suppose I'm not doing a very good job of explaining it, but you've just always been different, Rosemary."
"That's sweet of you to say," Rosemary told him dryly.
"Different in a good way," he grinned and kissed her forehead. "When we first went steady, a few of my Quidditch mates told me that you were too smart for a girl…"
"Excuse me?" she asked incredulously, sitting up straight and shimmying her shoulders out from under his arm.
Despite her response, Warren didn't seem perturbed. "They didn't mean anything bad by it; they just warned me that you might be difficult. A challenge. Thankfully, I rather like a good challenge."
Rosemary smiled outwardly but was fuming inside, knowing that she had to maintain her composure for at least another couple of hours, until dinner was through. So that was all (or at least partially) what she was to him: a challenge, something to win at. It certainly explained his persistence, she supposed. He only thought that he loved her, but she knew the truth now. With this realization, she felt a considerable portion of her guilt disappear.
"Let's go inside," she said icily. "I think I just heard the Avery's apparate."
Raoul opened his Cherrywood cigar box and offered one to Tom, who shook his head. "Jennings wanted me to pass along the message that he went on a holiday and that training will have to be postponed until next weekend."
Tom scowled. He loathed any unexpected change of plans.
Beaumont smirked. "Relax, Riddle. Given the circumstances, it's likely that you'll be the only competitor who decides to show up anyway."
Unsurprisingly, Tom didn't find this amusing.
"It's nice to see the two of you together again," Raoul said distantly, before Tom could fire off his retort. "Such a sharp pair…" he muttered to himself.
Of course, the comment only soured Tom's mood further, given his impatience for Rosemary to return to Hogwarts. "Are you finished yattering so that we can talk about Dumbledore and Grindelwald? That is why I'm here."
"What is there to talk about? You know as well as I do that this doesn't prove anything." Raoul held up the singed piece of parchment. "'G' could be anyone…didn't his cousin, Gunnilda, take on the Transfigurations course while he's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts?"
"Yes, but why would someone who works in the castle send him letters? Obviously this doesn't prove anything, but it's one step closer, isn't it? I was thinking we might start intercepting his mail…"
Raoul shook his head. "You know that's too risky. We just have to wait for another sign."
"Waiting – that's your plan?" Tom asked incredulously and stood from the couch. "Grindelwald has completely toppled the German Ministry and could do the same to the French and British governments any day now. Why aren't you doing anything about it? What about all your connections? Why don't you put them to good use?"
"They have families, Tom. No one wants to go out and fight this war. The Aurors –"
" –are doing an utterly shit job."
"They are getting slaughtered," Raoul admitted quietly. "I know you're right, that we're losing this war. The Ministry is going to cave any day now…"
"And your plan is to wait."
"It does sound rather pathetic, doesn't it?" Beaumont sighed and Tom nodded.
But waiting certainly wasn't Tom's plan.
Zisly took the Avery's coats as Rosemary greeted them. Markus' parents wandered into the dining room, where Warren's father was discussing his work at the Ministry and how things had changed for the worse with the looming threat of Grindelwald.
"Bloody hell, Rose, why did you have to invite him?" Markus scowled while looking pointedly into the dining room where Warren was seated with his parents.
"I didn't, actually," she said under her breath in a falsely sweet tone. "You can thank my parents for that."
"Play nice," she smirked and he sighed in frustration.
Warren was suddenly at her side and stuck out his hand to greet the Slytherin. "Nice to see you, Markus." Rosemary found herself annoyed at this little show of Warren's traditionalist, pureblood nature. What point in there was pretending that they liked each other?
Markus smirked down at the outstretched hand and then lunged close to his face. "Watch it, Cramer." Rosemary fought the urge to giggle as Warren dropped his hand to his side, looking slightly embarrassed and watched Markus stroll into the other room to greet Rosemary's parents.
She looked up at Warren and shrugged nonchalantly. "It's just the way he is."
Rosemary was quiet through most of dinner, as her thoughts kept floating back to Tom. The focus, as always, was all on the boys anyway. And when it was about her…well that certainly wasn't a good thing either:
"What did I tell you, Markus? Your worst mistake was ever letting this lovely girl go." Mrs. Avery gestured in Rosemary's direction. She had almost entirely forgotten that, once upon a time, she and Markus had actually dated.
"Merlin, Mum!" Markus groaned. "Give it a rest…It's been like two years already."
"I'm quite sure it had more to do with Rosemary than it did with Markus." Evelyn looked at her daughter pointedly and an awkward silence fell around the table.
"I'm just glad you haven't been expelled yet…Slytherin seems to be far worse than I remember it with the parties, the drugs," Mrs. Avery continued. Rosemary felt a bit bad for Markus – his mum never knew when to stop talking.
"Well Rosemary knows all about that," said Markus pointedly, causing her eyes to widen slightly. Was Markus really doing this to her, just to get the spotlight off of himself? "Being Head Girl and all…"
She nearly sighed in relief. "Yes, we've been working with the professors to investigate –"
"Your friend Tom is Head Boy, isn't he?" Mrs. Avery interrupted to ask Markus, who nodded cautiously. "He's such a nice boy. Respectful, charming…Can you believe that he was in the International Dueling Tournament last summer?" It was all Rosemary could do not to bury her face in her hands or hide under the table. Apparently, Markus' mum was clueless to the trauma that the simple mention of Tom's name surely brought Rose's parents.
Basil cleared his throat and quickly changed the topic, to prevent another uncomfortable silence from settling over them. "So, I hear Ravenclaw and Slytherin are in close running for the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup this year…I'd love to see another game. I will be at Hogwarts next weekend for the seventh-year job fair. Who's playing?"
'What? Since when was he planning on attending that?' Rosemary wondered, hoping this wouldn't mean putting off her breakup with Warren for another week. Judging by her row with Tom prior to the weekend, tensions between them would only continue to rise until the truth finally came out.
"Well Slytherin will be playing. Ravenclaw will be there, too, but only to make fools of themselves." Markus said snidely.
"Ah, Quidditch banter…Brings you right back, doesn't it Stuart?" Basil grinned at Warren's father, who nodded jovially.
It looked as though the entire conversation was about to be taken over by talk of their old Quidditch days when Warren suddenly cleared his throat and stood from his chair. "Before we begin dessert, there's something I'd like to say." He sounded nervous for some reason, and from her seat right next him she could tell that his hands were shaking slightly. "I'd like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Horton for being such gracious hosts this evening. But more importantly, I'd like to thank them for raising such a wonderful daughter." He glanced down at Rose and smiled. "I only hope that I can one day give her everything she could ever need or want…and that she'll provide me the opportunity."
Warren lowered himself to one knee and suddenly she couldn't seem to breathe.
"Rosemary Alana Horton, will you marry me?"
Her stomach sank in panic and a chill spread over her as she looked at Warren smiling up at her, and then around the room to see Markus shocked and hopelessly confused, Cramer's parents overjoyed, and her parents eyeing her with an apprehensive and borderline threatening glare.
Faye slid the door to Rosemary's compartment open and strode inside. "You would never guess who I just saw Becca snog – oh my gods what is on your fucking hand?"
Rose calmly marked the page of her book and looked up to see an utterly appalled look on Faye's face. "It's temporary."
"What?" she asked shrilly.
"Sit down, won't you?" Rosemary gestured to the bench across from her. Faye did as she requested, though the look of horror remained on her face.
"Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to ask: have you completely lost it?"
"First off, I thought you said you'd be happy for me regardless of who I ended up with?"
"That's when I thought you would still come to your senses," Faye hissed.
Rosemary was about to explain the entire thing when Markus and Adam let themselves in the compartment. Markus grabbed her arm and yanked it in front of Adam's face. "See? What did I tell you?"
"Oh shit," Adam said solemnly.
"Now boys, Rosemary was just about to explain what exactly happened this weekend," said Faye.
"Well I'm all ears, because I was there and I can't explain what happened," Markus glared at her.
"Really? You have no idea?" Rosemary asked him incredulously. "Didn't you see the way my parents were looking at me when he asked?"
"No. I was a little preoccupied trying to figure out how in the hell I'm going to save my arse when Riddle finds out about it and the fact that I was there when it happened," Markus snapped.
"Well, the look on my parents' faces was perfectly clear to me: "say yes or else". I can just about guarantee that I wouldn't be on this train back to Hogwarts if I had said 'no'. Especially in front of his parents and everything…"
"That's probably true," Faye acknowledged. "But what exactly is your plan, then? You have to break things off with Warren and tell them about Tom eventually."
"I don't know," Rosemary admitted. "But until I graduate, pureblood law states that they can still marry me to whomever. The longer I keep my parents from getting suspicious about Tom and I, the better." She sighed. "I just have to talk to Tom and tell him everything…he'll probably know what to do. But I need you all to keep your mouths shut until I have the chance to talk to him." Rosemary glanced at Markus pointedly.
"Hey, why are you looking at me? I can keep a secret!"
"No, you can't," Faye rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, Rosemary, I'll put a Silencing Curse on him or something." Then she reached for Rosemary's hand and slid the ring off her finger. "Bloody hell, Warren is mad about you." Faye said in awe, holding it up to the sunlight streaming through the compartment window. "You're going to destroy him, aren't you?"
Rosemary sighed. "Maybe."
"Oh well," Faye grinned. "Warren had to know what he was getting himself into."
"I think so, too," Rosemary said cynically. "My father offered him a position– an executive position– at Comet, not even five minutes after he proposed."
"Of late, she had felt coldness in herself, and though she feared it, she loved it too, for it made her strong." ― Catherynne M. Valente
Thank you to Blerb, marly4077, Oksanallex, RosiePosie15, Lillithroseriddle12345, gr8rockstarrox, Lady Ravanna, and nine guest users for your reviews! I recently gained some really great insight about where the story is going and I hope that you saw that reflected in this chapter. I always appreciate constructive feedback, as I don't have a beta or anyone proofing this story and usually rely on only my own perspective of the events. Writing this way is great because it's efficient and I obviously have a ton of autonomy, but sometimes it does get difficult to keep the full picture in mind.
Anyway, I sort of reworked some of Part II, so that took a bit of time this week. Already halfway through the next chapter, though!(: