⨳⨳⨳⨳SUMMER OF 1995 ⨳⨳⨳⨳

⫘⫘⫘MEMORIES, AWKWARDNESS, AND HOPE⫘⫘⫘

The day after meeting Greengrass Family was like a Deja Vu for Harry, he was nervous but today it was a nervousness of a different kind. Yesterday it was he was afraid of being rejected but today he was afraid of messing his first-ever date with Rose up. At the same time excited to finally spend some time alone with Rose after a year.

He didn't know anything about her besides that she was from 1000 years in the past, she loves sword fighting and him. He knew 'Dating' was a foreign concept to her hence it was his responsibility and desire to give her the best first date of her life.

His plan was a simple dinner with her but there was a twist in that which was a surprise for her. It made him smile thinking about what her reaction would be as he was standing in front of the mirror trying to tame his ever messy hair and was failing at it.

"Leave it like that Harry Bear it only adds to your charm," Tonks said standing at the entrance of his room smiling at him.

Finally sighing in defeat he left the conquest to tame his hair before turning to her and saying "So what do you say?" gesturing at his attire for the date. He was donning a simple navy blue shirt with black trousers and a black jacket.

Eying him from head to toe Dora whistled saying "You clean up good Harry bear"

He flashed her a grin saying "Thanks I hope it goes all well tonight I don't want to make a bad first expression especially when it's her real first date"

Dora chuckled saying "You worry too much Harry-Bear and overthinking will always lead to disaster special when you are going on a date"

Harry snorted moving towards her asking "Speaking from experience Dora?"

She nodded taking his hand and saying "Oh Yeah! My first date with Charlie was one of many. Both were so nervous we couldn't even hold a conversation for more than a minute. When the food came he tried to serve it but ended up spilling soup all over my brand new dress and instead of apologizing he took off red in embarrassment leaving me to pay the bill for which I didn't have money so I had to call mom from the restaurant to come and bail me out"

"Charlie? You don't mean….." He asked in confusion but soon realized who she was talking about

Dora nodded saying "Yep! My first ever date was Charlie Weasley"

"Well your taste in man has improved seeing where you started," he said with a cheeky grin

Dora smirked saying "Or it fell lower seeing I went from a grown adult to a cheeky prat" swatting him on his shoulder

"Ouch! Hurts you a violent woman and for your information I quite a catch according to my year mates" he retorted rubbing his shoulder

"Someone's getting a big head I see?" a new voice called as they reached the end of the stair drawing their attention to its owner, Susan

"Yep size of Quaffle this one," Dora said pointing her thumb at the green-eyed teen

"We can't have that now can we?" the redhead witch added taking his arm in hers

"Hey this is an unfair argument I can't win if it's 2 against 1" he huffed in fake annoyance which his smile gave away

"Get used to it Harry causes there won't be much winning of argument in your future" Bella purred in his ears as she came from behind and snaked her arms around his toned waist before biting his ear lobe lightly.

A shiver ran down his spine feeling the warm breath on his ear and he was very aware of her supple breast touching his back. The bite on his ear lobe made him moan lightly in pleasure.

"Hands off Bella, today he is Rose to do with as she likes," Amelia said coming to the teen's rescue from her sister witch with had a mischievous smile and a wink at her fiance who blushed at the last comment of hers.

Bella threw a glare at her whining "You are no fun Amy!" retracting her hands from Harry, who took a breath of relief as her body separated from him.

"Here comes your date Harry" Amelia announced bringing him out of his thoughts and making him turn in the direction everyone was looking at.

'By her father, she is so… Beautiful' that was the only coherent thought he could muster seeing the vision in front of him.

Rose was wearing a dark pink satin pegged dress with white heels and some minimalist jewelry made of silver or gold. She had a pearl white coat on her shoulder. To him, she was a beauty of the highest caliber. Her slightly wet hair sticking to her neck was enhancing her beauty which was already perfect for him.

"Hello, Arthur," Rose said blushing under his eyes and looking at her. She was not so confident about the dress as it was too revealing as gowns she used to wear back in her time but now seeing Aurthur's reaction she knew it was worth it.

Her voice brought Harry out of his trance as he smiled with a blush as he realized he was staring at her, walking toward his date and taking her hands nervously. He looked deep into the golden orbs of her eyes saying "You look just like your name, a beautiful Winter Rose, simply beautiful"

Rose turned bright red from his compliment as she smiled saying "Thanks Aurthur you look Handsome too"

"Ready?" he asked interlacing his fingers with hers receiving a nod from her he turned to Amelia asking "Amy will you do the honors?"

"Gladly" Amelia answered drawing her wand and casting a glamour charm on him. It didn't change much only made him look 8 years older than his actual age to all besides Rose. It was a special kind of glamour one not used by many.

"Now I am ready," he said to everyone before turning to Rose asking "Shall we, my lady?"

"We shall milord" Rose replied sincerely out of habit.

Both of them made their way to the fireplace and after bidding everyone farewell they flooed to an apartment that was well furnished and clean.

"What are we doing here Aurthur I thought we were going to an um Re- restaurant thing for dinner," Rose asked in confusion looking at her surroundings

Harry nodded chuckling and saying "That was my first idea but I want it to be personal so I will cook for you today. I am your chef I will cook it for you"

Surprised by his thoughtfulness Rose simply smiled not trusting herself to say anything. In her time a man cooking was not even a thought let alone be a reality. It was a duty done by house-elves and other servants of the house. But here she was with the next king asking her what she would like for him to cook for her. It was too much

Calming herself she thought for a minute before saying "Um… I would like to try something of this era rather than my time" she paused before saying enthusiastically " I would like to eat Makaruni & Cheze, it was something Susan raved about yesterday"

"Okay, my lady I will have your dish in front of you in about 20 minutes" making his way to the kitchen but stopped in mid-stride turning and saying "You know can join me in the kitchen rather than get bored waiting out here" extending his hand for to take.

Which she did and both made their way to a small cozy kitchen with a small dining table at the side. Harry moved fast to putting a pot of boiling water with pasta in it and letting it boil while he took some onion chopping it with tears in his eyes.

"Arthur, what's wrong?" Rose asked concerned seeing him crying

"Huh?" her questions confused and distract him from his task making him cut his finger "Ouch!"

"Arthur!' Rose was quick by his side taking his injured finger saying "Are you okay?"

Harry chuckled nodding "I am okay rose it's just a small cut" as he sucked his left index finger.

"Then why are you crying Aurthur?" she huffed at him in annoyance but worry for him in her eyes gave it away.

"You were a princess weren't you?" he asked deadpanned cause making her throw a glare at him.

"Yes and what does that have to do with you crying from an injury?" she asked irately with him for not caring about the cut which according to her is hurting him enough to cry. In her time a man crying was frowned upon but when it did happen it was caused by either something drastic or like normal people if they were in pain.

"Okay I hurt but not so much to make me cry it's an onion" he answered eying his have chopped onion and enjoying the expression of suspicion as she quirked her eyebrow up asking "Oh you don't believe try yourself"

"A vegetable can't make anyone cry, Arthur! I am not a child and you don't have to act tough in front of me. There is nothing wrong with crying when you are hurt" she admonished him.

His heart melted at the level of concern shown by the woman at the same time he sighed saying "Okay you try to chop it and you will see what I am talking about" offering her knife in a challenging tone

Rose took the challenge with the same spirit but stopped and stood in front of the counter and hacked the onion trying to cut it just like she saw Harry doing it but she lacked his finesse. It was only seconds later that her eyes went blurry and she cut her finger "Ouch!"

She sucked on the cut saying turning to Harry who had drained and rinsed the paste in the meantime. Now he was standing there with a small smug smile as she sheepishly looked at him flushed in embarrassment saying "Okay you were right! But you still were hurt" she huffed in low voice looking down at the floor.

Harry chuckled shaking his head saying "I know and it's all healed up to see" he moved closer to her showing his left index finger free of the cut that was there just a minute ago.

"But how…?" it was all she was able to say before Harry cut her off shrugging and saying "I don't always have been like this ever since I remember" as he drew his wand healing her small scrape on her finger casting "Sana!" he learned from Andi prior in the week.

"But how does it make people cry?" she asked him in confusion

"I don't know but it made you cry and so he will face its end by knife, I will chop it into the pieces" he declared holding the knife high in the air in an elaborate gesture making Rose laugh as he resumed his task of chopping.

"So what was it like to live in your time?" he asked as he started chopping some garlic

"It was nothing special as per se just different like I lived in a castle with many servants to serve me and I was all alone other than my mother and her sister" she answered shrugging it off like nothing

"Oh, and who was your mother?" Harry asked as waiting for butter to melt so he could add onion, garlic, and flour in it.

"My mother's name was Mabel Emrys nee Haugen of Norvegre. She came here after some barbarians attacked her home with her sister and my aunt Beatrice. She was saved by her father from a shipwreck. They fell in love got married and well I was born" she said fondly with a nostalgic smile on her face, remembering her mother.

"You miss them don't you?" he asked slowly adding milk into the pot while stirring it with a wistful expression as he remembered the night of his parent's death.

"Yes but I don't grieve she died 4 years before my father put me to sleep it was enough for me to process her loss. Aunt Beatrice died 2 years after that as she contracted mother's illness. She was more like a friend than an aunt it was her that pressed my father to allow me to train with a sword along with magic so I can defend myself" she said wiping a tear as she remembered her first friend and aunt.

"Okay, what was Avalon like? I mean In terms of environment and people in general. And what about the royal family you know? The real Arthur, knights, and Morgana?" as he added cheese, chicken, and pasta to the pot

"Well, it was never as peaceful as people now say it was. It was after my birth that my father met His Majesty who was around the same age as him 25 born days old. Both were like brothers and my father helped him overthrow his father who was a tyrant and had disillusions that magical people are after his throne" Rose started as he toasted the breadcrumbs

"So they revolted and achieved their goal. He was helped by his half-sister Morgana Pendragon. She was not Le fay that was that bitch Morigana Le Fay who was adopted by the parents of Uther Pendragon which was a mistake. See Morigana was a Sister Uther Pendragon and so she felt her child should be king. But they didn't know was she was exiled from Avalon at age of 13 when she murdered her younger Brother in jealousy. She was the last of the Le Fay Family" finishing their dinner and getting ready to serve him while listening to Rose

Rose started saying "Uther Pendragon ruled Albion which is this country! But not Avalon Avalon never had a true ruler it was a land of magic with people tribes and species," she said wistfully before her face morphed into one of pure hate as she continued

"Then one cursed day, he heard of the beauty of Lady Igraine of Avalon. She was a traveler from my home who fell in love with and married the Duke Gorloys of Cornwall. After that King of Albion didn't take long to arrange a celebration and invited them to verify the claims he heard. And verify he did. It was not long that couple saw the way King leering at lady Igraine and so the duke and dutchess left that night in secrecy. This was followed by King ordering them to return under royal summons. Duke Gorloys was aware of his king's intention and such he declined to reason that he was needed at his keep for some urgent business"

Harry shook his head saying "Let me Guess the king marched to the keep reasoning high treason as duke didn't act on the royal summon?" as he stirred the pot.

Rose nodded saying "Yes, King laid siege on the Keep of Tintijal as Duke took the defensive position inside the castle" she paused saying " when duke didn't give in even after weeks of the siege Uther called on his Sister to help him with magic but that was when the fact was only known to him. She helped him knowing her brother's forbidden desire but I guess she had ulterior motives of her own. With that, they set the plan in motion which was to show duke a false retreat to lure him out while Morigana glamoured him to look like Duke Gorloys"

She gulped saying "Until morning it was too late as Uther in the guise of Sir Gorloyes quenched his thirst while the real Duke died on the battlefield oblivious to the ruse played by the cruel king. Morgana who was distraught by the death of her father vowed to kill Uther Pendragon that day. Igraine Crimsonwood along with her daughter fled to her home before King could make her an offer of marriage" Rose ended

Giving her a confused look he asked "So why name Pendragon? I mean they could have changed it to Crimsonwood? So why name of the one man who raped her?"

Rose sighed saying "In those times magic recognized the name of the blood no matter what the circumstances they were conceived as such as much as Lady Igraine hated it she couldn't fault the babe. Morgana saw this a little later but she too fell to the charm of her toddler brother. As years passed His Majesty grew to become a benevolent figure of Avalon. Loved for his charm and Respected for his prowess with Excalibur which was Born day gift from Lady Lynn."

He nodded listening to the history of his ancestry before saying "So they went and took revenge for the injustice done to Lady Igraine?"

Rose shook her head saying "You see that is where history gets it wrong? It was not his majesty who killed Uther rather in turn of fates he was betrayed and felt for dead by his nobleman. It was his lust and cruelty that ended his life. His death started an era of anarchy in Albion during which Morigana gave birth to her son who was Mordred Le Fay"

"She raised him cruel, shrewd and trained him in magical arts, she was not satisfied by ruling the common folk she wanted to exact her revenge on Avalon. She wanted either rule or destroy Avalon. So she sent Modered to infiltrate the kingdom and he did just that. He tried to turn knights of the round table against his majesty. He succeeded to make Lancelot defect to his cause by offering Milady Guinevere, to him once his Majesty was dead"

She gave a wistful smile saying "But her majesty never faulted in her love for my liege" but that was only for a minute before the smile changed back to a grime expression.

"But his deception was caught by Lady Morgana and Father who never trusted him from the beginning. He fled here with Lancelot and multiple nobles of various races to who he turned. At the same time, Morigana launched the invasion of Avalon"

"I don't know the outcome of the war as I was put to sleep before the first battle by my father. So It was a time of the war, not peace other than 10 to 15 years between His majesty's coronation and Mordred's arrival to Camelot" she finished and felt good. It was like she need to tell someone what she felt or even what happened in her life.

Harry served her dinner saying "Your Dinner Mi' lady" in an elaborate gesture of bowing with one hand behind his back.

His voice and smell of delicious food brought the woman out of her recollection of painful memories of war as she drooled seeing the dish in front of her it was like she was in a trance seeing the meal cooked by her to be husband.

"You can eat instead of drooling you know right princess?" he said making her blush before taking a napkin and wiping the drool off her mouth

She took the first bite of food in excitement only to realize that it was hot. Harry chuckled passing her a goblet of water saying "Easy their Princess it's hot so take it slow we have plenty for seconds and third" making the woman blush for the nth time. It was new for her to see a man saying her to take it easy when he offered her what was now her favorite food. Sure she burnt her tongue but it was worth it.

Letting it cool down a little for a while took a bite and moaned in the pure ecstasy of delicious high, but quickly came back to reality and flushed knowing of her unladylike action in her mind.

"So?" he asked eager to know if it was good for her or not as his nerves from before the date.

"It's simply Delicious Arthur" taking another bite in a poised way which was a norm for her.

"Glad you like it Princess" as he served himself some pasta

"Where did you learn to cook like this Arthur? It's SO GOOD!" Rose asked and regretted it the next moment as she saw his brilliant smile flattered a little.

"I am used to cooking and it helps me relax? I practiced it a lot " he answered as he took a bite himself avoiding looking at her.

Rose knew it was not a topic he was not comfortable talking about with her so she decided to shift it towards something he was comfortable "Well how is Hogwarts? I have heard so much about it from Susan in the last 3 days. So tell me about it"

The smile on Harry's face could have lit all the whole of London as he started speaking about all his adventures at his school. For her, it was an emotional journey for the woman as she understood that the young man in front of her was a true leader and warrior. More than that a selfless person who would head fast into danger to save people he loved.

"So yeah that was my life at Hogwarts" he smiled fondly saying and continued "It was my home before I met Sirius 2 years ago"

"Well, I would have loved to attend such a school in my time" Rose sighed taking a sip from her goblet.

Her comment made Harry chuckle with a nod taking a bite of pasta before saying "I mean you say that now but wait until you meet Snape you will be glad you're not there"

Rose scrunched knowing that what Arthur told about the man was enough for her to nod saying "Yeah I can see that now"

He chuckled at her answer before noticing a little sauce and the corner of her mouth. , he shook his head as he leaned forward to wipe it away.

"EEP!" Rose squealed a little when she felt something touch before she realized how close Arthur was to her which caused her to blush red. Her reaction made Harry very aware of how close he was to her. His eyes roamed to her lips before going down to her heaving cleavage.

Seating back in his seat he was quick to apologize "I am sorry! It's just I saw the sauce and…"

But Rose cut him saying "No, it…it's okay Arthur, Thank you!" as she once again started eating

For the rest of the time, they finished their dinner in awkward silence. All that while Harry was cursing himself for the situation while Rose was blushing thinking about how forward Arthur was Being.

"You done?" Harry asked. Getting a nod he smiled saying "I Finished too come let me just put these in storage and then we can move to Lounge" he took the leftovers keeping them in the wizarding fridge made of ever cooling, preserving, and stasis array as Rose went back to the small living room and took a seat on a couch in front of the fireplace.

Harry came in with a plate in his hand and sat beside her with a brilliant smile with a slight nervousness mixed into it as he offered her a plate.

Rose took the place and looked at the brown cake-like confectionery in curiosity asking "What is the occasion Arthur? Is it your Born day?" she asked with her eyes sparkling.

He simply smiled saying "No it's not my birth... errm... born day"

"Than way the cake?" Rose asked

He snorted saying "But it's not a cake, This" he took the square piece of cake saying "is my second favorite dessert from Hogwarts and I think you will like it's called a brownie. It looks like a cake but it's denser than the cake"

"Huh that's a race of magical beings in Avalon," she said in confusion before taking a piece of confectionery gingerly before taking a bite and moaning much as she did with pasta earlier.

"It's so good" closing her eye and leaning back on her couch.

"I know right" as he took a bite himself of the chocolate delight and leaned back on the couch too. Soon Rose's head was on his shoulder as they ate the whole plate of brownies.

Long after they were finished their dessert Harry asked "Princess what was Merlin like?"

"Hmmm, he was an honest man with an endless curiosity for the gift of magic. As Father, he was gentle with me, even if I made mistakes he used to sit me down and tell me why what I did was bad. He was a little protective of me and after my 18th born day, he became overprotective. I loved him so much but I resent him for making me sleep in for thousand-year instead of taking me with him in a war, but then again as I said he was overprotective" she answered with tears running down her cheeks.

Harry didn't say anything for a while before standing up and with a flick of his wand, he turns on wizarding wireless playing a slow song. He extended his hand bowing a little in front of a confused-looking Rose saying "May I have the honor of a dance, Milady?" with a cheeky smile in hopes of alleviating her mood.

Wiping her tears from the corner of her by dabbing her handkerchief as she chuckled taking his hand and saying "Honor will be my Mi'lord"

At that moment Harry thanked McGonagall for teaching the basics of Ballroom in preparation for Yule Ball. Soon both of them fell into a slow rhythmic dance. As songs changed one after another they kept on dancing for hours. When the final song ended playing and the radio stopped the couple stood in the middle of the living room hugging each other.

Harry was just about to apologize for ruining the date by making her cry but was stopped by Rose who looked up to him saying "It was a great night Aurthur I loved the food and I think you are going to be busy cooking for me. And I am sorry for crying, it's just I have been trying to process everything, Bella helped over the last year and I think I am finally at peace with what my life has become. Thank you for everything you did this today, I needed it and I loved every minute of it"

He was stunned before he chuckled saying "I didn't mean to make you cry, Rosy. But you don't have to apologize for something you needed and I will always be there for you whenever you want to talk. It was just I didn't know what you will like to do today but I knew it wasn't a good idea to take you to the restaurant for dinner cause it would have been a major cultural shock for you so I asked Sirius to get this apartment cleaned for us. Plus I wanted it to be something personal and private so we can know each other a little bit better"

"So what, you think now that you know me?" Rose asked with a cheeky smile.

"I think you are a strong independent woman who is also a spoiled princess who lived in her daddy's castle" he retorted with a snort earning him a swat on his shoulder as he continued "but more than anything I found a woman who cares for me so much that a small cut on my finger makes her freak out with worry and she is equally quick enough to call me out for being a reckless git. So I found a missing piece of me in you" he said before leaning forward and capturing her lips with his own in a chaste kiss.

He noticed her lips tasted like strawberries as the smell of ozone overwhelmed him.

"And I found a piece of me in you. I will be always there for you as I know you will be there for me" she leaned forward kissing him back softly at first but it turned into passionate kissing. it was not filled with hunger but deep emotions of affection towards each other. It was enough for them to know that it was the start of something beautiful and they parted only due to needing air.

All flushed and panting Harry smiled nervously saying "Rose I know you want…"

But he was cut off by her saying "It's okay Aurthur, *pant* I know you are not *pant* ready and to tell you *pant* the truth I not either" with a smile on her face red.

She continued saying "It's getting late we should head back home" taking his hand in hers.

With a nod and a smile on his face as he followed her and they flooed home to Black Manor and went towards their rooms. Harry was happy that Rose enjoyed their evening but also started thinking about various things he wanted to show Rose from this time at the same time in her room Rose laying on her bed smiling silly as she played and replayed her first date with her intended until she fell asleep for the night

Hello, People so that was Harry's Date with Rose!

A quiet, quaint date with no extravagance and simply talking about what they enjoyed the most and sharing their life experiences.

If you like it, Review It. Constructive criticism is most welcomed. I am working on the sequel and I have 3 chapters down.

So, ladies and gentlemen, that's the chapter, this is Griffin's Prophecy and I am Drakpacer, See you In the Next Chapter!