"Merry Christmas everyone!"

Mrs Weasley bustled out of the Burrow's back door into their garden, her wand held steady as she balanced a huge pudding dish in front of her. Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, Audrey and Angelina followed closely behind her, all carrying some form of Mrs Weasley's mouth-watering cooking. With as much order as was possible in the noise and chaos of the backyard, they laid their dishes on the several long tables assembled on the grass, then hurried back inside.

Rose had been watching them go back and forth for over ten minutes, slowly but steadily filling the enormous tables until only patches of the white cloth remained visible. The tables groaned under the weight of so much food, but Rose knew from experience that it would all be devoured. She half rose from her seat as her mother came outside with what looked like a bucket full of cutlery.

"Are you sure I can't – "

"Merlin's beard Rose, won't you sit for just a minute!" snapped Hermione, looking uncharacteristically flustered. "You've been running around all day, it's okay to take a break you know."

Rose sat back down, blushing. Her mother had, as usual, noticed her unusual behaviour when she had honestly thought she was doing a great job at covering it up. It was true – she had been running around all day, helping in every way she could, and even in ways she really couldn't, like trying to boil two dozen cups of tea without magic, or chasing Hugo from one end of the house to the other, yelling at him to comb his hair. Even when she was sitting her eyes were darting back and forth between people, looking for an opportunity to move again.

She wasn't normally like this. In fact, she had developed a bit of a reputation for being rather lazy at these large family gatherings, and reluctant to involve herself too much in the preparations. That was probably why she had drawn her mother's suspicions.

Rose didn't really know the reason why she had such an overpowering desire to keep on the move. She had felt restless and uncomfortable all holidays, as if she needed to be distracted constantly lest she start thinking too much. If she hadn't been so irritated by it she would have laughed at the irony: she had gone from desperate to get away from Hogwarts and her various issues there, to desperate to get back to Hogwarts and away from the chaotic energy of her extended family.

In particular, she was dying to see Scorpius Malfoy. Rose had spent the first half of her break denying this fact to herself, and it was this denial which started her on her frantic quest for preoccupation. Eventually, when physical exhaustion did nothing to prevent her thoughts from wandering to him at every chance they got, she was forced to admit that for whatever reason, her subconscious simply wanted to see Scorpius, and would not allow her to rest or relax until it did.

She attributed this, begrudgingly, to the rather abrupt and incomplete ending to their last conversation, after her reckless and idiotic flying adventure. Even now, weeks later, Rose's gut churned when she thought back to that night and just what she could have been thinking. And for that matter, she wasn't sure where Scorpius got off either, with his general aloofness coupled with that kiss? Whokissed someone on the forehead these days? What did it even mean?

With a groan, Rose jumped from her seat and began prowling around the garden, looking for gnomes to terrorise in an attempt to stop her thoughts from engaging once more in their painful merry-go-round. Unfortunately for her, most of the gnomes had been cleared out by James and Albus earlier in the day, and the ones that were left were keeping very much out of sight. To make it worse, she found Victoire and Teddy with their heads together in the far corner of the garden near the chicken coop, talking in low voices. They looked up and smiled when they saw Rose, but she could tell she was intruding, and beat a hasty retreat, retracing her steps back to the dinner table just as Molly Weasley clapped her hands together.

"Alright everybody, I just wanted to say – "

"We love you Molly!" yelled her cousin Fred from down the other end, which was a considerable way away. Angelina whacked her son light-heartedly over the head, as everyone nodded in agreement. Molly blushed and put a hand to her chest.

"Well, that's lovely dear. I just wanted to say – on behalf of Arthur and myself – "she cast a fond glance at her husband, who was leaning back in his chair at the head of the table, smiling contentedly at them all, his interlaced hands resting on his stomach. "That it's so wonderful you could all be here today and – and that we love you all very much. Now…I'm sure everybody's hungry so – dig in!" She waved her wand and the food seemed to spring to attention.

The family didn't need telling twice. All at once there were hands smothering the table, spooning, cutting, pulling and prodding at the various dishes. Rose stared around her and her restless energy seemed to evaporate; she would, once again, be required to fight tooth and nail to feed herself.

"It's like the Muggle zoo," said Albus drily from beside her, and Rose jumped a little in surprise. Last she had seen Albus was flying his broomstick in the orchard located behind the Burrow's backyard. She hadn't even heard him come in, let alone sit down next to her.

"Tell me about it," she sighed, darting forward and grabbing a bread roll. "I wonder what a quiet Christmas would feel like."

Albus shrugged. "Scorpius tells me they're pretty boring, actually," he said as he snatched the beef casserole out of Hugo's hands and ladled some onto his plate.

Rose took a bite of her roll and tried to ignore the squirming in her gut. She took her time chewing and swallowing, watching Albus out of the corner of her eye.

"Guess I shouldn't complain," she said at last.

"Nah," said Albus, now wrestling with Hugo over the last pork chop. He pushed the younger boy sideways, where he crashed into their Uncle Percy. "But it's fun to complain sometimes." Al bit triumphantly into his chop.

"What's it…" Rose was sure she shouldn't be encouraging talk about Scorpius, but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop herself. At least they wouldn't be heard over Hugo's loud whining and Percy's scolding. "What's it like at Malfoy Manor?"

Albus looked at her in surprise, his eyebrows raised. He swallowed a large mouthful of meat and wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering. "S'not that bad, actually. Big, obviously, and a bit draughty, but I liked it. Scorp's got the best room, and the grounds are big enough to play a proper Quidditch game, which is cool. They only use half the house nowadays so – "

"Really? Why?" asked Rose, genuinely intrigued by this.

"Dunno," Albus shrugged. "One of the rooms was destroyed in the War, and they didn't repair it for some reason. So they cordoned off that part of the house, use it just for storage and stuff nowadays."

"How was it destroyed?" Rose pressed, but Albus shook his head.

"I dunno, Scorpius didn't tell me. Maybe you should ask him yourself, in those lessons you're supposed to be having."

Rose blushed. So Albus knew they hadn't been meeting up. "Yeah, maybe," she muttered.

"You're going to get in trouble, you know that?" Al looked at her and his green eyes were troubled. "I don't know why you two can't just get along."

"It's just…" she wanted to say 'complicated' but didn't think that would go down well. Albus thought she hated Scorpius and, while this may not have been strictly true anymore, she wasn't sure she wanted her cousin to know otherwise. Thankfully, she was spared from having to finish her sentence by Hugo, who had been stealing food from Albus' plate while they were talking and now attempted to run away upon being caught. Al leapt from his seat and caught him before he'd gotten more than a few paces away, and the two boys tackled each other to the ground.

Rose ate in a silence for a while, ignoring the commotion around her, smiling politely at anyone who caught her eye but otherwise keeping out of their conversations. After a bit she looked up and saw her mother watching her. Sudden annoyance surged through her; she wasn't a hospital patient, for Merlin's sake. Rose stood up abruptly.

"Rose!" yelled Albus from the ground, where he was still wrestling Hugo. He struggled onto his knees, panting and red-faced, his hair even wilder than normal. "Where are you – argh!" Hugo had spear tackled him around the waist and dragged him back down. Rose observed their flailing limbs for a moment, supremely unconcerned, until she spotted Hermione getting up to come and separate them. Feeling uncharitable towards her mother, Rose turned and walked away. She passed various uncles and aunts and cousins, nodding occasionally, until she had reached the very end of the tables, where Arthur and Molly Weasley were sitting deep in conversation with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic. Rose smiled with real affection at her grandparents, but continued walking, passing around the corner of the house so she was out of sight of the festivities.

A little way away was the tall hedge that separated the Burrow from the hills and fields leading off into the surrounding countryside. There was a small, rickety gate set into it, through which the children passed regularly to use the Orchard for flying practise. Just in front of the hedge was a large green pond full of frogs overshadowed by several gnarled looking trees, and a wide stone bench upon which Rose had been planning to sit. As she drew nearer, however, she realised with surprise that there was already somebody there.

A frail old lady was sitting on the bench, staring into the pond as if absorbed by thought. She bore the unmistakeable signs of wealth in her carefully pressed robes and the thick, fur-lined shawl draped around her shoulders, as well as in the proud stiffness of her posture. Her curly, iron-grey hair was tied back into a loose plait that reached nearly to the small of her back, and secured with a yellow ribbon.

She looked up as Rose approached, her brown eyes clearing and a smile forming upon her face. "Hello dear," she said softly.

"Hello Mrs Tonks," said Rose, stopping on the opposite side of the pond. "I'm sorry to disturb you."

"Oh not at all dear, not at all," said Andromeda Tonks, waving one gloved hand. "I am just…dwelling on the past, which is never a good thing, no not at all. I should have learnt…by now…but never mind…" she trailed off.

Rose stared at the elderly woman before her. She had never talked much with Mrs Tonks, Teddy Lupin's grandmother, nor had she ever given her much thought. But now something occurred to her.

"Mrs Tonks," she said carefully. "May I ask you a question?"

"Of course dear, of course," replied Mrs Tonks. "Ask me anything."

Rose took a deep breath. "How did you…know you were different from your sisters?" She paused, hoping she hadn't done the wrong thing. She wasn't sure if this was the sort of question that should be discussed at a Christmas feast; but Mrs Tonks just smiled sadly and shook her head a little.

"Different?" she said, as though she had never heard the word before. "No, my dear, I don't believe different is the right word. Less cruel than Bellatrix, and warmer than Narcissa, perhaps, but not so very different…"

"But then, how did you…" began Rose, confused.

"Come to marry a Muggle-born?" finished Mrs Tonks for her. "While my sisters married purebloods and became entwined with the Dark Lord? Yes," she sighed. "It's a curious thing…"

Rose shifted uncomfortably. "But – "

"I think," Mrs Tonks continued lightly, "that in the end it is more about who you are exposed to than what you are told to believe. Ted," she paused and a look of pain crossed her features. "Ted gave me kindness and love. He showed me a world I had never known. My sisters…were never offered such things."

Rose stared at the woman before her with something akin to awe. It was clear to her that Andromeda and Ted Tonks must have loved each other dearly, for her to still show so much emotion when speaking of him. He had convinced her to marry him despite the fact that he was a Muggle-born and she would be disinherited from her family. "I wish I could have met him," she said without thinking. "Ted, I mean. He sounds like a great man."

Mrs Tonks smiled. "Oh yes, a most incredible wizard. He's a lot like Teddy, you know? Remarkable boy…" she trailed off, and her eyes glazed with what were most likely long distant memories. Rose blushed, and excused herself, walking over to the gate and out into the bordering field.

It was hard to believe that the gentle lady sitting beside a pond was the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange, Voldemort's most loyal and brutal supporter. How could two people of the same blood turn out so differently? Was it really, as Mrs Tonks said, all to do with the people you met and the experiences you were exposed to when you were growing up? Rose didn't think so…there had to be something, something different…something more…

She wandered onwards up the hill without thinking much about where she was going. There was little chance of getting lost, since the Burrow was the only house in the area and its multiple streams of chimney smoke could be seen from very far away. After a while she changed course and made her way towards the orchard, her breath rising in clouds before her in the clear, cold chill of the day. The ground beneath her feet was hard and slippery with remnants of the overnight frost.

Huffing slightly, Rose reached the fence of the orchard and let herself in. She had always liked it here, even though she didn't fly. The surrounding trees muffled the sound from outside, as well as ensuring the paddock was free from any prying Muggle eyes. Rose had spent many a day at the Burrow sitting with her back against an apple tree, reading from a book while her brother and cousins flew around above her head.

She was turning on the spot trying to decide the best place to sit when the back of her neck prickled. Rose spun around, peering into the trees, but there was nothing there. Strange. She had felt sure, for just a moment, that she was being watched…but it was crazy, who would be watching her? Everybody was still in the backyard eating, as far as she knew.

Deciding she must be imagining things, Rose picked out her favourite tree and had taken half a step towards it when she heard the unmistakable sound of a twig cracking. Without hesitating, she pulled out her wand and pointed it in the direction the noise had come from, her breathing heavy and ragged. There was no one there that she could see, but she had definitely heard something.

"Who's there?" she called out strongly. "Mrs Tonks?" But that was absurd, why would Mrs Tonks clamber up the hill? "Albus?" she tried again, feeling foolish as nothing answered her but the rustle of the wind.

Rose stayed stock still for several minutes, her wand trained into the shadow of the trees, her eyes sweeping around the clearing looking for any sign of movement. Eventually, she straightened, although she kept a grip on her wand inside the pocket of her cloak. It was probably a bird, she thought to herself. You're just being paranoid. Still, suddenly the orchard didn't seem such an inviting place after all.

"Okay then," she muttered to herself, more to keep her ears occupied than because she was fond of talking to herself. "Guess it's back to the family." She hurried towards the gate.

This time, there was absolutely no mistaking the sounds of footsteps in the trees behind her. Rose whirled back around, her wand out and pointing directly where she had heard noise.

"Stupe – "

"Rose!"

She sucked in her breath and turned to see Albus leaning against the gate. Her cousin was staring at her incredulously – she supposed she must have looked quite strange, standing alone in the middle of the clearing with her wand pointing at nothing. She blushed.

"Umm, hi," she said, lowering her arm and casting one last glance into the trees before turning her back on them.

"What are you doing?" asked Albus suspiciously, craning his neck to see where Rose had been looking. "Stupefying birds?"

"No, you git," she snapped. "I thought I heard something."

"Really?" Al cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. "What?'

"Just a…noise, that's all," she said, feeling childish. "Like…footsteps or, I dunno, a twig cracking."

She could tell Albus was trying not to laugh. "You don't think it might've been me?" he asked her pointedly.

"No it was – " she had been going to say 'coming from behind me,' but Al was shaking with laughter so she closed her mouth and scowled at him instead. "Whatever."

"Sounds terrifying," he drawled sarcastically. "Anyway your mum says you've got to come back now. They're about to cut the pudding or something like that." He held out his hand with a smirk. "Come on Rosie, I'll lead you back. Wouldn't want you to go cursing any more unsuspecting animals, would we?"

She gave him the filthiest glare she could manage, before pocketing her wand and trudging back to the house with him. Her neck prickled as she walked down the hill, and she was suddenly glad to have Albus' annoying chatter in her ear.