Study Date | James Potter

Chapter 35 - "I Can't Lose You Too"

Everything was better with James. They could slip into conversation as easily as ever, and when she was with him she hardly thought about the war, or the deaths. He was a distraction that she gladly welcomed every day.

For four nights they slept next to each other, and for those four nights, Rose didn't have a single nightmare. With him beside her, she no longer felt so trapped by the darkness.

He had become her lifeline.

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The fourth day after her parents' funeral, Rose and Tina used Professor Slughorn's fireplace to floo to Dorset, or more specifically to the Fawleys' Manor house on the coast. The two had each received a letter a few days previously, inviting them to the funeral - Alicia's funeral.

The Fawleys, like many Pureblood families, owned a burial vault on their grounds, and that was where Alicia and her parents would be put to rest. The sun was obnoxiously bright, as it shone off the white marble and refracted through the tears streaming down the faces of many.

"Rose Evans?"

She turned to see a young man standing behind her. He had light brown hair and familiar dark eyes.

"That's me," she said. "You must be Benjamin?"

He nodded. "Yes, and Valentina, I presume?"

Tina, beside Rose, also nodded, and both girls shook the hand he offered.

"Thank you for coming. I'm sure... I'm sure it's what she would have wanted." His lips twitched slightly into a strange half-smile, then his face fell.

"Thank you you inviting us. We're so sorry for your loss." The words weighed heavily as she spoke them - Rose had heard them enough times in the previous weeks that she almost hated them, but there weren't really any other words to say.

He nodded again. "Thank you. And I you. I heard about the second attack that day."

They were silent for a few moments, then Rose spoke.

"There's... there's something I'd like to do, but I don't know if it's ok." She quickly explained her idea and the man was soon smiling. He agreed without hesitation.

"It sounds perfect. I think she really would have liked that," he said. Tears glinted in his eyes as he continued. "You know, you two... she loved you so much. I still have the letter she wrote, when she told me she'd made friends with this older girl and her friends. At first I was wary, but she sounded so happy, and when she came home at the end of the year she was beaming. I was so glad that somebody was there to help her when I couldn't. I hoped to meet you all one day, although of course I never imagined it'd be like this."

Rose sniffed and felt tears sliding down her face. Tina was crying too, and Rose reached for her friend's hand. Tina held on tightly, and for a moment the grip of her hand was all Rose could focus on.

"...and I should probably talk to some other people," Benjamin was saying as Rose started listening again. "She's over there, if you want to see her." He pointed to the three open coffins.

Benjamin left, and Rose and Tina began to walk towards the white building. The tight grasp from Tina's hand was the only thing keeping Rose steady.

Halfway there, Rose paused. "I don't know if I can do this," she said quietly, staring down at her shoes and the damp grass beneath. She felt a hand fall onto her shoulder.

"Look at me Rose," Tina said. She didn't, but her friend continued. "Listen, this is awful, and horrible, but we owe her this. And you know deep down you'll always regret it if you don't."