I Solemnly Swear

Chapter 30: Home Again?

After McGonagall had dropped her bombshell, Rose just sort of froze. She remembered Remus (wonderful, sweet Remus) escorting Lily out of McGonagall's office, and then blurting something out herself before fleeing the suddenly oppressive atmosphere. It wasn't exactly as if they hadn't been expecting something like this for a while, they unfortunately had, but it all seemed so terribly unfair. They were all finally happy for Merlin's sake! She was getting along with Lily again, Remus and Peter were settling into their skins, James was still pining hopelessly after Lily, and her relationship with Sirius was reaching better and better heights with every passing day. It didn't help that she felt terrible for feeling that way, but she couldn't help it. She felt selfish and horrible and terribly confused, and sort of numbly, distantly sad.

Hiding away in her dormitory was not a good way of coping with the situation, but Rose frankly couldn't summon up enough energy to care. Sirius and James had both been sweet and considerate, and Remus had been practical to a fault, but she didn't want to deal with the realities yet. So, here she was, sitting on Lily's bed, clutching a pillow to her chest and trying not to be too touched that Marlene had immediately put on some Elton John on a low volume instead of keeping the Banshees blaring at ear-splitting volumes. Lily, after emerging suspiciously red-eyed only five minutes ago from the bathroom, was keeping herself busy, sorting through her things to pack for the funeral while Snowflake purred for attention. Rose hadn't yet broken the news to her (as she had already done with the Marauders) that she wasn't intending to go home at all. If she was honest, this was entirely because she didn't want to relive the same argument that she had already had with Remus, James and even Sirius. Which also conveniently explained why Rose was hiding away up here in the first place. It was frankly about as suspicious as the Marauders acting innocent after a particularly ingenious prank.

"You didn't think you could actually hide from us, did you?" James asked, leaning casually against the wall.

"Really, Rosie" Remus tutted in mock disappointment. "I thought you knew us better than that."

"How in Merlin's name did you three get up here?!" Alice shrieked, Mary diving behind her curtains. Sirius turned to favour her with an all too familiar smirk.

"Skills."

"Exceptions are made, when exceptions need to be" Remus added, purposely vague and enigmatic.

"They're not going to tell you, the lunatics" Rose huffed, glaring at the three of them. "You can save whatever you came up here to say, I'm not going."

"Of course you're not" Sirius agreed blithely, completely ignoring her. The nerve of that utterly gorgeous bastard. "McKinnon, McGonagall wants to see you in her office." Marlene nodded once, managed a smile for Lily, and then swiftly exited the dormitory. Nobody in their right mind - other than a Marauder - would keep McGonagall waiting. Rose let out a breath, hoping that this would be the end of it. Naturally, her luck wasn't that good.

"Hold on" Lily spoke up, looking from Rose to Sirius and back again. "Not going where?"

"Don't tell us you lot are trying to get her to go to Hogsmeade now of all times?!" Alice glared, hands coming to rest on her hips. Hestia backed her up with a scowl even fiercer than Lily's usual 'no, Potter' glare.

"Remus John Lupin, I expected better of you" Emmeline glowered, expression as severe as any McGonagall could summon.

"As if they would" Lily huffed, turning to Rose. Her emerald eyes were nearly snapping, Rose hadn't seen Lily this angry since the aftermath of the Defence OWL. "They mean that she's not coming to Grandpa's funeral."