The Bug Collector | marauders

Jasmine Toothpaste

Much to Lily's delight, Sirius did not spend the night.

In fact, Rose spent the rest of that night up talking with Lily, and the days after were spent at home, lazing about and hanging out with family.

When Regulus' birthday came around Rose found herself thinking of him all day, she'd tried to read to ignore it, but the book she'd picked was too bleak. So, she ran a bath, but that seemed to remind her of him too. She eventually sat down to write, and while he'd only planned to send an owl to James and Sirius, she instead started one to the younger Black brother.

Dear, Regulus

She began.

Dear, Regulus

Hi, Happy Birthday!

She stopped.

She wouldn't be able to send it to him anyway.

She went back to her usual letters, asking what the boys had planned for New Years, mentioning she was excited to go back to school, complaining about Petunia.

Rose felt a certain guilt when she complained about her sister, she couldn't help that she was not a witch like Rose and Lily, but she could help the way she responded to it.

Their mother took extra care to insure Petunia was happy, she had friends over often, friends Rose was not allowed to talk to, she was also the reason Rose and Lily couldn't have their own magical friends over. Petunia swore she was frightened of them.

Lily was closer to Petunia, got along with her better, while Rose took Petunia's insults and issues to heart Lily seemed to filter them through a "she's only jealous" mindset that Rose didn't have the patience to create.

Petunia was a adversary, and Rose responded by becoming invisible to her.

—

December 28th 1976

"Hey Lils!" Rose called from her room, she heard Lily yell back a response so she continued her own statement before plopping down on her bed, dropping a bag of small fireworks and sparklers beside it.

"I got the stuff for New Years Eve!" She yelled to her sister in the room beside her.

"Alright! Thanks!" Lily yelled back once more in response.

She stretched out comfortably on her bed, and closed her eyes, it wasn't too terribly late, but Rose already felt a bit sleepy.

Not long into her rest she could have sworn she heard a voice call out for her.

She tried to ignore it and get some sleep, but the voice continued, then someone shook her awake.

"Merlin, Rose, I didn't want it to come to that."
Said the annoyed sounding voice of Regulus Black.

She quickly got up after that.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"Well, seeing as you haven't taken me on any outrageous little quests recently, I thought I might take you on one, and you remember how I got here last time so there's no need in me explaining that again." He said while standing straight, hands behind his back. He was dressed nicely, the way Rose had expected him to look back home with his...noble family.

"You should get dressed rather quickly." He explained

"Where are we going?" Rose asked as she began to do just that, looking through her closet for something warm.

"A ballet in York. I'll turn around." He said nonchalantly as he did just that, allowing her to slip something on and process the information.

"You'll do the teleport thingy then?" She asked