Flora And Fawna [HARRY POTTER]

10

That night when Rosie and Regulus sat themselves at the ravenclaw table, Penny was nice enough not to mention the glint in Rosie's eye, or the satisfied smile on Regulus' face. If anyone else had been watching the scene, they would have thought that Regulus' secret lover, the same one he had told his friends had put the bruise on his wrist, was Rosie. Penny had been able to tell Rosie didn't really feel any better when she had pulled Penny away, leaving the three boys in the hallway. 

Penny wasn't stupid. She knew that Rosie wasn't satisfied about a lot of things at school. Rosie had told Penny enough about her home life to know that Rosie wasn't happy when she found out she was a witch. Rosie had told Penny that after Rosie's older sister Lily had been sent off to Hogwarts it had just been she and Petunia. Then Rosie woke up one morning to her toys floating. Rosie had been afraid that her sister would push her away too, now that it looked like Rosie took after Lily. Petunia hadn't, but the fear was always there.

Penny thought this was why Rosie wasn't satisfied with just leaving those boys in the hallway until someone came around to free them. Those boys and their hate for Rosie reflected Rosie's own hate, for herself. If Penny's brother had been there he would have said that Rosie would have never actually been satisfied until she knew her sister one hundred percent accepted her, and Rosie grew to accept herself.

"When are you going to finish your potions and history of magic assignments?" Penny turned to ask her friend, ignoring when the doors of the great hall opened again to reveal the three from yesterday, pale and limping. They were alive, which was probably better than whatever Regulus had planned to do if he had found them alone.

Rosie smiled a little smile, a genuine smile, and pulled two finished scrolls out of her bag.

"Regulus helped me finish them after we took care of the pest problem," Rosie unrolled the scrolls to show Penny they were two and a half feet of parchment a piece. "On an unrelated note, Regulus has made sure that we shouldn't be bothered again."

Penny just smiled pleasantly, sad, because she couldn't be a part of this part of her friends life, but relieved because her friend had found someone who could be.

*******

It was Christmas break, and Rosie was practically beaming. Petunia hadn't been fond of owls when Lily had sent them home and Rosie hadn't bothered to write. Even mail sent out from Hogsmeade was owled. So Rosie understandably missed her sister more than anything when she, Penny, and Regulus boarded the train so they could go home for the holidays. Penny hadn't stopped talking about seeing her brother again, and Regulus had been relentlessly asking Rosie if she would come visit him over break. Apparently torturing those slytherin boys had brought Rosie and Regulus together in the boys mind, and now he wanted to see how Rosie would fare against his mother.

"Come on, Rosebud," Regulus begged teasingly, his long legs easily keeping up with Rosie's strides, no matter how fast she and Penny walked to lose him. The only good thing with having the seventh year by their side was that the crowd parted like the red sea for the slytherin, his reputation proceeds him. "It would only be a short visit, and I wanted to introduce you to my house elf."

Penny, who had been listening to the conversation since it began back at the doors of Hogwarts, found herself grinning. Though she might have accepted it, Penny had never liked that Regulus called Rosie the 'm' word. Now he had switched to another name which had proved to be even more annoying to Rosie.

"I will not put myself under the scrutiny of your blood purist mother for your amusement. Nor will I meet your stupid little house elf," Rosie huffed, darting into an empty train compartment and pulling Penny in after her. Once the girls were safely in, the door closed behind them and left Regulus standing alone in the hallway. "Go find your friends and ask them to visit you!"

Regulus made a face at Rosie though the window, before he disappeared off towards where the slytherins always sat. Penny and Rosie watched him go, before Rosie turned around and rested her back against the door.

"You know he's going to get you to his house over break one way or another, right? Even if he has to apparate to your sister's house and drag you away?" Penny asked, a big grin on her face. Rosie sighed and sank further back into the door.

"Yeah," she groaned. "I know."

*******

"Rosie!" Rosie heard the welcome sound of Petunia calling out across the crowd. Rosie's eyes scanned until she saw her sister, then her eyes zeroed in on Petunia's stomach. In the three months Rosie had been at school, Petunia's little baby bump had turned into a full on attraction. Petunia must have been the only one who wasn't getting jostled around on the platform. Witches and wizards waiting for their children would get close, see Petunia's protruding stomach, and then veer away. "Over here, honey!"

Penny, who had been standing beside Rosie looking for her brother, had heard the sound and looked towards it. When she looked back at Rosie the girl was gone, darting across the platform and leaping into her sister's open arms. The two of them were smiling wide enough to cause people to stop and stare, the two beautiful women drawing more than a bit of attention. While Penny was watching the scene, her brother sidled up beside her and wrapped one of his large arms around her shoulders.

"Is that the infamous Rosie Evans that you've told me so much about?" Penny's brother, Sebastian asked as he too, watched the sisters reunite. "She's certainly all you've said she was, and more."

Penny grinned up at her brother, before she took his hand. She glanced back at the train to see Regulus leaping off and looking around for either them, or his parents. Regulus caught Penny's eyes and he winked.

"Come meet her, Sebby," Penny pleaded, beginning to tug her brother in their direction. "You'll love her, and she'll love you, and you can be friends with her just like I am!"

Sebastian threw his head back and laughed, a rich sound that drew the appreciative attention of more than a few witches. He allowed himself to be lead like a dog, Penny being quite insistent.

From Regulus's spot on the train steps he looked around to find Rosie, having already seen Penny. Of course if he had given it any thought he would have realized that watching Penny would lead to Rosie, but his mind was on other things.

Regulus's eyes scanned the crowd once, twice, and then he saw her. Rosie was in the arms of a very pregnant woman with the same hair color as her. Off to the side a large man was watching the scene with a small smile on his face. Regulus was about to begin making his way over when his mother stepped in front of him, stopping his progress.

"Regulus," Walburga said formally, looking at her son from head to toe. The last time Walburga had seen Regulus he had been boarding the train, making sure to not move his back if he could help it. Now he was walking like he owned the world. He had purpose in his steps and courage in his eyes.

"Mother," Regulus's words were just as formal, and before the woman's eyes the man that had stepped off the train changed. He was still brave and purposeful, but he had also gained a glint in his eyes. He was not afraid of her and he wanted her to know. "I want you to meet some friends of mine before we leave. One of them will be coming to visit me over break."

Without another word, Regulus stepped off the last stair of the stain and lead his mother towards Rosie's family.