Flora And Fawna [HARRY POTTER]

11

Regulus hadn't like to speak about his mother, but from what Rosie had heard she expected some tall, intimidating figure. She didn't expect a little old woman with a kneezle fur around her shoulders. Walburga Black had a killer stare, that was for certain. But she had a long ways to go before she was as scary as Lily was right before her NEWTs.

Regulus and his mother had appeared not long after Penny and her brother had. Sebastian, as it turned out, was a squib who worked at a muggle hospital in London as a psychiatrist. Petunia warmed right up to him.

"You must be Regulus' friends from school," Walburga said the words like they left an awful taste in her mouth, and Rosie grinned. Normally Rosie would try to make the newcomer like her, but Rosie had been reunited with her sister now and Petunia was the only person Rosie needed to like her.

"You must be Mrs. Black," Rosie's voice was almost a hiss as a dangerous smile flitted across her face. A brief look of shock flitted across Walburga's. "Your son has told me so much about you and your beautiful home. Thank you so much for inviting me to visit."

Walburga and Rosie had created their own little standoff. Off to the side Regulus, Penny, Sebastian and Rosie's sister and brother in law were watching the scene like it was a new action movie. Regulus was practically giddy watching his friend square off with his mother, the two women terrifying in their own right. If Regulus had to put money on the victor though, he would have put all his life savings on Rosie.

"Yes," Walburga drawled, having regained her footing and her sense of pride. "My son neglected to tell me he had invited a mudblood, but we will look past that. I'm sure you'll show the necessary respect to your betters."

Off to the side, Penny and Petunia frowned. Penny even went to step forward and defend her friend because Walburga wasn't saying the word with the same fondness her son did, but Regulus and Sebastian held her back. Rosie didn't need her help anyway. The cherub looking girl smiled sweetly, her dark look from before disappearing in a blink.

"Yes," Rosie mocked the older witch's words with a sugar sweet voice. "Your son and house elf will have my utmost respect while I am in their home, Walburga."

Regulus held a hand over his mouth to hide his cackle, and though Petunia didn't know exactly what was going on the glee coming from the two wizards and squib was enough to tell her Rosie was in the right. And winning.

Walburga's face went an unhealthy shade of purple and she went to reach for her wand. Before she could though, two familiar slytherin faces appeared on either side of her. They were two of the three boys that Regulus and Rosie had gone back for after their little group tried to attack Rosie and Penny.

"Auntie!" they cheered with pale faces, eyes darting between Rosie and Walburga. "Mother wants to talk to you before you leave. She doesn't know what to have the house elf make for Christmas dinner," they lead the woman away, continuing to glance between Rosie, and their aunt. Rosie smiled sweetly at them and waved as they disappeared into the crowd.

Once the trio was gone, Regulus and Penny burst forward. Penny threw her arms around Rosie and Regulus just rested his elbow on her head, like she was his own personal armrest.

"That was so cool, Rosie!" Penny cheered. "That witch with a 'b' totally came over here to put you where she thought you belonged and you just came out with telling her you thought her house elf was better than her!"

Regulus felt the need to add on.

"That little preview was the exact reason I wanted you over!" Regulus told her, his face split in half by his massive grin. Watching his mother be pushed off the massive pedestal she had put herself on had been very satisfying. "And now you've agreed to join me!"

Rosie rolled the eyes at the two, raising her hands to roughly remove Regulus' arm from her head. Once he was off of her she went about removing Penny a little more gently.

"I guess I did, didn't I?" She said smartly, looking over to her sister to see a grin almost as big as Regulus' had taken its place on her face. Even Vernon, who had been even more lost than Petunia, was smiling gently at his sister in law. Vernon knew enough to know whatever name that horrid woman had called Rosie had been more than rude. He had quite enjoyed watching the woman be put in her place. "If that's okay with my sister and Vernon anyway."

Petunia rolled her pretty blue eyes.

"Of course you can go to that wretched woman's house," Petunia huffed, moving past her husband and Sebastian to come to stand in front of Rosie. "As soon as you answer one question. Why haven't you been writing me while you were away? I missed you like crazy and guess how many letters I got. None. Zero. Do you know how silly I felt waiting for an owl that never came?"

Rosie dropped her head, looking at her shoes. She mumbled something that Petunia couldn't quite catch.

"What?" the eldest sister asked. "Speak up, silly thing."

Rosie looked up, to look her sister in the eyes once more.

"I said," she repeated. "That you hated seeing the owls so much when Lily was in school that I didn't want to send an owl and make you uncomfortable. I wrote you letters, and they're in my trunk if you wanted to read them, but I didn't think you would want an owl showing up on your front porch."

Petunia's face fell, and she pulled her sister into a hug as best she could. It wasn't easy because of the large child situated between Petunia's hips, but it worked nonetheless.

"It's been years since Lily, and she wouldn't have owled us anyway. I'm older now, and wiser. And I'd be willing to put up with and feed one of those filthy birds if it meant I got to hear from my favorite sister once in a while." Petunia said gently.

Rosie buried her freckled face in the shoulder of her sister's cartigain and the two held each other for a long moment. After that moment was over Rosie pulled away, smiled at her sister, and turned to her friends.

"Regulus, I know your mother will want to take you home now. But some time over break we really must get together."