Flora And Fawna [HARRY POTTER]

15

As soon as the train stopped, Professor Flitwick was ushering Rosie and Penny off. Apparently Rosie's patronus had flown directly to Dumbledore. Regulus had been found, but he was in bad shape. He had several deep wounds that were not healing no matter how hard Madame Pomfrey tried, and he had somehow splinched himself. Presumably getting away from whoever had attacked him.

Regulus was in the hospital wing and Rosie and Penny were being escorted to his side. Dumbledore had thought they would want to say their last goodbyes, as Regulus wasn't going to make it to the morning.

The door was hardly opened before Rosie shot away from the charms professor's side, darting down the rows of beds until she found the only one that was occupied. Regulus looked dreadful. But he was awake and his face lit up as much as a dying man's could when he saw Rosie.

"Rosebud," Regulus rasped when Rosie came into view, beside herself. "I'm glad you made it."

Regulus had been told he was going to die. He had accepted it the second he got hit by the curse. He had just wanted to see his little mudblood one last time.

Rosie stepped closer, the light from one of the lanterns falling across her face and revealing the tears falling down her cheeks. Regulus' stomach dropped.

He hadn't expected her to cry.

Penny stayed back, watching the scene from the door. She no longer hated Regulus but she was pretty sure that she wasn't the last thing Regulus wanted to see before he died. Penny was there for Rosie, who was there for Regulus. That was enough.

"I almost didn't," Rosie choked out.  "You weren't anywhere on the train, and then those slytherins said they hadn't seen you. The train was so slow and I thought-"

Regulus cut Rosie off with a tried smile, and opened his arms for the girl.

"I'm cold, Rosebud. Why don't you come over and keep a dying boy warm in his last minutes."

Rosie sobbed, once, before she clamored into the hospital bed beside Regulus. She didn't care that she was getting blood all over her robes, just like Regulus didn't care that her addition caused the splinch wound on his shoulder to ache and burn. The pain would be over soon, so he didn't care.

Rosie nestled into the boy's arms, pushing her face into the curve between his shoulder and neck. Regulus always had this scent about him. It was part peppermint, but the other part was all his own. And Rosie wanted to remember it like it was the last time she would be smelling it. Because it probably was.

"I don't want you do die," Rosie whispered, her breath fanning across Regulus' neck. "Why did you have to go and get yourself killed?"

Regulus chuckled, then winced because it hurt him to do so.

"I was doing it for you, Rosebud. You, Petunia, even Penny. None of you were safe with the Dark Lord out there. I had to stop him for you. And I tried. I failed."

Regulus coughed, and it was a wet sound that made Rosie's tears fall even faster.

"Don't say that," Rosie begged. "You haven't failed at anything in your life. Now is no time to start."

Regulus smiled at her, his eyes warm. They fought, he and Rosie,  but none of that mattered just then. Rosie was sweet, and kind, and she had saved him from dying in that alley. She was the one that taught him about something other than hate.

"Rosebud," Regulus knew his time was up. His hands were cold and he was beginning to see the light. "I took care of you, I promise. I just wanted to tell you that.  You'll be taken care of until your as old as Mrs. Figg. I want you to know how much our friendship meant to me."

Rosie smiled softly, through her tears, and snuggled further into the boy. She could feel how cold he was getting. She knew what was coming.

Across the ward, Penny, Professor Flitwick, and Madame Pomfrey were standing by the door and watching from a respectful distance. Both madame and professor had seen death before, the war had been happening long enough that they would have had to have been bloody lucky not to have. But somehow, watching a little first year muggleborn weep over her dying friend touched them in a way the others hadn't.

As had been pointed out many times before, Rosie looked angelic. To see her pretty face twisted into such a look of pain,  of anguish, made their hearts hurt. And then there was the loss of a student, Regulus had fallen off the path but he was a student all the same. And now they had to watch him die.

"You're my best friend, Regulus," Rosie's voice was hoarse, and choked. "You'll always be my best friend."

Regulus smiled one last time, his heart warm even as his limbs grew cold. Dying wasn't really as painful as everyone told him it would be.

Regulus had been a death eater, so he had thought he had known what to expect. It was an occupational hazard for him. He had been told it would feel like burning. Like the cruciatus curse time one billion. But it wasn't anything like that.

As it turned out, dying felt like going to sleep. Regulus's eyes grew heavy and his brain got foggy. His pain melted away and Regulus felt like he had been awake for far too long, and he had just set down on the most comfortable feather bed known to wizard and muggle alike. But he kept himself awake, his fading vision filled with green. The green of Rosie's eyes.

Rosie's eyes were shining as she watched her best friend fade before her. Over and over she chanted, repeated, three words. Rosie pulled away from Regulus' side, leaning over him so his blank eyes could see her face. She knew tears had to be streaming down her pale face, she could feel the stiff skin where the others had dried.

Later, her skin would be red and blotchy. For the time being though Rosie's skin was beautiful, and it was horribly ironic. At the very least as Rosie cried and Regulus faded away with a tired smile on his chapped lips, he had something beautiful to look at.

Long after he had gone, Rosie was still crying. She was still chanting her three words like they were a prayer that would bring back her best friend.

"I love you," until her voice was hoarse. "I love you."

Until Penny, Madame Pomfrey, and Professor Flitwick together came over and pried her from the corpse of Regulus Black.