Flora And Fawna [HARRY POTTER]

45

Rosie had finally gotten number twelve livable again, and after much consideration she had decided that it was time to move out of her sister's house and into the townhouse, which she would then renovate herself while she and harry lived there. Of course her decision was met with much argument, both from Petunia and Dudley and from Kreacher, who was trying to convince Rosie that the house was perfect the way it was. 

Petunia's argument has been that Rosie was attending university now, and had no business trying to both raise a child and get an education. Petunia was apparently worried that Rosie would wear herself too thin and would get sick, something Rosie had never done so she wasn't actually sure what made Petunia worry about it. Rosie had reminded Petunia that women went to school and raised children every day, and Rosie could do it just as well as any of them. Besides that she had noticed that Petunia had been getting a little larger in the last few weeks so Rosie was assured that her sister wouldn't have a problem at all filling the space Rosie and Harry left empty.

The move took several days but it was managed, and Harry had no problems settling into his new home. Especially after Rosie removed the shrunken house elf head from the stairway.

*******

About a week after she, Harry, and Kreacher moved into number twelve and Rosie had gotten Harry and herself situated in some spare bedrooms, Rosie came across a room with the letter HJP scrolled across the front, something that caught her attention. She knew, already, that the letters on the doors stood for the initials of the owner, but this far all the initials had ended in B, for Black. Rosie's curiosity drove her to open the door and when she flipped the switch beside the door, it had amused her greatly to know that the great Walburga Black had muggle lamps in her home, she saw a nursery.

It was one of the larger rooms, larger than any of the spare bedrooms Rosie had been working her way through. And when Rosie stepped inside she froze, noting the picture on the wall.

Rosie had only had her portrait painted once, and it had been such a long time ago she had almost forgotten it. During one of her days spent at number twelve over the summer Rosie had brought Harry along to give Petunia a break. Walburga had surprised her with an artist, and told her that the artist would be painting her portrait as she sat with Harry. Rosie hadn't gotten to see the picture when it was finished, something that she had been quite irritated about at the time. But now she knew why.

In the picture she and Harry were smiling at each other, Harry's dark hair just barely coming in and the two of them looking at each other with matching green eyes. Rosie in the picture grinned down at the baby for a moment before she looked back up and hugged baby Harry into her chest while he cooed happily. Rosie's eyes felt a little damp as she watched the painting's movements, her younger face forever cuddling up against Harry's, the boy giving his aunt a gummy smile. Rosie looked around the rest of the room and smiled indulgently when she saw it was decorated in slytherin colors. After seeing the picture it didn't take a genius for Rosie to realize that the room was meant for Harry. And it warmed her heart that Walburga had done it even after having met Harry a handful of times. 

Rosie looked around the room for another moment before she stepped back out into the hallway and gently closed the door behind her. She made a mental note to move Harry out of his current room and into this room when she got the chance.

*******

Bill Weasley missed his best friend terribly, something he never thought he'd say. When he and Rosie had been in school together Rosie had seemed so permanent. But Rosie hadn't been on the train at the start of the year and Bill had most definitely noticed.

It wasn't that Bill didn't have other people he could sit with, he was fairly popular in gryffindor and he was on his house quidditch team, but none of the people compared to Rosie. Not that he could expect them to.