Mischief Not-Quite-Managed (Currently being revised and edited to the extreme)

Chapter Eight ~ Rose

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Chapter Eight ~ Rose

"Are you stupid?" demanded Rose as she stormed into the Shrieking Shack, glaring at her father and honorary uncle.

"Lovely to see you, too," Sirius shot back sarcastically, and the grin that had appeared on James's face when he had seen her was replaced with a frown.

"What's wrong?" he inquired, taking a step towards her, but halting as she turned her icy look to him.

"'What's wrong'?  'What's wrong'!  Are you kidding me?  What's wrong, father dearest," she sneered, making him flinch back slightly, but she didn't care.  How could they not understand that she was angry because she was worried?  How could they have been so reckless?  Did they not understand that they scared her to death pulling a stunt like that?  When they could have been seen and captured, nonetheless!  "What's worng is that you two pulled a stupid stunt!  Did you honestly think that going into the castle and attacking the Fat Lady would do anything for you?  It just makes you look more guilty!"

They seemed to recognize the undertone of pain in her voice, and their shocked, defensive postures softened.  The sympathetic looks they gave her made her suddenly feel weak, and she turned away as they moved to embrace her.  She felt a pang of guilt considering she probably hurt their feelings, but she hated feeling weak and showing any signs of weakness.  She hated seeing weak people, and took the initiative to be strong for them, and often stood up for anyone put in a tight spot.  It was on the list of things she had in common with Stella and Kat.

A grimace made it's way on to her face without her realizing it.  Kat and Stella....  She could feel her relationship with them suffering since she started going to see their fathers.  She couldn't tell them, though.  Kat wouldn't believe her - it had torn her apart when Sirius was convicted, and it had taken a while to recover.  Rose didn't know what kind of emotional tole it might have on Kat if she suddenly discovered his innocence.  And Stella... Stella would insist on telling Kat, saying that she had a right to know the truth.  While she might have been right, Rose couldn't put her friend through that kind of pain.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she blew out a long breath, running an agitated hand through her long, black locks, childishly hoping that when she opened her eyes, she would find the answers to her problems.  Slowly, she opened them, but instead of the answers, she saw a familiar face - her Dad.

He gave her a small smile, pulling her into a hug that she cursed herself for melting into pathetically.  Kat wasn't the only one that had been a 'Daddy's Girl' when they were younger.  And, as much as Rose hated to admit it - she had really needed her Dad.

She felt his hand smooth her hair as he held her comfortingly, murmuring into her ear.  "It's alright... we're fine... we promise we won't do anything dangerous again, okay?"

Rose nodded against his chest, but she didn't let go, allowing herself to put all of the emotion that had been cooped up inside of her into that hug.  All of the emotion that she held back, even when they were reunited for the first time in 12 years.  The fear of Sirius and her father being ripped out of her life again had triggered something in her, though, and she could no longer help herself.

It seemed her father was doing the same as she soon heard his voice, raw with emotion, saying, "I'm sorry - I'm so, so sorry."

After her emotional time with her father and Sirius in the Shrieking Shack, Rose had quickly pulled herself together and moved on, not wishing to dwell on her moment of sickening weakness any longer than she had to, and she soon left, realizing that she had Quidditch practice.  She couldn't afford to be late after all of the ones that she had missed during her period of self-loathing that followed the huge argument between Harry and herself.