BY THE SYCAMORE TREE | regulus black

they don't know

Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.

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December had turned to April faster than she had liked. The air got warmer and the snow became rain— she liked rain. But not as much as snow. Maybe she would grow to prefer rain. Things change as you got older, that's what mum said, and things did change.

She finally learned what Susie Bowman had meant when the older girl said that Mrs. Fitzpatrick didn't like people like her. It didn't feel very good. She understood why it made her mum sad now. So maybe she didn't like change? Because she had been happier before she knew.

Then again— maybe change was good. Her and Sirius still wrote letters, that was a change from before, and that made her happy. Maybe change wasn't bound to only one emotion, which made sense. If she could feel different emotions then certainly words could too. So change could be many things.

She was spending two days at the McKinnon house— that was a change. She had never been apart from mum before, not even for a sleepover. That made her feel excited. It was a wonderful coincidence that her friend Sirius went to school with Rosie's siblings. He was even friends with Marlene. Maybe she could write Sirius a letter and he could come play with them. That would be fun.

The other boy's name was funny. Even funnier than Sirius, which she didn't think was possible.

Regulus. But his brother called him Reg. Or Reggie.

At least Sirius sounded like serious, that was at least a word she had heard before. Though Sirius wasn't very serious. She liked it, he made her laugh. And he did live in Grimmauld Place, though he wouldn't tell her what number. He said it was a secret. Sirius was very unserious.

Regulus was her age, or so Sirius said. But he said his brother didn't like to play, or to leave their house. He sounded very strange. Sirius also said that they had been fighting since Sirius left for school, she didn't know why. Didn't ask. That made her sad for her friend. She wished she had a brother, or a sister. If she did she hoped she wouldn't fight with them.

Rosalind was the closest thing she had to a sister, and they didn't fight.

Rosie fought with her siblings— especially her brothers, she learned that as soon as she stepped through their front door. They didn't fight for real though.

One was Ewan, he was the oldest. Then there was Oscar, he was next. They looked alike, all four of the McKinnon kids did. They were chasing Rosalind around the front room when her mum dropped her off, she could hear Rosie
laughing even from the porch.

Marlene gave her a hug. It was very nice, and she had been speaking to Marlene through Sirius' letters for weeks. Her friend Lily was staying over too, but she knew that already from the letters.

The two days went by fast— even faster than December to April. Which made sense. Days were quicker than months. She had fun though. Marlene and Lily told her and Rosie about school, and they taught her how to play chess. Rosie already knew, but she pretended she didn't so that she wouldn't feel alone. She loved Rosalind.

The older girls even played fairies with her and Rosie in the garden, even though that was for little kids. Oscar and Ewan even played once, they pretended they were trolls and chased them around the yard until her stomach hurt from laughing. She loved the McKinnons. And Marlene's friend Lily.

When she came home Sirius was by the sycamore tree. She missed the tree while she was gone. She had just learned how to climb it that past summer, and if she went to boarding school like Sirius, Marlene and Lily she would be sad to leave it. That was why she didn't envy them. Even if it was as fancy as Rosie said it was.

After she watched an episode of coronation street with her mum she went out to the tree. Sirius was still there— he told her he would be. He was sad again. She gave him a hug. She wished he could have come to the Mckinnons. Maybe next time.

She could see Regulus— it was her first time seeing him since she had become friends with Sirius. She found it strange she never saw him, how did he leave his house? But he was over by the complex of homes eleven through fifteen. She could see him peaking from behind the bricks.

She didn't tell Sirius. It didn't seem like something that would make him happy. His brother didn't look happy, so he might have only upset Sirius further.

She wished they could get along. Maybe it would be better when Regulus went to the fancy school with him. He surely needed to get out of their house more. Whichever number it was.

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