Flora And Fawna [HARRY POTTER]

13

"Lovely to see you again, Rosebud!" Regulus threw open the door to number twelve Grimmauld place. "You have no idea how dull it was without you here. Mother almost had a conniption this morning, making sure the house was just perfect so she could prove she deserved your unwavering loyalty."

Regulus might have been grinning, but his eyes were tired. Rosie decided she would cut the boy some slack, especially when she saw that his sleeves were rolled up and his dark mark was out for the world to see. They hadn't spoken about it but it was clear Regulus wouldn't show his dark mark unless he was asked to. Just another effort by Walburga Black to drive Rosie away.

Rosie stepped forward and handed Regulus a potion.

"This is the same potion I offered you that night two and a half months ago. It's also your Christmas present. It will make the mark hurt less."

Then Rosie ran her finger down the dark mark, making Regulus shiver.

"Happy Christmas, then," Regulus said breathlessly as he took the potion from her and tossed back. He had known her long enough to trust that she wasn't trying to kill him. Once he had put that out of his mind he didn't particularly care what she gave him. Almost instantly a cooling sensation pooled in his stomach. Then the feeling raced out, Regulus shivered, and the burning in his arm dulled. The pain was gone and Regulus sighed in relief.

"It worked then," Rosie nodded, moving to step past him Regulus caught ahold of her arm and pulled her into his chest.

"Thank you, Rosebud," Regulus whispered into Rosie's ear. Then he released her.

******* 

Walburga was less than pleased to see the little mudblood didn't seem at all phased by the mark on her son's arm. If her son hadn't spent the majority of break bragging about how intelligent his 'little Rosebud' was, Walburga would think the little thing was too stupid to realize what it was. But no, the mudblood did know, she could see it in the little witch's eyes every time she looked at it. She just didn't seem to care.

If she had been a pureblood Walburga would have been impressed.

"So," Walburga began, sitting beside her husband, Orion, and starring the little witch down. "Regulus has told me that you can do wandless magic. I hardly believe that, but it's an impressive lie." Walburga would like nothing more than to get the little thing suspended for underage magic out of Hogwarts, but Rosie didn't take the bait.

"Believe whatever you want," Rosie shrugged, and Regulus was interested to see Rosie was treating his parents just how she had first treated him when they had met. Completely uninterested and unimpressed.

As the day went on, Regulus had the great satisfaction to see his mother grow more and more infuriated with Rosie, while his father just sat back and watched Walburga make a fool of herself. Finally, it came time for Rosie to go and Walburga almost snarled at her when Rosie gave her a pleasant, obviously fake little smile. Regulus walked Rosie to the door, Kreacher popped up and gave Rosie the recipes she had asked for. Rosie had eaten dinner with the family and Kreacher and Orion had had to reluctantly agree that she was not that bad.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Rosie thanked, bowing to the little creature and making its ugly cheeks flush angirly. Rosie had done the first bow in front of Walburga just to annoy her. Then the house elf had been so flustered she had needed to do it again, and again, much to Regulus' amusement.

Kreacher grimaced back, then disappeared with another pop.

*******

Christmas morning met with Rosie, Vernon, and Petunia sitting around the living room with a small pile of presents in front of each of them. Petunia was practically bouncing with excitement, but they were waiting for the last person. The week before, Petunia had asked Mrs. Figg if she was going to have anyone over for Christmas and the little old woman had revealed that she didn't have anyone that would come over. So Petunia had insisted she join them.

Petunia had been up early cooking Christmas dinner for the four of them, she was so excited. Between her first meeting with the adorable Mrs. Figg and then, Petunia had grown quite close with the woman. She had been studying under Mrs. Figg how to brew simple potions, mostly ones that would make her back feel better and help her pregnancy along as she got bigger and bigger. The fact that she could do magic, that magic was a part of her life no matter her muggle status or not had put Petunia in an extraordinarily good mood.

Finally, to Petunia it felt like Mrs. Figg took forever to trek through the snow that had accumulated on the street between the two houses, the doorbell rang and Petunia sprang up to get it. 

"We're so glad you could make it," Petunia said cheerily, taking both Mrs. Figg's coat and the large sheet covered object. "We were worried that you had lost your way!"

Mrs. Figg laughs back, and winks at Petunia. The heavily pregnant woman sneaks the thing under the sheet away, then ushers the old squib into the living room, where she has her own small pile of presents waiting for her.

*******

All the presents had been opened except for one, the one that Petunia had picked up on her trip to Diagon Alley. Petunia and Vernon shared a look before the large man pushed himself up from where he had settled down in his comfortable lounger, and lumbered into the kitchen. Rosie looked around in confusion, before she started to get up as well. No one else had been getting up, but if her brother in law was in the kitchen she could only assume it was dinner time. Rosie couldn't imagine what else it could be.

Rosie's sister pet her hand on her shoulder, and gently guided her back to the ground. Everyone was staring at Rosie, beaming at her, and Rosie had no idea why.

"What's-" Rosie trailed off as Vernon came back in, carrying the same sheet covered shape Petunia had stashed away earlier. Vernon carefully set the thing down and there was a squawk from inside. Rosie leapt away from it.

"What is that?" She squeaked, eyeing the shape under the sheet like it was going to come alive and leap at her. It wouldn't, of course. Petunia rolled her eyes and gestured towards the shape impatiently.

"You'll never know if you don't open it," Petunia chides and all the adults in the room watch with great interest as Rosie crept forward and grabbed ahold of one of the corners of the sheet. Petunia held her breath, crossing all her fingers and toes as she hoped more than anything that Rosie would like her gift. It had been hard enough to buy the thing, Petunia, Mrs. Figg, and Sebastian were two squibs and a muggle after all. Somehow they had managed it though, and also managed to keep the gift a secret from the first year which it was intended for.

Rosie closed her eyes, held her breath, and yanked on the sheet. It came off with a little effort to reveal a cage, more importantly the bird inside.

Rosie had seen an owl before, they were all over Hogwarts carting mail for the students. besides that Lily had sent loads of them while she was away at school. But Rosie had never had to be close to one. Lily hadn't sent her sisters any owls and whenever Rosie saw them at school they were delivering letters to the other children, or soaring out of the owlery. And now there was a caged one sitting in her living room, staring at her with the biggest yellow eyes Rosie had ever seen.

Rosie looked to Petunia, who should have been freaking out about the fact that there was a nearly wild animal in her living room. Petunia was furious the time Rosie tried to bring home a puppy, but she was sitting perfectly content, looking at Rosie with a little grin on her face. Rosie looked between her sister, to the owl, to her aunt again.

"Is this mine?" Rosie didn't know whether to be hopeful or not. She wanted to be able to write her sister whenever she could, being so far away from the woman had practically killed her. She had Penny and Regulus, but it wasn't the same. Besides that if her sister was offering her an owl, then maybe Petunia didn't hate her. Didn't look at her and remember her hatred for their sister, Lily.

Petunia grinned, and nodded.

"I was thinking about what you said, about me not wanting an owl around. Rosie, I want you to know that I love you no matter how magical you are. You are not our sister, trying to keep the world from me. You are my little sister, the girl I raised, and the witch I will proudly watch grow up."

Vernon sniffed, and turned away, ald lumbered back into the kitchen.