"You say that like it's not your surname."
Lily's friend Marlene's words kept playing in Roses head. She had hurt Lily, and she would have to fix it.
She contemplated all day on how she could make it up to her sister, ultimately she knew whatever she came up with would probably take sometime to plan. Lily deserved a thousand apologies—
A thousand apologies.
That's it.
Rose would write Lily a thousand apologies. Post them all around her dorm, some from Rose's own words, other's exerts from Lily's favorite works of fiction.
She would need help to make it happen. She couldn't get into the Gryffindor dorms on her own, but Ode's sister could get her in. Hopefully. Work on that would start in the morning, luckily the weekend was approaching so she would have plenty of time to make it happen. James and Pete would probably help her work on the notes as well. Both had decent enough handwriting.
And tonight she had yet another apology to make. Rose knew she had crossed a line with Sirius. She knew she was going to have to swallow her pride and tell him she may have projected her own worries onto him— a lot. If anything she should understand him. They were in parallel situations really. Or opposite situations, like looking into a mirror that shows the worst ironies between two people.
Rose had done a good job at avoiding Regulus up to this point considering they were in the same house, but when dinner rolled around(Rose had skipped lunch to begin working on the apologies to Lily) Rose realized the predicament she had put herself in she decided to sit at the Slytherin table her green tie blending in with the others were as it was usually a stark difference between the red ones at her meals.
Out of the corner of her eye Rose saw Regulus sitting with his friends but was reading instead of taking part in their conversation. Like he also didn't want to be there. He had changed, anytime she did see him he seemed cold, others found it posh but Rose didn't. It seemed like he had matured too fast and for the worst. She saw a chocolate frog card between his fingers that he had been using as a makeshift bookmark and memories of the Halloween prior crossed her mind. She wondered if it reminded him of her as well. Most likely not.
Before she knew it the day had gone and she was wrapped up in her green and silver scarf, it covered half her face and made her hair bunch up around her ears and glasses she had been wearing to work on the parchment for her apology to Lily fog but she didn't mind. It got rather cold in the corridors of the stone castle at night and she didn't fancy getting ill from this adventure. She waited in the common room for James' signature knock that let her know to come out, when it came she stepped out of her common room to instantly be pulled under James' invisibility cloak and smushed between James and a very agitated Sirius. As the three walked together, far too close and wobbly for their own good, Rose spoke.
"There's not enough room under here. And where are Peter and Remus?"
"They trusted me enough to be you two's little mediator all on my own."
James said proudly.
"Now where do you want to go to talk?" He asked, and they answered at the same time, not missing a beat.
"Library"
"Astrology tower"
"Greenhouses
"Forbidden forest"
"Forbidden forest really, Black?"
Sirius huffed then asked
"How about you pick Potter?"
"Room of requirement it is."
James took them to the room in question, a room that, as named changed based on the requirements of those who used it. When they arrived there they locked the door behind them and dropped the invisibility cloak.
"Now" James began.
"You gits can have some privacy behind that curtain, don't mind me at all." He continued and sat on the other side of the room, giving them space to talk.
Rose sat on the floor behind the curtain that ran straight across the room, seemingly that is what the room thought they required. Sirius remained leaned on a wall on that same side of the curtain as Rose. He still seemed annoyed at her so Rose made the first move towards reconciliation.
"I really like the Slytherin common rooms."
She said in a small voice, Sirius tsked but didn't leave. A good enough start.
"They are nice and cold aside from the fireplace, you can hear black lake lapping on the windows, there's historical artifacts everywhere, it's like a museum almost."
He listened.
"But I hear them whisper when I'm around. I don't fit there. I don't fit with you. I just don't fit. I thought I was beginning to and then it all switched up."
She swallowed before continuing.
"Do you want to know the password to the slytherin common rooms this year?"
The boy nodded.
"Pureblood."
She whispereed it as if the word could catch afire on her tongue.
"Every time I go back for the night I'm reminded I don't belong. Sirius, if I'm honest, it's me who's jealous. I'm jealous you're a pureblood. I'm jealous you're Regulus' brother. I'm jealous you're a Gryffindor like Lily. I'm not brave like you two. Or wise like a Ravenclaw. I think we have proved by now I'm not kind. All my plants die and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I said that about your family and I've thought worse than what I've said- I was gonna call you cowardly once- a cowardly Gryffindor, I'm so sorr—" The words that had grown quicker and more ragged were cut off.
"I was being a right prat about it all." Sirius finally spoke up. Leaning down to meet the girls eyes. No tears in them. But plenty of regret.
"I'm sorry too. You fit just fine with me."
Yeah two bloody idiots. Bloody lost idiots.
Bright and early the next morning Rose had been snuck into the marauders dorm. Frantically working to fill up all the apologies before Lily woke. James rushing to collect the finished ones. Peter had already had his fill of help and went back to bed, Remus never got up, but he seemed tired so Rose didn't mind and Sirius had written out a large stack himself, the calligraphy far fancier than James or Rose's.
"You've been making enemies out of everyone haven't you, Thorns?" Sirius said, but with a joking tone to his voice and a playful smirk on his face.
"Siblings fight, she knows I love her."
"She definitely will after this!" James exclaimed and Rose laughed.
"Yes Potter, definitely."
Lily and Rose did "fight". Especially back home.
"Have you seen my red skirt Rose?!"
Lily had yelled from the kitchen. Rose looked down at the red skirt she had taken from Lily's room
"Bollocks..."
That incident led to a "fight".
And once Lily had lended something of Rose's to Severus.
That had led to a "fight".
Siblings fought, but Rose had made Lily feel ashamed. And in front of her friends too. Rose had to make this apology big. Dorcas had agreed to help but made no promises that Mary or Alice would not try to intervene.
Rose brought out her wand to gather up all the notes and grabbed the invisibility cloak just in case.
"I'll bring it back lads, wish me luck!"