• • •
let's cause a little
trouble
• • •
For their luck, Seraphina Morgenstern didn't realise her kids were hungover as she picked them off from the station. They told her they were tired, and she believed them, sending them all to rest before they had lunch.
"Amara?" Rose called as she knocked on her cousin's door, not waiting for an answer before opening the door.
"I'm tired, Ro," Amara groaned form her bed, the duvet covering her and all Rose could see was the blob of messy brown hair in the pillow.
"Oh, get over yourself," Rose huffed, jumping into the bed and making herself comfortable. "A hangover isn't that bad."
"You should know that's a big fat lie," Amara sneered, her voice muffled by her pillow. "Anyhow, what are you doing here?"
"Didn't want to be alone in my room," Rose shrugged. "Do you wanna go for ice cream? That place in town is good and we haven't been there in forever."
"It's freezing outside and you want me to walk all the way to the other side of town for ice cream?" Amara asked in disbelief, sitting up right in her bed and grabbing onto Rose's hands. "What's going on, Ro? You're acting odd."
"What? Of course I'm not," Rose laughed, not meeting her cousin's eye.
"Go on," Amara insisted, smiling sweetly at Rose. "Tell me what is it."
"It's nothing, Ames, I mean it," Rose lied, clearing her throat.
"Alright," Amara sighed. "You'll talk when you're ready."
• • •
As it turns out, Rose didn't talk as soon as Amara would've liked her to. Instead, days went by and Rose was quiet and careful on the topics she spoke about. Even if Avalon went on and on about the parting party, Rose simply said it was fun, but nothing else.
"It's Christmas's eve tomorrow," Seraphina said cheerfully as the family, except for her husband, sat around the breakfast table. "It was a real shame that your brother couldn't join us this year, Rose."
Rose looked up, smiling at her aunt sweetly. "It truly was a shame, but I will try to convince him to come with me next time, Aunt Seraphina."
"It'll be a pleasure to have him," smiled Seraphina, switching her gaze over to her children. "Today I have to run some errands in Diagon Alley, if you fancy, I could take you three with me-"
"Thank you, mother," Avalon interrupted, earning a hard glare from his mother. "But we've got something planned today."
"Oh, really?" Seraphina asked, intrigued.
"Adrian is getting here after breakfast," Amara said, sipping her tea. "We'll go into town."
"I reckon if the four of you stick together, you will be alright," said Seraphina, turning her eyes to Rose. "You've been awfully quiet, darling. Is everything alright?"
Rose tore her eyes away from her breakfast, startled. "Me?"
"Yes, dear, you've been distracted," Seraphina said in a worried tone. Amara and Avalon were now staring at Rose in confusion. Yes, they had noticed her cousin being even more vague than usual, but that morning she had spoken one time in total.
"I'm just thinking, that's all," Rose said, her smile flickering.
"Well, don't dwell on your thoughts for too much, Rose," Seraphina said gently. "Or you could get lost in them."
"Will do," Rose chuckled, ignoring the glare Amara was throwing her.
"Morning, everyone!" A loud voice was heard from the sitting room, were the fireplace was.
"It's Adrian!" Avalon cheered, cupping his hands over his mouth and yelling back at him. "Over here!"
"Avalon, no yelling in the house!" Seraphina scold sternly, standing from her seat. "I'll be going then, be good, you four."
Just as Seraphina stepped away form the dinning room, Adrian came in, wearing his signature devilish smirk.
"Hullo," he said, sitting down besides Rose and taking a piece of toast from her plate. When she didn't respond in any way, merely nodding as he took her food, he raised his eyebrows, shoving her shoulder lightly. "What is it with you?"
"That's been today's question, mate," snorted Avalon.
"It's nothing, alright?" Rose snapped, frustrated with the questions. "Can we go no?"
"Fine," said Avalon, offended. "Whatever."
• • •
Dear Rose,
You haven't been answering any of my letters, and I reckon I know why. Perhaps we left things a little awkward before you left, but I want to talk to you about what happened on the party. I promise you no one found out, and I will keep it that way, but I need you to talk to me.
At least reply saying that you'll think about it.
Love, Fred.
Rose sighed, placing the letter back in her bedside table and laying down in her bed. She groaned in frustration, pulling a book from her trunk and opening it, not being able to concentrate in the words that were written.
For a few days now she had been battling with whether to write back to Fred or not. She knew she had to speak with him at some point, but her feelings about what had happened weren't clear enough for her to know what to do. Should she tell Fred that it was all some drunken mistake? Should she talk it all with him? Did he remember anything apart from the vague flashbacks?
Questions kept flooding her mind until a loud knock was heard from the door, startling Rose.
"Yes?" She called, sitting up in her bed.
"Ro?" Amara called from the other side. "Can I come in?"
"Sure," Rose yelled, pushing Fred's letter under her pillow.
"I brought some tea and scones," Amara offered, placing a tray filled with goods over Rose's desk.
"If this is another attempt for me to talk-"
"It's not," Amara interrupted with a shrug, taking a seat besides Rose. "You don't want to talk, I won't make you."
Rose saw right through her cousin's words. She knew the brunette was only trying to help, but Rose was the one who told Fred to say nothing, not even to his brother. But this was Amara, the same Amara who had kept Rose's secret about her elemental. Amara, the one who kept her nightmares away, the one who would go into war blindly of Rose were to ask. As those thoughts rushed through the red head's head, fear grew. She had grown to trust Amara, something not many people were capable of.
It would be a lie if Rose didn't admit that the first person Rose wanted to cry to when she woke up the morning after the party was Amara. She wanted to tell Amara how confused she was, how sad she was about her breakup with Cedric and her night with Fred.
By then, Amara was already settled comfortably besides Rose, eating the scones she had brought and playing with her wand.
"Ames," Rose whispered, gulping down her guilt and looking ahead, not daring to look at her cousin. "I did something bad."
Amara's eyebrows furrowed, giving Rose a confused look. "Oh?"
"I shagged Fred," she admitted quietly, bitting her lip and playing with her fingers nervously.
"What?" Amara gasped loudly, jumping from the bed as if it had zapped her. "Did I hear right, you shagged Fr-"
"Shut it!" Rose snapped, placing her hand over Amara's mouth, muffling her sentence. "And, yes, you've heard right."
Slowly, Rose took her hand off Amara's mouth, begging that Amara wouldn't scream at her. However, with eyes wide open, Amara took a seat in Rose's bed, staring at the red head in shock.
"And what are you gonna do?" Amara asked gently. Rose's expression turned to confusion, tilting her head.
"No yelling?" asked Rose. "You won't tell me what a mess I've placed myself in? Or that I dug a hole I won't be able to get out off?"
"No point in yelling if you're already torturing yourself enough," Amara acknowledged. "All I can do is help you get out of it."
Rose nodded, digging under her pillow and taking out Fred's letter.
"Here," Rose sighed, handing the letter to Amara. "I received this from Fred this morning."
To Rose's surprise, Amara barked a laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Ro," Amara giggled, putting down the letter. "Fred fancies you."
"No, he doesn't," said Rose quickly, her cheeks tainting red.
"Oh, yes he does," Amara countered, putting her hair in a ponytail. "It's crystal clear. You'd have to be blind to not notice."
"What do you mean?" Rose asked, her voice low.
"Can't believe you haven't noticed before," Amara said. "He was insufferable when you were together with Cedric, and he's not Adrian's biggest fan either."
"Amara, you're missing the point," Rose implied desperately. "What do I do about Fred."
"It's obvious, isn't it?" hinted Amara. "You talk to him."