• • •
It's harder alone when she feels this way
Too lost, there's no home, she's so afraid
• • •
Rose Potter arrived at the Burrow just a few hours after leaving London. She was convinced that as soon as she arrived to The Burrow, she would be the main attraction, answering all of the families' inquiries and maybe having to show off her scar, something she was not very keen on doing.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door faintly. Her hair was tied at the bottom of her head with an elegant forest green pin Seraphina had gifted her as an early birthday present. She could hear screams of glee coming from the backyard, she recognised Ginny's loud laugh, but she would rather speak to Molly before going over to join her friends.
She knocked again, this time without warning, and unlocked the door. Entering the Burrow was not the same as entering Morgenstern Manor; entering the Burrow was like returning to her innocent, peaceful, and safe moments. She persuaded herself that this was a good thing.
Rose entered the kitchen with a tired grin on her lips as she noticed Molly Weasley, her back to her, chopping potatoes for dinner. Molly sung along with the words while the muggle radio played soothing music.
"Molly?" Rose breathed, her voice low but it was enough for Molly to turn to her and crash her into a tight hug.
"Oh, dear," Molly cried, hugging Rose tightly. "I am so glad you've come to stay the rest of the summer with us! Everyone was extremely worried about you- Fred said you stopped answering all the letters!"
"I know, I know," Rose said, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "I've been busy with some errands before Hogwarts, but I feel great now."
"Oh, thank Merlin," Molly smiled, holding Rose's cheeks fondly. "Once I heard what happened I was ready to barge into Hogwarts, but the boys told me you were alright and that had gone home."
Rose chuckled uncomfortably, scratching her neck with her nail. "I-er- I feel a little tired, Molly, do you mind if I rest before dinner?"
"Of course, dear, Ginny's room is all ready for you," Molly said in her sweet motherly voice. "Go say 'hi' to the kids before, they've been waiting for you all morning."
"I will, Molly," Rose said, halfway out the door of the kitchen.
"Oh, and Rose?"
"Yes?" She asked, turning her head back to Molly.
"Anything you need, I am here," she said with a smile.
Rose politely smiled and walked up the stair, thinking she should take a break before meeting everyone. She entered Ginny's room, tossed her bag on the makeshift bed, and changed into a pair of loose pants and a huge blouse she had stolen from Charlie's room years ago, which still fell all the way down her arse.
She strolled softly up to the twins' room after leaving Ginny's. It was as messy as it had always been, with some unsuccessful pranks or experiments on the floor and any knick-knacks that they had lately worked on. Most significantly, the room smelled strongly of Fred; cinnamon, gunpowder and an earthy sent she always got in the Burrow.
With her bones aching and her eyes shutting, she fell lifelessly into Fred's bed, snuggling up close to his pillow and covering her body with the orange duvet. She begged her eyes to simply shut and not recall all of those memories she had been trying to erase. Falling asleep wasn't her issue... it's what she saw when she was asleep that kept her awake.
• • •
Fred Weasley walked up his house's stairs, his nostrils burning in rage. At Quidditch, he had lost to Ginny and Ron... It wouldn't have bothered him as much on any other day, except that his girlfriend had stopped responding to his letters, and he yearned to hold her, reassure her he was there for her no matter what had happened.
"Come on, Fred, don't be like that!" He heard Ginny yell from the bottom of the stair.
"Fuck off, Ginevra!" He cursed back, opening the door to his bedroom and slamming it shut behind him once inside.
To his surprise, a red headed figure laid in his bed. The duvet covered her face but he didn't need to see her to realise who it was. He winced at the door, hoping he hadn't shut it too loudly to wake her up, but as he looked back to his girlfriend, he let out a breath. She was still sound asleep; her soft breathing filled the room. He fetched a clean shirt and a pair of trousers and slipped next to her once he had changed into them.
When she felt him alongside her, she changed her position, burying her face in his chest and wrapped her arm over his torso.
"I'm sorry for not responding," she murmured, her eyes still closed.
"I know you are," he answered, staring down at her. Rose changed her position again, this time, putting both of her arms over his chest and resting her face in between her crossed arms, gazing up at Fred with her emerald eyes wide open.
"Hi," she whispered, a small smile tugging at her lips. His face lit up as he drew her up by the waist and urged her to bury her face in the crook of his neck as he gripped her firmly, kissing the side of her head and snickering in relief as he heard her breezy chuckles.
Fred quickly adjusted their positions, putting Rose on her back and diving in for a full-on passionate kiss with both his hands on either side of her body. She reacted with zeal, forcing her hands to entangle themselves in his flaming hair. His mouth was in tune with hers; his tongue begged for entry, and she yielded, arching her back and drawing Fred closer to her.
Fred's hands began to roam as the kiss became more intense; at first, he kept them against her hips, pressing down. His lengthy hands then moved farther under her loose top, caressing her abdomen and making her shudder. His mouth moved away from hers and began to place wet kisses on her neck, prompting the redhead to exhale trembling gasps as she flung her head back into the pillow.
"I missed you, you know that?" Fred breathed into her neck, his hands back down her hips and tugging at the waist band of her trousers.
"I can tell," she said softly, suppressing a moan as he kissed a sensitive spot on her neck. She felt Fred smirk into her neck, so she grabbed Fred's shoulders and flipped them over, putting herself on top. "Would you like to see how much I missed you?"
"'Course, I do," Fred sighed, his hands on either side of his head in surprise. She dived down with ferocity, kissing his lips and seductively moving her hips. She giggled under her breath, moving from his lips to kiss his neck. His hands started going under her shirt again, this time reaching just under her breast.
The second his warm fingers grazed the lining of her scar, she jumped as if he had zapped her. She sat at the end of the bed, her face white. He stood too, sitting on the other edge of the bed.
"It's alright, it's alright," he whispered, reaching out to caress her tights. "I'm sorry, I-"
"No, no, no." She shook her head, attempting to brush her long hair away from her face. "Don't apologise, I just-"
"I know, love, I know," Fred cut her off, drawing himself closer to her and stroking her face with his palm. She nodded, taking a deep breath and elevating her head to keep the tears from flowing. "Do you want to talk about it, Ro?"
"There's nothing to talk about," she replied bitterly, putting her face down and gazing directly at his chocolate brown eyes. "It happened, that's all."
Fred locked his gaze on her for a few seconds, seeing her lips were peeling and bleeding, purple bags under her eyes peeping from behind her make-up, and her eyes... They weren't pink like they used to be when they were together; instead, they were green, a bright, plain green. It made him sad and angry at the same time.
"You were just trying to save your brother, Ro," he said, trying to comfort her. "It's not your fault; This things happen-"
"I know, Fred!" She stopped him again, her voice a little louder this time. She looked down at her hands and bit her lip, as if astonished by how forceful her voice had sounded. "I'm sorry. I simply can't talk about it yet."
"All right," he agreed, dragging her by the arms and repositioning them both on the bed, her head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. "Whenever you're ready, I'll listen," he added after a couple of minutes. He felt her nod her head, raising it to kiss his cheek before going back to his chest.
Soon, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairwell. Rose pushed herself from bed, awakening Fred in the process. Still in Charlie's shirt and sweats, she fetched her wand and sat on the edge of the bed with Fred laying besides her awake.
"Better be off, I reckon," she smiled sweetly. "Wouldn't want Ginny or George to find me here."
Fred sighed and nodded, pulling her down for one last hug. "I wanna tell them," he said, his voice muffled by the fabric of her shirt.
"We'll tell them before going back to Hogwarts, yeah?" she suggested, standing up and arranging her hair quickly.
"yeah."