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february 2004
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After many hours of cursing, Rose had to give up and go to see the Malfoys. Her mothers had called her after their little luncheon with Narcissa and sternly told their daughter to suck it up for one afternoon and go to see the messed up family. They didn't want Rose to go running back to the Malfoys for many reasons but they didn't want her to ice them out completely either.
It wasn't fair.
Rose had a plan ― she was going to see the Malfoys and that was it. She wasn't going to have a heart to heart with them nor was she going to feel bad for them.
Theo was surprised to hear that Rose was going to see the Malfoys after everything. He felt slightly bad for the Malfoys ― Rose was going to put on a hell of a fight. Theo offered to take Rose to Wiltshire since she didn't want to spend her whole day traveling but she didn't know how to Apparate either.
Against her better judgement, Rose agreed to Apparation. She regretted it the very second ― it felt horrible. Like she had been swallowed by a tornado and then spat out of it by some dragon or wale.
Oh boy did she hate magic.
Though she hated magic, she had to admit it was quite convenient ― you got to travel from one place to another within seconds. She didn't like it but it was convenient ― one moment they had been in Cambridge and now they were standing in front of the Malfoy Manor.
The big old building which was suppose to be Rose's childhood home but yet it had somehow ended up being Theo's.
"You okay?" Theo asked, remembering the first time he had used Apparation.
Rose shurgged. "I don't know but I am definitely not going to make this my number one transportation."
Theo grinned and pressed a kiss on Rose's temple.
"It will be fine," Theo muttered against Rose's skin.
"I wouldn't be sure of that," said Rose bitterly.
If he was being honest, Theo was nervous for the Mafoys. Rose was a very sweet and nice girl, when she wanted to be one but if she decided to be mean, she was going to be mean. He was slightly worried what Rose might say to them, how she was going to act. But then again, it wasn't his problem.
"Can't you stay?" Rose asked, turning to look at Theo and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Theo wanted to stay but he knew he has to say no. The meeting was going to be just immediate family ― no grandparents or foster sons and honestly, Theo was terrified to see the Malfoys now. He knew the family well and knew how protective they were of one another which made him think that his relationship with Rose was probably not something they enjoyed at the moment. The tables have turned and now he was the boy dating their daughter, Draco's sister.
"I'm afraid I can't. I promised to do Dave's shift," shrugged Theo and moved his hands to rest on Rose's waist. "Besides, I really don't want to play the boyfriend of the daughter part."
"Oh come on! I played the part of the girlfriend of the foster son for a long time. You can play your part now, like now now... the boyfriend part..." Rose said and leaned forward to kiss Theo.
Theo's hand moved from Rose's waist up to her shoulder plates and pulled her closer to him before his hands wondered to the small of Rose's back.
"Let's just get out of here..." Rose muttered against Theo's lips but Theo didn't get to answer her suggestion when the front door of the Malfoy Manor opened.
Draco Malfoy was sneering at his best friend and sister.
"Delightful..." he mumbled.
Theo pulled slightly away from Rose, his eyes wide and cheeks burning red. He looked like a deer in the headlights ― all nervous and frightened.
"Could you kindly remove your hands from my little sister's arse?" Draco asked and glared at Theo.
Rose rolled her eyes.
"What? I just don't really care to see my best friend and my sister making out," said Draco.
A grin appeared to Rose's lips ― all she could think about was Friends, how Ross had reacted when finding out about Monica and Chandler. His best friend and sister. She thought it was quite hilarious actually.
"I will be taking off now," said Theo and turned to Rose once more. "You'll be okay?"
"No but that's fine," sighed Rose. "Pick me up in a few hours?"
Theo nodded. "I will."
Once Theo was gone, Rose turned to look at Draco who had his face scrunched up. He didn't say anything to her bur rolled his eyes and stepped out of her way, letting Rose be the one to first enter the manor.
Rose has never been particularly fond of the Malfoy Manor but now, standing in the foyer and facing her biological parents, she disliked the place greatly. Lucius and Narcissa were waiting for Rose in the foyer with their nervous facial expressions, trembling hands and quivering lips.
When the Malfoys and their family came to see Rose in Fjällbacka and ruined her Holidays by telling her something she did not want to know, she thought that was going to be the most awkward and horrible meeting she was ever going to have with them.
The family of four stayed quiet ― they were all too afraid to say anything.
The silence was broken by Draco who closed the front door a little too loudly.
"Christ!" Rose yelped at the sound.
"Sorry," Draco rolled his eyes.
Lucius cleared his throat now that the silence was broken by the two squabbling siblings. Both blonde children ― or young adults ― turned to look at their father.
Rose remembers the first time she had met Lucius Malfoy ― she thought he was intimidating and just radiated smugness and pride. Now, he looked nothing like that. His eyes weren't as cold and sharp anymore but they were softer and there was something in them, something sad.
"We are so glad you decided to come and meet us," said Lucius and although he tried to look confident, he had failed miserably.
"I didn't really have a choice, did I?" Rose said with a bitter tone in her voice.
"But still, we appreciate it," added Lucius. "Truly."
Narcissa stayed quiet.
She was fidgeting her fingers and Rose noticed how she was doing the same ― she stopped immediately. Ever since the grand reveal, Rose's been trying to avoid any traits she might have which were even remotely familiar to the ones the Malfoys have.
"So, what now?" Rose asked and glanced at Draco who looked too smug for the scene.
"We were hoping we could just talk. About the current situation but also just you, we would love to get to know you better," explained Lucius.
Rose furrowed her brows. "You know me already."
"We want to know you and not just as Theodore's girlfriend," started Narcissa and surprised Rose by speaking.
Her voice wasn't cold or stern but careful and a little cracked as she tried not to fall apart by the sight of her daughter. She tried to picture Rose as a baby, then as a toddler, a child and a teenager. It was like every time she even thought of Rose made her wonder of all the things she has missed in her daughter's life.
Rose narrowed her eyes and crossed her over her chest. "I was obsessed with Disney Princesses as a child, I am deadly scared of thunders, I love ice skating and I tell people I'm allergic to beetroots but I really am not, I just don't like them."
"Are we done here?" She finished.
Narcissa bit her lip, shook her head a little and stormed away without saying a word.
"That wasn't nice," said Lucius but he didn't sound or look angry, just upset. "She really wants to know you. We all do. Cissa isn't as horrible as you imagine her to be."
The defiant look in Rose's eyes flickered. "Well she hasn't been too nice to me before, and neither have you. I mean Draco has been fine but then again I don't know what he has said behind my back."
She glanced at Draco who smirked.
"I have only said nice things," he said.
"Super," Rose muttered and turned back to Lucius who had a miserable look on his face. "What now?"
Lucius sighed. "Can we forget about the past for this day? Forget that we were awful and rude, and just get to know each other in the present. At the end of the day, if you still think we are horrible, we will never bother you again."
"Really? Never?" Rose arched her brow.
"Yes," said Lucius.
Rose took the offer and was confident that she will never see the Malfoys after the day. She was not going to like them, she wasn't going to change her opinion of them. Also, it wasn't just her opinion that would have to change but her whole idea of her life. She has never wanted to know her biological family and this was not going to change.
"Now don't look too happy by the thought of never seeing us again. Who knows, maybe you will warm up for us," said Lucius.
"I highly doubt that," Rose said while
However, Rose followed Lucius and Draco into a room she has never been in. Narcissa was there, standing by a wall length windowThe woman's eyes were puffy and red ― Rose tired her best to ignore this.
Lucius' first course of action was to go to his wife. He said something to her what Rose couldn't hear but whatever it was, it made Narcissa nod. There was a sense of relief in her eyes but it didn't quite hide the fear in her blue eyes.
"T-thank you for agreeing to this," said Narcissa suddenly. "I really appreciate it."
Rose shrugged. "Yeah sure."
"Please sit," Narcissa said to Rose.
The young blonde sat down, uncertain of what to say or do. She was waiting for someone to start the conversation ― she had no interest to do so nor did she know how to start one. She glanced around the room and then it hit her, she was in a nursery. She swallowed and when she saw a embroidered blanket hanging from a crib's rail, a wave of a emotion she did not recognize, washed over her.
"God don't tell me this was suppose to be ummm..." she started but couldn't bear to finish her sentence so she took a different approach.
"You kept this room?"
Narcissa sniffed. "I couldn't bring myself to tear it down."
Rose didn't answer to this and silence took over again.
For many reasons, Rose tried to push aside any ideas or thoughts of seeing the family sitting across from her as humans. Humans whom she shared DNA with. She tried to thought of them as the people who had decided to make her life completely impossible. The ones who are the reason she has magic ― which she hates.
"I broke my arm when I was five," said Draco. "I was flying on a broom and I fell."
Rose turned to look at Draco and frowned at his weird statement.
"Good for you?" She commented.
"At least I'm trying to make conversation," said Draco. "Or do you want me to switch subjects? How about you and Theo, huh?"
Rose huffed. "Are you really going to play the part of a overly protective older brother now?"
"Hah, made you say it. I'm your brother, sis," smirked Draco.
"God you are juvenile," said Rose.
"No I am not," argued Draco.
"Alright you two, no squabbling," Lucius said and when Rose turned to look at him, he was smiling.
He had often imagined what it would had been like, to have two children in the manor, possibly squabbling and shouting at each other. He would had done anything to have that ― to give that to his wife.
Draco merely rolled his eyes.
"So you are afraid of thunder and hate beetroots, what else?" Lucius asked from Rose.
Rose shrugged. "There's really nothing interesting to tell. You know me as Theo's girlfriend, and Theo's girlfriend is exactly the same person as your... whatever."
Narcissa flinched ― Rose still couldn't bear to call herself their daughter. It hurt and when Narcissa swiftly glanced at her husband, she could tell he was hurt too. She wasn't surprised though ― it was no lie that he has always wanted a daughter and when they got pregnant the second time and found out the baby was going to be a girl, Lucius had been thrilled.
"Can I ask you something?" Rose asked suddenly.
"Of course, anything," said Narcissa without a second thought.
"You would still dislike me if the truth hadn't come up, right? You would still think I'm not good enough for Theo," Rose said.
All three Malfoys stayed quiet and the silence spoke for itself. They would most likely still dislike Rose if the truth was still hidden from them. But the dislike they used to have for Rose wasn't attached to her personality ― although they often thought Rose was very loud and rude. But they also thought Rose was interesting, witty and funny even. They thought she was smart and beautiful. But they thought she was a muggle and they did blame her for Theo's absence.
"And now, what? You love me?" Rose asked.
Narcissa swallowed. "Yes."
Rose scoffed. "Now see that's just stupid. I am the exact same person I was before the truth was revealed. I mean I've been even worse to you and yet now somehow, you love me. That's not okay. You can't just change your mind. You can't just..."
"We know, and we are sorry. But our feelings, the one we used to have were not personal. They had nothing to do with you but just that you were too different but now you are not," Narcissa tried to explain. "Please, I can't have this fight again."
The woman looked tired so Rose decided to let it go.
"I broke my arm when I was six but not because of flying," Rose changed the subject and glanced at Draco who grinned. "I fell on my bike. Mima didn't let me ride one for a very long time, she was afraid I would get hurt again."
Rose swore Lucius smiled.
"And besides beetroots, I absolutely hate peas," she added.
"Interesting," said Lucius.
Rose shook her head. "No it's not. So if you want to know something, ask. I don't know what I'm suppose to tell you and I'm not planning on doing this ever again so you should come up with good questions."
"Have you had other boyfriends than Theo?" Draco asked bluntly.
"Stop acting like a git but no. Unless you count my marriage to Aron when we were eight. He got me a candy ring and kissed me on the cheek," Rose said. "And then there was Isaak. He was my spin the bottle kiss."
"But Theo's the only...?" Enquired Draco.
"Only one I've been in a relationship with, yeah," Rose grinned. "Anything else?"
Narcissa sighed. "There's so much we've missed. It's hard to just come up with few things."
"That's fine, I'm not that interesting," Rose let them know.
"They told us you had surgery," said Lucius.
Rose frowned. "Yes, like twenty-two years ago. I believe I was two days old maybe three. Tiny little thing, according to the pictures."
"Something about your lungs not being developed enough..." Lucius continued with a worried expression
"That happened yes but it was years ago. There's nothing wrong anymore," Rose said and for some reason, she found herself trying to assure the clearly worried man, that she was fine.
It was hard for Rose to admit but the Malfoys weren't that horrible now that she was family. They were considering, clearly broken and in pain but nice and calm.
"Did you ever thought about having another kid after what happened?" Rose asked and stunned everyone in the room.
Narcissa answered immediately. "No. Never."
"Why?" Asked Rose.
"We didn't want to replace you and we were terrified to loose another child. Besides, it hadn't been easy for us, to have children," explained Lucius and Rose noticed how he gently squished his wife's hand.
Rose cleared his throat. "Oh, I see. Ummm, can I use the bathroom?"
"Yes, it's just down the hall," said Lucius.
"Sweet..." muttered Rose and left without saying another word.
Once Rose was gone, Narcissa breathed out any anxiety she's been holding ever since Rose had arrived. She felt dizzy, almost nauseous. She pictured Rose having this room as her own minus the baby clothes and crib.
"This is going well," said Lucius and pressed a kiss on Narcissa's temple. "It's going well."
It was true. Apart from the bad start which had made Narcissa cry and run away, the time with Rose has actually been rather good. She was talking instead of cursing and no one was crying anymore but those things did not assure them that Rose was going to have a relationship with them. Even if she would leave the manor later the day with a smile and a good experience, she could still decide to walk away from them.
"I guess so..." said Narcissa.
"She hasn't yelled yet," Draco added and grinned slightly. "That's good."
But it wasn't all good.
Rose didn't go to the bathroom but ran out of the manor. She didn't stop until she had reached its gates and was out of its grounds.
She got scared. There was something eery and strange about being in the room where she was suppose she spend her life in. It was strange to have conversations with the family she was suppose to have but never did. And when she put aside the past and how poorly the Malfoys have treated her before, the family wasn't so horrible now.
They were trying and they clearly wanted to have her in their life but Rose just couldn't bear herself to think so too. She was never suppose to meet them ― it was something Abraxas had decided when he took her.