It's been awhile... pv Howard White Closed

Howie laid on the comfy bedding in his dorm room, wasting the day away staring at the ceiling. His hands on his chest, his fingers interlaced as he daydreamed is red curls and green eyes. He barely believed it still that Rosie had returned to school. Just a few days prior, the boy would have sworn he was to never see her again. The questions burned in his mind, his inner voice asking them over and over again. Where had she been? Why didn’t she contact him? How did she get that scar?! There had been no time for a private discussion in the maze. Too busy not dying. He yearned for the answers.

The face of younger student would suddenly appear in his sights, smiling from ear to ear, bouncing with excitement. Howie rolled his eyes. “What?” 

“Hi! You’re Howie, yeah?” For the second time in a short while, Howie’s irritable nature would have no effect on the young boy. Damn them and thier unbreakable good moods.

“What...do...you...want!?” Howie replied, emphasizing each word for maximum insult.

“Some girl asked me to give you this, here ya go.” The boy tossed the letter down and merrily walked away.

Howie picked up the parchment, knowing already who it’s from. With a quick read, he swung his legs off the bed and made his way down to the lake. He knew exactly where she’d be. As he approached the water, he could see her bushy red curls.

“There has to be some kind of straightening spell I can use on my hair...” She huffed as Howie walked up quietly behind her.

“I don’t think even magic can help you there.” He spoke quietly.

“I don’t think even magic can help you there.”
Rosie looked up in surprise at Howie's voice and almost instantly turned beat red. "Hi." She cleared her throat a bit awkwardly and sat up. Her red curls blew on the breeze. "I'm really glad you came, Howie." She turned towards the lake and fell quiet for a bit, waiting for him to sit or stand or just get comfortable before the unloaded the nitty gritty of everything that had happened on him. Finally, she turned her head to meet his eyes. "I missed you. I need to start there. I missed you so much."

She took a shaky breath and looked again to the water. She looked very far away as she spoke. "My mother wouldn't let me see you. Or write you. She swore I'd never go back to Hogwarts again. I'd have been ok with that if it wasn't for... She trailed off and looked at him pointedly. "I live with my Aunt Mathilda now. Turns out, she'd been a witch the whole time. I had no idea. She's.. the opposite extreme. Demands I go to school and participate in every event." Yes, Rosie's family was full of zealots to one extreme or the other. Howie might also notice that she did a fair bit of leaving out how it was she came to be in her aunt's care. Rosie just watched him to gauge his reaction. "And if you have questions... I'll answer them. Anything. But then I get to ask my own."

“Hello...” Howie mumbled a bit as he sat down next to her, leaving a small space in between them. He wrapped his arms around his knees. After a brief moment of eye contact, his gaze too would go to the water. The emotions inside him struggled with each other. His heart couldn’t help but flutter at the sight of her, however, the sour feeling of resentment was present as well. 

“I’m really glad you came, Howie.”

“Mhm.” He was at a loss for words. Part of him wanting to yell at her, the other happy to hear her voice again. He aimlessly pulled at the grass in between them as she continued to speak.

“I missed you. I need to start there. I missed you so much.”

Howie would turn his head, his blue eyes meeting her green for just a moment before he looked back to the lake. The sunlight reflecting off the waters surface would light up his face. Her words were what he wanted to hear. That he was not alone in his feelings. That for whatever reason had kept her from contacting him, that she too had suffered from the silence. If she looked, his eyes would be shining bright with emotion, his lower lip trembled for just a moment before he bit down on it. He turned his face away from her while he regained his composure. “I missed you too.” His voice slightly shaky as it fought against the tightness in his throat.

“My mother wouldn’t let me see you. Or write you. She swore I’d never go back to Hogwarts again. I’d have been ok with that if it hadn’t been for...”

Howie’s head would snap back in her direction, a flash of anger sparked in his eyes as they made eye contact once more. Okay with that! He’d never have let his parents keep him from writing her. The boy would have done everything in his power to. Sneak out, lie, whatever it took! Howie took a deep breath as he began his retort, however she would speak again, cutting off his words.

“I live with my Aunt Mathilda now. Turns out, she’s been a witch the whole time. I had no idea. She’s...the opposite extreme. Demands that I go to school and participate in every event.”

Howie’s eyes widened. She had briefly told him at the maze that she no longer lived with her parents, but now lived with her aunt, a witch! He was sure that she was Muggle born, just like him. It was shocking that she would have magical family members. 

“And if you have questions...I’ll answer them. Anything. But then I get to ask my own.”

Howie tore his gaze from her, throwing the bunch of grass he had in his fist towards the water out of frustration. “I just don’t understand. You say you missed me, but seriously...not a word. What!? Too afraid to get grounded?” He would have no idea of the severity of her mother’s actions. “And who the hell is Aunt Mathilda? You never mentioned her before, did you? And she’s a witch? This is all so crazy.” Howie slumped forward, the emotional drain exhausting. He held his head in his hands. “What the hell happened Rosie? I thought I’d lost you.” Howie mumbled through his hands. 

“I just don’t understand. You say you missed me, but seriously...not a word. What!? Too afraid to get grounded?”
Rosie's face flushed, but it wasn't from embarrassment. No... anger flashing in her eyes and she stood to her feet. "Do you..." But he wasn't done. Nope. Her hand went to the scar beneath her eye as he continued.
“And who the hell is Aunt Mathilda? You never mentioned her before, did you? And she’s a witch? This is all so crazy.”
Rosie took a breath, trying to quell her anger. They were legitimate questions, she closed her eyes. "She.." But nope... kept going.
“What the hell happened Rosie? I thought I’d lost you.”
Immediately, her face softened and she knelt in front of him. The girl took a deep breath. Haltingly, as if she wasn't sure her touch would be welcome, she put her hands on his and brought them back down. She didn't let them go unless he pulled away. "I promised you answers so shut up and let me talk." She smiled to show she'd meant it as a tease.

If he'd allowed her to keep his hands she'd squeeze and take a deep breath before she spoke. "I tried to contact you, Howie. I got caught. My mom..." She released his hands, one hand falling to her side the other indicated the scar. "I got hit... hard. I got a scar." She dropped her other hand. Both now hung at her sides. "Turns out my father's a squib. I knew my aunt, but they hid what she was. When she found out... Well... They went to court. Now I don't see them. Not even Amanda." Of course, hopefully Howie remembered that had been her sister's name.

"She insisted that I come back. I didn't want to. This place..." She shook her head. "I only agreed because it meant seeing you."

Howie sensed her rise to her feet and peered up at her. Rosie’s cheeks flushed red, but not in the way he knew them too. It would not be from embarrassment, or a kind word. No, this was something different. As his eyes met hers, he would see it. Just for a moment. A flash would blaze through those green orbs, a flash that Howie knew well. Although he couldn’t see it when it coursed through his own eyes, he recognized it immediately. Anger.

Like a bolt of lightning it was gone as soon as it came. Her facial expression would soften, her eyes exuding care instead of anger. She knelt before him, her hands reaching out for his own. He would  not refuse her. A familiar sense of warmth would spread through his belly at her touch, he kept quiet as she demanded. If she was looking in his eyes when she began her story, she would see a flash similar to the one she produced just a moment before. He could feel his face flush as the warmth in his guts was replaced with a white hot fire. With a sharp intake of breath through his nostrils he would control that rage. Bottled it up and set it aside for later use. He did not speak it now, for it was not the time or the place, but they would pay for that scar on her cheek...one day.

“Rosie...I’m so sorry...I had no...I just assumed.” His hand would rise to her cheek, his thumb gently touching the scar unless she turned away. “All this just to keep you from who you are. To keep you from me. I never imagined she’d go to such lengths, and your father...he did nothing to protect you.” She spoke of her sister. His hand would fall to hold one of hers. “Amanda...I’m so sorry Rosie. I know how much you love her. What does this mean now? If you’re with your Aunt, does that mean you will stay?”

Rosie watched him as she spoke, noting the flash of anger when she confessed the origins of the scar, but she didn't more to try to calm him or talk him down.

“Rosie...I’m so sorry...I had no...I just assumed.” She didn't turn from him as he touched the scar, though she did offer him a sad smile. “All this just to keep you from who you are. To keep you from me. I never imagined she’d go to such lengths, and your father...he did nothing to protect you.” She shrugged. "No. He wasn't home, but he just... did nothing when he saw. My aunt stopped by the next day... She knew right away.

“Amanda...I’m so sorry Rosie. I know how much you love her. What does this mean now? If you’re with your Aunt, does that mean you will stay?” This question pulled a smile from her, though it was likely the hardest to answer. "Yes... I'm staying. My aunt is actually rather insistent on it." She laughed a soft laugh as she thought on how different her life was now. "But even if my aunt wasn't forcing it... I'd want to be here." The young girl met his eyes meaningfully. "Even if... you don't want to be... you know," she shrugged, "I still want to be your friend. If I could..." Rosie stopped and closed her mouth, stopping the stream of words that were tumbling out. Great. Now she looked ridiculous. ”I don’t really want to be here, Howie. Not because of the school anyway.” She watched him meaningfully. It was an statement that alluded to more than it actually said.

Howie shook his head as Rosie spoke of her father.  How could he have just stood by and simply watched while his daughter suffered under her mother’s hand? And all of this...for magic. As if she chose to be this way. She couldn’t stop the magic from flowing through her blood. It was the fear and intolerance that so many young people suffered under. Howie silently thanked the gods for her Aunt.

His stern expression would soften as thier eyes met and she told him that she was staying, even if it be forced. She addressed the elephant in the room. His once strong feelings for her had dulled slightly from the time apart, but they were not forgotten. Even the sight of her brought forth a familiar warmth. He simply shrugged. 

“Nothing would stop us from being friends Rosie. I mean...I don’t know if it will be as it was before. A lot has happened...a lot has changed.” His eyes would drift away for a moment. It was true. He was barely the boy she had met in the common room. However, as his eyes went back to hers, she had changed as well. “Im just happy that you’re back...it’s been...lonely here.” Another truth. Howie had become quite the lone wolf since her departure. He could barely remember the last time he had even sat with someone else in conversation.

His head would cock to the side, his eyes questioning. “Why don’t you want to be here?” Well, he could think of many reasons, but still he asked. “Where else would you go? Where else could you go? We can’t go back to our lives from before. Like it or not, this is our world now.”

“Nothing would stop us from being friends Rosie. I mean...I don’t know if it will be as it was before. A lot has happened...a lot has changed.”
His words hurt some, even if they were true. She turned her brilliant green eyes down, looking at the floor in quiet contemplation for a moment. She had been kneeling and slowly, she moved to sit with her bottom on the ground and her knees pulled to her chest. Once comfortable, she hazarded a glance Howie's way and gave him a shy smile. "Yeah... it has." She sighed and looked out towards the water, not saying much. "Friends then."

“Im just happy that you’re back...it’s been...lonely here.”

His words pulled her attention back to him and she smiled. "Yeah. Was lonely at home too. They had me taking classes at home. It was even worse for me at home this time than before I came to Hogwarts." Her chuckle was soft- almost inaudible, but still here nonetheless. "I'm actually really glad to see you.

“Why don’t you want to be here?” She opened her mouth to answer but didn't get anything out before the rest of his questions came. “Where else would you go? Where else could you go? We can’t go back to our lives from before. Like it or not, this is our world now.” Again, the girl paused to look out at the lake. After a moment, she laid back in the grass, cushioning her head with her hands behind.

"This place is dangerous, Howie. You know that. What kind of adults in their right minds ask kids to do half the things we do?" She turned her head to the side, looking up at him and meeting his eyes. "But you're right. I've no where else to go. My aunt is insisting on my attendance. And I'm a witch. Like it or not. So I should at least learn it, right? Protect myself with it? Or from it?" She finally cracked a more relaxed, almost teasing smile. "Least I have one friend here..."

Howie watched as Rosie moved from her kneeling position, taking a seat on the ground beside him. Their eyes would met again as she got comfortable. He offered a tight lipped grin to meet her shy smile. 

“Friends then.”

“Always...” It was not a lie. Regardless of how angry he had been when he first saw her, there was still that fuzzy warmth that spread through his body at the sight of her. Their connection was strong and he knew he would always care for her. To what capacity, only time would tell. “I’m glad to see you as well, Rosie.” He would reach out and squeeze her forearm in a reassuring way.

Howie couldn’t help but chuckle as she spoke of the dangers of thier school. The scars that crept up out of her shirt were living proof. “I can’t argue with you there. Thought they had gotten you killed in that damned crypt. I don’t know what these people are playing at. I’ve never seen so many students injured at school in my life.” He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the lake as he thought. “The magical world must be a really dangerous place I suppose. Why else would they do these things to us. Must be preparation.” Howie couldn’t think of another reason. He hadn’t come from this world and his only real exposure to it was Hogwarts. It was only natural that he would assume the rest of it was equally dangerous. “I think you’re right. We have to learn it. Master it, so that we can protect ourselves. It also might free us in a way...” He cast a slightly nervous glance her way. “I mean, if we work hard, we have some very powerful skills. They’d all think twice before crossing us. Surely they’d think twice before trying something like that...” He pointed to the scar under her eye. “again.”