The moment of truth Closed

Howie yawned and stretched as he threw the patchwork quilt aside, swinging his legs over the side of his bed. Reaching out to his bedside table he fumbled around until he found his watch. Yikes! He had slept in later than normal today. He slipped out of his pajamas and quickly dressed in his school uniform, throwing his robe on as he exited the dorm room. 

Howie’s head was on a swivel as he entered the Common Room, searching for red curls. Hmm, no sign of her. Considering the time she must have already went down for breakfast, and with a rumble in his belly, he couldn’t blame her for not waiting. 

Howie made his way out of the Hufflepuff Common Room and walked quickly towards the Great Hall. Normally he would have had no need to hurry, but he knew that Rosie was expecting return letters from her family. He wanted to be there to support her, whether to celebrate or console, in her time of need. 

Entering the Hall, Howie swiftly made his way over to the Hufflepuff table, again scanning for the red curls he had come to care about so much. Ah ha, there she was. Filling up a plate with eggs and bacon, he plopped down next to her. “Hey Rosie, post come yet?” He asked as he searched her eyes, looking for some sign of how she was feeling.

Rosie's eyes brightened when she saw Howie. For some reason things just seemed better when he was around. She watched as he sat down and got his food. "Hey." And then he asked about the post. Her smiled faltered and she shook her head, he red curls bouncing as she did. "Nothing yet."

It was as if the owls had heard her. All at once, the owls flew in through the windows. Owls of ever color were dropping packages and letters left and right. Literally. The boy to her left and the girl to her right both received something. Rosie just pushed her eggs around her plate, silently waiting for it to be over. She was really no longer expecting a reply. Suddenly, there it was. Two letters sat in her lap dropped from above. She was elated and saddened at the same time. She had three family members, and here were two letters. She would bet money that her mother had not responded. Her heart hurt. She met Howie's eyes, emotions playing all over her features. She didn't know what to do or say. "They're here. But there's only two..." She left the implication unspoken. She just held the letters, trying to steady herself. Her hands shook slightly. "Howie.." her voice was a whisper, "there's only two."

Howie met her gaze as she told him nothing had come yet. He could see the disappointment in her eyes, the smile she wore upon seeing him slipped away. His hand reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Don’t worry Rosie, they’ll send something soon, I’m sure of it.” Howie did his best to reassure her, although he had no idea what her family would actually do, but he could not stand to see her hurt. He was determined to support her, and would remain positive until they found out for sure.

Just as he had finished his sentence, and put his hand back towards his breakfast, the windows of the Great Hall burst open, the owls flew in by the dozens. Howie looked up as they flew overhead, silently praying that one of them would come Rosie’s way. The packages and letters rained down upon the students, some even landing near where they sat. He spotted one coming close, his heart beat quicken as he realized it only carried a couple envelopes. Could this be it? Sure enough they fell right into Rosie’s lap. 

Howie looked back up to meet Rosie’s eyes, the smile that had sprung to his face at the sight of the letters quickly fell away. He could see the emotions on her face, something of a mixture of sadness, fear and uncertainty. She pointed out that there were only two letters, something he had missed in his excitement.

Howie reached out his hand and touched the top of hers, they were shaking, he squeezed hoping to help stable them. “Ok...ok...” He searched for the right words as he thought of the situation. Only two letters meant someone in her family had not responded, and that someone, he feared, was most likely her mother. His heart hurt for her. “We won’t know know till they are opened Rosie. Your sister is still pretty young, maybe she just added on to one of your parents.” He said, hoping, praying that it was true.

Rosie nodded, wordlessly agreeing with Howie. She hoped he was right, but she wouldn't know regardless until she actually opened the letters. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and looked at the fist letter for a moment. Hesitantly, she tore open the letter, the paper envelop making a satisfying rip sound as she did. Opening the letter, the first place her eyes went was the signature. Her father had written back. No surprise there. She willed her eyes back to the top of the letter. Letters were best read in order of intent, after all.

Rosie,
I was so happy to get your letter! It was a little short though, cupcake. How is school? Have you made any friends? Things here are going well. We miss you, of course, but we manage. Besides, you'll be home for summer vacation soon enough. I can't wait to see you.
About your mother. She loves you a lot. This isn't easy for her. She has a lot of years of beliefs that she is trying to push through. All she needs is time. I'm sure by the time you come home this summer, she'll be ready. We all love you so much.
Love,
Daddy

She looked up at Howie meeting his eyes. Her eyes had the shimmer of tears that hadn't quite fallen yet. She said nothing as she passed him the first letter. Next, she opened that the second letter, which she was sure had come from her sister.

Rosie!
What took you so long to write? I miss you! School this year was really good. A boy in my class asked me to be his girl friend. So I guess I have a boyfriend now. What about you? Do you have a boyfriend? Mum said we have to pray for you. I asked Daddy why and he said Mum is just afraid. I don't know why she's so afraid. Everything is ok there, right? I bet you're learning to do all kinds of cool magic things. Mum says magic is bad, but I think it's cool. Are you coming home this summer? Please write me back soon. I love you!
Your sister,
Amanda

This time when she looked at Howie, she was smiling through the tears. She even let out a little chuckle. Until now, she hadn't even realized how much she missed her family. She handed Howie the second letter. She didn't say anything. She had no words, really. The letters said everything for her.

Howie released her hand as she nodded in agreement with him, his heart rate quickened as she began to tear into the first envelope. What if he had been wrong? Howie’s usual sense of optimism began to falter. In the effort to support his new best friend, he had always remained positive and had always told her that everything would be ok. 

But, as she pulled out the parchement and began to read, the doubt flooded into his mind. What would he do if Rosie’s parents had sent her letters disowning her like Verla’s did?  He didn’t think he could stand to see Rosie in that kind of pain. What if they had forbidden Rosie’s sister from contacting her? She wouldn’t be able to cope. 

Howie watched her eyes intently, searching for any sign of emotion, trying his best to read her mind for any hint of what the letter might say. He suddenly became very aware of his surroundings. Hundreds of students sitting around, intruding on Rosie’s moment of truth. Maybe he should take her somewhere more quiet, but then again, sometimes hiding in plain sight was the best choice. It was too late now anyways. He braced himself for whatever was to come.

She looked up from the first letter, her eyes brimming with tears. He gave her a caring look as he waited for her to speak, but she just handed him the letter and began to tear into the next one. Howie looked down at the parchment, the signature telling him it was from her father. His spirits rose slightly as he read it over. It seemed that all hope was not lost. According to her dad, her mum was trying hard to push through her beliefs and religious indoctrination. Change does take time he supposed, but at least Mr. Turner had said the magic words: We all love you. Howie folded the parchment and gently laid it aside.

As he looked back up to Rosie the tears had started to fall, but in her eyes was something more than sadness, a shimmer of joy. She laughed softly as she finished the second letter, again handing it over to Howie. This one was from her sister Amanda. He couldn’t help but smile sheepishly at the word boyfriend, was he her boyfriend? They hadn’t really gotten as far as labeling thier relationship, maybe it didn’t even need to be. They were best friends and yes, they both liked each other, that was good enough for Howie. His eyes read on as Amanda wrote of her mother’s fear for Rosie. This must have been hard for Rosie to read as she had expressed that her deepest fear was that thier mother would turn Amanda against her, but his fright was quickly over as he read the last words. Amanda did not share her mother’s feelings, she thought it was all very cool and she loved Rosie very much. 

Again, Howie neatly folded the letter and laid it down next to the other one, looking back into Rosie’s eyes. He waited a few moments for her to speak, but she seemed at a loss for words, which was quite understandable. Reaching out he gently grabbed one of her hands, he decided not to mention the fact that her mother had not written to her. This angered Howie, how hard would it have been for her to just write down a few words, or just say ‘I love you’ but, he pushed that aside for now. He needed to focus on Rosie. 

“Well, would you look at that. See, Amanda doesn’t hate you, she’s not afraid of you.” He said as he tapped the second letter. “She seemed so excited to hear from you, she must miss you so much.” 

Her sister's comments about having a boyfriend weren't lost on Rosie currently. Though she was more concerned with the content of her father's letter and the overall feel of her sister's letter. Right now, she was okay with where they were. Best friends. She locked eyes with Howie and felt butterflies again. Weird. Even with everything else going on right now, that happened to her when she looked at him. Maybe someday.

Rosie gently squeezed Howie's hand and smiled. Yes, Amanda was really the one she was worried about. And he sister seemed to be ok, if not excited. "I'm glad. And she's writing so much better! I wonder if she looks any older. She's 9." She laughed. "How does she even have a boyfriend? I'm surprised mum and dad let that happen, actually." She shook her head and looked down at the table. She was still holding Howie's hand, a fact of which she was suddenly acutely aware. She cleared her throat and pressed on. "Dad seems to think Mum will come around." She bit her lip and looked at the letter her father had sent. "I hope he's right." She turned her eyes back to her best friend. "Thanks for being here, Howie."

Howie smiled as Rosie squeezed his hand. This was obviously a huge moment for her, one that would effect the rest of her magical life. He thought for a moment of what Rosie would have done if the letters from her family had been different. If they had disowned her, would she have stayed at Hogwarts. Would Rosie turn her back on magic to appease her family? The thought made him uneasy. Howie wondered how he himself would feel if in a similar situation. He had taken it for granted that his parents supported him, and his magical education. The fact that he was a wizard was one that Howie had celebrated. It must be so hard for some that arenlooked at as freaks or unnatural. He made a mental note to thank his parents over the summer break. 

Howie’s thought turned back to Rosie as she began to speak, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand. “I would imagine she’s probably a bit taller. A year can make a big difference when your younger. My dad always says I’ll hit another growth spurt soon.” Howie was glad that she was laughing again. “Yeah! How the heck does she have a boyfriend. At nine! I bet your parents probably don’t know. I’m sure that boy probably just saw it in a movie or TV show and just asked your sister.” The mention of boyfriend made Howie smile as he looked down to thier intertwined hands. Yes indeed, maybe someday. 

“Oh I’m sure your dad is right Rosie.” He replied to her concern. “It has to be something they talk about all the time. He’ll wear her down, he seems to have no problem with your magic. Maybe he’s right you know, she just needs time. I don’t like her views, but maybe she can change. Maybe when you see each other over the summer things will change.” He gave her his best reassuring look. “Oh, and you’re welcome Rosie. Your my best friend, anything for you. I couldn’t let you go through all this alone. No way!”

Rosie laughed as the talked about her sister and her "boyfriend". She thought about her sister and sighed. "You would like Amanda, Howie. She's really funny. Even if she's a little kid. She's so pretty, too. She has straight brown hair, and pretty blue eyes." Rosie had often wished that she looked more like her sister growing up. At the very least, her hair would have been more manageable. But, as anyone could see, the two girls had a good relationship. They fought like all siblings, but at the end of the day, they knew they could count on each other.

She sighed and pushed her food to the center of the table. The excitement of the last few minutes had killed any appetite that she had previously. She sighed and used her free arm, folding at the elbow on the table, as a cushion for her head. "Maybe she can." And for the first time in a long time, Rosie was feeling hope. Patching things up with her mother seemed more likely at this point. She was glad for the encouragement that Howie had shown her. Without him, she wouldn't have realized her family didn't know how to reach her, much less have the courage to reach out to them. She straightened back up and smiled. "I wish you could come visit this summer." It was out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. She blushed immediately after. "It's just that you make me feel like things can be okay." Oh God... what had she just said. She got quiet and wished she could melt into the floor. Shut up, Rosie.

Howie smiled as Rosie talked about her sister. Being the only child definitely had its perks, but part of him had always wished that he had a sibling. Someone to talk to, buddy around with, and selfishly, someone to help with the dang chores! Howie didn’t have many friends back home, as he was almost always helping in the bakery after school, and he had never really fit in with the children at his muggle school. Really, he just wanted someone at home to call friend. With the summer break fast approaching, Howie was excited to see his parents, but he would miss Hogwarts. Well, honestly, he would miss Rosie, his first true friend. 

“Well if she’s anything like you, I’m sure she’s great. Id love to meet her one day. Well, who knows right? She might just be a witch too, so maybe she’ll be at Hogwarts too.” Howie wondered how it worked with Muggleborns, did it run in the family like that? Howie’s smile grew as Rosie laid her head down on her arm saying, “Maybe she can.” He could see that she had hope in her eyes, the fear and anxiety slipping away. 

"I wish you could come visit this summer."

He laughed as Rosie immediately began to blush. “Rosie! That’s a brilliant idea. I was going to suggest that we write over the summer, but wouldn’t it be great to have a visit! I’ve never been to London before.” His smile faltered. The reality of the situation settled in. His parents wouldn’t be able to afford to send him away, they had barely been able to send him to Hogwarts. If it wasn’t for the scholarship, Howie probably would even have been able to. Not to mention, his parents were probably counting on him to work over the summer at the shop. “I mean...well yeah, maybe. I don’t know if we’d have the money to come visit.” He looked down at his plate as he spoke.