When the sun broke over the sky, I watched it rise against the dark on the same porch where I’d collapsed from grief. This time, I held his hand. I held Ron’s hand. The lake turned pink and gold, the pitch glowed a springy, luminescent green. Birds chirped in the trees.
I was in my old jeans still, and a breeze pulled my hair and stroked my neck. All I could do was smile. I was worried, of course, about the death threat. Any number of things had to be done to protect my family. But right now, Ron wasn’t dead.
He went and got us breakfast in the kitchen after a little while, pancakes. The smell brought me back to the morning after the kids got home. I’d been so desolate - so lost. There was nothing to save me from my own upset. Until now. This was the sunrise I watched now, the pure bliss that came into my heart and blossomed. We were the heroes of England, of all the Wizarding World, we could take a primate gone prodigy. Rose and Hugo would have to be guarded. Their Easter break was coming close - I imagined that some protections would be placed on our home.
l rose and went into the kitchen, but was stopped.
“Hermione, freeze,” Ron breathed, watching the grass behind me.
I turned stiffened, focusing my eyes solely on his face. Whatever the reason for his sudden fear, I didn’t care. I simply took in his soul, his essence, so vividly present by me. Ancient Greek philosophers believe that before we are even conceived, our souls are divided, and the other half resides in our “soulmate”, and that the ultimate achievement is to find your other half. Losing him almost destroyed me. Now I was completely whole again.
He and I watched each other, the moment a swelling symphony, the serenity i felt a passing pleasure. Then I turned, and everything was gone, even Ron.
****
THE POV OF LILY LUNA POTTER
****
DEAR DIARY -
There are few compliments I will readily bestow on my disastrous cousin, Rose. Her hair is often up, a sin against those beautiful locks that I everyday envy. Her face is always so pale, like she doesn’t even know how to use a Tanning Potion or even a jar of decent blush. She rarely displays her full potential (through the makeup I buy her EVERY year) and she’s always stuck in books. Aunt Hermione says that Rose is the more pretty version of herself in school. I don’t believe it. Aunt Hermione is GORGEOUS, and Rose is very, very plain.
Like I said, though, I do very much envy Rose’s hair. Unlike mine, it is thick and brown and shimmers like hair only does on Muggle magazines. It curls in the right places, and her bangs are naturally like wings across her forehead, straight and smooth.
Rose has often rebuked my constant offers to assist her in, er, her other skills. (i.e. finding boys, breaking boys’ hearts, and wearing enough makeup to not just be the braniac that no boy wants) Albus and Hugo told me that I am being a priss and a diva, but I honestly believe I’m the sole member of a righteous cause.
Lately, though, for obvious reasons, I’ve gone soft on the poor thing. Grief can be quite flattering, and it’s like she realized who she was, and how best to be that person. Suddenly she’s stunning and perfect, and we’re closer with so much more common ground to be had.
However nowadays, Scorpius Malfoy is paying my cos a LOT of attention. I’m quite put out. I’ve favored Scorpius since the first day on the platform, since Uncle Ron pointed him out as the ONLY boy that flirtatious little Lily was forbidden to pursue. Even out of respect for the very blessed dead, I can’t bring myself to no longer want him!
Then today the NEWS came. Uncle Ron is alive. After all the exultation and pleasure, la-dee-da-da-da, Rose went straight to Scorpius in the Ravenclaw dorms. (A Malfoy in Ravenclaw . . . yes) They’re a THING now, as he has been giving her more CONFIDENCE as she grieves and blah blah blah. Then the Howler arrived yesterday. Aunt Hermione’s been taken, and Uncle Ron is back in St. Mungo’s. (But really, what sort of invalid has THOSE pipes? Never heard such a loud Howler before, honestly!) Rose is not to see someone whose father was close to Goyle, who has Aunt Hermione. Now Rose and Scorpius are missing, too, and everything has fallen apart. Albus and Hugo blame me, and not even James, who I trust more than anyone, is on my side with the whole “good riddance” schpeel.
Dominique, or Mini, as I have called her since infanthood, thinks that we should go out, find Rose, and bring her back. We all know that Rose wants to play hero, find her mum, so on, so forth. All she’s REALLY doing is making Uncle Ron worse. He’s so stressed out, he has Hugo sleeping in his ward, and staying at Mum and Dad’s, rather than be at school, lest he run away to find his sister. Albus and James have told me that if I so much as sneak to Hogsmeade for a butterbeer, they’ll make sure I get the same surveillance treatment as Hugo.
But Mini and I have a plan.
-LILS
My Brave Face by grangergirl35
Chapter Notes: Not a very good chapter, just a filler, but the next one will be great. Rose will have a plot, now, and so will Lily. I will be pulling at some heartstrings in later chapters, so review on what I've done so far in order to make huge plot changes MUCH MUCH BETTERRR!!! yay
Chapter Endnotes: review, mis amigos?