Ottery St. Catchpole
They landed in Britain by Portkey in the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to the time difference, they’d gotten to spend the whole day in Tokyo before coming to Britain – but it also meant they were both exhausted.
They left the Portkey Office as quickly as they could, eager not to get noticed by anyone before Rose was ready to be seen. Rose had Flooed to Grimmauld Place, while Kieran had gone to his family home to spend the day there and get a nap in before they met again to go to the Burrow.
Grimmauld Place was eerily silent after all the chaos of international travel, but it was clean and well-maintained, thanks to Kreacher. The old elf greeted her stiffly at the door.
“Welcome home, Mistress Potter-Black,” croaked Kreacher, lurking in the door as she unpacked her bags. The majority of her clothing went straight into the laundry hamper, while the presents she’d brought went in a separate bag for her to bring with her to the Burrow. Her precious wands were laid out on Sirius’ old desk carefully.
“Thank you, Kreacher,” said Rose, smiling at him. “How was everything at home? The house didn’t give you any trouble, did it?”
“Kreacher is keeping the Black family home in perfect condition,” he said.
“You had enough work to do while I was away?”
“Kreacher is going to Hogwarts for extra work like Mistress said. Cleaning the estate is not taking much time,” said Kreacher, twisting his hands in his uniform. When Rose had first moved into Grimmauld Place, Kreacher had despised her. It had taken time and endless compromise to get him to cooperate with her, and now there was something akin to respect between woman and elf.
“Good. I’m glad you’re occupying yourself,” she said, getting some clothes out of the closet that she’d left behind. She wrinkled her nose when she saw some of Dudley’s old things – the clothes she’d worn for most of her life – still hanging in the cupboard. She’d claimed that she’d kept them because the oversized clothes were comfortable, but that wasn’t quite true – she’d just been unable to believe that she deserved to buy new clothing that fit. She was ready now; if she wanted oversized clothes, she’d steal some of Kieran’s. “Could you burn these for me, Kreacher?” she asked, taking all of her old, worn clothes and dumping them in a large pile on the ground.
Kreacher grinned viciously and said, “Gladly, Mistress.” Both he and the clothes disappeared with a pop. Satisfied, Rose took a long shower and settled in for a catnap before she had to face the family she hadn’t seen in almost a year.
Dressed in comfortable trousers and a floaty tunic top she’d bought in Spain, Rose put on her winter coat and Apparated from outside the Black ward to the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. While Rose had access to the Burrow’s wards, Kieran didn’t and would need an escort to make it to the front door. He was already waiting when she arrived, dressed sharply in a winter coat, smart trousers and the customary dragonhide boots. He’d gotten a haircut in the few hours since she’d seen him, and looked incredible, even though Rose was a bit disappointed she wouldn’t be able to run her hands though his hair anymore.
“You look handsome,” she said, leaning up kiss him in greeting.
“You look beautiful, as per usual,” he replied, kissing her back and taking her hand when she pulled away. They set off down the dirt path that led to the Burrow in comfortable silence. Kieran looked entirely at ease, relaxed in a way that Rose definitely wasn’t. There was no reason for them not to like him, but she was still nervous. The Burrow came into view at the end of the road, and something loosened in her chest at the familiar sight. She really had missed it, even if she didn’t regret leaving.
“Ready?” she murmured when they were standing at the door. The cacophony was audible from outside the house as well.
“As I’ll ever be,” said Kieran. “Go for it.” Rose squeezed his hand for reassurance and knocked loudly on the door. There were some yells from the inside before they heard footsteps and the door opened. Mr. Weasley was standing there, wearing a dark blue jumper and a big smile.
“Rose!” he exclaimed. “Come in, come in! Oh, it’s so good to see you! And who’s this young man you’ve brought?” He ushered them in, closing the door behind them.
“Hi, Mr. Weasley. This is Kieran Campbell, my boyfriend. Kieran, this is Arthur Weasley,” introduced Rose, wiping her sweaty palms on her trousers. Mr. Weasley sized Kieran up for a moment before smiling and offering his hand to shake.
“Welcome, lad. Come on, we’re all gathered in the kitchen.” There was an uproar when Rose walked in, and she found herself with a mouthful of bushy hair as Hermione launched herself at her.
“Hi, 'Mione, Ron, Gin,” she greeted, laughing as Hermione stepped back and let Ginny and Ron hug her in greeting. “Good to see you.”
“This the boyfriend?” asked Ron, narrowing his eyes at Kieran.
“Yeah, this is Kieran Campbell, my boyfriend. I love him very much, so play nice,” she warned, looking at Ron and Ginny in particular. Ginny shrugged and sat back in her seat, but there was something calculating in her gaze as she scrutinized him.
“Kieran!” exclaimed Bill in disbelief, stepping forward to grab her boyfriend in a bone-crushing hug. “It’s been too fucking long! You’re the poor sod dating our Rosie?”
“Good to see you, mate,” said Kieran, slapping Bill’s back. “I’m incredibly lucky that she gave me time of day.”
“Oh, it’s so good to see you, Rose! You haven’t been eating, you’re skin and bones!” gasped Mrs. Weasley as she bustled forward to squeeze the living daylights out of Rose and Kieran in turn. “You’re a handsome one, aren’t you?” she said, appraising him. Kieran blushed a little but thanked her obediently.
Eventually, they were all seated around the enlarged kitchen table, chatting amiably. While a good portion of the conversation was just people grilling her about what she’d seen on her trip, she spent some time observing everything she’d missed while away.
Fleur was pregnant. While she had heard about it in a letter from Ron and even written to Fleur to offer her congratulations, it was strange seeing it in person. Hermione had cut her hair shorter – just at her shoulder, and there was something more mature in the way she held herself now. Ron had grown a silly little mustache that actually quite suited him. Ginny looked muscular, no doubt from all her Quidditch training. The others looked the same as when she had last seen them. There was a slight undercurrent of grief that lingered in the Weasley home. It was their second Christmas without Fred, and the wound was healing but still tender. That said, the conversation was good, the wine was flowing and she was there in the moment with all the people she loved best in the world – almost all, that is.
“What time is Andromeda coming with Teddy?” she asked Mrs. Weasley eagerly as she helped with the washing at the end of the meal. Kieran and the Weasley boys had ambled out to the backyard and were doing something that involved a lot of shouting.
“She said she’d feed Teddy and come over afterwards. Any moment now, dear.”
“I missed Teddy terribly while I was away,” said Rose softly, smiling at the thought of seeing her godson again.
“He missed you too,” said Mrs. Weasley. “Andromeda reads all your letters out loud to him, and he loves the toys you’ve sent. The little tyke has grown a lot since you last saw him.”
“I feel so guilty for just – just abandoning him,” said Rose, shaking her head. “I needed to get out of the country for a bit, but I shouldn’t have left for so long. I left Andy as well, but everything was just so difficult here back then– ”
“Nonsense,” said Mrs. Weasley briskly, turning to her and fixing her with a stern glare. “You look better than you have in years, Rose. You were miserable here, and if you needed to run away and see the world to make yourself happy, you more than deserved to do it. Teddy has his grandmother, and he has all of us. You wrote him letters, sent him presents, and you’re back now. Nobody would expect more from you, least of all Andromeda.” There was the dull roar of the Floo in the living room. Rose’s heart beat faster, palms growing clammy. There was a chorus of greetings. Andromeda and Teddy had arrived. “Go see him,” said Mrs. Weasley, shooing her away.
Rose dried her hands off and made her way to the living room. She saw Andromeda first, with her grey-streaked curly hair and stately bearing. Teddy was on his feet, toddling curiously towards the towering Christmas tree while Hermione followed carefully behind him. Last time she'd seen him, he was still crawling.
“Hi, Andy,” she said happily, walking up to the older woman to hug her in greeting.
“Hello, Rose,” she said, embracing her tightly. “Oh, look at you! You look so much better, love.” Rose grinned at that and looked at Teddy fondly.
“He’s gotten so big.”
“He really has,” said Andromeda softly. Then, raising her voice, she said, “Edward, look who’s here!”
At Andromeda’s call, Teddy looked back. The moment he saw Rose, he smiled a huge smile and his hair turned raven black. “Wosie!” he squealed, and Rose went to him immediately, sweeping him into her arms and cradling him close to her chest. He clung to her tightly, babbling unintelligibly in her ear. Rose made affirmative noises and got up, shifting his weight to her hip.
“I missed you so much, Teddy Bear,” she breathed, pressing kisses into his soft hair and breathing in his clean baby scent. Teddy leaned in and smacked a wet kiss on her cheek and she laughed freely, wiping away the moisture in her eyes. “You’re so big now!” she exclaimed, and Teddy lit up proudly, wiggling enthusiastically in her hold.
“Presents?” he asked hopefully, looking at the Christmas tree.
“Presents,” she agreed. “But we have to wait for everyone to start, alright?” Teddy pouted, but didn’t seem to mind, content to be held and chatted to.
Soon enough, the room was full of people, and presents were being handed out. Introducing Kieran to Andromeda was particularly nerve-wracking. In the six months immediately after the war, Rose had all but moved in her and Teddy. When she wasn’t working or sleeping, she was with them. Andromeda had become something of a maternal figure for her, and she wanted her to like her boyfriend. Luckily, Kieran was his charming self, and besides a few mild remarks on the age gap between them – ten years was nothing for wixen when they lived to be two hundred in peace time – she’d seemed satisfied.
Kieran was sitting on the couch, and she settled on the floor in front of him, leaning back against his legs with Teddy on her lap. She helped Teddy unwrap his presents, clapping with him when he got excited over the magical train set she’d bought for him in India. He was adorable, dressed in his tiny turquoise Weasley sweater. She looked at another present in Teddy’s pile and raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw the label on it.
“You got Teddy a present?” she asked in surprise, turning to look at Kieran.
“Of course,” he said, amused. “He’s your godson.” Rose’s heart was bursting with love. She craned her neck to press a soft kiss to his cheek, ignoring the retching noises courtesy of George and Ginny.
“I think you should help him open it,” she said, patting the empty spot next to her. Kieran got out of his spot on the couch and settled next to her. Teddy turned to look at him in interest, wide eyes instinctively turning brown to mimic Kieran’s. “Teddy Bear, look what Kieran got you!” she said, placing the wrapped package. Teddy fumbled with the wrapping paper for a moment but eventually got it open, gasping in delight as he saw a set of crayons in all different colors. “What do we say when someone gives us a present?” she reminded the little boy.
“Thank you!” he said, giving Kieran a toothy grin.
“You’re welcome, mate,” said Kieran kindly, gaze softening as he looked at Teddy playing with his toys.
Later that night, when everyone was dozing off and Teddy had been taken home after tiring himself out, Rose walked Kieran out the door.
“Did you have a good time?” she asked him, leaning against the door frame as he pulled his jacket on.
“Of course. Everyone’s great. Teddy’s so sweet,” he said, wrapping a scarf around his neck. He wrapped her in a hug before opening the front door. “Shall I pick you up from here tomorrow afternoon?”
Rose shook her head and said, “No. I’ll pop by Grimmauld Place beforehand, I’ll need to change before I meet your family.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, love,” he said, kissing her gently before taking a step back and Apparating away with a pop. Sighing, she closed the door and made her way up to Ginny’s room where she and Hermione had set up camp, stepping over Crookshanks who had made himself at home at the foot of the stairs. Both girls had clearly been waiting up for her when she reached the bedroom.
Rose sighed, affected a put-upon tone and said, “I suppose you’ll be wanting the details, then?”
“Leave nothing out,” said Hermione loftily. Ginny leaned forward with a wicked gleam in her eye. Rose settled on the mattress with a sigh.
“Where do I start?”
“How big is his- ”
"Ginevra!"