Loving in Red

Chapter Ten ~ Four Years Later

Chapter Ten

Four Years Later

    Life was brilliant, a whirl of colour and music; faces of people Rose had known forever and new ones everyday. Art filled her walls, her ceiling and even the floor of her townhouse-the Polish bakers had been more than happy to let Rose use her house as a canvas, even had her paint a mural in their store. In four years life seemed to have filled out for Rose, blooming like a flower in spring, a garden bursting to life.

Four years since she’d left Hogwarts a heartbroken eighteen year old with no idea what she going to do.

Four years since Rose realized what she really wanted to do with her life.

Four years since she’d seen Scorpius Malfoy.

In four short years Rose had finished art school and made a name for herself-a small name, but still. She’d sold a few pieces, to wizards and witches alike and even had the honour of painting her Uncle Harry’s portrait for the ministry. Life had somehow fallen into place, the game Rose had been playing all along. A puzzle were the pieces finally fit-except for one.

Rose shook the thought away-tonight was her big night, her very first art opening. Her paintings lined the brick walls, hung for everyone to see; paintings of hands entwined and of a brook, of a hand dangling on a knee as if it were reaching for something-the corner of a smile and the tips someone’s fingers tracing another’s jaw. It was a collection of pieces –of memories- that Rose had suppressed for a long time, but finally she had let them take over and made them into something she never expected. She had taken her broken heart and spread the pain and longing and love on canvas with a paintbrush as gentle as his fingers had once been.

“Rosie!” Xenia appeared through the crowd, the same as the day she and Rose had first met. She tottered on high spiky heels, hair a bleached blonde now and wore a sort of draped backless white shirt with black leather pants-only Xenia could have pulled it off. “My god this is marvellous sugar; we are so happy for you!”

Trevor nodded enthusiastically and Sebastian’s cinnamon eyes twinkled in amusement. “I can’t believe you actually did it, Rose!” Trevor turned to his boyfriend “We can’t, can’t we Seb?”

“Yes,” said Sebastian, a laugh hiding in his voice “And we’re very proud to be your friends Rosie.”

Ears going pink, Rose ducked her head “Thanks mates, it means a lot that you would come.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sebastian said, holding Trevor’s hand tighter. “Right X?”

“Right!” Xenia said enthusiastically “And we are so-oohh, cocktail sausages!” with that she darted through the crowds, Sebastian and Trevor following her, shaking their heads.

From her spot against the far wall Rose could see most of her cousins and Aunts and Uncles, Albus and Leanne, Olivia and Ian, their son with a babysitter for the night. Her Grandparents studying a painting of the Burrow from a distance, covered in snow-if you looked closely you could see two figures standing together against a wall. A long time ago just thinking of that night would have made Rose fall to her knees in grief, but now she just shook her head and turned away. A lot could change in four years.

However, Rose found herself face to face with her second largest and favourite painting. It was square and held the face of a young man, jaw strong and eyes piercing even in complete shadow; people stood and stared into his black shadowy eyes and wondered what he was thinking, whether he loved or loathed the person he was looking at so intensely. A lock of blonde hair curled over his forehead, the whole painting sort of orangey yellow and black, cast in deep shadow. Rose had cried while painting it.