Chapter Text
Rosella Lupin wasn’t expecting it when an international number called her as she was finishing her shift at the diner. Her breath hitches in her throat and she freezes in the midst of counting the stack of dollar bills in her hand. It’s as if the world around her stopped, her hand paralyzed from reaching to answer. The dinner rush had just slowed, the sounds of clinking glasses and silverware now fading, the occasional burst of laughter from the last group of soon to be seniors in high school rises from the corner booth they’ve claimed since their freshman year. Rosella is able to leave before closing time—for the first time in, she's not sure how long—hoping to finish up the final few lines of her valedictorian speech before the last day of school tomorrow. Her phone stops ringing just as she reaches for it. A voicemail notification pops up from the same number a few seconds later. Rosella lets the other girls know she’s leaving and practically sprints to the car after gathering up her apron and tips. She takes a few deep breaths as she closes the door behind her, not sure if she’s ready to hear the voice of whoever just tried to call.
“Hey Ros, it’s uh-it’s Remus. I know it’s probably weird that I’m reaching out but um, well classes just got out yesterday and I found out I’ve been accepted into University and I just—I’m moving to the States. I, ya know I get if you don’t wanna see or talk to me, it’s been a while, but I’d really, really like to talk. I actually have a flight to Seattle on Saturday. I thought maybe we could get lunch? Something? Just-uh, if I don’t hear from you by tomorrow I’ll take that as it is I suppose. I miss you Ros.”
Rosella’s eyes fill with tears, but she blinks them back. The familiarity and warmth of the voice is something she never expected to hear again. Before she even realizes what she’s doing, Rosella clicks on the number. The line trills three times before a voice comes through on the other end.
“Ros?” Rosella exhales a shaky breath at the sound of her twin brother’s voice.
“Hey Rem. I-uh, sorry I didn’t answer before, I just got off work.” There’s a silence, followed by a breath of laughter.
“Holy shit you sound so American.” Rose scoffs out a laugh.
“Shut up. When does your flight get in?” Remus chuckles softly on the other end of the call.
“Sunday at around dinnertime, I think 7. So is this a yes to lunch?” It’s one thing talking on the phone, but the idea of seeing him in person makes her chest tighten with an emotion she can’t quite identify.
“I guess so, I haven’t actually thought about what I was going to say when I called you back actually. Where are you staying when you’re here?” Rosella slowly starts to relax, the tension between her shoulder blades dissipating as she and Remus find the same sibling rhythm she thought wouldn’t be there after so many years.
“My two mates are coming too, they have a hotel for us.” There’s a bit of a silence as Rosella tries to form her next thought. He has friends. Of course he does. He’s Remus.
“I mean, you could come stay with me if you wanted. I just moved into my own place, a couple months ago.” A couple months ago on their 18th birthday. She feels Remus hesitate on the other end of the phone and wonders if she should take it back.
“I’d like that, but maybe the first couple days we should just ease back into it? I don’t want to just show up and just be in your space.” Rosella lets out a small laugh, realizing how ridiculous it sounded. They make plans to meet up on Monday for lunch and as they’re about to hang up, Rosella stops him.
“Wait, where are you going for school?”
“Oh, we’re going to Hogwarts-my mates and I.” The laugh that comes from Rosella this time is loud, unable to contain it. Hogwarts is the most prestigious—and expensive—university in the Pacific Northwest. They’re actually known for accepting more international students than American students. When Rosella applied, she fully expected to be turned down.
“So am I.”
Rosella gave her valedictorian speech on Sunday, suddenly less nervous about speaking to the 300 students and their parents (minus hers obviously), than the lunch that is happening the next day. Rose didn’t have many friends in school—she was too busy. As soon as she was old enough, she had a job, working as late as was legal, saving every penny that didn’t go towards what Lyall refused to provide for her. She knew the second she turned 18 she needed to be out of that house—whether she wanted to or not. When it was announced she was valedictorian, a few people stopped her in the hallway to ask when she had transferred in. Others that knew her shot dirty looks and made snide comments when she passed by them. Only a handful of people genuinely congratulated her on it, and she wasn’t even a hundred percent convinced they meant it.
Rose and Remus hadn’t seen each other since before her life went to shit her freshman and sophomore year. As a custody agreement, her parents had decided Lyall would take Rose to the states and Hope would keep Remus in Wales. They were 5 then. Rosella would see Remus three times a year after that, Lyall still having reason to go back to Wales for business. Then, when Remus and Rose turned 13, Lyall refused to let Rose come with him anymore. Remus came to visit in Seattle once more when he was 15, and neither of them had spoken since then. Lyall remarried shortly after Remus left from that trip to Victoria, a witch of a woman.
Rose had already been working for over a year, but once Victoria moved in, she picked up even more hours anywhere she could. Victoria hated Rose from the second she laid eyes on her—probably from the moment Lyall told Victoria that Rose existed. Lyall up to that point hadn’t been awful—in fact, he hadn’t really been anything. He never got sober and was never home. He worked during the day and came home late, usually too drunk to make it past the living room. There were a number of times that Rose had to force him into the bathroom and shove her fingers down his throat—checking his breathing every couple of hours. Rose learned how to be completely independent, both emotionally and physically. She cooked for herself, got herself to school, and never asked for help. However, once Victoria was in their lives, he got worse. Instead of just not being around, he would scream at Rose anytime she moved the wrong way, did the wrong thing, or simply breathed too loud.
Victoria would praise him for being such a strong authority figure. She would put a padlock on the fridge, claiming she was worried about Rose getting chubbier. She hid all the blankets in the house and left the window open every winter, leaving Rose to bundle in sweatshirts and her winter coat every night for bedtime. She would whisper names and rude comments, sometimes even writing them on the bathroom mirror with lipstick, as though she was playing a mean girl in one of those 80’s movies she loved so dearly.
Once, that first year, Victoria had emptied her cigarette butts onto Rose’s bed, and the cat’s litter box on the floor. She then hid the broom and vacuum and locked up the laundry room. When Lyall had returned that night from work, Rose went to him crying, asking him to do something. It had all gotten to just be too much, and in a last ditch effort to make it stop, she finally reached out to her father for help. Rose tried hugging him, but he shoved her off and told her to stop spreading lies. Victoria pretended to be distraught, so upset that her evil stepdaughter would even say such things about her. Rose told her she was being a filthy lying cunt. Victoria slapped her so hard there was a small cut on her cheek from the band of her ring. Rose wasn’t home much after that.
She had filled her time with anything and everything, going to work then getting off and going to a random person’s party, hoping they’d allow her to sleep on the couch. She bought her car with her savings at 16. She had a boyfriend around that time, until he yelled at her in the same way Lyall did. She broke up with him instantly, removing all emotion from her face and voice. She wasn’t even mean, just silent after telling him they were over. He told everyone at school the next day that she gave him an STD, and no one really tried to be her friend after that. Some people from that crowd would laugh when she’d walk by. Other rumors were spread, effectively annihilating her. She slept in her car often, unless it was too hot or too cold. She only truly came home to shower and wash clothes, and she only did that during her lunch at school, when both Lyall and Victoria were gone. She once was caught when Lyall had been home on a sick day, but he just blinked at her, unaware that she didn’t really live there anymore, but still somehow angry at her for existing.
In her senior year, Rose had made a few friends. They were in all of the advanced classes together (she was able to get sponsored through the AP classes by an empathetic substitute teacher). Barty, Evan, and Pandora were assigned to her pod in AP Anatomy in the fall of their senior year. While they were working on the first project about genetics, Barty made a joke about how obviously, being gay is not a genetic trait, since his father is straighter than a flagpole and he was queerer than Kurt Hummel. For some reason, the four of them were attached at the hip after that. It was harder for Rose than it was for them. It was more like Barty, Evan, and Pandora were attached at the hip and had Rose come along for the ride.
Rose struggled to come out of the hiding she had sunk into since her father’s marriage to Victoria, but eventually they convinced her to come to a party after homecoming. She had taken the day off of work to help set up, but had no intentions on attending any of the festivities. They told her she didn’t have to come to the game or the dance, but the afterparty was singlehandedly the most important moment of their senior year until prom, and she MUST attend. She did, and that night solidified their friendship. She realized that she cared about all of them deeply, even if they didn’t feel the same way. She could live with that. She didn’t open up much, unless she was in a specific mood, but those three knew more about her than anyone else in the world.
After the graduation ceremony, Barty, Evan and Pandora found Rose. They were all smiles and excitement and Pandora was sobbing. Rose caught Barty wiping his eyes a couple times, and even caught Evan once, but decided against teasing. Today is a big day for all of them. They all finally get to start their own lives. Rose had legally been an adult for a couple of months at this point, but now without the presence of high school, it felt more real than ever. Evan and Barty were rewarded the start of their trust fund just for receiving their diplomas, and Pandora is able to move out in three days.
“I think this calls for a celebration. Dad left directly after the ceremony so I have the entire house to myself. I say drinks.” Barty declares. Pandora and Evan nod in agreement.
“I can come for a little bit, but I can’t drink too much, my brother and I are getting lunch tomorrow and I want to be functioning.” Rose says as a teacher walks by congratulating them and shaking Rose’s hand.
“Wait your brother? As in the one you haven’t seen or spoken to since you were 15?” Barty asks incredulously.
“As in your twin? He’s coming to Seattle?” Pandora asks, less offended by the thought, more just genuinely curious.
“Yeah, actually, I was going to tell you guys after the ceremony but he’s actually going to Hogwarts,” Barty gasps dramatically, clutching his chest as if he’s just been shot. Evan and Pandora’s eyes go wide, “Oh spare me the dramatics. I didn’t even know he was applying, and you all could have applied, you just chose not to.” They had all discussed applying to the same schools, and they did apply to some, but they all had different goals for the future. Evan has to go to law school in order to receive the rest of his inheritance, and was expected to attend Yale or Harvard. Luckily, his family settled for Colombia, since they had family in New York. Barty will be attending NYU for performing arts (to no one’s surprise, but his father’s severe disappointment), and Pandora will be on a medical track at Stanford. Rose’s chest tightens again at the idea of not seeing her friends everyday, but she pushes the thought to the side.
“I just can’t believe you’re planning on replacing us with your own brother. The absolute horror!” Rose can’t help but chuckle, imagining Barty off at NYU with people who are finally able to match his level of drama. Everyone in the group has had their moments—they are all nothing if not dramatic—but Barty has always been front and center. It’s part of the reason everyone loves him so much.
The night is filled with fine liquor and teary goodbyes. They know they have a few more weeks, but Barty and Evan want to find a place together in New York, and Evan’s uncle is insisting they come early to get the lay of the land. Pandora’s mother already lives in Palo Alto and is expecting her early as well. Rose doesn’t expect the emotion she has about saying goodbye to these people. Her life the past four years was a lot of darkness, and she finally found a few bright spots–her little specks of sunlight seeping through the curtains. She finds herself fearing that she won’t hear from them all once they go their separate ways. That is until Barty demands they make a blood oath to swear that they will meet up as often as humanly possible, and one of them will create teleportation to make the visits easier. No one draws blood—thanks to Evan—but they swear.
Rose finds herself on Barty’s living room floor the next morning, surrounded by throw pillows and a slice of pizza. She didn’t think she had drank that much, but apparently Barty’s dad’s liquor is a bit more fancy than they’re used to partying with. Pandora groans on the couch, rolling a plastic water bottle towards Rose.
“Water. Brother. Lunch.” Rose chuckles, gulping the water gratefully. A pillow soars above her head, prompting another groan out of Pandora as it hits her.
“Shut up. Head broken.” Barty slurs from next to Rose. He’s curled into a ball next to Evan, who is dead asleep. Rose reaches for her phone on the coffee table and sees it’s already 11.
“Shit shit shit fuck, I gotta go, love you all, fuck you all, drink water.” Rose sputters out as she gathers her shoes and bag in hand, grabbing her keys from beneath Evan, and running out the door. She makes it back to her tiny studio apartment (it used to be part of a fire station, and tends to have strange noises come from the pipes during the night) with just enough time to down another bottle of water, brush her teeth, make her hair presentable, and throw on a dabble of makeup. She changes into a sundress so she doesn’t have to worry about matching pants and a shirt, slips on some Walmart sandals, and is back out the door. She makes it to the restaurant five minutes earlier than anticipated, and lets out a deep exhale.
She looks out the window and sees Remus standing outside the front door of the hole-in-the-wall diner she picked. He’s tall—much taller than the last time they saw each other—and is wearing a dark green knit sweater, black jeans, and beat up Doc Martens with blue laces in one and purple laces in the other. His dusty brown hair matches her own, and even from her place across the street she can see the three long scars on his face. She exhales again, shaking out the nerves one last time before grabbing her purse and stepping out of the car.
She approaches Remus with a soft smile. The closer she gets, the more the resemblance comes into focus. The dusting of freckles across his nose in nearly the same pattern as her own, the slight gold in his brown eyes matching hers, and the single dimple on his left cheek (hers is on her right). He smiles wider as she approaches, reaching out for a hug. Rosella isn’t much of a hugger, but this can be an exception. They cling to each other for a long time, taking in the presence of each other, a presence they hadn’t even had time to miss.
“Christ you’re tall.” Rose says after a minute. Remus chuckles, releasing her and examining her.
“And you’re short, and American. I think you might have the butt end of this one,” They both chuckle a little, “Come on I’m starved.”