21 October 1922
First Hogsmeade Weekend
Mid-morning
Fiona had been talking about this trip since the date was announced, and Rose had heard about little else for the better part of a week from essentially every child she crossed paths with at Hogwarts. She didn’t mind. Watching Fiona press her nose to the shop window before they even reached the door was worth every repeated mention of it. She smiled.
The door opened.
The smell hit her first.
Rose stepped just inside the entrance, her hand finding the doorframe. Sugar and chocolate and something warm and spiced; ordinarily it was the kind of thing she loved. Today it hit differently. She swallowed and let Gideon move ahead of her while she got her bearings.
Fine, she told herself. Perfectly fine.
The shop was absolutely packed and Rose felt the same anxiety she’d felt over the holidays in the brief second she thought her daughter was lost. But when she finally saw the girl’s blonde hair, she relaxed a bit. The girl had woven herself through the crowd with the confidence of someone much older and larger.
Rose had been hesitant to come to Hogsmeade when she’d begun suspecting something was happening. The woman who notoriously always had sweets around her in her office was finding them less bearable as of late. That was the thing that had pulled her to St. Mungo’s eight days ago.
And that was a thought she had every morning when she woke up – promising herself she’d tell her husband the news he so desperately wanted to hear – but always finding herself remembering as she climbed into bed at night. If they were able to live together at the castle, then he’d already know. But they had to be separated at night, ready to jump in case of any sort of emergency that might happen with their students.
Rose could smell peppermint, something that she found settled her unsettled stomach. Still, the crowded heat of the candy shop was almost too much for her to handle. They’d have to stop by the tea shop next and perhaps they could head back to the castle sooner than their daughter wanted. That fight wasn’t going to be fun, but Rose wasn’t sure if being out right now was a good idea.
“Fiona, you wait for your father to order for you,” Rose managed, her voice perhaps a bit tight but mostly normal. Or she tried anyway. She remained near the door.
Family days were fun, but the small candy shop in Hogsmeade was the last place he wanted to be. Fiona on the other hand was buzzing with excitement. Adding sugar to the mix was going to be greaaaaaaaaaaaaat.
Walking with Fiona and Rose into the shop Gideon sighed and turned his neck left and right, cracking the tension out. Readying himself, he took Fiona’s hand and walked into battle. The little girl that held his heart in her hand, shot forward, weaving to the front of the horde of students.
“Fiona…” he said, trying to grab at his little girl, but she was fast and motivated. Weaving through the crowd, Gideon stared down a few students in his way. With one glaring look they stepped back and let the Deputy through.
Kneeling down next to his daughter, Gideon got her attention, which was harder than it should have been, but the girl was FOCUSED. “Fi, we need to wait our turn, come on little love.” he said, pulling her to the back of the line.
“Fiona, you wait for your father to order for you.” Gideon looked over at Rose, shaking his head with a crooked smile.
The line went dreadfully slow, but Fiona liked looking at all the displays and the candy up for sale. As they got closer to the front Fiona started pointing at all the ones she wanted. Everyone. She wanted each and every one.
“Oh, THAT ONE, Can I have the rainbow one and the chocolate one looks so melty and I want the yellows and OH WAIT, CAN I HAVE THAT ONE TOO!?”
She would not sleep for a week after this trip.
“NEXT!”
“Yes, hello. Can I get four of each please?” Gideon put his hand in his pocket to retrieve his wallet when Fiona expressed her displeasure. “FOUR?! ONLY FOUR?”
Sighing, Gideon looked at the poor overworked sales lady and smiled. “How bout six of each please?” Fiona went to protest again, but with one look from Gideon she stopped and smiled. “Thanks Daddy!”
Rose watched, the best she could, from the doorway. But she could hear her child sound like she was going to throw a fit, though at what she had no idea. So she forced herself to push off the door frame and manage to squeeze her way through to her husband and their daughter.
Her eyes landed on the bag that was being packed with sweets – all for Fiona, and then she turned her attention to Gideon. “Think she has enough?” she asked, amused with a smirk on her face. The girl was absolutely spoiled by him and while Rose was concerned what that might do to her later in life, she was also distracted by the feeling in her stomach.
Fiona, once she had to bag in hand, stuck her hand inside and pulled out a piece of chocolate and shoved it in Rose’s face. “Mummy, you must try one! They’re my favorite!” the little girl exclaimed.
The second the sweet smell of chocolate hit her nose, Rose felt everything inside her revolt. Alarms went off in her head, her stomach churned, and her eyes widened. She’d never had morning sickness quite this bad before, and it pissed her off that it had to do with sweets which were her absolute favorite. Especially chocolate.
Especially since she was known at Hogwarts to always have every sweet known to man in her office for the taking.
Now even that was too much. She’d always had flowers around, but now her desk almost looked overrun with them.
She waved Fiona’s offer off and turned to the door, desperately needing fresh air. She was sweating by the time they made it outside. Rose leaned against the exterior, her eyes closed as she let the light breeze calm her.
Watching Fiona bounce with excitement was exactly what he had dreamed of. Loving Rose and being allowed to help raise the amazing girl holding his hand put a smile on his face that transformed the once sullen man.
“Think she has enough?”
Rose asked, causing Gideon to snicker. “There are sweets left in the shop? So the answer to that is no.” Fiona took after her mother in that regard, always wanting sweets. Gideon didn’t mind candies and desserts, but he was more of a savory sort.
When Fiona offered Rose a taste, he was surprised at her refusal and quick exit outside. She had been acting off lately, which worried him. “Come on monkey, lets go find your mum, I think she might be under the weather.”
Weaving through the sea of students, Gideon and Fiona walked through the door, ringing the bell with their exit. The bell hadn’t stopped ringing with all the people coming and going. The hit of fresh air calmed his nerves once they were outside. Looking left and right, he finally found Rose, leaning up against the building.
As he walked up to his wife, he saw her flushed face and a sheen of sweat on her brow. “You ok honey? You don’t look well. Are you coming down with the stomach bug running through the castle?”
He felt her forehead, expecting warmth, but was greeted with clammy skin. Kissing her on the temple. “Why don’t we go back up to the castle. Get you some tea and into bed. I can keep Fiona busy while you rest.” All the magic in the world couldn't stop viruses from running rampant through the castle.
“You ok honey? You don’t look well. Are you coming down with the stomach bug running through the castle?”
Rose’s eyes fluttered open to see her husband’s concerned face and she smiled slightly. She didn’t respond because if she did open her mouth, she was worried she may tell him the news now. And for the woman who had been through this twice before, this was the one time she was genuinely excited about the predicament. She wanted it to be just right.
The back of his hand touched her forehead, and then he kissed her on the temple when he felt she had no fever.
“Why don’t we go back up to the castle. Get you some tea and into bed. I can keep Fiona busy while you rest.”
She closed her eyes momentarily as she nodded, knowing she needed to walk back to the castle now. But that seemed so far away when she felt uneasy like this. She rested her hand on her stomach absent-mindedly.
“That would be wonderful, actually,” she murmured and moved her hand to his cheek. She wanted so badly to tell him the truth, why she really felt the way she did.
But Rose couldn’t. Not yet. This was something that Gideon had been wanting since they first became an item – he’d mentioned it many times. She wanted to tell him in a way that would be memorable and special for him. She’d yet to figure out how that would go, but knew it would have to be soon.
Walking back to the castle was slow going. Rose definitely wasn’t feeling her best, face flushed, hand held to her stomach most of the journey. Working in a school wasn’t good for the immune system. Germs spawning at an alarming rate.
Even with magic and potions, stomach bugs were still a thing.
Thankfully, their sleeping quarters were not up a massive amount of stairs. Walking down the stairs, Gideon steered Fiona and Rose to her office, then through to her room. “Ok, why don’t you take a bath, relax and soak while Fiona and I go and get you some soup and tea.”
Fiona was buzzing with sugar, literally bouncing while Gideon tried to keep her calm for her mother. Stopping Rose before she went into the bathroom, Gideon set his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes with worry. She looked exhausted.
Cradling her face in his hands, he ran his thumb over her pink cheeks, thankfully not feeling a fever through her flushed skin. He gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead, verifying that she didn’t, in fact, have a fever. “Thankfully there is no fever, but I think some rest and a nap would do you a world of good. I will take the sugar bug with me. You relax and we’ll bring you something to eat in a bit. Maybe I’ll have her run off the sugar buzz on the grounds.” He said with a chuckle.
Holding his hound out to Fiona, he sighed. This was 100% his fault, allowing her to pick far too much candy and then letting her eat more than one piece on the way back. “Let's go monkey. Let your mom rest while we get her something to eat.”
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