Shattered Glass

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the rights that in anyway pertain to Harry Potter, I'm just an avid fan who loves her ship. And anyway, I think Joanne showed us what side she's on, and it's clearly not a good one. And a special thanks to my lovely beta Le, she's a doll for helping me because for so long didn't have a beta. So Thank YOU!

Note: Most of the story takes place through Rose's perspective with some minor changes in POV throughout the story.

Warnings: Minor Ron bashing in the beginning (though he may receive redemption because I love Ron too much), Rose and Scorpius are a side Ship, Minor Language.

My prime of youth is but a frost of cares;
My feast of joy is but a dish of pain;
My crop of corn is but a field of tares;
And all my good is but vain hope of gain.
The day is past, and yet I saw no sun;
And now I live, and now my life is done

-Chidiock Tichborne (1558-1586)

Darkness fell over the once bright sky, the clouds looming like a predator hidden in the night. The beautiful moon that had dominated the wide open celestial sphere was now nothing more than a divine being. Beauty no longer existed; all the colors seemed to be a shade of gray.

She watched as the rain clouds began to move in over her house, and she couldn't help but notice the very movement's perfect analogy to her own feelings. The stars were barely visible through the sinister clouds. A clap of thunder exploded somewhere off in the distance, but not even the hideous growl of the northern winds could shake her nerves this day.

Rose Weasley was already broken, and nothing would be able to change that. Everything had changed after Ginivera's death.

A piece of brown straight hair fell from its place behind her ear, but she didn't have the strength to move it. She didn't even want to move. Her strength had run dry, and they could have stopped for her sake, her parents could have made the extra effort. Taken a chance to analyze what they were doing and could have seen it was foolish, simply stupid, but no. They were both stubborn, too bloody childish, and sometimes she felt like she was the adult in the family.

She was starting her third year at Hogwarts, and they had already ruined her life. Because they were so busy blaming each other, they couldn't see the truth.

At least, her father didn't.

Her mother always tried—she would try for the sake of her children. Though her effort was futile; no one could deny that Hermione Granger's marriage to Ronald Weasley was falling apart. Hermione always comforted him rather than her husband. It was logical for any other man to be upset, but Ron knew who she was with, and he should have trusted her.

Rose wanted to be strong for her family and for her little brother. She couldn't afford to fail. Not this time. There was so much going on and so much to deal with—all too much for a single teenager to endure alone.

A long, deep howl erupted from the night, silently commanding the branches to bow down before its mighty wrath. Falling leaves spun around her, creating her own safe haven—her sanctuary. Subtly, she wondered what exactly her family was. Were they a family or were they nothing more than characters molded with pretense and painted smiles?

She had broken down. But she wasn't sure that it was over—all this pain.

She still couldn't believe what she did to her father, who was still petrified in the living room. Magic done outside of school was absolutely forbidden in every sense, even more so after the war. There were always consequences for broken rules, and she did just that.

Groaning, Rose put her face into her hands. What on earth am I going to do?

She was certain her mother had already received the howler. Now she was mortified; breaking the rules was the last thing she wanted to do. It was last thing she needed. To top it off, her uncle would probably learn of this, and she was sure he would not be pleased.

Rose glanced at her watch. Hugo would be home any minute from his friend's house.

The dark clouds continued to swirl around, and the temperature began to drop. The rain would come soon. Rose leaned back against the trunk of the tree, furiously rubbing her arms in attempt to warm them. She couldn't step a foot inside that house now; she wouldn't be able to bear seeing her father, frozen in his irate form. She quickly resigned, crouching to the ground.

Rose refused to cry. Not now. She clenched her teeth tightly.

No, she had to be strong like her mother.

The rain began to fall, hitting her pale skin like little watery bullets. The tree did little to shelter her from it. Her sapphire eyes held a deep, eternal sadness—one which no one could fully understand. One a girl like her should have never known.

0000000000

He paced around his office with his emerald eyes that hardened with some unknown grief, a different sorrow than his previous undertakers—possibly worse. A file was wide open on his desk.

Words were flashing a bright red, calling for attention: Rose Weasley.

The papers were put in a neat little stack, a list of all the howlers sent out within the last thirty minutes. He turned sharply on his heels and strode to his desk. As he leaned over the folder again, he gripped the sides of his desk so hard that his knuckles were white.

Teddy, his godson, looked at him with a pair of anxious chestnut eyes, eyes that he inherited from his deceased father. He sat in the chair in front of Harry's desk.

Teddy had never seen Harry so unsettled; not since the funeral, and he looked as though he wanted to pummel someone!

Harry lifted his head, sighing in defeat. He tapped his fingers thoughtfully on his mahogany desk, battling the thought of beating the life out of his best friend.

He had to leave early to find her, to speak to her. To see what really happened.

He couldn't just sit around while the Weasley household fell to pieces. He rubbed his temple, trying to calm himself down. He was the most privileged Auror in the ministry. No one argued that; after all, he was Harry Potter.

He hated it—hated the fact that everyone bowed down to him. Harry didn't want the special treatment; he just wanted them to do their duties and to not think of him as a hero, a god. He expected all of his trainees to treat other authority-like figures the same, but they rarely did.

Finally, Harry decided.

“Teddy, you're in charge," he said, grabbing his coat and thrusting back his hair in a single motion. He stopped at the doorway; taking his messenger bag in his hands.

Harry looked up to meet a pair of wide eyes that belonged to his godson.

“Don't wait up.”

Before Teddy could reply, could utter a sound, Harry apparated out of his office with a pop.

AN: I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Please if you read, review. Most people thrive on feedback.

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Disclaimer: Not my characters, yet at least, but anyway. I hope you enjoy, some mild Ron bashing, it's not so bad. He's just upset, now, I may or may not create some sort of redemption for him…time will tell.

Note: I already had this written so I figured I'd update both first and second chapter. It seemed like a good idea at the time. So let's have a go then.

Warnings: Mild Ron Bashing in the beginning, Mild Language

The wind had picked up steadily, she could hear it through the door; it was loud and obnoxious. She looked out the window, her brunette hair dripping with water and clinging to her face. She sighed, and turned her attention to her father, who was asleep on the couch, after coming back from the petrifaction. He grumbled in his sleep, and Uncle Harry's name was heard once in a while.

She cast a worried glance in her brother's direction. Hugo was a spitting image of their dad, except for his eyes, whose color bore close resemblance to oak or mahogany.

Her brother was sitting at the counter with a mug of hot chocolate, his bright red hair sticking up in different directions. He met her gaze with curiosity; he desperately wanted to know what went on while he was away, but he knew she would never speak a word until she knew for sure. He found her outside when the rain started up, and she seemed put out, but when he asked why she just shook her head in frustration. He loved his sister, and when she was hurt like that it hurt him too.

Hugo walked over to the table where she sat, set his mug down, and gave her a small grin. She smiled back, although it came out to be more of a lopsided frown.

Rose's hands were wrapped around her own cup of hot chocolate. She looked down into the cup and observed her distorted reflection. Even through the thick liquid, it was visible that there was something wrong, something that was seen as it was etched into the creases in her forehead. The lost look in her blue eyes. The thin line of her mouth.

She looked harder, and instead of herself, she saw her mother. She cocked her head to the side, and the reflection did the same. She pushed the cup away, for she didn't want to contemplate her mother at the moment.

“Rosie, what happened today?” her brother asked gently, pushing his cup to the side. She shook her head, eyes fixed on the table. She couldn't tell him what she saw.

“I can't…” She trailed off. “It's too much to handle, school is starting up soon and mum and dad won't stop with the fighting…and I sort of have a hearing date with the ministry.”

Rose sorely attempted to change the subject, but her brother objected. She was amazed he caught all of her words with as quickly as she spoke, but her brother was no idiot.

“The Ministry?” Hugo said shocked. “What does the ministry want with you?”

“Nothing…i-it's nothing, Hugo.”

The large crack that suddenly resounded in the kitchen put an immediate halt to the conversation. Hugo looked at his sister with wide eyes.

The new addition to the occupants of the kitchen smiled, though his emerald eyes didn't seem to reflect the gesture. His dark raven-like hair framed his face the way it did in the pictures. Judging from his outfit, he probably apparated here right after work. Rose and Hugo's cousins stood behind their father, looking somewhat dizzy from apparating.

Harry stopped in front of Rose, who suddenly went rigid, and he grabbed her up in a hug.

“Where's your mum, or dad?” he asked in a whisper, taking her by surprise.

“Dad's asleep in the living room…and mum's…” Rose he trailed off, not wanting to continue. Her mother had not come out of her bedroom for hours.

She shrugged. There was silence. Secretly she cursed at It, for the silence only said what could not be `it's falling apart.'

Harry let her go and eyed her closely, examining her as though she was a prime suspect. Finally, he broke out in a grin, a true one this time. He couldn't help it, looking at her was like looking through a window to the past. He beamed, “You look just like your mum, except your eyes. Very beautiful, just like she is.”

Rose heard a gasp come from her right side, and she glanced over to see her mum. Her mother's hands were clasped over her mouth, and her eyes were red with tears. Harry went to her quickly and murmured something he couldn't hear. She whispered back to him so quickly that Rose couldn't even read her lips.

She swiftly glanced at her daughter and mouthed `stay'.

She left the kitchen and Harry followed after. There was a liquid-like tension that seemed to ooze into the room, seeping into the cracks of every wall. She looked at her cousins, who still seemed to be dazed and somewhat confused.

After the tension died down and everything seemed sane, Rose smiled at them.

It had been forever since she'd seen any of her cousins, and she had many, but these were her favorites.

“How are you all?” she asked giving each of her cousins a hug.

“As good as you can be with Al nagging at us all the time about our bloody schoolwork," James said jokingly, poking his brother's side. Albus glowered, turning his attention back to Rose.

“Yes, well at least I'm not the one always weaseling my way into trouble.” He sneered in rebuttal, running a hand through his black locks. “And who's to speak when you're so busy impressing the girlies.”

She laughed; he reminded her of her mother sometimes, always so keen on the rules.

“The boy is no fun!” James countered. “A couple pranks here and there, he'd have fun if he'd just try!”

“Oh, sod off you two,” Lily scolded, rolling her eyes at her brothers. “We've been better.”

“He's still grieving,” James commented sadly. “We all are, but he has it the worst, I think.”

Hugo frowned; he missed his aunt as much as the next person, but hearing about his cousin's grief hurt him even more. They all grabbed seats on the kitchen table which seated eight, and Hugo conjured up more mugs of hot chocolate.

Each of them was deeply lost in thought, sipping away at their drink. The loud claps of thunder had finally faded into the distance, and the howling winds calmed to a breeze. Now only the unrest of the night was present. The stars were visible once again through the windows. An eerie echo of chimes pierced the silence of the night.

“He talks about you and your mum quite a bit, y'know," Lily suddenly said, looking up at the ceiling while tracing the top of her mug absently.

James and Albus looked at each other for a moment but returned quickly to what they were doing—looking as though they weren't supposed to say anything.

Their sister continued speaking, oblivious to the movements of her brother, “He says that you both give him some sort of comfort that he couldn't find anywhere else…it's rather interesting…He really loves you all. I guess that's why he's so upset with your dad.”

Rose immediately looked down, avoiding their eyes as she pushed her hair that was dry at last behind her ear, inducing another round of impenetrable silence. She could feel her ears heat up with embarrassment.

She wondered, abruptly, why they weren't bothered by such information; knowing that there was something about her mother and herself that sounded more important. She knew that if her father had heard such a thing he would have been furious. Her nose wrinkled at the thought.

“I almost sort of wish we were all brothers and sisters,” James said thoughtfully, propping his head up with his right hand. “I wouldn't mind Hermione being our mum—OW!”

“Shut up," Lily growled at her brother. James glared at his sister as he nursed his arm.

She had definitely inherited the feisty spirit from her mother, Rose thought humorously.

There was a sudden crash in the living room, causing everyone to quiet instantly. James dug furiously into his trouser pocket for something. At last, he pulled out small, flesh-like object, which was easily recognizable to Rose as an Extendable Ear.

“James! No," Albus warned in a low tone, but his brother ignored him and put it up to his ear.

His face quickly grew grim, and he looked directly at Rose. She raised an eyebrow as he continued to listen, and his eyes grew wider within seconds. She made a motion with her hands that said `give it here', and he complied without hesitation.

“…I cannot believe you're still insecure with the fact that Harry and I are still best friends, Ronald!”She said.

Her mother sounded angry—the way she always sounded like when talking to her husband.

“All you can think about is yourself and how I'm spending the majority of my time trying to help him get back on his feet. For Merlin's sake, he has to raise three children on his own! How can you understand what he is going through? He's your best friend, and you're watching him suffer without any inner toil!”

“Hermione, please, calm down,” Harry's voice commanded. “Ron, how could you think I would ever do that to you? I wouldn't betray your trust by convincing Hermione t-to come away with me, the quote “real hero!” Not to mention what you're suggesting is just morally repugnant!”

“We are all best friends, Hermione,” Rose's father snapped, ignoring his other best friend, “but that doesn't relieve you of the duty of being a wife!”

“Excuse me? How could I possibly be abandoning my duty as a wife?” She scowled. “Is that all I am to you? Someone who does your laundry and cooks food for you? Bears your children?”

“Well, you're useless with everything else,” Ron decided to say. Rose winced. Her father had always been a bit dim-witted with his choice of words.

“Damn it, Ron, stop!” Harry demanded.

“Get out of my way, Harry; this has nothing to do with you," his friend said acidly.

A sudden slam on a hard surface was heard. Harry's voice was heard after that, sounding hard and cold, "You are not getting near her! You were too close to losing your cool. If not for Rose who was taking the heat for you—I might add--you'd be in the hot seat with the Ministry, instead of your daughter. And for the record--from what I'm hearing--it sounds like your problem has a lot to do with me.”

“Only if she is cheating on me do you have something to do with it. So what is this--a confirmation?”

Tritely, Hermione nearly yelled, “No! Why are you so—Ron, why can't you trust me or Harry! We said that we would always be there for each other and here you are turning your back on us like you did during the war.”

There was a momentary silence, and someone murmured something so softly that not even the Extendable Ear could pick it up.

“Don't you dare try and guilt me, Ronald Weasley,” Rose's mother said, her voice cracking slightly under pressure. “Are you so incapable of trusting me that you would say that?”

“It's the truth! After I left you and Harry in that damned tent alone, I knew it was trouble, I knew that I couldn't trust you…I knew he would take you away from me…like he always has. I see the way you look at him, that look you get when he comes over. Don't think I don't notice because I do! I'm not stupid, Hermione. For all I know…Rose might not even be mine!”

No one spoke after that, and her father muttered something harsh under his breath.

What had their family come to?

Rose's eyes burned with tears, but none were able to fall. Her heart ached, and her hands began to tremble. She closed her eyes, dropping the Extendable Ear onto the table.

Her cousins and her brother watched, bewildered and worried, as she clenched her fists into tight balls. Without a word, Rose left the kitchen entered the living room in angry stride.

She saw her father first and a flame burst inside her. Rose deliberately pushed him aside as she went up the stairs to her room.

Harry and Hermione shared a glance as they watched Rose stomp up the stairs, stunned by her sudden uncharacteristic behavior. It was obvious what had just taken place, and guilt began to swell inside their stomachs.

Ron looked disgruntled but not overwhelmingly concerned that his daughter had just shoved him.

Now was the time to start making some hard decisions.

Now they had to make a choice.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed, please Read and Review! I love reviews, good and bad. ;) So keep them coming!

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