The Image Of Us

Life was crazy, Nessarose decided. Completely and utterly bonkers.

Otherwise she wouldn’t have ended up walking down the main street of Diagon Alley like a werewolf wouldn’t come after her and tell her that she belonged in their pack. Because she did, technically. Dylan had seen to that. But Nessa hardly cared that afternoon, instead being focused on what had happened the week before. She shouldn’t have cared, all things considered. She had tried not two weeks ago to take away the possibility of her having a son. And yet here she was, realizing how truly impossible it was. She knew, now, that Dylan had cursed her in more ways than one.

She wasn’t sure she had the right to feel crushed by what had happened. Although she just received the news a little over an hour ago, and although she knew full well that she was not the right age to want something like that, Nessa was entirely heartbroken. She couldn’t explain it. It had been a month – less than that – since she had been informed, and in such a cruel way. But after she had determined to keep it – at Dylan’s insistence, awful and stupid boy that he was – she had accepted it surprisingly easily. She had realized how much of a hypocrite she had been in even considering it, nonetheless taking the first steps to do so. And so over the next two weeks she had been careful, had decided to take it in stride.

Now she wouldn’t have that chance. Now she never would have that chance. There was no real solution that she could see, and she was so dejected that she just didn’t care about being out in the open. Or she didn’t so long as no one pointed it out to her. So far she was doing just fine. No one recognized her as far as she knew, and she was happy with that.

It helped, she supposed, that she was watching the cobblestones as she walked, hair falling around her face. A door opened to her right, catching her eye and drawing her gaze. But as she turned back to look in the direction she was headed, Nessa caught sight of a particularly curly head of hair, and she stopped in her tracks. She was sure for a moment that she was imagining it, or that it was just someone who looked very like her first best friend. His profile was all she could see as she walked towards him, her smile returning little by little as she approached.

As wary as she was to look the fool and call out the wrong name, Nessa stopped a few feet away and tilted her head to the side, setting her hands on her hips. “…Nate?”

There was just something about London. New York looked artificial and vapid compared to the history and tradition that was built into every brick and stone in the city. Nate could feel it's heartbeat, familiar but oh-so distant from his memories like a smell he couldn't place or a word on the tip of his tongue. He was home in a land that he barely remembered but it somehow still felt.. right. It had been a genuine pleasure for Nate to rediscover and reunite himself with the city over the last two months.. a journey that was just starting to include the wizarding parts of London.

Nate remember the last time he had visited Diagon Alley. He had been nine and after an afternoon of shopping in department stores he had convinced his mother to take him to Quality Quidditch supplies where he purchased a Wilbourne Wasps poster and admired the newest brooms. Nate never did end up getting his own broomstick but the poster remained tacked in his New York bedroom alongside countless paper memories he had collected over the years. Only a few precious photographs had made it on the last move across the Atlantic and those hung on a tack board in his kitchen, livening up what would otherwise be incredibly boring walls.

Today, Nate wasn't looking for anything in particular (though he did still stop to admire the newest broom displayed in the window). He was wandering down the street, peeking in all windows and occasionally entering a shop that caught his eye. It was a lazy day - no agenda or schedule to follow - and Nate was just letting himself enjoy the London summer.

Nate was just turning away from a cart selling candy apples when he heard his name being spoken. He turned around with a start, eyes flicking about for the speaker. He had almost convinced himself that the call had been a figment of his imagination when his gaze feel upon a young brunette standing not too far away. Much like London, the girl's face was familiar but not engrained. It took Nate a full second of processing before her features matched with those of the six year old girl he had in his memories.

"Rosie?"

His address was as uncertain as hers but the longer he stared at her the more positive he became. Yes, it was little Nessarose Bridgewood but she wasn't looking so little anymore. Her hands rested on her hips, shamelessly drawing Nates attention to the curves that had developed over his years and years of absence. Rosie had always been a pretty child but now she would be more accurately described as beautiful. Nate could feel the rush of nostalgic affection beginning to wash over him as he took a step towards her, looking down with a wide smile.

"You look.. good." He offered, still at a loss for words at the appearance of his old friend.

The blush that lit her cheeks at his old name for her immediately assured her that it was her Nathaniel standing before her. Her Nate – Natey as she had taken to calling him at a very early age – was back and standing before her looking near perfect, if not entirely so. He had always been charming, but this was something else completely. When he approached she found herself just staring for a moment, smile etched on her face despite her mood moments ago.

Her cheeks burned even more as he spoke, causing her to tear her gaze from his, giving him a slow once-over. When her eyes finally met with his once more, her smile expanded. “Me? Please, look at you, Natey!” She teased, lifting one hand from her side and reaching up to push his hair out of his face. “Even more grown up than I always thought you were.”

Nessa let her hand linger at the base of his neck without even thinking twice about it, before biting her lip and pulling away to run her fingers through her own hair. The ends curled around her fingertips as she did so, distracting her for a breath. In the end, she was grateful for it, because she realized she hadn’t even questioned him being there.

“Are you all… on vacation? I mean, I haven’t heard from you in years. You're all doing well?” A slight frown crossed her features but she pushed it away. The fault was equally her own, in truth, and she couldn’t place any blame on Nathaniel for it.

After all, she had many things that she couldn’t have told him about. Like Dylan, and Baldric, and everything going wrong with Hogwarts and the Ministry. If he were on vacation, Nessa would think him a lucky soul indeed. Then again, his citizenship wouldn’t lie with the United Kingdom anymore, and he wouldn’t be subject to the laws, even if he had moved back. Either way he was a lucky git. But Nessa was incandescently happy to know that in some ways, he was her git.

It was hard to stop smiling. In all of his years fantasizing about returning to the country of England he had neglected to remember some of the most important things he had left behind. When he had been first told to pack his things Rosie had been his first thought. For awhile he had asked his parents endless questions - when were they going back? Could he call Rosie? He had barely gotten to say goodbye and in the emotional aftermath that followed his mother allowed him to add a post-script on a letter to the Bridgewood's that expressed his hope that he would see them again soon.

Ten years was not soon. Over that time Nate's worry about his old friends began to wane and his thoughts rested on them less and less. The biggest reminder was the framed photo of him and Rosie sitting on the end of a dock, feet dangling towards the water as they grinned like idiots. He had taken that one in the move and it now was tacked beside the Wasps poster, the serene blues contrasted against the bright yellow.

She repositioned his hair and he wrinkled his nose as it tickled his cheeks. It was a familiar motion that most women seemed to be genetically programmed to do in his presence. Caitlyn was the worst culprit, always trying to reposition stay hairs and complaining that he needed to get it cut until Nate made the effort to grumpily shoo her away. Grace was guilty of it to. When she was nervous she used to fix and re-fix the mop on his head until it was suitable for him to go out in public with.

"Just me this time. I actually just moved back a couple months ago so still trying to get everything sorted. Everyone's good, keeping busy." Nate shrugged.

It had been easy to get a visa from the muggles. His British birth certificate and a few bundles of paperwork was all they needed to begin the process of a dual-citizenship. Traveling non-magically had brought him in under the radar and it was only now that he had started the process of re-integrating himself into wizarding Britain. It had been a delicate process on that end, one that Claire had helped him endlessly with.

"But hey, what are you doing this afternoon? Can I take you to lunch?"

Ten years, and no word. Not even once he came back. Nessa wasn't sure if she was meant to be offended by that or not. She assured herself that he had just been busy, but a jealous stab asked if he had reunited with any other friends but merely forgotten her. Even as the question crossed her mind, she couldn't help but smile in return for the one he offered her. It was a tad deflated, but there nonetheless.

"Unpacking and whatnot," she mused, speaking just to fill the air. "I'm glad you're getting settled, then."

A surprised blink took over her expression, before she feigned having to think quite hard about her reply. "I mean, it's been ten years, Nate..." She shrugged, shifting her weight and putting for the image of a sad, ignored pet.

Nessa tried to let him worry. She did. She couldn't keep the image up for too long, though, before a smirk curved her lips and she added, "I mean, after that long I daresay you owe me lunch, at the very least, don't you?" She leaned forward on the last two words, hands returning to her hips in a grand show of sass. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, though, betraying her own attempts to fool him.

One hand reached for Nate's elbow, twining their arms together as she moved to stand beside him. "Now, you've been around for a while, but you should pick where we go. You might've missed some place and I wouldn't want to deprive my favorite guy of his favorite place."

Nessa, you sound like an idiot. She chided herself, leaning into Nathaniel to cover her blush. She wasn't meant to be tripping over her words around Nate. That didn't make sense. Stranger still that she just wanted to keep talking and keep being that close to him. She had missed him, she rationalized. That's all it was.

Rosie's face took a downward turn and for a moment Nate believed her. An ache of guilt began to overcome him and just as gradually eased away as he saw her lips transform into a smirk. Nate raised his eyebrows as a smile of his own began to push through pursed lips. He shook his head slowly as Rosie took his arm in hers, his disapproval just as obviously false as her sadness. "Only if you play nice." he responded, flashing her a quick smile before beginning to walk back up the street towards the entrance to Diagon, their elbows gluing them together.

"Well I'm no expert.. But I do have a place in mind." Nate had only been there once since his move but he had enjoyed the food and for some reason he thought that maybe Rosie might too. They walked past the street of shops and carts but Nate no longer had any interest to stop and browse. He was overly eager to get to know the girl he had once been so close with again and nothing seemed able to sway his attention from her.

Finding Nessarose felt like a validation of sorts. Accidentally finding her.. it had to be a sign that returning to England was the right path. Nate had barely arrived and that second chance was already appearing before his eyes. Things would never be exactly the same as they would have been if he had stayed but this was the next best thing. Rosie was here, attached at his hip, with no apparent resentment towards him or his family. It was better than he could have ever predicted.

Nate had no interest in discussing himself. He had every interest in Rosie's last ten years. "What about you? End up going to Hogwarts?" he asked, looking down towards her. Without a thought their strides had aligned as they moved and to any outsider they would have looked like the oldest and closest of friends rather than the almost-strangers they had become. But even after ten years Nate couldn't feel distant from her. Rosie was his childhood and for the first time there was a possibility that she would become part of his future too.

Nessa glanced up at him from beneath her lashes, offering the most innocent smile she could manage. "Promise," she murmured, stepping along with Nathaniel as he started off.

She hardly cared where they ate; Nate was here and the pair of them matched both in style and color, as each seemed to forget that they were out shopping, and not headed to a party or meeting. She almost felt like the pair of them were very close friends - or even more than that - and one of them had required the other to wear something they had purchased for them. Because it was actually incredibly amusing to be dressed up for no real reason. It tended to make her feel a little better about herself and that day. That day in Diagon Alley was no exception.

Brushing down her skirt absentmindedly, Nessa looked up at Nate's question. How did she explain that she had been there, but was no longer allowed? What would he think of her if she told the truth? She couldn't ever bring herself to tell him the whole truth. Nate seemed to see Nessa as this innocent little girl, when the last month had proven that she was anything but.

Realizing that she was silent too long, Nessa directed her gaze forward and clenched her jaw. "I did, yes. Made my parents proud for being in Slytherin. But, um, I don't go there anymore." Relaxing her hold on his arm, Nessa let her steps create a bit of space between them, just leaving her hand to rest in the crook of his elbow.

"A lot has changed, Nate. I'm not that little girl anymore."

She was silent for longer than normal and Nate began to wonder if he had said something wrong. As she spoke, Nate smiled. Before the move he had planned on wearing the green and silver proudly but from her tone it seemed Rosie was not quite as pleased with herself as he was for her. As she finished he realized his mistake and the smile turned downwards in concerned confusion.

Clearly a lot had changed but despite interest Nate decided that this wasn't the right moment to press Rosie on the problems that were so clearly plaguing her. He filed his questions away to ask at a later date when the joy of their reunion wasn't so fresh and the day wasn't so positively beautiful.

But she was already physically moving away, still touching but he was no longer to feel her body heat against his side. He couldn't help but ponder exactly what she meant. What had little Nessarose done to inspire such a reaction? Surely it wasn't just a premature departure from Hogwarts. For a moment he considered that maybe she was leaving. Wouldn't that be ironic? If after all these years he returned only to have her disappear immediately after?

Nate looked over at her again, never able to quite get over the shock of what time had done for her. "I know. You're not little. But you're still Rosie."

It was near impossible to hold in the questions but he managed, focusing on guiding them towards the entrance to the alley. In less than a minute they were through the Leaky Cauldron and on to the slightly less hectic stress of muggle London. Nate stopped for a moment outside the bar, letting his eyes adjust to the bright sun. After a moment he spoke again, the words on a whim. "I missed you." He didn't look down to see if she heard, simply stared ahead towards the street of passing cars, a soft smile appearing on his face despite himself.

Nessarose closed her eyes at his reply, inhaling sharply through her nose and letting her shoulder brush his as she inched closer in return. It felt silly, acting like the yo-yo she had seemingly chosen to become. But it was astounding that he could have such faith in her, and it made her feel guilty for moving away.

He was right. She was like her old self in some ways. Especially in the fact that she was practically giddy just walking next to him.

How many times had she looked out the window and saw him beckoning her on some adventure? The instant she saw him, little Rosie was always thrilled and bouncing on the balls of her feet, begging her parents to let her go. They never seemed to take issue with it, but Nessa later learned that part of it was his family's name. The other part, she was sure, came from them wanting her to fit in as their daughter, in and among the other Purebloods around.

Although she was slightly surprised, Nessa found herself smiling as they crossed into Muggle London, her head turning as he spoke. Stopping, she waited for him to turn and look at her before she released his elbow. Of course, the instant she let go, her arms wound around his middle and she brushed her lips over his cheek.

"I promise, Nate, I missed you more."

Tucking her chin, Nessa set her cheek on his shoulder, forehead settled against Nathaniel's jaw. Her fingers ran back and forth across his back, even as she let out a sigh that seemed to resonate just how very tired she had been lately. "You can't leave like that again. You can't."

As Nate looked down she released his arm. They hadn't even been separated for a full second when he was startled by her sudden approach and the soft kiss that he felt brush against his cheek. The warm affection he already felt only intensified at her response. It was easy to forget that they were stalking on a sidewalk of a semi-crowded street as her hands wrapped around him. Nate slid his own arms around her, holding Rosie in a loose hug as she tucked her head under his chin.

"I promise I have no intention to." He replied lightly, aware of his choice in words. Life in New York would be easy to slip back into but he had no interest in returning. He saw his future in London, in more ways than one, and would have been deeply discouraged to have to leave again. But there were no guarantees and Nate couldn't bear to make a promise that he couldn't keep. It was bordering on amazing how she was being about his sudden departure and Nate intended to be honest with her about everything.. it just didn't need to be said right at this moment.

"I'm happy just where I am."

Nate's hand rubbed Nessa's back gently before he began to notice the length of the embrace and pulled away. "C'mon," he tipped his head in the direction of their destination "you must be hungry." Was it wrong to want to touch her, to be close to her? She felt more like home than anything in England had so far. And somewhere deep inside Nate needed the comfort of connection. He had always enjoyed snuggling up against Elsie while watching movies or holding hands when he walked with Grace. Nate was not an affectionate man when it came to most of the human population but for the select few that he had given his trust he was always there.