Rose stood still in her old manor as people passed her and gave her their condolences. Her uncle Richard kept a soft grip on his shoulder hoping to keep both of them grounded.
She couldn't feel anything.
It felt... empty.
Taking a shuddering breath inwards her green eyes turned to look at the man standing next to her. Richard Coullier was her fathers youngest brother and her only relative left. Even though Richard himself was only 27 he had wanted Rose to stay with him. To keep her in the family and away from Muggleborns. He didn't want to risk her ending up where her powerfull bloodline could be tampered with. They didn't look anything alike. Rose was almost a splitting image of her mother with only her eyes being her fathers. It was a telltale sign of the Coullier line. The vibrant emerald green eyes that almost appeared to shine in the darkness. Richard didn't have them. He was her fathers half-brother. The son of her grandmother and another man. They had had him 3 years after her grandfather died.
"Smile Rose." The whispering in her ear sounded annoying and unnessecary. Shrugging of his hand from her shoulder Rose moved away from him into the foyer. Her eyes landed on the grand piano that was standing before the glass doors. A tear escaped her eyes at the sight. Her father used to love to play the piano. He taught her at an early age how to play.

No matter how much magic can enhance music, it always sounds more beautiful when played by heart.
Those were her fathers words. Words she would never forget. Not for a long time. Moving over to the piano she ignored the people in the adjoining room and sat herself on the bench. Closing her eyes her fingers gently floated over to the keys and she started playing. It was a beautiful tune. One that she had often heard her father play for her mother. He would look at her with so much love in his eyes when he'd play. Tears flowed freely now as she kept her eyes closed and lost herself to the music. This was the first time she played it herself but she knew she would never be able to play it after this day. This was her saying goodbye to them. To her parents. Her own personal goodbye. Once the song ended her eyes opened to find several people standing at the open doors leading to the foyer. They looked at her with such sympathy, with so much pity that she couldn't take it. Standing up from the bench she turned and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Her heels clicked on the marble floors as she ran. Throwing her body on her bad she buried her head in her pillows and cried. A hand rubbing her back soothingly brought her out of her fit. Looking up she saw Richard sitting there with a worried face.
"I know how you feel, Rose.... Gregory was my brother and Elisabeth was like a sister to me. I held your parents in the highest regard." A light smile settled on his lips as he stared off into space. "I remember when Gregory introduced me to Elisabeth. She was beautiful. And Greg... He looked so happy with her. And she looked so pretty." His gaze turned to her with a gentle smile. Tears had gathered in his eyes but none had been spilled yet. "You look so much like her, Rose. So much...." His voice broke as tears finally managed to escape. This was the first time that she had ever seen him cry. Eyes wide she sat up and wrapped her arms around the trembling man. His body shook with sobs as she tried to calm him down. Long slender fingers ran through his hair as she held him close. She wasn't the only one suffering from loss. He was too. She could never forget that. Unknowingly she softly began humming. A light and soothing tune. It was a tune her mother used to hum to calm her down after a nightmare. After a few moments Richard took a deep breath and lifted his head to look at the teenager who was holding him. 
"They may be gone but they'll always be here with us. They'll never fully leave us. Get some rest Rose. We're leaving for England in the morning." Nodding Rose turned away from him as he went and closed the curtains. Her eyes closed as she tried to sleep. The last thing she felt and heard before falling asleep was the gentle pressing of lips and her foorhead and her bedroom door closing.

Morning came and Rose could be found in the kitchen making breakfast. Rose had gotten rid of most of the house-elves except for one. One to look after the manor for as long as she would be gone. She'd return one day. A light pop besides her alerted her of the presence of the elf.
"Bring this to Richard, Trixie." The elf nodded before taking a hold of the tray with breakfast on it and popping away to the guest bedroom. Sitting down at the kitchen island Rose took another shuddering breath. She'd never sit here with her parents anymore. She'd never hear her mothers laughter echo throughout the manor. Nor would she hear her fathers amused yells as he chased her mother. Wrapping her hands around her teacup she took another look at the kitchen. The memories assaulting her mind hurt but she didn't want to lose them. 

Half an hour later Richards stumbled down the stairs fully dressed.
"Are you ready to go, Rose?" The girl nodded with closed eyes as she stood besides him. Their bags had already been transported to his manor. Richard took a hold of Rose's hand as they both took another look around. This had been their family home for such a long time. 
"Goodbye" The whisper echoed throughout the house as they apparated away. Appearing again in Richards manor in England she took a look around.
"You're starting school at Hogwarts next week. The schoolyears has only started last month so you don't have to catch up on much." Rose nodded at his words as took another look around. Curiousity got the better of her as she moved away from him and began to explore.

Five bedrooms, four bathrooms, one library and several other rooms later Rose found herself sitting outside.
"Rose we have company. Come inside." Taking one last look at the garden Rose took a breath before making her way inside. She ran a hand through her hair trying to make herself more presentable. A black dress clung to her figure and flared out along her knee's. A pair of low heels added to her height as she made her way to the foyer. There she was greeted by her uncle through a kiss on her cheek.
"For our sake.... Act poised." The whisper was soft in her ear. Not reacting she charmed a smile on her lips and turned to the other two in the room. A man with long blonde hair stood by the fireplace. His hands were on his back and she noticed that his hair was tied back with a black ribbon. Cold blue eyes took in her figure as she turned to examine the other person. This was a woman with black and blonde hair. She was sitting on one of the sofa's that stood in the foyer, sipping from a teacup. Two other cups were on the table while the tea was still steaming, letting her know that the two had just arrived.
"Rose, these are the Malfoy's. Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy. Their son is your age and studies at Hogwarts as well." Rose kept the smile on her face as she gave a light bow of her head.
"It is a pleasure to meet your aquintance." The Malfoy's had been an important contact of her fathers. She had never met the family but knew that they were like them. A long line of purebloods. The kind that deserved respect. Lucius' eyes softened ever so lightly with a hint of approval while Narcissa gave a light smile. Richard directed her to a sofa before telling one of the house elves to fetch another cup of tea for her. Once seated Narcissa leaned over to the teen and placed a soft hand on her knee.
"We heard about your parents. We're dreadfully sorry that we could not make the funeral, however something came up in the family." Rose gave a soft thank you as the house elf appeared with her cup. A grateful smile was cast at Narcissa at her words.
"Your father was a great man. He will be missed." Rose's eyes widened ever so lightly as Lucius turned to her. "We were hoping that you would perhaps be interested in picking up your fathers business when you come of age. It is always more delighting to do business with another of an old and pure line." In it was a light insult to her uncle. Even though he was of pure blood, his fathers parents weren't. He himself had muggle blood in him. Though he was accepted into the world of pure bloods, his family history was still frowned upon and not held in the highest regards.
"I understand completely, mister Malfoy. And it would be a pleasure to do business with you." A tight smile was on her lips letting him know she had caught the insult however her tone of voice was light. Rose wasn't sure what business her father had had with the Malfoy's. Let alone know what he had been doing outside of his normal line of work. But Rose knew that if she wanted to make a good appearance and keep their reputation in tact she had to atleast to pretend. Perhaps soon she'd find out more about his activities with men like Lucius Malfoy. But for now pretending was all she could do.