Forward In Time

Chapter Twelve:

EDITED: Chapter Twelve:

"What are you doing, you pervert?" I slapped Fred upside the head, growling as everyone else seemed to snicker and Fred pouted, removing his hand from my lap. He had been squeezing my thigh, acting as if it was an everyday occurance.  

"Nothing," he answered cheerily, smiling brightly before going back to eating.  I sighed, pursing my lips and furrowing my eyebrowns in agitation.  I wish he'd quit being a pervert.  What happened to us being best friends?  Just because he's an old man now doesn't mean he needs to go all pedo on me.

"Right.."

 I glared as George snickered, causing Fred to do the same, and kicked him underneath the table. Well I thought it was George's foot until Scorpius, who sat next to him, yelped and reached under the table to rub at his shin.  I grimaced, apologizing as a blush lit up my face.

"I'm so sorry Scorpius, I never meant to kick you. It was meant for George, I swear!"

Then something that had never happened before (well at least in large amounts of company), happened. Draco laughed.  His laugh was nice, too. Contagious also by the way others began to chuckle slightly as Scorpius muttered under his breath.

Apparently Fred had taken that time to steal the cookies off of my plate.  Really? I'm finally hungry and someone is going to steal my food?  I growled, diving at his hands and snatching my cookies out of them before I realized just where I was.  

In his lap.  Well half of me was, the other half was to the right of him, leaning over with my cookies in hand.  I sat up quickly and jumped back into my own seat.  Or tried to, anyways. Fred's arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me completely into his lap.  My face turned bright red and seemed to light on fire as everyone stared, smirks and smiles on their face.  Everyone except Scorpius', who just seemed slightly amused.

"Put me down, Fred." My voice was calm and collected, I wouldn't let on how much this bugged me.  Why did he think he could be such a pedo pervert anyways?  What gave him the right?  

"Put me down now, Fred!" I got a bit louder, struggling as he wrapped his arms around my arms, holding me down as he rubbed his face against my arm and smiled mischieviously.  "What are you, a dog?  Put me down you pervert!"

"You're no fun, Spencer." He pouted and I raised my eyebrows as he released me before jumping back into my own seat, sighing in relief.  I pinched his arm and smiled triumphantly as he grunted and grimaced.

"I'm a bucket full of sunshine, I just dont like paedophiles."

Once dinner was over, we all headed up to either our bedrooms or the sitting room. We'd been here for two weeks already, and tomorrow was Christmas morning.  Father and I had never celebrated Christmas much, but this year people really seemed to be going all out on getting gifts.

Which I didn't have. I had no gifts to give to anyone. No paper to make a card, no money to buy gifts.. I had nothing.  I hoped nobody got me anything either.. but I doubted I'd be that lucky.  

*_*_*_*_*

The next morning I was woken up by lots of loud talking, banging around downstairs, and what had me jumping out of bed was what sounded like glass breaking and a short, girlish scream.  I grabbed my wand off the nightstand before racing downstairs still in my long t-shirt and shorts pajamas towards the kitchen.  When I stepped inside it was to see Ayla picking up glass off the floor, her fingers already bleeding from a few small cuts she had, and I had to wonder why she just didn't use her wand to pick it all up.  

"Are you okay?" I questioned, grimacing as she jerked, surprised, the glass jumping back out of her hands.  I swept my wand around the room, picking everything up and watching every tiny shard of glass go into the trashcan.  

Ayla Black stood up, her smile making her face look five times younger as she nodded, heading towards the sink to wash her hands.  "Yes, thank you.  I didn't bring my wand downstairs and I didn't want anyone to step on glass if I went up to fetch it."

Soon, we were talking more as I helped her to make breakfast, and once people started coming down, the room became more and more animated.  Soon everyone was seated with large heaping plates of food before them, and digging in happily, it was quiet.  

You could practically feel the excitement in the air, everyone seemed eager and oh so ready to open presents. Except me, I was nervous. How many of these people got me something? How many people would I be letting down by not returning a gift? Even one person was way too many..

"Present time!" Sirius stood up and yelled, making the children and teenagers clap, he was so much like a kid himself, I thought.  Everyone seemed to jump out of the kitchen, I almost followed them but realized that Ayla had stayed behind to clean up.  

Things get done faster when two people do them.  I helped her scrub dishes and pick up food off the floor, mostly with the help of wands before storing the leftovers in the refrigerator and going towards the completely full sitting room.  

Ayla didn't hesistate, immediately going to sit in Sirius' lap and I looked around uneasily before plopping onto the floor off to the side, almost completely out of view but I could see most of the people still in the room.  

"All right, we'll sort the gifts and then the youngest will start with the opening, agreed?"  Everyone seemed to agree and soon wrapped presents were being given to their designated owners, everyone was laughing and smiling, joking around.  

That was when I realized, I was the reason they could do all of this. If it weren't for me, Sirius would be dead, James would be dead, Lily too. Ayla wouldn't be here, Sevanah and Spencer would have never been born.  

I felt kind of like a hero in that moment.  

"Hey Spence, here are yours," Sirius smiled, it was the exact same smile he'd had years and years ago but it didn't give me the squirmy feeling in my stomach like it would have last month.. I guess my mind had finally realized that there was no point in that love. Of course, I'd never stop loving Sirius.. but he had a wife, and two children.  There just wasn't a point in loving him, us, as a couple, would never happen.

"Thank you."

Soon we were going by, one by one, and opening gifts. Sevanah opened all of her gifts first, then Spencer,  Lily and Hugo, Rose, Roxanne and Albus Sirius. On the list went until too soon, all eyes were upon me and the four gifts I needed to open. 

I moved robotically as I stared at the plush dark green carpeting, moving my hands towards the gifts and picking one up at random, I began to unwrap the dark blue night sky with shooting stars paper from the present, only to find a small box inside, and in that small box was a beautiful silver charm bracelet. The gift had no name up on it, but the charms made it clear that this had to be from the Marauders.  A wolf, a deer and a dog, there was also a heart upon it, a sphere that was undoubtedly the moon and another sphere with a smile face.  I grinned, looking up.  "Thank you so much!  I love it!" 

The three Maruaders seemed to breath a sigh of relief, and then I picked up the gift that had Scorpius' name on it.  I looked over at him as he shrugged uncomfortably. It was a larger rectangular package, and when I opened it, I saw two new sets of clothes. A pair of jeans, and a pair of shorts, two shirts and a pair of pajamas.  "You always wear the same clothes, well not always, but I thought maybe you'd enjoy having new ones," he explained, and I smiled happily once more. He was right, I really needed some new clothes.. 

The next two were also jewelry, a ring that changed colors with my mood from Fred and George and a necklace from Harry, Ron and Hermione. It was a locket and when I opened it, I realized there was a small moving portrait of my father.  

"Thank you all so much.. I really wish I had something to give you in return." I felt guilt wash over me as I played with the charms on the bracelet. 

"We never expected something back, Spencer. No worries."  

I nodded, smiling as the rest of the group opened their gifts, wrapping paper covered the floor but everyone was happy, including myself.  It felt really nice to be happy like this, I felt like I belonged.. Like I was in a giant family who loved me.  

I loved them a lot too.