Blood Status || Marauders Era

Chapter 37|| Going home for Christmas

It was finally the day in December when every student who wanted to go home got to go home, every person in third year Gryffindor and Fred, Gideon, Leon and my first friend Evelyn from Ravenclaw was going home, which left nobody, even if I did want to stay at Hogwarts. 

The plan was, that I would go to James' house for the first week of the holidays with Sirius, and then my actual house for the second week, and then back at James' for New Years, going back to Hogwarts with James and Sirius. The plan was actually suggested by James' parents, saying they loved having us over and the last time I was over, they knew they wanted me to come again. 

The only problem was the way James had brought the plan about. Instead of showing me the owl from his parents, he'd sat on my knee when I was in the common room by the fire, saying, "Thea Cynthia Pattinson, I have an idea!" The first thing I thought was, 'oh no'. Then, he showed me the owl and everything was a lot clearer and a lot safer than any idea he thought of himself.

It would be easy to tell my parents, as I owled them by my owl Jinx, telling them I was staying at a Pureblood's house for a week, then going to them for a few days, then going back. The only thing I did not expect was an owl back, telling me everything was fine but while I was in my actual house, we would probably be hosting a party and inviting every Pureblood that was deemed 'respectable' to my mother and her best friend Walburga Black.

"I'm going to die," I complained to the girls on the train from Hogwarts, I was telling Marlene and Alice my problems about the ball, the others wasn't particularly listening, knowing only one would be sympathetic. Both girls looked at me, but both girls also showed two totally different facial expressions, one of sympathy, the other of confusion. 

Marlene asked me, "Why is your parents hosting a really expensive ball where you get to have nice clothes and pretty shoes and just have to sit and look pretty a horrific experience for you? It's just one of my dreams."

I came up with multiple explanations in my head, but couldn't say any out loud because Alice said, "Maybe parties aren't her thing, maybe she just wants to spend the whole two weeks at the Potter's and not go back at all but doesn't want to seem rude and she has no choice." 

I blinked at Alice and slowly took in her words as she finished her ramble, and Marlene raised her eyebrows, questioning if she was alright, as it was unlike Alice to snap at something. Alice was usually the one to encourage everyone else and accept people's different views, or maybe that was all going to change.

"Doesn't it feel weird to be going home?" Lily asked, breaking the awkward silence. We all nodded at her, and I looked out of the window, watching the mountains fly by and turn to cities. "I'm not going home, not really," Mary said quietly, reminiscing about the school year's events so far. 

Luckily, the rest of the train ride was fairly quiet, and there was many snack breaks so we didn't have to talk, and Marlene carried the conversation mostly, just like she usually did. She talked about boys and girls and makeup and new records she listened to, none of which registered or stayed in my brain. 

When the train stopped, she was going on about her new hair product she bought which was actually made by James' father and, speak of the devil, he slung an arm around my shoulder as I walked off the train.

"Come on Thea, my parents are this way, have a nice break Marlene, Alice. Oi Sirius stop flirting and hurry up!" James shouted. I glanced at Sirius and saw that he was talking to a pretty brunette in Hufflepuff, and turned away to see the lovely Euphemia and Fleamont Potter, beaming at us. 

"Come on everyone, we'll apparate to the house and then you can take all of your belongings to the rooms you stayed in last time," Fleamont told us.

Once our things were sorted and everything was in order, I walked into James and Sirius' room and sat down on one of their beds, judging by the moving picture of Sirius in a leather jacket, it was James' bed. "Hey Thea, like the décor?" James asked, gesturing around his room. I grinned and nodded, looking around at the room and feeling a sense of homeliness, something nowhere in my house felt like. 

We were talking for a while when Sirius walked in, a letter from Remus in his hand and he said, "Food's ready, your mum said so."

It was a quick few days till the actual Christmas day, and it was spent playing Quidditch in the backyard (Euphemia and Fleamont joined in), eating food and drinking hot chocolate, writing letters to our other friends, and generally decorating the house ready for the festive day. The manor around Christmas was gorgeous.

The tree was taller than the entrance itself, so it was difficult getting it to go where it was supposed to be, but after it was there and it was hopefully secure, it was easy putting on the ornaments and the star on top, it was also a very fun activity, knowing James had major OCD when it came to these things.

At the morning of Christmas day, I was awoken by Sirius falling on top of me and then telling me to 'get up, it's Christmas day and you have presents'. I came downstairs to everyone but James downstairs, and Sirius rushed back upstairs as soon as I was sat with the parents. "Merry Christmas Athena, you have many letters and presents that came by owl, it was like a post office this morning," Euphemia chuckled.

Once James came downstairs, it was time to unwrap all of our gifts and we all did it together, my first one being from Lily, and it was plenty of Muggle sweets which I had actually shown interest in. I am glad she takes notice of what I say. The next gift I unwrapped was from Sirius and it was a pair of earrings to match the necklace he had bought for me, the one with a lion on it but instead the earrings had little rubies in them. 

It was also obvious that Sirius had bought the necklace but he still denied it.

After I'd opened everything, which included things from the other boys, the girls, little Alexandra Wang, Evelyn and with some surprise my family - a little notebook with writing in the front page saying Your Parents Want You Back - we ate lunch. "What did that note mean from your parents Thea?" Sirius asked me, glancing at the earrings I was wearing and smiling slightly. 

I shrugged and looked at the two adults, "Probably emotional blackmail saying they want the Pureblood daughter back and not the blood traitor."

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter were politely surprised at how I could say that with such a casual tone, but the two annoying teenagers just laughed, and one even said, "That's relatable." I'm very sure that the adults were questioning how much trauma we'd gone through as a child to act so casual about blackmail and calling people blood traitors. 

I took one look at Sirius, then thought back to my childhood and deemed it acceptable, the trauma was very real. Latin and then ballroom with your evil sister in just one morning as an eight year old.

Anyway, that's not what Christmas is about, so I thanked Euphemia for the meal and finished the turkey with immense difficulty, the food was so good, but there was so much of it. As I looked around, it was no problem for the two boys and as for the adults, they'd finished their portions a long time ago. 

I leant back in my chair and licked my lips, I needed some more lip balm, "Favourite present?" I asked them both. James glanced at me happily and said, "Lily gave me a bible with a note saying I could have a holy awakening and realise I can live without annoying her.  I have no idea what she's on about."

With just one look at each other, Sirius and I burst into fits of laughter, but James just shrugged, looking bewildered. After calming down, Sirius answered my question, "Your present Thea, thanks for them Muggle records by the way, it fits nicely with what Peter got me last Christmas - the record player. I wondered how it would work at Hogwarts but I guess it doesn't need anything other than the records to play." 

I smiled at him and then thanked Sirius for the present he got me, but realised that James gagged and was beginning to make kissy faces. "What are you doing James? Come here now, you know that Sirius and I are just friends you idiot, did you not see that Hufflepuff from the train? Come back here you!" I shouted at him. He seemed to take it as his time to run so I followed him into the backyard and heard Sirius laughing at the fact it wasn't him I was chasing.

When I finally caught up to the irritating Potter, I held him in a head lock, which he could have easily got out of but was playing along. I smiled at him, grateful for him as my friend, also very thankful that he didn't try and get out, because he could probably break my arm if he tried.

Sirius walked over to us with his broom and said to me, "You could hit him with this if you'd like?" Suddenly, James found the motivation to escape my grip.