FicWad

The year continued to fly by and soon it was time for Christmas Break and Alex had been invited to stay with the Potters for Christmas, which she was quite glad of. She had already been down to Hogsmeade and gotten gifts for everyone; including a few pairs of socks for Dumbledore and a scratching post for Minnie (She had also gotten a lovely set of quills for her).
Alex woke up late the morning the train would be departing for King’s Cross station and realized she hadn’t packed yet and was rushing to do so, skipping breakfast in the process.
When Lily explained the situation to Remus, he just laughed and headed up to help Alex.
She was almost done packing her bags for winter break when there was a knock on the door to the girls’ dormitory.
“Come in!” she called softly and much to her surprise, Remus entered, holding a small paper bag.
“Rem! How’d you get up here?”She asked in shock, knowing that boys weren’t supposed to be able to enter the girls’ dormitory.
“I’m a marauder you know.” He smiled.
“Right… well, what brings you up here?”
“I thought you could use some help packing and carrying your trunk. Plus, I thought you might like some chocolate, since you missed breakfast.” He told her holding up the paper bag.
Alex jumped up quickly and snatched the bag out of his hand, grinning broadly as she pulled out a delicious looking chocolate frog.
“Thank you Remmy!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You do realize you have ten minutes left to pack everything and be on the train, right?”
“Oh, crap. Well then I guess now is a time to use magic.”
She swished her wand over the room swiftly muttering, “packiatus” and all her possessions flew into the trunk and folded themselves neatly. With another flick of her wrist the trunk closed itself, her owl Athena’s cage door closed and her cat Isis was safely in her basket. Alex set the cages on top of her trunk and muttered a spell so that they would all float behind her.
“Let’s go, shall we?”
“Certainly.”
They walked down briskly, quickly depositing her trunk at the drop off before running down to catch up with the rest of the Rebels and the Marauders.
“There you two are! I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.” James exclaimed, grabbing their arms and dragging them towards the carriages down to Hogsmeade.
“Well of course we were coming you idiot. I just had to finish packing.”
“Oh! Well that makes sense actually.”
Alex shook her head at his stupidity and started running ahead of James, in order to catch up with Lily.
“Ello Lily! Excited about Christmas with the Potters?” Alex asked cheerfully, sliding an arm around her shoulders as best as she could while carrying two cages.
“I’m not going.” Lily responded cheerily.
“What?” Alex asked.
“My family wants me with them.”
“Oh! Yeah I don’t have that problem.” Alex laughed, waving good-bye to Lily and waiting for the boys to catch up to her.
“Are you excited?” James asked as he slung an arm over her shoulder successfully.
“Yeah! I’ve never had a magical Christmas; I’ve always gone home to my family.” Alex replied.
“Well you’re in for a treat!” Remus laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“Yeah, Jamsie’s parents know how to celebrate Christmas!” Sirius added.
“You’re the first girl James has ever brought with though.” Peter squeaked.
“Well don’t I feel special!” Alex laughed as the boys pulled her onto the train.
They sat down together in a compartment at the back of the train and Alex quickly sprawled out with her legs going up the side of the compartment and her back on the seat.
“Rem, can you hand me my book? It’s in my purse, next to Isis’s cage.”
He handed her the thick paper back and she thanked him as she started reading quietly.
“Read out loud to us!” Sirius demanded, and Alex laughed.
“Le lendemain, ils s’attendaient à devoir éplucher soigneusement La Gazette du Sorcier pour y trouver l’article don Percy avait parlé dans sa lettre.” She read, laughing at their confused expressions.
“What?” James asked.
“It’s in French.” Alex replied laughing.
“Why would you read a book in French?” Sirius pondered in confusion.
“I can speak, read, and write French quite fluently.” Alex replied, continuing to read her book quietly.
Remus laughed at her smirk and pulled out his own book, while Sirius and James started playing exploding snap and Peter watched.
~x~
When the train reached the platform, James pulled Alex off, dragging her with him to find their luggage.
“James! My pets!” Alex cried, struggling to go back and fetch them.
Remus walked out with her stuff, and she smiled.
“Thanks Rem!” she laughed as she grabbed her things from him.
The group grabbed carts and piled their things onto them, while James searched the platform for his parents. He apparently found them because he waved excitedly to someone.
A couple walked over to the teens, smiling widely as they hugged James in welcome. The woman had long red hair that she tied back with a ribbon. The only wrinkles on her face were laugh lines, and her smile was warm and welcoming. The man looked almost exactly like James. He had messy, windswept black hair, tan skin, and muscled arms. While he looked like someone you would not want to get into a fight with, he had a warm, welcoming face.
Alex stared at the woman in shock; to a large extent, the woman looked like her. The woman stared at Alex in shock as well, reminded of someone she had lost a long time ago.
Finally the woman broke out of her reverie and addressed Alex.
“Hello dear, you must be Alex. I’m Dorea, James’s mother. This is my husband, Charlus.”
“Yes, pleasure to meet you.” Alex replied, ignoring the strange feeling she had had upon seeing Dorea.
“Come on then!” James’s dad laughed.
The group walked through the platform barrier to King’s Cross Station and ditched the carts. Alex hooked her cages onto the trunk handle and then followed Mrs. Potter outside and around the corner into an alley. Mr. Potter stuck out his wand arm and there was a deafening crack. A triple decker purple bus stood in front of them and Alex smiled. The Knight Bus was their way to Potter Mansion.
The conductor got out and Mr. Potter bought everyone their tickets before the conductor tried to lift the trunks into the bus unsuccessfully. Alex helped him by lifting her, James’s, and Remus’s trunks into the bus by the time he had gotten Peter’s in, and Mr. Potter grabbed the last trunk so they could get going.
Alex was pulled down into a seat between James and Remus and laughed as they warned her to hold on.
“I know about the Knight Bus. I’ll be fine.”
They looked at her sceptically, knowing how uncoordinated she could be. A second later the bus shot forward, sending everyone flying back into their seats. As the bus twisted, turned, and suddenly stopped and started, James and Remus were continually falling out of their seats, along with Sirius and Peter, but Alex, Mr. Potter, and Mrs. Potter were able to stay in their seats.
James started watching Alex to see how she was remaining in her seat. Whenever the bus stopped, she would throw her weight back, turns she would lean the other way, and starting she would just stay still. James tried to imitate her but still ended up falling, so he decided to focus on not getting hurt.
Finally they reached the road that led to Potter Mansion and after all her poise, Alex fell on her way out of the bus, knocking James and Remus over as she landed on top of them.
“Sorry!” She cried, getting up and pulling both of them up as well.
Remus laughed and James shook his head at her while Peter and Sirius laughed from next to the trunks and Mr. and Mrs. Potter started walking down the road. Everyone grabbed their trunks and headed down the road, hurrying to catch up with James’s parents.
After a few minutes they reached a large wrought iron gate and Alex stared in awe at the amazing house that lay behind the gates. It was massive with a beautiful front porch, perfectly manicured lawn, and plenty of windows. It was truly a dream house. Alex followed James inside and was once again shocked. Despite how huge the rooms inside were, they were cosy, warm, and inviting.
“Here, I’ll show you your room.” James said, leading Alex up a flight of stairs to the second floor.
He then led her down a hallway and up another flight of stairs, to the floor that clearly belonged to the Marauders. There were pictures all along the walls of the Marauders, Quidditch posters were hanging on the doors, and Gryffindor Gear was everywhere.
James stopped in front of a blank door that was between two decorated ones and opened it for her.
“Here’s your room. You have your own bathroom in there. We are all up here as well. This room is between mine and Rem’s rooms; it used to be Peter’s, but the stripes made him feel like he was in a cage, which makes more sense now.” James explained, carrying her trunk in for her.
“Feel free to decorate however you like, we all have.”
Alex walked inside and moved her trunk to the foot of her bed. The room was painted with red and gold stripes and had ornate furniture. It was perfect for Alex and made her smile.
“Thanks.”
“Come on, we’re going to have dinner in about ten minutes.”
Alex followed James downstairs to the first floor and into a large kitchen, where the other teens were already waiting.
“Which one did you give her? Pink or Gryffindor?” Sirius asked as James and Alex sat down at the table with the other marauders.
“Gryffindor. I don’t think she would have liked it if I had given her the pink one.”
“Boys! Don’t talk about Alex like she isn’t in the room with us!” Mrs. Potter scolded.
“Sorry mum!” Sirius apologized.
Mrs. Potter shook her head at him and turned back to her cooking. The Marauders turned to Alex to figure out what they were going to do the next morning.
“Anything you want to do?”
“Snowball fight.” Alex replied instantly.
The others nodded in agreement and decided that would be the next day’s activity. At that moment Mrs. Potter set a large platter of food in front of them.
“Eat up.”
Alex grabbed a chicken breast and plopped it on her plate before grabbing some carrots and pouring a glass of Butterbeer. She ate quickly, laughing as Sirius attempted to eat his entire chicken breast in one bite.
“Sirius! Cut up your food!” Mr. Potter laughed as he ate his dinner with Mrs. Potter at the kitchen counter.
Sirius pouted but did as he was told and Alex couldn’t help but smile at how loving the family was, not to mention how happy they were.
When they finished eating, they cleaned up their dishes and headed upstairs. In the center of the third floor was an area for relaxing and talking and Alex sprawled out on the couch, upsetting the boys.
“Where are we supposed to sit?” James asked, and Alex laughed.
“On the floor.”
“I don’t think so.”
With that James, Remus, and Sirius crawled up on top of Alex but Peter decided to stay on the floor.
“Oh my god! You are really heavy! Especially you Sirius! I didn’t realize how fat you are!” Alex choked, struggling to push the three boys off.
“Did you just call me fat?” Sirius asked threateningly, and Alex shrunk away.
“Uh-oh. You’re in for it now Alex.” James sighed as Sirius started tickling Alex.
“No! No! Please! Please! Sto-op!” Alex cried, squirming and laughing as Sirius attacked her mercilessly.
“Sirius, let her go!” Remus commanded, but Sirius ignored him and kept tickling the blonde.
Alex’s eyes started filling with tears as she continued to laugh. James and Remus got off her and she managed to push Sirius off of her long enough to get up. Sirius continued to try and get Alex back so she twisted and dodged, ducking under him as he lunged for her and jumping onto his back to get out of his reach as he tried to grab her.
Alex held Sirius in a choke hold and twisted around to avoid his attempts to knock her off. Finally he sighed and gave up, so Alex deemed it safe enough to get off his back.
“How did you do that?” James asked, referring to Alex’s ability to escape.
“I’ve been able to do that for a long time.” Alex replied, sitting back down on the couch among the Marauders.
“Really?” Peter asked, awed by Alex’s fighting abilities.
“Yep, I can tackle people pretty well too.” She laughed.
“Don’t demonstrate.” Sirius begged, scooting a little farther away from her.
Alex stuck her tongue out at him and shoved him, falling over in the process. Remus pulled her up yet again and laughed at her embarrassed expression.
“Should we head in for the night?” James asked, standing up and yawning.
The group nodded in agreement and each went to their respective rooms, the boys falling to sleep quickly, but Alex started decorating her room. She started by putting up the couple of Quidditch posters James and Sirius had gotten her, then she added the Gryffindor Pendants that Lily had brought her from the school Quidditch games. There was a bulletin board over the small desk and Alex pinned up the letters she had received from Molly, Gideon, and Fabian. Finally Alex taped up all the pictures she had, including Lily and her shopping in Diagon Alley that first day they met, Remus and Alex at Zonkos, James and Alex messing around on the Quidditch Pitch, Sirius flipping Alex upside down when she bothered him about his potions grade, and a group shot of Alex with the Marauders. Once they were all taped up carefully Alex crawled into the nice warm bed and fell asleep.