Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters ect.
Chapter 21: Letters, Dirt, Brothers and Kisses
Lily
A few weeks have past since the incident in Hogsmeade. Kristen won't talk to me. She reckons everything that happened is my fault.
I think that's a bit unfair seeing how it was because of her kissing James that I kissed Remus but she just won't listen.
Actually, not only that, she won't even be in the same room as me, and when she has to (like in class) she goes and sits on the other side of the classroom.
Maddy and Anna keep going back and forth from each of us, trying to make us make up, but as long as Kristen thinks that I'm a bitch coz I kissed her crush.
She doesn't even think of me and the pain she put me through when she kissed James. She thinks there is only one victim: her.
I went up to the owlery after dinner one night to get away from it all and to visit my owl, Moonlight (I decided to call her Moonlight because she was a snowy owl and it reminded me of the moon reflecting off water)
To my surprise, when I arrived she wasn't there. It took me a while to realize she to had most probably deserting me as well to go hunting.
I turned around to leave when I heard a flutter of wings entering the silent room. I turned around so quickly it jolted my neck. But the pain was for nothing as it turned out to be one of Hogwart's brown tawneys.
I slowly turned back around and, in half a daze, walked down the stairs to go back up to the castle.
A flicker of something white wavered into my sight and I turned my head slightly to get a closer look.
Moonlight was swooping down towards me, while casting a shadow on me when she blocked the moon's light. Watching her gave me the sense that I was correct in naming her Moonlight.
She landed lightly on my arm with an envelope tied to her legs. It looked more like a white, muggle envelope rather then a parchment one witches and wizards use, but it was difficult to see.
I recognized the hand writing an ripped it instantly open. Out came two letters from the first envelope. I opened the thicker one first as it was from Mum and Heather, rather then the thinner one from Petunia.
Dearest Lily
We all have missed you dearly! I was thinking it might have been a mistake to make you go to Hogwarts this year, but nothing bad has happened except for missing you of course!
Your last letter made me smile for days, thinking how my little girl is growing up so fast! Its amazing how much you have changed ever since we first found out you were a witch; our little witch.
Heather has been a real help, staying here even though she isn't teaching you anymore and I'm so thankful to her because now I don't have to do any laundry!
However, I don't think Petunia is that happy having Heather around. She's not even letting her near her clothes and washing her clothes herself!
But I'm happy to announce that she isn't going anywhere! She officially lives here and is now part of the family!
She tells me to let you know that she finally asked out Duncan (you know, the muggle at the café) and have been dating for the past month. He plans to take her skiing for a weekend in January.
Of course she's thrilled, but is a little worried over the fact that she doesn't know how. I told her its all part of the experience.
So how are you? We haven't heard from you since October. I'm sure a lot has happened and we are longing to hear from you which leads me to another point of this letter.
Most probably the main point. We were wondering, or in other words, hoping and praying, that you would do us the honor of coming home and joining us for Christmas.
We have a feeling, however, that you would wish to remain at Hogwarts as Heather tells me it is quite magical (forgive the pun).
We hope your answer is yes, though Heather is telling me not to have my hopes up as she is sure you would want to see Christmas at Hogwarts for yourself and spend it with your friends.
Missing you of course and waiting for your response
Heather, Petunia and your loving mother xoxo
P.S. Petunia has enclosed another letter to you written by her which she says is most urgent but refused to let me read it. If she is calling you a freak again, let me know and I shall refuse to let her bring her new boyfriend over for Christmas!
I smiled at the letter, glad that Heather was part of the family and how they had no idea what had happened here in the past month.
I was just about to write a reply to her letter, saying yes, I would love to come when something told me I should read Petunia's letter first.
I opened it and read
Lily
In the other letter, mother and that ghastly Heather are inviting you home for Christmas. I just hope you haven't sent them a reply yet.
As you probably do NOT know, I have a new boyfriend by the name of Isaac Stevens and he is lovely and normal.
I have finally persuaded dear mother to let him stay for Christmas as his parents are in Florence! If I have anything, absolutely anything go wrong, I will get them for it.
That includes you.
That is why in this letter I'm writing you, I am not begging, nor am I asking you to NOT come home, I am TELLING you to not come home.
If you come home, there will be funny business, especially when you and that Heather are around each other. Its going to be hard enough to get Heather to stop her funny business and I don't want to worry about YOU as well.
I will not threaten you at this point though. I will leave you to make your decision. But if the answer that you give mother is a yes, then some threats will be arriving by the following mail.
I won't be telling people that you're a witch, as what would be the use? There is a spell for memory removing and who would believe me anyway?
But I have dirt on you, some that you may not realize.
Just don't come home for Christmas and we won't have any unpleasantness which would be nice for a change.
I repeat don't come home for Christmas and DON'T breathe a WORD of this to mum or Heather, understood?
Your sister
Petunia
Now I know why I had to read her letter. I wasn't in a good mood after reading that letter so I said goodbye to Moonlight and walked back to Gryffindor Tower and for once, I was glad Kristen was avoiding me because I didn't feel up to fighting.
Page Break
At breakfast the next morning, I noticed that McGonagall was going down the Gryffindor table with a long roll of parchment and a quill.
"What's happening?" I asked Maddy who was my friend for the day as Anna was with Kristen.
"Oh, she's just sorting out who's going to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas and who's going home," she explained to me as she helped herself to some toast.
"Are you staying here?" I asked her as I poured myself some pumpkin juice.
"Yeah, I have to. My parents are going to Florence," she said and took a bite out of her toast.
I stopped as a though struck me. I put down the jug and asked
"Hey Maddy, do you happen to have a 17 year old brother?" I asked her.
"Yeah," she said with a mouth full of toast "But I don't know how you know him because he doesn't come here. He's a squib. He isn't going to Florence either though. He's staying with his girlfriend and their family,"
"Oh really?" I asked and couldn't help thinking that Petunia's relationship with Isaac wasn't going to last long.
"Miss Evans, please sign if you are going to remain here at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays," Professor McGonagall interrupted my thoughts and was waiting for me to accept or decline her quill.
I thought for a moment, then slowly reached for the quill.
Page Break
"You're staying here for Christmas TOO!" Kristen screamed across the common room.
I looked up from my book I checked out of the library for my Herbology assignment.
"I only signed it because I thought you'd be going HOME!" she screamed across at me again.
I slowly closed my book and placed it down on the coffee table in front of me.
"If you are going to talk to me, could you please come over here, rather yell at me from across the room?" I asked her.
She stormed over to me and snapped
"Are you happy now? I'm right in front of you. So now will you tell me why you signed that stupid thing?"
"My family's going on a holiday to Florence and Heather told me that Christmas at Hogwarts is magical so that's why I signed it," I told her. Ok, it wasn't exactly the truth but I could hardly tell her that my 17 year old sister blackmailed me into staying home.
"No duh. Of course it's magical! Its in a magic school!" she said snapped.
Ok, this was too annoying!
"Excuse me," I told her and I ran past her and out of the common room. I had a feeling of where he would be. With the others. With their stomachs
I ran back to the Entrance Hall and down the stairs to the basement. Heather told me the kitchens would be in the basement, behind a painting of a fruit bowl.
I found it on my second attempt. Heather also told me it would open if I tickled the pear.
The wall opened and I saw hundreds of house elves running around. I spotted four human heads in the back and I made my way over to them.
"Well, hey Evans. Reconsidered my offer?" Sirius asked but I ignored him.
I banged my hand down in front of Remus and said
"I have to talk to you. Now!" I said and walked back to the door. I turned back around and said
"You coming?" He hurriedly got out of his seat and jogged over to me.
I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up two flights of stairs, into a corridor and through a portrait that hid a secret staircase.
"Ok, now we can talk," I told him and dropped his wrist. "Lumos" I whispered and a light shone out of my wand.
"We have to sort out what happened. It has practically ruined my friendship with Kristen! All she reckons is that I kissed her crush aka you. That I BETRADED her. We have to tell her what happened. But first I have to ask you something,"
He was looking at me as if he understood completely. "Ok, shoot," he said calmly.
"You don't feel a serious attraction to me do you?" I asked him. He lowered his head.
"Sorry, no,"
"There's nothing to be sorry for. Now we HAVE to explain what happened to Kristen," I told him urgently.
"Ok, sure. We'll tell her tomorrow," he said.
"No. NOW!" I grabbed his wrist again and dragged him all the way to the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password?" she asked and raised her eyebrows at us when she saw me dragging him along.
"Tinsel," I told her (It was changed for the Christmas season) and pulled him into the common room. I spotted Kristen in the same chair that I had vacated.
She spotted me and started walking up to me. Then she saw my hand leading somewhere else. She followed it and then she found Remus.
"Oh no. No no no! Not AGAIN!" she squealed, shaking her head and attempted to run out of the room but we blocked her exit (Remus took the portrait hole and I took the girls staircase).
Then she did something that I didn't expect. She ran past me and up the BOY'S staircase. I saw Remus rush from the other side of the room and follow her up the stairs. I took a deep breath, and then I ran up the stairs as well.
I realized that the stench wasn't that bad when I reached them.
I found them in what I assumed was Remus's dormitory. Or old dormitory as Kristen was sure tearing it apart.
"Petrificus Totalus," I commanded and Kristen froze and landed on the bed.
"Good, she stopped moving," Remus panted as he had been chasing her around.
"Ok Kristen, I only froze you because I'm fed up with you not listening to me and I brought Remus here, not to go make out with him but for him to help me explain to you what happened," I told her as I walked across the room to stand next to her.
"I'm not going to unfreeze you until you hear me out, ok?" I told her. She made a noise which sounded as though it wasn't ok, but she was in no position to bargain.
"Kristen, we only kissed because we were both upset with you kissing James. Me, because I hate James and I thought you were sort of betraying me to kiss him because you knew you didn't like him and Remus," I paused
"Remus was upset because he to, has feelings for you,"
"We were both upset and one thing led to another and then we just kissed. It wasn't because we liked each other THAT way, it was more that it was a comfort to us; it gave us something else to think about rather then picturing you kissing James over and over again,"
Remus explained to her as he sat down on the bed beside her and put a hand over hers.
"Ok, I'm going to unfreeze you now," I told her "Porticos Totalus," and a bright, red light issued from the end of my wand and Kristen instantly unfroze.
"You alright?" I asked her gently
"Of course I'm not alright! I don't believe you! How could you mhum," she was cut off as Remus bent down and kissed her gently on the lips.
"Yeah I'm alright. I forgive you," she said as Remus broke away and she stared into his eyes.
"That's alright. But if you hadn't forgiven us, I could of given you another one of these," he said and lent down to kiss her again softly.
"That's ok, you can do it anyway," she said and this time she kissed him back.
"I'll leave you too alone," I said and backed silently out of the room.
To give them extra privacy, I locked the door so the other Marauders won't come in and find them if they wanted it to be kept a secret.
Well, at least they are both living a happily ever after. I guess that's the only thing that matters at the moment.
A/N: