Chapter 28
A few hours later…
Arin and Minerva were helping to set the table, while the kids all awoke to the smell of bacon and sausages. They all leapt out of their beds and pulled on their bathrobes and rushed to the dining area to see a table filled with all kinds of breakfast foods to eat: Freshly-baked bread, bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, fruit salad, and even waffles! Each place had a tall glass of pumpkin juice, as well as a cup of tea. They all looked in amazement, and Kat laughed lightly as she said "Well, go ahead and dig in, then!"
You didn't have to tell them twice; they all took a little bit of everything and seemed to enjoy every bite. Katrina, Minerva and Arin soon joined them and they all ate happily and chatted as they did so.
When they were finished, Katrina said as she drank her last drop of tea "Alright dears, go ahead and get ready, we've got a big day ahead of us!"
Harry asked "Should we help with the dishes?"
Katrina said with a smile "Don't worry about it this time, Minerva and Arin will help me. You three had best hurry so we don't miss any of the shops; they'll close early today since it's Christmas Eve!"
Harry nodded, and Mary said "Thank you so much for breakfast, it was amazing!"
Ron nodded as he drank his last gulp of pumpkin juice and said "It really was!"
Katrina smiled as she said "You're very welcome, I figured a big day starts the best with a big breakfast!"
Harry ran over and pecked Katrina on the cheek before running to his room, saying "You're the best, Mum!"
Katrina smiled fondly as she watched him go off, and the other two run after him.
Minerva and Arin smiled too, and Arin said "He's so sweet. Then again, it's not surprising seeing as you are just as sweet!"
Katrina blushed a little, and said "You're sweet for saying that, but no, I think he gets it from Lily."
Minerva said "You're right, of course, but Ms. Mystic is also quite right. You raised him to be that way. Lily would have been proud."
Katrina smiled at both of them for a moment, but then looked at the clock on the wall and said "Oh! We'd better get moving if we want to catch the shops before they close!"
Minerva and Arin nodded and helped Katrina with cleaning up. Once they were finished, Katrina ran to her room and showered and changed into a lovely crimson sweater and a pair of jeans. She chose to wear a simple pair of dark brown boots with it. She left her hair down and pulled a gold-colored beanie hat on before putting on her usual necklace and earrings. She touched up her face with a bit of makeup and then rushed out of the room, placing a quick peck on top of her sleeping kitty's head before leaving.
She pulled on her black pea-coat as she waited at the door for the crew.
As she waited, she thought about her last Christmas with James, Lily and the rest of the Marauders. She smiled fondly at the memory, and soon it became a full-fledged flashback...
December 25th, 1980
Katrina had two huge paper bags filled with Christmas presents that she struggled to carry to the Potter's door. She smiled with delight as she saw the door, and was almost to it when she slipped on a small patch of ice! She almost lost hold of her bags as she fell but suddenly found two strong hands that caught her just before she hit the ground.
"Careful!" a voice said with a chuckle, and she smiled (and blushed slightly) as she recognized the voice.
She turned around and said "Whew, that would have been a mess! Thank you, Remus."
He returned the smile, and she put the bags down carefully in the snow before hugging him.
"It's so good to see you!" she said, and he replied "It's good to see you too. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
He returned the hug, but she heard a small gasp of pain when he did so. She gasped and quickly pulled away as she asked "Did I hurt you?" her brows furrowed with concern.
He said as he tried not to wince as he put his arms down. "It's nothing,"
She said "Yes, it is. It's all over your face, Remus."
He looked down, and she said "Let's go inside and I'll have a look at it, please?"
He said "Honestly, I-"
"I saw a bit of your arm as you pulled me up. Lemme take care of it. Okay? You shouldn't be in pain, especially not on Christmas!"
She looked up at him, her hazel eyes looking at his pale, troubled face and then into chocolate brown eyes, pleadingly.
He sighed, and said wearily "Alright…Thank you."
She smiled.
He smiled weakly back, and she picked up her bags and they walked to the door together. He knocked, and Lily answered it a minute later with a big grin "Kat! Remus! Please please come in!"
Katrina put her bags down and said "Oh Lils, I've missed you! It's been ages!"
They hugged and Lily said "I've missed you too! Oh Merlin, I know! I can't believe it's been nearly five months!"
She turned to Remus and hugged him too, saying "Good to see you too, Remus. You doing alright?"
Remus winced slightly, then said "As alright as I can be I suppose."
Lily said "I know what you mean." They then shared a small smile.
Lily turned to both of them and said "Well, come on in the living room! We're all just enjoying some hot chocolate and Christmas cookies; my mum's old recipe."
Katrina smiled and said "That sounds amazing! We'll be right there."
Lily nodded and smiled before going back to the living room, and Katrina walked over to Remus and asked quietly "Is it okay if I roll up your sleeves?"
Remus nodded hesitantly, and she did so, carefully. She winced as she looked at his arms: they were covered with scratches, a few bruises, and some deep cuts. She said quietly "Oh my god… Remus. I don't know how you aren't screaming in agony."
Remus looked down, and she gently said "Hey, it's okay. I'm not lecturing you, I'm just worried. You know me, I'm a worrier. I-"
He nodded, his eyes looking quite sad. He looked…broken. She didn't know why or what he had been through since they all graduated, but she wished she could help. She sighed, and gave him a sad smile. She momentarily put her hand on the side of his face out of comfort, then got to work.
She took out her wand and muttered healing charms, and soon the cuts and scrapes across his arms faded away.
Remus said quietly "Thank you, Katrina. You really didn't have to, I should have done that myself, I just didn't-,"
She said "We all need a little help sometimes. Don't worry about it, alright? That's what friends are for."
He hugged her, and with a surprised look, she returned the hug, and smiled.
He let go of her after a minute, with a slight blush in his cheeks.
She blushed furiously, and tried to hide it by giving him a quick smile and running to get her bags while saying "We should probably go to the living room now before Sirius starts telling everyone that we were snogging in the closet," with a nervous laugh.
He chuckled as he rolled his sleeves back down and said "Sounds like him alright. I'll go ahead in, then. And Kat?"
She turned around with a "hmm?"
He looked as if he wanted to say one thing, but ended up saying "Um…well, I…thanks again," with a small smile.
She nodded, and returned the smile, but couldn't help wondering what else he was going to tell her.
Nevertheless, she joined him in the living room with her big bags of presents, which she put down in front of the tree. Sirius got up and hugged her, and she was then hugged by James, who was holding Harry. She took Harry's little hand with her finger and held it as she said "He's gotten so big already! He definitely looks like a mini James, but those eyes are definitely yours, Lils."
Lily and James grinned at her and then smiled fondly at each other, and James asked "Would you like to hold him?"
Katrina said "I would love to!" with a smile, and she sat down next to Sirius as James put Harry gently in her arms.
She grinned and rubbed her nose softly against his little nose. He cooed and giggled, and she tickled him gently. She laughed as his laughter filled the air. Sirius then joined in and made funny faces at Harry and tickled him lightly as well.
Remus seemed to be transfixed with a look of adoration in his eyes, directed at Katrina and little Harry.
Sirius noticed, and grinned. He winked, and Remus quickly looked away, this time instead looking at James and Lily. The couple held each other, and watched their friends enjoying Harry. He smiled before joining Katrina and Sirius, opting to sit on the floor.
As he sat down, Katrina asked Harry "Do you want to see your Uncle Remus now?"
Sirius said "That's Uncle Moony, we don't use our names with him. Just Uncles' Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail. Still working on him to say "Padfoot" instead of "Pafoo."
They all laughed, and Harry cooed as she gently handed Harry to Remus. Remus talked to Harry and bounced him gently on his leg.
Katrina watched with a grin on her face, thinking how adorable they both looked.
Back to where we were…
"Kat? Kaaat?" Arin asked.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. I had a bit of a flashback. Back to the last time I saw James and Lily…" Katrina said.
Arin frowned slightly, and Katrina continued "It was a happy memory, though. It was right about this day that I saw them last, Remus and Sirius were there too."
The two smiled at each other, and Harry, Ron, and Mary all came down the stairs in their winter coats, ready to go.
Mary's coat had countless holes in it, and didn't look very warm at all. Katrina frowned slightly, then asked quietly "Mary? Can you come to the kitchen with me for a moment?"
Mary looked nervous, but did as she was asked.
Once in there, she turned around and asked "D-Did I do something wrong?" Her eyes filled with tears as she trembled slightly.
Katrina looked surprised as she said "Of course not, I-" She suddenly remembered: The tone she used is probably what her mother used, and usually those conversations would end up with Mary being punished. She remembered seeing many bruises on her arms the last couple of times she had seen her.
Katrina quickly said "Oh! Mary, I'm sorry! I hope I didn't scare you! I'm sorry!" She hugged Mary, who sniffled and tried not to sob.
Katrina continued, saying "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I was going to lecture you or anything like that. You haven't done anything wrong, okay? I promise."
Mary nodded, and sighed in relief. Katrina let go of her, and handed her a tissue as she said "I just wanted to fix you up a bit before we go out, okay? Your coat is all tattered, and it won't keep you warm with all those holes in it! I have a charm that can fix it right up; don't want you to catch a cold for Christmas!"
Mary wiped her tears with her sleeve, and nodded with a small smile, as she said "Okay."
Katrina pulled out her wand, and said quietly "Reparo",and Mary's coat transformed in front of their eyes. The pale blue coat soon looked brand new! Mary grinned, and said "Thank you. You don't have to be so kind to me, I-"
Katrina interrupted and said "Yes, I do. You need kindness in your life, Mary. Everyone does. I know you're not treated very well at home. I've seen your arms, dear. And I see it in your face. But here, you will always be treated with kindness, and love."
Mary hugged Katrina once again, and Katrina smiled and returned the hug. She said "Remember: Everyone that is good of heart deserves love and kindness. Do not let anyone make you feel that you don't deserve those things. If they make you feel like that, then they aren't the sort of people you should keep in your life. Alright?"
Mary nodded, and they released the hug and left the kitchen together.
Arin asked "Are we all ready?"
Katrina nodded, and the kids all grinned.
Harry asked "Is Auntie going with us?"
Katrina said "No, dear. She said she needed to stay back today to get some chores done."
Harry nodded, and they all went out. They used a small Christmas tree that was on the lawn of the house as a portkey to get to Diagon Alley. And with a WOOSH, they were off!
Hi everyone! Bear with me here, I know its been dragging on a bit, but I promise I'll start speeding it up a bit. I've been working 2 jobs and haven't had a lot of time for writing lately, but I will try to keep up with it from now on and keep you all on your toes! Thank you so much for reading! - PinkRoseKoolKat
