I felt myself nodding off just before a loud pop sounded in the middle of the kitchen. I opened my eyes lazily to find Emily asleep with her head on the table, a game of exploding snap between us.
"Allison what are you doing up?" Severus had just materialized and he was looking at Emily and I accusingly.
"Wanted to...to make sure you came home." I yawned.
"Yes well I am home as you can see, now wake your friend and get the two of you to bed."
"Hey Em?" I gently shook her awake.
"Hmmm?" She groaned , looking up from the table.
"Time for bed sleepyhead." I chuckled as she stumbled out of her chair and up the stairs. The second Emily's head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep again. Pulling the covers up over her shoulders, I left her to sleep. Back downstairs I waved my wand to clean up the exploding snap game. Making certain the kitchen was clean, I nervously knocked on Sev's bedroom door. In all the time that I'd known them, I never thought I'd be talking to Severus or Remus about wanting them to have a girlfriend or a wife. I'd always known it was a sore subject with Sev, but I never thought it would be an issue with Remus.
"Allison?" Severus sighed when he creaked open the door. "I thought you'd gone to bed."
"I..wanted to talk to you about something. If that's okay?" I murmured to my shoes.
"What about?" Sev asked with a worried expression.
"Remus and Tonks." I said quietly.
"Of all the things..." Severus mumbled thinking I couldn't hear him."What about them?" He questioned in a more audible tone.
"While you were gone, Emily and I went to visit Remus. Only when we got there he was arguing with someone. We couldn't risk being seen by anyone so we hid in my room, but well we had to know when it was safe to leave so we left the door open just a crack."
"I see." I could tell Sev wanted to scold me for listening to someone else's conversation, but he also wanted to know what I'd overheard.
"Well we realized he was arguing with Tonks and they were...they were talking about starting a relationship. Only Remus didn't seem to like the idea." Severus didn't seem surprised by this information. "You two have talked about this already haven't you?" I asked.
"Perhaps." Severus answered shortly.
"Tell me you told him he should see her?" I knew Severus well enough to know that even though his expression had not changed, he had not shared this opinion with Remus. "He deserves to be happy. You both do." I said firmly. "Especially with everything that's going on. Voldemort being back, Umbridge, Mr. Weasley being attacked..."
"Have you considered the possibility that those would be all of the reasons Remus would be against a relationship?"
"But Sev, neither of you has ever so much as looked at a woman before. Are you happy being alone?" I questioned without thinking.
"I think it's time for you to go to bed." He snapped at me in a very slow quiet tone.
"Yeah alright." I nodded not bothering to apologize.
I woke the next morning to the smell of something warm and sweet.
"Hey Em." I whispered to a pile of snoozing curls. She woke with a gigantic yawn, stretching her hands high above her head. "Breakfast time." I smiled.
"Race you down the stairs." She smiled back. The staircase that led to the kitchen wasn't very big, and Emily beat me by hopping down the stairs two or three at a time. I sniffed the inviting smell of waffles as I raced down the stairs.
"Morning Sev...Remus?" I glanced over at the stove with a confused expression.
"Good morning Alice, Emily." Remus greeted us cheerily enough.
"Where's Sev?" I asked taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"Apparently he has an assignment this week." Remus answered, turning off the stove.
"But...But tomorrow is Christmas." I frowned as a plate of waffles was settled in the center of the table. Staring at the Severusless waffles, I'd suddenly lost my appetite.
"Alice you've got to eat." Remus warned me with a serious tone. Rolling my eyes, I grudgingly took a waffle off the plate in the center.
"These are really good Remus." Emily's cheery voice filled the kitchen as she tried to defuse the tension in the room.
"Thank you Emily." Remus smiled and piled his plate with a few waffles of his own. I stabbed angrily at some strawberries before popping them in my mouth.
"It's my fault he's gone isn't it?" I asked my waffles. "Did he have this sudden assignment late last night?"
"It did come up late last night, but I got the information straight from Dumbledore." Remus assured me.
"Then he went to Dumbledore and asked for something to do." I said certainly before pouring a glass of pumpkin juice.
"Allison he didn't abandon you, he has work to do." Remus asserted. "Unfortunately, I have work to do this week as well." Remus frowned. "So, I spoke with Dumbledore last night. We will be going to headquarters tomorrow morning and have Christmas with Sirius and the others. After that, I will leave for my assignment. The two of you will stay at Headquarters with the others until you return to Hogwarts."
