7
The Winter Holidays
The holidays were approaching quickly and all across the castle, students were discussing their holiday plans both in the castle and at home. It seemed most people were going home for the holiday, but a few were staying Hogwarts.
They had one final Hogsmeade visit before vacation and most of the students were using it as a last minute chance to shop.
Doe had dragged Remus with her so that he could help finish picking out gifts. She had expected him to put up more of a fight, but he actually seemed pleased to be able to help her.
The air outside was freezing and all of Hogsmeade was covered in a blanket of snow. Tiny flurries were coming down quickly and Doe had to brush them off her coat.
She and Remus hurried down the path clutching at their coats for warmth and dove into the nearest apothecary.
" It's bitter out there" She said taking off her gloves. Her cheeks were pink from the wind and she had to shake the snowflakes out of her hair.
Remus shook the snow out of his hair too, " Absolutely frigid" he agreed.
Doe poked around the store looking at some of the new things on display. Remus followed behind her and gave her input when she asked.
" What about these for Marlene?" Remus asked holding up a set of new quills.
Doe giggled, " Quills for Marlene? That's like giving Sirius a book".
Remus smiled, "Good point" and put down the quills.
After about an hour, Doe ended up finding a new set of potion scales for Lily, a set of Witch Weekly's Hair potions for Marlene, and a new planner for Mary. She purchased them all and followed Remus back out into the cold.
They shopped for a little while longer and she found almost all of the gifts she needed.
A new Quill for her father, a trick wand for James, miniature broomstick for Sirius, and large box of Chocolate Cauldrons for Peter.
" Here," she said handing Remus a chocolate frog she had just purchased.
After spending a month with him, Doe had realized Remus had an insatiable love for chocolate.
" You are one truly amazing girl, Doe Meadowes" he said gratefully putting it in his mouth.
" Now come on, " he said grabbing her hand, "let's go get something warm before we freeze"
Doe followed him into the three broomsticks. It was warm in there, and very crowded. The weather outside seemed to have enticed everyone to want to stay in doors, and the Three Broomsticks was crowded even on a regular day.
" Can we get two warm butterbeers here please" Remus said to the waitress as they sat down at a little table in the back. It was one of the only ones left in the entire pub.
" You look very nice when you're freezing" Remus said with a laugh when the waitress left.
Doe covered her pink cheeks with her hands
" My suffering is visually pleasing, is it?" She asked smiling.
Remus through his head back in laughter, " I guess so"
The waitress came back with their butterbeers and placed them on the table. They were warm and very delicious.
Doe took a huge sip and it seemed to instantly make her feel warmer.
" So tell me why again, that you have to go off alone after this?" Remus asked her.
" Because," she told him, " I have to get your present".
He frowned, " I don't need anything. I'd rather just spend time with you"
A huge smile formed on Doe's face.
" But I really want too, It won't take long I promise. We can hang out in the common room" she told him.
They finished their butterbeers and left a few sickles on the table. The wind was blowing even harsher, and the chill was becoming really uncomfortable.
" So I'll see you in a little bit, okay?" Doe told him.
He bent down and kissed her quickly as an answer. She smiled widely.
" I think I'm going to go find James, Sirius, and Peter" he said looking around the village on his tiptoes.
She waved goodbye and headed down the sloping path back towards the stores.
" There you are, Meadowes" Marlene said from a bench. She was sitting with Mary and Lily who were trading scarves.
" Did you have fun with Remus?" Lily asked, smiling suggestively.
" Yes, I did. Now I just have to find him a present" she said nervously.
They went into several stores looking for the perfect present for Remus. Doe considered a red wool scarf and an eagle quill. Nothing seemed quite right. They went into the bookstore and looked around.
" Thats perfect," she said walking over to a display near the front. It was advertising Bathilda Bagshot's new book, an all inclusive autobiography of her times at Hogwarts.
" a book?" Marlene asked in disbelief, " you can't be serious".
" Remus loves books" Doe said defensively, clutching it closer to her, " and it's by his favorite author"
" But it's a book" Marlene repeated raising her eyebrows.
" Doe and Remus like books, Marley" Mary told her with a laugh.
" You two are so weird" Marlene said rolling her eyes.
Yes we are, Doe thought as she purchased the book.
Remus' mother had gotten sick the night before holiday vacation, so he left early and they exchanged gifts before he left. They had gotten each other the same book.
Remus had chuckled when they opened them.
" Great minds think alike?" he asked with a laugh.
" Apparently so" she said as they both pocketed their present and said goodbye.
The next day, the Hogwarts Express took Lily, Mary, Doe and the rest of the students to Kings Cross the next day.
Doe was extremely excited to see her father waiting for her on the Platform. She had missed him even more than she realized.
" Dad" she said throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug.
" Doe darling, I couldn't be happier to see you" he said.
" Hello Lily, Mary. How are you girls?" he asked seeing them.
" We're great Mr. Meadowes, how are you?" Lily asked.
" Better now that Doe's home" he said smiling.
Doe grinned happily. She was glad to she had been missed.
" Are your parents here? Do any of you need lifts?" He asked.
Both Lily and Mary shook their heads so Doe wished them a happy holiday and headed to the end of the platform.
" Side apparition okay?" her father asked.
Doe bit her lip in hesitation, "Fine".
Her father laughed at her distaste for the most convenient way of wizard travel.
He grabbed her hand and they apparatted. She felt the familiar pull behind her navel as she landed on the floor of their living room. They lived in a three story townhouse on Grimmauld Place, across the street from Sirius.
Doe had always thought it weird that Sirius' bigoted, magic obsessed family lived in a neighborhood surrounded by muggles.
Doe got to her feet and tried to shake the nauseous feeling she got when she apparatted.
Their living room looked exactly the same. Her mother was sitting in one of the large armchairs, knitting something.
" Oh, You're home. Hello Dorcas" Her mom greeted me with a smile.
Doe shuddered slightly at the casual use of her given name.
Even though the nickname Doe had existed since she was three, her mother refused to address her as anything other than Dorcas.
She smiled. " Nice to see you mom"
Doe and her mother had always had a strange relationship. Her mother disapproved of the wizarding world, and it was such a large part of Doe's life that the two rarely had much in common. It was a wonder how she and Doe's father were able to find anything to talk about.
" I'm going to bring my stuff upstairs" She told her parents and carried her bag up the stairs.
Her bedroom was on third landing. It was the only room up there that they used. There were also two guests rooms up there but they sat empty and unused.
Her parents bedroom and her father's office were both on the second floor.
She opened the door to her room and smiled at the comfort. Her room was simple.
There was a bed leaning against the windows with a quilt draped over it. There was a desk that was littered with old copies of the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. There were also two towering bookcases stuffed to the brim with books, along with two stacks next to them.
The walls were filled with various quidditch posters and pictures, along with a union jack flag and a Gryffindor tapestry above the bed.
Doe sat her bag down on her bed and looked out the window. The street was empty with snow piling at it's sides. A few muggle children were running up and down the street with bikes.
" Dorcas!" Her mother called from downstairs.
She left her room and hung over the railing, " Yes?"
" Come down for dinner" She called.
Doe walked down the stairs and the was immediately met by the smell of the pasta her mother had made.
Her father was already sitting at the table, a copy of the Prophet open in front of him. He kept flipping through it, a look of concentration on his face.
" Anything interesting?" Doe asked.
Her father didn't look up, " goblin angry here, some usage of magic in front of muggles there" he said.
Doe laughed lightly. Her father always made her laugh.
Doe's mother came into the room carrying a bowl of pasta and put it in the middle of the table.
" Dorcas that better not be your wand on the table," she said warningly.
Doe grabbed her wand off the table and put it in her boot, thinking to herself that other people didn't have that particular rule in their household.
" So how has your term been so far?" Her father asked.
" Really good, we won the first quidditch match last month. We beat Ravenclaw " She told him with a sly smile.
" Hmmm. Well, we Ravenclaws are not known for our athleticism" he said.
" And what about your classes?" He asked, " anything interesting?"
" Were doing a partner project in potions for O.W.L.s and were learning about summoning charms in Charms"
" Summoning charms, damn handy charm to know" My father said, " who's your partner for the potions project?" he asked.
" Severus Snape. He's a Slytherin" she said quickly.
" Please enough Magic talk" her mother said quickly, " How are your friends?"
" Good," she told her quickly.
She then turned red wondering whether or not she should mention Remus.
It wasn't something she really wanted to discuss with her parents but she also didn't want to lie to them.
" I've actually starting seeing someone" she said quietly, staring directly at her plate.
" Really? Have you?" her father asked.
She nodded, " Remus Lupin. He's in Gryffindor with me"
Her father nodded, " I remember the name"
" I would love to meet him" Her mother said with a smile.
Doe nodded, wondering if there was a way to avoid that for as long as possible.
The three of them finished dinner and Doe's parents went to sit down in the living room.
Her father sat down in his favorite armchair in the corner. Doe curled up in the adjoining one.
" Actually, Dad. There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while now" she told him.
" What is it, Doe. Is there something wrong?" he asked.
" Well," she started, " I was just wondering how big of a problem this You-Know-Who is?"
Her father's face fell, " His name is Voldemort and unfortunately he is becoming a big problem"
Doe's father always made it a point to never lie to her. His very candid answer didn't come as a surprise.
" I thought the ministry was handling it, trying to stop him" Doe said.
" We are," her father said earnestly, " but he's gotten very strong. Gained a lot of followers, call themselves Death Eaters. It's becoming a lot of work for the aurors"
" The aurors?" she asked quickly.
Her father smiled at her excitement, " still want to be an auror I see"
Doe nodded, " It's not going to change"
He laughed, " You couldn't have wanted to be a healer? You have to be on the front lines, all five foot three of you"
" Like Father, Like Daughter" She told him, " We Meadowes like a bit of excitement in our lives"
Doe spent the next few days alone in her room. It was strange for her to be home in the middle of year. Her dad worked most of the day and her mother liked to keep busy with activities, which left Doe on her own. It was times like these she wished that she had a sibling. Someone that she could spend time with when she came home for the holidays. She had always envied Marlene's large family for this reason.
Soon it was Christmas Eve, and the night of the large Ministry of Magic of Holiday party. Doe had been to a few of them before. It was just the families of employees who were invited. When she was younger, she spent most of them playing with the other kids. It was still strange to her that she was old enough now to go as a guest.
Her mother had left a dress in her room for her to wear. It was long sleeved and blue, and it flared just above her knees. It was one of her favorites and she wore it any time she needed to dress fancy.
As she put on her heels, she could hear the fight beginning downstairs.
"... Anne please don't do this, this is a work party I NEED you to go" she heard her father said loudly.
" Oh you need me to go, do you?" her mother's harsh voice filled the downstairs, " What about what I need? I hate that place Auberon, I don't want to be surrounded by them"
" Them!?" her dad shouted, " Come on Anne ,It's my work it's my life"
" Bring Dorcas, just take her and go. I'll be here when you get back" Her mother snapped.
She heard her father's loud sigh and the silence that followed. She remained in her room, wondering if these arguments had happened more frequently while she was away.
" Doe, come down please. We don't want to be late" her father shouted upstairs. She walked downstairs quickly and saw her father in a black suit.
" You look lovely, Doe" he said as she came down the stairs.
" Thanks Dad" she said smiling slightly.
He still looked slightly phased from his fight with her mother. She didn't say anything about it.
" Well, we better be off, we'll be taking the visitors entrance tonight. We can take a cab down to london" He said reaching for the front door.
Her mother sat planted in her armchair, dressed in her nightclothes. Her hair a large mass of it's usual, unruly curls.
Doe followed her dad out of the house and into the waiting cab. It drove them in silence through the gray cement streets of downtown London and stopped on a large corner.
" Thank you very much" Her father told the driver, handing him a few crisp bills.
Doe followed him down the empty street and towards an abandoned telephone box. Both of them stepped inside, but it crowded with two people.
" This was much easier when I was five" Doe told him as they selected the visitors entrance to the ministry.
The phone booth lowered itself down quickly into the ministry's main floor.
The entire ground floor of the ministry had been transformed. Snowy garland was hung from every surface and ornaments decorated them all.
Huge, beautifully decorate trees were in every corner, towering over large piles of presents.
Giant crystal snowflakes had been bewitched to float off of the ceiling, and the fountain was frozen spewing small pieces of snow everywhere.
" Wow," Doe said staring up in the room in amazement.
She held onto her father's arm as they walked through a large group of people and headed to a more populated corner.
Most of the people that her father worked with were here, and they had all brought their families.
Amelia was standing with her parents and older brother, she waved at Doe happily when she saw her. Mafalda Hopkirk and Caradoc Dearborn were also there, clustered around their families.
Doe's father was chatting with two men from his office, engaged in a conversation about their newest department policy
" I'm going to go get a drink, okay?" Doe told him after being there a few minutes. He smiled and continued chatting with a few of his friends.
Doe walked over to the drink table and served herself a glass of cider.
She grabbed her drink and hung back watching the crowd of wizards absorbed in conversation.
The group closest to her were talking loudly together. It was a gaggle of emerald. The entire group was obviously Slytherin alumni.
" Watching animals in their natural habitat can be quite interesting, huh?" A voice said behind her.
She spun around and saw a man standing behind her. He was in his late thirties with shoulder length blonde hair and a tall build. Part of his nose looked as though someone had tried to take a chunk out of it. He had a gruff voice and an uncomfortable presence.
" Fascinating," She agreed taking a sip from her drink, " You would think that Slytherins from Hogwarts grew out of it when they get older"
The man beside her let out a small chuckle, but even that sounded slightly angry.
" Alastor Moody," he said holding out his hand.
She had to stop herself from letting her jaw drop, " Alastor Moody as in the head auror?" she asked.
Moody's eyebrow raised.
" I'm Doe Meadowes, and I'd love to be an auror" She said extending my hand to shake his.
" Meadowes, eh?" Mr. Moody said, " you're Auberon's daughter?"
She nodded quickly, " the very same".
" And you're at Hogwarts now?" he asked, " what's your house?"
" I'm a fifth year Gryffindor" She told him.
" Ah, a Gryffindor I should've guessed" Mr. Moody said, " and you want to be an auror?"
Doe nodded excitedly.
"It's a hard profession you know" Moody told her, he didn't seem to be telling her, he was gauging her reaction.
"That makes me like it even more" she told him, "the things that are easy aren't usually worth it"
Moody blinked at her, "And you're sure someone like you can handle the things you'd see?"
"I'm built for it" Doe told him, "it's what I'm supposed to do"
Moody chuckled darkly, "Well in that case, I look forward to seeing your application, Ms. Meadowes" he said and with another gulp of his firewhiskey, he was gone.
Doe was practically shaking inside, she had just met the head of the auror department. Moody was someone she had wanted to meet for years.
" Thank god," Rabastan Lestrange said walking over to her moments later, " I thought he'd never leave"
Doe rolled her eyes. Rabastan's father worked closely with the minister, of course he would be here.
" Leave me alone" she said crossing her arms angrily.
She hated Rabastan and didn't need him ruining Christmas too.
Rabastan knew how to get under her skin. His constant bothering drove her insane.
" Oh, Come on, Doe. You look ravishing, how about we go find a quiet place and I can tell you all about it" he said stroking her arm.
Doe pulled away from him, " You're revolting".
Rabastan grinned widely, it bothered her that despite the fact he was a pig, he was handsome.
He moved closer to her, " Aw come on Meadowes, I know you want me"
Doe, who had been taking a sip of cider at the time, almost choked on it.
" Oh you're right" Doe said with a sly smile, " I want you, dead"
Rabastan only grinned, " Oh come on Doe, you and me in the broom closet"
Doe rolled her eyes, " Go away, Rabastan"
" Doe, I just had a wonderful conversation with Alastor Moody about you" Her father said as he came over to them.
" Hello, Mr. Meadowes, nice to see you again" Rabastan said cheerfully, turning on his charm as he shook her father's hand.
Doe scowled as he tried to impress the man whose daughter he had just propositioned.
" Ah, yes Rabastan how are you and your brother?" Her father asked, slight distaste in his voice.
Doe knew her father did not like the Lestranges. He worked with their father, and like herself, he was of the opinion that they were pompous and dark.
" We're great. Thank you for asking. I was just discussing this party with your lovely daughter here" Rabastan said with a smile.
Doe couldn't help rolling her eyes. He was so thick.
Her father forced a smile, "Well lovely she is, Doe actually I was thinking we might head home. See your mum"
Doe nodded eagerly and took a step away from Rabastan, smiling happily.
Her father led her away from them and towards the exit,
They left the ministry and headed home to spend the holiday as a family.
The rest of the holiday's past by very quickly. Doe's parents were barely speaking and it made for a quiet break alone. And before she knew it, she was back at Hogwart's telling Lily, Marlene, and Mary all about it in a morning Herbology lesson.
" ….Now make sure you clip off ALL of the flowers, they can be ugly little devils" Professor Sprout said loudly.
Doe snapped one of the violently purple flowers off of the plant as it shrieked, while Lily held it's thorns off to the side.
" And they fought alot?" Lily asked.
" It was constant," she said picking off another flower.
" Maybe they're just going through a phase" Mary said sketching the flowers on a piece of parchment.
" Yeah, I've heard my parents go through their fair share of rows before" Marlene said.
" But never about what one of your parents were" Doe told her, " I don't know why the magic thing is so hard for her to grasp. She knew before she married him"
" Sometimes it's really hard to be apart of our world without being in it" Lily said, " my parent's even feel left out"
" I guess so" Doe said as she took the flowers and began dissecting them.
" Your parents have been together for years, Doe. I'm sure they'll work it out" Mary told her.
" I really hope so, My dad needs her" Doe said pulling two petals off of the flower.
They finished the lesson and headed back towards the castle, chatting about how 'close' Marlene had gotten to having Sirius kiss her, but all Doe could think about was whether her parents would still be together when she came home for the summer.