Moria glanced at Alice who had been oddly quiet for the past week. It was odd coming from her during this month. Usually she would be so bloody cheerful during the holiday month that she was almost causing her and Lily to commit murder. But she wasn't commenting on it being only a mere two more weeks away from Christmas break, nor was she talking about how Remus and Bryn were so close, and trying to plan how those two would get together. She glanced at Lily in concern, who seemed to be equally confused.

"Alice? Is something wrong? You've been quiet all week." Lily finally asked as Moria stuffed a piece of waffle into her mouth. Alice blinked and looked up, staring at her friends for a second before looking down bashfully.

"Oh it's nothing."

"Yeah it's something." Moria retorted. "Come on Alice, you can tell us." Moria said grabbing her drink, and beginning to take a drink.

"Frankpurposedlastweekandwe'regettingmarriedintwoweeks." Alice said quickly, causing Lily to choke on her bagel and Moria to spit out her water. The pair earned several odd glances as they frantically tried to retrieve air.

"Come again?" Moria finally managed to ask after coughing harshly.

"Frank…Frank purposed to me."

"We got that. But marrying this Christmas? Bloody hell Alice isn't that a bit late notice. And besides that, he'll graduate this year. You still have one more year left." Moria stated. "A bit early don't you think?"

"My parents…don't approve of Frank and my relationship." Alice finally explained, her hands knitting together. "They consider the Longbottoms to be blood-traitors and they keep insisting that I'll find someone else, or they'll choose someone for me once I graduate." She explained.

"Ah…the ol' betrothal thing." Moria grumbled. "I hated that part in history class."

"History class? We never learned about Wizarding betrothals in history class…or at least not to my knowledge we did. Binns nearly put all of us to sleep."

"Not that…oh never mind." Moria replied with a sigh before looking at Alice with a smirk. "In any case, I get the plan. If you're married to him before he leaves you here… your parents will have no option." Moria finished. Alice nodded and the two girls smiled.

"Well I think that sounds fine. So what are your plans?"

"Well…I'm getting married on the Longbottom's property. It's going to be small though."

"Well I'm guessing the minister has been picked out." Moria joked. "Any dresses?"

"Well…I was just thinking about wearing a formal dress I have." She stated almost in a sad tone. Moria stared at Alice for a few seconds. It was obvious the idea of a white wedding gown appealed to the other brunette…but there wasn't much she could do. She owned virtually no dresses. Then, as though she had been struck by lightning, an idea sparked in her head and she smiled.

"Alice. What is your dress size?"

"What? Why does that matter?"

"Just tell me." Moria responded with a mischievous look on her face. Lily looked at her in interest as Alice stuttered out the size three. Moria grinned.

"Thank you!" she called out then quickly rose and left. Alice looked at Lily confused.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

Madge sighed as she sat at her drawing board. There hadn't been a fun outfit making in a while and it was driving her mad. She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts by a loud tapping and looked up at her window. An owl sat on the windowsill with a note held tightly in its' beak. She opened the window and petted the owl's feathers before taking the note and feeding a treat to Moria's owl that Moria had left for it. As the owl gobbled up its' morsel she opened the envelope.

Hello Auntie Madge,

If you aren't too busy with fashion designing could you possibly make a wedding dress for Alice? Apparently Frank proposed and even though she's happy that she's getting married, she does want a wedding dress. And since I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't get her a gift, why not a wedding dress? Lily's already decided on getting her the other stuff.

You're niece,

Moria

If Madge was bored beforehand she wasn't now. She smiled and did a victory dance before rushing to her drawing board, an idea already springing into her head.

Moria sat at the Great Hall eating a piece of toast, reading from Sirius's daily newspaper. She felt Sirius's hand glide up her thigh and she smiled slightly, glancing at him, before continuing to read.

"The owls are coming." Someone said. Moria looked up. It had been nearly a week since she sent the note to her aunt. She blinked as she saw her owl flying down towards her, holding a large package clenched in its' talons. She zeroed in on Moria and dove to her. She released the package nearly taking out Sirius, who barely managed to duck. Moria caught it with one hand, grunting at how heavy it was, and thankful she was used to blocking the Quaffle. She looked at it curiously and she saw a note on the top.

"You owe me. –Madge"

Moria smiled in triumph before looking up at her two best friends. "Alice, can you and Lily come up with me to the dorm?" Moria asked. Lily smiled as Alice's face turned to confusion.

"Huh?"

"Just trust me." Moria said and Alice slowly nodded and Moria, Lily and Alice quickly walked away the boys, who likewise were looking at them in curiosity and they turned the corner, going upstairs.

"Alright Moria…what's this about?" Alice asked, her arms crossed as they finally reached their dorm. Moria grinned and then began opening the package.

"Now…what type of friends would Lily and I be if we didn't get you a few wedding presents?" Moria asked as she pulled a bag out. Alice's eyes widened as Moria unfolded a white dress. It was a soft white, clearly a simple material as a lot of material was short on hand. However Madge had made it special in its own way. A large sequin design was in the front, crinkling the fabric around it and bunching it up slightly. Moria grinned.

"Did you forget that my aunt is a fashion designer?" Moria asked as Alice's eyes began to become glassy and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"M-Moria…"

"Hey…this is going to be your wedding." Moria stated as matter-of-factly as she could, still seeming in a teasing mood.

" You deserve a dress. It only happens once you know." Lily stated and flipped her hair. "I will be supplying the jewelry and shoes so our next trip to Hogsmeade. We'll be shopping." Lily continued as Moria walked over to her side and grinned. Alice stood for a second dumbfounded, before launching herself at her two friends hugging them tightly. Moria and Lily grinned before high-fiving each other behind Alice's back.

"Why aren't you with Lily and Alice?"

"They're out shopping for jewelry and shoes…not my thing." Moria said as she paged through a small novel, before glancing at Sirius with a smile. "Where are the rest of Marauders?"

"I believe James is trying to figure out ways to impress Evans, Peter is just walking around, and Remus is at the candy shop."

"Same as always?"

"Precisely."

"Hm…so that leaves just the two of us." Moria replied off-handedly.

"Why yes it does." Sirius replied nonchalantly. She smirked and walked away, paying for the book and leaving. Sirius waited a little bit before exiting as well. He walked past an alleyway but was yanked in, nearly losing his balance. He looked down and saw Moria grinning mischievously.

"Well, well…hello my lovely girlfriend." He said quietly and she laughed as he bent down and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck returning the kiss. She smiled gently as they parted, her eyes closed.

"Well…that was a bloody excellent hello." She murmured.

"Now I think I deserve another for being yanked in here." He stated.

"Well why don't you?" She asked. He chuckled before he kissed her again.

"So Frank told me about Alice and him."

"Yeah?" Moria asked, looking up at him. "Why? Is that a problem?"

"No. I'm actually happy for them." Sirius stated as they walked around Hogsmeade. Moria chuckled.

"So am I. Her parents can stick it for all I care. They should be happy that their daughter found someone that cares about her." Moria retorted.

"Yeah." He replied. She began to say something else but stopped, halting in her step. He looked at her in confusion, then followed her gaze. His lighthearted mood disappeared.

Walburga stood there next to Orion and Regulus, staring at first down at her elder son, but once her gaze turned to Moria, her gaze sharpened and her eyes grew hateful. Moria backed away slightly, unnerved by the stare. She was forced out of her thoughts as Sirius gripped her hand tightly, then literally began to drag Moria around his parents, not wanting to have a confrontation with them at the moment. Not in front of Moria. Walburga huffed, and continued walking in the opposite direction; Orion and Regulus close on her heels.

"Lovely people your parents are." Moria remarked sarcastically after a few minutes. Sirius didn't reply but just kept on walking. "Sirius? I don't mind the hand holding…but I'm losing feeling in it." Moria stated and Sirius stopped abruptly and released her hand. He turned.

"Sorry." He murmured. She shrugged.

"It's okay…do you want to get some hot chocolate?" she asked trying to change his mood. He paused for a minute then nodded. She smiled. "Good. You're paying." She smirked, as he burst out laughing; finally back to his old self. Later Moria stood outside of the parlor, reading the short novel as Sirius waited for the hot chocolate.

"And what is a fine lady like you doing by herself?" a voice called out and Moria inwardly groaned.

"What do you want Chamberlain?" she said looking up from her novel into a pair of an ice-blue eyes. They were cold, and uncaring, a smirk that was smug plastered on his face.

"Please call me Dane, Moria." Dane said casually, running his hand through his reddish-brown hair.

"Chamberlain. Go away." She replied evenly, going to flip a page. Dane placed his hand on the page and pushed the book down.

"How can you read this? There's no pictures!" He stated. She glared at him. Egotistical, chauvinistic prick.

"Well, some people use their imagination." She retorted coolly. He merely glanced at her, a mask of cool indifference, the smile still on his face.

"It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting *ideas*, and *thinking*…" He trailed off.

"Look if you're going to annoy someone with your primeval ways, go find someone else."

"Well I'm here to answer all your dreams." He stated smoothly.

"Does that mean I get to shoot you?" She grumbled. He frowned.

"You never answered my letter."

"Because I burned it." She replied. "Go find a slag that you've already shagged and ask her out on a date. I'm sure the airhead would be glad." She commented, yanking the book from under his hand. He sighed as though she was being an inconvenience.

"Moria, you know I'll eventually get what I want." He said resting his shoulder on the wall next to her. She growled lightly.

"Back off Chamberlain." She warned, trying to move away. He gripped her forearm tightly and she looked up. "I mean it."

"Listen, Prescott you-"

"I believe she said to back off." A voice interrupted and she looked towards her right to see Sirius standing there, the cups forgotten. He had an angry glint in his eyes and they were warning Dane to not press his luck.

"Didn't know you had a date." He replied coldly. Moria glanced at Sirius with a look of relief on her face.

"I took her out to get some hot chocolate so she can have some time away from her friends. Not to be harassed by a git like you. Get away from her Chamberlain. Before I make you." Sirius warned as he moved a bit closer to Moria pushing himself in between her and Dane. Dane glared up at Sirius before grunting and moved away, walking down the road with his hands shoved in his jean pockets. Sirius glared at Dane's form before feeling Moria's face press into his back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah…annoyed…but I'll be fine." She mumbled into his back. "So…still in the mood for hot chocolate?" she asked glancing at the shop.

"Yeah…but you're coming in with me." He concluded, unwilling to let her be out here alone in case Dane was nearby waiting for her. She nodded and together they walked in.

"Wonder how the wedding is going…" Moria thought as she stared out the window of the Prescott household. Christmas break had arrived a few days ago. Alice and Frank's wedding had already happened, so the couple most likely celebrating their honeymoon, she mused. Lily had gone ahead and was visiting her family, going on some adventure. And how was she spending her holiday? Watching Martin and Monroe nearly burn down the kitchen in a feeble attempt to help Mitchell.

"He's going to kill you once he gets home. You realize that right?" Moria asked, an eyebrow raising. Her uncles glared at her, before returning to fanning the turkey. Moria sighed and then turned away, returning to her homework that she had been reading before the smoke detectors had gone off. Suddenly she heard a sound that wasn't similar to the annoying beeping that could be heard all over the home. A tiny meowing.

Moria looked up in confusion, glancing back at her uncles. Apparently they heard it as well, because their faces had shifted from annoyance to panic. She turned fully around.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all sweetheart." Martin replied, trying to brush it off. The meowing came again, this time more intensely.

"I'm not stupid. When did we get a cat?" Moria asked. Monroe glanced at Martin who looked defeated. Monroe sighed, and, leaving the smoldering remnants of what had once been a turkey and going to a nearby crawlspace and opening the door. In it was a tiny cat bed, and laying on it, a small kitten, black as ash. Moria blinked and then looked at her uncles.

"What…?"

"Well…a witch always needs a cat doesn't she?" Martin said more as a joke than anything. Moria stared at Monroe in shock as he walked over and placed the kitten on her lap, before looking down at the small form. The kitten mewed loudly, stretching and then began to knead her lap. Moria stared at the kitten, dumbfounded. Then she looked up at her uncles and she surprised them. A smile.

A childlike smile, one they hadn't seen in years was now splayed on her face. Martin and Monroe blinked before offering a cautious smile.

"I love her." Moria finally managed. "Thank you." She added, looking down at the purring animal. "I hope you don't expect me to start cackling and mixing a brew in a cauldron."

The men chuckled at her joke then watched her stand. "I'm going to bring her to my room, okay?" She said, and with that left the kitchen, still holding the kitten to her. She finally went to her room, closing the door. She stared at the kitten, who returned the gaze. Moria smirked.

"Well…I think we should give you a name." Moria said, the cat mewing in response. "Let's see…I found out about you when Uncle Martin and Monroe were making our dinner turn to ash…how about Ashes?" She questioned. The kitten mewed loudly, before beginning to purr again. Moria chuckled. "Like that name huh?"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU TWO IDIOTS DO?!" A voice screeched. Moria looked up and then smirked, trying to hold back her laughter as Mitchell finally saw the destruction that had once been dinner.

The Christmas holiday had ended, and as usual, almost routine now, students heading to Hogwarts were boarding the Hogwarts Express. "Wonder where Moria is?" Lily stated as she glanced around. Alice was with Frank, and the Marauders were chatting away. As her vision drifted to the quartet of boys, she glanced at James, staring at him for a few minutes, before someone tapped on her shoulder.

"See something you like?" a voice asked and Lily turned around in surprise to see Moria standing there. She blushed brightly.

"N…No!" she stammered out. Moria smirked.

"Right…" Moria responded. "So how was your Christmas break?"

"Boring as usual…Tuney got a boyfriend."

"Riveting." Moria replied dryly. Lily's older sister was one her least favorite people. And Lily knew that. She paused when a mew sounded from behind Moria.

"What was that?" she asked and Moria sighed slightly before withdrawing a small black kitten from her back.

"My uncles decided that I should have a cat, since all witches have cats." She replied. "Her name is Ashes" She explained. Ashes mewed again, her tail flicking from side to side.

"Oh she's so cute!" Lily exclaimed.

"Well yeah but-"

"When did you get the cat?" Sirius asked walking up to the pair.

"For Christmas. My uncles-" she began to say as Sirius bent down to look at the cat. Ashes retaliated with a loud hiss and then slashed him across the face with her claw. And as Sirius yelped and backed away. At first Moria was shocked and looked at the tiny kitten in confusion and then she rolled her eyes, turning her gaze to Martin who was near the entrance of Kings Cross, trying to look busy. She glared at him.

Apparently there were ulterior motives for giving her the cat.