Hey. Merry Christmas everybody. I decided it was about time my characters had Christmas too!
Sometimes I really wonder what I'm doing with this story. I have a really basic plot outlined but other than that I just wing every chapter with random shit. Lol.
I was listening to 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' by The Proclaimers, 'Houdini' by Foster the People and 'On Top of the World' by Imagine Dragons while writing this chapter.
"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful,"
–Norman Vincent Peale
Chapter Thirty-Two:
Dear Riley,
Would it kill you to write? This may surprise you, but we actually do care about your welfare.
How's school? How're your grades fairing? You'd better be studying for your exams and not out pranking with those boys you're always with. If I get another letter sent here about some prank you've all pulled I swear… anyway, I hope the homework isn't killing you.
Sarah has given birth to a son a few days ago, his name is Elric and she'll be coming home for the holidays. I know we said you could stay at school this Christmas but you have a nephew to meet so this time you're coming home. Don't you dare complain, be happy for your sister. Please keep all of you magic… stuff… away from him (we wouldn't want an accident, would we dear).
I've been slowly reading through the document you sent me on Aurors and, well… it seems rather dangerous. Are you quite sure that's the career choice you'd like to take? You're a wonderful artist! Why not make a job out of that?
Oh, and how's Sirius going? Don't forget to tell him Merry Christmas from us back home!
–Merry Christmas, Love Mum xxx
I sighed, letting the letter fall from my weak grip and onto the bed. No matter how many times I read it, the words sting no less. My mother was fluent in three languages, English, French and passive aggressive – much like myself, minus the French part. That language never clicked with me, to my mother's great disapproval.
As for my newborn nephew Elric… well, I'd just stay away from it. Babies are sticky and loud and messy, they're all… squishy looking and weird – not exactly my cup of tea.
"You going home?" Lily asked while eyeing my rucksack and belongings scattered across my area.
I sighed, dumping a stack of semi-folded jean overalls into my rucksack, "Obviously,"
She walked to my bed, eyeing my things cautiously, "Why do you always carry around all those newspapers… this one's from 1905, and it's Muggle…"
I snatched it back from her, "None of your business Evens, we're not even friends, so why do you always act nice to me? You don't bloody have too,"
She frowned, "Well it seems your list of friends has been declining rapidly lately, so I think you should be happy with what you get,"
I grinned sarcastically, "Oh and there's the bitch I know and love,"
Lily scowled at me, "I'm just saying, maybe if you were nice to people for a change they might actually like you," She pursed her lips together.
I laughed bitterly, "Right,"
"That aside, I see James with these newspapers all the time too–"
My eyebrows shot up, "So you're watching dear old James these days are we?"
"Shut-up," the fiery-haired girl snapped.
"Defensive…" I tutted.
Lily sighed, "I know you too are up to something… if you're planning to prank Severus…"
I felt anger burn in the pits of my stomach, "Merlin, you know our lives don't revolve around pranking you and your greasy-haired boyfriend – that's just a bloody hobby. The newspapers are none of your business, Lily, so keep your nose out of it,"
"Fine, whatever, sorry for asking…" She frowned and returned to her own packing. We didn't speak again after that.
It was just easier to push people away, when you let them in your exposed – your heart is naked and there's nothing you can do about it. Bad things happened when I trusted people… I trusted my parents and they poisoned me for my entire childhood, I trusted Sirius and he broke my heart. That's the sad truth of the world… the only person you can ever rely on is yourself.
I opened the bottom draw of my side table where I kept the Christmas presents I'd (grudgingly) bought for my family and packed them in. I was left with one last present wrapped in red with a green bow, addressed to Padfoot, my 'best friend'.
With one last look of contempt, I slammed the draw shut.
As I finished, stuffing my laptop in with my textbooks and spray cans, I slung the beat-up linen rucksack over my shoulder and sighed. I took one last look at my dorm and headed downstairs to say good-bye to my few remaining friends.
"Hey Vix!" I heard James call.
I smiled sightly, "Sup Prongs, how's it going?"
"Just coming to say goodbye before you leave… you haven't seen Remus around anywhere, have you?" he asked.
I shook my head then asked, "Did you check the library?"
"Hmm, I should probably check there… I also need to make a copy of those pages we found on the negative effects of love potions. I'm pretty sure we've cracked it, but I wana double check. We always need to double check when it comes to You-Know-Who,"
I rolled my eyes, "Really James? His name is Tom,"
"Yeah, but who knows who's listening," James bit his lip.
I understood how he felt; it was a dangerous game we were playing and caution was necessary, if Dumbledore or any of the Order of the Phoenix members for that matter realised what the two of us had been doing for the past few weeks we'd be skinned alive, but the same went for the other side – the number of Riddle's followers grew by the day and anyone could be under his influence…
"So long as we're cautious, we'll be fine. Don't do anything ash while I'm away – just enjoy your holidays…" I smiled, trying to cheer him up.
He sighed heavily, "It would've been easier to gather information of the Order if my parents had let me come home for Christmas this year,"
"Which is probably why they did it. They want to keep you safe, as any parent would," I reassured him, "So stay safe, Prongs,"
"You too, Vixen," he clapped me of the shoulder and I left the Gryffindor common room.
I found Andromeda, Alice and Frank sitting in the Great Hall. Alice noticed me walking towards them first and yelled out, "Oi, get over here, you bloody hipster,"
Rolling my eyes, I sat down beside Andi, "Good morning to you too,"
"I swear to God… I seriously wana slap you every time I see you wearing those things you call clothes," Andi commented.
I rolled my eyes, "What've you got against tie-dying?"
She sent me a sweet smile, "Everything, darling,"
"You know bitterness gives you wrinkles, Andromeda," I teased and she glared at me.
"Stop it guys," Alice sighed while Frank was holding in laughter, "I'm guessing you're going home for Christmas?"
I nodded glumly, "Yup, can go catch up with friends and suffer in silence with my family… they better not have touched my room…"
"Your folks can't be that bad," Frank put in.
I shrugged, "They're not, but my home is painfully boring and I can't use magic and it just sucks,"
"Well, I think most things are boring compared to Hogwarts," Alice grinned.
It was snowing as Remus and I waited for the Hogwarts Express and my gloved hands were shoved deep into my pockets are we shivered beside each other sitting on the stone bench.
"You don't usually go home for Christmas," Remus stated, trying to spark up a conversation.
I sighed, "My sister had a baby, apparently that constitutes that I have to come home and spend time with relatives. I don't see why. It's just a squishy thing that can't even talk… hardly interesting,"
He laughed, "Only you would take that point of view, most people find babies to be special, Riley,"
"They're born every day and everybody used to be one, there's nothing special about that," I spoke bluntly, my breath turning to haze in the frosty weather.
Suddenly, I felt a snowball hit me from behind, "Oi!" I called out, swinging around to see Ted standing their laughing. Quickly, I balled up one of my own and hurled it towards him, but he managed to duck to the side and it flew over him, so I balled up another one.
This continued for a while, until it became quite serious and I pulled Remus in to help me (he'd been watching the battle with a smirk previously) as another couple of people joined in on Ted's side.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Help me!" I said, dodging another ball of snow but it hit Remus instead and he was suddenly very competitive.
I scouted the area and found two girls I kinda knew from astronomy class sitting on the stone benches with their back to us, loudly I yelled out to Danielle, the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team and Ganga, a girl whose intelligence rivalled that of Dumbledore and they promptly began helping Remus and I build a fort to shield ourselves from the oncoming snowballs.
"This is mental!" Danielle grinned as she ran out to bombard another girl who'd taken Ted's side… Jessica, I think her name was. I recognised her as one of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team's chasers, and myself, considered her to be a genuine sociopath.
"Forfeit!" Ted yelled out.
"Never!" I replied as Ganga pegged him in the head with another snowball.
By the time the Hogwarts Express had chugged it' way into the station, most kids were sore from a few too many hits and frozen to the bone, with ice running down their backs and their gloves soaked through with icy water – the warm interior of the train was well welcomed. As we boarded there was great debate over who won the battle, but people soon hyped down about it as we left.
Remus and I found an empty compartment near the back end of the train and sat ourselves down. I took off my hoodie, gloves and beanie which were dripping in icy sludge and laid them out on the empty seat beside me. He smiled slightly shaking his head as he followed in my lead, stripping of the soaked clothes, 'I cannot believe you pulled me into that…"
I rolled my eyes, "Oh come on, Moony, even you have to admit that was fun… I saw you laughing,"
"I guess you're right…" he said, smile growing wider.
"I'm always right," I spoke smugly as Remus nodded in mock-agreement.
Our conversation died down after that so eventually I curled myself up next to the frosted window (stuffing my scarf under my head to work as a pillow), the train's gentle movement rocking me to sleep.
I moaned as I felt somebody shaking me awake, "Go away…"
"Riley, were here… wake up," Remus kept poking me until I sat up with a foul expression on my face.
Bitterly muttering to myself, I gathered my things and slung my rucksack over one shoulder and left the compartment with Remus, double checking nothing has been left.
As we stepped onto the platform, I was hit with a cold blast of wind. My eyes scanned the loud pushy crowd of parents for anybody related to me.
"Can you see your folks?" I asked Remus.
"Nah… wait… yeah, Dad's over there," he pointed to his mother and father who were talking to another parent I didn't recognise, "C'mon, Vix, let's go,"
Remus's parents greeted me warmer than I believed mine ever could with a tight hug from his mother and a handshake accompanied by a warm smile from his father.
"How've you been, Remus?" his mother asked her son, "Changing okay?"
He frowned, "It's fine mum,"
Then the bubbly woman turned to me, "How have you been fairing, darling?" Mrs Lupin asked.
I smiled, "Fine, thanks, and yourself?"
They both laughed, "Missing our boy, mostly,"
Remus grinned as his father ruffled his hair.
"So where're your parents, Riley?" Mr Lupin asked.
"I'm not sure; I think I'd better look," I said, biting my lip.
"Oh, okay. Well, you have a merry Christmas, darling," Mrs Lupin beamed.
Remus grinned, "See ya, Vix,"
"Bye!" I waved to the Lupin family then disappeared into the crowd.
I searched for around half an hour before I realised they weren't there and left Platform 9 1/3 to see if my family were anywhere else in the station.
It was an hour after that that I began to doubt they were anywhere in the station.
And another hour after that when I gave up looking and realised they'd completely forgotten me. So I sat down on a cold bench outside and waited…
… And waited…
… And waited a little longer…
Merry Christmas, I thought to myself bitterly.
SUBTLE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST AND AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER REFERENCES FTW.
I don't know why I always fill my FanFiction with references but meh it's my writing I can do whatever. Just be happy I didn't name her nephew Aang or Zuko or Sokka…
THERE WON'T BE AN UPDATES FOR A LITTLE WHILE SINCE I'M GOING CAMPING WITH FAMILY OVER NEW YEARS