Chapter 25 - Sometimes life is a celebration.
December 24-25, 2005
What began about fifteen years ago as a simple snowball fight had slowly grown into something more like capture the flag with teams and well-planned and constructed forts. This year, with so many adults and so many magic users involved it was shaping up to be the most intense competition yet. Lina and Sirius were team captains for the women's and the men's teams, respectively. As the clock in the dining hall chimed nine, they met on the front porch to assemble the players and go over any rules.
"Rule number one," Lina began, "all magic, teeth, and claws are allowed."
"Rule number two," Sirius countered, "except legilimency. That one's forbidden."
Lina flicked a glance at Snape and narrowed her eyes, "Fine," she said. "Number three, warming and cushioning charms are only for those ten years old and under."
"And for Daisy," Joshua called from the back of group.
"And for Daisy," Lina added.
"And for Nana and Grams," Jane said, tying her wild gray-streaked black hair into a red bandana.
"And for Nana and Grams," agreed Sirius. "And rule number four, captains are allowed two time outs to negotiate for hostages."
Lina nodded and the two of them shook hands. The teams were given fifteen minutes to change clothes if needed and get to their positions.
The men had the numbers advantage, and Snape, Remus, Hawthorne and George worked together to devise several various routes and attack styles to get past the women's defenses. But since Lina's day job was basically planning and executing scenarios just like this one, the men's advantage was only slight. And they did not plan on the women being willing to run entirely reckless and manipulative plays.
Within the first hour Artemis, Ellie, and Catherine had managed to take all of their sons hostage and Sirius had to use his first time out to negotiate for their return, since several of their own plans depended on the boys for their size and ability to cause utter chaos in seconds. Xavier and Deirdre had both attempted an all out race for the flags, paws kicking up blizzards of snow as they dodged trees and spells and leaped over hastily constructed barriers. But they were each finally taken out by magic users hidden close to their team's flag.
Gareth had been the hidden magic user for his team, and cringed when he saw Deirdre flying past and had to hit her with an immobulous charm. He released her from the spell in the next moment and she transformed back, pulling off her knit cap and shaking snow out of her hair. "I'm gutted!" she cried, laughing as he gave her a hand up. "You actually took me out with a spell!"
"Sorry?" he offered, brushing snow off of her jacket.
She stepped closer, tilting her face up towards him. "Oh, I think you're going to have to do much better than that." She pulled off his hat and ran her fingers through the ends of his hair.
He smiled, and bent down. "Why do I get the feeling that you were sent in as a distraction," he whispered into her ear.
Rather than pull away, which is what he expected, she turned slightly and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Because I was," she whispered back.
Gareth jerked away from her in time to see a chestnut brown werewolf and tawny mountain lion tearing past him. He flung three spells in quick succession, feeling inordinately pleased with himself that they all struck true and he had three hostages to present to Sirius. Gemma was laughing so hard she could barely walk, but Artemis was no end of trouble, trying to escape and then muttering to herself as they passed the men's various locations, memorizing them to report back to Lina.
It was a very near thing, but the women finally out-maneuvered the men with Grams feigning a hip injury and causing such a commotion that Colleen, who had snuck close with Gemma and Artemis, but remained hidden, simply walked up and took the men's flag. She carried it back with a smug smile and not a hair out of place.
The men gave in good-naturedly and everyone headed back to their houses to dry off and change clothes and then return to the dining hall for lunch. Gareth and Xavier went back to work on the mixer, finally getting the darn thing to cooperate, insulating the electric components and reassembling it. Jane started some butter and sugar in it for cookie dough and decided it would do, although for some reason it was now giving off a chirpy sort of bird call whenever she turned it on and off.
She shooed the two of them out of the kitchen and they headed to join the annual poker game. This year's was short-lived. Even without legilimency Lina and Professor Snape were simply more accomplished liars. It was comical to watch the pair of Slytherins bluff their way into a showdown between the two of them, the pot a pile of candy at least two feet tall. They faced off, trying their hardest to focus and remain impassive as everyone else who had already been beaten or folded made outlandish comments, trying to break their concentration. Lina finally called, and Snape made a great showing of laying down his flush. She acknowledged her defeat by reminding him that she'd won the snowball fight and that she'd saved his life more than once during the war. Snape rolled his eyes and proceeded to dazzle the children by transfiguring the donkey from the Nativity set into a piñata and dancing the mountain of sweets into it. "But you must wait until tomorrow to break it open and share the candy," he told the expectant faces sternly.
"Why?" asked five-year old Nathaniel, his face screwed up in a frown.
"I am very familiar with how an excess of sugar affects children, and there are already ample sweets available today."
Leo tilted his head, black hair falling into his eyes, and made a face that reminded everyone of Artemis. "Mister Sev, you use big words like Daddy. Why can't we have candy?"
Snape sighed and knelt before the little boy. "You have to wait because the Holy Family still needs the donkey to get to Bethlehem. Tomorrow after the baby has been born they won't need it anymore. Then you can get the candy out."
"I get to hit it first!" Leo cried. "Nate, let's find a bat!" The boys ran out of the room and their mothers exchanged amused glances.
"I'm not sure what I think about them beating up the poor donkey because Mary is finished using it," Artemis told him in a dry voice.
He scowled at her. "As there is no donkey mentioned in the original story, whether he is ill-used or not is irrelevant."
"Don't be so touchy, I'm just teasing," she smiled, patting his arm. "It was a charming idea to make a piñata, and I'm grateful you told them they couldn't have any candy today."
"Very, very grateful," Remus added.
"Cat, I don't see the dulcimer in here, did you pack it?" Daisy asked, her voice muffled as she peered into the box that had been carted over with all their shrunken instruments packed away inside.
"I thought I had," her sister replied, joining her to inspect all of the miniature pieces.
"Found it!" Daisy exclaimed, carefully removing the stringed instrument and setting it up to enlarge.
They were trying to sneak in an hour or so of practice between all the other activities, ensconced in the house that Daisy and Joshua were staying in, the house Oscar and Rosa had lived in with them, so long ago. Instruments were scattered all over the living room, and just out of sight was the room where they had all stayed when they first came to live here, five confused and terrified children.
Gareth stayed quiet as he tuned his guitar, feeling oddly nervous. Even though he played regularly, it had been several years since he'd played with his siblings. They used to be so in sync with each other that any of them could take the lead on any song at any time, the others seamlessly following. Would it still be like that? Or would it be awkward and discordant. Would he fumble along trying to follow Isabel's cues or Josh's rhythm?
"Izzy, are we just doing folk stuff tonight?" Joshua asked. "Do you want the five piece drum set or just the box?"
Isabel scrunched up her face as she thought about it. "Box and bones. Better have spoons too. And the jingle bells."
Joshua shook his head. "Nope. I'm not playing the jingle bells."
"Um, yes you are. Josh, you're percussion. You have to play the bells," she stated flatly. "The kids love it."
Daisy stepped over and laid a hand on Gareth's shoulder. "Everything is going to be beautiful," she said softly. "This is part of who you are, who we are. That hasn't changed."
He nodded, grateful for the vote of confidence.
"Okay, we'll do the fun stuff for the kids first," Isabel said, looking over a list she'd made. "Jingle Bells, Frosty, Deck the Halls, Rudolf. Then we'll move into the traditional carols."
"Are we last, or is Sirius going last?" Catherine asked.
"Well, knowing Sirius there's no telling how his version of A Christmas Carol is actually going to turn out, so we'll go last. That way we'll end with just the candles being lit and singing Silent Night."
"Who decided Sirius running a Christmas play was a good idea, anyway?" Josh asked.
"Well, after last year I think Hawthorne needed a break," Catherine chuckled.
"What happened last year?" Gareth asked.
"When Hawthorne was giving his dramatized reading of A Visit from St. Nicholas the boys kept interrupting to ask what the different words meant. What's a sugar plum? What's a sash and how do you throw it? Why don't we wear caps in bed? And you know how he is, the poor man got completely sidetracked explaining the vocabulary and going off on rabbit trails about the history of things."
"Now," Isabel said, clapping her hands together. "Let's warm up with Joy to the World. I'll start off with the banjo, Josh and Gareth, you two come in on the fourth bar, Cat on the eighth, Daisy start singing on the twelfth, ok?"
Gareth closed his eyes and just focused on listening to her pick at the banjo, her fingers flying over the strings, she went so fast. He counted out the first measure, then the second, by the third he could feel it, and when he began strumming on the fourth, hearing Joshua clicking the hambones it was like time melted away. He was eighteen again, no plans, no worries, just playing the same music in the same place with the same people. It was a relief, a joy to lose himself in it, Cat's bow dancing over her fiddle strings, Daisy's sweet voice reminding them all of the reason for the holiday. As the song ended and he strummed the final note there was a hush through the room.
Gareth cleared his throat, blinking hard to stop sudden tears. Then he glanced around and noticed they were all in tears. Daisy caught his eye and smiled, nodding towards the far end of the room. As he looked, five glowing wolves appeared and stood watching them, the faint outline of a man between them. Thank you, Gareth said silently, for not leaving me, for giving me back my family, for this redemption or restoration, whatever it is…thank you.
Isabel let out a breath and set her banjo down. "I have played on a hundred different stages with dozens of people," Isabel sniffed, wiping her eyes, "but it's nothing like playing with all of you, nothing."
Their Christmas Eve supper was a simple buffet affair with hot, crusty bread to make sandwiches or sop up the assortment of mouthwatering, creamy soups. Snow had started to fall after lunch and continued all day, the heavy blanket of white deadening sounds and adding to the hushed, peaceful atmosphere of the evening.
Sirius' version of A Christmas Carol was a resounding success. It didn't matter that the cast was reading all of the their lines off notecards because they had no time to try and memorize them. Hawthorne was brilliant as the curmudgeony Ebenezer Scrooge, bah humbugging all over the place. Remus and Artemis as the poor Cratchits were simply charming, Leo hobbling around with Remus' wand as his crutch to play Tiny Tim. George and Isabel were delightful as Scrooge's Christmas-loving nephew Fred and his wife. Joel and Gemma played the doomed couple of young Scrooge and his fiancée, Belle, who dance the night away at a party hosted by Mr. Fezziwig, played by Kieran. Eglantine Price had agreed to be the Ghost of Christmas Past, played with a shade of sarcasm and magic to make her glow.
Sirius himself donned the fur-trimmed green robe of the Ghost of Christmas Present. When he threw back the cloak to revel the wretched children who portrayed Ignorance and Want, little Caleb and Conor were sitting there in their costumes quite contentedly sucking on candy canes, looking ignorant of their purpose in the story perhaps, but clearly not wanting for anything. And when it came time for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come to appear in his black hood and cloak, it was none other than Professor Snape, having finally succumbed to Sirius Black's whingeing and wheedling. He agreed to a role that had no lines and only required him to stand there and point menacingly, which admittedly, he was already very good at doing. Audience and actors alike cheered and clapped as the little drama ended, Sirius practically floated around the room receiving the congratulations.
After that came the dancing. Isabel led her siblings in their traditional set, a mix of square dancing, swing, and a couple waltzes. Then they turned the music over to a record player so each of them could dance with their own special someone. It was as delicious and alarming as Deirdre had expected, being in Gareth's arms again, and she was very, very thankful the dances were mostly fast and rather whirling. There simply wasn't time to get lost in his voice and her feelings, and he finally deposited her in a chair with a cup of tea and returned to his guitar for the evening sing-along. She squeezed his hand as he left, hoping it conveyed how full her heart was at the moment.
Finally Isabel rounded all the kids up and had them sit in a bunch on the floor. She perched on a small stool in front of them with her banjo. "Now, we're going to sing some Christmas songs, so make sure you're singing good and loud, okay? Josh, you can start the tempo with the bells."
Joshua sat back and crossed his arms, daring her to make him. She narrowed her eyes. "Kids, Josh is going to play the jingle bells for our songs, isn't that great?"
Catherine's little boy, Nathaniel, jumped up from his seat and ran over to him. "Unca' Joth," he lisped. "Can I help play the bellth?"
Josh shot Isabel and exasperated look and then huffed a laugh of surrender. "Sure thing, little man," he said. "You keep time with me, all right?" He hauled the boy onto a chair beside him and handed him one of the sets of silver bells attached to a leather hand-grip. "Now we're going to count one and two and one and two…"
The group enthusiastically sang through Isabel's repertoire of children's songs and upbeat Christmas carols while the adults grabbed their last teas or coffees. It was almost ten when she shifted gears and began playing the softer, slower tunes. The whole aura of the room changed, people transfigured the dining chairs into comfy sofas, armchairs, and floor pillows. The only lights in the room were a dozen candles, the blinking shimmery fairies, and the crackling fire. People settled in, quietly singing along, humming, or just listening, letting the music and words wash over them.
George leaned over to Deirdre, who was curled up in a velvety blue chair. "It's great getting to see them play together again," he commented softly, inclining his head towards his wife, who was intently focused on her fingers plucking out notes on the mandolin she was now playing.
Deirdre nodded in understanding. Gareth was hardly looking at his own instrument. His gaze flicked from one sibling to the next, his smile contented. "They're more themselves when they're together," she agreed. "I'm glad he's finally come home."
It was after midnight when everything was finally finished and cleaned up and people meandered slowly back to their houses, some with children in their arms or sleepily stumbling along beside them. Gareth walked Deirdre back to her house, leaving Joel and Gemma deep in conversation on the front porch of the dining hall.
"Today has been the best day I've had in a really long time," he sighed, taking her hand as they walked with shushing steps through the thick snow. The snowfall had finally stopped, clouds clearing away to reveal an ink-black sky, brilliant with the light of a thousands stars.
"Me too," she said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. "And I, uh…I wanted to tell you that I've been thinking about it all day, and I would like to say yes. Yes, I will give us another chance, I mean," she finished, glancing up at him to see how he would take it.
He stopped walking and faced her, cupping her chin in his hands. "Are you sure?" he asked solemnly.
She nodded. "I asked Professor Snape if he could teach me some of what he taught you, about fitting in better with those people you have to deal with. And he said he would. I'm still anxious about it, but I think it's worth it to try and be brave."
He stared at her, the amazement clear on his face. And above them a cluster of mistletoe began to appear, growing and cascading down out of thin air. She looked up at it in surprise and then back at him. "How did you do that?" she breathed.
Gareth looked astounded, and then wary. He dropped his hands and took a step back. "I didn't," he said dryly, looking around at the surrounding woods and houses. Then he took her by the shoulders and turned her to the right. "There," he said pointing.
And half hidden by a large pine tree, Joel and Gemma were watching them eagerly, Joel's wand the obvious cause of the magic mistletoe. Realizing they'd been caught, the younger two dashed off, the mistletoe dissolving into thin air. Deirdre laughed and caught Gareth's hand, pulling him closer. "Pity. Rather a waste of good mistletoe."
"Who needs mistletoe?" he murmured, leaning in and pressing his lips against hers. And she was lost in a haze of delirious happiness, rediscovering the kisses she had once known so well. She could have stayed there forever, kissing him in the cold Christmas moonlight.
After several mind-numbing moments he pulled away. "Thank you," he breathed softly, kissing her cheek, her nose, and her lips again. "Thank you for helping me find my way home."