metanoia

Chapter Twenty Three

"Remind me again why I'm going to this?" Alex loudly groans, waving the envelope she'd received in the mail from Professor Slughorn reminding her of the Slug Club dinner party and Christmas Party that was to take place the following evening. "I don't belong here. I'm not a stellar student like you two and Snape, or a rich pureblood like Malfoy and Parker, or destined for the Ministry like Diggory and Shacklebolt. And it's not like I'm going to be a professional Quidditch player like Mary MacDonald."

Lily rolled her eyes at the blonde's complaints about not fitting in, momentarily pausing her conversation with Marlene and Gideon, "Well obviously you belong here, seeing as Professor Slughorn invited you."

"Minnie told him to," Sirius informed her, receiving a dirty look from the blonde at the reminder as she started piling bacon onto her breakfast plate.

Remus quickly removed the bacon Frank put on his plate, as Alice scolded him for eating meat despite his attempt at going vegetarian with her, "Relax, Al, everything is going to be fine. It's just a dinner then a party."

There were two things in life Alex truly hated: social events with a lot of people in attendance and bullying or people hurting the people she cared about. But at least she could find solace and safe harbor in the comfort of her friends' company.

"At least I'll have Sirius to talk to during dinner while he talks to everyone about their families and what they'll be doing in the future."

"No you won't."

Alex dropped her piece of bacon, jaw slacked as she looked Lily Evans in her emerald green eyes, "Excuse me?"

Lily rolled her eyes at the blonde's ignorance, adding a sugar cube to her Earl Grey tea, "Didn't you read the invitation? Only the Slug Club members come to dinner. After dinner is when our guests come."

Plopping her forehead on the werewolf's forearm, Alex groans into his grey wool cardigan, "Remus, I'm going to die. Don't make me go."

Chuckling at her whining, he comfortingly rubbed the top of her head, "Don't worry, I'll be with you the whole time."

"As comforting as that is, I'm still dreading this. Please say I don't have to wear a dress," Alex just realized, seeing that on the invitation there was no specific dress code.

"You can borrow my curtain dress. I'm sure Slughorn would love it, Dumbledore does," Marlene offered, laughing at the wide eyed look of horror Alex had at the mere thought of wearing a dress let alone wearing a dress made out of the curtains from their dorm room. 

"Oh God no."

Saturday evening rolled around, and needless to say Alex wanted to magically contract an illness that would prevent her from attending Professor Slughorn's evening filled with the most coveted social evenings at Hogwarts. The ten hand picked members of Slug Club promptly made their way to Slughorn's chambers that evening, adorned in their nicest outfits. In the center of the office was a large, lavish, circular table with eleven place settings with a beautiful crystal hourglass in the center of the table.

Alex took her seat directly across from Professor Slughorn, who's seated at the head of the table, in-between Remus and Lily as the rest of the members made it to their seats, chatting with their friends as Professor Slughorn motioned for them to raise a glass, "A toast! To Hogwarts' best and brightest!" 

 Dinner continued on, much of the evening filled with scattered conversations about each of the Slug Club's lives and family members. Making his way around the table, Slughorn reached Nicholas Parker, who was seated to the left of Remus, "So tell me, Nicholas. How's your mother these days, is she doing well? I heard from your sister she'd fallen ill last year."

"Oh, yes. My mom is doing much better now, thank you for asking. She spent much of the summer at St. Mungo's, " Nicholas informed his head of house, pushing his piece of roast with his fork.

Slughorn gives the seventeen year old a soft smile, nodding his head as he looks to Remus, "Well be sure to give her my best this Holiday. Remus, my dear boy, and how's your father doing now that he's the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?"

Remus' smile faltered for a moment, remembering that his father's employment is to deal with people like himself because they're seen as a threat and nuisance to the Wizarding World, "He's doing quite well, he's more in the office now that he's getting older. He finds the field work to be a bit too much. I'll be sure to tell him you said hello when I return home for Christmas."

"Please, do. Now, Miss Worth, what is it that your family does in the Muggle World?"

With the mention of family, an institution she hasn't had since she was twelve years old, Alex dropped her silverware. She knew that the topic would eventually fall onto her shoulders, to continue the conversational topic everyone else in the room had addressed, but it still threw her for a loop.

Seeing this reaction in his friend, Remus lightly laid his hand on her knee and tried to change the subject. But she cleared her throat, laying her hand on top of his and smiled at him, "I'm an orphan, sir. My mother passed away when I was twelve. What a lovely hourglass, where did you get it?"

Slughorn quickly moved past her comment about being orphaned, understanding that the sixth year didn't want to talk about that aspect of her life, looking at the crystal hourglass that acted as a centerpiece, "A gift from a student long ago. The sand runs in accordance to the quality of the conversation. When it is stimulating, the sand runs slow. When it's not... Anyways, we should be going now. Everyone go retrieve your guest for the Party portion of the evening."

"Am I being replaced?"

Alex turned her head towards the sound of Sirius' voice, finding him and the other two Marauders leaning against the wall outside Slughorn's office, "Padfoot? What makes you think you're being replaced?"

Sirius pointed down at her hand, bringing everyone's attention to the fact that her fingers were still interlaced with Remus', "You're holding his hand. Why?"

"Oh, uh-" Remus stuttered, dropping her hand immediately after hearing the steeliness in Sirius' voice.

"Because, Padfoot, he was being there for me. I'm allowed to hold his hand. If you have a problem with that, then yeah please leave."

Lily and the Marauders stared at Alex in awestruck wonder, surprised that Alex snapped at Sirius. Granted they were surprised Sirius had reacted in that way to their holding hands. Sirius cleared his throat, shaking his head as he rubbed his hands through his hair, "No, I'm sorry. I was only joking around."

The group of six walked in relative silence, reentering Slughorn's office as it was freshly decorated for his annual Christmas party. The ceiling and walls had been adorned with emerald, crimson and gold drapes,  it looked as though it was the inside a tent. The room was crowded, filled with guests of new and alumnus Slug Club members and their dates, ambiance casting a red light from an ornate golden lamp dangling from the ceiling with real fairies fluttering about. 

"Whatever happens, don't let me make a fool out of myself," Alex whispers, holding tightly onto the inside of Sirius' elbow as Professor Slughorn waved at them to join him for a photograph.

"Never."