metanoia

Chapter Thirty-eight

"Are you ready to go home for Holiday?"

Amos laughed dryly at Alex's question, "I'd much rather stay here at Hogwarts than return home right now. My mom is excited about having a grandchild on the way but my father, he is ashamed of me. He comes from a Pureblood family, one of the Sacred 28, so he believes I've brought him and the family shame."

Alex frowned, handing him a piece of chocolate from her messenger bag as she laid on her back, "I'm sorry you're going through this. If I had a place to stay that wasn't my cousin's home, I would totally offer for you to spend the holiday with me and Letti."

"I appreciate the sentiment, I really do. And I would much rather spend the holiday with you too." Amos smiled at the blonde's offer, laying on his back beside her to stare up at the slow moving clouds. He looked sideways, smiling softly as she pointed at a wispy cloud and compared it to a stallion.

Alex relished in the serenity of laying in the grass, watching the clouds before leaving in the morning to stay with James and her Aunt and Uncle for the summer.

"Are you sure you want to stay with James this summer? After everything that happened with your friends, are you ready to live with Sirius for the next three months? You could always stay with me, if you'd like."

Alex popped up off the ground, turning to look at her friend who was pushing himself to a seated position as well, "James is the only family I have, him and his parents. I've been on my own for a long time, just me and Letti. And I'm not letting Sirius Black prevent me from being with my family. And besides, last night we all agreed to forgive him and try to move past it."

"Do you really forgive him though? You've been so angry with him, felt so betrayed. Do you really think you can forgive him that easily?" Amos asked, seeing a few of the Gryffindor's friends walk through the courtyard smiling and laughing with one another.

The blonde shrugged, twirling a piece of grass between her index finger and thumb as she considered the question. He was right, she's been so angry with him for months now and she knew that it was going to take a lot more for her to forgive him than their conversation last night. 

"No, it's going to take a lot for me to trust him again. To forgive him for that stupid prank."

"So come spend the summer with me. Don't put yourself through that anger again."

Alex looked up from the grass she'd been playing with, dropping it beside her as she met Amos' grey eyes, "You really want me to stay with you?"

"Yes, I do want you. I mean I want you to stay with me, yeah," He nodded, his smile returning as he thought that he'd won her over to spend Holiday with him. He quickly laughed, trying to furthermore convince her, "You'd really be doing me a favor, acting as a buffer for me and my father. My mom already said if you wanted to you could stay with us. We normally go on a little trip to the beaches and spend a week with Nick and his family. It'd be fun."

"Digs-"

"Andy!"

James ran excitedly over to the pair, tripping over his feet as Sirius and Peter chased him across the grounds, interrupting their conversation. Amos sighed, running his hands through his bronze hair as James dove across Alex's lap and smiled up at her.

Alex fondly glanced down at her cousin, brushing the stray pieces of hair that had become skewed in the chase off his forehead, "What can I do for you, Jamie? Digs and I were talking about something before you jumped into my lap and rudely interrupted."

"Sorry mate, this will just take a second," apologized James, directing it to Amos who was more focused on the fact that the other three Marauders were surrounding them than his apology. "You'll never guess what happened."