black coffee | remus lupin [2]

64. things are going to change

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CHRISTMAS EVE HAD FOR Claudia been spent at home with Regulus and the others. It was warm, cozy and quite unforgettable due to the abundance of American traditions that were shoved into Claudia and Regulus' normally extremely British Christmas traditions.

During the previous week, Claudia had been extremely busy with everything from doing fun Christmas activities with Remus and the others, visiting Hope and Lyall, doing stuff with Ella and Cora and absolutey exhausting herself by baking cookies in the middle of the night with Regulus and Nicolas in the Muggle way just for fun.

This year, Christmas reminded her a whole lot of what it was like both when she was younger and of what it was like that one year she went to Potter manor for the holiday. For once, Claudia felt festive and happy all at once.

And she most definitely wasn't going to go see her "real" family anytime soon due to recent events.

After a morning of opening presents, laughing and eating a proper breakfast, Claudia headed off to Potter manor to spend some time there on that Christmas Day.

As soon as she stepped through the door, thanks to Lily opening it, Claudia spotted James picking up to a sprint immediately at the sight of her.

Next thing Claudia knew, after she had confusedly glanced at Lily and uttered a small questioning word, Claudia felt James basically pick her up in the air, only to run off with her as she yelled at him to stop whatever the hell he was up to.

"James, you do realise she can walk?!" Lily called after him as he rushed towards the living room with a half-laughing half-screaming girl hanging over his shoulder.

"Yes, but she's bloody slow!" James called back. "And bloody late!"

"I'm not even late!" Claudia exclaimed as James finally entered the living room, where basically everyone was, including Hope and Lyall, Inez and Marlene as well as Betty, Tallulah and Peter.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes!"

"James," Remus' voice suddenly perked up. "What're you doing to my girlfriend?"

"Giving her a ride," he grinned.

"Um..." Remus said with a slightly amused, slightly stern look on his face. "Put her down."

"Of course!" James smirked, and then he practically tossed Claudia onto Remus' lap, which only caused the girl to let out a small cry right before she flipped James off.

"Sorry, everyone," Claudia then said as she struggled to sit up right there on Remus' lap, which only led to the boy having to help her up so that she could seat herself down next to him instead of, well, on top of him.