Dysfunctional

38 - The Boxing Day Meeting

Thursday, December 26

"Catherine! Over here!"

Tonks was waving at her from her place in the dining area of Headquarters, indicating the seat she had saved for her. Catherine smiled gratefully as she slid into her seat between Tonks and Charlie, opposite to Hestia.

Tonks looked different than Catherine remembered - happier and her hair too was a shocking purple, a bright contrast to the mousy brown she had been used to for the past couple of months.

"You look better," said Catherine curiously.

Tonks beamed and Catherine noticed a sparkle in her eyes. "I feel better," she said happily.

Before Catherine could wonder what had caused the difference, Tonks let out a hefty sigh. "Whose brilliant idea was it to have a meeting on Boxing Day?"

Charlie leaned forward to join in the conversation, "I'd rather be here than at home doing chores."

"Had a boring Christmas, did you?" asked Catherine inquisitively.

"Nah, it was alright, I s'pose - being with family after a long time and all," said Charlie, shrugging. "But I didn't leave my job in Romania to sit around and transfigure gnomes into ugly fairies."

Fred and George apparently heard what Charlie had said and one of them (Catherine thought it was Fred, but she couldn't be sure), scoffed derisively, "Oh, shut up, Charlie! We know you were the one who found it adorable that we stuffed him into a pink tutu!"

"That was Ginny, you idiot!" retorted Charlie. "I nearly threw up when I saw that hideous excuse of a fairy!"

"And thus you gave him wings and very sparkly ones at that!" grinned the other twin making Tonks and Catherine snicker in amusement.

"Watch your tongue, young man!" screeched Molly Weasley from the doorway, arriving with her husband exactly when Charlie had started spewing obscenities at his brothers.

Charlie looked around at his mother sheepishly, before glaring at Fred and George, who had moved away and were greeting Sirius Black rather heartily.

"Gits," muttered Charlie. He turned towards her and Tonks again. "How did you girls spend your Christmas?"

"I spent it at my parents' house as usual, along with Angie," said Catherine, shrugging. "Dad always insists on celebrating Christmas as a family, seeing as we spend very limited time with them - first due to Hogwarts and now work. Says that's the only downside of us being witches. He's a Muggle, you see."

"I had the most wonderful Christmas this year!" exclaimed Tonks, beaming, and was interrupted when Black yawned hugely and leaned onto the table. He propped his head on one hand and his handsome face caught the light. Catherine thought she saw a dark bruise on his jaw and also on his forearm.

"Speak for yourself. I haven't slept in twenty-eight hours!" he groaned.

"Well, I slept like a baby," said Tonks cheerfully to which he grumbled.

"Of course you would've."

"What's up with you, Sirius?" asked Charlie.

"He kept me up all night," sighed Black as he buried his face into his hands, sounding exhausted. "And he wants me tonight too!"

"It has been the first time you've both been together since he got back," said Tonks consolingly.

Catherine blushed as her mind went down the gutter. Hestia's rosy cheeks went pinker and Charlie coughed uncomfortably from beside her.