Nothing Without You (That Special Something sequel)

Chapter 6: A very cold christmas

25th December 1991. 10:02.

Remus and I drove to my parents' house instead of apparating, so it wouldn't be a shock to the muggles on the street. We were having christmas dinner there. I knocked on the door three times, and my mother, even more greyer, opened the door.

"Hello, honey." She said, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek. "You're the last to arrive." She moved to Remus. He smiled. "Ah, Remus. You've gotten so big!" She gave him a small embrace and ushered us in.

"Hello, sweetheart." My father said, hugging me. "Remus." He shook his hand, smiling. My dad was still praying we would get together, but we knew it would never happen.

"Elliot and Penny are at the dinner table." my mother explained. "Go on in, I am just going to prepare the starters."

"Do you need any help?" I asked.

She chuckled gently. "You're a terrible cook without a wand, Dorothy. And we agreed on no magic."

I sighed and walked in to the dining room.

"Elliot!" I said, giving him a large hug. I moved on to his girlfriend, Penny, a tall brunette. "Penny!" I gave her an embrace. I loved her. She was so sweet. Just like my mother. "This is Remus." I gestured towards him, and he shook their hands.

"I've heard a lot about you." Elliot smirked. I shoved him.

"Well, you haven't changed since I last saw you." I heard a snobby voice from the corner say. I shivered and turned. If it wasn't for the familiar voice I wouldn't recognise the terribly wrinkly and greying old lady that was Mrs Harriet Callegari. Or as I called her Gari. "You still look thirteen."

"Well, you certainly have." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "I can barely see you under all of those wrinkles." Elliot and Remus snickered, but Penny remained silent. Although she did smile. I sat down in my usual seat, opposite Elliot. Penny sat next to him, and Remus sat next to me, where Sirius sat when I last saw Gari. I realised an extra seat had been added, so my parents could be heads of one end of the table, and Gari the head of the other end. My mother and father brought in the starters, melon and parmaham, and sat down.

"So," Gari started to me. "What happened to that shaggy boyfriend of yours? Grew up? Got tired? Had an abortion at eighteen?"

I shot her a cold look. "Sirius died ten years ago aswell as two of my other best friends." I knew I was lying, but Azkaban was just as terrible as death. "Remus and I are the only ones left."

I thought it would shut her up, but it didn't. "So you stayed with 'Serious'? No wonder."

I picked up some parmaham and bit into it hard. "At least I had someone."

"So are you two together?" She smirked.

"No." We said coldly together.

"Single at thirty-one. Tut-tut-tut." She laughed.

"Single at a hundred-and-eighty-seven. Tut-tut-tut." I retorted. Elliot, Remus and my father bursted out laughing. 

She kept her composure and continued. "So, what did you do after you left that special school of yours?"

I scowled. "That school is for the top students in britain, and I graduated with top marks." I told her angrily. "I then moved on to training in the law enforcement department. But my friend and boyfriend died so I stopped."

"And then you died for nine years." She closed. "How come you are so unfortunately alive?" My father stood up.

"That's my daughter." He whispered angrily.

"Unfortunately." she repeated. He sat down.

"I was tortured for something I didn't do." I snapped. "Then they reviewed my case and let me go. So I came back."

"Well, no wonder you are crazy." Gari said. "Now, may I ask, why were you tortured?"

"They thought I killed my friends." I whispered coldly.

"Did you?"

I slapped her. I didn't know how I got to her so fast, but I did. And I slapped her.

"I don't care how old and weak you are, Gari!" I spat into her face. "You are a mean, rude, nasty, revolting little bitch and you need to hurry up and die! You have done nothing but make me feel like crap all my life and you should go to hell! Now get out of my house, before I make you! You are never welcome here again! Goodbye!"

I stood and looked at her old, saggy face turn into the biggest scowl I had ever seen. She stood up, and before she left she whispered one last thing to me.

"I wish you died when your stupid friends and idiot boyfriend did."

And she left without another word.

"Well," my mother said chirpily. "I have been waiting for that to happen for ten years."

I laughed. Relief, happiness and revenge filled my insides. "Merry Christmas!" I said, holding up my glass as I sat back down.

"Merry Christmas!" We all chanted.

We got home late that evening, happily munching on the leftovers we were given. I liked leftovers. They were always cold. Like christmas.

There was one letter waiting for us when we got home. It was written in scruffy writing. Hagrid.

I ripped it open and read it aloud.

Dorothy and Remus,

I gave him a snowy owl. Named her Hedwig.

Harry is such a good Quidditch player they let him play. Got a nimbus two-thousand and everything. Seeker.

And he is a lot like James aswell.

He does have a talent for trouble.

God help us all.

Merry Christmas!

Hope this counts as a present cos I ain't got you anything!

Sorry about that!

But don't worry, I got Harry a present!

Why wouldn't I!

Hagrid

I smiled. Just like I thought. He's a perfect mixture of James and Lily. I was so proud.

"Wow." Remus said. "You've got to be amazingly good at Quidditch to have them change the rules!"

"I know!" I agreed. "I guess those miniature flying lessons paid off!"

I turned over the letter and saw another little sentence scribbled at the back. It warmed my heart to read it.

Just like his parents. And his godparents.

PS: He's Gryffindor.