metanoia

Chapter Nineteen

"You're so lucky it's your birthday, Snuffles, because I hate parties. Especially the one where I'm required to wear a costume," Alex grumbles at dinner, viciously stabbing her roast with her silverware.

Sirius rolled his eyes, grumbling about the name she's been calling him for the past few weeks as Fabian snorts, nodding as he swallowed his potato, "You really are, mate. In 2nd year, Xander wouldn't even dress up for Halloween, swore that it was the most ridiculous thing in the world."

"That's because it is." 

Gideon laughed, pointing his fork at her, "Yeah and when we finally convinced her, Fab was a ghost, I was a cowboy, Letti was a vampire and she was a cat. That was the year we called her-"

Before he could utter the name they used to call her Alex lunges across the table, slapping her hand on top of his mouth to silence him, "Don't you dare, Giddy-Up. You three swore you'd never call me that again."

The Marauders all look at each other, interest peaked. Sirius and Peter laughed as they pulled the blonde off the brother, the other two urging him to reveal the nickname from when they were twelve. James drapes his arms across the smirking pair of brother's shoulders, "So Fabian, Gideon you really should tell us her nickname. It is Padfoot's birthday after all and this could be your birthday present to him."

Alex's eyes go wide, pleading with her honorary brothers not to tell them her nickname. To her surprise, Letti leaned across Fabian and whispered it into James and Remus' ears. They both busted out laughing at the wildly unimaginative nickname Alex was so embarrassed by, drawing all sorts of attention to their group. Sirius crossed his arms, pouting and whining that he didn't get to know the name she hated so much. Rolling his eyes at his friend's immaturity, James leaned across the table and whispered it into his ear as Alex concealed her embarrassed face within her hands.

"Allie-Cat?! For Godric's sake, that's fantastic!" Sirius laughed loud enough for the people seated around them to snicker.

In one swift movement Alex took her knife from off the table, flipping it in her fingers before deliberately stabbing the table centimetres away from Padfoot's hand. The six boys look at her, slightly scared of her, seeing by her snarled expression that they'd crossed a line. "If any of you repeat that, I'll gladly show you what I can really do. But... if you value your fingers or other appendages, I'd heed the advice and simply forget you heard it. Got it?" she asks, looking pointedly at the boys.

The boys vigorously shook their heads in compliance as she yanked the knife out from the table. Letti watched their terror in bewilderment, having not seen her pull a knife on someone at school yet. Alex's snarled expression quickly turns into a sickeningly sweet smile after getting the result she wanted, "Very well then. Now, I'll see you boys later because now I've got to change. "

As she walks away, the Marauders watch her with mouths agape. Peter turns to Sirius, breathlessly whispering, "She's a little scary sometimes, you know. Brilliant. But scary."

"That's my best friend, everyone. Looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill us all in our sleep," Letti laughed before finishing her shepherd's pie.

As the blonde rounded the corner, making her way to one of the many flights of moving staircases, she heard footsteps quickening behind her to match her pace. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Narcissa Black maneuvering her way through the group of chatting Ravenclaws towards her, "Alex, hey wait up."

Curious as to why her friend's cousin and sister of her unofficial nemesis was seeking her out, Alex stopped at the base of the stairs and let the Slytherin catch up to her. Before the Gryffindor could raise an eyebrow, inquire as to why Narcissa wanted to speak to her, Narcissa sheepishly smiled, "Look, I know we're not friends and you definitely don't like my sister or Lucius. And maybe you don't like me by association and you have every right to hate them after all the things they've done to you and your friends over the years. And that's why I'm here, to apologize. I'm embarrassed by them, I'm sorry that you and Bella got into that fight last week."