metanoia

Chapter Twenty-seven

MISS ALEX WORTH,

THANK YOU FOR THE OWL REGARDING THE CONTINUATION FROM OUR FIRST MEETING. AND I DO APOLOGIZE FOR TAKING SO LONG TO RESPOND TO YOUR LETTER. NEVERTHELESS, ON THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES ONCE YOU'VE RETURNED, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU COME DIRECTLY TO ME SO WE CAN CONTINUE OUR CONVERSATION. I DO HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY WITH THE POTTERS.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS,

PROFESSOR ALBUS DUMBLEDORE.

On Christmas Eve, Remus arrived at the Potter residence with his presents for the Marauders and school trunk because he was to spend the rest of the holiday with them. Shortly after 10 that evening, Peter had also arrived.

Though the Marauders had their tradition of exchanging gifts every year, Alex and Letti had their own tradition. For as long as they could remember, the two of them, Noah and Dorothy Worth would make Christmas cinnamon rolls at midnight and spent the rest of the night watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and It's a Wonderful Life until Christmas morning. It wasn't much but the four of them looked forward to that night every year.

The girls spent their time that evening in the kitchen making the dough for the cinnamon rolls from scratch, giggling and enjoying their tradition separatefrom the boys. When Peter finally arrived, the four Marauders cautiously walked into the kitchen to finally see what they were doing. Peter saw the icing sitting on the counter and happily reached for some when Letti smacked the back of his hand with a wooden spoon, scolding him like how Mrs. Worth would when their father would try and do the same, "No. If you want it, you have to earn it."

"What are you making anyways?" James asked only seeing the scattered ingredients on the counter, not understanding what they're for.

"Cinnamon rolls," Alex chuckled as she put a tin full into the oven. "It's our little tradition. Every year since we were like 3 or 4, we'd make cinnamon rolls and watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and It's a Wonderful Life."

"What's a red nosed reindeer?" Sirius asked, watching the girls begin to clear the counters magically.

They looked at each other horrified, gasping for air, questioning their Pureblood friend's Christmas spirit, "You don't know who Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is?! Were you raised by animals?!"

Sirius looked at the pair with a deadpan  expression, "Yeah, my parents."

Remus chuckled at Sirius' joke, leaning into the door frame, "It's a Muggle Christmas movie, Padfoot. It's Al's favorite."

"How'd you know that, Rem?" Alex asked, sliding onto the counter to wait for the cinnamon rolls to be fully cooked.

Remus slightly blushed, looking down at his worn shoes, "You mentioned it was your favorite earlier, when you and Letti were telling me that you were making cinnamon rolls and watching movies after Peter arrived."

A ding went off on the kitchen timer, meaning that their cinnamon rolls were ready to come out of the oven. As Alex took them out, Letti led the other four out of the kitchen and into the Potter Family Room to set up the movies. Alex took a moment of reverence as she quietly iced the cinnamon rolls, going super heavy on the icing because that had always been her and Noah's favorite part. Carrying the tray out into the Family Room; Alex saw Letti curled up in a ball under a million blankets, Remus sitting on the couch that Alex had earlier threw her hoodie and blanket on, Peter and James sitting on the other sofa and Sirius was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, all anxiously waiting for their food. Alex distributed the food as Letti pressed play and Rudolph started to play on the screen.

When Sam the Snowman began to introduce the movie, the Marauders all scarfed down their pastry rolls looking at the girls in bewilderment. James made Letti pause the movie as Sam the Snowman began to sing the title song, "These are amazing. Is there more?"

Alex chuckled, thanking James in unison with her best friend as she pushed herself up off the couch, "Yes, Jamie. There is, give me one second."

They finished the movie, the girls goofily singing along with the songs. As Alex climbed out from under her pile of blankets, throwing it onto Remus as she changed the movie, Letti looked at the boys excitedly, "So how'd you like the movie?"

"It was cool. You know if you think about it, we're kind of like the Island of Misfit Toys," Sirius analyzed, shocking everyone else with his analogy.

Remus looked down at his black haired friend, intrigued by his analogy, "How so?"

"We're all misfits. You and Letti have your furry little problems, I'm the black sheep of my family and have a strange attachment to a potted plant Charlie gave me six years ago, James and I do stupid pranks and get detentions all the time, Peter is friends with us idiots so that makes him a misfit by default and Lex is..."

"Lex is what?" she cut him off harshly, not wanting to hear him call her out on her faults on Christmas.

Sirius threw his hands up in surrender, "Woah, I was only going to say that you are a brilliant mastermind with the pranks and Quidditch and the Map."

"Oh bollocks, he's right. We're misfits," James chuckled as It's a Wonderful Life began to play on the screen.

"I vote that we have Prongs dressed up as Rudolph on the Christmases to come. All in favor?" Peter asked, raising his hand as the movie started. All six of them raised their hands, including James, excited for the next Christmas purely to see James as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Alex and Remus decided to share her blankets halfway through the movie because it suddenly got a lot colder in the room and his cardigan wasn't enough to keep him warm. Sirius had leaned his head back, propping it on the girl's feet as George was helping Uncle Billy retrace his steps to find the money. Alex leaned down to his ear, whispering, "Can I braid your hair?"

He shook his head yes a little too eagerly, wrenching the hair tie out of his ponytail, and by the time she finished doing the fourth dutch braid, she'd gotten tired and ended up falling asleep before the movie ended.

When Alex woke up the next morning, she found her head on Remus' hard chest with his arms snaked tightly around her. She slowly slid off the couch, trying not to wake him as she  stepped over a sleeping Sirius, "Maybe he was making sure I didn't fall off the couch. Between the two of us and the fact I turn in my sleep, there isn't much room."

Alex tiptoed to the kitchen to make herself a pot of coffee. After pulling out a mug out of the cupboard, she poured herself a mug of the dark roast and sat on the countertop.

"Happy Christmas, Allie," Letti grinned, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Alex laughed at her friend's bedhead, "Happy Christmas Medusa."