metanoia

Chapter Twenty-one

"Hey, Alex, are you going to this?" Remus asked, passing down a emerald green envelope to Alex while she was trying to eat her breakfast. 

Curious James intercepted the envelope, knowing that she wasn't going to open it until she was done eating anyways. He pulled back the wax seal, noticing that the seal belonged to Professor Horace Slughorn, "Why did you get mail from Professor Slughorn?"

As James pulled the cardstock invitation out of the envelope, Remus plucked the paper from his friend's hand and handed it to it's rightful owner. She quickly glanced over the fancy scrawl on the paper before returning to her breakfast, still not answering either of the questions that she was asked. Remus chuckled at her actions, figuring that he would ask her again when she didn't have food in front of her, deciding to answer James' question on her behalf, "Professor Slughorn invited us and Lily and a few other students to join the Slug Club. He sent us an invitation to his Christmas Party that he is hosting in December. He expects us to bring someone."

"I know, I saw," Alex mumbled, taking a drink of her coffee that she went specially to the Kitchens for because she hadn't slept the night before.

James held out hope when he heard that the invitees to Professor Slughorn's party were expected to bring a guest. James leaned past Sirius and Peter, seeing Lily sitting with the Prewett Twins and Letti, "Do you think that Lily will ask me to go with her?"

"Keep dreaming, Prongs," Sirius snorted, clapping his best friend on the shoulder to comfort him. 

Alex wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin after finishing both her breakfast and her coffee, checking her watch to make sure they weren't late for McGonagall's class. She loved Professor McGonagall's class, that's because she loved Minerva McGonagall more than any other Professor at Hogwarts. When she was going through the worst time of her life, Professor McGonagall never offered her condolences nor did she pity her instead she treated her like a person. Professor McGonagall was both Alex and Letti's surrogate mother, always being there for the pair with whatever they needed. 

"Alex?"

She looked up from her watch, having zoned out when she went to check the time, "Hmm? Yes?"

"Ready to go to McGonagall's class?" Sirius repeated, getting up from the wooden benches five minutes earlier than they normally would because they knew how much Alex loved McGonagall's class. 

The girl nodded in response, shouldering her messenger bag as she followed the four Marauders out of the Great Hall and towards Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration classroom on the fourth floor. The quintet walked the halls, talking animatedly about the next prank that James and Sirius wanted to play on the Slytherins as both Alex and Remus corrected them and provided them with much better ideas. The five, much to their teacher's surprise, were the first one's in the room, breaking the silence of her empty room. 

Alex left the four boys at their two rows of desks, walking to McGonagall's office. She lightly rapped her knuckles on the wooden door, "Minnie?"

"Oh, Alex, do come in," Minerva smiled, waving her hand to the seat across the desk. As Alex sat in the plush purple chair, the Transfiguration professor pushed the ceramic jar on her desk to the blonde, "Biscuit?"

The blonde smiled at the offer, taking the lid of the jar to take a biscuit, "Thank you."

"Of course. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your presence so early in the morning, Miss Worth?" Professor McGonagall hummed, seeing through the window that the Marauders were huddled in the corner whispering mischievously. Alex pulled the emerald green envelope from her messenger bag, handing her favorite professor the invitation to join the Slug Club.  Minerva inspected the invitation, fully aware that Horace Slughorn had the intention of collecting her for his select club, "So you've been invited to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party? Does this mean that you're in his Slug Club?"

"He asked me if I was interested earlier this month but I never gave him an answer. Then this morning he sent me that, should I be concerned Professor that he wants me in his Slug Club?" the sixth year asked, concerned by the intentions of her Potions professor. 

Minerva soundlessly chuckled at her question, returning the invitation back to one of her favorite students, "Alex, every witch or wizard to have been a part of Professor Slughorn's Club went on to do incredible things. Horace sees greatness in you, which is why I urged him to add you to his group."

"It was you. You did this?" the blonde laughed, rising from her seat as the chock chimed announcing that class was to start. 

"Yes, I did. And I do expect to see you at the party," she smiled, leading Alex out of her office and to her classroom full of thirty Sixth years. 

"You never answered my question earlier," Remus reminded Alex as they left dinner that evening, the other three Marauders following behind them. 

Alex was walking faster than normal, attempting to catch up with Lily and Letti as they walked to the Gryffindor Tower. The pair heard Remus' comment, both being terribly curious as to what question Alex hadn't answered, asking the Prefect, "What question?"

"About whether or not I am going to Professor Slughorn's Christmas party coming up in a few weeks. But I think the better question, one I'm dying to hear the answer to, is whether or not Lily is going to extend the invitation to James?" Alex deflected, catching all of her friend's attention and refocusing it onto Lily. 

James was grateful for Alex, knowing that she was working relentlessly to get Lily to go out with him. Lily, however, despised Alex for asking the question, both fully aware that Lily was not ready to accept her feelings for James Potter. Lily cleared her throat, awkwardly smiling at them as she tried to muster the words to reject James but he beat her to speaking first, "If she doesn't want me to come with her then she doesn't have to?"

"Wait, what?!" everyone within earshot gasped, astonished to hear the words come from James Potter"s mouth. 

"I said, if she doesn't want me to go then she doesn't have to ask," James repeated, walking ahead to give the Fat Lady the password to enter the Common Room. 

Lily was quite impressed by his maturity, deciding that she would in fact extend the invitation to James, "Okay Potter, would you want to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with me? It's not a date though, strictly as friends."

"I'll take it, of course I will join you," James smiled before turning on his heel, running up the stairs to go freak out in the Marauder's dormitory.

Remus and the other three Marauders spent the rest of the week pestering Alex to answer whether she would be attending Professor Slughorn's upcoming party. They used everything they could think of, they asked Letti to get the answer, the Twins, Charlie, they even asked Professor McGonagall but no one would get the answer from the stubborn blonde. On that Friday before their Double Potions class, the friends all sat in the empty Common Room talking about their plans for the next day at Hogsmeade.  

"Okay, I'm tired of this. Just tell us, are you going to this stupid party because you're driving poor Remus insane with not answering the damn question all week?" Letti bluntly asked, looking at her best friend as she played Wizard's Chess with Sirius. 

Alex held up a single finger before turning her attention back to her game, she almost had the undefeated Wizard's Chess Champion in Checkmate, "Knight to H-3."

Sirius smirked, moving his Queen to the same space, falling into her trap. Alex squealed excitedly, "Bishop to E3. Checkmate."

"She beat me," Sirius breathes, amazed that someone finally beat him in his 6 year reign of the undefeated Wizard's Chess Champion. "She actually beat me."

Alex jumped up from her chair, dancing in excitement, "I can't believe I won on my first try. Lily hasn't won a game against you, ever.  And yes, Remus, I will be going to the Party."

"And your guest?" Lily questioned, laughing at how happy she was to beat Sirius in Wizard's Chess.

Alex went to object to having a guest but then she had a better idea, she sat on Sirius' lap and ruffled his hair, "To make it up to you for dethroning you, you want to come to Slughorn's party with me?"

"I guess that you can make it up to me that way," Sirius laughed, pushing her off his lap.