STARS | r. lupin (1)

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"WHERE THE FUCK DID I PUT my hair ties?" Althea climbed down the stairs of Larson Manor, where she was staying for the holidays. "I can't find them."

"Thea, you look gorgeous!" Caroline gushed, "I knew that red dress was the right choice!"

"I'm sure you're not wrong, but it's a little tight." Althea played with the thin dress straps on her shoulders.

"That's what makes it perfect." she winked.

"Well, in any case, I'm sure it would look better if I had my hair up. Caro, do you have a spare tie that I could use?" Althea held out her hand. Caroline took one off her wrist and gave it to her.

"You're the best!" Althea grinned as she walked away.

"Don't forget to give it back, it's one of the good ones!" Caroline yelled at Althea as she climbed the stairs.

Althea must have found five wrong rooms before she managed to locate the bathroom (Aubrey's place was more of a mansion than anything else), where, with the help of a mirror, she pinned her hair up in a quick ponytail and climbed back down the stairs.

It was Christmas eve, and the Potters were to be arriving by floo at any moment with the rest of the Marauders. Althea had dreaded this occasion, more specifically because they were spending the night, and she didn't want to wake up and see any of their faces. Given the circumstances, she was forced to give in and buy Remus a present.

"Thanks Caro, you're a real lifesaver." Althea had barely uttered the words when she noticed the people in the living room. "Oh, hello." she waved, smiling nervously.

"Hello, Althea." Remus waved back. She climbed down the rest of the stairs and gave him an awkward hug (she caught a whiff of the familiar cinnamon and chocolate scent), followed by the rest of the boys demanding their own hugs.

"How come he gets one and we don't?" Sirius pouted.

"Because you're all annoying." she answered quickly.

"And I'm not?" Remus clutched his heart. "It's my job to annoy people. Don't insult me."

"Oh, hush." she held in her laughs.

Suddenly, a figure came running at her and pulled her arm.

"Thea, who are they?" Thalia looked over cautiously. She was only four, so when they looked over, she huddled closer to Althea, who picked her up with ease.

"Don't worry, Thals, they're friends." she told her sister. "I'm sorry, Mr and Mrs Potter, I don't think we've formally met. I'm Althea."

"Just called me Fleamont," James' father shook her free hand.

"I'm Euphemia." James' mother smiled at Althea warmly.

"This is Thalia, by the way, my sister." at the mention of her name, Thalia looked up, but then buried her head in Althea's shoulder. "She's a bit shy."

"Oh, don't worry, James was like that too, at her age." Euphemia laughed politely.

"Now, that's something I would've liked to see." Althea raised her eyebrows at James, who rolled his eyes. "Cmon, Thals, let's get you something to drink before we start the celebration."

*

"This is where we're all going to sleep tonight, by the way." Althea opened a door and introduced the boys to a large room filled with sleeping bags and blow up mattresses.

"What is this, some kind of den?" Peter asked, looking around in mild awe, "Oh my god, is that a muggle TV?

"Yeah, sometimes we watch horror films late at night." Reina told him. "Mostly we use this place for sleepovers, but we're not picky with who we let in."