Chocolate and Pumpkin juice (R. Lupin)

29. Say cheese

The last couple of days had been calm and soothing for Carmen. Ever since the first of September she had never really just chilled out. She had spent a lot of time with her dad, they had never really spent so much time away from each other at once.

"Finally the gremlin has decided to join me," Greham teased his daughter as she entered the kitchen yawning and stretching her arms. Carmen had just thrown on a pair of wide legged jeans, the first sweater she saw and the fluffiest socks she owned. Her wavy hair hung loose and now colored white like the the snow that lay outside.

She had been upstairs writing letters to the Marauders, her roommates, the twins and even her new Ravenclaw friends, wishing them a merry Christmas and telling them she missed them. She had sent them all with Owlbert at the same time. Letters had been sent and received very often over the past few days, mostly to and from Remus. Carmens heart would swell up every time she saw his messy handwriting, coffee stains and crossed over words.

"Merry Christmas dad," Carmen said with a tired smile as she poured two cups of coffee. One for the both of them just as usual.

"Merry Christmas pumpkin. Did you sleep well?" He replied kissing her forehead before opening the fridge to get the milk.

"I slept fine, woke up at 2am to Marlenes bloody owl pecking at my window though."

"What in the world was she sending you at 2am the night before Christmas?"

"She wanted to be the first person to say merry Christmas to all her friends. There were like 10 other letters attached to the poor things leg."

"Well that is sweet I must admitt."

"Here's your boring black coffee father to feed your terrible caffeine addiction," Carmen said handing him a pink ceramic mug with blue flowers painted on it filled to the brim with strong bitter coffee.

"Thank you daughter," he answered before taking a long sip and reading the first page of the Daily Prophet.

"What time will Annett and the others be here?" Carmen asked as she squatted down to the ground and ran her fingers down Lokis back repeatedly. The cat purred happily and closed his honey colored eyes.

"Any minute now. We're going to make waffles and then open the presents. That's not your sweater is it?" Greham asked with one eyebrow raised looking at Carmen from over his news paper.

She was basically drowning in Remus' Gryffindor sweater. The red knitted fabric with golden details and little Gryffindor Gryffindor crest hung loosely all the way down to her mid thigh and the arms were bunched up around her wrists. Remus' comforting smell of chocolate and his cologne made her heart swell and her cheeks go pink.

"...no it is not."

"Who's is it?"

"...no ones..."

"It's his isn't it."

"That could be a possibility...depends if your gonna become an overprotective bear or not."

"I'll take that as a yes," Greham chuckled into his mug as he took another swing of the steaming drink.

For the next few minutes Carmen sat on the wooden floor, back resting against the cold wall as she played with Loki and drank her coffee. Greham leaned back in his seat reading to her important, funny or stupid things he found in the news paper.