Baking
Christmas in London was one of your favorite times of the year. Back home, Christmas had always meant shoveling several feet of snow and sliding your car into the snowbank because of the ice. Here, it meant glittering lights, sidewalks shoveled by other people, and a beautiful dusting of snow that covered the trees and buildings. Today, you’d been invited by Molly to visit Grimmauld and join in on her Christmas baking endeavors.
You give yourself a once over before you head out. Ugly Christmas sweater? Check. Jeans? Check. Doc Marten boots? Check. Wand and cell phone? Double check. As you move to leave, your vinyl player catches your eye and makes you pause. Technically, it is Sirius’ house that you are visiting and you know he’s essentially trapped there. You also know he used to love records because of all Severus’ complaining about how he used to blast music at Hogwarts. The record player is one of the things in the apartment that you’re the most proud of. It had taken you ages of tinkering to get the technology to work with magic. Deciding that you can let Sirius borrow it for a bit, you wave your wand and pack the player along with a handful of records into a small box. Then, you apparate out of the apartment.
“How nice to see you!” Molly says as she opens the door for you. “And you’re all prepared for the season, I see!” She giggles at the large reindeer on the front of your sweater.
“The proper attire is always required for holiday baking festivities!” You grin at her.
When the two of you make your way past the parlor, Sirius makes his presence known. “No hello for the Lord of the House?” He pouts dramatically at you.
“Hello, Padfoot” you smile at him. “I actually brought a little surprise for the ‘Lord of the House’.”
“Oooo, presents?” he stands up in excitement.
You wave your wand and the vinyl player pops out of the box. Sirius gasps and you wave your wand again to put on a record. Elton John’s ‘The Bitch is Back’ starts playing and you wink at him.
Sirius doubles over laughing at your song selection. “Oh my god, I can’t believe you got a record player to work! I lost mine right after we graduated from Hogwarts.”
“I had a feeling you would enjoy borrowing it for a bit. This big old house must be dead silent half the time. Feel free to play with it as much as you want.” You tell him.
Sirius excitedly starts shuffling through the records you brought and you head after Molly to the kitchen. When you get there, she hands you an apron and fills you in on her plans for the day.
“I was thinking of several different varieties of cookies, Scottish shortbread and the lot, along with a Yule log.”
“That sounds great to me, though I’ve never actually made either of those things. But first, Step 1: refreshments” you wink at her and wave your wand.
The kettle boils on the stove and you sneak over to steal SIrius’ best whiskey out of the cupboard. You finish up the mugs of hot toddy with a flourish and hand one to her.
“Oh my! It’s barely noon. I don’t know,” she looks at you worriedly.
“Molly.” You look her in the eyes. “No kids. No husbands. A day ahead of baking fun. Momma deserves a drink.”
“Oh alright, just this one.” She concedes before taking a sip. “This is actually quite good!”
“I know, right?” You take your own sip. “Oh, I’ll be nice and deliver some to the boys before we get started. Be right back.”
Pouring out two more mugs, you head off towards Sirius. You’re saved from having to find where Remus is hiding because the music has drawn him into the parlor.
“Having fun, boys?” You ask as you enter, handing them each a mug.
“Ziggy Stardust just sounds so much better on vinyl.” Sirius informs you as he takes a sip. “Oh, damn. Are you trying to get me drunk, woman?”
“Don’t play with me, Black. Everyone in this room is well aware that you are not a lightweight.”
Remus laughs at that. “He certainly is not. You know, the first time we ever kissed was to Ziggy Stardust on vinyl when we were both slightly drunk. I’m feeling a bit of deja vu.”
Sirius smirks and you groan. “Of course, you did. Have you two listened to the Stones’ Goats Head Soup record yet?”
“We have not,” Sirius replies.
You lean down and find it in the pile before putting it on. Sliding the needle over so that Star Star is the first song that plays, you nod to the beat.
“I have a feeling Remus will like this one. It feels a bit like his theme song.” You tell the two boys.
Waiting for the perfect moment, you stand there listening until the chorus starts, Then, you walk out of the room and wait to hear them realize what you mean. You can tell when the joke hits them by the roaring laughter coming from the room.
Molly is raring to go when you make it back to the kitchen. She gets you mixing up the dough for cookies while she starts on the Yule log. Flipping the radio on to Celestina Warbeck’s Christmas album, the two of you sing along loudly as you work.
“Molly, why on Earth are Christmas songs so different in the British Wizarding world? I am well versed in regular American No-maj Christmas tunes but it was such a shock when I heard your Christmas music for the first time.” You say.
“I had no idea that there was other Christmas music.” She replies honestly.
“Frosty, Rudolph, Let It Snow, none of those?” You ask incredulously.
At her shake of the head, you insist on showing her the wonders of Christmas music. You fiddle with the radio until a Muggle song comes on.
“I don’t suppose this is too bad” She says after a few songs.
“Christmas music just makes me feel so festive. Like, I have to immediately go outside and hand out cookies to people and sing carols and go see the Christmas lights. Halloween might be my favorite holiday but nothing makes a person as happy as Christmas.”
“Oh, I agree!” Molly tells you. “It’s one of the only times that I can get the whole family together and it just makes me so happy.”
“Well that’s the point of making all these cookies for them to eat, right?” You say and she nods.
“Do you guys have any big Christmas traditions that you always do?” You continue.
“Nothing beyond the usual getting together, eating, and presents. That’s about all we’ve ever had time for.” She responds.
“Same here. The only real tradition that I’ve held onto is making Cinnamon Rolls for Christmas morning. We always did that when I was a kid and now I make Sev eat them with me. I’m positive he cares less about tradition or festivity and more about getting to eat my Cinnamon Rolls.” You inform her.
Molly looks considering. “I’ve heard of Cinnamon Rolls before but I’ve never seen one. Is it a Muggle thing? Or an American thing?”
“You’ve never had Cinnamon Rolls?! Maybe it’s an American thing but you HAVE to try them. I could totally whip some up for you guys to have on Christmas morning!”
“Oh! That would be absolutely lovely! The children have never really tried adventurous foods before, except that one time in Egypt.” She looks excited at the prospect.
“I promise they are going to make me give you the recipe” you wink at her before starting on dough to make rolls.
After another three hours of mixing and rolling and frosting and waiting for things to bake, you pull the final treat of the day out of the oven. Once the Cinnamon Rolls are set under a preservation charm on the counter, Molly and you sit down at the table, exhausted. You’re chewing on a shortbread cookie when Albus walks into the room, Sirius and Remus following behind.
“There is a situation.” He informs you all seriously. “Severus and several of the older students have been trapped in a shop by Death Eaters while out in Hogsmeade. He was under Polyjuice Potion to run an errand for me and cannot risk blowing his cover. I’m unsure as to which students are stuck there with him.”
Standing up, you pull off your apron to go and help. Albus stops you quickly.
“I’m sure that Severus would not let you put yourself in danger for him.” He says.
“Who do you think I am, Albus. His ward?” You level him with a dangerous look. “Severus damn well knows that he wouldn’t be able to stop me.”
With a quick flick of your wand, your Christmas baking attire shifts into your dueling robes. They’ve always made you feel like a badass. The robes are completely pitch black, in the Snape fashion, except for embroidered flames that make their way up the bottom in a bright blue color that matches the fire in your eyes.
“I’m going to get my husband. You can join me or stay here, but do not get in my way.” Your eyes bore into the old man as your secondary wand drops into your left hand.
“Very well.” Dumbledore relents with a disappointed sigh but you can see the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
“Merlin, woman. I always knew I shouldn’t get on your bad side. We’re coming too.” Sirius speaks up and Remus nods in agreement.
“I am as well if there are children in danger” Molly tells the room.
“Alright, then. Fill us in on the situation, Albus.” You direct the man before taking a seat to formulate a plan.