A Winter Wonderland

While Theo didn't look as much the part of Actual Christmas Tree as his adorable counterpart, he fancied himself pretty darn festive all the same, in his red-and-green striped sweater and matching bootlaces. Call him cheesy (and he was), but Theo loved the holidays - and the kitschy-er, the better. Everyone was generally happier and sillier around this time, and that did wonders for his own psyche. And his Christmas Tree girlfriend? She was the icing on top of the cake - or rather, the star on top of the tree.

Theo especially liked the way she jingled, as they made their way down the cobblestones. He had a happy grin on his face, once again in his favorite snowy place on Earth with his favorite person on Earth. He didn't mind at all her quest to stop every few feet to catch a snowflake on her tongue - there was always a convenient snowbank to kick around in, or an interesting icicle to examine; or even the occasional snowflake to catch on his own tongue. Theo felt no worries in this picturesque place and he could truly stay like this forever. He was happy, and even happier to see that Mali was happy, too.

"Me too. I haven't built a snowman in years. We are going to do it the old-fashioned way, right?" Where was the fun in magicking a snowman together? Theo laughed at Mali's observation about Mister Lupin. He couldn't deny that he found it sort of...strange that the older man wanted to come build a snowman with them, but really, he couldn't talk. Theo was an older man, too, by some people's standards, and he was giddy for this. Or maybe it was just because he was with Mali. Either way. "That is true. He doing alright?" Theo didn't see Mister Lupin at all, really, unless the man was saving his life. A little prep on the man's current state of mind would be useful in helping Theo prevent a bad case of foot-in-mouth.

"Of course," he smiled down at Mali's question. He wasn't going to miss a minute with her if he could get it. She made him laugh again, and Theo sneaked an arm around her waist when she stopped again. "Is that right? You stopped eating all the chocolate chips before you got to the recipe, huh?"

They were off again soon enough - no time for teasing, they had a job to do! Their fellow snowman maker was just up ahead, and Mali pulled herself away from him to get to the man. Theo was left in the snow, smiling and waiting...and waiting...and - ah, there she was. Theo uncrossed his arms that had found their way across his chest and draped one across her shoulders, nodding at Mister Lupin and greeting him. "Hmm?" He looked down at Mali, a slightly distracted look in his eye. "Oh. I read that last one he did when I first started at the hospital. I think my dad's read them all, though. Which one were you guys reading?"

Everything was right in the world, walking along with Theo throwing gentle banter between them. She tilted her head back with a grin at his question. "Isn't the old fashion way the only one you know?" She enjoyed teasing him about his age, it was all in good fun. He was her favorite person and being with him even if it was just walking to make snowmen was her favorite thing. The grin fell away when he asked about Mister Lupin and she looked towards the ground, holding Theo's arm just a little tighter. "I reckon he's as good as you can expect. Still sad around the edges but coping well. I'd still be crying if I lost you. I'd never stop." That thought was almost paralyzing because they'd come so close to it back when they were at the Death Eater's mercy. In a relatively short amount of time, Theo had become her whole world. It was only to be expected after all they'd gone through together.

Things were starting to feel too heavy for such a light hearted outing and she decided to catch another snowflake on her tongue to break up her own tension. The converstaion ebbed on to brighter things, like Christmas decorating and baking. The grin was back and she laughed and shook her head, bells jingling. "No! I just stopped baking things with such tasty ingredients!" No one chomped down on oatmeal or granulated sugar like they did on chocolate chips. "I was only testing them, anyway, making sure they were raisins." The things one did for love...

Eventually they reached Mister Lupin who gave really good hugs and he even played with her ponytail, jingling her bells. Mali laughed and looked back over her shoulder towards her festive Troll. "He looks good in Christmas colors, doesn't he?" There were fond feelings in her chest and she couldn't be happier. Mali ruffled Mister Lupin's hair "You could use some jingle bells yourself!" before she went back to Theo and was just as content under his arm, snuggling in a little closer. Their snowman companion didn't seem nearly as impressed with Gildeory Lockhart but Theo was plain distracted. She looked up at him, wrinkling her nose as she asked "Everything alright?"

Mister Lupin took the lead in answering the question and Mali peeled away from Theo to start working on their snowman. "I think Mister Lockhart's book can be helpful." Mali didn't do pessimism well, it would be hard for her to get her brain around the fact the man was a fraud. For now, she held on to the idea that there was something in the book that could make everything better for everyone, that she, Eoin and Theo could really change things for werewolves. It was foolish, but it was fueled by a little bit of naivety and a desire to help those who needed it most. "He has something in it about curing lycanthropy. And if he can do it, why can't others? That would solve everything!" Even if Mister Lupin didn't believe it, she would. Mali would have enough optimism for all of them if that's what it took.

The witch set to packing a ball of snow with the intention of rolling it into part of the snowman's body but after some consideration she decided to lighten the mood again. Mali eyed the snowball, then Theo, then the snowball before squeaking out "Aah! A yeti!" and chucking her ball at the side of Theo's head. Just like last time, she was amused by her own antics and fell back into the snow, laughing and holding her stomach.