Disclaimer: I own nothing HP related. Although I did think about making a story with wizards and witches once upon a time for about thirty seconds. It's possible in those thirty seconds that J.K. Rowling and I were on the same wavelength and she stole my idea…. Okay fine, don't own don't sue.
A/N: I haven't posted in awhile. Yikes. Well, here's a Christmas story I didn't get to post until after I got back way after vacation. Oh well, its got Sirius being his usual Sirius-like self and so that means an exasperated Remus is not very far behind.
AU, because Sirius hasn't gone to Azkaban and because I fiddled with Remus' religion.
Sirius hummed to himself, stringing together popcorn and dried fruits on the living room rug in Remus' flat. A warm fire was popping away softly in the hearth, occasionally heard over the sound of Christmas music playing in the background. Sirius hummed along, periodically munching on popcorn as he finished the decoration. He grinned, carefully winding it strategically around the tree.
He stepped back admiring his handiwork of colored lights, handmade ornaments, and tinsel that covered the tiny tree, weighting down the branches until they bent towards the floor. The finishing piece was the massive shining star, which he had named Sirius Jr., went last to go at the very top. The poor twig looked ready to snap at the massive weight it had to uphold as it tipped to the side.
Sirius thought in his own humble opinion that the tree looked fantastic, better than any other two foot tall Christmas tree around. Sure it was crooked and the needles were sparse but with all the decorations no one could tell.
He tried to right the star before getting up, smiling to himself. He loved Christmas. He loved the carols, the trees, and especially the smell of cookies in the air. He frowned, noticing the lack of cookie aroma. "Oy!" Sirius shouted down the hall towards the kitchen. "Remus, where are those cookies?" He grumpily brushed stray glitter off his hands from an earlier project before getting up to go to Remus. On the way he snatched a red and white candy cane from a picture decoration and sucked on the end of it.
He turned into the small kitchen and noticed a.) There were no cookies in the oven b.) There were no baking supplies on the table and c.) Remus was calmly sitting at the kitchen table playing a game of solitaire. "Moony," he whined, propping himself up against the doorjamb, "we need those cookies for tonight. Why haven't you started?" He pouted childishly, crossing his arms across his chest.
Remus didn't look up from the table as he picked up a four of hearts. "I haven't started because I'm not making any," he said calmly, placing the card on top of the five of diamonds. He heard Sirius huff before clomping over and sitting heavily in the seat across from him. Remus looked up briefly to see him rest his elbows on the table with his chin in his hand.
"Why not?" Sirius asked around the candy cane sticking out of the corner of his mouth. "I thought you liked Christmas."
Remus slanted him a look over the table, idly flipping an ace of spades in his hand. "Okay, first off I'm Jewish, I don't even celebrate Christmas. You should know because you were at my bar mitzvah and sang bawdy songs until you were forcibly removed from the stage." Sirius chuckled and nodded absently, that was a fun day. "And secondly Sirius," Remus continued, "you do this every year. I'm not making Christmas cookies this time of year."
Sirius chewed on his candy cane thoughtfully. "But what about the fun?" he persisted. "The atmosphere? How will my Christmas party survive without your famous cookies?"
"I'm sure it'll survive," he responded dryly. "If not then why don't you make your own?" Remus could feel Sirius pouting across the table. He purposely ignored him, concentrating on his game of solitaire. He only lasted a couple minutes before huffing exasperatedly, throwing down his cards. "Okay fine," he muttered grumpily. "I'll make you your stupid cookies, now leave me alone."
Sirius grinned, his eyes lighting up with pleasure. "Thanks Remus!" he exclaimed sweetly. He jumped up and flew across the table to fling his arms around his friend's shoulders, planting a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek. He laughed before dashing out the kitchen, singing a badly off tune "Jingle Bells, James Potter Smells." It was a favorite song he used to sing in Hogwarts whenever he wanted to annoy James. He hadn't meant for the Slytherin's to catch on to it and spread it around the school. After all these years Sirius was pretty sure James forgave him, it did get James and Lily together after all.
"Sirius Black!" Remus snapped, wiping his cheek disgustedly with the back of his hand.
"Christmas spirit, Moony," Sirius' voice floated through the air.
Remus sighed and looked up at the ceiling, trying to reign in his irritation. His eyes widened as he noticed the mistletoe floating directly above his head. "But it's July!"