Christmas and Its Unexpected Gifts

Or

Christmas and Its Gifts That Really Weren't Surprising At All in James Potter's Humble Opinion and Were Actually Really Fucking Predictable

Chapter 1

Sirius was looking forward to his last Christmas at Hogwarts. James and Peter had decided to go home, and despite the fact that Sirius was living with James and his family now, he felt that it would be good for James to spend some time just with his family. It wasn't that he felt out of place, or like he was intruding at the Potter's - he felt more than welcome and at home there - he just wanted to give James some time with his family.

And if he was looking forward to spending time just with Remus, well, that was perfectly fine. And if his thoughts were straying more and more to him, then that was fine too.

What isn't so fine is that you keep looking at him and not being able to tear your eyes away, and focusing on those freckles on his nose and the hairs above his lips and sometimes a little lower -

Shut up/shut up/shut up/shut up.

He was doing that quite a lot lately - telling himself to shut up.

/

"You sure about this? You know that my parents would be glad to see you for Christmas and stuff." James smiled at Sirius, knowing he'd decline, but wanting to see what bullshit excuse he came up with this time to stay.

"No, really, it's cool. I kind of want to spend it here, you know? Last Christmas at Hogwarts."

James laughed, and punched him on the shoulder. "Shut up, you'll lose your reputation if you keep talking so nostalgically." Though since we both know that's a lie, I think you're safe.

Sirius snorted. "You'll lose yours if people find out that you even know the word nostalgic."

James rolled his eyes, but then his voice took a more serious tone. "But you're sure, yeah?"

"Yes you ponce, I'm sure. I really want to stay, now leave."

James smiled as Sirius' eyes flickered over to where Remus was saying goodbye to Peter. He was pretty sure he knew the reason Sirius was so inclined to miss out Christmas at the Potter's, and if his half-brained best friend didn't do something about it soon he was going to have to punch them both in their oblivious, though undoubtedly good looking, faces.

/

"Hey, have a good Christmas, yeah, Moony?"

"Sure Pete. You too. Say hi to your parents. Oh, and tell your dad thanks for the recommendation about that book on - "

"Remus, I'm sure what you've got to say is dreadfully important but the train is just about to leave so how about you just wish him a merry Christmas?"

Sirius and Remus were seeing the other two off at the station, and when the train finally pulled out, Remus was a little surprised to see Sirius looking at him with a big smile on his face.

"You all right, mate? You look a bit… happy?"

"Oh Moonikins, it's Christmas, aren't I allowed to be happy?"

With a bit of grumbling on Remus' behalf about being called "Moonikins" and much pointless laughter on Sirius' behalf, the two started heading back up the lane that would take them back to Hogwarts, Sirius throwing an arm around Remus' shoulders as they went.

And as they went, Sirius told himself that the nervous fluttering of warmth in his stomach was completely to do with the fact that it was coming up to Christmas, and nothing to do with the proximity between himself and the werewolf his arm was casually flung over.

/

Remus liked Christmas. He liked fires and he liked being inside and he liked reading. He really liked reading. Inside. In the warm. And the dry. And the peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, with Sirius around, he didn't get much peace and quiet. Sirius was a constant ball of energy. He always had to be doing something, always had to be entertained. And it seemed as if the job of entertaining had fallen upon Remus' shoulders. Still, he tried. He tried for some of that much desired Time Alone Reading. He wasn't often successful.

"Remus. Reemus. Remus. Remus listen to me, talk to me, please Remus please."

"Go away Sirius. I'm reading. I'm busy. Leave me alone."

"But I'm bored. Bored Moony. Imagine how awful this must be for me."

"Yes yes, sounds awful, I pity you greatly. Now leave."

There was silence. It was too much to hope for, too good to be true if Sirius simply had done as Remus asked and left, but Remus hoped anyway. When one was friends with James and Sirius, one had to keep a positive outlook on life. It was that, or his sanity would have been broken the day the idiots he considered his friends tried to seduce Professor McGonagall with a variety of utterly inappropriate chat up lines. As it was, Remus had to consider therapy every once in a while when repressed memories of McGonagall's face upon being deemed a cock-tease resurfaced.

The silence was broken when a large, boy shaped, long limbed and artfully messy haired thing launched into his lap.

Remus let out a huff of air and tried to ignore the stupid feeling in the pit of his stomach at the proximity of his friend.

Yes Remus, your friend, your best friend. The one who you should really not be having Thoughts about late at night. Your friend, who really wouldn't appreciate the fact that you even have this thought process to quell such Thoughts.

Remus mentally shook himself. And attempted to shove the aforementioned lump on his lap onto the floor. Unfortunately, it appeared that said lump was expecting this move and threw both his arms around Remus' neck and hung on for dear life.

"Mooony. Moooony, stop being mean, stop trying to throw me off, all I want in life is to stay sitting in your lap. That, and world domination. But that's only so I can live a life of leisure, it's not for nefarious purposes or anything.

It's me in your lap, or we can go out into the snow for a walk on which I will mysteriously disappear and a handsome, rugged looking dog with suddenly appear for you to throw sticks for."

Sirius didn't quite want to think about the insistent hope that prayed that Remus would chose the first option. He was quite sure, however, that whatever the reason the insistent hope was there, it was a purely Platonic and Innocent feeling. Probably.

"Fine, fine, you oaf. We'll go out for a walk. Give me ten minutes, just to finish this chapter, and then I promise we'll go out for a walk, okay?"

Sirius quickly squashed his disappointment by jumping excitedly up and down on Remus' lap. And then was surprised to find himself being dumped unceremoniously on the floor. He recovered quickly, and paying heed to Remus' qualifications about giving him ten minutes (he knew Remus' serious tone when he heard it), ran up to the dormitory.

Remus let out a sigh and tried not to focus on how empty and cold his body felt when he had finally regained some shred of self-control and pushed his friend off his legs. It was for the best, he told himself sternly, your legs would have gone dead otherwise.

Note to self:

Find a new hiding place for chocolate. Sirius appears to have found the latest.

Reclaim some degree of self-respect and get over this ridiculous crush you appear to have developed on your best friend. But oh, think about his eyes when he was pleading with you to take him on a walk. And how close his face was, how easy it would have been just to –

No! Remus told himself sternly. It was exactly that kind of thinking that meant he was no closer to getting over the retched sod than he had been when this all started. 7 months ago.

Oh dear god. Remus thought. This is just bloody pathetic. He's your fucking friend, you can't like him, you can't, it's not fair to him.

And yet. And yet, there had been times, recently, when - despite Sirius' constant hunger for anything that had promise of alleviating boredom – Sirius had been relatively content to just sit with Remus. And there had been a few times when Remus had glanced up from his book that Remus found Sirius looking at him with an unfathomable expression in his eyes, something soft, something gentle. Something Remus hadn't seen in the face of Sirius Black before. And it was those small occasions – and the Significant Look James gave Remus when the train was pulling out from Hogsmeade like he knew the inappropriate thoughts Remus had been thinking while eagerly anticipating spending Christmas with just Sirius – that made Remus think that maybe, just maybe, his feelings might not be entirely unreciprocated.