Christmas

Year 1

James

It's my first Christmas away from home. I feel so…grown up. Yes, I know that I'm only 11 and I'm still at school this Christmas because my parents wanted to Christmas in the Bahamas. I wanted snow. So, three of my roommates and I stayed. I can't say I know why Remus or Peter stayed behind; especially Remus, with his sick mom and all. Sirius just doesn't like his family, we all know that.

"Present time! Present time!" I guess Sirius is awake. I should join in too. It's what they expect, isn't it?

"Present time! Present time!" First, Sirius and I jump up and down on Remus' bed. We know it'd bug him the most.

"Get off me, idiots. I'm up, I'm up." Remus' voice is muffled 'cause he's hiding under the sheets.

Sirius and I look at each other and shrug. That shrug means it's time to move onto Pete's bed.

We pull back the red hangings around his bed, but he isn't there… Weird.

"Peeete? Oh, Pete! Come out, come out where ever you are!" Sirius sings in a way that only he can make not obnoxious.

Suddenly, I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Sirius and I glance at each other and in a split second, we're each on one side of the door ready to tackle Pete the second he got in here. The door swung open and… Shit! That's not Pete. It's little Miss Perfect, Lily Evans. I'm still in my pajamas!

"Couldn't resist us, Evans?" Sirius drawls with that ever-so-charming smile of his.

"Not at all, Black. I actually came up here to tell you morons that some of us enjoy our sleep, even on Christmas morning!" Her eyes were locked on Sirius and I. She has pretty eyes. It's time to turn on the charm.

"You know, Sirius" I say, "I think you're right. Evans just couldn't resist me. I mean, just look at me. She wants me to ask her out. What do you say, Lily-kins? Can you handle this?" I know I sound obnoxiously like Sirius, but I don't care. These girls swoon over Sirius all the time.

"Potter! I expect that kind of thing from Black, but not you. No wonder you all get along so well. And, Peter is downstairs wrapping your presents. Poor boy has been up all night trying to get it just right." She spat as us, then her eyes fell on Remus. "Oh, Remus. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Why didn't she mean to yell at Remus? Does she like Remus? I'll tell the guys that I plan to marry her, as soon as she's out of hearing distance. I listen to her footsteps get farther and farther away until I can't hear them anymore. I boldly turn to the room, and I say "Boys, I'm going to marry her one day. Just you wait."

Sirius snorts in disbelief. "She hates us, Jamesie. It's not likely to happen."

I look at him with mock anger, "That's what you think!" I lunge at him and soon we're on a full out fake fist fight. We stop in the middle and remember its Christmas and we have presents waiting downstairs for us.

Sirius and I race each other along the corridor, and down the stairs. Remus follows us at his own pace. He always seems so tired. I guess that's what you get when your mom is as sick as his. He leaves school once a month to go and see her. I shouldn't be thinking this while racing Sirius, he likes to play dirty. Sirius and I are already sitting with Peter, sorting presents by the time Remus FINALLY gets down here.

"Remus goes first." Sirius announced in that voice he uses when he doesn't want anyone to argue with him. "Here ya go, buddy" Sirius practically knocked Remus over with the force he put behind giving him his present. "Open it!!"

It's wrapping job looks like crap. I guess mines not any better, though. Remus' brown eyes light up when he see's what's inside. It's a pair of brand new, perfectly shiny shoes. Uh-oh. I think Pete and I just got shown up.

"Thank you so much, Sirius! These are amazing." Remus looks genuinely excited for Christmas now. He runs over to Sirius and knocks him on his back with the force of the hug.

"Me next! Me next!" I yell and pulled out the sorta wrapped present I got for Remus. "Here! Here! Here! Open it!"

I hope Remus likes it. I got him… "James! What is it?" Remus looks confused at the contents of the box.

"Reeeeemus! I thought that was obvious. It's a never ending roll of parchment paper, just for you. We won't use any of it to write pranks on, pinky promise."

Now, Remus just looks excited. We all look at Peter expectantly. He gives Remus an almost perfectly wrapped present. "I didn't know what to get you guys, so I got you all chocolate…" Peter says. He looks a little bit ashamed, but Remus looks ecstatic. We all know how he is about chocolate.

The mornig continues with us opening all our presents. I got a Quidditch book from my parents, a new pair of gloves for Sirius, chocolate from Pete, and a sweater from Remus. All in all, it turned out to be a good haul.

"Let's go have a snowball fight!" I yell excitedly to the other three boys, earning me a nasty look for Lily Evans in the corner. "You in Evans?" She just scoffs and rolls her eyes. She goes right back to reading.

"James, could we maybe, I don't know, EAT first!" Sirius says. It seems so obvious. In all the excitement I had forgetten I was hungry.

The four of us head down to eat, then we have an epic snowball fight, Sirius and Remus vs. Me and Pete.

It's going to be a Christmas to remember.