Yuletide Boogie
It was the last day before the Christmas holidays, and the Great Hall was abuzz. Ostensibly this was because of the train that would take most of the students home tomorrow, but only wet first-years believed this.
The real reason was that James Potter had been complaining all afternoon of a headache. Normally this would hardly be remarkable; indeed it would usually invite speculation that the Marauder had forgotten some inconvenient homework. But James had been genuinely distraught at missing supper, and had dropped some dark hints that something would be happening that night which he was disappointed to miss. News had spread rapidly and attendance at the evening meal was overwhelming.
Supper had begun in earnest and people were beginning to think that it was all a hoax when the doors of the Hall burst open and a cascade of snow flowed in, bathed in red light. As it advanced, the scarlet hue was bright enough to suffuse the entire Hall.
The source of the glow became clear as what appeared to be Santa's sleigh entered the room. It was occupied by Remus and Peter dressed in green as elves, and a jolly, white-bearded Saint Nick whose grey eyes and sharp cheekbones looked rather out of character for the legendary figure.
But the best part was the creature pulling the sleigh. It was clearly supposed to be a reindeer, though any average biology student would have identified it as a normal British stag. Its nose had been enchanted to shine bright red, and its light threw all its surroundings into a deep blush.
But the best was yet to come. Santa Sirius leapt off the sleigh and cut the deer loose. Remus set his wand to play "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and both Sirius and the stag broke into a well-executed tap-dance in tune with the music. The hooves flashed and clattered on the floor in perfect time with the jaunty carol; the horns moving up and down with the notes.
The students of Hogwarts broke into applause as the song ended. The teachers were equally enthusiastic; getting an animal to do that so well was an extraordinary bit of magic. Sirius flourished a bow, as did his noble animal.
Peter ripped open the sack on the sleigh and started distributing its contents of candy canes that flashed different colours. As the excited shouts began, Remus let off a rain of sparkles that momentarily hid the dancing pair; when it faded, they had disappeared.
x
"Well, that was a Christmas in the true Marauder spirit!"
"Excellent work."
"You know, it's bloody hard to fit a full-grown stag under an Invisibility Cloak. You're lucky they didn't spot an exiting pair of hooves."
The friends grinned in delight.
"So, Prongs, you're not going to be complaining that you don't get to transform often enough anymore, are you? After all, you're the dancing star of Hogwarts now!"
"Oh, shut up, Pads. Do you have any idea how hard it is to tap-dance with four feet? It's your turn next time."