AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry, just decided to divide it up into chapters. Hope you all had a happy Christmas and got at least one present that you wanted!
"Mr. Black!" McGonagall called as the last class before the Christmas holidays was dismissed, and the four Marauders turned as one. They all expected James to be called next, and possibly Peter and Remus, but the detentions were not meted out as usual.
"There was a package delivered for you, special delivery, which I had taken to the teachers' lounge," McGonagall explained. "Please follow me."
"Oh!" Sirius exclaimed, remembering and smiling at his friends. "I'll catch up in a minute!"
Following their Head of House into the room, Sirius grinned broadly as he saw the large box at the end of the table, and ran to open it.
"NOT so fast, Mr. Black," McGonagall interrupted. "Do you know why I had it kept here, and not taken to your room?"
"Uh, no," Sirius admitted, furrowing his brows. "Because you wanted a kiss before I left?" he suggested impishly, nodding at the mistletoe that was winding its way around the candelabra. He was rewarded by a slight twitch in the corner of McGonagall's pursed mouth.
"No, Mr. Black, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I was simply concerned since this package," she said, looking down at the box with mixed distaste and suspicion, "was RUSTLING."
"Oh! Well, that's easily explained," Sirius answered, relieved. "It's nothing dangerous, just some Christmas presents for my roommates."
"And these presents would be moving around because...?" she prodded.
Sirius started unwrapping the box, and instinctively McGonagall drew her wand and pointed it at the box, which became invigorated as Sirius untied the string that kept the lid shut.
"Don't worry, Professor, you're gonna LOVE these," he promised as he opened the lid. He looked in to check on his owl-order purchases, counting to make sure they were all there, and McGonagall peered in over his shoulder. She blinked at the sight that greeted her eyes, met Sirius' look of smug satisfaction, and actually started to laugh -- a light, merry, ringing laugh that seemed to bubble up out of her toes.
"Merlin's beard! Of all the things...! Very well, Mr. Black, you may take them to your room. Happy Christmas to you!"
She was still laughing as Sirius left the teachers' lounge and started to make his cumbersome way up the stairs to the Gryffindor tower, holding the large, still-rustling box in his arms.
"Sirius! What in the name of all things magical is THAT?!?" James exclaimed as Sirius pushed the box ahead of him through the portal into the common room.
"This, my friend, is your Christmas present! Help me get it up to our room," he added, panting from the effort it had required to bring it thus far. Between the two of them, with Remus running to open the door and Peter directing them from below, they carried the box up the last flight of stairs to the room the four of them shared.
"Sirius," James said, rather accusingly, "this box is MOVING!"
"Indeed it is, my astute friend!" Sirius beamed. "This is the best Christmas present you'll ever get. Practical as well as pretty! You're all getting a pair of," he opened the lid with a flourish, "Dust Bunny Slippers!!!"
"WHAT?!?" James cried, startled to find a mess of furry creatures inside the box.
"Ohhh, Sirius!" Remus cooed, "They're ADORABLE!"
"I got the pink ones for you, Remus," Sirius grinned, pulling them out. Remus cuddled the little pink rabbits, one in each arm, a look of utter delight brightening his face. James exchanged a look with Peter and shrugged, tacitly acknowledging that Sirius' main objective was to please Remus, and that he had gotten each of them the same thing out of convenience.
"Peter, I got yellow ones for you," Sirius continued, oblivious to James rolling his eyes as he handed Peter his pair, "and James, I got these blue ones for you," dumping the blue pair in his lap, "and for me, well, I HAD to get the black ones!"
"They're wonderful!" Remus said, beaming his pleasure.
"I thought they'd be good company, seeing how you're staying here all holiday," Sirius explained, watching with elation as Remus stroked and petted the pink, lop-eared rabbits in his arms. "Plus, they eat the dust under you bed! They need some lettuce and vegetables, too, occasionally, and you have to make sure they have enough water, but the best part, of course, is that you can wear them and keep your feet warm!"
"OH! Doesn't it hurt them?" Peter asked, watching one of his yellow rabbits hop around the floor.
"Of course not, they couldn't sell them as slippers if you couldn't wear them! See?" Sirius slipped his feet into the openings the rabbits had in their backs, and stood up wearing them. "If you train them, they can even make you hop. They're actually quite hardy."
"Wow, they ARE nice and warm," James admitted, trying on his blue pair. "They're just the thing for coming back from the shower! Thanks, Sirius!"
"Yeah, thanks!" Peter said enthusiastically, one foot covered in yellow fur, and looking under his bed for the other one that had hopped away. "Hey, this one's already eating the dust under here!"
Remus was still unwilling to part with his furry new friends, and cradled them to his chest, giggling as one of them reached up and tickled his chin with its whiskers. "They're perfect," he whispered, and caught Sirius' eye. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it," Sirius murmured, sitting down next to him and looking at the pink bundles that were nosing Remus' robes. "Although," he added, almost as an afterthought, "you COULD thank me by moving closer to the door..."
Remus looked up shyly at the mistletoe hanging from the top of their doorway, then leaned in to plant a kiss squarely on Sirius' lips.
"Happy Christmas!"