Author's Note: Wow, chapter ten, go me! And look. we're halfway through the year. Don't worry, there shouldn't be another ten chapters on first year. Thanks for all of the reviews! Thanks, Damia - Queen of the Gypsi's for pointing out the family history mess up. I'll try and remember it when I have my next annul edit all fics' day. Well, onto the tenth chapter!

P.S: As you saw in the last chapter, this wont remain in all James' point of view. It will switch around whenever necessary. I actually like Remus' point of view right now.

Chapter Ten: Tis the Season

November flew by and in no time it was December, and the Christmas spirit was in the air. Christmas lights popped up all over the castle, and huge evergreen trees lined the walls of the Great Hall.

James had attempted to ask Lily out two more times, and she'd turn him down in a heartbeat each time. She'd claim he was an evil git who just cared about tormenting innocent fellow students' and Quidditch, which was actually true. James would keep score of each game and count down the days to each match. Surprisingly, Hufflepuff was in the lead, and James would curse under his breath each time a team would score opponent of Gryffindor.

December twenty fifth came quick enough, and crystal white snowed covered the Hogwarts lawn.

"Remus, wake up already!" James said impatiently.

Remus had luckily been able to stay over Christmas break with them, obviously he had to fight over it. Two weeks before the Holiday Remus had taken another one of his mysterious trips home, and he had told the others he couldn't stand being around his family any longer. His mother was still ill, and it seemed to the others that his father was dead, and Remus' French aunt had taken over caring for his mother. Apparently, Remus couldn't stand the French side of his family. He had told the guys that most of his cousins were stuck up, and the other half against wizardry.

"Maybe there's a reason why he wants to sleep," Will said grumpily from the other bed, like because you two were up all night.

"Oh yeah, here's your gift," James said, throwing a box towards Will.

"Quills," Will said staring at his rusty gift box, "how thoughtful."

"Oh don't sound so down," James said, "they're those fancy candy quill things that just came out."

"Oh cool!" Will exclaimed as he looked closer at the dull brown quills.

Remus and Peter finally awoke to find presents on their beds, both a rather small pile. All presents were open and the Gryffindors headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. The students spent the rest of the day throwing the ultimate snowball fight: Gryffinor Girls versus Gryffindor boys. It didn't end until dusk when Sirius and James bewitched a dozen snowballs to fly straight at Grace and Lily, who had been their rivals.

"You cheat!" Grace shouted as she shook snow out of her tangly hair.

James and Sirius doubled over in laughed and the four turned and walked into the Great Hall for the Christmas feast. Shouts of "Happy Christmas!" were heard all around as they entered, and it turned out that almost a hundred students had ended up staying.

The feast was delicious, filled with turkey, ham, dressing, and tons of desserts and other foods. The four were stuffed by the time they made it to bed after hours of Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap. Satisfied, they lay down in bed, and for the first time in weeks, the Gryffindors fell asleep as soon as their eyes shut.

Exams were creeping up on the students and the first years in particular were nervous. Peter had been anxiously studying night and day, pouring over notes and nagging Sirius to teach him some last minute spells. James had convinced himself that first year exams were most important, and as long as he did well on them, the next six years should be a breeze. Remus would sit in his claimed spot in the window ceil by the main picture window, which over looked the courtyard and study. He'd sit for hours, pushing his mind to memorize biographies of ancient wizards, spells, charms, and enchantments.

Over Easter break, Remus went home again to visit his mother, and Peter went home because he said his family was currently in an uproar and he needed to be there for "moral support". This left James and Sirius to the dorm, as Will managed to camp out in either the library or common room to study. Luckily for the two Gryffindors, Snape was also staying over.

"Look," James said one day after lunch, "Snivellus left his bag."

"Yeah," Sirius shrugged, "so?"

"Watch," James said with a mischievous grin.

He waited until every last person had left the Great Hall, and James then took a library book on wild herbs, one of which Remus had left in the dorm, and edged over to the Syltherin's table. He carefully picked up Snape's black and green Slytherin book bag, and took out Snape's Defense Against the Dark Arts book. The book was heavier then James had expected, and by opening it, he realized there were some extra pieces of parchment with notes on them scattered about through random pages, which James picked up.

"Whoops," he muttered as he 'accidentally' dropped the parchment on the floor, causing Sirius to let out a bark of laughter which rang through the Great Hall.

James then placed the herb book in the vacant spot of the Defense one. The bag was set back on the long Slytherin bench on the left side of the table. He rushed over to Sirius, and the two ran to hide behind a gargoyle as footsteps were heard from outside the Great Hall.

"Snivellus," Sirius muttered. The two exchanged evil looks as Snape came rushing in.

Snape hurried over to the Slytherin table. The floor creaked as Snape skidded to a stop at the sight of his notes everywhere. He quickly picked up his bag and searched it, throwing materials aimlessly about: quills, torn parchment, and groaned rather loudly when he saw what had happened. He took Remus' book and thrust it across the room, leaving it to land with its cover open near the Ravenclaw table.

"Great," James mumbled, "Remus is gonna kill me."

"Let me have him," Sirius whispered eagerly, and then yelled: "Oy! Snape! Throwing books isn't a very nice thing to do."

"Where's my book?" Snape asked through gritted teeth.

"This book?" James said, leaving his hiding place. He waved the book around for a while, showing Snape he had it. "Go get it. He tossed the book across the room, landing perfectly beside Remus' book. And while you're at it, get the other one too, as you so kindly threw it."

"Potter!" Snape roared.

"That's me," James shrugged, "anything else you wanted? I think there's a few books that need taken care of."

"I don't have to do anything you say," Snape spat, whipping out a wand. He pointed it directly in between James' eyes.

"Is there a problem here?" It was Professor Fitzgerald.

"No sir', Snape sad, shaking his head and putting his wand back into his robes, "my book bag just ripped and Potter seemed oddly interested in my wand."

"Is that so?" Fitzgerald said, eyes narrowing. For a minute it seemed like he would give them a months worth of detention, but instead- "Well then, besides Potter's bleak interest of other's wands, which will not go forgotten, then I see no other problem here. Come with me Snape, let me show you that other book I was telling you about, it will become very helpful for your exams."

With a wave of his wand, all of Snape's school supplies were back in the bag, though it went unnoticed that Remus' book still lay on the ground.

"And I suggest you return Mr. Lupin his book, Black," Fitzgerald said, leading Snape out of the Great Hall.

In his thick black eyes, Sirius looked like he wanted to strangle the professor for assuming it was he who had took the book, but he settled with a muffled "Yes sir".

"I can't believe him!" James said as they switched stairwells to go back up towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I know!" Sirius exclaimed. "He just goes around and assumes I do everything wrong! Of course, I do, but still-"

"Not that," James sighed, his anger soon grew again, "he's helping Snape cheat on exams!"

"Actually," said a stern female, voice behind them, "it's only cheating if a professor gives a pupil the answers, not by helping them with extra study materials."

It was Lily and Skye.

"Ah Lily," James said, his tone quickly changing from angry to that of a romantic, "how about me and you-"

"It's you and I," Lily shot, "and I wont be going any where with you. Ever."

"Have it your way," James shrugged, trying to play it off as casual; but honestly he was getting frustrated with her. What did she have against him?

Exams came a few weeks later, and all students had returned safely from their Easter holiday, well all except one-

"What the heck did you do to yourself?" Sirius asked a very distraught Remus.

Remus had gotten off the train supporting a sprained right wrist with with various cuts on his face, No doubt he was getting peculiar looks from the student body, but especially from his friends.

"Car wreck", Remus said with his eyes to the floor.

"But I thought you said your family-"

"We like to blend in," Remus said a little too quickly. He then moved on and made his way to the library where he kept to himself for the rest of the day.

That night, the night before exams, while Remus was making use of the library, James, Sirius, and Peter were discussing Remus' grand return.

"He's obviously not going home to his sick mother," Sirius said, popping a Berty Botts Every Flavored Bean into his mouth.

"Right," James nodded in agreement, stealing an ice cream flavored jelly bean from Sirius.

"Wait, why not?" Peter asked.

"Because," Sirius said, sighing in annoyance, "he comes home after his little 'trips' looking dead tired. He's never in class the next day, and if his mother was that sick, why not just stay home instead of leaving every few months?"

"Not to mention he looks like he traveled in through the Forbidden Forest each time," James added.

"Yeah," Sirius said, "so we have to figure out what's with him."

"Well wouldn't he tell us if-"

Peter was cut off by the door opening, and to their horror, Remus walked through the door, carrying two books, transfiguration and potions, in his good arm.

"What?" Remus asked, seeing the looks on his friend's faces. Did James get turned down by Lily again?"

"Well actually, he did," Sirius said, interrupting James who had begun talking at the same time.

"That's great then," Remus said, unconcerned.

He let out a loud yawn. There were huge bags under his eyes from lack of sleeping that one wouldn't expect an eleven year old to support. The three exchanged worried looks.

"I'm off to bed," Remus said, casting a glance at the other's looks, "good night."

"Good night," they echoed back.

They decided to drop the subject for the moment and went back to worrying about exams.

When exam week came, it turned out to be not as bad as James expected. In transfiguration, the test consisted of a written portion and a practical portion. They then had to successfully turn a piece of parchment into a quill. Sirius, James, and Remus peformed this perfectly, though Peter's quill was still a rough color of kaki.

Charms and potions, unexpectingly, were also easy, for all they had to do were perform a few charms and make a few potions, which they all did successfully, save Peter whose potion had turned an odd purple color instead of a bright green.

Defense was easy enough, but Sirius and James' hatred towards Professor Fiztgerald didn't help. They had to perform a perfect Expelleraumus spell, and Fitzgerald said he didn't care if most students couldn't until second year. Sirius and Remus could do it perfectly, but James had been so focused on how much he couldn't stand the professor, and his hatred towards Snape, that he had made his dummy explode instead of throwing it backwards.

"Tsk tsk Potter," Fitzgerald said, clicking his tongue mockingly, "and I thought you were talented at this kind of thing."

This put James in a very foul mood for the next week, and the only one who could top him was Peter, who was very discouraged at performing poorly on all exams. It wasn't before long, though, that they were packing to go home.

"Great," Sirius said, "another two months of them."

"Don't worry," James laughed, "maybe we can come kidnap' you."

"Great!" Sirius said, excited. "Can you break a window or do I need to do it for you?"

Peter was also in dismay, for he was looking back at the castle as though it were the last time he'd ever see it again.

"Don't worry mate," Sirius said cheerfully, "Dumbledore'll make sure you pass. If not, we can always sneak you in."

The train ride passed by far too quickly for most of the students liking, and they were soon passing through the barrier, back into the Muggle world.

Author's Note: Yay! I finished first year! Wow, that was longer then I expected! Not that long, but I thought I was only going to get through three pages. You're are lucky this got up tonight (morning really, as it's 3:05), due to some storms. The weather people had me worried to death acting like we were having a tornado, though all that really happened was a bunch of lighting, and I didn't feel like being killed while writing fan fiction. So, please make me happy again and review!