JINGLING WITH YETIS

DECEMBER 9 TUESDAY

Since the boys for their disco arrangement had been granted a budget that didn't allow for frivolous spending they decided to take their shopping to Hogsmead's largest second hand, which lied in a large two-story house outside central Hogsmead about 3 floo-stations from the square.

It was dry and stuffy, because it wasn't a very posh second hand but one of those charitable ones that also ran a soup kitchen and donated the surplus to homeless shelters.

Even Remus had come along, normally that wouldn't be weird but he had been in such a hurry all day and although he liked second hands he didn't seem to be very interested in being involved in the committee for he just immediately went off on his own to look at cool boxes. What could possibly live in those? The other boys forgot to look for a disco ball they were so distracted trying to guess, but in the end their best guess was 'some sort of nordic snow imp' and lost interest after that.

"Here are some disco balls" said James. There were three to be precise, of different sizes and all in decent condition and very cheap. He took the largest one, which was larger than a basket ball.

"Here's a crown, only 2,99" said Sirius, himself further down by the jewelry section.

"But look, it's a little broken" James noticed.

"So what, it's just for fun. I need to get out, the stuffy air is killing me"

Sirius put the crown on top of the disco ball and then they were ready to wipe professor McGonagall's special credit card that she used for staff coffee and horse betting when a wizard in slimming mint robes and a pointy elf-type hat as worn by the staff at Bubbles Galore blocked their way. He took the crown from the disco ball.

"I had it first" he said.

"You most certainly did not!" James protested. "You were over there looking at rolling pins!"

"Yes, but before I went to look at rolling pins, I saw the crown and was going to buy it"

James tried to take the crown but the wizard in the pointy elf-type hat would not let go. The crown wasn't even that nice. The paint was flaking in some areas, some rubys were missing and the soft velvet part had been stitched together on the side.

Sirius thought he was really clever when he, armed with a scepter that was part of the same series, whacked the wizard upside the head so he'd let go, but then another wizard with an elf-type hat whacked him upside the head with a rolling pin.

A total of five wizards in mint robes and pointy elf-type hats demanded the crown was given to them now.

"Just leave it" said the leader, thinking that their number would be enough to scare the boys into submission.

"Never!" said James in his usual fearless fashion. He couldn't give up such a crappy crown when it was personal. This was a matter of pride, dammit!

"Hello" said Remus, no longer looking at cool boxes. Now he was looking at the floor, walking slowly and hunched and turning a lot until he lit up again.

"There it is!" he said when he found the thimble. He was just going to stick it in his pockets

, when he, after having lost the thimble so many times, suspected that there was a hole there and kept the ring in his hand instead.

The wizards in the elf-type hats lost interest in the crown instantly.

"Give me the ring" said the leader.

"Ok here" said Remus, actually prepared to oblige to the vastly superior wizards thrice his age.But Sirius wouldn't hear of such nonsense and snagged the ring and ran out of the shop, evil wizards after him like lost hungry wolpertingers.

He ran to the fire-station, floo'd to Hogsmead square and there he thought he might as well go back to Hogwarts, the safest place for powerful items in the world. Then curiosity made itself known and he put it on.

A strange sensation that was hard to discribe filled him. It was as if being on nutmeg times ten but minus the palpitations and headache and with brighter colours. He couldn't tell if it was good or bad, but decided to like it. He was so carried away by the strange feeling he didn't notice the mint robed wizards until a green flash came shooting his way. He didn't even have time to think he was done for when the green flash just came to an abrupt halt and did a complete u-turn and hit the caster instead. While the other mint robed wizards bent over to shake life into their companion in vain, Sirius took off the ring and apparated to the nearest short cut, so lost in thoughts he was on autopilot the entire way to the commonroom. He was just about to go inside the dorm to drop off the ring when Remus shoved him aside and locked himself in. This was starting to become irritating now. It sounded like he was doing some quick and slightly violent tidying up in there.

"Oh... did I lock you out?" he said when he was finished and opened.

"Bla bla hit me with your loveliest excuse and be done with it"

"Ok. I was hiding my porn. People do that, right?"

"We'll I'm happy you've stopped leaving your pins around but how can you be thinking about porn when I nearly died just now?"

"From what?"

"Death" Sirius returned the thimble and went to get his script. "You should wear it all the time"
"I'm going to say something extremely boring and predictable now. There's always a catch. There has to be"

"And I'm going to say something extremely radical and challenging: maybe, just maybe, there isn't"
"Better safe than sorry"

"Better sorry than safe"

James and Peter came in with the disco ball and crown.

"Don't wait up" said James, dumping the stuff on a puddle of sports magazines. "Did you find a cool box?"

"No" said Remus, looking out the window.

"Why don't you just take a regular box and teach snow dancing to a fairy?" Sirius asked.

"What a great idea!"
"My ideas are always great. Anyway bye"

"Wait for me I have to get some film for my camera" said James and came along. During their shared walk Sirius recounted his near-death experience. But instead of taking sides in regards to the thimble, James evaded the subject and was more interested in knowing how everything connected, what the staff from Bubbles Galore wanted with the crown and the ring. He was sure there was a satisfactory explanation to it all, Sirius thought that the existence of an explanation didn't guarantee that they'd get to hear it and then the two parted ways.