I still don't own Harry Potter- it's quite a disappointment to wake up and not see millions in my bank account, but alas I live on. Happy Reading.

15 December, 1971

Hogwarts Express

Classes flew by and soon the students found themselves on the train home, yet again, for Christmas holiday. Once James and Sirius had overcome their embarrassment, they begrudgingly commended Mina on her pranking masterpiece. They were not quite ready to bring her back into the marauder's fold, but they were more than comfortable to pester her to no end with questions as to how she pulled off a prank of such epic scale- however- they found her lips sealed on the manner. They reluctantly let the topic slide, but they were merely biding their time until she was in a more giving mood.

Currently, Mina was seated in a compartment with her colorful array of friends who were all chatting merrily about the upcoming break and various Hogwarts gossip. She couldn't help but look over her carefully cultivated group and smile. Severus- while far from sociable- was occasionally adding snarky quips to the conversation Lily was having with Alice. Alice was still shy, but slowly emerging from her shell- hopefully enough to talk to Frank in the coming years. Lily was her usual bubbly self, and she brought together the highly intellectual students and the fun loving students. Janice had gone off somewhere, so Darlene and Pandora were quietly chatting about their favorite authors. All the while, Mina quietly observed her budding friends from the quick glances she took from the top of her book.

The book she was reading was a disguised book on advanced Arithmancy. At the moment, Mina's current project was figuring out how to modify her time turner to take her forward in time- not to get back to her original time, but to get back from warning Dumbledore of her arrival in 1970. It was looking to be an enormous task that would likely take her years- a thought that both excited her and overwhelmed her.

"Mina?" asked a voice that popped through her unwavering attention to her reading.

She looked over the top of her book to see every head in the compartment turned in her direction.

"Yeah?" She looked around, confused as to who the voice had originated from.

It turned out to be Jamie's head peeking in the compartment door.

"You'd be okay with Sirius, Remus, and Peter coming over for the summer for a bit, right? I forgot to ask."

"Sure. Mum agreed to let me go to Lily and Pandora's houses, so I might not be there anyway."

James grimaced as soon as he realized that Lily's also meant visiting his self-proclaimed enemy- Snape. He couldn't stay upset for more than a fraction of a second, because her response meant his best friends would be visiting. He, however, didn't miss the opportunity to shoot a glare at Severus before closing the door and scampering off to his friends.

"What happened to that sweet brother you talked about our first train ride?" Lily asked- a frown marring her usually perky face.

Mina sighed. This was not the first time she had heard that question. Her response stayed the same. "I don't know why he acts the way he does at Hogwarts -or why he took an usual dislike to Severus."

"Have you tried telling your mum about how he's acting? His pranks are fairly harmless, but the marauders have a weird hatred of Slytherin," Darlene chipped in.

"Why don't you just ask him?" Severus drawled as if he was bored, though Mina had gotten to know him well enough to know that his 'bored' voice usually meant he was interested but didn't want anyone to think less of him for it- or he was just being a cocky bastard.

"I haven't asked him directly because I don't want the confrontation in a place where he can simmer on it. At home, mum will mediate and make sure he doesn't become a complete arse. I haven't told her because I need his trust. I'll see how talking to him myself goes," Mina explained.

"It's probably not James," Pandora spoke, her voice taking an airy tone that attempted to disguise the piercing truth of her words. "He is influenced by Black, and Sirius resents his family- who were Slytherins- for their actions. So, he probably takes out his frustrations on the Slytherins, and James follows because he wants to keep Sirius' friendship."

Every face in the compartment- save one- was that of awe-inspired revelation.

"I refuse to have sympathy for either one of them," Severus sneered.

Mina butted in to calm him down. "I think Pandora was giving us an explanation rather than a reason to permit their actions. It doesn't make what they're doing right, it just gives us an insight to be able to change their minds," she explained with a smile.

Severus gave her a warily look, before resigning with a sigh and slouching back into his seat.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Mina grinned and joked, "Either way, Severus, when I visit Lily we will plan pranks. After all, we can't let their egos get too big, can we?"

His smirk told her that she had succeeded- both in lifting the depressing air and in giving Severus a better childhood.

~oo00oo~

"I can't articulate just how I missed you both," Euphemia murmured in the ears of both of her children while holding them in a tight embrace. "Letters cannot fill the void left by your boisterous personalities."

"We missed you too, mum," Mina whispered back, her heart with the familiar comfort of motherly love.

"Well, no one asked me, but I missed you both as well," Fleamont grumbled jokingly.

The twins detached themselves from their mother, then bounded into the knobbly arms of their eccentric father. He chuckled good-naturedly at their childish antics while giving them a tight hug. Mischievously he whispered, "You may be able to convince your mother to cook her famous beef stew if you pout well enough" into James' ear, which caused the boy to break out into a wide grin.

Mina was amazed to see that in no time at all, the Potter family was back to their normal antics. It was as if no time had passed. James was pulling Mina into his shenanigans while both Euphemia and Fleamont watched with fondness and caution. Before they had even gotten home, James had already convinced Mina to say the floo address in French to see if it would work the same- luckily it did.

Their feet had barely touched the marble of the Potter's fireplace when Pimsy launched herself at the children. "Pimsy has missed young master and mistress," the elf gasped between sniffles. "There was so little to clean," she whined pitifully.

Euphemia, who stepped in right behind the children, let out a tinkling laugh and assured the distraught house elf that Mina and James would come up with more than enough messes for the house elf to clean. Pimsy brightened with the reassuring words, and began shouting out orders to the children. "Pimsy takes trunks. Young ones go to kitchen to have treat. Master needs to take his joint potion. Pimsy sat out articles Mistress wanted on her reading table."

"Thank you, Pimsy!" Mina and James exclaimed at the same time before racing each other to the kitchens in hunt for homemade treats.

Euphemia looked over at her husband with a timeless affection, taking his boney hand in her own. "I love you, darling."

"I love you as well, my sweet."

~oo00oo~

20 December, 1971

Potter Manor

"Pimsy? Lily says we're going to make Christmas biscuits today. Do we have any sugar? They're out" Mina called out as she packed her day bag. Euphemia had made a rule that the first five days of vacation, Christmas day, and the last two days of holiday were family only days, so Mina and James were both preparing for their day with their friends. James spent the morning making his room look like a proper teenage mess, and Mina packed her bag to spend the next few nights at Lily's.

Sirius had arrived at eight- sharp, with a wild gleam in his eyes that said he did something to piss off his parents before he left. If his expression wasn't a dead giveaway, the bruise forming on his jaw would say it all. Euphemia and Mina shared a silent conversation in a glance. They didn't mention the bruise, but they offered to let Sirius stay for as long as he wished. Pimsy put bruise cream in the guest beside table. Everyone knew there was nothing by law they could do, but Euphemia would use her charismatic personality to convince Walburga to let Sirius stay longer.

"Mina?" Sirius voice called into her room hesitantly.

Mina was sure she looked like a right mess with her hair in an un-brushed tangle around her ears, her clothes strewn over her bed, and her pajama bottoms still on, but she waved him in anyway. They were eleven, so no one would throw a fit about impropriety before they had even hit puberty. He seemed uncomfortable- shifting from one foot to another while staring intently at his hands.

"Sirius, is everything alright?" she questioned gently while still folding her clothes neatly.

A raging debate played behind his silver eyes-his eyes flickering between wariness and stormy sadness- and she could see the moment when his eyes solidified into resolution.

"Why are you friends with Snape?"

Mina was shocked by his blurted question. She had planned to have "the Slytherin conversation" with Jamie, but she wasn't prepared for Sirius. The surprise threw her off, and she took a minute to collect her thoughts. This conversation may change the timeline, so she needed to be careful.

Carefully, she began explaining. "Severus is my friend because he has shown me nothing but kindness, and I never had a reason to be anything less than kind in return. I know that Slytherin prejudice is common in Gryffindor, but I met him before we were sorted, and I don't see why an old hat should decide who I can friends with. As long as he is nice to me, I will keep his company." She specifically did not accuse Sirius of anything as putting him on the defensive would not help him understand her point.

"But his friends in Slytherin aren't nice," Sirius pushed.

Mina was already prepared for the topic, so she immediately replied, "Well, he does have to have friends in his own house unless he wants to be picked on even more relentlessly and be wary of sleeping. I don't like his friends, but I know that he doesn't believe in the same things they do, it's just a survival tactic."

"A lot of them have blood prejudice."

Hermione sighed. "I know."

"You don't care?" he asked with curiosity and a bit of anger.

Hermione redirected him. "I don't support blood prejudice, and I know Severus doesn't either. However, I can't change the minds of his other friends. He needs to have those friends, so while I don't like them, I understand why he hangs out with them."

"You're not friends with any of the other Slytherins."

"They haven't been nice to me," she replied simply.

He seemed to accept what she said contemplatively. All Mina could hope is that he could see past his prejudice and not be a bully this time around.

"Well," Mina began- interrupting his thoughts, "I have to get mum. She's going to apparate me to Lily's. If you want, we can talk more when I get back."

He gave her a small smile and replied, "That would be nice. Have fun." Then retreated back to Jamie's room to focus on simpler things: like Quidditch and chocolate frog cards.

~oo00oo~

20 December, 1971

Evan's Household- Lily's Bedroom

"Sev will be over in a couple of minutes. We're going to bake some cookies, then dad is going to take us to see a film," Lily announce while she gave Mina the grand tour of her house. The Evans lived in a brick A-frame on a nice street. Their house wasn't immaculate- it was a untidy in a charming, lived-in sort of way. They looked like the epitome of middle class. Both Petunia and Lily had their own room- though they were small. Lily's room was painted pastel pink. Her narrow bed was pushed against the wall to make room for a nice white, wooden desk and bookcase. Her Hogwarts trunk sat at the foot of her bed with a couple of cuddly toys stacked on top of it. Books were piled everywhere. It reminded Mina of her childhood bedroom.

Lily plopped down onto her bed with the grace of newborn hippopotamus. Tucking her feet underneath herself, she turned to Mina with her best gossip face. "So let's talk boys," Lily gibbered. "You're uncommonly good at avoiding the topic, but now that I have you cornered, I've been dying to ask: What's going on with you and Black?"

Harry's- rather Lily's- piercing emerald eyes were daring her to lie. Mina's mind raced to distract the girl- she really didn't want to talk about eleven year old hormones. Thankfully, her savior came in the form of a sulking teenage boy scurrying in the room.

Severus Snape was a thin man in his later life, but he was exceptionally small as an eleven year old. He was visibly malnourished- his skin was sallow and thin, and his clothes hung off of him as if he was a wire hanger. His black locks hung dull and lifeless in greasy, uncleaned clumps, and the dingy tinge to his baggy trousers and off-white jumper spoke volumes for his access to proper wash. Mina was willing to bet her entire Gringotts vault that beneath his too-large clothing were a few bruises.

While another person may have looked upon the distressed boy with pity, Mina's heart filled with admiration: he survived decades of abuse and managed to become stronger. While he certainly wasn't the most pleasant person to keep company with, he was quick witted and deeply devoted to those that showed him love. Mina hoped that she could change his life for the better.

"Can you tell your father that I really don't want to learn rugby?" Severus groaned as he settled himself next to Lily on her twin bed. Lily giggled prettily, and they fell into an obviously comfortable routine. Severus laid his head in her lap and she brushed through his hair with a special comb that she had on her bedside. Severus' eyes were closed, and Mina wasn't entirely sure he realized that she was there until he cracked open an eye and smirked. "Don't let me interrupt you two. Go on and keep chatting about frivolous girly things."

Mina humphed, but Lily looked at her expectantly. She should have known that Severus wouldn't save her from Lily's curiosity, he could never deny the girl a damn thing. Mina groaned again, but Lily's attention did not waver, so she begrudgingly told her friends about her feelings for Sirius.

Lily held onto the subject long enough that they were still talking about Sirius while they were baking- much to Severus' displeasure. Mina would cast occasional glares at him when Lily wasn't looking. After thirty minutes of hearing about Black and sitting through Mina's embarrassment, he finally mouthed "I'm sorry".

"So, basically you like him in those rare moments he's being mature, but you wouldn't consider going out with him until he's at least seventeen?" Lily asked incredulously. Batter was stuck in her hair and on her nose, and she hadn't noticed Severus lightly sprinkling flour on the back of her head . Overall, it was a picture that was hard to take seriously.

Hermione fought back giggles and replied with a short, "yes."

Lily rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed. "I'll never understand you, Mina Potter."

Severus saw his opening, and despite the cookie dough filling his mouth, he butted in, "So, you promised pranks, and I'm collecting."

That was enough to have Lily ranting about "Mina's arrogant toerag of a twin" and the marauder's antics. Severus happily joined in with his own imaginative punishments, and the friends chatted about anything and everything until Lily's father popped in to take them to the film. They saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory which sparked more pranking ideas which they jittered about into the night.

"Maybe I'll turn Potter into a blueberry!" Lily grinned wickedly at the thought.

Severus looked at the alarm clock on Lily's bedside and let out a distressed sigh- his sadness at the time overcoming the tantalizing thought of James Potter in blueberry form. "I have to go home," he mumbled and reluctantly pulled himself from the safety and comfort of Lily's bedroom floor.

Mina could see the pained look on Lily's face as she knew perfectly well what Severus was going home to, so Mina spoke up. "Lily, do you think your parents would be okay with a sleepover? I don't want to presume, but it's dark, and if Sev slept on the couch, we could have a bit more time to research spells that could turn a person into fruit," Mina offered innocently. Severus' eyes darted to her's suspiciously; he knew what she was doing, but he wouldn't object to her saving him.

Lily's face sparked with mischief, and she shot up from her bed and ran downstairs shouting, "Mum! Mum! Can Sev sleep over?"

The soft murmurs of discussion from downstairs nearly drowned out Severus' soft 'Thank you'.

Mina smiled gently, then let the matter go, pulling Severus into a discussion about Potions- his favorite subject. He fell into easy conversation about the properties of aconite with only a slight twinkle in his eye showing his gratitude. Lily came back later to cheerfully show Severus to his pull out bed and pajamas- curtesy of her father's closet. The three friends stayed up talking and playing board games until Lily's mother forcibly turned off the lights.

This reoccured for three consecutive nights, each one happier than the last, until Mina went back to Potter Manor for Christmas Eve.

~oo00oo~

24 December, 1971

Potter Manor

"Minie!" James squealed barreling toward his twin at a sprint. He had been about to go outside to play Quidditch with Sirius and Remus when the fire whooshed green and his favorite-and only- sister walked through.

Mina's bags were tossed to the ground, and her brother taken up in her arms. She had never fully understood George's emptiness after losing Fred, but holding her twin and knowing that in her time, he was gone, filled her with all-consuming grief and left her lost. That was why she clung to him no matter the thoughts of their friends. She had missed him dearly despite being away for a mere four days.

Sirius snorted when James pulled away from Mina, and surprisingly James' response was a simple, "bugger off." To which Pimsy popped into the room, flicked Jamie on the ear, and scolded, "No rudeness, Young Master.," then, promptly popped away. The scene was so absurd, Mina melted into a puddle of giggles. Though, she did managed to sputter out, "I love you too, Jamie."

Despite the odds looks Sirius and Remus were giving them, James and Mina pretended not to notice and headed for the backyard.

"Now that you're here, we can have teams!" Jamie yammered on his way to the broomshed. "The twin chasers are back again!"

"No no no. It's James and Remus against Mina and me. There is no way you both are playing together," Sirius butted in pulling his broom from its holder on the wall.

In the end, James convinced Sirius that it wouldn't be fun if the 'twin chasers' were split up, because they knew how each other played so well. This logic also lead to Mina and James winning by a landslide against the other two boys with Sirius grumbling, "Next time, you're splitting up."

The rest of the afternoon was spent warming themselves by the drawing room fire place from near-hypothermia and sharing stories. James had touted to his other friends that Mina was 'the best story-teller', and when Sirius rolled his eyes at the notion, she found herself pushed into the spotlight by her brother's insistence that Sirius was wrong. "Tell them about the break from Gringotts!" James encouraged.

Mina sighed and looked around, but saw no alternative, so she began telling Harry's future dad, godfather, and teacher about the time 'the Golden Trio' trouped in and out of the most secure bank in the world. Despite Sirius' earlier nonchalance, he found himself enraptured by a story so vivid that he had to ponder if an eleven year old girl could have lived it. He- thankfully- reached the conclusion that no, Mina could not have broken out of Gringotts at the mere age of eleven, but the story set the stage for a tradition of many years. After Mina had finished her story, the boys asked for more, but she said no- they would get another story next year.

~oo00oo~

Christmas Day, 1971

Potter Manor

Mina was up with the sun. Not even twenty one years of age, fighting in a war, time traveling back twenty seven years, and de-aging herself into a child could squash the child-like excitement she felt for Christmas. There was snow on the ground, a snuggly warm fire lit, and the faintest smell of Pimsy's Christmas biscuits. The only thing missing was Jamie- who promptly barged into the room upon her very thought.

"Good! You're up!" He beamed, plunking himself down onto her bed and snuggling under the covers until all but his messy head was visible. "This year," he said, self-indulging anticipation lighting his hazel eyes, "We get presents from our friends and mum and dad."

Sirius and Remus had both left the day before to spend time with their families. The fear and dread in Sirius' eyes had been too much for Mina to handle, so she ran back to her room with a quick 'goodbye' and plotted ways to rid him of his parents. Those ideas lay in a warded notebook in her top desk drawer. Her plans ranged from creative- yet improbable to risky- but doable. For the time being, she planned on talking with Euphemia about convincing Walburga that Sirius should stay at the Potter's for the majority of his breaks.

"I hate that Pimsy doesn't let us have our presents until eight," James grumbled, his body vibrating with energy despite the dopy, comfortable look on his face.

"You know what we can do?" Mina hinted slyly. James' head shot up, mischief and hope in his eyes. "We could do some creative redecorating."

"We can't use our wands," Jamie sighed, his mood deflating back into his jittery 'pre-Christmas' slump.

"We don't need wands," Mina declared, pulling herself out of her warm covers. Jamie's eyes followed her movements suspiciously- he wasn't entirely sure of her argument. Putting on her slippers and house coat, she added, "Plus, anything we can't do, Pimsy can."

In typical wizarding fashion, James had forgotten about the powerful magic that the house elves possessed. His awkward, lanky body scrambled out of bed, kicking her bedding into a wad, and promptly falling into a heap on the floor. Mina tried to contain her laughter, but James' disgruntled huff was the last push to melt her into a puddle of giggles.

"You...You...," Mina sputtered, but was overtaken by another wave of mirth. James glared at her, but his eyes held no heat. He slowly detangled himself from the sheet viper that wrapped around his leg and made his way over to his incapacitated sister. Mina dried her tears, then took his outstretched hand which promptly drug her toward the front sitting room.

~oo00oo~

By the time Fleamont and Euphemia had wandered in from their quarters at a quarter to eight, they found their children in the most precarious situation. James was holding Mina's feet as she wrapped a brilliant gold ribbon around the chandelier and Pimsy was standing beside the two using magic to stabilize Mina and to charm the ribbon so that it would intermittently release golden sparks. James was complaining that Mina was too heavy, Mina was humming a tune happily, and Pimsy was grinning as if she had won the World Cup.

When the trio was finished and Mina was safely on the ground, they finally noticed the elderly parents in the room, and their reactions were the best Christmas present a parent could receive. Pimsy squeaked in fright and popped away. Mina looked vaguely guilty, and James smiled innocently.

Fleamont broke the silence first with a joke. "Is it too much to hope that you two will sleep until eight?"

Mina smirked and cheekily replied, "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed."(*)

Fleamont chuckled heartily, then engulfed his two children in a warm hug. "Merry Christmas. Just don't burn down the house. Your mother is rather fond of it," the elder man whispered conspiratorially, winking at his wife.

"We can't promise that," James stage whispered, also glancing toward his mother's amused expression.

The family then proceeded to open their piles of presents. Pimsy brought in the presents Mina and James had received from their friends plus her own present for the children. They both tore into Pimsy's present first. Both Mina and James found a large scarf made with yarn matching their Hogwarts houses, the difference from the scarves the other children wore was in the small knitted Potter crests decorating the bottom edges of the scarves. In return Mina and James gave Pimsy a joint gift which she opened with trembling hands and tears in her eyes. The little elf delicately pulled the wrapping back from large hand carved wooden box that held a new pair of knitting needles and plenty of room for yarn.

"Young Masters are too kind," Pimsy sniffled before grabbing the twins into a fierce hug.

"We love you, Pimsy," Mina murmured into the elf's large ear.

As quick as the moment came, it ended with Pimsy muttering about many things to do and popping away with her knitting box.

The twins received loads of Honeydukes candy from their friends, Quidditch supplies for James, and books for Mina, but a few gifts in particular stood out among the others.

One of the presents to the twins from their parents was a pair of Quidditch jerseys, but they weren't for the twins, but rather a Ravenclaw jersey for Euphemia and a Gryffindor jersey for Fleamont. The jerseys came with a promise to come see at least one game a season. The sentiment wasn't lost on either of the kids as they gazed up at their parents with adoration and thanked them whole heartily.

James, unbeknownst to anyone else, had sent Lily a written proposal and a silver and ruby ring to match. Luckily, Lily sent the ring back with a well worded note to both James and his parents. James turned faintly pink at the words 'arrogant toerag' and 'insolent flobberworm'. Euphemia gave Mina a quick glance and at Mina's reassuring nod, the older woman calmed down marginally. A family talk followed immediately about how to properly court a witch. "You can't just send her family heirlooms, James," Fleamont reprimanded sternly.

The final surprise was Mina's gift from Sirius. Thinking it was just another box of sugar quills, she tore into the package only to gasp at what was underneath the paper. It was a black dog cuddly toy with a little note buried beside it. The note read: For bad dreams -Sirius Black. Mina buried her face in the soft fur to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Very few people had ever taken the effort to comfort her during her nightmares, and it meant the world to her that he cared.

The rest of the evening enjoying time together as a family. Fleamont and Mina played chess, and Mina would have lost terribly if it wasn't for the near silent whisperings of Euphemia. James and Mina showed their parents the full modifications they had made earlier- which included a tickling garland and lights around all of the portraits who seemed faintly amused with the twinkling lights. The night was concluded with Fleamont leading the family in off-tune Christmas carols as they sat by the fire with mugs of cider.

When they had finally made it to bed, Mina slept peacefully: her soft puppy wrapped in her arms.

(*quote from Alexander Pope).

I know it has been entirely too long since I have posted. I've been in a bit of a writer's slump. I will endeavor to post more frequently now that I'm in the States and no hurricanes are actively hitting me. However, as much as I like to update often, I would rather wait and write quality chapters that I can be proud of.

Like always, please review with comments, critiques, and criticisms. Believe it or not, I like hearing what I am not getting right- it helps me improve.

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and you all are safe.