Another chapter for my faithful readers. Thanks a bunch, just remember I own nothing. Edited 6/12

A Present from the Past

It was Christmas Day, two days after the ball and my strange feelings towards Sirius. Christmas at the Burrow would be the first time I had seen him since that night.

I was slightly nervous, wondering what my reaction to him would be. It was quite annoying not to know how you were going to feel about something.

I had woken up that morning, with no gifts under the tree besides the ones I would be bringing to the Burrow. After 3 Christmases you would think I would be used to it, but the day only served to remind me of all the people who were no longer with me. I tried not to dwell on that, but it was hard waking up alone on Christmas morning when I was so used to the loud voices of my family filling up the rooms.

Both Ginny and Hermione invited me to spend the night at their house, but I felt like I might be an emotional wreck and so I declined. Jen and Charlie were staying at the burrow at Molly's insistence, not that they were particularly happy about that arrangement. Molly Weasley was very old fashioned and that meant separate bedrooms for the unmarried couple.

No doubt Sirius spent his Christmas Eve in the arms of at least one lonely girl, if not more. Looks like it was just going to be me, myself and I until later that day. I did have a few things to do to occupy myself though; I had promised to make a carrot cake from scratch for desert, so that would take a while and I still had Sirius' gift to wrap.

I had just got it the day before. I had asked him weeks ago what he wanted, but he didn't know so I really had no idea what to get him. On Christmas Eve I was still clueless, and had begun to panic. I had found nothing in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, so I had wandered down to Camden Town, when I spotted something I knew would be perfect for him in this vintage shop.

It was this really awesome black leather jacket that I knew he would love. He had told me about the one he had before he had gone to Azkaban, and how much he loved that thing.

"I would ride around the countryside on my motorcycle, with my leather jacket, driving the all the girls wild." Were his exact words and while he had gotten a new motorcycle he still had no jacket. The bloody thing was 200 pounds but I felt like it was worth it.

I had bought this really cool paper to wrap all my gifts in; it was red and green with Santa and his reindeer flying across. Literally flying across it, oh magic how useful you are. So I wrapped the jacket and wrote on the card.

To Sirius: I saw this and thought of you, Hope it cam replace the one you lost. Love, Colleen

Now to bake the cake, I baked it from scratch and did it the muggle way, peeling and grating the carrots myself, I swear it tasted better that way. I could never get my food to taste right with magic, it was terribly inconvenient and stupid, I could vanquish evil wizards but I couldn't bake a flipping cake?

Three hours later the cake was baked and iced and I had all the gifts in a bag and was ready to go at 5:00. I flooed to the Burrow and found everyone but Sirius, Ron, Hermione and their kids already there.

Jen ran over to me and dragged me over to the Christmas tree away from everyone else.

"That woman is driving me fucking insane." She whispered to me referring to Molly. "I cannot believe how controlling the bitch is, we can't even sleep together. I'm 26 years old, this is fucking ridiculous."

Poor Jen, she never caught a break. I laughed at her.

"At least you're not staying very long, you're leaving in two days right." I did feel bad for her I was not the biggest fan of Molly either, and I knew she and Jen didn't really get along.

"Yes, thank fucking god" she replied. Did I mention we suspect Jen was a pirate in a past life, hence the colorful language.

Just then I heard Sirius pop in and announce himself by a chorus of "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs", He was so goofy sometimes.

I smiled to myself as he finished the song in a deep baritone voice and Molly yelled for everyone to come into the kitchen to eat.

"Your lovers here" Jen smirked at me.

What? How did she know I liked him? Damn it. Leave it to your best friend to figure out your deepest darkest secrets.

"Jen, shut up!" I yelled at her in a hushed voice.

"You don't think anyone else knows do you?" I would be completely mortified if they did. The man was way out of my league.

"No, it's obvious to me but I don't think anyone else can tell." She said.

"You know I actually like him for you." She told me in a whisper. I was surprised she never liked the guys I dated or crushed on, she was very much like Sirius in that aspect.

As we entered the kitchen and Jen went to sit next to Charlie, who unfortunately was also sitting next to Molly. She gave me an annoyed look and I shrugged slightly.

Hermione, Ron and the kids had arrived as well and everyone began to crowd around the table and eat. It was definitely and English Christmas dinner, with a roast goose, parsnips and figgy pudding among other things. I sat next to Sirius as we were the only two single people in the house.

He looked very good in black pants and a red button down shirt in which he rolled up the sleeves and left the top buttons undone. I found the same ridiculous feelings I had at the ball coming up again.

"Happy Christmas darling" he said to me as I sat down "I found you the perfect gift by the way, but I can't give it to you in front of everyone. So there is a necklace under the tree, so as not to raise suspicions."

I could only imagine what he thought the perfect gift was. I was sure it wasn't good if no one else was allowed to see it.

"Can't wait" I told him scrunching up my nose.

Dinner passed fairly uneventfully with the exception of Mrs. Weasley's snarky side comments to Jen, I was proud of her for not flipping out on the woman, and Al dumping his pudding over his own head. Everyone was most excited for presents, even me. Presents made it feel like Christmas, even if I only got one.

I had to go to the bathroom, so I walked into the living a little after everyone else, as did Sirius who had been fixing himself a drink in the kitchen. This was both fortunate and unfortunate because as we entered the room, we both walked under a sprig of mistletoe at the exact same time. I would have normally just ignored this but Jen opened her big mouth, the traitor.

"Oh, looked who walked under the mistletoe" she shouted.

I gave her a death glare but she just looked amused. Everyone turned to see. I grew red with embarrassment but Sirius looked at me and shrugged and went in for the kill. It was just a peck on the lips but it made me feel like I was dying. I wanted nothing more than him to really kiss me, right there in front of everyone. How was I supposed to date Robert if I had these crazy feelings going on?

"That wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't know where your mouth has been" I said referring to his hussies.

He let out a short bark like laugh and smacked me on the butt before sitting himself down on the floor. What was this man doing to me?

As I sat down on the sofa in the sitting room and gathered our gifts I noticed I had quite a collection. "Not a bad haul this year" I thought to myself. Obviously the children opened first as they were the most eager to find out what Father Christmas had brought them.

They found it very amusing that Jen and I called him Santa Claus. Possibly the most exciting thing about being a witch was finding out that Santa was real, so he only delivered to witches and wizards, I could have cared less, I was just stoked that my childhood had not been a lie.

I had gotten the kids some really cool toys and for Teddy who was older and a marauder second generation, a two way mirror that I had found in Diagon Alley. All of them were terribly excited with their gifts and ran off to test them out as soon as they were out of the paper.

Molly Weasley knitted all of us, even Jen, her famous sweaters. I had gotten a book on ancient magic, from Hermione and Ron, and the new cauldron I had desperately needed but never got around to buying from the Potters.

Jen and Charlie gave me an adorable little owl, as the one I had was getting much too old to carry letters and had to be kept just as a pet, I named him Chupicabra, and of course from Sirius the necklace. It really was more of a choker, with strands of pearls and a large pink stone in the middle, and I loved it.

"Thank you, Sirius I love it, it's not cursed is it?" I asked him.

He would do that to me. But he didn't answer me and I noticed he had my gift for him in his lap and wore a curious expression on his face.

"Where did you get this?" he asked me. I was afraid he didn't like it and I was a little upset.

"A vintage shop in Camden town, if you don't like it you can take it back, I don't mind." I said hurriedly and slightly embarrassed. I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought.

"What? No, it's perfect" He reassured me. "It's just that this is my jacket; it doesn't need to replace the one I lost because it is the exact one I lost. Look my initials are sewn on the inside" he showed me the lining.

It did have his initials. I was an awesome gift giver I decided; and wondered how I managed to find him that jacket?

"Thank you darling" he said and kissed me on my cheek. He had to do that didn't he? And go getting my heart all a flutter again. Jen gave me a look as he did this and I smiled and looked down, as I felt my face get flushed.

After presents it was quite late so we all decided to have a night cap before heading off. Egg Nog with firewhiskey, not my choice drink; but festive none the less.

"Happy Christmas!" Arthur Weasley toasted.

"Merry Christmas" we raised our glasses and downed our drinks.

Most of the children were very sleepy and had to be carried home in the arms of their parents. I bid everyone goodbye, but Sirius and I were the last to leave.

"Come with me, your gift is at my house" he instructed me. I was worried about this gift, because I could not even fathom what it was.

We both apparated into his living room and he went over to his humungous Christmas tree that we had decorated with the gaudiest things we could find and pulled out a small wrapped box from underneath.

He handed it to me laughing, and I gave him a suspicious look.

"Do I even want to know?" I asked. What could this gift possibly be?

"Oh, yes you do, you'll love it." He responded with a loud laugh. Christ.

As I opened the package I laughed out loud

"Seriously, this is what you thought would be the perfect gift?" I asked him as I held a pink vibrator in my hand. He would get me a sex toy.

"Yes, it is. Zabini's long gone and since you always turn down my offers…" he said suggestively.

"Ah, but how do you know I'm turning down everyone else's offers?" I asked him and raising my eyebrow.

"I would take it as a personal offense, if you kept refusing me, and ran around with all those other bastards. They only want one thing you know." he said knowingly.

"As opposed to you?" I retorted.

"I want much more than one thing" he winked at me.

God, he was hot. If only I thought his offers were sincere. I had a quick flash of the things he would want to do, but pulled my head out of the gutter before he suspected anything.

"Besides this is the gift that keeps on giving, and you'll need it if you are seriously going to date that Cavanaugh boy, I doubt he can even get it up."

Sirius never liked my dates, just like Jen. I was sometimes surprised that those two hadn't hit it off. But I suppose they were too similar to really be able to like each other.

"You never like my boyfriends." I reminded him.

"You pick really terrible people to date, Darling" He replied.

This was the truth and I couldn't deny it.

I shook my head at him and called him a smarmy old pervert. He laughed at my comment and offered me a drink. I said "of course" and we went down to the kitchen.

"So how did you come across that jacket anyway?" he asked me referring to his gift.

"I don't know, I couldn't find anything that I liked for you and yesterday I went to Camden Town and saw it in the window and thought of you." I explained.

It was very strange that I would be drawn to that jacket, but I guess somehow I knew it was his.

"Well I'm glad you found it, I was quite shocked when I opened the package, but I feel like myself again with it" he told me.

"I'm glad" I told him sincerely.

I was getting very sleepy, so I finished my drink before hugging him goodbye

"Thank you for the gifts, all of them" I said holding up the package in my hand.

"Anytime darling" he responded before I apparated home.

It certainly was an interesting Christmas.

Thanks for reading!