By the time the girls had finished their shopping, they were practically exhausted.
Hermione had bought 5 beautiful journals to distribute between herself and the marauders for their Christmas's presents. She'd also taken the liberty of getting illustrations of a stag, rat, wolf and dog on their covers and a lioness on her own. Her Patronus had changed since she'd moved times, Hermione had checked one night in the deserted library. But the journals had such magic that when one wrote in their own, the words showed up on each of the others. She thought it would be perfect for their mischief and for her to keep an eye on them.
For Lily, Hermione had bought a necklace that truly changed colour and appearance with her mood, unlike the muggle trinkets. For Alice, Artemis and Trixie, she got them friendship bracelets with the same colours but different styles. They let you know if one of the wearers needed you.
Seeing as they were resting, the girls decided to take a break and have ice cream. Florean was courteous as ever, and gave them the newest flavour (apple crumble) with a few Knuts off.
"Arty, that boys staring a whole into the back of your head!" Trixie exclaimed.
"Like I said before Trix I'm not interested" Artemis replied softly. You hardly ever heard her talk beyond a soft whisper, but strangely she was audible to everyone quite clearly.
"You have such effortlessly beautiful hair and eyes and you're just the right height... Take advantage!"
Sensing Artemis's discomfort, Alice diverted the topic. "Lils are you going to James's Christmas party?"
This seemed the wrong topic to choose.
"No! Don't you remember what they're like? I honestly don't understand how Mione spends so much time with them. They're so frustrating..." Lily ranted on .
" You get along well enough with Remus no? Weren't you saying how nice his eyes were not long ago?"Trixie winked.
" And Peter is so quiet he's hardly noticeable beyond his little comments every now and again..." Arty added.
"Remus is purely friendship material I've realised, and I enjoy such a friendship. So I agree with you that only James and Sirius are insufferable"
"Not insufferable. They just haven't showed you the best sides of themselves yet" Hermione noted for what seemed like the hundredth time.
Lily's eye twitched but she said nothing and continued on with the next topic Alice brought up.
Lily turned the key to the Evans house and shouted to their parents that they were home, before leading their guests downstairs to their bedroom. In between Lily and Hermione's bed, were three large inflatable ones and the girls were shocked.
"What in Merlin is that?" Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.
"An inflatable mattress" Hermione answered walking towards her whole wall bookshelf. "You blow it up with your mouths, it has air inside " she added thumbing through the spines of her tomes. Once she found the trick one, Hermione pulled it open and stored her Christmas gifts in there so Lily wouldn't find them. In there she also had all the things she'd had on her the day she had travelled back in time. There was the key to her house, a handkerchief Victoire had made her, a few knuts with very different designs then the ones she'd used earlier and a pair of reading glasses she no longer needs. All the memories were starting to fade, and to her they now seemed like distant dreams, but still rememberable.
"Oi Mione Athene's back with a letter for you" Trix called to her, knocking her out of her haze.
Hermione walked over and took it out of her hands before sitting cross legged on the floor. She read aloud:
"Dear Mione,
Remus and Peter are meeting Sirius and I on Sunday (Boxing Day). Trick is, we don't know what to do. Do you know any Muggle things we can try out? Maybe get some inspiration for some pranks?
Ps . Lily can come too if she wants. And if Arty, Alice and Trix are still there, they're tolerated. Don't read this out loud. Godssake I should've put that first..."
Hermione burst out laughing, and Artemis let out a light chuckle. Lily was outraged.
"Well! Well... well... well I'll go out with Sev! Cos you guys are going home on Saturday... We'll have an amazing day and.. and"
"It's not that bad Lils" Alice said, ever the peacemaker.
"GIRLS DINNER!" Mr Evans called.
The girls sat at the table with Petunia while the parents sat in the front room watching the news with their own food.
"So how do we eat this, Mione? Is it like those noodles we had in Muggle studies?" Trixie asked poking at the spaghetti with her fork.
"Exactly so" Hermione replied wrapping the strands around her fork.
The girls delved into conversation about going back to Hogwarts and what occupations they want to take up after Hogwarts.
"Oh will you stop talking about that ridiculous... abnormality you share!" Petunia snapped.
Hermione and Lily looked up in anger, not for themselves but for their friends. The twins were used to such treatment but they wouldn't stand for it if it meant their guests were involved.
However Trixie beat them to it "I seem to notice that you have finished your supper, Petunia. So if you and your Cindershlappe face have an issue, you can take that issue and stick it up your ass somewhere else"
Petunia's face turned a deep red and she started to whisper so as not to alert her parents of the rising tension. "How DARE you speak to me like that in my own house!" she hissed. "You're all odd. Freaks of science. A mutation! And if I..."
"Enough Petunia!" Mrs Evans appeared, her voice breaking and her eyes on the verge of spilling tears. "How could you treat your sisters and her friends like this? Off to your room, without dessert and you can stay there for the week!"
Petunia started to fake cry, and started pleading excuses "But but Mummy! They were being cruel to me! Saying how they would hex me in my sleep, make me covered in hives, turn me into into a horrid beast! A Cindershlappe!"
"Now you are just spouting nonsense! Figments of your imagination! Now go to your room"
Petunia overturned her chair on the way out and slammed her bedroom door.
"I'm so sorry dears! I'd hate for you to think we're a prejudiced family or hateful, it's just that... well Petunia is feeling a bit left out and that usually ends up in such awful behaviour"
"Honestly Mrs Evans, we don't mind..." Arty began.
"It's Emma, darling"
"Ms Emma, Petunias words have no reflection on our opinion of you" Arty finished with a small smile.
The rest of the week was filled with general Muggle activities getting ready for Christmas, but Artemis, Alice and Beatrix loved it. They made wreaths, decorated the tree, baked cookies and listened to festive tunes. Hermione chuckled at the girls lack of knowledge in Muggle culture but Lily revelled in it. She loved teaching them everything Christmassey and the looks of wonder she got back made her heart swell.
So when it was time for the girls to their respective families Lily and Hermione were extremely upset and missed them the moment they walked out the door. Petunia, however, was treating it as the best day of her life. The being shut in her room had darkened her opinion on wizardry even more and she couldn't wait until her pesky sisters were gone.