"Well, why don't we go have dinner, then?" asked Lily.
"Can't say no to food!" Sirius said, leaping up. "Let's go!"
When the food had been set up on the table, and everyone, save Lily, had their goblet of wine, Sirius stood up, holding up his goblet.
"Here's to your unborn baby - whom you shall be naming after me, of course - and may he blessed with Lily's looks and not James'!"
"Hear, hear!" cried Peter and Remus.
"And also, a very happy New Year's to everyone!" Sirius pegged on at the end.
"What will you be naming the baby, anyway?" Remus asked, after a few minutes had passed in which their was no noise but the sound of chewing. "As I doubt that 'Sirius' will be an option."
"Kenzi if it's a girl, and Gavin if it's a boy," Lily said promptly.
James made a disapproving sound.
"Kindly divulge your suggestions then, James," she said in a sugar-coated voice.
"Er -"
"If by mishap it looks anything like James," Sirius put in, "you won't need to give it a classic name. 'Beast' or 'Hairy' will do."
"You could compromise," Remus said.
"What, name it 'Gavin Beast Potter?' demanded Peter, looking perturbed. Sirius snorted.
"No, something like 'Harry,'" said Remus.
There was a thoughtful silence.
"I like that," Lily and James said at exactly the same moment.
"You'll just have to hope it's a boy then," said Sirius.
"Cheers, Sirius," said Remus.
* * *
"D'you think you could roll me to the living room, Padfoot?" grunted James from his seat at the table. "I've never eaten so much in all my life."
"That's what you say after every meal!" Lily exclaimed.
"Sorry, mate, don't think I'm up to it," said Sirius, patting his stomach.
As Lily started collecting everyone's plates, Remus pulled Sirius and James to their feet, while Peter scurried underfoot, trying to help in any way he could. She was on her way to the kitchen, levitating the stack of plates with one hand and carrying the napkins in the other when Sirius smoothly ducked below her arm and grabbed both the plates and the napkins.
"Bais, non, chérie," he said. "The new mother-to-be must rest herself. You and James scurry off to the living room whilst the rest of us clean up the remnants of your most excellent meal - even by my standards."
"But you don't know where anything is -"
Sirius thumped Lily in the back with the plates, pushing her in the direction of the living room.
And so, James and Lily set themselves up on the sofa while Peter finished clearing the table, and Remus fixed up a pot of hot chocolate. Sirius set to work washing the dishes, a task that took none too long, considering the number of dishes Lily had prepared. Folding three people into the kitchen at the same time proved difficult but they were such a merry bunch that no one noticed when they were jarred with a pointed elbow, or received a face full of soap bubbles.
Finally, they were all settled back in the warm, comfortable living room, with mugs of hot chocolate and a large plate of truffles, listening to the wind howl outside.
"Doesn't this remind you of Hogwarts days?" said Lily, as she leaned onto James' shoulder. "None of us talking or worrying about the problems in the world, but just having a nice time."
"This is nice?" James said mockingly, looking down at the red head leaning against his arm, and wrapping his arms around Lily's neck in a mock stranglehold.
"There, now that seems more like Hogwarts to me," remarked Sirius.
But the happy mood was squashed as Peter sat bolt upright in his chair and made an uncharacteristic speech.
"Not worrying?" he said, peering at them all over his small, pointed nose. "When are we -well, at least me- not worrying? With - with You-Know-Who taking over absolutely everywhere now, and all these murders? I'm surprised that you could even think of having a baby! We don't - we can't - we never know whom he'll choose as his next victims. None of us is safe, what with" -here his voice dropped to a low squeak- "being in the - the Order of the Phoenix and everything."
The atmosphere of the room could not now be more different than it had been just a few moments ago. Remus was staring into the fire, looking somehow more wolfish than usual; Sirius, for once, was not grinning. Peter was, in turn, switching his gaze between everybody, as though hoping someone would take a stand and agree with him. Lily and James were looking at each other in a way that told Peter he had struck a nerve.
"Do you think we hadn't thought of that?" said James quietly.
"Sorry," Peter said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
There was a lengthy pause.
"It's all right, Peter," Lily said as she attempted to escape James' stranglehold.
"Hey, did you see the sky today? Talk about blue!" pronounced Sirius, and the tension abated.
"Speaking of blue, you may let me go now, James," said Lily sarcastically.
"Hey, remember the party we had in seventh year after we won the Quidditch Cup?" James said, dropping his arms from around Lily's neck.
. . .
In Gryffindor Tower, a tumultuous celebration was going on; the Marauders were throwing Filibuster Fireworks into people's Butterbeers, which would then spray upwards in a fountain, and sprinkle the people standing below. Chocolate and candy were littered all over the place, and a few empty bottles of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey had been stowed behind cushions in an attempt to hide their presence.
It was only at quarter to four in the morning when Professor McGonagall, her outfit complete with hair curlers, fluffy slippers and a tartan dressing robe came and crashed the party.
"What's all this? I think indeed that it's time for bed!" she bellowed over the noise.
"Hello, Minerva!" James waved to her cheerfully, swaying on the spot.
McGonagall frowned. "Such disrespect is uncalled for, Potter! Detention tomorrow! I would think that you at least, Miss Evans, would have the sense to break up this party at a reasonable hour," she said, turning to Lily and looking at her pointedly.
"But aren't you as delighted as we are that Gryffindor won the Cup?" asked Sirius, pressing a bottle of butterbeer into her hand.
McGonagall gave them a tight-lipped smile, which quickly disappeared as she looked at the drink she was holding.
"Where did you get this, Black?" she demanded.
Sirius coughed. "House elves."
"I somehow doubt you are being truthful," she said crisply, raising an eyebrow.
"Just take a sip, Professor," urged James. "We bet you haven't had a good butterbeer for ages!"
Much to everyone's surprise, McGonagall raised the bottle to them and took a sip.
"She'll fall asleep any second now," James murmured to Lily.
"You didn't!" said Lily.
James grinned cockily.
Sure enough, the professor soon slumped toward the floor, caught by Peter under her arms. Sirius levitated her, and they left the tower to return her to her room, allowing the Gryffindors to continue their party.
. . .
"Good old Professor McGonagall, she tried so hard," commented Sirius.
"Not as hard as good old Lily trying to rally us into our dormitories all night," James said.
"I wonder if anyone will ever discover the entrance to the Shrieking Shack," said Remus thoughtfully at this point.
"I wonder if anyone will ever find the Marauder's Map," added Peter. "In the Room of Requirement."
"Well, if they need it, they'll find it, won't they?" Remus smirked. "That map was our greatest legacy."
"What is Sirius doing?" asked Lily, nudging James in the ribs, peering down at Sirius, who was rifling through James and Lily's pile of Christmas presents.
"Sirius is hungry," came his muffled voice. "Ah, here's a tin of treacle toffee," he said as he tossed a large piece into his mouth.
"That'll shut him up, that will," remarked James.
"Why?" queried Lily.
"Hagrid sent it to me."
Everyone stared at Sirius, who was now in the throes of a struggle to open his sealed mouth.
"Lily, if I die before our child goes to Hogwarts, can you make sure to remind him never to eat anything Hagrid offers him?" James asked.
"I will," she grinned. "Come, come, Sirius, don't be an oyster. What was that you said? I can't understand you."
Sirius, with an almighty wrench, detached his teeth. "Next time I see Hagrid, I'll be having a word or two with him about his home cooking," he said.
James suddenly vaulted off the couch. "It's almost midnight!"
"I brought some champagne!" mentioned Remus. "I put it in the kitchen."
James summoned the champagne, a bottle of butterbeer, and five goblets from the kitchen.
"Here we are!" he said, handing out the goblets all round, as the old grandfather clock on the wall began to dong loudly.
"Happy New Year!" everyone yelled with great titillation.
"Ah, to have come of age and be able to drink," Sirius said in a satisfied voice, quaffing down his glass of champagne. "Legally, that is."
"And I'm sure you take much opportunity to abuse that privilege," Lily sniffed.
"It's still snowing," observed Peter from his seat near the window. "You can't see my footprints anymore."
"Shame," Sirius said, getting up and looking outside also. "Seeing as I can't find my way down the path without your footprints to guide me, Wormtail."
However, there six sets of footprints visible. They circled the house and stopped right at the front door, which swung open as soon as Peter noted the presence of the tracks. A tall, heavily hooded figure stood in the entranceway, flanked by five others. Four of the friends' faces looked stupefied - one didn't.
"Can't say no to food!" Sirius said, leaping up. "Let's go!"
When the food had been set up on the table, and everyone, save Lily, had their goblet of wine, Sirius stood up, holding up his goblet.
"Here's to your unborn baby - whom you shall be naming after me, of course - and may he blessed with Lily's looks and not James'!"
"Hear, hear!" cried Peter and Remus.
"And also, a very happy New Year's to everyone!" Sirius pegged on at the end.
"What will you be naming the baby, anyway?" Remus asked, after a few minutes had passed in which their was no noise but the sound of chewing. "As I doubt that 'Sirius' will be an option."
"Kenzi if it's a girl, and Gavin if it's a boy," Lily said promptly.
James made a disapproving sound.
"Kindly divulge your suggestions then, James," she said in a sugar-coated voice.
"Er -"
"If by mishap it looks anything like James," Sirius put in, "you won't need to give it a classic name. 'Beast' or 'Hairy' will do."
"You could compromise," Remus said.
"What, name it 'Gavin Beast Potter?' demanded Peter, looking perturbed. Sirius snorted.
"No, something like 'Harry,'" said Remus.
There was a thoughtful silence.
"I like that," Lily and James said at exactly the same moment.
"You'll just have to hope it's a boy then," said Sirius.
"Cheers, Sirius," said Remus.
* * *
"D'you think you could roll me to the living room, Padfoot?" grunted James from his seat at the table. "I've never eaten so much in all my life."
"That's what you say after every meal!" Lily exclaimed.
"Sorry, mate, don't think I'm up to it," said Sirius, patting his stomach.
As Lily started collecting everyone's plates, Remus pulled Sirius and James to their feet, while Peter scurried underfoot, trying to help in any way he could. She was on her way to the kitchen, levitating the stack of plates with one hand and carrying the napkins in the other when Sirius smoothly ducked below her arm and grabbed both the plates and the napkins.
"Bais, non, chérie," he said. "The new mother-to-be must rest herself. You and James scurry off to the living room whilst the rest of us clean up the remnants of your most excellent meal - even by my standards."
"But you don't know where anything is -"
Sirius thumped Lily in the back with the plates, pushing her in the direction of the living room.
And so, James and Lily set themselves up on the sofa while Peter finished clearing the table, and Remus fixed up a pot of hot chocolate. Sirius set to work washing the dishes, a task that took none too long, considering the number of dishes Lily had prepared. Folding three people into the kitchen at the same time proved difficult but they were such a merry bunch that no one noticed when they were jarred with a pointed elbow, or received a face full of soap bubbles.
Finally, they were all settled back in the warm, comfortable living room, with mugs of hot chocolate and a large plate of truffles, listening to the wind howl outside.
"Doesn't this remind you of Hogwarts days?" said Lily, as she leaned onto James' shoulder. "None of us talking or worrying about the problems in the world, but just having a nice time."
"This is nice?" James said mockingly, looking down at the red head leaning against his arm, and wrapping his arms around Lily's neck in a mock stranglehold.
"There, now that seems more like Hogwarts to me," remarked Sirius.
But the happy mood was squashed as Peter sat bolt upright in his chair and made an uncharacteristic speech.
"Not worrying?" he said, peering at them all over his small, pointed nose. "When are we -well, at least me- not worrying? With - with You-Know-Who taking over absolutely everywhere now, and all these murders? I'm surprised that you could even think of having a baby! We don't - we can't - we never know whom he'll choose as his next victims. None of us is safe, what with" -here his voice dropped to a low squeak- "being in the - the Order of the Phoenix and everything."
The atmosphere of the room could not now be more different than it had been just a few moments ago. Remus was staring into the fire, looking somehow more wolfish than usual; Sirius, for once, was not grinning. Peter was, in turn, switching his gaze between everybody, as though hoping someone would take a stand and agree with him. Lily and James were looking at each other in a way that told Peter he had struck a nerve.
"Do you think we hadn't thought of that?" said James quietly.
"Sorry," Peter said. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
There was a lengthy pause.
"It's all right, Peter," Lily said as she attempted to escape James' stranglehold.
"Hey, did you see the sky today? Talk about blue!" pronounced Sirius, and the tension abated.
"Speaking of blue, you may let me go now, James," said Lily sarcastically.
"Hey, remember the party we had in seventh year after we won the Quidditch Cup?" James said, dropping his arms from around Lily's neck.
. . .
In Gryffindor Tower, a tumultuous celebration was going on; the Marauders were throwing Filibuster Fireworks into people's Butterbeers, which would then spray upwards in a fountain, and sprinkle the people standing below. Chocolate and candy were littered all over the place, and a few empty bottles of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey had been stowed behind cushions in an attempt to hide their presence.
It was only at quarter to four in the morning when Professor McGonagall, her outfit complete with hair curlers, fluffy slippers and a tartan dressing robe came and crashed the party.
"What's all this? I think indeed that it's time for bed!" she bellowed over the noise.
"Hello, Minerva!" James waved to her cheerfully, swaying on the spot.
McGonagall frowned. "Such disrespect is uncalled for, Potter! Detention tomorrow! I would think that you at least, Miss Evans, would have the sense to break up this party at a reasonable hour," she said, turning to Lily and looking at her pointedly.
"But aren't you as delighted as we are that Gryffindor won the Cup?" asked Sirius, pressing a bottle of butterbeer into her hand.
McGonagall gave them a tight-lipped smile, which quickly disappeared as she looked at the drink she was holding.
"Where did you get this, Black?" she demanded.
Sirius coughed. "House elves."
"I somehow doubt you are being truthful," she said crisply, raising an eyebrow.
"Just take a sip, Professor," urged James. "We bet you haven't had a good butterbeer for ages!"
Much to everyone's surprise, McGonagall raised the bottle to them and took a sip.
"She'll fall asleep any second now," James murmured to Lily.
"You didn't!" said Lily.
James grinned cockily.
Sure enough, the professor soon slumped toward the floor, caught by Peter under her arms. Sirius levitated her, and they left the tower to return her to her room, allowing the Gryffindors to continue their party.
. . .
"Good old Professor McGonagall, she tried so hard," commented Sirius.
"Not as hard as good old Lily trying to rally us into our dormitories all night," James said.
"I wonder if anyone will ever discover the entrance to the Shrieking Shack," said Remus thoughtfully at this point.
"I wonder if anyone will ever find the Marauder's Map," added Peter. "In the Room of Requirement."
"Well, if they need it, they'll find it, won't they?" Remus smirked. "That map was our greatest legacy."
"What is Sirius doing?" asked Lily, nudging James in the ribs, peering down at Sirius, who was rifling through James and Lily's pile of Christmas presents.
"Sirius is hungry," came his muffled voice. "Ah, here's a tin of treacle toffee," he said as he tossed a large piece into his mouth.
"That'll shut him up, that will," remarked James.
"Why?" queried Lily.
"Hagrid sent it to me."
Everyone stared at Sirius, who was now in the throes of a struggle to open his sealed mouth.
"Lily, if I die before our child goes to Hogwarts, can you make sure to remind him never to eat anything Hagrid offers him?" James asked.
"I will," she grinned. "Come, come, Sirius, don't be an oyster. What was that you said? I can't understand you."
Sirius, with an almighty wrench, detached his teeth. "Next time I see Hagrid, I'll be having a word or two with him about his home cooking," he said.
James suddenly vaulted off the couch. "It's almost midnight!"
"I brought some champagne!" mentioned Remus. "I put it in the kitchen."
James summoned the champagne, a bottle of butterbeer, and five goblets from the kitchen.
"Here we are!" he said, handing out the goblets all round, as the old grandfather clock on the wall began to dong loudly.
"Happy New Year!" everyone yelled with great titillation.
"Ah, to have come of age and be able to drink," Sirius said in a satisfied voice, quaffing down his glass of champagne. "Legally, that is."
"And I'm sure you take much opportunity to abuse that privilege," Lily sniffed.
"It's still snowing," observed Peter from his seat near the window. "You can't see my footprints anymore."
"Shame," Sirius said, getting up and looking outside also. "Seeing as I can't find my way down the path without your footprints to guide me, Wormtail."
However, there six sets of footprints visible. They circled the house and stopped right at the front door, which swung open as soon as Peter noted the presence of the tracks. A tall, heavily hooded figure stood in the entranceway, flanked by five others. Four of the friends' faces looked stupefied - one didn't.