Sweet in Winter, Sweet in Rain

By ann no aku

General Disclaimer:  Harry Potter is owned by J.K Rowling.  The opening quote is a portion of the song "Dirty Epic" by Underworld

Author's Note:  Takes place during the Christmas holiday of the Marauders sixth year.

Opening Quote:  "Sweet in winter sweet in rain.  Shake well before use she said.
You never touch me anymore this way.
Connector in.  Receiver out. You let me in through the back door."

Chapter One:  You Let Me in Through the Back Door

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          "Your house is so boring, James," Sirius whined while prodding a picture of the Chudley Cannons with his wand as if to encourage the players to move.

          "Would you rather go back home to that loving family of yours?" he retorted, surprised to hear his friend call him by his first name.

          "I know I wouldn't ever fancy visiting," Remus said as he flipped through The Quibbler.  "Imagine what new nasty things your mother could come up with if she found out about me."

          "She'd probably want you to bite some Muggles or something," Sirius snapped jabbing his wand so harshly at the poster that the players took cover in a nearby picture.  "What can we do here anyway?"

          "Hm," James sounded fondly ruffling his messy black hair as he always did deep in thought.  "Save finding Snivellus and hexing him?"

          "Can't use magic outside of school," Remus dutifully reminded his friends.

          "Wish I could hex that little bugger," Sirius said mostly to himself.  "We could pretend that it is a full moon."

          "Let's not, shall we?  I am lucky to finally have a Christmas to spend in moderate peace," he curtly replied clutching the page on the government's views on half-breeds.

          "You're no fun."

          "I'm sorry that my idea of 'fun', Padfoot, is trying not to eat my friends."

          "It should be."

          "Enough!" James interrupted.  "Let's be serious here, okay?"

          "I'd rather not," Remus smiled.  "Then I'd have that adoring mother-"

          "Better than being a werewolf!"

          "I am going to hex the both of you here in a second if you cannot stop arguing."

          "It's a canine thing, Prongs, you wouldn't understand."

          "I think I'd rather not be something that drools and humps things, okay, Padfoot?"

          "Somebody's testy," Moony teased.  "Are you sure it's not your time of the month, Padfoot?  Maybe you've accidentally been changing into a female dog and"

          "Are you boys behaving?" Mrs. Potter inquired entering James' bedroom with a tray of pumpkin juice and ginger snaps.

          "Of course, Mrs. Potter," Remus answered quickly replacing his occasional mischievous grin with a look of complete innocence.

          "Good," she gave all of them a warning look.  "I'd hate to give the house elves clothes and enlist three healthy young boys to do all the work.  It is still early, barely noon; shouldn't you three be causing trouble outside?"

          "We would be, ma'am, but we haven't a plan," said Sirius after deliberately flashing Mrs. Potter his best smile that he usually saved to cause the girls at school to melt.

          "Where's Peter?  Maybe you should visit him.  He's such a sweet boy," continued James' mother whom he resembled perfectly save the mouth (her smile wasn't lopsided like his was).  "Never hear of him getting into trouble, do we?" she asked shoving a goblet into her son's hands roughly so that it almost spilled on his robes.

          "That's a good idea," James conceded an evil glare in his hazel eyes.  He shot up quickly almost knocking the tray from his mother's hold.

          "I expect you home for supper—all of you."  She stared at Remus suspiciously as if asking him to tell her James' true intentions.  "That means be back by six o'clock."

          "Well, since we'll be at Peter's house and we have not seen him for days"

          "I have not had his mother's cooking in a while, I almost miss it," Remus hastily added.

          "Fine then!" she gave, "Eight, and not a second later, James!  I am not going to send Morgana to peck after you again!"  Mrs. Potter left so abruptly that the door automatically slammed shut behind her scaring the posters in her wake.

          "I really don't want to visit Wormtail," Sirius informed.  "He's like a child with an overactive bladder."

          "We're not visiting him, never said.  I just agreed that visiting someone is a good idea."

          "Yeah, Wormtail," he rolled his eyes.

          "Nope," James answered the deadly shine in his eyes becoming brighter, "We are going to drop in on Lily."