° - It's Hard- °
[Kings Cross Station]
Kathy was the last to get off the train, since she lost her earring in the compartment they were sitting in. She quickly got off, making her way through the sea of students and families and walking over to her friends.
James was hugging his mum, and his dad was standing next to him. James looked very much like his dad.
Sirius was neglecting his parents, who were there to pick up Regulus.
Jen was glaring at a tall, middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and green eyes while hugging her dad.
Lily and Kathy were guessing this woman was Jen's 'evil' stepmother, as she put it. Lily and Kathy both greeted Jen's parents politely. Their parents were not here since they were spending the Christmas holidays at Jens'.
Remus was speaking in French to his parents and Peter was conversing with his parents quietly.
Jen looked at the woman then back at Kathy and Lily.
"Marianne, these are my best friends, Lily Evans", she said, motioning to Lily, "and Kathy Robinson. Lily, Kathy this is Marianne " She said. Jen turned away and started speaking in Russian to her dad while the girls and Marianne had a conversation.
After they all broke away from their parents, it was time to say goodbye to each other. Of course, James, felt he had to make a scene to prove that he really would miss Lily.
James -dramatically- nearly fell on Lily on purpose. And she almost had to hold him up, laughing.
"Get up, James! This is embarrassing!" she said and blushed, holding him up. She was blushing because a lot of the people at the station were looking at them.
He snickered and got off then hugged her, nearly squishing her. "I'll miss you Evans!" he cried, not noticing that she was nearly going to die.
All the others laughed as Kathy took a picture.
"Get off!" she managed to choke out, and trying to get him off. "Oops!"
He grinned and let her go. He then hugged each one of the girls and his friends, telling them all to write, and to study, mimicking Lily.
Finally, they all left, almost sadly.
[The Potter Household]
"Finally!" James said and grinned, running a hand through his hair as he stepped in to his large house, smiling. The staircase was in front of him; to his right was the living room, to his left the lounge and near the living room there was a big kitchen. The walls were all pained a slight cream/yellow color, matching furniture.
Mrs.Potter laughed and smiled at him, "You've grown so much James!" she said and hugged him again, her auburn hair falling into her eyes out of her bun. Her gray eyes twinkled as she pulled away from her son, who was much taller than her.
James rolled his eyes and hugged her back, "I know mum, you say that every Christmas!" he said exasperatedly.
Mr. Potter stepped in and shut the door after him, "Say, James, who was that red headed girl you were hugging at the station?" he asked with a slight mischievous smile on his thin face matching James'. He set James' trunk near the staircase and looked at him again. His mum was suppressing laughter at the look on her son's face.
James blushed and grinned at his dad nervously. "Heh.that's.er.Lily, Lily Evans." He said and nodded, cursing himself for blushing.
"Friend of yours?" his mum asked, a knowing smile on her face as she looked at her rather red son. "Yeah, friend, yes." He said, nodding quickly and not looking at his dad.
"SO! Mum, dad, how has...work at the ministry been?" he asked lamely, not wanting to talk about Lily with his parents right now.
"Fine," his parents said, suppressing their laughter. It was obvious their son liked this girl.
"Is Sirius going to come this Christmas?" Mrs.Potter asked, a pleased smile on her face. She was used to Sirius coming around so much that she considered him part of the family now.
"No, im planning to write to Lily, Jen, Kathy, Remus and Peter and tell them we should all drop at his place on Christmas!" James said, thoughtfully, absently running a hand through his hair and making it messier. "I don't think he should just spend Christmas on his own in that little apartment of his.so wouldn't he get quite a surprise when he'd hear six cracks of apparating and then see us?"
Mr. Potter laughed, "Yes, he would."
"Im going to go.think about it!" James said, running upstairs to his room.
"But you are coming down for dinner, which is in 10 minutes!"
[The Lupin Household]
Remus walked into his small house with his mom, a small smile on his slightly pale face. He set his trunk down and shut the old door after his mom entered the house carrying his owl. He took it from her and set it down. He rubbed his hands together and walked in to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for him and his mum to talk over.
"So how has your year been so far?" his mum asked with a meek smile, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"Fine, it's been alright mum, how have you and dad been?" he asked, walking over to the small living room with two mugs of hot chocolate, and sat down. He handed one of the mugs to his mum.
"We've been fine, Remus, still alive," she laughed. Remus gave a small laugh, "Don't say that, mum, it makes me think you're going to die soon." He said.
"Where is dad?" he asked, after a moment of silence and sipping. He turned his head towards his mum.
"Work." She answered. Mr. Lupin was usually at work because his job wasn't that good, and he needed to stay a tad longer than most people to gain extra money. He worked hard to pay for the house and to buy food and keep his family well. Remus didn't care that his family was not rich, as long as they had a roof to live under and food to eat, that was fine with him, and as long that his parents loved him and each other, it would be okay.
"But he will be home in time for dinner", she said, grinning, "He said he didn't want to miss having dinner with you tonight, and talking to you about how your year was, and about the N.E.W.T's," she said.
"Okay," he said and smiled.
After five minutes of joking with his mum, a loud crack could be heard as Mr. Lupin stood by the door, smiling.
Mrs. Lupin, and Remus stood up, and both hugged him. "Hello Remus, missed you over those months, how have you been, son?" he asked grinning. Mr. Lupin looked frighteningly a lot like Remus. They both had the same light brown hair, and the same eye shape and nose, except that Mr. Lupin had soft green eyes and Remus had amber-honey eyes, like his mother.
Mrs. Lupin prepared dinner with Mr. Lupin's and Remus's help, and they settled down to talk about how things have been so far.
[The Grisdale Household]
Jen didn't smile as she and her friends, along with her parents, apparated in front of her door. She just pushed the large, oak door open after glancing at the huge, huge front garden and big black gates quite a distance away. She scowled and walked in, lugging her trunk behind her. Kathy and Lily exchanged confused looks, but decided to ask when they were with Jen in her room, so her parents couldn't hear them as they talked about it.
Lily brushed her red hair away from her face as they all stepped in after the large oak doors to Jen's house opened. Kathy's jaw nearly dropped. Jen's house was huge - and gorgeous. She lived in a 15-room mansion with about five floors, all of course linked together with confusing passages and staircases. But Jen knew them all. Mostly the house was painted the color scarlet, and filled with luxuries. Jen didn't even bother to stop and talk to her parents, just preceded to her room with Kathy and Lily.
"Jen, what's up? You're supposed to look happy when you come home!" Lily said with concern in her voice as she sank in to a comfy couch in Jen's room. Kathy stood at Jen's desk, examining all the photos, drawings and junk cluttered all over on one table.
"Nothing. I just don't like Marianne. That's all." She said quietly, turning away from her friends and picking up a photo off her desk, smiling slightly. Kathy looked at it and noticed Jen's mom in the photo. "Oh!" Kathy cried out in surprise, Jen's mother looked exactly like her, just older with longer hair and a more graceful appearance than Jen, who had a rather mysterious air to her. "Yeah.I know.she looks like me!" Jen said and grinned cheekily. Lily hopped off the couch and ran over to see. "Jen she looks like your older sister!" Lily said and smiled, examining the picture more closely, her emerald green eyes shining with interest. She turned to Jen.
"Jen-are your parents separated?" Kathy asked. Jen shook her head no, wiping a tear away from her face, but the girls couldn't see since Jen had the picture in her hand with her back to them. "My mum died...before I went to Hogwarts." She said.
Kathy and Lily looked surprised. She never told them anything about her family - so this was new. They both hugged her, asking why she never told them about it before.
Jen shrugged, sitting on her bed and staring around at the dark blue walls in her spacious room. She examined her nails before answering. "Didn't want to get in to it.I don't like discussing my past." she said in the same quiet tone when she was upset about something. Kathy and Lily exchanged knowing looks and decided to change the subject; Jen obviously didn't want to speak about it.
"I feel bad for Sirius." Lily said, and Kathy nodded, "Yeah, he has to spend Christmas all by himself!" she said and frowned.
"I bet James will probably think of something. He loves Sirius like a brother too much to let him spend Christmas alone." Jen said and grinned as the two girls nodded and got in to a conversation about the stupidest things their dads had ever done during Christmas.
[Sirius's Apartment]
Sirius apparated in front of the door of his apartment, looking slightly tired and frustrated as he unlocked the door and pushed it open gently. He walked inside and set his bags down near the door as he quietly kicked it shut. He looked around, it was not much. Plain white walls, a small kitchen and living room, along with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The living room was slightly messy. It was a nice-looking place with a homely feel and some pictures and wizarding books lying around, some still opened and some closed with the page marked. The books were Defence Against the Dark Arts books, and there were two 'Cooking for Lazy People' books. Sirius sniggered as he shut them and set them back on a shelf.
He plopped down on the couch, running a hand through his hair and yawning slightly. Three days 'til Christmas...he would probably spend them alone or at the shops. He looked over at a picture of all the Marauders together and smiled fondly. Sitting up, he reached over to pick it up. It was taken last year by Hagrid. Remus, James and Peter were all standing in a straight line carrying Sirius in their arms-in a lying down position with his hands behind his head. He laughed, shaking his head slightly as memories flooded his brain.
Three hours later it was midnight. Sirius was drawing in a sketchbook. And surprisingly enough, he was really good at it. He was sketching Hogwarts with Lily and James in front of it for some reason he didn't know. The sun was setting in the picture and he had gotten every detail in the picture right - maybe because he loved Hogwarts more than any other place on the face of the Earth. He finished sketching it an hour later, smiling slightly, as though fond of it and as soon as he lay back down on the couch he fell asleep.
[The next day - the Lupin household]
"Remus, wake up. Right now or no Christmas presents!" Mrs. Lupin laughed, shaking her grumbling son gently. "I am serious - if we don't go right now it gets too crowded! It's already about two in the afternoon, Remus!" she scolded, whacking him playfully.
Remus mumbled something about a human alarm clock and jumped out of his bed. "See, I'm up, mum. Relax. We will go before the crowd tramples us!" he said and laughed slightly, hugging his mum. "I'll get dressed and we'll go."
"What about breakfast?" Mrs. Lupin said, raising an eyebrow. "Hmmmm?"
Remus waved his hand, as though dismissing it while he ushered his mum out of his room so he could change.
About a minute later he came out and started using the same tone as his mum in telling her they should go, "No, no, we should go now before the crowd gets too thick, Marianne!"
His mum rolled her eyes and looked at him seriously. "We are apparating there! Get a move on it!" she said and disappeared with a loud 'pop'. Seconds later, after snickering, Remus followed her.
[The Grisdale Household]
"JENNIIIIFFEERR! UP!" Lily yelled, jumping on Jens bed like it was a trampoline, "WE HAVE TO GO TO DIAGON ALLEY! SHOPPING! RIGHT NOW! EEE!" she yelled loudly, glancing down at Jen in actual hopes that she would wake her up and get her to move her lazy butt out of bed.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!" Kathy screeched, joining Lily in jumping on the bed, and starting to talk at an incredibly fast speed, stuttering every now and then. But hey, how else could they wake up someone who took ages to get up?!
"FINE, FINE, I'M UP, I'M UP!" she finally, yelled, shooting up so she sat up straight and so that Lily and Kathy were pushed off, laughing hysterically while she stomped into the showers, muttering obscenities under her breath while Lily and Kathy continued to laugh.
"She is such an idiot!" Kathy snickered, brushing her long brown hair away from her face while helping Lily off the floor. "Yeah.when she's sleeping!" Lily said, giggling slightly.
"Agreed." Kathy said and smiled in her usual, cheery, happy, Kathy-like way. She bounced over to Jen's dresser and starting to fiddle with everything on it, humming a slightly random tune under her breath.
Lily, meanwhile, was banging on the bathroom-door. "WHAT, WE WAKE YOU UP AND NOW WE HAVE TO DRAG YOU OUT OF THE BLOODY SHOWER?!" she yelled.
BANG...BANG...BANG.
"GET OVER WITH IT!" Jen said, and the door flew open. Jen danced past Lily, laughing and twirling slightly, her long blonde hair hitting Lily while Kathy tried to wipe off some disgusting orange looking stuff she put on her face by mistake.
After 15 minutes of jumping around and eating breakfast while discussing what they were going to do, the girls all apparated to Diagon Alley.
[The Potter Household]
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!" Mrs. Potter sang from downstairs, smoothing her dark red robes. "GET UP! WE'RE GOING TO DIAGON ALLEY! COME ON!" she yelled impatiently.
James rolled over in his bed and fell on the ground, grumbling with a startled "OW!". He ran a hand through his rats nest...I mean hair and stood up, stretching and yawning hugely. "WHAT'S THE TIME, MUM?!" he yelled to her as he put on his clothes slowly and lazily.
"Its two thirty! Get a move on!" she barked as he stumbled down the stairs.
"James, you look like a mess!" his mum said, frowning slightly. "What else is new?" his dad asked, poking his head out from above his newspaper and grinning at his wife who rolled her eyes.
James snickered and looked at his parents. "Is dad coming too, mum?"
"No," Mrs. Potter said, "he has to go to work. Let's go James, we are apparating there."
"Right." He said, and with a loud pop, they apparated there.
[Sirius's Apartment]
Sirius woke up to find that he had fallen asleep on the couch after he had finished drawing. He sat up, yawning hugely, running a hand through his hair and rubbing his face while he set the other one down on the cough next to him. He looked around then suddenly remembered something and grumbled slightly.
"Shopping...no maybe later on.or no, that's too busy at that 'later' I think. I know I'm talking about...gah...I feel so stupid at the moment, it's unbelievable, really!" he wondered out loud.
"I need to go shopping..." he mumbled distractedly to himself, sort of half telling himself that that was what he was going to do right now, weather he liked it or not, because it was the right time of day to go anyway. He was amused that he hadn't forgotten all about shopping he had to do. Weird, being alone does things to you sometimes. He sat up straight lazily then got up and slouched to his room, kicking things out of his way casually as he walked.
He changed out of the clothes he fell asleep in and had some cereal for breakfast. He moved the flakes around with his spoon, staring at his plate still only half-awake. He didn't know why he still felt so tired from the train ride yesterday. He looked at the time and got up, stretching slightly, and apparated to Diagon Alley, wondering if he might run into any friends while he was there. Well he hoped so. Especially James.
(A/N: James and Remus go with their mums because their mums have some shopping to do and so they went together...)
[Diagon Alley - Lily, Jen and Kathy]
"OHHH, OOH COME LOOK AT THIIIS!" Kathy sang from the back of Flourish & Blotts (A/N: I think that's the right name -_-) holding up a fairly interesting book about dangerous and rare magical creatures. She grinned at the book almost proudly, after half an hour of looking at shelves and shelves of books attempting to find the right one for Remus. She had somehow thought that it might interest someone who loved to read. Lily had also found a rather interesting book, a book about the Dark Arts. It contained some Dark potions and spells, but the incantations or ingredients were not in it of course. Jen had found a book on the history of the Dark Arts...a rather big book that contained it all, from the first occurrence to the recent events. Lily stood at a table with a stack of different books on it, holding the book she had picked out with a rather interested expression on her face.
"Oh, show us what you found Kathy." Lily said and smiled as she heard Kathy's excited voice through the store, holding the book she had found under her arm. "I found this one about magical creatures and all. It looks very nice, if you ask me." Kathy said, glancing at the cover with a smile. "I would read it, but I'm too hyper about the shopping right now to actually do so."
The book was a hard back one, black in color and had a drawing of one of the creatures in the book on the front. It had a large, cursive title 'Creatures of the Magical World' in dark red on the front. It looked like an interesting book, with a look that would make someone open it just out of interest because of the interesting looking picture on it.
"Nice." Jen said, and then showed them the book she found, which was also another interesting book.
"Oooh," Lily said, reading the title, which was in a dark blue color set against the dusty gray cover. "Good find!" she said and grinned. "I found this one about the Dark Arts and spells and potions related to it. I think James might burn that one if he sees it." She said, snickering slightly. She knew how much James hated the Dark Arts. She showed them the book. It was dark brown with golden writing on it.
"Right then, that gets done with presents for Remus...now James..." Jen said happily, after they had paid for the books and walked out of the store. All of them had the books put in to fancy looking gift boxes, with a nice wrapping around them.
"Where do we go?" Jen asked blankly, brushing her hair away from her face as the wind blew. Her eyes were shining in the light, appearing to be a lighter gray than they already were. She was in a good mood too, that was why. She smiled at her friends. She loved shopping for presents a lot.
"Quality Quidditch Supplies!" Kathy piped up and grinned. She was always one to think fast when excited. She beamed, bouncing up and down with excitement slightly, the Christmas spirit getting to her with so many happy people walking around. The air was filled with happiness...or rather people running around trying to get into stores to find what they wanted before someone else got it and they had to be stuck in the store for another half an hour trying to find something else that the person they were shopping for might like.
"Bingo!" Lily said happily, giving her best friend a high five; that was smart of Kathy, to think of going to the Quidditch store for Quidditch-mad James. It worked, it really did.
Kathy and Jen were staring at her like she had just grown another three, say, four heads.
"What's a bingo?" Jen said, raising an eyebrow amusedly at Lily.
Lily realized that what she said was unclear to her pureblood, not muggle- born friends and laughed, shaking her head as she started towards the Quidditch store. Her two friends followed her, clearly confused while Lily laughed her butt off as they made their way in to the store.
"Okay, let's decide what we're going to get him now." Lily said, and looked around the store. "I'm going to buy him a book on Quidditch teams and tricks and all that stuff he actually finds interesting..." she said and shrugged, smiling slightly. "Okay then.I'm going to get him a broom polishing set." Kathy said. "And I'll get him one of those nice looking trunks to keep Quidditch balls in. They aren't too big, so I'll manage lugging it around." Jen said and smiled. They all went and found what they were planning to get, paid for it, and headed to the joke store for Sirius. They automatically knew that it was the only place to find a gift for someone such as Sirius. They walked out with their hands holding all kinds of things to help set up the perfect prank.
They all got Peter something out of the joke store as well.
Now it was time to get something for each other. They all headed separate ways, planning to meet again at the ice cream store.
[Mrs. Lupin and Remus]
"No mum, I'm not getting James a poster of a Quidditch Team." Remus said to his mum distractedly as he glanced at the other stuff in a store that sold random things. The store had peeling bright purple and dark green paint, and it was a tightly packed place, all the tables with random things piled next to each other almost carelessly, all looming out with a spark. The place had few people in it, with the exception of the old and grizzly shopkeeper who was walking around trying to sell the most useless things ever.
"Maybe you should get him." she said, then paused slightly. "A book?"
Remus snorted, "You crack me up mum. To get James to actually read a book, or actually bother to, would be enough for everyone in Hogwarts to die of shock...not that James is stupid of course, it's just that it takes him quite a bit to read a book. Or rather to bother to try and read a book, mum." he said quietly as he picked up another piece of junk distractedly, setting it back down with a small sigh as he walked around picking things up and setting them back down.
His mother laughed, shaking her head as they walked out of the store with the present Remus had picked out for James, a t-shirt autographed by all of his favourite Quidditch players, by surprise, he had found it on for sale in a store. James was probably going to take off whatever he might be wearing at Christmas and put it on.
"Now Sirius.ah, the clown. Sirius might like anything that explodes, bites, laughs or just does interesting harm to a person. That's just the way it is with him." Remus said and grinned, running a hand through his hair distractedly. "Maybe I should get him.what should I get Sirius, mum?"
Mrs. Lupin looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping her chin while staring at the ground as though in thought, then spoke again, in a rather suggestive tone. "How about we go to the joke shop and pick out a package of things?" she said.
"Right then." Remus said, walking over to the counter to pay for James' shirt. He set it down on the counter and paid for it, put it in a nice box and wrapped it. Outside, he put a charm on it to make all the Quaffle's on it zoom around the gift box. He grinned and he and his mum headed for Gambol and Japes, a joke shop much like Zonko's, only bigger. Much bigger. With more dangerous and fun things for people like Sirius to spend hours over, planning how to use them. Oh well.
"So mum, you know Lily and Jen and Kathy right?" he asked conversationally as he walked with his mum to their destination, which was just a tad away from the little store they had just left. The street was rather busy, with little witches or busy looking people rushing around with bags and wands in their hands, all smiling merrily at the designs being put up by people. It all looked very beautiful, and most people were in a good mood, except for the every few odd ones wearing a dark look as they walked along. Those people did confuse Remus a lot, especially since he had seen one person wearing a black, hooded robe, covering their face.
"Here we are." Mrs. Lupin said as she pushed the door to the joke shop open and stepped inside, her eyes scanning the place with a hint of amusement in them. It was a big, stuffed shop with a watch-your-back feeling to it. There were a lot of things stacked up in shelves, and lots of rows of things, and things on tables and walls, and hanging from the ceiling. The shopkeeper was a young man that reminded Mrs. Lupin of Sirius quite a lot. Remus, though, was busy rushing around the racks with an evil grin on his face, like he was a pro at this place, knew every corner, every turn, every object and what everything did.
"The shop keeper says that they have a new section that's full of new stuff!" Remus told his mum, who was poking at an odd looking toy casually. "Like new muggle jokes.Sirius would love those...since he's never probably seen 'em before.it'll give the idiot something to keep him busy. That would be amusing. Sirius attempting to think!" Remus said, walking over to that section and picking up the stuff, examining it carefully, and setting it back down on the shelf he got it off. After about 15 minutes, Remus had finally decided on what Sirius would be receiving for Christmas. He had picked off a small book.no, not an ordinary book. It was a book full of the most hilarious, pointless muggle jokes ever made. And the book laughed occasionally too.
Another thing he had picked up was a 'thing' called a wopee cushion. On the instructions, it said that you blow it up and put it on some ones seat and when they sit down it makes this huge big farting noise. Sounds like something Sirius would like to use. Last, but not least, Remus got Sirius a good ol' pack of dungbombs.
He had picked up a pack of dungbombs for Peter, a book and a muggle player musical thing called a 'flute', like the shopkeeper called it.
Remus and his mother walked out of the shop packed with even more things. "Now the girls." he said dreadedly. His mother laughed, shaking her head. She knew he was going to do that. "What gender am I?" she asked him, using a joking tone. "Mum.I'm serious...I don't know where girls even shop!"
"Hm. I know Lily loves to read as much as you, from what I've heard, so it's a book for her. Kathy is.the girly one, you say? Okay then I'll pick up something for her out of Madam Malkins.and I think we'll find something unique for Jen I guess since she doesn't really fit under one thing." Mrs.Lupin said, sounding half-certain about what she was talking about since she didn't really know the girls.
Remus shrugged as they stopped at the bookstore and got Lily a book on Charms. Their next stop was...oh no...the...eurgh...Madam Malkins. Horror!!! Or so Remus saw it that way. He hoped he wasn't going to have to stick around in there for too long anyway!
His mum, though, looked quite happy as she stepped in. "I think we'll just get her a nice hat to go with fancy robes, that's it. I saw her wearing one once in her Fourth Year at the station." she started off distractedly as she picked up a satin, deep purple one with a beautiful design all over it in silver string, some very small bright green jewels (studs) along the design going all around the hat. "This is lovely." She decided, an approving smile on her face as she walked over to the counter and paid for it. Well, now there was one more to go, and he was freeeeee. Just Jen left.
Remus sighed slightly, "This has been a long day." he said and yawned as they entered a shop that sold stationary, diaries, quills, different colored ink, and all in all nice looking things. He walked over to a little can with quills in it, and picked up a blood red one. Strangely enough, he thought Jen would like to write with something as slightly odd as that. He smiled and got it for her, then walked over to the ink section. There were all kinds of ink. Ink that changed according to your mood, as in color. There was ink that switched handwriting, and some ink that read your words out loud when you were done writing, all sorts. He picked up the mood- changing one, and then got Jen some fancy parchment and paid for it, then walked out. He and his mum shrunk all the gifts, and apparated back to their house, ready to rest.
[Mrs. Potter and James]
"Mum, I said Kathy was sort of...girly...but hell, I didn't say she was a squeal-squeal girly girl!" he said, backing up as though revolted as his mum held up, slightly uncertainly, the most disgusting yellow bow he had ever seen in his entire life. "And.that thing is just scary, that's all that it is!" he added, sighing with relief as his mum set it back down.
"I was kidding, James!" she said and rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. "Okay then if you're bored then you go on and attempt to get something." She said and smiled, sitting down and staring at her son expectantly and patiently. They were in Madam Malkins store, shopping for the girls. James was bored out of his mind, and he was starting to nag and say no to everything that his mum had picked up. "Okay." He said uneasily and picked up a pale blue scarf, very soft, and with silver glittery snowflakes on it. He smiled and showed it to his mum, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Don't give me that smug look.reminds me of when your dad was in his fifth year.agh..." she said and smiled, shaking her head slightly.
He glared at his mum and then started going through the things there again. After about 10 minutes of looking through scarves, hats and other things that were pretty much scaring him, not to mention boring the hell out of him, he settled for a pink headband, with white snowmen on it.
"Uh.this one?" he asked cluelessly, holding it up for his mum to look. "Okay then.now Lily." She said and put on an innocent, knowing smile that made James cringe.
"I have to go now mum!" he said and sped out of the store, blushing a deep red. He wasn't going to buy Lily a gift from here, he was planning to get her something more special. Well she was the most special thing on Earth to him, and he wanted to get her something meaningful. He already got gifts for Sirius and Remus. He got Remus a pack of dungbombs and other things to use for pranks, and he got Sirius a huge joke book and some pranks.
Now Lily. How hard could it be?
[Sirius]
Sirius apparated in front of the joke shop. "Heaven!" he said and walked in, grinning slightly as he started going through things to get Remus, James and Peter. And he walked out with things to last about three months. He smiled slightly as the happy feeling around him started getting to him, making him in his nearly hyper mood as he looked around, hoping to find any friends. He found Alice Banks and Frank Longbottom sitting at a table at the ice cream store and waved to them, a smirk on his face, to annoy Frank of course.
He knew that Frank adored Alice, and he loved teasing him sometimes. He snickered as Frank glared at him when Alice turned away and walked around Diagon Alley, wondering where to go to get a gift for the girls. "A book is.no...I don't even like that evil book store...and I am NOT going to Madam Malkins, no, not happening." He agreed to himself under his breath.
"SIRIUS, HEY SIRIUS!" a girly, squealy voice called, startling Sirius slightly. He turned around and saw Janette Lanhart, a Ravenclaw Sixth Year...also the schools biggest mouth. Sirius cursed under his breath as the pretty brunette approached. He had dated her one in his Sixth Year...and never regretted anything more in his whole life. The girl did nothing but talk, and twist her hair around her finger as she harped on about useless things.
"Hi Janette." Sirius said in a rather forced tone with a smile to match. "How are you doing?" he asked in a rather too formal tone.
"I am like, so happy!" she said in a normal, happy tone. "I just got invited to Darcy's Christmas party, heh, wanna come? I can get you an invitation if you want because Darcy is like, my really good friend (A/N:*cough*sure*cough*), we're like best friends. Heh. But it's a muggle party, so yeah. So what do you say?" she asked and grinned at him. "But I should tell you - I'm going with one of her muggle friends. I wonder what he looks like, she like totally set us up! She is so nice! You should come, instead of spending Christmas by yourself, you know. It's so useless to just sit there and do nothing. It's like really, really, like I can't describe how boring!"
Sirius blinked, trying to take in all that he just heard in one go. "Uhrm.I'll pass, thanks Jan, I uh...have plans." He said and nodded, shrugging slightly. "Sorry", he said with a smile, in a mock-regretful tone.
"Oh my God! You like, don't wanna come. Oh that's okay. Hehe. I'm telling everyone that I like saw you, this is like so cool we haven't talked in SUCH a long time!" she said and smiled sweetly. When she said 'I'm telling everyone that I like saw you', it meant that the story was going to go on to 'I like saw him and he asked me out, and now were going out and I'm going to a party with him and it's gonna be soo awesome!'.
Sirius glared at her. "Yeah, I haven't talked to you since you told everyone that I only date girls to attempt to get in their pants, and I have never really liked any of the girls that I dated, and that I also paid them all to go out with me." he said coldly, his eyes burning holes in her as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and got the brat look on her face.
"Hmph!" she said and stalked off, her head high in the air. Sirius smirked, and took out his wand, muttering a hex softly and sending it her way. As he walked into a randomness store, he heard a loud scream and began to snigger. It was the good old 'pimple' spell. He looked around the store, which looked like it was only recently opened. He picked up a fancy looking diary, one that was charmed to change colors. That was for Lily. He got Kathy one that was silver, with animated designs on the front, and Jen a blue one that changed styles.from old to modern to girly.
He walked out and decided to walk around in attempt to find one of his friends. After about 15 minutes, though, he returned to his apartment loaded with gifts for his friends.
[The girls]
"I want to go back to your place Jen, I can't anymore! And the gifts are weighing me down." Lily said and grinned slightly, her feet starting to ache. "Can't walk anymooore!"
"Eh...same here. And my hair is starting to get frizzy.not a good sign." Kathy said out of the blue and blinked, her long brown hair blowing in the wind.
"Alright, fine...but next time we come here, we get ice cream." Jen said and grinned. "Because ice cream is good. And good means happy. And happy leads to fun, and fun leads to...happiness...or whatever." She said, poking her friends and apparating back to her house.
Lily blinked and looked at Kathy. "That was strange." She said and they both apparated back to Jens house.
[James]
James stood in a jewelry store, looking quite awkward. He wanted to get Lily a necklace. A locket, to be specific. He walked over to the shopkeeper and asked if they had any lockets for sale.
"Yes we do, but you're lucky, we only have two left." The shopkeeper, a snooty young woman with a strict and formal voice and appearance to her, said. "A silver one and a gold one.would you like to see them?" she asked, raising an arched black eyebrow.
"Er...yeah." he said as she pulled out two lockets. A silver one, that didn't catch James' eye as much as the golden one. He paid for it and walked out, staring at it from the navy blue box it was in. He sighed slightly, as he wondered if Lily would ever be his as he apparated back home, feeling tired and confused. He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to run in to Sirius or meet him. The idea that Sirius was spending Christmas in his ruddy apartment really made James feel bad. He sort of had a little plan forming in his head, and so far, he really liked it. He decided to tell tomorrow.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeello people! I'm not dead! AAAH! A shocker! I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry, so unbelievably sorry that I haven't updated in way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way too long. I feel so damn bad. Writers block sucks so much. I have a lot of things to say. First off, a huge thanks to all of you who e-mailed me, either telling me to update, or sending suggestions, or helping me out with the whole Christmas thing. You don't know how much it meant to me, especially the ones who wrote long letters! I love you all so much ^-^! I feel happy to know that all of you can't wait for the next chapter, but I also feel dreadful for slacking off. Things have been out of hand for me lately. Things are changing, and I have a huge thing coming up for Student Council that we're planning for. What else is that, strangely enough, I'm starting to socialize more. So many parties and events and problems lately.
Not to mention tiring and annoying at times, really. School has also been the optimum horror for me. I feel like shit for not updating so long, I really do. I know all of you are mad at me, and I'm so sorry if you sent me an e-mail and I didn't reply, I'm telling you now, here, that I do feel bad, but you must forgive me since I am the slacker stupid loser that I am and I really will try to get a handle on life sooner or later! Writing is my salvation! And I hate writer's block soo much. I almost cried the other day when I sat there and I couldn't get on with the story. It is so annoying that it drives me crazy.
My friends have all been having problems lately. One of them ran away to my place, but went back to her house a day after, and another one is planning to run away...and then come in my friends and their boy friends with their own problems, and being the one who solves problems at times, I have to take peoples shit but it's okay...it's weird though. So much happening lately. One of my other friends is having problems with her parents while another one is in to self-harming. SAVE ME SOMEONE!
All my thanks, hugs and cookies go out to all of you who review all the time, and e-mail me a lot. (A huge thanks to Megan for the super long e- mail, and to Miriam for all the support, which I am so thankful for, I really am I love you Miriam ^-^! gives cookie. And to all the others who sent me an e-mail or made suggestions about what to add in the story, I love hearing all your idea!)
By the way, this chapter was named Its Hard, because of Jen and her story about her mom, and because Christmas shopping isn't always easy! Heh. I just felt like that title, BELONGED XD, so I put it there because that's just me, if I -feel- XD it should go there, I put it there.
Please, if you have any suggestions, send them in I'm more than happy to read them all! And I will try to fit them in with the story as much as I can, duh! Hehe!
Luv ya -Delilah
P.S IM SO SORRY! :'( I know this chapter is longer than most, but I'm not so sure if its that interesting, please tell me if it is or if it isn't!!!
[Kings Cross Station]
Kathy was the last to get off the train, since she lost her earring in the compartment they were sitting in. She quickly got off, making her way through the sea of students and families and walking over to her friends.
James was hugging his mum, and his dad was standing next to him. James looked very much like his dad.
Sirius was neglecting his parents, who were there to pick up Regulus.
Jen was glaring at a tall, middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and green eyes while hugging her dad.
Lily and Kathy were guessing this woman was Jen's 'evil' stepmother, as she put it. Lily and Kathy both greeted Jen's parents politely. Their parents were not here since they were spending the Christmas holidays at Jens'.
Remus was speaking in French to his parents and Peter was conversing with his parents quietly.
Jen looked at the woman then back at Kathy and Lily.
"Marianne, these are my best friends, Lily Evans", she said, motioning to Lily, "and Kathy Robinson. Lily, Kathy this is Marianne " She said. Jen turned away and started speaking in Russian to her dad while the girls and Marianne had a conversation.
After they all broke away from their parents, it was time to say goodbye to each other. Of course, James, felt he had to make a scene to prove that he really would miss Lily.
James -dramatically- nearly fell on Lily on purpose. And she almost had to hold him up, laughing.
"Get up, James! This is embarrassing!" she said and blushed, holding him up. She was blushing because a lot of the people at the station were looking at them.
He snickered and got off then hugged her, nearly squishing her. "I'll miss you Evans!" he cried, not noticing that she was nearly going to die.
All the others laughed as Kathy took a picture.
"Get off!" she managed to choke out, and trying to get him off. "Oops!"
He grinned and let her go. He then hugged each one of the girls and his friends, telling them all to write, and to study, mimicking Lily.
Finally, they all left, almost sadly.
[The Potter Household]
"Finally!" James said and grinned, running a hand through his hair as he stepped in to his large house, smiling. The staircase was in front of him; to his right was the living room, to his left the lounge and near the living room there was a big kitchen. The walls were all pained a slight cream/yellow color, matching furniture.
Mrs.Potter laughed and smiled at him, "You've grown so much James!" she said and hugged him again, her auburn hair falling into her eyes out of her bun. Her gray eyes twinkled as she pulled away from her son, who was much taller than her.
James rolled his eyes and hugged her back, "I know mum, you say that every Christmas!" he said exasperatedly.
Mr. Potter stepped in and shut the door after him, "Say, James, who was that red headed girl you were hugging at the station?" he asked with a slight mischievous smile on his thin face matching James'. He set James' trunk near the staircase and looked at him again. His mum was suppressing laughter at the look on her son's face.
James blushed and grinned at his dad nervously. "Heh.that's.er.Lily, Lily Evans." He said and nodded, cursing himself for blushing.
"Friend of yours?" his mum asked, a knowing smile on her face as she looked at her rather red son. "Yeah, friend, yes." He said, nodding quickly and not looking at his dad.
"SO! Mum, dad, how has...work at the ministry been?" he asked lamely, not wanting to talk about Lily with his parents right now.
"Fine," his parents said, suppressing their laughter. It was obvious their son liked this girl.
"Is Sirius going to come this Christmas?" Mrs.Potter asked, a pleased smile on her face. She was used to Sirius coming around so much that she considered him part of the family now.
"No, im planning to write to Lily, Jen, Kathy, Remus and Peter and tell them we should all drop at his place on Christmas!" James said, thoughtfully, absently running a hand through his hair and making it messier. "I don't think he should just spend Christmas on his own in that little apartment of his.so wouldn't he get quite a surprise when he'd hear six cracks of apparating and then see us?"
Mr. Potter laughed, "Yes, he would."
"Im going to go.think about it!" James said, running upstairs to his room.
"But you are coming down for dinner, which is in 10 minutes!"
[The Lupin Household]
Remus walked into his small house with his mom, a small smile on his slightly pale face. He set his trunk down and shut the old door after his mom entered the house carrying his owl. He took it from her and set it down. He rubbed his hands together and walked in to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate for him and his mum to talk over.
"So how has your year been so far?" his mum asked with a meek smile, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"Fine, it's been alright mum, how have you and dad been?" he asked, walking over to the small living room with two mugs of hot chocolate, and sat down. He handed one of the mugs to his mum.
"We've been fine, Remus, still alive," she laughed. Remus gave a small laugh, "Don't say that, mum, it makes me think you're going to die soon." He said.
"Where is dad?" he asked, after a moment of silence and sipping. He turned his head towards his mum.
"Work." She answered. Mr. Lupin was usually at work because his job wasn't that good, and he needed to stay a tad longer than most people to gain extra money. He worked hard to pay for the house and to buy food and keep his family well. Remus didn't care that his family was not rich, as long as they had a roof to live under and food to eat, that was fine with him, and as long that his parents loved him and each other, it would be okay.
"But he will be home in time for dinner", she said, grinning, "He said he didn't want to miss having dinner with you tonight, and talking to you about how your year was, and about the N.E.W.T's," she said.
"Okay," he said and smiled.
After five minutes of joking with his mum, a loud crack could be heard as Mr. Lupin stood by the door, smiling.
Mrs. Lupin, and Remus stood up, and both hugged him. "Hello Remus, missed you over those months, how have you been, son?" he asked grinning. Mr. Lupin looked frighteningly a lot like Remus. They both had the same light brown hair, and the same eye shape and nose, except that Mr. Lupin had soft green eyes and Remus had amber-honey eyes, like his mother.
Mrs. Lupin prepared dinner with Mr. Lupin's and Remus's help, and they settled down to talk about how things have been so far.
[The Grisdale Household]
Jen didn't smile as she and her friends, along with her parents, apparated in front of her door. She just pushed the large, oak door open after glancing at the huge, huge front garden and big black gates quite a distance away. She scowled and walked in, lugging her trunk behind her. Kathy and Lily exchanged confused looks, but decided to ask when they were with Jen in her room, so her parents couldn't hear them as they talked about it.
Lily brushed her red hair away from her face as they all stepped in after the large oak doors to Jen's house opened. Kathy's jaw nearly dropped. Jen's house was huge - and gorgeous. She lived in a 15-room mansion with about five floors, all of course linked together with confusing passages and staircases. But Jen knew them all. Mostly the house was painted the color scarlet, and filled with luxuries. Jen didn't even bother to stop and talk to her parents, just preceded to her room with Kathy and Lily.
"Jen, what's up? You're supposed to look happy when you come home!" Lily said with concern in her voice as she sank in to a comfy couch in Jen's room. Kathy stood at Jen's desk, examining all the photos, drawings and junk cluttered all over on one table.
"Nothing. I just don't like Marianne. That's all." She said quietly, turning away from her friends and picking up a photo off her desk, smiling slightly. Kathy looked at it and noticed Jen's mom in the photo. "Oh!" Kathy cried out in surprise, Jen's mother looked exactly like her, just older with longer hair and a more graceful appearance than Jen, who had a rather mysterious air to her. "Yeah.I know.she looks like me!" Jen said and grinned cheekily. Lily hopped off the couch and ran over to see. "Jen she looks like your older sister!" Lily said and smiled, examining the picture more closely, her emerald green eyes shining with interest. She turned to Jen.
"Jen-are your parents separated?" Kathy asked. Jen shook her head no, wiping a tear away from her face, but the girls couldn't see since Jen had the picture in her hand with her back to them. "My mum died...before I went to Hogwarts." She said.
Kathy and Lily looked surprised. She never told them anything about her family - so this was new. They both hugged her, asking why she never told them about it before.
Jen shrugged, sitting on her bed and staring around at the dark blue walls in her spacious room. She examined her nails before answering. "Didn't want to get in to it.I don't like discussing my past." she said in the same quiet tone when she was upset about something. Kathy and Lily exchanged knowing looks and decided to change the subject; Jen obviously didn't want to speak about it.
"I feel bad for Sirius." Lily said, and Kathy nodded, "Yeah, he has to spend Christmas all by himself!" she said and frowned.
"I bet James will probably think of something. He loves Sirius like a brother too much to let him spend Christmas alone." Jen said and grinned as the two girls nodded and got in to a conversation about the stupidest things their dads had ever done during Christmas.
[Sirius's Apartment]
Sirius apparated in front of the door of his apartment, looking slightly tired and frustrated as he unlocked the door and pushed it open gently. He walked inside and set his bags down near the door as he quietly kicked it shut. He looked around, it was not much. Plain white walls, a small kitchen and living room, along with two bedrooms and one bathroom. The living room was slightly messy. It was a nice-looking place with a homely feel and some pictures and wizarding books lying around, some still opened and some closed with the page marked. The books were Defence Against the Dark Arts books, and there were two 'Cooking for Lazy People' books. Sirius sniggered as he shut them and set them back on a shelf.
He plopped down on the couch, running a hand through his hair and yawning slightly. Three days 'til Christmas...he would probably spend them alone or at the shops. He looked over at a picture of all the Marauders together and smiled fondly. Sitting up, he reached over to pick it up. It was taken last year by Hagrid. Remus, James and Peter were all standing in a straight line carrying Sirius in their arms-in a lying down position with his hands behind his head. He laughed, shaking his head slightly as memories flooded his brain.
Three hours later it was midnight. Sirius was drawing in a sketchbook. And surprisingly enough, he was really good at it. He was sketching Hogwarts with Lily and James in front of it for some reason he didn't know. The sun was setting in the picture and he had gotten every detail in the picture right - maybe because he loved Hogwarts more than any other place on the face of the Earth. He finished sketching it an hour later, smiling slightly, as though fond of it and as soon as he lay back down on the couch he fell asleep.
[The next day - the Lupin household]
"Remus, wake up. Right now or no Christmas presents!" Mrs. Lupin laughed, shaking her grumbling son gently. "I am serious - if we don't go right now it gets too crowded! It's already about two in the afternoon, Remus!" she scolded, whacking him playfully.
Remus mumbled something about a human alarm clock and jumped out of his bed. "See, I'm up, mum. Relax. We will go before the crowd tramples us!" he said and laughed slightly, hugging his mum. "I'll get dressed and we'll go."
"What about breakfast?" Mrs. Lupin said, raising an eyebrow. "Hmmmm?"
Remus waved his hand, as though dismissing it while he ushered his mum out of his room so he could change.
About a minute later he came out and started using the same tone as his mum in telling her they should go, "No, no, we should go now before the crowd gets too thick, Marianne!"
His mum rolled her eyes and looked at him seriously. "We are apparating there! Get a move on it!" she said and disappeared with a loud 'pop'. Seconds later, after snickering, Remus followed her.
[The Grisdale Household]
"JENNIIIIFFEERR! UP!" Lily yelled, jumping on Jens bed like it was a trampoline, "WE HAVE TO GO TO DIAGON ALLEY! SHOPPING! RIGHT NOW! EEE!" she yelled loudly, glancing down at Jen in actual hopes that she would wake her up and get her to move her lazy butt out of bed.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!" Kathy screeched, joining Lily in jumping on the bed, and starting to talk at an incredibly fast speed, stuttering every now and then. But hey, how else could they wake up someone who took ages to get up?!
"FINE, FINE, I'M UP, I'M UP!" she finally, yelled, shooting up so she sat up straight and so that Lily and Kathy were pushed off, laughing hysterically while she stomped into the showers, muttering obscenities under her breath while Lily and Kathy continued to laugh.
"She is such an idiot!" Kathy snickered, brushing her long brown hair away from her face while helping Lily off the floor. "Yeah.when she's sleeping!" Lily said, giggling slightly.
"Agreed." Kathy said and smiled in her usual, cheery, happy, Kathy-like way. She bounced over to Jen's dresser and starting to fiddle with everything on it, humming a slightly random tune under her breath.
Lily, meanwhile, was banging on the bathroom-door. "WHAT, WE WAKE YOU UP AND NOW WE HAVE TO DRAG YOU OUT OF THE BLOODY SHOWER?!" she yelled.
BANG...BANG...BANG.
"GET OVER WITH IT!" Jen said, and the door flew open. Jen danced past Lily, laughing and twirling slightly, her long blonde hair hitting Lily while Kathy tried to wipe off some disgusting orange looking stuff she put on her face by mistake.
After 15 minutes of jumping around and eating breakfast while discussing what they were going to do, the girls all apparated to Diagon Alley.
[The Potter Household]
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!" Mrs. Potter sang from downstairs, smoothing her dark red robes. "GET UP! WE'RE GOING TO DIAGON ALLEY! COME ON!" she yelled impatiently.
James rolled over in his bed and fell on the ground, grumbling with a startled "OW!". He ran a hand through his rats nest...I mean hair and stood up, stretching and yawning hugely. "WHAT'S THE TIME, MUM?!" he yelled to her as he put on his clothes slowly and lazily.
"Its two thirty! Get a move on!" she barked as he stumbled down the stairs.
"James, you look like a mess!" his mum said, frowning slightly. "What else is new?" his dad asked, poking his head out from above his newspaper and grinning at his wife who rolled her eyes.
James snickered and looked at his parents. "Is dad coming too, mum?"
"No," Mrs. Potter said, "he has to go to work. Let's go James, we are apparating there."
"Right." He said, and with a loud pop, they apparated there.
[Sirius's Apartment]
Sirius woke up to find that he had fallen asleep on the couch after he had finished drawing. He sat up, yawning hugely, running a hand through his hair and rubbing his face while he set the other one down on the cough next to him. He looked around then suddenly remembered something and grumbled slightly.
"Shopping...no maybe later on.or no, that's too busy at that 'later' I think. I know I'm talking about...gah...I feel so stupid at the moment, it's unbelievable, really!" he wondered out loud.
"I need to go shopping..." he mumbled distractedly to himself, sort of half telling himself that that was what he was going to do right now, weather he liked it or not, because it was the right time of day to go anyway. He was amused that he hadn't forgotten all about shopping he had to do. Weird, being alone does things to you sometimes. He sat up straight lazily then got up and slouched to his room, kicking things out of his way casually as he walked.
He changed out of the clothes he fell asleep in and had some cereal for breakfast. He moved the flakes around with his spoon, staring at his plate still only half-awake. He didn't know why he still felt so tired from the train ride yesterday. He looked at the time and got up, stretching slightly, and apparated to Diagon Alley, wondering if he might run into any friends while he was there. Well he hoped so. Especially James.
(A/N: James and Remus go with their mums because their mums have some shopping to do and so they went together...)
[Diagon Alley - Lily, Jen and Kathy]
"OHHH, OOH COME LOOK AT THIIIS!" Kathy sang from the back of Flourish & Blotts (A/N: I think that's the right name -_-) holding up a fairly interesting book about dangerous and rare magical creatures. She grinned at the book almost proudly, after half an hour of looking at shelves and shelves of books attempting to find the right one for Remus. She had somehow thought that it might interest someone who loved to read. Lily had also found a rather interesting book, a book about the Dark Arts. It contained some Dark potions and spells, but the incantations or ingredients were not in it of course. Jen had found a book on the history of the Dark Arts...a rather big book that contained it all, from the first occurrence to the recent events. Lily stood at a table with a stack of different books on it, holding the book she had picked out with a rather interested expression on her face.
"Oh, show us what you found Kathy." Lily said and smiled as she heard Kathy's excited voice through the store, holding the book she had found under her arm. "I found this one about magical creatures and all. It looks very nice, if you ask me." Kathy said, glancing at the cover with a smile. "I would read it, but I'm too hyper about the shopping right now to actually do so."
The book was a hard back one, black in color and had a drawing of one of the creatures in the book on the front. It had a large, cursive title 'Creatures of the Magical World' in dark red on the front. It looked like an interesting book, with a look that would make someone open it just out of interest because of the interesting looking picture on it.
"Nice." Jen said, and then showed them the book she found, which was also another interesting book.
"Oooh," Lily said, reading the title, which was in a dark blue color set against the dusty gray cover. "Good find!" she said and grinned. "I found this one about the Dark Arts and spells and potions related to it. I think James might burn that one if he sees it." She said, snickering slightly. She knew how much James hated the Dark Arts. She showed them the book. It was dark brown with golden writing on it.
"Right then, that gets done with presents for Remus...now James..." Jen said happily, after they had paid for the books and walked out of the store. All of them had the books put in to fancy looking gift boxes, with a nice wrapping around them.
"Where do we go?" Jen asked blankly, brushing her hair away from her face as the wind blew. Her eyes were shining in the light, appearing to be a lighter gray than they already were. She was in a good mood too, that was why. She smiled at her friends. She loved shopping for presents a lot.
"Quality Quidditch Supplies!" Kathy piped up and grinned. She was always one to think fast when excited. She beamed, bouncing up and down with excitement slightly, the Christmas spirit getting to her with so many happy people walking around. The air was filled with happiness...or rather people running around trying to get into stores to find what they wanted before someone else got it and they had to be stuck in the store for another half an hour trying to find something else that the person they were shopping for might like.
"Bingo!" Lily said happily, giving her best friend a high five; that was smart of Kathy, to think of going to the Quidditch store for Quidditch-mad James. It worked, it really did.
Kathy and Jen were staring at her like she had just grown another three, say, four heads.
"What's a bingo?" Jen said, raising an eyebrow amusedly at Lily.
Lily realized that what she said was unclear to her pureblood, not muggle- born friends and laughed, shaking her head as she started towards the Quidditch store. Her two friends followed her, clearly confused while Lily laughed her butt off as they made their way in to the store.
"Okay, let's decide what we're going to get him now." Lily said, and looked around the store. "I'm going to buy him a book on Quidditch teams and tricks and all that stuff he actually finds interesting..." she said and shrugged, smiling slightly. "Okay then.I'm going to get him a broom polishing set." Kathy said. "And I'll get him one of those nice looking trunks to keep Quidditch balls in. They aren't too big, so I'll manage lugging it around." Jen said and smiled. They all went and found what they were planning to get, paid for it, and headed to the joke store for Sirius. They automatically knew that it was the only place to find a gift for someone such as Sirius. They walked out with their hands holding all kinds of things to help set up the perfect prank.
They all got Peter something out of the joke store as well.
Now it was time to get something for each other. They all headed separate ways, planning to meet again at the ice cream store.
[Mrs. Lupin and Remus]
"No mum, I'm not getting James a poster of a Quidditch Team." Remus said to his mum distractedly as he glanced at the other stuff in a store that sold random things. The store had peeling bright purple and dark green paint, and it was a tightly packed place, all the tables with random things piled next to each other almost carelessly, all looming out with a spark. The place had few people in it, with the exception of the old and grizzly shopkeeper who was walking around trying to sell the most useless things ever.
"Maybe you should get him." she said, then paused slightly. "A book?"
Remus snorted, "You crack me up mum. To get James to actually read a book, or actually bother to, would be enough for everyone in Hogwarts to die of shock...not that James is stupid of course, it's just that it takes him quite a bit to read a book. Or rather to bother to try and read a book, mum." he said quietly as he picked up another piece of junk distractedly, setting it back down with a small sigh as he walked around picking things up and setting them back down.
His mother laughed, shaking her head as they walked out of the store with the present Remus had picked out for James, a t-shirt autographed by all of his favourite Quidditch players, by surprise, he had found it on for sale in a store. James was probably going to take off whatever he might be wearing at Christmas and put it on.
"Now Sirius.ah, the clown. Sirius might like anything that explodes, bites, laughs or just does interesting harm to a person. That's just the way it is with him." Remus said and grinned, running a hand through his hair distractedly. "Maybe I should get him.what should I get Sirius, mum?"
Mrs. Lupin looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping her chin while staring at the ground as though in thought, then spoke again, in a rather suggestive tone. "How about we go to the joke shop and pick out a package of things?" she said.
"Right then." Remus said, walking over to the counter to pay for James' shirt. He set it down on the counter and paid for it, put it in a nice box and wrapped it. Outside, he put a charm on it to make all the Quaffle's on it zoom around the gift box. He grinned and he and his mum headed for Gambol and Japes, a joke shop much like Zonko's, only bigger. Much bigger. With more dangerous and fun things for people like Sirius to spend hours over, planning how to use them. Oh well.
"So mum, you know Lily and Jen and Kathy right?" he asked conversationally as he walked with his mum to their destination, which was just a tad away from the little store they had just left. The street was rather busy, with little witches or busy looking people rushing around with bags and wands in their hands, all smiling merrily at the designs being put up by people. It all looked very beautiful, and most people were in a good mood, except for the every few odd ones wearing a dark look as they walked along. Those people did confuse Remus a lot, especially since he had seen one person wearing a black, hooded robe, covering their face.
"Here we are." Mrs. Lupin said as she pushed the door to the joke shop open and stepped inside, her eyes scanning the place with a hint of amusement in them. It was a big, stuffed shop with a watch-your-back feeling to it. There were a lot of things stacked up in shelves, and lots of rows of things, and things on tables and walls, and hanging from the ceiling. The shopkeeper was a young man that reminded Mrs. Lupin of Sirius quite a lot. Remus, though, was busy rushing around the racks with an evil grin on his face, like he was a pro at this place, knew every corner, every turn, every object and what everything did.
"The shop keeper says that they have a new section that's full of new stuff!" Remus told his mum, who was poking at an odd looking toy casually. "Like new muggle jokes.Sirius would love those...since he's never probably seen 'em before.it'll give the idiot something to keep him busy. That would be amusing. Sirius attempting to think!" Remus said, walking over to that section and picking up the stuff, examining it carefully, and setting it back down on the shelf he got it off. After about 15 minutes, Remus had finally decided on what Sirius would be receiving for Christmas. He had picked off a small book.no, not an ordinary book. It was a book full of the most hilarious, pointless muggle jokes ever made. And the book laughed occasionally too.
Another thing he had picked up was a 'thing' called a wopee cushion. On the instructions, it said that you blow it up and put it on some ones seat and when they sit down it makes this huge big farting noise. Sounds like something Sirius would like to use. Last, but not least, Remus got Sirius a good ol' pack of dungbombs.
He had picked up a pack of dungbombs for Peter, a book and a muggle player musical thing called a 'flute', like the shopkeeper called it.
Remus and his mother walked out of the shop packed with even more things. "Now the girls." he said dreadedly. His mother laughed, shaking her head. She knew he was going to do that. "What gender am I?" she asked him, using a joking tone. "Mum.I'm serious...I don't know where girls even shop!"
"Hm. I know Lily loves to read as much as you, from what I've heard, so it's a book for her. Kathy is.the girly one, you say? Okay then I'll pick up something for her out of Madam Malkins.and I think we'll find something unique for Jen I guess since she doesn't really fit under one thing." Mrs.Lupin said, sounding half-certain about what she was talking about since she didn't really know the girls.
Remus shrugged as they stopped at the bookstore and got Lily a book on Charms. Their next stop was...oh no...the...eurgh...Madam Malkins. Horror!!! Or so Remus saw it that way. He hoped he wasn't going to have to stick around in there for too long anyway!
His mum, though, looked quite happy as she stepped in. "I think we'll just get her a nice hat to go with fancy robes, that's it. I saw her wearing one once in her Fourth Year at the station." she started off distractedly as she picked up a satin, deep purple one with a beautiful design all over it in silver string, some very small bright green jewels (studs) along the design going all around the hat. "This is lovely." She decided, an approving smile on her face as she walked over to the counter and paid for it. Well, now there was one more to go, and he was freeeeee. Just Jen left.
Remus sighed slightly, "This has been a long day." he said and yawned as they entered a shop that sold stationary, diaries, quills, different colored ink, and all in all nice looking things. He walked over to a little can with quills in it, and picked up a blood red one. Strangely enough, he thought Jen would like to write with something as slightly odd as that. He smiled and got it for her, then walked over to the ink section. There were all kinds of ink. Ink that changed according to your mood, as in color. There was ink that switched handwriting, and some ink that read your words out loud when you were done writing, all sorts. He picked up the mood- changing one, and then got Jen some fancy parchment and paid for it, then walked out. He and his mum shrunk all the gifts, and apparated back to their house, ready to rest.
[Mrs. Potter and James]
"Mum, I said Kathy was sort of...girly...but hell, I didn't say she was a squeal-squeal girly girl!" he said, backing up as though revolted as his mum held up, slightly uncertainly, the most disgusting yellow bow he had ever seen in his entire life. "And.that thing is just scary, that's all that it is!" he added, sighing with relief as his mum set it back down.
"I was kidding, James!" she said and rolled her eyes, laughing slightly. "Okay then if you're bored then you go on and attempt to get something." She said and smiled, sitting down and staring at her son expectantly and patiently. They were in Madam Malkins store, shopping for the girls. James was bored out of his mind, and he was starting to nag and say no to everything that his mum had picked up. "Okay." He said uneasily and picked up a pale blue scarf, very soft, and with silver glittery snowflakes on it. He smiled and showed it to his mum, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Don't give me that smug look.reminds me of when your dad was in his fifth year.agh..." she said and smiled, shaking her head slightly.
He glared at his mum and then started going through the things there again. After about 10 minutes of looking through scarves, hats and other things that were pretty much scaring him, not to mention boring the hell out of him, he settled for a pink headband, with white snowmen on it.
"Uh.this one?" he asked cluelessly, holding it up for his mum to look. "Okay then.now Lily." She said and put on an innocent, knowing smile that made James cringe.
"I have to go now mum!" he said and sped out of the store, blushing a deep red. He wasn't going to buy Lily a gift from here, he was planning to get her something more special. Well she was the most special thing on Earth to him, and he wanted to get her something meaningful. He already got gifts for Sirius and Remus. He got Remus a pack of dungbombs and other things to use for pranks, and he got Sirius a huge joke book and some pranks.
Now Lily. How hard could it be?
[Sirius]
Sirius apparated in front of the joke shop. "Heaven!" he said and walked in, grinning slightly as he started going through things to get Remus, James and Peter. And he walked out with things to last about three months. He smiled slightly as the happy feeling around him started getting to him, making him in his nearly hyper mood as he looked around, hoping to find any friends. He found Alice Banks and Frank Longbottom sitting at a table at the ice cream store and waved to them, a smirk on his face, to annoy Frank of course.
He knew that Frank adored Alice, and he loved teasing him sometimes. He snickered as Frank glared at him when Alice turned away and walked around Diagon Alley, wondering where to go to get a gift for the girls. "A book is.no...I don't even like that evil book store...and I am NOT going to Madam Malkins, no, not happening." He agreed to himself under his breath.
"SIRIUS, HEY SIRIUS!" a girly, squealy voice called, startling Sirius slightly. He turned around and saw Janette Lanhart, a Ravenclaw Sixth Year...also the schools biggest mouth. Sirius cursed under his breath as the pretty brunette approached. He had dated her one in his Sixth Year...and never regretted anything more in his whole life. The girl did nothing but talk, and twist her hair around her finger as she harped on about useless things.
"Hi Janette." Sirius said in a rather forced tone with a smile to match. "How are you doing?" he asked in a rather too formal tone.
"I am like, so happy!" she said in a normal, happy tone. "I just got invited to Darcy's Christmas party, heh, wanna come? I can get you an invitation if you want because Darcy is like, my really good friend (A/N:*cough*sure*cough*), we're like best friends. Heh. But it's a muggle party, so yeah. So what do you say?" she asked and grinned at him. "But I should tell you - I'm going with one of her muggle friends. I wonder what he looks like, she like totally set us up! She is so nice! You should come, instead of spending Christmas by yourself, you know. It's so useless to just sit there and do nothing. It's like really, really, like I can't describe how boring!"
Sirius blinked, trying to take in all that he just heard in one go. "Uhrm.I'll pass, thanks Jan, I uh...have plans." He said and nodded, shrugging slightly. "Sorry", he said with a smile, in a mock-regretful tone.
"Oh my God! You like, don't wanna come. Oh that's okay. Hehe. I'm telling everyone that I like saw you, this is like so cool we haven't talked in SUCH a long time!" she said and smiled sweetly. When she said 'I'm telling everyone that I like saw you', it meant that the story was going to go on to 'I like saw him and he asked me out, and now were going out and I'm going to a party with him and it's gonna be soo awesome!'.
Sirius glared at her. "Yeah, I haven't talked to you since you told everyone that I only date girls to attempt to get in their pants, and I have never really liked any of the girls that I dated, and that I also paid them all to go out with me." he said coldly, his eyes burning holes in her as she flipped her hair over her shoulder and got the brat look on her face.
"Hmph!" she said and stalked off, her head high in the air. Sirius smirked, and took out his wand, muttering a hex softly and sending it her way. As he walked into a randomness store, he heard a loud scream and began to snigger. It was the good old 'pimple' spell. He looked around the store, which looked like it was only recently opened. He picked up a fancy looking diary, one that was charmed to change colors. That was for Lily. He got Kathy one that was silver, with animated designs on the front, and Jen a blue one that changed styles.from old to modern to girly.
He walked out and decided to walk around in attempt to find one of his friends. After about 15 minutes, though, he returned to his apartment loaded with gifts for his friends.
[The girls]
"I want to go back to your place Jen, I can't anymore! And the gifts are weighing me down." Lily said and grinned slightly, her feet starting to ache. "Can't walk anymooore!"
"Eh...same here. And my hair is starting to get frizzy.not a good sign." Kathy said out of the blue and blinked, her long brown hair blowing in the wind.
"Alright, fine...but next time we come here, we get ice cream." Jen said and grinned. "Because ice cream is good. And good means happy. And happy leads to fun, and fun leads to...happiness...or whatever." She said, poking her friends and apparating back to her house.
Lily blinked and looked at Kathy. "That was strange." She said and they both apparated back to Jens house.
[James]
James stood in a jewelry store, looking quite awkward. He wanted to get Lily a necklace. A locket, to be specific. He walked over to the shopkeeper and asked if they had any lockets for sale.
"Yes we do, but you're lucky, we only have two left." The shopkeeper, a snooty young woman with a strict and formal voice and appearance to her, said. "A silver one and a gold one.would you like to see them?" she asked, raising an arched black eyebrow.
"Er...yeah." he said as she pulled out two lockets. A silver one, that didn't catch James' eye as much as the golden one. He paid for it and walked out, staring at it from the navy blue box it was in. He sighed slightly, as he wondered if Lily would ever be his as he apparated back home, feeling tired and confused. He was disappointed that he hadn't been able to run in to Sirius or meet him. The idea that Sirius was spending Christmas in his ruddy apartment really made James feel bad. He sort of had a little plan forming in his head, and so far, he really liked it. He decided to tell tomorrow.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeello people! I'm not dead! AAAH! A shocker! I am so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so sorry, so unbelievably sorry that I haven't updated in way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way too long. I feel so damn bad. Writers block sucks so much. I have a lot of things to say. First off, a huge thanks to all of you who e-mailed me, either telling me to update, or sending suggestions, or helping me out with the whole Christmas thing. You don't know how much it meant to me, especially the ones who wrote long letters! I love you all so much ^-^! I feel happy to know that all of you can't wait for the next chapter, but I also feel dreadful for slacking off. Things have been out of hand for me lately. Things are changing, and I have a huge thing coming up for Student Council that we're planning for. What else is that, strangely enough, I'm starting to socialize more. So many parties and events and problems lately.
Not to mention tiring and annoying at times, really. School has also been the optimum horror for me. I feel like shit for not updating so long, I really do. I know all of you are mad at me, and I'm so sorry if you sent me an e-mail and I didn't reply, I'm telling you now, here, that I do feel bad, but you must forgive me since I am the slacker stupid loser that I am and I really will try to get a handle on life sooner or later! Writing is my salvation! And I hate writer's block soo much. I almost cried the other day when I sat there and I couldn't get on with the story. It is so annoying that it drives me crazy.
My friends have all been having problems lately. One of them ran away to my place, but went back to her house a day after, and another one is planning to run away...and then come in my friends and their boy friends with their own problems, and being the one who solves problems at times, I have to take peoples shit but it's okay...it's weird though. So much happening lately. One of my other friends is having problems with her parents while another one is in to self-harming. SAVE ME SOMEONE!
All my thanks, hugs and cookies go out to all of you who review all the time, and e-mail me a lot. (A huge thanks to Megan for the super long e- mail, and to Miriam for all the support, which I am so thankful for, I really am I love you Miriam ^-^! gives cookie. And to all the others who sent me an e-mail or made suggestions about what to add in the story, I love hearing all your idea!)
By the way, this chapter was named Its Hard, because of Jen and her story about her mom, and because Christmas shopping isn't always easy! Heh. I just felt like that title, BELONGED XD, so I put it there because that's just me, if I -feel- XD it should go there, I put it there.
Please, if you have any suggestions, send them in I'm more than happy to read them all! And I will try to fit them in with the story as much as I can, duh! Hehe!
Luv ya -Delilah
P.S IM SO SORRY! :'( I know this chapter is longer than most, but I'm not so sure if its that interesting, please tell me if it is or if it isn't!!!