Merry Christmas

By Houou Kazoku-Kaga

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.

Sirius's POV

November. A time in the British wizarding world when thoughts turn toward Christmas.

For many, this will be an extra special Christmas. The first Christmas without the threatening shadow of Voldermort looming over them.

For myself and others, it will be the first Christmas without Lily and James. Or Harry, for that matter, because he's living with Muggle relatives and they would not like him or any other wizard around, based on what Lily told me.

It had been only a few days since Voldermort killed them. And somehow, Harry was able to stop him. No one knows how or why. Perhaps Dumbledore did, but he'll tell us when we need to know.

I was sitting in a hut I was hiding in. (People have accused me of involvement with Voldermort. I deny all of it.) It had plenty of traps nearby, so I would have time to make a getaway.

The traps, however, didn't apply to owls.

A grey owl swooped in and dropped a letter.

It said 'Padfoot' on in and was in James's handwriting. I was perplexed for a minute. I turned it over and saw in Dumbledore's writing,

I think you will cherish this final Christmas card. Merry Christmas.

A. Dumbledore.

So that was it! Lily and James must have been working on Christmas cards before their deaths.

I opened the envelope and out popped the card. On the front, a funny looking angel was flying around their house during a snowfall.

On the left side of the inside were pictures of the Potter family. I laughed out loud. Someone took James's glasses and put them on Harry! He looked adorable like that.

The letter written by James read:

Padfoot,

You better be having a good Christmas.

It'll be tough, but I'll do it for their memory.

Enjoy the card. It was Lil's idea to make our own cards this year. It was also her idea to put our pictures on them and some funny looking angel in front of our house.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Lily tried to kill me for the pic I put of Harry. I thought it was cute; we all know he is going to be just like me when he grows up.

Yeah, and it's not like he turned Harry's skin to a candy cane pattern. I was planning to do that this Christmas. Plus, even she had to admit that he looked adorable.

Must get going now. Merry Christmas.

James, Lily, and Harry

I clutched that card like it was my lifeline. There would be the last words James ever says to me. The last time I'll see them.

When the authorities snuck past my traps and arrested me, I knelt down, holding my card to my chest, bawling. I fought to keep that card in my hands, but the authorities wrestled it away and dropped it to the ground. It landed near the fire and went ablaze. Despite my muddled efforts, it got incinerated beyond readable.

I never got James's words back.