The Marauders of Hogwarts

A/N: Hey, everybody! Sorry about the wait for this chapter…I just got a new computer a few days ago, and I have to transfer my writing to it on floppy disks, if I want to upload it online, because I still write my stuff on the old computer, and I keep forgetting to put chapters on the floppy disk. And besides that…I'm just playing with the new computer, because it's a lot better than the old one, so I don't get on the old one as much. ^_^

Hugs for Emily Potter, SiriDragon (wow, LONG review O_o), and Loki-goddess of destruction, cuz I love everybody who reviews! *hugs*

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, places, etc. belong to J.K. Rowling, the best writer EVER!!! And I mean EVER! All the characters, places, etc. that you don't recognize belong to me. Get it, got it, good.

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Chapter 7

Mira, Sirius and Presents for All

"Hi, Mira. Merry Christmas!" someone said, while Mira was having lunch, on December 24th, three days after the incident with Sirius.

"Oh, hi, Raven." Mira looked up with a smile on her face as Raven Faye, a Ravenclaw (wow, the name matches, hehe) and her best friend, slid into the seat next to her at the Gryffindor table.

"So what is this about you hating Sirius Black?"

"Oh, God, not again. Can't anyone leave me alone about that?!"

"Sorry, sorry," Raven said. "But I don't even know why you suddenly hate him. Personally, I thought you liked him."

"Argh…"

"What happened?"

"He said he liked me."

"He did??" Raven squealed. "I'm so happy for you! The Marauders are like, the hottest guys in our year!"

"When the whole Gryffindor common room watching."

"But why do you hate him?"

"What do you mean, why do I hate him? He basically broadcasted to a fourth of Hogwarts, and anybody that they tell, that he likes me! Something…personal like that! How could he do that to me???"

"But it's so sweet! And not as many people are here for the holidays, you know."

"Oh…blah." Mira walked quickly out of the Great Hall. She didn't want to stomp, or run or anything, for fear that someone (God forbid!) would actually notice her leaving.

***

In the Gryffindor girls' dormitory that evening, Mira thought over that conversation.

She sighed. Raven had gotten so different lately. It seemed like all she thought about was how cool certain people in second year were, whether or not she looked like a dork, and boys. And she'd gotten meaner and blunter about things too. She called so many people dorks--and some of those people were Mira's friends, even if they weren't Raven's. And Mira was so shy that it felt like Raven was leaving her behind to get closer to more…self-confident people.

But Raven wouldn't leave her behind…Raven was her best friend. This was just her pessimistic side talking. Mira sighed. She wished Ella, her other best friend from Ravenclaw, had stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays. She knew Ella still liked her, and Ella agreed with her about the being-mean-thing. There wasn't anyone else she could talk with about it.

Then, she started thinking about Sirius, and began to write something.

***

Sirius was playing wizard chess with James, which was something he loved to do. He always beat James, because James was horrible at it. And other people usually beat Sirius, so he felt even better when he beat James.

"Checkmate," Sirius said briefly, and while James was busy rolling around on the floor doing dramatic mimes of killing himself, Sirius saw Mira walking over. He gulped.

Then, however, he got very confused, since Mira set a folded piece of paper down in front of him, with a curious absence of expression on her face, and walked out of the portrait hole.

He looked at the paper cautiously, and then poked it with a chess piece (it was knight that said, "Excuse me! Why are you picking me up? You've already won the game, you idiot!) to see if it would injure him if he touched it. Nothing happened to the knight, so he assumed it was safe, and picked up the paper and unfolded it. It said:

Sirius,

One of the many things I hate about me is that I can't stay mad at ANYONE for a long time…Well, except this one girl…But that's a long story. I can't stay mad at most people.

So basically, I've forgiven you. I was an idiot anyway for being mad at you in the first place. And don't ask me to go into detail about WHY I'm an idiot, because then you're pushing it. I'll light your bum on fire.

And I like you too…just so you know.

"YES!" Sirius said. The people in the common room, who had been staring at James doing mimes of killing himself, were now suddenly all staring at him. "Hello!" he said brightly, and left the common room through the portrait hole.

Everybody shrugged and returned to what they were doing.

***

As Sirius rocketed out of the portrait hole, he accidentally knocked over--guess who!--Mira, who was there, you know, just by chance. Sirius managed to catch her before she hit her head on the floor, though.

"Oh….oh…er…hi," she managed to get out. "LookIunderstandifyouthinkIamanidiotandyouneverwanttotalktomeagain--" she said, and then cut off abruptly as he kissed her lightly on the lips. Mira gaped like a surprised fish. "What the--uh--well--that is--uh…Snowy outside, isn't it?" She blinked at what had just come out of her mouth.

"You're cute when you get nervous," Sirius said, grinning.

"So, I guess we're kinda stuck with each other now, huh?" Mira said, smiling.

"Yes, I think so. Save me."

Mira laughed and hugged him.

***

The next morning, Mira was up very early in the morning, which was very strange for her, since normally she liked to sleep until two in the afternoon, even on Christmas. Even more strangely, she was dancing around singing Christmas songs at the top of her lungs very early in the morning.

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open slei-eigh! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way--" Lily threw a pillow at her as she woke up, and then Thea woke up and jumped off her bed to join Mira.

"Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh! Hey!" they sang/yelled in unison, and started another one. "Deck the halls with boughs of holly, falalalalalalalala! 'Tis the season to be jolly, falalalalalalalala! Don we now our gay apparel--" They cut off as Bella threw a pillow at them too, but Fiona was still sleeping. "Nah, let's do the fun version," Mira said thoughtfully. Grinning, she sang, "Deck the halls with gasoline, falalalalalalalala! Light a match and watch it gleam, falalalalalalalala!"

"I don't know this one," Thea said in disappointment.

"Hm…must be just an American thing," Mira said in disappointment. "I didn't know that…Ooh! I'll make up a new one then! Deck Mrs. Norris with gasoline, falalalalalalalala! Light a match and watch it gleam, falalalalalalalala! Burn Mrs. Norris down to ashes, falalalalalalalala! Aren't you glad you played with matches? Falalalalalalalala!"

Even Fiona was awake by this time, and everybody had started laughing at the words "burn Mrs. Norris down to ashes."

"Why are so happy this morning, anyway, Mira?" Fiona said, raking a hand through her hair.

"It's Christmas!"

"Hm…you sure that's it?"

"Actually that's not the only reason--" Suddenly, the door to the dormitory slammed open and two people in long black hooded cloaks stood there. No one could see their faces. All five girls screamed.

"Hullo!" Sirius said brightly, putting back his hood.

"Oh, damn you, Sirius Black," Mira said, but grinning so widely that it wasn't menacing at all.

"Same to you, dahling, same to you," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "See, I got the hot one, Remus!" he said.

"Eh, shut up, Sirius," Remus said good-naturedly.

"Would this be why you were bouncing around singing Christmas songs, Mira?" Bella said, grinning. "Congrats on making her cave, Sirius."

"Hey, I caved all by myself because I'm nice!" Mira said indignantly. "Black here had nothing to do with it!" Everybody laughed. "What?" More laughs. "Eh, whatever."

"Haven't you lot even opened your presents yet?" Remus said. "Tsk, tsk," he said, waving a finger at them. "I am disgusted."

"PRESENTS!!!!!!" Thea squealed, diving into her pile.

"Yeah, I want presents," Mira said, throwing Sirius' arm off her shoulder and diving at hers.

"Good, good, that's the way to do it," Remus said, frowning at the girls who were just now getting off their beds.

Thea had already ripped through half her presents, but Mira was only on the third one out of ten or so.

"C'mon, Mira! Move! Move! Move!" Sirius said as Mira opened her fourth present.

"Do you have any idea how many curses I know, Sirius?" she said, picking up the fifth one.

"Yes," Sirius said in a small voice, and shut up.

She opened the sixth one, smiling as she saw a present from her parents and a letter, and then there was the last one… "Wow, Sirius. I've been your girlfriend for one day--one bloody day--and you get me this?" she breathed, holding up a beautiful necklace with a silver-colored chain.

Thea spoiled the effect, though, by giggling a little. "Americans sound funny when they say bloody." Mira glared at her.

"Yep, I get you that," Sirius said. "Actually didn't cost much," he said, grinning.

"Thanks!" Mira hugged him. "I don't care if it costed much. You got me something."

"Oh, and that reminds me…What did you get me? Hmmmm?" Sirius said, looking down at her sternly (he was half a head taller than her).

"Er…"

"What was that?"

"You're one of the Beaters on the Quidditch team, right?" Mira said weakly.

"Yes…" Sirius said. He'd tried out a month into the school year, along with James and Lily (A/N: I forgot to mention the Quidditch tryouts…stupid me *hits self* Lol.), and had got one of the Beater positions. James was the Seeker, and Lily was the Keeper.

"Then you'll be able to hit me very hard…Save me," Mira said, and hid behind Thea.

"You didn't get me a present?" Sirius said. "I'm so hurt!"

"Oh, I'll get you one later, you spoiled person."

"I'm not spoiled!"

"Look at that!" Remus said brightly. "You already fight like an old married couple!" Mira and Sirius glared at him.

"We both attack him at the same time, you think?" Mira said to Sirius.

"Yes, I think so."

"Please don't--" Remus pleaded, and gulped as he saw them take out their wands.

"Furnunculus!" Mira yelled. She was one of the curse experts of the second-year Gryffindors. Sirius used Jelly-Legs.

Remus fell over, unconscious, and he seemed to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face.

Mira gave Sirius a high-five. "That'll teach him."

"No…" Sirius said. He dragged Remus out the door and set him up so he would block people higher up in the tower from coming down to the common room and they would see him, and put a sign that said, HELP. NEEDING SOMETHING TO TAKE CARE OF MY ZITS. THEY ARE SO LARGE THEY LOOK LIKE LITTLE TENTACLES, then said, "…That will teach him."

***

Later in the day, Mira presented Sirius with…a scarf.

"You're not good with gifts, are you?" he said.

"No, not really… but it's a Gryffindor scarf!"

"A Gryffindor scarf, you said? Good present. Now, if you'd gotten me a Slytherin one, I might have to hurt you…" Mira laughed.

***

The day after Christmas, Sirius said, "Okay, you know how I was talking about Remus' mother always being sick?"

"Yes…" Mira said slowly.

"And you gave me a clue about that…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, Lily went and thought about it, but frankly, I didn't get it."

Mira smiled. "Typical."

"So…do you know what's wrong with Remus' mother?"

"Well…nothing's wrong with Remus' mother. It's Remus who has a problem," Mira whispered, glancing furtively around the common room to make sure no one was listening.

"What? What problem could he have?"

"…He's a werewolf."

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A/N: Yay! Go me! I finished the chapter! And ooh, nice cliffie there, right? Lol, I'm so conceited.

And I might do some Voldie-evilness in the next chapter! Ooooh, fun Voldie…hehe.

Merry late Christmas, Happy late Hannukah and Kwanza, and Happy New Year! ^_^

~Hermione2