Disclaimer: I own and have no rights to Harry Potter, or my chapter titles

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Chapter 13 : Please come home for christmas.

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Hermione's peaceful Christmas morning slumber was rudely interrupted by someone attempting, and failing miserably, to sing.

"Deck the Halls with Red and Gold, Fa la la la la la la la la.
Tis the season we're all cold Fa la la la la la la la la"

Hermione heard Lily groan from the bed next to her, the other beds in the room empty; their occupants spending Christmas at home.

"I'm going to kill the head boy," Lily mumbled, face down in her pillow, her hands holding the sides of it against her ears.

Hermione sat up and stretched, she was awake now, she might as well get up, which she reasoned was probably why James was playing alarm clock in the first place.

"Don our red hats and our antlers, Fa la la la la la la la la"

Hermione got up and slipped on her dressing gown and a pair of slippers. Lily poked her head out of her pillow and gave a resigned sigh and pulled herself out of bed.

"Prongs," the girls could hear from downstairs. "If you open your mouth again to sing I'm going to put something in it."

"I'd like to see you do better Padfoot."

"Fine, at least I won't make them comatose stickhead. Besides, I can never pass up a good challenge."

The girls looked at each other, ready for another onslaught of another Marauder attempting to sing. Surprisingly the next thing they heard come up the stairs was the strong, soulful sound of a certain Mr Black.

"Bells will be ringing the glad, glad news, Oh what a Christmas to have the blues, My baby's gone; I have no friends, To wish me greetings once again

Choirs will be singing Silent Night, Those Christmas carols by candlelight, Please come home for Christmas, Please come home for Christmas, If not for Christmas by New Year's night"

"Padfoot," came Remus' voice, "you could have chosen a more upbeat Christmas carol."

"That's no matter Moony, I think I've proven that Prongs is tone deaf, kinda goes with the whole blind thing too, do you think he's dumb at the same time..ooff."

The girls decided then to go downstairs and investigate, Remus was sitting on the couch peals of laughter emitting from his mouth, James grinning proudly and Sirius sitting on the floor, where he'd obviously fallen, with a pair of very realistic antlers sprouting from his head.

He muttered a counter jinx and stood glaring at his best friend, and turned to greet the girls.

"Merry Christmas." He greeted with a grin

"Merry Christmas, Sirius." both girls replied in unison.

"So," said Remus getting up from his position in one of the armchairs. "Presents first or breakfast?"

"I'm not fussed," replied Lily.

"Neither," said Hermione, turning to the ebony haired boys.

Sirius and James looked at each other. "This is not an easy decision," said James. "I mean its presents," he said gesturing to the pile under the tree.

"Or foooooood," added Sirius who looked like someone stuck on a question in an exam, brow furrowed as he contemplate this very serious issue placed in front of him.

"There will be a big lunch," said Hermione. "How about something small now from the kitchens?"

Sirius and James looked at each other, a form of silent communication passing between them.

While they were doing this Lily came up to Hermione. "Lets just go, I'm hungry. Remus we'll bring some back," she said to the light haired Marauder.

The other boy nodded a bemused expression gracing his face as his two friends took their time, not even noticing the exiting girls.

A moment later they looked up and James opened his mouth to say something but stopped short.

"Where'd they go?" asked Sirius.

"To get some food."

"But….oh," replied James. "I hope they bring back something nice."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "Sugar," he said, completely serious.

Remus just rolled his eyes at his friends.

Becoming bored after a few minutes the boys started to investigate the gifts under the tree, they were proceeding to pick each one up when Lily and Hermione came back, arms full of food.

"Now Remus," Lily said as she put the food down on the small table in front of the couch. "Don't go using those heightened senses of yours to sniff out the chocolate."

At this everyone who wasn't presently looking at Lily, which was everyone bar James, sent her wide eyed shocked expressions.

Lily clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise. "Oh, Merlin, did I just say that out loud?"

Four simultaneous nods.

Lily locked her eyes with Remus' pools of gold.

"I'm sorry Remus, I've known for a while now, and I honestly don't care."

James turned his eyes to Hermione, a hint of accusation in their depths. Sirius saw this and shook his head.

"She wouldn't have told her James, she promised."

Lily looked at Hermione, clearly not knowing the other girl knew also. "She didn't tell me, I worked it out on my own."

"When?" asked James

"Beginning of second year."

"Beginning of second year," Sirius repeated, doing a quick calculation in his head, "you knew before we did."

"Yes, well Padfoot, that would come through actually studying." Remus said, speaking for the first time a smirk gracing his face.

Lily sighed with relief, obviously believing Remus would be mad at her.

Remus picked up on this and sent Lily a grateful smile. "Thank you Lily, for not telling anyone all these years."

"No problem….Moony," she replied with a twinkle in her eyes heading over to the others next to the tree.

Gifts were slowly exchanged, with gasps of surprise along with a few odd moans caused by obvious lack of communication between the group. In the end Hermione had received an Advanced Charms book from Lily (with Lily getting it in return from Remus), a pair of silver earrings from James and an Advanced Defense against the Dark Arts book from Remus (who in turn received the same book from Sirius…again lack of communication anyone?)

When she put Remus' gift aside Sirius caught her eye through the black motorbike helmet he had plonked on his head from James, who when Sirius had opened the gift had proceeded to say, "You TALK too much about getting a bike so I thought I'd give you a little push."

Sirius had laughed and merely replied. "If that's the case, where are the keys?" Earning him another smack over the back of the head from Remus.

He handed her a large box, which she took and in return gave him a very similar looking box to the one he had just given her. Being all but broke in this time Hermione had been grateful for Dumbledores offer to help her out if she tutored some of the younger years. Normally willing to do this for free Hermione was none the less grateful for the helping hand.

Hermione opened hers first and gasped when she lifted the flowing velvet black cloak out of the box. It was lined with silk and had a very dark blue, almost black, faux fur trimming around the hood. Hermione stood to get a better look at it and noticed the intricate blue embroidery trim all around the edge, almost the exact colour she had described to Sirius that night in front of the fire.

"Wow," she whispered meeting his eyes. "Sirius this is….amazing, thank you."

He smiled at her. "You're welcome, now, what do we have here?" he said shaking the box Hermione had given him.

"Hopefully nothing breakable." Remus said dryly rolling his eyes munching contently on a bar of Honeydukes chocolate.

Sirius ignored the comment and took the top off the box, his eyes widening as he looked inside, his fingers gently hovering over what was in the box.

"What is it Pads?" asked a curious James, who put down his leather bound journal Lily had given him.

Sirius didn't say anything just lifted the soft, black leather jacket out of the box.

James grinned. "This makes up for all that lack of communication, Hermione and I are psychic," he said gesturing back and fourth between his own and Hermione's head.

Sirius though, was still speechless as he inspected his gift, his initials embroided on the front pocket. He let out another gasp as he saw the back. Intricate embroidery of red and gold formed a picture of a phoenix erupting from flames, with the word Padfoot at the top.

Hermione was grinning at her ability to render Sirius speechless.

"Thank you Hermione," he finally managed to get out.

"You're welcome."

"I'm going to take this lot upstairs," Lily said gesturing to her gifts, and subsequently, though unintentionally, causing the eye contact between Sirius and Hermione to break. She got up and picked up half of her stuff, resigning to the fact she would have to make two trips. When she had disappeared up the stairs James proceeded to get up and gather the rest of her gifts in his arms and head towards the girls' staircase.

"Uhh Prongs," said Remus, as James kicked the ineffective piece of wood. "That's not a good idea."

But James ignored this and continued up the stairs, not surprisingly half way up he ended up falling back to the bottom.

"That," said Sirius. "Was your own fault, you will get no sympathy from me," he said smirking while Hermione giggled in the background at the lovesick teen.

Lily hearing the crash that followed James' fall, appeared at the bottom of the stairs. "James Potter you are daft?" she said with an amused expression.

"I was thinking more along the lines of chivalrous," he replied getting up and dusting himself off.

"Hey Prongs," Remus said, tearing the wild haired boys attention away from the redhead in front of him, Remus just gestured with his eyes to the ceiling above the head boy and girl.

The pair looked up to see a sprig of Mistletoe above them. Lily looked down and blushed while James looked apprehensively at the girl standing in front of him, waiting to see what she would do.

The other three in the room looked at each other and waited patiently to see if Lily would react. Slowly she tilted her head to meet the taller boy's eyes; with it she met a look of apprehension, longing, kindness and a hint of the grief still close to his heart.

Slowly Lily closed the gap between them and James felt soft lips on his own, after a moment he pulled back from their first kiss, not wanting to aggravate the beauty in front of him.

"That was nice," he said quietly, "even if we did have an audience."

Lily however wasn't listening as she snaked her arms around his neck and pulled the shocked boy down for another kiss, this time longer and deeper.

The others looked at each other and turned away, giving the couple their privacy.

"Well," said Remus to Sirius. "I believe you owe me ten galleons."

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That evening the five seventh years were enjoying a quiet night in front of the fire before the rest of the house returned from their Christmas break. Remus was in one of the armchairs quietly reading one of his new books while James, Sirius and Hermione talked quietly between themselves, Lily having fallen asleep on James' shoulder.

"I missed them today," James said quietly.

"I know mate," Sirius replied. "So did I."

"I feels so guilty," James confessed, sorrow in his eyes. "For having a good time when they can't."

This time it was Hermione who answered. "That won't disappear," she said softly, thinking back to her own guilt, "the guilt, you just have to remember that they would have wanted you to enjoy yourself, not to fall into a depression."

James looked at her and met her eyes, eyes that had seen loss first hand, and nodded slowly, before turning his gaze to the sleeping redhead on his arm.

"I should get her to bed," he said.

"Up those stairs?" asked Sirius looking pointedly at the stairs that had now claimed both him and his best friend as victims.

James shook his head and picked up Lily in his arms and proceeded to carry her up to the boy's dormitory.

The others looked at each other and Sirius grinned. "Slumber party," he squealed uncannily girl-like, before bounding up the stairs behind James.

Hermione and Remus looked at each other and proceeded to follow the hyperactive Animagus up the stairs.

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At the end of October twenty years later a young messy haired boy with a certain redheads striking green eyes, sat listening intently to the two men talking about the magical day his parents finally found each other.