Author's Note: I know I haven't been updating for more than a month. I'm terribly sorry but the time management I'm in don't allow me to write when I like. My mid-year-exams are ending at the 20th May and hopefully by then there would be more updates. If not, I'm afraid you'd have to wait.

I'd like to thank a millionto my beta, Erica, for editing this chapter despite her exams.

Enjoy the chapter.


Chapter 14
Marauders' Christmas


"Lily?"

"James?"

"What are you doing here?" James asked the red headed Gryffindor. "It's after the curfew."

"I know."

"You know?" James wondered. This was so unlike the Lily Evans he knew.

"I've come to look for you."

"Really?" His face brightened up, she came to look for him! She had come looking for him, James Potter, and not anybody else.

"I want to give you a Christmas gift."

James watched her move closer to him every step with her eyes shut; she wrapped her arms around his waist. He could see her eyelashes; her lips were just an inch from his –

"JAMES POTTER!" he could hear a familiar voice shouting. "WAKE UP!" the next moment, he felt a pillow thrown at him. He groaned.

Sirius.

"I was having a sweet dream, Sirius!" said James. "And YOU have ruined it all!"

"C'mon," said his friend. "What's more important than opening Christmas presents?"

"That was!" exclaimed James, still furious.

"What?"

"Shan't tell you." He changed into T-shirt and jeans and left the room, leaving Sirius a little confused. His friend followed him into the Potters' living room.

He received the shock of his life.

A tall Christmas tree was set up next to the fireplace and it was glittering brightly. The baubles and little decorations were hung on the branches of the tree and fairies were enchanted to dance around it. Sirius watched the lovely sight with unbelieving eyes. He had never seen something so pretty and marvellous before. But, when he thought about it, he had never ever seen anything marvellous inside Grimmauld Place. Nothing could survive there; it was a place of darkness. It was not meant for living things at all.

The Christmas presents were under the gorgeous tree; Sirius and James settled down nicely in front of the fire, sorting out their presents.

"Merry Christmas!" James greeted.

"Merry Christmas too," answered Sirius. "Let's open them."

Sirius tore open a package hastily to find something which looked like a book, and it was, he turned to the cover and gave a yelp of surprise. "Quidditch Through the Ages! Just what I wanted!" Thanks a million, Remus.

James, however, contained his excitement as he unwrapped his present. There were two books, one was Quidditch Through the Ages, similar to Sirius', and another was Hogwarts, A History. He sincerely thanked his friend for the Quidditch book but certainly not the other; he had no idea why he had given it to him for Christmas. Remus knew pretty well that he detested history. The books came along with a set of maintenance for brooms; polish, clips and all.

Sirius tore open another present; it was from Peter. "Chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Sugar Quills, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Honeydukes' Chocolate?" Sirius mumbled to himself, Oh my, he really had made a lot of trips to Hogsmeade. He chuckled to himself, thinking whether or not Peter would put on some more weight this Christmas.

"Merlin!" Sirius whipped around, to see his friend's latest present. But alas, he couldn't see him at all. He raised his head, and his mouth dropped open in shock. There, hanging in the air, was James Potter's head!

"Blimey!" he said in awe. "Is that an invisibility cloak?" James nodded his head, it was strange, it was weird… an invisibility cloak! That was – that was awesome! "James, you know what?" Sirius asked. "With this invisibility cloak, we can do anything at Hogwarts!"

"You're right," said James, grinning. "It was a Christmas present from my dad. He wanted me to inherit it; it's been passed down through generations."

"It's great!" said Sirius. "We can go to the library's Restricted Section, the Whomping Willow, the kitchens, anywhere! Even Hogsmeade!" he exclaimed, his eyes glimmering with mischief.


Gwen had whipped up a delicious Christmas feast; there was a supply of whipped potatoes with rich gravy, a huge roasted turkey, a potato soup and a dessert of vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce.

Sirius could hardly eat anything else after dinner; he hadn't been eating such good food in that home of his – that was, if it could still be counted as his home, the place where his family lived. He couldn't help but notice some differences between his and James' family. He realized Mr. and Mrs. Potter still cared for James no matter who he was, but his own father and mother had decided to regard him as the black sheep of the family when he declared that he was a Gryffindor. He sighed heavily, why was he a Black and not a Potter? James seemed to have a perfect family; there was no quarrelling in the house and everybody was in happiness. Nobody had a problem to worry about at all…

"This book is good after all," James commented, his nose buried in Hogwarts, A History. "Wow…"

"You're reading that book?" said Sirius, his eyes as big as the dinner plates. "James! Are you crazy?"

"What's wrong?" asked James. "Quite fun, you know?"

"What does it say?"

"It says that there're tunnels throughout Hogwarts, especially in the places you would least expect. There're the kitchens, the four common rooms, it tells it all!"

"What's so great about that?"

"Imagine, Sirius," said James. "We could develop a map about Hogwarts! Nobody has done it before!"

"We're first years, James," said Sirius. "What could first years do?"

"We're going to grow up," said James. "We won't be first years forever. By the time we leave the school, a map would be developed and handed down to future generations of pranksters and marauders."

"Sounds," said Sirius, "just like us."

"We could tell this to Remus and Peter when we get back to school," said James.

"Now that we have the invisibility cloak," Sirius began, but James cut him off.

"What did you mean by 'we'?" James asked a note of anger visible in his voice.

"Me, you, Pete and Rem," said Sirius. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just asking," said James off handedly.

"Now we have the cloak," said Sirius. "We can find out more stuff."

"You mean Remus' secret," said James. "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't bring it up."

"I didn't," Sirius argued. "You did. What's wrong with you, anyway? You… don't seem to be yourself."

"I am myself," said James. "Who else might I be?"

"I know something's not right," said Sirius.

"Never mind about it," said James. "I'm just wondering how the others are doing."

"Pete and Rem you mean?"

"Yep."


Peter had just finished his Christmas dinner with his family. It was great being at home but the thought of the amount of homework waiting for him to complete simply destroy his happy mood.
He was thinking about what his father had said two nights ago.


You should betray your friends if you must.

Peter shuddered uncontrollably. He was just enrolled into Hogwarts; he finally had friends after months and months of hard work. Yet his father treated his friends like nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He wondered what the others would be doing right that very moment. Were they thinking about the future just like him? He pondered on his father's words. But I'm only eleven, he argued to himself. Did what his father said really make a difference to him?

No.


It was his choice.


Remus hugged his legs close to his chest. It would be another bloody night. It was another full moon night and it had fallen on Christmas. He sighed painfully, why must there be a full moon every month? Why must there be a full moon at all? Why couldn't it stay in a different shape?

Why? Why must it torture him every month?

Ever since he was five, he had been always like this. He had no idea how he survived through these transformations. Countless of victims had not made it through and countless of victims had never gone to Hogwarts before. He should count himself as lucky. He still received education and he still had his friends.

But all those facts would change once they knew the truth. He just couldn't face it; it seemed to be a dream, a dream that was so sweet. It seemed to be perfect; life at Hogwarts was so much better than life at home.

But he had forgotten one fact; they didn't know a thing.

Should he tell them? Or should he leave it as it was, and let himself be happy but guilty at the same time?

They would still find out someday, even if he didn't choose to tell them anything. Given James' and Sirius' wits, they would find out. Maybe not Peter, but James and Sirius would. He could already feel something; their suspicions. His mother story would not keep him going forever in the seven years at Hogwarts. How long could his mother be sick?

They would find out, someday, and by that time, he would tell them the truth.


Read? Review!

Author's Note: I'm quite free at the moment to do the reviews corner. Hehe. I forgot which person I stopped with. So therefore, I start with Monika Batch.

Monika Batch: Thanks a million for reviewing! Sure I could put you on my update list, if you review, of course. Thanks for adding the story to your favourites. I hope you would continue reading! )

BrennQT: Thanks for reviewing again! Cheers! ) Yes, James and Sirius are trying to discover more about Remus through bits and pieces of clues Remus had left unknowingly. Sometime in second year, the secret would be known. Peter is not as evil as we thought. He is a character, I think, who is very influential. If there are benefits more than the disadvantages, of course Peter would listen to that person. Before he knew it himself, he was totally immersed with Dark Lord business.

Kim Kotchanski: Thanks for reviewing! Keep reading! ) What's svp by the way?

HobbitofdaShire5: Thanks for reviewing! ) There would be more, especially with second year. So, let's hope I'd not get writer's block now.