Chapter Five

Christmas break seemed to have crept up on the entire castle. The snow wasn't as heavy as it usually was at this time of year. Hagrid was just beginning the process of covering up the vegetables, and Professor Calhoun had yet been forced to cancel Herbology lessons due to the weather.

The Marauders were all leaving for Christmas. Sirius would be staying at James's house. Remus and Peter would be going to their respective homes until the day after Christmas, when they would be staying at the Potter residence.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had always welcomed James's friends with open arms. They knew the Black family, and did not altogether approve of them. Sirius was the exception.

He was nothing like his parents, nor the rest of his family, for that matter. His family was Pureblood back as far as they could trace on the large rug containing the family tree that hung in his mother's sitting room. The woman had actually had the nerve to remove his name from it.

It wasn't as though he cared, though. Sure, it had torn his nerves up at the time, but after contemplating, he realized that he didn't belong there at all. Their family tree probably contained more Death Eaters than several trees combined. It wasn't where he belonged.

James's father was an auror - a very famous auror, at that. He and several others had recently been tracking a dark wizard by the name of Lord Voldemort. So far, they had gotten nowhere close to him, but, then, some of them seriously doubted whether he was even a threat.

His mother was a small witch with short sandy blonde hair and large hazel eyes, much like her son's. While her husband was out, she kept order in the Potter household. Well, even if her husband was home, she still kept the order. James had never been one to cross her - neither had his father. When her temper kicked in, there was no stopping it.

James and Sirius met Mrs. Potter at Platform 9 ¾ the evening they were released from school. She was happy to see both of them, and the sight of Sirius did not surprise her. Both received a bone breaking hug and a kiss on the cheek. Sirius had actually taken to calling her "Mum" over the previous summer. She didn't mind.

Hogwarts' halls were nowhere near as full as they had once been. Most students had left because of their parent's fears of current Dark activity. Other's parents wanted them to stay where they were for that same reason. Rae's father didn't seem to care.

He had written her back a short note telling her to do what she thought needed to be done, and that he wished her a happy Christmas. Otherwise, the letter was devoid of any kind of emotion. But then, most all of his letters these days were that way. Letters. Could you even call them that? They were merely responses to attempts at long distance conversation she had made.

She sighed heavily and turned her face upward, taking in a fresh view of the magical ceiling above her. The snow was falling much faster and thicker than it had been earlier that morning. At this rate, there could well be three feet of snow by Christmas day. She wasn't complaining.

Rae's next breath was unexpectedly filled with the steamy scent of chocolate, cinnamon, and cream. She quickly gazed back down at the table and saw in front of her a mug filled with the special creation of Khaki. A grin spread across her face, and she made a mental note to pay him a visit during her break.

A few sips later, she took her mug and started out of the hall. The few Slytherins that were still there were gathered together at the opposite end of the table. As Rae passed them, one of them looked up and sneered at her. When she spoke, it was in an icy tone, as though Rae had just insulted her.

"That's right. Get your ugly Goth ass out of here," she drawled, emphasizing the first word. Rae didn't respond, but kept walking, expecting the girl to go back to her business after she passed. But the girl spoke again.

"Hello! Goth! I am talking to you!" she said louder. A few Hufflepuffs turned around. Rae kept walking, her temper not rising. The girl had said nothing that truly offended her - yet.

"Listen, mudblood. If you-"

There it was.

Rae, not turning around or changing her pace, lifted her free left hand and shot a bird straight into the air. She kept it up for a few seconds after she heard the girl gasp, and then lowered it. Turning right outside the hall, a crack could be heard, followed by inaudible muttering. By the sound of things, she had just been the target of a jinx gone awry. Rae grinned to herself.

If nothing else, Sirius and James had fun. At the Potter Manor, the snow had built up to at least twelve inches - quite a bit, considering they were several hundred miles south of Hogwarts' high altitude. The Manor was a modest three-story brick house that sat along beside a short stretch of precipice. In James' and Sirius' minds, it was the perfect place to practice their flying skills - and do some other things as well.

"JAMES!" Sirius was about to wet himself.

"Huh?" James called over his shoulder.

"Don't make me do this! PLEASE!" he whined.

James rolled his eyes. "Sirius, YOU were the one who volunteered to do this."

"But - but…" Words seemed to have failed him. There was no way in hell he was going to jump over that cliff. Muggles may have been stupid enough to do it, but not him.

James fastened his helmet and attached his harness to the small structure. His hands gripped the handlebars, and the squeak of leather gloves on leather covering broke through the high wind. Turning around, he grinned at Sirius, who backed up a few paces, and took a deep breath upon facing front. Here goes nothing.

All expectations of taking a direct nosedive were eliminated. It was almost the sensation of flying - cold air blowing into your face, speeding high above the ground. The glider swerved to the left. Then to the right. James looked back at Sirius, and saw a look of horror on his face. He sighed. His dear friend did not like heights.

After ten minutes or so of hand gliding, James turned his craft around and headed towards the precipice, where he landed somewhat clumsily into a rather frantic Sirius. Both fell over, and Sirius hugged his friend.

"You're alive!" he almost whispered it. James struggled to untangle himself from the mass of glider and Sirius, the latter being a bit larger than himself.

"Sirius, let go…" he managed, finding it difficult to breathe. Sirius finally let his best friend go. James stood up, and unwrapped the rest of the glider from him and his harness. "Let's get inside, it's getting colder out here."

"Yeah, and I think it's starting to snow again," he said, blinking a fresh snowflake out of his eyes. Sirius seemed to have forgotten his mood of moments before. He reached over to James and smacked him across the top of the head.

"Ah- what the hell was that for?" he exclaimed reaching up to his head. Upon contact, he realized he still had his helmet on. "Oh… yeah, I forgot about that."

Sirius grinned at his friend.

--

Under a deep green cushion, on a deep green chair, there was cut a hole in the fabric. In the hole, there lay a simple notebook. The front and back covers were concealed with a lustrous tape-like foil. Several years had consumed the neat edges and straight-formed wire. They were now worn and battered. Shine no longer shone as before.

Yet, this notebook was much more important than any school book - any library book. Contained inside were entries from a quiet Slytherin girl - entries that could drive the social butterfly to madness, but form tears of joy in the eyes of the invisible souls. There were poems - oh, such dread-filled poems, they were - and stories - short stories of pain and anguish, of angst and death. This notebook she valued beyond all else.

But today - today she wouldn't write in it. Today she saw no reason to go back to the disgusted feeling of the early morning.

Today, she would visit Hogsmeade.

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Thanks again, chicas!