"On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me… six geese are laying…"

"Damn it, I still can't figure these things out." It was nearing lunchtime and Lily had been working at the muggle magic trick for the past two hours. When she had first opened her present she couldn't understand why the rings were joined together, but after asking James where he had bought them, she understood what they were. She still couldn't figure out the trick though.

"May I have a go Lily?" Remus asked her politely, she tossed them at him gently and sighed.

"Trust you to give me an awkward present, for crying out loud the five gold rings has to be the easiest thing to get from that song."

"I disagree, the partridge was fairly simple." Lily threw a pillow at James, it hit him directly in the face. "Just be grateful okay." He stuck his tongue out at her and she giggled.

"Done it." Remus stated as he handed over the five separated rings to Lily.

"How did you manage that?" James was stunned.

"Simple really." He took them back off Lily, moved them around a bit, and soon they were all joined again. "You've just got to know what you're doing." He handed the rings back to her and set about reading a book.

"Damn…still can't do it."

Leaving a slightly frustrated Lily in the common room, James headed down to the entrance hall. Earlier that day he had confided in Sirius and Remus that he wasn't sure about where to get "Six Geese are laying." Sirius had assured him that he could take care of this one and had headed off before breakfast. They had arranged to meet just before lunch.

"Where is he?" James whispered to himself. Lily would be coming down to lunch at any moment and Sirius still hadn't arrived. He couldn't let her see her presents until tomorrow.

Suddenly James was ambushed from behind and was sent flying across the floor of the entrance hall. His attacker was a rather large Goose.

"Sorry mate." Sirius called from the staircase. "That ones been getting out of hand all morning." Sirius was slowly making his way downstairs with five geese, they were all attached, with red and gold ribbons to leads which Sirius was using to restrain them.

"I didn't expect you to take this so damned literally!"

"Yeah well, if you insist on doing this, then it's going to be done right."

"Okay, so where are the eggs?"

"Eh?"

"Six geese are laying isn't it? So where are the eggs?"

"Oh, well these are all girls aren't they, they're bound to slay sooner or later."

James felt like banging his head up against a brick wall when talking to Sirius sometimes, he was a faithful friend but sometimes he could be a bit dense.

"We've got to take these back Sirius, there's no way she'd be allowed to keep them. Besides, I don't like the way that one is looking at me." The goose that Sirius had let escape was glaring at James from across the hall, he had a feeling that if he let his eyes off it for a moment then he would be under siege yet again, and he doubted that having his eyes pecked out by a goose was the most noble way to go.

"Guess your right, so what can we do with them?"

"I don't know but keep that one away from me." James was starting to edge behind Sirius, James was very fond of the reasoning; 'rather you than me'. "Maybe we could give them to the kitchen."

"James! That's just cruel." Sirius said patting one of the geese. "Don't listen to nasty Jamesy wamesy."

"Oh good Lord."

"Let's set them free!" Sirius exclaimed. He ran to the entrance hall doors and ushered the geese out. The last goose to leave was James' attacker who gave him a quick glare before he left.

On one of the higher floors of Hogwarts, Lily and her friends were making there way to lunch when a flurry of white past by a window.

"Was that a herd of geese?" Queried one of the girls.

"It's a gaggle, and no, I doubt it." Lily sighed, she had completely forgotten what the next day of Christmas was.

Later that day James was still Goose-less and it was nearing sundown. He was sitting, defeated on his bed. Sirius and Peter were playing exploding snap on the floor and Remus was reading another book.

"I guess that's it then. I failed." James said mournfully.

"Ah cheer up mate, at least you tried eh? SNAP!" Sirius shouted loudly, Peter almost fainted.

"Ah yes, been meaning to talk to you about that." Remus said, putting his large book down on his bed. "I bought these." He opened his bedside cabinet and pulled out six little chocolate geese.

"Brilliant!" James exclaimed perking up. "Oh, but what about the laying part?"

"You could always lay Li-" Sirius was cut off by Remus' more rational voice.

"They're hollow, they've got little egg shape sweets inside, quite cute I thought." James gave Remus a confused look. "Well, I mean, the girls like them so I thought…"

"Nice one Remy. SNAP!" Sirius shouted again… Peter fainted.