A/N

Hi, all! I suppose everyone has read HBP (Idid in 3 hrs flat!) but I want it to be known that I'm in no way deserting this. I'm also planning on writing a totally AU seventh year story as a prequel for this, sixth year if anyone fancies it. Plus, I've started drafting a four chapter ficlet called Return to Godrics Hollow, the title of which being fairly self explainitory. My ficlet should be started on here within the week, but in a couple of weeks I'm going on holiday to the States, so no updates for 3 weeks or so, but I'll take my notebook with me.

Tell me what you think of the ideas i've put forward, and as ever, R&R. I've decided to email responses from now on, but if you don't want me to pliz say so in your review.

For the person who asked me what school i go to, it's called Tiffin Girls School in Kingston. You might have heard of it, it was in the news a lot the December before last when it burned down. As for my age - not telling. How old do YOU all think i am? Seriously, I'd like to know!

James woke on Christmas morning by Sirius pummeling him. Blinking away the sleep, he found the other Marauders sitting on him, while Sirius bounced around the room like a hyperactive child who'd drunk at least seventeen espressos.

"Get up, Jimmie! Pressieeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss!"

After grudgingly dragging himself out of bed, the four friends entered the Head's Common Room to find a very disgruntled Lily sitting with her friends, half awake.
"Lillleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Sirius flung himself on Lily in a bear hug, and then kissed both Marnie and Alice in turn, before leaping towards the huge Christmas tree in one corner and diving into a pile of presents. The other Marauders watched in resignation as Sirius sorted through the presents faster than greased lightning, throwing the packages to their respective owners. After feeding Sirius a calming draught, the seven settled down in front of the tree to open their presents.

"Erm, thanks, Padfoot," said James tentatively after unwrapping Sirius's gift; a copy of Witch Weekly and several jars of Cockroach Cluster.

"I know! It shows great insight into the female mind, you know," Sirius said enthusiastically, indicating the magazine, "And Cockroach Cluster really isn't as bad as everyone says."

James nodded, "OK, well, in that case, you can have it."

Sirius didn't appear in the least offended, and happily took the jar and amused himself trying to open it for at least half an hour. Resigned that he'd get a wackier present from his best friend every single year, James busied himself with his other gifts.

They proved far more interesting. A gigantic box of fudge and a pair of violent magenta quidditch socks from his mother, a book called Responsibility Thrust Upon You – making the best of a bad situation from Remus, a stack of Chocolate frogs from Peter, a rather nice par of quidditch gloves from Lily (she'd blushed and pretended to be offhand when he'd thanked her profusely) money and sweets from relatives, rock-solid fudge and something slightly moldy looking from Hagrid. Each of them had also received a copy of 'Dueling for Dummies' from their defence professors. On the fly leaf, Harry and written "We aren't really supposed to give you presents but, Ah, well…." accompanied by a card bearing the legend

Happy Christmas, you motley bunch of students. We can't think of anyone who needs these books more than you, so get reading! Enjoy getting hyper and putting on weight over Christmas, because we're going to be cracking the whip again at the start of term.

Love

Harry and Ginny

Hiss from Ciad which Harry cannot be bothered to translate

ß

Christmas lunch started as a very cheerful affair. The defence teachers had taken it upon themselves to provide entertainment and transfigured the other teachers into wombats in clothes, which everyone except Filch found hilarious. Christmas pudding en flambÈ was just being served when a large tawny owl swooped over the teacher's table, dropping a note in Dumbledore's lap. The old wizard read it quickly, his face draining of merriment, and he passed it dazedly to Harry. After briefly scanning the lines, his face clouded over and he said to Ginny in a low, controlled voice, "Looks like sodding Tommy has decided to throw a little Christmas party."

Ginny paled, but stood up abruptly and pulled on her cloak from its resting place on the back of her chair. The few students and the teachers fell silent, looking at their thunderous faces.

"Attack on Hogsmeade. Going to help."

They left the hall, and in the dazed confusion, no one noticed three boys and a girl follow them.

ß

Harry and Ginny had got halfway to Hogsmeade before they realized they were being followed. Whipping round, they found their wands leveled between Remus and Lily's eyes. He didn't feel particularly surprised to see any of them, but still demanded

"Why the hell are you here?"

Lily, although momentarily terrified by the anger in his voice, lifted up her chin and replied, as though it were obvious, "We've come to help, sir."

Harry said nothing. His eyes searched hers, and Lily felt uncomfortably like he was looking right into her head. A flake of snow fell and came to rest on his outstretched wand arm. It was shaking.

Without a word, he turned his back on the students, and strode away into the thickening snow. Ginny also lowered her wand, and her brown eyes flicked over to his retreating back. With a swirl of her cloak, she too turned away, her red hair, now damp from the snow, swung with it. She walked away a few paces, but then stopped short and swung around, saying shortly, "Keep up."

ß

The snow had formed a thick blanket, making walking increasingly difficult as they plowed on to Hogsmeade. Neither teacher said a word, and Lily felt as though they were angry and yet resigned. They'd wanted their students to stay safe.

Harry had stopped. The hillside that swept down to the village was untouched as only fresh snow can be, so white that it was almost blue in the light.

But on the white landscape lay one blemish – a blackened smear. Smoke rose in iron-grey spirals, and several fires burned despite the weather. Even from far off, Lily could hear the screams. Harry and Ginny looked on, their faces expressionless. Moving as one, they fluidly drew their wands and started walking down the hill, not looking back. Chilled to the bone, Lily reached with icy fingers for her own wand, but found instead a hand. A dry sob sounding in her throat, she hung onto the hand, and the long fingers warmed hers. The warmth seemed to spread throughout her from her fingertips, and the icy fear fell away. Looking down at the hand, she followed it up to James's face, and she gave him a smile.

"Let's go."

ß

Hogsmeade was burning.

The picturesque thatched cottages, the pub, Zonkos, Dervish and Banges, all in flames. Figures, robed and masked ran among the fires in sick delight, throwing casual Unforgivables into the blackened air.

"Stun only," Harry whispered, "And for Gods Sake don't forget to tie them up and take their wands away. Snap them in half if you can."

Remus, James, Sirius and Lily all nodded, sickened at the sight before them.

"OK. Go."

The two syllables were barely breathed, but they could have been screamed out from loudspeakers to gauge such a reaction. Letting go of James's hand, Lily raised her wand.

"Stupefy!"

The Death Eater fell, stumbling on his black robes. Muttering another spell, snakelike ropes began to twist their way around his limp body. Ducking rainbow jets of light, Lily started toward him and snatched the wand from his hand, grinding it under her heel. It broke with a sickening crack, and Lily kicked the pieces away into a burning building.

A lone child, about four or five, stood in the middle of the snow covered street, his eyes wide and petrified, tears making dirty tracks down his chubby face. A wordless cry, high pitched and stricken, rose from the child, as he blundered, half blinded by tears, into villagers and bodies alike. A wizard with a deep gash on his left arm appeared from nowhere, snatching him up and holding the little boy tightly to him as he fled.

Barely knowing what she was doing, Lily shot stunner after stunner, binding the fallen and snapping their wands, before hurling them into the nearest inferno.

Calmly, almost casually, Harry lifted his arm and swept it around him. A wave of Death Eaters slumped to the floor, and with another sweep were bound and disarmed. Their wands merely disappeared. Harry had noted that the Death Eaters were poor fighters, clearly the bottom of Tom's barrel, and that the students could hold their own against them. James and Sirius were both dueling fiercely, while Remus shot great jets of water to combat the fires. Lily was methodically stunning, binding and disarming in what appeared to be some sort of blind fury, and no Death Eater escaped her well-aimed stunners.

Ginny had situated herself on a roof, and was shooting unrecognizable (to most, at least) curses at the opponents below her. Harry continued to bring down a dozen Death Eaters at a time, and in a screaming, twisting whirl, the battle raged, finally plunging into silence.

Panting heavily, Harry lowered his wand and turned to Ginny.

"Get these four back to school. I'll take care of this."

He kicked the nearest foe viciously in the ribs, and Ginny nodded wordlessly, gesturing for the four to follow her. Taking one last look around, Lily saw a patch of crimson blood fading to pink on the blemished snow. It dripped in a steady stream from a gash on her forearm that she'd scarcely noticed until then. Despite the sudden realization of the pain, her mind drifted weirdly.

Blood on snow. Nice contrast.

ß

Ginny healed Lily's arm in an instant, but insisted they all visited the Hospital Wing on their return to school. After being poked by Madam Pomfrey, who grumpily announced that they were all intact, Ginny invited them back to the Defence teacher's quarters. After conjuring cups of tea and a plate of buttered scones, she looked at them seriously.

"You shouldn't have come today."

Sounding offended, James answered, "But you used to do loads of dangerous fighting and stuff. Even younger than us. You told us!"

Ginny nodded, fixing all of them with her gaze.

"Exactly. But people who're still at school, in a war? That was really sad, for all of us. Kids of eleven or twelve constantly were expecting attack, knowing that they might have to fight, and to die, because there was no other way. You shouldn't have to fight, and you didn't. We did, and that's the crucial difference.

"Why did you have to? Why don't we have to? We're at war too!"

Ginny was spared answering those questions by the arrival of Harry, who was looking cold and windswept. He smiled at Ginny and nodded at his students, before sitting down heavily in an armchair.

"Took the bloody Hit Wizards forever to get there, and I was putting out fires for ages, plus trying to get this hysterical madwomen who'd lost her Jack Russell off my back. Just flooed to Dumbledore to tell him everything was alright. He wasn't best pleased with you lot," he nodded again at the four students, "But I suppose Ginny's been lecturing you, eh?"

Sirius nodded.

"I'm proud of all of you guys, but I wish you'd asked. I'd have probably said yes, actually, considering all the stuff I got up to when I was younger than you. But you shouldn't have sneaked out. We could have hexed you, for starters, and what if the Death Eaters had been a bit more elite, eh? You were lucky they happened to be incompetent buffoons. Do any of you know how hard it is to duel, say, Lucius Malfoy?"

Rather shamefaced, the four shook their heads.

"It's bloody difficult, that's what it is. I know you all have your own parts to play in this war, but not now. Not yet. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything had happened to you lot, d'you understand?"

Again, they nodded, and Harry smiled at them.

"I suppose I can't really talk, considering all the times I nearly got killed, but I don't want you to be in that situation, because it's terrible. I bet you all found that battle pretty upsetting, yes?"

Lily nodded in the affirmative.

"Well, that was nothing. The things Tom Riddle are not only capable of, but proud of, have given me terrible nightmares for most of my life. Got it?"

"Got it." The students chorused solemnly.

"Good. By the way, thanks for the Christmas present, boys."

The three Marauders grinned. They'd all clubbed together to buy an Auror's wand holster for both teachers, and a sparkly costume for Ciad. The snake hissed menacingly from Harry's sleeve.

"She's saying thank you for her present." Harry told them, and then said something sharply to the snake, who Remus could swear batted her eyelids back.

"She's just a bit at lost when it comes to common manners," Harry explained.

Ha, I have fabulous manners when I feel like it!

"Well, feel like it more often, instead of acting like you've got permanent scale rot!" Harry replied grumpily.

"Honestly, women!"

"Are you comparing me to your snake?" asked Ginny snappily.

Harry considered.

"Yeah well, there is the utterly lousy joke that you can both throw hissy fits." Harry replied. Ginny groaned and smacked him upside the head.

"Never try to make a pun, Harry, you'll just embarrass yourself."

Bickering good naturedly, as they hadn't done for a while, the two teachers passed the evening with their students swapping stories and laughs, managing to push the horrors of that Christmas day out of their minds.