Emm-Really really sorry that this is so late! We had exams!
KCB-We are going to attempt (attempt being the key word) to finish this befotre HBP comes out.
Meaning we hope to complete this in 37 days.
Wish us luck!
Disclaimer-

We're not J.K. Rowling. We're not even British (emm-actually, I'm part English. kcb-whatever). We do not own this story.

Chapter 35

Christmas with the Marauders

Christmas morning, Harry awoke to a splash of cold water from Sirius's wand. Changing as quickly as possible, he hurried down to the common room, finding Bridget, Heather, and even Remus there, already opening presents. He soon joined them, finding a great deal more presents for himself than in past years. Among them were a set of Quidditch balls from Sirius, numerous chocolates from Remus, books on Aurors and defense from Heather and Bridget, and a moving statue of a phoenix from Ron and Hermione, as well as the usual jumper from Mrs. Weasley. After awhile of Sirius's pleading, the group consented to go down and have breakfast.

"You know, this has got to be one of the best Christmases I've ever had," Harry stated as they walked to the Great Hall. Sirius chuckled, wrapping an arm around his godson's shoulders.

"Just wait-after breakfast we'll play Quidditch, and then you can learn 'God Rest ye Merry, Hippogriffs'." Heather turned and stared at Sirius in horror.

"You-sing-hippogriffs?"

"Hey, I sing just fine, thank you. Don't you agree, Harry? Harry? Helloooooo?"

"I-uh-what? She's-uh-sorry-what did you say…?"

"MISS WINDLING?" Something shot out of the Great Hall and came skidding to a halt in front of the Defense Professor. "MISS WINDLING!"

It was a teenage girl, looking to be about Harry's age. Strawberry blonde hair with a streak of red was framing two light green eyes, wide open in shock. She was wearing mint colored robes to match her eyes, but they seemed to be cut in a different style.

"Ni-Nicole? Nicole Harrison?" Heather stared at the girl looking thoroughly surprised.

"You're a WITCH?" they both shouted at the same time.

"I-uh-take it you two know each other?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Miss Windling was my second grade teacher! And you're Sirius Black!"

Sirius was about to explain the increasingly annoying story of his innocence when the girl grabbed his hand and shook it.

"You are soooooooooooooooooo awesome!" she shrieked.

"He's – what?" Remus asked bewilderedly.

"Dude, he broke out of Azkaban! That's, like, incredible! And besides, all us rebel Americans thought you were innocent anywho! But I cannot wait to tell Kristi that I met you! And Jess would be, like, sooooooooooooooooooooo psyched to hear everything!"

"You seem to have gotten louder since we last saw each other," Windling remarked.

"Well, DUH! Last time you saw me I was, like, eight years old!"

"Did you know that you were magical? Because if you did, why would Heather have taught you at a Muggle school?" Bridget inquired.

"Of course I knew I was magical! My dad was the Vice President of Magic. But my mom was a Muggle and thought I should go to some stupid Muggle elementary school before Salem."

"The Salem Witches' Institute?" Harry asked, suddenly jumping into the conversation.

"Yeah. It's gonna take some time to get used to guys in school. And aren't you Harry Potter?"

"Er-yeah, that's me…I think."

"You think?"

"Wait…" Heather started, "Your parents…you said…"

"Voldemort's started taking over other countries. Since my dad was high up in the system and my mom was a Muggle, they were a perfect target. I wasn't supposed to start here in England until next year, but…they attacked…my big brother Chris took me here, but they went after him, too. He's on the run now…"

"I'm sorry," Sirius stated lamely.

"It's alright, I'll just need some time to deal with it."

"I see you have gotten acquainted." Dumbledore had approached the group without anyone noticing.

"Um, hello, Dumbledore," Heather responded.

"I would suggest having some breakfast. It is rather tasty. And besides," he continued, eyes twinkling, "why deny Nicole her first meal at Hogwarts?"

"What have we been doing!" Sirius screamed sharply. "Come with me." He quickly led Nikki to the tables piled high with Christmas food. "You cannot wait any longer to have your first Hogwarts feast!"

"Okay…what is this?" She held up a cracker, cocking her head in confusion.

"A cracker," Remus explained, taking a seat next to McGonagall.

"A cracker? What do-I mean-but how-uh-yeah, what? Aren't you supposed to eat crackers? Like bread? 'Cause I don't think…"

"Nicole dear, it's a British thing," Windling told her. She and Bridget sat down next to Dumbledore, leaving Sirius to gently shove the very dazed and mesmerized Harry into a chair next to the still suspicious American.

"But what are you supposed to do with it?"

"Here." Remus took one part and coaxed Nicole through the process of using wizard crackers. "Just grab the end of it, then pull on three, okay? One…two...three!" The cracker exploded and Nikki shrieked loudly; when the smoke cleared, she was staring open-mouthed at a purple fez.

"Sweet! The only problem is, it doesn't go with my outfit."

"I can fix that," Heather assured her. With a wave of her wand, Nikki's robes and fez had both turned a pale pink.

"Ooh, me likey! Now," she began, holding up her goblet, "what on earth kind of orange juice is this?"

"It's not orange, it's pumpkin juice," Bridget explained.

"It's what now? You British people drink what?"

"Pumpkin juice, Nicole. Try it," Heather prodded. She stared at it as if it was about to bite her, and then took one very hesitant sip.

"Ugh. I suppose you want me to drink tea and eat crumpets too, right?"

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall snapped quite suddenly. "The Slytherin team has rescheduled your Quidditch match."

"For when," Harry asked, dreading the answer.

"The weekend after holiday."

"What! We still need to replace Kirke and Sloper! Slytherin can't do this!"

"Which positions do they play?" Nikki asked, fiddling with the tassel on her fez.

"They're both Beaters," he replied dejectedly.

"Hello, Captain Potter. May I request a tryout?"

"You play Beater?" Sirius asked, staring at her, unconvinced.

"When you go to an all girls school, you don't have much of a choice for players. And honestly, Salem has won the All-American Quidditch Tournament for ten years in a row."

"We'll see how you play after breakfast. And did we ever introduce ourselves?" Remus inquired.

"No, I don't think so," Bridget agreed. "Let's see, that's Heather, obviously, and Sirius is her fiancé, they're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, then I'm Bridget deGrasse, the resident healer-in-training, I'll take over for Madam Pomfrey who is getting really tired of some of these students, Remus Lupin over there is the former Defense professor…"

"And werewolf," he remarked darkly.

"You're a werewolf?" Nicole questioned.

"Unfortunately…"

"That's cool, dude. My friend Michelle's a lycie."

"A what?" Bridget stuttered.

"It's American slang for a werewolf," Heather explained. "Continuing the introduction, this is Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, you probably already know that, and Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher and your head of house, I presume?"

"They told me all about the house thing already, don't worry. I was sorted before breakfast."

"Good, then you are in Gryffindor. That's where all the best people are put."

"Hey!" Bridget yelled.

"You're just upset because you know it's true," Heather replied with a smirk. "Oh, and then there's Harry. Where in the world are the rest of the professors?"

"Snape's down in the dungeons tending to some potions, and Sybil is in her office crystal gazing…" McGonagall started.

"Like anyone expected them to come down here. Or wanted them to, for that matter."

"Professor Black, they are your colleagues and I expect you to treat them as such," Dumbledore reprimanded, looking both amused and annoyed.

"Flitwick's grading papers," the Transfiguration professor continued, "and I don't know where the rest are."

"You'll meet them soon enough. Oh, Sirius, I have something for you after breakfast. It wouldn't fit under the tree," Heather remarked. The animagus's eyes lit up and he started eating three times as fast. By the time breakfast was done he was bouncing up and down like a five year old, urging everyone to get going. With nothing else to do, Nicole had joined them, eager to learn more British customs. Heather led the group into the grounds near the Quidditch pitch, explaining things to Nikki as she went.

"Heather, where in the world are we going?" Bridget panted as they trudged up a particularly large and steep hill.

"Almost there!" she called over her shoulder. "Aha! There it is!" Sirius bolted to the top of the hill and the large package she pointed at. The thing was wrapped in the exact shade of pink that had been used for Sirius at Harry's birthday party. Said Marauder turned to eye his fiancée quizzically.

"I helped," Remus admitted.

"Well, that explains a lot."

"Sirius, just open it!" Heather cried exasperatedly. He complied and began tearing the paper off as if his life depended on it. When he'd finished, he fell to his knees, just staring at the gift.

"Sirius, I-I hope you like it. It's been fixed up a little: some new technology has been added, it's gotten a new paint job…Sirius?" He turned around, not bothering with the tears streaming down his face. "Are you okay?" In response, he rushed up to her and they hugged, giving Harry a clear view of whatever it was-a motorcycle. A flying motorcycle.

"Heather…Heather, do you have any idea what this means to me? It's-there is no word to describe…thank you so much…"

"Sirius, I didn't realize…but, seeing your reaction, I'm assuming it means a lot to you," she replied, almost crying as well.

"Where-where was it?" Sirius asked, attempting to restrain his tears.

"The Ministry had confiscated it; I managed to get it back after you were cleared."

"C'mon!" Sirius, who had suddenly perked up, gathered a very startled Heather in his arms and carried her over to the bike. He placed her on the seat, sat down in front of her, and revved the engine.

"Sirius, do remember the last time I was on this thing?"

"You'll be fine," he promised with a smirk. "And yes, I do. I won't let you fall into any lakes this time."

"SIRI-AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Her yell turned to a shriek as the motorcycle took off, gaining speed until it rose into the air. She grabbed onto Sirius's waste so tightly that he couldn't breathe for a few seconds. He turned and gave her a very amused glare, and she loosened her grip a little, if only to ensure that he watched where they were going instead of her. After a few minutes of quiet and peaceful flying, Heather relaxed a bit and laid her head on Sirius's shoulder. Seizing the opportunity, he gunned the engine and shot up into the air on an almost 90 degree angle.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed over the roar of the motorcycle and air rushing past.

"FLYING! WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?" He chose that moment to flip the bike upside-down, leaving Heather to seize Sirius around the neck so as not to fall off. He turned it back the other way soon after for fear of being suffocated, then came in slowly to land. The second they had touched down, Heather flung herself onto the ground, gasping for breath. Sirius, however, jumped off a bit more gracefully, helped Heather to her feet, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Puppy love!" Remus shouted in amusement.

"Oh, Remus, would you like a go on this? I'm sure the giant squid would be happy to see you again…"

"Don't you dare Padfoot!" he warned.

"Then quit making fun of my Animagus form!"

"Quit giving me reasons to make fun of your Animagus form!" he retorted.

"Alright now, children," Harry shouted over their argument, "are you going to behave or do I have to separate you?" Remus gave him a look clearly saying 'shut up,' but Sirius grinned maniacally at his godson.

"Get on here already, will you?" he ordered, mounting the motorcycle.

"With you driving? Seems pretty risky to me, Sirius…" Harry remarked.

"Oh, you'd rather fly it yourself then?"

"On second thought," he began, getting on the bike behind Sirius.

"Good boy."

"You're the dog here, Sirius, remember?" Remus asked.

"Moony, you're starting to get really annoying."

"It's my job!" he yelled as Sirius raced off, Harry clutching the back of his robes in shock.

"Warn me the next time you do that, alright?" Harry shouted.

"Why?"

"Never mind. So…how fast can you make this thing go?" Sirius turned around and smirked mischievously.

"Let's find out, shall we?" He accelerated so fast that Harry almost fell off, and yet the bike was still gaining speed. They eventually got so fast that Sirius drove the motorcycle right across the lake, then flew into the air, did a flip, and skidded to a halt in front of Remus, splattering his robes with snow. By that time, both Sirius and Harry were laughing hysterically and their hair was messier then it ever had been, which was saying something for Harry.

"Okay, anyone else?" Sirius asked as Harry unsteadily got up. Nikki immediately jumped on where Harry had been. "Ready?" She nodded eagerly and he shot into the air, spinning a couple of times.

"Could you slow it down a bit?" Nicole asked over the wind.

"What, too fast?" he teased, but complied nonetheless. Nikki then did something that Sirius never expected her to do-she stood up on the seat, moved into a sort of handstand, and flipped into the air, landing in front of Sirius.

"Mind if I take over for awhile?"

"No, not at all," he stated weakly, stunned by what she had just done.

"Good. Get ready!" She let out an excited shriek and they plunged into a swirling dive. Nikki took out her wand, leaving a trail of dark blue sparks in the air behind them. After a large number of other dangerous maneuvers, she landed in front of a very surprised audience.

"Look!" Remus motioned at the sky to Sirius, who glanced up and noticed that Nikki had been skywriting. The shining blue lights read, "Nikki was here. Brits watch out!"

"Thank you, thank you," she bowed, getting off the bike.

"Forget the tryouts," Harry remarked, "welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"

We almost have 100 reviews!
Really?
Yeah, 96.
Cool!
So please review and make us happy! We promise to get the next chapter out a whole lot faster!
Yay! Review!