Chapter 10: Christmas Hols

By next week, almost all the school had broken up for the Christmas Holidays apart from the odd few students who were staying. Harry, Hermione and Ron and his twin brothers and sister were amongst those staying. Ali, Kat and Remus were also staying.

Kat was overly excited: one because she had only 5 days until she was meeting Sirius again, two because it was Christmas in four days. The two girls got dressed (Ali was wearing her Christmas tree bobble headband and had persuaded Kat to wear hers as well) and they headed to breakfast. Only a few teachers and a handful of students were at breakfast so Fred and George had had the idea to grab some benches and put them along the other side of the teachers table. Ali and Kat sat next to Remus, opposite Fred, George, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Kat finished breakfast and went back up to the tower, telling Ali she'd meet her up there. Kat entered her room to find a letter on her bed. She rushed to open it but it was only from Hagrid explaining why he was away. Meanwhile Ali and Remus had walked up to Ali's room. Ali was just about to open the door when Remus said,

"That was nice wasn't it? Sirius coming to meet Kat. I mean, it was a bit of a shock and I wanted to walk in there and say hi to him but still"

Ali smiled and nodded her head in agreement. She had never seen Kat so happy before.

"Yeah it was"

Remus leant against the wall and Ali leant against him. Remus pressed his lips firmly against hers and Ali had to hold on to Remus' coat to stop herself from falling down the stairs. Meanwhile, Kat was wondering what was keeping Ali so long and opened the door to go and find her.

"Oh, really, here of all places is where you choose to kiss. Not that I mind, but I would have thought that your little mishap with Snape would have given you cause to be more careful. Did being a prefect teach you nothing Remus?"

Remus' eyes widened and he almost fell down the stairs himself. He stood up right and both he and Ali looked at Kat like what the …?

"How did you know about that?"

Kat laughed gently.

"Even if it was 15 or so odd years ago, they still keep the badges in the trophy room"

Remus smiled but Ali was wide eyed.

"What, where?"

Ali grabbed Remus' hand and dragged him to the trophy room with Kat following. Kat found the glass case displaying the prefect badges from 1987-1994. She pointed to the badge that had Remus' name in scripted on it. Remus blushed while Ali hugged him while saying in a high pitched voice

"Aw, Remy, you were a prefect!"

Remus looked at her like she was mental.

"Never call me that again!"

"Why not, it shows affection!"

Ali gave Remus a cheeky smile and turned to go but Remus grabbed her from behind on her sides, making her yelp out in surprise and slap Remus on the hand. Kat laughed and the three walked back up to the girl's room. Kat sat on the window sill again while Ali and Remus sat on Kat's bed, watching Kat as she took out her sketch pad and began to draw the view.

"That's brilliant Kat. Can I look at the rest?"

The room had been so silent Remus' remark made the girls jump. Kat nodded and handed over the sketch book while she went into her own little world again and started to sing.

Remus and Ali looked at the drawing with awe; how could Kat could draw so many detailed pictures?

Ali kept on looking but Remus gave up and started to listen to Kat. The song had no words, it was just a tune but it had an eerie quality to it.

Kat sang the final note in a clear voice and turned her head back to face Remus and Ali who were staring at her, the book cast aside. Kat laughed nervously and then ran out of the room. Remus looked at Ali.

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah she's fine, she just hates it when people hear her singing the song. She's afraid people will think she's weird or strange but in a bad way. It happened to her once at home before we knew we were witches. That's why when she started to sing it around you and Sirius, I told her to keep quiet"

Ali rushed out of the door and Remus followed in hot pursuit. The cold winter's air raced through them as they made their way to their tree. However, Kat wasn't there.

"Where would she be? Ali?"

Ali was leaning against the tree, frowning in concentration.

"Um, Shrieking Shack? No wait, I think I know where she might be!"

The two run off, Remus following Ali, until they arrive at the lake. They walk a bit further along to the tree where Remus had hugged Kat and sure enough, Kat was sitting at the bottom, hunched over. Ali immediately sits down next to Kat and hugs her.

"I'm a freak Ali, just like those boys said when I was five. What was I thinking, going around singing a creepy song like that? I wasn't was I?"

"Hey Kat, you're not a freak. It's a nice song and it's how you remember your father so don't think you shouldn't sing it for one moment, ok?"

Kat smiled and Remus and Ali helped her get back up to their room. Remus said good bye and gave Ali a kiss before leaving. The two girls got dressed and fell straight to sleep.

The three spent most of their week with each other; going on walks, hanging out by the tree or working on Kat's photo album and before they knew it, Christmas Eve had arrived.

Kat and Ali walked down the great hall for dinner and found it decorated with tinsel and baubles that had been charmed to hang from the ceiling which had been bewitched to look like it was snowing. 4 huge fir trees were in each corner of the hall and each had been decorated to look magnificent. Kat and Ali were in awe as they walked to the teachers table to join the others for dinner.

Suddenly, Trelawney started to worry about the old saying that if 13 dine together the first to rise will be the first to die. Ali looked at Kat like what the hell but Dumbledore managed to reassure her that everyone was safe. Kat went back up to the tower and Ali said she would be up later.

Kat was excited about tomorrow but even more excited about Boxing Day. She fell asleep and dreamt about the first time she had met Sirius. The next morning, Ali woke up before Kat and had planned to wake her up but before she could take a running jump at the bed there was a soft knock at the door. Ali opened the door gingerly but opened it full when she saw it was Remus.

"Happy Christmas Ali"

"Happy Christmas Remus"

The two stood in the door way hugging before exchanging presents.

"Hey Ali, where's Kat?"

"She's still asleep, you can't really see her 'coz she's wrapped up in the covers. Before you knocked on the door I was gonna jump on the bed to wake her up"

Remus looked at Ali reproachfully but then had an idea.

"If you want to make her jump without hurting her, you sit that side I'll sit the other and lean your head in really close before waking her up"

Ali smiled and sat on one side of Kat, waited until Remus was sat the other and gently shook Kat awake.

"Kat, Kat, wake up Kat"

Kat's eyelids fluttered open before she jumped backwards and screamed,

"What the hell was that for, are you trying to frighten me to death or something?"

Ali and Remus burst out laughing and eventually so did Kat but not before playfully pushing Ali off the bed. Ali jumped back up, crossed the room and pulled out a small present from her chest of drawers. Kat had done the same. The two girls swapped gifts and opened them with their eyes closed. When they opened them they both thanked each other and hugged briefly.

Kat saw Remus looking at them confused.

"We do this every year; close your eyes to get a surprise"

"Yeah when Kat and I first became friends, when I gave her a Christmas present she closed her eyes and opened it. She told me about the tradition she had shared with her parents and it kind of stuck"

Remus smiled before giving Kat an envelope. Kat opened it and pulled out the card. She smiled at the picture and when she opened it, a picture fell out. The picture was of her resting her head on Sirius' shoulder and they were waving at the camera but Remus had charmed the picture so it moved.

"Oh Remus, thank you"

Kat pulled out an envelope for him and the picture on front of the card was of him and Ali in their fifth year when Remus had picked up Ali from behind and spun her round. The picture too was moving. Remus smiled and gave Kat a hug but this no longer bothered Ali.

They got dressed and went to breakfast. The food was wonderful and the three couldn't think of anything else to do other than do what they did every year at Christmas – hang out under the tree.

The three spent all day under the old oak tree, taking pictures, having a picnic, playing with their familiars. At 8 o'clock they went up to dinner and had a nice feast, pulled crackers with the students and teachers. Fred, George and Ali even managed to convince everyone (even Snape) to wear the paper hat they got in a cracker. Unfortunately for Snape but fortunately for everyone else, he got a bright pink hat and had to wear it for the rest of dinner.

Every one departed from the hall equally happily but Kat was ecstatic. Tomorrow she would be meeting Sirius again and she could not wait.