She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…
Marauder's Phase
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Merry Christmas!
I was lying in my bed in the guest room on Christmas morning, snuggled down under the covers and staring at the rose-wood ceiling.
I was thinking about things, including the pre-Christmas feast the night before, which had been fun.
James had played Ye Enchanted Christmas on the piano (I'd had no idea he could play so well), Maggie had cooked the best pre-Christmas meal I've ever eaten, and Sirius had absolutely slaughtered me in a killer game of Wizards Chess.
Sirius…
I was confused with my feelings for Sirius. Did I like him?
Probably…I certainly found him attractive, in both looks and personality...
Did he like me?
Probably not. I think he just thought of me as a friend.
James, meanwhile, was like the big brother I'd never had – the arrogant, conceited but really friendly big brother I'd never had, that is. I was glad that was a feeling I didn't have to panic about.
Was I panicked about Sirius?
Absolutely.
And the more I started to think about him, the more my stomach buzzed like I'd been drinking Butterbeer…
"Aurgh!" I cried, throwing back the covers. There was no way I was getting back to sleep now, even though it was only two o'clock on Christmas morning. Thoughts of Sirius had began to make me feel that way – all buzzy and alive, like I may never relax again…
Haphazard was still asleep, perched on top of the mirror on the dressing table, sleeping soundly. Yesterday, I remembered in amusement, as I got dressed in my warmest clothes, the Potters' cat, Donna, had tried to eat Haphazard. He'd flown into a bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy – and Maggie and Reginald had laughed, even though potatoes and gravy had gone everywhere, including on Maggie's new dress robes. That didn't seem normal to me.
But, no wonder Sirius liked staying here so much.
I crept downstairs, quiet as a mouse, and out the front door. Once outside, I went around to the back of the house, and transformed, feeling my body shrink, shift, change and grow white and furry.
Soon, I was a pure white wolf, frolicking in the snow.
***
No One's P.O.V:
Sirius watched as Emma made her way downstairs and, having already dressed, decided to follow her. At the top of the stairs, however, he met James, who was also dressed.
They both watched Emma creep outside, and then followed her slowly, tailing her to the back of the house where, sure enough, she transformed, and stood there as the white she-wolf.
Sirius drew in a sharp breath, and James looked at him, curious.
Sirius said: "She…makes the snow look grey…she's like a unicorn…but whiter…"
James laughed softly at his best friend's slightly mixed up sentence. "You got it bad, mate…"
Sirius gave him a Look, and the two continued to watch wolf Emma play in the snow, leaping up to catch falling snowflakes and running, her long, wolvine legs stretching out as she ran from one end of the Potter's field to another, until she became aware of the boys' presence, and loped over to meet them, transforming a few feet from them.
"Merry Christmas." She said, cheerfully, her face red from the cold.
"Merry Christmas." James and Sirius said in unison, just as the back door opened and Reginald poked his head out.
"Oh, you're up already," He said, grinning cheerfully. "Well, come on in, it's time for presents."
James and Sirius hurried into the house, as excited as two kids on Christmas morning, but Emma followed more slowly. She didn't expect to get anything, although she'd gotten gifts for everybody else.
In the living room, where stood the massive blue-green fir, James and Sirius were already opening their presents, and Reginald looked up from where he was reading The Daily Prophet (which front page featured a picture of a grumpy-looking cat in a Christmas hat).
"Oh Emma, come on," He said, and indicated to a small pile of presents – but it was a pile, nonetheless, and Emma's jaw dropped.
"I have presents?" She asked, incredulously, almost tiptoeing into the living room, and sitting down by the pile of presents.
"What did you expect?" James asked, as he unwrapped a broomstick servicing kit. "Oh wow, thanks Paddy!"
Sirius grinned.
Emma stared at the presents, a strange look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Reginald asked her, looking concerned.
She shook her head. "My parents…didn't believe in encouraging materialistic values…me and my sister never really got presents…" But that wasn't really true…her sister had gotten presents. It was Emma who was always left out.
Pushing this thought aside, she reached for the first present, which was addressed to her, and from Maggie and Reginald, contained a hand-knitted (magic-knitted?) royal blue jumper – perhaps even the same one that she'd seen being knitted a few days ago, she couldn't really remember – and a box of home-made fudge, which was delicious.
Reginald smiled, and went into the kitchen to help his wife with the hot chocolate and waffles.
The next parcel, which was from Lily, contained a lovely mother-of-pearl necklace and a beautiful sapphire blue quill with matching ink. Peter had sent along a box of chocolate frogs and Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans, and Remus had sent her a book called Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
"Remi…" Emma said, grinning and showing the book the James and Sirius, who also grinned. Emma immediately tuned to the page with Werewolves on them and, using her new quill, scrawled: Aren't all that bad, underneath the title, in her scrawly, illegible handwriting.
Sirius had given her two things. One was a small, pocket-sized black dog, obviously hand-sewn and looked exactly like Sirius in his Animagus form.
"Did you sew this?" Emma asked.
"No, I got someone else to do it," Sirius rolled his eyes as he attacked a box of Bertie Bots Every Flavour Beans. "Of course I sewed it myself…eww, parchment flavour!"
"Serves you right." Emma responded, whilst unwrapping the second gift from Sirius.
Inside was a book called Flying – Doing It Right, And With Style.
"What's this for?" Emma asked, holding up the book.
Smirking, Sirius pointed to the last package, which was quite clearly from James.
It was also, quite clearly, a broomstick.
"James!" Emma shrieked, not even bothering to unwrap the package, and pouncing on James, who was in the midst of trying on a new sweater, so it made things very interesting when she pinned him to the floor and cried: "What the hell!?"
"Calm down," Sirius said calmly, going over and easily lifting Emma up by her arms. "It's his old broom, isn't it?" James sat up, fixed his glasses, and then nodded. Inspection of the broom once it was unwrapped proved them both correct.
"Yes, but why!?" Emma nearly wailed, but checked herself just in time.
"Because you've been having all those dreams about flying," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Em, we had to do something."
"I'll teach you to fly when we get back to Hogwarts, and the weather clears up a bit." James said. "And, if you see Lily," He added, as his parents came into the living room with the hot chocolate. "Tell her I'll give her flying lessons anytime, too."
Emma and Sirius rolled their eyes.
***
I liked the Butterbeer a lot, but I had to be careful about how much I drank. We all did – we were going back to Hogwarts tomorrow, and needed to not have hangovers.
But…damn, that Butterbeer was good…
"First time drinking Butterbeer, dear?" Maggie smiled at me.
I nodded. I didn't trust myself to speak, as I finished off my fourth bottle – I mean, hey, why not? I'd heard that James had downed twelve last year, and been sick for a week. They'd had to send him back to school by Floo Powder.
This made me feel loads better, but I was still slightly tipsy when I got up from the table, because I nearly tripped over my own two feet on the way up the stairs.
"Careful!" Warned Sirius, who was coming up the stairs behind me, and he caught me by the wrists, and steadied me.
Something made us both look up.
A green-looking thing hung over our heads, suspended by some unknown force. We both looked at it, and then at each other.
"Mistletoe?" I guessed, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah." Sirius said, a strange expression on his face. "And now…we have to kiss."
"Really?" I asked, as he leaned closer to me. Wait, I'm not ready for this!
"Well, yeah, it's the law," Sirius stopped. "Unless you don't want…"
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, unsure of what I was doing because I've never kissed anyone before – I didn't know the right technique.
But then Sirius started kissing me back, and it didn't matter.
Because I did want this.
***
No One's P.O.V:
At the foot of the stairs, and standing under his invisibility cloak, James, with his wand levitating the 'kissing plant', cheered a silent: 'Yes!'.