Chapter Eight: Christmas In Hogsmede

The holidays were fast approaching.

James found himself having much less fun than he would've liked. He was now thinking about the tomb at every wake. He found himself following Bellatrix, Lucius, and Narcissa whenever he could.

James told Sirius about the tomb as soon as the latter was out of the hospital wing. He seemed anxious, but not nearly as anxious as James.

"Lighten up, mate," Peter squeaked, one day.

James ignored him. He, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter were coming back from Potions class. James was keeping his eye out for particular Slytherins.

He found what he was looking for: Lucius and Narcissa were speaking in hushed tones, walking past them.

James quickly and casually followed them.

"Do you want to get yourself killed?" Sirius hissed, as the others jogged after him.

James didn't answer. Lucius and Narcissa had reached a slab of wall. One of them muttered something and the wall opened. They slipped inside. Just as James was about to go after them, the wall sealed itself.

James pounded on it, "It won't budge."

"Of course not; I expect it requires a password," Lupin said, logically.

When James looked blank, Lupin said, "Well, obviously it's the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room."

"Obviously," James said, sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He turned around, and began feeling the wall, as if hoping to find a loose stone.

"What are you four up to?" a crisp voice rang behind them.

They spun around, chorusing, "Nothing!"

Professor McGonagall peered down at them, suspiciously.

"What are you doing down here?"

James hesitated, before saying cheekily, "What're you doing down here?"

Professor McGonagall huffed, "Looking for Mr. Black. You have received a letter from your parents. Naturally, due to your last incident, the school conducted a number of measures before determining that it was safe to open."

She handed Sirius an open envelope, cautiously, as though expecting it to explode at any moment.

Sirius pulled out a piece of parchment and read,

'Tomorrow, you are expected to arrive at 12 Grimmauld Place . You shall stay for the remainder of the holidays.

Orion and Walaburga Black'

"That's it?" Sirius asked, looking crestfallen, "They didn't write anything else?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head, frowning, "The Hogwarts Express will leave at 11:00 tomorrow."

"Forget it," Sirius snapped, "I'm not going. They can't make me."

"Unfortunately, if they wish for you to come home, we have no say," Professor McGonagall corrected, "They are, after all, your parents."

Sirius showed her the letter, "Does that look like good parenting to you?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said, professionally, "There is nothing to be done. I suggest you enjoy the rest of tonight and make the most of tomorrow and the week to come."

She left Sirius, who looked furious and miserable.

"Make the most of it?" Sirius groaned, "Mark my words, these will be the last holidays I ever see."

Sirius left the next morning, glumly. James, Lupin, and Peter saw him off, before returning to the Common Room, sitting around by the fire.

They found three pairs of tongs, and proceeded to find any food that they could think of, roasting their snacks in the fire.

"Shall we get started on our homework?" Lupin asked, chewing on a roasted Bertie Bott's bean.

He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a heap of papers.

James took the papers with his tongs, tossing the papers into the fire.

"James!" Lupin cried, angrily, trying to blow the flames out.

"Relax, Lupin," James grinned, "It's the holidays."

Even Lupin had to smile back, "Fine."

"Look outside!" Peter piped, suddenly.

Indeed, the first snowfall of the year was occurring. Within an hour, the grounds were blanketed with a beautiful layer of white, sparkling, snow.

"It looks so peaceful," Lupin mused, staring out the window.

"It looks so…unaffected," James said, thoughtfully, "We should change that."

The three bundled up, racing outside. A fierce snowball fight commenced.

The day got better when James saw Snape walk by. The Slytherin was immediately bombarded by dozens of snowballs.

"James Potter!" Professor McGonagall shrieked, "My office! This instant!"

James followed her, deciding that it was worth it.

Professor McGonagall reached her office and started nagging about the importance of not trying to kill other students with snowballs.

James hung his head, though only to try and hold back a smile.

All of a sudden, the fireplace came to life. Giant green flames leapt up into the grate. Professor McGonagall stopped talking, rising from her seat, in awe.

A figure came through the flames. Professor McGonagall stepped in front of James, rising her wand, as the person became visible.

For a second nobody spoke.

Then, James ducked out from behind Professor McGonagall, crossed the threshold, and hugged his best mate, "Sirius!"

He waited for Sirius to catch his breath, before roaring, "What're you doing here?"

"My mum locked me in my room," Sirius panted, "What she didn't know was that I had nicked…err, borrowed…some Floo Powder from the Common Room before I left. I used it in my fireplace. This was the first place that I could think of."

Professor McGonagall recomposed herself, before saying, kindly, "Welcome back, Mr. Black. What took you so long?"

Sirius grinned back, realizing that Professor McGonagall must've had planned the whole thing.

The professor continued, "Now, will you two kindly leave, before you get soot all over my clean floor?"

"But Professor," James pointed out, "What about my detention?"

"Well, I can certainly punish you, if you want, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, with a small smile, "However, I would think that you'd want to enjoy the remainder of your holidays."

Swelling with luck, James and Sirius ran out of the office, grinning. They met the other two in the corridor.

"Sirius!" Lupin cried, astonished, "What're you doing here?"

"Long story," Sirius beamed.

"We'll tell you later," James smirked, "Right now, we have a certain little git who still needs to be snowballed."

"Oi, wake up!" Sirius hit James round the head with his pillow, causing him to spring up, grabbing his wand in self-defense.

"At ease there, mate," Sirius grinned, "It's Christmas!"

Grinning back, James stuffed his glasses onto his face so that he could see the vast amount of presents that sat at the foot of his bed.

Sirius rudely awakened Lupin and Peter, who had a considerably smaller pile than James. Peter looked disappointed, but Lupin looked purely grateful.

Sirius began ripping off the paper of his first parcel.

"Hang on," he said, "James, I think this one is for you."

"No," James pointed, reddening, "It's from my mum; she must've sent you all a gift as well."

"Blimey," Sirius whispered, pulling out a handsome, hand-knit, Gryffindor scarf with his initials sewn on in beautiful craftsmanship.

"Thanks mate," Lupin gasped, as he and Peter opened similar scarves.

Lupin then opened a large bar of chocolate, which he shared with the others. James saw Peter open a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans, and try to discreetly hide them under his bed.

James then noticed a lumpy parcel. Curious, he opened it.

A letter fell out:

Hello James,

I hope you're having a good term at Hogwarts. Your mother implores that you're staying out of trouble. I, however, realize that you are my son. In such, I feel that it is time that I gave you this. It was given to me by my father, and has been in our family for generations. I know that it will come in handy with your shenanigans as well as your Auror Training.

Yes, I am aware of what's been going on. You'd be surprised how much Dumbledore knows as well, and how much he relays back to me. Your mother, naturally, worries about your safety. I have assured her that it is better to be prepared, so that you are safe in the future.

Hope your holidays are well, son. Give your friends my best. Also, do tell Sirius to mind the grenades that I sent several weeks ago; they do not mix well with long hair.

Your Loving Father

James laughed and passed Sirius the note. He then examined the package. A silvery cloak with intricate designs fell out.

He picked it up, curious, and threw it around your shoulders.

Sirius chuckled, "Could've mentioned that before I singed half of it off!"

He grinned, before looking up and yelping.

"Bloody hell! What happened to your body?"

"What do you mean?" James gasped.

Lupin gaped, standing up, "It's gone, mate! Take that cloak off, now!"

"No, don't!" Sirius said, excitedly, "I think that's an Invisibility Cloak!"

"How can we be sure?" Lupin asked, curiously.

Sirius absentmindedly took a picture frame, that Lupin had received, and chucked it at James. It hit him hard in the stomach.

"Told you," Sirius roared, triumphantly, "That's brilliant, mate! Think of all the pranks we'll get to pull, now!"

"As compared to…?" Lupin asked, grinning.

"Good point," Sirius said, "Only now, we won't get caught!"

Laughing, the four went outside, in their pajamas and built a colossal snowman. Lupin's guilt finally got the best of him, and he declared that he had to go to Professor McGonagall, and get the homework that James had burnt the other day.

Sirius, Peter, and James performed a nifty spell that made the snowman come to life, before reentering the castle, shivering.

"Ugh! I'm so cold that my coat zipper's stuck," Peter mumbled. He was the most bundled up.

"Dissendium!" Peter muttered, furiously, brandishing his wand like a sword.

"It's Descendo, Peter," James said, impatiently.

He, Sirius, and Peter were on their way back from the library. Peter was trying to perfect a spell that James and Sirius had learned on their first attempt.

Peter flushed, "Well, my spell did something! Look!"

He pointed to a statue of a one-eyed witch. The statue trembled as the hump on the witch gave away.

"Great, you broke it," James grimaced. He and Sirius stepped forward to examine the damage, but stumbled and fell down a steep slide, landing in an underground tunnel. Before they could exit, the hump had closed, trapping them.

They could hear Peter screaming bloody murder on the other side of the wall.

"Peter, quiet down!" Sirius roared, "We're fine!"

Peter was still screaming; he couldn't hear them.

Sirius, meanwhile, had grabbed a torch off of the wall and was examining the tunnel, "Where do you suppose this goes?"

"Let's find out," James said, his eyes sparkling with adventure.

The two walked down the dusty tunnel for what seemed like ages. James was just suggesting that they turn around, when he hit his head on what appeared to be a trapdoor.

He pushed it open and they came out into what appeared to be a cellar.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Sirius grumbled.

James had no idea. They climbed the steps into the main building, Immediately, their jaws dropped.

They were in a fantastic sweetshop. The walls were completely lined with colorful candies and other goodies.

"Where the bloody hell are we?" Sirius repeated, but in a much different tone.

A sign hanging above them said: Honeydukes Shop.

"I think that we're in Hogsmeade," James said, slowly, "The village, outside of the school."

Sirius didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the vast amount of candy, his mouth watering slightly.

"Hey Sirius, how much gold do you have on you?" James asked.

Sirius just grinned.

In the end, they ended up nearly buying out the entire shop. The shopkeeper stared at them, suspiciously. Students weren't allowed into the village, unless they had permission. However, upon seeing the large pile of Galleons that the boys produced, the shopkeeper bowed them out of the shop.

They left, each carrying half a dozen bags filled with every type of candy that the store had to offer.

The village was beautiful. It looked as though they had entered a Christmas card. The cottages were buried in snow, which glistened in the sunlight.

Parched, they decided to go over to a pub, known as The Three Broomsticks. It was warm and crowded; no one gave the pair a second glance.

"I've always wanted to try Butterbeer," Sirius exclaimed, excitedly.

It was brought to them in foaming mugs by an attractive barmaid, known as Madam Rosmerta.

Sirius boldly gave her a wink. He and James raised their tankards and chugged.

It was one of the best things James had ever tasted. A warmth, unlike no other, ran through his body.

Grinning, they had a second round, then bought an entire round for the pub. This deemed them the most popular duo in Hogsmeade.

After half an hour, they finally stumbled from the bar, feeling light and giddy. They passed a group of carolers and decided to join in. Unfortunately, as neither one of them knew the lyrics, they decided to improvise.

'God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs

Let Nothing You Dismay

Remember How We Found Hogsmeade

On This Christmas Day

We Drank A Bunch Of Butterbeer

And Now We Want To Say,

'Oh Good Tidings of Comfort and Goats

Silly Billy Goats

Oh Good Tidings of Comfort and Goats.' '

In the end, it was the best Christmas James had ever had. As dusk approached, they made their way drunkenly back into Honeydukes, where the shopkeepers were busy explaining to customers why there was no more candy left. Laughing, the two slipped into the tunnel, talking nonstop, until before they knew it, they had reached the castle once more. They burst into the Common Room, grinning from ear to ear.

"Where have you been?" Lupin asked, rising from the couch.

"It's a long story!" James beamed.

Peter's eyes widened, as he took in the bags of multicolored goodies, "Where did you get those?"

"Is that Honeydukes chocolate?" Lupin asked, his mouth watering.

"Yep," Sirius exclaimed, grinning.

He and James broke into their story of how they managed to find the tunnel. They recounted the village and shared the sweets and Butterbeer.

The four sat by the fire and raised their bottles to the best Christmas ever.

James grinned, singing a little to himself.

'Oh good tidings of comfort and goats.

Silly Billy goats.

Oh good tidings of comfort and goats.'