The Death Wish List

Fluffy white snow plastered the ancient towers of Hogwarts School as it fell from above. Today was the first day of the winter break, and that meant most of the witches and wizards attending the school would be at home, enjoying the heavily-anticipated vacation with their families. It also meant that the teachers and staff would be kicking back, savoring their student-free weeks. But alas, this looked not to be happening this year, for a group of nuisance-seeking forth years had planned on staying over.

The four best friends raced each other throughout the castle, laughing as they tripped over girls and boys aged eleven to seventeen, and shouting back hasty apologies. They didn't know who started the chase, but who cared – there was a race to win and people to shame.

"NO FAIR! YOU GUYS GOT A HEAD START! WAIT UP!"

"MOVE IT OR LOSE IT, FIRSTIES! I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY!"

"OI – PUT YOUR WAND AWAY! THESE KIDS ARE THE OBSTACLES – YOU CAN'T GET RID OF THE OBSTACLES!"

"PLEASE REFRAIN FROM SHOUTING!"

On and on they ran, until Remus felt that coming third place was better than fourth, and so he tripped James hurriedly.

"ROAAAAR!" James fell flat on his face, almost breaking his new glasses in the process. This was the sixth time this month his so-called best friend decided that harming him to win a game was the best option. "Cheater," he grumbled, while the other boys touched the finishing wall.

Remus gave him a sheepish smile as they looped back towards him, "Sorry, James, it's not personal or anything, it's just that I don't like losing."

James rolled his eyes.

"And this is what you always say to me while I recover from being shoved, tripped, clawed, jostled, and even THOWN by you during a friendly game of race."

Sirius, meanwhile, had taken a piece of parchment out of his satchel, and scrawled something on it, smiling creepily the whole time.

Peter sidled closer and asked, "What'cha doing?"

Sirius moved his arms away from the nosy boy, and said, "If you must know, I'm making a wish list of everything I want to have this Christmas. Some bloke in Ravenclaw told me everything I put on it would come true!"

"Wasn't he a first year?"

"So?" he shrugged like taking advice from an eleven-year old wasn't strange, "he's in Ravenclaw, mate! They're bloody brilliant."

James snatched the list away from him, reading it quickly. "You want a motorbike?" he looked up in confusion, "What's a motorbike?"

Remus swiped it away from him, "Oho ho, check out the recent addition. 'I wish James would lose every game of race we play'. What kind of wish is that? It always happens."

Peter had gotten an idea. "Let's all make lists this year! It'll be great!"

And so, after taking parchments out of their bags, the boys set to work. Half an hour later, they each composed a list of things that may or may not have been legal and/or frowned upon by teachers.

Just as James was about to read his list aloud, it was ripped out of his hands.

"Hey–"

Rookwood, a nasty boy from Slytherin sneered as he read the title: "'List of Thing I Want to Have for Christmas This Year by James Potter',"

"Oi, give it back!"

Rookwood grinned nastily and passed the parchment around to his equally-nasty friends. "Ooh, does little Potty wish that his blood traitor parents would listen to him more often?" he cackled, took the list back, and twirled his wand.

"Are you that thick, Rookwood, or is this just a side effect from all the inbreeding?" said James, wand already in his hand.

"Alright, alright, let's not get out of hand. You want your stupid list back?" Rookwood pointed his wand to the parchment, and hissed something. "Here."

"What did you do?" demanded James, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing drastic, I just placed a curse on your paper and now you HAVE to get all these things on your list by Christmas, or else..." He shrugged, and began to walk away, but was hauled back and slammed against the wall.

"Are you going to finish that sentence?" snarled James, wand trained at the boy's throat.

Rookwood hesitated, but seeing the look on the Gryffindor's face, said, "O-or you'll die."

Sirius cracked his knuckles, smiling evilly. "Great, now if you'll just undo the curse–"

"I can't! It's an ancient family curse, you have to do it. The only way to undo it is to kill the person who placed the jinx." He winced, "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, no you shouldn't have." James smiled back at his friends. "Which way do you reckon he should go? Off a tower? Down the stairs? Or perhaps by ingesting too much of Hagrid's rock cakes…"

"I'll help you! I'll get some of things on this list!"

Remus frowned thoughtfully as he scanned it. "Your family's pretty well off, Rookwood, so it won't be a problem if you purchase 'thirty fire-breathing horses'." He looked up in disbelief. "Really, James, what were you thinking?"

"ANYWAY, you got three days, mate, so you better hurry up!" Rookwood didn't need to be told twice.

Peter smirked. "Thank Merlin, you only included seven things on here, Prongs, otherwise, we'd be searching for a coffin instead of a broomstick signed by Grug Crenshaw."

"Har-har. Let's divide it up, and meet in the common room by Wednesday. Team James, disperse!"

Three days later, the best friends met up by the portrait hole. James was the only one not present.

"I am definitely not getting that git anything for Christmas," muttered Sirius, stroking the bandage on his cheek He was in charge of getting the autographed broomstick and one of every chocolate frog player card ever made. "I had to fight some little boy for the Circe card and then his mother decided to get involved. It got nasty pretty fast."

"How 'bout the autograph?"

Sirius held up James' broomstick and showed them the tiny signature by the bristles. "I copied the autograph I got from Crenshaw a few years ago onto this. I hope it won't make a difference."

Remus held up a sweater vest wordlessly, James' face stitched in the middle. He obviously didn't like the idea of one of his beloved sweater vests being contributed in such a manner because James now had an extra eye.

Peter showed them the voodoo doll of Snape. "My little sister, Lizzie, made it for me, but she won't look me in the face anymore."

"We all have to make sacrifices for me to live, Petey." James had suddenly appeared behind them, snowflakes coated on his hair. "The fire breathing horses are out back with Hagrid, I've decided to donate them to the school – but not before we ride them!"

"WOOO!" they entered the common room, and were pleased to find it empty. James threw himself on the couch in an exhausted heap. "The House-Elves made the pumpkin juice-cake." He patted the small box on a wooden table. "What time is it?"

"11:49."

"Then why do I feel so tired? We got everything I wrote on my list!" James patted his face, and was horrified to find he was sweating. "Man, is it hot," he complained and he threw off his cloak and jumper.

"Hand me the list."

Peter passed it to Remus.

"Okay… chocolate frog cards… voodoo doll of Snape… pumpkin juice-cake…"

"I'm F-F-FREEZ-ZING," chattered James, lying back down on the couch. Sirius shushed him softly and covered him with a blanket, tucking him in. This would have been comical if the situation wasn't so serious.

"Sweater with face stitched on it… broomstick signed by Crenshaw…"

"Sirius… I think… I think I see – I see the light…" James held a hand in front of his face, trying to grasp the air around him, giggling quietly.

"WE'RE LOSING HIM! HURRY UP!"

Remus started panicking, "TH-THIRTY FIRE-BREATHING HORSES…" Suddenly, thanks to his werewolf eyesight he caught sight of a tiny, microscopic scribble by the bottom of the list:

I wish for Lily Evans to say my first name, like we're friends, instead of… whatever we are.

Remus felt like he swallowed a boulder; the page in front of him began to blur as his throat closed up. Lily Evans had gone home to her family. She wasn't coming back.

And so, apparently, was James.

"Godric, there are – there are three of yous, Peter!" cackled the doomed boy, as he pointed to Remus. "MOO!"

"What time is it?"

Sirius answered, "11:54. But why's he STILL like this?"

Remus shook his head, and showed him the inscription wordlessly.

Sirius blinked.

And then he began to laugh, and laugh and laugh and laugh.

Peter growled, "SHUT UP! James is dying and all you can do is snicker? You're sick, you know that?"

"I – I can't help it!" chortled Sirius, his face turning bright red as tears began to form in his eyes. "I – I always – laugh – laugh whenever I'm over- overwhelmed! HAHAHAHA!"

"Can you lot keep it down? Some of us are trying to sleep!" Lily ordered, appearing before them in rumpled pajamas.

"LILY!" Remus felt the boulder in his throat lessen as he crossed the room to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I need you to do something for me."

"Can't it wait? I'm awfully tired…"

"No, no, it has to be now, please." Remus glanced at his watch: 11:57. Still some time left. "What I'm going to ask... it's pretty strange, but please, I'll explain after." He pointed to James, who was rocking back and forth and singing a drunken song. "Say his first name."

"What?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of – of course I do, but why do I have to –"

"I'll explain later! Just – please."

Lily searched his face, trying to detect if he was pulling one over her. But all she got was sincerity, and a bit of desperation. She sighed; Remus so owed her.

"James." She said, then ran up to her room. Next time, she was totally going home, no matter how infuriating Petunia was.

Upon hearing his name from the mouth of his so-called 'enemy' James Henry Potter, 14 years of age, collapsed.

Sirius fell off the couch, laughing helplessly, "HE'S DEAD! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Remus checked his watch:

12:01.

They were too late.

Remus hung his head and cried. Finally he made some friends that didn't judge him about what he was, and now one of them was dead because he didn't look over a piece of parchment properly. Why kind of smart guy was he? What happened to Ultra-Triple-Checking? What happened–

James groaned as he sat up, holding his head tightly, "Oww, my head…"

"JAMES!" All of them piled on the boy.

"Gerroff me!"

Sirius proclaimed, "I thought I was going to be laughing FOREVER."

Remus wiped his face, "We thought you died!"

"I'm a Marauder! We don't just die. If we go, we'll go like heroes!" James said, and pulled on his jumper and cloak a moment later. "How 'bout we pay Rookwood a little visit? It's Christmas – we'll be like that fat guy in the red suit, but instead of going to the good children we're going to the evil ones."

Peter asked, "On the fire-breathing horses?"

"What else?"

And so, the four best friends were reunited again, and together they made that Christmas the best one they ever had - for that year, anyway.

A/N: SOOO, who else is excited for winter break? MEEEEEE! NO SCHOOL - WOO!

What do you think the other boys put on their wish list?

Shoutouts to: Chuggamuffin, Hpdwlotr24, shadowkat678, Remus' daughter, skHermione, and MissDemigodWizard for reviewing!