"Well, it's another Hogsmeade weekend." Ron sighed and looked out the window, where snow was falling. It was Thursday, right after Charms, and he, Harry and Hermione were hanging out in the common room before their next class.

"We're too young to go, you know that, Ron," Hermione told him. "We can't go until third year."

"Besides, the snow's too thick, anyway," said Harry. "Not to mention Christmas Break is in about a fortnight. Have you picked out all your gifts?"

"Ah, I'll find something," said Ron, who was stressing out about how much homework the teachers were giving them before the holidays. Sirius's Defense Against the Dark Arts, Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts, McGonagall's Transfiguration, Flitwick's Charms, Snape's Potions…it all seemed too much!

"I never got this much homework in primary school," said Harry. "It's exhausting."

"Oh, as long as you keep on top of things, it's not so bad," Hermione told him, beaming. Harry knew she loved doing her schoolwork. "It's much better than ordinary, non-magic homework, too, isn't it? Besides, part of the reason the teachers assign so much homework is because now that we're older, we can handle more."

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of it!" Ron burst out. "Just because we had our birthdays doesn't suddenly mean we have to have all this…this responsibility thrown on us!"

Ron spat out the word "responsibility" like it was poison.

"Hear, hear," said Harry.

"Come on, you two, all you need to do is work hard and you'll get it done," she reassured them. They both groaned. Harry knew now, he did love Hermione. But her work ethic wasn't something he could emulate.

…

"Sirius, have you done your Christmas shopping?" Harry asked. It was the next day, Friday, and Harry hung back to talk to Sirius after Care of Magical Creatures class, which he had taken to doing.

"No, I haven't," Sirius said casually. "But, as usual, I'll do it all in one day, so I'm not worried."

"You do all your Christmas shopping in one day?" Harry said incredulously.

"I'm a man, what do you expect?" said Sirius. "Hogsmeade is kind of like a…what did you call it?"

"Shopping mall?"

"Exactly." Sirius nodded. "Stores of every kind, just right for Loved Ones of every kind."

"I wish I could go to Hogsmeade," Harry said longingly, thinking of the famous wizard village. "But I'm too young."

Sirius grinned mischievously.

"Come with me," he said.

…

Sirius and Harry approached a statue of a one-eyed witch. Sirius was paying close attention to his Marauders' Map, which apparently he carried everywhere. After making sure nobody else was around, Sirius drew his wand. Harry flinched, but Sirius tapped the statue of the witch instead.

"Dissendium," he recited, loudly and clearly.

To Harry's shock, the witch opened to reveal a tunnel through which a thin person could fit. Sirius had been gaining weight since Azkaban, but he was still quite thin, and even though Aunt Marge was horrible, Harry reckoned she was right about him having a "mean, runty" look.

"Where does this tunnel go?" Harry asked in shock.

"It leads into the cellar of Honeydukes," Sirius told him. The two of them crawled through the tunnel for a long time, until finally they reached a trapdoor, which opened into the cellar. Sirius wiped the Map ("mischief managed") then lifted the trapdoor up slowly, peering around.

"It's empty!" he hissed down to Harry. "C'mon, give me a leg up."

Harry pushed Sirius's legs while Sirius placed his hands flat on the floor of the cellar, using his arms to pull himself up. Once he had hoisted himself out, he kneeled on the cellar floor and reached his hand through the trapdoor, looking down into it.

"All right, Prongslet," he said. "Give me your hand."

Harry stuck his hand out. Sirius grabbed it, pulled hard, and soon enough both of them were on the cellar floor.

"Now what do we do?" Harry whispered.

"Just walk up the cellar steps and into the store," Sirius explained. "Honeydukes is always so crowded. Nobody will know."

The two of them crawled up out of the cellar and into the store. Harry quickly shut the trapdoor. It blended perfectly into the floor. If one didn't know it was there, they would never find it.

"Nobody knows the castle and grounds as well as your dad and I did," Sirius said proudly. "They hold many secrets."

Harry was looking up at his godfather in admiration; Sirius really was the only part of Harry's father Harry really had left.

Sirius and Harry exited Hogsmeade and walked out onto the snowy streets. They were both wearing their cloaks, but Sirius took off his cloak and gave it to Harry so Harry could keep extra warm.

"But aren't you going to be cold, Sirius?" Harry asked, worried.

"I don't think so," said Sirius, and with a grin he transformed into Padfoot, who had plenty of shaggy fur to keep him warm. Harry laughed and they walked along, looking at the shops. Harry didn't care about getting a gift for his Muggle relatives, but he did want to get gifts for Ron and Hermione. Of course, he would need to get a gift for Sirius, too, but he couldn't pick that out when he was with Sirius. Then it wouldn't be a surprise.

"I'm looking for gifts for, um…my friends," said Harry, his face feeling a little hot despite the fact that it was a winter day. He put his cold hands up to his cheeks to cool them down. It was to no avail, though, because he knew Sirius took that to mean "Hermione". Sirius turned back to his human form.

"When I'm picking out gifts for people, I usually think about what they like," Sirius said as they walked along. "So tell me, what does Hermione like?"

"I-I don't know," Harry mumbled, hands in his pockets. Sirius bought gifts like jewelry for Barbara, but Harry had never seen Hermione wearing any jewelry other than a watch. She didn't even have her ears pierced.

"As a matter of fact, Harry, girls like it when you pay attention to them, remember things about them," said Sirius. "That includes what they might want for Christmas. So what do you think Hermione would like to get, more than anything?"

"Maybe a book?" Harry said uncertainly. "She likes to read."

The two of them entered a bookshop, where Harry found a huge, heavy book entitled Famous Witches and Wizards Throughout History.

"Good choice," Sirius said approvingly. "That'll keep her busy for a few Christmases."

After that they looked for a gift for Ron; finally, they settled on a pair of socks that screamed if they became too smelly. Harry picked up some Owl Treats for Hedwig, and vowed to come back for Sirius's gift. Sirius must have been of a similar mind, because he didn't pick out a gift for Harry. He got Barbara a beautiful set of seventeenth-century goblin-wrought silver earrings and a necklace to go along; the pendant was a key.

"The key to my heart," Sirius explained.

"Barf," said Harry.

Sirius got candy for Ron and a new quill for Hermione. Then they went back to Hogwarts the same way the left—through the cellar, then down the tunnel, and finally they emerged by the one-eyed witch. Sirius looked around again to make sure nobody was nearby.

"Sirius, you don't use that for regular mischief-making, do you?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"No, not so much anymore," Sirius told him. "But I sometimes glance at it to make sure you're okay, and other times I just want to see what people are doing. After all, the Map never lies."

Harry thought of his father and Sirius, plotting this map together, and then he thought of them sneaking up through the trapdoor into Hogsmeade at night, maybe in their animal forms, Remus enjoying the full moon instead of dreading it like he used to.

"What are you thinking about?" Sirius asked. Harry realized his godfather had been watching him.

"Just about you and my dad," Harry said quietly, "you know, going to Hogsmeade by stealth and everything. I bet I'm not as good at mischief-making as he was."

"You will be," said Sirius, giving him a hug. "And at the same time, you'll have Lily in there too, lecturing you and telling you to stop breaking so many rules."