(A/N): Hey Guys! So, I've been writing a whole bunch of chapters, now I just have to type them up and post them. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next few.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

Leo

At about midday, Remus was released from the hospital wing, and with the corridors nearly deserted, we traveled peacefully back to the Gryffindor common room. "We could go to the astronomy tower," Sirius suggested, but Lily shook her head.

"Too cold."

He shrugged, though I saw him pull the sleeves of his sweater over his hands. "And too many stairs," Remus said, shuddering- then flinching before trying to hide the fact that he'd done so. Elaine didn't miss this either, but since she was too far away from Moony to comfort him, she moved her arm so it was pressed against mine in a calming gesture.

"How about a bonding exercise?" Sirius suggested, and we glanced at each other before shrugging.

"Okay, then..." Elaine said, clearly thinking of how to make the best of that. "What's everyone's favorite Christmas so far? James?"

He considered this for a minute. "My seventh Christmas," He answered finally. "My dad bought me a broom, taught me how to ride it and everything." He wore a smile that showed the innocent bliss of a child, and his gaze was distant, as though he was watching the memory play out in his head.

"Lily?" Elaine prompted, and the redhead shrugged.

"Probably the Christmas before first year. It was the last Christmas I spent on good terms with Petunia." She paused for a second, her lips twitching into a smile. "We went to the zoo. Sirius?"

He barely had to think. "My eighth Christmas. I spent it with my uncle Alphard, he's the only sane person in my whole family." He smiled, somewhat sadly, and clapped Remus on the knee. "Your turn, wolf-boy." Remus frowned.

"My fourth Christmas. It was the last Christmas before I became a werewolf." He lowered his eyes, as if he knew what he said next would undoubtedly also lower the mood. "The last time I was completely carefree." We were all silent for a moment, digesting that.

"Wow, that's depressing." The others spun around to face the intruder, but I didn't bother.

"Brooke. What's the best Christmas you've had?"

She didn't even look remotely confused, probably because- as I knew- she'd been there a while. "The year I turned seven, the year before my mum died." She climbed over the back of the couch to sit on my other side, pushing me closer to Elaine. "I spent it with you, remember?" I grinned.

"One of the Joannis Family Christmas parties." Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I would have thought purebloods would hate parties."

I directed my smile her way, rolling my eyes playfully. "I don't mean parties like, staying out all night, drinking and dancing parties, Princess." Sirius nodded, his jaw clenched.

"He means balls. Galas, even. The Black Family have them as well." Remus and Lily stared at us, both obviously never having heard of, let alone attended, such a thing.

"Ours aren't annual, but my parents do host formal events occasionally," James added, but Brooke shook her head.

"The Joannis family's events are almost famous for their prestige. Almost everyone there is either a pureblood supremacist or sworn against anyone with even a hint of something else in their veins." She shuddered. "They're usually hell, these things, but I met Leo there, and we hid from the adults all night." She turned her head to beam at me. "Fun, huh?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Elaine frown. "Elaine." Her attention snapped to me. "Best Christmas story, go." She faltered for a second before swallowing thickly.

"My favorite Christmas was maybe... half a dozen years ago. It was the first Christmas with just my mother, Jay, and I." She paused for a second, shrugging. "It was our first proper Christmas." Only Remus and I knew about Elaine's father, though the others did their best to try not to look confused.

"Leo?" Lily prompted, and I didn't even have to think.

"Last Christmas."

They all stared at me for a few seconds. "What? No explanation?" Brooke teased, and I shrugged.

"Well, my mother and the rest of my family never really celebrated Christmas, other than the parties. She said it was childish." I looked up and notice the others watching me with concerned expressions. "And when I moved in with Dad, he was never that big on it either, so... last year is kind of the only one I have to choose from." Elaine draped an arm across my shoulder, burying her head in the crook of my neck before pulling back to smile at me.

"Well, let's make this the new favorite for all of us!"

(A/N): So, what did you think?

Please review and/or check out my other stories.

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 30/12/22 - Brooke originally said the Christmas she spent with Leo was two years before her mother died, and I couldn't decided whether it should be one or two years, since her mother died when she was eight, but I don't know whether that was before or after Christmas, so I just said it was the year she turned seven.

This chapter has had edits made to it on 11/3/24 - formatting, and reconfiguring of sentences so they make more sense.

This chapter has had minor edits made to it on 4/5/24- changed 'everyone' to 'almost everyone' at the Joannis family events being sworn against anyone with even a hint of something else in their veins, since both Cipicia and her children, and Brooke and her mother, have something else in their veins, and pretty much only attend those parties to be able to blend in. It's sort of like the Bruce Wayne, 'he can't be batman, he's a socialite!', but with, 'they can't be inhuman, they attended all these parties AGAINST those sorts of things!'