The day for the special Hogsmeade trip dawned bright and prettyâ”if not chillyâ”and seemed to mock the snow on the ground. The previous two weeks had been no different from any other weeksâ”other than that they were not as eventful. Classes, meals, and homework were the main focuses, which meant that everyone was grateful for the Hogsmeade day. They would have no more classes for the rest of the year, and they would have a ball as well. Everyone was happy.
The school was going into the village in shifts by year. Each group was allowed one hour inside the costume store, and whatever time they didnât spend in the store, they could spend wandering around the village.
The students in the courtyard watched the rather small group of first and second year kids smile and dance around as they came back from Hogsmeade. When Lilyâ”standing with her friends, James and the other Maraudersâ”caught sight of Monica, she beckoned her over to the side. Josey and Alice saw, and quickly surrounded the first year.
âSo, what did you get?â Lily asked. Making sure no one could see, Monica pulled from her large bag a bright white, full-sleeved shirt, a skirt of vibrant magenta, a sash of robinâs egg blue, a fringed shawl of colors so bright and varied Lily found herself blinking rapidly, and a pair of yellow slippers.
âOh, Monica! What amazing colors!â gushed Josey, feeling the fabrics.
âYeah, I did see something else that I loved, but when we decided toâ”my friends and Iâ”to coordinate, I fell in love with this! I am so glad that first years are able to go!â Her statement was echoed in her facial expression.
âIâm glad we decided that, too,â admitted Lily, smiling. âWhat are you guys all dressing up as?â
Monica smiled devilishly. âYouâll see.â
Lily tossed her a look. âWell, are you still going to go with your girlfriends?â
Monica nodded. âYeah. Boys are so silly at this age. When they heard that we all were dressing up like each other, they decided to jump in and do the same thing! Boys are so silly at this age âŠâ
The three older girls laughed at the repeatedâ”and very wiseâ”statement, looking over their shoulders at the seventh year boys.
âThey donât get much better as they get older,â teased Lily.
âAnd, donât you think thatâs a bit flattering? To have them take your idea?â asked Alice, her head cocked to one side.
âOr cheating,â was all Monica said in response. The girls laughed again.
âI wouldâve thought youâd like to go with Sam,â teased Josey, pulling a lock of Monicaâs hair.
Monica pulled a face. âHeâs a good friend, but I donât feel that way about him.â The wind had reddened her cheeks, so it was difficult to see the faint blush that touched her cheeks, but not impossible.
The older girls shared a look and just nodded at Monica, knowing that their teasing was very easy to spot. Monica scoffed, rolled her eyes and threw them her favorite âI canât believe you guysâ look.
A girl called out to Monica, who smiled broadly at the other girls before skipping off to join her friends.
The seventh years shared another laugh, and then linked arms to walk back to the guys.
As they reached them, James called out to Samuel, who was walking with a few of his friends.
The tall eleven year old made his way over to the group.
âDid you find anything?â asked James.
âNo, James, I just have a bag in my hand to carry air around,â said Sam sarcastically.
James threw his hands up in surrender as the others laughed.
âAll right, easy there. Going with anyone special?â he asked.
Sam threw him such an honest âI really donât careâ look that they all laughed again.
âWhat? Canât find anyone that likes you? Even a little bit?â
âIt took you long enough to find a girl to take your arrogance,â retorted Sam, without batting an eye.
Everyone but James barked in laughter, thoroughly amused with this kid. Jamesâs face was almost without expression; an ever-so-faint smirk was slyly sitting on his lips.
âAll right, punk,â said James. âForget what I said about the Quidditch thing.â
Again, Sam hardly reacted to the almost threat. âIâll try out and get on the team without your help then. Your word isnât that important.â Sirius and Remus snorted in response to that.
James continued to look at Sam, who didnât break eye contact. Then, James reached out and ruffled Samâs hair before gently shoving him away from the group, saying, in a voice filled with affection: âGo on, get out of here. We donât need your smartness.â
Sam stumbled from the shove, but threw a broad smile over his shoulder as he walked away.
âMerlin, that kidâŠâ James trailed off, but everyone understood him.
âHe and Monica would look cute together,â said Josey.
âNow, donât play matchmaker,â urged Remus. âTheyâll figure it out on their own.â
Suddenly, a cold mass hit the back of Jamesâs head. He spun around, holding the back of his head, and somehow knew that it was Sam who had thrown the snowball. Sure enough, Sam was standing on the step, his one bag lying beside a hole in the snow. A daring smirk was on the young face.
James couldnât resist. He picked up a handful of snow, which he then whipped across the courtyard.
Sam nimbly ducked out of the way of the snowball that was perfectly aimed for his torso.
âWhat did you say you were going to try out for?â asked James, picking up another snowball.
Sam reached for his own ball of snow, and shouted: âI was thinking Keeper.â
James scoffed. âJust make sure you stop the Quaffle; you canât let it fly by you like that.â
Sam smiled. âThen Iâll just take your spot.â
James patted the snowball, and made a âtskingâ sound. âYou canât let Quaffles go by you as a Chaser, either.â He threw the snowball.
Sam caught it neatly against his chest, smirking.
James laughed, and threw another snowball.
And so, a snowball fight was started. It grew until nearly everyone inclined to snowball fights was involved. The teachers tactfully stayed out of the action by standing on the steps, though a few students would swear they had seen Flitwick enchant more than a few chunks of snow to zoom into the fight.
Thanks to an advanced and expanded Warming Charm cast by Lily, Alice and Remus, the fight lasted nearly two hours. Large snow-forts were erected half by hand, half by magic. Teams formed, further broken into two halves; one for packing snowballs, and another for shooting them. Grunts, screams, and laughter permeated the quad completely. As different groups left to go to Hogsmeade, the fighting force thinned out. Eventually, a truce was called when it became time for the seventh years to leave.
McGonagall appeared on the steps of the school. She looked at the two forts, then looked to the Marauders. They all shrugged guiltily. When a smile tugged at the tips of McGonagallâs mouth, the four sevenths years knew they werenât going to get points taken.
They didnât know that McGonagall would send four snowballs to collide with their faces.
Inside Edgarâs Enchanted Emporium of Fashion, the seventh year were milling about happily, going through racks of clothing and giggling. Even the boys would admit (quietly, of course) that they were enjoying the shop.
It was a rather plain looking building from the outside, looking as if it was made in the Tudor style. The interior (decorated with wooden floors, off-white walls and a few tapestries) was quite spacious, with a second level rising above the first near the back of the shop. At the back of the upper level were individual stalls for changing. Racks of apparel and small accessories were everywhere, with each era or time period separated from another. An entire wall was covered in shoes; a moving ladder allowed one to reach the top shelves.
âLily!â called James helplessly. Lily turned away from the racks of gowns, and returned to her boyfriend.
âWhat is it?â
âI donât know what to wear.â He was simply staring at the array of male attire.
Lily smiled faintly at his bewilderment. Glancing around, she notices shirts of various colors, all of which had full sleeves and laced up to the collar. âI kind of like this style. Reminds me of a pirate.â
James gave the shirt an assessing look, and then nodded. âI think I could play a pirate rather well.â And with that, he began to turn through the hanging shirts. âAre we supposed to match? What color are you going to wear?â
âI was thinking green...â
âMm... yeah, that will look good with your eyes.â James turned away from the shirts to look into Lilyâs eyes. He leaned forward to gently kiss her forehead. They smiled at each other for a moment before Lily went back to the dresses. James watched her go, figuring he was the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
âHey, Lily! What do you think of this?â asked Josey, coming toward her from the high portion of the shop. She was carrying a deep-salmon colored gown.
âThatâs beautiful,â gushed Lily. âYou know, I think I saw something that you could wear with that.â Lily spun around, and walked over to a stand of accessories. She pulled a hair comb off the shelf. Josey grabbed it with wide eyes, which were averted as soon as they saw another comb. Lily rolled her eyes and left Josey to âoohâ and âaahâ over the multitude of combs.
âLily?â called Alice, from behind the redhead. âDo you like this?â Alice asked, holding up an ivory colored gown, with a blue belt. Lily nodded and told Alice to try it on.
As Alice walked off again, Lily went back to looking for her own gown. Soon, she found a gown in dark green velvet, edged in bands of dark brown. The v-shaped collar ended at an empire waist.
Her eyes widened in adoration as she held it before her. She noticed the two tags attached to the arm; one stated that it would automatically fit, and the second was the rather steep price tag. The next moment however, she fell even more in love with enchanted stores; the price dropped quite a few galleons. She figured the owner could afford a price drop after all the business he was doing this day. She clutched the gown to her chest as she walked to the dressing rooms.
It was then that Alice came out. Her gown also sported a high waist (enhanced by the silk waistband), as well as delicate embroidery. Short, puffed sleeves completed the gown. Lily smiled, and said, âIt looks absolutely adorable!â
Alice smiled at Lily through the mirror and continued to look at the fall of the gown.
Lily stepped into her own stall, changed from her Muggle clothes, and sighed at the promised perfect fit.
Alice only had praises for the gown when she stepped from the stall. âThat looks fantastic, Lily! Iâm so happy I was able to find something on the first try. I usually donât like shopping. So, this is quite wonderful, even if it is just because the storeâs enchanted.â
Lily nodded agreement, and the two girls smiled at each otherâs reflections.
âLadies, you look amazing!â said a suave voice from their left. Alice and Lily turned quickly to face Sirius, who was leaning against the wall. He had a smile on his face, and Lily was happy to see one. She bobbed a curtsy and thanked him. Alice followed her lead, and they were both surprised when Sirius bowed dramatically, pretending to whisk off a hat.
Josey emerged from the stall next to him, and he bowed again, wolf-whistling playfully. Josey curtsied and walked over to the mirror. The gownâs square neckline was edged in white lace, and was cut lower than Lily wouldâve been comfortable wearing. The bodice had lacing up the front. The red-orange color of the gown perfectly contrasted her blue eyes and added an allure to Josey. The hair comb that she settled on fastened her impromptu bun. âWhat are you going to wear, Sirius?â asked Alice, once she and Lily had commented on Joseyâs look.
He shrugged.
âWell, ladies, I think we should go and help Sirius pick out something,â said Alice.
All three girls smiled in such a way that Sirius muttered, âOh dear.â
Remus was standing in front of shelves of well-cut eighteenth century jackets when James came up beside him. âAny luck?â he asked.
James held up his arms. Slung over one of them were a white shirt and a pair of dark green pants. In the other hand, black boots were being held by their folded down tops. A dark green velvet cloak was draped over the same arm. Remus sighed.
âHow about you?â inquired James.
âWell, looking at this little pamphlet-â he held up the folded parchment- âIâve found I rather like this eighteenth century look.â He showed James the picture of a man wearing breeches, stockings and buckled shoes, completed by a cravat and a long-tailed fitted jacket. âI just donât know what color jacket I like.â
âWell, if you want my opinionâŠâ started James, shifting his clothes to one arm.
Remus raised an eyebrow.
âI would go for thisâŠ.â James held up a coat of sea-green taffeta.
Remus looked from the coat to James and back to the coat. âI donât think that color works.â
James just smirked. âReally? Well, I think itâs a perfect color for you, but⊠letâs ask the girlsâ opinion.â James looked toward the dressing rooms, and then let out a sound of approval. âHere they come.â He waited until they reached them, then asked about a color for Remus.
All three girls glanced a Remus, then began scanning the shelves. At the same moment, they all reached for a midnight-blue jacket with pewter-grey buttons. They chuckled at their unanimous decision. Lily pulled it off the shelf and handed it to Remus.
Remus looked down at the coat, and back up at the girls. âWell, if you all like it, I supposed I canât argue.â
âAnd Iso liked the green,â sighed James, replaced the coat (unfolded) on the shelf. Lily exhaled sharply and refolded the coat.
âAre you matching with someone, Remus?â asked Josey.
âWhat do you mean?â he responded.
âI mean, who are you going with?â
âKayla Avilla, the other Gryffindor prefect. We didnât have anyone to go with, so we just thought weâd go together.â
James nodded. âShe is a nice girl.â
Lily rolled her eyes. Then, her eyebrows came together. âJosey, now that I think about it, who are you going with?â
âAntoine Wood,â Josey said, almost as if she was waiting for them to say something. âHe asked me to go a few days after the announcement was made. He was just so handsome, I couldnât say no. Heâs also a great guy,â she told everyone, in response to their exasperated sighs and eye-rolling, lest they think she was all about the looks.
Suddenly, Lily gasped, âShoes!â
The other girls gasped in unison. All three took off for the wall that was covered in shoes.
Sirius watched them go with his hands akimbo.
âOi! What about me?â he called after the girls. Lily called back over her shoulder: âWeâll be right back!â
âWhat was that all about?â asked Frank, coming up behind Remus.
âWell, apparently the girls still need shoes,â answered Remus.
âWell I caught that much, thanks,â retorted Frank. He shifted the load in his arms, and revealed a cobalt blue jacket, black pants and calf-high boots of black. An ivory shirt sleeve poked out from under the load as well. âI was talking about Sirius.â
âI need clothes and the girls were going to help me pick something out,â supplied Sirius, speaking a bit louder than necessary, hoping that his voice would carry over to the girls.
âWell, Iâm going to go and pay for this stuff. Coming, Moony? Frank?â asked James, pointing towards the front of the store. Remus nodded, as did Frank.
âOh, gee, thanks, mates!â said Sirius sarcastically. James, Frank and Remus waved their hands over their heads. Sirius growled at them. Figuring he might as well do something, he began to look at the stacks of pants in front of him.
Fifteen minutes later, Sirius had a pair of dark brown pants and near-black boots in his hand. The girls came back to him as he was looking for a shirt.
âAh, found shoes?â he asked, looking at their smiling faces. Again in unison, they held up boxes with dainty pairs of slippers that would match their gowns. Sirius nodded in approval, then showed them his items, which were scrutinized.
âI like the style. Iâm not so sold on the color,â Josey admitted.
The other girls nodded somewhat regretfully, disliking that they were negating his past fifteen minutes. He shrugged good-naturedly.
âHow about this?â Alice held up a grayish blue shirt with full sleevesâ”though not quite as full as Jamesâs. Lily nodded.
âOh, thatâll look good, but this might look better...â said Josey. She whipped a black shirt from a nearby bar and held it up.
Siriusâs eyes seemed to light up. Lily made an âooh-ingâ sound of approval.
âWell, then, how about these dark grey pants, andâŠâ started Alice.
âAnd tall black boots,â finished Lily.
Sirius held out his arms to accept the new clothing. However, his brow furrowed. He looked back at the stacks of pants, and managed to work the grey pants off his arm. He picked up a pair of black ones. He looked back at the girls for their approval. When they realized he desired to live up to his surname, their faces broke into broad smiles.
âWell, Iâm going to go try all this on,â said Sirius, enjoying the attention of these three girls. âPrepare to be amazed.â
They laughed, and watched him walk off, though âstrutâ might be more accurate.
As he did so, Lily noticed a set of masks over to her left. Her eyes widened, and she called out to Sirius to wait. Lily grabbed one of the jet-black masks and ran back to Sirius. He smirked, and then dashed up the few steps. The three young women followed him at a slower pace, admiring the other gowns.
When they reached the back of the shop, Sirius was done and standing in front of the mirror. With a flourish, he turned around, tightening the bandana-mask around his head. He struck a dashing pose and smirked. The girls clapped and nodded their approval.
âNow all we need is a sword...â Aliceâs voice trailed away when a glint of sliver caught her eye. She handed her two boxes to Josey, ran back to the front of the shop and returned with a belted sword in her hands. From over Aliceâs shoulder, Lily saw James notice the swords and his eyes widened. She chuckled and watched as Sirius buckled the sword over his left hip. Sirius smiled so brightly that Lily couldâve thought he was a child in a candy store. She laughed out loud and everyone else joined in.
âYouâd make a dreadfully wonderful pirateâŠâ commented Lily.
Sirius smirked again and brandished his thin rapier. The girls laughed at his playful manner; they were extremely happy to see that he was back to his normal self.
As Sirius returned to the dressing stall, Josey whispered: âIf I didnât have a crush on Antoine, Iâd be head-over-heels for Sirius. He looked too good to be true in that outfit.â
Lily nodded, and Alice sighed deeply in agreement.
Then they heard soft laughter, and each turned a bright shade of red. Sirius came out of the room, his selection in a magically provided box. He went up to each girl and kissed her cheek.
"Those doors should be sound-proof!" said Alice, though she was laughing. Everyone else joined in her laughter, and turned to the front of the store.
After paying for their new clothes, the seven wizards walked out of the shop, all carrying thick bags like old flour sacks embossed with the storeâs emblem. At Frankâs request, they entered Madam Rosmertaâs, which was warm and crowded with Hogwarts seven years. The seven friends found seats at a large circular table in the corner; James and Lily went up to the bar to order their drinks.
âOh, why, âullo James!â called Madam Rosmerta, the pretty bar maid. âAnd Miss Lily. I heard that you two are now an item... Is this true?â
Lily nodded sheepishly as James put his arm possessively around her.
âWhy, dear Merlin! I remembered one day a few years agoâ”seven butterbeers, I presume?â”when you two came in here and you, James, mustâve been annoying dear Lily something fierce, and Lilyâ”why! You threw your drink right in his face!â Rosmerta chuckled as she removed the tops of seven butterbeers.
Both Lily and James blushed with the memory. James even reached up to rub his cheek as if remembering the feeling of the bottle hitting him.
âWell, never mind. Itâs in the past. Now, whereâs that little oneâ”Peter? I know heâs not that short.â
Lily and James looked at each other just realizing that they hadnât seen Peter in a while.
âI donât know. What did happen to Peter?â
âIâm not sure. He did come with us to Hogsmeade, did he?â asked James, surprised and ashamed that he hadnât noticed the absence of a Marauder.
âOi, James!â called Sirius. âLook who just showed up!â Peter was standing next to Siriusâs chair.
âLook who just showed up!â echoed Lily with a smile.
âWell, at least you didnât hurt the poor thing,â Rosmerta said with a wink as she placed another bottle on the tray as she pushed it towards James. He laid down the price and walked away.
âWormtail!â he cried, as he got closer. âWhere in the world have you been?â
âOh, Iâve been here in Hogsmeade.â
âReally? Where?â asked Josey.
âIn the book store. I did come with you guys, but I didnât need robes, so I just went book-browsing.â
âWhat did you get?â asked Lily, always eager about books. Peter pulled a book from inside his coat, which he handed to Lily.
âI needed it for Muggle Studies,â offered Peter, when Lily looked quizzically up from the cover of the book about Muggle life.
âOi,â muttered Sirius. âI donât know why you took that class.â
âWell, I needed it to fill out my schedule. Itâs not a bad class. Itâs actually rather fascinating the way Muggles-â
âOkay, okay, Peter! We donât need a lecture. It is Saturday, after all,â said Sirius, waving a hand to break off Peterâs flow of words.
âWait, what do you mean you donât need robes? You are going, arenât you?â asked Josey. Peter shrugged.
âOf course, you are! Weâre going to walk you back to the shop and youâre going to choose an outfit,â cried Sirius. Peter looked slightly worried, but his face cleared when James clapped a hand to his shoulder.
âItâs all right. We wonât let Sirius do anything dangerous,â reassured James. Everyone else laughed and continued to drink their butterbeers.
Back in Edgarâs, they found Peter an outfit of brown pants, buckled shoes, white shirt and a copper-colored vest. The group was exiting the store for the second time when James and Sirius passed the rows of hats. Lily laughed when they turned to the girls with wide eyes, each holding a hat.
âGreat minds think alike,â said Lily, nodding to her boyfriend and dear friends. Alice leaned in and finished the statement: âAnd fools seldom differ.â
All three girls burst into titters of laughter. James and Sirius raised their eyebrows in confusion at the laughter, as they hadnât heard the quote, but pushed the hats on their heads.
They turned to the girls for approval, and got laughter and grimaces.
Lily shook her head apologetically as she traded the rather comical cowboy hat Sirius had put on for a wide-brimmed one in jet-black. The brim curved up on one end and was finished with a long red feather. Needless to say, the way it covered Siriusâs eye caused the girls to sigh pleasantly.
Lily reached around James and grabbed a hat in a similar style. The deep green felt and brown feather matched his costume, and James was happy again. Well, after Lily treated him to a deep kiss, he was happy.
They said good-bye to the happyâ”and now richâ”shopkeeper and started on their way back to Hogwarts. Sirius brought up the subject of the Christmas break.
âSo, Lily. Since youâre Jamesâs girlfriend, are you going to stay in Hogwarts over the break?â
âWell, Iâm staying not because of James, but because I donât really have anywhere else to go.â responded Lily curtly. âI donât have a home to go home to, and I am sure my sister doesnât want me to stay with her and her fat fiancĂ©e Vernon.â
âOh, Lily, Iâm sorry.â And Sirius certainly sounded like it. Lily swayed slightly so that she bumped into him. She smiled up at him, and leaned into his one-armed embrace. âGood. Youâre staying with us. Wonderful. I donât have anywhere to go; we can have fun together.â Lily and James nodded in agreement with Siriusâs words.
âIâm staying, too. My parentâs are away in the south of France on a well-earned vacation,â stated Remus.
âOh, of course, they are!â said James. âAfter dealing with you and your furry little problem!â
Remusâs shot a glare at James. Lily look puzzled, but then she remember Remusâs lycanthropy and finally understood Jamesâs years-old joke.
âYou know,â started Josey, âIâve never been able to figure out why you own a rabbit!â
Remus sighed. âOh, yeah. Well, I found it when I was younger and it has been blessed with a long life and a bad temperament.â Remus looked over to James as if he was ready to push him into the snow. Lily snickered from between James and Sirius, her arms entwined with theirs.
Josey noticed the picture possibility, and ran ahead to engage a charm that took a still picture of the threesome. She just as quickly moved back to the second row of seventh years. They continued on as if nothing had happened.
âWell, I still would think you would have a dog, or something like that,â admitted Alice, snuggling a bit closer to Frank.
âWell, I do have a dog,â said Remus. âHe even worse behaved than the rabbit.â With this, Remus shot a meaningful to Sirius, who merely smiled and started skipping along the snow-covered road. As Lily and James were âattachedâ to Sirius, they started to skip as well. âHis name is Snuffles,â added Remus in answer to Joseyâs next question. Remus looked ahead at his three friends skipping along the path, and shook his head, laughing softly. If anything, he would look forward to the Christmas break with James and Lily and Sirius.
âPeter, are you staying?â he asked. Peter shook his head. âReally? Why?â
âUm, my parents want to take advantage of some gift they got and go on a vacation, too.â
âAh. What about you; Frank, Alice and Josey?â All three of them shook their heads.
âMy parents want to spend this Christmas together. I guess the whole Voldemort thing has really shaken them up,â admitted Frank. Alice nodded and claimed that the same was for her.
âI really donât want to leave Lily here, but I do want to spend time with my family,â sighed Josey. She bent down and picked up some snow. She giggled and as she packed the snow, she looked ahead to where Sirius, James and Lily were walking. (They had stopped skipping as Sirius wouldnât skip in rhythm.) She threw the snowball at Lily, and then ducked behind Frank.
Frank held up his hands in an âIâm innocentâ sort of look when Lily turned around. She raised an eyebrow, and Frank subtly moved his head to tell her that Whoever Threw the Snowball was standing behind him. Lily nodded, and picked up her own snowball. As she hurled it, Frank jumped out of the way, and it got Josey right on her head. Lily laughed triumphantly, and turned back around to skip some more with Sirius and James.
Josey brushed the snow off of her head and glared at the Traitor Frank. She kicked some snow up at him. Frank just laughed and put his arm around Alice, who put her arm around Remus and started skipping. Josey glared after them before laughing and running to catch up, Peter beside her.
.