Bounding off her bed in a moment of activity, she walked over to gaze out of her bedroom window. There was no snow to be seen, only frost, and a small robin was pecking its way through the few measly crumbs scattered on the patio table. Kirsty suddenly wished that she was looking out over Hogwarts’ snow ridden grounds - Christmas just didn’t feel right when she wasn’t at Hogwarts. With a painful dart to the chest, Kirsty came to realise fully the fact that this year would be the last time she would ever experience Hogwarts in all its Christmas splendour. She vowed then to enjoy every millisecond of her last Christmas within the castle’s comforting walls.
She moved away from the window, and her eyes scanned her room, briefly falling on the pile of magically wrapped presents, and she mentally checked that they were all accounted for. Her house was deathly quiet that morning, Willow’s purring as she pawed at Kirsty’s dressing gown, which was draped over the end of the bed, providing the only source of noise. It was the quietest that the quaint country house had been since Kirsty’s return, and she wasn’t accustomed to it. After all, being a Hogwarts student, it was very hard to gain any lengthy periods of peace. All week, Kirsty had been entertaining family members, and just last night she and her parents had thrown a huge family dinner, complete with all the Christmas trimmings. In fact, the dinner had been so grand that Kirsty was extremely surprised that she could move at all that morning. She also wondered how on earth she was going to manage to do it all again on Sunday, Christmas Day. At that moment in time, she had the house to herself because her parents had gone out shopping for something for their little night in together, just the three of them. Kirsty had her sneaking suspicions though that they were also doing some last minute present shopping, no matter how much they had tried to deny it.
She flopped back down on her bed once again, thinking desperately of something with which she could occupy herself. She could read a book, but her current book supply had already been exhausted. She’d have to raid Hayley’s bookcase when they got back.
Kirsty lay down on her bed, continuously blowing her hair away from her face. The problem with having nothing to do was that her thoughts traitorously turned to Sirius and how things had been between them upon her departure. She wasn’t so deluded as to believe that anything could ever happen between her and Sirius (for one thing she wasn’t that lucky), but she was worried that he might be angry with her, and she couldn’t bear the thought of that.
As Kirsty’s eyes continued to scout the room, they fell upon the pile of letter-writing equipment on her desk. Excited that she had finally thought of something with which to kill some time, Kirsty leapt over to the assortment of parchment, envelopes, ink and quills intent on sending a letter to Hayley. After all, Hayley was good at knowing what to do with relationships. It must be all those romance novels she reads, thought Kirsty. Plus, she was pretty much in the same boat, being in denial about her feelings for Remus. Although, Kirsty had to acknowledge that Hayley hadn’t rejected Remus thereby dinting his abnormally large ego and making it so that Remus was secretly fuming at her. Unfortunately, Kirsty had to admit that Hayley would probably be more fortunate in the ensnaring of a Marauder than she would be herself. Oh well, Kirsty still wanted to get some friendly advice if it was on offer.
She grabbed what she needed from her desk and settled down to write. She wrote some polite enquiries about Hayley’s week and gave some general information about her own. She finished by tentatively stating that she was beginning to miss the boys’ company. Kirsty placed down her quill and appraisingly ran her eyes over the finished article. Happy with what she had produced, Kirsty trotted off down the stairs, letter in hand, to find Claude, the family’s owl.
After many attempts, she managed to entice him off his perch in the hall with one of his owl treats, and he reluctantly held his leg out to her. Kirsty often got the impression that Claude didn’t like her much; although maybe it was just because he was getting on a bit now. Kirsty finished attaching the parchment to his leg, and once she had carried him over to the door, he took off, hooting dolefully.
Kirsty was scared out of her wits when the reply finally came. She had been Apparating to each room in the house out of sheer boredom, plus she never really got to stretch her Apparation abilities whilst holed up inside Hogwarts. Kirsty had just been testing how fast she could Apparate into the living room from the kitchen when she was met by Claude’s disapproving gaze from his perch on the back of the sofa. Once her heart rate had subsided, she took the letter from him and read:
Hails
Xxx
Torn over whether she should be laughing or fuming at this, Kirsty grabbed a quill, inkpot and discarded piece of parchment from her father’s writing desk, and wrote the shortest letter she had ever written.
Claude took off with more speed the second time around as if scared that Kirsty’s insanity was contagious. With Claude gone, Kirsty set about making herself a midday snack. After all, she had hours to wait until dinner with her parents, and she needed something to keep her going.
When Claude swooped into the kitchen amidst a torrent of feathers, Kirsty had just polished off the last of her turkey, cranberry and stuffing sandwich. Eagerly, she ripped open the letter.
Kirsty was going to kill Emma. No, first she was going to mess her hair up, then dye it blonde, smash all of her mirrors into tiny little pieces and then kill her. This time, Kirsty wasn’t going to bother sending a reply, for she had now decided to take matters into her own hands (simultaneously quelling her boredom of course).
Feeling unusually generous, she let Claude have a drink out of her glass of orange juice as she set about leaving a note for her parents, explaining her absence. Then, when she was ready, she concentrated with all her might on her required destination. She was fed up with the delay that owl post brought, and she very much wanted to conduct a conversation in person. It was time to stretch her Apparation skills, so she determinedly pictured Hayley’s bedroom, and with a small pop, her feet left the tiled floor of her farmhouse kitchen.
Upon touching down on the carpeted floor of Hayley’s huge bedroom, Kirsty stumbled slightly, feeling oddly light-headed. She guessed that Apparating over long distances took some getting used to.
“Jesus Christ!” screeched Hayley, falling off her bed in shock.
“Hey, Hails,” replied Kirsty cheerily.
As Hayley tried to compose herself, Kirsty took to surveying her room. Kirsty had always found Hayley’s house to be interesting for it was a mismatch of both wizard and Muggle paraphernalia due to Hayley’s half-blood status. Kirsty glanced over at Hayley’s television with the pile of books stacked beside it. Kirsty remembered the first time she came across the contraption at Lily’s house; she had been convinced beyond all doubt that it was some kind of alien being. Ah those were the days, she mused.
“You could have at least told me you were coming!” complained Hayley, standing up and brushing herself down.
Kirsty waved her comment away dismissively. “Yeah, but that would have taken more time. You know, I can’t believe Emma told you!” she blurted out, deciding to get straight to the point. “She promised she wouldn’t say anything.”
“No she didn’t,” Hayley contradicted her. “She only promised that she wouldn’t tell Sirius; she told me so.”
Kirsty felt as if she had had the wind taken out of her sails. “Oh.”
“And before you start fretting, she’s already said that she won’t tell the boys anything. Anyway, technically she didn’t tell us anything we didn’t know already, I mean, we knew you fancied him.”
“We?” asked Kirsty tentatively.
“Yeah, Lily knows all about your big epiphany too.” Kirsty rolled her eyes, not feeling quite as annoyed as she knew she should be. “So have you decided what you’re going to do about him yet?” asked Hayley conversationally.
“No,” moped Kirsty, sitting down on the end of Hayley’s bed.
Hayley came to join her. “You know, it is entirely possible that Sirius could like you too.”
Kirsty gave her an incredulous look. “Oh please. What would the likes of Sirius Black see in someone like me?” Hayley shot her a withering look. “And I’m not fishing for compliments,” added Kirsty hastily as Hayley opened her mouth to argue. “I’m nothing like the girls he usually dates; they’re all ten times prettier than I am.”
“But have you noticed that he casts those girls off after about five minutes. If you ask me, you should try your luck.”
“No, no way! I just want this whole thing dead and buried. All it’s going to do is jeopardise the wonderful relationship we already have. In some ways that’s already started. No, I’ll swallow my feelings; it’s the best way. That way nobody gets hurt.” Kirsty was adamant since she had already given this some serious thought.
“You’re sure?” And there’s absolutely nothing I can do to dissuade you?” asked Hayley, wanting her to have made the right decision.
“I’m afraid not,” Kirsty informed her glumly.
Hayley reached over and enveloped her in a tight hug. “Sirius doesn’t know what he’s missing.”
Kirsty chuckled softly. “Now, how about you?” she asked, beginning to brighten up a little.
“What do you mean?” asked Hayley, her cheeks reddening slightly.
“You know full well what. How are things going with you and a certain Mr Lupin?”
Hayley looked uncomfortable. Kirsty could tell that she was torn between her wish for her feelings to remain secret and her desire to tell Kirsty just how well things had been going lately. Eventually, she could contain it no longer though.
“They’re going amazing well! Oh, Kirst, isn’t he just lovely? He’s everything a perfect gentleman ought to be, and yet he has a playful side to him as well as a touch of mystery about him. He’s just so considerate in the way he offers to walk me back to my common room all the time, and we have such a good time on those occasions as well.”
“I bet you do,” commented Kirsty suggestively. Hayley slapped her playfully on the arm. “I honestly think you should go for it with Remus you know. It’s blindingly obvious that he likes you too.”
“It is?” Hayley asked, glowing slightly.
“Oh yes,” Kirsty assured her.
“But isn’t the guy supposed to make the first move?”
“Stuff that! If you want him, you go get him!”
“This coming from the girl who just refused point blank to go chasing after Sirius Black,”
“Yeah, slightly hypocritical of me, don’t you think?” asked Kirsty charmingly.
“Just a tad,” agreed Hayley with a laugh.
“Seriously, Hayley, make a move. If he responds then great, and if not, then Remus is a good enough friend not to let it come between you.”
“Thanks, Kirst,” said Hayley with sincerity.
“No problem,” she replied, making to stand up.
“And you’re still adamant that this thing with Sirius isn’t going to go anywhere?”
“Entirely. Now I must be off. Last night at home with the folks and all that.”
“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning - bright and early!” chirped Hayley.
“Yay,” replied Kirsty sarcastically, raising her wand to Disapparate.
“And, Kirst, try not to fall over this time,” advised Hayley cheekily. Kirsty gave her a look of displeasure as Hayley and her surroundings disappeared when the small pop punctuated the air.
Kirsty arrived home in a fraction of a second, and upon landing, crashed painfully into the kitchen counter.
“What time is it?” pestered James, tapping his fingers impatiently on the small, circular table.
“Five minutes from the last time you asked me!” replied Sirius huffily, his annoyance with James increasing with every passing minute.
“Where the bloody hell are they?” exclaimed James, falling back against the back of his chair.
All four Marauders along with Sam were currently sat at the small table at the back of the common room. Butterbeer bottles, discarded chocolate wrappers and an abandoned game of exploding snap littered the surface, providing a constant reminder of their inescapable boredom. The girls were due back any minute now, and Sirius had to admit to feeling a tiny bit anxious himself.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say that we’ve learned first hand that it is indeed the girls who make the party,” commented Remus dryly.
“Merlin, I just can’t wait to see Lily again,” announced James, practically jumping up and down in his seat.
“Can’t wait to stick your tongue down her throat more like,” sniped Sirius.
James raised an amused eyebrow. “Jealous?” he enquired.
“No offence, Prongs, but Lily’s not exactly my type.”
“And don’t we know it,” teased Peter.
Sam, who seemed to have been watching this exchange with mild interest, piped up, “I know what you mean, James. I can’t believe how much I’ve missed Emma, and it’s only been a week!”
“We are two lucky blokes, do you know that?” James informed Sam as he chinked their Butterbeer bottles together.
Sam must have spotted the grumpy looks on Sirius, Remus and Peter’s faces since his next words were, “All that’s left to do now is to set you three up.” At this, Sirius took on a doleful disposition, whilst Remus looked disbelieving and Peter dared to look hopeful.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” enthused James. “What do you say, Padfoot? Do you care to fall prey to our matchmaking skills?”
“No, thanks, I don’t think much of your idea of matchmaking,” snapped Sirius irritably.
Sam seemed taken back. “What’s this? Sirius Black’s refusing to let himself be thrown in the path of eligible young women? What is the world coming to?” Sirius threw him a dirty look; he couldn’t even pine over his lost love in peace.
Seeing as Sirius hadn’t deigned to answer, Peter jumped in with the reply, “He’s lovesick!”
“Oh, really?” asked Sam, seeming genuinely interested, to Sirius’ annoyance. “So who is this girl? She must be something phenomenal if she’s got you feeling like this. So, is it anyone I know?”
“No!” declared Sirius a little too quickly, but unfortunately for him, James had shouted “Yes!” at the exact same time. That was the final straw, Sirius decided that the following morning he was going to take James’ broom and beat him repeatedly around the head with it, Christmas or no Christmas.
“Come on then,” continued Sam with a wry smile. “Tell us about her.”
“No thanks,” retorted Sirius defensively.
“Aw, please?” pleaded Sam. “It can be my Christmas present. After all, I rarely get to see you so hung up over a girl. In fact, I’ve never seen you get obsessed over any girl.”
“The answer’s still no I’m afraid,” Sirius informed him, though he couldn’t help but smile at Sam’s perseverance.
Sam leaned forwards conspiratorially, and placing his Butterbeer bottle down carefully on the table, he asked, “She’s not a Slytherin is she?”
Sirius let out a bark of laughter. “No, definitely not a Slytherin.”
“Yeah, we don’t all stoop down to your level, North!” announced Peter in jest.
Sam leaned back in his chair, grinning with amusement. “Oh oh oh, the Butterbeer bottles come out and the gloves come off. Cheap shot, may I add.”
“A good one though,” contradicted Remus with a chuckle.
“I’m intrigued, Sirius, if you like this girl so much, why haven’t you done anything about it?”
“Oh, he has done,” interrupted Peter, once again sounding annoyingly cheerful in light of Sirius’ downfall. Sam furrowed his brow in puzzlement.
“He got rejected,” supplied James. Sirius looked at his so-called best friend in pure fury. Where was that broom?
“She definitely is something special then,” observed Sam. “I thought all the girls at Hogwarts were irresistible to your charms, some of the boys too.”
“There you are!” chipped in James. “There’s another line of enquiry if all else fails!” Sirius swiped him over the back of the head.
Sam, possibly hoping to avoid getting a smack himself, turned the inquisition to Remus instead. “How about you, Remus? Any girls on the horizon?”
“Oh, just the one,” replied Remus happily.
Sam looked mildly shocked, and extremely impressed by this news. “Tell me more.”
Remus shared a cautionary glance with the other four, before giving a dismissive shrug of the shoulders and confessing, “It’s Hayley. I like Hayley.”
“Oh, do you now? I have to admit that I did have the teeniest of inklings about you two. So, are you going to go for it?”
“We’ll see, we’ll see,” stated Remus evasively.
Sam turned to Peter, but before he even had chance to pose the question, Peter jumped in, “There’s no point even asking, believe me!”
James leaned across the table and gripped Peter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, mate, we’ll find you someone, and an amazing someone at that.” Peter blushed profusely, and offered James a shy, but grateful, grin.
Remus held his hand up to interrupt the touching moment. “Did you just hear something?”
All five heads swivelled to the entrance of the common room where, sure enough, the excited trill of four female voices could be heard outside. Sirius got hastily to his feet, his heart beating faster in anticipation. The other four boys also stood, and James and Sam were even daring enough to take a few steps nearer to the portrait hole.
In an explosion of movement and noise, the girls fell into the common room, grinning inanely, the Christmas spirit was clearly already upon them all. Sirius had no control over the huge grin that spread across his face at the sight of Kirsty, nor could he account for the excited squirming of his stomach. They caught each other’s eyes, and though an expression of shock and incredulity graced Kirsty’s features at first, she soon beamed back at him, her festive red top shimmering in the fire’s glow.
As predicted, James’ tongue swan-dived down Lily’s throat the second they embraced each other, and two feet away, Emma and Sam were partaking in a similar struggle. Meanwhile, Kirsty approached Sirius. Her steps were tentative at first, but her stride soon grew confident as Sirius’ smile continued to bear down upon her. He embraced her in a rib-crushing embrace, and in his enthusiasm he lifted her so that her toes skimmed the carpeted floor. She squealed with laughter, and Sirius allowed his heart this one small moment of rejoicing. He put her down, and gazed down at her face. “Have a good time?”
“The best, thanks. How about you? Was it boring without us?”
“Excruciatingly so,” Sirius informed her with a small grimace. Kirsty laughed, and Sirius became aware of Sam’s gaze upon them. He ended their embrace and made a beeline for Hayley, ignoring Sam’s looks of intrigue.
After everyone had become reacquainted, the girls started talking about getting their Christmas presents upstairs before the boys sneaked a peek. As Sirius stood watching Kirsty charge up the girls’ stairs with her bag of presents, the merriment having returned to her character, he realised that he had received a pretty awesome Christmas present already that evening. And best of all, it had come ready-wrapped in a rather fetching red and silver t-shirt.