‘Sirius!’ a quiet voice hissed, poking the body lying snugly in the warm bed. ‘Sirius, wake up!’
‘No,’ Sirius replied insolently. He pulled his covers over his head, hoping for a little more sleep. It was cold out there. Regulus poked the mass of blankets once more, not about to give up.
‘Wake up, Sirius! We’ve got presents!’
These were the magic words, because the nine-year-old poked his head out from under the covers, his eyes suddenly sparkling. His younger brother beamed as Sirius sat up in bed, not caring about the cold anymore. ‘I’d forgotten!’
‘How can you forget Christmas?’ Regulus asked in disbelief, but Sirius didn’t have time for idle chat. He immediately crawled to the end of his bed, gazing at the mountain of neatly wrapped presents waiting for him. Letting out a whoop of joy, he grabbed the topmost one and ripped the paper off it.
‘Wait for me!’ Regulus said, running across the room back to his own bed, and starting on his own pile. The clock in the hall chimed five in the morning as they dove into their piles of presents as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake their parents, who were very light sleepers and just a few rooms down from them.
They didn’t usually share a bedroom, but every Christmas Eve Regulus slept in the spare bed in his older brother’s room, because he didn’t like to be alone on Christmas morning. Sirius groaned and pretended he didn’t want him in there, but he secretly loved his brother waking him up in the earliest hours of the morning, a wide smile etched across his face.
In Sirius’ opinion, Christmas Day was the best day of the year. There was no better feeling than waking up and just knowing that there was a plethora of presents at the end of your bed, all for you. He and Regulus happily tore their way through mounds of wrapping paper, spending a few minutes exclaiming over each gift before moving on.
They continuously counted them, making sure they had the same amount. Neither boy had forgotten Christmas two years ago, when Sirius had gotten an extra present, causing Regulus to throw a fit and demand another gift for himself.
The sky outside slowly started to lighten as dawn came closer. The two boys were still sitting in their beds wearing their pyjamas, surrounded by ripped wrapping paper and piles of toys. Nearly everything was unwrapped – they always left the biggest until last. Sirius reached for his largest parcel, tearing at the paper greedily. His eyes lit up as he realised what it was.
‘Yes!’ he cried loudly, not caring if he awoke his parents. ‘Yes! Look, Reg! A Comet Two-Thirty!’
Regulus dropped the pair of robes he was holding and stared, open-mouthed, as Sirius admired his brand-new broomstick. ‘Wow,’ he breathed, as if he had never seen something so magnificent. Which, in his opinion, he hadn’t.
‘A broomstick,’ Sirius said, still gazing at it in awe. His parents had always told him he was too young to learn to fly, but it seemed they had finally caved in. He stroked the gleaming handle as Regulus looked on enviously.
‘You’re so lucky,’ he said, trying his best not to seem too disappointed. It was only fair. Sirius was older than him, and it would be his turn for a broomstick soon. Sirius glanced up at his younger brother, reading his expression in an instant.
‘You can have a go on it, if you like,’ he offered generously. Regulus’ face lit up, just as Sirius had expected.
‘Really? Wow! Thanks! This’ll be so much fun ... just wait until Bella hears you have a broomstick ...’ He kept talking, but Sirius was no longer listening. He had turned back to the Comet Two-Thirty, still inspecting it with a look of glee on his face.
Several minutes later, Kreacher entered their bedroom, extinguishing the lamps with a click of his fingers, which were now useless with daylight streaming in through the windows. ‘Merry Christmas, Masters Black. Would you like to join Mister and Mistress Black for breakfast?’ he asked, starting to gather up the ripped paper covering Sirius’ bedroom floor.
Sirius and Regulus jumped out of bed – they had forgotten the time. In their house, breakfast was served at half past seven each morning, and they all had to be sitting at the table by then. Being late was not an option.
With one last, longing look at their presents, the two boys hurried down to the kitchen, where their parents were sitting at the table. Orion Black barely looked up from the newspaper as his sons sat down, but their mother, Walburga, gave them a small smile.
‘Merry Christmas, boys,’ she said in a voice that would be considered cold, but for her sons, was as close to warm as she ever got. Regulus smiled back.
‘Merry Christmas, Mama,’ he said in return. Sirius nodded, echoing his brother’s words.
‘And thank you for the presents,’ Regulus added as an afterthought. Their mother poured herself some more tea, and gestured to Kreacher to bring the boys some fresh toast. Mr Black grunted, muttering to himself about something in the Daily Prophet.
Every meal was usually eaten in silence, including breakfast. Mrs Black liked to encourage good manners at the table, and Sirius and Regulus had learnt long ago not to open their mouths at the wrong moment. Sirius occasionally rebelled against his mother and interrupted her when she was with guests, just to see what would happen. He was a glutton for punishment, though – the outcome was usually disastrous.
‘Can I go out on my broomstick today?’ he asked suddenly, looking up at his parents with a gleam in his eye. Mrs Black sighed, placing her teacup in the saucer and folding her hands on the table.
‘No, Sirius. Christmas is a family occasion, and you will have to stay inside with your cousins.’ She checked the clock on the wall opposite. ‘They’ll be here in an hour or so, so you might as well go get dressed. Kreacher has laid out your new robes.’
The boys hurriedly finished their breakfast and left to dress. Sirius was slightly downcast about not being able to ride his new broomstick for a whole day, and he trudged up the staircase forlornly. Regulus bounced along beside him, doing his best to raise his brother’s spirits.
‘Don’t worry,’ he said. ‘We can ride it tomorrow! And we get to see everyone today. I haven’t seen Bella in ages ... Mum said Dromeda is coming, too!’
Sirius perked up a bit at that. Andromeda usually managed to avoid family gatherings. The adults were always talking about her ‘not upholding family values’ and whatnot, which he supposed might be why. They didn’t seem to be too fond of her. She adored Sirius, though, which was more than he could say for her sisters.
‘Yeah, I suppose it won’t be too bad,’ he said, and Regulus looked relieved. ‘We’ll take it out tomorrow morning.’ He smiled to himself, thinking of what Bellatrix would say when she realised he had the latest model broomstick. She was on the Slytherin Quidditch Team at Hogwarts, and prided herself on her flying.
He dressed quickly; pulling on the awful green robes his mother had decided he wear for their Christmas Day celebrations. There was no use in complaining, because it would just get him a bruise on his backside. He had learnt when to keep his mouth shut.
Once he had made himself presentable, he went back down to the drawing room, where the rest of the family were already waiting. His and Regulus’ presents were now stacked up neatly in the corner of the room, and his mother gave him a sharp look as he eyed them, which he took to mean he wasn’t allowed to touch them. With a quiet sigh, Sirius sat down, fiddling with his robes.
The doorbell rang not twenty minutes later, and Walburga rose instantly. ‘That’ll be Cygnus and Druella,’ she said, glancing out the window, where you could see straight down to the front door. ‘Kreacher will let them in.’
Sure enough, the family of five were soon being led through the door by the tiny house elf. Walburga rushed to them, kissing Druella on the cheeks and wishing them all a merry Christmas. The two women immediately started to chat and gossip, exclaiming their delight and disgust over the most mundane things.
Sirius looked past the adults to the three teenage girls who had followed their parents into the room. The eldest was sixteen-year-old Bellatrix, who was surveying the room with a haughty face, like she would much rather be somewhere else. When she saw Sirius watching her, she glared at him fiercely. He scowled back until she looked away.
Andromeda was there also, looking remarkably like her elder sister. The only difference was Andromeda’s soft, cheerful face as she grinned at her two cousins. Her hair was swept back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a butterfly hairclip in it.
Finally, there stood twelve-year-old Narcissa, who was completely different to her sisters. She was rather small and bony, with a pinched face and sharp features. Her blonde hair cascaded down past her shoulders, making her look even tinier. She was the quietest of her sisters, and sometimes Sirius wondered if she even had a mind of her own.
Barely ten minutes later, Orion’s sister Lucretia and her husband Ignatius Prewett entered the room. They always came to the Black family Christmas, rather than spending it with the Prewetts. Sirius’ mother had told him once that the Prewetts were blood-traitors, which was probably why.
The doorbell rang again, and soon after, Sirius’ Uncle Alphard was shown into the drawing room. ‘Hey hey, kids!’ he cried, opening his arms to Sirius and Regulus. Sirius jumped into them, giving his uncle a hug, but Regulus hung back, glancing at his parents nervously. They didn’t really approve of showing outright affection, such as hugging and whatnot. Alphard compromised, and ruffled his youngest nephew’s hair instead. ‘What’s up, little man?’ Regulus squirmed out of his reach, but he was grinning.
‘Hello, Alphard,’ Cygnus said stiffly, breaking off his conversation with Orion to greet his brother-in-law. Orion nodded at him also, and wished him a Merry Christmas. Alphard returned their sentiments and turned back to Sirius and Regulus, who were looking up at him with shining eyes. He was by far their favourite uncle.
‘Do you want your presents?’ he asked, winking at them. They nodded eagerly, but Alphard slapped his palm to his forehead. ‘Oh-ho, wait! Where are the others?’ He looked around, and then his eyes fell on the three teenagers still standing by the door. ‘Girls! Come give your Uncle Alphie a hug.’
Bellatrix gave him a look of disgust. She was far too dignified for such things. Since Narcissa did everything Bella did, only Andromeda complied, bouncing over to her uncle and letting him kiss her cheek. ‘Merlin, girl, you’ve grown!’ he cried, stepping back to take a look at her. ‘How old are you now? Ten?’
‘Fourteen, Uncle Alphie,’ Dromeda admonished, grinning. ‘You know that.’
He grinned. ‘That I did,’ he said. ‘Now, who wants a present?’ He pulled his wand out of his pocket, and gave it a twirl. A pile of presents appeared at his feet, and he chuckled as he saw Regulus’ eyes grow wide. ‘Here you go, son,’ he said, picking up the top one and handing it to the boy.
The rest of Alphard’s presents were soon distributed, and Sirius ripped his open with glee. It was a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit, something he had seen in a shop in Diagon Alley a few weeks ago, but his parents had refused to buy it for him. He gave his uncle another hug. ‘Thanks, Uncle Alphie!’
‘I do hope you’re not giving the children unacceptable gifts,’ Walburga said, suddenly appearing over Sirius’ shoulder. She looked at Alphard, a steely look in her grey eyes. He shrugged, unbothered.
‘They like them,’ he said, and Walburga sighed. She turned to Bellatrix, who was still leaning against the wall, Alphard’s unopened present in her hand.
‘Bella, dear, could you please take the children to the lounge and amuse them there? Leave the adults alone until lunchtime,’ she said with a smile at her favourite niece. Bellatrix smiled back, and then glared at her sisters and cousins, ushering them towards the door.
‘Come on,’ she said exasperatedly. Sirius allowed her to shove him in the back until they were out of sight of their parents, and then he elbowed her. ‘Ow, you little weasel!’
‘Don’t push me,’ he said, scowling. She shoved him once more.
‘I can do whatever I like,’ she hissed. ‘You should learn to respect your elders, Sirius.’
He rolled his eyes, not bothering to argue further. It wasn’t worth it, especially on Christmas Day. He had to try to enjoy himself, at the very least, even though he had to spend it with Bella. After all, he now had a Grow-Your-Own-Warts kit. Sirius grinned to himself as he sat down in the lounge and opened it immediately.
Andromeda wandered over and sat next to him, watching with an amused look on his face as he tried to figure out how to put a wart on the end of his nose. ‘Your mother will kill you,’ she said. He shrugged.
‘It’s worth it,’ he said, but he put it away and looked up at his cousin.
‘Why haven’t you come to visit for ages?’ he asked, frowning. Dromeda shrugged, playing with the ends of her hair.
‘I’ve been at school,’ she said. ‘I don’t like to come home during the holidays, but Mum made me this time. It’s not because of you,’ she added quickly, seeing his hurt look. ‘I love seeing you; I just don’t love seeing the rest of them.’
‘Why?’ he asked curiously. He didn’t get along with his family sometimes, but he wouldn’t want to stay away from them all the time. They were family. Andromeda smiled sadly.
‘You’re too young to understand,’ she said. ‘I just hope you won’t end up like them.’
‘Don’t listen to her,’ Bella interrupted. She had apparently been listening in to their conversation. ‘She’s just jealous, because she doesn’t fit in anymore.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with dating a Hufflepuff, Bella,’ she said tiredly. It sounded like they had this conversation on a regular basis. ‘Ted is wonderful, really.’
‘We’re Blacks, Dromeda,’ Bella sneered. ‘Blacks do not date pathetic little Mudbloods. I’m surprised Mum and Dad haven’t kicked you out yet. You’re a disgrace.’
Andromeda ignored her, and turned back to Sirius, who looked confused. ‘But – but – your boyfriend’s a Mudblood?’ he asked disbelievingly. Ever since he could remember, his mother had constantly told him that Mudbloods were bad. Dirty blood. They were almost as dreadful as Muggles, and he wasn’t to associate with them.
She shrugged, a sad look on her face. ‘No one’s ever told you? His parents are Muggles.’
‘Dad threw a fit,’ Bella said, glaring at her sister. ‘It’s nothing to be proud of. He’s a Mudblood. Disgusting.’ She threw herself down onto a lounge chair, pulling out a hand mirror and checking her makeup.
Sirius looked at Andromeda again, who had a tired look on her face. She smiled at him and rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything more. She was probably trying to avoid another argument with Bellatrix, Sirius gathered.
Lunch was an enjoyable affair – the adults had all had too much wine to care about what the children were doing, so they were able to talk and laugh and share exploding crackers without being told off. Well, Sirius, Regulus and Andromeda did – Bellatrix refused to join in their silly games, and Narcissa didn’t seem too keen either.
‘Eat your vegetables, Reg,’ Andromeda teased, when her cousin ate just his roast and left the vegetables sitting on the plate. He scowled at her, and she grinned back, taking a bite of her carrots. He raised a forkful of beans and aimed it at her. Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, waiting to see where this would lead.
‘Whoa,’ Dromeda said. ‘Put the fork down, Regulus.’ She glanced at her parents nervously; they were roaring with laughter over a joke someone had just told. However, Sirius doubted they would be so happy if Regulus started throwing food.
Thankfully, Regulus shoved his fork into his mouth instead, and gave them a smile filled with vegetables. They all groaned in disgust, looking away as he piled more food onto his fork. Dromeda threw a napkin at him playfully.
Much to Sirius’ delight, the adults continued to drink and be merry well into the afternoon, leaving the children to their own devices. Sirius and Regulus retired to the drawing room to go through their Christmas gifts once more.
‘Look at this!’ Regulus cried, holding up a toy wand. He waved it around, and purple sparks and stars shot out the end. He grinned excitedly, and tried to catch them. Sirius applauded his wondrous magic skills, and pulled out his own toy wand from beneath a pile of toys.
They proceeded to have a pretend duel, shooting multi-coloured sparks at each other. The sparks didn’t do anything, but it didn’t stop the boys from pretending to be wounded and staggering around as if they were about to collapse.
When they tired of that, Sirius and Regulus dug out the many packets of candy they had received. Chocolate Frogs, Drooble’s Best-Blowing Gum, Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Beans, Fizzing Whizzbees – if it existed, their parents had gotten it for them. Ripping open the packets, the boys started eating all they could lay their hands on, despite still being full of lunch.
Andromeda came in and found them an hour later, lying on the ground under the Christmas tree, stuffed full with candy and barely able to move. She chuckled, nudging Sirius with her foot. ‘We’re leaving,’ she said. ‘I’ll see you another time, okay? The next holidays, perhaps.’
Sirius managed to stand up, holding his stomach and grimacing. ‘Bye,’ he said forlornly, giving her a hug. He didn’t see Dromeda nearly enough anymore – she rarely came home during the holidays. He wasn’t going to Hogwarts for another two years, either. He tightened his arms around her waist and burrowed his face into her stomach. ‘Don’t go,’ he said.
She sighed. ‘I have to, Sirius. I’ll visit again as soon as possible, though. Promise.’ His arms loosened, and she ruffled his dark hair. ‘Seeya, kid. Tell Regulus I said goodbye when he wakes up.’ With a grin, she gestured towards the young boy, who had fallen asleep on the floor. He was clutching a Chocolate Frog card in his sticky fingers, and had a gummy smile on his peaceful face.
‘Come on, Andromeda!’ an irritated voice called from downstairs. With a wave, Dromeda dashed out of the room, hurrying towards the sound of the voice. Sirius waited by the door until he heard them all leave via the Floo Network, and then he went off in search of his parents.
They were in the lounge, as fast asleep as Regulus had been. His mother had a wine bottle swaying precariously between her fingers, so Sirius grabbed it and placed it on a nearby table. He shook his mother’s hand gently. ‘Mum?’ he asked quietly, and then repeated it, louder. Neither of his parents flickered an eyelid. Sirius gave up, and went back to the drawing room.
The clock in the hall chimed eight as he passed – he hadn’t realised it was so late. Maybe he had fallen asleep too? His brow furrowed as he tried to remember exactly what he and Regulus had done after they’d eaten all the sweets, and realised he didn’t actually know.
Back in the drawing room, he shook Regulus, trying to wake him up. Unlike their parents, his large grey eyes opened easily enough and looked up at Sirius, a little confused. ‘What?’ he asked, slightly dazed. Sirius smiled, and stood up, attempting to pull his little brother to his feet.
‘It’s bedtime, Reg,’ he said. ‘Come on.’ Regulus slowly got to his feet, swaying slightly. All the sweets they’d eaten had made him feel a bit sick. He grabbed Sirius’ hand to steady himself, and let himself be led down the corridor to his bedroom door.
When Sirius attempted to usher him into his room, Regulus hesitated. He looked up at his older brother pleadingly. ‘Can I stay with you tonight?’ he asked, not letting go of Sirius’ hand.
‘I suppose,’ Sirius said, sighing and closing the door again. They continued down to the next bedroom. Not bothering with the light, Sirius tugged his brother over to his bed, and they hopped in, fully-clothed. It was easily big enough to accommodate the two of them, so Sirius pulled the covers up around their chins, huddling down to keep warm.
‘Sirius?’ Regulus said sleepily a few minutes later. His brother didn’t move as he answered. His thoughts had been with his new broomstick, thinking of how wonderful it would be when he finally learnt to ride it the next day.
‘Mmm?’
‘This was the best Christmas ever.’
Sirius turned to look at his little brother. In the glow from the streetlights below, he could just make out his face – the sticky goo smeared over his cheeks from the lollies, his shining eyes, and the joyful, content smile stretched across his face. Sirius couldn’t help but smile back. ‘Yeah,’ he agreed. ‘It really was.’