Tales > A Marauders Chrismas!

It was early in the morning and Remus was struggling to get the others out of bed. They didn't have classes today, but it was that time again to go to Hogsmeade. Remus wanted to get there early and wanted to take the train this time, instead of sneaking around the school and avoid everyone that stayed behind. Also, to get some Christmas shopping done, for family and for friends.

James got up without too much of a hassle. It was a real struggle though to get Sirius up.

"I'm surprised your animagus form didn't turn out to be a jackass." Remus sighed.

"Come on bonehead," James grinned.

Sirius muttered a swear at them and rolled over. He took his pillow and put it over his head. James snatched up his pillow and hit Sirius repeatedly with it until he fell off his bed.

"Ok! Ok! I'm up! Christ…"

"You see, Moony, you have to start out with them mean and ruff. Just to teach them right from wrong."

Remus laughed and Sirius scowled, "I've heard enough of your dog jokes, let's go."

The three boys got on the train. It was fairly empty because everyone else was at home or at school. A short while after they got on the train took off and they headed for Hogsmeade.

"It's nice…" Remus started looking out the window, "that we can take the train instead of sneaking around."

"Yea," James said stretching his legs across to the other seat.

"Snivlly the big nosed slime ball…had a very large nose…and if you ever saw it…you would even say it moves…" Sirius sang with a grin, "All of the other students always laugh and call him names. They never let dumb Snivlly, go to any Quidditch games."

James was laughing aloud and Remus shook his head, "Idiocy…" he reminded himself.

"Then one snowy Christmas Eve, Potter came to say, "Snivlly with your nose power," Sirius grinned more seeing that Severus was listening. Nose Power, was an inside joke between the marauders and Snape. It was about how it seemed as if Snape's nose could transform into some kind of super hero.

"Won't you please, take a shower?" Sirius burst into laughter with James and Remus. Severus glared at them and grit his teeth. He'd get back at them soon enough.

The train came to halt at Hogsmeade and the boys got off.

"Let's go shopping for Christmas," Remus suggested. Sirius shrugged and James nodded, "Sure, I'll grab some butterbeer to go and you guys go ahead and get started.

Sirius and Remus went to all the shops to get Christmas shopping done. They stopped at Zonko's (only because Sirius wouldn't leave Remus alone about it.) and Sirius bought a few things.

"Where'd you get that money from?" Remus asked. Sirius never has money, so it was unnatural.

"Prongs' parents gave me an allowance," he grinned, "one of the many advantages of living with your best friend."

Sirius proceeded to buy all sorts of things, just to use on Snape, and possibly Malfoy.

"Speaking of, where is James?" Remus asked looking around.

"Maybe he's at The Three Broomsticks."

"Still? Be reasonable Padfoot."

"You never know…"

"Well let's go look for him," Remus said picking up his bags. Sirius rolled his eyes and followed him.

Sirius and Remus stood outside a small ice cream parlor and looked around.

"Face it Rem, he's not here either." Sirius said crossing his arms.

"Don't be such a pessimist," Remus said looking around using his hand to block out the sun.

"He isn't here…" Sirius said again glancing at Remus. Remus sweat dropped, "Well he's got to be here somewhere."

James was in fact, right behind the two. James looked around the parlor; it was empty for the most part…no one would notice. He pulled out a black marker and began to draw. He drew first a halo above Sirius' head, followed by some wings. He drew the same around Remus. Next step, a picture.

James looked outside; there was a cameraman…James signaled over to him, after a while got his attention. James grinned and made a gesture toward the cameraman as if he was clicking a camera. The cameraman nodded and took the picture of the "angles".

"What the-?! Hey!" Sirius yelled and cursed as he looked around. Remus turned around (James of course was hiding) and tapped Sirius' shoulder, "Padfoot…"

Sirius turned around and looked at the glass window. His jaw dropped as he stared, "Who…what…when…where…why?!" he stammered.

James came out with the butterbeer and some ice cream, "Hey Sirius, why are you looking at that?"

"…James…" Sirius growled looking at his friend. James grinned slightly, "Yes?"

Sirius tackled James to the ground, "You MORON!" James was laughing despite the fact Sirius was sitting on top of him and trying to kill him.

"Whoa! Heel Sirius!" Remus yelled pulling him off.

Sirius sat on the ground, cross-legged and crossed his arms as well. He turned his head away from the two other boys and glared at nothing.

"Sorry, but I couldn't resist. It was too funny to pass up!" James tried apologizing but Sirius would give in. Remus did though, and he helped to get Sirius to accept the apology. James was dramatizing, and making a spectacle of himself and his friends.

"Oh, Sirius, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" he whined. Sirius shook his head silently, not caring if people were gathering around to watch James as he agonized, mourned, and threw dirt on himself and on other people. Sirius still sat muttering things about how stupid his friend was being.

Remus stood away from them and sighed, "We can't go any where with out this happening…" Remus looked up from the ground and saw that James was pretending to kill himself with his wand. He pretended to fall dead on the ground.

Sirius glanced at his friend and sighed, "Stupid Christmas…Alright, James. You're forgiven."

James sprang back to life and hugged him, "Thank you, Thank you, Thaaaaaaaaank yooooooou!" Both boys bowed to the audience that had assembled there over time.

"Don't forget about the spirit of Christmas folks! Always be forgiving!" Sirius grinned. The people showered them with coins and Remus stood there flabbergasted. He didn't even know it was all an act…

After everybody left, the two boys collected the coins and headed over toward Remus, "Enjoy the show?" James asked.

"And now we have more money to buy presents," Sirius added.

"That was stupid…" Remus muttered.

"You though we were really in an argument, didn't yea Moony? We wouldn't do that," Sirius explained.

"We're to good of friends to fight like that." James said as he nodded.

"Get your shopping done so we can go back to school," Remus snapped.

"Really upset about this isn't he?" James whispered to Sirius.

"Sure looks like it,"

"I'm standing right here you know…" Remus sighed.

The three of them smiled at each other and headed off to buy more presents.

"Get up Moony! Get up Prongs!" Sirius yelled jumping from his bed, to Remus' then to James'. He ran down stairs, fully dressed and sat in his favorite chair by the fire.

James yawned and sat up, "Huh?" Remus got up, got dressed and walked down stairs followed by a very sleepy James.

"Me first," Sirius said grabbing one of his presents, "Hey, it's from James' mum."

"I bet I know what it is then," James grinned.

Sirius unwrapped it and they said together, "A scarf."

Sirius grabbed another, "From Remus," he said aloud. He opened it up, and inside was a book titled, 1003 Ways to Get Back at an Enemy.

Sirius grinned, "Thanks Remus,"

James laughed, "You sure you can read that Sirius?"

"I'm color blind, not illiterate," Sirius grinned.

"This is from James,"

"Hope nothing pops out of it this time…" Remus muttered. Last year, James had given Peter a present and snakes popped out of it.

"Trust me, there's nothing popping out of any of my gifts this year." James grinned.

Sirius opened it up, "No way…" Sirius whispered staring. It was a pirate costume complete with plastic swords, guns, and face make-up. Sirius had been complaining the previous Halloween about his costume, and how he wanted to be a pirate. This was ever since Remus had told him about pirates as well. Sirius looked like he was going to cry, "This is the best Christmas ever…thanks guys," he grinned placing the costume aside neatly. He opened the rest of his presents, all from fan girls and admiring boys.

"I suppose I'll go next," Remus said picking up a present from both James and Sirius. He opened it and it was a box.

"Go on, open it." James encouraged.

Sirius nodded in agreement as Remus slowly opened the box. Inside were little things such as pictures and miscellaneous trinkets. All of the pictures were of the marauders and the little trinkets were things that reminded them of each other and/or something they had done.

"Any time you think about leaving us cause of what you are," James started, "open that box."

"It was all my idea, of course. James helped get the pictures." Sirius grinned.

"That would explain yesterday, then." Remus chuckled.

"Looky here, Lily left you something Remus." Sirius pointed out. Remus grabbed the present and opened it quickly, knowing that James would want him to move faster if he went slowly.

"An entire collection of muggle dictionaries…that girl's a saint." Remus smiled.

"And my savior," James added. They laughed and then it was James' turn.

James picked a medium sized one that was from Lily, "It's only natural I pick my girlfriends first."

"More like it's an instinct." Sirius smirked. James shrugged of his friend's comment and opened the present. It was a picture of Lily in a beautiful golden and scarlet frame.

"I took the picture, mate." Remus said smiling.

James grinned and stared at the picture, up until Sirius made his comment about James, "Putting it in his shrine for Lily. Anything over her or that she touches is in there."

James punched his friends arm and opened Sirius' gift.

It was new Quidditch gear, and some things from Zonko's Joke Shop.

"Thanks, Padfoot," Sirius grinned.

"It was nothing. All it did was cost me a fortune," Sirius smirked, "so you best win every game of Quidditch ‘till we're out of school."

"We haven't lost yet this year, and I don't plan on losing any time soon. You have nothing to worry about.

"What do you say we head down to the Great Hall and have some breakfast?" Remus suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea," Sirius said as his stomach growled.

"Did you eat a dog?" James joked.

"Ha, ha, ha," Sirius rolled his eyes, "One more dog joke out of your mouth and I just might feed you to Rem."

"That's not even the slightest bit funny." Remus said glaring at Sirius.

"Yea, Padfoot. It isn't funny." James said sticking out his tongue. Sirius grinned and chased his long time friend out of the common room and into the corridor.