Smooth Rider

"Sirius is in love," James said, walking into his living room. He rolled his eyes at the guests sitting around the cozy fireplace and snorted. "This makes it the...twelfth time this year? Must be a record."

Sitting in his living room was his lovely fiancée, Lily Evans, and two of his three best mates, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. Lily sat in an armchair next to the blazing fire, Remus sat on the couch, and Peter was laying on the floor, staring longingly at the Christmas presents stacked clumsily underneath a lush, decorative Christmas tree. The whole room was alight with warmth radiating not only from the dancing flames but also from the strong bonds connecting the lifelong friends together.

"Oh, really?" Peter said, toying with a bow on an oblong present labeled For Wormtail, from James and Lily. "What's this one's name?"

"Dunno, he wouldn't say," James replied. He rolled his eyes again. "Actually, he couldn't say--he got all misty-eyed and started jumping up and down and grinning like the stupid git that he is."

"I think that's sweet," Lily interjected. "I've never seen him have that kind of look on his face before. She must be someone special, don't you think?" She sent Peter a warning look, and he quickly removed his hand from underneath the tree.

Last night, no way, I was gonna be left hungry
And then your daddy caught me sneakin' out your bed
It's just a game I play
It's just I roll that way
Don't think, sweet baby, I'm messin' with your head

"Are you kidding me?" Remus piped up, setting down a mug of butterbeer. "Sirius and sweet in the same sentence?" Remus shook his head. "He's off his rocker, Sirius is."

"I agree with Lily," Peter supplied. "I think it's good for him."

"Amen!" Lily agreed, smiling triumphantly. Remus and James looked at each other.

"I bet she's a pretty thing, huh, Lily?" Peter asked.

"I'm sure! He usually does place a...high standard in the looks department."

"And smart, eh?"

"I'm quite sure. Sirius himself's a mad genius, he is."

"D'you think she went to Hogwarts with us?"

"Why, I don't know!"

Where is Peter going with this? James wondered.

"D'you think she met him through his workplace?"

"Possibly!"

"D'you think you could tell me what you and Jamesie boy got me?"

"Oh, yes--wait!" Lily stopped herself just in time. "Peter!"

Bingo, James thought, laughing to himself.

Peter grinned. "Sorry, Lils."

"When's Padfoot coming in?" Remus asked, digressing from Peter's attempt to unearth the mystery lying wrapped just inches away from his toy hand.

"Should be any second--"

I'm a smooth rider, baby
You know I just keep movin' on
Don't know why I like to carry on the way I do
It's just that I'm in love with you

The loud song of a door swinging open, accompanied by the sound of howling wind and sight of a wet, snowflake-covered Sirius, answered Remus' question. He walked in, white snow in his hair and a scarf tied tightly around the bottom half of his face.

"And you didn't Apparate because?" James said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Sirius grinned--well, you couldn't see his grin, on account that his mouth was buried deep in the warmth of his soft scarf, but the crinkles that surrounded his eyes gave a surefire sign of that mischievous, lopsided grin of his.

Sirius removed his scarf and cloak and threw them on top of Remus, who snorted and shoved them aside.

"So sorry. I'm just fashionably late, of course," Sirius said nonchalantly, striking a pose.

James threw a marshmallow at his best mate and snorted. "You're soaking the carpet."

Sirius glanced down and saw that a small puddle of melted snow was gradually increasing in size from the bottom of his boots. With a sheepish look at James, Lily sighed and flicked her wand lazily. The puddle evaporated, and Sirius kicked off his boots--this time, hitting Peter in the head.

"Ow! You moron!" Peter cried, rubbing the spot where he was hit.

"Sorry, Wormtail," Sirius said, grinning. He looked around the room and gave a great sigh--the sigh of a content lover, daydreaming of romances and his love. He cocked his head and stared off into space, still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Oh, lord," Remus muttered.

"...Who's the girl?" James asked finally, his hands on his hips.

Lily giggled. "Come on now, Sirius. We're all curious. I thought you were going to bring her?"

Sirius, still staring off into space, said, "Oh, she's here all right. She's waiting--just over there." He beckoned backwards, to where he entered through the kitchen door.

Hey if you see me out there runnin'
And you head those sirens comin'
Your daddy's crazy with that gun in his hand
If you know they're comin' for me
And you know they're runnin' for me
You know my love won't let them keep me away

"Oh?" Lily asked, suddenly concerned. A look of confusion crossed her rosy face. "She--she's in the kitchen? Why hasn't she come in yet?"

"Aw, no, she's outside waiting," Sirius replied airily.

"Outside?" Peter repeated, incredulous.

"It's twenty degrees out there!" Lily shrieked, running out of the living room and into the kitchen. "She's just outside!"

"Mmm," Sirius said, his gaze dazed.

"You," James said, walking over to Sirius, "are a right idiot!" He punched him lightly on the arm, and Sirius flinched.

"James! You've broken my arm!" Sirius cried in mock despair. "How am I gonna love her now!"

"Too much information!" Peter shouted.

Remus sighed and leaned his head back. Another typical Christmas with the Marauders.

I'm a smooth rider, baby
You know I just keep movin' on
Don't know why I like to carry on the way I do
It's just that I'm in love with you

"You've never seen anything like this baby," Sirius said, falling backwards onto the couch. "She's the most beautiful thing ever, just you wait and see. Beautiful. She's waiting outside--gotta have the perfect introduction, she does."

"She sounds as crazy as you are," Remus muttered, his eyes closed, as if very frustrated.

"Crazy in love," Sirius said, grinning. His eyes misted over again and James slapped his forehead.

"Er...well, since it is twenty degrees outside, and it seems that Lily's out there with Sirius's mystery lover..." Peter began, sitting up, "shouldn't we go out and see what the deal is?"

"The only logical thing that's come out of anyone's mouth this whole night!" Remus agreed, pushing himself up off of the couch. He turned around to Sirius, hit him on top of the head, and said, "Hey, moron! We're going outside to meet your new girlfriend, okay?" He said this very slowly and clearly.

Sirius cocked his head again and stared at the Christmas tree before shaking his head and standing up suddenly. "Yeah! It's time, I think. Yeah--bout time you've met my baby. I'm gonna spend the rest of my life with this one, I'm sure."

"Where have I heard that one before?" James muttered, walking to the entrance of the kitchen.

"I dunno, probably in fifth year, when you told us about your love for Lily," Sirius replied. James stopped in his tracks, turned around, and stared at Sirius, hazel eyes meeting grey ones. Sirius smiled innocently.

"Proof that a Marauder continues to maraud, despite his newfound interests," Remus said lightly, and he and Peter chuckled.

I'm a smooth rider, baby
You know I just keep movin' on
Don't know why I like to carry on the way I do
It's just that I'm in love with you

Remus halted in the kitchen, motioning for the others to follow suit.

"Sirius...I mean, really. We don't know anything about this girl," Remus said. "Shouldn't we at least get a name before we go outside and introduce ourselves?"

"Who cares? Lily's out there freezing her arse off," James muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sirius, must you cause problems for everyone? You lowered the standard room temperature, you're freezing my fiancée--and your eventual one, come to think--and you wet up my house?"

"To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides," Sirius quoted romantically, nearly swooning at the sound of his own voice.

Peter, Remus, and James turned and faced Sirius simultaneously, each with an expression of disbelief.

"I have no idea what you just said," Peter said flatly.

"And that is why you will die a virgin, mate," Sirius answered, slapping Peter on the back. "Now, comeith and meeteth my loveth."

You see me out there runnin'
And you hear the sirens comin'
Your daddy's crazy with that gun in his hand
If you know they're comin' for me
And you know they're runnin' for me
You know my love won't let them keep me away

Somewhat nervous (and really not without reason, James thought to himself) and equipped with an odd sense of foreboding, James reached for the doorknob and was greeting by a sharp gust of wind and a downpour of snow.

"Oh, man," James muttered, and heaving a great sigh (loud enough so as to show Sirius that he was a major inconvenience), stepped out into the blizzard.

Out in the pavement stood Lily, rooted to the spot, and staring straight ahead. She was either frozen solid or couldn't move due to some type of emotional sweep--James didn't really care whatever the reason was, he just wanted his fiancée back inside.

Oh, and to figure out why in the world some crazy woman would insist on waiting outside in the middle of a Christmas Eve blizzard to meet her boyfriend's friends.

"Lily?" James called. He trudged over to her, and noticed something odd--she was alone.

Lily said nothing, and James noticed a look of utter disbelief on her face.

"Lils?" James called again, raising his voice in order to be heard over the howling wind.

James, Remus, Peter, and Sirius, who was beside himself with excitement, walked thickly through the snow and over to Lily. And they were greeted not by the sight of a pretty young lady, but--

"You've got to be kidding me," James breathed, dumbfounded.

And there stood Sirius's one true love: a glistening, brand new, midnight black motorbike.

"What the--" James began, but Sirius cut him off.

"LOOK AT HER!" Sirius cried with delight. He jumped the distance between him and his beloved motorbike and enveloped the torso of the shining motorcycle in his arms. "She's fantastic. She's beautiful. She's the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me!"

I'm a smooth rider, baby
Oh I'm a smooth rider, baby
I'll be out there runnin'

Remus sighed and shook his head, looking at Sirius as though he had just proclaimed his ultimate adoration for Snape. "I'm going back inside." He turned around huffily and walked through the thick snow with great difficulty, back into the house that offered him fire and butterbeer.

Peter shook his head in amusement and looked at Lily and James, who were both rooted to the spot, and at Sirius, who was holding onto his bike as if it was the last thing he would ever be able to do.

"Really, I dunno why I'm surprised," Peter said lightly. "Actually, I guess I'm not anymore. Sirius will always be Sirius--you know, spoiled and weird and with a love for dangerous things. As if he could've spent the rest of his life with another human!" He chuckled to himself; Sirius normally would've hit Peter with a witty comeback, but was too emerged in strangling his beloved motorcycle.

"James," Lily said finally.

"...Yeah?" James replied.

"I'm taking him back to St. Mungo's with me when the holidays are over."

"Why's that?"

Lily shook her head and watched Sirius, who was now kissing the piping and the seat. "You really have to ask?"

I'm a smooth rider baby.