Of Secret Love and Snowball Fights

Of Secret Love and Snowball Fights

"Remus, can I talk to you?"

Remus Lupin looked up from his Charms essay to where Lily Evans stood over him, looking slightly anxious.

"Yes, of course. What's the matter? Has James been making the walls of the girl' toilets transparent again? "

"Oh, no. He wouldn't dare do that again after what McGonagall did to him. Actually, I wanted to talk about you."

"Me?

"Yes. You."

"Erm - what about me?"

"Listen," Lily said softly, "I know you don't like to talk about yourself, Remus, or about your feelings, but I think you need to."

"What are you talking about, Lily?"

"I know it's been tough for you coming out to us, and to be honest, it was difficult for us to get used to. But we have, and now is the time for you to tell Sirius how you feel about him."

"I - no, Lily," Remus replied firmly, deciding almost instantly that it was pointless to pretend that he did not have any feelings towards Sirius - girls, he had concluded long ago, could figure anyone out by the simplest movement, look or word, and Lily was the very best at doing so. "For one thing, Sirius is straight, straighter than anyone I've ever known, despite his demonstrative nature towards, well, everyone. Another thing, how in Merlin's name would I tell him? I'm not good with words, Lily, at least not when it comes to feelings. I can't."

"Well, not with that attitude," Lily said. "Think positive, Remus. You never know, Sirius might swing both ways."

"He doesn't, Lily. And even if he did, why would he, erm, swing, with me?"

Lily sighed. "You are a wonderful person, Remus. You are kind and thoughtful and sensitive, and Sirius loves you; maybe only as a friend right now, but who knows? You might be able to turn him."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lily. Sirius doesn't follow anyone's example; he is his own role model, for goodness sake! There's no way - "

"Listen to me," Lily interrupted insistently. "You need to tell Sirius how you feel. If you don't, it'll drive you mad. Even if he doesn't like you back, at least you'll have gotten it off your chest."

Remus sighed - Lily was very persistent, and he knew she would keep pestering him until he confessed. What's more, if he was completely honest, with himself, he knew she was right.

"Okay," he replied quietly, and Lily clapped her hands together triumphantly.

"Oh, good!" she said happily. "To be honest, I thought you would take weeks to crack. Now, go and tell Sirius."

"What? Now?" Remus spluttered.

"Why not? No time like the present, after all. Now, go on. I'll bring your essay back to the common room later. I think Sirius is there now."

Remus groaned and grudgingly got to his feet. He made a face at Lily and trudged down the path between the rows of bookcases, staring hard at the dull carpet.

"Good luck!" she called after him.

Remus didn't reply; he kept walking slowly towards the library doors, muttering curses under his breath.

* * *

Sirius Black looked up from the Beater's Bible to see Remus leaning against the trophy cabinet that lined one of the walls of the Gryffindor common room, watching him. Sirius jumped slightly and Remus grinned.

"Merlin, you scared the hell out of me! I didn't hear you come in!" Sirius exclaimed, clutching his heart in feigned terror.

"I need to talk to you," Remus said, the smile suddenly disappearing from his face. He moved swiftly across the room and sat down opposite Sirius in one of the squashy red armchairs by the fireplace. Sirius put down his book and leaned back in his chair, looking intently at Remus, who cleared his throat nervously.

"You know Rebecca?" he said quietly.

"You mean Rebecca Fawcett, the girl I've been going out with for the past three weeks?" Sirius replied, grinning. "Blonde, brown eyes, rather like the colour of that toffee you bought me last week, gorgeous body and, oh yeah, one hell of a kisser. Yeah, I think I know who you mean."

"Are you quite finished?" Remus said, rolling his eyes. "And by the way, I didn't buy that toffee for you."

"Oh well. It tasted nice; buy some more next time we're at Hogsmeade."

"Anyway," Remus interrupted, "about Rebecca."

"Oh, yes. What about her?"

"I want you to break up with her."

"What? Why?"

"I don't like her. She's got a strange look about her."

"No, she hasn't"

"Okay, she hasn't," Remus admitted. "But I still want you to break up with her."

"Why, Moony?"

Remus sighed heavily and didn't answer, and a grin spread across Sirius' face.

"Are you jealous of her or something?" he said teasingly. "I mean, I can understand why, but -"

"Stop it, Sirius. It's not funny," Remus interrupted.

"Well, tell me what the hell you're on about and I won't laugh!"

"It's difficult, Padfoot."

"What's so difficult? Just tell me what's wrong. Has she cheated on me? Is that it? Did she cheat on me with Snape? Because that's unforgivable - "

"No, Sirius. Don't be stupid."

"What, then?"

Remus sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he mumbled, standing up. "Never mind."

"Moony," Sirius said sharply, "sit down and talk to me." Remus sat down slowly. "What is going on?"

"I - er - I am jealous," he said, in barely more than a whisper.

The smile disappeared from Sirius' face, and he stared at Remus in disbelief.

"What?"

"I want you to break up with Rebecca because I'm jealous of her," Remus said quietly.

"Why?"

"I'm in love with you, Sirius."

Sirius didn't speak for a few seconds; instead, he stared at Remus, horror-struck.

"You love me?" he finally spluttered.

Remus nodded, and Sirius' jaw dropped in disbelief. He didn't move or speak for about a minute, then stood up, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he said angrily, glaring at Remus.

"Sirius, you don't know how much I wanted to tell you before now, but I didn't know how. It was so hard to come and tell you now, and it's hardly something you can just come out with."

"Well you managed to tell me you were gay without too much trouble, didn't you?" Sirius retorted.

"Sirius, you can never understand how hard it was to tell you I was gay. It was easy to tell Peter and James, but I was terrified to tell you, because I didn't know how you would react," Remus said, and Sirius let out a growl.

"So why didn't you tell me that you loved me then?"

Remus let out a little noise of indignation. "I didn't like you then, Sirius! Do you think that just because I'm gay I fancy all my friends? It doesn't work that way."

"Then what way does it work? Why do you like me?" Sirius demanded, his grey eyes cold with fury.

"I'm not sure right now, with the way you're behaving," Remus replied quietly, and Sirius' eyes widened. He stared at Remus, who looked unblinkingly back at him, his golden eyes full of sorrow. Sirius felt his anger ebb away as he surveyed his friend.

"I'm sorry Moony," he said quietly, sitting down and burying his face in his hands.

"It's okay," Remus replied, sitting down beside him. Sirius looked up at Remus and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the portrait swinging open and three familiar people clambering into the common room.

"Hello, merry men!" James called cheerily, then tripped over a discarded Chocolate Frog box. He swore loudly; Lily gave him a Look and Peter giggled. Sirius glanced quickly at Remus, who moved his head a fraction to the left, then the right, a pleading expression on his pale face.

Sirius winked and turned back to James, his dazzling smile in place.

"Clumsy ass," he said, and James grinned.

"Well, you aren't exactly a ballet dancer yourself," he shot back.

"I'm very glad," Sirius said. "I wouldn't want to prance about in tights all day."

"I don't think anyone would want to see you in tights, Sirius," Peter said, and Sirius gasped.

"I'll have you know that many people have admired my legs, Pettigrew."

"Eurgh."

"That's disgusting, Padfoot."

"Thanks, lads. I love you too."

* * *

Over the next few weeks James noticed that Sirius was behaving rather oddly, particularly around Remus. He could be overly loud and friendly; throwing his arm around the shoulders of the person next to him and sticking his tongue into their ear or nostril, depending on which was closest. Then, without warning, he would become distant and rude, sitting moodily with his arms folded, scowling and snapping at anyone who looked at him. What's more, he had broken up with Rebecca, and the only explanation he offered was; "I got bored with her."

James decided to talk to Sirius about his recent behaviour, and arranged to meet with him outside the Three Broomsticks on the first day of the Christmas holidays. Sirius was late, as usual.

"Bloody hell, I'm going to kill him," James muttered darkly, wrapping his arms around himself and stamping his near-frozen feet. He looked up at the sky just as the first snowflakes began to fall. They landed on his face and glasses, and he wiped them away impatiently. As he scanned the crowded Hogsmeade he spotted Sirius, waving as he walked towards James, snowflakes in his ebony hair and a grin on his face, which was slightly pink from the cold.

"Alright mate?" he said as he approached James.

"What time d'you call this?"

"Sorry Prongs, I got held up," Sirius replied. It was clear he wasn't going to elaborate, so James didn't pursue the conversation. He simply shrugged.

"Never mind," he said. "Come on, let's go inside before I lose my feet to the cold."

The two boys entered the Three Broomsticks to find it full of Hogwarts students. Sirius went up to the bar to buy drinks, flashing his infamous smile and causing the barmaid to spill a considerable amount of mead down herself, while James got a table right at the back of the crowded pub.

"Cheers Padfoot," he said as Sirius handed him a large, foaming tankard of Butterbeer. He took a long draught and dug around in his pockets in search of the sweets he had purchased from Honeydukes on the way up to the pub. He handed Sirius a Chocolate Frog, his search successful, and stuffed his own in his mouth to prevent it from escaping.

"So," he said, after swallowing the frog with difficulty. "What's been going on lately?"

"What d'you mean?" Sirius asked, raising his tankard to his lips.

"You've been acting weird, Padfoot. What's wrong?"

Sirius choked on his Butterbeer.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong! Whatever gave you the idea that something was wrong?" he replied loudly. James arched an eyebrow.

"You know you can't lie to me, Padfoot. Tell me what's going on."

Sirius sighed. He knew he could never keep anything from James, and it was always easier to tell him rather than have it beaten or tickled out of him, especially in front of so many people - his reputation wouldn't allow it.

"Okay, Prongs," he said, lowering his voice, his eyes darting around the pub to check for eavesdroppers. "I'll tell you, on the condition that you keep it to yourself."

"Of course," James replied eagerly.

"Alright, here's the thing." Sirius cleared his throat nervously, "Moony -- Moony's in love with me."

"What?" James squawked, his eyes widened in shock.

"Shh, keep your voice down! You can't let Moony know I told you, Prongs, because if he finds out I'm dead."

"Keep your hair on, Padfoot, I won't tell anyone," James said casually, and Sirius glared at him.

"Okay okay. I promise I won't tell, alright?"

Sirius nodded gratefully. "Thanks," he said. "I just don't want Remus to get hurt."

"How do you feel then?"

"Huh?"

"About Remus. How d'you feel?"

"Oh," Sirius said. "Well, I'm straight, Prongs, so I'd have to say that I'm so desperately in love with him that I want to go and snog the face off him right now, in front of anyone who's lucky enough to be in the vicinity."

"Come on, Padfoot," James said exasperatedly. "I've seen the looks you've given him these past few days. You're not as straight as you pretend to be."

Sirius stared at him. "What are you insinuating, Prongs?" he said, and James grinned.

"That you may have a little thing for our resident werewolf," he replied, and Sirius let out a little indignant snort.

"I don't fancy Remus, Prongs," he insisted.

"Denial!" James sang, and Sirius scowled at him.

"Stop it," he said huffily, and James' grin widened.

"Okay, I'm sorry. But seriously Pads, am I right in thinking there's something you need to tell Moony?"

Sirius shrugged. "I dunno, Prongs," he said, a hint of panic in his voice. "I mean, say I did like Remus, purely hypothetically, of course, that would mean admitting to the whole school that I'm gay, and don't -"

"Sirius," James interrupted. "You don't have to tell the whole school. Hell, you don't have to tell anyone, and anyway, you might not be gay."

"Well, if I fancy a bloke then there's a high chance, James," Sirius said, and James rolled his eyes.

"I mean, you might be bi, Padfoot. You could like both girls and blokes."

"Oh," Sirius said.

"So," James said. "D'you want to go and find Moony, then?" His lopsided smile flashed across his face again.

"I never said that I actually fancied Moony, Prongs," Sirius replied defensively, and James laughed.

"Oh, come on, Padfoot, you can't hide it! You like Moony, I know you do. Now, go and tell him!"

"Prongs, stop it. I'm not telling Moony anything because there's nothing to tell him!"

"Okay. Just do me one favour."

"What?"

"Tell me what you feel when you think of, or see, Moony."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it, Padfoot," James said impatiently.

Sirius groaned. "I don't know, James. He's Moony, how am I supposed to -"

"Alright, Padfoot, stop whining. Just - oh, I don't know - imagine Remus just walked through the door there. What do you feel?"

"I think you've finally cracked it, Prongs," Sirius replied, and James scowled at him.

"I'm trying to help you, Padfoot, now come on. What do you feel?"

Sirius exhaled loudly through his nose and cleared his throat. "I feel -"

"Hi, you two." At that moment, Lily came over to the table and sat down on James' lap; he smiled and planted a kiss on her nose.

"Hello," he replied as she tucked her flaming hair behind her ears and beamed at Sirius.

"Alright, Sirius?" she said, and he nodded absently.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he replied, staring at his empty tankard on the table. Lily glanced inquiringly at James, who shrugged.

"Well?" James prompted as Lily stood up, ignoring the admiring glances she received from many punters as she sauntered over to the bar to get a drink.

"You're right, James," Sirius replied slowly, standing up. James grinned broadly at him, and he smiled back.

"Good luck," James said, and Sirius nodded. He put on his cloak and grabbed his scarf, draping it around his shoulders.

"I'll see you later," he said, and left the Three Broomsticks, walking as fast as he could through the crowded, snowy Hogsmeade towards Hogwarts castle.

* * *

Sirius headed towards the library, where Remus was most likely to be - probably finishing off an essay that wasn't due for another week or something. Sirius smiled fondly as he thought of this - his own methods of completing homework were very different from Remus'. He did his in a mad rush the night before it was to be collected, but always managed to get full marks anyway.

"Have you seen Remus in here, Madam Pince?" he asked the librarian in his most polite voice, smiling winningly at her as he walked casually up to her desk. She glared up at him suspiciously.

"What are you doing in here, Mr. Black?" she growled.

"I'm just looking for my friend," Sirius replied truthfully, arranging his face into an innocent expression. Madam Pince raised an eyebrow.

"If you've come in here to cause a racket, or set off Dungbombs or throw things around, I'll have you into detention so quickly you won't have time to think up an excuse," she said threateningly, her pale eyes narrowing. Sirius nodded placidly and sauntered away.

"Thanks for your help," he called over his shoulder. Madam Pince let out a snort and picked up her quill, filling out labels for new arrivals.

Sirius found Remus at the very back of the library, surrounded by teetering stacks of large and very dusty books, completing a NEWT revision paper on Animagi for Transfiguration. The long, elegant fingers of his left hand tapped a rhythm on the mahogany table as his quill scratched at the parchment; his golden eyes were focused solely on the words forming in shining ink on the paper, his fringe falling irritatingly into his vision - every so often, his free hand would cease in its tapping and reach up, in one fluid motion, and brush the offending strands away.

Sirius opened his mouth, his mind racing to think of a speech, when his nerve failed him. This had never happened to Sirius before; his exceptional intelligence always allowed him to have a witty comeback to any remark, and his forward nature always prevented him from keeping his thoughts to himself. But right now, whenever he wanted more than anything to talk to Remus, he couldn't think of a single intelligent thing to say, so he quickly hid behind a bookcase before Remus spotted him standing gaping like a fish out of water.

"It's not as though we need to do that paper, Moony," he said finally, stepping out from behind the bookcase and smiling winningly at Remus, who started in his chair, nearly upsetting his inkpot on the finished paper. By the looks of it, Remus had written a novel-length essay rather than the specified two feet of parchment.

"Jeez, Sirius, don't do that!" he said, his pale complexion blanching even more in shock.

Sirius grinned, determinedly ignoring his fluttering heart and somersaulting stomach. How could I not have noticed them before? "Sorry, Moony, didn't mean to scare you shitless," he replied, and Remus raised an eyebrow at him.

"You didn't scare me shitless, Padfoot," he said, hastily screwing the top onto his inkpot. "You just gave me a bit of a fright, that's all."

"Ah, come on, I scared you shitless, didn't I?" Sirius said teasingly, and Remus threw a book at his head.

"Ow," Sirius said thickly, clutching his nose, the book falling to the floor with a thump and whimpering quietly.

"Bugger," Remus said, standing up. He went to Sirius and prised his hands away from his nose, expecting blood or swelling. "Are you okay?"

"Paper cut," Sirius replied, wincing. Remus groaned.

"You're so bloody over-dramatic," he said, turning and packing away his books.

"That's why you love me," Sirius said without thinking. Remus froze, and Sirius mentally kicked himself, cursing his big mouth.

"Sorry," he said quietly. Remus shook his head and picked up his essay, placing it carefully in his bag. Sirius, feeling very awkward, picked up a small mountain of textbooks, but in his panic, he'd forgotten how heavy they were and they tumbled out of his arms, landing on the floor with a terrific crash.

"Shit," he said loudly as the books began to shriek. Madam Pince poked her head around the end of a bookcase, her face screwed up in annoyance.

"I warned you, Black! You will not throw books around in my library!" she yelled over the screaming textbooks, and began shepherding the two boys towards the doors, shouting about mistreatment of books and careless students.

"Miserable old bat," Sirius grumbled as the doors slammed shut behind them. Just as he spoke there was a loud BANG from the other side of the heavy oak doors, accompanied with Madam Pince's angry shrieking and the putrid smell of an old dungbomb.

"SIRIUS BLACK!"

"Run!"

Sirius grabbed Remus' arm and dragged him away from the library. The two pelted along the corridor, ripping through a tapestry that hid a shortcut to the Entrance Hall. They raced down the marble staircase; they were nearly at the doors -

"Stay where you are!"

The two boys skidded to a halt just before the exit.

"Oh crap," Sirius said, while Remus let out a groan.

"Indeed, Black."

Argus Filch stepped out from behind a suit of armour, Mrs. Norris tangled around his legs, hissing threateningly at them.

"Follow me," Filch barked. The two boys glanced sorrowfully at each other and trudged after the caretaker. He led them back up the marble staircase to Professor McGonagall's office, Mrs. Norris trotting after him. He rapped on the door, opened it, and announced the capture of the two fugitives.

* * *

Sirius returned to the Gryffindor common room late on Tuesday evening, his hands and back aching. He had managed to get Remus out of a detention, but failed to escape from one himself.

"Chestnut stuffing," he said to the Fat Lady, who was admiring the tinsel that decorated her frame.

"That's the one, dear!" she sang cheerily, swinging on her hinges to reveal the entrance to the common room. Sirius clambered through the portrait hole, crossed the nearly deserted common room and lowered himself slowly into an armchair by the fire, where James was sitting reading He Flew Like a Madman for the hundredth time, a Caerphilly Catapults scarf around his neck - Sirius had never understood James' love for 'Dangerous' Dai Llewellyn, as he was neither gay nor Welsh.

"How'd it go?" James asked without looking up.

"Painfully," Sirius replied, massaging his right hand with his left and wincing. "McGonagall made me scrape all the chewing gum from under the furniture in her classroom without magic again."

"Seems to favour that one, doesn't she?" James remarked, closing his book and smirking at Sirius. "How many times has she made you do that?"

"I've lost count, Prongs."

"What'd you do anyway?"

"That mound of timed dungbombs we planted under Pince's desk finally exploded," Sirius replied, a reminiscent grin dancing on his tired face. He yawned widely, and James' grin broadened.

"Poor little sleepy Padfoot," he said teasingly, and Sirius made a hand gesture that would have landed him in another detention. He lay back in his chair and closed his eyes, letting out a long, contented sigh. His dark hair flopped over one eye and the light from the fire danced on his face, illuminating enviable, perfect features. He looked peaceful, almost innocent. After an internal battle with himself, James picked up his book, rather than jumping on Sirius, but read only four words when he heard a loud snore.

"Padfoot," James said loudly, but the snores continued, accompanied with a grunt. "Padfoot!" Another grunt. James laughed, but another loud snore drowned him out. He stood up and leant over Sirius, whispering in his ear,

"Have you talked to Moony yet?"

Sirius woke with a start. He stood up quickly, nearly knocking James to the floor.

"Well, I'm off to bed!" he said, voice shaking a bit from sudden anxiousness.

"No you are not!"

"James!"

"Sirius, you have to tell him!"

"I know, James! It's just - it's hard!" Sirius whined.

"I know, Sirius. I lived with what you're feeling for years, remember?"

"Oh. I'd forgotten that."

"And when I told Lily that I loved her I felt so much better. I mean, she knew it already, but it still felt good to say it."

"Love? James, I don't think -"

"Sirius," James interrupted, sincere for once. "You and I both know how you feel, and Remus deserves to know too. Now go and tell him."

Sirius groaned. "Okay." He went to the staircase that lead to the seventh-year dormitories and climbed it slowly, feeling very nervous - a rare emotion for him. He opened the door to find Remus lying on his bed wearing a pair of boxers and a blood red T-shirt with a meat cleaver on the chest - a gift from Remus' aunt, an avid Wigtown Wanderers fan. He was reading a book by that Muggle author he liked, Something Shakespeare, and eating Bertie Bott's beans, screwing his face up in disgust when he came across a foul-tasting one. He looked up when Sirius entered the room and smiled.

"Hi Padfoot," he said, putting down his book and gesturing for Sirius to sit down on the bed. "How'd detention go?"

Sirius made a face as he sat down beside Remus. "The usual pain and torture," he replied, and his stomach did a backflip as Remus laughed.

"Lister, er, Remus, I need to talk to you," Sirius mumbled, examining his fingernails.

"Okay, shoot," Remus replied. Sirius screwed up his courage and took a deep breath.

"Remus, I --"

Sirius was interrupted by the door bursting open and Peter stumbling into the room. It seemed he had lost the ability to walk properly. He tumbled to the floor, his plump face glowing with sweat from the effort of crawling up the stairs to the dorm.

"Slytherins - ambushed me - can't find - James. Help me - guys!" he wheezed. Sirius recognising the Jelly-Legs jinx, reached for his wand inside his robes and performed the counter-jinx.

"Cheers, Padfoot," Peter said breathlessly, his legs returning to normal. Much to Sirius' annoyance, he clambered up onto Remus' bed and proceeded to tell them how he came to be the victim of the Jelly-Legs jinx.

* * *

It was Christmas Eve, and Sirius was beginning to feel desperate. Another week had passed and he still hadn't told Remus how he felt. James had taken to asking Sirius any time he could if he had spoken to Remus yet, and Sirius was nearly at his wits' end. He had taken himself up to the dormitory in despair and thrown himself on his bed, causing the springs to groan in complaint. He had lain there for about half an hour when Remus entered the dorm, his hair and robes covered in white dust.

"What happened, Moony?" Sirius asked in a slightly choked voice - his heart had leapt from his chest to beat furiously against his Adam's apple.

"Peeves attacked me with blackboard dusters," Remus grumbled, attempting to brush the dust off his clothes.

"Er, Remus?" Sirius said nervously, and Remus looked up from his robes.

"What's the matter, Padfoot?"

"I--" Sirius found, yet again, that he didn't quite know what to say, and the lump in his throat was making it difficult to speak anyway.

"Sirius, are you okay?" Remus said worriedly, sitting down beside him. Sirius tried once again to speak, but made an odd gurgling sound instead. Remus was eyeing him nervously, and all of a sudden Sirius felt rage boiling up in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, bugger it!" he said angrily. "Remus Lupin, I love you."

Remus blinked, and a shadow of disbelief settled on his face. He said nothing, choosing instead to examine his fingernails, his brow furrowed in thought.

Sirius was beginning to feel nervous and scared. He felt his lower lip trembling, and his hands were fidgeting with the quilt on the bed, and still Remus was silent.

"Bloody hell, Remus, say something!"

Remus' eyes snapped open and settled on Sirius' face.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "Do you - are you serious?"

"Why, yes I am," Sirius replied, and Remus groaned at the age-old joke. "Okay, sorry. Yes. I've loved you for ages, but I didn't realise it. James realised before I did, and he kept pushing me to tell you, but I was scared you didn't love me any more, and I --"

"Shhh," Remus said, pressing a finger to Sirius' lips, at which he quickly fell silent. "I love you too, Sirius," he said simply. Sirius smiled and leaned in towards him, pressing his lips awkwardly against Remus'.

Remus suddenly felt incredibly, almost chokingly nervous. He had heard rumours about Sirius' astounding kissing ability from Sirius' past girlfriends; they proved frighteningly true. He felt very clumsy when his teeth bumped against Sirius', but Sirius didn't seem to mind; indeed, he let out a little groan and pressed himself closer to Remus, kissing him harder and more persistently. He tried to relax, attempting to chase thoughts of whether he was doing it right out of his head, when there was a loud thud as something hit the window. Both boys jumped and turned to look, and found a large mound of snow clinging to the glass.

Sirius stood up and went to the window, muttering curses under his breath as he opened it.

"Who is it?" Remus asked, as Sirius stuck his head out the window. His question was answered as James' voice, magically magnified by the Sonorus charm, floated up from the grounds below.

"Have you told him yet?"

* * *

Remus woke the next morning to find Sirius sitting on his stomach, gazing at him in an adorably dog-like fashion.

"Merry Christmas!" he said excitedly, planting a large kiss on Remus' nose. Remus grinned sleepily and rubbed his eyes. He tried to sit up, but Sirius grinned mischievously at him and wagged a finger in Remus' face.

"You're not escaping that easily," he said, his eyes dancing impishly.

"Uh oh," Remus replied softly, and promptly began to squirm as Sirius proceeded to tickle him mercilessly.

"Sirius, get off!" he pleaded, trying to push Sirius away, but Sirius fought back, tickling fiercely as Remus wriggled and bellowed beneath him. He was stronger than Remus, and heavier, but Remus was suddenly hit with a solution.

"That's enough!" he yelled. He rolled right over, with some difficulty, and Sirius fell off the bed, landing hard on the crimson carpet.

"Ow," he said, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "Not fair, Moony."

"Yes it is," Remus replied. "As the saying goes, all's fair in love and war."

"Don't give me that," Sirius grumbled, getting painfully to his feet. Remus grinned and reached down for one of the presents that had fallen on the floor during the tickling match. Sirius moved over to his own pile of presents and began tearing the paper carelessly, throwing it on the floor. Remus winced at him as he meticulously unwrapped his own gift, gently unsticking the spellotape and folding the paper back.

"This is wonderful, Sirius," he breathed, lifting the present up onto his lap. It was a huge, leather bound book that contained works by a number of poets that Remus adored, and Sirius found extremely boring. He flicked through the first couple of pages and smiled fondly at Daffodils and Death of a Naturalist.

"Glad you like it," Sirius replied, and then let out a yell as he ripped the paper off Remus' present. "Oh, wow!"

It was a large box, filled with every Zonko product imaginable - stink pellets, dungbombs, exploding inkpots, shrinking keys, and, a huge bag of their newest product -

"Hair-Colouring Pear Drops! That's incredible! Ingenious! I love it, Moony!"

Remus laughed as Sirius opened the bag and popped a sweet into his mouth. A second later, his hair turned from raven-black to crimson with a small pop.

"Wow!"

"Dear Lord, Padfoot! How did that happen?"

Remus and Sirius turned to where James had sauntered into the room, wearing an extremely shocked expression and a knitted sweater that exactly matched the colour of Sirius' hair.

"Hair-Colouring Pear Drops, Prongs! Remus got them for me! How cool?"

"Very cool, Moony!" James said, gazing admiringly at Sirius' hair. "We'll have some fun with those, won't we, Pads?"

"Oh yes," Sirius agreed enthusiastically. "Just imagine Snape's face when he wakes up tomorrow with pink hair."

James laughed, but Remus cleared his throat and wagged a finger.

"Now, boys," he said, with the air of someone scolding a pair of insolent five-year olds. "I didn't give you those presents to inflict pain onto others."

"Yeah, right," James scoffed, grinning lopsidedly.

"Don't make me take your fireworks off you, young man," Remus threatened, his voice shaking with the effort of trying not to laugh.

"You jest," James said, eying Remus uncertainly.

"Definitely not; I never jest," Remus replied, grinning.

James stared at Remus, horror-struck, before reaching for the large box of Filibuster Fireworks from his bed and clutching them to his chest.

* * *

"Come on, Padfoot! There'll be no food left if you don't hurry up!"

Sirius finished the almost fanatical styling of his hair, which was still shockingly scarlet, then linked arms with Remus, leading him down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. Remus sniggered as Sirius stuck his nose in the air, and then tripped, nearly tumbling down the stone steps.

"You're an idiot," he said fondly, and Sirius beamed, looking ridiculous with his crimson hair.

"So? You love me even though I'm a complete fool, don't you?"

"I suppose," Remus replied slowly, grinning. Sirius nodded happily and stuck his tongue in Remus' ear.

Remus jumped and lost his balance; he grabbed Sirius' arm and they both went crashing down the steps, landing hard on the stone floor.

Remus felt a sudden explosion of pain in the back of his head as it hit the ground. He groaned weakly and screwed up his eyes as his vision blurred, and decided it would be better to stay still, lest he discover he'd snapped his spine or something equally important.

"Ow," Sirius said; his voice was muffled by the granite flagstones, cold against his cheek, which throbbed from its sudden impact. He groaned as he tried to move and found his legs had lost all feeling. "You alright, Moony?"

"I think I might be dying," came the slightly pained reply.

"My heart bleeds for you. Now, would you mind getting off me? I can't feel my feet."

"I told you already; I'm dying, Padfoot. How can you expect a dying person to get off your feet?"

"Just - just roll over a bit; let the feet breathe."

"Fine, fine."

Remus shifted slightly and Sirius groaned; now he could definitely feel his feet, suffering from intense pins and needles.

"Ow," he said again, raising his head; there was a ringing in his ears and his cheek throbbed painfully, determined not to be ignored.

"The paralysis is setting in," Remus said through gritted teeth.

"Don't be a drama queen," Sirius replied, sitting up slowly and running his tongue along the right side of his mouth, checking to see if any teeth had come loose. By the time he'd counted them all, Remus had raised himself to a sitting position as well, rubbing the back of his neck and wincing.

"You okay?"

Remus nodded gently. "I think so. I'm sort of - seeing three of you, but I'll be fine."

"Three of me? Lucky you," Sirius replied, grinning. Remus snorted and rose unsteadily to his feet.

"Conceited git," he muttered, swaying slightly before regaining his balance. "Are you planning to sit there all day? Because James will be most displeased if you miss the snowball fight."

"Oh! I'd forgotten!" Sirius exclaimed, his face brightening. He heaved himself to his feet, his legs finally relieved of the tingling sensation, and they continued through the deserted common room.

"Thank Merlin no one saw that," Remus said.

"Too right. My reputation wouldn't stand for it," Sirius replied, and Remus laughed incredulously.

"Oh, heaven forbid a dent in your reputation, Padfoot," he said, "never mind a crack in your skull or a ruptured spleen."

"I don't appreciate your tone, Lupin."

"Well, I didn't appreciate your tongue in my ear."

"Don't lie. You loved it really."

"No, I didn't. It was disgusting, quite frankly."

"Ow."

"What?"

"My tongue. You hurt its feelings."

Remus rolled his eyes, trying hard to suppress a grin; Sirius noticed and smiled widely at him, his eyes reduced to slits.

"Merlin, Padfoot; that's terrifying. Don't ever smile at me like that again."

"Ow."

"What now?"

"My smile. You hurt its feelings."

"Oh, for goodness sake! You're a pillock."

"Thank you."

Their feet had taken them down the familiar route to the Great Hall while they bantered, and their noses were greeted by the smell of bacon and coffee. They moved a few inches from each other, a comfortable distance for Just Friends, and sauntered to their usual places at the Gryffindor table. There were few students at the house tables, most preferring to go home for Christmas, but there were enough for Remus and Sirius to wordlessly agree that it was unsafe to be too intimate in public.

"What have you done to your hair, Sirius?" Peter spluttered through a mouthful of toast.

"Remus' Christmas present," Sirius replied happily, grabbing a piece of toast and the pot of jam sitting in front of him.

"Hair-colouring Pear Drops," Remus added as he sat down opposite James, who eyed him suspiciously.

"Well?" he said, his hazel eyes moving to stare unblinkingly at Sirius, who paused in his liberal jam application to stick his tongue out at him.

"Well, what?" he replied, his eyes widening innocently.

"Stop acting an arse and answer me, Black." James snatched the jam pot from Sirius and handed it to Lily, who slid it down the table, out of reach.

"We know what's going on, lads," she said, gazing imploringly at Remus. "We just need you to confirm it."

"There's nothing to confirm," Remus answered quickly, and James raised an eyebrow.

"You can stop acting an arse too, Lupin," he said. "We can't be fooled, you know."

"Really?"

"That's shocking."

James scowled at them both, but Lily just smiled. Peter, busily buttering his fourth slice of toast, showed no sign of having registered any of the conversation so far.

"Come on now, lads," Lily said pleadingly, batting her eyelashes alluringly at Sirius, who snorted.

"That isn't going to work on me, Evans," he replied, tutting in mock annoyance. Lily sighed, putting her chin in her hands, and glanced up at Remus.

"Please?" she said quietly, jutting out her lower lip at him. "I helped you, remember?"

"No," Remus corrected, grinning, "you forced me. And as punishment for being so pushy, I think you should be kept in the dark for a bit longer."

"You're a cruel man, Remus," Lily replied mournfully. Remus glanced at Sirius, who smiled mischievously and tapped him on the nose.

"Alright," he said. "You've broken us. Remus and I are officially together."

James let out a triumphant cheer and reached across the table to ruffle Sirius' hair by way of congratulations, while Lily squealed happily and took Remus' hand in both of hers. Peter, who had been pouring honey into a bowl of porridge and humming, dropped the jug and stared, shocked, at his two friends, as a sticky, golden flood spread across the table.

"You're what?" he said, ignoring the puddle that was beginning to form in his lap.

"We're a couple," Sirius repeated slowly; Peter's small eyes widened and he bit his lip.

"Oh."

"Why? Is there a problem, Wormtail?"

"No!" he replied quickly, shaking his head furiously. "No problem; just a bit of a shock, that's all."

"Good." Sirius glared darkly at Peter for a second or two, before resting his head comfortably on Remus' shoulder.

There was a sudden explosion of laughter from the Slytherin table; all eyes turned to a large crowd of sniggering students, which included a number of Sirius' relatives. He let out a dog-like growl, stood up and marched over to the group of catcalling students, ignoring James' call of "Sit down, you idiot!"

"Do you lot have a problem, besides your unfortunate looks?" he snarled.

"Oh, hello, darling," drawled Bellatrix, her eyes, identical to Sirius' own, sparkling malevolently. Sirius scowled at her before turning to another member of the group.

"Answer me, Snape," he snapped. "What is so funny?"

Snape's eyes narrowed and he grinned before replying. "It seems to us that you and Lupin have become awfully friendly all of a sudden."

"Oh, what, it's a crime to have mates in this place?"

"Well, I for one don't think it's natural to have mates like yours, Black."

"Shut up, Nott," Sirius snarled.

"Ooh, there must be something to tell," a plump, pink-faced girl with pigtails giggled to her friend.

"Sirius, come back here before McGonagall comes and eats you," James hissed.

"James, shut up," Sirius called over his shoulder.

"Mother won't be pleased when I tell her, Sirius," a boy with astonishingly blue eyes and raven black hair sang, his voice shaking with mirth. Sirius whipped out his wand and pointed it threateningly at him.

"You tell her anything and I'll curse your brains out, Regulus."

"Sirius!" Remus' voice rang out warningly, causing the Slytherins to snigger once more.

"Mr. Black, kindly lower your wand."

Sirius spun around and found himself mere centimetres away from Professor McGonagall's angry face. He shoved his wand into his back pocket, opening his mouth to explain, but McGonagall held up a hand.

"I don't want to hear any excuses. Return to your table this instant, and if I ever hear of you pointing your wand at anyone outside Defence Against the Dark Arts class, you will be in severe trouble. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Professor," Sirius said; he knew better than to argue when McGonagall looked at him the way she was right now.

"Oh, and by the way," she added, lowering her voice and leaning forwards so only Sirius could hear her. "Don't let them irritate you. They don't know what they're talking about. Love is love."

Sirius stared at her, mouth open slightly in surprise, as she gave him a small smile and walked back up to the staff table. He went back to the Gryffindor table and plonked himself down beside Remus, ignoring the giggles behind him.

"I warned you not to go over there, you stupid prat," James said.

"Doesn't matter," Sirius replied. "She loves me really. She only yells at me to hide her lust."

Peter snorted into his coffee mug and sloshed it down his front. Lily grinned and passed him a napkin, and he dabbed at the stain fruitlessly.

"I should hope not," Remus said; Sirius grinned and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, darling," he said, "I'd have gone for her a while ago, but not now."

"She'll be devastated, I'm sure," James remarked, smirking.

"All her best efforts gone to waste, all because of this one here," Sirius agreed, pinching Remus' cheek.

"Do you mind?" he said tiredly, slapping Sirius' hand away.

"Ow."

"Huh," James said suddenly.

"What?"

"I just had an idea."

"Uh oh."

"Shut up, Remus, it's a Good One."

"Care to share?"

"Not now, Sirius. Remember, patience is a virtue. I'll be back in a minute."

He stood up and swaggered down the path between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables and through the double doors and the end of the Hall. Lily watched him go with narrowed eyes.

"I wonder what he's up to," she said suspiciously. Sirius shrugged.

"I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later."

"Yes. That's what I'm afraid of."

"Plan C.T has begun," James announced, grinning smugly as he sat down again ten minutes later.

"Plan C.T?"

"You'll see, my dear Pettigrew. Now, how about we go outside and begin the festivities, eh?"

* * *

"Eat snow, Potter!"

The Marauder's annual snowball war had commenced. There were only two rules; Every Man For Himself and No Quarter; to show mercy was to allow your opponents to bury you in snow and steal your pudding at lunch.

Within ten minutes all four boys were blue with the cold and soaked to the skin; four layers of clothing stood no chance against constant bombardment. Lily, ever the sensible Head Girl, had chosen to watch from the safety of the birch tree by the lake, and thus the tree was deemed 'Den'; only the Fatally Wounded were permitted to go there for a recovery period of forty-five seconds; then, the attack would recommence.

"Remus Lupin, get back here!"

Remus laughed as he sprinted away, looking over his shoulder to find out if he had hit his target. Sure enough, Sirius, red-faced and covered in snow, began to chase after him, a large, white weapon clutched in his right hand. He flung it at Remus' head, but it missed, and hit a squealing Hufflepuff second-year standing nearby.

"Sorry!" he called as he raced past her. She beamed and waved at him; clearly, she didn't mind that the Sirius Black had hit her full whack with a very hard, very cold ball of snow.

Remus had begun to slow down ever so slightly. Sirius, seeing his chance, upped his pace and was soon right behind him.

"Gotcha!" he yelled gleefully, and threw himself at Remus; he grabbed him around the waist and they fell with a soft thump onto the snow.

"Oh, you bugger," Remus grumbled. "Get off me, Padfoot, I can't breathe!"

"Honestly, Moony; you're such a whiner," Sirius replied as he heaved himself to his feet. "Give me your hand."

He reached down and helped Remus up, gently brushing the snow out of his hair.

"Hm," he said quietly, bringing his hand down to softly stroke Remus' icy, ivory cheek.

"'Hm' what?"

"You look gorgeous covered in snow."

Remus blinked. "Er, thanks."

"Even though your face is bloody freezing."

Remus laughed and ran a slightly blue-tinged hand through his hair. "You aren't bad-looking either, I suppose," he replied, and Sirius grinned.

"I know. I'm very not-bad-looking."

"And not conceited at all."

"Of course not. Now, kiss me."

Sirius moved his hand to the base of Remus' neck and pulled him forwards, so their lips pressed roughly together. Remus let out a soft moan and moved closer to Sirius; he opened his mouth as Sirius' tongue sought entry, warm against his frozen lips, and wrapped his arms around Sirius' waist.

"Love you," Sirius breathed in between kisses. "Love you so bloody much."

"Love you too," Remus replied softly.

"JAMES! I'VE FOUND THEM! BOMBARDMENT!"

"Argh!"

Peter, rosy-cheeked and beaming, leaped out from behind a tree and flung the largest snowball known to man at Sirius and Remus. They jumped apart, the weapon just skimming the top of Remus' head, and Sirius let out a yell.

"You little bastard, Wormtail!"

He knelt down, scooped up a handful of snow and threw it at Peter's head. Hard.

"Ow!"

"Ha! Gotcha, Pete. Don't mess with Messr. Padfoot!"

"That almost rhymes."

"Save me, Remus."

* * *

The four boys and Lily returned to the Great Hall some time later. The Marauders were freezing cold and soaked to the skin; their clothes were drenched and their hair dripping puddles over the floor. Lily had tried to dry them off with a charm, but they'd refused, preferring to proudly display the results of their morning like scars of war.

"Did you see, Sirius? James got Snivellus right on the nose!" Peter said excitedly as they all sat down.

"Brilliant, Potter," Sirius said happily, shaking his head so droplets of water flew everywhere; Lily squealed as they showered her like a rainstorm.

"Stop it, Sirius!"

"Whoops, sorry," he replied, though he didn't look sorry in the slightest. "Anyway. I wish I'd gotten the chance to get Snivellus. I'd have made sure that nose was knocked clean off his face."

"But you were rather too busy to do any throwing of snowballs, I hear," Lily said, puckering up her lips teasingly. Sirius scowled at her.

"James," he said huffily, "please tell your girlfriend I am not speaking to her."

"Oh, come on, little Siripoo," Lily said, grinning, "I was just mucking about. Don't huff with me."

"Huff," Sirius replied, folding his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

"I'll let you have my pudding."

"Really?"

"Yes. Now, are you speaking to me again?"

"Okay."

"So, James," Remus said, "are you going to tell us where you disappeared to at breakfast?"

"No. You'll see soon enough."

"Shut up, you two," Peter said as Dumbledore cleared his throat and got to his feet. "Feast's about to start."

"Merry Christmas everyone," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling merrily behind half-moon spectacles.

"About time," Peter grumbled, rubbing his stomach.

"I have nothing of great interest to say, except - eat up!"

There were delighted whoops as the golden dishes on the five tables were instantly filled with all sorts of Christmas food. Peter immediately reached for the nearest bowl, but dropped it with a yelp of surprise; there was a sudden, colossal bang, a number of screams, and the spattering noise of potatoes and gravy hitting the floor, the walls and, indeed, many students' faces. All eyes turned to the Slytherin table, and the Marauders roared with laughter.

There were whizzes and bangs as innumerable, multicoloured fireworks flew and exploded around the hall. Bits of food were splattered everywhere, and every single one of the Slytherins were screaming, their robes and hair covered in their lunch.

"James, you didn't," Lily said in an appalled voice. Sirius whooped and clapped James, who was beaming happily, on the shoulder. Peter was laughing at Snape, who was glowing red with fury and cranberry sauce. Remus let out a strangled wail and put his head on the table.

"I am so going to get the blame for this," he moaned. Sirius patted him comfortingly on the back.

"Don't worry, Moony," he said. "You weren't to know you were supplying dangerous weapons to a deranged nutter, were you?"

"My reputation is ruined," Remus continued miserably. "I have been corrupted by Zonkos. Never again can I show my face in public. I'll become a hermit, and live in a cave in the depths of Mongolia with a thousand flesh-eating worms as my only companions."

"Don't talk like that, you idiot," Sirius replied. "Look, here comes McGonagall. Oh, shut up - "Remus had just let out a cry of despair "- she's coming to put James in solitary confinement in her closet for a century or two, not you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I can see her eye twitching in the way she reserves only for Prongsie. Look, she's got him by the ear, see? Bye, James! Good luck!" Sirius paused and waved as McGonagall dragged James away, barking that Head Boy should know better. "And, would you look at that! Dumbledore is laughing!"

"What?"

Remus looked up at the staff table where Dumbledore was sitting, clapping his hands and chuckling.

"Oh, thank goodness for that."

"I told you, didn't I? Now, eat some food."

* * *

That evening, the remaining population of Gryffindor house were still congratulating James on his prank. The fact that he'd only received a detention from McGonagall made the whole thing even more impressive, especially to the quivering, glassy-eyed first-year girls, who had been fawning over him for nearly two hours. Lily, who had given James a sharp telling-off after he had returned from McGonagall's office, was becoming more and more annoyed with the attention he was receiving.

"I swear, if he doesn't stop acting like a bloody peacock soon, I'll throw his broom at the Whomping Willow," she grumbled.

"Don't worry, I'll sort it," Sirius replied quietly. He winked as he stood up, sauntered over to the crowd of adoring girls and said, at the top of his voice,

"Alright, girls, clear off. James' girlfriend is getting pissed off with you lot because she's been waiting to give him a Christmas snog for hours."

"Sirius, you are an unbelievable prick," Lily snarled from behind him as the first-years, grumbling and muttering indignantly, began to disperse.

"Huh. That's gratitude for you," Sirius replied, and James grinned.

"Is that true, darling?" he cooed, moving to sit beside Lily, who was staring resolutely at the carpet. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her neck; she shivered a bit, but still refused to speak to him.

"Okay," he said in between kisses. "I'm sorry." Kiss. "I was an arse." Kiss kiss. "Forgive me?" Licky kiss. "Please?"

"Well," Lily replied, grinning as James began to nibble on her earlobe.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Remus said, "just forgive the man before he eats you!"

"Okay then," she said, and James let out a little noise.

"No, wait," he said, sitting back and shaking his head, "don't forgive me yet, Lily. There's something else, so don't forgive me yet."

"Er, okay," Lily said, glancing at Remus with a very confused look on her face. "I don't forgive you, then."

"Good," James said, leaping to his feet. "I'll be back in a minute."

Lily stared, almost frightened, at James as he hurried up the staircase to the dormitory.

"What is going on?" she said, half to herself, as she turned to the others.

"You'll see," Sirius replied, grinning at her as he rested his head on Remus' shoulder.

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you that; it'd ruin the surprise, silly."

"Remus?"

"Don't look at me," Remus replied, taking Sirius' hand and lacing their fingers. "Look, here he comes now."

James had come bounding back down the stairs with something in his hand. He sat beside Lily again and handed her the something; it was a small, square-shaped box, and piece of parchment, folded over. Lily set the box down and unfolded the parchment. In James' slanting, curly handwriting, it said,

"Lily, my darling,

Please accept this as a token of my love. I promise to take care of you and love you for as long as I live. You are everything to me, my life source. I love you more than anything, more than pranking Slytherins, more than Quidditch.

Merry Christmas,

Your James.

x x x "

James grinned at the others as Lily read the note, tears beginning to fill her eyes. She raised a hand to her mouth and reread the words. Then she reached for the box, opened the lid and gasped. It was a ring, a simple gold band, with a row of four small diamonds embedded in the metal.

"Oh!" she breathed, a smile spreading across her face. "Is this - is this what I think it is?"

"Would you like it to be what you think it is?" James replied, a grin appearing on his face too. Lily glanced down at the ring in her hands, then up at James, who was looking at her with what could only be described as complete adoration, and nodded.

"So," he said, reaching out and wiping a tear from her face with his thumb. "Will you marry me, then?"

"Yes."

Sirius let out a little whoop and hugged Remus as James took the ring from the box and slid it onto the fourth finger of Lily's left hand.

"I love you," she whispered, and leaned over to kiss him, her face wet with tears.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly as she pulled away.

"They're happy tears, don't worry."

"Oh, this is great!" Sirius said happily.

"Uh, Sirius?"

"What?"

"Could you let go of my head?"

"Oh. Sorry, Remus."

"That's okay."

They both beamed at Lily and James, both of whom were grinning widely, although Lily was still crying. Peter, curled up in an armchair and stroking the tiny, snow-white owl he'd gotten as a present from his sister, let out a huge sigh.

"What's wrong, Peter?" Lily said.

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Well, this is our last Christmas at Hogwarts, right? I was just thinking - it's the best one too."

"I think you may be right," Remus said quietly. Sirius nodded and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Me too," he said, glancing at James, who nodded.

"Definitely."

"Better than third year," Sirius said.

"Was that the year when we built the army of snowmen and charmed them to attack the Slytherins?"

"Nah, Pete, that was fifth year. Fourth year was when James and I sneaked into Snape's dorm and left about fifty dungbombs under his bed, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Peter giggled a bit. "That was funny."

"But this year was better," Remus said.

"Hmm," Lily said thoughtfully.

"What?"

"It's just funny to think about what we were like last year compared to now. I mean, James and I barely spoke to each other, and now we're engaged." She let out a little squeak before continuing. "And Sirius, you and Remus are together, which I'm sure none of us would have believed last year. And Peter - well, I think you're the only one of us who hasn't changed."

"I don't want to change, really," Peter replied, smiling down at his owl. "I'd rather just stay the same, because change is a bit scary."

"Indeed," Remus said. "You know, I think it's a good thing we don't know what's ahead of us. If Sirius had known what was to happen last year he would have had a heart attack."

"Oi, that's not true!" Sirius replied, poking Remus in the side.

"Ow, don't poke me. But honestly, I think you would have been freaked out, Pads."

"I don't know," Sirius replied vaguely. "But it's not just us. It's everything. The whole world's different from last year. I mean, Voldemort's becoming more powerful, people are more scared, there's more death, more trouble. And yet, we can feel safe behind the walls Dumbledore has built for us. I just think that's incredible."

"Mmm, that's true," Lily said. "You know, I've been thinking, over the past few weeks, about what we'll do when we leave. I thought about training to be a Mediwitch, something like that. But, maybe the best thing we could do is to work with Dumbledore, against Voldemort. I mean, we have the skills, there's no doubt about it, and I despise him more than I could say, because of his ideas about Muggles and Muggle-borns. I could honestly see myself, and you lot too, working in the Order of the Phoenix."

"You know, that's an excellent idea," Remus said. "From what the Prophet has said, we are in need of a few more people working against him."

"Yeah," Sirius added. "They could use us. We are, after all, the Marauders. And Lily, of course. We could be really useful to Dumbledore, couldn't we?"

"We could," James said. "Maybe we could suggest it to him sometime? Not now, obviously, but in the New Year, when the new term starts."

"Yeah. What do you think, Peter?" Lily asked.

"Uh..." Peter glanced nervously at each of the others, and nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay. I don't mind."

"Good," Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "It's settled. Can we leave it to the Head Boy and Girl to ask Dumbledore sometime?"

"Yes indeed," Lily replied.

"Good. Now, shall I go down to the kitchens and get some celebratory mince pies and fruit cake et cetera?"

"I wouldn't say no to some of that," James agreed. "I'll get the cloak."

* * *

Remus woke up on Boxing Day to find Sirius sitting on his stomach, grinning at him.

"How can you be awake at this time?" he groaned. "You drank nearly your own bodyweight in 'celebratory' firewhisky last night."

"Yeah, I know," Sirius replied. "My head is killing me. But you looked so ravishing I couldn't resist."

"What? Sitting on me? I feel so special."

"You should," Sirius replied. "I only sit on very special people."

"Well, would you mind getting off? My lungs are being dangerously squashed."

"Oh, sorry."

Sirius swung his leg over and lay down beside Remus, who gasped,

"You're bloody freezing. Get in."

Sirius grinned and snuggled down under the quilt beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist.

"Why are you so cold?"

"Out in the snow."

"In your pyjamas? Are you mad?"

"You could say that."

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing. Just walking."

"Why?"

"I like the snow. But I like this better."

"What?"

"You and me. Lying here and talking."

"Yeah. It's nice. Except, your feet are so, so cold."

"Sorry."

Sirius sighed softly and stroked Remus' hair. He closed his eyes and snuggled into Remus back.

"Love you," Remus whispered.

"Love you too."

"Can you believe James and Lily are going to get married, Padfoot?"

"It's quite frightening to think about, isn't it?" Sirius replied, smiling. "But they're well suited."

"True."

"So are we."

"True. Sirius, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Will I wake up to you sitting on me every morning?"

"Most likely."

"Good."