It was Christmas time and Eve, and all 7 of her friends decided that they were going home. No one was staying at Hogwarts. Besides, all of them were first years, so their parents thought they should go back to their parents' house for the holidays and share experiences. Lily decided to sit with Severus (Eve found him okay, the boys didn't), Alice and Marlene decided to sit with a Longbottom and a Finnigan, so the rest of the group took another compartment and settled in.
James was thrilled to go back home. He kept talking about how his mum knitted jumpers for him during her free time and how his dad and he baked plum cakes for Christmas together.
Remus talked anout how his mum celebrated Christmas the 'Muggle' way and hung up the decorations for the tree by herself instead of using magic. The others giggled at the thought, and Eve was confused about what was funny about hanging decor without magic.
Peter only told that he was going to his grandma's and then to skiing. He did not seem happy about the grandma part.
Sirius was the most sad of the bunch. All he told was that his parents hosted a dinner party every day until their bank vaults were empty. Eve didn't know what was sad about parties to normal people, but Sirius was pretty damn scared.
Eve told her friends about how the Holmes' siblings hated Christmas, but their parents did, so they adjusted to their lives somehow. Keyword: somehow. The gang was surprised that Eve hated Christmas.
"Are you the Grinch?"
"No, I'm way more better looking than the Grinch, Remus. How could you compare me to him!?", Eva asked as though she was an actor in a play.
"What's the Grinch?", James, Sirius and Peter asked with wide eyes.
After an hour of chocolate and explaining who the Grinch was, the train had stopped. They were in King's Cross. And from the window, Eve could already see her parents and Mycroft (he was in college). Sherlock was obviously still at school, but she did not expect Mycroft to come. After getting down and struggling to get out of the bone crushing hug that her parents' gave her, Eve stood up straight and introduced her friends to her parents, who also met her friends' parents (except Sirius') and they started a conversation like they were old friends meeting after 20 years.
The first thing that Eve had done after coming back home was not helping Lily by showing around the house. She did not talk to anyone. She took Mycroft by the hand and told him to take her to her old school. A frightened Mycroft took Eva to her old school, and told her to be careful and waited outside.
After entering, Eve ran towards class 6 A to find her old frenemies, and Sherlock, AND his bullies. Somehow, Sherlock was now not bullied anymore. He'd found a way to insult people without much difficulty. He just deduced things about them, and a very freaked out Elijah ran off the classroom when Sherlock had told Elijah his sister's full story just by looking at the pencil he had borrowed from her. Eve gave everyone in class 6 A a piercing glare that said "you don't wanna mess with me" and went to see her old teachers, especially the ones she'd pranked.
Lily and Sherlock got along well. Like, really well. They constantly chatted about the working ways of the world and some philosophical things that Eve did not like to talk about (Who cares what's beyond the Universe? You only live once, brother mine. Don't waste your time.). Even though he got along with Lily, he was only really open with Eva. They talked about their schools, about what they learnt, how detention was different from the Muggle schools and Sherlock was in awe when he heard that she'd cut up a Flobberworm for a Strengthening Potion.
On 20th, Eva made her way to the Potters' House (Manor, more like) as per plan. Lily huffed at the idea of James coming home, and Eve only giggled, knowing all well that some day she might actually fall for him. James' mom, 'Mia' as she told Eve to call her, gave her a large mug of tea before she told Eve to wait for the others. James, Remus and Peter were already at the house. It was Sirius who was running late. And after 20 minutes, a very pale Sirius Black stepped out of the fireplace. He seemed sick, and worse looking than Remus, at that. He looked nothing like 'THE' Sirius Black that was famous at school. Sirius just gave everyone a wide smile and told everyone to get on with it as though nothing had happened.
"Merry Christmas, dears"
"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Holmes"
"I don't celebrate Christmas, don't wish me." "Me either."
"Sherlock! Mike!"
"Mycroft is my given name, mother. If you can't call me by my proper name, then please, I beg you, do change it!"
"Why are we doing all this anyway?"
"Because my daughter is back home after months, and it's Christmas! We do this every year!"
"Yes, but not with guests!"
"Excuse me, but the guests are actually right in front of you, you know, so I suggest you don't-"
"I know Lily, but they're people! You know it's not my forte!", Sherlock whined before setting the extra plates.
Eve's friends found her family's Christmas traditions weird (even Lily). Her parents were enthusiastic about Christmas while she and her siblings were never looking forward to Christmas dinner. Later, all of them played ping-pong on the clean dinner table, a tradition that Eve and Mycroft had crafted when Sherlock took too long to set up the ping-pong table. And at midnight, all of them sang (or screeched) "Joy to the world" at the top of their lungs, a tradition that had come up when Eve changed the ringtone of parents' phones to her singing, and called them from the landline at midnight. And for the first time ever since she'd Sirius after the holidays, he looked home. Eve remembered the conversation she'd had with him before dinner, and smiled at the boy.
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A/N: First, Taylor Swift reference. he he
The convo between Sirius and Eve will be in the next chapter.
What weird Christmas traditions does your family follow?