"It's a Marauder tradition," Sirius explained lightly as they made their way through the school on Christmas Eve. Today, as their work had been finished, Lily was allowed to join them, and she did so with a great curiosity.
"I hope you haven't been doing anything against the rules, Sirius," she told him sternly. "I'd hate to have to dock points."
"Oh come off it Lily, its Christmas!" Remus smiled. "Would we ever do something illegal?"
Lily frowned. "Well, there was that time…" She was cut off abruptly by a large hand covering her mouth.
"You heard absolutely nothing," James warned her, so seriously that Lily gulped and nodded, completely missing the laughter in his eyes.
In fact, James' warning and Remus' chastisement kept Lily silent for the entire trip down to the kitchens. Remus was right, it was Christmas, and she needed to relax and have fun. The boys had never meant (or, to Lily's knowledge,caused) any harm, and Lily was quite sure that James was determined for things to stay that way. Timidly, she slipped her hand into his, not darning to make eye contact, but at the same time obviously asking for forgiveness. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Then, it occurred to her that she was being rather silly anyway; this was James after all, the boy who could never be angry with her. Plus, after all, it was Christmas.
"So what have you been doing?" Lily asked quietly. "Helping the house-elves cook?"
James grinned. "Naw…. Like Sirius said, it's sort of a tradition. Every year we go down to the kitchens at Christmas and teach the elves-"
"And Moony," Peter sniggered, earning himself a sharp jab in the ribs from Remus.
"- to sing Christmas Carols."
"Oh?" Lily murmured. It was the sort of 'Oh' one exclaimed when they couldn't think of anything more to say. "That sounds like…. fun?"
They had reached the entrance to the kitchens, and Sirius grinned as he tickled the pear. "Oh Lily, you have noidea…"
The kitchen was a chorus of noise. If Lily strained, she could pick up the gentle rhythm of song… Except that each busy house elf seemed to be singing to their own tune and rhythm. Of course, the noise ceased as the four boys and their guest filed into the kitchen.
"Good morning, everyone!" Sirius called brightly. "Ready for practice?"
Lily was astonished to see their little faces light up with broad, toothy smiles as they finished what they were doing and made their way toward the boys, forming themselves into three lines: front row sitting, middle row kneeling, and back row standing.
"We are ready, if you pleases, Masters?" a tiny, female elf in the front row squeaked, looking excited.
Sirius elbowed Remus. "In you go, Moony," he murmured with a patronizing smile.
Remus sighed reluctantly and moved forward to kneel beside the standing row of elves. The elf on his left, an elderly kitchen-hand named Barmy, bowed in greeting. Lily tried to hide a smile at the sight of Remus with the elves, something which none of his three other friends even bothered to do. In fact, Peter produced a camera and took a few photos.
"All right," James said. "One, two…. Three!"
The house elves began to hum, conducted by Sirius. Remus, looking distinctly embarrassed, tentatively joined in. It seemed that these were the first few opening bars, as suddenly the kitchen once again broke into noise.
"No, follow my hands!" Sirius commanded gently, kneeling in front of them and attempting to look stern but kind. "Let's start back from the first line."
James had moved behind Lily and slipped his arms around her waist.
"Why do you make Remus sing?" Lily asked, bewildered, as she eyed the strange choir.
She could feel James shrug. "We needed someone to offset their high little voices, and Remus didn't mind. Not really, anyway. Secretly, old Moony loves this just as much as they do."
Lily nodded thoughtfully as she watched Sirius once again pause the choir.
Several hours later, Sirius seemed to feel he was getting somewhere. He called everyone in close, and announced that he thought they were ready to give it a proper try. James beamed.
However, it took about seven of Sirius' "proper tries" for any definite lyrics to emerge… And when they did, Lily found herself clapping her hands over her mouth, although whether it was to hide her horror or her amusement, Lily herself couldn't be quite sure.
" I saw Minnie kissing Dumbledore
Underneath the mistletoe last night
They didn't see me creep
Down the stairs to have a peep
They thought that I was tucked up in my dorm-room fast asleep
...
Then, I saw Minnie tickle Dumbledore
Underneath his beard so snowy white
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Sluggy had only seen
Minnie kissing Dumbledore last night
...
I saw Minnie kissing Dumbledore
Underneath the mistletoe last night
They didn't see me creep
Down the stairs to have a peep
They thought that I was tucked up in my dorm-room fast asleep
...
Then, I saw Minnie tickle Dumbledore
Underneath his beard so snowy white
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Sluggy had only seen
Minnie kissing Dumbledore last night
Last night!"
James turned to Lily, grinning. "Well, what do you think?"
Lily thought about it for a moment. True, the sound of all the chorusing house-elves (plus Remus) had been quite amusing, and the carol was essentially a classic. On the other hand, it was so terribly offensive, not only to poor Professor McGonagall but also Professor Dumbledore himself…. And then, Lily remembered.
"Why didn't you just use that 'Oh Snivelly' song you used to torture Snape earlier this year? And what is it with you Marauders and Christmas Carols, anyway?"
James shrugged. "Well," he said reasonably. "They're fun, and festive, and they brighten the castle. We make up a new one every year. And we couldn't use that one again because the lyrics weren't very Christmassy any more, were they?"
Lily had to concede point. "I suppose not, no."
"So?" James prompted, smiling as though he already knew the answer.
Lily sighed. Well, it was Christmas, she reminded herself.And the house elves did seem to enjoy themselves...Then, the Head Girl smiled.
"I think its fantastic."
Christmas Day appeared in a flurry of activity. Lily was woken at a startlingly early hour by James, who had carried both of their piles of presents down to the common room so that they could open them together. Lily realised immediately that something else was also amiss, as James looked rather sheepish. It took Lily three good bouts of pillow fighting to have James confess that he had tripped and mixed their gifts up.
Lily and James had spent a good ten minutes trying to sort out whose gift was whose when there came a great hammering on the Carved Witch.
"Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew," she called weakly. "Please can I let them in, it hurts!"
James smiled and granted her permission, and was shocked to see that she was looking rather battered (for a carving, at any rate), when the door swung open. Sirius, Remus and Peter piled in, looking to be in various stages between anger and amusement.
"Prongs!" Sirius bellowed. "Where are my presents?"
When James grinned sheepishly for the second time that morning, Lily braced herself, feeling the situation appeared somewhat ominous. Lily wondered whether James, too, was experiencing a sense of deja vu.
"Merry Christmas!" he said, trying and failing to sound jovial. "I had the house elves bring them here, so we would all open them together…"
Lily groaned audibly and eyed the two (admittedly large) piles of gifts that she and James had just sorted out. "Don't even say it," she warned him darkly.
James looked genuinely incredulous. "Don't say what? They're behind the lounge, lads!"
The second major incident came half-way through the day, when Peter and Sirius decided it might be fun to enchant all the wizarding bon-bons so that not only did they explode like a canon and produce real hats and random paraphernalia, they would do it on a rather large scale.
Even Professor Dumbledore conceded, with a festive twinkle in his eye, that it did make Christmas lunch exciting to have four ferrets (the size of large dogs) and seven white rabbits (which were even larger) running around the Great Hall, before a ferret inevitably discovered the door to the entrance hall.
Lily smiled, watching the final rabbit vanish through the oak doors, and shook her head. Across the table, Professor Flitwick's hat was so large that when he tried it on, he vanished completely beneath it. Beside him, Hagrid kindly plucked it off and settled it on his own head, pronouncing it a perfect fit, with a wink to James.
"Our last Christmas at Hogwarts," Remus sighed wistfully, watching the snowflakes flutter down onto the blanket of white that seemed to flow across the school grounds.
The Marauders had moved a lounge up to the Head's Tower gallery, and set it in front of the picture window to watch the snow, in a rare moment of reflection. Lily had come out of her room some time ago to find them like this, and she leant in her doorway, as she had seen James do so many times before, and watched them.
Sirius, sensing her gaze, looked around at her and smiled, beckoning her over. Lily complied.
"Budge up, there, Wormy, make room for the Head Girl," Sirius ordered, effectively evicting Peter from his seat on the lounge and forcing him to perch instead on the arm-rest.
Lily squeezed herself in between Sirius and James, who merely smiled peacefully at her and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer.
Lily watched the snowflakes falling down upon the school. They twirled and fluttered around in the sky, hesitant, before they took the plunge to the ground. That was exactly how Lily felt. She was sitting here, fluttering around her last six months of school before she took the plunge into adulthood: an increasingly dark and scary world. Tearing her eyes away from the snowflakes, she studied each of the boys' faces. Remus' was drawn, and Lily knew he was bearing the great burden of uncertainty, perhaps the greatest of them all. Being what he was, Remus was going to have a difficult job finding work and a life outside this school, which had sheltered and nurtured him for so many years.
Sirius looked calm: the calmest Lily had seen him for weeks, She did not know of James and Sirius' conversation a week ago regarding Emmeline, but a noticeable change had come over him. He was more considerate now, and less moody, as if a great weight had been lifted from him.
Peter looked worried, although not so worried as Remus. She supposed he was anxious about the exams, and about leaving Hogwarts, as they all were, to a certain extent.
And then, Lily turned to examine James. A light glowed from his eyes that she hadn't seen in years: he seemed content, just to sit and while the hours away with his arms around her and his friends by his side.
Sirius broke the silence.
"You know, since you seem to have decided to crash the Marauders, Lily, I think you need a nickname."
Lily glanced at him and raised her eyebrows. "Crashing, am I? So sorry to interrupt!"
James arm tightened around her, just in case she had decided to leave. "You're not Lils, Sirius is just being an idiot," he explained calmly.
"I know," she replied. "But I still don't need a nickname. You'll only come up with something stupid, anyhow."
"You think our nicknames are stupid?" Peter sounded insulted.
"Peter, if your nicknames were sensible, I'd be alarmed, because that's not normal for you lot anyway. And that wasn't the point. I'm quite content not to have a silly nickname of my own."
"I feel Rudolph would be quite sensible," Remus argued, laughter in his eyes.
Sirius grinned. " No, no, Prancer is much better. Just like the way Lily pranced around Prongs for years."
Lily poked out her tongue. "No, no Rudolphs or Prancers or Dashers or Dancers."
"Or Cupids?"
"No, James, no cupids."
James sighed, feigning disappointment, before a wide, cheeky grin spread across his face. "Oh, I have it," he said quietly, sounding so triumphant that Lily was alarmed.
"Well?" Remus prompted into James' silence.
If it was possible, James' grin widened. "Vixen."
"James!"
"Nice, Prongs." Sirius offered his hand for a high-five in appreciation.
"But that's a fox, not a deer…"
"It's in the song!" James protested, laughing, as Lily hit him.
Remus watched, amused, as Lily blushed, her face growing redder and redder, although it was impossible to tell whether her reaction was in embarrassment or anger.
"It's just a bit of fun, Lily," Remus told her gently, rolling his eyes.
"No one's calling you anything you don't want to be called, Vixen."
"That's enough. Stop ribbing Lily, Padfoot."
"Fine," Sirius sighed. "I'm sorry, I was only joking, Lily."
The red was slowly draining from Lily's face, and she was biting her lip. Sirius strongly suspected she was fighting the urge to smile.
"That's all right, Sirius," she said quietly.
The group lapsed back into silence. Peter chewed his thumb, Remus returned his gaze to the window, and James rested his head on Lily's.
Suddenly, Sirius, who had slumped back against the lounge, looking thoughtful, sat up and smiled.
"Mrs. Prongs?" he asked.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Why do I have to take James' name?"
Sirius shrugged, slumping once more. "Well if you don't want one of your own…"
"Which, you're quite right, she doesn't," Remus supplied helpfully.
"But we're not married, anyway," Lily tried feebly.
"Yet."
Everyone turned to look at Peter, who was smiling knowingly.
Sirius nodded, approvingly. "Right you are, Wormy. And," he added, turning back to the couple, "when you aremarried, I'm going to be the best man."
Lily and James exchanged a look of pure shock, although James' eyes sparkled with amusement.
Trust the lads to know, he thought ruefully.
"So ready to send me away, Paddy? I'm surprised," James teased.
"Well, we aren't," Remus replied, indicating himself and Peter, who nodded.
Sirius simply shrugged, his dark eyes looking quite serious. "Nobody's sending anyone away. Besides, Prongs, you'll always be a Marauder. That isn't about to change."
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