Of Mistletoe and Holly Leaves

One: Christmas Remember Me's

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

What better way to count down to Christmas than to have a oneshot of Harry Potter each day?

Each dedicated to a person on FFNet:

Dedicated to Clo Salvatore, my beta.

Sirius sat, watching the fire flicker and crackle, while Peter and James were playing a rather loud game of Wizard's Chess. I looked at my friends, over a book of 'Charms, Hexes, Curses, and Jinxes.'

" Moons, why don't you join the party?" James asked.

I looked up from a curse that caused a wizard to only be able to speak backwards.

" Well Prongs, I don't call Chess and staring at the fire a party," I slid down on the floor anyway.

" Now it is," Sirius said, pouncing on me. He tackled me to the ground. I whirled, hitting him on the side of the head.

We had two more days, and then twenty days of Christmas break.

" Get off me you great lump," I said, shoving him away.

He grinned. " Oh come on Moons. Lighten up," he said in mock anger.

" Lighten up? We have O.W.L.S. soon! I can't lighten up," I snapped.

" We have O.W.L.S. in about four or five months," James pointed out. " Lighten up at least a bit Moons." He flashed me a smile when one twitched at my mouth.

I sighed in defeat. " But don't think I won't study for my O.W.L.S."

James grinned. " 'Course not Moony."

" Now we have a new plan," Sirius said.

I bit back my usual complaint about how pranks were bad.

" Alright. What are we planning?" I asked, sitting cross legged, in our small square.

" A goodbye to Slytherins, of course," Sirius said as though it was obvious. " And we wouldn't want to forget Snivellus," Sirius asked, his voice a dangerously soft tone.

" Oh we wouldn't want that," I agreed. " So what is the plan?"

" Well what better way to say goodbye than to sing...Christmas carols?" James asked.

" Hmm...as fantastic as that sounds Prongs, why not give them Christmas presents?" I suggested. " It is the most logical idea."

Peter's eyes went wide with excitement.

" Chocolate?"

" Of course," I answered.

" Fireworks."

" Hair dye."

" Explosions."

" Potions."

" Hexes."

" Charms."

" Transfiguration."

We looked at one another.

" Let's start," we all said at once, and in unison, we got up at once, pulling our wands out, taking no notice of the Common Room around us, and I had wisps already sparking from my wand. In an instant, they formed silken ribbons, from blood red to the palest of pink.

Peter had out his wand, and with a wave, out issued wrapping paper, decorated with snowflakes, and prancing stags, black dogs, brown wolves, and rats. Our signature, hidden carefully within the wrappings.

Sirius and James worked together like one, each thinking the same, and forming one present.

Peter wrapped it in snowflakes and gold. Then I tied the ribbon with Magic.

Next, I took the smallest of stickers, well it looked like a sticker. But each had either a magnificent stag, a howling brown wolf, a snarling black dog with golden eyes, or a rat.

We were careful to make everyone a present. Everyone got one, but no one would know.

Our small brands were usually stuck carefully within the folds, and only one who was looking carefully would ever see it.

Then I walked around the room, as though checking for anything we had missed.

But instead, after a second, I stopped, and called out. " Sally!"

There was a sharp crack, and my elf friend stood there. She wore a blouse, and loose pants, and a hat with ear holes cut in them. She had been my friend when I joined Hogwarts.

" Can you hand these out, specifically to each name on the cards? We'll do Gryffindor, can you run down and get Sam to do the same?" I asked politely. James and Sirius, still busy fixing up a few of the nastier hexes, didn't even turn their heads.

Sally nodded eagerly, and used a hover charm to lift many packages, and then took off, padding of her feet showing that she was running.

" Okay so we'll see who dares to open the presents," I smirked.

Sirius and James had on their serious faces, but I knew inside they were just as excited.

Most of the presents were nice. Girls, they got fast acting pimple-remover, makeup, lip gloss, all that girly stuff along with new quills, which we made beautiful and elegant. Lily's I knew was a rose rather than a quill.

Boys, they got cooler things, like firecrackers, chess sets, Exploding Snap cards, Gobstones, and a few simple pranks.

The people who we didn't like. Mainly the Slytherins and a few of the unfortunate ex-boyfriends of Lily's who were in Ravenclaw, let's just leave it at 'they'll be in for a rough day tomorrow.'

I felt particularly bad for Lily's current boyfriend, Johnny Thomas, who would no doubt end up in the hospital wing without any doubt.

The next day, we all got up early, and intending to spend the whole day in the Great Hall, we waited for the first people to be up.

Girls of course, the " Marauder Fangirls" went crazy over their gifts, no doubt finding each one of our marks. Then they came down, levitating presents for James and Sirius.

By only the first fifteen minutes of breakfast, James and Sirius were busy on a small pile of gifts each.

I had set my own five or so on the table, and carefully vanished them to my dorm.

I heard a bang, and looked up.

I turned slowly to face James and Sirius who both had evil grins on their faces.

I heard a shriek in the hallway next, and waited.

Out cantered a reindeer. Legs splayed, and fear in its wide brown eyes.

I blinked.

" Who is that?" I asked fiercely, preparing to change them back.

" NO!" Sirius and James shouted at once. " No. It won't work Moony! Don't try."

I looked at them, and then cautiously sat back down. " Who is it?"

" Malfoy," they answered simply.

The animal shook its antlers, letting out another horrified cry.

I held back my laughter, and instead watched the scene unfold.

When I heard another shriek, I turned, expecting another deer. But instead, in raced a boy with flaming orange hair, and following him came a boy with rather literally flaming hair.

The boy screamed. I could tell it wasn't burning him, but it sure had scared him to death.

The orange haired boy, was Snape, and I looked at Sirius and James, who were both watching him in interest.

" You didn't," I said, wanting to whine.

" We did," they said at once.

Just then there was a bang, and Snape vanished in a puff of black smoke.

" Where did you send him?" I demanded.

" We didn't send him anywhere," James said.

" Yeah," Sirius agreed. " He should be back in about an hour."

" An hour?" I repeated. But I couldn't say anything more, because the next person came in, wand raised, looking ready to fight.

" Bella ," Sirius said, standing up.

Bellatrix was furious. " What did you do BLACK?"

Sirius paused to pretend to think. " Nothing."

" What did you do to him!"

" Oh you mean your boyfriend?" James asked from next to Sirius.

She narrowed her eyes and raised her wand. " Where is he?"

Sirius sighed and looked at his watch. " He should be back in about ten minutes, if you didn't move the box."

She froze. " What if I moved it?"

" How far?" Sirius asked.

" How..." she trailed off. " How far?"

Sirius nodded. " How far from where you found it."

" Maybe ten feet," she said, looking like she was thinking, and wanting to curse him at the same time. Maybe she was thinking about cursing him.

" Okay, so he should be back in ten hours and ten minutes. Every inch adds another minute, I think..."

She gaped, looking too shocked.

And when she raised her wand, James was faster, sending a neat curse at her, and she vanished in an explosion of red smoke.

" Where did you send her?" Sirius asked.

" Back to her dorm."

Many of the people who were hexed, vanished, and those who weren't, waited on the return of others..

Lily twirled a rose at breakfast, so I was right. James watched her half of breakfast, until Lily glared at him.

All Christmas day, it became normal to hear the screams, bangs, explosions...anything you could think of ranging from an outbreak of pimples, to the person vanishing for several hours and turning up knocked out on the Third Floor. Which I believe that unfortunate person turned out to be Avery.