With all the pranks, Hogsmeade weekends, Marlene's late night concerts, Alice's passion of starting a club that would help newbies (first second and third years) to prepare themselves for exams and such stuff with Lily heading the campaign obviously, Mary's impossible to deflate enthusiasm on being the Quidditch commentator for this season, Moony's failing lectures to keep everyone under control, Wormtail's fabulous recipe of cheesecake, Prongs's plotting machine of a mind churning out new ideas, my borrowed books for studies and the murmurs about Sirius's another supposed-to-be-a-girlfriend, time seemed to be passing a lot faster than expected. 

Soon it was Christmas Break. Despite the Christmas spirit, things had slowed down at the moment due to the fact that most people were heading to their homes. Of course, each and every one preferred to spend Christmas with their families. The Marauders were staying however. And it seemed, so was Marlene. 

I had been late studying and it was well past curfew when I stepped in the common room. One of the advantages of having James's Invisibility Cloak and entering the common room after midnight is that the Fat Lady's usually snoring and doesn't bother much to check who's out there; just give her the right password and as long as you sound like a human you're in. 

I don't know how long had passed since I was in the Library but I knew it was probably much longer than usual because half an hour earlier even Moony went off to bed and two hours before that the Marauders were typically forcing us to stop being absolute bookworms. 

The weight of the newly sneaked out books was too much for me and I dumped them on the nearest couch then took off the cloak. I noticed that I wasn't alone. Lily was sitting in front of me in one of the armchairs holding a letter in one hand while a deep thoughtful look was displayed on her usually calm features. 

"Hey," I greeted. 

She looked up, "oh. So its you." She looked a bit sad and I recalled that she wasn't too glad either of staying at Hogwarts for Christmas yet she did so anyway. 

"All okay?" I asked in hopes of making some conversation. 

To be honest, I seldom got along well with Lily Evans but we didn't hate each other, no. Point was that I'd prefer Marlene over her anytime (not meaning to be rude or whatever) still... 

"Yeah. It's my sister, she's getting engaged this Christmas," she replied. 

"Congratulations," I spoke. 

A light smile took over her face, "thanks. Only the point is that she doesn't want me to be at her engagement. Thinks that a freak like me would spoil her big day for her. Dear old Tunie... Its not unusual though. I should have gotten used to it by now." 

I understood. Having a sister who's indifferent to you is certainly not the best feeling in the world. Take Ginny, for instance. "She'll see sense soon. Sisters are usually like that some times," I mean what else could I say? 

It would have been no good to tell her that I sympathized with her because I too have a sister who doesn't think it worth her time to speak a word to me even, instead she prefers to scribble all day long in her rather ancient diary. Talk about being ignored for no obvious reason at all. Personally I consider being ignored intentionally much worse than being slapped in the face. Or perhaps I'm exaggerating now. Whatever. 

Anyhow it was quite a short while of awkward silence between us after which Lily spoke, "how are things going for you by the way?" 

I replied, "great. I miss my family a lot though but I'm hoping to see them quite soon. Just hope Moony wasn't wrong about the Tapestry thing." 

She nodded, "you get along very well here. Even with the four of them. I would have wanted you to stay." 

Now... That's odd. Lily has been nice to me but never that nice to actually ask me to stay over here with her and the others for the rest of my life. But then of course things change. 

She laughed a little seeing my expression (I tell you if your expressions get automatically too visible on your face, its definitely not a blessing; spoken from personal experience), "you know with you here, a lot of things have changed." 

For example? 

"Like, its much easier to control these four troublemakers," she resumed, "they are always worried about you getting found out by McGonagall or someone which makes them sort of cautious to watch their steps every time. Its a blessing really. I don't have to run after them shouting to stop something when it goes too far. You're there for that. And they're always too busy keeping you out of the way of other teachers that they don't get stuck in detentions often." 

That's weird. I mean... Now when I think about it, yes. Fred and George have taught me a lot of things out of which one is to draw a line so as to never get too far (though I do cross it more than once but I know when to stop) and basically that's what I've been doing here too. 

"Perhaps," I mumbled. 

"Don't tell Sirius, but he's not had a single detention this week," she spoke with a hint of an amused smile on her face, "its quite a record. And a great improvement. I would prefer it to remain that way." 

Sure is. Knowing Padfoot he can't survive a single day without ending up in four detentions altogether. Thinks its cool. I don't. I mean I have had my share of Detentions with the worst teachers ever imaginable. And I never found it cool. Not at all. 

"Its quite late," she mumbled. 

"Go to bed Lils. Everything will turn out much better than you expect," I told her as I stood up to arrange my books so I could carry them to the dorm. 

"It felt good to talk to you, Kat," she replied, "see you in the morning." 

I nodded. She went towards the girls dormitories. Good. My cue to leave then as well. Now when I think about it, I am really tired. "Wingardium Leviosa," I muttered under my breath and pointed towards the books which levitated up in the air. Making them follow me I climbed up towards the side where the dorm was located. 

I carefully opened the door knowing Sirius would be fast asleep by now. And so he was. I could very distinctively hear him snoring. I cautiously placed the books under my bed then climbing into the sheets, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. 

***  

With Christmas coming near, the whole school was draped in a festive mood. Quite a few number of students had stopped at Hogwarts for the Holidays but even then the spirit was high as ever. 

The remaining Gryffindors had taken it on themselves to decorate the Common Room while all the Houses were taking part in the decorum of the Great Hall. With Dumbledore as Headmaster, things become twice funnier as he had given the students full leave to decorate in any way they liked. 

The last Hogsmeade weekend all of us were laden with ribbons, baubles and such stuff. We decorated the Great Hall in the characteristic red and green colours while in our common room there was quite a splash of a rainbow. Marlene was over enthusiastic rushing about giving orders. 

The Marauders accidentally dropped the Reindeer's head decoration piece on poor Snape (whose expression was worth watching as he was stuck with antlers and a snout). They only took it off when Prongs began to fuss about it saying that they should have dropped any other head on Snivellus rather than that of a Reindeer's (well I understand, he knows reindeers and stags are close relatives in the animal kingdom, if you get what I mean because there's absolutely no time for me to go on explaining). 

We were decorating the common room, Marlene had even draped ribbons over a flustered Fat Lady who kept complaining that the ribbons blocked her view and muffled her voice (which in her opinion was not favorable for incessant singing). Nowadays she had taken to entertain us by singing hymns all day long. 

I was balancing on a mountain of chairs trying to place the final cluster of ribbons on the top of our Christmas tree when I lost footing and... Wham! Crash! Tumble! You get the point. I might be a trouble magnet for all I know as I seem to be falling a lot lately. Wonder why is that though. 

It was a good thing the Gryffindors had strewn cushions on the floor as a safety precaution or else another case of broken bones and not being able to see Madam Pomfrey. Close call. 

Marlene shrieked in alarm and came rushing to my aid. However the whole cluster of ribbons that had flown out of my hands when I fell, landed on Padfoot and now he was an entangled ribbon mess. The rest of the Gryffindors were laughing their heads off at him while he was just smirking. Typically Sirius behaviour. 

Marlene spoke, "what are you so happy about? You look like the trees do when Halloween comes near in Muggle towns. Totally concealed in white. Only difference is that you're covered in coloured ribbons." 

He shrugged as he tried to get the ribbons off him, "thanks for the compliment. By the way I know I'm very cute and that won't change even if I got entangled with a hundred ribbons. Naturally dashing, you know. Hard to conceal. Quite unlike the trees you just mentioned." 

Trust him to always make a point of how arrogant he can get. However these days he had taken up his habit of singing hymns and twisting them whenever he felt the need. And that is basically what he does every time now.

*** 

After the ribbon accident as well as dinner fiasco (the Marauders literally lost it and there was giant food war in the Great Hall, imagine it even McGonagall got hit by a pie and that was ridiculously crazy I mean it was a crucial moment when all of them were expecting to get expelled for it but surprise; nothing severe happened), well yeah we were all in the common room when Padfoot began singing a newly twisted hymn at the top of his lungs:

"You know Malfoy and Yaxley and Travers and Mulciber,

You know Nott and Crabbe and Goyle and Rosier,

But do you recall

The most famous reindeer of all,

Snivellus the Greasy haired Reindeer.

He had a very beaky nose

And if you ever saw it

You would even say it glows

With the grease that was upon it.

All of the other reindeers

Used to laugh and call him names

They never let poor Snivellus

Join in any reindeer games."

I realized that he had made up his own version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (I remember how much Miss Akulya forced us to repeat all the hymns after the choir in Sunday School when the asylum kids were taken to church). He must have made up some more lines but before he could continue, there came a distraction. 

"SHUT UP, BLACK!" Oh. Lily. As expected. 

The Marauders had this habit of making fun of Snape whenever they got the chance (well... I don't personally approve of it but who am I kidding by the way? In my own time, me and the twins never refrain from annoying Snape out of his wits), and Lily being Snape's friend did all she could to put a stop to that. 

"Hey Evans its not my fault that his hair are so ominous," he protested. 

But almost immediately James spoke in a huff of anger, "what did you just call Snivellus? A reindeer? A freaking reindeer? That's the greatest insult I have ever had to face, Padfoot!" 

Sirius scratched the beck of his neck as if sort of afraid of James's outburst while all the rest of us were enjoying the scene (Lily was glaring at James for not giving the appropriate reason to shut Padfoot up; she was more of expecting a good natured lecture from James but considering its Snape on the opposition, fat chance). 

"Uh, sorry Prongs, I forgot that a reindeer is also from the Stag family," he realized his mistake. 

James nodded still glaring, "don't you dare mention it again." It was quite fun really watching them squabble like that. 

Wormtail (who never really spoke until he badly needed to) asked, "has anyone seen greasy haired reindeers though?" 

Moony was sitting close by immersed in his books as usual, "of course not Wormy. Reindeers are usually very sleek and no greasy haired species were ever found to exist." 

Knowing Moony he might have said something more but Sirius put a stop to it, "that's enough, Moony, we would appreciate if you refrain from giving us one of your very deer lectures. Anatomy of the deer family is definitely not included in our NEWTs exams."

***