A silence was spread over the Potter Manor on the bright and early morning of Christmas Eve as the twins slowly crept down the stairs. Grabbing their coats, they gently opened the door and stepped outside.
"It's still dawn. We should be able to make it in time." James told Juli, breathing in the fresh, crisp air.
She nodded gladly and they made their way forward into the dark. They walked in a comfortable silence till they reached a place which looked like the edge of a cliff.
A huge grin plastered on their faces, they sat down staring at the horizon. It looked serene. With no bustling activities and the sun slowly rising up, making the sky a shade of yellow, red and orange.
"Hey, Juli?" James spoke softly with concern.
"Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something"
Juli turned her neck to look at him. Taking this as the permission to go on, he continued
"Things are bad at Sirius' house. His parents are upset that he is - not like them, you know. A Slytherin who hates muggleborns."
Juli nodded.
"They have been awful to him. Maybe even have used the Cruciatus Curse on him" James shuddered at the thought as Juli gaped at him.
"So I offered that he could come over during Christmas and live with us. Mum and Dad already know and they have readily accepted."
"So this is what that conversation on the platform was about." She realized.
"Yes. And I didn't want to keep you in the dark."
"Thank you, Jamie, I appreciate it."
James looked on the verge of tears. Putting her arms around his shoulders, she whispered kindly, "It'll be alright. And if he does come here, we'll make sure he has a merry Christmas and feels loved, yeah?"
He nodded gratefully and went back to enjoying the scenic beauty.
The twins decided to head back as the sun rose.
"So you and Peter, huh?"
Juli's face went red. "What do you mean?"
"Oh come on! Everyone in the room but Peter can see how much you like him." He wiggled his brows at her.
"Oh shush" she replied grinningly.
"Mum? Dad?" Juli asked entering the house.
"Oh, good. You're back. Let's have breakfast now, shall we?" They heard Euphemia's voice from the dining room.
They seated themselves opposite Fleamont who lowered down the Prophet to look at them.
"What?" James questioned his look.
"Can you for one day not do that? It's been 6 years."
"No can do, Dad" Juli replied with a smug expression. "Watching the sunrise together at Christmas time is our tradition and a promise we intend to keep."
Fleamont smiled at his children and went back to reading.
Suddenly, a loud, urgent knock was heard on the door. James got up hurriedly and went to open the door.
He came back inside after a few minutes dragging a trunk and a scared looking Sirius. Everyone was shocked and worried.
"I am sorry for barging in like this Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter, Juli. I needed to get away from Grimmauld for some time" He told them, not quite meeting their eyes.
"It is alright, Dear" Euphemia broke the silence and smiled kindly.
"You all must be wondering why I am here."
"Not really, Sirius. We have known your family and we understand." Fleamont replied calmly.
Juli got up and pulled Sirius into an awkward, but not uncomfortable hug. Sirius was taken aback but hugged her back, letting himself ease into the embrace.
James joined them too as Sirius let out a small chuckle.
* * * * *
"I think we should start decorating the tree." James wondered aloud putting his quill away. "I have had enough of this homework."
Sirius got up and stretched his hands.
"I'll go and get the ornaments" Juli added excitedly.
The twins argued a lot about which ornament should go where which made Sirius laugh and happy in a long time.
* * * * *
With a little help from Euphemia and Fleamont, the tree looked beautiful. It had now begun to snow and with the tree decorated and a cup of hot cocoa by the fire, it truly felt like Christmas.
"You think we should do something to help Remus?" Sirius asked.
"What do you mean?" Said James not getting his point.
"Well, his mum is sick an awful lot due to which he keeps going home and comes back tired every time. Maybe we could know more about the sickness she has in the library once we go back."
"Sounds like a plan" Juli agreed and went back to enjoying her cocoa.
"Hey, who is the fifth member?" Sirius asked looking at the 5 stockings.
"You of course." James gave him a wide grin.
Sirius felt a warm, tingling feeling in his heart as he sighed happily.
Euphemia made them excellent dinner and they all went to sleep with full bellies that night. James and Sirius chose to be in James' room while Juli went to hers.
"Mate, wake up. Sirius!" James whisper shouted to Sirius and woke him up on Christmas morning.
"What? Oh, hey, James. What time is it?"
"It is 5:30. Now come on, get up. We have something to show you."
The twins waited in Juli's room for Sirius to get ready.
Greetings of Christmas were exchanged as Juli tiptoed down to the kitchen. She came back with something in a bag. "Ready?"
"Ready." James answered.
They left the house quietly and reached the cliff in no time.
"It's beautiful" Sirius breathed.
"It is" James agreed.
They sat down and Juli offered both of them hot cocoa which she had brought with her. She took one herself and the warmth of the mug made her feel content.
Sirius seemed a bit hesitant.
"What is the matter, Sirius?" She asked politely.
"I am really really grateful for this but I am not sure if bringing me up here was a good idea"
The twins gave him a confused a look. He continued,
"This is your tradition. Why include me?"
"Because Sirius," James said "you are family. And besides, it's Christmas."
Sirius now seemed a lot more pleasant.
Juli raised her mug into the air "To Christmas, to family and to Sirius"
"Cheers"
"Hear hear"
The snow makes everything look so beautiful. I cannot ask for anything else.
"Time for presents" James shouted bursting in the door.
"Yes yes. Indeed." Fleamont replied happily.
They all gathered in front of the fireplace.
"Let's start with our presents." Euphemia said looking at Fleamont who nodded.
They gave the first present to Sirius.
"Thank you so much Mr and Mrs. Potter, but you didn't have to." He said opening his present.
"You are very welcome, boy. And it is Fleamont and Euphemia for you." Fleamont patted his shoulder.
They gave matching sets of socks to James and Juli who looked very ecstatic.
Euphemia and Fleamont gave Sirius a grey jumper which matched his eyes.
He also received Chocolate Cards from Remus, Zonko produts from James, Every Flavoured Beans from Peter and lots of chocolates and Christmas wishes letters from the girls and Frank. The gift he liked the most was a picture of him with his three friends laughing which was taken by Marlene. It was given to him by Juli and she had scrawled in tiny letters the date and the place. It said,
"2nd September, 1971.
Professor McGonagall's office, Detention #1"
Juli received Sugar Quills from Sirius, a set of beautiful quills from James, Muggle novels from Remus and Lily, a few packs of exploding snaps from Dorcas, chocolate frogs from Alice and a box of muggle drink called Coke from Marlene which felt weird on the tongue.
Ignoring the smirks from Sirius and James, she blushed slightly as she opened the gift from Peter. It was a pen with her name written on it. She absolutely loved it.
How thoughtful of him.
"Ah, yes, yes. Very thoughtful indeed." James laughed as she realized that she had said it out loud.
James too, had gotten a lot of presents. He got a deck of Muggle cards from Remus, Liquorice wands from Peter and a bottle of shampoo from Sirius as a joke. Juli gave him a painting of the view from the cliff on a snowy morning. His father had later on given him an invisibility cloak which had been passed on from generations and James accepted it without questioning.
The rest of the holidays passed in high spirit as the three of them enjoyed to their fullest and went everyday to the cliff, Sirius occasionally sleeping in to give the twins some time alone.
The holidays ended before anyone realized and they were already on the Platform meeting everyone before boarding the train.
Fleamont and Euphemia hugged all the three children and said goodbye.
"We are your family, Sirius." Fleamont reminded him. He smiled and all three of them boarded the train.
Finding a compartment, they all settled in, waiting for Remus and Peter. James went on to look for someone to prank while Juli and Sirius decided to sit this one out.
"So no luck with Peter, then?" Sirius asked.
"Eh" she merely shrugged not bothering to look at him.
"Hey Juli?" He said after a while
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For everything. It means a lot to me."
She finally looked up at him and smiled. "You will always have a home with us, Sirius. You deserve to be happy, too."
He smiled a smile which warmed her heart.
"I can't believe Christmas is over. I have never had such a happy Chirstmas before" He told her.
"Well, now that we are here for you, you'll have a good time. And you'll be happy. I promise."