Fractured paths

Christmas night

Christmas at Hogwarts promised to be the worst Christmas ever.

The glittering carpet of snow outside only reminded the Marauders how cold it must be for Severus, Regulus, and Lucy. To make matters worse, full moon fell on Christmas Eve night.

All the Marauders opted to remain at Hogwarts instead of going home for the holiday. Lily's family was still on the run; Remus needed the Wolfsbane potion. James, Sirius, and Peter stayed—as always—to keep Remus company the night of the full moon.

Today, despite the Wolfsbane potion, Remus was exhausted.

Everyone tried to lend each other some Christmas spirit—though that was a lost cause. The castle's warmth and fragrant pine decorations seemed to intensify the void of absent friends.

Lily rested her chin in one hand as she sat in an armchair in the Gryffindor common room.

Nearby, Remus, looking pale, slept in another chair.

Sirius sat on the floor in front of the hearth, staring into it. The flickering flames reflected in his gray eyes.

Peter curled up on the couch like a sad puppy, looking smaller than he did in his rat form. He stared into the room, unseeing.

James lay on his back on another couch and tossed his snitch into the air with one hand. The soft snick of each catch was the loudest sound in the room. "Worst... Christmas... ever..." James' words were punctuated by another toss of the snitch. He looked over at Peter, as if expecting him to weigh in, but Peter's gaze shifted to the fire. "Here, catch the snitch, Peter." James tossed it toward him.

The snitch floated harmlessly in front of Peter before he plucked it from the air and threw it back at James. "Can't you put that thing away? You're giving me a headache."

"But..." James said. "You love the snitch." He held it out. "Here. Why don't you take it? Another Christmas present from me to you. I know you've always liked it."

"I don't want the bloody snitch!" Peter snapped. "Just take it away!"

Surprised by Peter's outburst, James stuffed the snitch in his pocket.

Sirius snorted. "This Christmas is almost as merry as the ones at home. I think this tops the time I got a toothpick as a present, then was locked in the cellar because I complained about it."

"That happened?" said Lily.

"Sure did." Sirius nodded. "I spent Christmas night in that cellar. That was the same year I started Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor. And it was the last time I spent Christmas with dear Mum and Pop. And Reggy... He got tons of presents. He was their little pride and joy. Somehow, it seemed so important at the time." He snorted again. "But it isn't, is it? Why do stupid presents matter so much at that age? I was just so... angry with all of them. It's not even like they were gifts of deep affection. Mother doesn't really know love." He sighed. "I should have known."

"No one blames you," Lily said. "My sister and I don't do too well either... I care about her—I really do—but I've never looked forward to seeing her either. She used to put such a damper on my Christmas spirit every year."

James raised a brow. "Merlin. And to think I always wanted a sibling. Doesn't anyone have a good sibling relationship?"

Lily shrugged. "It probably didn't help that the only one other than me who could show her what magic is about was Sev, and he scared her to death from the moment they met."

James seemed interested at this.

Lily shook her head. "It was silly. He was only nine..." How do I tell this without talking about his hard attitude because of everything that happened with his parents, or how shambled and messy he was back then? "Well... yeah, he scared her."