all i want for christmas ── sirius black

ONE

NINETEEN-SEVENTY-TWO
we were strange in love, her and i.
too wild to last, too rare to break.

"SIRIUS BLACK! Get back here now, or Merlin help you!"

Despite her petite size, the young girl's voice echoed at a monstrous volume against the stone walls of Hogwarts castle. Sirius Black, then only twelve years old, bolted down the corridor, his lungs burning as he gasped for air in between his laughter.

Sirius halted at the nearest corner, vaguely concealed behind the glimmering knight's armour that was conveniently propped there in decoration. He could still hear her footfall thundering along the corridor, growing closer and closer with every second. He sucked in a breath, holding himself tight against the wall and naïvely hoping that in some miraculous twist of fate, she'd never find him.

But how often had being hopeful ever paid off? Moments later, a red-faced, pink-haired Callie Carter came bursting around the corner, appearing face-to-face with the culprit of the crime. She could tell he was guilty from the moment instantaneously, those puppy-dog eyes and flushed cheeks staring up at him with faux-innocence.

"Alright, Callie? I like what you've done with your hair," he offered, a guilty grin forming on his lips as he shoved his dye-stained hands into the pockets of his robes.

"Do you, Black? Because I'm quite certain I didn't intend for it to turn bright bloody pink when I washed it this morning!" Callie screeched, the hostile tone almost comical coming from such a small girl.

"Maybe you bought the wrong shampoo? You ought to be more careful when you go shopping, y'know," he advised, but his words were laced with obvious ridicule.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Let me see your hands, you cheeky sod!" she yelled, tugging harshly at the sleeves of his jumper so his hands fell limply at his sides. Unsurprisingly, the stained palms of his hands were revealed, much to his dismay.

"I don't bloody believe this," she groaned, running her fingertips through her now shockingly vibrant hair. "Couldn't you have even chosen a nicer colour? Pink? For God's sake, Sirius, why me?"

She sighed loudly, and Sirius stifle a childish giggle at the sight of her.

"Sorry. In all honesty, I didn't think it was your shampoo. I was aiming for Dorcas Meadowes. She rejected Peter last week, and we needed some revenge," he reasoned, slumping against the wall as her glare burnt into his skin.

"Merlin. How do I get it out?" Callie whined, looking close to tears as she tugged helplessly at her hair. "If I go home at Christmas looking like this, my mum will kill me! Imagine if your mum saw you with pink hair, Sirius! I'm ruined!"

Sirius immediately felt his heart plummet into the depths of his stomach at the very thought of his parents' reactions. He gnawed at his lip thoughtfully, his mouth twisting into a tragic frown. He watched her aggressively pull and tug at her hair, as if it would make any difference, and thought about how her actions mirrored what his parents would have done had he appeared any more rebellious than he already seemed to be. To them, being sorted into Gryffindor was already a lifetime's worth of defiance and therefore, punishment.

"I'll help you get it out. I promise. I have some potion left that removes it."

He straightened quickly, leading her quickly to the Gryffindor common room, which was fairly empty considering the winter scenes outside, which had students of all ages feeling festive, merrily throwing snowballs and ice-skating across the lake. Callie couldn't help but feel grateful - the last thing she wanted was to be taunted for her brand new hairdo.

The pair scurried up to Sirius' dormitory, at which Callie scrunched her nose up in disgust - there was nothing attractive or inviting about the state of the room shared by five pubescent boys. He crossed to enter the bathroom, but she didn't dare move any further in fear of what she would find. Callie decided then and there, surrounded by unwashed clothes and untidy trunks, that she had never been more thankful that she was a girl.

He returned a half a minute later, a tiny vial clutched between his fingertips which he held up triumphantly. Callie inspected it cautiously. It was a vibrant shade of scarlet, which seemed frighteningly dubious to the young girl, but she supposed her only option was to trust him. After all, if something else were to go wrong, things surely couldn't get much worse.

"You just rub this through your hair, and when you wash it out, the pink should come with it. Easy peasy," he instructed, grinning as he tucked the vial safely into her palm.

"Thanks, Sirius. I'd best go... de-pinkify my hair. You should go enjoy the snow with your friends."

She smiled softly at the boy across from her as she descended the stairs back to the common room. Desperate to return to her normal brunette, she immediately made for her own dormitory, short legs carrying her rapidly towards her room.

After her quick - and surprisingly successful - shower, she left feeling rejuvenated and pleased with herself. Figuring she'd make the most of the snow day, she tucked herself up in her purple salopettes and thick knitted hat before rushing downstairs as quickly as she could, eager to join in on the schoolyard fun.

As she ran past the rufescent couches, she spotted a scruffy-haired boy waiting patiently beside the fireplace. It was Sirius, who had peered around expectantly as she entered. She was shocked to see he was still there, the only difference being his attire, as he now sported a woollen jumper and huge scarf that drowned his figure.

"What are you still doing here?" Callie asked, eyes wide as she stared down at him.

He offered her a sheepish grin, standing as he tossed the scarf over his shoulder comfortably.

"Waiting on you. Now c'mon! There's snow outside and it's waiting for us!"

Callie released a pleased tinkle of laughter, and without another word, the pair burst out of the portrait hole and along the endless hallways of the castle. Minutes later, they gasped for breath as they hurtled out into the snow, shrieking with joy at the sight.

Perhaps some disaster weren't as terrible as they seemed, and in fact, in Callie's case, they often came laced with a silver lining.