Brightest ✯ Sirius Black

✯eighteen✯

"merry Christmas, ya filthy animal."

Their Christmas after the morning wake up fiasco was much better. Only the five who knew about the Animagi challenge knew that the rat this morning was Peter, and Sirius promised he would get Peter back for that.

After everyone had calmed down, they all made their way to breakfast without bothering changing out of their pajamas. The Great Hall was festively decorated, with a great big tree front and center. The enchanted ceiling was snowing on them, big heavy white flakes of snow that got stuck in their hair and caught on their eyelashes, but it wasn't cold at all. Warm candles glowed overhead as they floated calmly around them.

They were the only ones at the Gryffindor table, and there were a few people at the other tables as well. Cleo noticed upon walking into the Great Hall that among the Slytherins was Skander, who waved energetically at her, to which she returned with a quick, "Happy Christmas!" Quite a few Slytherins glared at her after that, but she didn't care, and neither did Skander. 

The breakfast was delicious, with fluffy pancakes and french toast and fresh fruit and syrupy bacon and biscuits. After they had eaten all they could muster, The nine of them raced back to the Gryffindor tower in order to open presents. They sprinted down the empty halls of the great castle as fast as they could, slippers sliding across the stone ground and robes flapping behind them. Cleo sprinted fast next to Sirius, trying to pass him but when they passed another desolate hallway, he shoved her towards the empty classroom so that he could beat her to the common room.

"Sirius, you prick!" Cleo exclaimed with a grin. Sirius' laugh echoed through the hallway.

They made it back, panting and gasping with huge smiles on their faces as they all rushed to the tree in order to exchange gifts. The first among them was Cleo, who wanted everyone to open the gifts she had gotten them first.

For Remus, it was a whopping one pound chocolate bar she had found at Hogsmeade, and a new sweater which she had knitted herself (that also had three arm sleeves, but Remus slipped it on over his pajamas nonetheless). For James, it was a muggle prank book she had picked up the summer before. For Indiana, Cleo had managed to create a spell that could change the color of your hair. "I've always wanted purple," Indie had whispered while pulling Cleo into a hug.

Ambrosia had gotten a new ABBA record and a coffee mug that never ran out of coffee, nor did the coffee grow cold. She gasped and placed both hands on her cheeks with a smile. Luna had gotten the entire complete set of Shakespeare's sonnets, as well as a signed copy of The Princess Bride, one of Luna's new favorites. Cleo had gotten Peter a new hat and matching scarf, and she got Lily a new bottle of her favorite rose scented perfume, of which she had run out a few months back and couldn't find again.

For Sirius, Cleo gave him something she was incredibly proud of. It was a muggle Walkman cassette player, of which she enchanted to play music for him without headphones, but of course, she gave him a pair anyway. She had spent a whole year recording an entire mixtape for him, of songs that she thought he would like, and also some great audio from her and the rest of the group. She knew how much he hated being with his family during the summers, and if he was able to at least drown them out with something while he was there, she would at least feel much better about it.

At first, he didn't know what it was, but after a bit of explaining from both Peter, Ambrosia, and Cleo, he managed to figure it out just fine, and absolutely loved it.

Ironically, Lily gave Cleo a new bottle of perfume too; one that smelled of lavender and a hint of citrus. Both Peter and Luna gave her books, Indiana had given her a small picture book of all of them together, with pictures from when they were little leading up to now. She waved Cleo away, threatening to beat her up if she got too sentimental, but Indiana blushed nonetheless. Ambrosia had given Cleo a charmed sketchbook and pencils.