"Why aren't you going home for Christmas?" James askes Sirius as they made their way out of the portrait hole. Not wanting to lie, Sirius shrugged and changed the topic.

"Did you see Remus at all this morning?"

"Nah," said Peter. "I bet he's in the Library again."

But they found Remus waiting for them at the Gryffindor table for breakfast in the Great Hall. He looked quite anxious.

"Hey," he said nervously as they all sat down on the table around him.

"Morning," said James and started loading his plate with eggs and beacons.

"Is it true Black?" Came a sneering voice from behind Sirius and he saw James's face, who was sitting in front of him, contract with dislike before he turned around to find Severus Snape smirking down at him.

"I heard you are staying here for Christmas," he continued, "and I thought Lucius was kidding me. Your mother seriously disowned you, didn't she?"

"Why don't you stick that large ugly nose of yours somewhere else, Snivellus. And wash your hair while you're at it. You see, our breakfast already has enough oil," Sirius said calmly.

His smirk vanished for a moment and then returned just as fast as it had disappeared. "Pity, isn't it? Ickle Sirius, spending his Christmas alone, all by himself." His voice was dipped in false sympathy and he tutted shaking his head.

Sirius felt the heat rising in his face as he swung his wrist at Snape who jumped back looking thoroughly scared. Heads all around the Hall turned toward them as Peter caught Sirius around the waist, pulling him back and Sirius fought his hold. He had had enough. He was going to teach Snape a lesson today. He wanted to launch himself at him and then- and then-

His anger subsided and he calmed down enough to notice that the entire hall had gone silent but as he turned around and sat back on his seat everyone resumed their breakfast and the usual chatter around the Hall continued.

However, Snape hadn't had enough for as soon as Sirius sat down he broke into a guffaw. "Scared, Black?"

Sirius turned around to watch the grin on Snape's face turn into a sneer as James stood up furiously.

"You're a brave little prat, aren't you?" James said fiercely, drawing his wand. "Confronting us in the middle of the Great Hall."

"Oh I could take you anywhere-anytime Potter," Snape spat.

"Uh- guys, seriously we should-" Remus began but Sirius stood up snorting.

"Was that a challenge, Snivellus?" he said, still smirking as Snape's dark eyes narrowed at the pair of them.

"How about tonight then, Black?" Snape said in a silky whisper, "or do you need time to prepare?"

"See you at midnight above the Astronomy Tower then," Sirius said, is hands closing around his wand in his pocket.

"That is if you don't get too cold-feet and actually turn up." James added lowering his wand a little. Then as if on a whim he said- "I'll be his second. Who's yours?"

Snape's dark black gaze seized them up and down and his lips curled into an evil smile. "I highly doubt I'll need one."

"What's going on?" said Professor Mcgonagall who had just entered the Great Hall and was making her way to the Gryffindor table.

"Mr. Potter," she said as she reached them, "put that wand away, and Mr. Snape," she turned to him curtly, "I believe the Slytherin table's at the other end of the Hall."

Snape gave the four of them a look of utter loathing and then walked away hastily.

Sirius turned towards his breakfast though he seemed to have lost his appetite. Snape's insults still ringed in the back of his head.

"Don't worry Sirius," said James as he sat back down. "You'll not be alone during Christmas. I'm also staying."

"Are you?" asked Sirius puzzled, all anger forgotten. "I thought you were going."

"Nah," he said. "My parents are- er- going to an Aunt's I absolutely hate. So I thought I'd rather stay here. Plus Christmas at Hogwarts has got to be something."

Sirius smiled at him gratefully. "You don't have to do this, you know," he muttered. "I mean, I don't mind-"

"Don't know what you're talking about," said James cutting him off between gulps of pumpkin juice.

"Seriously?" hissed Remus. They both looked at him bewildered. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me! You just fixed up a duel with Snape, for heaven's sake!"

"You guys do know how to duel, don't you?" Peter asked uncertainly, looking from Sirius to James.

"Of course," said Sirius, sounding a lot more confident than he felt. "You try to hex the other person and avoid whatever he's shooting at you from his wand."

For some reason Peter didn't look reassured. "You'd better practice some hexes or something. I'll bet you anything Snape knows Dark Magic being a Slytherin."

"What are you- dead from the neck up?" said James, rather irritably. "Dark Arts is not allowed in Hogwarts and Snape is much too young to really know any. Personally, I'd be shocked if he can even manage to cast a hex much less a curse."

*

As the already receding rays of sun vanished behind the Forbidden forest and the night grew darker, Sirius was thoroughly convinced that the duel with Snape was almost a joke. Surely Severus Snape could not hex a sleeping sloth or he would have tried to do them in many times by now. And of course, Sirius and James both were at the top of the class when it came to Defence against the Dark Arts or in fact almost every other subject, and knew enough spells and hexes to not worry too much about the duel. In fact, the only thing that Sirius did worry about was sneaking out at midnight and reaching the Astronomy Tower without getting caught.

Remus, obviously, didn't share this view. He kept insisting that James and Sirius were underestimating Snape and that surely Snape would ask for new and sinister spells from a senior Slytherin. But since duelling was against the rules at Hogwarts, Sirius highly doubted that Snape would go around announcing it in the Slytherin common room.

"But how will you go up there without getting caught?" asked Peter, looking back and forth between James and Sirius.

It was already eleven at night and they were all sitting in their dormitory as Remus warned them against going and Sirius and James tried to convince him that there wasn't really anything to worry about.

"You know, I've been wondering about that too," said Sirius.

"Worry not, my friends!" James said getting up and opening his arms wide as if expecting an applause. "I-" he put one of his arms on his chest "-happen to have just the thing we need."

He pulled out his trunk and made a deliberate show of opening it. They all looked at him bewildered, or in Sirius's case a little amused, as he rummaged around in his trunk. All of a sudden he straightened up and cleared his throat.

"And now I present before you a magical wonder-" he continued almost like a showman.

"Just shut up and get on with it," said Sirius, trying and failing to sound exasperated.

"Now my friend, don't be so hasty. For this-" he pulled a silver cloak out of his trunk with a flourish. "-is worth all your time."

Peter giggled. "And what exactly is this?" he asked.

James looked at him indignantly and opened his mouth, surely to launch himself into a lecture about the importance and brilliance of the silver cloak, but Remus beat him to it.

"It can't be-" he said, evidently speechless as he too stood up and touched the cloak that James was still clutching in his hands. Sirius thought he imagined it, but the surface of the cloth rippled as if liquid when Remus ran his hand through it. "Where'd you get it?" he whispered still awed.

A most satisfied grin spread across James's face, apparently relishing the fact that at least one of them knew what it was.

"What is it?" asked Sirius curiously.

James looked him in the eyes still smiling and waited for a moment or two before saying- "An invisibility cloak, my friend."

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A/N: The invisibility cloak is out and a duel awaits us in the next chapter. Who do you think will win?

Thank you so much for reading! Please comment and let me know what you thought about the chapter and don't forget to vote if you liked what you read. :)