It was the year 1975. It was also Christmas time at Hogwarts. Chaos erupted the second the clock struck six a.m. on 25th December in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory. James Potter and Sirius Black had gotten up especially early in the hope of waking their other dormmates with their... festive excitement.

At six a.m. on the dot, James and Sirius both shot out of their beds. "Merry Christmas!" they shouted at the top of their voices, far too energetic for that time in the morning. Their dormmates, meanwhile, mumbled curses into their pillows, burrowing deeper into their blankets.

"Wake up, Moony! It's Christmas!" Sirius exclaimed as he yanked back the young werewolf's crimson curtains. "Too early... go away, Sirius..." was Remus's muttered attempt at annoyance, his words muffled by the pillow he was attempting to drown in.

In truth, the boy was just as excited as his dormmates-or he would be, given a cup of coffee and an hour or so. "Come on, Remy! Open your presents!" Sirius urged insistently as Remus buried his head further into the pillow with a groan.

James appeared on Remus's other side, snatching one of the unfortunate boy's arms and pulling him up. Remus just sighed, accepting his fate as Sirius jammed a Santa hat on his head. The two hyperactive boys seemed satisfied as Remus reluctantly sat on the edge of his bed, blearily rubbing sleep from his eyes.

James and Sirius had now dashed over to a snoring Peter, yanking him up too and pulling him over towards Remus's bed. They did try to wake Kingsley up, but that just ended with them rubbing their hands from the aftereffects of a stinging hex. Needless to say, Kingsley was left asleep. Honestly, that boy was just desperate to be an Auror.

All four boys, now gathered at the foot of Remus's bed, practically spilling over with excitement, had a pile of presents in their laps. "Now," started James, "no one is leaving this room until they open some kind of present, alright?" Despite his stern tone, his eyes twinkled with mischief and a bright grin adorned his face.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Fine, Potter, but only if we start with you." If possible, James grinned brighter and immediately started shifting through his pile. "Aha! Pads, look! Evans got me a gift!" he said as he shoved said gift in Sirius's face. A slow smile grew on Sirius's face. "Guess you're not that forgettable after all, Prongs!"

James pouted as the other Marauders laughed, the sound bright in the chill, early morning air. James recovered quickly, though, taking hold of his present and opening the card attached.

'Dear Potter,
You fit quite well with this season, considering you are yourself an abominable snowman already. I can only hope that my gift is as horrible as you, though I have to say, that will be quite a feat to achieve.

Hope this letter finds you awful,
Lily Evans.

P.S. Before you even ask, for the thousandth time, I will not go out with you!'

Sirius burst out laughing as James finished reading. "Such sweet words, huh, Prongs?" he remarked as James pouted again. "Shut up Pads, at least she wrote something! Last year all she gave me was a toenail, with no card!"

Remus snickered at the memory while James told him off. "Hey! It's not funny!" he tried before just sighing. "Whatever, I wanna see what she got me." He opened the small package to find a single lime green jellybean. Sirius leaned over to whisper in Remus's ear, "Wanna bet on it being something horrible?"

Remus laughed, whispering back, "No way I'm taking that bet. I'll bet five sickles it's bogie flavour, though." Sirius cemented the bet, saying he bet it was grass. James glared at them playfully before popping it in his mouth, only a slight hesitation in his actions.

"Eugh, bogie..." Remus grinned as Sirius dejectedly handed him the five silver coins. "I'll win next time."
"You wish," Remus replied with a smirk.

James opened the rest of his presents. Chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes from his parents, a Muggle finger trap from Sirius, a Gryffindor jumper with a golden 'J.P.' on the front and a stag on the back from Remus, and a book on 'Pranking 101' from Peter were just a few.

"Me next!" Peter declared as James unwrapped the last of his presents-one from Kingsley, an expensive-looking wand holster with a card stating:

'Potter, I'll admit, you're kind of funny, but you'd be funnier with a place to put your wand. Honestly, putting it in your jean pocket is not practical!

Kingsley Shacklebolt.'

After James had shouted an exclamation of thanks to Kingsley, who stuck a thumbs-up through his curtains in reply, Peter dug into his pile.

Peter grinned as he unwrapped a premium bar of Honeyduke's finest from James, with a card written in the boy's decidedly messy handwriting:

'To P ete,
Only the be st for my best mate,
James.'

"Thanks, Prongs!" Peter said, his grin lighting up his eyes. Next, Peter picked up a neatly wrapped present adorned with a pink bow. His face reddened as he read who it was from.

"Ooh, has Petey got a cruuush? Who is iiiiit?" Sirius sing-songed. If possible, Peter went even redder, yelping as Sirius snatched the card from his hand. "Ooh! Mary Macdonald! Good taste, Pete." Peter blushed further, taking back his card in a huff. "Give me that! She's... just a friend."

Sirius's eyes softened slightly as he realised his mate had been friend-zoned. Remus almost didn't notice as Sirius's eyes flicked to him before turning his gaze back to Peter. "Aw, Pete, it's alright. She'll see how amazing you are soon!" He pulled the boy close, ruffling his hair as Peter struggled in his grasp. Remus could see how Peter enjoyed their banter, though.

After Peter had finished opening his presents-getting candy from Sirius, a thick golden jumper from Remus (this one with 'Pete' stitched on its chest in black lettering, with a rat on the back), a necklace with a shield charm that activated when a button was pressed from Kingsley, and a multitude of other things-it was Sirius's turn.

He was practically bursting with excitement as he picked up gift after gift. He went through the pile, unwrapping a matching crimson jumper to James's, this one with 'Pads' written on the front and a great big dog on the back, a whole box of Zonko's Wet-Start Fireworks, and a mysterious flat present that Sirius refused to open from James. He also received a bunch of pranking supplies from Peter, along with a neatly wrapped green-and-silver package with 'R.A.B.' written on it. This made him go suddenly quiet, staying solemn for a moment before he shoved it under his bed and forced a smile on his face, finally opening that flat package James had given him.

Inside turned out to be a Howler, which flew up and hovered in front of Sirius's face. It opened its mouth and started to shriek about... knickers?

"SIRIUS PADFOOT BLACK, HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO KEEP YOUR KNICKERS OUT OF THE COMMON ROOM?! HONESTLY, THE HOUSE-ELVES ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT HAVING TO HANDLE YOUR SILKIES! AND THAT PINK PAIR-REALLY, PINK?! THE SHAME OF IT ALL!"

After apparently being done with its rant about Sirius's knickers, it burst into flame and disintegrated into ash on Remus's bed sheets, leaving the Marauders to burst out cackling while Sirius stared at the pile of ash with a mixture of horror, shock, and embarrassment.

It took a few minutes for the three to calm down. However, once they did, a wand tip stuck itself out of Kingsley's bed curtains and transfigured the ash into a pair of bright pink, frilly, lacy knickers. Of course, that set them off again.

Once they'd stopped laughing, Sirius spoke up. "Well," he said, attempting to regain his composure as he crossed his arms dramatically, "I'll have you know those silkies are very comfortable. And the pink ones are fashion-forward!"

And off they went again.

Finally, after they had mostly regained their composure, only snickering every now and then, it was Remus's turn. Remus dug through his pile with a touch more care, though the others could tell he was just as excited as they were.

First, Remus unwrapped a book on spells and hexes titled 'The Art of the Hex: A Marauders' Original Guide' from James. "Figured it was time you got as good at hexing as we are, Moons!" Remus rolled his eyes. "James! I get better grades than you!"

The black-haired boy grinned. "Ah, but these aren't just any spells! They're prank spells!"

Remus threw his arms up in exasperation. "I've invented half the spells you use for pranks!"

James just rolled his eyes this time, smiling despite his frigned annoyance. "Just accept the book, Rem!"

Remus sighed. "Fine." He flipped through the pages and glanced at the handwritten notes James had left in the margins. "Because nothing says Christmas like 'How to Explode Someone's Shoes in Two Easy Steps.' I'm sure I'll treasure it. Thank you, Prongs." Though his tone was annoyed, he couldn't quite stop the warmth that flowed through it. He really did appreciate their gifts, as much as he pretended not to.

Setting the book aside, he picked up Peter's gift, opening it to find a tin of homemade vanilla fudge. "Careful, it might be a little burnt..." Peter warned as Remus stuck a piece in his mouth. "Burnt or not, it tastes great, Pete."

Next was Sirius's gift: a badly wrapped crimson scarf, knitted unevenly. "Did you knit it?" Sirius coloured slightly. "Maybe? If you don't like it, I'll buy you something at Hogsme-" but that was as far as he got before Remus cut him off. "I love it."

Remus unwrapped a few more gifts from various Hogwarts students before he reached the last one, from Kingsley. He unwrapped it to find a beautiful blue velvet box. Inside, he found an immaculate bronze watch. A note was written in loopy handwriting:

'Keep track of time, but don't let it define you.'

Remus's eyes misted as he stared at it. "Wow... this is... amazing," he whispered, though he was sure Kingsley could hear him. "Thank you." A lump appeared in his throat for a moment before Sirius snapped him out of it. "Come on, Rem! You can't get sentimental on Christmas!"

-•°•°•°•-

An hour later, they were dressed and headed to the common room, wondering what the other Gryffindors had gotten. As they descended the stairs, a voice called from below. "Hey, Potter! Did you like my gift?" Standing at the bottom of the stairs was James's red-haired love.

"Loved it! You like mine?" Lily rolled her eyes, taking a scroll from her robe pocket and starting to read:

'My dear Lily-flower,
Your eyes glow like the mistletoe I hope to find you under,
Your hair sparks like the embers in an open fire,
You remind me of roasted chestnuts on Christmas Eve, and a precious gift under the tree.
You light up my life.
I can only hope you'll take me as yours this Christmas.

J.P.'

James grinned as she finished with a glare. "Hated it!"

James continued to grin in spite of the rejection. "I'll just ask again next year then!" Both continued their banter as the students of Gryffindor Tower started to flood in, finding seats around the common room to share their gifts with friends.

Remus found himself being pulled by Sirius toward a quiet corner near a window as it started to snow. The festivities continued around them as they sat on a plush sofa, side by side, facing the icy window.

"I actually have another gift for you, Remus," Sirius said, turning to face the werewolf. Silver eyes met amber as Sirius reached into his robes, pulling out a final gift.

He handed it to Remus, who took it with a raised eyebrow. He unwrapped the rectangular gift to find a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. He frowned. "Sirius, I already have this book..."

Much to Remus's continued confusion, Sirius smiled warmly. "Open it, to the werewolf chapter."

Remus frowned deeper but obeyed. His eyes widened as he saw the page. Instead of the ferocious beast that normally took over the paper, there was a picture of Remus sitting by the fire in the Gryffindor common room, wearing a thick jumper. Below the picture, there was a quote:

'He folds his socks. Forgive me for not screaming in terror.'

The chapter was still titled Werewolf, but its description had been completely changed. Instead of being described as a horrible, blood-thirsty beast, the werewolf was portrayed as a being who sat by a fire to knit, whose favourite food was chocolate, and who was kind, caring, and amazing.

Remus tried to speak, but his throat felt clogged. A tear made its way down his cheek instead, his breath hitching when he saw the next part of the description. Apparently, the best place to find a werewolf was in Sirius Black's arms.

He forced his watery gaze from the book, looking at Sirius as the brunette cleared his throat. "I... Remus, I like you. I've liked you since the moment I laid eyes on you, on the Hogwarts Express. You were all curled up in your seat, reading a book, and I just... Remus, I love you."

"Wha-what? You're... I... I love you too, Sirius..." Sirius let out a shaky, relieved breath. He leaned in, and Remus shifted closer too. Stark silver once again met crystal amber, and Remus's only thought was of the boy in front of him as he closed the distance.

Their lips met, and all their troubles melted away. It was a tender kiss, but one both boys would feel for a lifetime. They pulled away after a minute or so, leaning back in shock and awe.

Remus stared out the window, his hand brushing Sirius's. Sirius flinched back at the touch, as though it had burned him. Remus's heart sank, thinking he had done something wrong. Had he not been good enough? Was he- Sirius placed his hand over Remus's, and for just a moment, all was okay in the world.

A/N
If you liked this, it'd mean the world to me if you checked out my other book 'Bound By Scales: A Dark Trio Story'