IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE and despite nearly freezing to death the night before, Charlus was already up and moving the next morning when Sirius woke up. Slowly pushing himself up off the floor, Sirius felt how stiff his body was, but he had to admit, it was one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten since being out of Azkaban. As he moved around, stretching his arms out, Sirius spotted Charlus sitting in the kitchen at the table. Before him, Charlus had a stack of sandwiches on a plate, happily eating the tower, layer by layer.

"Oh good, you're awake," Maeve's sounded behind Sirius, bringing him to turn around. "I was waiting for you to wake up on your own before I started decorating. I didn't want to disturb you. How did you sleep?"

"Fine, actually," he answered, "I don't think I had any nightmares after going back to sleep once Charlus was back. My neck and back are killing me though."

"I figured," Maeve said with a wave of her wand, decorating the mantle with garland, " you'll find some relief on the kitchen table, in the little bottle. Charlus was practically walking sideways this morning because his neck was bothering him. But go ahead and then help yourself to some breakfast before Charlus eats the home. I don't think I've ever seen him eat so much."

"Actually, this is quite typical for him," Sirius laughed, " this is considered a light snack for him. You should have seen him when we were in Hogwarts, he could clear the Great Hall by himself. And when he was home, Euphemia couldn't get the food on his plate fast enough. He's a big eater."

"Well, it seems between the pacing, the stubbornness, and his appetite, Charlus is returning to his original self even more. That's a good thing. I'm sure he is going to recover now that he has you and Remus around him. Familiarity is a good thing to have during these times."

"Well, as much as I would like to take credit for this, I think it was James' that helped the most."

Maeve tilted her head to the side in confusion, in the midst of putting up her Christmas tree, before she glanced over at Sirius. "James? How could that be?"

Sirius adjusted the little deer figurine on the mantle. "Prongs has always been there for his loved ones, even death couldn't stop him."

"Well, either way, I'm glad to see Charlus eating, but you need to start eating more as well. So get in that kitchen and eat something. I will be heading out here shortly to finish some Christmas shopping."

Nodding his head, Sirius left Maeve to finish her decorating and walked over to where Charlus was sitting. Noting the movement around him, Charlus lifted his head up and was met with a kiss on his forehead before Sirius ran a hand through his hair.

Jokingly, Sirius went to grab one of Charlus' sandwiches from his plate, only to watch as his husband's jaw clenched. He didn't say anything though, willing to let Sirius eat one of his sandwiches, no matter how territorial he was over his food.

"Only teasing," Sirius said before placing the food back down, " I think I'll start with coffee and see what I can stomach."

However, as he turned to pour himself some coffee, Charlus grabbed another plate and placed half of his towering sandwich on it before pushing it to the spot next to him. When Sirius went to sit, Charlus pointed at the stack.

 He clamped his hand down and directed it towards his mouth. "Eat."

It was a serious matter when Charlus shared food, so Sirius didn't dare dishonour him by refusing the plate. He sat down, taking the small potion that Maeve had left him like a shot, before chasing it down with his coffee. Instantly, Sirius could feel the stiffness leave his body as he sighed in relief.

Halfway through one of his sandwiches, Sirius noted that there was an envelope on the kitchen table with his name on it. He looked over at Charlus, noting the smile that Charlus was attempting to hold back.

"What's this?" he asked, lifting up the envelope into his hands.

Charlus shrugged his shoulders. "Open it. It's addressed to you after all."

Clearly Charlus was up to something, what he was up to, Sirius didn't have the slightest clue as he tore off the top of the envelope and peered inside. There was nothing more than a small card with the Ollivander Wandshop emblem on it.

"Your appointment is at noon," Charlus told him, "don't worry about the cost, I've already handled it."

"But-"

"Sirius, you need a wand. Unfortunately, I could not get back your original wand because the Ministry snapped it in half. But you need one. Don't worry, it's not considered one of your Christmas gifts. This is considered a necessity. Ollivander closed his shop for the holidays but made an exception to have you come in. Don't be late."

"You're not going to come with me?" Sirius questioned.

"I want to, but I can't," Charlus answered, " Rita will be here around that time for her interview. I need to be here."

"She's coming today to interview?! But Charlus, it's Christmas Eve!"

"I know, but I had to bargain with her for that information. It shouldn't take long, Sirius. She might be gone before you return and then we'll have the rest of the evening and the rest of Christmas without interruption."

Sirius believed there was more to the situation than Charlus let on, but decided not to push the matter. It was true, he definitely needed a wand or he would have to depend on everyone to do something for him if it required magic. And it sounded like Charlus was anticipating something big happening, meaning Sirius would be useless in such a scenario.

Maeve seemed to be going in and out of the household that morning when Remus woke up. He walked out of his bedroom to find Sirius already dressed, looking as though he was going somewhere. After the night before, it appeared as though the two were on better terms. At the very least, they could hold a conversation without arguing with another. That was a good start.

"Maeve was just here," Sirius called to him as he adjusted the collar of his shirt, " she asked if you could do her a favour. I would have offered but I have an appointment at Ollivander's and Charlus has his interview with Rita."

"I'm not doing anything," Remus said, " what does she need?"

"Apparently, there are a few items she needed from the Apothecary. She just needed you to go there and pick it up for her. They're expecting you. She's been running around like a madwoman all morning. She must really like Christmas. The amount of food she picked up, you would think he was feeding an army of sorts, but I guess she was anticipating feeding Charlus."

The two shared in a laugh before Remus nodded his head. "Well, I can certainly head to the Apothecary after I get dressed. But do you think it's wise for Charlus to be here alone with Rita interviewing him? I don't think she would hurt him, but I could see her twisting his words around."

"I've already tried to talk to him about it, but he insisted that he would be fine. I'm not looking for an argument right now and he's not looking for a debate. We're just going to have to trust in the idea that he knows how to handle Rita."

Neither of them seemed comfortable with the idea, but Sirius was right, it was best not to argue.

"Well, since you don't have a wand on you, I could drop you off at Ollivander's," Remus offered, " and then I can head to the Apothecary. What time is your appointment?"

"Noon, and I can't be late."

"I think I can manage to get you there on time, Padfoot."

Charlus remained in the shower for as long as possible when Sirius claimed he was leaving. The door to the bathroom opened and the shower curtain was pulled back by Sirius wearing a cheeky grin. Charlus blushed furiously before telling him to get a move on, but not before Sirius stole a quick kiss from him and told him that Remus would be dropping him off at Ollivander's. As soon as Sirius left and Charlus recovered from the flirty act, he grabbed his wand to dry off quickly.

He was dressed in less than a minute and stepped out to investigate, only to see Maeve returning.

"They're gone," she smiled, " just as you planned. I gave my list to Mr Brodder. It should keep Remus out for a bit. Mr Brodder is incredibly sweet but incredibly slow, even his magic works slowly in his age. He won't start collecting the items until Remus arrives. And Sirius?"

"He's getting his wand right now," Charlus replied, " and we know that Mr Ollivander enjoys a good conversation. We should be good. Were you able to get what I asked of you?"

"Yes," Maeve said, " I put it in one of the back bedrooms. Do you think it'll be okay in there?"

"For now it should be fine. If Rita and I calculated this properly, we won't have to wait very long. I'm sorry, I know this isn't how you wished to spend your Christmas Eve-"

"Are you kidding me?" she laughed. " I haven't been this excited for the holidays since I was a little girl. Don't be sorry, Charlus. I've always wanted to help people, that's why I became a Healer, but helping the lot of you, I feel like I have a greater purpose with my life now. It might sound silly, but I'm so thankful to have the three of you in my life. So I'll help in any way I can. And if it's showing how stupid the Ministry can be, well, that's just an added bonus on this journey."

Before Charlus could reply, there was a knock at the door that Maeve heard, bringing her to turn her head in the direction. She shot a look in Charlus' direction, but he gave her a nod to open it.

As expected, Rita stood on the other side, looking rather festive in a green and red jumper. Her hair was pulled back and she smiled in greeting.

"Merry Christmas Eve," she said, "thank you all for having me today."

"Of course, come in," Maeve told her, " make yourself comfortable. Can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, no thank you, dear," Rita said before her eyes settled on Charlus. "Mr Potter, are you ready to start your interview?"

"That depends, are you ready for your story, Ms Skeeter?"

Charlus led the way to the living room where he sat in an armchair, Marmalade jumping into his lap, where she watched Rita intently. Rita chose the spot closest to him on the sofa, smoothing her skirt as she sat down. Her enchanted quill rested beside her, ready to jot everything down.

"Alright, let's begin."