I'll Follow You Anywhere
Ch.9: Winter Break [part 2]
A little less than an hour later, James, Remus and Lora had fallen asleep amongst the toasty sheets and blankets. I laid down next to Lor and gently set my arm around her waist. I nuzzled my head against her neck and let her soft snoring lull me to sleep.
-9-
I awoke Christmas morning to the loud sounds of Lora’s snores. Somewhere in the night, her hand had become tangled amidst my matted, shaggy hair. I shook her hand free and then glanced around the dark and chilly common room. I could barely make out the shape of a tree and what seemed to be a large pile of presents. Nudging Lor’s shoulder and kicking James and Remus in the arse, I awoke my sleeping comrades.
After a few moments of waiting while Moony lit the candles in the room magically and Prongs poked at the dwindling fire until it roared back to life, we gathered around the tree to open our presents.
I tore open a small box wrapped in red and gold wrapping paper. It looked like the kind of box that you gave a girl jewelry in. I groped around until I found the small card for the gift on the floor. I peered inside of it curiously:
<center>Padfoot-
Enjoy your gift! Remember to share with your best friends! 
-Prongs</center>
Puzzled, I opened my present.
“BLOODY-” I yelled, interrupted by James.
“I knew you would like it! I had a little help from Mum and Dad financially of course, but still, it’s cool right?” he said enthusiastically. I looked over and he was grinning from ear to ear.
Inside the small, fancy box were four Quidditch world cup tickets. I looked over at James, now lost for words.
“You can thank me by giving me a ticket,” he said, now turning back to his own presents, still grinning and proud of himself. I threw him a ticket and he caught it without looking.
Dumbfounded, I followed suit and turned back to my own presents too. This Christmas was really the jackpot when it came to all of our presents. Of course there was that amazing gift from James, but I also got a book on Muggle Motorcycles from Remus and a new Beaters club from Lora (I broke my old one in our last game against Ravenclaw; we won), though at the bottom of the box, she had also nestled in a silver picture frame. After watching it for a few moments, I noticed that every seven minutes the picture would change. Sometimes it showed us as second years, other times it showed us as sixth years. As time progressed, it would show us, in order, in all of the seven years we have been at Hogwarts. One thing was always the same in each picture though: it always showed me and Lor, arm in arm at our tree near the lake. I noticed at the bottom that it was inscribed with:
<center>Siri and Lor: Friends Forever</center>
I looked around the warm Gryffindor common room at my friends; James was fiddling around with a toy snitch that Lora had gotten him. Remus was already devouring some of the chocolates that I had gotten him. I turned my attention to my Lora and I saw that she was just sitting there staring at her presents in a sort of sad trance.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked her, nudging her shoulder gently. She just shook her head, as if to say not to worry about it.
“Wha’s wong Wora?” Remus asked her with a mouth full of chocolate covered cherries. By this time all of us were looking to Lora to see what had made her so sad.
“It’s no big deal; it’s just that normally you get me a present for Christmas. But I don’t need one, Siri. Like I said, it’s no big deal.” she said, saying the end of the last sentence in a haste. I couldn’t help but let a smile break lose on my mouth as I realized what I had forgotten.
“Lor! I got you a present. I just forgot to get him. Hold on a minute,” I said as I got up and ran over to the common room door. As I opened it, I heard James say to Remus and Lora, “who’s he getting?”
I jogged down the empty and chilly hallways and saw in the windows to my left, the sun beginning to rise. The pink and orange tinges of color were beginning to overtake the darkness of the night blue and black. I saw undisturbed, pure, white snow all over the Hogwarts campus and smiled realizing how much fun it was going to be to go out there later with my friends.
I stopped when I reached the Transfiguration door and wrenched it open. I walked over to McGonagall’s office door and knocked on the old oak loudly a few times. I was in mid-shiver when she opened the door with an annoyed look on her face. I had kept Lor’s present here because I knew that Minerva and Lor were close. Lora would go and talk to Minerva about her parents divorce. I know that it’s been hurting her a lot lately.
“Please tell me that you are here to take that dog away. It has…gone on my carpet twice now and both times I have had to clean it up!” She reached for something behind the door and pulled out a small, dark brown Yorkshire terrier. She briskly handed him over to me and I reached for him gently, stroking his back.
“’Ello, little dog. Ready to meet your mum?” I asked the dog as we walked out the room with Minerva scoffing behind us to shut the classroom door. We walked along, side by side, to the Gryffindor common room door. I said the password to a very grumpy and tired Fat Lady as I picked up Lor’s present and stepped into the room.
“Ohhh Siri! Is he my present!?” she asked excitedly as she rushed over to me. When I nodded, she squealed and reached over to grab him from me. She cuddled the small dog in her arms and nestled him into her neck.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you Sirius!” she said as she leaned over to give me a hug. I pulled her in and rested my head on her shoulder for a moment, taking in the scent of her hair and consuming the warmth of her skin. The moment would have been perfect if it had not been for a rather…pungent smell that had just come into the air. We all pulled apart and tried to get away from the smell.
“Ew Lora! You smell!” James yelled and we all burst into laughter.
She stomped her foot and declared, “it’s not me! It’s Mr. Stinky Butt over here!” she said, motioning towards her dog. Remus, James and I roared with laughter once again.
“It’s not his fault! He’s just a little gassy, that’s all,” Lor said, rubbing her dogs back and watching him wag his small tail. She set him down on the ground and we all gathered around him again, trying to ignore the awful smell that was emanating from his rear end.
“So are you planning on naming him Mr. Stinky Butt?” Remus asked, stifling a laugh.
“Hmmm, no. I’ll name him Jack but his nickname can be Mr. Stinky Butt,” she said giggling. We all laughed as the dog got and walked around, little noises coming from his bottom as he walked. We all laughed and pinched our noses shut.
“Can’t you make him stop?” asked James while grinning.
“Nope! I like it anyway. Kind of smells like fruit, right?” she asked, looking around with a bright smile on her face.
“NO!” yelled Prongs, Moony and me. We all rolled on the floor laughing at that, while Jack pranced around us barking and shaking his tail.
“Ah, this is the best Christmas ever!” said Lora as she leaned into me and rested her head on my chest while Jack stepped onto my stomach.
-9-
I awoke Christmas morning to the loud sounds of Lora’s snores. Somewhere in the night, her hand had become tangled amidst my matted, shaggy hair. I shook her hand free and then glanced around the dark and chilly common room. I could barely make out the shape of a tree and what seemed to be a large pile of presents. Nudging Lor’s shoulder and kicking James and Remus in the arse, I awoke my sleeping comrades.
After a few moments of waiting while Moony lit the candles in the room magically and Prongs poked at the dwindling fire until it roared back to life, we gathered around the tree to open our presents.
I tore open a small box wrapped in red and gold wrapping paper. It looked like the kind of box that you gave a girl jewelry in. I groped around until I found the small card for the gift on the floor. I peered inside of it curiously:
<center>Padfoot-
Enjoy your gift! Remember to share with your best friends! 
-Prongs</center>
Puzzled, I opened my present.
“BLOODY-” I yelled, interrupted by James.
“I knew you would like it! I had a little help from Mum and Dad financially of course, but still, it’s cool right?” he said enthusiastically. I looked over and he was grinning from ear to ear.
Inside the small, fancy box were four Quidditch world cup tickets. I looked over at James, now lost for words.
“You can thank me by giving me a ticket,” he said, now turning back to his own presents, still grinning and proud of himself. I threw him a ticket and he caught it without looking.
Dumbfounded, I followed suit and turned back to my own presents too. This Christmas was really the jackpot when it came to all of our presents. Of course there was that amazing gift from James, but I also got a book on Muggle Motorcycles from Remus and a new Beaters club from Lora (I broke my old one in our last game against Ravenclaw; we won), though at the bottom of the box, she had also nestled in a silver picture frame. After watching it for a few moments, I noticed that every seven minutes the picture would change. Sometimes it showed us as second years, other times it showed us as sixth years. As time progressed, it would show us, in order, in all of the seven years we have been at Hogwarts. One thing was always the same in each picture though: it always showed me and Lor, arm in arm at our tree near the lake. I noticed at the bottom that it was inscribed with:
<center>Siri and Lor: Friends Forever</center>
I looked around the warm Gryffindor common room at my friends; James was fiddling around with a toy snitch that Lora had gotten him. Remus was already devouring some of the chocolates that I had gotten him. I turned my attention to my Lora and I saw that she was just sitting there staring at her presents in a sort of sad trance.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked her, nudging her shoulder gently. She just shook her head, as if to say not to worry about it.
“Wha’s wong Wora?” Remus asked her with a mouth full of chocolate covered cherries. By this time all of us were looking to Lora to see what had made her so sad.
“It’s no big deal; it’s just that normally you get me a present for Christmas. But I don’t need one, Siri. Like I said, it’s no big deal.” she said, saying the end of the last sentence in a haste. I couldn’t help but let a smile break lose on my mouth as I realized what I had forgotten.
“Lor! I got you a present. I just forgot to get him. Hold on a minute,” I said as I got up and ran over to the common room door. As I opened it, I heard James say to Remus and Lora, “who’s he getting?”
I jogged down the empty and chilly hallways and saw in the windows to my left, the sun beginning to rise. The pink and orange tinges of color were beginning to overtake the darkness of the night blue and black. I saw undisturbed, pure, white snow all over the Hogwarts campus and smiled realizing how much fun it was going to be to go out there later with my friends.
I stopped when I reached the Transfiguration door and wrenched it open. I walked over to McGonagall’s office door and knocked on the old oak loudly a few times. I was in mid-shiver when she opened the door with an annoyed look on her face. I had kept Lor’s present here because I knew that Minerva and Lor were close. Lora would go and talk to Minerva about her parents divorce. I know that it’s been hurting her a lot lately.
“Please tell me that you are here to take that dog away. It has…gone on my carpet twice now and both times I have had to clean it up!” She reached for something behind the door and pulled out a small, dark brown Yorkshire terrier. She briskly handed him over to me and I reached for him gently, stroking his back.
“’Ello, little dog. Ready to meet your mum?” I asked the dog as we walked out the room with Minerva scoffing behind us to shut the classroom door. We walked along, side by side, to the Gryffindor common room door. I said the password to a very grumpy and tired Fat Lady as I picked up Lor’s present and stepped into the room.
“Ohhh Siri! Is he my present!?” she asked excitedly as she rushed over to me. When I nodded, she squealed and reached over to grab him from me. She cuddled the small dog in her arms and nestled him into her neck.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you Sirius!” she said as she leaned over to give me a hug. I pulled her in and rested my head on her shoulder for a moment, taking in the scent of her hair and consuming the warmth of her skin. The moment would have been perfect if it had not been for a rather…pungent smell that had just come into the air. We all pulled apart and tried to get away from the smell.
“Ew Lora! You smell!” James yelled and we all burst into laughter.
She stomped her foot and declared, “it’s not me! It’s Mr. Stinky Butt over here!” she said, motioning towards her dog. Remus, James and I roared with laughter once again.
“It’s not his fault! He’s just a little gassy, that’s all,” Lor said, rubbing her dogs back and watching him wag his small tail. She set him down on the ground and we all gathered around him again, trying to ignore the awful smell that was emanating from his rear end.
“So are you planning on naming him Mr. Stinky Butt?” Remus asked, stifling a laugh.
“Hmmm, no. I’ll name him Jack but his nickname can be Mr. Stinky Butt,” she said giggling. We all laughed as the dog got and walked around, little noises coming from his bottom as he walked. We all laughed and pinched our noses shut.
“Can’t you make him stop?” asked James while grinning.
“Nope! I like it anyway. Kind of smells like fruit, right?” she asked, looking around with a bright smile on her face.
“NO!” yelled Prongs, Moony and me. We all rolled on the floor laughing at that, while Jack pranced around us barking and shaking his tail.
“Ah, this is the best Christmas ever!” said Lora as she leaned into me and rested her head on my chest while Jack stepped onto my stomach.