(this ^ is the dress i imagine her wearing lmao)

December 25th - Potter Estate 

It was Christmas morning and James had, once again, woken up before everyone else. Normally, he could manage the few hours of solitude, he'd typically fly around a bit and then settle in for breakfast while reading the prophet. 

That day, however, his excitement was too much to contain and so he rushed out of his room and into the next one, essentially falling right on top of Sirius and Nephera. 

"Happy Christmas!" he yelled, effectively waking up both teens as well as Crookshanks, who was sleeping next to the girl

Nephera grumbled, pulling one of the pillows over her head, "Go away," she whined 

"It's Christmas morning! Come on!" said the curly-haired boy again 

Sirius attempted to shove him away, missing the feeling of his girlfriend next to him, but to no avail, "It'll be Christmas morning in three hours too, Prongs," he grumbled 

It had not been a nice night for the raven-haired boy. He had essentially been replaced by the orange ball of fluff Nephera had brought home, and the cat had drawn all of Nephera's attention away from him and to her. 

"Alright then," sighed James, "Just know that you've forced me to do this," 

With a flick of his wand, two jets of water appeared from thin air and drenched the two other teens on the bed. They both woke up with a gasp, shooting up and rubbing their eyes, trying to get the water out of them as Crookshanks let out a loud mewl in protest. 

"You're dead, Potter," seethed Nephra, moving to stand up 

"I have a peace offering!" said the boy quickly, placing a hand in the pocket of his jumper and pulling out a brown paper bag, "Sario, bought it off of a bloke in Diagon Alley," 

Sario was something like the magical counterpart of weed, only much stronger. On top of making someone relax to the point where they felt as though they were floating in mid-air, they also made people hallucinate slightly, altering reality and leading to some very funny memories. The Slytherin wondered how the boy even got his hands on it, for magical drugs were extremely rare and expensive, but she thought it best not to ask for any clarifications. 

"Now you're talking," grinned Sirius, pulling some rolling papers from his bedside table, but the other boy stopped him 

James pulled the bag back, "No, we're not doing this yet. Wormtail told me about this thing muggles do, where they bake it into brownies and cakes and stuff," 

Nephera caught on to what the boy was saying, "Isn't Mia making brownies downstairs?" she smirked 

"My thoughts exactly," grinned the boy, "Now come on, up you get, we've got to slip this into one of the trays before she puts them in the oven," 

Sirius stood up and he and James walked towards the door, but they turned around once they saw Nephera hadn't moved yet, "Well, get out so I can get ready," 

"No, my love, Christmas here means pajamas all morning until the guests arrive, now come on," 

The girl did no such thing. She slept in one of Sirius's old jumpers with no pants underneath, and she doubted that was appropriate attire to wear out in public, even if the shirt reached her mid-thigh. However, she was given no choice as Sirius pulled her up from the ed, throwing her over his shoulder and taking her to the bathroom to brush their teeth. 

Crookshanks obediently followed after them, leaving James to go downstairs, "You look really fucking good in my clothes, you know," groaned Sirius through a mouth full of toothpaste 

The girl, unable to talk, simply rolled her eyes and nudged her with her shoulder. She loved mornings like these, where it was just the two of them living in their own bubble, as though the war didn't exist at all. 

They finished freshening up, and Nephera pulled on a pair of fluffy socks to protect her feet from the cold before they tried leaving the room, but to no avail. It seemed as though they were stuck in place, and at first, Sirius wondered if James had played a prank on the two, but looking up, he saw the reason, "Mistletoe," he said simply, grinning down at her 

"I guess I have to kiss you," she teased, "Out of necessity, of course, can't be stuck here with you all day," 

"Mhm," grinned the boy, leaning in 

However, he didn't get to kiss her for the ginger nightmare sitting at her feet let out another loud mewl, causing Nephera to place a chaste kiss on his lips and then pick the cat up. 

"I hate that thing," he grumbled as he followed after her, watching her coddle the kitten in her grasp 

The kitchen smelled amazing, courtesy of Euphemia and the Potter's house-elf, Hosby, cooking all morning. To their delight, they saw that she had yet to put the trays of brownies in the oven, so now all that remained was distracting the older witch in order to slip the drug into one of them. 

"I expected you two to be asleep for a lot longer," she said, looking at Nephera and Sirius 

The girl moved to sit at the table, letting Crookshanks curl up on her shoulder, "Your son woke us up, rather violently if I say so myself," 

"It wasn't that bad!" argued James 

"You almost crushed Crookshanks when you jumped on the bed!" 

"Yes, Merlin forbid anything happens to that thing," snarked Sirius, "I don't even understand why you let it on the bed," 

The older witch chuckled at the teen's antics, "It sounds like you're jealous of the cat, Sirius," 

"Am not!" argued the boy 

Nephera only smiled, sensing an opportunity to distract Mia so that James could slip the Sario in one of the trays of batter, "If you're not jealous, then hold him," she said, peeling the ginger kitten off of her shoulder and holding it towards the boy 

"Absolutely not, get it away from me!" screeched the raven-haired boy, stumbling backwards 

Euphemia, just as the Slytherin had predicted, jumped in as well, "Oh come on, Sirius, he's adorable, isn't he?" 

"No, he's disgusting and-" he tripped over a towel that had fallen on the floor, causing him to fall down as well with a groan 

While all this had happened, James saw the opportunity Nephera had created for him and melted the drug with some butter using magic, quickly slipping it into one of the trays. Smiling at his success, he returned to his seat on the table, eating the cookies Mia had prepared for breakfast. 

Nepher and Sirius too sat down, the three of them exchanging mischievous glances as they thought of the fun day that was to come. Remus's family, as well as Peter's, would be joining them later on at noon for lunch, and the two remaining marauders would no doubt want to partake in the Sario brownies as well. 

Soon, Fleamont woke up and they all headed to the living room to open presents. Once again, the Slytherin was struck with how different this was compared to her previous Christmasses. There were no fancy and highly uncomfortable dresses, no proper greeting of guests, no guidelines for how Nephera had to act. 

Sirius sensed her becoming overwhelmed from where she was seated between his legs and leaned forward slightly to whisper in her ear without making it obvious, "It was weird at first for me too," he said, "Really different from how we grew up," 

Nephera nodded, but said nothing else in response, simply setting deeper into him, with her back against his chest as they sat on the floor and Sirius was leaning against the couch. 

She watched as Euphemia opened the gift she had gotten for her, a necklace that was enchanted to project any memory she chose. 

For Fleamont, she had gotten him a new tie, simple really, but the man seemed to love it. 

James opened his next. She had gotten him a bracelet just like Sirius's, and the boy practically screamed in excitement when she explained how it worked. Just like Sirius, she never told him that the main reason for gifting him the bracelet was safety, for if they ever found themselves captive again, they'd be able to communicate easily and quickly. 

She was most anxious for Sirius to see his own present. Truthfully, her wizard was the hardest to shop for, for nothing seemed good enough until she accidentally stumbled upon a small vintage shop. After many hours the two had spent, listening to his records, she had gathered that The Rolling Stones were one of his favorite bands, so, when she saw a record on display that was signed by all the members, she sighed in relief knowing he'd love it. 

All of a sudden, she heard a voice in her head, 'Interesting gift, Nephera,' came the voice she recognized as Regulus, 'Do I want to know how you grabbed a hold of it?' 

Tapping the rune at the center of her own bracelet thrice, she thought of a response, 'I think it's best that you don't ask many questions,' she smirked, 'Happy Christmas Regulus,' 

The gift-giving and opening continued, with owls arriving by the dozen carrying gifts from Remus, Peter, and the Gryffindor girls until eventually noon had arrived and they all retired to their rooms to get dressed. 

What Nephera thought was curious, was that Sirius had told her he'd give her his gift later on, in private. So, she was now seated on his bed in their bedroom, watching as he rummaged through his closet to find where he'd hidden it. 

Sirius's heart was drumming in his chest, as he watched Nephera play with Crookshanks while he was looking for the small package. He found it under a pile of t-shirts he had thrown in his closet hastily as he was unpacking, and turned around swiftly, "I just want to preface this by saying that it is a ring, but I am in no way proposing," he stated 

The girl laughed and placed the ginger kitten on her lap, leaving room for Sirius to sit on the bed and give her the small package. 

Opening it, she saw a silver ring with engravings all around, but was truly caught her attention was that it unfolded into was seemed to be an astronomical sphere, "I uh- I charmed it, so the engravings show the position fo Sirius in the sky," he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly 

Nephera simply smiled up at him, taking Crookshanks off her lap so she could give Sirius the kiss he hadn't gotten that morning. Siling into the action, she muttered over his lips, "I love it," she breathed 

"And I love you," admitted Sirius, not realizing what he had just said 

Nephera, though, did hear it, loud and clear. Pulling back, she looked at him with an expression of pure shock, "You what?" she breathed out 

Only then did Sirius seem to register what he had said, but it didn't scare him as much as he thought it would, "I love you," he repeated, "You don't have to say it back-" 

She cut him off with another kiss, this one much more gentle and deep than the previous one. Normally, he hated being interrupted, but he supposed he could make an exception in this case, "I love you too," she grinned 

He was about to deepen the kiss when they heard someone banging on the wall that was shared with James's bedroom, "Really happy for you two, but Remus will be here in a couple of minutes and you lot need to get dressed," 

"Bloody cockblock," mumbled the raven-haired boy, but slid the girl off his lap and moved towards the dresser once again 

While he got dressed, Nephera looked down at her hands, trying to decide which finger she wanted to put the ring on. She already wore a lot of them, and she struggled to see which one she wanted to sacrifice until she saw the one with the Winchester crest on it. She had never taken it off, for it would feel weird since she had been wearing it her entire life, but she had no reservations at that moment about slipping it off her finger and replacing it with the one Sirius had bought her. 

She got dressed quickly, wearing a short red dress out of velvet and nude heels while tying her hair up in a half-up, half-down ponytail. 

Descending the stairs, she saw that Remus and his parents were already there. Wasting no time, she engulfed the tall werewolf in a quick hug, wishing him a happy Christmas before she turned to his parents. 

"Lyall Lupin," introduced the man, "And you must be the infamous Nephera Winchester that essentially saved our lives?" 

The Lupin pair were certainly very interested in meeting the Slytherin. Since first year, they had heard Remus and his friends complain about her and about how difficult she made their lives until their son returned for Christmas last year and shocked them by talking about how much he liked her. On top of that, Remus had informed them about the unbreakable vow, which gave both them and the Potter duo, as well as Peter's parents, immunity from the war, despite the fact that the girl never met them. 

"Just Nephera," shrugged the brunete, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Lupin," 

The older woman chuckled, "Call me Hope, darling," 

Soon after, Peter and his mother arrived, and the celebrations were in full swing. They were all seated at the table in the dining room, eagerly digging into Euphemia's cooking as they conversed amongst themselves. Faint music could be heard from the living room, where the record player was playing classic Christmas songs. 

The teenagers, though, as happy as they were digging into the pot roast, couldn't wait for dessert time. If they were right, by that point, the adults would have drunk enough wine to allow the five marauders to slip easily out of the room alongside the tray of enhanced brownies. 

As usual, they were right, for by the time that lunch was over and dessert was served, the adults in the room were engrossed in their own conversation, leaving the teens to their own devices. Peter skillfully knicked the tray of brownies they needed and they all ran upstairs to James's bedroom. 

Sitting down in a circle on the floor, the mousy boy placed the tray in the center, "Fair warning," said Nephera, "This shit's much stronger when ingested than when smoked," 

"Mortem's right," nodded the werewolf, "This is bound to be fun," 

Digging in, they all ate some of the brownies and then ate some more when they didn't feel the effects. Soon, the entire tray was cleared and they were all waiting for the drug to hit them. 

"Does anyone feel anything?" asked James 

Nephera shook her head, but Remus was the one to voice his answer, "I mean, it takes some time, right?" 

"It's been close to thirty minutes," pointed out Peter, "Are you sure you boiled it correctly, Prongs?" 

"Of course, but then why-" 

He shot up from where he was laying on the floor, slapping an arm over his mouth as realization hit him, "You don't think-" he whispered in shock 

Sirius too cought on to what his brother was afraid of, "Shit!" he said, jumping up and running out of the room 

The other four followed him downstairs, by which point the question of why they weren't feeling anything from the drug was answered. 

Apparently, Mia's brownies were very popular among the adults. 

And apparently, Peter had taken the wrong tray. 

The five marauders stood on the stairs, mouths open wide in shock as they gazed upon the utter chaos that was happening in the living room. 

Fleamont and Lyall were on top of the table, dancing some sort of Irish jig that was horribly out of tune with the soft Christmas music playing. 

Euphemia and Peter's mother were having what appeared to be a handstand completion, and Nephera was slightly surprised at how steady both women seemed. 

Meanwhile, Hope was sitting on the couch having a debate about muggle versus magic cleaning supplies with Crookshanks, who was seated on the couch next to her and 

"What the fuck," whispered Peter 

"We roofied my parents!" whispered shouted James, "What do we do? Look at them!" 

Nephera quickly snapped into planning mode, "James, Remus, who two get your fathers off of the table, Sirius and Peter, go help Mia and your mother before hey hurt themselves, I'll take care of Hope," 

The four boys snapped into attention, although it was easier said than done. 

"Dad, could you come down please?" pleaded James 

Fleamont and Lyall stopped dancing, but were adamant about remaining standing on the table, "No way, son, I'm on top of the world!" shouted Monty, slinging an arm over Lyall's shoulders as the two men laughed loudly 

The action caused the two men to stumble back slightly, almost falling off the high surface, and James and Remus snapped forward in case they needed to catch them. 

Sirius and Peter weren't having much luck with the two women either. 

"Mia, do you think you could come up?" asked Sirius, looking at the woman who was standing upside down, balancing on her hands 

Peter's mother only laughed at that, "Look, look, Euphemia, they're the wrong way up!" she cackled 

"Oh yes, why are you standing upside down Sirius?" laughed the Potter witch as well 

The two marauders exchanged heavy glances before they too moved and stood on a handstand, hoping that this way they'd have a better shot at reasoning with the two women. 

Nephera seemed to be having the best luck of all of them when it came to looking after Hope. She had taken Crookshanks spot, placing the kitten on her lap where it purred happily. The older woman still continued talking about muggle and wizarding cleaning methods, but at least this time she was conversing with another human being, instead of a cat. 

It was many hours later when the effects of the drug wore off, and the adults all collapsed, either on the armchairs or on the couch, sleeping soundly. 

Remus had taken the initiative of opening up a bottle of firewhiskey now that the house was quiet, and they all sat around the kitchen table drinking. 

"Well, this was certainly... something," commented the mousy boy 

Nephera nodded, "Definitely, but we'll have to explain everything tomorrow," 

James cringed at the thought and down some more of the drink in front of him, "We were right about one thing," he sighed, "This was definitely an interesting Christmas," 

All five of them laughed at that, shaking their heads at how ridiculous the entire situation was and simply enjoying each other's company. 

Yes, thought Nephera, this certainly was different compared to Christmas at the Winchester manor. 

A/N

3.1k words 

writing Christmas chapters in the middle of summer is so confusing lol

don't forget to comment and vote!

xx