The rhythmic clatter of the train filled the compartment, soft and steady, like a lullaby. The world outside blurred into streaks of grey and white as the countryside slipped past.
I leaned against Severus's lap, eyelids heavy, the warmth of his presence and the gentle rustle of pages lulling me into drowsiness. He was reading of course he was reading a thick book titled "Intermediate Defensive Hexes and Their Countercharms." Only Severus would bring a Defense text on the train like it was light holiday reading.
"Comfortable?" he murmured without looking up, turning a page with deliberate care.
"Very," I mumbled, eyes still closed. "You make an excellent pillow."
He snorted softly but didn't push me off, which I took as permission to stay exactly where I was.
The door slid open a few minutes later, and Lily stepped in, cheeks pink from the winter chill and eyes bright with mischief. "Well, well," she said, grinning. "Isn't this cozy."
I sat up, blinking sleepily, brushing my hair from my face. "Don't start," I said, half-laughing.
She plopped down opposite us, her green eyes dancing. "I won't. I'm just here to share the juiciest rumor I've heard all morning."
I raised an eyebrow. "What rumor?"
Lily leaned forward, lowering her voice dramatically. "Marlene told me she saw Amos Diggory ask you to Hogsmeade before Yule."
Severus's head snapped up so fast I thought he'd sprained something.
I blinked, trying not to laugh at his expression. "Ah. That."
"So it's true?" Lily gasped, delighted.
I shrugged. "He asked politely. It felt rude to say no."
"Polite," Severus repeated, his voice dry as ash. He closed his book with a sharp thud. "How noble of you.
I rolled my eyes. "Did Amos do something to you? You seem to hate him even during Quidditch matches."
"I don't hate him," Severus said stiffly. "I just dislike the way he exists."
Lily snorted. "That's called hating someone, Sev."
Before Severus could respond, the compartment door slid open.
Regulus stepped inside, looking perfectly composed as always not a wrinkle in his clothes, not a single strand of hair out of place. He gave a polite little nod, his eyes immediately landing on Lily.
"Hello," he said smoothly, that faint Black family charm slipping into his voice.
Lily blinked, startled for half a second before smiling. "Oh. Hi, Regulus. Long time no see."
Regulus smiled back, taking the empty seat beside her like he'd been invited. "You make it sound like years instead of a few weeks. Holiday treating you well?"
Severus made a quiet sound that might've been a sigh or a suppressed groan.
"It was lovely," Lily said brightly. "Yours?"
"Peaceful," Regulus replied. "No duels at the dinner table this year, so that's progress."
I laughed. "That's a very Black definition of progress."
Regulus smirked. "You have no idea." He turned to Severus, eyes glinting with amusement. "You look like someone just stole your cauldron. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," Severus muttered.
Lily smiled, clearly enjoying herself. "So, Regulus how's second year treating you?"
Regulus shrugged, leaning back against the seat. "It's... tolerable. Fewer exploding cauldrons, more homework, and my dormmate snores like a dying hippogriff, so, you know living the dream."
I grinned. "Sounds delightful. Truly the Hogwarts experience."
We were all laughing when the compartment door slid open with a clack.
Sirius Black stood there, leaning on the frame like he was posing for a painting. Behind him were James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, looking equally smug.
"Happy Yule, Evans," Sirius said, his grin flashing like he'd practiced it in the mirror. "Did you get my gift?"
I nodded, smiling. "Yes, I did. Thank you, Sirius. It was... surprisingly thoughtful."
"Surprisingly?" he repeated, pretending to clutch his chest. "You wound me, Petunia. I'm a man of taste and sentiment."
I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips. The truth was he was thoughtful. He'd given me gifts before: small things, clever things. A quill that refilled itself, a charm that made books smell like cinnamon, even a little enchanted snow globe that played music when you shook it. Always something that made me think he noticed more than he let on.
Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box and handed it to him. "Here," I said, trying to sound casual. "Happy Yule."
Sirius blinked, clearly caught off guard. "You got me something?"
"Don't act so shocked," I teased.
Severus didn't even look up from his book. "She probably just felt sorry for you."
"Touching," Sirius said dryly. "Nothing says holiday spirit like pity."
Regulus smirked from the seat beside him. "You sound like a Chocolate Frog card no one wants to collect."
"Rude," Sirius shot back. "I'd be the limited edition one rare, charming, and way too handsome."
James snorted. "More like the misprint. All hype, no magic."
Remus smirked. "No, he's the one everyone trades away for a Dumbledore."
"Traitor," Sirius muttered.
I sighed, crossing my arms. "Why are you even here? Don't you four have your own compartment to destroy?"
Sirius put on a solemn face. "I've grown attached to my brother and cousin after the holidays."
Severus looked up from his book, grimacing. "I told you we should've finished the ritual before it took effect."
Regulus groaned, leaning back in his seat. "Brilliant, now we'll need an exorcism just to get rid of him."
"Oi!" Sirius protested. "You lot act like I'm some kind of curse."
Regulus added dryly, "And even then, the priests might refuse service."
James grinned. "You have to admit, though he's the most entertaining plague Hogwarts has ever had."
"Entertaining?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "You mean exhausting."
Then, somehow, the train compartment fell into something almost resembling peace or at least the chaotic, laughing kind of peace that comes with too many teenagers in one place.
That was, of course, until the trolley witch came by.
The moment she slid open the door, all four boys Severus, Regulus, Sirius, and James sat up like hounds catching the scent of prey.
"Pumpkin Pasties! Chocolate Frogs! Bertie Bott's—" she barely finished before they swarmed.
It was chaos. Galleons clinked, voices overlapped, and before I could blink, the trolley looked like it had been through a small-scale war.
"Are you trying to bankrupt your parents?" I asked dryly, watching Sirius shove two boxes of Fizzing Whizbees into James's already full arms.
Sirius grinned, tossing a few more galleons onto the trolley like it was nothing. "Please, it'll take the next next next generation of Blacks not working to bankrupt the family vault."
Regulus rolled his eyes. "And with your spending habits, we might get there faster than you think."
Severus looked up from his book just long enough to smirk. "That's optimistic. At this rate, he'll drain Gringotts before term even starts."
James snorted, reaching for another handful of Chocolate Frogs. "Oh, come on, we're all guilty here."
"Please," Sirius said, flicking a galleon at him. "You're not exactly living modestly either, James. Didn't you buy an entire crate of Exploding Snap cards last term?"
James grinned proudly. "A wise investment in entertainment."
"Entertainment?" Regulus said, unimpressed. "You nearly set the great hall on fire."
"Details," James said with a shrug.
Lily looked between them, amused. "Do all of you come from ridiculous amounts of money?"
I snorted. "Apparently, yes. Between the Blacks and the Potters, the economy of Honeydukes is perfectly safe."
Remus smiled faintly. "Good thing too. If they ever went broke, half of Hogsmeade would shut down."
Peter piped up, eyes wide. "You mean... you can just throw galleons around like that?"
Sirius grinned. "Of course. It's what they're for."
Remus gave him a look. "You say that like galleons grow on Family Trees."
Peter looked thoughtful. "Must be nice, though. No need to worry about pocket money."
Regulus gave a small shrug, his tone perfectly dry. "Well, to be fair, that's the only thing we can actually get from our parents."
Sirius snorted. "He's not wrong. Affection? None. Approval? Absolutely not. But money? Oh, they'll mail that faster than a howler."
Regulus smirked. "Well, Severus was another story he's the really spoiled one."
Severus's head snapped up from his book. "Excuse me?"
Before their banter could continue, the compartment door slid open again. This time, it was Amos Diggory
He froze in the doorway, eyes widening at the sight inside James lounging like he owned the place, Sirius tossing a Chocolate Frog at Regulus, Remus reading, Peter snacking, Severus absorbed in a book, and both Evans sisters sharing the seat near the window.
Amos blinked, clearly not expecting this crowd. "Oh—er—wow," he said awkwardly, eyes darting to Petunia. "Didn't realize it was so... full in here. I just wanted to say hi."
Severus didn't even look up from his book as he replied coolly, "Well, you've said hi. You can now leave. As you can see, we can't invite you in we already have uninvited guest."
James raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oi, are you talking about me?"
I stood up, giving Severus an incredulous look. "What the hell was that?" I asked in disbelief before turning to Amos with an apologetic smile. "Hi, Amos. We can talk outside they're a bit rowdy in here."
Lily let out a soft laugh from her seat. "A bit rowdy? That's the understatement of the year."
Sirius leaned back dramatically, smirking. "Oh, don't mind us, Petunia. We wouldn't want to ruin your moment."
When Petunia and Amos left the compartment, a mischievous silence settled the kind that always came before trouble.
James grinned, eyes glinting. "So... what now? Do we prank him? Maybe toss him into the Black Lake? Give him a proper 'welcome back to Hogwarts' splash?"
Regulus gave him a dry look. "You do realize the giant squid lives there, right? You might actually get him killed."
James shrugged. "Oh, come on! No one's ever died from our pranks."
Sirius nodded solemnly. "Mostly just ended up in the hospital wing. Sometimes twice."
Severus, still reading, muttered without looking up, "We had one fall off his broom and wake up after the semester ended."
Lily's eyes widened in horror. "You what? That's awful!"
James threw his hands up. "Oh, lighten up! It was just one time!"
Lily crossed her arms. "One time too many. Honestly, Amos is nice. He doesn't deserve to be tossed into a lake or the hospital wing."
Sirius leaned forward with a sly grin. "Fine. We'll just enchant his broom to fly backwards instead. Harmless and entertaining."
Remus gave him a long look. "Define 'harmless,' because your definition usually involves explosions."
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