Potter Wasn't So Annoying

"What did your sister go off to do? Oh, what's this?" James immediately sensed that it was something he would like, and the answer was just what he expected. "It's a home video game console. Do you want to play?"

Lily set the console on the floor and sat down cross-legged, and James naturally sat down opposite her. The console used a circuit board to produce simple black-and-white images and had only basic little games like table tennis and shooting, with no sound effects or color.

But James clearly liked it quite a bit. After playing for an entire afternoon, he became hooked on the game console, which didn't require much thinking. All he had to do was turn a knob to control the ball's angle and the direction it bounced.

"Where did you buy this? I want one too!" James couldn't wait to have his dad buy one to take back, so he could play at home too.

"Sure, I can give you one for Christmas. It doesn't need to be plugged in, just batteries." Lily didn't think it was a big deal.

"Really, Lily? I love you so much." James wanted to give Lily a hug right then and there. He even thought she would dodge him and planned ahead: if she did, he would simply fall onto the sofa to avoid any awkwardness. To his surprise, Lily didn't dodge at all, and just like that, James managed to hug her.

Even he froze, and so did Lily. Why hadn't she dodged? "Merlin, is this real? You actually didn't dodge me!" James was so delighted he nearly jumped up, convinced he had taken a huge step forward and that Lily didn't hate him at all.

"Only once. I'm allowing it because it's the holidays." Lily sat down awkwardly. She felt uncomfortable all over, as if she had grown prickles. James chose to ignore her words. Oh yeah, Lily didn't reject me.

Lily watched James frolic in front of her like an energetic, fluffy animal and had to admit that Potter didn't seem quite so annoying after all. At least, he wasn't so annoying right now.

He was rather cute like this. She wondered what the other three Marauders would think if they saw James like this.

Because she had spent the previous day researching and improving healing potions, Lily still hadn't opened her Christmas presents. She simply taught James how to use the television and left him to watch it.

James obediently went to watch television. Apart from the cheers he let out at whatever he was watching, he was actually quite a well-behaved kid. Lily sat beneath the Christmas tree, opening her presents: all kinds of candy and little hair accessories, some novel colored-flower firecrackers, and a preserved lily specimen. She glanced at James, who was leaning close to the television not far away. Why had he given her a specimen? Did he want to turn her into one...?

No, impossible. She shook her head, dismissing the ridiculous thought, and set the specimen aside before opening Snape's present. Unsurprisingly, it was a potion. She looked at the bottle of Felix Felicis, the color of molten gold. While she had been busy, Snape had finished brewing a batch of Felix Felicis on his own.

She then opened presents from Mary, Marlene, and several other friends, all handmade trinkets and new candies from Honeydukes. At dusk, Mr and Mrs. Evans returned from shopping and came in to find James and Lily sitting together in front of the television.

"Where's Petunia?" Mrs. Evans thought her elder daughter had gone out. "No, Petunia's upstairs reviewing next term's lessons."

Lily didn't take her eyes off the television. Mr and Mrs. Evans had no advice for their hardworking daughter. During Petunia's first year of school, they had suggested that she seemed a little too absorbed in her studies, but Petunia had countered that one had to be ambitious. Since then, neither of them had interfered with the pace of her studies. Enjoying studying wasn't a bad thing.

James was having a carefree time here, but things weren't so pleasant for Sirius. He hadn't expected Voldemort to attend the banquet as well. He already hated Pure-blood gatherings, yet Walburga had insisted he go. As it happened, he overheard several Death Eaters plotting in low voices: they were compiling the precise addresses of Muggle communities and the families of Muggle-born wizards, planning to visit them later to threaten and assault them. At the same time, they were secretly infiltrating the lower ranks of the Ministry of Magic and planting numerous informants. The entire Ministry was close to being hollowed out. Sirius's heart went cold; he couldn't believe the Ministry of Magic was so incompetent.

His face went pale in an instant. Then he was pushed in front of Voldemort. "Lord, this is my eldest son, Sirius Black."

Walburga pushed Sirius straight toward Voldemort. This was also the first time Sirius had faced him directly. A vast, chilling pressure instantly engulfed Sirius. Every inch of his flesh was screaming a warning, and the overpowering, terrifying pressure swept through every organ in his body. Every cell was screaming, Run, get away from this house.

Voldemort studied him closely with his long, narrow scarlet eyes, an unpleasant scent lingering around his nose.

"This is my younger son, Regulus Black, a first-year Slytherin."

Seeing that Voldemort was clearly displeased with Sirius, Walburga pushed Regulus forward instead. Voldemort's expression visibly softened, and he remarked coolly, "He is very much a Black."

Walburga's face was full of pride, as though being favored by the Dark Lord were the highest honor. Sirius only wanted to get away as soon as possible. When his mother allowed him to go upstairs ahead of her with Alphard, he practically fled.

He never should have agreed to come home for Christmas. If he had gone with James to spend Christmas at Potter Manor, how happy he would have been now. He truly regretted turning James down.

Not long afterward, he received a letter from James and thought his best friend missed having him around for Christmas. A long passage in the letter was written in a wild scrawl: James had actually moved into the Evans family's home. Merlin's saggy pants, he had gone so far as to move into the Evans family's home to win Lily over, and he had even gotten a hug Lily hadn't rejected, as well as a Muggle game console.

Sirius wanted his friend to be happy, but not quite that happy. James's bubbling happiness traveled through the letter straight into his head.

What could he do? James was his best friend, after all. He wrote back with his blessings and a thorough scolding for forgetting his friend over a girl, then sent it off. He lay alone on his bed, hoping the holidays would pass quickly so he could return to school and see his other three best friends.

Meanwhile, because James kept staying at the Evans family's home and refused to leave, Snape didn't want to be under the same roof as Potter either. What remained of his reason told him he couldn't let his feud with Potter disrupt another family's normal life.

As for James, he fit right in with the Evans family. His naturally enthusiastic and lively personality made him especially compatible with Lily, leading Mr and Mrs. Evans to think he was better suited to her. Although Snape seemed to treat Lily well too, they clearly preferred a boy with James Potter's personality.

"Have some more, dear." Mrs. Evans piled plenty of James's favorite dishes onto his plate. Mr Evans read the newspaper, while Petunia and Lily discussed going shopping in town that day. The atmosphere at the table was warm and harmonious, as though James had always been part of the family.