for rainy, via my christmas character challenge

439 words, by google docs

There's a deer in Lily's kitchen. She rolls her eyes right away.

"James!" she scolds, giving the deer a glare and holding Harry closer. "No transforming in the house, you know that."

The deer lets out a bray, but then twists and changes into a short twenty-something man with messy black hair and a pout. "Padfoot and Wormtail can transform in the house," he says, walking over and giving her a kiss. "Besides, I was thinking."

"As a deer?" she remarks, busying herself with placing Harry in his chair.

"Yes, as a deer," James replies, as if everybody in the world thinks better as a deer. "Look, it's Harry's first Christmas soon. I want to make it special."

"By being a deer," she notes, moving on to grabbing cereal from the cupboards. She knows that half of it will end up on the floor, but she still makes a bowl with milk and places it in front of Harry.

"Not just any deer," James says, walking over and grabbing Harry's spoon to start feeding him; she makes the food, he gets Harry to eat the food—they have a special 'bro connection' that gets Harry to eat considerably more food than if Lily fed him. "A reindeer, dear. Reindear, you could say."

"I could," Lily says, moving on to make her and James cereal, "but I won't."

"Listen, I'll just be a reindeer for him and make his first ever Christmas magical."

"We're magic," Lily reminds him. "We can make it magical without you being a deer. Now, no turning into a reindeer or your friends can't come for Christmas dinner!" Lily warns him, waving a finger at him.

James pouts, but nods.

…

There's a deer in Lily's kitchen. This time, it has tinsel on its antlers and a red nose.

"James!" she calls. She really doesn't want to deal with him like this today.

"Yes, deer?" his voice asks, from behind him. She twirls around to find him right behind her.

"What—But—" Lily splutters, quite elegantly. She whips between James and the deer in her kitchen. "That's not you?" she manages, looking at James like he's crazy. He is.

"You said I couldn't turn into a reindeer. You never said anything about bringing a different deer in and making that one into a reindeer," he points out.

"How did you even—" Lily cuts herself off before she finishes the question. She's not sure that she wants the answer.

She closes her eyes and puts her head in her hands for a count of ten. When she opens them again, she can only utter three words.

"Get. It. Out."