A/N: Hello. I wanted to make a Lily and James Christmas story, so here it is. I am incapable of writing novels (believe me, I've tried. See At the End), so I made this a one shot format. Please review, and enjoy! The spells are Latin, and can be translated as:
Factus Exanimis- Become Inanimate
Mortem Ostendere- Show the Poison
Scutum Revelare- Reveal the Shield
-Fawkes
Snowflakes
The snow fluttered past the high, frosted windows in the Gryffindor Common Room. Lily stood miserably, hugging her best friend, Alice, goodbye as she left to board the Hogwarts Express for home. It was the twentieth of December and almost all of Gryffindor house was leaving to visit their families and enjoy the holidays.
"Bye," Lily said sadly to Alice, releasing her from the hug.
"Lily, I'll be back before you know it."
"I know. I know."
A sudden smirk grew on Lily's face, and she told Alice, "Now go say bye to Frank. I'm sure he'll give you a more interesting goodbye."
Alice blushed to the roots of her short, blonde hair, and punched Lily in the arm playfully. She turned and walked away, looking over her shoulder and then waving at Lily before climbing out of the portrait hole.
Lily turned and gave a little start as Sirius Black landed right next to Lily, after jumping down the last five steps of the boy's staircase. "Damn, Sirius! You gave me a heart attack."
He grinned cheekily saying, "I tend to make most women's hearts run."
"You wish Black," she responded sniggering.
His bag levitated down the last few steps, and came to a stop beside Sirius. He started to turn, before looking back and saying, "Bye, Lily. I'll see you after break."
"You're leaving too?" She asked glumly, "Leaving poor me all alone?" She smirked.
"Yeah I am going over Remus' place for the holidays, but Prongs is staying. I think he's pretty depressed. This is the first holiday he has spent without them. Keep an eye on him for me."
"Yes, I will."
Sirius turned, exiting the common room. James came down the steps a moment later, a sad smile on his face, appearing lost in his memories.
"Hello, James," she said.
His eyes snapped up, and emerald met gold-flecked hazel. "Hi, Lily," he said, his eyes getting considerably happier upon seeing her.
He looked at her, astounded by the way the fire danced in her hair, weaving with reds, oranges, and golds. Her eyes shone in the glare of the winter sun through the window. Her porcelain skin glowed with energy and vitality. He snapped out of his daze.
"Want to go down to lunch?"
"Sure," he replied giving her a lopsided smile that she had to admit made him look adorable.
He held the portrait hole open for her, and she clambered through. He followed closely behind her. Once he was in the hall, he drew abreast of her, and they walked in companionable silence.
They sat down next to each other, and James started to pile food onto his plate. Lily laughed, and James delighted in the way she sounded. "Well it looks like someone is feeling better."
He smiled at her, "Who wouldn't be, you're hear and the foods amazing."
Instead of slapping him like she would have a year ago, she blushed and punched his arm playfully. He groaned in mock agony, gripping his arm and sliding lower in his chair.
"Sorry. Did I hurt the widdle baby?" she asked laughing.
"Damn, woman! You can punch!"
She laughed at him, and he loved the fact that he was the cause of such a beautiful sound. He smiled at her, "Pass the potatoes please."
She handed the potato bowl to him, and their hands brushed. An electric shock went up her arm, and the skin where he had touched her tingled. She smiled at him and blushed.
Half an hour later, when they were finished eating, Lily asked, "So what should we do now?"
James smirked and responded playfully, "How about we spend a little time in a broom closet?"
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before bursting out laughing. Internally, he was overjoyed, because instead of punching him in the face or hexing him, Lily was blushing and smiling slightly.
Sadly, for James, they ended up going to the library, as Lily wanted to research an idea she had to make Polyjuice potion last longer, not taste as horrid, and make the transformation less uncomfortable than usual. James reclined in a large green armchair with a book on Advanced Transfiguration, while Lily pursued her many potions tomes on the other side of a low coffee table.
"Ha," she gave a squeal of excitement, and James laughed, smiling at her jubilation. "I've got it! Can we go back to the tower, I need to test this out, and I have some pre-brewed potion waiting."
"Sure," he smiled at her, "I want to test out one of the spells in this book."
The both checked out their books, and made their way through some secret passageways up to Gryffindor Tower. Lily and James were the only two in the common room as Lily set up her equipment on one of the tables.
Lily muttered to herself under her breath as she brewed the potion, and James couldn't help but smile at the look of utter focus on her face, "Two more lacewing flies, a gram of peppermint, and two teaspoons of pure poison dart frog venom. The lacewing flies should counteract the venom. Then, thirteen counter clockwise stirs and let it simmer for five minutes before testing."
James smiled at her before standing up and saying clearly, "Factus Exanimis."
Where he was standing a moment before, a teacup now lay on the ground. A moment later, James reappeared. Lily was very impressed, and wondered how he turned back while in the form of something that can't think.
She asked him and he told her, "As soon as you are unable to concentrate any longer on what you want to be, you change back."
"That's an impressive bit of Transfiguration."
"I think your potion is finished, Lily."
She glanced down and muttered, "Mortem Ostendere."
The potion turned a green color and she smiled, and without a second thought she poured some into a cup and began raising it to her lips before remembering that she needed a hair. She sat down the cup.
Looking up at James she said, "I guess I was a little over eager to test it out. Can I have one of your hairs to try it?"
He nodded his head smiling at Lily. She reached up tentatively and gently plucked out a piece of hair, smiling at how soft his hair was, and enjoying that wonderful tingling sensation she got from touching him. He shivered a bit as she pulled away, and smiled at him hesitantly. He was blushing crimson.
She put the hair in the cup, before smiling at the silver color it turned. She looked up at him, smiling before bringing the cup for her lips, and downing the entire glass. He marveled at how she must either be very brave or very stupid to drink a potion that was untried and contained venom which would normally kill her with one drop. Knowing Lily, James came to the conclusion that she was a very brave girl.
Without the usual bubbling of the skin that signaled the beginning of the mutation in to another person, her hair grew inward, she got significantly taller, and her shoulders grew wider. James stared into the eyes of his doppelganger, in awe of the speed and perfection which with Lily's enhanced potion could transform her.
She smiled and asked, "How do I look?"
"Dashing, if I do say so myself, but not as good as you looked before."
She blushed before a mischievous twinkle appeared in her eye and she said, "So who are we going to prank?"
"McGonagall," he replied a grin growing on his face.
She started towards the portrait hole, but James said, "Wait, little Miss Head Girl, pranking! I never thought I would see the day!"
He gave a little gasp wiping away a fake tear and Lily couldn't help but laugh and then replied, "Hey, I can be fun too!"
They walked through the corridors before parting. James walked up to Professor McGonagall and waved. She looked up, and then turned around when Lily tapped her on the shoulder. She nearly jumped out of her skin, and James and Lily had a hard time controlling their laughter.
"What is the meaning of this?" she asked angrily. "Which one of you is a fake?"
Lily and James lifted their arms up and pointed at the opposite person before breaking out into laughter. McGonagall just shook her head and continued down the hall, leaving Lily and James clutching their sides from laughter.
Lily wiped a fake tear away, "That was good. Did you see the look on her face when she turned around? Priceless!"
Lily reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial of green liquid. She drank it, and within seconds she was back to normal.
"Let's go to dinner," Lily said still smiling widely at James.
"Yeah, okay."
The walked into the great hall and sat down. McGonagall gave James a pointed glare, which made the two of them burst into laughter. They ate quickly and then went back to the common room.
"Want to play some chess?" James asked.
"Sure," Lily replied.
James got out his set, and ten minutes later, Lily was doing a victory dance in the middle of the common room. James whined, "Oh be quiet already. I get that you won."
They sat down together on the couch, and within thirty minutes, Lily was dead asleep. James looked at her adoringly. She was so beautiful when she slept. Her hair fanned out on the golden couch, and she looked so peaceful and untroubled.
After breaking his gaze, James went to crack the charm on the girl's staircase. He removed the spell, then picked Lily up and took her upstairs.
Before entering her room, James pulled out his wand and muttered, "Scutum Revelare."
A series of thin glowing webs appeared in the doorway. With a deft series of wand movements, James severed the web and entered the dormitory. He put Lily down on her bed, and pulled a blanket over her. He left the dormitory, entered his own and crawled into bed with a smile on his face, hoping that Lily might be warming up to him.
The next morning, he awoke, dressed, and came downstairs. Lily was wearing skinny jeans and a green sweater, and James thought she couldn't be more beautiful. They walked to breakfast together.
After eating, Lily suggested with a wicked grin, "Snowball fight?"
They put on cloaks, scarves, and gloves, then made their way out towards the lake. Once outside, James started to tell Lily that they should start, but was interrupted when a snowball slammed into his face, knocking his glasses askew.
"I'll get you for that, Lily," he spluttered.
"Catch me if you can," she yelled laughing, before taking off towards the forest.
He ran after her, and being one of the most in shape boys in the school because of Quidditch, caught her before the tree line. She suddenly turned around, and James playfully tackled her, landing on top of her. He smiled down at her, and blushed at how she looked, her clothes wet.
"Let me up, James!"
"Never," he laughed in response.
Before he knew it, James was lying back down in the snow, and Lily was straddling his waist.
"Ha," she laughed, "Who is the loser now!"
She got up and lent him a hand. He pulled himself out of the snow, and they went to go warm up by the fire in the common room. Lily pulled off her boots, scarf, and cloak, and James couldn't help but stare at her beautiful curves, framed by her wet sweater. Lily blushed upon turning, and seeing James admiring her body. She sat down next to him, and they relaxed for the rest of the day, doing tidbits of homework the professors had assigned them over holiday.
On the morning of Christmas day, James awoke, got dressed, and went down to the common room. He saw Lily waiting with a broomstick.
"I didn't know you liked to fly. Why don't you play Quidditch?"
"I don't like the idea of getting knocked off my broom. I just enjoy flying. It's like I leave all my problems on the ground."
"I have this special place on the grounds that we could fly to."
"Sounds good," she replied.
He ran upstairs again, grabbed his broom, and they exited through the portrait hole. They skipped breakfast and flew over the forest for about a half hour. James was captivated by the graceful ease with which Lily flew, her hair fanning out behind her in the wind, her normally pale cheeks flushed with the cold.
James began to descend, and Lily followed as her landed in a clearing deep in the forest, on a small rise. There was a pond in the middle, and even though it was the dead of winter, there were an assortment of lilies growing in and around the water. Lily stepped closer, and the air grew steadily warmer as she approached the water's edge.
"It's beautiful," she told him.
"I charmed the water in fourth year to keep warm during the winter. The flowers never die."
"Thank you for bringing me here, James," she said throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, amazed at how perfectly they seemed to fit together.
She moved away, and James immediately noticed the loss of warmth. They sat in companionable silence, and Lily flew around every once in a while. A few hours later, Lily descended from her latest flight, and looked at her watch.
"James, we should be getting back soon."
"Ok."
They flew back and James went inside, but Lily told him, "I am going to stay outside a little longer. I'll be back inside soon."
She went down and sat beneath the barren branches of an old beach tree by the lake. She was thinking about her parents, her feelings for James, and her sister, Petunia. Time passed quickly as she sat there, and before she realized it, the sun was setting and James was moving towards her through the snow.
"Lily, we have to go up soon for Christmas dinner."
"Oh sorry, I was just thinking about my parents and my sister."
"You have a sister?"
"Kind of… She hates me."
"No one could hate you, Lily."
"And my parents died in first year, right after I first came to Hogwarts."
"I am sorry. I know what it's like. It's the worst feeling in the world. You feel unloved, unwanted."
"Everyone wants you James. Behind Sirius, you're the most desirable boy in school."
"That may be, but I don't want any of them back, because you're the only girl that I want, Lily."
He smiled at her, and she came towards him, leaning in, and kissing him softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and kissed her passionately. His tongue explored her mouth, and she fisted his hair in her hands.
He leaned his forehead against hers while he caught his breath and said, "I love you Lily Evans."
"I love you too. It's been coming on for a while."
"We need to go up to dinner."
"I don't want to," she whined.
"Don't worry. There will be plenty of time for this later," he said planting a kiss on her lips.
They walked, hand in hand, through the freshly falling snow, reaching the doors of the great hall. They entered smiling widely, with cheeks flushed from the cold. Inside the hall, there was now a single table, with two spaces empty.
Dumbledore smiled at them with a twinkle in his eye, "Had a good time, have we?"
Somehow, Lily knew that Dumbledore knew about more than just the flying. She blushed to the roots of her hair. It was amazing how much James loved that beautiful blush of hers. He smiled at her, and they took their places at the table, their hands remaining clasped firmly together under the table.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Happy Holidays! Please send me a review. I am open to constructive criticism.
-Fawkes