Lily stared at the bizarre concoction Sirius had created in his large mug with a look of disdain and slight revulsion.
It had started off innocently enough, with just a dash of milk and a cinnamon stick, but disaster struck when he suddenly decided (regardless of the fact that potions is by far his worst subject) to make the Most Spectacular Evening Drink Ever to Grace the Grounds of Hogwarts. When Sirius emptied almost a full cup of pumpkin juice into what could hardly be called coffee anymore, she nearly rest of the lot paid little to no attention to Sirius's experimentation, not even when he asked if they thought he should sneak into Slughorn's storage to snag some Gurdyroots. They merely shrugged and asked him to pass the scones, as if it was an ordinary occurrence for Sirius to turn mad scientist on poor, unsuspecting beverages.
The Marauders, minus Peter, whose mother had insisted he be home for Christmas, had decided to take an evening coffee break in the kitchens in order to fend off the bitter December chills and inevitable boredom. During the winter holidays, there were far fewer people to prank and much greater chances at getting caught, which presented a challenge to the restless boys. After nine games of exploding snap and completely redecorating the common room, (everything, including the fireplace - how the boys managed that, Lily will never know - was now turned upside-down) a trip to the kitchens was in order.
Lily, the sole girl left in her dormitory for the holidays, had been quietly reading her book and watching the snow fall from a chair beside the window, thoroughly ignoring their antics. Much to her relief, her solitude had remained uninterrupted for the most part, until James asked her if she wanted something from the kitchens. Having never been to the kitchens and thinking that a new adventure might bring her spirits up (regardless of the company), she asked if she could tag along. James smiled and said he would be honored to take her Hogwarts kitchens virginity. She gave him an unamused glare and a smack over the head with her book in response, but came along anyways.
Thus, on a cold blustery Christmas night, she found herself crowded around one of the kitchen counters with three-fourths of the Marauders, sipping tea and watching Sirius mutilate a perfectly good cup of coffee.
"What exactly did that coffee do to you, Black?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He swatted his hand at her to be quiet, all the while not breaking his concentration as he carefully added a teaspoon of pudding. Remus glanced over at Sirius's brew and grimaced.
"Be lucky he's not trying to make it taste bad, Lily. Otherwise, we probably couldn't manage to be in the same room," Remus said, then, turning to James, "Remember when he made 'hot cocoa' for the Slytherins? I swear, the fumes permanently damaged my nostrils."
James chuckled at the memory. He stood on the other side of the counter reading a Quidditch magazine as he drank an espresso. He glanced up at Lily, his grin growing wider as he took in her face, twisted in a look of disgust mixed with what looked to be concern for Sirius's mental state.
"Best to leave him alone, Evans, it only gets more nauseating the longer you watch," he told her.
After a moment, she shook her head and turned back to her tea, wishing she'd brought her book along with her. Both James and Remus had brought reading materials, and as much as she was fairly sure Remus wouldn't mind her reading the Prophet over his shoulder, she thought it would be less bothersome to occupy herself by watching Sirius make a mess of his drink. She did not anticipate how bothersome to her his experimentation would be.
She looked up to see James's eyes wandering over her still, and gave him a questioning look.
"Need something, Potter?" She asked.
"Why is it that you're here this year for Christmas? Don't you usually go home?" He questioned, taking another sip of his espresso. He could not express how difficult it was to restrain himself from answering 'you' to her previous question. Must not act like a prat, must not act like a prat, he repeated like a mantra in his head.
Lily felt the familiar feeling of someone dropping lead into her stomach. The storm of painful emotions she had managed to keep at bay for the past hour or so suddenly overwhelmed her.
"Bothered by my presence already, Potter? You could have said no when I asked to come along. I could be up in the Common Room, reading my book instead of stuck here watching this nincompoop make a monstrosity out of his coffee!" She exploded at him and gestured to Sirius.
A part of her knew none of this was James's fault and that her harshness was incredibly rude and undeserved, but at the moment, she didn't care. She wanted to yell at someone. She wanted to rid herself of the heaviness that persistently sat in her stomach, making her feel cold and alone on what should be the happiest night of the year.
James's eyebrows shot up his forehead and he blinked several times before he tried to speak again.
"Lily, that's not at all what I meant, I was just-"
"Save it. I don't need your pity. I'll be back in the common room. Have a happy bloody Christmas," she said bitterly, stomping out of the kitchen.
It was silent for several moments after she'd left as Sirius and Remus exchanged nervous glances. James had not moved, and was still gaping, utterly confused, at the spot that Lily vacated until interrupted by Sirius.
"What the hell was that about?" He exclaimed. James shook his head, shoulders tense and his expression still twisted with confusion. Remus sighed knowingly.
"Prongs, mate, you asked the wrong question there," he said dolefully. James turned to look at him, his eyes flashing.
"What can I say to her then? What in the name of Godric Gryphindor is wrong with asking why her holiday plans had changed? What is it about everything I say that makes her turn into a screeching banshee?" he yelled.
"I believe it has something to do with her family," Remus pondered aloud, scratching his head. "Her sister is a bit of a shrew I'm afraid. Don't repeat that and don't tell her I told you."
"Well how was he supposed to know it was a loaded question? Merlin knows he's shit at divination," Sirius argued.
James sat quietly, mulling things over. His face slowly sank out of its contorted state and he relaxed. He ran a hand through his wild black hair with an exasperated sigh.
"Do you think I should apologize?" He inquired of Remus. Remus shrugged.
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I think she just needs to cool off," he responded.
Sirius let out a huff and mumbled something about birds being bloody mental as James finished the last of his drink and rose to exit the kitchens.
"Hey Prongs, before you go, can you bring the hot chocolate over here? I'm all out," Remus asked waving his mug. James shot him a mocking look and cracked a smile.
"Moony, sometimes I wonder if you forget you're a wizard," he joked with him, but put the pot on the counter anyways. A thought came to him, and he remained only a little while longer in the kitchens as a brilliant plan played out in his mind.
When he was finished, just as he was walking through the door, he heard Sirius exclaim, "Oi, Prongs! You know what would make this drink positively marvelous?"
James cocked an eyebrow at him.
"Firewiskey!" Sirius exclaimed.
As soon as Lily left the kitchens, she could feel the hot fury that had expanded in her chest begin to evaporate. By the time she neared the fat lady's painting, she could feel nothing but guilt. Normally she would not have any kind words for that messy-haired, bespeckled boy, as his endless proposals for a date or a snog or whatever caused Lily similarly endless irritation, but she really could not find any fault in his behavior towards her that evening. Come to think of it, he had been nearly tolerable (an extremely significant improvement from utterly unbearable) to her all month. She hadn't had a spat with him in weeks, probably breaking a record. Nevertheless, no matter how much she wished she could, she couldn't put the angry words she threw at him back in her mouth.
Unfortunately, when she arrived at her destination, she found the painting empty, it's subject probably off celebrating in some other, jollier painting. She sighed and decided to head to her second favorite haunt at Hogwarts: the library. It was only 8:00, so she probably had enough time to escape into a book before Madam Pince ousted her.
However, 8:45 found her still unable to subdue her heavy heart and hurt feelings. She blamed Petunia for all her grief. It was her ruddy fault she was miserable. If her ponce of a boyfriend wasn't staying at her house for Christmas, she'd be home. But no, Petunia had to send that hateful note, saying she wasn't welcome over the holidays and that if Lily came home she would never forgive her. And Lily, being her stubborn and incendiary self, sent back an equally nasty letter saying that she hadn't been planning on coming home that Christmas anyways since she heard there was a Vermin problem (Oh wait, that's your boyfriend isn't it, Petunia?) and that she would have a lovely Christmas at Hogwarts. She swallowed the grief and hurt these memories produced.
Even her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice, couldn't assuage her turbulent nerves. It lay face down on the table in front of her, utterly useless. Sighing, Lily brought her chin down to rest on her crossed arms atop the table's surface. She sat there a moment before she heard faint sound of footsteps heading her way. She picked her head up to see who it was, but saw no one, and the noise had ceased. Turning fully around, she leaned back on her chair in order to get a glimpse past the bookshelves, but failed to see a small plate with tea, a few biscuits, and a note float over her head and onto her desk.
Seeing no one down the narrow isle between the shelves, she turned back around and nearly jumped out of her seat when she found the small plate waiting for her.
"Who's there?" She called out, suspicious. No one answered. She cautiously picked up the note that sat atop the teacup, and read what was written.
Evans,
I'm terribly sorry for upsetting you today in the kitchens; believe me, I had no idea my question would affect you like that. That being said, I hope you don't really believe you aren't always welcome to join my mates and me in whatever we may be doing, should you ever be inclined. You would be a fool to think you wouldn't be more than welcome to do anything with us, really.
Well, mostly anything. A few exceptions here and there.
Anyways, please accept this humble peace offering (it's not been tampered with, I solemnly swear on my Marauder's Honor) and have a happy Christmas.
James
P.S. Don't spend Christmas in the library, that's pathetic even for you. It is much more fun in the Common Room at the moment. Sirius is having a grand time drunkenly serenading us with interesting renditions of the carols Flitwick's chorus performed at dinner.
P.S.S Sirius also dared me to try his spectacular drink. It was positively vile. You should take pity on me.
The lump in her throat grew as she read the letter and peered at the aforementioned offering. She even cracked a smile at the thought of Sirius bouncing about the common room in a right state, all the while belting out skewed lyrics to classic holiday carols.
James' thoughtful gesture had made her feel even more guilty, but at the same time, she finally let herself feel a tingling of holiday spirit warm her aching heart. Throwing caution to the wind, as she was sure she should be approaching any beverage given to her by James Potter with extreme caution, she sipped the tea, to find it was exactly the way she liked it: strong, but with bit of honey and a sprinkling of sugar on top.
She wondered how he knew that.
Only a few feet away from behind a bookshelf, James stood under his invisibility cloak, watching carefully as Lily read the letter and beaming when he saw her smile. He could hardly contain his cheer enough to exit the library quietly and unnoticed, but somehow he managed. He grinned all the way back to the common room. He made her smile.
Lily too decided to exit the library in favor of the warm and cheery Common Room a few minutes later. Though she knew she would have to swallow her pride to produce an apology and probably some sort of excuse for her rude behavior, she found she didn't mind. She was determined not to let her hippogriff of a sister ruin her holiday.
In retrospect, as Lily realized much later on, that Christmas was the the first of many ridiculous, hilarious, occasionally scandalous, but most of all, happy Christmases she would spend with the Marauders.