Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I really need to make you all wait until July 16 to get Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince? Would I?

Title: Christmas Wishes


Summary: And nice Christmas LJ one-shot just for the holidays! Happy Christmas!
Rating: PG-13
By: MsLily (Lily Kay Wolfe)
Date: 21 December 2004

Lily Evans stepped out of the large castle doors and skip-hopped down the steps, shivering. It wasn't her fault it was snowing. She jumped down from the last step and sank into the snow up to her ankles.

"God....dammit!" she cursed taking one foot out and shaking it to get the collected snow off and then the other. She rubbed her hands together and put a mittened hand over her eyes to look out into the snow-covered Hogwarts grounds. It wasn't snowing, yet, but there was already quite a lot on the ground.

"Ahhh, there are those little ragamuffins!" Lily said, smiling when she saw her four best friends playing out in the snow by the lake. She ran down the slope, calling out to her best best friend, James Potter. "James! Jamie! James Harold Potter!"

He looked up while patting a snowball together and grinned at his best friend. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose while watching her and threw a snowball at her. Lily kept running until she had built up so much momentum that she couldn't stop. She bent over and put her hands out in front of her, catching James in the chest and throwing them both down into the snow.

"Lily!" he gasped as the wind was knocked out of him. She sat up and perched herself comfortably on his stomach. "What are you doing, missy?" he asked, smiling up at her through his dark lashes. Lily shrugged and looked at the others.

"Howdy, all!" she said, saluting them. The dark-haired Sirius Black sent her a lopsided grin and saluted back. The werewolf Remus Lupin nodded his head at her, a smile twinkling in his eyes. Her last friend, the small Peter Pettigrew, threw a snowball at Sirius while the taller boy wasn't looking. "Mind if I take away Jamsiepoo for a while?" Sirius squinted at her.

"Why? What are you going to do to him? Did you find out what he did?" Lily gave him a look at glanced down at James.

"What are you talking about?" Sirius blushed.

"Nothing, Lils, of course. Nothing," he said guiltily. Lily fixed one of her emerald green eyes on him.

"Well, I won't keep Jamsie for too long! Just long enough for him to shag me senseless!" James had been laughing but choked on the next bout of laughter when he heard what Lily said. The twinkle in Remus's eyes just grew. Peter looked a little confused.

But Sirius, who had been walking towards them, stumbled over a large pile of snow because he was too distracted by what Lily had said.

"Wh-what are you...going to do?" he asked, sinking into the snow next to them. Lily raised her head in the air and sniffed snootily.

"I said that Monsieur James is going to shag me senseless!" she said in a posh voice, trying to keep her voice straight. Sirius looked like her was going to throw up.

"Oh god, nasty mental images! My two bestest friends, shagging! Gross!" Lily laughed and smacked his arm.

"I was kidding, Padfoot!" Sirius lightened up.

"Okay then! Remus and me were just going inside now anyway! Coming, Petey?" Peter nodded nervously and the corners of Remus's mouth twitched slightly at his friends' antics. Sirius got up and her, Remus and Peter left to go back inside the castle, snickering at their two friends obvious feelings for each other.

Lily smiled down at James, who was rather cold from being pressed into the snow.

"Hey, Lily."

"Uh-hu?"

"Can you let me up? I'm kind of cold down here."

"Oh! Right." She rolled off of him and sat up. They both stood up and began walking around the perimetre of the lake.

"So, what did you want me for?" James asked, glancing at her as they walked. She smiled at him quickly before looking down.

"Well, I was...I was just...I wanted to know if...you know...if...."

"Lily." She looked up at him, startled. "Would you like your Christmas present early?" Lily blushed and looked down at her shoes again. "Would you?"

"Yes, please, James." Lily looked back up at him. James nodded and turned towards her, putting his hand out to hold her away from him.

"Sorry in advance," he said before closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. Lily melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away from her with a concerned look on his face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. We're friends." He turned his head away.

"No, James. Look at me." He turned back to her and she smiled at him, making all his fears melt away with the snow. "I love you. It should have happened." James breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled down at her.

"I love you, too, Lils." He kissed her again quickly before turning her so that her back was pressed onto his chest. They watched the sunset over the snowy mountains, lights from the horizon playing across their faces. They watched the sunset on Christmas day as adults, best friends, and lovers. On that one fateful Christmas day.