Requested on tumblr: It's Christmas and James wanders into a shop looking for a present and meets Lily.

In ballet, a pas de deux (French, literally "step of two") is a duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform coinciding steps together, creating a masterpiece.

It was the day before Christmas and all the windows of the shops in Levinstown were donned with tinsel and evergreen branches. Fairy lights that twinkle multi-colored sparkles were hung on doorways. A group of carolers hung out in front of a crowded pub singing desolate Christmas tunes. Despite it being bitterly cold and Christmas Eve, the overhead clouds refused to drop snow that was ankle deep.

James Potter bitterly wrapped his coat around his waist and glared at the sky, cursing the frigid wind. It already felt nothing like Christmas and lack of snow didn't help. James recalled past Christmas' when the snow was so high James and parents had to stay huddled in their warm house for days on end. Of course, with his dad gone, everything had changed.

He was following a pack of shoppers all swallowed in their warm winter coats with scarves tied round their throats. He'd been out for two hours looking for a proper gift for his mum. He had to find something soon or Mrs. Potter would worry when James didn't come home before dinner. The shoppers were all burdened with heavy bags filled with presents. James had nothing but his wallet in his pocket.

A twinkling laugh echoed out of the open door of the shop to his left. James' eyes lazily turned to look and immediately hesitated. It wasn't the auburn hair braided into a crown atop her head or the round face blushing with bliss that made James stop. It wasn't even the scoop neck dress covered in little Christmas trees and snowmen that caused his hiatus sulking.

So, what made James Potter stop in the streets that Christmas Eve?

The simple fact that an odd woman was dancing. The woman wasn't dancing alone, that was the most intriguing part. She had a little black and white kitten in her arms. The strange overly festive woman laughed merrily once again as the kitten tried to escape her grip.

The only reason James could hear her laughing was thanks to another young woman holding the door open as she waved goodbye to the dancer.

"Try to stay out of trouble, Lily. See you tomorrow." The woman at the door announced her departure loudly, over the loud Christmas song.

The woman closed to door and abruptly turned around, almost running into James, "Woops! Sorry, Honey!" the woman beamed at James with a wink, "Happy Christmas."

"Sorry," he apologized, moving out of the way and continuing to gawp at the dancing woman through the store window.

James grabbed the door handle to the front of the shop and swung the door open. A wave of heat hit him as he stepped inside. James' senses were overwhelmed by the scents and sounds of Christmas. Candles were burning in every corner of the shop and the music was twinkling from a stereo by the cash register.

The dancing woman had her back to him, humming along, swaying to what sounded like a romantic Christmas song. The cat was clawing its way up her arm as the door closed behind James. It's little black and white paws were digging into the woman's shoulders. Despite the woman's tight hold the cat wiggled away and ran to James at the door, scurrying under a chair covered in dolls.

"Oh."

James' brown eyes met her green eyes and suddenly he was aware that this woman, albeit a crazy Christmas cat lady, was also crazy attractive. Her festive dress hugged every slim contour of her body as she moved forward to greet him. She ran her fingers across the desk that held the cash register as she walked (more like floated) James' direction. Underneath the chair, as the woman got closer to them, the cat yowled like a wild animal.

The woman winced and stopped in her tracks.

James pointed a finger in the cat's direction, "I reckon he doesn't want another dance."

Quick as a whip the woman tilted her head playfully at James and retorted, "I reckon he doesn't have a choice."

James felt a short laugh escape from his chest as he surveyed the woman from the tips of her bare feet to the top of her braided crown covered in red and green glitter. Her green eyes were watching him too, echoing cleverness and wit. She was also poised on the edge of her toes like she was about to take flight.

When their eyes met again James was suddenly aware of the buzzing in the air—the music had stopped.

"What can I help you with?" the woman asked, "My name is Lily."

James held out his hand and she shook it, "I'm James, and I'm looking for a gift."

Lily clucked her tongue, "Last minute present shopping for the girlfriend? Bad form."

James raised an eyebrow at her, "It's for my mum."

Instead of getting embarrassed for her girlfriend joke, Lily's grin spread wider, "Even worse."

James ruffled his black hair with slight humiliation, "Yeah, I'm afraid I don't get son of the year award."

Lily put her hands on her hips and nodded, "Well, you have until the 31st to get your shot at the award—what essence does your mum like?"

And that's when James realized why the smell of Christmas was so empowering…he'd wandered into a candle shop. Wobbly shelves held candles of every size, shape, and color. Merchandise tables were covered in burning fragrances. Little figurines held a hodgepodge of dried fruits and leaves. The dolls on the chair the cat was hiding under were actually ugly looking solders with long arms and tall caps. Nutcrackers.

James' smile turned to a grimace.

"Er," he was unintelligible, "I don't know."

Lily tilted her head as the music turned back on, echoing an upbeat chorus of voices singing about snow. James wasn't sure if the sudden smell of lavender was from one of the candles or the girl who came closer to his side. Either way, it was lovely.

"What's your father do?" she bounced the question at him offhandedly, not knowing how it hurt him.

James awkwardly shrugged, "He's dead."

Her cheery face fell immediately, "Oh, I'm sorry—"

"It's okay." James murmured, "He was a, uh, stay at home type of dad."

Lily bit her lip before asking indifferently, "And uh, what were his hobbies?"

James stared fixedly at her, "What does this have to do with my mum?"

A new, secret smile appeared on Lily's face, "You'll see."

James crossed his arms and shrugged, "I don't know, he liked to fish in the rivers by our house," James recalled summers spend lounging in the fields with his mum while his father fished, "My mum and I would sit out in the fields for hours watching him."

Lily bobbed her head; "My father fished as well," her green eyes lit up, "One year he fancied himself a fly fisherman…he hooked his own ear and my mum spent an hour stitching him up once we got the hook out."

Lily leaned up against the register counter, her dress falling in folds over her knees. James came to lean against the register at her side, keeping a bit of space between them. They both seemed to be lost in their own memories.

"My dad liked to cook," James decided to speak first, "Does yours?"

Lily stared pointedly at her bare feet when she responded, "He used too…" then she looked up at him, a distinctive sort of twinkle in her eyes, "My father passed away last year."

James felt his heart beat faster in his chest at the acknowledgment that someone else knew what he was going through. James' father had only been gone six weeks; this time of year was proving difficult without his dad.

"My father would spend hours in our kitchen." James whispered when Lily continued to stay unobtrusive, "He made hundreds of cookies and cakes for our neighbors. I used to ask my mum why he wasted so much time in the kitchen and so much money on feeding our neighbors." He chuckled at Lily's disbelieving look, "I was a bit of an obnoxious spoiled brat as a kid." James stared at one of the flickering flames on the table across from them, "My dad gave my mum and I whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted."

"My dad probably wished that he could do that." Lily's voice, so firm and objective was softer now, as she spoke of her childhood, "We grew up in Cokesworth and well, you knows Cokesworth…even the water is filthy."

Lily appeared to be relieving some unpleasant memories; her warm face had gone cold as stone. James had only been to Cokesworth once. It was a factory town and most of the population was poor or poorer than poor. James' mother had often started donation funds for kids of Cokesworth around the Holidays. James had helped Mrs. Potter deliver canned food one year. Most of the kids were slender like Lily, but not in the athletic way she was.

"You've visited my hometown before?" Lily asked when she saw his forlorn look.

"Once," James confessed.

"Leaves an impression, doesn't it?" Lily smirked when he had nothing else to add.

James couldn't help but reply back, "You are definitely the loveliest thing I've ever seen come out of Cokesworth."

"Well," Lily exhaled, rolling her eyes at his charm, "Aren't you just so lush. Did your father teach you how to charm a woman too?"

"Is that why you came to Levinstown?" James asked, turning down his flirting, "To escape Cokesworth?"

Lily shrugged, pressing herself against the counter before pushing off and floating lightly over to a shelf full of red candles, "I suppose." She hummed, "It seemed like the best option for me to leave Cokesworth since nothing ever becomes of anyone who stays in Cokesworth. When I turned seventeen I got an offer to dance for the Levinstown Theatre Company. I've been here ever since, dancing at night and selling candles during the day."

James had a feeling that even if Lily had stayed in Cokesworth, she'd have become something. Just by the way she floated across the floor and the way her impossibly long legs seemed perfectly in tune to her movements. James was tall but he was nowhere near her level of graceful. Where as Lily was a prancing doe, James was most certainly an unsteady freshly born Giraffe.

Lily reached for a dark red candle on one of the shelves and smelt it before putting it down, seeming unsatisfied. James watched her as she danced between shelves and tables, her feet twisting and turning like a pretty ballerina. She'd grab candles, sniff them, hum a bit, and them place them back. James was mesmerized by the twirl of her skirt and he found out where the sparkles in her hair had come from. Every time Lily reached for a candle in the back of the stacks her hair would brush against the decorations along the shelves.

Finally Lily lingered her choreographed dance to a small sway, in her hand was a large three-wick candle. The color was golden brown and reminded James almost of bread freshly baked in the oven. The glass design was etched into swirls and looked like ice that had been skated on. James was surprised when she glided over and plopped the glass filled with wax into his hands.

A confident smile was written on her face, "That's it, the one for your mum."

"What?" puzzled, James examined the candle.

Even in her bare feet, Lily was almost taller than him, "Cinnamon Ginger Cake."

"No thanks, I have to eat dinner first." James jested.

"Bugger," Lily punched him with surprising force in the stomach before pointing at the candle, "I meant the candle. It smells like you father."

"It can't smell like my—" James sniffed once and his lighthearted manner fell away.

A sweet—and yet startlingly crisp—scent filled his nostrils. Time seemed to stand still as James recalled this particular scent drift from the hallowed doorways of the Potter house kitchen. It was on the fabric of the very coat James wore—his father's coat. It was the smell he so recognized as a child as he ran into the house after playing in the snow. James' father always had warm gingerbread out this time of year.

It was what made this Christmas seem so bland, James realized. Without his father cooking, the Potter house had seemed so off. No amount of lights or presents could change the hole his father left—but this candle could help fill the void a little more than before. James lowered the candle and opened his eyes so that he was looking vividly at Lily.

"How-?"

"There's a candle for everything." Lily shrugged with a grin; "I get my mum peppermint candles this time of year because it reminds her of my father's mints after dinner."

James set his candle on the counter and considered his new friend, the ballerina who sold candles, "What candle is your favorite?"

Lily's green eyes lit up and she went to the table at the front of the store with the nutcrackers, picking up a sparkling white candle. James walked over to her and took the candle from her before she could pass it to him. She looked surprised at how bold he was, but also amused. She didn't move away as their shoulders brushed. The outside of the candle was decorated in sparkling white snowflakes. When James brought it to his nose it smelled like a sweet candied fruit.

"Sugar Plum Cookie." Lily smiled at the candle fondly, "A seasonal favorite that I keep year round."

"I'll take them both." James told her and she stood up taller as she danced around him to the cash register.

"Of course," she waved him over to the desk and pulled a small red bag from under the counter for her purchases, "Shall I wrap them here?"

"Just the Gingerbread one," James told her, leaning on the counter as she rang him up, "The other one is for me."

Lily didn't answer him as she took his money and slowly wrapped his mother's gift in pretty red wrapping before placing it in the red bag. Lily placed the Sugar Plum candle on top of his mum's candle unwrapped. She hummed along to O Holy Night as she also placed decorative paper around the red bag. James was mesmerized by every bit of her.

The cat had finally come out of hiding and was sitting dutifully on the counter beside James, purring contentedly in the warm fragrant Christmas air.

Finally, Lily handed him his package, a kind smile enveloping her face with a warm glow. James let his fingers crush hers as he took the bag, enjoying the red blush that rose onto her cheeks.

"Merry Christmas." She told him as he turned away from her towards the door.

"Happy Christmas." He replied, turning to face her.

Walking backwards was difficult but he managed, just so he could try and remember her face. She didn't seemed to mind, her hands were wrapped in her skirt as she bit her lip and he imagined she was leaning on her tip toes again, about to take flight. James cleared his throat and turned to open the door.

"Wait, James."

He turned quickly, as if she had pulled him with an invisible string.

"I was practicing earlier, with my cat." Her eyes seemed wide and unwavering, "The dance—I mean—I told you I'm a dancer."

"You're beautiful." He didn't know what else to say, Lily blushed.

Her green eyes were optimistic as she spoke; "I'm dancing tomorrow in The Nutcracker at the theatre." She smiled her secret smile again, the one that made his stomach take a few flips, "I'm the Sugar Plum Fairy."

James imagined seeing her on a stage dressed in white, dancing on her toes for the entire world to see. He imagined her with glitter in her hair, sparkles in her eyes, and realized he wasn't imagining anything—he'd already gotten a sneak peek through the windows. He also knew he'd give anything to see it again.

Lily's cat yawned and stretched next to her elbow.

"Is the cat going to be your partner?" James couldn't resist teasing Lily, even when she was positively glowing with anticipation, "Or are you asking me to step in?"

"I'm a soloist." She raised her little nose in the air and pranced away from the counter and towards him at the door, her eyes seemed to challenge him as she stepped in front of him boldly, "I don't need a partner to dance."

James wrapped the hand holding the bag around her waist and took a small leap, eliminating the space between them. Her hands were pressed against his chest and she stared up at him with her entrancing green eyes. One of her hands curled into his father's coat and he was overwhelmed by the smell of lavender again. Even though they'd just met, even though he'd imagined he'd walk out to never see her again—James also loved a challenge.

Lily met his lips in the middle, laughing against his mouth as he leaned her over his arm in a dramatic swoop. Her lips were caught against his own and he playfully nipped her as he pulled them back up and twirled them so she was forced to wrap both arms around him to steady herself. He pulled away and grinned down at her when he saw her bright red cheeks.

She smirked, "You're cheeky."

He grinned back, "And yet, still a better dancer than your cat."

Lily laughed, "Even you can't dance with me, wouldn't your mum love to see a ballet on Christmas?" she hinted, breaking away from him, leavening him feeling suddenly as cold as he'd been outside the shop.

James leaned against the cold door and stared at Lily in curiosity as she made her way back to the shop counter. She was like nothing he'd ever come across in Levinstown. James knew he'd come searching for a gift for his mother, but he felt like he'd gotten a gift of his own just by meeting Lily. Lily was hanging on his every word; clearly hopeful he'd give her a yes.

"Well if the cat is dancing…" and at her playful glare he chortled, "Okay," he nodded and she beamed, "I'll go buy the tickets on my way home."

"I can't wait to see you." She told him and his heart soared.

"Save a dance for me, maybe?" he asked as he pushed open the door to the frigid air.

She leaned against the counter and placed her chin in her hands as she grinned a scarlet smile, "I reckon I don't have a choice?"

James echoed the same tone she'd used when he walked into her shop only a half hour before, "I reckon you don't."

As the door closed behind James he couldn't resist looking back one more time. Lily was smiling at him through the windows, petting her cat. White dust danced in front of James' eyes and he looked up. It was finally snowing.

Snowflakes waltzed around the air as James finished his Christmas shopping with a pair of tickets to Levinstown Threatre's production of The Nutcracker. Just seeing Lily on the cover of the production booklet dressed in a white and golden tutu made his heart race. James felt a bit like dancing himself; he was so joyed from his meeting.

Church bells from down the road caroled as he met his mother at their front door with a wide grin and a big hug. His mother seemed surprised by his good cheer but didn't dare question it. Mrs. Potter even bawled when James surprised her with the handpicked candle and tickets. She was concerned about what to wear and when James told her they'd probably be meeting one of the ballerinas after the show, Mrs. Potter looked like Christmas had come early.

It was the night before Christmas and the windows at the Potter house were covered in a layer of snow and frost. A candle burned at James Potter's bedside, smelling distinctly of crystallized fruit and lavender. James was watching the flame flicker brightly as it danced gracefully on the wick. Slowly, as his eyes drifted shut, the flame turned into the slight figure of a woman with emerald eyes and a flickering smile.

James fell asleep in his bed, Lily's favorite candle still pirouetting, while visions of sugarplums danced in his head.