James Potter was tired. He was tired of school work.  He was tired from Quidditch practice.  He was tired from being rejected by Lily Evans. 
"I am a stud!"  thought James as he checked himself out in the prefect's bathroom mirror.  He wasn't a prefect, but nothing stupid like a rule had ever stopped him before.  "I don't get it.  If Lily likes looks, the only people to go for are me and Sirius.  If Lily likes brains, the only guys who she would like would be me or Remus.  If Lily wants a sense of humor, she should fancy any of the Marauders!  Doesn't she see?!  I fit in all three categories!  I am bloody perfect for her!" 

James dressed, but did not put on his glasses.  He was so hot from his bath that they would steam up; and steamed glasses looks really dorky.   With hunched shoulders he exited the bathroom, just as a blurry figure was approaching from down the hall.

James tried to squint at the mix of red and green.  It was only when the person was two feet from the entrance to the prefect's bathroom that James realized the red blur was hair.  Lily was the only red head he had ever heard of.

James instantly stood up straight, though he wished he had put on his glasses.  He would have liked to see Lily Evans.  The girl was very pretty.

"Hello Lily." James said coolly, in what he hoped was a sexy voice.

"James.  I see Remus must have told you the prefect's bathroom password." Lily sneered. 

"Lily, dear, I am Head Boy.  Honestly.  It's ok if I bend a few little rules." James rolled his eyes. 

"James! You are supposed to be an example!"  Lily shouted.

"We have had this conversation before, Lily. It ends with you thinking I am worthless and me thinking you are the most beautiful woman on the planet. Stuck up and snotty, but still beautiful.  So let's try something new.  It's almost Christmas.  Let's talk about that!"  James said.

Lily was shocked for a second.  Was that a diss or a compliment?  "Ugh!  Get out of my way James!" Lily pushed him aside and opened the bathroom door.

"Lily, I want a hug and a kiss for Christmas.  If you can't give me any of that, I'll settle for a nice new quill."

"James, we never exchange gifts." Lily said, pausing in the doorway, "We are not friends."

"Well, I am going to get you something.  If you can live with not getting me anything in return, then that will be on your conscience, Sweety, not mine.  And I know that your conscience is white as the snow.  So remember, all I want for Christmas is you!" James ended with singing a muggle song that he was sure Lily had heard of. 

Lily blushed and shut the door.

James continued walking down the hall toward the dormitory, singing to the top of his lungs until he thought Lily couldn't hear him anymore.  Lily, however, was having a hard time moving.  She was leaning against the door, listening to James sing "All I want for Christmas is you."  There was just something about James.

Lily was a smart girl.  She knew that she felt different around James than she did around any other boy.  In fact, her heart and her head knew that Lily more than liked James. 

But Lily was a smart girl. 

Lily knew that James was trouble. Lily knew that getting together with James would be more serious than anything she had ever felt before.  Lily knew that James was probably her "soul mate," whatever that meant.  So Lily was Scared of James.  Lily was Scared of making herself vulnerable, Scared that she might have to give up her dreams of becoming a world renowned scholar of magic.  Why let Love get in the way yet?  If it was going to come, let it come when she was ready; when she had time. 

Lily stepped into the hot bath water.  She thought that James had just been in here.  James.  James.  James!  Love was important, but it had its time and place.  Lily did not want to let herself get caught up in all those sidetracks.  Her brain was able to think too far into future that she created traps for herself.

James was still tired when he arrived at the Gryffindor common room, but he had a spring in his step.

"Yo Prongs!  How come you have only two eyes, not the usual four?"

James turned his head, and looked at the blurred figure sitting by the fire. Not that he needed to see the face to know that voice.  He would recognize his best friend anyway, in any disguise.

"Padfoot, my old man.  Was that a joke about my glasses?  Awful.  Truly awful.  If you don't have anything funny to say, don't say anything at all." James said,

"If that's true, you both better shut up."  Remus called from the floor in front of the fire.  Remus liked the warmth; he was feeling a little less then stellar.  The full moon was approaching.  The heat from the flames felt good on his aching body.  Peter was also lazing by the fire. 

"Ah, hey guys, do you remember Project Body Surf?"  James whispered to his three friends. 

"No, but when are we going to the beach?" Sirius asked.

"No you stupid toad, that was just a code name for the Christmas shopping thing. Remember?" James hissed.

"Ah yes I remember now.  You were going to shower Lily with love."  Remus teased.

"Ha!"  Peter added, he had just wanted to feel like part of the conversation, though everyone knows that Peter was just wasting air. 

"Yeah, well anyway, we never really got past naming the project.  We still haven't gone shopping." James said.

"Oh my poor James-y boy.  Men don't shop, men buy.  If you want us to help you buy Lily a gift, then say so.  But if you want us all to go shopping, then you need some new friends." Sirius coolly explained.

"Whatever.  I was thinking that Lily might like some new socks."  James contemplated.

"Socks?  Oh, I get it!  That was a joke.  You said something funny!"  Remus said.

"No I'm being serious."  James

"Ha!  You are not being Sirius!" Peter laughed.

Everyone just looked at Peter.  He was still just wasting air.  The little piece....

"Peter.  Honestly, that joke got old in second year."  Sirius said, "Anyway, James, you were seriously considering socks?"

"Well yeah.  They are practical.  They keep your feet warm.  No one ever thinks to buy them for themselves.  It is the sort of thing your family gives you.  But Lily is not very close with her family and…" 

"James.  Think jewelry.  Trust me.  I gave um, what's her face, Julie Montenegro a necklace for Christmas last year.  It put her in a very good mood.  You know what I mean?" Sirius advised.

"Everyone knows what you mean.  But I still think socks are coming more from the heart."  James pleaded.

"Girls don't care if it came from the heart.  They want it to come from the wallet." Sirius said.

"No, only the girls you date take money." James insulted.

"Don't answer that Sirius" Remus interrupted, "and James, don't get her socks.  Project Body Surf had got to be better than socks."

Lily left the prefects bathroom with a dazed look on her face.  Whenever she thought of James, which was a lot more now, she couldn't focus on anything else. 

"Lily!" someone called to her.

Lily was lost in James world. 

"LILY!" said the voice down the hall.
James. James. James.

 "Lily EVANS!"

Lily Evans Potter.  Lily Potter.

"HEY DUMBASS!"

Lily whipped around and saw her best friend, Heidi Krimmer, the voice who had been calling to her.

"Oh, hi Heidi" Lily said, still a little dazed.

"Where does your mind go?"  Heidi asked.

"Hmmm?"

"Who were you day-dreaming about?  Is it Sirius Black?  I know, I know, He's gorgeous."  Heidi squealed

"Hey! No I was not day-dreaming about Sirius!" Lily huffed.

"Remus?  The brooding intellect, you know, if he were to do something with his hair he would be right up there with Siruis and Ja…"

"I was not thinking about James!" Lily blurted.

"I had not even asked about James yet.  But boy, you sure made that obvious."  Heidi rolled her eyes.  Lily was so dumb sometimes. 

"Alright.  I was thinking about James.  Heidi.  I do not want you to get carried about with this, but, I have a crush on James Potter."

"Ooooooooh!  So tell me about him.  Is it his eyes that capture your soul?  Or does his sexy hair make you wild?"  Heidi inquired.  Heidi loved talking about boys.

"Talk softer!  It is not just one thing about him." Lily said.

"You like the whole package?"  Heidi sneered.

"Yeah, wait NO!  Heidi, don't make fun."  Lily shoved her friend a little.

"I would never make fun of your and James' little wedding plans.   I would never make fun of all the babies…"

"Heidi, shut up! Why do I talk to you?!" Lily turned to walk toward Gryffindor Tower.

"Lily, wait, stop.  I won't laugh anymore.  You talk to me because I give you good advice.  Now here it is: quit wasting James' time."

"What does that mean?"  Lily said, a little offended.

"I mean that James has already made it abundantly clear that he only has eyes for you.  As long as you let him think that you want nothing to do with him, you causing him unnecessary misery.  Boys hate to wait.  James would be so happy if he only knew that you did not dislike him. If he knew that you liked him?  Holy Hellfire!  So if you want him to be happy, if you want to be happy, then go tell him. Kiss him.  He will never stop working for you."    

Lily tried to think of a response, but her brain was not quite working.  Heidi grabbed Lily's arm and they walked off to the Gryffindor common room together.

Lily went shopping for James' Christmas gift the next day.  James had shown her a secret passage way out of the castle in their sixth year.  As Lily walked along the dank and dark tunnel she though of the time James had taken her there to try to kiss her; Lily of course had refused to be put under his spell. But Lily kept re-imagining that if James had taken her here now, Lily would have heated things up a bit.   In fact, Lily kept looking behind her to see if perhaps James was following her.

It was the day before school let out for the holiday break.  Lily was unsure if James was going home for Christmas. Lily was planning to stay because of family issues; more specifically, sister issues. 

Lily had avoided meeting James since she bought his gift. But she wanted to let him know before the holidays.  She couldn't bear the thought of James being miserable for two weeks, thinking of her ignoring him. 

She found James peacefully sitting on the sofa, staring serenely into the flames.  James nearly fell off with shock when Lily sat down right beside him.

"Merry Christmas, James" Lily said.

"Merry Christmas, Lily" James stammered.

"Are you going home for the holidays?" Lily asked nervously.  She had gone over her lines thousands of times, but she still had zero confidence.

"Yes, my family is all getting together.  How about you?"  James was surprised by Lily's sudden interest in small talk.  But James could sense that this was hard for her, and he sensed that she was getting somewhere.

"No I am staying at Hogwarts."

"That's nice." James' eyes were goggling at how beautiful Lily looked in the firelight.  The common room was pretty empty.  Lily had made sure of that. 

"Well then, we had better exchange gifts now."  Lily said, looking shyly into his eyes.

"You got me something!" James squealed.

"Well, yes.  My conscience will rest."  Lily said.

"Just a second, I'll go get your present.  It is in my room."  James leapt of the coach an was back quicker than lightening.  He did not want to make Lily wait and perhaps change her mind.

"I hope I didn't pressure you into getting me something.  I really don't need anything in return."  James said, staring awkwardly into Lily's perfect green eyes.

Lily held his stare.  "I wanted to give you this."

Lily held out a small box that was neatly wrapped in magical Christmas paper. 

James gave Lily a slightly bigger box with a ribbon and bow.

"Lily, will you open mine first?"  James asked nervously. 

"Alright."  James was making Lily so nervous.  Her fingers couldn't untie the ribbon.  After the longest few seconds in the worlds, Lily reached for her wand and muttered a spell that unraveled the bow. 

James' smile revealed the laughter he was containing.  Lily turned beet red.

Lily finally opened the package.

James sat up straight.

"Socks?"  Lily asked puzzled, as three fluffy gray and white pairs rolled onto her lap.

"No!  I mean well, yes, I got you socks, but that is not all," James said, wishing he had taken his friends advice a little more to heart.

Lily looked back into the box and found a book.

"Socks and a book?"  Lily asked.

"But you love books!  And everyone loves warm socks!"  James defended his gifts.

Lily read the title, Ten Ways to Tell if You are Beautiful.  James.  James. James!

"In case you are wondering, you meet all the criteria." James said softly.

"It is the best present I have ever received.  Now please, open my gift, I can't' wait any longer." Lily said, staring at James' in the firelight.

"Wait for what?" James asked as he started to fumble with the wrapping paper.

"Just open the gift!"

James tore open the paper and opened the little box.

He pulled out a little leafy twig thing. 

"What kind of a plant is this?" James asked,

"Mistletoe."  Lily leaned forward expectantly.

"Wha-" James started to say but he was cut off.

Lily flew like a magnet toward his lips.  The kiss was better than either of them had ever dreamt.  The mistletoe fell to the floor next to the neglected socks and unopened book.

Merry Christmas!