A Christmas Tale
Chapter One: Saving Lily Evans
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Lily Evans woke up late morning on Christmas Day, still thoroughly exhausted from the previous night. Her friends and she were busy decorating Christmas trees in Hogsmeade with several ornaments, lights, and wreathes, blah blah blah. (She had volunteered for the 'Happy Holidays for the Homeless Wizards Foundation' in Hogsmeade for her Caring Community project.) They had also done last minute shopping and wrapping, ending the night by stuffing presents under Christmas trees in Hogsmeade and in the Gryffindor common room.
She threw on a white and pink polka dotted robe with a rose colored pair of slippers and brushed her hair. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and went downstairs to the common room.
"Boo!" was a voice heard from Lily's right as she entered the common room.
"Ahh!" she shrieked. She turned to her right to see her best friend, Crystal Dawson with a broad grin on her face. Crystal had strawberry blond hair and sea blue eyes on a perfectly shaped, oval face, which made her very pretty.
"Crys!" Lily gasped. "You scared me."
"That's my job," replied Crystal.
"You're finally awake," said another one of her friends, Valerie Hartman. Valerie was a brunette with hazel eyes. She was tall, but not as pretty as Crystal, yet she had a personality that just grabbed anyone. "Now let's open presents!"
Lily laughed as she saw her friends rush to the pile of presents under the tree. She soon followed.
She ripped open the first present she saw that was addressed to her. It was from her other best friend, Julia Powell. Julia had ebony black hair with pale skin and aqua-blue eyes. She was very quiet, not talkative like Crystal or very charismatic like Valerie. Julia had given her a purple quilt she had sown, a bag of sugar quills, and a black notebook.
"Wow," Lily said, spreading out the lilac quilt. It was at least three times bigger than her. "You made this?"
"Yeah," Julia replied quietly.
"This is amazing!" she said in astonishment.
"Thanks," Julia answered with a grin.
Lily had gotten many more gifts. Crystal had given her a pair of 'Witch-Wear' jeans, a witches' make-up set, and a tiny book called, "101 ways to waste time." Valerie had given her the latest version of the wMagic music player with her favorite songs already downloaded into it and a ButterBeer maker.
"Wow, thanks you guys!" Lily exclaimed, giving them one big hug. She had gotten them all gift certificates to 'Witch-Wear Clothes Company', along with a straightening hairbrush and a bottle of nail polish for Crystal, a camera for Valerie, and a 'Simply Superb Scents' set for Julia.
"I'll be right back," Lily said, standing up and heading for the Girl's Dorms.
"What do I get?" asked a voice that Lily heard much too many times as she was walking up the stone stairs.
"Nothing, Potter, you don't deserve it." Lily answered. "Not even coal."
"Why not?" he said with a grin that would be considered charming for most other girls, but not her.
"Because you and your big, fat, conceited head has been irritating me all year!" Lily replied.
"How about I make it up to you. We'll go down to Hogsmeade this afternoon, enjoy some coffee, go sleigh riding-" James started.
"Don't even begin. You know what my response is going to be." Lily interrupted.
"Yes?" James asked hopefully.
"No." Lily answered with a mocking grin.
"You're missing out on a great afternoon… I'll even buy you lunch." James offered.
"In your dreams, Potter." Lily answered, starting to go to the Girl's Dorms, but he stopped her.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know I got you something," James said.
"Okay, Potter! Let me go now." Lily answered. She went through his arms and up to the dorms.
James shrugged, as he went downstairs to open his presents.
Lily swung open the door to the bathroom and went back downstairs when she was finished.
"Hey Lily," Sirius said, as she came back down the stairs.
"Happy Christmas," Remus said, looking through his Christmas stocking, only to find another pair of stockings and a bag of Honeydukes candy. He had another pile of presents ripped open next to his feet, which were obviously his.
James dumped out his stocking, and only found coal.
"What? Coal? I've been a very good boy this year!" James exclaimed in mock-anguish. Lily scoffed. "But seriously, who put coal in here?"
"Probably Professor Mullins, she 'ates you. 'member when you transfigured 'er 'at into a 'uge, 'airy rat? She gave you detention for three weeks." Peter pointed out with a pumpkin pastry stuffed in his mouth.
"Oh yeah… I remember that! That was at the beginning of the year… good times, good times." James said with a glint in his eyes.
"Hey! I got coal too!" Sirius whined, emptying his stocking.
"That's probably from all the teachers combined, they all hate you." Crystal pointed out.
"No, they all love me," Sirius said with a 'dashing' grin. "Everyone loves me," Crystal rolled her eyes.
"Let's go eat, I'm starving," Remus said. They all agreed, and headed out the portrait hole.
Lily saw a small box that was addressed to her.
"Come on, Lily," Julia called.
"I'll be right there, go ahead," Lily replied.
"To Lily, Love James." Lily said to herself as she picked up the gift. She sighed as she opened the box that was wrapped in wrapping paper. She gasped. Inside was a glistening necklace with diamonds and one big ruby in the center, decorated with tiny sapphires around it. There was a note under it.
I saw you looking at this the other day. I know you'll like it. –James
Lily had to admit it, she loved it. She was looking at it through Jasmine's Jewelry shop in Hogsmeade last Saturday, and she fell in love with it immediately. But she couldn't afford it, it was 100 Galleons— She smiled. She couldn't help it. Lily suddenly felt guilty. James had bought her something really expensive, and she didn't get him a thing.
Lily slowly closed the box and went up to the Girl's Dorms. She placed it in a chest in front of her four-poster bed, changed, and headed down to the Great Hall.
She ran onto the moving staircase to catch up with her friends. She swiftly moved from one moving staircase to another.
Until she tripped over her own shoe.
"Ahhh!" Lily shrieked. She fell onto the staircase, and started sliding down. She screamed in terror as she almost fell off. Lily grasped the end of the staircase and hung on for dear life.
The staircase swerved around until it came to a dead halt in the open air.
Lily was petrified – her hands were covered in a cold sweat and she felt her fingers slipping. Her fingers ached until she couldn't hold onto the staircase any longer. The stairs were at least 10 stories high from the ground; she would definitely die. She was on the verge of tears. Her hands slipped, as she began to plummet towards the ground.
Then a hand caught hers.
Lily breathed heavily as she looked up. She saw James Potter.
James pulled her up and onto the staircase, right next to him.
"Thanks," Lily gasped.
"I came to see if you were coming down, and I find you hanging off a moving staircase. It's bad to be rebellious like that," James mock-scolded. Lily slapped him on the arm.
"Shut it," she replied.
James grinned as he stood up and wiped dust off his pants. He offered Lily a hand, and she took it.
It was when they walked off the moving staircases when James said, "You can go to Hogsmeade with me to repay me."
"What?" Lily exclaimed.
"Well, I just saved your life—the least you could do is go to Hogsmeade with me today. Just once." James answered.
Lily bit her lip; she knew she was defeated. "Alright. But just this once, Potter, to repay you."
James was simply ecstatic, but he remained calm. "Meet me at the entrance of the Great Hall at 11:30." He said.
Lily smiled weakly, and they entered the hall, going their separate ways to their friends.
"Where were you?" asked Crystal.
"Just up in the common room, I was looking for a book that I left there last night." Lily lied.
"Oh," Julia replied, somehow not believing her story.
Lily snatched the last toast that was on the plate and magically spread jam on it. All three of them stared at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing," Valerie said, quickly looking back at her plate.
Lily looked puzzled, but she shrugged the thought off.
Hey! This is a short, two-chapter story. I tried going for a light-hearted, fluffy one. Please review!
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