A/N: A pretty long one shot Christmas special L/J ship. Enjoy! And Review if you would.. Oh and be prepared for total mushiness!!
On A Cold Winters Night
It was deliciously cold and frosty outside, the snow had fallen thickly over the course of the day but now lay blanketed on the ground. Finally the blizzard had ceased and the night sky was clear with hundreds of stars glittering above.
Lily tapped her foot impatiently as she waited by the door, anxious to step into the silence of the white world beyond her small cottage in which she lived.
The clock on the mantelpiece struck eight loudly chiming slightly out of tune. Lily glanced at it and sighed heavily. "We're going to be late," she yelled peering up the stairs to see if her mother had finally managed to get ready.
There was a muffled bang and her mum appeared at the top of the stairs hat in teeth and her handbag hanging haphazardly off her arm as she struggled to find the arm of her coat.
"Oh Lily I'm sorry" she said as Lily giggling slightly took the hat from her "Why can't I ever get anywhere on time for you?"
"Its ok! I know your company would fall apart without you doing your job" Lily grinned.
"I think it's the job that's making me fall apart," sighed her mum taking the hat from Lily and pulling it on.
Suddenly a frenzied bleeping erupted from her handbag. Unzipping it quickly she scrabbled through assortment of useful junk that presided inside until she found the source. Mouthing I'm sorry to Lily she flicked open the phone "Hello Caitlin speaking".
Lily rolled her eyes and turned to the hall mirror. Her own bored reflection stared back at her, a heart shaped face framed by soft, vibrant red curls. Her large emerald green eyes enhanced by smoky eye shadow, were the first thing anyone noticed when they met Lily. They betrayed her every feeling and thought. Her mother's eyes.
Behind her she could sense her mother becoming frustrated, her voice raising and waving her free hand in sweeping gestures. Lily could see their evening plans vanishing in every sigh.
They had planned to attend the carol singing in the village square, a tradition from Lily's childhood that was no longer practiced.
She smiled at the memories of past years fondly. As a family they had been religiously every year, but that had changed in the year Lily turned eleven. She hadn't seen it coming at all; they had seemed such a perfect family. The kind you saw on adverts and cereal boxes, all smiles and laughter. Therefore it had come as shock to Lily when in the run up to her eleventh Christmas her parents had sat her down quietly and announced they were separating.
Everything between her parents had happened behind closed doors. She has cried for days on end but her tears could not stop her father leaving, he moved out in the week that followed and since then there had no Christmas traditions.
It was only now in the winter break of Lily's last year at Hogwarts she had suggested reliving her childhood tradition before she became an adult. But she thought sadly maybe it was too late to change things. Her mother being a muggle was part of a large Law firm in the city and was constantly in work mode. Lily knew her job was vital but they both were aware it left little room for old family traditions.
Suddenly her mum pulled the phone from her ear and spoke to her. "Lily? Honey I have a major problem" she sighed heavily "I have to wor- "
"I know" Lily cut in "It's fine I understand".
Her mother looked pained "We could do something later?"
"Fine" smiled Lily tightly staring at the front door thinking of the empty night that lay ahead wandering round the house.
Her mothers phone bleeped loudly again breaking the silence between them and with a last apologetic look at her daughter Caitlin rushed back up the stairs phone glued to her ear.
Lily was about to undo the buttons of her fitted dark green coat when she paused. She could still go couldn't she? The silence around her seemed to suffocate her forcing her decision.
Quickly grabbed a pad and pen she scrawled a note and left it on the side table in full view. Gone to the village.. Be back later tonight. Love Lily xx.
Anxious to escape boredom she pulled on her boots and stalked out into the cold night
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Icy wind hit her cheeks making her draw in breath sharply, wrapping her scarf tighter round her she made her way down the frosty garden path and through the gate onto the empty road.
The gloomy darkness ahead almost made her want to turn back immediately, even though she grasped in her hand a powerful torch. Their cottage was down a country lane of the outskirts of the village and so no lights lit the way. Barely visible ahead was the warm glow of the village ahead and pushing her fears back set off.
Lily had been walking for five minutes slowly growing more relaxed when it happened.
The decision to leave home had been a good one. Christmas was often a quiet time for her. The way she liked it usually but this year she had been unsettled and ready to return to Hogwarts. Somehow with her mum working more and more the cottage that had once seemed full of life had become empty to her.
She shivered as the wind picked up, winding round the corner she spotted a dot of light on the path ahead. Immediately she froze her heart beating wildly as demons and shadows flitted across her thoughts.
Convincing her self she was being silly, she swept the torch across the path again but saw nothing.
The light had gone.
Maybe she had imagined it? She felt herself grow less tense again presuming her imagination had been running wild.
Don't be so silly she thought shaking the creeping feeling away.
It all happened in one moment. She was about to continue cautiously when something grabbed her waist from behind.
Lily screamed loudly flailed wildly to be free. The torch slipped from her grasp and clattered to the ground extinguishing its light, plunging her and what ever held her into pitch-blackness.
The ground beneath was hard and icy, and in the split second she tried to pull away she slipped and fell heavily to the floor. The figure screamed almost girlishly and was pulled down with her.
Immediately she began to hit wildly anywhere in a struggled attempt to protect herself.
"OW!! No wait! Lily! It's me!" yelled the shape.
Instantly she recognized the voice and she froze "Shit! JAMES!?"
Most of her life Lily had managed to safely ignore the fact James Potter lived in the same village as her.
He lived on the far side, as far away from her cottage as possible in a large house with his mum, dad and three brothers. Sent to a private school from an early age (Something she was eternally grateful to his parents for) she had barely been aware of his existence.
In fact she had never spoken to him until she discovered she was a witch and arrived at Hogwarts for her first term. Finding herself in Gryffindor alongside him they had swiftly formed an interesting bond.
James had become infatuated with Lily yet all she had seen was his arrogance.
For a few years she became used to James's constant attempts to attain her and for a few years she had reminded him how indifferent she still was to his charms.
But for many months now he had stopped hounding her and no longer attempted to make any contact. Seemingly finally getting the message she presumed he had moved on and left her to her own devices.
This was what made his presence now more shocking than ever. Patting the ground around her franticly her fingers closed round the handle of the torch. Grabbing it she prayed it hadn't broken as she flicked the switch. A weak beam of light lit the road around them wavering slightly.
She turned it to the slumped form of James,
"What the HELL are you doing?" she snapped.
James smiled wryly "No sympathy? No are you ok James? No sorry James for dragging you to the ground?" He looked at Lily's stony expression." Maybe not" he added hastily.
"Well?" she crossed her arms and frowned at him.
"Oh just my usual past time of waiting on a dark country road on the off chance someone would come along that I could attack!" James replied maintaining a serious face but the sarcasm thick in his voice giving the game away.
Lily fought down the urge to laugh at these words and replied seriously one eye brow raised "I don't know what your into Potter"
"No really? I was coming to see you" he winced rubbing his head ruffling his unkempt hair further "But then I caught sight of you here and switched off my light so I could creep up and surprise you which" he hesitated "wasn't such a good idea now I think about it" he finished looking some what sheepish.
Even in the darkness James could see the look of shock register in Lily's eyes. "More of an explanation? Ok Sirius is nursing a hang over from drinking with my brother last night and well I was bored so wondered whether you might want to.." he trailed off not wanting to continue.
"Might want to what?" Lily's intrigue got the better of her.
James stared down tracing a pattern with his finger through the frost suddenly seeming less like his usual self.
Lily was taken back slightly. Was he nervous? Without the Marauders or his constant shadow Sirius he seemed to have lost his arrogant air and confidence.
In fact now she came to think of it she hadn't noticed him being his usual immature self in ages.
James hid his head in his hands suddenly no longer playful "What was I thinking?" he muttered he looked up at Lily "Evans I'm erm sorry I don't know what I'm" he hesitated apparently lost at what to say.
Lily did not reply but stared intently watching this side to James Potter she had never seen.
"Actually you know what?" James started again "I've already made a complete idiot of myself a million times before in front of you so I might as well go ahead and say it".
He didn't seem to notice that Lily hadn't spoken for several minutes.
"Look, Evans I know we've never exactly got on" Lily snorted and was about to interrupt when something in his look stopped her. "But I think your wrong about me" he carried on determinedly "So I was thinking it being the last year of school and us living so close for so long that maybe its time we could" he stopped again." No I was right the first time this was stupid.
Lily giggled slightly at his constant mind changing.
Looking up at her in alarm James scrambled to his feet. As she pulled herself up he rushed on "I'm sorry Lily this was a stupid idea. I'm sorry for – I'm just sorry" He strode away running his hand through his hair in frustration.
Lily watched him fade into the shadows feeling confused but knowing she didn't want him to leave like this. "James" she called into the night. He didn't stop walking.
"I've never seen someone make such a mess of explaining their reason for being somewhere before" her laugh ringing out in the silence "But I think I'm willing to give you a chance to prove me wrong about you." She paused before adding, "After all it is Christmas."
Ahead she saw him silently stop dead and turn round to face her.
"On one condition" she called teasingly.
"And what's that?" grinned James walking back to her, his usual confidence obviously back after its short disappearance.
"You come to the carol singing with me"
James reached her and rolled his eyes "Are you sure you want to hear me sing?"
Lily hid a smile and pretended to consider it "Hmm I think I can manage" she snickered as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the village.
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A/N: Told you it was damn mushy! But what can you do really it being Christmas and all? K please Review!! xx