1.

If you want to be happy in a million ways for the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.

On the morning of December 15th a soft blanket of snow covered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Looking out at the grounds from high above the Quidditch stands, Lily felt like she was inside of one of the many snow globes that decorated the old wooden hutch at Lily's home back in Cokesworth.

Snowflakes fell lazily from the grey sky, littering Lily's warm woolen scarf and thick mittens with white dots that seemed to glow against the maroon fabric. Lily wiped a snowflake from her nose as she narrowed her eyes to try and see a bit farther than her eyes normally allowed. Squinting didn't help much but Lily did see movement among the treeline. Across the field, looking into the forbidden forest, Lily spotted wild thestrals rising above the trees.

They were dark as night and stood out dramatically against the snowy white backdrop the forest provided. She felt a sense of surprise and awe while watching them glide along the treetops with their dark leathery wings. One of them was younger and kept hitting it's hooves against the tops of the trees, shaking them. They spoke to each other in soft tones that almost sounded like whales singing. It was like Halloween had met Christmas.

"Hey!"

Lily sucked in the frigid December air, startled by a commanding voice behind her. Lily had thought she was the only one outside in the snowfall. Most of the students had returned home for the Holidays. Lily turned her broomstick so that she faced the voice directly and her eyes widened at the sight of a boy who definitely shouldn't be in front of her. James Potter was supposed to be on he train home and James seemed surprised to see her too.

"I thought you were going away for the Holidays?" they both asked simultaneously.

"I decided I wanted to spend one more Holiday at Hogwarts." was James' swift reply.

"Me too," Lily admitted, "after all, there's nothing like Christmas at Hogwarts."

"Your sister decided to come home with that boyfriend, didn't she?" he asked knowingly, not buying Lily's weak excuse.

Lily grinned sheepishly, "You caught me."

The boy in questioned leaned forward on an old school clean sweep, his scarf wrapped so far up that his face was barely showing. Luckily, his hair was as jet back as the thestrals she'd been staring at before. The black strands hung about his face and a slight shadow of a beard was noticeable where the scarf didn't manage to protect his face from the blistering cold.

"Why didn't you go home?" asked Lily.

James shrugged, "Remus wanted to stay so I decided to stay with him."

Lily leaned back into her own broom, "Well then, I guess Gryffindor table won't be as lonely as I thought it would be this Christmas."

"Sirius stayed," James told her, "he'll be happy to hear you stayed too."

"I'm happy to see you stayed." Lily pushed her mitten across her face to wipe away a strand of red hair from her eyes, "Professor Dumbledore asked me to take some teacher's rounds and now you can help me!"

"You are the only one left?" James asked surprised, "Aren't there like fifty prefects? None of them stayed this year?"

"You're Head Boy," Lily teased her fellow lead, "You tell me."

"I can't keep track." James said, "I feel like with each meeting I meet a new one."

"You're the worst Head Boy this school has ever had." Lily said, but she didn't mean it.

James laughed at her and half bowed, "Inadequate Head Boy at your service."

"Me hero." Lily pretended to swoon, "Inadequate Head Boys are my achilles heel."

James shook his head, amused, "You're hilarious."

Lily flounced her hair, balancing on her broomstick, "I've been told my wit exceeds expectations."

"Oh have you?" he pushed his fogged glasses up his long nose, "Careful Evans, you're sounding a bit conceited."

Lily winked at James, "I learned from the best."

"Are you calling me conceited?"

"I'm still surprised your broomstick gets off the ground."

"Oh. Ha. Ha." James rolled his eyes but he was still smiling.

Once again, Lily was reminded just how nice it was to be around James. He was so easy to talk too because he didn't get offended. They teased each other like they'd grown up together and in a way-they had. Lily had known her friends at Hogwarts since she was elven years old. James was one of the first people she met on the train, even though she hadn't liked him much back then.

With each year Lily grew closer and closer to James. Seven years of the same growing affections and Lily felt like she liked James more than anyone else in all of Hogwarts. She'd never admit that to her best friend Marlene but thankfully, Marlene had enough tact not to comment on the amount of time Lily spent with James. Lily had a feeling this was partially because people assumed Lily and James had to spend a lot of time together for school.

Half the time, Lily just found herself in his company and never wanted to leave it.

James motioned around them, "I thought I'd be the only one seeking a snowy flight before dinner."

Lily shrugged her shoulders, "I like to fly after the first snowfall."

"Do you?" his hazel eyes twinkled, 'Why?"

Lily pointed down, "because when you look down at the world after the first snowfall...it's like looking into a snow globe."

James looked down and around at the Hogwarts grounds. The snow was still softly falling and white flakes littered his hair as he angled his chin down so he could stare lazily out at Hogwarts castle. The castle towers were covered in snow that looked like frosting on a gingerbread house. The lake in the distance looked like a white wasteland with not a spot of color on it's wavy field. The thestrals were gone and had been replaced by snowy barn owls swooping for the warmth of the owlery.

"It's beautiful, huh?" Lily said when James didn't answer.

James turned his face back to her with a brilliant white smile. Lily's eyes traced the way his smile lifted the corners of his face, giving him a childlike appearance. She tried not to think about how much her stomach twisted when they're eyes met.

"You're right." He said carefully, "It's gorgeous. Just like the Christmas cards my mum sends out every year."

Lily hummed her agreement but she wasn't looking at the grounds now, instead she was admiring how fine James looked against the snowy backdrop. James' dark skin seemed to be the color of chestnuts when silhouetted against the snowy white scene. His cheeks were red from the cold and Lily was certain that if she placed him in a christmas jumper...he'd be the most festive thing she'd seen all season.

"So?"

James' voice startled Lily awake from her daydream about James in a red christmas jumper with antlers adorning his head. Lily shook her head and then eyed James with a sheepish smile, guilty from being caught daydreaming right in front of him and fifty feet in the air.

"So?" she copied back, still slightly dazed by daydream him kissing her under the mistletoe.

"Are we going to go for a flight together or were you heading back to the castle when I happened upon you?"

Lily tucked her scarf tightly around her neck, "Let's take a flight together." she suggested merrily, "Before the snow really starts falling and we can't see anything."

"Cheers." James looked as if she'd announced Christmas had come early, "race you to the other side of the Great Lake?"

"You're on!"

By the time Lily and James were done racing each other, Lily's hair was in a tangled mess about her head and James' cheeks were rosy red from the wind. The sun was setting earlier now and the sunset created a peaceful backdrop for the couple as they walked back to the castle together. James was shivering, tucking his hands into his pockets as they strolled silently side by side. Their shoes sank in the snow and their footsteps echoed off the tall grey walls of the castle as they walked. Lily really felt like she was in a christmas card as James helped her up the slippery staircase to the doors into the castle.

With his hand at the small of her back and a wide smile gracing her face, Lily had never been more grateful that her sister decided to bring her boyfriend Vernon home for Christmas prompting Lily to avoid Cokesworth at all costs.

Christmas at Hogwarts was way better, especially now that Lily knew her Head Boy had stayed for the Holidays with her.

As seventh year students at Hogwarts, Lily was Head Girl and James was her Head Boy. They were seen as the student leaders and as such, they were the only students who could give detentions or take points. They had to walk the halls after curfew and punish students who were out of bed. They were expected to maintain at least four O's in their classes. Originally, Lily had assumed that she'd be able to handle Head duties alone but she'd learned quickly into the school year that James was more help than she often gave him credit for.

James was in charge of overseeing the clubs and activities. He maintained quidditch schedules, organized meetings for prefects and anything else that had to do with extracurricular student activities. Lily was in charge of running detentions with the professors, keeping track of house points and organizing Hogsmede trips. They worked well together and Lily couldn't imagine her Head Boy as anyone other than James.

The christmas Holidays were quiet and Lily and James weren't required to stay but when Lily had told Headmaster Dumbledore she was staying he'd asked her to take several rounds for some of the teachers. She'd accepted but now she was excited to have company on her rounds. Especially since her company was the boy immediately to her right.

James seemed to laugh about anything. It was one of the first things that drew Lily to James. James had a positively childlike exuberance that seemed to radiate off him in positive waves. His hazel eyes always seemed to be aglow with mischief and playfulness that complimented his persona. If there was anyone at Hogwarts who could turn someones frown upside down, it was James Potter.

Even now, as they walked into the Great Hall for dinner together, almost everyone smiled when James entered the hall. James' popularity was all due to his personality and Lily felt like he always had a spotlight that drew everyone's eyes. Lily had a lot of friends but James had a lot of admirers. As quidditch captain and star, everyone wanted to be friends with James Potter.

James and Lily were well received as they made their way to their seats. It was hard to ignore someone who literally was the personification of sunshine. Two Hufflepuffs who had stayed behind for vacation waved excitedly at Lily and James from their table. While Lily waved awkwardly, James waved warmly at the Hufflepuffs and even high fived a Ravenclaw named Jackson Rau as he passed Rau's table. Once they made it to the Gryffindor table James' real mates didn't even look up from where they were arguing.

Sirius was saying, doubt laced in his tone, "How would he fit in the chimney?"

"Magic?" Remus said exasperatedly, "Honestly, a simple sizing charm could fix that."

"Santa's not a wizard."

James fell into his seat, "Santa was a wizard."

"Then why doesn't he have a chocolate frog trading card?" Sirius turned his light eyes onto James, seemingly annoyed James had only just arrived, "He should!"

"Because he broke the statute of secrecy so many times the Ministry snapped his wand in half and banished him." James said, "Honestly, Binns went over this in first year. What were you two doing?"

"Not paying attention?" Lily said as she slid into the chair next to James with a smile.

"Lily!" Sirius was the first to acknowledge Lily was beside James, his grin widening as she sat down across from the boys, "You stayed for Christmas!"

Lily nodded as she pulled a plate of chicken her way, "I'd miss you too much to leave, Sirius."

"Shucks Lily," Sirius pretended to be bashful, "I had no idea you cared."

Remus looked up and down the Gryffindor table casually, "I guess it's just us four this year then."

"Where's Peter?" Lily asked, wondering where the final member of James' posse was.

"Home." was the stiff reply of all three boys.

Lily raised her eyebrows, "Wow, you all sound like you miss your best mate so much."

"He's on the naughty list this year." James told Lily.

"You lot are on the naughty list every year." Lily laughed as she forked herself a potato.

"Peter ditched us for Christmas with his mum." Sirius scoffed, "the traitor."

"You know," James said as he reached for the marmalade, "Some people do like spending Christmas with their family."

"Not me." Sirius waved his fork in the air angrily, "I stopped attending Black family Christmas' at eleven and never looked back."

"Yeah," James snorted, "Because you've been crashing Potter family Christmas' since then."

Sirius was always the first to bring up family with a bitter tone. Lily was certain no one hated their family more than Sirius hated his own biological family. He had good reason, everyone at Hogwarts knew that the Blacks had disowned Sirius for being pro-muggle...an idealization that was not approved by his radical family.

Lily could sympathize with Sirius since her sister Petunia had basically written Lily off because Lily was a witch. Petunia hated wizards as much as the Blacks hated muggles. Lily sometimes amused herself with the idea of Petunia and a pureblood meeting face to face. She wondered who would hate who more.

"So why did you stay?" Sirius sked Lily as he tore apart a slice of bread.

"My sister actually." Lily said dryly, "I'm sure I've mentioned her distaste for magic before…"

"Once or twice." James shared a secret smile with Remus, "Almost as much as Sirius brings up his troll of a mum."

"Evans and I are kindred spirits." Sirius stated firmly, "We both have shitty families and we both love James Potter."

Lily almost choked on her potatoes as James turned his cheek to raise his eyebrow at Lily dangerously, "You love me as much as Sirius?"

"I dunno," Lily managed to smoothly answer and not sound like a idiot, "If I say yes will I get a better Christmas gift this year?"

James leaned in with a wink, "I'll be your gift this year."

"Gag me." Remus muttered before taking a long swing of his cup while James, Lily and Sirius laughed.

Remus' eyes were framed by bags and it looked like he was getting sick again. Despite this, his smile was warm and he was sporting a bright red sweater that was knitted with reindeer. Remus looked pale in it and frumpy since the sweater was a size too big. Lily had a feeling Remus was borrowing it from one of his mates.

"Lily and I went flying, you two should've come out in the snow." James said with a mouthful of potatoes, "Hogwarts looks like a christmas card."

Siirus shook his head, "I was happy and warm in my bed, thanks."

"And I can't fly." Remus said, brushing James' offer away, "You know that."

"Maybe there'll be enough snow tomorrow that we can get everyone to have a snowball fight." Lily suggested, "Even the other houses."

"Only if you leave Slytherin in the dungeons."

"We can't be inclusive, Sirius." Lily said, "James and I have to set an example."

Sirius looked doubtful and James pacified him, "Slytherin won't be invited."

"Cheers to that," Sirius raised his glass at James and Lily glared at her Head Boy.

"It's Christmas." Lily argued with James, "We have to be peaceful and have good will."

"The only time I'll be peaceful with goodwill is during the Christmas feast." James warned Lily, "But I won't hold hands and sing kumbaya with them."

Sirius sighed dreamily, "Ah yes, the Christmas feast."

Remus nudged Sirius in the ribs playfully, "I still remember when you had your first Christmas feast here."

"I think he was drooling onto his plate." James recalled, "and he took a plate of spiral ham back to the room with him."

Sirius looked like he was about to start drooling again at the mere thought of Christmas ham, "Merlin, I wish it were Christmas all ready."

Remus ruffled Sirius hair playfully, "You've got a bit of time to go...Hagrid hasn't even gotten the trees up yet."

Lily looked around the great hall and realized Remus was right. None of the Christmas trees were up yet and garland was missing from the doorways. There wasn't even a dash of mistletoe hanging from the double doors. The only hint that Christmas was coming was the snowy white scene above their heads from the enchanted ceiling that mirrored the outside sky.

Lily pushed her food around with her fork as she entered the boy's conversation, "Hopefully Hagrid puts them up tomorrow. I love the trees and Professor Flitwick always decorates them so nicely."

James nodded eagerly and swallowed his food before saying excitedly, "remember in first year when we jinxed the baubles to explode anytime someone touched one?"

"Anita Flint still won't walk too close to a Christmas tree!"

The boys all laughed and Lily vaguely remembered the prank and smiled too. James and his mates were always up to no good, pranking students for a laugh. They'd grown out of it some but Lily was certain that three weeks ago the boys had been up to their usual schemes. After all, the girls' toilets on the third floor mysteriously started singing a crude version 'God Bless Ye Merry Hippogriffs' right after Lily had spotted James and Remus coming into the common room with Sirius and peter trailing behind smelling rather like sewage.

Still, after so many years, Lily had learned not to ask anymore.

"No pranks this year." James said seriously with a glance at Lily who rolled her eyes, "I'm supposed to be mature."

"Literally no one expects you to actually be mature, James." Lily said as his mates snickered.

"McGonagall lectured me for an hour at the start of the year about being more professional and mature."

"Funny." Lily waggled her eyebrows playfully, "Because last week McGonagall told me that she only made you Head Boy because she needed something to make her laugh this year."

"He is a laugh." Sirius commented dryly, "Worst Head Boy ever."

"Hey!" James debated, "I'm a great Head Boy! Right Lily?"

Lily wanted to say something smart but James looked so offended that she had to hold back from teasing him too much.

"You're a better Quidditch Captain." she offered.

Remus and Sirius laughed as James mouthed at Lily with a scrunched up nose.

James shot back, "I know you think I'm a great Head Boy, you told me so two weeks ago after I caught that first year overflowing toilets."

"Okay but," Lily reminded him, "last week you docked points off a Hufflepuff for carrying a filibuster firework in the hallway like you don't have five stuffed into your book bag at all times."

"You never know when you're going to need a good explosion." James defended himself, "I mean, just last month I used a firework to scare apart two sixth years that were snogging behind the tapestry."

"Ugh," Lily pulled a annoyed face, "Was it Susie Mitchell and Doug Kit? I caught them three times. In a week!"

"Yeah," James nodded, "They were sticking their tongues down each other's throats so far that I didn't know if they'd ever break apart."

"That's disgusting." Sirius looked rather sick at the thought, "Who'd want to kiss a bloke like Kit? He's got the worst pimples."

"You're so vapid." Remus muttered to Sirius, "I'm sure Kit's a nice bloke."

"Nice bloke or not," James said, "He looked like he was resuscitating Mitchell."

Lily sniggered and kicked James under the table, "So did they stop kissing when your firework exploded over their heads?"

"yeah and it sounded like someone was unclogging the kitchen sink when they jumped apart." James said as his friends laughed, "and then Mitchell ran for it once she spotted me but I used a sticky charm and stuck her to shoes to the floor."

"An icon." Sirius said to James, "breaking the rules to enforce the rules."

James pretending he was accepting an award, using his pumpkin juice as his trophy, "Thank you, thank you."

"Your methods are unique but effective." Lily patted James' shoulder, "I must admit."

"At least it'll be quiet with everyone home for the Holidays." Remus said, motioning around the Great Hall, "There are only fifteen kids at most."

"Nice and quiet rounds." James mused, "What'll that be like?"

"We might have to set off your fireworks for entertainment." Lily said with a laugh.

James looked hopeful, "Is that a promise?"

Lily nudged James' side impishly, "I wouldn't say 'no' to a little firework presentation before New Years."

"I'm holding you to that Evans." James shook his fork at her, "You'll regret ever saying that."

"As long as you don't set anything on fire." Lily told James, "Or break too many rules."

"So I can break some rules?" James waggled his eyebrows.

"It wouldn't be a Christmas with you if the rules weren't broken to some extent." Lily answered truthfully.

Lily had a feeling that her last Christmas at Hogwarts might be different from Christmas' past and that feeling was all thanks to the glimmer in James' eye that night when he said goodnight.

Next Time:

"Where are the decorations?" Lily asked James worriedly, "the trees? The holly?"

"I dunno," James looked around the barren hall, "Christmas is in nine days."

This is literally just going to be Hallmark-esque Lily and James fluff because what else would you expect for the holiday season?

xxx

Petals