Hi!

I'm back. Did you miss me? *crickets chirping*

I forgot this the last time.

Disclaimer : I don't own any of the characters or any part of Harry Potter. All rights to the Queen, JKR.

Anyway I'm sorta busy so let's just get into it.

Prompt #2:You're my neighbour and it just snowed like 2 feet in six hours and the whole street is snowed in. I catch you building a snowman army in your back yard and I decide to join to join you by starting a snowball fight.

"I'm . . . dreaming . . . of a white . . . Christmaaaas." Lily Evans crooned. She bundled up in thick fluffy sweaters. She pulled on her pastel pink mittens and her matching snow boots. She was searching for her lucky scarf when her house mate, Marlene McKinnon, addressed her.

"Lily! I'm heading out! Come out in 5!"

"I can't find my lucky scarf!" Lily shouted back.

"So wear another one!"

Marlene appeared in Lily's doorway.

"I can't just wear another one," Lily said, a scandalised look on her face. "It's my lucky scarf." Marlene shook her head, took the scarf off her own neck, wound it around Lily's neck, hooked her arm through Lily's arm and dragged her out.

"But my lucky scarf . . ." Lily whined, letting herself be dragged.

"No buts. It's the first snow and I'm not breaking tradition even if Ginger was to go missing."

Lily sucked in a sharp, affronted breath. Ginger had been her loyal, grumpy cat since she was fourteen years old.

"You're mean," Lily said, feeling like a petulant child.

"Why, thank you."

"Why am I even friends with you?"

"Because you looove me," Marlene sang. She opened the door and they were assaulted by a frigid cold breeze. An expanse of fresh white snow stretched out as far as the eye could see. Marlene closed the door behind them.

She left Lily on the front porch and ran onto to lawn. She started rolling snow into a huge ball. Every winter they try to build the biggest snowman ever. Every year they get stuck on the first step – the largest ball would be on one end of the lawn and the middle one would be on the other. How were they supposed to stack them up? Magic?

But this year Lily did not feel very co-operative. No siree, it's just not tradition without her lucky scarf.

Lily debated going back inside to find her scarf. Marlene would probably cause grievous bodily harm. Ah sod it all. She was going to get her scarf.

She went back inside. Ginger, who was sitting by the door, hissed in protest at the draught of cold air she brought in with her. The cat ran away

"Sorry, Ginge!" Lily shouted after her.

Lily strode into her room with purpose. She was a woman on mission. Drug mafias cowered in her presence. Finding her lucky scarf would be a piece of cake.

Half an hour later, Lily lost all motivation. Drug mafias didn't cower in her presence. Hell, even her 3 year old nephew took advantage of Lily's kindness.

She laid back on her bed – or rather the humongous pile of clothes on her bed. Ginger crawled out from under the clothes and snuggled into Lily's side.

Lily absentmindedly stroked her carroty fur. Ginger purred and stretched out. Her claws caught on the woollen scarf Marlene had wrapped around Lily's neck. The scarf was maroon with gold stripes just like . . . her lucky scarf!

Lily bolted out off her room and yanked the front door open.

Marlene was still working on the snowman. She appeared to have roped in their neighbours, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, to help her.

"MARLENE MCKINNON!" Lily bellowed. "YOU THIEF!" She bent down and packed a snowball. With all her might, she threw it at Marlene. She missed. It hit Peter. Peter shrieked.

"Oh, sorry Peter!"

She moved closer to Marlene and before Marlene had time to react she aimed another one. This time, it hit the mark.

"What the hell, Lily?!" Marlene ducked as Lily chucked another snowball.

"You know what! You stole my lucky scarf!"

"I didn't steal your bloody scarf!"

"Then what is this?" Lily paused in her frantic snowball-throwing to indicate the scarf around her neck.

"Your scarf," Marlene said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Exactly! My scarf, my lucky scarf!" Lily emphasised her point with an extra-large snowball. Marlene dodged to hide behind Sirius. The snowball hit him.

"Oi!" he cried indignantly. Sirius was not quite as forgiving as Peter. He threw one at Lily and yelled "SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

'Fight is not an adequate word to describe what followed. It was a full blown war. Between Lily's yelling at Marlene, Marlene's defending herself and the four boys' gleeful whoops and taunts, it sounded like Godzilla was on the rampage again.

Approximately 129 snowballs later, everyone was exhausted and pink in the face. They collapsed in the snow. Marlene and Peter proceeded to make snow angels. Sirius sat in the snow and drew patterns. Remus simply lay still. Lily found herself lying next to James.

Lily turned to James. She burst out laughing.

'What?" asked James.

"Y-your h-ha-hair!" she spluttered in between wild fits of laughter. "It's white!"

James usually jet black hair was streaked with white from the snow. He ran a hand through his hair and flecks of snow fell.

"She's right, mate," Sirius pitched in. "You look like a 50 year old." James propped himself up on one elbow to face both Sirius and Lily.

"Well,"- he looked at Sirius-"you look like a 55 year old and you"-he turned to Lily-"you look like a candy cane."

"At least a candy cane's sweet," Lily retorted.

"Just like you," James quipped just as quickly.

"Aw Prongs," Sirius mocked James. "You're sweet too."

Lily decided to ignore James's quip and her fluttering heart. Instead she said, "I've been meaning to ask- Why do you call James that?"

"It's a nickname. I'm Prongs, Sirius is Padfoot, Peter's Wormtail, and Remus is Moony," James explained.

"Obviously they're nicknames," Lily rolled her eyes. "But why?"

"I believe the question is 'Why not?'" Sirius answered.

"Which is code for you're not going to tell me, right?"

"I would tell you but then I'd have to kill you."

"Hm. I rather happen to like living so I think I'll pass.'

"But we will tell you the story behind 'Moony'," James interjected. "You see, he's-"

"Ah ah ah. Not so fast," Sirius cut him off. "I'll tell the story, Prongs. You're an awful storyteller."

"Right. My apologies."

"Lily, the truth is-"Sirius paused, presumably for dramatic effect-"Remus, he's got a fetish for the moon."

"I do not!" Remus snapped in annoyance.

"Fetish? What kind of fetish?" Marlene's interest was piqued.

"The most horrible kind," Peter replied. "He'd write poems."

"I was eleven" Remus was quick to defend himself.

"Oh my beautiful moon," Sirius began.

"To me, you're a boon," James joined in and the pair continued melodramatically.

"I despise the noon

For I cannot see you, my moon

I love you like a loon

We shall be together soon."

Everyone, save for Remus, was laughing their heads off. Remus tried to salvage whatever little dignity he had left and said in a small voice, "I wanted to be the first man on the moon."

"Sure you did."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Lay off, it's a respectable dream." This was Lily. "Come on Remus, I'll get you a nice cup of hot chocolate." Lily made to get up.

Peter jumped up. "Oh, me too! My fingers might fall off; they're almost blue and completely numb." Peter raised his blue hands,

"Peter, you dunce. Where are your gloves?" Lily rebuked.

"They were too small. I didn't have proper hand function to throw snowballs properly."

"And apparently no brain function either." Lily's voice was exasperated and her mothering instincts began to kick in. "Everyone inside. I'll make you all a cup of hot chocolate."

"All right!" Marlene shouted joyously and she ran inside.

"We love you, Lils," chorused Sirius and playfully pecked her cheek as he passed by the front door. Remus smiled gratefully and Peter grinned sheepishly. James ruffled her hair.

When Lily found a heat pad, she brought it over to Peter and gently laid his fingers on them.

"Honestly Lily, what would we do without you?" said Peter.

"You would all be dead." Lily said matter-of-factly. She walked out of the den and to the adjacent kitchen to make the hot cocoa.

"Harsh, but true," Remus observed.

"You're one lucky bird, Marlene, for getting a house mate like Lily," Sirius said.

"Psh. Me? Lucky? For that one?" She jerked a finger to the kitchen.

"Oi!" Lily's voice was muffled.

"Oh please, just last week you had a near mental breakdown because you couldn't find the remote."

"Doctor Who was about to come on." Lily reappeared with a tray of hot chocolate. She passed it around and took the only free seat next to James.

"The remote was right in front of you."

"Doctor Who's a decent reason for a near mental breakdown," James backed Lily.

"Thank you," Lily grinned at James. "Somebody gets it."

"Whatever." Marlene sank back into the couch.

They lapsed into silence as everyone took the first sips of their cocoa. But the silence didn't last long and it was Marlene who broke it.

"Hey! How come I only got two marshmallows? Remus got three."

"I got three too." Sirius stuck his tongue out at Marlene. James smiled into his cocoa and four marshmallows. He caught Lily's eye and she winked.

"That's because I'm still cross with you." Lily told Marlene though she was smiling.

"Oh for the last time"- she threw up her free hand in exasperation-"I didn't know it was your stupid scarf."

"Please Marlene; everyone knows it's my lucky scarf." To prove her point she turned to James and asked, "James, which is my lucky scarf?"

"The one you're wearing, Lily," James answered promptly.

She turned back to Marlene and said, "See?"

"He knows that because he fancies you, love," Sirius supplied.

"Padfoot!" James exclaimed. Everybody else laughed. Lily laughed with the rest but inside all she could hear was 'hefanciesyouhefanciesyouhefanciesyouhefanciesyou'

"Don't you have somewhere to be? You know, to do that thing," James gave Sirius a pointed look. Sirius seemed confused.

"What thing?" Sirius asked. Remus elbowed him.

"You know, that thing." Remus got up and pulled Sirius up along with him. "C'mon, Peter. We need to make sure he does that thing." Peter nodded in comprehension.

It suddenly dawned on Sirius what the other three were on about because he shouted "Oh!" and jumped up sans hesitation. He tugged at Marlene and said, "You should probably come too."

"What are you people even talking about?"

"You'll find out if you come with me."

"No."

"No?"

"No." Marlene fixed Sirius with a stubborn glare. "Not till you tell me why."

"Because."

"Yeah, that answers all my questions. How eloquent." Marlene drawled.

"Marlene, trust me. It's something we've all been talking about." Remus gave Marlene a meaningful look, trying to convey something. His eyes darted between James and Lily.

And presto - Marlene sprang up like a jack-in-the-box and left along with the rest. She could be heard saying "Why didn't you say so before?" and the door slammed after them.

"Well, that was interesting." Lily was the first to break the silence. James hummed noncommittally. He sat next to Lily, looking at her curiously. Lily cradled the hot chocolate between her hands. She felt the scarf twitch and she saw James rubbing the ends of scarf between his index finger and thumb.

She raised her eyebrows questioningly at him.

"On a scale of one to ten, how lucky would you say your scarf is?"

"A twelve."

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Mhm. I got into uni wearing this scarf. I even landed my first job with this."

James nodded wordlessly. A beat passed and the scarf was lifted off her neck by James. Lily protested but James was having none of it. He wound it around his own neck.

"Willyougooutwithme?"

"What?" Lily scrunched up her face.

James took a deep breath. "Do you, maybe, want to go out with me on a date sometime?"

"You daft blighter, I should conk you over the head." Instead she socked his arm.

"Er-Is that a no?"

"'Is that a no?'" Lily mimicked. "It's a yes, foolish boy! Do you know how long I waited for this?"

"You waited?"

"I didn't bring muffins around every morning for nothing."

"I thought you were being nice."

Lily scoffed. "I am nice, James, but not that nice. And those muffins bloody well weren't for Sirius. Don't get me wrong. Sirius is a brill bloke but not the kind you dream about marrying."

James smiled and the corners of his eyes crinkled beneath his glasses. "You dream about marrying me?"

"I-uh-er . . . How does 6 o' clock on Saturday work for you?"

"Perfect."

Better than the last one. Don't you think so? Anyway leave your opinion on your way out and you shall receive a cookie and my unconditional love. Adios!