Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All rights go to respective owners.


Chapter Summary: Lily tries to get some time for herself while in hiding, and charges James and Sirius with Christmas decorations and Harry. Maybe leaving them alone was a bad idea.

Prompt (Year Long Scavenger Hunt — Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges): Write about Christmas [20 points]

Prompt (Trick or Treat [Halloween Event] — The Golden Snitch): (Pairing) James/Lily with the prompt: holiday [5 points]


It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

Lily appreciated having some alone time. Throughout the week, she found that she needed time for herself in order to relax and feel refreshed. But now she was wondering if leaving James and Sirius alone together with Harry had been a horrible idea.

It had been unusually quiet for too long. An hour ago, she had told James that she needed some time by herself and asked him to decorate the Christmas tree with Harry. He had smiled and nodded, eyes understanding. Being in hiding with a five-month-old child and never able to leave the house was not easy. So, when Sirius had apparated into the entryway, Lily had gone upstairs to rest without a second thought.

That had been an hour ago.

She carefully walked down the stairs, her anxiety and stress reappearing with each step. It was completely silent and the door leading to the main family room was shut. Right now, she wished she could hear James and Sirius laughing and planning some ridiculous prank on Dumbledore, or some other poor, unsuspecting Order member. At least then, she knew everything would be okay.

Carefully pressing an ear to the door — wand held at the ready in her hand — she heard nothing … except for a faint buzzing. Recognizing the sign of a privacy charm, she lightly tapped the door with her wand.

"Finite."

Immediately, it was as if a switch had been thrown and a cacophony of sound erupted from the other side of the door. Rushing into the room, Lily was stopped abruptly at the sight before her.

Harry was sitting on a fluffy blanket in the middle of the floor and appeared to be in a fit of giggles. He was clapping his hands and, each time his hands met, an ornament or string of tinsel or fairy lights were thrown at James, who was currently in his animagus form. Prongs was prancing and jumping around the room, apparently trying to get the decorations off, only to become more and more untangled in the process.

Meanwhile, Sirius was on the floor clutching his stomach, his body spasming violently. Knowing the antics her husband and his friends got into, she expected the worst and rushed to Sirius' side first — ignoring the pitiful look Prongs gave her as more fairy lights were draped over his antlers. She reached out and touched Sirius' shoulder, only to be waved away.

That's when she realized he was laughing so hard, he was crying and couldn't breathe.

"H-Harry! P-ongs … thought goo- idea … enter-ain –arry! Acc-ental magic! N-N-Now P-P-Prongs belongs to Santa!" Sirius finished dramatically, finally finding his breath.

Lily glanced over at her husband, hand covering her smile. She knew she wasn't getting the full story, but wasn't too worried about it at the moment.

"You decided to help Santa this year, dear?" she said, as she gently started removing tinsel from Prongs' antlers. Prongs hung his head and huffed, which sent Sirius into another round of laughter. Shifting out of his animagus form, James met Lily's eyes.

"I thought it would be fun for Harry, ya know. Especially after we read him that story about the Santa Claus bloke," he mumbled.

"And the privacy charm on the door?" Lily asked lightly.

"I knew you needed rest, Lils," James replied. He pulled her into a tight hug, before leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips. She quickly realized two things. One, James was uncharacteristically thoughtful sometimes, which was incredibly sweet. Two, as much as she need some time to herself, she really loved her husband — and his kisses.

The moment was quickly ruined, however.

"Yeah, we knew things would get crazy, Lily," Sirius interrupted with his characteristic grin and swagger.

Lily smiled. "It always does, doesn't it?" she said to Sirius.

Returning her attention back onto her husband, she took a half step back and waved her wand, neatly collecting the rest of the decorations. With another flick, she sent the ornaments, tinsel, and lights all over the room, easily decorating the entire area in under ten seconds.

"That's my girl," James told Sirius proudly.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Was she?" he said sarcastically. "I wasn't aware."

"Now, promise me one thing," Lily said in a casual tone.

"Anything, Flower," James immediately replied, fully focused on his wife once again.

"Next time, try to be more accurate to the original story and remember: Santa's favorite reindeer had a bright, shining red nose!"

Sirius dissolved into another fit of breathless laughter, as James' face froze in shock. He quickly joined in the laughter, though, when Lily quickly corrected Sirius, primly informing him that a mangy dog was forced to wear sticks on his head and act like a reindeer in another classic Christmas tale.

Laughter filled the house and for one moment, everything was okay. Voldemort didn't exist, Harry was safe, and none of the three young adults in the room were soldiers. They were just a group of 20-year-olds hanging out, and the problems of the world ceased to exist in the room that was currently filled with joy and love.

For Lily, it was truly beginning to feel like Christmas.