A/N Ok so I had already written the first chapter when I reread the Deathly Hallows, so in Chapter 1, I said that Lily's birthday had just come and she had spare money, but her birthday is actually in January, so I'm changing that now for future reference, if I have time, I'll go back and edit the first chapter later. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer- I don't own Harry Potter at all

Chapter 12 Lily POV

"Lily! Lily! Lily!" Someone shouted at an incredibly early hour, and me being the early riser is saying something. Said person began jumping on the bed and shaking my shoulders.

"WAKE UP! It's Christmas morning!" Ah, right. Christmas, the only day you could get Sophie willingly out of bed.

"What time is it?" I mumbled.

"It's only 4:00." She said innocently.

"WHAT?" I shrieked. "And you woke me up now?"

"Yah-huh. There's presents down by the tree. Don't you want to open them without the marauders?"

I considered the pros and cons. "Fine. Wake up Alice." Sophie giggled in glee and ran and jumped on Alice's sleeping form.

"oof. Sophie? What the-" Alice groaned.

"Wakey-wakey!" Sophie grinned.

15 minutes later, Alice and I were stretched and our hair combed. Still yawning, we walked down to the common room. At the same time we reached the tree, the boys came down their dormitory steps.

We all exchanged 'Happy Christmas'' and sat down together. Alice between Frank and Sophie, I sat between Sophie and (unfortunately) Potter; who was next to Black, then Remus, then Peter.

"Ok so let's open our presents one at a time." Frank suggested. "I'll go first."

And so it went on until we were down to the last few presents.

"Sweet! Look what my Uncle Algie got me!" Frank exclaimed, opening his last present, a toad.

Having Adina, I wasn't too impressed but whatever, as long as he liked it. We all congratulated him.

"Watcha gonna call it?" Peter asked.

"I dunno yet." Frank admitted.

Alice then opened her last present. It was a combined gift from Sophie and I (well we had gotten her separate presents of different sweets).

She removed the final layer of tissue and gasped. "You guys. It's-it's beautiful." From the wrappings, she pulled out a delicate silver bracelet, with several small flat charms spaced around it.

"It's a muggle bracelet that had little squares on it, but we transfigured it so that the squares were wizard photos. To look at the picture in a bigger form, rub your finger over the specific picture to enlarge it, then rub it again to return it to normal. You can also change the pictures." Sophie explained in a rush.

"You guys." Alice repeated, wiping a tear and rushed to hug us.

After we settled down and everyone had inspected and complimented the bracelet, Sophie opened her last present.

Hers was another joint gift from me and Alice (she too had gotten separate gifts of candy).

"You know, I really shouldn't be surprised." She grinned, pulling a locket out of the wrappings.

"Open it." Peter suggested. She did. Inside was a wizard photo of the 3 of us together.

"Thank you so much." She squealed, pulling us into the tightest hug I had ever had.

"Help me put it on." I clasped the necklace together while Sophie looked down admirably at the delicate pendant. "Ok Lils, this ones from us. It's a combination Christmas/ early part of birthday present."

I opened the box, or at least tried to. "What did you guys seal it shut or something?" I joked.

"Sorry Lils." Alice apologized.

"We kept messing up the spell to wrap presents so we tried to do it the muggle way and I suppose we failed miserably?" she said with a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"It's ok." I said, wrestling through all the tape.

When I finally got it open, I was touched.

Out fell a gorgeous photo album. It was a maroon colour, with white flowers embroidered on the cover around a spot for a small photo. Which they had put a picture of the three of us. I opened it carefully.

The first picture was an unmoving family photo the year before I had turned 11. Petunia and I had our arms around each other and were grinning. I turned the page and saw a picture (another still one) of me on my eleventh birthday, then September 1, 1971, Petunia standing slightly away from me. Another from September 1 me and Sev. Then moving pictures throughout my years here at Hogwarts. I wiped away a tear.

"You guys are the best."

"Oh and we charmed it so that when you reach the last page, another will pop up, and you can organize it in different sections by year or however you wish." Alice blabbled.

"Oh and that's not even the best part." Sophie grinned, gesturing to the box.

I reached into the box, and pulled out a new wizarding camera.

"It's the newest model. See this screen here? That's what you look at to see what the picture will look like. And this button changes it to a muggle camera." Sophie explained. "Muggle cameras are years away from anything remotely close to this!"

I grinned and gave them each a huge hug.

Next was Potter, his was a present from his parents, a new broom. All the boys were amazed.

"We've got to go to the pitch later." Sirius was saying.

"Yeah you guys can all have a go on it if you want." Potter was saying.

Next was Black's gift from Potter.

When he opened it, he burst into laughter.

"It's just something to...encourage you." Potter said. I guess it was some sort of inside joke. Remus saw it and started laughing as well.

"well? What is it?" Sophie demanded.

Black held it up. It was a red doggy bowl that read Good Boy and a red leather collar with dog tags on it that read something I couldn't read. (A/N hehe sorry, just wanted to say that the tags read Padfoot on them and it was "encouragement" as at this point they are trying to become Animagi)

The rest of us stared at each other in confusion as the marauders dissolved into laughter.

"Oh Prongs you are something else." Black said, patting Potter on the back.

"Prongs?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, just our nicknames." Peter explained.

The marauders are just plain weird.

"Remus, your turn." I said.

His present was from all the Marauders. The BIGGEST basket filled with every kind of chocolate imaginable. At first I thought it was an odd gift to be from three others, but the way his eyes lit up, you'd have thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

"Peter next." I said, before Remus could devour his present as he looked like he was about to.

Peters present was from Potter as well.

"Wow! A new set of wizard's chess pieces. Thanks Prongs!" Peter exclaimed happily.

"You're welcome Wormtail." This earned some more curious stares. "Ok, now let's go eat. And not a basket of chocolate Moony." Potter said, getting up and stretching.

I glanced at the clock over the fireplace mantle and saw it was 6:30. Two and a half hours since Sophie woke me up, and I realized I was starving.

"Food!" Black exclaimed.

"Since we're the only Gryffindors, besides two first years, a sixth year and a seventh year, want to go down to breakfast together?" Remus asked.

"Sure." Alice answered glaring at me.

"We'll meet here in 10 minutes." Frank said, as the boys headed up the stairs.

When we reached our room, Alice started freaking out.

"Only ten minutes! How am I supposed to look presentable in just 10 mere minutes?" She asked. Sophie and I exchanged looks. We knew how much Alice liked Frank and wanted to look nice for him.

"Ok Alice, sit down, I'll do your hair, and Sophie will choose our clothes. As a team, we can do anything." I smiled. I quickly brushed Alice's hair. It was longer now, down to her shoulders, and poker straight.

"Uhh I hate my hair long! I can't wait to get it cut again." She complained as I caught another tangle.

"Relax Alice. It wouldn't be this knotted if you weren't jumping around down there. Now go get dressed." I said, starting to brush my own hair. Once I was through, I tossed the brush to Sophie, who had already gotten dressed.

Shockingly, we actually made it to the common room on time.

As a group we made it down to the great hall. We spent the days of our Christmas break having snow ball fights in the school grounds. Oh and of course, Potter back to his old tricks. He kept trying to catch me under some mistletoe. So if anyone wonders why I continuously tripped, it was because I was looking up to make sure I wasn't under any of that horrible plant.

XXX

Term resumed as normal. Sev thought my photo album and camera were pretty cool. I always had it in my bag.

...

"So Lils, What do you want to do today?" Sophie asked one Saturday weeks later.

"Hmm I dunno. What does Alice want to do?" I asked. Sophie grinned wickedly.

"She's busy at the moment."

"Sophie... What did you do?" I asked.

"Oh just locked her and Frank in a broom cupboard..."

"Sophie you didn't." I said giggling.

"Yup. She'll thank me."

We wound up spending the day together just relaxing.

...

"And then he was like and I was like and it was like awww." Alice gushed.

"Oh good goblins." I groaned. Ever since Alice and Frank started dating, Alice had been mush. Frank just as bad.

"Ali please please please, stop gushing about Frank. I'm trying to do my work." Sophie snapped.

"Humph. Just because I have a boyfriend and you don't..."

"I set you up!" Sophie shrieked. I groaned. With things about you-know-who tense, everyone was snappy, especially Sophie. Her parents were working with a secret organization, the Order of the Phoenix, and it was a dangerous job. I noticed Potter was extra tense as well, I bet his parents were in the Order, not that I pay attention to him or anything.

I got up and left them bickering. Maybe I'll go see Sev...

"Hey. Whatcha up to?" I whispered, sitting down at his table in the library.

"Hey. Nothing much, just researching werewolves."

"Why? We learned them last year."

"I know, but there's one at the school."

"Who?" I asked, eyes wide.

"Lupin."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"N-"

"Lily, I'm not doing this. Besides, Black told me how to get proof."

"Sev, stop this. He is not a werewolf, they're probably trying to prank you again."

"I'm going tonight."

XXX

Sev didn't speak about that night to me. He did seem angrier towards the Marauders, but never said a word. Months passed, and after awhile, the tension caused by dear old mouldie-shorts was becoming usual everyday things and life retreated to semi-normal.

"EVANS!" Oh dear merlin, please not this early in the morning. "Evans, you are more beautiful than even a veela." I rolled my eyes.

"See you later." I muttered to my friends. I then walked as casually, but quickly as I could to the exit.

"EVANS EVANS EVANS." I turned around to shout at him and discovered he was about 5cm away from me.

"Leave me alone Potter." I hissed.

"One date Evans, that's all."

"Oh please."

"You won't see me for another two months."

"Thank merlin for small mercies." I muttered under my breath. I saw Remus suppress a laugh. He must have freakin' super hearing.

"So can I get a kiss?"he grinned cheekily and tapped his cheek.

"No." I said. I turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Ok, I'll give you one." Before I could comprehend what was going to happen, he was bringing his lips toward my face. I turned my head so he kissed my cheek. Most of the students chuckled or cheered. I yanked away from him and raced up the stairs. Bloody Potter.

XXX

"So what was it like?" Sophie asked. Alice was spending part of the trip with Frank, so Soph and I were in the compartment alone.

"Awful, humiliating. Why is he so obsessed with me Soph? He dates lots of other girls, mind you not as many as Black does."

"Oh I don't know Lils, maybe because you're the only one who's ever said no." Sophie shrugged, unwrapping a chocolate frog.

I sighed. "So if I say yes..." Sophie shrugged again.

"It's James, who knows."

She was right, who knows. At least I had two months free of him.

A/N Sorry it took so long! I hope you enjoyed it. :)