Chpt. 13 - The Heart
Head duties had suddenly became a lot more fun for Lily and James, now that they were a happy couple. Holding hands, the two would stroll down the corridors after curfew, checking for the few, brave students that thought it was fun to wander around at night. Apart from a few classes, they spent the whole day together. At night, Lily would sit on the couch with James's head in her lap, and check his homework. In the morning, James would creep into Lily's room and gently shake her awake for breakfast. And they made sure that they scheduled in time for their friends, too. The Tuesday after Remus and Chris got together was spent guys only - girls only. And one night every month after that. The girls played Truth or Dare, swapped kissing tips, tried on random outfits and makeup products, took crazy wizard pictures, and played a couple of rounds of the ever-enchanting, body-tangling game, Twiztler. They guys, well, they did what they always did. All was content. And all was well.
Christmas was quickly approaching. Before anyone realized it, it was less than three weeks away. The normal perfect-present-jitters began to settle in. Teenagers rushed to and from Hogsmeade every weekend, and more and more packages flew in everyday - in an effort to get each and every student, each and every friend or sweetheart, the perfect gift. And a plan was forming in the head of the James Potter head. During Quidditch practice one day, as he caught the Golden Snitch, he had a perfect idea of what to get Lily.
It was Christmas Day. Remus woke up to a stuffed giraffe at the foot of his bed. Around it's left leg was a teal ribbon with a tag on it. The tag read, 'To Loony Moony Lupin; A sign of my eternal love. Hope this shows you just how cute we are together. I love you and always will, Christiana.' He smiled to himself and flipped over the tag. On the other side was the animal's name in calligraphy - Algernon. He liked it. It was Old French. Sure, it meant "bearded", but who's to say a stuffed giraffe couldn't grow a beard? He knew Chris would never like her present as much as he liked his, but she deserved to know. She was his girlfriend. Remus could tell she knew he was hiding something. Tonight would be the night she learned the origin of his nickname.
None of the Marauders or their friends had decided to go home for holiday break, so they had formed a plan to gather together in the common room to open each other's gifts. Marlene was up up at dawn, sneaking into the owlery to deliver Walden his Christmas gift. He had gone back to his mothers for holiday, but they had promised to send presents. Marlene tied her package to a large, sturdy grey owl. Inside, she had packed away a letter, a box of Pumpkin Pasties, 2 small squeaky toys for Walden's ferrets, and a stack of photographs of her as a child. The last gift had been a bit of an inside joke - Walden always said that he wished he knew what she looked like before puberty turned her into a beautiful woman. He was so (jokingly) sure that she had been quite ugly.
As the owl flew away, she was about to leave when an eagle flew into the owlery and landed on her shoulder. He lifted up his leg to reveal a small parcel with Marlene's name on it: her gift from Walden! She thanked the majestic bird and untied her present from his taloned leg. Upon opening the crinkle brown paper, Marlene saw that her present was inside a small, square box. It was dark green and fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. When she opened the lid, a small person appeared and began to dance to a tinkling tune. It took her no time at all to place the song in her mind - it was the lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was a child, before she died. Marlene had told so many things to Walden about herself, that she had forgotten the time she mentioned how much she missed hearing the melody as she drifted off to sleep. Tears brimmed Marlene's eyes as she placed the music box in her robes and headed back down towards the Gryffindor dormitory. When she arrived, no one else had woken up yet, so she began to collect the rest of her presents and place them downstairs. As she waited for the rest of her friends to arrive downstairs, she pressed the music box to her heart and smiled.
Everyone was completely dazzled by the wonderful presents. After opening gifts from family, they began to reach for the ones from their friends. Laura opened a single everlasting yellow tulip, her favorite flower, from Sirius, and from everyone else she accumulated approximately 10 lbs. of her favorite candies, Sherbet Lemons and Sugar Quills. Av received a letter from her boyfriend, Garron, a pile of chocolate frogs, and a few muggle movies (they were her one, true weakness). Marlene's stash included a Holyhead Harpies music album, a new set of eagle quills, and four new hair clips. Lily's gifts to James included a leather journal, a broomstick polishing kit, and her favorite amethyst rings on a chain; he also got a screaming hand buzzer from Sirius, a broom compass from Peter, and Remus gave him a set of hands-free quills. Sirius received the new Hungarian Horntails music album that he had been wanting from Laura, four pounds of dung bombs from the Marauders, and an imported Welsh hairbrush with no tag, but secretly, he recognized the red and white wrapping paper from Prong's home closet. Peter opened up 3 different sweaters, each that flashed obnoxious colors when the wearer wasn't looking. The only two people left to open their gifts were Chris and Lily.
James dashed off to the Head Dorm to get Lily's present from his room, while Sirius blindfolded her in the Gryffindor common room. Rushing back through the common room door, his present in hand, James flicked his 11" mahogany wand. The lights dimmed, pure gold streamers appeared out of thin air, and glitter suspended itself in the space above the students' heads. With another swish, Lily's blindfold fell off.
James was down on one knee, and from behind his back, pulled out a golden snitch. He handed it to her, as she stared at him in a confused stupor. Sirius reached over and opened the snitch for Lily to reveal a lustrous diamond ring. The stone was cut into the shape of a lily. James knew that if he did not marry Lily Evans, he would never marry anyone else. He had never loved anyone else, and he never would. And it was very unlikely that they would see each other often enough once they were out of Hogwarts and onto different career paths. This year was his last chance. He had to do everything right.
"Evans, are you going to marry me or what?"
"Potter, you are the most ridiculous, self-centered lunatic I have ever met. You ask me to be your girlfriend and then ask me to marry you only two months later? You're bloody crazy!"
"Strike while the iron is hot! C'mon, I still need an answer over here!"
"Oh, what am I going to do with you? Yes, James, I'll marry you, you lucky prat!"
The smiling Lily blinked back her tears of joy as James climbed up off his knee and put the ring on her finger. How many times had he dreamt of this moment? His lips found hers and he let her warmth engulf him. So many happy thoughts rushed through Lily's mind. She tried to think back to the times when she refused him. How she wished she had accepted his flirts the moment they met, so she could have spent even more of her life loving him. The rest of the day was just a joyful blur for both of them, filled with letters to their families and secret smiles passed to their friends during Christmas dinner. Years later, Lily and James wouldn't remember the colors of the Christmas trees or who got the best prizes from Exploding Snap.
But for Chris and Remus, it would be the opposite. Their holiday was crystal clear, and unforgettable for both of them. They would both remember every moment of it for the rest of their lives.
