AN: Thank you guys for the reviews and adds this past week. Really, it's been an outstanding boost for my first week of classes. There were two big things that popped up in the reviews that I feel I should address:

Concerning the looming deaths of the Evanses and Potters: I know they have to die. I won't make this one of those AU fics where Mrs. Potter is still alive and Harry grows up with his grandma. While I'd rather do that for poor Harry, I'll stick to the real story line. Just enjoy Mama and Papa E and P while you can... that and ElvesWizardsandCentersOhMy is an outstanding guesser.

Happy reading kiddos—KH.

Light a Candle

When her mother had written to her concerning the wedding preparations and festivities to take place during her Christmas holiday, Lily had thought that it would be nothing more than a collection of dismal fittings and stuffy tea parties. What she hadn't been prepared for was Petunia's new found desire for the mammoth of a wedding currently being planned.

Maybe it was because she hadn't been a part of a wedding before; she didn't know how busy and extravagant things ought to be. When the two Evans sisters where close and would spend afternoons playing dolls that got married, the affair was always a simple one. Sure, Lily acknowledged, they were only five and seven at the time, but how complex could you make saying a few words in front of a bishop?

Sunny girlhood days were spent where the doll would wake up one morning, put on a white dress and grab some flowers. The doll would then walk to the church with it's girl friends, agree to tolerate and love the guy next to the Vicar, and hurry back to the house for some cake and presents. In childhood, it was as simple as that. Now at twenty and nearly eighteen, Petunia-or at least her groom-had blown the simple celebration into a church wedding and lavish reception that was more extravagant and lively than the soon-to-be bride and groom themselves.

Despite the battle wounds that decorated her feet, the moment Lily had apparated back to her childhood home; she had been enlisted in her mother's wedding preparation army. The actual ceremony was still nearly three months away, but Charlotte Evans was in rare form in making sure that the engagement party ran smoothly. At first, Lily had been thrilled to be free of the house so early in the visit, even if it meant running errands, when she was sent with her father to the train station to pick up Mrs. Dursley and Margie, she thought perhaps it wouldn't be that bad and her dad had exaggerated in his letters to her. But from the moment she saw the two women who stepped on to the platform, she could feel herself miss Hogwarts and her friends all the more.

Mrs. Dursley was the exact image Lily had of the old lady that swallowed a fly. A head short of her own height, Edna had the same 'big bones' as her son and coarse grey hair that was curled in tight ringlets then pinned to her head, covered by a small women's bowler hat. A stern woman, she'd have made Professor McGonagall look like a Marauder, with a smile as iron clad as her belt. Her daughter, 'Precious Margie' seemed well on her way to following her mother's happy demeanor. Perhaps if she had smiled and pretended she enjoyed life, Margie would look attractive, but rather she spoiled her fair blue eyes and honey colored curls with pinched lips and crinkled brows that gave her the appearance of having drank rancid milk.

"If I didn't know your sister the way I do, I'd swear before the Queen your sister took some of those drugs when she was at Kimbolten," her father murmured as they lifted the large bags from the car, taking their time in pulling up the luggage and avoiding the Dursley guests as they trotted into the house. The moment they where inside, filling their saucers with her mother's crescent sandwiches, Lily flicked her wand and the trunks started carrying themselves while her father carried on in his frustration, "What Tuney sees in this family, I'll never know."

"Perhaps it's their shared love for customariness and hatred for all things abnormal?" She suggested, sharing confusion with her father on the attraction Tuney had for the lump of a man. " Or maybe she just loves the idea of marrying and being on her own. You know Petunia, she's always been in a middle age mind set, and now she can act on it."

"Either way," Richard Evans mumbled, "I think she's settling on Vernon. Ever since Harvey Gallagher married that girl, she's been set on marriage. She could've married that nice Gough boy down the street. You know he's always had a fancy to her. But no…Vernon Dursley..."

"On the bright side, this should be the last you see of them before the wedding," Lily compensated, finding a small piece of joy. "And even after the wedding, you only have to see them when Petunia begs you to visit. I know you're in laws won't be Cliff and Ann Gough, but lucky for you Edna lives in the south..."

"Lucky for me Earl died before I had to put up with him too," her father smirked, throwing her the impish grin she inherited from him. "We'd have to have slaughtered a cow to feed all of them if that wasn't the case."

"Daddy…" she smiled at her father's mocking nature.

"Just promise me Lils," her father started, opening the door that led to the kitchen, for once deserted by her mother. "When you get married, he'll be a descent chap. One that you're not settling on and that comes from a good family. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for you to marry money or saints, just… find you a nice wizard boy that could get the world for you if you asked him for it. One that you'll always love. The one that's meant just for you and none other."

"Yes Dad," she answered quickly, the words coming out only to be cut off again by her father as they snuck to the main hallway, back into the clutches of the wedding planning mother.

"I mean it Lily, there's nothing more painful to a parent than knowing their child is settling for something less than perfect," Mr. Evans finished as her mother found them and began assigning more tasks to be done.

The engagement festivities must have had everyone on edge, she thought, for no other reason would her father had cornered her on the sort of man she should marry. Nerves, that's all, he's just a bit nervous she decided. Though Lily had then been assigned to making more of the little tea cakes for the party, her mind and homesick heart turned to the boy she had just left hours before, who had once called her his world. The boy, who was more a man, who had been her constant companion, though oft times undesired companion, for nearly seven years.

And although she wouldn't admit why, she couldn't help but smile as she made the little designs on the pastries and cakes, absolutely oblivious to her mother's orders and her sister's growing anxiety over her future mother in law.

((*))

The church grounds were covered with a thick blanket of snow, as though the heavens where tucking those in their graves for a long winter nap. The usual Christmas glow flooded out of the stained glass windows, sending rays of color on the snow that now crunched softly under his feet. He drew the black coat tightly around his frame as he made his way through the path leading up to the church, the local muggles filing in, taking their time to greet the bishops and other clergy, wishing the occasional stranger a 'Happy Christmas' before finding their spots in the pews.

He had only stepped foot in this parish a handful of times in his seventeen years, and most of them had been with her. Sometimes they had ventured into the century old tower to get a view of the town, all while daring one another to ring the mysterious bells. Other times, he had joined her family on their pew for a Sunday service or a holiday celebration such as this.

That was the only reason he was there tonight, he knew she would be there, safely tucked in between her mother and father, not a care in the world. Sure enough, he could see the familiar flame of her red hair, wrapped in a sloppy bun as she sat with her family well towards the front. She turned so he could see her profile, whispering something to her mother before she smiled motioning a hand towards a little girl with golden braids dressed as a member of the choir, Lily's face bathed in the glow of her smile as well as the glow of the candles.

He always thought she looked beautiful by candlelight; it always complemented her, whether from the chapel's flame or the flames of her cauldron. She was like the flame, strong and deviant. She never wavered; she was a guiding light . . .. he had questioned many things throughout his years, but he had never found the inner gusto to question Lily Evans flameful nature. She could find those that loved her, she loved them in return. Just as easily as she could find her place in the wizarding world, she could find it-or at least act like she could find it-in the muggle world. Wherever she went, that light followed round her. She hadn't been enveloped in the dark. She had never seen friends leave her for bitter enemies. Praise God, she'd never felt the sinking lonesomess of being swallowed in solitude...

"There's no need to sit out by your self, my son," an elderly voice called from behind. He turned around to see the old vicar standing at his back, his thinning silver hair showing his baldhead "This meeting brings us together in celebrating the birth our Lord. We are all brothers, none are strangers here. Could I find you a pew with more of our fold?"

"That's alright, I was just leaving," Severus murmured, attempting to rise as a withering hand clasped down on his shoulder, keeping him at his pew.

"If you were just coming to leave, why come at all?" the old man smiled, his blue grey eyes piercing down on the boy in robes that hung too loosely to his frame. A look of confusion cracked on his face, "Have you joined us before? You look familiar, you're the boy that used to come up with the Evans girl every now and again...Seamus isn't it?"

"Severus," he answered bleakly as he tried to escape. Why did you even come here, you weren't going to speak to her…-and now you're stuck with some old, optimistic Vicar... there's no hope for you so why bother? You can't fake this long; you're not the slightest bit religious...

"She's here you know, just came back from school for the season," the old man carried on with his smile. "I know her pew is rather full, but that's what's so beautiful about pews, you can always squeeze another body in it. Come, she'll be glad to see you…."

"That's alright," he answered, finally escaping the grasp of the withered fingers. "I just came to light a candle and am needed back home, my mother's expecting me. She's not feeling well," he said quickly, hoping that little lie at the end would set free him from the vicar's inquiries.

"Is you're mother well? My wife and Mrs. Evans could come and visit her, bring her companionship when you're at school…"

"That's alright sir…"

" Reverend Carraway," the man said with a still welcoming smile that lit his face as though it was one of the little candles that lined the windows. "We'll pray for your mother good health and good friends. On this the day when we celebrate the greatest gift of all, I'm sure she rejoices in the gift of a son as attentive as you. Go in peace and Godspeed," the elderly man smiled as he disappeared again, this time Severus leaving the warmth and heavenly glow of the cathedral for the bitter cold and emptiness of the Christmas night.

Attentive son, -he couldn't help but smirk in disgust with himself. She didn't know he had come back to Stockport Cheadle tonight. He had written a brief letter saying he needed to stay at school to prepare for the N.E., to which his mother hadn't sent a reply. If he were to go back to Spinner's End tonight, he didn't know who or what he'd find in the house. He hadn't seen his father since the summer her returned after his third year. His mother, she had tried towards the end, tried to make things normal for him. Once Tobias had left, Eileen Snape had tried to give some sort of penance to her son for all those years of neglect, but he had no desire to form bonds of family now. He had a new family. A stronger family. One that would never bend to the defeat and muggle weakness his original had.

"You're late Severus," Macnair grumbled, leaning against one of the tombstones in the yard. "Get caught up in the glow of the choir and muggle sentiment?"

"You were late and I wasn't going to wait out in the cold yard, night like this it wouldn't take long for you to freeze and join the dead in their graves" Severus replied, kicking the snow underneath his boot, the frost of his breath rising in the air. "Where are we going now?"

"London, Reg figures he'd have a hard time giving his mum the slip before dinner. No matter, if he's not ready when we get there, we'll just go before the Dark Lord ourselves."

"Yes," Severus sighed, leaving the shadow of the steeple caused by the moonlight. He was beyond the help of the inquisitive Vicar and lighting candles. There wasn't any turning back now. He refused to look back at the old church and the girl who sat in it. He doubted she could even save him now . . .

((*))

When Lily opened her eyes the next morning, she couldn't help but wonder the last time she had enjoyed such a night's sleep. Exhausted, she had mechanically crawled into her bed after the Christmas Eve service and enjoyed a night where she wasn't plagued by nightmares or James Potter induced insomnia. Instead, she was rolled on to her side and looked out the window from her bed, watching the flurries of snow dance towards earth.

She could hear the sizzling of bacon downstairs and the occasional creak of the floorboards as her mother and father took turns preparing breakfast. She didn't want to get up, she didn't want to reveal that she was awake in fear that her mother was serious and they only had a few hours away from boarding a train to Surrey to visit Mrs. Dursley. Why the old bat had to rush home after the engagement party she'd never know, but she wasn't going to let that get in her way… at least not now.

For now, at the very least, Lily could still look forward to her mother tapping on the door and telling her to wake up. The family would gather around the kitchen table and shovel down some of her father's omelets and bacon before they opened gifts. Petunia would probably open a gift destined for her new life with Vernon while she would be getting her own mismatch of house ware for her apartment post-Hogwarts. She'd probably have a gift from Vera, a book from Remus and then there was Potter…

The balloon! She remembered, rising up from her bed as she threw her feet to the ground, trying to remember where she had 'stabilized' the emerald orb. For the longest time it had stayed downstairs with her trunk, Margie had nearly slipped on it the moment she arrived in the house which had prompted Mrs. Evans to tell her to either pop it or move it. She had nearly slipped on it yesterday evening as she dressed for Church...but she had moved it to her window seat after damning James Potter and his hot air.

On the initial glance, it wasn't there. There was no sign of the emerald balloon at all, but instead there was something else that appeared in between her teddy bears from childhood. She sat down on the seat and lifted up another red box with golden ribbon, this time it was heavier than any that had preceded it. What more, a little white slip of paper, serving as a make shift card poked out from the bow, easily fished out by her long fingers to read.

Have a Magical Christmas Lily Evans—and play nice with Vergil and Pansy! As always, JP

Ever the romantic, Lily thought to herself, as she lift the lid. After discarding what appeared to be yards of tissue paper, as well as considering he had sent her an empty box-balloon-thing, her hands finally wrapped themselves around a smooth, glass orb resting on a stand.

"Sure, I see how it is Potter, you gave me an orb," she murmured, tucking her hair back. Although she wouldn't put him past a crystal ball that was meant to 'show him in her future,' she had thought he was past those childish acts. Wrapping her fingers around it, she lifted the ball out only to find it wasn't a crystal ball for divination but rather another sort of little orb.

Resting atop a bronze stand, decorated with images of Hogsmeade shops along the base, was her snow globe. The inner globe held her castle, the snow still covering her grounds, the trees and the lake. This is one hell of a balloon, she thought to herself, never again doubting James Potter's transfiguration skills.

She flipped it over to turn the music key, wondering what possible song he could've picked for this gift. She chocked back a laugh, as the beginning of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer began to play and watched in a shocked awe as a little stag emerged from the forest, meeting up with a little red haired girl that came out of the castle.

Curiosity continued to engulf her. She shook the globe, watching the little flakes fall on them both and the stag transform now into a black haired boy standing beside her, his face to small to show the smile she knew he'd be wearing if this meeting was real. With another shake of the globe, the boy was gone and returned again was the stag.

"Lily! Petunia!" she could hear her mother from bellow signaling that the peace and serenity of Christmas morning was coming to an end, "Breakfast—now! Our train leaves in two hours!"

A smile flickered on her own face and she couldn't help but feel warmth sweep through her body. She was thankful he was kilometers away, probably engaged in a snowball fight with Sirius or eating his weight in bacon, for she knew quiet well if he was in the room with her, he would've witnessed a soft look and deep blush that covered her face, and quiet possibly been engulfed by the strongest embrace she could muster.

((*))

"Jamie Boy, you need to stop looking out the window every ten minutes, it's getting rather pathetic," Sirius complained as he packed up his gifts given to him by Mr. and Mrs. Potter in his trunk the night before term. "If she was going to send you an owl, I think she would've done so by now. She'll probably thank you tomorrow on the train."

"But she was supposed to feel all girly when the balloon transformed and whatever emotion the girl brain triggers was supposed to tell her subconscious she loves me!" James exclaimed completely dejected, falling with little grace into the pillow lying on the floor. "What's the point of trying to be romantic if the girl doesn't respond?"

"Prongs, stop reading that book Moony sent you and become a man for Merlin's sake," Sirius groaned, clicking his trunk shut. "I've been supportive through all of these years of you chasing Evans, but don't turn into a mushy Hufflepuff. You need to go after her like you go after anything in life…"

"On a broomstick?" James asked, raising his head from his pillowed sanctuary, his expression puzzled.

"No, manly. She's a Gryffindor, so we know she lives for bravery, courage, nerve…she need's a man; not some sap with snow globes," Sirius explained coolly, "You think I wooed Vera with hand made snowflakes?"

"If memory serves right Miss McKinnon has been set on you since Nimbus Wood graduated two years ago . . . you did nothing at all if I'm right. And you still don't do anything at all for that matter."

"And yet I still get snogging privileges and starry eyed looks," the handsome Black jested as he laid out on top of the burgundy doublet that covered his bed, "and for that, I didn't even have to bother about sending a gift."

James had never felt so self-conscious as he had over the Christmas Holidays. While he had had several fantasies of how Lily would react to the Christmas Snow Globe, none of them had included her silence. He had been hoping for something bigger then that. He had expected her owl to swoop down on him while he and Sirius had their annual snowball fight. He had visions of her apparating into the front lawn with her pajamas on, clutching the snow globe in one hand while strangling him in an embrace with the other . . . With each passing day his anticipation made his fantasies grow stronger to the point that at his mother's annual New Years Party, he half expected her to walk down the staircase in her classy dress from Slughorns; Pearls in her hair, her emerald eyes shinning just for him, everything in the world perfect.

Perhaps Sirius is right, he thought to himself; perhaps I should've not given her anything at all. Maybe she'd rather it just have been a balloon of hot air…but he hadn't wanted it to be that simple. It had to be deeper. Be more complex. More like them.

"But Lily's different," James said, rising from where he had sat on the floor and now walking to the marble fireplace ablaze with flames that resembled her flushed cheeks. "She's like a fire, she lights little fires that rage the landscape with her temper. She could raise villages to the ground with her fearless attitude, but she can be soft. Like the weakest flame, almost like lighting a candle, it just takes a steady hand, a steady look for the flame to consume the wick."

"You have no idea how ridiculous you just sounded Prongs," Sirius laughed reaching out for the Evening Prophet. "And trust me—I've heard some pretty ridiculous things in my years."

"Yeah, well most of them you've said if memory serves right," James snickered, turning from the fireplace. "For example, what were you on when you told Professor McGonagall she had bewitched your heart and stolen your soul our fourth year?"

"Thin ice. If memory serves correct, I was on extremely thin ice," Padfoot chuckled, as he turned the cover and began skimming the Prophet, a normally out of character experience if it wasn't for the fact the Evening Prophet carried a more extensive Quidditch follow up.

"How'd Portree do against Puddlemere?" James asked. "New Year's Scrimmage work out for your boys?"

"They bloody well canceled the match," Sirius murmured, staring at the opposite page before looking up at James. "Oi—Prongsie, where does Evans live again? Stockshort?" he asked warily.

"Stockport, but yes. But why did they cancel the match?" That didn't make sense…. nothing had ever cancelled a Portree Quidditch game…unless you counted the Goblin revolt in 1783…and even then it was just postponed till the Ministry had subdued the riot and brought in the snitch.

"There was another attack in the Manchester area—" Sirius started as though stepping in delicate ground. "Muggles are saying it was a fire, gas line or something-anyway it's not the fire you were talking about. Two City Blocks consume in Fiendfyre in less than three minutes—scores of muggles dead or missing. Says Ministry officials had to report to a similar fire in Gately, south east of Cheadle near Stockport."

"Fiendfyre?" he asked, "But…but no one in their right mind would've…" just near Stockport James, there's no reason to think . . .

But then again, she hadn't given him a reason to think otherwise.

"I'll be right back," James started, "If Mum comes in tell her I had to go see Moony about an essay…"

"Prongs just send her an owl, you're see her tomorrow…"

But James didn't want to spend a night worrying what would happen if he didn't end up seeing her tomorrow, and with a slight pop and a faint idea where he was off too, the stag disappeared into the winter's night.

AN:I love writing parents, I really really do. That and old clergy people.

Side note forgive my English geography. I guess now is the time to announce I'm from the states and heavily relied on Wikipedia and Travel UK. Now to the big note...sort like an answering machine... it's Kait again, writing to you from the Lovely World of University. Leave it to me, but I signed up for some ridiculously hard classes this term. I have a few more chapters stored away that are getting polished up, and will eventually get to the story, but I'm just asking for your support and cooperation. In layman terms, this term would give Hermione an ulcer and driving Ron to Drinking, and as for Harry—well, he could easily become 'The-Boy-Who-Survived-Voldemort-but-Died-by-textbooks."

Don't worry, this story is my new baby, I won't be dropping it. For the time being, let's just say my Professors are now Death Eaters and I'm in hiding.

Any questions, concerns, or lovely messages, feel free to PM or review. I really appreciate you guys, you are amazing. ~KH