Author's Note: Sorry for those of you who thought that last chapter would have Christmas in it, but I wanted to establish Lily's feelings towards his home life without rushing it.

Sorry about the delay in the update for this one. Between surprise visits, convention work, non-convention work, moving, and a family emergency that caused me to need to drop everything and fly home, I have hardly had the time to do normal stuff, like sleep and breathe, for weeks! I am so sorry!

The usual rhetoric: JKR owns all.

Chapter 14: The Potter Christmas Party

Instead of giving the girls individual guest rooms in the main levels of the house, the Potters decided that they would be more comfortable as a group in the cellar that was converted into a spare room. Four comfortable four-poster beds were magicked into existence around the perimeter of the room, and beside each was an armoire for their clothes and personal effects. Each section matched the personality of each girl. Emma's was pink and girly with a cat condo next to the bed, while Dorcas's and Marlene's were decorated with Quidditch memorabilia. Lily's was draped in soft yellows and greens with extra feather pillows on the down comforter. A stand for Teeney was set up between the headboard and armoire. This was transfigured to be more boxy in shape so the owl could hide out.

Currently, Lily was poised in front of her open armoire, where a full mirror resided, carefully applying makeup for the evening's formal party. According to Elizabeth, it was not to be a huge affair, but James later translated that meant that Lily was not expected to remember everyone's names.

As Lily wrapped a strand of hair around her wand to curl it, she looked at Emma in the reflection. Her best friend was wearing a long sleeveless gown in carnation pink, with a full skirt covered in lace. Her chocolatey hair was hanging down her back, perfectly straight, and held out of her face with a pink Alice band. She was in the process of carefully pinning Marlene's blonde hair into a mass of curls atop her head (without use of her wand, for Emma trusted her hands with hair more than her wand). Marlene chose a dark green dress that was decorated in black lace, it's tea-length bell skirt showing off the matching shoes (she made Lily think of a Barbie doll). Dorcas was surveying herself in her own mirror, wearing her dark hair in a wild disarray of curls about her shoulders. Her short black dress clung to every curve and left quite a bit of cleavage visible above the square neckline.

Lily found herself envying her friends. They were all so attractive, and Lily always saw herself, while passably pretty, rather plain in comparison. She pulled her wand from the strand of hair, which bounced into a curl, and assessed the result. The curls brought her hair to a level about halfway down her neck, and she had rinsed it with a potion to make it shiny. She studied her reflection again, turning her slip-clad form this way and that, trying to be as objective as possible. Could she hold a candle to her friends? A small, paranoid part of her worried that James would take one look at her beside the visions of her friends and leave her on the spot.

Again, that part was paranoid.

"Lily, if you keep twisting yourself like that, you will be as curled as your hair," said Dorcas as she slipped on a pair of strappy pumps, only adding to the sex appeal of her ensemble.

Marlene turned her head a fraction of an inch to better attempt to look at Lily (Emma has a firm hold on her head). "Yeah, Lils, you look fine. Finished getting dressed already!"

Lily visibly deflated. "I don't know if I can deal with just looking 'fine,' Marles. I want to make a good impression."

Emma sighed, putting the last pin into Marlene's flaxen hair, she came to Lily's side. She grasped Lily shoulders and looked at her redheaded friend's refection in the mirror. "Lily. You have already made a good impression with his parents. I am sure their friends will love you, too. You look beautiful, by the way."

Dorcas chuckled. "Even though you are still standing there in little more than your knickers. You'd look prettier with your dress on. Unless you plan on heading up like that, you slag."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about impressing anyone. If someone dislikes you, they are not worth your time."

"But, what if someone comes who is a blood purist and hates me because I am Muggleborn?"

"Then, that makes them party crashers," said Dorcas, straightening up, her heals making her tower over everyone else. "Do you really think Harold and Elizabeth would invite anyone who would hate someone because of who their parents are?"

"'Whom,' Dorcas," corrected Emmeline. Dorcas's only reply was a roll of her eyes. Ignoring the Amazon, Emma reached out and collected Lily's floor-length sapphire blue dress. It was studded in rhinestones, and the color leant a slight shade of aquamarine to her eyes. What attracted Lily to it initially was how it reminded her of the night sky. It's cut was simple, princess seams, and sweetheart neckline, and fitted sleeves that reached her elbows and left her shoulders bare. It flattered Lily's frame perfectly, making her feel tall and confident. Emma assisted her in putting the shimmering garment over her head and smoothed it flat.

To Lily, it was like putting on a shield against her nerves and doubts. Lily felt as though she could accomplish anything. Lily looked over her shoulder at the mirror once more, and, satisfied with the result, slipped on her simple ballet flats in the same midnight blue, and turned to her friends.

"Shall we, then?"

Lily was Bored. With a capital B.

As much as Lily was loathed to admit the fact, considering all that Elizabeth Potter had done for her for no other reason except that she could, Lily was bored at the big Potter Christmas Party. It started with a fancy several course dinner that had Lily's mind reeling (were four different forks really necessary?), then a magical band was brought in to play (there were a collection of string instruments, but no musicians) as the guests danced. Lily danced several times, twice with James (his mother would not allow them more than that, much to the pair's dismay), once with Sirius, and then with a handful of Ministry wizards who Lily failed to recalls names to.

The highlight of her evening thus far was James's whispering complements to her appearance in her ear whenever he was able to get close enough. At dinner, he kept the side of his foot pressed against Lily's throughout the entire meal. Every time their eyes met, she could see his appreciation in the hazel depths, and it brought a blush to her cheeks.

At that very moment, Lily was perched on a straight-backed (yet still oddly comfortable) chair beside a very worn Remus. His face was pale, and shadows darkened his cheeks and under his eyes. His hair, combed back from his still-handsome face, was damp with perspiration. Occasionally, his brown eyes would shine, as though in pain. If she did not know what was going to happen to him the next night, Lily would have advised him to see a Healer. As it was, she figured he would find comfort in her presence, and as he had yet to ask her to leave (although Lily wondered if he had the strength), she felt that her assumption was correct.

Remus took a ragged breath, and Lily's heart nearly broke. Leaning close to him, so to not be overheard, Lily whispered, "What are you going to do tomorrow night?"

One corner of Remus's mouth turned up in a humorless smile. "Harold bewitched the old shed out back to be unbreakable. I will be locked in there tomorrow afternoon."

"I really do hate how you have to be locked up like some criminal, but there is no other option, is there?"

"Not unless you, the Potions Princess, know of a magic turnip that will make me less werewolf and more trained Labrador." His tone lacked anger, this was an exchange they shared nearly every month. Lily would complain about him being locked away, he poked fun at her Potions skills and made up solutions to his problem. His most outlandish made-up potion idea involved an odd blend of doxy eggs, nightshade, and motor oil.

"It's horrible that a good person would be treated like a common criminal."

"You said so, yourself, that there is no other option."

"I know, but it is still horrible. Maybe, someday, there will be another way."

The pair grew silent, and Lily watched the collection of strangers dance and twirl in an eclectic assortment of wizard dress robes and Muggle finery. Through the dancers, she could see Dorcas and Sirius in the far corner, their heads bent together in a manner that screamed mischief. After shaking hands, the pair spun on their heels (an impressive maneuver for Dorcas in her heels) and marched in opposite directions, Dorcas toward Marlene and Emma, Sirius straight to James, who looked as though he was pleading with his mother. Sirius flashed his most charming smile at Elizabeth, who waved the boys off with a resigned laugh that carried over the music, and the whole group of students, grabbing Peter en route, headed straight for Remus and Lily. It was Sirius who spoke.

"We have been set free. To the cellar!"

Before Lily could really comprehend what was going on, she was being escorted to the cellar room that the girls were sharing. Shoes were kicked off, collars loosened, and jackets, ties, and hairpins removed. Lily threw some of the plush pillows from the beds onto the floor, and the teenagers reclined, James laying down with his head on Lily's lap.

Marlene spoke first. "So, whom do we credit with rescuing our sanity up there?"

Sirius gracefully leapt to his feet and took a flourished bow and gestured to Dorcas. "I cannot claim all of the credit. The lovely Dorcas Meadowes helped in acquiring other...ah...details of our escape plot."

"Other details?" Emma asked.

Dorcas raised her arm, revealing a bottle of firewhisky. "Details like this one."

Marlene's mouth dropped open. "Where did you get that?"

"Believe it or not, the House Elves."

"You asked the elves for liquor, Dorcas?" Peter asked. Dorcas nodded and Peter slapped a hand to his forehead. "Why didn't I ever think of that?"

"Because you lack the capacity," deadpanned Remus. He was leaning his head against the baseboard of Lily's bed, eyes closed. His mouth was turned in a half-smile, the humor barely shining through his pain and exhaustion. Peter's mouth opened and closed like a fish.

Sirius rolled his eyes and took the firewhisky from Dorcas. "While Wormtail recovers, I make a motion for a little," he flipped the bottle in the air and caught it, "game."

Emma looked nervous, "Why don't I like the way he said that?" she asked Lily, who shrugged. If there was one thing one learned whilst spending time with the Marauders, it was to expect anything from Sirius Orion Black.

Sirius and Dorcas shared a sly, conspiratorial look. James was silent for a moment when realization dawned on his face. A big grin broke across his handsome face as he sat upright. "Oh, brilliant, Padfoot!"

The rest of the friends wore matching puzzled expressions (except Remus, who was really too tired to care). Marlene found her voice first.

"Can someone please tell the rest of us lesser mortals what is going on?"

The reply came in unison from Sirius, James, and Dorcas. "Spin the bottle."

"You're not serious!" laughed Lily.

"Actually, I'm-"

"Shut up, Sirius," replied everyone else at once.

Dorcas stood and retrieved a collection of shot glasses and an empty butterbeer bottle (Lily did not care to learn from where). "The rules are simple. We sit in a circle, boy by girl, and since there are eight of us, that will work out really well. We spin the butterbeer bottle. If, say, a girl spins it and it lands on a bloke, then you kiss. If a girl spins it and it lands on a girl, you get a drink. Normally, I am for kissing everyone, but I thought we could turn it into a drinking game."

"I can't believe I am doing this," moaned Emma as they arranged themselves into a circle. Lily sat beside James, with Sirius at her right. Beside Sirius was Marlene, then Remus, Emma, Peter, and Dorcas rounding things off on James's other side. Lily looked at her friend across the circle.

"Don't worry, Emma, what's the worst that can happen?"

Emma raised a perfect eyebrow (Lily rolled her eyes), "Really, Lily?"

"Never mind."

Dorcas slid the shot glasses around so that every pair shared one glass. Lily was sharing hers with Sirius, and she had a feeling Dorcas did that on purpose. Since Lily was already dating James, she would apparently be more comfortable sharing a glass with him. Honestly, Lily couldn't care less who she shared the glass with, as long as she did not end up with dragon pox.

Beside her, Sirius rubbed his hands together, that mischievous glint never leaving his eyes. "So, who's first."

Dorcas tossed the empty butterbeer bottle at him, which Sirius caught easily. "Thank you, Sirius, for volunteering." Sirius made a rude gesture, which made Emma gasp ("Such a prude," said Dorcas), and leaned forward to position the bottle in the middle and gave it a spin. Before it had a chance to slow down, Marlene stopped it with her hands.

"Oy, McKinnon!" exclaimed Sirius. "What did you have to go and do that for?"

Marlene didn't lift her hand. "Wands in, everyone. We don't want anyone cheating." She gave a pointed look at Peter, who blushed and looked at the ceiling. With grumbles from the guys (except Remus, who seemed too tired to really care either way), eight wands were tossed into the circle. Sparks erupted from a relatively short one that Lily suspected was Peter's, prompting Sirius and Marlene to duck, then all eight wands were gathered up by Marlene and placed onto Emma's bed.

When Marlene was settled back into her place, Sirius gave her a Look. "Can I spin now?"

"Go ahead."

Sirius gave an expert spin of the bottle. To Lily, it felt like forever before it appeared to slow down. The spinning made her dizzy as her eyes never left the neck of the bottle, but she couldn't look away. Once, in the summer before her fifth year, Petunia hosted a party when their parents went out of town for the weekend. Lily did what every little sister would do: threaten to tell Mum and Dad if Petunia didn't allow her to join. They played Spin the Bottle, and Lily ended up kissing two of the guys. Petunia said she cheated with "the m-word" and later told their parents that Lily hosted the party that trashed the house. When Lily cleaned everything without complaint, she was exempted from any punishment. This didn't help their sisterly affection, but at least Petunia still got to sulk, which was as good as any punishment in Lily's mind.

The bottle slowed, and Lily groaned.

It was pointing directly at her. Sirius gave her his most debonair smile, and Lily almost laughed. To think that smile often had girls swooning at his feet and hanging on his every word. She always knew that Sirius Black was more handsome than he should be at seventeen, but he never affected her the way other blokes had in the past, or, more recently, the way James affected her.

Sirius waggled his eyebrows, his gray eyes twinkling. "Wotcher, Evans."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh, get on with it, Black." Sirius cupped her cheeks and kissed her full on the mouth (as though Lily expected any less from her boyfriend's best mate). In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that it was pleasant, but she was ready for it to be done and over with.

The game continued with a lot of laughter and drinking. A handful of rounds in, Emma was hiccuping delicately, and Dorcas was brooding (she had already had to kiss Peter three times). Lily and James got to share one kiss that Sirius had catcalled at, and Remus was dozing against Lily's bed. The highlight up to that point was a rather heated kiss Marlene shared with Sirius when the bottle selected him that caused the other girls to break into fits of giggles, in part fueled by the firewhisky. Lily suspected that Marlene may get what she wanted for Christmas, after all.

They all sat in companionable silence, relaxed by firewhisky and oncoming exhaustion, until a crash from upstairs instantly sobered them.

Remus, no longer dozing, locked his eyes on the ceiling. "Did that sound like breaking glass?"

Dorcas shrugged. "Perhaps the party is getting a little wild for them, too."

Another crash. James was immediately on his feet. "These are my parents we are talking about! They don't have wild parties."

"That's our job!" exclaimed Sirius, his voiced lacking his usual irony. The alarm in his voice scared Lily.

They snatched up their wands and ran to the stairs just as the screams began.

It was utter chaos in the Potter home. Curses and hexes flying everywhere, witches and wizards apparating in and out with resounding cracks. The house elves were chasing wizards in black robes and masks through the rooms with heavy pots and frightening knives nearly as long as the little elves were tall. Lily blocked a curse from a wizard she danced with earlier.

"Oy! I'm on your side, you barmy git!" she shouted. Someone bumped into her, and she screamed and turned around, breathing a sigh of relief when it turned out to be Sirius. "Sirius, everyone is panicking and attacking blind! We are not safe here!"

"I know! Try to aim for the ones in the masks! Those are the Death Eaters!"

Marlene appeared beside Sirius, shooting a stunner at a Death Eater who was about to curse one of the house elves. "Bloody cowards! Hiding their identities," she scoffed, "Are they ashamed of their master? At least we are proud of what we fight for!" A burst of light grazed her shoulder, drawing blood. She looked at the gash, and her eyes flashed. "Oh, you are going to have to better than that if you want to send a McKinnon running!" She shot another stunner and ran into the fray.

"Marlene!" cried Lily. Sirius put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from running after her.

"Marlene is a big girl and a good witch, she will be fine! Find Remus and watch his back. He is too weak for this right now!" Sirius gave Lily's arm a shove. "Go!"

Lily ran off, hunched over to dodge as many curses as possible. Her heart was racing and hammering against her chest, and every breath felt like knives scraping at her lungs. Oblivious to the tears pouring down her face as the sounds of screams overwhelmed her, she focus on her objective. She had to find Remus.

"Crucio!"

Lily was suddenly overtaken with the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced. It was like being covered in acid and lit on fire, if she had to compare it to something. She tried to keep moving, but her body involuntarily contorted and she fell to the ground. It took all of her concentration not to drop her wand.

The Death Eater loomed over her. The expressionless mask was more horrifying than any monster. "Filthy mudblood," hissed a man's voice. He spat on her.

A jet of red light hit the Death Eater and he crumpled to the ground. The pain relinquished immediately, but Lily still felt as though sandpaper was being rubbed over her skin. A thin covering of sweat lingered over her body, and the air felt cool.

A hand entered her vision, she took it and got to her feet. It was Peter.

"Thanks, Pete," she said. "Good stunner."

Peter's cheeks turned pink, and he mumbled his thanks before running off. Lily turned and saw Remus, crumpled on the ground. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, so she got onto her hands and knees and crawled to his side. He was bleeding from a gash on his temple, but he was breathing steadily. She sighed in relief and pulled him under a nearby table. There, she would be able to protect both him and herself until things calmed down.

More cracking sounds broke through the chaos. Judging by the reactions of the Death Eaters (and their swift getaways), the Aurors had arrived. From her position half under a table, Lily could make out the intimidating form of Mad-Eye Moody. There was a young man beside him, as young and fresh as Moody was frightening. He had calm eyes and dark skin. Lily remembered him from her early years at Hogwarts, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

All of the Aurors were capturing Death Eaters too slow or injured to apparate in time, and others were darting about, accessing the condition of those fallen. Lily ducked under the table as stray curses flew about, but she was relieved to see that the worst was over. Beside her, Remus moaned, but remained unconscious. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and quickly used a healing spell on the cut on his head to stop the bleeding. It was a superficial cut, but Lily remembered that cuts on the head bled like one was dying. Remus had obtained worse during his more "furry" nights. Through a scorched hole in the table cloth, she searched for her friends. Emma was holding a cloth to Marlene's jaw, but they seemed otherwise unhurt. Dorcas, sporting a black eye and cut lip, was helping Kingsley revive stunned guests. Peter was sitting on a chair in the corner, shaking. The only two she could not find were Sirius and James.

Just as panic was beginning to set in, Moody reentered her line of sight. He walked up to Rufus Scrimgeour, current head of the Auror department. His voice was gravelly, and what he said turned Lily's blood to ice.

"It's Harold Potter, sir. He's dead."

Author's Note #2: Sorry, but I have to start doing away with the parents eventually...as much as I would love to leave them alive, Harry has no one else to go to except the Dursleys after Lily and James are killed. :/ Thank you all, again, for being understanding about the delay, and I hope to get more done on this story, as well as on Moonlight Serenade. I am also starting another fic! CURSED INSPIRATION! Love you all! ~Nimue~