The door slammed open, making me jump almost a foot in the air.

"My life is a disaster!" Alice whined, making a beeline for her bed.

Even though I was Head Girl this year, I still stayed in the girl's dorm once in awhile. James stayed with the Marauders often as well, even as he was Head Boy.

"Why is your life a disaster, Alice?" Marly sighed, holding up another nail polish color to inspect.

"I don't know what to get Frank for Christmas!" Alice then brought her fist up to her mouth, as if the thought would draw uncontrollable sobs.

"Alice, it's not the end of the world. What did you get him last year?" I asked, sitting up on my mattress.

"A sweater," she almost seemed to be shaking.

"Well that sounds fine to me," Marly commented.

"I can't get him a sweater this year! I got him a sweater last year!"

"Well, I don't know what to get him! You're the one that's been dating him for three years!" Marly rolled her eyes, slightly laughing.

Alice just groaned again, hugging her pillow.

"Lily?" She looked so small and sad.

"Hm?"

"What are you getting James?"

My throat tightened slightly. That question caught me a little off guard.

"I…I haven't really thought about it."

"You mean you don't know?"

I shook my head, tugging at the sleeves of my sweater.

"Well, what would you get him?" Alice urged.

"I don't know, Al," My eyes found their way out the window, where students had covered James' and my tracks from a few days ago.

What do you get a guy that you've only been dating for a few months for Christmas?

The only thing wrong with that question is it felt like I'd been with James for so much longer than that.

"What did you get Frank for your first Christmas together?"

She smiled fondly, "I got him a Puddlemere Poster," a small giggle came from her, "He doesn't even like Quidditch that much. But he still has it up on his wall."

I sighed, falling back on my bed. I hadn't been worrying about presents two minutes ago, and then Alice just had to burst in and thrust my mind into a cloud of worries. I had no idea what to get James.

"What do you think you'll get from Sirius, Marly?" Alice asked.

"Socks." Marly answered without looking up.

"Well that doesn't tell us anything," I scoffed, "Sirius gets everybody socks. I still remember the ones that giggle every time I take a step."

"Yeah…mine stared up at me and blinked every time I took a step." Alice looked out into space for a minute, and then shivered. "I'm pretty sure they're still somewhere at the back of my closet."

Marly and Alice continued discussing all of the strange pairs of socks they'd gotten from Sirius over the years, but I glanced back out the window, their voices muffling behind my thoughts.

What should I get James? I racked my brain, but I came up empty.

Dinner rolled around, and my feet followed Alice and Marly, but my brain was still gone.

"What if you got him something from Zonko's?" Marly offered.

I shook my head. "He's probably already got the whole store in his dorm."

"You could always get him a sweater!" Alice said through her giggles. I nudged her, a smile cracking on my lips.

The Marauders were nowhere in sight at dinner, and maybe that was for the better. I didn't want the conversation about presents to come up around James; I didn't want to have to lie through my teeth that I had something for him already.

I only had one day until Christmas Eve, and things weren't looking up. Alice had decided to get Frank a book about adventures with dwarves. Marly had even got Sirius something special, though she wasn't telling.

And my head was still a blank slate.

James and the Marauders were apparently very busy for whatever they were planning, because I barely saw him before Christmas. Once at breakfast, the next time in the hallway on my way back from the library. He'd given me a quick smile, and kept on his merry way.

I was truly miserable. It wasn't even this hard for me to think of a present for Petunia.

So while everyone finished up their Christmas shopping, I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked through all of the shop windows. Zonko's wouldn't have anything…Honeyduke's would be too simple.

I was passing the Three Broomstick's, thinking I saw Alice and Marly in there, but when I went to open the door, I collided with someone.

"Well, fancy that. Looks like we had the same idea."

Even with the very Grinchy mood I was in, his voice could still make me smile.

The heat of the bar reached my cheeks, making me sigh. James' arm found its way around me as he took my coat off. I glanced up at him, if a bit shyly. I wonder if he could tell that I hadn't gotten him a present yet.

A muffled laughing reached my ears. The two of us turned, and Madame Rosmerta was surrounded with Sirius, Remus, Peter, Marly and Alice, and they were gesturing above us. Tilting my head up, I saw a small green sprig of a plant above us.

My cheeks heated as my eyes flitted to James' and back up to the mistletoe. In front of the crowded bar, James' hand came up and held my warm cheek, letting his lips caress mine lightly. I think I visibly shuddered, clutching his snow covered cloak.

Whistles filled the pub, most of them coming from Sirius. Madame Rosmerta was apologizing, but she'd "had to do it".

The whole time drinking butterbeer, I don't think my cheeks quite lost their color. It didn't really help with James' arm around me. He laughed with Sirius and Remus about their latest Quidditch game, his smile never ceasing. He kept needing to push up his glasses because he threw his head back whenever he laughed. It just made me smile to see him.

He caught me once, looking up at him. "What are you smiling at?" He teased.

I just shook my head and took a sip of my butterbeer. I'd finally gotten an idea of what to get him.

"Wow…thanks Sirius…they're, er, great!" Alice held the slimy socks away from her, miraculously keeping a smile on her face.

Sirius looked completely oblivious, nodding at her.

Marly interrupted the awkward situation. "Ok! It's Lily's turn to open one!"

I grabbed one with my name on it. "From Peter," I muttered, sending a small smile his way as I opened the wrapping paper. "It's cheese."

"Yeah," Peter nodded, apparently content with himself.

"You know I don't really like cheese that much, right?"

"Yeah."

"…Do you want the cheese, Peter?"

"Yeah!" Peter reached across to me, taking back his chunk of cheese.

After everyone finished, we all broke apart, Alice and Frank going off together, conspicuously in the direction of mistletoe. Sirius attempted to show Marly how her new heart socks worked when she walked. Peter enjoyed his cheese that he'd practically given himself.

I was about to go fetch the book my parents had sent me, when a hand fell on my shoulder.

"You're going to leave without getting your present?"

Whirling, I found James' lips on mine, just like they had been at Madame Rosmerta's.

"Is this my present?" I whispered against his lips.

He laughed, pulling away. "No, this is." From behind his back, he pulled a small wrapped box.

"I have one for you too." Moving to the couch quickly, I pulled out his present from behind the pillow. "I didn't have time to wrap it."

James' face lit up. "Quidditch Through The Ages! I lost my copy in first year!" My stomach did flips just to see his smile. There's always a greater pleasure in watching someone open a gift you gave them than opening your own.

I pulled the wrapping off of the small box slowly, and tilted it open a little nervously.

My breath was lost. "James-I, how much was this? I can't-"

"It was my mother's. I added the charm though."

The bracelet was simple; only a gold chain. The charm was a small lily, shimmering in the light from the fireplace.

"It's beautiful, James." It was surprising that I wasn't crying already, so I quickly buried my face into his chest, not letting tears show on my cheeks. Feeling his arms come around me in a tight hug, I mumbled a small "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, love." He whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

A/N: Two chapters for Christmas! Woo! I hope all of you had wonderful holidays! Thank you for reading!