James' eyes slowly blinked open the next morning, and his mind immediately turned to the events of the night before. He looked down to see Lily pressed tightly to his chest, sleeping soundly in his arms. He smiled a bit and kissed her hair, causing her eyes to slip open as well. She smiled up at him.

"Good morning," she whispered hoarsely.

James grinned. "Morning. Want to go downstairs for breakfast? We need to start setting up for our Christmas party, it's tonight."

Her smile widened and she blinked sleepily before nodding. "Okay."

The two of them got out of bed and walked hand-in-hand down to the kitchen, where everyone was already seated, eating a breakfast fit for the Royal Family.

Sirius grinned hugely and pumped his fist several times, cheering.

James rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Padfoot, I know what you're thinking and you're completely wrong."

Mrs. Potter gave James a stern look. "It had better not be right. Lily's such a nice little girl and I don't want you dirtying her up."

James' eyes widened at how straight-forward his own mother was being, and Lily flushed a dark red. "Mum!" James exclaimed.

Mr. Potter laughed. "Oh, leave the kids be, honey. They're smart enough to figure things like that out on their own."

"Well, they are only seventeen," Mrs. Potter grumbled. "It's a horrible age. We're just lucky James found someone as sweet as Lily to keep him in shape."

James rolled his eyes and pulled out a chair for Lily, who took Mrs. Potter's advice and helped herself. James took the seat next to her and did the same.

"So," said Mrs. Potter. "All of the stuff you need for snacks and food is in the kitchen, and some of it will require a little bit of cooking, but nothing you three can't handle. The decorations are in the cupboard under the staircase on the second floor, and brooms for afterwards are there as well."

Lily swallowed her bite of bacon. "Where will you be during the party?"

"Oh, Mr. Potter and I are going to Italy this Christmas," Mrs. Potter replied with a smile. "We'll be back around six tomorrow morning. We wouldn't want you three to have to spend Christmas alone, with no family."

Lily smiled and continued with her meal. It felt nice to know they'd already silently accepted her as family.

Soon after breakfast, the house elves cleaned off the table and the Potters got their bags. After a quick goodbye and making sure they remembered not to do anything Remus wouldn't do, they apparated directly to their hotel.

Shortly after, Remus showed up to help with the party, and they all got to work.

It was a huge hassle, decorating the entire house. Lily really didn't think it was all that necessary. The house was already decorated, just not for a party. She didn't understand why they had to put streamers on the ceiling in the fifth floor bathroom. Who on Earth would even go that far, anyways? And when Sirius explained what one might be doing up there, Lily threw her arms in the air and exclaimed, "If that's what they're doing, they won't be looking at the bloody streamers anyways!"

Lily took on the task of cooking. When Mrs. Potter had said it required some cooking, Lily hadn't expected her to mean that three quarters of the work was cooking. After pouring some chips and salsa into bowls, she found that everything else required cooking skills, which she had little of. Cake, cookies, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, ten different dips, little roll things, pockets filled with different ingredients, most stuff Lily hadn't known you could make if it wasn't frozen and microwaveable. But she got on it, and soon, the three ovens in the Potter's kitchen were full, and the sweet scents of baking were wafting through the house, leading the noses of three hungry boys to her area.

She was pulling trays out and setting them on the counter just as fast as she was putting something new into the oven. "Will someone please put these on serving trays and in bowls, please?" She begged.

Apparently, this meant sample three of everything before putting it in something appropriate for serving, and she had soon kicked everyone back out so she could do it herself.

It had taken five straight hours of cooking, but she finally had everything on Mrs. Potter's list completed. She put everything in bowls and on trays and levitated them out into the family room, where the party would be taking place. She painstakingly arranged everything nicely on the table before stepping back to admire her work.

She stepped right into James' embrace. "You did a wonderful job, love."

She shrugged. "I guess. But thanks anyways."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "And are you excited for your gift?"

Lily's brow narrowed as she stepped away from James to turn and look at him. "What gift?"

He laughed. "Your Christmas gift, of course!"

"From who?"

He rolled his eyes. "Sirius," he said sarcastically, before laughing again as she looked over at Sirius, who was charming mistletoe to capture whoever was stuck under it to be forced to kiss or unable to leave. "Me, of course! Who else?"

"Oh, right!" Lily exclaimed. "Em, I guess so. Why, what did you get me?"

"It's a surprise, of course!" he said. "What kind of present would it be if I just gave it to you?"

She sighed. "Okay, fine...But I bet you'll like my gift to you!"

"Oh, you didn't have to get me anything!" James said. "You saying yes to go out with me that first time was enough presents for every last birthday and holiday for the rest of my life."

Lily was practically glowing with happiness. "Really? You mean it?"

He nodded.

"Well, you're getting a present anyways," Lily replied before turning to make sure she'd turned the oven off. "And you're going to like it!"

James laughed and smiled. "Good."

James returned to decorating the house, needing to be finished before people began piling in for one of the best Christmas parties they've ever seen.

...

Whoa now!

So, a Christmas party! Lily and James and Sirius and Remus set out to decorating while the Potter's are in Italy. And Lily and James have presents for each other! :D

So...don't be alarmed...but this is my last written out chapter. But, don't fret! I'm going to make sure that I have chapters to post! I'll feel horrible if I don't, especially this close to the end.

Anyways, Christmas party next! Imagine the possibilities! Hope I meet your expectations! Stay tuned to find out! ^^