James Potter and the Werewolf

by Sirius1

James Potter returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for a fresh year full of homework, mischief, heirs and Quidditch practices. But there is a horrific secret overshadowing one of his very close friends ... what will the general reaction b

9. The Werewolf (9)

Ah, the crusader returns …

James' contentment after beating Ravenclaw lasted for at least a week. People were still coming up to him in corridors and congratulating him. Even Ravenclaws were remarking on the quality of his flying. For the whole week, James felt as though someone had plastered a grin onto his face, because he couldn't get rid of it. Even the Slytherins couldn't think of anything obnoxious to say, partly because they were so amazed. Well, almost all of them...

'Oh look, if it isn't everybody's little hero,' said Snape sarcastically one morning, as James was making his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Snape was with his little gang: Rosier, Avery, Lestrange and Wilkes. All of them chuckled at his words. James sighed and walked past them, but Snape grabbed his arm, pulling him back. Quick as a flash, James grabbed Snape and flipped him over his shoulder. He landed on the ground with a thud.

'Forgot to tell you,' said James amiably. 'I've attended wizard martial arts classes in the summer for seven years. Now come on, run along.' He pulled out his wand threateningly. The Slytherins glared at him, but moved away.

'Impressive, Mr. Potter,' said a voice from behind him, the door to the Great Hall.

'Thank you, Miss Burns. Have you had breakfast?'

'Yep.'

'Aha,' said James, putting on his chivalrous voice. 'Then let me escort you to yonder Tower.' He put out his arm and Lily, laughing, took hold of it. 'Onward, and fear not the ugly rats that do inhabit this castle.' Lily laughed harder.

'Ooh, where did you learn that flip?' she said, feeling his arm.

'Heh heh,' said James, in his normal voice. 'My dad, 'cause he works for the Ministry, he wanted me to be able to fight physically as well as magically.' He held up his wand. 'He enrolled me in this martial arts class, although that's a fairly loose description. It's basically all the different kinds of physical combat.'

'Oh, so now you can protect us without a wand?'

'Not really. It's basically for protection against Muggles. I only got Snapey because he wasn't prepared. I can't do magic without a wand yet.'

'Yet?' said Lily sarcastically.

'Oh yeah. There are ways to learn magic without a wand, but they're incredibly difficult. There's only one charm I know, so I stick to using this thing.' He held up his wand.

'Very sensible.'

Christmas was coming. In the last week of November, Slytherin had managed to beat Hufflepuff in their Quidditch match, and had taken second place in the House Championship. The whole lot of them had been particularly smug about this, and on more than one occasion James had had to hold Sirius back whenever Snape provoked him.

Professors Flitwick, McGonagall and Turner could be seen all around the castle putting assortments of decorations up. Soon, the corridors and classrooms were filled with boughs of holly, and the enchanted singing snowmen were back. In the four corners of the Great Hall, ice epitaphs of the four house creatures had been erected, and a large ice dragon stood behind the High Table.

As usual, Professor McGonagall came round a few weeks before the end of term with a list of students who would be staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. After the fun he had had last year, James had opted to stay at the school again, and had sent an explanatory note to his parents. Their reply hadn't included James' presents, but acknowledgement that he would not be returning on the Hogwarts Express. Sirius, Peter and Frank were again visiting their parents over the festive season, and so none of them would be staying. Remus had also decided to visit his parents this year; he told James in private that it would make his transformation more bearable. Of the girls, only Lily, because she couldn't bear (or so she said) spending Christmas with her older sister, would be staying at Hogwarts.

The last few lessons of the term were fun. As most of the teachers had a sense of festivity, their last lessons were loosely based on that subject. Professor Flitwick showed them a simple glowing charm in his lesson, the same that he had used in decorating the Christmas trees. Professor Turner showed them all an Icing solution, which could be used to transform snow into ice. Professor Loughran entertained them immensely with his stories of past Christmases and how the rumour of Santa Claus had spread among Muggles and Professor McGonagall explained to all of the Muggle-borns how to transfigure their Muggle crackers into wizarding crackers.

And so, when the holidays began, a deep silence fell on the school. James awoke on the second of the holidays to an opaline white sky, and Hogwarts was slowly covered in snowfall. The tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest in the distance had been covered with snow, which made some indistinguishable from their surroundings. The lake had frozen over, and one morning, James had noticed a pair of students ice-skating on it.

James and Lily were the only second year students in the school staying at Hogwarts. There were only a handful of other students from the various houses. They had the common room to themselves and a dormitory each. For the first few days of the holidays, they decided to get their holiday homework done, so they could enjoy Christmas and the rest of the holidays without it hanging over them.

'Come on then, Mr. Genius,' said Lily one morning, holding up a Transfiguration textbook. 'How many registered Animagi have there been this century?'

'Seven,' said James, grinning.

'Lucky guess,' said Lily. 'Right, what is the main – oh no, wait; you know that, don't you? Aha! Here we go. You get this and I'll snog Sirius. Which ingredient in the Animagi potion is associated with a turtle?'

'Really?' said James, grinning. 'Let us shake on that.' He shook Lily's hand. 'Then it wouldn't happen to be turtle stomach dew, would it?' The entire colour drained from Lily's face. 'Oh my, Sirius will be happy,' said James, shaking with suppressed laughter.

'How the hell did you know that?' said Lily. 'You're not meant to know that.'

'That I surmised from your little promise. Ooh, I can't wait for Sirius to get back.'

'But, hold on … I never said when I was going to snog him, did I?' said Lily, grinning. James thought about this.

'Damn, you're right. But I still get to tell him what he can look forward to.'

'Whatever you say,' said Lily, swiping at his head with the textbook.

'Ah, Sirius,' said James, laughing, pretending Sirius was there. 'The prettiest girl in our year said she would kiss you, but then changed her mind. Sound good?' chuckled James, avoiding another swipe and running up to the dorm to fetch the Invisibility Cloak. He didn't notice Lily's expression at his words.

'Ooh, flattery'll get you nowhere,' she shouted, charging up the stairs after him.

'Over here,' said James tauntingly from under the Cloak, as Lily entered the dorm.

'Define "here".'

'Behind you,' said James, pulling off the Cloak.

'Very clever,' said Lily acidly. 'No invisibility allowed.'

'Allowed for what?' said James, chuckling.

'Fighting,' said Lily, aiming to hit James in the stomach. She found herself face down on the floor.

'No, I really shouldn't hurt girls,' said James courteously. 'It's not chivalrous. I'll just have to defend myself.' That he did, as Lily threw punch after punch at him. They were only play-fighting – neither was aiming to actually hurt the other – but James still had to put in some effort to stop Lily attacking him .

'All right,' Lily gasped, quarter of an hour later, 'I give up.'

'Goody,' said James lowering his arms.

'Just kidding,' said Lily, and aimed a punch at James' ribs. Unfortunately, he had chosen that moment to bend down and pick up his Cloak, and Lily caught him right in his eye.

'Ouch!' said James, clutching his left eye.

'Oh Jesus, sorry. I didn't mean to do that.'

'S' all right, I'll live,' said James. 'But,' he grinned, 'now I get revenge. Rictusempra!' Seeing Lily gasping for breath on the floor was some consolation to having a black eye, James thought.

'Now, let me think. Should I say the counter-curse before lunch or after lunch?' said James, smiling serenely.

'Bef – before,' said Lily, clutching her stomach.

'Oh very well,' said James, and he muttered the counter-curse.

'All right,' said Lily, as she stood up. 'Now I understand why no one tries to fight you. Is your eye alright?' James looked into the mirror.

'No lasting damage. You've got a mean right hook, though.' Lily grinned sheepishly. 'C'mon, shall we go and see Hagrid before lunch?' Lily agreed, and they left the common room together, laughing at the prospect of telling Sirius about Lily's promise.

The snow had fallen excessively the previous night, and made Hagrid's hut look as though it was painted white. He had erected two small but decorative Christmas trees outside his front door. As they approached it, they heard Fang growling from inside. When they knocked and entered, however, Fang rushed over and started licking Lily's hand.

'Wow,' said James, looking at Fang. 'What have you been feeding him, Hagrid?' For Fang was nearly three times the size he had been when Hagrid had first procured him.

'Nothin' special. Have yeh been snowball fighting?' Hagrid asked, knitting a large piece of cloth as he spoke.

'No. Why?'

'Heard a bunch o' kids laughin' out there, thought it might be you. The others gone home?'

'Yes, it's just me and Lily.' Hagrid raised his eyebrows.

'Oh, don't be under any illusion, Hagrid,' said Lily, noticing the way in which he was looking at them both. 'James and I have been engaged for years.' Hagrid laughed.

'I'll enjoy the weddin',' said Hagrid, still chuckling. 'So, what're yeh up to today?'

'Not a lot,' said James, with a sidelong glance at Lily. 'There's only so many times in a day I can hear the words "James, will you help me with my Transfiguration?" without screaming.' Lily and Hagrid laughed. 'What are you doing, anyway?'

'Only jus' finished getting the Chris'mas trees up. This is a blanket I'm making.' He held up the cloth.

'Fair enough,' said Lily. 'Hey, Hagrid, who's this?' She was pointing to a picture of a short wizard with the same crinkled black eyes as Hagrid.

'Oh, er, that's me old da,' said Hagrid, taking the photo in his hands and looking closely at it. 'Died, he did, in me second year here.'

'You were at Hogwarts?' said Lily. 'But then, why can't you do magic?' Hagrid hesitated. This didn't seem to be his favourite subject.

'I was, er, expelled, see, in me third year. Dumbledore persuaded them ter let me train as gamekeeper, and I have been ever since. Great man, Dumbledore.'

'But why were you –' Lily began, but James silenced her with a look.

'C'mon Lil',' he said pointedly. 'Shall we go back up to the castle?'

'But – oh, yeah, all right.' She got up and opened the door. 'We'll come and see you again, Hagrid. Bye!'

'Bye,' he said miserably, still gazing at the photo. James shut the door, and they walked up to the castle in silence.

'Why didn't you let me ask him?' Lily asked James early that afternoon in the common room, as the two of them sat playing chess.

'Isn't it obvious? You could see in his eyes how upset he looked. I think he's a bit touchy on the subject.'

'But –'

'Lily, drop it,' said James sharply.

'Alright,' said Lily reluctantly, but then she perked up. 'Hey, do you want to go down to the kitchens? Me hungry.' James raised his eyebrows.

'You go,' he said, extracting the Cloak from his pocket and passing it to her.

'Oh, but I don't know exactly where it is. Please, Jamesy?' she said in a whiny, typically Sirius voice. James raised his eyebrows again.

'All right,' he said, grinning. 'C'mon.' They left the common room and set off down the corridors. Lily was trying not to laugh at a joke that James had told her.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the common room, laden with mince pies and bottles of pumpkin juice.

'What's with the mince pies?' said James, laughing. Lily had brought as many as she could carry.

'Let's just say I have an addiction problem,' she said, putting one into her mouth. James removed his glasses and wiped his eyes. He didn't spot Lily's hand, which reached out and grabbed them.

'Ha ha. Got your glasses!'

'Now really!' said James, in an uncanny impression of Professor McGonagall. 'This is most childish behaviour. Ms. Burns, return those spectacles immediately!' Lily fell about laughing, and James was able to summon his glasses back. 'Aha, I can see!' he said, grinning.

'Git,' she said. 'It's more fun being with Sirius.'

'Why?'

'He's easier to beat up and much easier to annoy.'

'Ah, I take it that you're implying that I'm not?' said James, grinning.

'Maybe,' said Lily evasively. James chuckled.

'Hey, what day is it today?' he asked suddenly.

'Saturday.'

'Hmm,' he said pensively. 'There's a Hogsmeade visit for everyone still here – about ten people. But that means that – if it's Saturday – the teachers can't be there.'

'So?'

'Hmm.' He suddenly jumped up and grabbed Lily's hand. 'Come, fair goddess of beauty,' he said, whilst Lily laughed. 'We must find a way out of here.' And he pulled her out of the portrait hole, cackling insanely.

'Look, there's nothing here!' said Lily heatedly for the fifth time. James was standing next to a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch, examining it closely for something that apparently wasn't there. 'This is such a waste of time.'

'Matthew told me that it was around here!' said James.

'What?' said Lily acidly.

'A secret passage to Hogsmeade. Don't you know any Latin? Like the Latin for open, or something?'

'Well, actually, I have a master's degree,' said Lily sardonically. 'Try Alohomora.'

'Already did. It's not that. Wait a sec …'

'What?'

'Apertio!' James said, tapping the stone structure. Nothing happened.

'That was good,' said Lily wryly. 'What was it?'

'The Latin for open, if I remember correctly. Hold on, it could be … Dissendium!' Suddenly, a thin gap appeared in the statue's hump. James grinned wickedly. 'Excellent and marvellous. Ladies first?' he said, motioning for Lily to enter the hole.

'Not likely.'

'Only kidding,' he said, before hoisting himself into the hole and pushing himself forwards.

He slid for quite away along what seemed to be a stone slide. When he reached the bottom, he fell headfirst onto cold, damp earth. Rubbing his head, he looked up from where he had come down, and saw a small hole, about the size of a postage stamp, far above him.

'It's OK!' he called up to Lily, and a second later he heard her enter the passage. He noticed the witches' hump close up again, and the passage was plunged into darkness. As James heard Lily coming closer, he put out his hand to prevent her falling onto the ground, as he had done.

'All right?' he said, as he caught her.

'Yeah,' she said. 'Ow, that looks nasty. Did you fall on your head?'

'Yep. I wanted to protect you from the same fate.'

'Ah, how kind you are. C'mon, I can barely see a thing. Lumos!' They set off together down the cold passage, Lily's wandlight leading them onwards.

After about an hour of traipsing along the long and winding path, Lily tripped suddenly.

'Are you all right?' James said urgently, pulling her to her feet, and holding her lighted wand up to her face. 'Oh my god.' She had a large gash on her forehead. Blood was pouring freely from it. 'Here, let me see what I can do about that,' he said. He touched the wound softly and quietly muttered something. His fingers began to glow strangely and the blood flow stopped immediately. He quickly transfigured the quill that he always had on him into a bandage, and gingerly wrapped it around her head. 'There,' he said. 'Does that feel better?'

'Yes, much better,' said Lily, feeling the bandage with a strange look in her eyes. 'How did you know how to do that?'

'It was all part of that course I went on. We did some minor first aid. Very minor, mind you. They only showed us basic stuff, like how to stop the flow of blood and how to transfigure items like plasters and bandages. That blood stopping is the only non-wand magic I know.' He smiled. 'You never know when it'll all come in handy.'

'Yeah,' said Lily softly. 'Thanks, James. Anyway, I think we'll need to go up here.' She was pointing to some stone steps. She had fallen over the bottom one, not noticing it was there. They rose up and out of sight. James nodded, and they slowly began to ascend in silence.

'Ow,' said James, when his head suddenly hit something hard above him. 'Seriously, Lil',' he said, clutching his head. 'I'm sorry we came along now. This trip seems to have been more trouble than it's worth.'

'Yes, but hold on,' she said, holding up her wand. 'We're here! Look, this is a trapdoor.'

'You're right,' said James, feeling the ceiling. 'Brilliant! Right then, we need to put this on.' He pulled the Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and draped it around them both.

'My, you think of everything,' said Lily, from under the Cloak. James grinned.

'Damn right. Anyway, c'mon. Let's go.' Very slowly, he pushed up the door, and found himself looking into a cellar stacked high with wooden crates and boxes. He could hear murmuring from somewhere above him. 'C'mon Lil', quick,' he said, pulling her through the trapdoor. When she was through, he replaced the door quietly. It blended so perfectly that it was indistinguishable from the dusty floor around it.

'James,' said Lily quietly. 'Where are we?'

'If I'm right, and I pray to God that I am, then we are currently in the cellar of Honeydukes.' He looked at her, expecting her to be excited about this, when he remembered. 'Of course,' he said. 'You're Muggle-born. You wouldn't know. Honeydukes is the best sweetshop in Britain. Of course, as Hogsmeade is the only entirely wizarding village in Britain, there isn't much competition. But wait, you'll see how good it is. C'mon.' He grabbed her hand and pulled her up a set of dusty stone steps. They passed through a door, and found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes. There were a few students from Hogwarts standing in the shop, and James heard Lily gasp when they entered.

Honeydukes was filled with every type of sweet conceivable. Shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets and large barrels of favourites like Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizbees. Trays of colourfully wrapped toffees, chocolates and fudge. Large slabs of coconut ice. Everything from Droobles Best Blowing Gum to Pepper Imps. Whilst Lily took in the surroundings, James steered her into a small corner and removed the Cloak carefully.

'What are you doing?' she asked. 'We'll be seen.'

'No we won't. The staff are on a training course today, I remember hearing McGonagall talk about it.'

'And what do you propose we do? Steal the sweets from under their noses?' James shook his head, grinning.

'Ah, Lily, you'll never trust me, will you? Don't you think I might have considered that beforehand?' He pulled a small bag of coins out of his pocket. 'C'mon, let's get some stuff.'

'But I don't have any money.' James extracted half of his money and handed it to her.

'Ah, then you'll have to get me a great birthday present then, won't you?' Lily laughed.

They left Honeydukes some time later, their pockets bulging with various assortments of sweets. The snow was thick on the ground, and it was bitterly cold. James lent a shivering Lily his Cloak, and the two of them decided to head for the Hog's Head (a/n My theory is that the name changed after Philosopher's Stone) for something to drink.

'I don't suppose you've tried Butterbeer?' said James, as they entered.

'Is it alcoholic?' Lily asked apprehensively.

'Oh no,' said James, chuckling. 'It's nothing like Muggle beer. Try it, you might like it.'

'Fair enough.' The two of them took a small table at the back of the pub. Lily laughed whilst James told her stories of misfortune he'd encountered on the combat course he'd attended.

'You know,' he said wistfully, 'I think I might go back this year. I wonder if Sirius would come along?'

'Ooh, that would be worth watching.'

'What, Sirius and I beating each other up?' he asked, raising his eyebrows. 'Or Sirius and I in combat gear?'

'Both, naturally,' she said, chuckling.

After a short while, the barmaid, a pretty lady with red robes, approached the table.

'Hello dears. Is this you first time in here?' she said kindly. James looked at her.

'Yes, and it certainly won't be the last,' he said, grinning. The woman laughed and cocked her eyebrows at Lily.

'Let me guess,' she said, smiling, motioning to James. 'A born charmer?'

'Undoubtedly,' said Lily, laughing. 'But you haven't met Sirius. You don't even want to know,' she added quickly, when the lady looked at her curiously.

'You're third years, I presume?'

'Oh yes, yes, that's right,' said James, in a completely false voice. 'Yes, third years, of course.' The woman laughed again.

'Oh, I don't think Professor McGonagall would be happy to find you in here.'

'She won't,' said James, grinning.

'Dearie me, such a troublemaker. Can I get either of you a drink, er?'

'Lily,' said Lily. 'And this is James.'

'A pleasure to meet you,' she said, smiling. 'I'm Madam Rosmerta.'

'Ah, so we can call you Rose,' said James enthusiastically. 'Or – even better – Maddy, or – no, wait, I've got it – Mad Barlady Rose!' Madam Rosmerta and Lily dissolved into a fit of giggles. 'What I meant to say is,' he went on, in an innocent voice. 'Could we have two Butterbeers please Miss Bar-lady-person?' Madam Rosmerta nodded, and strolled back to the bar chuckling.

'Such a charmer,' said Lily sardonically.

'Ahhh! Is somebody jealous? Don't worry Lil', you know I only love you really.' He grinned. 'So, I suppose you want to do some Christmas shopping after our little drinkies?'

'Ah! You can read my mind!' At that point, Madam Rosmerta approached their table with two foaming tankards of hot Butterbeer.

'Cheers,' said James, as they both took a large gulp. James had had Butterbeer before, and knew how delicious it was, but he could see by the expression on Lily's face that for her it was a pleasant surprise.

'Mmm,' she said, setting down her drink. 'That's lovely. I feel all warm and fuzzy.'

'Nah, that's just 'cause you're with me,' said James, grinning. Lily threw a coaster at him.

'Hah! You wish, Potter.'

'Oh, being formal now are we, Burns?'

''Course not. We're just not being informal.'

'Oh, OK,' said James, laughing. 'C'mon, shall we be off? My drink is all cold and nonexistent.' Lily raised her eyebrows sardonically.

'Alright, if we must.' They stood up, thanked Madam Rosmerta, and left the Hog's Head. James wrapped his cloak around Lily.

'Bl – bloody hell. It's c – c – cold,' said James, as they walked along the main street of Hogsmeade.

'Right now, let's think,' Lily mused. 'Sirius … must be Zonko's, wouldn't you say?'

They spent an enjoyable afternoon choosing various gifts for their friends. James purchased a rather elaborate wizard chess set for Peter, whose current set was a bit battered. He found a book that he knew Remus would like entitled "Great Metamorphics of our time". He made sure not to allow Lily to see it. For Sirius he bought a small kit designed for mischief making from Zonko's. It contained a number of dungbombs, some odd-looking potions and, best of all, in James' attention, an enchanted individual-sensor. You could programme it to tell you when a certain person was nearby. He also bought a number of boxes of sweets for various people.

And so, after a couple of hours of avid shopping, both Lily and James had one present to get – each other's. As they were walking back towards the Hog's Head, Lily suddenly stopped next to a shop window.

'Oh James, look at that!' She was pointing to a very elaborate-looking necklace. It was silver, and had diamonds cut into it all the way around. It sparkled mysteriously in the sunlight, and looked to James as though it had been charmed. 'Ooh, I'd give anything for that,' she said fervently. 'Anything.'

'Is that a very subtle and surreptitious hint?' asked James, grinning.

'Don't be silly,' said Lily, still looking wistfully through the glass at the necklace. 'It's so beautiful.'

'Well, when I fall in love with you – not that I haven't already to a certain extent – it's the first thing I'll buy.' Lily laughed.

'Know something? If you do ever fall in love with someone it'll be obvious, because you'll never say it.'

'Yes, odd how people's minds work, isn't it? C'mon, I know exactly what to get you.'

'Is it by any chance a diamond necklace?'

'Hah! Nice try. You have to wait for that, missy.'

'Oh, so I'll definitely get it at some point?'

'Unless I'm dead.'

'That's a cheerful thought.' Laughing hysterically, the two friends decided to split up so that they could get each other a present.

When he had purchased Lily's gift, James waited in front of Honeydukes for her; he had only needed a few minutes to buy what he wanted. He spotted her coming about five minutes later, clutching a bag in her hands.

'Ready to go?' said Lily cheerfully.

'Almost,' he said, grinning. He dashed off in the direction of the Hog's Head, instructing Lily to stay where she was. He returned a few minutes later with two large bottles of Butterbeer.

'Heh heh. I got Madam Rosmerta to put a heating charm on these. We can have them on Christmas day.'

'Ah, what a perfect friend you are,' said Lily, clutching one of the bottles. 'Come on then, Invisibility Cloak back on, I think it's high time we left.'

The journey back to Hogwarts was enjoyable. James and Lily had had such a pleasant afternoon that the long walk didn't bother them.

'Ooh, that was fab,' said Lily, as James climbed through the statue of the one-eyed witch. 'We'll have to bring Sirius along next time.'

'Why? Isn't my company sufficient?'

'No. I need at least another person to carry these damn bags.' James laughed.

'Ah, girls will be girls, I suppose. C'mon.'

They strolled slowly up to the common room, James laughing uproariously at a story Lily was telling him about the strange looks she'd received from one of the young store clerks in Hogsmeade. She said that she'd made a point never to return to Gladrags Wizardwear, and James raised his eyebrows sardonically.

'Ha!' he said wryly. 'I don't think so. A girl staying out of a clothes shop? That's like Sirius staying out of a fight.'

'I just didn't like the way he was looking at me,' she said vehemently. 'It was – uncomfortable.'

'Was he wearing glasses?' James asked casually.

'Yes, he was. They were shaded, you know, like blind people have.'

'Oh, it's obvious in that case,' he continued slyly. 'He had glasses that can see through clothes.' Lily's expression went from perplexed to horrified, and James had to stifle a laugh. 'Heh heh. I'm only joking, Lil'. As far as I know, nothing like that exists. Although –' he grinned at her, ' – I was hoping someone might invent them …'

'Very funny, Potter,' said Lily dryly. 'I'll make personally sure that they don't.'

They entered an empty common room and seated themselves in the armchairs next to the fireplace. James had a spare pack of Exploding Snap, and the two of them had an enjoyable time having their eyebrows singed in various degrees of burning. During the evening, the only time one of them left was to fetch food and drink from the kitchens. On one visit, The house elves had complained to James that they didn't have enough work to do. James had had to stifle a laugh, as the house elves had nothing but work to keep them occupied. They were preparing for Christmas dinner in a few days time; keeping the castle neat and tidy, not to mention clearing the snow that was blocking the path up to the school.

'I wonder where all the house elves come from,' said Lily pensively later that evening, as she and James sat drinking mugs of hot chocolate. They had moved onto wizard chess now, and Lily's knight was currently wrestling James' rook off the board.

'Well, I suppose you have a mummy elf and a daddy elf, and –'

'Ha ha,' said Lily sarcastically. 'I just wonder what country they originate from.'

'What, you mean like Vampires being from Transylvania?'

'Yeah.'

'Er, I don't actually know where they originally came from, but I know that they live worldwide nowadays, as personal servants to humans.'

'Such wonderful creatures,' Lily mused. 'I suppose the irony is that humans are paid for work they don't want to do and house elves aren't paid for work they do want to do.' James nodded.

'Yeah,' he yawned. 'Anyway, Lil', I think I'm gonna go off to bed in a sec, I'm a bit tired after the day's events.'

'You just wait until the January sales,' said Lily, grinning, as they both walked over to the stairs to the dorms and began to climb them.

'What're they?'

'Oh, it must just be a Muggle thing. They're sales that take place at the start of the year, and everything's dead cheap.'

'Sounds like a perfect bloody nightmare for the entire male population.'

'That is one of the added bonuses.' She grinned, as she approached the door of the girl's dorm. 'Night, James.'

'Night Lily,' he called, as she entered the room. James carried on up the stairs until he reached the top, entered his dorm, and was asleep within five minutes.

Christmas morning dawned bright and early for James. He awoke to the sound of birds singing, and whistled happily as he washed and changed into his robes. It was very early, and James doubted that Lily would be awake. He glanced at the large pile of packages at the foot of his bed and grinned. He transfigured a large bag, put his presents into it, and set off for the girls' dorm.

Lily was still fast asleep when James entered. Her red air was plastered to her face, and she was smiling. James grinned when he saw her. Thinking it would be altogether too cruel to use water or pillows to wake her up, he merely shook her softly.

'Lily,' he said quietly. 'Wake up. It's Christmas.' Lily mumbled something incoherently. 'You have a lot of presents,' he added, and that did the trick. Lily sat up straightaway.

'Morning,' she said pleasantly. She quickly slipped into the bathroom to change her clothes, and emerged looking much more awake. 'Now, where's me pressies?'

'Hmm. A brainteaser,' said James sarcastically. Lily had a large pile of presents at the foot of her bed in clear view.

'Well, come on then,' said Lily, grabbing the nearest parcel and ripping it off. 'Let's get started.'

They had fun opening their presents. They both had a lot of presents from their friends. Frank had sent both of them a large box of Chocolate Frogs each; Katie, a huge bar of chocolate to share between themselves; Heather, a large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and Michelle and Sarah, abundant amounts of homemade fudge. Sirius had sent James a handy attachment for his Lightspeed 1 – it was both a speed counter and danger sensor. Remus had sent both Lily and James books. Lily's was entitled A study of useful Charms, with which she looked enthralled, and James' was called Animagi: Fact and Fiction. Lily looked a little perplexed at Remus' choice of present, but James grinned. Peter seemed to have contacted Sirius in his shopping, because his present to James was also an accessory for James' broom. It was a very clever enchanted map and compass. To work it, you simply had to say a venue, and the item would show you the distance and direction of that place. Grinning still, James turned and saw that he had only a few presents left, as did Lily. He spotted Lily pick up his own present to her.

'Now, don't be amazed,' he said, as she picked the lumpy package up. 'But it's not a diamond necklace.'

'Incredible,' said Lily sardonically. 'Don't they make them this shape any more?' James laughed and she tore off the paper. She held up her present, and gasped. 'Oh James! It's lovely.' It was a very pretty cloak, made of thin light green silk. Lily looked at it for a moment. 'James, this is beautiful, but –' she bit her lip, '– won't I be a bit, er, cold?' She sounded slightly guilty for noticing a fault with the gift, but James laughed.

'Go to the window,' he said, pointing to it. Perplexed, Lily walked over and stood by the large windows. 'Now, open it.'

'Are you mad? It's freezing.'

'Just open it,' said James, grinning.

'All right,' said Lily reluctantly, and she pulled the catch on the window. An icy breeze entered the room. 'Brr – James, it's fr – freezing,' she said, shivering slightly.

'Put on the cloak.' Still looking bemused, Lily pulled the cloak over her shoulders, and immediately stopped shivering.

'Mmm - ooh, this is warm. Ooh, it's lovely.'

'That's the beauty of it. It's an enchanted cloak. It will keep you warm, no matter where you are.'

'Oh James, you're too kind,' said Lily sincerely. She shut the window, came over to the bed, and gave James a quick hug.

'Easy,' he said, as she had caught him off guard. 'Let's see your pressie before all the hugs and kisses.'

'Nice try,' said Lily wryly. 'I never mentioned kisses.'

'Sigh. You always jump to conclusions. Anyways, what do we have here?' He picked up a gift that said "To James from Lily".

'I found it in Hogsmeade. Peter and Sirius gave me the idea. It's similar to their gifts, too.' It was a small package, with gold wrapping paper. James ripped off the paper to reveal a handsome leather box. He pulled the catch, and a small device fell out. It looked similar to Peter's present, but James knew that it wasn't. It was metal, with a large silver button in the middle

'What is it?' he asked.

'You can clip it to your broom,' Lily explained, 'and if you press the button your broom becomes invisible.' James gasped.

'That's brilliant!' he said. 'Oh, thanks Lil'.' He reached over and put his arms around her waist, giving her a quick hug.

'So, just my parents' present to go. What about you?'

'I've got three more,' said James, looking in his bag. 'Here, this is from my parents.' James parents had sent James a new cloak for outdoor use, and a note with some mince pies and homemade toffee. James laughed as he saw Lily looking at the mince pies. 'Yes, Lily, you can have some,' he said, grinning. He was, however, slightly disappointed that he hadn't received a broomstick. He turned to read a note that his parents had sent.

James (it read),

Shame you aren't here for Christmas this year. Uncle John's back in town. He sends his regards, and I think he's probably sent something else as well. You'll find it in there somewhere. We'll probably be sitting down to lunch when you read this (You know how irregular your father and John's eating hours are). Still, if I remember correctly, you get pretty spoiled for food at Hogwarts. Have a Merry Christmas, love. Hope you have a nice new year as well. We'll see you when we see you.

Mum and (if I can persuade him to stop drinking and come and sign this card. Ah! Here he comes) Dad (Don't listen to a word your mother says, son).

James laughed as he read the card and placed it down. Lily had meanwhile opened her own present. It contained a game that neither of them had seen before.

'What's that?' James asked, looking at a set of stones in a small box on Lily's lap.

'Read this if you want to know,' said Lily, passing him her parents' card.

Lily,

Hope you're all right, dear. Your mother's busy, but she sends her love, as does Petunia. The present is something we found in the Daily Prophet – we've decided to start getting it delivered as well as our "Muggle mail", as I suppose you call it. The game's called Gobstones – I think it has instructions with it. Have a lovely Christmas and New Year, love, and we'll probably see you around Easter.

Dad

James chuckled, and turned back to his presents. He had two more to open. He took the first, a small, thin package, and opened it carefully. Out slipped a small leather pocket that looked like a holster. It was attached to a note, which James read.

James,

How are you, mate? Back in the country this week, you know, see your dad for Christmas and all that. I think the Argentinian authorities were glad to see the back of me, to be honest. Anyway, I've made it back in time. Your present I picked up a while ago whilst travelling. It's a wand holster, the same kind I use. Now, I can just see you laughing at this point, but those things are useful. There's a button on them that makes them invisible and undetectable. You can sneak your wand into anywhere you like. If you don't like it, well, sorry, but I'm thinking it should come in useful.

Merry Christmas (And New Year and Easter and whatever until whenever I see you)

John

James laughed as he reread his uncle's note.

'Is he your dad's brother?' Lily asked, reading the note over James' shoulder.

'Foster brother,' said James. 'Nan and Granddad adopted him when my dad was about four.' Lily nodded.

'What does he do?' she asked.

'He's an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. Er, do you know what Aurors are?' he added.

'Yes, dark wizard catchers. You or Remus or Frank or someone explained it to me a while ago. So, what's that?' She pointed to a James' final present, a long, thin package lying on the ground.

'Good question. I mean; it can't be from my parents, or John. Hmm, I wonder who sent it.'

'Only one way to find out.'

'I suppose,' he grabbed the package and unwrapped it slowly. Lily gasped audibly, and James' jaw dropped. Lying in front of him on the bed was the most magnificent broomstick he'd ever seen.

'Oh James! Who sent you that?'

'Here, let's see. There's a card …'

James (it read)

Sorry if this doesn't reach you in time. I've been busy recently. Hope you enjoy it. If your game against Ravenclaw was anything to go buy, I'd say that you certainly will. If you don't recognise it, it's a new model, the Jet Force 12. Nice model. Have a very merry Christmas, and don't be fighting spiders in the Forest again.

James felt a funny jolt in the pit of his stomach. The note wasn't signed. However, James was pretty sure he'd encountered this person before on a certain escapade into the Forbidden Forest. He handed Lily the note, and turned to look at his new broom. It really was magnificent. It had a sleek, thin handle, a slightly thicker tail end of straight twigs, and a shiny, glossy finish, with the words "Jet Force" running up the side in silver. Lily put down the note and stared at the broom.

'Who sent this? James?' James was lost in thought, but Lily's voice snapped him out of it. 'James?!'

'I – I don't know,' said James truthfully.

'Who would send a present and not sign it?' Lily asked. 'It must've cost a fortune.'

'Someone who wants to stay undercover, that's for sure,' said James, glancing at the note again. 'Anyway,' he said heavily, attempting to change the subject. 'D'you fancy going and getting some breakfast?' Lily nodded.

On the way down to the Great Hall, James was lost in thought. He weighed up the situation. Some person, probably living in the Forbidden Forest, had, in the space of about a month or so, saved Sirius' life, given the four boys the hardest ingredient to procure of the Animagi potion, and sent James the best racing broom money could buy. He really couldn't understand why this person should be so kind. James' mind was temporarily taken off this, however, when he entered the Great Hall.

The Hall always looked stunning in the run up to Christmas, but it looked as though Dumbledore had pulled out all the stops for the day itself. A dozen gargantuan Christmas trees stood around the edges, decorated with glittering pixies, glistening ice crystals, and miniscule golden owls at the top of each. In addition, each tree was surrounded by large groups of shimmering fairies, which were lighting up the Hall. The five ice epitaphs in the Hall had been treated with a tricky charm that actually coloured the ice.

James sat down and helped himself to some toast. He didn't feel hungry at the moment. He felt more like trying out his new broom. He'd realised that whomever it was who had sent the broom; they had sent it as a friend, not as an enemy. He suddenly laughed at the prospect of the seeing Sirius', Ben Coates', and above all the Slytherins' faces when they saw him with a Jet Force 12.

When James and Lily got back to the common room, Lily said she had to write a quick note to someone, and so she disappeared to her dorm. James went up to his own and fetched his new Jet Force, and the accessories that Peter, Sirius and Lily had given him. Firstly, James attached Peter's map. He looked down at it and said clearly 'The observatory!' Suddenly, the compass began to spin rapidly, and finally came to rest on the south pointer. The distance measurer read one hundred and eight miles. James grinned, and grabbed Sirius' gift. The speed counter read zero, obviously, and the danger counter was flashing green. James chuckled, and picked up Lily's present. He attached it to the broom and pressed the red button. All of a sudden, the broom completely disappeared except for a yellow light where the red button had just been. James grinned widely. If he used his Cloak with this, he could fly anywhere, completely undetected. He pushed the yellow button, and his broom immediately materialised. James just sat there, taking in every inch of it.

'Having fun?' said Lily from behind him. She was wearing her new cloak, and was carrying her set of Gobstones. 'Fancy a game?' James nodded, and Lily set up the pieces.

Gobstones, it transpired, was great fun. The game was inextricably similar, according to Lily, to the Muggle game of marbles, except that the losing player was squirted with a foul-smelling liquid. After being squirted about twenty times, James gave up and went back to looking at his own presents. He had already attached his new wand holster and made it undetectable and invisible. James liked it – it made him feel important.

After a little while, James and Lily decided to return to the Great Hall for Christmas dinner. When they entered, they noticed that places had only been laid at the High Table; the house tables had been moved to the edge of the Hall. Dumbledore was there, with Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Loughran, Lennox, and Sinistra. In addition, there were a large group of third year Ravenclaws, a pair of Hufflepuffs, and a Slytherin. Dumbledore beamed at his students.

'Sit down, sit down,' he said, as Lily and James approached. 'It would have been senseless to use the house tables as there are so few of us. Sit down; the food will be here shortly.' James sat down and pulled a wizard cracker with Jason Mak, one of the Ravenclaws sitting next to him. James chuckled to himself when he saw Jason looking at Lily with shrewd interest.

'In love, are you?' said James quietly, as Jason stared at Lily. Jason went furiously red (a/n Sorry, Jas. I'm evil).

'Maybe not,' Jason whispered. 'But she is pretty nice.'

'You should get to know her,' said James, raising his eyebrows.

'Why? Aren't you interested?'

'I'm only twelve, for God's sake. I've got a bit more patience than you.'

'Obviously,' said Jason, grinning. At that moment, however, the empty plates and dishes in front of them were filled with food.

Christmas dinner at Hogwarts was something for those with large appetites. Large plates of succulent turkey, mountains of roast potatoes, large tureens of thick, rich gravy. Vegetables of every texture and variety. James was just tucking into some turkey when large jugs of pumpkin juice and mineral water appeared. Lily helped herself to a glass of pumpkin juice immediately. He had just taken a bite of his turkey when Dumbledore suddenly jumped up. There was a faint whistling coming from his pocket. He made nearly everybody start.

'STOP!' he cried. 'Stop eating! Do not touch the drinks, anyone!'

'Oh no!' said Lily faintly. She had just drunk a mouthful of pumpkin juice. Dumbledore looked at her.

'What did you drink? Lily? Lily?' Lily looked dizzy. She mumbled something incoherently, pushed over her chair, and immediately sank to the floor in a dead faint.

Ha ha. So, What is wrong with the illustrious Ms. Evans? Now, I'm sorry if this part is a bit tedious, I just wanted to put Lily and James together and see what happened. They're both far too sarcastic. That's what I love. Um, so yeah, reviewing would be kind, as this part is quite long. C'mon, I don't always wanna have to rely on people like Starlight, Naomi, Mladybug3, Twilight, Ana:), Kibee etc. I know I have loads more hits than reviews. Come on. I'll review your stories. Well, do what you like; I've decided that I don't care.

Ciao