Sure enough, as Lily burst through the doors of the infirmary she noticed the curtains firmly drawn around one of the beds. Lily rushed straight to that one, poking her head in to find a very white faced Alaura, and Madam Pomfrey bustling around the still form of Tanice Cook. Sirius was there, standing behind the chair Alaura was seated in and Remus and Liandra were waiting off to the side, their arms wrapped around each other.
"She's dead," Madam Pomfrey said sullenly. Alaura dissolved into tears throwing herself backwards into Sirius' waiting embrace.
"No," Lily countered much stronger than she felt. "She's just unconscious. I would suspect would hopping really took a toll on her body." Every one stared at Lily with blank eyes. She sat James down on a chair beside the bed and positioned herself on his lap, keeping one of his hands clasped firmly in her own and taking Tanice's cold hand in her other. Tanice, Tanith. Why hadn't she figured it out before? They were both the same person.
"I'm sorry, dear, but she is very dead. It is habit to deny traumatic things like this and from what Minerva was telling me you've had quite a scare too. Both of these things and especially the one you were put through would lead to denying this," Madam Pomfrey said with a shake of her head and a wave at Tanice. Lily smiled slightly at the elderly nurse.
"My dream is exactly how I know Tanice is not dead though I believe that if I was to tell you why and how I know, you would not believe me," she replied. Madam Pomfrey shot her a reproving look. Lily shook her head. The nurse believed that she was getting Alaura's hopes up when there was no help for the dirty blond haired first year.
"Are you serious, Lily?" Alaura asked carefully.
"No, she's Lily. I'm Sirius," Sirius replied. Alaura shot him a thankful smile as Liandra laughed slightly through her sobs.
"Very serious," Lily answered. Alaura's eyes took on a hopeful light that had left when Madam Pomfrey had pronounced her sister dead.
"Miss Evans, I must protest. Please do not get her hopes up…" Madam Pomfrey began. Lily looked down at the pale lightly glowing face of the first year girl lying lifelessly on the white hospital bed.
"I'm not," Lily assured bluntly interrupting the nurse's sentence. Madam Pomfrey made a sound of frustration before leaving the area muttering something about talking to Professor Tonic about new healing potions as she was running low. Lily was thankful for the break from the fussy medi-witch's presence.
"What do you mean, Lily?" Alaura asked when she heard the Hospital Wing door click shut.
"I've been having dreams about Tanice except she doesn't go by Tanice. She goes by Tanith." Alaura raised a questioning eyebrow at Lily's admission.
"And we're just hearing about this now because…"
"It wasn't important before now and I hadn't figured it out either," Lily said quickly. "She's been helping me with the Angel's Seal legend." She looked up at the reactions of the people around her. Alaura's hopeful eyes were shining with belief, knowing that Lily would never joke at a time like this. James' grip on her waist tightened slightly.
"But you said that you hadn't had any dreams lately," Liandra said worriedly. Lily looked back at Tanice.
"None about any one dying…" she let the sentence taper off, the picture of her five awake companions slumped dead against the wall still fresh in her mind. James looked around the room at all of his friends noticing their fearfully curious faces.
"Would you like to tell us?" Liandra asked softly. Lily's glance travelled to each person in turn.
"I watched you all die." The last word rang through the otherwise silent room. The others didn't say anything, afraid of what Lily was about to explain.
"Tell us," Alaura said much braver than she felt. Lily took a deep breath not taking her eyes off of Tanice, launching into the story of watching Sirius then Remus followed by Alaura and then Liandra and finally James get attacked and killed. The silence that followed Lily's story was almost worse than watching them die. The air was thick with fear and questions. Questions that each one knew the others could not answer.
"But that's not all you saw," Alaura said quietly, watching Lily's eyes flicker with terror as she stopped. Lily sighed before explaining to her best of best friends about the Dark Lord's attack on what she had narrowed down to the house that she and James lived in. Silence followed again, though this silence was broken by the odd sob of Lily or Liandra. Alaura was sitting stunned and obviously terrified, her hand on top of Sirius' that was resting on her shoulder. Sirius was white, all colour drained from his face. The fear that was written across his face and portrayed in his stance probably had something to do with the knowledge that in Lily's dream Alaura had watched him die, and then been killed herself. Remus was gripping Liandra's shoulders silently as tears slipped down Liandra's face.
"I'm sorry, Lily whispered. "I shouldn't have told you." Alaura shook her head.
"It would have killed you from the inside out if you didn't," James answered. Lily leaned back into his embrace letting Tanice's hand fall from hers and watching the small girl's petrified face. The sun was peeking through the high windows casting long shadows across the stone room.
"You should try and get back to sleep, Lil," James said finally as Madam Pomfrey re-entered the room.
"We'll get you a Dreamless Sleep Potion. You'll kill yourself if you don't get any sleep," Alaura suggested standing and heading towards Madam Pomfrey's office. Lily knew as Alaura came back no amount of argument was going to get her out of sleeping. As James picked her up, carrying her up to Gryffindor Tower she could feel her eyelids drooping. She could vaguely remember asking James to stay with her as Alaura thrust the chilly flask into her hand and James set her down on the bed. The blissful darkness of sleep enveloped her moments later as the Dreamless Sleep Potion took effect.
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Cold November slipped into freezing December and Tanice had neither improved nor deteriorated. Lily had a feeling that he small eleven-year old was suspended in between her meadow world and the world her sister occupied. Christmas was a cheery time as always though Alaura seemed less… there. Lily and Liandra couldn't help thinking that Tanice was the one thing missing from Alaura's Christmas but they did what they could. Most of the school went home for the holidays including, much to Lily and James' relief, their guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. It had turned out that Dumbledore had allowed Professor Karkaroff and Madam Maxime send some of their best students to Hogwarts on a sort of exchange program and not for the Triwizard Tournament again much to Lily and James' relief. The only students left in Gryffindor Tower were Sirius, Alaura, Remus, Liandra, Lily, James, and a pair of first years and Tanice's friends, Lucy Penner and Karissa Peters. Christmas morning dawned bright and clear the sun shining brightly into the sixth year dormitories. Lily, Alaura and Liandra climbed sleepily down the stairs and were immediately swept into the arms of the three Marauders waiting to attack their rather large piles of gifts. Lily noticed a rather terrified pair of first years, Lucy and Karissa, standing shyly with gifts piled in their arms. She waved them over.
"Come open presents with us," she said as the shy girls approached. She took each girl's pile and mixed them around with their own as James, a Santa's hat placed precariously on his head, started handing the others to their recipients.
"Sirius, this one's for you from a Wormtail," James said scowling slightly. Sirius scowled also tearing off the wrapping to find an unlabelled box. Upon lifting the lit, he found an old shoe. The room burst into laughter, even Lucy and Karissa giggled softly. The next one went to Lucy from Tanice.
"She's always done her shopping early," Alaura murmured as Lucy tore off the paper revealing a rather large box of chocolate frogs. Lucy blushed.
"I love these. The cards fascinate me," she admitted sheepishly.
"Your parents are muggles?" Lily asked smiling slightly. At the young girl's startled look her smile broadened.
"I was the same way in my first year," she elaborated. Lucy smiled with a twinkle in her eye. Karissa gasped as if realizing something.
"You're the six that constantly torment my sister!" Lily looked confused.
"Who's your sister?" James asked while silently handing Alaura the next parcel.
"She's only a third year and I've always thought she was placed in the wrong house. Kristiina Peters in Slytherin." Lily tapped a finger against her chin in thought.
"I tutored her in Charms once. Flitwick and Dumbledore asked me to watch over her because she was a muggle-born witch in a pure-blooded house. I quite like her actually." Karissa smiled.
"She told me she'd be coming up to my dorm for Christmas. It's better than staying in her own common room."
"Then we really should be waiting for her!" Lily exclaimed. Luckily for the Marauders they didn't have to wait long. A knock sounded on the frame of the portrait hole. Lily stood with Karissa hot on her heels and pushed open the Fat Lady to reveal Kristiina Peters and a pile of presents. She looked a little apprehensive about celebrating Christmas with the same people who had tormented her for the last three years but warmed up after Lily made the others promise to leave her out of their future pranks.
"It's Christmas!" Lily exclaimed in a singsong voice as she received her first gift. The tag had said it was from Tanice. She quickly tore off the silver paper and found underneath a new book of fairy tales. This one was different than her other one; it had all of the stories that her original one didn't. She sat back running her fingers over the embossed cover. Alaura was next to open a gift ripping apart the paper of the parcel James had placed in her hands. It was from Liandra. As she pulled the gift out of the plain gold box she gasped.
"We thought very hard about what to give you. We all finally decided that we'd get you this though this part of the gift is from me," Liandra explained pointing to the beautiful musical note charm on the bracelet Alaura had delicately lifted from the box. Alaura hugged Liandra fiercely sitting back and admiring the bracelet as Karissa was handed a present from Tanice. She grinned. It was a picture of her, Tanice and Lucy on their first day of classes. Tanice had asked Kristiina to take it so they could remember their friendship.
"She's always so sweet," Kristiina commented softly. The room was silent for a minute thinking of the little girl lying unconscious in the Hospital Wing before making a promise that they would not think about that this morning. James found one for Remus and handed it carefully to him. The tag announced this one was from Sirius. Upon ripping off the plain brown paper he found a picture frame. The picture frame was made of metal netting and the picture inside was of Liandra, Sirius, James, Lily, Alaura and himself on the lake that passed June.
"The frame holds little charms," James explained pointing to the small paw hanging from one corner. "The picture was taken after exams. Notice that Sirius and Alaura are both much happier." Alaura and Sirius shouted indignantly at James' comment.
"Well would you look-y here," James said lifting a blue wrapped present. "This tag says to Kristiina but there's no return address." Lily looked at the box suspiciously.
"Where did you find that?" Lily asked watching warily as Kristiina accepted the box.
"In the common room," Kristiina replied beginning to pull off the bow.
"I wouldn't open it then. Who knows who it could be from," Alaura suggested watching Kristiina's hand pause.
"Maybe you're right," Kristiina conceded setting the present down beside her. Maybe she'd change the tag and leave it for Lucius Malfoy.
"How did you know?" James, Sirius, and Remus grinned.
"We've sent many anonymous gifts to the Slytherin common room for one Lucius Malfoy and one Snivellus Snape," Sirius answered. Kristiina stared wide-eyed.
"So those were from you! I can remember one with dung bombs… the common room stank for a month! It took Mr. Conduit everything he had in his store room to get rid of the smell."
"We bewitched them too," Lily added. "That's why they stank for so long. Did you realize that it was exactly a month when the stink disappeared?"
"Brilliant," Kristiina whispered to herself.
"We thought so too," Sirius said. James pulled a small silver wrapped present from under the tree.
"Here's one for you. From your parents." Kristiina took the package eagerly and ripped the parcel open. Lily looked at the tree and noticed all of the presents from her friends addressed to her and a few badly wrapped ones, probably for Lucy and Karissa but not many for Kristiina. She looked around the room and spotted a silvery tree in one corner. This gave Lily an idea. While the others were distracted at watching Kristiina's new bewitched broomstick fly six inches off of the ground, Lily pointed her wand at the tree. It immediately shrunk to fit in the palm of her hand and with a couple other simple spells she had placed the names of all of the people present on the tree with delicate ribbons, boxed the gift and wrapped it. She quickly levitated it behind one of her own. There, that was better.
"Lil, here's yours from Alaura," James said interrupting her thoughts and thrusting a snowy white parcel at her. As Lily tore the paper off, a gold box was revealed to her eyes. She shot an inquisitive look at Alaura before lifting the lid and finding an identical bracelet to that of her own.
"You know the drill. It was Liandra's idea," Alaura said bluntly in explanation. The small charm on the bracelet showed a tiny Statue of Liberty reminding Lily of where Alaura had come from.
"Its great thank you," Lily replied with a grin. James held out another present for Lucy, this one from her parents. The paper fell away revealing a perfect little picture frame. The picture in the frame was of a baby. Lucy's eyes softened.
"This is my new baby brother," she said proudly handing the frame around so every one could admire the new addition to the Penner family. "My parents called him Liam." Lily grinned as the picture passed by her.
"To Liandra from Lily flower," James announced passing Liandra the small package. Liandra took the paper off carefully, ever the perfectionist, and lifted the gold lid.
"We all thought alike this year," she remarked pulling out the silver bracelet. The charm on it was one of a book. Lily loved to read. James found five identical packages for each girl and handed them out. They each took turns opening the gifts. All were miniature charms for their bracelet from each of their friends. Liandra was presented with a small wolf from Remus, a Statue of Liberty from Alaura, a broomstick from James and a banana from Sirius. Remus stalled her before she opened the last, also from him.
"Wait until Lily and Alaura have opened their other ones first," he said softly. Alaura got a book representing Lily, a broomstick charm, this one from Sirius, a crescent moon from Remus and a small wand from James. Sirius snatched the last package, another from him, away before Alaura could open it grinning at her as she glared.
"Wait for Lily Billy," he sang. Lily was a little more careful in opening the small square presents. The first one she opened, from Liandra, held a small musical note. A messily white wrapped parcel yielded a small paw from Sirius while the blue present held a picture of what Lily thought was the Whomping Willow but didn't make comment because of the presence of Kristiina, Karissa, and Lucy. James' first red wrapped gift held a small snitch. She thanked every one enthusiastically grinning widely. Picking up the last parcel, James' second, Sirius cleared his throat.
"From talking to each one of you we determined that these charm bracelets were something like friendship bracelets, hence the reason you all have different charms from each of us and the reason you have those charms in the first place. Then, being the banana-headed monkeys we are, James, Remus and myself picked these up for you afterwards. You have to open them together because they are generally the same thing," he stated handing the purple wrapped parcel he had stolen earlier back to Alaura. Lily, Liandra and Alaura counted to three out loud before opening the boxes. Lily gasped as she set her eyes on the small heart that was sitting in the velvet of the box. The heart was red, sparkling in the morning sunlight.
"These are not just ordinary heart charms," Sirius said triumphantly watching Alaura's face light up. James shook his head.
"These charms carve the name of the one you love," he added softly. Lily watched as the heart carefully carved James in beautiful calligraphy before launching herself into his arms.
"Now we have sort of the same thing for you," she said motioning to the two identical rectangular gifts lying close at hand and giving them to James and Sirius. She then grasped five boxes – identical to the ones she, Alaura and Liandra had just opened – and handed them around to the Marauders. James and Sirius opened the rectangular ones first revealing the same picture Remus had though because Sirius' was from Remus the charm in the corner was a dog and James' picture being from Sirius had a paw print.
"Now open all but the white ones," Lily instructed. The boys did as they were told each new box yielding yet another new charm for their frame.
"It was our idea to give you guys the same frame and the same picture," Liandra began.
"I went shopping with James a couple of weeks ago, at the last Hogsmede weekend and we saw these in a little shop. I pointed them out to James and told him the idea that maybe we should get one for Remus. I then passed the information on to Liandra and Alaura and they took each of you out to get the same thing," Lily finished gesturing to Sirius and Remus. James' completed set of charms held a Statue of Liberty (Alaura's doing), a stag (Remus), a silver flute (Liandra), and a lily charm (from Lily). Sirius had received a Statue of Liberty as Alaura's charm.
"Patriotic much?" he asked making Alaura blush. No one had seen the heart she had received carve the little hellion's name and she was planning on keeping it that way. Sirius also got a hoof from James, a miniature beater's club from Lily (he was a Gryffindor beater), and a flute – identical to James' – from Liandra. Remus' charms were a Statue of Liberty from Alaura, a dog from Sirius, a quill from Lily, a stag from James and a flute from Liandra.
"Now you can open the white ones," Liandra announced watching Remus tear the white paper off of his last package. Inside each box was a shimmering star.
"These are something like your hearts," Lily said. "When you're with the person you love most, it starts to glow." Sure enough, all three stars were glowing brightly in the black velvet of their boxes.
"Thanks, sweetheart," James said leaning over to give Lily a quick kiss before resuming his Santa duties.
"This one is for both Peters," he announced handing the sharp square package to the sisters. Kristiina and Karissa each took a corner and proceeded to tear the wrapping paper in half.
"Its our photo album!" Kristiina exclaimed. Tears sprung to her eyes. Lily leaned over, spotting a note and picked it up.
"My dear daughters," she read out loud. "Though I understand this photo album was given to us blank to record our memories we felt that the two of you deserved to have them too. Your father and I have put together this album of the two of you and the rest of your family so you will remember us through all of your time at Hogwarts. Love you both, Mother." The tears that had shined in Kristiina's eyes moments before cascaded down her cheeks as she opened the book to its first page. Staring up at her, unmoving (muggle album), was a picture of the two girls and two babies.
"That's you," she croaked out to Karissa pointing at the picture in the top left corner. Karissa giggled though the tears that were tracing lines down her face. Lily stood and placed herself between the two sisters and wrapped one arm around both of them.
"She's going to be a brilliant mother," Liandra whispered as a single crystal tear slipped down her cheek. There was only one gift left under the tree now – the Potters, Blacks, Lupins, Winters, Evans and Cooks always sent their presents at the end of the day – and as James picked it up he read the tag carefully.
"To Kristiina. From your new friends." He handed the heavy square box to the still crying girl who carefully pulled open the paper and then the box withdrawing the white Christmas tree that had inhabited the homework corner a few moments before. She took a moment to read all of the names on the ribbons before looking up at the gathered students.
"Thank you," she whispered. Noting the confusion hidden in each of her friend's eyes, Lily sighed.
"That tree used to be located in that corner of the common room," Lily said pointing. "I realized that there was nothing for you under there from us. That's when I noticed this tree. I used a couple of quick spells and got it all wrapped up for you so you can remember this." Kristiina, without really thinking, threw her arms around Lily's neck. Lily hugged back just as fiercely renewing to herself the promise she had made to the headmaster and charms teacher three years before. She would watch over Kristiina and those who hurt her, would be face with one extremely pissed off Lily Evans!