CHRISTMAS
Sorry for the VERY long wait, I have no excuse. I am just really sorry.
Hopefully y'all won't have to wait as long next time. (If anyone is still
reading ( )
~In Dumbledore's office~ "Professor what do you think the dream could mean?" Lily asked.
"Well, I can't say I knew your family then Lily. Perhaps Petunia would know." He answered.
"Professor, she was four, I highly doubt she would know more then me about it." Lily told him.
"True. But the mind can amaze us. We still don't know all that the human mind is capable of." Professor Dumbledore said.
"I still don't know. I could ask if I am able to visit them." Lily crossed her fingers.
"Oh yes, about that. I was able to let you visit them. You will be allowed two days, Christmas eve and Christmas day." He told her.
"Okay, thank you so much! You have NO idea how much this means to me!" Lily uncrossed her fingers.
"Yes, now if that is all you may be on your way." Lily stood up and shook Dumbledore's hand, and went on her way.
Christmas Eve was two days away. Lily couldn't wait until she would be able to see Jeremy. She just knew that he would need her. They always seemed to connect better. Lily went up to her dormitory to pack what she could now so she would not put it off.
Christmas Eve came and Lily was on her way to her childhood home. She couldn't wait to see her brother's. She kind of wanted to see Petunia but more for support then because it was something to look forward to. Jeremy was who she most wanted to see. He was the youngest child and needed the most care for. He was only ten. He would be eleven June 20th. He also seemed to get picked on a lot by the other kids, the only sibling he found comfort in was Lily.
When Lily arrived at the home Jeremy rushed out to meet her and engulfed her in a big hug. She returned it and noticed how big he was getting. She got tears in her eyes as Jared and Chad came out too. They each hugged but not for long. Petunia came out but stood in the doorway. She didn't acknowledge Lily in anyway, but told the other's to come in, dinner was ready.
Lily didn't really try to let this bring her down. She just wanted to enjoy the time with her siblings. Jeremy seemed to have a lot to tell to Lily and Chad and Jared seemed to be mad at her. She wasn't sure what she had done, but Jeremy finally told her it was because of him. He wouldn't talk to the other two unless he had to. And Petunia wasn't being much help. She wouldn't really talk to anyone.
That night the Evan's children gathered around the fire in the living room to open the traditional Christmas Eve gift. Lily wasn't really sure what to expect. The kids didn't get her a present during the school year because she was so far away; it was always her mum and dad that sent her something. She wasn't really expecting anything but hoped that the her brother's and sister wouldn't feel bad that Lily got them something and they didn't get her anything.
Jeremy opened the present from Petunia. It was a book on the Holocaust. Lily figured Petunia was still in a sour mood from her parent's death and didn't feel like getting anything happy for her siblings. Jared opened the present from Chad. It was a football. Chad opened the present from Lily, it was a magical Soccer Ball. It let you play like a pro. Petunia opened the present from Jeremy, it was a cute blouse, a light yellow color that buttoned all the way up.
It was Lily's turn to open a present. She wasn't sure which one to open. (As it turned out everyone sent her a gift) She decided to open Petunia's, just to get it over with. There was a pair of purple and a pair of pink socks. Lily just looked at them, fought back tears and looked up.
"Thank you Petunia." She mustered a sad smile to give to Petunia. Petunia merely shook her head to say she accepted the thank you.
"Lily, will you take me to bed?" Jeremy asked.
"Sure Jeremy. Come on." Lily held out her hand for Jeremy to take. Jeremy stood up and walked upstairs with Lily, the whole time Petunia was looking daggers at them.
~At Hogwarts~
James never imagined he would still be missing Lily. He thought after the first day or two, he would be too involved in the prank to worry about missing Lily. But alas the prank was done December 23rd. It had been because of Sirius that it had been done so early. He just couldn't wait any longer to get revenge on Malfoy and Snape.
~The Prank~ (dedicated to Riley [The TRUE Riley] for the idea)
"Come on! Let's get this done!" Sirius was complaining.
"We have to wait for Remus. He won't be back until tomorrow." James explained.
"How am I supposed to wait that long? I can't wait that long, I just need to get this prank over with!" Sirius said, almost yelling.
"Calm down, Padfoot. This will give us the time to make sure Peter fully understands the plan, and doesn't screw it up." James said, hoping this would calm Sirius down.
"FINE!" Sirius slumped back into his seat and folded his arms over his chest.
~Later with Remus~
"So, when tomorrow are we going to do this?" Remus asked.
"After lights out. I got the password to Slytherin from Sesha." James explained to Remus.
"Oh. And how are we supposed to get there without being caught?" Remus asked.
"The Invisibility Cloak." James simply stated.
"How are we all supposed to fit." Remus asked.
"Peter will be a rat, so it will just be the three of us." James answered.
~That night (The REAL prank)~
"Quiet!" James hissed from under the Invisibility cloak.
"Sorry, but Moony was stepping on my toes. It hurt." Sirius complained.
"Well, try not to complain so loudly."
The Marauder's were almost to the Slytherin Common Room, they just had one more flight of stairs to go down. As soon as they reached the Slytherin common Room, they started down the stairs to the sixth year boys' dormitory. They entered quietly, and Peter turned back into his original self. They quietly took out their supplies and walked over to the two beds. Remus and Sirius took Snape and James and Peter took Malfoy. After they were finished they quietly gathered themselves together and left.
~The Next Morning~
At breakfast the Marauder's quietly ate waiting for Malfoy and Snape to enter. They didn't have to wait very long, it was about five minutes afterwards they came in. The whole hall gasped at what they saw.
Both Malfoy and Snape were walking like they were cowboys. You know, taking steps outwards yet going forward. Everyone looked down and saw why. There were fragments of waxing paper still stuck to their legs. The reason everyone could see their legs was because there was an invisibility spell on their robes just above the knee.
Their hair was also spiked and changed colors every couple of seconds, it was pink, then purple, blue, yellow, green, orange, red, pink, purple...you get the idea. The whole hall didn't even try to contain their laughter, they just let it all out laughing hysterically. A few people were even on the floor laughing. (I would be, how about you?? [lol])
The Marauder's just sat eating their breakfast trying to look as innocent as possible. If that IS possible
~Back with Lily~
Lily ended up spending the night in Jeremy's room with him. He was scared a lot, and Petunia didn't help much. She seemed to be yelling a lot lately, mostly at him too. Saying he always got in the way and said he always caused disaster wherever he was. Lily didn't really know what to do for him, so she just held him until he fell asleep. She didn't want to leave him, so she climbed into bed next to him.
~Jared and Chad~
"What is up with Lily and Jeremy?" Jared asked to Chad.
"I'm not sure; she used to be so friendly to all of us, same with Jeremy." Chad answered, as confused as Jared.
"Do you think Jeremy is magic?" Jared asked.
"It's possible, he does make strange things happen when he gets mad at Petunia. Which is like ALL the time." Chad said.
"Can you blame him? I mean, all she does is yell at him."
"All she does is yell at ALL of us! I wanted Lily to come and calm her down, but Petunia won't barely even look at Lily, moreover talk to her."
"What are we supposed to do?" Jared asked.
"I don't know, but we got to think of something, and quick!" Chad exclaimed.
~Hogwarts~
James couldn't bare the loneliness anymore. It just wasn't the same at Hogwarts without Lily. He also knew it was worse because of the reason she wasn't there with him. He didn't know what else to do but write her a letter. She would hopefully get it as she was opening his gift. He pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote:
[I]Lily, I hope you are having a somewhat good time with your siblings. I'm sure the majority of them are enjoying your company. (Of course I'm saying your brother's. I highly doubt Petunia was/is ecstatic to see you) Anyway, I hope you enjoy my gift, I took one look at it and knew it was just for you.
I am missing you greatly and can not wait for you to come home. Yes, I am referring to Hogwarts as home, because it feels so like a home with you here. When you get back I'm sure we will have a lot to tell to each other. Love, James[/I]
James read it over and smiled. It sounded perfect although he couldn't fit all his emotions that he was feeling into the letter. He then sent it off with his owl and got into bed. He woke up early the next morning to a lot of presents on the end of his bed. As tradition he waited for the rest of the Marauders to wake up so they could open them in turn.
When all four of them were awake, they sat in a circle on the floor of their dormitory and started with Peter, opening up presents. They opened one at a time and it took about half an hour to get through all of them. Finally James reached Lily's present. He didn't really want to open it in front of the others but it was too late. It was the only present he had left and they could all see it. He slowly took off the card and read:
[I]James, I am sorry for not being there when you open this. I really do want to see your expression, but I will have to wait until I return. I hope you enjoy it. Love, Lily[/I]
James was very curious as what it could be. He wasn't sure if it was something special or she was just saying that. He slowly undid the wrapping paper when Sirius spoke.
"Come on man! Just open it, we all want to know as badly as you do!" Sirius spoke very true. Peter and Remus were practically bouncing off their feet wanting to see what it was.
James decided to quicken it up and tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was a circular hand held mirror. (think beauty and the beast) There was another note from Lily:
[I]James, this is a magical mirror, if I am in an appropriate place (meaning not in the shower or getting dressed or anything like that) then you will be able to see what I am doing. I will not know if you are looking at me or watching me, so be warned now. But I will always be cautious of what I am doing, just in case. Lily[/I]
James couldn't believe it. It was like a wish come true. This was exactly what he had been wanting to do. See Lily, see how she was, see if she needed him. He couldn't wait to try it out. But decided to wait until later in the day.
~With Lily~
Christmas day was a sad day for Lily. She wasn't sure what to expect for her presents. After all she didn't have any friends wit her. All she had was her brothers, and Petunia, if you could really count her. For the first part of Christmas morning she cooked crepes for her siblings. She enjoyed being able to cook again, she hadn't done it for so long.
They sung Christmas carols and played a few board games together. They even watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and the cartoon of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." (The Grinch wasn't out back then) Finally after Christmas dinner it was time to open presents.
Jeremy was the first to open all his presents. From Lily he got a journal that lighted up at night only for the user. He got pants from Jared and Lego's from Chad.
Jared received a pencil that changed colors from Lily, a book on soccer from Jeremy, and a sweater from Petunia.
Chad got a soccer sweater from Petunia, a soccer book from Jeremy.
Petunia probably got the worse presents of all. From Lily she received a toe rin, a bra from Chad, and matching underwear from Jared. She didn't seem to mind at all.
Finally Lily opened her presents. She got a locket from Jeremy, a charm bracelet from Chad, and a bag of Hershey's kisses and hugs from Jared. She was surprised to see another gift under the tree for her. She looked at the card and saw it was from James. She didn't want to open it in front of Petunia so she excused herself and took it up to her room.
~At Hogwarts~
James decided to try out Lily's mirror after dinner. He wasn't exactly sure what she would be doing, but didn't want to have to wait to see her any longer.
He picked up the mirror and watched as it formed in to Lily's bedroom. (He had seen it once before) He was Lily sitting on her bed looking at something. He soon realized it was the present he gave her. She hadn't opened it yet! James was excited, he would be able to see her reaction to it.
~Back with Lily~
Lily slowly removed the card from the package and started to read it:
[I]Lily, Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy your present and Petunia isn't being too hard on you. Love, James[/I]
Lily was just getting to the present when an owl came in the window. It landed on the present and Lily untied the letter. It was as the owl flew out the window that Lily realized whose owl it was. It was James. She opened the letter and read it. Tears swelled in her eyes and she read his loving words.
She set the letter aside and went back to opening the present. It was in one big box and then in three littler boxes. She took out the biggest of the little boxes. When she opened it she gasped. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was on a gold chain (she wasn't sure how many karats) and the charm thing on it was a water lily. She then opened the medium sized box to find a bracelet of the same kind. Then came the smallest box. Inside was a ring with a small diamond on the end of it with a silver band. Lily couldn't believe it, it was all so beautiful. She took them all out of the box and put them on. (the ring on her right hand if you were wondering)
~With James~
James was so glad to see Lily liked her present. He knew it was an expensive one, but he couldn't resist. He had planned on asking her out when she opened it, but since he wasn't with her he couldn't do that. Just then a voice startled him.
"Boy oh boy, aren't you a spender!" Sirius chuckled. James whirled around to find out who had startled him.
"Shut up. You know she's worth that. And more!" James started blushing.
"Wow! Someone has it B-A-D! And for a red-head no less. We all knew you liked her, but to spend more on her then your three friends." Sirius made a "tutting" noise with his tongue.
"Shut up. You're just jealous!" James said, still blushing.
"Jealous of what? A girlfriend you don't have, and I do? Yep, real jealous I am." Sirius was getting a bit angry. He was only making a joke, but James was making it personal.
James couldn't think of anything to say so he put the mirror away and stormed out of the boy's dormitory.
~In the Slytherin Common Room~
"Riley, what did Sirius get you? Come on, tell me!" Sesha exclaimed.
"I'm not sure. I'm kind of afraid to open his present. It's not exactly a safe thing to just be opening." Riley joked.
"Come on. He's not going to pull a prank on Christmas!" Sesha was getting anxious.
"Don't be surprised, but I'll open it." Riley grabbed the package from her pile of presents and starting un-wrapping it. She started to laugh when she saw it.
"What? What is it?" Sesha asked.
All Riley could do was hand her the package. She was laughing too hard to say anything. When Sesha received it she started laughing to. Inside was wax stuff (for like when you wax your legs) and pink and purple hair dye (which changed colors when using the correct spell) and fabric paint which changed colors.
"Oh my! Wonder where he got this from." Sesha joked.
"Yes. But they didn't use the fabric paint did they?" Riley answered.
"I don't think they needed too. They were in bad enough shape as it is." Just then Malfoy and Snape walked over to see what they two girls were laughing about.
"And what exactly is so funny?" Malfoy sneered.
"Nothing." They both said, trying to hide the present under all the garbage. But the two didn't move fast enough. Snape snatched (sn-atched) up the present and looked inside. His face grew pale and even more revolting.
"Well, well. Isn't this amusing." Snape said thrusting the present back to the two girls.
"Actually it is. And it sure could come in handy again. If we ever got mad..." Sesha trailed off. Malfoy and Snape got the drift and walked off, talking in soft whispers.
"Well, that was a good way to get rid of them." Riley said. And the two girls started laughing yet again.
~With Lily~ Lily was sad to say good-bye. She would not be able to come back to visit her now broken family until school was out. And it was only December. She hugged them all good-bye (except Petunia, they just kind of nodded heads) She walked with the ministry member to the car and was on her way to the train station. She had tears in her eyes and was ready to just jump out and go back to her brother's. She didn't want to have to wait until summer. Instead she just sat in the back of the car with tears streaming down her face.
~With James~ James was watching Lily as she got in the car. When he saw the tears he couldn't wait for her to get back to Hogwarts. He wanted to comfort her, hold her, make her feel safe as he knew she did when she was in his arms. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to wait to ask her the question that was in his heart. He needed to know, and let her know what was hidden away.
~Lily~ When Lily arrived at the station the ministry gave her a piece of paper. He said when she entered the platform it would transfer her to Hogwarts in Professor Dumbledore's office. Lily just shook her head yes, meaning she understood, and walked into the platform.
"Welcome back Lily!" Professor Dumbledore said with a smile on his face. He knew she was still sad to be away from her family, but also knew helping her grieve would do nothing. "You may go back to you common room. I'm sure there is a certain boy there waiting for you."
Lily just shook her head yes and walked out of Professor Dumbledore's office. She slowly dragged her feet along to the 7th floor. When she entered the common room she didn't see anyone to really say hi to (even though James was on the couch by the fire) and walked up the steps to the dormitory. James didn't go after her because he wasn't sure what had happened to make her cry. (but she didn't have tears in her eyes then, he had just cn her member?)
As James watched Lily go up the stairs a song popped into his head, one he had heard his parents listening to one time. (Now, if u usually don't read the lyrics, I ask, plz read these ones. It's VITAL to the ff)
I was taught to believe, and never to doubt The man up above, knows what he's talking about. So when I heard that voice, so loud and clear, Speak to my heart I knew that she must be near.
The maker said take her and love her forever Take care of her for life And treat her right
I never was the one for listening very well I walked my own way and felt what I felt Further out of touch with the master plan she was like a flight to the promised land
And The maker said take her and love her forever Take care of her for life Never forsake her, don't be a heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. Just treat her right
He placed an angel in the palm of my hands And for once of my life I obeyed his commands
I'll take her and lover her forever Take care of her for life Never forsake her, don't be a heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. Just treat her right. Just treat her right.
The maker said take her and love her forever; Take care of her for life. Never forsake her, don't be no heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. And treat her right
For life
(Alabama's The Maker said Take Her)
Lily didn't know what it was, but something drew her to the common room couch about five minutes later. As she approached it she saw James writing something down. Without making a sound she looked over her shoulder and read:
[I]Lily is what makes my life go round and when I get the courage to tell her, this will be our song, because this is how I feel about her.[I/]
And under it was the song. Lily got tears in her eyes yet again. She walked to the other side of the couch and just stared at James. It took him a while to look up, but when he did and saw the tears in her eyes he closed the notebook and stood up. Lily just put a finger on his lips, letting him know to be quiet, and kissed him.
When they pulled away from each other James just looked into Lily's eyes and Lily looked into his. James wanted to say something but wasn't sure what he should say. Lily did though.
"Omigosh! I'm so sorry!" Lily started to blush. She knew James had feeling for her but what if it was just brother and sister feelings?
Lily started walking off towards the girls' dormitories. James grabbed her arm and said, "Wait!"
Lily turned around, not sure what to expect. Was he going to tell her it was a mistake? Would he embrace her? Lily was just too confused.
"What was the for?" James voice wasn't accusing, but as confused as Lily felt.
"I don't know..." Lily decided she might as well tell the truth. "Well, actually. I read what you wrote. And...and..I just felt like kissing you.." Lily put her head down.
"James lifted her head up by putting his hand under her chin. "It was nice." He smiled.
"Uh..thanks?" Lily let out a small laugh.
"Can I kiss you this time?" James asked. Lily just shook her head yes.
~In Dumbledore's office~ "Professor what do you think the dream could mean?" Lily asked.
"Well, I can't say I knew your family then Lily. Perhaps Petunia would know." He answered.
"Professor, she was four, I highly doubt she would know more then me about it." Lily told him.
"True. But the mind can amaze us. We still don't know all that the human mind is capable of." Professor Dumbledore said.
"I still don't know. I could ask if I am able to visit them." Lily crossed her fingers.
"Oh yes, about that. I was able to let you visit them. You will be allowed two days, Christmas eve and Christmas day." He told her.
"Okay, thank you so much! You have NO idea how much this means to me!" Lily uncrossed her fingers.
"Yes, now if that is all you may be on your way." Lily stood up and shook Dumbledore's hand, and went on her way.
Christmas Eve was two days away. Lily couldn't wait until she would be able to see Jeremy. She just knew that he would need her. They always seemed to connect better. Lily went up to her dormitory to pack what she could now so she would not put it off.
Christmas Eve came and Lily was on her way to her childhood home. She couldn't wait to see her brother's. She kind of wanted to see Petunia but more for support then because it was something to look forward to. Jeremy was who she most wanted to see. He was the youngest child and needed the most care for. He was only ten. He would be eleven June 20th. He also seemed to get picked on a lot by the other kids, the only sibling he found comfort in was Lily.
When Lily arrived at the home Jeremy rushed out to meet her and engulfed her in a big hug. She returned it and noticed how big he was getting. She got tears in her eyes as Jared and Chad came out too. They each hugged but not for long. Petunia came out but stood in the doorway. She didn't acknowledge Lily in anyway, but told the other's to come in, dinner was ready.
Lily didn't really try to let this bring her down. She just wanted to enjoy the time with her siblings. Jeremy seemed to have a lot to tell to Lily and Chad and Jared seemed to be mad at her. She wasn't sure what she had done, but Jeremy finally told her it was because of him. He wouldn't talk to the other two unless he had to. And Petunia wasn't being much help. She wouldn't really talk to anyone.
That night the Evan's children gathered around the fire in the living room to open the traditional Christmas Eve gift. Lily wasn't really sure what to expect. The kids didn't get her a present during the school year because she was so far away; it was always her mum and dad that sent her something. She wasn't really expecting anything but hoped that the her brother's and sister wouldn't feel bad that Lily got them something and they didn't get her anything.
Jeremy opened the present from Petunia. It was a book on the Holocaust. Lily figured Petunia was still in a sour mood from her parent's death and didn't feel like getting anything happy for her siblings. Jared opened the present from Chad. It was a football. Chad opened the present from Lily, it was a magical Soccer Ball. It let you play like a pro. Petunia opened the present from Jeremy, it was a cute blouse, a light yellow color that buttoned all the way up.
It was Lily's turn to open a present. She wasn't sure which one to open. (As it turned out everyone sent her a gift) She decided to open Petunia's, just to get it over with. There was a pair of purple and a pair of pink socks. Lily just looked at them, fought back tears and looked up.
"Thank you Petunia." She mustered a sad smile to give to Petunia. Petunia merely shook her head to say she accepted the thank you.
"Lily, will you take me to bed?" Jeremy asked.
"Sure Jeremy. Come on." Lily held out her hand for Jeremy to take. Jeremy stood up and walked upstairs with Lily, the whole time Petunia was looking daggers at them.
~At Hogwarts~
James never imagined he would still be missing Lily. He thought after the first day or two, he would be too involved in the prank to worry about missing Lily. But alas the prank was done December 23rd. It had been because of Sirius that it had been done so early. He just couldn't wait any longer to get revenge on Malfoy and Snape.
~The Prank~ (dedicated to Riley [The TRUE Riley] for the idea)
"Come on! Let's get this done!" Sirius was complaining.
"We have to wait for Remus. He won't be back until tomorrow." James explained.
"How am I supposed to wait that long? I can't wait that long, I just need to get this prank over with!" Sirius said, almost yelling.
"Calm down, Padfoot. This will give us the time to make sure Peter fully understands the plan, and doesn't screw it up." James said, hoping this would calm Sirius down.
"FINE!" Sirius slumped back into his seat and folded his arms over his chest.
~Later with Remus~
"So, when tomorrow are we going to do this?" Remus asked.
"After lights out. I got the password to Slytherin from Sesha." James explained to Remus.
"Oh. And how are we supposed to get there without being caught?" Remus asked.
"The Invisibility Cloak." James simply stated.
"How are we all supposed to fit." Remus asked.
"Peter will be a rat, so it will just be the three of us." James answered.
~That night (The REAL prank)~
"Quiet!" James hissed from under the Invisibility cloak.
"Sorry, but Moony was stepping on my toes. It hurt." Sirius complained.
"Well, try not to complain so loudly."
The Marauder's were almost to the Slytherin Common Room, they just had one more flight of stairs to go down. As soon as they reached the Slytherin common Room, they started down the stairs to the sixth year boys' dormitory. They entered quietly, and Peter turned back into his original self. They quietly took out their supplies and walked over to the two beds. Remus and Sirius took Snape and James and Peter took Malfoy. After they were finished they quietly gathered themselves together and left.
~The Next Morning~
At breakfast the Marauder's quietly ate waiting for Malfoy and Snape to enter. They didn't have to wait very long, it was about five minutes afterwards they came in. The whole hall gasped at what they saw.
Both Malfoy and Snape were walking like they were cowboys. You know, taking steps outwards yet going forward. Everyone looked down and saw why. There were fragments of waxing paper still stuck to their legs. The reason everyone could see their legs was because there was an invisibility spell on their robes just above the knee.
Their hair was also spiked and changed colors every couple of seconds, it was pink, then purple, blue, yellow, green, orange, red, pink, purple...you get the idea. The whole hall didn't even try to contain their laughter, they just let it all out laughing hysterically. A few people were even on the floor laughing. (I would be, how about you?? [lol])
The Marauder's just sat eating their breakfast trying to look as innocent as possible. If that IS possible
~Back with Lily~
Lily ended up spending the night in Jeremy's room with him. He was scared a lot, and Petunia didn't help much. She seemed to be yelling a lot lately, mostly at him too. Saying he always got in the way and said he always caused disaster wherever he was. Lily didn't really know what to do for him, so she just held him until he fell asleep. She didn't want to leave him, so she climbed into bed next to him.
~Jared and Chad~
"What is up with Lily and Jeremy?" Jared asked to Chad.
"I'm not sure; she used to be so friendly to all of us, same with Jeremy." Chad answered, as confused as Jared.
"Do you think Jeremy is magic?" Jared asked.
"It's possible, he does make strange things happen when he gets mad at Petunia. Which is like ALL the time." Chad said.
"Can you blame him? I mean, all she does is yell at him."
"All she does is yell at ALL of us! I wanted Lily to come and calm her down, but Petunia won't barely even look at Lily, moreover talk to her."
"What are we supposed to do?" Jared asked.
"I don't know, but we got to think of something, and quick!" Chad exclaimed.
~Hogwarts~
James couldn't bare the loneliness anymore. It just wasn't the same at Hogwarts without Lily. He also knew it was worse because of the reason she wasn't there with him. He didn't know what else to do but write her a letter. She would hopefully get it as she was opening his gift. He pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote:
[I]Lily, I hope you are having a somewhat good time with your siblings. I'm sure the majority of them are enjoying your company. (Of course I'm saying your brother's. I highly doubt Petunia was/is ecstatic to see you) Anyway, I hope you enjoy my gift, I took one look at it and knew it was just for you.
I am missing you greatly and can not wait for you to come home. Yes, I am referring to Hogwarts as home, because it feels so like a home with you here. When you get back I'm sure we will have a lot to tell to each other. Love, James[/I]
James read it over and smiled. It sounded perfect although he couldn't fit all his emotions that he was feeling into the letter. He then sent it off with his owl and got into bed. He woke up early the next morning to a lot of presents on the end of his bed. As tradition he waited for the rest of the Marauders to wake up so they could open them in turn.
When all four of them were awake, they sat in a circle on the floor of their dormitory and started with Peter, opening up presents. They opened one at a time and it took about half an hour to get through all of them. Finally James reached Lily's present. He didn't really want to open it in front of the others but it was too late. It was the only present he had left and they could all see it. He slowly took off the card and read:
[I]James, I am sorry for not being there when you open this. I really do want to see your expression, but I will have to wait until I return. I hope you enjoy it. Love, Lily[/I]
James was very curious as what it could be. He wasn't sure if it was something special or she was just saying that. He slowly undid the wrapping paper when Sirius spoke.
"Come on man! Just open it, we all want to know as badly as you do!" Sirius spoke very true. Peter and Remus were practically bouncing off their feet wanting to see what it was.
James decided to quicken it up and tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was a circular hand held mirror. (think beauty and the beast) There was another note from Lily:
[I]James, this is a magical mirror, if I am in an appropriate place (meaning not in the shower or getting dressed or anything like that) then you will be able to see what I am doing. I will not know if you are looking at me or watching me, so be warned now. But I will always be cautious of what I am doing, just in case. Lily[/I]
James couldn't believe it. It was like a wish come true. This was exactly what he had been wanting to do. See Lily, see how she was, see if she needed him. He couldn't wait to try it out. But decided to wait until later in the day.
~With Lily~
Christmas day was a sad day for Lily. She wasn't sure what to expect for her presents. After all she didn't have any friends wit her. All she had was her brothers, and Petunia, if you could really count her. For the first part of Christmas morning she cooked crepes for her siblings. She enjoyed being able to cook again, she hadn't done it for so long.
They sung Christmas carols and played a few board games together. They even watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and the cartoon of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." (The Grinch wasn't out back then) Finally after Christmas dinner it was time to open presents.
Jeremy was the first to open all his presents. From Lily he got a journal that lighted up at night only for the user. He got pants from Jared and Lego's from Chad.
Jared received a pencil that changed colors from Lily, a book on soccer from Jeremy, and a sweater from Petunia.
Chad got a soccer sweater from Petunia, a soccer book from Jeremy.
Petunia probably got the worse presents of all. From Lily she received a toe rin, a bra from Chad, and matching underwear from Jared. She didn't seem to mind at all.
Finally Lily opened her presents. She got a locket from Jeremy, a charm bracelet from Chad, and a bag of Hershey's kisses and hugs from Jared. She was surprised to see another gift under the tree for her. She looked at the card and saw it was from James. She didn't want to open it in front of Petunia so she excused herself and took it up to her room.
~At Hogwarts~
James decided to try out Lily's mirror after dinner. He wasn't exactly sure what she would be doing, but didn't want to have to wait to see her any longer.
He picked up the mirror and watched as it formed in to Lily's bedroom. (He had seen it once before) He was Lily sitting on her bed looking at something. He soon realized it was the present he gave her. She hadn't opened it yet! James was excited, he would be able to see her reaction to it.
~Back with Lily~
Lily slowly removed the card from the package and started to read it:
[I]Lily, Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy your present and Petunia isn't being too hard on you. Love, James[/I]
Lily was just getting to the present when an owl came in the window. It landed on the present and Lily untied the letter. It was as the owl flew out the window that Lily realized whose owl it was. It was James. She opened the letter and read it. Tears swelled in her eyes and she read his loving words.
She set the letter aside and went back to opening the present. It was in one big box and then in three littler boxes. She took out the biggest of the little boxes. When she opened it she gasped. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It was on a gold chain (she wasn't sure how many karats) and the charm thing on it was a water lily. She then opened the medium sized box to find a bracelet of the same kind. Then came the smallest box. Inside was a ring with a small diamond on the end of it with a silver band. Lily couldn't believe it, it was all so beautiful. She took them all out of the box and put them on. (the ring on her right hand if you were wondering)
~With James~
James was so glad to see Lily liked her present. He knew it was an expensive one, but he couldn't resist. He had planned on asking her out when she opened it, but since he wasn't with her he couldn't do that. Just then a voice startled him.
"Boy oh boy, aren't you a spender!" Sirius chuckled. James whirled around to find out who had startled him.
"Shut up. You know she's worth that. And more!" James started blushing.
"Wow! Someone has it B-A-D! And for a red-head no less. We all knew you liked her, but to spend more on her then your three friends." Sirius made a "tutting" noise with his tongue.
"Shut up. You're just jealous!" James said, still blushing.
"Jealous of what? A girlfriend you don't have, and I do? Yep, real jealous I am." Sirius was getting a bit angry. He was only making a joke, but James was making it personal.
James couldn't think of anything to say so he put the mirror away and stormed out of the boy's dormitory.
~In the Slytherin Common Room~
"Riley, what did Sirius get you? Come on, tell me!" Sesha exclaimed.
"I'm not sure. I'm kind of afraid to open his present. It's not exactly a safe thing to just be opening." Riley joked.
"Come on. He's not going to pull a prank on Christmas!" Sesha was getting anxious.
"Don't be surprised, but I'll open it." Riley grabbed the package from her pile of presents and starting un-wrapping it. She started to laugh when she saw it.
"What? What is it?" Sesha asked.
All Riley could do was hand her the package. She was laughing too hard to say anything. When Sesha received it she started laughing to. Inside was wax stuff (for like when you wax your legs) and pink and purple hair dye (which changed colors when using the correct spell) and fabric paint which changed colors.
"Oh my! Wonder where he got this from." Sesha joked.
"Yes. But they didn't use the fabric paint did they?" Riley answered.
"I don't think they needed too. They were in bad enough shape as it is." Just then Malfoy and Snape walked over to see what they two girls were laughing about.
"And what exactly is so funny?" Malfoy sneered.
"Nothing." They both said, trying to hide the present under all the garbage. But the two didn't move fast enough. Snape snatched (sn-atched) up the present and looked inside. His face grew pale and even more revolting.
"Well, well. Isn't this amusing." Snape said thrusting the present back to the two girls.
"Actually it is. And it sure could come in handy again. If we ever got mad..." Sesha trailed off. Malfoy and Snape got the drift and walked off, talking in soft whispers.
"Well, that was a good way to get rid of them." Riley said. And the two girls started laughing yet again.
~With Lily~ Lily was sad to say good-bye. She would not be able to come back to visit her now broken family until school was out. And it was only December. She hugged them all good-bye (except Petunia, they just kind of nodded heads) She walked with the ministry member to the car and was on her way to the train station. She had tears in her eyes and was ready to just jump out and go back to her brother's. She didn't want to have to wait until summer. Instead she just sat in the back of the car with tears streaming down her face.
~With James~ James was watching Lily as she got in the car. When he saw the tears he couldn't wait for her to get back to Hogwarts. He wanted to comfort her, hold her, make her feel safe as he knew she did when she was in his arms. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to wait to ask her the question that was in his heart. He needed to know, and let her know what was hidden away.
~Lily~ When Lily arrived at the station the ministry gave her a piece of paper. He said when she entered the platform it would transfer her to Hogwarts in Professor Dumbledore's office. Lily just shook her head yes, meaning she understood, and walked into the platform.
"Welcome back Lily!" Professor Dumbledore said with a smile on his face. He knew she was still sad to be away from her family, but also knew helping her grieve would do nothing. "You may go back to you common room. I'm sure there is a certain boy there waiting for you."
Lily just shook her head yes and walked out of Professor Dumbledore's office. She slowly dragged her feet along to the 7th floor. When she entered the common room she didn't see anyone to really say hi to (even though James was on the couch by the fire) and walked up the steps to the dormitory. James didn't go after her because he wasn't sure what had happened to make her cry. (but she didn't have tears in her eyes then, he had just cn her member?)
As James watched Lily go up the stairs a song popped into his head, one he had heard his parents listening to one time. (Now, if u usually don't read the lyrics, I ask, plz read these ones. It's VITAL to the ff)
I was taught to believe, and never to doubt The man up above, knows what he's talking about. So when I heard that voice, so loud and clear, Speak to my heart I knew that she must be near.
The maker said take her and love her forever Take care of her for life And treat her right
I never was the one for listening very well I walked my own way and felt what I felt Further out of touch with the master plan she was like a flight to the promised land
And The maker said take her and love her forever Take care of her for life Never forsake her, don't be a heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. Just treat her right
He placed an angel in the palm of my hands And for once of my life I obeyed his commands
I'll take her and lover her forever Take care of her for life Never forsake her, don't be a heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. Just treat her right. Just treat her right.
The maker said take her and love her forever; Take care of her for life. Never forsake her, don't be no heartbreaker The maker said take her and treat her right. And treat her right
For life
(Alabama's The Maker said Take Her)
Lily didn't know what it was, but something drew her to the common room couch about five minutes later. As she approached it she saw James writing something down. Without making a sound she looked over her shoulder and read:
[I]Lily is what makes my life go round and when I get the courage to tell her, this will be our song, because this is how I feel about her.[I/]
And under it was the song. Lily got tears in her eyes yet again. She walked to the other side of the couch and just stared at James. It took him a while to look up, but when he did and saw the tears in her eyes he closed the notebook and stood up. Lily just put a finger on his lips, letting him know to be quiet, and kissed him.
When they pulled away from each other James just looked into Lily's eyes and Lily looked into his. James wanted to say something but wasn't sure what he should say. Lily did though.
"Omigosh! I'm so sorry!" Lily started to blush. She knew James had feeling for her but what if it was just brother and sister feelings?
Lily started walking off towards the girls' dormitories. James grabbed her arm and said, "Wait!"
Lily turned around, not sure what to expect. Was he going to tell her it was a mistake? Would he embrace her? Lily was just too confused.
"What was the for?" James voice wasn't accusing, but as confused as Lily felt.
"I don't know..." Lily decided she might as well tell the truth. "Well, actually. I read what you wrote. And...and..I just felt like kissing you.." Lily put her head down.
"James lifted her head up by putting his hand under her chin. "It was nice." He smiled.
"Uh..thanks?" Lily let out a small laugh.
"Can I kiss you this time?" James asked. Lily just shook her head yes.