Chapter 16

The rest of the term passed without much happening. A Quidditch match became the talk of the castle for a few weeks but as it was between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, nobody took much notice. The main event for the Gryffindors Seventh Years was a fight, one late night, between Isabelle and Sirius.

Their personalities complimented each other and everyone agreed that they were very well suited. Isabelle had a fierce temper that was contrasted by Sirius's laid-back attitude to just about everything. They had not had a fight since they started dating, so their argument was completely unexpected.

Nobody knew what had happened, as Isabelle came storming into the Common Room, with a tear stained face, shouting at Sirius.

"SIRIUS BLACK! YOU ARE SO.........I'M GOING TO ..........." Isabelle searched for the words she wanted to say,

"Siete un tal maiale!" she screamed.

The entire Common Room had stopped and was watching the fight with interest. James was sitting with Remus and Lily, his arm around Lily who was going to sleep on his shoulder. However when she heard shouting she rubbed her eyes and became as enthralled as the rest.

"Why is she talking Italian?" James asked Lily.

"She grew up there, she still speaks it when she's stressed enough," Lily whispered back.

Sirius, however seemed to have no idea what she had said. He paused thinking for a while, before something in his mind clicked.

"Spiacente!" he yelled after her. This seemed to have the effect he was hoping and she turned round, half way up the stairs to stare at him.

"Sirius speaks Italian?!" Ellis asked in disbelief. She was leaning over the back of the chair that Lily and James were sitting on.

"Look like it," replied Lily.

"But he can barely speak English!"

"When you've finished bitching about my best mate......." James said. Ellis took the hint and went to sit down; Lily settled back and fell asleep.

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Soon 'Christmas' was the only thing that could be heard in the corridors. Everywhere you went you could hear people muttering 'Christmas' or 'Holidays'. Lily and James had to supervise the decorations. "We weren't that cheeky in the first year," James complained. Incredibly bored of having to decorate every tree in the castle, he and Sirius had bullied some first years into doing it for them. Well........tried to bully them.

Lily and Ciara had patiently explained that they didn't have to do every tree by hand. All they had to do was to enchant the decorations to put themselves on and they would be done in no time.

"The book's in the library," Lily told Sirius.

"Right.....er.........."

"Second floor, third left!" Lily shouted after him.

"Thanks Evans!"

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"Lily?" James called up the stairs to her. "Can you come down for a second?" Confused she crept down the stairs to find four very solemn looking Marauders sitting on the sofa, facing her.

"Evans," Sirius told her seriously, "We would like to give you your Christmas present from us," Lily cringed, knowing them this was either going to be very stupid or very dangerous.

"We have discussed it at great length, and we would like to make you an honorary Marauder," he told her.

Lily had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing out loud. They all looked so sombre, it was hard to take them seriously.

"Really? I don't know what to say,"

"Yes?" James asked hopefully. This was obviously something they had thought long and hard about.

"Sure, I would love to be a Marauder!"

"Honorary Marauder," Sirius corrected. "Do this mean I have to call you Lily?"

"YES!"

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"What am I supposed to buy her?" James asked in despair. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend before Christmas and it beginning to snow.

"Why do girls have to be so bloody hard to buy for?" Sirius asked. The Marauders had gone Christmas shopping. James-for Lily, Sirius- for Belle and Remus for Ciara.

"What do you think I should buy?" Peter asked eagerly. The rest of the boys glanced at each other.

"I did it last time!" Remus pointed out, holdinghis hands up. Sirius and James stared at each other.

"I'll do it next time!" James said. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Fine! Look mate," he said almost kindly to Peter, "She's never going to go out with you, you could buy her diamonds and it wouldn't change it!"

"You don't know!" Peter said defensively.

"I know Mia's type and you're not it,"

"How do you know?"

"I have," he smirked, "...............first hand experience,"

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"And then they told me that I could be 'an honorary Marauder!" Lily said trying hard not to laugh. The girls around her burst into giggles at the thought of them trying to be serious. They too were in Hogsmeade but had given up trying to shop and were getting a drink in the pub.

"Why do boys have to be so bloody hard to buy for?" Lily asked in frustration.

"Sirius doesn't want anything!" Isabelle said.

"I wouldn't say that. We all know what Sirius always wants!" Ellis smirked.

"Nothing I can buy!" Isabelle glared.

"THIS ISN'T HELPING!" Lily shouted. Her head felt like it was going to explode, she had to much to think about...........

"I've got it!" she said surprised by her own brilliance.

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"Two weeks," murmured James, "Is a very long time,"

"I know," Lily replied sleepily. Despite their previous agreement, all the Gryffindors were going home for Christmas and would not see each other for two weeks. Lily and James were making full use of the time they had left and were now dozing in front of a fire.

"Come and stay with me?" he asked, the idea having just suddenly appeared in his head.

"Ok," she was so comfortable and sleepy, she would have agreed to almost anything. Besides she had worked so hard to get James; she wasn't going to let a little thing like Christmas get in the way.

"Oh no!" they said together, sitting up.

"I said I'd go home!" Lily said.

"I was going to..........oh well. It was just an idea.,"

"Isn't there.............?" Lily pleaded.

"Maybe," he said thinking.

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They had decided to stay a little longer than the rest of the school, they had missed the train to London and were wandering to Hogsmeade. Ciara arm linked through Remus's; Lily and James hand in hand; and Isabelle and Sirius also hand-in hand having made up after their fight. Ellis kept throwing jealous looks at the happy couples while Mia was desperately trying to ignore the hopeful looks sent her way by Peter.

Lily was going over in her mind the plans they had made. They would all go to Hogsmeade, (not being able to apparate from Hogwarts) where they would apparate home.

Lily and James would go to her house as she had promised to visit her family. Secretly she was dreading that. Her dad would interrogate and grill James from the moment they arrived; Petunia would look down her pointy nose at him and her mother.....well she couldn't bear to think of what her mother would be like. From there she would do the traditional tour of relatives, she was always forced to do. Visiting great-aunts and uncles as well as cousins she didn't know she had. They would spend Christmas day at James's parents house, and from there they didn't know what they were going to do.

There were hugs and kisses and more hugs as they all said goodbye. One by one, Lily and James watched them all disappear as they disapparated home.

"Where's Sirius going for Christmas?" Lily asked as she watched him disappear alone.

"Don't know. Probably just back to his flat," James told her. "Hopefully" he added silently.

"Ready?" They both pictured Lily's house and in an instant they were there. Hesitantly, Lily knocked on her front door and watched as her mother bustled up to open it.

"Lily darling! Merry Christmas!" and then as she saw James, "James dear! It's so good to see you! Isn't it lovely to see you two getting along! Do come inside!"

Lily sighed before following her mother.

It was going to be a very long Christmas.

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Thank for reading! (Don't know if italian is right? If it's not let me know please.

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Thank you to: Marauder4eva (sorry theres no christmas ball!) Ceritfiedweirdo (I'm not going to get loads of reviews unless u write them am i?) Godesgaia, Malibu, LivingDreams. Keep reading!

Love

Leo