Now that I finally start getting some reviews for this things it's time for me to finish it! But I thank all of the kind reviewers! This chapter will probably be really cheesy, but what do you expect at the end of a story? For the last time, enjoy!

Ch. 12: Endings and Beginnings

The next morning Lily emerged just in time to say goodbye to her friends. Not wanting to confront Remus, she stayed in her room until she knew everyone was gone. Her dorm was quiet and slightly eerie. She was so used to the company of her friends that the silence was almost disturbing. She opened up the window at the end of the room and breathed in the cold winter air.

As Lily stood looking out the window, her mind drifted to Remus. It hurt her to admit it, but he was right. She did still have a thing for James. But wasn't her thing for Remus bigger? She had thought she loved him; hell, she was ready to give him her most valued possession, her virginity. What Remus had said had really sent her head spinning. What in the world was she going to do?

Lily felt her stomach grumble. "At least I know what I can do for the time being," Lily mumbled to herself. She threw on a pair of jeans and her snuggliest hoodie and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

As se took her seat in the empty hall, she felt someone walk in. She turned to see it was James. He noticed Lily, flashed her a quick smile and headed her way.

"Looks like it's just us two in the whole house, Lillers," he said as he sat down beside her. He immediately began piling food onto his plate.

"I guess," Lily answered.

"Don't be so enthusiastic, you might burst an artery," James said.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," Lily said, trying to go avoid the subject of Remus.

"Yeah, you were up pretty late last night," James agreed.

"How did you know that I was up late?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"Um," James shoved another bite of food into his mouth, trying to think of a suitable answer. "Remus told me," he finally said once he had swallowed his food.

"Did he say anything else?" Lily asked.

James looked at her and said "He said you guys got in a pretty big fight. He thinks you can't stand him now."

"That's not too far from the truth," Lily said quietly.

"I thought you guys were doing pretty well," James said.

"So did I," Lily answered simply.

"Well, I'm sure everything will work out all right in the end," James finished, trying to make the mood lighter. "There's supposed to be a snow storm this afternoon. Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas."

Lily smiled. If there was one thing she loved, it was snow.

"Maybe we can make a snowman or something," James continued.

"Sounds like fun," Lily said, sounding happy for the first time all morning.

The two finished their breakfast in silence and began walking back towards the Common Room. Once they got there they each began doing their homework around the warm fire.

A few hours later, Lily had finally finished her potions essay and written out her moon chart for astronomy. She looked out one of the large windows to see big, fat snowflakes floating down. "Look!" she exclaimed.

James joined her as she walked to the window and gazed outside. The ground was already covered in a fine white dust. Lily craned her neck, and was able to see the lake, where a few pieces of ice lay on its surface. "We'll be able to go ice skating tomorrow if it stays this cold," she said.

"It doesn't look like we're going to be doing anything out there today though," James pointed out. The sun was already beginning to set in the sky. "I'm starved, we didn't even have lunch," he added.

Lily awoke the next morning to find the grounds covered in a thick blanket of snow. She dressed in her warmest clothes and trundled down the stairs. James was already waiting for her on one of the couches, also wrapped in warm clothes.

They ate a hurried breakfast and went outside. A few small flakes were still falling from the steel gray sky. The little white speckles began depositing themselves in Lily's hair, but she didn't mind. James shook his head violently, trying to get the snow out. Lily laughed at him and said "It won't hurt you, you know."

"That's easy enough for you to say, you have all that hair to keep you warm. But with me it's a little bit of black fuzz and all the wonderful snowflakes float right down through my hair and onto my head. It makes me quite cold, actually."

Lily bent down and picked up a ball of snow. "So, if I put this in your hair, it would cause you much discomfort, right?"

"That's correct."

"Oh goody," Lily said, and threw the bell right at his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," James growled. He picked up and huge ball of snow and hit Lily with it. From that point on it was war.

The game ended with James tackling Lily and them both getting covered in snow. They lay together on the ground and tried to recover from their hysterics. Once they had finally calmed down, they realized they were in a very awkward position. When James had tackled Lily, he had landed on her, and not much had changed, other than that he was holding himself up on his arms so as not to squish Lily. Their ragged breath intermingled and Lily felt a warm fuzzy feeling growing up from her toes and ending in the top of her head.

"Oy," someone yelled across the grounds, interrupting their 'magical moment.' It was Professor Sprout, and she made her way over to them as fast as her legs could carry her. James stood up and extended his hand to Lily. She grabbed it and he helped her out of the snow. "I was wondering if maybe you two would mind not killing my Dragwelks?" the professor said, pointing to a small patch of scrunched looking flowers that they had obviously been lying on.

"Sorry professor," Lily and James said.

"It's quite alright," Professor Sprout said, bending over her mangled flowers. "Be off with you now. The lake is in pretty good condition for skating, you know."

Lily and James took her advice and headed towards the lake. They walked together in silence. James' hand brushed Lily's and he gasped. "Jeez, your hands are frozen!"

"Well, it is snowing," Lily pointed out.

James stopped walking and cupped Lily's hand in his. "I swear, you're going to catch pneumonia," he said as he began rubbing her hands.

"You sound like my mother," Lily joked. Once James was done, her hands were nice and warm. "Thank you," she said, smiling at his simple act of kindness.

James shrugged his shoulders and said "It was nothing."

They reached the lake and found that neither of them had ice skates with them. James somehow managed to transfigure four twigs into two pairs of skates.

Lily walked out onto the slippery ice and began gliding around. "Come on," she called to James. He was standing at the edge of the lake and didn't look as though he was too keen to get on the ice. Lily skated over to him. "Come on," she said again, dragging him onto the ice. As soon as his second foot touched the ice, James fell.

Lily broke into laughter, and was soon joined by James. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said as he tried to get up.

"Nonsense, I'll teach you," Lily said, pulling him to his feet.

Lily tried to teach James the art of ice skating, but he kept falling on his butt. "The graceful and oh so talented James Potter can't even ice skate," Lily said when James fell yet again.

James was now determined to learn, and within a half an hour he could skate without Lily's help. He stuck his tongue out at her as he glided past. "I oughta trip you," she said.

Once they had grown tired of ice skating, they built a lop-sided snowman that James insisted looked like Dumbledore. They went inside and ate a late lunch, then spent the rest of the day lounging around the Common Room and playing chess.

On Christmas morning Lily woke to find an a few presents sitting on the end of her bed. Not wanting to open them by herself, she carried them downstairs and put them on a chair. She then went up the stairs to James' dormitory.

As quietly as possible she opened up the door and looked inside. She could see James lying on his bed in nothing but his boxers, his rippled stomach glowing in the pale morning light. She ignored this and began shaking him awake. "Merry Christmas, sleepyhead!" she whispered when James opened his eyes.

"What time is it?" he mumbled.

"8:30," Lily replied.

James groaned and turned onto his side. "No, no, no, you're coming to open your presents with me in the Common Room," Lily said, trying to turn him back over. "I expect you down there in five minutes." And with that Lily left the room.

Just as she had ordered, James joined her in the Common Room five minutes later, laden with presents. Dressed as he had been, he laid all of his presents next to Lily's and joined her on the floor. "Who goes first?" he asked.

"You, because you have more than me," Lily answered.

In twenty minutes, they had opened all of their presents except one. A small box still lay on the couch. James picked it up and handed it to Lily. "This is to you, from me," he said.

"But you already gave me that book on wizarding landmarks in muggle society," Lily pointed out.

"This is a different kind of present," James said mischievously.

Lily looked at him, puzzled, and began unwrapping the present. She opened the box to find the necklace she had seen in the antiques store. "Oh, James," she whispered, lifting the jewelry from the box.

"Turn around," James said. He slipped the necklace around her neck and did the clasp at the back.

"It must have cost a fortune," Lily said quietly, fingering the large green gem.

"It was worth it; anything is worth it to see you happy," James answered.

Their eyes locked, and at that moment Lily wanted nothing more than to kiss James, and she could see that he felt the same way too. But neither of them could do that to Remus.

James looked down and said "Well, I better go get dressed."

"Yeah, me too," Lily agreed, looking down at her pajamas.

Lily climbed the stairs to her dorm and walked into her closet. She put on her clothes and sat down on her bed. She jumped when she heard a knocking sound to her right. She looked up to see a large gray owl at her window; Remus' owl.

Lily walked over to the window and let the bird in. She untied the letter and small parcel from his leg and gave the owl some bread crumbs. She opened the letter and began to read.

Dearest Lily,

You have no idea how sorry I am for fighting with you that night. I only hope that someday you may forgive me. I have mulled over our situation in my days here and have decided that it is best if you and I break it off. Thank you and James so much for holding off your obvious feelings for each other to keep me happy. I will always remember the sacrifice that you two made for me. I hope that you are as happy together as I always wanted us to be. I'll always love you Lily.

Love,

Remus

P.S. I'm also mailing your present. Merry Christmas!

Lily read the letter again in disbelief. She opened the gift and found a ring, made to look like tiny intertwining silver flowers and vines. She slipped it onto her finger and felt it magically transform to fit her perfectly. Lily read over the letter again and smiled. Instead of feeling sorrow, the usual result of a break up, she was happy. So happy she felt she was going to burst.

She rushed down the stairs and into the Common Room. James stood up from his chair and looked at her happy face. Before he could say a word, she kissed him. Few kisses in this world have ever been classified as a kiss of true love. Only the kisses that come straight from the heart, that have been anticipated for long periods of time, that are all those people could possibly want at that point in time, can be called kisses of true love. And this was one of them.

The End