We all know that Harry has no family, so that means that James and Lily's families all had to have died at some time. So I'm only dictating when.

Enjoy the show.

The Christmas holidays were upon Hogwarts, and students were not paying attention in their last classes before the break, as usual. Lily was among them. As was James.

It was quite the predicament. Both were without a family; without a place to go back to; without anyone really able to comfort them; and they were both zoning in Transfiguration, as they had been during the entire class.

Most people had their wands out and were practicing turning each other into animals of choice. Lily was hunched over the table, scribbling in the margins of her textbook. James was leaning back, casually throwing a crumpled ball of paper in the air and catching it as it came back down. Both were distracted. Neither noticed the professor watching them for several minutes before approaching them.

"Miss Evans, Mister Potter."

Lily's quill screeched to a halt and she glanced up. James' hand froze in midair and the ball of paper bounced off of his head and rolled across the floor. They stared at her questioningly.

"Mr. Potter, I'm sorry to inform you, as it seems you are perhaps unaware of the fact, that you are failing Advanced Charms."

Lily wasn't surprised.

"And you, Miss Evans." Lily blanched. "You have always been weak in Transfiguration…" cue a twitching Lily, "but I never expected you to be failing my course."

James was surprised.

"This is completely unacceptable. I understand that you have both had terrible losses this year," cue James glancing at Lily questionably, "but failing a course of any kind will not be tolerated. For your future careers as well as your Head Boy and Girl status, you will later thank me for this."

They stared at her. She looked back and forth at them. Was it that hard to understand?

"I'm putting you two in a study hall together. Three hours a day, except weekends; starting tomorrow."

Lily was searching for her voice. James had already found his.

"But it's Christmas break!" he said indignantly.

"And that gives you plenty of time to take advantage of the study time without having other homework to do. I expect you both to pass your classes with high marks."

Lily and James glared. Professor McGonagall set her mouth in a very thin line.

"Don't disappoint me."

"Don't disappoint me," Lily muttered.

James twirled his quill between his fingers.

The classroom was cold. Lily moved from the desk near the window to the desk closest to the door.

Right next to James.

They glanced at each other and quickly looked away when they were caught. Professor Binns was floating by the chalkboard, occasionally doing his job and surveying them, though rather sleepily.

"So …" Lily blushed.

"So." James looked over at her and grinned at her matching cheeks and hair. "You're blushing, Evans."

Lily glared at him as she felt her cheeks deepen another shade. "So?"

"So?" James shrugged.

Lily looked murderous. Then she laughed. A shocked James fell out of his chair. She laughed harder.

"Evans, have you gone insane?"

Lily laughed. Again. "This is incredibly ridiculous."

James raised an eyebrow.

Lily stopped laughing, but she continued to attack James with a quirky grin.

"Evans?"

"Hmm?" She was bent over her homework now, trying to understand the Advanced Transfiguration. She didn't think she would ever understand it. She smiled at the animated doodle in the margin.

"Umm …" he started timidly. "What did McGonagall mean … about your … loss … ?"

Lily was taken aback by his question. She wasn't sure that she wanted to talk about it. She was still trying to come to terms with everything.

But a familiar voice in the back of her said, "Be strong for him, Lily. Be strong for James."

She swallowed and met his curious eyes. She sat up straight and pushed everything out of her way, out of her mind. Then she sighed. "My family … was murdered. By Voldemort."

James was entirely unsure of how to react.

"Well, except my sister. She was … away." Lily snorted. "I mean, they were muggles, so I guess it shouldn't really be a surprised … but –" she bit back a wave of tears. "Petunia … that's my sister – she's a muggle too, and she's wretched - … she blames me for their deaths. It's all rather … stupid … I mean, it can't really be my fault, right? I mean, he couldn't have known they were my family. He probably doesn't even know who I am, right? He doesn't even know I exist, right?"

Lily was rambling. James didn't know what to do. So he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Lily?" he said quietly when he let her go.

She sniffed. "Hmm?"

"Do you … want to spend Christmas with me and Sirius and Remus? We're just staying here at Hogwarts but I thought maybe –" He looked into her teary eyes hopefully.

"Sure, James …" she saw his concern. "Yea … I think I would like that."

During the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, Christmas Eve was the party and Christmas day was the time to relax. A lot of homeless teenagers were spending their holiday at Hogwarts this year, except, it seemed, the Slytherins. None of them seemed to have lost family, so they were all at home. The rest of the school was quite honestly glad to be rid of them.

Peter had disappeared some time ago. His parents, in fear – they said, had pulled him out of school in November and had gone into hiding. Peter had told them that he should be back for the last few months of school. The rest of the Marauders spent the eve of Christmas in the Head common room, away from the Gryffindor party.

However, they had a nice supply of butterbeer and various other snacks and delicacies that the house elves had made for them. Sirius was quite pleased with the fact that they had Hogwarts' house elves doting on them at all times, but Remus pointed out that the house elves doted on everyone.

Sirius ignored him.

"So, Jamesie, any plans for this mistletoe I have right here conveniently in my hand?" Sirius asked, dangling the plant over his head.

James scoffed. "No," he pouted. "Oh, but I invited Lily to spend Christmas with us tomorrow, if you guys don't mind."

"Yes we mind!" Sirius shouted indignantly. "I mean, ewwwwwww, girl germs!"

They laughed. Sirius held the mistletoe over Remus' head. "How about you?" he added with a wink. Remus replied with a dirty smirk. The clump of mistletoe fell onto the ground as Sirius' hands were occupied with Remus' face.

"Oh come on guys, have some decency," James muttered, rolling his eyes. He had to admit, it was still a little weird seeing them together.

"Oh what, is Jamesie-poo disturbed by our affections?"

James raised his eyebrows and stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Jamesie-poo?"

Sirius shrugged. "King of Randomness," he pointed out. James nodded acknowledgement. Remus giggled. James snorted at hearing a guy giggle.

"Cheers, people!" Sirius shouted, dislodging himself from Remus' lap to hand out the bottles of butterbeer.

"It's not even midnight," Remus commented.

"So?"

"Cheers, then." James raised his glass. The other two followed suit.

"So what did you get Lily?" Remus asked James.

A loud smack echoed through the room as James' hand collided with his forehead. "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot!"

Sirius stared. "Oh, that's got to make her feel great. We'll all have presents for each other and she'll be sitting there with nothing."

"Well, it's not like you two got her anything!" James retorted stupidly.

"Yea, and we also didn't know she was coming."

"Good one Prongs." Remus shook his head.

"Ah! What am I going to do now?"

"Well, you could get her name tattooed on-"

"I think a card or something homemade would be a better idea," Remus cut Sirius off. "Girls like that kind of stuff."

"They like tattoos too you know …" Sirius added dejectedly.

"What about chocolate?" James asked, looking to Remus. "I could nip down to Honeydukes …"

"Won't she think you're calling her fat?" Sirius interjected. Remus gave him 'the look.'

"No, he's right …" James said. "Umm … perfume?"

"Yea, but then she'll think you think she smells bad."

Sigh.

"I could get her a gift card to a clothes store … girls like shopping, and clothes …"

"Victoria Secret!" Sirius winked.

"No … she'll think I don't like her clothes. What about just money? She can shop with that."

"No, money is a bad idea. It shows that you have no idea what to get her and she might think you feel bad for her about her parents or that you think she's poor."

Huge sigh.

"How the heck is a guy supposed to shop for a girl?" he agonized. "You can't even get them what they like!"

Sirius nodded knowingly. "I don't need to shop for Remus. He usually just –"

Remus coughed. 'What?' Sirius mouthed. James laughed.

"Really, guys, I don't know what to do." Sirius laughed at James' utterly defeated expression.

"Just … do something from the heart," Remus suggested. "She'll understand."

"Yea …"

After several more butterbeers, a lot of snacks, sharing good memories and elaborating their imaginary futures, Remus crashed on the couch. Sirius sat, half-asleep, watching James, who was sulking before the fire.

"Jamesie?"

"Hmm?"

"You know it's going to be okay, right?"

James looked at Sirius over his shoulder. He was draped over the couch, Remus' head in his lap, an almost empty bottle in his hand, and crumbs on his shirt. He still managed to look concerned through his sleep-lidded eyes.

James managed a weak smile.

"Yea, Padfoot, I know …" He leaned back in his chair, reaching over to rumple Sirius' hair.

A tired smile crept across Sirius' face. "Good. Because it's the truth, you know …"

James didn't reply, but his words would have fallen onto deaf ears anyway. Sirius' chin fell down onto his chest as he fell asleep.

"Yea …" James muttered. "It's all going to be okay…"

Around two in the morning, Lily was exhausted and ready for bed.

"Goodnight girls!" she called. Alice and Katie rushed over to her to give her hugs.

"'Night Lily," Alice said, rubbing her eyes. She would be going to be shortly, too.

"Sweet dreams, Lilykins," Katie said with a yawn. Lily smiled and made her way to her dorm tiredly. She shivered as she shuffled down the dark corridors. The snow falling outside was beautiful, but she couldn't wait to crawl into bed and snuggle under her covers.

When she entered the Head common room, she was greeted by a wave of thick, warm air. She closed the door quietly and thanked James (as she assumed it had been him) for putting a fire on. As she crept through the room, a soft glow fell over three teenage boys spread over the furniture. She smiled at Sirius and Remus … she had them pretty much figured out a year ago. The picture before her was proof enough, though she was impressed by their ability to keep it secret.

James was asleep in the chair beside the fire, a peaceful look on his face. Lily smiled and walked over to him. She pushed his hair off of his forehead and gently placed a kiss there and then tiptoed up to her room.

Lily had been very surprised when Sirius had first yelled at her about leaving James alone. She had never even thought that a guy, Sirius or James no less, could be that caring and passionate about a friend. She used to criticize the Marauders, believing that they were held together by midnight pranking and other such silly, boyish things. It had just never crossed her mind that a friendship between two boys could be as deep as one between two girls. Even deeper, possibly.

Lily felt guilty as she slipped into her pajamas and looked into the bathroom mirror. Who had she been to judge them without getting to know them, or anything about them, really. She loaded her toothbrush with toothpaste, pondering what the past six years would have been like if she hadn't wasted so much time being awful to the boys she was coming to respect. She imagined that she would have had a lot more fun, and a lot more homework to do.

'A year ago, I wouldn't even have been thinking about this.'

Yes, she probably would have been thinking of the most efficient way to drown Potter.

'James,' she corrected herself.

She spat the toothpaste into the sink and turned on the faucet to wash her face. When she finished, she looked at herself in the mirror again. Something seemed to have washed away besides the dirt. She had been washing it away for a few months now. It was her prejudice against the Marauders.

She felt a lot lighter as she crawled into her bed.