"Lily. Lily wake up, I want to take you somewhere…" a familiar voice flitted in and out of her dreams like a breeze. Lily's eyes fluttered open just a little, and she was too tired to be shocked to see James Potters handsome face staring down at her where she lay.

"What are you doing? What time is it?" Lily whispered, rolling over a little. James laughed, and seized her hand. Lily sat up a little.

"I want to take you somewhere. Come on, it'll be worth it, I promise." He whispered.

Lily got out of bed and wrapped her gown around her. James shook his head, and in the dim light Lily saw him shake his head, and hand her her cloak.

Curious, Lily pulled it tightly around her, and followed James as he led her down the hall. When she was awake enough she realised that James was already dressed, in a deep red cloak that looked more stylish than the other wizards robes that Lily had seen people wear out side of Hogwarts, with golden trimming.

"James, can you tell me where we're going?" Lily whispered. James made a sign for her to be quiet, as they crept past Sirius' door.

"You'll see when we get there." He said in a hushed voice, pulling Lily close to him so that the noise didn't travel through to the rest of the people sleeping in the house.

They went into James' room, and Lily stopped and stared when he opened the window.

"We're going out there?" she asked, her mouth dropping open, well and truly awake by now.

"Mmhm. I do it every Christmas. I wanted you to be there with me this time." He told her, grabbing his broom and gesturing for Lily to hop onto the back. She did so, apprehensively.

They flew, to Lily's relief, only as far as the tree house she had seen the day before when she had arrived at the house. He flew in through the open door way, and they sat on the landing.

The large tree that the house was built in was set at the highest point of the garden, so that the tree house seemed to peer out over the whole area. They could see for miles, in the dim light cast out by the rising sun. Lily gasped, as James took her hand and the sat on the windowsill, looking out over the white wonderland that was Christmas.

"Merry Christmas." James whispered in her ear. Lily grinned.

"Merry Christmas. It's beautiful." She replied, resting her head on his shoulder.

They sat on the windowsill there and watched the sun come up slowly, throwing a dazzling red and orange light dancing over the snow. Lights slowing came on in the windows of the surrounding houses as small children all around them woke up to see what Santa had brought them this year.

"We should get going. Maggie will be getting excited by now, and everyone will wonder where we are." Lily said, reluctantly lifting her head from James' shoulder and turning to face him. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and even though her hair was matted form sleep James though she looked as beautiful as he had ever seen her, the new sun making her emerald eyes sparkle with happiness.

"One last thing. I want to give you your present." James said, drawing his hand into the pocket of his robes, smiling.

He produced a small, flat box from with in the folds of his robes, and Lily gasped as she delicately unfolded the gold wrapping, to reveal a box, in a pale pink.

She opened the lid, and gasped, looking up at James in astonishment.

Lying in the pink box was the most beautiful necklace that Lily had ever seen. It was a golden necklace on a fine delicate chain, with a golden heart at the end of it. It the top left hand corner of the pendant was set a tiny emerald, and engraved on the back was a small message, set in elaborate print.

Love you forever

"It's so beautiful. Thankyou." Lily gasped, and James grinned at her elation. Turning around, Lily gave it to James to put on her, and she smiled at her reflection in the ice on the ledge.

"Thankyou so much." She said again.

"You deserve it." James said, and pulled her into a kiss.

When they got back to the house there was a very festive spirit in the air. Sirius bounded up to them, singing God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs, and Maggie was just as excited, skipping around the Christmas tree with cries of ; "presents!"

James and Lily laughed, as they walked down into the living room, Lily smiling with an unmoveable grin, and James just as happy.

Tracy and Mark were the last to rise, as is the way with parents and Christmas. Sirius presented them with their gift first, and then gave the doll he'd wrapped up to Maggie, smiling.

Lily gave her gift to James, a voucher for Zonkos and a great amount of butterbeer. Sirius laughed when he opened his gift from Lily, and Tracy commented that it was the quickest she'd ever seen Sirius open a book in all her years of knowing him. Maggie skipped around like crazy, brandishing the fairy wand that Lily had given her, which sang to you when it was waved, and turned things pink when touched.

Carols were sung, and around ten in the morning their door was knocked by a group of five elves who had been sent by their masters to sing carols from door to door. Tracy brought them all in for eggnog.

"Dobby thanks you kind stranger." Wheezed one young elf, whose voice was hoarse form singing too many carols. "Dobby is so cold from singing outside all morning. We is very very grateful."

"Funny little things, aren't they?" Lily said to Sirius, as Dobby talked to James about the family that he served. Dobby wouldn't say their name, but the conversation ended by the tiny elf squealing, hitting his head with his mug, and excusing himself from the house, much to the other, very cold, elves distaste. Sirius only growled.

"Funny? Not all of them."

Lily remembered what James had told her in Hogsmeade and dropped the subject quickly.

"Can I help you with lunch Tracy? I've never seen anyone cook with magic before." Lily asked, when it neared eleven, and Sirius was getting all too merry, Mark letting the boys sip his firewisky.

"Sure sweetie! I could use some help!"

"Thanks."

"Hey!" piped up a small voice from somewhere around Lily's knees. "I help!"

"Well of course Maggie, the dessert is all yours, but I've got something special that Lily can help the two of us with, what do you say?" Tracy smiled, winkling at Lily. Maggie skipped ahead of them and propped a chair up near the kitchen bench.

That's very pretty." Tracy said quietly, seeing the heart that was draped around Lily's neck. She grinned.

"He's a good picker!" Lily said, smiling. Tracy looked astonished.

"James chose that for you?" She laughed, "Never much of a charmer I thought, but I'm glad to see that my sons got it in him."

Lily managed a chuckle too.

"So am I, believe me." She said, and they went to catch up with Maggie.

The Christmas crackers set off in a burst of noise and light, and Maggie and Lily laughed as the one they were sharing let out a squawk, and emitted a fairly large bird.

Maggie chased the bird around the dining room. Lily pushed her hair back out of her face, and looked over to where James and Sirius' cracker had exploded to reveal a miniature clown, which did somersaults on the table in front of them.

Looks like you James!" she laughed, and James looked at her scornfully.

"No! I mean last night when we were all dressed up!" she added hastily, and the boys laughed loudly.

Lily tried not to think about Dobby and the other house elves out singing in the cold as the Potters elf, Cinto, joined them sheepishly at the table and shared a cracker with Tracy, with emitted a huge top hat, which she perched precariously on Cinto's head, before in tumbled over his eyes, and began to shake with his laughter.

Lily James and Sirius went outside after lunch, and had a snowball fight, while an exhausted Maggie fell asleep on the lounge.

"I'll throttle the both of you, hands down!" Sirius proclaimed, a swish of his wand creating a fort to hide behind, laughing at the stunned pair as he ducked behind the barrier he had created.

"No fair!" Lily cried at him, as bewitched snowballs began to fly into their direction. James grabbed her hand.

"No, don't worry about it, I have a plan." He muttered to her, and he himself thrust his wand into the air.

"Accio broomstick!" he said, and in a moment his broom hand soared into his hand, and he and Lily were hovering above Sirius' oblivious black head, snowballs in their gloved hands.

"Gotcha Padfoot!" James cried, as four balls of snow exploded on Sirius' head and showered him in white.

"Oi!That's cheating!" He cried, and James laughed.

"No more so than conjuring a fort Padfoot!" he cried, and Sirius, and he pointed his wand in the air. A snowball shot out of it and at James and Lily. James swerved the broom, and Lily squealed in fear as it made a dangerous curve.

"And that my friend is why we are chasers, and not beaters." James told Sirius, laughing.

"I know, thought I'd try." Sirius called back, and James flew back down to earth.

He, Lily and Sirius slumped down behind Sirius' float, and lay in the snow, looking up at the sky, which was covered now, with pearly white clouds.

"This has been great James." Lily said finding his hand with hers.

"I know, it has, hasn't it," he said, smiling.

"So Padfoot, you and Dani eh?" Lily said, grinning upwards. Sirius sat bolt upright.,

"Did she tell you? What has she said about me? Was I an ok kisser does she think? Does she like me or was she just caught in the moment? Has she talked to Mat?"

"Calm down Padfoot, calm down." Lily said, realising how uncharacteristically doubtful of himself Sirius had become. "I haven't talked to her about it James told me."

"Well then! I might have to tell the girls about the two of you!"

"I think that Dani's the only one who doesn't really know, and even she's got an idea. I think they'd be pretty thick not to get it now, anyway. It's not like we hide it, is it?"

"Well then, well then- Does this mean the two of you talk about me?" he asked them, in the same uptight tone.

"God Sirius! She's sure changed you., hasn't she!" Lily commented out loud, making Sirius stop flustering and look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before all of this with Dani you were always so sure that all the girls loved you to death, now you're asking weather she thought you snogged well!"

"That's right Lily Evans! I am a changed man! Just like Prongs." He added quietly.

"Hey!" James exclaimed. "I have not changed!"

The other two exchanged sceptical looks.

"Course you've changed! I would never have gone out with you if you hadn't!" Lily said. Sirius laughed.

"Not in the way that Sirius has though, I mean, I have become less confident, have I?" he said, looking worried.

"Oh noooo." Sirius said sarcastically. Then he put on a whiny voice and sat up, looking this way and that so that he looked edgy.

"Hey Padfoot, do you think my hair looks ok? Hey Padfoot, Has Lily said anything about me? Hey Padfoot, has Dani said anything about Lily saying anything about me, hey Padfoot, did you see her watching me at Quidditch, hey Padfoot-"

"We get the picture!"

"Jamsies going red!" Sirius cried, and then fell down laughing as James tackled him. Lily rolled her eyes, and threw a handful of snow at the pair, who were wrestling on the ground.

They fell back to the ground, breathless, and when every thing went quiet Lily smiled ruefully.

"Everything's going to change after this year, isn't it?" she asked, sadly. The boys stopped smiling, and thought about what she had said. It was true. When they got out of Hogwarts they would be saying goodbye to all of this. Snow fights, broomsticks, wrestling over girls…

"We'll still have fun. How could we not?" James said, though without as much force as he had hoped to achieve. But lying there in the snow, the three friends decided that if they were going to fight Voldermort come June, then they might as well have as much fun as they could before the school year was up…