Disclaimer: I don't own it. Even HEPSA doesn't own it. It's all JK's.

Chapter 20: All I Want For Christmas Is You

Previously: 'Wait, wait,' said Lily excitedly, we're all here for Christmas? How much more perfect can you get?'

No-one answered her rhetorical question, so, to let off steam, she hugged Sarah. Lily could be very cuddly when she was pleased.

'Is she often like this?' asked Remus, amused.

'You've known her for seven years, Remus,' replied Sarah, although her voice was muffled by Lily.

'Am I hyper yet?' asked Suzie.

'Li-ly…'

A sing-song voice was floating into Lily's ear. Sarah came to mind, but it could have been Suzie.

'Li-i-i-ly…'

There it was again, but now Lily was sure it was Sarah. The voice was particularly annoying her now. She didn't want to get up. She had been having a nice dream. If she could stay in bed all day, she would.

Suddenly she felt a sharp poke in the back. Sarah wasn't usually so vicious. Lily screwed up her eyes and ignored her. Maybe if she waited Sarah would get bored… not that that ever happened. Lily waited for another poke, but it never came. She smiled. Sarah actually had given up! A once in a lifetime opportunity to sleep the day away! She had plenty of time to do her holiday homework; she could spend this day lolling around in bed–

Lily shrieked as her thoughts were interrupted by some mad tickling. She opened her eyes to see Sarah looming over her, tickling her tummy. Suzie was tickling the bottom of her feet, and Caroline under her arms.

'Finally awake, eh?' said Sarah, once Lily had begged them to stop.

'Caroline,' said Lily, ignoring her, 'why are you up so early?'

'Merry Christmas, Lily,' replied Caroline, smirking, and placing a red and fluffy Christmas hat on her head. Lily pulled it off and looked at it. Caroline had a matching one on her head, as did Sarah and Suzie, she now noticed.

'When did you get these?'

'They're mine,' chipped in Suzie, 'and I can't remember.'

'Put it back on, Lily!' insisted Sarah, and Lily gingerly placed it on her head. Caroline cheered.

A few minutes later, after the girls had quickly gotten ready, they rushed into the common room, where they found Remus, James and Peter, also wearing Christmas hats. Suzie seemed to fly over to Peter and kiss him on the lips.

'Merry Christmas, Peter,' she said as they hugged.

'And to you, Suzie,' he said. She sighed and they stood there, content in each other's arms. Sarah went and stood next to Remus, while Lily and Caroline went over to the tree, where James was.

'Where's Sirius?' asked Caroline.

'He's coming,' said James, and, sure enough, Sirius appeared a few seconds later, grinning widely.

'Merry Christmas, sweetie-pie… and all the rest of you nosy idiots,' he announced. Everyone laughed, except for Caroline, who rushed forward and kissed him soundly.

'And a merry Christmas to you too!' Peter yelled back. Suzie, her hand entwined with his, giggled, and the two of them also began to kiss.

'The lot of you stop your snogging and get down to the present opening!' said Sarah loudly, after this continued for a while. Caroline grinned at her.

'Sarah… Look above your he-ead…' she sang. Sarah looked up, nervously, to see a sprig of mistletoe above her and Remus. She blanched, and looked at Remus.

'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' chanted Sirius, Caroline and James, and soon they were joined by the others. Sarah looked shyly at Remus, and leant forward to kiss him on the cheek. She stepped back, blushing yet smiling, which was a look mirrored on Remus' face.

'Oh, come on! On the lips!' yelled Sirius.

'That was a wimpy kiss, if you can call it a kiss at all!' added Caroline.

'Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!' James started up the chant again, until Lily interrupted with,

'Oh, stop it, guys! Let's open our presents.'

Three guilty looks met her, and everyone swarmed around the Christmas tree. Sarah had appointed herself 'Present Distributor', and quickly everyone had their own mound of gifts. There was pause, as no one knew when to start. It was Lily who finally broke the silence.

'Well, even if no one else wants their presents, I'm going to open mine!' she said, and she tore the wrapping off a present. Everyone else followed suit.

Twenty minutes or so later, there was a pile of wrapping paper that seemed to be as big as the tree, and everyone was investigating what other people had got. Sarah was proudly displaying the heart-shaped rose-quartz necklace she had received from Remus to the other girls, and James was thanking Sirius heartily for the charmed Quaffle he had received.

'You can simulate a game with it,' Sirius explained, 'Cast the spell Assimulo Venatus on it.'

'Sirius – I love you,' said James, and he rushed towards the door, the Quaffle held tightly in his arms. Lily jumped up to stop him.

'At least wear a jumper, James. It's cold out there,' she said, grabbing the jumper he had received from his mum and holding it out to him.

'I'll warm up when I'm out there,' said James, shrugging, with the expression of glee on his face not subsiding.

'James –' started Lily, but he had already clambered out of the portrait hole. Lily sighed and turned back to where the girls had been sitting, but they had dispersed. She sat down alone, and watched the others.

Sarah and Remus were curled up by the sofa, and he was fastening her necklace around her neck. Suzie and Peter were watching snow fall through the window. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and their arms were around each other. There was no need to kiss; they were happy just being together. Sirius and Caroline were standing in the middle of the room, by the tree.

'And why was there no present from you, Black?' demanded Caroline, poking him in the chest.

'Because I wanted to save it for afterwards, to make it more special,' said Sirius, taking a small gift from his pocket, 'and I could ask you the same question.'

Caroline smiled and took his gift, while giving him his. They looked into each others' eyes for a while, until Caroline said, 'Well, open it then!'

'If you open yours.'

'You open yours first!'

'I gave you mine first!'

'Together then. Three… two… one… go!'

They tore into their presents, and then burst out laughing when they both found that they had been given a bobbing-head black dog, which would fit the cup of their palm. It looked very much like Sirius in his Animagus form.

'Oh, Sirius,' said Caroline through her giggles. He grinned at her.

'I thought you'd like to carry a small piece of me around with you everywhere, or maybe keep it in your dorm so you could kiss it every night before you went to sleep.'

The sleazy smirk on his face would have earned him a slap from anybody else, but Caroline was smirking back.

'I'd rather have you up in the dorm with me, Sirius, but I think Lily'd have a coronary. And we'd probably squick Suzie out.'

Sirius gave a deep, bark-like laugh, and swept her into a dramatic dip kiss, their presents falling out of their hands and to the floor.

Lily felt her eyes misting over at this romantic moment. All of her friends were happy and full of love: Sirius and Caroline, Suzie and Peter, Sarah and Remus, even James and his new Quaffle! And there she was, watching them all, lonely. She had hoped she would find love with James, but their first and last kiss had been over two months ago. Petunia was right; Lily was a dateless wonder.

'I'm… I'm going to read my new book,' she said quickly. Sarah nodded, only half-listening, while the others, it seemed, weren't listening at all. Lily smiled, scooped up her presents, and went up to her dorm.

Lily, leaving her books on the floor, threw herself on her bed and mulled things over, as she had done countless times since the song. She didn't know how long she'd been lying there when the door opened.

'Lily?' came Caroline's voice. Lily looked at her with her puffy red eyes. Caroline looked dismayed, and ran over to her.

'Oh, Lily, you are upset,' she said, sitting down and Summoning the tissues, 'and you've been crying! Come on, spill to Auntie Caroline.'

Lily only smiled at this as she dabbed her eyes - she hadn't even realised she'd been crying until Caroline had come in! She took a second tissue and sniffed into it. Caroline watched this, and pulled her into a hug. When she let go of her, Lily said quietly,

'What about Sirius?'

'You're upset, Lily. I didn't want you to be sad and lonely by yourself.'

Lily was surprised. She would have expected this from Sarah, or even Suzie, but Caroline, at least from her experience, wasn't nearly as perceptive to other people's feelings as they were.

'Thank you,' she said, with genuine appreciation. Caroline smiled at her.

'Now, really, spill!'

Lily sighed, and said, 'Is it normal to kiss someone, and then not kiss again for over two months, despite the fact that you are in close proximity of said person on a daily basis?'

'Yes,' said Caroline, without missing a beat. Seeing the heartbroken look on Lily's face, however, she considered her answer, and added, 'Actually, no it isn't, Lily. I'm sorry, I was wrong. Sirius and I didn't kiss for ages after our first kiss, remember? It doesn't mean there's no hope.

And anyway, you can date someone without kissing them. Sarah and Remus have been dating for years, and as far as we know, they haven't kissed.'

The fact that Caroline was admitting she was wrong was what made Lily believe her.

'They don't realise they're dating though,' said Lily, 'and anyway, that's Sarah and Remus. They're made for each other. Same with you and Sirius. But me and James… we're so different! It's not going to work!'

'But you and James are made for each other, Lily. You just need to kiss him again, and find out. Or you just go and ask him, like I did with Sirius.'

'Caroline! You know I'm not as brave as you! I wouldn't be able to do that. Do you think I should sing another song?'

'The song thing has been done already! Do it again and it becomes less special. But if you don't want to use my way, fine,' Caroline paused and thought for a moment. 'You could kiss him under the mistletoe.'

'I want it to mean something. Mistletoe kisses don't mean anything. And anyway, I don't want everyone looking at us as we kiss, like with Remus and Sarah.'

'OK, then… New Year's kiss.'

'Caroline –'

'No, it could work! Then say something soppy such as "It wasn't just a New Year's kiss" afterwards and all will be peachy. You can think up a better line than that, though.'

'But… but…'

'You want to get together with James, don't you?'

'Yes, but –'

'And you want it to be sooner rather than later, don't you?'

'Yes, but –'

'If you come up with any better ideas beforehand, use them. But if you don't, a New Year's kiss it shall be!'

Lily gave her an anguished look. Caroline simply stared back until Lily sighed, and said,

'I will think of something better.'

'I doubt it. It's been two months and you haven't thought of anything.'

'Hey!'

A pillow fight ensued.

AN (Larka): Remember, none of the brilliance of this chapter is down to me – it's all Hepsa's work.

AN (Hepsa): Yes, you've said that several times. But thank you.

Review Topic: Really cheesy Christmas songs.

Larka :)