Hey All!
Sorry it has taken me so long to update, but as you all have probably assumed I have been very busy and not just neglecting you. But to make up for the delayed update, I have written an extra long chapter. I hope that you all like it.
Also, since it has taken me the better part of a month to update I will not be sending any individual shout-outs this chapter. There were forty reviews the last chapter and I'm afraid that it would take me another two days to answer all of it. So I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but I figured that the story is more important than the individual shout outs. But here is one big one for all of you faithful reviewers.
"Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my story and has faithfully reviewed every chapter. You don't know how much I appreciate your thoughtful insights and humorous comments. Please continue to send them!"
IT'S MARVIN!
(Marvin and Stephanie have spent the last month creating and perfecting their plan for world domination.) MARVIN: The plan is almost complete. All I need is to tweak my mind control laser and the first stage will be complete. STEPHANIE: Yes, and my satellite is ready for launch. All we have to do it attach the laser to it. MARVIN: Once the satellite is launched and in orbit, we will be in control. Everything on earth will be subject to our crazy and neurotic will! (Both laugh evilly for ten minutes) (An hour later....) MARVIN: Finally. It is ready. STEPHANIE: Well it's about damn time! Quick let's attach it to the satellite. (Both of them lift the laser.) NO Marvin! Lift with your legs! Your legs damn it! My God you have four of them! MARVIN: Shut it Stephanie! You need to angle the laser more towards the front! No the other way you incompetent human! (After another five minutes, the laser is secured on the satellite) MARVIN: Now is the time we have been plotting for since last month. It is now time to launch the laser. Are you ready? (looks at Stephanie who is grinning evilly) STEPHANIE: yes, I am ready. Launch it! MARVIN: In three...two...onWHAT THE HELL! (The door bangs open and gas a heavy green gas fills the room.) STEPHANIE: (Choking on gas and falling to the ground) What is going on! MARVIN: (Coughing and choking on the ground.) I don't know! (the gas clears out and Marvin and Stephanie look at the door. Standing in the door is a skunk dressed in army fatigues.) MARVIN: WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? (the skunk smiles and enters the room.) SKUNK: I am Salvatore. STEPHANIE: What do you want? SALVATORE: (laughs evilly) HAHAHAHA my little naïve human. Why I am here to steal your laser of course. You both are too stupid to conquer the world so I am going to do it and use your laser in the process! Mwuahhhahaha (Salvatore walks over to the laser and takes it off the satellite.) MARVIN: Why you stealing thief! You'll never get away with it! Salvatore: It looks like I already have! Hasta luego stoopids! (He lifts his tail and the room is filled with the foul smelling green gas)
Chapter 27: Christmas in England
"So, how was the wedding?" asked Liz as she lounged on the couch in Lily's living room.
"It was interesting," laughed Lily to herself as she took a sip of her soda and looked at the television.
"Well are you going to spill it or do I have to give you a truth potion to get it out of you?" asked Liz, sitting up and facing Lily. Lily smiled and within seconds she had erupted into a detailed report of everything that happened at the wedding.
"Wow Lils!" said Liz in awe, after Lily had finished. "I can't believe that James would do that for you! He must really like you. Maybe even be in love with you." Lily snorted and laughed out loud.
"Hey, now don't go making presumptions," said Lily looking at her in disbelief. "What he did was very generous, but it got me in trouble none-the-less."
"What do you mean?" asked Liz curiously as she reached for her drink. "Did Petunia have a fit or something?"
"Well not exactly. Petunia did call my mum and dad the next day to complain about the events but she has no idea that it was him. Everything that happened she thinks was all Vernon's fault and she blames most of it on the wine." Liz laughed and Lily grinned despite herself. "My parents, however, thought that the events were a little to suspicious to be blamed on alcohol, so they blamed me for it. Well not all of it, but for most of it." Lily took a sip of her drink.
"Did you tell them that it wasn't you and that it was James?" asked Liz with a horrified expression. Lily shook her head.
"No, are you daft? That's all I would need is for them to find out that James did it and then hate him for it. You know my parents. They would never let me see him again."
"Good point," agreed Liz. She downed her drink and set the empty bottle on the coffee table in front of her. "So are you almost finished?"
"Yeah," said Lily before downing the rest of her soda. "Let me just run to the loo and we can go."
Lily ran upstairs and into the bathroom. A minute later the door reopened and she ran to her bedroom. She lifted the lid of a silver jewelry box that her grandmother had given to her the Christmas before she died and she took out fifty pounds. She stuffed it inside a purple purse and ran downstairs. Liz already had her coat on and was putting on her boots as Lily bounded down the stairs.
"Let me just leave a note for my mum and then we can go," said Lily as she rounded the stairs and disappeared through the swinging kitchen door. "Alright let's go!" said Lily when she reappeared. She grabbed her boots and put them on quickly. She threw a brown, mauve and white colored hat on her head and wrapped a mauve scarf around her neck before putting on her tan peacoat. She lifted her long red hair out of the back of her coat and looked at Liz. "Ready?"
"See you in Diagon Alley," said Liz. With a pop she was gone. Lily held her breath, as she tended to do when she apparated, and with a pop she left her home. When the whirlwind that spun before her eyes finally ceased, she saw the familiar gigantic white building of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. "It's freezing out here!" said Liz from right beside Lily. Lily nodded as they walked up the snow covered steps.
"I think there is more snow here than in all of England." She quickly read the familiar warning on the door and entered the bank. For it being a Wednesday, Lily was amazed at how crowded the bank was. Her and Liz walked up to a nasty looking goblin in a brown suit under the sign that read Monetary Exchanges. Lily and Liz waited in line patiently as three people ahead of them exchanged their money. Finally when it was her turn Lily walked up to the goblin and placed her purse on the counter top in front of her. At this apparent rudeness, the goblin looked up from his paper work and glared at her through his black beady eyes.
"I'd like to exchange this please," said Lily once she had found the money in her wallet. She handed the fifty dollars to the goblin and smiled at him pleasantly. The goblin stared at her for another moment with intense dislike. Finally he snatched the money off the counter and counted it. Then he slipped it into a drawer in front of him and counted out several gallons, sickles and knuts. He placed them on the counter in front of Lily with gnarled hands. His long fingernails sorted through a pile of papers. He snatched one out of the pile and thrust it at Lily. Lily picked up the quill on the desk next to the piece of parchment and signed her name. She placed the quill back into it's holder and gathered her money. "Happy Holidays," smiled Lily pleasantly as she turned away from the glowering goblin.
"What a grump," said Liz as they girls exited the bank.
"Most definitely," agreed Lily. "Can you believe this? Look at these streets. They are practically empty." The girls stood on the top of the steps for a moment and looked out into the alley. Hardly anyone was out walking around. Lily could see people apparating and disapparating from inside the stores.
"It's sad how people are even afraid to go out in public because of this you-know-who business," said Liz sadly. "Do you think it will ever change back to the way it was before?"
"I don't know. Hopefully it will," said Lily looking around. Her eyes fell onto a wizard in black robes coming out of the potions store and walking towards Knockturn Alley. "I think maybe we should do the same though and get inside a store just to be safe." Liz nodded and the girls headed down the stairs and into the street.
"Any ideas on where you want to go first?" asked Liz, looking around nervously.
"How about Quality Quidditch supplies? I want to pick up James's present," said Lily heading to their left and towards a store with a Quidditch player moving on the hanging sign above the door.
"What are you going to get him?" asked Liz as a bell rang when they opened the door. The store seemed very tiny from outside on Diagon Alley, but the inside was quite the contradiction. The store was enormous and filled with practically anything a Quidditch player could want; from profession Quidditch jersey and broomsticks to snitches, quaffles and bludgers to instructional books on how to become a better player to a glow in the dark, waterproof compass that attaches to your broomstick handle.
"Well, I have thought about this one really hard. I thought to myself, 'what do I know about James Potter?' and then it hit me," said Lily as she casually examined a few Quidditch jerseys as she walked towards the left back wall of the store. "James is in love with Quidditch, so why not get him something that has to do with it."
"Good idea, but what on earth are you going to get him that he doesn't already have," said Liz, stopping to check out a new set of black dragon hide arm pads. "I mean his parents are loaded. They have more money than Merlin and I know for a fact that James has the best of everything when it comes to Quidditch."
"What do you mean his parents are loaded?" asked Lily stopping to look at Liz.
"Exactly what I said," said Liz casually, not taking her eyes off the arm pads as she examined them closely. "Everyone in the Wizarding world knows that the Potter's come from a line of one of the oldest and richest families. Didn't James ever tell you?" She looked up inquiringly at Lily.
"No. He never mentioned anything about his family to me, let alone if they were wealthy," said Lily shaking her head. A dark shadow crept across her face as she thought about what she was going to give James for Christmas. "Oh damn it Liz, now I can't get James what I originally wanted. It will seem so lame."
"Well what are you thinking about getting him?" asked Liz, putting down the arm pads and walking over towards Lily.
"Come over here and I'll show you," said Lily leading Liz through a sea of anxious witches and wizards and towards the back of the store.
Fifteen minutes later the girls emerged from Quality Quidditch Supplies. After much thought and consideration, Lily found James the perfect gift. Very pleased with herself, Lily spent the next few hours shopping around Diagon Alley with Liz. Liz found her present for Remus fairly quickly and both girls spend a good deal of their day playing with some of the merchandise in all of the different and unique stores that were indigenous to Diagon Alley. While they were at Zonko's, Lily seriously contemplated getting Petunia a mirror that shouted out rude and nasty insults at the person who was looking into it but thought better of it as the disappointing faces of her parents seeped into her mind. Lily and Liz both found their presents for Faith right off as they entered into Defense Depot. Lily even managed to sneakily buy Liz's present right from under her nose.
"I want to stop inside Ollivander's for a second," said Liz, struggling with her bags as they exited Honeydukes and emerged into the cold street outside.
"What's the matter with your wand?" asked Lily. The streets were much busier now then they had been a few hours ago and Lily took comfort in that fact.
"It's been acting odd and I just want to make sure that there is nothing wrong with it," said Liz as they trudged through the snow towards Ollivander's.
All right, but what do you say we go and get something to eat afterwards. I don't know about you but I'm starved," said Lily, lifting her bags so they didn't drag along the street.
"Oh look at that robe!" exclaimed Liz as they passed Madame Malkin's. "Isn't it absolutely beautiful!" The girl's stopped to admire a light pink dress robe in the display window.
"That is beautiful. I wonder how much it is?" asked Lily looking for a price tag.
"I don't know but it is probably expensive. It looks like a Morgana and they....." Liz's voice was drown out by several loud screams. They girls immediately spun around and were horrified by the sight that was unfolding in front of them.
Witches and wizards were screaming and frantically running in every direction around them. Lily looked down the street to see the source of the commotion and gasped at what she saw. Three hooded figures wearing black cloaks that covered their faces were firing into a crowd of people down the street from Lily and Liz. Jets of purple and red light were flying in all direction. Liz screamed as she saw one of the red lights hit a young woman with golden hair square in the back, sending her flying through the air and landing in the snow like a rag doll.
"We need to get out of here!" screamed Lily. She could hear the crackles of laughter coming from the hooded figures as they fired at the various people scurrying away from them. Witches and wizards were falling to the ground in every direction and the screams of panic that filled the crowded alley were mixed with the screams of pain. Lily ran to the door that lead inside Madame Malkin's. She grabbed a hold of the handle but the door would not budge. She took out her wand and pointed it at the door.
"Alohomora!" shouted Lily, but the door did not open. "They locked the door! How can they lock the door now!" Lily looked back to see the three hooded figures moving up the street towards them. Several wizards were now trying to duel the masked figured. Lily watched in horror as a jet of green light hit a young man with black hair. The man's surprised expression of being hit stayed on his face as he fell to the ground. Lily closed her eyes. She knew that he was dead before he hit the ground. An excited and triumphant scream echoed throughout the alley. Lily reopened her eyes and stared in horror at the fallen man. His body was lying limply on the ground, his head was turned towards Lily and his hand still clutched his wand. Lily felt her stomach jump to her throat as she gazed in horror into the blank, lifeless eyes that gazed at her. A loud blast from above them awoke Lily from her shock and she felt Liz push her out of the way as a large chunk of concrete fell in between them.
"Come on! Let's get out of here Lily!" exclaimed Liz, picking up her bags quickly.
"Go to my house," said Lily quietly as she looked at Liz. Liz nodded and within a wink of an eye she was gone. Lily grabbed her bags and gave one last stare at the scene in front of her. The cloaked figures were now only twenty feet away from her. She knew that she had to go quickly. She steadied herself and took a deep breath. She could feel her heart racing inside her chest. The cloaked figure that had struck the dark haired man raised his wand straight into the air above him. A jet of green light shot out of it and Lily felt sick as she saw the spell take the form of a giant skull with a serpent coming out of its mouth. The cloaked man lowered his wand and looked straight at Lily. He raised his wand and Lily held her breath and closed her eyes. She heard the bellow of an incantation. She opened her eyes to see a jet of green light shoot at her. She stiffened and before she knew it she was inside her house.
"Where were you! I was getting nervous!" shouted Liz from beside her.
"Sorry, I had to pick up my bags," said Lily as she set them down on the ground next to her. She turned to look at Liz who was wide-eyed and terrified.
"That was one of the scariest things I've ever witnessed in my entire life," said Liz as she let herself fall backwards on the couch behind her. "I mean, what were they doing there? In broad daylight no less?"
"I know," said Lily as she too let herself fall onto the couch. The girls stared blankly at the bay window in front of them. Snow had begun to fall lightly outside onto the ground below. Lily's heart was slowly beginning to slow down.
"Did you see the way they were just cursing people? For no good reason, they just cursed them...." Liz's voice trailed off and all Lily could see was the empty, lifeless brown eyes of the dark-haired man. Lily had no idea who he was, but she knew that she would forever have his last moments of life burned into her memory. The girls sat in silence for a good long while, digesting the terrifying scene that they had witnessed. Not until a slamming shut of a car door did Lily awake from her thoughts. Suddenly a panic crept into Lily's mind. She rounded towards Liz, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.
"Liz, we can't tell my parents about what happened. It has to stay here with us, they can not know!" said Lily urgently. Liz looked at her confusedly and began to open her mouth. "No, don't say anything," said Lily cutting her off before she could speak. "I haven't told them about the situation in the Wizarding world. If they found out about everything with You-Know-Who and especially about what happened today, they will not let me go back to Hogwarts!" Lily stared intently into Liz's eyes searching for a sign of understanding. "You have to promise me."
"I promise," whispered Liz.
The door opened and Lily's mother bustled in. Fortunately she did not speak much to Lily and Liz. She muttered something about dropping off bags and going right back out again. Before she knew, her mother was out the door and the two girls were alone again. Lily was a little nervous that Liz would say something but Liz kept her promise and didn't say a word about it. Actually she hardly said two words at all.
Later that night, after Liz had left and Lily's mother returned from shopping and her father came home from work. She wasn't hungry and hardly ate a bite a dinner. All she wanted was to retreat to her room and sit in complete silence. As she lay on her bed trying to absorb the day's events she vaguely noted that the only noise was from the hooting of her pet out. She contemplated writing to James about what she had seen, but in the end decided against it in fear that he would overreact. Lily turned out the light in her room and pulled the covers up tight around her neck. She tried to close her eyes but kept popping them open again. The vision of the black-haired man haunted her mind's eye. Finally giving into sleep from total exhaustion she dreamt restless dreams.
Lily awoke the next morning very tired but glad that it was morning. It was December twenty-third and Lily knew that her mother would keep her busy enough to keep her mind from straying onto the events that took place not even twenty-four hours ago. Plus as an added bonus, James was expected to stop over so they could exchange their Christmas gifts as the next few days were going to be very busy for both of them. Christmas was being held at Lily's house as usual. She spent the whole morning and a good part of the afternoon in the kitchen making cookies, pies and decorating the house. Lily was so wrapped up in her work that she didn't realize how late it was until the antique clock that hung in the dining room donged to signal that it was four o'clock. James was due over in an hour and Lily had to go and clean herself up. She jumped in the shower quickly and returned to her room only to find that she had nothing to wear. After ten minutes of trying on different outfits she finally settled on a pair of black pants and pink sweater. As she applied her makeup and did her hair she made a mental note to herself not to mention anything about what happened at Diagon Alley. The last thing she wanted was for James to become worried for her safety and give her a lecture about it being cautious. She glanced at the clock and she was relieved to see that she had five minutes to spare. She reached inside the bag in her closet that concealed her gifts and pulled out the tiny square box that contained James's present. Examining herself one last time in the mirror, she headed downstairs.
She could feel the excitement building as the clock ticked closer to five. She hadn't seen James since Petunia's wedding and she was looking very much forward to seeing him again. As if right on cue the door bell rang a little after five. Lily rushed to the door and held her breath as she opened it. She smiled as she saw James standing in the doorway, cloaked in a black robe and casually leaning against the doorway.
"Hello, love," grinned James.
"Hi," beamed Lily as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her back tightly. It had only been a few days since he had seen her, but it had felt like an eternity. He pulled back a little so he could kiss her.
"Come on inside," said Lily as she grabbed his hand and led him into the warm house. "So how have you been?" James removed his cloak and hung it up on a rack by the front door.
"I've been alright. But I'm better now that I'm seeing you," winked James. Lily giggled and shook her head.
"How is Sirius?" asked Lily heading towards the kitchen.
"He's all right," said James following her. "He as much of a git as ever. He's driving me completely mad actually and I can't wait for his little girlie to come and keep him company."
"I highly doubt that, James," said Lily giving him a sly smile from over her shoulder. They walked into the kitchen. Mrs. Evans looked up from the kitchen table where she was frosting Christmas cookies. She smiled and got up from the table as James entered the kitchen.
"Hello James," said Mrs. Evans politely. "Good to see you again." She wiped her hands on her apron and extended a hand.
"Hello Mrs. Evans, a pleasure as always," said James taking her hand and raising it to his lips. She giggled and Lily swore that she saw her mother blush. If her mother had held any suspicion or speculation towards James, it now was vanished forever. Lily smirked at James as he let go of her mother's hand and straightened back up.
"Um, James...uh, would you like to stay for dinner, dear?" muttered Mrs. Evans as she tried to control the reddening color in her cheeks.
"I would love to," said James pleasantly. Lily shook her head and tried not to laugh as her mother turned from them to return to her frosting.
"Want something to drink?" asked Lily.
"Sure," said James. Lily walked over to the refrigerator and James couldn't help but think how beautiful she was. Even as he stood there in her kitchen, he still did not believe that this was actually happening. Only in his dreams did he actually stand in her kitchen. Only in his dreams did he actually kiss her and did she kiss him back. He had to pinch himself everyday to remind him that the last few months were real and not just a hallucination or a figment of his imagination. She grabbed to bottles of soda and uncapped them.
"Mom, we are going to go up to my room until dinner is ready all right," said Lily as she walked over to James and gave him his bottle.
"Okay," said her mother absentmindedly. Lily grinned. She had a feeling that James's little stint was going to keep her in a good mood for the rest of the day. Lily and James walked towards the door and pushed it open.
"Lily! Keep the door open dear!" Lily froze in the middle of her step. James nearly crashed into the back of her. 'My mother did not just say that!' she thought to herself. She could hear James laughing from behind her and after a moment her brain kicked back in and she began to walk towards the steps. 'This is so embarrassing!' If she could have died it would have been right then. She was sure that her face was turning a bright shade of red; one that could have rivaled her mother's just moments before. They entered her bedroom and they both walked inside.
"Make sure you keep the door open," smirked James before bursting into laughter. Lily blushed and tried not to laugh.
"That was so embarrassing," said Lily with a slight laugh.
"That's just the way mum's are I guess," shrugged James. "But it does make me wonder how bad she thinks we are if she has to tell us to keep the door open. It gives me some ideas." James moved closer to her and Lily laughed at the familiar mischievous smile that always meant that he was up to no good.
"Don't get any ideas, Potter," grinned Lily, playfully giving him a warning look.
"Oh, so we are back to last names again, huh? Well all right Evans, if that's what you want." He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her.
"What am I going to do with you, James?" sighed Lily resting her arms on his shoulders as she gazed up at him.
"Well you can give me my Christmas present if you want," smirked James.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" said Lily excitedly. She let go of James and rushed downstairs. She forgot that she put it downstairs on the coffee table. She grabbed the tiny wrapped box and rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. As she walked down the hallway towards her room, she slipped the hand holding the present behind her back. When she re-entered the room James was standing by her vanity with his hands behind his back.
"That was quick," grinned James.
"Yeah, I forgot that I left it downstairs," huffed Lily trying to regain her breath. "How do you want to do this? Exchange at the same time or open them one at a time?"
"I don't care," shrugged James. "Why don't we exchange them at the same time?"
"Okay. On two," said Lily. A quick lurching feeling tugged in her stomach. She hoped that James liked her gift and didn't think it was lame. "One...two..." Both of them took their hand out from behind their backs and outstretched the presents in front of them. Lily noticed that the box for her wasn't much bigger than the box that she had for James. She felt her stomach unknot a little.
'Good, it's not a big huge gift," she thought to herself. They each took their present from one another and sat on Lily's bed.
"Open it!" encouraged James, nodding at the small green and red wrapped box in Lily's left hand.
"Okay," grinned Lily. She looked down at the box. "It's so beautifully wrapped that I feel guilty opening it."
"Well if you like the wrapping then I know you'll like what's inside," grinned James. "Come on, stop stalling and open it." Lily laughed and slid the red bow off the box. She turned the box upside down and peeled back the tape. She unwrapped the green paper. A little brown box that looked very much like a jewelry box, fell into her hand. Lily paused as she stared at the box.
'Oh no! He bought me jewelry!' she thought to herself. She felt the heavy lump of nervousness fall back into her stomach. She looked up at James who was watching her intently. She smiled at him, more out of nerves than anything else, and he smiled back at her. She looked back down at the brown box and with trembling fingers opened it. Inside was a pair of beautiful emerald earrings set in a silver backing. The emerald were the size of the nail on her little finger. She gasped as she looked at them. She stared at them for a moment. She had never seen anything so beautiful in all of her life. The emeralds sparkled as they reflected the light in her room.
"Do you like it?" asked James, searching her face. Lily's mouth was hung open as she stared at the beautiful emeralds in her hand. She slowly took her gaze of the emeralds and looked into James's hazel eyes.
"James...I don't know what to say. They are beautiful," said Lily. James's face immediately broke out into a huge grin.
"I hoped that you would like them," beamed James. Lily shook her head in shock and looked back down at the earrings.
"They must be worth their weight in gold. You did way to much," said Lily, looking back up at James, who was highly pleased with himself.
"Well, I saw them and immediately thought of you," grinned James. "Go on and read the inscription." He pointed to the top of the jewelry box. Lily was so absorbed in staring at the emeralds that she hadn't noticed the silver lettering on the inside cover of the lid. She titled the box so she could get a better view and read the words out loud.
"For the girl with the emerald eyes who has captivated my heart. XO James"
She looked up at James. "James thank you so much. I absolutely love them!"
"Happy Christmas," beamed James proudly. He leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. When they pulled back Lily looked at the box in James's hand.
"Now I feel horrible," said Lily a little downcast. "My present isn't as fancy as this one."
"I'm sure I'll love it," grinned James. He ripped open the green and blue wrapping paper. A black box with gold embroidery of a snitch on the cover fell into his hand. He opened the lid and Lily saw his face light up. Inside the box was a beautiful golden snitch. Its tiny wings were folded around the larger golden center. James could see an engraving on the round center of the snitch. He carefully moved the wings and immediately the snitch flew out of the box. With cat like reflexes he caught the tiny golden ball three feet in the air in front of him. He could feel the tiny wings beat against his palm but then suddenly stop. He opened his fist and began to read the engraving.
"To the boy who used to grab for my attention and ended up snatching my heart. Love, Your Flower."
James looked up at Lily who had a pained expression on her face.
"I told you it wasn't as good as yours," said Lily sounding a little disappointed in herself. James smiled at her and placed a hand on her cheek.
"I love it. I couldn't have received a better gift." Lily smiled and he kissed her once more.
The rest of the night was one of the best that Lily had ever spent. At dinner, she showed off her earrings to her mother and father with pride. James had never seen Lily so excited. She beamed through out the entire dinner and James couldn't help but notice how extremely beautiful she was. Even as they laid on her bed talking after dinner, he couldn't help but fill with pride each time she touched her ears to make sure the earrings were still there. They stayed there for a few more hours, just talking, listening to music, laughing and purely enjoying each other's company. Around eleven o'clock James decided that it was time to leave for home. Reluctantly they walked downstairs to the front door.
"Am I going to see you before New Year's Eve?" asked James, reaching for his cloak.
"I think so," said Lily wrapping her arms tightly around her chest. "I know that we both are going to be busy the next few days with Christmas and everything and Faith comes on the 28th. I bet she'll want to see Sirius so I'm assuming that I'll see you before then."
"Well, I'll talk to Sirius, but on the 29th or the 30th we should all get together and do something," suggested James, placing his gift in his cloak's pocket.
"That sounds wonderful! I'll ask Liz if her and Remus want to get together too. Maybe we can all go out to a disco or something fun," said Lily happily.
"Maybe. I'll send you an owl after the holiday's to let you know what's going on," said James.
"Okay," sighed Lily looking at James. They both stood there for minute looking at each other. Lily breathed in and touched her right ear. "Thank you for my present. I absolutely love them."
"Your very welcome, I'm glad you love them," grinned James. "And thank you for my snitch, it is the best present I could ever receive." Lily blushed and James loved it. He still liked that after these past few months he could still make her blush. "Well, Happy Christmas!"
"Happy Christmas!" smiled Lily. She reached up and hugged James. He pulled her close to him and kissed her one last time. Before she knew it, James was gone and she was left alone in the dim lit hallway.
Lily woke up Christmas morning to see snow falling outside her window. The sunlight poured in and lit up her room. She laid in the warm of her blankets for a moment; letting reality sink in. Suddenly, as if being dunked in a tub of cold water, the realization of the day hit her.
"It's Christmas!" yelled Lily excitedly. She threw the covers off her and jumped out of bed. Immediately she ran out of her room and down the hall. The door to her parents room was still closed and Lily knew that they were not up yet. She stopped at the door and banged it loudly.
"Come on get up! It's Christmas and time to open presents!" She banged twice more and, feeling certain that she had accomplished her task, she ran down the stairs loudly. She didn't know why, but Christmas always brought out the child in her. Lily ran into the living room where the tree was beautifully decorated and surrounded by presents. She ran over and plopped herself down on the floor. Immediately she started rummaging through the presents looking for hers.
"Happy Christmas!" yawned her mother as she appeared in the doorway in her light blue bathrobe.
"Happy Christmas to you too mum!" said Lily excitedly. Her mother yawned once more and sat down on the couch.
"Happy Christmas Lily!" said her father as he too appeared in the living room. His bathrobe was open, revealing plaid flannel pajamas. He walked over to his armchair by the tree and took a seat. "Okay pumpkin, you can pass out the presents!"
Half and hour later the living room was filled with wrapping paper. Only Petunia and Vernon's gifts were left untouched underneath the tree. Lily was quite pleased with her lot this year. She had receive several sweaters and blouses, two pairs of trousers and a pair of jeans, a cute pair of black shoes, a new purse, a bottle of perfume, plus the additional socks and underwear that always came with Christmas. The only present that she disliked was a horrible bright orange hat from her grandmother. But other than that, she was happy with everything she got. Once all the presents were open, Lily ran upstairs to take a shower and prepare for the day. They would be having Christmas dinner tonight and Lily had to help her mother prepare for Petunia and Vernon .
Everyone was due to arrive at five o'clock. Lily put on one of her new sweaters and a pair of her new trousers. She pinned her hair up on both sides so she could show off her new emerald earrings. She put on her new black shoes and bounced downstairs. Just as she expected the doorbell rang.
"Lily can you get the door please!" shouted her mother from the kitchen. Lily bounced over and as she approached the door, she could see the blurred outline of two figures; one tall and thin, the other stout and bulky. A feeling of dread rested in the pit of her stomach as she opened the door to see Petunia and her new husband standing in the doorway.
"Well move aside, it's positively freezing out here!" said Petunia pushing her way inside the house.
"Happy Christmas to you too," muttered Lily as she stepped aside, still holding the door so they could enter. Vernon pushed past her without so much as a glance. He set down the two bags of gifts next to him and took off his coat.
"Here," he grunted at Lily as he threw his coat at her. Lily caught it before it hit her in the face and glared at him.
"Petunia! Vernon! Happy Christmas!" squealed her mother as she entered into the hallway. She gave both of them a hug and all three of them walked into the living room, leaving Lily in the hallway with the door open and holding Vernon's massive coat. Lily smiled sarcastically to herself as she let go of the door, causing it to slam shut from its own weight.
"Lily are you coming dear?" called her mother from the living room.
"Yeah," said Lily. "I'm just hanging up Vernon's coat." Lily smiled to herself as she let go of the coat; letting it fall onto the wet, snow covered floor in the hallway. She made sure that she stepped on it as she exited the hallway and walked into the living room.
Christmas dinner was its usual interesting event. Petunia and Vernon spent the entire dinner bragging about their honeymoon and the sites they saw. By the time dessert was served Lily was ready to grab her napkin and shove in her sisters mouth. She swore that Petunia had actually become worse than her usual nasty self since she got married. After dinner, the family entered into the living room for the watching of the usual holiday specials. Lily couldn't help notice that the more port Vernon drank, the more purple his face got. By the end of the night he looked like a plum that was ready to be picked. As Lily heard her mother and father shut the front door after Petunia and Vernon drove away, she felt very tired. She said goodnight her parents, thanked them for everything and went upstairs. She opened her door and flicked on her light. Right away she noticed that her room had a chilliness to it. She took out her wand and warmed her room. Her presents were scattered about the floor and Lily made a mental note on picking it up tomorrow or the day after. She changed into a set of new yellow and red pajama's and crawled beneath her warm comforter. As she turned out the light and stared into the darkness she wondered how James's Christmas had went. She wondered if his family was anything similar to hers. She thought about how Faith was due to arrive in three days and how she couldn't wait to see her best friend again. As she lay there, she couldn't remember when sleep took over her body, but all she knew was that she was happy.
James rolled over and yawned. The sunlight peeked through his dark burgundy curtains, illuminated parts of his room. He blurrily looked at the clock that hung opposite his bed. It was half past eight. He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. He wanted another half hour before getting up. He was just about to doze off when he heard his door bang open and fill his room with unwanted daylight.
"Happy Christmas, Prongs!" shouted Sirius as he walked into James's bedroom.
James rolled over, knowing that it was useless to try and sleep.
"Happy Christmas to you too Padfoot," yawned James reaching for his glasses and sitting up in his bed. "You're up bright and early."
"No sense sleeping in when it's Christmas," said Sirius setting his wrapped gifts on the floor as he pulled out the chair in James's room.
"Yeah I guess so," said James as he looked at the gifts at the end of his bed. "Well, let's start."
In a matter of minutes James's room looked as if a gigantic piñata filled with wrapping paper had been burst inside his room. Fragments of Christmas wrapping paper and bows were scattered all over the room. Once every single present was opened. The boys sat their with massive satisfied grins on their faces.
"Good lot this year," commented Sirius as he surveyed his presents. "Thanks for the bag of Zonko products. I have some good ideas for Old Snivellus and Filch."
"That's why I got them for you," laughed James. "That should keep you entertained, for a while at least."
"Boys! Breakfast!" called his mother's voice up the stairs. The boys immediately abandoned their presents and ran out of the room. They laughed as they pushed and shoved each other as they ran down the hallway, down the stairs and all the way into the kitchen.
"My Merlin! I thought a heard of wild hippogriffs were stampeding around upstairs," said Mrs. Potter with a smile as the boys plopped themselves down in their seats.
"Well it's not my fault that Sirius has big feet, Mum," grin James as he helped himself to a stack of waffles.
"Or mine that your son runs like a girl," smirked Sirius as he grabbed the plate of scrambled eggs and scrapped them onto his plate.
"Happy Christmas boys," laughed Mr. Potter shaking his head.
"Happy Christmas Dad and Mum," mumbled James with a mouthful of food.
"Yeah Happy Christmas ," mumbled Sirius.
James and Sirius spent the rest of Christmas day playing with their new presents. Sirius tried out a new Zonko product that, if touched, would make the person act like a variety of magical creatures for half and hour. James and Sirius spent the next three hours crawling, sprinting and slithering around the house. Only once dinner was served did they boys calm down and act like normal human beings. After dinner the boys went outside and played a little one-on-one Quidditch until darkness made it virtually impossible to play anymore. The rest of the night was spent in quiet camaraderie as he groomed his favorite broomstick with his new service kit in the living room with his parents and Sirius. Sirius was lounging in the chair with a piece of parchment resting on his lap and the end of a long new quill in the corner of his mouth. He was reading the parchment with a furrowed brow and James had a feeling that it was either to his parents or to Faith. But James didn't ask and left his best mate to finish his letter in peace. Over on the couch in front of him was his parents. They were cuddled together, each with a glass of wine, on the couch in front of the fireplace. James smiled to himself as he saw his mother lean her head on his father's shoulder. As he saw his dad kiss his mother's forehead, he suddenly was filled with a sense of longing. Deep down he wished that it was him and Lily sitting on that couch in front of that fire.
'Someday," he said to himself. He returned his attention back to his broomstick and the image of Lily swirled in his mind. He hoped that she was having as nice of a Christmas as he was having.
The rush that was associated with the Christmas season was over. It always amazed Lily how fast the hustle and bustle of Christmas transfigured into New Year's. Lily sat in her living watching television. The day was December 28th and her best friend Faith Ravenwood was due to arrive around noon. Lily was so excited. She missed her best friend and was delighted at the fact that she would be staying with her until they returned to school. Lily laid on the couch with her feet up and lazily stared at the television. The soap opera she was watching wasn't very entertaining, but there was nothing else on television. Her mom was out visiting Petunia and her father was at work, which meant that Lily was alone in the house and, frankly, that was the way she liked it lately.
Lily glanced at the clock on the wall. It was quarter after twelve. She smirked and shook her head. It was just like Faith to be late. She was always late when she traveled, but Lily had grown accustom to it. She remembered the summer two years ago. Lily and her mother had went to King's Cross Railroad Station to pick up Faith. They waited an hour for her because she missed the first portkey and had to wait for another one.
"I hope she grows out of that when she becomes an Auror," said Lily to herself as a commercial interrupted the soap opera she was watching. A loud clunk drew her attention towards the window. Lily got up off the couch to go check it out. As she approached the front window, she heard a loud knock on the door. Peeking out from behind the curtain she saw a familiar black trunk resting on the front step. Lily beamed and ran to the door. She unlocked it and opened the door to see her best friend standing in the doorway with an enormous grin on her face.
"Hey Lils! Did you miss me?" Faith dropped her suitcase and gave Lily a hug.
"Faith! How are you!" said Lily embracing her best friend.
"Excellent now that I'm back in good old England with my best friend," said Faith. They let go of each other and Lily grabbed Faith's suitcase and Faith charmed her trunk to float inside the hallway. "How are you doing?"
"Good, no complaints," said Lily as she set down the suitcase. She straightened up and took a good look at Faith. "Faith! What did you do to your hair?"
"Do you like it?" asked Faith, taking off her leather jacket.
"I love it! How did you get it so long?" Lily grabbed Faith's shoulders and turned her around so she could see all of it. "And the highlights! They are beautiful!"
"Well, I went into one of the Wizarding shops in the U.S. and I found this potion that said it would grow my hair six inches in two hours. So I figured, what the hell, if I don't like it I can cut it off," said Faith as she flicked her hair. "And the highlights are a product of my cousin. She became a hairdresser since I've been over here and I had her do it and give my hair a little bit of a style."
"Well it looks beautiful!" grinned Lily. "Faith I have missed you so much." She gave her friend another hug.
"I've missed you too," laughed Faith hugging her back. "Now stop it. All this sentimental stuff is making me sick."
"Come on, let's get your stuff upstairs," laughed Lily, picking up the suitcase again and heading towards the stairs. "So how was your vacation? You didn't say too much in your letters."
"It was all right I guess," sighed Faith. Lily glanced behind her at Faith.
"Yeah, sure it was," grinned Lily. She knew Faith well enough to realize that a sigh like that meant that it was quite the opposite. "What happened?"
"Well it's a long story, but I'll try to condense it for you and spare you the not so pleasant details," said Faith, charming her trunk to follow Lily up the staircase. "Let's see where to begin...oh well, you got my letter about my brother and his girlfriend staying with us right?" Lily nodded her head. "Yeah, well, she came and stayed with us for Christmas."
"What's she like?" inquired Lily. Faith snorted loudly and Lily knew that it wasn't good.
"Well, let's just say that she is like a poison apple. She is sweet and beautiful on the outside but rotten and deadly on the inside."
"Faith she can't be that bad can she? I mean your brother wouldn't date a girl like that," said Lily entering her room and putting the suitcase down by the closet.
"Oh you better believe it. Lils, she makes Bellatrix look like a saint. She is nasty and she controls my brother worse than a drill sergeant. He runs his ass off for her. I bet you ten galleons that if she asked him to cut off his head he'd do it." Faith set down her trunk and looked at Lily in disappointment. "Let's just say that I was glad that I worked practically every moment I could while I was home."
"How are you parents?" asked Lily exiting the room.
"Good, the same as usual," sighed Faith, following Lily out of the room and down the stairs. "They were happy to see me for the first five minutes but then fell back into their usual routine of dictatorship." Lily shook her head and headed back down the stairs.
"They were that bad huh?"
"Well, they were all right until I received my letter from the Ministry," said Faith still following her down the stairs.
"Why did you receive a letter from the Ministry? I thought that they weren't reviewing applications until the beginning of next month?"
"Well, I guess that I was reviewed earlier," shrugged Faith, following Lily into the kitchen. "Oh it smells good in here. I love how your mom cooks."
"What did the letter say?" asked Lily, looking into the refrigerador. She dreaded the answer that she knew was going to follow.
"Well, it said that they have accepted me into the one-year Auror program," said Faith from behind Lily. Lily closed her eyes.
"Congratulations. I know that you wanted to get into that program," said Lily opening her eyes and trying to sound happy for her.
"Thanks, I was excited when I got the letter."
"How did you parents react when you told them?" asked Lily putting on a fake smile and handing Faith a bottle of soda.
"Thanks," said Faith taking the soda. She held the bottle in her hand and looked down at it for a moment. "Um, well, needless to say they were not pleased. It caused a big fight and to make a very, very long story short, my dad said that I betrayed him." She looked up at Lily with sorrowful eyes.
"Oh Faith, I'm sorry," said Lily sympathetically.
"He said that he felt that he had been patient and open with my unusualness and that the deal was for me to finish school and then come back to the U.S. to get a job. He said that if I stayed in England he was done with me and that I better not come to him asking for anything. Like I would ask him for anything anyways. I've been working every summer since I was fourteen to save up money because I knew that he would do this to me." Faith opened her bottle and avoided Lily's eyes.
"I know Faith," said Lily. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't imagine her parents ever saying that to her.
"Oh and the best thing is that my parents said that it was pointless for me to come back to the U.S. this summer to get my things. They said that all the things in my room was theirs and that since I want to live away from them that I can buy my own things. The only things I was allowed to bring was what I could fit inside the suitcase and trunk." Faith looked at Lily in disbelief. "Can you believe that Lily?"
"No, I can't," said Lily honestly. "Faith that is horrible. I'm surprised that you stayed that long with them. You should have come here right after the fight happened. My mum and dad would have been glad to have you stay with us."
"I was thinking of it," said Faith taking a swig of her soda. "But, I figured it's the last time I'll see them in a good while so why not stay the extra day." She smiled at Lily and Lily smiled back. "Oh! I have your present upstairs. Let me go and get it." Faith set down her soda.
"Hold on I'll follow you. Yours is upstairs too," said Lily putting down her soda down on the counter and following after Faith. The girls entered Lily's room and Faith opened her trunk. She pulled out a medium size box and a smaller box wrapped in Christmas paper. Lily walked over to her dresser and picked up the box that was laying on top of it.
"Merry Christmas Lily," said Faith handing the boxes over to Lily.
"Happy Christmas to you to Faith," said Lily handing Faith the box. Both girls sat down on Lily's bed and unwrapped there presents.
"Lily I love it!" exclaimed Faith, holding the black leather belt wand holder. "How did you know that I wanted one of these?"
"Well, I figured since you had such a hard time pulling it out of your robe and since you seem to use your wand more than anyone I know, (Faith laughed and shook her head at Lily) that this would be the perfect present for you," smiled Lily.
"Thank you! This is the best present," said Faith hugging Lily. "Now, slowpoke, open yours!" Lily unwrapped the bigger box first. Inside was a beautiful light blue sweater. "Do you like it? I saw it and I thought of you."
"Faith it is beautiful! I love it," said Lily holding the sweater up to admire it.
"I thought it would go well with your hair," said Faith examining the sweater as Lily held it up to her.
"It's gorgeous, thank you," said Lily folding the sweater and placing it aside. She reached for the smaller box and unwrapped it. Inside was a small silver chained bracelet with a silver heart dangling from it.
"It's a friendship bracelet. Look on the heart," urged Faith as Lily picked up the bracelet. On the heart was engraved, in small italic writing, 'L.E & F.R. BFF'
"Faith it is beautiful!" exclaimed Lily breathlessly.
"I have the other one, see." Faith extended her left wrist and sure enough was the exact twin of the Lily's bracelet. "You're my best friend Lils and I want us always to be best friends. I don't know what I'd do without you. "
"Me too," said Lily. She put on her bracelet and hugged Faith.
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