James was free to leave his room (glorified cell) at the exact same moment Lily was given the all clear by Madam Pomfrey. Lily stayed as long as she had to and not a moment longer before dashing straight out of the Hospital Wing and Sirius considered following but he knew where she was off to and thought he'd rather not experience the snogging that was no doubt to follow once she found who she was looking for.
Lily tore through the corridors, rushing past students who were lining up for their next classes and not paying them any mind at all. Her only thought: James, James, James.
She was on the second floor when she spotted him rounding the corner. He appeared just as frantic as her, his hand running through his hair until his eyes landed on her and a grin spread across his face as a grin spread across hers.
Lily couldn't help it, she started running down the corridor and he jogged. They met in the middle, crashing together, catching each other as they stumbled backwards. James leaned back wanting to look at her face. Everyone had told him she was fine but he needed to check for himself. He cupped her face in his hands and looked at her.
"I'm fine," she whispered, a smile on her lips. "Absolutely fine."
James kissed her forehead. "I don't believe you for a second."
She reached up, on the tip of her toes and pressed her lips lightly on his. "I'm just glad you're not a convicted murderer."
"Funny," James mused. "Come on, you should rest."
Their plan to lay in bed and do nothing was interrupted when they walked into the common room to see a full blown party in swing.
Ella folded her arms and stalked up to Sirius because who else planned these significantly annoying parties in the common room? No one, it could only be Sirius Black.
"Is a party really bloody appropriate?" she asked him.
"A party is always appropriate."
"Lily almost died and our house mate was convicted of murder and attempted-murder."
"Exactly. People need to get their feelings out."
"And a party is the way to do that?"
"People get a lot of things off their chest when they're drunk."
"People also become loud when they're drunk," Ella huffed.
"People become fun," he corrected.
"They become irresponsible and obnoxious."
"Didn't know you were allergic to fun."
"I'm not," she insisted.
"Here then," he said shoving his drink at her so she had no choice but to take it. She looked at it apprehensively. "It won't kill you, Dearborn."
With that he walked off to his mates leaving her alone with a drink and all she could think was, this is why dad gambles because of this stupid substance that everyone thinks is so great. She set the drink down and shut herself up in her dormitory.
She buried herself in a book and she was four chapters in when Marlene came stumbling in, off her face and sprawled herself across Ella's bed.
"Ellie, I don't think I like this world anymore." She rolled onto her stomach. "It's mean and cruel."
"It's life, Marls and don't call me Ellie."
"Life shouldn't be like this," she slurred. "It should be rainbow and cupcakes and smiles. Not death, blood and gloom."
"How many did you have?"
"A few. Nate cut me off so I came to complain to you."
"So more than a few then," Ella deduced. "Lovely."
Marlene squinted at her. "Come have a drink with me."
"I think you've had enough."
"Not nearly," Marlene assured. "Please?"
Ella frowned but Marlene snatched the book out of her hand and threw it across the room. "Oi!"
"Let's go," Marlene ordered.
"It's over."
Adaline's smile froze. "What?"
"It's over," Thomas repeated. "I really like you Adaline but I can't," he shook his head, "I'm never going to be part of your group and you don't take any interest in mine."
"I," she paused. She'd never done this before. Maybe if she had, she would have known what words to say to make him stay. Maybe if she had, she would've fought harder. But she hadn't and all she could feel was this crippling feeling in her throat so all she did was nod. She nodded and then she walked away. There was nothing else to be said.
She hadn't been in love with Tommy, not yet anyway but that was the point. She probably could have been in the sloppy, reckless way everybody fell in love for the first time. So she waited until he was out of sight before she let the first tear fall and she waited until she was a corridor away from the Gryffindor common room before drying her eyes and then she walked straight into the party.
The party she'd left to go find Tommy so she could bring him. She tried to push that out of her mind though.
Marlene and Ella were doing shots with James and Lily and Adaline was quick to join. Then entered Sirius Black into the mix. Things always seemed to get just a little more lethal when Sirius Black was involved.
"Let's play never have I ever," he suggested with a smirk that dared everyone to protest.
Lily wagged her eyebrows. "Never have I ever suggested to play never have I ever."
"Wow, Evans," he rolled his eyes taking a shot. "Never have I ever snogged James."
Lily rolled her eyes this time but drank up.
"Never have I ever been dumped before," Adaline blurted, before downing a drink.
Lily and Ella looked at Adaline. "What?"
"Tommy dumped me."
"Oh, honey," Lily sympathised and Marlene slipped an arm around Adaline's shoulders.
"Fuck him then," Ella brushed off. "Never have I ever dated a git."
"Don't you dare drink that," James warned Lily who giggled and downed her shot as James glared at her with a playful stare.
The game progressed until they became so sloshed that they were just blurting their problems out and drinking instead of actually playing the game.
"I actually liked him and he dumped me," Adaline whined, taking a shot.
"At least you haven't been almost killed. Twice," Lily countered.
"At least you haven't been accused of attempted murder. Twice."
"At least you haven't been disowned by your family."
"Does it count if my sister has sort of disowned me?"
"At least you people have siblings. I was an only child."
"You people have so many problems," Ella complained. "I mean really, Lily your sister is a hag but you have us so who's really complaining? And Black, your family are racist pigs, honestly you've done better with the Potters. And James, was being an only child of a rich, pure-blood couple really a hardship for you? Della, Tommy was like, average and boring, you could do better. Also you didn't die and you didn't go to Azkaban so I'd say you're both good."
"Well then what are your problems if you seem to think ours are so trivial?" he dared.
Ella narrowed her eyes. He knew what problems she had but that didn't make it his business.
"I don't make them other people's business," she retorted.
"Oh come on, Ella," Marlene said exasperated. "What about your dad's gambling problem? We're your friends, you can tell us this stuff…" Marlene seemed to realise what she had said however and clapped her hand over her mouth.
Ella stood up and stormed out of the common room. Only one person had known. Only one and that had been Marlene. And now Adaline, Lily, James and Sirius all knew.
She didn't know where she was going all she knew was that it was away but it wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching and Sirius Black stood in front of her.
"What?" she asked harshly.
"I don't want to be here anymore than you do."
"Then why are you?"
"Pulled the short straw," he admitted. "So your dad gambles. Can't be that bad."
Ella rolled her eyes. "My brother has moved out of the house because of it and my allowance was cut down to three galleons a month. You don't know shit."
"Okay so maybe it's pretty bad."
Ella crossed her arms. "Go away."
"I'm just trying to help."
"Yes, well you have the tact of a bloody dragon so please just go."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and said, "Fine." Before walking off. She waited until his footsteps faded before slumping.
He may have the tact of a dragon but she had the temper of one. Maybe she was just more angry because her mother insisted she come home for Christmas. That had been her one hopeful thought, that she'd get to avoid home until June and then she could keep avoiding it by moving out but that wasn't going to be the case when her mother personally wrote to McGonagall to make sure Ella would be home.
It's not that Ella didn't love her parents. She did but these people didn't feel like her parents anymore. The man who drunk and gambled. The woman too pathetic to leave him. She hated them.
She didn't go back to the Gryffindor Tower until grey light started to fill the corridor she was in and she found everyone sleeping in the dormitory. Lily and Marlene were in the same bed though, they'd probably tried to wait up for her but Ella didn't want to talk to Marlene.
Marlene wasn't the most trustworthy but she'd promised to keep Ella's secret. She covered for Ella with Alice's make-up. She'd been the only one who had known and a condition of that was that she couldn't tell anyone else but she'd told and Ella was mad. The kind of petty mad that made Ella want to tell a secret of Marlene's except she didn't have any bloody secrets because she was so bloody open with everyone.
Exhausted enough not to care in that moment, Ella went to bed though and when she woke she was alone in the room.
When the Knight Bus stopped in front of James' house Lily gasped. The property was surrounded by tall, stone walls with iron gates in the middle. The stone house inside the property was best described as a palace. It was symmetrical with eight windows on the running across all three levels and huge double doors in the middle. The drive leading up to the huge double doors was lined with medium sized hedges, which were snow capped. Blooming pink flowers snaked up the walls, framing windows and the front door so perfectly there wasn't a doubt in Lily's mind that magic was involved — as if pink blooming flowers in the middle of winter weren't a big enough giveaway. Snow covered the roof of the house and the grounds but someone seemed to have cleared the snow from the driveway making it easier to haul their trunks.
Lily remained silent as she took everything in, marvelling at just how wealthy the Potter family must be to have a house like this and the inside of the house didn't disappoint.
The foyer was extravagant. There was a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a grand double staircase, that Lily felt compelled to point out was marble, led upstairs with an intricately carved railing that gleamed. The floors were also marble and looked as though they had been polished only yesterday. To the right there was a huge archway that led to what looked like a library or a very large study, and to the left was an identical archway that led to a dining room and further on, what looked like a drawing room.
On a raised platform, where the grand staircase started, were two smaller archways on either side of the staircase leading to some sort of open space and Lily could catch glimpses of the backyard through glass doors.
Lily stared around in wonder, everything was so extravagant and she'd only seen the foyer.
James flicked her and she flicked him back.
"Your house is excessive," she told him.
"You should see the rest of it," he commented and she nudged him. "Come on, let's find mum."
The excessiveness of the house, Lily was debating on whether the term palace worked better, was further proven when the search for James' mother saw Lily through a small maze of corridors and doors, through the dining room, into a drawing room, through a door into a corridor, right into another, sunnier corridor, opened the door to a kitchen, ignored the kitchen, bypassed another closed door, opened the door to another dining room. James frowned, "Must be on the other side of the house then." Back up that corridor, taking a left at the end through to a wide corridor with red panelled walls and portraits of various people that Lily did not recognise. The corridor also had three sets of french, double doors that led to a porch that led to the back of the property and another set of more magnificent doors where voices could be heard.
"Ah, must be setting up for Christmas," Sirius commented and then, "Do we really want to go in there? She'll make us help."
"Sirius," Lily scolded as James led the way through the doors and Lily's jaw dropped.
The ballroom was magnificent with two story high ceilings and a curved double staircase, again marble, that led to an overhead balcony. Three large windows were evenly spaced on the right and left hand walls and the back wall featured a large, arched glass door that led out to some sort of balcony or porch.
Mrs Potter could be seen near the back surrounded by half opened boxes and three house elves, in front of six, tall Christmas trees that Lily assumed still needed to be moved into place.
"Wonderful, you lot got here just in time," Euphemia exclaimed. "We've just started with the trees. Oh, Miss Evans! Lovely to see you again," she greeted, her hazel eyes twinkling.
Euphemia was just as Lily remembered, with greying black hair and a warm smile, wearing the best witches fashion in silk, plum robes tied with a rope at the waist.
"Just Lily," Lily corrected, "And it's lovely to see you too, Mrs Potter and thank you for letting me spend Christmas here."
"It's just Mia, dear, and of course, the more the merrier!"
"Don't believe her," Sirius grumbled, "She just wants more people to help her set up for her party."
"Now, now Sirius, don't go scaring the guests away. So, Lily, what's your take on Christmas?"
Lily grinned. "Love it."
"Wonderful. After James shows you your room, you can come help me."
"Mum, Lily doesn't want to."
"Are you kidding me?" Lily turned to James. "I've never seen wizard Christmas."
"Hogwarts?" James pointed out.
"That's different," Lily insisted, ignoring the fact that she'd only stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas once and turning to Euphemia. "I'd be glad to help."
Marlene and Nate apparated to a quiet lane in Chudleigh before lugging their trunks across to their houses, Aria and Henry were walking way ahead of them, wanting to get out of the cold but Marlene didn't mind the walk especially now that her time with Nate would be limited. Nothing with their two families were ever quiet or lonely.
"So we're going to James' fancy Christmas Eve party if you want to join?" Nate asked, their clasped hands swinging between them.
"You mean James' mothers' fancy Christmas Eve party."
"Lily will be there."
"So will snotty, old purebloods."
"Ella will most likely be there too," he continued.
"I don't want to go. It'll be dull."
"I'll be there," Nate tried again. "Besides do you really think Potter doesn't have a secret party upstairs for all of us?"
Marlene considered. "You're going to make me come with you, aren't you?"
"Yep. Do your parents know about us?"
"No … yours?"
"No, just my sisters."
"Your sisters tell your mum everything."
"It's not my fault that Aria can't keep her mouth shut. She blabbed to Faith first moment."
"I suppose we'll have to bite the bullet," Marlene frowned.
"Is that really a bad thing?"
No," she smiled softly, slipping her hand in his. "I suppose it isn't."
Marlene barely had any time to fret about how she would break the news to her parents when they noticed their mothers and siblings chatting across the fence.
"Marlene Adams, when were you going to tell me that you and Nate were dating?"
"Mum," Marlene said, "We're dating."
"Looks like Faith can't keep her mouth shut either," Nate muttered.
"Oh please, I did you two a favour," Faith assured and though Marlene didn't want to admit it, Faith rather did save them an awkward conversation with their parents.
They all ended up in Marlene's living room, exchanging the latest going-ons over tea and biscuits as Marlene inspected the Christmas tree and adjusted baubles and ornaments as she pleased. The McKinnons ended up staying for dinner, as predicted by all the Adams and McKinnon children and later that night when Marlene and Nate slipped upstairs like they always did, Kate Adams hollered, "Door open!"
"Mum!" Marlene complained.
"I mean it!"
Marlene left the door open and sighed, "Good bye sleepovers."
Ella was not greeted by anyone at the train station as she requested and instead of apparating home as she'd promised her mum she'd do, she apparated to her brother's apartment in London. It was in a red building on the corner of two busy streets and she looked around nervously before pulling her hood up and trudging into the building and up the stairs to the second floor.
She knocked on the door with gold letters telling her it was apartment number eight.
"Mum know you're here?" he asked a moment after he opened the door.
"What do you think?" she muttered.
"Come in then." He pushed the door open further and let her in.
"You can't avoid them forever."
"Why not? You do." She walked down a narrow corridor that eventually opened into a living room and kitchen.
"I work in London, it just makes more sense, besides… nevermind."
The space was sparsely decorated, just a comfy set of cream couches, a wooden coffee table and some stools under the kitchen bench. No bookcases, no fruit basket, no ornamental pieces. Just furniture.
"Nevermind what?" she inquired.
"Nevermind," he repeated. "You should talk to mum again about leaving dad."
"It's not going to do any good," she grumbled.
"It might."
"Can't you come home for Christmas? I don't think I can deal with mum for a whole week."
"I'll be at the Potters for Christmas Eve and then I'll stay the night for Christmas."
"I hope you know that you're throwing me to the wolves."
"You'll be back at Hogwarts soon."
"Not soon enough," Ella grumbled. "I don't see why I have to be stuck with them."
Caradoc pursed his lips. "They're still our parents, Ella."
"They don't act like it."
"I know it's hard but," he paused, "Everything will sort itself out."
"Bullocks."
"It will. You'll see. You should go before mum starts to worry."
Ella shook her head. "Just a bit longer."
Caradoc nodded.
It was precisely twenty-seven minutes when Ella decided she could not put off the inevitable any longer and she stood.
"Promise you'll come by tomorrow?"
Caradoc smiled. They didn't look much alike. They were the kind of siblings who laughed when strangers claimed resemblance between the two. Caradoc was a lot more warmer than Ella was. His eyes were a soft brown, his almost honey blonde hair fell into his eyes and his natural state was happy. Caradoc Dearborn was the 'find the silver-lining' kind of person, the kind of awfully optimistic that Ella hated in everyone else but she couldn't help loving it in her brother.
Ella always saw herself as the opposite of how she was supposed to be. She was blunt and sometimes tactless. Her resting face didn't smile but rather emitted a 'get the fuck away from me' aura. She was resigned to the fact that her mum would never leave her dad and she was also resigned to the fact that her dad wouldn't stop gambling and he definitely wouldn't stop drinking no matter the consequences.
Caradoc on the other hand, he expressed optimism in all of that. Ella just didn't see the point in it.
Caradoc pulled her into a hug. "Everything will be all right."
She didn't think it would but she'd survive. "I'll see you soon." She stepped away and didn't look back, afraid she wouldn't be able to leave if she did and as soon as she was in a safe spot she turned and appeared in front of the Dearborn Manor.
Sirius walked up into the attic with a newspaper and said, "Brown's been sentenced twenty years."
"I saw."
"It should've been-"
"Don't say it."
"Life."
"Damn it, Padfoot," James cursed because of course Brown should have been sentenced life to Azkaban. The only reason why he didn't was because Brown was still school age which was complete bullshit because he was seventeen and should have been trialled as an of age wizard.
"Sorry … Lily still helping Mia out then?"
James nodded. He had wondered more than once over the past hour what they could have possibly been talking about. James didn't think he was wrong to be worried. His mum had no filter and Lily was the first girl he'd ever brought home so he had cause to be a little anxious at the thought of his mum and his girlfriend in the same room for, what was now, over an hour.
"Do you think your mum's told her the story about how you wrote to Santa for a love potion to make Lily like you in second year?"
James' eyes widened. "She wouldn't." But this was Euphemia Potter and leaving Lily alone in a room with her was a bad, very bad idea. "Shit."
Euphemia had never shied away from telling an embarrassing story about James. She had told Dumbledore that James used to 'play' Dumbledore when he was little — a game where James would reenact the final battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald wearing his mother's purple robes and usually with a paper beard.
"Fancy a look in the ballroom?"
"I bloody think not," Sirius scoffed. "Do you know how lucky it is that we aren't down there right now?"
James rolled his eyes but stood up anyways. "You're a coward." With that he trotted down the spiral steps into his room.
Opting to go through the doors that led directly into the ballroom from the first floor, James unlocked them with a password and a tap of his wand. Closing them behind him softly, he walked to the marble railing of the balcony.
Lily was floating several ornaments around a Christmas tree that was towered over her and James watched from his spot as with a twist of her wrist, the ornaments hung themselves in desired spots.
"You've such a good eye," Euphemia commented. "The boys have such bad judgement."
"Oi," James protested making his presence known and starting the descent down the curved staircase.
His mother glanced at him. "Well, it's true."
"Did you ever think that I did a terrible job so you'd stop asking me to help?" James proposed.
"You're not that cunning."
Lily stifled a laugh. "Come to help have you?" she asked.
"No," James assured. "Just came to make sure you didn't want to escape my mad mum."
"No, no. She's been telling me all sorts of stories."
James winced. "That sounds … lovely."
Euphemia's eyes twinkled. "I told her about the time I found you crawling in your own vomit."
"My personal favourite," Lily started, smirking, "Is the one where you used to pretend the mop was a flying broom and you'd run around the house narrating the most ridiculous Quidditch matches."
"Mum," James groaned.
"Yes, dear?"
James rolled his eyes before sighing. "Can Lily be excused because I feel like you've stolen my girlfriend?"
"Oh, I suppose. We've pretty much finished anyways."
"Are you sure, Mia?" Lily asked, already sticking her wand in her back pocket.
"Yes, yes go relax before dinner. Monty should be arriving home at any moment."
With no further ado, James dragged Lily back up the staircase and said, "Now onto funner parts of the house," and led her to his bedroom and up the spiral staircase to the attic.
"The attic is in your bedroom?" she asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked around.
The attic was pretty boring really but twelve year old James had begged his parents to let him move into the room with direct access to it like his life depended on it. It was a large space with old couches and odd bits of furniture placed about and unpolished french doors, the wood cracking off, led to a terrace that had a huge glass dome sticking out of it. His current room was smaller than his old one, which Lily now occupied, but the Marauders had made the attic into something of a nest the last couple of years. It was the room that inspired the Marauders Map. The room they'd studied up on animagi in. The room where they'd come up with half their pranks.
"So what's the deal with this party your mum's throwing anyways?"
Sirius sat up suddenly and truth be told, Lily didn't even know he was there for he was lying in a couch pressed the wrong way into a wall. "You, Evans, are about to experience your first ever pure-blood party."
"Uh-huh and how fancy are we talking?"
James shrugged. "Mum will lend you something." James paused. "Either that or she'll take you to Diagon Alley."
Lily nodded and then, "Will I be meeting all of your family then?"
"Uh," James ruffled a hand through his hair. "Yes … okay?" James asked her for she looked slightly pale.
"Right as rain," she said faintly.
"I think she's going to pass out."
"Yes, thank you, Sirius," she clipped. "Just a bit overwhelmed. I mean your house is a practically a palace — I don't even want to see the second floor — and you're mum all but called me her daughter and now I'm meeting the entire family."
"Oh and Brown only got sentenced twenty years to Azkaban."
James glared at Sirius. "What on earth made you think this was a good time to drop that?"
"Only twenty," Lily repeated softly. "Oh."
James walked over to her cautiously, studying her face as she seemed to process everything. She grabbed his arm as he steered her to a couch and forced her to sit and then sat next to her.
"If it makes you feel better, the McKinnons and Dearborns always come to my mum's Christmas parties," James piped.
"And you shouldn't feel special, Mia adopts everybody as her surrogate child. I'm case point," Sirius added.
"And the house is an arsehole. It vanishes anything left on the stairs. Do you know how many shoes this house has claimed into the void?"
"And we're the Marauders we can sort Brown out as soon as he gets back to the mainland."
Lily cracked a sly grin. "Did you just propose murder?"
"I'm already planning it," Sirius said seriously. "I mean one good hex right next to a mountain cliff, just strong enough to have him toppling over the side … we wouldn't even have to worry about a body."
Alice Vance was quite surprised to be finding out that this year, the Vances would be attending a Christmas Eve party hosted by Druella Black, also known as the mother of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, also known as her aunt, also known as her dad's sister.
Emmeline had thrown a fit. Alice had thrown a fit. Their mum remained tight-lipped. Their dad projected false optimism that it would be a grand night.
It was with dread that the two sisters dressed in their best robes together, doing each other's make-up and hair.
"Do you think we'll actually have to talk to Bella?" Emmeline wondered out loud.
Alice frowned. "What's your grudge against her lately anyways?"
Bellatrix had always been a little crazy and she was the least liked of the three Black cousins but lately, Emmeline had expressed a deeper hatred for her.
Emmeline pursed her lips. "Alice, I — just stay away from her."
"That's not an answer."
"Leave it."
"Come on, Emmy, just tell me."
"I'm not supposed to say." Emmeline stood up now and turned away from Alice but that only made Alice more determined.
"Why?"
"Please, just leave it. You'll understand one day."
"If I'm going to know one day, why can't I know now?" Alice pressed.
Emmeline bit her lip and then, "You have to swear to secrecy!"
Alice didn't dare smirk, if Emmeline caught onto Alice's satisfaction it would change her mind so instead she kept a smooth face and said, "Of course."
"No, you have to promise," Emmeline insisted.
"All right, I promise."
"You can't even tell Frank."
"I", Alice faltered for a moment before repeating, "All right, I promise."
Emmeline hesitated and then with a flick of her wand shut the door closed and placed a silencing charm.
"Emmy," Alice said uneasily, "What's all this about?"
"The Order of The Phoenix."
"The Order of the what?"
"The Order of The Phoenix," Emmeline repeated. "It's an order started by Dumbledore. A bunch of people are in it, including me."
"Okay," Alice said slowly, "And what does this have to do with Bella?"
"The Order, we fight against Voldemort. A secret resistance if you will." Emmeline paused letting it sink in and then, "Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband are death eaters."
Ella was in the foyer of her home five minutes before they were to leave. She had cleaned up well — she usually did. She was wearing royal blue robes that tied at the waist and she'd done her make-up and curled her hair so it bounced on her shoulders. She was ready to leave.
"Mum!" she shouted but it was her dad who responded stumbling out of a corridor wearing his dress robes. "Oh no," she denied immediately. "You cannot come!"
"Quiet," he demanded.
"Dad, you're drunk! You can't even walk straight!" Her mother, Anita Dearborn, walked out a moment later wearing burgundy robes, her hair in an intricate bun and enough make-up on her eyes to cover the fading bruise. Ella turned to her mum. "He can't come," she said flatly.
"He very well can't not come," Anita tsked. "What would everyone say?"
"I don't give a shit-"
Smack. Whatever Ella had planned to say was lost as her father's hand slashed across her face.
"Let's go," he ordered.
Ella walked to the fireplace, threw in the floo powder and stepped into the green flames and said, "Seaside Estate."
She stepped out to be greeted by Lily, James and Sirius.
"Hello, cousin," James greeted.
"Only second," she replied grouchily, "Do we really have to acknowledge that out loud? Hi, Lily. Sirius."
"Dearborn," Sirius returned.
"Ella, you look gorgeous and Merlin, are you actually wearing make-up?"
"Afraid so."
"Don't be fooled, Lily. She always wears make-up," James snitched.
"Only to events like these."
The flames burst and out stepped her parents. "Alcohol?" she asked Sirius.
"House elves are serving champagne. If you want heavier stuff … upstairs Red Room."
"I guess that's where you'll find me then," she muttered before stalking off as she could hear James reacquaint Lily with her parents. Anita and Albert Dearborn. She could hear them chatting politely through the introductions and all Ella could think was, what a joke?
She made her way up the two staircases to the second floor and into the Red Room where a table of liquor was waiting and she poured herself a double shot of Firewhiskey before downing it and then another.
Lily had met so many of James' relatives that their names were falling out of her head, much less the gossip of who they did and didn't like and so by the time Sirius suggested they take a break and sneak up to the second party, Lily agreed.
"Lily!" someone shouted as they were halfway up the stairs and Lily turned to see none other than Marlene Adams and Nate McKinnon arm in arm.
"Marls!" Lily greeted. "Nate! Come upstairs, we've better alcohol."
"Told you," Nate wagged his eyebrows at Marlene.
"Shut up," Marlene said walking ahead. "And Lily you look stunning!"
Lily looked down at the pale blue dress robes with gold floral stitching running through it that she wore and smiled. James had been right about Euphemia taking Lily out to Diagon Alley to find something to wear and Lily had always thought the fashion of dress robes to be rather boring and straightforward but she had found out that that was not the case. Robes came in all different styles and colours apparently. Tight-fitting ones, leather ones, ones that showed your feet, ones that plunged down maybe a little too far, ones that floated like clouds, ones with full skirts, ones with corsets stitched into them and so on.
Lily had tried on half a dozen before she decided on the ones she was wearing. They were made from chiffon and were clipped in at the bust before dropping to the floor in an elegant sweep and Euphemia had done Lily's hair up in a sleek bun. James had almost stopped breathing when he saw her.
"Thanks," Lily grinned, "So do you."
Marlene waved it off. "Faith lent me some robes."
"You look great," Lily insisted as they entered the Red Room.
The Red Room on the second floor was distinguished by red panelled walls with cream carpet and red couches with mahogany framing facing a white fireplace that had a fire roaring inside it. The room boasted an array of things from a pool table to a chess set and a gold telescope pointing out the window. A glass cabinet stood against one wall with a variety of crystal bottles holding all sorts of liquor so expensive that the cabinet had been charmed shut with a password by Fleamont Potter himself.
Sirius shoved a drink in her hand and she didn't hesitate to down it as Marlene watched with a sparkle in her eye.
"Don't judge," Lily insisted, "I've just met so many Potters that my own name is falling out of my head."
Marlene laughed, "No judgement. Is Ella around?"
"She's pretty tipsy," Sirius supplied, pointing to Ella who was talking to one of James' cousins.
"Is she wearing make-up?" Marlene asked.
"I know," Lily giggled.
Marlene and Nate departed to say hello to Ella and Lily found James talking to two of his cousins that she had met very briefly, Isabella Greenglass and Eliza Hocking. They were both first cousins from James' mum's side.
"Lily," James said brightly and she went and stood next to him. "You remember Isabella and Eliza?"
She nodded but before she could open her mouth.
"Of course she remembers us, we only met an hour ago," Isabella quipped.
"She's met a lot of people, Izzy," Eliza reminded her. "Mia does have a lot of friends and we aren't exactly a small family."
"Oh, right. Muggleborn," Isabella said and Lily spared a glance at James. "Do you know anyone here?"
"Just a few people from school," Lily supplied, "Sirius, Ella Dearborn, Marlene Adams and Nate McKinnon. Oh and Nicolea Flawley."
"Adams?" Isabella asked. "I don't think I've heard of that name before."
"She's a guest of the McKinnon family and a friend of ours," James said, eyeing his cousin oddly.
"Oi! Prongs! Time to go back down or mum will get suss!" Sirius shouted and James looked over his shoulder and nodded.
"Coming?" James asked Lily.
"I'll be down in a minute," she assured him. "I'll just finish my drink."
James placed a kiss on her cheek before running off with Sirius.
"So you guys are a little older than James right?" Lily asked.
"Yes," Eliza answered, "We're seven years older than James, but we," she gestured to her cousin and herself, "Were born in the same year."
"That would've been fun at Hogwarts," Lily remarked.
"Isabella was a Ravenclaw. I was Gryffindor so we didn't really run in the same circle of friends."
"Oh but still," Lily shrugged, she would have liked to have gone to school with family. "What do you guys do now?"
"I don't like you," Isabella announced.
"Izzy!" Eliza gasped. "I'm so sorry, Lily."
"Don't apologise to her," Isabella snapped. "She shouldn't even be here."
Lily was at a loss. She didn't think she'd done anything particular to warrant immediate dislike from her.
"She's been stringing James along for years. Everyone knows it. Why do you think he was never able to get over her?" she asked Eliza. "It's a terribly muggle thing to do."
Lily's eyebrow hitched up at that and then she looked into her glass. There was enough left to make it count and so she did. She jerked her arm forward tilting the glass so its contents spilled onto Isabella's silver dress robes. Isabella gasped looking down at her ruined garment.
"Whoops! How terribly muggle of me," Lily quipped before walking away to find James downstairs.
The ballroom was full of well dressed people holding flutes of champagne and chatting happily over the classical music the instruments played at the front of the room and it took a moment for Lily to spot James. He was talking to an older couple and the man had messy black hair. A Potter, Lily realised. Feeling more at ease, Lily walked over.
"Oh, this must be Lily!" the woman exclaimed. She was pretty in blush pink robes and her blonde hair tightly curled, smiling brown eyes.
"Don't scare the girl," the man warned. "I'm Jack Potter and this is my wife, Tilly."
Lily shook his hand and introduced herself even though they seemed to know who she was. "Lily Evans."
"Lily, these are my cousins, twice removed," James explained. "They're aurors."
"Now how many embarrassing stories of James has Mia managed to get out yet?" Tilly asked.
"Tilly," James complained.
"I'm just making sure none of the important ones were left out."
"Oh, I think Mia's covered plenty," Lily smiled. "How long have you two been together then?"
"We met in Auror training ten years ago," Tilly told her, "We got married three years ago."
"That's nice," Lily smiled all though she could not imagine waiting seven years to get married to James. They chatted some more with Tilly and Jack and unlike James' Greenglass cousins, they did not seem to be prejudiced against her and Lily found herself relaxing more.
"Heard you threw a glass of firewhiskey on Isabella," a voice said in her ear when James had stepped away.
Lily turned and frowned at Sirius. "She had it coming." Sirius raised a doubtful eyebrow. "She said that I had been stringing James along for years and that it was a terribly muggle thing to do."
"So how full was the glass?" Sirius asked.
"Pretty full," Lily answered. "I threw it on her and said, 'how terribly muggle of me.'" He laughed. "You don't think James will be mad?"
"Isabella is one of James' favourite cousins. They were always getting into mischief together like do you remember in third year, the puppy debacle at breakfast?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that was all James and Isabella. They'd planned it for weeks because James had it in his head that he wanted to smuggle a dog into the school and Isabella was more than happy to play along. But you know James, Lils. He doesn't tolerate that sort of talk so no, he won't be mad at you."
"What if he doesn't believe me?"
"I'll knock him one."
"Padfoot! The Prewett brothers want a game of pool," James shouted over the railing.
Christmas Eve at the Bennett house was relatively calm. It was one of the only times in the year when you could find all four Bennett siblings under the same roof as their parents and it was one of Adaline's most favourite times.
Elijah, Ezra and Emmett. Her brothers who were all scattered across the world pursuing all sorts of different things. Elijah pursued adventure as a curse breaker in South America. Ezra pursued love and followed his Italian wife wherever she went — she was a travel journalist. Emmett pursued danger as a dragon expert in Norway. But now, they all sat in their parents living room, drinking egg nog and telling stories and of course, all three brothers showered Adaline in gifts. They always did.
"We have a little announcement," Rosa, Ezra's wife said. Rosa was exotic with her olive toned skin, dark eyes and thick eyebrows but her face was sweet with big round eyes, and full lips that stretched into a pretty smile.
Ezra looked at Rosa with a sloppy smile and then the announcement and everyone stood, clapping and laughing and cheering. The littlest Bennett was on their way.
Alice seemed to have forgotten how grand Black Manor was. She'd forgotten how their home felt more like a museum than a home with it's marble, double staircase and how tall the ceilings were. She'd forgotten how the portraits were life size and she'd forgotten about how many house elves worked there. She'd forgotten how everything gleamed and how old everything was. She'd forgotten about the Black family tree that sprawled out on the walls in the ballroom, she'd forgotten that by marriage, she was on that family tree now.
It seemed so silly that she should be on it and Sirius Black wasn't. She'd made effort to find where his name should've been but all she found was a black scorch mark. They really had disowned him and thinking about all her sister had said about Bellatrix Lestrange, Alice wondered that he got the better half of the deal. Andromeda, too, she supposed.
It had been a while since she had thought of Andromeda Black, well Tonks now. Alice wondered if she missed all of this.
"Have you thought much of what you want to do after school?" Bellatrix asked Alice, catching Alice by surprise as she stepped next to her.
"I — I'm planning to go into the Auror department."
"You know, the Dark Lord could use a wand from the Auror department…"
Alice stiffened. "No. I really must go and find Emmeline." Alice walked away before Bellatrix could say another word and she found Emmeline quickly. "Can we leave yet?"
"What's wrong?" Emmeline asked and Alice quickly told her. "That bitch. You're not even out of Hogwarts yet!"
"Can we go? I hate it here."
"I — the Black's are announcing something, I think we're supposed to wait. Have you noticed a lot of Malfoys are here?"
"Cissy is dating Lucius Malfoy," Alice shrugged. "Maybe they decided to combine Christmas."
The reasons for so many Malfoys present was revealed when Cygnus Black stood up in front of all his guests.
"It is my divine pleasure to announce that my daughter, Narcissa, is engaged to be married to Lucius Malfoy, son of Adele and Marcus Malfoy. May this union be blessed and continue on the line of pure bloodlines. Every happiness to Narcissa and Lucius!"
"Okay, now can we go?" Alice huffed.
"You know, Fab and Gid are at the Potters…"
"What are we waiting for?"
His mother managed to find him coercing Twinkle to serve food upstairs to the Red Room.
"Is it any coincidence that all the young ones are missing and you want the house elves to serve food upstairs?" she asked her son.
"Not really. You don't want us to drink on empty stomachs do you, mum?"
She shook her head. "How's Lily doing?" Mia asked.
"Well Isabella disagrees with the fact that she's muggle-born so naturally, Lily threw a drink on her."
Mia laughed. "I like her."
"She's pretty great," James agreed.
"You make a nice couple together."
James smiled. "So do you and dad."
Mia snorted. "Go on. Get to your anti-party. I'll make sure food gets there."
He kissed his mum on the cheek. "Thanks mum." And then dashed off.
He found Lily in the Red Room. "Oh, you haven't seen Ella have you?" she asked.
"I was in the kitchen. Where was I going to see Ella?" he asked.
"In the kitchen?" she shrugged before sighing. "She'll turn up, I suppose. Did you see Alice and Emmeline?"
"They're here?"
"Yeah, they just came from Black Manor where apparently Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy announced their engagement."
"I suppose it'll be in the papers soon enough. Witch Weekly might even do a cover story."
Lily slipped her arms around James' neck. "I didn't know you kept up with Witch Weekly."
"I don't but that's the sort of thing that happens. Jack and Tilly's wedding was covered in Witch Weekly."
"Really?"
"Yep, I was on page six."
Lily laughed. "Of course you would remember that."
"When our wedding is covered, we'll be front page."
"And who says I'll marry a git like you?"
"Me, of course," James grinned.
"Of course," Lily agreed, leaning in so their lips pressed together softly.
Sirius was the one who found Ella in the corridor that led to the library with her dad, the door to the corridor slightly ajar and Sirius stepped closer to push it all the way open but then he froze. He recognised that tone of voice and it froze him to his core.
"How dare you embarrass me!" Albert Dearborn shouted and then the unmistakeable crack of a slap. Yes, he knew this all too well.
"You embarrass yourself!" Ella bit back. "You're the one who's always drunk. You're the one who's lost all our money."
Another crack. And another. A shuffle. Move, he told himself, just move! But his body was petrified.
"Enough!" Ella demanded.
Another crack. "It's enough when I say it is!" Another crack. Something snapped in Sirius and his muscles finally started moving again and he pushed the door open.
He stepped into the room. "What's going on in here?"
Ella and Albert looked at Sirius, Ella avoiding his eyes. "Go away, Black," she insisted.
"I was sent to find you. Mia needs some help in the kitchen."
Ella brushed past Sirius as she walked out and Sirius was quick to follow her. He waited until they were in the kitchen to ask.
"I thought your dad gambled."
"He does. Where's Aunt Mia?"
"Probably in the party. Does he always hit you?"
"It's none of your business." But she was hugging herself and turned away from him. Sirius cursed.
"You can stay here, you know. Mia wouldn't mind."
She shook her head. "He'd blame mum and he's drunk." He thought she wasn't going to elaborate but she did. "He's a mean drunk."
"What did you do to piss him off?"
Ella was quiet for a moment. "Mum called me out, saying I was drunk and I said, 'now I'm just like dad'. Dad heard and he didn't like that."
Sirius flicked his wand at the fridge and ice cubes floated out, wrapping themselves in a tea towel. Sirius plucked it out of the air and gave it to Ella, "Here. It'll help with the stinging." She took it and hissed when she pressed it to her cheek. "And Ella," Sirius said, "It's not your fault. Your dad's a dick. Sprinkle, with me," he ordered the house elf closest to him.
Sirius left the kitchen, leaving Ella to collect her thoughts.
"Mister Sirius?" Sprinkle inquired.
"Prepare a drink for Mr Albert Dearborn and put some of Mia's sleeping potion in it. After he drinks it, escort him home. He's got a headache."
"Yes, Mister Sirius."
The Adams' and the McKinnon's always had Christmas lunch together and that was not something likely to change anytime soon and Marlene hoped it never would. Nothing had ever felt more like home than sitting on a table with her family and the McKinnon's as they talked and laughed and ate, falling into a rhythm that could only be forged by so having so many meals together.
After dessert, Marlene and Nate went for a walk through the snowy town. It was always so quiet on Christmas day and Marlene revelled in it.
"Nate," she murmured, her hand squeezing his just a little bit tighter. "I think I'm in love."
He squeezed her hand back. "Who's the lucky sod?"
"He's quite handsome," Marlene told him. "Blue eyes to die for, nice brown hair and the sweetest personality. I've known him forever."
"Marlene," he murmured. "I think I'm in love."
A small smile formed on her lips. "Who's the lucky wench?"
"She's quite the stunner," he told her. "Blue eyes, pretty blonde hair like the sun and the most adorable personality. I've known her forever."
Marlene McKinnon knew, just from the words that left his lips, that this Christmas was better than all the others. Her first Christmas where she was in love and happy. No one forgot that. In fact this was one of the moments she thought about in the end.
Lily looked at the necklace with awe because it was by far one of the most prettiest things she'd ever seen. It was an old piece of jewellery with a gold setting and tiny pearls encasing a perfectly round sapphire the size of a galleon and it was no doubt the most expensive thing Lily had ever held.
"Mia, I couldn't possibly accept this," Lily said, as it was quite obviously, a family heirloom of some sort.
"Nonsense," Mia waved off. "I have so many of those and no one to wear them."
James shuffled over and grabbed the necklace and fastened it around her neck, the pendant falling between her breasts, "Perfect," he declared and Lily smiled, eyes cast down at the glittering thing.
"Thank you, I," but Lily was at a loss for words. She put her hand over the pendant and looked over at Euphemia and Fleamont, "It means a lot to me."
"That necklace was James' great-grandmothers," Fleamont told her, "She was a red head like you."
"Seemed fitting to give that one to you," Mia added.
"Can we get on with the other presents?" Sirius complained. "Lily's hogging up all the attention."
Lily poked her tongue out at him but threw him his present from her. "Here."
He opened it quickly and looked at it with furrowed eyebrows. "What is it?"
"Those are army tags," Lily explained. "Soldiers in the muggle army wear them. I had a set made with your name."
"Marauders Squadron," he read off the second tag.
"Yep, you four all got matching ones," she explained just as James opened his. "Oh and you get this," Lily added throwing another present at James' head. He caught it easily though and started ripping it open, pulling out a silver necklace with a cross on it.
He looked at the odd symbol and Lily explained, "It's another muggle thing. Muggles believe that there's a God and if you wear the sign of the cross, he'll protect you."
James smiled and slipped the chain over his head. "Thank you," he kissed her cheek. "And I suppose you want your present now." He presented her with a velvet pouch. Lily opened it carefully and out came a gold ring holding a rectangle ruby and Lily was stunned into silence once more. "You don't hate it do you?"
"It's beautiful but James, it's too much, I can't.."
"Shh, you can," he insisted, taking the ring out of her hands and slipping it onto her middle finger. "See? Perfect fit."
Christmas day after that was a quiet affair in the Potters drawing room, where James and Fleamont tried to teach Lily the art of chess and Sirius played some sort of old card game with Mia. It was everything that Christmas should be and something that Lily hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Christmases at home were always lovely, of course, there was always that sense of, well, home but there was also the underlining hostility that always came with Petunia. That sense that she'd be happier if Lily weren't there. Here, Lily could admit that this family would be just as happy if Lily weren't there but she also knew that they wanted her there and it was everything that Christmas should be.
Author's Note: Hello Everyone! Thank you so much for reading and an extra special thanks to those who review, fav and follow! For a writer it really does mean a lot even if it's something small.
-Natalie xx