Sunday, January 8, 1978
Lily woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by James's familiar grin as he stood beside her bed, a plate of food in one hand and a mug in the other.
"Good morning," he said, setting the plate on the bedside table and handing her the mug of coffee. She took a sip and smiled, because it was exactly the way she took her coffee (two creams, no sugar). "I thought I'd bring you breakfast in bed."
She pushed herself into a seated position, careful not to spill the coffee, then patted the mattress, and he climbed into bed beside her. She nestled close to him and sat sipping her coffee in contented silence. Outside the window the grounds were covered with a fresh blanket of snow. Lily curled her fingers around the mug and savored the cozy, peaceful feeling as the coffee warmed her fingers and James tucked the blanket more tightly around their legs.
"I had an idea," he said, passing her the plate of food. "For what we can do today, if you want."
"Can't we just do this all day?"
She took a bite of toast spread with a thick layer of strawberry jam. Strawberry jam was her favorite, but she couldn't remember ever mentioning it.
He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "We could," he said. "But I was thinking it would be fun to do something with everyone. We could go to the library and try to finish all the homework for tomorrow, and then we could play Exploding Snap or go sledding or go into Hogsmeade."
She turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. "That sounds like it might be a bit awkward, seeing as Sirius and I aren't speaking to each other."
James ran a hand through his hair and smiled, an uncertain, hopeful smile.
"Well, I was thinking maybe you two might be ready to—"
"No."
She leaned over him to set the plate on the bedside table, because it was clear the breakfast in bed was all part of James's plan to persuade her to forgive Sirius. First thing Saturday morning, Sirius had sat across from her at breakfast and mumbled his idea of an apology without even bothering to swallow his mouthful of bacon first. When she made it clear that she wasn't ready for his half-hearted "I'm sorry," Sirius became surly and defensive and ended up shouting at her all over again. They had spent the rest of the day ignoring each other except for the occasional scathing look or pointed comment. She loved James's optimism, but if he thought bringing her coffee and toast in bed was going to make her forget what an arsehole Sirius had been, he really needed to lower his expectations.
"Come on, Evs, just give it a chance," he said.
His eyes were wide and earnest, and there was a pleading note in his voice. A hot wave of guilt washed over her as she realized how much it pained him to be caught in the middle. For a moment she considered giving in and accepting Sirius's pathetic apology if it meant wiping the desperation from James's face, but the impulse passed when she remembered Sirius's unbridled fury.
"I'm sorry, James," she said, touching his arm. "I know you hate that we're fighting, and I feel awful about that, I really do, but I can't just move on like everything's fine. I'm too angry."
He gave a resigned nod and slipped an arm around her. They sat together for a while longer, but the blissful tranquility of earlier had vanished, and the remains of her breakfast sat uneaten on the plate.
"...I'm just saying, it's perfect snowball snow. If we go outside and make a few, a cooling charm will keep them from melting until we can get them up here, and there's nothing funnier than the face Pete makes when you hit him with a snowball."
Lily's body tensed when she heard Sirius's voice, and she began to disentangle herself from James, suddenly eager to be anywhere else.
"I'm not doing that," Mary complained, following Sirius into the room and flopping down onto his bed. "That's mean. Besides, we should really try to get the Transfiguration homework done. It's going to take ages. James, Lily, do you want to work on that with us?"
Lily cast a contemptuous look at Sirius and stood up. "I'm not working with wankerface," she said, stooping to put on her shoes.
"Evans, you shouldn't talk about Moony that way," Sirius said.
He stretched out on the bed with his legs draped across Mary's body, a mocking smirk on his face that made Lily want to slap him.
"You know perfectly well who I was talking about," she said coolly. "Anyway, I'm going to go get dressed, then I'll be in the library if anybody who's not an arsehole wants to join me."
"But you didn't finish your breakfast!" James protested.
She walked out the door without bothering to reply.
An hour later she descended the stairs to the common room and stood beside James's chair. Her damp hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she wore James's old Quidditch jersey and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. She hoped wearing her most comfortable clothes would bring back the relaxed happiness she had felt earlier, but that hope evaporated when she saw Sirius seated on the floor, leaning against Mary's legs. Peter and Remus sat sharing a box of Bertie Botts, sneaking nervous looks at Lily and Sirius.
"Evans, I've had another idea," James said, reaching up to guide her down onto his lap.
"If it involves this tosser, I'm not interested," Lily said, jerking her head in Sirius's direction.
Sirius glared back at her. "Prongs, would you please tell your girlfriend not to be such a bitch?"
"Oi!" James held up a hand, and they both fell silent. "Uncalled for, both of you. And also, what makes you think I can tell Evans what to do and live to tell the tale?"
Lily smiled in spite of the sharp jolt of anger that had just shot through her body, and she thought she saw a hint of amusement on Sirius's face underneath the surly frown.
"Anyway, like I said, I have an idea. We're going to go outside and have a snowball fight. And not a regular snowball fight. An extreme snowball fight."
Mary twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "What's an extreme snowball fight?"
"We split into teams and each team builds a snow fort and you have to try to steal the other team's flags," James explained. "You have to be strategic about it – you can't just throw your snowballs all at once."
"It's really fun," Peter said. "We bring snacks, and usually firewhisky."
"That doesn't sound awful," Mary said, nodding.
"And we light a fire so we don't freeze," Remus added. "Last time we were out there all day. Pete and I made a really excellent snowman while we were waiting for those idiots to make a move."
"It was a snow woman, actually," Peter said, grinning. "Looked a bit like Rosmerta."
"No it didn't," Sirius said. "It is perfect snowball snow, though. I say let's do it. You can stay inside and do homework if you don't want to come, Evans."
"I'm not staying inside if everyone else is going." Lily looked at the painfully hopeful expression on James's face, and her resolve began to crumble. "Fine, I'll do it, but can Sirius and I be on opposite teams so I can take pleasure in throwing snowballs at his stupid face?"
"That's actually a good idea," Sirius said. "But I hope you're ready, because I take no mercy when snowballs are involved. Don't go crying to Prongs when you have snow dripping down the back of your neck."
"Oh, shut up," she snapped. "I can handle your stupid snowballs."
"I was thinking you could both be on my team, actually," James said with a mischievous grin.
Lily crossed her arms and scowled at Sirius. "Absolutely not."
"Come on, Prongs, let me throw snowballs at Evans until she cries!"
"But we're always on the same team," James reasoned. "And I wouldn't be able to throw snowballs at Evans. I'd feel too bad." He kissed Lily on the cheek, then gave the end of her ponytail a gentle tug. "So you're both stuck with me."
"Will you feel too bad to throw snowballs at me, Black?" Mary asked.
Sirius turned around to look at her and laughed. "Fuck no. I'm going to really enjoy throwing snowballs at you, actually."
She grinned and nodded. "I figured. Me too, honestly. I bet you get angry when you get hit with a snowball. I'm looking forward to laughing at you."
"Guess you're stuck with us, Mary," Peter said. "Padfoot and Prongs talk a big game, but we always build a better bunker. And we bring better snacks."
"I just remembered I told Seven I'd spend the day with her," Remus said, looking distraught.
"Just tell her you'll shag her later," Sirius said, smirking. "You'll be half frozen when you come inside anyway, so you'll need something to warm you up."
"Oh, shut up, shagging isn't all we do," Remus snapped.
"Ask her to join us," James suggested. "It might help having her on your team, actually." His face lit up as he turned to Sirius and added, "And if Seven joins us we can use brooms!"
"Excellent," Sirius said, turning to Mary. "We decided brooms aren't fair because Prongs and I are the only decent fliers, but if we have, Seven I'd say it's perfectly fair."
"I dunno if she'll want to," Remus said, shifting in his seat and glancing across the room at the table where Seven sat doing homework with her friends.
"Rubbish," James said. "I'll ask her." He raised his voice and called, "Oi, Seven! Do you want to come have a snowball fight with us?"
"This means you'll have to wait a bit for Moony to shag you silly, but he'll make it up to you," Sirius added, winking at Remus.
"I fucking hate you," Remus muttered. His cheeks flamed as Seven joined them, giggling. "Sorry about that. You don't have to if you don't want to," he said to Seven. "But it is a lot of fun, and brooms are allowed, and you can throw snowballs at Sirius's face, which is always fun."
"Yeah, why not," she said, grinning and leaning against the arm of Remus's chair. "It's worth it just to see you all bundled up in five jumpers. It's one of the most adorable things I've ever seen."
"Don't encourage him, Seven," Sirius protested. "We all know he looks ridiculous."
"You've been known to wear a cowboy hat with Chudley Cannons pants and nothing else," Remus said, chuckling. "So I'm not going to take any fashion advice from you too seriously."
Once they had piled on coats and hats and scarves, and James had charmed all the mittens to repel water for optimal snowball-forming capabilities, they made the trek down to the Entrance Hall. They were sweating in their heavy layers by the time they made it outside, and the brisk winter air felt bracing on their faces. A foot of fresh snow covered the grounds, and their footprints marred the otherwise untouched stretch of white as they trudged across the grounds toward the forest.
"Okay, we can split up here," James said. "We'll take this side, and you set up camp anywhere between here and the path to Hogsmeade. We should allow a good hour to choose a spot and build a fortress before we make any attacks."
"Keep your wits about you," Sirius said. He scooped a handful of snow and formed it into a ball, then tossed it into the air before throwing it at Peter's feet.
"You keep your wits about you," Remus retorted. "We have Seven on our side this time, so we might actually stand a chance."
"What about me?" Mary asked, affronted. "Am I not a valuable addition to your team?"
"Not if you throw a snowball anything like you throw a Quaffle," Sirius said. "Come here."
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss. When their bodies pressed closer together and Sirius's hand drifted lower, Lily made a gagging sound and looked away.
"For fuck's sake, nobody wants to see that," she muttered.
"Wrap it up, Pads," James said, grinning. "We've got to get started so we can have as much daylight as possible."
"All right, all right," Sirius said after releasing Mary. "It's going to be a long afternoon, you know? Gotta get in a quick snog while we can. Macdonald will be pining for me."
"I think I'll survive, Black," Mary said, but her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed.
"Oh, here," James said, pulling one of the two-way mirrors out of his pocket and handing it to Remus. "Use this to let us know when you're done building your bunker."
"Feel free to also use it to show me what color bra and pants you're wearing," Sirius said, glancing sideways at Mary and flashing her a mischievous smile.
"Don't be stupid, Black, it's too cold for that," she retorted.
"All right, let's go," James said. "Good luck, and may the best team win."
They walked along the edge of the forest until they reached a small cluster of trees. James surveyed the area, then looked at Sirius. After some consideration Sirius nodded, and without a word they both set to work building a snow fort. For the moment Lily's anger at Sirius was forgotten as she watched the two of them dig out an area large enough for the three of them to sit comfortably. Then James formed the snow into blocks and stacked them into walls, while Sirius shaped snow into a turret that resembled the Astronomy Tower. When they finished and stood back to admire their work, Lily marveled at the structure that stood before them where a few minutes before there had only been unblemished snow. James smiled when he saw the wonder on her face.
"We've done this once or twice. ," he said, running a hand through his hair and inspecting the walls for any weak spots. "It is pretty impressive, isn't it?"
"Oh, Prongs, we've forgotten the flags," Sirius said.
He gave a flick of his wand, and three flags appeared at the top of the turret. One had an image of a stag, the second bore a dog, and the third proclaimed Lily Evans is a miserable bitch in flashing red and gold letters.
"Lovely," she said, glaring at him through the tiny gap between her hat and the scarf wrapped around her face.
"You like that?" Sirius gazed at the flags with satisfaction. "I couldn't think what to do for you, and you don't have an Animagus form, so I improvised."
She rolled her eyes. "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"
"Change it, Padfoot," James said, heaving a sigh of frustration.
"No, it's fine. Don't bother."
Lily watched the flag fluttering in the breeze, then cast another glare of disgust at Sirius before stepping inside the snow fort. James and Sirius followed, and the three of them stood around gazing at their new hideout.
"We usually run out of ideas after doing the outside," James admitted. "So if you have any thoughts about what to do in here–"
Before the sentence was out of his mouth she was pointing her wand at the thin layer of snow on the ground, forming it into seats and a table. She even added a fire pit in the middle of the room and filled it with bluebell flames that would keep them warm without melting the structure around them.
"Nice work, Evans," James said, sitting down in one of the snow chairs and warming his hands over the fire. "How do you get the chairs to be so comfy?"
She sat down beside him and shrugged. "I don't really know, to be honest. They just came out that way."
Sirius scowled at Lily and cast a sidelong glance at the chairs before settling on the ground. Oh, grow up, Lily thought, sliding down in her chair and stretching out her legs to demonstrate how comfortable she was.
James's smile faltered as he watched the silent exchange. Lily took his gloved hand in hers, but the troubled crease between his eyebrows lingered.
"Come on, let's make our stockpile of snowballs," he said, getting to his feet and striding out of the snow fort.
Lily glanced at Sirius, then hurriedly looked away and followed James outside. Sirius joined them and they worked in silence, forming snowball after snowball and levitating them onto the landing of the turret. When they had a good supply, they returned to the snow fort where James pulled the mirror from his pocket and spoke Remus's name. He repeated himself three times before Remus's face filled the mirror, so obscured by layers that he was almost unrecognizable.
"Sorry, had to move so it wouldn't give our position away," Remus said. Behind him Lily could make out what looked like the inside of an igloo. "Are you ready?"
"We're ready when you are," James said. "I feel compelled to tell you that we have a very generous supply of snowballs at our disposal, so if you want to give up now, we'll understand."
Remus laughed and tilted the mirror so that Peter's face could be seen.
"You hear that, Pete? Prongs wants us to give up."
"That's an, er, interesting suggestion," Peter said, grinning.
Mary nudged Peter aside. She had removed her hat, and her limp, flat curls fell around her face. "What he means is sod you, we're not missing out on the opportunity to throw snowballs at you and Black."
James shrugged. "Suit yourself. All right, commence recon mode. And remember—"
"Only three snowballs per person are permitted during recon mode, we know," Remus said. "This isn't our first snowball fight."
James tapped the mirror to end the connection, then turned to Sirius and Lily.
"I think I'll take my broom and do recon," he said. His tone was casual, but Lily didn't fail to notice the conspiratorial glint in his eyes. "You two stay here and hold down the fort. If they try to attack, just pelt them with snowballs."
He gave Lily a quick kiss, then set off before either of them had time to protest. They stood there in the wake of his departure, glaring at each other across the fire until Sirius looked away and began rummaging in the bag of supplies James had brought. When he located a bottle of firewhisky and a box of Bertie Botts, he sat down on the ground in front of the fire and tore open the Bertie Botts.
"You like the grass ones, don't you, Evans?" he asked, holding up a green bean and examining it before tossing it into the fire.
"Arsehole," she muttered. "I can't believe James talked me into coming out here only to leave me alone with you."
"You're welcome to go back up to the castle," he offered. "Here, you want this one? Looks like vomit flavor — that's sort of the same as grass, isn't it?"
Lily ignored him, pulling off her gloves and warming her numb fingers in front of the fire. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Sirius sorting through the Bertie Botts, throwing a few into the fire and tossing the rest into his mouth. After a minute he spoke again.
"He did this on purpose, you know. He thinks if he leaves us alone long enough, we'll talk it out," he said as he opened the firewhisky bottle. "Optimistic git."
Lily made a grab for the Bertie Botts box that lay abandoned by Sirius's foot. He raised his eyebrows but didn't comment as she peered into the box, then reached in and fished around until she pulled out a green one.
"He is, isn't he?" She chewed the bean and thought about James's face this morning: the hopeful smile tinged with sadness that almost broke her heart. "I think it's really bothering him that we're not getting along. I feel a bit bad about it."
Sirius took a sip, staring into the fire as he considered Lily's words.
"I do too," he admitted. "Poor sod. Even though he should expect it when he decides to date someone as stubborn and argumentative as you."
She paused with a bean halfway to her mouth, then threw it hard at Sirius's forehead. As it bounced off into the fire, she felt a pang of regret that she had wasted a perfectly good bean on someone as unworthy as Sirius Black.
"Well, I dunno why he expects us to get along when he chooses to be best friends with an obnoxious, dramatic git."
Her eyes darted to the firewhisky in Sirius's hand, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him for it. She settled for another handful of Bertie Botts instead, but it didn't have the warming, numbing effect she craved.
"We're more alike than you think, you know," Sirius said. He followed her gaze, eying the bottle in his hand before passing it across to her. "I guess that's why Prongs is so fond of us."
She snatched the firewhisky out of his hand before he had a chance to change his mind. The alcohol dulled the edges of her irritation, making Sirius more tolerable with every sip.
"I'm not like you," she grumbled. "When's the last time you saw me get angry and punch something or someone, or throw something at the wall, or point my wand at someone like a lunatic?"
Sirius held his hand out for the bottle, and after a moment's hesitation she handed it back to him. He took a long swallow, then tapped his fingers against the bottle as he thought.
"Well, you're more of a shouty, burst into tears of anger kind of a person, rather than a break things out of anger kind of person," he mused. "But you have pointed your wand at me. Multiple times, actually."
His words transported Lily back to that June afternoon by the lake. She recalled the blind fury that had coursed through her body as she stood in front of Sirius and James, gripping her wand and longing to wipe the smug looks from their faces.
"That was ages ago," she said. "And you were being arseholes."
"Well, you were being a bit of an arsehole the other night," he said, shrugging. "Anyway, I didn't mean to point my wand at you. I just sort of looked down and realized I was holding it."
"That's even worse! You're going to get yourself into trouble if you lose control like that."
She shuddered thinking about all the advanced, complex magic she had seen Sirius perform with ease. That much unbridled power and so little self-restraint could be dangerous if he wasn't careful.
He took another sip of firewhisky and raised his eyebrows at her over the top of the bottle. "What do you care, if I'm just an obnoxious, dramatic wankerface?"
The corners of Lily's lips twitched, but she repressed the smile. "For fuck's sake, Sirius," she snapped. "Just because I'm angry at you doesn't mean I don't still care about you, you idiot."
The bitterness faded from his face as he tilted his head to look at her, the bottle forgotten in his hand. For a moment there was no sound except for the soft crackle of the fire.
"Oh," he said finally.
His eyes darted away from hers, settling on the fire as he swallowed back the raw emotion that she could see seeping out despite his best efforts to look surly and indifferent. It was both heartbreaking and hilarious, and Lily couldn't decide whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
"Well," Sirius said, clearing his throat. "Maybe we should make a truce, for Prongs."
"Maybe we should," Lily said with a grudging nod.
"I mean, to be clear, I still think you're a miserable bitch," he added, a wry smile turning up the corners of his lips.
She grinned in spite of herself. "And to be clear, I still think you're a wankerface. But I can tolerate a truce if it means James doesn't have to be sad."
"Right. So can I." Sirius took another sip and stared down into the bottle as though it held the answer to handling his jumbled emotions. "And, you know, what you said earlier about still caring?" He mumbled the next few words into his lap. "Me too."
Sirius kept his eyes fixed on the ground, the fire, the bottle, determined to avoid her gaze. The hard, sharp edges of Lily's anger softened as she watched him struggle to quell the upwelling of feelings.
"Don't hog that," she said, nodding at the bottle of firewhisky. "I'm thirsty over here."
A smile slowly spread across his face as he passed her the bottle. While she took a sip, enjoying the warmth spreading through her chest, he stood up and moved to the seat next to her. He pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and selected one for himself, then offered her the pack.
"We always smoke a cigarette when we have a heart-to-heart," he explained as she took a cigarette and lit it with her wand. "Not that this was a heart-to-heart, but…"
"It did feel vaguely heart-to-heartish, didn't it?"
She put the cigarette to her lips and took a drag, then exhaled and watched her smoke mingle with Sirius's in the small space.
"Remus would hate that word," Sirius said, grinning.
Lily chuckled. "He would, wouldn't he?"
"Hey, don't hog that," Sirius said, eying the bottle of firewhisky in a perfect imitation of Lily's mannerisms. "I'm thirsty over here."
She passed him the bottle and settled into her seat, soothed by the fire and the alcohol and the nicotine. The truce had lifted a weight that she didn't realize she'd been carrying, even if he was still an obnoxious wankerface.
"So what do we do while we wait?" Mary asked, wrapping herself in one of the many blankets Remus had brought.
Mary, Peter, and Remus were seated on a pile of blankets, warming their hands over the bluebell flames Remus had conjured. Seven had just left to do recon on her broom; she had decided it would be easiest if she went alone, and although she hadn't said so, the other three knew this was because they were all abysmal fliers.
"I brought snacks," Peter said, passing her a bag. "And firewhisky, obviously. And cards, if we want to play Exploding Snap."
"I'm usually the one to do recon," Remus said, stretching out and resting his head on his arm. "This is kind of nice. I could fall asleep."
"No, don't." Mary nudged him with her foot. "Stay awake and entertain me."
Remus laughed and reached for the snack bag. "Okay, Sirius."
"That was a rather Sirius Black thing to say, wasn't it?" She scooted backward and leaned her head back against Peter's legs, then spoke in a loud, dramatic tone. "Entertain me. Play with my hair. Tell me your favorite sex position. I want attention." She dissolved into laughter and looked over at Remus. "How's that?"
Remus laughed so hard he choked on his mouthful of firewhisky. "That's perfect," he gasped, eyes streaming.
Mary reached for the bottle and took a sip. "Out of curiosity, what is your favorite sex position?" she asked, bursting into laughter all over again as she saw his cheeks redden.
"I don't have one," he muttered. "I know I've told you two that already."
Mary sighed and passed the bottle to Peter. "Fine." She leaned closer to Peter, then lowered her voice and added, "I'll ask Seven later."
"Don't." His face was set in that particular sort of stubbornness that was like trying to move a brick wall. "I mean it, Mary. Don't say anything to her."
She held up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay, I won't ask her. You know, for someone who laughs his arse off when Black signs your homework Wilma Dickfit or Phil McCrevice, you're surprisingly reluctant to talk about sex."
"I laugh at those names because I have the sense of humor of a twelve-year-old," Remus said, accepting the bottle from Remus and helping himself to a sip. "It's not the same as talking about what I actually do in bed. That's personal. If Seven likes to ride me like a hippogriff while I pull on her braid and beg for more, we'll, that's nobody's business but ours."
Peter let out a snort of laughter. Mary's eyes grew wide, and she exchanged curious looks with Peter.
"Are you serious?" she asked, turning back to look at Remus and scrutinizing his expression.
Remus shrugged. He wore a knowing smirk that drove Mary mad. "I dunno. Am I?" He took another sip of firewhisky, then reached for the bag. "Come on, let's play Exploding Snap before you ask me any more questions that make me uncomfortable."
They had played several rounds by the time Seven returned from her recon mission, pink-cheeked and eager to share her findings.
"They're set up sort of between Hagrid's hut and the Whomping Willow," she said as she sat down beside Remus and pulled off her gloves. She held them in front of the fire to warm them, but Remus draped a blanket over both of them and took her hands in his, rubbing them until they began to thaw. "It's a pretty impressive setup, actually. They have a turret and everything."
"Of course they do." Remus turned to Peter and frowned. "What do you think? I feel like we should switch up our strategy now that brooms are allowed."
"I agree. Why don't you and Seven do a quick fly by, and then maybe when they're still expecting us to come from the air, we can go around the back on foot and surprise them and see if we can get a flag." He looked at Mary and Seven, adding, "We're only allowed to steal one flag at a time."
Mary nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Just, you know, try to stay on the broom."
"Yes, thanks for that very helpful advice," he said, getting to his feet and putting on all of the layers he had shed in the warmth of the snow fort. "Thank goodness you're on our team, otherwise I never would've thought of that."
"I do what I can," Mary said, grinning.
"Good luck out there," Peter added. "Try to aim for Lily, if you can, because Prongs will probably try to be a hero and that might make it easier."
Remus and Seven waved, then headed outside and took off on the broom. Mary and Peter watched through the little window, then stood looking at each other.
"What should we do now?"
Peter shrugged. "We can stay in here and just sort of keep a lookout. I should've brought my chess board…"
Mary wrapped a curl around her finger as she thought, then stood up and began pulling her coat and hat back on.
"Come on, we're making a snowman," she announced. "Bring the firewhisky."
They emerged outside, blinking in the bright light reflecting off the snow.
"I forgot how cold it is," Mary said, shivering and zipping her jacket up to her chin.
"Here." Peter passed her the bottle of firewhisky and began rolling snow to form the base of the snowman. "If you're drunk enough, you won't feel the cold. According to Padfoot, that is."
Mary took a sip and grinned. "You're not wrong."
She began the middle part of the snowman, and they worked in companionable silence, passing the bottle back and forth and keeping an eye out for Lily, Sirius, or James. When Peter placed the head on the snowman's body and stood back to admire their work, Mary reached for the bottle and started laughing.
"How full was this when we brought it out here?" she asked, holding up the now empty bottle.
"I'm not sure." His eyes scanned the ground for sticks to use as arms, but he dropped the sticks and started laughing when he saw her holding the bottle. "Shit. There was a decent amount in there."
"We're fucked."
She tilted her head sideways and looked at the snowman, then set to work putting the finishing touches on it. She added arms, a face, and a small stick stuck in the mouth like a cigarette, then turned to Peter with a thoughtful expression.
"What can we use for a jacket?"
Peter had been sitting on the ground making more snowballs, but he grinned when he saw the snowman.
"I have a better idea."
He pointed his wand at the castle and squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. A minute later, Mary spotted an orange and red blur speeding toward them. As it grew closer she realized what it was and started giggling.
"You're a genius," she said as Sirius's red cowboy hat and bright orange Chudley Cannons pants came to rest at her feet. "Except how are we going to make the pants fit?"
Peter placed the cowboy hat on top of the snowman's head, then picked up the pants and held them up, grinning.
"I guess I didn't think about that. We did give this snowman a rather fat arse, didn't we? Hang on, I'll make them bigger."
He tapped them with his wand, and they expanded until they were large enough to fit the snowman's wide bottom. Trying to contain his laughter, he handed them to Mary.
"Can you sort of hold them open, and I'll levitate the snowman so we can put them on?"
She held up the enormous pants, laughing and shaking her head.
"This is a ridiculous way to spend the afternoon," she said. "Also, I've just realized how many people probably saw a cowboy hat and a pair of pants just floating through the air."
He shrugged and pointed his wand at the snowman, lifting it several feet into the air. "I like to think people enjoy our strange antics for the most part. It keeps things interesting." He slowly lowered the snowman, adjusting it several times until the pants were wedged around the ball of snow.
"I'm not sure these pants are going to survive this adventure," Mary mused, peering at the seams that were already beginning to strain.
"Oh, well. Padfoot will understand." Peter stood back to survey the snowman, crossing his arms and frowning. "I feel like it's missing something…"
"I've got it." Mary bent to pick up the empty firewhisky bottle, then attached it to the snowman's stick arm, using a hair tie to secure it. "Now it's finished."
"This is the best snowman I've ever made," Peter said, admiring the rakish tilt of the cowboy hat. "It's even better than the one that looked like Rosmerta."
"Does Padfoot know you've stolen his favorite outfit?"
Mary and Peter looked up, then dove out of the way as James lobbed a snowball at them. It burst at Mary's feet, and she scrambled sideways as another one grazed the side of her hair. She grabbed for Peter's pile of snowballs, but James was already darting out of range by the time she managed to toss one in his direction. Peter pointed his wand at several snowballs, sending them rocketing through the air after James. One of them hit its mark, covering the back of his jacket with powdery snow, but his hands had already closed on one of their flags. Laughing, he waved, then dropped another snowball on Peter before zipping away toward the forest.
"Well that wasn't ideal," Mary said, although she was too tipsy to be bothered by the loss of the flag.
"I hope Remus and Seven are having better luck," Peter said, brushing snow from his hair. "Come on, let's go back inside and warm up a bit."
Shivering but still howling with laughter, they returned to the igloo, leaving the Sirius Black snowman to stand guard over their remaining two flags.
"Look what I got," James said, bursting into the snow fort with the flag clutched in his hands. The back of his jacket was still covered in snow, but he didn't seem to care as he presented the flag to Sirius and Lily like a hard-won trophy.
"Why does their flag say 'Padfoot smells?'" Sirius asked, holding up the flag to examine it before dropping it in exasperation. "Real mature, Moony."
"Well, one of our flags says I'm a miserable bitch, so I'm not sure we have any room to judge," Lily said as she brushed snow from the back of James's jacket. "They got you good, didn't they?"
James shrugged. "Worth it. I got Pete right in the head, and I got this." He took the flag up to the turret and planted it next to their three flags, then returned to warm his hands in front of the fire. "What did I miss while I was gone?"
Sirius handed him the bottle of firewhisky and pulled on his gloves. "Evans gave me a detailed account of every time you two have shagged. I told her that was personal between the two of you, but she insisted."
Lily moved closer to James and combed her fingers through his hair to dislodge the snow that had settled there. "Don't believe a word he says," she said, rolling her eyes at Sirius.
A grin broke over James's face as he noticed the tension between Sirius and Lily had eased.
"We've agreed to a truce," she said when she noticed his pleased expression.
"I knew you would."
He pulled Lily in for a kiss. Little droplets of water dripped from his hair onto her face as she leaned closer. She was vaguely aware of Sirius's presence next to them, but she didn't care. James slipped his hands under her jumper, warming his frozen fingers against her skin–
"Oi! Look alive!"
Sirius's voice broke through the haze of her consciousness, and she followed his gaze up to the turret where she could make out two pairs of feet. Before she had time to register what was happening, Sirius and James were bounding up the stairs and grabbing snowballs from the pile by the flags. She hurried after them, reaching the top of the steps in time to see Seven jerk the broom upward to avoid a snowball. James took aim, and this time Seven wasn't fast enough to avoid it completely. The snowball hit Remus in the arm, bursting and showering the top of Lily's head with snow.
"Go higher!" she heard Remus call. "If you handle the snowballs, I'll try to grab the flag."
James handed her an armful of snowballs. "Aim for Seven. If she has to keep dodging it'll be harder to get a flag."
Lily had trouble following these instructions because Seven began pelting her with a constant stream of snowballs. She covered her head and tried to move out of range, but Seven didn't relent. James moved in front of her to shield her from the assault, but this left only Sirius to guard the flags. While Lily wiped snow from her eyes, Seven swooped down and hovered above the flags. Remus reached for one, but James and Sirius hit Seven with snowballs at the same time. The impact was enough for her to jerk her broom, and as Lily watched in horror, Remus slid off the broom and landed in a crumpled heap on top of Sirius.
She could barely hear anything over the three boys' shouts of laughter, but through the melted snow dripping into her eyes she could see the concern clouding Seven's face.
"I'm fine," Remus gasped through peals of laughter, struggling to his feet.
"I'm fine, too, no thanks to Moony." Sirius seized the side of the turret and hauled himself upright, brushing snow from his trousers. "I can't believe you fell off the fucking broom." He looked at the snow coating the knees of Remus's trousers, his scarf dragging on the ground, and his cut lip oozing blood, and Sirius dissolved into laughter again.
"It wasn't his fault," Seven said, examining Remus's cut lip. "I lost control of the broom. Are you sure you're okay?" A bead of blood rolled slowly down his chin, and she brushed it away. "You're bleeding."
"He's fine, Seven." James said. "Here, hold still and I'll fix it."
He pointed his wand at Remus's lip and spoke an incantation, then frowned in concentration as he moved his wand in a slow arc, drawing the skin closed as he went. Lily watched, admiring his focused expression and the mesmerizing movement of his wand as he performed the complex magic.
"There," he said, giving Remus's lip one last look before nodding in satisfaction. "We've never had this happen before, but I think you should have to go back to your base and regroup before trying for a flag again."
Remus and Seven agreed and took off; Lily heard their laughter piercing the winter air until they disappeared out of sight.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" James asked, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
"I'm not looking at you in any special way."
"Yes you are. You're looking at me like I've just done something impressive and it's made you want to snog me." He ran a hand through his hair and reached over to brush her snow-crusted hair out of her face. "Come on, Evans, out with it."
"I like watching you do healing magic," she admitted. "Although I never said that made me want to snog you."
"You don't have to say it. I can just tell." He kissed her, warming her numb lips while his arms wrapped around her waist. She lost track of her surroundings until Sirius's voice drew her back.
"Evans, I can do healing magic, too. Does that make you want to snog me?"
James released Lily, then stooped to pick up one of the few remaining snowballs and threw it at Sirius.
"Sod off! No friendly fire," Sirius said as he shook his jacket to dislodge the snow that had settled in the collar.
"Well, then, don't ask Evans if she wants to snog you. Now, I think we should make another attempt at their flags after we warm up for a minute."
His arm snapped up to knock aside the snowball Sirius had chucked at his face, and then he took Lily's hand and led the way back down to the fire.
"Should we go check on the flags again, do you think?" Mary asked.
"Probably," Peter said, standing up and taking a step toward the door, but at that moment Seven and Remus burst through the door. They held onto each other, howling with laughter. Mary and Peter exchanged amused looks.
"What's so funny?" Mary asked.
Remus shook his head. "Nothing," he said, trying and failing to stifle his laughter.
Peter raised his eyebrows. "I take it you didn't get the flag, then?"
Seven took several deep breaths and wiped away tears of laughter. "We would've had it, except…" She glanced at Remus and began giggling again.
"We were unsuccessful," Remus said.
He had finally stopped laughing, and removed his gloves to warm his hands in front of the fire. Peter followed him, then clapped his hand over his mouth and widened his eyes.
"You fell off the broom, didn't you?"
"No!" Mary turned to Seven, incredulous. "Did he really? Damn, I can't believe we missed that."
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Remus said with a wry smile. "I, er, may have landed on top of Padfoot."
"That's hilarious." Mary laughed as she pictured the scene. "I bet he made the funniest face…"
"Speaking of Padfoot, did you see our snowman, or were you too busy dying of laughter to notice?"
He led the way outside, but before they could get a proper look, snowballs began to rain down from the air. James and Sirius hovered above them, hurling snowballs pulled from bulging bags tied to their brooms. Mary stumbled through the snow to the pile of snowballs, seizing one and throwing it at Sirius. It hit his back with a satisfying thump and burst, showering the ground with snow. He jerked his broom around and gave her a thumbs up.
"Nice one, Macdonald."
He leaned forward and lobbed a snowball at her. She pivoted on the spot, so instead of hitting her in the face it glanced off her shoulder instead.
"Did you make that because you missed me?" he asked, pointing at the snowman.
She followed his gaze, then swore as another snowball hit her arm and sprayed her face with powdery snow.
"The firewhisky bottle is a nice touch, isn't it?" Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Seven mount her broom and fly off toward the forest. "Sorry about ruining the pants. You're welcome to have a pair of mine if you like."
She tossed another snowball at him, but he flew sideways to avoid it.
"That's all right. You look better in them than I would." He smirked, then darted forward and dumped the remainder of his bag on Peter's head before dipping down to grab the flag.
"Padfoot!" James called, waving his arms to get his attention. "Noodle!"
This appeared to be some sort of signal, because Sirius turned his broom around and sped off after James.
"Bye, Macdonald!" he shouted before disappearing from sight.
They retreated into the snow fort to wait for Seven, who returned a few minutes later with a flag clutched in her hands. She dropped it on the floor, shivering but triumphant, and smiled as Remus draped a blanket over her shoulders.
"We need a plan," she said. Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were flushed. "I know they're beating us at the moment, but I think we can pull it off."
"I think so too," Peter said. "But we're going to have to be a bit, er, creative."
"What do you mean, creative?" Remus asked."You have that look like you have an idea but you're not sure if it's genius or completely mad."
"Well…" Peter said, glancing sideways at Mary. "It depends if Mary's willing to take one for the team."
"'Lily Evans is a miserable bitch,'" Mary read, peering down at the flag. "Black is such a petty fucker… sorry, what do you mean, I have to take one for the team?"
Everyone seemed to be watching her, and she didn't trust Peter's knowing little smirk… and then it clicked.
"Oh," she said, laughing. "Peter, that's not taking one for the team. That's having my Cauldron Cake and eating it, too." She zipped up her coat and took a step toward the door. "Should I head out now, then?"
"Evans, you should come with me to take the last flag."
James stood with his back to the fire, rummaging in the bag of food. When he pulled out a stack of biscuits wrapped in a tea towel and handed them to her, she accepted them with a grateful smile and ate half a biscuit in one bite.
"How'd you know I was hungry?" she asked, trying not to spit crumbs at him.
He grinned and slipped an arm around her waist. "You didn't finish your breakfast. I knew you'd be starving by now. Let's get that last flag, and then we can go in and have a proper meal and warm up."
"Are you asking her to warm you up, Prongs?" Sirius asked, plucking a biscuit from Lily's hand and cramming it into his mouth.
"The warming would be mutual," James said. "And I didn't mean it to be a euphemism, although if you want to take it that way, Evans, I'm not opposed."
Lily finished her biscuit and brushed the crumbs from her lips, marveling that James could find her even remotely attractive as she shoved food into her mouth.
"You want me to come with you to get the flag? But wouldn't you have a better chance if Sirius goes?"
"Probably," Sirius said, helping himself to another cookie. "But he wants to win the snowball fight with you. It's romantic or something. Rubbish, if you ask me, but I'm fine with staying here. I'll eat biscuits and knock Seven off her broom if she comes for more of our flags."
"Moony might kill you if you knock Seven off her broom," James observed. "Or he might just fall on top of you again."
Sirius chuckled. "Remind me to tease him about that. I'm thinking some sort of fat joke. Moony fat jokes are my favorite." He stole another cookie from Lily, then patted her shoulder. "Good luck, Evans. If you get the last flag, maybe I'll stop calling you a miserable bitch."
It was growing dark outside as James mounted his broom and slid forward so Lily could climb on behind him.
"Remember the last time I gave you a ride on my broom?" he asked, kicking off from the ground and soaring into the air.
"When we started snogging and almost crashed?" Lily called over the sound of the rushing wind. "It's hard to forget something like that."
They hovered above the little igloo, gazing down at the last remaining flag.
Lily leaned forward to murmur in James's ear. "This has been fun," she said, sliding her hands into his pockets.
"I look good throwing a snowball, don't I?" He turned around and grinned at her, then pressed his lips to hers. The broom jerked to the side, but James managed to maintain control as he deepened the kiss and removed his mitten, then slipped his hand underneath several layers until his fingers grazed her back.
"You've dropped your mitten," she whispered, feeling him shiver as her breath warmed his skin.
"Oh well." The broom drifted to the left and began to veer downward.
"We're going to crash," she said, her tone detached and unconcerned.
"Oh well," he repeated.
The cold air bit through Sirius's leather jacket as he leaned against the wall of the turret, enjoying a cigarette. A faint breeze stirred the flags and carried the sound of laughter across the grounds to reach his ears. After the frenzied chaos of flying snow and shouts of laughter, the solitude was peaceful. He released a long stream of smoke, watching it dissipate into the air and wondering how long he had before the silence was broken by gleeful shouts and snow smashing against the ground and his body.
As he finished his cigarette, something flickered in the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Mary climbing the stairs. Instinctively he sprang to protect the flags, but Mary laughed and made a dismissive gesture.
"I don't give a toss about your flags, Black. Besides, I'm pretty sure James is already headed back here with our last flag, so it's a lost cause at this point."
He raised his eyebrows and ground out the remains of his cigarette under his boot. "So why are you here?"
She took a step closer and grinned. "Missed you."
"Macdonald…" His tone was a gentle rebuke, although secretly he didn't mind her confession, because he had missed her too.
"I don't mean it like 'I missed holding your hand, please whisper sweet nothings in my ear all night,'" she said, rolling her eyes. "I meant it like, 'I missed you, let's shag in this snow fort.'"
Sirius smirked as he leaned forward to kiss her. He pulled her closer and she pressed herself against him, smiling as he tugged at her hand and led her down the stairs.
"Can we help you?"
With James's arms wrapped around her and his lips pressed against hers, it was easy to ignore Remus's voice. Lily let the sound wash over her as they lay together with James's broom abandoned beside them. The snow had begun to soak through their clothing, but Lily didn't feel the cold. All she felt was James.
"Just let them snog," Peter said. "Seven will be back any minute with the last flag."
"Nah, it's too tempting."
Lily heard footsteps, and a moment later she let out a cry of protest as Remus dumped an armful of snow over them.
"Rude," James grumbled, getting to his feet and shaking snow from his hair. "I just fixed your split lip and you thank me by dumping snow on us?"
His glasses were flecked with melted snow and his cheeks were flushed from the cold. Lily fought the urge to warm him up.
"Well, don't snog right in front of our snow fort," Remus said with a shrug. "It's awkward."
James's eyes fixed on the last remaining flag, stuck into the snow next to the Sirius Black snowman. Like the other two flags, this one proclaimed Padfoot Smells in a fancy, curling script.
"Is Seven really on her way back with our last flag?" he asked, slowly edging forward.
Remus and Peter exchanged a look. "You'll see," Peter said, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
"But go ahead and make a grab for our flag," Remus urged. "We won't try to stop you."
Lily cast a wary glance at the pile of snowballs beside him. James's body tensed, and his eyes darted around as he scanned the surroundings and made swift calculations. He turned to her and widened his eyes, giving the tiniest jerk of his head toward the broom, and then before she had time to puzzle out his signal he was jumping on the broom. He dodged snowballs as he sped to the flag; Lily blinked and he had the flag tucked under his arm as he raced back, flying straight at her. There was no time to jump out of the way and she braced herself for impact, but instead he reached out and somehow, impossibly, he pulled her onto the broom. Snowballs ricocheted off the back of her jacket and pelted their arms and legs, but then they were soaring away, out of range, laughing and whooping with James's scarf trailing below and Lily's soaked hair streaming out behind them. Grinning, James turned around to kiss her, fumbling and nearly dropping the flag.
"Tell me that little maneuver wasn't impressive," he murmured.
"I was definitely impressed." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, icy from the wind and melted snow. "We make a good team, even though I did absolutely nothing to help."
"Sure you did. You let me show off for you, and you look cute on the back of a broom. That's essential for winning a snowball fight. Now hang on tight."
He turned around and picked up speed. Lily closed her eyes as the wind whipped her face. She pressed her body close to James, filling up with pure, uncomplicated joy. In that moment, all the worries and problems faded to nothing as they sped through the air with the flag flapping in the wind and wide smiles on their lips.
"Pads, we got the flag! No need to tell us, we know we're amazing." James burst through the door of the snow fort, holding the flag out in front of him. Once inside he wrapped an arm around Lily and added, "Okay, you can tell us if you insist– Oh."
His words broke off so abruptly that Lily looked at him in confusion before following his gaze and emitting a strangled sound of surprise.
"Did we win, then?" Sirius asked. He was stretched out on a blanket in front of the fire with his arms around Mary, wearing nothing but a relaxed grin. "Well done, you two. You're amazing."
"I wouldn't be too sure," Mary said. She at least had the consideration to drape the edge of the blanket over herself, although the mental image was now burned into Lily's mind regardless. "Seven has probably got your other two flags by now."
Sirius widened his eyes. "Macdonald, did you seduce me just so I would be distracted while Seven stole our flags?" he asked in mock-outrage. "I can't believe you would use me that way."
She pushed her hair out of her face and reached for her clothes that were scattered across the floor. "Oh, shut up, drama queen. You loved it."
James shook his head, chuckling. "You left our flags unattended so you and Mary could shag? That's such a Sirius Black thing to do."
"Sirius, it's below freezing out," Lily said, staring determinedly at the ground. "Please put some clothes on before you freeze." She used her foot to nudge his leather jacket toward him.
"It's warm by the fire," he said. "But fine, if you insist." He pointed at a pair of pants that lay at the foot of the stairs, inches from Lily's feet. "Evans, can you pass me those?"
Lily eyed the pants with disgust. "I'm not touching those."
He heaved himself upright and strode across the room to retrieve the pants. "You're such a prude."
"She's hardly a prude just because she doesn't want to see you naked," Mary said, tossing him his shirt.
"We got all your flags but you also have ours so I can't tell who won and— bloody hell, Padfoot!" Peter turned around to face the wall, laughing.
"All right, all right, I'm getting dressed." Sirius stepped into his pants and shook his head in disbelief. "No need to be so dramatic." He gestured at Remus, who had jumped in front of Seven to block her view. "You know, if I walked in and saw any of you naked, I wouldn't make it such a big deal."
"But you wouldn't just walk in and see any of us naked," Remus pointed out. "Because we're normal and don't just stand around naked all the time."
"So you got the flags?" James asked. "I don't suppose you happened to look at the time when you got back with the last one?"
Seven shook her head, then risked a tentative glance in Sirius's direction. When she determined it was safe, she crossed the room to stand by the fire.
"We didn't either. Well, I guess it's technically a tie."
"I think Macdonald's team should be disqualified," Sirius said, tugging at one of her curls. "She cheated."
"We never said it was against the rules," James said with a shrug. "It was a bold strategy, but it worked."
"Can we go inside, then?" Lily asked. The charm on her mittens had worn off, and her fingers had gone numb. "I'm half frozen."
Sirius smirked at her. "Hoping Prongs will warm you up?"
"Oh, shut up," Lily said, pulling off her mitten and chucking it in his direction.
"Wait," Mary said as she looked from Sirius to Lily. "Are you not fighting anymore?"
"Well, apparently not, because I've stopped being a wankerhead," Sirius said with a shrug.
"The term is wankerface. And I've stopped being a miserable bitch," Lily said, grinning at Sirius as he pulled on his jacket.
"But we're keeping that flag, and I'm hanging it in the common room if you start to revert to your miserable bitchy ways," Sirius warned, slinging an arm around Mary.
As Lily trudged back up to the castle, laughing and shivering and covered in snow, she heaved a sigh of contentment and glanced over at Sirius. Despite her anger earlier in the day, she was glad James had forced them into being friends again, even if Sirius was a bit of a wankerface. She leaned over and nudged him, chuckling as she noticed the icicles that formed on the ends of his hair.
"I love you, you know," she muttered.
He held up a hand and shook his head. "Evans, we already had our heart-to-heart. Let's not get too out of hand with the sentimental sod bullshit."
She put her arm around him and bumped her shoulder against his. "Do you realize how silly it is that you don't care about all your friends seeing you naked, but saying I love you makes you uncomfortable?" She laughed softly at the irritation on his face. "It's okay, though. I love you anyway."
Sirius glared at her, then ducked away from her embrace and jogged to catch up with James.
"Prongs! Evans is making me uncomfortable!"
She rolled her eyes then hurried to join them.