Chapter Twelve: Christmas Break

The week before term ended, Lily received a letter that, upon opening, its first words screamed out at her as though they had been pent up during the journey from Cokeworth. Dreadful words they were, too, for she immediately gave a strangled sort of yelp that caused James to look at her strangely.

"All right, love?"

Lily shook her head slowly, staring blankly at the piece of paper held in her hands. James raised an eyebrow, concerned.

"Who's that from?"

In answer, Lily handed him the letter. She ran a hand nervously through her hair (something she thought James was responsible for fostering in her) and waited as he read what her mother had written.

It took him two minutes to clear his throat and laugh shakily. She saw him set down the letter at the breakfast table next to his half-eaten sausage.

"So," he began in a falsely cheery voice that made her squirm, "Petunia. Your sister. She's getting married."

"Yep," she muttered grimly, not even in the mood to finish her bread and tomatoes.

"And your mother – Rose," he continued slowly, "she wants us to have dinner with the happy couple."

"Yep," she said again.

"That sounds… fun, I guess?"

Lily snorted. "What aspect of dinner with my sister could you possibly find appealing?"

"Well, after all I've heard from you, not much," he admitted apologetically, scratching the back of his head. "What about this Vernon? Is he –"

"He's a rude, narcissistic pile of rubbish that looks like a walrus," said Lily, so strongly that James seemed taken aback.

"I suppose I have no choice but to come?"

Was it just her, or did he sound a tad bit excited?

She eyed him suspiciously. "Of course you don't have to come. In fact, Petunia'd be over the moon if you didn't."

"That seals it, then." James elbowed her playfully. "I'm not going to miss a chance to poke fun at your dear sister or her walrus-to-be. Besides, you wouldn't last two minutes in their company without me."

"Even less, I think," she said gloomily, though she was secretly hoping that it wouldn't come to that. "I'll send a letter to my mum to tell her you're coming."

Before James could respond, Sirius, who'd apparently been listening intently from across them, said, "Ah, how bad could it be? You two can go to that place where you watch films, the cemina, I think, while –"

"Cinema, Padfoot, honestly, what've you been doing in Muggle Studies?"

"Yeah, that," said Sirius, waving her off. "This also gives you a good chance to meet her parents, doesn't it, Prongs?"

Lily looked at him in surprise. "Actually, yeah."

"And Lily here can come to your place later," continued Sirius. "I think your mum'll be ecstatic to meet her, all the times you've talked about her…"

James reddened slightly. "Padfoot…"

Sirius turned to her, grinning mischievously. "You have to be there. Marly's staying for a few days as well, that way you won't be lonely."

"That's not a bad idea," sniggered Lily. "What're the chances of James's mum loving me more than him?"

Sirius stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Astronomical, I'd say. You wouldn't believe how many times James's mentioned you to her, she says you're practically part of the family now –"

"Padfoot," said James irritably, "Sod off, will you?"

Sirius raised his glass of pumpkin juice, his stupid grin still unwavering. "Cheers."

The evening before Christmas break, Lily was sat in the Gryffindor common room with the rest of her friends, having just finished packing her things. A few days ago, she'd written a letter to her mother, telling her about James; in her following letter the day after, her mother had been about as excited as a two-year-old for ice cream.

She'd written to her mother a lot over her years at Hogwarts. It wasn't like she didn't know what was going on with her. But this was different.

Lily had gone out with a number of boys in her time; heck, between her two best friends, she was the one who dated around the most, but she'd never written to her parents about any of them. They were, after all, just distractions for her – distractions that she felt were necessary to keep her mind off of bigger things.

She'd written about James before to her parents. The first time, in her first year at Hogwarts, about a boy who liked to joke around and was kind in private, but was mean to Severus – and it sort of escalated from there. Her parents knew who James was. They'd known about him long before they had become partners.

So maybe this was why her mother was excited. Lily had never brought her friends home – much less a boy, save for Severus. But that was different.

Speaking of James, where was he? It had been a while since she last saw him. She looked around, realizing that she'd spaced out of the conversation. There was Marlene, snuggling up to Sirius, telling what apparently seemed to be an entertaining story to the rest of the group. Alice sat next to Em and Mary, once or twice looking up from her quill and parchment to laugh along with the group. Remus and Peter lay on their bellies near her, playing wizard's Chess; all the seventh years were here, where was James?

Probably caught up in Head duties. Nothing to worry about.

He'd informed her just last night that his mother had written to him as well; she'd readily agreed to his proposal, and so now, he had told her, for the first time in his life, he would be spending some part of his break in the Muggle world. She wasn't the least bit surprised by that; she knew James had lived a sheltered life under his parents, so he probably had no reason to go out to Muggle Britain. That explained quite a few things about him, now that she thought about it.

"There you go, zoning out again."

Lily looked up, surprised; Remus was staring up at her from the floor, holding a black king in his hand. He smiled lazily at her.

She returned his smile. "Well, all of you seemed busy, I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Bollocks." Remus threw the king at Peter, who fumbled it with his hands. "Budge up, will you?"

"But there's a chair over there," said Lily, amused, but she shifted in her armchair to make space for him.

"I think I'd rather sit with a friend." Remus stretched his legs and yawned. "So what's on your mind?"

Lily wondered what this was about. Remus rarely asked pointless questions, maybe he had noticed something off about her? Or maybe this was a prank, and Sirius/Peter/James had set him up for this?

Or perhaps he just wanted to see how she was doing. Yes, that sounded plausible.

And so she said, "Nothing, really. Just wondering where James is."

"Oh, he's on patrol, didn't you know?"

"What?" said Lily, surprised. "Is it really one of his patrol nights?"

Remus laughed. "Yeah, with Benjy Fenwick. Don't tell me the Head Girl's forgotten her prefects' schedules?"

"Slipped out of my mind," she said easily. "When's he going to be back?"

Remus glanced at his wristwatch. "His patrol's ending in a few minutes, but with James you can never be sure."

Lily smirked. "Naturally. So what's been going on with you? It's been a while since we talked, just the two of us."

Remus shrugged. "Life's been boring, actually. Focusing on school, hardly ever causing mischief…"

"Yeah, and I'm best mates with Snape again."

"No, really," insisted Remus. "It's usually Sirius and Peter who're sneaking off these days, they just ask for my permission beforehand."

"So you've grown out of it?" said Lily, though she thought privately that he had been mature long before now. "About time. You should give those two lessons sometime."

He laughed, which was good to hear. "No, I don't think I'll ever grow out of it." He stared wistfully at Sirius and Marlene, who looked so comfortable in each other's arms it made Lily want to hex them. "As for my friends… it may not seem like it, but they've grown."

Lily raised an eyebrow at him. "Whatever do you mean?"

He blinked. "I mean, if you've lived long enough with those three troglodytes, you start noticing the little things. We've all come a long way."

"I suppose – but what's bringing this up?"

"It's nothing," said Remus hastily. "Look at me, going on about the others. It's pathetic, isn't it?"

Lily turned her full attention on him, her gears turning in her mind. "Remus, what –"

"I told you, forget I said anything." He took a shaky breath, and then tried for a brave smile. "It's just nice to see everybody happy."

Lily had no idea what to say. Apparently, Remus didn't either, and he stared solemnly at the fireplace. His scarred face seemed to dim even as he did so.

"Are you happy, Moony?" blurted Lily suddenly.

Remus seemed surprised by her question. Lily immediately kicked herself; what sort of question was that?

"Am I happy?" mused Remus. "To tell you the truth – yeah, I guess. I've always been happy at Hogwarts."

"Then everything's alright, isn't it?"

He looked even more surprised. He glanced once more at Sirius and Marlene – and Lily suddenly understood.

Remus smiled – genuinely, happily, a smile that caused his scars to fade ever-so-slightly, and made him look far younger. "Everything's perfect."

Sometime later, James Potter entered the Gryffindor common room, scanned the mass of students, and spotted Remus and Lily a bit far away from the rest of the group. He ambled over to them, his arms laden with snacks and desserts.

"Ooh, apricot," said Lily as soon as he reached them, snatching the danish he held in his hand. Before he could protest, Remus grabbed a handful of rolls and stood up from the armchair. He bent down and whispered something to Lily, who smirked and scooted over a bit more so that James could sit down with her.

He watched Moony as he walked away. Lily turned to him.

"Where've you been?"

James bit into his tart. "Kitchens, obviously."

"I meant before that, with Benjy Fenwick."

Benjy Fenwick?

"Well then, you should've said," he said, trying to play it cool. "Fenwick and I were patrolling on the fifth floor. Ran into a couple of Slytherins."

He offered her another danish.

"And?" she asked. "Surely it couldn't have taken so long?"

James grimaced. "I'll spare you the details, just know that a whole bunch of points were lost and Fenwick's probably going to limp for a few days, but all-in-all… it went fine."

He saw Remus turn his head slightly and shoot him a quizzical look. Keeping care not to let Lily see him, he mouthed, I'll tell you later, and Remus nodded.

"Is that it?" murmured Lily, frowning. "Must've been some duel, huh?"

James squeezed her shoulder, grateful that she hadn't asked for the whole story. He wasn't sure if he could bring himself to tell her the truth. After fifteen minutes, he was slightly disappointed when she announced that she was going to bed, and Marlene jumped up from Sirius's lap instantly; she begged Lily to sleep in their dorm, and after a slight disagreement, she kissed James goodnight and went up the stairs.

With the usual noise of many dozens of students following them up, the Gryffindor common room was left nearly empty as the lights were turned off and the candles snuffed out. James, who was in no hurry at all to leave, stayed behind with the rest of the Marauders. Remus frowned at him.

"You weren't really patrolling with Benjy Fenwick, were you?" he guessed, once everyone had left and there was no one to disturb them. "Good thing Lily forgot about your patrol schedule, because it ended an hour ago and Fenwick was already heading to his common room when I was talking to her."

"Was that you?" said James gratefully. "Thanks, Moony. I had no idea why she brought Fenwick up, I was sure I was dead."

"Well don't just ramble on, give us the details," said Peter impatiently. "You were with Snape, weren't you?"

For a moment, James said nothing at all. He sighed and leaned his head against the back of the sofa, staring up at the dark ceiling.

"Yeah," he said hollowly. "Ran into him after patrol was over."

"Prongs, you idiot," said Remus angrily. "I thought you said you weren't going to go around hexing him anymore."

"What was I supposed to do?" exploded James suddenly, running a hand anxiously through his hair. His mind flitted back to his patrol last week, where he had found two Hufflepuff students all alone at night, slumped against the wall and glazed, far-away looks on their faces. Blood had trickled down their chins and onto their laps, dripping slowly, reminding him of far worse things, that crept up in his dreams, that he refused to talk to Lily about –

"You should've left him alone, that's what," said Remus in affronted tones, apparently upset that James had gotten angry.

"And then what?" he snarled, crossing his arms. "Greet him like we're mates, make amends, offer him tea? Say, Hey Snivvy! 'S been a while. Great spell last week, was the vomiting blood a side effect, or did you intend for them to do that?"

He looked away, scowling. His hands were shaking slightly.

"Prongs, I know that what he did was horrible, but –" began Sirius, but he was interrupted by James.

"Oh, now your brain isn't completely Confunded?" he demanded angrily. "You're one to talk. If you'd seen Snape wandering alone in the dark, I'll bet you would've jumped him as well."

"Yes, I would have," said Sirius coldly. "Every time I see him, I can't help but feel like I want to curse that greasy git into oblivion. I thought you'd changed. Lily thought you changed."

He remained quite still as the impact of Sirius's words sank into him. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, and he looked his best mate in the eye.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Sirius said coolly.

Remus threw bits of his roll at him. "Back to the topic. Did he get you?"

The others remained quiet as James moved around his body, trying to remember if Snape had hit him with anything. The duel had been quick, and James had hit him with a nice little spell that would be easy to revert, but he remembered a flash of light, after which his body had convulsed violently…

"No," he said finally. "I'm just sore all over, but I think I'm fine."

Peter looked relieved. He patted his arm weakly, and James shot him a small smile.

"Just don't go tangling with him again," said Remus sternly. "He's bad news. Not just for you, but Lily as well."

"Yeah, yeah, I've learned my lesson, Moony," said James, though his words passed through his ear and went out the other one. Remus rolled his eyes.

James stayed silent, massaging bits of his arm. He was sure Snape would be found soon – it was nearly one o'clock, after all – but he couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of remorse for what he had done. Just a bit.

"He's something else, you know," murmured James suddenly. "Snivellus," he added, seeing his friends' confused faces, and then he barged on, "He's brilliant. I dunno how he isn't top of the year when he goes around creating spells and all –"

"I highly doubt he created them, he probably got them from a book in the Restricted Section," said Remus reproachfully.

"He created them," said James firmly. "Don't tell me you've seen that Sectumsempra being used before –"

"That's just coincidence, no seventeen-year-old's going to be creating spells, that's much too advanced –"

"We became Animagi before we turned of age," he reminded him. "We created the Marauder's Map. Messing with spell theory, creating new curses – it doesn't sound so far-fetched."

"Yes, but –" Remus appeared to be struggling to find the right words. "That's dark magic, James. I doubt even Dumbledore at seventeen –"

"Snape's going to be the biggest threat once we graduate," said Peter grimly, cutting Remus off. "We all know he's headed straight for the Death Eater recruitment program next year. Bloody hell, he might even take over for You-Know-Who once he snuffs –"

Sirius burst out laughing.

"Snivellus Snape, take over for Voldemort?" sniggered Sirius. Remus rounded on him.

"Don't underestimate him," he warned.

"No one's underestimating him," said James swiftly. "Look, all I'm trying to say is that Snape's probably the most brilliant student at Hogwarts right now, and we should all be careful of him."

"That's what I've been telling you," said Remus crossly.

As he followed the Marauders up the stairs to his previous dorm, James rubbed his hand subconsciously over his chest, where he knew Snape's scars still remained. He wondered how many more he would have to receive before the war was over. Maybe he should ask Moony.

"On the train, everybody, let's go!" bellowed James the next morning, holding on tightly to Lily's hand so that they wouldn't be swept away by the crowd. The new conductor, fat and balding (looking very much like Slughorn, but James kept that information private), shouted out similar phrases from the front of the train.

They got on the train soon after, once the rest of the students had boarded; he and Lily made their way to the front carriage, where they'd be conducting a prefects' meeting.

It was, as James had anticipated, boring, long and tiring. He did most of the talking (Lily had been kind enough to remind him that, after all, last time she had taken charge) and answered most of the questions, rounding it up in the first half-hour of the train ride by giving out the usual instructions.

The train ride itself was uneventful. He played hangman with Marlene, who was apparently rather good at the game; he napped on Lily's shoulder, who gradually became annoyed by it and shoved him off halfway through the journey; he read Quidditch Through the Ages for what he felt was the millionth time, until, eventually, finally, the Hogwarts Expressed slowed down and pulled into Platform 9 ¾.

As usual, he and Lily got off first, weaving through the crowd of wizards and witches waiting on the pavement. They pushed them all back, his voice slightly hoarse from all the repeating that he did – soon after, the train doors opened, and the students spilt onto the platform.

"Oh yes, don't mind me as I'm carrying your trunk, Prongs," said Sirius sarcastically from behind them. "Just say your goodbyes and get a move on, or Marly and I'll leave without you."

James ignored him. He hugged Lily tightly, trying not to let his emotions spill out. He'd grown used to seeing her every day, spending time with her outside of class, strolling along the grounds; even if it was for a few days, he would miss her terribly.

Lily seemed to understand. She smiled weakly up at him, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"We'll see each other soon," she murmured, so softly James's heart danced. "I'll owl you as soon as I get home, OK?"

"Yeah, all right," he said heavily, trying not to tighten his grip on her. She stood on her toes and he leaned down instinctively, and then suddenly they were kissing, slow and light at first, and then it gradually became stronger, hungrier, as it usually did – there were a hundred other people watching, he didn't care as long as he could kiss her, one hand on the surface of her warm jumper and another tangling itself in her long, red hair, hiding tantalizingly under her grey winter knit –

"Honestly!" said Marlene pointedly, glaring at them both. "It's just for a few days, it's not like you're never going to see each other again!"

He pulled back from her, grinning triumphantly. Sirius rolled his eyes and tapped his foot impatiently.

The four of them marched through the barrier, where they found Remus and Peter conversing lightly a few feet away from them; James said his goodbyes to them both, though he knew Remus would be joining him and Sirius later that evening, or tomorrow – Peter would be spending his break in Norddeutschland with his mother, which meant he wouldn't be able to see his friend all winter.

He finished hugging Peter and ambled off to join Lily. She had just run up to hug a couple – her parents, he guessed. Kind and welcoming they were, though slightly tired-looking as well. James realized, with slight embarrassment, that he had never asked Lily for her father's name.

Sirius nudged him with his elbow and he stumbled forwards awkwardly, not at all feeling like the brave, strong Gryffindor he usually thought himself as. Though he was taller than him, James felt as though he was shrinking under Mr Evans's curious gaze.

To his surprise, Mr Evans stuck out his hand and smiled warmly at him. "Howard. A pleasure to meet you, Mr Potter."

James gripped it tightly, bemused at how his girlfriend's father could be so nice. "Pleasure to meet you too, Mr Evans."

"Nice, firm handshake you have there," commented Mr Evans mildly, letting go of his hand. "That's an athlete's grip if I've ever felt one."

James glanced at Lily nervously; she rolled her eyes then smiled encouragingly at him.

"Er – yes, I play Quidditch, sir." He resisted the urge to run his fingers through his hair. "I'm a Chaser, I… er – I catch the ball and score."

"I know what Quidditch is," said Mr Evans, smiling at him. "My daughter's told me all about it, why, if I remember, she's mentioned you several times as well –"

"Dad!" Lily turned red.

Mr Evans only chuckled. "Yes, yes, I'll save it for when we officially meet." He turned back to James and then gestured at the pretty woman next to him. "My wife, Primrose."

She gripped his hand and shook it enthusiastically. She had Lily's red hair and her fair complexion; her eyes, pale and so unlike Lily's, were rimmed by a pair of large glasses that were slightly lopsided, like James's.

"We've heard so much about you, James Potter," she said, and then she whispered into his ear, "Between you and me, you're the only person that Lily's ever brought home from school, so you must mean a lot to her."

He felt his face heat up and his tongue tie in a way that made him unable to speak; Mrs Evans only smiled at him and let go of his hand. She then turned to Lily, who appeared as though she wanted to dissolve into the wind.

Mr and Mrs Evans said a few words to Lily, to which she only nodded, and went off to the car park and waited patiently by their Ford.

Lily turned to him, her face torn between amusement and despair. "Some parents, huh?"

James laughed, letting his nervousness go. "I think they're great. They look like you."

She stepped forwards and planted another kiss on his lips; he kissed back, almost wistfully.

"I'll owl you as soon as I can," she said, repeating her words. She waved a gloved hand and took hold of her trunk, and then went off to her car.

"They're odd, Muggles," said Sirius, slinging an arm around him. "You know, I always thought Mr Evans would be scary and imposing, because that's what Lily's like, but no, he's this nice bloke with good manners. Makes you wonder whether Lily's a legitimate child."

Both James and Marlene elbowed him rather roughly at that, and he doubled over in his laughter.

"To Potter Manor, then?" said Marlene, taking hold of his and Sirius's hands. "My Mum and Dad'll come visit us in a few days, fair warning."

"I always liked your parents, Marls," said James, relieving Sirius of the weight of his trunk. "To Potter Manor, then."

Returning to the Muggle world wasn't such a bad thing, Lily had come to realize over the years, but she couldn't help but admit one teensy little fact: it was so very, incredibly dull.

She missed Hogwarts. She missed the magical staircases that used to make her queasy in her first year. She missed the sound of the morning post owls swooping in through the ceiling of the Great Hall. She missed the food and the House Elves, whom she had come to regard as her friends. She especially missed getting yelled at by McGonagall after being late to class with James, their uniforms slightly rumpled and their faces very flushed.

Thinking about all this, she couldn't help but compare her simple childhood home to the magnificent, magical castle – which she thought rather unfair, because they were two very different places located in two very different worlds. The Evans household didn't have paintings that would laugh at her after tripping over herself, for one thing.

She spent most of her evenings up in her room, enjoying her peace; that, at least, was something that remained unchanged. Petunia, she'd been informed, was staying with the Dursleys (she almost puked at the thought) which meant that Lily wouldn't have to see her until the dreaded day.

The dreaded day, unfortunately, was coming up rather quickly. She'd agreed to a date two days before Christmas; that way she and James would be able to exchange gifts without getting in the way of their families. After Christmas, all the way until break ended, she'd be staying at the Potters'.

The night before her dinner with Petunia, Lily sat on the couch in the sitting room, watching reruns of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the telly with her parents. She didn't really pay attention to it, as most of the specials were already ingrained into her mind, and instead chose to read Quidditch Teams of Britain and Ireland, a short picture book Sirius had given her before the break. Her dad stole glances at the book whenever Hermey disappeared off the screen.

"Excited about tomorrow, dear?" asked her mother absently.

Lily resisted the urge to sigh. "Simply thrilled."

She shared an amused look with her father, who only smiled mysteriously and went back to reading her book.

Her mother frowned disapprovingly at both her and her dad. "At least try to be nice, Lily – don't you think it's time you put this ridiculous animosity behind you and make up with your sister?"

"I do try," said Lily, flipping the page. "It's Petunia that won't shut up about me being a witch, she's never failed to remind me whenever I see her, not once, Mum, that I'm a freak and an abnormality –"

"Petunia is jealous of you, as you very well know," said her mother reprovingly. "Not everyone has little sisters that are magical witches."

"Yes, but not everyone goes out of their way to make their little sisters feel as though they don't belong," said Lily flatly. "You know her better than anyone, Mum – couldn't you try talking to her?"

"Definitely not," said her mother, looking scandalized. "This is a problem you two must work out for yourselves, after all."

"That's going great, isn't it?" said Lily sarcastically. "Listen, Mum, I'll try to keep things civil – and hopefully we'll go from there. I'm more worried about James and Vernon."

She raised her eyebrows. "James and Vernon? Why?"

Lily pretended to think about it. "Well, for starters, they're both proud, big-headed blokes. You both know what Vernon's like –" her dad snorted " – and James can be really nasty when he wants to –"

"Nasty?" said her father suddenly, straightening. "Lily, if he –"

"No, no, no," said Lily hastily, realizing how badly she'd worded that. "Merlin, that sounded wrong. James is very sweet and kind, and we're best friends, even before we started… you know… but he's not going to take an insult laying down, that's what I meant."

When her father still looked reproachful, she sighed and said, "Look, Dad. James is one of the best people I know, and he's really protective of the people he cares about. He doesn't really understand the Muggle world – I mean, this world – and if you pair that with Vernon Dursley, who's probably the last person on earth James should be meeting…"

"It's a recipe for disaster," finished her dad grimly. "Yes, I see what you mean."

Her family remained silent as Yukon Cornelius bid the world goodbye and fell off the cliff.

"Honestly, James, just calm down," implored Marlene as he paced around his room.

"I am calm," retorted James, trying to push his panic away.

It was the 23rd of December, which meant that James would be going out to the Muggle world to have dinner with his scary girlfriend and her scary sister and her even scarier fiancé. The sky outside was cloudless and pink, and specks of dust seemed to dance in the shaft of the late-afternoon sunlight that slanted through the windows. Laying on the bed, watching him in apparent amusement, were Marlene and Sirius.

Sirius snorted easily. "Bollocks. You're a nervous wreck, mate, and that's normal."

"None of this is normal," said James flatly, ceasing his pacing and sitting down with them. "I'm going to Cokeworth, for Merlin's sake – what the bloody hell am I supposed to do?"

"What's so bad about Cokeworth?" asked Marlene.

James groaned. "It's Muggle, Marly – I don't know the first thing about what Muggles do! I'm going to embarrass her for sure, what was I thinking?"

"Weren't you the one who hexed Bertram Aubrey because of something he said about disgusting Muggle dogs?"

He rubbed circles around his forehead, trying to make his rather intense headache go away. Between Sirius and Marlene, he would be lucky to ever get anything done. Asking help from Remus was not an option, either – he'd left just a few hours ago, saying that he had important matters to attend to and would be back tomorrow morning.

Sirius nudged him with his elbow. "A drink, that's what you need. You'll be back to your old self in no time, guaranteed."

"I've had enough alcohol to last me the whole winter, Pads," mumbled James, which was true, since most of his nights were spent drinking firewhisky with Marlene and Sirius once they weren't under the watchful eye of his mother.

"Well, at least get her a gift, you'll look right stupid if you show up without one," said Marlene.

"But I've already got a Christmas present for her."

Marlene appeared to be restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"Not a Christmas present, you prat, I meant something separate," she said. "Something like flowers, or… or chocolate."

"Yeah," muttered James, "Yeah… a gift…"

He groaned again and sprawled on his back, staring blankly at his ceiling. A gift… what would Lily even like?

Marlene snorted decisively as though she had heard his thoughts. "Don't go with flowers, though – I've heard firsthand from her that she's sick of getting flowers from boys."

"If only Lily could see how desperate you are now," drawled Sirius. James ignored him.

"I've still got a box of Honeydukes, I'll give her that."

Marlene nodded. "Everyone loves chocolate. And also, speaking of gifts – what did you get her for Christmas?"

James glanced at his handsomely-wrapped package that was Lily's present, sitting on his desk. "I got her a watch."

This time Marlene rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "A watch? Why in Merlin's bloody beard would you get her a watch?"

"I noticed she hasn't got one," said James defensively, "You know that old tradition where wizards and witches get watches for their seventeenth? I thought it would be nice, since she hasn't got any magical family, and it's even better because she won't be turning eighteen until the end of January! I've been planning this for weeks, I'm giving it to her."

Marlene blinked. Perhaps, thought James, she hadn't considered the possibility that he would have put any thought into his gift.

"I guess if you put it that way…"

Sirius beamed at him. "I think it's brilliant. You might even get to shag her, Prongs."

"No," said James shortly, scowling at him. "Padfoot, I sometimes wish you didn't have a mouth."

His tone of voice did nothing to wipe Sirius's cheeky smile off his face. When his mother called up to them, saying that she needed help with the Christmas tree, they all jumped up from his bed and made their way downstairs.

An hour later, after double-checking that his gift had not, as he had thoroughly convinced himself, disappeared from the wrapping, and his box of Honeydukes' Best still remained unopened, he opened the door to his room to tell his parents that he was leaving. He was about to go down the stairs when Marlene's voice rang out suddenly from Sirius's room.

"You're meeting her in that?"

James looked down automatically at his clothes. They looked fine to him; obviously, he wasn't going to win any beauty contests, but overall a nice warm jacket and a pair of trousers didn't seem to be cause for any reprimanding.

James eyed her dubiously. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

Sirius poked his head out from the doorframe, took one look at his clothes and promptly sniggered. "Prongs, I think you're forgetting that you're not just meeting her for a date, you're meeting her sister, too."

"Well, what do you suggest I wear, then?" said James indignantly.

"I dunno," said Sirius, in a tone of voice that suggested he very well did know. "Just wear dress robes, like you would for any other date."

"Wouldn't that stand out in the Muggle world?"

"No," said Marlene in a strangely composed voice. "I heard from Lily and Mary Macdonald that Muggles love to wear exotic clothing, you'll be every girl's wet dream."

James snorted. "Appreciate the compliment, McKinnon. I'll go with dress robes."

It was a mark of how nervous he was for the evening that he didn't hear two different howls of laughter come from the upper floor that shook the entire manor right before he left.

Extremely sorry for the slow updates, this chapter was a breeze to write and due to that I've been putting it off for a couple of days. No excuses, just a lazy author. The next one I've started working on, it's still in its early stages so it probably won't be published until early November. Happy Halloween in advance!