A Not-So-Merry Christmas

"GOTCHA!" Lily screamed, dancing in the snow as her snowball hit James square in the chest.

"Oh, no you don't," James growled, hurling a snowball at her and missing by inches.

"Oh, yes I do," Lily screamed again, laughing hysterically. She was having the time of her life. How could I have ever disliked him? Lily mused. He's amazing!

She was laughing so hard that she didn't see James running towards her, arms outstretched. "Oh, no you don't!" he said, tickling her. She was laughing so hard she was crying.

"James, stop it!" she screeched, and the next thing she knew she was being lifted off her feet. "JAMES, PUT ME DOWN!" Lily shrieked.

"That's what you get when you hit me with a snowball," James said, spinning her around. "But, if you insist…" He let go of her, and caught her again a few inches before she hit the ground, then put her down gently.

"You're going to pay for that one, Potter," she said, trying to sound mad. The effect was ruined, however, seeing as her words were separated by laughter.

"Oh, really?" James asked, before being hit in the face with a snowball. "EURGH!" he screamed, spitting snow out of his mouth.

"Miss Evans!" screamed Professor McGonagall, running in the middle of James and Lily's snowball fight. "Potter, if you throw one more snowball at me it will be detention," she said, wiping snow off of her face and frowning in disapproval.

"Professor, what is it?" Lily asked, picking herself up from the snow, where she was laughing at James's surprised expression when she threw the snowball at him.

"Miss Evans, your sister wrote you a letter. It's waiting in your dormitory."

Professor McGonagall ushered them into the castle, and they walked up to the Heads dormitory.

Lily read the letter, first frowning, then clapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide, and two seconds later she dropped the letter and sat on the couch by the fire.

"Lily, what happened?" James asked anxiously, sitting next to her.

"Petunia's getting married," Lily said monotonously, staring straight ahead as though she were a zombie. "She's marrying an oaf named Vernon. I never liked him. The wedding's in summer. My parents died. Her dress is going to be pale pink."

James reached out and hugged her, smoothing out her hair. She just sat stiffly and continued staring into the fire. She bit her lip. "Lily," James whispered into her hair. "It's okay. You can cry."

As if on cue, Lily started sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. James rubbed her back soothingly. When she calmed down, she pulled back and stared at the letter. "I'm an orphan!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking. James looked at her, sad that she was put in the same situation that he was in. Something squirmed inside him as he made a connection.

"Lily," he said urgently, "I don't mean to be insensitive, but how did they die?"

"A gas explosion in Muggle London. The police think that fire works set it off. There was a green flash and then there was a green shape in the sky that—" Lily stopped, her eyes wide, as James put a finger to her lips, then ran to his room and pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet that had been delivered. He pointed at the cover.

"It's an attack by Death Eaters, like the one that happened the first week of school!" James exclaimed, frowning. "This must've been what the purpleese were talking about when they said the shape in the sky!"

"James, it's police, not purpleese, and you must be right!" Lily exclaimed through her tears.

"But you just said I was wrong!" James said, confused.

"No, you were wrong about the way to say 'police', but you must be right about the two explosions being connected! I'll bet anything that Voldemort was the cause of both of them! I wish there was some way to stop him."

"Lily, there is!" James's face glowed with excitement. "Remember I told you about the Order?"

Lily nodded her head, but smiled dismally at him. "James, Dumbledore wouldn't let us join. We're still in Hogwarts!"

"Yeah, I know that, Lily," James said quietly. "But we could join once we leave. And I'm going to be an Auror after school finishes. You could be one too. You're good enough to be one."

"I think I'm going to be a Healer. I could take care of everybody that needs it. I think that would be nice." Lily sighed and took a deep breath. "It's something my—It's something my parents would be proud of." She crawled into James's lap and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's something that I'm proud of," James whispered in her ear.

A sob escaped her lips. How can I be reduced to tears by something nice that James said? She thought. She stood up. "I'm going to go to sleep," she said, kissing him. "Thank you…for everything."

She left James sitting on the couch, trying to work out what she meant, and went up to bed, where she looked out her window and up at the stars. Two new stars were shining up in the sky, twinkling at her brightly. She smiled, and crawled into bed, knowing that her parents were safe now.

A/N: yeah, I know I'm evil. Remember Lily's dream, that's kind of the proof that they're right about their theory that Voldemort led the attacks (the dream in Letters From Somewhere…that's supposed to be a dream, in case that wasn't clear). So, review please! I'll update again on Wednesday hopefully, I'm kinda busy that day. If not Wednesday, then Thursday. Review!