A little JamesLily fluff for the lovely PrincessPearl. Pearl is amazing, she is a truly wonderful person, and a great friend. I hope you like it, bb.


They're walking through Hogsmeade, one of her scarves wrapped around both their necks, arms around each other's waists and her head on his shoulder. The lights are reflecting off their faces, shining vividly on his black hair as they pass through the decorated main street. She laughs at the display in Honeydukes, watching two small wooden dolls decorate a tiny Christmas tree. He watches the way her eyes light up at the show, all crinkled at the edges and filled with the warmth he's come to associate with Lily.

He pulls her back, drawing her away from the wooden dolls and towards a small shop tucked in behind the others like it's trying to remain invisible. The sign on top is battered and worn, faded from years of neglect and weather. Lily stops, staring at the sign, trying to read it, but James pulls her in, ignoring her protests.

The room inside is filled floor to ceiling with bookshelves, the tiny space crammed with more books than the Hogwarts Library. Lily stands in the doorway, her mouth open and her eyes filled with joy.

"James, what-"

"I already paid them- the thirty galleons for you to spend. You don't need to pay anything."

"What? James, why?" She sounds shocked, her voice without the happiness he had expected.

"I figured I owed you an apology." He says quickly, his hands in his pockets and his eyes downcast, "You know, for last Christmas. When me and the others…well, when we used those snowballs against those OWL students, well, what I mean to say is…yeah. Sorry," he finishes lamely, at a loss with how to apologise. He shuffles his feet against the worn carpet, keeping his eyes on his shoes, avoiding her gaze. She takes a few steps forwards and lays her arms on his shoulders.

"Thankyou." He looks up, meeting her eyes with shocked disbelief. She leans forwards, and he watches as the warmth disappears from her eyes, replaced with something that burns away at his heart, perched on the thin line between pain and joy. Their lips meet and it feels like the word thankyou repeated over and over again, drowning out any other thoughts.

She pulls back and smiles, her heart beating painfully fast and the corners of her mouth stretching towards her ears.

They spend the rest of the afternoon in the shop, searching through the endless shelves of Muggle books. James puts up with it, holding the ever-growing pile of books for her, as Lily peruses the shelves for hidden treasures.

James sighs, watching as the glow lights up her face and the warmth fills her eyes.