A/N: Yes, a fast update, I know that's probably what you're thinking…so, shall we get a move on then? YAY! Christmas Holidays! So, thanks to all who review and to those who have me as a favorite, thanks a ton!
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize, all that belongs to the ingenius J.K. Rowling
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Over the following few months, everyone had been arguing about holiday plans. Remus didn't want anyone at his house, and no one really knew why. Sirius obviously didn't want anyone at his house, not with those stupid people there…you know, his family, haha. Peter didn't care at all, sadly enough. His parents were making him come home alone to their house, so he didn't have much choice, so much for coming of age, huh? James was the only one who volunteered his house, and so, the three boys all went to James's house.
Of course, no one wanted to stay at Hogwarts while they had amazing warm beds to go home to, although they loved the place, it was more that there were certain people they didn't want to be stuck at school with, like Snivelly. Claire gave no reason, but refused to lend her house as the holiday hideout (of course, we and Sirius know the reason, but no one else does). Tanya couldn't because her parents were going on a cruise in the Caribbean and so she had to stay with Lily no matter what. So, Lily decided to bring Claire with her for the holidays back to her own house, and that was that. Lily and James both sent owls to their parents and got replies very quickly, even though Lily's parents weren't quite used to owl mail yet. Claire owled her mother and Remus mailed his parents and they were ready, they only had to get through a few more days of classes and it would be back aboard the Hogwarts Express and into Kings Cross Station to stay home for three entire weeks of Christmas Holidays!
As they got off the train they were saying their farewells to each other. To Lily, it was unbearable to be away from James for an entire three weeks. To Claire it was like being starved for three weeks. Tanya could deal, she hadn't fallen in love yet, and to her, Remus was more like a very old friend or a boyfriend, not a first love.
"I have to go, Lils," Said James, his hands resting on her hips.
"No, you can't go, I'll miss you too much," she said, throwing her arms around his neck. James laughed lightly and kissed Lily on the forehead, before moving his head so that their faces were even, his forehead pressed against hers. He moved his hands so that they were on her cheeks. Moonstone was sitting on top of Lily's trunk, her green eyes following every motion, her black tail swishing.
"It hardly seems fair does it?" he asked, everyone in the entire world vanishing.
"What?" she breathed. Her voice sounded like it belonged to someone else. They had never had their faces this close without kissing before, and they heard each other's heartbeat and heard the breath coming unsteadily and nervously from their mouths. It was maddening.
"It just doesn't seem fair that we should be apart from each other for so long," he said in a voice as shaky as hers, but more controlled.
"Then don't leave me," she whined.
"You know I have to go play host for three weeks," he said.
"I know, but I don't want your arms to not be around me for more then twenty-four hours. If they are, I might just fall over dead one day from not enough of James Potter."
"Don't joke about dying, not anymore, it isn't funny now, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember, just trying to lighten the mood." She lifted her head and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tenderly while he hugged back. They treasured the moment for the small amount of time that it lasted, and then, when they split apart, James kissed her for the last time in three entire weeks. Lily couldn't get used to that thought.
"I love you," James whispered.
"I know, I love you two," Lily whispered back. About ten feet away, there was a similar conversation.
"I don't want to be away from you," said Claire sadly, small tears welling into her eyes. "What if…while I'm gone…"
"It's not going to happen that soon, I promise you, Claire."
"Okay," she whispered, still sounding sad and unconvinced.
"Sirius Black," she said softly. "I love you."
"Clara Martin," he whispered back. "I love you more."
"I highly doubt that," she said softly.
"I don't, but let's not go through this now or we'll never get out of this train station."
"Please, don't leave me."
"I'll see you in a couple of weeks, you'll be fine, you'll be with Lils and Tanya."
"But I won't be with you."
"Claire, calm down, you'll be okay, okay?"
"Okay." He kissed her for what seemed like far too short of a time, but in all actuality, it was probably about an entire forty seconds. Lily came up behind her, grabbing her hand and towing Claire, her trunk, and her own trunk; the small black cat was following behind her, totting gracefully. Then, she stopped at Tanya who was busy kissing Remus at the time and tapped her on the shoulder. Tanya opened one eye and looked to Lily, rolled the eye and then backed off, away form Remus.
"Sorry, Rem, I have a very impatient friend," apologized Tanya.
"It is perfectly fine," said Remus, kissing Tanya on the cheek one last time before she walked away in the direction of the tall, thin red-haired woman in the crowd.
"Hi, Mrs. Evans," said Claire with a smile.
"Hello, Claire, Tanya, and darling Lily, how was the first half of term?"
"Great," said the three girls at once.
"I could tell by the people you were with," said Mrs. Evans with grin and a single eyebrow raised.
"Oh, mother, don't lecture me on men today, please," pleaded Lily, as they began walking out of the station and towards the green minivan in the parking lot. It was a bit funny that Lily's mother hadn't noticed the cat yet.
"Fine, I was just saying I saw you, but what I want to know is names, come on, girls, spill." Mrs. Evans was very young for her age, the spontaneous type that Lily always longed to be. Mrs. Evans, or Miss Pat (her name was Patricia and I thought it was a good name because ti was Irish and if Lily has red hair and green eyes, she's probably Irish, but that's just my interpretation), as the girls sometimes called her, was freckly all over her face and arms, but she was still beautiful. She had had Lily at only twenty-two and never regretted it. She loved her two daughters with her whole heart and soul, even though Petunia was sometimes wrongly thinking that Patricia sometimes loved Lily more because they were proud of her being a witch.
"Alright, well, if Lily and Claire don't want to mention any names, Miss Pat, then I'll go first," began Tanya. "I've got Remus Lupin. Well, actually what's funny is we're all dating best friends, if you know what I mean. Lily and Claire's guys are my guy's best friends and you know us three are best friends, so, it's pretty cool really."
"Sounds pretty awesome, girls," said Miss Pat. "So, Claire, Lily?"
"I think Lils is a bit embarrassed about her guy," said Claire with an impish grin that she seemed to have acquired form being around Sirius too much.
"I saw him, he is really good-looking. I don't see what the problem is," said Miss Pat with a smile to her daughter.
"Well, if she won't tell, then I will. Mine's Sirius Black," said Claire with a grin.
"He was a very handsome one, Claire. I saw him, he had great hair, just like you," said Miss Pat with a wink to Claire. Miss Pat would have done anything to have looked like Claire in school, actually, probably any girl would've. Any girl would've taken Claire's hair in a heartbeat. Miss Pat, being a woman who runs a salon, always loved to critique people's hair. She had never found anything wrong with the three girls' hair.
"Alright, mum, I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to say anything that would offend me in any way, shape, or form," said Lily.
"I promise, Lils," said her mother, placing her right hand over her heart. Only the other two girls noticed her move her left hand behind her back and cross her fingers.
"Alright, that boy I was with…that's James Potter," she said, holding her breath. Miss Pat didn't have the heart to say "I told you so" and so she kept her mouth shut.
"And, like I said, he was very good looking," admitted Miss Pat. "Although, I bet with some work, we could get his hair to lie flat, what do you girls think?" The three girls laughed internally. Miss Pat had no idea how James always like his hair extremely untidy. How, for the past six years, Lily had always hated him for messing it up all of the time on purpose.
"So, mum, what are the plans for Christmas?" asked Lily.
"It's a surprise, dears," said Miss Pat. Lily eyed her mother suspiciously and then shrugged it off, remaining quiet the rest of the drive home. After all, her thoughts had found their way back to James again. They got in the car and drove to their small house in London. They sat in silence for practically the entire drive, Moonstone dozing in Lily's lap. All of them held their breath when they entered the house, preparing to be bombarded with insults from upstairs from Petunia.
Meanwhile
Mr. And Mrs. Potter waited for the boys to get their things and then ushered them to the bewitched family car – actually, it was a van – and then the two parents loaded the trunks into the back with some levitation charms (after looking around to see that no muggles were watching of course). They climbed into the front seat and the car began moving on its own as soon as Mr. Potter tapped the steering wheel with his wand. Mrs. Potter turned around in her seat to look at the boys. She jumped from her seat, not bothering that they were in a moving vehicle and hugged Sirius like a long lost son and James and Remus just as tightly. Then, she climbed back into her seat and faced the boys.
"James, dear, I saw you with that Evans girl," said the mother with a grin. "So, that's the girl you've been chasing after for years and years, is it?" James just nodded and Sirius elbowed him hard in the ribs for being so vague about details. "She looked very sweet, not to mention very beautiful, but it was an eccentric beauty, something you don't see everyday."
One thing that James loved about his family was that it wasn't anything at all like Sirius's family. No one in the Patter clan cared if their children married pureblood witches or wizards. It was what counted inside, not blood and heritage. Sirius laughed and Remus covered his mouth so that he wouldn't.
"Remus, is it true that you have finally realized how perfect you are for that Tanya Bolanos (Bolanos is a name that a person I know from Spain has, so that's where that name's from) girl." This time it was James's turn to laugh.
"Yes, ma'am," said Remus respectfully.
"And Sirius Black, don't think that I didn't see you with Hogwarts best dish, Clara Martin. Every boy, even the Slytherins love her, and she is so gorgeous. Sirius, hold on to this one. Oh, and I heard about the whole poison ordeal, she will be alright, won't she?" asked Mrs. Potter. Sirius looked down at the floor, not wanting to reflect on the little time he had left with his beloved Claire, only the rest of the term, and they were already half way through.
"So, mum," Said James, trying to change the subject as the awkward silence began to creep in. "What are our plans for Christmas?"
"It's a surprise," said Mr. Potter as he turned around for the first time to look at the three boys that he considered his three sons.
"What do you mean by surprise, Dad?"
"Exactly the definition of the word. Something unexpected or unknown until the occurrence occurs," said Mr. Potter with a banter-like glint in his eye.
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A/N: So, anyone know what the surprise is? I do, gee, I wonder why? So, read, review, favorites, etc. Can't wait to write the next chapter, should be fun with a few girls' nights out and boys' nights out. Oh, and we get to see Aunt Petunia as a fifteen-year-old. I am making Petunia two years younger than Lily, because I don't remember what the age difference was or even if it is ever mentioned, so, yeah, the gist of this basically the surprise will be introduced in the next chapter.