Thank you IamtheHEARTthatYoucallHome, Kayane Joel, and Pokeman Trainer for reviewing. And Jasper, just for you, something is going to "happen" in this chapter.

So…on with the show!

Chapter 12: Christmas Surprise

The days passed, and James, to Lily's surprise, managed to keep his "deal", and didn't hex Snape for a week. Feeling slightly shocked, Lily declined when he asked her out, and spent hours after that crying in her dormitory. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she just bring herself to like him? One more thing was all her heart needed…one more little thing to show her that James was truly meant for her.

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The snow drifted down from the sky and settled on the rooftops of all the buildings in Hogsmeade, coating them with a beautiful layer of white, glistening in the little sunlight that dared to peek through the clouds above as Lily trudged her way through the snow. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, and Lily tried to enjoy it, but couldn't bring herself to. All her pent up emotions were boiling inside her like Longbottom's potion on any given day, and she felt ready to explode, like his potion often did.

"Lily, come on…let's go get a drink, shall we?" Olivia asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. "It's freezing out here."

"It's not that cold," Lily mumbled, shoving her hands in her pockets; Olivia smiled.

"Come on, Lils…let's go." Lily looked up at all the people around her and cringed inwardly at all the couples she saw, holding hands and smiling at each other…everyone except her. Even Brandon had managed to find a new girlfriend. Sighing heavily, she ran her fingers through her hair and glanced blearily around.

"Alright…let's get a drink," she agreed, and Olivia gently steered her in the direction of the Three Broomsticks, taking notice of her fragile state and Lily appreciated that more than she could say.

They entered the building, and Lily inhaled deeply at the smells that swirled towards her, enticing her to stay forever. She pulled her hands out of her pockets and rubbed them together as Olivia quickly ordered three butterbeers and brought them over to a table in front of the fire.

"Here…this will make you feel better," Olivia said, pushing a butterbeer towards her. Lily didn't doubt her and quickly drained half the goblet. She grinned at her friend who only shook her head.

"Told you," she said.

"May I join you two ladies?" Lily and Olivia's head jerked up and saw Remus Lupin standing there, a small tentative smile on his face. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Oh, no of course not!" Lily admonished, moving over to make room for another chair. "Feel free!"

"Thanks," Remus said, pulling a chair from the table next to them and sitting down. He removed his coat and draped it over the back of his chair, and with a contented sigh leaned back and inhaled deeply.

"Wow, it's warm in here," he said; Olivia laughed.

"Would you like a drink?" she asked, moving to get up.

"No, it's quite alright," Remus answered, laying a hand on Olivia's, who's face immediately turned bright red.

"Alright, then…" Lily watched the whole exchange with amusement and caught Olivia's eyes and smiled knowingly. Olivia blushed and looked away; suddenly, Lily was feeling much better.

"Where's James?" she asked. Remus looked at her with surprise, and Lily quickly raised her butterbeer cup in front of her face and drank from it so he couldn't see her flaming cheeks.

"He's shopping."

"Shopping?" Lily laughed, nearly choking on her drink.

"Yes, for Christmas."

"I didn't know he could shop."

"Actually, he is quite good at it…the best of all the Marauders, by far." Olivia emitted an extremely high pitched giggle, and Remus looked at her curiously. Her face turned bright red and she quickly stood up from the table.

"Umm…excuse me, one moment please," she said before dashing away towards the restrooms; Remus followed her with his eyes, nothing but concern etched into his face.

"Is she alright?" he asked, turning back to Lily.

"She'll be fine…just a little woozy I suppose."

"Butterbeer makes her woozy?" Remus asked incredulously; Lily shrugged and laughed.

"I dunno…she has a very low tolerance for alcohol."

"But butterbeer isn't very alcoholic," Remus pointed out.

"Well…" Lily paused, wanting to yell Because she likes you! , but she knew that wouldn't have been cool. "I'll go and check on her." Lily got up from the table and walked towards the restrooms. She opened the door and saw Olivia leaning against the wall, her face bright red.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked, laying a hand on her forehead.

"Oh, I'm fine…just a little sick. I think I've had too much to drink, that's all." Lily giggled, flinging her tresses over her shoulder and grinning at her friend knowingly.

"I don't think it's the drink that's making you sick, my dear." Olivia let out a nervous, high pitched laugh.

"Will he hate me now that I've acted like such a dork?" Lily shook her head.

"Of course he won't! Now, let's get back out there!" Smiling a thin smile, Olivia glanced at her reflection in the mirror before following Lily back to the table, where Remus sat waiting.

"Are you alright?" he asked as they approached the table.

"Yes, yes, yes…I'm fine…just a bit too much to drink, I guess." Remus looked at the butterbeer, then at Olivia and back again, and then seemed to resign to the fact that she was affected by a slightly alcoholic drink and grinned.

"Well, if you're not going to finish it, then could I have a sip?" Olivia's eyes lit up and Lily could tell she was positively delighted at the prospect of her crush drinking some of her butterbeer.

"Oh yes, of course!" Olivia replied, pushing the glass towards Remus.

"Thank you." He raised the glass to his lips and took a quick swig, and carefully set it back down on the table. "Well, I'd better get going…the guys should be done shopping by now." Lily grinned.

"Tell James I'm impressed," she said.

"Will do," he said, standing up and pulling on his coat. Olivia, looking slightly crestfallen, met his eyes and smiled slightly.

"Nice talking to you," she said. Remus smiled back and Lily could see Olivia's eyes grow wide.

"And you," he replied. "See you girls back up at the castle." Waiting until the door of the store had shut behind Remus, Lily broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Shut up!" Olivia protested, going red in the face and slapping her friend's arm. Lily looked up at her friend and smiled, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Oh Olivia…we are both such hopeless romantics!"

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"December 23, only two more days until Christmas!" Olivia crowed; Lily moaned.

"Yes, Olivia, I know. Now please, could you leave me in peace so I could finish this essay?" Olivia sighed and plopped down into one of the chairs by the fire.

"Fine, I'll shut up."

"Thank you," Lily breathed turning back to her essay. She raised her quill and poised it over the paper, but was once again rudely interrupted.

"Do you think Remus will get me something?" Olivia asked.

"Olivia…" Lily said warningly. "Please, I am trying to finish this! And to answer your question, yes, I'm sure he will."

"Oh good…I hope so! Because I got him something!"

"Yes, I know you did," Lily replied slowly, trying to be patient. "Now please let me concentrate!"

"Oh Lily, you're so boring! I'm going down to dinner. Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

"Fine…I'll see you later." Whistling the tune to Jingle Bells, Olivia made her way out of the common room and down to the Great Hall, finally leaving Lily with some peace and quiet. Most of the students had gone home for Christmas break, but a lot of the 7th years had stayed, including Lily, Olivia, and the Marauders. The common room was sure to be packed tonight, so Lily wanted to get her essay done now, so she didn't have to worry about it later. She turned back to the essay and focused on the words she had written, and began scratching away at the parchment, as the fire cracked and snapped, casting black shadows on the common room walls, enveloping Lily with a sense of security and warmth she loved so much, a sense only known at Hogwarts.

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"Where's Lily?" James asked as Olivia sat down at the Gryffindor table alone.

"In the common room writing an essay," she replied, buttering a roll.

"She's already doing homework?" he asked incredulously. "We just got on break for God's sake!" Olivia shrugged.

"She's like that…claims the common room will be too noisy tonight so she wants to get it done." James shook his head and laughed.

"Wow, she's really dedicated, isn't she?"

"Yup, it's scary sometimes," Olivia agreed through a mouthful of bread. "She needs to learn when to take it easy."

"Well, I'm going to go and see if she needs any help," James said standing up from the table; Olivia frowned.

"Umm…that might not be such a good idea. She doesn't like being disturbed."

"I won't disturb her," James replied, swinging his book bag over his shoulder.

"But-"

"Don't worry, Olivia. I'll make sure she doesn't get mad at me."

"That might be kind of hard," Sirius pointed out, "considering how she spazzed at you in the hospital wing and hasn't talked to you since." James glared at him.
"Shut up, Padfoot," he said.

"Oh, but she's talked about you," Remus added. James turned to him and raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked, hardly daring to believe.

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you, but last weekend at Hogsmeade she said she was impressed that you could shop." James grinned.

"See guys? Finally, I think she's realizing that I'm not so bad." Sirius snorted into his casserole.

"Sure, sure, sure. And that's why she's upstairs working on an essay, rather than spending time with you."

"Encouragement, Padfoot! Encouragement is all he needs!" Remus reprimanded, and Olivia giggled. He glanced at her, smiling, and her face immediately turned bright red. James noted this with great amusement, but decided to tease Moony later.

"Well, wish me luck!" he said, striding towards the doors of the Great Hall.

"Good luck!" the Marauders chorused.

"Don't make her mad!" Olivia yelled. Chuckling, James made his way out of the Great Hall and up several flights of stairs to the tapestry of the Fat Lady, beyond which lay the Gryffindor Common Room where his one true love sat waiting. Grinning, James gave the password to the Fat Lady and stepped into the common room….empty except for a lone sphere of red sitting in front of the fire. James quietly crept over to the back of the couch and peered over Lily's shoulder at the piece of parchment she was hastily scribbling on. It was filled with writing, but most of it was crossed out, with side notes and asterisks all over. She was nearing the bottom the bottom of the parchment, and her writing became small and tiny as she tried to fit all of her essay onto it.

"There, done," she murmured leaning back against the couch; James hastily moved his hand and remained silent. Lily held the essay out in front of her and James could easily see what she had written…and it was not an essay…that much was obvious.

Dear James,

I am extremely sorry for acting like such a jerk to you all these years…I really don't know why I did it. Because, James, I have come to realize

"What are you doing!" James was interrupted by a shriek and the letter was jerked out of his view. James stood there speechless, trying to process what he'd just read.

"Wha-what?" he muttered, shaking his head and trying to clear his mind.

"How much did you read?" Lily demanded fiercely.

"Just the first sentence," James replied.

"Liar!" Lily screamed. "Otherwise you wouldn't be standing there like such an idiot! The idiot that you are!"

"But you said-" James started, not wanting to ruin his dream.

"Screw what I said!" Lily yelled, throwing the note in the fire. "I made it all up! I NEVER MEANT IT!"

"Sure Lily, sure," James answered, regaining his cocky attitude. He couldn't believe it!

"I DIDN'T!" Lily screamed, tears beginning to roll down her face. "NOT A WORD OF IT WAS TRUE! I MADE IT UP! ALL OF IT!"

"Then why did you write it down? I think you're the one lying, Lily." James knew he'd gone too far. With an exasperated howl, Lily tore angrily up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. James stood there in the center of the common room for a few moments afterwards, trying to process what had just happened. Did Lily really like him? Did he have hope?

He glanced up the stairs and wished feverishly there was a way he could get up there. He would climb to the tallest room in the tallest tower, and up the longest flight of stairs, if only to take back what he had said and comfort Lily Evans.

"I hate my life," James muttered, throwing himself down on one of the couches. "Hate it hate it hate it…" It was with the image of the irate redhead dancing before his eyes in the flames of the fire, that he dozed off.

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"Wake up Lily! It's Christmas! Open your presents!" Lily sat up just in time to catch the large package Olivia pelted at her. She glanced at it blearily, her heart skipping a beat when she recognized James' messy scrawl. She hastily put the present aside and opened the others: a sweater from her mother, a book on Defensive Magical Theory from her father, a tampon from Petunia, and a box of chocolates from Olivia.

"Thanks, Olivia," Lily said, tearing open the box. She selected a caramel filled one and popped it in her mouth, letting the warm smooth sensation slide satisfyingly down her throat.

"Who's that from?" Olivia asked, gesturing towards James' present.

"Uhhh, James," Lily said quietly, speaking his name in naught but a whisper. She hadn't seen him since last week, when she'd yelled at him for reading her note. She had been more embarrassed than angry, but her temper had gotten the better of her judgment (her prefrontal cortex obviously wasn't fully developed yet, as Olivia had said when she'd told her) and had exploded at him, once again.

"Well, open it!" Olivia said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Um, I dunno…"

"Lily…come on! It can't be that bad! And besides, if you don't like it, just throw it away!" Lily stared blankly at the package.

"Open it now, or I'll open it for you!" Swallowing hard, Lily carefully undid the wrapping to uncover a small white box.

"Jewlery?" Olivia asked, coming to sit next to her on the bed. Lily undid the lid and gasped at what she saw. Embedded in a pad of velvet lay the most beautiful necklace Lily had ever seen. A silver chain with diamonds all along it, with tanzanite in the middle of every one. It shimmered and threw shadows on the walls as Lily held it up to admire it.

"Oh my god…" Olivia breathed; she stared dumbfounded at the necklace. Lily glanced back at the box and saw a small note attached to it:

My Dearest Lily,

Whatever you do, please do not chuck this gift and note out the window quite yet. What I have to say is extremely important. Lily Evans, I have fallen in love with you so many times, I've lost count. Call me immature, say my head is big, do whatever you please. But I will still love you. I hope, with all my heart, that what you wrote in that "essay" was, and is, true. But I will understand completely if it's not. I want you to know that after this, I will stop bugging you. What I want most is for you to be happy…with or without me.

James

Her eyes brimming with tears, Lily laid the necklace gently on the bed, stuffed the note into the pocket of her robe, donned it, and ran down the stairs.

"Lily, where are you going!" Olivia cried, following her out.

"To find James!" Lily yelled back. She didn't have to search long: she saw him sitting in front of the fire in the common room, with his head in his hands, as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She stopped and hastily tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"James," she said softly. He looked up and his eyes lit up as he heard her. He stood up tentatively.

"Hi…" Fighting back tears, Lily ran to him and threw her arms around him.

"I love you," she breathed into his ear. She laid her head on his chest, and she felt him grin into her hair. She raised her face and before she knew it, was kissing him deeply and passionately, forgiving him for all the things he'd ever done.