James healed better than anyone had expected. Many, Madam Pomfrey included, believed that this was due to Lily sitting with him every day until he was allowed to leave. Lily wasn't the only one to visit him, of course. The other Marauders were there whenever Lily wasn't. This was quite a lot of time, for which the boys were thankful. No one knew what went on in the Hospital Wing when Lily was in there, though many desperately wanted to know. What actually happened were several harmless conversations. Once James was discharged from the infirmary, he and Lily still spent a lot of time together around the grounds and the castle simply having conversations. It didn't seem as though they were dating and, technically, they weren't. Very soon though they were busy planning the Christmas Ball. Christmas Day dawned bright and clear…

Lily woke to the sound of screaming. The other girls were awake and screaming hysterically at the size of the present piles. Lily sat up groggy but smiling widely. She had always loved Christmas. Her favourite part was simply being with friends and the food. Presents came after both. Lily crawled to the end of her bed, with a blanket wrapped around her to fight off the sudden cold, and began to attack her pile of presents. Lily was only mildly surprised to find presents from Sirius and
Peter. As she went through the pile, however, Lily became more and more worried as a present from James didn't surface. Eventually she got to the bottom of the pile and found a small gift. Lily opened the card first:

My dearest Lily,
Happy Christmas!
Hope you like my gift.
Please wear it, even if you don't.
Love, James

Lily's smile widened as she read the note. She especially loved the "Love, James" bit. Lily ripped the bright paper off to reveal a small plain looking box. Inside the box Lily found the most beautiful necklace. At the end of a silver chain was a magnificent silver lion encrusted with bright rubies. Lily carefully lifted the necklace out of the box and admired it in the light. The light played across the lion making it seem as though it were running. Lily absolutely loved it. She raced over to the mirror and placed the necklace carefully around her neck. Lily didn't look at it until she had managed to fasten the clasp at the back of her neck. Once she had Lily looked up and smiled. The necklace sat just below her collarbone. The rubies stood out against her pale skin and it looked incredibly beautiful sitting there.

Lily hoped that James liked his gift.

…

James woke to being jumped on by a very heavy object, which turned out to be Sirius. James groaned and punched Sirius' arm until he got off him. Sirius laughed and jumped off him only to go over to wake Remus. James sat up slowly to see Peter already awake and Remus pushing Sirius away. James pushed his glasses onto his face and winced as the arms brushed against his temples. Although there were no injuries anymore it still hurt occasionally. James turned his attention to his pile of presents. James loved opening the presents but his favourite part of the holiday was being with those he cared about and all the food. Sirius jumped back into his own bed and began ripping the paper off his gifts with gusto. The other boys began to open theirs with enthusiasm just not as much as the overzealous Sirius. Sirius and Peter weren't at all surprised to find a gift from Lily amongst their presents. James, however, was having trouble finding his gift from Lily.

Finally, at the very bottom, James found a large red wrapped gift. He opened the card first.

My Dearest James,
Merry Christmas!
I hope you like your gift.
Yours always, Lily
xoxo

James grinned at the card. He loved that Lily had said that she was always his. James ripped the paper off the gift to reveal a beautiful leather box. James undid the bronze clasps and lifted the heavy lid. Inside he found the most perfect broom servicing kit. There was also a book in there filled with new Quidditch manoeuvres, which James was eager to try out. James just happened to look at the inside of the lid and found an inscription.

The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise
of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed in these two:
common-sense and perseverance.
Owen Feltham
Merry Christmas, James
Yours always, Lily
xoxo

James smiled at the quote from the English author. And at what Lily had written. He sincerely hoped she was wearing the necklace.

…

As always on Christmas morning at Hogwarts, the word 'thanks' was in over use. James was delighted to see Lily wearing the necklace and was pleased at how well it looked resting against her chest. James and Lily sat next to each other.

"Did you actually think that I wouldn't like this?" Lily touched the necklace lightly with her index finger.

"No, but I'm very insecure." James whispered back to her. James blushed slightly when Lily smiled brightly at him. "I love the servicing kit." Lily sighed in relief. "I lost mine a while back. And you remembered what I told you."

"Whatever do you mean?" Lily feigned innocence. James merely raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh, okay. Yeah, I remembered you said that you liked Own Feltham's quotes. I liked that one as well so I used it. I tried to think of something on my own but it didn't go so well. Thank you for this." Lily touched the lion again.

"No problem, Lils. And thanks for the kit and the book." Lily positively beamed in response. James decided that he liked making Lily smile like that. He hoped that he would be able to get that kind of response from her for years to come.

…

Lily and the other seventh year Gryffindor girls began getting ready for the Ball after lunch at the insistence of Mary and Julie. Alice wasn't too fussed about the whole think because her boyfriend, Frank, wasn't there as he'd graduated the year before. Lily was simply nervous. Her friends knew that she was going with James and so they paid extra attention to making her get ready.

Lily took her time in the shower. She washed her hair twice and shaved her legs three times, just to be sure. Once all the hygienic things were done Lily stood underneath the stream of hot water and let it run down her back. The water helped Lily to calm her nerves and eased out the tension in her shoulders and back. Lily knew that the Marauders were in the Head dormitories getting ready. Or sitting around waiting to get ready. Lily lathered herself with soap again and let the water wash it away. Once she could find nothing more to do, Lily turned off the water, dried herself off, and re-entered the dorm. Alice, Mary and Julie were already showered, as the bathroom held four showers, and they were currently painting their nails. Lily was quickly forced into a chair and sat patiently as her finger and toe nails were painted as pale pink colour. Lily tried to focus on relaxing and tried desperately not to think about James and the up-coming Ball. Once her nails were dry, Julie blacked out the mirror so that Lily couldn't see what they were doing to her hair and face. The three girls had already managed to do each other's hair and make-up. Lily almost fell asleep sitting in the chair, she was that relaxed. As soon as they were finished they handed Lily what appeared to be a scrap of white material, but which actually turned out to be a dress. Lily put the dress on and was pushed in front of the mirror. Mary, who was an absolute genius, had designed and made all the girl's dresses and so none of them had seen their dresses, let alone ever worn them.

"Alright, Lil, open your eyes."

Lily cautiously opened her eyes and stared at the person in the mirror. There was no way in hell that it could actually be her. Her red hair had been curled and pulled off her face by a silver circlet studded with diamonds. Small strands of her hair still hung down though beautifully framing her face. Lily's make-up was very subtle as only neutral tones had been used. Despite this, Lily's emerald green eyes stood out more than they normally did. Lily's cheeks had been brightened using a light pink blusher and her lips had been painted a dull red. Around her neck Lily wore the necklace that James had given her only that morning. Lily's white dress was Grecian style and floor length. The dress had elegant sleeves that were each split in two. The dress was tightly gathered across her chest. Just beneath the gathered section was a band of darker material inlaid with what appeared to be diamonds. From there the dress was free flowing, though it still showed off the curve of Lily's waist. The material was soft against Lily's skin and she absolutely loved it, but she was still having trouble believing that the girl in the mirror was actually her. On her feet, Lily wore silver high-heels which she was trying to get used to. Lily turned to Mary and threw her arms around the girl's neck.

"Thank you so much."

…

James sat on the lounge, staring into the fire. He had butterflies in his stomach. He was sweating slightly. And all because in about an hour he would go down to the Great Hall to meet Lily. Remus and Peter were playing chess and Sirius sat in an arm chair brooding silently because of the 'welcoming' he'd gotten from Salazar Slytherin. James ignored all of them and concentrated on breathing. He'd come close to hyperventilating three times now and he was determined not for it to happen again. Though chances were it would. James saw Remus glance up at him. James closed his eyes and leaned his head back. This was also the wrong thing to do. As soon as his eyes were closed images of Lily leapt into his head. Although the images weren't exactly unwelcome they didn't help with his nerves.

"So, Black, tell me. Do you like disgracing your family?" James' eyes fluttered open and quickly settled on Sirius. Sirius growled but kept his eyes firmly on the fireplace. "Do you enjoy disgracing your family's name? Hmm? Is it fun for you to watch them burn with humiliation as you flounce around with those three?"

Sirius leapt to his feet and stood in front of the gigantic portrait. "For your information, my family is a bunch of sadistic bastards who want nothing more than to see me fail. And I want nothing more than to see each and every one of them burn, literally. I'm glad to be shot of the whole lot of them. And these three are the best friends I could ever ask for. So, please, if you don't mind, could you just shut the hell up? Thanks very much." Sirius was breathing very heavily and was having trouble keeping his hands steady.

"How nice for you. However, surely your family can't be so sadistic if you're still alive. And if you're friends are still breathing."

"Hey, Salazar, guess what?" James stood next to Sirius. "You're an arse." With that eloquent and imaginative insult said James took hold of Sirius' arm and guided him back to his seat. "Ignore him. He likes annoying everything that's actually still alive." James sat down in his armchair and resumed his study of the fireplace.

Finally, James decided that he'd better get ready and escaped up to his dorm room. The other three were going to get ready after he did. James took his time getting ready, however, so that he'd have something to concentrate on besides the warm glow of the fire, which had became boring. Once James had finished preening and dressing he resumed his seat and occupation of fire watcher. James put his head back against the chair. Images of Lily once again came to mind…

"James! Come on, mate. Time to go." James sat up slowly. Remus smiled kindly at him and tapped his watch.

"Right, right." James got to his feet and stretched his muscles before following his fellow Marauders out the door and down to the Great Hall. James felt like an absolute idiot standing there and staring up at the stairs like a lost puppy. Suddenly the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen appeared. She was wearing a long white dress and her hair was red and it was… Lily.

…

Lily didn't see James at first. But when she did, she couldn't help but laugh. James was staring up at her with a big cheesy grin plastered on his face. It was then that Lily noticed he wasn't the only one staring up at her. Everyone was looking at her, even the Slytherins. Lily dipped her head so that they wouldn't be able to see her blushing. Lily made her way down the stairs to James. Over his shoulder Lily could see Severus standing back in the shadows watching her. Lily held her head high and smiled brightly at James. She could hear whispers springing up everywhere.

"Hi."

"Hi." James' voice squeaked slightly. Lily laughed at him lightly and James seemed to relax. He cleared his throat and grinned. "Hello. You look… amazing. And you're wearing the necklace. Oh, this is for you. It's a bit cheesy, you don't have to wear it, if you don't want." James held out a white box with a gold ribbon on top. Lily opened the box and saw a beautiful corsage with a red rose.

"Oh, James, it's beautiful. Thank you, I love it. Will you help me put it on?" James smiled and took the corsage out of the box and placed it gently around Lily's right wrist.

"It looks good. Come on, let's go in."

…

The Great Hall had been decorated beautifully. Lily, who had been in charge of the decorations, had done a brilliant job. The customary twelve Christmas trees were still there and so were the other usual decorations but things had been added to the Hall and the trees to make it look even better. Strung up between each of the Christmas trees was a garland of white tinsel interspersed with twinkling fairy lights. The decorations hanging on the trees represented each of the four houses evenly along with pure white decorations. Tables and chairs were set up as well for when the students had dinner and also if they didn't particularly feel like dancing. In regular intersections along the wall small alcoves had been created to give people some privacy. However, Professors McGonagall and Slughorn checked the alcoves every so often. There was a large section of the floor that had been designated as the dance floor and the DJ was set up on the platform where the Professor's table usually was. Fake snow fell from the enchanted ceiling but dissipated very quickly so as not to ruin anything. All in all, the Hall looked amazing.

Whispers followed Lily and James the entire night. Many were wondering if it was an actual date or if it was merely because they were Head Boy and Girl. It was, of course, the former but very few were sure. No one, however, could deny that the two of them looked good together and even Professor McGonagall was heard to mutter "Well, it's about time". Professor Dumbledore nodded sagely when she said this. People were trying to figure out what had happened between the two of them which caused Lily to go from hating to dating to Potter. Many, like McGonagall, were of the belief that it was about time, while many, many others, depending on their gender, wanted to rip either one of their throats out. And then there were those, mostly Slytherins, who couldn't have cared less.

James and Lily were apparently completely oblivious to the whispers and stares they were getting, so wrapped up were they in their own personal world. They did know that the whispering was about them but they paid it no mind. They were largely inseparable for the whole night and they seemed entirely at peace in each other's arms.

Towards the end of the night, James and Lily escaped the stares and the whispers by going outside into the grounds. The grounds, like the Hall, had been decorated beautifully. The courtyard was lit up by thousands of tinny lights and the fountain was practically glowing, thanks to difficult charm. Garlands hanging everywhere and there were several Christmas trees dotted around the place. There were a few places where people could sit and they wouldn't be seen from the doors of the castle but teachers were still patrolling and seemed to enjoy docking points of the students they found. James and Lily found one such area and sat down on the marble bench. For a long time neither of them spoke until James saw Lily shivering in her ridiculously thin dress. James shrugged off his dress robe and draped it around Lily's shoulders.

"Thanks." Lily smiled up at him and James laughed when he heard her teeth chattering. "It's Mary's fault. She designed the stupid, flimsy thing."

"Well, even if it is thin, you still look beautiful." James grinned when Lily gave him that smile.

"Thanks. For everything. I've had fun."

"The night's not over yet, Lil."

"Yeah, I know," Lily stammered. "But I just mean that I've had fun… so far."

James cocked an eyebrow at her. "So, you're not going to have any more fun, then?"

"Well, yes, I just… Shut up, James." Lily hit James' arm playfully.

"Ouch, geez, Lil, go easy on me. I've only just healed." James rubbed his arm and put a mock hurt voice.

"Oh, I am so sorry." Lily looked at James with puppy dog eyes and then hit him again. "Baby."

James laughed at her. "Alright, alright. I'm glad you've had fun… so far." Lily smirked and they fell into a comfortable silence. After a while, Lily leaned her head against James and he put his arm around her. They sat like that for a long time before Lily broke the silence.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Technically, you just did." Lily poked his side, hard, and James laughed. "Okay, okay. You can ask me anything, Lily."

"Kay." Lily fell silent and James waited patiently for her to speak. "Why me? I know that's kinda clichéd but I want to know. Remus said that it might've had something to do with the fact that I was the first girl to turn you down and that you really liked me. This was about two months after you first asked me."

"He was right, as he usually is."

"Yes, but why did you like me?"

"Lily, I still like you. A lot. That hasn't changed and I don't think it's going to anytime soon." James took a deep breath and gently lifted Lily's chin so that he could see her eyes. "I like you because of who you are. You're smart and funny and beautiful and amazing and you managed to with hold the Potter charm for a whole year. I have never met anyone like you. You're incredible and I don't deserve you. Every second I'm with you I can't look away. And whenever, I'm not with you I can't stop thinking about you. Lily, I love you. I don't know when…"

James was cut off abruptly when Lily pressed her lips against his. James was taken by surprise at first but once he realised what was happening he kissed her back. Lily pulled away first.

"I love you too, James."

If you want to see the dress I described for Lily go to my profile and you'll see the link