And so the story moves on... Thanks once again to all my readers, reviewers, and to those who favourited and followed. You rock! How was Halloween, people? I hope you had lots of fun!

Here you get a little taste of Christmas, off season :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Wish I could.

Chapter 7 – A 'Black' Christmas

Christmas came in a cloak of pure white. Everything, from the roads and pavements to the rooftops of the buildings, was covered in four inches of snow. It was only five in the morning when Sirius' eyes flew open. He tried to shut his eyes and go back to sleep, but try as he might, sleep evaded him. Sighing, he got up from the couch and began to plan for the day.

Last day, he had taken Lily to Diagon Alley for Christmas shopping. The memory of the attack on Lily was still fresh on his mind, and so he hadn't let go of her hand throughout the entire trip, something which she hadn't complained about. They bought gifts for all their friends; Sirius had to advise Lily on what kind of gift she ought to buy for James, Remus, Marlene and the rest, seeing as she had no idea herself. They had spent their Christmas Eve between wrapping up and sending away their gifts via owl, and watching Sirius' memories in the Pensieve.

Since he was awake anyway, Sirius began to make plans for the day. He decided to decorate his place properly for Christmas, partly to cheer himself up and partly to please Lily (the poor girl didn't have much to do, stuck in this house with only him as a companion). With a flick of his wand, he conjured up a Christmas tree in the corner. Meticulously he altered the plain appearance of the living room, and by the end of the hour, he had completely transformed his flat into a replica of the Potters' place in Christmas (minus the mistletoe, though; he didn't want any more excuses to kiss his best mate's girlfriend). Work done, he went to wake Lily. The redhead was curled into a ball, with a couple of blankets over her. He grinned and bent down over her.

"Lily flower, wakey wakey!" he sang. Lily groaned and turned away.

"Go away," she moaned, her words coming out muffled. "It's Christmas, Lilykins." he called again.

"Let...sleep...don't care...damn...Christmas." Lily's words were only partly discernible from under the blanket.

Sirius chuckled; someone was not a morning person. Deciding that it was a time for drastic actions, he pushed off the blankets from her in one quick shove, and picked her up bridal style. She screamed and protested at the sudden change of temperature, but he paid her no heed, carrying her off to the living room. But as he stopped by the sofa, he looked down only to see her fast asleep again, snuggled into his warm chest. He sighed in defeat, but couldn't suppress a smile at the sweet picture she made.

"Merlin, Evans, you are quite the sleeper," he murmured to her sleeping form, wondering what to do. He was struck by a sudden brainwave. Grinning slyly, he carried her into the bathroom, over to the bathtub, which was full of water, and without warning, dropped her.

Her breath whooshed out from her as her body made contact with the water, and her eyes flew open instantly. Then she gave a scream which, Sirius felt, would put a banshee to shame.

"BLACK!"

Sirius grinned sheepishly at the redhead who was glaring daggers at him, looking incredibly harmless though, with her chattering teeth and blue lips.

"Sorry, love, but I had to wake you up, didn't I?"

She looked at him murderously, stepping out of the tub, dripping wet. "You are so dead now, Sirius Black."

"Aww, Lily, don't get angry with me, please," he begged, making his best lost puppy face. "It's Christmas!"

She huffed, and took the towel he tossed at her without a word. Once she was completely dry (courtesy of Sirius' drying spell rather than the towel), they went out into the living room. Lily was still giving him a cold shoulder, but out of the corner of his eyes, Sirius saw her eyes shining and her lips twitching as she took in the decoration. He grinned to himself. Mission accomplished.

He walked over to where he had kept her gift.

"Merry Christmas, Lily flower!" he sang, handing the gift over to her with a flourish. She took it with a closed expression, but as she unwrapped it, a smile spilled out on her lips. Sirius had got her a knee length midnight blue dress, which he knew, was her favourite colour (after hazel, of course – James' eyes). She grinned as she twirled the dress around her, and gave him a big smile.

"Thanks! I love it!"

He smiled at her happiness."So, am I forgiven?"

Her brow crinkled, but her smile didn't waver.

"I suppose so," she allowed reluctantly.

He chuckled. "Give me a hug, then."

She shook her head at him fondly, but crossed the distance between them all the same to envelope him in a tight hug. As she pulled away, she pressed her lips gently to his cheeks.

"Wait here. I'll get your gift," she said, and hurried away to the bedroom. As she watched her go, Sirius could not stop his hand from touching the place where she had kissed him. It had only been a friendly kiss, sisterly even, maybe, and yet his heart had done an unexpected flip-flop at the contact.

She was back in a couple of minutes, carrying a neatly wrapped object.

"Here," she gave it to him. "Open it."

He removed the wrapping to find a small box. He lifted the lid, only to gasp in surprise and awe. Inside the box was an exquisite glass figure of a doe. He stared at her with open-mouthed wonder, unable to speak.

"When I was young," she said, smiling shyly, "I loved making figures out of clay. I had been trying my hand at it in the in the last couple of days while you were gone. And I found that my patronus was a doe, so I thought I would make something to remind you of me...just in case we ever got separated someday. I made it last night, except, you know, this time, I used magic." she paused for a while, apparently unsure how to continue. "So...erm – do you like it?"

He kept the figurine carefully on the table, and then, gave her a big hug.

"I...don't know what to say." he said at last, overcome by a sudden emotion. "You began practising magic only two days ago, and you made this masterpiece. I can only say what I told you earlier, Lily, you are the most amazing witch I have ever met."

Her face broke into a breathtaking smile.

"I love it," Sirius said. "Thank you."

The two of them got gifts from the rest of their friends too, as one by one, the owls came. Sirius could see that Lily, albeit happy, was clearly overwhelmed at receiving gifts from people whom she didn't even remember well.

That is going to change very soon, Lily, I promise. He swore mentally.

They spent their afternoon tucking into Christmas special meals which they ordered from the local diner.

Evening fell, and the city was now decked in Christmas lights. Snatches of Christmas carols floated into the flat from the neighbouring houses. So merry was the entire atmosphere that Sirius completely forgot the worries that had been gripping at him the last few days. He tapped at his transistor (a muggle one), which began belting out a hit Beatles number. The band was really popular, among wizards and muggles alike. Indeed, it had been a bit of hard work for him to convince himself that John Lennon was indeed a muggle, and not a wizard in disguise.

He looked around for Lily, only to find her stepping out of the bedroom in the dress he had given her. His eyes widened; he had thought that the dress would suit her, but he hadn't imagined that she would look that gorgeous.

"You look amazing," he said with complete honesty.

"Why, thank you," she grinned. She listened to the song that was playing and began swaying to its catchy tune.

"Nice song. I love it!" she commented. "It's one of my favourites."

He grinned at her, and in a sudden wave of boldness, took her hands in his. Her eyes widened ever so slightly, and she looked at him questioningly.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, retaining his grip on one of her hands and giving a low bow. Her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of pink, and her eyes sparkled in amusement as her lips curved up into a smile.

"Of course, Mr Black," she said.

He guided her hand to his shoulder as he clasped the other in his own. He hesitated a little before putting a hand on her waist, but then got over it; It's only a dance, he said to himself.

They swayed to the music together, neither of them facing any problem about coordination. Sirius, as a child, had been taught ballroom dancing (it was a pureblood custom, his mother had said, but he never managed to figure out how having twinkle-toes would help someone establish their blood status, except maybe by attracting pureblood witches), and although he always acted as if he had two left feet just to annoy his mother, he could dance really well. Lily, too, was evidently quite an expert in dance, because twirled and twisted effortlessly in his arms, never a step out of turn. The tempo picked up as the song progressed; she laughed as he did a complicated twirl with her, and suddenly it crossed him how lovely her laughter was. She smiled at him, inching closer, so comfortable in his arms. He could not help but smile back tenderly, enjoying the feel of her lingering touch. They danced across the many songs that the radio belted out, and finally, dropped down on the couch, exhausted but internally rejuvenated by the dancing. Both their faces were flushed, and a big smile lingered on their lips.

"That was great," Lily gushed after regaining her breath.

"Indeed it was," Sirius agreed, grinning. "I wonder why we didn't dance together ever before. Where were you all my life, Evans?"

Lily laughed. "I never enjoyed dancing this much before."

Sirius smiled back, content to just look at her silently. Her cheeks were tinged with a beautiful reddish hue, and her eyes were glittering in the firelight. Despite his previous promises to himself about not thinking about her looks, he thought, once again, that she was just so beautiful. A gush of cold wind came through a chink between the windows, and she shivered. It was then that he remembered something.

"Just wait a minute," he said, and went to the kitchen. He returned with two glass bottles full of sloshing liquid.

"Firewhiskey," he explained to her questioning glance. "Let's warm you up."

"But aren't we supposed to not touch that stuff until seventeen?" she asked, probably remembering what she had heard at the Leaky Cauldron during the Christmas shopping trip.

He laughed. "Lily, we are seventeen."

She grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right. I keep forgetting that I am not eleven anymore sometimes."

Her words sent a shot of pain in him, but he brushed it away, handing her a bottle. They began sipping the drink in silence. The only sound that penetrated the quiet was the light gulping sound of them swallowing the drink or Lily coughing when she had downed too much Firewhiskey in one go.

"I think I'll go to bed," Lily said finally, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was already past eleven. They hadn't noticed the time fly. Sirius nodded.

"Goodnight. I will get to bed a bit later."

She smiled at him and stroked his hair comfortingly, and then disappeared into the room.

Left alone, Sirius cast a refilling charm on his drink, and kept sipping. It wasn't that he was much of a drinker, though. He didn't know what was compelling him to drink, but the past few days had been emotionally draining for him, and the amber liquid was an easy escape. The firewhiskey burnt at his throat, but he drank on, enjoying the gradual numbness that was settling on his brain.

The clock ticked away the seconds quietly, but he didn't notice; his mind was playing back all the interactions he had with Lily ever since the holidays began – the attack, her blank, oblivious look, the food fight with her, the snogging session, looking at her naked body, going back to being friends, everything. Even in his alcohol-smothered judgment, he could see how much close he and Lily had become over the time, in a much different way than what they were before. Her memory loss had altered everything so much. He thought of the way she had kissed her that evening, of how she had looked at him then, and the irrational part of his mind, which was run purely by instincts and desires, and which had grown so much stronger and louder under the influence of firewhiskey, declared that he should to kiss her again. And he really wanted to. He thought of how soft and delicate she had felt this evening, how perfect she had seemed in his arms, and sighed. But then his logical part, dulled, but active still, kicked in and shoved such thoughts away.

He shook his head as if to shake off annoying flies, disoriented by the internal conflict, and took a large gulp of firewhiskey. His surroundings spun a full circle around him; he could feel himself getting drowsy under the influence of the drink. He tried to stagger up, but fell back to the couch again. He wasn't completely smashed yet, that would have been when the crackling fire began to call out expletives at him, but his consciousness was giving away under the combined weight of the whiskey and the day's excitement. His hand was shaking slightly, but he took another swig of the drink. That gave him a sudden boost of boldness, and swaying dangerously, he made his way to his bedroom, knocking the glass bottle off the table in the process. He stood, supporting himself by the door pane to steady himself. Lily was sleeping in a spaghetti top and pyjama bottoms. He staggered over to her side, and ignoring the faint warning that was ringing in the back of his head, lay down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. He was drunk, of course, but to his alcohol-driven mind, he was quite sober. And to his current state of mind, Lily was attractive beyond imagination and he just wanted her so much. He pulled her closer, taking in deep breaths to inhale her sweet smell.

"Oh, Lily..." he purred. She was so lovely.

His hands gently stroked her face and arms, and he leaned in to drop light kisses all over her face. Between kisses, his lips kept moving to whisper her name, again and again. Such a sweet name – Lily.

She shifted and moaned quietly, but did not wake. Her lips raised themselves in a smile. Sirius continued administering his affections on her for some more time, before his tiredness and the alcohol took its toll on him. The last thing he wondered before he passed out at her side, burying his face in her silky hair, was what it would be like to taste Lily with the firewhiskey on her lips.

-o0o-

Sirius groaned as the sunlight hit his eyes. His head was throbbing in a splitting headache. He tried to shield his eyes from the piercing light, turning over to his side. The couch felt different. It felt...like his bed? He cracked open one eye, only to confirm that he was indeed lying on his bed. How did I turn up here? He wondered. The last thing he remembered was leaning back on his couch, drinking.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over the side of the bed, and a familiar smell of vanilla hit his nose. A slender hand reached down to push hair out of his face.

"Hey, wake up," Lily's voice whispered in his ears. He turned, and reluctantly opened his eyes.

"Rise and shine, handsome," Lily grinned, playfully pulling him up. He let her, and groaned again, clutching his head in his hands as the throbbing in his head escalated.

"Hangover?" she guessed, observing him. He began to nod, but suddenly, his stomach churned violently, and forgoing all attempts at normal behavior, Sirius made a mad dash for the bathroom. Skidding to a stop by the toilet, he proceeded to be violently sick. He dimly heard Lily enter after him, and her hand thumped him on the back and then rubbed soothing circles on his shirt. After his stomach was finally empty, Sirius staggered up, and with Lily supporting him, stumbled back to the bedroom.

"Wait," she said, after he had been seated on the bed, and walked out of the room, only to return with a carafe of water.

"Drink up," she instructed. He obeyed, and sighed as the cool liquid soothed his parched throat.

About half an hour later, Sirius followed Lily out into the dining space, cleaned up and changed, his headache much less acute, and his mood consequently better.

"How did I end up in the bed?" he voiced his question as Lily handed him a steaming mug of coffee. He didn't remember anything of last night's events after Lily went to bed clearly; everything was an unintelligible haze of vague memories.

"Maybe the couch was a bit too hard for you last night?" Lily teased. It was then that he noticed that she was significantly happy that morning. Unlike the first time he had got drunk (that had been in school after Gryffindor won the quidditch tournament; Sirius hadn't been able to resist the firewhiskey the seventh-years brought in), she hadn't even wrinkled her nose or chastised him for getting wasted. The smile that she had worn while waking him up had not left her face, and once or twice her eyes became glazed over and she would sigh wistfully.

"What makes you so happy?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, nothing," she said, the smile still in place. "I had a nice dream."

He nodded slowly, still curious."What about?"

She smiled again and turned towards the window.

"In my dream... you..." her cheeks turned pink. "It's nothing. Just a sweet dream..."

Her tone wistful, she walked off to the kitchen. He tried to ask again, but she wouldn't answer, so he was left wondering what his dream self could have done to make her so happy.

"You know what?' she finally said, when he had almost given up trying to interrogate her, a hint of mischief in her voice and a coy smile on her lips, "It might also be because of the fact that you were practically all over me in bed this morning." She walked out of his sight after that, her tinkling laugh echoing away in the now silent room.

Sirius sat frozen in his seat, his eyes wide in shock.

Merlin, just how drunk had I been?

Until next chapter :) Meanwhile, tell me what you think about it. How do you think Lily will get her memory back? Are things going to be more troublesome for Sirius and Lily? And guesses? ;)