A/N: Chapter Six: Ugly Christmas Sweater

He was avoiding her now. It was a strange phenomenon, and it left her feeling oddly empty. However it did help her get her head on straight.

Two days later, on the twenty second of December, she was ready to face James Potter once again. And so she gave her wrapped Secret Santa gift to one of the house elves to deliver to his dorm.

She still hated him, she told herself, but the initial flare of rage had died down and she was able to sit in his presence, for short periods of time, again.

She was sitting with Mary at dinner. The students all around her were opening their presents from their Secret Santa's. The Professors had even had a small game of their own.

Lily watched Dumbledore open a gift wrapped tin that held Muggle chocolates. Grace Johnson squealed at the hair clips and as soon as she put them on the butterflies to flight. Mary was opening her's.

"Lily," she breathed when she had unwrapped it. "Look at this."

Lily peered inside to see a thin silver chain that was coiled up. Opposite the clasp were five sapphires, arranged into a flower shape. Another chain, with tiny emerald set in it, wound it's way away from the flower until it finally merged with the original chain.

"It's beautiful," Lily gasped, "I wonder who it's from."

Mary looked up, scanning the faces of the students, to see if she could figure out who had given it to her.

"Do you like it?" A voice whispered near the two girl's ears. They both jumped and turned their heads to see Sirius Black leaning casually against the back of Lily's chair.

"You gave this to me?" Mary asked in disbelief.

"Mm Hmm,"

"Why?"

"Well, I had my parent's money to waste."

"You bought this for me out of spite for your parents."

"That and I figured it would go a long way to get a snog out of the only seventh year girl who hasn't man handled me into a broom closet, beside you Evans, you don't count." Lily rolled her eyes.

Mary looked at him with disgust. "You can keep the necklace," she said, shoving it at his chest.

He laughed and dropped it back on the table, "This one's free, but you'll have to pay for anymore trinkets coming from me." Then he rejoined his friends.

"Open your's Lily," Mary changed the topic, putting the lid back on the necklace's box.

"A book?" Mary rolled her eyes when Lily had unwrapped it.

"Not just any book. It's 'Vigilance' by Midian Knight."

"Isn't that the one you wanted to get for your Auror training?"

"Yeah, but everyone thinks I'm going to be a healer. I haven't told anyone else except Professor McGonagall and..." She grinned, "Remus." She looked up to see Remus smiling back at her.

"Lily," Mary tapped her shoulder, "Potter's opening his."

Sure enough, Potter was unwrapping his present while his friends looked on. When he pulled it out and made a face at it, Lily couldn't help but smirk. The Christmas sweater was mostly a disgusting green. Horizontal pink stripped were placed regularly up it. Reindeer were prancing across it, their heads to big for their bodies, and their antlers too big for their heads.

"That is hideous." Sirius said, and Remus nodded his head in agreement. However Potter slipped it over his head. It was a little tight and he had trouble getting his arms in. "Your actually going to wear it?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, well someone went to the trouble of getting it for me. The least I can do is wear it for a few hours."

Lily gaped at him in surprise.

"What's happened to you, mate?" Sirius asked. "It's not like whoever got that for you cared what you though, it's ugly."

"Someone knocked some sense into me." He looked across the table and met Lily's gaze. No winks, no smirks, no glint of mischief in his eyes.