Chapter 4: Gobstones

The weeks went by quickly. James was once again completely caught up in his school work, he had stopped having to change his bandages, and snow was beginning to blanket the Hogwarts grounds. Heavy cloaks came out of storage and were found clutched around their owner's fronts on the commute in between classes. Chatter too turned to the change in weather and Christmas plans.

"I wonder what Petunia will think when I step out the fireplace – home for the Holidays." Lily mused as she folded a sweater and tucked it into her trunk.

Just the week before, there had been an attack at a muggle train station which had left one wizard and six muggles dead. This had put many parents on edge, and for the first time in fifty years, the Hogwart's Express was canceled. Instead, students had signed up with their Heads of Houses and were assigned designated Floo times throughout the many professors' personal fireplaces.

"Is that not normal?" Joey laughed.

"Not particularly, no. Unless you're Saint Nick."

"Well, I hate to say it Lil, but you'll be a huge disappointment in comparison to Father Christmas. And I expect she won't much like the soot… Be sure to give her a big hug before dusting off."

Lily laughed despite herself, shaking her head as she did so.

"You're leaving your place hooked up to the Floo for the Holiday, yeah? Remember, I have that New Year's party. Dad told me to invite some sensible friends. Loads of people from the Ministry will be there. He said it's, time we start trying to make some connections for our future." Joey said this while rolling her eyes and doing her best impression of her father's voice, "Plus I need someone to save me from the bore it'll surely be."

"I'll be there." Taylor chirped from her position on the bed, lying on her stomach with her head turned down into her book.

"T, aren't you going to pack?" Lily asked, carefully laying a perfectly folded scarf atop her filled trunk, and lightly closing it.

Taylor looked up, her face scrunched in a show of revulsion. She reached behind her and pulled her wand from her back pocket, waving it toward her open trunk and a pile of clothes beside it. They rose up before unceremoniously falling into the case. The drawers of her bedside table then opened of their own accord and socks tumbled down, the trunk lid slamming shut on the wrinkled pile.

"Done."

"Well, I have to say, regardless of your lack of finesse, I'm impressed. Nonverbal spell. I'm still having loads of trouble." Joey pointed her wand at a pair of socks, which twitched, but moved no further. She frowned, picking them up and throwing them in her case.

"It'll click soon enough. Keep practicing – it's not like people even know you are. One night I just kept trying to hit Sirius over the head with his Defense book. Then to both of our surprises, it gave him a nice whack on the skull. He had no idea what happened." Taylor grinned.

Joey chuckled and turned back to the red head, "What about you, Lily? Please come."

"I'll ask my parents when I get back and owl you. There shouldn't be a problem… Not sure I want to be a Ministry official though."

"Well then, we can sneak some fire whiskey and make fools of ourselves. I'm sure my brother will be up for it – he'll be in from his work in America. Hates these stuffy events."

"What does he do again?"

"Who really knows. He's part of some research field group there. Whenever he explains his job it goes right over our heads and Dad mentions he could get him a desk job in the Transportation office if he'd like. Then Tyler just grumbles something."

"There's nothing like family and the holidays." Lily sing-songed. "Petunia's face is sure to scrunch up in disgust the moment she sees me, like I carry some sort of wizard stench. And I guarantee she screams the first time I pull out my wand." She added, picking at the hem of her sleeve.

"Well, I have fun with my family on the holidays," Taylor chirped, "Not sure my parents do though. They rarely have to deal with all eight of us in the house at once."

"A Polanin Christmas…" Joey contemplated before adding in a chuckle, "Oh you and your perfect family can shove it."

The three girls laughed, continuing their varies tasks and dreaming of what their winter holiday may bring.

The Wednesday evening before Holiday started, Lily sat in the common room with James beside her, bidding a goodbye to Remus. He looked a little gray, and Lily was hoping the winter break would do wonders for his health. The common room was practically empty, as most students had been sent home already. Lily, on the other hand, wasn't due to leave until early the next morning, as her Head of House affectionately told her, "Last to sign up, means the last to leave. Stop the whining."

"Merry Christmas, Remus. Enjoy your break, yeah? And expect some letters from me about the Defense homework." She grinned.

"You know, I think you're using me. A friendship, just for homework help. I feel exploited." Despite his haggard appearance, he was as sharp as ever.

"Well, yeah. I certainly didn't befriend you for the company you keep." She subtly nodded her head in James's direction.

"Oi! No need to insult me. I'm being good!"

Remus stepped forward and patted him on the head, "Yes you are Jamesie." He said in a condescending tone, "You're being very good. Despite what everyone told me, we've proved them all wrong – I've finally house broken you."

While James was rolling his eyes, Remus's other hand was digging in the front pocket of his bag, pulling out a half-eaten candy bar, "How about a treat, for being such a good boy?"

Lily and Remus were laughing, while James swatted his hand away with a disgruntled look.

"Well, I better be going. Got to trek up to the East tower to Floo out."

Despite his prior annoyed appearance, James made to stand up, "I'll help you with that trunk."

Remus waved him back down, "James, no. I'm fine. Once I get through the portrait I'll just levitate it."

Lily watched as the moment quickly developed some tension, and James and Remus locked eyes, appearing as though they were fighting a battle of wills.

"Are you sure?" James asked.

"I'm fine," Remus replied sternly.

James seemed to consent, slumping back into the couch cushions, "Alright then. Give your parents my best. And remember, ask them about coming to stay over for a bit. Peter's coming. And you know Sirius probably won't last three days at his house."

"Yeah, I'll let you know. Merry Christmas, James."

"Merry Christmas, Moony."

Remus proceeded to shrug back into his rucksack and then drag his trunk toward the portrait hole. "Oh, Lily. Just make sure he doesn't pee on the carpet. Sometimes he likes to test his boundaries while I'm gone." And with one final grin, he disappeared and the portrait swung shut behind him, Lily and James hearing a faint, "Merry Christmas, Remus," from the Fat Lady.

James huffed, "When did he become so witty?"

Lily smiled, picking up her book, "He's always been the witty one. Now shush. And remember your training. And I can't believe he lets you on the couch! Not on my watch, shoo, shoo." And she shifted herself fully onto the couch, extending her legs and lightly kicking his thighs.

James stood up grumbling. "You know, you call me the immature one."

He spotted a lonely first year sitting in front of the fire, giving them apprehensive glances. "Hey, Charlie, is it?" He called over, "How about a game? Exploding snap? Wizards chess? Gobstones? This isn't a library," he indicated Lily with a nod of his head. "And it's Christmas break. We should be having fun!"

Charlie hesitated a moment and then grinned apprehensively back, "Gobstones?"

"Awh, a man of taste. I love gobstones."

It was well past midnight when Charlie decided to turn in for the night, having just beat James for the seventh time in gobstones.

"I swear, that lad is cheating." James mumbled, making to clean up his stones.

Lily let out a chuckle from her position on the couch, now sprawled on her stomach, her chin atop her folded hands, resting on the now shut book. For the last half hour she had been dozing off while watching the two play. "Maybe you're just losing your touch. You know, you're getting old. The young blood is soon to surpass you."

"Not to mention my back is killing me from slumping over on this godforsaken floor for the past three hours. I'm not as spry as I once was."

The two laughed as James let out a groan as he stood up, swatting at Lily's extended legs on the other end of the couch. She rolled over and bent her knees, freeing a cushion up for him.

"That was nice of you, you know…" Lily whispered.

James shrugged nonchalantly, "He's a good kid. And my blokes are gone, his blokes are gone. And you were too busy with your damn books to entertain either of us."

"Mmm, yeah, sorry. That's Sirius's job, not mine… Why are you still here, anyway? I would take it you would want to get out of here as soon as possible."

James did the best impression of McGonagall he could, "Potter, last to sign up, last to leave. You're past the dead line, you know. I have half a mind to make you stay, but I would rather not deal with you on my holiday."

That got Lily to smile, "She did not say that."

"She did!" James protested with a laugh, "I swear it. That Minerva hates me."

"She does not! She loves you!"

James hesitantly smiled, "Yeah, alright, she does love me. Quidditch star. Best in class in Transfiguration-"

"Oh here we go," Lily rolled her eyes.

James chuckled, "Hey, you're the one who said she loved me. But, I swear, she really did say that! I thought she was going to hit me across the knuckles with her wand."

"If she ever does attempt to do that, tell her to wait a moment and find me. That, I would love to see."

"Evans!" James said in an applauded tone, "You wound me. I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, friends. Have you noticed, we haven't fought all year?... Well, not our usual public displays anyway. Look at us, we're sitting on the couch, late into the night, having a civil conversation. We're friends now. You can't deny it," He finished, matter-of-factly.

"Wow," Lily mused, "I'm friends with James Potter. I never thought I would see the day."

"I did. I tend to grow on people." James grinned.

"Like a fungus?"

"Lily! No, not like a fungus. Like a… Like a…"

Now it was Lily's turn to grin. "Can't think of anything good?"

"No."

"It's okay, Potter. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You're like a lovable fungus."

James looked up, from his act of looking at the floor in melancholy, "Loveable?"

"Likeable," Lily corrected.

James beamed, "I'll take it."

Lily sat up fully and snatched the pouch of gobstones from James's loose grip, pouring one into her hand and exclaiming it. "These remind me of muggle marbles. I used to play with my Dad when I was little."

"Were you any good?"

"Well, I don't quite remember, but I expect I'm better than how you just performed."

"I'll have you know I'm just fine at gobstones. That Charlie is some sort of prodigy."

Lily gave him a skeptical look.

"Fine," James said defensively, snatching the pouch back and moving back to the floor, "then let's have a game. Come on, Evans. Get down here and prove my lack of skill."

And so ensued a competitive game of gobstones, where James was very aware of how much they laughed and bumped shoulders as they shoved each other out of the way to get better angles to line up their shots. Lily ended up just beating out James. In his defense – which he would never speak aloud – he was very distracted by her smile and the way her hair got free from behind her ear and hung over her face.

Lily smiled as she knocked James's final stone out of the game, "Good game, Potter. It was a valiant effort."

James shot her a good natured offended look, "I want a rematch at some point in the future. I swear, if you hadn't bumped my elbow earlier, this would have been a whole different game."

Lily rolled her eyes, and stood up stretching, bringing her arms down and glancing at her wristwatch with wide eyes.

"Is that the time?! I've got to be in McGonagall's office in a few hours. I better get to bed."

James began gathering the stones once again and returning them to his bag, "Yeah, me too. Thanks for the game."

Lily returned his smile from the base of the girls' staircase, "It was my pleasure. 'Night, Potter."

"Goodnight, Evans."

And she was gone.

Having re-gathered his Gobstones, James flopped back onto the couch, closing his eyes. It was late, his eyes were heavy, and it would be strange returning to a quiet dormitory. When James had first arrived at school, being an only child, it was odd being in a room full of boys. There was much more noise than he was used to – five breathing patterns and the rustling of sheets, whispered muttering, quills scratching, or even full conversations. But James quickly thrived in that environment. Now it felt odd if he didn't have the constant din. So James closed his eyes, elbow crook draped over them, and a smile upon his face from yet another non-argumentive Lily-Evans-encounter, and fell asleep to the crackling of the fire.

What seemed like moments later, he was woken up by the ruffling of his hair.

"Wake up, Potter. You have to be in McGonagall's office in fifteen minutes."

James sat up, squinting his eyes, looking over the back of the couch, and straightening his askew glasses as he watched a pretty red headed girl continue on her way towards the portrait hole, two trunks levitating in front of her.

"Come on, Charlie."

"Bye, James!" Charlie called. And James noticed the younger boy behind her. He grinned and waved before moving forward and pushing open the portrait, allowing the luggage to float out.

"Merry Christmas, Potter," and Lily too smiled at him before ducking through herself.

"Merry Christmas!" He called, and he flopped back onto the couch with a groan as the portrait swung shut.

AN: I don't own anything in the Potter world, just my mistakes. Review, please? please.