eleven – killing

They're sitting around the rug on the living room floor playing Uno when the phone rings. Their parents are sitting at the table with cups of tea and Sally jerks her head to the wall. She begins to say, "You couldn't get it, could you, love?", but Lily's already half-way to the phone –

(James said he'd call at half past, and it's three thirty-one. She knows it's him.)

– when her cousin Nick beats her to it. "Hello?"

Lily reaches for the receiver. "Oi!"

James frowns at the deep voice.

"Give it – no –"

"Hello!" he ventures. "Is Lily –"

The voice on the end of the phone crackles and Remus pulls the mouthpiece away from James.

"Prongs, you don't have to shout!"

"Sorry! Is – is Lily there?"

The boy on the other end shrugs. "It's for you, Lily."

She reaches out and tries to grab it from the boy, but he lifts the phone above his head with a wicked grin. Her fingers tug the curly cord impatiently.

"Who's calling?"

"Nick, give it –"

"James. James Potter," says James. He hears the frustrated voice of his girlfriend, tinny in his ear.

"Would you give the phone –"

"Some bloke called James," Nick says, curling his lip in confusion.

Lily lets out a sound of exasperation, lunging across the sofa and trying to tackle the phone out of his hands. "You git. Let me talk to him –"

"Nicolas!" A booming voice resounds down the phone into the receiver and James listens with amusement. "Give Lily the phone."

"Dad!"

Lily flashes her Uncle John a smile and thanks him, grabbing the phone out of her cousin's hands. "Hi," she breathes, and James' face lights up at the sound of her voice. Sirius sniggers and Peter hits him, and Sirius hits him back. Remus glares at the pair of them.

"Stop it," he hisses. "We're cramped enough in here without the two of you pratting around."

(In all fairness, it's Remus' fault they're so cramped. He'd insisted on staying in the phone box with James – who'd never used a Muggle telephone before – and the others didn't want to be left out.)

"Pratting around?" snorts Sirius. "That isn't even a word."

"Actually it's two words," Peter points out thoughtfully, and James kicks them.

Attempting calm, the boy replies: "Alright, Evans?"

"Who is it?" Anne, Nick's sister, asks, and Lily sighs in annoyance.

A gruff protection creeping into his voice, Nick says, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Anne's daughter Ellie pipes up: "Have you got a boyfriend?"

"Shut up!" Lily grits out, and she tugs the phone and cord away from them all.

"Hi, James," she says, with a pointed look at her relatives. The siblings share a twin look of mischief at their cousin's agitation.

"Hi," he replies, grinning. "How're things at your end?"

Lily stifles a groan. "Fantastic. Thank you so much, by the way."

James' grin widens. "You liked it, then?"

"It's gorgeous," Lily gushes, lifting up her wrist to admire the bracelet James had got her. "I can't believe you bought it, James, it must have cost a fortune."

He shrugs, then realises she can't see him. "Don't worry about it, Lil. You're worth it."

Sirius promptly declares he needs air and stumbles out of the phone box, freeing the other two. He puts his fingers up and mouths ten minutes, Prongs, and they amble off into the snow, hands in pockets.

"Are they there with you?" asks Lily, and she's faintly amused by the prospect.

"Were," James replies, "but they've buggered off now. Thanks for my present too."

Lily bites her lip anxiously. "Was it the one you wanted?"

"It was perfect," he says, and he means it.

With a surreptitious glance at her family, who've gone back to playing with the cards, Lily brings the mouthpiece closer to her. Shielding it with her hand and lowering her voice, she murmurs, "That's not all of it, you know."

"Mm?"

"I have something else to give you at New Year. In person," she says, and James can hear the suggestion in her voice.

"Oh?" he says, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.

"But it's a surprise. I couldn't possibly say," she whispers, and she feels like giggling.

(She wonders when she started giggling, because she is not the giggling type.)

"The suspense is killing me, Lil."

"I'm sure. Look, James, I gotta go, because my cousins are giving me evil looks and I'm not sure I'm going to get out of the holidays alive. But I'll see you at Marlene's, alright? Lord knows how you'll get past McGonagall, but if you're not there I will –" she lowered her voice again "– hex your sorry arse when I get back to school."

"I'll be there," he promises. "Six days," he adds, and then winces. "Not that I'm counting."

She laughs. "Don't worry, love. I'm crossing off the days on my calendar too."

"Glad to hear it," he teases, and, "I'll talk to you with the mirrors later, yeah?"

"Yeah," confirms Lily. "Alright. See you, James."

"Love you, Lil."

When she replies, he can hear the smile in her voice. "Love you too."