(Sigh) I'm going to get a LOT of cutes on this one. I just know it. Please don't prove me wrong. I want to hear it this time.

Chapter 23: Gifts

Shortly after the laughing incident more people arrived. Not many, but then they were only expecting their aunt and uncle, and their kid was just about grown up. She was seventeen like Lily and forced to go. It was clear that she would have rather been at her friend's house or at home. Anywhere but with her family.

Sometime between the joke and dinner Gran decided to push Vernon over the edge. It was devious and simple at the same time. She did it in one sentence. "Please, call me Gran." This of course was directed toward James.

He happily agreed. Although this didn't seem like a big deal, it meant a lot. To Vernon it meant that a seventeen year old freak was welcomed into the family, while he became the punching bag. Both verbal and physical. Victoria was evil. Lily loved it.

So not only was James welcomed into the family within half an hour, but he was also told to sit beside Victoria at dinner and welcome to hold Lily's hand. The Dursley's, who were married, were not even allowed within a foot of each other. Victoria insisted Petunia sit next to her and Vernon sit across from James. Lily's mom and cousin sat between Petunia and Vernon while her parents sat between Lily and Vernon. No one argued, but sat in the seats remaining or they were appointed, too afraid to fight with Victoria.

James smiled all through dinner. Victoria made pleasant talk to him, talking about sports, even though he knew little about the muggle ones, and books, school, pranks, friends and Lily. This one wasn't one Lily was comfortable with. What her Gran swapping stories about her younger years with her boyfriend. Right after Victoria asked for the potatoes she began telling James of Lily's first bath.

"Um, Gran?" Lily cut in before it could truly begin. "Are you sure you don't want to talk more about Oliver? Or something?"

"No need to be embarrassed. You were a darling baby."

"Yeah, but it doesn't need to be shared."

"Nonsense." Victoria disagreed.

"Besides you were a darling baby." James added. Lily smiled at him, but really she wanted to be glaring.

"The cutest." She agreed. "But really, no one wants to hear it."

"You want to hear it don't you James?" Victoria asked.

"Yeah. I want to hear it Gran." James agreed. Vernon scowled, Lily groaned, Petunia humphed, but Gran just smiled fondly at James.

"Please no." Lily begged.

"Oh! You know what was better than her first bath?" Victoria asked instead.

"Please no." Lily whispered.

"Um, Victoria," Lily's mom interjected. "Is now the time?"

"You only live once! Never hesitate to tell a good story!" she said brandishing her finger.

"No hesitation!" James agreed. He was loving this. Lily wished she could remind him that she was an accomplished witch. Muggles wouldn't be around forever to save him.

"Exactly!" Gran nearly shouted. Lily hid her face in her hands. So many bad stories. Which would Gran chose? Lily caught a little bit of hesitation from her grandmother. "The Christmas she was about five." Lily looked up realizing what story she'd picked. It wasn't incredibly embarrassing, Lily often found herself laughing along. Victoria's eye twinkled as she continued.

"Lily decided she wanted to show us her ballet. So she got dressed up in a puffy pink tutu, jewelry, the whole bit. She came out shouting, 'watch me watch me!'. So we watched as she spun. Well as you can imagine she spun right into the tree! It fell right on top of her. The ornaments flew everywhere!" Lily found herself smiling. "This little girl couldn't get out, so she started screaming and bawling." Everyone laughed at the story, with the exception of the Dursleys.

After several more stories where Lily's dad or Petunia were the main characters they cleaned up the table and settled into the living room for gifts. Victoria making herself comfortable in the arm chair. Lily sat on the floor beside James. He managed to sit beside the arm chair.

"You'll have to excuse me James." she said. "I didn't know to bring you a gift."

"That's alright Gran." he said. Petunia patted Vernon's arm on the couch.

"Vernon. You be Santa this year." Gran declared.

"Be what?" James asked. Victoria patted his shoulder.

"You have heard of Santa haven't you boy?"

"Yes."

"Well as a tradition one person is picked as Santa. He is in charge of passing out the gifts and taking pictures of them being opened. You can handle that. Can't you Victor?"

"Yes." Vernon said, his face matching the beets.

"Well what are you waiting for? Noah to give you a signal?" Victoria asked. His face got darker so it was almost purple.

"No."

"Now boy. I don't like that tone. And what ever happened to ma'am. You have heard of respect haven't you?"

"Yes. Ma'am." Vernon replied.

"Gran." James began.

"Yes boy?"

"I hoped you don't mind, but my gift to Lily is kind of private." Lily cocked her head to the side hearing this.

"Private?" Victoria asked. She pursed her lips as if deciding whether or not this was appropriate.

"I suppose that would be alright." she allowed. "Are you almost done?" She asked Vernon. "I've just completed a conversation and I haven't received a gift yet." He didn't respond, instead just searched through the pile looking for something with her name on it.

"I did mention, didn't I that I keep all my gift in a pile off to the side?" Victoria asked.

"You didn't." Vernon growled.

"There's no need to take that tone. It's over by the lamp." She told him. He crawled behind the tree to where the lamp stood, pulling out the parcels with Victoria's name on them.

"Thank you." she said. "I do hope it's not too much to expect that each person has a gift by the time I open one. I do have arthritis, so it does take me awhile."

After all the gifts were opened and Vernon was satisfactorily insulted, Gran left. She took her quilt, ear rings and a tea set made of fine china home. Vernon was left with an exercise ball and manners for dummies book. Petunia received a fancy card and large, rather hideous necklace. Lily's mother received a hand carved jewelry box and ice skates, as she loved to skate, but didn't have the skates. Lily got a box of old letters that her father had sent to Victoria while he'd been overseas for school. She loved the gift. They were all organized into a book by date. There weren't any pictures, which Lily was actually thankful for.

With her mother in bed and Petunia and Vernon claiming to have to be home to see his parents Lily and James were alone in the living room. The fire place crackling. For some reason the feast of a dinner wasn't enough for James, so they were also making smores.

"Are you ready for your gift?" he asked her.

"Yes." she said. He smiled looking back at the fire. He pulled his marshmallow toward him. He poked at it before deciding that was good enough and placing on his gram cracker and chocolate. "James." Lily complained.

"You'll get it." he promised. "But I didn't want my marshmallow to burn."

"That would be horrible." Lily agreed. He rolled his eyes at her. He reached into the side table drawer pulling out a rectangular gift.

"When did you put it in there?" Lily asked.

"While you were making Gran tea."

"So she knew?" she asked.

"Well she doesn't know what it is. But I promised to write her telling her your reaction."

"You're writing my Gran?" Lily asked.

"She's a cool old lady. She scared me at first." he admitted it.

"She can be a little intimidating." Lily agreed. He handed her the gift.

"You don't want to wait until Christmas do you?" Lily asked pausing with her finger under the tape.

"Just open it." he said.

"Thank you!" she tore it open revealing a leather bound book. She turned it over in her hands to reveal a photo album. The front had a cover of them sitting under the tree by the lake. While you couldn't see it in the photo Mary and Sirius were sitting nearby. Sirius didn't know they were dating then so Lily and James were just laughing at the forgotten joke.

"A photo album?" Lily asked in awe. "How did you...?"

"Ambre." he answered. "I had her follow us to get pictures for it."

"I love it." Lily said running her hand over the leather. She opened it, flipping through different pictures. Them in that corridor when they had their first kiss, wishing him luck before a Quidditch game around the corner of the pitch where no one would see. The thumb war. "So, she knew..."

"I told her where I was planning to take you so she could get the pictures. She's amazing with the camera." Lily smiled at the pictures.

"I really do love it." she said wishing there were better words for it.

"I'm glad." he replied. "You're not easy to sneak up on." Lily continued to stare at the pictures, flipping through the photographs reading the text just bellow them. Usually simple things depicting where they were and why. She looked back up at James. He was watching her with an easy smile on his lips. Lily found herself leaning toward him, there wasn't far to go before they were kissing. Her hand pressed against his cheek. His hand on her waist, the other holding him up.

"You did get me something too right?" James whispered after a moment. Lily nodded smiling. She turned around pulling a small box that was hidden under the tree skirt. The box fit nicely in his hand. He opened it like a small child would open a gift. With excitement, leaving nothing left of the paper. "A box!"

"Inside the box." She told him. He grinned pulling open the box. There sat the little golden snitch she had made just for him.

"A snitch." he said unclasping the little belt that held it in.

"Yeah. I wrote to this man who makes them. He lives in Germany or something. And he made it for you."

"A custom snitch!"

"You could say that." He turned it around in fingers admiring the small ball. Then he caught the writing just as the delicate wings spread out. He squinted down at the writing. "Because I trust you." he read.

"It took me forever to come up with. But then I remembered that night with your broom trying to get me to fly, well the snitch..."

"I love it." he cut her off. Which was good because it probably had no end.

"Okay." she said. He leaned down to kiss her again. Lily couldn't remember being happier. When they broke apart James leaned back against the couch letting Lily snuggle into him.

"I'm glad you came today." she told him. James grabbed his smore.

"I'm glad you let me stay." He replied. Lily reached up breaking off a piece for herself. James dipped his finger in the chocolate that had run down the side. He wiped it on her noise. She laughed running her finger in the chocolate, then left a smudge on his chin.

"Hmm." he said pretending to stroke a beard. "It's like a goatee." Lily shook her head wiping off the chocolate on her noise. He wiped off his chocolate with the back of his hand. Lily yawned after a silent moment of watching the fire. James finishing his smore.

He rubbed her shoulder kissing her forehead. "Are you going up to bed?" he asked her.

"In a minute." she answered. But he didn't insist on her going, just slouched further resting his head on hers.

Tell me what you think. I don't even mind if you use the word cute for this one when you Review. And you guys thought James going to her house was his gift! HA!