A/N- All credit for characters and locations goes to JKR and her mind.

The box was small enough to fit in her hand, and was wrapped in silver paper that sparkled in the light. Lily had discarded the parcel on her bed after being invited for a snowball fight on the Quidditch pitch by the other seventh year Gryffindors Alice Lancaster and Frank Longbottom. Remus and Sirius had joined in as well as a few other housed students and some younger year Gryffindor.

The Christmas air was warm, but still cold enough to maintain the perfect snow consistency. Lily herself had gotten a few good hits in before her fingers had gone numb. A few other kids had used magic so their fingers stayed warm, but Lily, having grown up in a non-magical environment, had learned to associate numb fingertips as part of the event of a snowball fight. Now, she needed to go upstairs to her dorm and change her clothing. She'd been soaked by Sirius and Remus, who'd bewitched some snow to throw itself at whomever was nearest, adding to the chaos.

As she exited the field, she saw James Potter walking towards it. She'd hoped he wouldn't see her, but it was inevitable. He veered off the path to walk beside her.

"I'd have figured that you of all people would know where the Quidditch Pitch was Potter." She joked as he fell in step, walking back towards the castle.

"Well, I was headed in the right direction, but I was distracted by something pretty."

"Must of seen your reflection in the ice or something Potter." Lily countered quickly before she could register the compliment. James said nothing, which was a change for him. She couldn't hear his footsteps because the cold December wind had picked up slightly.

She turned around to see James had stopped. Snow began to fall as they stood a few feet apart. The wind blew his hair around a bit, and his red and yellow scarf lifted slightly. James had his silly grin on.

"You know what Red? I think I've changed my mind. I'm not in the mood for a snowball fight. I think I'll head back to the school." With that, he began walking back towards her.

Confused, Lily began walking with him. James turned to look at her with a fake surprised look on his face. "Oh! I see you'd like to join me. Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

She shot him a look. "Well, it's not like I have a choice do I? We're stuck in Hogwarts together, and I'm friends with the same people you are. Plus, it seems like I'm not going to be rid of you." Lily playfully bumped into James as they walked towards the doors.

Ten minutes later, she'd changed into a comfy sweater and sweatpants. James had told her he'd be off to find something to eat, seeing as they'd missed lunch for the snowball fight.

So Lily, sat on her bed, holding the silver parcel that James had given her. Judging by the size of the box, it could only be some form of jewelry. That way James would know if she liked it. She'd have to wear it.

Lily silently cursed James for thinking ahead. Why couldn't he have gotten her a nice book or record, like a normal person? Well, the answer to that was simple. James Freaking Potter was not a normal person.

James Freaking Potter, would, however, have to wait for her to open this present until later. She grabbed her book and went down to the common room so she could read by the warm fire.

Getting involved in the plot of her story, she didn't hear James enter the room behind her. She also didn't notice as she crept up behind her and slowly slide a bowl of popcorn in front of her face, and grab the book from her hand as she jumped. James hopped over the back of the couch to sit on the red couch, his long legs folded beneath him. Apparently in the time it had taken Lily to get ready, James had also showered, shown by his still wet, still untidy hair. His jeans and sweater had been replaced by baggy pyjama pants and a loose Quidditch shirt.

She noticed how James looked kind of vulnerable when he wasn't dressed up, like usual. Other than his hair, James didn't try to dress up to impress anyone. He just always happened to look perfect.

Right now, on the other hand, Lily could see through the perfect illusion that was James Potter. For example, there was a hole in the front of his over-sized shirt. His glasses sat crookedly on his face, revealing more of his hazel eyes, as he read the back of her book.

As if he could sense her staring, James looked up and smiled at her. He motioned towards the book. "This sounds interesting. It's a Muggle book right?" Lily nodded.

"I just got it from my Mum and Dad today. It's by my favorite author. I like the humanity of it." James stuck his tongue out.

"Humanity. You mean Muggle-ness, don't you? I mean, I'm all for Muggles. Just never understood how they can get anything done. They don't live very long, and they spend so much of their lives getting things done. They rarely have time for fun." James looked down at the book again. He started grinning, as if he'd gotten an idea. "Hey, Evans. You want this book back, right?" Lily glared at him.

"Yes. But because of the look on your face, I'm assuming that won't be easy, will it?" James' smile widened even more. "Spit it out Potter. What do you want?"

"A kiss," James said simply. Lily almost hit him. Then she did something stupid. Again.

Lily Evans kissed James Freaking Potter.

James himself was so much in shock that he dropped the book. Neither of them heard it hit the ground. He wrapped his now empty hands around Lily's waist as she moved closer to him on the couch. Her hand made its way up to his hair where her fingers tangled themselves into his hair. She was surprised at how soft it felt.

How long had she wanted this to happen? To run her fingers through James' untidy black hair? Feel his hands on her waist? Lily found herself lost in the moment.

For James, this was what he'd been fighting for every day for years. Had it really been that easy though? Stealing her book and demanding a kiss in return? It couldn't be.

Both occupants of the Gryffindor Common room were brought out of their haze as they heard a noise coming from the portrait entranceway. Sirius Black could be heard giving the password.

Lily shot back to her side of couch, grabbing her book and opening it up to a random page, staring intently at it. James, on the other hand, was staring intently at Lily. The moment had been over so fast, it'd almost been like a dream. He watched her as her face slowly reddened, gradually catching up with her hair. She flipped the page. James was still staring at her as Remus, Sirius, Alice and Frank came into the room, soaking wet and freezing cold. Everyone but Sirius went up to their rooms to change. The Marauder hopped over the back of the couch, spraying a protesting Lily, and putting an arm around James.

"Well… isn't this cozy. Have you two been cooped up here all afternoon then? Must have been awfully lonely." James elbowed Sirius in the side.

"Not lonely now that you're here Padfoot." James countered. He looked at Lily again, who flipped another page, still blushing furiously. James grinned. "Although," he continued, looking back at Lily, "I'm sure Remus isn't feeling as included as we do. Would you mind checking on him?"

Sirius rolled his eyes at his closest friend. "Prongs. I'm not an idiot. I've noticed the shade of Lily's face, and the stupid grin that's been on your face since I sat down. Obviously I'm not the one making you two act so childish. There's no need to trick me. Just know that you owe me a favor for being such a fantastic friend. Like, maybe you could make me the best man at your wedding." And with that, Sirius got up and headed off to his room, taking the bowl of popcorn with him.

Lily froze. She'd kissed boys before. Not like that though. There hadn't been spark like that before. Her skin tingled thinking about it. She couldn't stand to look at James right then.

This was James Freaking Potter she was talking about! James, the boy who had teased her and her friend for the entirety of her Magical Life. The boy who stole her books and wrote in them, or played pranks on her with his friends. The boy whom she'd vowed never to give in to.

And she had kissed him. Oh no. She thought to herself. This is bad. Very, very, bad. She finally looked at James, who was staring at her, his head kind of tilted like a confused puppy. After a moment, he spoke.

"What I wouldn't give to know what's going through your mind right now." James moved closer to Lily on the couch. His hand moved to touch a few of the loose strands that had fallen out of her ponytail. Lily closed her book as she looked at her companion.

"To be honest Potter, I'm not even sure." She surprised herself at how calmly she spoke. James touching her like that shouldn't feel so natural. She should've been freaking out. But she wasn't, and that made her even more confused. Lily stood up quickly, and James mimicked her actions. He stood over her again.

"Lily. Please. Something like that doesn't just happen without you having an opinion on it. I, for one am very pleased. There, I've said something, now it's your turn." James looked at her hopefully.

Lily found the whole situation extremely odd. Potter was acting very out of character. Not to mention the fact that she was as well. Generally level headed, Lily found herself unable to make anything of the situation. She had no idea what feelings she had towards James, and being so near to him wasn't helping. She needed privacy. "It was nice Potter. I've gotten my book back. I need sleep. We've got a meeting for the Prefects who stayed behind for the holidays in the morning. Erm, goodnight, I guess. Merry Christmas." With that she turned, leaving James standing there.

She did hear him call after her once she'd reached the stairs to the girls' dorm. "Merry Christmas Lily Evans."

She couldn't stop the smile that spread over her face as she walked up the stairs,

The day was coming to an end. By this point, Lily collapsed onto her bed, bumping a parcel off of her pillow. Alice looked up from her book. "Lily, if you drop another present, I'm going to die of a heart-attack."

Lily grabbed the silver parcel off of the floor. "You know Alice, I think you'd make a wonderful Auror. You've certainly got the reflexes for one." She laughed.

"That's exactly what Frank says. Maybe once we graduate, I'll look into it." Alice got up and headed off to the bathroom.

Which left her alone with the present again. It was now or never. She held the small box in her hand again, then turned it over and carefully undid the pretty paper. A small box rested in her palm now, and she took off the lid. Inside, a small silver bracelet, decorated with stars looked back up at her, casting a soft glow through the room. Putting it on, she looked out her window and gazed at the night sky.

All she could think of was James Freaking Potter and that stupid kiss.

A/N- I think I'm starting to really get into this. Next chapter is a James POV.