Disclaimer: Still don't own Harry Potter…

Chapter 23 Hogsmeade Again

It was now less than two weeks until the Christmas Holidays and the students were excited because it was the last Hogsmeade trip of the term. The girls had woken up fairly early, for a Saturday, and we're busy getting ready.

"So what are you and James going to do today?" Katie asked.

"I'm not sure," Lily replied. "I really don't care, honestly, as long as it doesn't involve Madame Pudifoot's."

Marlene laughed. "I can't see James going into Madame Pudifoot's if it was that or death."

Lily laughed, "Me either. It's part of his appeal. If he wanted to take me to Madame Pudifoot's I'd be forced to tell him, 'Sorry, but it's not going to work out.'"

Katie and Marlene laughed.

"Come on you two, let's go to breakfast. I'm starving," Lily said.

The girls walked into the Great Hall and Lily spotted James and his friends sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table. Lily quickly led her friends towards the boys.

James smiled as she sat down next to him and he leaned over to give her a quick kiss.

"Morning beautiful," he said turning back to his breakfast.

"Morning, James," Lily smiled reaching for the eggs.

"You ready for our date?" James asked grinning at her.

"Oh, didn't I tell you, I can't go with you," Lily said with a completely straight face.

"What!?" James asked shocked. "But…you said…"

"I know," Lily said cutting him off. "But Kingsley Shacklebot asked me and I just couldn't say no," Lily explained.

James looked at Lily with his mouth open slightly. "You are kidding…right?" James asked looking slightly worried.

Lily couldn't take it any more she burst out laughing. "I'm sorry," she wheezed, "but you should see your face. It's priceless."

"Well, if that's the way you feel about it, I don't know if I want to go with you," James said folding his arms across his chest and turning away from Lily.

"Oh, James, you know I was kidding," Lily said playfully.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear.

She knew he wasn't really angry and she wasn't really sorry but she was willing to play along.

"Well, I suppose I can forgive you," James said ponderously. "But only if you go to Madame Pudifoot's with me."

"James Potter, I know full well you'd never be caught dead in there," Lily replied crossing her arms and giving him a skeptical look.

"Okay, so maybe you're right," he grinned. "But that was cruel."

"True," Lily agreed. "But you fell for it," she added laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," James grumbled turning his attention back to his breakfast.

"You know I like you the best of all my boyfriends," Lily told him grinning playfully.

"You'd better," James replied grinning now.

Lily reached out her hand and squeezed his smiling happily. Then she turned back to her breakfast.

An hour later found James and Lily walking down to Hogsmeade. Amazingly enough they were alone. James had somehow managed to get his friends to leave them alone.

"So, you ready to go home for Christmas?" James asked

"Yeah, it'll be nice to have a break from classes," Lily said.

"Shame we can't say the same thing about homework," James laughed.

"Yeah, no kidding. I think they're trying to kill us with work."

"I thought you enjoyed homework?" James asked grinning.

"You have been misinformed," Lily replied.

James laughed and wrapped his arm around Lily's waist pulling her closer to him and planting a quick kiss on the top of her head.

Lily smiled. She looked down the path ahead of them as Hogsmeade came into view. It had snowed a few days before and the village was covered in a white blanket. She loved Hogsmeade at Christmas time. It reminded her of a Christmas Card.

"So, where do you want to go today?" James asked.

"The usual," Lily replied.

"And what would the usual be?" James asked. "As we've never actually spent a whole day in Hogsmeade together."

"Oh, right," Lily replied.

"How about we start with Honeyduke's," James suggested. "My mother loves this one kind of chocolate with coconut that they sell and I thought I'd get her some for Christmas."

"Sounds like the beginnings of a good plan," Lily said grinning.

As they entered the village Lily noticed several large purple posters had been put up on the shop windows. "What are those?" she asked going over to the nearest one for a closer look.

"Ministry Posters," James replied looking where she was pointing.

Lily looked at the one on the nearest buildings and recognized some of the Death Eaters she had seen in the Daily Prophet. One of them was a woman with dark hooded eyes who looked a bit mad.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Lily read, "I feel like I know her from somewhere."

"She was a seventh year when we were first years," James replied. "She's Narcissa Black's, well Malfoy now, older sister. And Sirius's cousin."

"What?" Lily replied looking at James in surprise.

"But I would prefer it if you didn't mention that to him. He tends to break things whenever it's brought up. Though, ironically Sirius's favorite cousin is also her sister. Though that may have something to do with Andromeda marrying a muggle-born," James grinned at the last part.

"I'm sure that went over well," Lily replied sarcastically.

"Oh, yes. The Blacks were just thrilled," James said.

"Gits," he added sounding a bit angrier.

Lily rubbed his arm soothingly and kissed his cheek.

"Come on, James, let's go to Honeydukes."

They went into Honeyduke's and James ordered the chocolate for his mother while Lily looked around at the 'newest arrivals,' including sherbet balls that made you levitate off the ground while you sucked on them.

"So, what do you want?" James asked coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Huh?" Lily asked.

"What do you want? Pick something," James replied.

"Oh, James you don't have too…"

James cut her off. "I know, but I want to. Consider it an early Christmas present."

"You really don't…"

James put his finger to her lips silencing her. "Arguing will get you nowhere, I think I've proven that I'm way more stubborn and persistent than you," James said.

Lily sighed and then smiled. "If it will make you happy."

"Very," James replied smiling.

Lily and James spent about twenty minutes examining the different sweets before Lily finally decided on some chocolate and a couple of the levitating sherbet balls.

"Thank you, James," Lily said for the hundredth time as they left the shop.

"It's no big deal, Lily," James said smiling.

"Yeah, but…" James cut Lily off with a kiss.

"You were saying?"

"I forget," Lily said.

James just grinned and took Lily's hand as they began to walk down the High Street.

Lily and James spent another couple of hours wandering around Hogsmeade looking for Christmas presents for James's father, Lily's parents, and their friends. They ended their trip with a butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks.