Disclaimer: Amazingly enough, even after 24 chapters, JK Rowling still owns the Harry Potter Universe.

Chapter 24 Heading Home for the Holidays

The remainder of the time up until the Christmas Holidays flew by and it seemed, to Lily, that it was suddenly the night before they were to go home. It was ten o'clock and Lily and James had the late patrol shift. Lily didn't really mind. There were always fewer students to catch on this patrol than the one from nine to ten.

Lily and James walked down the hall in comfortable silence. James had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was looking up and down the hall as they walked. Lily was glad his hands were in his pockets because that was the only thing that was keeping her from reaching out and grabbing one of them. They had both agreed to try to separate their working relationship from their personal one. They both, rather reluctantly, agreed that getting caught snogging on patrol, by the students they were supposed to be catching snogging, would make their authority less than affective.

"You all ready for Christmas?" James asked breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see my family again," Lily said.

"You?"

"Yeah, Christmas at the Potter House is always quite enjoyable," James replied. "Um, Lily, I was wondering something," James began.

"Yeah?" Lily asked not looking at him as she had taken over looking up and down the corridor.

"My mother owled me, and she and my dad want to meet you," James explained.

"Oh," Lily said now giving James her full attention.

"My mother said something about coming to Kings Cross, even though they don't actually have to come, to pick Sirius and me up," James explained.

"Oh," Lily said again, butterflies seemed to have magically appeared in her stomach.

"I suggested just having you over for dinner, which my mother would also like, but they've got this weird old fashioned thing, bit annoying really. But I thought I should forewarn you and also ask if you'd like to come to dinner of course?" James rushed.

Lily nodded, "Okay…"

"They're really nice and I'm certain they'll just love you," James said encouragingly.

"Alright, but you'll have to meet my parents then," Lily grinned.

"Fair enough," James said running his hand through his hair. The only outward sign he gave that the idea made him nervous.

The next morning was a bit crazy with students running around doing last minute packing, trying to get all their belongings into the Entrance Hall, and still have time to grab some breakfast in the Great Hall, before heading down to Hogsmeade Station to hop on the Hogwarts Express. Lily and James were even busier than everyone else was, as they had to help supervise the chaos that was the luggage in the Entrance Hall. They had to make sure that the luggage didn't block the front doors, the stairwells, or the entrance to the Great Hall itself.

The ride to London was fairly dull throughout the late morning and early afternoon but the peace was not to last all the way home.

Around three o'clock Lily and James were patrolling the corridors, which seemed pleasantly quiet, which was surprising with all the holiday excitement in the air. It was in the last car that they encountered some trouble.

As they walked down the aisle Avery came out of the bathroom. Spotting them, he glared angrily. From what James had heard, Snape and Avery's Housemates had not been at all pleased when they discover that it was they who was responsible for losing seventy-five points for Slytherin. They had also received weekend detentions for all of November and December, both Saturday and Sunday, with Minerva McGonagall. Needless to say he was not at all happy with James.

When he saw them approaching he sneered distastefully. "Well, well, if it isn't the Blood Traitor and his Mudblood whore," Avery spat at them.

Next to her Lily could feel James tense.

"Avery, did you learn nothing from your punishment?" James asked. His voice was shaking though Lily could tell he was trying very hard to remain calm and collect.

"Has she really got you that whipped or is it simply that you know you can't take me without your pathetic little friends?" Avery asked.

His wand was suddenly in his hand though James was unable to recall exactly when it got there.

"Don't rise, it's what he wants," Lily whispered.

"Put your wand away Avery, I'm not gonna fight you," James said in frustration.

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't want to do anything to upset your precious little Mudblood, now would you," Avery sneered raising his wand.

Suddenly, Avery collapsed to the floor and began to laugh uncontrollably. James stared at him, completely bewildered by Avery's odd behavior. Suddenly he caught sight of Lily out of the corner of his eye.

She was standing there, with her wand out, and a look of satisfaction on her face.

"A tickling jinx?" James asked curiously.

"It was the first thing that came to mind that wouldn't cause him serious physical injury," Lily said with a shrug. "Besides, in medieval times they used to use tickling as a method of torture," she added.

"Why, Miss Evans, I didn't know you had such a devious streak," James grinned.

During this exchange Avery was still rolling on the floor with laughter. He was trying alternately to say the counter-curse and to curse James or Lily. At least that was what it looked like to James, though as Avery was currently laughing uncontrollably, and incapable of coherent speech, it was hard to tell. James almost wished he had known just how ticklish Avery was before, he would have used that jinx on him ages ago.

Suddenly, Snape's head appeared out the door of the compartment. He looked at Avery and then over at Lily and James.

"Abusing your power again?" Snape said giving James a look of pure loathing.

"Avery started it," Lily said angrily back. "And it was me that cursed him, not James."

Snape waved his wand at Avery, removing the jinx.

Avery took several deep breathes and sat up.

"Sure, defend Potter. I can't believe he's got you hoodwinked like everyone else. I thought you knew better," Snape said with a look of disgust on his face.

Lily sighed and shook her head in response. "Severus, I wish I could help you."

"What do I need help for?" he asked curtly.

"If you have to ask then there's nothing I can do for you," Lily replied sadly.

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

Snape pulled Avery back into the compartment they were sharing with some other Slytherins and James and Lily continued their inspection of the last car.

As they walked down the train back to the Prefect compartment James couldn't help but admire how calm Lily was. He was so angry that he could feel his whole body shaking, he didn't understand how she could walk down the train so calmly, as though nothing had happened. He kept glancing behind them in case Avery or Snape were following them, though he really didn't expect them to.

How could Lily be so calm? It baffled him. Yet at the same time he couldn't help admire her composure as they stopped and she helped a first year that had had his hair turned purple by his friend as a joke and now couldn't fix it.

They entered the Prefects Compartment and James let out a sigh. While he was still angry with Avery, at least he didn't have to worry about him sneaking up on them for a few minutes.

He turned to Lily, "That was quite impressive back there. I didn't know you had it in you."

"He was going to hex us, I wasn't about to let him. I can't believe he said that!" she shouted the last part.

"HOW CAN HE STAND THERE AND SAY THOSE THINGS AFTER TWO SOLID MONTHS OF WEEKEND DETENTIONS AND LOSING ALL THOSE POINTS FOR HIS HOUSE!" With that Lily burst into tears and collapsed against James's chest.

James was stunned. He'd never, ever, seen Lily let anyone get to her like this. She'd been so composed walking down the train what had happened in the last ten seconds.

"Hey," he whispered, "It's okay." James wrapped his arms around her and rubbing slow circles on her back. "Shhhh, it's alright. He's a bastard. What he says doesn't matter."

Lily took a deep, shaky breath trying to compose herself. She had been doing so well; she had made it all the way from the other end of the train. James was right, he was just a bastard. Why was she letting him get to her? She hated it when they got to her. But damn it, the words stung!

Her mind wandered back to the last time she'd let someone get to her. James and Sirius had picked a fight with Severus and she had tried to stand up for him.

'I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!'

He had yelled this in front of most of the fifth and seventh years, all of which were outside relaxing before the practical section of their DADA exam. She had held her composure perfectly while she was in front of everyone, but as soon as she was alone she had completely lost it.

A person had limits damn it! At least no one had witnessed how it had affected her the last time. She hated when they got to her like this. She always thought of herself as a strong person. She hated this feeling of weakness and she hated the fact that someone could make her feel this way with just their words.

It wasn't even so much Avery calling her a Mudblood, it more his slight against her and James's relationship. He made it sound like their dating was some sort of horrible crime against nature. She knew what Avery said didn't matter. She knew that James didn't care that she was Muggle born but she also knew that there were other people that felt the same way as Avery.

And what about James's parents? Would they care? Part of her said she was being ridiculous. James didn't care, and if his parents cared wouldn't James's attitude be different? Sirius didn't agree with his family, who thought all Muggle borns were scum. And Sirius had run away to James's house when he couldn't take his family's Pure Blood mania anymore, she had learned upon discovering that Sirius would be spending the holidays at James's house.

James sighed. Why did some people have to be such bigots? He didn't understand peoples' obsession with blood. His parents always told him that it didn't matter what you were born, what mattered was what you became. He could still remember the first time he had heard the word Mudblood.

James had been about seven and he and his father had been in Diagon Alley and had stopped at the Leaky Cauldron. James had been sitting at a table waiting for his father who had gone over to talk to one of his friends he had spotted. He had been sitting near two wizards who had been talking about Hogwarts. James, who couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts when he was 11, had been listening to their conversation, even though his mother said it was rude to eavesdrop.

One of the wizards had a son, who was in fifth year and had been made Prefect, whatever that was. The man was complaining about another student his son said had become a Prefect as well. James couldn't remember the exact wording any more but it was something to the effect of, 'I can't believe Dumbledore would go and make some stupid Mudblood a Prefect. Like we should have to take orders from their kind.' The other had nodded in agreement.

After that they had gotten up and headed out of the pub. It was then that James's father had come to sit back down.

'You looked puzzled son, what's wrong?' his father had asked.

'Dad,' seven year old James had asked, 'what's a Mudblood?'

'Where did you hear that word?' his father had asked. James was startled at how harsh his father's voice and expression had suddenly become.

'The two men sitting at the table were saying something about them. Something about Dumbledore making one of them something at Hogwarts and how people shouldn't have to take orders from their kind,' James explained nervously.

His father looked angry now. He looked around but the men in question were walking out the door.

'So…so what is a Mudblood? Why…' James trailed off at the look he was getting from his father. 'Sorry…' James trailed off again.

He didn't understand. His parents always encouraged him to ask questions when he didn't understand something, why did his father look so angry?

Mr. Potter took a deep breath. 'Mudblood is a term that some wizards use to refer to a witch or wizard, who is born to Muggle parents,' his father began. 'It is a horrid and nasty word. People use it because they think being a pure blood wizard makes them better than others.'

'Pure blood wizard?' James asked.

'It means they can trace their families' back through generations of wizards,' his father explained.

'Like us?' James asked.

'Well, yes,' Mr. Potter replied. 'However, just because we can trace our family back practically to the Founders time doesn't make us better than any one else. There are Muggle borns and half bloods in our family too. There have even been a few Muggles."

"Through marriage," he clarified in response to James' slightly confused look.

"Not that it matters,' he added. 'If we hadn't married Muggles we'd have died out. If you only let your children marry pure bloods you're options are very limited these days.'

'So, Mudblood just means someone whose parents are both Muggles?' James asked.

'Yes and no,' said his father. 'It is a term to refer to Muggle born wizards yes, but its meaning is much deeper. It is terribly insulting. It means that their blood is dirty. That somehow being born to Muggle parents makes them less important than those of us whom can trace our family through generations of wizards. There are wizards who believe Muggle borns aren't good enough to attend Hogwarts. This is not true. Some of the most talented witches and wizards in our history have been Muggle born.'

'Oh,' James replied.

'Yes, so I better not ever hear you use that word again. Do you understand?' his father asked though sounding slightly less harsh than in the beginning.

'Yes,' James answered.

'Good, because if I ever hear you use it or hear that you've used it I will take away your broom and donate it to the Hogwarts school brooms and never buy you another one. In addition I will write to Professor Dumbledore and inform him that you are not allowed to participate in flying lessons with the other first years, nor will you ever be allowed to play Quidditch on your House team should you desire to do so.' Mr. Potter said this all so seriously that James was left in no doubt that he really would.

'Yes, sir,' James replied.

This was the first time James had ever seen his father in 'serious mode.' It was probably part of the reason James took him so seriously whenever he looked at him like that.

Lily had finally calmed down, though James still had his arms wrapped around her.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's alright," James whispered kissing the top of her head.

"I hate it when I let them get to me," she sighed. "I should be able to ignore them."

"Sometimes words hurt. Even when you know they're just words," James said. "Just remember, not all of us think that way."

"I know," Lily sniffed.

James relaxed his grip on Lily and took a step back so he could see her face. He placed his hands on her cheeks, wiped away her remaining tears with his thumbs, and looked deep into her eyes. He loved those dark green pools. He could spend hours lost in them. How could anyone insult someone as beautiful as Lily?

And he didn't just mean physically beautiful, though she was. It had been her appearance that had first enticed James, but as time went on he had grown to also see how beautiful she was on the inside as well. How she stood up for what she believed in, even if nobody around her agreed with her. How she was always kind to everyone, even when they didn't necessarily deserve it. With that thought James leaned in, wrapped his arms around her, and gave Lily a gentle, yet passionate, kiss.

Lily instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes to reach him better. They stayed that way for quite a while completely lost in each other.

Lily caught a glimpse of the clock and realized what time it was. They needed to go and change; the train would be arriving in London in less than an hour.

"James, we need to get ready," Lily said pulling away.

James looked at the clock and sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"James," Lily hesitated. "Please don't tell anyone, about…about Avery or my lack of control…"

James nodded and took Lily's hand, bringing it to his lips he kissing it gently. Together they headed back down to the compartment where their friends were.

"Would you like to come to dinner at my house tomorrow? My mum says it's alright." James asked as they walked.

"Sure, I'll have to ask my parents though," Lily smiled.

"Excellent," James grinned, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him.

Finally they reached the compartment and entered. They spent the remainder of the ride relaxing and laughing with their friends.