AN: Please re-read! I was wondering why it was so short and I cut off an entire chunk.

Going home was probably the best part of the night. Between the meeting the entire Potter clan, putting up with the Marauders and dancing most of the evening Lily was dead on her feet. Once home she unpinned her hair, shook the curls out and using a cold washcloth to take off her makeup. She was still in her dress robes when she heard the fire place. Confused she headed to James' bedroom, he was sitting on the bed, tie hanging around his neck, shirt untucked, belt off and shoes off.

"What's going on?"

"Remus is going home," he said. "Full moon is on the twenty sixth and he wants to see his family before that."

"Oh," Lily said going to sit behind him. "How do you do it?"

"What?"

"Stay with him when he's a werewolf."

"If you can't be with someone at their worst, you don't deserve them at their best." James rubbed his eyes.

"What does he do when he doesn't have you?"

"There are ways...some better than others," he explained. "His parents knew how to handle it, they've dealt with it since he was a kid." He put an arm around her, rubbing his arm. "Aren't you cold in that dress?"

"No." Lily moved closer, tucking herself into the curves of his body.

"We'll go to be with him."

Lily rested her head on his shoulder, trying to bury her face in his neck. "I'm supposed to go to see my family tomorrow, I don't know if I can handle it."

"I can go with you," he offered.

Lily shook her head, then looked up at him. "I miss them so much, but...I don't want to see my cousin Amanda or Vernon. You and your parents feel more like family than my own relatives."

They said no more, just sat on the bed next to each other listening to Sirius and Peter in the next room. "I don't want to be alone," Lily whispered.

"Stay then," James said.

"I'll get my night gown."

"No." He released her and walked over to the dresser, tossing her a shirt and flannel pyjama pants. "They should fit." James walked over. "Want me to unzip it?"

"Thought you'd never ask." She held her hair, up James taking extra long to do the simple task. As it fell to the ground she unhooked her bra and slipped on the oversized clothing. When she turned around James was slipping off his trousers, leaving his t-shirt he had on earlier. "That's not fair, if I show you mine you have to show me yours."

"Yeah, yeah," James said collapsing on his bed.

Lily looked at the made bed where Remus slept when he was here.

"What are you doing? Come on," he said, patting the empty space beside him. "If you sleep there you might as well go across the hall."

With a smile she slipped in beside him. The bed was not the four poster ones in the dormitory, but it still good sized, however it was snug with the two of them. "In my living room we had a pull out couch and on Christmas Petunia and I would sleep on that." Her smile faltered a bit. "We haven't done that in years, though, since my second year at Hogwarts."

"Well, I don't mind you sharing your tradition, but I hope I don't too used to it." He positioned his arm under her neck as she rolled over to face him. James seemed perfectly comfortable and soon his eyes fell shut, peace falling over her face, but his glasses were still on. Holding back a laugh she tried to slip them off, he moved a bit, but his eyes didn't open as she rested the glasses on the nightstand.

The clock chimed what she guessed was midnight and she still hadn't fallen asleep. "James?" she whispered. He stirred a bit and she used her free hand to brush a lock of hair out of his eyes. "I think I love you." Lily rolled over, molding her body into his curves, positioning his arm over hip.

"You think?" His words tickled her ear. "I know Lily."

"How long?" she asked.

"Last year," he whispered. "You were sitting beneath a tree with Alice and Marlene. Your hair was in a braid and you were laughing when you shook it out. When a first year was goofing off on a broom you didn't think twice about going over to help him when he fell on his arm."

Lily remembered the moment, but she didn't remember James being there. Moving her hand she interlaced her fingers with her. "At Hogsmeade I suspected it, but tonight when you cut in when I was dancing with Augustus….Is that silly?"

"No." He pulled her closer kissing her cheek. "Good night, Lily."

"Good night, James."

For once Christmas felt like Christmas to Lily. There was a certain peace that came with awaking to silence, her heartbeat and breathing naturally adjusted to James. James kept an arm wrapped around her waist holding her close, inhaling the scent of Lily.

"Wormtail, we have to wake Prongs. Mum and dad were up an hour ago." Sirius opened the door to the bathroom a bowl filled with water in his hands. He, however, did not notice the sleeping red head obscured by the slumbering James and thick blankets. "Rise and shine!" He tossed the water onto the bed, Peter laughing the whole while with a camera poised to catch James' reaction.

A flashbulb went off as both parties popped up James' hand muffling Lily's shriek. "Bloody hell! Padfoot, what made you think that was a good idea?"

"Happy Christmas?" Sirius muttered, holding back a laugh.

"I'm drenched," Lily moaned, burying her head in James shoulder.

"We didn't think you'd be here..." Peter said, nearly blushing at catching Lily and James in bed together.

"Well keep it to yourself..." He ran his hands through Lily's now damp and tangled hair. She was about ready to fall asleep. "Thought you were an early riser?" James started kissing her face until she pulled away with a small squeak of protest.

"Really?" Sirius asked. "Do you need another cold shower?"

Lily lifted her head, issuing him her best prefect glare as she tossed aside the covers. James laughed as she got to her feet, head held high as she left the room. The boys followed her down the stairs, threw the kitchen and into the family room where Charles and Agatha were sitting on the couch with cups of tea and napkins containing scones on the laps.

"Happy Christmas!" they chorused, lifting their cups in a mock toast as they looked at the teenagers entering the room. "Sit down, have some tea, take a scone…" Charles said.

Sirius collapsed on the other end of the coach, Peter took an armchair and James pulled Lily unto his lap in the other armchair.

"Lily, why are you wearing James' old pyjamas?" Agatha looked her over with a weary eye.

"She was cold, who wears a dress to bed in the middle of winter?" James asked as he kept his girlfriend from falling forward while she poured herself a cup of tea and grabbed a scone. "Besides, she looks adorable."

"James," Sirius whined with an eyeroll. "We are all quite aware of how you think Evans looks."

"Jealous?" Lily questioned, recalling the comment that Nicolette had made last night.

"No," Sirius huffed. When, in reality, he was a little peeved that James-his best mate-was keeping things from him. He would leave them alone for a few minutes and they would practically be on top of each other. That much he expected from James, but Lily….well it was Evans, the girl that seemed to love to shatter his mate's heart into a million pieces.

"Why don't we open packages?" Charles was sensing the slight tension in the room. Agatha was appalled when she relayed what she walked in on between James and Lily, it was clear seeing them this morning that something else transpired last night. Seeing them was like looking into a pensieve of them the start of his and Agatha's relationship, he could only hope that Lily would be able to handle the pressure that came along with being the fiance-and later wife-of a Potter.

Agatha used her wands to pass out the packages, putting a pile aside for Remus who decided at the last moment he wanted to be with his family. The gifts were mainly standard gifts. Lily couldn't wait to try on the new black coat Agatha got for her and was nearly brought to tears when she opened the small box that contained the family heirloom she borrowed last night. Peter received standard gifts that anyone would expect-sweets, a sweater scarf set from Agathat and Quidditch books. Sirius were surprisingly practical, things that he would accept from the Potter's at random times, but needed since he was cut off.

James' gift were also what would be expected, but one caught his attention. The wrapping was not the neat job, but clumsily done. Pulling back the paper he saw a small wooden chest, opening it he saw nearly a dozen letters tied with red ribbon. As he went to loosen it, Lily stopped him.

"You can't open them yet," she told him. "They're open when letters." Lily had contemplated what to get him for weeks, Marlene had a whole list of things that were great gifts for boyfriends, but she wanted something he would truly appreciate. Alice had given her the idea in the end.

"I don't understand." He thumbed through them.

"Each is made for you to open at a different time. Like when your angry or stressed or sad…" Lily swallowed a bit. "It's for when we get in those arguments and won't talk to each other."
"I love it." He kissed her cheek. "You still have one more and it's mine." He gestured to the pretty package wrapped in purple paper.

Lily pulled back the paper and saw that it was small box, almost like one of the jewelery boxes she had when she was younger. Opening it she saw her favorite scarf there. "James! You owled Madame Warren, thank you!" She kissed him profusely, happy to see one of the last presents her mother gave her here.

"That's not it." He tugged back the scarf reveiling a small corked vial that was hanging off a leather cord.

"I don't understand."

"I had help with this," he started, "have you heard of a Pensieve?"

"Yeah…"

"Marlene and Alice…they had memories of your parents from when they visited you, I had one from the trainstation two years back...I knew that they were the only thing you really wanted."

He couldn't say anything more as she latched onto him, head resting on his chest. James wrapped his arms around. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you…" He could feel tears seeping onto his shirt.

"Sorry, everyone," Lily said as she pulled away from James. "It's the best present, ever."

"Mum and dad helped me execute it, I just had the idea," James explained.

After the presents they relaxed, playing many games of Exploding Snap and Wizarding Chess. Eventually they got dressed in jeans and jumpers, foregoing any shoes until they went outside. The four teens were in the middle of snow ball fight when Charles recieved an owl. He looked himself in his study for a meeting over the fire. It took ages and by the time he emerged everyone else was sipping hot chocolate at the table.

"Agatha, would it be okay if I went to my cousin Amanda's for dinner? I thought I'd take the Knight bus," Lily said. "I didn't really want to, but I think it's important to see them."
"You're right. We'll have you for the rest of the holiday," Agatha said. "I'm happy you asked to go, it'll be good for you."

They chatted a bit as Charles sat at the kitchen table, hands curled around an untouched mug of hot chocolate, a morose look crossing his face. "I'm afraid you can't," he told her.

"What?" Lily asked. "Agatha just-"

"There was an attack, a muggle church...No one was killed miraculously, but several were injured. The ministry wants everyone to stay put."

"That's not fair," James said. "Lily is a muggleborn-" He was quieted by a hand resting on his shoulder. "Don't you want to see your family?"

"Yes, but…" Lily didn't know quite how to explain it to James. As much as she wanted to see them-and dreaded interacting with Petunia and Vernon-her going there could put their lives in jeopardy, at least with this new development. "I'll send them a letter tomorrow, Petunia will never forgive me but it will be safer."

Charles nodded, glad that she saw it from the ministry perspective. Lately, Voldemort and his followers were becoming less and less predictable. With the stunt they pulled it was safer to stay in one place and have aurors keep a close eye on things. Even Christmas couldn't stop the war.