A/N: Day 11 of the 12 Days of Shipmas! I don't really know what to say about this one... don't hate me. Enjoy!
Lily was torn. On the one hand, she and James were both going crazy stuck inside the cottage all winter, and this was the perfect opportunity to get out for just a couple hours with Harry. On the other hand, there was a reason they were in hiding, and that reason was a madman trying to take over the world and murder their son. Her son, her baby. How could she put her baby at risk?
But her husband was at risk of going mental stuck inside the house, and Bathilda had argued so sweetly, and dammit all, it was Christmas.
She shifted the groceries in her arms as she walked up the garden path to her home. Through the front window, she could see James waving his wand and setting the tree ornaments to dancing, while Harry lay in front of the tree and waved his arms over his head in glee. Lily's heart felt so full she thought it would burst.
It was the point about Christmas that convinced her, really. Harry's first Christmas. She wanted it to be special, wanted it to be memorable, and what was more special than Harry playing the part of Baby Jesus in the church nativity? Of course he wouldn't remember it, she knew, but it would be a lovely tale to tell him someday.
Bathilda had promised that James could be a wise man or shepherd so that Harry would have a familiar face near him, since the parts of Mary and Joseph were already filled. Lily rolled her eyes at the thought of James in a Muggle costume; he would either embrace it wholeheartedly or groan and grumble about it while secretly enjoying every moment. There was no in between with James, Lily knew.
She stamped her feet on the mat, knocking the snow from her boots, and opened the front door. "It's me," she called, "your favorite wife, love of your life, mother of your child, Potions extraordinaire, and Gryffindor."
James came to the hall to meet her and take the groceries from her. "I know it's you, love. Secret-Keepers, remember?" he asked, bending to kiss her cheek. "No one else can get in," he chuckled, and she swatted him. "Oi!" she laughed, "one can never be too careful in these troubled times, and besides," she added, seeing the smile slide off his face, "you need to be reminded of who took a NEWT in Potions."
She winked at him saucily, and was pleased when he set the grocery bags down, turned, pulled her into his arms. "You're feeling very cheeky tonight, my love," he murmured into her hair.
She snuggled into his arms, pressed her face against his chest. His arms rested along her waist, one hand coming up to play with her hair. She looped her arms under his to grip his shoulders, and she inhaled deeply: James smelled like home to her, always.
"I met Bathilda at the shop," she said quietly, still in arms. She paused, listening for Harry, but he seemed content on the living room floor.
"Oh?" James asked, leaning back to look at her face. He studied her a moment, and Lily knew he was thinking of all the bad news that Bathilda could have passed on, even with Lily's obviously cheerful attitude.
She squeezed him closer. "She asked if we had plans for Christmas Eve. I told her it would probably be just us, maybe the boys coming 'round, and she asked-" and Lily hesitated, bit her lip. James pulled back again, brows raised.
"She asked if Harry could be Baby Jesus in the church nativity," Lily said at last, watching James closely for his reaction. He said nothing, and so she rushed on. "She said there aren't any other babies who are the right age, and that you could be a shepherd or someone so Harry wouldn't be alone up there, and the service is only supposed to last ninety minutes at most, and...and what do you think?" she finished. It was her turn to raise her eyebrows at him.
"You want to say yes." It wasn't a question. James said it carefully, though, like he was still processing, like he was considering it. He stroked her hair with one hand and licked his lips. Lily nodded, eyes dropping briefly to his mouth before looking back up into his eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows at her; he had caught her looking.
She rolled her eyes even as she pressed herself closer to him. "I do want to say yes," she admitted after a moment. "I think it would be a lovely little outing for us, and the boys could all come and watch, and it would be such a fun tale to tell Harry when he's older, that he got to be Baby Jesus for his very first Christmas. He's just getting friendly with strangers, you know, and he's old enough that he just might behave for the entire little performance, and James," she faltered, trying to find the words, and James' hand on her waist tightened its grip just a bit, reassuring. "I think it would be good for all of us to get out of the house, just for a little while," she whispered. "I know it's hard being stuck in here every day, and I know a church service sounds about as exciting as a date with the giant squid-" James snorted "-but at least it's out of these four walls. I think it would be good for you, for us. For all of us."
"Alright, Evans," he said, and Lily blinked.
"What?" She had expected more resistance.
"Alright," he repeated, smirking. "Let's do it. Let's turn our son into the Christ-child for some Muggles."
Despite her surprise, or maybe because of it, she laughed, and he laughed too, and she leaned once more into his arms, resting her head on his chest.
"Thank you," she whispered, tilting her face up to kiss him. "This means a lot to me."
"I can tell," he replied, smiling against her mouth.
"It's just," she said quietly, one ear listening still for Harry, "I want his first Christmas, our first Christmas as a family of three, to be special, and this will do it, won't it. This will make it special."
"Lily," James said, sliding both hands up to cup her face. His face is serious. "It is already going to be special because we're together. It's special because we are here and alive and together, and that makes today special, and it will make Christmas special."
Lily tried to blink back tears, and James wiped away the ones that escaped. "We'll be alright, Evans," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We'll be alright."