Author's Note: This chapter is a bit short for story purposes. I couldn't write any more about Lily's break at home, and the next chapter is back to Hogwarts where most of the excitement happens anyways. Hope you all enjoy, and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy anything else people might celebrate!

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter. I'm just borrowing it.

Chapter 9

Being home for the holidays, Lily could see the changes the Wizarding War was bringing to England. In Hogwarts she could pretend like it was a bad dream for a short while, but out in the real world, even the Muggles could sense something was off. She first noticed it when she got off the train.

"Mum!" she called over the rumble of the crowd on King's Cross. "Mum, over here!"

"Lily!" Mary Evans said happily, opening her arms wide to catch her youngest daughter in a tight hug. "Come, let's hurry home so we can surprise your father with an early arrival!"

The Evans women pulled their jackets tight against the bitingly cold December wind as they made it outside.

"Oh, Mum, can we stop at that little cafe we found-"

"Not today, Lily," her mother responded distractedly. "Like I said, we're in a bit of a hurry."

Lily frowned. They had never been in so much of a rush that they couldn't stop for a tea and a cookie. It had almost become a tradition (at least for Lily) to stop at her favorite cafe on her way home from Hogwarts. As they walked to the car, Lily dragging her magically feather-light trunk behind her, she watched the crowd of people leaving the station. Everyone was moving as though they had a goal in mind, and although that was not very out of character for people in the city, it was out of character for everyone to be moving as though they didn't want to be seen, or at the very least noticed.

People weren't meandering along streets anymore. Lily doubted they knew why they were so against going out and staying there, why they were subconsciously paranoid, but Lily knew. Everyone could feel the storm brewing. Everyone could feel the darkness rising. And Lily was no exception to this rule, not now that she was off of Hogwarts grounds, away from the protection the castle and its Headmaster gave the students.

But Lily was determined to enjoy her Christmas. It was freedom from classes and homework and responsibility. It felt like returning to her childhood. Except that her sister still called her a freak, but Lily was trying to ignore it while she and her family decorated their tree that Christmas Eve. It was a tradition that Lily could remember from when she was a young child to save the tree decoration until Christmas Eve, and her father placing the star on top at the very end.

Everything was going brilliantly. Even Petunia seemed to be in good spirits, despite being forced into close proximity with Lily.

Then the owl came.

It was just a light tapping. Lily even thought it was someone rapping on the door, but no one was there when her mother checked. And the tapping continued, until it dawned on Lily to check the window. There, sitting on their window box, was a huge eagle owl, a small package and roll of parchment tied to its leg.

In that instant, everything changed.

Both the Evans girls tensed, albeit for very different reasons. Petunia tensed and then stormed off, muttering about "abnormality ruining her holiday." Lily was rigid in her movements to let the owl in because she didn't recognize it. She was frightened it was a notice from the Ministry of Magic. It could be there was an attack near her home, or one of her friends was hurt - or dead. She sighed in relief when she recognized the slanting, messy scrawl of James Potter, and chuckled quietly at herself for getting so worked up over nothing.

"Well, what is it, sweetheart?" Mary Evans asked in a casually curious tone.

Lily cocked her head to the side, intrigued herself as to what could be important enough for Potter to disrupt his favorite holiday to send his owl to her so late.

"I honestly don't know. Potter's never written me before now," Lily answered as she pulled the rolled up parchment and a small wrapped parcel off the owl's leg. "I hope nothing's wrong…" Lily thanked Potter's owl and it took off into the night.

Lily had told her parents vague things about the war that was brewing. Enough to make them cautious, but not so much that they tried to keep her away from Hogwarts.

"Potter...isn't that the boy you always complained about?" her father asked, wondering why his daughter would be smiling when she supposedly hated the boy who had written her.

"Well, yes, but things have changed," Lily explained. "He's grown up a bit. He's tolerable now."

"I'm sure he'd love to hear you say that," her mother said, chuckling. Lily laughed too, because she was pretty sure he would be thrilled. "Well go on then, open up the gift he sent you."

And Lily did. Under the parchment was a simple box. It didn't look like anything extraordinary, just a plain little cardboard box, so she pulled the lid right off. Nestled among some light padding was a pretty little charm bracelet, a single charm adorning the silver chain. Lily pulled the bracelet from the package, holding it at eye level to view the charm. It was a beautifully crafted lily flower, and as she watched, it changed color: white, red, blue, purple, yellow…

"Isn't that lovely, Alfred?" Mary asked her husband. Lily hadn't realized her mother had moved to look over her shoulder. He made a noise of consent before returning to the paper he had picked up as Lily was opening the present.

Lily was in awe. It really was very pretty, and she felt bad because she hadn't put that much thought into his gift. It was just some goofy item she found that she thought James would enjoy. Instead of dwelling on that fact, Lily turned to the letter he had sent with his gift.

Dear Lily,

Happy Christmas! I decided to wait and send you your gift on Christmas Eve. I hope you like it. The lady at the shop said charm bracelets were meant to represent the person's life, so I started you off with yourself and you can add more of your own. Hope you enjoy the holidays as much as Sirius and I are. (He is yelling at me to say hi, by the way.)

-James

Lily was touched by the gift, and decided the least she could do was write him back to thank him. She excused herself from her parents - they were done with decorating anyways - and went to her room, pulled out parchment and quill and...froze. She had no idea what to write him. Most of the time they talked it was in the company of his or her friends and usually about something inconsequential. While she fretted, she wished Marlene were there so she could vent and have an extra head to think of what to write, so she decided that she might as well actually send a letter to Marlene while she was thinking about it.

Marlene,

I need help. Potter sent me a gift, a beautiful, thoughtful gift, and I don't know what to write him to say thank you other than 'thank you'. There has to be something better, right? Anyways, I wish you were here to tell me what to write. You've known Potter a lot longer than I have, and you've never hated him. I'll just have to figured something out.

On a completely different subject: did you notice the change when you went home? The war is even affecting Muggle behavior. Mum was afraid to take me to my favorite cafe, and we always go! I don't want to know what it is going to be like over summer break if the Aurors and the Ministry can't find and stop Voldemort by then. Thankfully I'll be of age by then, and I can protect myself and my family, if it comes to that.

Anyways, I was just wondering if you had noticed a change near your home like I have here. I hope your holidays are going wonderfully and I can't wait to see you again in ten days!

Love Lily

Lily rolled the parchment, tied it shut, and then wrote Marlene's name on the outside. She pulled out another piece of parchment and decided to just get it over with and write what she felt like to Potter.

James,

Thank you for the gift. It was truly lovely. I guess I should have put more thought into my gift for you, but I hope you enjoy it none-the-less. Your bracelet just might become my new favorite accessory, especially when I can add more charms to it. Your owl is beautiful, by the way. He caught my family off guard. It really ticked Petunia off, but if he hadn't, I would have eventually. Like in the morning when my parents open their blatantly magical gifts.

So I'm sure you and Sirius are enjoying yourselves immensely, what with Christmas Eve being tonight and Christmas tomorrow, and it being 'the best holiday ever'. I'm still strongly leaning towards New Year's for that title, though. But tell him to have lots of fun and not bring complete havoc to your parents' place. Yes, I know you both are scoffing at that, and I am giving you that look. You know the one.

I'll see you both at Hogwarts in ten days. Stay safe.

Lily

Lily exhaled in relief. It was done, and she didn't think it sounded entirely ridiculous. She completed the same process with this letter as with Marlene's and moved to Athena's cage and whispered to her, "I've got two messages for you. One's for Marlene, the other is for James Potter. Bring Marlene hers first, please. And don't give her a chance to open James'." Lily finished tying both letters to her owl's leg and then brought her to the window. Her owl took flight immediately, and Lily knew she was enjoying the freedom a long trip gave her.

With the stress of writing to James over, Lily found her energy for the day was spent and collapsed into bed, falling quickly into a dreamless sleep.

Over the next few days, Lily received letters from the Marauders, even one from Peter wishing her a happy Christmas. Lily was finding it was actually really easy to write to James. No matter what she said, he seemed to find some way to respond and keep the conversation going. Marlene told Lily that the out-of-Hogwarts world around her home was the same as Lily had noticed. Lily didn't bring it up to any of the Marauders; she knew James' parents were Aurors, and that he worried for them all the time without a reminder from her, as well as that Sirius considered James' parents his own parents now.

And as hard as she tried not to, Lily worried for her old friend. She saw Snape once from a distance. He was walking hurriedly down the street, and she couldn't help wondering if he was off to the top-secret meeting she had overheard about, or if it had already happened. It was after seeing him that day, just three days after Christmas, that she decided, against her better judgement and the warning of Marlene, to write him a breif letter:

S,

I hope you find some happiness these holidays. And I hope you are being careful and staying safe. Even though we aren't friends now and can never be again, you will always be my very first magical friend, and so will always hold a place in my heart.

L

Lily just hoped her letter didn't give him any false hope. She had meant what she told him: as long as he chose Lord Voldemort, he couldn't be her friend, and she wouldn't be his. Despite those facts, she couldn't find it in herself to hate him like she hated the others: Rosier, Avery, Mulciber...But as the days wore towards the turn of the New Year, Snape faded from Lily's mind.

Lily was now absolutely positive it was her favorite holiday, and she was getting more and more excited. When New Year's Eve finally rolled around she was practically bouncing around her house in anticipation and excitement. What was even better was that Petunia refused to be present because of the fiasco that Christmas morning had been (she had thrown a fit and walked out without finishing opening her presents once she saw what Lily had gotten their parents). The only damper on Lily's spirits was that she would be without her friends for the holiday once again. Lily was determined to get everyone to stay at Hogwarts next year over the holidays so that they could all be together for once.

New Years was quiet and relaxed for Lily as she stayed up until midnight with her parents and a few of her parents' friends. She laughed and talked and ate more than she should, and she enjoyed every single minute of it, and was glad Voldemort hadn't yet taken this from anyone. And she hoped he would never get the chance.