A Foggy Christmas Eve

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


The ceiling of the Sixth-year girls' dormitory had been charmed to snow. It fell, however, in a much more delicate fashion than the blizzard battering the castle's walls. The same blizzard that was responsible for derailing their train ride home for the holiday, for destabilising the Floo Network, and for obscuring any view beyond the sprouting ice crystals on the window panes. Their snow, on the other hand, was neither harsh nor cold, and its flakes had the benefit of looking pretty without leaving any wet patches as they vanished after touching either furniture or the floor.

It was a wonder that there had been a delivery to their tower, considering the foul weather, and Lily pitied the owl that had carried it there. At one point she thought the bird had gotten lost in the white, whistling storm, and, while she had felt really bad both for the animal and for the nature of the thought itself, she had rather believed it would have been for the best.

Her friend's shriek and the crunchy sound of a frozen window being pried open crushed her hopes. Somewhere else in the world, someone had stolen her Christmas miracle, though she could not begrudge them for it. As far as it went, hers had been fairly inconsequential.

"It's here!" Marlene called. "Lily, Hermione, come see!"

Lily fixed a neutral, pleasant expression on her face and set her book aside, pushing her body into a rising then forward motion. If her steps were short and reluctant, Marlene didn't notice, and Hermione didn't comment.

Once the three had gathered in front of Marlene's bed, the blonde witch pulled the thick canopy drapes open with an audible fwup. Almost a magician's act, though not the disappearing bit Lily would have wished.

The boxes—one for each girl—lay open atop the duvet. At first glance, they looked harmless enough, though Lily knew that was not the case. Marlene's ideas never were, at least not entirely. What had started out as a joke between Lily and Hermione had gained traction inside the witch's golden blonde head until it became an unstoppable force.

This was the mortifying result.

Hermione—trusting, unsuspecting Hermione, who had been with them for a mere three months at this point and therefore remained mostly unaware of the utter madness that seemed to afflict the greater part of Gryffindor's sixth year—was the first to reach inside one box. She gripped the content by its edge, hands spread apart just so, and pulled and pulled and pulled some more.

Then, she laughed. Body-bending, air-gasping, tear-inducing laughter.

Her reaction did not put Lily at ease. She fit one finger through one of the gaps of the item in front of her—hers, she supposed—and lifted it. Unlike Hermione's, it sagged under her poor grip in a rather pitiful display. "Marlene, you're sure this is a good idea?"

It wasn't, Lily knew. But perhaps, by voicing her reticence, Marlene would catch on.

"Here's the thing." And by the raised chin of the other witch, Lily already knew her answer. Marlene continued nonetheless, "I don't believe in being embarrassed. If they all laugh at us, they all laugh at us. We're not being serious to begin with, Lily, and if joyfulness is involved, how bad can it be? Be afraid of real mistakes—the kind that hurt others. The ones that hurt yourself. Not this."

"She has a point, Lily," Hermione added. "We are being silly. And quite on purpose, too. Besides, teasing, even mean-spirited, can't hurt you unless you let it. I've learned that the hard way."

She let out a sigh. "Very well, then. But let it be known my good sense protested this decision."

"Oh, shut it, you! You're just as excited as we are, I know it."

Lily paused. She pinched her lower lip between her thumb and forefinger.

"A smidge," she admitted with a shrug. What? The thought did make something stir in her belly. Was it entirely bad? No, but that didn't matter. Some of it was, why else would her mind have misgivings about it? And she should heed it. She really should, otherwise, how could she call herself sensible? The other two stared at her. Hermione had an eyebrow raised and was suppressing a smile. "Alright, I want to see their reactions. Happy now? Not looking forward to it as much as you lot, though."

Marlene grinned. "Now, you're talking. Let's get dressed. We have a dormitory to invade."

Lily had no objection to the fabric as it slid warm and soft against her skin. The weather was cold, and Christmas was all about comfort and cosiness. Nor did she object to the length or the fact that it had a hood. None of that bothered her. The stuffed antlers attached to it, on the other hand…

She stared at herself in the mirror. She looked ridiculous.

"Oh, you look adorable!" Marlene cooed and drew her to a side hug. Had it been a girls' pyjama party, Lily would not deny she did. Kinda. Well, as far as sleepwear went, it was rather cute. The only problem was that it wasn't a girls' pyjama party, and Hermione and Marlene wouldn't be the only ones to see Lily in that.

The entirety of Gryffindor would be there.

Including James Potter.

All because of an accursed blizzard. Once the news had spread that all the means of transportation were disrupted, the Head Girl and Head Boy came up with a plan: to conjure a massive mattress for Gryffindor's common room so that the younger students wouldn't feel lonely being apart from their families. Everyone was expected to join, and Lily's presence was mandatory as a Prefect herself. And now she was expected to face him. Dressed as a festive elk.

Well, better to face ridicule with her head held high. Antlers and all.

As they entered the Sixth-year boys' dormitory, Marlene and Hermione marched at Lily's sides, arms linked. Being in the middle was perhaps not the best idea, though Lily suspected it had been arranged by her friends in the event they were forced to pull her along or prevent her escape.

Their grand entrance, however, was met by confused looks and only two occupants—James and Sirius—instead of the regular four.

"Evening, boys!" Marlene called out.

For a moment, no one spoke.

And then Sirius asked, head tilted to the side. "Why are you dressed as moose?"

"We're not moose!" The words tumbled from Lily's lips without leave and rather indignant-sounding as well. "We're reindeer. These are reindeer onesies."

Now she found herself defending the outfit as though she had never objected to it in the first place. Wonderful.

Lily had avoided looking at James' face, afraid of what expression she would find etched there. But Sirius? Sirius' she could see quite clearly.

"Oh?" A glint of glee found its way to the oldest Black son's eyes, and he shot a look at James, mouthing something Lily didn't catch. When she dared look, the jet-black-haired wizard seemed stumped. Stumped wasn't that bad. No, stumped, she could work with.

It was Hermione who clarified. "Muggle Christmas traditions center around a jolly elderly man we call Father Christmas. He rides a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer to deliver presents to good little boys and girls."

"So, you're like thestrals?" Sirius asked.

"No!" Lily and Hermione protested in unison.

"Yes," Marlene interjected. "Exactly like that. Cuter-looking, though, aren't we?"

When Marlene turned halfway to display her short tail with a little shake, Lily thought she would die. Right on that spot. Her obituary would read, 'Lily Evans, 16, horrified to death. Should never have trusted her friends—lesson learned too late to be of any good.'

"Much, much cuter, my lady. The finest magical sledge animals I've ever laid eyes on. You can pull me whenever you wish. Preferably into your arms." Sirius winked.

The mischievous smile on Marlene's lips was short-lived. The door barged open, cutting off her response.

"All the other years are downstairs alre—" Remus, also known as the sane one, started. If she pretended to faint, he would help her, and then Lily could chalk up the entire thing to a mysterious illness. Before she could put her plan into motion, he blinked. "And you seem to have stumbled upon Santa's reindeer…?"

"YES!"

"See?" Hermione said, shooting Sirius and James a look. "Remus gets it."

"Muggle mum. Now, I think I'll steal Rudolph here for some cuddles."

Hermione scoffed. "Please. I'm obviously not Rudolph."

"No?" Remus asked as he approached her, sliding his arms around her waist.

She shook her head. "Prancer is clearly the most punctual of the herd. Then again, I suppose I could be Comet. Taking care of you all is a full-time job."

"My mistake." Remus' smile remained as he tugged gently on one of Hermione's antlers. Seeing her friends having fun did make up for most of Lily's mortification. As long as Marlene didn't decide they should step into character and frolic around in the air next. "Still stealing you, though."

Hermione squeaked, her feet no longer on the floor, as Remus carried her out. He stopped at the door and called out, "Let's go on then, Peter should be back with our pilfered food any minute now."

As that charming interaction had been going on, Lily caught a side conversation taking place to their left.

"Hold your horses, James," Sirius had said. "Or shall I say hold your stags? Never mind—they say they're reindeer. Particularly, I think it's an important distinction."

"I—" James had stumbled at Sirius' words, eyes snapping to meet Lily's before his gaze returned to Sirius, face flushed. "I wasn't. Thinking, I mean. Anything."

"You're right. Your stammering has convinced me. While you're at it, want to add that you have no brain so you can't think at all?"

"Sirius…"

As their group began making their way out the door, Lily drew in a breath.

It was now or never.

"I was hoping to have a word with James, actually." However, her tone must have come out peeved since both Sirius and Marlene winced.

Sirius left with a muttered, "Don't say anything, it's always worse when you do," to his friend and, with a flourished bow, he offered Marlene his hand.

"I have a present for you." Lily held out the tiny red box, a golden brocade ribbon tied around it in a loop.

As instructed by his friend, James said nothing, and Lily was glad, in part, for it. She had heard him speak normally to people, so she knew him capable of it. Only, whenever she was around his mouth would open and his foot would shoot through it. He also seemed aware of that fact, for he ran a hand through his hair and smiled. That, or his surprise, had rendered him temporarily unable to speak.

James held the box in hand and tugged one end of the ribbon, undoing the bow and letting it fall over his wrist.

When he pried open the lid, laying atop golden tissue paper was a sprig. Lily touched it, and the pair of them watched it float up, swaying as a feather in a gentle breeze.

It hung above them, the mistletoe.

Lily drew herself up, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

"Happy Christmas, James."

His shock lasted but a second before the entirety of his face turned bright red.

Lily giggled. "I guess that makes you Rudolph."

Lily descended the stairs first. She joined Marlene and a group of Fourth-year girls, pretending to follow their conversation with the arbitrary hum of agreement, nod, or only slightly belated snicker. But her focus just wasn't on it. Instead, she kept her gaze peeled, and her ears pricked for another conversation entirely, watching its participants from the corner of her eye.

Remus sat on a corner of the giant round mattress, Hermione snuggled at his side as Sirius recounted something or other to the pair. But when James arrived, the subject changed.

"What was that about?" Sirius asked.

If James told them… Lily would never hear the end of it.

But then, of course, he would tell. They were his best friends, each living inside the others' pockets. She, too, would tell Marlene and Hermione, wouldn't she? Perhaps not now, in front of all of Gryffindor, but 'discreet' wasn't an adjective that described James Potter. And it was fine, really, it's not like she truly minded if people knew—

"I'm Rudolph, apparently. Whatever that means."

Lily nearly jolted at James' words. Remus choked. Hermione, at his side, buried her face in his chest, her entire body shaking, giving her boyfriend an occasional thump that didn't help at all. Lily turned her head just a touch, her view of them clearer now.

"What?" Sirius asked. "Spill, I want in on it."

"R-rudolph is—" Remus started. "R-rud-d-dolph—"

Peals of choked laughter robbed Remus—calm, poised Remus—of his ability to speak. As valiantly as his attempts went, not a coherent sentence left his mouth. Just as Sirius started rolling his eyes, Hermione went to his rescue.

"Rudolph is Father Christmas' leading reindeer," Hermione explained, voice matter-of-fact as if she was explaining one of the Goblin wars rather than a children's story, yet still laced with humour. "He guides the team of reindeer by means of his glowing, bright red nose, shining light on the way."

Sirius didn't laugh. He absorbed the information with a crease between his eyebrows, a look of concentration about him Lily had never witnessed before, as though he was weighing the merits of a magical flying animal with a nose so red it could light up the way. He reached for his wand then and, with three precise movements, waved it over his own hand.

He extended his palm out to James.

Even from a distance, the thing in Sirius' hand was quite clear, and Lily gave up any pretence of not eavesdropping and watched the scene, mouth slack.

It beamed—bright red.

"You're wearing it. Next time we take a stroll under the moonlight, you're wearing this."

Remus stopped breathing. James and Sirius had locked gazes, unblinking.

And then Sirius spoke the magic word.

"I dare you."

Remus was sure to turn purple at this point. Hermione, eyes wide and at his side, the embodiment of a deer-in-headlights.

"Accepted."

Remus exploded. The entire common room turned their attention to them, and Lily no longer felt guilty for listening in. James picked up and placed the round, glowing nose onto his own in front of everyone. He shot a look her way and winked as his friends crumpled onto the mattress in their mirth, joined in their roaring by the remainder of Gryffindor.

He had kept their kiss a secret. He had diverted the attention from their encounter and, even as he was made fun of by herself and then by everyone else, James didn't mind.

It warmed her. Lily had a suspicion she was missing half the joke—Sirius had heard about clowns, so a red nose couldn't be all that amusing—but that was alright.

"We need to get a picture! My sisters will die of laughter at this!" Marlene skidded back onto the mattress and charmed a wizarding camera into the air. "Now, on three. One, two, three!"

"Happy Christmas!"

As he threw a smile her way, he with the red glowing nose and she with the reindeer onesie, Lily felt merry all the same.

A/N: This had originally been written for The Marauder's Guild group as part of Marauders Advent 2023, but the reveal dates changed and I decided to swap it for another story. The character and prompts given to me were: Lily Evans/Pajamas.

Huge thanks to djane420 for beta-reading!

This story is my baby, and I love it so much, I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it :)

Happy Holidays to you all!