One Sweet Day by zettazofia

Rating: PG
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Lily & James
Book: Lily & James, Books 1 - 4
Published: 11/02/2004
Last Updated: 11/02/2004
Status: Completed

One Christmas morning, two students find that they're the only students left in the school
for the holiday. They make the best of it, and in the end, they get more out of it than they had
ever even dreamed of...




1. Part One
-----------

One Sweet Day

Disclaimer: Characters involved are not mine, except for a few teachers I made up, but
they're pretty much unimportant, so you're welcome to take them if you like.
Summary: One Christmas morning, two students find that they're the only students left in the
school for the holiday. They make the best of it, and in the end, they get more out of it than they
had ever even dreamed of...
Pairings: James/Lily
Spoilers: Information was taken from all of the first four books, but you won't know what
information was taken, and what was made up if you haven't read them, so feel free to read (and
review!) anyway.
Rating: PG, for a little bit of kissing and because Lily and James are sixteen year olds with all
those hormones.
Feedback: Please send some! I really want to hear what you think! Feel free to review by the
button, or email me at zettazofia@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Author's Note: This was inspired by my urge to write a short little ficlet type thing. And of
course, reading my favorite stories and feeling insanely jealous of the fantastic authors. And
despite the fact that she probably doesn't want her name connected to this, I'm going to
dedicate this to Lavender, fabulous authoress of the Falling Trilogy, which I highly recommend.
(Please hurry with more!) This is my first fic at Portkey, so I hope y'all like it. :o)

* * *

Christmas.

Before, the word would bring a smile to his face, a happy feeling to his heart, and the urge to
jump out of bed and rip open his gifts.

Not today though.

Aside from the fact that it was the one-year anniversary of the death of his parents and sister,
his best friends were all at home for vacation, and James was stuck at Hogwarts, all by himself. He
felt very, very lonely.

In fact, there was only one other student at Hogwarts for the holiday, a Muggle-born girl named
Lily Evans. She was in the same house and year as he, and James knew her distantly. But while he
was sure she was a real nice girl and everything, he was not doing handsprings over spending his
holiday alone in Gryffindor tower with her.

For the hundredth time since break had started three days ago, he wished that he'd taken
Sirius or Remus or Peter up on their offers and gone home with them. Anything would be better than
being by himself- for the most part- on Christmas.

But he hadn't, because he'd been worried about how the Pettigrews would feel- they were
very poor, and James did not feel that it would be appropriate to give them one more mouth to feed,
especially when he knew that the only reason Peter was able to even attend Hogwarts was because of
a scholarship and his father taking on a second job. And Remus was in the same boat, and Sirius was
going to be busy with family for the rest of the break, and it just wouldn't have felt
right.

James sighed and sat up in bed, staring at the small pile of gifts at the end of his bed.

It would be the first year his mum didn't send him a box of fudge, and his dad didn't
send him some ridiculous Muggle device that fascinated both of them. His sister wouldn't send
him a book that he would complain about, but really love, and there would be no box of handmade
handkerchiefs lovingly put together by his grandmother, who had no idea that no one used
handkerchiefs any more, but used tissues instead. It was sad, but he'd never really realized
how much he liked rituals like that until now, when he couldn't have them.

He didn't touch the presents, not yet. He wasn't quite ready to deal with the feelings
he was sure he'd feel.

He pulled a shirt on, and his robe and slippers and went downstairs. He was mildly surprised to
see Lily Evans down there, staring into the fire.

He was quite dismayed to find she was crying. "Oh," he said awkwardly, stopping on the
bottom step.

She looked up, and then looked away quickly. "Sorry," she said softly, reaching for
the tissues on the table. "I didn't mean- well, I figured you'd still be sleeping.
Sorry," she said again, wiping her eyes and looking ready to jump up and run back
upstairs.

He hesitated, then continued down the stairs, going over and sitting on the end of the couch
closest to her chair.

"Anything I can help with?"

"Do you work miracles?" she asked, a bit of bitterness in her voice.

James recognized her tone and looked away. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

She managed to smile. "Don't be. I'm the one who's crying in the Common
Room."

"Is it your parents?" he asked hesitantly.

She didn't look at him. "They passed away over the summer."

He nodded a little, looking down. "Mine... well, last Christmas."

She looked up again, surprised, and guilt crossed her face. "I'm sorry," she said.
"I didn't realize. Is that why you're here?"

He shrugged. "My aunt and I don't really get along, so I didn't want to see
her."

Lily nodded a little, understanding. "I'm supposed to be staying with my grandparents,
but they don't need the stress of it. And my sister's there already."

She sounded unbelievably sad, and he looked at her with wary curiosity. "You don't get
along?"

She smiled sadly. "She doesn't like magic, she thinks it's for freaks."

There was a painful note in her voice when she said the last word, and James felt bad for her.
"You're Muggle-born? I didn't know that. Why doesn't she like it?"

Lily shrugged, setting her used tissues down on the table. "I don't really know. We
weren't ever very close, but after I got my letter..." Lily sighed. "Petunia's
never handled change very well."

"But it was you who changed, not her."

Lily met his gaze, her green eyes very sad. "She doesn't like anything to change.
Especially if it doesn't fall into her range of normal." The portrait of Godric Gryffindor
above the fireplace let out a loud snort in his sleep, and Lily smiled sadly at it. "And this
falls far from normal."

"My sister and I never got along either," James said, staring into the flames in the
fireplace. "She was older than I, and I think she was the reason my parents got married when
they did. I mean, they loved each other and everything, but I don't think they'd have
gotten married without her. And then they had me a few years later..."

Lily studied him curiously. "And she felt jealous, because it seemed more like..."

He smiled sadly too. "More like they wanted me. I was planned, whereas she was... well, not
so planned." He shrugged. "I don't know. It could have just been the age difference.
There were seven years between us."

"I'm sure she loved you though."

James nodded a little and looked away from the fire, away from Lily. "She did. It was
just... I don't know," he sighed, rubbing his eyes a little. Why was he suddenly telling
her this stuff, anyway? It wasn't like he knew her, or even that she cared, or had asked.

"I don't even know that about my sister," Lily said softly.

James snorted a little. "I'm sure she loves you. You don't seem like the type that
many people could not love."

Lily didn't answer, and when he looked at her, he found her studying her hands with intense
concentration.

He sighed. "Have you opened your gifts yet?"

Lily looked up, a little startled by the change of topic, but shook her head. "I didn't
feel like it."

"Me either. Why don't we go upstairs, get dressed, and bring our things down here?
We'll open the gifts then go to breakfast, and then figure something to do for the rest of the
day. I don't particularly feel like thinking all that much, and I'm sure you're the
same way, so we may as well distract each other. That is, if you don't mind being used a bit,
and you don't mind using me."

She smiled a little, a glimmer of interest in her eyes. "That sounds good with
me."

"Excellent," he said, standing. He pulled her to her feet. "Hurry up,
though," he said. "I might just get too impatient and start without you." Not
likely, but he knew girls took a long time to get dressed in the morning.

She smiled a little more. "I'll hurry, then," she said, and they both went up the
staircases to their rooms.

James threw on a pair of slacks and a shirt, then one of his weekend robes- it was dark blue
instead of black. He stuffed the Marauder's Map in his pocket (Never Leave Hogwarts Without
It!) and then added his wand.

There were half a dozen gifts in neat piles at the end of his bed, but before he grabbed them,
he grabbed an unopened box of holiday sweets a girl had given him, and changed the tags so that it
read 'To Lily'.

He felt slightly guilty, but he would have felt worse if he hadn't had anything for her at
all.

Then he loaded up with gifts and went downstairs.

It wasn't much longer before Lily joined him, carrying her small stack of gifts as well.

She took a seat on the couch next to him and, at the same moment, they handed each other
identical boxes. "Happy Christmas," they both said.

They looked at each other, then at the boxes, then they grinned at each other.
"Patty?" Lily wondered, and he nodded. "I'm tutoring her in charms," Lily
said, taking his box as he took hers.

James shrugged and set the box on the table. "We've gone out a few times."

He got the usual gifts from Sirius, Peter, and Remus. Some candy and joke supplies. The largest
package was from his aunt, and consisted of three books. He frowned as he inspected them, not
recognizing the titles. "*Moby Dick*, *Oliver Twist*, and *Wuthering
Heights*."

"Muggle Classics," Lily said at once. She took one from him and inspected it.
"Wow," she said softly. "Be careful with these. They look pretty old."

"My uncle collected books," James said after she handed it back. "He was a
Muggle. My aunt probably just wanted to get rid of the books."

"Well," Lily said. "If it helps, I've read two of them, and they're quite
good."

He shrugged. "I'm sure I'll read them." As if confessing a big secret, he
glanced around and leaned forward a little. "I actually do like reading."

She smiled, a little amused. "Prankster James Potter, a voracious reader? I'm
stunned."

He grinned. "Don't let it get around."

She raised her hands, ever the innocent one. "I'd never do something like
that."

"Oh, I'm sure," he said, sitting back. "What did you get?"

Her smile became somewhat unhappy. She pointed to a book on the table. "Petunia sent me
that. She gave it to me last year, too."

He winced. "Oh."

She shrugged. "She tried. Really, I'm somewhat in shock that she sent anything. She
hasn't spoken to me since about a week before school started. My grandparents sent me some
earrings, and I got some candy and a scarf from my friends."

"Speaking of food, you wanna go to breakfast?"

Her gaze flickered to the candy on the table, then back to him. "We were speaking of
food?"

He shrugged. "Well, sweets are food, sort of."

She was obviously amused, but she nodded a little. "I'm not certain I follow your
logic, but I agree with your goal. Shall we?"

They stood and James led the way over to the portrait hole, then helped her out of it.

"Why, thank you, kind sir," she said, amused.

He closed the portrait hole behind them and gave her a short bow. "But of course, dear
lady."

She curtsied, and they began walking down the halls.

Neither really felt like speaking, but the silence between them was not awkward. It was actually
rather comfortable, James realized, a bit puzzled. He and Lily had never really talked before, and
never in a non-school or Prefect capacity, so he was somewhat puzzled to find that he truly
didn't mind the silence.

To be honest, he realized slowly, he'd never really even noticed her before this break.

It wasn't that she was someone who just blended in. She was actually quite pretty, with long
red hair, and lovely green eyes, but...

Well, he wasn't really sure why he hadn't noticed her before.

He was frowning a little when he entered the Great Hall, but he automatically held the door for
Lily.

Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Devine, and Sprout were in there already,
cheerfully talking.

Professor Dumbledore was the first to notice them. "Happy Christmas," he greeted them,
smiling.

"Happy Christmas," Lily said, smiling softly at the teachers.

"Happy Christmas," James echoed, also smiling.

The teachers echoed the greeting.

"Ah, our only students this fine holiday. Sit here," Dumbledore said cheerily,
gesturing towards two seats to his right. "I'm quite certain that Professors Lewis and
Locus won't mind."

James glanced at Lily and found her looking at him. He shrugged and led the way around the
table, taking Lewis's seat.

"Professor McGonagall and I were just discussing the plans for the rest of the
holiday," Dumbledore informed them, serving himself some more kippers. "It's come to
our attention that you are the only students here for the holidays, so you'll likely want some
sort of entertainment."

"Assuming that you will behave yourselves," McGonagall said, looking pointedly at
James, who looked innocent. "You may go into Hogsmeade whenever you like- so long as you
inform either myself or Professor Dumbledore before leaving, and you are back by the normal
curfew."

"Really?" Lily said, smiling. "That's wonderful."

James agreed. He was always willing to go to Hogsmeade.

They filled their plates, and talked through breakfast, Dumbledore telling stories about
previous Christmases, and the other teachers offering their comments and their own stories.

It wasn't nearly as bad as James had feared it would be, and he found himself smiling at the
stories, and actually enjoying himself a little.

After breakfast, Lily mentioned she wanted to go by the owlrey and the library.

James, not really wanting to be on his own, decided to accompany her. It would give him the
chance to send an owl to Sirius, to assure him that he was doing well. Sirius had sent him two owls
that morning, and both had arrived during breakfast, and both had been nothing more than worried
inquiries into how he was handling things.

They did not take long at the owlrey, though James found out that Lily was owling her best
friend for the same reasons he was owling his. Then they went to the library.

The librarian was not at her desk, but the register was all set up.

Lily only needed to get a book for some of her homework, so James went with her to help her find
it.

"I'm not very good at Potions," she explained as she looked through the shelves,
pulling out a short stack of books. "So I need to find as much as I can for the
essay."

James looked through another shelf until he found a small green book. "Sirius usually helps
me out," he explained. "He's pretty good. But this book was pretty helpful." He
handed it to her.

She smiled her thanks, added it to her stack, and they returned to the table she'd set her
bag on.

"You want to go for a walk outside?" James suggested, drawn to the window.

Snow covered the ground outside, and the lake was iced over.

Footprints marred the landscape in a handful of places, but other than that it looked quite
peaceful.

His mum had always loved snow, James remembered, suddenly saddened.

Lily joined him at the window. "It's pretty," she said. She wore a sad smile as
well. "When I was younger, my parents took Petunia and I sledding all the time. We didn't
get to go last Christmas. I hadn't realized... well, I didn't want to go last time. Some
friends were around, and I went out with them instead."

James stared out the window. "We went caroling on Christmas night, then came back and had
cookies, and cocoa. Sounds kind of silly, but..." He turned away from the window. "We did
it every year, since before I can remember. My grandmother always said that they'd done it for
all of her life, too. This is the first time." He fell quiet, lost in memories.

"How did they..." She didn't finish the question, and bit her lip uncomfortably,
probably regretting even starting to ask.

James didn't look at her. "We always go to my grandmothers on Christmas. My aunt was
coming over to our house before we went to my grandma's. She was late, and my dad was tired of
waiting. Mum told me to wait for them before I went over. So I did, but I didn't want to. I
never really liked her all that much, and my mum knew it. But she made me wait anyway. They were
another twenty minutes, and I was mad, so I went through the Floo first, as soon as they got
there."

He sighed and glanced at her. She was watching him carefully, concern in her gaze. He looked
away again. "I guess they walked in at the end of a Death Eater attack. My grandfather was a
big supporter of Muggles and Muggle-rights. Mum and Dad and Trish..." He shrugged. "My
aunt came in behind me, and she thought it was some kind of joke. My uncle called for help. They
put the Dark Mark up above the house, so there were already people on the way. We had a joint
funeral a few days later."

Lily nodded a little. "Perhaps I shouldn't ask this, but why didn't you go with
Sirius or any of your other friends? I wouldn't think that you'd, you know, want to be
alone."

He took a seat on the edge of the library table. "Sirius wanted to. His parents would have
been fine with it too. Remus too. Pete invited me to his house too. But..." he shrugged.
"I just couldn't." He met her gaze. "I guess... I just wanted to have the time
to myself, to think about things."

"Fair enough," she said, nodding a bit.

"What about you?" he asked after another moment. "What happened?"

She picked up her bag and he stood up. They walked out of the library. "My parents were on
their way home from a party, only a week or two after I got home. It was about two, two thirty, and
they had to drive by a pub. Someone hit them, and sent them over the edge of a hill. The car
rolled, exploded." She started to shift her books into her other hand, but he took them from
her without a word. "Thanks," she said. "Anyway, Pet and I found out about it at
about five thirty in the morning, when a guy showed up at the house and told us. We had to go down
to the hospital, and call my grandparents.

"My mom lingered for a few hours, until my grandparents got there. She was... she was in a
lot of pain, and she wasn't fully conscious."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking at her, his gaze filled with compassion.

She looked ahead. "I was very upset for a long time." She hesitated. "I almost
didn't come back to school, even."

"Not come back?" James repeated, looking at her with a frown. "Why not?"

"Pet was worse than I was," Lily answered slowly. "She was in a real bad place.
She went to the funeral, but that night, she went out with a bunch of her friends, like nothing was
wrong." Lily shrugged. "My grandma didn't think it would be a good idea for anything
to change around her, so we started talking about me staying back. Then, one night, near the end of
summer, when I was doing homework, Petunia came in."

They reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Mistletoe," James said. "Happy
Christmas, too."

The Fat Lady smiled. "And to you as well, my dears."

The portrait swung open and they went over to the chairs around the fire. Their Christmas gifts
were still on the table. Lily picked up a carton of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and opened
them.

James took a seat on the couch again, slipping his shoes off and sitting cross-legged on the
couch. "So what happened then?"

Lily inspected an orange one. "She started telling me how sorry she was for being so mean
to me. She started crying, and said that she missed mum and dad. Then she said she didn't want
me to leave. That if I left, I'd be leaving her all alone. She said she'd been so hurt by
the way I'd just accepted it, and moved away from her, as if magic meant more to me than her.
She asked me to stay home, and said that if I did, she really thought we could work it out."
Lily took a tentative bite out of the orange bean, then relaxed and ate the rest of it. She
finished it and dug out a red one, inspecting it as she'd done the orange.

"I guess I would have believed her. But she sat down, and we kept talking, and I thought
she was okay with everything. So I got out my wand, and started to do something- you know, just
levitate something, or something stupid like that, just to show her that it wasn't such a
horrible thing. That if she'd just consider it, she might see that it was worth it for me to
keep coming here. She jumped up and started screaming. She called me names, and said that I had to
stay home, or else I'd never get rid of it. That I was disgracing our parents' memories by
being some kind of freak."

Lily dug out another bean, and didn't look at James. "They were thrilled about the
magic thing. They wanted to know everything about it, and... Well, Petunia said that if I
didn't drop magic, she'd never speak to me again." Lily shrugged. "I didn't
believe her, and told her that I just couldn't drop it. But she really hasn't said anything
to me since then. The fact that she sent me something for Christmas is a huge step."

But her grandparents had probably forced her to, James knew, and judging by Lily's
expression, she knew it too.

"The joys of family," he said softly.

"No joke there," Lily agreed miserably.

"But why didn't you go home with any of your friends then?"

She gave him a rather twisted smile. "What friends? I mean, the girls in the dorm and I are
all friends, but we're not that close. The closest friend I have at school is Sherry, but
she's got four brothers and five sisters. I don't think her parents want an extra person in
the house."

James winced, understanding. "Oh."

She shrugged. "It's okay. I don't think it's all that bad being here, alone.
Well, you know, mostly alone. And you aren't the idiot that you occasionally act like you
are."

He blinked and looked at her, noting the small grin on her face. "I do not act like an
idiot," he said with mock offense. "Sirius does."

She giggled a little. "I've heard you boys talking. I'd have to say you all have
some impressively stupid moments."

He was curious, and very amused. "Oh, do tell, Ms. Evans."

She sent him a patiently amused look. "Do you really think no one else knows about your
little cloak?" The shocked expression on his face made her laugh, and she dug through her bag
of beans again. "Honestly, Potter, we've all laughed at you so many times... 'Oy,
Peter,'" she said in a gruff voice. "'Don't forget the you-know-what so we
won't get caught when we're you-know-where' and all that other nonsense. And then
you're always carrying it with you, but no one ever sees you wearing it. For obvious reasons,
of course. That and your little map... We all know you've got one, we just don't know how
you did it."

He was truly dumb-founded, and a little embarrassed too. Everyone knew about the cloak and the
map? "I'm so ashamed," he said, rolling his eyes. "What else do you know about
us?"

She set aside a few beans before she spoke. "Are you going to eat those?" he asked,
eying them hopefully. She shook her head, and he scooped them up, cheerfully biting into a murky
looking brown one. He spat it out at once, and tossed it into the fire, making a face.
"Don't ask," he said when she looked curious about the flavor.

She shrugged and settled back against the pillows. "Oh, well..." She considered
things. "Well, when you four all gather in the corner over there, we know you're planning
something. And if you look at someone a few times, you're probably going to be pranking
them."

He grinned a little. Honestly, he'd had no idea that they were this obvious about anything.
He would have to speak to Sirius, and convince him that it was all his fault. He ate a yellow bean
and his lips puckered a little. Lemon.

"And then," she said slowly, a small frown crossing her face as she looked through her
bean bag again. "There's one other thing." She found a blue bean and pulled it out,
then looked up to meet his curious gaze. "You always disappear on the night of the full
moon."

He felt panic rising in him, and had to work to keep from jumping up and demanding what exactly
she meant by that comment. "O-oh?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure if everyone knows that part... but I know a lot of people
do."

"What else do you know?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "The normal stuff, math, English, a tiny little bit of French
that I learned when I was younger-"

"No," he said, frowning. "About when we, uh, disappear."

The hesitation before she answered had him near panicking. The answer had him feeling somewhat
sick, and fearful for his friend.

"Remus is always sick a few days around the full moon."

She was watching him with a small frown on her face, as if studying him would get her the answer
she desired.

And, James realized, noting that hands were clenched in fists and he was scowling, she probably
would.

"You're not all... you know, like that, are you?"

He blinked a little. "No, of course not." Good one, James, he thought immediately
after, furious with himself. Now she knows for sure that something's up with Remus. "I
mean, like what?" he asked, somewhat lamely.

She sent him an annoyed look, as if she couldn't believe he was even trying anymore.

He groaned. "Hell. Say it outright, would you?"

"Are you all werewolves?"

"No," he said immediately. "We aren't."

She relaxed a little. "Then its just Remus."

He flinched. "I-I..."

"You won't say either way," she said, accepting it. "He's your friend. I
understand." She tilted her head to the side, considering something, and he stared at her,
sure that she was insane. After all, what normal, sensible girl wouldn't go running? She even
had confirmation now, after all. But she shocked him again by moving on. "Do you think
he'd go out with Sherry?"

He studied her for a long moment, ignoring her question. "You aren't
screaming."

She frowned at him. "Why would I? Remus is a sweet boy, and it's not his fault what he
turns into." She shrugged. "Plus, I don't understand why everyone thinks werewolves
are so awful. I mean, I can't see Remus ever dropping the good side and serving Volde-er,
You-Know-Who."

He frowned at her, puzzled. "You were going to say Voldemort."

She shrugged. "It's stupid to be afraid of a name. I mean, Hitler did worse than what
Voldemort's doing, and we all still say Hitler. It's just plain dumb to avoid the
name."

"I agree," he said, completely puzzled by her attitude. "You're not afraid of
werewolves, you're not afraid of Voldemort..."

"I'm afraid of them," Lily corrected. "When they're standing in front of
me and getting ready to kill me. But it's stupid to waste your life hiding from what might
happen. As to the werewolf thing, well, it would be stupid of me to run from Remus every time I see
him. He's nice, I like him a lot, and it wouldn't be fair to hate him just because of fate
and one night a month."

He studied her carefully, looking for any sign that she was being insincere. He found none.
"You're a good person, Lily Evans," he said, smiling at her.

She blushed a little. "You don't know me well enough to say that."

He shrugged. "I'm a good judge of character." He ate another bean, this one green.
"Yech. Grass." He made a face, but swallowed it. It was far from the worst tasting bean
he'd ever had. "You wanna go flying?"

"Flying?"

He grinned at her. "You know, on a broom?"

She shuddered. "Heavens, no. It's so... so..."

"Fun? Exciting? Awesome?"

"Frightening. Scary. Terrifying."

"Great! Let's go." He stood up and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Go get your cloak and gloves and be down here real quick."

"But-"

"Go."

Sending him a mildly annoyed look, she went upstairs.

* * *

(Divided in two parts to make it easier to read.)



2. Part Two
-----------

One Sweet Day

Disclaimer: Characters involved are not mine, except for a few teachers I made up, but
they're pretty much unimportant, so you're welcome to take them if you like.
Summary: One Christmas morning, two students find that they're the only students left in the
school for the holiday. They make the best of it, and in the end, they get more out of it than they
had ever even dreamed of...
Pairings: James/Lily
Spoilers: Information was taken from all of the first four books, but you won't know what
information was taken, and what was made up if you haven't read them, so feel free to read (and
review!) anyway.
Rating: PG, for a little bit of kissing and because Lily and James are sixteen year olds with all
those hormones.
Feedback: Please send some! I really want to hear what you think! Feel free to review by the
button, or email me at zettazofia@yahoo.com. Thanks!
Author's Note: This was inspired by my urge to write a short little ficlet type thing. And of
course, reading my favorite stories and feeling insanely jealous of the fantastic authors. And
despite the fact that she probably doesn't want her name connected to this, I'm going to
dedicate this to Lavender, fabulous authoress of the Falling Trilogy, which I highly recommend.
(Please hurry with more!) This is my first fic at Portkey, so I hope y'all like it. :o)

* * *

(Page Two)

James hurried up to his room and pulled out his thickest cloak and gloves. Then he went over to
his closet and grabbed his broom, which he stored in his room to keep safe. Again, he beat Lily
down to the common room. She came downstairs and was tying her new scarf around her.

"I don't have a broom," she said, eying his warily.

He shrugged. "S'kay, you can ride with me. Then if you're feeling any better about
brooms, we'll go by the broom closet and get you one for yourself."

She shuddered visibly. "Really, wouldn't you rather do something on the ground?
Anything?"

"Explore the Forbidden Forest?" he offered sweetly.

She gave him a look. "Are you serious?"

He shook his head. "No, he went home for Christmas. Now come on, let's go. I promise I
won't do anything too frightening or dangerous."

She didn't appear to believe him, but he didn't give her much of a choice.

It took about five minutes to get outside, and then another five to coax Lily onto the
broom.

But she finally got on behind him. "Just hold on to me," he said. "And relax.
I'll take care of the flying part."

She tentatively held on to his sides. Amused by her shyness, he pulled her arms the rest of the
way around him. "If you're scared, you're better off that way," he explained,
glancing at her. "Double broom riding is a close and personal sport," he added, and
watched as her cheeks turned a little bit rosier. He hid a grin. "You ready?"

"No?"

He took off anyway, and felt her holding tighter to him. He didn't go as fast as he could
of, but went on a leisurely circle around the castle. She hadn't loosened her grip on him
throughout the entire circle, nor had she lost any of her tension, and he was amused.
"You're not going to have any fun if you don't relax, Lily."

"When we're this high in the air?" she wondered. "Not bloody
likely."

He didn't really mind though. He kind of liked the way she had her hands around him and was
holding him so tight.

He was, after all, a sixteen-year-old male alone on a broom with a gorgeous sixteen-year-old
girl, no matter what the circumstances were. He dipped the broom a little, and she gasped. He
grinned a little more. It had been a long time since he'd flown with a girl on a broom. Since
before he'd had this new broom, even. And somehow, flying around with Remus or Peter or Sirius
was never as fun. Of course, they all had their own brooms, and that made it different, and even if
they hadn't, he wouldn't have let them touch his broom. "Scared?" he wondered,
purposely reminding himself that she was there, so he wouldn't go off thinking again.

"Terrified," she said through gritted teeth. "Can we go down yet?"

He slowed down and turned to look at her. "I tell you what. You make a good try at relaxing
for a few minutes, and then, if you still don't like it, I'll take you down, all
right?"

"Why not take me down right now?" she wondered, glancing down once and then shutting
her eyes.

"Not an option," he said cheerfully.

She let out a hiss of breath. "Fine."

"Open your eyes then."

She did, but didn't look too happy.

He flew down lower to the ground. "I'll stay down here," he said. "But
you've got to keep your eyes open."

"All right," she agreed hesitantly.

To test her, he flew out towards the lake and over it, and when she yelped a little, he was
satisfied.

"Over land!" she ordered, and this time her grip on him was slightly less pleasant,
and a bit more painful. He flew to the edge of the lake again.

He circled around the lake, then turned and went down a path he knew of that would take them on
a short jaunt through the forest. When she didn't complain, he turned down another path, going
a little further to a pretty little waterfall he and the Marauders had found on one of their full
moon outings.

"It's so pretty," she sighed, and he could feel her breath on the side of his
neck.

"I know where it's prettier," he said, glancing at her. "But you probably
won't like how we have to get there."

She hesitated. "Do it anyway."

He grinned and flew upwards, not surprised at all when she gasped. They flew up above the trees,
and towards the castle. There was a flat spot on the roof of one of the towers. He'd take her
there.

After a few detours, he decided, circling around one of the towers.

As he'd somewhat hoped, she continued to hold him tight for the rest of the trip to the
top.

They landed on the second tallest tower of the castle. The tallest tower had a slightly better
view, but James had already figured Lily wouldn't like that one- sloped, icy edges just
screamed too much danger for her.

They dismounted, and James wiped snow off the edge of the building, leaving them enough space to
sit. "Bit cold up here," James said helping her sit- the last thing he wanted was for her
to slip and fall off. "But the view's worth it."

She smiled up at him, and procured a little jar from her cloak's pocket. "This'll
help with the cold," she said.

James grinned as he recognized the little ball of fire. Remus was always bringing them out on
cold days to keep them warm.

She cupped her hands around one for a moment, then passed it to him. He held it in one hand
between them.

"It's nice up here," Lily agreed, and he noticed that she did not look directly
down.

He grinned. "By chance, are you afraid of heights?"

Her cheeks, which were already rosy from the cold, seemed to grow a little pinker. "When I
was younger, we lived in a house with two floors. There was a little balcony, and Pet and I used to
play out on it. Well, one day she got a little mad at me." Lily shuddered. "She was older
than me, and made me climb over the fence and stand on the very edge. I think I ended up using
magic then, because I shouldn't have had enough room to stand, but I did. Then my mum came and
started panicking. When she tried to get me back over, I slipped and banged my head pretty hard on
the railing before she pulled me over. And then after that, I just couldn't stand being high up
in the air."

James was sympathetic, but curious. "You're not panicking right now."

She shrugged, looking out at the landscape. "For a while I thought I was getting over it.
We went over to America at the holiday last year, and we went to all the tall buildings in New
York. I was okay with it then, as long as my parents were around. If it was just Petty or one of my
aunts or uncles, then I started to get sick, but with my parents I was okay. I trusted my parents
enough, I guess."

He heard the wistful note in her voice. "Well, you must trust me too, then."

She smiled a little and shrugged, and they sat for another ten minutes or so before the cold got
to be too much.

"It's gonna drop pretty steep," James warned her. "But now you know that, so
don't scream."

She peered around him, over the edge, and shuddered. Then she slipped her arms around him again
and buried her face. "Go," she ordered, her voice muffled by his robe.

He went.

She didn't scream, but he heard her gasp and felt her arms tighten around him. He behaved
himself though, and flew to the door of the castle.

She looked a bit unsteady as she dismounted, so he helped her, slipping her arm around his
shoulders. "Wanna run to the kitchens?" he offered. "We can get some cocoa to get
warmed up with."

She looked interested. "Sounds good."

"You ever been down there before?" James asked as they began walking.

She shook her head as she removed her arm from him. "Not really."

"Remus found it in first year, when he got lost trying to find the Potions room. He saw a
few older kids going in."

And then, James remembered fondly, he'd come to class ten minutes late, laden down with
muffins for everyone in the class. The Potions master had been so pleased that he'd gotten out
of a detention. For that anyway. He'd gotten one later in the hour for melting a cauldron. A
true mischief maker, he was, right from the start.

Lily looked at him curiously. "Have you found other neat places in the castle?"

"A few," he said modestly, thinking of the Marauder's Map and it's detailed
guide to the secret passageways. "But I've been sworn to secrecy."

She rolled her eyes.

They reached the painting of the bowl of fruit, and James tickled the pear.

Lily looked quite amused when it swung open, revealing the kitchen.

"Mister James!" a house-elf squeaked, and ran up to them.

Half of the elves in the kitchen rushed over, and James gave them a crooked smile.
"Hi," he said. "This is Lily. Lily,

this is Ginny, Pezzy, and Fozzy, and-"

"We's very glad to meet you, miss," one of them said, bobbing its head up and down
eagerly.

"We just wanted to get some cocoa and maybe some sweets, if you don't mind." James
explained.

"Yes, sir, we's glad to help," the house elf said, and there was a sudden bustle
of movement as the elves flew into action.

James glanced at Lily and saw that she looked stunned. "They're house elves," he
explained. "They're the ones who do everything around the castle. You know, the laundry,
keep the fires running, clean up."

"I didn't know that," she said, sounding amazed.

The house elves returned, carrying, not only the coco, but several handfuls of food.

James grinned. "Hang on a sec," he said, and pulled his handkerchief out of his
pocket. The house elves loaded it up with pies and sweets, and Lily took the two mugs.

"Thank you," James said.

"Thanks," Lily agreed.

James got the door for them, and they made their way back to the tower, Lily expressing her
shock over the house elves, and the fact that she'd never known they were there.

They settled down in their places on the couch again, spreading out the food between them. Lily
handed him his mug, and they sat and ate and talked for a while.

Conversation turned to how James had met Sirius and Remus and Peter, and James explained.
"My parents and his are best friends," he said. "So we got our letters together,
went to Diagon Alley together, and even came to the train together. He lives in Aberdeen, and
I'm from Plymouth, so he ended up flooing to my house the first year. We met up with Remus and
Pete on the train, and then when we got in the same house, we just got to be good
friends."

"And you've been pranking ever since," Lily finished.

He grinned. "Of course."

They talked about their favorite classes next. Lily's was either Charms or Divination (it
amused her, she didn't really believe it), though Transfiguration fascinated her as well.

James grinned at that, and asked her what she'd be if she were an Animagus. "I'd be
a stag," he added with certainty that came from knowing that he actually was one.

She shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. I'm not good enough at it to even
consider trying, so..."

"But you've got to have some idea," James insisted.

She shrugged. "I guess I'd be something cool. I'd have said I'd be a doe or
something, I guess, but that's too close to yours."

He looked amused. "Nah, it's all right. It's whatever you want."

She shrugged. "Still. I don't know, anyway. Maybe I'd be a bunny."

He allowed himself to imagine a little fuzzy bunny running around with Moony the werewolf,
Padfoot the dog, Wormtail the rat, and himself, Prongs the stag, and had to fight a grin. "A
bunny, eh?"

She looked a little embarrassed. "I like bunnies. They're cute."

"You'd make a cute bunny," he assured her, but couldn't hide his smile.

She sighed. "Oh, shut up, Potter."

He made a show of pretending to zip his lips shut, and she smiled again.

They went off to the Christmas dinner shortly thereafter.

All of the teachers left at the school, including Professor Trelawney, who usually stayed hidden
up in her tower, were in the Hall. Professor Lewis, who taught Divination, was the only one
missing.

Trelawney, one who was always big on being dramatic, made a fuss over the fact that there were
exactly thirteen people at the table.

But no one else seemed to mind.

The majority of the professors drank a lot, and by the end of the meal, were all a bit red faced
and giggly. Professor Dumbledore was trying to lead everyone in carols, but only McGonagall and
Flitwick were able to follow along.

Lily and James, finding it all rather funny, sang as well.

The Christmas dinner lasted even longer than a normal meal, and as it drew to its end, Lily and
James broke several wizard crackers. James was quite pleased when he ended up with several packets
of firecrackers, and a charming green hat. He placed it on his head and, with a crooked grin,
offered Lily the bouquet of flowers that came out of the next packet of crackers.

"Up for a snow fight?" James offered, glancing at the ceiling, which showed a light
snowfall falling on the castle.

She accepted the challenge, and they rose from the table.

Professor Trelawney put up a fuss about which of them was the first to rise (to which Professor
McGonagall snapped "that's what you've said every year since you've been at this
school!" and glared at her).

James cast a look back at the Divination teacher, but shoved the thoughts aside. He doubted that
he should say anything about her sanity. McGonagall would probably get a little bit upset if he
did, even if everyone knew she was completely nutters anyway.

The air outside had grown even cooler by the time Lily and James got out there, having taken a
few minutes to go up to the tower to get their cloaks again.

James wasn't about to be the instigator of the fight, as he'd grown up with the idea of
never hitting a girl (first, anyway).

So he waited until Lily had playfully thrown a handful of snow at him before he retaliated.

They played outside until it was too cold. The sun had set a while before, and the only light
came from the torches that lit up the doorways.

They went through the doorway at the same time, which wasn't long after they'd gone out
it.

As they were going in, he only noticed the mistletoe above them out of the corner of his
eye.

Mistletoe. The best friend of every guy within a few feet of a pretty girl. Lily noticed
he'd stopped and looked at him curiously. He pointed up, and her cheeks flushed a little.
"I-I didn't realize-"

He shrugged. "It'll be painless, I swear." She hesitantly faced him, and he
figured that he'd have to be the one to do the rest. So he kissed her.

It should have been that simple, a quick kiss between two people who didn't really know each
other all that well, but were a little attracted.

But when their lips touched, it was like the magic described in books and stories of True Love.
Sparks flew between them, and it was nothing like anything James had ever felt before, even when
he'd kissed any girl before.

It was hypnotizing, enthralling, and completely stunning. He couldn't think of anything else
except her, and he couldn't feel anything but the way her lips felt against his. He brought his
hand up to touch the side of her face, and his other hand slipped around her waist, pulling her
closer to him. It was the only thing he could have done to make it even better, to hold her
close.

She closed her eyes, and slowly relaxed against him, her hands resting against his chest,
gripping his shirt, and pulling him towards her as well.

It was incredible. The most wonderful flow of emotions he'd ever experienced in all of his
sixteen years of-

There was a discreet cough from behind them, and they jumped apart, each of them blushing.

Professor Dumbledore stood in the hallway, his eyes twinkling with merriment. "Lovely
night, isn't it?" He smiled at them. "However, it's drawing near to the time you
must be off to your Common Room, is it not?"

"Yes, sir," James said, but felt somewhat dazed and confused by the fact that he was
no longer kissing Lily. He glanced at her, and found her looking just as stunned as he felt, her
cheeks a little red from embarrassment.

Dumbledore smiled at them, and went off down the hall, whistling merrily.

"We should get back," she said, not looking at him as she started down the hall.

He followed her, and they were both quiet until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Mistletoe," Lily said, and led the way into the Common Room. She'd blushed just
saying the word, and he felt somewhat giddy at knowing he was the reason why.

He pulled the portrait closed behind them, and looked at her.

She looked at him.

He finally sighed. "That was..."

"Nice," she finished, a small smile gracing her lips.

He smiled too. He couldn't help it. "Yeah. It was."

Somewhat amused by the fact that he was acting so oddly over a kiss, he took her hand and pulled
her over to the couch, taking the seat he'd sat in all day- except moving a little closer.

He was quite pleased to note that she moved closer too.

"I don't think I've had so much fun in a long time," Lily admitted, staring
into the fire.

He thought about it for a moment, remembering some of the times he'd spent with his other
friends. But they truly didn't compare. There was something about Lily that made it true for
him, too. "Me too," he agreed finally.

"Thank you."

He blinked. "For what?"

"For making it that way," she said, as if it should have been obvious.

He shook his head a little. "If anybody should be thanking somebody, it should be me
thanking you. I'd have spent the day locked up in my room and gotten depressed about it. Else
I'd have pulled a few pranks on you," he admitted. "Just to get my mind
off."

She gave him an amused look. "You won't be doing that now, will you?"

He shook his head. "I don't prank people that I take riding on my broom." He
thought about that for a moment, then grinned. "And since you're the only one I've
taken on my broom..." Well, that one anyway.

She laughed. "Oh, do I feel special," she teased.

He shrugged, not in the least bit wounded. "You should."

Actually, he mused, she /really/ should. The broom had been a Christmas present he'd gotten
from his parents the morning they'd died. He'd never so much as let even Sirius touch it,
and never, ever had they been allowed to ride it. He didn't know really know why he'd
changed the rules for her. Interesting, he decided, studying her.

She looked up suddenly, and their eyes met. He looked away for a moment, then back at her.
"Give me your feet," he ordered.

She stared at him. "What?"

He rolled his eyes and pulled her feet up on the couch, then set about removing her shoes.

She didn't protest, but watched with wary curiosity. "Exactly what are you up to, James
Potter?"

He tugged her socks off, revealing her feet, the toenails of which were neatly painted with a
shimmery pink polish. "Girlish," he said matter-of-factly, and began massaging.

She looked amused. "Most people would ask first," she said, but did not pull away.
Instead she leaned back, closing her eyes.

He liked her feet. It was a rather silly thing to like, even sillier thing to think, but it was
a fact, and he was just amused enough that he wouldn't deny it. He liked her ankles too. Not
too bony, not too soft. They were very nice ankles.

He decided to jump past certain body parts, as he had been raised to be a gentleman, and
gentlemen would not comment upon a girl's. body parts.

Her hands were soft, delicate looking, the nails decorated with the same polish as her toes. She
wore a ring on her right hand that was small and dainty, a diamond surrounded by several smaller
diamonds.

Her wrists were nice too. Her Hogwarts robes covered her arms, but he made the assumption that
her arms were probably very lovely, just because it wouldn't make sense for them to be anything
but that. And the hidden arms connected to hidden shoulders, connected to her neck, which was very
attractive. Graceful looking was what came to mind, but he couldn't imagine why. He settled for
the unoriginal descriptive word instead. She had a pretty neck, around which she wore a necklace
with a tiny diamond pendant that matched the ring on her finger.

And her face...

James decided that she was probably the prettiest girl in Gryffindor, if not the entire school.
Soft red hair fell to frame her face, not tied back with anything, just left to hang freely. Her
ears were small and perfect, her mouth was soft and unpainted, and her eyes were closed.

As if she could sense him watching her, she opened her eyes, and again, their gazes met.

Staring into her green eyes, James slowly realized that he'd spent an entire day with this
girl, and he'd enjoyed it. Not once had he had to act like someone else, and not once had she
made him feel as though she were the one acting, like many of the girls in the school did. The
question that came out of his mouth was unplanned. "Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me
tomorrow?"

He asked it in a way so she knew it meant more than just as new 'friends'. She
didn't look away from him. "That would be nice," she answered.

Her voice was soft and she sounded a little tired. He ran his thumbs along the arch of her foot,
and she shivered, and closed her eyes again. "You're really good at that, you
know?"

He didn't answer, but switched feet.

"My dad fell in love with my mom when she gave him a foot massage," Lily said
suddenly.

He stopped for a moment, looking at her oddly. "That's weird," he said.

"Why's that?" she asked, giving him an almost offended look. "At least it was
more exciting than most people's story."

James shook his head a little. "No, not weird like that. My mom fell in love with my dad
when she was giving /him/ a foot massage."

She pulled her feet away and sat up again, pulling her (pretty) feet under her.
"Well," she said, trying to sound as though that was one of those little unimportant
coincidences. But he could see the way she was looking at him, wondering and worried. "I
won't hold you to it."

Too late, he thought, and then realized what he'd thought. Too late? As in, he'd already
fallen in love with her?

She didn't seem to notice his expression, which had darkened a bit as he pondered over his
thoughts. "Your turn," she said, and pulled one of his legs up on the couch. He
automatically pulled the other up, kicking off the shoes, and hoping that his feet weren't
really smelly or anything embarrassing like that. He was rather grateful when she didn't make a
face and fall off the couch. He slipped his socks off, and she smiled at him. "Lie back,"
she ordered. "It'll be more comfortable for you."

Obediently, he did as she said, pulling one of the pillows behind his head and closing his eyes.
Her hands were an interesting combination of light and firm pressure, and it inspired thoughts in
him that he knew would be rather frowned upon.

Something his dad had once told him came to mind. The summer after fifth year, they'd been
talking about life and love, and James had asked him how he'd know when it really was love.
"Son," his father had said, looking very amused. "You'll know it when you feel
it, because you'll suddenly feel like you're the most blessed man in the world. You'll
see things more clearly, you'll find that you'd do everything in the world for that one
girl. You'll be able to picture her next to you in bed, even when she's aged fifty years,
and still love her. And if it's real love, the real, truest kind, you'll finally figure out
what real magic is."

James was fairly certain he'd found it.

He pushed those thoughts aside quickly. Caught in the moment, he decided. That was all it was.
But he couldn't help but to notice he felt a lot better about things with her around. "How
long had your parents known each other before they got together?"

Lily seemed to hesitate, glancing at him a little bit warily. "They went to the same
schools for a while, but didn't meet until their second to last year."

James gave her a little bit of a startled look. Her parents had fallen in love over a foot
massage, two years before they'd graduated.

"I won't hold you to it," she said softly, laughter in her voice. "How did
your parents meet?"

"Arranged marriage," he explained. "But they fell for each other while they were
at Hogwarts, so it ended up being okay."

"Wow," Lily said, looking somewhat startled. "They really have those?"

He shrugged. "Of course. They'd met a few times when they were younger, and when they
got to Hogwarts, they were both sorted into Gryffindor. They didn't realize that they were who
they were because Mom went by her middle name, Marie, and Dad went by Harry instead of Harold.
Then, one day in their seventh year, my father came in, tired after Quidditch. Mum was one of his
friends, and she offered to give him a massage. He always says..." he paused. "He always
said that he fell for her then. And then it progressed a little more, until my mum tried to break
up with him. She told him she had an arranged marriage, and they couldn't go anywhere with
their relationship. Then dad said he had one too, to a girl named Angelina. My mom told him that
her name was Angelina, and she was supposed to marry a Harold, and they finally put two and two
together. They had a pretty big fight about two months before the wedding, and I think they were
going to split up for good, and I think that's when they found out about my sister."

"Wow," Lily sighed softly. "That's so.so. I don't know, it's just so.
It was nothing as dramatic as that for my parents. My mum was working as a waitress, and she'd
made plans to go out with a bunch of friends. They all met up at her and my aunt's apartment,
and she wasn't going to go because she'd changed her mind. My dad decided to give her a
foot massage to change her mind. It worked, and they just started going out after that."

He grinned at her. "I won't hold you to it either," he promised. But he was kind
of hoping she would.

They fell into a comfortable silence as she switched feet.

When she'd finished a short while later, she pulled the blanket off the back of the couch.
"You want under?" she offered, unfolding it.

He yawned and sat up. "Sure," he said. Especially if it meant he could be closer to
her.

Somewhat to his surprise, she threw the blanket over them and got comfortable- leaning against
him and fitting rather perfectly in the crook of his arm.

"Is it okay?" she asked, glancing at him. "I mean, you make a pretty good
pillow."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

They talked for another hour about little things, but he noticed that Lily was yawning a little
bit. "Ready for bed?" he teased.

She smiled softly. "Maybe a little. You?"

"Maybe a little."

Neither moved for a few moments.

"James?"

He shifted so he could see her a little better. "Yes, Lily?"

"Thank you."

He smiled softly, somewhat sadly. "Anytime. Hey Lily?"

"Yes, James?"

"Thank you."

She smiled back, and echoed his response. "Anytime."

They sat for a while longer as the fire began to die out.

Finally, Lily sighed and pushed the blanket off of herself.

James pulled himself to his feet after her, and bent down to pick up his socks and shoes.
She'd bent to do the same thing, and as they stood, their heads bumped. They looked at each
other, and James felt drawn into her marvelous eyes once more.

He leaned closer towards her and kissed her again.

Their shoes dropped to the floor, forgotten, and James closed his eyes, wanting nothing more
than to feel her lips against his.

She didn't seem to mind either, and he could feel her small hands pressed gently against his
chest.

Time ceased to exist.

There was nothing in the world but he and Lily, and he would have been perfectly content were
things to stay that way forever.

But she drew back a little, her eyes wild with a mirage of emotions. "I need to go to
bed," she murmured. She didn't step back.

"Yeah." He didn't either.

He stepped forward again, and lowered his mouth to hers for another kiss.

This time it was he who drew away, though he still didn't go far. "I've never felt
like this before," he said, and then felt rather silly. "I know it sounds
trite-"

She shook her head a little. "It doesn't. I feel the same."

The stared into each other eyes for a long time.

Lily finally took a step back, bending down to pick up her shoes and socks again. "I'll
see you in the morning," she said.

He nodded, and stayed where he was as she backed away a little, going towards the girls'
staircase.

She paused to give him a small smile. "Good night, James. And thank you."

"Good night, Lily. And thank you too."

She turned away and went up the stairs.

James waited until he heard the door click, and then picked up his own shoes and socks.

He made his way up to his room slowly and thoughtfully, and dropped his things on the end of
Remus's bed, as his was nearest to the door.

He changed into his pajamas without thinking about it, and crawled in bed, pulling the blanket
high over top of him.

He'd just ordered the lights off when there was a knock on the door. He climbed out of bed
and went to the door and opened it.

It was Lily, of course. She wore a long white nightgown and a worn and soft looking pink robe.
She didn't move past the doorway. "I. I don't think I want to be alone tonight. Do you
mind if I sleep in here?"

Taken out of context, it would have been any male's dream. But James knew what she meant,
and nodded. "Come on in," he said kindly. "Pick a bed."

She took his. He fought back a grin when she looked at him and asked, ever so innocently, which
one was his. "The one you're in," he said. He sat on Sirius's. "It's
okay though."

Sirius would never know, anyway. James waited until she'd climbed in the bed before he
climbed in Sirius's. "Good night," he said again.

"Good night."

Minutes ticked by, and it was not long before she startled him once again. "James?"
she asked, her voice a whisper. "Do you miss them?"

He stared at the canopy over the bed. "All the time."

"Do you think it will ever get better?"

He thought about it for a long moment before he answered. "It will," he said.
"Not at once, but eventually. Every day it gets a little easier to handle. It'll never
completely go away, but it will get better."

Her voice was suspiciously shaky. "I miss them a lot."

He closed his eyes tight for a moment. "Me too."

And then, because he thought she needed it, and because he knew he did, he slipped out of
Sirius's bed and went back to his own, slipping under the blankets with her.

There was nothing sexual about it, and she knew it too. He held her as she cried, and he fought
back tears himself.

Holding each other close, and feeling the pain each other felt, the clocked ticked down the
minutes to midnight.

But with Lily in his arms, and the memory of Christmas, which hadn't been as bad as he'd
feared, still fresh in his mind, James closed his eyes and fell asleep before the clock hit the
bewitching hour.

And for the first time in a long time, he did not dream of his parents, or their deaths, or the
pain and agony which he'd dreamt of for almost an entire year.

But he dreamt of a red haired girl, with sparkling green eyes, and perfect feet and hands.

And he smiled in his dreams.

THE END

Err.. Well, what did you think? I think this is the shortest HP fic I've ever written, and
I'm somewhat shocked with myself because I've actually finished it. Isn't that grand?!
Well, I hope so. You'll have to review and let me know. To do so, just click on the little list
thing below, select 'review story', or whatever it says, click 'go', and REVIEW!
:o)
Thanks much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! -Zetta (zettazofia@yahoo.com).

Oh yeah! I'm in the process of working on a new fanfic website will feature fanfiction about
the MWPP era. That means I'm looking for any good MWPP era fanfics, no matter which
character(s) they're about. I've got a good list of L/J fics, but I could definitely use
some others. Please send me some! (email addy above.) Thanks again!