On the morning of December 25, James Potter woke to the sun streaming through the dormitory window. Pulling his blankets tighter around him, he vaguely wondered what on earth could have caused him to wake so early. It was only as he caught sight of an owl carrying a parcel just outside his window that he remembered — it was Christmas.

As the thought struck him, James found himself entangled in the sheets of the four-poster bed and landing flat on his face in his haste to jump out of bed. Blankets still snugly wound around his feet, he righted himself and frantically glanced around to make sure that no one had observed him in his clumsy act. The empty beds of Peter and Remus caught him off guard until he recalled their leaving the previous night to spend Christmas in their own houses. He had never seen their beds empty, usually one to leave for the holidays himself. However, this year he had been presented with the choice of going home and visiting his Great-Aunt Olivia, or staying at Hogwarts for the holidays. He hadn’t hesitated to choose the latter.

James eyed his pile of gifts hopefully, and briefly wondered whether or not he should wait for Sirius to wake. Quickly ruling that idea out, it wasn’t long before he found himself buried in a pile of wrapping paper, looking over his recently acquired belongings. Nice haul this year, he mused. His collection included a broom-cleaning kit from Sirius, a jumper from his mum, new dress robes from his dad, and a bag full of Honeyduke’s sweets from Peter. The low point was a book from Remus, but luckily James had a faint idea of where it had been purchased, and made a mental note to trade it in at the first chance he got.

“Sirius, mate, you awake?� he asked, glancing over to where Sirius lay in a heap, blankets strewn about, slipping off the foot of his bed. After several moments went by in silence, James navigated through the mess of dirty clothing until he reached Sirius’ bed.

“Sirius,� he said loudly, jabbing him in the side. Sirius mumbled something incoherently before turning over to his stomach and pulling the pillow over his head. James sighed. After several minutes of persuasion, much painful jabbing, and a rude hand gesture on Sirius’ part, James decided to consider it a lost battle.

He made his way back to his own bed, before kneeling at the foot of it and digging through his trunk. Finally he managed to pull the small parcel out of the bottom. Even though he knew it was unlikely that Lily would be awake so early, he couldn’t prevent his brain from formulating a scene involving them both alone in the common room, and Lily’s look of delight when she unwrapped the gift…

Snap out of it, Prongs, he mentally scolded himself. She doesn’t even call you by your first name — let’s not get carried away.

As he had suspected, Lily was not, in fact, awake. Nor were the other inhabitants of Gryffindor Tower. Though James was quite inclined to stand at the foot of the girl’s dormitory for hours to wait for Lily to wake, he felt a restless urge to go do something. Without thinking twice, he grabbed his coat and hurried out of the common room.

The frosty winter chill greeted him as he stepped out onto the snow-covered grounds. It wasn’t a particularly cold day, but neither did the feeble rays of sunshine make for much warmth.

He glanced around at the layer of crusty snow remaining from the previous week, a look of disappointment creeping onto his handsome features. Wonderful as Christmas was, it just wasn’t the same without fresh snow.

I think I fancy a walk, James decided suddenly, sticking his numb hands into his coat pockets to keep warm, before proceeding to the lake. As his left hand collided with the small parcel, he wondered what on earth he had been thinking. Even if by some miracle Lily was out for a stroll at five a.m., she wasn’t about to abandon six years of grudges for one gift.

He sighed, his spirits considerably lower than they had been moments before. Nothing satisfies that girl, he thought bitterly. Honestly, what more can I do?

He continued on towards the lake, lost in thought, until a figure down by the lake-shore caught his eye. It was tall and thin, and James quickly deduced that it was a girl. Lily. Forgetting his previous disappointment, his heart skipped a beat as he forced himself not to quicken his pace. Only when he was nearer did he realise that the girl had brown hair — not red. Curiosity getting the better of him, he continued towards the lake, not nearly as anxious as before.

As he got closer, the girl turned and smiled. “Oh, hey, James.�

“Hey, Emmeline,� he replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice as he recognized the Gryffindor Prefect. “What are you doing out here so early?�

She shrugged. “No one else was awake and I felt like going for a walk. And you?�

He grinned. “Couldn’t give you a better reason than that.�

“Were you expecting someone to be out here?� she asked, obviously picking up on his let down tone.

He averted his eyes to the ground as he muttered, “Not expecting, exactly…�

“Let me take a shot in the dark here… Lily?� she grinned.

Unnerved slightly, he glanced up at her. “How did you know?� he asked, abandoning his reserved pretence.

She laughed. “The whole school knows that you’re obsessed with her — it’s only common knowledge.�

James opened his mouth to retort, but he was taken aback by her words. After all, he hardly knew this girl. Her name’s Emmeline Vance, she’s a Gryffindor one year above me, Head of Charm’s club, and a Prefect, he recited in his head. I don’t know a thing about her personally — I don’t need a stranger telling me about my life.

“I’m not obsessed with her,� he replied rather lamely.

She snorted. “That’s not what I’ve heard.�

“Well, what you’ve heard is rubbish,� James snapped, kicking bitterly at the crusty snow. Who was she to tell him his own thoughts? Don’t work yourself up, Prongs, he mentally scolded himself. She’s not worth it — just let it go.

“I have to get going,� he muttered before turning to leave. He had only walked a few steps, however, when he heard her utter something barely audible. He turned to face her. “What was that you just said?�

“Only that I would give her some space, if I were you,� she repeated.

“I — what are you talking about?�

She sighed. “I know you didn’t exactly ask me for my opinion, but it’s just that, as a girl myself, I know that Lily wouldn’t want to be stalked.�

“I’m not stalking —� he began.

“Just hear me out. I wouldn’t chase after her, or pressure her into anything that she doesn’t want. I mean…if you give her some space, she’ll come around when she’s ready.�

James’ jaw dropped as he fathomed some sort of response, but nothing would come. His instinct was to reply with a rude retort, but the truth behind her words made him stop.

“How do you know this?� he finally asked.

She laughed. “I’m a girl. I know these things. I’m just trying to help — I’ve noticed that you’re fighting a losing battle with her.�

“I — what are you trying to help me for?� he stammered, flushing at her words.

“Well, you just seem like a great guy. When you aren’t being a prat, that is,� she hastily added, her eyes glinting. “It just seems like you’re set on Lily, and it’s a bit sad to see all these attempts to get her to notice you, when all she really needs is time away from you.�

“You think I’m a great guy?�

She nodded. “If you don’t mind my asking, I was just wondering… why Lily?�

The question caught him off guard. “What do you mean?�

“Well, you could have anyone, honestly — don’t think I haven’t noticed that fan-club of yours — so…why do you want the only girl that won’t have you?�

James shrugged, staring at the ground once more. “I’m not sure, really. I’ve just always been so taken with her. You wouldn’t understand,� he added after noting her silence.

“I understand a lot better than you think,� she said quietly, after a moment.

He shrugged, half-heartedly kicking at the snow.

“But then again, we never know, do we?�

“Know what?� he asked, looking up at Emmeline, who was staring at the lake with an unreadable expression.

“Know who that one special person will be. I mean, Lily will come around, but she might not be the right person for you.�

James stared at her pensively. This thought had never crossed his mind. “You’re right, come to think of it. I’m chasing after this one girl, and chances are she’ll never have me. What am I doing — wasting my time on her still, after she’s made it obvious that she wants nothing to do with me?�

“That’s not what I’m saying,� she said quickly. “Really, just give her time and space. But don’t spend all your time pining after her. Just leave her be and live your own life for a while. After all, Lily could be that special person, but then again, you really never know. You could be missing out on someone right there in front of you.� She looked at him, a faint smile on her face. Only then James noticed how close she was standing — mere feet away. Without thinking twice, he took a step forward before leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips. After a moment she stepped back, flushing slightly as she directed her gaze at the ground. “I should be going…�

“Right,� he answered as she turned to go. Only as he watched her receding figure did he remember the package in his pocket. “Emmeline!� he called, running after her.

“Yes?� she asked, turning to face him.

“Here, there’s something I want you to have,� he said, digging through his pocket and pulling out the simple parcel.

She looked at him questioningly before taking it, unwrapping the paper slowly, not noticing as it fell to the ground before being swept away by the gentle wind.

“Oh, wow,� she whispered as she held up the small pair of diamond earrings. “These are too nice. I can’t accept them,� she said, putting them back into the box before trying to give them back to him. He only shook his head.

“I want you to have them.�

“But…why me?� she asked.

He shrugged. “You were just right there.�

She laughed. “Happy Christmas, James,� she said, and turned to return to the castle.

“Happy Christmas, Emmeline.�

It was then as he stood, watching her figure cast a shadow against the steady rays of sunlight, that it began to snow.