It was James’s first Christmas alone. For seventy-nine years, they had spent the holiday together, through children, blizzards, deaths, and heartbreak. So James had never felt more alone than he did on December 25th, 2101. All he could think of was Ben, of how much he loved Christmas. He knew his children were worried about him, but he preferred to be alone. It was just too hard; everything reminded him of the only person who wasn’t there.

Finally, they had all left and now James was alone again, staring at the Christmas tree. It was still donned with its odd array of ornaments, but it had lost its magic. Ben would always be in charge of decorating it, after they had spent all morning searching for the perfect tree. Out of the corner of his eye, James spotted an ornament that was out of place. He had never seen the little glass box before, or the note attached. So, his gnarled hand reaching out, shaking with the effort, James just managed to grab it.

Dad-

I know this year has been hard and I know you miss him. But, Dad, we all do. I know it's really hard around Christmas- believe me, I can't look at a tree without thinking about him- but it'll be okay. I remember your favorite story was your first Christmas together, so I pulled some strings at work. If you want, this memory box will let you watch it again. Happy Christmas, Dad.

Love,
Abby

Heart pounding, James reread the note. He could see Ben again, if only for a while. The familiar pain in his chest returned; he didn’t know how much longer he could go on without Ben. Without hesitating, James opened the box.


December 24th, 2022

“Are you sure about this?� Though he tried to keep his voice steady, James couldn’t help but sound nervous. He was terrified. Silently, Ben turned around, a relaxed smile on his face.

“They want to meet you, James. It’ll be fine. They’ll love you almost as much as I do.� Planting a soft kiss on his boyfriend’s nose, Ben saw James relax visibly. “It’s not like my family saved the wizarding world.�

“Dad loved you, by the way,� James replied, buttoning his plaid shirt. “He was a bit shocked when I told him, but he thinks you’re a good bloke. More he can say for Lily’s boo.�

Ben couldn’t repress a laugh; Lily Potter always called boyfriends ‘boos’, and he had been thoroughly confused the night before when she called him that. “You came out about five minutes before I came, didn’t you?� he scolded, and watched a crooked smile appear on James’s face as he shrugged.

“Actually, it was about a minute.� Looking down, James realized he had buttoned his shirt wrong. His head dropped; this was regular occurrence with him. The bloke had an O in five NEWT-level subjects, yet he couldn’t do up his own shirt. James was about to try again when Ben started undoing the buttons. “What would I do without you?� he asked.

“Forget your own head, probably,� Ben replied lamely, as his hands quickly fixed the mess.

James smiled. Ben was the more sensible one -- the Head Boy was always three steps ahead of most people. His hair was a sandy blond, but his dark brown eyes were what usually melted James. Thanking him with a quick kiss, James ran his hand through his hair, attempting to tame it.

Ben accepted it as a lost cause and pulled James in again. Their lips met and it tasted soft and sweet as James hands wrapped around Ben’s waist. It was rather short, but they were already running late.

“Come on. We can’t keep Julia waiting,� he said, grabbing James’s hand and walking out of his room. There was a slight groan from James, but he obliged, and yelled to the house that he was leaving. He only heard a muffled reply, but James knew his parents were wrapping gifts. Procrastination ran in the family.

“Who’s going to be there?� James asked as they walked through London. They had stopped holding hands, Ben retracting his after seeing one or two nasty glares, and James felt his nerves return to him.

“My parents are travelling - like they always are - so Julia and Matt live with us. It’ll be them and the rest of my siblings,� Ben explained, and James smiled. “Your family is huge, so you’ll be used to the chaos.�

“Do any of them go to Hogwarts?� James asked, and Ben nodded.

“One of my brothers is in third year, and the twins are in first year. The rest are too young.� Ben’s smile was broad, and it couldn’t help but spread to James. It took everything he had not to kiss his boyfriend, but they never showed much PDA. There wasn’t much prejudice left, most of it had disappeared a few years ago, but they still generally were more private.

Snow was falling lightly, dusting everything with white. The streets weren’t nearly as crowded as the couple had expected and they enjoyed meandering for a while. Ben talked a bit more about his family and James hung onto every word. There was just something about watching Ben’s face light up that made him feel warm inside.

Eventually, the two reached Ben’s brownstone. It was decorated with simple white lights and Christmas wreaths, but it was perfect. James’s yard was full of odd, quirky decorations. He knew his dad did it mostly to piss off the neighbors, but part of it was because he genuinely thought they were ‘cool’.

Smiling, James brought his hands to his face and blew warmth into them. The only thing it really did was fog up his glasses, but Ben just laughed and briefly brushed his lips against James’s.

“You ready?� Ben breathed, and James could only nod.

Heart beating in his chest, he merely let Ben silently slip his hand into James’s before walking up the driveway.

As soon as the door opened, James senses were bombarded. The soft glow of Christmas lights, the smell of biscuits, and the sound of a little girl giggling. He stood back as the girl, no older than five, threw herself into Ben’s waiting arms.

James watched his boyfriend groan dramatically. “Ella, you’re getting too big for this.�

“Never,� was her cheeky reply, but she let her older brother set her down on the floor anyway. Hesitantly, she approached James. “I’m Ella. Are you Ben’s friend?� The curiosity in her voice was so familiar that James couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. You could say that,� James chuckled, and watched Ben’s lips twitch. He was watching with an analyzing gaze, obviously judging his little sister’s reaction to him. Slowly, Ella lightly wrapped her arms around James’s waist.

“I’m glad you’re here, James. Ben loves you, so you can’t be that bad,� she said, before running away, a tinge of red to her cheeks. It was obvious Ella didn’t understand the truth of what she had said, and there was a sharp intake of breath from a woman with dark, curly hair. Her husband had a hand wrapped around her waist.

“Hi. Julia,� she greeted, a genuine smile on her dainty face. Matt said something similar, extending his hand. James grasped it firmly; his dad always said a strong handshake was a good first impression. Ben’s shoulder brushed against James, and he embraced his sister.

“You ran a little late, there,� she said, smiling impishly. A flush immediately appeared in Ben’s face, and James managed to disguise his laugh as a cough.

“Come on, we’re about to do the tree. It is really nice to meet you, James.� With that, the awkward first encounter was over. A smile from Ben let James know he had done all right.

An hour later, James was relaxed. He loved how cozy, how comfortable Ben’s family was. His little siblings were funny as hell, and little Ella’s constant singing or humming had everyone joining in.

The best thing had been helping decorate the tree. Ben looked so happy, so relaxed as he strung up the lights, singing along. His smile became even more infectious, and James enjoyed watching him waltzing around the den with Ella had been almost too damn cute to handle. It set off the fire inside James; god, he loved him.

Then it had been James’s turn. Ben had offered his hand, and of course James had hesitated. He had no idea what Ben’s family thought of him, of them, but when they cheered James accepted. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Julia smile and relax into her husband.

It amazed him how easy their family fitted together. Yes, there was bickering and jibing, but it was different. Nothing ended like it did in his family, especially at Christmas; it was just so … peaceful. There was no pressure. It actually felt like the Christmas James always imagined.

James knew it would be a hard time for their family, with their parents being absent, but no one seemed to mind. Ben always said that the Finnigans weren’t really the Finnigans until their parents were gone, and James saw why. They were relaxed.

“Are you having fun?� Ben whispered huskily into James’s ear as they maneuvered toward the kitchen. Apparently there was another tradition -- decorating biscuits for Christmas.

“Yeah,� James replied honestly, unable to keep from smiling. The one he received in return was one of the brightest he’d seen.

About a hundred cookies later, James was surprised by a glob of icing appearing on his nose. He had been helping Ella decorate a Santa cut-out, when suddenly her finger lashed out, leaving a long, green streak on James’s cheek. Ben visibly tensed next to James, but he didn’t miss a beat. A dab of red icing appeared on Ella’s nose. The giggles were infectious. Everyone started laughing as Ella wiped the frosting off her nose with her finger, before sticking it in her mouth. Then, her entire hand went into the icing container, but James managed to duck. Ben, however, received a face full of icing.

Needless to say, from there it dissolved into a full-fledged icing fight. But James had never had more fun.

*

“I don’t think I’ll ever get the frosting out of my hair,� Ben moaned as they wandered back through the streets of London. It was dark, but between the streetlights and the still-falling snow, it looked more magical than scary. Comfortable with the privacy, their hands intertwined comfortably.

“You have to admit it was fun,� James said, nudging his shoulder a little.

“It was. You fitted right in; they loved you. I thought they…� Ben stumbled over his words, but James knew what he was going to say. “I didn’t know how they would react to me having a boyfriend. I didn’t know how they’d act.� With a light kiss on James’s nose, he smiled weakly. “I’m so glad you had fun. I don’t think I’ve seen you that happy. It was like you were a different person.�

“It felt like it,� James replied, brushing his lips briefly against Ben’s. By now they had reached James’s square, and had stopped right in front of his house.

“It’s our first Christmas together,� Ben commented, and James could feel his smile as they stood, foreheads nearly touching. There was a sparkling clarity to Ben’s eyes that let James know that he was happy.

“You missed a bit of frosting,� James muttered. Frowning, Ben started to reach is hand to his face, but smiling coyly, James’s lips met the spot where the ‘frosting’ was. Knowing what was happening, he turned his head at the last second, and their lips met.

It was an explosion. James slipped his tongue into Ben’s mouth, and resisted groaning as Ben’s hands travelled around his chest. The kiss tasted of sweet icing with the odd touch of peppermint, and Ben’s lips were so soft. It wasn’t greedy or lustful, no; it was powerful, and warmth built up in James’s chest. But all too soon, they broke apart.

“Happy Christmas, James,� Ben whispered, as their foreheads pressed together. James wanted to reply, but with one final smile, Ben turned his back and disappeared into the snowfall.

Dec. 25th, 2101

A solitary tear escaped James’s eye. Every year since that one, no matter what, they had decorated the tree together and decorated biscuits. They started adding ornaments, up until this year. But quietly, the wrinkled hand slipped into a pocket, and a dainty snowflake appeared. James would never forget that kiss in the snowfall, the feeling of Ben’s lips on his.

“Happy Christmas, Ben.�

With that, the snowflake joined the other memories. Closing his eyes, James knew those memories would be enough until he saw Ben again.

And on Christmas, Ben would always be there.