Lily awoke the next morning with the familiar stirrings of excitement in her stomach. She smiled broadly as she thought, It’s finally Christmas! Her excitement turned to nervousness as she fingered the folded piece of paper in her pocket, something she had written for James while he was in the hospital. She was nervous about giving him this, wondering what he would think but... she was ready for this.
She grabbed the presents for Sirius and James (she had sent off all the other ones earlier), and hurried downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were already seated around the table drinking hot chocolate, Mally was working on what was to be a huge Christmas lunch, and James and Sirius were building a mansion of exploding snap cards on what little space there was on the floor before the tree.
“Happy Christmas,” called Mr. and Mrs. Potter in unison as they spotted her.
“Happy Christmas,” she reliped, snuggling up in a chair by James.
“Finally!” cried Sirius as he spotted her. “It’s nearly eight!” His lack of attention caused a slight shift in the groundwork of the castle, and it collapsed, singing the hair hanging over his eyes.
James and Lily laughed as he tried to fan out the flames. “I was going to come wake you up if you weren’t down here soon,” said James, turning on his side (with only a slight wince) to look at her. She had just plopped down in the chair closest to where James was sprawled out on the floor.
“And what a rude awakening I imagine that would have been,” said Sirius, waggling his eyebrows and grinning.
James laughed and tossed Sirius his first present, though Lily saw a hint of a blush forming around his cheeks.
The group merrily tore into their presents. Lily watched out of the corner of her eyes and pretended to open another gift as James opened his gift from her. His fingers slid over the wooden black box, searching for an opening. As he opened the box, he glanced at her, and then pulled out a crystal snow globe set on a beautifully carved wooden stand. In the background of the globe was a picture of James with her arms around Lily that Sirius had taken. But the foreground was most captivating. His eyes widened as they saw it: his house sat in the middle of a field of snow, in perfect detail. Snow swirled around the globe just as it swirled around outside. Lily finally looked up at him.
“I charmed it so that wherever we are living, that building shows, just as the weather is the same,” she said, her fingers tracing of the crystal. “But, if you ask it to, it can show where one of us is, specifiacally.”
James reached out and squeezed her hand. “It’s amazing,” he said, before setting it carefully on a table. He pulled a small package out of his pocket. “This is for you.”
Lily’s fingers trembled as she took it. She carefully unwrapped the tissue, to reveal a small, silver ring with an emerald in the center and two stones each of diamond and obsidian flanking it. Lily looked up at James, gushing.
“It’s so beautiful!” she said, lifting it gently out of the paper. He took it from her hands.
“It’s been in my family for generations, but I want you to have it. I’ve found that it exactly matches your beautiful eyes,” he mused, inspecting it. He then took one of her hands in his. “May I?”
Lily nodded, and her breath caught in her throat as he slipped it on her finger. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, but they were interrupted as Sirius gave a tremendous shout when he unwrapped the knife she had bought him.
“Lily.. it’s...” he stammered, turning the knife over in his hands.
“Yes, I know I just aided you in your rule breaking, but I just couldn’t resist buying it for you,” she said, smiling. Then they were called to dinner.
Throughout the lunch hour, Lily fingered the delicate ring on her right middle finger, but couldn’t keep her mind off the note, which sat waiting to be read in her pocket. She was so nervous about it, that she tapped him on the shoulder and slipped it to him under the table.
He gave her a confused look, then un-crumpled the paper and read it.
Lily held her breath, imagining the words as he was reading them for she had memorized them:
James,
I’m sitting in my room, thinking about all that has occurred these past few days. The attacks, our relationship, what happened at Diagon alley. I guess the truth of the matter is that I can’t get you out of my mind.
The way you smile when you’re teasing, or the way your eyes gleam full of zest for life. The way they smoldered when I was in danger, how you promise to always take care of me, and even how sexy it was when you wiped your lip before smashing Regulus in the face. You vowed to protect me, and now you’re lying nearly comatose at St. Mungos for that promise. For me.
You said once that you would rather die than see me hurt, and I said I doubted it. I don’t doubt it now, just as I don’t doubt your love for me.
I guessed I missed it while you were with me, and it hit me while you were gone; I’d die for you, because I’d die without you. I guess I didn’t know what I had until I almost lost it.
What it comes down to James, is that I truly, passionately, love you. So we’re going to go on together, facing whatever comes our way until Voldemort gets tired of dishing it out to us. We’ll make it through this James, together. Because we the strongest bond of them all: love.
I love you, James Thomas Potter. And I will not let anyone take that away from me.
Eternally yours,
Lily
Lily watched with nervousness as James read the letter, silently folded it, and placed it in his pocket. He finally looked at her, a tear rolling down his cheek.
Lily blushed and smiled. But why wasn’t he saying anything? I knot of nervousness was growing in her stomach. What if... what if... WHAT IF. I wish I knew what was going on in his head, she thought, for the hundredth time. Surely he was ecstatic, surely he was... She couldn’t stand it anymore. She excused herself, and fled.
James was speechless. He had no idea what to say, because he was afraid that if he opened his mouth, all that would come out would be a scream, the volume of his utterly happy feelings. His eyes welled as he read the letter, though he tried to stop them, and a tear of happiness rolled down his cheek.
But suddenly she was out of her chair, and after sending a concerned look at his questioning parents, James followed her. He caught up to her on the second story, in an alcove off of the library, next to the roaring fire. She was headed to her room. He grabbed her hand and spun her into his arms.
“James,” she said uncertainly, but he didn’t say anything. He simply tilted her chin up and practically smothered her mouth was his. She didn’t object, and if anything deepened the kiss, her hands around his waist and the back of his neck pulling her toward him. He lost his balance and fell towards the wall, but finally braced his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders. His heart was beating madly as his body pressed hers against the wall, his body felt the heat of love and lust, and he was lost in the kiss.
He finally broke off the kiss, and held her in a long hug, her head settled against his chest.
“Why did you run away?” he whispered.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice muffled against his chest. “You didn’t say anything.”
“I was trying not to scream with joy,” he said, stroking her hair. “You don’t ever have to run away from me.”
She squeezed him tighter. “I... I love you James.”
He sighed, feeling elated at those words. “I love you too, Lily Evans.”
Someone cleared their throat near the fire, and Lily and James jumped apart from each other, embarrassed to be caught embracing. Please don’t let it be my parents, or worse, Sirius, James thought as he poked his head around the alcove corner to look for whomever had cleared their throat.
James didn’t see anyone, and pulled out his wand as he walked further into the living room area of the library and stood before the fire, pulling Lily along behind him by her hand.
The fire was green and James jumped as he spotted who had come to call.
The cheery, long bearded face of Dumbledore was peering into the room from the fire, and he smiled as they walked into sight. “Lily, James! Just who I wanted to see!” he exclaimed. “I was beginning to worry no one was home.”
James stared at his headmaster, astounded. “Pro “ professor, whatever are you doing here?”
Dumbledore surveyed him gently. “I am here to speak with you two. I hope I may come in?”
James nodded and glanced nervously at Lily as Dumbledore clambered from the fire.
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Sorry it was short (I dind't have much time) and hope you liked it! Sorry that was sort of a cliffhanger, but that was the perfect part to cut it off. The next part might take a while to get out because I want to it be... perfect.