The next few weeks passed by surprisingly fast. Haylie forced me to work extra hard at Quidditch practices, due to the fact that she wasn’t too pleased at the amount of points Ravenclaw had scored in the match. Unfortunately, James agreed with her and I thus had to spend extra time before and after practice working. This proved to be quite the drag as the days stretched into December, when the frost seemed to permanently stick to the ground.
By the middle of the month, the average temperature had dropped sufficiently and the first snow of the year had fallen. Winter was soon upon us, and we had to stop Quidditch practices for the season. This gave way to extra time for homework and extra time with Sirius.
After a little over a month of officially dating, things between us had been going fairly slow. I was fine with that, of course. I wasn’t quite ready for the overly clichéd snogging-in-broom-closets routine that other couples took. We had yet to go on our first official date. It was turning out to be a fairly innocent relationship; we would hold hands in the hallway and share embraces whenever it seemed appropriate. Sirius would sometimes surprise me with a kiss on the cheek or a flower delivered in the morning owl post. In the evening, when Leah was satisfied that our homework had been completed, we would sit together on a couch and simply talk. It was those times of day that I loved best about being with Sirius. All through teenage life, girls dream of being able to sit close to an amazing guy and just be themselves, and I was overjoyed that I finally had my chance. Plus, Sirius Black was a better guy than I had ever hoped for. He was, to tell the complete and honest truth, flat our gorgeous and his sense of humor never failed to make me laugh and put a smile on my face.
One evening, a few weeks before the Christmas holidays, we were all gathered around the warm fireplace. Sirius had his arm around me as we sat close on a couch, James was seated in a large armchair with Lily squeezed in so tightly next to him that she was practically on his lap. In another armchair sat Remus with Leah on the floor leaning against his legs, a large book spread open in her lap. Peter was sitting on the floor across from Leah.
“I can’t believe it’s almost time for the holidays,” Lily was saying as we gazed happily into the crackling fire.
I nodded. “I know. It seems like it was only a few days ago that I was boarding the train and coming here. Now I’ll be back at home soon… for two weeks! It’ll be really weird not seeing everyone.”
“Nah, Amelia, you won’t be home for that long,” James said absentmindedly, running his fingers through a strand of Lily’s red hair.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Sirius rubbed his hand on my back, causing me to shiver pleasantly. “Every year, James has a post-Christmas get together,” he explained.
“Like a New Year’s party?” Leah asked, pulling her head from her book.
James shook his head. “Nope, those things are way too common; everyone always has them. MY party, or get together, as I like to call it, is a post-Christmas event. It’s like a third holiday snuggled nicely between Christmas and New Year’s. My parents usually keep up their Christmas tree until mid-January; don’t ask me why they do that, I’ve never been able to figure it out, but we’ll have presents, maybe some dancing, and a countdown to midnight. It’s just like both holidays mixed into one.”
“James, why are you having a countdown until midnight? It won’t be the new year, so it’s kind of pointless,” Lily pointed out, messing up his hair.
“It’s all in good fun, Lils,” James replied, kissing her on the cheek.
We all laughed as Lily’s face turned pink. She gave James a good shove.
“You know,” Peter began, “Usually this party is just the four of us. James, Remus, Sirius, and me.”
“Yeah, I know, Wormtail, but this year we have girlfriends. They’d be upset if we didn’t invite them!” James said, grinning like an idiot.
Lily sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, laying her head on his shoulder.
“So that means we’re all invited?” I asked, glancing from James to Sirius.
“Of course you are, Amelia!” Sirius said. “I’d smack Prongs on the head if he didn’t invite you.” He glared humorously at James, who was once again, fiddling with Lily’s hair.
I laughed. “All right, I’m sure my parents will be able to spare me for a day.”
“You guys will have tons of fun with us,” Peter said, smiling widely. “We usually have the BEST snowball fights.”
“Snowball fights?” Leah asked, sounding doubtful.
“Its okay, Leah, not everyone has to participate,” said Remus reassuringly. “I usually end up attempting to referee these two,” he motioned from James to Sirius, “and keep them from killing each other.”
We all got a laugh out of that statement. It was by this time everyone began splitting into their own small conversations. Lily and James were whispering to each other; she would occasionally break into a fit of giggles. Peter was talking animatedly with Leah and Remus, who were both doing their best to listen intently to his story about last year’s post-Christmas get together.
I glanced up at Sirius, smiling into his face. I loved being this close to him. He smiled back down at me; his fingers found a lock of my hair and twisted it playfully.
“Hey,” he said softly.
“Hey,” I replied.
“So… um, I was wondering something…” he trailed off, glancing over at James, who had just burst out laughing.
“Yeah?” I leaned against his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his body mingling with my own.
He looked down and met my eyes. His gaze was serious. “James’s party is on the twenty seventh,” he said. “I was wondering if it would be all right with you if I came to pick you up.”
“Pick me up?” I repeated, feeling slightly confused.
“Yeah, before the party.”
I considered this. “Well, you’d have to meet my family…”
“That was,” he paused, looking away and slightly embarrassed. “That was kind of the point.”
Realization dawned on me. Silly Amelia, I told myself, why else would he want to pick you up? I was pleased, though, that he wanted to meet my family.
“Oh” was all I could spit out. I found his hand and squeezed it gently. “I would love it if you met my family, Sirius.”
“Really?” He gazed back at me, beaming. It lit up his entire face and I reminded myself how lucky I was to have him. “Great! Then… I’ll pick you up that morning. You know how to Apparate, right?”
I nodded. “I took my test last year.”
“Good, you can give me your address and I can probably Floo over from James’s house…”
“You live with James, right?” I asked, cutting him off. It was then that I remembered my conversation with Lily the day of the Ravenclaw Quidditch match. I still hadn’t asked him about his family yet.
“Yeah,” Sirius said, naturally answering my question, but not seeming to realize what he was saying. He continued right along with his sentence, “then I can meet your family and we will Side-along Apparate to James’s.” He paused, realizing that I had indeed asked where he lived. “Oh! Amelia, I’m sorry. Yes, I do live with James. Since I’m going to meet your family and all, I would offer to introduce you to mine,” he sounded genuinely sorry. “But I really think I’d be doing you a favor by not putting that on your shoulders. Plus, I haven’t spoken to any of them since I turned seventeen.”
“Not even Regulus?” I asked, remembering what Lily had told me on the day of the match.
“Well… wait,” he stopped, staring at me oddly. “How do you know about Regulus?”
I blushed and looked away. “Lily told me about him.” I mumbled.
“Ah,” Sirius was quiet for a moment. “No, I hardly even speak to Regulus.”
“Why not?”
Sirius sighed, staring deeply into the fire. I could tell by his expression that he really wasn’t seeing the flames at all. He was looking beyond the fire. “It’s just… my family, they’re all the same. Generation to generation, it’s always the same views and the same values. ‘Purebloods are the superiors’, ‘Mudbloods are filth’, ‘Slytherin is the most noble of all the houses’,” he quoted. “I just got so sick of everyone telling me what I had to do and how to think. I couldn’t talk to non-purebloods. I had to be in Slytherin. Eventually, I would have to marry within the family to keep our damn blood pure.” He spat out the last word. “I was sick of it, and I had enough. I let myself go. I became a Gryffindor, betrayed the family, and the second I was seventeen and able to live life the way I pleased, I was out of there. There’s no going back.”
I knew he was finished with his tale. “Wow,” was all I could say. How could Sirius have lived such a life? To be brought up to hate, to be cruel, to be obsessed with blood status… how did he do it? It must have been awful for him having to grow up in an environment like that. What struck me the most was that, despite being raised in a Slytherin home, he somehow came out as the guy I was sitting with today.
At least he had James, I told myself, and now he has... me. A wave of emotion came over my by that last thought. I was so grateful to have Sirius in my life and I was learning more and more about him every day.
“So… that’s my story,” Sirius said, breaking the silence. “Some tale, eh?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
We were silent, and then Sirius asked an odd question. “Amelia, will you tell me about your family?”
“Sure,” I agreed. “Where do you want me to start?”
“Anywhere you want,” Sirius said with a shrug.
“Ok, well my dad is a lot like me. I think I get most of my looks from him; if we were the same age, you’d probably think we were twins. He works for the Ministry. My mum was a Ravenclaw, and she’s a lot like Maggie, only less shy.”
I went on for a long time, telling him about everyone in my large family. I explained the close relationship I had with my dad and how loving Mum always was. I talked about Dylan and how he came to be an assistant Healer at St. Mungo’s; my older sister, Alanna, and how she was well on her way to becoming one of the Ministry’s top Aurors, and how Christian had started his Auror’s training this year. I explained Christian’s sense of humor and how he would play practical jokes on Danny when we were little. I talked about the siblings that he already knew, Danny and Maggie and how much they loved being at Hogwarts. I told him about how my little twin sisters; Erin and Dana were polar opposites and almost never stopped bickering. They were to start Hogwarts in two years. Lastly, I told him about Sam, the baby of the family, and how the seven year old thought he knew everything about the world.
Sirius smiled and chuckled as I recounted family stories and things that had happened when we were little. I just sat there and talked and talked, while he continued to listen intently, drinking in every word I spoke. For his sake, I kept the stories coming, knowing that since he probably didn’t have any truly memorable childhood memories of his own, mine were probably refreshing.
When it came time for me to head up to the dormitory for the night, Sirius kissed my forehead gently.
“Thank you, Amelia,” he said softly. “You have no idea how nice it is to hear about your childhood. Not just for the fact that you’re my girlfriend and that I want to know; I enjoyed it for my sake as well.”
I looked into his grey eyes, failing to repress a smile. He was so honest.
“I know, Sirius. I know,” I said. “Goodnight.” I got up on my tip toes and kissed him on the cheek, savoring the smell of his cologne for one last time that evening.
With one final smile, I turned and bounded up the stairs to the girls’ dormitory. Lily was already in her pajamas and was perched on her bed reading a book when I came in. Leah was already in bed sleeping, as was Micky, but Haylie’s bed was empty. She was probably out somewhere in the castle with Amos Diggory. After all, she couldn’t hang out in the common room with her boyfriend the way Lily and I could.
“Amelia, could you come here?” Lily asked.
“Sure, Lily,” I said, changing course from my bed to hers. I sat down; she was already in her green flannel pajamas and tucked into her covers. She hugged her knees.
“Alright, so…” she began, looking anxious. “There’s a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday, and I was wondering if you had made any plans with Sirius yet.”
“Well, we talked about it a little. We were planning on hanging out. Why?” I questioned.
“James probably wants to do that as well, but I was thinking about doing some Christmas shopping that day…” Lily trailed off.
“Oh, you want to get James something, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but on the other hand, I really want to go and be with him.”
I thought for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I really should get Sirius something too. We could maybe double date and then pair off, boys and girls to do some shopping and then join back up.”
Lily’s face brightened. “All right, thanks, Amelia. That’s a great idea.”
We brought up the idea to James and Sirius the next day. Both agreed to it, saying that it was a good plan.
On Saturday morning, the four of us all headed down to Hogsmeade together.
Sirius and I walked hand in hand through the light dusting of snow that had fallen in the night. I was wearing my warm winter cloak that I had inherited from my older sister, Alanna, and a Gryffindor scarf was tied firmly around my neck. I also wore a simple white headband to keep my ears warm, but it didn’t do much to keep my thick brown hair from flying all over the place in the breeze. I had a pair of mittens in my pocket, but didn’t need them at the moment because Sirius’s firm grip on my hand was enough to keep both of my hands (and the rest of me, for that matter) nice and warm. Sirius, on the other hand, only needed a cloak to keep warm. His black hair blew into his face, making me want to push it back into place. Lily was looking as lovely as usual in her pastel green cloak and warm, white beanie hat that sported a matching pom-pom on top. Her red hair, like mine, had no restraints and was blowing everywhere.
I could tell that James was fighting the urge to touch her hair, and I couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He, meanwhile, was dressed in a plain black cloak and a pair of fluffy earmuffs that Lily had insisted upon him wearing.
“You know,” James had said upon donning the earmuffs. “Normally I just don’t wear things like this.”
“You’re right, you don’t. You look absolutely ridiculous, Prongs,” Sirius teased.
Lily, who was now walking with me, giggled. “I actually only told him to wear them because I wanted to see if he would actually do it,” she whispered to me.
I smiled. “Well, you know James. He will do almost anything for you.”
Lily blushed, glancing down. “I know. That’s one of the things I lov-ah, like about him so much.”
My mind exploded in cheers. Lily almost let the word love slip! While I was grinning to myself over this, Lily took the opportunity to get out of her situation. She skipped back to chat with James and I was reminded of the last time we were in Hogsmeade. The only difference was that Sirius and I were in front, but that wasn’t important. So much had changed since then. I knew the Marauder’s deepest secret, had a Quidditch match under my belt, successfully pushed two friends together, and got a boyfriend of my own in the process.
Sirius nudged me gently, pulling me from my thoughts. James had reached out and grabbed Lily’s hand. She was beaming at him and they were making what my mum calls ‘puppy dog eyes’ at each other.
I caught Sirius’s eye and grinned, feeling suddenly conscious of my own hand entwined in his. “What are you and James planning on doing?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I dunno… we were thinking about checking out Sylvia’s Spellwork… it would be nice to pay Micky a visit. She’s bound to be in there somewhere.”
I laughed and pretended to be offended. “Sirius Black!” I pouted in an imitation of Hollie. “You wouldn’t dare go to Sylvia’s without me, would you?”
“Of course not, darling.” Sirius joked back. “I would never do anything of the sort.”
I smiled, as if suddenly content. “Good.” Then, I cracked. “Actually, now that I think about it, Syliva’s doesn’t sound like somewhere I’m particularly keen on visiting again.”
Sirius pretended to be shocked. “What? I was looking forward to going and picking out clothes with you!”
I burst out laughing, giving him a shove. “Sirius!”
“All right, all right, I’m done,” he conceded. “What are you and Lily planning on doing?”
“Christmas shopping,” I replied mysteriously.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes,” I said stoutly. “Break starts in a few weeks and this is my only chance to buy my loved ones presents.”
“Am I included in this category of ‘loved ones’?” Sirius asked coyly.
“Hmm… you?” I said, pretending to consider. It was fun to mess with his head. “I was planning mainly on helping dearest Lily find something for dearest James,” I paused. Sirius’s laughing grey eyes were fixed on my face. “But, I may be able to pick something up for you as well.”
“Good.” Sirius moved his hand from mine. My palm was suddenly aware of how cold it was outside. However, Sirius instead wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “I don’t want to feel left out, you see.”
“Oh, is that what you’re worried about?” I asked. I knew I was shamelessly flirting, but I didn’t even care anymore. Flirting isn’t in my general character, but this was Sirius I was talking to. Of all the guys who I could be boyfriends with, none of them would probably be able to get me to flirt like this. With Sirius, though, it didn’t matter. One of the greatest things about Sirius was that he went along with everything.
Sirius shrugged, pretending to be sheepish. “Maybe.” I leaned my head against his shoulder. I could tell instantly that he had worn cologne; he smelled amazing.
We talked quietly amongst ourselves as we passed into Hogsmeade. If the village was adorable before, it was even more so now with a light dusting of snow on the ground. Students milled about and the street was filled with the pre-holiday cheer.
“All right, so what’s the plan?” James asked as we paused outside The Three Broomsticks.
Sirius shrugged. “I dunno. Lily and Amelia were planning on doing some Christmas shopping.”
Lily nodded, looking at me. “Amelia, do you want to get that done first or should we do that later?”
I glanced from Lily to Sirius to James. “Doesn’t matter to me.”
“How about this, you girls get your shopping done and then we can all meet up afterwards?” James suggested, running his hand nervously through his hair.
“That works,” Lily agreed.
“How about we meet up with you right here in… an hour?” Sirius suggested.
“Make that two hours,” James retorted.
I laughed. He was totally sucking up to Lily. She appreciated it, however, and beamed at him.
“Let’s go then, Amelia,” Lily said, linking her arm in mine.
“We’ll see you guys later.” I flashed Sirius one last grin before proceeding with Lily. I turned to her. “I wonder what they’ll do while we’re doing this.”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know, they’ll probably go in a joke shop or two and maybe do a little shopping on their own.”
As we milled down the busy street, I wondered if Sirius would be buying me anything today. I knew I needed to get him something, but I had no idea what he would like. I quickly decided that it would be easiest to get ideas from Lily, so I asked her what she would be getting James.
She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. “I don’t know,” she confessed, “I’m not really sure what he likes in a gift.”
“He likes Quidditch,” I offered.
“Well, yeah, but I kind of wanted to give him something more… special than Quidditch. He probably gets that sort of stuff all the time,” Lily explained, pausing to look at the ‘On Sale’ parchment in a shop window.
“I know what you mean,” I agreed, thinking of Sirius. What could I possibly get him?
Lily and I wandered down High Street for quite some time. We peered into windows, darted into stores, and shopped all we wanted, but didn’t find anything for our boyfriends. A few times, we would see something of interest in a window, but nothing seemed to fit. I did, however, manage to stumble upon gifts for almost everyone else on my list.
We had about forty five minutes left until meeting up with James and Sirius when we stumbled across the most unlikely place to find a present. It was a small shop on the far end of the street, mostly unnoticed by the general public. Its window was filled with trinkets, furniture, and everything you could possibly think of. Above the small door was a polished green sign bearing the words ‘Taylor’s Falls’ in shining gold letters.
Lily glanced at me, her green eyes alight with curiosity. “Should we go in here?”
I trailed my eyes over the odd assortment of items in the window. “Sure.”
We made our way into the tiny little store. The walls were lined in bookshelves and tables, all covered in dusty books, faded sets of China, old dolls, toys, and other various items. The walls were covered in portraits of snoring elderly men wearing powdered wigs and faded posters featuring advertisements. The center of the room contained several bits of furniture: chairs, tables, and even a piano. Every available surface in the shop was coated in miscellaneous objects. Partially hidden behind a large assortment of colored glass bottles containing dried flowers was a woman. She appeared to be in her late thirties and was busying herself by pricing a large stack of Quidditch posters from the 1958 season. She hadn’t noticed our entrance.
“Look at this!” Lily exclaimed, heading over to where a small wooden doll was bending over and standing back up on it’s own. My friend was beaming as she examined it. “This is amazing! It’s just like an antique shop!”
“A what?” I asked, joining her by the doll.
“You don’t know what a… oh yeah, I always forget you don’t know these things. Antique shops are Muggle stores that sell old things, which we call antiques. My mum used to drag me into them all the time when I was little. They always had the most distinct smell…” Lily closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in. “Ah yes, it’s in here too!”
I inhaled, my nose catching a musty and hard to describe scent. “I think I smell it.”
Lily wasn’t paying attention to me anymore. “Excuse me,” she said as she approached the women at the desk. “I’m guessing that you work here, right?”
The lady jumped, almost knocking over some of the dried flowers. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. My husband owns this place; I just run it for him when he’s at his day job.”
I had no idea why, but Lily seemed to be genuinely interested in the woman’s story. “Oh wow, where does he work?”
“He’s at the Ministry,” replied the shopkeeper.
“What department?” I asked, wondering if he might know my dad. Not many did since he does lots of international work and was rarely home, but there was always a slight chance.
“Magical Maintenance,” was her reply.
“Oh,” I said.
Lily was ready to ask another question. “When did you guys open this shop? It’s wonderful!”
“Well,” the woman glanced tiredly around the dingy little store. “My Hank was born to Muggles and he always had a liking for old things, antiques, he called them. Years ago, when we were first married, he told me about always wanting to own a place like this. I had my doubts, but I was a supportive wife and encouraged him to go for it. He even named the place after me, in a way. My maiden name is Taylor,” she smiled to herself. “Sadly, we didn’t attract the business we hoped to get, so Hank needed to take on an extra job, leaving me to lord over this place.”
“Why you don’t just give it up, though?” I asked. “You said it isn’t making any money and he doesn’t even get to be here, so what’s the point? Wouldn’t it just be better to sell it?”
The women shook her head, “Oh, no, this shop is Hank’s dream. He loves it so much, you should see him on weekends and evenings, he’s like a child when he brings home new things to sell here.” She smiled wistfully as she spoke.
“Wow, you must really love him,” Lily commented. “I can’t imagine giving up all my free time like that for something James wanted.”
The women chuckled. “Yes, yes, I love him more than anything. I’m Abigail Swenson, by the way.” She stuck out her hand.
Lily shook it firmly. “Lily Evans, this is my good friend, Amelia Jordan.”
“Pleasure to meet you both,” Mrs. Swenson grinned at us. “Is there anything you girls were looking for?”
“Actually, there was,” I said, feeling a great idea coming on. “We’re doing some Christmas shopping today for some… well, some pretty special people.”
Lily nodded eagerly. “Yes, we need something that will be perfect for them.”
“What kind of special people do you have in mind?” Mrs. Swenson had a mischievous gleam in her eye.
My face grew red. “Actually, they’re for our boyfriends.”
“What are their names?”
“James,” Lily answered.
“Sirius,” I replied.
Mrs. Swenson considered this for a moment. “James and Sirius… both are good names. I’m sure they’re very handsome young men.”
Lily and I exchanged embarrassed glances. “They are,” I mumbled to myself.
Mrs. Swenson was still in her own head, however, and remained oblivious to this exchange. “I think I know just what you girls need.” She took off to one of the tables. “Come over here, I’ve got something to show you.”
Lily and I followed her to the table. Her gaze grazed over the assortment of items and fell on something small. She gingerly lifted it and presented it to Lily.
It was a tiny wooden box with a forest scene etched into the sides. It appeared to be able to open and on the lid was painted a full moon in a starry sky. On the backside of it was a small lever.
“Go on,” the shopkeeper nodded as Lily gently took the box, examining its tiny, but elegant, carvings.
“Can I open it?” she asked, looking imploringly at the women. A simple nod informed her of Mrs. Swenson’s approval and Lily gently twisted the knob on the back of the box. The lid popped open instantly and from the small thing came the slight tinkle of music notes, strung together to make a mysterious, yet peaceful melody.
“It’s beautiful,” Lily breathed, completely entranced by the music box.
Mrs. Swenson beamed. “I’m very glad that you like it,” she said, before turning to me. “Now, as for you, Miss Amelia, I believe your Sirius needs something a little more lighthearted. Follow me.”
I did as I was told as she moved back through the maze of tables to the front desk. She disappeared momentarily behind the mountain of random artifacts and reappeared with a cloth item in her hand. She presented it to me with a hopeful smile.
I returned the smile, wondering what it was as I took it in my hands. A minute later, I let out a small gasp. It was a beret, a hat that had become very familiar to me during my years in France. In a way, it was a piece of my past, a part of who I was before moving back to England.
“Well?” Mrs. Swenson prodded gently.
I beamed at her. “Well, for a hat, it’s marvelously perfect. It will make him look like the silliest Brit that ever lived, but it’s perfect.”
“It was my grandfather’s, you know.” Mrs. Swenson smiled as if remembering. “He used to travel the world. That man picked up all sorts of things that he never used on his travels and left some of them to me when he died.”
“But… why sell it to me, if it was your grandfather’s?” I asked, feeling confused, yet strangely touched at the same time.
“Amelia, I’ve been keeping some of my most special items under that desk for ages, waiting for the perfect buyers to come along. There’s something about this business where, after a while, you can tell what will make a customer the happiest. I’ve become pretty good at the trade, and when I feel that something fits someone, I do everything I can to give it to them. I believe that, in a way, you and this beret were destined to find each other.”
I laughed. “That’s silly.”
She shrugged. “It may be silly, but I never forget the feeling I get after I give one of these special items to their proper owners.”
“Give away?” I asked, my mouth falling open.
“Why yes, I couldn’t possibly make you pay for something like this. The satisfaction that I’ve given one of these special items to their proper owners has always been enough for me.”
I was completely perplexed. “But… I couldn’t possibly take this from you, it was your grandfather’s!”
“He would have wanted it to go to someone who really cherished it, even if you are planning on giving it to a loved one.” Mrs. Swenson turned away and began rummaging through the desk again, coming up with a brown bag. She took the hat from me and wrapped it up, smiling as I stared at her.
How could she give something like this to me? An heirloom of her grandfather… I was amazed at the generosity of this woman. I didn’t think I would ever be able to part with something that a family member gave me… let alone doing it for no charge!
“Please don’t worry, Miss Amelia,” Mrs. Swenson smiled. “After all, it is only a hat.” She turned to Lily, who had joined us. “Are you purchasing that music box, Miss Lily?”
Lily nodded. “Yes, it’s perfect. It’s a little…” she blushed, “intimate, but James will love it.”
A few minutes later, Lily had paid for her present and we bid Mrs. Swenson goodbye, promising to visit again sometime.
“Did she really give you that hat for free?” Lily asked as I told her about the generous offer.
I nodded, “Yes, and it was her grandfather’s.”
“Wow,” Lily said, looking genuinely impressed. “I don’t think I would ever be able to do something like that.”
“Same here,” I said as we came into sight of the Three Broomsticks. The Marauders were nowhere to be found.
“Hey, Amelia, since we’ll probably be waiting for James and Sirius for awhile, I was wondering if I could ask you something,” Lily said casually, glancing down the street and adjusting her hat. I could tell that she was nervous and doing her best to hide it.
“Go ahead,” I said as I pushed the brown bag that held the beret deep into the pocket of my cloak.
“Okay, well, since we will be seeing each other over the holidays at the Marauder’s party, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe come over and stay at my house for a few days.”
My face lit up. “I’d love to, Lily! This would be after the party, right?”
Lily smiled. “Yes. I was talking to James and by the sound of it; the party usually lasts all night until we crash. You could come home with me then.”
“That would be so much fun! I’d get to meet your family! Too bad I can’t introduce you to mine.”
Lily grinned. “Just to warn you, my family are Muggles.”
“Really?” I asked, and then blushed. “Wait, I knew that already. They’re real Muggles? I’ve never stayed with Muggles before, so this will be great!”
Lily laughed merrily. “You’re really excited by this idea, aren’t you?”
I nodded vigorously. “Why wouldn’t I be? No one at Beauxbatons bothered to invite me to any parties, let alone their houses! Muggles or no Muggles, this is new for me so I’m going to be excited! I’ll write to my parents, I’m sure they will let me stay for a few days.”
“Sounds like a plan!” Lily said brightly before peering once more down the crowded streets. “Say, I think I see Sirius and James!”
I followed her gaze and sure enough, there they were. “Let’s go!” I shouted and we took off running to them. Everything all of a sudden seemed much brighter.
A Girl Like You by Lady Alanna
Chapter Notes: Here's chapter seventeen! It's a pretty quick update, there's no months of waiting like there was before. Thanks so much to Kiryn for being an awesome beta!
Chapter Endnotes: Hope you enjoyed it! It was a longer one. Originally, it had been meshed with what is now chapter eighteen, but I cut it in half to keep it from becoming abnormally long. Hopefully, it won't be a very long wait. So... do you have any questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a review! I love feedback! :)