Jily Oneshots (pt2)

The Gits of Christmas Past

by GhostOfBambi

"Merry Christmas," said Lily Evans to James Potter, and handed him a prettily wrapped present.

The weather was good that year – good for Christmas, to be more precise. Hogwarts had been blessed with snow, proper, hearty snow, not the half-hearted snow that never stuck, or turned to ugly, slippery sludge, the kind of snow that James was used to. This snow was the snow of Christmas cards. It had fallen thick, and covered the grounds in a brilliant expanse of glittering white, a flawlessly smooth surface that begged for fresh footprints, tempting bored students who sat idly by windows. And Lily Evans had snow in her hair.

She had raced across the grounds to catch up with him - as fast as anyone could race through several inches of snow - and she was a little out of breath. Steam from Madame Pomfrey's Pepper-Up Potion was coming out of her ears. Her nose and cheeks were glowing rosy red. She wore a scarf of Gryffindor colours, and a pair of woolly mittens. She was cheerful and smiling.

Lily Evans was a pretty little thing, but James Potter hadn't noticed, neither did he care.

At the age of eleven, almost three months shy of twelve, James had no interest in the opposite sex. Girls were occasionally fun to laugh at, and he loved his doting mother, but otherwise they didn't serve much purpose. Furthermore, he did not like Lily Evans at all. She was deeply annoying, always putting her hand up in class, sitting at the front and paying close attention. All of the teachers thought she was some sort of angel. Her best friend was a Slytherin, which he did not approve of. Worst of all, she was a good two inches taller than James, an utterly insufferable trait in a woman.

On the plus side, Evans was easily wound up, and therefore incredibly fun to tease, but James was in a hurry to locate his friends, who were having a laugh with Hagrid, and he had no time for her at that moment.

He eyed up the box in her hand with suspicion. It was wrapped in red paper, and tied with a gold ribbon. Never trust those who give nicely wrapped presents, he had never heard told, but he believed it might serve him well to take that on as a general rule. He enjoyed that, the idea that his life could be entirely governed by a set of principles of his own making. Designing such rules made him feel properly grown-up. James sometimes suspected that he was the most grown-up person in his year. He knew loads of hexes his classmates didn't.

"What's that?"

Lily Evans looked down at the box, and looked back up at him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"That thing in your hand," said James. "I want to know what it is."

She looked at the box again. "It's a Christmas present."

"I can see that." He snorted in derision. "I mean, what're you showing it to me for?"

"Well," she said, and paused, and met his gaze, looking doubtful. "Because it's for you."

There were fewer things in life more delightful than receiving a present, but James remained untrusting in this instance. He had lobbed a spoonful of frogspawn at Lily Evans not three weeks ago, and it was entirely possible that she had come to seek revenge. It was what he would have done.

"What's in it?"

"I can't tell you that," said Evans, and laughed. "You'll have to open it on Christmas."

"Why?"

"Because, Christmas presents shouldn't be opened until Christmas."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's not a Christmas present if you don't open it on Christmas Day."

"So, why are you giving it to me before Christmas?"