Lily Black and the Twin Souls

Chapter Eleven: Christmas

Lily woke up grinning. It was Christmas! She loved Christmas nearly as much as she loved Teddy, and that was saying something since she loved Teddy more than life itself. Lily scooped up her presents and jogged downstairs to and across the common room. Then she went right up the other staircase and into the dorm that Teddy shared with Harry, Ron, and a couple of other boys their age. She opened the door to find Teddy waiting for her on his bed, Ron opening his presents, and Harry staring at his with his mouth wide open. Lily laughed at that and bounced over to Teddy's bed. 

She set her presents down next to Teddy's and tackled him in a hug, shouting,

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS SHADOW!" Teddy covered his ears groaning and Lily's hand flew to her mouth in horror, she had forgotten about his heightened senses. Oops. Teddy shook his head and yelled right back at her,

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS FLAME!" She grinned at Teddy and they both turned to look at Harry and Ron who were staring at them with wide eyes.

"What?" They said simultaneously. Harry and Ron just shook their heads and Harry said,

"Happy Christmas Lily and Teddy!" They both grinned at him and said,

"Thanks! Happy Christmas Harry and Ron!" Then they all started opening their presents. 

Lily opened the one from Teddy first. It was chocolate, pranking materials, and a midnight blue dog collar. She laughed at that and motioned for him to open the one from her. He did and hugged her tightly. She had gotten him chocolate, pranking materials, and a whistle that imitated a wolf's howl. They watched as Harry and Ron open the presents they had gotten them. They weren't exactly close friends, but they were close enough to exchange Christmas presents. Lily had gotten Ron a bunch of assorted sweets, and for Harry, she got a broomstick care kit. They both hugged her.

Lily opened the rest of her presents. Her parents had gotten her more advanced books that she had been wanting and chocolate. She and Teddy shared a love of chocolate that matched no other. Harry and Ron had each gotten her a ton of chocolate, and Hermione gave her sugar quills and a friendship bracelet with a lily charm on it. Lily had given Hermione a necklace with a book charm on it and some sweets. 

She watched with interest as Harry unwrapped an invisibility cloak. A cloak, that she remembered her Uncle Prongs disappearing under to mess with them as babies, she told Harry this, and she could have sworn she saw a tear in his eye. Harry was very enthusiastic about his new cloak and planned with Ron about going to the resricted section of the library later. Lily was pretty she they had forgotten that her and Teddy were there. She didn't mind though, she was just glad she knew about the cloak.

All in all, they had a very pleasant morning. Lily and Teddy had gotten loads of chocolate, which they spent most of the morning eating. 

Later, Lily, Teddy, Harry, and the Weasleys went down to the great hall for the Christmas feast. Lily had never seen anything quite like it, the hall was filled with Christmas decorations and there were twelve huge fir trees stationed around the tables. Lily and Teddy immensely enjoyed the feast and were both sad when it ended, along with everyone else who stayed for the holidays. 

At the end of the feast, Lily and Teddy approached Minnie and handed her their gifts. Lily had gotten her a jumper that read 'I am under the pranking protection of Shadow and Flame,' along with some sugar quillls. Teddy had gotten her a bracelet that lit up if she was about to be pranked and some chocolate frogs. Minnie opened them and smiled at their kindness. Then she said,

"Thank You Miss Black and Mr. Walters. Happy Christmas, may I ask which one of you is Flame, and which is Shadow?"Lily grinned and explained,

"I'm Flame, and Teddy's Shadow. Happy Christmas Minnie!" Then she and Teddy both pulled her into a hug, which Minnie actually returned. 

Minnie smiled as she watched them walk away. She didn't like to admit it, but they were definitely her favorite students. They reminded her so much of Sirius Black and James Potter. They even had nicknames just like theirs. She smiled softly and looked back down at the presents the pair had gotten her, it reminded her of what the Marauders would give her back when they went to school.

Back at the Gryffindor common room, Lily had her head in Teddy's lap and was playing catch with herself while they planned for a New Years prank. They truly loved pranking. They still hadn't run out of detentions, the professors were just too nice to hand them out over the holidays, but as soon as school started up again, they would find themselves in detention with various teachers every night. 

On new years day, everyone who was still there over the holidays other than Lily, Teddy, and Minnie of course, found themselves transfigures into ducks. Lily and Teddy were on the geound in fits of laughter when they spotted Dumbleduck, as they decided to call him, sitting in his chair at the head table. Lily managed to take a picture in between fits of laughter and labeled it 'Dumbleduck'. Minnie couldn't even punish them because they had detention every night until the end of the school year and halfway through their second year. Instead she just made the two first years transfigure them back while trying not to laugh herself.