"Neat freak." James muttered under his breath, pushing his glasses up further on on the bridge of his nose.
"What was that, Potter?"
"Absolutely nothing, my dear."
"That's what I thought." Lily said smugly, allowing him to wrap an arm around her waist as the two walked pajama-clad down to the kitchen, only to find Sirius and his step-sons, along with Harry and Ron scarfing down a pre-breakfast snack.
"Prongsie! You made it home! We were all pining away for you. Harry here mentioned something about you being home, but I thought it was the PIG that he inherited from his dear old dad." Sirius exclaimed happily, pausing in shoveling a pancake drenched with syrup down his throat.
"I gave Harry a pig?" James asked, getting a plate for himself and one for Lily too, as an afterthought, earning him a luminous smile.
"No, a P-I-G, Potter Insanity Gene."
"Good thing he doesn't have the BIG. Black Ignorance Gene." Lily said dryly, rolling her eyes.
"Now that was rude, leash that wife of yours Prongs, old pal."
"Sirius, what kind of drugs have you been taking. You're scaring me, even though I know you." James said, trying to make the coffee maker work.
"James, if you blow anything up, I'm killing you." Lily said seriously, seeing him dangerously close to her microwave.
"Just because I'm within a meter of your mickeywave doesn't mean I'm going to hurt it." James said testily, mutter God knows what spell to make the coffee maker jolt percariously, then start dripping.
"Whatever you say." Lily demured, inwardly laughing at his mispronunciation.
Harry had also caught it, and started shaking with laughter. "Do wizards not have microwaves?"
"Apparently James didn't when he was growing up. And he didn't have a television either. He still thinks the women only get the remote."
"And I wonder who put that idea there?" Sirius asked, having a good enough grasp on muggle culture to note the mistake.
"I wouldn't know. I'm as innocent as dove."
Sirius smiled. "On another note, how did your trip go? You look, er, rather uh, um, mangled?"
James grinned a haunting smile, making his cut twist into an eerie form. His magically perfect teeth standing out against his otherwise rough appearance. "Fletch and I made our daring escape on our way to the execution building."
"The what[?I]" Ron asked, choking on a piece of bacon.
"It's not a tale appropriate to tell while eating." James evaded, finally sitting with his hard-earned cup of coffee and plate piled with food.
While the other fell into conversation, Lily fell into a deep silence, simply thinking. That was, until she felt she felt something hitting her arm. Looking up just in time, she saw James throw another piece of cereal at her. "Sometimes I wonder why I like you at all."
"I thought we went over this earlier, but it's a combination of my amazingly charismatic personality, gorgeoous body, oustanding intelligence, and of course, that devilish twinkle in my eyes."
Lily couldn't help but laugh. "You are unbelievable."
"So I've been told."
"Did you want something, or were you throwing corn flakes at me for no reason?"
"You looked sad, so I thought I'd cheer you up."
"Throwing processed grains at me isn't the way to go about doing it."
"My sincerest and deepest apologies are extended, you'll receive a card in the post."
"In that case, I forgive you. But only if-"
"CHWISTMAS, WIWY, WIWY, CHWISTMAS!" Chessa's three year old son, Ryan screamed, tumbling into the kitchen.
"Sorry, Ryan's just a tiny bit excited if you can't tell. I told him he had to wait to open his presents until everybody was up. Whoa, Jamie is home! How in the heck did you manage that?" Chessa was following her son, finally catching him and scooping him up in her arms.
"It's a long story. Not suitable for Ryan to hear." James smiled as the little boy wiggled from his mother's grasp and climbed up in James's lap. During the next thirty minutes, the entire Potter family, plus Sirius's family and Remus stirred themselves, and congreated around the monstrous Christmas tree in the living room.
There was a rather chaotic distributing of presents, during which the five small children got lost behind mountains of presents. Harry wore a rather shocked expression when he saw a good two dozen presents, all with the label HARRY on them. Thinking there had to be some mistake, because he hadn't got that many presents in all of his sixteen year, let alone at once. Looking up, around him were people tearing into piles of presents. Ready to point out the mistake, Harry saw his mother and father laughing and opening their own presents, Lily sitting on the floor by James's feet.
James looked up and caught his son's expression, "Harry, are you planning on opening your presents, or just looking at them?"
"I think I have somebody else's presents."
"Nope, it looks like you have about the same amount as everybody else, start tearing into them. That excellently wrapped orange one at the bottom, I wrapped it."
The present in question was rather lumpy, and had about fifty meters of Spell-o-Tape wrapped around it, and required a knife to get into it.
Everybody looked at the present, and burst into laughter.
"James, that is one of your better wrapped presents." Lily said, tears streaming from her face.
"Cut me some slack. I put effort into all the presents I wrapped."
"God help us all. We'll still be opening presents tomorrow." Sirius said, trying to bite his present from James open.
"I didn't want them to fall apart. I wasn't sure how much to put on them, and Lily yelled at me after I asked her the first fifteen times, so I winged it. I thought I did a rather nice job." James said, ears turning red with embarrassment.
"So this is my fault now?"
"Yes." James said petulantly, and earned a slap on the knee for it. Both he and Lily quietened to see Harry start on a large box, labeled To Harry, From Mum and Dad. Once the paper (Lily wrapped it) was torn off, it revealed a long, narrow crate, which required the top boards pried off. Amidst paper shaving, Styrofoam peanuts, and a layer of white muslin, was a shining mahogany broom, with the silver Firbolt 1000 engraved toward the front.
Harry picked up the sleek broom, then looked between it and his parents. "Is this the same Firebolt 1000 that doesn't come out until next August?"
"The very same." James said, smiling at Harry's awestruck expression.
"How did you?" Harry was busily turning the broom over in his hands, examining it.
"My grandfather owned the Nimbus Company, which makes Firebolts. It wasn't that difficult to get one of the first models early. It's also slightly altered from the models which will be sold in stores becaused it's specialized for the Seeker position."
"Your family owns the best broom-making company in the world and you didn't tell me, your best friend?" Sirius asked, dumbstruck. "No wonder you always managed to have the best brooms."
"Stop it, you'll make me blush."
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other, each thinking 'And we thought the Malfoys were rich.'
About thirty minutes later, Lily leaned back against James's leg, her pile of presents next to her.
"Did you like what I got you?" James asked, leaning down next to her.
"I don't think I know what you got me."
"That stung. I know how much I'm appreciated."
"No, seriously, maybe it slid under the couch or something, yep, here it is." Lily felt under the couch, and emerged with a small, narrow box that was surprisngly imacculately wrapped. "Is this one of the ones you asked me how much tape to put on it?"
"Yeah, I did a good job, didn't I?"
"Yes, it's lovely." Lily tugged on the silver ribbon, then tore the paper that surprisingly only that three pieces of tape.
"Hey look, James wrapped Lily's present, and it's not smothered in tape. That shows how much he cares about us." Sirius declared sulkily.
"Or maybe it just shows that he doesn't enjoy being in the dog house." Remus suggested.
Lily opened the little box, and found a heavy, old-fashioned key. The key in itself was a masterpiece, the top being intricately carved and engraved with an Elegant GH.
"Do you want to see where that key goes?" James asked teasingly, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
"Of course I do. Where?"
"It's a surprise, let's go go get our cloaks and I'll show you."
"If I can't know, how am I going to get there?"
"Because I arranged a portkey, Lily." James helped her with her cloak, and took her hand. He opened the drawer of the table in the entrance hall, pulling out a paperclip. "As soon as you touch it, we'll go."
Lily placed her finger on the paperclip, and immediately felt a tugging around her navel. With a sensation similar to falling, she felt her feet touch the deep snow again, James's arms securely around her waist to prevent her falling. In front of her was an unbelievable sight. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth, tears already glistening in her eyes, when she saw the beautiful two floor brownstone reconstructed in all it's glory. Godric's Hollow!
"It's fixed!" Lily yelped, throwing herself into James's arms, which was something he had apparently expected since he twirled her around.
Looking down into her smiling face, he asked, "You like it?"
"Of course, it's wonderful! It's the greatest Christmas present you could have given me! How did you get it done so fast?"
"As soon as you told me you wanted it redone, I contacted a muggle construction company. They built the exterior, and a magical decorating company did the interior. It's completely finished, except for personal items and some of our old furniture."
"When can we move in?" Lily asked, still hugging him.
"As soon as enough of our guests have left so that they'll fit in here." James felt the dampness of Lily's tears and melted snow on his neck. "Do you want to go in? You have the key."
Lily nodded, and took the key out of her pocket, and started walking toward the door, looking over her shoulder to make sure James was following. He smiled and fell into pace beside her, a gentle hand on her back. Lily slid the heavy key into the matching lock, and the door of the very first house that she and James had lived in together swung open. Lily stood there in the entrance for several minutes, tears welling in her eyes again, causing her to sniff.
"You're awful sentimental today, Foxy." James teased.
"Shut up, Potter." Lily wiped her eyes.
"Would it be okay if we stepped on in, out of the snow?"
"Yes, of course, I'm being silly." Lily stepped further inside, reaching out to touch the closet door, then the plastered walls. "I can't believe it." Hugging James again, she whispered "Thank you so much."
"You're very welcome."
Suddenly, Lily couldn't take it anymore, and her slight flow of tears broke into full-fledged sobs.
"Lils, what's wrong?" James asked, rubbing her back comfortingly.
"I just can't believe it. Everything is so entirely perfect. I can't believe that I'm so lucky. And I have you and Harry, and we're all three together, and I love you both so very much. And I can't believe I'm actually married to somebody like you. You rebuilt a house for me for Christmas! I know I'm being too emotional about it, but I just can't help it, it's overwhelming."
After awhile, Lily managed to calm herself down, and giving James a final kiss, she disentangled herself from his arms. "We probably ought to go back, we're holding up breakfast."
"Only if you're sure you're okay. You don't look so great."
"Why thank you, Potter, flattery gets you absolutely everywhere."
"No, I meant you look a little pale. You're not sick, are you?"
"I'm fine. Now let's get going before I break into tears again." Lily started outside to apparate, but paused at the still open door. "James, thank you again. There's no way that I can express how much this means to me."
James just smiled, and said simply: "I know."
Lily couldn't help but return the smile. "You do, do you?"
"I remember the first time you came here, and this place looked like a junkpit. It's smaller than anyplace you ever lived before, but you looked ecstatically happy. You did everything humanly possible to make this a home for us. Even with when you were seven months pregnant, and completely miserable, you made sure it was beautiful."
"Stop, you'll make me cry again." Lily smiled shakily and stepped out the door to disapparate. She landed softly in the snow in front of Stonehaven, and waved slightly to Remus who was watching her from the window.
Remus returned the wave and let the curtains fall shut. James promptly apparated next to her, only he didn't have the problem of falling gracelessly in the snow.
"Let's go find some mistletoe." James suggested, leading her back indoors, their faces turning red from the brisk warmness that greeted them.
"You mean you don't want to single-stomachly devour the entire contents of the kitchen?" Lily asked, taking off her cloak and hanging it next to James's in the front closet.
"That can wait." James laughed with delight, brushing the snow from her hair. "You look especially lovely this morning."
"I thought I looked not-so-good?"
"I'm not discriminatory, you look good even if you're sick." James shrugged differentially, allowing her to sling an arm around his waist while they walked into the living room to rejoin their family and friends.
"My emotional outbursts have left me rather drained." Lily declared, giving a jaw-cracking yawn.
"I thought it was my company."
"Everybody's a comedian these days."
"I'm one of the better ones." James smiled down at her, and the rest of the room exchanged a series of snickers, knowing looks, full-fledged laughs, gagging gestures, sappy looks, and slaps of their spouses for not being sentimental, depending on each person.
"So what amazingly great gift that shows the rest of mankind up did James get you this time?" Sirius sighed, wondering what he'd have to get his wife to avoid a serious punishment.
Lily's face split into an unbelievably bright smile. "You would not believe it! James fixed Godric's Hollow for me! You should see it, it looks exactly like it did before, er, Voldemort came! It's so beautiful. The window sparkles in the sunlight, and there was ivy growing up it, even though it's December! And inside, most of our old stuff was there, except for the horribly out of date things. It's so beautiful!"
The rest of the room stared at with a mixture of amusement and bewonderment.
"Sirius, you dummy, why coudln't you have put a little thought into MY gift?" Serenity asked, hitting her husband and breaking the silence.
"James, consult me next time you buy Lily anything." Sirius whined.
Lily, meanwhile, was giving a detailed description to anybody who would listen. "And the door was EXACTLY like the old one, it had the vines carved in it. And there was that really old chair in the living room-"
"In other words, it's exactly like it was before?" Chessa asked.
"Yes!" Lily exclaimed, tears creeping into her eyes again.
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