The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

Not a Single Tick

There was loads to do as a couple around the holidays, James discovered, and he was mighty glad for it. Although it was sad that Sirius and Remus were back at Hogwarts because of Remus's transformation falling on Christmas itself, he was sort of glad that they were kept busy without him there, and it was nice to think of Peter not having to be alone. Really, it had worked out for the best, he reasoned. This would give Peter the company he needed, Remus the safety he needed, Sirius the time to perhaps get over his rift with Peter, and, most importantly James reckoned, because it meant he got to spend a good deal of time alone with Lily Evans. 

"You have to glide, like this... just move your hips," Lily was saying as she slid gracefully across the ice, her skates leaving white tracks behind her on the blue-silver of the frozen water.

"You've known me seven years, Evans, have you ever seen me glide?" James asked, wobbling on the skates.

Lily laughed, "C'mon, you can do this." She held out her hand. "For a kiss?"

Motivated now, James attempted it and his ankles nearly gave out as he tried it, but he waved his arms and somehow managed to stay upright, the skates sliding over the ice, not even close to graceful, but somewhat effective, and he struggled that way across to where Lily was, colliding with her. "There's no brakes," he said.

"The front of the skate... like this," she said, and she quickly skated a circle about him, wide and arching, coming to a stop by using the front of the skate.

James watched her do it, then complained, "Oi, you owed me a kiss. I didn't get my payment for making it over to you."

"Then come over here and I'll give you two," she replied.

"Better not be lying or I'll riot," James muttered and Lily laughed as he struggled over, nearly getting the hang of it, then trying to stop and falling on his arse on the ice, spinning a bit as he landed and sliding toward her, coming to a stop at her feet. He fell backward so he was laying on the ice, staring up at her. "Why must you try to do me in like this for, Evans?"

Lily laughed, "It's fun, you nutter."

"Is that what you call this?" he asked, sitting up and trying at getting back on his feet. The skate kept slipping out from under him, and he returned to his bum twice before finally making it, Lily pulling him up, still gracefully balanced on her own skates. "What'd you do? Put a charm on them or something?" he accused.

Lily shook her head, "No, I've been skating every winter since I was a tiny little thing. Dad used to take me and Tuney when we were really small and we'd dance and pretend we were winter fairies." Lily looked across the frozen pond they were on and sighed, remembering, practically seeing it before her from the memories. It was back when her and Petunia had been best friends, when it had seemed they were inseparable, before she'd met Severus Snape and learned a thing about the wizarding world. Things back then had still been magical, even without actual magic, she thought, and she wished that things with Petunia were different - now, during the holidays, more than ever.

James took her hand. "Evans."

She looked at him, rousing from her memories of the past. "Potter?"

"About those two kisses..."

Lily laughed and gave him his reward and then some.

Later, when James had declared his arse had been bruised enough for one day, they went and got some hot chocolate at a cafe. James's nose was red from the cold and he flapped his jacket to let the heat in as they sat at a booth in the little diner where they'd gone the night James had come to the Evans's house after her dad had died back in fifth year. They were in the same booth and everything, Lily realized, and she smiled at the napkin dispenser, remembering James dismantling the poor thing, trying to figure out where the napkis came from.