the festivity of true love [jily/hinny] | ⚑

un

December 24th, 1979. Godric's Hollow, England.

"Lily!" A young man's cheerful voice resonated in the house. "Come downstairs! There's someone who came to wish you a Happy Christmas!" There was a loud thud that was followed by some muffled swear words and joyful laughter. Lily Potter smiled to herself, and glanced at her reflection in the mirror once more. A pair of lively green eyes stared back at her, and she turned around and left the room, satisfied.

"Honestly, Sirius, if you were any louder, you could be a banshee." Lily scoffed as she padded down the stairs. James hurried to her side, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Pregnant people can be so feisty," Sirius smirked as James shot him a dark look, urging him to move on. "I wasn't planning to stay long, anyways," Lily began to protest, but he put his hand up to stop her. "I've got things to do –"

"If the thing has something to do with Gwendolyn Macmillan, I suggest you give it a rest. She's not interested in you." Lily answered, looking smug. James chuckled softly and shook his head.

"For your information, Mrs. Potter, it is something about Gwendolyn. But we will address the manner later," Sirius conjured a black box from his pocket, and handed it to Lily, who looked at it curiously. "Happy Christmas, and all of those merry thoughts," she opened her mouth to answer, but he shushed her once more. "Go on now, open it."

Lily Potter opened the box and gasped with delight and confusion. She pulled out a small necklace with a diamond-encrusted key at the end. She frowned lightly, and looked to Sirius for an answer.

"Ah, you'll understand in due time, I suppose. Enjoy." He winked at her and disapparated with a very loud crack.

"That was rather odd, don't you think, James?" She turned to him, perplexed, and saw that he was smiling at her. "James? What's the matter?"

"I know that we were supposed to visit your parents at midnight, but I'm afraid that we now have other engagements," He took her small hands into his, and she gave him one of her magical smiles, the ones that made him fall in love with her in the first place. "As you know, this is our last Christmas before this fellow decides to make an appearance," he looked down at her growing stomach, smiling proudly, and took a deep breath before continuing. "I planned a trip to Paris," He said, speaking quickly. Lily's eyes became wide with shock. "We don't have to go if you don't want to. I understand if you wouldn't want –"

"James." She interrupted his nervous rant, and pulled him closer. "I'd absolutely love to." He began to answer, but she lightly kissed his worried lips, and he immediately fell silent.

"The Portkey leaves in ten minutes, at midnight." He mumbled to her, breaking into a sheepish smile.

"Oh, you git! That's why you were scared of telling me." She laughed and pulled out her wand, ready to pack her things.

"No, no. I've prepared all your things. You sit down right here, and I'll get the Portkey, our trunks, and the Cloak." He hastily sat her down by the fireplace, nearly tripping a few times, and draped a blanket over her lap.

Lily smiled at the sight of her husband running his hand through his dark hair and adjusting his glasses before scampering off to fetch the trunks. She observed the fire quietly, and thought of about the ball of future growing in her stomach. She chuckled when she heard James stub his toe on a piece of furniture, and listened to the stream of colorful words that left his mouth afterwards.

Life was an amazing concept to Lily Potter. Here she was, sitting in the middle of village that housed many powerful witches and wizards, married to the man she thought she would never end up with, and carrying his child. She did not wish to know the gender yet, because she knew she wouldn't care. Whether the child came out as a boy or a girl, Lily Potter would still love the child with all of her soul. She placed her head back and captured this moment in her head, and let it swim in her memories.

"Lily, dearest?" Said a nervous-looking James, who glanced at the clock. Four minutes. "There's a slight complication. I, ah, can't find the Portkey."

"Oh, Potter." She shook her head and slowly got up, and he rushed to her side. "Well, tell me how it looks like. I'll help you."

"See, the thing is, I can't tell you what it looks like. It would be a dead giveaway of where we're actually going."

"James, would you rather ruin the surprise but end up in Paris, or keep the surprise, and have to go through old Bathilda's Floo chimney?"

"I'll keep looking," she started to protest, but he had already turned around. "Could you please check the trunks? Make sure you have everything you want, we'll be gone for about two weeks." He said as he disappeared again, muttering.

She sighed, but wasn't mad at James. It was impossible to be mad at someone she loved so much. She flipped open the trunks and picked through the belongings inside. James had added an engorgement charm to make them slightly bigger, and had fit all of their travel books about France.

After making sure that everything was there, and that she would last two weeks, she closed the trunks and sat on them, patiently waiting for James. Two minutes.

"James?" she called, and there were a series of crashing sounds above her head. "Are you sure you don't want help?" James ambled down the stairs and shook his head, and uprooted the couch in search for the Portkey. Lily thought he looked amusing, because the way he had tied the Cloak around him made his body float in midair. One minute. "I'll go ask Bathilda, James. She's a little bit batty, but she's a kindhearted woman. I'm sure she won't mind."

"But..." James' eyes dashed frantically across the room as he searched for the Portkey. 30 seconds. Lily turned her back to James, watching the old clock ticking away. She started a countdown under her breath. "Five... four... three –"

A cloak was thrown over her head, and she felt the familiar pull of the Portkey engulf her into a different world.

When she opened her eyes, she could almost here the twelve gongs of the church back at Godric's Hollow.

"Happy Christmas, Lily." Said James, softly, as he pulled her into a deep kiss. She smiled against his lips and pulled back, taking in her surroundings. "Welcome to Le Pont des Arts, Paris. It's one of the only pedestrian bridges that crosses the Seine River," He gestured to dark waters of the Seine. "Muggles seem to find this place romantic," he grinned at her before continuing. "I thought you might like it." Lily took another look around – the sleeping city seemed to call her. It looked like paradise to her. The way the snow had settled on the buildings made them seem more artistic, the faint caroling of the midnight masses, and the couples strolling up and down the streets, happily chatting amongst themselves. She took a deep breath, and smelled the crisp, wintry air.

"It's wonderful, James. Absolutely mesmerizing." She said, sounding breathless and alive. James beamed at her and handed her the object that had brought them there – the Portkey. She took the time to observe the object. It was a lock made of pure silver, it seemed. She flipped it around and saw something that was too familiar for her – her doe and his stag. The date of their trip had been engraved on the bottom, and the gasped with delight as she reached for Sirius' key. It fit perfectly into the lock, and clicked it open.

"I thought we'd want to make our trip remembered," James said, and looked at the horizon. "You could attach it anywhere you want in Paris... That way, Paris will remember us just as much as we'll remember it," Lily walked over to the spot where they had just kissed, and knelt down next to the railing of the bridge. She glanced at the lock once more, and attached it to the bridge. She cast a small charm and looked satisfied. James chuckled softly. "Well, it's your decision. I don't really mind where you put it, although the top of the Eiffel Tower would've been a fine choice."

"Yes, but we're different, aren't we?" Lily stood up to face him. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"That's right. You and I, we're different." He murmured, and leaned in closer to her face.

"I love you, James." She said, closing her eyes.

"And I love you, Lily Potter, and I will continue to love you until the day I perish." They kissed again, and their hearts beat as one.