the marauders- an inseparable bond

[26] christmas at the potters'

"Hey," said Remus, setting down his bag and taking his seat beside Lily at their regular table in the back of the library.
She merely grunted.
"What's up Lils?" he asked, taking out his books.
"I, well, promise you won't tell?"
"Lily, just because you're dating James now doesn't mean anything in our friendship has changed."
She nodded.
"Ok, um, it's just that it kind of sucks that you're all spending Christmas at James' place and I'm going to be stuck here all alone."
To her surprise, he burst into laughter.
"Cut it out, Remus!" she said as several people turned to look at them.
"I'm sorry, I just- you thought you weren't coming?"
"What?"
"He just assumed you knew..."
"Oh," she said, laughing a little herself now, "Right."
"He was even thinking of inviting your parents."
"My parents?"
"Well, yeah. Don't they want to meet your boyfriend?"
"Um..."
"No," he said, mouth open, "Don't tell me- they don't know?"
"Well," she said feebly, "I was going to tell them, but I um, didn't get around to it..."
"Oh my god," he said, grinning.
"Remus Lupin you had better not tell him!"
He grinned.
"Your secret's safe with me, but I think right now you've got a letter to right."

***

Lily bit her lip and stared down at her parchment, quill poised just above the paper. How hard could it be? She took a deep breath and began.

Dear Mom and Dad,

That was always a good start. Talk about something else first, then slip it in, Lily told herself. After half and hour of crossing out and re-writing, she had come up with the following finished product.

Dear Mom and Dad,
How are you and Tuney? I'm great. I've been getting pretty good marks, the other day Professor McGonagall mentioned that my essay was one of the best she'd read in years!
I've been hanging out a lot with Peter, Sirius, James and Remus. Remus is a great friend: he loves books just like me (we always spend time in the library together) and he's very caring and understanding. I'm also dating James right now. I"m invited back to his place with the rest of them for the second week of break and his parents want you to stay for dinner when you drop me off so you can meet.
Love,
Lily

Not so bad, she thought, admiring her handiwork. She proceeded to slip it in an envelope and hold it out to her wise faced owl, Henry, who flew off through the window of her dormitory.

Over breakfast the next morning, Remus leaned over to her and whispered:
"So did you tell them?"
She nodded, eyes fixated on the spot where momentarily the morning post, carried by hundreds of owls, would arrive.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," he told her.
"Watcha guys talking about?" asked Peter from across the table.
"Oh, nothing," said Lily, and at that exact moment the hall became flooded with birds flying overhead. She gripped Remus' hand under the table as Henry landed next to them, a letter in his beak. Hands a little unsteady, she tore open the enveloppe and began to silently read the letter.

Dear Lily,
We are glad to hear that you are doing well in school, as always. We wish we could say the same for Petunia. She's been suspended for getting into a fight with another girl.
Now, how long ago exactly did you and James start dating? We would've liked to know. We will allow you to spend time at his house during the break, and we would love to meet him and his parents. It's nice that you've found these good friends.
Hope you are well,
xx mom and dad

Sighing with relief, Lily shot Remus a discreet thumbs-up. Just then, Camilla came to sit next to Lily.
"Oh! Hi, Camilla!" said Lily, a little suprised. It had been a while since the two girls had talked. Ever since she had gotten closer to the marauders, she had sadly not been talking to her other friends as much.
"Hey," smiled the other girl, "What's up?"
"Oh not much," said Lily, "Same old I guess. What about you? How's Rolf?"
Camilla made a face.
"It's complicated. He's super sweet and we share all the same interests, but can get overly protective and jealous."
"That sucks," sympathized Lily, "Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"Well, whenever he gets angry I tell him he's being really stupid, but not really."
"You should," said Lily, nodding. "Honesty is the best policy in a relationship."
She smiled at James and gave his hand a squeeze.
"Yup! It sure is," added Remus. Lily, understanding what he was getting at, kicked him under the table.
"You guys are right," said Camilla, "I think I will. You sticking around for the break?"
"Naw," Lily said.
"Oh well," replied Camilla, getting up, "I'll see you when you get back and I'll let you know how it went. Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas!" repeated the marauders and Lily, and she felt a little pang of sadness that they didn't hang out more often anymore.

***

Lily blushed when James kissed her on the train platform, for anyone to see.

"James," she said, pushing him off gently.

"I'm not going to see you for a week. I'll miss you," he said fiercely.

"I'll miss you too," she said, smiling.

"Lily?" cam a voice from a few feet away.

"Dear god it's my mother," she whispered to James, looking panicked. "She better not have seen us kissing."

James only laughed as they strode up to Mrs. Evans.

"How are you?" he asked, giving her a charming grin. "I'm James."

She smiled back.

"Nice to meet you James. I'm Tabitha, and this is Samuel," she nodded towards her husband who had just appeared at her shoulder.

They shook hands, and James said:

"Well, I'd best go find my folks. I will see you all in a week."

He gave Lily a hug, they sauntered away.

"He seems like a nice boy," said her dad approvingly.

"He is," she said, a smile coming to her face, but then it vanished as soon as it had come:

"Hey- where's Petunia?"

There was no need to ask it, as she already knew the answer, but somehow she thought maybe it would make her feel better to say it out loud.

It didn't.