James' Distraction

Chapter Six

Winter came quickly, the brown autumn leaves turning white and frosty, covered in ice. Christmas Eve was always the time for James and his friends to set up booby traps and pranks around the Gryffindor common room. Last year it was boxes that shrunk to nothing when you started to unwrap them, and gingerbread men which transformed into orange birds when they were picked off the tree. However, this year had to be different, James had told the other boys. He had enchanted the coals to sing carols when lit, and the small presents would pop out of the arms of chairs when someone sat on them. Peter was perplexed by James' strange behaviour, but Sirius and Remus knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to impress Lily. Of course, he could just have been doing his duty as Head Boy, but they doubted it. As James enchanted another coal to burst into flame and 'Silent Night', Sirius stepped behind him and sniggered. "Honestly James I never expected this from you"
"Shove off Sirius," James grumbled, and stomped away to their dormitory.

Lily crawled into the common room, dusting the snow off her coat onto the red carpeted floor. Immediately as she concentrated on the room instead of her snowy coat, she noticed something. No, it couldn't be. But that's what it was. Singing. The fire was crackling away in front of her, and as she walked closer she could see the coals had what looked like mouths. Oh, and they were singing Jingle Bells. Although it was a tad strange, Lily couldn't help notice that they were a beautiful sounding choir. Professor McGonogal had obviously done something interesting this year, no doubt on Professor Dumbledore's... interesting instruction. After listening to thoroughly enjoyable renditions of In the Bleak Midwinter and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, she headed up to the girls dormitory and slept, ready to awaken to Christmas day.

The next morning all the boys were up by five. All four opened their stockings individually, each containing specially selected gifts from the other three. Remus was given fur shampoo, a book on wild magical animals and a stuffed toy of a ravenous werewolf with blood dripping from it's mouth. The toy was from Sirius. Sirius received a lead and collar, the dating for dummies book ("As if I need that James, I can get a girl just by looking at her") and a squeaky toy. Peter was next, and the boys had given him a block of cheese, a pest extermination leaflet and a hamster wheel. Last of all was James. The thoughtful presents in James' stocking were a wedding ring, a picture of Lily and women's shampoo. ("Because we all know how feminine you are mate"
"Shut up Sirius")

Downstairs in the common room Lily was seeing what her parents had sent her, which was under the tree. After opening a package of muggle sweets, the sequel to a muggle book Lily had enjoyed and a 'No1 Witch' baseball cap, she went to sit in the armchair next to the fire. The coals were still singing, and as Lily sat down they all turned towards her. "Lily!"
"Lily!"
"Lily!"
"Lily!" Various coals sang, the next coal singing one tone above the other. A wrapped present sprang up from the fire, twisted in the air and floated towards her. She reached out and picked it out of the air, and it shedded the wrapping paper and ribbon so a plain box floated into her hands. The lid floated off, and inside lay a beautiful necklace, with the letters L and E engraved with jewels around them, and a miniature wooden copy of her wand between the letters. She was stunned, and picked it out of the box carefully, in case it wasn't real. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she put it on, looking down at it all the while. The only thing she didn't notice was James Potter, looking at her from the stairs to the boys dormitory. He smiled to himself, and walked back up to the dorm, bursting with happiness at Lily's reaction to his necklace.