Jily | I Can't Love Him

Deck the Halls

The final days of term were wet and stormy. The closest Hogwarts had gotten to snow was ice freezing the pipes and lawns every morning.

"Enjoy your Christmas. When term starts we will begin looking at the Patronus Charm." The ends of Flitwick's moustache quivered with excitement. "Mr Weaver, don't forget your ink pot!"

The bell echoed through the cold, holly-strung halls. Classroom doors slammed open and hoards of students piled out, all excitedly discussing their plans for Christmas break.

Lily slowly packed away her notes then made her way to the front of the class where Professor Flitwick was trying to fit a handful of feathers into a bag.

She cleared her throat, and said, "Professor?"

"Oh!" He spun around in surprise, assuming his students had all left as quickly as possible. "Ah, Miss Evans. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if there was any reading I could do over the break to prepare for next term?"

"Just your textbook will suffice, but I'm sure you've read that already."

Lily nodded.

"In that case, would you be interested in borrowing my copy of Quintessence: A Quest? It's quite modern but a good read." He said fondly, summoning a book from one of the towering piles behind him.

She took it from his outstretched hands, "Thank you, it sounds fascinating."

"Not a problem, Miss Evans. Have a good Christmas." He beamed, moustache bristling.

"You too, Professor." Lily smiled in return, then left the classroom.

---

On Saturday they were woken by Mary's excited cries. Overnight thick white blankets of snow had coated the grounds and castle. Lily was unsuccessful in convincing Alice and Jackie to go to breakfast—they insisted on starting a snowball fight.

She crossed her arms as they wrapped their scarves around their necks, saying, "Well, you can't complain to me on the way home if you're hungry."

The Great Hall had been beautifully decorated. A particularly enormous pine stood proudly behind the teacher's table, its tallest branch almost scraping the magical ceiling as Professor Flitwick and Professor Eikenhorst levitated ornate ornaments onto its pine needles. The other eleven, significantly smaller trees lined the walls of the hall, each covered in similar baubles. The frog choir stood poised at the front of the hall, singing Christmas hymns as students took their seats.

Alice and Jackie joined everyone in the Great Hall after half an hour; they were soaked through to the bone but grinned from ear to ear.

After a hearty breakfast and copious amounts of steaming tea, students pooled into the Entrance Hall. James, Sirius and Mary were all staying at Hogwarts for Christmas. The remainder of the group bid goodbye to their friends as they pulled on their warmest coats. They followed the crowd out of the castle, dragging their trunks along with them to where the horseless carriages stood waiting, ready to take the students down to Hogsmeade Station.

They had opted to take the Knight Bus; it was much faster and typically less crowded than the Hogwarts Express, despite the rough trip they would surely endure.

---

The Knight Bus screamed to a stop atop a hill in a town outside London. Number forty-three, George Avenue stood just beyond the exit, warm and welcoming. Marlene stood on shaky legs, collecting her trunk from the front of the bus.