This dedication goes to Firewreath for being a great friend and huge support for me pretty much since I started this account! Thank you!
♥️♥️♥️

(2nd December 1977)

The skyline of Hogwarts was decorated with thick grey clouds, looming over the horizon and swallowing everything in its path. It was clear snow was coming soon and students often found themselves glancing towards the windows, hoping to catch the first glimpse when it did.

However Esme-Leigh Bisset found herself wistfully watching the abyss for reasons nearly completely paradox to the excitement of the wintery weather. Every second her mind had to itself seemed to occupy thoughts of her mother's letter. The thought of going to live in France seemed to never tire of making her heart race and eyes water. She couldn't leave. She couldn't.

"Miss Bisset!"

"Pardon?"

Professor Flitwick frowned at her, though his eyes portrayed curiosity– if not concern. It was unwonted that Esme should misbehave in her best and favourite subject.

"I asked you a question, Miss Bisset. Do you mind telling us what we already know of the charm ascendio?"

Politely, she nodded, doing her best to shrink into the chair she occupied (which was, unfortunately, slap bang in the middle of the classroom).
"The spell ascendio derives from the Latin term 'ascendo' which means 'to climb'. It lifts the castor upwards into the air. It also works underwater– causing its castor to be propelled to the surface."

Satisfied, Professor Flitwick nodded curtly.
"Very good. Five points to Gryffindor. Another important note to make is that—"

Esme-Leigh was no longer listening. The ominous looking clouds by the window seemed to capture her attention once again, swallowing her up just as they engulfed the skyline.
All of a sudden she felt the badge pinned to the pocket of her cardigan spin furiously, as if it were making a bid to be set free of her clothes. Esme subtlety glanced around the classroom before reading the message left on her MPP badge.

You okay, honey? - Marls

Marlene McKinnon was watching her significantly when Esme looked up. Obviously her excellent save wasn't as excellent as she'd imagined. Marlene had managed to notice something was amiss.
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, clearly not willing to back down until she got an answer. So she discretely pointed her wand to her badge and sent a reply whirring to her best friend.

Just tired. - Esme

She looked up the catch Marlene's eye again but this time her expression was incredulous. To her credit, Marlene was an expert in scepticism and often it helped her see through barrels of lies. However she chose not to question it and whether is was trough pity or something else, Esme-Leigh didn't care, she was just glad to be left alone to wish for snow.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

She was beautiful. Trudy smiled as she watched Ozma chat amiably with a group of Ravenclaw's that she herself only knew in passing.
The thing with Ozma was that she seemed to be both the sharp and soft side of the knife all at once. She could show some lost first years around the castle one day, and the next she would punch Florence Flint in the eye for looking at her the wrong way. Whether one would be cut by her knife's edge all depended on whom she set eyes on; but when Ozma set eyes on her...
Trudy cursed herself for allowing Aliona and Remus to cut her hair last week because she no longer had anything to shade her blushing cheeks, now her pixie cut was back. Because Ozma Periwinkle was beautiful and she'd just winked at her.

"Are you alright?" Ozma asked her after excusing herself from the Ravenclaw's.

Trudy nodded, tucking her short hair behind her ear. "Quite."

"That's odd because I could have sworn I saw you blush? It wouldn't be anything to do with my flooring good looks, would it? I am quite delectable in fairness."

Trudy laughed and Ozma's grin grew wider; tossing charcoal braids over her shoulder and leading them into the courtyard –which was sparsely populated due to the impending snow storm. Likely, once the snow arrived the place would be flooded with students but Trudy had come to realise that most people would only brave the cold if bribed with excitement. For her, being here with Ozma was excitement enough.

"Sometimes I'm mortified to be around you."

Ozma looked down, her inky eyes inspected the cobbles of the grounds as she stopped walking, earlier candour faltering.
"So I suppose it'd be futile to ask you out to Hogsmede next weekend? I'd wager you'd be too mortified to have an embarrassing girlfriend slow you down?" There was a teasing edge to her light Scottish accent but somewhere behind the humour there was vulnerability.

Trudy gasped, angling herself under Ozma's chin so she could look her in the face.
"I'd never be too embarrassed to have you as my girlfriend! I've just... never had one before"

Relief was evident in the taller girl's face and she made no attempt to mask it.
"Well then I'll have to teach you how it works. But I warn you: there's a lot of kissing involved."

Trudy's grin grew wider. "Exactly what I was hoping for." She reached up on her toes to place a gentle kiss on her companion's lips; dark purple lipstick smudged onto her bare lips but she didn't care.

"Hmm," Ozma hummed, kissing her again, "I think you'll make an excellent pupil."

Trudy grinned, allowing her arms to linger around her new girlfriend's neck for a moment before pulling away, dizzy with glee.
"Come on, let's go and have lunch. People will be wondering where we went!"

Holding onto Ozma's hand as they entered the great hall was a feeling she wouldn't soon forget. Elation throbbed though her like it were a drug. It may have faltered slightly when her eyes caught Aliona but her pain had dulled since they'd become friends again and the feeling of Ozma squeezing her hand brought her back to earth. She deserved to be happy. And if that wasn't with Aliona then so be it. She'd tried her best to be happy despite it. To her credit, her girlfriend was doing a fantastic job of making her so.

(2nd December 1977)

Dorcas and Lily walked arm in arm together, shivering off the cold and still wearing their school uniform. The clouds had only gotten darker as the day went on and it became clear that snow would envelop Cokeworth before the day was through; though it appeared much later than half past four judging by the dwindling light.

"Is he cute?" Dorcas asked, nudging Lily's side as they headed towards the cafe James had taken her the last time she saw him.

"Judge for yourself– here we are," she gestured with her free hand to the door of the quaint little cafe. She had told Dorcas about the blonde barista they'd met and Dorcas had convinced her there was nothing wrong with seeing him again to confirm whether he did, indeed, fancy her or if it was James talking out his arse as he frequently does.

The cafe was exactly was as she remembered it, low ceilings and an amiable atmosphere. However this time the ambiance was much more festive, snowflake shaped fairy lights dangled over the counter and along the ceiling, accompanied by a rather large Christmas tree in the back corner– seemingly put under a lot of strain as it tested the roof by pushing up against it with its height. It looked as though the tree wished to burst through the ceiling and leave the confinement's of the shop behind.

As they approached the counter it was clear the barista had recognised her from the demure smile on his lips.
"No boyfriend today?"

Lily blushed at the idea but pushed it from her mind.
"He's not my boyfriend."

"My mistake," the boy did a rather grand job of hiding his reaction to the revelation. "What can I get for you two?"

Dorcas glanced at Lily before facing the blonde boy, "just two hot chocolates if you don't mind."

"Not at all– my pleasure." And he set to work. There weren't many customers in the cafe and so it was relatively easy to continue their conversation without interruption.

"So I take it you aren't in school anymore?" Lily asked as the barista set to work on heating milk for their orders.

"Nope, left last year. I suppose it's be pointless to ask you the same?"

Lily glanced down at her school uniform and chucked, "defeats the purpose, doesn't it?"
Dorcas rolled her eyes and Lily elbowed her in the ribs, rather sharply.

"So how come you've not been here before? You clearly live near if you study at Cokeworth Academy?"

"Oh, we usually go to Indulge round the corner, you know it?"

"Funnily enough, this place is owned by the same people as Indulge. And my aunt is the manager over there."

"Caroline, really? She's a sweetheart!" It was Dorcas that spoke this time, appearing distracted from her boredom with this new information.

"Oh, she is indeed... hold on," the boy turned and studied them for a moment. "Are you two part of that group of school kids Caroline adores? Gives you lot free cakes and such?"

The two girls nodded and the boy laughed.
"Amazing! She loves you lot, you know? What are your names? Forgive me for not asking earlier."

Lily shook her head in dismissal. "I'm Lily, this is Dorcas."

"I'm Christian– I like to call it irony that I'm actually half Jewish."
Lily laughed and Dorcas rolled her eyes again.

Christian eyed Dorcas and coughed rather tensely. "Anyway, here are your hot chocolates. Will you be sitting in or taking away?"

"Taking away, we've got to help our friends wedding plan." Dorcas answered, taking the paper cups off him and placing a five pound note on the table.

Christian itched his nose, seemingly a nervous tic (like James' madding hair ruffling) but didn't comment on his disappointment.
"Alright then. I'll see you later maybe? There's a job going at Indulge and I'd much rather work somewhere busy— and now I know you two will be regulars I can hardly pass up the opportunity."

Lily smiled, "well then we will see you later."

Dorcas nodded curtly. "Bye Jewish-Christian."

Christian laughed but his eyes were still warmly fixed on Lily as they made their way out and back into the cold of looming snow.

"Well?" Lily asked, taking a sip of hot chocolate and ignoring the burn on her tongue, "do you like him?"

Dorcas didn't respond, instead yanking her hat tighter over her voluminous curls, then she turned to face her best friend, wearing a sceptical look, perhaps looking a little repelled.
"Really? He's a bit boring, isn't he?"

"Is he?"

Dorcas nodded, "not nearly as exciting or fun as James."

"What has James got to do with this?"

Dorcas sped up so she was facing Lily, walking backwards up the street.
"Well he's been sneaking out to visit you nearly every chance he can, for one– that's spontaneous and exciting– and hardly seems like something 'Jewish-Christian' would do. Secondly, the first day you met the two of you hated each other so much that you both nearly died trying to out-drink the other. That's much more interesting than classically-cute-but-by-no-means-as-hot-as-James-Potter Christian. The emotional rollercoaster is much more fun than a basic meet-cute."

Lily shook her off, waving a hand in the air and reaching over to snatch Dorcas' arm and halt her from walking backwards.
"Well James may be more exciting but I've never been the type of person to get swept off their feet by a charmingly annoying boy."

"You haven't even dreamt of it?"

Lily didn't want to explore the topic any further, the image of the sunset she'd watched with James last summer invaded her mind and she longed not to dwell on it. There was plenty of time to dream of summer nights.

"Never you mind. We've got to get to Alice's."

Dorcas shrugged but did not attempt to bring up the subject again which Lily was grateful for.

♥ ♥ ♥

(2nd December 1977 continued)

Alice's and her grandmother lived in a delightful little cottage near the outskirts of Cokeworth, overlooking the forest and the hills beyond. Usually the bungalow was relatively tidy despite being adorned by a million little trinkets on, just about, every surface; however these days most tables were strewn with wedding magazines and most walls were pinned to the brim with ideas.

Since Frank and Alice's engagement, the cottage had become a near inhabitable embodiment of a wedding scrapbook. Alice's grandmother– Joyce, was more than delighted to play a role.

"Need anything, dears?" Joyce Fortescue stood in the doorframe to Alice's bedroom, smiling at the party of four as they poured over potential wedding dress fabrics.

"No thank you, Gran. Frank's just offered to go and pick us up some hot chocolate from Indulge." Alice replied with an innocent smile towards her fiancé.

"I did?"

She nodded, "and what a wonderful fiancé you are for your trouble!"

Frank rolled his eyes but stood. "I won't be long then."

Alice watched him go with a fondness in her eyes that couldn't be matched. Joyce chuckled, "you've got that boy wrapped around your little finger, m'dear."

"I know, isn't wonderful?"

Dorcas visually disagreed. "Isn't it hateful?"
Lily clipped her round the ear but did not offer her own comment.

Joyce did not seem to need an invitation into the depths of wedding plans splattered across her granddaughter's bed like paint.
"So you're still set on making your own dress?"

"Are you doubting my sewing ability?"

"I should hope not," Joyce placed a hand over her feeble heart, "I taught you how to sew!"

"In which case, which fabrics do you like?"

Joyce ran her fingers across the samples, eyebrows knitted together.
"I've always imagined you in something off colour. A blush or cream maybe? Pure white would wash you out."

Lily nearly fell off the bed, "ha! I told you, Dorcas Meadowes!"

"No need to be so smug." Dorcas muttered but it did little to dilute Lily's glib new attitude.

"How about this one for the skirts? It would fade to a lighter colour at the hem and it can be embroidered with beads across the bodice."

"I'm good at embroidery!" Lily jumped again, seeming to have taken up the post of human Jack-in-the-box.

"And I can make you a hair piece out of the left over beads!" Dorcas squealed, finally having found purpose in the conversion where she'd previously felt like a little bit of a spare part.

"We'll all have a contribution to my dress! It'll be perfect!" Alice cried, tears forming around the backs of her eyes, clouding her honey coloured irises but not spilling down her cheeks for the time being.

"Oh, dear!" Joyce pulled her granddaughter into her side, running a hand up and down Alice's arms, "you'll look even more beautiful than you always do if we can help it! You'll be radiant!"
This only seemed to make Alice cry harder with the perfectness of it all. None of them really noticed that the snow had begun falling until Frank came back covered in it, bearing a tray of hot chocolates that needed re-heating.

(2nd December 1977)

The snowfall brought all sorts of emotions to the residents of Hogwarts. Most revelled at the beauty of it– the magic that even witches and wizards could not control. Others behaved on a different scale: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, for example, found themselves on the quidditch stands –the commentators box to be precise– with nothing to light the scene but the end of Sirius' cigarette.

Between drags, despite the toxins seeming to heat him up, Sirius found himself shivering; he really could have used a few more layers– or at least a bottle of firewiskey.

"I told you to bring a jacket!" Remus berated, pulling off his Gryffindor scarf, "but did you trust me? Did you buggery."

Sirius laughed but did not protest when Remus tied the scarf around his neck, placing the extra length across his shoulders and rubbing his arm vigorously.

"N-never trust he to trusts everyone, Moony."

Moony rolled his eyes. "Typical. Trust you to bestow such wisdom onto me while you're in the midst of catching your death."

"I cannot control my pensiveness. It comes out unprompted, no matter how deeply I hide it. Not unlike my academic genius."

"Oh, for Agrippa's sake," Remus muttered under his breath, causing Sirius to choke on laughter, sending a cloud of condensation floating from his mouth and mingling with the darkened surroundings.

"It looks strange at night, doesn't it? This place? Usually it's brimming with life," Sirius said, almost more to himself than Remus, though his presence was a comfort. "I've never seen it this quiet. Even when we train Prongs finds something to shout about like a drill Sargent."

Remus did not look over but smiled into the empty stadium. "You should take a swing at him with your bat. Sometimes I think you forget that both you and Hestia Jones are armed. He's not."

Sirius laughed again. A sound not unpleasant to Remus, rather it filled him with more warmth than his jacket, despite the absence of his scarf.
"That sort of shit gets you kicked off the team. On the pitch Prongs sheds that nickname. Even Marlene addresses him as 'Potter' or 'captain'."

"She must hate it."

"She did at first but the rest of the team thought it was unfair that she got away with it and not them. He's a great captain but he's engineered things so a single word of praise means more than if he were to fall to his feet and worship us. He'd kill me if he heard me say it but he does have a few defining Slytherin traits. That being one of them."

Remus hummed as Sirius took a drag from his cigarette, "the point remains that you can just hit him."

"I might."

They didn't speak for a while after that. Sirius put out his cigarette, the small beacon of light it had gifted them was distinguished and left them alone with the white of the snow, which reflected onto the sky an equally pure grey.
Like Sirius' eyes, Remus caught himself thinking.

He turned to face his companion who hadn't seemed to notice. His stormy silver eyes still focused on the scene before them. It was then that Remus came to understand that sometimes when one realises something, it appears as if they'd known it their whole life. As he looked at Sirius, calm and at peace, he'd been hit with the realisation of just how much he liked him.

For some that sort of realisation seemed to inspire childlike nostalgia but today Remus found it encouraged the opposite. He felt he'd aged a lifetime just looking at Sirius. But now he knew a lifetime worth more as well. By Remus' standards that couldn't have been a bad thing.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

Snow fell fast and furious outside the window of the great hall, the infinite ceiling mimicked its actions; this snow, however, disappeared into thin air before it reached the heads of Marlene McKinnon and Peter Pettigrew as they scrubbed the floors– the Muggle way.

"Look outside, Mar!" Peter exclaimed with childlike zeal, taking a break from mopping the floor to point at the furiously falling snow.

"I know," she muttered in response, stopping also, "isn't it hateful?"

"What?!"

"Look at it!" She cried, "we're stuck in detention when we could be in the common room, watching it fall with a mug of hot chocolate!"

Peter frowned, but was eyeing Marlene humorously, "hot chocolate which I would make for you because I do it best."

She cast him a glance and grinned her most dazzling grin, "naturally."
But before Peter could offer a retort, Marlene's expression went sour.
"My girl's mum makes amazing hot chocolate. Dorcas raves about it. Even in summer."

"It won't be long until we're home. You'll see her then."

"I know. Sometimes I just wonder what she's doing, I want to be there too."

Peter set down his mop. Marlene was never vulnerable, especially not around him. Usually she was just as fierce as her reputation suggested, a force to be reckoned with. Seeing her so vulnerable and melancholy set Peter on edge.

"I know we're only in this stupid detention because Remus is an exceptional liar, but I'm sure he'd help us."

"With what?"

"Well... we're all going to be staying with James, at least for a time over the holidays. You'll be in bath with your mother and her husband– you said you'd visit your father as well. And I'll be in Hertfordshire. Remus'll be in Wrexham."

"So?"

"So we'll apparate in and out of Cokeworth in the Potter's retirement home. I'm sure if Remus can apparate out a Muggle village into another then he can figure out a way to let you see your girl during term time. Mary might be useful too– she managed to make us those MPP badges." Peter reached out and touched her arm briefly. He wasn't all that good at physical comfort, but he liked a puzzle and he usually knew what to say. Call Peter what one will, but he was an exceptional people reader.

"Pete—"

"We'll try and figure something out. I'm sure James would jump at the chance to see Lily too. And Remus seemed to get on with Alice –Esme loved her too– and Sirius seemed friendly with Frank. Any which way, we all get along and if there's a way we can talk to them without obvious magic then that's what we'll do."

Abandoning her cleaning equipment and allowing the water to spill all over the floor, Marlene wrapped Peter up in a tight hug, nearly lifting him off the ground.
"Wormtail, sometimes I wonder why you don't speak up more often!"

His cheeks went pink but he brushed off the compliment, "well when I do speak up I sound much more useful with an element of surprise."

Marlene laughed and gave Peter one last squeeze before allowing him to step back and smooth his rumpled clothing. He didn't bother running his hands through his lemon blonde curls, he didn't care all that much, he did, however, offer her a watery grin.

"You know something, Wormy?"

"What's that?" He turned away from her to pick up his mop as she did the same.

"I don't mind being stuck in detention with you, mate. It's not all that bad. Even if it is snowing."

"So it's no longer 'hateful'?"

Marlene shook her head, studying the window with a new expression on her pretty features.
"Not at all." She turned to smile at him, "well done."

Peter shook his head and continued to mop the great hall floor.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

The beauty of snow is a hard thing to match, but Aliona seemed to be making a valiant attempt as she sat facing the moonlight on the girl's dorm windowsill. Her pale skin glowing, dark hair the colour of red wine, or thick blood. She was nearly intimidatingly atmospheric as she observed the droplets of icy water float and land on the ground, like some kind of gorgeous omen. She had painted her lips red that morning, having accidentally used Marlene's lipstick and somehow it hadn't clashed with her hair, instead it gave her the aura of an alluring murderess. Aliona was strikingly fashionable and even after the sun had left the sky, in a dorm room, she managed to carry her sense of style to a window ledge.

Gently, Trudy Nott crossed the girls dorm to sit on the window sill beside her best friend, pushing any unwelcome, wanton thoughts from her mind– feeling guilty.
"Don't you just love snow?"

She chuckled, running her fingers across the glass, as if she were hoping to catch the snow in her hands.
"I adore it. I used to stay up nearly all night and watch the snow when I was younger. Whenever we got snow somehow christmas felt more magical."

"My mother used to charm us snow in the ballroom in the years we didn't get any. But nothing beats the real thing."

Aliona nodded, dreamily, "who's 'us?'"

"Well being a Nott means a lot of family members and a lot of visits from pureblood families too– usually with their children dragged along. I met Sirius, James and Marlene that way before we went to school. I never knew them well but they were nice to me."

"And Regulus?"

Trudy chuckled, "he always preferred to sit with the adults. Or when he did play he'd always be the judge of our competitions or director of our performances. He'd never fully take part." It was clear there was an element us dejection about the memories of Regulus but tenderness was somewhere too.

She didn't offer a reply, Trudy didn't need one. They continued to sit in silence for a while before Aliona broke the silence, "what are we doing?" She inquired quietly.

"We're staying up all night to watch the snowfall like you did when you were wee." Her best friend replied in the soft Irish accent that Aliona had learnt to adore for nearly seven years.

"Thank you." She reached over and took her hand as Trudy shifted on the window sill, getting a better view of the snow.

"Love you, Al."

"To the moon and back."
Aliona tried not to mean it as much as she did. Desperately she tried. In fact, she tried so hard to ignore the electric hum of her heart that she ended up ruining the moment.
"How's Ozma?"

She didn't wish to look over and see Trudy's olive cheeks go pink. "She, erm... asked me to be her girlfriend today."

"Really?!" Her incredulous tone was close to sounding fabricated.

Trudy nodded, a bashful smile on her face that forced Aliona to smile too. Even if that radiant smile wasn't for her, it was still beautiful and it was infectious regardless.

"That's great! You look sweet together." Aliona wanted nothing more than to strangle someone but her smile didn't falter. She fixed her gaze out the window and began counting how many seconds it took for snow to fill the last remaining sections of naked grass on the grounds.

"Thanks."

A few moments passed and the thorniness slipped into a passive sense of comfort. That was how it was with Trudy and Aliona. Their friendship may not have been entirely the same as it was before but the feeling of security had always stayed. Being with each other was like coming home.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

Astronomy was difficult to study actively when dark clouds overtook the night sky, obscuring any hopes of seeing the stars and uncovering their secrets. Instead, Mary MacDonald and Esme-Leigh Bisset took their studies to the library. It was an hour before curfew but neither of them had looked at the clock in ages.

"So you see, this here is Eris. Very distinctive cause it's this blood red colour," Mary pointed to a red dot on the chart that sat on front of them. "Funny story, actually: Eris was the Greek Goddess of chaos and strife. She was known to delight in human bloodshed— which correlates with the bloody colour of the dwarf planet we see here. Isn't it interesting how things all seem to link?"

Esme-Leigh found it difficult not to vigorously agree. Anything Mary said, especially with such vehemence, seemed to catch her upmost interest. There were a million other things she longed to know, if only to hear Mary talk for longer, but it was at that moment that a skittish looking second year came scurrying into the library and straight over to where the pair of them were sitting.

The small blonde haired boy panted for a moment before addressing Mary.
"Miss Mary? Professor D-Dumbledore wants to see you in his... office. Your mother is going into l-labour. There's a... portkey."

"She is?!" Mary jumped out her chair and promptly ignored any chiding from Madam Pince. "Oh, this is fantastic! I'm going to be a sister!" She all but squealed with zeal and in her passion, placed a chaste but sure kiss on Esme's cheek (her purple hair flittered a rosy pink in response but Mary was too flustered to notice).

The second year looked thoroughly perplexed when Mary scrambled out her seat and wrapped her arms around the boy, picking him up off the floor and spinning him round.
"Sorry, Pet. Didn't mean to startle you," she said guiltily when the boy squeaked but she made no instant move to put him down.

Esme laughed at the reddish blush on the second year's cheeks and stood up herself. "I'll get your stuff together and bring it back to the dorm. You go and get some things together and go to see Dumbledore."

Nodding vigorously, Mary began listing things she'd need on her fingers. "Thanks Esme. I'll probably be back within a week. I'll write you before I arrive."

"On you go."

The little blonde boy nodded, having gathered little composure after Mary's outburst. "Come on, Miss Mary. Sorry to take you away at this time in the night but Professor Dumbledore insisted I come and get you."

"Not at all, Pet. You're an awful sweet thing. What's your name?"

"Edward, Miss Mary. Edward Crant."

"You're a delight, Teddy— do you mind Teddy?You lead the way. I'm just going to say goodbye to Esme-Leigh here."
Edward nodded and began hurrying back towards the door.

"I'll see you soon, okay? I'll miss you," Mary couldn't contain the springs that seemed to be in her shoes as she embraced Esme-Leigh.

"Send us a photo of the twins, alright? And tell us how your mum and dad are doing."

"Will do!" Mary was nearly bouncing off the walls as she gave Esme another kiss on her cheek then pranced out the door.

"Oh, and Esme?"

"Yeah?"

"Do your homework!"

She rolled her eyes but watched fondly on as Mary disappeared round the corner.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

James didn't really have a reason for digging the bottle of firewiskey out from Sirius' trunk but it was here now so he might as well keep drinking it. He'd catch a chill if it weren't for the alcohol to warm him anyway. His vanity prevented him from admitting to the cold, but firewiskey was a better solution anyway.

He sat on the balcony of the Head Boy's dorm, watching the snow and the tranquil it seemed to bring with it, dusting the world with its alluring sparkle. And he was thinking.

James felt around in his pockets for his cigarette pack but to no avail. He must have left them inside, and once again, to be forced back inside somehow seemed like an admittance of defeat. He shook his head, Lily would be delighted, he thought. She'd told him multiple times to kick his habit and he'd done his best to listen, he really had. Mainly because trying to say no to Lily Evans was like trying to stop the world from turning.

Lily Evans. What a fantastic name. With a glib smile on his lips, James recalled the day he came to the realisation that Simpson was not her name. He'd watched her manipulate the flowers around her without noticing– they'd bloomed from under her feet as she skipped through the field. Thus far she hadn't said anything to him about her real name, likely suspecting he was a Muggle, but James didn't terribly care. Let her take her time.

He took a drink from the bottle and grimaced. The thought of Lily brought him back to seeing her last. The desire to tell her about his drunken kiss with Aliona. It hadn't meant anything, they'd both agreed, and Lily didn't have any particular claim on him that gave her cause to care whom he snogged– he doubted she really minded– but not telling her felt the same as lying. And James Potter was not a liar.

It wasn't as late in the night as he'd anticipated. The thick, macabre clouds contributed to that deception but it meant he'd have perfect cover for sneaking through the castle. Without a second thought he screwed the lid back on his bottle and hauled himself inside.

James didn't allow himself time to question what exactly he was doing until he was under the invisibility cloak nearing the one-eyed witch...

He hadn't allowed himself to consider that perhaps this was a stupid idea and she wouldn't care whom he chose to engage in drunken trysts with. At least not until he'd pulled himself into the stockroom of honeydukes.

And he certainly didn't give a second's thought to why he felt the need to tell her until he'd disappeared with a crack and re-emerged at the foot of Lily's garden, submerged in shadows just in case.

But before he could think better of his decision she was on the front step, wearing a knitted jumper that slipped off one shoulder and no jacket. She was eyeing him incredulously.
"What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

James considered her question –it was a good one after all– and yet he found an answer escaped him. It was that moment he was reminded of the half empty bottle of firewiskey he'd got clutched in his left hand. Being truly honest he didn't remember bringing it.
"I'm uh—"

"What's that?"

He looked down at the wizard alcohol then back at Lily. He lifted a shoulder, attempting to appear aloof.
"Whiskey."

Lily Evans studied him for a moment longer, her emerald eyes boring into him like he were a particularly vexing crossword puzzle. Finally she sighed, "let me get my coat and we'll go for a walk. It's snowing after all."

He flashed her a shit eating grin, his eyes sparkling, swimming with mischief and victory.
"You'll need to grab a scarf as well."

"Who are you, my mother?"

"Don't be stupid. I can think of a million ways in which I differ to your mother."

"Care to name a few?"

"Well I'm much more handsome for one–"

Lily rolled her eyes but he only grinned wider, a hint of feral delight laced in his hazel irises.
"My mother is very handsome, I'll have you know."

He hummed, watching her from the corner of his eye, "maybe so, but ultimately the difference lies in the fact you don't fancy your mother. I, however, am rather delicious!"

Lily didn't indulge him with a response but he took the door slamming in his face to be quite a dramatic end to the matter. She emerged with a coat and without a scarf a few minutes later.

"Are we going?"

"Where?"

"Somewhere we can finish off that whiskey of yours. You seem to have been doing a spiffing job on your own though."

James looked sheepish for a flash, "yes well, I thought we might celebrate the first snowfall of the year. It's rather beautiful to watch."

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

Now perched on a wall, in a desolate area of Cokeworth that James hadn't seen before, he still found the subject of Aliona to burst up in his mind, pushing at his lips like it were fighting to get out. That was why he had come after all– to tell her. But still he fought the words back. He was much too content to sit atop the wall with Lily, passing the firewiskey between them; he smoked, she chastised him for it, and they watched the snow dance a waltz around them at all angles to music only they could hear.

"What are you so desperate to tell me?"

"Pardon?"

"You obviously want to tell me something. It's minus ten degrees out here and you're sweating like Stevie Wonder at a gun range."

Despite himself he snorted, "ah well isn't she lovely?!"

Lily show him a look but asked the question again.

He whipped his head round (narrowly avoiding whiplash) to stare at her.
"How did you know?"
Lily shrugged, plucking the bottle back off him and taking a long drink.

"Marlene thinks I'm an idiot."

"Oh?"

"Well, more than she usually does, anyway."

She studied him, the depth of his eyes and the worry that plagued them.
"Oh?"

James nodded, "she thinks I'm a prat cause I snogged my ex girlfriend when I was sloshed at a party. We were drunk and it was a mistake but it doesn't make her any less right and I feel shitty."

Lily felt her cheeks heat up with a cluster of emotions but the heaviest was intrigue. Why would he tell her this? Why should it matter to her? Why should it matter to him? Among the others were anger, annoyance and, upsettingly– jealousy. She thought of Christian, the barista, and frowned.

"Did you admit that to Marlene?"

James scoffed, "oh fuck no! Have you met the woman?! No, I just accepted the clip 'round the ear and did my best to ignore it."

When Lily laughed James felt a growing belief in miracles, he found he needed little else than to hear it again. Her laugh was intoxicating and he was addicted.

"The worst part is she's my friend– the ex. It's just going to be awkward for months!"

"Jesus, Potter, how many of your friends do you snog?!"

He turned to grin at her, tapping his cigarette with a look in his eye that would bowl a girl off this wall in the snap of a finger.
"More than you'd imagine."

Lily grinned, one capable of matching James'; evil." You have to tell me!"

James seemed to be enjoying this. "Well Sirius for starters a jolly few times."

"You've kissed Sirius?!"

"Oh yeah, and Remus and Marlene," he marvelled in her horrified expression, enjoying it more than he should. "Remus is surprisingly good."

"I don't— I'm not sure I want to ask how this came up."

He chuckled, "I'm not sure you do either."

"And Marlene?"

"She'd everything you'd imagine she'd be in a kiss. Pretty impressive, really. I'd recommend it."

She smacked him on the arm, confiscating the firewiskey. "Oi! You can't say that! She has a girlfriend!"

"I know that!" James chuckled, "she talks about her often enough! Anyway, it's not as though there's romantic feelings involved– it was a dare. The mere idea sets my stomach on edge. It doesn't agree with me at all. We grew up together– she taught me now to play football after her stepdad taught her."

"Oh wow."

Neither of them spoke for a while until Lily couldn't handle the silence. It was something she hadn't been able to cope with for a while. Especially if things still hung in the air.
"James, kissing your ex girlfriend when you're pissed isn't the crime of the century. You don't need to confess to me." She chose her words deliberately, sidestepping the real reason that, somewhere deep down, they both knew exactly why James had forced himself down here in the snow to divulge his crimes to her. But neither felt it necessary to say. They didn't have the strength. Not just yet.

James could have told her a million things. "I know." He said instead.

♣ ♣ ♣

(2nd December 1977 continued)

James disapparated into the dawn breaking on Hogsmede's Main Street. He emerged from an alleyway and made the descent back to Honeydukes.

By the time he'd snuck into the Head's Common Room Marlene was asleep. He closed her door as he passed on the way to his own bedroom, shaking out the snow from his hair. It was too late to have a bath but a heating charm seemed to do the trick. That is if he wasn't already ridiculously warm inside for reasons he didn't wish to explain to anyone.

Maybe it was the empty bottle of firewiskey that had given him the glow? Or perhaps it was the girl he'd shared it with, the girl he couldn't stop thinking about, no matter how guilty it make him feel, no matter how much it scared him.

After stripping off his shirt and replacing his trousers with pyjamas he nestled back down onto the windowsill. He lit a cigarette with the end of his wand before discarding it onto his bed. From inside, in the warmth, the snow seemed to glitter where it had built up on the grounds. The quidditch pitch had been submerged in the silvery white blanket, the hoops had tantalising icicles hanging off them, just visible in the blizzard.
Smoke drifted out the cracked window, disappearing into the night, getting lost in the snow.

He chuckled as he took a deep drag. Lily would kill him for this. And likely Sirius would too. These were his, along with the bottle of firewiskey he'd shared with Lily.

Snow surrounded the castle, rattling around the old stone walls. James had always loved the days like these, when Hogwarts had never felt safer. It was with guilt, and sudden horror that he realised just how safe it was here, and just how unsafe Lily Evans was. Alone, Muggleborn, outside the safety the castle would provide.

No matter how much he wished to protect her, he knew that her fights were her own. Even if she didn't know of their existence. However he consoled himself with the thought that nothing sinister could reach her in this weather. At least he didn't think it could...

(2nd December 1977)

Lily sat in her bedroom, alone once more and dreaming of the things she didn't say to James Potter. Unconsciously her eyes flickered to where her Hogwarts letter once was before she'd destroyed it. Lily Evans. That was her name. She knew it. So why didn't James? Why couldn't she tell him?

There were a lot of things she couldn't tell him. Largely because they were grossly unfair. She longed to tell him how jealous she had felt the instant he told her about his ex. She'd had no right and yet her rage bubbled like a bloody kettle. She longed to tell him about her magic, the magic that had suspiciously begun returning closer to her grasp when James and his friends floated into her life.

However there were things she wished to lock away. For example Christian from the cafe. She wasn't sure how much she really liked him. Perhaps he was just a heinous way to take her mind off her feelings for James. She had no right to either of them, no claim to their affections. But it didn't stop her wishing to throttle a girl without having ever met her.

Supposedly that made her a bad person, but she was too tired to care. Lily was tired of waiting around, the weight of her regrets pulling her down to bed. She didn't notice Lucifer among the snow. She wasn't there to greet him. He wasn't there in the morning.

I know this is a little short but I finished it at ungodly hours of the night and was not fully mentally coherent lmao!

anyway it's my birthday today so I've no idea why I chose to update today but oh well? lastly, I'm going back to school soon so my updates might take a dip but I'll try write as much as I can cause I do really enjoy writing this book!

Love you all,

Abbi♥️