Joyeux Noël by ficexchange

Merry Christmas, Tamara!

.

Joyeux Noël

.

Lily was freezing; Paris wasn't supposed to be that cold, right? The little Michelin guide had been quite clear on that point. Paris's temperature was quite similar to London's, so why the fuck was it snowing right now? Bullocks.

She was walking in the chic part of the Latin Quarter; she was on a mission. She had been in France for eight months now and she still didn't feel at home. She had a fake identity: everyone here knew her as Lydia Walsh. She was a student at the Sorbonne, and she was having a nice time at the university, feeling more Muggle than she ever had, even more than when she didn't know about magic.

She was slowly walking through the tight streets, with snow surrounding her and even some getting stuck in her auburn eyelashes. She was wearing a big Gryffindor Quidditch jersey under her blazer and it made her think of him. Again.

Lily and James had dated for a year, and six months ago they had finally broken up. It was for the best; distance didn't make the heart grow fonder, it seemed. So that's why on this 22nd day of December, Lily found herself going to the small pub where she worked a part-time job between school and her actual Auror work.

She entered and the warmth of the establishment made her dizzy. She began her shift, catching snatches of conversation,

'Alors cette meuf, je te jure, mon pote�'

'Et puis la putain, je me suis écroulé!'

'Non, mais ça va pas!'

'Bloody hell, mate, what was that?'

'Merde, Joséphine, attention!!'

Wait, there were English people in the café, she looked slowly in their direction, trying not to catch their eyes. Englishmen, mhmmm�

They hadn't been served, did she want to take the risk and go talk to them? With her hair cut à la garçonne and her fake name she wouldn't catch their eyes. Go.

'Hi! I'm Lydia, can I help you?' She didn't dare a look.

'Great, someone who speaks English at last.' The voice was posed and calm, she didn't dare peak. Did she know them?

'So Prongsie, what do you want?' Oh fuck! She shouldn't have, she knew it, bloody Merlin. What had she done?

How could it be? Them, here. Him.

'Three mochas, I guess?'

'Parfait!'

Okay, breathe in and out, you can do this, she thought to herself. She did the three coffees and then, what was she doing? She'd blow her cover. She couldn't see them; she didn't want to.

She was about to go ask Marie to serve them at her place when he came to her,

'Euhm, you wouldn't by any mean know where the restroom is?' He flashed a grin, fucking Potter Charm. She hid herself behind the counter.

'Left, by the back.' Go, leave me alone.

'Thanks' he turned slowly on his feet and then turned back to her,

'By the way, I love the color of your hair.'

'Thank you, not a lot of people do.'

'I do, it's mesmerizing!' She blushed—fuck was he, was he flirting with her?

Ah, for Godric's sake he was. And she was flirting back.

'Hey, Gryffindor?' What? Ah the shirt. Dammit Lily.

'Be quiet!' Always reckless, he was.'I'm James Potter, you are?' She left her face for him to see. Fuck it.

'I'm Ly-

'LILY!'

He was so loud that she dropped the hot water bottle for the coffee that she had in her hands. She begun cleaning up since he didn't seem to have get past the fact that she was her and not some other redheaded ex-Gryffindor girl. No, she was her; she was Lily Evans, his ex-girlfriend.

When she got up, she was facing three Marauders. Sirius was the first to take her in his arms. Whatever people may think, he was the most accessible of all Marauders. Remus was next. James was still scowling.

They waited for her to finish from work and then headed all up to her flat.

'I just wished that you would have told us that you were you!'

'James, she couldn't; she's on a mission. You know, just like what we are actually doing in this bloody country. France of all places, what have we done to get all here?'

'I actually like it; it's really not that bad.'

'You would, you traitor.'

'I told you Prongs, Lupin was never up to Marauder standards.'

Listening to them bickering, Lily fell back in love. The fact that James was ruggedly handsome as usual helped it. They finally arrived to the tiny flat. They drank fancy wine smoking Gauloises and doing the usual catching up. Who was dating who, who was single-all of them. At midnight, the guys prepared themselves to leave. They all did beside one. James.

He stayed with her. Both sitting on the couch, they didn't dare speak first. They looked at one other, hazel locking with green. A smile on her face, she decided to take it on her. She wasn't afraid.

She putted a CD in the record player, he got up and just like old times, they danced. She wanted to kiss him, she languished for his touch. She remembered how she used to play with his ebony locks. How he loved it. She remembered what they had. They stopped dancing standing in the middle of the room. He slowly leaned toward her, their noses touched and they kissed.

Kissed, kissed and then more. Much more.

In the morning, she felt his hot mouth humming a song on her shoulders, his voice was hoarse and his hair messed up. She smiled and they tangled in the sheets. But he had to go, right? He had to leave her. Again.

Why? They couldn't be. It was too complicated.

Or maybe too simple.

So when the door closed behind him, she cried. She cried with Jerry, the blue stuffed toy frog her dad had given her when she was ten.

December 24th

Lily is moody and it's still snowing. She had to buy new mittens because the yellow ones made her think of him, and of how he used to laugh at them. She just finished her shift at the pub and she really wasn't in the mood to do anything. Tomorrow was Christmas right? The decorations were on the streets and everyone was in a hasty mood today. Last minutes gifts she guessed. She would probably go out anyways.

No news of James, but Sirius and Remus had found the time to come and see her; they went out to a fancy restaurant. She didn't care. He could get lost. No, she did care. They told her he was afraid. But why couldn't he just come to her and tell her himself. Tell her he was afraid.

She went out with friends; she partied, sent a gift to Petunia even if she wasn't going to get anything. She sent gifts to her boys, to Alice, to Frank and even socks to Professor Dumbledore. She went home and served her self a Bloody Mary,

'Merry Christmas Lily' she smiled to herself. He hadn't come, she was sure he would have at the end like in all the fairytales. No.

A knock on the door. Maybe?

She opened it and in front of her was a sight she would never forget. James.

Looking at him, she guessed he wasn't here so they could get back together or even to tell her he was afraid or even that he loved her. No, he was just here because he always had been and that he would always be. Here, right here. For her.

'Joyeux Noël, Lily.'

Joyeux Noël.