Disclaimer: As I'm sure you already know; I own absolutely nothing, nada, inkongolo (that's Zulu for those who are wondering), niks (Afrikaans), procedes to ramble off in about fourteen different languages. You get the picture. It all belongs to JK Rowling and I'm just using some of the canon in my own story.

Seventeen-year-old Lily Evans shut her eyes tightly as she tried to get to sleep. She felt rather silly; being so excited for Christmas the next day. Her room in 15 Greenbird Road was dark and quiet.

She was quivering with nervous energy; she couldn't sleep. She stood up and walked to her window. It was open and as she looked out into the starry night sky she saw snow frosting her family's tiny garden. The breeze that swept her auburn hair over her shoulders was cold and made her emerald eyes water.

She gazed out; wishing that time would speed up so that Christmas would come! She had always loved Christmas, with the beautiful lights and all the presents. She loved the story about what had happened so many years ago on Christmas Day. She loved sharing with her family on that day, even her rude elder sister, Petunia.

Through all the celebration Lily always felt that there was something missing and only last year she had been mature enough to realize what: true love. She had her i family /i love but what Lily wanted more than anything else was to have a husband one day and a family of her own that she could share Christmas with.

Christmas here was great but Lily knew it wasn't all natural. Her parents genuinely loved her and Petunia but the two girls were so different that it strained their holidays making them feel forced. Petunia openly insulted Lily and called her names.

Lily ignored her, convincing herself that Petunia was just jealous of Lily's own skills as a witch but as time wore on it was becoming harder for her to think that way. She could still recall the days before the Letter. Those days the sisters had been friends although not at all close friends. After the Letter inviting her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had come Petunia had immediately become a source of discouragement and insults, always insisting that magic was unnatural and wrong. She never let an opportunity to hurt Lily go by.

'And this Christmas will be terrible,' Lily realized. 'She's bringing her boyfriend here!' Lily had only met her sister's boyfriend once but that was more than enough to make her dislike him. He hated anything "abnormal" which meant that he despised Lily. He sneered at her and constantly told Petunia that it wasn't her fault that she had such a i strange /i sister. He also told Petunia not to worry because "people of i that /i sort were bound to come to a bad end".

Lily scowled at the memory. She had seen him about a few months ago, about a week before going to school. She could clearly picture his huge black moustache and remembered how big and fat he was next to thin, bony Petunia. Her blond hair and horsey teeth looked strange with her long neck but she was pretty in her own way. Her boyfriend's name was Vernon Dursley and he was a very short-tempered man who was rather greedy.

'Maybe next year,' she thought with a smile. She was in her last year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and she was Head Girl. Next year she would be starting her job. 'I wonder who I'll be with next Christmas?' She daydreamed for about five minutes. 'I know that my husband will be perfect but I wish I knew him now!' As she thought this a shooting star (A/N: the proper name for it is bolide) shot across the night sky; tearing the velvet black in two. She smiled, 'it could be anyone,' she reasoned, 'anyone except Potter or Black at least.' She grimaced, thinking of the two boys.

James Potter and Sirius Black were the school's biggest pranksters. They were both in her year and both belonged to a mischievous group called the Marauders that they had helped found along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. 'Check that,' Lily thought, 'it could be anyone but Potter, Black and i Pettigrew /i .'

Black was tall and a really flirty. He was quite smart and for some reason had been nicknamed "Padfoot" by the other Marauders. Peter was short and chubby and not too bright, he was nicknamed "Wormtail". Remus was the most studious of the group although James achieved better marks. Remus' nickname was "Moony".

James Potter was the Quidditch Captain and one of the Chasers in their school house, Gryffindor's Quidditch team. He was popular and had messy black hair with hazel eyes. His nickname was "Prongs." He was also Head Boy which meant Lily had to work with him far more often than she liked. Why he was Head Boy was beyond Lily because although he was smart and excelled in Transfiguration he was always on detention and rather arrogant. 'But he has been a little better this year,' a small voice in her head reminded her. Lily shook the thought away. No, he was still the same pompous Potter he had always been, wasn't he?

She sighed and walked back to her bed. She stared around her small room. Her family was quite poor but she still had her own private room and her parents had saved enough for her to go to Hogwarts. She didn't want them to feel that it was a waste so she always did her best in school and tried to choose cheaper clothes and cheap things to eat or use for herself. She knew that she wouldn't get a lot of presents this year, she never did but she also knew that what she was given was given to her with love so she appreciated all of it.

The room had peeling pink wallpaper and flimsy curtains. A plush rabbit with it's stuffing coming out lay on the floor and a spotless secondhand birdcage stood open waiting for her owl, Muppet's return. Her quills and parchment were packed neatly in her trunk and a textbook lay open on a rickety side table. Her room was bare otherwise and as she snuggled under her thin and ratty lilac blanket she felt a pang of loneliness. She wished that the room was more elegant; she felt embarassed to invite friends over sometimes because she was worried they'd pity her. Lily hated pity.

Her sister gave a grunting snore from the room across the hall. Typical Petunia. How could she not be excited the day before Christmas?

Lily rolled over, facing away from her window. The bed squeaked as she moved. Her pink teddy bear pyjamas felt tight around her; they were a size too small. 'I wonder where Muppet is? She should be back by now!' Lily needed her to get her friends' presents to them. Lily snuggled down in her cover and decided not to worry, after all; tomorrow was a new day. Christmas Day and she would still be there in the morning and ready to send the gifts.

This is my first fanfic so plz send reviews! I don't mind flames just no bad language plz!! : D