•1985 Christmas Evening at the Potter's•
It was a beautiful evening on the 24th of December in 1985 at the Potter's home. It was a comforting atmosphere around the whole house. A large Christmas tree in the corner of the living room, next to the warm fireplace. Some ornaments displaced randomly on the branches of the tree, because of when Harry decided to help his parents out with decorating it. A big, shiny, golden star on the very top of it. Around it, was a glowing line of fairy lights like everywhere in the house. The curtains were glowing with the warm lights as well, illuminating the place in a soft lighting.
The light smell of homemade food filled the air, while Lily was making dinner for their friends before they came, James was helping out. Harry demanded another hot chocolate before the guests arrived with a displeased look on his face, frowning slightly with his bottom lip pouting.
The little Potter still wore his red Christmas pyjamas, unlike his parents who were already dressed. Lily wore a pretty, simple dress in a green shade that looked great with her fiery red hair, which was halfway pinned up with bobby pins. Her dress paired with tights and golden flats. James wore blue jeans and a Christmas sweater in red and white.
They set the table, Harry helped out with the glasses and beverages, as James put the festive tablecloth onto the large dinner table. It was dark red with gold embroidery on the sides of it. The turkey was done and got put onto the table, as well as the roast potatoes, gravy, brussel sprouts, stuffing and cranberry sauce. The guests would be soon to arrive. Harry couldn't wait no more. He was more than excited to see his friends, as well as his godfather, who he usually just called Padfoot with a little lisp due to the temporary teeth gap he newly gotten. Like father like son.
Lily smiled widely with all of her teeth once she took a step back and looked proudly onto the table full of delicious food.
"Mummy... Can't I just have a hot chocolate-" Harry complained once again in a kind of whiny, high pitched voice.
Lily sighted and shook her head in defeat* "Oh, good Merlin.. alright, Harry. Just one more cup, one more." She said authoritatively with a raised pointer finger, her red nail polish shining on her nail. Harry nodded with a satisfied, sweet smile.
xxx
Sirius and Remus were driving in their car, almost there. The radio playing songs and talking news. Sirius sat on the passengers seat on the left, while Remus was driving, his hands lazily on the stirring wheel. Black was holding all the presents that they bought for Harry on his lap, the colourful wrapping paper an eyesight.
"Moony, how long is it 'till we're there?", Sirius complained and leaned back against the car seat properly again. The engine turned a corner and in the far you were able to see the Potter's house now. Their neighbourhood was litten with various lights, the snow laid on the pine-trees and the ground.
"Not long, Sirius, not long. That's their house." Remus said and pointed at the building at the end of the street. "You see?"
Sirius just nodded in response after squinting his eyes to see it. Some minutes after, they arrived. In the Potter's garden, there was a large stag out of fairy lights.
"Haha, surely Prongs' idea." Sirius chuckled as they both got out of the car and closed the door. He carried the presents in his arms. Remus' lips quirked at the sides into a little smiled as they both walked up towards the door and rang the bell.
Once the sound of the bell rang, Harry's eyes opened in excitement, a large smile spreading on his face, showing off his wonky teeth of which some of them were missing.
"Pat-fut!!" Harry exclaimed and ran towards the door. Lily and James came after him and opened the door. Remus and Sirius stood behind it with warm smiles.
"Harry!"
"Pat-fut!"
"Prongs!"
"Pads!"
"Lily!!"
Lily just chuckled, both of them got into the house and Sirius immediately hugged Lily after putting down the stack of presents onto the floor. Remus picked up Harry.
"Hey, little guy." Remus said to Harry and gave him a crooked smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. Remus pulled out a chocolate lolly out of his pocket as a little present for him. "Don't tell mama...shhh." Remus whispered in faux secretiveness while looking at Lily.
"Merry Christmas, guys." James said and gave his friends a quick hug with a pat on the backs before he added something.
"Long time no see, huh? Missed me, didn't you?" James grinned with his full teeth in a teasing nature.
"Oh, how could we not..." Remus said with an amused shake of his head and put Harry back down on the floor. "You two surely decorated the house incredibly."
"Yeah, well, Harry wanted to help with almost everything. Can't do anything without the little guy nowadays." James answered, still smiling from ear to ear.
xxx
While Harry was showing his godparents the pile of drawing and finger paintings, which he make in kindergarten in the past few weeks, the Longbottoms rang at the doorbell. Harry was so invested in what he was doing that he didn't even notice them come in.
Alice and Frank greeted Lily and James with quick greeting kisses to the cheeks, Neville walking up from behind them. The boy was shy but everyone always tried to include him into everything.
Lily kneeled down a bit to Neville and held out her hand for a high-five, which Neville was just obligated to return. He chuckled quietly with a soft smile after the little gesture and walked into the living room where he saw Harry on the sofa.
"Harry?" Nevile called out in excitement. Harry's head jerked towards the sound of his name being called, his face bloomed up into a wide smile. He basically sprung up from the sofa and ran towards his friend with his short legs.
"Neville!" The two boys hugged and bend their knees like two little bears dancing. They haven't seen each other since their shared birthday party (they always celebrated it together because their birthdays were only one day apart).
"Where are your teeth?" Neville asked wide-eyed. Last time he'd seen him all of Harry's teeth were intact, but since then the tooth fairy came around three times.
"They fell out. Mum said a fairy took them." Harry told him quietly like he just shared a secret with him.
"A fairy?" Neville repeated curiously.
"Mhm.." Harry shook his head slowly in confirmation.
"That's neat!" Neville said with a smile. "Neat", yet another piece of vocabulary that he picked up from his dad.
xxx
Then the guests just kept on adding on. After the Longbottoms Peter arrived. Then, the Lovegoods came in through the doorway. Followed by Mary and Marlene.
All of them sat down at the dinner table. The kids all sat together and the adults talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Just when they all decided that it was time to eat, someone else knocked at the door. Who could it be? Everyone already arrived so who could actually now be knocking at their door.
Lily stood up from her seat at the table and went over to cheek. She opened the door and saw him. A tall, lanky man in dark coloured clothing and pale skin. With a small box of a present in his hand.
It was Sirius' younger brother. Regulus. He wasn't directly invited so she was quite startled to see him at her family's doorstep.
"Who is it, Lils?" Sirius called out with a dark, cocked eyebrow.
"It's...Reg." She said, her voice trailing off. Regulus looked sideways to the ground while he stood there.
Sirius' heart almost stopped. His brother? He sprung up from his seat and hurried to them. Really, finding his brother stand outside the door in front of them.
"What are you doing here?" Sirius asked with a calm but distant voice and eyed his younger sibling up and down.
"Just wanted to visit some old...friends. I was looking for you." He answered and finally met Sirius' gaze. He tried to sound and look stern and proper, but when he saw Sirius after three years...
He couldn't help but step forward and hug him tightly, the little present clutched in one of his hands as he struggled to keep his emotions in check, which were under a very fragile layer of indifferent facade.
Sirius stayed still but raised his right arm to pat Regulus on the back carefully. He looked at Lily in a silent question to see if Regulus would be welcomed here.
She sighed reluctantly and stepped away, going back into the living room to sit down at the dining table. The two brothers stood there for a few minutes before going into the dining room as well. Everyone let out at least a quiet gasp. Unlike James who's breath got stuck in his throat, Pandora and Luna's faces on which smiles spread.
"Reg?" Pandora asked in a soft tone and Luna who smiled the brightest.
"Uncle Reg." She said, and Regulus immediately cracked a fond implication of a smile on his lips. She stretched out her little fist for their usual handshake. Regulus reluctantly agreed and did the short handshake with her.
"Everybody...this is Regulus, my brother." Sirius said with a quieter tone than normally.
Everyone knew.
xxx
After dinner and the whole catching up, they decided to play a game called twister. Which was too "boring" for the kids so they went to play in Harry's room. Always two people were allowed on the thin plastic mat with the colourful circles. Whoever could hold their changing position would win.
First it was Sirius's and James's turn. They ended up face to face and the prick that Sirius was he just had to make teasing kissy faces and raise his eyebrows. James laughed so hard that he couldn't hold his position anymore and collapsed on the ground while holding his stomach. Sirius fell soon after, breaking out in laughter as well.
Then Remus was dragged into the game (despite his protests) to play against his fiancé. Sirius was never the one to back down so he stood at the other side of the mat with a competitive grin.
"Left foot blue." Peter said after he spun the spinner. So Sirius put his left foot on blue.
"Right foot yellow." Mary said after looking at the spinner in Peter's hands. Remus complied with the instruction.
"...right foot yellow." Mary said, so Sirius did put his foot on yellow.
The game continued until their positioning looked... a bit too familiar to Remus.
"That's ridiculous, this can't possibly be what the spinner showed.." Remus said with unimpression and light-hearted annoyance. So basically Sirius was bend over right in front of him. And the others were chuckling and giggling like a bunch of stupid teenagers. Except for Peter and Mary who kept their act of not knowing what he was talking of.
"What do you mean?" Peter and Mary asked at the same time, trying not to let a smile tug at the corners of their lips, their faces straight.
"Yeah, Moony, what you mean?" Sirius asked teasingly, though he couldn't hold back his cackles and laughter. He turned his head over his shoulder to look up at Remus' expression.
"You have no idea how often I've caught them in our dorm like that-" James began with a laugh but got cut off by a glare from Lily and a disgusted face of Regulus. He really looked like he didn't want to know what his brother and Remus did in their times of Hogwarts.
"Damned dog-" Remus mumbled about Sirius with an eye roll, Sirius just chuckled from his position at the comment.
xxx
"Presents!" The kids emerged from Harry's room in funky costumes. Luna was dressed as a fairy with a glitter tutu and wings, paired with a little, white crown and a magic wand. Neville was dressed as a gecko and Harry was a cowboy with a drawn-on mustache... which was drawn on with a marker, something for James and Lily to scrub off for an hour the next day.
The kids opened their presents with happiness radiating off them in masses.
The adults opened the little presents which they gave each other. Sirius got band-t shirts from James; Lily got a beautiful hairclip from Pandora; Remus got a new record from Lily; Frank and Alice got themselves the same pair of socks on accidents: Peter got a new plant pot from Remus; Mary got Marlene a new lip-stick, and Marlene got a cute lamb plushie for her.
No one knew that Regulus was coming, so no got him a present which he understood. Until, Harry, Luna and Neville gave him a drawing that they did themselves. It was a drawing of everyone...as stick figures, and he was included. Even though it was just a silly handmade gift from three little kids, it meant the world to Regulus.
"..thanks, kids." Regulus said to them with a soft smile and folded the drawing to put it into the pocket of his shirt, right where his heart was.
xxx
Great memories were made. These memories captured in magical photos they made... literally magical photos, because they moved.
There was one of Sirius as Padfoot with sun-glasses on.
One where Regulus had black, cat ears on and a circle sticker on the tip of his nose.
There was one where Peter, Sirius and Remus sat on the couch. Pete and Sirius grinning from ear to ear, Remus just smiling in amusement. And at the very edge of the picture, James in his stag form peaking out.
One of: the former Valkyries with an ABBA record in their hands and all in colourful sunglasses, posing for the picture.
And one of Sirius pinching Remus' cheeks and posing as he gave him a kiss on the cheek.
What a thoroughly great christmas that was. Fortunately, not their last christmas together...💟