Dusk till Dawn...
"Tam!"
Harry James Potter was wide awake as the sun slowly rose. He wasn't usually an early riser; if anything, he could sleep the afternoon away if no one woke him up! But today he was on a mission, and besides, his day couldn't start without annoying his little sister Tamanah, could it?
"Urgh, you stupid moron!" Tam groaned, burying her head in the pillow, hoping it would muffle her brother's screams. "What the bloody hell do you want?!"
"Wake up!" Harry urged. "I'm bored!"
"So go to Nimpty!" Tam cried. "Eat pancakes, anything!"
Harry stubbornly shook his head. "No, I don't wanna! C'mon, Tam!"
But Tam was now ignoring her, even though he knew she wasn't asleep. A moment passed, Harry not stirring from the blankets, before Tam sat up with a yawn, eyes narrowed grumpily. "You're horrible, you know that?" she muttered, tousling her hair.
Harry just grinned.
He was a ten-year-old more on the skinny side, just a month older than his sister. Well, she wasn’t his sister biologically, but they’d spent their lives together, so she as good as was. Tam was actually the daughter of his father’s Indian cousin, who’d – along with his wife – died in an accident when she was just two, and Harry’s parents had adopted her.
That was the reason they differed so much in looks. Harry had the trademark Potter hair, wild and untamable and black as coal, though the curse had skipped him, and so his eyesight was fine. He had his mother’s emerald green eyes and pale skin.
Tam, on the other hand, had straight and silky caramel hair that reached her elbows, lacking in too much volume, and she wore brown glasses. Her eyes were a light brown, and her skin was always tanned.
Harry left Tam to get bathed and dressed as he bounded downstairs, to the kitchen, where he found someone already sitting at the counter, sipping on steaming tea as he flipped the pages of the Daily Prophet.
“Uncle Remus!” Harry cried.
Remus looked up, surprised. “Harry!” he said, recovering his senses quickly. “What’re you doing up so early?”
Harry shrugged. “Nothing... but what are you doing here?” he asked his werewolf uncle, who was one of his dad’s best friends.
“I was actually here to get some tea – I’m out, I’m afraid,” Remus said sheepishly. “Hope you don’t mind?”
Harry rolled his eyes as he joined Remus on the counter. “Uncle, I’ve broken hundreds of things in your house... you’re fine stealing a cup of tea, I think.”
Remus grinned. “And where’s your sister?”
“Bathing,” Harry smirked.
“With water or...?”
“Or,” Harry’s smirk widened, and Remus copied it, chuckling. “You’re James’ son, alright.”
“HARRY JAMES POTTER!” was heard all over the house a minute ago, followed immediately by Tam stomping towards him, red in the face, in a pink dressing gown, as she dripped red.
Harry immediately jumped down and began running away as Tam chased him all around the house.
In the bedroom, Lily Jade Evans-Potter groaned as she squashed her head in the pillow, not opening her eyes as she muttered, “What’s Harry done this time?”
“Who cares?” James muttered back, rolling to the side, his back to his wife.
“Go see your son, James, he’s annoying Tam again!” Lily sighed tiredly.
James finally peeled his eyes open and looked at Lily, who was once again asleep. Not having the heart to wake her up, he got up and grabbed his glasses from the bedside table, and putting them on went over to get his robe from the huge wardrobe that stood in front of the bed. Putting it on, he left the room and descended the stairs.
The first thing that greeted his eyes was Remus sitting on the counter, watching something in the corner as he smiled. Following his gaze, Harry had to smile too. Tam was hitting Harry with a pillow on the couch, who was trying to defend himself with his hands. James could guess, judging by Tam’s dressing gown and red hair, and Harry’s taunts and laughs, what exactly had happened.
“The ruckus wake you up, Prongs?”
James turned to Remus, who’d noticed him and was now looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Afraid so,” James shrugged. “Out of papers?”
“Tea,” Remus corrected him and mock-toasting him, continued sipping from the cup.
“Pour me one too, won’t you?” James said as he walked to the counter, but Remus was already doing that.
Taking a sip, James shook his head. “Stronger. For Lily,” he added, as an explanation, before Remus could ask. They all knew that while James preferred light, Lily was a heavy and strong drinker.
“Sure,” Remus said and stood up to make it stronger, as James drank his cup.
“It’s Harry’s birthday tomorrow,” Remus said suddenly, his back to James as he stood over the pot.
James hummed. “Yeah... we’re throwing a party, ‘course, and you were invited a month ago.”
“True,” Remus muttered. “But... is he coming?”
Remus didn’t have to specify – James knew who he was talking about. He nodded slowly. “Well, I talked to him last night and he said yes, but... you never know with him, do you?”
Remus sighed. “Yeah... I’m not sure I’ll be able to come, work and all... but I’ll try my best, especially if he’s coming. Been a year since I saw him, can you believe it?”
James really could.
James and Lily were just about to leave for work when the floo roared; they doubled back, startled, as the green flames revealed slowly a tall man with unbeatable grace, a leather jacket and boots, with black hair tousled attractively. Undeniably handsome, his silver eyes gleamed with mirth as he stepped out, his lips curved into a smirk.
James gasped. “Sirius!”
Sirius Orion Black, Padfoot of the Marauders, Lord of the House of Black, and the leading Agent of the Undercover Sources Force, grinned at his brother-in-all-but-blood, clearly taking sadistic pleasure in managing to shock him.
“Hey, Prongs. Have to say, I did not expect such a weak welcome.”
James spluttered. “You-you prat! I-I didn’t expect you to come!”
Sirius raised an elegant eyebrow. “Didn’t I say I’d come?”
“Not today!” James cried as he launched himself on his best mate, who hugged him back equally ferociously, having expected the assault and not minding it a bit.
“Evans, come on!” Sirius called, letting go of James to embrace Lily, who laughed as she hugged and punched his arm and muttered, “Idiot.”
"So I'm guessing I was missed, then?" Sirius asked as they finally let go of each other, sitting together on the couch.
Lily scoffed. "Just wait for Harry and Tam, Black, and you'll get your answer."
As if on cue, footsteps were heard thundering down the stairs, and in no time, Sirius was being smothered by two tiny children.
"Padfoot!" Harry laughed. "You didn't say you were coming!"
"I did!" Sirius cried in protest. "I told your dad last night!"
"In very unclear words," James defended. "Harry, trust me, he wasn't clear."
"Oh I believe you, James," Tam said earnestly. She could never call James and Lily her 'mum and dad', but they didn't mind - at least, they just minded it in their heads, but never pressured her in any way. And 'cause calling them 'uncle and aunt' would be very awkward too, since Tam called Harry her brother, she just referred to her pseudo-parents by their first names.
"Padfoot loves mysteries, after all," Tam continued.
Sirius gasped in mock horror. "Tamanah! How could you?! Oh, you vile, vile man, Prongs, you've turned my niece against me! Harry, tell them how honest I am!"
Harry played along, nodding sternly at his father and sister. "Oh yes, Sirius is a very honest man indeed. How could you spread such lies about him?!"
Lily pursed her lips. "I am obliged to agree with Harry and Sirius, I'm afraid... Tam, James has turned you against us. And to think, you could be so strong as to resist him..."
Tam raised her eyes to the heaven. "Lily, not you too! James, Sirius has bewitched Harry and Lily... now it is left to us to countermand this sorcery and extricate them."
At this, the pretence was broken, and everyone was reduced to peals of laughter as they doubled over.
“Who’re we inviting again?” Harry asked Tam.
They were sitting in his room together, Harry fold-legged on the bed and Tam on the table across from him, ink and parchment in hand.
“Well, there’s the Weasleys, of course,” Tam said.
Harry hummed – The Weasleys were like a whole Quidditch team. Too many children to count! The youngest son, Ronald, and the only (and youngest) daughter, Ginny, were very good friends of Tam, especially Ron, who was her best friend. But Harry was more attached to the prankster twins Fred and George, who were two years older than him. There was Bill, the eldest, who was now a Curse-Breaker with Gringotts, and Charlie would be in his last year at Hogwarts this year. Percy Weasley would be in fifth-year now, and was an extremely uptight character whom Harry didn’t like, but who got along well enough with Tam.
“Then there’s the Longbottoms, of course,” Tam continued, penning it all down.
Harry made a face. “Neville’s a bit... off.”
Tam rolled her eyes. “Nevertheless, he’s a friend. One of my best friends, in fact.”
Neville Longbottom – the boy who lived. A joke. Harry could not believe how Neville could have defeated Voldemort as a baby! He wouldn’t be able to even defend himself! Neville was a shy, winey sort of kid who Harry didn’t like much... well, he liked him enough, but just didn’t think Neville was a fun person to hang out with. It was probably his grandmother’s fault – Augusta Longbottom, a strict and formidable character who wanted everything proper. She piled up high unachievable expectations on Neville, for which Harry pitied him – the poor boy had lost his parents to Voldemort and was getting tortured for it everyday.
He pouted. “But it’s my birthday!”
“And mine too!” Tam said. “You do know we’re celebrating both together tomorrow, right?”
Harry sighed; since Sirius was only on holiday for a week, they were celebrating both his and Tam’s birthday tomorrow, even though they were a whole month apart. Still, Harry was over the moon that his godfather had come – they barely ever saw the man, with his horrid job.
"The Tonkses are coming, right?" Harry asked.
Tam nodded happily. "Yep! Already sent the invite."
Andromeda Tonks née Black was Sirius' elder and favourite cousin - she'd run away from home just months after graduating and married a muggleborn, Ted Tonks, of Hufflepuff, and they'd fought the war on the light side, just like Sirius. Their daughter Nymphadora - who refused to be called that under any circumstances and preferred Tonks - was the coolest. A metamorphmagus in the same year as Charlie Weasley, she was a Gryffindor, and like a big sister to Harry and Tam.
"The Lovegoods and Diggorys are also invited," Tam hummed.
Harry scrunched his eyebrows. "Urgh... Luna's an oddball, you know."
Tam shrugged. "She's sweet, though. And Ced's alright, isn't he?"
"I suppose... What of the Malfoys?"
It was Tam's turn to be disgruntled. "Not them! Draco’s a poncy prat!"
Harry blew a raspberry at her. "He's my friend. Besides, you get to invite Neville and Luna, don't you?"
Tam sighed. "Alright..."