Harry tumbled out the floo face first on the rugged floor.
'There has got to be a technique to land on two feet!' Harry mentally sighed to himself.
An unexpected hand was brought in front of his face.
"Hello, looks like you've gotten yourself quite into a bit of a scramble there."
Harry's eyes trailed the hand to the face of the man in front of him. A curved nose, and lines on his face betrayed his age, but what shocked him the most was the man's striking grey irises.
The man wore a sort of business suit with a long, grey coat and a pocket watch chain dangling from his left trouser. Harry took a hold on the man's hand and hoisted himself up to his feet and dusted off the floo powder residue off his clothes. The man inspected Harry from bottom to top, his eyes expectedly stopping at his scar.
"Ah, you must be Lilith's guest." Harry blinked, well that wasn't what he anticipated his first words would be…
The man formed an easy grin on his face and jutted his hand out once again, "Gordon Moon, Co-founder of the Moon's Private Eye. I'd give you my card but I'm sure Lilith already gave you the spiel; taught her well, that one."
A nonplussed Harry shook his hand absentmindedly, this was Lilith's father! Harry immediately became aware of how clammy his hand must have been and having fallen flat on his face in front of her father, he wished the ground would open up and eat him whole.
The P.I. had not noticed the poor boy's anxiety ridden behaviour and continued on speaking, "Welcome to the offices of the Moon's Private Eye! Although, as much as I want to give you a tour of this enchanting place, Lilith and her mother would have my head if they knew I kept them waiting longer than necessary."
He produced a long string of fabric from inside his suit jacket and wrapped it around his finger, he then pulled the other end of the string to Harry.
"A portkey." Gordon explained at Harry's bemused expression, "To our home. We didn't install a floo at our place; the powder would go all over the drapes and carpets."
Harry took the end of the string and wrapped it around his own finger.
A smile and a wink was what Harry saw on Gordon before the familiar pull of a portkey whisked them away.
Harry and Gordon landed on the footsteps of the home of the Moons, or in Harry's case, crash landed on his bottom.
A few choice words of insults and curses were muttered about magical transport as a whole by the poor boy as he rose. A two storied house greeted him, with a veranda in front, a precarious looking hammock swinging to and fro from the wind. Its cream colored exterior brought along an impression that a happy and loving family housed this particular home, a mahogany door bringing about the final flourish. The door then flung wide open; and as the door opened, he was shocked by the woman that had opened the front door. Familiar black hair framed the face of a slightly unfamiliar face, if he had not known any better, he would have thought that Lilith was suddenly aged up. She wore black, silk pyjamas and a woolly sweater.
"Ah! You must be Lilith's friend. Lilian Moon, an absolute pleasure to meet you." Lilian moved towards him and hugged him, leaving Gordon frowning.
"Oh yes, yes. Forget all about me, it's not like I deserve a hug every once in a while." Gordon pouted - Like a petulant child, Harry thought. Though voicing that out loud would probably be a good way to ruin his chances even more with Lilith - though Lilian appeared to have the same point of view as she snorted at his behaviour.
"I believe you had some ribs you had left in an oven before you left?" At Lilian's reminder, Gordon's face took on a moment of sheer fear and he dashed inside the home, presumably to save what was left of the beef.
Harry saw Lilian roll her eyes at Gordon's incessant yelling inside the house, and she returned her gaze back to Harry with a smile, "Now come on, Lilith has been bouncing off the walls waiting for you. Don't tell her I said that though."
She ended with a sly wink before guiding him into their home. He was led to a living room, adorned with several frames and pictures of what he assumed was the whole family. Lilian gestured for him to sit on a couch and she herself sat across from him on a loveseat.
Harry rose up as soon as he sat down, "I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Harry Potter and I am Lilith's… friend." Harry winced at his slight pause but Lilian seemed to have been unperturbed by it.
"If there's anyone that doesn't need an introduction it would be you Harry; do you mind if I call you Harry?" Harry quickly shook his head.
"I don't mind at all! Er… How should I address you?" Harry politely asked Lilian, sitting back down on the couch.
"Oh, just Lilian is fine." Harry nodded, nervously wiping the sweat on his hand on his trousers. He tried to come up with a conversation topic and decided to play it safe.
"I didn't know Lilith had an older sister, she only mentioned her parents." Lilian looked puzzled for a bit, then her face shone with a thousand-watt smile.
"Oh really? Well I guess it must have slipped her mind." Lilian stood up and made her way out of the living room, "I'll call Lilith, I'm sure she's dying to finally see you and I have to see what my hu- I mean, what dad has done with the short ribs. I hope he hasn't burned down the whole kitchen… Again." Lilian muttered the end of her sentence, then waved at Harry before taking her leave.
The wait was nerve wracking, he was nervous of even moving a centimetre from where he sat; afraid of toppling any ornaments or objects. He felt his throat becoming parched but he didn't want to traverse the house to look for any kind of liquids to quench his thirst. His eyes momentarily drifted to the vase on the mantle, he entertained the thought of drinking the water in the flower vase…
Fortunately, before Harry could do good on his thought of drinking flower water, Lilian returned with Lilith in tow.
"Harry!" Lilith quickly paced towards him and crushed him with a hug.
Lilian only laughed as Harry was crushed by the onslaught of the force of nature that was Lilith Moon, "Now, now. Give the poor boy his space, you're crushing the air out of his lungs."
He was released from her hold, albeit reluctantly, and she sat next him; the closeness of which caused Lilian to raise a brow.
"How was the trip here? I hope dad wasn't too much for you." Lilith's attention was fully on him. Harry wouldn't have minded if Lilian wasn't observing their every action like a hawk.
"Gordon," Harry glanced at Lilian, who nodded at Harry's unvoiced request of permission, "Gordon was fine, he helped me up everytime I landed on my butt. I swear it's like every kind of magical transportation, except for brooms, have it out for me." Harry then turned his gaze to look at Lilian.
"And your sister has been kind as well. You didn't mention you had one, a sister I mean." A face of befuddlement was worn by Lilith.
"Sister? What are you talking about?" Now the befuddled expression was worn by Harry as well.
"I mean Lilian of course." Harry gestured towards said person. Lilith turned around to follow the direction he had gestured to, to be met by the coy waving of Lilian, wearing a beautiful smirk on her face.
Lilith's gears in her brain took a few seconds to comprehend what Harry was insinuating. After a while, a dawn of realisation appeared on her face as she finally apprehended what had happened. Before Harry could even understand what was happening, Lilith was suddenly hitting Lilian with one of the loveseat's pillows.
"I. Can't. Believe. You. Lied. To. Him!" Each word was punctuated by a slam of the pillow on Lilian, who only cheerily giggled despite Lilith's anger.
"Well I couldn't help it! He was the one who assumed, I only wanted to play along for a laugh! And honestly, when you get to my age, you'd love to hear someone mistake you for your daughter's sister." Harry felt a drop in his stomach as the situation finally registered to him. Lilith noticed his expression and her eyes took on a defeated look as she confirmed his worst fears.
"Harry, meet Lilian Moon. Also known as my mum."
Lilian's eyes twinkled with mischievous amusement as Harry gawked at her and Lilith.
Gordon made his appearance, wearing an apron baked in black soot.
"Good news! I managed to save the short ribs!" Gordon then gazed at Harry's gobsmacked expression, Lilian's tittering, and Lilith's infuriated glare at his wife.
"What did I miss?"
The booming laughter of one Gordon Moon resounded the walls of the dining room as Lilian recited what had occured whilst he was rescuing what was left of his short ribs.
"Ah, dear. If only I was there to witness it!" The red-faced Harry quietly ate dinner and Lilith never stopped glaring at her mother, who was laughing along with Gordon.
Lilian glanced, not for the first time, at Lilith's ire filled stare and Harry's red hued face, "Oh cheer up Lilith, it's not like anybody was hurt! And I do apologise, Harry. It was just for laughs; in fact I feel flattered by your comment."
The bespectacled boy muttered another apology and Lilith harrumphed at her mother's own apology. Gordon and Lilian gave each other a glance, amused by the two teenagers.
The only magical household he was ever a part of was The Burrow, so Harry took in his surroundings; a floating pitcher of water floated in between the people enjoying their dinner, filling up their glasses as needed, a couple of paintings, both moving and unmoving, were hung on the walls, he saw a hoover at the corner of the room but he also heard the sweeping of a broom in the other room. It was entirely different then he had expected, it seemed Lilian's muggle upbringing and Gordon's magical one brought about a mix of the best of both worlds; the familiarity of home whilst still having the whimsical wonder he had associated with magic.
As the surface of the plates were eaten clean, the conversation steered to Harry's presence at the Moon household.
"So honey, I hope you can explain why the Boy-who-lived has graced us with his presence?" Harry's annoyance grew a tad at the use of the moniker he had grown to despise, a sentiment that Lilith had noticed.
Lilith inconspicuously rested her hand on Harry's, calming him greatly, "Well dad, it has to do with the new High Inquisitor of Hogwarts; Dolores Umbridge."
Gordon scratched his chin, "Dolores Umbridge? You mean Fudge's lackey; the one with the horrendous dress sense?"
A smile of amusement and an affirmative nod came from Lilith, "Yes, Harry and I have reason to believe that she has been dealing with… Unsavoury characters on the other side of the law."
"And how exactly did you attain this information?" Lilian butted in, an accusatory eyebrow raised at their direction.
A bead of sweat ran down Harry's neck at her stare but Lilith remained cool, "Harry and I were enjoying our free time together, we then noticed Umbridge acting suspiciously; she looking around her surroundings nervously, her steps were jittery, she was walking to a path that was not paved for any public purposes. So I deduced that she was doing something that needed to be in secret. We followed her and then we saw her interact and purchase from… Robert Tassler."
The eyes of her parent's change, their posture becoming more rigid. Gordon closed his eyes in thought and Lilian's stare became much more cold. They weren't her parents anymore, sat there now were the greatest P.I. duo in the magical world.
"Are you sure it was him?" Lilith nodded at her mother's inquiry.
"I'm certain, you can view my memories if you wish to confirm it yourselves." Lilith also had transformed; her voice had lost her usual warmth that Harry was used to hearing, it was replaced with ice cold professionalism. It left Harry with a bit of whiplash.
Harry then watched Gordon open his eyes, and unlike Lilian's, which were stone cold and filled with steadiness, his eyes brimmed with excitement and enthusiasm.
"Finally, a new lead! This may be the opportunity to nail that good for nothing scum!" Gordon stood up with purpose, "Come, Lilith; we must review your memories at once!"
Again, Harry was once again flabbergasted at the sudden change of mood. Lilith wasted no time in following her dad's order and quickly rushed to his side. As they started to make their way outside, they froze in their steps at the quick increase of absolute dread in their bodies. They turned around to see Lilian smiling her beautiful smile, but it was drenched with something dangerous.
"You two," Lilith and Gordon flinched at her frigid tone, "I think it's best if we hold this off until tomorrow morning, we have a guest here in our home, after all."
The father and daughter duo silently returned to their seats at the dinner table, both subdued. Harry was next to be smiled upon by Lilian, but this smile was now filled with more warmth and benignity, "How about it dear, would you like to stay for the night?"
Harry hesitated, still shocked by what transpired, found himself engulfed with drowsiness with today's events, "If I'm not intruding, I would be happy to stay for the night."
Lilian flashed him with a wider smile and stood up, "Oh, you're not intruding at all! Lilith, please prepare the couch. Your father and I will stay here for a minute; looks like he needs a few reminders in accommodating house guests."
Gordon gazed at Harry and Lilith with a pleading look. Lilith smiled and took Harry's hand, "Come on, Harry."
She snickered as they heard a small mumble from her dad - That closely sounded like "Traitors." - and led him to the same living room they were in before.
"Can you help me carry this coffee table out of the way? We'll just move it to the side." Harry nodded at Lilith's request and they heaved the aforementioned table right next to the wall. Lilith then took a hold of the couches front. She raised it up then pulled, to reveal the hidden extension; the couch was now transformed into a comfy bed. Lilith jumped on the bed, making the springs squeak under her weight, she patted the spot next to her and Harry complied and sat right next to her.
"Is, uh… Is your dad going to be fine?" Harry anxiously asked Lilith, rubbing the back of his neck. Her giggling had unnerved him a bit until she explained.
"Oh it's alright Harry; they always get like this. It's all in good fun." She snorted out a laugh, "My dad has always been a bit unconventional, and mum has to always put him back in line. Even though mum said that was one of his charming points."
Harry nodded, his eyelids slowly drooping but still trying to hang on to her words. His head slightly lowered as sleep tried to lull him down, he hadn't realised how low down he went until he felt something solid connect to the side of his head. He turned his head and he saw the gentle smile Lilith wore as she looked down upon him, laying his head on her shoulder. He tried to lift his head and apologise but before he could try he felt his head being gently lowered to something softer; and he didn't need to guess what his head was laying on as he looked up to her persevering gentle smile. The final nail in the coffin was her fingers softly caressing his hair, and with that he, at last, let sleep overtake him.
Lilith stayed there, continuing her ministrations to her boyfriend's hair, before feeling the bed faintly bounce as another person sat down on the couch-turned-bed.
"So, just a friend huh?" Lilith rolled her eyes at her mother's comment.
"All I said was that he was a male friend, mum. I just decided that saying 'boyfriend' might make you and dad suddenly turn tonight's dinner more of an interrogation; I mean, I wouldn't put it past dad to get a lamp and an actual interrogation table if I had announced it to you guys." Lilian chose not to comment - Mostly because she could see her husband doing something that asinine - but nonetheless watched on. Seeing a face she had never seen on her daughter's face, one of pure, unadulterated affection and love.
Lilian rose up and closed the lights on her way out, glancing back once again at her child, before making her way back to her own bedroom, where Gordon laid back onto the head of their bed, reading a book. As she entered, her husband took his gaze away from the book.
"Was our theory correct?" Lilian laid down and saddled next to the male P.I.
She exhaled softly, "Of course it was, they were as obvious as one could be when hiding a relationship. You should have seen her face, Gordon. It was the same face I gave you, when we were younger."
Gordon gave a light, teasing grin at that. He closed his book and turned off the lamp next to him.
"Are you saying that you don't make that face anymore?" Gordon smirked at Lilian, and she blushed under his scrutiny.
"Oh, shut it you old fart. You're lucky that you're cute, lest I left you ages ago." Gordon gave a small, quiet chuckle. She huddled next to him, laying her head on his chest.
"I love you too."
And that night, two Moons held their own lovers into their embrace. The moonlight illuminating the sleeping faces of the occupants in the Moon household, a tiny smile on each of their faces.
A/N: Ah, the enormously nerve-wracking situation of meeting your romantic partner's parents. Next up is a mix of the Moons and Nymphadora shenanigans (Sold separately!) Leave a review, it's free!