Count Every Moment
By: TheFifthCharmedOne
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Summary: -It happens in a blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time you took to look back...- Post-war oneshots; all canon couples. H/G, R/Hr, D/A, N/H, etc.
-X-X-X-
Chapter 2: Christmas Cards
Summary: They stayed on Christmas card relation for the rest of their lives. Harry and his family visit Dudley and his family for the holidays.
"Dad, do we have too?" James Potter II asked his father petulantly.
"You ask me that every year, and every year the answer is the same." Harry responded. "Seeing your cousins is not the worst thing in the world. It's Christmas, at least try to be excited."
"But they're so...so Muggle-y." James complained, knowing perfectly well that he had just invented a word.
"Sara is a witch." Harry pointed out. (1) He slipped his feet into snow boots and stood, looking at his son's still socked feet. "Now go put your shoes on before your mother-"
"Before I what?" Ginny sidled next to her husband, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Before you scold him for not being ready." Harry finished his thought. Ginny looked over at her son and glared, no words were necessary.
"But she's a Hufflepuff! That's like another species!" James protested, continuing his conversation with his father.
"James!" Ginny scolded. "Have some respect - your father and I knew some great Hufflepuffs!"
"Like who?" Albus asked curiously. He clomped into the room in his snow boots, all ready to go.
"Cedric Diggory and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin." Lily Luna said. She was sitting on the couch in their living room, by the fire. She was sliding her feet into her snow boots as well. "Really, Jamsie, you should at least know about Dora. She was Teddy's mother! Goes for you too, Al!"
Albus looked away bashfully.
"All right, all right, you win!" James relented. "Why do you guys want to see them so badly?" he asked his siblings.
"Sara's my friend." Lily said as though this explained everything. James's eyes widened.
"Why don't I know this?" James sounded scandalized. Lily rolled her eyes.
"I happen to be able to make my own decisions and friendships without you, big brother."
"Are we ready to go?" Ginny asked, speaking over her children. James and Lily gave each other annoyed looks, but knew not to cross their mother. The Potters walked toward the fireplace, and Lily's anger was replaced by joy.
"Are we going to Floo?" She asked excitedly.
"Of course. Dudley specifically asked that we do so - he wants to make sure he's fully connected to the Network." Harry explained.
"So we're test subjects, then?" James asked sourly. He crossed his arms over his chest.
"James, please. Stop being such a child. Your siblings are more acting mature than you are." That made James be quiet - he hated being compared to his siblings, especially as the oldest.
"Ha ha." Lily teased, sticking her tongue out at her oldest brother. He returned the favor, and Ginny pressed the palms of her hands against the backs of her children's heads, pushing them toward the fireplace gently, but forcefully.
Harry couldn't help but laugh - this happened every year, and every year with the same results.
-X-X-X-
"Harry!" Dudley collected his cousin warmly, which Harry returned. (2) Each of the Potters were greeted in turn, first by Dudley, then his wife, Rosalie, and their children. Together, Dudley and Rosa had three children. Their oldest, Edwin, was much older. Oliver and Sara were the only ones who lived at home, though Dudley talked about Edwin a lot. Rosa had been married before she met Dudley, and had two children from that relationship. Dudley had adopted them into his home, and now they joined Edwin in the working world.
"Sara!" Lily grinned when the green flames no longer consumed her. The two girls hugged. "Happy Christmas!"
"Same to you." Sara beamed. "James, Al." she smiled at her cousins. Albus returned the favor, while James just glowered. Ginny gave her son a severe look.
Once greetings were through, everyone gathered around the fire having warm conversations and making sweet memories.
"Would you like tea, Ginny?" Rosa asked her cousin by marriage.
"That would be wonderful." Ginny smiled.
"Anyone else?" Rosa asked. The others politely declined.
Within a few minutes, Rosa had gone and returned with tea for herself and the redhead she sat next too.
"Hey look! The fire's going down!" James pointed and withdrew his wand from his pocket. "Can I, Mum? Please?"
"With the way you've been acting? No. Also, no magic outside of Hogwarts, you know that." She sipped her tea. James pouted and put his wand away. "Harry, if you would?"
"We could just put more wood on the fire," Rosa said uncomfortably. Despite having a so many witches and wizards around her at any given time, the fact that she couldn't do the same things they could still made her insecure.
"No need." Harry took his wand from his pocket and murmured, "Incendio."
The fire sprang back to life, and Lily put her chilled hands before it, smiling at her father gratefully.
"Mum, Dad, look!" Oliver, who had been quiet for most of the time, suddenly exclaimed. He pointed out the window. Rosa and Dudley stood and looked outside.
Snow had begun to fall - and not only that, but there was a man getting out of his car on the street. He was tall and had light blond hair like his father. (2)
"Edwin!" Rosa gasped, delighted. She rushed to the door to greet her son.
"Eddie!" Sara and Oliver rushed to their older brother as soon as he opened the door, and Edwin, expecting it, picked them both up in the crooks of his arms, laughing and grinning broadly.
"How are my two favorite little devils?" He asked once he put them down. "Learned anything in that school of yours?" Despite his two youngest siblings being magical, Edwin was not. He preferred it that way. Although he was curious about the magical world, he did not want to take part of it personally. He wanted to be his own man - a working, normal, man. He was still supportive of Sara and Oliver, however.
"Yeah, lots!" Sara giggled. "But we're not allowed to show you, because if we do we could get in a lot of trouble."
"Don't worry about it then. Show me everything when you're older." Edwin tapped his sister's nose, and continued to giggle, overjoyed to see her big brother again. Edwin stood and hugged his parents. "Mum, Dad."
"Edwin, it's been too long!" Dudley said to his son.
"I know, Dad. I've been so busy with work, and I finally caught a break." Edwin looked worn, but happy.
"It's great to see you, sweetheart." Rosa smiled. "Christmas wouldn't have been the same without you."
"Thanks, Mum." Edwin said. He walked into the living room to find his second cousins sitting and waiting patiently to greet him. "Harry, Ginny!" he said first, and they hugged. "James, Albus, Lily!" Edwin never understood the meaning of the names of Harry and Ginny's children - he just appreciated them as they were.
After Edwin was settled in and everyone was enjoying each other's company, Lily and Sara snuck away to share some gossip.
"There's this third year in my house, Ella, I think her name is, who has the biggest crush on your brother." Sara whispered as though it were some worldly secret.
"Which brother?" Lily asked curiously - not quite sure how anyone could have a crush on either of them. They could be gits a lot of the time, particularly James.
"James." Sara responded.
"Ew, really?" Lily laughed. "Do you think he knows?"
"Probably not. Ella keeps to herself, though she blushes and stammers when anyone brings James into conversation, and defends him when someone makes fun of him."
"Sounds like she does really fancy him." Lily said seriously, as though she knew everything about love.
"Yep. I just think it's funny because he's my cousin and it's weird for me to imagine anyone fancying him."
"You think it's weird for you? He's my brother!" Lily laughed, and Sara joined in.
-X-X-X-
Eventually, the Potters had to leave and return home. Sara and Lily made promises to spend more time together at school, and while James had been immature about the visit, he had made friends with Edwin and Oliver by bragging about his achievements as a fourth year Gryffindor. Oliver had been sorted into Hufflepuff like his sister, though he was much shier and more inclusive.
"Thanks for coming, Harry." Dudley hugged his cousin again. James, Albus, and Lily had already Flooed home, and Ginny was standing in the fireplace. She was watching with slight concern because she knew about the cousins' not so nice past and was worried for her husband. Harry looked back at her and nodded once.
She got the message.
"Potter home!" she said loudly and clearly, throwing the Floo powder to the ground and disappearing in the bright green fire.
"It was great to see you, Dudley." Harry said honestly.
"You too." Dudley said with a small smile. Harry stepped back into the fireplace and took the Floo powder from the small can on the side. As he prepared to disappear home, Dudley stopped him. "Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"...Thanks. I mean it." Harry smiled once and threw down the powder, disappearing for a while. Dudley knew he would be back - and waited to see his cousin again next holiday.
-X-X-X-
(1) I saw a Head Canon where Dudley's daughter was a witch, so I decided to go with it.
(2) Even though the Harry Potter Wiki says that Harry and Dudley were still basically estranged, I like to think that they grew past their differences and realized that what had happened between them as children was in the past and that they shouldn't hold onto those grudges. Also, I only made James dread the visit because it seemed most in character for him. Albus is too mellow to be annoyed by much of anything, and Lily has a friend in Sara, so that makes it better for her.
(3) I'm going by the book descriptions of the characters, not the movies. In the books, Dudley had blond hair.
A/N: This is my attempt at getting into the Christmas spirit. Let me know if you liked it!
-Charmy
