Mr. and Mrs. Potter were everything Sirius had expected James's parents to be. Charlus, as he had insisted Sirius call him, had the same untidy jet black hair and was ever the doting father to James, as well as a bit indulgent of Evie. As was Dorea Potter who, Sirius observed, shared the same hazel eyes as James and was a lot more maternal to the Evie than her own mother. Sirius hadn't quite known what to make of Evie's mother. Metrodora Bloxum seemed a tad standoffish, cold, unreceptive, out of place, and stiff, putting it lightly. She welcomed Sirius, of course, but aside from that she was purely formalities, even to Evie. He could certainly see what she meant about her mother being distant and keeping all others at arm's length.
"Now let me see, if you're Walburga's boy then you would be my grandnephew, and James's second cousin," Said Dorea Potter over dessert, herself being a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. "Is that right, dear?"
"Yes, darling." Answered her husband distractedly as he was currently talking in hushed tones with Mr. Bloxum.
"Wicked, mate. We're related." Said James from next to Sirius. Sirius couldn't help but smile at that. As long as I'm not related to Evie, said a voice in the back of his mind.
"I'm fairly surprised I haven't been burnt off that lovely family tree of ours. I expected as much once my brother Pollux labeled me a bloodtraitor. All for staying in contact with my brother Marius. I suppose the only reason I haven't been disowned is for making a suitable marriage in their opinions," She mused sipping at her coffee.
"What was so wrong about talking to your brother?" asked Evie as she finished the last of her treacle tart, James's favorite pastry.
"It's not polite to pry, Evandra," warned her mother.
"Oh it's no bother, Metty," hushed Mrs. Potter, "You see, love, my brother Marius was a squib and so he was rejected by the family due to his 'shortcomings' was the nicest they ever put it. I simply refused to cast him out like last week's prophet and so that was that."
"Uncle Marius is a nice enough bloke. He's a doctor, I think they call it. Some sort of muggle healer. Always gives me these round black discs. Says they play music or something. I always just give them to Evie. She likes that sort of muggle stuff. Remember, Evie, when he tried to get us to play that muggle game. What was it called?"
"Bazeball or something was it?" laughed Evie at the memory.
"Apparently muggles know a thing or two about how to swing a beater's bat. But these bats are huge! And they expect you to aim it at a ball hardly bigger than a snitch as they throw it at you! Bloody thing nearly took my head off thanks to someone!" he thrusted an accusatory finger across the table at Evie.
"I was just getting in the swing of things Jamesie," said Evie cleverly, "and at any rate it's not polite to point!"
The days Sirius spent in Godric's Hollow with James and Evie were perhaps the happiest in his life. For once he was relieved of the dank formalities of a Black Family holiday and instead got to enjoy himself. Technically, though he was with family, as Mrs. Potter had pointed out. He craved parents like James's or for his father to ever give him a proud look like the ones Evie got in abundance from her dad. But these were things he knew he'd never have.
The three children road bicycles, as Evie called them, to town and through the country roads of the settlement. It was a need, Evie explained, to keep up appearances for the muggles in town. They couldn't very well go around on broomsticks. So, grudgingly, Sirius was forced to ride the only spare bike, a pink one with sparkles and tassels that had belonged to Evie in younger days. They'd dubbed it his trusty steed for whenever he would stay with them in future.
Biking from the little snowy valley where both Mane Place and Potterstead, as it was called, over two hills, and across six miles of country road to town was a feat in itself, but was well worth it. James and Evie, for having as pureblood an upbringing as one could get without being discriminatory, preferred the muggle establishments to those of the wizarding ones. First they went to what James referred to as "novelty" stores. Sirius had never stepped foot into an "arcade" before, but soon found himself completely entranced by the simplest of muggle games. Evie seemed particularly thrilled at one shop that contained the circular disc things that James had talked about that first night at dinner.
"The Beatles," she said, "Are the best thing to happen to music whether you're a muggle or not."
After the music store and a quick bite to eat they would then proceed to what was called a cinema. James and Evie went barking mad with laughter at Sirius's first reaction to the film. His cry of surprise, as well as the laughter that followed, earned them several shushes from the rest of the audience. The first film they saw was one that Evie desperately wanted to see about a loon in a top hat who owned a chocolate factory run by, what appeared to Sirius as, fat orange goblins called oompa loompas. The next one they saw was about a man who was what could be described as an American muggle auror with a ridiculous name. As cool as he was who'd want to go by the name Shaft? The last movie they went to they were unaccompanied by James. Evie insisted on seeing a movie named Roman Holiday, which James refused to see as he cried, "She's seen it a thousand times!" to which Evie replied, "Then a thousand and one won't hurt." It seemed she had in fact watched it a thousand times as she mouthed each line word for word scene after scene. But Sirius didn't really mind going with Evie. In fact he found her awe and passion for the picture show quite…Evie-ish. And in Sirius's book, anything Evie-ish was more than acceptable.
When the three Gryffindors weren't in the village they were ice skating on the frozen lake just beyond the trees that surrounded their Quidditch pitch. Evie, tough as she could be, refused to develop a cough from playing Quidditch in the blistering winter chill.
"Farrah would just love that." She muttered under her breath after vetoing the suggestion. They were visited by Matilda and her family who would also be attending the Bloxum Christmas party. Sirius was rather taken aback by how ridiculously strict and maternal Tilly's 18 year-old sister, Molly was.
"Yeah. She and Arthur are expecting." Said Til nonchalantly as they sat in the Potter's living room the day of the party.
"Really? When is she due?" asked Evie, suddenly enthused.
"Sometime in the summer I expect," Answered Gideon, "Arthur's brother Bilius has been named sole godparent over the little Weasley. Then they'll just be going down the line."
"What do you mean?" asked James.
"The happy couple want a full litter from what they've been going on about. Ten kids, one godparent per child," explained Fabian, "So after ol' Bilius it'd be Arthur's other brothers Clarence and Garret. Then after them Gideon and I get the lucky tidings. Then Til, and well…damn they've run out of godparents for the little carrot tops."