The Evans
When Harry got out of the fireplace, he felt a red – headed figure run towards him and enlace his neck, hugging tightly.
"Hi, Harry, where's James?" Lily asked, but before he could answer James appeared, cleaning the ashes off his clothes.
"W-Where are your parents?"
Lily indicated the couch with her hand and left to call them, blinking to them.
"My father doesn't have a gun, James, stop babbling."
When they were alone Harry rose and walked to the mantelpiece, where many colorful portraits were put among Christmas decoration.
"What's a gun?" James rose too, stopping beside Harry. "Merlin's socks!"
Harry turned scared at James, but felt relief when he realized James got surprised with the photos. They were of a younger Lily, sitting or hugging a skinny blond girl. The vision of his aunt in many times of her life disturbed Harry a little, but the saw that James was really scared by the fact that the pictures did not move.
"Are they wrong?" he poked Lily's face with his finger. "They don't move this is weird…"
"Muggle pictured don't move, James."
"What? They just stand… There? Ridiculous, why don't they-"
But what they should have done Harry never knew, for the door opened making them run to the couch. Mr. Evans entered first, his green eyes bright with curiosity. He had little hair, but blond, and Harry could see from whom Lily and him had inherit the nose.
"Hi!" he greeted excitedly. James relaxed beside Harry.
"Hello, Mr. Evans, I'm J-James Potter. This is my friend, Harry."
"Hi, Mr. Evans." Harry smiled. The man sat in front of them, gazing closely.
"My wife is taking some cookies from the oven, boys. So, James, you study at Hogwarts with Lily, right?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Hum… Good student?"
"Yes. I mean, I'm head boy with Lily… I have to keep good grades to keep the badge."
"Oh, you're head boy? That's how you met?"
"Sort of. We're from the same house."
"House?"
"Yes, we are from the same house, Gryffindor."
"Oh, the group they divide the kids! Yes, yes… And your parents, what do they do?"
"Well, they have retired already, but they were aurors."
"Aurors?"
Seeing James wouldn't find a muggle equivalent for aurors even if he thought the whole day, Harry intervened:
"It's like the police, Mr. Evans." He explained, shutting James with a kick when he was about to ask what was a police.
"Oh, in your world the police are well-paid? Good, so we're going to your house for Christmas, aren't we? Where do you live?"
"Oh, the Potter's Manor is in the country…"
"Manor?" a thin voice asked, and Harry turned his head quickly. At the door, scouted by a very annoyed Lily was Petunia in her youth. The girl stared at James for a moment, before remembering she was supposed to have a reason to go there.
"Father, I need help with the invitations."
"But, darling, your mother-"
"She's busy making cookies." Petunia stamped her feet.
A little uncomfortable, Mr. Evans rose and called Lily, who seemed very annoyed when she sat in front of them.
"Sorry for this mess. Petunia is marrying the fat-… I mean, she's getting married, and won't do anything by herself." She completed, rolling her eyes.
Sometime later a red – headed woman brought the cookies and sat with them.
"Here they are. Lily, dear, which of them is James?"
"This, mum. The other is Harry."
Harry smiled to Mrs. Evans, and she glanced attentive to him.
"Oh, are they brothers?"
Harry widened his eyes, trying to look surprised.
"Us? Oh, no, Mrs. Evans. We are only…Friends."
She raised an eyebrow, but said nothing else. Offering the cookies to them, she spoke:
"How do we get to your house, James?"
"We'll take you. All you need is to get ready."
Lily's father came back, taking a cookie.
"So, James, what you want to do after school?"
James stiffed beside Harry, and was with a hard voice that he said:
"I wish to follow my parents' career, Sir."
"And in case you marry…"
"Dad!" Lily interrupted, blushing. Mr. Evans rolled his eyes.
"Just a situation, darling. So…in case. Does an, how do you call, aror… Is well-paid?"
Lily buried her face on her hands as James smiled confident.
"In most of the times no, but as I am son of aurors I may get better paid… Besides, I will inherit a considerable state from my parents."
The man smiled.
"So then I see no reason why you shouldn't date. So now you're taking my little girl…"
Harry grinned.
"I guess so, Mr. Evans. Let's go, Lil?"
The three rose and Harry grabbed Lily's trunk. Before they left, Mrs. Evans approached Harry and looked.
"I'm sure I know you from somewhere, boy. These eyes are familiar. Merry Christmas." and hugged him. Harry smiled within her arms, walking to the fireplace after. When they arrived they saw that Marlene, Emmeline, Dorcas and Remus had arrived alone, feeling relieved for not having to pick anyone else up.
"Hey, good you arrived!" Ginny greeted, smiling. "Hermione is upstairs, ready to destroy the… thing." She completed in a whisper.
They got to the guest's room, where Hermione and the diary were, and found her working with it.
"Oh, good you came. I don't want to do this."
Harry stepped forwards, but Regulus stopped him.
"May I?"
Harry asked himself if it was safe, but agreed. Determined, Regulus walked to the table where the diary was and grabbed the tooth, ready to destroy it, when some words started appearing in black ink.
"Regulus, stab it!" Remus said desperately. The boy, still holding the tooth, inclined to the book and read.
So, as though he had been hypnotized, Regulus looked to the tooth and turned its edge to his own chest.