A/N: My apologies for the LOOOONG wait! The system error really got onto my nerves! I promise I'll have another super-long chapter to make up for it! Thank you for reading once again, and enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Charles Evans, and Other Things James is Terrified of

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair," chanted Natalia happily as Professor McGonagall walked around the Great Hall, having people who were staying behind to sign their names. Sirius glared at her.

"Stop saying that," he muttered darkly as he quickly scribbled down his name on the paper Professor McGonagall was passing around. Natalia's grin grew wider. Ever since yesterday evening when Remus finally revealed who Rapunzel was, she had not stopped chanting that one phrase. Needless to say, Sirius was not pleased that Natalia had been calling him a woman with extensive hair for the past three months.

"But it's bloody ace to be called Rapunzel!" said Natalia. "You can strangle people with your super-long hair! And a handsome prince falls in love with you," she added, winking. She expertly dodged a zooming fork that was aimed at her direction. She continued to eat her toast, grinning at Sirius' heated gazes. When Lily saw Natalia that morning, she went into a panicked frenzy.

"Why aren't you packed?" she practically screeched. "We're leaving Sunday morning!"

"And I have precisely twenty-four hours to pack," responded Natalia calmly, "which means I still have time to hex a few people before I leave."

"James has already packed!" protested Lily, "Nat, I can't believe you!" She swallowed hard, she knew that once those words came out of her mouth, she was in trouble, because Natalia's eyes were sparkling again.

"Oh Lily, I'll never be able to measure up to James." She grinned. "He has, what you'd call it, home-team advantage. Don't think I didn't see what happened on Wednesday," she teased. "Honestly, did you really think I'd go to bed that early?" Lily turned a crimson red, and even then, she was still extremely pretty. With a huff, she snatched one of Natalia's slices of toast and stuffed it into her mouth, walking out of the Great Hall. She pouted at her lost slice.

"I spent ten minutes buttering it too," she moped, grabbing for another one. She could have sworn she saw Sirius crack a smile.

"You shouldn't eat so much toast, anyway," he said. "You'll get fat."

"I've never heard anyone get fat just from toast before," Natalia mused, using her knife to scoop up some butter.

"Yeah, well," said Sirius, now grinning smugly, "I reckon you can."

"I welcome that challenge," declared Natalia, waving her butter knife at him. "Just you wait, I'll prove you wrong."

"Ooh, am I supposed to cower away from terror now?" Sirius mocked. "What are you going to do, stab me in the chest with your butter knife?" He saw Natalia's face fall slightly, and he immediately regretted his words. He was opening his mouth to apologize when she spoke up.

"Y-yeah!" she said,. "I'm going to stab you!" But instead, she tossed her knife back onto the table and stuffed the entire toast into her mouth. The toast was larger than she thought - she was struggling not to choke on her bread when she saw a dark-haired girl walk over. Sirius' ridiculing laughter ceased when he turned around to face Louisa. She smiled at him, her bright blue eyes sparkling.

"Hello, Sirius," she said sweetly. "I just wanted to wish you a happy Christmas before I left. I'm going to Switzerland for the holidays," she explained. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before exiting, leaving Sirius staring dreamily at her. Natalia rolled her eyes.

"Black, you're starting to drool," she pointed out, swallowing the toast in one gulp. To her surprise, Sirius glared fiercely at her.

"So?" he snarled. "So what if I'm drooling? It's none of your business what I choose to do. You don't own me!" Natalia blinked once, before raising her eyebrow at him.

"I was just saying," she said in a much cooler tone of voice, "that you should wipe your mouth. No need to take things so seriously," she added, getting up and leaving Sirius sitting alone. Sirius sat in his seat, blinking a few times. He shook his head, as though confused as to why he had yelled at Natalia, and stared at his plate.

"Oi, mate!" called out a voice.

Sirius' head tilted up, and for a second, thought Louisa was waving to him from the other side of the Great Hall. However, once she started walking towards him, he saw that it was actually Natalia. She was grinning.

"You coming to Hogsmeade?" she asked, as though she had not just snapped at him minutes ago. "I'm not going to go alone. It's the last trip before I leave." Sirius shrugged, pushing away his plate.

"Sure, why not," he said. "Maybe you'll be involved in another death-defying battle with the Slytherins, and it'll be up to me to save your sorry arse."

"With any luck, mate," laughed Natalia, "I will be."

"Say, Sirius, how long does it take to get something mailed?" asked Natalia as they walked through the snowy village.

"Nat, St. Mungo's postal service is closed during the -"

"I know that," she said impatiently, "I mean, for a gift, or something. How long does it take to get mailed?"

"I dunno. depends on how far it is. Within the United Kingdom and the rest of Ireland, it's about two days."

"Oh."

Sirius looked at her suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Oh nothing," Natalia waved it off. "Just wondering. Should I get anything for Lily's folks?" she asked, darting into Zonko's. "Which is better, Wartcap Powder or Frog Spawn Soap?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, but couldn't help grinning.

"Nat, I don't think Lily's folks are interested in making practical jokes."

She turned around and looked at him like it was the stupidest thing he had ever said.

"Well, of course I'm not giving them this!" she stated, looking offended. "I was deciding which one was better to use on Petunia!" She folded her arms. Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"Then I'd tell you to get both," he chuckled. "Merlin knows she deserves it all after the way she treats Evans."

"Right-o," exclaimed Natalia brightly as she loaded her arms with all sorts of devious products. When they were out of the shop, her bag was practically bursting with all sorts of goods.

They went into Gladrags for a short moment, but quickly scampered out. Sirius was basically carrying Natalia because she couldn't keep up with him, due to the fact that she was holding onto a heavy bag full of joke products. He ducked behind the trashcan and panted quietly as some girls sped past the two.

"But Sirius, you look so dashing with those mistletoe neckties hanging over your head," snickered Natalia as she pretended to bat her eyelashes. Sirius gave her a gentle push, but hard enough that she hit the snow.

"Shut up," he said sternly, standing up and brushing the snow off of him. "It was bad enough that you weren't running."

"I wanted to see what would happen if you got caught," said Natalia innocently. They found themselves right in front of the Armilla's Jewelry display window. Sirius groaned to himself - he was still recovering from the painful bruise on his behind when he was kicked out before. He saw that Natalia was glancing at the bracelet again.

"Go on, get it," he urged. "You might as well - you're leaving tomorrow and who knows if some prat's going to get it for his girlfriend." He decided not to mention the fact that he had once tried to buy it for Louisa himself.

"Nah, it's all right," said Natalia, shuffling her feet. "I don't want it."

Sirius snorted in disbelief.

"Yeah right," he said skeptically. "What are you waiting for? You can afford it easily."

"The - the money's supposed to go for helping me out after Hogwarts," said Natalia uncomfortably. "And I don't want to waste it."

The fact that Natalia was, in fact, being responsible for once was more implausible than a Hippogriff going vegetarian. Sirius actually laughed out loud. He pushed her forward, nudging her into the shop.

"Just get it," he urged. "You know your nose isn't going to leave that glass until you do. So get it now, so we can go someplace else."

"I don't want to get it," said Natalia determinedly, though still staring at the bracelet.

"Get it!"

"No!"

"Get it!"

"No!"

"Why not?" said Sirius, starting to get frustrated.

Natalia's voice was so low Sirius had to crane down to hear. "Because I don't have enough money."

Sirius groaned. Typical Nat. "Did you waste it all on Zonko's?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

Natalia snorted.

"Of course I didn't. All those cost only around two Galleons anyway."

"Then what? Wait... did Slytherins steal your money?" Sirius narrowed his eyes immediately after the thought.

Natalia shook her head.

"Then what?" said Sirius, looking exasperated. "What happened to it?"

"Come on, let's go," said Natalia firmly, taking her eyes off the glass display. "Let's go somewhere else." And before Sirius could object, she pushed him along the snowy path, until Sirius slipped onto a rather icy and slippery patch on the walk.

"Nat! You did that on purpose!" roared Sirius as he threw a snowball barely missed Natalia's ear.

"Nuh uh!" laughed Natalia. "You slipped all by yourself. You should have seen your face - where is Malia when you need her?"

"I dunno, but I bet Moony's not too far away," grinned Sirius. She paused, and nodded in agreement. Her eyes widened when she realized that she had stopped running, and Sirius was coming towards her with a devious look in his eye. Before she had time to react, Sirius facewashed her with a handful of snow he had gathered in his hand.

"Are you almost done packing?" asked Lily anxiously when she saw Natalia and Sirius walking back. She nodded her head vigorously, and Lily sighed with relief.

"I finished packing, alright," said Natalia with energy. "Packed the snow so hard it was practically an iceball by the time I creamed Sirius. That'll show him to facewash me," she said triumphantly, pointing to a red mark on Sirius' face.

Lily was not amused.

"You start packing straight after dinner," she said angrily. "I don't want you to put it off and start panicking at the last second." Natalia gave her a thumbs-up, and the three of them all headed towards the Great Hall for dinner.

James, Malia, Remus and Peter were already there when they arrived.

"I sure hope your mum's a good cook, Lily," said James, grinning.

"Lily's mum makes the best lemon meringue pie," piped up Natalia. "She makes good meatloaf as well. And black pudding." She grinned.

"Say, Peter - whatever happened to that girl you went out with?" asked Malia. "What was her name... Priscilla?"

"Prudence," Peter muttered, ducking his face. "That was a nightmare. She kept demanding me to buy everything for her, and screamed at me for ten minutes when I told her I didn't have enough money."

Natalia nodded in understanding.

"Are you going anywhere, Malia?" asked Lily. Malia shook her head.

"No. Mum, Dad, and Shara's folks are off on vacation, and Shara's staying with friends, so I guess I'm on my own," she said, giving a discreet glance at the boy beside her.

"That's brilliant - Peter and Remus are staying too!" remarked James, grinning.

Both Remus and Malia's gazes dropped simultaneously down to their plates. Everyone laughed.

"S-stop that," said Malia, trying to protest. "It's nothing funny, really, Remus is just tutoring me -"

"Yeah," said Remus. "Just - you know, friends." Both of them were nodding their heads so intensely that everyone broke down into more hysterical laughter. Their mirth subsided for a bit when an owl passed them by and dropped a rather large and thin package to a girl sitting near them.

Mildred, the Gryffindor Keeper, stared at the package in awe, and unwrapped it carefully with her fingers.

"What is it, Milly?" asked a girl sitting beside her.

"I dunno, Jess," replied Mildred. "But... I think it might be..." she gasped. She tore off a bit of the packaging paper, and saw the rich brown wooden handle. She guided her fingers along it, and saw that, in gold letters, read the words, 'Cleansweep 7'.

"This beats my old broom by ten thousand leagues," breathed Mildred, "but who could have sent it?"

"Oh, I don't know... maybe you should read the letter that was attached to it?" her friend Jess said sarcastically, ripping off the envelope and handing it to her. "God, that's a heavy letter," gasped Jess. Mildred opened the letter and read the cursive writing:

Dear Mildred Mace,

Thought you needed a new broom.

Happy Christmas.

The note was unsigned, but a large pouch quietly slipped out of the envelope. When Mildred opened the pouch inconspicuously, she nearly had a heart attack. The pouch was full of Galleons.

"You think it's jinxed?" asked Jess, having not seen the coins and was referring to the broom. Mildred grinned, and picked up her new broom and pouch of coins, with a happy glow on her face. Mum and Dad will be pleased, she thought to herself, tucking the pouch away.

"Only one way to find out," she said to her friend, then called to a boy. "Oi, Jerks!"

The boy looked up.

"You know how you dare me to race you across the school?" she said, grinning widely. Jonathan smirked, knowing where this was going.

"Ten minutes, Mace," he taunted. "And in fifteen, you'll be doing all my homework for the next two months."

"Not likely, because in twelve minutes, you'll be too busy doing mine." The two of them and a couple of other second-years all got up and scurried out the Great Hall.

Lily turned back to face her company of friends.

"Wonder how she got that broom," she commented easily. James grinned as he reached for his favorite treacle tart.

"I don't care, with that broom, we have a chance to win!" he whooped loudly, I could kiss the person who sent her that broom!"

"Trust me, Potter, I don't think you'd want to kiss them," said Natalia amusedly. She continued eating her mashed potatoes serenely while the others remained discussing the mysterious issue regarding Mildred's broomstick. Sirius kept shooting her accusatory looks, but Natalia's eyes were glued to her plate. After dinner, when everyone made their way up to the common room, Sirius made sure to hold Natalia back.

"Why did you do it?" he asked her. She looked at him blankly.

"Why did I do what?"

Sirius gave her a look.

"Why did you send Mildred that broom? Don't deny it - you took my magazine because of that order form, you knew about that discount on the Cleansweep 7, and, you didn't have enough money to buy that bracelet!" he finished off triumphantly.

"I won't deny it, then," said Natalia, looking amused.

"But why did you spend all your money for that broom?" persisted Sirius. "I mean, you could've used it for better purposes, like buying a house, or -"

"Mildred needs the money more than I do," said Natalia, shrugging, "And besides, the extra hundred Galleons will help out her family. Come on, mate, it's the Christmas spirit!" she laughed sincerely. "I feel loads better from doing that. Did you see the look on her face? She was literally glowing!" Natalia grinned and walked through the portrait hole.

Sirius thought to himself for a moment. She never ceased to amaze him, even after all the years he had known her.

His mind wandered to a leather pouch that he promised to be only used for emergencies. Finally, he gave a smile, remembering the expression on Natalia's face when she thought of Mildred's reaction, and walked into the common room as well.

There was still Hogsmeade tomorrow.

"Lily, you've got a lovely front yard," said Natalia pleasantly. "Did your folks build a new patio? I feel taller for some reason."

"Get off of me!" grunted James. "Your shoes smell."

Natalia continued to stand on him.

"Quite a lovely patio," she commented, bouncing her feet slightly. "It feels all warm and squishy." She grinned as she finally stepped off of James, who gave her a death glare.

"When I meant Apparating to the same place, I didn't mean it like that!" he snapped, picking himself up. Natalia shrugged innocently.

"Forgive me, I nearly failed my Apparation test." She smirked. Lily covered her face with her hands and shook her head. She took out her keys and inserted one into the keyhole.

She opened the door.

"Mum, we're home!" Lily called out. "And thank God," she muttered to herself as James and Natalia cluttered in. Someone poked their head out of the doorway inside the house.

"Lily? Is that you dear?" a middle-aged woman squinted her eyes. When she recognized her redheaded daughter, she hurried over and gave her a bone-crushing hug.

"Goodness, you've grown - where is your father - Charles!" she called out. A man came through the doorway as well.

"Well, if it isn't my Silly-Lily," he said affectionately. He directed his glance to the people behind his daughter. "I see you've brought friends," he added, his voice stern. He narrowed his eyes. "State your full name and relation to my daughter," he barked. Lily flushed red with embarrassment, and Lily's mother shook her head, smiling.

Natalia smiled and stepped forward boldly.

"My name is," she took a deep breath, "Natalia Angelica Lynx," she grinned. "And unless I'm mistaken, I'm Lily's best mate."

"You can just call her Nat, Dad," she said hurriedly. Lily's father nodded his head and behaved a great deal warmer towards Natalia, giving her a smile. He darted his gaze to James and glared at him.

"And you?" he asked in a threatening tone, as though daring James to answer. Suddenly, James wasn't so sure he knew his own name.

"My name's, uh, James Walter... Potter?" he said, looking as confused as he sounded. Natalia tried to stifle a laugh. "I'm Lily's boy..." he stopped; the look Lily's father was giving him was enough to dig him an early grave.

"He's my boyfriend, Dad," Lily said for him. "We've been going out for a couple of months."

Lily's father raised his eyebrows so high Natalia could barely see them. Lily's mother gave her husband a look.

"Come on, Charles, it's about time Lily brought home a nice boy," she scolded in a tone that could have been mistaken as Lily's. "Now why don't you welcome the lad in while I go make some hot tea," she said, more like a demand than a suggestion.

Lily's father cleared his throat, having regained his composure, for the moment. "Miss Lynx," he nodded to Natalia, "can share with Lily's room. But as for you," He glared at James. "We've got a separate bed in the guest's room. I think you'll find it quite comfortable - it's right next to mine." He trudged grumpily into the sitting room.

Lily and her mother looked rather embarrassed, James looked somewhat petrified of the sitting room and Natalia was choking with laughter.

"You must excuse Charles," Lily's mother said, smiling apologetically. "he hasn't trusted boys since Petunia started dating. She brought in a, colorful bunch, so to speak. You may call me Mary."

"Where is Petunia, anyway?" Lily asked as James nodded his head politely, but the fear in his eyes did not disappear.

"Oh, probably moseying about town, she's been dating some boy for a few years now," Mary scratched her head. "Erm, name was Dirkley... Dursley! Anyway, tea," she snapped her fingers and went busily into the kitchen. Lily shot the two of them a reassuring smile as she followed her mother.

"Go into the sitting room," she whispered before she left. "You can get to know Dad."

"He might kill me before then," muttered James once Lily was out of earshot. Natalia, however, wasn't, and laughed.

"Lily says that he used to be part of those... Muggle army people," she whispered. "But he retired. Anyway, he went on loads of trips during summer. This is the first time I've visited for Christmas."

"Is there anything I should know other than that?"

"Why, yes there is," said Natalia, sounding delighted. "He's got a rather nice metal thing hooked at the top of the fireplace. It's the Muggle way to kill people without using their hands."

James groaned.

"Don't worry, mate, if he gives you any trouble, you've got a wand."

"I don't think Lily or her mum will like it much if I hex him," muttered James.

Natalia shrugged and grinned, before elbowing James hard. He stumbled, and tripped into the sitting room. She walked lightly behind him.

The sitting room was actually quite comfortable, with a roaring fire and a couple of comfy chairs and sofas. A mahogany coffee table was set to one side of the room, and a chess table sat beside it. The curtains were pulled back, revealing white flurries of snow. A man sat grimly in a dark red armchair, his shoulders square, his jaw set. James' eyes automatically darted to the fireplace, and felt his stomach clench when he saw the odd metal object that Natalia had described before.

"Take a seat, boy," Charles said sternly as James scurried a couch. Natalia followed, though her behavior was more cheerful and less afraid.

Charles gave him a steely look.

"Now, according to my wife, you are currently seeing my daughter?" he said, more of a statement than a question.

"... Er... yeah..."

"And what are your intentions of seeing my daughter?" he continued to shoot his questions. "Why are you attracted to her?"

"She's clever, kind, and er - pretty," James said, immediately regretting his last word when Charles narrowed his eyes even more. Natalia watched the conversation with an amused eye.

"Pretty, you say?" he bellowed. "What do you mean by 'pretty', boy?"

"Uh, she's got nice hair, she - uh - has nice eyes," James stuttered, looking at Natalia for support, "and - uh -"

"What about her body? Do you think about that?" barked Charles, his eyes fired with suspicion. "What do you think that, boy?"

James stared, not knowing what to answer.

"Answer me, boy!" he ordered furiously, his face red. When James didn't answer, Charles let out a grim laugh. "I know your type, boy," he snarled. "Just want the body, don't you? A one-night stand, and then you leave her. Not on my watch, boy," he growled, leaning closer. "Nobody harms my Lily like that and gets away with -"

"Hey look, a chess table!" said Natalia suddenly, pointing to the left, "James loves to play chess! Why don't the two of you play against each other?" She smiled sweetly at Charles' look.

Charles narrowed his eyes once again.

"You play chess, boy?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Can't you answer a question? Yes or no?" demanded the father.

"... Yes, I play chess," said James, slightly more firm. Charles slowly got up from his seat.

"Then let us go to war," he said, sparing a glance at his beloved M1917 Enfield rifle sitting above the fireplace.

"Pawn to D4!" said James firmly to the chess table. The chess piece didn't move.

"What's the matter with you, boy?" growled Charles. James mentally slapped his head as he heard Natalia chuckle. Muggle chess, right...

He took his pawn and moved it to the desired location. Charles looked thoughtful as he moved his black pieces. James took his horse and made an aggressive move. Charles chuckled as he took James pawn.

"Shouldn't have done that, boy, you just lost your defenseman," he said, a hint of smugness in his voice.

"Maybe not," said James, as he was about to shout an order again, but he caught Natalia's look and moved it himself, somewhat sheepishly.

Thirty minutes had passed, and the women had come back with hot tea and were watching them play.

"You're not too bad at this," said Charles, in a noticeably friendlier tone.

"Thank you sir, you're doing quite well too," said James politely. "Checkmate."

Charles stared flabbergasted at the table, and finding there was no alternative, he admitted defeat.

"Great game! Must've been the longest game I've ever witnessed!" said Natalia, clapping her hands. "Of course, by then I would've gotten bored and hexed Sirius then," she added with a grin.

Charles gave James an approving nod.

"I like a man who can play a good game of chess, it shows brains," he said. "Welcome to the family, James." He shook James' hand. James appeared slightly dazed.

"Dad, we're not getting married - " Lily started awkwardly, but Charles interrupted her.

"Nonsense, I'd be proud to call him my son," he said, smiling. "I think I'll go get more tea now." He trudged over to the kitchen. Mary winked at them and followed her husband.

"Talk about coming full circle! From potential pervert, to beloved son-in-law. After just one game of chess, you're part of the family!" Natalia clapped her hand hard on James' shoulder. "How do you feel about that?"

"I'm bloody glad I'm not dead," James muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. Lily laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Chapter End Notes: Hehe, I hope you all enjoyed that one. I'm already working on a new extralong chapter, so stay tuned for more! Reviewing only takes a second - but writing, now THAT takes time to do. Hugs and kisses to RainingTearsandPixieDust, Murasaki Argenteria, and my good old pal Desmond Kyokoshima for sticking with me all this time! I love you guys!

Luv(lol),

ArcanusRose