Twelve Years Later

Years had passed since the final battle at Godric's Hollow, and the scars of war had healed, with the rest of the Death Eaters rotting away in Azkaban. The enchanting station of 9 3/4 was adorned with a festive atmosphere, the air filled with the warmth of the approaching Christmas season.

      The parents waited in the station for the Hogwarts Express to arrive, waiting impatiently to see their children return home after months at Hogwarts for Christmas break.

"Oh, when are they getting here?" Lily Evans groaned, looking down at her watch.

"Any minute now," said James Potter, throwing an arm around his wife's shoulder comfortingly. He was older now, but his hair was as messy as ever, his lopsided glasses over nose.

"I miss Neville so much. This is the first year they've been away," said Alice, who was standing beside them with Frank Longbottom. "The home felt so empty without him around."

"Ha! I wish I could say the same," Lily said grudgingly, glaring sideways at James.

He shrugged. "What?"

"The nights that Sirius comes over for dinner you two are crazy loud! You wake up the entire Godric's Hollow!" said Lily.

"They shouldn't be complaining. We were the ones who fixed their houses after the battle."

"Yes, after we destroyed them," Lily corrected him. But then her attention was caught elsewhere. "Oh — is that...?"

"What?" James questioned.

"That woman over there," Lily pointed at a few feet over, where a short woman with red hair was standing with her young daughter, she too having bright red hair. "That's Mrs. Weasley. I'm gonna go say hi."

Leaving her husband's sight, Lily approached the ginger woman, grabbing her attention. "Hello! Mrs. Weasley, right?"

"Oh, my!" The woman gasped. "Mrs. Potter! Oh, it's such a pleasure meeting you. We've heard the story of your family's bravery for years."

"Thank you." Lily chuckled. "In the letters Harry has been writing us all year he's mentioned your son, Ron, so many times! I feel like they're best friends already!"

"Oh, yes!" Mrs. Weasley smiled heartily. "I'm really happy our sons were able to make friends so fast. And I heard from him that Harry has made the Gryffindor Quidditch team already! My older sons are Beaters; Fred and George. But your son, being a Seeker at eleven! That is impressive!"

"Ah, well. He takes after his father. Not to mention his God father got him his first toy broomstick for his first ever birthday."

"Well, that explains it," Mrs. Weasley laughed, but it was cut short when the sound of the approaching train caught their attention. Their kids were back home.

     In a fee minutes, Harry got off the train with his red-haired friend and Neville, saying goodbye to each other before each running to their parents.

     "There's my boy!" James exclaimed, ruffling up Harry's jet-black hair that resembled his father's.

     "Dad! Stop!" Harry ducked away from his father's hand in embarrassment, though he chuckled all the same, hugging him.

     "Oh, I missed you so much!" said Lily, hugging her little boy. He had grown so much.

     They then turned to the Longbottoms, who were hugging Neville and helping him with his trunks. Lily said, "Alice, you sure you guys won't make it to our place for the Christmas dinner tonight?"

     "Yeah, we promised Frank's mom we would visit her tonight," she said.

     "Well, I hope you have a merry Christmas," said Lily. "You too, Neville!"

     "Thanks, Mrs. Potter. Bye, Harry! Merry Christmas!" Neville waved him goodbye, leaving with his parents. He had grown to be a confident young Gryffindor boy, just as talented as his mother in Herbology.

      That night, Lily and James were in the kitchen, preparing dinner that a doorbell rang.

     "I'll get it! I'll get it!" Harry shouted from upstairs, running down.

     "Careful with the steps!" Lily said, but Harry paid no mind. He just ran to the door, knowing exactly who was behind it.

     He opened the door excitedly. "Uncle Padfoot!"

     "Ah, there's my favorite God Son!" Sirius laughed, hugging Harry tightly.

     Harry laughed. "That doesn't mean anything. I'm your only god son."

     "Ah yes, of course. Which means you get a special gift," Sirius winked at him, and then with a wave of his wand, a large wrapped broom appeared out of thin air. "Merry Christmas, Prongs Junior."

     "NO WAY!" Harry yelled excitedly, opening it hurriedly. "Woah! The new Nimbus 2000! Thank you! Thank you!"

     Lily groaned, walking out of the kitchen. "Sirius, what did I tell you about expensive gifts?"

    Sirius shrugged with a handsome grin. "Well, I gotta spend my dear mother's money some way."

     "Hey, Padfoot. Mind helping in the kitchen?" said James miserably. "Lily has me locked up here. Get me out of here."

     "Yes, I'm glad you're here early, Sirius. Can you set the dinner table?" said Lily.

     "Yes, ma'am," Sirius said dramatically, getting into the kitchen.

     "How's your lady?" James asked him.

     "Busy with Quidditch practices," Sirius said. "That's what you get when you marry a world champion."

      Another doorbell rang. Harry, who was until now busy admiring his new broom, ran to the door just as excitedly, opening it to Uncle Moony, followed shortly by Diana, who had their one-year-old little girl, Amaris in her arms.

     It meant 'child of the moon'.

     With the wolfsbane potion brewed by Diana herself every month, Remus and Diana no longer felt despised by the moon. In fact each month they made a short travel to a new mountain and forests, exploring around and enjoying their time running through the woods in the fresh air. There was no more pain. No more grief that followed. Only them, howling at the full moon.

     Although, ever since little Amaris had come along, Lily and James had agreed to take care of their baby while the couple was gone during the full moon. Although whenever Sirius and James were free from their Auror duties, they would join Remus and Diana in their Animagus form for a night of fun.

     Peter Pettigrew was history, spending the rest of his days in a special prison cell in Azkaban, where it was made sure he couldn't transform into a rat.

"Hello!" Harry greeted the Lupins excitedly.

"Hello, Harry," Remus greeted him with a big smile, handing him a big box. "Merry Christmas."

"Let me guess... box of chocolate?"

"Of course. Your favorite flavor," Remus winked at him.

Harry smiled broadly, hugging him. "Thank you, Uncle Moony!"

     "Don't forget about mine," Diana told Remus, nudging him with his elbow. Laughing, Remus handed Harry a second box, which contained two magical knitted socks, with little golden Snitches on them, magically flying all around the socks. "For our little Quidditch hero," said Diana, winking at him.

     "Merlin's beard! Thank you!" Harry exclaimed, carefully giving Diana a side-hug, as she was holding their daughter in her arms.

     "Should we start dinner?" Sirius asked. "I'm starving!"

"No," said Lily, "we still have to wait for Marlene and —"

She was cut off, however, when a loud bang came from the living room, and when they turned, they saw Marlene bursting out of the fireplace through the Floo Network, splashing ashes everywhere.

"Hey, merry Christmas everyone," she said, slightly groaning as she tried to stand to her feet. She too had brought Harry a large box of candies.

Throughout the past ten years Marlene had opened her own candy store in Diagon Alley, which had turned into the biggest and most successful one in all of England.

Though Marlene had verg recently met a new lady at her shop, who was a usual costumer, throughout the last years she mourner the death of Layla. After Layla's death, Marlene found it hard to move on for years, her memory alive in all their hearts. They buried her on a beautiful mountaintop, with a view as gorgeous as her. Diana visited her grave often, talking to her best friend of her life and adventured as though she had never lost her.

Lastly, it was Regulus who joined them for the Christmas feast, and once he arrived, they all gathered around the Potters' dining table, beginning dinner.

"— and there's also this girl, Hermione — I think she's nice — but Ron keeps calling her a know-it-all." Harry kept on telling stories of his days as a first year student at Hogwarts as the dinner was coming to an end.

"A know-it-all, huh?" James smirked, looking sideways at Lily. "Sounds like somebody I knew back in my days at Hogwarts. The smartest girl in class."

"Well, you yourself weren't that bad," said Lily. "Never studied, and always did great in class somehow."

"Only at the practical stuff," James shrugged. "I was always good at Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Speaking of which," Harry began, turning to Remus, "about the Defence Against the Dark Arts class... I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved the chocolate box, but could it be possible to give me the answer sheet for the Christmas homework as a Christmas present?"

Sirius and James snorted with laughter.

"Yeah, c'mon, Moony," said James. "What would be the point of having a professor in the family if we don't get the cheating privileges?"

"Two professors, actually," Regulus corrected them with a smile, pointing at Diana.

Shortly after the war ended, Diana as well became a Hogwarts professor in Ancient Runes. It had always been one of her favourite subjects. It was the same class her and Remus had many memories in.

Though there were still people in the Wizarding world that frowned upon werewolves being in society, after the Wizarding war many things had changed. With Diana and Remus being the first werewolves in history to recieve an Order of Merlin for their heroic fight in the battle, now wizards and witches looked at werewolves differently.

Dumbledore had been kind enough to give them both the jobs that they loved; teaching at Hogwarts, and staying together at a large room close to their office. Now with their daughter, they would take turns taking care of her when the other one had to teach a class, and as for the rest of the time, they would take her daughter all around the grounds of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.

Remus had his fears, when Diana told him the news of being pregnant; he feared that with both parents being werewolves, their child would have wolfish traits. But the only things their little girl had taken from them was Diana's blue eyes and Remus's chocolate brown hair.

Lily shot James a glare. "Harry won't learn anything this way, James. He can't just copy the homework."

"Surprise, surprise," Marlene rolled her eyes with a grin, filling up her plate for the third time that night. "She never let me copy her homework either."

"By the way, did I ever mention how your mother was in love with me all throughout our years at Hogwarts." James said with a smirk, making everyone groan. They had heard them talk about this a million times.

Lily rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Not true. I always thought you were an immature-arrogant—"

"— arrogant-toe-rag," everyone finished together at the same time, laughing.

"No, admit it, Lily-Flower. You thought I was the coolest boy at Hogwarts. Handsome. Funny. Gryffindor Chaser."

"Speaking of Quidditch," Harry said again, his green eyes full of mischief, "can we go and try my new broom now?"

"YES!" Sirius clapped his hand together and jumped to his feet along with James, the three boys quickly running out of the dining room excitedly like three little mischievous kids, before Lily could protest.

Remus chuckled, turning to Diana. "Here sweetheart, let me hold Amaris. I know you'd wanna join the Quidditch game too."

"Oh, yeah I would!" Diana said excitedly, handing him their daughter. She pressed a soft kiss on Amaris's forehead and then a sweet peck on Remus's lips.

With that, one by one they all left the Potters house and entered the back yard, where it was protected by charms so the Muggle wouldn't see them.

It had begun to snow. It was the most beautiful night. The echoes of their shared laughter lingered in the air as they all grabbed a spare broomstick and shot through the sky. Lily and Remus stayed down, cheering them on.

The enchantment of Christmas lights around the house wrapped around them like a comforting cloak, the snow falling down gracefully as they all flew high, throwing the Quaffle around.

Harry laughed. If he was ever to cast a Patronus, this would be the memory he would choose. His heart felt full, his spirit rejoicing in happiness, and there was no sign of a scar on his forehead.

~ The End ~