While Alan remained troubled by his thoughts, the group watching the children seemed to have had enough sport. Sirius, seeing Alan emerge from the kitchen, scooped up a child and approached him with a chuckle. "Hey, look, Alan. This is my godson, Harry."
He brought Harry closer to Alan and addressed the oblivious infant. "Look, Harry, this is Alan. You must remember in the future not to be as vain as this guy." The mischievous Sirius continued his teasing, not caring a bit whether little Harry could understand a word of it.
Alan rolled his eyes. Looking at the innocent baby, he took Harry's small hand and joined in the banter. "Hey, little Harry, your godfather looks annoying, but in reality, he's even worse. Don't learn to be as sloppy as him when you grow up."
Sirius immediately bristled, pulling Harry back slightly. "What are you doing? Don't go corrupting my little Harry."
While holding the boy, Sirius shed his usual carefree, public persona. His face was full of genuine affection; a stranger might have easily mistaken him for the biological father.
Alan played with the two of them for a while until James called Sirius over for a private word. Sirius handed Harry to Alan and went to find his friend. Alan held the boy, watching him suck his thumb, and searched for any sign of a legendary savior. He found none—just a normal, happy child.
Soon, Sirius returned. "Alan, James suggested we take a group photo. Come on, join us."
After Alan agreed, he carried Harry toward the fireplace. James and Lupin had already cleared the furniture to make space. Alice Longbottom called Lily and Augusta from the kitchen. They lined up in a row, with the Potters and the Longbottoms in the center. Sirius, Lupin, and Peter stood on James's side, while Augusta stood on the other. For the sake of symmetry, Alan stood next to Augusta. James adjusted the camera's timer and signaled for everyone to smile. A moment later, the camera flashed.
It was only after the flash faded that Alan realized something was off. He looked down at his arms; he was still holding Harry.
Everyone had been so busy arranging themselves that they had forgotten to have Lily or James hold their own son. Little Neville wasn't with his parents either; he was being held by his grandmother, Augusta. The group photo had been captured in a state of complete muddle.
"I have to ask, did you all forget something?" Alan looked at the two young couples, utterly speechless. "Are you two not even going to hold your own child for the photo?"
The realization sparked a burst of laughter from the room. Lily stepped forward to take Harry from Alan's arms. "It seems Harry really likes you, Alan. He didn't even fuss after being held for so long. I can't believe I didn't notice."
"Do you want to retake it?" Alan asked. "Is it really a family photo if neither of you is holding your children?"
"It's fine," Lily said, her tone light and philosophical. Neither James nor the Longbottoms seemed bothered by the mistake. Instead, they all began heading toward the dining room, eager to start the feast.
It was as if fate were using the photo as a foreshadowing, unaware of how the future would eventually reflect the fragmented reality of that image. Alan didn't dwell on the thought and followed the group to the table.
They enjoyed the Christmas delicacies amidst a chorus of laughter. After tasting the dishes Alan had contributed, the praise was unanimous and generous.
Following the dinner, the satisfied group gathered in the living room to exchange gifts. Alan brought out his offerings. For Lily, there were the children's books and the music box. For James, he provided a beautifully packaged vial of Euphoria Potion. He had prepared enough for nearly everyone in the room.
The guests' impressions of Alan shifted toward genuine warmth when they saw he had considered everyone. Augusta, realizing she hadn't prepared a gift for him, took a silver chain from her pocket. It was a semi-finished ornament she had commissioned, intended to be a locket for a photo of her grandson. Since she had nothing else on hand, she presented it as a gift from the Longbottom family, noting she could easily have another made later.
The Potters gave Alan a set of books titled Mysteries of Magical Defense, inscribed with blessings from both Lily and James. Knowing Alan was a diligent student and having heard of his potential from Flitwick, Lily had copied the texts from the Potter family library. Such academic works were rare and virtually impossible to find on the open market.
Alan felt as if he had struck gold, thanking them repeatedly.
Then Sirius mysteriously produced his own gift. Alan had expected a bag of Galleons and a shrug, but the offering surprised him. It was a small linen pouch. Upon taking it, Alan realized it was an alchemical item enchanted with a Traceless Extension Charm. It contained about four cubic meters of internal space—a high-quality magical storage item.
"Not bad, eh?" Sirius said proudly. "The enchantment should hold for about four or five years, which will get you through to graduation. When I saw you lugging all those bags the other day, I knew exactly what you needed."
Alan was genuinely excited. He had considered buying a spatial item for his travels, but even low-quality versions with a one-year shelf life were prohibitively expensive. He hadn't expected Sirius to be so observant.
For once, Alan skipped the mockery and offered sincere thanks, causing Sirius to beam with pride. The room remained immersed in festive joy.
"I suppose the Death Eaters aren't coming tonight," Sirius whispered to Alan, leaning in close. "I wonder how the Weasleys are faring." It was clear that despite the laughter, he hadn't let his guard down for a second.
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