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“Everything has to be perfect,” Regulus said for probably the billionth time that day. He was rushing around the manor trying to get everything ready for the Potters’ Christmas party.
“Reg, we aren’t hosting Merlin himself,” James teased. “We have this same party every year! What’s different?”
“Well, for one, the new guest list.” Regulus was stressed. While they had always tried to be there for their nephew, Dudley, when they could, it was admittedly pretty hard. Regulus had met Petunia before she’d started dating Vernon, and all these years of estrangement took a toll. The resentment of Lily’s magic would have likely faded away with adolescence had Petunia not married the most foul muggle Regulus had laid eyes on.
Lily tended to especially mourn the loss of that relationship around the holiday time. This Christmas, though, Dudley would be joining them for their annual dinner. He was living on his own, now, and they decided to give him a call. Lily hadn’t dared reach out while he was still living with his parents, lest they pull back even further.
“Did he say what his girlfriend’s name was?” Lily asked under her breath. “I’m wondering if I should give them Christmas gifts tonight, or if they’ll be willing to come over on Christmas eve.”
James and Regulus knew better than to advise her one way or the other.
“The gang should be here soon,” James said, trying to lighten the mood. The other Marauders had agreed to get there early to help set up.
And indeed they were. Marlene and Dorcas were the first to arrive, heading straight for the dining room to set up the buffet for the night. Admittedly, none of the Marauders were adept at preparing a feast, so they had decided to order Muggle Catering that Mary and Peter agreed to pick up on their way.
Harry and his girlfriend, Pansy, were not too long behind them. Lily frowned when she noticed that Harry was as nervous as she was about seeing Dudley. She had hoped he would have been spared the anxiety, but she understood that it had to be nerve-racking to be meeting a new cousin you’ve never spent two minutes with.
By the time Dudley arrived, everyone was buzzing with excitement. All they knew was that he was bringing his girlfriend, so they had made the party completely Muggle-friendly and magic-free to accommodate. When the doorbell rang, a hush fell over the party in anticipation.
Lily grabbed Regulus and James’ hands as she practically ran to the front door.
“Dudley!” she exclaimed when she saw him. She had spent a good deal of time that morning trying to perfect her not-creepy-but-still-happy smile. She feared all that practice had gone out the window now. “Come in, come in!”
Dudley and his girlfriend shuffled in after Lily. James took their coats as they entered the house further. Dudley’s girlfriend had furrowed brows as she looked from James to Lily to Regulus. As the uncles and aunt met her eyes, they matched her expression.
“Miss Chang?” James questioned, shaking her hand. She nodded as she greeted her other former professors as well.
“You know each other?” Dudley asked. Cho looked embarrassed as she nodded, and Lily wondered if the girl had yet told Dudley she was a witch.
“They were teachers of mine in school,” she said quietly. Lily pondered her options before leading the young couple out of the foyer, where waited several of Cho’s former classmates. Dudley would certainly leave the party knowing his girlfriend was a witch if he heard Harry mention being schoolmates.
“You teach at Hogwarts?” Dudley asked, now with realization on his face. Lily let out her breath.
“I do, yes,” she said with a smile. “James does as well.”
“I taught for about a year as a placeholder,” Regulus added. “Though, I did have the pleasure of teaching Miss Chang.”
Dudley nodded, and James couldn’t tell what his slight smile meant. He did so hope that his nephew would enjoy himself, as well as, perhaps, want to stay in touch.
When they entered the party, there were tentative smiles all around. James had to wave at Sirius to start the music back up, realizing his friends must have cut it off when they answered the door. Harry and Pansy were at the front of the room, plastered with smiles just like Lily’s. James approached and put an arm around each of them as they were formally introduced to Dudley.
“Your cousin, Harry,” Lily said. Harry and Dudley shook hands and James wondered if there were an alternate universe in which the two separated boys had gotten the chance to grow up together.
The party resumed with conversation as they showed Dudley around the place. Cho was bombarded with greetings from everyone she had gone to school with. The anticipatory tension had lifted, and now everyone just hoped that the party would prove a success.
James was pleased with how well Dudley and Cho had been welcomed into the party. He had no doubts in his friends’ hospitality, but was understandably dubious about Dudley’s potential demeanor. They really hadn’t the slightest clue what Dudley had been told about them, if anything.
“Do you think he’s having a good time?” Lily asked her husbands as they sat in a corner of the party. They watched as Harry and Cho taught Dudley exploding snap, and eventually a large game of it broke out.
“He looks like it to me,” Regulus said, giving Lily’s hand a squeeze.
“I do hope so,” James agreed. The three partners sat for a few moments, taking in the energy of the party around them. “Maybe he’d like to come with us camping sometime.”
“I doubt Petunia has ever camped in her adult life,” Lily laughed. For once, her throat hadn’t caught at the mention of her sister around the holidays. James figured the joy of Dudley’s presence had eased her pain, even if slightly.
As the night grew later and the party thinned out, Lily, James, and Regulus found themselves sitting around the fireplace with Harry, Pansy, Dudley, and Cho. Regulus was sure his brother and brother-in-law were still somewhere around the house, but were absent at the moment.
Lily had been telling everyone a story of an early Christmas with Petunia, where she’d accidentally summoned snowfall in their shared bedroom.
“I wish I’d gotten to know you sooner,” Dudley said after everyone had had a good laugh. Regulus put an arm around Lily and squeezed her shoulder in assurance, grabbing James’ hand on his other side as well.
“I would have liked that very much, Dudley,” Lily said. Regulus could hear in her voice that she was trying not to cry. “But I am just as happy to know you as a young man.”
“We were wondering,” James began, looking to Lily, and then back to his nephew. “If you two might like to come back here on Christmas Eve for a proper dinner. It’ll just be those of us in this room, plus two of Harry’s uncles.”
“We would, yeah,” Dudley said, grinning ear to ear.
Even if the fire had gone out, Lily’s heart at that moment could have warmed the entire estate.