Chapter 784 - Extended Invitation Ⅱ

It was cold and dark and many of the inhabitants of the industrial town of Cokeworth were already in bed. A few windows show a faint nightlamp light or the blue light of a television set that was on and being watched. None noticed the faint echoing pop in the distance much less a cloaked figure making their way towards the nicer end of town. The sidewalks were clean and dry as the first snowfall had been rather light and had already melted leaving behind muddy patches of grass and frozen mud.

The cloaked figure of Reginald Prince makes his way through the sleepy, quiet town and arrives in front of rows of red-bricked homes with a small front yard in front of each flat. In rose bushes in front of the Evans homes are carefully preserved. The rose bushes have been trimmed for the winter, while the rose bush roots are carefully covered with moss compost to protect from the harsh winter cold. Although Reginald had never personally visited the Evans family home, Georgine had written the address down in her letter with a brief, but detailed description of the muggle home.​​

Certain that he was in the correct location, Reginald walked up the sidewalk and gravel, before climbing a few cement steps. There was a white light emitted from the front room and a bright yellow light upstairs. Content that he was not waking the Evans family from their sleep, he knocked loudly twice and waited.

A thin, tall, light-haired teenage girl with light-colored girl, who had been sitting on the couch watching Dr. Who lets out a loud snort at the knock. Petunia lowers the volume on the telly, and yells to her parents upstairs, "Mum and Dad, there's someone at the door!"

"Open it, and see who it is, Tuney," was the reply from her parents from upstairs.

Petunia was wearing striped pajamas and grumbles as she wraps her fluffy bed robe around her. Slipping on her fluffy night slippers, she walks to the door. Her parents liked to watch Emmerdale, a boring soap opera about farm life. She hated the show and very much preferred to watch Dr. Who. She could only watch her show later in the evening since she had to do her homework and chores in the latter part of the afternoon. Not to mention she had to study for a big Chem exam coming up at the end of next week.

Petunia opens the door irritably and is about snap at the visitor at the door, but the words die down in her mouth before they can get out. She lets out a weak gulp at the sight of the towering figure at the door. "Can I help you, sir," she weakly asked with a tinge of fear in her voice.

"Ah, you must be Petunia Evans," the stranger said. "My granddaughter, Rowan is quite fond of you, Miss Evans."

Petunia realizes a bit at the reply. "Um, would you happen to be Rowan and Severus's grandfather, sir?" She quietly asked with still a tone of uncertainty heard in her voice.

"That would be correct, Miss Evans. I am Reginald Prince," he replied. "Would your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Evans be home? There is a matter that I wish to discuss with them."

"Certainly, sir!" Petunia hastily said as she stepped aside and permitted, the tall, slender wizard to enter their home.

The Evans home is a small home that held a living front in the front with a couch and two armchairs in front of the television. There is an old bookcase against one of the walls with a half-open wall that connects to a small kitchen. Down a small hallway are two doors, one leading to the guest bedroom with a tiny water closet, and the other leading to the laundry room. The three bedrooms of the Evans family are all upstairs.

Taking note of the small size of the home, Reginald Prince reaches up to remove the cowl of his cloak and reveals a slender man with stern features. His dark hair is silver-streaked before he turns a dark cool gaze towards the young girl. "May I have a seat, Miss Evans?" He asked.

"Right away, sir!" Petunia hastily said as she rushed over to turn off the telly.

"No need," Reginald replied looking intrigued at the muggle box contraction in front of him. From what he understood the Wiz Link would work in a similar fashion to show images and sounds. "Fascinating," he muttered as he stared at the muggle contraction with curiosity.

"It's a telly, I mean, telly for short, but it is called a television or T.V. as well," Petunia replied as she fretfully shuffled on her feet uncertain of what to do or say. She had never heard much about Rowan's grandfather except that he was rather doting and loving. Although Lily had said after a visit after their first year that he was a bit cold and stern. She could clearly see that Lily had minced her description. The man was rather cold and very much frightening!

There was something about him that put her on edge, just like when they had gone to a zoo and seen a slumbering large tiger. Everyone had enjoyed the trip, but Petunia had felt the wildness of the tiger. The tiger was safely caged for now, but if the tiger ever escaped from its cage. There was no telling what would occur!

Not having heard a reply from their oldest daughter, the light-haired figure of Mrs. Evans emerges from the couple'ss bedroom wearing a long night-dress with a pink fluffy bed robe. "Who was it, Petunia?" She asked as her emerald eyes flashed with curiosity.

Mrs. Evans falters at the top of the stairs and nearly takes a tumble down the flight of stairs. Rising from his seat, Reginald bows and says, "Good evening, Mrs. Evans. We have met before; I am Reginald Prince the grandfather of Rowan and Severus Prince. I apologize for the disturbance at this hour, but I wish to speak about a matter regarding your youngest daughter, Lily Evans."

"Oh, did something occur?" Mrs. Evans asked with concern as she hurried down the stairs turning on the bright living room yellow light.

"Who is it?" Mr. Evans asked as he emerged from the top of the stairs in a blue cotton pajama with vertical stripes down through the top and bottom. He was a ginger-haired man with brown-colored eyes. Noticing the stranger in their living room, he stares at his wife as he hurries down the stairs.

"It's Mr. Prince," Mrs. Evans replied introducing the tall, stern-faced, older gentlemen in their living room. "You remember, it's Rowan and Severus's grandfather, and aided us in Diagon Alley during Lily's first year. He said he came to discuss something about Lily."

"Did something happen to our girl?" Mr. Evans asked repeating the concern of his wife.

"No, Miss Lily is perfectly fine," Reginald replied causing the Evans couple to sigh in relief.

"Petunia please turn off the telley," Mrs. Evans said causing Petunia to hesitate for a moment as she glanced at Mr. Prince, before hurrying to turn it off.

The living room falls silent as Mr. Evans and Mrs. Evans sit down in each of the two armchairs with Petunia sitting down on one of the velvet arms of the chairs. The couple shared another glance with each other. They were not certain as to the reason for the late visit, but they would do their best to listen and understand.

The Evans couple had not initially believed that magic existed and that Lily had been invited to attend a magical school of some sort by the name of Hogwarts. They believed it was all an elaborate, practical prank and had not the heart to crush Lily's dreams. It was not until they arrived in London and entered Diagon Alley that they were utterly floored by the realization that magic was very much real. They had been far too much in shock to process their surroundings until they returned home.

It was with concern that they realized that their youngest, Lily was about to enter an entirely new world that they could never guide her in. Their only source of relief came in the manner of Lily's childhood friend, Severus (Snape), and his twin sister, Rowan. The twins happened to be magical themselves, and in fact, their mother was a witch. It came as a reprieve to the Evans couple to know that Lily had friends, who could guide her and aid her in the previously unknown magical world to them.

Perchance that is why they worried more about Lily than their eldest daughter, Petunia. It had not been their intent to place Petunia in second place, but at times, they did especially during the summer holidays. It was the only time when the whole family was together, and sometimes Lily's d.e.s.i.r.es came before that of Petunia. The tension between their two daughters only seemed to worsen until the year before during the summer holidays.

The Evans couple did not know what occurred nor caused the change to transpire, but their eldest daughter Petunia slowly began to change for the better. Petunia became that much more confident and seemly became a wholly different person. Why just during the past summer holidays, Petunia even gained a boyfriend! It was a friend of Rowan's, a wizard lad by the name of Andrew Abbott.

The Evans are initially concerned about meeting the young man, but to their astonishment, Andrew Abbott was a kind young wizard. In fact, his uncle was something called a squib, (which they know what that term meant), and was even married to a witch who was born to normal folks just like Lily! It was simply wonderful to learn that the Abbott couple that lived in town could aid Lily and them in better understanding the wizarding world. As a result, a deep friendship had blossomed between the two families leading them to become rather close.