A/N: Hello everyone!!! Thanks for giving this story of mine a try! I really hope you'll enjoy it. It's just a bit of silliness, really! ;) have fun!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything! It all belongs to JKR, I'm just borrowing a few characters for a while^^

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OF POTTERS AND REDHEADS

Prolog

of a ridiculous discussion

„Kids, Teddy is here!" Ginny Potter called over her shoulder while opening the front door for her husband's godson.

"Good thing, you made it for dinner, James has been edgy all day long – it was absolutely nerves racking!" she ushered the young man inside talking as if there wasn't a tomorrow, "he wouldn't admit it though, but he's pretty nervous about it."

"Gin, let the lad breathe! He's just arrived…" Harry laid his hands on his wife's shoulder smiling apologetically at the 17-year-old who stood in their entrance not knowing how to react to the strange outburst of his always so calm godmother; a woman who never lost her mind, her focus or her control of things. However, tonight she seemed rather out of it.

"Right, sorry, Teddy! I'm a bit nervous myself, you know I won't see him for four month… I know he's old enough but for my liking kids should stay with their mothers until they are 4o…" as Ginny kept babbling Harry led her and Teddy to the dining room, an amused look on his face. He had got used to her random outburst during the last few months when James' departure for Hogwarts was getting closer.

"So, Ted, how's your grandmother doing?" Harry asked as the two of them sat down while Ginny kept strolling through the room. Occasionally she would stop, pick up one of the many moving photographs of her children and mumble about the good old times.

Ignoring his godfather's question Teddy leaned towards him "Is she all right?" a concerned look on his face. The Potters had always acted as alternate parents for him, naturally the teenager was worried. But Harry only shot him a relaxed look; his brothers-in-law had gone through this multiple times, their kids were off to Hogwarts, their wives on the edges of breaking down. As for Teddy, the situation was highly confusing, never had he seen Ginny so vulnerable.

Her fingers traced a silver frame when a loud rumbling was to be heard on the first floor, followed by shouts and footsteps drumming down the staircase.

"Teddy"

"Ted, you're here!"

"Teeeeddyyyyyyyyyy", Lily Potter threw herself at her favorite big not-blood-related brother. Her chubby arms linked around his neck, "You made it. James and Al have been so mean to me, I' m so glad that you're here! You can get them back for me!" she giggled trying to sound hurt, "You will do that for me, won't you?" At her seven years she had already mastered the puppy eyes that got not only her dad but every male member of her family to do her bidding.

"Everything for you, my little princess" he smiled gently, then turned towards the boys who were hovering about the place by the stairs grinning mischievely . "Who's been a bad big bro? Those who threaten their younger sister, will be punished!" he let out a fake evil laugh.

"Ah, Teddy" Albus squealed, giggling helplessly while James tried to keep a straight face – he hopelessly failed doubling over with laughter as Teddy was the less intimidating person he knew. He admired his godbrother - as he called him – endlessly so he engaged in the playful bickering.

"No way, Ted, you will never get us" and with that he started to run pulling his little brother along and up the stairs. Teddy followed suit with Lily on his back "Who's scared of the big bad wolf?" he growled. James screamed kittenish. He immensely enjoyed his last day of childhood, tussling with his brother, nettling his sister, just acting childish… the real life would start soon enough but for now he was fully content being chased after by a turquoise-haired Teddy Lupin.

xxXxx

Little time later, the fife Potter plus Teddy were sitting around the big dining hall table. Ginny had cooked her son's favorite, roast beef and mashed potatoes. He dug in properly.

"Do they have roast beef at Hogwarts?" he asked in between bites, keeping his eyes on the plate in front of him, not addressing anyone in particular. His parents suppressed soft laughter.

"They do, they got every kind of food you can imagine", Harry answered smiling mildly.

"Every kind?", James looked at his father, his eyes getting bigger.

"Yes, every kind" Teddy joined the conversation, " roast beef, roast chicken, pork- and lamb chops…"

"sausages, bacon and steaks", Harry continued.

Ginny smiled, amused "potatoes, Yorkshire-pudding and vegetables…" a chuckle escaped her lips when James made gagging noises.

"and the desserts" Harry sighted dramatically.

"ice cream, rice pudding and the world's best apple crumble – " here, Teddy was interrupted by hid godfather: "actually, it's even better than your mum's" he smiled at his oldest son, mischief made his eyes twinkle.

"It is not" Ginny immediately protested.

"Sorry, honey, it is" Harry said in a grave tone pretending to bemoan this, "and we have always preached our children they shall not lie, I reckon it would be rather inconvenient to do so myself"

"Take that back" she screeched, her voice uncommonly high-pitched, her cheeks blushing fiercely.

"You want me to allow my children lying?" he acted bewildered.

"No, you pompous bas – "

"Mommy, don't" Lily Potter cut her off, pressing both her hands on her mother's lips preventing a full-blown outburst of swearwords. She had leaped over the table which cause her to now be laying on the table between the potatoes and the left overs of the beef. When Lily saw her mother's surprised look she broke into a fit of giggles, curling up on the table, making the dishes fall to the grounds. They clattered loudly on the newly flagged floor. There was dead silence.

"Ups", Lily muttered.

"Yeah, ups" a sour undertone in his voice, Harry lifted his daughter and pulled her up on his lap where she snuggled against him "sorry, daddy", Lily innocently squinted from under her long reddish-brown lashes.

"Not your fault, your mother can't put up with a little competition regarding her cooking" Harry joked. He hated it when his little girl was full of remorse for her spontaneous acting.

"I don't have to put up with it because your precious house elves do not cook better than me, and grandma Weasley's apple crumble is not overtrumped, never has been, never will be!" She looked stern. A frown creased her forehead. A small smile played on the right corner of her mouth, though.

"Sure, honey" he shot her a wry glance and towards his oldest son he whispered "Just make sure you get yourself a wife who knows she doesn't cook as nicely as a house elf –"

"you know it's impossible to cook like a house elf, even my gram's roast beef isn't as nice as theirs.." Teddy winked at Harry.

"What kind of advice is that you give your son? He should find a miserable cook for a wife?!" Ginny seemed on the edge of going mad.

"No, I only told him she should know that no one can put up with the elves" Harry grinned smugly.

"There are more important things to worry about now than finding a proper wife for your son, such as learning spells, studying the magic world's history and packing the last bits of his luggage; he's only eleven for crying out loud! This is a ridiculous conversation!"

"To you it may sound ridiculous, but he is a Potter!"

Ginny quizzically looked at her husband, arching an eye brow, "meaning what?"

"Meaning that he shouldn't go to Hogwarts unprepared; he should know what to look for…"

"You are not making any sense!" and with that Ginny stood up and started collecting the dishes, shooting annoyed glances at the boys, because today, Harry seemed like the 12-year-old he was that summer when he stayed at the Burrow and joked around with Ron, Fred and George, just as childish, just as senseless, just as mysterious.

"You know, my son, cooking skills and reality perception to and fro, here is what matters: she has to be red-haired!" He looked rather pleased with himself, daring his wife to protest.

But it was Teddy who spoke up "Uncle Harry, what are you on about? Why would it matter what hair color James' girl will have?"

"Because, my dearest godson" Harry said highfalutin "it is tradition! Every Potter man during the past hundred years has married a redhead. They are the only ones who can put up with our family traits –"

"You mean your stubbornness, your weakness to get into trouble, your problems with authority?!" Ginny cut in.

"Call it as you may; it is true though, there hasn't been a man in our family that didn't end up with a ginger" he smiled smugly, lightly tracing Ginny's hip when she walked past. Their loving gaze was interrupted by James' gagging noises.

"Urgh, that's disgusting, Dad, all the red-haired girls I know are Weasleys. I'm friggin blood-related to them", he looked deeply shaken.

"Muggles call that incest", Albus announced matter-of-factly.

"It wouldn't be incest if they were cousins" Harry explained.

"You could marry Rose then" little Lily added, proud to be able to follow the grown-ups' conversation.

James threw a piece of the mashed potatoes at her. "That'd be gross."

"There will be lots of other girls at Hogwarts, darling" Ginny soothed.

"True, Hogwart's got the finest witches in the country" Harry smiled at his own little joke, "just make sure, she's a natural ginger."

"Don't put that kind of nonsense into his head, Harry!" and to her son she said , "Don't listen to your father, darling, he's gone nuts! You'll find a fine girlfriend and her hair color won't matter at all."

"No, not her hair but her blood" James mumbled.

Dead silence.

"James Sirius Potter, you did not just say that!" Ginny shrieked. Her cheeks blushed fiercely. Her eyes tightened. Her mouth turned into a grim line. It was frightening. She was.

"No, I guess I didn't" James mouthed quietly, he ducked his head.

"Don't be giving me this attitude, mister! A muggle-born isn't any less a wizard than a pure-blood. Your aunt Hermione's parents are muggles and she is the smartest witch her age, always has been, always will be!"

"I know, mum, I'm sorry!"

"Where did you get this rag from anyways?"

No reply.

"James?!" his father's voice was threatening.

"From the daily prophet… Rita Skeeter's article about how magic is passed on better from one generation to the next by not mixing with muggle-borns…"

"This woman…" Ginny fumed "She should be banned from the magical society; she's no good! How can she publish something like that? I hate her, I hate her… she's done so much to destroy this family, to hurt us, to derogate us…"

"Gin, hon, calm down! I'll take care of that!" Harry pulled his wife towards him, but she refused, collected the dishes left and stalked off to the kitchen. After that, he turned to the kids.

"I do not want to hear anything of that kind in my house ever again. It is a horrible thing to say and I will not tolerate it; is that clear?"

"I'm sorry!" James said gravely.

"I know" Harry sighted "now, go to the living room and play a bit with Ted, I want to talk to your mother…"

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Everything is welcome!!!^^