The First Try: James
Ginny looked at the clock and smiled. Even though it was morning, she knew nobody else was awake. She rose out of her bed and slowly crept to James's room. She fingered the 20 pence coin in her pocket as she slowly opened the door.
She had been waiting for this moment ever since she was a kid herself. Ginny held back a sob of joy. It was essential that she made no noise, despite the urge to squeal in excitement. It wasn't long until Ginny let her thoughts drift to the events of the previous afternoon.
Ginny's head had popped up as soon as she heard a deafening scream echo throughout the house. The mother winced as she turned the stove off, leaving the spaghetti she was making to cool. As she washed her hands, she heard another shriek, slightly softer than the last. Finally, Ginny ran to check on each of her kids.
First, Ginny checked on the youngest, Lily. Lily was only 3 years old with red hair and brown eyes similar to Ginny's. As Ginny rushed into the room, she saw the toddler bouncing up and down, playing and dressing up dolls with her pudgy fingers. Lily looked at her mother and gave her a slight smile.
Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes.
From the minute she was born, Lily had always been "Daddy's little girl", often enchanting Harry enough for him to try to spoil her. At first, Ginny thought it was because Lily looked like her, yet Lily didn't act anything like Ginny. At the age of three, Ginny had already been playing outside sports with her elder brothers, hardly caring how she looked. Lily, on the other hand, seemed to love fashion and romance. Ginny shook her head as she remembered the smile on Lily's face when she and Harry had kissed in front of the kids a few days ago. She already knew what a kiss indicated and had a dreamy look on her face unlike her elder brother James who simply groaned and covered his eyes.
However, despite these traits and the ongoing popularity from the media, Ginny vowed to make sure Lily does not become as shallow as the stereotypical girls in movies. As a mother, it was Ginny's job to take care of Lily and help her grow up into a decent person. Ginny was confident that she would not fail, at least with Lily.
Next, Ginny walked to her second child's, Albus's, room. When she entered, Albus was reading a small book about dinosaurs. Being only 5 years old, Albus was an intelligent boy who loved reading. Ginny smiled. Albus had always reminded her of Harry. Both boys looked similar too with raven black hair and calm green eyes.
Ginny remembered a time before Lily was born when she saw Albus and Harry sleeping on the same bed in the same way together. At the time, Albus only had a tuft of black hair and he was less than a quarter of his father's size. Now, Albus had grown, yet Ginny couldn't help but see the little baby next to her husband every time she looked at him.
Finally, Ginny scurried off to her eldest child, James. When she went into James's room, it was empty, but the light to the nearest bathroom was on. Ginny took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was going to see, when she swung open the door to the bathroom.
On a stepstool, James was standing facing the mirror. Both of his little six year old hands were gripping his mouth as he was constantly scooping water from the sink and putting the water into his mouth. Ginny went up to the boy and turned off the water. When James spit the water in his mouth out into the sink, Ginny was shocked to see the spit slightly tinted red.
Ginny stared at the boy, wondering why he was bleeding. However, when she saw his hand, Ginny smiled.
"Mum," James terrified look made Ginny snicker.
James glared at his mother, "This is NOT funny." His words slurred together as he stomped his foot, making Ginny want to laugh more.
"James," Ginny finally said, looking at the boy and grabbing his shoulders, "nothing is wrong. Trust me."
At that, the six year old smiled. In the center of his smile was a gaping hole. Blood tinted the surrounding teeth a little red while the missing tooth rested in James's hand.
"Everyone's teeth falls out," Ginny smiled at her little boy. She still couldn't believe how fast her kids were growing up. "You are born with baby teeth which fall out. Then, new grown up teeth grow."
James looked at his mother in thought, "I am a grown up then."
Ginny bit her lip. James looked cuter with his the hole in his smile. He even talked like a younger kid. It gave Ginny a feeling of satisfaction. Even though James was growing up, he was still the small boy Ginny had held in her arms six years ago. He was still the baby that Teddy had begged to carry when Teddy was six. In Ginny's mind, James would never grow up. He would always be the newborn that she and Harry had welcomed to the world with all of their hearts.
"Let's get a bag for your tooth," Ginny replied to her eldest son.
Walking to the cabinet to get a bag, Ginny grasped the handle and started opening the cabinet.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, James shouted, "No Mum!"
However, the warning came too late. Silly string blasted onto Ginny's clothes and hair as she closed her eyes shut. In less than a minute, Ginny had enough silly string on her to make a snowman the same height as Lily. She glared at James who sheepishly grinned.
Ginny rolled her eyes. She knew she would not have to worry about James growing up for a long time.
A smile crawled onto Ginny's face until a whistling sound drew her out of the memory. She fingered her hair and pulled out a little gooey strand of silly string. Ginny rolled her eyes, even after a shower, remnants of silly string still rested on her. She sighed. James reminded her so much of Fred, it was excruciating. Ginny felt the single moment playing in her mind repetitively. Ginny still couldn't look as her brother as he died, even in her mind.
Tears gathered on the edges of Ginny's eyes as she sighed. She needed to pay attention to the current situation. As she took another step, another sharp whistle erupted from James. Ginny smiled, the gap in his teeth turned his little snores into sharp whistles, yet he didn't notice, being asleep.
Ginny crouched down to the height of James's bed and placed a kiss on his cheek. Then, Ginny slowly lifted his pillow, not wanting to wake him. However, that wasn't the only thing she should've been worried about.
As soon as Ginny touched the pillow, a rubber band snapped from under her grip. Ginny grimaced as she withdrew her arm and stared at James's sleeping face. She frowned. Nothing had looked unusual in his room when she had walked in. However, all of a sudden, cardboard pieces rose up from the floor and formed a sturdy box with a little eyehole. Ginny was squeezed uncomfortably in the small box when a lid covered the top, trapping her.
James then woke up from all the noise. As he looked at the box on the floor, he smiled. Then, he saw the pair of eyes staring at him, the same as his own, and he groaned.
"Mum!" James complained. "That was for the tooth fairy."
Ginny rolled her eyes in frustration. She should have known that James would plan to do such a thing. James was always the dramatic type, overreacting to the simplest of things. James always tried to do the impossible, whether that meant capturing the tooth fairy or piling all of the couches in the living room one on top of the other. Mischief always seemed to find James.
As James looked out the window, he saw the light and smiled. Dragging Ginny out of her reverie, James explained, "It's morning! The tooth fairy probably did come. The tooth fairy is a fairy."
Ginny's eyes widened as James started to lift his own pillow. She had 5 more seconds before the opportunity would slip away.
James coughed a bit, and Ginny saw a small smile form on his face.
Three.
The world seemed to be spinning. Ginny had been dreaming for this moment ever since Fred and George ruined her tooth fairy experience as a child.
One.
Ginny couldn't do anything. Her arms and legs were all stuck uncomfortably in the box on the floor.
Zero.
When James lifted the pillow, he saw his missing tooth.
First, James was confused, then relieved, and finally a bit angry.
"James…," Ginny searched her mind, desperately trying to find a reasonable excuse for the 'tooth fairy'.
She looked as the boy's anger turned to sadness. However, James just smirked mischievously as he replied, "I knew it! The tooth fairy is a fake."
Then, James ran off with his tooth.
Ginny sighed. She had missed the window of opportunity with James, yet at least she had two more kids yet to lose their first tooth.
