For Kake!

Christmas with the Potters'

"Look at this Al! A new broomstick! It's awesome!" exclaimed James Sirius Potter while opening his Christmas gift.

It was December 25th and the Potters were at their home, unwrapping their presents. They spent Christmas Eve at the burrow, along with their family. But today was their own family day, and they would open the gifts they offered each other. Like always, Ginny's presents were wrapped in gold, Harry's in blue, James' were red; Albus' were gray and Lily's pink. But this Christmas was different; a white box was behind the tree. It was rather small.

When the two brothers spotted that, they ran and tried to catch the gift before the other.

"It's for me, James!" yelled Albus.

"No way! It's for me, I saw it first!"

The two brothers were now arguing about who was the owner of the white gift. The box passed from hand to hand, and before they broke it their father interrupted.

"It's for both of you, a common gift."

But this was not enough for the two young boys, and they were fighting again, the two of them wanted to open the box. Harry sighed, and joined his wife on the sofa, watching Lily while she was playing with her new toys.

Finally, James won the battle and opened the gift. He laughed at his brother when they found out it was a bare parchment.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"You really gave them that?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, James starts school this year."

"Indeed, and he's going to school with Fred, do you really think they needed that?" stated Ginny.

"Hmm, I don't know" he said.

Harry thought about it, but he wanted to be a good father, a cool father. The marauders' map was his son's inheritance. He owed that to them. His father couldn't give it to him, but he could give it to his own children.

"Dad, is that a joke?" asked Albus disappointed.

"No, Al. This is the marauders' map." Harry exclaimed.

The two boys were surprised, they heard about this map in the tales their father told them, but they never though about seeing it in real.

"How does it work?" James was impatient to see the marauders'' map, and was already planning his late excursion in the castle along with his cousin Fred.

But before Harry could answer them, Ginny spoke.

"Harry, don't show them yet." Harry stayed silent. "James, if I heard about you grades falling, some dangerous activities or anything else, I will not only confiscate the map but I will take away your broom and any other pleasant things you have. Do you understand me?" Ginny said in an authoritative tone.

"But I-" started James when his father stopped him. James was going to use the map to sneak out of the common room, maybe go to Hogsmeade even if he was a first year, but his mother ruined it all.

"You will do as your mother says, okay?" Harry turned to his son, and winked at him, without Ginny seeing.

"Okay," replied the dark-haired boy, with a fake boring tone, which went unnoticed by his mother.

"Mum, can you play with me?" asked the little Lily. The mother smiled at her sons, and went to play with her daughter.

"So, how does it work dad?"

Harry knelt in front of his two sons, and explained how it worked to them.

He was happy. He looked like a child, hoping that his kids were going to catch up on his miserable childhood, and would live playing pranks, insouciant, like the children of their age. Unlike he had.