A.N. For the Houses Competition. House: Slytherin, Prompt type: Drabble, Prompt: Dirty Clothes.
Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR.
"Oh my darling," Ginny tutted. "Look at the state of you."
The toddler considered the handful of mud that she held. She stuffed in her mouth and chewed contemplatively for a moment before bursting into tears and holding her dirt smeared arms up.
Lily, two years old and more trouble than both her brothers combined, was sitting in a mud puddle. Her tiny pair of blue jeans were soaked through and her t-shirt was flecked with dirt. Even her hair was a bit muddy.
Ignoring the cold, damp water that soaked her daughter, Ginny reached over to pluck her up out of the puddle and settle her on her hip. She was a solid child, her small body muscular and warm.
"The things you get up to," Ginny murmured, dodging as Lily made a grab for her hair with muddy fingers.
Lily had the Weasley eyes – golden in the sun and rich brown in the dark. The colour of Firewhiskey and Galleons. It only made Ginny a little sad that she didn't have Harry's eyes. It would have made her happy, to see Lily as more of a combination of them.
But mentally, Ginny thought, smiling inwardly, she was a Potter through and through. She was fond of her 'adventures', as she termed them, and she was forever tagging after her big brothers, demanding they wait for her.
Ginny was half afraid of what would become of her when she was grown. With her ruby hair and her golden eyes, and her incongruous, dirt streaked clothes. She hoped she kept that. Her willingness to play. Her willingness to be a child.
Lily would get a childhood, Ginny was determined. She would get to play in mud puddles for as long as she wanted. She would get to run wild, and make mistakes, and throw temper tantrums and be safe. That was all Harry or her had every wanted.
Her baby, who was not so small anymore, and not so sweet as she seemed.
"Still my baby," Ginny said, half to herself and half to Lily as they came in sight of the Potter house.
"Not," Lily said, muddy face twisting into a scowl as she recovered from the dirt induced tears.
"No," Ginny sighing, letting herself into the house. "No, of course you're not, I'm sorry. You're my big girl now, aren't you?"
Lily nodded firmly and let herself be placed on the gleaming wood floor. Dirty water dripped off her shirt but Ginny couldn't find it in herself to care.
"Come on," she said, starting to smile. She offered her daughter her hand, and Lily stood. "Let's get you cleaned up."
A.N. Thank you for reading and I would love it if you let me know what you thought!
