Am I completely baffling you all with the fact that I said I have papers? Bare in mind: World's best procastinator. I'd rather be writing something I enjoy than something like a research paper that's 6-8 pages long.
So on this story, let's just say I was trying to sleep and then this scene completely wrote itself out while I was attempting to go to bed. An hour and a half later, the scene finished, and I was finally asleep. However, this has been prodding the back of my mind since it wrote itself out, so I took liberty of an available computer, sat down, and wrote out the first chapter. Also, I'm sorry ahead of time if the way I wrote this is confusing. It's going to be in Lily's POV, I promise, but this was the way it wrote itself, so yeah...
Anywho, I hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my thoughts - and even that's debatable.
-LovelyAlice831-
"Come on, guys," Harry said, begging. His three kids looked at him with dubious looks. "You have to sign his card. It's already almost two months late!"
"Did you tell him why it's late?" James, the oldest, asked as he and his brother, Albus, played a game of Exploding Snap.
Harry gave his son a look of annoyance. "Yes, James, I explained that you were at school and that I wanted to wait until you were home before sending the card."
"Well then he shouldn't be too angry," James said with a shrug.
Harry exchanged a pleading glance with his wife, Ginny, who immediately said, "Boys, sign the card. Now. Or you won't be able to play Quidditch later."
James and Albus exchanged horrified looks before scrambling to the desk their father was sitting at. James got the quill first and penned a quick, "Happy birthday, Uncle Dudley. James." Then Albus took the quill and wrote the same message.
Harry sighed, but took the quill back. He looked over at his daughter, who was lying on her stomach on the rug, reading one of her school books.
"Lily?" he said.
She looked at him questioningly. "Yes?"
"Sign the card?" he asked, motioning to the card.
She sighed and got to her feet. Taking the quill from her father, she thought for a moment before writing out: "Happy birthday, Uncle Dudley! I hope it was good! Love, Lily."
Smiling, she handed the quill back, walked back to her book that was lying open on the floor, and plopped down on her stomach, immersing herself in the book once more.
Ginny put her arms around Harry's shoulder and kissed him on his head.
"Send it out, Harry," she said quietly and he nodded.
"Maggie!" he called, still looking at the card.
A squat little house-elf with bat like ears and a pink towel draped over her small frame came scurrying in. She bowed low, her button-like nose grazing the floor. She lifted her blue eyes tennis ball sized eyes to Harry and said, "Master."
"I think it's time for tea, Maggie," Harry said, sounding exhausted. He rubbed at his face and Maggie bowed.
"Right away, Master!" she squeaked.
"Thanks," Harry said as she hurried away.
Ginny left and came back a few moments later with a brown barn owl on her arm. The owl stuck its leg out and Harry tied the letter to it.
"Although I reckon we should probably use the Muggle post," he said as an afterthought as he watched the owl fly off into the afternoon sun.
"He should be used to it by now," Ginny pointed out just as James and Albus cried out. The cards had exploded, showering them with singed cards.
"He should," Harry agreed. "But that doesn't mean he'll like it."
"He'll get over it," Ginny said with a shrug as a knock sounded on the door. Ginny left to answer it and let out a squeal of delight.
James, Albus, and Lily all bolted up and ran to the entrance hall, coming back with Harry's best friends Ron and Hermione, their daughter Rose and their son Hugo, in tow.
"Hey mate," Ron said cheerfully, clapping his best friend on the back. Hermione gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and then he was tackled by two kids.
"Hey Rose!" he laughed. "Hugo!"
"Hi Uncle Harry!" they chorused.
"Hey, do you all want to play Quidditch?" James asked his two cousins.
Rose shrugged while Hugo nodded enthusiastically.
"Okay, so we have three," James frowned. "We don't have even teams."
Rose sighed. "Fine, I'll play. But I'd rather be reading."
"Yes, Rose, we know how much of a brainiac you are," James said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "C'mon, let's go!"
The four kids ran outside, leaving Lily alone with the four adults. She shrugged and went back to her book just as Maggie came in with another low bow, a tray of tea in her hands.
"Hello, Maggie," Hermione said kindly.
"Hello Mistress Hermione," Maggie said uneasily as Ginny poured out some tea.
Maggie left with another low bow and Harry said, "She's still getting used to being treated like an equal."
"I can tell," Hermione said, taking a sip of her tea.
An hour or so later, when night had fallen, the four kids trouped back in, looking windblown, but also looking like they had the time of their lives.
"Rose and I won!" James boasted, slinging an arm around his cousin, who shoved him away.
"You only won because Albus is terrible at Quidditch!" Hugo said hotly. Albus's face reddened.
"He's loads better than you!" James retorted, immediately coming to his brothers' defense.
"He is not!" Hugo cried.
All at once, the four kids starting arguing and Hermione broke it up.
"Guys, enough!" she cried. They all stopped, but Hugo had his arms crossed, glaring at James.
"Hey," Lily said, speaking up for the first time. Every eye turned to her. "Shut it. I'm trying to read over here."
The tension broke and everyone burst into laughter.
"Oh, Lils," Ron said, moving over to ruffle his nieces hair. She scowled at him, fixing her hair. "Always knew you were the joker in the family."
"What am I, chopped liver?" James asked disgruntled. Everyone laughed again.
After dinner, everyone went into the sitting room, a fire crackling merrily in the stone fireplace. James and Rose were playing a game of Wizards Chess while Hugo and Albus tried to make a house of cards.
Hermione and Ginny were sitting at a little table by the window, a cup of tea in each hand while Ron and Harry talked over things from work.
Lily bit her lip and then curled onto her fathers lap, cozying up to her fathers' side. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his chest, listening to the vibrations of him talking.
"I heard from Ernie that someone enchanted a pair of boots to tie themselves together, making the wearer trip," Ron was saying. "They were sold in a Muggle second-hand store and the person who bought them ended up falling down some stairs."
"Did they find who did the spell?" Harry asked as Lily watched everyone around the room.
Ron shook his head. "No. But I reckon this is similar to that case from the other day when those dustbins attacked Muggle passersby."
Harry nodded in agreement just as a tapping on the window stopped all conversations.
Lily leaned back, letting Harry get up to get the owl.
"That can't be Dudley now," he muttered, letting the owl in where it stuck its leg.
"It can't be," Ginny said. "That isn't Persephone."
Harry unraveled the tightly furled parchment and read the letter.
He let out a sigh. "We've got to go," he said, looking at Ron.
Ron stood and Harry handed him the letter. He nodded and handed it back to Harry who pocketed it.
They both pulled on their traveling cloaks and each pecked their wives on the lips and then bade their children goodbye.
Harry went to Lily last and she hugged him tightly.
"Be careful, Daddy," she whispered.
"I will," he whispered back, kissing her on the forehead.
With one last goodbye the two men Disapparated, leaving everyone in a hushed silence.
Hermione cleared her throat and said, "Come on, guys. Time to go home."
"But Mum!" Hugo cried in protest.
"No, not a word," Hermione said warningly. "You've got to get up early tomorrow morning anyways. We have to go to Diagon Alley."
"You left it this late?" Ginny asked.
Hermione scowled. "I blame your brother."
Ginny smirked over her tea cup and bade her sister-in-law good bye and then her niece and nephew. A few minutes later, they, too, were gone.
"Alright, time for bed," Ginny said, ushering her kids up the stairs.
"But Mum!" James protested much like his cousin had done not too long ago.
"No, James," Ginny said sternly. "I want to go Muggle clothes shopping tomorrow. You all are growing out of your things."
"But Al can just have my things," James pointed out.
"I am not wearing anything from you," Albus said disgustedly.
Lily smiled smugly. "I want some dresses, Mum."
"That's right, you've gotta show off for the boys, don't you, Lily?" James asked scathingly. Lily reddened and stormed off to her room.
"James, give it a rest," Ginny sighed as Albus bade her goodnight. "She's a girl. She likes dresses. Leave her be."
James rolled his eyes and muttered a low "goodnight" and then shut his door with a snap.
Ginny sighed and went to her own room, where she crawled into her bed, feeling its emptiness.
Looking at the vacant side of the bed, she turned off the lights and curled into a ball under covers.
Around one in the morning, still wide awake, Ginny heard a soft knock on her door and then Lily came in.
"Can't sleep," she muttered, crawling up into the bed, taking her dad's side of the bed.
Ginny took her hand and said, "Me either."
After a few moments, Lily heard the soft, slow breaths from her mother, meaning she had finally fallen asleep. Snuggling closer to Ginny, Lily closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.
Well, review! 'Cause if anyone's been following any of my other stories, you'll know how much I love reviews! Thanks!
-LovelyAlice831-
P.S. I am currently watching Harry Potter weekend - and I screamed bloody murder when I saw the trailer clip thing for Deathly Hallows Part 2. Did anyone else see FRED? I did...and I bawled. And Ginny's scream? I was like, "OH MY GOD, SHE CAN SHOW EMOTION!" I'm sorry to anyone who likes Bonnie, but I think she's a completely wooden actress. But yeah. I am DYING to see Deathly Hallows Part 2! Eep!