Gratitude – She was always there when you needed her, for anything and everything. And through all these years, no one ever thought to thank her. They assumed she understood; and maybe she did. But people need to hear the words sometimes.

I. Bill

To him, Mum always came off as something quite like a superhero.

Whenever he's wanted something, needed something, she's been there. Despite Charlie's Quidditch obsession and the twins constantly devising new ways to wreak havoc and Ron's complaining and baby Ginny all over the place (Percy was never a problem), she's always been able to find time for him, to listen to his laments and soothe his aches and drop ever-subtle hints about girls.

She knows how to do everything, and do it well. Of course, there was that one year where she had to consult Lockhart's books for advice on things everyone very well knew she could do better herself, but he supposes even superheroes need to take a break once in a while. She can cook anything and make it taste like heaven, knows every remedy for every ache, how to shut Fred and George up, how to fix all sorts of rips and tears, and can even make Percy seem less insufferable.

Of course, she expects a lot from him, too. Being the first-born means he has to set an example for – well, for Ron and Ginny at least, because Mum says Fred and George are hopeless. He might have set the standard a bit high when he got all 12 O.W.L.s, but he reckons that if he could do it, anyone else could. Mum had been proud, too, and approved when he went to work in Egypt. He knows she sighs a lot about the fang earring and his long hair, but if there's one thing Mum doesn't know about, it's how to be cool.

He also knows that in any family, the oldest is the first to be expected to produce grandchildren. But Mum hasn't said anything about it yet, and he's not quite sure whether she really wants to see another baby after raising her own seven devilish children. He doesn't really mind, especially if he had a daughter that looked like Ginny – speaking as a boy and not just as her big brother, he has to say that she is pretty cute.

But whatever he does with his life – whoever he marries, wherever he lives, whenever he makes mistakes or needs to be fussed over – he knows she'll always be there. And she might get crazy or impatient or forgetful at times, and eventually get old and all that, but she'll always be his superhero.

II. Charlie

Mum said she knew he'd be a wild one from the start.

He'd come out kicking and screaming, for one, and never liked being still. It hadn't come as a surprise to anyone when he picked up a broomstick and promptly flew into the fence at the age of five, or when he broke his leg after trying to race Bill up a tree and fell off. Mum had never seemed to get tired of fixing up the scrapes and bruises he accumulated from his adventures with Bill, even though she nearly lost it when they almost drowned in the lake after attempting to dive down and touch the bottom.

He hadn't paid a lot of attention to his studies like Bill, because Quidditch became first priority at Hogwarts. Everyone knew Mum didn't care much for the sport – she called it "insane" and "dangerous" – but she had seemed enthusiastic enough to him whenever he told her about his matches. She sucked in her breath and laughed at the right times, rolled her eyes at the blunders and clucked her tongue angrily when he counted off unfair penalties. The year he first became Captain she bought him a new broom, even though he hadn't been a prefect like Bill. And even though they lost to Slytherin every year, Mum was one of the first people to say that he deserved to play professionally. He'd thought about that, of course, and Mum's thinking that he was good enough could have trumped any professional's opinion.

He didn't know whether she was surprised or relieved when he decided to go to Romania. Either way, she had obviously seen that his mind was set on studying dragons because she sent him off with only a kiss on the cheek and a reminder to write letters home every month.

And he might have forgotten a couple times so far, but he always tries. He always leaves a bit of space at the end of his letters – after asking if Percy's managed to get a girl yet, or if Fred and George have found a way to blow up the snooty painting of the witch in the fourth floor corridor, or if Ron and Ginny are getting along, or if Dad's given up on his Muggle obsession – to tell Mum that he's eating three square meals a day (even if Romanian food isn't quite to his taste) and dressing warmly when it gets cold and that there are plenty of beautiful girls around. He knows she worries, even when there's seemingly no reason to, so it makes him feel like he's repaying some part of what she's done for him all his life, to give her one less person to fret about.

III. Percy

Being stuck right in the middle of seven children leaves a rather long list of things to be desired. Like privacy and silence, just to name a few. Night and day, someone's always yelling or complaining (or, in the twins' case, brewing up ideas to cause yelling and complaining.) He doesn't know how Mum stands all of that; how she manages to go through a day without blowing her top.

So he always tries to ask as little of her as possible. He doesn't get into scrapes and tussles like Bill and Charlie, doesn't get into the strangest sorts of messes like Fred and George, and doesn't squabble over toys and things like Ron and Ginny. He sticks to his books and stays out of the way, and that works for all of them.

He knows his brothers tease him for being a bookworm (except Ginny, who's still too young), but at least he's never given Mum a reason to scold him. He can deal with the jokes and the jibes as long as he knows that Mum doesn't approve of them. Out of his entire family, he feels that only she can understand him. It's rather like part of being mother, understanding every one of her children (and husband, of course), but he reckons that starts bordering on impossible with seven of them.

But the thing about Mum is that she likes attempting the impossible. And when he thought she would probably forget his birthday or think nothing of his being prefect and Head Boy after Bill and Charlie, or take his twelve O.W.L.s for granted…well, to put it simply, she didn't. She was proud of every single one of his achievements, no matter how small or insignificant they seemed. She was the only one who expected more of him than himself, and knew that he could surpass everybody if he put himself to it.

He reckons that he wouldn't be where he is without her. He would've fallen under the weight of his brothers' taunts and mockeries a long time ago, or given up in discouragement or hopelessness. And so for her, he will be the greatest triumph of the world.

IV. Fred and George

They reckon you couldn't tell she had a sense of humor just by looking at her. In fact, she gave the impression that she wouldn't mind taking your head off if you got on her nerves, even if Harry says otherwise.

But she's got to have that spark of wild, rebellious insanity somewhere, because they wouldn't be alive otherwise. What normal mother would let her children off with just a scolding after they'd burned a hole through the roof?

Seriously.

Besides, they just want to spice up life a bit. It could get awfully dreary, living with perfect little angels like Percy. Someone had to get her hopping, and their natural curiosity helped them do just that. Of course, sometimes their plans worked too well and drove Mum off the edge, like the time they flew the Ford Anglia to Privet Drive, but they liked to think she got mad just because it would give Ron and Ginny the wrong idea if she didn't. Without them, after all, Harry would've been stuck in that horrible house for the entire summer.

When it comes down to it, though, they're thankful that she's their mum and not some old stuck-up cow, because then they'd have had to run away or something. And it's cool, knowing there's an adult out there that laughs at their pranks, even if it's only when no one's watching.

+ Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, and George, 1993 +

Next up: Holding Hands, by Remus Lupin.