Intro note: I've been looking forward to this chapter because it's Lily Rose's debut as a point of view character! I really enjoy writing dialogue for kids - they're just a lot of fun ^.^ Let me know what you think!

- 10 -

A Weekend Holiday

*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Hermione stepped inside the ministry lift without looking up from her stack of paperwork. It took a full ten seconds before she even noticed Draco Malfoy. Oh great, just what I need right now…

"Granger," he said in a bored tone.

"Hello Malfoy," she returned with polite indifference.

Ten seconds of awkward silence ensued. Then Malfoy broke it by saying: "I don't want you to think that I approve of your little club, but I'll be enrolling my son in the program because we haven't had a moment's peace around my house since he found out about it."

Hermione was completely taken aback. "What? You mean M.C.F.C?"

Malfoy heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Yes, Granger. Please don't tell me you've started any more children's clubs lately."

"No, I haven't," she snapped before recovering her composure. "Well, I'm glad to hear about your son. I know my daughter will be excited to see him there."

He lifted an eyebrow. "Ah, so she's the one who told him about it. I should have known… but a Potter and a Malfoy associating with each other is—"

"Stop right there," she interrupted. "M.C.F.C's goal is to promote acceptance and cooperation, so it's perfectly fine for our children to be friends. They have nothing to do with our pasts. And I think it's about time we put these silly grudges behind us, don't you?"

His gray eyes studied her for a long moment. "I suppose it is."

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, this is my stop." She exited the lift feeling as though she had won a huge victory. Hermione grinned as she headed for the Auror Department.

*.*.*

Lily Rose ran over to the little boy she had met in Flourish & Blotts over the summer. "Hi, Scorpius! Remember me?"

He nodded his white-blond head. "You're Lily Rose."

"Yep, that's right. Come and meet my friends!" She took his hand and led him over to their table. "Everyone, this is Scorpius. It's his first day."

"Scorpius? What kinda name is that?" scoffed Fred.

"Freddie, don't be mean. Scorpius is named after a Con-stell-A-shun," she replied, pronouncing it very carefully. "That's when the stars make a picture."

"Know-it-all!"

"That's right, I am." Her mummy always said that knowing facts was something to be proud of. She introduced Scorpius to Lucy, Molly, and Louis. "They're four years old just like you. Freddie is almost six."

"Hello," Scorpius said with a shy smile.

Lucy and Molly were friendly to him, but Louis only scowled. That confused Lily Rose since he was usually so nice to everyone.

"What classes are you taking?" she asked Scorpius as they sat down at the table.

"I s'pose the same as you."

"Ooh, watch out, Louis… Scorpy here likes Lily too," Fred teased.

Scorpius turned red and Louis pushed his cousin's shoulder. Lily Rose ignored Fred's comment. "I'm taking art and baking right now, but you should pick the classes you like."

"I don't know what I like yet," he stammered.

"Then you can take the same as me for now," she reassured him.

The day went great. Lily Rose showed Scorpius how to hold the paintbrush and how to clean it in the glass of water. He painted a picture of his Siamese cat. Lily Rose painted Crookshanks and Daisy playing in the garden. They made pumpkin-shaped cookies in their baking class and got to decorate them with colored icing. Scorpius seemed really excited about that. Lily Rose smiled as she watched him run over to his mother with the bag of cookies.

A moment later, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Louis staring back at her with a miserable look on his face.

"What's wrong, Louis?"

"You didn't talk to me today," he complained.

"I'm sorry. I had to show Scorpius around."

Louis pouted. "Are you gonna be his best friend now?"

"No, but he is my new friend, and I hope you'll be friends with him too."

He looked down at the floor, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I will if you don't hold his hand."

"Why can't I? Molly and Lucy are my friends and I hold their hands," she pointed out.

"It's not the same. Please don't do it or I'll be sad."

Lily Rose frowned. Louis wasn't making any sense. She would have to ask her daddy what he meant by that. Maybe it was something only boys could understand.

*.*.*

Hermione went into the art room at Grimmauld Place. Luna was dressed in paint-splattered overalls and her long hair was pulled into a messy knot on the top of her head. She was using her wand to clean the paintbrushes.

"Hi, Luna. How was class?"

"Oh, hello, Hermione. We had a wonderful day. Lily Rose helped Scorpius paint his first picture. It was nice seeing a Malfoy with a genuine smile on his face."

"I thought the same thing when I first saw him. I'm glad it went well."

Luna tucked her wand behind her ear. "Lily Rose didn't paint a picture of Teddy today. Is she getting over her sadness?"

"A little, but she keeps asking us to take her to Hogwarts. Harry and I had to explain that it isn't allowed."

"Surely Headmistress McGonagall would allow it if you asked her permission."

"She probably would, but I know if we took Lily Rose once, she would want to keep going back. I don't want her getting any special treatment."

"Hmm, I see what you mean…" Luna's pale blue eyes lit up. "I've just had an idea! Why doesn't Lily Rose stay the weekend at my house? You could ask the Headmistress to let Teddy visit Hogsmeade instead. Charlie and I would be more than happy to take them around the village."

Hermione grinned. "Really? That would be great! But are you sure she wouldn't be a bother? I know you have your hands full with the twins."

"No bother at all. Lily Rose has always been a good little helper – we'd love to spend some time with her."

She gave her a hug. "Thank you, Luna. I'll talk it over with Harry and ring you later to finalize the details." Luna had a Muggle phone line installed because it was much easier to keep in touch that way. Hermione said goodbye and went in search of her daughter.

*.*.*

"Daddy, Louis said something odd today. He doesn't want me holding hands with Scorpius because it makes him sad, but I don't know why."

Harry nearly choked on his forkful of cottage pie. Holding hands with Scorpius Malfoy?!

"I told him that I always hold hands with my friends, and he said that Molly and Lucy aren't the same. What does he mean?"

He took a drink of water before answering. "I suppose he meant that Molly and Lucy are girls."

"But why should that matter?"

He shot a 'help me' look at Hermione, who was trying not to laugh. Harry cleared his throat and said, "Well, it sounds like Louis is jealous of Scorpius. He wants to be special to you, so if you hold hands with another boy, Louis is going to be sad about it."

"But Louis already knows that he's my best friend. Isn't that good enough?"

"It should be, but boys don't make a whole lot of sense when they like someone."

Lily Rose's brow furrowed in confusion. Hermione rescued him from having to explain. "Sweetheart, Louis thinks of you as his girlfriend."

Her green eyes widened. "Ohhh. I'm not though. Should I tell him so?"

"Best not, that will only hurt his feelings," Hermione replied.

"What about the hand-holding?"

"It's up to you, Lilybud. What do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure… I have to think about it some more."

Hermione went upstairs to draw their daughter a bath. Harry's mind was whirling as he took care of the dishes. The dreaded day had finally arrived – he now had to worry about boys pursuing his little flower. Harry had always known that Louis was fond of Lily Rose, but he hadn't expected a four-year-old to think in terms of 'boyfriends' and 'girlfriends.'

Then again, I shouldn't be surprised considering who his mother is… Fleur has probably been filling his head with romantic nonsense about how she knew they were meant to be from their very first meeting. He let out a sigh as he rinsed a cup. I wonder if Bill feels just as anxious about Teddy fancying Victoire… I should ask him about that. He would understand what I'm going through right now…

When Hermione returned to the kitchen, he told her what a shock it had been. "I don't want my baby involved in a love triangle!"

His wife laughed. "Stop being so melodramatic! She doesn't have romantic feelings for either boy."

"Well it could happen in the future." Harry waved his wand too fast and the plate he was attempting to stack crashed to the floor. He let out a few choice swear words.

Hermione cast the Reparo charm and returned the plate to the drainer. "Harry, please calm down." She pulled him away from the sink. "Our daughter will grow up one day. That's a fact you need to accept."

"But I don't want to accept it yet."

"Stubborn." Hermione stood on her tiptoes to kiss him and he bent down so she could reach him better.

"Yeah, I am," he murmured.

She pulled back to look at him. "You know how we've talked about going on a mini-break, just the two of us? Well we have a chance to do that now. Luna invited Lily Rose to stay the weekend." She explained the plan about Teddy getting permission to visit Hogsmeade.

He hesitated. "But Lilybud has never been on a sleep-away before."

"Harry, it will be good for her to be away from us for a bit."

"Well the idea makes me nervous," he grumbled.

"Charlie and Luna will keep her safe – you needn't worry," she soothed. "What do you think about next weekend?"

He shook his head. "Two weeks from today."

She kissed the tip of his nose. "Alright. I'll ring Luna up and let her know."

He collapsed on the couch with a loud sigh. Padfoot got up from the floor cushion and rested his chin on Harry's knee. He gave his silky head a pat and said, "Padfoot, being a father to a little girl is tough." The dog gave a whine of commiseration.

*.*.*

The Potters traveled to Charlie and Luna's cottage by Floo powder on Friday evening. Hermione cast a cleaning spell to tidy the soot from their clothes. Then she looked up to see the Italian landscapes on the living room walls.

"Wow, Luna, it looks fantastic in here!" The murals had still been a work in progress the last time they had visited.

"Thank you. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to finish them."

"Well you had two babies to look after." Hermione went up to Luna, who was holding little Willow in her arms. "Hello, pumpkin. Remember me? I'm your godmother, Hermione." The eight-month-old baby gave her a toothy smile. She had big blue eyes and the bright Weasley hair.

Harry walked over to greet them. "Where's Rowan?" he asked.

"Charlie just went to change his nappy."

"Auntie Luna, can I hold Willow please?" Lily Rose asked eagerly.

"Course you can. Sit in the armchair and I'll bring her over to you."

Once Willow was settled on Lily Rose's lap, Luna went into the kitchen to prepare the tea. Charlie entered the living room a moment later. Rowan studied Harry and Hermione with wide brown eyes as he clung to his father. "He's a bit shy with everyone at the moment," Charlie said apologetically.

"That's alright. We understand." Ginny and Gareth were Rowan's godparents; a return favor for Charlie and Luna being named as godparents for their son, Gavin. From what they heard, the three baby cousins met often for play dates and got along well together.

"How's your house elf, Pepper, doing?" Hermione inquired when Luna returned with the tea tray.

"Very well. She has the weekends off to spend with her family."

"She must be a great help to you while Charlie is up at the school."

"Oh, yes. I don't know how I'd get on without her. And the twins just adore Pepper."

They finished their tea and Luna led them into the guest room. Laying on the floral quilt was a small yellow coat with toggle buttons. The hood was embellished with felt ears and brown yarn to make a thick lion's mane.

Harry grinned. "This reminds me of that hat you wore to the Gryffindor Quidditch match."

"Luna, it's so adorable!" Hermione picked up the wool coat and held it up against her daughter.

"I love it, Auntie Luna, thank you!"

She gave her goddaughter a soft smile. "You're welcome, dearest. Try it on then."

The coat fitted perfectly and Hermione snapped a picture of Lily Rose letting out a roar. They were then taken into the nursery to admire the murals. One wall was covered with dragons flying through the clouds, and the other was filled with sea creatures in an underwater scene.

When the time came to say goodbye, Harry kneeled down to wrap his daughter in a big hug. "You be a good girl for Auntie Luna and Uncle Charlie."

"I will, daddy."

Hermione kissed her cheek. "Have fun tomorrow, Lilybud. Tell Teddy how much we miss him."

"Kay, mummy." Lily Rose stood at the door. "Bye bye, see you Sunday!" she called out, waving.

Harry and Hermione held hands as they Apparated to a hotel manor house in Derbyshire. They changed into nice clothes for their dinner reservation. Hermione wore the silver flapper dress from Fleur's boutique and Harry put on a navy-blue suit. The menu was in French, but Hermione translated for him. They enjoyed their meal without mentioning the ministry once.

"Want to take a walk in the gardens?" Harry asked when they got up to leave.

"Absolutely."

The night air was refreshing, but quite chilly. Harry draped his jacket around Hermione's shoulders. She twined her fingers with his as they strolled down the paths lit by torches.

"It's so beautiful tonight," she whispered, gazing up at the star-strewn sky.

They headed back to their room twenty minutes later. Hermione offered to run a bath in the spa tub. She dumped in a potion vial that turned the water a pearly pink. The bathroom was soon filled with the delicate scent of roses. Harry and Hermione relaxed inside, soaking away the stressful work week.

He kissed the back of her neck. "Shall I order room service in a little while?"

"Mmm, yes."

They concluded their romantic evening with champagne and strawberries in bed.

*.*.*

Lily Rose woke on Saturday morning to the sun streaming in through the window. The pretty mural on the wall made her feel as though she were in a secret garden. She lay there a few minutes before getting up. Lily Rose headed towards the noisy kitchen and discovered Charlie preparing breakfast. Willow was in her highchair, making a complete mess of the porridge bowl.

"Morning, Uncle Charlie," she called out.

He turned from the stove. "Morning, Lily. Did you sleep well?"

"Yep, I did. Want me to feed Willow for you?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

Lily Rose wiped the baby's face with a rag and said, "Miss Willow, just look at the state of you." The baby gave a happy squeal. "You're so cute. Here, let me hold the spoon for you." Willow seemed grateful for the help.

Luna walked into the kitchen with baby Rowan a few minutes later. He was put into the highchair beside his sister. "Thank you for helping out, dearest," Luna said, touching the top of her head. "Did you have lovely dreams?"

Lily Rose nodded. "I had wings and I could fly!"

"Oh those are my favorite kind… just soaring through the air, so light and free." She smiled serenely. "Would you like some cocoa for breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

Charlie brought over a plate with scrambled eggs, sausages, and buttered toast. "Looks yummy, thank you!" She got to drink her cocoa out of a rabbit cup. While Charlie and Luna chatted about adult things, Lily Rose looked around. Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was just as colorful. The cupboards were painted sky blue and the walls were papered in vibrant sunflowers. Potted plants filled every windowsill. She liked how cozy and cheerful it felt.

Lily Rose cleaned up in the bathroom after breakfast. She put on her sapphire blue jumper dress and black leggings. Then she brought her hair accessories into the living room. "Auntie Luna, will you do my hair into two braids?"

"Course I will. Here, sit on the floor cushion in front of me."

She closed her eyes as Luna ran the brush through her thick strands. Lily Rose loved having her hair brushed and styled.

"Uncle Charlie is going to take you to Hogwarts while I stay here with the babies. The path up to the school is too steep for the stroller," Luna explained. "But once you get Teddy, all of us will go into town together, alright?"

"Kay." When her hair was finished, Lily Rose put on her lion coat, black rain boots, and stretchy gloves.

Charlie smiled. "Are you ready to get some exercise?"

"Yep, let's go!" she slipped her hand in his as they set off down the dirt road. The rugged Scottish landscape fascinated her. Lily Rose breathed in a lungful of fresh mountain air. "It's so pretty here."

"Sure is," he agreed.

"Uncle Charlie, do any dragons live here?"

"No, not on the mainland, but there's an island called the Hebrides and that's where the native dragons are."

"What do they look like?"

"They have black scales, sharp ridges down their spines, and wings like a bat. Oh, and their eyes are as purple as your gloves."

"Are they friendly?"

Charlie chuckled. "Not many dragons are, but the British species rarely attack people."

She changed the subject to unicorns. "Have you ever seen one?"

"I have, but the adults are shy and only let women approach them. Did you know the babies are born with coats as gold as galleons?"

She shook her head. "I didn't know. They must be sweet, huh?"

"Yes, very. And if you take my class, you'll get to pet one for yourself."

They chatted about other magical creatures too.

Lily Rose gasped when she saw the castle perched high on the mountain. "This must be the best school ever!"

Charlie smiled. "That it is, but we aren't going inside Hogwarts today. Teddy is waiting at Hagrid's for us."

"That's too bad… I really wanted to see it."

"You will in a few years. It'll be a nice surprise that way."

They entered the gates and started climbing the hill up to Hagrid's hut. The first thing Lily Rose noticed was a patch of giant pumpkins. Charlie told her they would be used for the Halloween feast next weekend. She hurried to the door and knocked as loud as she could. Teddy appeared a moment later with a big smile on his face.

"Why hello there, little lion cub!"

Lily Rose launched herself into his arms. A black dog with a gray muzzle started barking at the commotion.

"Shush, Fang, yeh silly animal."

"Hiya, Hagrid!"

He rested his huge hand on top of her head. "Good to see yeh again, Lily Rose. And don't yeh look like the Gryffindor mascot with that coat on!"

She grinned. "My Auntie Luna made it for me."

"Well come in, come in. I've put the kettle on."

Lily Rose shared the armchair with Teddy. Hagrid took the copper kettle off the fire and poured out mugs of tea. She was also given some oatmeal cookies to eat. Lily Rose listened as they talked about Hogwarts. Teddy wasn't allowed to take Care of Magical Creatures yet, but his favorite class was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily Rose knew that subject was related to her daddy's job.

When they left Hagrid's, Teddy gave her a piggy-back ride down the hill. They picked up Luna and the twins before heading into Hogsmeade village. Lily Rose liked all the little shops, but Honeydukes was the very best one. Her and Teddy spent a long time browsing for sweets. The owner even let her sample some.

Teddy handed her a peppermint cream shaped like a small toad. "Here, Lilybud, try this one."

"Tastes good." Then she felt a hopping sensation in her tummy. "Ah, that's weird," she giggled. The charm wore off within a minute. Lily Rose loved the levitating sherbet balls. Her parents had given her a purse of money and she bought some of those along with jelly slugs, coconut ice, chocolate bars, and toffee. The owner threw in some candy from their Halloween line for free.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Honeyduke."

He gave her a twinkly smile. "You're welcome, Miss Lily Rose. Ask your parents to bring you back sometime."

"I will. Bye bye!"

Charlie and Luna took them to The Three Broomsticks for lunch. The inn was crowded and noisy, but the food was delicious. Madame Rosmerta brought Lily Rose a child-sized mug of Butterbeer that warmed her right up from the inside. When the babies started fussing, Teddy distracted them by changing his appearance. Willow and Rowan squealed in delight at his pink hair and pig snout.

Teddy surprised Lily Rose with a two-way mirror. "All you have to do is say my name into the mirror and I'll be able to see you in mine. Now you'll be able to talk to me whenever you like. Oh, but I won't be able to take it to class with me, so it's better to call in the evening."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Teddy! I'll tell you goodnight every day, promise."

He chuckled. "Okay, Lilybud. I'll be seeing you soon then."

Charlie brought Teddy back to Hogwarts, while Lily Rose helped feed the twins their bottles. Luna took them into the nursery for their afternoon nap.

"Do you want to see my studio?" Luna asked quietly. "It's up in the attic."

"Yes, please," she whispered back.

Luna pulled the staircase down from the ceiling and let Lily Rose go up first. Three big skylights flooded the room with natural light. Artwork was taped all over the walls. There was an easel and a tall red swivel chair. Tubes of paint, jars full of brushes, and tins of pencils and markers were organized neatly on a table against the wall.

Lily Rose ran up to the yellow desk with the bubblegum pink typewriter. "Is this where you write your stories?"

"It is."

She pointed to a turquoise wardrobe at the end of the room. "What's in there?"

"My fabric collection."

Lily Rose noticed a fashion dummy displaying an orange dress with bell-shaped sleeves.

"I'm going to wear that for Halloween." Luna opened a nearby cupboard. "And look, here are the dragon costumes for the twins. Rowan is going as the Welsh Green and Willow as the Opaleye."

"Wow, so cool!" Lily Rose ran her fingers across the silky, iridescent fabric of Willow's costume.

"Would you like to draw some pictures?"

Lily Rose nodded. Luna moved the typewriter from the desk and brought over some drawing paper and colored pencils. "Here you are. I think I'll paint for a bit."

*.*.*

Hermione dialed Luna's number on Saturday evening. When Lily Rose got on the phone, she put it on speaker so Harry could hear about her day. "And guess what, Teddy gave me a two-way mirror so I can talk to him all the time now!"

Hermione smiled. It had been Harry's idea to get the mirrors, but she had cast the Protean charm on them.

"What did you and daddy do today?"

"We went hiking in the Peak District National Park. I took lots of pictures of the autumn leaves. I'll show them to you later."

"Oh, good. Do you know, mummy, I've been thinking how cute babies are. Maybe you and daddy could ask the goddess of love to send you one. I'd really like a little brother or sister."

Hermione almost laughed at the startled expression on Harry's face. "Hmm, maybe. We'll think about it, sweetie."

After they hung up with their daughter, Harry said, "Goddess of love? Merlin's beard, the things she's been saying lately are stressing me out!"

She snuggled up to him in bed. "So what do you think about having another baby?"

"I don't know. What do you think about it?"

"Well, it might be quite nice. Just something for us to consider."

"Let's consider it later… I'm too exhausted right now." Harry closed his eyes. "All that hiking wore me out."

"It's been a fun weekend though, hasn't it?"

"Yeah. We should take more mini-breaks."

"Especially if we end up having another baby next year…"

"Hermione," he groaned.

"Well it would be kind of perfect with Ron and Maggie expecting in April."

Harry looked at her. "Don't make me tickle you."

But Hermione continued her train of thought anyway. "Can't you imagine Lily Rose singing our baby to sleep? She'd be such a doting big sister – just like how Teddy is with her."

"Okay, that's it." He slipped his hands under her pajama top. Hermione laughed and squirmed as he tickled her sides. A minute later, when she was resting on his chest, Harry admitted that he could imagine it. "That being said… can we please go to sleep now?"

Hermione smiled as she put out the light.

Closing note: I wrote a little prequel showing how Harry and Hermione got engaged titled "The Spontaneous Proposal." If you haven't read it yet, please check it out!