A/N: Sorry for the extended wait. I took a few days off to read the whole Twilight Saga. Go figure. Anyways, we are back to writing, and I don't think that I will be writing much more fan fiction after this one for a while since there is a lot up in the air at the moment, so enjoy this one. Part Three is being held for Ransom, as well... You know the drill. Can you see why I had to break it up? Otherwise it'd be 19 pages so far! Jeeze… you know… and it's only about 2/3 of the way through. Enjoy, enjoy.


Christmas Holiday Part Two

Lily and Taryn walked back into the house some time later, Ginny standing at the stove, cooking dinner. Harry looked up curiously, James nearby unloading the dishwasher. Albus and Scorpius had begun to set the table. Lily turned her head quickly, wiping away a tear, and went to the refrigerator to get the drinks they'd share over dinner. Harry looked at his daughter quizzically, but he said nothing. He just watched his youngest go to work, helping set the table then joining her mother at the stove to finish dinner. Taryn was silent as he started to load the dishwasher. The tension between the two was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Where did Rose and Hugo go?" Taryn asked casually as if it was nothing.

"They went home for dinner," Ginny said lightly. She smiled at him and everyone sat down at the table. Lily sat between her father and Taryn, across from her mother. Taryn kept his arm around the back of Lily's chair and Lily ate quietly, not saying much of anything.

"What's up with you tonight?" James asked Lily in a slightly teasing way. "Usually we can't get her to shut up."

"I just don't feel well tonight," Lily said. Ginny nudged Harry, who put his hand to Lily's forehead.

"You are a bit warm," Harry agreed. "Maybe some aspirin and early to bed with you."

"Yeah," Lily said.

"And Lily, remember you gloves and hat," Ginny reminded her. "The next time you go out, you know?"

"Yeah," Lily said nodding as she moved her food around her plate a bit.

"Sweetie, you need to eat," Taryn said gently. Lily looked at him for a second and nodded.

"I know, sorry," Lily mumbled as she took a bite of her peas.

"Nothing to be sorry about, silly Lily," Taryn said laughing. The rest of the table joined in the laughter and Lily had to force herself to laugh as well, though it fell hollowly on her ears. The rest of dinner was full of work talk and Quidditch, but nothing more. Lily was the last one at the table, the boys having finished and retreated to the T.V. room. Harry had disappeared to the garage and Ginny had headed off for a soak in the tub. Lily remained at the table, alone.

"Lily?" Scorpius said resting his hand on her arm. She jumped, her face turning pink.

"Sorry, Score, didn't see you there," Lily said.

"Are you ok?" He asked. Lily hesitated. She needed someone to talk to, someone who she trusted, but she wasn't sure who could be completely objective in her time of great confusion.

"Yeah," Lily lied as she picked up her plate and scraped the remaining bits into the trash before rinsing her plate and loading it in the dishwasher.

"Didn't you and Rose hand wash these last go round?" Scorpius asked. Lily nodded.

"It gives us girl time to bond, but I'm not about to wash them all by myself," Lily said as she started the machine.

"Wow, and it does it all by itself?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah," Lily said. She shrugged. "I mean you still have to put them away yourself. It's not like magic or anything. Just a muggle contraption to make doing the dishes easier."

"Wow, genius," Scorpius said as he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter as Lily wiped the table down.

"You sound like Grandpa Weasley when you say that," Lily said cracking a smile. Scorpius grinned, having saw Lily's first real smile since she returned from her walk with Taryn.

"You'd never guess that I was into that kind of thing, huh?" Scorpius said lowering his voice. He put his finger to his lips and grinned. "Let's keep that our little secret and hope you can do a better job not blabbing it."

"Oh," Lily said as her face darkened a bit. "Taryn knows you kissed me the night of the bludger."

"He does?" Scorpius asked. "You told him?"

"No, apparently Rose did," Lily said scowling.

"Why would your cousin tell him about that?" Scorpius asked. Lily shrugged.

"Taryn says that Rose came on to him and then told him that," Lily said. She looked at Scorpius, biting her bottom lip.

"What do you believe?" Scorpius asked. Lily opened her mouth to reply but Harry walked in from the garage. He looked at the two of them curious, them standing there barely a foot apart from each other. Scorpius moved away from Lily quickly, as if she was repelling him.

"What are you two kids up to?" Harry asked.

"Dishes," Lily said pointing at the dishwasher. Harry grinned and nodded.

"My aunt used to make me hand wash all our dishes, even when we had one of those," Harry said. Lily rolled her eyes and Scorpius started heading up the stairs slowly. He waved the boy off but gestured to Lily to sit down.

"Yeah, Dad?" Lily asked.

"What's been up with you?" He asked her. Lily liked that about her dad. He wasn't the type of man to beat around the bush.

"Do you think Rose is jealous of me?" Lily asked. Harry couldn't suppress his surprise that she would ask that.

"What makes you think that?" Harry asked.

"Taryn says that Rose kissed him, came on to him, something… I don't know. I'm really confused about that, really. Something happened during lunch prep between Rose and Taryn and I'm confused," Lily said.

"So Rose and Taryn?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, so he says," Lily said as her eyes welled up with tears.

"What do you think?" Harry asked.

"It's possible that Rose could be jealous," Lily said. "I wouldn't have noticed it before but Taryn pointed it out to me."

"What do you think you need to do about it?" Harry asked as he conjured a box of tissues. Lily took one and dabbed at her eyes.

"Honestly? I want to let her have him," Lily said lowering her voice. "I'm not in love with him. He's too pushy and he's too needy. He wants me to quit Quidditch because of a simple accident."

"He's concerned for your well being," Harry reminded her gently.

"I don't know," Lily said. "He's controlling. I don't like how it feels when we kiss."

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure I like the idea of you kissing anyone. I was in my fifth year when I kissed a girl," Harry said. "She was a sixth year. Merlin, what was her name?"

"Cho Chang, Daddy," Lily laughed at his playful amnesia.

"Oh, that's right," Harry laughed. He was happy to see that joyful sparkle in her blue eyes.

"Do you think you could just forbid me to date anyone until I'm older and send Taryn away?" Lily asked as looked at her father hopefully.

"I know it would make it easier, sweetheart, but Potters don't run from a challenge, even when we want to," Harry reminded his youngest gently. "Where would the world be if I had run from finding the Horcruxes, just because it was challenging?"

"I wouldn't have been born," Lily said thoughtfully.

"Exactly, and that would have robbed the world of a very talented witch," Harry said. He smiled at the auburn haired girl as she tucked the wavy locks of hair behind her ears. "You need to look deep inside you and decide what you believe."

"Yes Daddy," Lily said as Harry got up from his seat. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Don't let the boys stay up too late playing video games," Harry told her laughing. Both of them knew that she had no control over the hours of video gaming.

Lily and Rose stood in the kitchen alone for the first time in days. They both looked at each other, red faced and angry. Lily had confronted Rose after thinking about it for some time and deciding that he had to be telling the truth. Only Lily, Rose, and Scorpius knew about Lily and Scorpius kissing each other. Lily knew she hadn't said anything and Scorpius wouldn't have said anything. In fact, Taryn and Scorpius hadn't said a thing to each other since the shed incident. In Lily's mind that left Rose.

"Why would I tell him that?" Rose asked. She wore a look of confusion and hurt, just like Taryn predicted.

"I don't know. You tell me, Rose," Lily said shaking her head.

"I didn't tell him anything," Rose countered.

"I decided that you probably didn't mean to hurt me, but why did you have to do this? Why'd you have to kiss him?" Lily said as she tried to be compassionate to the cousin who betrayed her.

"Lily, I didn't kiss him, he kissed me," Rose protested.

"Either way…" Lily replied dismissively.

"You believe him over me, your own cousin, and your flesh and blood?" Rose retorted her face twisted with anger and hurt.

"Rose it's not that big of a …."

"Yes it is, Lily," Rose cut Lily off mid sentence. Her voice quavered with emotion. "I'd believe you if you told me that my boyfriend kissed you."

"You don't have a boyfriend," Lily replied callously.

"But if I did," Rose replied to her as if the child before her had just slapped her.

"You're just jealous," Lily snapped. Rose took a step back as if Lily had physically attacked her.

"Is… is that what he told you?" Rose asked quietly.

"It's the truth isn't it?" Lily asked snidely. Her fists were clenched at her side, her face red with anger.

"Get over yourself, Lily," Rose snapped back. She sounded as angry as Lily. Lily marched to the back door, jerking it wide open. The cold air rushed in but changed nothing of the temperature of the two girls who were both in threat of boiling over from rage and hatred.

"You should go, Rose," Lily snapped as she held the door wide. Rose stalked over to the door, jerking her coat off the hook.

"I'm already gone," Rose replied angrily. "He's going to break your heart, Lily. I only hope he breaks it like you've broken mine."

Lily replied by slamming the door in Rose's face, the glass pane rattling hard in its frame. Lily stormed upstairs, heading straight to her bedroom. She cared not if someone else was technically owner to it for the course of Christmas Holiday. She needed a place to go that she could be alone, not goofing with video games and attitudes and the lies… oh, the lies. There was no other explanation for Taryn knowing the information. She slammed her bedroom door, startling Asher.

Lily didn't apologize to Asher, just threw herself across her bed. She tucked her right arm behind her bed, gazing up at the canopy above her until the tiny pink rose pattern went blurry from her tears. She covered her eyes with her left forearm, yet it didn't block out that look on Rose's face, that hurt that seemed to be genuine and true. Lily cried quietly in the bed, her arm deflecting the tears.

"Lily?" Scorpius asked touching Lily's shoulder, startling her.

"Huh? What?" Lily asked disoriented. The shadows were long in the room and Lily assumed that she had fallen asleep, her face creased by her arm and blotchy from her spilled tears.

"It's dinner time," Scorpius told her, frowning. "Is something wrong?"

"Did you tell Taryn we kissed?" Lily asked. Scorpius scoffed.

"Not a chance," Scorpius said. "I don't fancy a fight while being a guest of yours."

"My parents," Lily reminded him.

"What?" Scorpius asked frowning.

"You're a guest of my parents, more specifically of my father," Lily said as she climbed free of the bed, Asher curling up in the middle of the warm spot Lily left behind.

"What do you mean by that?" Scorpius asked.

"I didn't invite you here, Scorpius," Lily said at him, crossing her arms. "You have Darla."

"Where is this coming from, Lily?" Scorpius said looking at her not with anger as she had expected, but concern.

"This was supposed to be my Christmas Holiday with my boyfriend," Lily said to him in a quiet voice. "Taryn knows we kissed, Rose told him."

"I don't know your cousin that well, but Rose doesn't seem like the type to break your confidences," Scorpius said. Lily put her hands on her hips.

"You don't know Rose well at all. No one else knew. I didn't tell him, you didn't tell him, it had to be Rose," Lily snapped at him. "I really wish you had never come."

Scorpius opened his mouth to say something but words wouldn't come out. Lily didn't even have the self satisfaction to have rendered Scorpius speechless from a witty comeback or a quick retort. He just stared at her, mouth open and hurt in his eyes. Lily spun around and marched out of the room. She had a frown on her face, knitted eyebrows, and a glare in her eye as she sat down next to Taryn at the table. Harry glanced at her as he began to serve dinner.

"Your mother had to work late again," Harry told Lily.

"Some big surprise there," Lily said not quite so under her breath. Harry ignored her and he took his place at the head of the table. Scorpius took his seat across from Lily, frowning. Albus and James remained quiet, knowing more than they let on about the whole situation. The group ate silently, no words exchanged. At the close of the meal, Lily was left with the clean up duties. She felt irrationally angry, though she wasn't sure if it was anger at herself or anger at everyone else. She just felt angry.

"Lily," Ginny said in greeting as she walked in the door, hanging up her coat on the hook. "I really wish it would snow already. It doesn't feel like Christmas, just cold and wet."
"Mhmm," Lily murmured as she poured soap into the dishwasher and set the machine.

"Are you ok?" Ginny asked looking at her daughter carefully.

"I wish it was just us for Christmas," Lily said without thinking.

"Honey, Dad was only trying to help a colleague out when he agreed to Malfoy's son coming to stay with us," Ginny said patting her shoulder. "I know you hate sleeping on the pullout, but you did a really nice thing giving up your room."

"Mum, Rose kissed Taryn," Lily blurted out. Ginny looked at her daughter with surprise.

"When?" Ginny said as she sat down.

"A few days ago," Lily said. She began to cry. Ginny grabbed her purse and coat.

"Harry! Lily and I are going to the market. We'll be back soon," Ginny called. Harry popped his head out of the garage and nodded, as if it was something he had expected.

"Be safe," Harry said to his two favorite ladies. Lily pulled her jacket on and followed her mother out to the car. Living in a muggle neighborhood, it was necessities to have the neighbors see you come and go in cars. Lily sat in the passenger seat, buckling in as Ginny started the car. They picked up some cups of hot cocoa and headed to the river to talk. Ginny listened carefully as Lily poured her heart out to her mother.

"I don't know what to say, Lily," Ginny said quietly as she handed her daughter some tissues. "I mean it doesn't seem like something either of them would do."

"Rose says he kissed her, he says she kissed him," Lily cried.

"It had to have been accident, a miscommunication," Ginny said hugging her daughter. "I mean, if Taryn was really interested in Rose I'd think he'd use you kissing Scorpius as an excuse to end it with you."

"Yeah?" Lily reasoned. She nodded. If Taryn was really interested in Rose, he would have used Lily's infidelity against her and gone after Rose. As for Rose, Lily didn't know what to think. They'd never been as close as James and Rose had been but Lily couldn't believe that Rose, her own cousin, would hurt her like that. After all, they were cousins. It had to be a miscommunication.

Lily headed back inside no more certain of the events that had transpired between anybody any more. She was utterly confused. She swung the door open to the kitchen and nearly fainted. Rose was there, her back against the counter, pushing Taryn away. He looked over a Lily, horror on his face. He tried to smooth it over with a look of normalcy.

"I was just telling Rose that she just couldn't have everything she wanted," Taryn said smoothly. Lily narrowed her eyes. Lily rushed up the stairs, Taryn on her heels. He grabbed her wrist as she tried to dash into the T.V. room and pulled her further away from the door, through into Albus' room. Lily struggled.

"Let go of me, Taryn," Lily said struggling.

"You have to listen to me," Taryn said as he pushed her towards the bed. Lily looked at him in shock as he closed the door, the sound of the lock echoing in the silence of the room.

"That didn't look good down there, Taryn," Lily accused.

"I know," he said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked at Lily sympathetically. "She's hurt you, Lily. You have no idea. I just wanted to get it through to her that I will not let her come between us."

"Taryn," Lily murmured. Taryn was at her side, his lips on her chin and neck in a heart breathed.

"Lily," Taryn begged. "I love you."

"I think," Lily said as she slid away from him on the bed. "You and I need to take a bit of a break."

"Oh, Lily," Taryn breathed as he kissed her cheek.

"Taryn," she replied her resolve shaky.

"Don't let your cousin win," Taryn murmured into her ear, his fingers fiddling with the buttons on her shirt.

"Taryn, no," Lily said a little more forcefully. Taryn jerked his fingers back sharply.

"It's him, isn't it?" He demanded.

"No, it's me, Taryn," Lily replied quietly. "I'm not ready to be serious."

"I don't want to wait for this any longer, Lily," Taryn said. "If you loved me, you wouldn't make me wait any longer."

"Taryn," Lily protested a little loudly, frowning as he kissed her. She felt herself falling back against the bed. She felt herself slipping under his spell. His fingers caressed the skin of her stomach slightly, his mouth locked on hers.

"Lily?" Scorpius asked as he knocked on the door, entering the room through the communal bathroom. Taryn looked up and glared at Scorpius, a smile curl on his face quite annoyed at the interruption while happy to flaunt how far Lily was letting him get.

"She's busy, Malfoy," Taryn said. Scorpius frowned at him.

"Lily, this isn't like you," Scorpius said as Lily struggled to a sitting position. Her hair fell away from her face and she looked genuinely embarrassed that she had been caught by anyone in that position. Lily jumped up, breaking free from Taryn.

"I… I hear my mum calling me," Lily mumbled as she jetted out of the room. Taryn leaned back on the bed, grinning at Scorpius.

"You have to know, I hate you," Taryn said casually. "I can't wait until I am free of you."

"I didn't do anything to you," Scorpius challenged.

"No, but my girl seems to have decided that you were the kind of guy she'd rather be like and if I have my way, once I am finished with her, I'd make sure she was so ruined that even you wouldn't want her," Taryn laughed. Scorpius didn't think. He cocked his fist back and let it collide with Taryn's jaw just as Lily re-entered the room.

"Scorpius!" She exclaimed as she rushed to Taryn's side.

"He hit me because I defended you," Taryn said nasally as blood poured from his nose. Lily looked at him in horror, rushing to the bathroom to get a cold wash cloth. She glared at the still silent Scorpius.

"How could you hit him?" Lily demanded.

"He's using you, Lily," Scorpius murmured as he stepped towards her. Lily moved away from him.

"Leave me alone," Lily insisted.

"Please, Lily, listen to me," Scorpius insisted.

"I'm so sick of boys," Lily snapped as she rushed out the room mumbling something about ice.

"Told you. She's going to be putty in my hand," Taryn smirked. He stood up, stretching. "I think tonight, after everyone goes to sleep she and I will spend some grown up alone time."

"She's thirteen," Scorpius defended.

"So?" Taryn said shrugging. He headed toward the door. "I have needs and since I can't have Rose, Lily'll do."

"Lily'll do what?" Lily asked as Taryn stood before her.

"Always have my heart, love," Taryn said kissing her as he took the ice from Lily. Lily frowned at them and walked away, back to the T.V. room where her brothers were. Lily curled up in the chair, ignoring Taryn and Scorpius as they entered.

Lily was asleep, her dreams fitful when she awoke to Taryn holding her in his arms. She struggled against him. She had heard him earlier and she wanted to be free of him more now than ever. She tried to push him away, gently at first and then more aggressively as he didn't seem to get the idea that she wanted him away from her. She started to cry.

"You know I love you," Taryn said as he kissed her harder. She shook her head.

"All lies, Taryn," she cried. "I heard you. Rose was telling the truth, wasn't she?"

"Lily," Taryn as his hands held her upper arms against the bed.

"Get out! Get away from me!" Lily screamed loudly through her tears. Her flesh burned where his fingers touched her. "It was all lies! Everything!"

"Lily, is everything ok?" Harry asked sleepily as he flipped the light on. He blinked sleepily as he looked at Taryn and Lily struggling.

"She's having some kind of fit," Taryn told Harry. "I heard her calling out in her sleep."

"Lies!" Lily screamed as she pulled away from him. She ran to her father. "He and I are over! He needs to go now."

"Lily," Harry said as he turned to his daughter. "What happened?"

"He kissed Rose! He only wanted to do bad things with me!" Lily cried. Harry turned to the boy, his fist clenched.

"Get out of my house," Harry said in a low voice. "I should have known that you were too old for my daughter."

"Mr. Potter," Taryn said raising his hands in surrender. "It was a misunderstanding, that's all. I didn't mean…"

"You lied to me!" Lily screamed at him from behind her father, her finger pointing accusingly. Ginny wrapped herself in her robe, looking at her daughter. She wrapped her arm around Lily then sent her down the hall.

"Go to your room, Lily," Ginny whispered. She looked at Taryn, her look cold. "Son, I'm going to take you home. Get your things."

"I'll stay with him," Harry said as he followed the boy. Lily darted into her room, ignoring the half asleep inhabitant. She climbed onto the window seat, wrapping her arms around her legs as she stared out across the moonlight snow.

"Lily?" Scorpius asked softly as he moved from the bed, pulling his tee shirt on over his bare chest and stood off to her side. Lily looked at him.

"He's been lying this whole time," she cried. Scorpius frowned and wrapped his arm around her shoulder in a friendly sort of way.

"You know, it's going to be ok," he murmured as he touched her hair. His fingers caressed her cheek. "You're hot."

"Now's not the time," Lily groaned shoving his arm off of her. Scorpius shook his head.

"That's not what I meant," Scorpius said as he placed his wrist against her forehead. "I think you have a fever."

"Could be the tears," Lily murmured.

"No, I'm pretty sure you have a fever," Scorpius said as he pulled her off the window seat and back to the bed. He stood there. "Get in the bed, Lily. I'm going to get your mum."

"She's taking Taryn home," Lily mumbled as she climbed into the bed, suddenly feeling very weak.

"I'll get your dad then," Scorpius said as he exited the bedroom. Lily tried to stay awake but failed, falling asleep surrounded by a warm, masculine scent. It was a safe, warm scent the enveloped her deeply into a solid, dreamless sleep. She woke up some time later, chilled, to find her abdomen being poked rudely.

"You're awake," the woman said kindly. Lily frowned at her, trying to pull her shirt down over her stomach. Early morning light was filtering through the window.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Elena Jin, a Healer from St. Mungo's," she said kindly. "Your parents sent for me since you seemed to have caught yourself a case of the Pox."

"Dragon Pox?" Lily choked out. The Healer shook her head, laughing.

"Sorry, dear, I meant Chicken Pox," she said. "We're having a lot of muggle diseases crossing over to our side."

"Huh?" Lily asked.

"You have chicken pox," she said to Lily.

"I don't even like chicken," Lily mumbled. The healer laughed.

"You probably picked it up in King's Crossing," the healer said. "I'll tell the others you're awake and send them in. Might as well infect the rest of them while you're contagious."

"I itch," Lily grumbled at her. "What did you do to my hands?"

"Spelled a pair of mittens onto them," the healer laughed. "So you wouldn't scratch."

"Fantastic," Lily grumbled as James and Albus bounced into the room and immediately hugged her.

"Should we rub our heads on her belly?" Albus asked grinning. Lily frowned, suddenly very itchy as she pushed her brothers away.

"Get off," Lily growled at them. Albus laughed as Rose and Hugo came in the room, followed by Scorpius.

"Is that all of you?" the healer asked. Rose looked around.

"Where's Taryn?" Rose asked curiously. Lily scowled.

"He went home last night," James said darkly. Rose and Lily looked at each other, bursting into girlish tears. Rose threw herself half way to Lily, met by the awaiting arms. The boys looked away uncomfortably as the girls cried and hugged, their words unintelligible. Rose pulled away, wiping her eyes.

"I guess that ought to be enough to get all diseased up," Rose laughed as she grabbed a tissue. Hugo rolled his eyes, hugging his younger cousin. She made a face as Hugo laughed, rubbing his cheek against hers.

"Go on son," the healer said pushing Scorpius toward Lily. He blushed slightly and quickly hugged Lily.

"Is that even enough contact?" James snickered. Scorpius shot him a dirty look, a smile cruelly curling on his lips.

"Would you rather I kiss her?" Scorpius taunted. James made a face, shaking his head.

"Well," Scorpius said crossing his arms. He looked to the healer. "Is that contact enough?"

"I'd say perhaps," she said. She grinned. "Except you, son, I'd prefer you have a little more physical contact."

"Splendid," Scorpius said rolling his eyes as the other boys bounced merrily from the room. Rose blushed, her cheeks bright red and headed to the bathroom. The healer busied herself with something in her bag and Scorpius moved a bit closer.

"Might as well get this over with," Lily said as she crawled closer to him. "Want to rub my belly?"

"Not particularly," Scorpius said. Lily laughed. He touched her face slightly, grinning.

"Awe, c'mon," Lily said pulling away.

"Quickly," Scorpius said glancing at the healer. Lily looked and nodded once, without realizing what she was fully agreeing to, and he kissed her. His mouth touched hers and she felt herself soaring with the feeling as his mouth moved against hers. Lily felt her breath escape her. She grinned as she pulled back.

"That should infect you well enough," Lily laughed as she pushed him away with one hand, barely with enough force to swat a fly.

"Indeed," the healer murmured with a twinkle in her eye. She shooed Scorpius out of the room as Rose reentered. Rose grinned but didn't say anything at first. The healer left and the two cousins spent the rest of the day talking and making up over the stupid boy who told lies.


By Christmas Eve, all of the kids were bundled up, spotted with fevers in the Potter's television room. Lily was already on the mend, laughing as the others had mittens spelled onto their hands so they couldn't itch. Each one tried to convince Lily to itch them or scratch them since she had her last chicken pock scab up and heal a few days before. She giggled and shook her head, watching as they tried to scratch with their feet, as if they were animals with fleas.

"I guess we're not going to the annual Slytherin ball," Scorpius said mournfully as tried to scratch his arms with the mittens in place.

"I could still go," Lily teased but she shook her head. She held up a piece of paper. "It was cancelled this year because of the out breaks of chicken and dragon pox. Apparently, though, getting chicken pox will keep us pretty safe from getting dragon pox."

"You could be less cheerful about this, you know," James grumbled at her. Lily laughed the sound lilting as she touched his shoulder. She shook her head and jumped up.

"Juice anyone?" She asked as she glanced around at the group of them. All of them raised their empty glasses, their mittens still firmly attached.

"I can't believe Mum and Dad sent us here to get a disease on purpose," Hugo grumbled as he went to chew on his arm. Rose blanched and turned her head.

"At least you'll get over it before Christmas Holiday ends," Lily said. She danced around taking their glasses. "And maybe the snow will finally fall heavily enough to stick in time for Christmas."

"Ugh, your too damn cheerful," Scorpius moaned from his place on the floor. Lily grinned.

"You guys were all cheerful when I was the one who had the disease," she giggled. She headed out of the T.V. room, mitten free and down the stairs. She dumped the glasses into the sink, rinsing them with hot water while she fetched a tray of juice and cookies that Grandmother Weasley sent for the kids to enjoy while they were all ailing. Lily skipped back, balancing the tray, and nearly fell over James' legs.

"Watch out," James growled as he caught the tray second before it crashed onto the table and Lily frowned.

"What were you doing on the floor?" she asked.

"Scratching his back," Albus snickered as he tried to bite his mittens off. Lily laughed and picked up the game controller.

"Anyone want to play?" Lily asked with feigned innocence. Everyone in the room groaned. No one had been able to play the games since they donned their mittens. It made going to the bathroom the most exciting times of the day, since the mittens could come off to do the bathroom business and wash up.

"Sucks," Hugo said crossing his arms. "Figures we'd get the stupid Muggle Pox."

"Chicken pox," Lily reminded him lightly as she flipped the channel to the game and began playing against the system. She lost horribly, laughing as her character failed to beat out the computer. "Stupid Turtle Ducks."

"Koopas!" James howled with an indignant glare. "You can't call them 'turtle ducks'. They're Koopas!"

"Fine, fine," Lily laughed as she threw one of the pillows at him. "Stupid Koopas. Better, Jamesie-poo?"

"Not really," James glared. "And don't call me Jamesie-poo."

"I kind of like it," Scorpius said grinning.

"Fine, call me Jamesie-poo, but he's got to have some ridiculously sweet pet name too, like Scorpy-worpy or something."

"You wouldn't dare, Potter," Scorpius threatened with his eyes wide as he looked at Lily.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Lily challenged as a grin spread across her face. "Cutesy nicknames for everyone!"

"Get her!" Hugo called in a battle-cry. The five sprung into action, ganging up on Lily with their mitten-spelled hands and their strong wills. She was not match for them, as they all held her down, tickling until the controlled dropped from her hand and she gasped with laughter, tears streaming down her face.

"I surrender! I surrender!" Lily gasped. "No nicknames! I promise! I swear! On all my future children."

"You'd better mean very distance future children," Harry warned lightly as he came into the room to check on the itchy brood of teenagers.

"Of course, of course," Lily said as she struggled slightly into a sitting position.

"Well, I'm glad that you are all getting along well enough," Harry said. "I just thought that you guys might like to spend some time out in the snow."

"Is it sticking?" Lily asked excitedly as she jumped up and ran to the window. Sure enough a winter wonderland was forming down below just as the street lights were coming on outside.

"It's sticking," Harry confirmed as the others hurried to pull their gear on, caring less and less about their fevers and the speckled rashes.

"It's about time," James said. The others nodded.

"It's just not Christmas without snow," Rose confirmed.