A/N* I don't own anything. I don't own Harry Potter, any of the other characters in Harry Potter and I certainly don't own It's A Wonderful Life. I don't even like that film.



Lily put It's A Wonderful Life in the VCR and sat back on the chesterfield. "Hey Poppy! Hurry up with that popcorn!" Even in their small, makeshift family they had traditions, and this was one of them. Every year, without fail, they watched It's A Wonderful Life and ate popcorn. It was just one of those family things.

Harry came out, glass of red wine in one hand, bowl of popcorn in the other and a dishtowel over his shoulder. Lily grinned. "Should I be calling you Poppy or Muv?"

Harry set the wine and popcorn down and twisted up the dishtowel, snapping it against Lily's leg. "Ah! Daddy!"

Harry grinned and dropped onto the chesterfield. "This is an appalling film. I should make my own. 'Quidditch: On Tape.' "

"Yeah, except I think we might be the only wizards who have a VCR."

"Draco's girlfriend has a DVD player."

"Why isn't he spending Christmas with her?"

"She has a twenty something daughter. It kind of weirds him out."

"What about Oliver?"

Harry smiled ruefully. "Anyone who can put up with Oliver deserves a medal."

"What do you mean?"

"Oliver is not marriage material. He has bachelor written all over his forehead."

"He's very handsome though."

"Oh absolutely, I won't deny that, but he just isn't, that kind of guy. He can't settle down."

"How about Ugly? Is he marriage material?"

Harry smiled. "Whatever girl manages to snag Cage Richards is in for a treat. Just wait to see what he got you for Christmas."

"He got me something for Christmas?"

"Sure, he positively adores you. Thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

"And you don't have a problem with that?"

"He adores you like an older brother would. That's why I let him live in the same house as you." Harry winked.

"How about this Parvati woman Pops?" Lily asked, tossing a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

"Well, she's coming over tonight. She's a very sweet woman, very professional."

"How come 'Mione doesn't like her then?"

Harry took a sip of wine. "Meaning no disrespect to Hermione, but she has had gudges against every girl I've ever dated, with the possible exception of your mother."

"Why?"

"This is gossip."

"Daddddd. Please?"

Harry sighed. "You must never repeat this. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright. Hermione had, maybe still has a thing for Wood. Just wait!" he said, before Lily could open her mouth. "Now, every girl I date has a good chance of getting to know Oliver, right? Wrong. But Hermione didn't see it that way, and she held grudges against everyone else. She has a grudge against her sister-in-law for chrisakes."

"Dad! No way, I don't believe that."

Harry lifted his arm from around her shoulder and held them in the air. "I never said you had to believe me."

"So it's true?" Lily asked, eyes wide.

"Would I lie to you?"

"Oh my god! But she's married!"

"So?"

"Dad! Did you cheat on muv?"

"No, Cho maybe, and Hermione, but never your mum."

"He never had time to cheat on your mum."

"Draco! What the hell are you still doing here?'

"I just got back! And I'm going out again right away, so relax." He moved into the sitting room and glanced at the telly. "Oooh! It's A Wonderful Life! I love this movie. Maybe I'll stay in."

"I'se joking, joking!" He said when Harry glared at him. "Do you want me to take Lilibeth out too, so you can have the evening alone?"

"This is the first evening we're getting together in twelve years! Maybe tomorrow night."

"Bagged a nice catch there Potter, but I don't think you could make babies more beautiful than this one with anybody." He hugged Lily.

"That's right. Got myself the prettiest baby in all the world right here."

"Pity I'm not seventeen years younger." Draco said, winking.

"Hey, you just remember, I contributed to this beauty."

Draco snorted. "Well I had better run. Got meself some plans of my own."

"Night Malfoy."

Draco nodded. "Potter. Lily." And he went to the door. Pushing it open, a young woman was on the opposite side, just getting ready to knock. "Parvati! What a surprise, do come in. I was just heading out."

Harry stood and went over to the door. "Hey Parvati. Can I take your cloak?"

They returned to the sitting room and Lily muted the telly. "Parvati, this is my daughter Lily, Lily this is Parvati."

"Nice to meet you Parvati."

"Nice to meet you too." Parvati turned to Harry and said in a whisper that Lily wasn't supposed to hear, "Oh my god Harry, she's gorgeous!"

"You're what, twelve now?" Parvati asked.

"Thirteen in March." Lily smiled politely.

"Oh! I've brought you something, by the way." She pulled a book out of her handbag and gave it to Lily. "It's just a little mythology book, but you might find it interesting. At least I did." She giggled nervously.

Harry smiled at Lily over Parvati's head. "Would you like a drink Parvati? Tea, scotch, wine?"

"I'll have a glass of wine, if it's no trouble."

"Lils, come help me."

Lily got up and followed Harry into the kitchen. "So what do you think?"

"She's so nervous!" Lily said, grabbing a wine glass.

"But other than that, do you like her?"

"She doesn't seem to bad."

"So Parvati, what are you doing for Christmas?" Harry called from the kitchen.

"Just, me and, my sister. My sister and her husband and their children are holding Christmas at their house, that's where I'm going."

"Oh, did Padma get married?"

"Yes, six years ago. A Beauxbatons boy."

"Oh yeah. Lily got a letter from Beauxbatons, actually." Harry said, returning to the living room. "But I didn't want to send her to a school called beautiful sticks."

"Well, it's not such a bad school." Parvati said, taking a sip of wine and calming down some. "They put tremendous focus on Charms though. But I suppose even Hogwarts has it's faults. How are you liking Hogwarts, by the way, Lily?"

"Oh it's a great school. I've made some good friends there."

"Well make sure to keep in touch with your friends when you leave school. Friends are like money. If you don't know where it is it doesn't do anything for you, and if you use it you may never get it back."

"I take it you haven't talked to Lavender lately?"

Parvati laughed coldly. "Not since she married Neville and I found out six weeks later when she needed me to babysit their kids."

"They're nice kids though." Harry said.

"Only because they don't spend much time with Lavender."

"So did you ever get married Parvati?" Lily asked.

"Once. For about six weeks."

"To who?" Suddenly the door opened and Seamus stood in the entrance. Parvati looked at him in the doorway and then looked down into her wine glass.

"To Seamus??"

"Och! What's she doing here Potter?" Seamus asked from the doorway.

"Oh did I forget to tell you? We've started seeing each other. Well come in, it's not getting any warmer outside. Irish whiskey or scotch?"

"Whatever's stronger." Seamus said, sitting down. "Don't marry this un Harry. You'd be better off marrying Marit."

"Maybe you can marry Seamus. You can come home everyday after work and stumble across him and a Canadian news broadcaster."

"Hey! You two, come off it. Parvati, Seamus is a good friend of mine and Seamus, Parvati is going to be a fixture in this house hopefully for a while, so if you don't mind, be civil. Come on."

"What?"

"Say something civil to her Seamus."

"How's work?" Seamus said grudgingly.

"Good. How's Caroline?"

"Good. How was that Potter, good enough for you?"

Hary shook his head. "Where is Caroline, by the way?"

"Dinner date with her grandparents."

"In Ireland?"

"No, with Ginny's parents."

"What did Ginny have to say about that?"

"She didn't say anything. Oh look. "It's A Wonderful life.' Doesn't this movie just make you sick?" Seamus asked cheerfully.