Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, so brilliantly created by
J.K. Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Fourteen: Summertime Celebrations
"Come back here, Lily!" James shouted at his little sister as she streaked across the yard, trying to avoid the water balloon that James now held in his hand, ready to strike.
"No way!" Lily called out as she ran further away from her brother, and sought solace behind a large tree.
"Come out!" James called again, as he stood on the other side of the tree and waited for her to peer out of one of the sides. He was determined to get his sister with the balloon, no matter what it took. Suddenly struck with an idea, he stopped shouting and ran into the house.
After a long school year, James was finally on vacation. The year had been prosperous in many ways. He had made good grades, helped the Gryffindor team win the Cup again and, most importantly, received his first kiss. It had happened on Halloween, after he and Miranda Timble had been on a few dates. They sat together at the feast that night, enjoying all the food. As they were walking hand in hand through the corridors back to the Common Room, James found himself deliberately walking slower than he usually would. When they had just reached the passageway that led to the Common Room's entrance, he had stopped and boldly just kissed her. Neither had said a word, but they exchanged a smile and then walked back to the Common Room where they parted for their respective dormitories.
It HAD been a good year, despite the fact that things didn't quite work out with Miranda. Thought things started well, both parties seemed to be moving in different directions, and their interests just seemed to different to be able to build a bridge between. They had parted mutually, though much to the dismay of the still-going-strong Aidan and Rachel, who had enjoyed their company on the double dates.
Now James was home, and he realized that he was glad to be. Now fifteen, he was starting to feel more like an adult - though his parents didn't treat him like one. Still, when he returned home he could hardly believe how big Daniel had gotten in just a year. Suddenly, the baby brother James had left had turned into a LITTLE brother, complete with all the charms of being four-years-old. It was this four-year-old that James currently sought.
"Daniel?" he called out, low so that in the backyard Lily would not hear him. "Daniel?"
"He's in here," Ginny called to her son, and James entered the kitchen.
"I should have known," said James. "Eating." Sure enough, Daniel was sitting at the table, relishing in his lunch. The kid loved to eat. He was not fat, however, because as much as he loved to eat, he also loved to run around, so the two managed to balance each other out.
"Hey, Daniel," James said, and he pulled a chair up next to his little brother. "You want to help me get Lily all wet?"
Daniel nodded eagerly. "How?" he asked.
"All you have to do is throw this at her," said James, and he showed Daniel the water balloon. The four-year-old reached for it immediately.
Ginny looked over at her sons. "Come on, boys, give your sister a break," she said, thought she had a small smile on her face, remembering the many summers that she herself had been chased around the yard by her brothers, complaining and yet loving every minute of it at the same time.
"Mum," said James. "This isn't anything Lily can't handle."
"I know," she said. "But I should think you'd have a little more sympathy for her. She IS your sister."
"And as her older brother, it is my duty to throw things at her," James said sarcastically, to which Ginny gave him a small smack on the back.
"If you must," she said. "Just be gentle. I don't want any crying today. Especially not on your dad's birthday."
"Dad loves it," James said, and he picked Daniel up from his chair and the two brothers headed outside. He looked around and saw Lily nowhere. Assuming she was still behind the tree, he crept over to it, planning to surprise her by ambush. Daniel copied his older brother's movements, being as quiet as possible. Though he rarely saw him, James was quite the role model for Daniel, and he mimicked him every chance he got.
When James reached the tree, he slowly peered around it, expecting to see his sister sulking. He was surprised when he was met with.. nothing. "Lil?" he asked, confused, and as he was looking around, he felt something land on his head and break. With a splash he was covered in water.
A ten-year-old's giggling soon filled the air. "Gotcha!" Lily called out and James looked up to see his sister's leg's dangling from one of the branches, the rest of her hidden from view by the full leaves. She giggled again and called across the yard. "Thanks for the idea, daddy!"
"Anytime, love!" said Harry, and he came into view from behind another tree.
"Hey!" James exclaimed. "That's not fair!"
"You deserved it, and you know it," said Harry, teasing his son. He walked over to the tree. "Ready to get down, Lil?"
"Uh-huh," she said, "but I can do it." To the boys' surprise, Lily expertly climbed down the trunk of the tree. When they questioned her with their eyes, she said, "What? Olivia and I climb that tree all the time."
James, still soaking wet, turned to his sister, "I'll get you before the day is out!"
"We'll see," said Lily calmly. "But I have daddy as my ally."
"So," said James. "I have Daniel."
"Nice ally," said Lily with a laugh. "He's FOUR."
"So!?" exclaimed the little boy, obviously understanding his sister's words. "Four's big!"
"Of course it is," said Harry. "But if you boys don't mind, I'm on your sister's side today. Perhaps you can recruit your mum."
"Not if I get there first!" Lily exclaimed, and she shot off across the yard for the kitchen.
* * *
Ginny was laughing as she watched the scene from the kitchen, and then heard Lily run in behind her. "Hey!' she exclaimed. "Did you wipe your feet?" Lily nodded, and then picked up each bare foot in turn to show Ginny that she was not covered in mud. Ginny nodded her approval. "You want to give me a hand?"
"What are you making?"
"Cake for dad's birthday," said Ginny. "Grandma and grandpa are coming, and so are Ron and Hermione."
"Oh good," said Lily. "Olivia and I have so much to talk about."
"Do you really?" Ginny asked. "And what could you have to talk about? You just saw each other last night."
"Mum, it's private," said Lily seriously.
"Okay," said Ginny, and she handed Lily a spoon of batter to lick. "I can respect your privacy. When I was your age I had a lot of trouble finding any, what with having six brothers."
"I don't know how you did that," said Lily, sighing. "I can't handle the two I've got!"
* * *
The party that evening was held in the backyard, after Harry charmed an area so that the family wouldn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Soft music was playing from the house and a light breeze was blowing, making the evening very comfortable and quite enjoyable. The adults sat around the table sipping wine and talking while the children branched out around the yard more in their various groups. Emma and James were plotting their revenge on Lily and, by association, Olivia. They planned to enlist the help of Jack, Charlotte and Daniel who at the moment were playing a game the others didn't quite understand. They seemed to have made it up themselves. Lily and Olivia themselves remained near their parents, knowing that the revenge was coming and also knowing that it would be harder to pull off with adults nearby.
"What a beautiful night," said Mrs. Weasley as she looked up and saw the stars shining down on them.
"Very," Mr. Weasley agreed.
"This is a perfect place, you know that," said Mrs. Weasley, addressing the entire group. "To be sitting out here on just a fine evening with my loved ones around me. Can't get much better."
"Nope," said Hermione.
"And, to make it even better, we're celebrating a birthday," said Ginny before she kissed Harry on the cheek.
"It's funny," said Harry. "I've had such wonderful birthdays for so long, it's hard to remember that when I was living with the Dursleys, they barely acknowledged them."
"Well, it's been a long time since that had to happen," said Ginny.
"They still send cards though," said Harry. "Every year. It's strange."
"Do they still brag about their vacation home?" Ron asked.
"Nah, they stopped that years ago," said Harry. "Now they pretty much just sign their names."
"Though they do like to tell him in great detail what Dudley is doing," said Ginny.
"Aunt Petunia is always lamenting about how he's not settling down," added Harry. "Wants grandchildren, I suppose."
"Nothing wrong with that," said Mrs. Weasley, with a proud look in the direction of her own.
"No, nothing wrong with that," said Harry. "But why she chooses to tell me all of this in a birthday greeting is beyond me."
"On the other hand," said Ginny, changing the subject. "He received a downright dangerous exploding card from Fred and George today."
"Oh yes," said Hermione. "They sent one to Olivia for her birthday as well. The 'Exploding Greeting.'"
"It's their new product," said Ron. "Apparently they've been looking to branch out, and cards that explode seemed the best option."
"Scared the life out of poor Olivia though, didn't it, love," said Hermione and she stroked Olivia's hair.
"No!" said Olivia, adamant against her family thinking she was scared of it. "It was cool! It turned into a bird before it exploded." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded, and then groaned.
"Leave it to Fred and George to turn a perfectly lovely birthday greeting into something that explodes," Mrs. Weasley said, though the rest could detect a slight pride in her voice. Over the years the joke shop had grown on her, as she had seen that it truly was the best profession for her twins. And with the boys settled and married, she was even happier.
Ginny smiled down at Daniel, who had just come over and climbed into her lap, clearly exhausted. "You don't want to fall asleep now do you sweetie?" she asked him. The little boy replied with a yawn. Ginny laughed. "We haven't even had the cake yet."
"Cake?" Daniel asked, his eyes now wide open.
"Yup," said Ginny. "Dad's birthday cake."
"Can we have it?" Daniel asked eagerly.
"I think that can be arranged," said Ginny, and she looked at the adults around her. "Is everyone ready for dessert?" She was greeted with 'yesses' and nods, and soon James and Emma made their way back to the table with the promise of dessert.
"Let me help you, Gin," said Hermione, and she made to stand.
Ginny held up a hand to stop her. "No need," she said cheerfully, and she pointed her wand towards the house. "Accio cake! Accio coffee!" she called out, and immediately the refreshments started making their way to the crowd. Ginny prompted them to land neatly on the table, then surveyed it. "Oops," she said. "Almost forgot!" She pointed her wand to the house again and used it to summon the dessert plates and forks as well.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Aren't we going to sing happy birthday to Uncle Harry?" Charlotte asked, even though she was eager to dig into the cake, which she saw had a thick layer of chocolate frosting.
Ginny looked over at Harry, knowing that he did not usually like when people made a fuss, and how he usually got embarrassed, especially when someone was to sing happy birthday. However, to Ginny's surprise, he nodded. "For the kids," he said.
"All right then. Charlie?" Ginny asked. "Why don't you start us off?" Charlotte smiled and she began to sing, soon joined by the rest of the group. At the end of the song, all the younger children gathered round the cake and Harry took a step back as he let them blow out the candles. There was applause all around, and Ginny cut into the cake.
By the end of the evening, full of cake and getting sleepy, James let the fact that he was trying to get revenge on Lily for the water balloon slip from his mind. After all the guests had left, he lay in the grass and looked up at the stars. Oddly, and even unexpected to himself, Astronomy had become one of his best subjects in Hogwarts. He was just following the lines of a constellation when his view was suddenly blocked.
"Lily, can you please get out of the way?" he asked his sister. She shook her head. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Lily shook her head again.
"Mum doesn't know I'm out here," she said. James noticed that she was, in fact, wearing her pajamas and was walking barefoot.
"She'll be mad if she catches you," James said.
"I don't care," said Lily. "I looked out my window and saw you here, and I wanted to join you. What are you doing anyway?"
"Watching stars," said James.
"Do you know all their names?" Lily asked, and she took a seat next to him.
"A lot of them," said James. "I know a lot of the constellation names, and the planets too, of course."
"Can you show me?" Lily asked, and she sounded genuinely impressed with her brother.
"Sure," said James, and he pointed. Lily shifted so that she was lying in the grass, and she looked up at the star filled sky. She followed James' hand to see a cluster of stars.
"It just looks like stars to me," said Lily, disappointed.
"Look very carefully," said James, "and you'll start to see the shapes."
Lily blinked and then opened her eyes very wide to look up at the sky. "Show me again," she said, and James moved his arm to make the motion of the big dipper.
"I see it!" Lily exclaimed suddenly as she followed his arm.
"I told you," he said. "It's not just a bunch of random stars out there."
"That's really cool," said Lily, and she turned to her brother. "Can we stay out here a while."
"Okay," said James, finding that it was one of the rare moments when he and his sister seemed to appreciate each other's company. "At least until mum finds out." Lily giggled and then watched as James traced another pattern with his arm.
Little did the siblings know, Ginny had heard Lily creep out of her bedroom and had watched the little girl head into the backyard. Expecting the two to begin fighting again, Ginny had watched the exchange between the brother and sister, and smiled when she saw Lily settle down next to her brother and watch the sky with him.
"No problems?" Harry asked as he came up behind his wife and looked out at the children.
"Thankfully not," said Ginny. "They seem to be getting along quite well right now."
"It happens," said Harry with a smile. Ginny turned to him and placed a light kiss on his lips.
"Did you have a good birthday?" she asked. Harry nodded.
"It's always nice to see everyone," he said. "But it's especially nice to have you and James and Lily and Daniel around for these occasions."
Ginny smiled at him, knowing how much he cherished finally having a real family of his own. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said.
* * *
A few days later
Emma stood in the kitchen of the Weasley house and surveyed the things around her. "I wish I could use magic outside of school," she lamented to Hermione.
"I know that," said Hermione. "But you know that you can't. And as you're the one who insisted you make your sister's birthday cake, anyway, I'm going to let you get to it."
Emma frowned at her. "How do I make it without using magic?"
"How do you do anything without using magic?" Hermione asked. "Honestly Emma, you went for quite a long time without being able to use it. I should think you picked up a few things. Didn't your grandfather show you how to make a cake once?"
"We kind of just threw flower all over the kitchen, mum," said the thirteen- year-old. "It was supposed to make James think cooking was fun."
"Well, you know that I didn't even know magic really existed until I went to Hogwarts," Hermione reminded her, "so I made quite a few cakes with my mum."
"Then you can help me!" Emma exclaimed. "And if it gets too hard, YOU can use magic to make it!"
"Oh no you don't!" said Hermione with a laugh. "This was your idea. I wanted to just buy the cake."
"It's not as good when you buy it," said Emma.
"I suppose," said Hermione. Emma pleaded with her eyes until finally Hermione softened. "All right, love, we'll make the cake together." Emma smiled triumphantly, and then handed her mother a cookbook.
"How do we do it?" she asked.
"Well, let's get everything we need out first," said Hermione, and she went to the pantry to retrieve some items, only to find Charlotte and Jack sitting on the floor helping themselves to a large bag of potato chips.
"Jack! Charlotte!" she cried out in surprise. "Those are for later!"
"Mum!" Charlotte complained, when Hermione reached down and took the bag of chips from them. "It's my birthday!"
"I know that quite well, thank you," said Hermione, "and I also know that in about two hours, your cousins are going to show up, and you and Jack look a fright from playing in the backyard. I want you to march right on upstairs and get in the tub. Charlotte first. While you're waiting Jack, I want you to straighten up the living room."
"I don't like to clean!" Eight-year-old Jack exclaimed.
"I know you don't," said Hermione. "But a lot of people are going to be here today, and we're going to make this house presentable. Come one." Though they groaned about it, Jack and Charlotte followed Hermione out of the pantry and into the living room, where they found Ron lounging on the couch, still in his pajamas, flipping through a Quidditch magazine.
"Dad's not doing anything." Jack took the opportunity to point out the obvious. Ron pulled the magazine away from his face and surveyed his family. Hermione smiled mischievously at him.
"You're absolutely right, Jack," she said. "Dad isn't doing anything." Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "And I think the perfect job for him would be to help you out in here!"
"What's that?" said Ron, now sitting up at full attention.
"Mum's making me clean the living room," said Jack miserably.
"You're going to help," Hermione added. "But can I suggest getting properly dressed first?" Ron looked down at his clothes and shrugged.
"I can clean in this," he said.
Hermione smiled. "Suit yourself," she said. "But make sure you change before the guests arrive."
"Of course," said Ron, and he smiled back at her. Standing, he placed a kiss on her lips and then turned to Jack.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I guess," said Jack, in the same miserable tone as he plopped himself onto the couch.
"Great!" said Hermione, with one job taken care of. She turned to Charlotte. "Now, upstairs with you!" She ushered Charlotte out of the room.
Ron sat on the couch next to his son and looked over at him. "Where do you suppose we should start?" he asked him.
"Nowhere," said the still grumpy Jack.
"Well, that won't get us very far, will it son?" Ron asked. Jack simply shrugged. Ron looked at him, a serious expression on his face. "I see this isn't going to be easy. I suppose this will just go a lot faster if I do it." Ron smiled and waved his wand in the direction of a pile of Jack's toys. With a few short spells, he had the toys sailing through the air and landing neatly into the plastic bins Hermione kept to the side of the room for their storage.
Ron looked over at Jack. "You know," he said. "This is REALLY hard work. I think you need to help me."
"I can't use a wand," said Jack. "I haven't been to school yet."
Ron looked as though he were thinking about the problem. "That IS a problem," he said. "But I'm not going to clean this room by myself."
"Maybe I can help," Jack said, and his mood seemed to perk up a little bit. He stood and then knelt by the coffee table, where he began to stack the magazines, going in order from largest to smallest, until he had a neat pile in front of him.
"How about this?" Ron asked, and he joined Jack. "I won't clean with magic. That way we can both do all the work together."
"Okay," said Jack, and they continued to work.
* * *
With Charlotte upstairs getting ready for her guests (with Olivia's help, which Hermione could only hope would turn out all right), Hermione turned her attention back the Emma's dilemma in the kitchen. While Hermione had been distracted by her younger children, he oldest had managed to figure out the first steps to making the cake. When Hermione returned to the kitchen, she found Emma whisking eggs into a batter. "Look at that," she said. "You didn't even need my help."
"I hope it's okay," said Emma.
"Did you follow all the directions?" Hermione asked, and she glanced down at the book.
"Of course!" Emma said, almost insulted that Hermione would imply that she did not follow directions.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem," said Hermione. "I'm sure your cake will be lovely, and I'm sure Charlotte will love it. It IS chocolate, isn't it?"
"Of course," Emma said again, this time with a tone that implied she knew her little sister very well, and would never make her any cake that wasn't chocolate.
"Good. Then Charlotte AND your dad will be very pleased," said Hermione with a laugh.
* * *
As expected, the Potters were the first people to get to the party. By the time they arrived, Hermione and Ron had managed to get the house tidied up, get the children tidied up and set up a few things in the backyard. They had been blessed with a beautiful summer's day, and so it was quite convenient to hold the birthday party in the backyard.
"Good thing too," said Ron after they had finished putting up the decorations. "I don't think our family fits in our house anymore!" Hermione had agreed with a nod.
Now they could see that they had been quite right to set up in the yard. With the many Weasleys arriving, as well as various family friends, it was turning out to be quite the birthday party. When Hermione thanked Neville and Luna for coming, they had said, "Well, Charlotte certainly won't turn five everyday, will she?" Hermione had agreed, and then greeted their children: almost nine-year-old Frank, five-year-old Oliver and four-year- old Henry.
The Weasley family was there in full swing. Percy and Penelope, who would celebrate twenty years of marriage in just a few short months, came with their boys. Nineteen-year-old Phillip took the opportunity of the large gathering to introduce his new girlfriend, Kim, to the family. Percy had graduated from Hogwarts just a year before, and he was now working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic. Ron had commented, when he heard of his nephew's new occupation, that it was about time someone from Percy's lineage got into the law, as they all followed rules so strictly.
Charlie and Dawn's eleven-year-old, Milo, tagged onto his older cousins so that he could gain information for his upcoming first year at Hogwarts. They gladly brought him into the group as they played various games in the yard, including tag and hide-and-go-seek, and later Hermione noted with surprise that even Phillip and Kim joined in the fun. "She must be a good influence on him," said Ginny. "Takes a lot to get Phil to loosen up."
Charlotte was the life of the party that day, knowing that everyone was there to celebrate her birthday. She relished in opening her birthday gifts, which included a lot of books, as most people knew how much she liked to read, and lot of logic puzzles, her other favorite thing. She ate way too much cake and ended up falling asleep before she could even change into her pajamas.
"Leave her," said Ron as he and Hermione stood watching her. After the guests had left, they had ushered their youngest up the stairs, and she had willingly sat on her bed. As they had spoken to her about her day and Hermione took out her pajamas, Charlotte's eyes dropped closed and she was sound asleep. "It won't kill her to sleep in a party dress."
"It might kill the dress though," Hermione said reluctantly.
"Does it matter?" he asked. "She'll outgrow it soon enough anyway."
Hermione sighed. "They do get big so fast, don't they?"
"Well, you know what the solution to that is, don't you?" Ron asked as he put his arm around her.
"What's that?" said Hermione.
"We'll just have to keep having more," he said, knowing he could get Hermione to laugh by saying it.
Hermione did just that and punched him playfully in the arm. "That's not funny."
"You're laughing," he said.
"As much as I love them when they're babies," said Hermione, "there is plenty of stuff to love about them now that they're older."
Ron nodded his agreement, and then took Hermione's hand. "Come on, love, let's go enjoy the quiet downstairs before we go to bed."
Hermione smiled and sighed happily. "Sounds good to me." She walked over to Charlotte's bed and made sure the covers were wrapped around her. She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Happy birthday, Charlotte." With that, Hermione and Ron turned out the light and headed to the living room to enjoy the rest of the summer's eve.
Chapter Fourteen: Summertime Celebrations
"Come back here, Lily!" James shouted at his little sister as she streaked across the yard, trying to avoid the water balloon that James now held in his hand, ready to strike.
"No way!" Lily called out as she ran further away from her brother, and sought solace behind a large tree.
"Come out!" James called again, as he stood on the other side of the tree and waited for her to peer out of one of the sides. He was determined to get his sister with the balloon, no matter what it took. Suddenly struck with an idea, he stopped shouting and ran into the house.
After a long school year, James was finally on vacation. The year had been prosperous in many ways. He had made good grades, helped the Gryffindor team win the Cup again and, most importantly, received his first kiss. It had happened on Halloween, after he and Miranda Timble had been on a few dates. They sat together at the feast that night, enjoying all the food. As they were walking hand in hand through the corridors back to the Common Room, James found himself deliberately walking slower than he usually would. When they had just reached the passageway that led to the Common Room's entrance, he had stopped and boldly just kissed her. Neither had said a word, but they exchanged a smile and then walked back to the Common Room where they parted for their respective dormitories.
It HAD been a good year, despite the fact that things didn't quite work out with Miranda. Thought things started well, both parties seemed to be moving in different directions, and their interests just seemed to different to be able to build a bridge between. They had parted mutually, though much to the dismay of the still-going-strong Aidan and Rachel, who had enjoyed their company on the double dates.
Now James was home, and he realized that he was glad to be. Now fifteen, he was starting to feel more like an adult - though his parents didn't treat him like one. Still, when he returned home he could hardly believe how big Daniel had gotten in just a year. Suddenly, the baby brother James had left had turned into a LITTLE brother, complete with all the charms of being four-years-old. It was this four-year-old that James currently sought.
"Daniel?" he called out, low so that in the backyard Lily would not hear him. "Daniel?"
"He's in here," Ginny called to her son, and James entered the kitchen.
"I should have known," said James. "Eating." Sure enough, Daniel was sitting at the table, relishing in his lunch. The kid loved to eat. He was not fat, however, because as much as he loved to eat, he also loved to run around, so the two managed to balance each other out.
"Hey, Daniel," James said, and he pulled a chair up next to his little brother. "You want to help me get Lily all wet?"
Daniel nodded eagerly. "How?" he asked.
"All you have to do is throw this at her," said James, and he showed Daniel the water balloon. The four-year-old reached for it immediately.
Ginny looked over at her sons. "Come on, boys, give your sister a break," she said, thought she had a small smile on her face, remembering the many summers that she herself had been chased around the yard by her brothers, complaining and yet loving every minute of it at the same time.
"Mum," said James. "This isn't anything Lily can't handle."
"I know," she said. "But I should think you'd have a little more sympathy for her. She IS your sister."
"And as her older brother, it is my duty to throw things at her," James said sarcastically, to which Ginny gave him a small smack on the back.
"If you must," she said. "Just be gentle. I don't want any crying today. Especially not on your dad's birthday."
"Dad loves it," James said, and he picked Daniel up from his chair and the two brothers headed outside. He looked around and saw Lily nowhere. Assuming she was still behind the tree, he crept over to it, planning to surprise her by ambush. Daniel copied his older brother's movements, being as quiet as possible. Though he rarely saw him, James was quite the role model for Daniel, and he mimicked him every chance he got.
When James reached the tree, he slowly peered around it, expecting to see his sister sulking. He was surprised when he was met with.. nothing. "Lil?" he asked, confused, and as he was looking around, he felt something land on his head and break. With a splash he was covered in water.
A ten-year-old's giggling soon filled the air. "Gotcha!" Lily called out and James looked up to see his sister's leg's dangling from one of the branches, the rest of her hidden from view by the full leaves. She giggled again and called across the yard. "Thanks for the idea, daddy!"
"Anytime, love!" said Harry, and he came into view from behind another tree.
"Hey!" James exclaimed. "That's not fair!"
"You deserved it, and you know it," said Harry, teasing his son. He walked over to the tree. "Ready to get down, Lil?"
"Uh-huh," she said, "but I can do it." To the boys' surprise, Lily expertly climbed down the trunk of the tree. When they questioned her with their eyes, she said, "What? Olivia and I climb that tree all the time."
James, still soaking wet, turned to his sister, "I'll get you before the day is out!"
"We'll see," said Lily calmly. "But I have daddy as my ally."
"So," said James. "I have Daniel."
"Nice ally," said Lily with a laugh. "He's FOUR."
"So!?" exclaimed the little boy, obviously understanding his sister's words. "Four's big!"
"Of course it is," said Harry. "But if you boys don't mind, I'm on your sister's side today. Perhaps you can recruit your mum."
"Not if I get there first!" Lily exclaimed, and she shot off across the yard for the kitchen.
* * *
Ginny was laughing as she watched the scene from the kitchen, and then heard Lily run in behind her. "Hey!' she exclaimed. "Did you wipe your feet?" Lily nodded, and then picked up each bare foot in turn to show Ginny that she was not covered in mud. Ginny nodded her approval. "You want to give me a hand?"
"What are you making?"
"Cake for dad's birthday," said Ginny. "Grandma and grandpa are coming, and so are Ron and Hermione."
"Oh good," said Lily. "Olivia and I have so much to talk about."
"Do you really?" Ginny asked. "And what could you have to talk about? You just saw each other last night."
"Mum, it's private," said Lily seriously.
"Okay," said Ginny, and she handed Lily a spoon of batter to lick. "I can respect your privacy. When I was your age I had a lot of trouble finding any, what with having six brothers."
"I don't know how you did that," said Lily, sighing. "I can't handle the two I've got!"
* * *
The party that evening was held in the backyard, after Harry charmed an area so that the family wouldn't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. Soft music was playing from the house and a light breeze was blowing, making the evening very comfortable and quite enjoyable. The adults sat around the table sipping wine and talking while the children branched out around the yard more in their various groups. Emma and James were plotting their revenge on Lily and, by association, Olivia. They planned to enlist the help of Jack, Charlotte and Daniel who at the moment were playing a game the others didn't quite understand. They seemed to have made it up themselves. Lily and Olivia themselves remained near their parents, knowing that the revenge was coming and also knowing that it would be harder to pull off with adults nearby.
"What a beautiful night," said Mrs. Weasley as she looked up and saw the stars shining down on them.
"Very," Mr. Weasley agreed.
"This is a perfect place, you know that," said Mrs. Weasley, addressing the entire group. "To be sitting out here on just a fine evening with my loved ones around me. Can't get much better."
"Nope," said Hermione.
"And, to make it even better, we're celebrating a birthday," said Ginny before she kissed Harry on the cheek.
"It's funny," said Harry. "I've had such wonderful birthdays for so long, it's hard to remember that when I was living with the Dursleys, they barely acknowledged them."
"Well, it's been a long time since that had to happen," said Ginny.
"They still send cards though," said Harry. "Every year. It's strange."
"Do they still brag about their vacation home?" Ron asked.
"Nah, they stopped that years ago," said Harry. "Now they pretty much just sign their names."
"Though they do like to tell him in great detail what Dudley is doing," said Ginny.
"Aunt Petunia is always lamenting about how he's not settling down," added Harry. "Wants grandchildren, I suppose."
"Nothing wrong with that," said Mrs. Weasley, with a proud look in the direction of her own.
"No, nothing wrong with that," said Harry. "But why she chooses to tell me all of this in a birthday greeting is beyond me."
"On the other hand," said Ginny, changing the subject. "He received a downright dangerous exploding card from Fred and George today."
"Oh yes," said Hermione. "They sent one to Olivia for her birthday as well. The 'Exploding Greeting.'"
"It's their new product," said Ron. "Apparently they've been looking to branch out, and cards that explode seemed the best option."
"Scared the life out of poor Olivia though, didn't it, love," said Hermione and she stroked Olivia's hair.
"No!" said Olivia, adamant against her family thinking she was scared of it. "It was cool! It turned into a bird before it exploded." Mr. and Mrs. Weasley nodded, and then groaned.
"Leave it to Fred and George to turn a perfectly lovely birthday greeting into something that explodes," Mrs. Weasley said, though the rest could detect a slight pride in her voice. Over the years the joke shop had grown on her, as she had seen that it truly was the best profession for her twins. And with the boys settled and married, she was even happier.
Ginny smiled down at Daniel, who had just come over and climbed into her lap, clearly exhausted. "You don't want to fall asleep now do you sweetie?" she asked him. The little boy replied with a yawn. Ginny laughed. "We haven't even had the cake yet."
"Cake?" Daniel asked, his eyes now wide open.
"Yup," said Ginny. "Dad's birthday cake."
"Can we have it?" Daniel asked eagerly.
"I think that can be arranged," said Ginny, and she looked at the adults around her. "Is everyone ready for dessert?" She was greeted with 'yesses' and nods, and soon James and Emma made their way back to the table with the promise of dessert.
"Let me help you, Gin," said Hermione, and she made to stand.
Ginny held up a hand to stop her. "No need," she said cheerfully, and she pointed her wand towards the house. "Accio cake! Accio coffee!" she called out, and immediately the refreshments started making their way to the crowd. Ginny prompted them to land neatly on the table, then surveyed it. "Oops," she said. "Almost forgot!" She pointed her wand to the house again and used it to summon the dessert plates and forks as well.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Aren't we going to sing happy birthday to Uncle Harry?" Charlotte asked, even though she was eager to dig into the cake, which she saw had a thick layer of chocolate frosting.
Ginny looked over at Harry, knowing that he did not usually like when people made a fuss, and how he usually got embarrassed, especially when someone was to sing happy birthday. However, to Ginny's surprise, he nodded. "For the kids," he said.
"All right then. Charlie?" Ginny asked. "Why don't you start us off?" Charlotte smiled and she began to sing, soon joined by the rest of the group. At the end of the song, all the younger children gathered round the cake and Harry took a step back as he let them blow out the candles. There was applause all around, and Ginny cut into the cake.
By the end of the evening, full of cake and getting sleepy, James let the fact that he was trying to get revenge on Lily for the water balloon slip from his mind. After all the guests had left, he lay in the grass and looked up at the stars. Oddly, and even unexpected to himself, Astronomy had become one of his best subjects in Hogwarts. He was just following the lines of a constellation when his view was suddenly blocked.
"Lily, can you please get out of the way?" he asked his sister. She shook her head. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" Lily shook her head again.
"Mum doesn't know I'm out here," she said. James noticed that she was, in fact, wearing her pajamas and was walking barefoot.
"She'll be mad if she catches you," James said.
"I don't care," said Lily. "I looked out my window and saw you here, and I wanted to join you. What are you doing anyway?"
"Watching stars," said James.
"Do you know all their names?" Lily asked, and she took a seat next to him.
"A lot of them," said James. "I know a lot of the constellation names, and the planets too, of course."
"Can you show me?" Lily asked, and she sounded genuinely impressed with her brother.
"Sure," said James, and he pointed. Lily shifted so that she was lying in the grass, and she looked up at the star filled sky. She followed James' hand to see a cluster of stars.
"It just looks like stars to me," said Lily, disappointed.
"Look very carefully," said James, "and you'll start to see the shapes."
Lily blinked and then opened her eyes very wide to look up at the sky. "Show me again," she said, and James moved his arm to make the motion of the big dipper.
"I see it!" Lily exclaimed suddenly as she followed his arm.
"I told you," he said. "It's not just a bunch of random stars out there."
"That's really cool," said Lily, and she turned to her brother. "Can we stay out here a while."
"Okay," said James, finding that it was one of the rare moments when he and his sister seemed to appreciate each other's company. "At least until mum finds out." Lily giggled and then watched as James traced another pattern with his arm.
Little did the siblings know, Ginny had heard Lily creep out of her bedroom and had watched the little girl head into the backyard. Expecting the two to begin fighting again, Ginny had watched the exchange between the brother and sister, and smiled when she saw Lily settle down next to her brother and watch the sky with him.
"No problems?" Harry asked as he came up behind his wife and looked out at the children.
"Thankfully not," said Ginny. "They seem to be getting along quite well right now."
"It happens," said Harry with a smile. Ginny turned to him and placed a light kiss on his lips.
"Did you have a good birthday?" she asked. Harry nodded.
"It's always nice to see everyone," he said. "But it's especially nice to have you and James and Lily and Daniel around for these occasions."
Ginny smiled at him, knowing how much he cherished finally having a real family of his own. "Happy Birthday, Harry," she said.
* * *
A few days later
Emma stood in the kitchen of the Weasley house and surveyed the things around her. "I wish I could use magic outside of school," she lamented to Hermione.
"I know that," said Hermione. "But you know that you can't. And as you're the one who insisted you make your sister's birthday cake, anyway, I'm going to let you get to it."
Emma frowned at her. "How do I make it without using magic?"
"How do you do anything without using magic?" Hermione asked. "Honestly Emma, you went for quite a long time without being able to use it. I should think you picked up a few things. Didn't your grandfather show you how to make a cake once?"
"We kind of just threw flower all over the kitchen, mum," said the thirteen- year-old. "It was supposed to make James think cooking was fun."
"Well, you know that I didn't even know magic really existed until I went to Hogwarts," Hermione reminded her, "so I made quite a few cakes with my mum."
"Then you can help me!" Emma exclaimed. "And if it gets too hard, YOU can use magic to make it!"
"Oh no you don't!" said Hermione with a laugh. "This was your idea. I wanted to just buy the cake."
"It's not as good when you buy it," said Emma.
"I suppose," said Hermione. Emma pleaded with her eyes until finally Hermione softened. "All right, love, we'll make the cake together." Emma smiled triumphantly, and then handed her mother a cookbook.
"How do we do it?" she asked.
"Well, let's get everything we need out first," said Hermione, and she went to the pantry to retrieve some items, only to find Charlotte and Jack sitting on the floor helping themselves to a large bag of potato chips.
"Jack! Charlotte!" she cried out in surprise. "Those are for later!"
"Mum!" Charlotte complained, when Hermione reached down and took the bag of chips from them. "It's my birthday!"
"I know that quite well, thank you," said Hermione, "and I also know that in about two hours, your cousins are going to show up, and you and Jack look a fright from playing in the backyard. I want you to march right on upstairs and get in the tub. Charlotte first. While you're waiting Jack, I want you to straighten up the living room."
"I don't like to clean!" Eight-year-old Jack exclaimed.
"I know you don't," said Hermione. "But a lot of people are going to be here today, and we're going to make this house presentable. Come one." Though they groaned about it, Jack and Charlotte followed Hermione out of the pantry and into the living room, where they found Ron lounging on the couch, still in his pajamas, flipping through a Quidditch magazine.
"Dad's not doing anything." Jack took the opportunity to point out the obvious. Ron pulled the magazine away from his face and surveyed his family. Hermione smiled mischievously at him.
"You're absolutely right, Jack," she said. "Dad isn't doing anything." Ron raised an eyebrow at her. "And I think the perfect job for him would be to help you out in here!"
"What's that?" said Ron, now sitting up at full attention.
"Mum's making me clean the living room," said Jack miserably.
"You're going to help," Hermione added. "But can I suggest getting properly dressed first?" Ron looked down at his clothes and shrugged.
"I can clean in this," he said.
Hermione smiled. "Suit yourself," she said. "But make sure you change before the guests arrive."
"Of course," said Ron, and he smiled back at her. Standing, he placed a kiss on her lips and then turned to Jack.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"I guess," said Jack, in the same miserable tone as he plopped himself onto the couch.
"Great!" said Hermione, with one job taken care of. She turned to Charlotte. "Now, upstairs with you!" She ushered Charlotte out of the room.
Ron sat on the couch next to his son and looked over at him. "Where do you suppose we should start?" he asked him.
"Nowhere," said the still grumpy Jack.
"Well, that won't get us very far, will it son?" Ron asked. Jack simply shrugged. Ron looked at him, a serious expression on his face. "I see this isn't going to be easy. I suppose this will just go a lot faster if I do it." Ron smiled and waved his wand in the direction of a pile of Jack's toys. With a few short spells, he had the toys sailing through the air and landing neatly into the plastic bins Hermione kept to the side of the room for their storage.
Ron looked over at Jack. "You know," he said. "This is REALLY hard work. I think you need to help me."
"I can't use a wand," said Jack. "I haven't been to school yet."
Ron looked as though he were thinking about the problem. "That IS a problem," he said. "But I'm not going to clean this room by myself."
"Maybe I can help," Jack said, and his mood seemed to perk up a little bit. He stood and then knelt by the coffee table, where he began to stack the magazines, going in order from largest to smallest, until he had a neat pile in front of him.
"How about this?" Ron asked, and he joined Jack. "I won't clean with magic. That way we can both do all the work together."
"Okay," said Jack, and they continued to work.
* * *
With Charlotte upstairs getting ready for her guests (with Olivia's help, which Hermione could only hope would turn out all right), Hermione turned her attention back the Emma's dilemma in the kitchen. While Hermione had been distracted by her younger children, he oldest had managed to figure out the first steps to making the cake. When Hermione returned to the kitchen, she found Emma whisking eggs into a batter. "Look at that," she said. "You didn't even need my help."
"I hope it's okay," said Emma.
"Did you follow all the directions?" Hermione asked, and she glanced down at the book.
"Of course!" Emma said, almost insulted that Hermione would imply that she did not follow directions.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem," said Hermione. "I'm sure your cake will be lovely, and I'm sure Charlotte will love it. It IS chocolate, isn't it?"
"Of course," Emma said again, this time with a tone that implied she knew her little sister very well, and would never make her any cake that wasn't chocolate.
"Good. Then Charlotte AND your dad will be very pleased," said Hermione with a laugh.
* * *
As expected, the Potters were the first people to get to the party. By the time they arrived, Hermione and Ron had managed to get the house tidied up, get the children tidied up and set up a few things in the backyard. They had been blessed with a beautiful summer's day, and so it was quite convenient to hold the birthday party in the backyard.
"Good thing too," said Ron after they had finished putting up the decorations. "I don't think our family fits in our house anymore!" Hermione had agreed with a nod.
Now they could see that they had been quite right to set up in the yard. With the many Weasleys arriving, as well as various family friends, it was turning out to be quite the birthday party. When Hermione thanked Neville and Luna for coming, they had said, "Well, Charlotte certainly won't turn five everyday, will she?" Hermione had agreed, and then greeted their children: almost nine-year-old Frank, five-year-old Oliver and four-year- old Henry.
The Weasley family was there in full swing. Percy and Penelope, who would celebrate twenty years of marriage in just a few short months, came with their boys. Nineteen-year-old Phillip took the opportunity of the large gathering to introduce his new girlfriend, Kim, to the family. Percy had graduated from Hogwarts just a year before, and he was now working in the Magical Law Enforcement Department of the Ministry of Magic. Ron had commented, when he heard of his nephew's new occupation, that it was about time someone from Percy's lineage got into the law, as they all followed rules so strictly.
Charlie and Dawn's eleven-year-old, Milo, tagged onto his older cousins so that he could gain information for his upcoming first year at Hogwarts. They gladly brought him into the group as they played various games in the yard, including tag and hide-and-go-seek, and later Hermione noted with surprise that even Phillip and Kim joined in the fun. "She must be a good influence on him," said Ginny. "Takes a lot to get Phil to loosen up."
Charlotte was the life of the party that day, knowing that everyone was there to celebrate her birthday. She relished in opening her birthday gifts, which included a lot of books, as most people knew how much she liked to read, and lot of logic puzzles, her other favorite thing. She ate way too much cake and ended up falling asleep before she could even change into her pajamas.
"Leave her," said Ron as he and Hermione stood watching her. After the guests had left, they had ushered their youngest up the stairs, and she had willingly sat on her bed. As they had spoken to her about her day and Hermione took out her pajamas, Charlotte's eyes dropped closed and she was sound asleep. "It won't kill her to sleep in a party dress."
"It might kill the dress though," Hermione said reluctantly.
"Does it matter?" he asked. "She'll outgrow it soon enough anyway."
Hermione sighed. "They do get big so fast, don't they?"
"Well, you know what the solution to that is, don't you?" Ron asked as he put his arm around her.
"What's that?" said Hermione.
"We'll just have to keep having more," he said, knowing he could get Hermione to laugh by saying it.
Hermione did just that and punched him playfully in the arm. "That's not funny."
"You're laughing," he said.
"As much as I love them when they're babies," said Hermione, "there is plenty of stuff to love about them now that they're older."
Ron nodded his agreement, and then took Hermione's hand. "Come on, love, let's go enjoy the quiet downstairs before we go to bed."
Hermione smiled and sighed happily. "Sounds good to me." She walked over to Charlotte's bed and made sure the covers were wrapped around her. She kissed her daughter's forehead. "Happy birthday, Charlotte." With that, Hermione and Ron turned out the light and headed to the living room to enjoy the rest of the summer's eve.