A/N: Ok, please don't hate me, but I started a new fic. I know I ought to be updating the others, but this idea popped into my head and I had to write it out. And of course, once it was written down I couldn't help but post it here. I don't really know if this fits into 'the Journal' universe, but in a way I guess it does. If it is a part of any universe at all, it might as well be that. Anyway, the fic is called Butterfly Kisses, named after a song with the same name that is about a father and his daughter. If you haven't heard it, do. Very pretty song.
And if you haven't understood it yet, then you must be slow: Joanne Kathleen Rowling owns Harry Potter and everything that is even remotely related to it. What she doesn't own, someone else does. So don't ask me for anything, ok? All I need is for you to review! That would be grand. Thanks.
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"Don't ever talk to me ever again! I hate you!" Loud voices rang through the kitchen, followed by running and the slamming of a door. The silence that followed it was thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Well that sure went well," Harry Potter murmured in agitation and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Oh come on, Harry, you know what she's like." His wife Ginny walked over and stroked him softly over the hair.

"I do," Harry agreed, "and yet I let her go on like that. God, I swear, if she continues like this then I'm sending her to Ron's. I can't handle her when she's in that mood."

Ginny sighed and sat down on his lap. "Sweetheart, why don't you just let her get some time to cool off?"

"Ginny it's been five hours! She's been in the house for five hours and already there is running up the stairs in a frenzy and people slamming doors."

"Not people –" a young boy said as he came through the kitchen door, "Lily. She's not people, she's some kind of manic animal. You ought to lock her up."

"Sirius!" Ginny scolded – then sighed, "sorry, we didn't mean to drag you into this. You think maybe you could talk to her?"

Sirius made a face that told them exactly how he felt about that. "Come on, mum. I'd rather talk to a living snake."

Harry arched his eyebrows meaningfully, and Sirius rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, dad. No pun intended."

"You're forgiven. Now then, would it really be that bad? Go talk to her, would you?"

"Dad, I'm thirteen, she's seventeen! I wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Harry sighed again, then smiled at his son. "I guess you're right, I'll go talk to her, myself. I'll just let her cool down a little."

"Sirius, could you fetch your brother?" Ginny asked and got off her husband's lap. "Tell him dinner is ready in half an hour. And tell him I want him to wash up. And yes, that also includes clean clothes."

Sirius groaned, but accepted. "Whatever you say, mum. Just don't make me go talk to the rampaging beast."

"Sirius!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean it," he said with an expression that said more than a thousand words. Then he turned around and left the same way as he came.

"One day," Harry said to his wife as he started up the stairs to the upstairs bedroom, "I will have children who listen to me. Children who do not yell at their parents, but listen to what they have to say. They will be polite, nice to their siblings, and they will not scare the neighbours with their insane flying. They will also obey my rules, and they will respect me and take my advice."

Ginny smiled tenderly at him. "You would also be bored stiff, darling. You do realise that, don't you?"

Harry chuckled. "Too true. Too true."

Once he was outside his daughter's room Harry stopped and looked around. He thought about all the times he had stood in this exact spot, about to do the exact same thing. Ever since Lily had been two and able to think for herself the two of them had been yelling at each other. Lily was his and Ginny's firstborn, and she had inherited her mother's red hair, along with the infamous Weasley temper. Instead of brown eyes she had green ones, though, and her hair was her father's in every sense of the word. The green eyes, she had once told him, weren't so bad – it was the hair she would never be able to forgive him for giving her. Harry smiled to himself, then knocked the door. He was thirty-seven years old, and he already felt that he had even more grey hairs than Remus.

"Well here goes nothing," he mumbled under his breath, then knocked again.

"If you are dad or any member of my family then I suggest you keep out," a girl's voice came from the other side of the door. Harry shook his head.

"Lily, I'm coming in whether you want to or not. We need to sort this out." Then he opened the door and walked in.

Lily was lying on her bed, reading a book. When she saw her father she put it down, and her entire posture dared him to speak. "Do you not understand English?" she growled, but the anger had all but disappeared.

Harry walked over to the bed and sat down. "Lil, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell, and I should have listened to what you had to say."

"No kidding?" Lily muttered, and Harry smiled at her.

"Hey, listen, you know how you have a tendancy to bring out the worst in me."

Lily laughed despite herself. "And you call yourself a father."

Harry put his hand atop hers. "I do try, ok? But aren't giving me a lot of slack."

"I'm sorry, dad," she said and sat up next to him. "I just really wanted to go to this party. I talked to Catharina before we left school and we agreed to meet at the party. Now you're not letting me go, which means that I can't meet her. This means that she will get angry, and you know that her temper is almost worse than mine."

Harry laughed. "It's what you get when you mix a Weasley and a Granger. She was a lost case from the moment she was born. Just don't tell your uncle Ron I said so."

Lily giggled. "I won't. I might tell Aunt Hermione, though."

Harry gaped in mock outrage. "I can't believe it! My own daughter is ratting me out."

"Serves you well for being such an insensitive idiot." She was smiling now, and Harry squeezed her hand.

"Listen, about the party."

"What?"

"I am probably to get into a lot of trouble with your mother for this, but why can't we talk about it, and then we can try and work out something?"

Lily looked stunned. "Are you serious?"

"That would be your brother," Harry said before avoiding his daughter's pounce.

"Oh god, dad. That must be the oldest joke in the history of the world!"

Harry grinned. "Still does the trick, though."

"Are you serious about that party? And I do not mean Sirius, as in my brother."

Harry sighed. "Yes, I'm serious. But we will have to work something out with your mum. And if Ron and Hermione can be in on our plans then that's even better. If I'm not mistaken a floo will be coming from them in not too long."

"You're the best," Lily said with a grin and gave Harry a hug. He put his arms around her, before kissing her cheek.

"You're just saying that cause you think I'm hot," he said slyly, and Lily looked as if she was about to throw up.

"That was probably the grossest thing I have ever heard you say."

"Hey, your mum thinks I'm hot."

Lily put her hands over her ears. "I'm not listening," she said in a sing-songy voice.

Harry removed her hands with a chuckle. "Speaking of your mother – dinner is in ten minutes, and you should be down by then, at the latest. However, Sirius is fetching Max, and if you don't want to miss out on all the fun then I suggest you come about now. I think I just heard him." He got to his feet and Lily followed.

"MAX JAMES POTTER, WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR BROOM?"

Harry and Lily both burst into laughter.

"Mum's in a mood," Lily said as she gasped for air.

"Definitely."

"Perhaps we should just wait up here a little longer. Might be safer."

"I love the way your mind works."

Lily grinned. "I learned from the best."

Downstairs they could hear Ginny's voice getting louder, and Harry winced. "Wow, I feel so bad for him right now."

"Max is in trouble – again," Sirius said as he came up the stairs carrying what appeared to be the remnants of an old broom. He handed it over to his father before disappearing into his room. "I'll be back once the war is over," he explained over his shoulder, then was gone behind the closed door.

Harry looked at the broom and sighed. "Another one. How many has he been through this week?"

Lily shrugged. "Do you really want to know? Madame Hooch threatened to lock him up in the Tower if he ruined another broom."

Harry banished the broom into a nearby trash can, which replied by belching loudly. "If only it worked. Well, I guess you don't become the greatest beater Hogwarts ever saw by staying on the ground." He put his arm around his daughter's shoulders and together they walked down the stairs. "I just wish he was a little easier on the brooms," he added, and Lily laughed again.

"Good luck on that one."

The Potter family dinner went by in a remotely civilised manner. Harry and Lily were discussing the coming party, Sirius was lost in some book, Ginny was glaring at her youngest son, who in turn spent most of the meal staring at his food, "most likely thinking up the most creative ways to break his neck," as Lily whispered to Harry when Ginny wasn't listening.

Around six the family peace was disturbed by Ron's head in the fire. He and Harry spent some time discussing, whereupon Harry came an announced to his daughter that she was allowed to go to the party, but only if Joel came with them.

"Oh no, dad," Lily groaned at the news. "Joel is so –"

"–responsible," her mother chimed in. Joel was Ron and Hermione's oldest son, and had inherited what Ron used to call 'the Percy genes'. He was calm, quiet, and a little stuck up. Not that anyone told him so to his face – that was, anyone except his younger siblings.

"Joel is coming," Harry said in his no-nonsense tone. "It's either that or no party."

"But dad," Lily protested feebly, but agreed eventually, knowing far too well the limits of her father's patience – not to mention her mother's.

"Good," Harry said with a nod. "Now that it is settled, Ron also said that you were expected by a certain cousin of yours." He smiled at Lily's immediate response.

"Can I go now?" she asked as she put on the most innocent smile she could muster.

"Ask your mum," Harry said and looked at his wife, who in turn was looking very stern.

"You just got home," Ginny said seriously, yet Harry knew her too well to know that she wasn't actually going to make Lily stay.

"Oh please, mum," Lily pleaded, and Ginny sighed.

"Well ok. But be home tomorrow, and tell Hermione that I want them over for lunch. You can come home with them."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Lily said and all but ran back up to her room to pack.

"And be nice to your cousins," Ginny yelled after her, but it was already too late. "Ten hours," she said to Harry with a sigh. "Must be some kind of world record."

Harry smiled warmly at his wife. "At least it will be a quiet evening," he muttered into her hair, then stroked her cheek tenderly.

Ginny grinned and stiffled a yawn. "I'm exhausted, and the summer hasn't even begun. How long is until they go back to school?"

Harry sat down next to her and started to kiss her neck. "Not too long," he mumbled. "And if it gets too bad I'm sure Hagrid would love to borrow them for a little while. He probably has some kind of dangerous animal he needs to feed." Ginny closed her eyes with a smile and enjoyed the feel of her husband's lips against her neck. She was just about to suggest going to bed a little early, when they were interrupted by a loud cough and someone making obnoxious retching sounds. Harry lifted his head and saw his two sons standing there looking sick.

"That was probably the single most disturbing thing I ever saw," Sirius said to his brother.

"I agree," Max said and shielded his eyes. "I will be scarred for life."

"Can you go be scarred somewhere else?" Harry asked with a smirk. "Your mother and I were sort of in the middle of something here."

"Too many details," Max announced, before turning around.

"I think I have to poke my eyes out," Sirius remarked, before following Max. In the kitchen they could hear him warn Lily "not to go in their unless you want to have nightmares the rest of your life."

Harry and Ginny exchanged an amused glance, before they heard Lily declare that she could handle it, and she came into the living room.

"You two are disgusting," she announced before dropping her bag on the floor.

"And exactly who do you think will pick that up?" Ginny said with arched eyebrows.

Lily grimaced. "Get over it, mum. I was just putting it there while I got the floo powder. Merlin!"

"Lily be nice to your mother," Harry said sternly, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you say." She picked up the bag demonstratively, then took the floo powder jar off the mantel piece. "I can't wait until I get my apparating license."

Harry snorted. "And exactly how did you intend for that to happen? I haven't seen you studying."

"Dad," Lily said with the voice of someone who was explaining something to a two-year old, "I already told you – I will study once the test is nearer. I don't intend to waste my entire summer with some stupid book."

"Am I in any way responsible for her?" Harry asked Ginny in an overbearing manner. Ginny shrugged. "I can't remember. Might have been you, might have been that really tall handsome bloke I flirted with at the Three Broomsticks. No one knows for sure."

Lily looked horrified. "Mother!"

"Yes dear?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. I give up. Please try not to scare Sirius and Max too much, will you? They are only children." And with that she stepped into the fireplace, yelled "Weasley Manor", and was gone in a blur of green and black.

"Children," Harry said ironically to the now empty fireplace. "And what are you, my dear?"

Ginny leaned back onto Harry. "One down, two to go. Why don't we go and find them?" She grinned evilly, and Harry laughed.

"Yes. Let us do something naughty, then they will run to their rooms."

"Maybe they won't come down at all before they have to leave for school again."

Harry got to his feet. "One can only hope, my love, one can only hope."

"Joel! Sirius! Are you in the kitchen?" Ginny took Harry's hand and headed in the direction of what sounded like a minor earth quake, both sporting a huge grin. Their children were home at last, and they had three long months in front of them.

"Let's make it as humiliating as possible," Harry whispered, and Ginny giggled.

"Oh I hope they have friends over."

"Ah now, that would be too easy."

They looked at each other again, and knew from years in the other's company that the other was perfectly happy. Summer had finally started, and it was stretching far into the future. Yes, Harry thought as he and Ginny walked into the kitchen, when God invented summer holidays he probably thought of the parents just as much as the children – perhaps even more.