1"Milly! Wake up! You've slept in, dear!" Ginny Potter whispered, gently shaking her daughter's shoulder. The ten-year-old turned over on her stomach, grumbling. Ginny gave an exasperated sigh.
"You really ought to break this habit of waking up at eleven in the morning," she continued, patting the tousled black hair spread across the pillow. Milly didn't stir, as she was still pretending to be asleep. With a wry smile Ginny added, "What are you going to do when you get to Hogwarts?"
Milly sat straight up and spun around to face her mother. The freckles across Milly's nose seemed more prominent in the morning somehow against her unusually pale complexion. She blinked her wide mismatched eyes expectantly.
"Mum... do you mean?" her soft voice trailed off. Ginny nodded and held up a folded letter, sealed with a dark red stain that looked very much like blood. Milly emitted a high squeak and snatched it eagerly, tearing it open with trembling fingers. Ginny watched fondly while her daughter thoroughly read the text on the letter. Well, Ginny thought, laughing mentally, it was more like she was devouring the text.
"Mum! This is fantastic! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Milly shrieked loudly after she had finished with the letter. The piece of parchment floated from Milly's outstretched arms to land silently on the bedspread. She said the words again under her breath, as though reassuring herself that it was true, "I'm going to Hogwarts..."
Ginny flung her arms around Milly's neck and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy for you, darling."
A small voice was heard from the doorway. "What's goin' on, Mummy? Why's you so 'appy?" Ginny released her daughter and they both turned to face the sound. The twins stood in the doorway, looking very sleepy and ruffled, each holding a stuffed animal by the paw.
"Wemmy and I heard you scweam, didn' we, Wemmy?" Sirius, the boy twin declared in his lisping voice. Remula, the girl twin at his right, nodded, her thumb in her mouth. She was always the quieter one, always taking her brother's lead. Sirius, though he and his sister were only three, gladly assumed the role of ringleader. He could often be heard commanding his twin about like a drill sergeant. But he could also be seen hugging her and comforting her just as often.
"I was wondering the same thing, actually," came another voice, much deeper and more mature than Sirius's. Harry Potter stepped into view and stood behind the twins with a curious smile faint on his lips. "What's going on? What'd I miss?"
"I got my Hogwarts letter, Dad!" Milly piped up excitedly. Harry's expression changed instantly. There was a wide grin on his face now, but Ginny had seen a flicker of remorse right before the grin appeared, though she was sure she'd been the only one to notice it. She'd have to ask him about it later, but for now she didn't want to distract from Milly's happiness.
Harry crossed the room and embraced both Milly and Ginny tightly. "I'm very proud of you, Mils," he murmured. Feeling rather left out, Remula and Sirius raced to be included in the hugging, clasping their tiny arms around Milly's neck.
"Wemmy and I are pwoud too!" little Sirius announced ceremoniously, though neither of the twins understood in the least bit what was going on, and what they were 'pwoud' of.
Ginny, Harry, and Milly laughed at Sirius's pompous airs. When the hugging ended, Ginny scooped Sirius into her arms, while Harry picked up Remmy, her thumb still thoroughly enclosed by her mouth, and went downstairs, to start breakfast, no doubt.
Milly climbed reluctantly out of bed and stumbled over to the floor-length mirror across the room. Her disheveled appearance nearly made Milly laugh. Her hair was in thick, unruly tangles, her complexion chalky, and her nightgown hanging half off her shoulder. She tentatively picked up a comb and began to drag it mercilessly through her hair, wincing as the tangles yielded and fell tame, though still very messy-looking. But that, she knew, could not be helped. She had inherited her perpetually tousled black hair from her father. No amount of magic or gel could fix that. As for her complexion, it was always like this in the mornings. She tugged her nightgown straight, put on her slippers, and made her way downstairs to the inviting smell of bacon and eggs being fried.
Milly had spent the entire day with her mother and the twins in Diagon Alley, shopping for school supplies. Harry had stayed home, claiming he had a headache. But what he really wanted was time to be alone and to think.
He couldn't deny it anymore, Milly's growing up. He had always been the one to spoil her, to give her what she wanted, to treat her like a child. (Because of the immense fortune entitled to the Potters, spoiling the children had never been a problem.) For too long he'd tried to hold her down and make her stay little. Now that the letter had arrived, there was no more pretending, no more falsely hoping she would never get any older. She was going away to Hogwarts, and Harry's worst fears were starting to come true.
At Hogwarts, she would not be without protection, of course. Dumbledore was no longer the Headmaster, but Miss Abbott was a wonderful Headmistress to take his place as he spent his few remaining years in peace and quiet. McGonagall, too, had retired, but Harry knew without doubt that the new Transfigurations teacher would be just as good at it. After all, wasn't Hermione the best witch Hogwarts had seen in a long time? Seeing as they were still friends, and now Hermione was married to Harry's brother-in-law, Ron, Harry believed Milly would very much enjoy that class. (Besides, Milly seemed to have a lot of potential as a Transfigurations student; in fact, the only subject in which she hadn't yet shown much ability or interest was Potions, naturally. Harry didn't know who had replaced Snape, but he had an inkling it would be someone just as foul as he was.)
Yes, Milly would be very protected by the staff of the school. But it was not the staff of Hogwarts that had saved the entire Wizarding world from Voldemort. It was Harry. And Harry could not very well protect Milly while she was away at school.
His mind turned over these things in anguish. What if Milly showed the same disregard for the rules (which really were meant to protect students and not merely annoy them after all) that Harry had shown at Hogwarts? What if the vengeful Death-Eaters found her there? Would Abbott be able to repel them as easily as Dumbledore could? These questions burned at Harry's heart. He loved his daughter so much, and was terrified at the thought of her being alone at Hogwarts, being without her father to protect her, being pursued by those were sought her for revenge, to kill her...
There was a loud pop from the direction of the kitchen. "We're home!" came Milly's voice, echoing in the house, reverberating in Harry's head. Oh how I wish you could stay home, Milly, Harry thought sadly as he hoisted a welcoming smile on his face and kissed her on the cheek.