A/N: This was written for SquarePeg72 during my 500 Tumblr followers celebration. I took a five-sentence story prompt that she had given me a few years ago and expanded upon it.
I had a lot of fun writing this originally and expanding it made it even better.
Grammarly was my beta!
Love always,
~starr
"I told you," Molly teased, summoning the kettle and teacups with a flick of her wrist to the table. "The way you behaved growing up was going to come back and get you when you had your own children."
Ginny rolled her eyes and watched as her mother poured them both a cup of tea. Letting out a sigh, she thanked Molly for the tea and lifted it to her lips. "I was never this bad," Ginny said, raising a brow as she took a sip of her tea.
"Based on what you've told me about Lily, no, you're right," Molly said, nodding her head slowly. "You were much, much worse."
"If I was, it was because the twins wouldn't leave me alone, and Ron always took my things," Ginny groaned, shaking her head.
She glanced out the window and saw her kids playing nicely in the backyard with their Uncles and cousins. From what she could tell, it was a pick-up Quidditch game, and thankfully Harry was letting Lily play without complaint.
"Just like Albus and James do to Lily?" Molly asked, following her daughter's eyes to the crew playing outside. "You know, when you were younger, all you wanted to do was go outside and play with the boys."
"And now look at me," Ginny sighed, "sitting inside drinking tea with my mom while I complain about my own children."
Molly smiled and nodded her head slowly. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. But it looks like you might be needed outside."
Ginny jumped up from the table and walked over to the window to get a better look. Lily was standing on the Quidditch pitch sidelines with her arms crossed over her chest, pouting. With a sigh, Ginny hung her head and made her way to the door. "A mother's work is never done," she groaned, pulling the door open and made her way outside.
Nearing the pitch, Ginny looked between Lily and Harry to decide who needed to talk to first. After a brief moment, she motioned to Harry.
Harry came running over to Ginny and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. "Hey, love."
"Hey," Ginny smiled, motioning to Lily with her head. "What's going on with Lily? Why is she sitting on the sidelines?"
Harry looked over at Lily and let out a sigh, carding a hand through his hair. "Well, Albus tried to take the quaff lead from her, and she bit him."
"She what?" Ginny said, her eyes widening. She tilted her head back and let out a heavy sigh, scrubbing her hands over her face. "Okay. I'll talk to her."
"Thanks, love," Harry said, kissing her chastely before running back onto the field.
Ginny watched for a moment, shaking her head. With a deep breath, she walked over to Lily and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "So, why did you bite your brother?"
"He took my ball!" Lily shouted, stomping her feet against the ground.
"That doesn't mean you get to bite him," Ginny insisted. "You're supposed to be nice to your brother."
"But, Mama," Lily groaned, "I don't wanna be nice to him."
Lily pouted her lower lip and crossed her arms over her chest as she kicked at the grass beneath her feet. Things weren't going her way, and if anyone asked her, she didn't think that was very fair at that moment. Her daddy had sidelined her in the middle of the most important game of the summer, and now she was in trouble with her mama.
"Baby girl, he's your brother, and he just wants to join in the games too," Ginny said, smiling softly at her frustrated daughter. "It won't be the end of the world if you were nice to him for even just the briefest of moments."
"You just don't understand me at all, Mama," Lily groaned, rolling her eyes as she looked up at Ginny.
Ginny chuckled softly, glanced back at the Burrow over her shoulder, and saw her mother watching her through the window. She kneeled down in front of Lily, placing her hands on her daughter's waist. "Lily, baby, I think I understand you better than anyone outside right now."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, furrowing her brow.
"Your uncles George and Ron used to pick on me all the time," Ginny explained. "Uncle Fred used to do it too. They never wanted to let me play Quidditch, but your Grandma used to tell them they had to let me play.
"Their favorite thing to do was throw the quaffle over my head so that I couldn't catch."
"That's not fair," Lily stated, tilting her head. "Did you bite them?"
"No," Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "I spent all my time practicing so that I would be able to outplay them."
"Yeah?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked over Ginny's shoulder at the game going on behind her.
"Yeah," Ginny said, wrapping her arms around Lily's waist and pulling her in for a hug. "And then, I got picked to play for the Holyhead Harpies. I only stopped playing because I decided to have you and your brothers."
"Mama?" Lily asked, leaning back from Ginny's hug.
"Yes, baby girl?" Ginny asked.
"Do you think I'll ever get good enough to play for the Harpie?"
"Only if you stop trying to bite your brothers and get to practicing," Ginny teased. "Think you're ready to play again without biting anyone."
Lily nodded her head and ran out of her mother's embrace, back into the action. Ginny pushed herself up off her knee and turned to watch the game for a while.
"Like mother, like daughter," she mumbled, shaking her head as she walked back to the Burrow to help get dinner ready.
