Friday December 4th

Weasley house, kitchen

11: 13 am

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Audrey Weasley was making gingerbread men. The flour rubbed into the smooth, wooden crevices of the countertop as she rolled the ball of dough flat. Lifting the dough, she rotated it ninety degrees midair and set it back down again, never once letting it lose its flexibility. Audrey felt two small eyes watch her and she smiled to herself. With Percy at work and their daughter Molly in her second year at Hogwarts, there was only one other person in the house with her.

"Muuum?" Chubby fingers gripped the countertop and held on tight, as the little watcher struggled to see over its edge. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making gingerbread men Lucy-girl."

Audrey watched as her daughter's bright blue eyes widened in surprise and her little mouth formed a 'O'. Lucy teetered on her heels as she stretched herself up, trying desperately to see what her mother was doing. Audrey continued to roll, not satisfied until the dough was the correct width all around. She felt her daughter still watching her and smiled, "Would you like to help dear?"

Lucy bobbed her little head anxiously. "Yes, please," she remembered to add.

Audrey wiped her flour covered hands on her apron before rising. She walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed one of its tall chairs, bringing it over to the counter. Setting it down, she watched in amusement as her four year old daughter eagerly climbed up. "Wait Lucy, did you forget to do something?"

Lucy frowned in concentration, crinkling her nose as she thought. "Um…." She looked up at her mother for help.

"You have to wash your hands first," reminded Audrey patiently.

"Oh!" Lucy scrambled off the chair and dashed over to the sink. Turning the water on full blast she started to wash her hands eagerly, not noticing the droplets of water that sprayed everywhere onto both the sink and the adjoining countertop. "Don't start without me."

"I won't."

Lucy finished and swiftly dried her hands off on the nearby towel rack. She turned around and gave her mother a dimpled smile. "I'm clean."

Audrey laughed and nodded her head in agreement. "That you are."

She waited patiently until her daughter had climbed back up in the chair. Pushing her forward, she trapped her neatly in between the chair and the counter top, only stopping when she was satisfied that Lucy wouldn't fall. Audrey walked to the other end of the counter and settled herself back in her original position, right across from her little girl. Looking up, she caught her daughter's eye and winked. "Are you ready?"

Lucy nodded and reached for a small bit of flour that had been left unattended. Wiping her little fingers in it, she didn't stop until her hands were completely covered in the white substance, just like her mother's. "Now I'm ready!" she cheered, showing off her hands eagerly.

Audrey took one of the metal gingerbread cutouts and pressed it down gently on the dough. "Now Lucy," she commanded, her tone soft, "I want you to push the gingerbread man down on the dough, just like this, as hard as you can. Do you think you can do that?"

Lucy shook her head up and down, "Uh huh."

Audrey took the cutout and set it on the dough in front of her daughter watching as Lucy pressed down hard, completely cutting through the dough. "Good job," said Audrey. She took the cutout away, and started to peel off the dough around the outline, slowly transforming it into a gingerbread man. "Now, I want you to watch me for a bit. And then you can do another one. Okay?"

Lucy nodded silently and continued watching her mother. Audrey had cut out four more men before Lucy spoke again. "Mummy?"

"Yes dear?"

"What are all the ginger men for?" she asked, a little bit of hope sounding in her voice.

"For the children at St. Mungo's, love."

"Oh." Lucy stuck out her bottom lip and frowned in a way that put a tiny crinkle of the top of her nose. "Are there lots of children at St Mungo's?"

Audrey stopped her cutting and looked up at her daughter. Lucy must have rubbed her face because she had streak of flour alongside her nose and flour clung to her dainty eyelashes. "Yes sweetie. There are lots of children."

Lucy looked crestfallen. "Oh." She paused for a minute and then said brightly, "But they aren't hungry children, are they?"

"No. But I think they would like some gingerbread men, don't you?"

Lucy shrugged her small shoulders softly, "I suppose."

Audrey grinned broadly, knowing exactly what was going through her young daughter's mind. She bent over the counter, closer to Lucy and dropped her voice to a whisper, "Do you remember the last time I made biscuits for the children at St. Mungo's?"

Lucy shook her head sadly, "No."

"I saved some extra special ones, just for me and you."

Lucy gasped in wonder, "Really?"

Audrey nodded, "Really."

Lucy beamed, clapping her floured covered hands together, "Yay"

Audrey smiled, "Yay indeed". She got back to rolling out another batch of dough, until a little voice suddenly stopped her. "Mum?"

"Yes Lucy-girl?"

"What about Daddy? Can we save some for him too?"

Audrey looked at her freckled faced, flour covered daughter fondly and gave her a wink, "I think that can be arranged."

Lucy nodded her head vigorously, "That's good, because Daddy likes gingerbread men. And you know what else Mummy?"

"What?"

"Gingerbread men are my favorite too!"

Audrey laughed; the sound echoing loudly in their small kitchen. She reached across the tabletop and gave her daughter a small hug. "You don't say?"

Author's Note: If this hasn't melted you into a pool of butter, then I haven't done my job. Thanks again for all the reviews. Please, keep them coming!