A/N: Thank you to all those who've followed/favourited/reviewed so far- really appreciate it!
For Harry, the school year dragged. Of course, Harry and his friends had fun. there were certain perks to living among friends that couldn't be found with living with your parents. Midnight sessions of exploding snap and pillow fights gave Harry dark shadows under his eyes that his mother had picked up on in the Easter holidays. It was worth it, though. Anything his Mum fretted over, came with a life experience and great memories. He'd had to come clean about the arranged midnight duel with Draco Malfoy when Alice had asked her father whether he found any giant three-headed dogs when he and Mummy were at Hogwarts. Then there was quidditch... Harry adored quidditch.
Despite all this, the school year dragged. There were only so many detentions that one could endure from Snape for sneezing when he was speaking and so forth. As brilliant as it was to finally be able to perform magic, Harry was performing poorly in charms and transfiguration. IQ was clearly not hereditary.
There was also Alice to think about. Harry had censored his tales of ghosts and mysteries and evil teachers and night-long detentions and three-headed dogs in a way that was meant to excite her. He and Ron had even explained to her their theory that the Forbidden Forest was only off-limits because Dumbledore held night-long parties there for teachers, with streamers and crackers and music and they didn't want students to get jealous. All this, and Harry had still managed to petrify Alice into dreading Hogwarts. Every letter from his parents came with a tedious side-note, pleading with him to write to Alice about how enjoyable his studies were. He'd given up writing to her in March: she would not believe a word he said.
The school year dragged for Lily, too. She was miserable when Harry was away, and Alice was as good as gone too, being constantly wrapped up in her anxieties. It was just as well that the summer term ended as early as it did, for Lily was about to go mad.
"Harry," Lily had said seriously when they brought him home in July. "Please, I beg of you, talk to your sister!"
"I know, Mum!" Harry had exclaimed. This nagging was nothing new. "Look, Ron told his parents about Alice being worried and they've said she can go and talk to his sister if she wants to. She's starting in September."
This new approach to reassuring Alice was welcomed by Lily, but she feared sounding rude. Oh, Hello Mrs Weasley. I'm Harry mother. Listen, could I borrow your daughter? My own daughter's terrified of wizarding school and I need someone to calm her down. No, that wouldn't be right at all. But sure enough, The Potters received an owl from Molly Weasley, inviting the family round for lunch one day in August. Now, it would seen rude not to go. And besides, Lily imagined she'd see a lot more of Ron in the future, so meeting his parents wouldn't hurt.
It was a short drive to the Weasley's house through the Potters' district in West Somerset and across to the Devon border. It wasn't long enough for either child to get restless. Instead, they both appeared excited.
"Can we play quidditch while we're there?" asked Harry excitedly.
"Only if you let Alice share your broom," James compromised. Harry groaned.
"I know how fast that thing goes," argued Lily. "Alice is not going on that thing!"
"There's Mr Lovegood's house!" exclaimed Alice. They all turned to the left. Sure enough, they were driving along the empty road on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole. Mr Lovegood's house looked rather dumpy with its sagging roof tiles and shingles in the middle of baron land. The scenery matched Ron's description of his home perfectly: boring.
However, the drove swerved into a small wooded area, and the Potters were entirely surrounded by trees for a worryingly long time. This would not be a good place to break down... then at last, they emerged from the trees. Coming up was a house twice as tall and rickety as Mr Lovegood's, but surrounded by bright fields and lush trees. Even the sunshine was brighter on this side of the woods. As James brought the car to a stop in front of the house, a plump red-haired woman in a horrible yellow dress was running out to greet them.
"Who's that?" James whispered quickly, but Harry was already getting out of the car.
"Harry, my dear!" cried Mrs Weasley, approaching him with outstretched arms. She embraced him tightly. "It's ever so wonderful to see you again!"
Harry had spent a weekend at The Weasleys' home in the Easter holidays at Ron's insistence when he heard that The Potters had 'low-key' Easters, without many Easter eggs. There was no way Ron was leaving his friend in that nightmare.
"And you must be Alice!" Mrs Weasley beamed, crouching down to Alice's level. Alice extended her hand.
"Alice Potter: I am delighted to make your acquaintance."
Mrs Weasley looked taken aback by the formality coming from a ten-year-old, but ended up laughing heartily. "What a charming young lady you are!" Mrs Weasley smiled fondly at Alice like a proud parent. "Go on, go and find the boys. Help yourselves to Battenberg, it's on the table!"
Alice ran off in the direction of the house into which Harry and Ron had disappeared seconds ago. The three adults were left to each other outside.
"It's very kind of you to invite us here, Mrs Weasley," said Lily. Molly waved her hand in dismissal.
"Oh, that's quite alright. Any friends of Ron's are friends of ours. Do call me Molly!" the two women approached each other, intent on giving the other a physical greeting. When Lily extended her hand, Molly simply pulled her into a hug much the same way as she had done with Harry.
"How do you do, Mrs Weasley," said James when the two women parted. "I'm Harry's Dad. James."
James was standing a little far back from the women. As Molly appraised him, her cheeks seemed to brighten with a pink-ish hue.
"Oh. It's ever so nice to meet you, Mr Potter. Call me Molly."
"Oh, please, call me James."
Molly giggled and conspicuously tucked her hair behind her ear. "Oh, if you insist."
As Molly lead the Potters into the kitchen, Lily glanced sideways to James, who was smirking. She rolled her eyes and fought back a smirk of her own. She knew what he was doing...
"I've spoken to Ginny about Alice's nerves. Oh, Ginny's ever so excited about Hogwarts. She'll put your Alice's mind at rest. Cake, anyone?" Molly asked. Before either adult answered, she'd cut three slices for each of them. With a swish of her wand, three small plates drifted from the plate rack over to the table. She picked up the slices and plonked them on the plates. "Tuck in!"
Tea was served, and the adults made pleasant small talk: James' job, Harry's and Ron's schoolwork, the old days... how was Dumbledore these days?
"Afternoon, all!" called an eccentric-sounding voice from the living room. Moments later, in stepped a red-haired man in a tight-fitting knitted jumper. "Mollywobbles, I've just seen the Potters' car coming. They'll be here any second!"
"Arthur, dear, they're sitting right here."
Mr Weasley looked down at the two strangers at his dining table. They both smiled up at him politely.
"Oh... pleased to meet you!" he smiled widely, waving at them. Lily and James glanced at each other, then waved back. Mr Weasley furrowed his eyebrows. "Hang on a minute, if they're here now, then who did I see coming up the driveway?"
There was a brief moment of looking round at each other, baffled, until Ron's shouts answered their queries.
"Harry! Hermione's here!" he called. Out of the kitchen window, the four adults saw Alice, Ginny, Ron and Harry descend upon the flashy silver car that screeched to a halt on the grass beside the Potters' car.
"Ah yes... I forgot to mention that I was babysitting this week..." Molly said dryly. Lily turned back to her. Her lips were pursed in a child-like scowl.
"Is something wrong, Mrs... er, Molly?" asked James. Molly shuddered back into reality and looked at the man who'd asked her a question. She gave him a timid little smile.
"Oh, erm, of course not... James. It's just..." Molly stood up and went over to the window. Hermione was greeting her friends while Robert and Jean Granger stepped out of the car. Both kept their eyes either on the floor, or away from each other. "That woman made her daughter write me an owl, asking if she could stay for the week while her parents went away to a couple's counselling retreat, whatever the devil that means."
By now, Alice and Ginny were dragging Hermione by the wrists towards the house, followed by Harry and Ron who were gallantly hauling her suitcase together. Molly opened the door for them.
"Hello, Mrs Weasley!" chirped Hermione, shrugging Alice and Ginny off of her arms.
"Hermione, dear, how are you?" asked Molly, giving Hermione a hug. Molly's genuine concern for the girl was not lost to the adults, who noticed her watching Mrs Granger like a hawk through the doorway as she ambled towards the house, followed by a dawdling Mr Granger.
"Mrs Potter," began Hermione, swerving round the side of the kitchen table and coming to a stop in front of Lily. "Those sample chapters you sent me were... I... you... THEY WERE AMAZING!".
Molly was about to say something to the approaching Grangers before Hermione's little outburst. Now, everyone was gawping at a very flushed Lily Potter.
"Well, that's very kind of you, Hermione!"
"But fiction though, after your previous book?!"
Lily blinked a few times. "I'm sure I did mention that this one was a little different to my previous-"
"I loved it. I read it in two nights. I was simply enthralled! The main character was just... and that thing he did... and that other thing... ugh, it was perfect! I can't wait to read it again! Is there going to be a sequel?"
"Hermione..." Ron was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at Hermione, an expression of boredom. "You did it again."
"What did I do?"
"You started talking."
James coughed, choking back a laugh. Hermione's face grew pink with either embarrassment or anger, Lily could not tell which. Eventually, Hermione mumbled something of an apology before storming across the kitchen towards Ron, who squeaked and scurried back up to his room. She stomped up the stairs after him, out of sight.
"I am so sorry about her," said Jean Granger, stepping over the threshold and into the house. "She's been in a foul mood with me for days now. She shouldn't be too much trouble now she's here."
"I say..." began Arthur, rubbing his hands together. "That car... what do you muggles use to fuel it?"
Jean Granger stared at Arthur as though he were a dog on his hind legs. "...petrol."
"Ah, petrol... petrol... I'm sure I drank a shot or two of it when we were on holiday in Scotland... not pleasant, if I may be so bold. Then again, everything we drank in Scotland was strong enough to floor a hippogriff! AHAHAHA!"
Arthur wheezed with laughter at his own joke, while Lily and James cringed at the tension.
"Yes, well... we'd best be heading back. I don't want to be stuck in rush hour with a migraine andmy moronic husband is not helping. Constantly moaning..." Jean continued to rant as she sauntered back out of the house. When Robert Granger didn't move, she looked back at him. "While we're young, Robert!" she shouted after him. Mr Granger looked bashful. His wife scowled. "I'll wait in the car then!" she called, before continuing towards the car.
"Oh, bye ,then..." murmured Molly under her breath. Lily bit her lip.
"Well, erm... it was nice to see you all again. Have a good Summer," said Mr Granger quietly before scurrying back out the door. As soon as he was gone, Molly slammed the door shut.
"I cannot for the life of my fathom why that man is married to her..." Molly rambled, then seemed to remember something.
"Lily, dear, I didn't know you were writing a novel! For children, is it?"she asked, reaching over and pouring more tea into James' mug. He smirked again.
"Hogwarts age," replied Lily, kicking James under the table. "It was meant to be political, although I think that bit breezed over Hermione's head,"
"Poor girl..." sighed Molly. "Imagine Mrs Granger's reaction to a stranger walking in to your home and telling her that her daughter is a witch... how very sad. Now, who would like a nice cheese scone? James?"
oOo
A/N: Okay so thoughts?