Holiday Shopping

A/N: This is just a simple, short, basically pointless ficlet. It centers around Christmas, and the Potter family are shopping at Diagon Alley for Christmas presents. Warning of a catfight. Oh, and this isn't meant to be taken seriously. As I said it's just a simple Holiday-type ficlet. This could be seen as a distant sequel to `Baby on Board', another ficlet of mine.

Holiday Shopping

“I want that. And that. And that. Oooh, and that too!”

Harry Potter and his wife Hermione's eyes met, and they both were thinking the exact same thing.

Their daughter expected them to buy her a puppy, a very expensive racing broom specially made for kids, a pair of rocket boots that the advertisements said could really blast you off into space, and of course a pony.

What five-year-old girl did not want a pony?

Harry and Hermione Potter looked back at their daughter, both smiling.

“Lily,” Hermione said softly. “Lily,- ”

“Yeah, mum? Yeah, dad?” Their daughter smiled up at them.

They looked to each other again and then back to their daughter.

“Of course we'll get it for you!” Harry said, and Hermione's jaw dropped.

“Thanks daddy! You're the bestest!” She hugged her father tightly before waddling off, up to her room.

Harry's face turned red and he looked meek as Hermione glared at him.

“What?” he asked in a defensive tone.

Hermione took off her reading glasses and stared at her husband, an incredulous look on her face.

“What?” he repeated.

He was in for it now.

“I thought we agreed we wouldn't spoil Lily or James.”

“Well, yeah but - but…erm.” He basically had no defense for that.

“And you're telling her we're going to buy her rocket boots that cost 20 Galleons!?”

“Erm, well, yeah.”

Hermione let out an odd noise, a mixture between a sigh, a growl and a snort. She stood from the breakfast table, clinging their finance book to her chest.

“I should've known it was always true!”

“What? What's always been true?”

“That fathers spoil their daughters, that's what.”

Harry's jaw dropped.

“What?”

“You heard me. You just can't say no to her adorable little face, can you?”

Hermione looked triumphant as she strutted toward the kitchen doorway. Harry wasn't through just yet.

“I can too say no to her! Besides, I didn't see you saying no.”

“Yeah, b-but…”

Hermione was obviously thinking of something to say; Harry smirked, now the one to look triumphant.

He stood and walked over to his wife, his arms ardently sliding around her waist and pulling her closer to him, so quickly that strands of hair fell into her eyes.

“Oooh, Harry, what's this?” Hermione asked, an excited note in her voice.

Harry looked amused before his emerald eyes looked to something above her. She followed his gaze and realized what he was about to do.

“Mistletoe, Mrs. Potter,” he said before kissing her on the mouth, passionate and demanding.

And Mrs. Potter, why, she gladly kissed him back.

&

“Okay, so Lily will come with me,” Hermione said, the air so cold outside that her breath came out as puffs in front of her. They were standing at the entrance to Diagon Alley, about to spend the day holiday shopping. “And James, you'll go with Dad.”

James looked up at his father and said, “Hey, Dad! Can you take me to see one of the Blast-Ended Shrewts at the pet shop?”

Harry's eyes widened and he nodded his head fervently no to his son, signaling for him to not mention that again, not in front of Mum.

”Harry!” Hermione exclaimed in disbelief. “You're not taking him to see Blast-Ended Shrewts!”

“I never said that,” Harry said, smiling innocently. “C'mon, James, let's go.”

“No, Dad. You really did say that, remember? Lil was there. It was right after you promised to buy her those rocket boots behind mum's back…” James reminded.

“Harry!”

“Oh, so I did say that,” Harry remarked, laughing lightly as he tried to play it off.

Hermione wasn't convinced.

She grabbed Lily's hand and said, “Lily and I are going now, but you better not think of taking him near those things! Remember our experiences with those beasts? And James is only ten!”

“But I'm tall for my age! And I've lost my last baby tooth!” James protested.

“Enough! James, the answer is no,” Hermione said sternly, as any mother would. “C'mon Lily.”

“Okay.” Lily smiled as she eagerly took her mum's hand. “Bye Dad! Bye broomhead!”

“Hey! She just called me a broomhead!” James shouted, upset.

Harry scratched the back of his head. He hated it when Lily and James fought; he never knew how to deal with two bickering people even after all these years; when Ron and Hermione used to bicker he was the same way.

“C'mon,” he said to his son. “We'll get some gingerbread cookies before we start our holiday shopping.”

“Woohoo!”

&

“Oooh, is that for me?”

“No, Lily. This isn't for you,” Hermione replied exasperatedly as her daughter and she walked down the aisle. “It's for James.”

“Oh. Well, what am I getting? The rocket boots, mum?”

“Erm.” She didn't want to say no and see a frown on her daughters little face. “Well, we'll see.”

Ha, Hermione thought proudly, A `we'll see' is so much better than a flat out `yes'! Ha! I told Harry he spoils them too much.

“Daddy said yes.”

“Daddy…daddy, well, daddy didn't ask mommy before he said yes.”

“Oh.” Lily sighed and scratched her chin. “'Cause mommies are the boss, huh?”

“That's right, sweetie.”

Hermione stopped just in front of a shelve full of knickknack items, like snow globes and porcelain figurines. Things like these were perfect as novelty gifts to distant family and friends like the Patils.

She took two globes off of the store shelf and dropped them into their shopping cart.

“Is one of those for me? The sparkly stuff looks pretty, mum!”

She sighed. Must every five-year-old think every single gift was for them?

They left Kane's Knickknack Bonanza, and crossed the snowy Diagon Alley street.

Hermione's jaw dropped when she saw it, and Lily looked up at her mum curiously.

In big, red, capital letters read:

WINTER WEAR - CLOAKS, SWEATERS & COATS HALF-OFF!!!

Never was Hermione Granger seen to move so fast. With Lily, she rushed into the shop just as it filled with other fanatical women, all eager to get in on this sale.

It was utter chaos inside.

“Mum, its just clothes! What about my puppy?”

Hermione's chocolate brown eyes lit up when she saw it. Sweaters in Lily and James' sizes were hanging neatly from a nearby rack.

Just as her eyes landed on them, five other pairs of eyes, all with children, too, spotted them.

Hermione picked out a nice green sweater, one she thought matched James perfectly and it was his exact size. Like his father, James' best colors were green, red and black.

She went to grab an adorable pink wool sweater for Lily, when she discovered someone else had grabbed hold of the opposite sleeve. The two women's eyes met and they would've gasped if they weren't in such an aggressive mood.

It was Marietta Edgecomb. Hermione hadn't seen her in years, shortly after they had left Hogwarts in their sixth year.

“I saw it first!” Marietta shrieked in her screechy voice.

She tugged on it so roughly Hermione automatically took a stumbling step forward.

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she replied, “Oh really? Well, I happen to disagree!”

“Ugh, just let it go, Granger!”

“It's Potter now, and no, no I won't!”

Hermione pulled on the sweater just as roughly, and now Marietta was forced to take a step forward. Marietta's eyes widened as the two grown women engaged in a sort of tug of war for the sweater.

“Potter, is it?” Marietta yelled, her voice so scratchy and annoying it was worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. “Well, I always knew you'd pick up Cho's leftover trash!”

RIP!

The sweater tore right down the middle.

Hermione's eyes widened as she forgot about the sweater.

“What did you say?” she asked, and then it was like something took over her as she leapt forward and tackled Marietta Edgecomb.

Yes, it was utter chaos.

&

Meanwhile, Harry and his son continued to roam the streets of Diagon Alley, gingerbread cookies in their hands.

“So, Dad are you going to take me to see the Blast Ended-Shrewts, anyway?”

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. He hated to say no, he really did! But - But Hermione was right. They couldn't spoil their children, not too much.

“For your birthday, son,” he said. He looked both ways in case Hermione just happened to appear out of nowhere.

James whooped at the air.

“Dad, you're most wicked father a kid could have!”

Well, ha to you Hermione! I bet James never told you you were the most wicked mum a kid could ever have! Harry thought victoriously.

They continued down the sidewalks, which were all covered in high mounds of snow; the legs of their pants were damp with snow.

“Hey, Dad…what are you getting mum for Christmas?” James asked, chewing and swallowing on his cookie.

Harry didn't know if that was very appropriate present to discuss.

“A snow globe,” he replied finally.

“A snow globe?”

“Yes, a…snow globe.” He put his arm around his son. “Later on in life, son, you'll find that women like snow globes.”

“Uh huh.” James looked skeptical. “Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you getting mum some of those odd-looking pajamas she wears when you two are together?” His son grinned.

“James…” He had begun this sentence to scold his son, though it was partly true, but he ended up trailing off into nothing. “James…how about another gingerbread cookie?”

“Woohoo!”

&

Marietta landed backward on the wooden floor of the shop, and she and Hermione began wrestling to be on top. Everyone in the shop had gathered around and was watching in utter shock.

“Mum!” Lily shouted. “Was that sweater for me? MUM!!!”

“I guess freaks only marry freaks!” Marietta screamed as she grabbed a handful of Hermione's hair and pulled hard.

“OW!”

“Potter's a freak and you're a freak! You go together PERFECTLY!”

Hermione forcefully pulled her hair away from Marietta's grasp and pushed herself to her feet, panting and breathless. She was much too mature and sophisticated to get into a fight with some idiotic girl from her school days.

“I'm not going to fight you,” Hermione said simply, trying to keep some calm and dignity in her voice.

She turned away, about to grab Lily's hand when Marietta's arms came around her neck in a headlock. Her long, red nails scratched Hermione across the cheek.

The crowd gasped and took a step back.

“Hey, you! Leave my mum alone!” Lily snarled angrily, running forward and kicking Marietta in the shin.

“OUCH, YOU LITTLE BRAT!”

“Don't you dare call my daughter a brat!” Hermione barked, and she bucked her head back so that she backwards head butted Marietta.

Marietta stumbled backward.

“She is a brat! A freaky brat with freak parents! A know-it-all bookworm and a bloke with a scar on his forehead! You're whole family are FRE-”

Hermione couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't one for physical violence, but this occasion called for it.

She punched her right in the face, interrupting her long bout of insults, and Marietta fell to the floor, clutching her nose as she rolled around and whined about it being broken.

Hermione turned away, picking up the torn pink sweater and tossing it over Marietta's form.

“Here you go,” she told her, smirking. “Happy Christmas.”

She grabbed Lily's hand, Lily of whom was looking at her mum with pride and admiration, and the mother and daughter marched out of the shop, most of everyone applauding for them as they left.

&

“Ah, here come your mum and Lily now,” Harry said, pointing to Hermione and Lily as they walked toward them.

It was then that he spotted that Hermione's bushy hair was disheveled and her clothes were disorderly, and she had a scratch on her cheek. Harry's eyes widened as did his sons.

“Wow,” Harry whistled. “I know you women can get carried away with shopping, b-but…wow.”

There was still that triumphant look on his wife's face and he smirked.

“Who'd you put in their place?” he asked. “It wasn't Cho, was it?”

“No. But close. Marietta Edgecomb,” Hermione answered, and Harry shivered. She covered her daughter's ears for the next part. “Yeah, turns out…she's still an annoying wench.”

Harry laughed. “Well, you're all right, aren't you? I mean…wow, Hermione.”

“I'm fine. She looks much worse after I punched her in the nose.”

The family of four made their way to the exit of Diagon Alley, deciding they'd come back some other time; well, Harry didn't know if it was safe. He didn't want to know what would happen if Hermione ran into Cho.

They stopped near the crowded exit, and Harry looked down at his two children.

“So what did we learn today?” he asked amusedly.

“That mommies are the bosses of daddies,” Lily replied innocently; Harry looked up at Hermione, smirking and Hermione blushed.

“That women like snow globes…especially for special occasions,” James said, though he looked confused about the whole snow globes thing.

Harry laughed, his eyes spotting something Hermione obviously hadn't. His arms immediately grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him, and she gave a tiny, “ah,” of surprise.

“Harry!” she exclaimed, avoiding the eyes of James and Lily. “What are you doing?”

Harry sighed. “You'd think you would have caught on. Look up.”

Just as Hermione went to look up, his lips captured hers in a tender kiss.

“Ewww!” Lily groaned.

“Yuck, mistletoe!” James exclaimed in horror.

“Geesh! You guys are so embarrassing!” Lily told them.

They broke apart, both smiling and chuckling.

“All right, we'll save the mushy parents stuff for later. Let's head home for some lunch! I'm starving,” Harry suggested, ushering them through the exit gates.

Then it dawned upon James and his eyes widened. He looked up at his mum and dad, complete and total revulsion on his face.

He groaned and said, “Ugh! Now I know what snow globes are!”

& The End &

A/N: Please review and have a happy holiday!

P.S. Don't get into any fights over wool pink sweaters.

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