A/N: Way to go. Thumbs up for those of you who are reviewing. I know things seem slow, but this should be the last slow chapter… the rest should be… fun!
It wasn't a difficult job, no, and though she could use her magic, Lily did things the muggle way. Call it respect for her equals in the house, Mrs. Miner, Chef, and the others who were squibs. Lily didn't feel the need to rub it in that she was not only a full-fledged witch, but also that she was rather talented. She smiled at herself as she gathered the toys from the floor in Baby Potter's playroom and placed them on the shelves. Had she been James, he would have flaunted his knowledge over everyone.
Lily glanced over at the sleeping toddler, wondering if James had slept that same way; face down, rear end up in the air, while his legs were tucked under him. Lily really thought that it must be a common position, as the children she had watched over the previous summers had slept in an identical position. Now that she thought about it, her parents had pictures of Lily in the same position. Lily sighed and continued silently picking up the toys. What had the nanny called him? Demon child? Lily nearly laughed at this. Baby Potter was so much like James Potter. It must be an inherited trait, to be completely evil.
Lily glanced at the boy again, thumb in his mouth. He didn't look evil, so maybe it wasn't an evil gene. Maybe it was just a high spirited gene. James had never been evil, per se, just high spirited? No, that sounded too weak. Lily shook her head. She could go on all afternoon trying to figure out what James had been, but she had chores to do and anyways, it wasn't her place to worry what caused the Potter boys to act the way that they do. She needed to focus on getting her job done quick and right so that she could attend Hogwarts next year and score wonderfully on her N.E.W.T.S., though that went without saying.
"Ms. Evans?" The nanny called from the hallway quietly, as if she was afraid of waking a sleeping beast. Lily glanced over at Baby Potter before she headed out of the nursery holding a basket of his miniature shirts.
"Yes, Ms. Joy?" Lily replied as she shut the door behind her. Ms. Joy looked like she was maybe only a few years older than Lily was, and she looked terribly unhappy at the moment.
"I wanted to thank you so much for helping me get the little Potter child down without much of a fight," Ms. Joy said. Lily smiled guiltily and pressed her finger to her lips.
"Let's just keep it between us, ok? I am pretty certain I am not to actually be interacting with him at all," Lily said in a low whisper. She hoisted the basket up higher on her hip. "I have laundry to attend to, so if you need anything just ring the bell."
"Right," Ms. Joy said as Lily nodded and walked towards the back stairs. She took the sharp spiraling stairs down to the servants level and immediately made short work of the laundry. Mrs. Miner frowned at her.
"What took you so long retrieving laundry?" Mrs. Miner asked from the large mountain of bread dough she was working.
"Nanny was having a moment with Baby Potter," Lily said quickly as she loaded the washing machines with the tiny garments.
"Oh," Mrs. Miner said, nodding. That was explanation enough for her. Lily set the washer and headed to the sink to begin scrubbing the dishes. It was moments like these that she hated and relished all in the same. She hated that she had to work to pay for something that was her God-given right: school. On the other hand, the warm, soapy water felt good on her hands and forearms. She had spent many nights scrubbing dishes after dinner as a child. It was almost therapeutic, the silence only interrupted by Mrs. Miner's grunts over the bread and the sound of water as Lily rinsed.
"Do you need some help with the bread?" Lily asked once she dried and put away her last dish.
"Always," Mrs. Miner said as she nodded to the other side of the butcher block counter top. Lily sprinkled some flour on its surface and turned out one of the bowls of dough onto the surface. She watched Mrs. Miner knead and force the dough into submission. Lily tried to copy her actions, but her arms began to feel a lot like they were rubber bands. She wondered what kind of muscle man muscles Mrs. Miner had hiding under her own uniform. Lily smirked.
"By the end of summer, I am going to have huge muscles," Lily commented. Mrs. Miner glanced up and offered Lily one of her rare smiles.
"Probably," Mrs. Miner said. She glanced around and leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Men love women who are firm everywhere. That is how I won Mr. Miner's heart."
Lily smiled and nodded, though she doubted that anything more than the woman's arms were firm anymore. Lily hoped that when she was Mrs. Miner's age, whatever it might be, she wasn't quite so round looking. Lily felt a little ashamed for being so judgmental. She had hated when even her friends acting that way when looking at a particularly unfortunate looking girl, like Susan Kimble of Hufflepuff.
"So, Mrs. Miner," Lily said as she threw her attention back to her work. "How long have you been working for the Potters?"
"I was Young Mr. Potter's nanny, once upon a time ago," Mrs. Miner said proudly. "I was the only nanny that he could never run out, and so I stayed. When he no longer needed a nanny, I became his aide when he is at home."
"Why don't the Potters have any house elves?" Lily asked curiously. Mrs. Miner smirked.
"Because we'd be out of a job," Mrs. Miner said laughing. She shook her head. "No, really though, Mr. Potter doesn't like to own people and doesn't believe in that whole house elf thing. He would rather pay hard working squibs to do it, and for that, I am appreciative."
"That is really generous of him," Lily commented as her arms felt like they were no longer attached to her shoulder.
"That's account of his brother, Robert Potter. About as magical as a muggle radio," Mrs. Miner said shaking her head. "Mr. Potter brought Robert's son and wife to live here last year when Robert was killed in a car accident."
"That was really generous of him," Lily said surprised.
"That's a Potter for you," Mrs. Miner said smiling again. It was a little alarming to see her speak of anything related to James Potter in such a positive light. "As much as they try to pretend to be full of themselves, a Potter remains a Potter. Kind and true."
"Hm," Lily murmured noncommittally. She continued to push and squish the dough until her arms simple fell off, or at least they felt like they should.
"Hon, go ahead and head to bed," Mrs. Miner said a few minutes later as she looked at the large clock. Lily looked up, not realizing she was nodding off and kneading the bread.
"Are you sure?" Lily asked her hesitantly.
"I am sure," Mrs. Miner said. She smiled again at Lily, and Lily nodded gratefully. She was certain her arms would not even work tomorrow. Lily dumped her big ball of dough back into the bowl and washed her hands in the sink.
"Good night, Mrs. Miner," Lily called as she headed straight to bed. She nearly collapsed on her bed, fully clothed, but managed at least to remove her uniform. It was all she had the strength to do, and felt as if her breaths would come easier without the uniform binding her breasts.
"Oh, I am going to feel my arms tomorrow," Lily groaned as she flopped down on her bed and didn't even bother to cover herself with her blanket. She didn't care if anyone walked in on her in her bra and panties, at this point. She just wanted sleep.
-->