Harry ran into the dining room with the Daily Prophet under his arm. "Morning Ginny, morning Hermione… Ron," he said frantically, as he shoved a piece of toast in his mouth.
"Harry…" Ginny said eyeing her husband's worse-than-usual hair and wrongly-buttoned shirt.
"Sorry, Gin, but I don't have time to talk. I was supposed to be in the office ten minutes ago," he mumbled through a full mouth, jumping up and down in attempts to get his left shoe on.
"But Harry!" Ginny and Hermione said simultaneously as Harry apparated out of the dining room. Ron burst out laughing as Ginny rolled her eyes and Hermione smiled amusedly.
There was a "pop" and Harry reappeared in the room. "You could have stopped me, Ginny…" he grumbled as he sat down in the chair beside his wife.
Ginny put her hands up defensively. "Don't look at me! I tried!"
"Where are the kids anyways?" Harry asked as he glanced around the table. After all, it was their birthday. The whole reason for taking work off…
"Still sleeping, actually," Hermione said, grinning.
"No way!" Ron said, eying his wife suspiciously. "Really, 'Mione, where are they?"
"They're still sleeping…" Ginny said blatantly. Harry and Ron stared at her.
"You spiked their bottles with Butterbeer, didn't you?" Ron said with an awe-filled look.
"NO!" Hermione and Ginny cried at the same time.
"We 'might' have spiked them with a sleeping potion…" Ginny said. Harry and Ron stared at the two, mouths agape.
"Might!" Hermione quickly protested.
"Well than, we 'might’ want to wake them up… mum won't be happy if they miss their first birthday party because their mummies spiked their drinks," Harry said, trying desperately not to smile.
"We still have half-an-hour until the party, let the kids sleep," Ginny said before prying the Daily Prophet out of her husband's hands.
"Mistress Potter…" a small voice sounded through the room. "Little Masters James and Sirius are awake…"
"Drat! They can already fight the strongest potion we can give them – legally!" Ginny said, smiling nonetheless as she stood and made her way towards the overly-large nursery in Potter Manor, where all seven of the one year-olds slept. Hermione quickly followed her, knowing all too well that if one was awake the others would soon join in for the attention.
The nursery was a light blue colour and the morning sun was already shining through the large window on the east side of the room. Ginny smiled as she saw Sirius with one pyjama-covered leg sticking through the hole in the crib, flailing about wildly. All seven kids were in the same crib, (which Harry and Ron had had to bewitch to be three times as long as usual) otherwise the seven had screamed most of the night.
"Dlaah!" Sirius shouted as he saw Ginny peering down at him. He smiled up at Ginny, his bright green eyes blinking from the bright sunlight. Ginny smiled and scooped him up.
"Well, good morning, Sirius," Ginny cooed. Sirius beamed at her.
Hermione chuckled from behind them. "That smile is going to make girls melt when he gets older…"
"Hmm," Ginny sighed as Sirius tugged on her hair, squirming in her arms. Ginny quickly looked up as she heard James scream in protest, his little face turning red.
"Come on, let's take them all downstairs, it looks like they're all up," Hermione said, as she picked up James before the others started in on the fuss.
"Except for Cedric…" Ginny laughed, pointing at the smallest of the boys who was comfortably sleeping under his sister, who had her head turned, looking at Hermione's bushy hair in amazement.
"I can't believe they're one already," Hermione sighed, staring at her twin sons.
"I know, it seems like just yesterday when we brought them home." Hermione sighed as well/too.
"And it will feel like tomorrow when they're five," Ginny said quietly.
***Four years later***
"WE'RE FIVE!!!" Harry and Ginny awoke suddenly as they heard a high-pitched girl's voice ring through the house.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US…!"
Ginny groaned. Her daughter had managed to wake up all of her brothers within two words. Now voices came from all around as each of her kids joined in with the singing.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US…!"
"Happy Birthday to… DOES ANYONE REMEMBER DA REST OF DA SONG!?!" Sirius' frantic voice shouted. Ginny jumped as the bed shook softly. Jolting around, she saw Harry laughing nearly uncontrollably with his eyes still closed. Ginny snorted and rolled out of the bed, making sure she pulled the covers off of Harry as she did so.
"Come on…let's give them the rest of the song," Ginny smirked. Harry rolled his eyes and followed his wife to the door.
"ER!" Ginny exclaimed after Harry opened the door. All five of their kids were gathered around a little blue box with a big red button. James looked up, grinned and smacked his little hand down on top of it, while the other four smirked devilishly. Ginny's eyes grew big and she tried desperately to get the door closed before confetti flew everywhere. But it was too late.
Ginny laughed at Harry's look of surprise as the five year-olds broke out into song yet again.
"Come on, let's go have some breakfast," Ginny said as she tried to contain her laughter. She lifted her daughter and grabbed onto Albus' hand as she ushered the other three forward.
"Can we have chocolate for breakfast!?!" Cedric asked excitedly.
"No," Ginny cooed sweetly, shaking her head softly. She was surprised Cedric was even up yet, he was usually the last one of the five to wake up in the mornings, but then again this was their birthday.
"But... we like chocolate!" Lily exclaimed, sticking her bottom lip out. Ginny raised an eyebrow and Lily quickly brought her lip back in a smiled. "Then can we have SYRUP!? JUST syrup?"
"No," Ginny laughed. "How about we have chocolate chip pancakes ‘with’ syrup?"
"That'll work," James said loudly, trying not to sound too excited.
"I think we're going to have to talk to your dear brothers," Harry said, as he came into the kitchen.
Harry glanced suspiciously at the table where James, Cedric, Sirius, Albus and Lily all sat on top of it, with their heads as close together as they could possibly be.
"They told us they were going to give them a confetti blaster for their birthday," Ginny said plainly, smiling as she continued to wave her wand at the bowl of batter in front of her.
"I know. I just didn't believe they would do it. Well, of course they're quite capable of something like that, but normally they wouldn't tell us."
"Unless they knew you wouldn't believe it because they told you." Harry and Ginny turned around as Ron, Hermione, Reese, Holden, and one year-old Remus walked into the small kitchen. Breakfast was the only meal that the house-elves would let them cook themselves; otherwise, the elves would throw a fit (though Hermione still insisted that all elves should be free). Reese and Holden quickly climbed onto the table and without hesitation, the circle expanded to fit the seven, though their heads were still as close together as ever.
"What time did mum want us at the Burrow?" Ron asked his sister, as Hermione started to help with breakfast.
"Ten. I think... Meaning that we've never managed to get there any earlier," Ginny said.
***four years earlier***
"…Oh, for Merlin's sake! Mum wanted us at the burrow at eight. Harry! Ron!" Ginny shouted out of the door of the nursery.
"Do you think it's possible to get the seven of them dressed in ten minutes?" Hermione laughed as she watched Ginny scramble through the large oak wood chest for clothes.
"Honestly? No, it's impossible!" Ginny said half sarcastically as she threw random articles of clothing to the floor.
"Ginny, you're making a mess," Hermione said blatantly, trying hard not to smile.
"Am I?" Ginny said in her best innocent voice.
"AHH!" Ginny nearly fell over as the sound echoed throughout the room. She turned and found Holden propping himself up on his brother and cousin with his arms outstretched for Hermione.
"The kids are getting impatient…" Hermione smirked as she set her son on her hip and continued to watch Ginny bemusedly.
Finally, Ginny groaned and leaned against the wall. "Go ahead!" she exclaimed to Hermione's amused look. "I'm sure you've been itching to point out where they are," Ginny added, knowingly.
"Actually, I've been enjoying watching you frantically tear the room apart and I have absolutely no clue where they are!" Hermione answered mischievously.
"That could be slightly problematic," Ginny put in.
"But we could always find out," Hermione continued. Ginny raised her eyebrows. Hermione pulled out her wand, and waved it over the large pile of accumulated clothing and then whispered ‘Accio!’ with a small flick of her wand.
Ginny grunted as she snatched the small bag as it flew out from under the crib beside the two mothers.
Acting much like a child, Ginny upturned the bag and watched as the contents spilt all over the floor.
"How fast do you think we can do this?" she asked, her eyes twinkling.
Hermione laughed at her sister-in-law's playful look. Smirking, she set Holden down on the floor. "Let's find out," she giggled as she went to the crib to get the other six out.
Ginny laughed and took Lily first, while Hermione started on James. The two always being the hardest to get dressed, Hermione and Ginny had decided months ago that they would always start with them.
James giggled as he tried to struggle out of his aunt's arms, while Hermione – with a determined look on her face – tried to change his soiled nappy and get a fresh one on at the same time. "James, please hold still," Hermione said pleadingly, as she tuned around to grab the small set of child-robes from behind her. She turned back towards the boy and was shocked to find him gone and Ginny giggling. Hermione shot Ginny a concerned 'where-did-he-go-look' before moving her attention to the door.
"James!" she protested as he crawled slowly towards the open door with Sirius and Holden close behind him.
"We're never going to get them dressed in time!" Ginny said as she scooped up James and Holden first and flicked her wand at the door to prevent Sirius from going anywhere.
"Do you need something?" Ron asked as he opened the door. He walked into the room, closely followed by Harry.
Hermione sighed. "Yeah, can you two get Cedric and Reese dressed in these." She tossed dark red and brown robes at her husband.
"Er... no problem!" Ron exclaimed. "Biddy!" Hermione glared at her husband.
"Really, Ronald! Why do you always insist on making the house-elves do everything?"
Ginny laughed. "You're just angry he thought of it first, Hermione," she said, as she continued to pull light green-coloured robes over her daughter.
*
"I can't believe they're one already," Harry sighed as he helped Cedric with his cauldron cake, which had, so far, only managed to get into his messy brown hair.
"You've only said that about four times," Ron said rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, well you wait until your kids turn one!" Harry said stupidly.
"Which would be..." Ron paused dramatically, "tomorrow!"
"Just you two wait!" Mrs. Weasley laughed as she came into the room. "It won't be very long and they will be turning eleven...leaving for Hogwarts. Then they'll be seventeen... and they'll leave home. Then they'll get married and have their own kids..." she ended with a long sigh.
"Wow!" Ginny exclaimed. "Let's first work on keeping them alive until they're eleven," she laughed.
"Or us for that matter," Ron added.
Author's Note: So...I'm not too proud of myself on this chapter. First, for being so late. And second, I could haavemade it soo much better. Or, atleast if seems
The Marauders' Trademark by LexiGirl
Chapter Notes: Wow! This took a lot longer than it should have. I really hope you all won't hate mee too much for it being so late...