Chapter 16: A Little Bit of Normal

"I can't believe you aren't even grounded…"

Lily picked up a red jellybean from a small box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and cautiously nibbled the end of it. "Raspberry," she said with satisfaction, popping the rest of the bean into her mouth. "And I can't ride my broom for a week."

"A week?" snorted Maddy. "If I had run away, I wouldn't be able to fly or see anyone for a month, at least. Probably wouldn't be able to sit for that long, either."

"Yeah, well, I didn't really get off lightly there," Lily admitted. "Mom set my butt on fire, which is probably the only reason Dad didn't. I really expected him to do it, you know? Mom has been so… laid back about everything I've done."

Indeed, Lily had completely expected a real spanking from Harry, after he'd swatted her that morning. She'd been surprised when Ginny had taken her to task instead, although she wasn't sure she got off lightly as a result. Her mother seemed to have just as heavy of a hand.

"Which is really weird," Maddy commented, "because everyone says that Aunt Ginny is just like Grandma Weasley, and I've heard stories about what Grandma Weasley was like when Dad and them were growing up." Maddy tasted a yellow-colored bean, which she promptly spit into a paper bag. "Yuck!" she exclaimed, putting the rest of the jelly bean in the bag.

"What flavor did you get?" Lily asked curiously.

Maddy shook her head. "I don't know, but it was awful. So are things better with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny? You seem to have less of a death wish now…"

Lily caught the gleam in Maddy's eye, and rolled her own eyes. "Ha ha," came her sarcastic reply. "You're such a comedian. Yeah, things are better. They're not letting me get away with anything anymore. I got a bit cheeky with Dad this morning. I tried to talk him into letting me ride my broom earlier than they'd said, and he wouldn't budge, and I became frustrated. I think part of me wanted to see what he would do, and if he or Mom would relent on the broom grounding."

"How cheeky do you mean?" Maddy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I said it wasn't bloody fair that I couldn't go on my broom." Lily watched as Maddy arched the other eyebrow. "He warned me about my language, and I might've told him to sod off…"

The almost-eleven-year-old shook her head slowly. "I take that back. You definitely still have a wish list. What did Uncle Harry do?"

"Let's just say," Lily said as she ate the rest of a green bean flavored jellybean, "that I've discovered that no matter how much you rinse you can't get rid of the taste of soap for hours."

"I could've told you that."

The girls sat in a comfortable silence for several minutes, nibbling on jellybeans as Lily reflected on how much her life had changed since the spring.

It seemed odd, how much more carefree she felt these days. Since the night she'd ran away, Lily found it easier to trust that she was home for good. It hadn't been an exaggeration when she told her cousin that she wasn't getting away with anything now; indeed, any time Ginny or Harry thought she was stepping out of line, they firmly reeled her right back in. Yet, Lily was actually happier now that she had clear rules that she was expected to follow.

Now that things were calming down and the family of three was settling into a routine, Lily found herself looking forward to things. Maddy's birthday was a mere week away, and Lily was already plotting what to give her favorite cousin in honor of the occasion. Also, now that Lily, Teddy, and Maddy had all received their Hogwarts letters, they were pestering their parents to take them to Diagon Alley to get their supplies. To their delight, the adults were agreeing to meet up there so the three friends could shop together.

"So what should we do tonight?" Maddy eventually asked, interrupting Lily's thoughts.

Lily grinned, a dozen different ideas of how she and Maddy could get into mischief without breaking any major rules during their sleepover coming to mind. "Well… When Uncle George was over here last week, he taught me how to use the Weasley products he gave me for my birthday," she said with a wink.

Maddy grinned as well. "Think Aunt Ginny would be terribly mad if we tried out one or two?"

"If she is, we'll just pretend we didn't know what we were doing. Uncle George said the key to any mischief is playing innocent…"