"I can't believe we're actually going to do this for Mum," I say, and glare at him. "At home, you're always whinging about degnoming everything, but no, as soon as Molly Weasley asks you, you jump at the chance to show off your muscles by tossing gnomes!"

Harry just laughs, and grins at me. "Yep, that's pretty much how it works."

Sigh. He's not supposed to agree with me, he's supposed to argue so I can get mad at him!

"Damn you," I mutter. "Though, at the risk of full disclosure, thanks for saving me from the book."

Harry's eyes grow distant. "That wasn't as much for you as it was for me."

"How so?"

"I hate hearing people talk about me," he admits. It's not really that much of an admission, because I totally knew that. Whoops.

"Didn't you tell George that?"

"I did," Harry mutters, "but you know your brother. He just said he'd make it as unembarassing for me as possible."

"Obviously," I shrug, "he didn't include me in that."

Harry smirks. "Obviously."

"I hate tossing gnomes. Why'd you agree to this?"

"Alone time," he shrugs.

A man after my own heart.

Then again, he's had it for a very long time. Since I first saw him at the platform when I was only a wee ten-year-old, I have been utterly infatuated.

Actually, it's rather unhealthy.

Whatever. Screw that. He's mine now.

"What do you plan to do with this alone time?" I say, genuinely curious.

"Well, what do you think?" I open my mouth to reply when he says, "don't answer that. I guess I want to convince you to er... try to enjoy this party for the craziness, especially since now you are the target."

"How?" I whine, "by family rule, I'm not allowed to fight back!"

"Tomorrow you can. So threaten them with that."

"No. Then they'll hurt me as much as possible tonight."

"True. But Gin, you're not a coward. You're a bloody Gryffindor, so you may just have to take a couple of hits."

"Thanks, honey. Thanks for implying that I'm acting like a Slytherin."

"You're just not being your usual er... what George would call 'feisty' soul."

"Fine. Help me take them out then."

"Can't do that. It's against the rules, and you know that."

Actually, I did know that but I was hoping he didn't care.

"You broke plenty of school rules back in the day. The hell with a family rule, Potter."

We pause momentarily, hearing a burst of laughter behind us. Harry just shrugs, and I feel a shiver of fear go up my spine. What's going on in there?

I voice this thought to Harry.

"Probably just got to the part where they talk about how you are terribly afraid of dogs."

Did I mention that? I'm absolutely terrified of the creatures, for reasons unknown to even me. Like seriously scared.

Actually, Harry used to bug me about that all the time, funnily enough.

Bastard.

"That's in that book?"

"Yeah, apparently they talk about how you're afraid of the Animagus form of my godfather or something once they get to fifth year. Apparently they can all see the irony in that."

So can I. Not that I will admit that.

Amazing how little insignificant parts of your life are suddenly amazingly exciting when you marry Harry Potter. It's actually kind of bloody ridiculous, you know. Such is the life of the celebrity.

And George just laps it all, up. Ron too, I suppose, though he is a little bit better about it because he has seen how much Harry hates it and is smart enough to think that there may be a reason for that.

"Here we are," Harry sighs, and leans down to pick up a gnome.

For some reason, gnomes are attracted to Harry. When we degnome, they all flock to him and he just flings them off. It's a very odd biological occurrence, you know, one that I don't understand at all.

Though it is rather gratifying to know that even gnomes think your husband is hot. But, you know, he really is.

I hear the whoops of James and Lily. What are they doing?

"Why are they coming this way?" I ask Harry curiously.

"Didn't I just tell you that your mum was going to send the kids on later?"

"Oh yeah. Right. Sorry."

As per usual, James and Lily rampage into our little area here. Kids.

Al, of course, ambles up behind them. He is so much like his father, in both looks and personality. Both are sneakier than Slytherin that I've ever met.

Obviously, though, I love James and Lily for how crazy, and unsneaky they are, but I also love Al for how sneaky he is. That's a real talent, there, so thank Merlin that George hasn't tried to harness it yet.

"Hey Mum," he smirks at me. I'm suspicious of him and his plans with his little cousins. Like really.

"Hey, honey," I smile anway, and kiss him on the forehead then ruffle his hair. "Go help James with the gnomes."

He glares at me, wipes my kiss off his head, then goes to join James.

Lily is standing as far away from her father as possible. She's terrified of gnomes, for some strange reason. Thank Merlin she didn't inherit that biological attraction thing that Harry's got going on.

"Daddy... do I really have to help?" I could hear Lily plead with her dad over the excited squealing of gnomes.

"Yes, princess."

"Why? I hate them."

"Well, honey, they probably hate you too."

Lily looks like she has been horribly insulted and forgets about her plight. Ah, the concentration level of a seven-year-old. "Why would they hate me?"

"Because you hate them."

"Oh. That sounds like a...a self-destroying thing Daddy, like whatever you said that one time about love."

"Er, a self-destructive circle, and I was only talking about certain kinds of love." Harry gives me a sideways glance. He has learnt to tell when I am antagonized.

"Okay," Lily shrugs, and I think her moment of panic is over, but I'm wrong. "I'm never going to get married."

Pardon? I need her to get married so that I can have grandchildren to spoil rotten. Shameless, I know, already wanting your daughter to grow up and get married and have kids when she's seven.

"I think you'll change your mind by then," I smirk over at the two of them. "At least I sure did."

"Mummy, why did you marry Daddy?" She asks inquisitively. I've going to have to make this good, because her brothers are listening.

What I really, really want to say is very very naughty. My mother would be ashamed.

But I know that isn't really appropriate. Sigh. Damn age.

"Because he looks very, very good in a bathing suit," I say after a moment's thought. Just embarrassing enough while keeping it kid-friendly. Perfect.

James and Al both look repulsed. Lily wrinkles her nose.

"But boys are icky!"

"Girls have cooties" Al shouts, but James just quells him with a look. Obviously, this topic is not of great importance to him as the kids have gone over this puzzle many times and have yet to come to a concrete answer.

Lily just looks at him. Like her mother, she can sense when the time is right to argue. And when it's not.

Harry distracts the boys from Lily with a few teasing remarks on the poorness of their throws. Because they're boys, they immediately enter into a gnome-throwing contest. Gnomes are flying this way and that within seconds.

Suddenly, I hear a scream.

I whirl around, to see Lily running in circles, chased around by a gnome.

James and Al, who at first were worried, collapse in laughter on the ground. Harry's laughing too, but you can still see a trace of worry left over on his face.

"HELP ME!" She screams, but I'm a statue of discipline, while her brothers laugh. Finally, Harry manages to catch up with the gnome and fling him over the fence.

Of course, he immediately falls to the ground afterwards.

Lily just looks traumatised, but falls to the ground whether in laughter or horror, I'm not sure.

I look at her, and take in the situation.

I decide to relish in the delight of the day, and who can blame me?

I hit the ground.

AN

I don't even know what to say other than I'm sorry.

I guess, I just haven't been in the mood to be even a little funny for awhile. But anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you liked it!

Oh, and review, because the fact that there's people out there who read my stories is what motivates me to update. So thank you to those who have reviewed!