Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns my soul. And these characters. Merry Christmas!

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

-Hamilton Wright Mabie

.o0O0o.

The fire was on, the kettle was boiled, and they'd finally finished putting the tinsel on the tree. She'd hoovered and he'd ironed and they'd split the bathrooms between them. They'd had an… amusing two hours in which he tried replacing every bulb in last year's Christmas lights, before she got impatient and 'lumos'd the whole string. In theory, everything was ready.

Harry James Potter handed a cup of tea to his wife, and she smiled gratefully as he flopped onto their burgundy sofa beside him. They both sipped, and sighed. Ginny snuggled into Harry's shoulder, and he toyed with her hair absentmindedly.

"This won't last." She murmured.

"I know."

.o0O0o.

"Mum? Dad?" The voice of their younger son floated through to the lounge where the couple were sat. Ginny rolled her eyes, and Harry smiled.

"Al?" He called back, opening the door into the hall. The door spewed through a clutch of people, Al – Harry's doppelganger, though admittedly with significantly less grey hair – and his new girlfriend…what was her name again? Lily was there too – Al had picked her up from the station – and Harry's eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the sight of her boyfriend-of-one-year-and-that-was-one-year-too-long, Jacques Zabini. At the sight of her father, Lily let go of Jacques' hand and threw her arms around her father.

"Daddy!" Harry smiled into his daughter's hair. "I have so much to tell you." Letting go of him, she turned her head back to where her brother was staggering under the weight of her trunk, and smirked. Jacques raised an eyebrow at her, and she nodded, the two of them continuing into the lounge.

Looking on at his son, Harry raised an eyebrow. Al dropped the trunk on the floor, where it landed on his toe. "Shit!" he hissed.

"Albus Severus!" Ginny's voice came through the door. "I heard that!"

Rolling his eyes, Al smiled at the girl next to him. "Marion, this is my dad. Dad, Marion. She works with the Quidditch department." Al was a reporter at the Daily Prophet, and, surprisingly, Harry had met more of his girlfriends than significant others of James and Lily put together. Who knew, maybe this one would last?

"Nice to meet you Marion." He smiled gently. The girl didn't look too shellshocked at meeting him – always a good thing – and she grinned back.

"You too Mr Potter." Harry motioned towards the lounge, and followed the two of them through.

When Ginny came back through from the kitchen, a plate of mince pies in one hand and gingerbread in the other, the tension in the room was sliceable. Her husband looked lost, sat on the middle sofa – Lily and Albus glared at each other from those on either side of him. Raising an eyebrow, Ginny coughed. Her husband looked up at her – she snorted slightly at the 'help' expression in his eyes – but her son and daughter continued to fight to the death glare.

"Gingerbread Jacques? Marion?" she offered round the plates. Marion reached out for a pie, but at a slight glance from Al she retreated. Lily, however didn't stop her boyfriend, who took two of each.

Sitting beside her husband, Ginny smiled at the similarities between her daughter and herself at a similar age. "How's the team doing Lil?"

Lily looked up, a grin on her face. "Perfect, as always. We had a new beater at the start of this term – some second year twit, but she's got a good arm on her. Slaughtered the Claws a couple of weeks ago, and we're set to do the same to the Slyths in a month." She turned to Jacques and kissed him on the cheek – Ginny felt, rather than saw, her husband's jaw clench – and continued. "No offence, J."

He turned to her, pressing his forehead against hers. "None taken. If I was still there, then maybe I'd disagree, but as I'm not…"

An awkward silence ensued as Ginny tried desperately not to roll her eyes at Harry and Al's matching glares.

Jacques looked as if there was a small, biting cockroach in his mouth, and Ginny frowned down at the plate of her mince pies. They weren't that bad, surely, were they? She picked up one and tried a bite.

Harry tried desperately not to laugh as his wife's face turned purple.

.o0O0o.

"I'm here! Christmas starts now!" James' yell reached Lily's room easily, and she sighed. She and Jacques were sitting on her bed, her head in his lap, and she so very much did not want to move.

"Lily?" Her mum's voice came up, and she sighed, sitting up. Jacques reached out for her hand, and pulled her to him, bringing her lips to his. Their hot breath mingled and she felt him smile against her lips.

He pulled away. "We should go downstairs. Your mum still likes me, at least, I'd like to keep it that way." Lily pouted, but agreed.

Lacing her fingers through his, she pulled Jacques through her bedroom door and downstairs.

James Sirius Potter (or The Best Chaser of the Montrose Magpies, as they said) was in the kitchen when his sister came downstairs. Grinning, Lily let go of Jacque and hugged her brother. James ruffled her hair and hugged her back.

"Lil." He smiled. Suddenly, he saw Jacques, and his eyes narrowed. "Who's this?"

Lily's face hardened. "This is Jacques." The air seemed to hum slightly, and Emily – Longbottom, James' girlfriend of five years – swore. James and Albus exchanged a look, and Lily's eyes narrowed even more.

"And what," James' jaw clenched, "is he doing here?"

"He is my boyfriend." Lily snapped. "What's it to you?"

Emily started to shepherd Jacques out of the kitchen. "You don't really want to see this." She muttered. Al and Marion followed.

"You're seventeen Lily! Is he sleeping in the spare room?" James replied.

"Of course not! I'm seventeen, not – "

"Seventeen! Not old enough to be fucking all night long or whatever the he – "

"Oh, I'm so fucking sorry, James, I forgot how you're such a bloody saint."

"That is beside the point!" James ran a hand through his hair. "You are too young for this, you're rushing into it – "

"Rushing – into – it! Are you fucking serious?" Lily hissed. "We've been together for a year and a half."

"What?" James glared. "And you didn't tell me?"

"Oh yeah, because your reaction now is a perfect example of why exactly I blatantly should have told you."

"You're a liar." Lily gasped.

"I am NOT!" She pulled out her wand, and James did the same. They both opened their mouths when Harry walked in.

Pulling out his wand as well, the glare on his face would've probably made most other bickering siblings take a step back, or at least put their own wands away. Except Lily and James were Potters, arrogant and young. So they didn't. "What are you two doing?"

"He," Lily flicked her want a little at James, then sniggered when he jumped at the gold sparks that flew out towards him, "thinks I'm 'too young' to have a boyfriend. And he's a hypocrite, and basically said that I'm a slut."

"That is not what I said!" James argued.

"You implied it!"

"And? That's completely different!"

"No it isn't!"

"Shut UP!" Harry interrupted. He silently put up a shield between them. They both turned to him, wands still out.

All three looked to the door when Al walked in. He snorted. "Oh, so you two think you can take on the chosen one?"

"YES!" Lily and James shouted in unison. They turned back and glared at each other. Harry sighed.

"James, go through to the lounge." When James opened his mouth to argue, Harry glared. "Now."

Letting down the shield, Harry turned to his daughter, who shook her head. "Don't bother Daddy. I know you agree with him anyway." She followed her brother into the lounge, her dark red hair trailing behind her slightly.

Harry sighed again. "Fuck." He muttered.

.o0O0o.

Jacques and Lily were sat again on her bed, both in their pyjamas. Lily leant on his shoulder, his golden skin warming her cheek. She rubbed her hand across his chest, drawing circles and hearts and stars. Jacques suddenly spun over, so he was on top of her, leant down and kissed her, slowly. Lily made a soft noise of appreciation, grabbed his hair and pulled him closer to her. His dark eyes sparkled, and she opened her mouth, breathing in him. He stroked the top of her legs, under her pyjama shorts, and Lily smirked against his mouth. "I love you Jacques."

"I love you too, Lily-flower."

.o0O0o.

"That was fun."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Harry, who was sitting on their bed frowning. "They'll be fine tomorrow." Harry shook his head.

"I just – how can they get on so well and so badly?" Ginny pursed her lips.

"They're too similar." She smirked slightly, jumping onto the bed beside him. Leaning in, she took his glasses off slowly and kissed him. "I can think of something to do that might cheer you up..."

AN: Wow I'm not sure about this. It's just a little festive plot bunny - this is Christmas Eve, then there'll be two other chapters. I (really) hope you like! Will try and focus on a different child each day also.

Please review, I've never written next-gen before and it's scary.