Karina Potter, Aunt Marauder

Chapter 11

At last, the articles from Rita Skeeter had been stopped, and just in time for Harry's second birthday. Karina was quite possibly the only one just as excited as Harry. She invited everyone she could, and decorated the living room and the kitchen in traditional Gryffindor colours. She cleaned up the house with a flick of her wand, and started baking Harry a chocolate cake. As she did, she danced to the radio that was playing from the living room.

Harry was dancing with her in just a diaper and a shirt since it was a little warm inside of the kitchen, occasionally falling over, giggling. He was also trying to steal some cake batter.

"Harry, stop that!" Karina told for what felt like the millionth time, gently smacking his hand away. Or she would have, had the little boy not been ready this time and moved his hand in time for her to land on an egg instead and sending gooey egg flying in all directions, mostly at her and Harry, who just started giggling more and clapped his hands.

"Again! Again!" That was when the song ended and the announcer came on.

"Alright, all my Quidditch fans!" He said. "The Quidditch World Cup is getting ready to start in about two hours, but I've got two more tickets sitting on my desk for whoever can apparate to my office fast enough to answer this question!" Karina was in the living room at lightning speed. Quidditch World Cup tickets had been near impossible to get, and it was the perfect gift for Harry! "A Seeker dives down to the ground, acting as if he's seen the Snitch to get the other Seeker to follow him and hopefully crash into the ground. What is this move called?" Karina was there in an instant.

"A Wronski Defensive Feint!" She exclaimed, just as three more people apparated in. "The move is the Wronski Defensive Feint!"

"Correct!" The announcer, a middle age looking wizard called cheerfully into his wand. "The correct answer is the Wronski Defensive Feint! And the tickets go to..." He held out his wand to Karina.

"Karina Potter!" She told the listeners happily. "And my now two year old son, Harry!"

"Karina and Harry Potter!" The announcer repeated. "Congratulations! And happy birthday, Harry!" Then the announcer handed Karina her two tickets, and she apparated home when she realised... She left Harry alone with the cake batter.

"Harry James Potter!" Harry looked up from where he sat on the floor, the bowl of cake batter sitting between his chubby little legs, his face, hair, and hands covered in chocolate. He looked shocked to see Karina standing there.

"Mama on radio?" He asked, pointing back into the living room, where the music had started up again. Karina shook her head, sighing.

"Mama was on the radio." She told him, coming over and taking the bowl away. "And she got you tickets to see the biggest Quidditch game of the year. But now, she has to stay home and make you a new cake and get you get cleaned up. We might not be able to go to the game." Harry gasped and jumped to his feet.

"No no no!" He yelled, jumping up and down frantically. "Please please please?" Karina tapped her chin, toying with him.

"Okay, how about this? You go get cleaned up and find some clean clothes to wear to the game. While you do that, I'll make a new cake. If you're ready in time, we'll go to the game." Harry was gone so fast, you would have thought he learned to apparate.

Karina went to see what was left of the batter, and found more than she thought she would have. So, she quickly threw in a few more ingredients, remixed it, and began to create the shape of a broomstick.

"Mama? Can I wear dis?" Karina looked over at the hastily cleaned Harry with chocolate still under his ear and in his hair, clad in only a diaper now. In his sticky little fingers, he held up a red and gold Quidditch robe. It read on the back, Seeker Potter.

"Where did you find that?" She could barely breathe as she set her wand down and rinsed off her hands.

"My dresser." Harry told her, tilting his head, wondering if he had done something wrong. "Unca Moony put it in there." Moony. She'd clobber him if James's old Quidditch robes were damaged by the hands of a two year old. These were the ones that had been made after she was put on the Quidditch team and they kept getting their robes mixed up. Her's read Chaser Potter.

"Harry. Please give that here." She said slowly, trying not to get angry. "that belonged to James."

"Dames?" He asked. Karina nodded, coming over with her hand held out.

"Yes, James. Now please, hand it here." Harry held the robes out to her, and she quickly took them, forgetting her hands were wet and gasping as water got onto the robes. "Ah! Oh no no no no no!" She exclaimed, reaching for her wand and pointing it at the robes. "Ventus!" A strong wind blew the robes out of her hand and towards the living room, heading for an open window! "No!" She ran for the living room, just as Remus apparated in and grabbed them from midair.

"Hang on! I got it!" He told her, handing it back to her. She sighed with relief, taking the robes and hugging them close.

"Thank Merlin!" Then she gasped angrily at Remus. "Why did you put this in Harry's drawer?" She demanded.

"Thought he could use it as a night shirt or something." Karina's eyebrows rose almost off of her head.

"James's Quidditch robes? A night shirt? Remus, are you mad!?" Remus shook his head at her.

"Come on, Karina, we can't use everything of James's as some sort of trophy. He would want no one other than Harry to wear his Quidditch robes, especially to the Quidditch World Cup." Karina tilted her head. "I overheard on the radio." She sighed.

"I know. I'm just afraid of them getting ruined."

"Stains and crumbs can be washed out. Memories stay forever." Karina sighed again, then caught a glimpse of Harry poking his head in.

"Come here, Mini Prongs." Harry crept out and came over to her. She merely tapped his head with her wad ridding him of all chocolate and stickiness of any kind, before pulling the robes over him. "Now, why don't I go get a set of my old robes, and we can go to the game?" Harry jumped up and down happily.

"Yay!"