She Said What?

Chapter 27: I Return Home to More Chaos

A/N: Sorry about the wait on this one. My schedule's been a little wonky and my muse is being a tad rebellious...

This chapter is family life; the next chapter is nostalgia; the chapter after is Christmas Day, which has its own surprises. Then we go back to Hogwarts. Just in case you're curious about the flow of events while we're away from the school.

Enjoy, guys!
X

December 22

5:30 PM
Status: Thoughtful

I've been meaning to write all day, but it's been kind of a whirlwind since I got back and I haven't been able to find the time to sit down and write properly. Until now, when I've locked myself in my room to catch my breath.

I mean, this morning, I woke up at 11:59 AM. Exactly. That's the latest I've slept in since the summer, when I woke up at that time everyday. Then my mum whisked me off to the shower and I had to get ready to have lunch with my parents. After lunch, Mum and I went for a film while my father went for a round of golf – his leisure activity of choice. Now we've only just got back and Mum needs to start getting dinner together. That's why I have the time.

But let me start from the beginning – from yesterday, when my family picked me up from the train station.

I got off the train with Alice and Livvy, all three of us thoroughly excited to be so close to home again. We promised each other we would get in contact and everything, since we all have Floo power we can put to its best advantages. Then we dispersed, because our families were waiting to see us.

I can always tell which one is my family. First, they are Muggles, which makes them conspicuous. Then, my mum has prominent, bright hair, like me – only, I have some of my dad's brown in my roots, while Mum is a true redhead. It's very easy to pick her out of a crowd that way, because there are rarely any other redheads walking around the station, looking for the Hogwarts Express.

But mostly, it's because my mum is the loudest one at the station, shouting at me that they're here, they're here! Like I don't know already.

"Lily! Lily!" hollered Mum now. "Here, honey!"

Still, despite that, I was very happy to see her.

"Hi!" I ran down as fast as my trunk would let me go, and Mum was more than ready to meet me halfway, pulling me into a rib-crushing hug that she kept up for about thirty seconds. I found it very difficult to breathe and was a little relieved when she finally let go.

"Hey, Mum, nice to see you," I said, grinning.

"Oh, Lily Bear," she said affectionately, resurrecting my old, hated nickname from childhood. "It's so lovely to see you."

"She was counting the days from when you left," teased Dad, coming forward to see me as well. "Hey, Lils."

Thankfully, Lily Bear is just a Mum thing. My dad is much more sensible that way – he prefers the nicknames my friends give me, like Lil or Lils. He reaches out and hugs me too, firm but not smothering.

"Where's Tuney?" I asked, craning my neck for her.

"She's just coming – she went to get a snack from inside," said Mum all in a rush, as though she still couldn't believe her younger daughter was standing right in front of her. It always takes her a couple of days to realize she has two children in her house for Christmas, poor thing.

"Oh, okay," I said. "Hey, Dad, d'you think you could help with this...?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Dad. "Let me take it from here, Lils. I'll bring it around to the car, you and your mother can go get Petunia."