Holly Potter Verse

Title: Holly Potter

Author: Genna Gray

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: N/A

A/N: Something I tinker with from time to time

      "Honestly, James, blue?" Lily shook her head as she rubbed her Bump - as Sirius called it - as she looked over the nursery that James had assembled in their summer home, Potters Glade. "I told you I wanted lilac."

      It was a nice nursery, don't get Lily wrong, but it was too well modeled and too...blue for her tastes. She had told James that the nursery needed to be purple, lilac preferably, and since it wasn't...it was making Lily agitated and her fingers itched for her wand so she could "fix" it.

     But, Lily huffed and rocked back on her heels, the Healers had told Lily no magic since the pregnancy was stressing both her Core and her body out to much to risk even the simplest of spells - even a color changing one. 

     "Tiger!" Sirius called as he bounded up the stairs, gift tucked under one arm. "Got a gift for the little Fawn!"

     "Sirius," Lily arched a brow at the brightly colored wrapping paper. "How are you, how's your day been? Me? Oh I'm doing great, my day was fantastic - you?"

     "Tiger Lily!" Sirius laughed as he took Lily's hands and bowed over them before leaning forward and pressing a smacking kiss to Lily's bump, regardless of the thick jumper she was wearing and the smack Lily gave over his head. "And how's my Fawn doing?"

     "Making me pee my weight out every few hours," Lily gave in and ruffled Sirius's hair. "Now, what's the gift for?"

     "I can't give a gift without being nagged?" Sirius mock pouted, hands pressed to his chest. "Is this the thanks I get?"

     Lily merely wrinkled her nose at Sirius and he laughingly handed over the oddly shaped package. Lily pulled the paper off, a rather gaudy mix of orange and pink, to have a plush Snitch sitting in her hands. It was incredible soft and Lily knew any kid would enjoy it - despite the fact it was an eye-searing gold. 

     "So?" Sirius said impatiently. "Do you think Fawn will like it?"

     "She'll love it," Lily smiled at Sirius who looked happy but frowned. "What?"

     "James said...you were having a son." Sirius said slowly and Lily scoffed. "I know it's a girl, he won't listen to me."

     "Oh." Sirius looked around the nursery nervously. "That's...a lot of blue for a girl."

     "I wanted purple," Lily muttered and crossed her arms. "He told me that purple wouldn't suit a boy."

     "Well, let's fix that shall we?" Sirius winked as he pulled out his wand and gave it a twirl. "Which purple would you like? Lilac? Mauve? Thistle?"

     Lily threw her head back and laughed. 

 

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     Holly stared at the pile of things sitting on her tiny bed, the smallest bedroom in Number 4, and then stared at Aunt Petunia who had crossed her arms and was muttering angrily to herself as she eyed up Holly's room. It was tiny, barely big enough for the bed and nightstand as well as the wardrobe - not to mention most of the space was full of Dudley's things that spilled out of her cousin's bursting room.

     "Aunt...Aunt Petunia?" Holly licked her lips and her aunt focused on the eight year old girl. "Why...why do I have all of this...stuff?

     "But it has come to my attention that outside of school, which you are lackluster for and we will be correcting that soon enough, that you are not involved in anything like the other neighborhood girls are - dance and music and the like." Aunt Petunia glared at Holly as if it was the little girls fault. "You will do your best, more then your best, and you will show all those busybody's that you refrained from participating because you didn't want to make the other girls look bad - you will do your best or die trying, is that understood girl?"

     "Yes Aunt Petunia." Holly nodded slowly, still confused but understanding that the neighbors had insulted her aunt because she didn't enroll Holly in things like the other girls were involved in things after school. "My very best."

      Petunia sniffed and turned on her heel, leaving Harry alone with a pile of things to sort out. Holly pulled at the pile of clothes, sorting them out into piles that Holly could put away later, until they were folded in neat and tidy little stacks. [There was a pile of extremely nice dresses, skirts and blouses as well as a pile of leotards and leggings clearly meant for dance lessons of some kind - there were some other clothing but Holly wasn't exactly sure what they were for.]

     The stack of books turned out to be beginner lessons in both French and Latin as well as several "help" books used for the slower students at Whinging Primary - Holly assumed those were for improving her grades at school. Not that Holly needed help but she hadn't wanted to get in trouble by doing better then Dudley - but she wasn't about to tell her Aunt that; Holly would get into trouble.

     Holly felt a grin start to creep across her face and she couldn't put a name to the fluttering in her stomach but Holly was sure it was happiness. Because maybe, just maybe, Holly had a chance to have a better life then what she thought - a better life then her Mum, jobless and married to a drunken wastrel according to her aunt, and Holly wanted to be more then what her Mum was really, really badly.

     

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      Holly stared at herself in the mirror and wrinkled her nose at the picture she made. In a moss-green dress, and matching ribbons pulling her thick hair back, Holly felt like she looked like a dress-up doll the other girls at school played with. Not to mention the white stockings made her legs itch and she barely restrained the urge to scratch at them - Aunt Petunia would be really made and Harry didn't want to be locked up in her room as a result. 

     "Aunt...Aunt Petunia?" Holly licked her lips and her aunt focused on the ten year old girl rather than straightening her own pastel dress out. "Why do I have to go out there?"

     "I'm not fond of you," her Aunt said bluntly. "You are too much like your mother for my tastes and I swore that when we took you in I would stamp out that dangerous nonsense since I wasn't about to have an embarrassment living under my roof like that old bat June has been implying - so you will go out there, show those busybody's wrong about being an embarrassment or you will die trying, so help me God, is that clear?"

     "Yes Aunt Petunia," Harry nodded rapidly, fearing a backhand. "Die trying, understood."

     "Good," Petunia sniffed and looked Holly over. "You will not be let back into the house for a week if you fail to preform adequately."

     With that little piece of advice Holly's aunt flounced off, to take her seat the little girl thought, and left her alone to gather her nerves before being called out onto stage. She didn't look out past the lights reflecting on the stage, she would get too nervous, until she reached her seat and sat down. Holly took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, before getting her hands into position, her back ramrod straight, and pulled the bow gently against the strings of the cello sitting between her legs.

     Holly couldn't help her eyes from falling shut as she lost herself in the thrumming music. Out of all the instruments her Aunt made Holly learn to play, the cello was Holly's personal favorite and one that Holly played the most often outside of the piano. [Holly hadn't been sure, not until tonight, but it seemed that Petunia was equally as proud of Holly for being good at the cello, better almost then the piano and violin - Holly wasn't sure why but she wasn't about to question it.]

     It wasn't until her hands stilled, her song played, did Holly's hands stilled and a thundering applause made her eyes fly open to see the people who had come to see her play - and others of course - and stand. Holly barely managed to prop the cello back onto it's stand, the bow back on its own, and bow back with her flushing face.

     It felt...it felt really good.

 

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     "Malfoy is a twat," Holly muttered as she waited for Neville to get done patching up in the hospital wing. "A big self-centered toadstool."

      Ron coughed into his fist to hold in his laugh, mainly failing from the glare Holly gave him, and Ron turned away to get the urge pushed down. He had only just got his friendship with Holly back, after he was a complete and utter prat to her during third year - and Ron wanted to smack himself for how he acted in forth year - because he let Hermione and Ginny wind him up. 

     So to even be talking like this was a gift and Ron wasn't about to screw it up.

     "Oi! Pothead!" Malfoy called as he and his cronies started down the corridor. "What are you doing around here? So close to curfew?"

     "None of your business Malfoy," Ron scowled at the blond - he wasn't found of the prick when he was a first year and now that he was a sixth year he liked the ponce even less. "Piss off."

     "Is that anyway to treat a Prefect? Isn't that right boys?" Malfoy's grin was smug as he puffed out his chest so the Prefect Badge could still be seen better. "I think that comment deserves five points, don't you think?"

      Ron growled but held his place and his tongue - the one thing he learned by being with Hermione and Ginny all the time was watching his temper, loosing control of it was what drove Holly away and Ron wasn't about to do it again - so he seethed but made no move against the Slytherin. By that point the door creaked open and Neville slipped out, his arm no-longer broken after his "fall" down a flight of stairs, but still in a sling with his face looking like the other sixth year ran into a brick wall.

     "Getting more clumsy aren't you Fatbottom?" Malfoy's cronies laughed and Neville flushed. Ron took a step forward, not willing to put up with that shite any more when Holly held an arm out and blocked his way, and Ron stepped back. Holly stepped forward herself until she was almost on top of Malfoy and Ron watched as the blood in Neville's face drained of color suddenly. "What do you want Pothead?"

     Holly merely smiled serenely before Malfoy was on the ground, blood gushing from his nose and mouth, and Ron realized that Holly had punched the slimy git in the face.

     "You broke my nose!" Malfoy garbled out and Holly reached down and pulled the little ponce back to his feet with surprising strength. "I'll-"

     This time Ron saw Holly hit the git, this time in the mouth, and when he hit the stone floor he didn't try to speak as Holly loomed over him. Both Crabbe and Goyle, useless lumps they were, didn't move to intercede on their leader's behalf - even they weren't that stupid to mess with Holly when she was pissed off.

     "I hope I broke your bloody jaw too!" Holly told Malfoy fiercely as she shook a finger at his curled up position. "And if you touch or mess with any of my friends like you did with Neville I'll do more then just break your face!"

     With that Holly flipped her hair over her shoulder, like Ron had scene Hermione and Ginny do when they wanted to make a point, turned on her heel and start down the corridor towards the dormitory's. Scrambling after her Ron and Neville hurried to catch up and Ron couldn't wipe the curl of a smile off his face - he had forgotten how hot Holly's temper ran on a good day. 

     It was...it was good to see that Holly hadn't changed in the three years Ron was out of her life.