Harry's POV

late Saturday night:

Ron and I stayed up way past our bedtimes whispering to each other about what we might find in our baskets tomorrow and what sorts of prizes might be in the eggs for the Easter egg hunt. Dumbledore always had two different egg hunts, one for the small kids, like Eileen and Robyn, ages 2,3, 4, and so on, and one for the bigger kids ages 8 through 12. After that you were a teenager and too old for stuff like Easter egg hunts. Fred and George said that was when you did scavenger hunts instead, whatever those were.

Before we'd gone to bed, Alaina, who's actually my stepmum, since my real one, Lily, died when I was four, baked her spice cake with her thick cream cheese frosting. It was her specialty, and she baked it every year for Easter. Ginny, who had never seen anyone bake without using magic, asked Alaina if she could help.

"Certainly. Can you get me the flour and eggs? Lexy, show Ginny where we keep the baking ingredients, won't you?"

Lexy is technically my stepsister, but in my house that's a distinction we don't recognize. Dad says we're all family, no matter what, and he'd adopted Lexy when she was eight, so she's a Snape now. Lexy showed Ginny around the pantry, which is a huge walk in closet. Ron and I watched, salivating, as the girls helped Mum mix the batter and pour it into a large sheet pan and two muffin pans. Mum let them lick the spoons and beaters.

"Mum, can we have a taste too?" I asked, seeing the bowl still sticky with batter.

Alaina looked over at us. "Here, Harry. You and Ron can scrape the bowl." She handed me the bowl and two rubber spatulas.

I gave one to my friend and we both shared the remaining batter. Mmm!

Once the cake had baked and cooled, Mum showed Ginny and Lexy how to make the frosting. Then she frosted the large cake and let Lexy and Ginny frost the small cupcakes.

"I like frosting the cauldron cakes," Ginny said, laughing when Lexy got a dab of frosting on her nose. "It's fun!"

"And the best part is we get to be the first to eat one," my sister said, licking the frosting off her nose.

"Alexis, use a napkin," Mum reprimanded.

"But it's more fun to lick it off," Lexy informed her.

Once all the cakes were frosted, Lexy used magic to make sugary handles for the small cauldron cakes, so they looked like real cauldrons, and then sprinkled colored green sugar over them.

"Those look and smell wonderful, girls!" said Grandpa, following his nose into the kitchen. "Mind if I try one?" he reached over to grab one.

"Not yet!" Lexy cried, grabbing his wrist. "We helped, so Mum says Ginny and I get to be the first to eat one, Grandpa!"

"Is that so?" Tobias looked disappointed. "Okay, I can wait."

Ginny looked at Mum. "Miss Alaina, can I have one now?"

"You may, Ginny. You too, Lexy."

The girls snatched them up and started eating.

"Ooh, it's heavenly!" Ginny moaned.

"It tastes better than last year, Mom," Lexy said, slowly nibbling hers to make it last longer.

Grandpa eyed the tray, looking like a pitiful starving beggar.

Mum chuckled, then said, "Go ahead, Toby."

Grandpa took one and ate it in two bites. "Fantastic, Alaina. You and Sev ought to open a restaurant. Or a bakery."

Ron and I each took one, and Ron told Mum this was the best cauldron cake he'd ever eaten. I seconded that, and then Dad came in with Eileen and they both had one as well. Eileen had hers with a glass of milk and Dad with coffee, and Dad said that Mum had better win the Bake Off tomorrow, because this was the best spice cake he'd ever eaten. "And if you don't win, it'll be because the judges have no taste."

Mum beamed and gave him a kiss.

I blushed, and wondered why my parents had to be so embarrassing! Didn't they care that we had guests over? Or that the last thing an eleven-year-old boy wants to see is two old timers snogging their lips off? Yuck!

"C'mon, Ron. Let's go play Wizard Chess."

Ron was only too happy to oblige.

Behind me, I heard Eileen giggle. "Mummy loves Daddy!" she sang, she thought it was hilarious when they kissed each other, don't ask me why.

Anyway, Ron and I stayed up whispering long after everyone else had gone to bed, or so we thought, until Dad came in and said sternly, "Enough talking, boys, now go to sleep. Or else no Easter baskets tomorrow."

"Yes, sir," Ron said.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, Dad. Merlin! What d'you think we are, three?"

"What was that, young man?" Dad came and shone his wand right in my face.

"Nothing, sir." I hastened to correct myself.

"That's what I thought. It's two o'clock in the morning. Turn over and close your eyes."

I obeyed, though I was furious at the way he was treating me, like some sodding preschooler! And in front of my friend too! But I kept my mouth shut. Anything else I said would just get me in deeper trouble. But there was a hard knot of resentment inside me, and I wished for once that I could embarrass him the way he embarrassed me. Fathers! Can't live with them and can't hex them.

I squinched my eyes shut and tried to breathe evenly, so Dad would think I was sleeping.

"Quit pretending, Harry."

I wanted to scream and pound my pillow. But of course I didn't. I was eleven and too old for tantrums. ARGHHH! I screamed silently in my head. Go away, Dad, and leave us alone! I forced myself to relax, though I could sense him hovering over me like some bloodsucking bat.

Finally, after an eternity, he left. I waited a good five minutes though, before I hissed, "Ron? You still awake?"

After a long moment, Ron hissed back, "Yeah. You'd better watch it, Harry. I think he was really ticked off when you said that about us being three."

"I know."

"I can't believe you said that to his face."

"I didn't know he could hear me." I admitted. Next time I would make sure he wasn't around when I muttered something under my breath. "What do you want to get in your basket the most tomorrow? Chocolate frogs?" They were his favorite candy.

"Those or some Zonkos stuff. They just came out with some new line of products that sound really wicked," Ron said hopefully, then he smothered a yawn. "M'getting sleepy, Harry. And I'd rather not test your dad and risk getting my bum whacked."

"Dad would never do that to you," I objected. "He'd only whack me."

"My mum would, soon as she heard what I'd been doing," Ron said. "Night, Harry."

"Night, Ron." Though I didn't want to admit it, I was also sleepy, and soon after I fell asleep.

MEBMEBMEB

Easter Sunday:

Ron shook me awake Easter morning and together we raced down the hall to the den, where our Easter baskets were. Happily, we were the first ones up, though the girls woke up soon after. But then we had to wait for Mum and Dad and Eileen. Luckily, Eileen's made it her mission in life to wake up our parents, so as soon as she realized that Ginny and Lexy weren't in bed, she popped up and raced in to wake up the parents.

She did this by standing in the doorway and screeching, "WAKE UP, MUMMY AND DADDY! THE EASTER BUNNY'S COME!"

Only a deaf person could sleep through Eileen's wake up call. Or a dead person. And even then Dad swears she could bring the dead back to life with her screaming.

But for once I didn't mind, because the sooner the parents got up, the sooner we could open our baskets.

When Mum and Dad stumbled into the den, Dad looking very put up and Mum smiling gently, with Eileen on her arm, I asked, "Morning, Mum and Dad! Happy Easter! Can we open the baskets now?"

"Happy Easter, Harry," said Mum and she hugged me. "Of course. Go ahead."

After we'd all wished each other a happy Easter, we tore into our baskets. There's always two things in there that are the same every year—sweets and books. Eileen got a plushy bunny that looked like the Velveteen Rabbit and the book as well. I got several kinds of Honeydukes chocolate bars and a book called Adventures of Josef Wronski—Quidditch Star. There was also a chocolate frog and some butterbeer powder to make my own butterbeer. I also got a new cloak and another book called Most Potente Healing Potions for the Aspiring Young Medicus. I had told Dad that someday I wanted to be a Healer too, and he said that you can never start too early.

Ron got a new Cannons jersey, some Droobles, Bertie Botts beans, and a chocolate frog, plus homemade sugar snap biscuits. He also got some wizard comics and Great Moments in Quidditch History.

Ginny and Lexy got sweets, new journals along with matching quills and ink, some jewelry, and Easter scarves, Lexy had one in turquoise and Ginny had a lime green one. Ginny also got a Household Spells for the Savvy Witch, and Lexy had a copy of Witch's Sweet Tooth: A Guide to Making Scrumptious Sweets with Simple Spells. Though Lexy could cook just fine without magic, she always liked learning new spells, and had always wanted to try magical cooking.

Dad got a new tie from Mum, with caduceus' on it, and Mum got a beautiful pearl ring from Dad. Even Inky got something—his Easter treat was a huge antelope steak, which he had to go out in the backyard to eat.

After a wonderful breakfast, we all got dressed in our good clothes, Grandpa arrived, and then we Flooed over to Hogwarts. Ron said he hoped that the egg hunt was as good as last year's. I said I hoped it was better, and that we got lots of joke stuff.

"Welcome, children!" Uncle Al greeted us almost as soon as we exited the fireplace. He was dressed in his favorite purple and silver robes, wearing a white scarf with colored eggs painted all over it. "Are you all ready for the egg hunt? I think it will be even better than last year's."

"Hi, Uncle Al," I said, giving the old wizard a hug. He had been my babysitter when I was small and Dad was working round the clock at St. Mungos, back before he'd met Alaina. Now, of course, he was my Headmaster, but out of school I still treated him like a favorite uncle. "I can't wait. Oh, and Happy Easter," I added, recalling my manners.

Uncle Al beamed, then he went to greet the rest of my family and Ron and Ginny.

We met Hermione, Robyn, and their mum, Jane, in the Great Hall, where Easter tea was going to be held after the Easter bonnet contest. "Hi, Harry! Happy Easter!" Hermione said, waving.

"Hi," I said. Hermione was wearing a pretty white dress and hat with sprigs of lavender, lilacs, and little pink roses in the brim, which had long lavender ribbons. She had done something to her flyaway curly hair, making it a little straighter and not so frizzy. "You look nice, 'Mione." I said, then blushed. But it was true.

"How' bout me, Hawwy?" asked her little sister. Robyn Maura Granger was almost two, and like Hermione, smart as a whip. She had inherited the Granger curls, but hers were long and blond, and Jane had pulled them back in a long tail and put a pretty pink bow with small roses in her hair. It matched her frilly pink dress and shiny white leather slippers.

"You look like a princess, Robyn," I told her, playfully tweaking her button nose.

"Yay!" she laughed. "Where Eileen?" she looked for her friend, the two of them were like Ron and I, best mates.

"Over there, by Uncle Al," I pointed to where my baby sister was showing Uncle Al her new Easter bonnet, with the tulips and lilies in pink, lavender, and white, stuck on the brim, and ribbons in every color of the rainbow were tied in the back.

"Ooh, pretty!" Robyn cried upon seeing Eileen's hat. "'Mione, I wanna hat like Eileen's."

Hermione smiled tolerantly at her small sister. "Maybe next year, Robyn. When you're bigger."

"Aww! But I wants one now!" Robyn whined.

"Well, maybe Eileen will share hers with you," Hermione said quickly.

Robyn nodded, then ran across the room calling, "Eileen! I's comin'!"

"Why, Hermione, you look pretty as a picture!" said Professor McGonagall.

She was dressed in a lavender and blue tartan dress with a lacy shawl pinned over it with a golden thistle pin. On her head was a large hat with a real thistle pinned to the brim. I knew the thistle was the national flower of Scotland.

"Thank you, professor," Hermione said, a bit shyly. "You look very nice also."

Aunt Min chuckled and looked a tad embarrassed. "Why, that's kind of you to say so, Hermione. How is your mother and sister?"

"Fine. They're over by Professor Dumbledore."

"Hello, Aunt Min," I said softly.

"Ah, Harry! My, you look very grown up in that suit." She smiled and gave me a squeeze.

"Thanks," I said, not bothering to tell her that I hated having to get dressed up.

Finally, we all went outside, where Dumbledore had set up the egg hunt, and in the courtyard were long tables with cloths over them for the Bake Off. Molly Weasley was there with her famous layer cake, and Mum went over to put her spice cake next to her, and Jane Granger also had a sugar-free plate of brownies.

There were several older kids already gathered on the lawn, waiting for Dumbledore to start the egg hunt. Wicker baskets were being handed out by Professor Flitwick. Ron, Lexy, Ginny, Hermione, and I joined them. I said hello to Neville and Blaise, who were there with their grandmum and mum. Neville's gran, Augusta, was entered in the Easter bonnet contest, while Maria Zabini had baked her famous Italian butter cookies for the bake sale.

Uncle Al stood in front of us, there were about thirty or so kids there, from nine to twelve. "Attention, please! The egg hunt is about to start. You all know the rules, no pushing or fighting over an egg. There are enough eggs hidden about the lawn for you all to get seven each. When you have seven, please come back to the starting line, do not search for more eggs, as it wouldn't be fair to your friends. Oh, and there is one large golden egg, anyone who finds that one will get a very special prize. You have an hour and a half. Have fun, children, and a Happy Easter!"

He brought his scarf down and we all broke from the edge of the lawn and scattered.

Ron and I made for the far end of the lawn, where there were lots of shrubs and small pine trees. Dumbledore liked to hide eggs behind things and up in the small branches. One of the neat things about this hunt was that the eggs were magically spelled not to break if you dropped one by accident. They were also painted with magical paint that twinkled when the sunlight hit it, and made them easy to spot if you were looking carefully.

"I see one, Harry!" Ron hissed, and made a beeline for a small clump of grass. Seconds later, he picked up a glittery blue egg and placed it in his basket.

Then I spotted a green one beneath a spruce and snatched it. Next I found a red one and a yellow and purple one.

Thirty minutes later, I had five eggs, and Ron six.

I headed over to west, near Hagrid's hut, sometimes eggs were hidden in the pumpkin patch and I really wanted that gold one. The golden egg had the biggest prize in it and I had never won it before.

On the way I passed Hermione, Lexy, and Ginny.

"How many do you have, Harry?" asked my sister.

"Five. How about you?"

"Four."

Ginny had five and Hermione did too.

"We're going to try over near the forest," Ginny said, pointing to the very edge of the lawn, beyond which lay the Forbidden Forest.

"Okay, whatever," Ron shrugged. He knew as well as I did that there were few eggs to be found there.

We raced into the pumpkin patch.

Ron spied a pink egg and snatched it up, forgetting that he could only have seven.

An instant later, he realized his mistake. "Aww, Merlin!"

I glanced back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, except now I have a full basket."

"Oh. Well, I'll see you later." I said, and Ron went back to the beginning with his eggs to wait.

Meanwhile, I continued to search through the pumpkin patch. I found a spotted pink, purple, and blue egg. Now I had six and I was determined to find the golden egg this year. It had to be here, there were thick green leaves and vines and plenty of pumpkins. The patch wasn't huge, but it was dense and I spent almost twenty minutes looking under and next to all the pumpkins before I was almost ready to give up and look somewhere else.

But then some odd little voice prompted me to look beside Hagrid's hut, near the bucket he kept beside the porch. I gently brushed away a stray dandelion, and there it was! The glittering golden egg!

I grinned and gently picked it up. It was the size of a goose egg.

I carefully placed it in my basket and then headed back to the starting line. I was practically floating on air. I had finally found the golden egg!

I ran up to Ron, tugging irritably at my tie, which was too tight. "Ron! Guess what?"

"What?" he looked up.

"I found it!"

"The golden egg?" he gasped.

"Yeah. Look!" I showed him the sparkling egg.

"Merlin, Harry! You've the luck, all right."

By now most of the kids were back and only a few were still searching.

Hermione, Ginny, and Lexy all arrived back, and they were all shocked that I had found the golden egg.

"Where did you find it?" Lexy asked.

"In the pumpkin patch, near Hagrid's hut," I told her.

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" she muttered crossly.

"'Cause I'm smarter than you," I said, not able to resist twitting her.

"Yeah, sure you are," she snorted. "You just got lucky."

Finally, Dumbledore blew a whistle, signaling that the hunt was over. "All right, children. Do you all have seven eggs? Good! Now, which one has the golden egg this year?"

"I do! I do!" I yelled, waving my hand frantically.

Dumbledore came over and examined my basket. "Well done, Harry!" He applauded. "Congratulations! Harry has found the golden egg! Would you like to open it and see what's inside?"

"Yes, sir!" I said eagerly.

Uncle Al tapped the side of the golden egg with his wand. It was the only egg, he explained, that needed him to open it. All the others would come undone when you said , "Open, please."

The golden egg cracked and then split open . . . to reveal a 30 Galleon note to any shop in Diagon Alley.

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed enviously.

I whooped. "I'm rich! And I get to spend this any way I want, right?" I looked up at the Headmaster, my eyes shining at the prospect of buying Quidditch supplies, or sweets, or ice cream, or potions stuff . . .anything.

"You do, my boy! Have fun!" Uncle Al grinned like a little kid. He clapped me on the back, and Aunt Min came and took my picture, since the Prophet always ran an article every year about the Hogwarts Easter games, and pictures were taken of the winner of both egg hunts, the Easter bonnet contest, and the Bake Off winner. I really hoped Mum won the baking contest, though she had some tough competition this year.

I was so proud of myself for finding the egg and winning the prize that I began bragging to all the other kids there, but especially Lexy, who always claimed she was so much smarter. Looking back on it, I acted like a real smug git, and gotten "too big for my britches", as Grandpa would say. But right then I thought I was the best thing since chocolate frogs, and couldn't resist boasting to anybody who would listen.

"Oh, dry up, Harry!" Lexy said crossly. "So you found the golden egg and won thirty Galleons. It's not like you discovered the cure for wizard flu. Now quit bragging, you sound like Dudley, you twit."

I glared back at her. "I do not! You take that back, Lex! You're just jealous, is all."

She lofted an eyebrow at me, reminding me of Dad. "Jealous of what? If I want something, Dad or Mom will buy me it when we visit Diagon Alley, plus I have money I saved from my birthday."

"Yeah, but you have to ask, and what if they say no? I get to buy most anything I want, even if Dad doesn't think I need it." I told her. She was always throwing the fact that she saved her money in my face, while I almost always spent all mine as soon as I got it. Dad always said she was going to be a great businesswoman someday, because she knew the value of a Galleon. Humph! I had decided a long time ago that I was going to be so rich I wouldn't need to worry about how much I spent, because my vault would be bottomless. I had a huge vault, inherited from my other dad, James Potter, and my mum Lily, and the Potters had been filthy rich and Lily hadn't been poor either. When I became a successful Healer, I would command top fees for my services, and then I'd be richer. Now, whenever I read this, I start to laugh, because the best Healers don't count Knuts and Galleons, and they consider the best payment a life saved. But I was only eleven, what did I know?

"Brag much, Harry?" Lexy snorted. "Don't look now, but I think your head's the size of the Astronomy Tower."

"Shut up!" I snapped, then I went to open the rest of my eggs.

Both Ginny and Hermione shot me looks of disapproval. Girls! If Lexy had won the golden egg, they'd have been screaming over it and chattering nonstop about getting their nails done and going shopping at Gladrags.

Ron just shook his head, at them, I thought, but he told me later on it was at me. "Harry, look at this! I got a container of Itching Powder!"

We both got cool practical joke products from Zonkos and some sweets as well in each of our eggs.

"This is so cool!" Ron grinned. "I could prank my brothers and sister for weeks with these."

I nodded, wishing my father weren't so stuck on me not pranking Eileen and Lexy all the time, I'd have loved to make Lex's hair green with the Witch's Goo or Eileen's hat into a screaming banshee with the Boo Bonnet Serum. I wished I had a little brother who wouldn't mind if I played pranks all the time on him. I sighed. Maybe this time Mum would have a boy, since I sure didn't need any more sisters. Oh, in case I forgot to mention it, Mum's pregnant again.

While we were looking over our loot, Lexy came up and asked if we could help with the little kids during their Easter egg hunt, since there were lots of small kids and they always needed help holding their baskets or making sure they got seven eggs, since the real small ones didn't know how to count that high. Usually I didn't mind helping, but this time I was ticked at her for comparing me to Dudley, my fat cousin who I hated, and I just wanted to be left alone to dream about all the things I could do with my thirty Galleons. "I'm not doing it this year," I said dismissively.

"But Harry, last year I watched Eileen and helped her," Lexy objected. "Now it's your turn!"

"Says who? You're always bragging about how you're more responsible, so why don't you prove it?"

"You're just a lazy selfish bum!" she snapped. "And if you don't stop acting so high-and-mighty, Harry James Severus, you're going to regret it!"

"Why? You gonna run and tell Dad on me?"

"I won't have to. If he ever saw the way you're acting . . . your ass would be grass, Mr. Potter!" she declared, then she stalked off to where Hermione, Ginny, and the two little babies waited, saying loudly over her shoulder, "He thinks he's too good to help chaperone, girls!"

Once again I was the object of several stares of disapproval. But I shrugged them off.

"Come on, Ron. Let's go in the castle. It's getting hot out here."

So we raced up into the castle, before Lexy could go complain to McGonagall and make us get stuck watching the little kids.

About fifty or sixty witches and wizards were filing into the Great Hall for the final round of the Easter bonnet contest. I couldn't understand how anyone could want to watch something so boring and almost felt sorry for my dad, having to judge something like that. I don't know why he didn't just tell Uncle Al to have Aunt Min do it. Then again, a forfeit's a forfeit, as Grandpa always said.

Ron and I ducked into the small room next to the hall to avoid being trampled on by all those witches in pointy shoes and flowery robes pushing and shoving to get the front row seats.

"I think we're safe!" I gasped, wiping some sweat from my brow. Then I glanced around.

Usually this room was empty, it was a kind of antechamber where the first years waited before they were Sorted. But today it had a long shelf set up on the wall and on it were the Easter bonnets of the witches who were going to participate in round two of the contest. I goggled at the array.

There were short bonnets and tall bonnets, some with fresh flowers and other with fake ones. They had ribbons in every shade of the rainbow and some in shades I never knew existed. Some had sparkles on them, others were plain. They were made from all kinds of material too. One had real butterflies circling it, another had a stuffed macaw (no, I'm not kidding!).

Ron and I stared at them for half a minute. Then we started laughing, because some of them were so hideous.

"Bloody hell, Harry! Look at that one, it looks like something my Auntie Muriel wore to a funeral once," Ron pointed to a large triangular shaped hat that was done in shades of black and deep purple and had nightshade and day lilies and a tiny bat fluttering about it.

"What about this one, with the smiley face flowers?" I giggled, pointing at one that had flowers that blinked and grinned all over it.

It was about that time that I had a very wicked and naughty idea. I was bored and itching to try out my new joke products and figured that the contest could use some livening up. I mean, what could be more boring than watching this parade of hideous hats marching around on their owners' heads? It'd be more fun watching grass grow. Then I recalled how Dad had embarrassed me last night by treating me like a baby and telling me to go to bed. And something terribly sneaky and wicked awoke in me.

"Ron, are you bored?"

"A little bit. Why?"

I smirked. "Just wondering."

Ron eyed me suspiciously. "Harry, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about how funny it'd be to see Nev's gran with blue hair. Or Mrs. Bones with a ghostly shrieking hat."

Ron gaped at me. "You want to prank them?"

"Well, not them, but their stupid Easter bonnets."

"But Harry, we'll get in awful trouble!" Ron gulped, imagining the wrath of his mum.

"Not if we don't get caught. There's tons of kids here today with all kinds of joke products. Who'll know?" I persuaded. "Besides, wouldn't it be hilarious to see old lady Hawthorne scratching at her head like she's got fleas?"

Ron busted out laughing. It was a known fact that old lady Hawthorne hated kids and threatened to hit us with her cane every Easter. And she always had the most ugly looking hat and dress. "Yeah, that would be pretty funny."

"What kinds of Zonkos stuff do you have?" I asked, looking at the contents of his basket.

Ron hesitated. "Harry, if your dad ever finds out . . . he'll kill us!"

"How would he? It'd be impossible," I said, waving away his concern. "Come on, we have to do this fast, before the old witches come back here to get their bonnets."

We started applying the various powders and potions and lotions to the insides of the bonnets, most were timed to go off after five or ten minutes and the effects lasted maybe that long and weren't permanent. It would be the best prank ever, and probably go down in the history of Hogwarts.