Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

"Severus, has Vivian had her bath yet today?" The man in question turned the corner, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Now why would I have her bathe before breakfast? You and I both know she'll insist on a big girl cup and she'll inevitably get juice all over her front, thereby making her sticky for the rest of the day. I dislike sticky." Harry flipped the pancakes over and raised an eyebrow over his shoulder at the slender man.

"Oh ha-ha. Very funny. Still," he turned back to the pancakes. "I suppose if it isn't juice it'll be the syrup. You win but right after breakfast she needs a bath so I can set up for her party outside." Severus's arms wrapped around his middle, long fingers splaying over his toned stomach and chest.

"Mmm, very well. But will I be rewarded later?" Harry groaned, desire coursing through his veins.

"You know you will. Now leave me be so I can finish this up. The sooner this gets done, the sooner you can eat."

"Daddy?" Vivian's quiet voice was rough, indicating she had just woken up. Harry placed the last pancake on a plate and turned towards her.

Her dark curly hair was sticking up in every direction, making her look a little more than slightly insane. Her hazel eyes were half closed, and her pajamas were wrinkled.

"Good morning my dear. Do you know what day it is?" She slowly shook her head, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "It's your birthday, remember?" As if a light had been flipped, she went from half asleep zombie to instant energy ball.

"Really?!"

"Yes, now come sit at the table so you can eat breakfast." Severus's tone was light, but firm. She practically bounced to her chair and carefully ate her pancakes. Despite her focus on the food, she still managed to make quite a mess. As Severus predicted, she had insisted that since she was eight now, she was completely old enough to use a big girl cup and had only spilled a little here and there. The syrup, however, was a completely different matter. It was all over her front, her face, the table, the floor and her legs. Severus caught a glimpse of her and groaned before rolling his eyes and carrying her for a bath full of bubbles.

Harry smiled as he cleaned, listening to his daughter squeal in delight as Severus showed off the new bubble formula he had created for her. Every year he would work on making new bath potions to produce differently shaped and behaving bubbles. Last year had been vanilla scented yellow bananas that would lazily float in circles. This year was lilac scented pink hearts that bounced off of surfaces.

As Harry finished the dishes, Ron came flying out of the floo carrying the infamous Weasley birthday cake. Somehow, Ron was the only Weasley that could make it through a floo without a speck of soot on him-something they discovered shortly after the first time he had babysat Vivian so Harry and Severus could go on a date.

As usual, the cake was delivered in perfect order. This year's cake was less extravagant than last year's. Molly had gone bonkers with the pink hearts and white lace for the child's seventh birthday. This year was all about yellow roses and the color lavender.

The three tiered delicacy was lavender as promised, with dozens of different sizes of pale yellow roses. It was topped with a white heart bearing Vivian's name and a singular never-ending Weasley's Wizard Wheezes candle that sprayed the occasional burst of colourful sparkles.

"Hi Ron! Thanks for bringing the cake early again this year. I've got a table set up in the garden if you wanna set it down before the birthday girl comes down from her bath." Ron quickly deposited the cake and the two started conjuring decorations.

"No problem mate, I'd do just about anything for that little girl. A cake delivery is nothing."

The two caught up on what had happened the last two weeks they hadn't seen each other. Molly had been training more assistants to help her at the ministry with the daycare program, Arthur was a few weeks away from publishing the third installment of his muggle studies books, and the twins's shop was booming with their new line of Practical Parental Pranks. Bill and Charlie both had been promoted and to everyone's surprise Percy had quit from the Ministry and had started working in the realty business.

"What about Hermione?"

"Oh, she's working with the twins now. She's their store manager, didn't they tell you? She's been fed up with the ministry bureaucracy for years. Finally got her replacement trained on all the accounting she was doing and retired early-you know how she was always at work. Practically slept there, I reckon."

"Think she'll be less strung out now?"

"I'd be surprised if she wasn't. She's working wonders with Fred and George, and they've managed to convince her that she doesn't need to live and breathe work. Personally, I think she secretly enjoys all the pranks."

"Ronald Weasley, are you gossiping about me again?" Ron smirked and turned away to whistle and look inconspicuous. "You have been, haven't you? You'd better watch your food-you just never know what sort of concoction I have access to now that I'm working with your brothers!" They all laughed and finished the decorations before the rest of the family arrived.

The party went swimmingly. Vivian loved the decorations, and loved the cake even more. She twirled around in her new lilac dress, blushing at all the compliments the Weasley family bestowed upon her and giggling whenever she saw something new she liked. When it was time for her to have the first bite of cake, she took her paper plate and quickly smashed the piece icing first into Harry's face. Everyone was silent until a small chunk of cake slid off of his glasses. Severus chuckled and was quickly laughing at Harry's misfortune.

Until Harry grabbed a bit of cake and smeared it all over Severus's face as payback. Soon the entire congregation was flinging bits of cake, the garden filled with the sounds of laughter and threats of more cake flinging. All in all, it was the most fun any of Vivian's parties had ever been and somehow Harry suspected that a cake fight would be a tradition on her birthday.

Harry and Severus managed to sneak away from the chaos, leaving Vivian in Ron's arms as she stuffed his red hair full of cake and icing while he tickled her mercilessly.

"I think this year was a roaring success, don't you?" Severus laughed at Harry, whose glasses were opaque with icing. Casting a quick cleaning spell at the lenses, Severus leaned in and kissed Harry for all he was worth. "I bloody well love you, husband mine. Don't ever change." Severus's heart melted as Harry beamed back at him.

"And we love you as well." Severus's heart sputtered.

"We?"

"Ah...well I was going to tell you later on but I guess I let that surprise out of the bag. I'm pregnant again."

"Truly?" Severus could hardly believe it.

"Yes, truly." Harry squaked as Severus lifted him up in a hug and spun him around before kissing him soundly. It would make Vivian the happiest little girl to find out she was going to finally be a big sister-she had only been asking for a sibling for the last three birthdays.

Severus couldn't wait to see their family grow once more.