KNOWING ME KNOWING YOU ⇒ jegulus one shots

SWEETPEA AND LADYBUG

For maraudersl0ve

"You should really say something about it, Regulus. Soon."

"I know, I know. But she's too young to have noticed already, sok can I just have a little more time with it for myself before you push me into telling her?"

There is a voice whispering hushed words in the kitchen with her mummy. Meredith tries to listen further but she is interrupted.

"Meredith, sweetpea, come show auntie Andy your new dress," Regulus calls to his daughter.

Instantly, Meredith drops her doll to the floor of the living room, no longer emersed with her playing, before happily skipping towards the kitchen to parade off her new dress that Remus had gotten for her.

"My! Don't you look darling!" Andromeda beams. "Come here and give me a hug, my little love!" She opens her arms wide, bending down to her niece.

Meredith smiles, squeezing Andromeda tightly, Andromeda's dark curls pressed against her face as she does so. "Such a big girl now, aren't you!" Andromeda smiles warmly. "Are you all dolled up for Sunday dinner?"

Regulus smiles at the sight of his cousin and his four year old. "Well, if uncle Sirius is going to be looking his best, then somebody has to outdo him," He smirks a little.

Meredith giggles softly. "I helped mama make dessert," She announces. She snuggles closer to Andromeda, taking in her floral scent.

Andromeda gasps. "Did you? What a clever little thing you are," Andromeda let's her go to straighten her teal dress out. "Ted and Dora are devastated they can't make dinner," An exaggeration. "But I'll definitely bring them home some of your dessert,"

Soon, uncle Sirius and Remus pile in with Peter and James. Meredith grins. She loves her uncle's friends. Peter always knows the best, most funniest jokes that have her giggling for hours after and James even tried to help her to learn how to tie her own shoe laces.

James comes over a bit. He and her mummy watch movies together, and James comes with them to get ice cream and sometimes they all watch movies together. James is nice, he's kind and funny and bubbly. Meredith likes him. He makes her laugh.

He makes her mummy laugh too.

"Hey," James greets. Regulus smiles over his shoulder at him, checking on their dinner. "How's everything?"

Regulus eyes Meredith slightly before biting his lip. "Little ears," He reminds, glancing down at his daughter with a chuckle. "We'll chat about it later,"

Meredith doesn't miss the way that James' hand pats the small of Regulus' back. They have a secret, grown ups always do, though, don't they?

They sit down to eat, James sit next to Regulus, who sits next to Meredith. Meredith eyes her broccoli. Regulus, naturally, manages to see the caution in her little blue eyes.

"Unfortunately, sweetpea, you won't be able to have dessert if you don't eat all of you broccoli," Regulus hums. "It'll help make you big and tall,"

"Just like James?" Meredith asks.

James snorts at this and Regulus simply rolls his eyes. "Yes, lovey, just like James," Regulus laughs. "James only got to be as tall as he is because his mummy made sure that he ate his broccoli, y'know,"

Meredith isn't convinced.

"It's true," James chirps. "Peter used to be taller than me for a bit, but then I started eating my broccoli and all balance was restored," He chuckles with a grin.