They didn't speak. They didn't need to. After only one moment of incredulous, joyful disbelief they were moving, colliding, their arms around each other and their lips locked together, intertwined so tightly that neither could tell where one of them ended and the other began.

Harry could have stayed like that forever, breathing in Ginny's flowery scent and running his hands through her satiny hair, her mere presence providing a comfort so specific and so powerful he almost couldn't bear to let her go. Ginny held him tightly, as if to support him lest he suddenly collapse to the ground. In that moment, Harry wasn't sure whose ordeal had been more difficult. He held her just as tightly, trying to pour all his pleas for forgiveness and feelings of guilt and relief and above all, love, out through his embrace. He could feel the same feelings radiating off of Ginny and held on even tighter.

Much too soon for Harry's liking, Ginny pulled back. He gazed into her blazing eyes and smiled. Ginny smiled back, still gripping the front of his robes. Then she looked down, sighed, and looked back up at him.

"Harry."

"Hm?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but what the hell are you doing here?"

Harry faltered for a second. "Well, I would like to be kissing my gorgeous, wonderful wife and the three beautiful children we made together…and it's also my house…"

"No, Harry, I'm serious. One minute you've vanished off the face of the Earth, and then you're here! In the living room! With no warning whatsoever! Merlin, your department won't tell me anything!"

"Didn't you get Ellie's owl?"

Ginny looked at him as if he had grown another head. She began to explain when they were interrupted by a loud thud at the kitchen window. Harry's face paled.

"Oh no."

"What? What is it?" asked Ginny as they headed into the kitchen. Harry immediately spotted the dull brown lump on the windowsill and heaved a long sigh. He opened the window to reveal a small owl that looked more like ball of barely-held-together feathers than a bird capable of flight.

"Hey, Stewie," said Harry. The owl briefly opened its eyes, then returned to playing dead. Harry turned to Ginny.

"Stewie's been an owl for our department since before Al was born," he said. "I've been telling them to stop using him for two years now since he flies like a feather duster that someone chucked into the sky, but I only managed to get him relegated to non-urgent messages. We only kept him because some of our junior Aurors made a gigantic fuss when I proposed sending him to a different department. No wonder you didn't get the letter." He pulled the Ministry letter from Stewie's talons and opened it. "Apparently, I'm safe and will be arriving within a few hours."

"Impressive," said Ginny with a smile. "Earlier than Ministry time. I don't think that's ever happened before."

She was being sarcastic, obviously, but the words carried a hint of truth that only became more apparent given the present situation. Harry felt the guilt bubbling up in his stomach again. After giving Stewie an owl treat and sending him on his way, Harry turned back to his wife.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," she said. "You're here now, aren't you?"

"Yes, but I should have been home days ago. I never-"

"Shh," said Ginny, pressing a finger to his lips. "We'll talk later. Right now I just want to be happy you're home."

They kissed again, letting a wave of pure contentment wash over them. Ginny pulled back when they finished.

"A month without a snog and Mr. Potter's still got it," she said, her smile impossibly bright. Harry was too tired for banter, so he merely laughed and pulled her back against him, resting his head on top of hers.

"I love you so much," he said, relieved that he could finally voice those words to her again, no matter how sappy it sounded.

Ginny hummed in agreement into his shirt. "I missed you," she said. "We all did."

"I missed you more," he said. "Speaking of, where are the kids?"

"I can't imagine they didn't hear the Floo," said Ginny, leading him back into the living room. "Maybe they-"

They had barely stepped into the living room before they heard a squeal accompanied by a flash of red hair.

"Daddy! DADDY!"

The chess game fell to the floor with a clatter as the youngest Potter came flying into her father's open arms. Harry lifted her up and hugged her as tight as he could, trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat and the burning in his eyes. Lily clung to him just as fiercely, burying her face in his shoulder as he swayed gently back and forth.

"Hey Lily-lu," he whispered into her hair. "How are you? Were you good for Mummy while I was away? Did you keep those brothers of yours in line?"

Lily nodded.

"That's my girl," he said, kissing her cheeks and nose and smiling at the sound of her giggles.

It didn't take long for another little voice to sound throughout the house.

"Mum? Mum! Where are you? Was that the Floo? Is Dad home?"

After the sound of thundering footsteps in the upstairs hallway, James's face appeared at the top of the stairs. He stopped short, and despite the obvious redness around his eyes, his face broke into the biggest grin Harry had ever seen him wear.

"DAD! I knew it! I knew it! I was right! I knew you'd come home! When'd you get here? Mum, you have to tell me these things!"

Harry barely had time to set Lily down before James nearly tackled him with a bear hug. Laughing, Harry swept him up into his arms as James held on tightly, any desire to remain the cool eldest sibling forgotten.

"I missed you," he whispered into Harry's ear, so quiet that nobody but Harry could hear.

"Oh, Jamie, I missed you," said Harry, kissing his temple. To his absolute astonishment, James didn't even try to wipe it off.

As he slowly released James back to the ground, Harry looked up at the stairs, eagerly waiting for his third child to appear. But despite James and Lily's noisy shouts and running, no one came. Harry turned to Ginny.

"Where's Al?"

"He's in his room," said James, keeping his arms wrapped around Harry's waist. "I told him to come out when I thought I heard the Floo, but he wouldn't. I don't know what his problem is."

Ginny shot a warning look at James before meeting Harry's eyes and slightly glancing upstairs. Harry nodded and released himself from James and Lily's clinging arms. He walked upstairs as quickly as he could, trying to ignore the feeling of uneasiness growing stronger every second.

xxx

Harry knocked gently on Al's closed door. "Al? It's me. I'm home. Can I come in?"

No answer.

"Al? You okay?"

Silence.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

When he didn't receive any immediate protestations, he slowly opened the door. The bedside lamp was off, leaving only the slatted rays of late afternoon sunlight washing the room in a dark orange glow. Al was in the shadows, curled up on his bed with his face to the wall. Harry swallowed. That was never a good sign. Years of being Albus's father had taught him that if Albus appeared to be upset, but was remaining in plain sight on his bed instead of hiding under the covers, he wasn't sad. He was angry. Harry momentarily considered retreating back into the hall to let his son cool down before deciding against it and moving to sit at the foot of Al's bed. The mattress dipped slightly with Harry's weight, but Al made no indication that he noticed. Not even when Harry placed a hand on his calf.

"Al? What's the matter?"

No response.

"Al, please talk to me. I really missed you."

Albus made an almost imperceptible noise that, to Harry's ears, sounded like a scoff. Perplexed, Harry shifted his position on the bed so he could more easily put a hand on Al's shoulder. Albus shrugged it off and buried his face in the quilt.

"Albus," said Harry, trying his best to keep the hurt and irritated edge from creeping into his voice. "Tell me what's wrong. Please." Albus mumbled something into the quilt. "Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, hm? Well, if nothing's wrong, why are you acting this way?"

More incoherent mumbling.

"Albus, I'm not leaving this room until you tell me what's wrong."

Albus buried his face deeper into the mattress. "As if you would care."

Harry stared at his normally quiet and sweet little boy, almost too shocked to be angry. "What do mean, 'as if I would care?' I haven't seen you in a month, Albie, I missed you."

Albus didn't respond.

"Albus, look at me."

"No."

"Look at me."

"No!"

"Albus Severus-"

Before he could finish, Al sat up and turned around, and the last sliver of the relief and happiness that Harry felt upon returning home immediately vanished. Al's face was red and blotchy from crying, but now he only glowered at Harry with an intensity that Harry didn't even know nine-year-olds were capable of. For a moment, Harry looked down at the floor, avoiding his son's eyes and racing through multiple plans of action before settling on the one that would hopefully do only minimal emotional pain. He looked up and met his son's identical eyes once more.

"Why are you upset, Al?" he asked. Albus merely crossed his arms and avoided Harry's eyes. "Was it something I did? Are you mad at me?"

A barely perceptible nod.

"Why are you mad at me? Are you mad I didn't come home on time?"

After a few moments of silence, "You shouldn't have left in the first place" barely managed to slip out of Al's tightly closed mouth. Harry sighed.

"It's my job, Al, you know that."

"Well, your job's a stupid job."

"Albus-"

"It's a stupid, stupid job!"

"Albus!" Harry was starting to lose his patience. He took a deep breath to steady himself. "Albus. I don't know what's brought this on all of a sudden, but you know why my job is important. There are a lot of bad wizards and witches in the world, and I have to stop them from hurting others. And yes, sometimes I have to leave-"

"I thought you weren't coming back!"

The words stunned Harry into silence. While Albus wasn't shouting yet and was trying his best to look away from his father's eyes, Harry could hear his son's voice trembling.

"You were supposed to be here!" Albus cried, blinking furiously. "You were supposed to be here five days ago! Five days! I waited for you for five days! You were gone for almost a month and nobody even told us anything! I thought you were dead!"

The words tore through Harry like a jagged knife. Albus sat across from him, breathing heavily, his eyes shining with constrained tears as he stared into his father's face. Harry tried to say something, but Albus didn't let up.

"And you keep making excuses; you always say you'll be fine, but what if you're not fine? And you always say that you'll always come back, but you know what? Some people don't come back and you and everybody else knows it! And your parents are already gone and I don't want you to go away too and-"

Al's lip trembled ever so slightly, and Harry couldn't take it anymore. Without thinking, he reached over and pulled Albus into his arms. He fully expected Albus to push away or wriggle out of his arms or even hit him. But Albus didn't. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Harry's chest, buried his face in his shirt, and began to sob.

Heart aching, Harry cradled his son's head to him and rubbed his back as Albus let out a torrent of fright and relief and anger into his chest. Harry didn't know how long they stayed like that- Albus crying and Harry holding him as though he could somehow ease all of his son's fears just by doing that. As the sobs began to die down, Harry kissed the top of Albus's head and held him even tighter. For a moment, he nearly started crying, too.

"I'm sorry, Al," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't… I don't want you to leave," sniffled Albus, his voice intermingled with hiccups. "I don't want you to go away again; don't leave."

"I'm not going to leave you," said Harry. "I'm never going to leave you."

"But you did," said Al. "You left for a long time and you almost didn't come back."

Harry paused for a moment.

"I was just doing my job, Al," he finally said.

"But why? Why do you have to have a job where you have to be dangerous all the time and get hurt?"

"I'm protecting people, Al. It's important to me. I love my job."

"But what about us?" said Al in a small voice. "Don't you love us?"

Harry's heart shattered. He held Albus to him as tightly as he could and buried his face in his son's messy hair. His eyes burned, and he blinked to keep the quickly welling tears at bay.

"Yes," he breathed. "More than anything else in the world."

"Then why do you have to go away?" Al asked as he wiped his face. His voice was desperately vulnerable.

Harry held Albus to him so tightly he worried for a moment that the boy might break. "Because I don't want the dark wizards I deal with to be anywhere near you. If someone ever so much as touched a hair on your head-" He stopped short, terrified to even think about the possibilities. Evidently, Albus didn't want to either, because he burrowed even closer into Harry's embrace.

"I don't want them to hurt you, either," Al said. "I don't want you to go away like your dad did."

Harry gave him another squeeze, then took a deep breath and pulled back, using his calloused thumbs to brush the tears away from Al's blotchy face.

"Al? Hey, look at me." Al slowly turned his head to face Harry, and two sets of glistening green eyes met. "I'm sorry I scared you. I don't ever want you to worry about me, okay?" Al nodded as more tears leaked out of his eyes. Harry brushed them away again. "And about my father-" he took a moment to collect himself- "your dad isn't going away anytime soon. Not if I can help it."

"Do you promise?" asked Al in a small voice. "Daddy, do you promise?"

Harry gazed into Al's imploring eyes and knew that there was only one answer.

"I promise," he whispered as Al's arms wrapped around him again. "I solemnly swear it."

xxx

Much later, after kissing the boys goodnight, reading Lily a grand total of five bedtime stories before she fell asleep in his lap, and spending some passionate and much-needed time alone with Ginny, Harry lay facing his wife in bed, twirling a strand of her hair in his fingers and watching the red and gold streaks shimmer in the moonlight. Ginny's eyes were far away, staring into the distance over his shoulder.

"Hey Gin?" asked Harry.

"Hm?"

"How do you…really feel about me being an Auror?"

Her eyes drifted down to his bare chest, where she gently brushed the locket-shaped scar over his heart.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just…thought I'd ask for your opinion."

"Is it because of what Al said?"

Harry stopped twirling her hair. "How much did you hear?"

"Not a whole lot…" Harry raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Alright, fine, I came up to eavesdrop right away."

Harry chuckled and poked her side. "And you say I'm the one who can't mind his own business."

"Oh, shut up."

Harry grinned and kissed her. "Love you."

"Love you too. Now about Al…"

Harry turned onto his back and sighed. "I feel terrible, Ginny. Honest to God, I feel like the worst father ever."

"Well, you're not, so I'm going to stop you right there."

"I had no idea he felt that way. I mean, one time he mentioned being nervous about my missions, but that was years ago and he hasn't said anything since. Not even last year when I got that nasty cut."

"To be perfectly honest with you Harry, I didn't either. He was so excited to see you come home and was probably more upset by the whole thing than James and Lily, but I thought that was just Al being his usual sensitive self. I didn't realize it went this deep."

Harry sighed and ran his hands over his face. "He thinks I'm abandoning him, Ginny. He thinks I'd rather go off to die on some mission than stay here with you. And honestly, he's got a point. I guess I've always been so afraid of losing you- of losing our family- that I never thought about you all losing me. I must be the most selfish person in the world."

"That's absolute rubbish and you know it, Harry. I don't actually think it's possible to be less selfish than you."

"Al doesn't think so. He hates me."

Ginny scoffed. "Al is a nine-year-old kid, Harry. He's smart, but he misses you when you're gone like any kid would. And he most certainly does not hate you. He fell asleep in your arms tonight. He hasn't done that in five years."

The surge of affection Harry felt for his son quickly turned into a sour heartache. He turned his face away from Ginny so she wouldn't see the wetness at the corners of his eyes.

"I feel like I've failed him, Ginny. And James and Lily. And you. All I want is to be a good dad and keep our kids safe and happy. That's all I've ever wanted for them. And if you saw some of the awful stuff that I see nearly every week, the stuff I see done to children- kids, Ginny! Younger than ours. Every time it happens, all I can think of are Jamie and Al and Lily. It's bad enough that it happens to anyone, but if it happened to any of our kids…Ginny I don't know how I would live with myself."

The tears were flowing freely now, something that never happened in front of anyone but Ginny. Harry ignored his choked-up throat and pressed on.

"But…but if something happened to me in the field…" He broke off, wiping his eyes. "I can't let our kids grow up without a father, either. And I miss you all something terrible when I'm away. I just- I don't know what to do."

He felt Ginny's arms pull him into an embrace and felt instantly more at ease within her flowery scent. He couldn't count the number of times over the years that her arms had held him, calmed him, reminded him that he was no longer a little boy alone in a cupboard. After a few moments of silence interrupted by Harry's sniffling, Ginny spoke.

"I'm not going to lie, Harry. I get scared when you leave, too. I was terrified when you went missing. But I know that you can't sleep at night unless you're saving people and fighting for good. I knew it when I was fifteen and I know it now. And I love you for it."

"So you don't think I should quit my job?"

"I think you should do what you think is best for you. Of course I hate seeing you get hurt, but honestly, seeing you sulk around the house, unhappy and bored out of your mind because you can't be off fighting evil might be even worse. But if you really don't want to be Head Auror anymore, I'm not going to stop you. You've got all day tomorrow to think about it. Maybe we can come up with a compromise. I know McGonagall's asked you about teaching at Hogwarts."

"I don't think I want that job quite yet. Five lectures a year is plenty, and I don't think our kids would appreciate it much. I was thinking more along the lines of full-time Auror trainer or even head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in a few years."

Ginny nodded. "Both good options. And you'll have time to mull it over. Now get some rest. The kids will want to play with their hero all day tomorrow."

She smiled at him again, pure and warm and genuine. Harry leaned over and kissed her, smile to smile, his heart overflowing with relief and joy that his family was home and safe, and that, at least for now, he was too.

xxx

Though Harry had been in the Minister's office many times since Kingsley Shacklebolt had occupied it, he still couldn't help being impressed by how grand it was. The office windows looked out over the bustling atrium and the massive wall of windows surrounding it. The big windows were charmed to look like a sunny sky today, something Harry hadn't seen in weeks.

He paced Kingsley's office, stealing a glance every few seconds or so at his watch. The sooner he could meet with Kingsley, the sooner he could get back home. He and the kids hadn't yet finished their Exploding Snap tournament, and there was no way he was letting James take the championship for the second time in a row. A deep voice from the doorway quickly snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Harry. How many times do I have to tell you that you're allowed to sit down in my office?"

"Sorry, Kingsley. I was just…just…how's your day been?"

Kingsley shut the door and strode over to his desk, gesturing for Harry to take a seat.

"Oh, no more hectic than normal, really. The Durham situation is entirely under control with no muggle casualties and minimal property damage."

"Oh, that's great to hear."

"Have you checked the reports from your own office yet?"

"Not yet. Tomorrow. Liza won't let me come in."

"A wise decision," said Kingsley. "You need a break to relax and spend some time with your kids." He paused. "How did they take it?"

Harry looked down at the floor. "They were pretty cut up about it, according to Ginny. Regular missions are hard enough, but this one was so much longer, and then-"

He didn't want to say too much. Kingsley nodded.

"I see. I bet it scared them, didn't it?"

Harry nodded.

"When I was an Auror, I remember working with plenty of team members who were also parents. I know it's not easy."

Harry nodded again.

"And speaking of your kids, I'll try not to take too much of your time so you can get back to them."

Harry looked up, gratefully. "And I'll try not to take too much of your time, either."

"Oh, don't worry about me," said Kingsley, smiling. "Making sure kids get to see their father is much more important than running the Ministry." Harry smiled sheepishly. "So, how are your injuries?"

"I'm feeling much better, actually," said Harry. "A little sore this morning, but no pain at the touch or anything like that."

"Excellent. Now, about your little breach of protocol…" Harry sighed. He'd been dreading this moment. "Liza gave me the full report, and in this case, I don't see any need to take disciplinary action. In fact, Ms. Cattermole came up with a new proposal to allow Emergency Portkeys access to established safe houses to prevent more situations like these. You'll be able to look over that tomorrow."

"Well, you see, about that…"

"Yes?"

"I'm actually considering…resigning."

Harry expected Kingsley to look at him in shock, but no expression crossed the Minister's face.

"And why is that?" Kingsley asked.

"I…I've decided not to be an Auror anymore. Not to put myself in danger like that. For my kids' sake. And Ginny's. And mine, I guess. I can stay for three more weeks, though I think Liza's been ready to take the position since she stepped foot in the office. But I'm not doing another raid. Never again."

"I see. Well, Harry, unfortunately I can't let you resign."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I'm promoting you."

Harry stared ahead in stunned silence for a moment before coming to his senses again.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Promoting you."

"Promoting me? To what?"

"Well, as it turns out, we have a vacancy in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I hope you don't just mean my position."

"Oh, no. I mean the head. Of the entire department."

"Wait- Hutchins resigned?"

"She handed in her two-month notice last week."

"And you want me to take her place."

"Of course. You've done a fine job leading the Auror Department. I have plenty of faith in you."

Harry looked away from Kingsley and focused on the grain of the wooden desk, trying to calm the nervous energy racing through him.

"Don't you think I'm a little young? I mean, I have considered Head of the DMLE, but as a prospect for far in the future, not before I hit forty at least."

Kingsley sighed. "Harry, I made you the youngest Head Auror ever. No, I don't think you're too young to lead the whole department. Not only that, but it'll be perfect for you. You'll still be able to go out in the field to visit crime scenes, but never overnight. You won't be in nearly as much danger, and never again under top secrecy. The only times you might need to spend the night away from home for work will be overseas conferences, and the hours won't be quite as unpredictable."

Harry looked up into Kingsley's eyes again, and a mutual understanding passed between them.

"Please consider it, Harry," he said. "I actually spoke to Ginny earlier today, purely by coincidence, and I happened to mention that you were one of the candidates for the position. She told me she'd be okay with you taking the job, as long as it's what you really want."

Harry fiddled with the sleeves of his robes. "I'm still not sure. It sounds great, but I'm a bit nervous about the hours…"

"You'll have every Christmas and September 1st off for as long as you have the job. Guaranteed."

Harry stood to shake Kingsley's hand. "Then I accept whole-heartedly."

xxx

Upon arriving home, Harry immediately made a dash for the kitchen, thankful that the kids were occupied elsewhere and therefore didn't have the opportunity to ambush him. Ginny was standing at the sink, drying the dishes in preparation for dinner. Trying to stay as quiet as possible, Harry quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and nuzzled her neck, smiling as she gave a startled jump, then relaxed into his arms.

"How did the meeting go?" she asked him, lacing her fingers through his.

"Well," he said, pressing a kiss to her collarbone, "My new job isn't quite as sexy as Head Auror…"

Ginny turned around so quickly that they almost lost their balance. "You took the job? You're Head of Magical Law Enforcement now?"

Harry grinned and nodded. "Well, after a couple months, anyhow."

"That's fantastic!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck. Harry hugged her back and kissed her, lifting her off her feet in the process and slowly spinning around.

"I'm a bit nervous about what the kids will think," he said when Ginny's feet were back on the ground.

"Oh, they'll come around," she said. "Besides, it's partially because of Al that you even made this decision, right?"

"Yeah, though I was starting to wonder if being an Auror was worth it the minute I disappeared."

Ginny wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed. "Well, I think it's a good decision. Why don't you go tell the kids while I finish dinner? Oh, and by the way…" she leaned in close to his ear as he went to leave the kitchen, "I happen to find you incredibly sexy even without the Auror robes."

Harry waggled his eyebrows, albeit in a decidedly unseductive manner, and Ginny burst into giggles. Later, he mouthed with a wink, causing Ginny to laugh even harder.

xxx

James, Al, and Lily were sitting together on the living room floor going through their chocolate frog cards. Harry almost didn't want to interrupt them, since all three children interacting amicably was such a rarity, but he managed to make his way over to their little huddle and sit on the floor in front of them.

"Guys, can you stop fiddling with the cards for a second, please? I have something important to tell you."

Al's eyes snapped up first, searching and anxious. James and Lily, though notably less on edge, still carried a look of uneasiness.

"You're not going on another mission, are you?" asked James, as if daring Harry to answer in the affirmative.

"No, James. I'm not going on another mission. In fact-" he paused, watching their faces for any sign of relaxation- "I have a new job altogether."

That got a reaction. James looked slightly disappointed, Al looked perplexed, and Lily just asked, "What kind of new job?"

"I've been promoted to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That means I'll be in charge of all the Aurors and all the Law Enforcement Officers and all the Investigators, and, well, basically anyone who works on the second floor of the Ministry."

Lily gasped. "Even Grandad and Aunt Hermione?"

Harry chuckled. "Yes, even Grandad and Aunt Hermione. And that means-" he continued, watching Al's skeptical face carefully- "that I'll be working in an office most of the time. I won't have to go out on missions, I won't have to capture bad guys by myself, and I'll never be gone overnight for very long, if ever. Basically, I'm still in charge of catching bad witches and wizards, but I'll be a lot safer now. So you shouldn't have to worry about anything…like what just happened…happening to me for a long time."

There was a short pause before Al said, "So you're not going to be dangerous anymore?"

Harry looked into his son's eyes and shook his head. He waited a moment while his children processed the words, ready to answer any questions. Then, with almost no warning, Al flashed a brilliant grin and leapt into his father's arms so forcefully that Harry ended up on his back on the floor, arms tightly wrapped around his middle child.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked, chuckling. Al nodded into his chest.

"Hey, no fair! Why does Al get the only hug?" said James. Harry was about to comment that there was no such thing as an only hug when he felt James fall quite heavily on top of Al. The latter let out a sound somewhere between a cry of annoyance and a laugh, while Harry grunted in surprise. Lily quickly tried to follow suit and jump on top of her brothers, but didn't quite succeed and ended up snuggled into Harry's side instead, giggling uncontrollably.

"You guys are getting too big for this," said Harry as he tightened his arm around James and Al, though he didn't actually mind at all. It had been months since he'd held all three children at once, and he wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. Time moved much too quickly, the minutes infinitely precious.

It wasn't long before the final member of the family arrived in the living room, although the childish giggles had already faded into quiet, contented sighs. Ginny gently tapped the side of Harry's head with her socked foot, and he tore his eyes away from the pile of suddenly sleepy children on top of him to look up at her, his face breaking into a radiant smile.

"Alright there, Potter?" she asked, her smile just as bright.

"Yeah," he whispered, glancing once again at Al's shining eyes. "We're alright."

The End

A/N: Happy New Year everyone! My gift to you all is this (kind of) fluffy happy ending! I hope it made up for all the angst in this chapter (and I guess the rest of the story). Harry and Albus's argument scene was actually a single idea that I had back in April when I started thinking about how Harry's job as an Auror might affect his family, specifically his kids. Believe it or not, this story was originally going to be a one-shot just focusing on Harry's return and the fallout. As you can see, I got a bit carried away. :)

Anyway, thank you so much for all the encouraging reviews and follows and whatnot; receiving them always makes my day (hint hint). I'm planning some more stories centered around Harry as an Auror, so keep your eyes open!