fIt took me a moment to regain my balance, and I faintly felt Ginny's hand drop from mine. Robert's, however, didn't slacken. I turned to look at him.

"You alright?" I asked him quietly, and he nodded, mouth in a tight line. Ginny smiled sympathetically from in front of us.

"Just try to find something to focus on," I advised, "Like being in a car, right?"

Ginny nodded her agreement and took out her wand. The front door opened, and all three of us stepped inside. There were no little voices by our feet, and I looked around for small children, to which I found none.

"Our parents probably have them entertained," Ginny muttered to me, apparently reading my mind. I grinned.

"Water," Robert gasped from beside me, and I shuffled away from him, not wanting to be the subject of his vomit. Ginny, however, instantly waved her wand, a glass flew into her hand, water spilling from its edges. She thrust it into Robert's hand, and he gulped it down, his face regaining colour.

"I hate this," he mumbled, "Thanks, Ginny."

"Sure," she smiled, pulling off her cloak, and hanging it by the door, "You're not the first, I promise."

"How do your kids handle it?" I asked, curious.

"Al hates it," Ginny said, "James loves it, and babies don't really have a reaction, fortunately, because I feel like Lily's going to hate it too."

"Just don't take Mabel or Liam with you, please," Robert said, sounding a bit weak, "Because I have a feeling they'll be just like me."
I shook my head.

"Liam loves thrills," I pointed out, "Just look how excited he was to ride in Harry's car."

"Bit different," Robert replied, shrugging off his cloak. It slithered to the floor, but to my surprise, it just picked itself up, flying onto the hook.

"Ginny?" a voice called from the other room, and I smiled.

"Mummy?" I head Al cry, and a second later, he was in the hallway, his face in a huge smile.

"Hey, Allie," Ginny smiled back, bending down to pull Al into her arms, "How's my sweetest baby doing?"

"Not a baby," Al squirmed, "Big boy."

"Of course," Ginny said, straightening up with Al now in her arms, "Because you're 3 in December, right?"

Al nodded absently, before saying, "Where Daddy?"
"At work," Ginny said, "You know that Al."

"Daddy stay home," Al said stubbornly, his green eyes furrowing in confusion.

"Oh, you look so much like your father, Al," Ginny muttered quietly, and I smiled softly.

"I see it all the time," I said to her, and she looked over, grinning.

We entered the living room and saw Mabel sitting cross-legged on the floor, her eyes wide in obvious wonder.

"Doing magic for her?" Ginny said, noticing the wand in my mother's hand. Mabel jumped when she heard Ginny's voice, but she nodded enthusiastically, hopping to her feet.

"Flying 'nimals!" she yelled, bouncing around, "And pretty lights!"

"Muggles are so very easily entertained," Arthur Weasley commented, "Al got bored after 10 minutes."

"We both know Harry does much more extravagant spell work, Dad." Ginny said dryly, "I swear he knows more charms than he does jinxes and curses."

Molly chuckled, patting Arthur on the leg.

"We ought to be going, Arthur," she announced, before adding, "It's no problem dear." At the confused look on her daughter's face.

"You could stay," Ginny said, but Molly shook her head.

"We'll let you get on with your day, Ginny," She said, "We'll see you on Sunday, yes?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Yeah, we'll be there."

The Weasley's stood up, and Ginny walked over to embrace them.

"Thanks for coming," she murmured, and her parents smiled.

"We love our grandbabies, Ginny," Arthur said, "We had 7 children for a reason, you know."

Ginny grimaced, and let them go, escorting them out.

"Gandma does magic!" Mabel said at once, pulling at my trousers, "Real magic!"

My Mum smiled, picking up her wand from beside her, and waving it over Mabel's head.

Mabel shrieked in excitement, and bounced up, trying to catch the dolphin that was now cruising through the room, a faint blue glow surrounding it as it swam over our heads.

"'nonus," Al giggled, taking a wild swipe at the dolphin. His hand slid right through it, and he grinned, "'olphin."
"What a nonus?" Mabel asked curiously, her eyes still fixed on said 'nonus'.

"A Patronus," Ginny explained, "They ward off dementors."

"Demon what?" Robert said, confused.

"Dementors," Ginny said, bending down to put Al on the floor, "They guard the wizard prison Azkaban."
"You have a prison?" My Dad asked, and both my Mum and Ginny nodded.

"Harry works there sometimes," Ginny said, "He always comes back a bit shaken up."
"They're not dangerous are they, these dementids?" Robert asked nervously, and Ginny let out a dry laugh.

"They suck up all your happy memories," she said darkly, "Until you're nothing more than an empty shell."
I gaped at her in horror.

"They…" I gulped, "They don't affect… us… do they?"

"You can't see them," Ginny said quietly, "But they can still affect you, yes."

Robert's eyes widened in terror.

"They're just roaming around the streets?"

"Oh no," Ginny said, "They're ordered to strictly guard Azkaban.."

"Good," Robert said with a satisfied nod, though he still looked a little pale.

"What else do we need to know?" My Dad asked shakily, grabbing my Mum's hand. She gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I'll tell you as time goes," she said quietly, "It's more than just a day's worth of talking."

My Dad glanced at the clock on the wall and gave a start.

"It's almost 2, Anna," he said, "We ought to get onto the road."
"You can stay," Ginny said, seating herself in her favourite armchair, tucking in her legs, "It's no problem."
"Howard doesn't like driving in the dark," My Mum explained, "And traffic is awful on Fridays."

"Gandma going?" Mabel said, her little face falling.

"We'll see you soon," My Mum crooned, but Mabel was having none of it. She screwed up her face as tight as it would go, and tears squeezed from her eyes.

"Stay wif Mabel," she said, as Robert pulled her into his arms, "Stay wif Mabel and do magic."

"We've got to go now, Mabel," My Dad said sadly, bending down to kiss her forehead, "You ask Mummy to call us ok? Liam too."

"Go wif you," Mabel choked out, "Wif magic."

"There's magic here, Mabel," My Mum whispered, taking her into her embrace, "Lots and lots of magic."

Mabel nodded sadly, hugging my Mum tight.

"Bye Katie," My Dad said, reaching over to pull me into a close hug, "It was nice seeing you and Robert."
"Thanks for coming," I said back, my arms wrapped around his neck, "Thanks for clearing stuff up."

"Hopefully, life will go back to normal now," Robert added from somewhere on my right.

My Dad chuckled.

I pulled away and turned to my Mum instead. Our eyes met, before I forcefully wrapped my arms around her, burying my head in her neck. She hugged me back.

"I'm so sorry," My Mum whispered, but I shook my head.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Mum," I said quietly, "You did what was best to protect me. Us."

My Mum smiled tearily, and kissed my brow, before taking my Dad's hand.

"Thank you so much, Ginny," My Mum said honestly, "I don't know how we'll ever repay you."
"Maybe pop down another time," Ginny smiled, getting to her feet, and shaking my Dad's hand, "You've been excellent company."

"Thank you," My Dad said, squeezing her hand gently. She nodded in appreciation.

She led them out the front and opened the door. Their bags had already been conveniently placed in the hallway, and I watched as Robert and Ginny helped them load their car. I sighed as I watched them drive off, almost chasing their car in a bid for them to stay with me. I brushed a tear from my eye and turned away. Pull yourself together, Katie.

Mabel was sitting on the floor, looking a bit empty, and was ignoring Al's attempts to engage in a conversation. He looked up when I entered the living room, and eyed me sceptically.

"'bel sad." He said, clambering to his feet, "Why 'bel sad, kay-tee?"

I smiled at the use of my name.

"Her grandma just left," I explained, falling to my knees beside my daughter, "She's just a little upset."

"No sad, 'bel." Al said, plonking himself back down, and patting Mabel's leg, "Ow wan' to fly."

"I wanna fly," Mabel said miserably, looking up at me, "You can't make me fly, Mum."

"I-" I looked down, "No, I can't Mabel."
"Not magic?" Al said, looking at me sympathetically, and I grinned a little.

"No, I'm not magic, Al," I replied, "But I'm sure your Mummy will let Mabel fly, right?"

Mabel and Al's faces simultaneously changed.

Mabel's lit up with anticipation, but Al's fell.

"No f'ying." He said, shaking his head, "No fun."
"But I want to!" Mabel replied indignantly, using my shoulders to pull herself to her feet. Al's eyes watched her nervously.

"You alright, K?" I heard Robert ask from the doorway, and I turn around, nodding, before getting to my feet.

"Wanna fly," Mabel said breathlessly, flapping her arms around.

"Where's Ginny?" I asked Robert, and he looked over his shoulder, shrugging.

"Wanna fly!" Mabel repeated, and Al frowned.

"No." he said firmly, glaring at her, "No fly."
Mabel shook her head angrily and went over to Al. He looked a little scared, and his green eye's widened.

"Can't 'top me," Mabel said abruptly, and before I could do anything before Robert could leap into action, she thrust both hands out in front of her, Al flying backwards onto the floor.

"MABEL!" Robert and I cried identically, rushing over to the little boy who was lying on the floor, tears pouring down his face.

She looked over at us guiltily, twisting her hair around her finger as she did when she was nervous. We reached Al, and I gently pulled him to his feet. He was crying silently, but there was an unmistakable look of anger appearing on his Harry-like features. He sucked on his lip; his eyebrows furrowed.

"What-" Robert whispered to me, as Al started shaking.

I looked at him anxiously, and yelled Ginny's name, just in time for her to see Albus Potter shooting a bright red wave o light at my 3-year-old daughter, who fell to the floor, her eyes closed.

I felt my breath stop, and I almost fell to Mabel's side, grabbing her arms.

"Albus," I heard Ginny growl from the doorway, and Al burst into tears, running over to her.

"What did he do?!" Robert yelled, making Al cry even louder at his raised voice.

Ginny fell to her knees, giving Al a stern stare, and brought out her wand. A soft blue light surrounded Mabel, and to my utter relief, her eyes opened, and she let out a shuddering breath.

"He stunned her," Ginny muttered, "He's done this to James before."
"She's alright?" Robert asked, looking extremely unsettled.

"She's fine," Ginny assured us, "I'm so sorry."
Al was still crying hysterically from the doorway, clutching at his t-shirt, his knuckles white from the force. I instantly felt guilty, knowing how my scream must have terrified him, as did Robert's yell. Robert obviously felt uncomfortable too, for his face fell.

Ginny swept over to Al, and bent down to his level, trying to soothe him.
"Shh, Al, hey," Ginny said softly, "Listen to me, Albus."
But Al didn't stop, his breathing was quickening, and he was shaking again. Mabel was looking at him in distress.

"Albus," Ginny said, "Calm down, please, please."
Al was still clutching at his shirt, tears flooding his face. His breathing was so quick that I thought he might pass out against the lack of oxygen he was receiving. But I couldn't do anything. Mabel was hanging onto me, and I felt like I was glued to the floor.

Ginny was still trying in vain to calm her son down.

"He's hyperventilating," I heard Ginny mutter to herself, and at once, she scooped him up, and hurried out the room with him. His breathing and strangled sobs got further and further away.

"What the fuck just happened?" Robert said from beside me, one hand clasped tightly around Mabel's, and the other wrapped tightly around my shoulder.

"I screamed," I whisper, "I screamed, and I know how he hates loud noises."

"Hey," Robert said, soothingly, "I yelled too. Don't blame yourself."

"I pus'ed him." Mabel said tearily from my arms, "He's super sad now."
"Why'd you push him?" I asked gently, and she stuck out her bottom lip.

"He didn't wanna fly." She said defensively.

"It's wrong to push people, Mabel," Robert scolded.

"I sowwy." She said, and Robert kissed her forehead.

"Say that to Al when he comes back," He whispered, and she nodded.

We waited for a good 10 minutes before Ginny returned, Al clutched in her arms.

"Ginny, I'm so sorry," I said quickly, "If I hadn't of-"
"You didn't do anything," Ginny replied, "Neither of you did, I promise."
"What happened?" Robert asked, glancing at Al, who was determinedly not looking at any of us.

"He freaked out when he saw Mabel being hit, and then on the floor. He can't control what magic he does." Ginny explained, "Is Mabel alright?"

Mabel nodded for herself, looking at Al gingerly.

"I sowwy, Al," she sniffed, "Sowwy I pus'ed you."

Al squeaked something back, but didn't turn his head.

"Al's a lover," Ginny continued, "He hates to see anyone hurt, even James, even if he's the one that did the damage. Once he's in a rhythm, he won't stop, hence the hyperventilating."

"How'd you get him to calm down?" I asked, and she smiled.

"I asked Harry to send him a Patronus," she said softly, "Al loves them, and the sound of Harry's voice calms him down instantly."
"The silvery dolphin?" I ask gently.

"Harry's is a stag." Ginny smiled faintly.

"Wanna play, Al?" Mabel asked hopefully, but Al shook his head.

"You can't stay here forever, Al," Ginny said, peeling him off her. He whimpered his disagreement but eventually turned his head. He still had faint silvery tear lines down his cheeks.

"Sowwy, 'bel," Al choked out, "Appcident."

"That ok," Mabel replied brightly, "Play?"

Al nodded cautiously, sliding off the sofa.
"What did Mabel do to make him so angry?" Ginny asked, sitting back, "Usually only James can make him so mad that all the magic bursts out of him."
I glanced at Robert, and then back at Ginny.

"Mabel pushed him," I explained, "Rather forcefully too."

"Oh," Ginny said softly.

"We should have intervened sooner," Robert said, "We should have noticed the tension between the two."
"They made up in no time," Ginny smiled a little, "Al will miss her tonight."

"So will Mabel," Robert nodded, "But she'll be glad we're all home."

"What time do you think they'll be done?" I asked.

"I'll owl them," Ginny said, getting to her feet, "And there's no point in them sending a message to the Aurors anymore because Harry's not there."

"Where is he, then?"
"On duty outside a pub," Ginny grinned, "He'll be back around 4."

"Must be fun," Robert laughed, "Rowdy wizards."
"Better than a night shift there, though," Ginny replied, "The rowdiest wizards go there at night, and not the afternoon."

"We should check it out sometime," Robert grinned, nudging me, his eyes twinkling.

"We should just dump the kids and go as a four," Ginny suggested, and my eyes lit up.

"That'd be great!" I said, "I feel like there's loads we have to discuss, that the kids don't need to hear."
"Definitely," Ginny smiled, "I'm in."

"Me too, if drinks are involved," Robert added.

Before I knew it, it was time to collect James and Liam from school, and I was persuading Mabel that Al's shoes wouldn't fit her.

"Magic dem," Mabel said stubbornly, passing me Al's shoe.

"Mabel I-" I sighed, taking Al's shoe, and placing it back with its twin, "We won't be long, alright? Just put your shoe on."

Nova had returned with news on our house 20 minutes ago, and to my delight, we were told it'd be ready by 6 O'clock. I had already packed up all our belongings, and placed them in the boot, ready to leave with us at 6. But right now, Mabel was being tricky.

"Al wears his shoes," I told her, "And Mabel wears hers. Not that difficult."
Mabel glared at me, before ripping her shoe from my hand and slamming it onto her foot.

"Thank you," I breathed, "Let's go get Liam, yes?"

Mabel just continued to scowl at me, flipping her head round, and striding to the door. Robert was outside with Ginny, Al, and Lily, and smiled when he saw me, and Mabel exit the house.

"What took you so long?" He grinned, and I only silently gestured to Mabel. His smile only got bigger.

"Let's go," Ginny suggested, and I nodded, letting Robert help me up into the car.

We got to the school at 20 past 3, and when I got out, I looked around for Sarah and Dillon.

"You alright?" Robert asked, and I nodded.

"Just keeping an eye out for Sarah," I told him quietly, and he nodded.

Ginny was still getting out Lily, but Al was standing obediently by her feet, looking over at the gates.

"What's up, Al?" I heard Ginny ask him, and he looked up.

"Daddy comin'?" He replied, and Ginny shook her head, placing Lily into her pram.

"He'll be home soon," she told him, shutting the door to the car, and locking it discreetly with her wand.

A car rolled into the carpark, and I identified it as Sarah's Volvo. They pulled up not far away from our own car, and the engine stopped.

"Is that your friend?" Ginny said from beside me, and I nodded.

"I've known her for forever," I replied, and she smiled, "School friend."

"Hey, Katie," Sarah smiled, Alex, walking soberly behind her, his dark eyes eyeing the group. Al looked at him, "Alright?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Where's Dillon?"
"With Posie," she said at once, "The painters need to be let in at half-past."
I nodded and looked over at the school.

"Let's head up," I said, and everyone nodded. Ginny grabbed Al's hand and led the way up to the classrooms.

Al was still looking at Alex curiously, and the latter was staring at him too. Mabel noticed this, and stood in between them, almost as if she wanted them both to acknowledge her presence.

It must have worked for Al, because he blinked, and hurried on forwards.

It was pretty full when we came to a stop outside of the classroom, but we took refuge under our favoured tree, just in line with the classroom.

The bell rang before any of us could bring up a conversation, and all three of our children came zooming out, Maisy coming from the classroom next door to Liam and James'.

"MUMMY!" I heard her cry, as she swept up the playground, and into Sarah's open arms, her bag abandoned on the floor.

"Hi Maisy Monkey," Sarah smiled, dropping to her knees, and pulling Maisy in, "How was today, huh? Looks like you had fun!"

Maisy nodded her head frantically, "We did colours!"

"We done colours before," James said rolling his eyes, "Lots of times."
"But I'm new," Maisy said indignantly, "I never done colours before."

"Which school doesn't teach colours?" James asked sarcastically, and Maisy frowned.

"My old school," she replied coldly.

Ginny sighed and grabbed James' bag, which he had rather unceremoniously dumped by her feet.

"Don't be rude, James," she told him, and he shrugged, leaning over to poke Al in the side.

"Ow," Al said, sliding away from his brother, and standing on Ginny's other side.

"What's up with you?" Ginny asked him, but again, he shrugged.

"Let's go," I suggested, after giving Liam a quick kiss, "Its no fun hanging around here, especially with Helen goggling from over there."

Sarah and Ginny looked over to where I had gestured, and the latter narrowed her eyes.

"Why's she gotta stare like that?" she muttered, and I shrugged.

"Must be a Helen thing," I replied, and Ginny nodded her agreement.

Our group – now with 3 extra people – made our way back to the carpark, Alex trailing behind loosely.

We got to our cars, and James turned to his Mum, eyes glinting.

"Can I go with Liam this time?" He asked, and Liam's face lit up too. He turned to me and gave me the biggest eyes, his face all hopeful.

"If that's ok with you, Katie, Robert." She said, smiling. I nodded, and James beamed. Ginny reached into her car, and pulled out James' car seat, handing it to Robert.

"No magic involved in that one," She grinned, and Robert laughed.

We helped secure James' seat in between Liam and Mabel's and rolled down the windows so that he could wave to his Mum. Sarah had left with Maisy and Alex, saying that they needed to head down and that I'd see them on Monday for the school run. Inviting them to Soar tomorrow had not once crossed my mind until we had comfortably got onto the road towards The Hollies.

"So, James," I said, starting conversation, "What's it like being magic?"
James smiled happily, and I noticed his front tooth was hanging rather loosely on his gums.

"It's wicked," he replied, and Liam begged him to say more, "But I can only do proper magic and stuff when I'm eneven and gonna go to Hogwarts."

"Have you ever visited Hogwarts?" I asked curiously, wondering if Harry and Ginny had taken their son up to their old, and James' future, school.

James nodded his head feverously.

"Lots of times!" he grinned, his tooth wobbling dangerously on its tip. Liam must have noticed this too, for he poked James in the side, before pointing to the tooth.

"It's been wobbling' all day," James whispered, suddenly sounding scared, "Is it gonna fall out?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Robert grin, and to be honest, it was hard to suppress one myself.

"Yes," I explained, and James' eyes widened, "But then you'll grow in a big tooth. Eventually, all your teeth will fall out James, and then you'll have a brand-new set of grown-up ones."

"I don't wannit to fall out," James said sadly, "What do I do with it?"

Before I could answer, Robert pulled to a rather abrupt to stop at a traffic light, and James jerked forwards. The car was shuddering at a standstill, but when James' looked up, he had a look of unmistakeable horror on his face, and he was bleeding from his mouth.

"It came out!" cried Liam happily, "Now you can get money from the tooth fairy!"

"But I didn't want it to fall out!" James wailed, making Mabel shoot him an unhappy look. Blood was dripping intently from his mouth, and I asked him where the tooth was.

He held out his hand, and I saw the white object sitting in the palm.

"Hang onto that," I told him, "We're at your house, look."

James tore his view away from me and looked out the window. Ginny had left before us, so she was already pulling out Al and Lily.

I would have handed James a tissue or something to make the scene look a lot less dramatic, and to clean him up, but we didn't keep tissues or anything in this car. Robert stopped the car, and Liam opened the door, clambering out, and pulling James with him. The latter had his fist curled up around his tooth.

"Mummy!" James cried, spluttering his way over to Ginny, "My tooth fell out!"

Ginny's face was initially alarmed at the blood on her son's face, but she soon grinned.

"Your first tooth," she smiled, taking out her wand, the blood vanishing instantly. However, the gap where his tooth was still dripping the red liquid, and the combination of James' rapid chatter and his quick movements were churning it up, and it fell quick down his chin again.

"Let's get inside," Ginny muttered, opening the front door. Al and Mabel took off down the hallway disappearing into their favourite room.

"Liam's mum said I'll grow a new one," James said miserably, fiddling with the tooth, "I liked my old one."
"But you can't have baby teeth forever," Liam said incredulously, "I haven't even lost one of mine yet."

"How long will it take to grow a new one?" James said desperately, and Liam shrugged.

"Maybe a few weeks," Robert suggested, "But you'll have a gap there until then."
James must have just noticed this too, for his tongue was darting in and out of the gap.

"It feels weird," he said, with an evident lisp.

Ginny laughed and made him take off his shoes.

"Go play until I call you for dinner," she advised, "Or you can wait and show Daddy your tooth."

"I'll show 'im!" James said, before looking at the tooth in his hand, "What do I do with this?"

"Put it under your pillow," Liam said eagerly, "Then when you wake up it'll be gone, and you'll have money to spend."

"I'll get a galleon?" James said, grinning, "Then I can spend it in Diagon Alley tomorrow!"

Ginny sighed, and we ventured back into the living room, James trotting beside Liam.

"So I'll get a galleon?!" James repeated, bouncing around.

"Ask the tooth fairy," Ginny replied, setting Lily on her knees.

"Do I have to send her an owl?" James asked, but Ginny shook her head.

"She'll know," Ginny said simply, and James beamed.

"I wish I would lose my teeth." Liam said sadly, "Can you magic them out, James?"

"We could try upstairs!" cried James, grabbing Liam by the hand. However, I heard their footsteps stop tersely by the door. I was about to poke my head out to investigate, but James' screech made it unnecessary.
"DADDY!"

Ginny grinned, but made no indication that she was moving, and rather waited until Harry appeared at the doorway, still clad in a long charcoal cloak, with James giggling by his feet.

"Hey," he smiled, "Why's he so excited?"

"MY TOOTH FELL OUT!" James cried, and Harry grinned, dropping to his knees in front of his son.

"Let's see the gap, then," he said, and James smiled cheesily, showing off the gap he had between his left front tooth and canine, "Did it fall out at school?"

James shook his head, "In Liam's car. I was bleeding bad, but Mummy fixed it."

"I'm sure she did," Harry smiled, kissing James' temple, before getting to his feet.

James glanced at Liam and tore off again.

"James, don't you even think about it," Ginny called, and we distinctly heard James groan.

Harry ripped off his cloak, draping it over the back of the chair, and flopped down next to Ginny, an arm snaking around her shoulders.

"So," he grinned, "How'd you find the conference?"
"Overwhelming," I said honestly, "No wonder Al's scared of strangers. They're creeps."
Harry sighed.

"We try to keep them away from crowds, but it's hard," He said, "Once news gets out, it spreads like a virus."

"But what about when you're working?" Robert asked, "Surely they can't hound you if you're out doing your job."

Harry smirked, "Oh they don't dare go near me when I'm working," he said, "I'm much worse then, then I am when I'm with my family."

"He's like a switch," Ginny grinned, "One mode for family, one for work. He wouldn't dare yell or curse at reporters when he's got the kids with him. James would pick it up instantly, and Al would be terrified."

"Was he alright?" Harry asked, his tone suddenly softer a he turned to look at Ginny, "When you asked me to send him that Patronus?"

"Yeah he was fine," Ginny replied, "Just had an Al moment."

Harry nodded and tilted his head towards the baby that lay in Ginny's lap. Lily blinked, and screwed up her face, beginning to cry loudly.

"She was perfectly content with me before you brought yourself to her attention," Ginny huffed, passing over the baby, who's crying stopped almost as soon as it had started when she settled in her favourite place.

"Feels good to be loved," Harry joked, and Ginny poked him in the side.

"So our 7 years of marriage were nothing but an act of pity?" she replied sarcastically, and Harry grinned.

"Yes?"

"I'd throw this cushion at you if I weren't afraid of hitting the child we made from our undying love for each other," Ginny said dryly. Robert snickered, and I felt rather tempted to throw a cushion at him too, "Or was that night an act of pity too?"

"Oh no," Harry said, eyes glinting, "Wanna re-enact it?"

Ginny really did throw the cushion she was holding, and it hit Harry squarely in the chest. Luckily, Lily was nestled in his arms, and the soft force didn't deter her.

"Thought you didn't want to hit me and endanger our pity child," Harry said, his voice dripping with the sarcasm as he placed the cushion firmly behind him.

"Ha ha," Ginny said, getting to her feet, "I'll go make dinner, if-"

But she was interrupted by a brusque knock at the door.

"Expecting anyone?" Robert asked, a little nervously, but both Harry and Ginny shook their heads.

"I'll get it," Ginny said, and Harry nodded slightly, falling back against the sofa, holding onto Lily.

We waited in silence and listened to Ginny opening the door. We all heard Ginny's intake of breath.

"What're you doing here," I heard Ginny hiss, and Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Potter?" A male's voice replied, and Harry stood up at once, Lily perched precariously in his arm.

"I'm here," Harry announced, and I heard the front door close with a soft but intended thud.

"You're not alone," The male voiced replied, and I felt Robert stiffen beside me.

"No, we have guests," Harry said, and I noted his cold tone, "Neither are you." He added.

"No," the man said, "Astoria wanted me to get him out the house. They've been cooped up indoors."

"He can go play with Albus if you want-"

"No, he's staying with me."

"What do you need, Malfoy?" Harry said, a hint of a sigh on his voice.

"To talk," 'Malfoy' answered.

"What could-"

"About Fürsicka," hissed Malfoy, and there was a stunned silence.

"The case is over," Harry replied, after a couple of seconds, "We ended it today. You know this."
"His father was friends with mine," Malfoy said, and again, there was silence.

"And you couldn't have mentioned this when we were investigating?" Harry said hotly.

"I needed to keep Astoria and Scorpius safe," Malfoy snarled.

Oddity got the better of me, and I shuffled to the end of the sofa, just enough so that I could peer out into the hallway, the rest of my body concealed behind the solid wall.

Malfoy was tall, lean, and blonde. He was wearing a thick black cloak that fluttered around the floor, and by his side was a small child no older than Al, looking around curiously at his surroundings. His hair was strikingly white, and he looked a lot like the man in which must be his father, but his face bore features quite unmistakably softer, and his eyes were soft blue, unlike the cold grey of his father's.

Just then, thudding came from somewhere above me, and all three adults in the hallway stopped talking and turned to where James and Liam were thundering down the stairs.

"Hi Mr Malfoy," James giggled, before sobering instantly against the look Ginny gave him.

"We talk in private," Malfoy said, but Ginny frowned.

"Our son has every right to be included in this conversation as yours does, Draco," she told him, and Malfoy, now 'Draco', scowled.

"We're not having a family gathering," he growled, noticing Al appearing from the opposite door.

"You're in our house," Harry said coldly, adjusting Lily, "You want to talk in private? Meet me in the ministry on Monday."

Malfoy stared bitterly at Harry, before letting go of the little boy's hand.

"Go, Scorpius," he said, gently pushing the child towards Al, who looked a little apprehensive. Mabel, however, giggled, and grabbed his hand, pulling 'Scorpius' into the room.

I didn't realise what was about to happen before it happened. I watched, seemingly in slow motion, as Draco pulled out his wand, but just as he was about to twist it around, Harry had pulled out his, and soon, Draco's wand was soaring through the air, landing perfectly at Harry's feet.

Mabel had let go of Scorpius and was looking at the man warily.

Said man was scowling at Harry and muttered something as he bent down to retrieve his wand.

"They're kids, Draco." Harry said coolly, "She wasn't going to hurt him."

"They're muggles," Draco spat, and Robert frowned, "Who knows what-"

"We're past those ages," Harry growled, "We thought you'd learnt your lesson."

Draco didn't reply, and his eyes searched around him, eventually spotting me hidden by the doorway.

"In private," Draco snapped, and Harry followed his eye line.

"My office," Harry said, and he led Draco up the stairs, disappearing into one of the only rooms I had not been in.

James instantly rounded on little Scorpius.

"Can you play big boy stuff?" he asked, but Scorpius shook his head frantically, eyes huge, "That's no fun, c'mon Liam."

They both rushed back up the stairs, giggling as they ran across the landing, and back into their sanctuary.

"Who's he?" I asked Ginny, who was still looking at the closed office door.

"Draco Malfoy," Ginny said, "An old enemy of Harry's at school."

"What does he do?"

"Nothing, at the moment," Ginny explained, "He inherited a large sum of money and the family house, but I think he's looking into working at the ministry. Trying to pardon the family name, I bet."

"That's his son, I presume," I said, and Ginny nodded.

"Only met him once," Ginny replied, "When he and Al were both in the same ward at St Mungos. Both born early."

"St what?" Robert asked, and Ginny grinned.

"St Mungo's, our hospital." She told us, glancing at Al, Mabel, and the blonde-haired boy, "Go show Scorpius your toys, Al."

Al looked at Scorpius, who stared back nervously.

"We have blocks!" Mabel cried, grabbing both boys' hands, and dragging them into the playroom.

"They'll be going to school together when they're 11," Ginny said softly, retreating back into the living room, "Rose too."

We talked for another 15 minutes until a door upstairs opened, and Harry's voice could be heard, talking roughly to Draco.

"-you were never a suspect, Malfoy."

I managed to snatch the last remnants of conversation before it ended, and I heard Draco calling for his son.

"Let's go, Scorpius." He said, and the front door opened and closed with a slam.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked, once Harry had returned, Lily still in his arms, one leg dangling.

"His father knows – knew – Fürsicka and a couple of his cronies," Harry said, glancing at me.

"Who's Fürsicka?" Robert asked, vocalising my own confusion.

Harry's face hit a deadpan, and he blinked, before sighing.

"Oh, well, you'd figure it out eventually," he muttered, lifting his eyes, "Yorick Fürsicka. He's who we caught that time in the woods, and he also happens to be our murderer."

"Who looks at their child and names him Yorick?" Robert snickered, and Ginny frowned.

Harry and I glanced at each other. Robert and Ginny had never clicked the way I had, and both Harry and I had obviously noted the slight tension between them occasionally.

"Your house should be ready soon," Harry said hastily, and Robert grinned.

"Should be fun," he said, turning to me, "You reckon they've changed it?"

Harry shook his head.

"It'll be, hopefully, exactly as you left it," he explained, "They're not contractedly obliged to change it."

"But they could if they wanted?" Robert replied, eagerly, "The tiles in the downstairs loo are horrible, and stuff like that's expensive to change."

"It doesn't work like that," Ginny said, "The materials still need to be provided."

"But you could just-" he made a wild movement with his hand as if waving a wand, "- magic them."

Harry laughed, "Wish it were that easy. No, you can't just make things appear from thin air if they didn't exist before."

"What's the point, then?" Robert said, hand dropping to his side.

"What's the point?" Ginny scoffed, looking at Robert incredulously, "There are many points."

"Like-"

Ginny pulled out her wand, and out the end shot a scarlet ribbon of light, aimed at Harry, who's own wand was snatched from his hand.

"Defence, weapons, entertainment," Ginny said, eyes locking on Robert, "But it's not as simple as just making things appear out of nowhere."

"But if none of you guys had magic, you wouldn't have to use them as self-defence and weapons," Robert replied, watching Ginny's wand carefully, "If I tried, would anything happen?"

"No," Ginny said, "You're not a wizard, why would it work for you?"

Robert gave a noncommittal shrug, his eyes lighting up suddenly.

"If we gave it to the kids, would we be able to tell if they were magical?" he asked excitedly.

"Probably not," Harry told him, "Unless they had a heck of a lot of control over their magic."

"Can they try?" I asked, curious. Harry nodded.

We called for Liam and Mabel – Al and James hurrying along with them – and made them sit on the floor. The waited on their knees, impatient to know why they were called down.

"Right, Mabel," Harry said, bending down next to her, "Can you wave this through the air? Think about the blocks you were playing with, ok?"

Mabel looked at him sceptically but took the wand. She waved it in front of her, but nothing happened. She looked at it in confusion, and waved it more frantically, her hand working furiously.

"Not working!" Al said, leaping forwards, and snatching the wand from her hand. It instantly shot a rage of blue sparks as Al put his hand over it. He gave it back to Harry, looking at Mabel sadly.

"Mabel not magic," he said, "No magic in you."

"I'm not magic?" Mabel said quietly, looking at me with tears in her eyes, "I wanna be magic, Mummy."

"There's nothing I can do, Mabel," I replied, feeling a bit guilty at the wave of relief that had washed over me when I saw that Mabel had not produced any magic.

"Liam's turn!" James cried, effectively ruining Mabel's moment. He took the wand from his Dad and thrust it into Liam's hand. Again, nothing happened, and Liam looked at the stick in his hand, miserably.

"I'm not magic, am I?" he said wistfully.

"Why did nothing happen when James touched it?" Robert asked, his sharp eye-catching what I hadn't.

"As I said," Harry explained, "It only works if the child already has control over their magic. Al's… different. He's always seemed more in line with reality than James."

"But I can do it!" James said earnestly, "If I get really really angry, or really really happy. An' if I try really hard, I can make stuff fall over!"

Al held up a small number 1 on his right hand, and James scowled.

"You're different, Al," James said, echoing his Father's words.

"If they were magical," I said, "What age would it be obvious?"

"Well, at 11, you'd be certain, but a child might not show any traces of magic before they get the letter," Ginny said, and I nodded.

"I really don't think they're magical," Harry said softly, "I feel like they'd be showing more signs that they weren't apart of the muggle world."

"What?" Robert asked.

"You'd notice that they lose interest in things, would want to do things others dee as unusual."

"But let's say there were."

"Then you'd prove me wrong," Harry said, "And you'd have to send them off to Hogwarts. It's 6 years away, Katie, I wouldn't worry about it now."

I opened my mouth to speak, but a sharp tap on the window diverted our attention.

"Owl!" Mabel giggled, skipping the window. Harry opened the latch and took the letter the owl was holding proudly in its beak. It fluttered its wings importantly, and took off, much to Mabel's dismay.

"Come back, birdy!" she cried, standing on her tiptoes to try and see the retreating form of the owl.

"Your house is done," Harry smiled, eyes scanning over the letter, "They've finished."

He looked up, and the sun hit his face, making his eyes looking like emeralds embedded in his skull. I felt a bit taken aback at the severity of green in his irises, and I glanced at Al, noting that the colour hadn't faded through one round of genetics.

"How soon can we get there?" Robert asked happily, getting to his feet.

"Maybe 10," Harry said, grinning, "Your things are already packed up."

"Brilliant," beamed Robert, smiling over at me, pulling Mabel into his arms.

"We're going home, Mabel J!" he told her, and she giggled.

"Leavin' me?" Al asked sadly, and Mabel frowned.

"Come wif me." She told him, wriggling to be put down.

"But that's not allowed," James said hurriedly, "Al has to stay here, doesn't he?"

"We're not giving your brother away, James," Ginny grinned, "Though I'm astounded at how much care you seem to-"

"No," James said hastily, "I just didn't want Al to go, and not me."

Harry stifled a laugh.

"Let's go," he suggested, and I nodded eagerly.

Harry and Ginny offered to take us, but I had refused, saying that it was pointless for all of us to go. In the end, it was decided that Harry would come, just to make sure that the wards were up properly. James had begged to go too, and eventually, his parents caved, and let James come along too.

"Home," smiled Robert, as we left the Hollies, Harry behind us.

I sighed. Robert cast a look at me, worry forming over his face.

"You alright?" he asked, and I nodded absently, looking out the window.

"I just-" I started, taking a deep breath, "I don't think I'm ever going to feel completely safe there anymore."

"Katie," Robert said softly, "Don't dwell on stuff like that. You heard that man; our house is going to be the safest it's ever been."

"I know," I replied, "But I-"

"Listen," Robert said gently, "Nothing will harm you. Not under my watch."

I chuckled lightly.

"'m not kidding," he muttered, "I might not be trained to do that stuff, but the love I have for my family is more than enough to keep a baddie away."

"I love you."