Tis the season to be jolly
Twelve tales of Christmas
Mayhem in Ottery St Catchpole
Silence.
Silence.
Hermione winced as if she had been hit.
Rose, James, and Al, silent? This was usually a bad sign.
"You reckon we should check on them?" she asked.
Ron shook his head.
"They can't be in worse trouble than we were-"
"Mum! Daddy! We're home!" Rose called at the same time as James yelled, "OI, Uncle Ron, Aunt Hermione!"
"In the kitchen," said Hermione, exchanging a glance with her husband.
Rose and James trampled into the kitchen, one at the time, panting and laughing. She had brown-red curls and big grey blue eyes that Hermione suspected most of her uncles and her father for that matter could not resist. He was tall, with rather protruding ears, freckles, and messy raven black hair – a feature all three of the Potter men shared.
Al, Harry's green-eyed doppelganger, was however nowhere to be seen.
"Outside clothes on their hooks, mittens, hats, and scarves on the dryer," Hermione said calmly. "Boots on the old carpet in the front."
"Muum!" whined Rose.
"Don't whine, young lady," said Ron good-naturedly.
"What your father said," Hermione surveyed them suspiciously, "and when you finished, come back here."
Rose and James gazed up at Hermione and Ron innocently, widened hazel and grey blue eyes.
"Where did you leave Al?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," Rose said, shrugging, "Last time I saw Al, he was dangling with a hand on his toy broom, Daddy."
"He might've fallen off by now," added James carelessly.
The parents exchanged looks.
"Go find him now," Hermione demanded, "before Ginny and Harry return with Lily and Teddy."
"Why?"
"Uncle Ron, tell her no, please..."
Ron put his foot firmly to the ground.
"Al needs to be found," he told them sternly. "Isn't it cold outside?"
"Yeah, Daddy," Rose replied. "But you can just do the Locator Spell, I'm sure it would work better than us two."
"Watch your tongue, Rose Ixora Weasley," said Hermione, narrowing her eyes at her.
"James, Rose – you two try to find him. He was your responsibility, after all."
After a few grumbles, the two cousins set off again.
"Good thing Hugo's only three, now," sighed Hermione, sounding relieved.
"WAHHH!"
"That's – Albus," Ron said. "Why is he - ?"
"I think he is in the garden!" Hermione rushed to open the door. "Albus!"
A scrawny little boy mopped his eyes and stumbled into his aunt's waiting arms.
She hugged him against her and wiped the snow from his hair.
"Where were you, Al? Rose and James said you had fallen off your toy broomstick!"
Al shook his head, tearfully.
"Almost fell," he mumbled. "When I got back on to look, Rose and James were gone!"
Hermione handed him a tissue.
"It's all right," she soothed. "C'mon, I'll get you some cocoa, OK?"
"OK, Auntie."
Ron met them at the door.
"So, Al," he took him from Hermione. "You're all right, then?"
"Yeah."
Hermione sighed. "How ironic is it that we'll have to do a Locator Spell on Jamesie and Rosie."
"No, worse," Ron chuckled dryly, "I don't think Rosie will be too keen to listen to us after today."