Harry stepped out into the bright sun and looked around. Diagon Alley was packed with summer shoppers and last-minute students getting Hogwarts supplies. Harry gently adjusted baby Lily's blanket in her pram so it shielded her eyes from the light. Albus, who was very shy and reserved, hung obediently to the side of his 4-month-old sisters pram whilst his 5-year-old brother, James was sulking, dragging his feet along the cobbled street.
"James, I told you, don't sulk. Mummy doesn't want a Diary for her present. We'll get her a ring" Harry sighed, exasperated from his child's constant willing.
"But Mummy already has 2 rings!" implied James, holding 3 fingers, "she won't want another one."
"James how do know what Mummy does and doesn't want?" Harry asked.
"Because she wants a diary," James said stubbornly.
Harry sighed again but let it pass. To sort out this situation, he just won't lead James into a shop that sold diaries.
Harry investigated the pram when he heard the soft sound of a small yawn. Lily had just woken up and was staring at Harry with big wide, brown eyes. She yawned again and then giggled. Harry brushed a red curl from her forehead and she reached up to him whimpering.
"Sorry Lily, I can't get you out here. It's too busy" Harry said to his daughter. Lily started to cry so he put a blanket over the entrance to her pram, so she could go back to sleep. He was softly cooing to her when a sudden tug on his robes made him look down. Albus looked at his Dad then pointed to James; he was pulling the robes of an elderly man, waiting to buy some dragon hide gloves from the market. Harry quickly clasped his smaller son's hand and strode over to James. The old man had turned around and was peering at James through his crooked glasses. Harry bent down and plucked James up, causing him to squeal.
"I'm so sorry" He told the man who was smiling at Harry. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. Lucky this man seems so nice thought Harry.
"Don't you worry Harry Potter" wheezed the old man gently. He then took of his hat and bowed to Harry standing there with one hand on Lily's pram, the other holding a squirming James. Albus, being who he was, stood quietly, regaining his previous position of holding the pram.
"It's a pleasure meeting you Mr Potter" the friendly man said happily, "and don't you worry about the little one, there're all like that really aren't they?" he chuckled.
"I wouldn't be so sure" laughed Harry indicating Albus staring innocently at the scene in front of him. "James was a right handful when he was 2 but Albus is as good as you find them" James suddenly kicked Harry in the stomach and that indicated that the Potter's should leave and get to their destination.
"Well, thanks for understanding" Harry said and then he shook hands with the man and set on his way.
Harry set James down on a small wall opposite Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and talked to him patiently.
"James, don't go running up to people you don't know. Yeah? It was lucky that man was nice to you. Other Wizards wouldn't be so nice." James' eyes finally focused on his Dad and his nodded his head as he understood.
"Sorry Daddy" James said, looking straight into his Father's eyes. Harry placed a quick kiss on his head and stood him up.
"That's OK, thanks for saying sorry buddy" Harry looked over his shoulder and noticed the ice-cream parlour. "Hey, who wants Ice-cream?" he said looking at Albus then James. Lily as obviously too young, plus he had a bottle for her anyway. Albus' face lit up and James squealed again, this time in excitement. Harry grinned at how happy he could make his children by just a quick sentence.
"YES, PLEASE DADDY!" yelped James and he grabbed his little brothers arms and jumped around. Harry laughed and pulled a bewildered but grinning Albus away.
"Woah careful James he's only 2" Harry laughed.
Harry grabbed Lily's pram and steered it away to an outside table. He made sure Albus and James were securely on a seat when he lifted the blanket to reveal Lily's sleeping figure. He carefully got her out and held her, since she was in the pram for the whole trip. Albus' small hand came over and stoked her little head. Harry loved watching his youngest son love his younger sister so much like this, something he never experienced with James and Albus. A waiter came to ask for their orders and Harry looked up.
"Oh, right ok..." he started, "James what do you want?" James looked up and said very loudly, "Daddy I want a very big chocolate ice-cream pleeeeeeeeease" James looked at his Dad with puppy dog eyes and Harry grinned. "Ok and Al?" Albus thought for a moment and then said, "Daddy could I have a very big chocolate ice-cream too?" Harry laughed. Albus may seem quiet but he really shares the same thoughts of James. People close to him noticed this. It was Ginny who pointed this out to Harry when Albus first started talking.
"Right, sure, and I shall have a chocolate and raspberry, and James and Al will have very big chocolate ice-creams please" Both boys giggled when Harry put emphasise on the very. The waiter smiled and walked off.
Harry was laughing at James silly faces when something pulled at his robes. He looked down and Lily had clasped her small hands over his clothes and was grinning happily up at him.
"Glad to see you've woken up Lily" Harry remarked as he un swaddled her to reveal her little pink summer dress. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you?" Lily gurgled and waved her arms around. Harry took out his wand and summoned a ready-made bottle for her. She gripped it tightly and Harry helped guide it to her mouth. When he was sure she was in a position that she couldn't choke in, he resumed being entertained by his wild child. Harry looked up bemused as James squashed his face around, much to Albus' delight. He was giggling and helping James with directing his hands to make odd expressions.
As their ice-creams arrived, Albus had since resorted to colouring in and was using his enchanted pens Hermione and Ron had given them for his birthday in December. He was drawing an owl. It looked like Ginny's owl at home; Swoops.
"Al, James looks like your very big chocolate ice-creams have arrived"
Albus looked up and Harry swept his colouring aside for later to make space for his ice-cream. James squealed in delight and Harry was worried his flailing arms would upset his ice-cream. Harry propped Lily up, so he could eat his ice-cream and she rested her head on his arm. She yawned again.
"You can't still be tired can you Lils?" laughed Harry.
"She's always tired" remarked James between huge mouthfuls of ice-cream, "she sleeps all the time."
Harry laughed again and noticed Lily as making arm movements towards his ice-cream. Harry re-adjusted her to give her a better look.
"Maybe Lily can try some." Suggested Albus.
Harry looked thoughtfully at his small daughter to the large ice-cream in front of him.
"Mummy might not want her eating ice-cream yet she's still very little" Harry finally replied.
"Its only a really tiny bit" pleaded James.
"Oh, go on then. But don't tell Mummy." Harry scooped a small amount of raspberry ice-cream on his finger and let Lily eat it. She tasted it and then nodded and looked at Harry for more.
"I think that's enough ice-cream, plus you'll get hooked on it" Harry laughed as he pulled the ice-cream away from her grasp. Lily started to wail so Harry gently rocked her until she quieted down. Her pink Alice-Band was falling over her eyes and she giggled, making it move even further down. Harry grinned and pushed it back up, revealing her bright brown eyes.
"I wondered where you got to" Harry joked kissing Lily's red curls. She gurgled again and reached to be snuggled.
After both boys and Harry had finished their ice-creams, the boys leaving liberal amounts to spare, Harry placed Lily back in her pram, but this time leaving it, so Harry could see her face. Albus and James were hopping along side the pram and James was telling Albus about Quidditch. Like Albus didn't know, Harry thought, his Mum played for the Holyhead Harpies before Lily was born.
"So, you have 3 balls…" James started before Harry interrupted, "4" He stated, "you have 4, 1 quaffle, 2 bludgers and a snitch"
James rolled his eyes and said, "because we all know you played for England Dad". Harry laughed once again at James' small act of sarcasm. It was true though, Harry played a Quidditch Match for England in the year after the war ended. It would seem ironic, but England did, indeed, win.
James was still disusing Quidditch even when they got to the wizarding jewellery shop.
"…and we all know that Uncle Ron's team, the Chudley Cannons, are not very good so we all support the Holy Head Harpies."
Harry opened the door to the shop and walked up one of the long aisles to get the counter. James and Albus decided to run up the second one so all Harry could see was too shots of black hair darting between the glass cabinets. He finally reached the end and met James and Albus when he got there. They were looking at the rings with their hands up against the glass. Harry reached into the pram and got Lily out again, so she could look around the shop with twinkling diamonds and rubies. A shopkeeper came out and waved merrily at Harry before stopping and quickly taking of his little hat and bowing low. Harry sighed. All these people thinking he was some sort of god.
"Harry Potter!" squealed the shopkeeper, "In my shop! Wow!" He bustled over and stood behind the desk. "What shall I do for you today sir?" He was shaking.
"Oh, please call me Harry, and I have come to buy my Wife a ring" He thought for a moment, "one with our 5 birth stones on it actually". This idea had only just struck Harry but as he said it, it sounded perfect.
"Definitely" replied the shopkeeper, bustling around. Albus and James were still looking around the shop, though Harry had a careful eye on them. Lily as resting her small head on his shoulder and was peering around.
"What do you want the ring to be made out of?"
Harry looked at Albus and James. They can choose this bit.
"Boys? What do you want Mummies ring made from?"
James answered first, "PINK" he shouted. Harry nodded, rose gold was pink enough. He looked at Albus for confirmation and Albus silently nodded without taking his green eyes of the green charms of trees, wands, flowers, and gnomes.
"Rose-gold it is please"
The Shopkeeper nodded and opened a glass cabinet, full of plain rings, using magic. He took out a particularly shiny one and showed Harry.
"This one OK" he asked. Harry nodded. The Shopkeeper then went to a drawer full of the most beautiful diamonds and gems in all different sizes, colour coded and each in a separate compartment. Lily's little face lit up with all the dazzling colours and she giggled in excitement. James and Albus stood looking at the gems with their beady little eyes.
"So what stone do you want largest and in the middle?" The shopkeeper asked rummaging around for his wand.
"August so, the lime green one"
The shopkeeper nodded and plucked out a large peridot and set it aside. He looked expectantly at Harry for the other four, smaller gems, 2 on either side of the large, August, birthstone.
Harry decided for his and Lily's to go on one side, and James and Albus' on the other. He started with his.
"Oh, so could I have a July stone, ruby. Then for Lily an April diamond. James was born in May, so he would be an Emerald and then Albus is I think a Blue Topaz, December." Harry counted off the names as he said them. The Shopkeeper had gotten smaller gems out as Harry explained what ones to put on. He held them out for Harry to check and Harry counted them. He then agreed that they were perfect and watched with the children as the gems were magicked into place on the rose-gold ring. It looked amazing and Harry knew Ginny would love it.
After about 10 minutes, Harry left the shop with Lily back in her pram and a sleepy Albus over his shoulder. The little box with the precious ring was in his left pocket, ready to be wrapped and presented to his Wife tomorrow and James was trotting next to him, not saying a word. Harry knew he was too, tired and didn't have the energy to talk.
After the short walk back to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry, once again, picked up Lily, ready to disapperate. He vanished the pram, it would turn up at the house, and hugged Albus and Lily close to him. James hung tightly onto Harry's leg and they turned on the spot.