Disclaimer: I'm back! Allie is mine; everything else belongs to JK Rowling.

Albus rolled over sleepily, drinking in the warm sunlight that was filtering through the window. He wrapped his arm around the sleeping figure beside him, pulling her closer. She turned, her honey-colored eyes flickering open and her soft lips curling ever-so-slightly at the corners. She looked so beautiful, her hair catching the sunlight and her light skin glistening in the early-morning glow. "Happy Birthday," she murmured, kissing him tenderly.

"How did you sleep?" he asked micheviously.

"Like a rock once I finally got to sleep." He chuckled. She shot him a mock glare and rolled out of bed. He groaned.

"Come on Allie, I'll let you sleep I swear!" She chuckled.

"Don't be silly. Your parents are expecting us at brunch in forty-five minutes."

"I don't care. Screw my parents!" Albus moaned. "Just come back to bed."

"What? So your parents can come in and find us, well you know. Get up!"

"I can't! I'm too tired. Come here and help me." Allie rolled her eyes but walked around the bed, grabbing hold of his arms. He promptly pulled her onto the bed and flipped over on top of her, kissing her deeply. She giggled and pushed him off.

"Behave yourself Mr. Potter. There will be plenty of time for that . . . later." She walked toward the bathroom, grabbing the clothes she had laid out the night before. He pushed himself up and watched her through the door which she had left wide open. She secured her hair smartly behind her head with a large, scary-looking clip and applied a thin layer of makeup. She pulled her dress up over her hips and stopped to examine herself, turning every which way, looking at herself from all angles. She looked toward him and chuckled.

"Wettin yu de luk?"

"Yu," he grinned widely. He loved when she spoke Krio. It sounded so easy and melodic in her voice and it calmed him. Allie knew this. She turned and walked back into the bedroom, twirling in front of him.

"What do you think?" she asked. Her dress was soft cotton and a light green. She had pulled on a Kelly green sweater and a pair of tan sandales.

"You look beautiful, almost as beautiful as you do without your clothes on."

"You better get out of that bed before I make you get out," she threatened. With another groan he pulled himself out of the bed and opened his drawers. She leaned against his desk as she attached her earrings, watching as he pulled off his t-shirt and buttoned up his white oxford shirt. He pulled on a pair of kakis, very aware of her attentive eyes. He pulled on his shoes before meeting her gaze. He straightened and she walked toward him, kissing him pasionantly. If she hadn't looked at the clock at just the right minute, they might have missed brunch altogether.

The two walked into the posh restaurant five minutes late. Albus looked around the crowded dining room, searching for his parents. They were sitting at a table next to a window. James sat next to Sophie, his hand resting on top of her ring-bedecked one. Lily was holding baby Dora, who was banging a spoon on the table, talking to Victoire. Harry was bouncing Remus on his knee, listening in on Ginny's and Teddy's conversation on teething. They looked up as Albus and Allie approached.

"Happy Birthday!" his mother exclaimed, getting up and kissing him on the cheek. She gave Allie a forced hug.

"Thanks Mum. Sorry we're late."

"Albus misplaced his wand," Allie explained, blushing.

"Sure, sure," James replied, gaining him an elbow from Sophie.

"Happy Birthday Al," Teddy greeted. "It's nice to see you Allie." They all exchanged niceties before tucking in.

Brunch lasted two long hours. As happy as Albus was to spend time with his family and as grateful as he was for all of the presents, he just wanted to get home. Allie was only in England for a couple more days. She would be out on assignment for a month before returning. Upon getting back to his flat, it took only a few minutes for them to be back in bed.

Afterward, as they lay, fingers entwined, Allie spoke. "I haven't given you your Birthday present yet," she murmured.

"There's more?" Albus asked, breathing contentedly.

"Two things. The first is here." She reached under the bed and pulled out a large package. He pushed himself against the headboard and slowly removed the wrapping. "It's not done yet; I'll finish the rest for Christmas," she explained, smiling at his shocked expression.

"I-I didn't ask because you were so busy!" he exclaimed. She had translated a manuscript he had uncovered, one that he had been itching to read. In addition to Krio, which was her native language, and English, a language she had known nearly her whole life, Allie also knew Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Hindi, Swahili, French, Italian, Spanish, the list went on and on. This particular manscript, a fifth century potion text, was in Sanskrit. Knowing how little time she had, he had merely mentioned his finding in passing. He had put his name on the waiting list at the Ministry, hoping that the overworked translators would be able to get to it eventually. With trembling fingers, he flipped through. He smiled at her untidy scribbles underneath the printed Sanskrit. "This must have taken you forever."

"It's wasn't too hard. Do you like it?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"I love it," he leaned over and kissed her. "You're amazing."

"Okay, now I have another present," she whispered. "Albus, I've requested a transfer." The words hung in the air for a second before he spoke.

"To England?" She nodded, looking at him with nervous anticipation. "That's brilliant!" he boomed finally, pulling her into a tight embrace. "This is the best present I ever got."

"Really? You're really happy?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I love you Allie and now I get to see you every morning! But what about your dad?"

"I didn't get to see him that often anyway, even when we were in the same country. I just felt it was time for a change. I'll be working in the Department of Magical Records and, I hope anyway, that I can do some private research. It's just a good career decision for me with . . . some added benefits."

"When do you hear for sure?" Albus asked.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything, not knowing if you would want me to move in so soon but I got the letter yesterday. I'll just return to Sierra Leone and finish up some things before coming back in a week or so. I start the first of the month."

"I love you so much," Albus repeated, kissing her again. He set the manuscript tenderly on the bedside table before pulling her into a deeper embrace. He had never felt this way about anyone else. Even with Madhavi he had felt a bit inadequate. Allie calmed him and made him a better person. She made him want to be a better person. There was something so special about getting the perfect Birthday present from someone. There was magic in the silence they could share, their arms wrapped around each other. As he lay there, her head on his shoulder, her breath coming rhythmically, he realized that he was finally home.

A/N: So this will be working backward: starting with Albus then moving up through James, Teddy, Harry and James. The chapters aren't going to be as long as A Good Boy chapters were. I hope you liked it!