Harry bit back a yawn as he exited the lift and walked down the corridor that led to headquarters. He'd been on the phone with Abby for nearly an hour last night as she recounted every aspect of her audition to him in mind-numbing detail. All he'd asked was whether she'd done good or bad, but apparently it was much more complex than that.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter."
He glanced up to see his secretary waiting for him by the door. "Morning," he said, giving her a nod before walking into his office.
He wasn't surprised when she followed him inside with a roll of parchment and several files in her arms.
"Don't suppose I could have a minute to breathe, could I?" he said, taking a seat.
She gave him a sheepish look. "Oh, right. I'm sorry," she said, retreating back towards the door.
"Anna," Harry called, causing her to turn back around with an expectant look on her face. "I was only joking. You can come in."
"Oh," she said. "Of course."
Harry smiled at her, making a mental note to try and act a bit friendlier. "Are those for me, then?" he said, gesturing towards the pile in her arms.
"Yes," she said, approaching his desk. "The mission reports from Auror Wilson's team. Would you like to me schedule the debriefing for today?"
"Sure," he said, taking them from her. "Sometime after lunch would be fine."
She nodded. "Also, just a few other things…" she said, glancing down at her parchment. "The departmental budget meeting is next Wednesday, summer term ends next Friday, and…your birthday is in two weeks."
Harry looked up at her with one eyebrow raised.
"Hermione told me to remind you," Anna said, shifting her eyes to the side.
"Of course she did," he muttered, before leaning back in his chair. "Can I ask you something?"
Anna looked caught off guard, but she nodded nonetheless. "Of course, sir."
He stared at her for a moment. "Why is it that you're on first-name basis with Hermione, but you still call me 'Mr. Potter' even after working with me for almost two years?"
Her mouth opened slightly as if in surprise. "Erm…well, I—I don't really know," she said.
"You don't really know?" he repeated, giving her a doubtful look.
Harry could tell that she was holding something back. And normally, he would just let it go, but he couldn't help but feel slightly irritated. Was there something wrong with him? Was he really that unlikable that his own workmates wanted nothing to do with him?
He shook his head of the thought, wondering why he cared in the first place. "Look, never mind. Just forget I asked," he said, straightening back up in his chair. "Is there anything else, or…?"
"Er, yes. Just this invitation," she said, holding it out for him. "To the Ministry Banquet."
Harry glanced at the ornate purple envelope with distaste. "Didn't they just have one of those?"
"Well, they're seasonal, sir," she said.
"Right…well, you can bin it on your way out, then," he said, shifting his focus to the pile of reports on his desk.
Anna nodded and turned to leave, but he could hear her pause for a moment as she reached the doorway."Do you really want me to answer?" she said, suddenly.
"What?" he said, looking up at her.
"Your question from before," she said. "I can give you an honest answer, if you want?"
He felt a twinge of annoyance. "That's sort of the reason I asked, isn't it?"
Her face flushed with embarrassment. "Right, sorry."
"Well, go on, then," he said, crossing his arms. "What's your honest answer?"
She took a moment to respond, as if trying to properly formulate the words in her mind first.
"We don't talk very much," she said. "I don't think we've ever talked about anything besides work."
Harry stared at her with his eyebrows furrowed. "And…you and Hermione talk?"
"Sometimes," Anna said. "If you're not in your office when she stops by, we do talk a bit, yes. And well, besides that…you just don't really know me."
Harry looked at her strangely. "Of course I know you," he said. "I mean, I may not know every detail about your life, but—"
"What's my surname?"
He opened his mouth to retort, but then quickly shut it again. His mind was drawing a stubborn blank, but he knew it. He was sure he knew it. He must have known it at some point, anyway. So why couldn't he remember?
"Two whole years and you don't know," Anna said with a small frown. "Do you really have to wonder why we're not close?"
He shifted his eyes away, feeling a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden. How on earth could he have gone all this time without knowing something like that? "I'm sorry," he told her.
"No big deal," she said. "And it's Smith, by the way. Anna Smith. You probably could've guessed it, but there you go."
"Right…" he said. "Well, I definitely won't forget it now."
Anna smiled in a somewhat forced manner. "Would you like me to call you Harry?" she asked.
He exhaled softly and ran a hand through his hair. "Call me whatever you like," he said, picking up the report he'd started reading earlier. "Harry…Potter…You can call me a tosser, for all I care."
Her eyes went wide.
"That'd be fun, wouldn't it?" he mused, mostly talking to himself now. "'Hey Tosser, I need you to sign these papers.' 'The Head Tosser is not available at the moment, can I leave a message?' Beats the Boy-Who-Lived, eh?"
"I have to get back to work now, sir."
Harry looked up just as Anna turned on her heel and briskly walked out of his office.
"Yeah, that's you all right," he muttered. "A bloody tosser."
With a shake of his head, Harry turned his attention back to the task at hand. He worked diligently for the next few hours despite the continuous interruptions at his door. It was the way most Mondays went, with impromptu consults and meetings and not a second to catch his breath. By the time his break rolled around, he was in desperate need of an escape from his office.
He made his way down to the cafeteria, hoping he might catch Hermione or Arthur for a nice chat to get his mind off work. But by some cruel twist of fate, the only Weasley he spotted was Percy.
Harry immediately dropped his head down and headed towards the opposite end of the hall. He was in no mood to hear about recent Portkey regulations and Apparition test requirements.
Sitting down at one of the few empty tables, he picked up the lunch menu and spoke the word "chips" into it.
A small mouth protruded from the laminated parchment in response. "Will that be all?" it asked.
"Yes."
"Might I recommend perusing the wide array of salads and sandwiches for a healthier dining experience?"
"Just chips, thanks," he said.
The menu remained silent for a moment until Harry finally gave in with a sigh. "Fine," he said. "I'll have an apple, as well, then."
"Right away, sir."
He rolled his eyes and tossed the menu aside as his order appeared on the plate in front of him. He'd barely gotten a chip in his mouth, however, when someone pulled out the chair across from him and took a seat.
"What are you doing down here?" Hermione asked, picking up the menu and ordering a salad.
"Trying to escape my office and the people in it," he said, squirting some ketchup onto his plate. "It's good you're here, actually. I want to talk to you."
Hermione gave him a look to show she was listening as she dug into her meal, as well.
"First of all, stop chatting up my secretary. You're making me look bad."
She raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about?" she said, putting some lettuce onto his plate.
Harry put some chips onto hers in return which caused her to click her tongue in annoyance.
"Very funny," she said. "I don't want your oily chips."
"I don't want your dry lettuce," he said, dumping it back on her plate.
Hermione let out a small huff, but didn't say anything.
"Anyway, Anna says you two talk a lot, and it's making me look like an arse," he said. "So could you please keep it to a minimum?"
"Here's a thought," Hermione said, her eyes wide as if she'd just had an epiphany. "Why don't you just talk to her more?"
Harry let out a small snort of amusement. "Yeah, that's not happening," he said.
The expression on Hermione's face spoke volumes about what she thought of him at the moment.
"And while we're on the subject," he said, ignoring her. "Did you really think it was necessary to remind me about my birthday?"
Hermione had the decency to look a bit sheepish now. "Well, there was sort of a reason for that…"
"Being?"
She stalled for a moment by playing with her food. "In case you forgot to invite anyone to dinner at the Burrow," she said.
"Who would I invite who's not already going to be there?" he said, wrinkling his forehead. "Unless you mean—you're not seriously telling me to invite Abby, are you? Because I think we can all agree that wouldn't be wise."
She didn't say anything.
"We'd agree on that, wouldn't we, Hermione?"
"Of course," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Unless…what if we were really, really careful?"
Harry gave her a look that he hoped would convey how utterly daft she was being at the moment.
"This is the Burrow we're talking about," he said slowly. "A house that is held together by magic. You can't just be really, really careful."
Hermione sighed. "Look, I hear what you're saying, and I completely agree. But, well…I kind of already worked out most of the logistics," she said, pulling out a piece of parchment from her robe pocket and laying it out in front of him. "All it takes are some glamour charms and a bit of transfiguration, and the house will look just as muggle as you like."
Harry glanced down at the parchment despite his better judgement. It showed a rough two-dimensional diagram of the Burrow and all its rooms with small notes scribbled in throughout. It was just as intricate and precise as he might have expected, but as usual, Hermione had missed one glaring detail.
"What about the kids?" he asked, looking up at her. "They're like ticking time-bombs. Any one of them could blurt something out or do accidental magic. I mean…I appreciate all this, Hermione. I really do. But you can't plan for something like that."
Hermione's shoulders sagged in defeat, and he almost felt bad for bringing it up.
"Well, they weren't just my efforts," she said, rolling up the parchment and stuffing it back in her pocket with a frown.
Harry raised an eyebrow in question.
"Molly's been pestering Ron and I about Abby for weeks, now," she explained. "She helped out with this, too. I'll have to ask her about the kids…"
Harry wanted to tell her it was pointless, but he let the matter go and focused on his chips instead.
As he and Hermione sat there eating in silence, he let his thoughts wander back to the other night when Abby had been over. He'd been so close to telling her everything then. So close that he could practically feel his blood pumping through his veins in anticipation.
And he would have. He would've told her, and he wouldn't have been bothered about it in the slightest.
"Hermione?" he said suddenly.
"Hmm?" she said, attempting to cut a cherry tomato in half with her fork and knife.
Harry swallowed hard. "I want to tell Abby about magic."
The tomato slipped from beneath Hermione's control and bounced across the table.
"You do?"
He nodded.
"Oh," she said, laying down her fork and knife.
"You asked me to come back to you when I decided, remember? So you could start looking into it?" he said. "Well…I decided."
Hermione glanced up at him with a bashful look on her face.
"What?" he said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"Well, I…I may have started looking into it about a month ago."
Harry stared at her for a moment before letting out a burst of laughter.
"What?" she said, trying to glare at him. The effect was lost, however, as her lips twitched in amusement and she let out a small chuckle herself. "Oh come on, did you really expect me to just sit around?"
"No, Hermione, of course not," he said, grinning at her. "Tell me, then. Did you find anything?"
She seemed to sober up instantly at those words. "Possibly," she said, shifting her eyes around before leaning in closer and lowering her voice. "I think I might be on to something. I'll need to do more research, of course. But, well…I feel good about this."
To say Harry was shocked would be an understatement. He was expecting her to give him a flat-out 'no' or maybe even a 'I'll keep trying'. But he never actually thought there might be a solution, a real way for Abby to be part of the magical world. And it left him feeling more than a little excited. Because it wasn't enough to just tell her. It wasn't enough to just show her a few spells. If she couldn't walk through Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade on her own, if she couldn't see dragons and goblins and centaurs, if she could never do any of the wonderful things he wanted her to do, then what was the point?
No, he needed more than that.
"You really think it's possible?" Harry said, boring his eyes into hers.
"I really do," Hermione said, looking quite pleased with herself. "Just be patient. And don't tell anyone."
Quarter past five. Quarter past five. Was a quarter past five too late? Too early?
Abby bit her lip as she let her finger hover over the doorbell. She'd been standing in the same spot for the last five minutes debating whether or not to leg it before anyone spotted her.
Just go home. You should really go home.
But I don't want to…not like this.
He can't help you.
He doesn't have to!
Then what exactly is the point of coming here?
She glanced down at the ground and shook her head.
"There isn't one," she told herself.
Abby knew it would be best to just turn around and leave. It was rude to stop by unannounced. Rude and annoying and invasive and a number of other unpleasant things. And yet, here she stood, her feet rooted to the ground and her emotions spiralling out of control.
She just needed to see him. Just for a second.
Before her brain could catch up with what she was doing, Abby brought her finger up once more and pressed down on the doorbell. She waited what seemed an eternity before the door finally opened to reveal a boy she'd never seen before with an almost shocking shade of blue hair.
Abby stood motionless for a moment.
"Can I help you?" the boy asked, with one eyebrow raised.
"Hi, there. Is, er…is Harry available?" she asked, feeling like a kid asking her mate's parents if they could come out and play. "Actually…forget it, never mind. I'll just come round another—"
"Harry!" the boy called through the corridor. "It's one of your nutter fangirls."
Abby opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again. She could hear someone walking towards the door, and the boy stepped out of the way to let them through. A second later, Harry's face appeared in the doorway with a firm scowl set in place that quickly melted into a look of surprise upon seeing her.
"Abby?"
"Hi," she said, giving him an uncertain smile.
"You know her?" the boy asked.
Harry nodded. "Yeah," he said, before looking back down at the boy. "Can you give us a sec, mate?"
"Do you want me to hex her?" he asked quietly, pulling something out of his back pocket. "Cause I learned this wicked new spell—"
Harry immediately grabbed onto the boy's arm and hid it from view. "Teddy," he repeated with a bit more force. "Please just give us a second."
Teddy looked between her and Harry for a moment with his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure you don't—?"
"Get lost," Harry hissed, pushing him back inside and shutting the door behind him.
Despite her current turmoil, Abby couldn't help but dwell on the boy's words. What exactly did he mean by hexing her? What that slang for something? By the look on Harry's face, she didn't imagine it was anything pleasant.
"Sorry about that," Harry said, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"No," Abby said quickly. "No, I should be apologising. I've come here unannounced, and…I—well, I don't know."
She exhaled and shifted her eyes away, feeling quite foolish all of a sudden.
"Well, not that I mind, but is there a reason you came?" he said. "Were you just bored, or…?"
Abby shook her head silently, all the emotions she'd been feeling for the past hour suddenly rushing back to the surface.
"Harry, I—" she said, before abruptly cutting off as she felt her voice start to tremble. She took a deep breath through her nose and tried once more. "I'm so stupid. Really, I am. I mean…it's not even a big deal. It's the opposite of a big deal, it's nothing. I just thought I'd come and let you know, but I could've called. I mean, I could've—"
"Stop," Harry said, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "Just tell me what's wrong."
She could feel her eyes start to water and she cursed herself for being so pathetic. "I didn't get it, Harry," she said, shaking her head. "I didn't get the job."
His body visibly relaxed, but he didn't remove his hands from her shoulders, something Abby was grateful for as she wasn't sure if she could bear the loss of his touch at the moment.
"I'm sorry," he said, his voice filled with regret.
And then he did something he'd never done before. He hugged her. Gently, but with feeling. And it felt so good and so safe that she closed her eyes and immediately let a set of tears stream down her cheeks. She hadn't known just how much she'd wanted the comfort of his embrace until this very moment. But she did. She wanted it so badly.
Abby noted with some embarrassment that she was beginning to leave a damp spot on Harry's crisp white shirt, so she brought her sleeve up to wipe her face. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the fact that he was in his work clothes. He'd probably just gotten home from a long and tiring day, and here she was, dumping herself on his doorstep like a needy child.
He's got enough of those, hasn't he?
The thought hit her like a ton of bricks, and she backed away from him.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
She glanced up to see a look of concern pass over his face. "Nothing," she said. "I'm just…well, I'm fine, now."
"What do you mean, you're fine?" he said, disbelief clear in his voice. "I know how much you wanted this."
Abby took in a deep breath and nodded. "I did, didn't I?" she said. "But…no matter."
Harry frowned as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Well…I guess there's always next time, yeah?"
"Yeah," she said, feeling her stomach clench. "Yeah, I suppose. Maybe."
He looked as if he was about to retort, but the sound of the door opening behind him put an abrupt halt to their conversation.
The blue-haired boy, who she now knew was called Teddy, poked his head out.
"Hi, there," he said, flashing her thin smile before looking up at Harry. "Sorry to interrupt, but Lily's in there screaming my bleeding ears off, and I can't make her stop. Can you please do something before I off myself?"
Abby was surprised to see a smug look form on Harry's face. "I thought you could handle it?" he said. "Whatever happened to: 'Harry, Harry I can watch them! Please let me watch them, Harry!"
"I didn't say it like that," Teddy said matter-of-factly. "And anyway, the only reason I wanted to watch them was to get away from Gran."
"I know," Harry said in amusement. "Just go back inside, I'll be there in a minute."
Teddy dropped his head down and let out a long sigh before shutting the door. He didn't do it with much force but the sound still managed to ring in Abby's ears as if it were taunting her.
"I should go," she said when Harry turned back to face her.
"What? Why?" he said in surprise.
"You're busy and probably tired and you've got enough things to worry about, so I'm—I'm just gonna go," she said in a rush. "Thank you, though. For, you know, just being there and everything."
Harry's mouth opened slightly as if he wasn't quite sure how to respond. "Look, just stay," he said. "Have dinner with us. Might as well, you're already here."
Abby shook her head. "No, I couldn't."
"Why couldn't you?" he asked, with one eyebrow raised.
"I'd be imposing, it's completely rude," she said. "I mean, it's bad enough that I came here uninvited, I don't need to go disrupting your entire schedule, as well."
Harry chuckled softly. "Yeah…gotta stick to that schedule. Actually," he said, bringing his wrist up to check the time, "if you leave right now…I might just be able to make my six o'clock bubble bath. I could even squeeze in some 'me' time by the fire. Read a nice book. Oh, wouldn't that just be lovely. Who knows, maybe—"
"Harry," she said, laughing despite herself.
"What?" he asked.
"You're being ridiculous."
He stared at her for a moment and then leaned in closer, causing her breath to hitch slightly.
"So are you," he said.
She prayed that he didn't notice the blush forming on her face. There was still a healthy distance between them, but his sudden movement had caused her heart to nearly beat out of her chest.
Abby found herself fighting to keep from closing the space even further. She couldn't help it. Everything about him drew her in. His eyes…his scent…his lips. Oh, he had wonderful lips. Lips which were currently moving.
Wait, what?
"Well?" he said, breaking her out of her reverie. He'd straightened back up and folded his arms across his chest.
"Er…" Abby said, shifting her eyes away as Harry stared at her expectantly.
She was just about to give up and admit she hadn't been listening when the front door suddenly opened once more.
Teddy walked out, looking more than a little disgruntled as he dragged a crying Lily in tow.
"Here," he said, depositing her by Harry's side and then retreating back into the house.
Lily immediately let out a long wail and fell down onto her bum with a soft thump. She looked a right mess with her face all blotchy and her hair in complete disarray, and Abby wanted nothing more than to take the little girl in her arms and hold her close.
"So, is that a yes?" Harry continued as if they hadn't been interrupted.
Abby's head snapped up, and she threw him a look of exasperation. He just stood there, completely unruffled as Lily grabbed hold of his arm and started yanking it down towards her.
"Fine, yes, whatever," she said, not quite sure what she was agreeing to but wanting him to focus his attention on the crying four-year-old, instead.
"That's what I thought," he said with a smirk. "Make yourself comfortable then, this may take a few minutes."
He then crouched down to face Lily who'd started beating her fists against him rather aggressively. "What is it, why are you crying?" he said, trapping her hands in his.
"B-b-because," she said, taking in short gasps between every syllable as she fought to escape his hold.
"Because why?"
"Because I am."
Harry sighed and dropped her hands. "You're crying because you're crying?" he asked.
Lily glared at him. "That's not what I said!" she screamed, stomping her foot on the ground. "You don't even know anything. Not even what I'm saying. You-you-you only know what you want!"
Abby glanced at Harry to see if he was following because she was having a hard time doing so, herself. He didn't look nearly as flustered as she felt, however. Indeed, he seemed rather calm, as if this sort of thing occurred every day.
It probably does occur every day, genius.
"Oh, yeah…" she muttered.
Abby backed away at that point, wanting to give them both some space. She considered leaving altogether, but she suspected that Harry had been trying to ask her to stay for dinner earlier while she'd been ogling his lips. And of course, she'd then gone and said yes, so there was no going back now. Not that she was overly bothered, mind, but it did make the current situation a bit awkward as she felt as though she were intruding on a private moment.
And yet, she couldn't seem to look away.
Even after all this time, the idea of Harry being a parent still amazed her. Sure, he always talked about his kids. She knew what they liked and what they disliked. She knew their personalities, their strengths and their weaknesses. She knew nearly everything about them that Harry could possibly tell her. Because she loved to ask and he loved to answer.
But being here, seeing Harry and Lily with her own eyes—that wasn't something he could explain to her. He could never put into words the way Lily dived into his arms and nearly caused him to topple over. Or the way he gently brushed her hair out of her eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead. He couldn't explain that tired, but contented look on his face, or the way he picked up his little girl and held her close. Those things were just there. And they told her so much more than words ever could.
Abby realised then why it all still amazed her. It was because she rarely witnessed moments like these. Completely mundane, completely bared moments. She could count on her fingers the number of times she'd even seen James, Al, and Lily, let alone the times they'd actually acted like themselves. But she wanted to see them. These three little people who made up Harry's entire world. She wanted to know them.
But did Harry want that?
Just a few weeks ago, she would've said no. But at the moment…she wasn't so sure. Things had changed. She didn't know how and she didn't know when, but things had definitely changed. And it was wonderful. It was nothing she ever expected it to be. But somehow, it just left her wanting more.
"Right, then," Harry said, walking over with Lily in his arms. "Crisis averted, I think."
Abby looked up at them and smiled. "Everything all right?"
He let out a puff of air and nodded. "Just J-A-M-E-S being a P-R-A-T," he said, as Lily buried her face into his neck. "But I'll deal with that, later. Do you wanna come inside, now?"
"I'd love to."
She followed him through the door and down the corridor, expecting to be led into the sitting room but walking towards the kitchen instead.
"Er, you can have a seat," he said, gesturing towards the table. "I'm just going to go check on the state of the house…and things."
Abby gave him a look of exasperation. "Oh come on, Harry. Are you honestly still worried about that?" she said. "It's not like I'll be offended by your mess."
"I know, I know. I just—it'll make me feel better," he said. "Besides, I need to have a talk with James, so it might be best if you wait here. I won't be long."
"Well, take your time, I don't mind," she said, wondering why he didn't just say so in the first place.
He nodded once and then left the room with Lily still in his arms.
Abby sat down at the table, resting her chin in her hand as she glanced around the empty kitchen. If the rest of the house was anything like it, then she couldn't imagine what Harry was so stressed out about. It seemed perfectly fine to her. There were some piles of paper lying around, cups and dishes on various surfaces, and a ripped-open packet of Maltesers with the insides strewn about and starting to roll off the table. But really, it was quite tame. Especially considering the fact that there were three children under the age of ten running around. She was fairly certain that Clara made more of a mess in their kitchen on a daily basis.
The sound of someone entering the room put a halt to her musings, and she looked up to see who had joined her. It was Teddy, the boy with the blue hair, and he was in the middle of singing a song she'd never heard before while nodding his head to some invisible beat. Abby had to hold back a smile as he turned swiftly on his heel, doing an interesting dance move on his way to the fridge.
It was at that moment that he finally noticed her sitting there.
"Bloody hell!" he yelped, nearly dropping the carton of milk he'd just pulled out.
Abby gave him an apologetic smile as he leaned against the fridge and stared at her wide-eyed for a moment.
"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to frighten you. Are you all right?"
"Peachy," he said, shaking out his hair as he straightened back up. "So…he let you in, eh?"
She furrowed her eyebrows at the question. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I wasn't really planning on staying. I just needed to…to tell him something," she said as all the feelings of hopelessness suddenly came rushing back.
"I'm Teddy, by the way. Teddy Lupin," he said, walking over to her and offering his hand in greeting.
Abby smiled at him, welcoming the distraction from her thoughts as she shook his hand. "Abby Waters," she replied. "You're Harry's godson, yeah?"
"The one and only," he said, flashing her a grin.
She returned it in full. "It's lovely to finally meet you."
Teddy leaned back against the worktop, staring at her with a curious expression as he took a swig from the milk carton. He then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and folded his arms across his chest. "Not to be rude or anything," he said. "But who exactly are you?"
"Oh…erm, I'm just a friend of Harry's," she said.
Teddy chuckled. "Of course, yeah," he said, his eyes filled with amusement. "But really, though. Who are you?"
Abby stared at him in confusion. "Sorry…I'm not sure I understand."
The boy sighed heavily, as if she were purposefully being difficult. "I mean like…anyone can go on saying they're Harry Potter's friend," he said. "But what do you actually need from him?"
A sudden jolt shot through the pit of her stomach at his words. "What do you mean?" she breathed. "Has—has someone done that before? Used him like that?"
Teddy looked at her as if he wasn't quite sure if she was being serious or not, and that, alone, left her feeling unsettled.
"Well, it doesn't matter, anyway," Teddy said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Harry wouldn't have let you in the house if he didn't trust you. Unless…"
He walked to the opposite side of the table and placed his hands down, looming over her with what she thought was supposed to be an intimidating expression, but instead just looked a bit like a grimace.
"You haven't poisoned him, have you? Dosed him with a love potion, perhaps?" Teddy said with one eyebrow raised.
"What?" she exclaimed, her mind whirling. "Why would you think that? How—love potion—what?"
Teddy simply stared at her as though he hadn't just accused her of being a murderer.
"Look," she said, taking in a deep breath. "I don't know what this friend of Harry's did in the past, but I would never use him and absolutely never hurt him. He's my friend, he's my best friend."
Teddy's shoulders relaxed slightly as he straightened back up. "Good," he said, giving her a bright smile as he casually leaned back against the worktop, once more.
Abby was feeling thoroughly confused now and wanted nothing more than for Harry to return and set things straight. Luckily, though, the boy seemed to lose interest in her, turning his attention instead on scouring the cupboards for something to eat. He emerged not too long after with two packets of biscuits in hand.
"Want some?" he said, holding one out to her.
"Er…sure, thanks," she said, not wanting to seem rude.
They both ate in silence for a moment, before Teddy regarded her once more. "You and Harry, yeah?" he said. "You're not…you know."
Abby looked up from her biscuit. "What?"
Teddy rolled his eyes. "You know," he said with more emphasis. "Like…together."
"Oh," she said, shifting slightly in her seat. "No. No, we're definitely not together. We're as un-together as two people can be, actually. Very not together."
He raised an eyebrow. "Well…good, I guess," he said with a half-shrug. "Do you fancy him, though?"
Abby's heart sped up almost instantly, but she tried her best to appear casual. "Me? Fancy Harry?" she said, letting out a small laugh as if the notion was ridiculous. "I don't, no. Definitely not."
"You don't know?" Teddy asked.
Her eyes widened. "No, no, that's not what I said," she said, feeling her face heat up. "I meant, 'I don't, no' as in: I don't comma no. There's a huge difference. I mean, I definitely—"
"Oi!" Teddy said, holding his hands up as he broke out into laughter. "Relax, I'm only joking."
Abby stared at him for a moment before swallowing thickly.
"Should've seen your face, though," he said, before picking up the carton of milk and taking another drink.
He offered her some once he was finished, but she politely declined.
They sat in silence after that, leaving Abby with plenty of time to dwell on her idiotic overreaction. She might as well have been wearing a sign around her neck with the words 'I heart Harry Potter' on it. Teddy, of course, hadn't paid her any mind, but she knew someone else could have caught on rather quick. An image of Hermione flashed in her mind for some reason.
The sound of heavy footfalls coming down the stairs pulled Abby from her thoughts.
"Here comes trouble…" Teddy said, idly flipping a page in the magazine he was reading.
She looked at him in question, but there was no need as the source of 'trouble' came barrelling through the doorway seconds later.
James had a scowl on his face as he made a beeline towards the patio door and slid it open roughly.
"Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you," Harry said, following after him. "James…James!"
"What?" the boy said, turning to face him. "I said I was sorry."
"No, you didn't. You're just full of words today, but 'sorry' isn't one of them," Harry said, sliding the door back into place. "Now, can you please come back and talk to me like a normal human being?"
"I'm not a human being, I'm a centaur."
Teddy snorted from beside her, but he quickly covered it with a cough as Harry threw a glare in his direction.
His eyes then fell on her, and Abby could have sworn that she saw an uneasy look pass over his face as he glanced between her and Teddy. He didn't say anything, though, focusing his attention back on James, instead.
"Look, I'm really not in the mood for this right now," Harry said, lowering his voice. "Can you please just come and apologise to your sister so we can be done with this whole business."
"Why do I have to apologise?" James demanded. "I broke her stupid toy, so what? You can fix it in two seconds."
Harry rubbed his face and let out a heavy sigh. "James, that's not what this is about, and you know it."
"Oh, whatever," he said, pushing past him. "She's just crying cause she's a baby."
"I'm not a baby!"
Abby shifted her eyes over to see Al and Lily enter the kitchen, as well. The little girl ran up and shoved James hard in the stomach causing him to stumble over backwards, and she was just about to aim a kick at his shin when Harry pulled her back and held her in place.
"Stop it right this second," he hissed at her.
"But I'm not a baby!" she cried, fighting against his hold.
"Yes, but you tell him that, Lily, you don't hit him."
"No, you're right," James told her. "You don't cry like a baby, you cry like a girl. Guess you really are one!"
"James," Harry said, snapping his head up and levelling him with a burning stare. "That is enough!I don't want to hear another word out of you about this, you got that? You're twice her age, start acting like it."
"Yeah, mate," Teddy said, observing the scene with a frown. "Pick on someone your own size, eh?"
Abby saw something flash in the younger boy's eyes as he looked between Harry and Teddy, and then, for just a brief moment, at her.
"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "I will."
He then made his way over to Al, who'd been standing quietly near the door up until then, and shoved his shoulder hard against him. Al hit the wall with a small cry of pain that was nearly drowned out by the sound of Harry's yell.
"Get back here!" Harry said, following him out of the kitchen and up the stairs. "I SAID GET BACK HERE."
The sound of thundering footsteps and muffled shouts filled the room for a moment before silence fell once more.
Abby let out a small breath and relaxed her hands which she hadn't realised she'd been clenching until now. She knew her reaction was silly. Judging by the nonchalant manner in which Teddy had gone back to reading his magazine, the fight hadn't exactly been earth-shattering. But it was still enough to get everyone riled up, and she had to wonder what had caused it in the first place.
Abby shook her head, realising that it was none of her business. She glanced around the kitchen then and saw Lily standing near the wall still looking rather hurt while Al was on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees and a scowl on his face. And there was this niggling voice inside Abby's mind telling her that she should do something. That she couldn't just sit there trying to be invisible while there were two very upset children in the room. Surely it was her responsibility as an adult to try and comfort them? But again…maybe it was none of her business. Maybe Harry wouldn't want her getting involved. It wasn't as if she had the slightest idea of what to do, anyway.
In the end, though, Lily made the decision for her.
She plodded her way over, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, and climbed onto Abby's lap without so much as a word.
Abby's mouth opened a bit in surprise as she stared down at the mess of red hair that was now tickling at her chin. The little girl lay back against her, her small body warm and her breaths slow and steady. And Abby dared not move lest she make her uncomfortable.
She couldn't remember ever holding a child like this before, but it warmed her heart in a way she hadn't expected it to. Lily had chosen to come to her. Maybe she'd felt safe or comfortable in doing so, or maybe she'd just wanted a comfy seat to rest on. Whatever the reason, Abby felt strangely honoured.
"Are you okay, Lily?" she asked gently, brushing a tentative hand through the girl's red locks.
She gave a quick shrug, but didn't say anything.
Abby brought her hand down, worried that perhaps she'd overstepped some boundary, but Lily quickly took hold of it and pulled it back up to her head, once more.
"You like that, don't you?" Abby said, a smile playing on her lips as she continued to brush her fingers through the girl's hair.
Lily nodded.
"Good luck getting her to leave you alone, now," Teddy said, eyeing them over his magazine.
Lily made a noise of discontent and stuck her tongue out at him. "We're not even friends anymore, you know."
Teddy placed a hand over his heart as if he'd just been wounded. "No…no, please…anything but that!" he said, collapsing against the back of his chair.
A soft chuckle met her ears and Abby turned to see Al watching the scene in amusement. Teddy seemed to notice, as well, for he continued with his dramatic display by falling off his chair and landing on the floor in a heap.
"Boys are stupid, right Abby?" Lily said in a matter-of-fact way as she looked up at her. "Cause we're girls, right?"
"Er…right," she said, not sure which she was agreeing to.
Lily whipped her head back around to face Teddy. "Abby says boys are stupid!" she shouted at him.
Abby let out a nervous laugh, very much hoping that Harry hadn't been able to hear that. "Not all boys, though, yeah?" she said.
"All boys," Lily said in a firm and somewhat ominous voice.
Teddy picked himself up off the floor at that point, shaking his hair out and brushing off his clothes. "Come on, Al," he said, walking over to him. "We're obviously not wanted here."
Al grinned, allowing the older boy to pull him up and wrap an arm around his shoulder as they both left the room.
As Abby watched them go, she felt a sudden rush of affection for Teddy. Sure, he'd messed with her mind a bit and accused her of some very strange things. But he had a good heart. And she always respected a person with a good heart.
"Finally," Lily said, turning around in her lap to face her. "Just girls."
Abby let out a sniff of amusement and nodded. "Just girls."
"Jamie says I'm not a girl," she mumbled, playing with a strand of Abby's hair. "But I am one, right?"
Something squeezed in Abby's heart, and she felt her shoulders deflate a bit. "Of course you are, love," she said, looking her in the eyes. "No one can tell you any different."
"Well, cause—cause Jamie says girls like pink. But I don't like pink. I like green and purple and sometimes I like blue. And Jamie says that I don't play with girls cause I only play with Hugo and I don't play with Molly cause Molly likes doll houses but I don't. And I don't want to cut my hair, but Jamie says I have to cut it cause I'm a boy. But I'm not a boy! I'm not!"
Lily dropped the piece of hair in her hand and crossed her arms with a small huff, scowling at the empty space in front of her.
Abby knew she had to say something right about now, but God if she wasn't at a complete loss. There was a very impressionable child sitting in her lap that needed reassuring, and she was terrified that she was just going to botch it all up.
But she had to at least give it a go, didn't she?
"Lily…don't listen to what James says, yeah? It doesn't matter if you don't like pink and doll houses. Those things don't make you a girl," she said, moving her red fringe out of her eyes. "Just like it doesn't make you a boy if you really like blue or—or playing with cars or action figures. What matters is what you think. That's all. Does that make sense?"
Lily scrunched up her face as if considering this deeply, and then nodded.
"Good," Abby said with a relieved smile.
"I'm glad I'm not a boy," Lily said. "They're all stupid, anyways."
Abby stared at her for a moment and then swallowed hard. "Well, erm…see, I didn't actually say that earlier. Not—not all boys are stupid, Lily."
"But they are."
"Well, no. At least…you didn't hear that from me."
"But you said."
"I don't think I did."
"But you did."
Abby exhaled softly, realising it was pointless to try and win this argument. Four-year-olds were apparently a stubborn lot.
With that in mind, she smiled at the little girl and tried a different approach. "Say…I'm sure you know some boys that aren't stupid."
Lily seemed to think about this for a moment before shaking her head.
"Well…what about your dad?" she said quickly. "He's not stupid, is he?"
To her surprise, Lily let out a giggle. "Daddy's not a boy," she said, as if the idea was silly. "He's a…a…"
"Yes?" Abby urged.
"He's just a daddy," Lily said with a shrug.
Abby bit her lip to keep from smiling. "Well, yes, but…he's also a boy, Lily," she said. "Boys grow up to be daddies and girls grow up to be mummies."
Lily's mouth dropped open in almost comical manner as she stared at her wide-eyed. "I'm gonna be a mummy?" she breathed.
"Well—I mean—you don't have to—"
Abby cut off abruptly when she noticed Lily's bottom lip trembling and a look of distress forming on her face.
"But I want to be a daddy!" she cried, dropping her head against Abby's shoulder and breaking down into a fit of muffled sobs.
Abby froze. Things had just gone from bad to good to worse in the space of about ten minutes, and she hadn't the faintest idea how.
"It's okay….Really, it'll turn out all right in the end, you'll see," she said, rubbing the girl's back while cringing at her own attempts at comfort.
"Words we could all live by, I'm sure."
The sound of Harry's voice nearly made her jump, and she glanced up to see him standing in the doorway with an amused look on his face.
"She was fine like five seconds ago," Abby said in a rush.
But he didn't pay her any mind as he walked over and knelt down next to the chair. "Lily…that's enough, now," he said.
"Daddy?" she said, lifting her head up and rubbing her eyes.
"Come on," he said, tugging lightly on her hand. "I want you to wash your face and then go talk to James. He has something to tell you."
"What?"
"You'll see."
"But what?"
"You'll see," Harry repeated. "It's a surprise. Now, go."
Lily's eyes widened and she immediately hopped off Abby's lap and hurried out of the room.
"And bring a comb down when you're done, your hair looks like a rat's nest," he called after her.
Harry stood up then and leant against one of the chairs, giving Abby an apologetic look. "You're probably regretting having stayed, aren't you?"
"What?" she said in surprise. "No, of course not."
He raised an eyebrow, clear doubt written on his face.
"I mean it. The thought didn't even cross my mind," she said with a shrug. "I'm having a wonderful time."
"Right," he said with a nod. "Because nothing beats screaming and crying children."
"Oh, there was hardly any screaming," she said, brushing away his words with a wave of her hand. "If you really want to scare me away, you're going to have to try a bit harder than that."
He chuckled in response. "Well…good to know," he said. "There's plenty more where that came from."
Harry rubbed his face then and exhaled heavily before tugging at the tie around his neck and tossing it on the table.
Abby watched as he walked over to one of the cupboards and pulled out a pot which he then proceeded to fill with water. "Harry," she said, an idea suddenly striking her.
"Hmm?"
"What is it you were planning on making for dinner?"
He stared down at the pot in his hand for a moment and then back up at her. "I don't even know, yet," he said, shaking his head. "I just figured I'd boil some water."
She let out a small laugh and made her way over to him. "Why don't I take care of it?" she said, gesturing towards the pot. "It's the least I can do."
Harry gave her a look. "You don't have to do anything."
"But I want to."
"But you're a guest."
"I'm a friend," she corrected.
"Abby," he said, a look of protest on his face.
"No, stop," she said, putting a hand on his chest, but then quickly dropping it. "I want to make dinner. And I want you to go…relax or something. Change into some comfortable clothes. Read a book, I don't know. Just leave."
He stared at her for a moment before letting out a sigh. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"
Abby shook her head.
Harry let out a sniff of amusement. "Fine. Have it your way," he said, handing over the pot. "Anything you need will be in these two cupboards and the one right behind you. Just, er…don't—don't open this drawer right here."
Abby stared at where he was pointing and then back up at him. "Why not?" she asked before realising it was none of her business.
"Well it's…broken. Sort of."
"Okay," she said with a shrug.
"Oh, and this one, too," he said, pointing to another.
"They're both broken?" she asked.
"Yeah, that's right," he said, looking away from her. "So, erm, yeah. I'll be back in a bit."
"Take your time," she said, watching him leave the room.
Abby turned around then and opened up various cupboards, hoping to find something that was quick and easy to make. After digging around a bit, she grabbed the ingredients she would need for pasta and set out to find another pot and strainer.
"Must be here somewhere," she mumbled, kneeling down to look through one of the bottom cupboards. She stuck her arm inside blindly, sifting through various pots and pans before her hand came into contact with something unfamiliar.
"What the…?" she said, pulling out the somewhat heavy object and staring at in confusion. It was large, round, and black with various scratches and burns along the surface that made it appear quite used. And if she didn't know any better, she could've sworn it was a—"Cauldron?"
Why did Harry have a cauldron in his kitchen? At least, she thought it was a cauldron. It definitely looked like one. Like the sort people cooked with in the Middle Ages or witches used in books and films to brew potions. And she might have let the matter go if she hadn't then found yet another one the exact same size and shape but of a different colour.
"What?" she said with a confused laugh, staring at the grey cauldron that looked even more beat up than the first one. They seemed so glaringly out of the place in the otherwise normal kitchen, and she had to wonder what Harry could possibly use them for.
Her gaze shifted almost automatically to the drawers he had told her not to open, and she stared at them for a moment, her insides practically burning with curiosity.
Were they really broken, or did Harry just not want her to see what was inside? And if that was the case, what could he possibly be hiding?
Maybe I could take just a tiny peek…
No.
It's not like there'll be anything sinister inside.
Don't even think about it.
They might even be broken like he said.
All the more reason to: Not. Open. Them.
Abby's fingers brushed against the handle of one of the drawers, just itching to pull it right open. But a voice in her head was stopping her. And this time it wasn't her own.
"Harry wouldn't have let you in the house if he didn't trust you."
Abby shook her head and took a step back, her hand falling uselessly at her side. Teddy's words from earlier filled her with a sudden sense of shame, and she wondered for a moment if perhaps he'd been right to be wary of her.
She sighed, pushing the thought from her mind. She would probably dwell on it later, but right now, there were more pressing matters to deal with. Like where Harry kept his ruddy strainer.
It took a while for her to locate it, and by the time she'd finished with the rest of the cooking, Harry had re-entered the kitchen dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and looking a bit less dead on his feet.
He took a seat at the table and slouched back against the chair. "What's for dinner?" he asked with a bright smile that made Abby feel quite warm.
"Oh, you know," she said. "Just the most delicious pasta you'll ever eat."
"And you're confident about that, are you?"
"Quite."
Harry grinned before placing a hand on the back of his shoulder and moving it around a bit.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing a small grimace on his face.
He shook his head. "Just sore," he said. "I sat in the same position for about five hours today at work. I think it did me in a bit."
"Well," she said, taking a seat across from him. "I suppose that happens when you get old."
Harry glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…go on, have a laugh," he said. "Just wait till you're my age."
She giggled and was about to respond with a cheeky comment when a look of pain passed over his face once again.
"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine," he said abruptly.
He was quite obviously not fine.
"Well…I'm not very well-versed in this area, but…do you want me to massage it for you?"
Harry looked at her in surprise. "No, it's…it's fine."
"I don't mind," she said.
"It's really fine."
She shrugged. "Okay."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Are you any good?"
Abby had to fight to hold back a smile. "I don't really know," she admitted. "I suppose…I mean, we could find out."
Harry stared at her before sighing in defeat. "Fine, give it a go, then."
She smiled and made her way around the table to position herself behind him. "Where does it hurt?" she asked.
"Right side, mostly."
"Got it," she said, resting a hand against his shoulder. "Just…let me know if it's working."
Abby took in a deep breath then before digging her hands into his back. She started moving them in a motion she once saw on the telly, and it seemed easy enough at first. The difficult bit was having to remind herself every few seconds that she wasn't touching Harry's back for her own pleasure, but rather for his relief.
Something that was quite hard considering how muscular and amazing it felt under her fingers.
"Ow—ooh—okay, stop. You need to stop," Harry said suddenly.
"What is it?" she said, letting her hands fall.
"Could you not…jab me so much?"
"Was I jabbing you?"
"Yes, among other things," he said. "Look, why don't we just stop, yeah? I'll take a hot shower tonight and everything will be fine."
Abby frowned. "Can I try one more time?" she asked, feeling guilty. "I'll do something else, something less painful."
Harry gave her a look that clearly said he didn't think this was a good idea, but he gave in nonetheless. "Fine, just…be gentler, please," he said, before dropping his head down on the table to rest atop his arms.
"Gentle…right…I can be gentle," she said.
She clenched her hand into a fist, bringing it up to just above his shoulder blade and then very carefully kneaded the area like she would a ball of dough. He hissed when she dug into a particular knot.
"Did I hurt you?" she said, removing her hand.
"No, no, keep going," he mumbled.
Exhaling softly, Abby continued the motion with more intensity causing Harry to let out a low moan of pleasure. The sound made her eyes widen and she swallowed hard, her throat going a bit dry.
"Right there…oh…that feels good," he said, before moaning softly once more.
Abby wanted to scream at him to shut up. Did he have any idea what he was doing to her? No, of course he didn't. He had no bloody clue.
Just think happy thoughts. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, happy thoughts.
Those are very happy thoughts, thank you very much.
Stop. Don't even go there.
Too late.
Abby's cheeks were on fire now. And she was torn between the urge to sprint right out of the kitchen, or grab Harry by his baby-blue shirt and snog his face off.
Unfortunately, neither option was very practical at the moment. But that didn't stop her from imagining things she shouldn't be imagining. Like what his lips tasted like…or how soft they'd feel against hers…or what sounds he would make when—
"Dad…Dad, where are you?"
Abby nearly jumped out of her skin. She quickly removed her hands and stepped away from Harry, thanking the heavens above that no one could read her mind.
"Dad!"
"I'm here, I'm here," Harry called, getting up and stretching. He gave her a grateful look. "Thanks for that. It feels a lot better."
"You're problem," she said with a smile. "I-I mean you're welcome. I meant to say 'no problem' but then I started to—"
"I got it, yeah," Harry said, patting her arm as he walked past.
Abby squeezed her eyes shut and let out a soft groan. She needed to relax. It was the only way to stop her mouth from running. And as her mind was still recovering from inappropriate thoughts about Harry, the last thing she needed right now was to blurt something out.
"Is there anything to eat, yet? I'm starved."
The voice came from the doorway, and she turned around to see James standing there looking up at Harry in exasperation.
"Abby made dinner for us, actually," he said, gesturing towards her. "Isn't that nice of her?"
"Sure…can I eat, now?"
Harry stared at the boy for a moment before letting out a small sigh. "Yeah, just go call everyone down," he said with a resigned tone. "And when you come back, you're going to set the table."
James turned swiftly on his heel and disappeared up the stairs.
"You heard me, James," Harry called after him. "I want you to help me clean up afterwards, too, you got that?"
His words were met with silence.
"James!"
Harry clicked his tongue in annoyance before making his way over to one of the cupboards and starting to pull out plates rather aggressively. "Of course he's not going to listen. Why would he?" he said with mocking tone. "He knows I'll just end up doing it, myself. The idiot that I am…"
Abby wasn't sure if he was talking to her or not, so she thought it was best not to respond. She followed after him instead and started opening up various drawers to find the utensils.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, er…I just thought I'd help," she said, looking up at him.
Harry's face softened in response, and he seemed to relax his shoulders a bit. "You don't have to," he said. "You've done more than enough. Just go sit down."
"Oh, it's really not—"
But her protests were cut off by the sound of feet pounding down the stairs. The kids entered the kitchen, a wall of noise following after them as they clambered around the table and sat down. James was conspicuously absent, and Harry seemed to notice as well for he asked Al about his brother's whereabouts.
"He's doing wee," Lily answered for him. "And he said don't bother him."
"That's what he said, did he?" Harry asked.
Lily nodded with her eyebrows raised.
"Lovely," Harry muttered, before making his way over to the staircase to call him down.
Abby turned back around and resumed her search for the forks. The next drawer she opened was definitely not for utensils, but the contents inside made her pause. There were rows of corked glass containers, some standing upright, some having fallen over, all filled to varying degrees with different coloured liquids. The containers looked like the sort of flasks that would be found in a chemistry lab which was strange enough. But even the drawer, itself, seemed off somehow. The inside was much bigger than any of the others despite the fact that it looked very much the same on the outside.
With a sudden jolt, Abby realised that this was the drawer Harry had told her not to open. She whipped her head around to see if he'd noticed her, but he was too busy dragging James down the corridor and into the kitchen. Teddy, Al, and Lily weren't paying her any mind, as well.
No one was watching. And she'd already opened it by accident. Completely by accident. It wasn't like she could undo what she just saw. Surely it wouldn't matter if she got a better look?
Abby licked her lips and tentatively reached out for one of the flasks. The label on it was peeling and faded, and she could just make out a single word.
Potion.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What?" she breathed.
The only potions she knew about were the magical sort. The sort in books and movies. Not in people's kitchens. So what on earth was Harry doing with an entire drawer full of them? Were they some sort of alternative medicine or something?
Abby grabbed another flask with a clearer label, hoping it would give her more information. But the sound of footsteps walking towards her caused her to immediately place it back down and close the drawer with a snap.
She could feel her pulse quicken as Harry approached, and she just knew he'd see right through her. Lying wasn't exactly her strong suit. It made her anxious and sweaty and tongue-tied. And she was already enough of those things as a default. Well…maybe not sweaty. Although, her hands did get clammy way too often for her tastes.
"Hey."
Abby jumped when Harry touched her shoulder, and she turned around to see an amused look on his face.
"Did I frighten you?" he asked.
"No—sorry. I was…I was just thinking."
"Okay…well, do you want to eat?"
She put a smile on and made her way over to the table, too afraid to speak lest she blurt something out. She tried not to think too much on it throughout dinner which was surprisingly easy considering the multiple conversations going on around her. Everyone seemed to talk over each other, and there was a whole lot of arguing over the strangest things.
"Lily drank out of my cup!" Al said, giving Harry a look of pure indignation.
"Lily, I asked if you wanted juice, and you said no."
"I want juice, now," Lily said.
Harry got up to pour her some, but when he placed it down in front of her she shook her head.
"I want Al's juice."
"It's the same juice," Harry told her.
"Nuh-uh. Al's juice is green."
"The cup is green, stupid," James said.
"Then I want a green cup!" Lily shouted in his face, standing up to tower over him.
Harry wordlessly poured her juice into a green cup before placing it on the table and pushing her down into a sitting position.
"What do I do with mine? It's got her germs all over it," Al whined, resting his chin on his arms and pushing the cup away with one finger.
"She's your sister, you all have the same germs," Harry said, pushing it back towards him.
That started an entirely different argument which ended in Al not touching his drink for the rest of dinner.
"If you decide never to come over again, I wouldn't blame you."
Abby looked up as Harry sat down next to her and handed her a cup of tea.
They were sitting in the garden, watching the kids play a vigorous game of It. Abby had wanted to leave right after dinner, feeling like she'd long overstayed her welcome, but Harry convinced her otherwise. Basically, he called her thick and told her she couldn't leave without drinking tea first. But it was a good enough argument, so she caved.
"Why would I do something like that?" she said, raising her eyebrows in question.
"I'm just saying," Harry said with a shrug. "They were being particularly annoying today. Even you have to admit that."
Abby let out a small giggle and shook her head. "There were…difficult moments, yes," she said. "But it was worth it."
"How so?"
She stared at him for a moment before turning back to face the scene before her. James and Al had just tackled Teddy to the ground and Lily was stuffing blades of grass down his shirt.
"It's funny," she said, ignoring his question. "I think I've learned more about you today than in all the time I've known you."
"How do you mean?" he said, looking a bit wary.
"Well, it's nothing sinister," she said with a small laugh. "Although…there were a few things I wanted to ask you about, but…I suppose it doesn't really matter right now."
Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "So, what is it, then?"
Abby traced her finger around the edge of the teacup, completely lost in thought for a moment as the events of the day flashed before her mind's eye. Seeing Harry with Lily. Seeing Harry with James. Seeing the fighting and the crying and the yelling and arguing and smiling and laughing. And so many things that made her heart tighten in a way she couldn't explain.
Because he'd done things the right way. And he'd been there. And he was good and he was kind. And he loved them more than anything in the world.
"You're a good father, Harry," Abby said, looking into his green eyes that always seemed just a bit too old. "You're a really good father. And I wanted to tell you that because…I don't think you know."
Harry stared back at her, his lips slightly parted.
"And maybe that means nothing coming from me...But I hope it does."
He glanced down at his fingers, seemingly fascinated by them all of a sudden. "You still think that even after everything you've seen today?" he asked.
Abby sniffed in amusement. "I think that because of everything I've seen," she said, placing a hand atop his and causing him to look up at her. "It doesn't matter that they fight or that they don't listen to you, sometimes. None of that matters…Believe me, I know. I know what matters."
"And you do, too, don't you?" she added softly, running her thumb once over his knuckles.
Harry creased his forehead and stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. "Abby…"
"You love them," she said, shifting her eyes towards the horizon where the sun was only just beginning to set. "That's enough. That's all that matters."