It was a big night for the Potter-Weasley family. The head of their family, Arthur, was being honoured for his long career at the Ministry. With his blessing, Kingsley would also officially announce Harry's promotion to Head Auror, a job he had already been doing for three months alongside Robards, as he phased out.
As Harry came downstairs, fiddling with his tie, he saw his sons, James 6 and Albus 4, dressed in their new suits bought especially for tonight, wrestling on the sofa. "Boys...boys, ENOUGH!" he cried, separating the two.
Both boys giggled. "Just playing, Dad," said James, brushing his messy hair off his face. Ginny had taken him for a hair cut the day before, but it had grown back overnight, to her despair.
"When we goin'?" asked Albus, impatiently. "Will Rosie be there, Daddy?"
"Yes, she will, all your cousins will be there," said Harry, tickling his son under his chin. Green eyes met green; Albus would be a dead ringer for his father when he was older. "Now, remember what we talked about at lunch time. Tonight is an important night and we have to use our very best manners. What does that mean...James, Al?"
"Say please and fank you," said Albus.
"No yelling," said James, " even if I see Freddie somewhere, I'm not allowed to yell out, 'hey Freddie'!"
Harry chuckled. "Very good. You smile and you stay close to your family. There'll be plenty of us there, so no wandering away." He knew the press – including that damn Skeeter – would be in force tonight, and Potter-Weasley news was sure to make a headline, truth or not.
"Can we go see your new office, Dad?" asked James. He planned to be an Auror just like his dad one day.
Harry shook his head. "Sorry, boys, not tonight."
"Aw, nuts," scowled James, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Turn that frown upside down," quipped Ginny, coming downstairs with Lily Luna, nearly 2, in her arms.
Lily reached for her father as soon as she saw him. He happily took her from his wife, as she gave the boys a final look over and lecture.
"Don't you look pretty tonight," crooned Harry, noting Ginny had managed to get Lily's unruly hair up in some sort of bun, and she wore a pretty head band that matched her dress. "The prettiest little girl there," he said proudly.
Lily giggled and patted his cheek, her little hands reaching for his glasses.
"Are we ready?" asked Ginny, placing a shawl around her shoulders.
"Mummy looks pretty too, don't you think, boys?" asked Harry.
James and Albus shrugged, already heading for the fireplace. Harry put his spare arm around her, drawing her close. "I think you look amazing," he said softly, kissing her lightly.
Suddenly it was too quiet. They broke apart, in time to see James disappear into the Floo. "Where did he go?" cried Ginny, hurrying to stop Albus do the same, grabbing him around his waist.
"The Burra," said Albus, squirming to get free.
"Oh dear, we were going to go straight to the Ministry," said Ginny. She firecalled her parents, relieved that James had arrived in one piece, and that they would bring him along with them.
"It's fine, Ginny, it's his first solo Floo ride, and he aced it. He probably heard our earlier plans for us all to meet at the Burrow and leave from there," appeased Harry.
Ginny let out a sigh of relief. "You're right, and if this is the worst that can happen tonight, then it's already done. Shall we go? I'll take Albus with me, you can bring Lily."
Harry nodded, watching his wife and second born son step into the Floo. "Ministry of Magic," she called, and was whisked away.
Lily began to whimper when she realised her mother and brother were gone. "Ssh, it's okay, they're okay. Come on, let's go find Mummy and Al?" Harry patted her back.
"Damie too?" she asked, her thumb in her mouth.
"Jamie too," nodded Harry. He stepped into the fireplace and put his hand over her face as he too, called out, "The Ministry of Magic".
The Potter family were reunited within minutes, except for James, who arrived fifteen minutes later. "HI, MUM, DAD!" he yelled, waving from across the room. "HEY, AL, DID YOU SEE ME TAKE THE FLOO BY MYSELF, DID YA, DID YA?"
Before they could stop him, Albus left their side and raced across the crowded room to get to his brother and grandparents.
"Merlin, this is going to be a fun night," groaned Ginny, hurrying after her errant sons.
Harry spotted Andromeda and Teddy over the other side. " Come on, Lily, let's go see Teddy and Aunt Andi," he coaxed.
"Teddy, Teddy," chanted Lily.
As they headed over to his godson, Harry happened to notice two of the older members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement talking, whispering anxiously. Harry diverted from his path and headed for them. When one of the men spotted him, he said something to the other, who turned to look at Harry. Both men plastered smooth looks on their face, as if their harried whispers had never taken place.
Harry got a bad feeling. He'd left work the day before, leaving a case in their supposedly competent hands. He knew they weren't thrilled about his promotion, thinking him too young for such responsibility. Sometimes, even now, there was an 'old boy's club' mentality at the Ministry. Never mind what he had done in the past to derserve his promotion, in his thirties, he was still considered too young by some faction. He wondered what they would think when Hermione decided to run for the Minister for Magic's position.
"Gentleman," he nodded respectfully. His gaze cooled. "Is there a problem? The Monroe case, perhaps?"
"Harry, my boy. No need to be alarmed," joked McAllister, shooting a worried look at his counterpart, O'Leary.
"Then why am I suddenly feeling alarmed," said Harry, dryly, shifting Lily from one arm to the other. She reached up to pat his face.
"Harry, it wasn't a dangerous situation, and we were able to control it," said O'Leary, smoothly. He was taken aback by two piercing green eyes focused on himself.
"You have been hiding information from me. The situation was under control, you told me, no need for back up, or containment, or anything. Dangerous or not..."
he tried to brush Lily's hand away whilst still looking formidable at his peers, "You must tell me absolutely everything, and -"
Lily grabbed his glasses, giggling in delight as they fell to Harry's nose. " take me seriously next time," he finished, staring icily at the men.
There was silence as Harry stared fiercely at the two men – to him they were mere blurs – his glasses now dangling off his nose.
"Of course, Head Auror Potter, I understand. It won't happen again," said McAllister, flushing under the harsh scrutiny when it was turned onto him.
"See that it doesn't," he said harshly, watching as two blurs hurried away from him. "Are they gone?" he whispered to Lily, setting his glasses right. "What am I going to do with you, sweet Lily? How can I make the men take me seriously when you make Daddy look silly?" he asked, ticking her.
"Silly Daddy," agreed Lily. She lay her head on his shoulder, reaching again for his glasses. He moved away, just in time.
"Let's go find Mummy and your brothers," suggested Harry, as they wandered back to the celebration.
"HEY MUM, I FOUND DAD AND LILY," yelled James.
Harry sighed. "James, what did we say about no yelling? Did you-"
Ginny rushed up to him, taking Lily from him as she reached for her mother. "Harry – quiet please, James – Harry, Albus isn't here. Freddie just told me that he dared Albus and Rose to go to your office. We need to go find them!"
"Aw, no fair, you said I couldn't go, so why can Al and Rosie," complained James.
"No-one should be going to my office," said Harry. "Come on, then, we'll go and find them."
"Should I let my parents know where we're going? Ron and Hermione?" asked Ginny, anxious for her four year old son and niece, wandering around the Ministry.
"HEY, GRANDPA, UNCLE RON, WE'RE GOING TO FIND AL AND ROSIE," yelled James.
"Thank you, James," said Ginny dryly. To Harry, she muttered, "Now the whole ministry knows we've lost the children."
Harry was suddenly surrounded by his many nieces and nephews, except for Hugo and Lucy, who were too little to wander alone, and remained with a parent. "Can we come too, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny?" they asked.
Ron, just returning from getting Hermione a drink, looked surprised then concerned that his daughter was missing. Harry gestured to let him know it was all okay. "Fine, come on then, you lot."
Victoire took Lily from Ginny, and Teddy fell in step with Harry. Ginny held Roxeanne's hand. Dominique and Molly held hands, while Freddie, James and Louis raced to be first to the lift. Once it arrived, they ventured down, and when it opened, the boys raced to Harry's new office.
They found Albus and Rose, sitting together and twirling in Harry's chair, giggling. "Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, what did we tell you about running away?" asked an exasperated Ginny.
"Not to," said Albus.
"So why are you here? You were supposed to stay downstairs, with the family," reasoned Ginny.
"Albus is my family, I stayed with him," explained Rose.
"Rose is my family, I stayed with her," added Albus, and then they giggled together. The two of them were as thick as thieves.
"That's not what we meant. When we said family, we meant grown ups," sighed Harry.
"Mummy said Daddy acts like a child sometimes. Does Daddy count, then?" asked Rose, screwing up her nose in thought.
"Yes," said Harry.
"No," said Ginny, at the same time. They looked at each other and shrugged, grinning. Their nephews and nieces chuckled, used to Aunt Hermione berating Uncle Ron.
"Cool office, Harry," said Teddy, looking around.
"Yeah, cool," agreed James, who basically agreed with everything Teddy said.
"You know what's cool? Going back downstairs to your parents," suggested Ginny.
"But you're right here," pointed out James.
"I want to stay," agreed Albus. "Please," he tacked on.
"Peas," parroted Lily.
"We came tonight for a very special reason, remember?" reminded Harry firmly but quietly.
"Your Grandpa Weasley is going to be honoured for his many years of work. I know how much he'd love to have all his grandchildren see that," said Ginny, looking them all in the eye.
"Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are right, we should go back. Come on, now," ordered Victoire, ushering her cousins together and heading them out the door. Teddy helped her with the younger ones, especially James.
They headed up in the lift, talking companionably. The kids burst out, heading back to the party. James arrived first.
"WE'RE BACK!" yelled James. "WE FOUND 'EM COS MY DAD IS THE BEST AUROR EVER!"
Hermione and Audrey rushed over, scooping Rose and Molly into their arms, then returning to their respective husbands. Heads turned to look at them and the whispering began.
"Do you think there's any chance we won't make the front page of the Prophet tomorrow?" whispered Ginny to Harry.
He grimaced as Lily swiped his glasses again. "Not a bloody one." replied Harry.
Speaking of, Rita Skeeter – who else – sauntered over, as the rest of the Weasley children scattered to find their parents. "Hello, Harry, Ginevra," she drawled, eyes lighting up as Ginny scowled at the use of her full name. Rita knew full well she hated it. "Trouble with the children?"
"Not at all, Rita. Now, goodbye," said Harry, gesturing for Ginny to follow him somewhere, anywhere else.
"Or perhaps it's the Monroe case that's bothering you? Unless you haven't heard?" challenged Rita, eyes gleaming.
"The situation is well under control, and you can quote me on that," said a terse Harry, moving away.
Ginny followed but so did Rita. "I noticed your elder son came along with his grandparents, not with you both. Care to explain?" she hinted.
"I took the Floo all by myself," said James, proudly, to this stranger.
Rita's sharp eyes fell on him. "Really?" She crouched down to his level. He took a step back from intense stare and her strong perfume." You're very young to Floo alone. Do your parents let you go alone all the time?" Her Quick Quill quotes wrote 'Bad Parenting – The Potters?'
"Get away from my son, Rita, if you know what's good for you," warned Ginny, seethingly. She placed her hands on James shoulders.
James looked from the creepy lady to his angry mum. " Rita? Is this the bug lady you and Dad don't like, Mum, Rita M'skeeter?" He looked back at the lady. "Then GO AWAY, YOU SMELL!"
Several people nearby began to turn to see what was going on, including Ron and Hermione, who were close by. When she saw Rita, Hermione put on her lawyer face, and headed for them, even with Hugo on her hip.
Ginny snorted, covering her mouth with her hand. Rita looked taken aback, especially when Albus stepped forward. "YOU LEAVE US ALONE, STINKY LADY!"
Lily started crying, loudly. 'YOU MADE MY SISTER CRY!" yelled James.
"Really, Rita," said a woman nearby, shaking her head in disgust. Everyone knew of Rita's somewhat obsession with the Potters, but to attack the children?
"I'm going, I'm going," she muttered, casting a dirty look in Harry's direction. She shot Ginny a withering look, which was returned, and hastily backed into the crowd, her Quick Quill notes following her.
'FANK YOU, NASTY LADY!" yelled Albus. He looked up at Ginny. "I didn't forget to use my manners, Mummy." She patted his head in affection.
Hermione arrived seconds after Rita had left. " Sorry I didn't get here sooner, the speeches have started," she huffed. She handed Hugo to Harry, as her son reached for Lily, who was sniffling. "Was she being a bother?"
"When isn't she?" asked Harry, rhetorically, jiggling Lily and Hugo, one in each arm.
"But I think it's fair to say, our kids scared her off," stated Ginny, proudly.
"And would you please put your hands together for Mr Harry Potter, who has taken over the reins as Head of the Auror Department. Harry, where are you?" boomed Kingsley.
A spotlight fell on Harry and applause filled the room. He tried to wave to acknowledge them, but it was difficult with two kids in each arm.
It certainly didn't help when Lily knocked his glasses off again, or Hugo threw up over his suit, from all the jiggling.
Kids!