Today was great. I think spending the day at the beach finally gave me a hint of a tan . . . or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

"Awice! I'm tired too!" Whined little Lysander who probably didn't think it was very fair that I was carrying Lorcan back to our rented beach house and not him. I guess it wasn't easy for little kids to walk in the sand.

The twins were getting heavier to carry but I couldn't say no.

"Alright then." I said leaning down and putting an arm around him.
"I don't get paid enough for being your godmother." I said when I reached the stairs leading up to our place. I placed them back down so they could make their way up on their own.

Opening the front door I knew instantly that there was a change of plans. To be honest when it came to Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf . . . there usually was. Their bags were stacked high near the front door.

"They're leaving!?" I asked my parents who were having tea in the kitchen nook.

"Shhh . . ." My mum said sternly looking in the twins' direction.

"Alice! You're back with my boys."

Aunt Luna was dressed vibrantly in a purple and green tunic. "I hope they didn't give you too much trouble."

"No Luna they were well behaved." I said smiling at Lorcan and Lysander.

"No not the twins. The nargles . . ."

"Sander, Lorc come here." Said a strong voice that belonged to Uncle Rolf.

He sat down on the couch and sat the twins on his knees kissing them on their foreheads.

"Mummy and I have to tell you both something."

Luna came and sat on the couch taking Lorcan and placing him on her lap. I couldn't help but notice how the twins seemed to instantly pout at Rolf's mention of a change of plans.

"We have to go back home you see." Luna said as if she was reading to them from an adventure book. "We've caught word of a rare Jarvey outside of its native range . . ." She went on like this for a while and the twins were growing excited by the second until she finished with ". . . And Uncle Neville and Auntie Hannah will watch you for the rest of the week."

"No!" The twins said in sync.

"Take us with you." Lorcan argued

"Yeah . . . Pweaseee!" Lysander contributed in his best toddler voice.

"No sweetie we can't look after you while we work . . ." Luna said. I knew how much Aunt Luna loved her boys but she couldn't always take them with her. Their work could be dangerous and in this case I don't think they wanted a cursing jarvey near three year olds.

"I'll go."

"Excuse us?" Mom piped us from the kitchen.

"If you and dad say it's okay of course! I'd like to go with them. So, I can watch the twins while Rolf and Luna work . . . and they can stay together."

Luna smiled at me. "That's really nice of you sweetheart but . . ."

"Yeah enjoy your vacation Alice." Rolf said lifting Lysander from his knee and placing him on his shoulders. "These little beasts can be a handful."

"No I want to. They're my godsons I'd like to spend as much time with them as I can before I go back to Hogwarts. And besides . . . there was a time when you looked after me Aunt Luna."

When your dad's a Hogwarts professor and your mum is kept busy running The Leaky Cauldron you're looked after on more than one occasion. Aunt Luna and I spent many afternoons together eating ice cream while she told me all about wrackspurts.

"I'm fine with it . . ." Dad said looking towards mum who didn't argue it.

I love my godsons and I did want to spend time with them . . . but on my I quickly realized Rolf wasn't exaggerating, they could indeed be little beasts.

They stored sweets in their pockets eating them behind my back and as a consequence becoming insanely hyper. Their favorite past time seemed to be who could out scream each other and I even caught the little buggers trying to snatch my wand!

Overall we were having a good time . . . until they did manage to steal my wand.

I had gone down into the Leaky's kitchen to grab snacks for the twins and I naively thinking the twins could be left unattended for a single minute. James was going to join us later for lunch so I advised him to also snack before he got her. Afterall, this was my Uncle Seamus' cooking.

I returned to our upstairs apartment with an armful of snacks. The twins were sitting on the couch smiling at me mischievously.

"Boys, what did you do?"

They looked at each other with a grin I recognized to mean TROUBLE. I saw that grin every time Fred II pulled a stunt. I saw that grin in Lily when she outsmarted her older brothers and cousins. And I saw that grin in James almost regularly.

"We did teamwork!" Lysander said beaming up at me.

"Look!" Lorcan reached under the couch pillow revealing my wand.

I felt my jean pocket.

"Okay let's take this nice and slow" I saw approaching Lorcan slowly.

"Hey it's my turn!" Lysander reached for the wand.

"No!" I lunged forward but it was too late.

I looked in the mirror. I looked dreadful. I wanted to fix it myself but I was underage. I couldn't risk it. Or could I? I could go downstairs and ask Uncle Seamus to set me right . . . but then the outcome could be worse, much worse.

"Aunt Hermione!" She'd set me right. I'd get her to fix me after lunch. Lunch! With James! Oh crap . . . Was it too late to owl my cancellation?

"You look pretty Awice." Lorcan said from his time-out.

I refrained from glaring at a three year old. I was relieved Luna and Rolf were collecting the twins tonight. They'd visit Luna's father and it was off to some other exotic place. And to think I could be in Greece right now.

"Okay change of plans." I thought aloud.

"Boys time-out is over get your jumpers."

There was a good chance Aunt Hermione was at the joke shop. I grabbed a scarf from the coat wrap covering most of my face.

"We're sorry Awice." The twins said in unison. They were terribly cute.

"Let's go." I held their hands leading us downstairs and out of the Leaky.

We crept out of the Leaky without being noticed. I was astonished at how seriously the twins were taking this; they probably felt like they were on one their parent's adventures.

Once we made it to the street it was pretty easy to blend in with the crowd.

The joke shop was pretty crowded. I peered through the glass. No one I recognized was in plain sight. I readjusted my scarf. I leaned down to the twins' eye levels.

"Here's the deal. Were looking for Auntie Hermione but we have to be extra quiet so nobody notices us. It's kind of like a . . . mission!" They nodded enthusiastically.

We entered the shop as a family exited.

I scanned the first floor quickly.

"Look!" Lysander pointed up towards the second floor. I saw Hermione's signature brown bushy hair. "Good job." We didn't even reach the staircase.

"Well what do we have here?"

"Oh no." I thought holding my breath.

I turned to see Fred II looking at me smugly.

"Fred." I said curtly.

"What is that?" He pointed at my scarf. Before I could stop him he took hold of it.

"Freddy don't say—"

"James! Everyone come here."

It was too late.

James was soon followed by Albus, Lily, Roxanne, Hugo, Rose and Scorpius.

After about five straight minutes of laughing James was finally able to speak.

"Alice! For Merlin's sake what did you do to yourself? Tell me this wasn't on purpose!"

"I didn't do this . . ."

But I didn't get a chance to explain.

"I had no idea you wanted to have ginger hair!" He cackled loudly for everyone to hear.

"Mate maybe you should cool it." Fred II said wisely.

"No . . . no!" James gasped out in-between laughter. "She looks like she could be related to us! Maybe Ron and Hermione will adopt her!"

I looked around everyone seemed to be cringing.

"I can hardly look at you Allie. I don't think I'm going to be able to kiss you for a while." James seemed to finally be out of laughter.

"Allie?"

I looked down at the twins. Lysander was glaring at James while Lorcan was looking up at me with concern.

"Cover your ears." I ordered. They instantly did as they were told.

"You arse." I told James firmly not feeling the need to say much more.

I quickly grabbed the twins' hands and headed for the exit. I could hear Lysander look back at James and blow a raspberry.