Harry Potter zipped his son Albus' coat up and took his hand before they left WWW. It was late in the afternoon, and there was a chance of rain later that night. They were both wearing their winter coats, and for Harry, a scarf and cap.
Ginny had taken James to the dentist for a check up, so Harry had decided to get an early start on dinner. But a quick check in the cupboards showed he was low on several necessary ingredients, so he bundled Al up for a quick trip to Diagon Alley.
Several people nodded at Harry, smiling to see him out with his youngest son. Al seemed unaware of all the interest, until a woman stepped in front of them both, causing Harry, and thus Al, to stop.
"Bless you, Mr Potter," she said, smiling at both him and Al. "Bless you, your wife and your sons.
"Thank you," replied Harry, politely. He did not know this woman but, even after all these years, perfect strangers still thanked him for his actions against Voldemort. He and Ginny were often in the papers, still pursued by reporters, although they tried to protect their sons from the glare of publicity.
The woman walked away. Harry squeezed Al's hand lightly, and the little boy looked up.
"Okay, Al? Home?" asked Harry.
Al seemed thoughtful. "Why that lady say hi?" he asked. His daddy and mummy seemed to know lots and lots of people.
"She knows me, and she was being kind, Al," said Harry, easily.
Al looked over at the woman. If his daddy was okay with it, then so was Al.
"Hi," called Al, waving to the woman.
She looked startled, but then smiled broadly and waved back to the little boy.
Al looked back up at his daddy to make sure he had done the right thing. His daddy smiled proudly down at him.
"Home?" he repeated.
Al nodded. "Make 'sketti for Mummy and Jamie."
"The bestest, yummiest 'sketti," agreed Harry, "with my best assistant."
"Me," boasted Al.
"Yes, you," confirmed Harry.
They continued on their way to the Leaky Cauldron, where Hannah always let them use her private Floo when travelling with the kids.
Later, as she tucked him into bed, Ginny praised Al for being such a good helper for his daddy while she was away, and Harry praised James for being so brave at the dentist, as his eldest son showed him the special sticker the dentist gave him for being so brave.
"Just like you, Daddy," grinned James, who had heard that word described to his daddy all the time.
To Harry, being a dad was the best thing in the world.