Harry absolutely loved it when his wife had no work; just spending time with her for the whole day was really heaven on earth. Not only did he get to spend time with Daphne, but they also got some family time with their kids!

The day promised to be a fun one if Cyril jumping on their bed to wake them up was any indication. While the twins instantly bombarded them with questions as soon as they were out of the room, little Lily was constantly babbling the few coherent words the one-year-old could say—a mixture of "mama," "dada," and "um-um."

Harry could hear the kids playing around in the living room. There was Daphne's voice, too, patiently answering the twins' many questions. He couldn't quite hear Daphne's answer, but Harry was sure their discussions about why the sky was blue and why the ocean was salty but the lake was not must have been fun.

While the family was lounging around, Harry moved to the kitchen to cut some apples and mangoes for them to munch on. Bogie volunteered to do it, but Harry insisted; sometimes he just wanted to do things the Muggle way. Some habits from growing up Muggle stuck.

"Dada, are the mangoes ready?" a small voice suddenly asked and Harry turned his head to see Cyril on his tiptoes, eyes looking at the sliced fruits and his mop of blonde hair facing Harry. He chuckled as he levitated the knife to the sink while washing his hands before ruffling his son's hair.

"You're just in time, bud," Harry answered as he picked up his son and carried him with one arm. He grabbed a diced mango and showed it to Cy.

Cy's eyes lit up as he opened his mouth and Harry placed the piece of mango in his mouth before getting one for himself. The mangoes were sweet and juicy and based on his son's happy face, it was satisfactory.

"Yummy," Cyril said with a smile after finishing the small piece, the side of his mouth having some traces of mango juices. Harry chuckled as he cleaned up his face with a handkerchief from his pocket.

"You liked that, Cy?" Harry asked after wiping his face. He then levitated the bowls with fruits and headed to join the rest of the family.

"Yes, Dada!" His son's enthusiastic reply made him smile as he secured Cyril in his arms, making sure he wouldn't slip or fall. As he reached the room, Harry's heart melted seeing his family together. The twins were playing with some blocks and stuffed animals while Lily watched and occasionally tried to grab one, but the twins were quick to grab whatever she was about to get.

Daphne was quietly watching over them with a small book in her hands. Harry smiled as she turned to meet him. Cyril immediately fussed to get down. Harry delicately put him down and the three-year-old ran towards Daphne as quickly as his little legs could carry him.

Daphne met Cy with open arms and immediately kissed his cheeks then tickled him, causing light laughter from the child and getting the attention of the others. The kids grinned at seeing Harry with the bowls of fruits.

"Mangoes!"

"Apples!"

Izzie and Jay simultaneously cheered and Lily clapped. Harry wasn't sure if she was doing it because of the fruits or if she was just joining her older siblings. Before the twins could grab one Daphne cleared her throat which made them look at her.

"What do we do first before eating?" she asked with Cyril sitting beside her.

The two looked at each other before nodding and looking back at their mother. "Wash our hands," they both answered. Their antics amused Harry to no end. It was as if they were mentally having a meeting to make sure they were on the same wavelength. It greatly reminded him of the Weasley twins. Though the two were not as smooth as them, his twins were getting there.

"Very good," Daphne praised them and beckoned them to come near her. Harry conjured a small bowl for the water to go and felt proud at the awed look his children gave. Daphne gave him an amused look that Harry clearly understood.

Show off. Her voice was crisp and ringing in his head. He just shrugged his shoulders with a smirk on his face. Daphne smiled at him while shaking her head. The twins placed their hands near the bowl and Daphne used her wand to make a weak Aguamenti—just enough to wash their hands. Cy also went down to get his hands clean while Harry conjured a wet cloth to wipe Lily's hands.

If there was one thing Harry learned from being his kids' father, it was that mess was going to be a constant in their life, especially with the mangoes that would leave stains from its juices.

Thank Morgana for Annie, Harry silently thanked their house elf who was a huge help in their lives as he saw the mess on Izzie's bib, mango juice dripping from her hands.

"Imagine how sticky it would be if she touched your face," Daphne teased from beside him, and Harry couldn't help but snort as he took another slice of apple before looking at his wife, who had a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Damn, did Harry get lucky for Daphne to take his sorry arse and start a family with him. He put those thoughts aside as he prepared himself for another verbal spar with his wife.

"No need to imagine, love. I could always tell Izzie Mommy needs a kiss," Harry quipped back, plopping in another apple. Daphne's smile widened as she turned to face him, and he couldn't help but return it.

"Oh really? Our little drop of sunshine loves Dada so much she'll give you a kiss first," she rebutted, and Harry smirked. She knew he wouldn't challenge the idea of Izzie loving Dada.

"Well, I could always tell dear Izzie to kiss mum first since Dada loves her so much," Harry said with a smug tone that made Daphne snort before covering her mouth with her hand which she was using to hold her mango.

Harry couldn't help but laugh at Daphne's disgruntled face while removing her sticky hand from her face. She removed her hand, her cheeks slightly puffed and lips in a bit of a pout. It was one of her expressions that Harry adored so much.

"Daph, I don't think we need that mango kiss anymore," he wheezed in between laughs as Daphne glared at him, making Harry laugh even more.

Harry didn't notice it, but Jay immediately went to Daphne's side and tried to copy his mom's glare, which was funny to look at.

"Stop laughing at Mum!" he said with a stomp, trying to sound menacing and bold, but very much sounding cute instead, especially with the pout on his lips and his cheeks slightly puffed. The expression alone reminded Harry so much of Daphne's annoyed face.

Harry tried to control his laughter at his son's annoyed look, Izzie heading to Harry's side while Cy and Izzie looked at the commotion while still eating their fruits.

"Are you ok, Dada?" Izzie asked as Harry continued to try to reign his laughter. He nodded at Izzie before looking back at Daphne, who now had an amused and smug face. Harry bit the inside of his cheeks before looking back at her and James, who was still pouting.

"I'm sorry for laughing at Mum, bud" Harry apologized to Jay, whose pout was now gone, though his cheeks were still puffed. Jay looked back at Daphne who was quick to hide her face and started making crying sounds.

Minx! Harry thought amusedly, trying his best to not laugh and aggravate James even more. Izzie was on his side, holding his shirt and showing her support for her dad, which Harry greatly appreciated.

"You made her cry?" James questioned, eyes looking misty, and Harry silently cursed to himself. A crying Jay was not easy to calm and usually meant a domino effect of crying kids.

Daphne also looked up and glanced at Harry who met her and thought that they may have gone too far. Harry sobered up quickly while Daphne called for Jay's attention.

"Jay, sweet child, look! Mum's not crying!" she said, her hands open as Jay looked back at her. Their eldest sniffed before wiping his face with his sleeve and looking at her to make sure she wasn't really crying.

"Really?" he asked, and Daphne nodded, which prompted him to nod too before looking back at Harry.

Harry grabbed the opportunity for Jay to forgive him. He looked at Daphne and gave her a smile.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you, love," Harry apologized. He was aware that the kids were watching, so he figured he might use the opportunity to teach them something.

"Thank you for apologizing, love, and I forgive you for laughing at me," Daphne replied, giving him a genuine smile. Harry scooted closer and was about to give her a kiss when the kids pushed him.

James, Izzie, and Cy were pushing him away from Daphne and he raised his brow at his wife, who simply shrugged and was equally confused as to what was happening.

"No kiss to Mum!" Cy said, going to Daphne's side and holding her skirt. The twins acted as barriers. Harry tried to hold the smile and knelt down to level with the twins.

"Can I give a kiss to Mum?" he asked. The twins shook their heads together and crossed their arms. Harry looked up and saw an amused Daphne who was hiding her smile with her hand. He mentally smirked and looked back at the gatekeepers to try again.

"Can I get a kiss from mum, then?" he asked, and the twins looked at each other, a look of mischief being passed between them. Harry internally groaned upon seeing the slight twitch on the corner of their lips.

"No kiss from mum. Mum is ours now!" Jay said with an expression Harry could only describe as scheming. He couldn't help but be surprised as Jay pushed him which caused him to lose balance and fall on his butt, Izzie ran and grabbed Daphne's hand while Jay jumped and went to them.

"Come on, Mum! Before Dada gets up," Izzie said, pulling their mum with Cy at the side and Jay looking at Harry. Daphne nodded and sent Harry a teasing smile before running together with the kids.

"I'll get my kiss whether you like it or not!" Harry called out sitting down and chuckling hearing the kids' squeals and running footsteps. He turned around and saw Lily was left behind and looking at Harry. Their youngest cheered and raised her hands to Harry while calling out, "Dada!"

Harry smiled as he picked up Lily and kissed her cheeks. She giggled at Harry's action.

"What do you say, little flower. Let's go and get that kiss from mum?" he asked the one-year-old, who enthusiastically nodded and said, "Mama, kiss!" Harry chuckled before walking in their direction.

"Yup, Mama kiss," Harry confirmed before making stomping noises and saying, "I'm going to get that kiss from Mum!"

o

The day passed by a little too quickly for Harry's liking. He and Daphne were now in the twins' room, tucking them in. It never failed to amaze him how much the two had grown; one minute he was changing their diapers and the next they were running faster than him on his bad days.

He was now sitting at the edge of Izzie's bed while Daphne was on Jay's. He pulled her blanket to her chest and caressed her hair. She snuggled herself in her bed before yawning. Harry smiled fondly before kissing her forehead and wishing her good night.

Daphne and James seemed to be talking in whispers, which intrigued Harry. He stood at enough distance so it wouldn't be considered eavesdropping. Jay eyed him before giggling and nodding at Daphne who kissed him on the cheek. As she stood up and went to Izzie's side, she gave him a small wink and Harry just raised his brow, amused and curious, before heading to Jay.

"You had fun today, bud?" Harry asked, ruffling Jay's hair. He smiled and nodded, which made Harry feel warm.

"I had fun, Dad. Thank you," he said before yawning. Not wanting to keep his son from sleeping, he kissed the boy's forehead, whispering good night and meeting Daphne at the door. Before they could close it, they heard one last quip from the twins.

"Still no kissing Mum," their sleepy voices said before Harry closed the door, keeping himself from laughing at their statement. He looked back and saw an amused look on his wife's face. Daphne took his hand and the two slowly walked back to their bedroom.

"I had fun today." Daphne's quiet voice seemed loud in the empty hallways. Harry couldn't help but agree with her sentiments. He pulled her closer to him, holding her waist as they continued to walk.

"Me too," he replied, opening their door for Daphne to enter first. They entered the comfort of their quarters and Daphne turned around to look at him, a fond and sad look on her face. Harry immediately went to her and asked what was wrong.

"They're growing old. And we're growing old, too," she revealed. What did kids do except grow up? Sooner rather than later, they'd be starting Hogwarts—Teddy was already there. In no time at all, they'd be finishing their seventh year and heading out of the house. In a blink of an eye, Harry and Daphne would be back to living alone in their home, feeling lonely and missing their kids.

For now, though, the two parents still had a lot of time right now to bask in the presence of their kids; to spoil them and keep all the harsh truths of the world from them. Harry would do anything to ensure his children would have the childhood he was not allowed to enjoy.

"I know, but we still have a lot of time with them, so we'll make it worth it," he assured Daphne, hugging and caressing her hair to comfort her. Harry could feel Daphne's nod and smile before he pulled away from the hug and gave her a cheeky smile.

"Now, I'm ready for my kiss," he said, bringing his head closer to hers. But once he was close enough, Daphne used her finger to stop him. A teasing smirk plastered on her face.

"No can do, love. The twins did say no kissing," she said before turning around and heading to their bathroom while Harry stood there, dumbfounded but with a smile on his face. He groaned as he plopped on their bed while Daphne's laugh from the bathroom lit up their room.

a/n

Hi~ so, I'm still alive and running. Hooray! First, this chapter was beta'd by KingQuilva and made a damn good job shaping this chapter so a huge hooray and thanks to him! University has been a personal hell for me at the moment and taking majority of my time, so I apologize for lack of proper updates. Second, Date for the Ministry is not abandoned and I'll probably update it once the semester ends. Third, thank you all so much for reading this chapter and for the likes, follows, and reviews you gave the story! It really adds motivation for writing. I hope you enjoyed this story and tell me what you think in the reviews. Thank you again and I hope you gave a great day/evening!

Also, there's a discord server about Haphne and you can meet your favorite Haphne writers there and befriend people who also like the ship! You can catch me there, King, and others that are a great company! Just click the invite link (just remove the spaces) discord .gg / haphne

I hope to see you there!