I finally got the room to myself. Robert had left for work hours ago and only now did I really have time to dwell on the happenings of this morning. Mabel had insisted that I played 'Mums and Dads' with her for the whole morning and I was forced upon the 'Dad' role. But now, she had decided I wasn't very good at playing 'Dad' so she had pushed me out her room to play 'Barbies'. I collapsed onto the vacant sofa and switched on the TV. It opened on CBeebies, so I quickly flicked through the channels. I landed on the news and settled back to watch. Apparently, there had been a series of brutal murders throughout North England. I watched in shock horror as the news presenter described what exactly happened. I didn't feel my jaw opening but I remember Mabel walking in and laughing at me. I shut of the screen and turned to look at her.
"Where Kim's brush?" she asked me. I stared. She held out her barbie. Of course. Kim's a bloody doll. Mabel looked expectantly at me.
"Maybe Liam took it" she suggested herself, and she ran up the stairs to his room.
"Mabel get down here! Don't go looking around Liam's room when he's not here!" I yelled, louder then anticipated. I heard small footsteps tiptoe across the landing and I grinned.
The clock by the door suddenly chimed 3'Oclock. I should really leave now, if I wanted to be nice and early to pick up Liam. I called to Mabel and she babbled about her barbies as a got her into her seat.
"I get barbies for kissmas mama" she said, looking at me sincerely. I nodded. It was better then getting a little sister anyway. I drove up the winding lanes, purposely driving past the only house Ginny Potter could have come from. It seemed vacant, though I couldn't really see the house properly. As I pulled up outside the school, I realised I hadn't passed Ginny, or anyone else for that matter, as I drove down by her house. I couldn't see her here, either, as I walked through the school gates, holding Mabel's hand.
"Say Mabel, can you see little Albus?" I decided to ask Mabel, seeing as she could look through people's legs.
"Lickle babee shisher Alboos?" she asked, looking up at me. I nodded, and she frowned.
"No." she said shortly. I wondered if I should go up to the house to see if Ginny was alright, or if she needed a hand, but I didn't want to seem to eager. I was so lost in thought, that I didn't see Helen walk up to me.
"Hello, Katie, dear" she barked, making me jump. I looked blankly at her.
"Tell me all about that lady with the red hair, you've been chatting" she added. It took me second before I realised who she was talking about.
"We didn't speak much" I said, annoyed already at Helen's tendency to gossip. She glared at me, but I stood my ground.
"Really, we didn't," I protested, "Her little boy started talking to Liam and so obviously she had to fetch him back" I wasn't lying, not really. She raised an eyebrow, but carried on.
"What were you talking about?"
I was astounded how far she could get into people's personal business, so I decided not to tell her what exactly Ginny and I were talking about this morning.
"Nothing" I answered, as short as I could make it. She opened her mouth to talk but I had seen someone worth talking too elsewhere, so I excused myself and walked over to the old-ish lady with fiery hair. She was no doubt a relative of Ginny's. She had the same eyes. I pulled Mabel by the hand and cleared my throat. The woman turned around and gave me a dazzling smile.
"Hullo dear, is everything ok?" she asked me kindly. She was definitely Ginny's mum, I thought. I nodded and explained my situation.
"I think I met your daughter this morning, dropping of James at school. I was wondering where she was" I told her. The way the woman's eyes widened made me sure that I was correct in thinking this was James' Grandmother.
"Potter?" she asked.
"Ginny Potter, yes" I said. She nodded.
"She was left in a lurch this morning, having to drop James at school by herself. I came round to collect him, so she could stay at home with Lily and Al." I made a mental note to remember that Albus' nickname was 'Al'.
"Is she OK?" I asked.
"Yes, yes she's perfectly alright, just tired," she smiled, before adding, "and a bit worried." I chanced a confused look and she responded instantly.
"Harry, my son-in-law, has just been put in charge of a brutal murder case. You might have heard, I don't know if the mugg-" she stood abruptly and turned bright red. I looked on in confusion, so explained herself a bit better.
"My daughters' husband is the head of the umm… police, so he often gets put in charge of big cases. It's mercifully rare that he has too go to work everyday of the week for as long as it takes for the case to be solved. Ginny's in utter misery, she called me over to help look after the children."
I nodded sympathetically. So, this 'Harry' figure was very high up in community and status, but then why move here? A little area in the depths of Kent? I intended to speak again, but the doors to the school suddenly flew open and I heard the familiar yells of Liam. I spotted him, next to James, brandishing a picture. Ginny's mum waved to him and James collided into her legs.
"Hello there little man" she laughed. Just then, Liam was all of a sudden jumping up and down, giving me blurred views of his white blonde hair. I held him still enough to give him a hug.
"Nana! I drawed a pishure!" I heard James triumphantly yell. Liam told me he had drawn a picture too and I looked down to see some coloured blobs of paint on a white sheet. Mabel was pulling on my coat and I looked down to see teary blue eyes. I crouched down next to her.
"Mabel sweetie what's the matter?" I asked gently.
"I didn't dawn picure for you" she choked. I hugged her and said,
"You can draw a picture at home if you like" she smiled weakly and hugged me back. By the time I had stood up, James insisted that I 'Sawd my pishure too!'
I suddenly realised I hadn't introduced myself to the lady, so I extended my hand.
"Katie Williams. Nice to meet you" I smiled.
"Molly Weasley" she replied, shaking my hand.
"Well," she announced, "We better get going!"
"No!" said James. Molly looked at him sternly.
"Don't you want to see Daddy?"
"Daddy came home?" cried James, jumping up and down.
"Daddy will be home in," she checked her watch, "10 minutes"
"Home! Lets go home!" yelled James, waving to Liam and pulling his Grandma's hand. Liam waved back, pretty sadly, I noted.
"BYE!" shouted James. Liam waved again. Mabel waved too, but Liam pushed her hand away.
"James' not your friend" he told her. Mabel's bottom lip started to quiver so I scooped her up and plonked her into the car, before her wails burst everyone's eardrums. As Liam got into the front, he was rather unkindly chanting,
"Mabel has not friends! Mabel has no friends!"
"Liam, don't tease" I sighed.
"'m not." he said, turning around to stick his tongue out at Mabel, who wailed even louder then before. Life was adventure, what was I missing?
