That evening when I had put Mabel and Liam, I decided to switch on the news. I never watch the news, but I thought that after today, it might actually be useful. I put the volume on 12 and listened carefully:
"-in North England we advise no one to walk alone or down side streets while Police try and discover who the attacker is. Please remember to stay on guard at all times. Over to Linda who is live at the most recent crime scene."
The setting changed, and I was suddenly watching a middle-aged woman with a microphone in hand.
"Thank you, Tony. I'm here in Leeds, the most recent crime scene, where a couple who looked just under the age of 20 were found in the corner of a room, dead. Police are baffled as the victims don't have any signs of physical harm or abuse"
A photo appeared in the corner of the screen and I was shocked to see that the dead couple had glazed eyes and slightly open mouths. They looked scared, not dead. I didn't have time to dwell, however, because the picture disappeared, and the news flickered back into the studio.
"If you have any knowledge of the couple, by the names of Jessica Windsworth and Samuel Lopez, we urge for statements to be given. It might just help solve this extraordinary case. Thank you, and goodnight"
And the BBC's logo and theme tune filled the screen and it was finished. I checked my watch, it was 11 O'clock and I should really start heading upstairs, but I was in real need for some water, so I walked into the kitchen. I almost jumped out of my bloody skin when I saw Robert crouched by the freezer. It took me a second to process what he was doing but when I did, I put my hands on my hips and kicked the freezer door shut.
"Really Rob. That's pudding for Mabel and Liam. Not a midnight snack for you. You'll get fat." I smirked. He froze in the midst of putting a huge scoop of ice-cream in his mouth.
"I'm already 'fat', as you put it" he grinned, continuing to put the ice cream into his mouth. I sighed.
"But seriously, don't eat it." I frowned. He straightened up and put the spoon in the sink. I watched him as he reached for a glass.
"Get one for me, too" I asked, still watching him. He grinned again, and got another one out. He filled them both up and handed me one.
"Anything interesting today?" he asked idly.
"Well, if you count Ginny Potter's good-looking husband turning up in a brand-new Bentley, and then James accidently turning Albus' hands blue, interesting, then yes." I said matter of factly.
"You're meant to only find me good looking" Robert's eyes glinted with mischievous, so I slapped his arm.
"Be quiet you. You asked" I told him.
"A Bentley eh? We better up our game" he joked. I frowned.
"I'm joking, I'm joking. Don't look so mad" he said, pinching my nose. I was quite happy with my life, Robert didn't have to compare it with the Potter family.
"Well, we better be getting to bed" I announced, turning on heel and walking up the stairs. I collapsed on the bed and was pretty much already asleep before I hit the pillow.
The next day, we were running late. It was 8:30 and I had only just loaded Liam and Mabel into their seats. I drove as fast as the Ford Focus would go and teared into the school gates. I leapt out of the car and Liam followed suit, grabbing his bag, and fleeing his family. Mabel fell out the car. I turned around just in time to see her trip over and topple head first onto the pavement. But she didn't actually touch the floor. I saw a flash of red hair dart underneath her and Ginny pulled Mabel onto her feet.
"That was close" Ginny said. I laughed in thankfulness, an injured child wouldn't be great.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried. Ginny smiled, and handed Mabel back to me.
"I falls over Mummy" Mabel said proudly. I shook my head and kissed her. I looked around and saw that we were centre of attention.
"Where's James?" I asked.
"He had a situation this morning that caused him to breakdown in tears. He ran straight into the classroom when we arrived, but I stayed to explain, and apologise, about what happened. Harry isn't very good at explaining" she said.
"You didn't have too –" I began but she stopped me.
"Seriously Katie, I wanted too. We're going out today while the builders finish an extension so I'm not in a hurry. More the opposite actually" she said. I nodded, unsure what to say.
"Yesterday, James had a leaky blue pen concealed up his sleeve that was launched onto Al's hands when he tried to take the stick of him. Harry panicked, he didn't see the pen, so he thought it was, um, much more extreme." She said hurriedly. I sort of understood, sort of. How extreme did Harry think it really was? I looked around again and noticed that she didn't have Al or Lily with her. She must have read my expression because she said,
"Lily and Al are in the car. We're driving down up to Norfolk to meet with my brother." And too my astonishment, she patted a scarlet Bentley next to her. I couldn't see inside because of the black tinted windows. How bloody rich are they I wondered, If so, why would they move into the depths of Kent if they probably had enough money to live in a mansion in the heart of London. As I thought this, I remembered that neither Harry nor Ginny had mentioned where they had lived previously.
Ginny looked at her watch and put her face up to the tinted windows
"Al's a bit against James at the moment. James prefers to grab Al when he's annoyed and that usually ends in tears." She said.
"I've got to go" she said, starting to get into the car before she turned around to look at me,
"Hey Katie, how about you come over on Saturday with Mabel and your family. I think we should discuss things over dinner or something. Harry will be there" she said, smiling happily, before tiny baby cries required her full attention and she disappeared into the car. She rolled down the window to hear my reply,
"Oh, thank you! I'll tell Robert"
And with that, she waved, and drove off.
I turned back to Mabel and picked her up. I replaced her into the seat and quickly got in myself, because I had spotted Helen out of the corner of my eye. Dinner with the Potters. That was something I wanted to keep to myself for the time being. I was Ginny's friend here, not Helen or Zara.
I waved to Helen as I switched on the CD tape player. Here come the Dinosaurs launched into action and Mabel immediately started singing. After a couple of seconds, I found that I was singing too. We both sang I drove away back to Oak Tree End, our home. Seeing as I didn't have anything planned today, I decided to go past Heather Hall the only place where Ginny and her family could have inhabited. Heather Hall was an old, grand, Victorian building that hadn't been lived in for 50 years. I hadn't actually seen the building because of the overgrowing hedgerow and tall gates but as I drove past, I noticed the hedgerows had been cut, giving me a fair view of the place, and it was big. I also noticed that the Potter's must have changed the name of the house, because the old dilapidated sign saying Heather Hall had been removed, and was replaced by a nice oak plaque saying 'The Hollies'. I had to admit, I much preferred the new name they chose to the old one. Heather Hall had sounded really creepy. I rolled down the window and saw lots of action at the house. Lots of men in uniform were marching their way into the house, all looking very formal and professional. I looked around and noticed that there were no cars. How did all the men get here? I realised that Harry probably had to host a meeting or something that caused Ginny and the children to leave the house for a bit. I didn't want to seem too nosy, so I rolled up the window again. The house looked very nice. I could tell that the woodland would have expanded into their garden and the small trickle of water indicated they probably had a small river too. I'd always liked our house, but The Hollies seemed to be the mother house of our area. It even seemed to overpower Helen's husband's house. However, I seemed to know Ginny and her family enough to know they were not the boasting sort.
I put my foot down and moved along the lane. It was a nice day in May, so I wanted to take Mabel to the nearest public playground. It had been ages since we last went together, and I wanted to make the most of the weather.
When we arrived, I let Mabel run free, as I sat down on a bench and started crocheting (A new hobby I've just started but I think I'm rather good).
