The evening was lousy.

Mabel was in one of her moods, meaning she denied sleep to both me and Robert. It was 9:45 by the time she finally decided to settle, and I was exhausted. I locked up downstairs, and switched off the lights.

After I trundled up the stairs, I collapsed onto the bed, completely worn out.

"Alright there?" I heard Robert say, but his voice sounded distant. I nodded, and closed my eyes, still lying on top of the duvet.

"You sure?" Robert persisted, and again, I nodded, "Are you sleeping in jeans, or –" Robert began, looking at me sceptically. At once, my eyes shot open, and I grinned sheepishly, rolling off the bed, and slipping on some Pyjama's.

"Trampolining tomorrow" Robert said, sidling into bed beside me. I nodded, and turned to look at him.

"James and Albus are coming too" I added, offhandedly. Even in the dim light, I saw him raise an eyebrow.

"That'll be fun for Liam" He said, after a short silence.

"And for us"

"How?"

"I can chat to Ginny, you to Harry" I stated, poking him in the side.

"Yeah, I suppose" he said, "Reckon the boys are any good at trampolining?"

I shrugged, "Dunno. Don't think they have a trampoline, so they can't be spectacular"

"Oh" Robert said, sounding tired.

"We'll talk tomorrow, sleep is calling us" I suggested, and he mutely nodded, wrapping his arm around me. We haven't slept like this in ages, but it felt nice, and I gladly snuggled into him.


The next morning I had a decent length lie in. I could see the sunlight shooting through the curtains, lying on the ruffled duvet like patches of gold. Robert was splayed next to me, mouth open, and eyes firmly closed. Mabel was obviously awake, as I could hear her padding around her room softly, opening toy boxes and drawers. I closed my eyes again, just happy to lie here, in silence.

About 15 minutes later, however, my wish to stay in bed was extinguished. I heard Liam's door creak open, and a second later, the small sliver of light under our own door started to expand, revealing my son in just his pants. He grinned, and jumped onto the bed, making Robert groan.

"Morning!" Liam cried cheerfully, placing himself in-between me and Robert.

"Morning, rascal" Robert muttered, grabbing a pillow, and pressing it to his face.

"Can we get a dog?" Liam asked, quite suddenly, and I heard Robert choke in surprise.

"What?" he spluttered, removing the pillow.

"I wanna dog" Liam shrugged, sitting up.

"And you just had this idea a second ago?" I asked, bemused.

"No, Presley n' Luis has a dog each, an' James has 2 owls. I wanna dog or an owl" Liam explained, wriggling off the bed.

"Owls?" Robert asked, looking incredulous.

"Yes, 2" Liam nodded, from the floor. I was confused, but amused. Did Harry and Ginny really own owls? I knew some people owned owls, but Harry and Ginny didn't come across as people who, well, had them. By now, Liam was back in his bedroom, and I turned my head to see Robert back under the covers, eyes closed. I swatted him on the arm, and he awoke again, looking at me, eyes narrowed. I grinned, tilting my head to the side, and then glanced the alarm clock that lay on the beside table.

It was 9:57.

Bingo! I had achieved almost 12 hours of sleep last night; No wonder I felt so refreshed and cheerful. But, that also meant that we had to get ready to go to Soar, and I hadn't left that much time to have breakfast, and get my children and myself dressed.

I climbed out from under the covers, and put on some cropped white jeans and a blue top. I pulled back the curtains and just soaked in the warm, 17°C, sunshine. It was probably one of the nicest days of the year, and I sort of wished that we had planned to go out to a National Trust rather than being cooped inside a hot trampoline park. Maybe we could cut our jumping time short, and then go to Cobham woods after. It takes us about an hour to get to Cobham woods when we drive from the house, but it should only take about 15 from Soar.

"It's a nice day" I started, repeating my plans to my husband, "I was thinking of maybe going to Cobham after Soar"

"Huh," Robert grunted, "Uh, yeah, sounds good"

"Brilliant, get up then. You'll do the driving" I said, watching as he let out a muffled groan, for the second time this morning. I span out the room, and entered Mabel's instead.

"Let's get you ready!" I said, darting into her cupboard.

"It's sunny, Mummy" Mabel told me, from her position on the floor.

"I know, we'll go to the woods after jumping" I said, and she nodded in agreement.

"I'll show Lily the daisy's" Mabel suggested, standing up, and taking the dress I handed her.

"Oh, I forgot about that" I murmured to myself. I had completely forgotten that Harry and Ginny might not want to go out after our session, I had just instantly assumed they would do.

"Lily not coming?" Mabel asked, looking upset.

"I'm sure she is" I nodded, dressing her in the little sun dress I had so much fun picking out at Next 2 weeks ago. I brushed her hair, and put a bow in to complete the spring look, before I quickly tidied her room, and walked out to dress Liam.

"Shorts?" I asked, "Blue or green?"

Liam thought about this for a moment, before saying "Blue"

I nodded, and handed him the shorts, and the shirt. He put them on by himself, well, almost by himself, and I ran a brush through his hair, making it lie flat and smooth.

"We're going jumping, right?" Liam asked, helping me make his bed.

"Yes, then we'll go Cobham woods" I told him, opening his own curtains.

"I'll bring my Soar socks" Liam said, going into his drawer, and pulling out his blue trampoline socks.

"Good idea, I'll go get Mabel's" I smiled, ruffling his hair, and walking out the room. I walked back into Mabel's sanctuary, and was annoyed to see the toy boxes all over the floor again.

"Mabel I had just cleaned all this" I said, putting the socks on her feet. She giggled, and lifted up her dress, exposing her belly. I grinned.

"I can see your knickers" I told her, tickling her on the tummy. She dropped the dress, and launched herself onto me.

"I hungry" she told me.

"I know, let's get you breakfast" I agreed, quickly grabbing a pair of shorts, and slipping them under her dress. She trotted downstairs, and I shut the door to her room firmly behind me.

Breakfast was a slow and tedious job in our household.

Lately, Liam has insisted that he pours his cereal by himself. Well, you only need to think of what happens when Liam does things like this.

Food! All over the damn kitchen!

Sometimes I feel like hiring a cleaner, or else try to get summoned by a wizard to learn how to clean up the mess quicker.

"Liam" I exclaimed, as the imminent because reality. Shreddies poured all over the floor, sliding underneath the freezer, and wedging themselves beneath the oven, "Please let me do it next time"

"No, I did it, look" Liam insisted, shoving his half full bowl of breakfast under my nose.

"Very nice, but you also got the floor extremely messy" I sighed, bending down to sweep up all the tiny knitted wheat squares. To add to the commotion, Mabel suddenly decided she didn't even want Shreddies anymore. She flung her bowl off the edge of the table and it broke in two, scattering yet another batch of Shreddies all over the kitchen floor. I felt like crying, I really did, but Robert turned up, in the nick of time, and instantly starting helping me in collecting all the discarded cereal from the floor.

"Right," Robert said, standing up, and facing our children, "Who did what?"

At the same time, both Mabel and Liam pointed at the other, looks of innocence etched on their obviously guilty faces.

"Me?" cried Liam, noticing Mabel pointing at him, "It was an accident"

"Not me!" wailed Mabel, tears forming in her eyes, "Don't like sheddies!"

"Looks like it was both of you, and don't cry Mabel" Robert said, as Mabel's mouth started to open. She closed it, and gulped.

"Apologise, both of you" Robert said sternly, looking from Liam to Mabel, to me.

"Sorry" muttered Liam, playing with his spoon.

"I sorry" mimicked Mabel, "But I still hungry!"

Robert glanced at me, before turning back to Mabel.

"Toast, then" he said, but Mabel shook her head.

"I want Sheddies" she said meekly.


After a long and stressful morning, Robert and I had finally managed to secure our children in the car, and we began to head off to The Hollies. I let my head fall back upon the seat, revelling in the fact I could just relax. No little size 7 ½ foot crashing into the seat, no worries that I could potentially crash the car, and (my eyes starting to droop just thinking about it) my focus not needing to be on the road.

It took us no time at all to get to The Hollies, and when we did, Harry's car was sitting outside the gates, engine on, and looking spectacular.

"Never gets less cool, does it?" Robert muttered, sticking his hand out the window to signal to Harry. I saw Harry gives him the thumbs up, and the real journey began.

"Hey, guess who's behind us, Liam?" I asked, looking through the rear-view mirror.

"Who?" Liam said mildly, flicking through his reading book.

"James" I said, waiting for Liam's reply.

"Behind us?" came Liam's voice, the book sliding down his knees onto the floor. I nodded, and he twisted round in his seat, waving madly. I smiled when I saw Harry wave with one hand, and I inaudibly saw him tell Ginny about the little hand darting madly through the back window. Ginny waved too, and I only supposed she was telling James exactly what was happening.

"Are they waving?" Liam asked me, and I suddenly realised that he was probably too short to see.

"Yes, they are" I laughed, turning back round in my seat to look in the wing mirror. Harry had stopped waving, and was back to both hands on the wheel, but Ginny was still waving to Liam's supposedly disembodied hand.

Liam waved for about 5 minutes, and then decided he was too tired, and resorted to asking me every minute if they were still behind us. It was the same reply every time:

"Yes, Liam, they are still behind us"

After half an hour, I kind of regretted telling Liam that James was directly behind us, for he was still asking every few minutes if we were still in front of them. However, only 15 minutes left of the journey, and Liam's questions started to die out.

At long last, we took the 2nd exit onto Courteney Road, and drove into Soar's carpark. Robert drove the car to the end of the road, and parked under a tree, so as to keep the car cool in the heat of the day. Harry parked beside us, and I opened the door and stepped out into the warm breeze. I reached round to the back, and pulled Mabel out, placing her firmly in between the 2 cars, safe from other cars roaming around.

"Journey was all right, wasn't it?" Ginny told me, cradling Lily in her arms. I nodded, marvelling at how fantastic Ginny looked. She wore a bright yellow sun dress, dotted with pink and green flowers, and had matching sandals on her feet. She looked way too young to be a mother of 3 children, and definitely didn't look like someone who had given birth a mire 3 weeks ago. Lily wore a pink cotton dress with a complimentary white cardigan, and matching tights.

"Yeah, no traffic" I said, giving myself a mental slap.

"It was Liam, waving, wasn't it" she grinned, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, he wore himself out with it though" I replied, gripping Mabel's hand.

"James almost exploded he was so mad that he couldn't see Liam" Ginny laughed, waking up Lily. The baby started to cry, and Ginny groaned.

"Oh I'm sorry Lily, please go back to sleep" Ginny pleaded, moving away, leaving me with Mabel.

"Let's get inside" I said to my daughter, and she nodded. Liam was already out the car, and chatting excitedly with James.

"I couldn't see you!" James exclaimed, spinning on the spot.

"I couldn't either" Liam agreed, and he started spinning like James.

"Careful" I heard my husband yell, from the entrance. He had gone ahead to get the wristbands, leaving me with Liam and Mabel.

"I am Dad" Liam said, rocking on his feet, dizzy. I grinned, and locked the car with the key. Ginny was a little off, trying to hush the baby, who was still crying. On the other side of the car, I saw Harry's head appear, holding Albus.

"Hi, Katie, smooth journey" he said, catching my eye.

"It usually is" I agreed, watching as he placed Al on the ground.

"So you come here every Saturday?" Harry asked, after a quick hello to Mabel.

"We try too, but we never –" I began, but a cry from Ginny made me stop mid-sentence.

"James! Liam!"

Both Harry and my head snapped towards the boys, who were running through the car park, unaware of the oncoming car…

Without a second thought, Harry had dashed off, leaving Al with me. He reached the boys just in time, and put his hand out to stop the car. Ginny and I watched from a distance as Harry grabbed James' and Liam's hands, speaking apologetically to the man in the car, who had rolled down his window.

The car moved on again, Harry let go of Liam, but bent down to speak to the pair.

"James naughty" Al said, pointing to his brother.

"So is Liam" Mabel said, and Al nodded.

"Be nice, Al" I heard Ginny say, and I looked up to her standing beside me, still bouncing her third child.

"I not naughty" Al said, eyes round. Ginny grinned.

"Not yet, you're not" she said, clutching his hand, and starting to walk over to her husband.

"Liam," I said, as he looked up at me "What have we told you about running through car-parks?"

"I need to be with you" he muttered, before adding, "or Dad"

"Same goes for you, James Potter" Ginny said, releasing Al, and adjusting Lily.

"I didn't see the car" James said, looking at his Dad, to his mum.

"That's the point" Ginny said, "But I reckon Daddy's already told you this, lets go inside"

Harry straightened up, and made to hold James' hand, but he snatched it away.

"I don't wanna hold your hand" he said, curling his palms into fists. Liam did the same, and they both stared defiantly at their respective adults. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Ginny got there before him.

"Fine, but you have to walk, and pay attention"

James nodded in satisfaction, and started to make his way to the entrance, Liam hot at his heels.

"What did the man in the car say?" Ginny asked Harry, following the boys.

"He wondered why I stopped him," Harry said, "Couldn't see James or Liam at all"

"So dangerous" Ginny said, shaking her head. Harry nodded in grim agreement.

"Thank god you reached them in time, Harry" I said, "Thank you"

"Sure" Harry said, taking Al's hand.

We got through the doors, and saw Robert with the 4 wristbands, and 2 new pairs of socks for James and Albus.

"You took your time" he said, directing the question more at me.

"Liam and James almost got hit by a car" I said, letting Mabel go.

"What?" Robert said, glancing at Liam.

"The driver couldn't even see them" I added, taking a wristband for Mabel. I bent down to fasten it around her tiny wrist, and then called Liam to do the same. He trotted over, and stuck out his arm.

"Come here, Jamie" Harry called, taking the remaining items from Robert.

"What's this for?" James asked as Harry stuck the purple band on him.

"It's so the workers know if you've paid" Robert said.

"Have I paid?"

"Yes, James, we've paid" Harry said, "Now kick off your shoes and I'll put these special jumping socks on you"

James did as he was told, and let Harry take his shoes and socks, and he pulled on the trampolining ones.

"They have funny bubbles at the bottom of them" James giggled, fingering the grips on the base of the sock.

"It's so you don't slip" Liam said matter of factly.

"I'm not gonna" James said.

"No, coz you have the socks on"

"I have socks too!" a small voice said from beside Ginny, and everyone turned to see Al lifting up his foot. He suddenly got shy, and ducked behind Ginny's legs, as he did when we first met him.

"Our session starts in 2 minutes" I noted, and Harry nodded.

"Where do we sit?" Ginny asked, wincing as Lily scratched her skin with her miniature nails.

"Just up there" I said, pointing to the seats by the open jump area.

"Great, lets go" Robert said, taking Mabel into his arms, and carrying her to the trampolines.

"I jump!" Mabel cried, her lips hanging in an upside-down smile.

We let the lady check the children's wristbands, and then let them go free. Liam and Mabel raced off instantly, James catching on soon enough, and following Liam tentatively. Al, however, hung back, looking apprehensively at the other children.

"No go" Al said quietly. Harry and Ginny glanced at each other.

"It'll be fine" Harry said, leading Al to the smallest trampoline.

"Daddy come on too?" Al asked hopefully, but Harry shook his head firmly.

"I'm too big, but I'll stay right here, I promise" He placed Al on the trampoline, and encouraged Al to jump. He got the hang of it in no time at all, and was soon jumping happily on his little trampoline. Harry stood back up, reassured that Al was content, and sat down next to Ginny.

"How is he?" Ginny asked, placing Lily on her knees.

"He's fine, I think" Harry said, gazing down at Lily. Lily looked over at her Dad, and gave a smile.

"Hi there Lily Lu" Harry cooed, taking Lily, and putting her on his own knees, her feet resting on his chest.

"Lily Lu?" I asked, wondering where the 'Lu' came from, "Is that her full name?"

"No, her middle name's Luna. Lily Luna, or Lily Lu" Ginny said, shaking her head.

"That's a gorgeous name" I commented, and Ginny nodded, "Is she named after anyone?"

"My friend, Luna" Ginny said, and Harry looked up.

"Stop claiming Luna, she's my friend too" He grinned. Ginny rolled her eyes, and turned back to me.

"What are Liam and Mabel's middle names?" she asked. I was about to speak, but Robert beat me to it.

"Liam Oliver, and Mabel Juliet" he said, and I nodded. Ginny grinned.

"What about your other two, though?" I asked. Ginny gave a swift nod to Harry, and he spoke for her.

"James Sirius, after my godfather, and Albus… Albus Severus, after someone else, who, uh…" he stuttered, and Ginny took over.

"Saved his life" she nodded, and Harry turned his focus back to Lily.

"Wow, lots of people who saved your life, eh?" Robert said, leaning back. We looked back at our children, all, apparently, in deep thought, until a small sound broke the silence. Harry had both Lily's hands wrapped around 2 fingers, and was blowing soft air onto her tummy. Harry grinned, and repeated the action, making Lily smile again, her eyes round.

"Mummy!" a sudden voice yelled, and Ginny looked up to see James on a trampoline near us.

"You all right?" she asked, startled. James nodded, and began to bounce up and down again.

"Watch me!" he cried. Ginny leant back, and nodded at James, "Go on then"

Harry looked up too, as James started to bounce. Considering it was his first time on a trampoline, he was pretty good at keeping balance. However, after 6 or 7 bounces, James suddenly shot into the air, and did a somersault. A somersault. Harry and Ginny both shot to their feet the moment James started going round, and I looked at Robert, shocked, and feeling slightly ill. James came down with a soft 'thunk', smiling, but he stopped, when he saw both of his parents on their feet, horror struck looks on their faces.

"James!" Cried Ginny, looking at her son in disbelief, "What on earth are you doing!"

"Come here" Harry said, reaching out to bring James over.

"I just saw a big boy do it, so I did I too" James shrugged, looking back at Liam, whose mouth was hanging open. Harry hugged Lily to his chest, and checked James over.

"I'm not hurt, I'm fine" James whined, tugging himself away.

"Where's Al?" Ginny said suddenly, and Harry's attention went from James, to scanning the room.

"There" he said, pointing to the foam pit, where Al was standing with Mabel, looking excited.

"Might want to get him, mate" Robert said, closing his open mouth. Harry at looked him, confused. "Mabel might urge him on, and he might land head first. He's only little"

"Fu – shi – cra –" Harry began, shifting from swearword to swearword, as I do myself. He placed Lily securely in Ginny's arms, and strode over to Al and Mabel.

"I'm so sorry I dragged you here, Ginny" I said apologetically, as James scarpered back to Liam.

"What? No! No, don't apologise! It's a great idea, and the kids are having fun. Too much, by James' standards" she added, watching James carefully. The plan that we would all be going to Cobham Woods was slowly fizzling from my brain, but I decided to mention it anyway.

"So, uh, we, Robert and I, we, well, we were thinking about going to the woods, up the road, after this, you know, to let the kids have a bit of fresh air" I said timidly, and Ginny lost her gaze from James.

"We were thinking that too, we could do it together" she suggested herself. I smiled in relief.

"YE – I mean, yes! Sounds like a plan. We usually go to Cobham, 20 minutes away from here, it's great" I said, trying to sound chill about it.

"I'll be good to get out" Ginny nodded, "We'll follow you there"

"Sure" Robert nodded, as Harry sidled back to us, "What'd they say?"

"Al said 'I not do it anyway'" Harry said, grinning, "And Mabel says she does it all the time"

"You take Al's word for it?" Robert said, looking disbelieving.

"Only Al though, James would jump right in" Ginny said, handing Lily back to Harry.

"Speaking of James, what exactly happened?" Robert asked, looking from Harry to Ginny.

"I don't know," Ginny said, shaking her head, "He's never done that before, and I'm surprised he didn't kill himself"

"So am I" Robert said, "We've been going here for a year, and never once has Liam tried to do anything like that"

"Well," Harry said, looking uncomfortable, "He's like that. Loves challenges"

"Wonder who he takes after" Ginny said sarcastically.

"You" Harry said, tickling Lily's feet, "Maybe me, too" he added, at the look on Ginny's face. The banter between them was easy, and I remembered the times when Robert and I connection to that extent. This was before Liam was born, however, after that, our relationship took a step back as we were new parents to an incredibly loud baby boy. Don't get me wrong, Liam and Mabel are my world. Literally. I revolve around them, but sometimes I need to pay attention to my husband; the father of said children, a bit more.

Harry suddenly leaned towards Ginny, and gave her a kiss. To them, it was probably nothing more than a peck, but to me, it showed the strength of their tie, the fact they probably do more than just kissing every night. It was ages since I had had a good shag from Robert, work was just getting ahead of us, I suppose. I had to remind myself that the couple beside me where almost certainly about 10 years younger, and much fitter, than me, but all the same…

I looked over at Robert, but he wasn't looking my way. He had his eyes straight ahead, watching James and Liam bounce up and down. The glassy look in his eyes, however, gave me the impression he was thinking, rather than processing what he was seeing.

I turned my head from Robert, and looked at my watch. We had 6 minutes left of this session, and to be fair, it had been a rather good experience.

The 6 minutes flew by.

Please may all people with purple wristbands step off the trampolines and make their way towards the exit. Purple wristbands, session had ended.

Liam and James had appeared not to have heard the announcement, for they were bouncing wildly, with no intention to stop.

"I'll get them" Robert said, standing up, and walking over to the 2 boys.

"Mummy! It was so fun!" James exclaimed, his hair looking ruffled and windswept, "Can we do it next time?"

"Uh, maybe" Ginny said, looking slightly unsure.

People were streaming out, children running all over the place, and I kept a strong grip on Mabel's hand. She was laughing as she tugged at my hand, trying to get away.

We made it to the cars, and Ginny turned to me, looking like she needed to tell me something.

"I've told Harry about the woods, and he's fine about it, but Lily needs a feed, and I obviously can't feed her whilst Harry's driving, so-" she began, looking flustered, but I nodded before she could finish.

"Sure, we can wait. How long does she usually take? Liam and Mabel took about 45 minutes each" I grinned, but it quickly slid off my face when I saw the frown form upon Ginny's.

"She's not feeding very well at the moment" she told me, "About 5 to 10 minutes"

"Oh, I didn't know" I said guiltily, "Any ideas why?"

"No, we have no clue" Ginny sighed, "Her appetite just seemed to…"

"Flop?" suggested Harry, appearing at Ginny's side.

"Yeah" Ginny murmured, watching the alert baby in the crook of Harry's arm.

"She'll be fine" Harry said firmly, kissing the top of Ginny's head.

"I hope so" muttered Ginny, closing her eyes against Harry's hold. She opened her eyes, and traced the baby's cheek with the back of her finger. She sort of, zoned out, a glassy stare appearing in her brown eyes; not unlike how Robert had looked earlier.

"What were the boys like?" I asked, and Ginny's eyes came back into focus.

"James was a right greedy thing" Harry grinned, "But Al took it slow. 30 minutes every 2 ½ hours"

"Wish Lily would up her game" Ginny said, watching as a tiny hand pawed at a tiny head, making the tiny bow fall upon its occupant's tiny face. Lily screwed up her face in dislike of the sudden dark, and started to cry again.

"I'll feed her now, it shouldn't take too long" Ginny said, taking the baby from Harry as he pushed the bow back onto the top of her red hair.

"Of course, don't rush" I said, and Harry nodded.

"I'll tell you when we're ready to go" he told me.

"Sure"

I got into the car. And told Robert what was happening.

"I remember when feeding Mabel was our priority" Robert said distantly, "Time's flown by, hasn't it"

"Yeah, seeing Ginny with a baby sort of makes me want one of my own again" I said truthfully. He looked at me.

"You'd regret that if you do end up having another one" he said idly, "We're a bit old to be having sleepless nights and having to do the 9 months thing again"

"Old? Really?" I said. Plenty of people our age are still having babies.

"Well, not old, but not as young as we used to be. Harry and Ginny are what, 26?" Robert said, glancing at the neighbouring car.

"I reckon slightly older" I said, and Robert narrowed his eyes, "Maybe more like 27 or 28"

"Wanna bet?" he asked.

"And how do we find out?" I asked incredulously, "Do we just roll up and ask 'Hi, Harry, Ginny. We have a bet on how old you are'" Robert grinned.

"No, we'll ask James" He said cockily.

"No way, it'll be private, between us" I said, and he nodded regretfully.

"Anyway, who'd you reckon is older?" Robert asked.

"Harry, for sure" I said at once, "It's obvious" I added, to Robert's raised eyebrows.

"How?"

"He said, he married his best friends' little sister" I explained, and Robert scowled.

"Clever, really clever" he said, "They haven't said their ages, though. Try guess that"

"Well that's what we're betting on" I said, rolling my eyes, "I'm going for 25, and 27"

"I'll go for 25,28" Robert said, but to our surprise, Liam interrupted.

"You're both wrong" Liam said from the backseat, and both me and Robert turned around in surprise.

"You're both wrong"

"We are?" I said, "How do you know?"

"James told me" Liam said, proud he knew something his parents didn't, "Mummy was the closest"

"Haha!" I yelled, pumping my fist into the air, feeling like a teenager again.

"But," Liam said loudly, making me quieten, "you only got one right"

"Who? His mummy or his daddy?" I asked, feeling it was the latter.

"His Daddy, I think" Liam said, looking thoughtful.

"Blimey, he really is 10 years younger than me" Robert said, rubbing his temple, "How old's his mum?"

"James said her birthday was in August, like you Mum" Liam replied.

"So, how old is she?" Robert pushed on.

"26" Liam said, finally.

"They could both get away with saying they're 23" Robert muttered, looking at his reflection, "When's Harry's birthday, I wonder"

Again, Liam answered, "The very last day of July"

"Summer kids" he muttered.

"I wouldn't go as far and call them kids" I said.

"Come on, they're practically babies in comparison to us" Robert said, and I frowned.

"They have 3 children, Robert. Definitely not babies" I argued, but he shrugged.

"If you say so" He said simply.

I turned away, and saw Harry trying to grab someone's eye. He gave me the thumbs up, and I told Robert that we could leave.

It indeed only took us 15 minutes to get to our closest National Trust, and we rolled through the gates, looking a space.

Cobham woods was packed. Cars by the dozen were lined up hap-hazardously across the spring grass, churning it up, and creating muddy footprints. It took us 4 minutes to find a space, and I watched guiltily as Harry's car continued to go up and down the car park.

"My family comes first" Robert muttered, turning the key, and letting the car shudder to a stop. I looked over my shoulder, and saw Mabel in her car seat, asleep, with her head resting on the headrest.

"Look who fell asleep" I whispered, prodding Robert, who followed my gaze.

"Oh Mabel J" he grinned, reaching through the middle to unbuckle Liam. I heard the strap give a gentle 'click' and the sound of the door opening was almost instant.

"Where's James?" Liam cried, peering into the neighbouring car; A VW golf.

"Over there" I told him, locating the car over the sea if others.

"Can I go?" He whimpered, but I shook my head firmly.

"No way José" I said, grabbing his hand.

"Please" He whined, watching as Robert reached us, Mabel's head lolling over his shoulder.

"What's the question" asked Robert, looking at a straining Liam curiously.

"He wants to run across the car park" I said through gritted teeth, the grip on Liam's hand strong.

"They'll come over to us" Robert said, kissing Mabel's head.

"No, no they won't" Liam persisted.

"They are, look" I pointed out, as Ginny walked over with James and Al.

"Oh" Liam said sheepishly, chancing an innocent glance at me.

"Harry's just getting the pram" Ginny said, when she reached us.

"Sorry about not finding parking spaces together" I said apologetically. Ginny shh'd me with a wave of her hand.

"It's fine, really" she said, letting go of James.

"Is there an entry fee?" Ginny asked me, bending down to pick up Al.

"It's free for all the kids, but a fiver each for adults" Robert told her, and Ginny frowned.

"I hope Harry brought money with him" she muttered, glancing back to her own car, as Harry lifted Lily from her car seat, into the pram.

"Don't you bring money everywhere you go?" Robert questioned, and Ginny shook her head.

"We usually know if we're spending it in the day"

"Here?" came a tired voice, and I identified it as Mabel's.

"Yes, you fell asleep" Robert said, as Mabel unglued her eyes.

"Hi Al" she murmured, yawing. Al waved, before ducking under Ginny's arm.

"Liam! James! Stay here" another voice yelled, and I saw Harry walking over to us, looking over our shoulders. All the adults turned to follow his gaze, and we saw the friends sneaking off, trying to get into the woods. They glanced at each other, and reluctantly walked back over to us.

"Don't run off" Robert told them, and they nodded.

"We weren't gonna, we were just exploring" James said, his eyes locking full force with Robert's. Robert broke the contact first, and mouthed 'Blimey, he's scary' to Ginny. She grinned, and nodded her agreement. She turned her head to Harry, and rested a hand on his arm.

"There's a fee, to get in" she told him, "Do you have money on you?"

"Uh, I think so" Harry muttered, reaching into his pocket. He nodded, "Yes, I do"

"Good" she said, removing her hand, and peeking into the pram, "Still sleeping, that's good"

"Let's hope she stays asleep" Harry said, pulling the sun shade over the sleeping baby.

"Lily cry in car" Al said to Mabel.

"Baby cry lots" Mabel agreed, granting it in her wheel to grab the side of the pram, and peer over the top, "But baby sleepy now"

"I sleepy" yawned Al, reaching his arms out to Harry. Harry took him, and Al buried his head into Harry's shoulder, their hair crashing together.

"You have slept in the car, Al" Harry sighed.

"I not sleep in car" Al said, though his voice was muffled.

"Let's go" I suggested, and everyone nodded. We wandered to the paying box, and handed the kind looking man behind the desk, two £10 notes.

"You have very beautiful children" he croaked, smiling at James and Liam by the leaflet display, "Beautiful indeed"

We all smiled, and gave him a chorus of thank you's.

"Enjoy your day" he said, smiling broadly.

"We will, you enjoy yours" Harry said, also smiling, Al's head on his shoulder.

"Thank you, kind sir"

Both my family and Ginny's left the small cabin, and headed down the woodland walk.

"He was nice" commented Ginny, pushing the pram with one hand, the other gripping Harry's.

"Yeah, he was. That's what you get with these National Trust places." Robert grinned, putting Mabel on the floor, and letting her walk beside us. Out of nowhere, Robert's fingers touched mine, entwining our hands together. I held on tight, savouring this moment where the contact between us was on a height.

We discussed many things as we walked, chatting smoothly, laughing, and just enjoying each others company. At the 15-minute mark, Al's head suddenly popped up from his Father's shoulder, and he let out a mumbled 'mornin''.

"It's afternoon, Al" Harry grinned, placing Al on the floor, and taking the pram from Ginny.

"No! I go up!" Al cried, reaching up to Harry.

"You have legs, Al, use them" Ginny said, firmly.

"Legs not working" Al scowled, and he sat on the floor, "see?"

Ginny frowned.

"Don't do a James on us, Albus, up you get" she said, ignoring all the other adult's bemused faces.

"I not James" Al said stubbornly, throwing a rock across the muddy forest floor.

"Al" This time it was Harry speaking, "Mabel wants to play with you, look"

We all looked up to see Mabel ahead of us, waving her arms at Al, who had his back to her. Albus twisted his neck so fast, I was positive he had got whiplash. At once, he jumped to his feet, dashing over to where Mabel was standing, not so much as giving a glance back.

"He's been so feisty lately" Ginny noted, taking Harry's hand again, and watching as Al handed Mabel things from the floor.

"It won't last" Harry said, grinning at me. We walked for a couple more minutes, before Lily began to cry again. Both Harry and Ginny groaned, and they pulled back the cover to reveal Lily, her face screwed up from her wails, and now, the sunlight. Harry reached in, and plucked her up, hugging her to his chest. The sun hit Lily's downy red hair in a way that made it look like a little red halo glowing round her head, and I had to admit, she was pretty darn adorable. She squirmed in discomfort, grabbing the collar of Harry's shirt, and clamping it tight in her tiny fist.

"Is she ok?" Robert asked, watching Lily apprehensively. Harry nodded, but a second later, Lily started to have a coughing fit. The minute the first tiny cough erupted from her mouth, Harry put her over his shoulder, and patted her back gently.

"What's going on?" said Ginny, alarmed. Lily was still coughing, crying, and looking extremely distressed. Harry put her in the crook of his arm, trying to sooth the infant but the coughing didn't cease.

"Lily cough?" Al said, running over to us, Mabel hot at his heels.

"Shh, Al, she's not feeling well" Ginny said, watching Lily anxiously.

"Sick?" Al asked, peering at Lily.

"Maybe" muttered Harry, kissing Lily's forehead as her coughs started to die down.

"I sick?"

"No, you're not sick" Ginny said, glancing at Al quickly, before putting her focus back on the baby.

"She's so warm" Harry murmured, shooting a nervous look at Ginny, 2 fingers on Lily's cheek. Ginny's fingers came up to rest by Harry's, and she nodded.

"She is"

Harry looked at me, and then to Robert, looking downcast.

"I don't think we're able to stay, we better get Lily home pronto" he explained, running a hand through his hair, "We're so sorry"

"It's fine" I said, feeling guiltily, for whatever reason, "Go get her checked out"

"James" called Ginny, and James came trotting up, Liam trailing behind him, both holding an assortment of objects.

"Look!" James cried, holding out his hand to show Ginny his 'treasures'.

"Good find" Robert said, pointing to a spiral shaped rock. James' face lit up with excitement as he thrust the rock under Robert's nose.

"I found it!" he cried, holding it up for us to see. Robert grinned, and let James place the rock in the palm of his hand.

"It was under a tree!" James went on enthusiastically, "It was hidin', but I found it"

"Good job" Robert praised, making James giggle happily. Harry coughed, making James turn to look at him.

"We've got to go" Harry told his son, cradling Lily's head, that was pressed against his chest yet again. James' goofy grin fell instantly.

"Why?" he whimpered, his objects falling to the ground with a soft crunch.

"Your sister isn't feeling well" Harry explained, taking Al's hand.

"Tell her to get better" James snapped, folding his arms. He had a defiant edge to his voice, making me thankful that is was not me who had to deal with him.

"She's only a baby" Ginny said, urging James to take her hand.

"No, I don't wanna go. Liam gets to stay" James said hotly, tears springing in his eyes. Liam nodded, watching James nervously.

"You'll see Liam on Monday" Ginny said, reaching towards James, but he moved backwards, out of her reach, "Come on, James"

"No!" he cried, and Ginny sighed.

"Please, Jamie" Harry said, bending down to James' level, and looking at James with a pleading look in his eye, "Lily needs to get home"

"I'm not Lily!" James said, close to tears.

"I know, but we can't just leave you here, can we?" Harry said calmly, straightening back up, and handing Lily to her mother.

"I'll apperate home" James muttered, dipping his head. Harry and Ginny both frowned.

"Come on" Harry finished, lifting James off the floor.

"It's not fair!" wailed James, wrapping his arms tightly around Harry's neck, "It's just not fair!"

"I know" Harry nodded, kissing James on his forehead, "But you'll definitely see Liam on Monday, and you can have fun at school"

"Bye, Katie" Ginny said, refocusing on me, "Thanks for the day, it's been great"
"Anytime, I'm glad you enjoyed it" I nodded, waving to Al, "I hope Lily's ok"

"So do I" Ginny replied, tracing Lily's small fingers. She said bye to Robert, Liam, and Mabel, before turning on heel, heading towards the car.

"Thank you, Katie, and Robert" Harry said, "James and Al have had so much fun, and I'm sorry that we have to leave so suddenly"

"It's fine" Robert replied, and Harry gave a small smile, following his wife out into the carpark.

"Poor Lily, and poor Harry and Ginny" I commented, turning to look at my husband.

"Yeah, and poor James" he added, looking at a disappointed Liam.

"He left his treasures" Liam said, picking up James' discarded objects, and tucking them safely in his pocket, "He'll want them back for Monday"

"Good plan" I nodded, taking Robert's hand, and heading further into the woods, making the most of the beautiful day.