We let the kids play for a little longer before I looked at my watch, the time surprising me. It was 3, and so if we wanted to go down to the village, we would have to do so now if we wanted to get home for dinner.
I opened my mouth to say this to the Potter's, but a voice behind me interrupted.
"It must feel like we're always here, Katie," it said, and I turned around, realising it was Sarah, "And we probably are, whilst the house is fixed up."
"Hey," I smiled, embracing her, "Where's your family?"
"Dillon's just over there with Maisy. He went into the office today, but was out by 1. Alex is… somewhere, and Posie's with me." She explained, and I nodded. Sarah looked round to the other people in the group.
"Hi, Robert," she said, "And hi, Harry, Ginny."
Harry dipped his head in acknowledgment, and Ginny lifted a hand.
"I was just going to say we needed to leave," I said, and both Harry, Ginny, and Robert looked over at me in confusion, "but I reckon I'll stay, now."
"We were going to stay a little longer," Harry said, adjusting Al, who was sound asleep on his shoulder, "But you're welcome to leave."
"We wanted to go and look at the estate agents," I explained, and Harry looked into the sky.
"I reckon you've still got time. Suns not setting for at least another 6 hours." He said, and again, I nodded.
Just then, Maisy ran over, giggling as her brown curls bounced on her shoulders. She stopped short at seeing the group of adults in front of her.
"Is James here?" She asked sceptically, and Harry furrowed his brows. Ginny narrowed her eyes as she turned her head to her son, who was playing happily on the seesaw with Liam, and 2 other children.
"Apparently he wasn't the nicest yesterday," Sarah said, a little loftily, "Made fun of her."
Harry growled out James' name as he also turned to look at his son. James must have felt the eyes on him, for he turned his head, and scowled when he saw both his parents looking at him.
He pushed the hair out of his face with unnecessary force as he turned away, beginning to climb onto the pivot of the seesaw.
"What did he say to you?" Ginny asked Maisy, who looked apprehensive.
"Told me I shouldn't be stealin' Liam," she said sadly, "But I told him I didn't knew anyone else."
Harry sighed, looking apologetically at Sarah.
"He seems to be having a rather possessive faze," he said, "He couldn't bear seeing me take Liam to school yesterday. According to Ginny, he was grumpy the whole car ride."
"Hm," Sarah said, "It's not something he was taught?"
Both Harry and Ginny looked a little affronted, and Ginny frowned. Robert sucked in a breath.
"If that's a hammer on our parenting, I can assure you it's nothing we've taught him." She said.
"I never said it was," Sarah replied, "But he can't have just picked it up out of nowhere."
Harry blinked, shifting Albus into the other arm.
"Our children are 5 years old. You really think that we've taught him to be like this? It's just as embarrassing for us as it is for you." He said, the bite behind his words obvious.
Dillon turned up as Harry was talking, pulling Alex as he came to stand next to his wife, narrowing his eyes at Harry, who was looking at Sarah with dark eyes.
"What's going on?" Dillon asked, taking a step towards Harry, "Why are you talking to my wife like that, Potter?"
Harry didn't move. He was a good 5 inches taller than Dillon, but had the drawback of a sleeping child.
Ginny grabbed his elbow, and pulled him back.
"Look, Sarah," she said, "We'll talk to James about it. I think he's still adjusting with having to share his parents with Lily, as well as Albus."
"Oh," Dillon said, "This is about what your son isn't it? He was downright rude to Maisy, yesterday. I hope you sort him out."
Harry and Ginny seemed to heat up at the exact same time.
"Let's go," Harry muttered, placing a hand on the small of Ginny's back, and guiding her towards the gate. She had one hand on Lily's pram, the other was clenched over what seemed to be her wand, deep in her pocket.
I watched in dismay as Harry reached James, and bent to his level. I watched James' face contort in frustration and confusion when Harry told him they were leaving, but to my surprise, James didn't protest. He trotted after his father, looking like an obedient dog, but I didn't miss the longing in his face as they came back towards us.
"Don't rush," Harry told us, "Let yourself in when you get back."
I nodded with Robert, before he turned to Dillon and Sarah.
"I'll have you know that James is an extremely intelligent child. He puts up a show, most of the time. He's 5, not 15. Children will be children. Have a good afternoon." He said firmly, a hand on James' head, the other on Al's back.
Maisy looked at James in surprise, almost as if she didn't know he was capable of acting well behaved. James looked back at her, his hazel eyes full of hurt.
And then they left. I watched as Harry linked his hand with Ginny's, as James walked in between them, talking up to them.
"Always one to back down from a challenge," Dillon muttered, and I frowned, "Go on, Maisy, you too Alex, go and play."
Maisy nodded, and entered the playground, searching around for I assumed Liam. Alex shook his head, and sat down on the grass, his head buried in a book.
"James is a good kid," I sighed, "But I agree with Harry when he said he's going through a possessive faze."
"It was Maisy's first day of school," Sarah protested, "I don't care how old he is. They should have brought him up to respect new people."
"I think they're raising their children beautifully," I said defensively, "That's just who James is. I doubt it's something they did."
"Tell me," Dillon said, "Does Liam have a tendency to be rude to people he's just met?"
"No, but-"
"Does he have an overconfident flair?"
"No, but-"
"I think they've bought him up to think he's the boss. Like everyone else is below him. I think-"
"Hey," Robert said, speaking for the first time, "Have you ever heard the saying 'all kids are different?"
"Yes, of course," Dillon said, "But that's not my point. No child is just born like that. It had to be conditioned into him."
"So you're saying that Harry and Ginny Potter, both very well-respected members of society, have told their son to disregard others? I doubt it."
"He's too big for his boots, that child." Sarah muttered, "Maybe because they had him so young. Young parents often don't know what they're doing."
"Do first time parents of any age know what they're doing?" I asked in exasperation, "I don't think age has anything to do with this, Sarah. I respect you, I really do, but I respect the Potters, too. I've seen them disciplining James, and he doesn't get off lightly. He's always picking on his brother. I don't think you should let Maisy take it personally."
"Oh so now you're having a jab at Maisy." Dillon said, scowling, and I looked at him in surprise.
"Of course not," Robert said, "But even if she were, it's no different to how you were talking about James in front of his parents."
"I just wanted Maisy's move to be as easy as possible," Sarah sighed, "But she's having a hard time fitting in."
"She's had one day," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure she'll settle fine. Harry and Ginny will have a word with James, I bet. They looked horrified to hear of him picking on her."
"They shouldn't be surprised though, should they?"
I sighed again, and looked over at the kids.
"Look," I said finally, "The Potter's have been so kind to us, so I'd like to keep my relationship with them strong. I don't want something silly like this to put a dent in our friendship."
Robert nodded his agreement.
"But what about our friendship?" Sarah asked, a little passive aggressively, "Don't you want to keep your relationship with me, too?"
"Of course," I said, a bit frustrated, "But not like this. Get to know them. They're not who you think they are."
"Who do you think they are, anyway?" Robert asked, and Dillon frowned.
"A bit snobby, if you ask me," he said, "It's what you expect, isn't it? A good-looking officer with his good-looking wife and three beautiful children, living in a big house in the countryside. Don't you think that gives off the 'I'm better than you' impression?"
"Not at all," Robert and I said simultaneously.
"I just need Maisy to feel welcomed." Sarah said sadly, "And an unkind child should be the least of my worries."
"Invite them over for tea," I suggested, "Or else I'll pitch the idea of you coming to us."
"Us?" Sarah asked sceptically.
I reddened a little.
"Yes. They're hosting us until we find a new house."
Dillon grunted.
"That's awfully nice of them," Sarah said, a bit surprised.
Robert and I nodded.
"We were actually going to go down to the agents, to see if there are any places on the market."
Sarah sighed, "You're so convinced you'll find somewhere, don't you?"
"Yes," Robert said firmly, "I find it hard to believe there is nowhere for sale within 5 miles of Downlow."
"We're not looking for a mansion," I explained, "Layters Lane is just too up market for us, I'm afraid."
"It's much cheaper down here than it is anywhere else," Dillon said, "Pleasantly surprised with the prices."
"I hope it doesn't become too busy," I said, "The school has already had to expand."
"There's only a certain amount of space," Robert said, and I nodded, checking my watch.
"We do need to get going," I said, "I want to be able to have dinner with the Potters."
Sarah sighed, and put a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, I'm sorry. To both you and the Potter's. I have to admit, I didn't think you were that close with anyone down here. I wasn't prepared to have to share you right off the bat." She admitted.
I laughed a little, putting a hand over hers. "I promise you; no one is lining up to be friends with me. Liam was downright miserable at school before James came along, and I am forever indebted to them for it."
"I'm still not a massive fan of either of them," Dillion said in dismay, and Robert rolled his eyes, taking my hand, and leading me to the park entrance to gather our children.
"I'll see you soon, Sarah, I promise!" I called, and she smiled, nodding.
After calling for Liam and Mabel, our little family set off down the high-street towards the estate agents. It was a very peaceful day, and there weren't that many shoppers around. Mabel and Liam were walking just ahead of us, having their own conversation, much to my joy, and so I grabbed Robert's hand, putting my head on his shoulder. He sighed contently.
"As much as I enjoy the Potter's company, I do miss just having time with our family, Kate." He said softly, and I nodded my agreement.
"I'm sure they feel the same. Let's give eachother some time alone with our families. We can stay out here until dark."
"That's at like 9," Robert said sceptically, "I don't think our children can last that long without dinner. Plus the fact they will be exhausted."
"Okay fine," I grinned, "Maybe not until it gets dark. 5? 6?."
"6," confirmed Robert, coming to a stop outside the estate agents. I called for the kids to stop, and they hurried back to our sides, obviously unaware on how far they had wandered. Sarah was right. There weren't any houses within a 2 miles radius of Downlow, and I felt my heart sink. What were we going to do?
I looked over at Robert, who was looking curiously at one particular sale. I followed his eye line, and blinked.
It read '8, Farrafirst Way, Downlow.'
"Well that's local," Robert said, glancing over at me, "That's just off where the Hollies is. Odd."
"4 bed, 2 bath, big garden, quiet road. Seems too good to be true." I said, also a little creeped out. Surely Sarah and Dillion had seen this house when looking for their own. It looked utterly gorgeous from the picture. A smallish cottage style house, with a secluded driveway, and from what I could see, right off where the Potter's lived.
"It does, doesn't it," Robert said, "I want to know more about this house, you know. Let's see what it's going for. Probably a lot."
"Let's not get our hopes up," I said, although I already felt a bit giddy with apprehension. Could we be looking at our future home?
Robert pushed open the door to the agents, and held it open for the rest of us. A young-looking man with thick dark eyebrows looked up when we entered, and smiled.
"Hiya, how may I help you?"
"We've got an enquiry on one of your displayed houses." Robert said, shaking hands with the man, "Number 8 Farrafirst way."
"Ah yes," the man said, "I knew it would sell fast. Only put it up this morning. Previous owner passed away a couple of weeks ago, so it's been under some renovations."
"Oh," I said, realising that this was why it wasn't on the market before now, "Well we'd like to make an offer."
We spent 2 hours down in the estate agents, by which time both Liam and Mabel were bored of colouring, and were moaning about being hungry. We had just arranged for a visit to the house tomorrow around lunch time, and to be honest, I was thrilled. After reading more about this house, it seemed like a dream. The main selling point, for us, was the large garden, and open plan sitting room and kitchen. I could already imagine the kids in the summer, chasing eachother round the garden. Maybe it was even time to introduce a dog to the family, although I didn't tell Robert that part, yet.
We stopped off briefly at the Tesco on the walk back to grab a quick snack for Liam and Mabel, before heading back up the hill towards the Hollies.
"This all seems way too good to be true," Robert said, shaking his head, "Maybe we should do a quick detour and have a little look now."
"Do you know where it is?" I asked, and he nodded.
"It'll probably add about 10 minutes to the walk, so we might as well."
He pointed to the left, and so we crossed the road, and headed up this quiet country lane. I noticed that the sign read 'Farrafirst Way.'
We didn't see a single car on the way to see the house, only the ones parked in driveways, and even then, we only saw about 5 or 6 houses by the time we got to number 8, anyway. There was a big 'FOR SALE' sign outside, but the lawn was cut, and the hedges trimmed.
Robert apprehensively led us down the short driveway towards the front door, and had a nosy inside.
"It looks perfect," he muttered, and I nodded, noting every detail about this house. From the plan we saw at the estate agents, the bedrooms in this house were much bigger than I had imagined, and Robert and I would even have an en-suite, to which I was very happy about. It was very secluded, and had lots of privacy, which was comforting after what had happened to our last house.
"We'll have a proper look tomorrow," I said, "And we definitely shouldn't get our hopes up, Robert. They might end up declining our offer."
"We'd get a good amount from our old house to put a good deposit on this one," he said excitedly, "It's closer to the high street, and Liam's school. I feel like it was meant for us."
"I know," I said, grinning, "But we still shouldn't get our hopes up. Someone might come in with an amazing offer that they'd be stupid to decline. We'll have a better idea on where we stand with it tomorrow."
Robert nodded, and stepped back.
"Do you know how to get the Hollies from here?" I asked, and he nodded.
"I think it's just up there," he said, "About a 5-minute walk or something. They'd be our neighbours!"
I smiled, and took Liam's hand, heading in the direction that Robert had been pointing.
"What do you think, Liam?" I asked, "Do you think that'd be a good house for us?"
"I liked it," Liam smiled, "When do we get to look on the inside?"
"Hopefully tomorrow," I replied, "I think you'd have a bigger bedroom, too."
"Big like James'?"
"I don't think quite as big as James'," I said, "But definitely bigger than the one you have now."
We followed Robert and Mabel up the lane, and to my surprise, the Hollies stood right there to the left. I had completely lost my bearings.
"Oh wow, we really are close. Could do lift shares to school and everything," I said, and Robert grinned.
"Don't get your hopes up that high, Katie," he said, and I laughed, but definitely not putting my hopes down.
We walked up to the Hollies, and opened the gate towards the front door. It was weird, as we usually drove in. This was our first time entering the house from the path.
All the lights were on in the house, and we could distantly hear the sounds of laughing children. The sound at once made me feel bad, as I suddenly realised that yes, we were in fact taking away from the time the Potter's could have as a family. They were far too polite to kick us out, and I instantly felt guilty. Maybe they secretly wish for us to be gone, and so I hoped that we could get our hands on this house sooner rather than later.
"I know what you're thinking, Kate," Robert said, stopping beside me, "Don't think we're intruding. They offered."
"But I don't think they realised we'd be staying here for the amount of time we have."
"It won't be for long, and it's better than a hotel," Robert reasoned, and I nodded, stepping forwards towards the front door, knocking.
I could now hear music within, and James and Al's giggling voices. The door opened to reveal a very messy looking Harry.
"Hi," he said, grinning, "James was starting to think that you weren't going to come back."
"Of course we came back!" Liam giggled, pointing at Harry's hair, "You have flour in your hair. What you cookin'?"
"James wanted to keep that a surprise," he replied, running a hand through his hair, making flour sprinkle on the floor, "He's putting together the finishing touches."
"Can I go see?" Liam asked curiously, and Harry nodded, shutting the front door after all of us had entered and taken off our shoes.
At once, Liam tore off into the kitchen, and I heard James shriek.
"CLOSE YOUR EYES! It's not done yet!"
The rest of us entered the kitchen to see Liam with his eyes squeezed shut, whilst James stood on the counter, carefully icing a cake. He cried out in dismay when he saw the rest of us enter, and tried to cover the cake with his hands. Al was also on the counter, although he was spawled out, pouring sprinkles onto some cupcakes.
"It's alright, James," Harry said, "I think you can show them now."
James reluctantly removed his hands to reveal a cake with two iced people on it, which James had obviously done himself. One had black hair, and the other had yellow, so I assumed it was meant to be him and Liam.
"Can I look now?" Liam said.
"Yes," James replied, using the last of the blue to put Liam's right eye in, "I've finished now."
Just then, Ginny walked in, and smiled at us, before frowning over at the two boys on the counter.
"Lord, Harry," she muttered, pulling James onto the floor, followed by Al, who had since stood up to show his cupcakes, "What have I told you about letting them stand on the counter?"
"To be fair," Harry grinned, "They weren't standing up until a moment ago."
"Yeah yeah," Ginny replied, looking over at him, "And I assume you know you've got fuck- flour in your hair?"
"I do know that" Harry said, reaching over to hand James his cake, "Don't drop it, James. We'll have to wait until after dinner to eat it."
"What's for dinner?" James asked curiously, and Harry shrugged, looking over at Ginny.
"Hadn't thought that far ahead. We could just get a pizza or something if that's alright with you two?"
"Sounds good," I smiled at the identical looks of glee on both Liam and Mabel's faces, "Although these two might need a snack."
"I'd say the same about James and Al, but they've been licking all the spoons graciously," Harry said, and James giggled, offering his cake back up to his dad.
"Can you keep it safe whilst me and Liam go play?" He asked, and Harry nodded, taking the cake, and placing it on the counter.
At once, Liam and James scampered at the stairs, giggling happily.
"How was you walk back up?" Ginny asked, taking a seat in one of the island chairs. I took the one next to her, whilst our husbands decided to take the 'lean against the counter' approach.
"Pretty good, thanks," I smiled, "We're looking around a house tomorrow. We put down an offer a couple of hours ago."
Both Harry and Ginny's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"That was quick," Harry commented, and I nodded, "Where is it?"
"Just down the road," I grinned, and Ginny beamed.
"That's amazing! When will you know for sure if you've got it?"
"Not sure," Robert said, "Depends if they accept the offer."
"Fingers crossed," I added, "It'll mean we won't have to intrude for much longer."
Harry and Ginny scoffed, and Ginny waved her hand in dismissal.
"You haven't been intruding at all. We've loved having your company."
"Promise?"
"I never lie," grinned Ginny.
"It honestly looks so perfect," I sighed, "But at the same time, it looks too perfect, you get me? Like it's way too good to be true."
"But you can't say we don't deserve it," Robert said, reaching over to put a hand atop of mine, "Our house was blown up, Katie."
I rolled my eyes.
"You know what I mean."
"What time are you visiting the house? Mum had invited you all over for Sunday lunch, but I can always tell her you're busy." Ginny said.
"Oh," I said in surprise, "That's terribly nice of her. We're going at 1, so I assume that's around lunch time. Please tell her thank you so much for the offer, though. We really do appreciate that!"
"Of course," Ginny smiled, "You'll probably get invited every week for the rest of your life, now."
"You're all so kind," I said, "I don't know how I'd ever be able to repay you."
"To be honest, I think we're even," Harry said, looking down and grinning at Al, who had curled up in a ball at his feet, fast asleep, "How is that comfy, Al?"
He bent down, and gathered him into his arms, cradling him like a new-born. Al didn't even stir.
"He's alright, isn't he?" Harry asked, glancing at Ginny, who furrowed her brows, coming over to Harry's side.
"Why would he not be?"
"He's been sleepy all day. Definitely not like Al to stay fast asleep when I pick him up."
"I'm sure he's fine," Ginny muttered, brushing a hand over Al's forehead, "Diagon Alley must have really worn him out."
"Maybe I'll put him to bed now," Harry suggested, but Ginny shook her head.
"Not before dinner. He'll wake up in the night demanding food. Or else he won't, and he'll wake up hungry and not tell anyone."
"Let him sleep until dinner, though, I think. We can always wake him." Harry said, "And I still need to order dinner, anyway."
"Go do that now," Ginny grinned, "It's only a matter of time before James and Liam start complaining."
We all laughed, and Harry began to write down everyone requests for dinner.
1 hour later, and much to Ginny's chagrin, Al did not wake for dinner. Instead, he slept on Harry's lap, not moving a muscle.
"I'll save him some," Harry promised, "He'll probably sleep through morning."
"Hope so," Ginny said, turning to James, who had taken yet another slice of pepperoni pizza, "Save room for pudding, Jamie. You made a cake, remember?"
"My cake!" shrieked James, "Where issit?"
"On the counter," Ginny said, "But we've got to clean up this before we get the cake out, okay?"
At once, James started collecting all the empty cardboard boxes from the table, and throwing them in the bin. He then carefully gathered everyone's empty plates, and balanced them precariously by the sink, standing on his tiptoes to reach.
"Done." He said, after he was satisfied with his clean up, "Can I have my cake now?"
Later that evening, when all the kids were tucked into bed, and the adults had each donned a glass of wine, was when the situation with Sarah was brought up.
"She apparently didn't want to share me," I sighed, and at the look on Ginny's face, I added, "Her words, not mine."
"Really?"
I nodded, "I told her that that's ridiculous. There's plenty of me to go around."
"I hope she knows that Harry and I were horrified to hear of Jamie picking on Maisy." She said, and again, I nodded.
"To be honest, it was mostly Dillon. Said you guys were a bit snobby." Robert said a little unhelpfully, for Ginny frowned, and Harry started fidgeting, playing with the ring around his finger.
"Hope we aren't giving that impression to others," he sighed, "I dread to think about the gossip that goes on around here. We already get enough of it in our world. Don't need it here, too."
"What's the worst thing you've heard about yourself?" Robert grinned, lightening the tone a bit.
"A favourite is when James was born, and the hottest topic was whether or not he was my son," Ginny grinned, "As if I didn't birth the child hours previously."
"Probably have that headline still," Harry laughed, "You were absolutely furious."
"Rightfully so," I said, "If I were told the child wasn't mine after carrying it for 9 months, I'd start a riot."
"Trust me, I wanted to," Ginny said earnestly, "But I had the downside of being locked in a private ward at St Mungo's."
"St Mungo's your hospital?"
"Yes," Ginny nodded, "Haven't been there for any injuries for a while, have you Harry?"
"Thought that's what I sighed up for when I became head," Harry grinned, before we heard tiny cries echoing down the stairs, "You don't have to feed her, do you? You've just had a glass."
"I fed her when I put the kids to bed. She should be fine." Ginny said, "And I'm not moving so you can go get her."
"Okay boss," Harry saluted, striding out the room.
"I actually don't know how my Mum coped with 7 kids," Ginny said, "I can hardly cope with my 3."
"Tell me about it," I laughed, "Sometimes my 2 make me want to rip my hair out."
"James is making me go grey, and I'm not even in my 30's yet." Ginny agreed.
"Ah, to still be in your 20's," sighed Robert, "Only a distant memory for me."
"We weren't planning on having James as young as we did," Ginny said, "I was only just 22 when I found out I was having James. Not going to lie and tell you I was over the moon. I had only just got to grips on where I wanted to take my career."
"Did you stop completely?" I asked, but she shook her head just as Harry re-entered with Lily smuggled in his arms.
"No, I started again when James was a few months old. The season training starts in September, and we play until June. I had to stop again after the 2005 season, as I found out I was having Al. Another accident, I must admit."
"What went wrong twice?" Robert snorted, and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Harry's super sperm, apparently. I stopped playing after Al was born. What with him being born early, and the fact we now had two crazy kids."
"One crazy kid," Harry corrected, "Al's never been running up the walls like James does."
"He gives us enough trouble," Ginny said, "He was at the hospital for 2 months. Most miserable Christmas ever. I do not recommend it."
"Both Liam and Mabel were late, so I can't relate," I said.
"What about Lily?" Robert asked, "Does she complete the tally, or was she arranged to be born?"
"Both?" Harry offered, "Never really tried. Just let nature take its course, and it didn't take long, either."
"And definitely no more?"
"Absolutely not," Ginny said decisively, "No way. We are more than done. I would have been happy with two, but I couldn't at least try for a girl. If Al or James had been a girl we would have stopped at two."
"I just feel I don't have enough attention for three," I said, partly to the Potter's, but also partly for Robert, who was watching me closely, "I would feel so guilty that I was leaving one of them out. Especially with a new-born. I feel like Mabel wouldn't be able to comprehend that."
"We thought the same with Al," Ginny said, "But he settled quite well. He was extra clingy for the first week, whilst we did the routine family coming over to see the new baby and what not, but he was never crying about it."
"Do you have any baby pictures of the boys? I can imagine that they were both very cute babies." I said, and Harry grinned, laying Lily on the sofa next to Ginny, and walking over to a cupboard near the door. He took out what appeared to be photo albums, and passed them to me.
"The top one is James' first year, and the bottom one is Al's." he explained, pointing at the dates scribbled in the corner. "We've been slacking with taking photos of Lily."
I opened James' album, and Ginny appeared over my shoulder, pointing at the first photo.
"He was only hours old here. The first ever photo we took of him."
The photo was of a swaddled James, his eyes wide open, staring directly at the camera. Like most of the photos round the Potter's house, it was moving. I watched as the baby blinked slowly, looking around.
The next one was of Harry and James, taken presumably by Ginny, as Harry didn't seem aware that he was being photographed. He was shirtless, and had the tiny baby snuggled close to his chest whilst he swayed on the spot. He looked much younger – I had to remind myself that he was only 23 in this photo – and not as robust as he was now.
We flicked through James' album, and it was fun to see members of Ginny's family popup here and there. From about 4 months onwards, there seemed to be a permanent smile on the baby's face. Throughout James' first year, it looked like James had done a lot. From tropical beaches to sitting next to snowmen, James really had done the rounds.
Ginny pointed out a photo that she claimed to be one of her favourites. It was a photo of all three bundled in layers of clothes, James sitting on top of Harry's shoulders whilst Ginny clung onto his arm, all three smiling at the camera.
The album finished with a photo of James with his face planted firmly in a birthday cake, and Harry chuckled, saying times really hadn't changed.
Al's album didn't feel quite as full, but as soon as I opened the first page I melted. The first photo was of a sleeping Al, his hand cupping his face in an adorable fashion, and the second photo was of a little James holding his little brother proudly. It was very like the one I had of Mabel and Liam, actually. I pointed this out to Ginny.
"I have one so similar of our two," I smiled, "It's upstairs."
I quickly hurdled up the stairs and rummaged through the bags of stuff. I remember putting it in a bag with loads of other albums and photographs, so quickly skimmed through each one. At last I found it, and took it downstairs, along with an album of my own two children.
"Here," I said, a little out of breath, handing the photograph to Ginny, who took it.
"Oh my goodness, look at little Liam!" she exclaimed, "Same expression though. How old was he here?"
"Almost two," I smiled, "Although the novelty of having two kids under two wore off in about a week."
"Don't know how you did it, Katie," Ginny grinned, and I shrugged.
"I still don't know how I'm doing it," I admitted, and she laughed.
We continued to chat and laugh into the night, but at around 11:30 a small shuffling was heard from the hallway. We all looked over to see Al, tears streaked down his face, eyes wide as he brought attention to himself. Harry and Ginny got up at once, Ginny taking him into her arms.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked quietly, kissing the top of his head as he snuggled into her. She exited the room, and I couldn't hear Al's muffled reply. Harry followed, a hand on Al's back as he bent down slightly to talk in Al's ear. That left me and Robert alone again, plus Lily, who was sleeping on the sofa her parents had just vacated.
I got up slowly, and took the tiny baby in my arms, sitting back next to Robert once she was secure.
"She's just so cute," Muttered Robert, brushing his fingers over her hair, "Hard to believe she's a little demon, as Ginny puts it."
"I know," I replied, "I wonder what happened with Al?"
"Probably a nightmare or something," Robert said, taking Lily from me, and placing her in his own lap, "Gosh she's tiny!"
"You've never held her before, have you?" I realised, and he nodded, "She's around the same size Liam and Mabel were when they were born."
"I'm worried that I might break her," he said, "She feels so delicate."
"I know," I said, "I can't even imagine how small Al was when he was born."
"He's quite tall now, though," he commented, "And I suppose that they're going to be genetically a bit shorter anyway – Ginny's quite short."
"I guess so," I shrugged, looking up as the Potter's entered, Al resting his head on Harry's shoulder. It seemed to be his favourite spot recently. When Harry turned to sit, I noticed his eyes were droopy, and I figured he'd be asleep in no time.
"Nightmare?" I asked, and Ginny nodded, glancing over at Robert, who was still holding onto Lily.
"You're alright to hold her?" she asked, and at his nod, she leant back, leaning against Harry, and yawning, "I don't have to worry about squishing her, then."
"If that's the case, you can have her back," grinned Robert, "I don't want to squish her either."
"There's a cot over there for her, if you want," Harry said, and Robert looked over to where Harry was indicating. He got up, and gently placed her in it, before sitting back next to me, putting an arm over my shoulders. I suddenly got an overwhelming urge of tiredness, and following Ginny's lead, I let my eyes droop. She had her arms wrapped around Harry's arm; her eyes were already closed. I let the hush of Harry's and Robert's talking lull me to sleep, and before I knew it, it was morning.
