MC4A

Fall Bingo: C4 (rake)

Word count: 500

An Autumn Tradition

Harry set down the rake and looked triumphantly at the pile of leaves he had accumulated. Ginny had bet that he couldn't clean up the leaves without magic, but he had just proved her wrong.

Suddenly, a gust of wind scattered his hours of hard work. "Damn it!" he grumbled, adjusting his glasses and preparing to pick up the rake again.

He heard his wife's telltale laugh behind him and turned to find her holding Lily Luna's hand. "Don't worry, I saw it before it all blew away," she said. She pulled out her wand and flicked it, causing the leaves to gather themselves into a heap again.

Harry chuckled and gave her a quick peck on her still-warm cheek. "Brilliant. Didn't I tell you I could do it?" He then knelt before his daughter and asked, "How would you like to jump in those leaves, Lil?"

She let out a gasp of excitement. "Can I, Daddy?"

He grinned. "You sure can. But you'll have to wait for your brothers."

Lily poked out her bottom lip. "Fine."

Harry straightened up and looked at Ginny. "Any idea where the boys have gotten to?"

"James doesn't want to come outside," she said, tightening the purple scarf around her neck. "Said something about being too old for leaf jumping since he's nearly old enough for Hogwarts. Albus, on the other hand, indicated an interest. I'll go and grab him."

A few minutes later, she returned with Albus, and the fun began. Each of the youngest Potter children took a running jump and landed in the bed of dry, crunchy leaves. Both giggled madly and proclaimed that they wanted to do it again, so Harry "reset" the pile and they went again. And again. And again. Far from being annoyed by the repetition, however, Harry was ecstatic. This was the childhood he'd never had, and it brought him immense joy to see his children so happy.

Ginny took his hand. "They look like they're having a blast," she whispered.

Another blast of wind eradicated the neat mound once more, but by that time, Lily and Albus had lost interest in jumping in it and were instead having what they called "a leaf fight." Harry wasn't entirely sure, but he thought that Lily might be winning based on her satisfied smirk.

"They do, don't they?" he said, gazing fondly at them. He savored the sights and sounds of their playing, tucking them away for the nights when the nightmares plagued him.

Ginny wrapped her arms around him. "I love watching you play with them, Harry. You're such a good father."

Harry's eyes misted slightly, and he cleared his throat before saying, "Thanks, Gin."

"You're welcome," she said, pulling away and flashing him a smile that still made his stomach do somersaults. "You want to have a go at the leaves, too? I'll fix them up for you."

Harry's face lit up. Despite being thirty-four years old, he couldn't refuse the opportunity. "I would love that."