I was too horrified to scream.
Ginny stared at the figure, her hand groping for her wand as she pulled Lily behind her. She rushed to her feet, her hand wandless as she glanced back at the door.
"How'd you get past the wards?" Ginny asked shakily, "We've got alarms at every corner."
"Fault by the front hedge," the man shrugged, "Quite an easy entrance, actually. After that, I could quite easily slip between the walls."
"Slip… what?"
"When Fürsicka mentioned about targeting the Potter's, I instantly shut him down. It wasn't that I didn't want to. I hadn't perfected that particular skill. If you can find the gap between the atoms, it's quite easy to slide through solid objects." He grinned. There was something uncannily handsome about him.
"Why aren't we calling for Harry?" Robert breathed in my ear, and I widened my eyes, shaking my head.
"Why are you here, Colebat?" Ginny asked, and I found it amazing how confident she was in the presence of a murderer. I noticed that she still hadn't acquired her wand, until I remembered that she had left in the kitchen. I paled. Why weren't we calling for Harry?!
"You know why I'm here," Colebat sneered, taking a step forward, "And you're smart not to go calling for Potter. You know what this wand has done, Gin."
"Don't call me that," Ginny spat, refusing to move, "You're not going to kill me, Lukias."
"Oh I know," Colebat grinned, finally reaching Ginny, and looking down at her, "No point in wasting such pure blood. First female born Weasley in 3 generations. Yes, you probably don't want to know what I'm going to do with you, Ginny."
I sucked in a breath and grabbed Robert's wrist. We were both frozen in fear, hoping Ginny had this under control.
A sudden squeal was heard outside the door, and I recognised it to be James'.
"We're finished, and I'm gonna go first!" he yelled happily, and I could hear him pushing up against the door in attempts to open it.
Colebat moved towards it, scowling, and I saw the colour drain from Ginny's face.
"Jamie! Daddy's upstairs, okay? Go and perform to him first, I'm sure he'd like to see it." She said desperately, and Colebat stopped, looking back at her.
"Why's the door locked?" James' little voice asked, and I started to sob quietly. What on earth was going on? Where we about to die right here, in our thirties, with our two young children outside the door? Were they going to die too? Where was Harry?
"We're just talking, James. Go to Daddy, yes? Bring the others with you?" Ginny looked terrified, and I realised what she was doing.
"Ok…" James replied, sounding apprehensive, and a little nervous.
"I love you," she whispered, before looking Colebat in the eye.
"What do you want?" she hissed, "You know better than to involve my children."
"If the child brings Potter, they'll both die, got it?" Colebat said, walking over to Ginny, close enough to make me shudder.
"Don't let your death tally include children," Ginny said harshly, standing her ground, "What the hell happened to you after you retired?"
"I fell in love," Colebat sighed, and he pulled Ginny's face to his.
I was absolutely mortified, and I turned, crying into Robert's chest. He too was shaking, although he held on to me firmly, wrapping his warms around my back. I could hear Colebat's voice muttering words to Ginny.
"You didn't have to go through with the marriage, Ginny," he was saying, "I think it was the pressure that made you say yes."
"Or the fact I love him?" Ginny replied, her voice cracking, "I've never loved you, Lukias. You were always so friendly at matches. What the fuck happened? I've never expressed any romantic interest in you at all."
"I've dreamt of days we could spend together, Gin. Just you and me. We can start a family of the purest blood imaginable."
"I already have a family," Ginny whispered hotly, "Who gives a shit about blood?"
"You have a family out of expectation, not love, Ginny," Colebat sighed, his hands on places that would make Harry furious.
"And what are you, an expert in my life?" Ginny shuddered, trying to move out of Colebat's hard grip.
"I would like to think I am," Colebat grinned, lowering his gaze from her face, "My god you are so beautiful… I just want to…"
A scarlet stream of light shot out from behind Colebat, and he fell forwards with a thunk, bringing Ginny down with him.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
James hurried up the stairs, his mind going a million miles an hour. He thought he had heard a strange voice in the living room, and his Mummy had sounded scared.
He scrambled past the other kids, who were sitting on the top of the stairs expectantly, and pushed open the door to his parent's room.
His Dad was sitting at his desk, staring up at the ceiling, a quill between his mouth. He barely moved a muscle when James scurried up to him.
"Can you come downstairs, Daddy?" he asked, placing his hands on the desk.
Harry only nodded absently, not taking his eyes off the ceiling.
"Can you come downstairs now?"
Harry sighed and removed the quill from in between his teeth.
"Give me 10 minutes, James, ok? I need to finish this letter by 11. Has Mummy seen your talent show?"
"No," James said, looking imploringly at his dad's working face. He had always been taught not to disturb his dad when he was working, unless it was emergency. His Mum hadn't said it was an emergency, and the last thing he wanted was to be in trouble, "She told me to show you first."
"Mmhmm," Harry said, tickling his chin with the feather, "Maybe go show Mummy first, then I'll come down in a minute."
James thought hard for a moment.
"It's an eberbency," he said desperately, and this seemed to get his dad's attention. He turned to look at his son, his green eyes furrowed in confusion.
Harry noticed the tone of James' voice as soon as he mentioned this so called 'emergency'. This wasn't playful, cheeky James.
"What's wrong? Is Mummy hurt?" Harry said, getting to his feet.
James' eyes widened, grabbing his dad's hand.
"I don't think so," he said, refusing to be the cause of any trouble, "I tried to show them our talent show, but the door to the living room was locked. She told me to go and get you, Daddy."
"Locked?" Harry said in confusion. Why on earth had Ginny locked the door on her and the Williams?
James nodded slowly, pulling his dad to a stop. He bit his lip, wondering whether he should tell his dad about the strange voice. He didn't want to be told off for having a fake emergency alert.
"What's wrong, Jamie?" Harry said, alarmed.
"I think Mummy needs rescuing," James whispered, and Harry blinked.
Harry froze, and put a finger to his lips, tuning in his Auror skills. He felt his heart ache when he heard a very faint chuckle of the very man he was writing all these letters about.
He pulled James into the master bedroom and ushered the other three in too. He locked the door, and cast a muffliato charm on it, just in case.
He silently rushed down the stairs. Indeed, the door was shut, and he winced at the stupidity of leaving Ginny. His Auror bells were going crazy a few minutes ago, but he had just thought they were imploring him to get the letters done.
He poked his wand through the key hole, praying to merlin his intuition would hit the right person. The sound of a male grunting was enough to confirm that the spell got it right.
He blasted open the door, unsure what locking charm had been used, and rushed to Ginny's side.
She was trapped underneath the hefty form of former Ballycastle beater, Lukias Colebat, or, in Auror terms, the most wanted criminal in the DMLE.
"You took your time," Ginny breathed, before she let out a heart wrenching sob.
Harry saw Katie and Robert fall back onto the sofa, Katie buried in Robert's chest as the latter looked too stunned to speak.
"Shit I'm so sorry," Harry whispered, shoving off an unconscious Colebat as he pulled Ginny into his arms, "I'm so so sorry, Gin."
She only shook into his embrace, her arms hooked under his armpits as she clung onto him for dear life.
"It's just like last time," she cried silently, "Lock him up for good. Please."
Harry waved his wand, and ropes wound themselves around Colebat. He shot another stunner just to be sure, before pulling Ginny in even tighter. His wand flicked, and Colebat disappeared to a holding cell at the ministry for him to deal with later.
"Are you ok? What did he do, Ginny?" Harry asked, glancing over to the sofa, in which Lily was sleeping soundly, undisturbed by the whole ideal.
Ginny didn't reply, rather hang on even tighter.
"Ginny," he pleaded, "Are you hurt?"
She shook her head and she finally peeled herself away from Harry, her face shiny with tear tracks.
"Where are the boys?" she whispered, her head still resting on Harry's chest.
"Upstairs. They're safe in the master," Harry soothed, cupping Ginny's face in his hands, and leaning down to kiss her on the forehead, "And you're safe right here. I promise."
Ginny looked over to where Katie and Robert were exchanging quiet words, and turned back to her husband, worry in her eyes.
"We need to talk," she said quietly, pulling Harry into the hallway, and into the back living room. She instantly pushed him up against the back wall, and kissed him, her hands linking around his neck as she cried into his touch.
"This isn't talking, Ginny," Harry murmured offhandedly, but he didn't make any move to stop. She slowly started to melt against him, and so he picked her up, and pushed her into the soft pillows on the largest sofa.
"We can't make the Williams stay here, Harry," she said quietly against his lips, and he nodded his agreement, "They could have been killed. Their children could have been killed. We should have never got involved in their lives. They were better off without us."
"Don't be so harsh, Ginny," Harry muttered, his hands getting lower and lower, "I know Katie absolutely adores your company. I've heard her talking to Robert. She loves you, Ginny."
"Can't we just obliviate them? Let them live their lives without us?" she pleaded breathlessly, gripping Harry's shoulders.
"No," Harry said firmly, "They know far too much. Obliviating them now would just mess with their memories from before they knew about magic, too."
"Oh, why did we move here, Harry? I'd much rather deal with pushy press than have my friends killed in our house." Ginny groaned.
Harry stopped moving, much to Ginny's chagrin, and looked at her.
"We moved here to bring up our children, Ginny. We've found a wonderful area with wonderful people, and the kids have never been happier. I know you don't feel badly about that. Colebat's gone, Gin, I'll make sure he won't come back. I'll fix whatever loophole he found in the protection. You know I won't stop until you're safe. I should have stayed with you today. Something was telling me to stay, but I ignored it. Whatever he said to you, Ginny, whatever he did, he'll pay for it, ok? This isn't like last time. This time you have three beautiful children to fight for. You didn't have that before."
"I had you," Ginny choked out, "I had you to fight for. Why do people aways assume I married you for anything other than love? Because I do, Harry. I love you so much it hurts."
"Same goes," Harry said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "And we'll spend the rest of our lives together, just as we promised."
"You better keep to your promise," Ginny said, "You've had too many close calls over the years. I think it's time for you to take a step back. Let someone else do the fieldwork. Because as you said, you have three beautiful children who simply can't afford to lose you. And frankly, neither can I."
"I'll have a contract signed tomorrow," Harry whispered, "Every time I'm out there I think of you and the kids. It's all that keeps me from going insane."
"10 years is more than enough time to fight dark wizards," Ginny said smiling a little, "Maybe you should run for head of the DMLE instead."
Harry grimaced, "I can already imagine the paperwork."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
I heard Harry and Ginny leave the room, and I at once looked to where the criminal had been, minutes prior.
"What happened?" I asked weakly.
"Harry," Robert said back, "The guy was down before Harry even entered the room."
"Where've they gone?"
"Into a different room, I suppose."
"Where did he go?" I knew I was being cryptic, but Robert seemed to know who I was talking about.
"I dunno. He disappeared."
"And the kids?"
"Upstairs, I think. Harry must have put them in all a room together."
We both sat in silence for a bit, before Robert suddenly let out a huge sigh.
"You're alright, aren't you, Kate? I'm still confused as hell, not to mentioned utterly disgusted."
"He spoke like he knew her. Did you see his face?" I grimaced as I remembered the eager look on Colebat's face when he reached Ginny. It was enough to make anyone sick.
"Old colleagues, maybe? Ginny was talking about him being retired or something." Robert shrugged.
"No wonder why Ginny seemed off when she was talking about him earlier. Maybe they played quzzitch together." I wondered aloud.
"Is that it, then?" Robert said, "Is the case over? Are we finally back to normal?"
I smiled sadly at him, taking his hands in mine, "To be honest, Robert, I don't think these things will ever stop. We know about magic now. We've been introduced to a whole new area of criminal activity."
"And there's no way for us to go back in time and forget all this happened?"
I squeezed his fingers lightly.
"Things have to get better from now."
He took me in his arms, and we stood there, holding eachother tightly.
We only separated when we heard movement at the doorway, and I looked up to see Harry and Ginny, both of whom looked solemn. Harry had a tight arm gripped around Ginny's shoulder, and I could see he was holding her a little closer than was strictly necessary.
"Is everything ok?" Harry asked, and I nodded, Robert copying me soundlessly. I swallowed, wondering what as about to come next.
Harry nodded in satisfaction, before turning away, eyes locked on the chair in the corner.
"It's not safe for you here," he said finally, "We've always known this, but today was the last straw. Now Colebat's figured out ways to get in, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing more people were in the same danger you were in just now. It's just not right."
"It's not your fault," I whispered, distraught.
"I admire your confidence, Katie, but if I'd-"
"Stop it, Harry," Ginny whispered, wiping her eyes angrily, "Don't keep doing this to yourself."
"It's true," Harry said reproachfully, "I knew something had disturbed the charms by the gate. I didn't think anything of it."
"It's almost 11 on a Sunday," shrugged Robert, "Why would you? As much as I'm sceptical about magic and all, I don't think it's fair to blame yourself."
"You've been through enough, Harry. Don't make it even worse for yourself," I said quietly, and he looked at me with a look he had never given me before.
It was love.
Not the romantic sort of love. No, those looks were reserved for Ginny. This was the love you would give to your family, the love you have as a means of appreciation, as a way to say thank you.
I gave him a small smile, a huge swelling of emotions overcoming me. It took all my courage not to start sobbing again, and I'm sure that the reason I didn't was because of Robert's strong grip around me.
"Thank you," he said softly, "I'll need to go into office today to deal with Colebat, but I'll be back in the evening."
I didn't know who he was talking to, but I saw Ginny's face fall.
"I want to get this over with, Ginny," he said "Surely you do too? It's been almost 6 years since his first attempt. He's way overdue to be rotting in Azkaban."
"I know," Ginny said sadly, "But get the day off on Tuesday. You need a break as much as the rest of us do."
"I'll try," Harry said, kissing her temple, "I'll go get the kids ready for Molly's."
He lingered for a moment, before slipping away up the stairs.
Ginny was left standing alone in the doorway, looking incredibly small and vulnerable. She usually had such a presence, and radiated confidence, but here she looked a little helpless. She was no longer crying, but her face was still a bit wet from previous tears.
I felt obliged to go over and embrace her, so I did, and she accepted it gladly. We never really noticed it before now, but our age gap really was that prominent. At 27 I hadn't even found a partner, let alone settled with children. Put being famous on top of that; well, let's just say Ginny is an incredibly strong woman.
"I really hope, for your sake, that you can get this house, Katie." She said, as we pulled apart, "For your sake. We knew the risks when allowing you to stay, but this has gotten a bit too much. For all of us. Luckily Colebat's a bit thick, and he didn't really give you two a second glance, otherwise I'm afraid you'd probably both be dead."
I put a hand to my mouth at the sincerity of her words.
"We didn't know what else to do," I admitted, "Screaming wouldn't have helped at all."
"To be honest we were really just wondering when your husband would get here," Robert commented lightly.
"He does tend to leave things to the last second," Ginny sighed, "I trusted he would make his appearance. If James hadn't told him, his intuition would have. The number of times he's told me to keep my wand on me."
"Where was it?"
"In the kitchen," Ginny said, collapsing into the small chair in the corner, tucking her legs up.
We sat in silence for a bit, before Ginny cleared her throat.
"Colebat used to be a friendly rival at work," she said slowly, "He was the first to welcome me on to the pitch in my rookie years and was always so charming. It was only when Harry proposed that he started to turn nasty. Harry began to get threatening notes at work, although he obviously wasn't too concerned. He was only 20 or something, so had completely absorbed himself in his work, and was used to the horrible letters by now. It was only when the same sort of notes started appearing in my locker that he started to worry, and start investigating, although he couldn't open a full case about it."
Robert and I didn't speak, merely looked at her, asking her to continue.
"Anyway, Colebat retired in 2001 or something, a couple of months after our wedding, and this must have been the turning point. He snuck me hundreds of letters a day, each one more horrific ways than the last, describing what he wanted to do with me. He never actually tried anything until the news came out that I hadn't renewed my contract for the 2002/2003 season."
"James," I whispered, and she nodded stiffly.
"He caught me alone one evening. Same entrance as he did today. He had obviously been standing in the corner for hours, waiting for Harry to leave. I held my ground, but it was a dark January evening, and I was exhausted."
"You don't have to carry on if you don't want to," I told her gently, not liking where this was going. Ginny blinked in acknowledgement but shook her head.
"I was scared, sure, but I knew Lukias, and bearing in mind he hadn't murdered anyone at this point, I had no reason to fear him."
"Other than the fact he had appeared in your house uninvited?" Robert added.
"And the look he was giving me," Ginny quivered, pulling her legs even tighter to her chest, "We exchanged some words, he did some things, and he disappeared."
"I was just a moment too late," Harry said lowly, appearing at the door, Al in his arms, "Came back to see Ginny in a bawling heap on the floor. Safe to say Colebat's been on my list for years."
"Is there anything you two haven't been through?" Robert asked in dismay, and a grin flittered over Ginny's face.
"A divorce?"
"Ha ha," Robert said cynically, but obviously relived that Ginny was acting more like herself, "Where are ours, Harry? Are they ok?"
"They're blissfully unaware of what has just happened. They're upstairs with James. They're safe."
"Good," Robert said, glancing at his watch, "We should really get going to the agency, Katie. We'll take the car."
I nodded.
Ginny hadn't uncurled herself from the chair, and happily accepted Al, who had his arms out to her. She tucked his head under his chin, and closed her eyes.
"You're alright to get to the Burrow on your own, aren't you?" Harry asked her faintly, and she nodded, eyes still closed, "Ok. I'll see you later. I love you."
He bent down to pull her into a kiss, and she accepted it, pushing their foreheads together.
"Get him gone, Harry. I don't want to hear his name ever again."
"I'd save the world for you, Ginny."
"Again?"
Harry grinned as he pulled away, his cloak billowing out behind him.
"Good luck on the house," he told us, and we nodded our thanks.
He span on heel, and exited the house, the door closing with a thud. I subconsciously looked out the window, and I saw Harry wave his wand over the house, hundreds of tiny, coloured lights spurted out the end at rapid speed, and settled over the house and the surrounding hedges.
"He's doubling the protection," Ginny said quietly, "I know he's not showing it, but as well as being alarmed about the charms not working properly, he's also extremely offended. Colebat has now broken through two of his barriers, and he sees it as insulting."
"I'd be offended too," Robert said, "Isn't this part of Harry's job?"
"Ish," Ginny said, "Most Aurors won't get taught the charms this elaborately. Harry's been doing this for years now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he stayed up all night tonight working on even tricker spells."
"Is that quite a frequent occurrence?"
"Not anymore," Ginny said, "I would say he knows every spell to exist, but he's confident that he doesn't." She glanced at the clock, sighing when she saw the time.
"I've got to go," she said, "I'll have to explain to my mother why Harry isn't here, yet again."
"We do too," I said, getting up.
10 minutes later, we had managed to bundle up Liam and Mabel in their coats – it was a cold day today – and hurry them into the car.
Ginny had all three children with her, Al and James hanging onto a finger each, whilst Lily lay snuggled in the crook of her right arm. She wiggled her fingers in farewell before setting off, disappearing with a faint pop.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Ginny let out a breath when she landed outside the burrow. The house was already bustling with noise, and the windows were wide open, steam floating into the sky.
She allowed James and Al to run ahead, and followed behind, dreading having to face her mother and admit to Harry's absence from yet another family lunch.
"Potters!" she heard Ron say, and a moment his head appeared round the door, his smile fading when he saw the worried look on Ginny's face.
"What's wrong, sis? Where's Harry?" he asked slowly, and his words seemed to reverberate round the building. The sound seemed to dim considerably when she took a step into the kitchen to face her family, most of which were sitting around the table with a glass in hand.
Molly's eyes narrowed, her arms folding over her chest.
"If Harry has been called into the office yet again, I will personally see to it that Starcoff retires." She scowled, taking Lily off Ginny, who frowned.
"He had to go in, Mum," Ginny defended, "He doesn't just choose-"
Molly put up her hand, "I don't want to hear it, Ginny. I'll be coming round tonight to have a word with him, too. He shouldn't be working on a Sunday."
"You don't understand, Mum," Ginny huffed, her temper beginning to flare, "It was such a last-minute decision and- "
"I agree with Mum," Ron chipped in, making Ginny frown again, "He works himself way too hard. I'm surprised you see him at all, Ginny. All he seems to do nowadays is write reports."
"That's not true, we all know he's- "
"Has he had a break at all this week?" Bill added, "He shouldn't be leaving you at home all day, and sometimes night, alone. That's not right at all."
"I'm hardly ever alone," Ginny said, affronted, "He works no more than he did when he first started with the Aurors."
The was a murmur through the kitchen.
"He needs some time off," Ron said, "He's so stressed lately. He's never in his office when I go and visit at lunch, but even when he is, he hardly even acknowledges me. Way too absorbed in his work."
"And Lily isn't sleeping too well, Ginny. I might tell him to take a step back for the time being. The world isn't going to stop because he's not working everyday." Hermione said, speaking for the first time. Ginny only glowered at her.
"What is it, bash Harry hour?" Ginny said sarcastically, "Has everyone forgotten that he's only just come off a huge murder case?"
The room was deadly silent.
"And if you're all so concerned over his workload, I'm sure you're all welcome to head down to the ministry and interrogate Lukias Colebat for him. I'm sure he'd really appreciate that." She finished, breathing heavily.
No one moved a muscle.
"You got him?" Hermione squeaked.
"Yes," Ginny seethed, "It was a horribly nostalgic, to tell the truth."
"Oh Ginny," her mother cried, putting Lily in Arthur's arms, and running towards her daughter, pulling her into a rib shattering embrace, "I'm so sorry!"
"S'not your fault," Ginny muttered quietly, "He's probably being locked up as we speak. I can't imagine Harry would want to spend too long with him."
"Of course, not dear," Molly said tearfully, "Are you ok?! How did he get to you?"
"Same as last time," Ginny said silently, "Found a fault in the wards. Harry's furious."
"So, he's gone?" Ron said, and Ginny nodded, "Blimey. All those investigations weren't in vain after all."
"To be honest, I thought he'd buggered off somewhere in Europe," shrugged George, "Was he involved in the case, Ginny?"
"Yes," Ginny confirmed, "And he's the last one. Harry's thinking of moving up to the DMLE."
Molly cried out in joy, "That's amazing, Ginny. I'm so happy for you both."
"Is Starcoff stepping down?" Bill asked in surprise, but Ginny shook her head.
"Probably not. Although I doubt Harry will want to go straight to the head. That's a huge job to take on."
"I hope he's alright," Hermione said, "And that Colebat's not dead."
"I wouldn't be surprised," George snickered, "He's absolutely sick."
"Hear hear," Bill said, "If any man does to Fleur what Colebat did to you, rest assured he'd be dead within the hour."
"You do not need to kill for me, me amore," Fleur said, "And besides, I can fight my own battles pretty well."
"As much as you all moan about how much he works, he's hell as Merlin good at his job." Arthur said, and Ginny smiled gratefully at him, "The Auror department hasn't thrived this much since well before the first wizarding war."
The chatter began again, the atmosphere returning to normal, and Ginny let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she accepted a butterbeer from Angelina.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
We got to the estate agents bang on time, and were greeted by the friendly face of Michael, the young man we spoke to yesterday. He was joined by a portly woman, who's hair was tied back in a tight bun, but who had gentle facial features. She smiled when we entered, and directed us into the back room, where we discussed our offer, which, to our excitement, had been accepted. All to do now was put down the deposit, and, of course, look around the actual house.
Jennifer, the estate agent, offered to accompany us, as Michael had an appointment with a client at 2.
We followed Jennifer's Mercedes up the village, right into the driveway of no.8. Robert stopped the car, and we all hopped out. I was giddy with excitement as Jennifer took out the key, and unlocked the door.
The hallway was wide and long, with 2 doors along each side, and a wooden staircase winding through the middle.
Jennifer gave us a tour around the property, and each turn we did seemed to get better each time. The best part was the garden. The kids both squealed in excitement when Jennifer opened the back door in the kitchen, and we were faced with a large expanse of lawn, and a small pond. Mabel instantly crouched down by the water, giggling and pointing at a newt.
I glanced at Robert, and he smiled, nodding his head.
We spoke to Jennifer whilst the kids played, and she gave us all the ins and outs of our new house. We gave our bank details, and she smiled.
"Welcome home," she said, and I beamed, tears in my eyes.
We spent the rest of the afternoon figuring out the last of the logistics and paying our deposit, and by 5pm, we had the keys to our new house.
I held myself together for exactly 10 minutes, before sobbing into Robert's arms, unable to contain by relief.
We had a house!
"I can't believe it," I grinned, and he chuckled.
"We deserve it, Katie," he said, "And now we need to start furnishing this place. How fast do you think we could get a moving van from our old house?"
"Well, you're working tomorrow," I said, thinking, "And Liam's at school. I reckon we could call tomorrow morning, and hopefully move in by the evening."
"Fingers crossed." Robert said, pulling into the Hollies, "I'm sure Ginny will offer to help, too."
"Maybe," I replied, "But I wouldn't want to overload her after what just happened."
"Speaking of which, do you think they'll even be in?" Robert asked suddenly, turning off the engine.
"Oh," I frowned, "I didn't think about that."
I quickly hopped out the car and knocked. There was no sound from within, so I tried again. No one answered. I got back into the car and shrugged.
"Shall we just wait, then?" Robert asked quizzically, "I have no idea how long they'll be."
"Harry said he'll be back in the evening."
"That's quite a broad bracket," Robert said, glancing out the window, "I say we go do something."
"Why not visit Sarah?" I said, the idea just coming to me. He shrugged.
"Why not. You reckon she'll be busy?" He said, beginning to reverse out.
"It's Sunday evening, probably not." I said, "But if she is, we can just wait in the Potter's driveway. They'll be back soon."
We navigated our way to Layter's way and located her car in the driveway of one of the houses. I wasn't a fan of the minimalist white look of the houses, and thanked the lord that we didn't have to resort to one of them. We wouldn't have been able to afford one anyway.
I jumped out the car, and knocked on the door, crossing my fingers that she was in. She was.
"Katie!" She said I'm surprise, "I wasn't expecting you? Is everything alright?"
"Fine," I smiled, "But we're locked out. You don't mind if we crash here whilst we wait for someone to return, do you?"
"Of course not," she said, ushering for Robert to come out.
After grabbing a cuppa, and gladly accepting baby Posie, I settled in the lounge – which was far to plain for my taste – and grinned over at Sarah.
"Long time no see."
"Ha ha," she said, "Any news on a house, or are you still crashing at The Potters?"
I glanced over at Robert, grinning, before turning back to Sarah.
"Funny you mention that. We've literally just got our keys 20 minutes ago."
"That's amazing!" Sarah beamed, "Are you closeby? Oh, I'm so happy for you!"
"We're closer to the Potter's than we are to you," Robert said, smiling, "Farrafirst Way."
"I haven't heard of that road," Dillon said, appearing at the door, brushing his hands on his apron, "Sorry – just been painting. We looked everywhere for houses and we definitely would have remembered that one."
"The listing went up yesterday morning." Robert explained, and Sarah's mouth formed an 'o'.
"You lucky devils," she said, "I can imagine it wasn't too pricey, either, going off how quick you got it."
I was a little affronted at that comment, and I could see that Robert was too. I dismissed it with a small laugh.
"Once we sell our old house we'll be more than comfortable. It's bigger than Oak Tree End. More space inside and out." Robert explained, shifting uncomfortably.
"How much do you reckon you'd get from your old house?" Sarah asked curiously, and he shrugged.
"Enough," Robert said shortly, "We're not in any financial woes, but thank you for caring."
Dillon narrowed his eyes, and I coughed pointedly.
"So, when you do move in?" Sarah asked, shifting the conversation.
"Hopefully tomorrow," I said, "Rob's at work, but I'm sure Ginny won't mind helping."
"I'll help too!" Sarah said eagerly, "I'm free all day, and I'm happy to help shift stuff over."
"That's very kind of you, Sarah, but don't-"
"Perfect." She said quickly, "Where shall I meet you?"
I sighed in defeat but smiled at her helpfulness.
"I guess at the Potter's. Around 10? After we've dropped the kids off. I'll need to double check with Ginny, although I'm sure she won't mind." However I already doubted myself as I said this.
"Brilliant." She smiled, "I'll leave the kids with their new Nanny so I won't have my hands full."
"You have a nanny?" I asked curiously.
Sarah nodded.
"She's called Darcy. Nicest person I've ever met. Even Alex seems to come out his shell around her."
"Good for you," I grinned, "Must be nice to be able to leave the house without worrying about losing a child."
"I hope to start working again in a couple of months, so I wanted to find a good Nanny before then."
"Good luck," I said, taking a sip of my tea, "I could never."
We chatted into the evening, Robert and Dillon getting up at one point to do 'man things', which I assume was just watch football in the other room or something, and I hadn't even checked my watch until I noticed it getting darker outside. I was dumbfounded to read 9pm. Had we really been here for 3 and a half hours?!
"Oh shit, we've got to get back," I said, putting my long since empty cup, "Liam has school tomorrow."
"Look at the time!" Sarah said, "Didn't even realise!"
"Tell me about it," I grimaced, "So easy to lose track of it these days."
I had soon gathered up the children (and Robert) and gave Sarah a farewell hug as I stepped into the car.
"It's been nice to chat," Sarah smiled, "Please come for another spontaneous visit."
"No promises," I grinned, "But I'll try my best."
It was almost pitch black by the time we pulled into the Hollies, and to my surprise, there were no lights on in the house
"They're still not back?" Robert asked incredulously, "But it's almost 9:30!"
"Maybe something happened." I said worriedly, glancing around.
"I'm sure someone will be back soon," Robert soothed, turning off the engine and leaning back, "It's warm in the car. James has school tomorrow so I'm sure they won't be out too long."
As if my magic, and I had to remind myself that it very well could have been, Harry appeared out of thin air, looking worn thin. He glanced over at our car, before giving a half hearted smile. I breathed a sigh of relief as we all started to get out the car, Mabel's head lolling on Robert's shoulder.
"Hope you haven't been waiting here long," Harry said, as we reached him. He looked tired. "More to do at the office than we all thought."
"Is it over?" Robert asked for the umpteenth time, as Harry pushed open the door and pulled off his cloak. He froze as he contemplated the question, before nodding slowly.
"Yeah, it's over."
"Thank the fucking lord," Robert muttered, "Where's the rest of you?"
"At The Burrow," Harry muttered, and I noticed he seemed a bit off, "Which is good. They're safer there."
"Harry…" I said nervously, "Are you alright?"
Robert stared at him too, taking in my words as he kicked off his shoes.
"'m fine," Harry said swiftly, plastering a fake smile on, "Just tired."
"Doesn't James have school tomorrow, mate?" Robert said, closing the front door softly, "Don't you want him in bed normal time?"
"Gin would have already put them to bed," He sighed, before turning to look at us, his eyes full of worry, "Did you manage to close on the house?"
"Yeah, we have the keys right here," Robert said slowly, "I called a moving company a few hours ago and they're free enough to help us move in tomorrow."
Harry nodded in satisfaction, before running a hand through his hair, and collapsing into an armchair in the living room. I glanced at Robert, and we both turned to the stairs, ready to put our two tired children to bed. Liam dragged his feet across the hallway and let me change him into pyjamas. He was practically asleep before his head hit the pillow, and I closed the door quietly behind my sleeping children.
I ran straight into Robert, who was waiting outside the door for me.
"What's wrong with him?" He whispered, and I felt my eyes widen.
"I just want to know why Ginny isn't back already." I whispered back, "Obviously something happened that made him want to keep her away from here."
"You think he's keeping her away from here?"
I nodded, and swallowed, before taking his hand and heading downstairs.
