It was 6 O'clock when Ginny got the owl. She was just planning on writing one herself, as she had stayed at the Burrow for far longer than she had thought she would have. Al was already curled up like a cat on the sofa, Rosie next to him with her thumb stuck in her mouth, and Ron nattering away to George right opposite.
She opened it up, and scanned over its contents, before biting her lip to contain her anger.
Stay at The Burrow tonight.
Will explain everything in the morning.
Love you, H x
She had just been attacked hours prior, and he had the audacity to tell her to stay where she was whilst he got to have a jolly time convicting the very criminal that had assaulted her.
She must have shown her emotions as Ron looked at her in worry.
"You alright, Ginny?" he asked carefully, "What's wrong? You look like you're about to erupt."
"Maybe I fucking am," Ginny seethed, "I'm sick and tired of entitled men telling me what I can and can't do! Am I not allowed to have my own thoughts without being attacked?! Because Merlin help you if you do!"
Ron and George blinked, glancing at eachother in confusion.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" Hermione asked uncertainly from the doorway, a sleeping Hugo in her arms.
"Doesn't matter," Ginny muttered, tucking her hair behind her ears as she tried to storm out the room. Hermione was not so helpfully blocking it.
"What happened," Hermione said gently, putting a hand on her shoulder in attempts to calm her down. This, however, did the opposite.
Ginny glared at the hand and shrugged it off.
"No different from usual, is it? Just my overworked Husband realising just how overworked he is. Now please move. I need to get my children ready for bed, and then I'll be heading up too."
"You're staying here tonight?" Molly asked in surprise, coming down the hallway, before stopping short at the look on her daughter's face, "Ginny darling, what on earth happened?"
"Nothing," Ginny groaned, swiftly gathering Albus in her arms as she hurried past Hermione up the stairs, gently tucking Al into bed before collapsing next to him. She felt like screaming into the pillow, but for the sake of her sleeping child, she didn't. She felt like a child again, her head stuffed against the mattress, feeling a sudden urge to cry. A soft knock at her door woke her from her brooding.
"Yeah?"
"Ginny, it's just me," Hermione said from the other side, "Can I come in?"
"I guess," Ginny said, running a hand down her hair to flatten it, "Al's sleeping."
Hermione opened the door quietly, holding Lily.
"So is Lily," she smiled softly, "Ron's gone to find Harry. It's not right, Ginny!" she added quickly at the look on the younger girl's face, "I know you love him, we all do, but he's not helping anyone by completely diving head first into these horrible cases. Especially ones this close to home!"
"But he loves it," Ginny said weakly, "And who am I to stop him from doing what he loves?"
"You are also his wife, Ginny. The Mother of his children. And he also happens to love you very much. You have every right to tell him to take a step back. It's too risky. He's not 21 anymore."
"We're not old, Hermione." Ginny said dryly, "We're not even 30."
"It's not about age, Ginny, you know that," Hermione said gently, "But he spends far too much time at the office."
"I really don't think he does," Ginny pleaded, "I don't want anyone thinking he'd a bad father, or husband, or friend, Hermione, because he's not. I care about him. I want what's best, and if he wants to work all the time then so be it. He's clearly happy."
"But he's not," Hermione replied, "He's not happy when working all the time, you know that better than all of us. He's happiest when he's with you, and right now he's not prioritising himself. He's, in a classic Harry way, putting you before him."
"What, by spending every last waking hour writing fucking reports on other people's lives?" Ginny scoffed, although she knew exactly what Hermione meant.
"He wants to keep you safe."
"Well he did a pretty shit job at that today," Ginny huffed, "Only took a couple of touches and a plea from my 5 year old son."
"Ginny," Hermione said reproachfully, "Listen to yourself. You sound ridiculous. Harry never shuts up about the fact he'd do anything for you. He's actually quite annoying in that sense. You'd break his heart if he heard you saying that."
"And what about mine?" Ginny whispered, trying not to let tears fall, "Does he not realise that if he – "she swallowed, hard, "dies, he'd completely and utterly destroy me. Whenever I get a letter from Starcoff I can feel my heart fall every single time. If he really cared, he'd step off the field. In fact, he would have done so as soon as I fell pregnant with Jamie."
"He cares, Ginny." Hermione said, shaking her head, and taking Ginny's hands in hers, "If you think otherwise, you're completely and utterly deluded. The guy is still as stupidly in love with you as the day you first kissed in the common room."
"I hope so," Ginny breathed, "Because I am too. Losing him never used to comprehend in my head, but recently it's all I can think about."
"Don't think that Ginny," Hermione said sharply, "You're not doing anyone any good by saying that. He's not an idiot, even though sometimes he really really tips it on the edge. He's just trying to do what's best. To be honest I think he's still trying to figure out how to balance work and 3 kids."
"I hope this will change soon," Ginny said sadly, "I'm so over it."
"I'm sure he is too," Hermione assured, "What did his letter say?"
Ginny held out the now crumpled letter for Hermione to analyse.
"I hate how he makes everything so cryptic," Ginny muttered, "And urgent. Makes me worry way more than I need to."
"That's just Harry though, isn't it?" Hermione said, smiling gently, "Part of the package deal I'm afraid."
"Things just probably ran over with Colebat," she continued, "And he doesn't want you to stay alone in the house when he hasn't checked the charms yet."
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief, and took Lily from Hermione, cradling the baby close.
"Still don't know how my brother snagged you," Ginny smiled, "But I guess you make up for his stupidity."
"Rude," Hermione said, poking her, "I happen to love him as much as you claim to love Harry."
"Don't know how that's even possible," Ginny snickered, making Hermione roll her eyes.
"Get an early night, Ginny." She said, "I'll put James to bed."
"He's got school tomorrow so don't take any nonsense from him," Ginny warned.
"You know what, he can come home with us. I'll take him in to school tomorrow, or else drop him off with Harry in the morning. Don't worry about him, okay? Do you know if Harry's working tomorrow?"
"Oh, I love you, Hermione," Ginny sighed, "And I have no idea. Things change so quickly these days, as you saw from earlier."
"I'm free tomorrow morning so you're welcome to stay at ours if he's out."
"Thank you, I might- oh shit," she deadpanned, and Hermione shot her a look, "The Williams. I've just remembered how on earth are they going to get in? I have to go, Hermione. They have no way of contacting us."
"Harry would have thought of that, Ginny," Hermione eased "As I said, he's not an idiot. Do you want some dreamless sleep potion? Might help you keep your mind off things."
"I'll be fine," Ginny said, using her wand to shut the curtains. She didn't care that it was only 7, "Please tell my mother everything, and not to disturb me. Thank you again for taking James."
"That's what families are for." Hermione smiled, backing out the room, and shutting the door with a thud.
She turned round and ran into Ron, who looked apprehensive.
"You're back quick," Hermione said, before narrowing her eyes, "Did you even go at all?"
"Course I did," Ron said, "It's just, he's still interrogating Colebat."
"Still?"
"I know," Ron said grimly, guiding Hermione down the stairs, "How's Ginny?"
"Feeling a bit abandoned I think," Hermione, "She's torn between wanting whats best for Harry and what she wants for Harry."
"Course she is," Ron said, "I swear, when I next see him, we'll be having words. I would never dream of stressing you out this much, especially not right after having a baby."
"Oh shut up," Hermione said, turning to face him, arms folded, "You've known Harry for almost 2 decades. You really think he's purposely stressing her out? It's Harry, for god's sake. He doesn't know when to stop."
"I guess so," Ron said slowly, "But surely he's got to know how much this is on her?"
"He knows, which is why he's trying so hard to close the case." Hermione replied, "We've got James for the night, by the way."
"How fun," Ron said dryly, "Hope he hasn't been fed too much sugar."
OOOoooooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoooOo
We headed down the stairs hand in hand, both clad in our pyjamas, as we entered the living room. Harry was sitting in the dark, one leg on top the other as he stared at the ceiling in deep thought.
"Kids are asleep." Robert said, taking a seat in the sofa we've somehow claimed as ours. Harry looked up, his eyes cloudy, as if he wasn't really processing what was happening.
"Sorry?"
"Are you sure you're alright?" Robert asked in concern, "You're acting a little…"
"I'm fine," Harry said, in my opinion a little hotly, "I've told you, I'm just tired. I'm tired of this bullshit. Wish things would just go back to normal. But of course, because I'm Harry fucking Potter, I'll never get the chance to be a normal bloke."
"I think you're pretty normal," Robert shrugged, "You know, besides the whole magic thing."
Harry's lips curled into a slight smile.
"That's just the half of it, unfortunately." He grimaced, the smile fading, "I suppose you've been filled in with the 'tragic story of Harry Potter'."
"Only a little," I admitted, "But I'm afraid to say you're just Harry to us; father of our son's best friend."
"I much prefer that," Harry said, looking grateful as he glanced at the door, "I've told Ginny to stay with her parents tonight. I'm terrified something else might happen."
"How so?"
"It just seemed too easy," Harry said, "Colebat's much smarter than this."
"Maybe you just caught him on an off day." Robert suggested, and Harry frowned.
"It just doesn't seem right." Harry replied, "It doesn't seem right that we've been after this man since before James was born, and now suddenly he appears in my living room knowing full well I was in the house."
"But it was definitely him?" I asked nervously.
Harry nodded.
"Yes. We have ways to determine whether this was the real Lukias Colebat. This was him."
"When's Ginny coming home?"
"Morning," Harry sighed, "I feel awful. I'm a shit husband. I'm surprised she's still with me."
Robert snorted, "I'm not. You can't keep your hands off eachother."
I slapped him. Hard. But Harry only raised an eyebrow.
"You've noticed?"
"How could we not?" laughed Robert, and I smiled a little at the flush that was working its way up Harry's neck, "We have eyes. And ears, for that matter."
"Sorry," muttered Harry, although he didn't look too upset.
"You're not a bad husband, Harry," I assured him, "I just think you've put yourself under a whole load of pressure. Have you thought about switching jobs?"
"Every day," Harry admitted, "That's one of the reasons I've only just got back. I've moved departments."
Robert and I had no idea what to say.
"Should we celebrate?" Robert said, laughing nervously.
"Gin would say so," Harry said, "I'm off work tomorrow, and Tuesday, whilst they switch us over, but I'm officially not Head Auror anymore."
"Congrats?"
"Are you happy?" I asked, noticing he didn't seem too thrilled about his change in positions.
He sighed, "I guess so. I'll be taking on the role of Deputy head of the DMLE-"
"Which is?"
"The Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Harry explained, "Little to no work on the field. I'll essentially be overseeing all the work I would have been doing if I were still in the Aurors."
"That's great, Harry!" I smiled, "You deserve a bit of a break."
"I'm worried it won't be enough," He said quietly, and I was a bit unnerving to see someone who is usually such a formidable force, so vulnerable.
"Won't be enough for what?"
"To protect my family." He said slowly, eyes lowering, "There are still so many dangerous people that would love to get their hands on Ginny and the kids."
"You're switching jobs, not switching bodies," Robert said, "You'll still be able to do everything you did before. I may not have known you for long, but I feel safer here than I do anywhere else. Just your presence seems to ward off criminals, and I'm sure Ginny feels the same."
"She definitely used to," Harry muttered, "But I've let her down so much recently. Left her on her own way too many times."
"Because of your job, right?" Robert asked, and at Harry's nod, he continued, "Wasn't that the point of you switching to the DMLFE or whatever it's called?"
Harry nodded again, uncurling his legs as he stood up.
"I'm going to head up." He said, "Catch up on sleep whilst Lily isn't here to wake me. Please stay down here as long as you need."
"Sure. Sleep well." Robert said, and Harry left, leaving us alone in the darkness. Robert pulled me close, and together we watched the moon light rise through the curtains as I drifted off to sleep.
OoOoOoOoOoOoooOoOoOoO
I awoke to the sounds of quiet arguing. I looked over only to realise that I was upstairs, in bed, Robert snoring peacefully next to me.
I strained my ears for the voices, but the house was quiet again. I slowly got up and pushed open the door. The door to Harry's room was open and bright, so I figured he must be downstairs.
The voices perked up again, and my curiosity got the better of me as I padded down the hall and peered over the banister. To my surprise, Hermione was in the doorway, arms folded as she spoke to Harry, a frown etched on her face. James was beside her, looking a bit forlorn as he turned from his father to his aunt.
"-last night, Harry! I get that you need to work, but on a Sunday? Until late the same evening? That's unreasonable."
"I didn't choose to go into work, Hermione," Harry replied coldly, "Did Ginny not explain?"
"Of course, she did," Hermione snapped back, "She was in bits, have you know. Told me how she wishes you actually cared for her."
Harry seemed too stunned for words.
"Wh- she said that?" he said quietly, and instantly Hermione looked ashamed.
"She was caught up in the moment-" Hermione tried to explain, but Harry scowled.
"There's nothing I do in this world that isn't caring for her." He said, "Does she really believe I do all this stuff for myself?"
"No, she doesn't," Hermione said quickly, "But you need to figure out what you want to come first; work or family."
"That's a shit question to ask me and you know it." Harry glared, "I grew up without a family. I appreciate mine more than life itself. How dare you insinuate I'd put anything before Ginny and the kids."
"I don't think you're balancing it very well," Hermione said, "Head Auror's don't usually have a young doting family."
"Well, it's a good job I'm not the Head Auror, then, isn't it?" Harry snapped, folding his arms.
Hermione froze.
"You- what?"
"I quit."
Hermione didn't say anything for a full minute, before she suddenly squealed, and leapt into his arms.
"Oh, Harry! That's amazing! Where've they put you?"
"DMLE."
She began to cry, and Harry couldn't help but smile at her antics.
"One wouldn't usually cry at hearing their best friend just quit their high-ranking job, Hermione."
"Does Ginny know?" Hermione beamed, her arms still round his neck.
"No," Harry said, his smile sliding off his face abruptly, "Do you know what time she's coming home?"
Hermione shook her head, unravelling herself from Harry, and placing a hand on her nephew's head and she steered him towards his father.
"I don't. She went to bed early yesterday and I offered to take this one home with us. Do you have a day off today?"
Harry nodded, "Yeah. And tomorrow."
Hermione grinned, "Ginny will be over the moon. I'll let her know you're off. Remember to take your son to school, Harry." She reminded, as Harry crouched down to greet James properly.
"Thank you, Hermione," Harry said, "I really appreciate it."
"So I've been told."
She left, shutting the door quietly. I moved behind the pillar as Harry turned, James in his arms, heading towards the kitchen.
"Did you catch the bad guy?" I heard James say, and I was so lost in thought that I jumped when I felt a hand tap me.
I turned to see Liam, rubbing the sleep out his eyes as he yawned.
"Morning, Liam," I smiled, bending down, "You ready to go to school?"
"Not in my pi-jamas," he replied, "Is James back?"
"Yes. He's downstairs."
Liam seemed instantly awake as he grinned, and grabbed my hand, leading me down the stairs.
"Liam!" James shrieked, as we turned the corner into the kitchen.
"You wasn't here last night," Liam said, "We got back really late as well."
"I stayed with my auntie," James smiled, "Mummy is still at the Burrow."
"Wass' the Burrow?" Liam asked curiously, and James let out a dramatic gasp.
"Daddy!" He cried, turning to Harry, who was looking out the window, "We must take Liam to the Burrow. Can we go after school? I'll be extra good."
"You went yesterday," Harry commented, "And it's a school night."
"But it's a school night every night until Friday," James moaned, his face falling, "It'll be a quick visit."
"I say no," Harry said firmly, "But I'll ask Mummy's opinion when she comes home, ok?"
"She'll say no too," James huffed, striding out the kitchen, Liam trotting after him.
"So, you're moving in today?" Harry grinned, and you nodded.
"Surprised you remembered, Harry," I said idly, "You were exhausted last night when we told you."
He grimaced.
"I was," he admitted, "I'm not used to working on Sunday's."
"Have you always worked as a – what was it again?"
"An auror," he said, "And yes, I have. There didn't seem another job worth doing."
"Always had a knack for crime fighting, have you?"
"You could say that it was my destiny," he sighed, "Although I do get a real kick out of it."
"And you're good at it too, by the sounds of it," I said, and he grimaced again.
"I'm going to change the subject now, Katie, as I can't take compliments to save my life."
I laughed as we discussed the move in.
"Sarah said she'll help me," I explained, "She's going to meet me here at 10. She didn't really give me a chance to say no to be honest, but I know I'll appreciate the help."
"I'm off today. I don't mind lending a hand." Harry offered, and I raised an eyebrow.
"It's your day off. Are you sure?" I asked.
"Of course," he said, "I wouldn't be doing anything else otherwise. I don't know what time Ginny's coming back but I assume she's not going to be in a hurry."
"Please don't feel like you have to…" I said hesitantly, but he grinned.
"I really don't mind, Katie. It'll help take my mind off things. Really." He added, at my sceptical look.
"Well, if you insist," I sighed, and he nodded, "I should go wake Rob up. He needs to head to work."
"Sure."
I traipsed back up the stairs and pushed open the door to our room. I opted for the 'fling open the curtains and blind your spouse' approach, and to my satisfaction, it worked. Robert groaned as he pulled the covers over his eyes.
"You're working today," I told him sternly, "So you better get your arse up and get ready."
"Give me a couple of minutes..
"No, because you'll fall asleep again!"
"Ok, ok, I'm up," he grumbled, sitting up, and yawning.
I grinned, and moved across the hallway to get Mabel up too.
She was much like her Father, and had splayed herself across the whole double bed in the centre of the room, her arms starfished out beside her.
I got her up and changed, and to my dismay, when I tee trees out room, Robert was snoring away. Again.
"Oi!" I yelled, and he opened his eyes.
"Wassthetime?" He asked drearily, and I glanced at the clock.
"It is 8 o'clock, and we'll be leaving in about 10 minutes to drop the boys at school, so you better get a move on."
"I haven't got back into the swing of early mornings." He grumbled as he got out the bed, and heading to the en-suite, presumably to take a shower.
Harry had got Liam ready with James, much to my delight, and they were both sitting at the table when I got downstairs, Mabel beside them.
"We'll leave in about 10 minutes, ok?" I told them all, and they nodded simultaneously, eating their Rice Krispies.
"You said you didn't know what time Ginny's coming back…" I said quietly to Harry, and he nodded.
"I don't think she's so happy with me at the moment, so it's best to let her come back when she's ready." He explained, although he looked a little put out, "Anyway, she has more help there than she has here, apparently."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked curiously, picking up on his disheartened tone.
"I don't reckon Molly's too happy with me either," he said, "According to Hermione she wasn't pleased when Ginny told her I wasn't coming to Sunday dinner."
"Do you often not go?"
"Not recently," Harry said, looking down, "The case has been all over the place and I haven't been free enough to visit."
"I'm sure she'll understand," I tried to soothe, but I really had no idea what Molly Weasley was like.
"In a year or so," he grumbled, plastering on a smile as he gathered the kids' empty bowls and chucked them in the sink. I winced as they landed, but they didn't so much as chink together. Magic, I reminded myself, just as Robert sidled through the doorway in his uniform.
"What's happening car wise?" He announced, and I shrugged.
"You can head off whenever," I told him, "I think I'll be alright with the kids."
"I'll drive us all down to the school," Harry offered, "There's enough space in the car for all of you."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Save yourself some petrol." He smiled, and Robert grinned.
"No funny business, you two," he mocked, waggling his finger as I groaned.
"You're unbearable," I told him, swatting his arm as I gave Harry an apologetic grimace.
We rounded up the children and headed to the door, depositing the boys' rucksacks in their arms as they complained about going in 'for another boring day at school'.
"I thought you liked school," Harry commented as he stepped into the driver's seat, looking at James in the rear-view mirror.
"I do," James replied, "But not when it's boring."
"How do you know today's going to be boring?"
"I juss do," James retorted, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Say bye to Daddy, Liam and Mabel," I said, indicating Robert, who was reversing out the driveway.
"What time does he finish work?" Harry asked as we too drove through the gates and began the journey down the road.
"Monday's quite a late shift, so maybe around 9 or 10." I said, "But I'm hoping tonight will be the first in our new house."
"It was an incredible find," Harry commented, "Is it nearby?"
"Yeah," I smiled, "The next right, actually. It's on the way to the school."
"Much closer to us, then."
"The boys will be thrilled. They can probably walk to school together as they get older." I grinned, imagining an all grown up Liam strolling to school with James, laughing like they do now.
"Have you told them?"
"Not James," I said, "And I don't think Liam's put the dots together just yet. It's this one here, on your left." I pointed out, marvelling at the large 'SOLD' sign in the front garden of our new house.
Harry slowed down to have a better look and I couldn't contain my beam.
"Can't believe it. I thought we'd be stuck in Oak Tree End forever."
"I'm delighted for you all," Harry said, and he sounded like he meant it too, as he continued driving down the road, "What do the kids think?"
"They love it," I said, "Bigger bedrooms, bigger garden, and they have their own playroom too. It's perfect."
"That's brilliant!"
"I know! Couldn't have asked for a better upgrade to be honest with you. Nearer the school, the shop, on a much quieter road, a good 200 metres from the next-door neighbours." I said, feeling a bit giddy with excitement at the prospect of living here for the rest of my life, "Are you sure you're free to help us with our stuff? Because I-"
"Katie," he laughed, putting a hand on my leg to stop my rambling, and sending a subconscious shiver up my spine which I'm sure was not his intention, "Yes. I wouldn't have offered if I weren't sure. It'll be fun."
"Even though you can't use magic?" I added.
"I'm not expert with those types of spells," he said, "I'm afraid I'm not built for handiwork, as Ginny will probably tell you. I do most of the hard lifting without magic anyway."
"Ginny said you could practically do every spell under the sun."
"Of course she did," Harry said, squirming uncomfortably on his seat, "Well, surprise; I can't."
"Nearly every spell, I reckon," I teased, knowing how he hated compliments.
"No."
"Do you always go stony at the thought of taking a compliment?" I grinned.
"No."
"No? What if I told you, you were shit at every spell?" I continued, still feeling loopy at the thought of moving in today.
Harry raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the road.
"It's usually Ginny who I have to reprimand about using certain language in front of a certain 5-year-old boy."
"They're not listening," I dismissed, "They're on about that butterfly trip later this term."
"Ah, Gin told me about that." Harry said, "Might be a laugh. Please say you're going too? I don't think I'll be able to go with Helen."
"Yes, I'm going."
"I'm just glad this case is over," he sighed, "And Colebat's locked up. It's been a long time coming." He added as he turned into the school.
"You've done well, Harry," I said quietly, and he nodded his thanks.
We pulled up in Harry's favourite spot, tucked under the tree in the left corner of the car park, and we both got out.
The kids decided to be good this morning, and all accepted our requests to hold hands whilst crossing the car park. I held on to Liam and Mabel as we followed the Potter's, and I couldn't suppress the wave of jealously that overcame me when I saw the admiration in James' eyes as he spoke to his father. The little boy clung on to Harry's arm as the latter carried his bag, his focus completely on his son as they talked. Neither Liam nor Mabel acted like this, and I wondered if it was the way we brought them up. Harry and Ginny were so open with their affection that their children must have picked up on it too, but my kids never saw their parents being so affectionate to one another. I reminded myself that even alone, Robert and I weren't the lovey dovey type, and that I wasn't one for that sort of thing anyway, but some part of me longed for a relationship like Harry and Ginny's.
Harry was just so, charming. The man never seemed to do anything wrong, and I really admired his ability to listen. But I was happy with Robert. He's the love of my life. But, oh I wish he was like Harry sometimes. Not overcome by his need male ego and to have the power to admit when he's wrong. I sucked in a breath as I tried to remove the memory of Harry and Ginny the other morning, completely besotted by eachother. And god was he good-looking…
"He's your friend, Katie." I muttered to myself through gritted teeth as I let Mabel and Liam run ahead through the school gates. My thoughts were interrupted by a familiar face, and I groaned when I reached Harry and saw Helen giving us a dirty look.
"Wonder what we did this time," Harry said sarcastically, handing James his bag, "Be good, Jamie. I'll pick you up at the end of the day, ok? I love you."
"Love you," James replied, "Are you stayin' at home all day?"
"And tomorrow."
James beamed as he wrapped his arms around his Dad.
"Can we maybe please, if I'm good, go to the Burrow with Liam?" he whispered in Harry's ear, and Harry snorted.
"Nice try, but I've told you my answer." Harry said firmly, and James scowled, "But I'll ask Mummy."
"Bye," James drawled, "C'mon Liam."
"See you!" I called after my son as they retreated into their classroom, leaving us alone with Mabel, who looked a little upset.
"I'm all on my own now," she said sadly, "When is Al back, Al's Daddy?"
We started to make our way back to the car, carefully avoiding having to cross Helen's path.
"I'm not sure, Mabel," Harry said, "But I'm sure he'll be back to play soon."
"Thas good. He likes to play princesses with me."
I grinned over at Harry to see him smiling too.
The journey back home always seemed a bit shorter than the journey there, and we got back to the Hollies just after 9:15.
"Ginny's still not back," Harry muttered, "We'll probably be out when she gets back."
"I don't know how long it'll take," I said honestly, "We don't have too many bits from our old house but I just know the moving van will be delayed. They always are."
"I doubt she'll want me to hover anyway," Harry added, unlocking the house and standing aside to let us in, "Maybe it's best if I'm not here when she gets back."
"Why is she so mad at you?" I asked in bewilderment.
"I only know what Hermione told me this morning," he explained, "According to her, Ginny said she wishes I actually cared for her."
"That's-"
"True, isn't it? Especially lately. I'm being awful if I make her feel that way." He grumbled.
"I was going to say, that's very unlike Ginny," I continued, "We all have our bad days. I'm sure she was just caught up in the moment."
"She deserves someone better than me," Harry whispered, and it was only then that I really realised just how young he really was. At only 28 he had a massive mantle over his head and so much to upkeep. And he was only 23 when he had the responsibility of being a parent, too. When I was 28, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
"No," I corrected, "You deserve eachother. There's no Ginny without Harry, and vice versa. No one's perfect Harry, and I'm afraid the both of you aren't either, despite this sickening love display you like to put on."
This earned a feeble grin from Harry.
"I'm sure she'll come back and want to snog you senseless, and I definitely won't take any offence to you leaving early from helping us move," I said, surprised at my brashness.
"I have no idea what time she's coming back," Harry said again, "And I want to help you, Katie. You've done so much for us."
"You're free to make your own decisions, but I'm afraid I will have to go and gather our stuff now."
"Of course," Harry started, moving aside from the door and shutting it.
Together we packed all my family's things up (with a bit of help from Harry's wand), and I was surprised at just how much we had brought with us. We had 5 bags in total, and each had our own individual holdalls with clothes.
After 30 minutes, we had finished, and everything was packed into the back of Harry's car – we realised that after Robert taking the big car, my little Ford Focus just wouldn't be big enough.
Harry and I had just reentered the house to do one last sweep of the bedrooms before a sharp ringing rang through the house.
"Just someone at the gates," Harry assured at the look of alarm on my face, "Didn't you say Sarah was meeting us here?"
"Yeah. Yeah, that'll be her, then."
"They've got a car by the sounds of it, so I'll let them in. Are they all coming?" he asked sceptically, and I shook my head, although not 100% sure on Sarah's plans.
I left Harry in the house as I hopped down the front driveway to greet Sarah. Harry was right, Dillon was there too, along with Alex and Posie in the back
"Thought it was just you, Sarah?" I asked, and she nodded.
"Yes. Dillon's on childcare duty. He's happy to look after Mabel too, just to give you an extra arm." She smiled, and I grinned.
"That'd be lovely. Harry's helping us too."
Sarah's face fell.
"I thought it was just you and me."
"He was quite insistent," I said, and Dillon scowled.
"Of course he was."
"They're good people," I sighed, "If you just gave them a chance, I'm sure-"
"I wish you could hear the way people talk about him at work." Dillon interrupted, "Pompous prick."
"I'm sure he'd say the same thing about you," I seethed, turning on heel as I went to fetch Mabel, not wanting to pass on the opportunity of free childcare.
I picked her up from the play room and grabbed her seat from my car, before strapping her in-between Posie and Alex, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.
"Thanks, Dillon," I said, my tone softening, "Can I pick her up after I get Liam this afternoon? We should be done by then."
"Sure," Dillon shrugged, "Bye Sare." He added, and she blew him a quick kiss.
We watched as the car retreated down the road, before I ushered Sarah inside.
"Such a nice home," I heard Sarah mumble, "They must have had to pay an arm and a leg for it."
"Wasn't too bad," Harry said, making us both jump, "But you're welcome to go through the papers if you're that interested."
Sarah flushed, not realising she could be heard.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"Look," Harry sighed, "I'm sorry our families have got off on the wrong note, but I do think we have to at least be civil."
"Your son was awful to my daughter," Sarah frowned.
"And he's awful to his brother, and his parents, and everyone else when he's in a bad mood. Your daughter shouldn't take it personally."
"Do you not teach him to be pleasant in the first place?" Sarah scowled, "If not, you've missed a major step in the parenting book."
"Who here's actually following a book?" Harry said snidely, "We're very happy with how we're raising our children."
"Why aren't you at work?" Sarah asked suddenly, changing the subject.
"Why is this relevant?" I sighed, "Just get along, please? Just for today, at least."
Sarah glowered at Harry, who wasn't looking quite as impressive as I've known him to look.
Harry retreated up the stairs, mumbling about getting something from his office.
"Where's his wife?" Sarah asked curiously, and I blinked.
"With her Mum. There was a major break in the case last night and Harry thought it was best for her to stay there." I said under my breath, and Sarah's eyes widened.
"Is everything alright?"
"I don't think I'm allowed to share that with you," I said slowly, "But I'm sure Dillon might know soon."
"You think he shares that sort of thing with me?" Sarah scoffed, "It's all top secret for him. I'm surprised Harry's told you."
"He's the head." I said simply.
"Ah."
It was soon 10am, and Harry plodded down the stairs, a hand running through his hair.
"Let's head," I suggested, and both my friends nodded, both tactfully avoiding the other's eyes.
Harry took the wheel, and we set off towards our old house. The vibe on this car journey was very different to the one earlier this morning, and I cringed at the awkwardness of it all.
It didn't take us long to get to Oak Tree End, and to my surprise, the moving van was already there, two big men waiting outside smoking a cigarette. I was all for female empowerment, but in that moment I as glad Harry had come along, as these men didn't look to be the friendliest.
"Gee," Sarah commented, "They did a good job on fixing this. Who did you say did it again?"
"I didn't," I said swiftly, catching Harry's eye as he stepped out the vehicle.
"Hiya, pretty boy," one of the men greeted, "Are you Robert Williams?"
"No," Harry said, "I'm here on behalf of him, to help his wife move stuff over."
"But that's what we're here for!" The man chided, "I'll needed a signature from the homeowners please."
I stepped over, wondering where on earth Robert had hired these men from, and signed my name on their clipboard.
"Thanks, Missus Williams." He smiled, and I gave a nervous one back.
"Would have thought you'd have come from a mansion, given the look of your nice car." The first man commented, as we made our way over to the house.
"It's not mine," I said lightly, "But our stuff wouldn't fit into my car, and my husband took the big one."
"Oh I see," The man nodded, "Does he know about pretty boy here?"
"Yes of course," I sighed, tired of people assuming Harry and I were together, "Can we please just get this done as quick as possible?"
"Of course," he tittered, gesturing for me to open the door.
Taking all our chosen furnishings out the house took the most part of the morning, and dragged into the afternoon. Harry offered to take us all back to his for lunch whilst Tim and Laurence (the names of our seemingly friendly, but incredibly nosy movers) unloaded everything at the new house. I gladly accepted, and Sarah reluctantly accepted too.
"That's the easy part done," I smiled, opening the window to let in the warm may sun, "Now comes the sorting."
"That's quite fun though," Sarah chimed in, and to my surprise, Harry nodded his agreement.
We pulled into the Hollies, and Harry hopped out, not bothering to close the gates, which I noted to be very unlike Harry indeed.
"Are you both still free to help me start with unloading?" I asked, and they both smiled.
"Of course, Katie."
Harry pushed open the front door and froze. I glanced at Sarah in apprehension, and gently pushed Harry through to alert him that we were still here.
"Sorry," he muttered, standing aside to let us in, "Make yourselves a cuppa in the kitchen."
I nodded and followed his gaze to the top of the stairs. I wasn't surprised to see Ginny, but I was surprised to see her looking absolutely flawless in a white summer dress, her hair crumbling out of a messy but artistic bun. To top it all off, she looked furious, and I saw Harry wince, out the corner of my eye.
"Take your time," I muttered to him, and he blinked in acknowledgement, breaking Ginny's gaze and waving us off.
As much as I was curious to what they would say, I ushered Sarah into the kitchen, and shut the door to offer them some privacy.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
She waited until she heard the soft click of the kitchen door before narrowing her eyes at him. She was satisfied to see him looking a little ashamed.
Harry hurried up the stairs, and pulled her into the bedroom, shutting their own door with a snap before his ramblings began.
"Ginny, I know I'm dreadful, I know I've been acting off my rocker these past days but you have to know that I care about you. I care about you so so much, and I feel terrible that you don't believe me on this. If there's one-" he spluttered, but one look at her face made him stop abruptly.
"I know," she whispered, taking his face in her hands, "I know you do, love, and I'm actually going to murder Hermione for telling you that when she was the one who scolded me for it."
"So you didn't mean it?"
"Of course I didn't bloody mean it!" Ginny said, her tone changing to one of exasperation, "Have you really been avoiding me because you thought our love was coming to a crippling end?!"
"No?" Harry said weakly, chancing a glance at her face.
"You are the most ridiculous man I've ever met, Harry," Ginny sighed, removing her hands, "Why do you do this to yourself?"
"Because I'm a man ridiculously in love," Harry said with a small smile, "I do try and do what's best, Ginny, I really do."
"I know-"
"Which is why I quit the Auror corps last night." He continued, not letting her speak. Her eyes widened as she furrowed her brows.
"You what?"
"I quit," he repeated, "And there's no point trying to convince me otherwise because the paperwork's already been done." He added when she opened her mouth.
"Harry!" she exclaimed, gripping his arm, "Why on earth did you quit your job?!"
"It was getting too much," he protested, "The way the kids act like limpets when I return from missions was the turning point, but I absolutely hate leaving you all on your own at such short notice."
"But you love your job," Ginny argued, her hand winding up his arm to rest around his neck, "And what would the wizarding world say to Harry Potter being unemployed, hmm?"
"I'm not unemployed," Harry muttered, "I'm deputy head of the DMLE."
Ginny froze, her arm flopping back down to her side. She stared at him.
"Are you pleased?" she whispered, and he shrugged.
"I'm just hoping it's enough to keep you all safe." He admitted, and Ginny groaned, grabbing his collar and pulling him forwards.
"You. Are. The. Most. Noble Wizard. I've ever. Met," she said between kisses, but Harry could tell she was smiling, and he couldn't help but smile too as he grabbed her head to keep her still, "You could also tell me why you arrived home from an outing with Katie and Sarah, of all people." She murmured.
"Can talk about them later," Harry mumbled back, "They're having tea."
He pushed her towards the bed, and she let herself tumble backwards as he continued peppering kisses down her neck.
"We need to talk about those guests, Harry," Ginny insisted, pushing him away, "And you haven't said hello to your children yet either."
Harry sat up and glanced around the room.
"They're both sleeping. Al didn't sleep well last night," Ginny said, seemingly reading his mind, "What time did you get back?"
"Around 10, I think. Just in time to let the Williams in."
They stood up, and made their way to Al's room, where both kids were sleeping soundly in their respective beds, Lily in a collapsible bassinet. Harry stopped in the doorway, smiling softly at the scene. Ginny came round and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand winding up to play with the nape of hair at the back of his head.
"They're so fucking cute," she whispered, and Harry nodded in agreement.
"Who would have thought? I wouldn't have believed you if you told me 10 years ago, I'd have 3 kids, and Ginny Weasley was my wife." He said quietly, and Ginny looked at him.
"Well, it's a good job we're not living in the past," she replied, moving over to Al, who was stirring.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"What was that about?" Sarah asked me, after I had closed the door, straining my ears for sound.
"Did you see Ginny's face?" I asked her, "She looked furious."
"So they had a fight?" Sarah said curiously, and I shrugged.
"I don't know what happened after we left yesterday afternoon. Harry isn't one to spill the beans all too frequently."
"They so had a fight." Sarah huffed, "Glad to see they're not just perfect romance robots."
"They bicker a lot, you know," I said, moving over to the kettle, "You should hear the way Ginny moans about Harry sometimes."
"You think their marriage is failing or something?"
"What?" I asked, turning around, "I absolutely do not think that. They're perfect for eachother."
"You haven't known them long, though, have you?"
I shifted uncomfortably, "Not too long, no. Since James started after the Easter Holidays."
"Were they always this friendly to you? It seems like they haven't even tried to be civil with us." Sarah asked.
"Yes. Although my first question wasn't whether Harry knew he was dragging the murderer to his front door." I grimaced, "I'm afraid that's a rather poor opening sentence from your husband, Sarah."
"It's frustrating for Dillon," Sarah sighed, "Harry's just so secretive. It's hard to do your job when you don't even know what you're supposed to be doing in the first place."
"I just don't think Harry has time to tell every individual policeman in the UK the run down of each case he does." I retorted.
"Why do you get so defensive?"
"Because I know him," I said simply, "I know he comes back from work shattered, miserable about convicting yet another criminal, working hours he shouldn't be working at all, having three children under the age of 6, one of which keeps him awake all night-"
"Well, that was his decision, wasn't it?"
"Of course," I said, "And you're in the exact same scenario. Except your husband is home when you need him."
"I just hate their superiority complex," she muttered.
"Have you even had a full conversation with either of them?"
"No, but I just know that they think they're the best!"
"Don't just assume things, Sarah," I sighed, "And let's not argue over other people. We're being stupid."
We sat in silence while we drank our tea. It wasn't long before we heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and I heard Harry laughing. Good, I thought, they were definitely not arguing.
The kitchen door opened, and I heard Al squeal, before disappearing behind Harry's legs.
"It's just me, Al," I grinned, and he apprehensively scanned the room, before frowning at Sarah.
"Up, Daddy?" he whispered, and Ginny rolled her eyes, although giving Sarah a frown too.
"Afternoon," she said, before turning to me, "Sorry about last night, Katie."
I waved a hand, "Don't worry about it. It ended up working perfectly."
"Yes," Sarah said, clearing her throat, "She came to ours for the evening."
"I'm glad about the house," Ginny smiled, seemingly ignoring Sarah, "You don't need anymore help this afternoon, do you?"
"That's very kind, Ginny, but I think I'll manage." I replied, "There's not too much left to do."
"Tea, Gin?" Harry asked, turning to the kettle, and she nodded.
"It should already be hot," I said, and he touched a hand to the side. He hadn't picked up Al, but the child was following his father like a shadow. He kept casting looks at Sarah, most of which were ones of fright.
"Why is he so scared of me?" Sarah asked, sounding a little hurt after obviously noticing Albus' looks.
"He's frightened of strangers," Ginny explained, "He's always been this way. We sometimes put it down to the fact he was 2 months premature, and a little coddled I'm afraid to admit."
"2 months?!" Sarah asked incredulously, "And he's alright, health wise?"
"He is now," Ginny said, bending down to gather Al into her arms, "But we've always been a bit more conscious of any misdevours on his end."
"Is he scared of all strangers?"
"Most, yes," Harry said, "But we think he is getting better."
"And James was never like this?" Sarah asked sceptically, and I saw Harry and Ginny glance at eachother, a withering look forming on the latter's face.
"Look, Sarah," Harry started, interrupting whatever Ginny was about to say, "We're not here to discuss whatever dispute our children have. We've spoken to James, he knows it's wrong, what else do you want us to do? Enforcing punishment for something like this seems a little petty."
"It's not petty," Sarah scoffed, folding her arms, "If our children are going to be at the same school for 7 years, I don't want your son picking on my daughter until she's 11. God, forbid they go to the same secondary school."
"They're 5!" Ginny argued, looking at Sarah like she was insane.
"Not much younger than you, apparently," Sarah said coldly, and Ginny's eyes widened as she looked over at Harry, who was looking just as stunned at Sarah's odd statement.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny asked, looking more bemused than angry, "I'm 26. I'm certainly not anywhere near 5."
"21 is far too young to have a child." Sarah muttered, and Ginny scowled, putting Al on the floor indignantly.
"I seem to have done alright so far, so what's your issue with it, Sarah?" Ginny grilled, her hair fanning dangerously behind her.
"You've done alright in the sense you married a nice rich man, moved into a niche area and probably not worked a day in your life." Sarah spat, and I gasped, unable to contain my sheer shock that Sarah had been so brazen with her thoughts.
Harry had been watching the whole ordeal silently, but he was the first to talk in the deathly quiet room after Sarah's outburst.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, Sarah?" he said lowly, "May I remind you that you're in our kitchen right now, talking absolute shit?"
Sarah didn't look guilty, and she stood up, although a good few inches below Harry.
"I just don't think you're taking this seriously." She retorted, "It's not a silly little children's dispute. This could be detrimental to Maisy's upbringing. I've read that childhood bullies affect a child's growth well into adulthood."
"I know all about childhood bullies, Sarah," Harry said, and I noticed Ginny's eyes soften slightly, "I can promise you that whatever James has done will not affect Maisie one bit in her future. I'm sure if you got to know James, you'll find out he's just being ridiculous."
"Why do you think I-" Sarah started, but I interrupted, feeling it my duty to break up this argument before either parties did something they regretted.
"Enough!" I said, louder than I had anticipated, and everyone turned to look at me, "What's the point in arguing?! Has anyone thought to ask the children's opinions on this? They could have had a good day today, but here you are having a scrap over it!"
"You're right," Harry said, seemingly deflating as he took a seat at the table.
"No, Katie," Sarah fumed, "You must stop defending them! I know they've been nice to you and everything, but you need to remember the people that have really been there for you for the past 30 years."
"Where were you then?" I asked her coldly, sick of her gatekeeping a friendship, "Where were you when our house was blown up? Where were you when we had nowhere to go?"
"Dillon was busy with work," Sarah replied, and Ginny laughed unkindly, making Sarah frown.
"Dillon was so busy with work?" Ginny said, amused, "I think you're forgetting who the head of the whole fucking case was."
"Ginny, don't," Harry groaned, "Leave it."
"I don't remember Dillon being away nights at a time not knowing if he was going to make it another day, or else leaving you with 2 young children and a new born." Ginny continued, ignoring Harry, "I don't want to hear that your husband has been busy."
"I honestly don't believe any of this head of the case shit," Sarah replied hotly, "I need proof. Dillon says you're very lowkey with your cases."
"So now you think he's lying?" Ginny said rolling her eyes, "I'm done here. Feel free to leave, Sarah."
And with that, she strutted out the kitchen, Al streaming after her.
"Ginny-" Harry said, his chair sliding back on the tiles as he hurried out the kitchen after her, slamming the door behind him.
"What the hell, Sarah!" I said, "There was no need for that!"
"I don't like them, Kate," she protested, "They seem to think they're too important for small matters such as their son picking on someone else."
"You know what, I'm done too." I said resolutely, "I'm going to collect Mabel."
"But your stuff-"
"Rob can help me this evening," I said, opening the door and unlocking the car, "I'll take you home, but I need to grab somethings from upstairs. Wait in the car, please?"
"Fine," Sarah huffed, sliding her shoes on and getting into the car.
I breathed a sigh of relief and went up the stairs. I didn't have anything to pick up. I just felt it courtesy to apologise for Sarah, again.
I heard the Potter's in their master room, and went quietly down the hallway, peeking through the slight crack to see Ginny sitting on the bed, and Harry pacing slowly infront of her.
"- don't care, Harry!" I heard Ginny said hotly, "And will you stop fucking pacing?!"
Harry stopped abruptly, and glared at her.
"Look," he said, taking a breath, "I didn't invite her today, alright? And I didn't know what time you were coming home, either."
"You didn't think to ask?" Ginny said coolly, and she fell backwards, legs dangling off the edge of the bed as she stared at the ceiling, "There's nothing to do at the burrow these days except be coddled by Mum and eat so much you pop."
"I didn't think you wanted to talk to me, actually, after what Hermione said." Harry replied defensively, running a hand through his hair.
"Since when do you listen to Hermione?"
"All the time!" Harry protested, and Ginny sniggered.
"You're a shit liar," she said, and Harry sighed.
"No, I'm not."
"You are."
"Maybe to you I am," he said, "But I think I'm rather good out on the force."
"You're rather good in this bed too," Ginny huffed.
I sucked in a breath and withdrew, before regaining my composure and knocking before they started anything I would be mortified to witness.
"I hope that's Katie," I heard Ginny mutter, "And I hope Sarah's gone."
The door opened, and Harry stood there, looking relieved when he saw it was me.
"Hi, Katie. Is everything okay?"
"Yes," I said, "I just wanted to apologise on behalf of Sarah. I have no idea what's got into her. She's acting like a brat."
"Forget brat, Katie," I heard Ginny say, "She's acting like a bitch. And I've heard a lot of confrontation in my lifetime. This probably makes it in the top 10."
"I'm so sorry," I said with a grimace, "We're both leaving now. I'm going straight to our new house once I've dropped Sarah off, so I'll see you on the school run?"
Ginny appeared at the door, smiling.
"Of course," she said, "We'll see you later."
"Thank you so much for letting us stay," I said gratefully, "I hope you know how much we appreciate everything you've done for us."
"Anytime," Ginny grinned, before the sound of Lily crying broke any sincere goodbye's we were about to share.
"That's my cue to go," I said, as Harry went off to retrieve the upset baby, "See you soon."
"Bye, Katie."
