Harry sat waiting. He couldn't hear himself think. There seemed to be no lull in the noise, it was merely wave after wave of fresh chaos.
"Mr Pearce?" he nodded, "He's in here."
He followed the woman across the hall and into a large room. Much of the noise had been coming from in here he realised. It wasn't just the noise though, it was the whirlwind of frenetic movement that came with it, it felt like only the walls were still.
The woman stopped and pointed. "That's James," she said.
Harry was wrong, the walls weren't the only thing that were still in the room. Amongst the heaving, careering, frenzy of children there was one, he was sat in the far corner, his blond head was bent over a square puzzle and he was intently staring at it, trying with all his might to understand its secrets.
The woman asked Harry if he'd be okay and left. He felt very far from okay, but he'd nodded at her and made his way over to the little boy that he'd never seen before today, the little boy he'd never known about until today.
As he squatted down before him, the puzzle revealed its secrets and the blond head bobbed up with a look of great satisfaction and pleasure.
"That's it, you've done it," said Harry warmly. James thrust out the toy to Harry who took it admiring a job well done. The little boy reached for another and began to examine it as he had the last.
Harry said nothing more but watched him and wished he could remember what his mother looked like.
"This is all that matters now," said Harry.
"Mine" said James and took back the square puzzle.