This was not funny. Edward Pratt was 32 and should still have a full head of wavy blonde hair. His eldest son should definitely not have been commenting about his aging father and his vanishing hair line. This was not right and had made Eddie suddenly very paranoid and irritable. The auror liked to look good and that didn’t involve losing his hair. He liked his hair. Quincy liked his hair. Would she leave him if she noticed like Noah had? He’d only just won the woman back so he didn’t need this new problem. Things had been going so well as well.

Thanks to the lovely little chappy that was Noah Pratt, his Dad was now sat down in the living room with a large spell book on his lap. Several other books lay open around Eddie’s feet and on the sofa next to him and he was squinting down at the one on his lap reading the description of a hair growth spell.  Running along Eddie’s face was a couple days worth of stubble (he’d not seen Quincy yet that morning. She must have taken Charlie out so no need to shave yet. And he wanted to keep all the hair he had!) and placed ceremoniously on the man’s head was a hat that had been dug from the back of the couple’s wardrobe that morning. Eddie didn’t fancy Noah making any more comments about his Dad’s getting older and he reckoned he looked pretty cool with it on. Eddie could easily pull it off.

Ah here was a spell... “Instant hair growth...” Sounded ok. No harm in giving it a try. Well Eddie thought that until he read the side effects. “Unable to distinguish between head and the rest of the body. Common side effects include growth in uncomfortable places, vomiting and severe flatulence.” The auror pulled a face and shook his head. No way. There had to be a spell of a potion somewhere that just solved the problem without added problems. If not, Eddie would be wearing this hat forever. He would get it permanently stuck to his head if he had to.

Quincy let herself in the front door and pushed Charlie in his pram over the step, with Natasha holding onto it. "Brrr!" she exclaimed, giving a small shiver. Autumn had well and truly set in, and it was very cold outside. She closed the door behind her and smiled down at the little girl wrapped up in her woolly hat, scarf and mittens. Natasha looked back up at her with her rosy cheeks and held her hands out. Quincy obliged, pulling the mittens off and putting them on the third stair. She bent down and unfastened Natasha's coat, helping her pull it off her little arms, before taking her scarf and hat and piling them all on the stair with the mittens. "Go and see daddy." She smiled as she smoothed some of Natasha's hair down, before the little girl bolted off in the direction of the living room.

"Come on then, little man." she cooed as she unfastened Charlie from his pram and lifted him out. His little legs kicked with excitement in his all-in-one ski-suit as he was hoisted into the air and carried along the passage towards the living room. Natasha was stood at the door peering round it and giggling. "Tasha, what are you-" Quincy pushed the door open, and saw Eddie sitting with books strewn all over and the most ridiculous looking hat perched on his head. "Dadda!" Charlie exclaimed from Quincy's arms, as she started to laugh. "Ed...what? Why?"

The front door could be heard being pushed open and closed forcefully a few moments later. Eddie frowned and glanced at the living room door. They were back. A couple of expletives formed on the man’s lips before they vanished. He could act cool. No-one would notice. Least of all Quincy. She’d probably be too busy going on about the books strewn all over the place making a mess and the fact that she’d had to take the kids out that morning and where was he? Sleeping. On one of the few days off he managed to get. A precious Sunday.

It was due to Eddie being convinced of Quincy’s distraction that he remained where he was, seriously debating this hair growth/flatulence spell. Maybe it wouldn’t be too bad... He could just keep away from Quincy and...silly idea. He should just find a better spell or actually admit to his ex-wife / wife / partner / girlfriend the truth. He was going bald. He had a receding hair line that was so obviously their young son noticed it and made at least 7 different childish jokes. All denting the man’s ego drastically.
Then he heard someone giggling at the door and glanced around to see his daughter’s head peeking around. The man smirked across at her. “What’s so funny, lass?” Eddie’s eyebrows rose as he watched her. Then the door was pulled open and there was Quincy and Charlie. Charlie let out a yell of ‘Dadda’ in a way that made his Dadda proud. Quincy, however, started laughing.

"Ed...what? Why?"

Now Eddie felt self conscious. Best act cool. “What? Oh the books. I were searching for a spell. Completely forgot the enchantment.” He shrugged his shoulders before quickly turning the page of the book. Quincy didn’t need to know what he’d been looking at.

“What? Oh the books. I were searching for a spell. Completely forgot the enchantment.”

Quincy blinked a couple of times after his explanation, before letting out a howl of laughter. Even Natasha found it hilarious, and buried her head into her mother's leg as she laughed at her daddy. "Not the books!" she said, her eyes positively lighting up at the scene that had greeted her as she came through the door. "The hat!"

Charlie wriggled to be down, so - still laughing - Quincy let him down on the floor, and he made his way towards his dad on unsteady feet. "Hat!" he screeched, reaching up for the hat on his dad's head. Quincy chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Great one, Ed! You've passed on your bad fashion sense to our son!"

"Not the books!"

So maybe the woman wasn’t quite as distracted as Eddie had hoped. She mentioned it was the hat she was querying and Eddie instinctively put up a protective hand to check the hat was still in place. Quincy would probably have more to laugh at if it came off. So the hat was staying firmly in place. Even if she had noticed it. And was that what was giving Natasha the giggles? He didn’t appreciate that. The young girl could only laugh at Eddie when he wanted to. He was her dad, she was supposed to obey him. That meant not laughing right then.

Charlie started yelling the word hat followed by ‘Dadda’ as he made his unsteady way over to the sofa, chubby little arms reaching out in front of him in vain of grabbing the hat that crowned his pa’s head. Since that boy had started being able to blurt out words, he was getting louder and louder. Just like his mum. And he walked like she did after she’d had a few as well! Eddie smirked at the thought before leaning forward to grab the little tiger and lift him onto his lap.

"Great one, Ed! You've passed on your bad fashion sense to our son!"

Sitting the boy down on top of him, Eddie tried to bat the chubby hands away while frowning. “Ye don’t like it?” Charlie let out another screech as Eddie held his hand down lightly. “I reckon it’s quite cool. Even Charlie agrees.” Quincy didn’t like anything different or that didn’t suit her eye. But the hat she would need to get used to. She would never see his hair (or lack thereof) ever again. Eddie didn’t fancy the embarrassment.

Unfortunately for the auror, however, Noah had made his way into the room from the garden, traipsing in moody boots. His eyes locked onto the hat before he started giggling himself. “That’s not gonna’ cover it up, Dad!”

When Eddie asked if she liked it, it took all of her strength not to laugh out loud. She pressed her lips together into a thin line, but had to look away and hold her hand up to her mouth, as though holding back the laughter. She swallowed and turned back to him, a grin playing with her lips and tugging at the corners, threatening to burst across her face. "Eddie it's awful!" She couldn't help it, a laugh escaped her, and once again she clamped her hand across her mouth.

“I reckon it’s quite cool. Even Charlie agrees.”

"Confirming my fears." she stated bitterly as she watched her son try in vain to grab the hat from his dad's head. "You're turning into one of those dads, Ed. Next thing we know you'll want to grow a beard." she paused momentarily, a look of worry crossing her features. "You-you're not, are you?" That was the last thing she wanted; a bearded husband.

A small giggle sounded from beside Quincy and she looked down to see her oldest son watching his dad with the same amusement both she and Natasha were. Quincy grinned and put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him against her and kissing the top of his head.

“That’s not gonna’ cover it up, Dad!”

Quincy's brow furrowed in confusion. She looked at Eddie, then back at Noah. "Cover what up?" she asked, once again letting her eyes go to Eddie and that hat of his.

"Dad's going bald." Noah offered with another giggle. Quincy rolled her eyes and ruffled the hair on top of his head. "Don't be so silly! He's got a good head of hair under that hat! Takes after your hairy grandad...and your grandma." she winked at her son as he snorted at the suggestion that his grandma was hairy. "Don't tell her I said that." she whispered to him.

"Eddie it's awful!"

Surely it wasn’t that bad. It had been cool a few years ago when he’d last worn it. Granted, it was more than ten years ago and they’d been gracing the entrance of a fancy dress party. But what difference did that make? Ed could still pull it off easily. He was cool like that. Young, hip and cool. Even if Noah didn’t agree. Eddie wasn’t going to listen to him anyway, what did a ten year old boy know anyway? Well he seemed to know his Dad was balding...

"You're turning into one of those dads, Ed. Next thing we know you'll want to grow a beard."

The auror’s left hand lifted up to his chin and he stroked his stubbly left cheek with his fingers. “I reckon it’ll look cool.” He replied bluntly before dropping his hand back to rest on Charlie’s knee and looking over at Quincy. She looked good when she was laughing. Even if it was at him. “I’d let you grow one if you wanted to.” Because he was kind like that and he wasn’t obsessive like a certain someone. Eddie wanted a beard. He had to make the most of what hair he had. And it would look super cool. He couldn’t help it if Quincy was more stuck in her ways than a flobberworm. She’d have to live with this one.

"Cover what up?"

Ed glared across at his son, trying to stop him from saying anything. The little runt best not or he’d regret it later. No quidditch practice as promised. And bed early. 4 o’clock or something nasty.

Apparently glaring at a young boy while wearing a ridiculous hat didn’t have the same effect as normal and Noah oh so cheerfully blurted out that his Dad was going bald. Eddie’s first response would have been to reply ‘You’re going bald.’ But that would have been too childish for the situation. His face simply reddened slightly instead.

Fortunatly for the auror, Quincy set him straight immediately. Not without a jibe about Grandma, however. Eddie smirked slightly before reaising that his son deserved to be told off.

“You know ye shouldn’t lie, lad. Karma might come and get you with a wand on the butt. Or that might be me.” His eyebrows rose as he looked sternly across at the boy who pulled a face before sprinting from the room.

“Boy’s been playing up all mornin’.”

The fact that he said he thought a beard would look 'cool' almost forced Quincy's hand to her head. He couldn't have honestly thought she'd let him grow one, could he? Well he was sorely mistaken. Then, he suggested he would let her grow one, and her eyebrow rose. Was he suggesting that her upper lip was particularly hairy? Because it wasn't. Charlotte made sure of that everytime she came round. She lifted a hand to her fact and rubebd her upper lip absent-mindedly as he son dobbed his dad in.

“Boy’s been playing up all mornin’.”

Quincy pouted. "Aww, I think daddy's worried he's getting old." she grinned down at Natasha who laughed and took her mum's hand. Quincy led her over to where Eddie was situated on the sofa. "Come on Tasha, you tell daddy he's not old." Quincy lifted the little girl up onto the sofa and laughed as she repeated the same words her mum had told her to say.

"Exactly." she agreed, grabbing for the hat. "Which means you don't need this." She waved the hat in the air and grinned as Charlie grabbed for it again and nearly fell off Eddie's knee. Quincy laughed and couched down, kissing the tip of her baby boy's nose, before plopping the large hat on the head of blonde hair. "You suit it much more than daddy." she cooed at Charlie who screeched with joy at the fact he finally had the hat. The prized hat.

“I ‘ent!” Eddie butted in about the comment of him getting old. Eddie was still young. It was just the smarmy little git that was his son was trying to wind his Dad up. Ed would get the lad back later. He could do a little winding up himself and then Noah would be very sorry. As long as Quincy wasn’t aware of what her husband had in store. He’d have to get Noah when she was distracted.

With Natasha now on the seat next to him, Eddie glanced down at her and nodded slowly. She was being very  nice to him, saying he wasn’t old. Granted, Quincy had put the words into her mouth but it was progress. Eddie grinned. “I reckon that deserves a giant....” Being careful to keep Charlie stable on his lap, Edide reached over to Natasha quickly. “TICKLE!” From there he proceeded to tickle his little girl, hearing her squeal in delight.

Unfortunatly, by paying so much attention to a delightyful little girl, Eddie forgot about the minx that was his wife. She’d stolen the hat! Upon realising, in synch with his little son, he proceeding to grab for the hat. By some cruel turn of fate, Quincy plonked the hat on the little boy’s head and Eddie frowned.

The auror’s eyes slowly scanned up Quincy’s body to her face and he licked his lips slightly before pouting. “I reckon that at least deserves a kiss from mommy.” Then maybe Eddie would feel better about his hair and. It was taking all of his restraint not to steal the hat off the baby boy. He didn’t fancy dealing with the crying. But it was HIS hat.

“I reckon that at least deserves a kiss from mommy.”

"I do too!" she agreed, her eyes glinting mischievously. She knew that Eddie meant a kiss for himself, but she felt that her baby boy deserved one from her even more than her balding husband did. She bent forward, lifted the hat out of Charlie's eyes and smiled as she placed her hands on either side of his face. He giggled as she planted a big kiss on his lips, and after she pulled away he made kissing noises at her.

Little Natasha laughed and shouted out that daddy needed the kiss. A shocked look came on Quincy's face as she turned to the little girl. "You think daddy deserves a kiss?" Natasha nodded with a grin. Quincy pursed her lips to the side in thought and took a pensieve sigh. "Hmm...well, if you really think so..." She grinned as she cupped her hand under Eddie's chin and went in for a kiss, ignoring the wails of protest from their eldest son, and trying hard not to allow herself to be attacked with saliva from her youngest.

In preparation for the kiss promised and acting out for the sake of his daughter, Eddie had puckered his lips and closed his eyes. They opened cautiously a few moments later to discover Quincy kissing their baby boy. That wasn’t what he’d meant! He frowned down at the little boy now smacking his lips gingerly and clapping his chubby hands against one another in excitement. Quincy’s kisses could probably do that to her husband as well. But it didn’t look like he was about to find that out any time soon now. What had he supposedly done wrong this time!?

“You were supposed to kiss Daddy, silly!”

Squealed Daddy’s little angel and he grinned across at her before messing up her thick brown hair. He knew she was his. She stuck up for him against the evil mommy that kissed babies instead of proper men. Evil woman. Devil woman.

And the little girl saved her Daddy. After consideration, Quincy decided that maybe her fantastic husband did in fact deserve a kiss and Eddie decied to make the most of this. As he lips touched his, he lifted a hand to her cheek and parted her lips, kissing her a little more than she’d expected before reluctantly pulling back. The kids were there and one was moaning loudly.

“You’ll do exactly the same when you find a woman as gorgeous as yer mam, Noah.” The auror told his oldest son before bouncing Charlie on his knee.  “Why don’t you guys go play in the other room and yer mam can help me find this spell?”

The response from Eddie was...unexpected. Welcome, but unexpected. Quincy's eyes widened momentarily before they closed and she allowed herself to be enveloped in the kiss. He hadn't kissed her like that for a long time. It was both tender and needy, and made her feel as though she was a necessity for him. The way his hand came up to her cheek was almost possessive over her, and it gave her butterflies. Butterflies flitted around her stomach for the first time in years. Or maybe it was the baby kicking. Whatever it was, it felt good. She smiled as he pulled away, and she could see the reluctance in his face.

Quincy bit her lip as Eddie suggested that the kids go play in the other room, and that she could help him find a spell. She watched as Noah slumped out of the room moodily, mumbling something about 'Not finding it in mum's mouth'. Raising a hand to her mouth she suppressed a laugh. Natasha followed her brother, probably intent on annoying him as much as possible. She was getting good at that. Quincy smiled down at Charlie, helped him to his feet and walked him to the door. Noah was standing outside of the door, leaning against the wall sulkily.

"Take your brother and sister and give them some milk, please Noah?" he rolled his eyes but took Charlie by the hand and stalked off to the kitchen, Natasha in tow. Quincy smirked after them, before moving back into the living room and closing the door behind her. She leaned against it and looked down at the floor, a smile playing on her lips. "So what was this spell you were looking for?"

The kids were each shooed from the room (not before Eddie took the hat off his son’s head and placed it on his own) and the door had been closed behind the leaving ex husband and wife in the living room alone. One day Eddie would have to sort out the ex part of that sentence. But for the moment, he very much liked the way things were going. He’d been back in the house for a while now and loved waking up to Quincy every day, knowing how much better things were now and would end up being later.

“Spell?” Eddie grunted, being brought back to the present. Ah yes, he’d asked for her help, now he remembered. The auror grinned and moved the book off of his lap, placing it on the sofa next to him now. “Well you’re gonna need to come closer to help me.” He coaxed her, leaning back against the sofa and spreading his legs out comfortably.

Quincy started a move slowly over to him, lingering. “It’ll have to be closer, love.” And he meant close. Quincy looked pretty damn stunning right now, or all the time, and Eddie most definitely wanted to be as close to that bombshell as possible. Granted, the kids were in the house and awake so he couldn’t get as close as he wanted right then. Unless a grandparent was interested in taking them out?

The gorgeous woman was stood directly in front of Eddie and he grinned wider and patted his lap. “Closer.”

Clearly looking for a spell hadn't been the thing that was occupying his mind as his children left the room. This was evident by the gourmless look on his face as she mentioned it, then the realisation as her meaning dawned on him. Then he said she'd have to come closer, as he moved the book aside and made himself more comfortable. She chuckled slightly and shook her head whilst pushing herself away from the door.

She paused as she reached the end of the sofa and smiled at him as if to say 'There, I moved closer.' But he coaxed her forward once more, and she smiled to herself before consenting to move again. This time, she stopped a couple of foot in front of him. He patted his lap and asked her to come closer. She shook her head and smirked. "Nah-ah. I came this far, now you have to move too. There's got to be some give and take." She flashed him a grin before raising an eyebrow as she waited for him to either move or come back with something.

From where Quincy had now stopped in her advance, Eddie could see the small bulge in her stomach. She was getting bigger now thanks to the baby. Fortunatly for the auror’s sake, he had learnt many years ago not to mention that to his wife. The first time and the last time he’d remarked on her ‘getting a little chubby’, he’d definitely regretted it as the severely hormonal witch leapt on him with a rolling pin and a fiery red face. Ed still reckoned he had a slight bruise from that vicious, unprovoked attack.

Even if Quincy was looking a little...plumper than usual, Eddie was still convinced she looked stunning. But it was best not to tell her that entire thought. All he should really reveal was the stunning part. Eddie valued his life.

Ed’s eyes scanned up and down his wife’s changing body  before he finally leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs. “That’s hardly fair.” The man grumbled before flashing her his trademark wide and cheeky grin. A grin that had been showing up more regularly now he was back home and with his family.

Finally Eddie decided to get up and pushed himself up off the couch. He made a few slow steps over to Quincy and smirked. “I wondered where you’d got to, this mornin’ babe” His arms wrapped themselves around Quincy’s waist and carefully pulled her closer.