Poppy/H.S

Chapter 16

"Thank you, flower. I love it," Harry says as he takes Poppy into a loving hug, touched by her effort of making him a present. She'd put her drawing into a silver envelope which Harry has just opened. The two of them are sat on the carpet next to me, Poppy sprinted into the living room a few minutes ago, excited to give Harry her drawing. Her sudden arrival woke Harry and me from a trance, Harry shifting away from me while I was still gripping on the pendant on my new necklace made of white gold.

"You're very welcome, daddy," she grins. Her cheeks are flushed, but she attempts to hide it by resting her head in the crook of Harry's neck, who chuckles at her sudden shyness and places a loving kiss on her forehead.

"Did you make that all by yourself?" he asks, tightening their hug as he continues to rub her back.

"I did the drawing by myself. Valentine helped me colour the sky and showed me a trick for writing your name," she says proudly.

"It's very pretty. Thank you, both of you," he says, gently pulling away from the hug to able to meet my eyes. He releases a thankful smile when our eyes lock, making my cheeks flush.

"No problem. Poppy's really talented," I say awkwardly, fidgeting with the justice scales on my necklace. I didn't expect him to get a present for me, too. It was so generous of him, and it made me think I was somewhat more important. The fact that he remembered to buy something for me makes me blush. I bet his weekend was very busy, since I remember he mentioned something about having the studio booked, and the thought he still made the time to buy thoughtful presents for both me and Poppy makes me realise what an incredible and polite person he is even though I repeatedly told him I didn't want any money for babysitting Poppy. I know I could use some more money to be able to finally buy a car, but I want to earn that money myself. Babysitting Poppy, however, was one of the things I found relaxing and incredibly gifting, as being in the presence of a child offers you a completely different perspective of looking at certain things. The human mind is usually a very scary place. The children mind, on the other hand, is so innocent yet honest and truthful in its own way. Their way of thinking is so simple yet innovative.

Harry opens his mouth, intensifying our eye contact only to be interrupted by a thunderbolt, echoing through the house. The monstrous sound signals the beginning of the awaited thunderstorm, making me realise Harry was right about the seriousness of it. The soft sound of the rain hitting the window is something I would usually find incredibly calming, but now that it's accompanied by the rumbling thunder, shivers run down my spine. The deafening noise of the storm is interrupting by Poppy's silent cries, her face glossy and red from the tears rolling down her chubby cheeks. Harry protectively tightens his grip on her, trying to make her stop crying by swaying gently.

My eyes slowly wander over to the fireplace, imagining the fire burning to make myself feel warmer, the cool air entering the room through the window now accompanied by the wind. Harry notices my eyes wandering around the room, since I had to involuntarily break our eye contact. He shakes his head, and scoots closer to me. Poppy has her arms wrapped around his neck, resting her head on his chest while he gently strokes her back, whispering reassuring words to her ear. He smiles sadly when she stops crying after a few minutes.

"I have a very important task for you, baby. I need you to listen to me carefully, okay?" Harry asks Poppy, who just nods. "Do you see that window right there?" he questions her, gently releasing one hand from his tight grip and points to the open window above one of the cushioned armchairs. Poppy nods, looking at the window.

"It's open, which means the cool air from the outside is getting inside. Do you understand that, love?"

"I do."