Pansy adjusted Polly on her hip. Since she'd begun to walk, she seemed to have decided that being carried was no longer an option, and she wasn't happy that Pansy wouldn't put her down. The broom ride over had kept her entertained, though, and Pansy was glad she'd decided to ride rather than walk.
Far more glad....
But once she'd pulled Polly off the broom, it had been a struggle to hold onto her, Polly having turned into some strange contortionist in an effort to get Pansy to put her down. And of all the words for Polly to say first, it had to be 'no.' She was thoroughly tired of that word because it was virtually all Polly wanted to say.
Finally, Pansy gave in and put her daughter down, but she held onto her hand tightly and cast a small charm to keep Polly near enough to grab if she got away. They were near enough to the boat, she'd decided.
Now that she was getting her way, Polly was far happier, and she was already smiling and jabbering up a storm as they approached the others.
Pansy just wished that Harry would come to the party. She'd done her best to talk him into it, and failing that, to badger and nag him. And failing that, she'd appealed to his desire to protect Polly, telling him that she'd feel safer if he were there. He'd just told her not to go if she was worried.
Maybe he'd show up anyway. She could hope. Not that they could talk to each other or anything. But she could look at him and know he was there.