Harry was tucking Joan in when the twitching nose alerted him that she was troubled about something.
"Dad, why did that man scream at my friend Natalie?"
It was a sombre Harry who tried to answer his daughter, "In Britain there are people who think they are better than everyone else just because of who their parents are, I love your mum's parents but that man today would class her the same as Natalie because they're not magical."
She thought for a minute before asking in a hurt voice, "Is that why no one ever picked me?"
Harry had her in his arms in seconds, "if you had been picked then we would never have gotten to meet and I can't imagine our lives without our wonderful daughter. Never ever think you're not good enough because we think Joan Potter is the most perfect daughter in the whole wide world. It doesn't matter to me if your biological father was a prince or a pauper, all that matters is that you now call me dad and my heart does cartwheels every time I hear it."
Joan was clinging to her father when she felt another pair of arms join the hug as her mother kissed the top of her head.
"Listen sweetie, men like that is one of the main reasons we're living in Italy. They wouldn't put up with behaviour like that in this country."
"But why do they allow it in Britain then?"
Harry couldn't help but think that the child's logic always managed to get right to the heart of the problem, "because that's the way it's been for hundreds of years and the people with the power don't want it to change. Britain once led the magical world but they then seemed to think there was no more to do and have rested on their laurels for so long that the rest of the world is now passing them by. They couldn't care less how bad a state the country gets into because this is all they've known for generations and they're teaching their children the same values."
Hermione tried to give her an example, "when your aunt Ginny's parents tried to get a bride price for her to build a new house, her brothers accepted this because they had been raised to believe this was acceptable behaviour for purebloods."
There was a slight look of panic in the child's eyes, "I hope I'm not a pureblood!"
Hermione chuckled before kissing her on her brow, "sweetie there isn't enough gold on this planet that could buy you from your dad though I do pity any boyfriends you bring home. Between your dad, granddad, uncles and aunts the poor boy is in for a tough time of it."
Harry quietly thought that Emma and Hermione would be worse than the rest of them put together and any potential suitors were in for the grilling of their lives.
Joan made a face that only an eight-year-old could pull off, "yuk! Who wants a boyfriend? I'd rather have a pony any day."
It was a much-relieved father who answered his daughter, "that is the best news I've heard all day so we'll just have to see what we can do about it."
Joan's whole face lit up with an expression that melted both her parents' hearts, "really? A pony?"
Harry tucked her in before kissing her cheek, "really."
Joan watched as her parents left her room with their arms around each other, her dreams tonight wouldn't now feature that purple-faced man screaming at her. Instead they would be filled with equestrian adventures and the thought that she was so glad nobody had picked her before her mum and dad visited the orphanage.
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