The spring bulbs had started to bloom, and the March sun reflected on the still waters of the canal as Artemis Hexley ran past the rows of narrow boats.

Earlier that day, she had stolen into the zoo at Regent's Park, and watched a pair of penguins with yellow tufty ears feeding their grey and white chick. The zookeeper, a lanky man with straw-coloured hair and a weather beaten face, had answered every single one of her questions about the penguins.

She knew that he had become tired of her when he asked her where her own parents were, and it was at that point she decided to make a quick escape from the zoo before he could ask her as many questions as she had asked him.

When she reached the wall of her back garden, she stopped running. Reclining in a deckchair on the flat roof of his houseboat was Reggie, Artemis' Muggle friend. The windows of his boat were wide open, and a jazzy song was blaring from his record player.

"Is this a new one?" Artemis asked him, folding her arms and leaning against her garden wall. "I don't think I've heard this one before."

Reggie opened one of his brown eyes to look at Artemis.

"Can a man not listen to his records in peace?" he asked, his deep, melodious voice laced with a soft chortle. He sat up and leant forward with his elbows resting on his knees. "What trouble have you been causing today, Tiny?"

"I haven't been causing any trouble. I just went to see the penguins. They have a baby now, and the mother was feeding it. Reggie, did you know that dad penguins sit on the eggs while the mums go and get food?"

"I didn't know that," Reggie shook his head. "Talking of mums, have you got anything planned for tomorrow?"

Artemis tilted her head and wrinkled her nose.

"What's tomorrow?" she asked.

"Mother's Day," came the response. "Don't tell me you had forgotten?"

Artemis felt suddenly guilty. This would be the first Mother's Day she had spent at home since Jacob had left, and she hadn't even remembered to get anything. No wonder her mum preferred Jacob to her.

"You know, Tiny," said Reggie, who had clearly read what she was thinking. "It's not too late to do something for your mum. All you need is a card and some flowers."

"Where can I get flowers from?"

"Why don't you look behind you?"

Artemis turned around, and saw a perfectly bloomed bunch of bright yellow daffodils at the edge of the canal path.

"I didn't notice them before," she said.

"That is because you are always running everywhere so fast you don't stop to look," Reggie laughed. He stood up and walked into the cabin of his boat, calling out to Artemis, "You pick the flowers, Tiny, and I'll find you something to put them in."

Artemis did as she was told, and after she had picked the yellow flowers, Reggie emerged from his boat holding a clean jam jar. Artemis took the jar from his big hands, noticing as she did that his palms were lighter than the skin on the rest of his body, and placed the stems inside.

"Remember, you'll have to put water in there."

"Of course. I knew that already," Artemis said, half-truthfully, and clutching the jar of flowers, she climbed over the garden wall and went back inside her house.

As she filled the jam jar to the brim with water and carried it carefully up the flights of stairs to her bedroom in the attic, she wondered what else she could do for her mother. Ever since Jacob had left, her mum had been quiet and distant, and she barely even looked at her anymore. Maybe, Artemis thought, if she made Mother's Day really special, her mum would be happy again, like she was when she was small, before her dad died and Jacob went missing.

She took some Muggle writing paper from her mum's study, and a book about Magical Creatures that her Uncle Newt had given her for Christmas the year before. She flipped through the pages until she saw the creature she wanted: a thunderbird, her mother's favourite. She wasn't any good at drawing, but she did her best, and once she was done, she folded the paper in half.

There, she thought. A card.

The next morning she woke up early. Reggie hadn't said that she should make her mother breakfast, but it was something Jacob had always done. Artemis knew how to grill bread to make toast, as she had to do it sometimes when her mother couldn't get out of bed, and while the toast was cooking, she started on the eggs.

She had never made scrambled eggs before, but she had seen Jacob do it several times. How difficult could it be?

She placed a saucepan on the stove and fetched some eggs. Three ought to do it, she reckoned.

Splitting the eggs without getting eggshell in the mixture was surprisingly difficult, and she dropped one egg on the floor in the process. Having picked out as much shell as she could out of the egg mixture, she poured it into the hot saucepan and stirred it until it became harder and lumpy looking. Some of the scrambled egg stuck to the pan, but most of it looked okay, so she scraped as much of it as she could onto a plate, and went to get the toast.

"Oh no," she said out loud, as she picked up the blackened and charred slices. She must have spent too long making the eggs. She placed the burnt toast on the counter, and started again whilst she made the coffee.

She knew that the glass jug with a plunger was called something like a "coffee tier", but she wasn't sure how it worked. It probably wasn't that important, and she didn't want to risk burning any more toast, so she poured out the dark powder straight into a mug, and poured hot water on top of it. The coffee looked a bit grainy, but it smelt good, and that would just have to do.

Artemis felt very proud of herself as she carried the eggs on toast, coffee, daffodils and her handmade card up to her mother's bedroom. Her mum was sitting upright in the dark with the curtains drawn. Artemis sat at the end of her bed as gently as she could, and placed the tray down next to her. Her mum didn't seem to notice that she was there.

"Ma," said Artemis. "I made you breakfast."

Sara Hexley's eyes drifted past her daughter and settled on the tray next to her. Artemis picked the tray up and placed it on her mother's lap.

"I never made scrambled eggs or coffee before," she said, filling the silence with the first words she could think of. "I think I've done it right, though. And those flowers there, they're for you as well. I picked them myself. They're yellow, like sunshine. And that picture, it's of a thunderbird. I know you like thunderbirds best. I'm sorry I'm not better at drawing."

Artemis chewed on her bottom lip as she watched her mother stare at the tray in front of her. Slowly, her mum lifted her head, and closed her eyes, as if she were in pain.

"Thank you, Artemis," she said, her eyes still shut.

"You're welcome," replied Artemis. She was still for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around her mother's neck and placed a clumsy kiss on her cheek. "Happy Mother's Day."

Sara Hexley returned neither her daughter's kiss or her embrace. She breathed in, shakily, and as Artemis let go of her, she returned her gaze firmly onto the grainy, lukewarm coffee, and gritty, charred eggs on toast.

"Why don't you make a start on cleaning up the mess you've made in the kitchen while I eat this," she whispered. "I'll come and help you when I'm done."

Artemis nodded, and smiled. She didn't want her mum to see how disappointed she was. Maybe once she had eaten, and seen that the kitchen was tidy, her mum be in a better mood. Maybe she would even smile, or give her a hug, or ruffle her hair.

She jumped off her mother's bed and walked to the bedroom door. Before she walked through it, she turned back. She had forgotten the most important thing of all.

"I love you, Ma."

But her mother must have not heard her, because she just kept staring silently downwards, a single tear running down one cheek.