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| Princess Lily |
| The house was quiet. It had been for a long time. The man dumped his keys on the table, as he�d been doing nightly for the past twenty or more years. He ran a hand through his gray-black hair and moved down the short corridor in search of his wife.
He found her in her usual rocking chair, a knitting needle and wool lay next to her sleeping form, knitting itself into some object that looked like a really long mitten. He smiled, and brushed the gray fringe off of his wife�s forehead, placing a kiss on the now bare skin. She stirred but did not wake. He looked down at her lap and found a young picture of himself smiling up at him. He shifted the photo album off of her lap and pulled it to his chest. �Harry?� he smiled to himself, and turned to his wife. She was sitting up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She looked adorable as ever with her hair going in all directions. She stood and the afghan that her mum had made for her fell to the floor. �Gin,� he muttered, moving back to her and placing a small kiss on her lips. �It�s late,� she murmured against his lips and he nodded. �Sorry. There was a bit of a crisis and training the new Head is a bit more of a challenge than I thought it would be.� �I wish you could just retire already.� �I know, love. In a few months you�ll be stuck with me all day�� �I won�t know what to do with you.� Brown eyes met green and they smiled. Ginny motioned to the album in his hands. �Lily wanted to give Bradley some of the pictures from when she was growing up to remember her by when he�s at Hogwarts,� Ginny explained. Harry nodded. �He�s our last grandchild to start Hogwarts,� Harry pointed out. Ginny smiled lovingly up at her husband of forty or so years. �Gods, Gin, I remember when she was just a baby�� There's two things I know for sure She was sent here from Heaven And she's daddy�s little girl As I drop to my knees by her bed at night She talks to Jesus and I close my eyes And I thank God for all of the joy in my life �Dada.� Harry�s eyes shot up and sought his wife. She was grinning widely at him from across the room. He looked down at the little bundle of joy in his arms. Eleven month old Lily Luna Potter had just said her first word. �Say it again, princess,� Harry encouraged. The soft, sweet voice was music to his ears as she gurgled and giggled and said, �dada,� again. Harry pulled the little girl into his chest and rained kisses onto the top of her head. She giggled and mumbled, �Dada!� again. He knew then and there that he would never be able to deny her a thing. Not with those big brown eyes staring up at him. Four Years Later �Daddy!� The music to his ears. He quickly tossed his keys on to the table near the door and was bombarded with a children. He said hello to his boys, kissed his wife on the cheek, and then knelt down on the floor. �Princess Lily!� The little girl had her red hair in pigtails, smudges of white powder on her face. �I made you a present!� She giggled when her father picked her up and blew raspberries on her tummy. �Daddy! Stop!� Her laughter rang out through the corridor. She grabbed Harry�s cheeks between her hands and looked at him wide-eyed and innocent. �Your present, daddy?� �Right, Princess.� He set her on the floor and took her hand. �Lead the way.� She dragged him into the kitchen of their large house and pulled him over to a counter. She stepped carefully onto the stool that brought her a head taller than the counter. She put her hands on the edge and peered over. Harry laughed when he saw the lopsided cake with pink frosting and a large yellow star iced on in the center. �Happy birthday!� she cried and turned. She flung her arms around her father�s neck. �Do you like your present, daddy?� She asked, eyes wide and hopeful. �I love it, Princess.� For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair Walk beside the pony daddy It's my first ride I know the cake looks funny daddy But I sure tried Oh with all that I've done wrong I must have done something right To deserve a hug every morning And butterfly kisses at night �Daddy! Wake up! It�s Christmas!� Lily Potter pushed open the door to her parent�s bedroom with chubby hands and ran inside. She climbed up the side and sat promptly on her father�s stomach. She smiled, and smacked his chest. �Wha-?� Harry�s eyes shot open and he would�ve sat up, if not for a small weight pressing down on him. �Christmas, Daddy!� Lily sing-songed and giggled. �Is it?� Harry muttered, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. �Mummy said you have to come down now or she�ll give all the presents Father Christmas brought you to me!� �Did she?� He smiled at his youngest as she looked contemplative. �Are you sure that�s what mummy said?� �No,� she said finally, lowering her head. Then she brightened up. �It�s Christmas!� �No kidding,� he smirked. Lily climbed off of him and ran towards the door. �Excuse me, miss,� he said authoritarily. She stopped in her tracks and turned slowly, looking sheepish. �Where�s my hug this morning, miss Lily?� Sweet 16 today She's looking like her mama A little more every day One part woman The other part girl To perfume and make up From ribbons and curls Trying her wings out in a great big world �She�s too young!� Harry insisted as he watched his wife going through the trunks of his children, making sure they didn�t leave anything behind. �She�s the same age as James and Albus were�you and I were�� �Eleven is too young to be that far away from your parents, Ginny.� �Harry, listen to yourself. You weren�t this overprotective with the boys. What�s with this change in attitude?� �She�s too young!� Harry cried again, after a brief moment of silence. �Harry,� Ginny said, smiling. She put her hands on his shoulders and forced him to look at her. �She will be fine. The boys will take good care of her.� Harry pulled Ginny into a hug and rested his cheek atop her head. �I feel like I�m losing her,� he muttered into his wife�s hair. �You�re feeling like this now, wait until she gets married.� �You bite your tongue!� Butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair You know how much I love you daddy But if you don't mind I'm only gonna kiss you on the check this time Oh with all that I've done wrong I must have done something right To deserve her love every morning And butterfly kisses at night All the precious time Like the wind the years go by Precious Butterfly Spread your wings and fly �He�s a very lovely man, daddy,� Lily insisted just as the doorbell rang. Harry nodded a bit, and opened the door. A man with short brown hair, wire rimmed glasses, and pleated pants stood before him, holding a bottle of red wine. Harry promptly shut the door in his face. �Daddy!� Lily cried out and opened the door for the man. �Sorry,� Harry muttered, and then moved away from the door and down the hall to his office. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a bottle of Ogden�s Finest. He poured himself a glass and sat on his swivel desk chair, sipping. �I thought I�d find you here,� Ginny entered the room five minutes later. Harry was just finishing off his second glass. �I don�t like him,� he said sourly, filling the glass for the third time. �He�s a lovely boy!� Ginny insisted, taking the drink out of her husband�s hands and sipping it herself. �He irons his trousers,� Harry told her and she snorted into the cup. �Well if that�s his worst quality�� �He�s not good enough for her.� �No one ever is. Or will be.� �Good, glad we�re agreed.� He took the glass from her hands and downed it in two gulps, coughing and spluttering, he slammed the glass down on the desk and reached for the bottle. �It�s too bad that�s not our decision.� Ginny muttered and left the room and Harry to his drinking. She'll change her name today She'll make a promise and I'll give her away Standing in the bride room just staring at her She asked me what I'm thinking And I said I'm not sure I just feel like I'm losing my baby girl �You still back out. Your Uncle George has a car waiting out back if you don�t want to do this,� Harry insisted as he watched his only daughter, his princess, apply lipstick in a mirror. In a church. Ten minutes before a wedding ceremony. Her wedding. �Daddy,� she turned, placing the tube of lipstick on the table next to her and smiling up at her father. �I love him.� �I know,� Harry said finally and kissed her cheek. �I�m losing you, aren�t I?� �I�ll always be your little girl. Your Princess Lily,� she smiled up at him and kissed his cheek, leaving a pink lip print in its wake. And gave me butterfly kisses with her mama there Sticking little white flowers all up in her hair Walk me down the isle daddy It's just about time Does my wedding gown look pretty daddy? Daddy don't cry Oh with all that I've done wrong I must have done something right To deserve her love every morning and butterfly kisses I couldn't ask God for more than this is what love is I know I've got to let her go but I'll always remember Every hug in the morning and butterfly kisses* * Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle |