Prompt #515 – Gaoler – The First – slashluv18 – Harry Potter

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Title: The First
Fandom: Harry Potter
Prompts: #515 – Gaoler
Warnings: None
Pairings: None
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,088
Summary: Harry must comfort Lily.

Ginny chortled under the cover of her hand when Harry tripped over his own feet. Harry might be one of the most talented Seekers she had ever seen, and definitely one of the best fliers, but he wasn't very coordinated when it came to being on the ground.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm glad I can entertain you," he murmured sarcastically, but there was no heart behind it. Ginny wasn't his gaoler. He could always go into his office if he desired some time to himself.

Suddenly the light atmosphere was interrupted by the slam of the door and quick feet. Harry and Ginny hurried over to the main foyer in time to see Lily disappearing up the stairs.

"Lily? Sweetie?" Ginny called.

"Leave me alone, Mom," she called.

Harry heard the distress in her voice, and his heart clenched. Whoever hurt his baby girl was going to regret it. "Maybe you should go talk to her," he gently encouraged.

Ginny shook her head, appreciative of what Harry was trying to do but knowing it was useless. "I know Lily. Right now the only person she might open up to is her favorite person in the world – her daddy. Go."

Harry looked at his wife. He knew she was hurt that Lily wasn't closer to her like Ginny had been to her own mom. "Gin..."

"It's okay. Although I wished Lily would confide in me, what's most important is that she talks about whatever is bothering her. And you're the only person she'll open up to. Go."

Harry nodded and quickly made his way up the stairs to her bedroom. He opened the door and peeked in on his daughter.

She didn't notice him, too busy with squeezing her pillow with a tight embrace, her face buried in it. Her body wasn't shaking, so he assumed it was a quiet cry. Most of the time, a quiet cry was worse than loud sobs because it meant she was in a lot more pain and trying to keep it inside of her.

He swallowed. Even after all these years, he didn't always know how to say the right thing, but for some reason, his attempts seemed to always make Lily talk while she clammed up with everyone else.

He slowly stepped into her yellow and purple room and moved to her bed, sitting on the blanket. He reached for her and began rubbing her back in what he hoped was soothing circles.

She turned her head, so her cheek was smashed against it. Tear streaked down her cheeks. "Daddy?"

"What's hurting my baby girl?

She sat up with a furious look and nearly shouted, "I'm not a baby!"

Harry blinked. "Okay, you're not a baby, but you have to understand something. You're my youngest child and my only daughter. I will always see you as my baby girl, and whoever has hurt you will have to deal with me."

Lily smiled. "The picture of that is very appealing, but it won't fix anything."

He nodded. "I know that, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to hurt whoever hurt you. That comes with the territory of being a father. I know talking won't fix it, but it might make you feel better to get it out in the open."

She looked down at her legs and began playing with her skirt. "Daddy, have you ever had a broken heart?"

He gulped. It was one of those conversations. He thought Lily was too young to be interested in boys. She was only 14 after all. He shook his head. He had to put away those not-so-helpful fatherly feelings for right now. He could always revisit them later. "Well, I've had crushes where things didn't work out, but no, thankfully, I've never suffered a broken heart. The only woman I ever truly loved romantically was your mother, and I was lucky enough for her to return my feelings."

"You are lucky," she agreed.

Harry placed a hand on her leg, covering her twitching fingers. "Who broke your heart, Lils?"

"Daddy, I really like Scorpius Malfoy, and I thought he liked me. He was always so nice to me, and he went out of his way to include me whenever he came over to see Albus or if he visited Rose when I was over at their house. I thought he liked me the way I liked him."

Harry's heart clenched. He found out from a fuming Ron only a couple of days ago that Scorpius had begun dating Rose. It wasn't so much Scorpius's last name that Ron had a problem with anymore; it was more because it was his only daughter Scorpius was now dating. "And you found out about him and Rose." he concluded.

Lily nodded. "I know it's stupid. He's two years older than me. Of course he wouldn't be interested in a little girl like me, and I guess he only included me so much because I was his best friend's little sister and the cousin of the girl he liked. And even if I know it's stupid, it..."

"...doesn't stop it from hurting," he finished.

Tears streamed down her cheeks again, and he pulled her into his arms. "It hurts, Daddy. Will it ever stop hurting?"

Harry hugged her close and kissed her forehead. "Of course it will. There will be many boys. Some will break your heart, and if I'm not mistaken, you'll break some of their hearts as well. I'm looking forward to the latter of course."

Lily looked up at him. "Why the latter?'

"Because no boy will ever be good enough for my daughter. And honey, Scorpius was probably nice to you for more reason than simply Albus and Rose. He does like you, but he likes you as a friend, and I have a feeling that if you let it happen, you two could be great friends."

She buried her head in his chest. "Maybe when it doesn't hurt as much, but I'm not ready to be his friend yet."

He kissed the top of her head. "I promise you that in time you will be."

"Thanks, Daddy," Lily murmured as her eyes drifted close.

He gently laid her down on her bed and brushed her hair off of her face. He had to come to terms with the fact that his baby girl was growing up and soon she would be dating boys. He internally shuddered. He hoped his reputation still held, and he would be able to scare them.