Not A Love Story

Chapter 8-Light of Love

I sat only a day later in the bed, this time holding a baby girl.

My baby girl.

I had been passed out until now, exhausted. When I woke up, I just wanted to see her. Hold my daughter for the first time.

"Do you have a name picked out dear?" The doctor asked, she was the only other person in the room.

My mom and dad went to get food for all of us, and Tatum had gone for a walk around, tired of sitting in the hospital for so long.

"Yeah, I do. Liliana Grace Riders." I said, smiling softly at her.

"It's a very nice name." The doctor said, walking out.

"Hello Bear..." I whispered, holding Liliana closer to me. She seemed to almost nuzzle into me.

"You have no idea how loved you'll be, how loved you already are..." I said, laying down fully and looking up at the ceiling.

"I love you Lilli."

~~~~

A few weeks later, I stood back at platform 9 3/4 with my parents and Tatum.

"Are you sure you want to go back this year, I would be fine with you staying at the house." MY mother said, fussing over me and Liliana.

"Mum, I have to finish school and take my N.E.W.T'S this year, I promise you can visit and I'll write ok?" I said, hanging Liliana to her.

My mother was going to be bringing Liliana to school after the train left so I wouldn't be seen with her. I didn't want people knowing I had a kid, but also didn't want her to get sick on the train.

I kissed Liliana's forehead.

"I love you Bear." I said, smiling softly down at my daughter.

"Bean looks just like you dear. My bean... I love you both so much." My mother said, hugging me and Tatum.

My dad picked me up and spun me around like he had become accustomed to.

"Dad put me down! I'm too old to be carried!" I said, laughing and trying to slip out of his grip.

"You'll never be too old to be carried Bear." He said, setting me down and kissing my forehead.

"I love you." He said.

"Love you too." I said, pulling away.

The train whistled a warning, it would be leaving soon.

"Bye mum, dad." I turned to walk away, turning back hesitantly.

"See you soon Lilli." I said, hugging her again.

She smiled up at me, making a soft cooing noise, almost like a goodbye.

I grabbed Tatum's hand and we walked onto the train.

~~~~

When we got to Hogwarts, we went to the Great Hall for the feast and sorting.

After, Madam Pompfrey pulled me aside to inform me she wanted to check on Lilli, and I could come pick her up after curfew. I smiled and nodded, returning back to my room after.

I collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

This was the longest I had gone without Liliana with me in the past few weeks, and I felt like something was missing.

I got up and walked to her nursery, taking her smaller trunk that had been brought with my mom, who had already dropped her off with Madam Pompfrey.

I took out her clothes and began folding them and placing them into her dresser carefully, trying to distract myself from worrying about Lilli.

I heard something fall out in the other room and dropped the clothes, grabbing my wand off a table and running to the room the noise had come from.

I saw a first year girl, with Ravenclaw robes, hiding behind the door, staring at it as if it would burst open any minute.

Their was a book that had fallen off a table, which was what I had heard, on the floor next to the cowering girl.

"Are you ok dear?" I asked, walking over cautiously, my mother instincts kicking in.

She turned around wide-eyed and started apologizing for intruding, saying she needed somewhere to hide quickly and she couldn't find anywhere else fast enough.

I set a hand on her shoulder gently, causing her to stop her rambling.

"It's ok, what were you trying to hide from?" I asked in a soft voice, afraid of scaring the shaky girl.

"An older Slytherin boy, he was trying to hit me with a spell and I don't know how to defend myself." She said quietly.

"Do you want a cup of hot chocolate?" I asked, smiling at her.

She nodded and I took her into the small kitchen, grabbing two mugs and two hot chocolate packets.

She sat down at one of the chairs, glancing around nervously.

"So tell me a little about yourself dear." I said while making the hot chocolate.

"Uh... Okay I guess." She said, starting to tell me a bit about herself.

I learned she was a muggle-born first year in Ravenclaw named Haven, she had a younger brother named Ashton, and she had never met her mother. Her father was a nice man named Charles and she had a kind step-mom named Brayla.

She's afraid of thunderstorms and she never thought she would be a witch once, the while thing a confusing concept for her. She loves baby animals and soft things, her favorite color is lilac and she loves braiding hair.

After I had finished with the hot chocolate, I let her braid my hair into pigtails. She kept chatting to me and I felt good knowing she had a friend now, she was clearly afraid of coming to school here and she seemed like an easily startled girl.

Eventually, it was almost curfew, so I walked her to Ravenclaw Tower and waved goodbye as she entered the common room. I then walked to Madam Pompfrey's to get Liliana, who with Haven, I had been able to stop worrying about.

I walked in, heading to her office where there was a sleeping Lilli, and Madam Pompfrey was working on filling out medical forms of sorts.

I took Lilli back to my room and laid her in the small crib in my room, not wanting to be far if she awoke during the night. I then laid down and drifted into dreamless sleep.