Wot In The Harri Potter?

11 - Daddy

"Harri?" Ron asks, his mouth falling open as I re-enter the shop with Lily in my arms. "Who the-? What the-?"

"Meet your uncle," I say to my daughter, lifting her up in Ron's startled face. "Ron, Lily. Lily, Ron. He'll make bad jokes but don't feel obliged to laugh."

Ron just opens and shuts his mouth as Lily furiously sucks her curled fist, glaring at him through half-lidded eyes. With no time to explain, I hug Lily back to my hip and carry on, leaving Ron standing there, spluttering.

George is waiting up on the landing as I reach the top of the stairs to his flat, his face paling as his eyes land on our daughter.

"Is this-?" he stammers nervously. "Is this... her?"

I smile encouragingly, beckoning him to come over and meet his daughter.

"Hello," he says, smiling softly as he reaches out to touch her cheek.

Lily squirms and cries, turning her head around to hide in my chest.

"It's okay," I soothe, gently jiggling her on my hip as she begins to wail, "this is your daddy. He just wants to love you like I do."

"Shit," George says, scratching the back of his neck as his face flushes pink. "I'm sorry- I, uh-."

And with that he turns and heads straight for the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him.

"George- it's okay!"

As Lily sobs in my arms, I hear George also sob on the other side of the door.

Ah fuck, this is turning out to be a disaster. Before I can head towards the bathroom, there is a sound behind me as someone enters the flat.

"Harri?"

I jump and turn around to find Draco, his face full of concern.

"I thought you left?"

"I came back," he says unnecessarily. "I couldn't leave you to go through this on your own." His gaze goes straight to the door where George can be heard sobbing heavily behind it. "I take it the meeting didn't go well?"

"He's overwhelmed, that's all."

Draco strides over to me and takes a still sobbing Lily from my arms. He holds her to him and kisses the top of her hair, soothing her straight away. Her sobs subsiding, she looks adoringly up into his face, and I am shocked by just how quickly she has taken to him.

"Go and talk to him," Draco urges me, "I'll take Lily out into the shop until he's ready to see her."

I nod gratefully, watching him leave before walking to the door where George is still sobbing from the other side. I gently knock.

"George," I say, "Draco's taken Lily to look around the shop. We can talk, if you want?"

Silence. I hold my breath. Then slowly, the door opens. George looks utterly shattered, his face wet with tears which he tries to furiously wipe away.

"It was the worst thing I could have done to him."

My heart breaks at the utter desolation in his voice. I suddenly yearn to take away his pain, to make things right for him.

"No, no it isn't George." I say quickly. "I know this sounds crazy, but I know he was there that night. I saw his eyes, and he told me he loved me. I know it was Fred. Unless you are saying that was you?"

George sorrowfully shakes his head, not meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry, Harri. I don't remember much about it. I was so full of grief, my mind was a mess. I could have said anything. Maybe I wanted to believe I was him? Maybe it was my fucked up way of dealing with it?"