the boy who waited (lily)

[Deleted]

His daughter had flown to America for goodness sake. Without even asking her mother. Without even telling her at first! Harry had a moment of parental anger but then he realized that it wasn't worth being that angry since he hadn't since his daughter in so long. He was disguised as Ron, of course, in a public place like an airport. Ginny was working and he had asked if he could pick Lily up alone so it worked out okay. Not that Lily really NEEDED someone to pick her up, but.

He saw her flight on the boards, L.A. USA Flight 37702. He went to the baggage claim where that flight would send her things. He actually caught sight of her suitcase before he saw her, so he grabbed it and stepped off to the side, but not far from the belt so she could still see him. He hadn't told her he, 'Ron', was coming to pick her up so he wouldn't be shocked if she was a bit surprised.

His eyes were peeling the crowds for her, his heart beating fast. He was excited and nervous to see his little girl. She was a lot like her mother, though, which meant she could either punch him in the face, give him a big hug, or somehow do both at the same time...

Once he revealed who he was.

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

HARRY JAMES POTTER

01.03.2025

Her California vacation was done and over with, and a very pouty redheaded child was finally back in England. The week long adventure had been just that: an adventure. Lily had separation anxiety from Los Angeles the second her plane took off, and for once in her life she was jealous that she hadn’t snagged the window seat when buying her tickets a few months back. She would have been glued to it, maybe even salivating at her last look of freedom and sunshine for the next five months. Instead she was seated next to a very kind older couple, who satiated her need to talk incessantly for almost five hours straight, the only pause in their conversation occurring when she had food placed in front of her or the flight attendant asked her to lower her voice. Apparently chit-chatting at two in the morning on an overnight flight was frowned upon.

Eventually, that came to an end as the plane touched down in London. Lily felt her energy renew as her feet felt solid ground for the first time in hours, speed walking happily off of the plane, through the airport terminal, and down to the baggage claim, just as she had done when she arrived in LA a week earlier. Except instead of Adrian standing there to gather her, she was surprised to see it was her Uncle Ron! Mouth agape, Lily decided to keep her inside voice for once, not wanting to freak the airport security out, and ran up to her uncle, who already had her bag next to him. “Did mum send you?” she asked excitedly as she wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug. “That means we get to drive right? I hope so, because I have loads of stories to tell you about driving around LA. I didn’t get to drive, but Adrian drove us all over. It was awesome! And he had a convertible!” Lily didn’t attempt to breathe until she stopped her rambling on, which wasn’t for quite a while. Like she had said, there was a whole lot to talk about!

[Deleted]

He finally saw the red hair running toward him and he wanted to wave but he couldn't even move his hand. He was frozen with fear as to what was going to come next in their conversation, their day, their life. He was paralyzed by the future for that brief moment before she spoke - and suddenly her arms were around him. He caught his breath, sucking in his lips to keep them from quivering or anything like that. He hugged her back, nodding and then clearing his throat. "Yes, yes, she's busy today. She sends her regards," he spoke. She kept talking though, asking about driving and driving around in LA!? Adrian? He felt his fatherly instincts shoot through him harshly, but he held off.

He took his arms away from her, even though he didn't want to, and took her bag. "Yeah, we'll take a drive. I was kind of hoping to talk with you about something before taking you home, if that's alright?" he asked. Ron wasn't quite that polite, was he? How would he have said something like that. He reached over with his free hand and ruffled her hair a little. "Come on kid, we're going exploring," he said. Starting to make his way toward the parking garage.

"So, you enjoyed LA?" he couldn't believe she had gone in the first place. There may have been a slight, slight bite in his voice.

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

HARRY JAMES POTTER

01.03.2025

Lily was exhilarated that her mum wasn’t picking her up for a number of reasons. First off, because the unsanctioned, unapproved, totally reckless trip to LA meant Momma Potter was going to be pissed. And not the ‘again Lily?’ disappointment or anger that she normally had. Lilt knew this return home was going to mean a lot of her freedom and liberties come next summer were going to be on a very, very short leash. Any punishment that came from it was totally worth it and she didn’t care. In the end, running off to America for the end of her holiday break wasn’t nearly as reckless as having Adrian turn her into a werewolf. That would never be topped, except by maybe getting herself killed in a crazy skiing accident or something. Mulling that over sounded like a great task for the train ride back to school.

She cheered at the prospect of being able to drive again so soon, arms thrown up into the air recklessly, the duffle bag in her one hand swinging around and slapping her in the back of the head as she did so. “Oooh sounds super important. Yeah that’s cool with me,” she grinned at her uncle. He ruffled her hair (which wasn’t in the best condition after being on such a long flight), and said they were going to go exploring as they entered the parking garage. Lily assumed that meant Uncle Ron had forgotten where he had parked the car. She giggled as she imagined the hunt they were about to go on for it.

“Oh yeah, it was awesome! I tried finding Brad Pitt the whole time we were there,” she began, stopping quickly to add to it, “He’s a really famous actor.” Uncle Ron had those moments still where he just didn’t seem to understand muggle stuff. “And then on New Year’s Eve we went to this huge mansion in New York City for a party some American kids were throwing. Totally awesome.”

[Deleted]

She was happy about taking the drive, apparently, and said that she was 'cool' with taking a drive and talking about what was 'super important'. Her bag smacked the back of her head and he instinctively reached up to touch her hair there, but stopped his hand short. Uncle Ron probably wouldn't pat the back of his nieces head just because a bag had hit it. He could tell that she thought this was all just fun and games, which made him almost not want to break the news to her. He was sure that his worry about ruining her day would show on his face, so he turned his attention to looking for the car. "I borrowed your mums car," he explained. He really had, too, because he didn't think he should bother Ron with taking his car. Ron knew he was coming today, of course, but he didn't think he needed to throw a wrench in Ron's life too much. Ron probably wasn't even using the car, but that was Harry for you. Thinking about others first, maybe a little too much at times. 

She said LA was awesome, talking about Brad Pitt. Of course Harry knew who that was but it was very possible Ron did not. Though, being married to Hermione for a while, Ron probably did see some of the great movies Brad Pitt was in like 'Seven Years in Tibet' or 'A River Runs Through It.' Hermione would like those two especially. Harry was a fan of those Ocean's movies or 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith.' The funny ones. But he knew Ron wouldn't have that much of an opinion about it. "Awe, yes. I think I've been told Brad Pitt is 'dreamy' or something," Harry mused. "New York City? Wow. That's a far way from LA. Adrian didn't drive you all the way there, did he?" the thought of those two taking a road trip together made Harry's stomach turn with concern.

He finally spotted the car and moved toward it, unlocking it from a few steps away.

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

HARRY JAMES POTTER

01.03.2025

He took her mum’s car? “O.K!” she said, not missing a beat. There was probably a reason for that, like maybe he lost his keys to his car or something. She definitely would have, especially if it meant driving something newer than Uncle Ron’s car. That poor thing was literally a rust bucket a few potholes away from falling apart. And after driving in Adrian’s car all week, she was sure her mum’s would be a lot more comfortable. There was always a spring in the seat cushion of Uncle Ron’s car that liked to poke her in the back of the leg. Nobody else ever complained about it, so it was obviously out to get her. Probably a garden gnome from the Burrow that didn’t like the scent of a werewolf and was trying to get rid of her. She could see the little beasts getting fed up with garden life and taking refuge in a car seat.

“Definitely dreamy, but he’s sort of old now. Like you,” Lily laughed, her booming chortle echoing throughout the garage. Her laugh would put up a pretty good fight against someone honking their horn back at her. “We took a portkey. Somehow these people got all of their invitations to act as one,” Lily explained. She had no idea how that sort of thing worked, despite it being explained in classes numerous times. To her, floo powder and apparation were a lot more convenient than having to wait around for a stupid portkey to decide when it was ready to teleport her. Apparently it had to be that way though, because people were coming from all over the place for the party.

It didn’t take long to arrive at the car though, and Uncle Ron unlocked it as they got closer. Lily hopped in front of him, immediately heading for the right side of the car and popping the door open before realizing her mistake: she wasn’t in LA anymore, and the drivers were on the right side here. “Ha! I knew I’d do it again!” she exclaimed to herself before hopping around the front of the car and to the passenger side, laughing the whole way as she climbed in and buckled up for the ride home.

[Deleted]

She said that Brad Pitt was in fact dreamy, but old like him. Well, Ron, but same difference. He chuckled, mostly due to the sound of her loud laugh. She spoke about the portkey which relieved him. He nodded, showing that he understood. Once the car was unlocked she headed for the incorrect passenger side and he raised an eyebrow at her. Then she moved to the other side.

She was so happy, so giggly and laughing that he couldn't bear the thought of messing that up. Still, he knew he couldn't lie to his daughter forever. He furrowed his eyebrows and got in the drivers seat. "Alright, we'll just take that drive now," he said, trying to sound casual but his voice was tight. He cleared his throat and took off. He didn't really have a destination in mind, but he drove as remote as he could from the airport.

After a moment he looked at the clock. He had about twenty minutes before his face returned. "So... what I wanted to talk to you about his pretty serious, Lily," he started, keeping his eyes on the road. "First of all, um, Harry is alive and he's..." he made the mistake of pausing for too long there.

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

HARRY JAMES POTTER

01.03.2025

By the time they had gotten in the car and started driving away from the airport, Lily had already forgotten that Uncle Ron said there was a reason they were going to be driving around for a while before he was going to bring her home. Determined to never let there be a silent moment the entire time, Lily made sure to occupy the entire time with her stories of LA and New York City and the amount of trouble she and Adrian could have gotten into if silly old fate hadn’t gotten in their way the entire time. Recounting all of her adventures in America made her sad that it was all done with, but at least she was going to have Adrian back again in a few days once the second term started up. Then she could force him to regale all of the Gryffindors along with her. Even if their versions of the same events were slightly different, hers was still going to be a better story than his would be. She made sure to add in little embellishments to keep things from getting too boring. Uncle Ron probably appreciated them since he apparently used to have awesome adventures at her age, so she didn’t see any problems with going all out and not sparing any details.

After an immeasurable amount of time and driving, Lily paused to take a breath, having just finished telling him about one of her hunts in Hollywood for the elusive Brad Pitt. It was quite the spectacular story in her opinion. But it was time to talk seriously for a bit according to Uncle Ron and she nodded her head. “Got it. I’ll stay serious then,” she let out a chuckle, unsure if she would actually be able to keep it serious now that she was concentrating so hard on it. That was like being told to quietly read a section of a book in class. The more she was asked to do something, the more likely she was going to do the obvious. Plus, not talking and being serious was far from being her thing. “Seriously, I’ll stay serious,” she added, containing the next laugh behind her hand.

It stopped abruptly at the mention of her dad being alive. Uncle Ron would be one of the first ones to know whether it was one way or the other after all, but she still had trouble processing it. The word ‘alive’ alone was something she didn’t think she was ever going to actually hear. And why would he stop talking abruptly like that? “Is he okay?” she asked, her voice sounding small and not Lily-like at all. But it had to be asked. She didn’t know how to react without the answer to that. Could she be excited if he was alive but in a never waking coma or so badly injured that he’d never be the same again? Or like her mum and had all of his memories erased? She wasn’t sure if that was something to be happy about even if it meant he was back and alive. In the early days of his disappearance, that had been one of her biggest concerns and mental hurdles to get over. There was a point where being so far gone was almost worse than being dead, and Lily wasn’t sure if she could handle that as well as she could a death.

[Deleted]

He knew she'd be able to stay serious once she heard what he had to say, but he was glad that it took her a moment to do so. He loved that about her and wouldn't change it for anything. When he finally did speak, she was quiet and listened. Then, when he paused, she asked if he was okay. He felt his throat close up at that. That was the first thing she thought to ask? Not 'why did he leave me?', 'where is he now?', 'how could he do this?'. It was so incredibly selfless of her that he wasn't even sure he'd be able to say anything for fear of ruining it with the truth. But he had to ruin it. He had to tell her he left, fully aware of what he was doing to his children.

He kept his eyes ahead, but reached a hand over to press against her shoulder for a moment. "He's okay, Lily. He's alive, but he's been through a lot," he answered, unsure how to reveal that he was himself while wearing someone else's face. He still had about ten minutes before it wore off and he could have his own face. Was he going to make it that long? He was driving away from civilization, for the purpose of being able to show himself once the clock ran out. Then he'd have to drink another potion before they went home.

He took his hand back from her shoulder, even though he didn't want to. "He was being hunted by witch hunters," he explained. He hadn't told anyone else outright where he had been. Here he was telling Lily right out of the gate. "He didn't want you guys to get hurt."

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

HARRY JAMES POTTER

01.03.2025

She didn’t even know she had been holding her breath after asking her question. It didn’t even take Uncle Ron long to respond either. The reassuring hand on her shoulder had her nodding her head that she understood, the deep exhale that left her body making her slightly lightheaded. Lily thought that when news of her dad would finally come out, whether it was the good or bad kind, she would be a mess and crying. After months of frustration and being upset though, she couldn’t feel them coming on anymore. She was definitely upset, but had no idea how to put that into words. “Does mum know?” she asked, her voice still quiet. She knew the answer was more than likely that she did; everyone probably knew already, and she was the last to be told since she was out of the country.

Uncle Ron continued on, explaining that the reason her dad had been gone was because he was being hunted by…witch hunters? “Those are real?” she asked, her voice finally sounding like it was back to normal. There were people out there that actually hunted down witches and wizards? How was that not a more known thing? Lily was confused on why he couldn’t even leave a note saying what was going on. All he had to do was tell them or send a letter to the Ministry. It wasn’t like those could be traced to where he had been, right? “So he won, right? They’re all gone and that’s why he’s back now?”

[Deleted]

She asked if Ginny knew, which made him feel like his heart was going to swell out of his chest. All this and she was worried about her mother. He swallowed hard at that, trying to keep the emotions at bay. "Yeah, he went to her first thing," he explained, his tone incredibly soft. He was running out of time, the potion would start to break down in a matter of minutes. He pulled off off the highway, starting to drive into the countryside rather than toward big, bad London. Close to home, but not quite there yet. "Your brothers too. You've been gone and... he wasn't sure it was right to bother you. Maybe he should have come for you, but he didn't want to ruin your trip... or something," why didn't he just go get her?

Lily questioned the witch hunters and Harry nodded. "Yeah, they're real. And no," he paused, finally pulling the car over. "He didn't." They had stopped just on the side of a stone road, a hill beside them covered in snow, other cars would rarely drive by. It was a completely remote place, as far as magic users were concerned, really. His hair slowly started shifting, he cleared his throat. "He got away, yes. But he didn't win and they..." woah, maybe he should be toning this down for her? No, no. Lily was an adult now, basically. Though, he wasn't sure if he'd ever see her that way. "I don't mean to be secretive, Lily," he reached into his pocket for his glasses as his eyesight started to shift into blurriness, "I didn't want anyone else to pick you up I... I'm sorry, please don't be upset with me," his eyes turned green.

lily luna potter

[lily luna potter]

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Everything sort of made sense to her. Knowing her big mouth, there was no reason to tell her while she was in America. She would be blabbering about her dad’s return to anyone and everyone she thought needed to know, and with the stipulation that he had disappeared because of a bunch of bad guys, that was the last thing he would need. The same could be said about traveling so soon right after getting home. Everything was reasonable sounding in her head, but that still didn’t mean he had to leave without even saying goodbye. She was still frustrated about that. “No…you’re right. It was probably best for him to stay here…since those people are still around.” And that begged another question: how come nobody had ever said anything about witch hunters before? If they were so dangerous, why did her dad have to take them all on alone? And how come he couldn’t beat them? He was invincible according to all the stories her cousins and friends were always going on about. Maybe coming back empty handed made sense after all.

Pulling off of the main road, Uncle Ron put the car in park. Lily had defaulted to looking out her window throughout this, trying to figure out why they were suddenly stopping. Were they going to abandon the car here and apparate back home? It seemed entirely possible, considering her uncle wasn’t the best driver in the world and home was pretty far from the airport. All she wanted to do was be home right now anyways, considering everything was supposedly going back to the way it had been. Turning back to look at her uncle as he apologized for being secretive, instead she was met with a familiar pair of glasses and a face that was changing from Ron Weasley into Harry Potter. “D-Dad?” she started to blubber as everything came to a head all at once.

HARRY JAMES POTTER ● 321 ● New Fears by Lights

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

She agreed that it was best for Harry to stay away while she was in America, but he wasn't sure that she meant it. It was a very mature way of handling this situation, though. He felt an immense swell of pride rise up in him at her response and he felt the knots in his stomach break up just a little bit. She had turned away from him while the transformation back to himself started, so when she turned around and his scar slowly formed, her voice broke through the silence and broke him. “D-Dad?” He nodded once, the tears in his eyes not quite spilled yet. He moved the seat arm out of his way and reached across to hug her. He was kind of wishing they were able to stand for this, but he didn't want to surprise her by side along apparated out of the car, which he considered for a moment there.

lily luna potter