CHAPTER ONE
THE PARK
No matter what you're doing, be it fighting for your life, getting married, or watching your first child grow, it seems that time speeds along at a breakneck pace. There aren't many words to describe the feeling of watching the days, months, and years pass by like they never happened, but you still have the memories of everything that you've experienced trapped in your mind. You can remember your child's birth, their first steps, the first time you hear the magical words "Dada", the first time you watch them get on the bus to go to school and the emptiness that fills your heart now that they aren't with you twenty-four hours a day. But with that comes a sense of pride and of overwhelming love. You've brought a new person into this world and helped them develop into a magnificent personality that you never want to be without.
But before then, before those first cries of new life, you meet her: The woman of your dreams, your soul mate, your best friend. The day that you realize that this wonderful, intelligent, beautiful woman is the one for you is perhaps the most uplifting in your life. The day she says she loves you and means it as more than friendly or sisterly love, you soar like an eagle through the heavens with hope so vast that you could easily be lost in it. Then the day she said that one word, the word that drives men wild with anticipation, that one single word that if not heard, sends a man into oblivion. That one, simple word: Yes. I thought that was the start of the happiness I feel. I thought that was the beginning.
But, as anyone can attest, memory is a fickle thing. You tend to forget more than you will ever realize before you even reach the age of eleven. The day that my world was turned upside-down and started me down that uncertain path that I had never dreamed possible. You see, before I was eleven, my life was as lonely as anyone could imagine. I was labeled a freak, I was shunned by my own relatives, and they even abused me and shut me in a cupboard for most of my young life. But that day I first saw the Hogwarts Express and met my oldest friend, I also met her. I didn't know it at the time, and I wasn't prepared to acknowledge those feelings for quite a few years later. But she was my best friend through all my trials and tribulations. She was my strength and my support when my godfather died. She picked up my broken body and nursed me back to health when the maelstrom Voldemort and I caused had finally ended.
My Hermione, my wife, my life, and mother of my only Daughter.
It was a cool, brisk September morning when a blur of brown hair streaked down the hallway from a pink-walled room. Lily Potter was excited today because her daddy was home from his trip overseas. She had been looking forward to their first day together since he left over four months ago. The life of an Auror was busy, even with the Dark Lord vanquished. But such trifle matters never entered the mind of this excited, five-year-old little girl. She remembered how excited her Mummy was just yesterday. Before Lily was put to bed, it seemed there was nothing that could keep Hermione Potter from constantly looking in the mirror and trying to tame her bushy locks. She kept fretting over her clothes and smiling whenever her daughter watched her fuss in the mirror.
Harry Potter didn't know what hit him. He was in the tail end of a warm, comfortable dream when he had the wind knocked out of him by a squealing little girl.
"Lily? Is that you?" He said with a large, toothy smile as he gasped in mock surprise at the laughing, bouncing, bundle of joy.
"Daddy! You're home! Mummy said you would be here today when I woke up!" Lily squealed with all the excitement that her energetic, little body could produce. She flung her arms around her father's neck and kissed him repeatedly on his cheek as he laughed.
"What's all this noise?" Hermione said with a sleepy smile. She lifted her head to see her husband and daughter caught in a long, overdue embrace.
"You promised he'd be here, Mummy! You promised and he is!" Lily shifted her attention to her drowsy mother who didn't react quite fast enough to catch her over-thankful daughter.
"Would I lie to you, sweetie?" She said with a laugh.
Lily stopped for a moment and scrunched up her face in thought. After a few moments, it looked like she had given up but she simply said "No."
Without missing a beat, the little girl snuggled between her parents. "What are we gonna do today, Daddy?"
Harry laughed as he put his arm around his daughter. "Well, what would you like to do?" Answering a question with a question, it's great being a father. Harry thought mischievously as his tell-tale lopsided grin caressed his face.
Without hesitation, Lily quickly blurted an answer. "The park! I miss the park, Daddy! And a picnic, Mummy!" She looked expectantly at her two parents.
"A picnic in the park?" Hermione pursed her lips, glancing playfully at the little girl who began to display her pleading puppy dog face. "What would we eat on this picnic?"
"That's a good question, love." Harry said seriously. "What do you eat on a picnic in the park?" Harry pretended to think about this so called dilemma.
"You know what you eat on a picnic!" Lily said with frustration. "Sammiches and tato salad and pie! You can't ever forget the pie, Daddy!"
Harry smiled as if his daughter's reasoning was an enlightening experience. "Oh, we can't forget Mummy's pie, can we? But, what kind of pie should it be?"
Lily looked frantic with frustration. "Mummy, tell Daddy that we need pumpkin pie for a picnic! It's the only kind there is for picnics!"
Hermione laughed. "Did you hear that, Honey? We need pumpkin pie. How could you have ever forgotten that?"
"I don't know." Harry said, pretending to have never known. "Wait, isn't that the pie that someone really, really likes?" His eyes twinkled as he gave a sideways glance to Hermione.
"Daddy! You know that it's my favorite! And Mummy is the only one who makes them right!" Lily huffed.
"Of course! That's who loves pumpkin pie! How could I have forgotten?" He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Hold on ... Do we even have pumpkin pie to take with us to the park for the picnic?"
Lily's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she turned to Hermione. "Mummy? Do we have any?"
"If we do, it would be on the pie rack in the kitchen, sweetie." Hermione played along.
Without hesitation, Lily shot from the bed and ran into the kitchen. Harry could hear the excited squeal even in the bedroom.
"I think we're having a picnic in the park with the much needed pumpkin pie." He said as he took his wife in his arms.
Hermione giggled as she returned the embrace. "Now what brought you to that conclusion?"
They only had a few scant seconds to kiss before Lily burst back in the room jumping excitedly. She saw that her parents were hugging and kissing and didn't want to be left out so she tackled the both with a big hug and began kissing them both on the cheek. The small family fell into laughter as they shared a group hug with kisses all around.
The morning raced by in a blur as the three of them ate breakfast and dressed for their outing in the park. Since they lived in the muggle world, Harry had gotten his driver's license and they purchased a comfortable sedan to get around town. They all piled in the car and were soon pulling into the parking lot of the community park. Lily could barely hold in her excitement. There were swings and slides, teeter totters and even a large sandbox. Lily loved the sandbox.
The day had gotten comfortably warm and it seemed the Potters were not the only families out and about on their day-long holiday from work and school. Several children were playing a game of tag by a small grove of trees, there were infants being pushed in strollers by their parents, and the sandbox was full of aspiring castle builders and construction workers.
"Daddy, can you swing with me?" Lily asked with a look of promise on her small, cherubic face.
How can I say no to that wonderful face? Harry asked himself as he smiled at his fidgeting little girl. "Just as long as you don't make me swing too high!" He said with a laugh.
"But you like to fly, don't you? Why would you be afraid to swing too high?" She asked seriously.
Harry laughed and picked up his daughter. "Ok, I won't be afraid if you're with me, ok?"
Lily brightened considerably. "Don't worry, Daddy, I won't let you be scared."
"You two behave now!" Hermione called as she grabbed the picnic basket from the boot of the car. "We're going to have some of this picnic in a few hours."
Hermione laughed as father and daughter raced each other to the swings. Harry was purposely running slower so his daughter would win, he always did. She walked behind them with the basket on her arm and sat in the shade of a nearby tree, propping open a book she had been waiting to read.