CHAPTER THREE
AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER ...
"When I was a little boy, I used to live in a cupboard under the stairs with the spiders and dust balls that like to hide in places like that." Harry began.
Lily shuddered. "I don't like spiders, they wiggle all yucky!"
Harry laughed. "For a long time, those were my friends." He said after a moment.
"Why did they put you in the cupboard, Daddy?"
Harry had a sad look in his eyes. "My aunt and uncle didn't like to see me because I was different."
"Because you're a wizard, Daddy?" She whispered quietly.
Harry nodded. "That's right, Lily. But I couldn't use magic then. The worst part of it all was my cousin."
"What did he do?" Lily asked.
"My cousin Dudley used to make fun of me, break my glasses, and one of his favorite games in the world was Harry Hunting." Harry said quietly to his little girl.
Harry felt Hermione put an arm around his shoulders as she joined in listening to his story. Harry adjusted so that he could have one arm around his wife and the other around his daughter.
"What's Harry Hunting, Daddy?" Lily asked with a furrowed brow.
Harry smiled. "It's a game where I got to run and hide and Dudley and his friends would chase me and throw rocks at me, punch or kick me, or hit me with sticks."
Lily and Hermione both winced.
"You must have been very scared if you had to hide, Daddy." Lily whimpered.
"I was scared, sweetie." He kissed her on the top of her head and squeezed her reassuringly. "But it's ok now. Dudley doesn't come around me anymore because he's afraid of me now."
Lily smiled at her father. "I don't want him to come near you ever again!"
Harry laughed. "I don't reckon he will." He said with a smile. "Well, it was one hot, summer day that I ran to the park and got away from Dudley and his friends. I was too little to go to the park by myself and I knew I would get in trouble, but it was the only place I knew I could hide. There were wooden houses at the park and I thought if I could hide in there for a few hours, I would be able to sneak back home and not get into trouble."
"Did you get into trouble?" Lily asked.
Harry nodded. "Dudley told my uncle that I went to the park. He always liked to get me in trouble. But at the time I thought getting punished by my uncle would be better than getting hit with sticks and stones." Harry admitted.
Hermione kissed his cheek tenderly then laid her head on his shoulder as she listened.
"Well, I was surprised that there was someone else in the park that day. It was a little girl that I hadn't seen before. She had brown hair and wore a set of pink coveralls I think. She was playing in the sandbox with a doll and a bucket. I think she was trying to build a castle for her little friend." He said with a laugh. "I didn't have any time to say hi to her or anything because I had to hide."
"Did Dudley chase you in the park, Daddy?" Lily asked with a trembling voice.
"He did." Harry replied. "But he didn't find where I hid."
"That's good!" She said with a smile.
Harry returned the smile, but it faded into a look of sadness. "He didn't find me but he did find that little girl and her doll."
"Oh, no!" Lily said with a gasp. "Was she alright?"
Harry shook his head. "Dudley broke her doll and stomped on her sandcastle. He laughed the entire time and that made the little girl cry."
Lily choked on a sob of her own.
"Shh, it's ok, sweetie, it's ok." Harry pulled her into a tight hug. "He didn't hurt her. Do you think I would sit back and let a little girl get hurt?"
"N-no." She sniffed. "Y-you would save her, Daddy."
Hermione smiled at her daughter and stroked her hair. "Your Daddy was always like that, sweetie. He always wanted to save everyone and make them happy." She kissed her daughter's forehead.
Harry laughed. "Yep, I've always tried to save people, even when I wasn't strong enough."
Lily wiped the tears from her eyes. "So you saved her, Daddy?"
"I tried. That was the first day that I stood up to Dudley." Harry said with a slight smile. "I stood up to him more after that, but that first time I got beat up pretty good."
Hermione looked at her husband curiously but the look was lost on him.
"It wasn't the most valiant rescue attempt, I have to admit." He said with a laugh. "I remember shouting: 'LEAVE HER ALONE!' and then throwing whatever I could at him. Dudley did leave her alone, after he realized that he'd found me, and the next thing I knew I was being kicked and hit until he got bored and went home. I think that's when he told his dad that I was in the park."
"Were you badly hurt?" Lily asked as she laid her head against his chest.
"I was bruised and sore but that's all." Harry said with a slight smile. "That little girl was really scared for me though."
"Sh-she helped you up and said that was the bravest thing she'd ever seen." Hermione said in a soft whisper.
Harry looked at his wife with surprise. "Yeah, and I somehow ..."
"Fixed her doll." Hermione finished, her face brightening with sudden realization. "H-Harry, my first crush ..."
"It was you?" Harry said unblinkingly.
Tears started flowing down Hermione's cheeks as she nodded. "Oh, Harry, I didn't make the connection until just now! I never knew his name but I couldn't forget how he saved me from that awful boy."
Harry smiled. "Neither did I. I never knew it was you that day. That helped me through so many lonely days, knowing I had a friend out there somewhere."
"So you met before school?" Lily said with a smile.
Harry wiped the tears from his wife's cheeks and kissed her tenderly. "Yes, Lily. We met before we went to school."
He pulled his daughter into a tight embrace. "And to answer your first question: Yes, I've always loved Mummy."
Lily smiled at her parents and hugged them both as tight as she could. "I love you Daddy and Mummy."
"I love you too, Lily." They both said as they returned their daughter's hug.
A/N: Well, that's it for the challenge. Sorry it's so short, but it was a quick inspiration and I needed to get it written. I hope it's not too short for you guys and I hope you liked it! Thanks for the reviews!