Let Them Be Little

“Let Them Be Little”

By: stu14688

September 1, 2005

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; J. K. Rowling does. I don't own the song “Let Them Be Little.” The group Lonestar has popularized it.

Harry Potter stood in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom. He could not believe that he would be giving her away in just ten minutes. His beautiful, little baby had grown into a beautiful, mature adult. He really could not be more proud of “little” Maggie Jane Potter.

Harry watched as his wife Hermione adjusted Maggie's veil for about the fifth time. He smiled at the scene. Hermione was a ball of emotional nerves at every one of her children's weddings. He mused that this was the last wedding he would ever attend where one of his children would be getting married. Already Marion, Nathan, and Thomas had married. Marion now actually had two children of her own, and Nathan's wife was expecting a baby that was due in five more months.

Harry thought back to the day that Maggie was born. Hermione's pregnancy with Maggie had not been an easy one, and the birth was no better. He was not even allowed in the room during the delivery. He could remember Ron and Remus trying their absolute best to keep him from going insane with worry. If there was ever a time where Harry had felt powerless, that had been it. He had not been able to do anything for Hermione or for their baby. He could acutely remember the relief and joy he felt when Maggie finally entered the world after twelve long hours of labor.

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand / Felt so good in it, no bigger than a minute/ How it amazes me, you're changing with every blink / Faster than a flower blooms they grow up all too soon.

Maggie was a beautiful baby, but because of the difficult nature of the pregnancy and the birth, her little pudgy legs were twisted in ways that was impossible to fix, even with magic. Harry remembered the first time he held her. She had been so small that she had fit into the palm of his hand. He had feared that he would break her, but the healers and nurses had taught him how to hold her with confidence and special care. He smiled at the fact that he had not quit holding his youngest child since. She had always come to him with her problems and troubles, and in some way, he would hold her as she cried and/or spoke.

Looking back, Harry was amazed at how fast the tiny little baby had grown up. Maggie was always a bright spot on any bad day he had had. His other children brought him a great deal of happiness too, but Maggie, despite her disability, was always happy.

Hermione had always said that Harry spoiled their children, but Harry would always look at her and say, “I'm just letting them be kids, Hermione…Just letting them be kids…” Harry not only wanted the children to have the childhood he had missed out on, but he also wanted them to not grow up too fast. It seemed that with just the blink of an eye, he would be sending them off to Hogwarts for the first time, and another blink later, it was graduation. Now, here he stood, about to give away his youngest child and youngest daughter.

Let them be little, `cause they're only that way for a while / Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day / Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle / Oh, just let them be little.

One of Harry's favorite memories of Maggie was when she was five years old. It was night, and everyone had gone to bed. At about midnight, Harry and Hermione had woken up at the sound of whimpering coming from Maggie's bedroom. He remembered the both of them going into the little girl's room to find her awake, sitting up in bed, and crying. She was the cutest thing with her blanket and teddy bear pulled up tight to her. Her eyes were puffy and wide, but they were as bright green as Harry's eyes. He could just see her there, reaching out to him with her little hand wanting to be held. She had apparently had a nightmare, and for the rest of the night, she had slept between Harry and Hermione.

I've never felt so much in one little tender touch / I live for your kisses, prayers, and your wishes/ Now that you're teaching me things only a child can see / Every night while you're on your knees all I ask is please…

As Harry stood in the bedroom turned bridal room, Thomas came into the room. Harry grinned at the memory of the fights those two would have. Of course, Maggie could and would fight with anyone. Harry had to admit, she had come by that honestly. Hermione often commented that dealing with Maggie was like dealing with a female form of Harry. She said that in looks, mannerisms, and ways of thinking, they were carbon copies of each other. Oftentimes, Harry had been the one who eventually had to rein the girl in. Every time that had happened, it resulted in an enormous clash of wills, but it was always resolved soon enough.

The worst disagreement they had had was when Maggie decided to pull a Trio-type stunt at school. Since Harry was a professor at Hogwarts, his children were sent to him for parental discipline after being punished by the school. He remembered worrying that Maggie would never forgive him for his punishment. He had grounded her from attending any Quidditch matches for the entire spring term. She had not spoken to Harry for about three weeks after that. That had nearly broken him.

Hermione had intervened then. She had spoken to Maggie, and later, Maggie had come into his office, crying and apologizing for the way she had acted. He too had shed some tears that evening. They had talked long into the night, with Harry revealing more about his own past than he ever had to any of his children. They had come out of it with a newfound respect and admiration for one another. That disagreement had solidified a bond that was nearly unbreakable to begin with.

Harry was always learning from his children, but Maggie had taught him something that he could not learn from his other children. She had taught him about resilience and determination. Hermione always told him that he knew about that more than anyone she had ever met, but he believed that Maggie knew even more than him. She was born with legs that never worked quite right, and it put her in many difficult positions. She persevered, though, without a thought to the things people said about her. She took everything in stride, and in doing so, she had accomplished more than most people her age who were without disabilities. Harry learned about faith in oneself from watching his daughter grow up and mature. She did not let anything get her down, and he was so very proud of her for that.

Harry was brought out of his reverie when Maggie came up and hugged him. She was six inches shorter than he was, and she had a slight frame - still the smallest of all the Potter children. He hugged her back, trying with all his might not to cry. She pulled back and looked up at him, her face glowing in happiness.

“What are you thinking about, Daddy?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “I'm thinking of you, cherié. I'm thinking of how fast you've grown up and how proud I am of you. You're a beautiful person in every way; you do know that, don't you?” Maggie blushed, nodded, and smiled.

So innocent, a precious soul, you turn around / And it's time to let them go.

About that time, Nathan and Marion came in the room. The Potter family stood in a circle for a moment without saying a word. At last, Harry looked to Marion and asked, “Are they ready?”

Marion looked once more around the circle before nodding. “They're ready. How about you, Maggie, are you ready?”

Maggie smiled brightly and said with full confidence, “I'm a Potter; of course I'm ready.”

The whole group burst into chuckles and smiles at the post-war quip that people often said of Harry and his family. Without further ado, the family filed out of the room, with Harry and Hermione, hand-in-hand, bringing up the rear.

Harry glanced down at the woman he had known for 43 of his 54 years and smiled. “Well, Mrs. Potter, it's gonna be just us after today. You don't think the empty-nest syndrome will set in do you?”

Hermione looked up at Harry and grinned mischievously as she answered. “No, I've still got one child to take care of, and he's standing right beside me. To be honest, I'm not sure that he's ever going to grow up.”

Harry just chuckled softly, shook his head, and pulled Hermione closer to his side. Regardless of how it had started, life had been good to him, that much he knew.[Author ID1: at Wed Feb 8 15:56:00 2006 ]

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A/N: This was an idea I've had for some time now, so I thought I'd go ahead and write it. For the lyrics of the song you can go to: http://www.lonestar.mu/lyricsPop.asp?pkSong=201

Please read and review. I hope you liked it. I wrote it in about two hours, so maybe it's not too bad. Have a good one!

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