A/N: Response to LupinTonksLove's Father-Daughter Challenge. This will be a two-shot, next chapter being more about Percy and Lucy's relationship.
I Molly
She is their first child, his and Audrey's, a smiling little thing with soft red hair. A miracle. Molly Catherine Weasley, what a beautiful and easy baby. She makes her parents proud every day by learning something new. In her brown eyes Percy sees tomorrow.
Percy walks his head in the clouds for months, draws his daughter's future full of rainbows and bright colours and happiness. Their daughter must never feel anything else than happiness. Tomorrow will be such a wonderful place, he will make sure of it. For Molly's sake.
"I love you, baby girl. Dad loves you... Never forget that."
His baby smiles.
She can't stay as a baby forever, Percy knows it. He watches how Molly starts to crawl – he feels a stab of pride when he sees her standing on her own for the first time – and glee when she says her first word, which happens a week before Bill and Fleur's Dominique says hers – and Dominique is two months older than Molly!
When it's time for their little Lucy to arrive to the world, Molly is three-year-old, lovely little girl with long red curls. She is a protective sister from the start. She tickles the new baby's belly, follows the little one everywhere, guards Lucy's first steps, teaches her little sister to say her name.
Molly is Daddy's girl through and through. When he comes from work she is waiting for him, runs to him, takes a good hold of his leg and starts to tell about her day – and always tells how much she missed Percy that day. Every night after Audrey has read a bedtime story to the girls Percy tucks them in and kisses their little round cheeks.
"Goodnight Lucy. Goodnight, Molly. Sleep well. I love you both, girls", he says.
And every time Molly chirps back her answer. "I love you too, Daddy!"
Years pass and Percy starts to worry. Soon Molly will have to go to Hogwarts and what will happen then? What if she comes back changed and he will lose her? What if... What if Molly will think she is too old to spend time with her father?
The weight of the world is on Percy's shoulders when he hugs his older daughter and sends her to school. He knows she will have fun there – she will make lots of friends – she will be the brightest child in her class. No, Percy doesn't doubt at all his daughter won't be enjoying herself. It's he himself he is worried of.
But Molly writes long and cheerful letters to them, telling about her new friends and everyday life in Ravenclaw. And finally she comes home again to spend the Christmas holidays. She hasn't changed, Percy notices as she runs to them at the station. Molly is still their Molly.
During the following four years Percy slowly starts to suspect something is wrong in the familiar picture. Before Molly started school there was no gap between them. Now that she is gone for months the gap forms and slowly grows. Maybe it's natural, but Percy doesn't care. There is already a gap between him and Lucy – he doesn't want one (no matter how small it might be) between him and his Molly too.
One September morning their family is on the King's Cross again, the two daughters saying goodbyes to their parents. Molly will soon be sixteen and thinks she's too old for fairy tales and bright colours. She is a tall and pretty girl, everything Percy always knew she would be.
Lucy's hands are cold but Molly hugs Percy like she always does.
"I'll write you soon", she says and her mind is already somewhere else, thinking her friends and lessons and clothes and homework.
"Remember to behave", Percy says to both of his daughters, though mostly to Lucy. "I love you both, girls."
Lucy stares at her shoes intently, hair covering her eyes, Molly looks quickly around them as if to make sure no one is listening.
"Ew, you did not just say that!" she giggles and slips away just like that.
Faintly Percy wonders why the world hasn't ended yet. How the sun can shine so brightly and people speak so happily when Molly has gone away with those words, that giggle?
He suspected something like this would happen someday. He isn't anymore the one Molly comes to tell her problems – honestly, he hasn't been that person for a long time – and now his love is rejected too.
He can't draw rainbows for her anymore. She doesn't need them – she doesn't need him.
He is useless.