(Welcome to the first chapter of my newest story! I hope this goes well and please review!)
"Mommy?"
I rolled over and saw the silhouette of my daughter standing next to my bed. "What is it?" I mumbled, half asleep.
"I can't sleep. I had a bad dream," she said.
"You can sleep here," I mumbled, rolling over.
A small silence fell over my bedroom and I began to fall back asleep. "Mommy?"
"Huh?"
"Tell me a story about Daddy."
I didn't reply immediately. "Honey, I've already told you all the stories about him. You've heard them tons of times."
"But you never told me about when you fell in love."
I closed my eyes, trying to fight back the strange pain I felt in my chest. "I was sixteen," I whispered. "He was seventeen. And you know that he was captain of my quidditch team. I remember he asked me out on a date once, but I had a boyfriend, so I told him no. But, I couldn't stop thinking about him, so I finally agreed."
"But how did you know you were in love?"
"Well, they say that when you fall in love, you can't explain how you feel. All you want to do is be with that person that you love. And they say the moment you fall in love, the world stops."
"It stops?"
"Not actually stops," I explained. "But you forget what's going on and the only thing you can see is that person."
"Oh. And that happened to you and Daddy?"
I fought back my tears. "Yes, honey, it did."
"Oh. Goodnight, Mommy."
"Goodnight Emma."
"Hey Mommy?"
"Hmm?"
"When's Daddy coming back?"
"I don't know, honey. I don't know."
After several minutes, I heard the light snores of my daughter and wished they were mine too, but I was dismayed to find I couldn't sleep anymore.
"When's Daddy coming back?"
"I don't know."
The truth was, I didn't know. I was almost 24 years old, living as a single mom and I didn't even know where the father of my own daughter was. He left. The hard thing about it was, I knew he was leaving. I was a month pregnant and I found out the love of my life and father of my child was leaving to fight in the war against Lord Voldemort. I never would have believed I could have felt as terrible as I did then. I didn't even think I could make it. Yet, here I was, making a steady income as an advice columnist for Witch Weekly magazine, living as a single mother.
Sometimes, it was hard. Hell, it was more than hard. But Emma made up for it. If you were to ask me if I could go back in time, would I change the fact that I had her, I would answer no. Because, Emma was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I loved her more than anything.
Even though I often wondered what it would be like if I'd led a normal life, I reminded myself that I wouldn't have had Emma if I had. Some days, she asks me what happened to her dad and why he wasn't around and how come she never met him. It tore me apart inside to see her long for a dad. I tried dating other men, but none of them had the same affect Oliver had had on me. He treated me like I was the most amazing person in the world. He made me feel like there was no one else but me, and I loved it.
The day I found out I was pregnant, I cried and cried until my tears stung my cheeks. But when I told Oliver, he acted like it was the greatest thing in the world. He told me everything would be OK and that we were parents and that he'd be there for me every step of the way. A month later, he found out that he had to go leave to who knows where to fight against the darkest wizard of our time.
I begged him not to go. He begged the Ministry of Magic not to make him go. They didn't relent and 3 weeks later, he was gone. He came to see me the night before he left. I'll never forget that night.
Flashback
"I love you more than anything," Oliver whispered. "You have to remember that."
I looked up at him, tears running down my face. "I love you too."
"Kates," he said, calling me by my old nickname. "Don't worry. I'll be back. You know I will. And when I come back, we can get married and we can raise the baby together. Don't worry, this will all be over soon." I sniffed and nodded as he pulled me closer to him.
End flashback
And then the next morning, he was gone. I was miserable without him. For days, then weeks, and eventually months, I waited for a letter. Whenever Karma, my owl, brought me the mail, I'd leaf through all the letters, searching for one from Oliver, only to be disappointed. After about 6 months, I gave up hope.
Three months after I gave up hope, my life changed. I had Emma and everything turned around. I had to quit my job for the first couple months and after I found a babysitter, I managed to keep my job at Witch Weekly. It was hard and I found myself struggling. My friends managed to help me along the way and I was more than grateful for them.
My best friend, George Weasley, helped me the most. I remember we'd sometimes sit up at night, just talking about anything and everything. He helped me get through the first couple months as a mother until I finally got the hang of it.
And now, here I was, nearly 5 years later, trying to raise a daughter while living a normal life.
Hard? Yes.
Complicated? Most of the time.
A blessing? Definitely.
I lay, staring up at the ceiling next to my daughter until I finally dozed off.
(There you have it! How was it? Review and let me know! Also, look for my other new story, which I'll be updating soon!)