Quite a different tone to my first piece but I hope this is acceptable... For my first ever song-fic, I chose a father/daughter relationship between Bill and Victoire Weasley. The song is You Can Let Go Now Daddy by Crystal Shawanda. A truly touching song that I hope I've done justice with this one shot.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognise, not mine. Anything you don't, is mine. Kay?
You Can Let Go Now, Daddy.
He was busy as usual, his desk covered in papers and his handsome face caved in a frustrated frown. So many things to do, in such a tiny time frame. His quill flew across the parchment as his tongue poked out from between his lips and he concentrated on filling in a form; a review of one of the new bank employees. Bill wasn't usually required to do it, but since Louis was born he'd been working less and less, wanting to spend more time with his growing family.
Especially Victoire. She was growing so fast, it was hardly believable. It seemed like only yesterday she was a squirming pink bundle screaming for her mother's gentle touch, as opposed to her father's calloused hands. That hadn't lasted long, though; she was a real Daddy's girl now, and Bill couldn't deny that he loved it.
-[-]-
"Daddy!" my high, excited voice cried loudly as I burst into his home office, the toy broom sent by Harry and Ginny at Christmas held in my tiny grasp. It had a wide seat and a large handle, enough for a child to sit upon and a parent to control totally. It had yet to be used, and by the determination in my eyes, Bill knew he couldn't argue.
"Wanna fly, Princess?" he asked gently, scooping my delicate, five-year-old frame into his lap. The work was forgotten and so was the deadline- nothing was too much to sacrifice when it came to family. And besides… Daddy had promised to teach me to fly. Better him than Uncles Fred and George.
"Yes! C'mon, I wanna fly just like Teddy. He can go so fast and he's even got a real broom! It's a Nimbus Two Thousand and he's acting all stuck up 'cause he can fly and I can't and I don't even have a proper broom yet…" my prattling didn't irk him, as some people would assume. Bill just listened patiently as he carried me and the broom to the back yard.
"… get a real, proper broom for my birthday… I can, can't I, Daddy?" I asked happily, giggling and clapping happily in his arms as he nodded and grinned. When I hugged his neck and kissed his cheek, his grip on me tightened for a moment and he took a deep breath, finally allowing me to stand. I wasn't still for long as I snatched the broom from my father's hands and sat upon it, looking up at him expectantly.
Wind blowin' on my face
Sidewalk flyin' beneath my broom
A five-year-old's first taste of what
Freedom's really like
Daddy grasped the back of the seat and helped me rise into the air about two feet. I squealed happily, my face alight with delight and excitement. He gave a small push and we were moving; rushing around the yard and scattering chickens wherever we went. Mother's beautiful face stuck out from an upstairs window, Louis in her arms. She smiled softly at her husband and daughter and left the window open, so our laughter could still be heard. She had known from my second birthday that I would grow up to be more of a Daddy's girl than anything, but Mother never complained. She was a loving woman and she adored the bond between my father and I.
In the yard, father and daughter made one more lap before I took a deep breath and turned around on the broom's seat. My bright smile made Daddy's heart clench and he knew what I was going to say before it happened. He had once hoped to never hear these words from me, to always be my number one. He knew, though, that my life would one day contain less of him and more of my independent nature.
He was running right beside me
His hand holding on the seat
I took a deep breath and hollered
As I headed for the street
The front gate loomed before me and I hollered with joy as we turned towards it, levelling off at two feet before shooting towards it. Daddy was still running behind me and with a wave of his hand, the gate opened and I flew onto the dirt road leading to the beach. I could smell the salt of the ocean and hear the crash of the waves and suddenly, I wanted to fly over it. Taking a deep breath, I spun the broom to face the water and grinned.
You can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
I think I'm ready
To do this on my own
I could taste fear in my mouth, bitter and sweet at the same time. I felt my father's hands leave the seat and I wobbled a little before finally gaining my balance. My smile was the biggest and brightest I'd ever smiled; my hands loosened on the broom and I slipped into a natural position. I was flying and I loved it. The ocean rose before me, huge and blue and loud. Daddy was beside me still, keeping up and more than ready to catch me if I fell. I knew I wouldn't, though I was still a little frightened.
It's still a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now, Daddy
You can let go…
That night, as we entered the house again, I took my father's hand and squeezed lightly.
"Thank you, Daddy," I murmured, "And g'night. Night Mummy." With those words, I kissed their cheeks and climbed the stairs, slipping into bed without changing into my nightdress. Daddy watched me go with a lump in his throat, because he saw the first signs of losing me that night.
Jump forward fifteen years and Daddy is standing at the foot of the stairs in The Burrow, Granddad Weasley right beside him and Nana Weasley sobbing into his shoulder. I was upstairs, leaning against the wall and listening to the guests downstairs. Any minute now, the music would start and I'd officially begin the countdown to becoming Mrs Teddy Lupin.
"They grow up… s-s-so fast!" Nana Weasley wailed, her tears wetting the lapels of Daddy's tuxedo- loaned from Charlie. I had been meaning to ask him why he had a tux, as he wasn't married and the fanciest restaurant he'd been to was the kitchen tent on the dragon reserve. I saw Daddy nod tightly in agreement and turned to the stairs as Wagner's wedding march began to play softly. With my heart in my throat, I stepped out from behind the wall and onto the first step.
I descended the stairs slowly, ignoring the eyes of everyone except one person; Daddy. His opinion always meant more to me than anyone else's in the world; his approval meant everything.
"How do I look?" I asked with a twirl. Swallowing thickly, Daddy wiped away a not-so-fake tear and smiled at me with trembling hands clenched into fists by his side.
"Like a slice of heaven, princess," he replied. Grinning brightly, I took his arm and felt him trembling. I couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous- not when young Roxanne contracted Whooping Cough, not when I first went to Hogwarts, not when he drove me all the way across London to see Teddy in Saint Mungo's, because Nana Andy was weak and on her last legs.
This was the first time in a long time I'd seen him shake, and the steady moisture in his eyes was something I'd never seen before.
I was standing at the altar
Between the two loves of my life
To one I'd been a daughter,
To the other, soon a wife
Teddy smiled over my head at Daddy- who returned it weakly. I reached for my fiance's hand, squeezing it lightly and offering him a smile of my own. I instantly saw all traces of anxiety flee from Teddy's handsome features, though his hair was flicking through the rainbow faster and faster. Daddy held my arm tightly and I let go of Teddy, spending my last few moments as an unmarried woman with my beloved father.
Harry Potter- who had agreed to preside over this ceremony under quite a lot of duress from Mother, Daddy, myself and Teddy- looked at the three of us encouragingly, his green eyes resting on Teddy for a moment longer before drifting over me and landing on my father. A silent moment of understanding passed between them and then-
"Get on with it, Harry! We won't have time for food!" Uncle Fred shouted out, a grin on his handsome face. Several people laughed- Teddy and I included- but Nana Weasley turned in her seat with a furious hiss ready on her lips when Harry cleared his throat quickly, averting the shouting match that was sure to ensue.
When the Preacher asked
"Who gives this woman?"
Daddy's eyes filled up with tears,
Kept holding tightly to my arm,
Until I whispered in his ear…
Teddy looked at Daddy, worried at his silence. I could hear the mutterings behind us and Granddad Weasley whispering encouragingly. Their voices only made my father hesitate more and his grip tighten on my arm. His eyes found mine and I saw the tears threatening to spill.
"My little girl…" he whispered, stroking my face and choking back a sob. I felt my own rising and looked at the gathered congregation, seeing most of them already crying into their handkerchiefs. My throat tightened but I steeled my resolve. Daddy was still looking at me, as if seeking permission, and I nodded to him and leaned in close.
You can let go now, Daddy,
You can let go
I think I'm ready
To do this on my own,
My hands trembled as Daddy's grip slipped from my forearm. Teddy took my fingers gently and I felt a shudder rip though my body. People behind us shifted uncomfortably, wondering what was going on, but none of them mattered.
Suddenly, the weight of my situation hit me and I nearly stumbled from the force of it. I was getting married. To the love of my life. I wasn't Victoire Weasley anymore… I was Victoire Lupin. The tears that had been threatening all morning spilled from my father's eyes and turned on my own waterworks, my tears fuelled by fear and joy and just a little bit of sadness.
It's still a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now, Daddy…
He finally let go fully and took a step back.
"I do, Harry," he said, smiling at me and wiping his eyes. I smiled and kissed his cheek, making this a little harder on the both of us. Turning to Teddy with a smile, I whispered to more to myself than to my father.
You can let go.
The call had come early that evening from Louis and I had dropped everything, rushing to the hospital with Teddy and our daughter Gabrielle on my heels. We arrived just after nightfall and met Dominique in the hallway. Her husband was asleep in the chair with their newborn son, the youngest Weasley, and Louis had apparently taken his distraught wife home just ten minutes earlier.
"Where is he?" I demanded, my eyes falling on my sister. She shook and was pale, pointing numbly down the hall. I didn't wait for Teddy or for Gabrielle as I ran, calling and searching for him in every room I passed. Finally, a Healer stopped me and pulled me into a ward I had never set foot in before; the Waiting Ward, commonly known as the First Morgue.
Only those with no hope of going home… I fell to my knees inside the darkened room, looking at the frail form on the bed. This wasn't my Daddy, it couldn't be. This tiny old man with barely any hair, wrinkled skin and laboured breathing.
"Not him…" I whispered. Teddy's hand fell on my shoulder but I shook him off as I let my tears fall freely. Only Gabrielle was able to come anywhere near me and I sobbed into her auburn hair.
It was killing me to see
The strongest man I ever knew
Wasting away to nothing
In that hospital room
"Daddy, Daddy it's me… it's Victoire," I whispered across the room, holding onto Gabrielle for all I was worth. My father didn't move a muscle; only his ragged breaths told me he was still alive. With strength I didn't know or care I had, I lifted Gabrielle and she stumbled to Teddy, who backed out of the room with a respectful, quiet goodbye.
They didn't know my Daddy as I had; and neither had Dominique or Louis. It was fitting that the child who knew him first, was with him in the end. That brought me no comfort as I touched his hand and recoiled from the papery feel of his skin.
"Daddy, can you hear me?" I whispered, barely hearing the door slide open until the person spoke.
"You know he's only hanging on for you"
That's what the night-nurse said
My voice and heart were breaking
As I crawled up in his bed
"Do you remember when I was five and you taught me to fly?" I asked, a small giggle escaping me. I didn't want to spend these last moments with my only remaining parent sobbing; I would remember him as he had been. The vibrant, caring, wonderful man who had been mine forever.
"You held onto my seat and wouldn't let me out of your sight… even though I was on a toy broom. I think Aunt Ginny brought it for me, and Uncle Harry…"
"We flew for hours, even though you had work to do. I had interrupted you… practically whined at you but you didn't say anything. You just… you just took me outside with that damned broom and let me fly until it was dark. Dominique and Louis learned to fly on it, too, when they were able. You taught them, and my Gabrielle too…" Despite my resolution not to cry, I felt my eyes stinging and my throat tighten.
"Dominique wanted you to teach Henri, too. She had the baby just after you came here… you've seen him a couple times, Daddy. D'you remember?" He didn't move but I didn't expect him to. I gazed down at that achingly familiar face, now weathered with age and softened with the pain he'd experienced for the last three years. Leaning in towards him, I pressed a kiss to his forehead and whispered more to myself than my father.
You can let go now, Daddy
You can let go
I think I'm ready
To do this on my own
Despite my words, I felt anything but ready. I needed him- I wanted him. My Daddy… he couldn't be gone, could he? Not after everything... he'd survived a war with nothing but a few scars on his face- scars that I'd always called his "beauty spots". Mummy had always laughed at that until I was old enough to understand the meaning behind them... I remember I had stopped speaking about those scars- and Uncle George's ear- for weeks before Uncle Charlie- my favourite uncle- had sat me down and told me a different side to the tale. The rare light side to the war; how so much happiness was secured under the darkness.
It's still a little bit scary
But I want you to know
I'll be okay now Daddy
You can let go
I felt his last breath leave his body and watched with fascination as a small smile settled on his lips. I was probably deluding myself but I could swear I heard him whisper my mother's name. The small comfort of knowing they had found each other again gave me strength to settle his wrinkled hand on his chest and walk away.
I paused at the door and looked back, a tear sliding silently down my face.
You can let go...
Well, I do hope I've captured both Bill and Victoire... and the rest of their family... in the right light. Let me know any thoughts/feelings you have on this one shot!