A/N: This chapter isn't as long as my last three and it's kinda sad but it needed to be written. Charlotte isn't in this one but she'll be back in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

"Are you all packed?" James asked Amber as she came down into the kitchen from her room. It was the last day of August and tomorrow James and Amber would be heading to Kings Cross Station for her first year at Hogwarts.

"Yes dad," she nodded.

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes."

"Did you pack your textbooks, robes, parchment?"

"For the last time," Amber snapped. "I've already checked that I have everything and double checked."

James sighed, he knew that he was being an annoying, over concerned parent but he couldn't help it. Amber had never stayed away from him for more than a few hours and now she was going to be gone until Christmas!

For her part Amber had been very patient with him but her patience only went so far.

"I'm just going to miss you," he admitted.

"I know dad," she went and hugged him as tight as she could. "I'll miss you too. But I'll write every day."

"No you won't," he corrected her, knowing that she'll be having too much fun to bother writing to her dad.

"I'll think about you," she argued.

"For the first two days," he snorted.

"I'll dump a bowl chocolate pudding in Teddy's chair for you."

James kissed the top of her head and smiled. "I know you will, love. So I guess you are all ready to go and leave me here all alone, aren't you?"

"Well actually," she mumbled sheepishly, letting go of him to sit on one of the bar stools that surrounded the island in the middle of the kitchen. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," James ordered.

"I've been wondering about it for a while," she babbled. "And I didn't know if I should ask you again. But I figured that since I'm about to go to Hogwarts that I'm old enough to know."

James looked at her for a moment. "You're avoiding the subject," he pointed out.

"Sorry," she sighed.

"Is it that bad?" he asked, wondering what she wanted to ask him that would make her act so unsure of herself.

"Yeah." she confirmed.

"Well, you know you can ask me anything, no matter how bad."

"OK, here it goes," she took a deep breath. "I want to know what really happened to my mum."

James was floored; he had not been expecting that again so soon. He had been banking on a few more years before she brought that up again. "Technically that wasn't a question," he pointed out to gain some time to think.

"Dad," she warned.

James sighed. She was right, she was old enough to know but she was still only eleven so he wouldn't tell her the whole gruesome story but he could tell her the basics, right?

"Well, I don't actually know what happened to her," he told Amber.

She frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I haven't seen her in over eleven year."

"I don't understand," she shook her head.

"OK," James sighed, resting his elbows on the island and standing across from where Amber sat. "I'm going to tell you the story about how I got you, but I want you wait until I'm done before you ask any questions, got it?"

Amber made the motion of zipping her lips and nodded for him to go on.

"I was eighteen and we had just won our first Quidditch cup in Ireland. Me and some teammates had gone out to celebrate," he edited out the fact that he went to drink away his sorrow. "I met your mother in a pub there and we got drunk and spent the night together."

"What did she look like?" Amber asked, eagerly.

"I thought we agreed that you would wait for the Q&A after I was through with the story," James reminded her.

"Please dad," Amber pleaded.

James sighed, "She had red hair," he told her.

Amber looked at him expectantly, "And?"

"And? I was drunk, how much do you expect me to remember?"

"Fine," she sighed, "please continue."

"I went home the next morning and then nine months later you got here."

Amber waited for him to go on and then frowned when he didn't. "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"So the last time you saw my mum was when I was born?" She asked.

"Actually I wasn't there when you were born," he told her. "I didn't even know I was having a kid until you got here."

"So the last time you saw her was when she brought me to you?" she asked.

"No…she didn't bring you here."

"Then how did I get from Ireland to you?" She asked.

"Well, you, um…were sent to me through the owl post."

Amber rolled her eyes, "Seriously, dad."

"I'm being serious. I was sitting in your grandparent's living room with Lily when four barn owls swooped through the window with a box that had holes punctured through it. There was a letter taped on the top and when I opened the box there you were. Ask Lily if you don't believe me."

Amber thought this over for a moment, "What did the letter say?" she asked.

James shook his head, he couldn't tell her that, "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Dad," Amber whined. "You promised to tell me the whole story and that's part of it."

"You won't like it," he warned her.

"Tell me."

"It said: 'I don't want it. Good luck.'"

Amber looked at him for a moment in disbelief. "I don't want it?" She echoed.

James noticed the emphasis she put on the word it and decided not to tell her what his pet name for her had been when he had first gotten her. She sat on the stool for a moment just staring into space and James noticed that her eyes were getting misty and was worried that she would start to cry.

"Amber?" He asked tentatively. "Are you alright?"

Amber nodded her head quietly, still staring into space. Her face was starting to get blotchy and she bit her bottom lip. A tale-tell sign that she was holding back tears. "Amber?"

She let out a sob and hid her face in her hands.

James was startled; Amber wasn't a crier so this display was a sure sign that she was upset.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! He knew she was too young to hear that! Why did he let her talk him into telling her that her mum hadn't wanted her? What was wrong with him?

"I'm sorry," she sobbed even harder. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have asked."

"Amber," James went to sit in the stool beside hers. He rubbed circles on her back to try and sooth her. "Why are you apologizing? It's my fault, I shouldn't have told you about the letter so soon."

"It's not just that my own mum didn't want me!" She wailed. "You didn't either."

James looked at her for a moment, completely taken aback. "What makes you think that I didn't want you?"

She brought her tear stained face from her hands to roll her wet eyes at him. "I may be young dad but I can do math. You were only eight years older than me! You were still a kid too! There's no way you wanted me!" This was followed by more tears though this time she didn't hide her face, instead she looked at him for his reaction as she bit her lower lip harder as chin trembled uncontrollably.

"I'll admit that I didn't know what the hell I was doing," he told her. "Why do you think we lived with Gran and Grandpa for so long? It wasn't because I liked your Gran constantly getting on my case to clean my room and yours too. But that doesn't mean that I didn't want you," he reassured her. "You are my kid and there is no way that I wouldn't want you."

"Being her kid didn't stop my mum from not wanting me," she pointed out.

James took her face in his hand and with the other one wiped away the tears from her face. "I'm not going to begin to guess what was going through your mothers mind when she gave you up," he told her. "But what ever it was I'm thankful for it because you're the best thing that ever happened to me. And I mean that."

Amber threw her arms around his neck, catching him in a surprise hug. "Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" he asked, "I've upset you and made you cry. Where in that do I deserve thanks?"

"You kept me," she explained. "Thank you for that."

"There's no need to thank me for being your dad. I'll admit that it took some getting use too, but you're my daughter and I love you, Amber."

"I love you too dad."

A/N: I realized while I was writing this that Amber hasn't cried since she was a baby in my story, where as, Victorie, in my other story, would cry at the drop of a hat. I guess Amber's just a pretty happy kid.

Anyway, review and tell me what you think!