A/N- This is the chapter many of you have been waiting for. Read carefully so you understand what's happening. Also, I just wanted to address the word "mom" used in this story. When Lily says Mom instead of Mum it is simply a reflection of her accent because she wasn't raised in the UK. It is not a typo on my part, I wanted it that way. Anyway, please please please review!

Recap from last chapter-

"What are we going to do?" Jack asked after the room was silent for a few minutes.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do," Harry said angrily, standing up. "I'm going to track down that son of a bitch and introduce him to my own fist. See how he likes dealing with someone his own size."

"Harry, calm down," Ginny advised.

"No, I will not calm down, Ginny," Harry yelled, now pacing the room. "The man comes into my home and kills Lily's mother in cold blood. And now he's putting my daughter through hell! Well, enough is enough! He's going to wish he'd never heard my name by the time I'm through with him. He's going to--"

"Harry, stop," Jack said forcefully looking over Harry's shoulder and into the door leading to the living room.

Harry slowly turned around and saw Lily standing there, wearing her robe and with tears running down her face.

Chapter Sixteen: Answering Questions

"Malfoy killed Mom?" Lily asked more than stated.

Harry shook his head and walked towards her slowly. "Honey, we need to talk about this."

"Did he?" she screamed over him. "Did Draco Malfoy kill my mother?"

Harry nodded and took another step towards her. "Yes, but it wasn't just him it was--"

She saw him approaching and took a step away from him. "No! Why didn't you tell me? Why, Daddy? Why does everyone else always know more about my life than I do?"

"Lily, I didn't want you to find out like this--"

She cut him off. "Then you should have said something!"

Harry should have known better, but all the stress from the situation seemed to have finally got to him and he raised his voice. "When? When did you want me to tell you? When you woke up in the hospital that night I came back? Or perhaps when we found you in Malfoy's cell? Or maybe when Jack was still unconscious and we didn't know if he'd live or die? I wanted to tell you but I just couldn't find the words!"

"How does Malfoy have anything to do with Mom? How did they even know each other?" Lily asked, speaking in a voice that equaled her father's.

"Your mother was a pure blood. She was betrothed to Malfoy a long time ago. They killed her because she was with me, and she refused her birthright."

She took several short breaths and concluded, "So that's what he wants with me! He wants to get even through me! Why doesn't he just kill me then? Why not just get it over with!"

"Lily," Harry tried to approach her but she held up both her hands and shook her head.

"Stay away from me! You lied to me!"

Harry backed away, looking like he'd just taken a curse straight to the heart.

Lily held her head in her hands and wept. "How could you have kept this from me? All this time I thought there was something wrong with me! I thought I deserved this! Why?"

"This is not what you deserve," Harry said firmly.

She covered her ears with her hands and fell against the wall. Her sobs raked through her body and her legs threatened to give out from under her. Harry looked back at Ginny and Jack. Ginny looked at him sympathetically and Jack looked torn between wanting to slug him one and wanting to feel sorry for him. Jack moved to stand up and go to her but Ginny put her hand on top of his to stop him. She knew they needed to try to work this out on their own if at all possible. Harry turned back to Lily and tried once again to comfort her.

"No!" she said, taking her hands away from her face and pointed at him angrily. "Do not touch me! Do you know the kinds of things he said to me in that chamber? How he told me I was unlovable? How he said everyone in my life was gone because they couldn't bear the sight of me? He told me I was worthless. That I was nothing. That no one would ever love me because I was tainted. I was ten years old, Dad! Why weren't you there? Why didn't you protect me from him? You knew! You knew all along that he'd come after me and you left me anyway!"

"I'm sorry," Harry said meekly, no longer able to look her in the eye.

"I had dreams while I was there. Terrible dreams. I'd see you hand me over to some man. You didn't even look at me, you just told him to take me and go," she said, continuing to look at him with hurt written all over her face.

"You never told me about those dreams," Harry said quietly, his voice heavy with sadness.

"That's because I thought it was just a dream. But it wasn't, was it? It was real! You never loved me. You just got rid of me because I was a problem you didn't want to deal with!"

This time Harry did look up at her. "I did love you! I've loved you your whole life!" he said frantically.

"Then where were you? If you knew who was coming then why did you leave?"

"I was always there when you needed me!" Harry confessed. "I watched over you after I put you in the orphanage."

"But you weren't there! Don't you understand? I needed you! Where were you when I had nightmares and woke up screaming? Where were you when I needed someone to hold me and tell me they loved me? Where were you when I fell out of a tree when I was four and was unconscious for hours?"

"I was there," Harry interrupted, looking resolute. "I came and sat by your bedside. I held your hand."

"But don't you see…I didn't know you were there. I was alone. So alone. I had no one when I should have had you! Where were you when Malfoy first took me?" she challenged resolutely.

Harry shook his head and looked away again. "I…I don't remember."

"Oh, how convenient," she muttered.

"I don't remember anything from that time period. I'm sorry I wasn't there." he could feel tears of his own prickling behind his eyes. He fought hard to blink them away.

"Why couldn't you just protect me yourself?"

"I did it to keep you safe," Harry said with determination.

"Safe?" she said laughing coldly. "You call this safe? Look at me, Dad. I'm a wreck. I've never been safe!"

"Lily, I only did what I though was--" he stopped talking when he saw her take her face in her hands again and stagger back to the doorframe, where she promptly slid down to the floor. Her whole body was shaking as she tried to suck in short breaths of air.

Jack shoved Ginny's hand away and rushed past Harry and was by her side in an instant. She didn't even look up to see that it was him before she leaned forward and held on to him for dear life. Harry felt someone take his hand and he turned to see Ginny looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Breath, Lily. It's okay, just take slow breaths," Jack soothed. He cupped the back of her head with his palm and looked up at Harry and Ginny. "I think she's having a panic attack. Her breathing isn't right and she's shaking really bad."

Ginny let go of Harry's hand and rushed to the potions cabinet. She scanned the shelves until she found a vile of calming potion. She ran back to Jack and handed him the small bottle. Once she'd done that, she took Harry's hand again and they both walked closer cautiously.

Jack tilted Lily's head up towards him. "Lil, come on, you've got to take this."

Lily looked up at him but didn't really seem to be taking in what he was saying. Jack was able to easily slip the potion into her mouth, even without her cooperation. Within moments he felt her tense body relax a bit, though tears continued to flow down her face.

"Shhhh, you're alright. You just need to calm down. That's it…shhh," Jack continued to whisper in her ear while Ginny and Harry watched close by.

Several minutes later, Jack looked up at them. "She's out," he said, clearly relieved.

"We should take her upstairs," Ginny suggested.

"I can't carry her," Jack stated, looking up at Harry.

Harry nodded his head and tried to focus on what was going on right now, rather than the hatred he had just seen in his own daughter's eyes. He bent down and hooked her legs over one arm and supported her back with the other. He stood back up effortlessly.

"I'm going to go floo that healer from the other night," Ginny said, walking to the fireplace in the living room.

Harry walked to the stairs and Jack followed behind slowly. Once he was up the stairs, he entered the bedroom and laid her down on the bed. He was adjusting the covers over her unmoving body when Jack limped into the room. He summoned the overstuffed chair to the side of the bed so he could sit next to her. Jack crawled in bed next to her and took her hand firmly in his. He didn't meet Harry's probing eye from across the room. They sat in silence until Ginny came into the room.

"She said she'd be right over. Her shift just ended," she declared to the tense members of the room.

"Jack…" Lily mumbled without opening her eyes.

"Yes, love," Jack responded quickly, leaning down so he could hear her better.

"I had a bad dream…" she whispered.

Jack looked up at Ginny who nodded her head.

"It's just a hallucination," she explained. "It's a side-effect of the potion."

"Jack," Lily said louder. "I don't want to be alone…"

"You're not alone. You can stay with me tonight," he told her as he lovingly caressed her cheek. After this she seemed to drift back off into a deeper sleep. Harry looked at Jack curiously. "She used to do that when we were younger. She'd have a bad dream and come sleep with me for a little while."

Harry nodded his head but said nothing. He couldn't think about anything other than the words exchanged downstairs. Ginny came and perched on the arm of Harry's chair, almost as if to let him know she was there for him, and they all sat in uncomfortable silence as their waited for the healer.

Jack decided he should probably say something. He cleared his throat and tried to find the right words. "Harry…um…I know she didn't mean the things she said. She was just upset."

Harry looked up at his godson and smiled sadly. "She may not have meant what she said, but her words were the truth. That dream she described, it really wasn't a dream. That's how it happened when my bus came to take Lily to the orphanage."

Jack shook his head. "But why? I mean…she's your daughter."

Harry looked up at Ginny and silenced her from saying anything. He didn't want someone coming to his rescue. He deserved this. "Jack, that was really a bad time for me. Lily reminded me of things, things I really wanted to forget about. I did love her, but I was too hurt and ashamed of myself to show it."

"Daddy…" Lily suddenly said hoarsely.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her speak up again. He leaned forward on his seat and took her hand. "I'm here, sweetheart."

Her eyes were still closed but her face was scrunched up as if in confusion. "Make the bad man go away," she told him.

He shook his head. "Honey, I don't know who you're talking about…"

"He hurt me," she mumbled shaking her head.

"Who?" Harry asked, somewhat frantic.

It was a few seconds before she said anything else. "I didn't want to leave Mrs. Sanders." Her head shook from side to side on the pillow and her eyes clamped shut tight.

"Who's Mrs. Sanders?" Jack asked.

Harry didn't look at him when he answered, "She was one of the people who worked at the orphanage."

"Daddy, how did you find me?" Lily said louder.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed on the opposite side as Jack and took both her hands in his. "I'm here now, Lily," he assured her. "I'm right here."

"Don't let him get me again," she cried. They all saw the tears seep out from under her closed eyelids.

"I won't," Harry promised. "You're safe now, honey."

"Will you stay with me?" Lily asked, and to everyone's surprise her eyes opened just a crack.

"I will," Harry said, smoothing the hair off her face. "Always."

Lily's eyes closed once more and this time her body stilled and she said no more.

While Lily seemed to have finally found rest, Harry's mind seemed to be going a mile a minute. If this hallucination was like the first one, then that would mean that it was more of a memory than anything else. But that would mean…

There was a knock at the door and Ginny jumped up immediately. "That will be the healer." She left the room to go answer the door.

Jack seemed to sense that Harry didn't want to be bothered with questions just yet because he remained quite. Harry let go of one of Lily's hands and Jack took hold of it, squeezing tight. Within moments they heard the sounds of feet on the stairs and they looked up to see Ginny and Healer Dodger standing in the doorway.

"Ginny tells me she had a slight panic attack," the healer said, stepping forward.

"Yes, and her attacks seem to be advancing. She had an episode with Jack last night," Harry told her, getting up from the bed to make room.

Jack explained further. "She didn't' know who I was. She was awake and it was like her consciousness thought she was somewhere else."

The healer nodded. "Yes, I expected this to happen."

Ginny, Harry, and Jack all exchanged expressions of confusion. "Excuse me; you said you expected this to happen?" Ginny asked for the collective. She walked over to the armchair and resumed her previous position. Harry took a seat in the chair again and wrapped a loose arm around her waist.

The healer took Lily's vitals and began to explain. "While Lily was in the hospital I had some of her blood tested. I looked at it and what I found was startling. She's been put under a blood curse; a very powerful one. Personally I've never heard of it being used on someone who isn't a pure blood but I guess it could be used on anyone. The spell she was hit with the other night had something to do with the curse as well."

"What's this curse's name?" Harry asked.

The healer stopped checking Lily over and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "It has a formal medical name of course but it's commonly known as the Crystal Curse."

"What exactly does it do?" Jack asked.

"It creates a window between two people; one might even call it a channel or a means of control. It can result in visions or any of the other things Lily is experiencing. It does not work both ways. The caster of the curse wields all the power. What I mean to say is that Lily cannot do the things to the caster that the caster is doing to her. She can't pull him into a nightmare or anything. How the spell works is that it literally takes the soul from the body and summons it somewhere else." The healer stopped there and allowed this information to sink in.

"So, is there anyway to get rid of the curse?" Harry wondered hopefully.

"Oh yes, you can get rid of it," the healer said at once. She paused for a moment and then added, "If you're willing to live with the consequences."

"Consequences, what kind of consequences are you talking about?" Harry asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Jack, do you know what a magical bonding is?" Healer Dodger asked intently.

Harry felt Ginny take in a breath beside him and he looked to see her eyes wide and her hands clutching her knees.

Jack opened his mouth several times before he finally managed to say, "I've heard of it, but I don't think that--"

"What? I've never heard of it," Harry informed them.

The healer turned back to Harry and spoke to him. "A magical binding or bonding is something that we don't see much nowadays either. Again, it was used years ago in arranged marriages or in pure blood families. Basically it is a marital union with several, shall we say unique characteristics."

"Okay, so what does that mean?" Harry asked, trying to move things along.

"It means that if Jack and Lily have a magical binding they will be bonded through their magic, spirituality, and body. If they are bonded, Jack would be able to cancel the original Crystal Curses caster's claim to Lily because a bonding is much more powerful magic. He would become the power holder of the curse but so long as he doesn't evoke the curse there won't be a problem."

"But there are drawbacks," Ginny pointed out.

The healer nodded, "Yes, as I said this isn't a perfect solution. As I said, binding is an ancient concept. It is not exactly equal to the female partner. She becomes somewhat dependent on him. He can make her do things by simply willing her to do so. They can never be apart for any length of time. If they are they will both experience weakness in certain areas such as their magical ability or their stamina. There can also be no infidelity on Lily's part. If she were to be with someone other than Jack willingly, she would die. That's just part of the deal."

"But what about Jack?" Harry asked.

Healer Dodger shook her head, "Oh, Jack can have as many infidelities as he wants. As I told you, the curse isn't always fair."

"Forgive me," Harry stated, "But this doesn't sound all that bad. I mean Jack is never going to try to control Lily and she's not going to have an affair. I mean, Jack doesn't have to control her does he?"

"No, I don't," Jack said quickly. "But I might do it unintentionally."

"Unintentionally?" Harry repeated.

The healer decided to explain. "Well, he could summon her to him if he's thinking about her hard enough. There is a whole host of things that could happen with their magic if they're arguing. I guess it all depends on the situation."

"How do you perform a bonding?" Harry asked, deciding to move on.

"It's just a spell spoken at the ceremony," the healer clarified. "There is quite a bit of preparation before the spell can be spoken. There are incantations and potions that need to be taken. It is not an easy process."

"Will have to talk to Lily about it when she wakes up," Harry stated, looking over at Lily's sleeping face.

"It is also completely permanent," Ginny added, surprising everyone. Harry looked at her then back to the healer.

"Yes, that's true. Once the process is complete, there is no going back," the healer confirmed.

"What's the problem with just concentrating all our efforts on finding Malfoy?" Jack asked pointedly.

"The Crystal Curse grows more powerful over time," the healer stressed. "You've seen it already. The longer Malfoy has control the more likely it is that he could summon her body and not just her spirit."

"Well," Harry said standing up, "You've given us a lot to think about. Thank you so much for coming out here."

Healer Dodger stood as well and walked towards the door with Harry. "I'll start brewing the potions. If she decides this isn't what she wants to do then we don't have to use them, but this is really our only option. The only other thing that would break the curse would be for the caster to be killed."

Harry nodded his head, "We'll explain it all to Lily when she wakes up." By now he and the healer were to the stairs. He turned to her and stopped her from continuing on by taking a hold of her elbow. "Healer Dodger--"

"Oh please, call me Mary," she politely suggested.

"Mary, um…several years ago I experienced an event I guess you could call it and for some reason I lost parts of my memory. I was picked up by muggles in an abandoned field, and I spent a very long time trying to recuperate. I had to learn how to walk again and several other key motor skills were affected. I remembered who I was and the people in my life but some recent occurrences were blanked out from my mind. I don't recall the last three months before I was found in the field."

"I see," Mary said, trying to understand where he was going with this.

Harry scratched his chin in concentration, "Well, the reason why I'm telling you this is that during the time in which I have no memory of, Lily was kidnapped by Draco Malfoy. She was ten years old. I don't exactly know when during that time the kidnapping took place because everything is so blank, but I do know it happened around that time."

"I remember hearing about that," Mary thoughtfully recalled.

"You see, the thing is…I always looked after Lily while she was in the orphanage. I always watched over her to make sure that she was safe. I'd just look in on her from time to time. It was an agreement with the one faculty member who knew I was alive. I would disillusion myself and I would just be with her. And I know that if I had gotten wind of what had happened to her that I would have done something about it."

"I'm sure you would have."

"But what if I did," Harry surmised. "What if I did know and I did something to try to get her out and something happened? Could I have been hit with some kind of memory charm or something…something that would make me forget what happened?"

"Well, I suppose anything is possible when you're dealing with Death Eaters, Mr. Potter," Mary stated.

"I always wondered in the back of my mind if there was a connection, and then tonight Lily had some hallucinations from the potion Ginny gave her to calm her down--"

Marry nodded. "Very common."

"…And she started talking to me. Asking me to keep her away from the bad man, asking me how I found her, asking me not to leave her. Now, these hallucinations, they are remembrances, are they not?"

"Usually when they're that vivid," Marry agreed.

He finally had arrived at his point, "That is not a memory I've shared with her since I've been back. And it certainly wasn't something that happened before I sent her to the orphanage."

Mary was quite for a moment. "I see your point," she said reflectively. "There are a number of spells that would do the very thing that you just described. One of them sticks out in my mind at the moment. It's called the Divaga Counter Curse. It is named for the man who created it, and it isn't a counter curse really. Basically what it does is erase a traumatic event from someone's conscious mind. It buries the memory deep in the subconscious."

"Is there a way to retrieve the memory?" Harry wondered.

"Not really, though there is a way to bring it closer to the surface so you're able to piece together what happened, kind of like recalling a dream. The curse itself is sometimes a slow process, similar to an infection. Things at first seem blurry, then they seem vague and finally we seem to forget all together."

"What do I need to do?" Harry said, desperate to know the truth.

"There is a memory enhancing potion I can make for you. We'll see what that does and go from there," Mary recommended.

"Thanks again," Harry said, shaking hands with the healer.

"Make sure Lily gets some rest," Mary told him, "I'll see myself out."

"Goodnight, Mary," Harry called as he watched her descend the stairs.

"Goodnight, Mr. Potter," Mary called good-naturedly.

Harry stood there by the stairs for a few moments by himself. For the most part, he was just trying to remind himself to breathe in spite of everything going on. He scratched his head and sighed in frustration. Why can't things ever just be normal?

As if she had sensed that he needed an intervention, Ginny encircled her arms around his waist and pulled him against her. "Okay, Harry?"

Harry covered her small hands clasped at his waist with one of his much larger hands. "No, but with any luck I will be. Now all I have to do is convince my daughter that I'm not going anywhere."

"Just talk to her rationally. I'm sure she'll understand. It's just like Jack said, she's stressed."

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I hope so."

"I was just heading down stairs to see what I can fix for dinner. Ron and Hermione are coming over with the boys."

"I'll come help," Harry declared.

"You don't have to, love. I know you don't like cooking."

"No, I don't," he said smiling, "But I love you and if the kitchen is where you're going, then that is where I will follow."

Ginny snickered and kissed him briefly on the lips, "Okay, lover-boy."

Jack remained by Lily's side long after Harry and Ginny went down stairs to see about dinner. In all their years of friendship, he'd never seen her as angry as she'd been earlier. He had to admit, she had a reason to be angry. Still, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Harry. He was sure that all those thoughts had crossed his mind at one point or another, and hearing Lily shout them back in his face couldn't have helped matters. He hoped Lily would be calmer when she woke up and that they would be able to talk through whatever was the matter.

He had been sitting up on the bed with her staring off into space for a few minutes, and when he looked down, he was surprised to see Lily looking up at him through sleepy eyes.

"Hey you," he said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "How long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes," she confirmed. "I was watching you. What are you thinking about?"

"You," he said simply. He lay down in bed more and pulled her over so she was resting her head on his chest. She immediately wrapped an arm around his waist and snuggled closer.

"What about me?" she asked after a moment's interlude.

"I was thinking about how much you've been through. How I would give anything to make all that's happening to you just go away. How I feel like I'm failing you because I can't protect you the way I want to."

"It's not your job to protect me, Jack," Lily interrupted.

"Yes it is," he said, looking down at her. "Protecting you will always be my job. Do you want to know why?"

She nodded her head but said nothing.

"Because I love you," he explained. "I love you, and when I see you hurting, it hurts me. Everyone deserves someone in their life who looks out for them, who loves them unconditionally, and who is always there no matter what."

"So, you're my someone?" she concluded.

"Yep, whether you like it or not."

"I'll be your someone too," Lily told him.

She still had her head turn up towards him, and slowly he leaned down and captured her lips in a soft but meaningful kiss. It was almost like they were fulfilling a promise. Jack broke the kiss and guided her head back down to his chest.

"Lily, we've got to talk about something."

"What is it?" she asked, drawing imaginary circles on his t-shirt.

"The healer came over while you were out."

"Healer Dodger?"

"Yeah, the one from the other night. She's figured out how Malfoy is controlling you. He's using an ancient curse called the Crystal Curse. It forms a connection between you and him."

"Does she know the counter curse?" Lily asked, still with her head down but the hand that had been drawing circles was now clutching his shirt material.

"There is no counter curse, love. But there is a way to transfer control of the curse from him to me," Jack said, playing with a lock of her hair.

"How?" she asked, sounding on the verge of excitement.

"Through a magical bonding."

Lily took in a sharp breath and for a moment, said nothing. Jack waited for her to process what he told her patiently. This wasn't a decision they should enter into lightly and he wanted her to understand the magnitude of what a bonding would really mean.

"I didn't know they still did bondings," Lily finally said.

"They don't usually. Some pure blood families do but only rarely. In some ways it's kind of backward."

"And…um…would you be willing to do that?" she asked timidly, sounding like a small child who had just done something wrong.

Jack once again turned her face up towards him so he could meet her eyes. "Lily, I would do anything to make all the hell you've been going through go away. It's not really me that would suffer from this. It's you."

"You wouldn't have to use the bonding necessarily, would you? I mean I trust you, Jack. I trust you with my life, but there is nothing in a bonding that states you have to control me, is there?"

Jack thought of how to answer her. "Not really. The way it works is that you would get a strong sense of what I want. Kind of like a voice in the back of your head telling you what to do. I also might not have control over some of it. I might subconsciously want you to do something and you would still know what it was. I could even subconsciously make you do something you don't want to do."

"Well, Jack, even if you do, I know it will be nothing as horrible as what I'm doing now. But you know, if you're not comfortable doing this then we'll find another way."

"No, this is the only way besides killing Malfoy and with the way things are looking it doesn't look like we're going to be finding him anytime soon. He always seems to be one step ahead of us."

"The process for bonding is kind of complicated isn't it?"

"Yeah, there's potions and incantations and stuff, but the bond isn't permanent until the spell is cast at the ceremony."

"So how about this: why don't we go ahead and start the process while we continue to look for Malfoy. If we find him before the wedding then we won't need the spell at all."

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," Jack said faithfully. "I just don't want you to regret this later."

"Just so long as you don't make me dye my hair green or anything," Lily joked.

Jack laughed in spite of himself. "Well, love, that isn't really how it works. I can keep you with me if I don't want you to go anywhere. Or I can make you tell me the truth if I know you're lying to me. It's more of a mind game than anything else. It works in mysterious ways, that's why people stopped using it. It's kind of unpredictable."

Lily nodded her head and decided to change the subject. "Do you know where my dad is?"

"He's downstairs with your mom trying to figure out what to make for dinner. My parents are coming over later with my brothers."

"Oh right," she remembered vaguely.

"You want me to go get him so you can talk to him?" Jack asked, trying to push her into doing the right thing and reconciling matters with Harry.

"I guess it's now or never," Lily huffed. "I feel bad about some of the things I said."

"You were upset. He understands that," Jack said assumingly. "I'll go get him and then help Aunt Ginny with dinner."

"Do you think its weird…I call her mom and you call her Aunt Ginny?" Lily asked, suddenly realizing the strangeness.

"Yeah, I guess it is a little odd. I'm glad you have her though, Lil. She loves you."

"I know," Lily said, cracking a smile.

"I'm going to go get him. You stay here."

"Is that what you want me to do?" Lily asked with a smirk.

Jack caught the joke. "That isn't funny. I'm not exactly comfortable with you being able to know what I want you to do. It's going to take some getting use to."

"I'm only teasing," Lily pouted.

"Yeah, yeah," Jack said as he leaned down and kissed her before jumping up from the bed and leaving the room.

He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen at a brisk pace. He found that for some reason, he was in a pleasant mood. Maybe it was that they were finally a step closer to getting Draco Malfoy out of their lives. Or maybe it was just because a moment ago he saw Lily's face light up and smile.

Harry walked into Lily's room almost cautiously. He saw her sitting on the sofa with her legs pulled underneath her, staring off into space. Gently he drummed his knuckles on the wood of the door to get her attention. She looked up at him and smiled weakly.

"Come in, Daddy."

Well, she's calling me Daddy again, that's a good sign. Harry walked into the room properly and made his way to sit in the overstuffed chair next to the couch. He didn't say anything, even after he sat down. If she was still mad, he wanted her to get it off her chest. Lord knows, he deserved it.

"Do you think that maybe we can start over," she suggested tentatively. "Let's just pretend the argument downstairs never happened."

"I can live with that," Harry said finally.

"Let's start from the beginning. Tell me about Mom."

Harry settled back down into the chair. This was going to be one long explanation. "I guess the story starts when your mother died. I came home one night and found the house ransacked. There had clearly been a fight…"

He went on to tell her everything that happened the night Melissa died. He told her about how Melissa's father wanted her to marry Malfoy.

"So, you sent me away to keep Malfoy from discovering that mom had a child?" Lily surmised after he finished.

"That and the fact that Malfoy had it in for me too. I knew that if anyone knew I had a child, you would be hunted like a hawk. It was getting pretty bad before your mother died. I was getting threats and it just wasn't safe for you to be with me. I needed to try to track down the hiding Death Eaters. If I were dead, that would eliminate the threat on your life. People would stop looking. You see, it was a secret that I was in America. No one knew outside of the Weasleys and the people at work. I used spells to hide my appearance."

"But why did you leave me with your last name?" Lily asked.

"Well, I couldn't very well give you your mother's last name. I don't know why I didn't change it. I guess I still wanted to be your father… even if it was in that small way."

"Malfoy knows who I am now," Lily pointed out. "He knows I'm Melissa Pierre's daughter."

"Yes, but I don't think he knew when he took you. He couldn't have. Melissa was never officially recorded as your mother. When you were born we gave the hospital different names."

"You're name isn't on my birth certificate," Lily remembered. "There isn't a mother or a father on it."

"I know," Harry said, looking away. "I made sure of that. I think somehow Malfoy had an informant. He found you and took you because you were my daughter. He only discovered that you were also Melissa's daughter when he had you. That is when he cast the curse that you're dealing with now."

"So, the reason he took me was because of you, but the reason he's still interested is because of Mom?"

"Yes and no," Harry said. "You have to understand, Lily. Malfoy and I go way back. He has always loathed me. Think of how he feels. I stole the one thing that was supposed to be his. He wants to get to you and make you suffer so that I will suffer. And it's working."

Lily sighed and unfolded her arms from across her chest. She leaned forward and covered Harry's hand with hers. "Dad, I'm really sorry about the things I said downstairs earlier."

He squeezed her hand. "I know you are. I should have told you all this before. I did deserve to hear a lot of the things you said. When I sent you away…I wasn't in the right state of mind. Mel's death was hard on me and if I had been thinking clearly, I probably could have come up with a better solution than sending you off. I guess I just figured it would be better for me to let other people watch out for you while I tried to make the world a safer place for you in different ways."

"Did you mean what you said before? About watching over me?"

"Yeah, I did. I'd come to see you all the time. When you were sick or sleeping or even just playing. I couldn't get enough of you," he admitted. "You were the first thing that was ever really mine. You were mine to protect and I guess that's why I got a little crazy there for a while."

"I love you, Daddy," she said, eyes glistening with tears. "I love you very much. I might get angry with you at times and sometimes I don't understand why you did the things you did. But I will always love you."

They both stood up and they met each other in an embrace they both knew the other needed.

"I love you too," Harry whispered. "Everything that I have ever done has been out of love for you. I just wanted you to be safe."

"I know, Daddy. I know."