This is just a little ficlet that burried itself in my head and wouldn't leave until I wrote it. Originally it was going to be a one-shot but that extended into three chapters. I'm posting them all at once though so I won't keep you waiting. It's kind of a song fic but only really shows where the inspiration for it came from, there's not lyrics all the way through.

Thanks to RainbowKissed for beta-ing and Solstice Muse for the 'idea generation' :D Much appreciated ;)

Let me know what you think.

Cheers, Step ;)

Oh yeah! Disclaimer: I don't own any of it.

Pleading and Praying

'She's piling boxes in front of the door, trying to block it,

"Daddy please! Daddy don't leave! Daddy! No! Stop it!"

Goes in her pocket, pulls out a tiny necklace locket,

"it's got a picture, this'll keep you safe Daddy take it with you".'

When I'm Gone - Eminem

I was her Hero.

It broke my heart. My daughter was holding onto me as if her life depended on it. She sobbed into my shoulder as I held her, but no matter how many soothing words I said to her, or how many times I stroked her hair, still she sobbed. There was nothing I could do that would make her stop. Well, actually, that was a lie. It wasn't something I was doing that was upsetting her; it was something I was about to do. What I could do to make her stop, was stay exactly where I was.

The message had arrived five minutes ago, there were masked men attacking Hogsmeade, not Death Eaters, they were long gone, either dead or rotting in Azkaban. No, these were the next generation of terrorists who had yet to give themselves a collective name, and they were, at this very moment, reeking destructive and harmful havoc in the small Scottish village.

I knew it was bad as soon as I read the note. I had stopped being a field Auror eight and a half years ago, the day my daughter was born, so the fact that they were asking me to help fight the terrorists told me the situation was getting out of control. I was to be called in emergencies only, I had done my fighting and had chosen to leave it all behind. This could mean only one thing; they were desperate.

I stood up and took my daughter with me. My wife looked at her and then at me. I walked towards her and she took hold of our daughter's waist, trying to prise her away from me.

'NO!' she screamed into my shoulder through her sobs.

'Sophie calm down, this is silly. You'll make yourself sick if you don't stop crying.'

'You're not going! I WON'T LET YOU!'

I felt her grip around my neck tighten and I closed my eyes out of frustration. We had shut the door when we started talking about where I was about to go, but a shutting door in this house is like a siren to Sophie. She knows something's wrong when we do, and I was so engrossed in the letter and my conversation with her mother that we didn't notice the door open. Sophie had heard the whole thing and as I pulled my cloak on, she threw herself through the door and attached herself to me with no intention of letting go.

'Sophie I have to go. They need my help, they need as many people's help as they can get. I can't let them down.'

'There are other p…people they can ask! There are h…h…hundreds of Aurors! Why you? Why my Dad?'

A lump had appeared in my throat and I turned to the only person who could help me: her mum.

'I can't do this,' I mouthed at her.

'What can I do?' she mouthed back.

I looked at her, mouth open. The last thing I wanted was to have Sophie physically pulled off me, I had never imagined wanting or needing to ever let her go, especially when she was upset.

'Sophie, come on. Daddy has to floo to work. He needs to go.'

Suddenly Sophie went quiet and her grip loosened around my neck. Taking my chance I put her on the floor. She looked up at me for a minute; her eyes were red, her cheeks tear stained and her hair stuck to her hot forehead at every angle.

As suddenly as she had stopped crying she set off out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

'I might not be screaming and sobbing but I feel the same way she does.'

'Please don't make this harder than it is. You know I have to go. They wouldn't have asked me if they weren't desperate. I have to go, now!'

'Fine, but you'd better come back unharmed or you'll have me and an irate daughter to answer to.'

I appreciated her small attempt of humour and pulled her into a hug.

When we pulled apart I walked through to the lounge and stopped dead at what lay before me. Somehow Sophie had managed to move most of the furniture in the room in front of the fireplace, blocking my exit, and it was my only exit. It was after hours, the anti-apparation wards would be surrounding the Ministry and the floo network had only been reconnected to the Auror office for the next ten minutes so us 'emergency only' Aurors would be able to get to where we were needed.

I sighed as my eyes fell on my daughter who was standing defiantly in front of all the furniture. I can only imagine her upset and anger had given her magical strength to let her move the heavy wooden furniture, there was no other way a eight-year-old girl would normally be able to move objects that heavy.

'I won't let you leave! You'll get hurt like Uncle Charlie! Daddy please don't go, you have to stay safe!'

I flicked my wand a few times and the furniture arranged itself in its proper places. Sophie physically wilted as she saw all her hard work negated in a few seconds, then a fresh wave of tears ran down her face.

For the second time that afternoon I knelt down to my daughter's eye level.

'Sophie, I promise you I'll stay safe. I'll be home before you know it, before you're in bed even!'

She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. 'You promise?' she mumbled.

'I promise.'

'I still don't want you to go.'

'I know you don't, but I have to, there's some people who need my help.'

Sophie's eyes widened and she pulled up her left sleeve. She unclasped the bracelet hanging round her wrist and clasped it back together again. It was her pride and joy, she had seen a picture of a charm bracelet in a muggle magazine and had begged us to get her one for her birthday. She had been collecting the little charms ever since, and always asked for one for every birthday and Christmas.

She took one of the charms between her thumb and forefinger and held it out to me.

'Take this with you. It'll bring you luck.'

It was the four-leaf clover charm.

I smiled. 'Sophie I don't ne-'

'Please Daddy, take it with you and then you can give it back to me later on.'

The Weasley determination burned in her eyes so I took the bracelet from her and put it in my jeans pocket.

'There. I'll have all the luck I need.'

I stood up and picked her up, spinning her round before depositing her in her mother's arms. An unbelievably determined eight-year-old she might be, but she still needed a 'fly' from her dad and an 'up hug' from her mum on occasion.

I kissed my wife goodbye and stepped into the fireplace.

'Auror Head Office,' I shouted into the green flames and in a second I was gone.

…oooOOOooo…

Later that night I stepped out of the fireplace and smiled as I saw my wife and daughter asleep side-by-side on the sofa.

I knelt down beside the three-seater and stroked Sophie's hair, she stirred but didn't wake.

'So much for being back before she fell asleep!'

I looked up and saw the eyes I had fallen in love with. I smiled back at them.

'Actually I said I'd be back before she went to bed, and I am, she's on the sofa!'

Sophie stirred and opened her eyes slightly. When she focused on me she jumped up and threw her arms around my neck without saying a word.

'I told you I'd be back, didn't I? I promised. I never break a promise to my girl and I never will.'

She pulled back and smiled.

'Did it bring you luck?' she asked.

I took the bracelet out of my pocket and held it out to her.

'I think it did.'

She took it off me and fastened it back around her wrist.

'Come on,' I said as I stood up. 'Bedtime.'

I think it was a sign of how relieved she was that she didn't argue, she just took my hand and I led her upstairs to her room.

She got into bed and I sat on the edge.

'Dad?' she said, apparently 'Daddy' is spared for when she's panicking. 'You won't have to go out again, will you?'

I sighed. 'Sophie, I can't say that so I won't promise it. If I'm needed then I will go. I can't sit by while my friends need my help. Do you understand that?'

She looked at me and then at her bracelet.

'Yes,' she mumbled.

'Good.'

I kissed her forehead and tucked her in.

As I was about to walk through her bedroom door I turned back to her and smiled.

'Sweet dreams Sophie. Night night.'

'I love you Dad. Will you tell mum I love her too?'

'Of course I will. I love you too.'

She smiled. 'Night night.'

'Night.'

I closed her door and went downstairs to the lounge.

'Is she all right?'

I smiled. 'She's fine. She told me to tell you she loves you.'

'You know, most of the time you were gone she sat in front of the fireplace staring at a photograph of the three of us. I think she was praying for your safe return.'

'It seemed to have worked.'

'Look, I don't want to say this, but…I have to. You gave all that up for her, you promised her minutes after she was born that you'd be there to see every first thing she did. Don't make me be the person that has to tell her you broke a promise. Please.'

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a hug.

'I won't…I won't.'