Enter for the Quidditch League Competition - Round 3 - Puddlemere United - Chaser 1

Prompt: You'll Be Back: Write about someone missing the "good old days."

Optional prompts used: 5. (action) dancing; 10. (dialogue) "What can I say? I'm always right."; 12. (plot point) a wedding

Word count: 1.967

Warnings: AU Fred lives

Lyrics used: And I'll love you till my dying days

To love and behold

He knew this day would come, but he never thought that it was going to be so soon. He sighed, reminiscing about the first time he saw his daughter and how he had vowed to protect her from all the evil in the world. Of course this was a euphemism, as many years had gone by peacefully in the Wizarding World.

Fred never feared wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he hadn't realised it would be so difficult to see his daughter — his precious little girl — getting married. Of course he had discussed this with his wife while his daughter was growing up, when she had turned eleven and had gone to Hogwarts. Hermione had only laughed when Fred confided his fears to her. "What if he didn't love her? Or if he didn't treat her right? I don't think we should approve this marriage, Hermione", but she only laughed at him.

Fred sighed again and tried to relax; he knew that Elizabeth was happy with her choice, so he was happy for her. He hadn't anything against his soon-to-be son-in-law; it was just the thought of losing his little girl that was making him act odd. It was impossible for him not to remember the times when she would reach for him to chase her nightmares away, or to kiss her boo-boos better.

"Are you going to stand here all day or are you going to walk our daughter down the aisle?" Hermione asked from the doorway, her tone amused, as she watched her husband freak out.

"I promised Lizzie that I'll be there, so of course I'll walk her down the aisle. I was just remembering the day you told me you were pregnant."

"How could I forget that day? You thought I was joking but when I showed you the test, you passed out on our couch; that's one of my favorite stories to tell, you know that, right?"

"How can I forget? You tell this every year at Elizabeth's birthday," Fred huffed but he wasn't really mad. Hermione always poked fun at him because of it, but still it was one of his favorite memories, one that he often used to cast his Patronus.

"And I'll probably be telling this when I toast the newlyweds, as soon as you can stop freaking out because our baby girl is getting married." Hermione couldn't stop the smile that was spreading onto her face, seeing Fred so worked up because of the wedding. "Fred, you knew about this day for almost two years now, why are you pacing like it's the first time you heard about Lizzie's wedding?"

"Because until this morning, I still could dismiss the thought easily enough and pretend that she's still my little girl who likes to invite George and me to her fake tea parties and make us wear tiny little tiaras and talk to her stuffed animals." It was obvious that Fred was happy for his daughter, but Hermione could sense the longing in his voice too.

Hermione understood what her husband was experiencing, she was the one who feared this day more than she would admit out loud; not for her sake, but Fred's. She knew that Fred loved her, he had passed the last twenty eight years showing her exactly how much, but she also understood the love that he felt for their daughter was different. She remembered her mother saying that her father couldn't stop crying on her wedding day. She was glad that Fred wasn't crying, only missing the good old days when he was the most important man in Elizabeth's life.

"You know that you're still one of the most important person in her life, right?" She asked as if she was talking to a child, afraid that Fred will bolt from the room at any second. He realized what she was doing, but instead of answering her, he was glad that she was trying to ease his worries.

"I know that, I guess I'm just..." He didn't know how to finish his sentence, didn't know how to voice his thoughts and feelings.

"You're just?"

"When I enter her room to help her walk down the aisle, she isn't going to be my Lizzie— my little girl who loved to dress up and pretend to marry her stuffed animals," he sighed, running his hand over his face. "She's going to be Elizabeth, our oldest child who's about to marry the love of her life, as we did all those years ago."

"So, what's the problem?" Hermione asked, walking closer to her husband, just in time to see the first tear escape his eyes.

"I'm scared that she'll forget about us, about the good times we had while she was growing up, and I won't get to see her a lot after today," Fred answered with a hoarse voice and a pained expression that made Hermione's heart clench.

"You know Lizzie won't forget us or even disappear from our lives! She's only going to live in another house, but she still is our baby girl," Hermione hugged her husband and tried to soothe him, to help him calm down before he met their daughter.

"Why's dad crying?" A voice from the doorway startled the couple. They turned around and saw their daughter in her wedding dress, a frown on her face. "Is everything alright?"

"Your father was only having a walk down memory lane sweetie, he will be alright," Hermione kissed her husband, gave him a look that clearly said "talk to our daughter", and left them alone.

"You're a vision, honey."

Fred had already seen the dress, but seeing the whole look took his breath away. Elizabeth had the same color of hair that him, a dark auburn that was pinned up in a intricate hairstyle that made her eyes — the same brown color that Hermione had — pop in her face, with the little amount of makeup that she always use. The dress was simple but at the same time it looked like something taken from a fairy tale; it sparkled in the sunlight, competing with Lizzie's smile.

She wasn't the little girl who used to chase him around the house and beg him to take her to his shop or to help him and her Uncle George to prank Uncle Ron; she wasn't even the same girl that loved to play Quidditch before she could even walk, but he couldn't be prouder of the woman she had become.

"Thank you, daddy," Elizabeth replied with a smile like her mother, a smile that lit her face up like the sun and in that instant, Fred understood what Hermione had said to him; Lizzie could be grown up, but she always would be his baby girl, his daughter.

"Are you ready to walk down the aisle and become a married woman?"

"I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be." She took a deep breath and she wrapped her arms around her father's waist while burying her face against his chest; he could feel his shirt becoming a little wet with her tears. "Thank you for being the best dad in the world while I was growing up; you were the most important man in my life for so many years and I'm so grateful for this because I know what I had to look for in a boyfriend and potential husband."

Fred couldn't speak, so baffled by his daughter's little speech that he only hugged her the same way that he did when she was a toddler and kissed her temple; even if his daughter was grown up and ready to get married, he still could see the little girl that she was back then, and he smiled.

"Okay, it's not fair to make your old father cry before we meet your future husband. I don't have time to reapply my makeup," Fred said with a smile in his voice that had the desired effect: Elizabeth laughed and hugged him tighter. "Ready to commit to the love of your life?"

"Ready!" Elizabeth replied with a confident tone, and with her head held high and a twinkle in her eyes that reminded him of his own, he walked her out of the room and towards her future.

The ceremony was beautiful and reminded Fred of his own wedding, so many years ago. Elizabeth was like Hermione in so many ways, but she had the indistinguishable Weasley hair that shone from under Aunt Muriel's tiara. Fred couldn't be more surprised than his mum when Muriel insisted Elizabeth use her tiara for her wedding. Muriel seemed to have a soft spot for the girl.

It was in the middle of their father/daughter dance, that Fred could talk to Elizabeth again; he didn't want to pry her away from the party, yet he was anxious to dance with her. It was one of their traditions: Fred always had time to dance with Lizzie, even when he was so tired that he could fall asleep upright.

"So... how do you feel being married?" Fred asked while waltzing her around the dance floor. He promised that he wouldn't tell anyone, but they had practiced the waltz many times before the wedding.

"It's only been two hours, dad, it's not like I can complain," Elizabeth laughed at his question. "I'm happier than I thought I could be."

"I'm glad to hear this, princess, because I'll always be concerned about your happiness and how he treats you." Fred wasn't an angry man per se, but when it came to the happiness of his wife and children, he wouldn't hesitate.

"I know, daddy, that's one of the reasons that I love you." Elizabeth kissed her father's cheek and smiled at him. "I guess Nana Molly wants to make a toast too."

"Merlin help me!" Fred muttered under his breath which made Elizabeth giggle, which in turn made Fred smile and direct her to the main table; Hermione met them on the way.

"Can I borrow your father for a moment, Lizzie?" Hermione asked with a grin so much like his own.

"Sure, but come back quickly, I'm anxious to hear your toast." Elizabeth sent a wink in her parents direction and went to sit by her husband's side.

"I see that you're much happier than before the ceremony started," Hermione wrapped her arm around Fred's..

"Yeah, I had a very nice talk with the love of my life who helped me sort it all out," Fred smile in response of her cheekiness.

"What can I say? I'm always right." Hermione's smile was so bright that Fred couldn't help himself and bent his head down to meet her lips with his own. The kiss didn't last long, but they could feel the love they felt for each other through that simple meeting of their lips.

"You know, I was worried when I thought about proposing to you," Fred remarked, heading towards their table. "I thought that I wasn't good for you, that you would say no… But I knew that you were the one I wanted to spend my entire life with and I'll love you till my dying days. That's a promise I made to you years ago and I'll promise you that any time you want."

Fred knew that Hermione was the love of his life, and he wasn't going to let her forget that anytime soon. They had three beautiful children and the oldest one may have gotten married today but she was still their little girl. He knew this wasn't going to be the last time that he would reminisce about his life with his family; but for now, it was time to dance with the love of his life and celebrate their daughter's happiness.