AN: For the HPFC's Father/Daughter Challenge. My claim was Lily and Harry, but this turned out to be more Al and Lily, since in my fanon Al and Lily are very close and Lily is sort of against help from adults. Angst, ho!

I own nothing.

f.a.t.h.e.r..c.o.m.p.l.e.x.

The announcement comes over dinner one night.

"I'm quitting the Quidditch team."

Lily barely ever speaks, but she has a sweet, soft voice. It's quiet, so when she opens her mouth, people listen.

It's not that she's particularily bad at being Slytherin Seeker. She's tiny, probably the smallest girl in her year, so she adds barely any weight to her Nimbus 4050.

"Why? Because you're so fat you can't get the broom off of the ground?" James says sarcastically, stuffing his face with mushroom pizza. Al kicks him from under the table.

"Because I'd like to focus on my studies," she says, meekly, picking apart her pizza.

"But Lil," says Harry gently, "Professor McGonagall wrote home to Mum and I to tell us that you're getting straight O's, which not even your Aunt Hermione managed to do. She said all you do is study…" he trails off, gazing imploringly at Ginny for help. Ginny ignores him, and nods over at Lily, who is shredding her mushrooms.

"Plus," Lily mumbles, eyes filling with tears, "I am too fat."

James makes a "tcha!" sound just as Albus reaches over to touch Lily consolingly on the elbow. She shrugs him off.

Ginny and Harry both say "Lillleee," softly, but Lily will have none of it, she jumps to her feet, the chair crashing down to the stone floor with an obnoxious racket. Albus matches her, and stands in the doorway, his arms outstretched for his little sister.

But with a strength much greater than her eighty-two pounds, she shoves Al away from the doorframe and scrambles past him wailing "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

They are used to her manic-depressive outbursts, but somehow this is different, because it is loud. There's relative silence as Kreacher scurries in, croaking and picking up dishes and chairs and placing pie in front of all of them.

Harry stands slowly and jogs quietly to her room. The door is locked and he can hear a sort of methodical metallic scraping sound.

"Lily?" he asks quietly, knocking on her door. "Lily sweetheart can I talk to you?"

She sniffles out a "no!" and Albus barges past him into her room, muttering. Harry catches a quick flash of red blood- Lily's blood? When Al slams the door in his face and says "Give them to me, Lily."

But there's no response. What's going on in there?

"Al?" Harry pounds on the door, "Al let me in. Is she okay? I think I should look at her!" The door clicks open and he is greeted by a saddening sight; a small, fragile Lily in her brother's arms, his tears dropping onto her blackened hair.

"She only wants me, Dad," says Al in a small voice, "Only me."

Harry closes the door behind him, a lump rising in his throat. He still can't save everyone.

And there is no worse feeling than when you have failed to save your hurting child.