A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter, you guys rock. I like this chapter and I hope you do too, there is another flashback in the middle of it. Enjoy!

Oh, and Amber is like one/two-ish in this chapter.

The phrase "I love you" was used a lot in the Potter house. Whether it was Harry saying it to Ginny, one of the three Potter siblings saying it to their parents, the parents saying it to their children, or the siblings saying it each other. The reasons it was used so often varied also, though the main reason that it was used among the siblings was as a reminder which said, "even though I just made your breakfast blow up in your face and laughed when your eggs landed in your hair, I do love you."

But growing up with two war veterans made James think that the excessive use of the phrase was to make sure that if anything did happen nothing would go unsaid.

So it wasn't that surprising that this would be the first sentence Amber would say, though it did come to a surprise to James. He had heard her say many words but she had never put them together into a meaning. She would say "bottle" for "I want my bottle" and shrugged with the word to say "where is my bottle" and he was usually able to distinguish what message she was trying to convey through her limited vocabulary and little expressions like this.

But after his mum and dad left for a night together and Ginny had kissed her son and granddaughter calling, "I love you both," as she left, James was not expecting the first words out of Amber's mouth to be, "I wuv ooo dada."

James looked at where she sat on the floor, playing with dolls.

"What did you say?" he asked her.

"I wuv ooo," she repeated with a giggle.

James got down on the floor and knelt down to eye level with her. "Say it again," he commanded.

"I wuv ooo dada," she repeated one more time, this time stretching her arms out to him, wanting to be held now.

James obliged but did not get up from the floor, instead he sat Amber on his lap and stared at her as she begin playing with her dolls again, bored with James's lack of praise for her accomplishments.

James was having an inner battle with himself. On the one hand, Amber more than likely didn't understand the words she had just used, just that her family says it a lot and she wanted to be included, he could ignore it.

But on the other hand, Amber had said she loved him and he himself had never even said that to her. He remembered the first person he had said it too that wasn't family.

"Go out with me," James demanded as he walked into Teddy's Transfiguration classroom.

The group of girls that Charlotte was talking too giggled as Charlotte turned red.

"No James now leave me alone."

"Please!" he begged. Freddie, who was standing behind James during this embarrassing display, dropped his face in his palm at James's pathetic attempt.

"James Potter I wouldn't go out with you even if you were the last man on Earth," Charlotte stated, hopping that it got through his thick head this time.

James rolled his eyes, "There has to some circumstanse in which you would go out with me."

"When pigs fly James," Charlotte scoffed.

Teddy-or Professor Lupin-walked into the classroom at this time and caught what Charlotte had said to his god brother, and couldn't help but butt in.

"When pigs fly Miss Lucas? Teddy inquired. "Do you mean it?"

Charlotte snorted, "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."

"Good," Teddy smiled. "Everyone should put away your textbooks. Today's lesson is going to be held outside. Bring your wands and follow me."

Teddy walked out of the classroom with the seventh years following behind. He led them to a spot in the grounds of Hogwarts where they could make out a small fence. Upon getting closer James saw that it was in fact a pen full of small pigs.

A smile spread across his face and he turned to Teddy, "I love you Teddy," he said.

"That's slightly inappropriate when I'm suppose to be your professor but I love you too Jamesie."

The assignment was to transfigure wings on a pig. It was one of the most difficult assignments they had ever been given. Charlotte had refused to even try and the only people who had made any progress were Freddie-who really wanted James to get that date so he wouldn't be so pathetic anymore-and James-who was determined to make that pig fly for obvious reasons. About thirty seconds before the bell rang James managed to give the pig wings and was throwing it into the air to make it fly. It didn't, though Teddy had to take it to Hagrid at the end of class because he was sure that it had broken its leg while falling back to the ground.

Charlotte walked up to an exhausted James after everyone else had left for lunch. "Please Charlotte," he gasped. "I gave the thing wings! That has to count for something."

"Sorry James, the pig didn't fly."

James actually collapsed to the ground when she said this. "You mean I spent all that effort to give the thing wings, and threw it into the air, probably breaking its leg, for nothing!"

Charlotte shook her head sadly, "Why would you try so hard?" she asked him, truly curious.

"I'd think it'd be obvious by now," James panted.

"Just to get a date with me?" Charlotte asked, bewildered. "You've been trying for years, with no success. Why don't you give up? Why must you bother me so?"

"Because I love you Charlotte," James pointed out.

Charlotte gaped at him for a moment and then shook her head. "No," she argued, "you don't! You are infatuated with me because I don't like your pranks and you're…" she searched for the right word, "childishness like everyone else does."

James looked offended, "I prefer the term 'boyish charm' to childishness. And I don't use those words unless I mean them."

"You told Professor Lupin that you loved him in the beginning of class!" Charlotte accused.

"Teddy's my god brother, I've known him my whole life. I love you Charlotte and there is nothing you can do about it."

But no one who wasn't related to him had ever said it to him. Though Amber was related to him the words still had a heavy impact on James.

He had known from the beginning that he wouldn't be a good dad but he had been all Amber had and his parents wouldn't let him give her up even if he had wanted to. But if it had been an option, would he have given her away? He didn't really want to think about that.

He could feel that tears burning in his eyes as Amber said again and again the new phrase that she had learned just a moment ago, "I wuv ooo, I wuv ooo, dada." Reminding him that she was there and would always be there, punishing him for not being the dad she deserved, tormenting him, feeling him with anguish and regret for not doing his duty as her father.

He thanked Merlin that there was no one to see the tears fall.

Amber noticed her dads silence and she turned in his lap to look at him, she put her little hand on his cheek and said the first thing that came to her mind, "I wuv ooo dada."

"I love you too Amber," he said, he could feel in his heart that he spoke the truth to her now and would make sure that she heard it as much as he did growing up. "I love you, Amber."

A/N: I liked making Freddie do a face palm and yeah I made Charlotte's maiden name Lucas, so what, maybe her mom was a Pride and Prejudice fan. And I realize that you can't transfigure wings on a pigs so don't point it out. Review please.