AN: Hello every one. This chapter is shorter then I was going to make it originally but after looking it over I decided It would work better as two chapters, the second one is longer I promise.

Disclamer: I do not own any of the characters from the Harry Potter series. I do however own the plot to his story so don't steal it.

A Hero's Tale

By Yurushi-chan

Chapter one: Apologies

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted his glasses. Could things get anymore complicated? He'd better not jinx it. He prepared some tea, hoping it would help keep the both of them calm then got comfortable on the couch next to his daughter. He looked at her worriedly, he had so much to tell her, so much to explain. Harry had hoped Lilly would not have had to deal with this.

Perhaps it was selfish of him, but he had hoped that his daughter would get the one thing he wanted but could never truly have…a normal, peaceful life. In his blind hope, he had completely ignored, or out right denied all bouts of her accidental magic. He regretted that now, he regretted that he had tried in a way to do what the Dursleys' had done to him. He had tried (albeit unconsciously) to push away who she was, what she was. Lilly knew nothing of her heritage, nothing about magic, nothing of Hogwarts, nothing of the Wizarding world at all. Would she even believe him now, after he had lied to her for so long? He hoped so, god he hoped so.

"Lilly, I… I should have explained things a long time ago…" Lilly snorted and rolled her eyes but said nothing. "I know, I know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but you have to understand I only ever wanted what was best for you." He said turning his teacup around in his hands. Harry stared into the murky liquid for a few moments trying to gather his thoughts. Finally he took a sip, if only to give him a few more seconds then set the cup down and rose his head so his eyes met hers.

"Firstly Lilly, I know it's confusing, and I know it will be difficult, but you must believe me when I say…magic is real." He paused so it could sink in, and couldn't help but smile at her shocked face. He remembered when Hagrid had first told him he was a wizard, ans was sure there wasn't much difference in reaction.

"What?!" the girl exclaimed after a few seconds.

"Magic is real." Harry repeated calmly.

"You're nuts, you've gone absolutely bonkers dad. Or maybe I have magic can't be real!" She argued shaking her head as she scooted a few inches away from him, the tea in her own cup swirling dangerously close to the rims.

Harry shook his head, he didn't blame her for not believing him. "Very well, you silly girl, I will just have to show you then wont I?" he said pulling out his wand. He bit the inside of his cheek nervously, he hadn't practice magic for almost eleven years, and his wand had stayed in the back of his bottom drawer out of sight since then. He hoped dearly that the simple spell he was thinking of would work and he wouldn't make a fool of himself.

He aimed his wand at the tea pot on the tray sitting on the coffee table, and with a small swish and flick it rose a few feet in the air. (Much to his relief) Lilly stared as he slowly lowered it back to the tray. "Need another demonstration?" he asked innocently. When she nodded excitedly he chuckled and sent a pillow from the floor flying into her face.

"Ok, Ok I believe you!" she exclaimed as he pointed his wand at a second pillow. "You're not crazy and neither am I." She paused, a thoughtful look on her face. Harry waited patiently for her to voice her thoughts. "Does this mean that I can do magic too, and that we are magicians?" she finally blurted out. Harry let out a full blown laugh at that.

"Yes Lils you can do magic too, and have a few times already, but no we are not magicians." He clarified, once his laughter subsided. "I am a wizard, and you are a witch."

"But I've never waved a wand or made things float." Lilly protested with a small pout.

"No you haven't." Harry agreed. "But remember that one time when you were eight and we were playing hide and seek. I looked for you for an hour before I found you on the roof."

Lilly nodded." Yes, you said I must be a monkey to be able to climb so high with out a ladder, and wouldn't believe me when I told you I jumped!" she nodded excitedly.

Harry bit his lower lip. "Yes Lilly, that was a case of what is called accidental magic, it's what children, who have no control over there magic do when overly excited, angry or upset. You have had quite a few bouts of accidental magic that I have ignored." He said sadly, he felt so stupid looking back at it now.

"Why…why did you never tell me dad?" Lilly asked hesitantly.

Harry sighed, now came the hard part. "I didn't want you to have to worry…." He started slowly. One look at her face told him he would have to give the full story, or at least most of it. "You see Lils, years ago, before you were born there was a powerful dark, evil wizard by the name of Voldemort. He was so powerful, and so evil that people were afraid to even speak his name. Voldemort wanted to rule the wizarding world, and he was convinced that to do so was to have pure blood Wizards rule the world." Harry paused and looked at his daughter sadly.

"A pureblood is a wizard whom has parents who are a witch and wizard whose parents are the same. They don't have a drop of muggle (non magic folk) blood in them." He explained in distaste. "This doesn't make them any better then a muggle born, but they think it does." Lilly nodded at the explanation, understanding most of it.

"So he was like Hitler but with magic." She said scrunching up her face in distaste. Harry nodded in agreement.

"Yes, like Hitler." He agreed. "Well one day he attacked an enemy wizards home. He killed the wizard and his wife with one of the most evil spells created, the killing curse. Finished with the couple he went after their one year old son, intent on doing the same to him. However when he cast the spell…it didn't work, in fact it backfired destroying him instead."

"This is a really interesting story dad, really, but what does it have to do with us?" Lilly started.

"I'm getting to it Lilly!" Harry admonished his daughter before continuing. "As I was saying, the killing curse is dangerous, no shield can block it, and if it hits you there is no bringing you back, no one had ever survived it until that little baby."

Lilly stared at him no understanding.

"Lilly, I was that baby." He answered her silent question.

The girl once again stared at her father as he pointed his wand at himself and gave a small wave, releasing the glamour. Hs hair darkened from brown to a night black, and his skin lightened a few tones.

"Instead of killing me, the curse gave me this." he said gesturing to a thin lightning scar she had never seen before on his forehead, just peaking out of his fringe. "It was years later explained to me that my mother, your grand mother did what is called blood magic, it was her death that activated it and kept me alive." He explained as he poured himself another cup of tea, already having finished his first.

"What happened to you then dad? Who took care of you?" Lilly asked almost worriedly.

Harry waved at her to calm down before continuing. " A man named Albus Dumbledoor thought I would be safer living with my muggle aunt instead of another wizards home. Sure plenty of people wanted to take me in, I was after all the destroyer of Voldemort before I could speak I was what they named "The-Boy -Who-Lived", but the blood magic would only protect me if I stayed in the presence of relatives. My mothers sister was the last living relative I had. It was the only way he believed I could be kept absolutely safe from Voldemort remaining followers who wanted revenge in their masters name.

"When I turned elevenI was re-introduced to the wizarding world by a man named Rubeus Hagrid. He explained everything to me and became one of my best friends. Not long after I met him I went to a school where I learned to control my magic. I went there for six years. During that time I discovered that Voldemort wasn't dead, just weakened, at the end of my fourth year he came back into his full power. A year later I was told of a prophesy that said I was the only one who could defeat him for good."

Harry paused here, remembering the tragedy at the department of mysteries. He took a deep breath, and willed himself to continue. "In my seventh year, when I was eighteen, I didn't go back to school, Instead I set out on a quest with my two best friends to defeat Voldemort. I did it, I destroyed him, then I left the Wizarding world." Harry finished. He drained his cup again then set it back on the tray.

There was a moment of silence in which Harry refused to meet his daughters eyes. He had purposely left out a lot of the details, but he felt she didn't need to know them yet. In time he would tell her, but not now, not yet. Finally Lilly asked the question raging in her mind.

"Why did you leave?"

Harry shook his head. "The reason I left isn't all that important." He lied "The reason I didn't go back though is more important. I didn't want you to have to deal with the pressure your mere birth would bring. Lilly you are the daughter of one of the most famous wizards in the world. You would never get them to leave you alone, and there are many people who would use you and hurt you, hoping to get to me." He explained as he pulled her into a hug.

***

Lilly let her father hold her, he obviously needed the comfort. It frustrated her that he would lie about the reason he left, but knew better then to call him on it. He had after all told her so much already.

"Dad?" She asked softly, hesitant to break the silence this time, but she needed to know. "What exactly made you decide to finally tell me all this?" she asked chewing on her lower lip, a habit she had picked up from him.

Harry allowed her to slip back onto the couch beside him. "Parseltongue." he responded simply.

She blinked. "What the heck is Pasteltoung?" she asked scrunching up her nose at the strange word.

"Parseltongue," her father corrected her amusedly. "The ability to talk to and understand snakes."

"So I'm really not crazy, all witches and wizards can talk to them?" she asked in relief.

"No, you're not crazy, but no only a few people have the ability to speak snake language." Harry said rubbing the back of his neck. "It is very rare, and as far as I know only you and I have the ability. We are known as parselmouths, but honestly it's not something that was should advertise, it's considered a dark wizard trait." He said solemnly.

Lilly wanted to ask why but again held her tongue; it seemed to be a touchy subject."So what now?" she asked instead. Harry put his wand on the coffee table and pulled an off white envelope out of his back pocket.

"Now you get to read your letter." He said with another somewhat sad smile as he handed it to her.