Summary: Lucy's never been the golden child. She's rebellious, stubborn, nothing like her almost-minister father Percy wants her to be. When she gets kicked out & runs to France, can her old friend Tyler help her? Or has he wronged her too many times?
Lucy was packing before she even knew what she was doing.
Her mother was crying, pleading with her not to go. Molly was sitting in stony silence on her sister's bed, her eyes moving back and forth as she followed her sister's frenzied movements, tossing clothes into a duffel next to where she sat.
Percy was still yelling. Convoluted words about "disgracing your family", "what will the Ministry say", "think how this will look" flew out of his mouth, his tirade never ceasing.
Lucy flew about the room. She couldn't listen to her father's words, she couldn't allow herself to care about her mother's tears or Molly's silence. If she did, she wouldn't leave, and then she'd have to become part of her father's plan, all over again.
She looked over at Molly. Would her sister take her in? Molly had apartment she shared with Ellie, her best friend from Hogwarts. Lucy was sure there was room on the couch for her, but would her sister let her stay on the couch when their father would be furious and feel betrayed?
As much as she hated her father's overbearing nonsense, his need for rules and order, his pompous manner, she did love him. Lucy didn't want to hurt him by making him think his other daughter had turned against him, as well.
Lucy cleaned off the top of her bureau and dumped it into the duffel bag. That was all of it. She looked up at her mother's tearstreaked face. Audrey had a hand clutched over her mouth. With her other hand, she reached for her youngest daughter and pulled her into a hug.
"Bye, Mum," Lucy mumbled, closing her eyes tightly as she clutched to her mother. This was too hard.
Audrey didn't trust herself to speak, but she squeezed her daughter tight in her arms, then let her go gently.
Molly went up and hugged her sister next. "Be careful," she muttered quietly, so only Lucy could hear. "Don't go to just anyone, alright? Let me know where you are." She stepped back to leave the path clear to Percy, and the exit.
Lucy picked up her duffel, all too aware of the silence in the room. She walked slowly up to Percy and squared her shoulders. "I know you don't approve of my life, but I'm your daughter and you'll just have to learn to accept that. Until then, I'll be gone." Lucy couldn't help herself: he was still her father, the man who had held her when she cried, made her favorite foods, spoiled her when she was younger – so she hugged him. "I love you, Daddy," escaped from her throat in a soft whisper. She hadn't called him Daddy since many years before Hogwarts.
Lucy pulled away, and with her duffel in hand, went down the stairs, out the front door, and disapparated.
Audrey ran to the window, but her daughter was already gone.
Review please! I hope to be updating this rather frequently, FYI. Disclaimer on the whole I don't own Harry Potter thing (I think it's built in to belonging to the site, but just in case). Also, chapters will be longer (by at least four hundred words) starting next chapter.