FIC--Didn't Pay Attention, Did You Dad?
Title: Didn't Pay Attention, Did You Dad?
Rating: PG
Words: 786
Prompt given by njmb60
Didn't Pay Attention, Did You Dad?
A scream came from the bathroom and Harry ran up the stairs, frightened of what he might find.
"Lilly? Lily, what's wrong?"
He could hear her crying from the other side of the door and when he tried to open it, found it was locked. He could unlock it with a simple wave of his wand, but Lily was thirteen; she deserved some privacy.
"Lily, it's Dad. Open up."
"Go. Away!" she sobbed.
"Come on, Pumpkin. Tell me what's wrong, please?"
"NO!"
He could hear her rummaging around inside the bathroom, opening drawers and rifling around underneath the sink. She swore.
"Honey, what's going on? I want to help you," he pleaded.
"Go away, Daddy, please! Just leave me alone!"
Harry stepped away from the door and slid down the wall, facing the door. A hand ran through his hair and he sighed heavily.
"Why're you sitting on the floor?"
Harry looked up and found Albus standing in front of him, hands in his pockets.
"Your sister's upset."
Al snorted. "She's always upset, Dad."
"No, I mean something's really wrong with her, Al. She's crying and throwing things around in there," he recounted.
"She got her period or something?"
"What? You didn’t' say what I think you said, did you?"
Could that really be what's going on? Why did this have to happen when Ginny's out covering the new Quidditch league in America? Lily's too young, isn't she?
" Don't you remember anything from school?"
"Um, Al, there was someone called Voldemort I had to worry about. Didn't really pay attention."
Al sat down next to his father on the floor. "You didn't pay attention did you? How did you ever get Mum to fall for you?"
"Why am I getting relationship advice from my fifteen-year-old son?"
"Just curious as to how you could have a female best friend and not notice her…stuff. I just find it odd, that's all."
"And how do you know about this stuff?" It was amazing that someone who looked so much like him could know so much more about women than he did at that age.
"I've got an older brother who gets around." Al shrugged and got off the floor, making his way down the stairs.
"Gets around? What do you mean James 'gets around'?" Harry scrambled to his feet and started toward the stairs but met up with his oldest son's chest. At seventeen, James was already taller than his father.
"What's wrong?" James asked, looking his father up and down.
"You get around? What exactly does that mean?" Harry frowned at his son and crossed his arms.
"Al, you tosser, keep your mouth shut," he said to his brother, standing behind him.
"All I said is that I learned about girls from you and you learned because you got around." Al answered with a smirk.
James rolled his eyes. "I pay attention, that's all."
"Told you, Dad."
"But do you care to explain what 'get around' means?"
"Settle down. It's not as bad as you think it is," James tried to reassure his father. "Tamara and I talk about a lot of things." Tamara was James' girlfriend of two years.
"So what's wrong with Lily?" Harry asked, turning his head back towards the closed bathroom door.
"What's Lil got to do with this?"James looked back toward his brother and back toward Harry. "Where is she?"
"Bathroom. She got her first period," Al said flatly. "Dad never paid attention to girls in school because Voldemort took too much of his time, yet he had a female best friend."
"Al!"
"Just summarizing for him. Bringing him up to speed," Al answered.
"Thanks, son. I appreciate it." Harry rolled his eyes.
"So Lil has her first period? She got any stuff?" James asked him.
"I dunno. Your mum does."
"Won't fit her. She's too small."
"Oh Merlin." Harry felt his cheeks warm and his head began to hurt. In fact, he wished the whole thing would just go away.
"I…I'm gonna leave right now. 'Kay?" Al turned around and shuffled down the stairs, leaving the others standing outside the bathroom door.
"What're you gonna do, Dad?"
"Me?"
"You're her father. Help her out."
"I can't do that!" A stomach ache was churning now.
James shook his head and rapped on the door. "Lily?"
"What?" she shouted. "Go away."
"I can get Tam to bring you some stuff, if you like."
"Oh…okay. Th-thanks."
The door unlocked and cracked open a bit, revealing a teary-eyed Lily. She smiled at James, who ruffled her hair before going downstairs to call Tamara. Once they were alone, Harry walked to the door.
"I know you'd rather have Mum here."
Lily snorted noisily.
"But you can talk to me if you want."
"Da-ad!" she said, horrified. "Just go away."
The door slammed again, leaving Harry alone in the hallway.
"You really don't pay attention at all," Al called from the bottom of the stairs.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I'm sorry, love," Ginny said, holding Harry's head against her chest. "It must have been horrible." She was trying very hard to hold in her laughter, but failed tremendously.
"Shut up, Gin. I was unprepared and my sons know more about this stuff than I do," Harry whined.
"You never did pay attention in school."
"I've heard that a lot lately."
Rating: PG
Words: 786
Prompt given by njmb60
Didn't Pay Attention, Did You Dad?
A scream came from the bathroom and Harry ran up the stairs, frightened of what he might find.
"Lilly? Lily, what's wrong?"
He could hear her crying from the other side of the door and when he tried to open it, found it was locked. He could unlock it with a simple wave of his wand, but Lily was thirteen; she deserved some privacy.
"Lily, it's Dad. Open up."
"Go. Away!" she sobbed.
"Come on, Pumpkin. Tell me what's wrong, please?"
"NO!"
He could hear her rummaging around inside the bathroom, opening drawers and rifling around underneath the sink. She swore.
"Honey, what's going on? I want to help you," he pleaded.
"Go away, Daddy, please! Just leave me alone!"
Harry stepped away from the door and slid down the wall, facing the door. A hand ran through his hair and he sighed heavily.
"Why're you sitting on the floor?"
Harry looked up and found Albus standing in front of him, hands in his pockets.
"Your sister's upset."
Al snorted. "She's always upset, Dad."
"No, I mean something's really wrong with her, Al. She's crying and throwing things around in there," he recounted.
"She got her period or something?"
"What? You didn’t' say what I think you said, did you?"
Could that really be what's going on? Why did this have to happen when Ginny's out covering the new Quidditch league in America? Lily's too young, isn't she?
" Don't you remember anything from school?"
"Um, Al, there was someone called Voldemort I had to worry about. Didn't really pay attention."
Al sat down next to his father on the floor. "You didn't pay attention did you? How did you ever get Mum to fall for you?"
"Why am I getting relationship advice from my fifteen-year-old son?"
"Just curious as to how you could have a female best friend and not notice her…stuff. I just find it odd, that's all."
"And how do you know about this stuff?" It was amazing that someone who looked so much like him could know so much more about women than he did at that age.
"I've got an older brother who gets around." Al shrugged and got off the floor, making his way down the stairs.
"Gets around? What do you mean James 'gets around'?" Harry scrambled to his feet and started toward the stairs but met up with his oldest son's chest. At seventeen, James was already taller than his father.
"What's wrong?" James asked, looking his father up and down.
"You get around? What exactly does that mean?" Harry frowned at his son and crossed his arms.
"Al, you tosser, keep your mouth shut," he said to his brother, standing behind him.
"All I said is that I learned about girls from you and you learned because you got around." Al answered with a smirk.
James rolled his eyes. "I pay attention, that's all."
"Told you, Dad."
"But do you care to explain what 'get around' means?"
"Settle down. It's not as bad as you think it is," James tried to reassure his father. "Tamara and I talk about a lot of things." Tamara was James' girlfriend of two years.
"So what's wrong with Lily?" Harry asked, turning his head back towards the closed bathroom door.
"What's Lil got to do with this?"James looked back toward his brother and back toward Harry. "Where is she?"
"Bathroom. She got her first period," Al said flatly. "Dad never paid attention to girls in school because Voldemort took too much of his time, yet he had a female best friend."
"Al!"
"Just summarizing for him. Bringing him up to speed," Al answered.
"Thanks, son. I appreciate it." Harry rolled his eyes.
"So Lil has her first period? She got any stuff?" James asked him.
"I dunno. Your mum does."
"Won't fit her. She's too small."
"Oh Merlin." Harry felt his cheeks warm and his head began to hurt. In fact, he wished the whole thing would just go away.
"I…I'm gonna leave right now. 'Kay?" Al turned around and shuffled down the stairs, leaving the others standing outside the bathroom door.
"What're you gonna do, Dad?"
"Me?"
"You're her father. Help her out."
"I can't do that!" A stomach ache was churning now.
James shook his head and rapped on the door. "Lily?"
"What?" she shouted. "Go away."
"I can get Tam to bring you some stuff, if you like."
"Oh…okay. Th-thanks."
The door unlocked and cracked open a bit, revealing a teary-eyed Lily. She smiled at James, who ruffled her hair before going downstairs to call Tamara. Once they were alone, Harry walked to the door.
"I know you'd rather have Mum here."
Lily snorted noisily.
"But you can talk to me if you want."
"Da-ad!" she said, horrified. "Just go away."
The door slammed again, leaving Harry alone in the hallway.
"You really don't pay attention at all," Al called from the bottom of the stairs.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I'm sorry, love," Ginny said, holding Harry's head against her chest. "It must have been horrible." She was trying very hard to hold in her laughter, but failed tremendously.
"Shut up, Gin. I was unprepared and my sons know more about this stuff than I do," Harry whined.
"You never did pay attention in school."
"I've heard that a lot lately."