Forever his ~ Harry Potter's daughter

13. Realizations

I was laughing harder than in a long time. Tears coming from my eyes, sitting on a sofa by a fire.

"You really did that?" Prince asked next to me, laughing happily.

"Yeah. I was running around the ministry of magic in a diaper. Dad running after me to take me to his friend to look after. My nanny was sick and I had had too much sugar. I was only four and wanted to spend time with the cool adult wizards. Too bad dad had work to do." I said with a smile.

"I have a story somewhat similar. Mom had taken me to the ministry and I saw a friend. When she turned around we climbed on this statue right in the middle of the main hall. We started playing and making fools out of ourselves." Prince said and shook his head. "You wouldn't believe the yelling I got as soon as I was at home."

Slowly my laughter quieted down as I saw his gaze. His mind wasn't here anymore but in a memory. And it clearly wasn't a good one.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." I whispered.

He seemed to shake it off and turned his far off look to me: "Why?"

"I..." Wasn't expecting that question. "I guess I'm sorry that you had a rough childhood. I feel bad for you. All children should be happy..."

Suddenly his gaze grew angry as he furrowed his brows and straightened his back. "You don't know me! I grew up with everything I wanted, lavishing in gold and riches. My family has a lot of power and respect in the wizarding community I was raised like a prince with house elves catering to my every need."

"But with no parents present... Or friends?"

"I... My father always has urgent business to deal with and mother... Likes to keep to her own. I could have a friend over once a month and everyone was fighting to be the one allowed into our mansion." He said, his anger dying down towards the end of his little speech.

"Then what did you do all those days you were left alone?" I asked, looking at him under my lashes, trying not to appear menacing or like I'm mocking him.

"I practiced flying and quidditch and... I guess I drew a little." He shrugged.

"Did you become any good?" I asked.

"I just told you I became a good quidditch seeker."

"I meant the drawing." I smiled.

"Oh... No one has ever been interested in that." He said scrunching his brows but this time in wonder and surprise. I could see there was some bitterness behind it.

"Well that's about to change. I like art." I said and jumped off the couch.

"Are you leaving already?" He asked, about to get up.

"No. I'm looking for something." I said as I walked to a nearby desk with all kinds of scrolls on it. I looked until I found a plain one and brought a pen to Prince. "Here. Draw something."

"What is this peculiar object?" He asked as he twirled the pen in his fingers. "This is not a quill."

I laughed and said: "No, it's not a quill, it's a pen, much easier to use. You don't need any ink." I said and quickly showed him how it worked, by drawing a little heart in the corner of the paper.

"I have not seen one before." He mumbled.

"Well? Will you draw something for me?" I pleaded.

"I don't feel like drawing right now." He said but kept the scroll and the pen on his lap.

"Okay. Maybe some other time."

"So tell me. How did you spend your childhood?" He asked suddenly. "Were you a happy kid, as you said all children should be?"

"Well umm, I guess I was. I spent most of it sick and... I had issues with my magic as a child but... I mean..." For a moment I was dead silent. And so was he. I guess he could feel it too. I was having a revelation. "I... I lied. I wasn't happy. I should have been but I wasn't. I couldn't play with other kids because I was too sick. And when I wasn't my magic would flash out."

"Flash out? What do you mean?" He asked.

I couldn't really see him even though I was looking at him. I was too far gone in my past... Well, future if you really thought about it. "I couldn't control it. I was always told it was because I grew strong when my magic was fighting the illness, but I felt mostly weak. So they said that every time I got better my magic wasn't used to not working. So I would find ways to release the build up magic and strength. I would break things."

"I've never heard of such a thing happening..." He said. I knew from the start that the excuse I had got from my parents was a lie. I was just too strong for my own good.

"Did you spend a lot of time in St Mungo's then?" Prince asked me and took my hand.

"Actually no. I would stay in the house. Mom was a healer. She quit her job to take care of me." I mumbled thinking of the nights of hot chicken soup I would be too ill and tired to eat.

"Must have been hard..."

"People have gone through worse."

There was a deep silence between us. I could feel that this wasn't a typical conversation Prince would have with just anyone. This was special, something I at least would treasure. My childhood was something my family doesn't discuss and most of my friends don't even know about it. The ones that do don't wish to think of it. So I just keep everything to myself. And I feel Prince has done the same. I have learned things about his life people probably know nothing about.

"What ailed you?" He gathered the courage to ask.

"Something that I got from my father. Something others couldn't help me fight. It wasn't a disease known to man, so I had to be kept under constant watch. I got seizures. If you can call them that. And mom would always be there to help me through them. Most of the time I was too tired to walk or sit. So I would just lay in my bed and sleep. It started when I was four" My childhood years were the darkest of my life. I haven't lived too long yet, but I hope they will stay that way. I don't want to think of what would have to happen to me to be even worse than my illness... This wasn't a lie. I truly was sick when I was younger.

I saw from the corner of my eye that Prince picked up the scroll and laid it out on a book to keep as a flat surface as he began drawing.

I stayed in y thoughts a while longer before slowly starting to become more concussions of my surroundings. "Are your parents still like that?" I asked.

"Like what?" Prince wondered, not lifting his eyes from his work.

"Distant..."

"---Yes." And it was left at that.

***

So a new chapter after a long pause. THANK YOU for returning to my story to read yet another chapter. I actually really like this chapter I was having MAJOR writer's block before.