Ginny thought that her dad was perfect.

He was brave. He would hold her hand as she cried, the ghosts of her nightmares still haunting her. He would look in her wardrobe and under her bed and make sure to scare all the monsters away, he was never afraid of the monsters.

He was fun. He would gallop around the garden with her on his back, chasing after the boys. He would never tire and never anger, even if Ginny kicked him accidentally or if the boys jumped on him too roughly, he never shouted.

He was humble. He would hug his children before bed and kiss his wife on the cheek in the morning. He would always say I love you and would smile out of the blue – if anybody asked why, he would simply say, 'I'm happy'.

He was brave. He held her hand as she watched the wizard she loved fight the monster her nightmares were made of, the wizard who killed her brother. He held her hand tightly with tears streaming down his face and his heart pounding in his chest because for once he was afraid of the monster.

He was fun. She found one of Fred and George's fireworks in the summer and set it off in the mashed potato at dinner that night. Mashed potato was splattered everywhere, all over their faces and their mother was sitting, shocked, staring at her husband as he shouted. Then her brother laughed, for the first time since he was halved, and Ginny saw, through the layers of mashed potato, her dad wink at her.

He was humble. For Christmas he gave them each a hug. He held Ginny particularly close and whispered, "I forgot to get Christmas presents, I told your mother that I preferred to just spend the time with my family, don't be angry and don't tell her, please."

As a child, you believe that your parents can fix anything – that your mother is brave and beautiful and selfless, that your father is brave and wonderful and smart.
As you grow, you come to realise that they are nothing like you thought they were. They cry. They shout. They get angry and say things they don't mean.
But they know this. They know they have faults but they love you enough not to hide them from you. They love you enough to tell you about your own faults without wanting you to change.

Ginny thought that her dad was perfect. She was wrong. He was better than perfect. He was here and he was real and he loved them enough to get in trouble with his wife just to make them laugh.