Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy

Gaston remained silent, staring at the floor in front of him to hide the emotions playing across his face as his sad thoughts ran wild. He just wanted to go home to his daughter! He would be hugging her a little tighter than normal tonight. Panic set in as his thoughts turned to his own father. He'd seemed perfectly healthy when he saw him last Christmas, and he knew his mother would be frantically badgering him if something was wrong - but he still worried about him. He should probably write him later, just to make sure he was doing alright.

Daisy's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. Pushing his own troubles to the back of his mind, he met her eyes. "That's alright, you don't have to talk to him now," he said. "You can wait until you're ready." Her smile came as a welcome surprise, and he returned it with a small one of his own. "You're very welcome." Really, there was no need to thank him!

He eyed her with sympathy and concern, wishing there was something more he could do for her, but what? Then he remembered what his father said to him after Ellie's death. He'd been too emotionally drained to remember most of the comforting words he got, but these always stuck with him. "Daisy... If I may, I'd like to tell you something my father once told me when I lost someone," he said. "He said, 'When tragedy strikes, our first instinct is to offer comfort, but sometimes we just need to be reminded how strong you really are.' And I believe you're strong enough to get through this."