I promised Harry/Daphne moments and I came through. And don't worry, Harry does not want Ginny back.
June 19, 2001
Daphne didn't want to push her re-founded friendship with Harry after the news of Ginny leaving and cheating on him broke out. Being born and raised in the Wizarding world she knew that once she and Harry were spotted together, there would be speculations about the two. Knowing very well that any news about himself was the last thing he wanted. It was bad enough to read the things his wife was doing out in public. With another man no less.
When Daphne received a call from Harry asking if she would come to dinner at his house, she was ecstatic. Wanting to get in touch with him, but also knowing he had much bigger issues in his plate then just hanging out with a friend. Figuring it was the best just to wait until he said something to her. They weren't in Hogwarts anymore where Daphne knew she could meet him a couple hours before curfew.
After arriving to Harry's via the floo network, Daphne smoothed out her sage green T-shirt dress. She wanted to dress up, look nice, yet still look casual. When Harry told her about coming over for dinner, he mentioned that he told James that Ginny wasn't coming back and wanted him to feel like there was a small army there for him. Daphne was touched that Harry even wanted her to be involved.
"Who are you?" James asked when he followed Harry into the living room.
Smiling softly at Harry, Daphne knelt down in front of James. "I am Daphne Greengrass, a friend of your fathers."
"Your pretty." Looking betweening Harry and Daphne. "Daddy you have a pretty friend."
"Alright casanova, how about you go help out Aunt Mione with setting the table." Harry said while he helped Daphne stand up from her crouching position. When the two were eye level, Harry did maybe kinda sorta saw how beautiful she looked. He had always known she was beautiful, one of the gorgeous girls in Hogwarts. Daphne had the power to make anything she put on look amazing on her. "In the words of my almost four year old son, you do look pretty tonight."
Not wanting Harry to know how much those words affected her, she just smiled softly, gave him a quick 'Thank you.' Before changing the subject. "So this is where you live. You must give me a tour."
"I can give you one right now. We are just waiting on Ron and Lavender to get here." Harry said leading Daphne up the stairs. "Up here is the bedrooms. James and Mine."
Daphne smiled when she saw the Gryffindor quidditch design. They had Harry's quidditch jersey in a shadowbox hung on the wall. She noticed the empty space next to his and thought that Ginny's quidditch jersey was once up there. But she was just speculating. "Just yours?"
"Yeah. Ginny's used to be up there." Harry sighed looking t the empty spot. "James asked me to take it down. It's in the attic."
Rubbing Harry's back, Daphne rested her head on his shoulder. Comfort is what this man besides her needed. And she was going to be there every step of the way. Even if he doesn't fall for her. She will be there. "Come on, show me your room."
"Trying to get me to bed with you Daph?"
"A Slytherin never tells her secrets." When the two entered Harry's room, Daphne was surprised how perfectly clean the room was. She had a feeling that after Ginny had left, all hell would break loose. But she was proved wrong. Way wrong. Harry's room looked like it belonged in a magazine. The light grey and white blended perfectly together. While the burgundy accents with the picture frames and throw pillows, were enough to make the room feel homey. "Um you know how to decorate a room. Can you do this to my place?"
"Sure. I'll hire the women who I payed to do this for you. I'm sure she wouldn't say no." Laughing softly, he sat on the bed and looked around the room. "Everything is new in this room. Even the bed. I burned the old one that I used to share with Ginny. Actually I burned everything."
"And you didn't invite me over?!" Daphne joking exclaimed taking a seat next to him on the bed. "Do you know how much stuff I need to burn from ex boyfriends? I could empty out at least a closets worth of stuff."
"I didn't. I'm sorry, next time I will think about you." Harry laughed turning his head towards his blonde friend. A smile came to his face when he saw the pearly whites on her own. She always had an amazing smile. Even when the Wizarding world was changing, it was still there. Which in turn made Harry feel much better, at least for a little while, about what was going to happen. He couldn't believe in the past five years no man was able to take this girl, no women, off the market. When Daphne was mentioned that she was single there was a flutter in his heart that he couldn't ignore. It was small at first, almost non existent, especially when he was wishing Ginny would come back. But now when the days and weeks would go by and Ginny wouldn't show up but Daphne would. The flutter became greater and stronger. And Harry knew she was trying to keep her space, not wanting to fully trust him. "Thank you for coming over. It really means a lot to me."
"It means a lot that you want me to be apart of the tribe." The words were spoken so softly when she noticed Harry's head moving closer to hers. This was it, the kiss she was waiting for. To see if there really was something or she just built it all up in her head.
"Oh there you two are. Ron and Lavender got here ages ago and Ron is about to eat his hand." Hermione's voice said at the doorway to Harry's bedroom. The two on the bed jumped away from each other and their eye's landed on their curly haired friend who had a knowing smirk resting on her face. "Come on now."
Before the three got to the dining room, Hermione pulled Daphne back waiting for Harry to get out of hearing range. Putting up a quick silence spell for a quick measure, she looked over at the blonde that had become her closest female friend.
"What was that? Did I interrupt a kiss in Harry's bedroom? It probably is the worse time for you to tell Harry how you feel. I love you but I can not watch you throw away that friendship away again. It broke you the last time."
"I don't know what was going to happen!" Daphne exclaimed, happy that no one could hear them. Including Harry. "Do you know how badly I wanted it to be the kiss that would tell me the answers I wanted and needed to know. What if I need to kiss him to get over him? Why would he even want me? I still get scoffed and services taken away from me whenever I'm in Diagon Alley and it's all because of my last name. I was never once a Voldemort supporter. You know that, or else you would have never been my friend. No matter how forgiving you are. Harry would be blasted by the papers for dating a Death Eater's daughter. The Golden Boy dating Slytherin trash."
"How many times do I have to tell you," Resting her hands on Daphne's shoulders, Hermione began to shake her. "You are not any kind of trash. You are Daphne Greengrass. One of the strongest woman that I know. You left everything you knew and moved to the muggle world to get that dream job. And if Harry is who you want then I will support your decision. But just remember, if it doesn't work out it's not just Harry you will have to worry about. It's also James. His mother just left him a month before his birthday."
Nodding her head, agreeing with everything Hermione was saying. If the maybe kiss was supposed to be something, a good something, then Daphne would have to take it very seriously. It wouldn't just be some fling. Something if it didn't turn out well then Daphne wouldn't just lose Harry, she would also lose any relationship that she would build with James. It would be something she would really have to think about. "Your right. You are so right, if I should just wait for Harry to say something. If he feels anything. Not push it, just like my original plan. Hold my ground."
"There. Perfect." Pulling her friend into a quick hug, Hermione lifted the spell. "Now let's eat before Ron eats everything."
After dinner Daphne found herself in James' bedroom reading a book to the young boy who was all ready for bed. She felt honored that out of all the people that came to dinner, she was the one James wanted to read him a bedtime story. Being this was the first time they met. She also knew that kids would tell you exactly how they felt about you. And so far she was on James' good side, which is where she wanted to say.
"And they all lived happily ever after." Daphne said after she finished reading Peter Pan. It was a good notion to never grow up. If only that were the case. "Alright mister, I will go get your dad."
"You don't have to go to far." Harry said from his spot against the door frame. A spot everyone was liking tonight. Daphne watched as Harry walked into the bedroom, wondering how long he had been standing there. Her back was facing away from the door and normally she had a good sense when someone was behind her. Years of sleeping in the Slytherin dorms and her own childhood home would do that to her. Always felt like she was being watched. "You are a very good story teller. I love the voices."
"Captain Hook was my favorite." The sleepy boy mumbled. "You made him sound funny."
"Well he is. A man who wants to fight a child." Daphne gave Harry an eye roll. Who then laughed softly in reply. "Well I'll leave you two be. Night James."
"Night Daphne." James said smiling softly when Daphne ran her finger gently thru his short black hair. When Daphne left the room, James opened his green eyes to look at Harry's matching ones. "I like her."
"Yeah?" Tucking his son into the bed, Harry smiled softly. "What do you like about her?"
"She's pretty and funny." He said before asking. "Do you like her?"
Nodding his head slowly after he thought about what James asked. "You know what buddy. I think I like her more than I thought I did. Do you want her to be in our life more?"
"Yes, she makes you smile a lot." The younger boy said when a yawn followed after.
"Okay time for bed." Pulling the covers to his chin, Harry leaned down and kissed James' forehead. "I love you buddy."
"Love you daddy."
When Harry closed James' bedroom door, he thought about what he and James talked about. Was that his son giving him his blessing to move on from Ginny? Or did the younger boy not know what he was talking about? Or is that what Harry got from the talk? All that truly mattered to Harry was that James liked Daphne. Just as much as he did. He knew that if Hermione didn't walk into his bedroom, he knew that there was going to be a kiss between Daphne and himself.
Reaching the last stair, he marveled in the sight of Ron, Theo and Daphne having a conversation and laughing. Never in his wildest dreams, and he's had plenty of those, did he ever imagen Ron Weasley having a civil conversation with a Slytherin. Let alone two. Everyday Ron surprised him more and more with how much he had grown.
"What are you two laughing about?" Harry asked when he made it over to the pair.
"Oh Ron and I were swapping horror stories when using muggle technology for the first time." Daphne said with small giggles in between the words. "They really need to teach purebloods how to use anything muggle in muggle studies."
"It would save so much trouble and embarrassment." Ron said with a chuckle of his own.
"And your girlfriend wouldn't be laughing at you every time you think the microwave is working against you." Theo said looking over at Hermione who face had a permanent smirk while she was talking to Lavender about something. And the halfblood witch had a smirk of her own on her lips. Giving Harry a knowing knowledge that Ron had the same thing that would happen to him.
Making eye contact with Daphne, Harry gave the blonde a small smile. "Can I talk to you for a minute."
"Of course." Daphne replied and followed the dark haired wizard into the kitchen. The two were silent for a moment, waiting for the other to say something. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"
"I had a conversation with James after you left. He asked me if I liked you." Harry said leaning against the cream kitchen countertops.
Trying not to let her emotions get the best of her, Daphne asked. "And what did you tell him?"
"That I do like you. Very much." He said with that boyish smile he had mastered the past years. "I have for quite some time actually."
Daphne could feel her heart racing, it was beating so loud she thought Harry was able to hear it. "Really?"
"Yes really." Taking one step closer to her, Harry was just an arm length away. "If Hermione didn't walk in early. I would have kissed you."
"And what do you want to do right now?"
