(Author's Note-Chapter 3 was mistakenly posted as a new story. I regret any confusion, and have since corrected my error. Thank you to the reader who provided feedback on my mistake, as well as an encouraging note about the story, plot and character development.)
Wheels Within Wheels – Part Two
Kendra and Lily
Chapter Four
A Little Mother/Daughter Chat
Harry showered and looked around his cupboards for something to eat before bed. It was clear he had to do some shopping, and soon.
"Harry!" he heard. He turned toward his fireplace.
"Hello!" he answered. "Daphne?"
"Yes, can I come through?" Daphne asked.
"Daphne, you're a lifesaver. I've just got one request," Harry said. "Can you bring me a sandwich? Any kind of sandwich. Please!"
"Aaagh…Of course. Give me one minute," said Daphne.
Right on time, Daphne arrived with a brown paper bag. Harry held out his hand.
"Ah-ah-ah," Daphne said. "Get out of my way, please."
Daphne took the bag to the kitchen and placed it on a counter. She opened cabinets one after another until she found plates, selected one, put it on the counter, opened the bag, withdrew a sandwich which she placed on the plate, looked for napkins and didn't see any, instead pulling a paper towel off a roll near the sink. Daphne picked up the plate and brought it to Harry, who was standing near a small dining table in the flat's combined living and dining room.
"What do you want to drink with that?" Daphne asked.
Harry figured he might as well ask for what he really wanted, rather than make points by asking for mineral water.
"Butterbeer?" Harry suggested.
Daphne seemed on the verge of giving Harry one of her looks, but she smiled and returned to the kitchen.
"Where is it?" she called.
"Lower level cupboard, to the left of the sink," Harry answered.
Daphne returned with a brown bottle.
"Opener? Mug? Stein?"
Harry crossed to a compact cabinet opposite the dining table, opened a door and pulled out a mug, then he opened a drawer and removed a bottle opener.
"Will you join me?" Harry asked.
"Might as well, since you asked," Daphne said.
Harry bent and reached in for a second mug.
"Sandwich?"
"Cucumber, tomato, cream cheese. The bread is the same recipe as Mad Monk, from the Leaky Cauldron, but our yeast is completely different," Daphne told him.
"Umm…that is good! I suppose the tomato, cucumber and cream cheese are all very good for me, and I'll wake up starving at 4 a.m.," Harry speculated.
Daphne appraised Harry long enough for him to start becoming uncomfortable under her gaze.
"When you get me to do your shopping, Harry Potter, you eat whatever I bring you," Daphne said. "Then, without further comment, you say 'YUM!'"
"That was next!" Harry said. "How improbable is that? Now, you had a reason for coming all this way. Will you be sharing that tonight?"
"Saturday will be here soon, so, I thought we could coordinate. Where are you going to get ready, and how are you getting to St. Mungo's?"
"I thought taking everything to Grimmauld Place made the most sense. What do you think? What do you have to do?"
Daphne clearly had a checklist in her head.
"Rounds, right after breakfast, which will take about 90 minutes unless we get more admissions. I'll depart St. Mungo's by eleven. Light lunch. My gown, shoes, odds and ends all pack in a little bag, which I can bring by Grimmauld Place and leave with Kreacher. I'll have to give him the word about Trix, she'll be coming to do my hair. Hope that's okay."
"I can't imagine why it wouldn't be, but I can raise it tomorrow, if you want," Harry said. "I'll take my robe over so it's there, then probably go to the dojo and get sweaty. Anything you want me to do before Saturday afternoon? I'll make sure Kreacher has something on hand for Sunday breakfast. If Trix does your hair at #12, can we get you to the roof of St. Mungo's with everything in place?"
"Sure, Harry. Witches have had this problem for evening events for hundreds of years. We have figured out one or two things, over time. I'd like to get started early afternoon, no later than two o'clock. What does your Saturday afternoon look like?"
"I'm usually at my desk until around two. I can come earlier if you need me. I've decided not to paint my toenails, so I'll need an hour, more or less, to get ready," said Harry.
"That's good news, Harry," said Daphne, "because that means you can assist Trix in her duties."
"When's our departure time?" Harry asked.
"The doors open at seven-thirty. I want us there by seven, or a little earlier, if possible," Daphne said. "There is something I have to do in another area of the hospital, and you might as well come along with me.
"Let's talk or owl or something tomorrow," Daphne said, "in case of the unexpected. I'll be at the manor tonight, St. Mungo's until mid-afternoon tomorrow, back to the manor, then Grimmauld Place around two on Saturday."
"That works, but I'll miss you terribly," Harry said. "Wait there a sec, I just thought of something."
Harry went down the hall to his bedroom and pulled a few trousers, shirts and other bits of clothing together and stuffed them in a small gym bag.
"Some things to make my room look lived-in," Harry said, handing over the bag.
"It would have been a lot more fun if you had delivered them, but this will do to start," Daphne said, a little rue in her tone.
"Oh, another thing," Harry said. "I got some counseling this afternoon, from Madame Walburga. You may have redeemed me over there. She's very pro-Daphne. I asked about her portrait, and Kreacher has already taken it to Hogwarts and swapped it for Phineas Nigellas. She's quite happy to be there. Millicent Bulstrode introduced herself and welcomed her back. Millicent's the Slytherin Head of House, as of this year."
"You said Walburga counseled you? What was the nature of the counseling?" Daphne asked.
"I'm to do whatever it takes to keep you happy, so we stick together," Harry answered.
"Oh, Harry," Daphne said, as she stepped over to Harry and pulled him close. "That won't be hard."
Harry gripped Daphne's forearms and took a half step back.
"Can I get you to stay?" he asked. "I'm pretty sure there is at least one clean towel in the bathroom."
"You're so well-prepared, Harry, I'm going to start thinking you've been plotting this, this…seduction. I have to have fresh clothes in the morning, it's just a requirement of civilized life. Can we see how tomorrow goes? If I have an invitation, that is."
"Of course. You have a permanent invitation," Harry said.
"Remember my schedule? Owl me at the manor in the afternoon. I'll be checking in with Mother, but there's no reason I can't just come back,"
"Okay. Sigh. Missing you already," Harry said, with conviction.
Daphne blew him a kiss from the fireplace, dropped some floo powder and said, "Greengrass Manor," and with a WHOOSH, she was gone.
When she arrived at the manor, Daphne went straight to Harry's room and dumped his clothes out on the bed, then she called out for Trix.
"Trix is here, Miss Daphne," said the little elf.
"Trix, I want to stand here and look at some things. Please hang the trousers on the left, and shirts to the right."
The elf snapped her fingers and arranged the clothing as asked.
"Okay, let's try that, reversed. Trousers on the right, please."
Again the elf arranged the clothing.
"Nice," said Daphne. "He needs to improve his color choices, but luckily, I have just enough room in my time budget for another project."
"Oh, things have worked out for Miss Daphne!" Trix enthused. "Trix is happy."
"We're both happy, then, Trix," Daphne said. "Please take Master Harry's trainers off for a little scrub, and bring them back up when they're dry. Thanks for your help. I'll let you know if I think of something else."
Trix walked out into the hall and disapparated with a distinct POP.
Daphne walked over to the armoire where she'd hung Harry's clothes, and breathed in deeply, thinking she should have had the presence of mind to take some clothes for the morning with her, as long Harry had conned her into bringing him a sandwich. She wondered if she should just grab some and stuff them right into Harry's bag and take the floo straight back to his flat. Then she considered the time, and how much she needed to get done at St. Mungo's on Friday, and decided she had missed her chance, for tonight, anyway.
Daphne brushed her teeth thinking about how thrilling it was that it was no longer her bathroom. She didn't know why, but as she pulled a nightgown over her head, instead of going to her bedroom, she turned and instead went into Harry's. As she drifted off to sleep, the last thing she was conscious of was the crimson and gold terry bathrobe hanging on the valet stand at the foot of the bed.
Greengrass Manor had a breakfast room, but most mornings, Daphne liked to have her coffee, toast and poached eggs in the sunny room by the patio. Some days were just too cold for the room, even with the use of warming charms. Those were few, however, and rain or shine, snow or fog, the room and its view of the gardens that tumbled down the hill, to the green at the bottom, were just the place for breakfast, in Daphne's opinion.
Daphne was sitting at the table, wearing her nightgown under the crimson and gold bathrobe when Kendra arrived.
"Good-morning, Daphne," Kendra said, "you look quite fetching today."
Daphne laughed.
"I just grabbed whatever was handy," she said, pulling the robe tighter. "If I can't get him to come over and use it, I'll keep it warm for him."
"Well, just let things develop at their own pace, Daphne, and you'll work each one out in turn. You and Harry have been alone, and you've gotten used to it. It's only natural you'd both be hesitant about disrupting the familiar and jumping into the unknown. You have good instincts. So does Harry. You'll know when it's the right time for each new step," Kendra said. "I don't mean to preach, you understand that, don't you, dear? I apologize if it came out that way."
"You know," Daphne mused, "it's funny. I've been sitting here with my professional qualifications deployed, taking little sips of coffee and staring out at the sunlight getting stronger, trying to analyze why I didn't take some overnight things with me when I went to Harry's yesterday evening. Then I could have said 'Yes,' when he asked me to stay. You just walk in the room and off-handedly give me a very good explanation, probably as good an explanation as I'm likely to get."
"Furthermore, you can't say anything to me that I won't listen to. I might disagree, occasionally. That doesn't mean your perspective isn't valuable, or that I don't treasure it. You're interested in me, and Astoria, and how our lives are working. We've known lots of people our age who don't have someone like you around. Harry, for one. I'm so grateful to have had you. Astoria is too."
Kendra sat still across the table, looking at Daphne while trying not to tear up.
"Oh, Daphne, that might be the kindest thing anyone, including your father, has ever said to me," said Kendra. "You're so right about Harry. Lily showed she would do anything for him, and he lives with that, and the twin reality of her absence. It would be heartbreaking, even if we were complete strangers. Our histories just make it hurt more."
Kendra couldn't go on. She suddenly found the low, late autumn sunlight and dramatic shadows, streaking across the beds, most compelling. She turned her head completely away from Daphne, and needed two or three deep inhalations to compose herself.
When she turned back toward Daphne, her face was flushed, her eyelids shiny, and near-overflowing with tears.
"Sorry," said Kendra, "the emotion took me by surprise. That doesn't happen very often."
"I know," Daphne said, "so, don't misunderstand, but I do have to ask, how are you feeling? Besides being your daughter, I have a professional responsibility."
Daphne pushed her plate aside, and reached across the table to take Kendra's hand.
"Mother, Harry and I aren't together because of a calculated political decision our parents made, are we?" Daphne asked, consciously using her most soothing, warm-honey tone of voice. "Do you want to tell me anything? Not as your therapist, of course. Just to relieve you of the burden you're carrying inside?"
Kendra gripped Daphne's hand harder, dabbing at her eyes with a linen napkin from the place setting before her. It took her several minutes to regain her self-control, before she finally answered.
"No. No, dear, the calculated political decision was part of it, but it wasn't the sole reason. It all started long before Lily and I became young, expecting wives, trying to look out for our precious little things. Those were some bad times, darling, desperately bad. Murder and mayhem among the wizards, trouble in Paradise.
"As you said, though, it wasn't solely a political calculation. Oh, no."
There was another long pause. Daphne held Kendra's hand, keeping her eyes on Kendra's face. Daphne focused on keeping a calm, reassuring demeanor, while inside she was in turmoil on a tectonic scale. Kendra's demonstration of emotion was so out of character, Daphne had to consider the possibility her mother was suffering a breakdown right in front of her.
The familiar Kendra gradually emerged, proud and composed, from the fragile, vulnerable Kendra who Daphne had found so alien just a short time before. Following a final dab at her eyes, she waved her wand before her face and silently cast a freshening charm.
"If I try to talk right now, I'll just fall apart again," said Kendra. "Can you spend a couple of minutes with me in the library? I mean a couple of minutes. This won't take long. Your breakfast shouldn't even get cold."
Kendra entered the library after Daphne, turned, and locked the door. Then she cast muffliato.
"Just in case," Kendra said. "We might want to talk."
Kendra pulled out a gold chain from under her blouse, and Daphne saw it had a small amulet or vial hanging from it. Kendra always wore the chain, so Daphne was used to seeing it, but she hadn't looked so closely at the pendant before. Kendra twisted the top of the pendant as she crossed the room to the pensieve, Daphne just behind her. She used her wand and pulled a long, gauzy thread from it, and released it over the basin.
"This is a memory of Lily's, her maid of honor gift to the bride, the day I married your father," Kendra explained.
Daphne looked at her mother, then turned her head and bent over the pensieve. Before her she saw two adolescent girls posing for a photographer on the snowy track between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. She surmised she was watching the taking of the photo in the leather album.
The girls waved their mittened hands at the camera, as Daphne heard the shutter click.
The photographer said, "Thanks, Kendra, thanks, Lily! I'll have your photos tonight after dinner."
The photographer looked somewhat familiar. Daphne wondered if he was related to someone she had known at Hogwarts.
The two girls turned and started walking back toward the castle. Daphne felt a tiny twinge of homesickness as she looked at the familiar shape, almost a silhouette in the snowy, gray, Scottish winter light.
"Well, Hogsmeade is all it's cracked up to be, isn't it?" Lily said, as if she were tabling a motion, or giving evidence.
This brought both girls a good laugh, before Kendra responded, "Yes. Yes, it goes without saying."
This brought more laughter as they walked, kicking powdery snow ahead of them. Soon they were at, roughly, the halfway point between the edge of the village and the castle.
"Kendra?" Lily said, slowing a little.
"Uh-huh?"
Lily stopped, tugging on Kendra's sleeve, and Kendra stopped as well. They looked at each other, as Lily pulled Kendra closer, laying her cheek against Kendra's.
"I love you," she whispered.
Kendra pressed her palm against Lily's back, holding it there. The only sounds were the faint 'whis-s-s' of snowflakes drifting down, and two people breathing. Some time passed, then Kendra leaned back, her eyes holding Lily's.
"I love you, too, Lily. I have for such a long time," she said.
Neither flinched, nor looked elsewhere, nor did they say anything right away.
"Good, then, that's settled. I'm yours, and you're mine," Lily said, pulling Kendra into a hug.
Kendra chuckled.
"Mmm-hmm. Always," she said.
"So, back to the library?" Lily asked, turning for Hogwarts.
"Of course!" said Kendra. "Want to cast runes?"
"Agh! Kendra, you and your runes, charm something once in awhile, just for variety," Lily said, plowing through the powder.
Daphne felt Kendra's hand pulling her back from the pensieve.
"So, there you have it. Study partners, third year, so young, we couldn't fully grasp the power of our emotions. Just like that, the feelings overflowed in both of us, and we declared our love. It was so nice. So warm and comfortable. Lily Evans could have anyone, and she loved me. By seventh year, of course, we'd gotten some understanding of what else would be expected of us. Required of us.
"We'd figured out the world would not let us go off and be a forgotten couple of witches, living out their lives together in their cottage in Cornwall, however much we might want that. So, we did a little looking, and we picked out two young, respectable, gentlemen wizards who had shown they were interested in us, and whom we could love and respect. I do love your father, Daphne. He gave me this family. He is the rock under all of us. He makes me happy. Lily truly loved James, too.
"Even so, nothing could displace what had come first. Am I making any sense?"
"You are," Daphne said. "I have seen it in practice. Being in love like that…you're still in love with Lily and you will be as long as you live. Real love never goes away, nor can we will ourselves to undo it. Mother, have you had anyone to share this with? Holding powerful emotions inside…they can become volcanic."
"Well, I couldn't very well talk it out with Fabio, could I?" Kendra asked. "When Lily and James were killed, you and Harry were babies, so I had you to protect and get all squishy over, then Astoria joined us, and I just poured it all into you two. It was easy, darling. Two bubbly, smart little witches, running around the manor, learning and growing and changing every day. Life was so good, and it still is.
"Most of the time I do fine, but when the grief comes back... I never, ever meant for you to see me like that. I hope you can forgive me," Kendra finished.
"Mother, forgive what?" Daphne asked. "You and Lily were kindred spirits, and you found each other and acted on your feelings. The most beautiful gift she could think of to give you on your wedding day was her memory of the first time you told her you loved her. Lily's memory is the closest thing to your heart, and that's fine. She is still yours, Mother, you still belong to each other. I'm proud of you. I'm so proud to be your daughter, now more than ever. Why would I ever judge you? How could I?
"No wonder Harry and I are predisposed to…"
It might have been third-year Kendra who giggled at Daphne's reluctance to finish her sentence.
"Well, then, should we go back to our breakfasts, dear?" Kendra asked, smiling. "I promised you it wouldn't get cold while we were away."
Kendra and Daphne walked back to the room by the patio. Trix arrived, carrying a fresh carafe of coffee, and whisked away the one from the table.
"Would Madame like Trix to bring something for breakfast?" the little elf asked.
"Porridge, a toasted muffin, and a small bottle of mineral water, I think," Kendra said. "No butter on the muffin, I'd like crème fraiche and a little orange marmalade, please."
The little elf disapparated with a 'pop.'
"Mother," Daphne said, reaching for Kendra's hand. "I'm here, when it gets hard for you. Please don't try to convince yourself you can do it alone. Okay?"
"Thank you, dear, I've always known I can count on you," Kendra replied, squeezing Daphne's hand, and reaching over with the other, to give Daphne's a pat. "Now, what is the rest of your week looking like?"
"Rounds this morning, then a couple of individual consultations, work time to write up some notes, I have to drop a bag of things for tomorrow night at Grimmauld Place, and I hope to be back here no later than three. Harry is supposed to contact me here about later. We're tentatively on for the evening, which will mean he'll want to eat, probably something substantial. I'll take what I need for morning rounds Saturday, and we'll see if I get invited to stay over, after turning him down last night."
"Saturday afternoon, we'll get ready at #12 and go from there. We'll party with Fabio and Kendra at the St. Mungo's Ball. Then some friends are coming by for a little after-party. We'll see if Walburga wants to comment on such goings-on in her realm."
"My guess is she'll appreciate having people there again, although you never know. Don't expect affirmation and you won't be disappointed," Kendra advised.
"One couple will be staying over Saturday night. Once we get breakfast accomplished, Sunday morning, we'll have to figure out the rest of the day."
Kendra said, "You can always come to the manor. We'll sleep a little later Sunday morning but you can entertain yourselves if we aren't up."
"We might take you up on that, Mother," Daphne said. "I think Harry likes it here, especially the gardens. Maybe Father could take him for a walkabout, keep them both busy for a couple of hours.
"I'd better get going," Daphne said, taking a last sip of coffee. "Rounds won't do themselves."
She walked around the table, bent down and put her arm around Kendra's shoulders.
"You're my rock, Mother. I don't see that changing," she said, punctuating her comment with a kiss to Kendra's cheek.