Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K.R.

Author's Notes: Once again a big thank you to my wonderful beta, Srikanth1808. His help improved this story immensely. Any mistakes that remain are mine, not his.

HP - DG

From Colombo to Southampton

Daphne paled. 'Death Eaters?' she whispered.

I gently pulled her back into the hallway – which was still empty – away from the door to our suite. All our co-travellers had been in a hurry to return to their cabins to have a shower and dinner, just like us. Unfortunately, it didn't look as if Daphne and I were going to have either of that any time soon. I slipped my wand out of my invisible holster and cast a silent Anti-Listening Charm around us.

'No, not Death Eaters,' I told her. 'The wards I detected have the feel of Hermione's magic to them. I walked through her wards for more times than I can remember when we were on the run, so I know how they feel.'

Her eyes went wide. 'Granger?' she exclaimed. 'What, by Merlin's unmentionables, does she want?' The colour of her cheeks deepened, and her eyes sparkled with anger.

'Well, I suppose she wants to save me from a gold digging dark Pureblood who got me under her spell by the generous use of Love Potions,' I deadpanned. 'Unfortunately, where Hermione is, Ron usually isn't far away, and I'm really not in the mood to deal with his immature tantrums tonight!'

In spite of her anger, Daphne had to laugh. 'How noble of her! What are we going to do?'

'First, we'll make sure if I was right,' I replied. I turned to the door and cast one of the nifty detection spells on our suite Hermione had taught me during our time on the run. 'Homenium Revelio!'

The result was a surprise.

'Three people,' I told Daphne. 'They're on the lounge sofa.'

'Three?' She was taken aback. 'Who...?'

'Ginny, of course,' I interrupted her. 'My best friends and my ex unite for a rescue mission after they've found out I have a new girlfriend they don't approve of. Touching, isn't it?'

'However, she doesn't consider herself as your ex, and that worries me,' Daphne reminded me. 'What do we do about them? We can't stay in the hallway forever. I'm hungry and I want a shower.'

She sounded slightly miffed and I couldn't blame her for that. I was also hungry, and after the long and hot ride from Kandy to Colombo, my shirt was sticking to my back uncomfortably. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with a delusional ex, her hot tempered brother and a Hermione who was surely in one of her holier-than-thou-moods, if her last letter was an indication.

I scratched the back of my neck. 'It depends on what they want. If they want to talk, let's get it over with and then send them back. But if they think I'm under your undue influence and came to do something about that, this is going to be ugly.'

'Granger's the brain. The Weasel's used to follow her lead. She doesn't strike me as the violent type, so they'll probably want to talk first.'

'Probably. But don't get deceived by Hermione's bookish ways. She can be ruthless if need be. Also, don't underestimate Ginny. Her temper is always a force to reckon with, and I'm quite sure it's become more volatile than ever before in her current state of mind.'

Daphne worried her lower lip between her teeth. 'What if I walk into the living room, feign surprise, and try to talk to them, while you take the route through the bathroom and the bedroom to get into their backs? That way we'll find out what they want, but still have the surprise element on our side.'

I didn't like this plan, and rightfully protested. 'I hate to use you as bait, love!'

She gave me an annoyed look. 'I'm not a porcelain doll, Harry! I know that I'm probably in for a hex or two, but I can handle that. I'm counting on you to take on all three of them!'

'Don't get your hopes high, love. They've all fought before. I'm not sure that I'll have a chance if I have to go against all three of them,' I warned her.

Daphne looked as frustrated as I felt. 'Oh well, but it's our best bet, isn't it?'

'Unfortunately.' I put my arms around her and kissed her. 'Be careful, love!'

'You, too!' she replied and gave me a peck on the lips. Then she squared her shoulders and walked to the door of our suite.

I followed her, casting a Silencing Charm on myself.

Daphne took a deep breath, then she opened the door to our suite.

I was right on her heels, but immediately ducked into the bathroom to my right. I followed up the Silencing Charm with a Disillusionment Charm, while cursing myself for my short-sightedness. My Invisibility Cloak was safely packed away in my old school trunk at Grimmauld Place, where I had put it before I left for Southampton. I never would have thought that I would have need of it during a Muggle cruise.

From the living room came the indistinct murmur of voices. I thought I heard Ron's angry voice, and flitted to the door at the other end of the bathroom that led into the bedroom. To cover the noise of the opening door, I cast another Silencing Charm on it before I opened it.

My heart beat like a drum in my chest. I was worried about Daphne. Heaven knew what Ginny would do to her if she got into one of her tantrums! Ron sure as hell wouldn't hold his sister back. We would be lucky if he didn't join her on a hexing spree. Hermione alone simply didn't have the power to hold back two enraged Weasleys.

No one had, I thought grimly while I inched the door open. They tended to shout and hex first and ask questions later, when the damage was done and most likely irreparable. It had taken me several months of therapy to discover that character trait of my former surrogate family wasn't compatible with my own reserved character. However fascinated I was with their liveliness and the love they shared for each other, deep down their horrible temper made me uncomfortable and I tended to cringe and withdraw into myself whenever I had to witness it. Prime example of that had been my reaction to Ron and Hermione's fight during our third year.

The bedroom was empty, as I had expected. It wasn't big. There was just enough room for the king-sized bed, a bedside table on each side of it, and a small dressing table at one side of the room. I had never had use for it, but ever since Daphne had moved into my bedroom, it was covered with her make-up utensils, her brushes, her perfume flacon and a small chest where she kept her jewellery. The sight of her things made me smile. They were so – Daphne, and gave the room a homely feeling it had lacked before.

The door directly to my right led into the walk-in wardrobe. To the left, a few yards ahead, another door led into the living room. Daphne and I usually kept that door wide open. Thankfully, neither the crew members that had cleaned the suite in the morning, nor our uninvited guests had closed it.

From my vantage point I couldn't see the lounge sofa, which was to my left, along the wall that the living room shared with the bathroom. But I had a clear view of the dining area and the desk. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Daphne sitting in the chair in front of the desk.

She had drawn it to the side so that she could face our uninvited guests on the sofa. She sat very upright, and her face was a stony mask. 'I told you, Harry stayed behind to have a beer with one of his friends at the sports bar. I have no idea when he'll return,' she said. If she had seen the disturbance in the air caused by my entrance in the bedroom from the corner of her eyes, she didn't let on.

'You're lying, you bitch! What have you done with my fiancé?' That was Ginny's voice.

'I've done nothing to him,' Daphne answered. 'And he's not your fiancé!'

'Of course he is, that cheating bastard! You've shagged him! I saw your things in the bedroom! He's engaged to me, you whore!' She almost screeched.

Though Daphne's face remained calm, I could tell that she was quickly losing her patience with Ginny. I couldn't blame her. I had heard more than enough from my ex already. It seemed to me her hold on reality had lessened even more. Ginny and I had never talked about marriage. Although she had tried to bring it up frequently in our few conversations, I had evaded the topic to the best of my abilities.

'Ginny, please, that won't help us...' Hermione tried to interfere.

'Shut up, Granger! It's all your fault! I begged you to come back and go after him right after he disappeared, but no, madam had better things to do! You wanted to search for your parents! Look where that's got me! He's shagging that Death Eater whore over there!'

I had to suppress a grin in spite of my fury. Trust Hermione to try the way of logical reasoning first. As short as my time with Ginny had been, it had taught me that it was of no use to try to reason with her if she was in one of her tempers.

My wand firmly in my right hand, I crept into the living room and pressed myself flat against the wall behind the dining table. Motionlessly, I tried to melt into the background, hoping that my so-called friends wouldn't notice the disturbance in the air caused by my Disillusionment Charm. I was lucky; they were too distracted by Daphne to pay any heed to a possible attack from behind their backs.

Ron was sprawled over the chaise longue part of the lounge sofa that had served as Daphne's bed until Hiroshima. His ears were an alarming shade of red, a sure sign that he was about to explode any second. He had his wand trained on Daphne, but his lazy posture clearly betrayed that he underestimated her. I mentally shook my head. From their last encounter in Diagon Alley he should know that she was a force to reckon with, however poor her performance in Defence Against the Dark Arts might have been. Probably it was a blessing in disguise for him that the Aurors wouldn't accept him without his N.E.W.T.s. It was questionable if he would last long as an Auror with that attitude.

Beside him, Hermione looked alarmed, her gaze flitting from Ron to her left to Ginny to her right, and she wrung her hands.

Ginny's face was contorted in a grotesque mask of hate. Her eyes were mere slits in her red face and she bared her teeth at Daphne. She sat on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward as if ready to pounce like a predator on the hunt, her wand trained on Daphne.

My girlfriend lived up to her Pureblood upbringing. Her unmoved posture showed no sign of fear, and the look she gave my three friends reminded me of my Aunt Petunia when she found a speck of dirt on her immaculate floors.

Unfortunately, that enraged Ginny beyond reason. Her ugly expression suddenly morphed into something I had only seen in horror films until now. 'You stole my fiancé! I'm going to kill you for that!' she shouted. Her fury was so intense that the wand in her hand trembled.

'AVEDA KEDAVRA!'

It happened as if in slow motion, but yet so fast that I had no chance to interfere. Unable to do anything I had to watch the Killing Curse hiss through the air towards the love of my life.

Daphne's body thudded to the floor.

I closed my eyes, wanting to die right beside her. But my damned heart refused to stop beating.

'You hexed my sister!' Ron roared.

My heart missed a beat, then started thumping like a drum. I opened my eyes wide, just in time to see Ron jump up from the sofa. He was caught in his midriff by the Disarming Charm Daphne silently sent at him from her crouching position on the floor. The back of his head hit the wall he was flung against with a nasty thunk, before he slumped onto the sofa. His eyes stared vacantly into space.

I looked for Ginny. She lay in front of the sofa, her body rigid and her arms pressed along her body. Only her eyes moved rapidly, exuding a nauseating hate.

'Oh Ginny, what have you done?' Hermione cried, her face as pale as a sheet. She looked as if she was going to faint any second.

I didn't care. My eyes were on Daphne, who had just scrambled to her feet. Cancelling my Disillusionment Charm, I rushed to my girlfriend and almost crushed her in my arms. Trembling all over, I buried my face in her hair, not ashamed of my tears.

Daphne flung her arms around me and hugged me as if she would never let me go. She was shaking in my arms, too, and her tears spilled on my shirt.

I don't know how long we stood like that, drawing comfort from each other.

'Merlin, Daphne, I thought she got you!' I whispered into her hair.

Daphne raised her head from my shoulder and looked at me. 'No chance. She trembled so hard that her aim was way off. The moment I saw the direction her curse would take, I let myself drop to the floor and cast a Body-Bind Curse on her.' She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me towards her in a kiss that did a lot to reassure me. 'I love you, Harry!' she said when she pulled away from me, her eyes beaming like two sapphire stars with that special look that was only meant for me.

'I love you, too, Daphne! Merlin, when I saw that curse hurtling to you...' My voice broke and I couldn't go on. Once again, I pulled her towards me in a bone breaking hug until she complained.

'You hurt me, love!'

'Sorry, Daphne!' I loosened my grip immediately, though I still kept one arm around her waist, afraid she would vanish if I let go of her.

She gave me a smile full of understanding and caressed my cheek with her hand.

Of course, my obnoxious so-called best friend had to butt in.

Ron groaned dramatically as he came to his – admittedly little – senses and sat up. He touched the back of his head with his hand. 'Ouch! About time you show up, Potter! Your slut injured me!'

I stiffened and clenched my fists. 'Weasley, if you insult my girlfriend one more time, you're going to regret it!'

'She injured me!'

'She disarmed you because you were going to hex her!' I replied, inwardly counting to ten to keep my temper in check.

'She deserved it; she hexed my sister!' Ron replied, indignantly.

'Who just cast one of the Unforgivables on her!' I retorted.

Ron shrugged his shoulders. 'Who cares? She's just a snake!'

Something inside me snapped. The blood rushed in my ears, and I didn't hear the roar that escaped my mouth as I lunged at the bloody git and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. My right fist connected with his jaw with a sickening, yet satisfying noise. I had caught him by surprise, and he didn't have a chance to defend himself when my second blow knocked him down.

'Harry!' Hermione screamed into my ear. She grabbed my left arm with both hands and tried to drag me away from her lover.

I didn't budge and waited with raised fists of a sign of resistance from Ron, but he was knocked out cold. Knowing that his Weasley temper would have him shouting for revenge as soon as he had finished considering the back of his eyelids, I let my wand slid out of the holster and cast 'Incarcerous!' I was still angry beyond anything, and instead of the thick ropes I had expected, heavy chains wrapped themselves around Ron's ankles and his upper body, pressing his arms to his sides.

'Harry, is that really necessary?' Hermione demanded.

I whirled around, still breathing hard. 'You heard what he said, Hermione. Do you think I'd let him callously shrug off the fact that his sister just tried to murder my girlfriend because of her petty jealousy? Get real, Hermione!'

She harrumphed, but I ignored her and went over to Ginny. Never before had I raised my hand against a woman who wasn't a Death Eater or hadn't tried to hex me first. I was determined to make an exception for Ginny today.

When I loomed over her, the expression full of hate vanished from her face, and her eyes smiled at me with the sweetness I remembered from these enchanted three weeks after the Quidditch match in my sixth year. The abrupt change was disturbing.

I yanked her to her feet. The sudden movement made her long hair swing over her shoulder and into my face. My nose caught the fragrance of the flowery perfume she loved to wear, the scent that I would always link to Ginny and that spring two years ago. My desire to beat the living daylight out of her abated. A wonderful feeling came over me, as if I was floating on cloud nine. I raised my wand and cancelled Daphne's Body-Bind Curse.

Ginny's voice was the sweetest thing I had heard in a long time.

'Harry! I've missed you so much, sweetheart!'

How could I ever leave her? How could I think I loved another woman? I made a step towards her to take her in my arms.

An expression of uneasiness appeared on her face, and she retreated from me as far as she could.

'Ginny!' I whined. 'I've missed you so much!'

'I've missed you too, Harry!' she assured me, but her eyes avoided mine, and she tried to retreat even further. She then turned her head to the side and gave Daphne a look of triumph.

I also looked at my current girlfriend. I had to end it right now; anything else wouldn't be fair, neither to Ginny, nor to Daphne. 'Daphne, I'm sorry...' I began.

Her smile was grim. 'I understand completely, Harry!' she replied and raised her wand at me.

Ginny screamed and flung herself at Daphne.

The next instant the sounds in the room seemed to be muffled and distorted. I raised my hand to touch my ear and found I had a Bubblehead Charm around my head. The flowery scent of Ginny's perfume was gone, and I was breathing in clean air. That same second, the floating feeling vanished.

'Do something, Harry!' Hermione shouted and yanked my arm.

I shook my head to clear my mind and looked around.

Daphne and Ginny were rolling on the floor; Ginny was trying to get her hands around Daphne's throat, while Daphne obviously fought for her life, using nails and teeth and any advantage she could get. Daphne was taller and physically in better shape than Ginny, who hated bodily workout, but Ginny fought with the strength of madness, and her fingers eventually closed around Daphne's throat.

I didn't hesitate. I pulled my wand and threw a Stunner at Ginny.

A thick, red beam of light hurtled towards her and caught her in the back. Her back arched at an impossible angle, and she collapsed over Daphne.

I rushed towards the two girls on the floor and pulled Ginny off my girlfriend, admittedly not very gently. Then I knelt down beside Daphne and helped her sit up. 'Are you all right, love?' I asked, my arm supporting her.

'Just peachy,' she croaked with a grimace and grabbed with her hand at her throat. 'That was scary!' She leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to regain her composure. After a few moments she opened her eyes again and looked at me. 'I think I'm ready to get up.'

I helped her to her feet and led her to the dining table.

Hermione looked up from where she knelt beside Ginny, her wand in her hand. 'Harry, what did you do to her? The counter spell won't work on her!' Her voice sounded panicked.

Ginny was the last of my concerns at the moment, but I also knew that Hermione wouldn't stop nagging me, so I asked back, 'Have you checked her vital signs?'

'Yes, they're all right,' Hermione answered, pointing her wand at Ginny again and casting a spell soundlessly.

'Then I wouldn't worry at the moment,' I replied while I helped Daphne to sit down.

She gave me a thankful smile in return.

Hermione was not happy with me. She harrumphed and glared at me.

I walked over to the bar and fetched a glass and a bottle of water for Daphne. 'To be honest, Hermione, the longer she's out of action, the better for all of us. She'll come around eventually.' I opened the bottle and poured some water into the glass that I then handed to Daphne.

Hermione looked at me as if I had grown a second head. 'Who are you? I don't recognise you anymore, Harry! There was a time when we were so close to you.' She made a motion with her hand that included Ron, Ginny and herself. 'That seems to have changed since she came into your life. What did she do to you that you don't know your real friends anymore? And cancel that ludicrous Bubblehead Charm! You look like a fool!'

'Better looking like a fool than being under the influence of the Love Potion the Weaslette has in her hair,' Daphne interjected and took a sip of her water.

Hermione whirled around to face her. 'Shut up, you bitch! You have no idea what you're talking about!'

Daphne laughed at that. 'Haven't I? You were there, Granger! You saw what happened when Harry got the Weaslette's hair in his face!'

'Obviously that was the trigger Harry needed to get out of the Love Potion induced bewitchment you put him under!' Hermione retorted. She got up to her feet and trained her wand on Daphne. 'Let him go. Right now!'

That was enough.

'Expelliarmus!'

Hermione's wand sailed towards me in a graceful arch. I stashed it in the back pocket of my trousers, and then Summoned Ron and Ginny's wands and also put them away.

'Harry! How could you –' Hermione gasped.

'For once in your life, shut up, Hermione!' I said, tiredly. I had done what was necessary as soon as I realised that Ginny was trying to kill Daphne a second time tonight, and then made sure that Daphne was all right. The implications of what had happened in our suite tonight were just beginning to catch up with me. My hands trembled and my head spun. I wasn't in the mood to deal with one of Hermione's long winded rants.

That silenced her, though she gave me a look that reminded me of a hurt animal.

'Sit down on the sofa!' I told her.

She obeyed without an objection. That had to be a first in all the time I'd known her.

I directed my wand at Ginny and silently cast the Binding Charm. Again, instead of thick ropes, chains wrapped themselves around her body, a sure sign that I was still as angry as never before in my life. I levitated her onto the sofa, beside Hermione. Then I took a chair from the dining table and sat down next to Daphne.

She reached out and took my hand.

Immediately, I felt calmer. I cleared my throat. 'Why did you break into our suite, Hermione?'

Hermione actually had the decency to look ashamed. 'It was Ginny's idea. She said we needed to do something to save you from her clutches.' She jerked her chin at Daphne.

Her callousness irked me, but I decided to let it go for the time being. I needed answers, and I wouldn't get them if I started to squabble with Hermione about her behaviour towards my girlfriend.

'Ron and Mrs Weasley agreed. Mrs Weasley said she probably kept you under the Imperius Curse or a Love Potion or both. She said we had to get you back to the Burrow so that she could work on an antidote for whichever Love Potion she gave you.'

I shook my head at that. 'Hermione, you know that the Imperius Curse doesn't work on me. I shook off an Imperius Curse cast by Voldemort himself.'

She bit her lower lip. 'I know! That's why I thought it more likely you were under a Love Potion. After all, Greengrass' parents were in league with Voldemort, so I thought that this was a conspiracy to get you and take vengeance on you.'

'Hermione, I've been travelling with Daphne for three months now, yet I haven't been abducted. Didn't that make you think?' I asked, my exasperation at her growing. For the brightest witch of her age, Hermione could be exceptionally blind sometimes.

'How am I supposed to know how the brain of a Death Eater works?' she defended herself, but it sounded lame. 'From the article in the Prophet we knew the name of the ship you took for your travels. I found out the itinerary of your cruise and knew you were going to be in Colombo today. Ron bought two International Portkeys to Colombo and back. Our plan was to get into your cabin, stun you and take you back with us to the Burrow. It never occurred to us you wouldn't be there when we arrived.'

Daphne and I shared a grim smile. It appeared that my "friends" had made the same mistake as I had done when I had gone after Daphne: they didn't take the time difference into account. Also, it had probably been our luck that we had to leave for our excursion that early in the morning.

'It was quite the surprise when we arrived here and saw this.' She made a motion with her hand that included all of our suite. 'I mean, I know that the "Princess Isabella" is a luxury cruise ship. I've travelled with my parents before and I had an idea of what to expect. Ron and Ginny, however, had no idea. Ron got furious.'

That was no surprise. Ron had always been jealous of my money.

'Ginny at first seemed to be pleasantly surprised. She walked around to have a closer look. But when she came into the bedroom, she got mad.' Hermione turned red.

She didn't have to tell me. 'Ginny saw that Daphne and I share a bedroom and got into one of her infamous tempers,' I concluded.

Hermione nodded, still rather red in the face. 'It was scary! I'm used to her temper, but I've never seen her like that before. She kept saying over and over again that you've shagged the bitch and that you're both going to pay for that. Then she broke out in tears. She couldn't understand why you slept with her and walked away, and are now living together with a Death Eater whore. Ron and I had a hard time to calm her down. You can imagine how furious Ron got when he saw how distressed Ginny was.'

Again, Daphne and I shared a look. Her face was calm, but I could see in her eyes that she was quickly losing her patience with my three so-called friends. 'Did it never occur to you to ask for Harry's side of the story, Granger?'

Hermione gave her a defiant look. 'That wouldn't have been of much use, as he was under your influence!' she spat.

'For Merlin's sake, stop it, Hermione!' I exploded.

She jumped and shifted her gaze to me.

I stood up and paced the room, unable to sit still and listen to her misguided ideas any longer. I needed to make her see reason, but how? George hadn't exaggerated; Hermione seemed to be firmly under the Weasley influence at the moment, at the cost of her brilliant ability of logical thinking. On the other hand, I was too agitated to deal with her tonight. Ginny had tried to kill Daphne, not once, but twice. I knew I was still in shock. Any attempt to talk reason into Hermione would most likely lead to a shouting match on my part if she kept being so obnoxious.

'Where is your return Portkey?' I asked.

Hermione's brows rose at my change of topic, but she answered, 'It's in my pocket, why?'

'Get it out. I want you three to leave. Now!' I told her.

'But, Harry –' she objected.

I shook my head. 'Now, Hermione! I see no use in talking to you any longer, since you're obviously not willing to listen to anything I say. Maybe you'll use that head of yours to think about what happened here today, but I won't hold my breath for it. If you come to the conclusion that you're willing to listen to me, a letter from you will reach me anytime. Until then, we'll go separate ways.'

Her lips quivered. 'So you're going to end our friendship, Harry?'

'I'm not ending our friendship, but I'm definitely putting it on hold. It's your decision to make the next step. Of course, I won't wait indefinitely for that,' I replied.

A tear rolled down her cheek. 'I see. What about Ginny and Ron?'

'Sorry, but that ship has sailed. Today, Ginny twice tried to kill my girlfriend. Ron callously condoned his sister's actions. That's not something I can forgive easily, Hermione.'

She looked as if she was going to object, but thought the better of it when I glared at her. Then she reached into her pocket and pulled a crushed can out of it and placed it on the coffee table. 'I need your help, Harry. You'll have to free at least one of their arms so that they can hold on to the can.'

I complied and freed Ginny and Ron's left arm from the heavy chains. With a Gluing Charm I then fixed their index fingers to the can. 'I don't want them to wake up here, but I also don't want them to get lost in the void,' I explained to Hermione. However, I had to admit that the latter option was tempting.

Hermione only nodded to that. 'My wand?' she asked and raised her chin challengingly.

With an inward sigh, I handed her the wand. It was obvious that she was still being unreasonable. 'I'll send Ginny and Ron's wands by owl,' I told her.

She didn't look happy, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She pointed her wand at the Portkey and looked at me a last time. 'Good bye, Harry! I hope you'll never regret your decision!'

'Don't worry about that. I won't!' I replied.

Her eyes widened when she heard the firm conviction in my voice. She put her finger on the can and activated the Portkey. It turned blue, and in the next moment my three former friends were gone.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and turned to Daphne.

She was still seated at the table. Angry red bruises had formed around her throat, where Ginny's fingers had tried to press the life out of her.

I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened, had I awoken out of my Love Potion induced befuddlement a minute later. The mere thought caused me to break out in cold sweat.

An arm slid around my waist. I hadn't noticed Daphne walking to me. She raised her wand and cancelled the Bubblehead Charm, then cupped her hand around my cheek. The look she gave me made my heart beat a drumroll.

'You sent them away. They've been your friends since your first year; you've fought against Voldemort together. But you chose me over your best friends!' Her voice was full of amazement.

I caught her hand and pressed a kiss in her palm. 'They aren't my true friends. If they were true friends, they'd try to understand my point of view instead of insisting on their preconceived notions. They'd be happy for me that I've found the one for me, instead of trying to break us apart.' I took her in my arms. 'I love you, Daphne, and I want to spend my life with you. I can't imagine a world without you. Watching how Ginny tried to kill you twice tonight was the most horrible thing that ever happened to me.'

The gaze she gave me in return took my breath away. There it was again: the certainty that she would stand by my side, love me and support me, no matter what life would throw at us.

I have no idea how I knew it, but my inner voice told me this was the moment I had been waiting for since Hong Kong. My hands trembled when I reached into the pocket of my trousers and pulled out the small box I had been carrying with me each moment since I had left the jeweller's shop in Hong Kong. I flipped it open with the nail of my thumb and held it out to her. 'Will you marry me, Daphne? Because we both want it and not because of some silly Pureblood traditions or the expectations of the public?'

'Yes!' she exclaimed and flung her arms around my neck.

The box slipped out of my hand. I vaguely registered the ring hitting the floor with a soft tinkle. The outside world ceased to exist. All that mattered was the young woman in my arms. She said yes! Until today, the memory of that moment helps me to produce a Patronus of a magnitude hitherto unknown to the magical world.

Daphne laughed and cried when we finally broke off the kiss, and her eyes beamed with happiness.

I sank down onto the chair she had just vacated and pulled her onto my lap. I have no idea how long it took until we finally remembered the ring. Of course, it had fallen out of the box and had lost itself somewhere in the lush carpet. We both searched for it on all fours for at least five minutes until Daphne found it under the dining table.

I slipped it on her finger.

Daphne held out her hand in front of her and took a good look at the ring for the first time. Then, she smiled at me. 'It's perfect, love!'

Of course, there was only one answer to that.

We never got down to ordering dinner and watching a DVD that night, as we had planned on the ride from Kandy back to Colombo.

HP – DG

We woke up the next morning when the sun was already high in the sky.

Beside me, Daphne yawned, then stretched with a content sigh. 'Good morning, sleepyhead!' my fiancé purred at me.

'You're one to talk,' I snorted and pecked her on her pert nose.

My eyes came to rest on her throat. It looked horrible. The colour of her bruises was starting to change from red into a bluish purple. A number of other bruises, that had been invisible the previous night, had appeared on her skin.

I carefully traced the outline of the bruised area with my fingertips. Her skin felt swollen. She grimaced with pain, and I hurriedly pulled my finger away. 'Does it hurt that bad?' I asked.

Daphne shrugged in response. 'I'll live,' she replied. Then she gave me an impish grin. 'I'm famished. We burned off a lot of calories last night.' She cast the duvet aside and got up. 'Be a dear and order breakfast, Harry, while I take a shower,' she called over her shoulder as she sauntered into the bathroom with a provocative swing of her hips.

I appreciatively watched her retreating form in her birthday suit. Breakfast was overrated, after all, I decided, and followed her.

HP - DG

We eventually managed to have breakfast. About an hour later we sat outside on the veranda and enjoyed a very late morning meal. Daphne's bruises now were invisible under the Glamour Charms she had placed around her throat and her neck, but she had decided to dress in a loose tunic with a band collar, just in case, to hide the bruises from curious eyes. Her engagement ring glinted in the sunlight every time she moved her hand, but her eyes were even brighter every time she looked at me.

I couldn't take my eyes off her.

As always, it was Daphne who brought me back to earth, gently, but decidedly, after the room service had cleared the table.

She climbed onto the sun island and motioned me to join her. Of course she didn't have to tell me twice, but from the way she looked at me, I knew that she had something on her mind. 'We've got to talk about yesterday, love,' she said quietly.

My happy mood vanished as if the sun had been darkened by a cloud. 'There isn't much to talk about. Ginny cast an Unforgivable on you. You know as well as I do what the punishment for that is.' I shuddered. Even though Kingsley had abolished the Dementors immediately after the war, Azkaban still was a desolate place. My shoulders slumped.

Daphne's eyes were full of sympathy when she took my hand. 'It doesn't have to come to that, Harry. As long as I don't press charges, nobody will know what happened and she won't be tried by the Wizengamot.'

'Why wouldn't you want to press charges, Daphne? We're talking about the Killing Curse cast at you!' I replied. 'You can't let her get away with that simply like that.' I snapped my fingers.

'We're also talking about a young woman who went through an unimaginable trauma at the age of eleven and received no help afterwards,' Daphne contradicted. 'And Merlin knows what happened to her at Hogwarts last year! I've heard rumours…' She broke off and bit her lower lip.

That got my attention. 'What rumours?'

'Well, I've told you about the way the Carrows kept harassing me, always coming into my dorm when I changed,' she began.

I nodded, remembering the day on our way from San Francisco to Sydney when she had told me about the conditions at Hogwarts during the war for the first time. She had dropped little snippets now and then during the following weeks. Not enough to get the whole picture, but enough for me to know that the reign of the Carrows must have been hell on earth for everyone who was not a Death Eater, which also included the few Slytherins who had tried to stay away from Voldemort.

'As rumour has it, they were even more horrible to everyone who dared to openly oppose their reign openly,' she continued. 'Ginny was at the top of their list, together with Longbottom and Finnegan. Even though she claimed that you'd broken up with her at the end of our sixth year, no one believed her. I lost count of the numerous times the Carrows gave her detention. It was always only the Carrows and her in these detentions. However, after my experiences with the Carrows, I fear the worst.'

Her words hit me like a Bludger to the stomach. 'You mean, they raped her?' I finally asked, dreading her answer.

Daphne shook her head. 'I doubt they went that far. After all, Ginny's a Pureblood, and raping a Pureblood girl meant crossing a line that would bring the wrath of all Pureblood families on their heads. No, it wasn't rape…but there are many more ways to humiliate a woman than to rape her, love.'

I felt sick. 'It's my fault,' I whispered. 'I never should've started dating her!' That earned me a sharp slap on the shoulder.

'Stop it at once, Harry! You're not responsible for the sick sexual aberrations of the Carrows!' Daphne chided. 'Ginny would've been a target, anyway. She's a Weasley, and therefore she was considered a Bloodtraitor. That was already enough to guarantee her the special attentions of the Carrows!'

In my mind I knew she was right. Eleven years of undisturbed conditioning by my loving relatives, however, had taught me that everything that happened somehow had to be my fault. I had worked with Mr Freid to overcome that pattern of thought, but it was quite hard.

I gave Daphne a weak smile. 'Thanks for the reminder. I needed that.'

'You're welcome,' she smiled and squeezed my hand. Then, however, her face became grim. 'We also should keep in mind the possibility that Ginny's been manipulated. She did make an effort to move on during your fourth and fifth year. I wonder why she suddenly decided otherwise.'

The implication of her train of thought didn't escape me. 'You mean that her own mother might have manipulated her?'

'It's the only logical conclusion, isn't it? If Granger didn't brew the Love Potion she had in her hair, it must have been someone else close to Ginny. Mrs Weasley has shown a penchant for Love Potions more than once. You overheard her talking about a Love Potion she once gave to her husband. George told us that she was looking up Love Potions in the Family Grimoire and even warned you that she was up to something.'

'Point taken,' I conceded. 'I just can't see why.'

Daphne shook her head at me. 'Honestly, Harry, sometimes you go overboard with your modesty. Firstly, you're bloody rich. Secondly, you're extremely magically powerful. Thirdly, you're the Chosen One and Vanquisher of the Dark Lord. Fourthly, you're the Head of four Ancient Houses, though Mrs Weasley probably knows of only two of them. Fifthly, you're supposed to be the next Albus Dumbledore, and are going to wield a lot of power in our world one day.'

'Stop it, Daphne!' I protested. 'Is that the way you see me?'

'No, that's the way a potential Pureblood mother-in-law sees you,' she replied with a smile. 'To me, you're the most tender and caring boyfriend – and now fiancé – a girl can wish for. It doesn't hurt, either, that you're handsome and an ardent lover.'

I blushed, hard. 'You're exaggerating, love!'

She rolled her eyes at me, but didn't continue her embarrassing enumeration. Instead, she took her lower lip between her teeth, a thoughtful look in her eyes. 'I might also be a reason why she's trying to get you and her daughter together by all means,' she finally said.

'What do you mean?' I asked.

'My grandfather was in negotiations with the Head of House Prewett about a marriage contract between my father and Molly Prewett. He broke them off when my father met my mother,' she explained.

Now I remembered and nodded. 'You mentioned that the day we met. You think it's possible that Mrs Weasley bears a grudge because your father married your mother instead of her and projects that on her daughter? Because I broke up with Ginny and am now with you?'

'Something like that,' Daphne nodded.

I frowned, considering her words. 'Sounds farfetched to me, but Merlin knows what the war did to her. Fred's death has changed her: that was already evident in the few weeks I spent at the Burrow after the Battle and before I broke off with Ginny. Judging by what George told us, she's still messed up.'

Daphne linked her fingers with mine. 'You saw how Ginny acted yesterday. Her letters already indicated that she'd lost the grip on reality, and yesterday's events proved that. I don't want to press charges against a girl who's most likely not responsible for her deeds.'

'That's very honourable of you, Daphne, but there's such a thing as diminished responsibility,' I replied.

She shook her head. 'Not in the magical world, love.'

I gasped. 'What?! That's barbaric!'

'More likely medieval, I'd say,' Daphne replied. 'There have been attempts to change the law and to introduce the concept of diminished responsibility in the past, but they've always failed. The main argument against it was that it's a Muggle concept and that the Wizarding law, which dates from the times before the Wizengamot was founded, by the way, is more than adequate to deal with anything that happens.'

That reasoning didn't surprise me at all. It was just another reminder that the Wizarding world thought itself superior to the Muggles.

'All right, have it your way,' I finally agreed. 'But we'll have to document the evidence. I'm not at all convinced we've seen the last of this. We have to cover our backs, just in case.'

'Spoken like a true Slytherin,' my fiancé replied appreciatively. 'What do you have in mind?'

'We need to take pictures of your throat. And we should store copies of our memories of yesterday's events in unbreakable phials, so that they can be viewed in a Pensieve, if need be.'

Daphne nodded to that. 'What else?'

'Too bad I didn't think of cutting off some of Ginny's hair before I sent her away yesterday.' I was angry at myself for my oversight.

That elicited a grin from her. 'Then you'll be happy to know that I put a strand of her hair in a paper bag that's now on your desk. You can send it to the Department of Mysteries for a private analysis. It's costly, but you need answers, and if you want to keep things under wraps, you can't send it to the Aurors.'

I rose my eyebrows. 'How did you come by a strand of Ginny's hair?'

'I'm a Slytherin, love, and Slytherins fight dirty. I probably yanked it out when we fought yesterday, and found it on the carpet this morning,' Daphne replied with an angelic face.

'Have I told you lately that I love you?' I asked and put my arm around her shoulder.

'Not for the last thirty minutes,' my fiancé replied and kissed me.

HP – DG

We documented the evidence and then went on with our usual routine. To my relief – and secret amazement – there was no letter from Ginny in the mail that day.

Daphne read my face correctly. 'She didn't have time for that yesterday, Harry. She spent the day waiting for you.'

She had a point there. Luckily, there wasn't a letter from Cousin Melissa, either. I began to feel tentatively optimistic that she had given up her crusade. My hopes rose even more when there wasn't a sign from her in the mail over the following two days.

Daphne didn't share my optimism. 'She's hatching a plan, I bet. She's a Slytherin, after all. Besides that, after I refused to return to England, she told me she'd have to take action.'

I cast an approving glance at my fiancé on the deckchair beside me. She was working on her seamless tan in the absolute privacy of the part of the veranda at the side of the ship. 'What do you think she'll do?' I asked.

'If I were in her place, I'd approach one of the minor Pureblood families with a younger son and suggest a marriage contract. After all, even though I'm damaged goods, I'm still a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, an heiress and the Head of an Ancient House with a seat on the Wizengamot. That should be incentive enough to overlook the scandal I've caused.' She gave me a saucy grin.

'Stop talking about yourself like that, love, or I'll have to cast another "Aguamenti Gelido" at you,' I warned her with a frown on my face.

'As you wish, my intended,' Daphne replied with a chuckle and a mock servitude that didn't deceive me for a second.

I demonstratively let my wand slip out of the invisible holder, while I smiled at her innocently.

'You're no fun,' she complained and sat up, her arms slung around her knees. 'What worries me more is that we haven't heard anything from Ginny yet. After everything that happened, I can't believe that she would suddenly stop stalking you.'

My humorous mood suddenly deserted me. 'Don't jinx it, love.'

HP – DG

The Princess Isabella reached Victoria, the capital city of the Seychelles. Daphne and I had hired a private car with a driver through the travel agency on board. We wanted to visit the world famous beaches.

'Why did I even care to ask?' Alvirah had chuckled when we spoke to her about our plans for the day on the Seychelles.

Victoria was a small town, and we soon left it behind us. We had to cross the mountains that surrounded Victoria to get to the beaches. Soon, our driver entered a rather narrow street that raised itself into the mountains in adventurous hairpin turns that made Daphne gasp and grasp for my arm more than once. The view of Victoria and the adjoining islands, however, was amazing.

Our driver stopped at a tea plantation below the summit. We'd been told by the travel agency to wear sturdy shoes, and when our driver now led us to a short, but extremely steep hiking trail that ended at a lookout point, we understood why. The hike wasn't long, but sweaty. It led us through a thick tropical forest. Our driver knew a lot about the fauna and flora of his country, and he pointed out the most interesting species to us.

The view from the lookout point was awe-inspiring. Below us was the nice little town of Victoria, but we could see as far as to the islands of Praslin and La Digue, and got the impressions of many more islands scattered in the vast Indian Ocean. Our driver promptly improved our general knowledge by telling us that the Republic of Seychelles consisted of 115 islands.

We returned to the car and continued on our way to the beaches. Crossing the summit, the street led down on the other side of the mountains through the tropical forest in another set of adventurous turns. Every now and then we would have a glimpse of the shore deep below us and the ocean behind it.

Finally, we reached the base of the mountains, and turned into another street that led along the coast. At every turn, another white beach, dotted with picturesque granite boulders, would turn up. Each beach was more beautiful than the one before, but our driver assured us he would take us to the most beautiful of all of them.

Finally, he turned into a rather bumpy road. The thick tropical forest closed around us. The beach seemed miles away, but suddenly the forest opened to a wide stretch of blinding white sand. Ahead of us, the ocean shimmered in a breath-taking array of more greens and blues than I would have thought possible to exist on this planet. Huge red granite boulders dotted the beach, offering pleasant shade.

Daphne and I spread our towels in the sand in the shade of one of the boulders, and then chased each other into the water. The water was crystal clear and pleasantly warm. We swam and dived until we got tired, and then relaxed on the beach. After another swim we decided that it was time for lunch and we packed our things. Hand in hand we walked along the waterline to the restaurant at the other end of the beach. It was a landmark of the island and famous for its fish menu, our driver had told us. We enjoyed a delicate lunch on the shady terrace, with a breath-taking view of the ocean, and surrounded by the huge tortoises that were kept in an enclosure at the side of the restaurant.

The Princess Isabella left Victoria at sunset. Daphne and I leaned against the railing of the veranda, watching the fiery spectacle.

Daphne gave the island a last, wistful look. 'I'd love to return for a longer stay one day.'

I put my arm around her and kissed her temple. 'I think that can be arranged, love.'

HP – DG

My secret hopes that Melissa and Ginny would leave us alone were crushed the next morning, when I extracted a big, bulky envelope from Melissa, and even two letters from Ginny, from the Banishing Box.

'I told you so,' Daphne sighed as I handed her the letter from her cousin. She tore the envelope open. A thick stack of papers fell into her hands. 'I knew she was going to set up a marriage contract for me!' she exclaimed. She slammed the contract on the dining table in a huff and perused the first page. Her face turned crimson.

'What's the matter, love?' I asked, alarmed. Daphne reserved her temper for events that really got to her. I'd been on the receiving end of her outbursts twice – admittedly I had deserved it each time – and I knew the warning signs quite well by now.

She shoved the contract to me without a word. When I read the name of the male party, I didn't know whether to be angry on her behalf or amused. Summoning all my Slytherin traits, I managed to keep a bland face. 'Gregory Goyle? Really, love, I didn't know you were that desperate.'

For my cheek, I received the expected slap on my arm. However, it wasn't hard and was accompanied by a soft chuckle, both telling me she also had discovered the funny side of Melissa's attempt.

She pulled the contract towards her and gave it a quick scan. 'What a pleasant agreement! You'll be happy to know that he demands nothing of me except most of my money. Apparently, he needs it to support himself while he's on the run.' She pulled her wand out and directed it at the offending contract. 'There's only one answer to that!' The next second, the contract burst into flames.

I clapped my hands while Daphne vanished the ashes with a lazy flick of her wand.

'I know the Goblins filter out Howlers sent to your Banishing Box. But what happens if I want to send a Howler through the Box? I think Cousin Melissa needs one,' she asked me.

'That shouldn't be a problem, but don't you think it will be better to tell her of our engagement? After all, that's what she and Matthew wanted all along,' I asked.

'You have a point, but I want to see how far she will go with this,' Daphne replied. She sat down at the table and pulled a sheet of her personalised parchment towards her with a feral grin.

I almost pitied Melissa – "almost" being the key word.

While Daphne was busy composing a Howler for her meddling cousin, I opened Ginny's letters and gave them a quick scan. Though the letters were as embarrassing as ever, there was a change I couldn't point my fingers at when I read them for the first time. I had to read them once again until I realised that their undertone had become downright creepy. However, I wasn't sure if I was right, so I waited until Daphne had finished her Howler to Melissa, and then asked her to read the letters and tell me if I was wrong.

Her face got considerably paler while she read them. 'You're right,' she said as she handed the letters back to me. Her eyes were concerned as she looked at me. 'Promise me that you'll be careful, love!'

'Always,' I replied and kissed her.

HP – DG

Daphne's Howler must have impressed Melissa: there wasn't a response from her when I opened the Banishing Box the next morning. However, I received another creepy letter from Ginny, and it had the unfortunate effect of spoiling our day. No matter what we did to distract ourselves from the uneasy feeling it had instilled in us, nothing helped. Not even a long and hard work-out in the gym managed to calm us down.

'You've got to do something about her, Harry. Collecting the evidence and waiting for her next move isn't enough,' Daphne told me when we returned to the suite after our work-out.

'You're right,' I agreed while I slumped down on the sofa and rubbed my face with the palms of my hands. By now, Daphne had taught me enough about Pureblood customs that I knew what my next move had to be. Even though the Weasleys were blood-traitors – and proud of that – at least Mr Weasley and his wife had the Pureblood code of conduct ingrained into them and would take a formal complaint to the Head of House about Ginny's conduct seriously. But that didn't mean I had to like the prospect of having to write such a letter.

However, I got to my feet and walked to the desk to get it over with.

Daphne patted my shoulder encouragingly and disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for the evening.

I was still seated at the desk, trying to compose the letter to Mr Weasley, when she returned. With raised eyebrows she looked at the many balls of scrunched up paper in the waste-paper basket and beside it. Then she peeked over my shoulder and read what I had written so far.

I turned my head and looked up at her. 'That letter won't do, will it?

Daphne scrunched her nose. 'To tell you the truth, no. Why don't you stop trying to tell him what happened? Just ask for a meeting with him and his heir as soon as we're back in England. It should be before the ball in honour of the veterans of the Battle. You don't want her to kick up a stink there, do you?'

'Merlin, no!' I exclaimed as I blanched. I scrunched up the sheet of paper in front of me and drew a new one towards me. This time, I had no problems to write a short letter, asking for an appointment in the backroom of the Leaky Cauldron on the 3rd of May. With a relieved sigh I put the biro down. Then I put the letter into an envelope and sent it off through the Banishing Box.

At least, I was now doing something about the Ginny problem, I thought while I walked into the bathroom.

HP - DG

We virtually fled from board when the Princess Isabella reached Mauritius the morning after. Once again we had opted for a beach day in favour of sightseeing.

A bus drove us across the island to a small yacht harbour. There we entered a catamaran and sailed along the coast to the Isles aux Cerfs. On our way, we had a stop at a reef for some snorkelling. It was nice, but not as impressive as our snorkelling trip at the Great Barrier Reef had been.

We reached our final destination around lunch time and were dropped at the pier of a posh resort. After a sumptuous lunch, we settled down in deckchairs on the beach. Of course, Daphne and I couldn't resist the temptation of the crystal clear water for long.

Late in the afternoon a ferry brought us back to the main island, and we entered another bus for the ride across the island, back to Port Louis, where the Princess Isabella waited for us, ready to lift anchors and set sail once more.

HP - DG

Melissa's answer came two days later, after another day where we had managed to escape the Wizarding world on a sightseeing tour on the Ile de la Reunion.

Once again, I pulled a large, bulky envelope out of the Banishing Box. 'Another marriage contract, by the looks of it,' I remarked as I handed it to Daphne.

Suffice to say, I also found three letters from Ginny when I perused the rest of the Box's contents. Though I opened them and filed them away with the rest, I didn't read them. I was not inclined to be worn down by the sick barrage of words of a stalker ever again.

Daphne opened the envelope she had received from Melissa and perused the contract. I jumped when she let out a hiss like Crookshanks, on the night he had gone after Scabbers. She sprang up and turned to the window, breathing hard. Had she had a tail, it would have whipped the air.

I stood up and stepped behind her, wanting to put my hand on her shoulder.

She raised her hand, forestalling me. 'You'd better not touch me right now, Harry! I'm so angry that I'll probably lash out at you!'

Never before had I seen her this angry, and I wisely refrained from making any comment. Instead, I sat down on the sofa and waited until she had calmed herself.

She took a couple of deep breaths. Then she turned around and sat down beside me. Her eyes were still dark with anger. She took another deep breath, as if to fortify herself. 'The offer is from Lucius Malfoy, Head of House Malfoy. He graciously allows his son to marry me and restore my good name, in exchange for Greengrass Shipping and my seat on the Wizengamot. Oh, and I have to present the Malfoy line with a male heir. After that, I'm allowed to withdraw to a house Lucius will choose for me and an allowance he alone can decide on.'

I felt the bile rise in my throat. Before I knew what overcame me, I slipped my wand out and directed it at the contract. It burst out in flames with a most satisfying, whooshing sound. The heat was so intense that there were no ashes left.

Daphne relaxed visibly and leaned against me. 'Merlin, you still hate the ferret!'

'No, I don't hate him,' I contradicted as I put my arm around her. 'My anger wasn't directed at him, but at Lucius. I know Malfoy is nothing but a poor bugger who had no chance of developing some backbone with a father like Lucius. He's a coward, but not a killer, even though he fancies himself to be one.'

My words caused her to smile faintly. 'You know him very well.'

'It took me a long time until I came to that conclusion. After all, I was as big a git as he was at school.'

'That's not your fault! You were abused and manipulated by those who should have helped you!' she protested.

'Thanks for your loyalty, love, but I know I was an idiot back then.'

She still looked as if she didn't agree. 'Maybe a small one,' she finally conceded. 'But there's no denying that even as a school boy you possessed a degree of decency and moral backbone no Slytherin could ever hope to achieve. You always did what was right, although it was almost killing you.'

'You are wrong, you know,' I told her. 'I'm not the infallible moral compass of magical society the Daily Prophet made me after the Battle. That was nothing more than a poorly veiled attempt to get back in my good graces after their slanderous campaign before our fifth year. I did quite a lot of things I'm not proud of and that could have even landed me in Azkaban.'

The look she gave me was one of utter disbelief. 'Not you, Harry!'

'And yet I did,' I contradicted her. Then I told her about my confrontation with Malfoy during our sixth year.

'But he cast the Torture Curse on you!' she objected.

'And I sidestepped it and retaliated in my blind anger and hate with a curse, the consequence of which I had no idea! The marginal note in the book of the Half-Blood Prince should have been warning enough not to use that curse before I'd tested it. I could have killed him, Daphne!'

'You could, but you never had the intention of killing him. You even didn't want to hurt him. You just thought it would be something funny, like the other hex you'd found. It's like a Muggle driver losing control of the car because he was distracted for a second and a pedestrian gets seriously hurt. He'd be punished for it, but not in the same way as if he'd used his car as a weapon to intentionally kill the pedestrian. You got punished for it, didn't you?'

The memory of my punishment after my less than stellar deed still had the power to make me grimace. 'I got detention with Snape every night until the end of the school year.'

'Now, that was a hard punishment,' she smiled.

I sighed. 'I can't do anything wrong in your eyes, can I?'

'Not much,' she said. 'Mark you, if you were going to forget my birthday or our anniversary...'

That made me chuckle, though I interrupted her. 'Don't try to side-track me, love. I'll give you another reason not to look at me through pink glasses, though it's of course very flattering to my ego.'

'Prat!' she chuckled.

'Exactly! That's what I've been trying to make you understand for the last ten minutes,' I replied. 'I've used two of the Unforgivable Curses.'

Her eyes got wide at that. 'When and against whom?' she asked finally.

'The first time was during the fight against the Death Eaters at the Ministry. Bellatrix Lestrange had just sent Sirius through the Veil. I was out of my mind that moment. I went after her and cast the Torture Curse at her.'

She gave me a shrewd side glance. 'To what result?'

'It didn't as much as even tickle her,' I replied. 'She obviously got a thrill out of being tortured.'

'Ew!' Daphne made a face. 'Well, I agree, it was not one of your best moments, but you were mad with grief and obviously didn't do her any harm.' She scrunched her nose. 'Quite the contrary,' she added as an afterthought.

I snorted at that. 'All right. What about what I did to Snape after I thought he killed Dumbledore? At least half the school saw me chasing after him and trying to throw Unforgivables and dark curses at him. Believe me, I wanted to hurt him at that moment, even kill him!'

'I was there,' she nodded. 'I also saw that you were out of your mind because of grief. It was obvious. After all, you just thought he killed your mentor. But he was way out of your league. Not once was he in danger from you.' She raised her hand and brushed my cheek. 'I think you can plead extenuating circumstances in both cases, love.'

'Well, during our break-in at Gringotts I cast the Imperius Curse on one of the Goblins,' I said, continuing with my confession.

She knew everything about the break-in by now. It had been in the papers during the days after the Battle of Hogwarts, but I'd also given her an overview over our hunt for the Horcruxes.

Cocking her head to the side, Daphne considered my words. 'Did you try to come up with a better plan before?'

'Of course we did. I don't know how many times we discussed our plan with Griphook. It was he who pointed out that we'd need to put the Goblin on guard under the Imperius Curse.'

'Again, extenuating circumstances. You already got off of the consequences of the break-in because of that, didn't you? You wouldn't have got the Horcrux otherwise, even the Goblins acknowledged that,' she decided.

That was true. Kingsley had told me about his negotiations with the Goblins to prevent me from the repercussions of my stunt. It had been my luck that keeping dark items in the vaults was against the contract between the Wizarding world and the Goblins. They had stopped screaming for my blood after they had learned of the Horcrux and accepted the reparations Kingsley offered in the name of the Wizarding world.

'Were there any more instances you've used the Unforgivables, love?' she asked.

'The last time was just before the Battle. It was in the Ravenclaw common room. I cast the Torture Curse on Amycus Carrow after he spat at Professor McGonagall,' I told her.

'Well, the deed certainly doesn't rectify the punishment. But I see no reason for Carrow to complain. The Torture Course was legal during that time. The Wizengamot countermanded the criminal nature of the Torture Curse immediately after Voldemort came into full power. That's the reason why students had to practise it on each other at Hogwarts,' my wonderful fiancé told me.

I stared at her. I had completely forgotten about that.

She smiled and put her arms around my waist in a short hug. 'See? There's no need to beat yourself up over what you've done. You fought a war. There isn't something like a morally clean war, Harry. You can't help doing things you're not proud of then, may it be out of necessity or because your feelings get the better of you.' She hugged me again. 'Anyway, it doesn't change my opinion of you, love.'

I threw my arms in the air in mock frustration. 'I give up!' Then I put my arms around her. 'You also have no reason to doubt your moral standards just because you're a Slytherin, love. You also fought against him,' I told her, hugging her towards me.

She shook her head. 'Not like you, Harry. I chose a side at the last possible moment, and not before I was forced to do so. Even then I went about it in a way that left me the option to join the winning side, in case you'd have failed and Voldemort would've prevailed.' She shuddered. 'I'm not proud of that,' she added quietly.

'Self preservation is a very strong human trait,' I replied. 'You did what was right in the end, Daphne, and that's all that matters.'

She still didn't look convinced.

HP - DG

I had no idea whether Daphne sent Melissa another Howler that day, for there wasn't any mail from her the next morning. Unfortunately, that couldn't be said about Ginny. I was considering to ask Daphne to show me how to make a Howler as I filed away another rather creepy letter from my ex.

The next morning, however, brought another attempt of Melissa to establish a respectable marriage for Daphne. This time Daphne read the contract without any outward sign of anger. She then turned to the letter that accompanied the contract and frowned.

'What did Melissa write this time that irks you?' I asked, looking up from my own mail.

'She issued an ultimatum,' Daphne grimaced. 'I have to agree to one of the offers she sent me until I reach Southampton, or she'll choose for me.'

'She can't do that! You're of age!' I protested.

'Legally, she can't,' Daphne agreed. 'But Purebloods have always had their ways to make their recalcitrant daughters behave. Thankfully, we're already engaged. I guess I'll have to write her and tell her the happy news soon.'

I rose my eyebrows at that. 'You didn't tell her yet? I thought you had after the Malfoy contract.'

Daphne gave me an impish grin in return. 'No, I was curious to see what she was willing to do to protect the Greengrass name. But this has gone too far.'

'Snake!' I replied and shook my head. Although, I couldn't really blame her: not wanting the additional attention, we hadn't told any of our co-passengers about our engagement, either; not even Alvirah and Willy. Daphne wore a Glamour Charm on her hand every time we left the suite. I had no one to tell about our engagement anymore. I'd never been on writing terms with any of my classmates except Ron and Hermione, so it felt weird to write to Neville and Luna, just to tell them about my engagement. They would learn soon enough when we returned to England.

She took my remark as a compliment, I think. Again, she pulled the contract towards her and scanned it.

'Who's the unhappy bloke who won't get you?' I joked.

'It's Theo,' she informed me with a giggle. 'Actually, he'll be extremely happy about my refusal. He doesn't want to marry me.'

'Come again? Why by Merlin's saggy nadgers does he offer for you if he doesn't want to marry you?' I asked, flummoxed.

'Language, Harry,' she reprimanded me, but she lacked Hermione's fervour on that score.

My grin showed her that I wasn't impressed at all.

'The contract is worded rather cleverly. It applies to any woman who descends from the House of Greengrass,' she explained.

It didn't take me long to figure that out. 'Davis! Nott wants to marry Davis!' I exclaimed. 'I'd never have thought he'd offer for a half-blood. His family also belongs to the Sacred Twenty-Eight, doesn't it?'

Daphne nodded. 'That's correct. Theo was his father's son, just like Malfoy, until our fifth year. Then something happened that made him change his point of view. Oh, outwardly he'd still pretend to be a blood supremacist and Death Eater wannabe. But inwardly he made a complete one-eighty.'

'What happened?' I asked, my curiosity piqued.

'Tracey happened,' Daphne replied with a small chuckle. 'She and Theo started dating. Secretly, of course. There would've been hell to pay for them from our housemates and Theo's family, had they come into the open. Even though Tracey never spoke about her blood status, everyone knew that she was a half-blood. After all, we all had to learn our genealogy sheets before we came to Hogwarts.'

I inwardly shook my head at that. Quite a lot of aspects of Pureblood culture were just plain ridiculous.

'Theo was devastated when Tracey disappeared in the summer before our sixth year and didn't return to Hogwarts. He became withdrawn and eventually broke up with his old friends, especially Malfoy,' Daphne continued. 'Tracey wrote to me that they ran into each other in Diagon Alley the day after the Davis' had returned to England.' Again, she chuckled. 'Obviously, the spark's still there. Believe me, I'd never have expected to get such a sappy letter from Tracey! She used to be the tough girl while we shared a dorm.'

A Davis head over heels in love was hard to imagine, I had to give her that. 'What are you going to do about it?' I asked.

'Oh, that's easy. I'll enter into negotiations with him, as he so formally requested of the Head of House Greengrass. I suppose he'll already wait for us at the pier when the Princess Isabella arrives in Southampton,' Daphne grinned.

I raised my eyebrows at that. 'You're going to keep the poor bloke in suspense for another three weeks? Why in the world would you do that?'

'He wants something from me, but in turn he'll have to give me something we need,' she explained. 'The longer I keep him in the loop, the more agreeable he'll be to my suggestion.'

My lack of understanding must have shown on my face, because she said, 'I want Theo to join the neutral faction, Harry.'

I frowned at that. Though her course of action was a far cry from the bribery Lucius Malfoy had employed, it didn't sit well with me. On the other hand, I had heard enough from her about the workings of Slytherin house – and was Slytherin enough on the inside myself – to understand where she came from, and that no Slytherin would think badly of her because of the means she employed to get her way. They dealt in favours, not in money.

So, I didn't object as loud and as vehemently to her plans as I would have during my school days. Instead, I decided to employ my own inner Slytherin. 'I think you won't need to use these tactics on him, love. He fought in the Battle. That means he'd left his father's political stance behind him. I bet he'll take the chance to join the neutral faction as soon as it's offered to him, especially if you hint that will also include my acquaintanceship. Be generous to him about his offer for Tracey, and he'll eat out of the palm of your hand.'

She considered my point of view. 'You're right, love,' she finally agreed. 'I'll write him today that I'll accept his offer for Tracey and will meet with him to negotiate the details as soon as we're back in England.' She immediately started to act on her words and pulled the parchment towards her.

She never noticed the small smile of satisfaction on my lips when I returned to my own mail.

HP – DG

The next day the Princess Isabella reached South Africa, and anchored in Port Elizabeth. Most passengers chose a guided tour through one of the game reserves around the city. Daphne and I opted for a guided tour through the Addo Elephant National Park in a small group. As the name said, we saw many elephants, but also lions, kudus, buffaloes and hyenas. It was interesting, but personally I couldn't wait for the Princess Isabella to reach Cape Town.

That would be the case two days later. That evening, Daphne finally agreed on a shark cage diving tour.

'All right, Harry. Book the tour,' she said when we had to make the reservations. 'I'll even come with you.'

I looked at her, flabbergasted. 'Daphne, you're as afraid as hell of sharks! You'll be stressed out all day long.'

She shrugged and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Probably. But I'm also engaged to you, and that means I'll stand by your side, be it in the Wizengamot or in a small boat with a horde of great white sharks swimming around us. The sharks are probably less dangerous, I suppose.'

That made me laugh. I put my arms around her and kissed her. 'Thank you, Daphne! I'll make it up to you in Madeira.'

Leaning against me, she let a hand run through my hair. 'I'll take you up on that, love. Mind you, if you get eaten up by a shark, I'll never speak a word to you again.'

I burst out laughing at that, which of course earned me a slap on the shoulder.

'You are a...' she started, but never finished the sentence as I pressed my lips onto hers.

HP - DG

A car picked us up at the pier early in the morning. From there, we drove to a small port near Cape Town. It was a sunny, yet windy day, and the air smelt of salt and seaweed. We got a thorough safety briefing, and then entered a boat that would bring us to the spots where the great white sharks could be usually seen.

The ride was draughty and cold. Quite frequently, we were hit by sea spray. Thankfully, the company provided us with jackets for protection against the cold and the frequent showers. However, Daphne huddled against me. Her face looked very small and pale against the bright orange of the protection jacket. I grasped her hand. It was ice cold and trembled slightly.

Finally, we reached the first viewing spot, and the crew began to attract the huge predators. It didn't take long for the first sharks to turn up. Daphne watched them, a mix of fascination and terror on her face, and shuddered.

Those who wished to enter the iron cage at the side of the boat, were given wet suits and masks. Of course, I also wanted to have a first row look.

While I waited for my turn to enter the cage, we watched the awe-inspiring animals from above as they circled the boat in search for of prey, and shot out of the water, snapping for the baits the crew had laid out. They were huge, and it was easy to imagine that they could swallow you with one bite. I was beginning to have second thoughts about my wish to enter the cage.

Even though Daphne was terrified of the sharks – as her white face clearly betrayed – and not at all happy with me that I wanted to go into the water, she tried to be a good sport about it. 'Look at that one, Harry,' she grinned at me and pointed at an exceptionally large shark that swam below us. 'He has a bib with your name on it!'

'Hah-hah!' I replied, but had no time to come up with a witty retort, because it was now my turn to enter the cage.

Daphne went even paler. 'Be careful,' she whispered in my ear as she kissed me on the cheek.

I nodded and gave her a brief hug, my throat suddenly too dry to speak. Surreptitiously, I felt for the wand in its invisible holster at my right forearm and drew comfort from the thought that I could immediately Apparate out of the cage if need be.

I took a deep breath. My heart beat like a jack-hammer when I climbed into the cage. In spite of the wetsuit that protected me the water was freezing cold. My co-divers were all distracted by the adventure we were about to have, so I dared to cast a Warming Charm on myself, before I took a deep breath and dunked into the water.

The first impression were hundreds of dull, yet loud noises around me. The sea was choppy and the visibility was not more than nine yards. I heard the gurgling of the waves clashing against the side of the boat, interspersed with the clanking of the cage every time it touched the boat – or was rammed by a shark.

The crew drew baits through the water, right in front of the cage. Three huge white sharks were trying to get at them. They shot towards the cage, and I involuntarily recoiled until I was pressed flat against the back of the cage. My co-divers didn't fare any better. The huge predators snapped for the bait, but instead bit into the upper part of the cage. For a second I got the impression of wide open jaws with rows of murderous teeth right in front of me, before the animals dived away, in search of the elusive bait. I shuddered, yet I couldn't help but admire the powerful, yet graceful movements of the impressive predators.

Even though I wore a wetsuit and had cast a Warming Charm on me, I couldn't stay in the icy water for long. My teeth clattered, but the grin on my face almost split my face into halves as I climbed out of the cage. This surely had been one of the most impressive experiences of my life.

HP – DG

Our stay in Cape Town had been the last highlight of the cruise. Ten long days at sea followed before the Princess Isabella would reach the Island of Madeira, the last destination of the cruise before we headed back to Southampton.

We enjoyed the last, lazy days before we were to be back in the Wizarding world and under constant scrutiny. I had learned to deal with Ginny's daily letters by now and simply filed them away.

If I had thought Cousin Melissa would stop harassing Daphne after she had learned about our engagement, I was utterly mistaken. The day after we had left Cape Town, Daphne received another bulky letter from her.

My fiancé frowned as she opened it. 'What by Merlin's unmentionables does she want now?' she asked rhetorically.

I waited with baited breath until Daphne had finished reading the letter. I don't know what I had expected her reaction would be, but I had surely not expected her to break out into laughter. 'Care to share what's so funny?' I asked.

Daphne handed me the letter. 'She's already planning our wedding,' she wheezed.

'She's what?' I exclaimed and took the letter from her. A quick scan told me my fiancé hadn't lied. The letter contained lists of possible dates, places and whatever else women thought necessary for a wedding. I blinked, not trusting my eyes.

'Are you going to let her go on with this?' I asked as I handed the letter back to Daphne. 'I mean, we haven't talked about all that yet.' I gestured towards the letter. 'But she's got a point. Aren't we supposed to pick a date and all that?'

'And all that,' Daphne smiled and blew me a kiss. 'I think there isn't a girl on earth who hasn't dreamed about her perfect wedding before she's even entered school. I'm no exception to that. I've always dreamt of getting married in the summer in the gazebo that overlooks the pond and the gardens of Grenian Hall.'

I smiled at her and took her hand. 'That sounds nice.'

She beamed and squeezed my hand. 'I'm happy you like it. However, that will have to wait until I've rebuilt Grenian Hall. I've already written to the Goblins for a first meeting with their constructors after we're back, but I think it'll take at least three years until everything is ready. At the moment, I only have the money to get the foundation work done after I've obtained a pair of new elves to maintain the wards. Do you mind waiting that long?'

'You know I don't,' I replied. 'Though, three years is a long time. I'd thought...' I interrupted myself and furrowed my eyebrows when an idea began to take shape in my mind.

Daphne gave me a questioning glance. 'What's the matter, Harry?'

'You're talking about magical marriage vows, aren't you?' I asked.

She nodded.

'Will they be recognised by the Muggle authorities? You know most of the Potter Holdings are Muggle. So, it would be an advantage if the Muggle authorities also knew about our marriage.'

'That's a valid point,' she conceded. 'I'm positive that magical marriage vows are not automatically registered with the Muggles. In fact, I remember Melissa telling me that she and Matthew had to deal with the Muggle tax department and they needed their marriage certificate. They took a blank sheet of paper and silently Confounded the officer.'

I considered that. It was a fast and practical solution, but once again a reminder that the Wizarding world looked down on Muggles and often fooled them. I didn't want to be like that. There had to be another way. 'That's not a good idea, considering how vast the Potter Holdings are. Something like that will probably blow up in our faces one day,' I told my fiancé.

'Very likely,' Daphne agreed and bit her lips. 'So, you think we ought to get married the Muggle way, too?'

'That seems to be the sensible thing to do, doesn't it? Or will we get in trouble for that with the Ministry for Magic?' My heart started pounding hard. Would she agree with my idea?

Daphne shook her head. 'No, there's no problem. In fact, the Ministry treats a Muggle marriage like a magical civil marriage. For example, like a couple bound only by a marriage contract and not also by magical binding vows. You can have both of it or choose only a contract or the vows, just as you please. In fact, most Pureblood couples have a marriage contract in the beginning and exchange their magically binding vows only after a magical child is born into their union.'

I made a face to that. 'That's wrong on so many levels!'

'I agree,' Daphne said. 'But that's the way it was for centuries and still is for many families. People don't change their tunes just because you've won the Battle, Harry! It will take years, probably decades, to vanquish Pureblood ideas, and I daresay you won't be successful with every family.'

'Most likely,' I sighed. I stood up and stepped behind her chair, wrapping my arms around her. 'What do you think about having a Muggle civil wedding here on the Princess Isabella? Then we can rebuild Grenian House together and exchange our magical vows there as soon as it's ready.'

Daphne's breath caught, then her eyes got wide. She turned her head to me. 'You mean – now? Before we reach Southampton?'

'Either that or we'll return for another cruise whenever you like and get married then,' I replied, my heart thumping like a drum.

She considered my words for seemingly endless minutes. Then a look of determination spread over her face. 'Let's do it now, Harry!'

I couldn't believe my luck. 'Are you sure, love?' I asked, just to be certain.

The light in her eyes almost blinded me. 'Absolutely!'

I whooped with joy, picked her up and whirled her around.

'Put me down, you oaf!' Daphne laughed. When I obeyed, she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me until I was dizzy.

We spent the rest of the morning making plans. As a result, we went to the counter of the cruise agency after lunch and had a long talk with the cruise director.

If he was amazed or sceptical about our plans, he hid it well under his professionalism. Probably he thought that marriages could be divorced easily these days, so it wouldn't matter if we made a mistake. Instead, he promised to do everything that was necessary that we could get married the day before we reached Southampton, though he wasn't sure if the papers would come back from the Bahamas in time. He asked us if we had witnesses to stand up with us and pointed out that the officers and he himself would be honoured to be of service.

But we both agreed that we wanted to have Alvirah and Willy with us that day. 'I don't want to know what would have happened, hadn't Alvirah talked some sense into you!' Daphne teased me. However, we weren't about to tell them right now, but were planning to surprise them on the day of the wedding. Of course, we had to swear the cruise director to secrecy.

He laughed and promised not to tell.

HP – DG

The closer we got to England, the more we were sucked into the problems that waited there for us. Our schedule for our first week home filled rapidly a long time before we even reached Madeira.

Daphne had written to Melissa and politely declined her suggestions for our upcoming nuptials. Instead, she had told her about our plans to rebuild Grenian Hall and to get married there.

She got an enthusiastic letter back. Melissa was delighted that she planned to rebuild the family seat. She announced that she and her family would meet us at the pier in Southampton. After that, we would drive to the Davis' house and have dinner there and talk about the wedding.

'Are you going to accept that invitation?' I asked.

Daphne nodded. 'After all, I didn't get to see her face when she read about our engagement. Can you imagine her face when she once again tries to get me to move in with them and I'll tell her that I'd rather stay with my husband?'

I laughed at that. 'Yes, that will be interesting.'

So, Daphne wrote her cousin and accepted the invitation on behalf of both of us.

On the 2nd of May there was to be a memorial service on the grounds of Hogwarts. The service will honour the fallen of the Battle, but we will remember all victims of the first and the second War against Voldemort, Kingsley had written to me in the letter where he told me about the planned festivities for Memorial Week. Daphne and I both had received a formal invitation to that event, to Daphne's big surprise.

'Your parents are victims of the war, just like my parents or the Longbottoms,' I reminded her.

'Granted, but I'm a Slytherin and a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.' She almost spat the last words.

I raised my eyebrows at that. 'And your point is?'

'People will automatically assume I'm a Pureblood supremacist because of that,' she replied and bit her lip.

Her worries were justified, I had to admit. Unfortunately, Ron and Dawlish were not alone with their prejudices. 'They'll see how wrong they were at the awards ceremony,' I tried to console her.

The awards ceremony was on the 5th of May and would take place in the Great Hall of Hogwarts. Everyone who had fought in the Battle would be awarded at least with an Order of Merlin, 3rd class. That included the house elves, the Centaurs and Grawp too. I had insisted on that, if the Ministry wanted me to accept the Order of Merlin, 1st class, I was going to be awarded that day. I could almost hear Kingsley's booming laughter when he told me in one of his letters what a tizzy my demand had caused within the Wizengamot and the Ministry.

As a veteran of the Battle, Daphne also received an invitation to that event. She was to be awarded an Order of Merlin, 3rd class, as most of the defenders of Hogwarts. She had almost forgotten to breathe the day the letter arrived and she read the invitation.

'Provided that they aren't occupied with booing me,' was all Daphne answered now to my last remark.

'I doubt that. Before the decision about the award was made, everyone and his or her contribution to the Battle was checked thoroughly. That you get an award shows that you earned it.'

She still looked doubtful.

'Besides, people will be too busy with gossiping about the change of your name,' I reminded her. During the awards ceremony, the recipients of one class would be called in alphabetical order of their last name. Daphne's name would then be Potter, or at least Potter-Greengrass. She hadn't decided yet whether to keep her maiden name with hyphenates. We were going to inform Kingsley two days before the ceremony.

At Daphne's suggestion I'd asked Kingsley and his lady-friend Hestia Jones to visit us for dinner on the 3rd. She had pointed out that I ought to talk to Kingsley about my plans for the Wizengamot as soon as possible, and I had agreed.

Arthur Weasley had written back and agreed on meeting us on the morning of the 3rd of May at the Leaky Cauldron. I was not looking forward to that meeting, but it had to be done.

The biggest surprise, however, was a letter from Hermione. It didn't say much, only that she was sorry and needed to talk to Daphne and me. She asked us to stay after the memorial service and talk with her. Of course, I had agreed. The 2nd of May was a Sunday this year. I did not foresee any difficulties in finding an undisturbed spot on the grounds to talk.

In any event, it looked as if we were going to be busy for the first three days after our return, with a short reprieve on the 4th of May. Although, I was afraid that day would be a bad one for Daphne. It was the first anniversary of the day she had returned home from the Battle, only to find her home destroyed, her father killed and her mother tortured into insanity.

Daphne's birthday was on the 7th. I already had plans for that day, though Daphne had no idea what I was planning and wouldn't find out before her birthday.

The Ministry Ball in honour of the veterans of the Battle of Hogwarts would take place on the 8th. After that, we would hopefully be able to settle into our normal life. Though, I had my doubts about that. Normality was not a concept that applied to me, considering my life up till now. And while I didn't need a new Dark Lord coming after me any time soon, I was looking forward to the challenge of trying to change our society, Daphne by my side.

HP – DG

Before we knew it, the Princess Isabella reached Madeira. This time, Daphne got to pick how we would spend our time on land. Although an island, Madeira wasn't famous for its beaches, so I wondered which of the offered activities would catch Daphne's fancy.

She picked a hiking trip that led us alongside a Levada – an ancient irrigation channel – up into the mountains. The vegetation alongside the channel was overwhelming, and probably the reason why she had picked that route. After an hour I had lost count how many times she had stopped and pointed out rare plants to me, quite a lot of them even being magical. However, I was a good sport about it, just as she had been during the shark cage diving trip, and listened to her explanations attentively. Though I have to admit I had more fun observing her obvious enthusiasm than actually admiring the plants.

The tour ended at a small hut where we enjoyed the picnic the crew had packed for us. Thanks to Featherweight Charms it hadn't been a bother at all to carry the food in my backpack. Instead of walking, we decided to Apparate back to the starting point, from where we took the bus to Funchal. We still had some time on our hands which we spend exploring the small town, before we returned to the ship.

Back in our cabin we found the papers we needed to get married on board, with a note from the cruise director that the ceremony would take place the day after tomorrow in the afternoon on the bridge.

Daphne and I shared a look.

'That was fast!' she remarked. 'I hadn't expected them to get the papers in time.'

'There's still time enough to cancel it if you've got second thoughts, Daphne,' I told her.

She shook her head. 'I'm not having second thoughts, love. I was just surprised. You heard the cruise director saying that he was not sure if the papers would come back from the Bahamas in time. I'd thought we would've needed to book another cruise to get married later in the year.'

'When are we going to tell Alvirah and Willy?' I asked.

'Tomorrow night after dinner. I can't wait to see Alvirah's face!' Daphne grinned.

HP – DG

For the rest of my life, I cursed myself that I didn't think of bringing a camera with me when we asked Alvirah and Willy to be our witnesses.

Alvirah gaped at us, open mouthed, for at least a minute, her eyes wide open.

'I think you broke her,' Willy said with an amused side-glance at his wife. 'Congratulations to both of you! I'm honoured to be your witness.'

We were in the atrium of the Princess Isabella. It was a huge room with a bar to one side and the reception on the other. Groups of comfortable low chairs around small tables were scattered around the room. Soft piano music played in the background. As always, the atrium wasn't as crowded and as noisy as the bars. It was the place to go on board if you wanted to enjoy a nice talk with your friends over a drink.

Willy signalled the waiter and ordered champagne for all of us.

The arrival of the sparkling beverage finally roused his wife out of her stupor. She jumped up and hugged first Daphne, then me. 'I always said you make a wonderful couple!' she cried.

'So, you don't think we're rushing in?' Daphne asked after Willy and Alvirah had brought out a toast to us.

'Well, on the outside, it certainly seems so,' Alvirah replied, putting her glass on the table. 'But I've watched you closely over the last months. You have a lot in common. You've both lost your parents at a very young age and have to fend for yourself while most of your peers are still living with their parents and can rely on their advice. You need and depend on each other in a way that other young people of your age wouldn't understand. An early marriage will give you the sense of belonging and family you're both missing. So, I'd say go for it! Of course, there are no guarantees, but if I ever saw a couple who can make it work, it's the two of you. I never saw young people of your age who are that considerate of each other as you are.'

Daphne and I exchanged a look and blushed.

'Thank you, Alvirah! That means a lot to us,' Daphne said.

We stayed in the atrium with the Meehans until the wee hours of the morning. They regaled us with stories of their early years of marriage. I think I never laughed as hard and as much as that night.

Of course we overslept the next morning. There was no time for our usual morning swim. We went down for a late breakfast, and then Daphne left me with a kiss on my cheek. She and Alvirah had an appointment at the spa that morning.

I had no idea what to do with myself. While I walked to the elevator to get back to the suite, I realised that it was impossible for me to sit in the suite and wait for Daphne's return. So, I changed and went for a long run on the track.

The run did wonders to calm down my nerves. I wouldn't admit it for anything in the world, but I was a nervous wreck that day. Until then, I had had no idea that it was possible to be completely over the moon and frightened to death at the same time.

Finally, Daphne returned from the spa. Obviously, she and Alvirah had enjoyed themselves immensely, with a glass of champagne or two, because her cheeks were glowing and her eyes beamed like stars.

We met the Meehans for a late lunch at the Lido Cafe. Willy and I exchanged a look and decided in mutual, but silent agreement, to order coffee afterwards. However, it didn't help much to sober up Daphne.

Alvirah took me aside before we left to get changed for the big event. 'She didn't have that much, Harry. I made sure of that. I think she's just drunk with happiness.'

She had a point there. Daphne practically danced back to our suite.

Her happiness was contagious. I felt my inward agitation fade away. Instead, I felt a certainty come over me – the step we were taking today was the right thing to do.

We took our time to get changed. That is, Daphne took her time. I was waiting for her for about an hour, dressed in the grey suit she had picked out for me that day in Fort Lauderdale. It seemed so long ago, after all we had experienced, but only just three and a half months had passed since then.

Finally, Daphne emerged from the bedroom. That moment, time and space ceased to exist for me. Daphne is one of the most beautiful women I'd ever met, even if I have to agree that I'm more than slightly biased in that regard. However, that day her beauty was not from this world. It was not so much the way she looked – she wore a simple summer dress and sandals, and as always next to no make-up – but in the way she smiled at me and the blissful expression on her face. I swear, had Voldemort ever had a woman look at him that way, he would never have thought of getting the magical world under his thumb. He would have been too busy making her happier than ever to squander a thought on world supremacy.

'Breathe, Harry!' she said and touched my arm.

I hadn't realised that I had been staring at her open mouthed. 'You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,' I told her, taking a deep breath.

She smiled and caressed my cheek. 'Thank you, love!'

I bent down and handed her the small bouquet of pink roses I had ordered for her. The flowers matched her dress perfectly.

She took my arm, and then we walked down to the bridge on the deck below us. Alvirah and Willy were already waiting for us.

My memory of the events that followed are hazy, I have to admit. I remember that we were ushered onto the bridge. The captain greeted us and then held a small speech, but I can't remember what he talked about. Not once did my eyes leave Daphne's face. I suppose I must have looked like an idiot with that broad, goofy grin on my face. However, I managed to say "yes" when it was expected to me. Daphne's triumphant "YES!" followed only seconds later.

'You may kiss the bride,' the captain said through the laughter of Alvirah, Willy and the officers on the bridge.

Daphne threw her arms around my neck and we exchanged a short kiss. I could feel her broad smile under my lips.

Everyone congratulated us. A laughing and crying Alvirah gave us a hug that rivalled Mrs Weasley's best. Someone pressed a glass of champagne in my hand, and everyone toasted to us, even the captain and the officers, though they had orange juice in their glasses.

Hand in hand, Daphne and I walked back to our suite. We knew that a special romantic dinner awaited us there, courtesy of the cruise company. As we had expected, the dinner was already there, tastefully arranged on the dining table, and a bottle of champagne waited in the cooler.

However, we hadn't counted on the whole suite being decked in red roses, streamers and little hearts. There were even rose petals on the bed and in the bathtub, as we found out when we took a quick tour of the suite.

Daphne and I exchanged a look. I saw how the corners of her mouth twitched, while her eyes again were drawn as if by a magnet to the rose petals floating in the bathtub.

'Are you thinking what I'm thinking right now?' I asked, my voice quivering.

She nodded, her eyes full of mirth.

The next second we both lost the struggle against our laughter.

'Sweet Morgana! That looks like Madam Puddifoot's on Valentine's Day!' my wife wheezed and leaned against me.

I put my arms around her. 'Yes, the only thing that's missing is the little cupids, throwing confetti in our hair.'

'And on our plates,' my wife supplemented. That set us off again.

Daphne was the first to calm down. She looked at me, a light in her eyes that made my knees suddenly turn into jelly, and slung her arms around my neck. 'Don't you think it would be an awful waste to let the water in that bathtub go cold?' she purred in my ear.

'Absolutely, Mrs Potter,' I agreed and kissed her while my hands fumbled for the zipper of her dress.

We didn't let the water go to waste that night. The dinner, however, had gone cold when we finally remembered it.