A/N: Lots and lots of Daphne, a little bit more of Astoria, and we meet Theo for the first time. Oh, and we get a sneak peek into the consciousness of one George Weasley. George's mind strikes me as the sort of place that's decorated with shag carpet and lava lamps – much like my own. He's got an uninvited guest at the moment...

Chapter 10 – The Crawl (Or, Guess Who's At The Door?)

Luna and Harry were in the middle of a full English fry-up when a spectral bluebird soared through the kitchen window, landing in the centre of the table. "Luna. I need one of your fantastic potions. I think I may be dying," the Patronus groaned in Daphne's voice.

"Ooh, I was afraid of that," Luna sighed. "I wonder how bad she really is."

"Are you going over to Astoria's, then?" Harry finished his tea and smiled at his helpful fiancée.

"In a little while." She rose, still naked from the evening before, and stretched before swiping her wand from the table. She cast a quick Expecto Patronum, sending her Thestral the way the bluebird had come.

"What did you say?"

"I told her I'd be there in an hour or so." Luna smiled and sat back down. "I'm not done eating. I'm almost out of my potions stock, too. I'll have to have another Big Brew Weekend soon."

"Big Brew Weekend?" Harry repeated blankly. "That sounds like some sort of beer festival."

"You wish," she chuckled. "No, a Big Brew Weekend happens when I go out on Friday night after work, buy a bunch of fresh ingredients, and brew myself a stock of basic potions all weekend long. Daphne and Astoria came over once to brew with me. Astoria is almost unnaturally good at brewing, but she's too lazy to do it herself."

"So are you," he reminded her. "Good at brewing, I mean, not lazy. Your modified Pepper-Up is amazing."

"That's true," Luna conceded with a grin. "As a matter of fact, I think that's what's needed in this case. I have a Sobering Potion recipe, too. I think I'm going to start making that one more regularly."

"At least until Daphne and Theo get back together," Harry laughed.

"Yes, I wonder what's going on with Theo. He probably needs a potion, too."

XoXoXoXoXoX

When Daphne woke up for the second time that morning, her sister had already left the bed and started the shower. She lifted her rumpled blonde head and groaned; the light seeping into the bedroom through the cracks in the curtains was blinding her, creating a meaty pounding in her head. "When is Luna going to get here?" she whined to herself.

As if in answer to her question, a sharp knock sounded from the front door. Daphne was still clothed from the previous evening, but her makeup was smeared in dark smudges under her eyes, and the rest of her was a smelly mess. Oh well, it's just Luna, she thought. When she got to the door, though, she realized she still wasn't thinking clearly; she had been completely wrong about the identity of the caller. She opened the door of Astoria's Wizarding London townhouse to reveal Theo, slouching in the late morning sunlight with a hangdog expression.

"You are here." His deep voice was cracked and hoarse. He licked his lips. "I was hoping you would be. I went home. I – I couldn't find you."

"Join the club," Daphne growled. She started to close the door again, but Theo stuck his foot in the jamb to stop her.

"Daph, we need to talk. Please?" he begged. "Can I come in?"

"No." She slammed the door against the misplaced foot, eliciting a startled, pained yelp from its owner. Theo jerked backward involuntarily, allowing Daphne to close the door. "There's nothing left to say," she yelled through it.

"Daphne!" Theo started knocking again desperately. "Daphne!" He kept hammering the door, only stopping when a tiny, delicate hand came to rest on his elbow. He turned to see Luna standing there with her square purple handbag clutched in her other hand, staring up at him sympathetically. "Luna. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Daphne," she explained simply. "Please let me by, Theo."

"You've got to do something," begged the tall, skinny man. He buried his fists in his curly brown hair, his crystal-blue eyes full of pain. "I don't know how I'm going to fix this."

"I don't know either, Theo. Please let me by," Luna repeated softly. "Daphne will come to you when she's ready to talk, I think, but for now, you should probably go."

"Luna, please tell me it's not that bad." He actually looked as if he might cry. On closer inspection, Theo did not look as though he had slept at all – his eyes were dark-rimmed and glassy, and stubble dusted his cheeks and chin.

She gave him a rueful half-smile. "It's bad, Theo. If you want to make it right, you're going to have to do better than this." She drew her wand. "Now, are you going to leave, or do I need to call my fiancé? He's an Auror, you know."

"Your fiancé?" Theo repeated. "That'll be Potter, I suppose." He snatched the hand that was holding her purse, hauling her ring up to his eyes. "Oh, erm, congratulations," he added as an obvious afterthought.

"Thanks." She tilted her head to the side, taking her hand back and regarding him with an inscrutable gaze. "Theo?"

"Yeah?"

"Please get out of my way," she chimed pleasantly. He finally complied, turning and walking away without another word. Luna turned to the door and knocked gently, knowing her friend would still be on the other side, listening and waiting. "Daphne? It's me."

The door clicked open to reveal a forlorn, dishevelled Daphne. Luna stepped through the door and immediately put her purse on the floor, drawing her red-eyed friend into a warm, brief hug.

"Oh, Luna," Daphne choked. "I'm so glad you're here." She scooped up Luna's left hand, admiring the engagement ring that sparkled there. "He did well, didn't he?" she said with a wobbly smile.

"He did. Thank you for your help. According to Harry, you were instrumental to his success."

"It was my pleasure – and the source of one very bad idea, I'll admit." Daphne grimaced. "But don't let my failed proposal cast a pall over Harry's successful one. Tell me all about it?"

"And me," Astoria remarked from the staircase. She was clad only in a fluffy pink bathrobe, and was towelling her short, dark hair vigorously. "Hey, Luna. Congratulations."

"Hey! Thank you," Luna sang. "It was unexpected, but I'm..." she trailed off and beamed at them. "I'm getting married!"

Rolling her eyes, Astoria came all the way into the front hall and stooped to hug her ethereal blonde friend. "Want some tea?"

"First things first." Luna retrieved her purse and pulled out two phials – one of Special Pepper-Up, and one of Headache Draught. "Daphne, I believe you called for these?"

"And a shower, too, Daph," Astoria agreed. "You smell like something crawled up you and died."

XoXoXoXoXoX

"Oh, my gods. You did what to his leg?" Daphne gaped at her sister across the kitchen table, making both Astoria and Luna dissolve into giggles.

"He's probably still got the marks," Astoria chuckled triumphantly. "Oh, it's fun to make them squirm."

"George is a nice guy, though," Luna protested. "He's got a big mouth, but it's all for show. He's actually very sweet."

"Ooh, I do like them tender and juicy," the dark pixie remarked sarcastically, taking a long sip from her mug of tea.

Daphne snickered. "Oh, Merlin. Here we go."

"What?" Astoria shrugged, attempting to look innocent. "Can't a girl have a bit of fun?"

"Yes, but you oughtn't to draw blood, Astoria," Luna mock-scolded.

"Yeah, that's true. I guess I should ease up. I mean, look at the bloke. He's got to be iron-deficient already, with a complexion like that."

"Oho, but saying you'll ease up implies that you'll do it again," Daphne remarked.

"Well, if I run into him again, that is. It's not like I'll go looking for him."

"You wouldn't have to look far. He owns Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," Luna pointed out.

"And I would go into that shop why?" Astoria looked annoyed. "Give me a break, I'm not that desperate. It was just a bit of fun."

"All right, no need to get testy," Daphne said, holding up her palms in a placating gesture. "You had chemistry together, though. I'm just saying."

"You know, we could be talking about more interesting things. Luna's wedding, for example," Astoria deflected.

"That's true," Daphne agreed. "So, what were you thinking, Luna? Small and intimate, knowing you."

"Something like that," Luna agreed. "We talked about it a little bit last night, but we haven't made any decisions yet. Maybe we'll just elope," she teased.

"No, don't," Daphne whined. "Luna, you deserve better than that. Come on."

"You just want to go to a wedding," Astoria chided her sister.

"I like weddings." Daphne brushed a lock of fresh-washed hair out of her eye, adjusting her borrowed bathrobe slightly.

"You know, neither of us has parents left," Luna pointed out, a little sadly. "Who's going to give me away?"

"Martin, maybe? I'm sure he'd be honoured."

"Or George," Astoria suggested. "Didn't you say he's been your friend for a long time? I'm sure he'd do it." Luna and Daphne shot her a knowing look. "What?"

"Nothing," the two blondes sang at once, giggling.

"Fuck off, both of you," Astoria fired back, glaring at them in turn. "What about guests?"

"Well, I've got friends in Canada who might come," Luna counted, "and Penny, of course, and I'll invite Martin, even if I don't ask him to give me away. Everyone else would be from Harry's side."

"What about us?" Daphne pouted.

"The wedding party doesn't count as guests," Luna said.

Daphne squealed. "Are you serious?"

"I was hoping you'd be my maid of honour, Daphne," Luna confirmed. "And Astoria, I was hoping you'd be my bridesmaid."

"Eeeee!" Daphne began bouncing in her seat. "Of course I will!"

"Astoria?" Luna turned to her dark-haired younger friend to find her staring back with a dumbfounded look of shock in her soft brown eyes.

"Me? I thought you'd want Penny."

"She's my friend, but you and I are closer." The diamond on Luna's finger winked as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "We're only having two on each side for the wedding party, and I thought of you and Daphne right away."

"Wait a minute." Astoria's eyes narrowed. "I would imagine Harry's having Ron as his best man, so who else..." Luna collapsed in a fit of giggles, giving her friend all the answer she needed. "You bitch."

"No way." Daphne gaped at Luna. "He's having George as his groomsman?"

"Yes."

"Shut up."

"I'm serious. Well, Harry hasn't asked him yet, but I'm sure George will say yes."

"That's too perfect."

"You two are killing me, here," Astoria groaned.

"Well, to be fair, I told you before you said yes," Luna pointed out. "If you're saying yes, that is."

"I can't very well say no, now can I?" Astoria propped her ankles on an empty chair and rolled her dark eyes. "This ought to be a good time."

"Well, as your maid of honour, I hereby declare that the first order of business is your gown," Daphne intoned. "I'm going to owl Madam Malkin's and Twilfitt's to make appointments for next Saturday."

"We haven't even picked a date yet, Daphne," Luna laughed.

"Yes, but if I have to wait any longer to go gown shopping with you, I'll explode."

"Aloysius!" Astoria hollered. Within a few moments, a huge screech owl with glossy feathers glided into the kitchen from his perch in the living room. "Hi, baby." She stroked his feathers, making the owl blink his sharp yellow eyes in obvious pleasure. "Will you do me a favour today, sweetie?"

"Merlin, Astoria." Daphne rolled her eyes. "You treat that thing like it's a man."

"Certainly not." Astoria rose and went to the sideboard, where she scribbled out a quick note and enclosed it in an envelope with a few Galleons. "I'd be making him cry if he were a man. It's not my fault you don't understand the relationship between a witch and her familiar. By the way, don't call him 'that thing'; he'll scratch open your jugular."

"Aw, he's just like his mummy," Luna commented. She held out a tentative hand to the owl; he stretched his neck and butted his head into her palm like a cat, pausing to nibble at the sleeve of her baby-blue jumper. "Who's a pretty boy, then?"

Astoria handed the envelope to Aloysius and sent him soaring off through the window. "He'll be back with some bridal magazines. I can't have my sister exploding in a shower of estrogen and hand-flapping before the week is out."

"I'm telling you, that owl is pussy-whipped," Daphne laughed, shaking her head. "Six months from now, George Weasley will be, too."

"You can't threaten me," Astoria riposted.

XoXoXoXoXoX

"I dunno what I'm gonna do, Blaise," Theo whined. He was sitting on one large sofa in Zabini's man-cave of a living room – the lounging space of a confirmed bachelor. Quidditch posters and framed memorabilia decorated the walls that weren't covered by tall, crammed bookcases and mullioned windows. "She won't even talk to me."

Blaise sat on the other sofa, warming a mug of tea between his palms. He was quiet and impassive as always, even while Theo was buzzing with pain and nervous tension. "Yesterday, you were quite sure that it was over between you. What happened?"

"That was just me being angry, man, you know that."

Blaise sipped at his mug, regarding his skinny friend with an appraising eye. "I don't know why you've come to me for advice. If you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the king of healthy relationships."

"You get plenty of pussy."

"Pussy is pussy. The girl attached to it is something else altogether."

Theo sighed. "Something else is right." He shook his curly head tiredly. "She knows bloody well why I don't want to get married, and it seems like a damn good reason to me. Besides, I don't see why she needs the name and the ring and all that nonsense. It's just more Pureblood crap, isn't it?"

"I'm telling you, you're asking the wrong man. I had shitty role models growing up. I had seven different stepdads, remember? As far as I'm concerned, marriage is for suckers."

"Thanks for that, Blaise."

"My pleasure," the ebony-skinned man chuckled. "I'm serious, though. If you two aren't headed in the same direction, you might as well call it quits now. No point in stringing her along if she wants something you're not willing to give. Just don't expect her to wait around for you."

"I don't know what I'm going to do without her, though," Theo said.

"The same thing you did before her."

"I forget what that was."

"You'll figure it out, Theo." Blaise sighed, half-annoyed, half-sorry for his friend's state of mind. "You really don't know what you want, do you?"

"I want things to just be the way they used to be, when Daphne was happy to be with me, and didn't care what we called it." Theo reached for his own mug of tea, though it had now gone cold. "The only thing is..."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "The only thing is what?"

"You should have seen Luna today," Theo said. "Potter asked her to marry him. She looked so –"

"Happy?"

"Yeah." Theo looked wistful. "I'd kind of like to make Daphne that happy."

Blaise harrumphed. "Listen, mate. You had a choice in front of you – marry Daphne, or live without her – and you made your choice without even having to think about it, so it's likely the right one."

"Then why do I feel so horrible?" Theo moaned, putting his mug back on the coffee table and burying his face in his hands.

"Because you spent six years with her, that's why. It's not like you didn't love her."

"I still love her, present tense. I don't know how to live without her."

"You'll adapt." Blaise's almond-shaped eyes were inscrutable as he surveyed his friend over the rim of his mug. "You can't take it back now, so try living with it before you decide you were wrong."

"You're not exactly making me feel better, you know." Ice-blue eyes flashed between Theo's fingers.

"You're not going to feel better for awhile," Blaise advised, chuckling again. "Get used to it."

XoXoXoXoXoX

"Hey, babe," Harry greeted Luna sleepily when she returned from Astoria's house. She had Apparated straight to the living room, accidentally waking him from his nap on the sofa.

"Hi!" She kissed him sweetly, clambering up to straddle him. "Sorry I woke you."

"I don't mind." He grinned, bucking his hips slightly. "You're a nice way to wake up. How's Daphne?"

"Theo showed up," Luna informed him. "He was there, pounding on Astoria's door when I arrived."

"Oh, shit." Harry's green eyes widened.

"It could have been worse. Daphne told him to leave and slammed his foot in the door, but there wasn't too much more in the way of drama."

"Still think they're not done?" It was an oddly-phrased question, but Harry knew Luna would understand what he meant.

"I'm not so sure anymore." She smiled down at him and ran her fingers through his unruly, glossy black locks. "It's only two in the afternoon; what to do with the rest of the day?"

"I have an idea," Harry replied immediately. "It's just warm enough for a swim, don't you think?"

XoXoXoXoXoX

George was rather glad he didn't have a roommate – he was certain that he'd been moaning in his sleep. He woke up in the early afternoon with the covers twisted around his torso, sweating and trying to memorize the images from his dreams before they evaporated. He disentangled himself from the sheet and checked his leg. Sure enough, five little purple crescents were emblazoned into the flesh of his right thigh.

He got through the rest of the day with some difficulty. He was hung over, for one thing, but he was also plagued by thoughts of the saucy pixie who had left her mark on him. By the time Sunday rolled around, when Harry's messy black-haired head popped up in his fireplace, George was grateful for the distraction.

"Heeeeeyy, it's Harry Potter!"

"Hey, George. Mind if I come through for a sec? I just have a quick question for you."

"Be my guest. You're in luck – I'm wearing trousers and everything."

Harry snickered and stepped fully through the emerald flames, dusting soot off his shoulders as he emerged onto George's hearth. "Thanks for hiding your shame."

"I don't know what you've heard, but it's not true."

"As entertaining as it is discussing your pecker, I'm here on important business," Harry laughed. "I asked Luna to marry me, and she said yes. I was wondering if you would stand up for us at our wedding. Ron's going to be my best man, I've already asked him." Seeing George's mouth start to open, he quickly added, "He was forewarned about the proposal."

"Ah, so the arsehole commentary was kept to a minimum." George grinned broadly and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Congratulations, mate. Well-spotted."

"I thought so," Harry agreed. "Will you do it?"

"It would be my honour, sir." George sketched a silly little bow. "So, who are the ladies Luna has chosen for her bridesmaids?"

"Daphne Greengrass is maid of honour, and her sister Astoria will be a bridesmaid," Harry replied.

A frisson of delight ran up George's spine.

XoXoXoXoXoX

Luna and Daphne arrived at work at almost the same time on Monday morning. "Hey," Daphne greeted her friend as they walked to their offices together.

"Hey! How did the rest of your weekend go?"

"It was all right." Daphne shrugged. "I spent the whole time at Astoria's. I know I'm going to have to go back to the flat eventually, but...I don't even know if Theo's going to keep living there, or if I'm keeping it, or what. I haven't talked to him since he showed up at the door on Saturday."

"You're probably going to have to talk to him," Luna pointed out. "Not to discuss your relationship, but to work out the logistics of splitting up – if that's what you're doing. Decide who keeps what, and all that."

Daphne sighed sadly. "Yeah, I guess I can't leave it any longer." She followed Luna into her office, taking a seat in her favourite of the oft-used visitors' chairs.

"On the bright side, Harry and I picked a date," Luna chirped, taking her place behind her desk. "How does New Year's Eve sound to you?"

"Well, he'll never forget your anniversary," Daphne laughed. "You don't want to wait for next summer, though?"

"Nah." Luna made a flippant gesture. "We're going to take our honeymoon next summer, though; he wants to go to Canada. But we're having the wedding over the Christmas holiday because" – Luna looked overexcited – "we're having it at Hogwarts, and we wanted all of the professors to be there!"

"Shut up!" Daphne squealed. "How'd you wrangle that?"

"McGonagall would do anything for Harry. He owled her on Sunday to ask her if it would be all right, and she was so excited, Daphne. We'll have the ceremony and reception in the Great Hall, and Harry and I will spend our first night together as husband and wife in the Room of Requirement." Luna grinned at the thought. "We thought having it at Hogwarts might help to keep things private, too. It'll be a circus otherwise, just because it's Harry. I'm sure Rita Skeeter and her ilk will attempt to gate-crash, regardless."

"Oh, likely," Daphne agreed. "What a fantastic idea, though!"

"Harry's idea," Luna remarked. "He's such a romantic. It's the place we first met, so..."

"Aw. Classic Gryffindor, you know. They tend to be romantic."

"I know." Luna blushed. "Well, it sure works for me."

"Maybe I should try one. A Gryffindor, I mean." Daphne slumped in her chair. "I've been thinking."

Luna tilted her head to the side, inviting her best friend to continue with her silver-blue eyes. "And?" she encouraged.

"I was thinking about something I told Harry when we went ring shopping," Daphne began slowly. "I was ranting about Theo, and I told him that I don't want to marry somebody I had to talk into it. I've been turning that over in my mind, and then I realized that it wasn't such a bad idea to propose after all. I mean, I'm not wondering anymore. Now I know that Theo really doesn't want to marry me, and that's why he hasn't asked; he's not holding out because he's worried I'll say no, or he's too chicken, or anything. He's made a conscious decision that he doesn't want to be with me forever. Even if he changed his mind, and came back to me now wanting to get married, I don't think I'd say yes, because I'd always have to wonder..." she trailed off, at a loss for the words to explain her thoughts and emotions.

"You'd always wonder – was it because he really changed his mind? Or was it just because he didn't want to be alone and had to do it to keep you?" Luna supplied.

Daphne nodded. "I'm really angry with him. I kept thinking, Merlin, he owes me for everything I've given him, but then I realize that I'm keeping score. When did I start keeping score?" She sighed miserably. "I'm not really that girl, am I?"

"Oh, Daphne." Luna sighed and came around the desk to hug her friend. Daphne looked more like her usual polished self that day – her fingernails had even been re-grown with a spell – but there were dark circles beneath her eyes, and she looked haunted and hollow-cheeked. "It sounds like you've made a decision."

"I have," the taller witch said quietly. "It just hurts like hell."

"Growing pains," Luna consoled.

Daphne barked a short, humourless laugh. "Yeah, I guess." She rose to leave. "Back to work, I suppose. I'll come and get you at lunch."

XoXoXoXoXoX

Daphne was not amused to find a bouquet of orange roses – her favourites – waiting for her in her office. "Nice try, Theo," she muttered, frowning at the cheerful flowers. The soft yellow at the base of the petals deepened to sunset orange at the tips, and each blossom was just beginning to open; they were too beautiful to waste, so she decided not to Vanish them out of spite, leaving them on the corner of the desk to scent the room instead. There was a card sticking out from between two thorny stems, made of plain, heavy, cream-coloured stock.

For Daphne, from your secret admirer.

She rolled her eyes and snorted. Not the most inventive thing I've ever seen, Theo. Okay, let's be honest here, this is clichéd as fuck. It was exactly the kind of thing he would do, unimaginative and too little, too late, but executed with high class nonetheless. One thing was strange, though; Theo had horrible handwriting, all loopy and awkward, but the script on the card was even, neat, and oddly backward-slanted. The florist's hand, most likely. Daphne dismissed the card as irrelevant; if the roses were from Theo, they weren't going to change her mind. If they weren't from him, she had a fun little mystery on her hands. Flowers are a nice mystery to have, I suppose. She tapped the card against her lips thoughtfully.

XoXoXoXoXoX

"He sent you flowers?" Penny tucked a lock of hair behind her ear thoughtfully. The three Unspeakables were sitting around their usual table at lunch, discussing the weekend and Luna's wedding plans. The boys did not join them that day, as they had both been called into an urgent meeting that would take up the rest of the afternoon. "Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Daphne shrugged. "Like I said, the card wasn't signed. I don't know for sure if they're from Theo, but even if they are, he's not going to change my mind."

"Daphne, I don't think you should make this decision so quickly," Penny warned her. "I'm saying this as a friend. You and Theo have a lot of history. You got through some of the worst atrocities that Wizardkind has ever seen together. Are you sure you want to throw that away?"

"They may have gotten through it together, Penny, but that doesn't mean they came out the other side healthy and whole," Luna pointed out.

"I'm just saying, I think the foundation's there," the curly-haired witch explained. Her bright blue eyes begged them to understand, to reconsider. "Things might not be great right now, but you've got the proper basis for a good relationship, Daphne, if you're willing to work on it."

"I'm not the only one who has to be willing, though," Daphne said. "And we've all seen how willing Theo is."

"I still think you should give it time," Penny advised. "I think he'll come around."

"Too little, too late," Daphne groused. It was becoming her mantra where Theo was concerned. "Anyway, I'm done talking about Theo for the rest of the day. I'm probably going to see him tonight when I go back to the flat."

"Fair enough, we can talk about wedding plans," Luna sang, pulling a magazine out of her handbag. "I found a dress I want to try..."

XoXoXoXoXoX

"George, have we got any more of the anniversary edition Skiving Snackboxes in the back?" The store wasn't busy, but Verity still had to raise her voice over the hum of customers. The redheaded man did not turn or acknowledge that she had spoken at all, much to her annoyance. "George?"

"Huh?" He jumped slightly when she touched his arm. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if we have any more of the anniversary Snackboxes in the back," Verity repeated. She frowned up at her boss. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yeah. I, erm, injured my leg over the weekend. Hurts a wee bit," he explained lamely.

Verity leered. "Hurt your leg, have you? Maybe you should let me have a look."

"No!" George took an involuntary step back. "No, that's okay. Erm, the Snackboxes are on the third shelf in the second aisle of the stockroom," he told her, smiling uncomfortably. She looked slightly put out as she flounced past him, but he didn't really care. He'd kept her hands off him – that was the important part. Their relationship was clandestine, but George was still too much of a gentleman to let Verity find another woman's marks on his body – no matter how (relatively) innocently they had gotten there.

The bigger problem, he thought, was not the purple half-moons in his flesh, but the mark that Astoria had made in his mind. Hot damn, he could not remember ever seeing a girl like that: tall, lean, and fit, with short-cropped hair that showed off her porcelain skin and expressive brown eyes. The best part about her was the razor-sharp wit, though, and the tongue that came along with it. He kept hearing her voice in his mind – very much like her sister's, deep and rich for a woman, but with overtones of silver – whispering wickedly just out of his hearing. Every now and again, he would catch sight of her out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned his head, naturally, she wasn't there. It was as though she had injected some sort of feminine venom into his bloodstream through those sharp little fingernails, and now he was hallucinating. He knew he was guaranteed to see her again soon – the whole wedding party would have to meet with Harry and Luna to discuss wedding plans – but it wasn't soon enough. He was going to go mad in the interim.

XoXoXoXoXoX

"Babe, are you all right? You've hardly touched your food," Luna said. Harry glanced down at his plate, where a mostly-untouched slice of lasagne and Caesar salad lay unappetizingly in front of him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about work," he replied honestly, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "Gawain's got a bee in his bonnet about this new report that was filed recently – we're going to be working some overtime, I'm afraid. Setting up surveillance, recon, that sort of thing."

"Sounds big."

"It could get that way, yeah." He looked apologetic. "I can't tell you much."

"It's part of the job, I know how that is," Luna assured him. "It's okay. I love you."

"I love you, too," Harry smiled. "I'm looking forward to the wedding."

"Me too!" Luna bounced a little in her seat, making her fiancé laugh. "We have to get everybody together to discuss things. How about Saturday?"

XoXoXoXoXoX

Daphne opened the door to the flat she had shared with Theo tentatively, as though she were expecting someone to jump out at her with a blood-curdling scream. "Hello?" she called softly.

A rustling noise from the kitchen told her that she was not alone. Sure enough, Theo appeared in the front hallway a moment later, looking gaunt and tired. "Daphne." He hung back edgily, not sure what to do or say.

"We need to talk, Theo." Her voice was gentle, but there was no mistaking her steely undertone. He knew it well – it was the voice she used whenever she told him something important, something he already should have known. He sighed inwardly.

"Yeah, I guess we do." He turned and walked into the living room, and Daphne followed silently. They sat down on opposite ends of the sofa, facing each other. His heart pounded painfully against his ribs. The two lovers regarded each other for a moment, neither one sure where an ending was supposed to begin.

"I got your roses," Daphne finally said. "Thank you."

"I didn't send you roses."

"Oh."

"Wait, who the fuck is sending you roses, Daphne?" Theo's words had turned icy.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter, Theo. I didn't come here to talk about that, anyway."

"I want to know who's sending my girlfriend roses."

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore, Theo," she half-whispered. "It's over."

His crystal-blue eyes snapped to meet her warm brown gaze. "Daphne..."

"Theo, it's just over. It just is," she said, although the firmness in her voice wavered on the last word. "We're at an impasse. I want to get married, and you...you don't. I just don't see how we're supposed to move on from here." Her eyes filled with tears. "We can't move on from here, because I'm not ever going to be able to forget, Theo. You walked out on me, and I..." she paused, choking back tears. "I gave you everything, and it's never been enough. I don't have anything left to give, Theo. I'm done."

He buried his face in his hands, his elbows on his knees, and did not move or make a sound. Daphne watched his hunched back for a long while, collecting her thoughts.

"I love you," he muttered. "I don't get it, Daphne. I love you. Why isn't that enough for you?"

"I know you don't get it, Theo," she sighed, her patience running thin. "That much is obvious. And I'm tired of trying to teach you."

"Teach me?" Theo glanced up from his palms, cold fire in his gaze. "Teach me? Gods, could you be any more condescending?" he hissed.

"Could you be any more of a stereotype?" Daphne snarled, rocketing to her feet. She began pacing back and forth, arms crossed over her chest, eyes snapping. "Being Purebloods and getting married doesn't have to mean falling into the same shit as your father, Theo. Magical lineage and rabid idiocy are not mutually inclusive. Gods, do you really think I would let a monster like that take any children we might have? Or that I would want to marry you, if I thought you were even the tiniest bit like your dad?" She snorted derisively at the thought.

"Don't lecture me, Daphne!" he snapped. "Did it ever occur to you that all I want is to protect you?"

"Did it ever occur to you that all I ever wanted was to be your family?" she yelled, her patience finally exhausted. "But that was when I thought you..."

"You thought I what?" Theo's voice was dangerously low now.

"I thought you were different. I thought we were different. You tell me you love me, Theo, but I don't think you mean it. I've just always been there, and I think people kind of expected us to get together, you know? So we did. But now I think you're just with me because you don't want to be alone, and because I was the easy option, the obvious choice." A single tear streaked down her cheek; she swiped it away stubbornly. "Stupid me, I actually fell in love with you."

"That's not fair," Theo whispered. "How can you say that to me? How?"

Daphne steeled herself visibly and looked him square in the eye, her lower lip trembling. "Are you going to move out, or am I?"

A long pause followed. "I guess I will," Theo said, looking down at his hands. "This was your place anyway. I can always move back into Dad's old house." He glanced up, taking in her tear-stained cheeks and sad brown eyes. "I can't believe it's come to this."

"I never thought it would," she agreed, sniffling. "But here we are." Much to her surprise, Theo rose from the couch and crossed the room to her in a single step, gathering her into his arms and pressing his face into the curtain of her hair. It took a moment for her to realize that his shoulders were shaking – he was sobbing into her. Slowly, she linked her arms around him and hugged him back.

"But I love you," he whimpered. "I love you. Daphne, please don't leave me!"

She closed her eyes against the throbbing swell of tears. "Theo, we can't do this anymore. It's time to let go."

He made a piteous sound, the heart-cry of a wounded animal, and squeezed her tighter. "No..."

She could not stop the tears. They stood together in the middle of the living room, a living space they had once shared, and held each other up while they wept.

XoXoXoXoXoX

"Babe?" Luna lifted her head from Harry's shoulder in the semi-darkness. "Did you hear that?"

"Huh?" He surfaced from sleep fuzzily. "What?"

"I think someone's at the door."

"In the middle of the night?" Harry blinked and reached for his glasses on the bedside table. "What the hell?" He rolled out of bed and pulled on his discarded trousers, padding down the staircase to the front door in bare feet. Sure enough, just as he reached for the door handle, a loud knock sounded from the other side. "Hold on!" he yelled, swinging the door open. There stood Daphne, red-eyed, puffy-faced, and still sniffling; she launched herself through the doorway, nearly knocking the wind out of him with the force of her hug. Harry hugged her back, completely befuddled.

"Daphne, what's going on?" Luna's sweet voice chimed from the staircase. She came over to her lover and her friend and wrapped her arms around the both of them, hugging them to her. "Is it Theo?"

"Yeah," the tall blonde choked. "I – he's moving out. I just couldn't stay and watch ..." she broke off, sobbing. "He didn't send me the roses!"

"It's okay," Luna said. She and Harry exchanged a meaningful glance. "You can stay here tonight. Come on – I'll take you up to the guest room, okay? Come on." She took Daphne's hand in hers and led the still-sobbing witch up the stairs, leaving Harry standing shirtless in the front hallway, staring after them sadly. He reached up absently and wiped Daphne's tears off of his skin.

A/N: I know, I know – lots of setup and ending on a sad note? What the fuck is up with that, Quirks? Never fear, dear reader; the fuck that is up with that shall become clear in the next instalment (and yes, good things are in store for Daphne). Chapter 11 is entitled "The Last Secret", and shall be posted as soon as time allows. In the meantime, leave me a review and let me know a) who you think sent the roses and b) what you think is going on in the Auror department. OooooooOOOoooooOoooo...