CHAPTER 11
Daphne wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand and launched another combination of jabs, kicks, and elbows at the training dummy.
She concentrated on her form and performing the correct movements with speed and precision, but inside she was was a spinning whirlwind of ragged tension. She had tried to study more, in order to be a better tutor for whichever girls showed up if any, but she had lasted barely ten minutes.
She and Hermione had set up everything she could think of in her own house, and that had given her two weeks of something to do, but constantly pushing, constantly going, constantly moving in order to take her mind off the aching Harry-sized hole inside her was taking its toll, and she knew it. She had even stopped going to visit any of their friends because she knew she was a wreck and didn't want to burden them with it.
After she had finished her own house, it had really gotten bad. Without that to do, without something to focus on, she was running or training or swimming all the time. Anything to take her mind off Harry and exhaust her utterly so she could sleep.
Seventeen rounds later, the training dummy conceded and went limp as she excecuted a cut kick to its inner knee, followed by a reverse punch with silent, wandless stupefy included. It would be out of commission until tomorrow.
"Shit."
She looked at the clock on the wall. It was seven pm.
"Three weeks, six days, ten hours." She noted absently. She pulled the wraps off her hands and threw them in the hamper to be washed, then decided she should probably have a shower. It was too early for bed yet, but there were financials that should be looked after.
She stripped down on the way to the bedroom, showered, and threw her terrycloth housecoat on. Her hair was still damp when she reached the sofa, and pulled the day's financials onto the screen. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be anything to do. The economy seemed to be in a growth period, and every day their stocks were overall in the green. Even the new investments were humming along. They hadn't paid for themselves yet, but even the broomstick and quidditch supply companies were using their investment well. Everything seemed to be humming along nicely, leaving her nothing to do.
"Shit."
Three weeks, six days, eleven hours. She bit her bottom lip, trying to think of something to do.
The wards registered an arrival.
She sat bolt upright, every nerve tingling as she strained to hear more. The sound of a door closing reached her ears, and she was on her feet before she could think to get up. She entered the foyer and looked to the back door.
There he was.
He was covered in dirt and grime. Black smudges covered his face and arms, and were all over the front of what used to be a T-shirt - he had cut the sleeves off it, and it showed that his shoulders had changed. They were rounded and muscular when he left, and now they were still muscular, but also blocky and thick with muscle, like slabs made of thick rope.
He hadn't been eating or sleeping properly, she could see that immediately. He was too lean, and his eyes and cheeks were sunken. It made his head skeletal. His eyes looked up from the floor and saw her, and she could see light suddenly explode into them, the same way it exploded in her chest.
They crashed together wordlessly, each wrapping arms around the other with soft sobs. Harry lifted her off the floor and she wrapped her legs around his waist and hung there, squeezing him as he squeezed her.
She pulled his head up to her mouth and devoured his lips. The taste of him, the smell of him, the feel of him saturated her and filled her up and didn't stop until her joy poured from her eyes.
"I missed you so much." His voice was strained.
She looked down at his beautiful face, and saw fresh clean paths of skin stretching from the corners of his eyes to his hair.
"Don't do that again!" She sobbed.
"I won't. I promise."
She smoothed his hair back from his face and kissed him again, more tenderly this time.
"Upstairs. Go."
Harry kissed her and simply walked through the foyer and up the stairs with her attached to his front. She pulled him into the shower and began stripping him as he turned the water on. They made love first, each giving and taking what was too-long denied. Only then did they make an effort to scrub the grime off him.
"What are those?" She asked, dismayed at new marks on his hands and forearms.
"Burns. I will explain everything, I will tell you everything, I swear. I just can't yet. Not for a little while."
Daphne growled. "You'd better. You're pushing how much I can take, Harry. First you disappear for nearly a month and then you come home with burns all over your hands and arms!"
Harry pulled her close and nuzzled her neck, then rested his forehead on hers. "I'm fine. I wasn't in any danger. No adventures, no monsters, no dark wizards. I can't explain yet because it would ruin your surprise. Grant me just a little more time, and I promise I'll make it up to you."
"It's a good job I love you." She pouted.
Harry smiled, and it was like she came to life again.
"I love you." He kissed her.
"Then take me to bed."
Harry laughed and turned the shower off while Daphne grabbed towels and they dried each other. They didn't bother with robes, Harry just picked her up and carried her to the bed.
"You haven't been eating properly either." He said.
"I wasn't in any danger." She threw his words back at him, then stuck her tongue out at him. So he threw her onto the bed. She squealed as he threw her, but rolled off the far side and jumped under the covers, giggling.
They made love again, slowly, tenderly, and fell asleep holding each other close.
When Daphne awoke, the sun was already high in the sky, and she felt better than she had in weeks. She turned over to kiss Harry good morning, and there was no sign he had ever been there. For a brief, panicked moment she thought she might have dreamed his homecoming. Thankfully, just then he entered the room holding a tray full of steaming, delicious-smelling food.
She felt her eyes sting and then her vision went watery, but she blinked it away and sat up.
"I don't know if I'm hungrier for the delicious-smelling food or the naked man delivering it."
"Why settle? Eat first, cannibalize later." He winked.
Daphne laughed. "I missed you so much."
Harry put the tray down next to her in the bed, then sat down next to it and kissed her. "I missed you so much."
Bacon, eggs, toast, cinnamon rolls, and orange juice later, Harry put the tray down on the floor next to the bed as Daphne leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her, soaking in the feeling of being next to her, the feel of her skin against his, the smell of her hair.
"You're stronger. Harder." She said.
"So are you."
"I've been going fucking mental. I had to have something to do every second of every day or I'd notice you were gone."
"We've been practically the same then. I haven't stopped moving since I left except to pass out now and then."
"I completely renovated my house."
"I can't wait to see it."
"I...may have started remodeling the basement here."
Harry laughed. "Then I look forward to finishing it together." He kissed the top of her head.
"You can help me study later too."
"Nope. Well, not today, anyway."
"Why not?"
"You and I are going shopping."
"Shopping for...?"
"An outfit for me that knocks your socks off, and an outfit for you that knocks my socks off."
"I see."
"Then I am taking you to dinner at a very special place, for a night you won't forget."
"I like the sound of that."
"The only question I have is where would you like to go shopping first? Paris, Milan, Or New York?"
"Are you serious?"
"Booked the portkeys first thing."
"You are serious."
"Bet your beautiful behind I am."
"Okay... well we can't go to New York yet, so let's save that for last."
"What? Why not?"
"Because it's three in the morning there."
"Oh. Yeah, that makes it a bit difficult." Harry grinned.
"So... how about Milan first, Paris for Lunch, and New York after?"
"That's the plan, then."
Daphne kissed him and hopped out of the bed and ran around to his side, picked him up out of the bed, and carried him to the shower.
"I feel like such a princess." Harry said, grinning. Daphne laughed so hard she nearly dropped him.
By the time they were ready to leave, the portkeys were waiting for them on the stone table in the apparation point. Harry examined them all to see which one was for each destination, and selected the broken stapler that would take them to Milan. He shrunk the other two and put them in his pocket.
"Ready?"
Daphne grabbed his arm and the other half of the stapler as well. A brief sensation of being tugged by the inside of the bellybutton occurred, and the warm italian sun beat down on them.
"Ohh, this is beautiful! Look at the architecture! And the murals!" Daphne looked around, trying to see everything at once.
Harry slipped his wand out of its sheath just enough to cast a surreptitious Linguo on each of them, then tucked it back out of sight.
"If I read the map correctly, we should be behind several banks, which means the shopping piazza should be..." He turned to find east, "That way."
It took them nearly ten minutes just to find their way out of the piazza they were in the center of, but once they did, the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuelle The Second became perfectly obvious. It was a huge, glass dome-ceilinged arcade three stories high. The entrance facing them was an enormous thin arch inside an imposing facade, in typical itialian style.
Harry pulled out his phone and took pictures, then backed up and took pictures of Daphne in front of it.
The inside of it was even more impressive. Five glass-ceilinged hallways radiated from a central area under a glass dome. More painted murals decorated arches at the top of the three-story buildings.
"We have to come back here. This is just gorgeous."
"As it happens, I was planning a trip without any real destination in mind. Shall we add Milan to the list?"
"Definitely." She smiled at him, and Harry felt his chest squeeze. He snapped a quick pic of that smile.
They both knew the name Gucci, so that was the first store they went to. The sales staff were very nice ladies who introduced themselves, and Daphne explained what she was after. They were more than happy to have Harry sit in a chair outside the dressing rooms while Daphne changed and then modeled each dress. Unfortunately, the 'style' for the season was baggy and frumpy, but fortunately they did have some older dresses on hand. Daphne chose one rather severe-looking navy wool dress with silver buckles in front 'for business', as she put it, and Harry had to admit she looked impressive in it. It wasn't exactly what they were after, but it was too good to pass up as well.
"Well, I'm not entirely disappointed. At least if I ever have to do something professional I'll get to look good doing it." She smiled and lay her head on his shoulder for a moment.
"Impressive and gorgeous, you mean. Like you could step off a runway and command an army."
Daphne laughed. "You say the sweetest things."
The next clothing store they saw was in the main rotunda, called Luisa Spagnoli. That was where Harry hit the jackpot. After trying on a few dresses she didn't mind but wasn't very enthused about, Daphne came out of the dressing room with an enormous grin on her face, wearing a flowing cotton dress that was only a dress because it was connected by a knot at her midriff. It would have otherwise been a long-sleeved midriff shirt and slitted skirt. It was ice blue, and simple, but elegant. It hugged her curves and bared her midriff all the way around. Harry's jaw dropped open and a snarling hunger raced through his mind. He nodded - it was all he had the brain for.
Daphne took one look at him and smiled smugly. She knew that was the dress when she put it on.
She had it boxed and Harry carried it out of the store with the other dress.
"Gets your broom off the ground, does it?" She whispered to him as they left the store.
"Huhhhuhuh." Harry grunted. His eyes fairly blazed with passion.
They finished up the shopping for Daphne with trips to the accessory stores in the galleria, for handbags and shoes to go with her outfits. Not for the first time, Harry marveled at how women just seemed to understand what went with what. When she finished, she grinned like a pampered cat.
"I guess it's my turn then?" He asked.
"About time too. Looking forward to this."
Harry quickly ducked into the men's room and checked to make sure no-one was around, then shrunk Daphne's purchases and stowed them in his pocket.
They made a quick detour into a few of the modern clothing stores that had men's clothing, but everything they had was either casual or bizarre. They had seen a few formal wear stores while they were shopping for Daphne, so they decided to try those instead.
The first two stores had nice suits, and good shirts and ties, but Daphne's reaction to them was minimal. Harry didn't see much difference between any of the suits at all, so his only cue as to what was good or bad was her expression.
The third store they tried was called Zegna, and after introducing themselves and discussing what they were looking for, the young gentleman nodded, and took Harry back to the dressingroom and brought him a suit. It had simple, clean lines, and was made of soft, super-fine worsted in dark charcoal. He also brought Harry a shirt in very slightly iridescent silver silk, and an emerald tie that matched his eyes almost perfectly.
When he stepped out of the dressingroom, he knew exactly how Daphne had felt earlier. He put one hand in his pocket and stood straight, shoulders back, turned slightly away from her. Daphne's eyes grew wide and slightly wild at the edges, and her fingers twitched.
"Oh that's the one." She growled.
Harry smiled at her and winked. He had to admit as he looked in the mirror, she was right. He looked good. He felt good. He turned back to her and smiled smugly. He also picked out a red shirt and gold tie.
"Now I understand lingerie." She said as they left. "I want you to wear that so I can tear it off you."
Harry laughed.
They went back to the shoe stores and picked out a couple pairs of shoes that went with his new suit, then Daphne dragged him to the jewelry stores and helped him pick out some cufflinks and a tie pin.
"I don't understand the tie pin. The tie will be inside the vest the whole time."
"Details, love. Just because you don't need it doesn't mean you shouldn't have it. It provides a stopping point for the eye and adds a layer of depth to the overall look."
"Oh. Glad you're here to tell me these things." He kissed her, and she growled and bit his lip playfully.
In the end he bought two sets of cufflinks and tiepins, one in silver with emeralds, and one in gold with rubies.
"Shall we off to Paris then?" He asked when they left the store.
Daphne smiled and kissed his cheek. "Yes please. I'm a trifle peckish."
Harry chuckled and waited until they had returned to their entry point in the banking piazza before casting notice-me-not on them both. He shrank the latest purchases and put them with Daphne's in his pocket.
He held his arm out and Daphne linked hers with it, then pulled the bent and pinless brexit button from his pocket Once she grabbed hold of it, a tug and a spin later they were in an alleyway.
It was slightly overcast, not the cloudless sun it had been in Milan, but still a nice day. The smell of baking bread hung heavy in the air, intertwined with coffee.
"Mmm, that smells lovely." Daphne smiled, sniffing the air.
"Smells like lunch." Harry said, and started toward the street. The alleyway they were in opened into Rue de Mogador, where they could see no less than eight cafes. As they were there to go to Galeries Lafayette - at Fleur's suggestion, who counted it among the thousand and one places you simply must go - they decided to try Cafe Galerie.
The croissants were fresh and warm and flaky, and paired with the house garlic herb cream cheese, were delightful. They had a side salad with the house dressing, and coffee instead of wine.
The door opposite the one they came in opened into the mall itself, and they were surprised to discover it too had a domed glass ceiling like the one in Milan, but was much more ornate.
"I like this one too." Daphne said as she craned her head backward to see the roof.
"We'll have to take a day and come back when we have more time."
"Deal. Let's do you first here. You look so hot in the last one, I can't wait to see what they have here."
Harry laughed. "Same goes for you. I could not believe how drop-dead you are. I mean, I know it, but still...I've been hit with stunners that were less powerful."
Daphne laughed and kissed his cheek. "I love you too."
The first place they went to look was a department store, and while they carried some nice suits from quality brands, none were putting stars in Daphne's eyes. The second place, however, was labelled simply 'Homme', and Harry knew right away from watching her face they were far more likely to find something there.
He tried on suit after suit that the salesman brought, but it wasn't until he asked if there was anything older than 'this season' that they found it. It was a dark navy suit with a midnight blue shirt and dark red tie with thin navy diagonal stripes, and when he put it on he knew it fit nicely. It hugged his waist without being constricting, and was just slightly tight in the arms and shoulders, but still allowed range of movement. When Daphne saw this one, her eyes narrowed to glittering slits and her hands curled into claws.
"We'll take it." Harry nodded to the salesman.
Daphne had the grace to wait until they were out of the store before pushing him against a wall and devouring his mouth. After minutes of passionately expressing her feelings, she finally relented. Breathing heavily and flushed, she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and kissed him once gently.
"Okay. I think I'm okay. For now."
"Remind me to wear these suits as often as possible."
She smiled at him. "We won't get a thing done."
Harry very nearly said something, but managed to stop himself.
"Alright, so where are we off to for you then?" He asked instead.
"I think there were a few women's shops near where we came in."
Harry held an arm out to her, and she latched on.
It was a shop called Karen Millen. She tried on a few dresses, but they were little more than hollow columns of material. Then Daphne seemed to take a long time with one dress before coming out to show it to him. She poked her head through the thick, obscuring curtains, and he could tell she was blushing. She bit her lip and looked at him, so he gestured for her to come out. She blushed harder, but stepped through the curtains and into view.
The dress was all silver sequins over some sheer, nearly invisible material. It had a high collar around her throat, and spread downward from the front of the collar without sleeves, and ended mid-thigh. The collar was the only thing holding it up as well. Daphne turned to show him, and it was completely backless all the way down to just above her behind.
"We'll take it." He told the saleswoman.
Daphne took one look at his face as he approached and fled back into the changeroom. Harry would have gone in as well, but the saleswoman held a hand out to bar his way.
"No sex in the changerooms please." She asked.
"Sorry." Harry said. "Sorry."
His fingers tingled.
They left immediately for another round of shameless public snogging, and then when Harry had calmed down some, Daphne led him by the hand into more shoes and handbag shops. Harry spied an interesting shop and kissed her on the cheek.
"Need the boy's room. Back in a twinke."
"You better be, after three weeks, six days, and eleven hours." She pouted at him then blew him a kiss.
He rejoined her several minutes later, grinning in a self-satisfied way.
Daphne didn't notice. "What do you think about these earrings with that dress?"
"I like those sapphire ones too. Match your eyes."
She held up the ones he pointed at to her ears.
"Yes indeed. I can't decide, get 'em both." He kissed her forehead.
"I'm starting to feel overly spoiled."
"Well then look at it from a practical standpoint. When you start living your own life again instead of Eunice's, you'll need nice outfits to do business in, schmooze at parties in, and take your boyfriend dancing in."
"You make a fair point."
"Shall we to New York then?"
"Soon as we pay for these, yes."
Outside the Galerie, Harry re-cast their Notice-Me-Not just in case, and they both held the rusty toy train caboose and activated it.
They landed in an alley next to a big green bin, and all around them buildings rose into the sky. New York was more sleek, more modern, but had less charm. It took them nearly a block of walking to figure out how to maneuver in the flowing crowd of strangers.
There were a number of malls in New York as well, but Harry had heard of the fifth avenue shopping district, even under the stairs in privet drive. A short walk west, and they were there.
"This is crazy!" Daphne said, laughing. "New York is a madhouse!"
Harry had no argument for that.
A few minutes later they stood in front of Saks Fifth Avenue, the famous store he'd heard his aunt dreaming of. Without waiting, he pulled the door open for Daphne and followed her inside.
The inside of the store was enormous. Milan and Paris had educated staff to help you find what you were looking for - here everything was on display. It was like walking into an endless resort lobby with well-appointed furnishings of wood and chrome. There were potted trees every so often that gave a splash of green, and it seemed as though everything had been laid out from a shopper's perspective. Everything was in clearly and stylishly labelled sections. Want men's wear? Head left. Accessories? Head right. Women's clothing was straight ahead. Harry suspected there was actually some serious thought put into how everything was arranged.
"This is a bit different." Daphne said.
"You're first this time, let's go peruse."
She smiled back at him and reached for his hand.
Because everything was available, they didn't need any assistance. Daphne held dozens of dresses up to her front and returned them to the rack in a blink. The ones she thought had potential she handed to Harry. Fortunately for Harry, she only found four she wanted to try on. She tried on three of them without exiting the changeroom.
"Alright love? Find any up to snuff?" He asked.
"Those first three were nice," Daphne said from inside the change room, "But I was saving best for last, what do you think?"
She stepped out of the change room in a beautiful sleeveless lace and satin gown in deep, dark maroon. It had a high neck and hugged her body perfectly, down to just below her knees in the front, and dropped to her heels in the back.
"That's the one. The first one was elegant, but simple. The second one was... inflaming. That one is elegant and sophisticated, and fits you perfectly."
"He's right, you know. You're just beautiful. You're so lucky." A New Yorker from her accent, an older woman to their right entered the changing area, and stood looking jealously at Daphne.
"Thank you." Daphne said graciously with a slight curtsey, "I feel lucky." She smiled and retreated into the change room.
"You both from England?" The lady asked Harry.
"This morning, just to come here. I'm Harry, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He held out a hand to the lady, who shook it.
"A pleasure. What a sweetie. You came just for the shopping?"
"Yes, I had some making up to do, so I planned a day just for her."
The lady smiled and put a hand to her one side of her face. "This one's a keeper, honey!" She called to Daphne, then turned back to Harry. "Welcome to New York, I hope you both have a terrific day." She grinned.
"Thank you, that's very kind. You as well."
She retreated into one of the other change rooms, and Daphne exited hers.
"You're so charming." She whispered to him and kissed his cheek.
"Wasn't trying to be. She was just nice." He whispered back.
Daphne just looked at him lovingly and led him to the men's wear section. It took her exactly four minutes to pick out a single-breasted light grey suit, in worsted so fine it fairly shimmered. She picked out a white shirt to go with it, and a dark maroon tie that matched her dress.
She handed him the garments, and pinched his behind when he entered the change room.
When he came out, she bit her lip and nodded. "Exactly. Black shoes, silver and ruby cufflinks and tie pin. Possibly Garnet."
Harry chuckled and went back into the change room to swap out of the suit so they could find accessories.
When they were finished, they left the store and headed back to the alley where they had appeared. Another quick Notice-Me-Not, and they were able to shrink all their purchases for easy carry.
"Did you enjoy today?" He asked as he took the bristle-less paintbrush from his pocket.
Daphne smiled and kissed him, then wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
"I loved it. One of the best I can remember."
Harry just smiled. "Me too. Hungry yet?"
"I am, actually. What time is it?"
"Nearly six in London."
"Just time to pop home and change then for this special dinner of yours."
Harry smiled and offered her the end of the paintbrush.
They arrived back where they started, in the back garden of Potter Hall.
"So where are you taking me, anyway? Is this a restaurant?" Daphne asked as she unlocked the door.
"No, I've done the cooking. It'll be just you and me."
"Now I am curious." She said as they climbed the stairs.
"Good. The more curious you are, the more fun it is to torture you by not telling you." He grinned and emptied his pockets onto the bed.
She grinned back at him. "Pillock."
Harry just laughed and took a bow before unshrinking their parcels.
"Which one should I wear tonight?" She asked.
"The last one. Deep red. With the black shoes and gold earrings."
"The cream shoes go better with that."
"Agreed, but the black ones don't have as much heel, it'll be easier to walk on the grass."
"Grass, hm?"
Harry smiled.
"You're too good now, Harry. Go back to when you were easy to get information out of." She pouted.
He laughed and pulled his shirt off. "Which suit?"
"Hmmm... Navy. With the white shirt and dark red tie. Gold cufflinks and pin."
They changed in a hurry, each trying not to look at the other lest they become delayed. When they were finished, the desire in the air between them only intensified.
Daphne sent him a look that promised savagery and went to the bathroom to apply makeup while Harry applied his cufflinks and tiepin. Daphne didn't usually wear makeup, but when she did, she did it so that it looked like she wasn't wearing any. Harry had no idea how she did that, but the effect was stunning in any case. It was as though she simply became more of herself. Today was no different. When she joined him in the bedroom again, Harry's chest squeezed and felt like her beauty had become a blade lodged between his ribs.
"You are the most beautiful woman I could ever imagine." He told her as he looked her in the eyes. He meant it.
She looked away and blinked quickly. "Stop it, you'll make me overflow again." She took some deep breaths and then kissed him.
"Sorry." He said when they broke the kiss. "Nearly overflowed myself. You look amazing."
"So do you." She rand her hand over his bicep and shoulder. "Mm."
"Are we ready?"
Daphne nodded. "Wherever it is, here we come."
An instant later, they were standing in a field. The grass was thick and lush and green, and she could smell the ocean nearby. Harry tapped her on the head with his wand, and a manor house appeared out of thin air, along with the dirt road leading to it.
It was an enormous log cabin, two stories in front with a third in the rear. The logs were barkless and shone like dark amber in the sun. Beyond the house was a large stand of trees, acres thick, that got thicker as it extended to the right, and she could hear the ocean on the other side of the trees.
"This is beautiful! Where are we?"
Harry took her hand and began walking toward the house. "This is where I come when I don't want to be found. It's unplottable and Fidelius, and not listed in any of the family assets. I happened across a mention of grandfather's secret hideaway in one of his journals, and spent weeks looking for it."
There was a sign over the door of carved oak that read "Potter's Greengrass of Home".
Harry saw her reading the sign, and smiled. "It originally said Potter's Green, but I fixed it."
"I appreciate you showing me this, Harry. Are you sure you don't want to just keep it to yourself?"
Harry stopped and kissed her, and something in the way he looked at her made her stomach flip-flop.
"I'm sure."
The inside of the house was also well-kept. There was an enormous stone fireplace in the great room to the right, and it covered the center of the right wall of the house from floor to thick-beam rafters. Sofas and chairs spread around the hearth facing each other, and thick, plush throw rugs covered most of the honey-oak floor.
Harry pulled her toward the stairs directly ahead, a staircase that started in the middle of the foyer and curved up and left in an open, lazy spiral.
They didn't stop on the second floor, but Daphne could see at least one room on that floor was a library. They reached the top floor, and Harry led her down the hallway to the left. There were closed doors along it, but halfway down on the right-hand side there was a short set of stairs leading up into a huge round room made entirely of glass. The floor was the same honey coloured oak, but the walls and domed ceiling were all glass.
A table set for two was in the center of the room toward the far wall.
"I thought it might be nice to enjoy the sunset while we eat." Harry said.
"This is amazing, Harry."
He snapped his fingers at the table, and the candles flickered to light. Soft music began playing, and Harry pulled out the chair for her.
When she was seated, Harry took out his wand and gestured at the floor. Moments later, plates of steaming food and a standing bucket with ice followed by a champagne bottle floated up the stairs toward them. The plates set themselves in front of them, the icebucket gently caught the champagne, and settled next to the table.
"This is a perfect day, Harry. Perfect. Almost worth waiting for."
Harry quirked one corner of his mouth. "Sorry about that. I really didn't expect it to be so long."
"What did you - no, nevermind. I know you're not going to tell me." She sighed.
Harry chuckled. "Just a little more patience, love. I'll tell you everything when we get home."
"Thank you for today. For all this. For letting me into your secret."
"There's no-one I would rather share it with." He smiled. "Thank you for being brave, for having the courage to make your own life and becoming the woman I adore. You have incredible strength, Daphne - of mind and body, and I love that about you." He said as he poured the champagne.
Daphne smiled and blushed. "You don't think just anyone could be your equal, do you? I'm just happy it turned out to be me."
"I kinda thought that was how it worked, yeah. I'm glad I was wrong." Harry held up his glass. "To Us."
Daphne clinked his glass. "To Us."
They took their time eating, stopping often to look around as the sun gently set into the ocean. They watched the sun gradually set behind the blue horizon, and the stars wink into view one by one.
"What was it you were studying? I thought you were done with school?" Harry asked when they were finished.
Daphne stopped with her glass halfway to her lips. "Oh! I got so caught up with you being home, and then today, I forgot. I'm going to try to help girls like me, who are stuck in pureblood families and soon to be sold."
"That's outstanding!"
"I thought so. That's why I remodeled my place, to turn it into a kind of getaway house where they can't be found."
"And you're studying so you can help them get their final year."
Daphne grinned at the way he put it together. "I asked Headmistress McGonagall for a curriculum for final year, so hopefully I'll be able to see them through."
"You'll be brilliant. I assume that isn't all you'll be teaching them?"
"You assume correctly." She smiled at him. "They'll need to know how to live without house elves, how to cook and clean and defend themselves. All the things I needed to know and didn't."
"And muggle laws and such."
"And fashions. That's going to be the fun part."
"I think they couldn't hope to have a better teacher."
"The best part of the whole thing is that if we manage to free enough of the girls, the medieval pureblood nonsense can't continue."
"You'll be loved by the next generation and hated by this one."
"I already thought I was hated by my own family, any more is just laughable. I'm just glad it turns out mum and Tori don't hate me after all."
"I couldn't be happier for you, love. I know it'll take time, but I think they'll love the new you as much as I do. I am here to hold you when it gets frustrating. I'm behind you, come what may."
He had that look in his eye again, and Daphne could feel his words, like they had a gravity all their own.
"That makes everything alright." She smiled.
Harry's chest squeezed, and he bit his bottom lip to stop it quivering.
The night had descended around them, and as he blew the candles out and reached for her hand, the stars surged in brightness, lighting the entire sky.
Daphne's breath caught. "Look at that. It's so beautiful."
"I thought we might take a walk and enjoy it."
"A-ha." Daphne grinned. "Black shoes. You've had this whole thing planned."
They descended the stairs and Harry held the door for her.
"I've thought of nothing else for a month."
They held hands as they walked not up the road away from the house but left, out into open field and toward the woods. Daphne enjoyed the quiet, the crickets chirping, the occasional hoot of a owl. They walked lazily, unhurried, but she knew Harry. He might seem like he was being aimless and spontaneous, but he was cleverer than anyone suspected. He knew where they were going, he was just enjoying the time it took them to get there.
She took his hand in both of hers and lay her head on his shoulder as they strolled.
"So... where are we going?" She asked.
Harry chuckled. "I love your mind."
"I love yours. You seem like you're being aimless and spontaneous, but you aren't. You're just enjoying the journey."
"And you've caught me out again."
"Of course. So, where?"
"There's a lovely spot for stargazing just ahead."
She was glad Harry knew where he was going, the darkness was profound compared to the city. The only way she could tell they were approaching the wood was the stars being blocked out by the treeline.
Two rows of lights flared into being along the ground, leading through the wood. As they approached, Daphne could see they weren't lights exactly - they gave off enough light to walk by, but they were tiny winged people, dancing and cavorting in the air above the grass.
"Faerie lights." Daphne grinned. "Adorable."
"If I had to guess I would say it was grandmother, or maybe grandfather for her. No idea what spell they used."
Daphne had visions of her children playing with them, and it brought a lump to her throat. The sound of the ocean grew as they walked, and she realized they were heading through the wood toward the cliff.
"I'm sorry neither of us will get to meet them, they seem like lovely people."
"Same. I would have loved to show you off." He kissed her hand.
At the end of the path, the faerie lights were placed up the boles of two trees whose branches met overhead in the shape of an arch. As they passed beneath the faerie light arch, Daphne could see moonlight reflecting off the ocean below as the moon rose behind them. The ground rose to a bluff just beyond the trees, and when they had crested the rise, the whole of the sky was visible in all directions.
"I've never seen so many stars." She said.
"It's almost as beautiful as you are." Harry smiled at her. With his free hand, he slipped his wand out of his pocket and casually flicked it toward the sky without her seeing.
A shooting star blazed across the sky, and Daphne pointed at it excitedly.
"Look! A falling star!"
"Close your eyes and make a wish."
"What? Why?"
"It's a muggle thing. It's what they do. Don't tell me what the wish is though, that would spoil it."
Daphne shrugged, and faced the ocean as she closed her eyes.
When she opened them, some of the stars had shifted their places in the sky. The very night sky read "Daphne, Will You Marry Me?"
Unbelieving, she looked at Harry.
He was on one knee, holding her hand with one hand and a box in the other. The box had a ring in it.
She looked back at the sky, and then back to him. Her vision blurred and she put a hand to her mouth as her lips quivered.
"Oh Harry." Her voice stretched through her tight throat, and he stood again with open arms to catch her as she stepped into him.
"So that's a yes then?" He asked.
Daphne laughed and wiped her cheeks. "Of course yes. Always yes."
He pulled up her left hand and slipped the ring onto it, but it was miles too big. It was big enough to fit Harry's thumb. She started to wonder how he could have misjudged so badly, when the ring shrank to fit her finger perfectly. A warm sense of recognition flooded up her arm from it, and all over her body as a soundless explosion of magic emanated from it.
Her tears were almost forgotten as she gaped in awe at the thing on her hand.
"Harry, this..."
"Is what I've been doing for a month."
"I don't understand. This is goblin wrought silver, isn't it?"
"It is. I remembered what Bill said about goblins and how they view ownership. I didn't want any goblin thinking they had a right to it, I want it to be passed down in our family. So, that was the deal I made with Irgnuk. They taught me how to make it."
"You made this?!"
"It has my maker's mark on the inside. It's yours and only yours."
"I can't ... I don't... how?"
"Well, I knew they wouldn't go for it if I said I wanted to learn their secrets, so I agreed to let them obliviate the knowledge of how to make it once I was finished. I really only wanted the rings."
She threw her arms around him and squeezed him purple.
"This is unbelievable, Harry! I can't, I mean..." She stared at the simple, elegant eight-pointed star diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds in a fragile-looking setting.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She didn't bother to hide her trembling this time, as fresh tears coated her face.
Harry handed her his handkerchief.
"Thank you." She dried her face and focused on breathing deeply to get herself under control again.
"I can't believe you planned all this before you even left. You were ahead of me. "
"You had other things on your mind at the time."
"I know, I'm not complaining, it's just vaguely unsettling... like losing to Hermione at potions."
Harry tilted his head back and roared with laughter.
"It's not that funny."
"Does she know that still bothers you after all this time? You're besties, for Merlin's sake!"
"It doesn't bother me..."
Harry chuckled, grinning at her in the starlight.
"Oh shut up."
Harry tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear and kissed her soundly.
Daphne smiled and rested her forehead against his when they broke the kiss, looking at the ring on her finger.
"I'm going to marry you."
"That is sort of the point of it, yeah."
"I mean... me. I'm going to marry Harry Potter. I'm going to be ." She grinned maniacally and grabbed handfuls of his hair in glee. "I'm gonna marry you!"
"No-one better for the job, either."
Daphne squealed in delight and then stopped as her rational mind reasserted itself with a sobering thought.
"Speaking of which, doesn't that mean you'll carry a certain amount of hatred as well for what I'm doing with the girls?"
"Only if you'll carry a certain amount of hatred for what I'm doing with the Wizengamot. They already hate me."
"Fair point, really."
"Two hatreds for the price of one. We're a Sunday special."
Daphne laughed and kissed him again. "I love you so much Harry."
"I just want to keep making you happy for the rest of your life, Daphne. I love you."
"No-one better for the job, either." She grinned.