Warning: Chapter borderlines M-rating towards the end. Not enough to change the whole story to M-rated, but if that's not your thing then reader discretion is advised.
They'd spent the day lounging, talking and trying just to have as much fun as they could, but that was difficult with the coming evening looming over them.
Now it was finally that time. That night in Grimmauld Place, it's occupants all ended up in front of the fire, with Daphne seated apprehensively at the center. Five figures gathered around her; Harry and Sirius on their knees on the floor in front, Lupin and Tonks taking an arm each beside her and Severus Snape hovering ghoulishly over the back of her chair.
As they began, the only sound in the room was the crackling fire and the heavy breathing shared by two of its occupants.
"What is your full title?" Lupin asked her slowly.
Harry could see Daphne wasn't comfortable with this setup - rightly so as this whole lay out screamed more of an interrogation than the questioning they were promised. Tonks, by example, seemed delighted with the whole scenario as she hung over Daphne with predatory eyes. While Harry sympathized with her, he wasn't about to speak up and start something when he knew what hung in the balance. He knew she was strong enough for this. And even if she wasn't, now was the chance to be.
He shouldn't be as worried as he was. He knew the anxieties he had were just nerves and overthinking. He was confident in himself - and confident in Daphne. But nonetheless, the darker recesses of his mind just couldn't be shaken. Thus he sat there with tingly armpits, hanging on her every word.
Daphne took a long and sobering breath before answering.
"Lady Daphne-Estelle of House Greengrass. Second of my name, heir to the Greengrass fortune and estate."
"And when were you born?"
"The third of September, Nineteen Eighty-One."
Lupin's eyes slowly switched back to look at Harry. Then as did Sirius' and Tonks'. When he looked up, even Snape was staring back at him expectantly.
"What... ?" he asked, feeling he was missing something.
"Well? Is that right?"
Harry's face fumbled into a frown.
"I don't know... ?"
Sirius sagged and then tutted loudly, completely slipping a dagger through the intensity of the mood.
"How do you not know your own bloody girlfriend's birthday?! That's like lesson one!"
He opened his mouth to passionately defend himself, but it was then Daphne who cut him off.
"We are not together. We remain having a romantic interest in one another but for the time being our relationship is platonic and dependency-based."
Sirius scrunched his brow up at her and looked like he was about to say something, but as he went to Snape suddenly coughed loudly, dragging attention his way. Harry caught the pained look that flashed briefly across Daphne's face as she finished speaking. He wished he could help her.
"Focus…" Snape said slowly through his teeth, "Miss Greengrass has suffered quite enough from the effects of Veritserium's... runaway tongue... last year."
Mentally - and quite possibly for the first time ever - Harry found himself appreciating Snape.
Lupin moved back in awkwardly and sighed, ready to begin again.
"Right, so... Daphne, tell me… what are your views on the ethics of blood purity?"
Just like that, his stomach sank.
Harry's eyebrows shot into his hairline, as did Daphne's, who suddenly looked like she was trying not to be sick.
"That's not fair!" he accused loudly.
Lupin didn't break eye contact with her, instead raised a hand to silence him.
"Let her speak."
Harry's eyes met hers and he could see how much resistance she was putting in trying to keep quiet.
"You can tell she's trying not to! This isn't fair! Sirius, do something!"
"What's wrong, eh?" Tonks sneered opposite him, "Has 'ickle Princess got something to hide?"
Harry felt a familiar hand on his shoulder and Sirius's breath in his ear.
"Let her answer. Trust us, Harry. Remus knows what he's doing."
Daphne must have heard the words of comfort as well, as she slowly de-tensed back into her seat. Though apprehensive at first, eventually her lips softened and let words escape her mouth.
"I believe…that… " she started quietly but then grew steadily louder.
The group leered in, waiting on her every syllable. Harry could see Tonks grinning something ugly.
Daphne shut her eyes.
" … the magical race is dying because of selfish individuals polluting the bloodlines by…" she breathed, "... breeding... with muggles and the muggleborns. Muggles are a hostile, medieval and brutish race that used to kill, dismember and burn our kind years ago. If it were up to me, then... crossbreeding between the two races would be forbidden."
She spoke like there was a knife in her stomach and had an expression to match. Her words hung painfully loud in the room. For a brief, stunned moment, nobody said anything.
Harry's gaze turned into a blazing glare, targeted towards at Lupin.
"However - !"
Daphne shattered the silence by opening her eyes and taking a loud, sharp breath.
"I do recognize the violation of free-will that would bring! As such, I try not to involve myself in the politics surrounding it… It's a no-win situation and no-matter the outcome, discussing it only fuels people's tempers and resolves nothing in the process. There's nothing to be done about it, nor should anything be done about it that isn't voluntary to the individual. I try to not let someone's blood purity affect the way I act around them... It is out of their control and they are not the source of the blame. That is the truth."
Just like that, Harry felt a cooling shower of relief wash over him. Identically, Sirius deflated beside him.
"Nice save."
Despite this, Harry didn't give up the death-glare he was giving Lupin.
"That's a question designed to make her sound like a Death Eater!" he hissed.
Looking far more tired than the man should have been for the time of day, Lupin shook his head, "It's still a relevant question, my boy. Please, Harry, I need your trust in this. I want the same thing as you, I promise you that."
His jaded expression did nothing to dose the fire rising inside Harry.
These were all just words he'd been hearing.
It had been like that since this interaction began. The energy in the room had become hostile and targeted towards Daphne. Like how it felt during breakfast, but turned up to ten. This wasn't a fair trial, it was never meant to be. They just wanted a confession out of her and nothing more. Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of betrayal, almost as if this was precisely the moment his so-called friends had been waiting for.
Tonks had looked ready for a fight the second Snape brought out the vial of potion, she was definitely not hear to listen to Daphne's side of the story.
The wand Harry had concealed in his pocket was slowly itching to be picked up.
"How do you feel about…" Lupin began again, chewing his top lip for a moment before continuing, "... the methods performed by Tom Riddle Jr... or as he is more commonly known, Lord Voldemort?"
Daphne snapped straight in her seat.
Harry only noticed this because in the past, he'd only ever seen her shy away from Voldemorts name, or curse him for saying it around her. He'd never seen her rise to acknowledge it before.
"He is the most terrifying… thing that I have met in my entire life," she spoke firmly while shaking her head. "His actions far outlay his intentions. Whatever his beliefs may be - be them justified or not - killing is never the answer and definitely not the killing of innocence."
Sirius's cheeky grin came into his line of sight.
There it was. That was, almost word-for-word, the exact sentence they needed the group to hear. And she was on Vertiserium, making it one-hundred percent, undeniably true.
A built-up breath escaped Harry, one that he had no idea he'd been holding in.
"See? Don't worry about it!" Sirius chuckled.
"Focus."
It was rare Harry saw Snape nervous, but he'd definitely describe him as such. He didn't blame the man either, Harry could feel his own heart somewhere at the bottom of his throat right about now.
"Now Daphne, could you confirm for me if you were present on the attack against the Department of Magical Artifacts on November Nineteenth of this year? And if you engaged their Auror escort in combat?"
The room dropped to such a dramatic silence that you could have heard a pin drop.
The crackling of the fire was almost painfully loud.
Harry had no idea about anything Lupin had just mentioned. She certainly would have mentioned something as big as that to him. November Nineteenth… that had been the night of the Quidditch match against Slytherin. The night he and Tracey had their heart-to-heart and grew closer as friends.
Then, said pin dropped.
Harry watched Daphne carefully, taking a second. If his memory wasn't deceiving him… that was also around the same time that she stopped showing up for lessons and started wearing the eyepatch.
Painfully slowly, Daphne nodded in acknowledgement.
"I was present for the attack and I did engage, yes."
Harry's stomach churned into a knot as the familiar sense of betrayal washed over him. He felt his very being elevate out of his body and hang somewhere above his head.
"You… wha… ?" he asked, impossibly quietly.
"You did what?" Tonks repeated him, albeit much harsher.
Lupin fiercely waved them off.
"In your own words, Daphne… can you tell us what happened?"
She wasn't looking at him now. He desperately tried to grab her attention anyway he could. He needed the reassurance. They'd been exchanging periodic glances since the interrogation began, but now her gaze was planted firmly into the distance.
It definitely wasn't by accident.
"Our m-mission was to capture the Spear of Longinus. I was partnered with another Death Eater when a battle broke out between us and the Aurors..." she shakily continued, "w-we were able to escape but we were both injured badly."
"You were on the Spear of Longinus Heist!?" Tonks asked again, loud and abruptly.
Daphne nodded solemnly.
"I-I didn't want to be there…" she was sounding weak for the first time, "Father thought it would be easy and an appropriate way to get in the Dark Lord's good books. When the mission went wrong a-and the Aurors arrived, I only fought back in self defense. That's the truth. I apparated out as soon as I could."
"You apparated?" Harry asked suddenly, even surprising himself.
Lupin shushed him again.
"What was the extent of which you fought? Did you kill anybody?"
"No - !" she said quickly. "I would never… I could never… I used disarming and non-lethal enchantments only! With the Aurors, anyway… But I also…"
Daphne drew quiet, which caught everyone's eye. She was very clearly biting her tongue.
Harry's heart hung in the balance.
"You also...?" Lupin pushed.
"I… I had to…"
Daphne scrunched up her face and made a noise akin to a crocodiles-hissing.
"I performed the Imperius curse on a Muggle! I had to - to get myself to safety! I wouldn't have made it through the night if I didn't... "
He wasn't hearing this. He couldn't be. This wasn't Daphne, she wasn't capable of being a Death Eater. Not properly, anyway. The woman he'd just spent Christmas with was not a Death Eater. She wouldn't do any of that. But she could only speak the truth so… Who the hell had he just invited into his godfathers house?
Stop.
Harry bit down hard on the inside of his lip, calming his raging thoughts.
He had to stop. He couldn't afford to think like that. Daphne established already with him that she had to do horrible things. It was his fault for not understanding how awful. This was just her following through on her word, this shouldn't be news to him. He was struggling to picture his Daphne doing those things, but she was still the same person he knew and had feelings for. Now he had to remain the same Harry that convinced her to come here.
"I see… Well now, Daphne that's understandably quite serious…" Lupin struggled with his words, "But if you really were forced into it by the circumstances of the situation… Well, why don't you tell me…"
Tonks butted in loudly, cutting him off.
"Did you curse an Auror with the tickling charm?"
Daphne's trance-like state broke and she paused, before eventually frowning.
"How did you…?"
Harry's eyes fell away from her and sank over to Tonks, who he now saw was fuming at her with red, fiery hair.
Daphne had apparently connected the dots too as she suddenly looking a lot more uncomfortable in her seat. Harry had only seen her look at Tonks like she was something unpleasant on the underside of a shoe, but now she looked positively alarmed by her.
"You're an Auror... ?"
Tonks went to viciously lurch forward, just as Sirius effortlessly swept her aside with his elbow.
Harry's wand itched in his pocket again.
"You're the little bitch that shattered Savage's leg, aren't you!?"
Lupin swept in with a firm hand on her shoulder, which Tonks barely noticed.
"Tonks, sweetheart, calm down…"
"It was you that apparated Dawlish and Kingsley away at the end of the night, then?"
Daphne nodded curtly.
"It was."
"And are you prepared to tell me the identities of the Death Eater you worked with?"
Daphne fell deathly silent, as did the room around her.
She looked to be genuinely considering it, Harry thought. She, of course, would have to tell Tonks if she actually asked, but he wondered how specific that wording would have to be given she hadn't answered already. It would definitely go a long way to gain Tonks' and the Orders trust, that couldn't be denied, but it was also asking a hell of a lot from Daphne..
"I… " Daphne spoke wearily, "... don't think... that would be a very good idea for me. It would get back to me. So… no, I'm sorry. I can't do that. Please don't make me."
Tonks let out a low, troubled growl
"'ight then... have it your way."
She stood up suddenly, catching all off guard and as such, nobody was able to stop her.
Before anyone had time to react, there was a wand pointed in Daphne's face.
"On behalf of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I, Nymphadora Tonks of the Auror Offic-"
Everything happened at once.
Daphne, who previously still as a stone, launched herself onto her seat. She brought her knees beneath her in a position that marked her ready to pounce. All Harry and Sirius could do was flung themselves at them, the former craning himself across Daphne while the latter threw himself into Tonks, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and fighting to push her away. Lupin dove backwards from the conflict, roaring something foul and while watching silently over all of it, Snape was the first one with his wand and his hand planted firmly on the shoulder of Daphne.
Wands were drawn and voices were alive, but nobody dared to move a muscle. The fire burned extremely loudly.
"-PLACE YOU UNDER ARREST FOR CONSPIRACY AND ACTS OF TERRORIS-"
"-PUT IT AWAY, NYMPHADORA! YOU'RE BEING DAFT NOW!"
"NO! SHE JUST WENT ON RECORD AND CONFESSED TO PARTAKING IN AN ATTACK AGAINST THE MINISTRY AND DIRECTLY IS CONCEALING INFORMATION! SHE CAN STAND TRAIL!"
Tonks was using her wand to point at Daphne, who looked like a tiger ready to pounce.
"I'LL DO TO YOU WHAT YOU DID TO YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU DON'T GET THAT OUT OF MY FACE!"
Veins were bulging from the side of Daphne's neck and he could see the spit leaving her mouth as she shouted. Harry was clawing to keep himself planted firmly between them.
"DAPHNE IS ONLY HERE BECAUSE I CONVINCED HER TO BE, IF YOU WANT TO ARREST HER THEN YOU HAVE TO ARREST ME TOO!"
"WILL EVERYBODY JUST CALM DOWN, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!"
"-NOT UNTIL SHE'S OUT OF THE HOUSE!"
"-NOT UNTIL SHE BACKS OFF!"
"Miss Greengrass, would you kindly inform the room of your true intentions with Harry Potter?"
Snapes words - as quiet as they were - broke the room.
Silence once again took over, even though their positions remained unchanged. Sirius and Tonks were frozen mid-fight, Daphne remained perched on her seat with Harry slung messily across her. Lupin stared helplessly at what was unfolding before him.
Daphne's heavy panting was the only noise in the room to him, now their faces were almost touching.
When she spoke, it was directly to him.
"Harry... made me see who I really was…" her words were a contrasting calm, "... he opened my eyes to the world… as such, I have developed a hyperfixation on him, as a representation of my own freedom... We started originally as a purely sexual-relationship but quickly developed genuine feelings for one another. It was the happiest relationship of my life, romantic-or-otherwise, and as brief as it has been. Now my only intentions are to provide Harry with the same freedom and sense of being that he provided me with, as well as protect him from those that may harm him."
A heartfelt speech that sounded like it took a lot to say - maybe if he wasn't in such an uncomfortable position and still wasn't pointing his wand at somebody, he would have kissed her for it.
He'd remember to do that later.
Lupin's confused panting took over the attention.
"You want to protect him?"
Daphne breathed in, secure.
"It was the mission given to me by the Dark Lord, but it is also the mission that I gave myself."
Both Sirius and Tonks stirred, moving out of each other's clutches.
"Elaborate, Miss Greengrass," Snape demanded.
"The mission the Dark Lord gave to me was grow close to Harry Potter and gain his trust... but also to defend him from anyone that may been him harm."
Harry blinked like he'd just misheard her.
Tonks snapped forward again.
"I told you! I'm summoning Mad-Eye!"
"SIT DOWN, TONKS!" Sirius snapped, moving in. "Why would Voldemort want to protect Harry? Why would he send her to do it?"
"She just said she's a spy to get close to him! We need to do something! What more do you want!"
Their eye contact didn't break.
It was odd. Everything she said was extremely incriminating, it should probably have affected him way more than it were doing. But there was something about the look she was giving him. Maybe it was their close proximity, maybe he was just stunned by her beauty. She looked sure. This wasn't like earlier, when she was trying not to speak. Now she had an expression on that practically invited further questioning.
Harry obliged, almost subconsciously.
"Ask her… ask her why she's here."
Harry could see Lupin hovering on the brink of his vision.
"What… w-what are…" The ex-Professor stumbled over his words for a second. "What reasons do you have for coming to Grimmauld Place? What intentions - whose orders are you acting on?"
For the first time all night, Daphne spoke with perfect confidence and solidarity.
"The only orders I'm acting on are my own. Harry offered me protection with the Order of the Phoenix. I was hesitant at first, but I eventually conceded. I wanted the help and… I wanted to spend time with him. He tells me being here can help me escape the Dark Lords grasp?"
That was more like the Ice Queen he knew.
"Well.. that depends... if that is what you truly want?"
"That is the only thing that I want."
For words so simple and straightforward, they had certainty taken a lot of struggle to get said.
Neither Harry or Daphne broke contact. That moment hung in the room for a second.
Still as statues they remained, with all eyes watching them.
"I don't know about you…" Sirius broke the silence, "... but I'm satisfied with what I've heard."
Tonks groaned obnoxiously.
"Don't be daft! Greengrass! What are the identifies of the Death Eaters that attacked the outpost?"
"The Car-"
Snape chimed in immediately, cutting her off.
"Today's date, Miss Greengrass?"
"December Twentieth, Nineteen Ninety-Five."
Tonks and Snape met in a stand off.
"Forcing the girl into telling you information she is uncomfortable with, or unwilling to give... it will violate her trust in you and the Order… Nymphadora," he warned.
Sirius coughed loudly, nudging Tonks out of the way as he moved to replace her position.
"This is over. Severus, give her the antidote before she embarrasses herself."
Snape obeyed. He brought out a small via of potion and handed it to Daphne, who snatched it quite unexpectedly from his hand. She downed the potion in one sip and then gave an unpleasantly rough sigh as it began to work its way into her system.
She gave a sobering look around the room, almost as if she was seeing it for the first time. Her eyes fell cautiously onto Snap where she scowled at him.
"He's going to kill me for this."
Sirius cackled loudly.
"Silly Snape's not going to kill you… Couldn't even if he tried! Not with us here, anyway."
Daphne licked her dry lips, unamused.
"Then he'll get somebody that can. He's a Death Eater," she hissed at him sourly, "Why don't you show everyone your arm, Professor?"
Despite all the good he'd just done for her - quite possibly being the only one truly on her side during the interrogation - the two sneered at each other as though repulsed by the others very existence.
"How about... I'll show them mine, if you show them yours?"
Harry and Sirius moved in identically, positive Daphne was about to make a go for the Potions Professor. But she remained reluctantly in her seat, though with a glare that could rival a Basilisks.
Snape moved off from her, smug. It was at this time everyone slowed separated and the atmosphere in the room changed; the integration was now truly over. Everyone moved off to their respective corners of the rooms to exchange in private conversation, or perhaps that was just the way Harry saw it, as he came down intimately to Daphne's side.
He wanted to say something but found no words were coming to mind. What really was there to say, after all that? His mind was a mess with new conflicting information, but he still wanted to offer her some kind of support. He couldn't find his voice, so she would have to settle for his mere presence. He moved his hand to her knee. She didn't fight it, which was good, but to his surprise - considering her proximity to the fire - he found her ice cold.
"Well that was all good for nothing…" he heard Tonks mumble from across the room.
Daphne's head snapped to the side.
"I don't like you very much."
Tonks grimaced back at her.
"Feelings mutual, Princess."
Harry frowned and moved his eyeline around Daphne and onto Snape, who had been conversing with Lupin.
"Thought you gave her the antidote?"
Snape looked briefly back and forth between Tonks and Daphne.
"I did."
Harry chewed his lip.
"Oh."
He and Snape both paused awkwardly for the moment, before returning to their respective conversations.
At last, Harry was able to find his voice with her. There was a lot he wanted to go over about what just happened. Voldemort, The Imperius Curse, the Death Eater attack, the fact that she could Apparate… but rather smartly, he knew this was neither the time nor place to ask about any of it.
In fact, judging by the weakened expression on her face, she'd probably struggle to answer even if he did.
"You... okay?" he settled on.
Daphne took a moment to respond. She looked like she was somewhere between falling asleep and being sick.
"I… I-I think that very much like to go to bed now, please."
Sirius leapt into action behind them.
"I can clear out Regulas's old room for you."
Harry frowned at the intrusion and kept that glare up until Sirius fully disappeared from the room. Then, he turned back to Daphne.
"You did well, Daphne… really. I know that was probably hard."
She nodded, licking her lips again.
"Could I… have a drink, please? The antidote tastes horrible."
Harry nodded eagerly and rushed to his feet, where he then left the room behind and entered the much colder kitchen.
He began pulling things from cupboard, not entirely paying attention as his mind was more than preoccupied. From his position, he could see enough of the living room to see Snape approach Tonks ominously, who almost seemed to shrink a few inches when she noticed him near.
"Satisfied now, are we Miss Tonks? This all going to make a nice report for the Ministry?"
Tonks, looking extremely troubled, crossed her arms.
"Well... I guess outside from splinching Dawlish and breaking Savage's leg… I didn't actually see her attack anyone offensively. And we did ensure the Spear was handed off to the Nurmengard Aurors. When we regrouped at the Ministry I mentioned in my report there was one Death Eater who kept trying to run away, so that's already on record at least. And now I guess it's obvious she's telling the truth... So, I probably shouldn't write any of this up until we know what to do with her."
Snape took his turn to cross his arms, and if Harry hadn't had been mistaken, he could almost hear amusement in his voice.
"Would I be being presumptuous to suggest… no harm means no foul?"
Tonks cursed something under her breath.
"Yeah, alright. Whatever."
Lupin was the next to chime in, though Harry couldn't see him.
"You know actually, my dear... she's in a situation not dissimilar to one that both your mother and Sirius found themselves in in their youth. Bearing that in mind… is there anything you feel you should say to Daphne, Tonks?"
Tonks looked, quite literally, like a child being scolded by her parents. She scrunched up her face in protest.
"... Sorry."
Isolation was the only thing she desired right now. She had just been happy to get out of that room and have the attention off her - nothing else mattered other than getting alone. Coming upstairs had passed like a blur, as had pretty much everything after she was handed the potion antidote.
She left Harry behind; she hadn't meant to.
The bedroom was in better condition than the others she'd seen. It seemed less lived in, because of that it had retained it's older generation aesthetic. The furniture was actually not unlike that of her own bedroom, which definitely helped. Sirius handed her off to the room, she had mumbled a thank you and shut the door immediately behind her. She put her drink on the bedside table where it would lay abandoned completely.
It was her first time in this room, but that didn't stop her marching across it and collapsing onto the bed like it had been her own for years. By the Olds Gods, she could right lay down for the rest of eternity.
She'd done her part now. She had begrudgingly shown them her underbelly and heed their every demand. She'd been taken advantage of way more than she'd agreed to, but had stuck with it through determination and her own stubbornness. She had overcome every obstacle they'd thrown her way without blinking and now, away from the eyes of others, it was finally time to tend to herself. She didn't know quite how to feel. She knew how she was supposed to feel, but her brain was conflicting her heart - and not for the first time.
She needed to calm herself down; she suddenly regretted leaving her wine on the side when she entered, but truly had no energy in her to retrieve it.
She was in the safe zone, she kept reminding herself. The worst of it was over. She'd taken the first big step she needed to head in the right direction. Needless to say at this point, but this was certainly not how she imagined Christmas with Harry.
This was it, then? No going back anymore. She had gone behind her father's back - behind her families back - for her own best interest. And yet she felt delightfully and surprisingly… not bad about it at all, really. There was a time once where visualizing her father finding out about her secret life filled her with anxiety and dread, the very prospect had been enough to keep her up at night. Yet now? She found she was taking an inordinate amount of pleasure picturing his face drop. That was the feeling that was so concerning for her. Her heart was screaming no, that she shouldn't be here, that these people were the enemy… while her brain told her this place was exactly where she needed to be.
Daphne pulled herself up into the sitting position.
A sudden occurrence sprung to her head; she could use the bathroom. It would definitely help her nerves and to organize her thoughts, plus she could pick up her drink on the way back.
Slowly and painfully, she brought herself back up off the bed. She'd been toilet briefly here before, Harry had shown her the way. It had been a few doors down from the portrait room - if her memory served her. Should be easy to slip there and back without being noticed by anyone, since she knew a long time would have to pass before she'd be any kind of social mood again.
She turned the doorknob and then stopped, frowning. She turned it the other way and paused again.
Had…
Had they locked her in?
"Hello...?" her voice barely cracked and she knew instantly that volume alone would not bring her an answer.
She rapped loudly against the wooden door a number of times.
"Hello?" she spoke again, louder. "... I… I would like to use the bathroom, please!"
No stirring or response of any kind. She sighed.
She didn't know if she was angry over their utter nerve, or disappointed she wasn't truly out of the woods with them yet.
"Can anyone hear me?"
She knew she wasn't just locked in; there had been a specific ward had been placed over this room to prevent her leaving. Honestly… had her exposing her deepest darkest secrets to strangers not been enough for these people?
A sudden fire surged through Daphne and she banged angrily against the door.
"I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO BE LET OUT, THANK YOU!"
Her words echoed in the room around her, but again, no reaction came. She huffed and gave up, stomping her way back to the bed.
She didn't even massively need the bathroom anyway, it just would have gone a long way to settle her nerves. But instead she was apparently locked in for the night. Did these people not know nothing about accommodation? After all she had been through, she was a guest in this house, and should not have to ask for a chaperone to go the bloody toilet!
At that exact second, while her mind was too preoccupied ranting to itself, the door opened and Harry stepped in.
"Don't close th-!"
The door swung shut behind him.
Daphne sighed and deflated back onto her bed, arms folded over her chest. Harry stared at her like she'd just spoken in another language.
"You alright? Were you shouting?"
Daphne remained solid on the bed.
"Why is there a magical ward over my room?"
Harry frowned at her, then turned and tried the door for himself. It took him longer than it should have to connect the dots.
"For god's sake…" he mumbled under his breath.
He moved over and took a seat beside her on the large bed, sinking a little into the huge pile of cushions that adorned it.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize. Tonks must have done that... I'm really sorry, Daphne."
He was looking at her with soft eyes. Those were the eyes she usually hated; eyes that held sympathy and pity for her. She did everything to avoid those eyes, but yet this time they fell on her differently. No anger rose inside her, instead they bypassed all those feelings completely and connected deep inside her.
Daphne kept her position and her stone face, but said nothing more.
She wasn't mad anymore.
"How are you doing?" he asked her, genuinely.
She had a lot of feelings, not all of them she felt she could even fully describe to herself. Nor was she entirely in the mood for sharing, either.
"Fine."
He cocked his brow at her.
"Just fine?"
Daphne thought for a second.
"Y-yes... fine.." she repeated, "... I'm a bit shaky... and I have to say, that mulled wine you did for me was awful. But, yes. I'm fine."
Harry paused.
"Daphne, that was hot Vimto."
She frowned back at him.
"Is that a Russain Crimea?"
He shook his head and she swore she caught him smile to himself. If she had any more effort left inside her to give then she'd have scolded him for it. Even though she didn't know why, it just felt an appropriate response for whenever he did that.
He scooched more onto the bed beside her. She instinctively budged up to allow him on and finally let loose her crossed arms.
"I'm sorry it got so intense in there," he said genuinely, "I really had no idea Lupin would do that... We weren't going to let Tonks take you, hope you know that."
His words came with a kind of finality about them, which Daphne could recognize. She pursed her lips. While she appreciated the apology, it didn't do much to improve her mood.
"Yes, well… she couldn't, even if she tried."
Harry stifled a laugh.
"I mean, she is a professional Auror. She doesn't act like it, but I've seen her in action. She was with the Order during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries."
Was he trying to impress her, or improve her opinion of Tonks? Because those words meant nothing, and they were doing neither. Daphne's cool expression remained.
"I have seen her in action as well and if I recall correctly, I beat her at that time. If she wants to try me again then I have no hesitation reminding her about that."
"Come on, she's on our side, Daphne… She's already apologized."
She sighed.
"Yes… quite, Harry. I do appreciate your help. But, it's the principal of it. You don't squirm away from a fight, especially to people like her who will hang it over you. I'm not letting my first impressions with her be that I'm willing to get bullied and pushed around."
"Daphne, cut it out. I really don't think you need to worry about that right now. There's a lot more going on to be concerned about. Starting something with Tonks is just going to make the Order trust you less. Seriously... lay off her."
Daphne paused and her thought process came screeching to a halt.
He only used that tone when he was telling her off; he was giving her a warning to stop being pedantic. If anyone else used a tone like that, then she'd accept it as a challenge. But on the rare occasions when he used that tone… it found a way of melting her a little on the inside. It was so unlike him to ever raise his voice, or act remotely forceful with her.
She liked it.
Liked it probably more than she'd ever admit to him, or anybody.
Daphne brought a hand to her face, pretending to scratch her mouth, but really it was to try and hide her glowing cheeks.
"Hey - I got you something! For Christmas!"
She took a breath in an attempt to flush the hormones from her system. It partially worked. When she calmed herself enough to listen to him, she stared disapprovingly at what he'd said.
"Why?"
"Because! You're my…"
He stopped himself suddenly.
Daphne knew why - and it did nothing but add to the heat in her cheeks.
"Because... it is Christmas," he tried again. "And everyone deserves a gift at Christmas. You wouldn't let me get you anything last year, so…"
"B-but I don't have anything for you?" a stranger's voice left her throat.
Harry's face light up.
"That's fine, honestly! This isn't really a present present anyway, just something I thought you'd like. Or we thought you'd like, Sirius actually gave it to me. He thought it would cheer you up."
Harry produced from his jacket a golden locket and after a second, Daphne was coerced into taking it.
"Apparently it's a Black family heirloom, but Sirius doesn't care about any of that. He thought it'd suit you."
She looked at the locket and found it decorated with a serpent-like S inlaid with glittering, green stones adorning it's doors on either side. It was easy to visualize it as a minuscule snake… more than that, actually, as she got closer she realized that's exactly what it was. So subtle that she might have been imagining it, there were little emeralds placed at the tip of the S to stand in for the snakes eyes.
The whole thing seemed to glow with an aura of prestige and knowledge, Daphne could definitely see why Sirius thought she would like it.
"It's absolutely gorgeous. And it's old… like, seriously old."
"Is that okay?"
Daphne paused before answering. Things were clicked together inside her head, and not all of them she could fully believe.
"You really don't know what this is, do you?" she asked him.
He shook his head. She brought the locket closer.
"See that 'S'?"
He nodded.
"That's not just any S, that's the Slytherin S... You can tell by the stylized font and the emeralds encrusted into it. Those are real emeralds, Harry. This isn't a Black family heirloom, this belonged to the Slytherin family. With how old it is, maybe even Salazar himself!"
Daphne let out a long breath of amazement.
"Where in Tartarus did Sirius get it from?"
Harry offered no answer and silence fell between them, each lost in their own thoughts. Daphne was sure that he was not nearly as interested in the locket as she was, and had probably saw it as little more than a funny little trinket when he gave it to her. Realty was… she was being suddenly overwhelmed by the uniqueness of the artifact that now lay in her hand.
"So you like it, then?"
When Daphne answered, she found her chest to be breathless.
"Like it!? Harry! I - I cannot take this! This… this belongs in a museum! It's probably priceless! The amount you get from just pawning it alone… never mind somebody who knows its worth!"
Harry grimaced plainly at her.
"That doesn't mean anything to me," he shook his head. "I'm not arsed about galleons, my parents left me loads. I thought it was nice and I wanted you to have it…" he laughed, "... and now I know it's significance I want you to have it even more."
He really was hopeless.
Daphne had never received such a heartfelt gift before and didn't quite know how to respond to it. There was a building of emotion inside her that she knew she wanted to do something about, but didn't know quite how to act on.
Well... that wasn't entirely true.
"You idiot…"
She lurched forward suddenly, surprising both herself and him.
Her lips connected to his and they joined together in a kiss. It wasn't just a one-off peck, either. Her lips touched his tenderly and slowly, he was more than keenly returning her movements.
In the time spent apart, their lips had missed each other and were now making up for the lost time.
Daphne slipped her mouth open slowly and brought her tongue to lick his lips, which seemed to shock him for a moment. That second didn't last long however, before his lips parted and welcomed her tongue into his mouth. Their tongues brushed against each other in glorious embrace. Harry was still reasonably stunned by her actions, it was enough for her to take the lead and act as the dominant one for a change.
For a second she broke the kiss, this was to move her feet from the floor and wrap them up beneath her, allowing her to get a better angle on him as she returned to his mouth. This movement in turn promoted him to bring his hand to her waist. Even through the baggy t shirt that he had loaned her, the feelings of his fingers on her skin did something... Incredible to her. She moaned into his mouth, an act that she knew did certain things for him as well.
Breathing deeply between their kisses, she was struggling to contain the rush of adrenaline making its way through her system.
Why did he have this affect over her?
She didn't know why she moved to this position; she definitely couldn't hold it. Actually, no. Scratch that. She knew exactly why she had done it. Because from this position, he was forced to lean back and she was slowly moving on top of him.
The back of Harry's head fell into the pillow and things grew in intensity. One hand supporting herself on the mattress, she brought the other one up to meet his face. She cupped his cheek, brushing his stubble in sync with the thrusting of her tongue. Harry brought his hand from her waist and onto to her back, where he brought pressure down on them both.
Daphne's arm relaxed it's support and their bodies grinded together. Even through their thick clothes, she felt her chest pressing up against Harry, who definitely seemed to notice. The grip on her back tightened and his other hand came into her hair, which he used as leverage to force his tongue deeper into her mouth. Her knees buckled. It took everything in her power not to go completely limp on top of him, oh how she loved it when he was forceful!
With her other hand now free, she took to moving it rhythmically up and down on his body. He had such a wide and strong chest compared to her hands. She could honestly spend the rest of her life on this chest. It was more defined than last year, she noted. Had he been working out, maybe? Or perhaps she just missed him.
She had missed all of this. It had been so long since she'd had physical contact - had his contact, the only one that mattered. It gave her everything she wanted. While like this, none of the world suddenly mattered and time did not exist.
She was his right now and he could do to her whatever he liked; and she would let him.
She'd even thank him for it.
That was what she wanted right now. She wanted him. All of him. Her body was moving on its own now, she was grinding wildly against him and the noises rumbling in her throat were not hers, but belonged to a repressed wild animal deep inside her.
"Harry… please..." she spoke impossibly quietly.
Those were not her words; she hadn't said them, but they had definitely come from her mouth. And as her hand left his chest and began making its way to his torso, she was almost as surprised as he was.
His hand came down on hers, stopping it harshly in its tracks.
"We shouldn't…"
His resistance did nothing to stop her thrusting, if anything the assertiveness of it intensified her movements. She was truly a slave to her own body now. She wasn't stopping herself, why even would she?
She'd already come so far this week, broken so many of her own boundaries and stepped so far out of her comfort zone. She wasn't the woman she wanted to be, nor at this stage could she ever hope to achieve it. There may have been no retribution for her, but there was certainly a lot going on in the other direction. She'd dropped so far from grace and become such a different person, why should this be one situation that she remained stubborn over? She might well go all the way, at this point.
Because if not now, then when?
It was Christmas time and they were of-age. She had a genuine connection with Harry, one that she'd never felt with another person before. The wards were up, so they were trapped in here together. He'd earned it from her at this point and she more than definitely deserved at least one thing going good for her.
It was all too perfect not to.
"We can be quiet…?" she offered, speaking in a deep and husky voice that even caught her own ears off guard.
Harry was considering it. She could tell he wanted it as well, not just by the look on his face. His hands were still tight against her and from what she felt while grinding, he was ready to go as much as she were. It was probably only the fact that they were doors away from his godfather and ex-teacher that was stopping him, which was understandable. But apparently, that was one fear Harry was quick to overcome.
Suddenly she was being flipped. He brought both hands to her back and rushed her, rolling her to side and climbing on her. Daphne let out a muffled cry, his movements caused a full paralyzing moment for her. Her legs, now shaking, were wrapped around his waist. She could feel how intimate they were.
Their lips smashed together again and this time Harry took the lead. He was still using her hair as leverage, now using it as a handle to angle her where he wanted. His much heavier torso pressed into hers and took to replicating her movements, albeit a lot more powerful. His thrusting actually succeeding with moving her inches up the bed and back again with each movement. Daphne grew cross-eyed with pleasure and gleeful excitement.
He brought his hands to her waist; her oversized tshirt worked as easy access. His fingers made contact with skin and her stomach instinctively retreated it. She moaned sensitively. His hands didn't stop there though - and admittedly slower than she would have liked - they began snaking their way up her navel. Each inch sent a ricochet of pleasure across her body. Her knees buckled and fought to join together, wrapping firmly around his torso in the process.
There was a loud crash and all of a sudden the door to their room went flying open.
Harry flew impossibly backwards off Daphne, almost as though he had been perched on a hidden broom the entire time. She froze up entirely on the spot, legs still open. All feelings of pleasure drained rapidly from her and a shameful cloud descended, with a very nasty aftertaste of annoyance at the interruption.
Sirius barged his way into the room. Harry glared daggers at their new guest.
"Sirius! Do you bloody min-"
"BURROWS ON FIRE!"
Daphne snapped to look at Sirius. He was mid-panic and didn't even seem to notice the compromising position he'd caught her and his god-son in. Harry did a double take as though he hadn't heard him properly.
"Wha… what?"
"DEATH EATER ATTACK - WHOLE THINGS UP IN FLAMES!" he bellowed again.
That finally caught Daphne's attention, who brought her legs shut and pulled herself into a sitting position. She and Harry exchanged nerve-filled glanced.
"NEED TO GO, NOW!"
He was still for a moment longer and Daphne could basically see the cogs turning behind his head. Then, all at once, he made a break for the door.
"Stay here!"
"Harry!"
But he was gone. He and Sirius both. Out the door, down the corridor and stamping loudly down the stairs.
The room felt very still in his wake.
Whatever hormones she had been feeling were snapped away in a second. Where she once felt passion, now felt a dullness. The only reassurance she was still alive was the rising and falling of her chest, but everything else had come to a dead stop. Disappointment and a vague feeling of helplessness dotted around her.
Slowly, she forced her mind to the place it needed to be.
"Death Eater…" she repeated to herself.
There was an urgency in that that she should definitely concern herself with. She knew this, yet as she brought her feet to the floor and stood up, even an inch of her screamed in protest.
The door was left open in Harry's wake. Daphne came to the framework but paused before she left. She picked up the mulled wine - or the Vimto as Harry had called it - and brought it with her.
A faint scent of burning was immediately present as soon as she stepped into the hallway. With it came distant rumblings of shouting from downstairs, and not all from voices that she recognized. If there were people down there that she didn't know, she definitely shouldn't let herself get seen.
Cautiously, Daphne brought herself to the head of the stairs and sat down, concentrating to make out the voices.
One of them, an older lady, sounded absolutely and heartrendingly distraught as she was shouting. Daphne recognize enough of the voices and names to deduce that The Burrow was apparently the Weasley's home. And it was on fire, this close to Christmas...
She swallowed a rising lump in her throat and brought the wine to her lips for a sip.
"QUIET! QUIET! EVERYONE, PLEASE!" Sirius shouted over the room, bringing the rumbling to a halt.
Tonks must have still been here, as she caught her voice next. Despite Daphne's personal feelings, she couldn't deny it was probably for the best they had so many Aurors on hand.
"Not all of them, no. But Greyback was definitely with them. He damn near took Bill's bloody face off."
"Fenrir Greyback? He's working with them?" Professor Lupin, who must have also been in the room, asked suddenly.
"Appears so. Lestrange and Greengrass were with him too. Didn't get a good look at the other ones."
And there it was.
Every fiber of Daphne's being went into rejection mode. She felt her very soul drain from her body and she wanted nothing more in that moment for the staircase to swallow her up entirely. This felt wrong. Every movement since leaving the bedroom was a movement back closer to them. She had come so close to getting what she wanted; to getting happy. And yet it was… it was them that took it away from her. Again. They were still here, still in her life.
Even here, she couldn't escape him. He'd burned through an entire families house to get to her. Grimmauld Place was not the safe haven she thought it was.
She took another, longer sip of her drink.
There was a presence behind her suddenly. Daphne didn't flinch, but nor did she make any effort to greet it.
"You need to remain in hiding."
Daphne struggled to hear the voice over the cries coming from down the stairs. When she responded, it was almost subconsciously.
"They're here... because of me..."
Snape shifted in the shadows behind her.
"Our kind is not welcome here. Us continuing to stay will only complicate matters. It's for the best that we make our leave... Our absence will be the best thing for them, right now."
It took all she could not to break down over the prospect of returning to the castle. To that world of hers.
Nonetheless, his logic was sound. The Weasleys needed room and it was because of her father that was so. Maybe they could find the sanctuary here that she could not.
Daphne nodded solemnly.
"Yes... Professor."
A/N Sorry for the delay getting this chapter out, I wanted to take the Christmas period off to spend with my girlfriend and family. Previous chapter was the most Christmassy so I felt it was a good one to pause on, but sorry I didn't give prior warning. Hope you guys don't mind too much! Normal scheduling shall resume!