Daphne's Promise
Author: Captain Cranium
Summary: Years ago, Daphne Greengrass made a promise to Harry Potter. She still remembers it, but does he? AU, Post-Final Battle, One-Shot, EWE. Daphne's PoV.
There was a small clearing close to the edge of the Forbidden Forest that nobody besides Daphne Greengrass knew about. She was sure of it. It was almost a perfect, grassy circle, surrounded by oak and beech trees and a handful of weeping willows through whose branches you could peer at the Lake. It was there that Daphne retreated to after the Final Battle was over, after the bodies were counted, and after she had made sure that Astoria had survived. She sat down with her back against one of the great oaks, watching the sun set over the Lake through the branches of the weeping willows. Red and purple hues flared over the horizon, lighting the smattering of clouds on fire. She closed her eyes and let the gentle breeze cool her down as the dying rays of the sun lost their strength. The day had no business being as beautiful as it was, she thought, given the bodies she had seen, the lives that had been lost.
"It feels wrong, doesn't it?" rasped a voice behind her.
She almost jumped - she would have, if she hadn't recognized the voice.
"Potter," she said, her heart speeding up as he walked into view.
The Boy-Who-Lived, the Man-Who-Won. He was covered in dirt and grime and specks of dried blood. Her eyes wandered from his torn right sleeve and the strange white wand with ridges on it that hung limply in his grasp, to his gaunt face that was blackened with soot that somehow made his prominent green eyes seem even more entrancing. His hair was tousled more than usual even, which was saying something, and his glasses were bent and the right lens had a large crack on it.
She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him. He didn't even flinch.
"Occulus Reparo," she said. The crack on the lens disappeared and the frame twisted into shape until it looked brand new. "You trust me that much, do you?" she chided. "Constant Vigilance."
His response was immediate.
"I do," he said steadily. His green eyes pinned her down and she couldn't help but avert her gaze. "I saw you take down Mulciber, you know. During the fighting. You were great."
"Right," she said uncomfortably. Her heart sank a bit. Was that why he was here? To compliment her for taking down Mulciber? She was proud of that - the man was a seasoned Death-Eater - but she had hoped he remembered a conversation they had had, many years ago. But it had been so long and so much had happened since... maybe he didn't remember at all. "How did you find me?" she settled for asking. "No one knows I come here."
His hand reached for his pocket and pushed down a worn, old piece of parchment that was peeking out of it. "Trade secret," he said, his lips curving into an impish smile. His whole face lit up when he smiled. He had been smiling less and less these past few years. She was glad he would now have reason to smile more.
He sat down next to her and they sat in a comfortable silence as the sun completed the rest of its journey below the horizon. Scarlet followed red and orange, and in turn gave way to violet that allowed midnight blue to creep in. The stars flared into view above them, and though the trees surrounded them, she could make out Canis Major directly overhead them, and not far from it, the planet Venus. She thought she saw Mars, but it was so dim that she wasn't quite sure.
"We should head back," she said at last. If they waited much longer, they would have trouble finding their way back without wandlight and using wandlight this late out in the grounds was a sure way of getting spotted, and getting spotted meant having to answer questions.
He nodded and stood up, holding out his hand to help her up. She accepted and he pulled her up. Somehow, she lost her balance and his other hand found its way to her waist to steady her. Her heart thudded. She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on firmly. Intense green eyes stared down at her, drawing her in, his face barely inches from hers.
"Do you remember a conversation we had three years ago?" he asked softly. "You made me a promise."
Her heart leaped to her throat. "Three and a half," she corrected, squeezing his hand. "I didn't think you remembered."
"I never forgot," he said simply. "Will you keep your promise?"
She swallowed. She had thought often of this moment, of whether it would come, and she had spent much of the past year convinced that it never would. She had imagined a thousand times before how she might react, what she might do, what she might say, but now, in the moment, she found herself at a loss for words.
His face fell and his hold on her hand slackened. "I understand if you'd rather not, I mean. If there's anyone else... I'm stupid, I shouldn't have come. It's been so long."
He made as if to let go but this time she was the one who gripped his hand and held him in place.
"No, wait," she said.
Instead of answering him with words, she flung her arms around his neck and reached up to meet his soot-stained lips with hers. She felt a rush of something - she couldn't tell if it was emotion or pleasure or magic, or all three of them combined - as he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned into the kiss, and the world seemed to melt away until it was just the two of them in each other's arms.
"A Greengrass always keeps her promise," she told him delicately when they finally resurfaced for air. She couldn't help but smile and feel a bit proud at the huge grin plastered across his face. "Was that worth the wait?"
"Worth every minute," he assured her. His green eyes danced at her as he pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "May I have permission to court you, Daphne Greengrass?"
She laughed and reached up to give him another kiss. "I can't wait, Harry Potter."
A/N: A light something to cheer you all up in these coronavirus times. Please stay safe and take care of yourselves!
I left it up to the reader's imagination what the exact details of Daphne's promise were. If you calculate back to three and a half years before the Final Battle, it was around the time of the Yule Ball or the winter term right after. I'd be very curious to hear what you think the promise was. Drop me a review or PM letting me know!
- Captain Cranium