The world around her felt very small. It was all black, but with hints of something else. Familiar names and places rushing briefly through her vision. She was being squeezed tighter by all directions, she could not breath, like a rubber band was tightening around her chest. Her eyeballs watered as they began to burn and sting. Her eardrums pounded rhythmically in her ears.

Then suddenly it was over. She collided roughly with a stone marble flooring and the breath was forced out of her lungs. The floor was cold on her cheek, yet familiar to her, and then the scent of home filled her nostrils.

She had just apparated for the first time.

The castle grounds had vanished and now she lay belly down in the entrance hall of Greengrass Woodhouse. Harry dropped next to her with a smoother arrival, he'd at least managed to land on his back, though he had a face like a slapped bottom.

Winky moved to assist them.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Harry said darkly.

Daphne pulled herself up, rubbing her ears. Despite her pride in excelling at her school subjects, the magic behind Apparition was one she hadn't planned to touch until next year. Needless to say, this probably wasn't the best first experience. She felt like she'd been suddenly dragged by her ankles through a garden hedge.

"That was my first time as well," she grimaced. "Can not say I'm a fan."

She took Harry by the hand and pulled him to his feet.

Having Harry in the Woodhouse - in her own home - wasn't something she'd ever imagined possible. The very idea of it was preposterous. There was tempting fate, but this was a whole new level. Winky stayed at a distance, watching them. The look on her face told them she was not thrilled about the prospects of what was happening, but was powerless to stop them.

"Winky, where are the rest?"

"In the drawing room, Lady Greengrass."

"Take us to them."

Winky obeyed and began to lead the way at a brisk pace. They exited the entrance hall and moved through a long corridor, passing a few portraits on the wall and then in and out of smaller rooms.

Harry was trailing at a slower pace, taking in the size and majesty of the household around him. Just looking back and seeing him behind her felt surreal. Two entities that were never supposed to meet. Months ago she'd have been an anxiety driven wreck even just considering it, but now it just simply didn't matter. Tomorrow felt like a year away, and with it were the consequences of her actions.

"M'lady, can I ask the reason Mr Potter is accompanying you?" Winky whispered to her. "If Master found out about this he would be displeased."

"No questions, Winky. What father doesn't know won't hurt him. Or anyone else."

They proceeded up a set of steps. The corridors around them were cold and unlit. Winky kept the unused parts of the house like this to put more attention on the parts they actually inhabited. If Daphne was looking at it from an outsider's perspective, she'd probably have thought the building derelict in some places.

"You live here?" he asked.

She followed his gaze to a family portrait. It had a short haired version of her father at the centre, with a preteen Astoria and not much different looking Daphne stood on either side. They looked happy together, but that wasn't why the portrait stood out. Out of the line of dozens of similar portraits adorning the wall, this one was the smallest.

"Yes…" Daphne began, not entirely sure if she was being asked a question or not.

She smiled at Harry, giving him a knowing look.

"There used to be a lot more of us. Now it's just me, my father and Astoria."

He waited, but she didn't say any more.

As they strayed into the more commonly used parts of the house, things began noticeably improving in quality. They proceeded down another flight of stairs and they neared the door in question. Daphne opened the door and walked quickly and swiftly inside. Weasley, Longbottom, Lovegood and Granger had spread out across the room, looking around in fascination. Their attention switched to them as they entered.

"You live here?" Weasley asked.

Daphne scoffed.

"Why is that so shocking to you people?"

He chuckled and then exclaimed, "You could fit my entire house just in this bloody room!"

"I feel that speaks more about your family than it does mine."

"Listen-"

Harry pointed a finger at him.

"Not the time. Where's the floo powder?"

Daphne stalled a second, the question didn't register in her head as being directed at her. Then she sauntered across the room and brought a pot off the mantelpiece.

"Here. We won't have be detected getting to London from here. Where is it exactly we need to go, may I ask?"

"The Department of Mysterious," said Harry. "It's in the Ministry of Magic."

She did a double take to make sure she'd heard him correctly.

"I know where it is," she clarified. "I just can't wait to hear your reason for needing to go there, of all places."

Harry took her words as a cue of sorts and moved to address the whole room. He coughed into his hand.

"Okay. Listen up everyone, this is the plan: get in and then get out. We just want Sirius, we're not looking for a fight. We've got a lot of us, some of us really skilled, but we're not risking anything. Nobody is dying tonight. If you see danger coming, don't be a hero, just alert the others and run."

He spoke with a voice that demanded attention. To her, the idea of Harry secretly teaching a class full of students was an alien one to her, but suddenly, not so much. She could absolutely see him as a leader.

Daphne leaned to Cho and whispered, as not to draw attention.

"Who is Sirius?"

"Sirius Black. He's Harry's godfather."

"Ah."

Apparently tonight was just going to be one bombshell after the other, then.

Daphne's eyes practically left her skull. She made a spluttering of confused noises.

"He's your what?"

Harry's gaze was sympathetic, but not much of anything else.

"I'll explain later."

She took a step towards him. She understood she was out of the loop and so not everything would make sense to her, but this was something else entirely. Her house, her rules.

"You'll explain right now if you want me to help you. Why exactly are we aiding and abetting a mass murderer? And how is he your godfather?"

She saw his green eyes struggling.

"He's innocent," Harry said blankly. "He was framed for his crimes by a man called Peter Pettigrew. He was the one who betrayed my parents to Voldemort. He's the reason they're dead, and he was the one who killed those twelve muggles. Sirius Black was my dad's best friend. And he's in trouble right now."

Daphne stared at the floor for a moment, considering what he'd said.

"Please don't say that name in my house."

Harry seemed to wrestle with himself for a moment and then gave an annoyed sigh.

"Right. Sorry. Any more questions?"

"Yeah," Weasley piped up from across the room, "What if this is a trap?"

He groaned even louder this time. The pressure was beginning to build up on him, clearly. In the past few minutes' he'd gone to grab a handful of the floo powder twice and been stopped from an interruption.

"Then if it's a trap we'll all be together! So we'll be okay, alright?"

"Harry Potter?" a new voice came from across the room.

Daphne's heart exploded.

Everyone flinched at the sudden intrusion. Astoria Greengrass, wearing only a nightgown, stood in the doorway that she and Harry had come through moments earlier. Daphne launched herself at her with astonishing speed, throwing herself against the door frame and shielding the group from her field of view.

"What are you doing out of bed!?" she whispered harshly.

Astoria had been removed from the school before all the drama between her and Harry had kicked off. Though her father knew, Daphne considered, there was still a chance that she was in the dark about it. And there was no part of her that wanted to see her little sister's expression when she learned the truth.

"Who are those people?"

Astoria craned her neck to see past her.

"Daphne, what is going on?"

She moved to block her.

"Nothing. Nothing is going on. You can't be here."

She intended her words to come out as an order, but in actuality they sounded more like a plea.

"I heard talking and thought father and his friends were back. Why is Harry Potter in our house?"

Her heart was beating very fast again. And her stomach was churning. She suddenly remembered the amount of times Astoria sought comfort in her when father was going off on one of his tantrums; not being able to provide that same comfort to her now felt wrong on so many levels. Her sister, bless her heart, was concerned and worried for her. She didn't understand that every second she was here she was making the situation worse for her.

"I need you -" her voice cracked and she started again, "- I need you to go back to your room and not tell anybody you saw us. Especially father."

"What are you up to? Do you need help?" she then whispered, "Are you being forced into something?"

"No, Astoria... just listen to me! I don't want you to be anywhere near here right now, okay? I'll explain everything later."

"Why are you being like this?"

Astoria backed away from her a couple of inches.

"Tell me what's going on or… or I'll tell daddy!"

"No, you will not," Daphne said heavily. "Now go to your room."

Astoria puffed out her chest.

"Why!?"

Daphne's lips were cold and numb. She tried her best to make some kind of telepathic reassurance to her sister. She was too deep into this to stop now, if she refused to understand then she was going to be left deserted and confused.

"I'm not asking anymore. Get out."

It felt like she dredged those words up from a deep, unnatural place inside her. Their effect made off, and Astoria, now wide eyed and fearful, backed away from the room. She pushed the door shut between them, locking it in place.

A sharp feeling pierced Daphne's heart. She buried her face into her hands. That was going to require a lot of damage control later. She could feel the eyes in the room watching her. They'd witnessed every part of the whole miserable exchange.

"What was that about?" Weasley asked.

Her mouth was dry.

"I just broke the most important promise I ever made myself. Now get in the bloody fireplace, Weasley."


The fireplace burst to life; Harry, Weasley and Granger were the first to topple out, followed closely by Daphne, Cho, Longbottom and then Lovegood.

They were the only ones in the huge cavernous hallway.

Daphne had visited the Ministry with her father every once in a blue moon, and each time it had been bustling with life. Seeing the place so deserted, even with it being night time, was an ominous sight. The lights remained on, but the only noise was the distant steady rush of water from the golden fountains. The entire complex seemed a million times it's normal size.

"This way," said Harry quietly.

The seven of them sprinted off with him in the lead. She knew the way there as well, of course. Her father very often worked in the Department of Mysteries, which meant she had ventured it's halls more than once as well. They moved past the water fountains and towards the elevators, their footsteps echoing loudly in the chamber. Daphne's feeling of foreboding increased as they passed through the golden gates to the lifts.

She couldn't knock off the surrealness following her. None of this felt real, it was like watching a dream. She couldn't actually be here, running away from school, with Potter of all people, could she?

Harry typed something into a keypad on the wall and a lift clattered immediately into sight.

"Where is everybody?" Cho asked the question on everyone's mind.

He didn't answer. Two doors slid apart in front of them and he moved inside. The group didn't have a choice but to follow. He stabbed their floor number and the doors closed with another bang.

"She's right," Daphne answered finally. "There should be some people here. Cleaners… or house elves... anyone."

"Perhaps they're on holiday?" Lovegood suggested.

She couldn't tell if she'd intended it as a joke or laugh, but sent a scowl her way regardless. Seconds later a female voice loudly announced, "Department of Mysteries," which was then followed by the metal grilles sliding open.

Harry didn't wait and marched ahead of them again. Since leaving the Woodhouse he had all but entirely shut down. It reminded Daphne of how he'd ignored her outside the Great Hall. His lack of communication was beginning to get on her nerves, but then the look in his eye reminded her this was his mission, not hers. Nonetheless, she couldn't help the daunting feeling; he was being needlessly reckless right now.

He marched straight toward the door at the end of the corridor, Daphne and the others following closely behind. He set his hand against the door handle and raised his wand, prepared to strike the second it opened.

It swung open gently. No attack came. The room on the other side was dark and difficult to see into. Just a few shimmering lights were visible.

They entered, slowly, and spread out, keeping their eyes in all directions. Upon entering they discovered that the lights were in fact not lights, but crystal balls. Thousands of them, no, millions of them, all stacked on shelves that reached inhumanly high, their tops vanishing through a ceiling of darkness; it was impossible to tell how tall the room was. Daphne inched forward and peered down one of the shadowy isles. The room was cold and sterile. She could not hear anything and there was no sign of movement. When the coast was confirmed clear, all eyes were back on Harry, almost as though asking his permission before continuing.

"He's here. Wands at the ready."

Together, the seven descended into the long alleys of shelves. The ends of the corridors weren't visible through the darkness. They formed a protective formation; Harry at the front, Daphne and Cho by his sides, Ron and Hermione in the middle and then Longbottom and Lovegood following up the rear. It offered a little defence, but didn't do much to help the feeling of open exposure.

Harry was counting the numbers on the shelves as they moved, quietly talking to himself. He was growing increasingly agitated as they moved deep in.

Visibility was next to none, their wands only illuminating about five feet in front of their face. The feeling of being underwater as a heavy one, furthered by their anxiety-driven heavy breathing. Twisted, inky shapes moved in and out of the blackness around them. Daphne screwed up her nose, trying her best to make out what was real and what was her eyes playing tricks on her. The silence in the room was almost deafening and every inch they moved deeper the more the anticipation for something to finally happen grew.

They began to slow. Harry was counting the numbers out loud. They were nearing the area he was looking for. Daphne braced herself for whatever was about to happen.

But nothing did.

Harry stopped with his eyes set entirely on the ground. Everyone came to a halt behind him, expectantly. A minute passed before he said anything, and he refused to look directly at anyone.

"He should be right here."

His voice had deflated. Nothing at all like it, the determined, commanding one he was using earlier. Daphne shuffled around, unsure of whether to comfort him or not.

Then there was a sudden prickling on the back of her neck. It was off to the side, not too far away, but not close enough to see.

Something was calling to her. Now that she had noticed it, it was next to impossible to focus on anything else. She turned her head in the direction of the calling. Nothing there. No sounds or movement in the darkness, just the seemingly endless corridor of crystal balls. But now the calling had increased. The walls seemed to be drawing her nearer, begging her with all it's might to take the short trip to what she could sense.

Daphne glanced back at the group.

"Harry… this one's got your name on it," said Longbottom, gesturing to one of the crystal balls on the shelves.

Her head screamed at her to turn back in the direction of the calling.

She should alert the others. That's what Harry had said to do. This definitely qualified as something suspicious enough. But everyone now had their attention elsewhere, and she was barely a few meters from the source of what was luring her in. Holding her wand out at a good distance, Daphne took a few steps into the dark corridor. The summoning increased ever still. She could no longer tell if it was in her head or if she was actually hearing something.

Her pace quickened. The closer she drew to it the more intense the feeling grew. It was beseeching her to come closer. The feeling in her mind stopped being fuzzy, it was now solid, it was in front of her. She was on it. It turned her head for her.

A crystal ball, with words under it.


S.P.T to A.P.W.B.D - Daphne Greengrass.


She stared at it. She had a prophecy. They were only reserved for the most noteworthy people, nothing short of makers of history. Yet there it was, written in plain ink. Her name, under a crystal ball prophecy.

Feeling reckless and more than a bit disbelieving, she lifted it from the shelf. She expected it to feel cold, but the opposite, it felt like it was radiating heat. She rose the glass ball high, hoping to catch it better light and maybe see something form in the misty clouds trapped inside. She desperately tried to decipher any meaning hidden within. Reality was refusing to sink into her. She simply couldn't be part of a prophecy. When had it been made? Why had it been made? How long was this here waiting for her?

Then, back a distance from her, there were voices. Voices not belonging to her group.

The prophecy was forgotten in an instant and she leapt to action. She drew her wand from her sleeve again and scurried back to the group. They had each taken up a defensive stance - Daphne soon found out why.

Black figures were emerging from the darkness around them. Not just illusions brought on by tricks of the eye this time, either. Masked figures were filling into the corridors around them, keeping their distance, but blocking their exits nonetheless. Daphne backed into the space between Harry and Cho, but suddenly found her knees weak. She recognised those masks.

She personally recognised those masks.

"You saw only what the Dark Lord wanted you to see," Lucius Malfoy sneered. "Now, hand me the prophecy."

Her head snapped to the side. Harry had a prophecy of his own, too.

"Do anything to us and I'll break it," he warned him.

A Death Eater suddenly stepped forward from the rest. Lucius's head snapped to the side, annoyed. The masked figure approached them, wand hanging uselessly by his side.

"Daphne?"

She swallowed the rising lump in her throat and held her head high.

"Hello, father."