London
November 11, 2006
"Ms. Greengrass!"
Daphne covered her face with her right hand as she entered the Parliament Meeting House, her briefcase clutched in her left.
The reporters weren't deterred and continued shouting, "Can you tell us how long you have been seeing Ron Weasley? Was Harry Potter aware of your affair?"
She pushed her way through, mumbling a simple "excuse me" while otherwise attempting to keep her head held high. She had made her statement to the press already – nothing she said now would do anything but add fuel to the proverbial fire. She felt James Potter behind her, not quite as willing to keep quiet as he barked "no comment" and pushed his way through the crowd.
"I didn't think it would be this bad," she told him, shaking off the feeling of being violated.
"You're doing great." He gave her a reassuring smile. In the days since she had barged into his house, he had managed to turn himself around – something which she was eternally grateful for. He had been instrumental in developing her strategy and ensuring the voices speaking out against the HPRA would be heard.
She walked straight to the waiting area outside of the speaker box, her mind drifting back to a time, not long ago, when she escorted Harry here. She recalled his easy smile, the cavalier way he just acted like he would always be alive.
That was the day of the first bombing, she reminded herself. She heard noises coming from inside the room, the sound of laughter and applause. She had chosen not to listen to the remarks of the speaker in favor of the HPRA, knowing it would only anger her.
She had a good speech. She had the moral high ground. Now she just had to get Parliament to listen to her.
"Representative Greengrass," the Corps Sergeant called her name. She stepped forward, pausing at the threshold as she smiled lightly; the memory of Harry saluting her floated to the front of her mind. She nodded, exhaled, and stepped in.
"In opposition to the legislation titled the 'Harry Potter Remembrance Act', for the safe continuation of the magical and non-magical communities, The Honorable Daphne Greengrass – junior magical representative of England." The WEA secretary looked at her cautiously and yielded his place at the podium to her.
She stood frozen, the murmurs and whispers surrounding her. The Representative who spoke in support of the bill, a non-magical named Stevens, snorted at her in derision. She took a few deep breaths, closing her eyes as she waited for the murmurs to die down.
Unexpectedly, they came to an abrupt stop. When she opened her eyes, she saw everyone looking at her – only they weren't looking quite at her, but behind her.
She was terrified to look; a feeling, a scent crept up on her. It was impossible – but then she saw James Potter – standing up with wide eyes and making his way out of the spectators' box.
"Daphne," she heard Harry's voice softly behind her, and she closed her eyes, shaking her head; impossible, she reminded herself. And then she felt his hand on her shoulder, and she let out a sob as she turned and fell into his arms.
"You're really here," she cried into Harry, gripping onto his arms, as if afraid if she let go, she would wake up and discover it was a dream. She pinched herself, letting out a brief "ow!" and earning a soft chuckle from Harry. She felt in some way she should be angry, as she considered all the tears she cried and the utter insanity of the past two weeks. But in that moment, she was simply so relieved to have him back, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at him.
"I'm so sorry Daph, I'm sorry for everything," he told her, and she nodded, shushing him and just so happy he was here. She looked up, and in the corner of the speaker's box stood Ginny, looking on at the display with a soft smile. Daphne tried to nod at her, to give her thanks, but broke into another round of sobs.
Soon, the silence gave way to murmuring, whispered confusion as Justice representatives began sweeping through the crowds.
"Would you be upset if I took over this speech for you?" Harry asked, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Not at all," she told him, letting go and laughing lightly as she saw his smile spread. He gave her a quick salute and turned to the podium. Daphne shuffled to the back of the box and gave Ginny a brief hug. "Thank you," she told the officer and gripped her hand while Harry spoke.
"Excuse me everyone. Good afternoon." Silence came over the room immediately. Harry smiled and began, "I'll start by letting you all know: Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." This earned him a round of laughter from across the crowd.
"Two murder attempts were made on my life. The second one I barely escaped; my death was faked by the quick thinking of representatives from Justice and the Corps. Since then, I've watched from afar in horror as my name has been used to justify everything I've ever fought against. I've watched the magical and non-magical communities be manipulated by a cabal of men, fighting for, of all things, foreign interests.
"The one person who has had my back this whole time – the person who I've always trusted most when it comes to politics – was dragged through the mud. Because she made a friend and dared to laugh when you thought she should be in mourning. I wondered when the news came out – would this have happened if she was a man? But do you know what?" He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "None of that matters!"
"Because everyone who knows me knows Daphne Greengrass will always represent me. I say it now, so no one will ever make that mistake again. But I'm not here to berate you all; especially since I know many of you have been supportive of my ideals, helping to preserve cooperation between the magicals and non-magicals and ensure the continuation of the WEA.
"I'm here to explain why this bill is utter and complete crap. First, I'm very sorry to tell you all, but this bill is the culmination of a larger conspiracy. You see, the attempts on my life weren't the brainchild of some random non-magical terrorists in France. They were the workings of a small group of magicals. They have been manipulating events over the past month, first with my supposed death, then by convincing the public my death meant our entire Alliance was a failure – even suggesting the Alliance was the cause of our birth rate problem!
"Then of course, when they couldn't get their own into office, they tried to persuade Representative Greengrass to vote for this travesty of a bill by blackmailing her. And when she refused to give into them, they tried to discredit her. And why did they do this? Well, it turns out they were in league with Voldemort and the Death Eaters. So not only were they trying to manipulate you and the citizens of the Alliance, they were doing it to aid and abet a foreign government. They did this to enable Voldemort to get a foothold in Western Europe, to pave the way to tear apart the WEA once and for all.
"While I've been speaking, you've probably noticed a few of your friends being picked up by representatives of Justice for questioning. We're in the process right now of rounding up those responsible for this conspiracy – though I'm sure we'll be cleaning up the pieces of this mess for a long time."
Harry cracked his neck, turning around to give Daphne an apologetic smile before he continued speaking. "What I can tell you is it appears there were three ringleaders. They are Elijah Parkinson, Malcolm Flint, and Anton Greengrass." The whispers started again and Harry paused, waiting until the crowd had calmed down. "I believe and have always believed in the WEA. I would happily give my life for it, though I would much rather not.
"I'm hoping what I've said thus far encourages you all to vote against this bill. But if it's not enough, just think about how much we've all accomplished together. Think about what the world is like now relative to what it was five years ago! Think about where we will be in five years. And that brings me to the last thing I would like to say to you all.
"Even though I'm still alive, I will not be resuming my position in Parliament. I'm asking Daphne Greengrass to retain my seat until the next election." Harry put up his hand to shush the crowd before continuing. "This is because in my time away, I uncovered what I believe is a viable solution to our birth rate issue. I can't discuss the details, and I make no guarantees, but that's where I'll be – trying to make sure our species has a future. Representative Greengrass has always been my brain in these four walls, and you are in good hands with her.
"So, with that said, please vote no on the Harry Potter Remembrance Act – and seriously, who the hell came up with that name?" He grinned and the crowd broke into emotional applause, many members whistling in approval and some with tears of their own. The media in the back was in a frenzy, the speculation rampant. Harry waved and stepped to the back, a wide grin spread on his face.
"Was it everything you imagined?" Ginny teased.
"Oh, it was better." He laughed, opening the door and running straight into his father.
"Harry!" James hugged him, and Harry only paused for a moment before returning the gesture. "I'm so sorry, son."
"Hey, I'm here," Harry assured him.
His dad stepped back, tears streaming freely down his face. "I just," James started, fumbling for his words, "there's so much I want to say."
"I love you too dad," Harry told him, a smile plastered on his face as he hugged him again, feeling closer to the man than he had in years. He heard Ginny holding back the press from the hallway and reluctantly released his father, walking with confidence towards the vultures.
"Mr. Potter, can you tell us–" one started.
"Mr. Potter, what did you think of Daphne and Ron We–"
Harry put his hands in the air, and the voices slowly quieted down, though the camera flashes continued.
"I will make a brief statement. My death was faked in order for the authorities to get to the bottom of a conspiracy to undermine our Alliance. I have nothing to say about the frankly ridiculous news stories you all concocted about Daphne. She is and will always be my best friend, though for the record, we are no longer together, a fact entirely unrelated to your gossip. I consider Ron Weasley a friend, and I'm eternally grateful that while I was presumed dead, Daphne was able to find someone to confide in, given her own family blackmailed her."
He rolled his eyes as more questions were shouted, which he ignored. "As I said before Parliament, I am forfeiting my seat to pursue a different goal. I have complete confidence in Daphne's ability to represent the interests of the magical community in England. That is all." Harry smiled, feeling more free than he had in a long time.
"Where were you?" Daphne asked once the four of them had finally reached James Potter's townhouse, successfully evading both the circling media and politicians. She was seated next to Harry, holding his arm like she was afraid if she let go, he would disappear.
"We spent a few days with one of Ginny's friends, then we actually stayed with Sirius Black," he told her, though his gaze shifted to his father.
"Sirius?" James asked, wide eyed. "How did that happen?"
Harry shrugged. "Robards called in a favor, I guess." He cocked his head towards his father before he continued, "You know, I remember how close you two used to be – you should try to mend fences. After all that's happened, you just don't know how much time is left."
James frowned, shaking his head. "It's been too long. Our disagreement – I don't see us overcoming that."
"Seventeen years." Harry nodded. "I know what happened. I don't think it's too late."
"He told you?" James asked, swallowing.
"He told her," Harry explained, elaborating at James' confused look, "Hermione."
James' eyes widened further. "It sounds like you had quite the adventure."
Harry nodded and chuckled. "We did. And one day, when it's all over, I'll tell you everything."
"I feel as though we just got you back, and you're already saying goodbye." Daphne frowned.
Harry nodded, squeezing her hand and offering a slight smile. "I can't tell you what I'm doing now, it's too dangerous. But it's important. And hopefully it won't take too long."
"Can you tell us where you're going?" James asked, frowning.
Harry shrugged. "I'm not quite sure."
"So what happened then – with the investigation, I mean? How did you all catch my father?" Daphne asked quietly, the blood slowly draining from her face.
Harry squeezed her hand. "When you were blackmailed, they were able to connect the blackmailers to the Death Eaters and the French fundamentalists."
Daphne narrowed her eyes. "You'll need to elaborate."
"Robards and Fox placed a surveillance bug in your house; so after you were blackmailed, they were able to identify who left the package, and from there managed to trace down your father, Parkinson, and Flint."
"But what about the Death Eaters?" his father asked.
"They found out the person who paid the terrorists didn't exist; it was just an alias used to publish the Pureblood Manifesto. They interviewed your father last night, and he confessed that they were colluding with the Death Eaters, claiming they believed it was the only way to solve the birth rate issue. The idea was, if they could sow unrest and split the country in two, the country would be 'ready,' so to speak, for Voldemort." Harry exhaled, looking nervously at Daphne. "I'm sorry."
Daphne shook her head, a pensive expression marking her face. "I think I'd known, I just didn't want to believe it. It makes sense, what with him sending Astoria away and all, I just…" she trailed off.
Harry squeezed her hand one more time before he turned to Ginny, who was watching from afar, giving him his space. "Are you ready?" he asked her.
Ginny nodded. "As I'll ever be."
"Daphne, before I leave, I have a favor to ask you…"
Cambridge
Draco and Hermione, disguised as young backpackers, worked their way to the Cambridge Apparition zone. Sirius had managed to stay sober long enough to glamour himself to look, from a distance, like Draco, and was currently leading the Corps on a wild goose chase. That being said, there were still a few officers checking papers at the entrance to the Apparition zone.
Hermione smiled as the officer requested her documents. She handed him the blank paper as Draco performed a quick Impedimenta. She started counting, knowing they had limited time before Draco's offensive spell would be detected. Soon they were through the Corps checkpoint, walking much more quickly towards the field.
"60 seconds," she said to Draco.
They were still about fifty meters from the zone, so they ran, ignoring the sound of boots behind them. Only a few moments later they heard the tell-tale signs of gunfire.
They managed to cross the threshold of the zone, and Hermione held Draco's hand and slammed her eyes shut, feeling a distinct pull in her stomach as he apparated them to Scotland.
Hogwarts/Hogsmeade
Hermione opened her eyes to find herself in a rather plain living room with a couch, some chairs, and a few bookshelves but no television or personal effects. She frowned at Draco, her mouth drifting open.
"My home," he told her, "I know this place better than anywhere else – figured it would be safe. Come on, we should go to Hogwarts, the Dark Lord will have felt my return. He'll be expecting me there." He paused, performing a quick spell to change from his jeans and long sleeve v-neck into traditional wizarding robes, before offering Hermione his hand and escorting her out the door.
"Ordinarily, I like to fly places." He motioned to the broomstick next to the threshold. "But it's probably best if we walk."
They left and strode along the Hogsmeade main thoroughfare. It wasn't terribly unlike the main streets they'd come across in their recent travels – about two out of every three store fronts appeared dilapidated or otherwise tired from disuse. She was intrigued by the few shops that remained; she noticed the chocolate shop Draco had alluded to, where a few children were loitering. She smiled unconsciously, continuing to take stock of her surroundings.
There was a clothing shop, as well as what looked like a small grocery and an apothecary. As they continued, Hermione noticed that other than the children earlier, it was eerily quiet. She was reminded of just how few Death Eaters there were, and her mind considered once more just how different life must be here.
"Do you all have currency?" she asked Draco, having never taken the time to consider how the Death Eaters' economy functioned, if one even truly existed.
He shrugged. "Technically, for certain things people will still use gold, but typically people barter. Other things, like food, are rationed."
Her eyes lit up; she was intrigued by this accidental social experiment. How did this small, homogenous group maintain a self-sufficient society? She knew they weren't completely isolated from the outside world. But there was no way they had regular access to resources outside of their enclave, meaning that they had developed a means to ensure food production year-round as well as any other necessities.
Of course, they were greatly aided by magic, but still, she wondered who was responsible for managing this society – was it Voldemort himself? He didn't seem the type to be interested in such routine ventures, but she didn't want to necessarily assume anything. As they walked past the main street and began climbing, she saw the castle come into view in the distance.
"Draco, do you all have a town manager? How have you all been able to maintain a self-contained society for the past fifteen years?"
He smiled at her, his eyes soft, as he answered, "The first few years weren't great. There was a lot of in-fighting, and a number of people left. My father is actually our manager, as you call it. Though, I think he likes to consider himself something of a mayor."
Hermione's mind buzzed. "It's fascinating. The WEA's supply system is so intricate – factories and farms in all different regions and trade routes throughout. Do things ever feel... monotonous? I can't imagine you have substantial ecological diversity; do you get bored with the same food?" Her eyes were alight in curiosity as she rambled, not even noticing as they approached the Hogwarts front gates. She stopped abruptly, wide-eyed as she took in the sight before her.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his hand cupping her cheek.
"No, but let's do this anyway."
He kissed her softly, letting it linger, as though he were holding onto the memory. "Don't forget," he reminded her as they walked up to the Hogwarts front door. "From here on out, you have to trust me. Not my actions or what I say."
"I'll try," she told him, a familiar refrain.
When they reached the entrance, Draco pressed his wand against the doors, triggering them to open into a great space. A man, if you could call him that, floated over to greet them.
"Draco, you have returned. With a guest." The man sneered, his lips turning as though to smile.
Hermione did her best not to look repulsed. She noticed out of the corner of her eye Draco bowing in deference and she bowed slightly herself, hoping not to offend the man.
"My Lord," Draco started, maintaining his dramatic bow.
"Rise," the man said, his voice sharp.
"My lord, may I present to you, Hermione Granger." Draco gestured towards her. She noticed Draco's eyes never met the man's and attempted to emulate the action.
"It is an honor to meet you, sir," Hermione said uncomfortably.
"I've been waiting for you. The pleasure is mine," Voldemort insisted, his tone victorious.
Chamonix, France
The portkey deposited Harry and Ginny on a patio. They turned, taking in the snow-covered mountain range and the chateau that stood behind them. Windows covered the wall, and a warm well-furnished room sat just beyond. The pair gave each other a look, a silent confirmation before opening the sliding door.
The room, upon further inspection, held an assortment of artifacts, mostly magical in nature. An old hat sat in the center of a coffee table, appearing to watch them curiously. Various tchotchkes littered multiple shelves, some of them spinning and others remaining stock still. A broomstick appeared to be gathering dust in the corner. They looked around for a moment, curious, before the sound of footsteps drew their attention.
An old man walked in, his dark blue robes billowing behind him. He frowned as he took them in, his wand seamlessly floating to his hand. Ginny stepped in front of Harry, grabbing her wand, before Harry lightly pressed on her shoulder, urging her to stand down.
The man watched the interaction and softened. "You are not who I expected," he told them.
Harry nodded. "Hermione couldn't make it. But we need your help. You're Albus Dumbledore right?"
The man blinked before nodding. "Yes. And I'm guessing you are a Potter and you—" Dumbledore looked at Ginny thoughtfully. "Must be a Weasley."
"I'm Harry Potter," Harry confirmed. "And this is Ginny Weasley."
"I must admit, I'm – surprised by this turn of events." Dumbledore looked at the pair curiously before gesturing for them to sit down. "Would you mind explaining how you came to be here?"
"We—" Harry paused, considering what to tell the man. "We believe that Voldemort may be inadvertently responsible for the collapse of the birth rate globally." Harry watched the man's face, hoping to glean something of his intentions. "It seems Voldemort has created Horcruxes in order to become immortal." And that's when Harry noticed it, an almost imperceptible knowing glint in the old man's eyes.
Harry unceremoniously pulled the locket from his bag and threw it onto the coffee table. Dumbledore gave the briefest hint of surprise before returning his face to its mask of indifference.
"Sirius Black suggested that you could help us find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. So, Hermione gave us the portkey, and Ginny and I came here."
"And where, might I ask, is Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked, narrowing his eyes.
"On her way to Hogwarts," Harry answered truthfully.
"That is very dangerous." Dumbledore frowned.
Harry nodded. "Someone needed to investigate exactly how Voldemort and his Horcruxes were influencing the global birth rate. We needed someone on the inside – and Voldemort asked for her."
Dumbledore looked wary. "Why should I help you?"
Harry's eyes narrowed. "Why were you going to help Hermione?"
"She is the subject of prophecy," Dumbledore answered, as though that were all the explanation needed.
Harry exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes. "I've heard the prophecy, and I have to say, it's quite vague. And I'm fairly certain there is no part of it that involves working with you in the middle of nowhere. If you're not going to help us, we'll go. But it seems like you've waited all this time to make your move. Is this really how you want to play it?" Harry smiled tightly.
Dumbledore nodded, brushing his thumb and forefinger against his chin. "Alright, I will help you."
Harry visibly relaxed. "Thank you." He looked around again, frowning. "Where are we exactly?"
"Forgive my manners, we are in my chateau in Chamonix. Welcome to France."
End Part 2
A/N: That brings us to the end of Part 2, and with it, we've reached the end of Daphne's storyline in Finding Kallipolis. She will have a few cameos in Part 3 but we will no longer be following her.
For those of you who've enjoyed Daphne and the politics of the WEA… There will be a Daphne centric sequel to Finding Kallipolis. This will be a 13 chapter political drama following Daphne's election campaign, and will delve deeper into the politics we scratched the surface of in this fic.
WEA 101 can be found on my Tumblr at canttouchthis87
Thank you to my beta, ElizColl, for her tireless work on this. Thank you also to Astrangefan and Art3misiA for reviewing/keeping me from going crazy.
I'm on Tumblr at canttouchthis87 posting questionably clever banners for this fic.
I appreciate any and all comment/reviews/emotions/GIFs!
Sunday will bring us to Part 3: Alliance. Our third and final segment of Finding Kallipolis...