* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 46: Family is Family
A/N: The chapter title is from the song:
Family is Family by Kacey Musgraves.
Daphne got home late on Sunday night, so Harry was asleep. She climbed into bed with him and fell asleep pretty quickly herself. But when she woke up the next morning, a fight broke out over the breakfast table.
"Hey baby," Daphne said as she flounced into the room, slipping her feet into high heels, "How was your weekend with Teddy?"
"Brilliant. How was your weekend back in your second home?" Harry asked dryly.
Daphne frowned, "Who told you?"
"Narcissa and Andromeda," Harry said. He had yet to make eye contact with her.
"Harry, let me explain-"
"Explain what?" Harry snapped, "Explain why you neglected to tell me about four years of your life?"
"Harry-"
"You spent four years in France, gallivanting around with Draco. Your Mothers probably drank wine and talked about how you were going to get married one day like that fucking contract said you would," Harry said irritably, "And I'm not insecure about it. I don't think you still love Draco, I don't think you're going to run off with him, but I'm hurt, Daphne. I'm hurt that you didn't tell me about any of that."
Daphne bit her lip.
"I had to find out from Andromeda and Narcissa that you had nearly gone to Beauxbatons!"
Daphne sighed quietly behind him, but Harry didn't turn around to look at her.
"So it begs the question, what the hell happened in France that needs to be kept such a big secret?"
"There is a big secret," Daphne admitted, "But it isn't mine to tell, which is why I haven't mentioned it. I was going to have to tell you before the wedding, but I was putting it off because my mother doesn't want you to know."
Harry still didn't turn around, "And you couldn't have mentioned in conversation that you had lived in France? You couldn't have told me the basics without telling me the secret?"
"I could have," Daphne admitted, "But should we be discussing this now? You're late for work."
"I don't care," Harry said shortly, "What's the secret? Is it about you and Draco?"
"No, but if I'm honest, it was during that time that the marriage contract was written up," Daphne said, "While we were in France, our mothers saw a connection and asked our fathers to write the contract."
Harry just nodded.
"You know that he was my first love," Daphne said quietly, "I know I don't talk about it that much, but from the age of eight, I knew I was going to marry him one day. It's a burden, growing up knowing that because you feel obliged to love somebody. And I would have kept trying, but he took the dark mark, and I couldn't marry him after that. I loved him, but there are just some things that you just can't see past and discovering the boy that I loved had murdered a muggle to become a dark lords bitch was one of them."
Harry glanced down, awkwardly, "I know, I'm sorry."
"And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about France, I am," Daphne continued, "But trust me, the reason that I didn't tell you has nothing to do with Draco."
"Then, why?" Harry asked. He looked up and caught her eye, "What was such a terrible secret that you kept something so huge from me?"
"When we were in France, we stayed at the family chateau," Daphne said, "The Greengrass family chateau which traditionally, has always been held by the eldest Greengrasss sibling."
"Your uncle," Harry realised
"My Uncle Phineas," Daphne said with a nod, "He basically lived with us. He was my mother's lover. Despite what my father had done to us because of her betrayal, she still couldn't let him go. My mother…she made me swear not to tell anyone, and she drummed it in so much that even now, it isn't something I'm comfortable talking about."
Harry frowned, "I thought your mother vowed to stay loyal to your father after the fire?"
"She did," Daphne said quietly, "But she lied. She was in love with my uncle; she just couldn't let him go. When we lived in the chateau in France, my Uncle Phineas worked in Luxembourg, and he was there every weekend, sometimes through the week too. That was how I found out the truth about…."
"What?" Harry asked, his tone was far less harsh now, "What is so bad, Daphne?"
"My sister," Daphne said, she cleared her throat, "That was how I found out that Astoria is only my half-sister."
Harry's eyes widened, "You mean…."
Daphne nodded, "My Uncle Phineas is her father. Astoria doesn't know, and I don't want her to find out, ever. That was why I kept the whole thing a secret; it was all a big complicated mess. I knew I couldn't start telling you about it without telling you the whole story."
Harry nodded slowly, "I understand that now but…."
"It's a big shock, I know," Daphne said, "I had years to come to terms with it, and it took me a long time. The thing is…it's all going to resurface soon because I need to get my Uncle Phineas to okay my inheritance before the wedding. When I find him, he's probably going to want an invite to the wedding, and then my mother will let herself fall for him all over again and now Astoria is older-"
"- She might work it out," Harry finished with a nod, "I get it, that's been praying on your mind, but you should have just spoken to me about it."
"Coming from the master of bottling things up and then exploding?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.
Harry grimaced, "That's a fair comment."
"You're really late for work," Daphne pointed out.
"I know," Harry slung his bag over his shoulder, "But we are going to continue this conversation tonight. I want to hear about those missing four years."
"Okay," Daphne promised.
"RECRUIT POTTER! WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS?"
Harry grimaced. He had been trying to sneak into the showers in the hope that Sheppard hadn't noticed that he wasn't there.
"Uh, I'm sorry, Sir. It was just…I…well…."
"Spit it out, Potter," Sheppard barked.
"I got in an argument with my fiancé," Harry muttered under his breath.
Sheppard laughed and hit Harry on the back, "Did you hear that, Recruits? Potter is 40 minutes late because he got into an argument with his fiancé. Poor little Potter! How do you think we should punish him for that?"
"Laps!"
"Laps!" Sheppard agreed loudly, "Potter, run around that pitch 40 times, once for every minute that you were late! You have 20 minutes; move your arse!"
Harry made a mental note never to fight with Daphne in the morning again.
Neville was allowed back to classes at midday on Monday, and he got plenty of ribbing from his friends for jumping in front of the flamethrower curse rather than just using a bloody shield charm. The phrase of the day was, 'Are you a wizard or not?' which Draco warned Theo never to tell Hermione about because she would kill him if she knew he had been telling everyone that story.
When Neville got home that night, he changed into comfortable clothes, had his elf make him some dinner and then floo-ed Lilly.
She answered straight away and smiled at him, "Hey, how's the invalid?"
"All healed up," Neville replied, "I'm sorry for ruining our romantic weekend."
"It's alright. I kind of had a romantic weekend of my own with Daphne," Lilly joked.
Neville's eyebrows shot up, "Explain."
"Well, amongst other things, Daphne kind of kissed me," Lilly said sheepishly.
"Kind of? How can someone kind of kiss you?"
"Okay, so she didn't kind of kiss me; she totally snogged my brains out," Lilly conceded, "We were drunk. Well…I was drunk; she was pretty tipsy. I feel kinda bad, like I sort of feel like I cheated on you. Are you mad?"
"No, the only thing I'm mad about is the fact I didn't get to see it," Neville said honestly, "You're not gonna run off and leave me for a girl now, are you?"
"No," Lilly laughed, "My ratio is still predominately straight."
"What?" Neville sniggered.
"Oh, Daphne reckons everyone has a ratio of how straight they are," Lilly said with a shrug, "Hers is 50:50, and mine is 70:30."
Neville laughed, "Was your ratio 70:30 before this weekend?" he chuckled.
"Well, I don't know because, before this weekend, I'd never kissed a girl before," Lilly said with an amused smile, "Do you have a ratio?"
"Oh, I'm probably 99:1. Everyone is a tiny bit curious, I suppose," Neville shrugged.
"Is that your excuse for kissing Justin in sixth year?"
"I didn't kiss him; he kissed me!" Neville exclaimed, "I was not a participating party in that event."
"You were in your sex dreams about Theo during sixth year though," Lilly smirked.
"What? Did Harry tell you about that?"
"No, Harry told Daphne about that, and Daphne told me," Lilly chirped.
"Well…do you think Daphne knows about Harry's sex dreams about Draco?"
Lilly scoffed, "Neville, everyone knows about that. Draco knows about that. Harry followed him into bloody bathrooms for the love of God."
Neville laughed, "Anyway, apart from snogging Daphne Greengrass, what did you do this weekend?"
"We went shopping," Lilly said, "Which was bearable because Daphne showed me her wedding dress and asked me to be her maid of honour, and I totally cried, which was embarrassing. But then she took me to this amazing bookshop, and we sat there for hours until we had to go back to the apartment to get ready. Then she made me wear this ridiculously sexy dress and heels I could barely stand in, and we went to the Moulin Rouge."
"I am gutted I missed this weekend," Neville admitted.
"Next time, don't jump in front of a flamethrower curse," Lilly said with a smirk, "And you might get to come with us."
Neville laughed, "Yeah, I supposed I deserved that one."
Lilly continued, "Anyway, we went to a fairground yesterday, and Daphne dragged me in to see a seer, which was awful."
"Because you don't believe in all of that nonsense?" Neville guessed.
"No, I kind of do now," Lilly confessed, "Because this seer showed us an alternative future. It was what would have happened if there hadn't been an eighth year."
"Oh, Godric. From the look on your face, I'm guessing it was bad?" Neville said.
"Well, you and I are weren't together. You were married to Hannah who was the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, and you were this hotshot Herbologist," Lilly explained, "You had just gotten back from a trip to France where you had bumped into an old friend, who Hannah referred to as the girl who helped run the hospital wing during the war."
Neville grimaced.
"Yeah, you called me a crazy cat lady," Lilly added, "Which I was to be fair. I lived on my own with four cats in Paris."
"But you don't even like cats," Neville pointed out.
"Well, they were obviously better company than men in my alternate future," Lilly snorted, "We weren't even the worst, though. I mean, hardly anyone was happy in that future."
"What about Harry?" Neville asked curiously.
"Harry was a workaholic Head Auror who hated Ginny but had three kids with her and was cheating on her with Hermione. Hermione was with Ron, and she didn't even know if her oldest kid was Ron's or Harry's because she'd been sleeping with Harry for years," Lilly replied.
"Wow…"
"Yeah. Daphne was a hot lesbian curse breaker who was dating an equally hot lesbian Susan, who was the Assistant Head of the DMLE."
"Do I need to be worried about the number of times you just said hot?" Neville snorted.
"Trust me, if you had seen Daphne in dragon hide trousers, kissing Susan in a pencil skirt, you would have said the same thing," Lilly said with an amused grin.
"One kiss with Daphne Greengrass, and all of a sudden, you're bisexual?"
"Shut up, or I'll tell Harry you snogged Justin Finch-Fletchley."
"You're an evil wench, Lillian."
Lilly just grinned, "Guess what Draco did in the alternate future."
"Went back to being a greasy slimeball?" Neville guessed.
"You are remarkably right. He married Astoria, who was cheating on him with Theo. Oh, and Theo and Sadie were married, but she was having an affair with Blaise. She was also pregnant and had no idea whose baby it was," Lilly summed up.
"So it was a fucking shit future then?"
"Basically, yeah," Lilly replied.
"I feel like you need to show me that memory of you and Daphne now, just to cheer me up," Neville joked.
Lilly chuckled, "I can't show it to you through the floo, but if you promise not to get yourself hurt in simulation next Friday, I'll show you it next weekend."
"Deal!"
"I'm home!" Harry called when he stepped into the entrance hall.
"I'm in the kitchen!"
Harry kicked off his shoes and stepped into the kitchen, where Daphne looked like she had been slaving away. She had her hair pulled back into a bun and her perfectly put on face wasn't quite as perfect as usual.
"What have you been cooking?"
"Bouillabaisse."
"Bless you."
Daphne shot Harry an exasperated look and waved her wand. The food instantly began to pour itself into bowls, "It was the first meal that I learned how to cook. My mother taught me when we lived in Paris. We used to have this every Friday night."
"Ah, I see what you're doing," Harry said with a slight smile, "Opening up, sharing your experiences. You feel bad for not telling me, don't you?"
"Of course I do, you idiot," Daphne said shortly, "Now would you sit down and eat, please?"
Harry sat down and looked at the food in front of him, "And what am I eating exactly?"
"I told you-"
"Yeah, that French word you said," Harry said with a wave of his hand, "I still have no idea what this is, though."
"It's a stew with lots of different fish in it," Daphne explained, "This one has red rascasse, European hake and turbot. There's also shellfish, mussels and octopus. It's an old French recipe; fishermen used to make it from the scraps they couldn't sell on."
Harry wasn't overly keen on seafood, but he didn't want to disappoint his fiancé, especially after all the effort she had gone to. So he nervously tasted the dish and was pleasantly surprised.
"Wow, this is amazing!"
Daphne smiled, "Really? I haven't made it in years. In fact, I don't think I've ever made it without my mother hovering behind me."
"Well, trust me, this is delicious," Harry said. He smiled up at her, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Daphne said as she tested the stew herself, "Mm, it is good but not as good as my mothers."
"You shouldn't expect it to be," Harry pointed out, "She's been making it for years, and this was your first time doing it on your own."
"True," Daphne said, she looked into the depths of the bowl, "We used to eat a lot of French food when we lived in Paris. I enjoyed most of it, but the frog's legs were pretty horrific. I don't think people should eat something that is also a potions ingredient."
Harry laughed, "Did you like it, though?"
"What, France?"
He nodded.
Daphne thought about it for a moment, "I loved it in some ways but not in others. The chateau was beautiful…I'm sure my mother would love to take you on holiday there sometime. It's this beautiful three-story manor house with this huge balcony on the second floor where all of the bedrooms are. It's right on the banks of the Seine, and it is just the most beautiful place…."
Harry watched as a smile slipped onto her face while she remembered.
"The family business has completely gone to shit," Daphne continued, "But my Uncle Phineas still hasn't sold that house. He hasn't hassled my mother once about it, which goes to show how he feels about our time there."
"Was it weird? Him being your uncle and your mother's lover?"
"Sometimes," Daphne admitted, "But most of the time, it was just nice. He did the things a father should have done but that my father didn't. He worked away a lot because he was the business developer for the shipping company, and every time he came home, he would bring Astoria and me a present. Astoria always got a better present obviously because she was his daughter and I was just his niece, but it was still more than my father did for me. He and my mother would take us out on the weekends when he was free. My Uncle Phineas came up the Eiffel Tower with me while my mother waited with Astoria because she was scared of heights."
"So in a lot of ways, he was the father you always wanted," Harry realised.
"Like you will be to Teddy, I hope," Daphne said with a nod, "I think you would like him, you know? My Uncle Phineas…he's a nice man, just a little…misguided, I guess."
"Why don't you see him anymore?"
"When I went to Hogwarts, we had to move home," Daphne said. She glanced down at her food, "And when we moved home, the affair had to stop because my mother knew that my father would kill her if he found out."
"That doesn't make it your fault," Harry said. He could see the direction she was going with that one.
"My mother thought it was for a long time," Daphne admitted, "That was why I didn't have a great relationship with her when you and I met. She wanted me to go to Beauxbatons so badly; she even took me up for a tour of the school. When I told her I wanted to go to Hogwarts, she was devastated."
"Why did you decide to go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked curiously, "Don't get me wrong; I'm so glad you did because otherwise, I would never have met you. But it sounds like you loved France, so why didn't you want to go to Beauxbatons?"
"Honestly, I was scared," Daphne said. She looked up and caught his eye, "I had been in France since I was seven. I had missed birthday parties, and I missed my friends. I didn't want to be the one English kid in a French school. I wanted to go to school with Sadie and Draco and Susan, the kids I grew up with. You know?"
Harry nodded and smiled at her, "I do get it, but I did the complete opposite. I got on a train, and I knew no one. I left everything that I did know for Hogwarts, and I came out with everything that I could ever have wanted."
Daphne smiled, "And I came out of Hogwarts with everything that I had ever wanted as well. So, we both made the right choice."
"Yeah, it's funny to think how different things would have been if we had made that one decision differently," Harry mused.
"Yeah…you know talking about that," Daphne remarked, "Lilly and I saw this seer in Paris yesterday. She was the real deal, she demanded my earliest memory as payment, and she showed us an alternate future."
"An alternate future?" Harry frowned.
Daphne nodded, "How the future would have panned out if there had been no eighth year."
"Oh god, did I marry Ginny?"
"Yeah, you did," Daphne said with a nod, "And you were so unhappy you asked your boss, who was Susan by the way, to give your extra work, so you didn't have to go home. You were the Head Auror. Susan was Assistant Head of the DMLE."
"That sounds accurate," Harry said thoughtfully.
"You were cheating on Ginny with Hermione," Daphne added, "You had been for years. Hermione didn't even know if her oldest kid was yours or Rons."
"No," Harry said simply.
Daphne frowned up at him, "What do you mean?"
"I mean no, don't you even dare go down that route in your head," Harry said firmly, "You went to some crazy seer in Paris who showed you an alternate reality. What you saw there doesn't matter because it's not real. I probably barely knew you in that reality. I probably thought that I didn't have a chance with you, but in this one, I had the guts to ask you out, and it was the best decision of my life. I love you, and I don't need anything more than that. I'll never want more than you."
Daphne smiled at him, "I was just telling you what happened."
"You were getting insecure," Harry argued, "And you have nothing to be insecure about. Look at you."
"You should have seen me in the alternate future," Daphne laughed, "I wore dragonhide trousers and worked with Bill in Egypt."
"Were you and Bill together?" Harry asked.
"Who's insecure now?" Daphne countered.
"Just curious," Harry objected.
"No, I was with Susan," Daphne said as a smile played on her lips, "And I asked you to join us in Paris for the weekend, and you said no."
"Well, alternate future me sucked then," Harry said as he drew her in for a hug, "And I have good news for you, you know?"
"Do you?" Daphne asked as she kissed him lightly.
"Mm-hmm," Harry murmured against her lips, "The adoption papers were finalised. We can adopt Teddy whenever we like."
Daphne's eyes widened, "Wow."
"Yeah," Harry grimaced, "That kind of terrified surprise was my first reaction too. It got me thinking, are we really ready for how much this is going to change our lives?"
"Harry-"
"I know we love Teddy more than anything, but this is scary, Daphne," Harry cut in, "It's going to change everything, especially the way our relationship works."
"Stop," Daphne said sharply, "I know that it's scary, but I'm not going to let you pull out of this just because you're scared. I understand where you're coming from, so why don't we try a dry run?"
"A what?"
"A trial," Daphne answered, "We can talk to Andromeda about it. Teddy can come and stay here for a week. He can stay here while we work and go about our lives, and we'll see how it works out."
Harry nodded slowly, "I love you."
"I know."
"You're a genius."
"I know."
Harry beamed and kissed her, "We'll suggest it to Andi at the weekend."
Before they could say anything further, the floo whirred to life.
"Floo signature: Lillian Moon."
They both moved towards the fireplace.
"Hey, I want to talk to her," Harry objected.
"So do I," Daphne complained
"But you just spent the whole weekend with her!"
"So? You're not talking to her before me."
"Why?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Just…because!" Daphne remarked, "We need to grant her access, or she'll hang up."
"Fine," Harry smirked, "Access Granted."
The floo turned green, and Harry said, "Now her face will appear in the flames, and we can both talk to her."
Daphne rolled her eyes as Lilly's head materialised in the fire.
"Hey Lil," Harry chirped, "Is there a reason why Daphne wouldn't let me talk to you before she did?"
Lilly looked over at Daphne, "Does he know about…."
"No," Daphne admitted.
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Yes, I suppose I better," Daphne said. She fixed Harry with an amused look, "Lilly and I kissed at the weekend."
Harry snorted, "Really?"
"Yes, really," Lilly muttered.
"Honestly, Daphne, are you capable of having a female friend and not kissing them?" Harry retorted.
"I don't kiss all my friends. I haven't kissed Hermione!"
"That's just because she's not your type," Harry said with an amused shake of his head, "I knew this was going to happen. As soon as Lilly went back to being a redhead, I wondered how long it would take for you to kiss her."
Daphne rolled her eyes, "You're just pissed off that you weren't there. Aren't you?"
"A little," Harry said, "You had better show me the memory."
"I will if you're a good boy," Daphne said, smirking at him.
"I'm not a bloody dog," Harry muttered under his breath.
Lilly bit her lip in amusement, "Did you tell him about the alternate future?"
"Some of it," Daphne admitted.
"Were you and Nev happy, Lil?"
"No," Lilly scoffed, "I was a crazy cat lady, and he was married to Hannah; it was a shit future."
"Which is why you and I are now on - operation drop hints to Neville that Lilly wants a diamond ring," Daphne said with a grin.
Harry grinned too, "Are we? That's brilliant, Lil!"
Lilly rolled her eyes, "It's no big deal, and I'd rather a sapphire anyway," she joked, making the other two laugh.
"Morning Bill."
"Don't bother sitting down. We're heading straight out," Bill said the moment Daphne walked into the office, "One latte to go. I need your brain in gear."
Daphne frowned as she accepted the coffee, "What's happened?"
"We have a case," Bill said. He locked the office door with a wave of his hand, "Welcome to your first blood magic curse case."
Daphne's eyes widened, "Blood magic? That's dark."
"I've seen darker," Bill promised, "But generally speaking, yes, when blood magic is used to create a curse, it is normally pretty bad."
"Has anyone died?" Daphne asked.
"No, it doesn't seem to be that kind of curse," Bill replied, "We were contacted by a man who claimed his home had been experiencing paranormal activity after he acquired a painting. I did a little bit of research into that painting and discovered that the artist committed suicide, but before he took his life, he mixed his blood with the oil paint that he used for the painting."
"Right," Daphne said slowly, "Hence where the blood magic comes in, but what's going on in this house then?"
"The usual stuff muggles associate with ghosts," Bill said offhandedly, "Doors opening in the middle of the night, blood-curdling screams etc. The weird thing is that every member of the family has had nightmares every night since the painting was acquired."
Daphne hummed thoughtfully, "And a poltergeist has been ruled out?"
"Yep, the Spirit Division sent a couple of people over last week," Bill replied, "Their report came back clear."
"Which leaves the painting as the only recurring factor in all of this," Daphne realised, "Hence, it must be cursed."
"Exactly," Bill agreed. He told Daphne the coordinates, and they apparated to Cumbria to see what all of the fuss was about.
When they stopped spinning, they found themselves at the end of a long gravel path leading up to a rather nice house.
"So," Bill said conversationally, "Now that I've briefed you, are you going to tell me what's up?"
"It's nothing really," Daphne promised, "I just kept some things from Harry that I really shouldn't have, and we argued about it. I had to tell him all about the time I spent in France in the end and about Astoria's true parentage. I don't know why I didn't tell him in the first place, to be honest."
"If I know Harry, which I think I do, I'm guessing he was fine about it in the end."
Daphne nodded, "He normally is once he's cooled down, and we've talked it over. We talked about Teddy again too, because the adoption papers are finalised now."
Bill glanced over at her, "Which one of you backed out?"
"Neither of us, although Harry was freaking out a lot," Daphne admitted, "If Andromeda agrees, we're going to do a trial run. I just thought you should know in case I show up knackered at some point next week."
Bill laughed, "Noted. Hey, talking about France and stuff, Fleur wants to get to know you better, so she asked me to invite you over to Shell Cottage. You guys can stay for the weekend; you can sleep in the doghouse."
Daphne snorted, "No thanks, Bill. I don't fancy sleeping in your kennel."
Bill shot her an amused look, "It isn't a kennel. It's a summerhouse with a sign on it saying "The Doghouse". Fleur thought it was an appropriate name for it since I go there when I get angry during the full moon."
"Right," Daphne chuckled, "Well, assuming Harry is okay with it, sure."
"You can bring Teddy too if you happen to have him that weekend," Bill added.
She nodded, "I don't envision Harry having a massive problem with it," Daphne admitted as she raised her hand and knocked on the door.
"Teddy! Honey, you need to come in for your bath!"
Daphne was standing by the patio doors, watching Teddy on the playset in the back garden. They weren't supposed to have him tonight, but Andromeda had been taken ill, and Narcissa was with her at the hospital. Harry had no idea that Teddy was here because he was staying late to revise for his first Disguise test.
Teddy shook his head at her from the top of the slide.
"I know you want to play, honey, but it's bath time," Daphne said again.
Teddy slid down the slide and ran over to Daphne. He wrapped his arms around her legs and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes, "One more slide Mumma."
Daphne's eyes widened and simultaneously welled up. She had heard him call Harry "Dada" several times, but Teddy had never referred to her as anything other than Daphne.
"Alright, one more slide," Daphne said softly.
The little boy ran back to the playset, and a familiar voice said, "You are a natural, my love."
Daphne jumped and spun around, "Mother! How did you get in here?"
"The house-elf let me in," Lareina Greengrass said, "I am your mother after all, even if you only visit me twice a year."
Daphne sighed and turned away from her mother so that she could keep an eye on Teddy, "You know why that is, Mother."
"I know we have a troubled relationship Daphne, but you could have told me that you were planning to get married in December," Lareina said, "I had to hear it from your sister, and even she did not mean to tell me."
Daphne resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "You will be invited, but barely anyone knows, so don't take it personally."
"Daphne, please do not get tetchy with me," Lareina said. She sounded tired, "I did not come here for an argument."
"Then why did you come here?" Daphne asked, "Because yes, I don't visit you, but you don't visit me either."
Lareina sighed, "I would visit every Sunday if I felt that you wanted me here, Daphne, but you have your own life and your own family."
Daphne swallowed hard and asked, "Why are you here, Mother?"
"I only came to inform you that the house is to be sold."
"What?"
"The house," Lareina repeated, "I doubted that you would be sad about that. I know how much you hate that place."
Daphne frowned and turned to look at her mother, "Why are you selling it?"
Lareina swallowed visibly and looked away from Daphne, "Your Uncle Phineas and I recently got back in contact and-"
Daphne scoffed and shook her head, "Of course. It had nothing to do with you making a decision of your own volition."
"Daphne, please," Lareina said desperately, "Let me finish. Phineas thinks he can save the business, but he needs more funding, and I do not need that house. I hate it as much as you do, if not more. I will use some money from the sale to buy Astoria a flat, and I may well move to the chateau in France, but I have no qualms about selling the house."
"I don't care that you're selling the house," Daphne said quietly, "I care that you're back in contact with him."
"Daphne, Phineas was always good to you-"
"Mother, if you have said what you came here to say, then please leave," Daphne said stiffly, "I need to get Teddy in the bath and ready for bed."
Lareina sighed again in that same tired way. She wanted to stay, but she respected her daughter's wishes, so she left without another word.
"Be quiet when you go upstairs. Teddy's asleep."
Harry frowned as he shut the door behind himself, "Teddy's here?"
"Andromeda isn't well," Daphne said without looking up from her book, "Narcissa took her into St. Mungo's, and they suspect that it's a case of dragon pox. She never had it as a child, so she doesn't have the immunity."
"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked anxiously.
Daphne nodded, "Narcissa floo-ed and said she's responding well to the potions, so yes, she should be okay after a few days in the hospital."
Harry sat down next to her on the sofa, "If Andromeda is going to be okay, what has you so worried?"
Daphne sighed and replied, "I had to change the wards on the house today."
"Why?" Harry asked sharply; his first thought was to panic that Fawley had come for his revenge.
"Because my mother showed up, and the elves just let her in," Daphne replied.
Harry frowned, "I didn't put her on the list of people that the wards and elves shouldn't let in, so that's my fault, not the elves. I thought you would want her to be able to visit."
Daphne swallowed, "I may act civil with my mother for appearances, but that is all that it is, Harry. There is nothing more to that relationship, especially now that my Uncle Phineas has her back in his grasp."
Harry was in his usual clueless way, perplexed, "I thought you said you liked your uncle, that he was like a father to you?"
"When I was young, he was," Daphne agreed, "But then I went to Hogwarts and ruined their whole epic love story, and he never let me forget that. Now that he has my mother back, it's only a matter of time until my sister finds out the truth."
Harry sighed and wrapped his arm around her, "Don't panic, Daphne, we'll make sure that never happens. I promise you."
Daphne didn't look convinced, but she leaned into his embrace all the same.
"I hate this stupid painting."
"So do I, but you hate it because you aren't properly engaged today."
Daphne glared at Bill, "I told you, I'm fine."
Bill raised an eyebrow at her, "You did tell me you were fine, but I still don't believe you. Don't get me wrong, this is the toughest curse we've faced together, and the added element of blood magic isn't helping. But you aren't at your best today, Daphne."
"I just hate this painting, and I can't stand my mother and her stupid lover and that goddamn house," Daphne said through gritted teeth. At the end of her sentence, the piece of chalk that she was holding snapped in half, "Ugh!"
"Daphne, I'm calling a coffee break. You need to tell me what the hell is going on before you get too angry at that curse and get us both killed," Bill said. He had lost his usual jesting tone and looked more solemn than Daphne had ever seen him.
Daphne knew that she couldn't argue this time. She just nodded and looked down at her hands, "My mother is selling our house because her lover, who is my uncle, needs the money to try and save the family business. I don't know why I'm upset about the house; I hated that house. I mean, my father tried to kill me in that bloody house! But for some reason that I can't explain, I'm upset that she's selling it. And I'm annoyed that she's talking to my uncle again because she's just going to fall in love with him all over again, and if that happens, Astoria will find out the truth, and she can't handle that, Bill. She just can't."
Bill nodded calmly, "Daphne, I understand why you are upset about the house. The Burrow is by all accounts and purposes a shithole, but I'd be sad if my parents moved away because of all the little things in that house, like the markings on the kitchen door with all of our names, showing how much we grew every year. Like the posters that Char and I attached with permanent sticking charms to our bedroom walls, those little things turn a house into a home and even if you hated that house, there must have been little things that you loved."
"The room at the top of the tower," Daphne said quietly, "Astoria and I's escape from our screwed-up family."
Bill nodded again, "It's okay to feel upset about it, and as for your sister, maybe she's stronger than you know. We view our younger siblings as children who need protection, but at some point, they grow up, and they don't need us to protect them anymore. You can't protect Astoria from the truth forever."
"I know," Daphne said. She had her eyes shut tight as she felt a headache begin to come on.
"Do you want to take a half-day?"
Daphne shook her head, "I'll have a walk outside and get my head back in gear."
"Alright," Bill conceded, "When you come back, be ready because I think I'm pretty close to cracking this thing."
"Miss Greengrass?"
"Yes, Kreacher?"
"Your Mother be at the door. Master says she not come in if you not say so."
Daphne sighed. At least this time, Teddy was in bed, "What does she want Kreacher?"
"She says she has a box of things for you," Kreacher replied.
Daphne had a feeling that she might regret it, but she said, "Let her in."
Kreacher disappeared with a crack, and Daphne heard the door open. Kreacher led her mother into the kitchen then disappeared once more.
"You had your fiancé change the wards," Lareina stated.
"No, I changed the wards," Daphne corrected her, "Even if we are not married yet, I have as much power over this house as Harry does. This is the modern world that we live in, Mother. I assume that is why I will not be receiving any of the money from the house."
Lareina sighed, "You are set up for life, Daphne. When you marry, you will get your inheritance, and you will become the wife of Lord Potter. You will not want for money or status; it is the life that I always wanted for you."
Daphne scoffed, "I'm not marrying Harry because I want to be set up for life. I don't care that he's going to become Lord Potter, and I very much doubt that he does either. Yes, he wants the power to push reforms through the Wizengamot, but he doesn't care about status; neither of us do. I am marrying Harry because I love him, Mother. I know that concept might be difficult for you to understand-"
"No!" Lareina snapped.
Daphne actually jumped because she could count on one hand the amount of times she had heard her mother raise her voice and none of those times had it been against her.
"I understand that concept perfectly, Daphne! I would have married for love if I had been able. I would have married Phineas. When I said that you had the life that I wished for you, I meant that I was happy that you were free to marry for love. The fact that man happens to have money and status is an added bonus for you; that was all that I was trying to say."
Daphne wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. She certainly couldn't look her mother in the eye, though. With a loud thump, she deposited the box in her arms on the table, "I only came to bring you this. I found it in your father's study while I was clearing out the house, and it was labelled, "For Daphne". You are welcome to come and clear out your bedroom, but I shall not be coming to this house again without your explicit invitation."
"Mother-" Daphne began to say, but it was too late. Her mother had already spun around on heel. Daphne sighed and listened to her stalk out of the house and slam the front door behind her. She had argued with her mother many times, but this time she had hit a nerve, and she wasn't sure if that damage was going to be reparable.
* ~ TBC ~ *