* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 57: Wizarding Memorial Day
"I think this is such a bad idea!"
Harry sighed and pressed his fingers into his forehead hard. He had a killer migraine coming on, and he was incredibly nervous, "Daphne, please come with me to this thing. Maybe it is a bad idea, but I can't do it without you!"
"Yes, you could. Hermione would get you through it," Daphne argued.
"She would," Harry agreed as he looked his girlfriend directly in the eye, "She knows me well enough, that's for sure, but there's one big problem."
"What?" Daphne asked irritably.
"She isn't you," Harry replied, "It's you that I want by my side tonight, not Hermione. I went and bought you a nice new dress and everything."
Daphne smiled slightly, "You did?"
Harry nodded and pulled out a box from under his bed, "I was trying to surprise you, but you are impossible to surprise."
At this, Daphne chuckled, "You were so sure I was going to say yes that you bought a dress?"
"No," Harry said honestly, "I was fairly certain you would say no, so I bought a dress to convince you to come."
"Well, bribery might work," Daphne admitted sheepishly, "But I'd have to see this dress first."
Harry smirked and opened the box; Daphne gasped as she took the dress out and held it up.
"Wow, Harry," She whispered in amazement, "It's perfect."
The dress was made of a silky material that slid over Daphne's hands as she ran her fingers over it. It was slim fitting and beautifully jewelled with purple and very pale pink gems; the pink gems were so pale that they looked almost white. Just as the dress reached the knee, it changed to a soft mesh-like material that was the same soft pink colour as the gems.
Harry smiled, "The gems are real, they sparkle when the light hits them, and they send little rainbows flying out in all directions. I thought you would look beautiful in it."
As Daphne carefully placed the dress on the bed and looked up at her boyfriend, Harry was surprised to see tears in her eyes. She quickly crossed the short distance between them and kissed him. Harry was surprised, and his breath caught in his throat as he returned the kiss.
"Thank you so much," Daphne said with a genuine smile as she wiped her eyes. Harry just nodded; he was completely lost for words.
After the exchange, Daphne rushed off to get ready, even though it was only 11 am and the ball didn't start until 7 pm. The rest of the day passed quietly. All of the girls going to the ball were getting dressed in the big room at the top of the tower (aka Harry and Draco's room). Draco had been roped into going with Hermione, of course, and Lilly had agreed to go as Neville's date. Ginny was taking Blaise as her date, and as far as they knew Luna was going to go alone, they expected that Ron would too. They knew he was coming to the ball because they had seen him at the rehearsal the previous night. Upstairs the other girls were helping Ginny glamour herself to hide her pregnancy. By some miracle, it hadn't gone any further than her family and their close friend group yet, even with the wild grapevine at Hogwarts.
Downstairs Harry, Draco, Neville and Blaise were lazily sitting around with Theo and Sadie.
"So what are you two doing tonight?" Harry asked the engaged couple as he got beaten by Draco at wizard's chess for the third time in an hour.
Theo sniggered at Harry as he cursed, but Sadie ignored this and replied, "We're doing some wedding planning!"
Harry, Draco and Neville sniggered and got glared at by Theo, who then got frowned at by Sadie.
"Have fun with that," Neville said sceptically as he, Draco and Harry chose that moment to run off to his dorm where they would get ready since the girls had stolen Harry and Draco's.
"What do you think it's going to be like tonight?" Draco asked nervously as he got changed into his dark blue dress robes.
"Boring," Harry and Neville echoed at the same time.
"These Ministry things always are Draco," Harry said casually, "You go, you mingle and talk to people you don't like, then you listen to a lot of boring speeches, eat some food, do a couple of dances and go home."
"The food is good, though," Neville added.
Harry nodded his agreement at this, "Aw, the food is the best part! Remember that lamb and mint casserole last time?"
"Yeah," Neville said as his mouth started to water, "That crème brulee was to die for."
"And the prawn cocktail, with king prawns!"
"Guys!" Draco interrupted. He was faintly amused, "Can you stop getting turned on by the food now, please?"
Neville snorted, and Harry chuckled, "Hey, it's good food!"
Draco mumbled something, but Harry and Neville didn't reply. They had both just finished getting changed, Neville was wearing dark red robes, and Harry was wearing the bottle green ones he had worn to the Yule Ball.
Neville left the room to go and see if the girls had arrived in the common room yet, and as Harry and Draco followed him, Harry put his hand on Draco's shoulder and said, "Stop worrying about it. Everything's going to be fine."
Draco was momentarily surprised, but then he nodded and said gratefully, "Thanks, Harry."
With that, they descended the stairs to wait in the common room for the girls to grace them with their presence. For once, they did not have to wait long because 10 minutes later, the girls started to arrive.
Daphne looked as beautiful as Harry had suspected she would in the dress he had bought her. She had put her hair up in a tight bun but had left a few strands down at the front. She wore light make up for a change which Harry thought complemented her dress and showed off her natural beauty. She wore silver earrings and a beautiful multi-coloured necklace of gems. She took Harry's breath away, and he had to take a moment to catch himself.
Hermione followed Daphne down the stairs, and she also looked fantastic. She wore a very pale pink full-length dress which was embroidered with gold sequined hems. The dress was strapless, and Hermione had left her hair down and curly. She looked lovely, and when Draco reached her, he whispered, "If your intention was to calm me down, it worked. All thoughts of nervousness went out of the door the moment I saw you."
Harry smiled at his two friends and wrapped his arm around Daphne. Lilly often dressed down in jeans and t-shirts; she rarely dressed up, which meant that when Neville did see her walk down the stairs, he was even more stunned by her than usual. She wore a knee-length silver dress that had a gold ribbon tied around the waist. The dress and the silver shoes she wore with it sparkled in the firelight, and Lilly looked almost angelic. Her pale skin, jet black hair, and soft make-up transformed her, and Neville could do nothing more than stare.
"If you say, wow, she's a girl, I'm going to hit you," Lilly said in amusement as she stood in front of her boyfriend.
Neville was pulled out of his trance, and he grinned, "I realised you were a girl a long time ago, Lil. I've just never seen you look more beautiful."
Lilly blushed profusely; she still wasn't strictly used to compliments, "Hey, you don't scrub up too bad yourself, Nev," she smiled.
Neville slid his hand into his girlfriends and kissed her on the cheek, which made her blush all the more.
Ginny and Luna were the last to emerge, and Harry thought that the girls had done a great job. He certainly couldn't tell that Ginny was three months pregnant. She was wearing a full-length black dress adorned with silver sequins. It was pulled in just below the bust and flared out to her feet, covering up her pregnancy perfectly. Ginny had left her hair down, and it fell around her shoulders. The only noticeable change was the lack of high heels, but Harry imagined they couldn't be easy to walk in while pregnant. Blaise smiled at his girlfriend and took her hand, murmuring, "You're glowing."
Ginny rolled her eyes at him, "Hilarious Blaise."
Blaise's smile didn't quirk into a smirk as it usually would. Instead, he said softly, "I mean it, Ginny."
Luna's dress was full length, and it looked very vintage. The bust was dark black and had a single pink rose attached to it. Two shoulder straps overlapped at the back of the dress. The dress's skirt was light beige and elegant with tiny crystals on it that captured the light.
Together they made their way to the entrance hall where those attending the ball were gathered because an apparition point had been opened at the gates. There were only a select few 'war hero' students invited. Most of those who had been in the DA didn't meet the mark, which irritated Harry.
Almost all of the teachers were invited to the ball, however, including McGonagall. All of the teachers who had fought in the final battle were also invited, including Flitwick, Sprout, Trelawney, Hagrid, Slughorn, and Sinistra. Filch was going as Trelawney's date, and Madam Pomfrey had also been invited for the services she had provided during the final battle. Charlie was also in the group of people in the entrance hall; he would meet the rest of his family at the ball because all of the Weasley's had been invited too.
"I hope I get a chance to talk to Ron tonight," Harry said with a frown. As he neared the end of his education at Hogwarts, he missed his friend more than ever.
"I'm sure you will," Daphne said with a smile as they began to walk down the path towards the apparition point with the rest of the group.
Harry had attended the meeting and practice session at the ministry the day before with Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Luna and Ron. They had gone through the itinerary, and it had been a reasonably dull evening; they had practised the first dance, but they hadn't had any time to talk to one another, unfortunately.
The friends reached the apparition point and were allowed to apparate three at a time as there were only three circles on the ground. It took a while to get everybody out hence why they had met at 6.30 pm in the entrance hall. When Harry and Daphne reached the ballroom, they were rushed to one side of the large doors. With them on this side were Hermione and Draco and Neville and Lilly, but they were not allowed to speak. They had to stand and smile and wave at everybody as they entered.
This, of course, was incredibly boring, so when the last couple had arrived just after 7 pm, they were glad to be allowed into the large ballroom, even if it meant dancing. The doors were pulled shut, just like the Yule Ball, and it was only as they took their positions with three couples lined on each side of the door that Harry saw the other three heroes who would be opening the ball. Ginny and Blaise stood there, as did Luna with a date that Harry didn't know. The man looked a little older than her; he had deep blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. It was clearly compulsory for the six of them to have a date because Ron had one too, and he and Lilly were sharing irritated glances. His date was Katie Bell which Harry imagined would cause agro. Neville tightened his grip on Lilly's hand, and the dark-haired girl pulled her gaze away from Ron to look at the ground.
Despite Ron's incapability of knowing how to treat a woman, Harry caught his eye. The two friends shared a small smile. It was an unspoken signal that they would make sure they could grab a conversation at some point during the evening. At that point, the doors to the ballroom opened. Harry took a deep breath, and Daphne tightened her grip on his arm as they walked in first. There were people on either side of them as they walked down to the dance floor. It was almost exactly the same as the first Yule Ball had been.
Harry tried to smile and wave, but he knew he was forcing it, and it probably showed. When they reached the dance floor, the music began, and Harry had to call on the training Draco and Neville had given him as he swept Daphne around the dancefloor. It was fun, and he could tell that Daphne was impressed at his improvement. All the same, Harry was grateful when the music ended because it meant he could grab Daphne's hand and slip away to their table for a breather.
The tables were arranged for eight people, and there were twelve at the opening party. As it turned out, Harry, Daphne, Hermione and Draco ended up on one side of the table closest to the stage in the ballroom. On the other side of the table were Neville and Lilly, and then across from Harry and Daphne sat Ron and Katie. Ginny and Blaise, and Luna and her mysterious date were at the table next to theirs, but they would have a chance to talk later when the meal was over.
"I'm so glad that's over," Harry mumbled as he sat down in the comfortable seat.
Ron laughed slightly uncomfortably, "It was like the Yule Ball all over again, only you didn't step on anybody's feet this time."
"And you didn't look like you were wearing your grandmother's dress," Harry retorted.
Ron laughed, and it felt like any tension that had been in the air because of the whole Neville and Lilly debacle had just vanished. Maybe it was the spirit of the date; after all, Harry couldn't help but think of everything he had been through with Ron at a time like this, and he was sure it was the same for the Weasley.
"So, what happens next?" Draco asked. He was still nervous, and it was showing.
Ron shrugged, "You wait until everyone is sitting down, and then Kingsley will do a speech probably."
"He is doing one, but its contents are secret," Harry said thoughtfully, "Why did you have to leave the practice early last night? I was hoping we could have a chat."
"Ah," Ron said with a sheepish look. He glanced down and caught Katie's eye. She nodded and gave him a small smile. Harry frowned at the exchange as Ron looked back up at Harry, "Well, we were at St. Mungo's."
"Oh, Merlin, why?" Hermione asked. She was immediately worried that one of them had been hurt.
"Oh, neither of us were hurt, Hermione," Katie said with a worried sort of smile, "It was just a simple scan."
Around the table, many eyes widened, including Ginny's. Well, especially Ginny's, in fact.
Ron smiled slightly, "Katie's pregnant."
Lilly's eyes darkened, and Neville muttered in her ear, "Don't say anything."
"How far along are you then, Katie?" Lilly asked with false sweetness.
"Four months," Katie replied warily.
"Hmm," Lilly said thoughtfully, "So I suppose you must have conceived around the end of December then."
"Lilly," Neville said firmly, "Stay out of it."
"Stay out of it?" Lilly hissed under her breath, "The girl Ron cheated on me with is now having his baby, Neville!"
"Come on," Neville murmured as he got to his feet, "I think you need some air."
Lilly's eyes flashed dangerously, but Neville stared pointedly at her. After a few seconds, Lilly got to her feet and allowed Neville to take her to a balcony area on the far side of the hall.
The air at the table was tense, and Harry didn't know what to say. He could completely understand why Lilly was angry, but he hoped that Ron would do the right thing for Katie. Harry cleared his throat, "So are you two together then?"
"We're trying to be," Ron said as his eyes lingered on Lilly and Neville's retreating backs, "For the sake of the baby."
Hermione smiled weakly, "Well, I'm happy for you both."
Ginny raised an eyebrow at her brother, "Does Mum know?"
Ron swallowed, "Yeah, we told her back in February."
"February?" Ginny asked in disbelief, "And she still went mental at me for the same thing!'
"It's different with you, Ginny," Ron said feebly, "I mean, you're her daughter, and you're the one having a baby. I just..."
"- got someone knocked up?" Ginny remarked angrily, "And she said oh poor little ronnikins! You didn't mean to get her pregnant, and it was all okay? I got screamed at, and Mum is still hardly talking to me."
"Did you ever think that it isn't about the baby but the person you're having it with?" Ron hissed under his breath.
Blaise's eyes flashed angrily, "What have I ever done to offend your family, Ronald?"
"Oh, apart from helping Death Eaters like Malfoy in the war?" Ron asked irritably, "Or apart from the fact you're a Slytherin with known affiliations to dark magic? Yeah, I'm sure my mum is thrilled that Ginny is having your baby!"
Ginny opened her mouth to shout at her brother further, but Blaise defended himself just fine without her help, "My family have no dark magic affiliations. I did not help Draco do anything. I tried to dissuade him from making the stupid decisions that he did. My family have a long, notable history of working in the DMLE as lawyers helping people. So I suggest that you get your facts straight. If your mother has a problem with Ginny and me, then I would appreciate it if she addressed it to my face. How can we expect our child to grow up free of our prejudices if its grandmother is enforcing those prejudices before it is even born?"
Ron swallowed, and Ginny shot an angry looked at her brother, "Different standard for men and women, isn't it, Ron? Even in this day and age."
"It's still a sexist world, Gin," Hermione said as she placed her hand on her friends back, "Your mum is from a fairly old fashioned family. She will come around; she just needs time to come to terms with the changing world. And Ron, you should know better than to rile a pregnant woman up."
"Sorry," Ron muttered. He was unable to look up as his ears burned red.
Harry sighed and resisted the urge to let his head drop onto the table at the drama that was unfolding, "Just apologise to Lil at some point tonight. I think she deserves that, at the least."
Ron nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I will."
"How do I not have a right to be angry, Neville?"
"I didn't say you don't have a right to be angry, Lil," Neville sighed, "I just didn't want you to make a scene of yourself in there. It would probably have made the headlines, and I just didn't want that."
"Well, thanks for protecting my honour or whatever," Lilly glared, "But in case you missed what just happened. My boyfriend cheated on me back in December with that woman who is now four months pregnant!"
"Well, whose loss is it then?" Neville asked as his eyes flashed, "All failed relationships hurt. That's inevitable. Losing Hannah hurt, and I know it hurt when Ron betrayed you. But losing someone who doesn't appreciate or respect you is a gain Lilly, not a loss. Ron is the loser here; he's got a girl pregnant who he now feels forced to do the right thing by. You won, you have a boyfriend, a boyfriend who thinks the world of you and who bloody loves you!"
Lilly stared at Neville with a slight frown on her face, "You love me?"
"This wasn't exactly how I planned on telling you, but yeah," Neville said as he caught her eye, "I know it's only been a month, but I don't think I've ever fallen so hard."
Lilly smiled slightly and glanced down, "It has been a bit of a whirlwind, hasn't it?"
"Try a hurricane," Neville smiled as he gently cupped her face, "It's swept me off my feet and knocked me for six."
"Me too," Lilly admitted as she caught his eye again, "Although it had been a long time coming, really. I mean, I can't believe you never saw the tell-tale signs."
"I can't believe you never saw them," Neville chuckled, "I was so close to asking you to the Yule Ball, but then you went on your huge rant about hating men and not wanting to go to the Yule Ball anyway, so I asked Ginny."
"Yeah…I guess I dumped myself in that one," Lilly admitted with a slight smile, "But you are right, Neville. It's me who wins in this situation, not Ron...and I feel the same way about you as you do about me. I can promise you that much."
Neville smiled and kissed her lightly, "I'm glad that you feel the same."
"I do, Neville," Lilly said softly, "But I'm not sure if I can quite say it just yet."
"You don't have to," Neville said as he pulled the tiny Ravenclaw into a hug, "Knowing that you do is enough, Lil."
Lilly breathed a little shakily into his embrace, and Neville suspected she was trying to hold herself together after all that had happened that night, "We should get back, or we'll miss Kingsley's speech."
Lilly nodded and pulled back from the hug, she didn't look like she had been crying, but she cast a quick glamour charm on her face as she slipped her hand into Neville's.
"Ready?"
"Ready," Lilly replied with a firm look in her eyes.
When they reached the table, they were silent, and Lilly avoided looking at Ron entirely. They had just made it back in time because only a few minutes later, Kingsley made his way onto the stage, and silence instantly fell throughout the entire ballroom.
He opened his mouth and spoke in his booming voice, "Good evening and welcome. One year ago today, I was hiding in a rundown shack in the Shetland Islands of all places, trying to lay low until the time to fight arose. Now I find myself at the head of a wizarding world which is rebuilding itself from the ashes of one of the most devastating wars our world has ever seen. It has not been easy, but I, for one, am proud to be part of a world that is capable of regeneration. I am proud to rebuild our society with all of you, and it never ceases to amaze me how well our people can adjust. It amazes me how we can pick ourselves up and keep fighting. Our society is strong, and tonight more than ever, I am very proud to lead it. It may seem wrong to celebrate tonight when so many died at this time one year ago. It might seem crude and unfair. Yes, tonight is a night of festivities, but it is also a time to remember the war that tore our world apart. Tonight we remember, tonight we thank those who saved the world we love dearly. Tomorrow we mourn."
Harry was the first person on his feet as Kingsley finished his speech. He clapped loudly as the rest of the hall quickly followed his lead.
"Despite everything, he's still the best Minister for Magic this place has ever seen," Harry said with a grin as he took his seat once more.
"He's great," Hermione agreed with a smile. She wiped some tears from her eyes, "And his speeches are so moving."
"Almost as good as yours," Daphne said to Harry. He felt his stomach churn at this.
Ron chuckled, "You're joking, right?"
"No," Daphne said honestly, "Harry gives fantastic speeches."
Ron looked at his old friend in surprise, "You never used to be able to speak in front of a crowd without freaking out. Apart from when we were setting up the DA."
"I've gotten better," Harry said grimly, "Too many bloody press meetings after the war..."
Ron nodded his understanding, he knew how Harry felt, and he could understand why it made him uncomfortable, "When is your speech?" he asked.
"After the meal," Harry said just as the starter magically appeared on the table.
"Don't let it ruin your appetite," Ron said as he eagerly tucked into his food. Harry saw Hermione roll her eyes out of the corner of his eye; some things never changed.
The meal passed too slowly for Harry's liking. He made small talk with the others at the table and caught up a little with Ron while Hermione chatted to Katie. Lilly and Ron didn't say a word to each other, and everybody else pretended that the tense air had dissipated.
Eventually, everybody finished the fantastic chocolate dessert that had been on offer, and it was time for Harry to go up to the stage to prepare for his speech. Daphne leaned across the table and kissed him on the cheek, "Don't worry, you'll be fantastic."
Harry shook his head, "You know I hate speeches. It was different at New Year's. It was just friends and family, but now half of the wizarding world is looking at me!"
"Stop being such a wimp," Daphne said with a slightly harsh glare, "Get your arse up there and give a fantastic speech!"
"I haven't even prepared anything!" Harry whispered to his girlfriend.
Daphne just rolled her eyes, "Harry, you give the best speeches when they are spontaneous. If it helps, look at me and pretend there isn't anybody else here, okay?"
Harry nodded at this. He took a deep breath and got to his feet, "See you in a bit," he said slightly awkwardly. He then walked the short distance to the stairs of the stage, made his way up, and disappeared behind a black curtain.
"Ah, Harry, are you ready?" Kingsley asked with a smile the moment he saw Harry enter the small backstage area.
"No," Harry replied honestly and at this, Kingsley boomed a laugh. Harry smiled weakly; he could feel himself shaking with nerves.
"Five minutes Mr Potter," A kindly woman with bright green hair said with a smile. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath; he remembered what Daphne said and opened them again. He examined the backstage area for the next five minutes, and the time seemed to drag on forever. Eventually, the green-haired woman said, "On you go, Mr Potter," and Harry walked out onto the stage with another deep breath.
He was occupying the same spot as the Minister for Magic. This was the first thing that raced through Harry's head when he took his place at the front of the stage with a spotlight shining on him. He was looking out into the whole audience, and he hadn't realised how many people there were here tonight. Harry quickly cast a sonorus charm on himself and started to speak. He was happy when his voice came out clearer than he had thought it would.
"I am honoured that the ministry asked me to speak tonight because I don't feel any better than anyone else in this hall. I was born, and I already had a destiny before I could even speak; how does that make me special? Sure I fought in the war but didn't everybody else in this room? I got lucky when I was younger, and that's the only reason I survived long enough to make a difference in the final battle. I couldn't have done that without my friends throughout the years. If I didn't have people around me to support me, I wouldn't have lived long enough to do that."
There was silence throughout the room. Harry kept going, "Hermione Granger's brains, Ron Weasley's instinct, Neville Longbottom's courage, Ginny Weasley's determination and Luna Lovegood's intuition contributed to us winning the war as much as I did, if not more. So I want everyone here in this hall tonight to raise a glass to that and to acknowledge that never was so much owed by so many to so few. These people are the few who were always fighting, who never gave up. The victory of the Battle of Hogwarts lies with them and the teachers who fought so hard to defend their home. Hogwarts was our home, and the Battle of Hogwarts was bloody and painful, and brutal…but it was also our greatest hour."
As Harry finished his speech, the hall broke out into applause. He blushed at the recognition and gave a slight bow before rushing off the stage and back into the little area behind it.
Kingsley greeted Harry with a firm handshake, "Extraordinary Harry," he said with a proud smile, "I couldn't help but notice you spoke the wise words of Winston Churchill."
Harry blushed at this; he had hoped nobody would notice, "I helped Dudley with his history homework when I was younger. I guess it kind of stuck."
Kingsley chuckled at this and said, "You should make your way back to your friends. You don't want to miss the dancing."
Harry nodded and left the stage; he hurried along the side of the hall so nobody would notice him and sat back down in his seat next to Daphne. His girlfriend smiled proudly at him as she said, "And you said that your speech would suck!"
"It was great, Harry," Draco said with a smile.
Hermione nodded as she smirked at her friend, "Even if you did steal a lot of it from a certain muggle Prime Minister."
Harry laughed and winked at his best friend at this, and then he took a deep breath. He was relieved that the worst part of the night was over. They all stood, and the tables vanished, which turned the hall once more into a full-sized ballroom. The music started to play, and everybody let their hair down, even Harry.
Back at Hogwarts, Sadie and Theo were bickering in the otherwise empty common room. The fire was still burning bright, and Sadie was lying on the floor with several sheets of parchment lying around her and an inkpot sitting at a precarious angle.
"No way, Sadie! We are not having ANY pink!"
Sadie groaned in annoyance, "Theo," she whined, "I only want a little bit, just some pink roses as centrepieces on the tables at the reception."
"No," Theo said flatly, "I told you, anything else is fine, just no pink."
"Well, how about red roses instead?" Sadie asked in an attempt to reach a compromise.
"RED?" Theo asked. He sounded far more outraged than he should have done about the colour of the centrepieces, "Red is the Gryffindor colour, Sadie, do you want a Gryffindor themed wedding?"
"Theo! It's a freaking flower on a freaking table!"
"Do you get green roses?"
"No!"
Sadie hit her head off of the floor. So far, they had made progress, the date was definitely set, and it had been decided that they would marry on the 3rd of July.
The venue had also been decided on after 30 minutes of debating whose choice would be chosen. Theo had wanted to get married in Wilton cathedral in the county of Wiltshire because he had been brought up in the town of Marlborough close by, and it was a kind of tradition. However, Sadie had been born and raised in a house just outside of Godric's Hollow in the county of Somerset, so she had wanted to get married in Bath Abbey. Eventually, Theo had admitted that Bath Abbey was lovely, and they had agreed to make it the venue for the wedding ceremony. They had also decided to have the reception at Nott Manor, where they could use the ballroom. They were now attempting to come to a compromise on the theme for the wedding reception.
"Okay, Theo, white roses? How about that?" Sadie asked. She was a patient person, but Theo did test her patience at times.
Theo seemed to ponder on this for a moment, and then he nodded, "White is okay."
Sadie sighed in relief as she jotted this down on the parchment, "So the theme is pastel colours but no pink or red. How about pastel green, yellow and blue for the tables?"
Theo nodded; he was lying on his stomach on one of the sofas, "I think that would be nice but not too over the top."
Sadie smiled as she wrote this down too, "So all that's left is clothes for the bridal party and clothes for the groom and his entourage," she said as she started to gather all her parchment up, "I've had enough bickering for one night, we'll do that tomorrow."
"Thank Merlin," Theo said as he jumped up from the sofa, "Can we please go to bed now?"
Back at the ministry, the ball was just coming to an end. By the time the music finally stopped, everybody was exhausted and ready to go home. The group of eighth years had ended up caught in a conversation with Kingsley, which left Daphne standing slightly awkwardly at the door waiting for them. Daphne was watching Harry with a soft smile as he made his way over to where she was standing; she was proud of how well he had handled the night.
Before Harry could reach Daphne, however, somebody else walked past her and said cryptically, "Enjoy it while it lasts, honey."
Daphne frowned as she caught a glimpse of the woman's face. It wasn't anyone who she knew, and the woman walked away with no further explanation.
Daphne realised what she must have meant. When school was over, this wouldn't last. This 'perfect' relationship...when school was over, she would be the former Slytherin that nobody trusted, and Harry would still be the perfect war hero. The thought panicked her slightly, but then she thought of those walks along the beach with Teddy and the stolen moments they could grab in the common room, and she began to believe her own mind again...but the comment had planted a seed of doubt in her mind…
"Hey Daph, you ready to go?" Harry said with a broad smile.
Daphne nodded and gave Harry a weak smile. She let him slip his arm through hers, and then they left the hall together.
Harry and Daphne weren't alone until at least two hours after the ball. They were in Harry's dorm getting ready for bed, and Daphne slept in there most nights these days.
"Strange, isn't it? About Ron becoming a Dad?" Harry said thoughtfully as he climbed into bed.
"Hmm, I guess," Daphne said, although her thoughts were elsewhere.
"I mean, it was a shock with Ginny, but now that's Ron having a kid too," Harry elaborated, "Poor Molly must be wondering what she did wrong. I mean, Ginny and Blaise are together at least. She's going to have to acknowledge that. Ron's the one who literally knocked someone up, and poor Lilly..."
Daphne nodded absentmindedly and climbed into bed, "Harry, we need to talk."
Harry sat up in bed and pulled the curtains shut, "Are you finally going to tell me why you've hardly spoken since we left the ball then?" he asked.
"Someone said something as we were leaving the ball. They said enjoy it while it lasts," Daphne began with a frown, "And it took me a moment, but then I realised what they meant. When we leave school, we're not going to be this way; we're going to be so different. Everyone's going to see me as the evil Slytherin who's using you, but you'll always be the saintly war hero."
"Daph, I had a conversation like this with Draco ages ago," Harry said with a faint smile, "I know things will change when we leave school, but frankly, I don't care. I love you, and I don't care what the press or the wizarding world think about that."
"Really?" Daphne asked. She seemed quite shy and self-conscious all of a sudden.
"Really," Harry confirmed as he leaned across and kissed her, "Let them say whatever they want about us. We know better than them or anyone else that we're perfect for each other."
Daphne smiled at this; she was slightly tearful for the second time in 24 hours. Harry chuckled, "Is the ice queen thawing?"
Daphne laughed at this and wiped the tears, "Yeah, I guess she is," her eyes lingered on Harry's for a moment longer before she said, "I love you, Harry."
"I know you do, and I love you too, Daphne," Harry said.
"You should get some sleep. Tomorrows a big day," Daphne said as she cleared her throat and cuddled up to Harry, "More speeches to give and all."
"Fantastic," Harry murmured dryly as he slipped off into a very disturbed sleep.
When the 2nd of May dawned, it was immediately apparent that this was no ordinary day. The sun rose in a dark blood red sky and left an offensive orange line burnt into the pale grey sky.
Harry had not slept. He had spent the evening encased in a warming charm on the roof of the tower. As he sat there, he found himself lost in memories of what had happened one year ago. Sometime after midnight, Hermione joined him, and in the early hours of the morning, two became three as Neville made his way onto the roof. Throughout the sleepless night, none of them said a word to each other.
Harry had found himself missing Ron with a real ache; he wanted to see him more than ever at the moment.
None of this felt right without Ron. Ron, who was becoming a father and whose path was continually growing more and more different to Harry's. Harry knew he had cried at least once before the burning sun rose, but he had not acknowledged this or even raised a hand to dry the tears.
When the sun finally set in the early summer sky, Harry sighed and glanced at his watch; the great hall would be open and sitting in there without eating had to be better than sitting out here staring at the place where he had died a year ago today.
When Harry got to his feet, Hermione and Neville followed without question. They always had in times of battle, so what reason did they have not to now? They made their way through the empty common room and then into the even more deserted school. It was May, but it wasn't a warm day, and it hadn't been a warm evening. The halls were draughty and chilly; Harry felt shivers running down his spine as they traversed the school. When they eventually reached the great hall after a trek that felt like it had taken forever, it wasn't what Harry had expected.
The great hall had only ever been so quiet on two occasions that Harry could remember. The first of those being Cedric's memorial service. The second being just before Harry had gone to the forest when all of those dead bodies had lined the hall. It was 6 am, and the hall had only opened 10 minutes ago, so Harry had assumed it would be empty, especially since it was a Sunday, but he was surprised by what he saw. Each house table was half full, and all the people at those tables looked like they hadn't had much sleep as they pushed food around their plates.
The eighth-year table was another story; it was practically empty. But a few kindred souls were sitting there. Draco was sitting at the table, he had a mug of untouched coffee in front of him, and he looked to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Next to him sat Theo, the second lonely soul.
It made sense to Harry when he thought about it. One year ago, Draco and Theo had both lost someone they loved; they had both lost Pansy.
Hermione broke from the group and sat down next to Draco, but neither spoke to the other. Harry and Neville sat down next to Theo, but no words were exchanged, and they only acknowledged each other with very slight nods. As the group sat silently, the hall began to fill up, but the mood didn't lighten. Those who appeared earliest were those who had lost people that they loved.
Ginny had tears running down her cheeks as she thought about Fred. Blaise looked more solemn than usual as he thought about the two brothers he had lost. Lilly shoved her food around as she thought of Su Li and Stephen Cornfoot, two fellow Ravenclaws and friends that she had lost to the war. Susan was quiet too, and Harry suspected she was thinking about her parents and her aunt.
Finally, Daphne and Sadie arrived and sat down next to their respective partners.
Sadie took Theo's hand and murmured, "Remember what your mother used to say when she was our age, Theo. As time passes, the wound heals, but the scar remains to remind us of our pain."
Theo nodded and squeezed her hand, "Thanks, Sade."
Daphne sat down next to Harry and said, "Where were you last night?"
"On the roof," Harry said roughly. His voice was harsh from lack of use.
Daphne sighed, "I know it's a hard day, babe, but sitting on a roof all night isn't going to help," she said softly.
Harry didn't say anything, so Daphne gave up, and they all tried to force some breakfast down themselves.
Breakfast passed quietly, and the eighth year table was mostly silent. It felt like it took forever for the clock to reach 9 am. The memorial started at 9.30 am, so it meant that they could finally be on the move.
When Harry got outside, the grounds were already set for the memorial. Thousands of white seats stretched back, and there was a small stage in front of the lake. Harry's stomach churned as he was reminded of Dumbledore's funeral.
As one of the speakers, Harry was expected to sit by the stage, so he bade a silent farewell to his friends and made his way to a row of seats directly in front of the stage. The 'VIP' guests were in the row behind him; these people included Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Ron and Luna. The others were sitting much further back.
Harry sat and tapped his foot nervously as the rest of the school and other important figures filed into the grounds and took their seats. Harry felt very wrongly placed in between the Minister for Magic and the Headmistress of Hogwarts. Eventually, everybody was seated, and McGonagall got to her feet. She looked pale, so Harry gave her an encouraging smile which she seemed to appreciate.
Cameras snapped and flashed as McGonagall made her way to the stage. Although McGonagall had fought Kingsley to the last gasp on that one, the press had been allowed in.
McGonagall took a deep breath as she climbed the steps onto the stage and reached the podium in the centre. She looked out at the large crowd, and then she began to speak.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, I wish that Albus Dumbledore were standing here today to welcome you to this monumental event. Albus Dumbledore's death was just one of many tragic deaths brought around by the hand of Lord Voldemort. Still, his touched me more than many because he was my best friend," McGonagall's voice wasn't shaking, but Harry could see the small signs. He could tell that the emotion in her voice was real.
"Everyone in this crowd feels the same about someone that they have lost, whether it was a year ago today or even longer than that," McGonagall continued, "The two wars that shook this world devastated and touched so many lives, and today I am proud to welcome you to the place where a brave young man put an end to it all. I find it fitting that it happened here because this is where it all began. Without Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort would only have been a small lonely child with a lust for power, and it is frightening to witness the man this school trained him up to be. Then in that same vein, without Hogwarts, there would be no Harry Potter, and we could not have ended this war without him. Today we celebrate that we are alive, but more importantly, we mourn those who did not make it and cannot celebrate with us. It is for their sake that I would ask you now to have one minute of silence during which I would ask you to remember those we loved who are no longer with us."
McGonagall bowed her head and closed her eyes, and the crowd all did the same. Harry's thoughts wandered when his eyes slid shut, they were sometimes on Sirius, who may have been here to see this today if Harry hadn't been so stupid. Then his thoughts were on Remus and Tonks, who would never see their little boy grow up. His thoughts briefly lingered on his parents, and he wondered what his life would have been like if he had been raised as a wizard or if the Longbottoms had raised him, would he and Neville be like twins? Then Harry's thoughts were with Cedric, who had been the first casualty of war Harry had won, the innocent boy who had so much ahead of him. He had been just like Fred and Colin, who'd had their whole lives ahead of them and fantastic prospects, but then it had all been ripped away from them. By the time McGonagall spoke to announce the end of the silence, Harry was utterly overwhelmed with grief.
"Thank you," McGonagall said, and it sounded as if she was holding back tears. She made her way down from the platform quickly and, in a moment of vulnerability, let Kingsley put his arm around her in public.
Harry knew that this was his cue, so he swallowed his pain and got to his feet. He felt the silence pressing down on him; it felt like some invisible kind of pressure as he climbed to the stage and took his place at the podium.
"Today is a sad day. In fact, it's a miserable day…for me at least," Harry began honestly, "But I find some comfort in the fact that I can hold this up," he reached into his robes and pulled out a golden galleon.
Hermione gave a faint smile in the crowd. She knew what it was, "And squeeze it," Harry squeezed the galleon, "And those who fought with me will feel a burning sensation somewhere on their body because they are all carrying this galleon with them."
Sure enough, in the crowd, several hands reached into pockets.
"These galleons aren't real; they were designed to call members of Dumbledore's Army to meetings. We kept them because we are proud to have fought, and it brings me pain to know that when I press that galleon, eight coins will not burn. They don't burn for different reasons…one will not burn because the member had it taken from them for betraying us. One will not burn because she was murdered by the cruel regime that ran this school last year. Five will not burn because their owners perished in the battle of Hogwarts, and finally, the last coin will not burn because its owner survived the bloodbath that was the battle, only to die shortly afterwards. I mourn these deaths, but I am grateful that we only lost eight people from a group that was thirty-five strong. It gives me pride to know that I trained them to fight well enough to survive the battles that came, but it also pains me to know that my teachings weren't good enough for everyone. Perhaps today is a day to be sad, but it is also a day to remember that we are strong. We are the generation who fought. We are a generation of soldiers. Some of us are wounded, emotionally and physically, but we wear these wounds as our battle scars. Those we lost cannot do that, so today I say to you all, wear your scars and be proud to have been a fighter."
Harry raised his galleon into the air and felt a lump rise in his throat as tears threaten to spill from his eyes as, throughout the crowd, others did the same. It began with Ron and then Hermione and Neville, with Ginny and Luna following. Soon every member of the DA was standing, but Fred wasn't standing next to George, Parvati and Lavender were nowhere to be seen, and Dean wasn't standing next to Seamus. Despite being proud, Harry could only see the ghostly figures of those who weren't here amongst the crowd of survivors.
He didn't want to break down on stage, so he did the same as McGonagall and hurried from the stage back to his seat.
McGonagall gave him a weak smile and put her hand on his shoulder, "Well done, Potter," she said proudly.
Such emotion from McGonagall usually made Harry feel extraordinarily proud and accepted. However, at that current point in time, all he could do was nod and try to force down the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.
Kingsley closed the memorial with a speech that Harry didn't hear any part of. Then everybody began to file back into the school, but Harry didn't move. Daphne made her way towards her boyfriend, but she was stopped when Hermione moved to stand in front of her.
"Don't," Hermione said quietly.
Daphne's eyes flashed angrily, "He's my boyfriend, Hermione."
"Don't, Daphne," Draco said, his voice was brisk, "We don't fit in with them, not today."
"He needs me today Daphne," Hermione said, her voice was quiet and harsh, "Every other day of the year, he needs you, but today he needs me."
"Come on," Draco said. He grasped Daphne's arm and tried to steer her away. With a dirty look towards Hermione, Daphne relented and let Draco drag her away.
Hermione turned and walked towards Harry. She sighed because she didn't want to upset Daphne, but she would only make things worse today. The moment Harry saw Hermione approaching out of the corner of his eye, he rose to his feet and hugged her tightly.
Neither of them was sure if they were crying or not as they held each other like their life depended on it. A year ago today, it had.
"Thank Merlin Hermione," Harry whispered quietly, he was vaguely aware of someone approaching from behind him, but he didn't know who it was, "Thank Merlin, you survived. I couldn't have coped without you or Ron."
"Well, you're lucky we were both alright then, aren't you?"
Harry spun around and grinned broadly when he saw Ron standing behind him. His best friend looked as lanky and awkward as ever with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He gave Harry a small smile, and Harry hugged him tightly.
"Come on, Hermione," Harry said, and Hermione joined in with their group hug.
"If it helps, mate, we were just as glad to see you jump out of Hagrid's arms that night," Ron said. He was trying to be casual and lighthearted, but Harry could hear the emotion in his voice.
"We never wanted to lose you, Harry," Hermione reiterated as she wiped away the tears that had fallen earlier, "We lost a lot, but at least we didn't lose each other."
"We'll always be the golden trio," Harry said as he grinned at his two friends, "Our lives might be going down different paths, but that doesn't mean we can't keep them connected."
"I'm glad you brought that up," Ron said slightly sheepishly, "Because Katie and I have been talking. I know things are weird right now with Lilly dating Neville and you two being close friends and all. But we wanted you to be the baby's godfather when it's born, Harry. I know I screwed up, but I'm going to live with the consequences, and I will treat Katie and the baby right. I don't think I can do that without you."
Hermione burst into tears, and Ron and Harry shared an amused look. It caused Harry to flashback to when he and Ron had made up in fourth year, and Hermione had gotten incredibly emotional.
"Bloody emotional as ever, isn't she?" Ron muttered under his breath.
Harry chuckled, "That's Hermione for you. And of course, I'll be godfather Ron. I mean, I'm honoured you'd even ask. You're still the best mate I've ever had."
"Sorry, it's just so sweet,'" Hermione said as she wiped her tears once more and snapped a picture of them both on her wizarding camera. She put one arm around Harry and the other around Ron, who as always was significantly taller. She smiled at them both, "Up to the castle together, like old times?"
Harry and Ron both chuckled at this, but all the same, they walked like that to the great oak doors leading into the entrance hall.
"I could have helped," Daphne muttered as she and Draco stood at the stone circle.
Draco sighed, "You don't get it, you didn't fight in that war like they-"
"I didn't fight in that war?" Daphne argued, "Are you really going to say that? Don't you call what we did at Hogwarts fighting?"
"I call it surviving," Draco said coolly.
"Oh, so you understand it?" Daphne asked bitterly, "Because you're such close friends with them?"
"Yeah, I understand it!" Draco bit back, "I understand that her relationship with Harry is what makes her relationship with me work. It's like the two of us together make a whole relationship, and I understand that perfectly because it's how I feel about her and Theo."
Daphne frowned and looked up at him, "So you finally worked out what he meant to you then."
"Yes," Draco sighed, "And for Hermione, it's Harry. He's her Theo, she needs him, but she loves me. Make of that what you will."
"You make it sound like they're having an affair," Daphne scoffed angrily.
"Sometimes it seems like they are," Draco said, the anger in his voice had ebbed away, "Maybe they don't sleep together or have a physical relationship, but there is something between Hermione and Harry stronger than friendship."
"Just like you and Theo," Daphne said.
Draco leant against one of the stones and looked down into the grounds, "They went through hell together and came out alive. They are two survivors of a world that wanted them dead since they were eleven years old. I'm aware that I know half as much about Hermione as Harry does, but I do know that she needs him and…."
Draco trailed off for a moment then turned to look at Daphne, "Sadie and Hermione had to accept that Theo and I felt that way about each other. In the same vein, you need to accept that if you want to make a serious relationship with Harry work."
Daphne leant against the stone and took his hand. They looked towards the stage where Harry and Hermione were hugging.
"Nobody loves just one person. We pick one person to live our life with, marry, and have children with…but everyone has someone else. You and Theo have each other, Harry and Hermione have each other," Daphne said quietly, "And I…" she swallowed, "I had Tracey."
Draco squeezed her hand, "I know."
Down by the lake, Ron reached the duo, and Harry hugged him.
"I think about her every day," Daphne said honestly, "It's like a part of me is missing. Sometimes I still turn to talk to her, months later."
Draco sighed and pulled her into a hug, "I know," he said softly.
Daphne blinked the tears away, and Draco said, "I know I'm not Tracey, and I know we will never be as close as you two were. But I'm always here, Daphne."
Daphne drew back and kissed him on the cheek, "I know you are, Draco."
The hall was set up similarly to normal, but between the eighth year and the Head Table, there was now another long table for the guests of honour. Ron was technically supposed to sit down there, but he had joined his friends at the eighth year table, and he had taken a seat next to Draco of all people.
Ron initiated the conversation, "I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot at the start of this year, Malfoy. I was naïve. I thought that once the war was over, it would be Harry and Ginny, and Hermione and me. But people change, and the war changed all of us. Hermione and I wouldn't have worked; we don't have enough in common, and let's face it, she's far too clever for me. I could never hold intellectual conversations with her like she can with you."
Draco didn't speak. He figured that Ron had something he needed to say, and he didn't want to interrupt, so he waited for the Weasley to talk once more.
"In hindsight, I can see now that you're not only good for her, but you're better for her than I was," Ron said finally, "But she's still one of my best friends, so take care of her, okay?"
Draco had to admit that he was surprised. This didn't seem like the Ron Weasley he had known, although Ron had grown up significantly in his last few weeks as an eighth year.
Draco nodded, "I will," he said. He wasn't sure if he would ever go beyond polite with Ron, "And I'm sorry too...for the way that I treated you in school. It was unacceptable. I was merely acting on the prejudices of my father."
"Yeah, well, you seem alright now," Ron said. He had gone back to being slightly awkward again as he often was.
"Thanks, I guess," Draco said just as awkwardly. He didn't think they would become BFF's anytime soon.
"Right, well, see you around then," Ron said as he got to his feet and sat down by Harry, Hermione, Neville and Ginny at the far end of the table.
"What the hell was that?" Daphne asked from where she was sitting next to Draco.
"I'm pretty sure that was Weasley apologising and giving me his blessing, or something," Draco said. He was still surprised by what had just happened, "I suppose having a child does make a man grow up."
"Maybe it does," Daphne said thoughtfully as she thought about Harry and Teddy. Her heart ached at how much she missed the little boy.
BANG!
Everybody at the eighth year table jumped. Maybe it was the date, or perhaps it was just the fact that they were all battle-scarred, but loud noises still made them wary.
With their wands at the ready, everybody rushed outside, but they weren't met with a Death Eater attack like they had feared; instead, they saw fireworks. The sky had been magically darkened, and it was being lit up with fireworks.
George stood on a small barge in the middle of the lake with a box full of fireworks. The first firework in the sky was a face. It was the face of Harry's Mother, Lily Evans-Potter. With another bang, another face appeared, that of James Potter lit up the sky. Harry felt a lump rise in his throat as he realised what was happening here. George was projecting the faces of those who had died in both wizarding wars onto the sky. More faces appeared, and Harry recognised some but not others. Amongst them were the faces of Susan's parents and Cedric. Harry glanced around as there was a short pause in the fireworks. Percy was holding Susan, Lilly was comforting Neville as he stood stoically by the banks of the lake, even Draco and Hermione were holding hands.
As Harry turned back to the sky to see the next face, his breath caught in his throat. The face belonged to Sirius, and he had to try hard not to cry. Tears stung painfully behind his eyes, and he blinked hard. He was sure that he was going to break down when he felt a hand slip into his. Harry knew instantly from the soft but firm grip that it belonged to Daphne, and for the first time, all day, he felt like the huge weight he was carrying on his shoulders had lessened slightly.
Harry turned to Daphne and gave her a faint, watery smile. Daphne returned his smile with a slightly watery one of her own, and they both turned back to the dark sky. The faces continued to light up the sky in a line, and Harry couldn't quite believe just how many deaths there had been. When Albus Dumbledore's face lit up the sky, Harry's breath caught in his throat as he struggled to control his emotions.
It was after Dumbledore's face that Harry got emotional because he recognised more and more people. George had been thoughtful enough to fire up the image of an owl that was meant to represent Hedwig. After that, Alastor Moody's face appeared, then Rufus Scrimgeour's, followed by Ted Tonks's face. After this, the next face was of poor, innocent little Dobby and then of Vincent Crabbe. After that, the victims of the Battle of Hogwarts began to appear.
First was Colin Creevey, then it was Fred Weasley, then Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. Then the greasy-haired head of Severus Snape appeared in the sky. Several more faces appeared, but Harry didn't recognise them all and then finally it was over, and the sky was light once more. Harry looked around at the crowd of people; some were crying, others were in shock, and some, like Harry, just looked downright depressed.
"Come on," Harry said as he put his arm around Daphne, "Let's go back to the common room."
Harry and Daphne weren't the only ones who wanted to escape to the peace and quiet of the eighth year common room. All of the eighth years had the same idea, so although it was crowded, it was much better than sitting in a stuffy hall with a bunch of other people who were depressed.
"It was sort of a nice way to end it all," Neville said from his perch on the sofa with Lilly
"I guess, but it was sad too," Hermione said with a sigh, "I knew so many faces in the sky."
"So did I," Harry said sadly.
"But Neville's right. It was a nice way to remember them," Theo said, his mind was still on Pansy's face in the sky.
Sadie nodded. She looked like her thoughts were elsewhere, "It was horrible seeing them all lined up like that, though."
"It was like being back there again," Hermione said, her voice was rough, and she looked pretty cut up by the display, "It was like seeing them all lined up in the hall, all white and cold with their eyes staring…."
Those who had been there that day shivered at the thought. They remembered. How could they forget that chilling sight?
"But we all survived," Neville said. He was always the one who looked on the bright side, "And we're all going to have our happily ever after."
Lilly raised an eyebrow, "Happily ever after and secret shopping trips? We've only been together a month."
Neville laughed, "The secret shopping trip was for your birthday present. Don't worry; I'm not getting ahead of myself."
"Phew," Lilly breathed in amusement, "You had me worried for a minute there."
Harry smiled slightly, and his eyes found Daphne. She wasn't looking at him; she was too busy chuckling at the interplay between Neville and Lilly as they joked about early engagements and the like. The ring he had been planning to give to Daphne had been in the pocket of his robes for the last week. He had pondered about proposing at the Ministry ball, but he had changed his mind because he felt like a proposal should be more private than that. He didn't want it all over the newspapers, and he knew that Daphne wouldn't either.
As he watched her, with her head thrown back laughing, he couldn't help but reach into his pocket and clasp his hand around the velvet box. Her hair glimmered in the firelight, her eyes were lit up with amusement, and he wanted nothing more than to look upon her for the rest of his life. Was the day wrong? Would it be wrong to propose to her on a day that had seen so much suffering? Or would it be right? Would it be right to erase the pain of this day with happiness? Harry couldn't help but sway towards the latter option...
Daphne turned around and caught him staring at her. She smiled radiantly at him, and at that moment, he made his decision. Without thinking on it any further, he stepped forward and said, "I wasn't planning on doing this today, but the memorial and the fireworks...it's put everything into perspective for me, Daph. Life is too short...I'm lucky to be alive, we all are, and I'm actually happy too. I never thought I could feel happy on a day like today, but you make me happy every day, Daphne. I love you so much, and you have made everything about my life better. I want nothing more than to spend my life with you and Teddy and any other crazy children we might have."
Daphne's eyes were wide with fear and shock, and for a moment, Harry feared rejection. Her hands flew to her face in surprise when Harry took the box from his robes and dropped down on one knee. There was a stunned and excited silence in the common room as Harry flicked the box open so that the emerald and silver ring within could glimmer in the firelight.
"I spoke to your Mother at Easter, and she gave me her blessing. So Daphne Greengrass, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
Daphne gazed at Harry in disbelief, and Harry's fear of rejection grew as she stared silently at him. Her eyes swam with emotion, and Harry knew that every little feeling inside was evident in his own eyes. After what felt like hours had passed, Daphne nodded, and tears fell from her eyes as she did so, "Of course, oh for Salazar's sake, I can't believe this is happening, but yes Harry, yes!"
There was a lot of cheering and several shouts of "Congratulations!" from throughout the room. Harry grinned and got to his feet. He pulled Daphne up from the sofa as he did so. He kissed her like he had never kissed her before, their salty tears slid down their faces, and they made no move to wipe them away as they held each other as tightly as they could amongst the cheering and wolf-whistling. When the passionate kiss ended, Harry gently rested his forehead against Daphne's and looked into her eyes, they were bluer than ever in light of her recent tears, and they shone with genuine happiness.
"I love you," Harry whispered as their friends began to descend on them.
"I love you too," Daphne said shakily as their friends finally reached them, and they were forced to pull their gaze away from each other.
"Congratulations!" Neville beamed as he pulled Harry into a bear hug, "I told you she would say yes!"
Harry laughed ecstatically as Draco reached him and hugged him. The moment the blond boy had let go, Theo had launched himself at Harry, and the next thing he knew, he was in a group hug with all three of them. He couldn't help but wish that Ron could be here too, and he made a mental note to go and tell his friend the good news before he found out through the grapevine.
Daphne was still stunned as her friends surrounded her to look at the beautiful sparkling ring on her finger.
Hermione and Sadie were the first to hug her, and they didn't let go for a good few minutes. Hermione beamed at Daphne, "It's beautiful, and that proposal was beautiful!"
"It was," Daphne said as a stupid smile began to spread across her face.
"I can't believe he knew you liked emeralds. Oh Merlin, congratulations, Daphne!" Sadie practically squealed.
Susan grinned at the blonde girl, "Congratulations, Daph!" she said as she enveloped the girl in a hug.
Lilly pounced on her friend, "That was so sweet, Daphne!" she agreed as she hugged her, "And gosh, what a beautiful ring!"
Ginny positively beamed at Daphne as she hugged her and then hugged Harry, "Congratulations, I'm so happy for you both!" she said a little tearfully.
Blaise chuckled under his breath and blamed her hormones which Ginny glared at him for. Harry couldn't help the grin that seemed to be glued permanently onto his face as he beamed at Daphne from across the room. All of a sudden, the day seemed better. It didn't seem sad anymore; nobody seemed lonely or depressed. Everybody was celebrating. Everybody was grateful for what they did have rather than sad about what they didn't have. Harry couldn't help but think that things were finally the way that they were supposed to be.
A year ago, Harry would never have thought that the 'right' thing would have been marrying the beautiful, intelligent, witty Slytherin ice queen Daphne Greengrass. Raising Teddy with her and considering adoption wasn't what he would have deemed the 'right' thing. But it wasn't a year ago. It was now. It was the present. And in the present, marrying Daphne and having a future with her was the most real and the right thing he could imagine.
* ~ TBC ~ *