* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART FOUR

Brave New World

Chapter 61: Someone Stronger than Me

A/N: The chapter title is from the song:

Stronger than Me by Connie Britton (from Nashville).

"What's wrong with him?" Daphne asked when she and Harry were met outside her father's door by Healer Drummond.

"It isn't good," Drummond said honestly, "It's kidney failure."

"But you said he was fine!" Daphne exclaimed, "You said his organs would recover!"

"I said that they should recover," Drummond corrected, "But we couldn't have predicted this. His kidneys haven't been functioning properly because he hasn't been eating or drinking but now that we are putting food and drink in, they still do not seem to be responding. It's like they have forgotten how to work."

"Is there nothing you can do about it?" Harry asked.

Drummond shook his head, "There are no charms that can help with kidney failure Mr Potter."

"But a new kidney would," Daphne said suddenly, "You only need one functioning kidney, don't you? If he had one that worked…."

"In theory, it might save his life," Drummond agreed, "But the surgery might kill him, and then there's the matter of where exactly we would find a kidney at such short notice."

"I'll give him mine," Daphne said.

Harry stared at her in disbelief, "Daphne, what?"

"I will give him mine," Daphne said firmly, "We must be the same blood type. I mean, I'm his daughter!"

Drummond nodded, "Even if you do have the same blood type, it's not that simple-"

"It's exactly that simple!" Daphne said, "My kidneys work fine. Just give him one and save his life please, I can't lose him again, I can't! Not just after I got him back!"

"Daphne, you're being rash. You aren't thinking this through-" Harry tried to say.

"And neither did you when you made your most life-changing decisions Harry!" Daphne snapped, "You didn't think it through when you walked into the forest to your death or when you stood in front of Voldemort in the great hall that night! If there's a chance I can save his life, I need to do it."

Drummond looked between them for a moment. Harry didn't say anything; he couldn't defend himself because he knew that she was right.

"We can test you to see if you are a match," Drummond said, "But it's not all about blood type, so please, don't get your hopes up."

Daphne nodded.

"Come with me," Drummond said. He opened the door to a small consultation room.

"Harry, I know she thinks that she doesn't want to know, but you should floo Astoria," Daphne said as she walked away from him, "If he's going to die, I'd like her to have the chance to say goodbye."

Harry nodded, "I won't be far away," he promised.

He took a breath; it wasn't just Daphne who had become weighed down with everything going on right now. He was carrying as much of the burden for her as he could. Harry slipped out of the little waiting room and disappeared into another room where private booths were set up, each one containing a fireplace.

Harry threw some floo powder into the fire and said the address of Astoria's flat. A few seconds later, her face appeared in the fire.

"This can't be good if you're phoning from the hospital."

Harry shook his head, "It isn't. Your…Cygnus, he has taken a turn for the worse. Both of his kidneys are failing, and without one working kidney to help the other heal, he will die very soon. Daphne is devastated. She's being tested now to find out if she's a match."

"And if she isn't?"

"He has two days maybe, if he's lucky," Harry said, "Daphne asked me to floo you. She said she knows you feel a lot of resentment towards him, but if you did want to say goodbye or…anything…you ought to do it now."

Astoria sighed, "I need to be there, to support Daphne as much as anything else. I'll get dressed and join you soon."

Before Harry could say anything else, she disconnected the call.

True to her word, Astoria joined Harry 10 minutes later in the small waiting room.

"She won't take this well. She was always Daddy's little girl before the fire, and regardless of how much she says she doesn't care anymore…she does."

"I know," Harry said.

And they didn't say anything else while they waited.

It seemed to take forever for Daphne to come out of the room, and when she did, they could tell that it wasn't good news. Her eyes were puffy; her cheeks were tear-streaked.

"I'm not a match," Daphne choked out.

She fell into Harry's arms, and he held her tightly.

"What happens now?" He asked Drummond.

"All we can do is make him comfortable," Drummond admitted.

"Could I be a match?" Harry asked, "I would give him a kidney."

Drummond shook his head, "It's a noble thought, Mr Potter, but it's very rare for someone who isn't family to be a match."

"Could you test me?" Astoria asked, "I'm his…niece."

Drummond nodded, "We could test you, but your cousin wasn't a match-"

"Sister," Astoria and Daphne said in unison.

Drummond frowned.

"We have the same mother, but our fathers are brothers," Astoria explained, "So we are sisters…and cousins…."

"Right," Drummond said slowly, "Well, as I said, I can test you."

Daphne looked up at Astoria tearfully, "Why would you even offer Astoria? After the way he treated you?"

"He never loved me the way he loved you, but he didn't mistreat me, Daphne," Astoria said softly, "He put a roof over my head. He gave me a comfortable life. I wouldn't have had that if he had thrown Mother and me out when he found out what she had done. I can't let him die if there's a chance that I could do something about it."

Daphne threw herself at her sister and hugged her tightly, "You're a better person than me."

"No, I'm not," Astoria said, "You would do the same thing for Phineas."

Daphne wasn't sure if she would, but she kept that thought to herself as Astoria disappeared into the consultation room.

"Would you have done it?" Harry asked in the long, echoing silence.

"Given Phineas a kidney?" Daphne asked.

"If roles were reversed, would you have done it?"

"I think so," Daphne said honestly. She turned to look at him, "Family isn't all about blood. Sometimes the people who raise you are your parents, even if biologically that isn't the case."

"I never want Teddy to forget that his biological parents were heroes, though," Harry said quietly, "He calls us Mummy and Daddy, and I can't help but think that it might hurt Remus and Tonks. I know Remus's portrait says it's okay, but it's not really him. It's just an echo…."

Daphne sighed.

"Sometimes I wish I hadn't thrown away the resurrection stone…." Harry confessed.

"No, you were right to throw it away," Daphne said curtly, "You've lost too many people, Harry. Keeping that thing would have been suicidal. Besides, I'd like to think that Remus and Tonks would be happy that Teddy isn't going to grow up scared and lonely like you did."

"We're giving him what Remus always wanted to give me," Harry realised suddenly, "God…how have I never looked at it that way before Daph? Remus would have taken me in; he told me so himself, but nobody would have allowed it because he was a werewolf."

Daphne smiled weakly, "There you have it. They wouldn't be angry or upset; they would be grateful. And Astoria's right. Our father could have kicked Mother out and Astoria with her. He put a roof over their heads and did the best he could, but he loved Mother despite it all and every time he looked at Astoria, he must have been reminded of her betrayal."

"It can't have been easy for him all those years," Harry agreed.

"It wasn't fair on her either though," Daphne said, "It wasn't Astoria's fault."

"No," Harry agreed, "I hate to say it, but it all comes down to your Mother and her selfishness. If she didn't love your father, why pretend for all of those years? Why not just divorce him? He seems like a reasonable man. Surely he would have preferred that than the route she took."

"I think he would have done," Daphne said.

Harry sighed and slipped his hand into hers, "Do you know Daph? I don't think any of us has had a normal family life. My parents died when I was a baby, and I was raised by dickhead Muggles."

"My family is just fucking complicated."

"Draco's dad was a piece of shit," Harry said, "And what Theo's dad did to his mum is disgusting. Neville was raised by his grandmother and belittled by the little family he had left," Harry said, "And Lilly's dad ran off with another man when she was a kid."

"I think Sadie and Hermione are the only two who had something close to a normal upbringing," Daphne admitted, "Sadie always had it good. Nice house, two loving parents, all that jazz. Then Voldemort targeted her family."

Harry nodded sadly, "Hermione had it good. I was always jealous of the way that she grew up. Supportive parents, nice house, plenty of money, not having to wear hand-me-downs. But then she risked it all for me when she obliviated them and sent them to Australia."

"She would have done anything for you," Daphne said knowingly, "If that's not the greatest friend you could ever have…I don't know what is."

"I know, trust me, I know," Harry assured her, "What I'm getting at though…I don't want to fuck up Teddy's upbringing."

"We won't," Daphne promised, "Whatever happens, we won't. But I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If it all goes south and we fall out of love with each other," Daphne said quietly, "Let's tell each other. Let's just get a divorce and stay friends. Promise me that we won't fall into the trap of staying in it for the kids. Promise me that we won't end up like my parents."

"I promise," Harry said sincerely, "If I fall in love with your sister, I'll tell you before I get her pregnant."

Daphne punched him in the arm, "Harry!"

"Too soon?" Harry joked.

He hoped he had timed the joke right, but if he hadn't, then she was probably about to burst into tears. Instead, she burst into hysterical laughter, and he couldn't help but laugh with her.

Thankfully, they had calmed down 5 minutes later when the door of the consultation room opened.

Astoria stepped out, looking a little pale, "I'm a match."

Daphne gasped and stood up, "Are you…I mean, there are no obligations, Tori-"

"I've already said I'll do it," Astoria said before Daphne could dig herself a hole.

"We need to get your sister down to theatre as soon as possible to give your Father the best chance we can," Drummond explained, "Once we have opened both your sister and your father up, we can do a simple switching spell. After a few months of both parties having one working kidney, the second kidney should have healed itself. At that point, we can do another switching spell to restore the kidneys to their original owners."

Daphne nodded nervously, "And it's not risky?"

"Not for your sister," Drummond assured her, "But there is a chance that your father's body will reject her kidney. I need you to know that there is no guarantee that this will work."

"Thank you for your honesty," Daphne said hoarsely. She stepped forward and hugged Astoria, "Thank you, Astoria, thank you so much."

"It's as much for you as it is for him, Daphne."

"Well, we'll be here," Daphne promised, "We'll be right outside until we know how you both are, and if it doesn't work…we did the best that we could."

Astoria nodded and gripped her sister tightly for a moment. Then she let go and allowed Drummond to lead her down the corridor.

"Will you be okay on your own for a minute?" Harry asked, "I really ought to floo Neville."

"I'll be fine," Daphne promised, "You floo Neville and I'll head down to the café for coffee."

"Alright," Harry said, he leant in and kissed her on the forehead, "Try to keep your chin up, love."

"Hey, how is my little guy?"

"Fine now," Neville said through the fire, "He did wake up, he had a nightmare, but I got him back off to sleep fairly quickly. How are things going at the hospital?"

"Not good, that's why I'm checking in with you," Harry said, "We might be here all night, and I didn't know how you would feel about sorting Teddy out with his breakfast if, worst-case scenario, we aren't back by morning."

Neville shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Worst case scenario, I'll give him breakfast, drop him at Andromeda's and tell Sumner why you aren't around. Is it saying goodbye kind of bad?"

"Not quite, but it's bad," Harry admitted, "His kidneys are failing, so he needs a healthy one to heal the other one. Daphne wasn't a match, but Astoria is, and she offered to give him a kidney. They are in surgery now, but there's a chance that his body will reject the kidney, and if it does, then it will be time to say goodbye."

"Shit, Harry," Neville sighed, "Right after she got him back."

"Yeah, she's not in a great place right now," Harry said honestly, "But we just need to see how it goes after the surgery."

"Well, we'll be fine here for as long as necessary," Neville promised him.

"Thanks, Nev. I appreciate it."

Harry and Daphne spent the following few hours in silence but with their hands clasped tightly together. When Drummond finally did walk into the room, they looked up expectantly.

"They are both okay," Drummond said with a smile, "And everything seems to have gone well. All that remains now is to leave the kidneys to heal and then switch them back. We will need to keep your father monitored in the hospital for a few months, but your sister can leave in 48 hours, and we'll check in with her every month to see how the kidney is doing."

Daphne breathed out a sigh of relief, "Can we see either of them yet?"

"Your sister is awake, but it will take your Father slightly longer to come around," Drummond said. He motioned to a door leading off of the corridor.

Daphne gave Harry a small smile, "I'll stay here, Harry. You go home."

"Daphne-"

Daphne shook her head, "No, I know you want to be here for me, but Teddy needs you to be there in the morning."

"Alright," Harry conceded because he knew she was right, "But if anything changes-"

"I'll floo you," Daphne cut in, "I promise. Could you floo Bill for me and explain that I won't be at work tomorrow?"

Harry nodded, "Of course I will. I love you."

"I love you too," Daphne said. She leant in and gave him a quick kiss before disappearing into Astoria's room.

"Hey."

Astoria smiled, "Hey."

Daphne sat down on the edge of her bed, "You are an amazing person."

"At the end of the day, Daph, he was my father. Maybe not biologically, but he raised me," Astoria said. She shut her eyes and edged closer to her older sister.

"You just gave a kidney to a man who gave you a complex," Daphne whispered, "He made you feel inferior; he made you feel like nobody wanted you."

"And he gave you a complex too, even before the fire," Astoria returned, "He scared you, the way he was to mother."

"I understand his anger and his frustration now, but he hurt her. You're right," Daphne admitted, "He is the victim here, but he isn't a saint. I know that, Tori. I remember what he did to her after the fire."

"If you hadn't stepped in, I think he might have killed her," Astoria whispered.

"He didn't mean to hit me. He was just so angry at her then I got in the way."

"It still scarred you for a long time," Astoria said knowingly, "It made you terrified of relationships, terrified that someone would hurt you like that one day."

"Until Harry," Daphne said softly, "Harry…he filled the holes that Father burned in me back then."

Astoria smiled, "He's your everything."

Daphne smiled too, "He's everything our father wasn't Astoria…he never walks away when things get hard. He takes care of Teddy and me, and he loves us unconditionally. It was Harry who made me believe that a man could be kind."

"You're nothing like him, Daph; you know that?"

Daphne sighed, "I used to worry all the time that I was just like him. Cold, logical, you know? But now I can see that I fell far from the tree, we both did. The thing is…adopting Teddy and becoming his Mother… changed my perspective on things. I could never hurt Teddy like he hurt us, and he will never have to wonder about his worth like we did. Because Harry and I will always put him first."

Astoria squeezed her hand, and she took a breath.

"I hope I find a love like yours one day," Astoria said. She turned her head to look at her sister, "You're so damn lucky with your perfect fiancé and your cute little kid."

Daphne turned her head too, "My life isn't perfect. Harry isn't perfect; he's got so many demons from the war, but….I guess when you love someone, you have to learn how to love their demons too."

"I guess," Astoria agreed.

"And I also know you'll find someone too, someone who makes you feel just as special as Harry makes me feel," Daphne added.

Astoria sighed sleepily, "Stay, Daph?"

"Of course, Tori," Daphne said as she edged closer to her baby sister.

When Daphne woke up a few hours later, Astoria was still out of it. She got up, performed a few spells to freshen herself up, and then went to the hospital café for a coffee. It was early morning now, so she slipped into her father's room in the hope that he would be awake.

"Morning Dad," Daphne said when she sat down by his bed.

He opened his eyes and tried to speak. When he had done this in the past, nothing had come out. But this time, he managed a faint, "Daphne."

Daphne looked up in surprise, "You spoke."

Cygnus visibly swallowed, "I'm alive?"

Daphne nodded, "Your kidneys were failing, I offered to give you one of mine, but we don't have the same blood type. I have the same blood as Mum."

Cygnus frowned.

"But you and Phineas obviously have the same blood type, so Astoria gave you a kidney."

Cygnus's eyes widened.

"She said, and I am quoting here, even if it wasn't biological, you are still her dad. You put a roof over her head, fed her and kept her well even though you knew she wasn't yours and could have kicked her and mum out easily enough."

"She knows the truth."

Daphne nodded, "It all came out recently when Mother decided to sell the house, and I got a box of letters you wrote to Uncle Gus. I saw what you wrote on my marriage contract to Draco too."

Cygnus smiled, "I meant it."

Daphne smiled weakly, "I want a fresh start Dad, but I can't pretend that you're the only victim here. I understand that what Mum did made you bitter and angry, but you did some unspeakable things to her and Astoria and me. Things have to change if you want to be in my life."

Cygnus gave a slight nod.

"For one, you need to accept Astoria as your daughter," Daphne said, "Because despite the fact you made her feel inferior for her entire life, she still loves you, and I don't think she can handle you rebuffing her again."

Cygnus didn't say anything, so Daphne continued, "And you need to be a better grandfather to my son than you were a father to me. You can't walk away when things get hard, you can't lash out, and you can't choose to be there for him when it's convenient for you."

Hurt flashed across Cygnus's face.

"I love you, Dad, and I'm happy for this to be a fresh start, but it has to be for all of us, and that includes Astoria."

Cygnus nodded, "I understand. She gave a kidney for me. I think that warrants official adoption."

Daphne's eyes widened, "You would adopt her?"

"She always reminded me of your mother's betrayal, but that was no excuse to treat her the way that I did," Cygnus admitted, "And as hard as it is to hear, you are right. I wasn't always the best father in the world, and I apologise for that. I will do better for your son than I did for you, I promise."

Daphne smiled, "Good."

Cygnus smiled back, "He's lovely, you know."

"Who, Teddy?"

"Well, he is certainly lovely, but I meant Harry actually," Cygnus said.

"You approve?"

"I approve," Cygnus said, "He is a Potter, which had become a shameful thing in recent years, but I expect you plan to change that."

Daphne smiled, "I do."

Cygnus smiled too, "I tried to draft a marriage contract between you two when you were babies, but my cousin would not have it. His wife was a muggle-born, and she was not fond of pureblood traditions. She swore that her son would marry for love, not convenience."

Daphne laughed, "Well...that's ironic."

"Indeed," Cygnus agreed.

Daphne smiled sympathetically, "I'm glad you approve. Harry makes me happier than I've been in a long time."

"I can see that," Cygnus said. He reached out and took her hand, "It makes me happy to see you doing so well. How is Astoria doing?"

"Great," Daphne admitted, "She wants to be a lawyer, so she's taking extra classes at the DMLE. She doesn't have a boyfriend or anything; she dates wishy-washy guys. I really need to set her up."

"Why don't you set her up with Draco?" Cygnus suggested.

Daphne chuckled and shook her head, "No, that ship has sailed. Draco is very happy with Hermione."

"Who is Hermione?"

"She is Harry's best friend, and she's a Muggle-born and a Gryffindor," Daphne said.

Cygnus laughed weakly, "Draco Malfoy dating a Muggle-born, Gryffindor?"

"Oh, he's engaged to her actually," Daphne smiled, "And he's Draco Black now. He and his mother changed their names when Lucius went to prison."

"Good for her," Cygnus said with a warm smile, "Narcissa Black always was too good for that slimeball."

Daphne knew fine well her fathers opinion of Lucius; he had always been vocal about it.

"Is she doing well now?"

Daphne nodded, "She's living with her sister Andromeda. They reconciled after the war. I expect she will come and visit you when we tell her the news; she was devastated at your funeral."

"Was she?" Cygnus asked with interest.

Daphne hid a knowing smile, "She was distraught, so I hear."

"You heard?" Cygnus asked with a frown.

Daphne frowned too, "Well, the thing is…I didn't go to the funeral. I could hide behind an excuse and tell you that I couldn't because I was rebelling against the Death Eaters running the school that year, but…the truth is, I wouldn't have gone anyway. I was angry, and at the time, I thought you were the bad guy."

"I understand," Cygnus promised her.

They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, then Cygnus said quietly, "Daphne…did you mean what you said when you first came in?"

Daphne frowned, "What part?"

"The part about wanting me to become well enough to walk you down the aisle," Cygnus said.

Daphne's eyes widened, "Oh, of course, I did. I wouldn't have said something like that if I didn't mean it."

Cygnus's smile widened, "Then I would love to tell you that I would be honoured to do so. This is a fresh start for all of us, myself and my two wonderful daughters."

Daphne smiled warmly, "It will do Astoria a world of good to hear that," she told him.

Cygnus just squeezed her hand, and they fell silent once more.

"Miss Greengrass?"

Astoria looked up at the Trainee Healer who had entered her room, "Yes?"

"Your father is asking for you. Do you feel up to getting out of bed and being wheeled in to speak with him?"

Astoria felt slightly sick with nerves at the thought, but she nodded all the same. She got out of bed tentatively and let the healer wheel her into the room next door. She swallowed her shock when she saw how pale and frail the man was.

"Astoria," Cygnus said quietly, "You came."

Astoria nodded, "You asked to see me?"

"I needed to apologise and to thank you," Cygnus said honestly, "You gave me a kidney."

"You gave me a good life; a kidney is nothing in comparison," Astoria said timidly.

"A good life?" Cygnus questioned, "Do you feel that way? Daphne always told me that I made you feel inferior and unwanted. Is that true?"

"I knew that you favoured Daphne over me, and maybe I was timid for a long time because of that," Astoria admitted, "But you put a roof over my head, you fed me, you clothed me in nice clothes. I never wanted for anything. In that respect, Daphne and I were entirely equal. The only thing I felt you gave her over me was your love."

Cygnus sighed, "I truly apologise for that. I did favour Daphne over you, and it was because you reminded me of how much your Mother had hurt me. Of course, that wasn't your fault, and I should never have taken that out on you. Daphne and I discussed how this new lease of life should be a fresh start…for all of us…and I think that ought to begin with adoption."

Astoria frowned, "What?"

"If you are willing," Cygnus said slowly, "I would like to adopt you and attempt to start writing some of the wrongs I made in my previous life."

Astoria opened her mouth then closed it again.

"I…I would be okay with that," She said eventually.

"Would you also be okay with becoming the head of Greengrass Industries?"

Astoria's eyes widened, "You…you want me to take over the business? Me? You always said I was the wishy-washy one, that Daphne was the clever one."

"I was wrong about that, as I was with many other things," Cygnus admitted, "Daphne loves her job; that much is clear. But she said that you wanted to be a lawyer, which would make you a great CEO. You know as well as I do that there are a lot of politics involved in the job. Of course, I understand if you don't want it. After all, the business is already struggling, and when news of what happened to your Mother and Phineas hits the press, stocks will plummet again-"

"And I'll fix it," Astoria said eagerly, "Father, I have so many ideas about how to fix the business. I know how to bring it into the 21st century. I've thought so much about this. So yes, I would love the job, and I will do everything I can to save the business. You have my word."

Cygnus smiled at her, "I'm sorry that it took me too long to realise that there was more of me in you than I thought, Astoria."

Astoria smiled proudly, "Thank you."

"No," Cygnus said. He reached out and took her hand, "Thank you."

* ~ TBC ~ *