* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *

PART FOUR

Brave New World

Chapter 62: Culture Shock

The trial took place the following week. It was very similar to the preliminary hearing but far more official.

Daphne and Astoria didn't have to give statements, thankfully. But they did stand hand in hand while their mother glared at them when she was dragged out of the courtroom. She was sentenced to 25 years in the low-security section of Azkaban for the attempted murder of her husband.

Phineas just kept his head down; it was clear he felt great remorse for his actions. It was this remorse that saved him from a more severe sentence. He received ten years in low security with the possibility of parole after seven for conspiracy to commit murder.

Daphne and Astoria both felt an immense sense of relief when it was all over. They went back to Potter Manor, stripped themselves of their official dress and walked into the kitchen in their casual clothes, feeling lighter.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make the trial," Harry said as he fought to keep the smile off of his face, "I lied about having to work."

Daphne frowned, "So why weren't you there?"

"I was handling this at the Ministry," Harry said. He handed a certificate to Daphne.

Daphne's face lit up, "Oh! Sweet Salazar…it's official! Teddy is ours!"

Astoria grinned and looked at the piece of paper, "Edward Remus Lupin-Potter."

Daphne's eyes filled up with tears. She launched herself at Harry and hugged him tightly. He held her just as tightly as tears filled his eyes too.

"We bring him home tomorrow night," Harry said.

"This is just what we needed after the last couple of weeks," Daphne said cheerfully.

"I know," Harry grinned, "I was just saying the same thing to Dave."

"Who is Dave?" Astoria asked.

Daphne rolled her eyes, "His snake."

"You have a snake, and you talk to it?"

"He talks back," Harry defended himself.

"Harry's a Parseltongue," Daphne said by way of explanation.

"Ah," Astoria realised, "What is he, a grass snake or something?"

"Oh no, that would be lovely, safe and sensible," Daphne said matter of factly, "Dave is a Boa Constrictor, and we have a toddler."

"Dave would never hurt Teddy. He's very protective of me and anyone that I love," Harry said.

Astoria looked between them, "I'm guessing that this is an area of contention."

"Slightly," They said in unison.

"I keep him outside; that's the compromise," Harry said.

"Right," Astoria said, it was clear that she was struggling to contain her laughter, "Look, I'm going to get away and let you two celebrate your happy news together. Are we still on for taking dinner to Dad in hospital on Sunday?"

"Yeah," Daphne said with a smile, "We'll bring Teddy too. It's great how quickly he's coming on, isn't it? Even the healers are surprised by how well he's doing."

"It's nice to see him off all of those tubes," Astoria agreed, "He's more himself again. Anyway, congratulations Daph, I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Tori."

Astoria disappeared into the fireplace and Daphne, and Harry positively beamed at each other.

"You're happy today."

"Today is officially the day," Harry chirped, "Teddy has now become Edward Remus Lupin-Potter."

"Congratulations, man!" Neville said. He gave Harry a bear hug.

Draco hit him on the back, "Yeah, congrats Harry."

Theo smiled at him, "That's great news."

"It's just what we needed after the trial," Harry admitted with a grin.

"When does he move in?" Draco asked.

"Tonight," Harry said, "And we've already started explaining it to him, so hopefully that makes the transition easier."

"I'm sure he will adapt quickly. Kids that young always do," Neville said, "Look at you and me after all."

"True," Harry agreed.

"When he's older, he probably won't remember a time when he didn't live with you and Daphne," Draco agreed.

Harry nodded thoughtfully, "Also true. Either way, we're both really excited about being able to call him our son officially," he said as they reached the locker room.

"Course you are," Neville said, "And so you should be. He's an amazing little guy."

Harry smiled softly, "Yeah, he really is."

"Hey, Teddy! You all ready?"

Teddy ran to them, "Dada! Mumma!"

"Yeah," Daphne said, she knelt down, "You get to come and live with us now, but Grandma is still going to look after you during the day when we go to work, okay?"

"Ga-ma!"

"Good," Harry said, he ruffled the little boy's hair, "We've set your new bedroom all up for you. Daphne bought you some new bedtime stories, and I got you a nice new night light. Are you excited?"

Teddy garbled and grabbed onto Harry's leg. Harry smiled and picked the little boy up. He looked at Andromeda, expecting to see sadness in her eyes, but she just looked happy.

"I'll see him all of the time while you two are at work, and I am always free to babysit if you need a night to yourselves," She promised.

"Thank you," Daphne said. She hugged the older woman.

"No, thank you," Andromeda said sincerely, "For giving him the life he deserves, the life Dora would have wanted for him."

Harry swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded, "You're welcome," he managed to say.

They took Teddy home that night and put him to bed with a bedtime story and his new lamp. He fell asleep quickly, and they lay in bed that night feeling on top of the world.

"I can't wait to call you my wife."

Daphne turned her head to look at him, "Where did that come from?"

Harry turned his head too, "You are an amazing human being, you are an amazing mother, and I can't wait to be able to call you my wife too."

Daphne smiled, "Cheesy."

Harry gave her a boyish grin, "You love it, really."

Daphne chuckled and rolled onto her stomach; she propped herself up, "What are we doing about this wedding anyway?"

"I thought you had it all under control?"

"I've done all of the important things," Daphne said, "The venue, the theme, the cake, you know? But things like guests and bridal parties need to be finalised."

"We're having a small, intimate wedding, aren't we?" Harry asked.

Daphne nodded.

"So just close family and friends then," Harry said, "I want the Weasleys there, and I suppose I ought to invite Aunt Petunia and Dudley, but beyond that…I would be happy with our friend group and a few close friends from school."

"Me too," Daphne said, "I would like Narcissa and Andromeda there too, and I think we probably ought to invite Hermione's parents."

"But on the whole, keep it small," Harry said with a nod, "Just a quiet wedding here at the Manor."

"We could maybe invite more people to the evening," Daphne mused, "You know, get married, have a nice meal, then a huge party."

"That would be very us," Harry agreed.

Daphne hummed thoughtfully, "What are we going to do about bridesmaids? Lilly is my maid of honour, and Sadie has to be a bridesmaid. Originally, I was going to also have Hermione and Susan, but now I'm wondering if I should switch someone out for Astoria."

"Can't you just have Astoria as well? What difference does it make?" Harry asked cluelessly.

"Well, it means you need another groomsman to even it out," Daphne explained, "Lilly and Neville would partner each other as the maid of honour and the best man. Then we would have Sadie and Theo, Hermione and Draco, Susan and Ron, but who would partner Astoria?"

Harry thought on that for a moment, "I could always ask Percy. He could partner Susan, then Ron could partner Astoria."

Daphne snorted, "There's a sight."

Harry laughed too; he leant down to kiss her, "Not long now."

Daphne shook her head, "A couple of months. Teddy's going to be the pageboy, right?"

"Of course."

"Do you think we should ask Bill and Fleur if Victoire would like to be the flower girl?"

"That's a good idea," Harry admitted, "How is he these days anyway?"

"Not great," Daphne admitted, "Fleur wants another kid, and Bill is secretly contemplating their future together, but he's too scared to say anything."

Harry sighed, "Yeah, that isn't great. I mean, Fleur can be intense, don't get me wrong, but I don't like to see my friends struggling."

"I guess parenting isn't for everyone," Daphne admitted. She cuddled into Harry.

"I think it's definitely for us."

Daphne smiled into his chest, "Me too. I love my job, don't get me wrong, but this…it's far more rewarding, and I can't wait to give Teddy a brother or sister."

Harry smiled and pressed a kiss into her forehead, "I love you, Daph," he said, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face.

"How do you think Sadie's coping with the whole twin's thing?" Hermione asked Draco conversationally as October neared its end.

"It's a bombshell, but once she comes around to the idea, I think she will see that it's a blessing too," Draco mused.

"It is a blessing," Hermione agreed, "But twins are hard work for any mother Draco, let alone a young mother whose husband has a very time-consuming, dangerous job."

Draco looked up at her, "When you grew up like I did, Hermione, twins would be a blessing."

Hermione scoffed.

"What?" Draco asked defensively.

"You act like I had the perfect upbringing Draco. You didn't grow up like I did."

Draco scoffed this time, "With a loving family and everything you ever wanted? Stop acting like your life was so hard, Hermione."

Hermione looked at him with fiery eyes, "Yes, I had loving parents, but before I went to Hogwarts, I was bullied rotten for being too bookish and for having big teeth and bushy hair. Then when I got to Hogwarts, I was bullied all over again for the same things by you."

"So why the hell did you agree to marry me then?" Draco asked coolly.

"Honestly, when you're acting like this, I don't know!" Hermione replied angrily, "I did not have an easy life, not by any means, Draco! From the moment I came to Hogwarts, my life was in danger as a teenager every single year. I know you had it bad in the war, but at school, as a whole, you were safe until sixth year."

"Safe?" Draco scoffed, "I was never safe. I was constantly being watched by Snape or Crabbe and Goyle. Your parents didn't have to know about anything you did at school, but mine knew everything! I could not put a foot wrong without my father hearing about it, and when I did have to go home, I was punished for it. Do you know why I used to be mean to you? It was because every single time I scored lower than you in a class, my father would punish me because he was disgusted that a muggle-born had beaten me."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief, "I'm sorry for being smarter than you."

"Do you know what, that's the thing? You aren't. You were just able to apply yourself because you didn't have an abusive father breathing down your fucking neck! Look at our grades in eighth year, and we're practically equal, Hermione," Draco said, "So get off of your high horse and stop acting like you're better than everyone else. Stop acting like the poor little war heroine who had it so hard."

"I did have it hard!" Hermione snapped as tears burned in her eyes, "I nearly died in your house, Draco! Your aunt tortured me. Your mother and father stood by and watched. That happened in your house, so you know firsthand how hard I had it in the war."

"You were tortured for a day in my family home," Draco said coolly, "I was tortured every day in that house some summers. You had it hard during the war, but I had it hard my whole life, so forgive me for thinking that your sheltered little life wasn't so fucking hard, Hermione! You had Harry Potter there to protect you all of the fucking time. I had no one!"

Before Hermione could respond, probably with more angry words, Draco stormed out of the house, slamming the front door as hard as he could behind him.

SLAM.

The whole ground floor of Number 11 Grimmauld Place shook.

"What the heck was that?" Sadie asked with a jump.

"I would say that was the door of Number 12 slamming because Draco and Hermione just fought, so I would expect him to come crashing in here in about-"

The front door opened loudly.

"Now," Theo finished.

Sadie smiled slightly and shook her head, "You two know each other a little too well sometimes."

"Theo! Where the hell are you?"

"Living room!" Theo called back.

Seconds later, Draco stomped into the small living room on the ground floor, "I swear to Salazar, I have never been so angry at her in my life!"

"What the hell did she do?" Theo asked in disbelief.

"She kept going on about her hard life, her hard life! Her cushy upbringing with her loving parents and all," Draco fumed, "Oh, but I had it hard in the war, she said, I had it so hard. Oh yeah, you had it so hard with Harry Potter right there behind you every step of the way to fucking protect you. I didn't have a Harry Potter to protect me from the shit my father did to me, did I?"

"You had me," Theo said quietly, "Was I not good enough? I'm not Harry Potter, but I let you camp out at my house as much as I could to escape your father. I let you stay in my summer house for two months when you ran away from home. Do you know the beating I got when my father discovered why food had been going missing from the kitchens?"

Draco's eyes widened.

Theo shook his head irritably, "Salazar Draco, you can be an ungrateful little prick sometimes. You just forget that I was there for you for fucking years because I'm not Harry Potter?"

Draco opened his mouth then shut it as if he thought better of himself.

"Theo, that's not what I meant-"

"It's exactly what you meant," Theo said irritably, "And do you know what? I'm not going to let you treat me like I'm second-best, so you want advice? You want someone to rant to? Go talk to the guy who spent the war shagging your fiancé, alright?"

With a swish of his hand, Theo banished Draco from the house.

Sadie looked at him in surprise, "Theo-"

"Don't say I acted rashly," Theo began hotly.

Sadie shook her head, "I was going to ask if you needed a hug."

Theo sighed and nodded, "Yeah, I really do."

"Harry!"

Harry sighed when he heard Draco's angry tones from inside the house.

"He's outside feeding Dave," He heard Daphne call, "What crawled up your arse and died tonight, Draco?"

"His fucking best friend," Draco muttered as he stormed outside towards Dave's home in the garden of Potter Manor.

"Do you fancy doing me a favour and letting Hermione know that she hasn't actually had a tough life?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"You know as well as I do that there's no telling Hermione anything. She believes, and does, what she wants," Harry said calmly, "What's all this about?"

"She said she had a hard life," Draco fumed, "A hard life? She doesn't know what a hard life is."

"What happened to her was hard for her," Harry said diplomatically, "The war for her was the hardest thing she had ever been through. But in comparison to the way you were raised, to the way I was raised, or even the way Theo was raised, she didn't have a hard life, you're right."

"Thank you," Draco huffed as he sat down heavily on a bench, "I mean yes, she was tortured, and I probably shouldn't have belittled that, but what they put her through for a few hours…that was my life, Harry."

Harry sat down next to him, "I know. I think trying to make Hermione understand that will be hard though Draco. I don't know if there is any way to show her how bad it was without actually showing her."

Draco's face darkened, "You mean like…a pensieve?"

Harry nodded, "She doesn't mean to offend you, but to her, you had a big house and lots of money. I'm not convinced she can actually understand how bad things were for you."

"I don't want to show her that," Draco said quietly, "I don't want anyone to see that apart from the only other person who witnessed it at the time…."

"Your mother?" Harry guessed.

Draco shook his head, "Theo."

"You said that ominously."

"I hurt his feelings," Draco admitted. He let his head fall into his hands, "When I was ranting about Hermione, I said that she didn't have it that hard because she had Harry Potter behind her to protect her every step of the way. I said that I didn't have that, but the thing is…I did. Theo was always there for me, and he has always protected me from myself sometimes but still…."

Harry whistled, "Wow, you fucked up."

"Yeah," Draco sighed, "I get caught up in all of my new friendships sometimes, and I take Theo for granted, which is completely unfair because he was there for me when nobody else was. When my mother was under my fathers imperius curse, and I was terrified, it was Theo who I turned to. When my father tortured me at Voldemort's demands, Theo told me that it would get better one day. It was Theo who let me camp out in his house; he even hid me in his summer house for two months the summer after fifth year because I was so terrified of being branded by Voldemort."

Harry remained silent, so Draco kept talking, "His father found out and told my father. I was given the dark mark that same day…Theo cried when we came back to school, and I told him what happened. He kept saying that if he'd been able to keep the secret another week, he could have saved me from that. But my father would have found a way. He would have taken me out of school or had Severus do it…there was no escaping what I became."

"But Theo tried to stop it," Harry said, "That's a courageous thing to do."

Draco nodded, "He is brave, braver than I ever was. He was brave enough to stand up to his father time after time, even though he knew that a beating would follow. He would just stand stock still and silent. He never let his father know how much it hurt. He was the one who stood up for younger students during the war. He took beatings for me and the others; he took risks and spent a month imprisoned because he didn't want to see an innocent girl get hurt. He's so much better than me. I tortured that same girl to save my own skin and to ensure Pansy's protection. I'm a bad guy trying to make a good life for myself, but Theo has always been good. He's the strong one…I'm the sidekick, really."

"Maybe you should tell him that," Harry said pointedly, "Because comparing him to me is one thing, I guess in a lot of ways Theo and I are very alike, which is actually why we don't get on as well as I do with you or Neville. But what he did for you…it's more than I ever did for Hermione. It's more than I've ever done for anyone apart from Daphne, so maybe you should think about thanking him once in a while."

Draco sighed again.

"If anything, Draco, I didn't do enough to protect Hermione," Harry said quietly, "I didn't protect her from what happened at your house, and I didn't protect her from the darkness inside herself. The person who did that was you, ironically enough. The person who tormented her was also the only person who could put her back together after the war. Call it poetic justice, I guess."

Draco could only nod thoughtfully.

"Go and apologise to Theo before this thing spirals out of control," Harry prodded gently, "He's not just your Auror partner or your best friend, and we all know that. You can't let this fester; you need to set things straight with him."

Draco pushed himself to his feet and nodded, "I will, thanks, Harry."

"Anytime, Draco."

Hermione needed to talk to someone too. She needed a rant, a friend who she could completely confide in who wouldn't tell Draco. Of course, that put Daphne out of the equation because she would inevitably tell Draco.

The natural choice was Sadie, who Hermione trusted entirely. She knew if she told Sadie, she wouldn't run back to Draco, and as much as Theo and Draco were close, if Sadie told her husband something in confidence, he would keep it that way.

However, the flaw in that plan was that the basement door to number 11 had been locked and warded, which meant that Draco and Theo had fought. Hermione sighed and apparated over to Longbottom House.

When she knocked on the door, Tokey smiled brightly at her and led her into the entrance hall.

"You be having a guest, Miss Lilly!"

"Oh, so you've decided to use the front door this time rather than just swanning into my library and – you're not Daphne."

Hermione smiled sheepishly, "Correct. How did Daphne get into your house the last time?"

"Through the vanishing cabinets in our fiancé's libraries, which I did not know about," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes, "You look like you've been crying. Do you want tea?"

"Yeah," Hermione admitted. While she followed Lilly into the kitchen, she asked, "And how do you feel about the vanishing cabinets?"

"Honestly? The same way that you felt about the door. Like, why am I even surprised, you know?" Lilly asked with a snort. She put the kettle on the stove and yelled out of the backdoor, "Pretty sure you're supposed to be catching the plimpys, not letting them catch you, babe!"

A shout of, "Fuck off, Lilly!" came back.

Lilly grinned at Hermione, "I'm making tea if you want one!"

Hermione laughed, "What is he doing?"

"De-pesting the lake before it freezes over for winter," Lilly answered, "So…why the tearstained face?"

"Draco and I had a big fight," Hermione admitted, "I mean, I knew it was going to happen. I should have been more prepared for it. We're both from such different backgrounds, and I knew that was going to become an issue at some point."

"You're not that different," Lilly snorted, "You're both posh."

Hermione sighed, "It's not that though, Lilly. It's not about class; it's about the way that we were brought up. Does that make sense?"

Lilly nodded, "Yep. So how did this clash of cultures argument come about then?" she asked as she slid a cup of tea over to her.

"Draco said I hadn't had a hard life," Hermione said with a frown, "He said I had it easy with loving parents and a happy childhood, then he totally shot down how hard I had it in the war because he'd had it hard his whole life."

Lilly bit her lip, "Well…I hate to sit on the fence here, but I can see both sides. I mean, you did have a good childhood, Hermione. I can't sit here and sympathise with you on that one because I grew up on a council estate in the East End and had a pretty shitty time. I've seen your house, it's stunning, and your parents both have doctorates, you know?"

"But-"

"Listen," Lilly cut in, "When you went to Hogwarts, your life got hard; that much is true. You got dragged into all of Harry's shit; you spent a year petrified, you had to train your best friend up for the Triwizard Tournament and then there was the war."

Hermione frowned.

"I couldn't have survived what you went through in the war, Hermione," Lilly said honestly.

"Sometimes I don't know how I did," Hermione admitted quietly, "I still have nightmares about the snake that bit Harry and the torture in Malfoy Manor. I still feel sick when I look at the scar on my arm," she subconsciously tugged at her sleeve.

Lilly just stayed quiet and let Hermione talk.

"I hurt people, bad people but people all the same. I saw my friends die. I saw…I saw horrible things, and that changes you as a person," Hermione continued, "How could I just go back to being the bookish girl who had a crush on one of her best friends after that? How could I just pretend I was okay with getting married and having kids after the things I saw? I have to make a difference in the world somehow, I have to help prevent something like that from ever happening again, and I…I need more than the cushy life that Ron could have given me because…" she trailed off.

"Because the war changed you," Lilly finished, "You need more, you need an adrenaline rush, something or someone a little dangerous. Someone with darkness in them, someone that scares you. You can't go back to the ordinary; it would bore you after everything you saw and all you went through."

Hermione nodded tearfully, "How do you know?"

"I fought in the war too," Lilly reminded her, "Everyone forgets. Everyone talks about their war trauma while I stay quiet, but I took over from Ginny when I got back to Hogwarts. I love Ginny, but that girl cannot organise a hospital wing, you know?"

Hermione chuckled.

"I healed kids all year, I saw 11 years with torture inflicted injuries, and I risked killing people that I loved to get Neville back," Lilly admitted, "I sent Susan and Seamus, and a bunch of others, on the rescue mission and I told them if they fell through the trap floors in the dark tower, they'd fall to the lowest levels of the school, and the devil's snare would cushion their fall."

Hermione frowned, "But you can't have known that."

"I didn't," Lilly agreed, "But we needed Neville and Ginny back, and if that meant possibly sacrificing the less important people, it had to be done even though those people were my friends too. I didn't just sit on my arse all year, and I fought in the final battle too. Do you really think I never think about those Death Eaters I stuck in the neck with arrows? Because I do, I think about how I paralysed them; I wonder if they were young, if they might have been able to redeem themselves and have a life or kids if I hadn't done that. I have regrets too, and I've seen terrible things as well."

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat.

"We all changed, Hermione," Lilly assured her, "We all had it hard during the war, but I think you are being a little selfish because Draco did have it worse than us. What you ought to remember is that we are all good people who had bad things done to us during the war. Draco was a kid, desperately trying to be good while his own father tried to force him into being bad. He spent his whole life fighting the darkness inside himself, and he still fights it, even now."

"I know he does," Hermione sighed, "And I don't know why it has to be a competition over whose life was worse."

"I understand why you irritated him," Lilly said honestly, "So let me put this in perspective for you. What's your earliest memory?"

Hermione frowned, "Why?"

"Just go with it. I'll explain," Lilly promised.

"It was probably the Christmas after my third birthday," Hermione admitted, "I got this lovely Victorian dolls house…."

Lilly smiled sadly, "Do you know what my earliest memory is?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Going to bed crying because my stomach hurt," Lilly replied, "I lay there feeling so hungry while my mum screamed at my dad for getting drunk and losing another job. She was yelling that she would have to take extra shifts at the pub to make ends meet, and how was I going to get to nursery with my bum of a dad around? She was right; he never woke up in time to get me to nursery."

Hermione swallowed a lump in her throat, "I'm sorry, Lilly."

Lilly shook her head, "Harry's earliest memory is of being shoved in that cupboard under the stairs and called a freak. Theo's earliest memory is of his mother being brutally murdered. Neville's earliest memory is of his uncle shoving him off a pier to force some magic out of him. Daphne's is of her parents arguing; she sat on the stairs covering Astoria's ears while they fought, and she said she could feel the slap when Cygnus struck Lareina because it was so loud."

Hermione was crying as she listened to the horror stories.

"Sadie was lucky, like you. She had a pretty sheltered upbringing," Lilly said honestly, "But do you know what your fiancé's earliest memory is?"

"No," Hermione admitted.

"His earliest memory is of his father cursing him for walking into the room for a glass of water while he met with an old Death Eater friend," Lilly said quietly, "He was a toddler. So you see…you had it hard at school, but people like Draco…they never had it good. Hogwarts was their safe haven, and now for Draco, his life is finally heading somewhere good, but that took a long time."

Hermione sniffed, "How do you know all of this?"

"Partly, everyone talks to me," Lilly shrugged, "But I have to do mind magic classes with the boys. It's all about seeing suppressed memories, and everyone's childhood memories are suppressed. That's why you have to think so hard to recall the details."

"I have been selfish," Hermione said, gratefully accepting a tissue from Lilly, "No wonder they call me princess."

Lilly shrugged, "You can be selfish at times, but we all can. I think the main thing is that you need to talk to Draco about everything. There is every chance that he doesn't actually realise how much the war affected you."

"I thought he did…."

"Maybe you should give each other some perspective?" Lilly suggested.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Use a pensieve and show him some memories from that time," Lilly advised, "If he shows you what happened to him growing up, you would understand how hard it had been."

Hermione frowned.

"And if you showed him some memories of your experiences during the war, he would understand how hard it had been for you," Lilly finished.

"But he was there in Malfoy Manor…." Hermione frowned.

"He wasn't there in Godric's Hollow or at Gringotts or the Ministry though, was he?"

"I can't show him Godric's Hollow without showing him what happened between Harry and me, and …he doesn't want to see that," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

"Look, I need to straight-up ask you a question," Lilly said bluntly, "Is there a part of you that still loves Harry?"

"No," Hermione said with a shake of her head, "There's a pang there when I think about it, but I'm not in love with him anymore. I always saw this perfect boy when we were growing up, but I saw a darker side to him during the war, and Daphne loves that Harry because he's her Harry. But…he's not my Harry. My Harry would never have tortured someone, Death Eater or not…he would never have used the imperius curse…I saw Harry torture; I saw him kill, and I just can't shake that."

Lilly nodded thoughtfully.

"And it makes no sense," Hermione added, "It makes me a hypocrite because I know Draco has done the same, if not worse, and I can still love him."

"It makes perfect sense," Lilly promised, "Seeing Harry do bad things, turn a little dark; that was hard for you because you had always seen him as perfect. But Draco…you had always known him as bad, so to know that he's done bad things, it isn't such a shock. And as for why Harry's perfect for Daphne, she never knew that perfect boy that you did. Her Harry has worked in shades of grey since she met him, that's normal to her, but it's not the Harry you fell in love with."

Hermione smiled weakly, "You give the best advice. This is why everyone talks to you."

"I know it is," Lilly said with a warm smile, "Now get home and apologise to your future husband. I'm sure now that he's cooled off, he'll apologise to you as well."

* ~ TBC ~ *