AN: Many thanks to my great beta readers Verlor and udm17!
Chapter 6 – Sister Love
England Defeated by Belgium – Chaser Duo Disappoints
By Boris Chamberlain
Yesterday evening, the newly minted Quidditch National Team suffered a bitter 170-180 defeat in its friendly match against Belgium in Brussels. Debutant Harry Potter caught the Snitch, but the victory went to the Belgians as they held onto the large lead they had since the beginning of the match. One can only assume that Harry Potter wanted to bring the disappointing evening to an early end.
Although no marvelous tour de force was to be expected with a team that consisted of six other debutants besides Potter, almost nothing worked for Themis Nika's team; after the three minutes, it was already 0:20 for Belgium. The two new Chasers Ginny Weasley and Daphne Greengrass, in particular, did not harmonize with each other, sometimes even failing to make the simplest of passes. Neither of the two showed the brilliance that has delighted the hearts of their fans in the league.
After the match, Nika pointed out that the two of them were still young and inexperienced and that performance fluctuations are therefore perfectly normal, even to be expected. However, Harry Potter proves that exceptions to the norm do exist, and coach Nika will require consistency at some point. The places in the lineup for the upcoming World Cup are limited, and quite frankly the two Chasers did not impress during their first chance to prove themselves. But how many more chances will they get?
Or maybe Weasley and Greengrass were already thinking about their next club matches. Both the Holyhead Harpies and the Chudley Cannons are hoping to reach the top four and thus move into the playoffs and qualify for the European Cup. The Cannons, in particular, are continuing their dream run. What a shame the Harpies and Cannons will not meet until the last match of the regular season.
Ron had been right at Christmas because Harry and Ginny made up quickly – and make-up sex was also a nice thing, wasn't it?
Another development caused additional joy in Grimmauld Place. What the rumors and newspaper had been predicting for a long time finally happened – Harry and Ginny were nominated for the English Quidditch National Team! Even the fact that Daphne was nominated together with them – and that their team play turned out to be "in need of improvement" – did not spoil Ginny's happy mood. And a happy Ginny made Harry happy, especially since his Christmas present to Daphne turned out to be a real blessing for the Chudley Cannons as well. Spurred on by a further Firebolt in its midst, the team played better than ever before. They rushed from victory to victory, and slowly their great dream came closer and closer to reality.
However, Harry's good mood ended abruptly when a fateful anniversary approached…
Frustrated and accompanied by the frenetic cheers of the opposing fans, Harry stormed off the field, past Meyers, who shouted something at him, into the tunnel and the locker room, where he hurled his broom in a corner. He knew himself that he had failed miserably, he didn't need his coach to tell him that. He had almost caught the Snitch when it suddenly happened. Abruptly the memories had come back, the flashes, the screams...
It had been two Ballycastle Bats players in their black robes flying past him, Harry knew that now. But five minutes ago, they had been the Death Eaters who had chased him and Hagrid in the night sky over Surrey ... when Hedwig had died for him, like so many others before and after...
And tomorrow would be the first anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. For weeks, he had been anxious about this date, had nightmares about it at night and dark thoughts haunting him throughout the day. By now, asking Hagrid's half-brother Grawp to hit him with his club and put him in a coma for a while seemed like a brilliant idea.
As if in a trance, like a cloud of soot had settled over his mind, Harry saw the other male players come in and pat him on the back, but he did not hear their words. He showered and changed faster than anyone else before storming out quickly. Even when he heard someone calling out his name, he paid them no heed and Disapparated back to his home.
Only cold emptiness awaited him there. Ginny wasn't back yet, but Harry wasn't surprised; The Harpies must have won and were still celebrating…
Sighing, he lit a fire in the chimney with his wand before collapsing into the armchair, his gaze fixed on the blazing flames, losing himself in their passionate love play. However, soon the flames changed shape, formed bodies and faces, the burning Quidditch towers of Hogwarts, corpses on the stone floor. He saw Remus and Tonks, their faces so peaceful as if they were going to wake up at any moment. Lavender's face covered with blood. The Weasleys weeping around Fred's lifeless body. So many tears, so much blood, so much suffering. And so much death, so many lost lives, dreams, and hopes. How many could he have saved if he'd just been ... better? A better fighter, a better leader, a better man...
The sudden creak of the front door and fast approaching footsteps pulled Harry out of his thoughts. And a moment later Ginny was by his side, kissing him gently on the cheek; her breath smelling of wine and firewhiskey.
"Is that how you Apparated?" Harry asked, horrified.
Ginny waved him off. "Nothing happened. Don't act like that just because your Cannons lost." Smiling, she sat on his lap before bringing her mouth to his ear so that her warm breath slipped over his skin, leaving goosebumps behind. "Don't worry. I know how to chase those thoughts away…"
With that she began to caress his neck with her lips, sliding lower and lower, while she unbuttoned his shirt with one hand. The other hand opened his trousers, slipped into his boxers and –
Abruptly, Harry pushed Ginny away from him, earning him a confused look from his girlfriend. "What?" she asked. "Don't you like it?"
"I do," Harry replied, tensed. "But … Ginny, I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood for it right now. Maybe tomorrow, but now ... now I would like to just sit here a little longer..."
Ginny gave him a sympathetic smile and kissed him on the cheek one more time before rising from his lap. "Don't let your defeat get you down," she said. "It's just Quidditch. And you might just win against us in two weeks and move into the playoffs … I'll leave you alone for now."
Ginny walked through the living room before turning back to him. "Please don't make me wait for too long," she whispered. "Without you, the bed is so empty and cold..."
Harry nodded briefly, already lost in thought again, and with one last worried look, Ginny left the room.
Harry didn't get to bed until late at night, and even then, he couldn't sleep, even if Ginny's warm body was pressed close to him. The following day he spent almost entirely with garden work, with which he was able to distract himself at least for a few, albeit far too short moments, but at some point, he could no longer delay it. And so he left the house with Ginny by his side in the evening to Apparate directly in front of the Hogwarts gates.
There, they were greeted by a large number of people, but luckily, they left Harry alone this time, too lost they were in their own memories. Reporters and cameras had been banned from the school grounds by McGonagall, which was something Harry was particularly thankful for.
They followed the stream of people to the Great Lake, which was illuminated by hundreds of floating candles that evening. And with every minute there were more, lit and set on the water by the assembled witches and wizards, in memory of the fallen and victims of the war. Harry saw Andromeda and Teddy, his godson, he saw Parvati, he saw Dennis Creevey ... and so many others. And again, he just felt miserable. How many could he have saved if he'd just tried harder? If he had found the Horcruxes faster, if –
"What are they doing here?", Ginny's voice tore him from his thoughts. Harry followed her gaze and saw Daphne and Astoria kneeling by the water, crying, their arms around each other. "Only those who have faced and fought the Death Eaters should be here," Ginny continued, her voice trembling slightly.
Harry decided not to say anything. Ginny must have seen terrible things that year under the Carrows; she would probably never develop sympathy for Daphne or other former Slytherins. At least, Draco had been smart enough not to show up, that would probably have been too much...
Then, fortunately, Hermione and the other Weasleys came along, and together they let another burning candle float on the water. Its reddish flame was reflected in the dark calm waves of the lake, almost the same red as the Weasley's hair, like Fred's hair ... but never again would his cheerful voice ring in Diagon Alley, never again would his jokes make the children laugh, distract them from the worries of everyday life. Never again would his mother hold him in her arms…
Harry looked away.
And then the speeches began. Beautiful speeches, emotional speeches, speeches that made the assembled crowd laugh and cry. From Kingsley, from McGonagall, even from Neville, who, it seemed, had something to say about each of the fallen students. Harry didn't even know all of them. Jennifer, Leopold, Kathy ... the names didn't mean anything to him, but they too had died a year ago. Because of him. It was his fault, his damn fault.
Abruptly Harry turned around and hurried away, away from Ginny and her mother, who were huddled together, away from Hermione and Ron who gave him a concerned look, away from all the grieving people and memories. It was too much, it was just way too much...
When he came to a stop on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, panting against a tree, he was covered in cold sweat. Faintly, the voices of the speakers reached him, before suddenly a familiar voice rang out next to him.
"You couldn't take it anymore either?"
Harry looked up and saw a red glimmer in the darkness. Then Daphne stepped into the starlight, a glowing cigarette in her hand. She looked at him with an unfathomable look, before bringing the cigarette to her lips again, taking a deep drag.
"Since when do you smoke?" Harry asked quietly.
Daphne shrugged. "Since today," she replied. "I don't like it, to be honest. But I just had to do something. Astoria is with her friends, the others were all crying and…" Her voice faltered.
"I see," Harry said, stepping to her side. "Just make sure Meyers doesn't see you."
They both laughed cheerlessly, before she handed him the glowing cigarette. "Want to join?"
Daphne gazed at him, and her eyes seemed to him deep, secret, yet clear as a tidal pool in summer, full of mysteries. He hadn't the faintest idea what was going on in her head at that moment.
"Yes," he said finally, taking the cigarette from her hand. He took a deep drag – and immediately coughed violently. "I don't like it either," he laughed.
"That's good," replied Daphne, also laughing.
Silence fell between them as they stared at the assembled crowd and the lights on the lake. At some point, however, Daphne turned away from him, looking at the ground.
"You must hate me," she whispered.
Confused, Harry looked at her. What did she mean? Why should he hate her?
"I'm not blind, you know," Daphne continued quietly. "The disgusted looks and all. We don't belong here…"
Without thinking twice, Harry put his hand on Daphne's shoulder. She looked up in surprise, and their eyes met; Harry could even see the silver glow of the starry sky reflected in her pupils. A warm feeling spread inside him, and he followed his heart's voice, letting it guide his tongue.
"You too have lost people," he said. "People you loved and who loved you back. You have every right to be here today and to mourn them."
"Thank you," Daphne said before taking his free hand, squeezing it gently. "And you, Harry, please don't blame yourself. Our parents died for Astoria and me because they wanted ... they wanted us to live in a better world, a world of love and friendship."
Harry felt a lump in his throat. "That sounds nice…"
Removing her hand from his, Daphne looked at the night sky, where just then a passing cloud revealed the brightly shining moon.
"Yes. Yes, it does ..."
Together, they returned to the memorial. Harry was about to say his goodbyes and look for his friends when he suddenly heard loud screeching – and he knew the voices!
Simultaneously, Harry and Daphne ran off in the direction of the voices, passing surprised and shocked faces, past the candles floating on the lake, until they finally arrived at the scene.
There, Ginny and Astoria stood facing each other, both looking furious. There was a bright handprint on Ginny's left cheek, who was being held by Hermione and Luna, while Astoria was held by two Slytherin students Harry didn't know. And both Ginny and Astoria seemed ready to jump at each other's throats and rip them open with their fingernails.
"... have no idea!" yelled Astoria. "My sister is a thousand times braver than –"
"She's a cowardly bitch!" Ginny yelled back angrily. "Like all of you who –"
"What's going on here?" Harry shouted and placed himself between the two women, eyeing Ginny worriedly, but luckily, except for the handprint, she seemed unharmed.
Behind him, he heard Daphne's worried voice. "Calm down, Tori. Please calm down. Breathe, just breathe. Calm down. Please!"
A large crowd had already formed around them. Harry heard people whispering wildly to each other, a hum by his right ear, and Ginny's voice screeching as she tried to break free from Hermione and Luna.
"That crazy girl attacked me and –"
"I heard what you said," Astoria yelled back, ignoring her sister's pleading. "You and your –"
Suddenly, Astoria's voice fell silent, and the crowd gasped. Harry spun around to see Astoria's limp body lying on the ground. Then Daphne bent over her sister, making intricate movements with her wand and muttering even more complex spells, so quickly that it was obvious she'd it many times before.
Harry, on the other hand, felt petrified. Voices came in from everywhere, but his eyes were fixed on Daphne and Astoria. What just happened? What was wrong with her?
Then the crowd parted, and Madam Pomfrey came running. Immediately she leaned over Astoria's limp body next to Daphne.
"How long has she been like this?" she asked.
"More than a minute," Daphne said, her voice filled with a panic that Harry had never heard before. "I reduced the effect, but it's never been this bad."
"Well done, Daphne," Madam Pomfrey replied. "Everything will be fine, but we have to get her to the hospital wing."
With that, she made Astoria's body float through the air and hurried with her towards the castle. Daphne followed them through the crowd, while Harry still couldn't move, his mind a storm of confusion.
Only a gentle touch on his arm pulled him out of his daze. "Harry," he heard Hermione's whispering voice. "We should go."
Harry looked around. Hundreds of people stood around them, pointing at them with their fingers. A flash from a camera – but they weren't allowed here, weren't they? He turned around. There were Mrs. Weasley and Luna, leading Ginny towards the castle gates; her body was still trembling with unmistakable anger.
"What are you staring at?" Ron shouted a few steps behind them, and some of those present actually looked guiltily at the ground.
"We should really go, Harry," Hermione repeated, pulling on his arm.
Harry nodded slightly and followed Hermione and Ron. Only when they had left the crowd behind and the castle gates appeared in the darkness before them did he find his voice again.
"What just happened?" he asked quietly.
"Ginny was talking to Luna about the Slytherins who fled the battle," Hermione replied, visibly uncomfortable. "They weren't kind words … especially about Daphne. Then suddenly Astoria showed up and slapped her in the face..."
Harry nodded. He could imagine it all too well. "But why did she collapse?" he asked further.
Hermione paused as she regarded him with a mixture of surprise and sadness. "Didn't Daphne tell you?" she asked. "Astoria suffers from a blood curse. Stress and physical exertion are not good for her, she probably has less than ten years to live…"
Later, when Harry stepped into the living room at Grimmauld Place, he found Ginny sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees, weeping.
Instantly Harry was by her side.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" he called worriedly, grabbing his girlfriend by the shoulder. "What –"
Ginny looked up, her face smeared with tears. "Why didn't you say anything?" she sobbed. "Why didn't you defend me? I'm your girlfriend!"
"Ginny –"
"I know my name! You don't have to repeat it all the time!" Ginny's body trembled, and she swallowed hard. "Is Greengrass a better person than me?" she asked tearfully. "I ... I saw you come back, together; you know. But she shouldn't have been there..."
"Ginny, she and her sister lost their parents to Voldemort," Harry said quietly.
"And I my brother!" Ginny jumped up, her fists clenched. "Every day I miss Fred. Every damn day! And it was those Death Eater bastards who killed him, all because people like your great friend Greengrass stood by while other people were being tortured and killed!"
Harry slumped into the armchair; suddenly he felt so incredibly exhausted. "Her sister is sick, Ginny," he said. "She –"
"Cowards always have an excuse," Ginny replied. "I'm so tired of it..." She turned around to look through the window, shadows on her face. "Did you have to go to her? Can't you talk to me?" Her voice sounded like she was about to burst into tears at any moment.
Harry swallowed. What should he say? That it had been just a coincidence that he met Daphne? Would Ginny even believe him?
"Do you think I didn't notice how bad you have been feeling for the past few days?" Ginny then asked quietly. "Do you think I hadn't noticed your feelings of guilt, or the memories that plagued you, that plague us all ... I only pretended to be so carefree because after all these years I finally want to give you normality ... a life where we don't have to think about the horrors of the past every moment..." She paused before continuing with a trembling voice," I ... I don't want to think about Fred's dead face every day, or all the other corpses, the blood, the screams… does that make me a bad person?"
Harry rose from the chair and stepped over to his girlfriend, taking her tightly in his arms, feeling her trembling, delicate body press against his, smelling her perfume ... red roses, a flowery beauty protected by sharp thorns. "No, Ginny," he whispered. "You're a wonderful person. I don't deserve you…"
"Don't say that!" Ginny shouted as she pressed closer to him. "I love you!" Silence, and then a frightened question. "Harry?"
He winced before finally whispering, "And I love you, my Ginny…"
Next Chapter: Foul Play
Release Date: Sunday, 11th July, 2021
Preview:
…
That you stepped into my life is the greatest blessing that I could ever have imagined and that I will never miss again.
Your Daphne
