* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FIVE
Blame it on Hate
In Between You and Me, There's an Ocean
The chapter title is from the song:
Cold by James Blunt.
"How was your Thanksgiving?"
Daphne looked at Bill across the mezzanine office in their new building.
"Good. I wish you had been able to make it."
"Ah, couldn't afford to use a days holiday," Bill said with a shrug, "I want a decent sign-off settlement from the bank so I can put it into Vic's savings."
Daphne smiled, "You're a great Dad, you know that?"
Bill smiled back, "Thanks. You didn't tell anyone about Lara, did you?"
"No, and I won't, I promise," Daphne said, "I know how scary it is in those early days. I'll leave it up to you to tell everyone else when you're ready."
"Thanks, Daph. I appreciate that."
Daphne pushed a desk into the corner with magic then leant against it.
"It did get me thinking though…the whole being thankful thing, you know?"
Bill nodded and looked up from what he was doing.
"Yeah?"
"Yes," Daphne said, a frown forming on her face, "A lot of what I'm thankful for this year concerns Astoria."
Bill leant back and nodded.
"The whole vampire thing."
Daphne nodded absentmindedly.
"What did you make of all of that?"
Bill snorted, "Honestly? I had a bit of a laugh at Charlie's expense, not because she's a vampire but because he's in a three-way with two young girls now."
"If it was anyone else, I'd agree but are we really surprised with Charlie?" Daphne said, amusement tinging her voice.
"No," Bill chuckled, "I'm really not, but I doubt what I think about it is what's bothering you."
"It's not," Daphne admitted, "It's the whole thing with the curse hitting Astoria a year late. I just can't find a cause for that."
"I couldn't either," Bill admitted, "You checked her birth certificate, didn't you?"
Daphne nodded, "I did, and it was all above board. I could ask my father about it, but…I don't know. I just get the impression that he would lie. So I asked the portrait of my great-grandmother if she knew anything because her portrait would have been hanging in Greengrass House while we were young. But the weird thing was, she said that my parents put all of the portraits in storage during that time."
"Because of the fire?" Bill guessed.
"No, this was well before the fire," Daphne said. She bit down on her lip, "It's a bit suspicious, don't you think?"
"Yes, it is. But nothing I can say will convince you to talk to your father about this, will it?" Bill asked. He already knew the answer; he knew Daphne far better than she thought he did.
"No," Daphne admitted.
"Then you know that there is only one person who can answer your questions," Bill said.
Daphne sighed heavily, "Yes."
"And you aren't going to cross that bridge, are you?"
Daphne bit her lip harder.
"I might have to," she confessed.
On Saturday morning, Daphne knocked on the door of Astoria's flat and drew in a deep breath. The door was pulled open by Charlie, who was standing in nothing but a towel.
"Hey, Charlie," Daphne said, not letting it faze her, "Is Astoria in?"
"Yeah, she's just getting dressed," Charlie said, stepping back from the door.
Daphne stepped inside and waved to Amber, who was sitting at the breakfast bar in a crop top and Calvin Klein pants, "Morning, Amber."
Amber raised an eyebrow at Charlie, "Is she always this familiar?"
"Pretty much," Charlie shrugged, "You want coffee, Daph?"
"No, I'm not in the mood this morning," Daphne said, slipping into the bedroom and shutting the door.
"Tori?"
"Is that you Daph?" Astoria asked from her walk-in wardrobe.
"Yes, we need to talk," Daphne said, her voice quieter than usual. She didn't sound as sure of herself as she usually did, which was how Astoria knew that something was up. She emerged from the wardrobe in skinny black jeans and a deep green blouse, a pair of killer heels in her hand.
"What's up?"
Daphne bit her lip, and Astoria smiled.
"Hey, remember what you always said to me when I did that?"
Daphne gave her a half-hearted smile.
"Don't do that. You'll ruin your lipstick?"
"Exactly," Astoria said, sitting down at her vanity unit and pulling on a shoe, "What's wrong?"
"I need to go to Azkaban this morning," Daphne said bluntly because there was no easy way of saying that.
"I'm going to talk to Mother."
"Why?" Astoria asked incredulously.
"To find out the truth about the curse, about why it affected you a year late," Daphne said, "She's the only one who knows. She's the woman who gave birth to you."
"Doesn't Father know?" Astoria asked.
"I don't know, maybe," Daphne said with a frown, "But when you are and I were young, he was securing a lot of foreign contracts. He was away a lot; Phineas was around more than he was."
"Around long enough to knock our mother up with me," Astoria said with a roll of her eyes.
"Exactly," Daphne said, "So I have to talk to her."
Astoria finished shoving her feet into her high heels.
"When?"
"Soon. I swung by here to let you know, but I'm going straight to the Ministry for secure transportation to Azkaban now," Daphne replied.
"You're going like that?" Astoria asked, looking her over.
"Well, I'm working today, so yes," Daphne said with a shrug, "Once I'm done, I need to help Bill track down a cursed pocket watch that is convincing anyone who wears it that they are a damn time traveller."
Astoria would normally have smiled or chuckled, but not today.
"I'll go with you."
Daphne looked up sharply.
"No."
"This is about me," Astoria said firmly, "I'm going with you. I know I'm your little sister, and you want to protect me, but you can't protect me from everything all of the time."
"You think I don't know that?" Daphne asked quietly, "I couldn't protect you from the curse."
Astoria sighed, "Didn't I tell you not to beat yourself up about that? Honestly, you and Harry are more alike than you realise."
She got to her feet and looked at her older sister.
"We've done things separately for too long, Daphne. It's time to get back to the way we used to be, to start doing things like this together again."
Daphne sighed heavily, "Fine, but if she starts on you, make sure you get out of there. I can take her bullshit-"
"I can too," Astoria promised, opening the bedroom door.
"Trust me."
Daphne swallowed her objections and nodded, following her sister back out into the open plan living/dining room/kitchen.
"I need to do something with Daphne this morning," Astoria said, grabbing a thick winter cloak and her handbag.
"You two will have to keep each other amused for a few hours."
At this, Charlie grinned and looked over at Amber.
"Want to learn how to feed a baby dragon?"
Amber grinned back, "Are you kidding me? Yes!"
Astoria smiled warmly and kissed Charlie lightly.
"I'll see you later."
"Is she okay?" Charlie murmured before he drew back.
"She's fine," Astoria replied under her breath. She kissed Amber on the cheek.
"Don't go near Vera; she's very touchy because she's pregnant, and please don't give Echo or any of the babies anything with sugar in it."
Daphne chuckled, "You really are the Mother of Dragons, huh?"
"Funny," Astoria said dryly as she left the apartment with her sister.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Astoria grabbed her sister's hand and threaded their fingers together. She nodded and took a breath, looking up at the imposing prison before them. They stood on the edge of the craggy rock, the choppy sea swirling all around them, the tall triangular fortress stretching up to the sky.
Daphne took a step forward and pressed her wand into a small hole in the wall to the right of the portcullis. There was a soft whir, and it disappeared into the wall. Astoria did the same, and a few minutes later, after an Auror had verified their wands, they raised the massive iron gate.
They stepped into a dull, concrete courtyard and were greeted by an Auror in brown robes.
"Marchioness Potter, Lady Astoria."
Daphne bowed her head to the Auror.
"I presume we will get our wands back when we leave?"
"Yes, it is a necessary precaution," The Auror said respectfully, "We must also blindfold you while we transport you to the secure visitation area."
Daphne sighed, "Really, Brownlee? You know who I am. You know my husband. Do you really believe that I would attempt to break my mother out of Azkaban?"
"No, ma'am," The Auror Brownlee stuttered, "But it's the procedure, and Head Auror Potter is very keen on that. I…forgive me, but I wouldn't be surprised if this were a trick to test our security levels."
Daphne cocked her head at the young Auror.
"Well done – it was, and you passed with flying colours."
Brownlee let out a relieved breath and cast "Obscuro," on the two sisters before guiding them to the visitation area that he had spoken of. Once they reached the door to the room, he removed the blindfolds and opened the door that Daphne noticed had at least three layers of security curses.
"You have half an hour, my lady," Brownlee said, bowing his head and gesturing for them to enter.
Daphne stepped inside first, and Astoria followed her. Brownlee pushed the door shut behind them.
"Hello, girls."
Daphne looked at her mother warily. She wasn't unrecognisable, but she looked like she had aged prematurely – it looked like she had spent ten years in prison, not five. She was thinner than she had been before, but not in a healthy way; she looked haggard. The bags beneath her eyes were dark, and her once smooth hair hung limply around her face. Daphne could see what they meant when they said that Azkaban made one lose their aristocratic good looks.
"What level are they keeping you in?" Daphne asked curtly.
"Level three," Lareina replied. Even her voice seemed different; it lacked the natural gravitas that it once had.
Daphne knew enough about the newly reformed prison to know that level 3 meant high security. Level 1 was low security, and it was chiefly used for the rehabilitation of youth offenders or those who had frequently committed minor crimes.
Level 2 was mid-security, and prisoners there were treated well enough – they had a nice room, were allowed frequent visitors from home, floo calls once a week and such. It housed those serving relatively minor sentences, and Daphne had put a few of them in there herself. One guy was serving three years for transfiguring his Muggle neighbour into a garden gnome because his dog refused to stop shitting in his garden.
Level 3 was high security – it was where attempted murderers, those who had committed manslaughter, caused grievous bodily harm, or severe torture were imprisoned. Daphne knew that the cell was sparse, that visitation was limited and that prisoners were not permitted to have any time in the courtyard.
Level 4 was maximum security, and it was for the worst of the worst - the rapists, the murderers, the Death Eaters who had survived the Battle of Hogwarts and probably wished that they hadn't. There was little to no quality of life; no visitors were allowed in; no communication came from the outside world; it was completely isolated. The only good thing about it was that there were no Dementors. Azkaban was run exclusively by the DMLE and staffed with Aurors these days.
"Care to explain the nature of your visit?" Lareina asked. She sounded tired, "I have heard nothing from either of you since I was convicted, so this visit, pleasant as it is, seems rather out of the ordinary."
Daphne looked her mother in the eye.
"Did you know that the curse would affect Astoria?"
Lareina sighed and cast her eyes upon her youngest daughter.
"I had hoped that it wouldn't."
"Well, hope didn't stop her from essentially becoming a vampire, Mother," Daphne said lowly, "But do you know what could have? Me. I'm a Curse Breaker, and if you had just told me, I could have done something about it before it afflicted her."
"How exactly could I have told you?" Lareina drawled, "You have refused to speak with me for the past five years."
"No," Daphne snarled, "You do not get to make me feel guilty for not talking to you, considering that you tried to murder my father!"
"Enough," Astoria said quietly but assertively, "We're not here to point fingers, and regardless, it's too late for me."
"You are here because you wish to break the curse then?" Lareina asked, looking between them.
"Which one of your daughters is the youngest of the generation?"
"I have no children, Mother," Astoria said dryly, "Why would someone with my affliction choose to become a mother? I am a monster, I terrify myself, and I am most certainly not maternal."
Lareina looked away from Astoria to her eldest child.
"So you have a daughter?"
"I do, but we aren't here because we need your help breaking the curse," Daphne said. She sat down at the table opposite her mother, "I managed that just fine without you. My partner and I found the counter-curse, and we had our good friend Clara Selwyn utter the words to break it. The curse will not affect another Crouch; Astoria is the last."
At least Lareina looked a little guilty about that. Daphne thought to herself, that counted for something.
"What is she called?"
Daphne scoffed, "Why would I tell you? I owe you nothing. I certainly am not obliged to tell you the name of my daughter."
Lareina looked visibly hurt. She swallowed hard.
"Then, why are you here?"
"Because we want answers," Daphne said firmly, "The curse affected Astoria after her 22nd birthday, not after her 21st as the curse stated it should. Before you spout some nonsense about the magic being diluted, do not waste your breath. I'm a Curse Breaker, and I know it has nothing to do with that."
Lareina leant back in her chair.
"I will make you a deal."
Daphne narrowed her eyes.
"Go on?"
"I will help you, but I want something in return," Lareina said quietly, "I would like you both to tell me about your families."
Daphne looked at her sister. Astoria nodded, and Daphne sighed.
"Fine. You have a deal."
Lareina placed her hands on the table and looked down at them.
"On the 10th of August, 1981, your father and I welcomed our second-born daughter into the world. We named her Astoria Aphrodite Greengrass, and on the 14th of October that same year, she died in her sleep."
Daphne looked on in horror as Lareina shut her eyes tightly.
"I was so angry at the house-elf who brought her to me, wrapped up in that pink blanket…I almost killed him."
Astoria looked torn between being shocked and horrified. Lareina took a slow breath and opened her eyes, tears spilling from them the moment she did so.
"Your father and I already had a strained relationship. He blamed me and began to work abroad to avoid spending time with me. It was Phineas who helped through those incredibly dark days."
Daphne already knew where this was going, but she remained silent, frozen in disbelief and horror as her mother told the tale.
"In November, your father was caught smuggling squibs from American pureblooded families over the border into Mexico so they could escape on boats," Lareina said, her eyes still fixed on the table, "And in January, I discovered that I was pregnant. Anyone would know that the child was not Cygnus's; he had been in prison on the other side of the world when it was conceived."
"Oh my god," Daphne muttered, "So you pretended that the child born from your affair was the child you lost?"
Lareina swallowed and nodded.
"The second Astoria – you," She looked at her youngest daughter, "You were born in secret, and we lived a very secluded life until you were old enough to pass as a girl who was small for her age because she had been born prematurely. We never notified anyone of your birth, and we pretended that you were the Astoria Greengrass who was born in 1981, but truthfully…you were born on the 20th of August, 1982."
"So all of those times that I struggled," Astoria said quietly, "All of those times I couldn't do a spell that I should have been able to do? It wasn't because I was bad at magic like you had me believe. It was because my magical core wasn't stabilised as much as it should have been. When my classmates laughed at me for being the only one unable to defeat a boggart in third year, when I spent hours in the library with Daphne trying to prepare for my exams because I just couldn't keep up. You knew, you knew, and you just let me struggle."
"There was no other choice," Lareina began to say, "Nobody could find out-"
"Just shut up!" Daphne ground out, "There was a choice! There is always a choice, but you decided that keeping your affair secret was more important than your daughters quality of life because you are, and you always have been, incredibly selfish."
Astoria grabbed Daphne's wrist.
"Don't."
"No," Daphne said, yanking her arm away from Astoria, "She needs to hear this."
Daphne turned to look at her mother.
"Thankfully, after Father recovered, he adopted Astoria, so at least she has one decent parent in her life. It's a shame that it took 20 years for that to happen for her though, isn't it?"
Lareina swallowed, "He recovered?"
"He recovered," Daphne said, "He got out of his wheelchair and walked me down the aisle. He gave a speech on my wedding day. And do you know what? I lied when I said Astoria only had one decent parent because she has two. Our stepmother is the most selfless, wonderful person I have ever met. She would do anything for her children, that includes her biological one and Astoria and I. And she adores all of her grandchildren, whether they are hers by marriage or blood."
Tears shone in Lareina's eyes.
"You promised me that you would tell me about my grandchildren-"
Daphne pushed herself to her feet.
"I have four children. Edward Remus Lupin-Potter, who Harry and I adopted shortly after we got married. Alastor Sirius Potter is our second son, who we adopted when it seemed like we would be unable to have children. Andrea Lilly Potter is our eldest daughter, and she is named after Andromeda Tonks, who was incredibly important to us before her untimely death. Theodora Tracey Potter is our youngest daughter, and she is named for the only person from your side of the family who I do not utterly despise - cousin Theodore."
She shot her mother a vindictive look.
"And they are not your grandchildren; they are Narcissa Greengrass's."
A sob escaped Lareina, but Daphne ignored it and hit the door loudly. Feet immediately began to approach the door, and Daphne turned to her mother one last time.
"You brought this entirely upon yourself. If you ever get out of here, stay the hell away from us and our families."
The door was pulled open; Daphne grabbed Astoria's hand and pulled her sister out of the room. The Auror shut the door heavily, and Astoria looked at Daphne.
"It's okay; you can let it out now."
Daphne grabbed Astoria and pulled her into a tight hug, her body shaking as she let out the tears she had been holding back while they had been in the visitation room.
When Astoria found Charlie and Amber, they were in the garden of the house they had bought after getting married. Astoria had taken it off the market, and Charlie was in the process of moving the dragons back in. They were delighted to be back home, and it made Astoria smile to see Charlie so content too.
Bill was with them in the garden, judging from the empty cages and the two young Welsh Greens that were flying free, she guessed that he had brought some more dragons over for his younger brother.
They were all drinking coffee together when Astoria reached them, looking as mentally exhausted as she felt, no doubt.
"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, reading her expression instantly.
"Yeah, where were you this morning?" Amber echoed.
Astoria sighed and drew her cloak closer.
"Azkaban."
"What?" Charlie and Amber barked.
"Daphne and I went to visit our mother," Astoria explained, "To find out why the curse affected me at 22 instead of 21 and long story short, it did affect me at 21. I just thought I was 22."
Charlie frowned, "What?"
"My mother had a daughter before me who was called Astoria as well," Astoria told them, "She died when she was a couple of months old and when I was conceived, Cygnus was in prison in the US. My mother didn't want her affair with her husband's brother to be discovered, so she pretended that I was the Astoria who had died, but in reality - I was born in August 1982."
"Wow," Amber uttered, "That is…wow, that's taking protecting your image to a whole new level."
Charlie looked dumbstruck.
"But…but…I slept with you in September 1999."
Astoria frowned, "Yes?"
"I thought you had just turned 18," Charlie said quietly, "But you had just turned 17."
"So she was legal then," Amber shrugged.
"Barely!" Charlie exclaimed, "And I was 26."
"You were nearly 27," Bill said, smirking at his brother.
"Shut up, Bill!"
Astoria crossed her arms.
"Are you seriously freaking out more about this than you did about the fact I suck blood now?"
"Yes!" Charlie exclaimed, "Holy mother of fuck, you were younger than my baby sister and I… I defiled you."
"And I enjoyed it. Let's move on," Astoria said.
Amber snorted, "You are very kinky in the bedroom."
Charlie still looked horrified, "You were still Hogwarts-age."
"What?" Astoria asked irritably.
"You had just finished school when I met you," Charlie said, "But if you were actually 17, you should have been about to start seventh year."
Bill snorted, "Honestly, Charlie, you paedophile."
"Your first wife was younger than you," Astoria pointed out.
"Yes, by seven years, not by ten," Bill remarked.
"Nine," Charlie cut in.
"It's almost ten with how your birthdays fall," Bill grinned. He was enjoying this a little too much.
"You really can't talk, though. Oh, I suppose Fleur wasn't fresh out of school," Charlie said with an air of sarcasm, "Oh, wait – yes, she was! In fact, she was still wearing her Beauxbatons school uniform when you first met her. Oh, William Weasley, you dirty old man."
"Firstly, fuck you, and secondly, you defiled a 17-year-old girl," Bill said, stabbing his brother in the chest with his wand.
"You met your wife at a school, during a school event whilst she was in a school uniform," Charlie said, "I met Astoria as an independent graduate who acted older than she was because she thought she was older than she was."
"You met me in a school, actually," Astoria cut in, "You blasted Death Eater into the ground during the Battle of Hogwarts. Daphne yelled thanks to you because he had been firing spells at my friends and me. Then I ran away, in my school uniform."
Bill smirked, and Charlie looked defeated.
"Well, fuck."
"I give up!"
"Hermione-"
"It's never going to happen!"
"Princess-"
"I'm a failure!" Hermione shrieked, throwing herself into a chair in the kitchen of Blacknot Castle.
"Hermione, love," Theo said, gripping her shoulders, "You need to calm the fuck down. I think you've made the house-elves all go deaf."
Hermione glared at him.
"This isn't funny, Theodore!"
Theo sat down opposite her.
"Did I say it was funny?"
"You smirked," Hermione said, and the pout on her face was almost cute.
"You've scared your husband and your best friend out of the castle with your stressing," Theo pointed out with a small smile.
"Be grateful my eardrums are strong enough to withstand your temper tantrum."
"It's not a temper tantrum!" Hermione complained, stamping her foot as she did so.
Theo shot her a cheeky grin.
"Isn't it?"
Hermione glared at him.
"Look," Theo said, reaching out and grabbing her hand, "Just because the opinion polls don't place you in the top ten, that doesn't mean you won't get your Wizengamot seat."
"It does," Hermione said tearfully, "The election is tomorrow, and nobody will vote for me!"
"No, that's not true," Theo said firmly, "Hardly anyone bothers replying to an opinion poll because they don't think it matters. But they do show up to the election, okay?"
Hermione didn't look convinced; she looked utterly defeated.
Theo gave her a winning smile, "Right, think about it this way. What do you think would have happened if Marie Curie had given up?"
"She wouldn't have died of radiation poisoning," Hermione muttered under her breath.
Theo laughed and held her chin between two of his fingers. He forced her to look up at him as he spoke.
"Yes, that's true. But she also wouldn't have discovered radium. Think how many Muggles would have died needlessly of cancer."
Hermione looked at him tearfully.
"You are just like her," Theo promised, "You have the same indomitable spirit, and you don't let anything get you down. In the darkest days of the war when even I was thinking about handing myself over to Voldemort, you kept reading, you kept learning, and you never gave up, so don't you dare give up now."
Hermione nodded and threw herself into his arms.
"Thank you, Theo," she said tearfully as he held her tightly.
Theo kissed the top of her head.
"You're going to get that seat, mark my words, and you are going to do amazing things."
"You really think I'm like Marie Curie?" Hermione asked, pulling back and wiping her tears with the sleeve of her cardigan.
Theo smiled at her and said, "Nah, I think you're better than Marie Curie."
At this, Hermione promptly burst into tears.
On Monday, wizarding Britain held its first election. Pictures of candidates were plastered all over the walls of the three polling stations - the Ministry, the Leaky Cauldron and the Three Broomsticks. The turnout was huge, far better than the polls had predicted, and the results were to be counted that night. A result was expected to be announced in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
The Potters, Longbottoms, Blacks and Notts decided to camp out at Potter Manor while they awaited the results. They all dozed on and off through the night, listening for the radio announcement and finally, at 6 am, it came.
"It's on!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Hermione," Daphne groaned, "The kids are sleeping."
"Sorry," Hermione said sheepishly, her hand shaking as she turned the volume up on the radio so that they could all hear the announcement.
"…And in a ground-breaking first election, we can now announce that all of the seats have been filled."
Hermione bit her lip, and Draco brushed it with his finger.
"Don't do that love, you'll hurt yourself," he murmured.
"Leading us into this revolution is the youngest ever Chief Mugwump, Neville Longbottom."
Neville was the only person who hadn't been present for the mass sleep-over, and as his voice floated to them through the radio waves, they understood why.
"I am honoured to announce that we have filled every seat on the Wizengamot and that the turnout was beyond what we expected during this first year of real democracy. There are, of course, some fixed seats and these ten seats belong to;
The Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt.
The Head of St. Mungo's, Alexander Beckett.
The Head of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall.
The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Tiberius McLaggen.
The Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Murray MacDougall.
The Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Gareth Perks.
The Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Ezekiel Smith.
The Head of the Department of Magical Transportation, Amos Diggory.
The Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, Hubert Davies."
There was a pause, and then Neville continued, "In addition to this, Gringotts Bank elected an ambassador to represent them, and that is the esteemed goblin, Varteg. A vampire representative was elected by the covens native to Great Britain, and that seat belongs to Ezra Whitlock. Finally, the Werewolves elected Robert Wolfe as their representative."
Harry grinned proudly, "Yes, go wolf-dad," he murmured sleepily.
Daphne chuckled from his side.
"With regard to the elected seats. I shall announce them in alphabetical order," Neville's voice announced.
Hermione was bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Look on the bright side love, our name is close to the beginning of the alphabet," Draco said softly.
That didn't seem to make Hermione feel much better.
"Earl Howard Abbott of Abbott Castle."
Hermione wrung her hands together.
"The Honourable Marcus Belby."
Hermione swallowed, and Draco shot Theo an edgy look.
"Viscount Draco Black of Blacknot Castle."
"Congratulations, Draco," Harry whispered tentatively as Hermione rocked back and forth, looking more than a little demented.
"Viscountess Hermione Black of Blacknot Castle."
Everyone winced as Hermione screamed and jumped up and down.
"I'm in the Wizengamot! I have a seat! I have a seat!"
She launched herself at Draco, who looked positively bemused. Theo chuckled and pulled her away from her husband to kiss her on the cheek and say, "I told you that you could do it, Princess."
Hermione beamed at him, and a sharp cry sounded upstairs.
"I wonder what woke Thea up," Daphne said sarcastically.
Theo snorted, "I'll get her."
"No, don't worry about it-"
"You're missing the announcement, and the Greengrass's will be next," Theo said with an easy smile, "I'm not in the running. I'll go and get your adorable baby."
Daphne smiled warmly, "Thanks, Theo."
"You missed Norah Cauldwell, Sadie's Aunt. And also Roger Davies and Justin Finch-Fletchley," Harry said when Daphne rejoined him on one of the sofas.
Daphne nodded as Neville's voice cut through the room once more.
"Lady Astoria Greengrass of Greengrass House."
Daphne smiled proudly, but it was wiped off of her face upon hearing the next name.
"Earl Cygnus Greengrass of Greengrass House."
Harry squeezed her hand, but they said nothing on the subject. Daphne felt conflicted about her father at the moment. A quick scan of his memories proved that initially, he had been placed under an imperius curse so that he could not tell Astoria the truth. However, since he woke up from his brush with death, that had been wiped, and he had elected not to tell them.
Astoria had accepted it when he said that he hadn't seen the point and that he hadn't wanted to hurt her. But Daphne had been betrayed more times than her sister, and it took her longer to forgive. She would put up with her father, for Narcissa and Astoria's sake, more than anything else, but he was certainly not her favourite person at the moment.
While she was lost in thought, the names drifted into her head, but Daphne didn't register them until she heard the name of another person that she knew relatively well.
"Laird Hamish MacDougall of MacDougall Castle…Viscount Ernest Macmillan of Macmillan House…The Honourable Cormac McLaggen…Lady Salvadora Nott of Nott Manor."
"What?" Daphne exclaimed.
Theo chuckled. He had re-entered the room with Thea just in time to hear the announcement.
"I knew she was running, and I'm glad she got in. She's been bored lately, looking for things to do, you know?"
Sadie smiled, "Well, that will certainly keep her busy."
"Lady Emmeline Ollivander…Marquis Harry Potter of Potter Manor."
Draco grinned and slapped him on the back.
"Congrats mate."
"Oh, he was always going to get in," Hermione said, smiling fondly at her old friend, "He saved the wizarding world."
Harry smiled ruefully, "I didn't ask for this, Hermione."
Daphne kissed him on the cheek.
"We know you didn't, baby," she promised.
"Rosie Rosmerta…Stan Shunpike…Baron Horace Slughorn of Cherry End…The Honourable Robert Spalding…The Honourable Horatio Turpin…The Honourable Arthur Weasley."
Harry grinned at Hermione, who positively beamed back, and the Weasley theme continued.
"The Honourable Percy Weasley….Baroness Susan Bones-Weasley of Bones Manor…The Honourable William Weasley."
"Oh Merlin, it's happening," Draco said dryly, "The Weasley's are taking over the world."
Harry smirked as Sadie lazily smacked Draco around the head.
"The Honourable Jennifer Weir-Wolfe."
Harry snorted, "Rob's gonna love that."
The others chuckled in agreement.
"The Honourable Oliver Wood of Wood Villa…The Honourable Belinda Zabini of High Top House and the Honourable Blaise Zabini of High Top House.
All those elected will be notified in writing before our first meeting one month today. Thank you to the wizarding world generally for accepting this monumental change, and thank you individually to everyone who took the time to vote."
The radio crackled out, and Harry smiled proudly at Hermione, "Time to change the world again, Hermione, and this time you get a front-row seat."
Hermione bounced on the balls of her feet, and Theo handed Thea off to Lilly. Then he grabbed Hermione from behind, "You deserve it," he said as she squealed.
Draco grabbed her from the front, "You really do," he agreed.
Before long, it became a group hug, and the drawing-room of Potter Manor was filled with love and laughter, as it had been before the year that had threatened to rip them all apart.
* ~ TBC ~ *