"No. Absolutely not."
"But Daph-"
"Don't you dare call me that right now." She seethed between clenched teeth.
Harry let out an exasperated sigh, trying to get his girlfriend of five years to see reason.
His work with the Auror Office of the DMLE has seen him go on multiple assignments, mostly mundane and nothing too dangerous or demanding. While he found the job to be somewhat fulfilling, he secretly yearned to hunt down the last of the deceased Dark Lord's remnant forces. For months he had made it his sole motivation to continue on, to finally finish what he had been fated to do, and finally after a year of training and hard work, they found a lead.
"Why? Why do you have to be the one to go? Why not someone else?" she questioned, a frustrated look on her face.
"Daphne please. Be reasonable; this group of Death Eaters is the last connection Voldemort has to this world. If we catch them, it'll be the end of his memory for good." he reasoned.
Daphne has been with Harry since after the Yule Ball of their fourth year. After the final battle and the defeat of the Dark Lord, she thought that he would be quick to move past those dark years. Unfortunately, she was wrong. She had seen him slowly being consumed by the thought of him needing to finish this, to end whatever was left of the Dark Lord, and she was terrified for him and what that might lead to.
"The end of his memory? Do you even hear the rubbish you're spouting right now? What makes you think catching them will magically erase all the sorrow he's caused? You're living proof of what he's done!" She stated harshly, a glare fixed on her icy façade.
For some reason, that had hurt him more than he'd care to admit. "So what do you suggest then? That I go down with them? Is that it?" He angrily challenged.
The mere mention of him having to do anything with death had nearly made her hysterical. Luckily, she had caught herself. "How dare you think that! That's not what I'm saying, and you're missing the point!" She exasperatingly argued. "The point is that it's impossible to just magically will away the sorrow he's caused for all of us! Willingly putting yourself in danger trying to catch the last of his followers won't do anything to change that!" She said, her voice trembling from anger.
He was at his boiling point now. "But it's a step in the right direction and it'll change this world for the better! Think about how many people it'll bring peace of mind to! I can end this here, once and for all! Not just for me, but for you and everyone else! If I have the change to take these guys down now, I will take it. Even if it kills me."
Daphne was once again near hysterical, but managed to barely mask it, instead replacing it with seething rage. Her fists were trembling and her tone was dangerously low. "Damn you. Damn you and your stupid 'savior' complex! You'd just throw your life away, and for what? Just so you can put to rest your long-term grudge on someone who's already dead?!" She had started yelling.
That did it for him. "HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN HOW MUCH HE TOOK FROM ME?! HE TOOK MY CHILDHOOD FROM ME! I'VE LOST SO MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE OF HIM! I HAVE TO DO THIS!" He countered, equally frustrated.
She couldn't take it anymore; she'd tried to keep her emotional turmoil in check, but no longer.
"AND WHAT ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE THAT IT GAVE YOU HUH?! YOUR BEST FRIENDS, THE WEASLEY'S, TEDDY AND ANDROMEDA? WHAT ABOUT THEM?!" She screamed back, tears now leaking from her azure eyes.
He froze, his anger almost immediately dissipated. The biting response he was about to say died in his throat, as he watched the most important person in his life break down.
"What about me?" she shakily whispered. Her tears were now flowing freely as she quietly sobbed, and she dared not to look at him as her arms moved to hug herself.
The tension had quickly died down and turned into complete silence, the only sound coming from the last person he ever wanted to hurt. He hadn't meant for things to turn out this way.
After what felt like an eternity, he cautiously decided to slowly move towards her. As he wrapped his arms around her, all he felt was remorse for the harsh words he'd said. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely registered her grasping the front of his shirt tightly and leaning her head on his shoulder, continuing to openly bawl her eyes out and wet his shirt.
Slowly and hesitantly, he started to speak. "Daph, I know you're scared and that you don't want me going because you think I feel like it's my responsibility." He swallowed, carefully choosing his next words, hoping it would make her see reason. "And I'm sorry but you're right. It's as you said: I'm living proof of this happening. I can't just sit by when there's something I can do about it. It's my life, and I have to do something."
She slowly shook her head and raised her azure eyes to meet his emerald ones. At that point he realized he had never seen her this vulnerable before, even after the final battle, and it only broke his heart even more to know that he was the cause of it.
"Harry, when are you going to realize that the moment I chose you, the moment we all chose you, it wasn't just your life to live anymore?" She pleaded, and silently prayed that what she said was enough for him to understand.
He looked at her, and suddenly felt like something had just clicked. At that moment, Harry felt a rush of emotion envelop him, and immediately thought back to all the times his friends had worried over him: how Ron and Hermione had to unwillingly let him go when they learned the truth about him and the Horcruxes, how the Weasley family looked broken and defeated when they thought he was dead, how Daphne had all but clung to him after the final battle was over, refusing to even be an arms length away from him. He was so caught up in his emotions that he hadn't realized he was tearing up until Daphne reached up to wipe the tears from his face.
"Please Harry, I'm begging that you please don't go. You have so many people who love you, so many people who worry and care about you. Please don't throw it away to chase your past." She pleaded with all she had, and the look on her face had all but showed him the truth.
He suddenly realized just how far he'd fallen, how consumed he was in trying to right his past, and that in doing so he was hurting the one person he cared so much for in the process. At that moment he felt so ashamed of himself that he couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eye. "I'm so sorry Daph, I was so caught up in my past that I failed to see the future in front of me. The last thing I ever wanted from this was to hurt you. If you don't want me to go, then I won't. I'll put in a request to be excluded from the assignment."
A small, watery smile appeared on her lovely face as she moved to embrace him as if life depended on it, and at that moment he knew he wouldn't be able to go through with the assignment. The thought of ever seeing her this vulnerable again because of him drove a stake in his heart. He swore from then on to never take her and his friends for granted again.
Moving slightly away from her desperate hug, she lightly pecked him on the lips before returning to fully embracing him, inhaling his scent and relishing the warmth he gave off.
"I love you Harry, and I care deeply for you. Please don't forget that." She gently started running her hands through his hair at the nape of his neck, and silently promised herself to always remind him of not just how much he means to his friends, but of how much he means to her.
Because while he may not think life had any meaning to him, he gave meaning to hers, and she would do everything she could to remind him of that.
AN: I don't like how I wrote this. I felt it was too rushed, and that everything was all over the place. I appreciate any reviews and recommendations on how I can write better for any future stories I put up. Thank you for reading!