Chapter Fifteen

Having nearly seventy years of experience with the law? Quite important.

Having the support of the Slytherin Triumvirate, the entire Slytherin house, and an angry pureblood girlfriend who happened to be the heiress of an old family? Priceless.

Those were Harry Potter's thoughts as he listened to his self-appointed representatives, none other than the Slytherin Triumvirate themselves, addressing the Aurors that had come to Hogwarts. The three young adults were well versed in the law, each intending to continue family businesses.

Ursula had decided to check on Daphne, before joining her unofficial master Madam Pomfrey working on Weaselette, even if she wasn't too keen on the idea. However, if she wanted to be a healer she had to heal everyone, even people like the little bitch.

The team of four Aurors that had gone to Hogwarts felt intimidated, although that could have been for several reasons, among them the snake protectively coiled around Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass, the glares of the entire Slytherin house, Durmstrang, and most of the Beauxbatons guests, not to mention some Ravenclaws. The Hufflepuffs remained neutral in the situation and the dorks were outright glaring, not at the Aurors but towards all the others. Viktor and Fleur were equal parts impressed and terrified of all that had happened, but they stood by Harry and Daphne during the whole debacle. Cedric helped to keep the peace, his job as Head Boy, but refrained from taking a side.

"It is clearly a Dark magical artefact. What else could it be, it's a giant snake?" one of the Aurors intelligently pointed out, earning the groans of the Slytherin students and even some of the adults in the hall.

"And you are an Auror, how?" glared Eliza, "Unlike what many people like to believe, Dark magical artefacts aren't illegal, unless they are used to kill people. What we have here is an unusual protection charm, and the fact that it is a snake has nothing to do with it being Light or Dark." Both Brian and Alistair nodded.

The law was on the young lord's side, and even Dumbledore couldn't do anything. Priori Incantato was performed on Weaselette's wand, revealing an obscure curse that seemed to cause green pus-filled boils. Since it would've caused severe pain but was not in any way lethal, Dumbledore attempted to claim that no further accusations were needed. Unfortunately for the ancient wizard, most of those present in the Great Hall disagreed with him.

The arguments presented by the Triumvirate and Daphne were concise, clear, and definitive. Not that there was any chance to convict him in the first place, especially with so many witnesses. Instead, Weaselette and her brothers were taken to St. Mungo's for treatment. Percy was still unconscious with a burn mark on his chest and robes, and Ron had to be stunned because of the pain of his broken bones. Again, since the two Weasleys attacked him first in front of many witnesses, Harry was within his rights to defend himself, and was able to rebuff accusations of Dark magic by using the family magic defense. The three redheads would later be submitted for interrogation, with their parents present for the two younger Weasleys.

With the Weasleys sent to St. Mungo's and the departure of the Aurors, a cold atmosphere took hold of the Great Hall and people started to leave in groups, no long in the mood to continue the party.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Harry asked his girlfriend, who was petting the giant snake, fascinated by it. Harry had explained to her that it was a golem, and yet it was so lifelike...

"I'm fine, Harry," she replied, looking into the snake's blue eyes. "So, this is Kael, right?" Harry nodded. "Bael, Zael, Kael...what's with those names?"

"It's a long story," Harry replied, and Daphne scoffed.

"Zael's eyes are green," Daphne stated, and Harry nodded, "and Bael's eyes are blue, like Kael's."

"It would be better to say that Kael's eyes are the same colour as Bael's, yes..." replied Harry, further intriguing Daphne. For a moment, neither said anything until Harry hissed in Parseltongue and Kael glowed, vanishing into green light - the same light that earlier had started glowing from Daphne's necklace. With one hand on it, Daphne looked at Harry, seeing the concern in his face.

"I was enjoying the ball," said Daphne with a sigh, noticing Harry's expression. "If that stupid bitch hadn't attacked me I would have liked to go join the crowd."

"We can still do it," suggested Harry, holding Daphne's hands and drawing her full attention. "My memories...of my other ball. We can use them and go to the ball, if you'd like..." Daphne just smiled, shaking her head.

"No..." she replied with a smile, "It's a good idea, but no..."

"Then...what?" he asked, concerned.

"The fact that she attacked me..." said Daphne, looking at Harry with steel in her eyes. "It made me remember what you told me. That she was the one that..." Daphne hesitated, looking down and Harry stepped forward to wrap her in his arms and embrace her tightly, "Why?"

"Today?"

"No, why did she do it? Why me?" asked Daphne in his ear, and Harry nodded his understanding.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"It's better if I do," she admitted, her voice hesitant, not convincing Harry at all. However, he also wanted to tell her everything, and for that reason, he nodded.

"Do you want it now or tomorrow?"

"Now," she replied promptly, not wanting to delay any more. She was nervous enough as it was.

"Fine. Let us just say our goodbyes and we'll go to the Chamber. I'll tell you everything."

Daphne nodded and the two of them approached their friends and the Triumvirate members, letting them know that that they needed to talk so they would be leaving. Tracey attempted to make a joke about it, but her heart wasn't in it, more concerned with her friend than anything else.

"Where are you going?" asked Eliza.

"Chamber," replied Harry and everyone just nodded. The Chamber was Harry and Daphne's refuge and they all respected it.

Harry embraced Daphne, and the two of them faded from the Great Hall in front of their friends, who once again were left dumbfounded.

"That's just amazing," mumbled Blaise, earning a nod from Millie.

Daphne and Harry appeared in the dorm chamber, where he promptly asked her to have seat in the chair while he took the one in front of her. With a wave of his wand, the Pensieve floated to the table between them, and Harry looked into it.

"Before we begin, do you want something?" he asked, "A drink? A coat?"

"No, I'm fine," Daphne replied and Harry nodded. "Tell me then, why did she want to kill me?"

"I guess that to answer that, I need to go back a couple of years, back to the first years of the new millennium," explained Harry. "Like I told you, you became a healer while I took a masters in Light, Grey, and Dark Arts. After that I travelled the dueling circuit, gaining experience and training with Professor Flitwick, who sponsored me, and started some businesses. And let's not forget all the Wizengamot sessions..." Harry explained, with a shrug, "I ended up joining the Auror ranks for a time, after being invited. Thanks to my skill and reputation, I became a captain within my first few months."

"Quite impressive," said Daphne, really impressed and smiling softly. Harry smiled as well.

"They told me that I could do whatever I wanted with my team, and I decided to create a special assault unit. I changed the training routines and sessions, made them sweat and bleed...they hated me more often than not, true, but in the end, they couldn't argue with the results. All team members were battle-ready and deadly. There were six people in the team: Me, Theo, who helped me with the idea, a fresh rookie from the academy called Jason Hallys, currently a first year Gryffindor, an older Auror with a good resume called Francis Talbot, who was a couple of years older than us, Hannah Callen, who was as skilled with her potions as she was with a wand, and Justin Smith, who I believe as of right now is a third year Ravenclaw.

Our team had two extra unofficial members...one was Tracey, Theo's wife, who acted as a prosecutor for the DMLE, and the other was you, who was our healer." Daphne's eyebrows shot up surprise, but she didn't interrupt Harry. "We were called in when the DMLE couldn't solve the problem. Black Wands, we called ourselves..."

Daphne nodded, even if she wasn't understanding why Harry was telling her all this. "The wands in the shadows and the shields on the line," Harry quoted with a soft smile. "We always finished our mission with optimal results, and we rose through the ranks of the DMLE. Of course, as you may suspect, I became even more famous, being the Man-Who-Conquered, Lord Potter, and the captain of the Black Wands."

"I really don't understand what all this has to do with what I asked you, Harry," admitted Daphne, looking at him. Harry just chuckled.

"Don't worry, it will all make sense later on," he replied, and Daphne just nodded, giving him all her attention. "Tell me, what does every powerful and famous figure gain?"

"Power and influence," Daphne replied, to which Harry nodded.

"Indeed, and I got plenty of both…even if I didn't want it," Harry revealed with a low chuckle. "People from the Wizengamot started to approach me, requesting my support for their bills. It was boring and annoying, but the worst brown nosers were no doubt Neville and Hermione Longbottom," Harry scoffed, as Daphne raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Those two bastards started to take an active role in politics, and in her infinite wisdom, Granger, already Longbottom by then, was working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, with her spew thing, for the rights of underprivileged non-humans," spat Harry.

"Using her status as a lady of a noble house, not to mention her own status as a war hero, she and her husband actually proposed several bills that were useful in helping werewolves and vampires. I supported some of these, it's true. You supported them as well, if you're wondering." She actually did wonder about it. "What also happened was that she climbed in the hierarchy and soon was in positions of power, fighting for the opening of the Wizarding World and better acceptance of muggleborns and muggle lifestyle into our society."

"What?" asked Daphne, shocked.

"You heard me. She wanted to abolish the old laws that favoured the purebloods, take the power away from the old families, and proposed an integration of our world with the muggle one, supposedly in order to advance into the new millennium and help secure the survival of wizarding kind," Harry explained, shaking his head while Daphne looked outraged.

"I hoped you didn't agree with that..." she said coldly, and Harry shook his head.

"I only agreed with the ending the laws favouring the purebloods," Harry explained, and Daphne nodded, pleased with his response. "All the rest was pure folly and idiocy. The saddest part was that it actually had a lot of supporters, especially after a study done by the ICW came to light, correlating the inbreeding of purebloods to the number of squibs born."

Daphne rose an eyebrow.

"There were three factions. The Newblood Reformists, a faction controlled by the Longbottoms that wanted to open the Wizarding World, the Conservative Alliance, mostly half-bloods with a couple of purebloods that knew it was sheer idiocy to go forward with such a plan...you and I were in this group...and the Pureblood Faction, a minority that demanded 'the imprisonment of the blood traitors and the end of the sheer stupidity of the debates that were bound to end our world because of uptight mudbloods.' Their actual words."

Daphne chuckled, even if she was outraged.

"The debates took months, and a vote was scheduled for early January of the year 2007," Harry explained. "Our faction was set to win; we had the support of purebloods, half-bloods, and many muggleborns who knew it was a bad idea. The Purebloods were a minority not open to dialog, but with whom we shared the goal of defeating the Reformist's proposal, therefore we were on the same side of the debate. On the Reformist side, there were the Longbottoms and a couple of more radical muggleborns and people who had abandoned the Wizarding World in the past and were actively trying to come back." Daphne nodded, paying attention to every word. "Our victory was assured...until Christmas 2006 came."

Daphne raised her eyebrow inquisitively.

"What happened on Christmas 2006?" she asked, and Harry looked at her.

"What you wanted me to tell you," he replied softly and with regret, making Daphne gulp, feeling a shiver go down her spine.

"Tell me, then," she demanded, and Harry sighed.

"I guess I should show you...I don't know if I can explain it properly," he replied softly, pulling the memory from his temple and placing it in the Pensieve. Harry looked at Daphne and saw her hands trembling.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" he asked softly, and Daphne nodded. She had to. Harry took her hand and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, caressing her back for a moment. "Are you ready?"

"No," she whispered. In truth, she was hesitant to watch it and was terrified of what she would see. Harry didn't say a word, he just kept caressing her back, where he could feel her shivering.

"You don't have to see this," he told her, and she nodded. She wanted to, though.

"I'm afraid," she admitted after a moment of silence, a tear dropping down her cheek. Harry saw it and embraced her tightly in silence. "I'm afraid of what I will see..."

"I am too," Harry admitted softly in her ear, and Daphne stiffened.

"Why?" Daphne asked, turning to Harry. Much to her shock, she saw the tears in his eyes as well.

"The day I lost you...on Christmas day...I spat on the Light for the second time," Harry confessed, looking at Daphne, his emotional green eyes focused on her blue. "Please don't think badly of me."

Daphne swallowed dry.

"The last time you told me that, you showed me that you stunned me and went to your death, killing a lot of people," she whispered, feeling him hold her by the waist. In his eyes she saw not only sorrow, loss, and anger, but also hope and love. Daphne leaned in and embraced him tightly, resting her head on his shoulder. "You probably think I'm being ridiculous, being afraid of a memory."

"No, I don't," Harry replied, playing with her hair, "You have every right to be nervous or afraid."

Daphne smiled, removing herself from his embrace after a while. With a deep breath, her hand grabbed Harry's and he squeezed it.

"Let's go, together," she said, and he nodded.

"I wouldn't do it any other way," he replied with a smile, the two of them going into the Pensieve. Moments later, Harry and Daphne found themselves in the entrance hall of a manor, decorated with Christmas motifs.

"Are we in Longbottom Hall?" asked Daphne, looking around and recognizing the hall.

"Yes..." replied Harry, "The date is Christmas Eve, 2006."

"I still think this is taking arrogance to a whole new level," Daphne heard a familiar voice saying. She turned around and she gasped, recognizing who had spoken. Real Daphne saw herself, with her blonde hair braided in one single braid that fell over her left shoulder and wearing dark blue formal dress robes, making her look regal and beautiful. Next to her she recognized Harry Potter, wearing black robes and looking even more sharp than real Harry, who was standing next to real Daphne.

"Organizing a Christmas ball on Christmas Eve," memory Daphne explained with a snort, and memory Harry shrugged, "This reeks of political setup."

"Come on, Daph," begged memory Harry, "For one night, can you please relax?"

"You know that they will come to us," replied memory Daphne, and Harry sighed.

"Yeah, I know, and I'm not in the mood to deal with them. Why did we come, anyway?" asked memory Harry.

"Because it was expected of us," drawled memory Daphne with a scowl. "I swear, ever since that trip to Egypt, the Longbottoms are simply...urgh," complained memory Daphne.

"Two hours and then we leave?" proposed memory Harry with half a chuckle.

"Please," begged Memory Daphne, "I want to be at home at midnight."

Real Daphne watched the exchange with a curious look, seeing the memory couple entering the party salon of Longbottom Hall, their names called out by a special kind of Howler whose magic activated when presented with the invitation.

"The Lord and Lady Potter-Black," the Howler announced, and many heads turned to them, extending them compliments and wishing them the best. Some people attempted to approach them, only to be rebuffed, not by the couple they wanted to speak to but by the hosts.

"Harry, Daphne, welcome," said a voice that real Daphne recognized immediately. She recognized Granger, dressed regally in a purple and gold dress with her straight hair falling smoothly down her back. She was smiling widely at Harry and Daphne, as was Longbottom at her side, also clad in purple and gold. "It's so good that you could come," the Lady Longbottom said after exchanging pleasantries. "We have attempted to contact you for several days. Why haven't you replied?"

"We went on holiday and purposely ignored mail," replied memory Daphne with a smile that real Daphne could see was false.

"What?" asked a shocked Hermione, "There are so many things to deal with and you two..."

"Let me just stop you right there, Hermione," replied memory Harry, "We came to the party, but we will not be dragged into debates. We've made up our minds on the Reformist Act."

"Of course, Harry," she replied sweetly after her initial shock.

"I'll have to apologize for my wife," Neville said for the first time, "She has been under a lot of stress between our duties in the Wizengamot and the ball."

"Of course. I suggest a nice calming draught," said memory Daphne with a smile, which Hermione mimicked.

"Healer's opinion?" she asked.

"Of course," memory Daphne replied and the both of them giggled.

"Have fun. Let us meet later in the evening," she proposed, and after a moment, Daphne and Harry were alone.

"I told you it was a setup," memory Daphne stated, and memory Harry nodded.

"I never doubted you," he replied, the both of them approaching a couple that real Daphne recognized as an older Susan Bones and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Much to her surprise, Susan was displaying a prominent baby bump.

"Susan, Justin, how are you three?" asked memory Daphne, and Susan laughed.

"Well enough, Daphne," the redhead replied with a smile, moving a hand to her belly. "Edgar has been behaving and I haven't had any more sickness."

"Wonderful," memory Daphne replied with a smile.

"So... how bad has it been compared to last time?" real Daphne heard memory Harry asking Justin.

"Amazingly, she hasn't hexed me at all," Justin admitted, "The mood swings were just between being normal and extremely sad."

"Well, better you than me," memory Harry confessed with a chuckle, making Justin smirk.

"Oh, don't worry, Mr. Man-Who-Conquered, you'll get your turn with the joys of dealing with a pregnant wife," said a new voice behind them.

"Blaise, Millie," said Harry with a smile.

"Hello, Harry," said Millie pleasantly, "Mr. Finch-Fletchley-Bones."

"Mr. Zabini, Mrs. Zabini. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is ours," replied Blaise pleasantly and the group quickly fell into conversation. Real Daphne grew bored quickly.

"While the conversation isn't as bad as it is at the events I am forced to attend with my parents, can you just, I don't know, skip ahead?"

"No need," real Harry admitted, glaring at something behind Daphne. She turned around and saw Ginny Weasley glaring at memory Daphne, who by then was holding memory Harry's arm.

"Let us dance," memory Daphne said, and Harry nodded, walking with Daphne to the floor. "Susan is having a good second trimester, much better than expected. I guess the potions helped."

"With you as her healer, she couldn't be anything other than fine," memory Harry smiled, and Daphne chuckled. "Why do you want to be at home at midnight?"

"Sorry?" she asked Harry.

"When we arrived, you said that you wanted to be at home before midnight. Why is that?"

Daphne smiled.

"It's Christmas, Harry," she taunted him with a smile, "I'd thought you'd suspect that I have a gift for you. A surprise that I want to give you at midnight."

"Really?" he asked with mock surprise and a husky voice, "Please, do share something more."

"And ruin the surprise?" memory Daphne taunted back, to which Harry chuckled, "You'll have to be patient."

"Well, only five hours to midnight," Harry revealed and Daphne chuckled. "Have I told you that I love you yet?"

"Only three times today," memory Daphne revealed after some thought, to which Harry hummed and Daphne huffed. "Well?"

"Well, three today is enough," Harry joked and Daphne smiled, slapping him on the arm.

"Prat."

"Yup," replied Harry with a smile before kissing memory Daphne.

Real Daphne saw the exchange and smiled, seeing how happy her older self was. She turned to real Harry only to see that his fists were balled and he was glaring at Weaselette, who by then was walking towards memory Harry and Daphne with two cups and a jug.

"Hello, Harry. Daphne," Weaselette said with a sweetly tone that sounded false to real Daphne, who had already stiffened, observing every moment and every movement.

"You damn bitch," real Harry whispered, his glare strong enough to make the memory tremble. Daphne put her hand on his arm and with a look, Harry calmed down.

"Ginny," replied Harry. Daphne only nodded. "Can we help you?"

"I just came to say hello," the redhead said with what real Daphne thought to be a lousy attempt at a pout. "Did you hear, Harry? I was summoned to the Harpies try-outs," the redhead said happily and smugly, much to the annoyance of memory Daphne and Harry. Real Daphne actually smirked when she saw memory Daphne roll her eyes in annoyance, "They clearly heard about me..."

"That's fantastic, Ginny," memory Harry's voice was clearly everything but happy. However, Ginny seemed not to realize it, starting to pour the crimson liquid into one of the cups.

"We should toast to it," Weaselette announced, forcing the cup on Harry. "Unfortunately, there is only this punch, but it will have to do."

"Really?" replied memory Daphne, taking the cup from her hand, "That's a good thing, then. I am thirsty and I really shouldn't drink alcohol. Thank you, Ginevra."

Several things happened at that moment. Ginny's eyes widened in shock for a moment, before her annoyance was replaced with a sick smile. Memory Daphne drank from the cup slowly, memory Harry just smiled at his wife's antics, and real Harry spat something that real Daphne didn't understand, although she could see the anger flowing through him, his aura threatening to reveal itself and his power on the verge of bursting out. He shivered and was scowling, balling his fists.

"Is this it?" wondered Daphne, taking Harry's hand in hers and feeling him squeezing it hard.

"It's good punch," memory Daphne said with a smile, giving the cup back to Ginny.

"Well, it was good to see you, Ginny but there are some people that we still need to speak with," Harry said with a smile. "But hey, congratulations. I guess it was your dream, wasn't it?"

The couple left Ginny before she could say anything.

"Annoying little bitch," mumbled Daphne, heard only by Harry, who sighed.

"Go ahead and say it."

"I have nothing to say," Daphne mumbled and Harry sighed again.

"Oh, come on, Daph."

"I guess we should be lucky that her useless brother hasn't arrived yet," Daphne drawled, changing the subject. "Because I wouldn't be able to deal with the two of them together."

"Daph..." Harry tried again.

"What?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Can you please relax?" asked Harry and Daphne sighed.

"I hate her," the blonde said, "Always trying to get her harpy claws on you."

"I know," Harry admitted, "I don't like her either."

"You certainly don't show it," Daphne shot back.

"I love you, don't I?" Daphne just snorted.

"What, you aren't sure?" she asked, looking at her husband seriously. Then, she laughed, making Harry sigh.

"You were having fun at my expense, weren't you?" asked Harry, and Daphne grinned.

"Your face was priceless..." she said between chuckles. Harry grabbed her by the arm.

"Damn you, woman. Don't do that," he whispered before crashing his lips against hers, hugging her by the waist. Daphne allowed herself to melt in his arms, kissing him back.

"Maybe we should just leave?" proposed Harry, and Daphne just smiled.

"Let us just say hello to a few more people and then we can leave," Daphne suggested, and Harry nodded. They made their way over to another couple, one that shook real Daphne to the core.

Before memory Harry and Daphne stood Draco and Astoria Malfoy.

"Sister," said Astoria, embracing Daphne while real Daphne saw the curt nods exchanged between Harry and Malfoy. "Hello, Harry, how are you?"

"Fine, thank you. And you?"

"We have great news. Draco, love, would you do the honours?" suggested Astoria.

"Astoria is pregnant again," Malfoy said with an attempt at a smile.

"Already?" asked a surprised Daphne, and Astoria smiled.

"You have to keep up, sister," the youngest sister said, taunting her elder sister, who just laughed.

"Don't worry, Tori. You still have time to become an aunt."

"But I wanted our children to play together." Neither of the two sisters noticed how their husbands flinched. In fact, it was only because of a lot of practice that Daphne didn't flinch herself. To hide her nervousness, Daphne just giggled.

"Well, it seems congratulations are in order," said Harry.

"It wasn't planned but we are very happy, aren't you, Draco?"

"Of course I am," the blonde replied, though something seemed wrong to real Daphne.

"How long?" asked memory Daphne, hiding a cough behind her hand.

"Two months," said a beaming Astoria.

"Come to... *cough* St. Mungo's *cough* on the... *cough*" Daphne attempted to say, suddenly being hit with a strange cough.

"Are you all right, Daph?" asked Harry, approaching her. Daphne nodded only to flinch and grab her own womb in pain.

"DAPH!" shouted memory Harry, holding his wife in his arms before she fell to the ground. His shout attracted the attention of everyone around them.

In Harry's arms, Daphne looked in pain at her husband, only to have a violent seizure of wet coughs. She was too distressed to hear the screams of horror around her, looking to Harry's horrified and bloody face.

"D-Daph?" asked a shaken Harry before Daphne lost strength in her legs, now supported only by her husband's arms.

Real Daphne realized what was happening. It couldn't be anything else. She was both terrified and curious, and no matter how much she didn't want to see it, she was unable to close her tearful eyes, taking in the sight and the sounds of that moment.

"Call a healer, NOW!" Harry demanded and some people actually ran to the floo.

"H-Har..." attempted Daphne, grabbing Harry's hand in distress.

"I'm here, Daph. Don't worry, I'm here," he replied, his eyes becoming tearful. Daphne just coughed violently again, only to vomit more blood against Harry, who became even more terrified. Blood flowed from Daphne's mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, and under her, a large crimson puddle began to form.

Real Harry became even more agitated next to real Daphne, his magic flaring around them, distorting the memory. Had Daphne looked at him, she would have seen the tears in his eyes and his look of utter desperation, much like memory Harry, who was holding memory Daphne.

"Har..." Daphne attempted to say with fear clear on her face, only for her hand to become limp on Harry's.

Daphne Potter was dead.

"Daph?" Harry whispered, caressing her hand. "Daph?" he asked again, his hand on his wife's terrified face. "No... no, Daph..." he whispered, again not receiving a reply. "DAPH!" he shouted in fear and desperation, his magic matching his emotions. All the glass and crystal in the room shattered at that moment, and all the people around him were thrown backwards onto the ground.

The memory became blurred, and a tearful and horrified Daphne saw herself being ejected from the Pensieve by force. She turned to Harry and to her shock, Harry was stiffened in the same position, trembling in anger. She could see him shivering, his eyes downcast and his fists balled. She could also feel his magic swirling around him, a violent maelstrom of anger and hate.

Harry didn't blow up. Instead, the flaring magic subsided and he fell to his knees, sobbing. Daphne, who wasn't much better after all she had seen, hugged Harry and the two stayed that way in silence for several minutes. Daphne hugged Harry softly, only to be hugged back possessively by her boyfriend, resting her head on his shoulder, not hiding a sob.

"Why?" she asked, and she felt him stiffen again.

"It was an accident..." whispered Harry, earning a shocked look from Daphne, who broke the hug.

"W-What?" she asked and saw Harry trembling in anger again, almost growling.

"I ordered a full autopsy," Harry whispered, looking at Daphne. "I wanted to know what had happened. What I was told..."

"What?" she asked again, only to see the tears falling from his eyes again. Harry picked up his wand and removed another memory from his temple.

"I can't tell you, I just can't," Daphne heard him whisper in front of the Pensieve. Knowing what he wanted, she approached the basin only to be stopped by Harry, who placed another memory in it.

He didn't say anything, taking only her hand and letting out a sigh. Daphne didn't say anything, and entered the Pensieve first, followed by Harry.

Real Daphne saw herself in a dark and empty room. She was able to see some light coming from what seemed to be a door, but the greatest part of the room was hidden in darkness. She saw real Harry materializing next to her and noticed how his attention went to a corner, where she realized there was a bundle that seemed to be a man. She approached the man and was able to realize that the man was none other than Harry, crying.

"Why? Why, Daph?" memory Harry mumbled between his sobs, and real Daphne turned to real Harry.

"Where are we?" Daphne asked.

"St. Mungo's, in the morgue where the bodies are analyzed for causes of death," replied Harry, and Daphne looked to the broken memory Harry on the floor, not able to hold back her own tears for him.

"You look so..."

"Broken? Lost? Empty?" he suggested in a whisper, and Daphne only nodded imperceptibly.

Their attention was diverted to the door, which opened and allowed light to enter in the room. Memory Harry rose from the corner and walked hesitantly to the door.

"Oh, Harry..." she heard, turning to the door and seeing a witch that she didn't recognize. Giving her a closer look, she realized that the witch was crying.

"Hannah, what did you find out?" memory Harry asked in an almost whisper.

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said, looking down.

"Hannah, please, tell me," Harry asked again, looking at the witch, who just nodded after wiping away her tears.

"I... I'm sorry for your losses, Captain... Harry," the witch said, and real Daphne furrowed her eyebrows.

"L-Losses?" memory Harry asked, not understanding what she meant.

"You... You don't know?" the distraught witch asked in surprise, receiving only a shake of his head in response. "Oh, Merlin."

"Know what?" he asked again, starting to shake.

"Harry, you should sit down," the witch suggested, and Harry finally snapped.

"Damn it, Callen! I order you to tell me what you discovered!"

"Respectfully, Captain, I need you to sit down," Hannah replied, and real Daphne turned to real Harry.

"Captain?" she asked.

"She's one of the Black Wands," was Harry's reply, and Daphne turned her attention to the drama once again, only to have her attention diverted to another door she hadn't noticed. A man that Daphne recognized as being Theodore Nott entered, followed by an older version of Tracey Davis. Behind them came a young man with brown hair, a fourth person, an older man with a grim demeanour and black hair, and a fifth man, young and blonde. Finally, the very same Zabinis that real Daphne had seen previously came inside after everyone. Blaise was sullen and Millie was tearful.

"What the hell is happening in here?" asked Theo, only to be ignored by Tracey and Millie, who hugged Harry in tears.

"Glad you came," Hannah replied, looking slightly less nervous. "I was about to inform the captain about what I found, and I really need help," she whispered to Theo, perfectly heard by real Daphne, who realized that memory Harry was crying while Millie and Tracey were holding him.

"How bad?" asked the grim looking man.

"Really bad," the witch replied, and Theo nodded.

"Harry, buddy, Hannah wants to tell us what she found out," Theo tried, only to receive a glare from his friend.

"Don't patronize me, Nott. What did you find out, Callen?" asked Harry in a no-nonsense tone, letting go of Tracey and steeling himself for the news.

"Daphne... She was taking potions," revealed Hannah, and real Daphne noticed Harry's surprise at the news.

"What?" asked memory Harry, "Why?" Everyone else also looked around at one another.

"She was taking... Oh Merlin..." the witch mumbled, "She was taking prenatal potions," Hannah revealed, and no sound was heard in the room, apart from real Daphne's gasp. "She was pregnant."

"Pregnant?" she asked, and the answer didn't come from real Harry.

"Three months, at least," added Hannah, and real Daphne could only flinch at the broken look that memory Harry had.

"Pregnant?" he whispered, looking down, lost and abandoned, tears falling. "She never told me... She never said anything."

"I think it was a boy," whispered Hannah, and Harry fell on his knees. Real Daphne was in tears all over again, seeing memory Harry's reaction. She turned to real Harry and found him seething, crying and balling his fists, mumbling something.

None of the people in the room said anything, all looking down at their captain and friend in sympathy.

"It's actually standard procedure for healers, advise to wait three months before making the announcement...I bet she would have told you soon."

"She said she had a gift for me..." Harry whispered in a whimper, heard by all.

"Merlin fuck it all..." one of the other men whispered in sorrow. Real Daphne was able to notice that it had been the one that looked the oldest.

"Why are the potions relevant?" asked Millie.

"We found another potion in Daphne's system," Hannah revealed, grabbing their full attention. "We were able to identify it as a loyalty potion, but at the same time, it was also a different potion."

"WHAT?" roared memory Harry in anger. "Keyed to whom? And in her system for how long?"

Real Daphne was taken aback, noticing how real Harry was trembling and mumbling something to himself. In truth, she could feel his power coiling around himself, like a predator preparing for the hunt. She realized that memory Harry was doing the same thing, judging by the looks and the unease of the other people in the memory.

"What do you mean it was a loyalty potion, but at the same time it wasn't?" asked Millie, ready to offer her knowledge to her fellow Potions Mistress.

"As you are aware, loyalty potions require powdered hellebore roots..." Millie nodded. "You also know as well I do that the powered hellebore roots can be replaced by..."

"A mixture of three quarters of dried moonflower petals and one quarter of the capped bolletus fungus, immersed in an alcoholic solution, yes," replied Millie, and Hannah nodded. Everyone else just looked lost.

"So?" asked Blaise, at his wife's side.

"That mixture, called Basquel's Deceit, while cheaper and easy to achieve, is advised against because of sub-products created in the mix, which are…highly unstable," replied Hannah, and Millie nodded, although she didn't know where her fellow Potions Mistress was attempting to lead them. Then it clicked.

"The Deceit is so unstable that it can be used as the basis of some strong poisons," gasped Millie, and Hannah nodded sadly again. All others looked at the two witches, waiting. "And some potions, when reacting with it, can trigger their opposite effect."

"What does that mean?" asked the younger man with brown hair.

"Prenatal potions have dried asphodel, as you may know," Hannah said, and Millie and Tracey nodded. The men had no idea.

"Asphodel has restorative properties and is used in prenatal potions to strengthen the womb..." explained Millie.

"The asphodel remains in the body after the potions are taken, and when mixed with the Deceit, it creates a strong hemophiliac poison," Hannah explained and it clicked for everyone, especially when the tears fell from her eyes. "Daphne never had a chance."

"It was an accident?" wondered Tracey, outraged.

"Someone created a potion using cheap and easy method to attain ingredients and poisoned..." one of the older men mumbled, massaging his temples, his outrage showing.

"Who?" demanded memory Harry in a low tone that frightened everyone. It promised pain and death to whomever crossed him. Even real Daphne was terrified by it, but that could also be because of the maelstrom of magic that real Harry was trying to hold inside of him, attempting not to disturb the memory.

"Who was responsible for creating the potion that killed my wife?" demanded Harry again, and everyone looked at him, fearing his reaction. Real Daphne noticed that several of them took out their wands discreetly.

"WHO WAS IT?" he demanded again, roaring in fury and hate when still no one answered. Then he remembered who had insisted on him having a drink with her.

"Ginny Weasley," replied Hannah in a whisper, heard by all.

"What? Why?" real Daphne heard someone ask, not knowing who.

"I want to see her," memory Harry whispered, and Hannah nodded, waving at the door she had come from.

Harry didn't say anything, walking through the door and seeing his wife's body on the table. He stiffened and caressed her face, feeling the cold skin on his hands, not holding back his tears.

Real Daphne witnessed every moment of it, shedding her own tears. Much to her surprise, real Harry hugged her from behind and held her while she cried her heart out. The memory people stood in silence.

"We'll have her in Azkaban for this, Captain," the youngest male in the room said, the one with brown hair, not hiding his own anger, which was shared by all.

"I was the target," memory Harry realized, seething. "She wanted me to drink to celebrate with her and Daphne took the cup... That bitch did it... She took her from me... She took my wife and my... my child... she took them from me," Harry seethed in tears.

"I'M GOING TO KILL HER!" he roared, and real Daphne saw everything and everyone being thrown back by the shockwave that was memory Harry's magic. Only himself and Daphne's bodies stood safely.

"HARRY!" shouted an alarmed Theo, the first to get up from the floor, only to see Harry holding Daphne's body and apparating away from sight.

The memory ended and Daphne saw herself ejected from the Pensieve, still in Harry's arms, crying still.

"What... What did you do with the body?" she asked Harry, who hesitated with his answer.

"I took her home and made a crystal sarcophagus to keep the body safe," he whispered, "So that I could still see her... see you."

"What...what did you do?" Daphne asked, feeling safer as Harry's hug tightened around her.

"I locked down the estate the moment I arrived so that no one could come after me, and I placed the body someplace safe. Then after leaving Dobby in charge of the manor and the estate, I went after the bitch on Boxing Day, after I recovered from the casting needed for the sarcophagus," explained Harry.

"First I stormed the Burrow, the Weasleys' house. I should have realized that something was wrong when I got there and found a team of Aurors protecting the house. I defeated them and stunned them all before they could send word to base. The moment I entered the house, I was confronted by her parents and her brothers, who shouted at me about her being taken away the previous day by the Aurors, under accusations of murder. That was a surprise to me, and the moment I turned away to leave without saying a word, the hag mother actually told me to stop with my tantrum and that it wasn't anyone's fault.

I snapped and hit her with a Fulminous Curse, which pretty much started a battle between me and their family. I defeated them but I didn't kill anyone, I just used a couple painful of curses on them," Harry told her and Daphne was hanging on every word, still in his arms. "I didn't use the Cruciatus or any Unforgivables. Through my mastery I learned a lot of spells, both old and recent...I guess I am not a fan of what people do with them." Daphne didn't say anything but she became quite curious, deciding to hold the question for later. "All I cared about was my vengeance, so I left and went to the Ministry."

"What did you do?" asked Daphne, already fearing his answer.

"I wanted vengeance. I was completely blinded by it, and I didn't care. I wanted to know why, and then make sure she paid the price for taking my wife from me...in her own blood."

"But she had been captured...she was most likely in the DMLE cells."

"And yet, I didn't care," replied Harry ominously, "Nor did I want for her to escape justice by playing the accident card...hell, Azkaban wasn't good enough for what she had done."

"You said you killed her," stated Daphne, and Harry nodded.

"I didn't just kill her..." Harry whispered, looking down. "I destroyed her."

"Show me." It wasn't a request, and to be perfectly honest, Daphne had no idea where she got the strength to make the demand. Harry didn't say anything, letting go of the embrace and pulling a memory from his temple.

"Don't think badly of me after seeing this," replied Harry when he dropped the memory into the Pensieve.

"How can I?" wondered Daphne to herself, just nodding to him.

Daphne held Harry's hand and both of them went into the Pensieve. Daphne saw herself in what she recognized as the entrance hall of the Ministry of Magic, right before the desk where the wands are registered.

"Captain Potter." She heard the male Auror on duty at the entrance. "We heard what happened from Captain Nott. You have our condolences."

"I was told that the murderer was captured?" asked memory Harry in a subdued voice, which Daphne could tell was fake and filled with anger and hate. Even the Auror seemed to notice it.

"Indeed, Captain. She was taken in yesterday. The Black Wands did the arrest, and I can tell you that none of them were happy."

"Which cell is she in?" asked memory Harry, and Daphne saw the Auror looking closely at him.

"Captain, I don't know if you're aware, but Captain Nott commanded us to not allow you near her with a wand," the Auror replied. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't tell you that unless you give me your wand."

Daphne could sense the Auror's nervousness, who was looking at Harry with his hand extended, waiting for the wand. Memory Harry, however, was just looking back at the man with a cold expression.

"I'm sorry about this," memory Harry said, and the Auror's eyes widened as memory Harry cast a silent, red spell on him. With a wave of his wand, the stunned Auror fell comfortably into the chair he was previously sitting in, and memory Harry hid his wand back in his holster.

Daphne was surprised but said nothing, nor did real Harry at her side. They just walked behind memory Harry, through the nearly deserted corridors of the Ministry during Boxing Day.

Memory Harry entered the DMLE division and noticed that there were four Aurors on duty, sat at their desks. When he entered through the door, the four got up and were nervously looking at him.

"Shit, Captain Potter," one of the Aurors said while one of them drew his wand.

"Captain Potter, by order of Captain Nott, you are to stand down and leave the vicinity. We can't allow you to..."

"Leave now," whispered memory Harry and two more of them drew their wands.

"Are you crazy? That's Captain Potter. He's one of us!" shouted one of the Aurors, a young woman who had stood silent until then.

"We have our orders," said another, turning to her, "Call Hallys."

The girl nodded and went to the back, to the recreation room.

"Captain Potter, Captain Nott gave us orders not to allow you close to Weasley. There are three of us here and Jenkins went to call Hallys, who's been standing guard since Weasley was captured, that's five against you. Please Captain, stand down."

"That bitch killed my wife and my unborn child. Do you really think I will stand down and let her get away with it?" asked memory Harry in a cold voice, making the Aurors stiffen and hesitate.

"Stupefy!" one of the Aurors cast, only for Harry to dodge out of the way and cast his own spell, a blue one that hit the Auror and threw him back against the opposite wall, rendering him unconscious. The other two were barely able to point their wands at Harry before being caught by Harry's spells, losing consciousness as well.

"Merlin!" said a voice, and both memory Harry and Daphne saw the Auror woman had returned, looking astounded and holding her wand in her hand, followed by the brown-haired young man that Daphne had seen in the previous memory.

"No, that's just the captain," the brown-haired man said with a grin, turning to memory Harry. "Captain, we were waiting for you."

"Hallys," replied Harry, watching the man closely.

"Don't even try, rookie. You saw what the captain did to the others," advised Hallys, and the Auror woman gulped, lowering her wand.

"Are you going to try to stop me, Jason?" asked memory Harry, and Daphne noticed the signal the young man made, pointing at the Auror woman. A red flash later and he Auror Jenkins was unconscious on the ground. "Have you called the others?"

"No," replied Jason, looking at memory Harry.

"Then what?" asked memory Harry.

"Have I ever told you about my grandfather, Harry?" Jason asked, and Harry shook his head. Daphne, however, looked at real Harry, who just nodded to the memory. "My dad died in an accident when I was seven, and my grandfather was my father figure for the rest of my life. When I graduated from Hogwarts, my grandfather and one of his friends were mugged in the street and the bastards beat the two of them. The other old man lived but my grandfather died of his injuries... Well, I tracked down the bastards one by one and I killed the fuckers. Painfully, and with the deliberate use of the Imperius and the Cruciatus," revealed Jason, and Daphne's eyes widened, much like memory Harry's. For a few moments, no one spoke.

"Why are you telling me this, Jason?" asked memory Harry, not really knowing how to act.

"The point is..." started Jason, after some hesitance, "I understand, and I won't stop you from going in there and taking your vengeance on the bitch. It would make me sound like a hypocrite," he said with an attempt at a smile. "That's the whole reason why I'm here, actually. I know what it was like for me, but you...your wife and your child...I'm sorry, Harry." Memory Harry's tears fell, and Daphne felt her own in her eyes. "Just stun me, all right? I'm starting to sound like pussy."

Both men laughed.

"If they ever find out, you'll be in trouble," said Harry, and Jason just shrugged.

"I owe you for my place in the Black Wands, and I owe you and your wife for saving my life last year," replied Jason with a smirk, "Not them."

The silent red spell flashed, and Jason fell to the ground. Memory Harry looked around and stunned everyone again just to be safe, knowing that he had lost enough time, and then descended into the dungeons.

"He sounds like a nice guy," said Daphne, not knowing what else to say.

"He was," was Harry's reply, not noticing Daphne looking at him.

"What was that about saving his life?" she asked.

"In one mission, he was badly cursed and was between life and death. I portkeyed him to the hospital and you were able to save him. I even helped."

"And because of that, he allowed you to pass?" asked Daphne, her eyebrow lifting inquisitively.

"He's a Gryffindor," replied Harry as if that explained everything. Daphne just smirked and turned back to the memory, only to hear Harry again. "He was one of the greatest wizards I had the pleasure to lead."

"What do you mean?" asked Daphne, curious, only for Harry to reply with a quick, "Later," and make her turn her attention to the memory once again.

Memory Harry waved his wand and the cell door opened, revealing the occupant.

"Harry, I knew you'd come! I..." she never finished because memory Harry's demeanour changed to pure anger and hate, his wand pointing at Weasley and casting a bluish spell that made her scream in pain. Harry kept the spell going for several moments, only to wave his wand again. Ginny screamed even more as she felt her leg bones shatter.

"You poisoned my wife." It wasn't a question. Memory Harry waved his wand and Ginny was stuck against the wall, lifted into the air. "You wanted to put me under a loyalty potion, and because of your brewing, you made a mistake that killed my wife."

Ginny's attempts to say anything were ignored.

"Why? Why did you do it?" Harry's wand waved again, and Ginny's left arm bent at an unnatural angle, being dislocated with a sickening sound, resulting in more screaming.

"What was your purpose in giving me the loyalty potion that killed my wife?" Harry growled again, and boils erupted on the dislocated arm, erupting and spilling yellow and red pus. Daphne was horrified and actually felt pity for the youngest Weasley. Who knew that Harry was so vicious? However, she wasn't afraid of him. No, she actually felt safer.

"ANSWER ME! WHY DID YOU DO IT?" memory Harry shouted.

"Be... Because I..." Weaselette tried to say, her voice hoarse and her whole body in pain and broken, "Because I love... you."

"What?"

"I love... you," she said again, "I wanted... mine. You'd leave... and take me." Both memory Harry and Daphne were in shock.

"What?" she asked to no one in particular while real Harry scoffed.

Memory Harry just laughed. It wasn't a joyful laugh, on the contrary, it was a dark and hate-filled laugh.

"You stupid self-centered bitch!" he spat, grabbing her by the throat and bashing her head against the wall. "I LOVE DAPHNE! PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE, ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL! SHE IS MY SOULMATE! YOU'RE NOTHING, NEVER WERE, AND NEVER WILL BE! SHE WAS EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED AND YOU TOOK HER FROM ME. LOOK AT ME, YOU SHIT. YOU TOOK HER FROM ME, HER AND OUR CHILD," Harry spat in anger, squeezing her heck with his hand, making her gasp for air. Harry eventually let go of her neck, allowing her to fall on the ground, making her scream in pain once again. Memory Harry only huffed in anger, glaring at the crying and broken woman in the floor. He waved his wand once and a gash appeared on Ginny's side, bleeding. Then another and another, several in each thigh, and several in the chest and womb.

Daphne tried to ignore the whimpers from Ginny, focusing only on memory Harry, who was looking at the broken woman on the ground, his eyes tearful and his whole body shaking in rage. She grabbed real Harry's hand and looked at him, noticing that his face was like stone.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Do you hate me?" was his reply.

"No," she whispered.

"Then I'm fine," he replied with a smile, making her smile back at him. She lifted her face and kissed him softly, only to break the kiss when she saw an orange flash.

Ginny Weasley's body was in flames but there were no screams or other noises from her. She was likely dead already.

"It's done, Daph," whispered memory Harry. "It's done, my love." In tears, memory Harry left the cell and staggered through the halls, like a broken man who was also drunk and had nothing left to live for.

"I didn't," was real Harry's reply when she told him of her thoughts.

Memory Harry went back to the DMLE and much to his surprise, he was greeted at wand point by the Aurors he had previously stunned and the remaining members of the Black Wands, led by Theo.

"Shit, Harry, what have you done?" he demanded, more concerned than angry. Harry looked around and saw the concerned looks of the Black Wands.

"Captain Nott, I'd like to surrender my wand and turn myself in for assaulting several Aurors and the murder of Ginevra Weasley," said memory Harry. Daphne was able to see the resigned looks on the faces of the five Black Wands.

The memory twirled and both Daphne and Harry saw themselves back outside.

"You turned yourself in?" asked Daphne, a little curious.

"Really? That's what you asked about after all you saw?" asked Harry with a small chuckle, and Daphne shrugged. "I'd like to think that if something happened to those I love, I'd do the same."

Harry chuckled.

"Yes, I turned myself in. I had nothing to live for, what else would I do?" he asked rhetorically, sitting on the chair.

"Did they let you out?" asked Daphne and Harry was able to understand the curious and hopeful tone in her question.

"I stood trial before the whole Wizengamot. At first, I was seen as a monster and a murderer, but when Tracey, my defence attorney, presented the evidence on why I snapped, about the potion that... you know... and the death of you and our child, nearly half the Wizengamot was on my side. When I presented a memory of Weaselette's death, some of the Newblood Reformists called me a Dark Lord but everyone else was disgusted with Weaselette's reasons."

"Then, in the end?" asked Daphne.

"In the end, I was sentenced to thirty years in Azkaban, twenty-five for murder and five for assaulting Aurors, civilians, and invading the Ministry." Daphne was appalled, looking at Harry. "I asked for execution, but surprisingly the Newblood Reformists stood against it and demanded I be sentenced to Azkaban, something about it being more humane. Even more surprising was that the Purebloods and the Conservative Alliance agreed, even if their reason was because of who I was."

Daphne was looking appalled at Harry, which he didn't realize. All he felt was the sting on his face.

"YOU IDIOT!" she shouted, her eyes tearful, "Don't you even say that."

"W-What?" he asked, before being slapped again.

"Execution?" she demanded, "What could have possibly possessed you to have such a stupid idea?"

"Daph, I..." he tried.

"Don't even say it," she shouted, only to hug him.

"Sorry, but you have to remember, I had nothing by then and a life without you is no life at all," he explained, and she hugged him tighter.

"What about Tori's children? What about your godson, Teddy, was it?" she asked, remembering the child at their wedding.

"Teddy actually understood why I did it," whispered Harry. "Andromeda Tonks, née Black, his grandmother and you raised him well, making sure he understood about "family first," and I taught him to always take responsibility for his actions. He cried at our farewell, but he stood there and told me he understood why I did it and asked me if he could visit me in Azkaban." chuckled Harry. "He was already my heir for the Black family, and I named him Heir Potter as well, to take over on his seventeenth birthday or in the event of my death, whichever came first."

"What happened after that?" she asked, and she felt Harry's body stiffen again.

"The night before being shipped out, I received a visit in my cell," he replied.

"Who?" asked Daphne, concerned.

"The Longbottoms," replied Harry, and Daphne was confused.

"What could they possibly want?" she asked, and Harry growled, taking a memory from his temple and putting it in the Pensieve.

"To apologize," was all that Harry said before both he and Daphne entered the Pensieve.

Once again, Daphne saw herself in one of the DMLE cells, standing next to a memory Harry, who was laying in the corner, crying.

"Crying baby," she joked, attempted to ease the mood, and Harry just smirked.

The cell doors opened, and Hermione and Neville Longbottom entered the cell.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I'm here," a hoarse voice replied from the corner. "What do you want?"

"Hello, Harry. How are you?" replied Neville, a little nervous.

"I'd rather be dead," replied memory Harry, which resulted in real Harry being shoulder slapped by his girlfriend.

"Why did you do it, Harry?" asked Hermione, with her attitude showing.

"You were at the trial, so you know why," memory Harry replied in a growl, making the Longbottoms shiver.

"Your wife and child..." she said, "It was an accident."

"Don't you try to defend the bitch!" demanded memory Harry in anger, "She tried to feed me a potion to control me and because it was poorly done, my wife, who took it instead of me, died, and so did our unborn son." Harry glared at the two of them for a moment. "She cost me everything. I have nothing else to live for so why should I care?"

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she whispered again, and even Neville seemed stiff.

"For what?"

"It was for the greater good," she whispered again. "She wasn't supposed to make the mistake. The potion was for you and you alone. We just wanted to have your vote..."

"WHAT?" shouted both memory Harry and real Daphne. Memory Harry jumped from the floor and growled at both Longbottoms, "SAY THAT AGAIN?!"

"It...it was a mistake...we're sorry, Harry, so sorry." Daphne couldn't believe it. It was all very surreal. "It was for the greater good of our world and you weren't cooperating with us. We needed your vote and Ginny wanted you. We just told Ginny about the potion, it would be more discreet than Amortentia and she would have you. In exchange, she just needed to make sure you'd vote for us. Everyone would..."

Whatever she was about to say, she didn't because Harry jumped her and tackled her to the ground, taking his hands to her neck, squeezing hard.

"You bitch. This is all your fault?! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY!"

There was a flash of red and the memory ended. Daphne and Harry saw themselves in the Chamber once again, looking at each other, Daphne too shocked to even say a word.

"What the hell?" she said several moments later, after recovering her wits. "Did she..."

"Yes. There you have it, the main reason why I despise Granger and Longbottom so much," sneered Harry. "They gave the red bitch the idea."

"All because of a vote?" she asked again, and Harry nodded, walking in circles. "What are you doing?"

"The usual," replied Harry with a sneer forming, "Trying to convince myself that it is better to destroy everything they hold dear, destroy their lives and their reputations, and only then kill them. Last time it was too quick."

"The usual?" she wondered to herself, sitting on the couch and sorting her thoughts. "How often do you do that?" Harry joined her moments later.

"All because of a vote, yes," he said, and she looked at him.

"I feel like I should be overwhelmed, but after seeing my own death and my husband killing my murderer, that doesn't really shock me. Besides, I always thought Granger was much too power hungry," replied Daphne, and Harry just looked back at her. "So, what happened then?"

"I woke up in Azkaban. I tried to escape several times, but to no avail," replied Harry, earning a surprised look from Daphne. "After a few attempts, some violent episodes, and threats to kill the bitch and the bastard, I was put in the lower levels, where there are more dementors and barely any prisoners... You know Bellatrix Lestrange? She was on the first floor. I got to be put in the basement," joked Harry, quickly realizing that there was no reason to try and be funny at all. "Dobby!"

"Yes, Master?" asked Dobby, popping next to Harry.

"It's your turn to tell the story," replied Harry with a smile.

"His turn?" asked Daphne "Why?"

"You see, Daph, after my first six months in Azkaban, I was a wreck, continuously seeing my parents being murdered and you bleeding to death. I became a sobbing wreck before my first year ended and lost a lot of weight. I had become a bit crazy by the first half of my second year." Daphne just looked upset and fearful. "I don't recall anything of the two years that followed."

"You were in Azkaban for four years?"

"I spent two years in the lowest levels of Azkaban," corrected Harry, extending his hand toward Dobby. "Dobby evacuated me near the end of my second year, but I spent the next two years trying to recover my sanity and my health in secrecy."

Daphne raised an eyebrow and looked to the house-elf with newfound respect.

"You took Harry from Azkaban? How?" asked Daphne, fascinated.

"He summoned me," was Dobby's reply. A moment passed, then another, and in the third, Dobby and Harry started to laugh before a flustered Daphne.

"That's no answer!" replied Daphne, and the two stopped laughing, although their amused expressions remained.

"I assure you, Mistress, it was what happened. I was surprised as well," explained Dobby, once again with Daphne's full attention. "Do you recall when Harry told you about when I was cursed by Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Yes..."

"When Harry used his magic to heal me, he deepened our bond in a way that none of us realized. I was more powerful, but I always thought it was because I was Master Harry Potter's sir's house-elf," Dobby squeaked, imitating his older self. "It was, but it was also because of the nature of the bond. It was no longer a servitude bond. When Harry healed me, our bond became a pure magical bond, and my life and power became intertwined with Harry's. If he dies, I die. That's also why I sometimes seem to know beforehand what my master requires," Dobby explained, and despite her surprise, Daphne accepted it well.

"So, Harry called you?" she asked, and Dobby nodded.

"I was weak, but I was able to pop into Azkaban. Thanks to our special bond, I was able to tap into Harry's power and fuel my own, bringing Harry back to Potter Manor. There I discovered he had both potions to weaken him and potions to strengthen him in his system." Daphne curiously raised her eyebrow.

"Potions? Why?" she asked, and Harry just nodded.

"The ones intending to weaken me were administered by the bitch and the bastard's minions. I would later discover that the others were administered by my friends and allies."

"I nursed Harry back to health for nearly a year, but his mind was still fractured. I had explored some more of the bond and thought I had managed to find a way to help my master through it, though I was unsure if I could endure it. I decided that I had nothing to lose and recruited the help of another elf to take care of my master, should I fail."

"What did you do?" asked Daphne.

"I used all my power with the bond and attempted to force Harry's magic to heal his mind."

"Is that even possible?" she asked.

"Well, sometimes he's a little crazier than he was before..." replied Dobby and Harry scoffed.

"It was also because of that merge where he attempted to heal me through our bond that he became like this," explained Harry, waving at Dobby. "My magic powered his and his body changed accordingly into this form."

Now Daphne was really surprised, even if she had expected something extraordinary, like a ritual or something of the sort. She definitely never expected that a deeper magical bond would be the responsible for the elf's looks.

"I really don't know how to explain it, Mistress," replied Dobby, "Nor did I care about it. My master was fine and recovered very well after that."

"That goes beyond normal loyalty, Dobby," replied Daphne with a smile, making Dobby blush.

"He's family, Mistress. So are you," replied Dobby, looking down, missing the grin from Harry and the blush from Daphne.

"How long did your recovery take, then?" asked Daphne, looking at them.

"After the merging we were both what, three months unconscious?" asked Harry, looking at Dobby, who just shrugged.

"No idea. All I know is that it was already 2010 when you were well enough to leave the estate. That was when you decided to summon your allies and find out what was happening."

"Yes," replied Harry, smiling fondly, much to Daphne's surprise. "Thank you, Dobby, I'll take it from here."

"Would you need anything?" asked the elf. Daphne just shook her head.

"Tea and cookies, please," asked Harry, and Dobby nodded.

"Right away," he replied, popping away.

"So, I will continue the story from my recovery. I was unaware of most everything that had happened during my four-year absence, but Dobby managed to get a subscription to the newspaper. It helped a bit. Through the Daily Prophet I discovered that the vote I told you about before had been won by the Newblood Reformists, who immediately started to make significant changes to our society." Daphne looked both surprised and disgusted.

"They forced changes into our society, changed the old laws, changed the old families' status, they brought the concept of muggle appliances such as the television and the telephone... not to mention the fact that they were in power as a majority in the Wizengamot. They formed their own security force that replaced the Aurors and had a low tolerance policy against everything so-called "Dark."

Dark creatures were rounded up and sent to reservations or destroyed. In the case of vampires and werewolves, they were invited to cooperate with the efforts to find cures for their sicknesses. These were some of the most prominent changes, but there was so much more. For example, Knockturn Alley had been burned to the ground a year before my return."

Daphne widened her eyes. "The way you say it, it makes it sound like a takeover of the Light side and the muggleborn supporters," mused Daphne, noticing the beaming look on his face.

"My thoughts exactly! And of course, people, being sheep, allowed them to do what THEY wanted to do," replied Harry with a scowl.

"Who are they?" asked Daphne, already having an idea.

"Who else? The Newblood Reformists and their leaders, Hermione and Neville Longbottom, who were by then also known by their titles, Oberon and Titania."

"Oberon and Titania? That sounds familiar," mused Daphne, wondering.

"Medieval and Renaissance literature, or Shakespeare, take your pick. They were the king and queen of the fairies," replied Harry promptly, not missing Daphne's reaction.

"The king and queen?" she demanded, "Don't tell me they considered themselves the king and queen of the magical world?"

"Of course not, only of Magical Britain, even if they didn't show it," replied Harry, leaving Daphne gaping. "Longbottom, or Oberon, was the Paladins' leader."

"Paladins?" asked Daphne, and Harry nodded.

"Yes, the so-called Light defenders and perfect Light fighters... they were their new Aurors, who replaced the DMLE corps."

"How did they got away with it?" wondered Daphne, and Harry shrugged.

"Granger was the equivalent of the Minister and the Chief Witch of the Council, which had replaced the Wizengamot," said Harry. "They had all the power, and their Council was filled with their own people. In a sense, they ruled Britain."

"What did you do?" asked Daphne, knowing Harry very well and recognizing his look.

"Nothing at first. Against them, I mean. I needed to know more, and what better way to do that than meeting up with some old friends?" replied Harry, bringing his wand to his temple, removing a memory. "I arranged a meeting through Gringotts and sent out invitations to people I thought I could trust. My surprises started then."

"What do you mean?" asked Daphne, and she was sure she wouldn't like it.

"For starters, Draco Malfoy was dead. His wedding to Astoria had been dissolved, and Jonathan Greengrass, your father, disowned her for killing her husband," revealed Harry, leaving Daphne in shock.

"What? Why?"

"Remember what I told you about the potions Malfoy fed her, and about him killing their baby daughter?" asked Harry, and Daphne nodded. "Astoria was in Azkaban for killing Draco, and it was there she found out about the potions. Her firstborn son was adopted by his three grandparents, Narcissa Malfoy and your parents, who raised him to be the Malfoy and Greengrass heir. I met the little shit a couple of times and let me tell you, he was just like his father."

Daphne wanted to gag.

"Did...did my sister..." she wanted to ask, not finding the right words.

"I took her out of Azkaban, and she found a home with us," replied Harry.

"Us?" asked Daphne, and Harry smiled.

"Yes. Us. Me and those that stood with me and helped me. Those that were important to me," replied Harry, looking at Daphne, who smiled.

"Thank you for protecting my sister," she said with a smile.

"She's family," replied Harry, and Daphne smiled.

"What else?"

"Teddy..." replied Harry, Daphne listening in rapt attention. "Andromeda had died two years before, and Teddy had been adopted by the Longbottoms, since Granger was his godmother and Narcissa didn't care about her half-breed grandnephew. Little did she know that the kid was the Black heir... If she had taken him in, he might have survived," mused Harry.

"Teddy died?" asked Daphne, taken aback, pulling Harry from his thoughts.

"Even if no communication had been made, the goblins were able to tell me that my heir was dead. They didn't know why or how he died, only that he was dead," explained Harry, and Daphne could see his regrets.

"Who else?"

"Pansy had died in a riot and so did Vince. Greg had become a lonely man living in a village in Wales. Blaise and Millie were fine and had two boys, happily working on their businesses. Theo and Tracey had one boy and one girl and were also fine. She was still a prosecutor and he was a stay-at-home father, tutor, and manager of his family possessions and estate. I invited them. I also invited the remaining Black Wands members, who had been disbanded. Hannah Callen was working at the hospital and with Millie, making potions. Francis Talbot had died in one of the Aurors' last raids, and Justin Smith had become an Unspeakable, who fortunately weren't much affected by the new regime. Jason Hallys, however, was in Azkaban."

"All right. No one else?" asked Daphne, and Harry shrugged.

"Luna Lovegood was travelling around the world in her search for mythical animals, so that's a no, and those were the people we were closest to..." Daphne nodded. She wasn't close to Looney Lovegood, but if she had been... She wondered why Harry hadn't approached her yet.

"I set up a meeting in one of the abandoned Black houses, arrival by portkey only," Harry chuckled. "It was interesting."

"Tell me, then," asked Daphne and Harry shook his head.

"No, this one I MUST show you," he replied with an amused, but sad smile. She noticed his expression and just nodded. She held his hand and both of them went into the Pensieve, finding themselves in a dark room watching several people, some of them children.

The room's occupants were all standing around in silence, until one of the children spoke up.

"Mummy? How long until someone shows up?" asked one of the children with brown hair, who looked a lot with Theo. He was probably seven years old.

"I don't know, George," Tracey replied, "Be a little patient."

"But we're waiting forever," replied a girl that looked like Tracey, age five, making the other adults laugh.

"Felicia, behave, darling. You know that Uncle Harry has to be careful."

"I don't even remember Uncle Harry," the girl mumbled.

"You were too young," said an older boy that looked like Blaise, probably around at least ten years old. "Uncle Harry was a great guy. I always had fun with him... and Teddy."

"Who?" asked Felicia Nott.

"A friend of mine... he's Uncle Harry's godson. He left to live with his godmother and hasn't replied to my letters in months," the boy replied.

"Daddy said Uncle Harry escaped Azkaban two years ago. Why didn't he call sooner?" asked the first boy once again. This time it was his father that replied.

"He was sick and needed time to recover," replied Theo.

"If he was sick, couldn't Mummy or Auntie Hannah give him a potion to get better?" another boy asked, this one looking like Millie with darker skin, and who was probably around six years old.

"Not that kind of sick, Robert," Blaise replied, capturing his son's full attention. "The last time we saw him, he didn't recognize us. I really hope he got better."

"He wouldn't call us if he didn't," said Justin, who was standing there. "The last time we knew anything of him, he was crazy and really worse for wear. Somehow, he recovered, I'm sure of it."

"He should have. He called for all of you, didn't he?" asked the older boy with a smirk, his attention going to the little girl at his side. "Are you all right, Daphy?"

Real Daphne's attention was directed to the little girl at once. The girl was small, barely more than four or five years old. She had short black hair and brown eyes and was obviously nervous. Daphne thought she looked like Millie.

"I'm fine, Cyril," the girl smiled, and the older boy nodded, patting her hair.

"You don't need to be nervous. Uncle Harry is a good man," her brother said, "You'll love him." The girl nodded nervously.

"Who's the little girl?" asked Daphne.

"Mmh?"

"The little girl, Daphy!?" asked Daphne again and Harry smiled, not answering.

"Just keep watching."

Daphne noticed Millie standing with her husband, looking at her son proudly before going back to a hushed conversation with Hannah Callen. She recognized Justin Smith from one of the previous memories and realized that Justin Hallys wasn't around.

"Where were you?" asked Daphne, and Harry pointed to a corner in the room.

"Under my Invisibility Cloak, right there, watching them all," he divulged, and Daphne looked to the corner at once, not seeing anything. "After I was arrested, our estate went into lockdown so nothing was confiscated."

"Yes, I thought about that," replied Daphne, "How long until you revealed yourself?"

"Not long," replied Harry.

"Azkaban changes people," said Justin Smith, standing with Theo. "Let us hope he's well enough and is still the man we all remember."

"The one who killed the bitch that killed his wife, or the man before that?" joked Blaise.

"If only we could have seen him earlier. If only we could have talked to him, done more to help him..." mumbled Theo.

"We tried, honey. It's not like we could have known that he would try to escape and be sent to the deepest levels of the fortress," replied Tracey, caressing her husband's shoulder.

"At least Jason was able to find him," Hannah replied.

"One year too late," grumbled Theo. "He was already mad. Not even the Death Eaters were sent to the deepest levels. Why was he?"

"Maybe someone wanted to hide him and take him away?" suggested the little girl shyly.

"But why?" wondered Millie, after the others actually considered the little girl's words.

"That I wouldn't know," replied a remarkably familiar, disembodied voice that the adults and real Daphne recognized immediately, even if the voice was cold. "However, my guess would be because two bastards decided to protect themselves and paid a lot of money to people in power to make sure I would disappear."

"H-Harry?" asked Millie.

"Harry where are you?" asked Blaise, hopefully.

"I'm glad to see you've come," the voice said again, agitating everyone. "I'm glad to see I still have friends."

"Of course we'd come, Harry," said Tracey, "But two years? What the hell have you been up to all this time?"

"Healing my body and my mind. Getting my power back. Planning my revenge..." Harry said, leaving them wondering.

"Revenge? On whom?" asked Hannah, voicing her thoughts. "You killed Weasley, Captain."

"I was away for four years, Callen, but I do know that the Black Wands were disbanded, and I haven't been your captain since I surrendered myself to all of you that day at the Ministry."

"So?" asked Justin, stepping forward. "You'll always be the Captain, the same way that Theo will always be Captain Nott."

"Yes, so you can drop the theatrics and that damn cloak of yours. Stop re-enacting that day at the Leaky Cauldron in our seventh year and meet us face to face, you damn asshole!" demanded Theo, and to everyone's surprise, Harry dropped the cloak, revealing himself. He was much slimmer than they remembered. He now had a short black beard and was wearing black robes. His expression, however, was stoic.

"Still very handsome," thought real Daphne with a blush.

"HARRY!" they all shouted, and the only reason they didn't jump him out of joy was his stoicism.

"What... What did you mean, revenge?" asked Millie, noticing how Harry was looking to them and the children.

"As it turned out, Weaselette was only the perpetrator. The idea came from other people, people that had more to gain if they were able to control my opinion."

"What? What are you saying?" asked Theo.

"What I'm saying, Nott, is that while Weaselette was the one who brewed the potion that killed my wife and child, it was the Longbottoms that convinced her to do it. They convinced her to brew that damn potion to control me so that she could have manipulated my opinion on the vote in their favour. In exchange, the red weasel would be able to have me as well," replied Harry with a scowl, astonishing all of them.

"Wha-What? Are you sure?" asked Tracey, and Harry nodded.

"Those two bastards took everything from me," Harry scowled again, his voice filled with anger. "They took Daphne from me, they took our son from me... They took everything from me, and I will not allow them to get away with it. I will kill them, and I will have my revenge. For my wife and child, I WILL KILL THEM!"

Even real Daphne swallowed dry, not in fear but out of apprehension for whatever may come next.

"What about me?" a soft and saddened voice asked, drawing everyone's attention to herself. The little girl was crying, hiding herself behind the older Zabini child.

"What?" asked real Daphne.

"Oh boy," mumbled Blaise, massaging his temples while Millie seemed to pale, as did Theo and Tracey. Cyril Zabini encouraged the little girl to step forward, putting his hands on her shoulders. The girl looked at memory Harry with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you care about me?" she asked him.

Not really understanding what was happening, real Daphne thought that the girl was only trying to look strong, failing completely because of the tears on her face. She actually felt pity for the child.

Memory Harry just raised an eyebrow while looking at the little girl.

"What exactly are you talking about, child?" he asked, and more tears fell from the child's eyes.

"Uncle Harry, you..." started Cyril, only to be interrupted by his mother.

"No, Cyril," she said, looking to Harry. "Don't worry Daphy; it's clear that Harry is still sick. He has to be. I will make sure he gets well soon, and Auntie Hannah will help, won't you Auntie Hannah?"

Hannah nodded with a smile, "We'll make sure he'll be fine soon."

"R-Really?" the child asked, holding back a sob.

"Can someone, please, tell me what is going on in here?" memory Harry demanded, and to be honest, Real Daphne was quite confused as well.

"Maybe you have to tell him who you are, sweetie," suggested Tracey and the child looked at her, turning to Millie, who added, "And show him the real you, as well."

"But... you said I should never take it off unless I was in my room or in a safe place with just you, Uncle Blaise, Cyril, Uncle Theo or Auntie Tracey," the child replied, and everyone in the room just smiled.

"Oh honey, we all know," replied Hannah with a smile.

"I don't," replied Felicia Nott, raising a hand.

Memory Harry wasn't amused.

"Once again, can someone explain what the hell is going on?" he demanded, regaining everyone's attention. Millie smirked and pushed the little girl forward.

"Go on," she encouraged her with a smile, and the little girl turned back to memory Harry, filled with resolve again.

Real Daphne turned to real Harry and saw him smiling, looking at the scene.

"Do you want to tell me something?" she asked, not finding it as amusing as he was.

"Don't worry, they all will explain it in a while," was Harry's reply, forcing her to look back to the memory.

The child took a necklace from her neck and at once, her looks started to shift. Her skin, which was tanned, became whiter and milkier. Her short hair started to grow until it reached the middle of her back, becoming smoother and darker than what it was. Her facial looks also changed a bit and memory Harry held a breath, watching the girl transform into what looked to be a very familiar face, with dark black hair and green eyes.

Real Daphne's jaw dropped, allowing real Harry to take her hand, squeezing it in support. She knew that face. She turned to real Harry and saw him smiling, even if there was some sorrow on it.

"Everyone always told me that I look like my mummy, with my daddy's hair colour and eyes," the girl confessed with a shy, sad, and yet hopeful look directed at memory Harry, who was looking at the little girl in shock. "Don't you really remember me, Daddy? It's me, Lilian Daphne Potter...your daughter."

Naturally, real Daphne's reaction could only be one thing, which curiously enough was the same as memory Harry's:

"WHAT!?"