Chapter Sixteen
"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!?"
"How can that be?" asked real Daphne anxiously, not taking her eyes off of the child.
"They will explain it soon," replied real Harry with a fond look at the little girl...her child. Their child.
"But... I thought we had no children," she said, making Harry chuckle.
"We didn't," he replied, looking at her. "We never produced any children of our own, but thanks to Millie, we had our child. We had her."
"But...how?" asked real Daphne, and Harry just pointed at the memory.
"Patience, my love," he said, and although she wanted her answers NOW, real Daphne turned back to her daughter, standing in front of a stunned and very confused memory Harry.
"How?" he whispered, recognizing every trace of the child's face as his wife's, with some of his own features, like the eyes. "How can this be? It is impossible."
"You left her with us, remember, Harry?" added Millie, making memory Harry look at her. So did real Daphne, and she was shocked when she saw the distress not only on Millie's face, but on all of the adults standing there, while the other three children were only gaping, having a hard time believing what they were seeing. Not only that, it was impossible not to see Millie's gestures that seemed to mean to go along with it. "You left her with us the day you went to take your revenge for Daphne and asked us to raise her should anything happen to you."
"Yes, Harry. We had a huge fight when you decided to surrender yourself instead of escaping and raising your daughter, remember?" added Tracey, who was showing some distress, especially when the child lowered her head and seemed to be sobbing quietly. "You said you wanted to set an example for her and your godson? To always take responsibility for your actions?"
"I..." mumbled memory Harry, not really understanding what was happening, and not really liking the idea of being made a fool or manipulated in such a way. However, there was no way that the child wasn't Daphne's, and if the eyes were a hint, she was his as well.
"But...isn't Daphy Uncle Blaise and Aunty Millie's daughter?" asked the female Nott child, Felicia.
"No honey, Daphy is Uncle Harry's and Aunty Daphne's daughter," her mother replied, looking at her daughter and seeing her confusion.
"We hid her identity from everyone else using the enchanted necklace, making her look like a Zabini. We hid her identity from all of you children as well, except Cyril, to protect her," added Blaise, looking to his son, who nodded, getting the hint.
"Yes, Uncle Harry. I was there when you arrived that day and asked us to protect her, should anything happen to you. You also told me to protect her and be a big brother to her."
"Don't you remember, Harry?" asked Millie, the pleading in her voice palpable.
Real Daphne looked at her friends and saw the distress the adults were in, fearing for the moments that would follow. They had done something, that was for sure. Something big and most likely dangerous, and it involved the child...her child. Hers and Harry's.
"My...daughter?" asked memory Harry, turning his attention back to the little girl, who looked up to him, her eyes still tearful. There was no denying it, there was no way he couldn't look at her and not see Daphne, his wife and his love.
"Don't you remember me, Daddy?" she whispered, feeling her father's touch on her face, caressing her cheek.
"You're my daughter?" memory Harry asked, not only to her but to everyone.
"Yes, she is, and we can prove it, Harry," added Hannah, and Millie nodded.
"You can trust us, Harry," said Millie, hopefully, "We wouldn't lie to you on this."
"Interesting choice of words," thought real Daphne.
"My daughter?" Harry was still mumbling, locked in a staring contest with a little girl, who despite her tears seemed to want nothing more than to jump into her father's arms.
"For Merlin's sake, yes, she's our daughter, even I see it, do something already!" shouted real Daphne, making real Harry look at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're so dense," was all that she said before blushing, embarrassed, making real Harry chuckle. She just intertwined her arm with Harry's.
Then, Harry pulled the child into his arms and hugged her for all she was worth. At first, Daphy squealed, but when she felt her father's arms around her, the dam broke and she started to sob once again, only this time, she had her arms around her father's neck and the sobs were of joy.
"I wanted to meet you for so long, Daddy," Daphy sobbed, only to feel the hug tightening around her.
"I'm here, don't worry, sweetheart," memory Harry said in a soft tone, "I'm not leaving."
"Thank you, Daddy," Daphy mumbled in tears, hugging her daddy tighter.
Real Daphne held real Harry's arm tighter and couldn't help but feel her own eyes prickle and start watering. However, she also saw the looks that memory Harry gave to everyone else in the room, looks that demanded answers to a lot of questions, or else. A look she found herself supporting.
"Dobby," called memory Harry, and at once the familiar elf appeared before him, already looking as he did in real time.
"What the hell is that?" asked Justin, voicing what they all thought.
"That's Dobby, my house-elf. You've met," replied Memory Harry, turning to Daphy.
"But... What happened to him?" asked Theo.
"I changed," replied the elf, shocking them further with his coherent and un-elf-like speech.
"Dobby, this is..." memory Harry started.
"I know, I can feel it," Dobby whispered.
"Good," replied memory Harry, letting go of his daughter. "Sweetie, I want you to go to the next room with all the other children. Dobby will go with you and get you something to eat and drink if you want, all right?" asked memory Harry, and he could tell that his daughter wanted to argue the moment she looked at him. "Sweetie, it is just because I need to remember some things and I promise you I won't go anywhere."
"All right Daddy," she whispered, looking down.
"Hey, look at me," asked memory Harry, looking at her and making her lift her head toward him. "I'll be here and I'm not going anywhere. It will just take a few minutes, all right?" Daphy just nodded and smiled when her father caressed her face again. "Take them to the next room, Dobby."
"But..." started Cyril Zabini, only to be admonished by his father.
"It's better, son," Blaise said, and real Daphne could see the nervousness on Blaise's face. She could see the nervousness in all of them.
Dobby took the complaining children away, and real Daphne could see her daughter leaving with the elf, the only one not complaining or mumbling how unfair it was. When the door closed after them, memory Harry drew his wand and waved it in several patterns, raising several silencing wards and privacy spells.
"Now, can any of you explain HOW THE HELL I HAVE A DAUGHTER WHEN I DON'T RECALL MY WIFE GIVING BIRTH, EVER?" memory Harry shouted, his face morphed into an angry scowl directed at the adults in the room, who just winced.
"Would you believe Obliviation?" asked Blaise, hopefully.
"NO!" was Harry's reply, making them all wince again, their hopes dashed. "Why would I want to forget my daughter? Why would I leave her?"
"You left Teddy," replied Tracey, and memory Harry glowered at her.
"Teddy lived well with his grandmother and was my godson, not my son. He was fine and taken care of. I wouldn't abandon my child, even with friends. SHE IS MY CHILD. MINE AND DAPHNE'S DAUGHTER. I CAN SEE IT," shot back memory Harry in anger and sorrow. Real Daphne felt her heart warm seeing it.
"I did it," said Millie, stepping forward.
"Millie..." her husband said, only to be rebuked.
"No, Blaise, he deserves to know the truth. He's her father after all," Millie replied.
"Yes, he should," replied Theo, looking at memory Harry. "We never knew what Millie was up to until she went through with it, but I regret nothing. Your daughter is a sweet girl, and you would be proud of her."
"Granted, I didn't do it only out of the goodness of my heart, I had other reasons, but I did it because I thought it wasn't fair for you or Daphne what happened," Millie said, looking down.
"What did you do?" asked memory Harry, slightly calmer.
"A couple of months after you were arrested, I found a potion in an old tome. It was a Blood Adoption potion, which was branded as illegal and had fallen into disuse in the fifteenth century. There had been scandals involving kidnapped heirs of families and all that, where the children would be given the potion and their genetic ties to their original family would be broken, and they would become a part of the new family. After that, a Memory Charm would be enough to make the child forget his or her past, and there you had it, a new son or daughter, just like you wanted."
"That's horrible," whispered real Daphne at real Harry's side.
Harry just seethed.
"Continue," he demanded, "I can guess where my daughter came from, then."
"Yes, I brewed the potion using some of Daphne's blood that was kept from the autopsy, and with Theo's help got some of your blood that was taken during the Auror medical exams, the same that is kept just in case in needs to be used to brew those special potions to heal severe injuries," Millie explained, looking at memory Harry.
"Hair would do, but you took Daphne's body away and we never knew where to..." she trailed off, before continuing.
"Not to mention that you disappeared in Azkaban. While dangerous, the blood samples were the easiest route that I had to do it. And I did," she said with a small smile. "I found a magical baby to whom I gave the potion, and the effects were instantaneous. In one moment I had a girl with no family or name, in the next I had the daughter of Harry and Daphne Potter."
"It was a shock when she brought her home the first time," said Blaise, looking at Harry and stepping next to his wife. "But she explained it to me, and I accepted it. We told Theo and Tracey, who were even more shocked than I was, but we all accepted the child. Theo even took the baby's blood to Gringotts for a blood test and the results were clear. You two are her parents."
"Theo told us and Jason as well, and we kept the secret," added Hannah with a smile. "Even with the glamour, she reminds me so much of Daphne and you, it's impossible not to see it, especially when you know the truth." Justin just nodded.
"Why?" asked memory Harry, "Why did you even do it?"
"At first it was because I was curious about the potion. When I realized the potential, I decided that Daphne and you were prime candidates. You had no heirs, and your family name would end, what did I have to lose? If I succeeded, my friends would have a child that could carry out their names and legacy. If not..."
"So, you committed line theft?" sneered memory Harry, and Millie looked defiantly at him.
"Yes, I did, and I don't have a problem with that. True, my reasons weren't all noble, but I don't regret it. I fell in love with that little girl, and I see her as one of my own. I raised her, I comforted her when she had a nightmare and I told her the truth about her parents when she asked me why she had to use a glamour charm every day, even in the house with her brothers."
"If you told her the truth, why does she think that I left her with you when I went to kill Weaselette?" asked memory Harry, finding holes in Millie's logic.
"Really, Potter? Think for a bloody moment, will you?" she shot back, leaving all of them surprised by the venom in her voice. "Do you think I would tell a three-year-old that she was given a potion that made her your daughter? I had to come up with a suitable story and that's what came out."
"How is ´Your father left you here when he went to kill your mother's murderer´ a suitable story?" asked memory Harry, "It makes me sound like an asshole who didn't care about her."
"We never told her that you went willingly to jail," shot back Millie, "We told her you were captured and that you had no chance in escaping, and that your last request to us was to take good care of her while you were away."
"You can't imagine how excited she was when she found out that Harry Potter, not the infamous Harry Potter, not the hero of the Blood Wars and vanquisher of the Dark Lord Voldemort, but her father Harry Potter had always loved her and was on the run so he'd be able to come back to her. We didn't have to come up with a story about why you weren't coming to see her right away, because the last time we knew anything from you, you were crazy and barely recognized your friends...and she understood. Clearly after today, she still hoped that you'd remember."
"Thank you for not breaking her heart by the way," said Tracey, "She was really excited, you know? To meet her daddy for the first time."
Harry didn't reply, thinking about it for a moment.
"What were your other reasons for doing it, then?" asked memory Harry.
"The same reason why I chose a girl. I had a younger son around the same age and thought that someday we could merge our families by marriage. That way, your daughter would legally become one of us under the Zabini name. Besides that, her inheritance would merge with the Zabini estate."
It was clear to real Daphne that this newest revelation was not known by the other adults in the room. Still, she was impressed by Millie's planning and couldn't help but feel grateful for all she did, despite the last plan.
"Millie gave us a daughter?" she whispered, her tears already falling.
"Yes, she had her own agendas, but in the end, she gave us something just..." Harry replied, looking up. Daphne could still see the tears falling from his eyes. "You'd love her."
"I already do," thought Daphne.
"Is the process reversible?" asked memory Harry, glaring at Millie. She glared back.
"No, unless you gave her another potion to blood adopt her into another family, and I destroyed the recipe and swore myself to secrecy about the potion and Daphy's origins. I thought that knowledge was too dangerous."
"Good," was all that Harry said before walking towards Millie and hugging her tightly, making her squeal in surprise as he picked her up and twirled her around.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Harry was saying as Millie was being twirled. The other adults, who feared Harry's reaction at first, were too shocked to even say anything. They really weren't expecting that reaction, especially after all that had happened.
"Put me down!" demanded Millie, getting nauseous, "Blaise!"
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" was all Harry could say before Millie felt his own tears, just before he stopped and let go of her. Millie saw Harry smiling, wiping away his tears and actually hiding a laugh "Sorry, I was just...I have a child with Daphne."
"You're not angry?" asked Blaise.
"I was, but I have a child with my wife. Yeah, your wife should be arrested for line theft but if you think I'm going to complain after she gave me a child with my wife, you must be crazy. Thanks, Millie."
"That was a quick change," joked real Daphne, being hugged from behind by Harry, laughing and crying happily at the same time, seeing everything. She couldn't help but feel happy for Harry, even if she wasn't there and she wasn't part of her daughter's life. Her daughter...that was an interesting thought, making her blush. Luckily, Harry didn't see it.
"Well, thank you, I guess," replied Millie while Harry turned back to her.
"She said her name was Lilian Daphne Potter. Why?" he asked, and Millie shrugged.
"I named her after your mother, but Lily was too common. I decided Lilian was much better. Daphne was her mother's name. The problem was that once I called her Daphne by mistake and she loved it. She decided she wanted to be Daphne instead of Lilian, and Daphy is just a nickname."
Real Daphne approved with a huge smile and a nod.
"How old is she, then?" asked Harry.
"Five. She was barely one when I chose her," replied Millie and Harry nodded, already breaking the spells, and opening the doors. He walked out of the room and found the children sitting in chairs eating cookies.
"Daddy?" asked Daphy, getting up at once after seeing her father, confused by the huge smile he had. He just picked her up and hugged her, making her squeal again.
"Daddy!" she shouted in surprise, and Harry hugged her tighter.
"Don't worry, baby. I'm not going anywhere anymore, all right?" he asked, and Daphy just nodded, smiling.
"So, what do you intend to do now?" asked Theo, who had come after him with everyone else from the room. There was a shift in Harry's demeanour at once, to a stoic and a no-nonsense one.
"I need to know everything that has happened over the past four years. What the Longbottoms have been up to, their strengths and weaknesses, their enemies and their allies, but for now," another sudden change in expression, this time to a happy one, "I'm going to be a father, if my daughter wants me."
Daphy's reply was hugging her father with a happy squeal, making Harry chuckle.
The memory started to swirl and both Harry and Daphne saw themselves outside once again.
Daphne's first reaction was crashing her lips against Harry's, snogging him senseless for a good amount of time until she became breathless and had to break the kiss.
"That was..." she said in tears, her happiness starting to shift to sorrow. She let a tear fall, "I wish I could have been a part of it," and was promptly hugged by her boyfriend.
"You were," he said, and she scoffed.
"I was dead. How could I?" she asked.
"She asked about you. I told her about you, about us. She loved you."
"Really?" she asked hopefully, and Harry nodded. "Tell me more about her. Tell me more about my daughter."
Harry chuckled.
"She was smart, pretty, and carried herself like a princess. She also had a kind heart and an inquisitive mind, always asking questions. Of course, she was also stubborn as a mule when she wanted. I remember a time when she wanted a pet and it had to be a puppy. Of course, it wasn't just any kind of a puppy, it had to be one of the big puppies that she knew some of the people I saved had, the ones that howled during the moonlight... You don't believe the trouble I got when I realized she wanted a werewolf."
Suddenly, Daphne was anxious.
"What?"
"I was able to explain to her that werewolves were people that transformed during the full moon, and that was the worst because it got me another load of trouble. She wanted to become a werewolf, just to turn into a puppy." Daphne paled and her eyes widened. "I was able to convince her, with help from Millie, Tracey, Hannah, and your sister, who I had freed by then, that being a werewolf wasn't a good idea. Would you like to know what the argument was that convinced her?" Daphne nodded. "Werewolves can only turn on the full moon, not whenever they want to. Then she pouted and threw a tantrum because it wasn't fair not being able to change at will. I swear, sometimes that girl drove me crazy...but I loved her," Harry said with a huge smile, not missing the appalled look on Daphne's face. "Daph, are you alright?"
"I blame you, you damn Gryffindor," she mumbled, and Harry just sighed.
"Typical," he mumbled with a small chuckle.
"It's not funny, and what do you mean the people you saved? And what about my sister?"
"The people I saved were prisoners of the several research camps that were spread around the isles. Vampires and Werewolves were sent to the camps where they were experimented upon in order to try and cure their conditions. Most of them weren't volunteers, and the few that were quickly regretted it," explained Harry, filling one cup with the tea that Dobby had brought while they were in the Pensieve.
"Dobby and I attacked a small camp that experimented on werewolves and freed all of them, discovering several rotting secrets of the regime. All they cared about was the end the sickness, lives and people be damned. One life or several were acceptable risks for the greater good," Harry sneered.
"That's barbaric," sneered Daphne. and Harry agreed.
"I killed the Paladins that were guarding the camp as well as the research personnel, and freed the werewolves," explained Harry. "Some of them must have spread the word, because suddenly I was in the paper, declared a threat to society because I opposed them and was destroying their work. Because of that, and because I was helping dark creatures, I was branded a Dark Lord," Harry scoffed, and Daphne widened her eyes.
"Well...nothing new, then," she attempted to joke, and Harry actually laughed.
"Yes, nothing..." he replied with a shy smile.
"How did our daughter learn about the werewolves, then?" asked Daphne, and Harry shrugged.
"She probably heard a conversation, or someone explained to her what a werewolf actually was and why I went to help them, I don't know. I'm just glad that she dropped the idea of becoming one."
"Yes, at least there's that," replied Daphne, "What about my sister?"
"Well, like I told you, Astoria was disowned by your father for killing Malfoy before being sent to Azkaban."
"Yes..." she replied with a scowl and balling her fists.
"Jason Hallys was also in Azkaban. He was arrested for fighting the Paladins in public and was given a trial with Veritaserum and asked to list his crimes. He spilled all his secrets, going back to killing the muggles, as you heard, letting me pass to kill Weaselette, and smuggling unauthorized potions into Azkaban while being a guard. As you may have realized, he was the one that found me in Azkaban and the one that gave me the strengthening potions in order to help me."
"He was? But... When you said he was in Azkaban, I thought he was working and not there as a prisoner."
"Understandable," replied Harry, "But he was serving time, and a lot of it. He had been arrested a year before, and Theo knew which cell he was in as well as Astoria's, so I sent Dobby to Azkaban to get them. Dobby popped them one by one into a makeshift infirmary that we'd set up in Potter Manor. I guess you can imagine their surprise when they got there."
"Not really. Why don't you show me?" suggested Daphne, who was very interested in seeing her sister. "How did Astoria react to our daughter?"
"I explained everything to Astoria before she met her. She was shocked at first, but I know she loved our girl," he said, extracting the memory from his temple.
"Good," replied Daphne, preparing to go back into the Pensieve. They went in together once again and Daphne saw herself in a sunny room, with both Hannah and Millie.
"How long?" asked Hannah.
"Mere moments," replied Harry, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Right on time, Dobby and an extra passenger popped into the room, revealed to be a dangerously thin woman with dirty light hair.
"Astoria," said Harry, attracting the attention of the woman, who looked at him with widened eyes before noticing Millie all over her.
"Harry? Millie? But...How?" she asked, hearing a new pop signaling Dobby's departure.
"I will explain in time," replied Harry, looking at her, "Meanwhile, you're out of Azkaban and you'll stay out, I promise you. Now, before anything else, there's something you must know."
"But...how did you..." asked Astoria, completely disoriented.
"Astoria, focus, damn it," demanded Millie, looking at Harry. "I have the potions she needs but she looks bad and I'm no healer."
"Hannah?"
"Don't look at me, I'm a brewer as well."
"Then one of you get me a healer in whom I can trust, or better yet, a healer in whom Daphne trusted," demanded Harry with a no-nonsense tone.
"I think I know the person; she was in our house and graduated Hogwarts in our fourth year. Daphne learned from her," suggested Millie, and Harry nodded.
"Go get her," he ordered, and Millie left the room at once, leaving a surprised Astoria looking at Harry.
"What is going on?" the youngest former Greengrass sister demanded.
"You're in a worse shape than we thought and need a better healer," replied Harry, "Now where the hell is Dobby?"
On cue, Dobby popped into the room with a ragged, bearded man grabbing onto him.
"Holy crap, you weren't lying," the man said in a deadpan tone.
"Jason Hallys, glad to see your ugly mug again," saluted Hannah, walking towards him.
"Hey, Hannah, you're a sight for sore eyes. What happened? Where are we?" he asked with a smile.
"Potter Manor. Welcome," memory Harry replied, capturing Jason's full attention.
"Harry, Captain, sir!" he said in surprise and a huge grin, "I haven't seen you in a while."
"I was told that you provided me with potions to help me get better. Thank you, Jason," acknowledged Harry, and Jason just nodded.
"Don't mention it, Captain. Don't get me wrong or think I'm ungrateful, but why am I here?" he asked, only then noticing the woman who Hannah was levitating to one of the beds.
"Jason Hallys, meet Astoria, my sister-in-law," presented Harry. "She was in Azkaban as well. The reason you're here is because I wanted to get you out. I need your help as well, but that's your choice."
"I'm in," replied Jason, no second thoughts.
"First of all, there's something you need to know," said Harry, turning to Astoria. "Especially you, Tori. Daphne and I have a daughter."
"WHAT?" exclaimed Astoria, sitting herself up in the bed.
"Calm down, Astoria," ordered Harry, seeing the doubt and the confusion in Astoria's face.
"So, he knows. How did it go?" asked Jason, to Hannah.
"He loved her and she loved him. I've never seen the captain so whipped, even more than with Daphne," replied Hannah with a chuckle.
"But..." started Astoria.
"Astoria, listen carefully. I know it may be confusing for now, but you need to know this, just to be safe. Daphne and I had no children before she died…but she was pregnant. Our child died as well, but in one of her experiments with potions, Millie found a Blood Adoption potion recipe and brewed it with some of Daphne's blood from the autopsy and some of my blood from Auror training. She then gave the potion to a baby girl, and she changed. Mine and Daphne's blood runs in that girl's veins, therefore, she is our daughter. Yes, Millie committed line theft, but I don't care because I got a daughter with the woman I love. Even Gringotts acknowledged her as mine and Daphne's daughter by blood, therefore she's your niece. Do you understand?"
Astoria could only nod, too baffled to say anything.
"She doesn't know about the potion and thinks she was born a year before I went to Azkaban, and that I asked the Zabinis to take care of her should anything happen to me. She will continue to think that until she's old enough to understand it, are we clear?" Astoria nodded again.
"Good. Her name is Lilian Daphne Potter, and she prefers to be called Daphy, after Daphne. You'll love her, I'm sure. Just remember that the last time you saw her she was a baby and the reason that I didn't ask you to take care of her was because I didn't like your husband."
As if having spoken a magical word, Astoria sneered.
"I'll have no problems with that," she replied at once.
"Good. When you're more recovered, we can talk more about this and I can clarify it some more. Millie can help. She wants to meet you, by the way. Do you think I can bring her to meet her aunt? Or do you need more time?"
"Y-Yes, I want to see her...really?" asked Astoria, still confused but with a smile slowly growing. "You're serious, aren't you? There's a child? Daphne's...my sister's child?"
"Yes," Harry replied with a smile, "I'll be back with her shortly. Dobby, take me to my daughter."
Dobby grabbed Harry by his sleeve and popped away.
Real Daphne and real Harry saw the memory shift, appearing in a garden at the same time as memory Harry and memory Dobby.
"That was a little forceful, wasn't it? Drop the news on my sister..." complained Daphne.
"Not really. It was a little shocking, but Daphy was really interested in meeting her aunt," replied Harry with a smile, pointing in the direction memory Harry was moving. Daphne looked in that direction and saw Daphy playing with flowers.
"Hi princess," memory Harry said, drawing his daughter's attention.
"Daddy! Have you come to play with me?" the child asked happily, and memory Harry chuckled.
"If you want I can, but I was wondering if you wanted to meet your aunt, your mummy's sister. We just got her..."
"Really?" Daphy asked, jumping up from the ground and grabbing her father by the hand. "Come on already, Daddy."
"Daphy, calm down. Your aunt is in the infirmary and there's another person in there, your uncle Jason."
"You brought him too? Yay!" she cheered, trying to speed up again, but to no avail as memory Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed her, picking her up and carrying her in his arms.
"Don't run inside the house, Daphy," memory Harry said, and Daphy nodded her agreement. "If I put you down, will you be calm and come with me?"
"I like it more when you carry me, Daddy," the little girl said cheekily, making memory Harry grunt, real Harry chuckle, and real Daphne laugh. Daphne noticed that memory Harry made no effort to put the child on the floor again.
"Now, keep in mind that your aunt is weak and still needs to recover, so no jumping on her."
"Yes, Daddy."
"Also, she hasn't seen you in some time."
"I don't remember seeing her, ever," the child replied, and memory Harry chuckled nervously, continuing the banter with his daughter while real Harry and real Daphne followed, close to each other, Daphne smiling at the scene. They eventually reached the door to the infirmary, which Harry opened, allowing his daughter to enter first.
"Is that the little duck?" asked Jason, seeing the girl coming in. Daphy groaned and looked at her so-called uncle.
"Hi, Uncle Jason," she said, waving but standing near her father, who was looking curiously at the younger man.
"What, no hug? I'm hurt, duckie," said Jason.
"I'm not a duck, Uncle," she replied, a little irritated, which real Daphne found cute.
"Little duck?" asked memory Harry, not noticing how Astoria was looking at Daphy with widened eyes.
"Yes, you know, Daffy? Daffy Duck?" joked Jason with a laugh. He was the only one.
"Hallys, compare my daughter to that crazy duck again and I will make your life hell," replied Harry in a serious tone.
"Fine, it's not like anyone understood it either, damn purebloods never watched cartoons, that's what I get..." he started to complain, mostly to himself, while Astoria rose from her bed, and memory Harry nudged Daphy forward.
"Oh, Merlin," Astoria whispered, seeing the child looking at her, recognizing the traces of her own sister, "You look so much like Daphne."
"Hello, my name is Lilian Daphne Potter. Are you my Auntie Asstor... my Auntie Tori?" asked Daphy with a small curtsy after mangling Astoria's name.
"Yes...yes, I am," replied Astoria in tears, beckoning her niece closer and hugging her. "You're so pretty, my beautiful niece, I can see your mother when I look at you."
"R-Really?" asked Daphy, and Astoria just nodded.
"Do you know why I've been away and haven't seen you for so long, sweetie?" asked Astoria, and Daphy nodded.
"Daddy told me that you were sent to prison because you killed a bad man that hurt you, just like he was sent to prison because he killed the bad woman that killed Mummy," replied Daphy, feeling her father's hand on her shoulder. "But now Daddy brought you back to us. Are you going to stay with us as well, Auntie? Are you going to help Daddy in killing the bad people that are responsible for Mummy's death?"
"What?" asked Astoria, looking directly at memory Harry, who looked concernedly at Daphy before nodding at Astoria. "What other people?" demanded Astoria.
"Long story, but they are responsible for all that Weaselette did. Daphne died because of them and their manipulations," replied Harry, and Astoria seethed.
"Count me in. If those people are responsible for my sister's death, I will be there when they are brought to justice," she replied, and real Daphne was touched that her sister would be ready to fight because of her. "However, for now, tell me more about you, cutie," she asked Daphy, making her giggle.
The memory started to swirl, and the two teens found themselves out of the Pensieve again.
"Were you rallying people to fight?" asked Daphne, and Harry nodded.
"The Longbottoms had an army and a nation behind them. I needed help, it's not like I could assault their new manor alone. With so many discontented people I thought I would find allies to help me, and I did, especially among werewolves, vampires, and a couple of so-called Dark families, which, let's face it, only helped my growing reputation as the newest Dark Lord of Britain.
"So, basically, you built an army to fight against the Longbottoms because you wanted revenge for what they did to me, and at the same time help crush their regime, is that it?"
"No, not really," admitted Harry, looking at Daphne. "My only goal was bringing the Longbottoms down and making them pay for what they had done. Crushing their regime was only a means to an end, and the inevitable consequence of getting to them."
Daphne just stood there, holding Harry's hand, looking down and playing with it.
"What happened?" she asked.
"The second war happened, the one that later would be called the Magic-Traitors War, or sometimes the Mudblood War. I won't bore you with memories of battles or assaults that I made, our victories or defeats. All I can tell you is that Greg came to us at one point and joined us, Ursula Corwin, or better Ursula Pince, joined us as a healer, as did a couple of others...
I already told you that at one point I was ambushed by the oldest Weasley son, the third son, and the twins. I killed them all, and Fleur, who was married to Bill Weasley, departed Britain for France, taking their sons with her. The pig Weasley was actually part of the Paladins and was one of Oberon's hands…I think that was his title...He was one of his seconds in command." Daphne couldn't help but be surprised.
"Your parents were neutral, they never contacted me nor did I contact them. I wasn't fond of the idea of meeting them because of what they had done to Astoria, but your sister actually proposed we make them join us and make them be useful."
"For once…" Daphne mumbled, not heard by Harry.
"The war lasted until the beginning of the year 2013. It had been nearly three years and it wasn't easy, but I doubt you want to know about that..."
"Not really..." admitted Daphne with a small smile, "I rather know more about Daphy."
"I thought you might," replied Harry, sitting in his chair. "I guess I can tell you now, the one little girl that inspired the fashion trend of the shorter sleeves was our daughter."
"Really?" asked a surprised Daphne. "How come?"
"Well, Daphy was living with me, Dobby, Astoria, and Jason in Potter Manor. Since they were fugitives, I kept them there for safety, especially considering the old wards and the protections. Besides, it's not like people knew the actual address of our home after the Fidelius was cast.
We were having dinner together with the Zabinis and the Notts, and Daphy started to complain about the sleeves of her new dress she was wearing being too big, that they were getting into the food and all dirty." Harry chuckled, as did Daphne. "First she asked me if I could help her roll the sleeves up her arm, but they fell again, and she asked me if she could cut them... You have no idea the discussion with Astoria and Tracey."
"I can imagine, they are both a little crazy about fashion," replied Daphne with a small wince.
"And our daughter was as stubborn as me and you, therefore, she asked me if she could cut the extra sleeves."
"I can guess they turned on you," chuckled Daphne.
"They did. They went to the point of complaining about how expensive the dress had been, but since I had been the one who paid for it, I decided to allow her to cut the sleeves. I even did it myself," replied Harry with a smile. "She asked me to cut the sleeve at three quarters of the arm and, well, I never liked that stupid big sleeve trend anyway. I just went with my daughter's trends, even if it was to spite Astoria."
Daphne couldn't help but chuckle until she heard the last part.
"What do you mean, spite my sister?"
"Astoria was against me spoiling Daphy because of her bad experiences with her former husband and their son, who had become a spoiled little shit who had wanted nothing to do with his 'blood traitor mother who killed his father'. The brat's words, not mine."
"Damn Malfoys," scowled Daphne.
"I didn't spoil Daphy," said Harry, "I was her father and I attempted to be strict with some things, of course, but not everything. Nor did I give her a free pass to do everything she wanted or buy her everything. I just...you know, tried to be a proper father," said Harry, looking down. "I had to learn from Blaise and Theo, but I think I did a good job."
"I'm sure you were a great father," said Daphne, sitting herself on Harry's lap, caressing his cheek. "At least I think so, and that's only from what I saw."
"I wish I was, Daph," he replied, resting his head against her. "You have no idea how much I always wanted to hear that from you, but I don't..."
"Oh, shut up," she demanded, kissing him.
When she finally let go of him, he didn't insist any more on that subject.
"I want to show you a memory from a few weeks before Christmas 2011, and the actual Christmas Day."
"What's it about?" asked Daphne, slightly concerned.
"Our daughter, of course," replied Harry and Daphne nodded, getting up from his lap. Harry placed the memory in the Pensieve and looked at Daphne.
"What you will see was my secret for years and I never told anyone about it. Only Daphy and I knew of this. Now I'm telling you because it's your right to know," Harry said, and Daphne actually felt nervous, but also felt a warmth spreading through her chest.
"Is it serious?" she asked, and Harry shook his head.
"Not at all. It's just personal."
The two of them went into the Pensieve and saw themselves at Potter Manor once again, walking behind memory Harry, who still wore a short-trimmed beard and black robes, as well as a cloak with shortened sleeves. He looked tired and dirtied, as if he had just arrived from somewhere. He got to a door and knocked three times, hearing a soft call from inside.
"Hey, princess!" said memory Harry, sticking his head through the opening of the door.
"Daddy!" Daphy replied, opening the door and throwing herself into her father's hug. "I missed you last night. You didn't tuck me into bed," she said, trying her best to sound reproachful and failing. She was just too happy that her daddy had returned.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I will do it today, and I will even tell you two stories, is that all right?" asked memory Harry, and Daphy happily nodded immediately.
"How was the...mmh..." she attempted to ask.
"Raid?" helped Harry.
"Yes, raid. How was it? Did you help people? Did you do what you wanted to do?"
Harry just chuckled and caressed his daughter's head.
"Don't worry, sweetie. Everything went better than I expected. We're closer to getting the bad people."
"Finally. Then you will stay at home with me, right?" she asked, and memory Harry felt his heart beating nervously.
"Of course, honey. I know I haven't spent much time with you, but..."
"Don't worry, Daddy. You are trying to capture the bad people responsible for killing Mummy. I want you to do it so you can come back home and not go back into danger again."
"Oh..." mumbled Harry with a smile.
"At least she's got sense," joked real Daphne.
"Daphy, your Auntie Tori told me that you asked a couple of questions yesterday. About your mummy."
"Yes, I did." she said, a little shyly.
"Why, sweetie?" asked Harry, and Daphy looked down, embarrassed. "I'm not angry, Daphy, quite the opposite."
"Well...I wanted to do something for you, and I wanted to do it right," Daphy replied, a little happier, "For being the best Daddy ever."
"Really?" asked Harry, and Daphy nodded.
"Do you want to see?" she offered, and Harry nodded.
"Of course."
Daphy grinned and dragged her father to her desk, where she had several sheets of painting paper and crayons, as well as a picture of a younger Harry and Daphne Potter. Daphy searched her drawings and found the one she wanted.
"I made this for you, Daddy. What do you think?" she asked, showing him the drawing. Memory Harry gasped, feeling his eyes prickle when he realized what she had drawn. Real Daphne was unable to hide her tears, gasping in surprise, and real Harry just looked sad.
The drawing was a scene depicting four people, two adults and two children, all holding hands in line. One of the people was clearly a man, dressed in black, with short black hair and beard, with green eyes and a huge smile. It was obvious who it was, even without the huge word under him saying Daddy. Holding hands with him was a little girl with black hair and green eyes, also smiling and wearing a blue and silver dress. Under the image, the word Daphy was written. Holding hands with Daphy was a smaller boy with dark blond hair and blue eyes, wearing red and blue robes and smiling. Under it was written Wayne. Finally, next to Wayne was a woman with long blonde hair, wearing a silver and green dress and smiling widely, under it written the word Mummy.
"Do you like it, Daddy?" she asked hopefully, and memory Harry could only nod, hugging his daughter and kissing her cheek.
"It's beautiful, sweetie. Thank you."
"Do you like the name I picked for my baby brother?" Daphy asked, and Harry didn't have the heart to tell her no.
"It's a good name. Where did you learn it?" asked memory Harry, and Daphy beamed.
"Uncle Jason showed me a funny book with lots of drawings about a bat man that goes around to stop mean people. His real name was Wayne and I thought it was a good name for my baby brother. It's alright if you don't like the name, Daddy."
"It's a good name, princess. I like it and I like the drawing as well. It's very pretty."
"I asked Auntie Tori what mummy's favourite colour was to paint the dress, and she told me it was probably green and that I could add a bit of silver," confessed Daphy with a smile.
Real Daphne was holding real Harry's arm and was shedding happy tears at the scene happening before her.
"I'm sure your mummy would love it as well, Daphy."
"Do you think so, Daddy?" asked the child shyly.
"Yes!" replied real Daphne.
"I'm sure, Daphy," smiled Harry, placing the drawing on the table. "Why don't you show me more of your drawings?"
"Sure, Daddy," she replied happily, starting to show him several scenes, landscapes, and several portraits of her Daddy, of her aunties, uncles, and cousins, and even a couple of them depicting her mummy. Then, at one point, memory Harry noticed a picture with four black shapes drawn.
"Daphy, what is this?" asked Harry, and Daphy showed it to him, revealing what seemed to be four snakes: two smaller ones and two big ones, one of which seemed bigger than the other and was breathing fire.
"It was just an idea that I had, Daddy." Daphy explained, "These are our guardian snakes, and they only obey us."
"Really? Why?"
"Because we are the only ones that can talk with snakes, silly Daddy," Daphy reminded her father with a giggle.
"She...She was a Parselmouth as well?" asked Daphne, and Harry nodded.
"So, why are there four?" asked memory Harry, actually interested in his daughter's story.
"Well, this one here is the mummy snake, the big one with blue eyes." Daphy pointed to one of the big snakes. "I called her Bael, and she keeps everything and everyone safe."
Daphne gasped, looking at the drawing and at Harry.
"She...she named Bael? She named the snakes?" asked Daphne, and Harry nodded.
"I only made the golems. Our daughter had the idea for them and named them. All I did was use her ideas," confessed Harry, smiling while looking at his daughter, as did Daphne, intertwining her arm even more with Harry's.
"This small one with blue eyes is Kael. He's the smallest one and the baby of the four, but he can fight well." Daphy continued, pointing at the other small snake, "This other small one with green eyes is Zael, older than Kael and can also fight the bad people." Finally, Daphy pointed at the biggest snake in the drawing, the one that curiously enough was breathing fire. "This big one is the daddy snake. He's the most powerful of them all and protects the other three, as well as destroying all that are mean. He's not a dragon, he's a snake, but he can breathe fire like a dragon. His name is Vael."
"I see, sweetie," said memory Harry, looking impressed with all the thought his daughter had put into her drawing. "These are very beautiful and clever, but I can't help to notice some similarities between this drawing of the snakes and this one of our family..." Memory Harry put the drawing of the snakes next to the one of the family that Daphy had given him moments before. "Am I right or wrong?"
Daphy blushed.
"I'm Zael," confessed Daphy, surprising real Daphne. "Wayne is Kael and Mummy is Bael because Mummies always keep the children and the house safe."
"And I am..."
"You are Vael, the biggest and most powerful one, the strongest ever that can protect us and everyone else and fight the bad people," replied Daphy with a shy smile. "You're the Daddy."
Real Daphne was just too touched to even say anything. Being curious about the snakes was one thing but knowing they had been originally created by her own daughter made them much more precious.
"But if that's me, why am I breathing fire?" asked Harry, and Daphy smiled.
"Silly Daddy, did you forgot the one time that you burned the forest with fire when you were fighting against the bad man before you killed him? Uncle Theo told me the story."
"Oh...Yes, I did, didn't I?" chuckled memory Harry with an awkward smile. "So, if I breathe fire, what special skills do you, Wayne, and your mummy have?"
"We're children, so we have none yet. Mummy can heal all the wounds and make everything safe again," replied Daphy with a small smile. "Everyone tells me that Mummy was a great healer, a powerful witch and very intimidating, even to you," memory Harry coughed awkwardly.
"Sometimes...still, she was an amazing person," memory Harry said fondly, and Daphy smiled.
"I had a nightmare a few days ago," Daphy told him, looking serious. "I don't remember what it was, but I remember I was very scared. Then, Mummy appeared in my dream and made everything safe again. She hugged me, sang to me, and told me she would always be with me, that I didn't need to be afraid because Mummy and Daddy would always be with me..." Daphy said, with tears in her eyes, looking down.
"When I woke up, I cried because it had only been a dream, but it felt so real. Mummy had been with me." The tears increased and she threw herself into her father's arms, who himself was tearful. Real Daphne didn't even try to stop her tears, only thinking how it wasn't fair, how she couldn't do anything to comfort her daughter. Real Harry put an arm around her and looked at his memory self and his daughter, sadly.
"Why?" asked Daphne, leaning on Harry. "It's not fair."
"No, it's not..." replied Harry.
The memory just ended and real Harry saw the decisive look on his memory self. Sometimes he wondered if he had done the right thing. The two teens emerged from the Pensieve, and Daphne buried her face in Harry's chest, who just hugged her tightly.
"Did...did it get better?" asked Daphne, softly and in a whisper.
"Yes. It did get better at Christmas, replied Harry in a whisper. "After that, she was happy, and I barely saw her sad."
"Really?" asked Daphne, looking at him. "How? Why? What did you do?" asked Daphne, and Harry smiled sadly.
"I tried to give her what she wanted," replied Harry, looking at Daphne and caressing her face. "I wanted to..."
"But...how?"
Harry let go of the hug and Daphne whimpered. He took another memory from his head and placed in the Pensieve, giving his hand to Daphne again.
"I came to Hogwarts and recovered the Resurrection Stone that I had hidden in the forest," admitted Harry, and Daphne widened her eyes, gaping. "It was the only way."
"But...but..."
"While I was there recovering the Stone, I recruited Flitwick to our cause, but that's another story," he said, looking at her shocked face. "Do you want to come?"
Daphne only nodded and sped to the Pensieve. They entered the bowl and found themselves in a dark room, where Daphy and memory Harry already were.
"Why are we here, Daddy?" asked Daphy, holding hands with her father.
"I thought it was fitting," replied memory Harry in a whisper, looking to his daughter. "Do you know where we are?"
"You always ask me that, Daddy, of course I know. We are in the crypt where you keep Mummy's body," Daphy replied in a huff that real Daphne found cute. Memory Harry chuckled and opened a door, revealing a crystal casket with a body inside. Real Daphne recognized her older self, wearing white with her hands crossed over her chest. She felt a pang in her chest, seeing it.
"Hi, Mummy," whispered Daphy.
"Daphy, this year, I want to do something different," said Harry, having his daughter's full attention.
"What do you mean, Daddy?" she asked.
"Do you know the Tale of the Three Brothers?" Daphy shook her head and memory Harry called for Dobby, who delivered to him a book. Memory Harry waved his wand and summoned two seats and a small table.
"Then I will read it to you, all right?" memory Harry asked, opening the book.
"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.
And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.
So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.
Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.
And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And Death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.
Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.
The first brother travelled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.
That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat.
And so Death took the first brother for his own.
Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.
Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her.
And so Death took the second brother for his own.
But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life."
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter Twenty-One
Memory Harry finished the tale and closed the book.
"Did you like it?" Daphy nodded. "Now, what if I tell you that this story is somewhat real?"
"Really? There is a super wand, a stone that can be used to talk with the dead and a cloak that... oh, you have one of those." Daphy realized, making memory Harry chuckle.
"The three artefacts are real, but if they were made by death or not, I don't know, nor do I care. They don't give any special powers except those of their own. The Elder Wand can be used to cast much more powerful spells, the Resurrection Stone can be used to talk with the dead, and the Cloak can be used to be invisible."
Daphy nodded, and Harry showed her a moleskin pouch that he had with him.
"I want you to swear to me that you will never tell anyone what I will tell you now, and I want you to swear to me that whatever happens in here, you will not share it with anyone else but me, all right?"
"I swear, Daddy," she said, not hiding her own smile when her father smiled happily and proudly at her. He removed a cloak from the pouch.
"Do you know what this is?" her father asked.
"It's the Potter Invisibility Cloak." she replied promptly, and her father nodded.
"What if I told you that this is Death's Cloak, one of the Hallows?" memory Harry asked, chuckling when he saw his daughter gaping.
"Really?" Daphy asked, leaning in, "No, you're lying."
Memory Harry chuckled.
"Fine, don't believe me," he said, putting the Cloak on the table and drawing a black wand from one of his holsters on his left arm. "What about this, do you know what it is?"
"That's a wand," she replied and after a moment of staring at her father, who stared back at her, waiting for something, she risked it. "Is it the Elder Wand?" she asked in a low and almost reverent tone, not sure if she should believe it or not. When her father nodded, placing the wand on the table, she felt her chest tighten.
"And this is the last," said memory Harry, taking a small stone from his pocket, showing it to her.
"Then is that...the Stone?" Daphy asked, and memory Harry nodded.
"I want you to remember what I read about the Stone, Daphy. I will read it again,"
"Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.
Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her."
"Do you understand all that I read?"
Daphy nodded, with tearful eyes.
"Knowing that, I want you to make a choice, my sweet daughter," memory Harry said, placing the Stone on the table, looking at Daphy. "You can forget about the Stone and always wonder about your Mummy, or you can use the Stone once and meet her for a few moments, knowing that she may suffer for being brought back to the world of the living for too long," he said, seeing his daughter's face twist.
"If you choose the first one, you will always wonder about what could have been. I know I did before I accidentally used it to meet my parents and my uncles that had died. They didn't suffer because they didn't spend much time here with me...and neither did I, because I believed I was going to die," he admitted, and Daphy looked up at him, sadly. "However, if you choose the second one, you will meet your Mummy, and if you don't keep her for too long she won't suffer much, but you will. You won't be able to be hugged by her because she will be a ghost, but you will be able to meet her, once."
Neither said anything for several moments.
"Have...have you ever used it to see Mummy?" asked Daphy, and memory Harry shook his head.
"I had hidden it for safety and only recovered it a few days ago," memory Harry admitted. "And I want to see her. I want to talk to her, I want to...I want to have her in my arms, hug her, kiss her...and I can't," memory Harry admitted, looking down.
Real Daphne felt her heart throbbing in her chest.
"I want to see Mummy," the child said, looking at her father with a tear rolling down her face. "Even if it is just once and she can't hug me, I want to see my Mummy."
Memory Harry picked up the Stone and kneeled in front of his daughter, the Stone between his hands.
"If you're sure, then grasp the Stone between your hands," her father said softly. The child did and memory Harry enveloped his daughter's hands with his own. "Now, I want you to say your Mummy's name."
"D-Daphne P-Potter," Daphy said, hesitantly.
"Again, sweetie. With more confidence."
"Daphne Potter," she repeated, and her father just looked at her with a smile.
"Did it work, Daddy?"
"It did, sweetie," a female voice said from behind her. Daphy turned around widened her eyes, seeing her mother's shade, looking exactly the same as her body did in the crystal casket.
"Hi, Daph," Daphy heard her father say, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I missed you."
"I know," shade Daphne replied with a tearful smile, "I missed you too."
"M-Mummy?" asked Daphy, hesitantly.
"Daph, this is..." memory Harry started.
"I know," shade Daphne replied with a smile. "Hello, honey. I'm your mummy," said Daphne with a tearful smile.
"MUMMY!" cried Daphy, jumping from her father's hands and into her mother, only to pass through the shade. When she realized what had happened, she just cried.
"Don't cry, baby," asked shade Daphne, trying to caress her daughter, only to see her hands passing through, much to her own sadness. "I'm here with you. I've always been with you and your daddy."
"But...but mummy...I...I...miss…you," Daphy sobbed.
"I know, honey. I miss you too. You have no idea how much I want to hold you, play with you, be with you...and with that crazy man we both love," Daphne whispered with a tearful smile, nodding at memory Harry, who was walking slowly to the two of them.
"D-Daddy?" asked Daphy, seeing her father kneeling next to them, caressing his daughter's back.
"What did I tell you, princess?" memory Harry asked softly, and his daughter buried her face in his chest, making both him and shade Daphne smile.
"How are you, Daph?" he asked, looking at the shade of his wife with a sorrowful look.
"Jealous," she replied with a small smile, looking at memory Harry and Daphy, listening to her sobs.
"Come on, Daphy. Didn't you want to meet your mummy?" asked memory Harry, and Daphy let go of him, turning tearfully to her mother.
"Hi, Mummy, I miss you," she said, trying to clean the tears from her face. "I know I was named Lilian after Grandmummy Lily, but I like more to be called Daphne after you." Daphy smiled. "I try to be a good and obedient girl, but it is hard. Auntie Tori always says that I am too Gryffindor like Daddy, and she makes it sound like a bad thing, but I don't think it is," she admitted with a smile, noticing the grin on her father and the amused chuckle of her mother. "Daddy also says that I act a lot like you would and to ignore Auntie Tori because she is just jealous." Shade Daphne laughed, as did memory Harry.
"Of course he did," shade Daphne smiled at memory Harry, who just smiled.
"I have already used accidental magic several times and I've read several books in the library that Daddy said I could. I am also a Parselmouth like Daddy and I like snakes. I met a garden snake in the garden last summer and talked a lot with it. His name was Sefren, and he went to sleep in his nest. I offered to bring him to the house but he didn't want to, so I never asked Daddy if I could," she said, thinking about what else to say. "I don't know what I want to be when I'm grown up, but I know I want to be a powerful witch like you and Daddy, and I want you two to be proud of me."
"Oh, honey, I already am," said shade Daphne, not resisting and lifting her arm to touch her daughter's cheek, knowing that it would pass through. It was a surprise to both girls when they both felt the touch, looking wide-eyed at each other.
"Mu-mummy?" asked Daphy in awe.
"H-How?" wondered shade Daphne.
"Go on," said memory Harry, looking at the two of them with a smile, his right hand balled next to him and with a lot of magic flowing into it, looking focused. "It won't last for long."
"Mummy!" cried Daphy, jumping against Daphne and hugging her mother as hard as she could, crying and sobbing, as did Daphne, holding her daughter.
"H-How?" asked real Daphne, tearful and touched.
"Thank for hearing my prayer, Death," mumbled real Harry, not heard by real Daphne. "It's just the power of the Hallow. If fed with magic and life force, the shade may become corporeal for a time. Abuse it and you will die."
"You...you did that for her?" cried real Daphne, and real Harry just smiled and nodded, receiving a kiss.
She was able to see shade Daphne holding Daphy and pulling memory Harry into the hug, kissing him while both held the child.
"Thank you, my love," shade Daphne said, resting her forehead against memory Harry's, "Thank you for this moment."
"One day, Daph..." he whispered.
"I'll be waiting for you but make sure to take your time," replied shade Daphne with a sad laugh, dropping Daphy to the ground. "It's time, sweetie. I need to go back before bad things happen, especially if your Daddy is sacrificing his life and magic." Daphy could only nod, still crying. "Be sure to always obey your father and while sometimes he may sound crazy, he's a good man and you can count on him."
"I will, Mummy," she replied, tearful and sobbing, "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, darling. I'll be waiting for you but please, live happy and for a long time, all right?" Daphy just nodded with a small smile.
"Take a good care of her, my love," demanded shade Daphne, and memory Harry nodded.
"I love you. Always will," memory Harry replied, and shade Daphne smiled.
"I love you too. The two of you," she replied with a tearful smile, "Goodbye."
Shade Daphne vanished, leaving memory Harry and Daphy alone in the crypt. Daphy hugged her father and started sobbing.
"Thank you, Daddy," she sobbed in her father's arms. Memory Harry cried as well.
"Do you understand now why it hurts?" he asked and felt his daughter nod.
"I love you, Daddy."
"I love you too, honey. Very much."
Both real Harry and real Daphne were crying as well, holding each other.
"That was beautiful," she said, and he just smiled.
"I have something for you, Daphy," memory Harry said, letting go of the embrace and smiling to his daughter, helping her wipe her tears. "I thought about it, and I don't think it's fair that I keep it only for myself."
"What?" asked Daphy, seeing her father taking another wand from his arm holster.
"Is that... my wand?" asked real Daphne, and real Harry nodded.
"It is. I kept it as my secondary wand, instead of using the Elder Wand. It had more meaning to me," admitted real Harry.
"This is your Mummy's wand," memory Harry said, picking up the wand with both hands, seeing the reverent look that his daughter was giving the wand. "I've kept it safe since she died and started using it as my secondary wand since I came back from prison," memory Harry explained, extending the handle to Daphy. "And now I want you to have it."
"Me?" she squeaked, not raising her hand to grab it. "I can't Daddy, it's Mummy's wand. You need it. What if I break it?"
"I can get another secondary wand, sweetie," memory Harry replied with a smile. "Besides, it's your mother's wand. I want you to have something more from your mother."
"Really?" she asked, hopefully, "But, what if the wand doesn't accept me?" asked Daphy.
"You won't know if you don't try it," replied memory Harry with a smile. Daphy hesitated but picked up the wand, doing as her father instructed and waving it, producing multicoloured sparks.
"See? It's almost a perfect match," grinned memory Harry as Daphy squealed happily. "Now, how would you like to learn some magic?"
Daphy's delighted squeal and hug told him everything he needed to know.
The memory ended and Daphne looked to Harry in wonder, before once again shedding tears of happiness and hugging him.
"Thank you. You're a great father," she said between tears, feeling the hug.
"I like to pretend I was," he mumbled.
"Did it work for her? The wand?" Daphne asked, and Harry nodded. "Did she learn a lot? Did she become a powerful witch?"
Harry didn't reply. Daphne noticed it.
"Harry? Did she become a powerful witch?" she asked again, letting go of the hug and looking at Harry, into his saddened and sorrowful eyes. "Harry, answer me..." she demanded again, this time fearful, realizing something was wrong. "Harry, w-what happened to our daughter?"
"Please, don't, please, don't," she begged to herself.
"It was Christmas Day, 2012," Harry started to explain. "We were celebrating at the Nott's, all of us, and somehow, the Paladins found out and raided the house in force. One hundred wands against a handful, maybe fifteen adults. The wards held for long enough to call for reinforcements, but they erected a powerful ward that blocked portkeys and all kinds of magical transportation, house-elves included."
Daphne felt her heart throbbing, especially when she saw Harry had balled his fists. "Millie took the children to safety while me, Theo, Tracey, Blaise, Astoria, Jason, Hannah and her husband, Justin, Professor Flitwick, and a couple of others decided to give them battle while we waited for the reinforcements that we called using communicators based on the bracelets I showed you, the ones we used while at Hogwarts.
We hid in the entrance hall and cursed everything that tried to enter the manor. Then we heard the sounds of battle and knew that our people had arrived and engaged the enemy on the outside, but not soon enough to prevent some of them from blowing up an outside wall and entering the manor." Harry closed his eyes, both to avoid looking at Daphne and to better visualize what had happened. "I took Theo, Jason, Justin, and Hannah to stop them from penetrating further into the manor, but they had other ideas. They started to torch the building from the inside and started blowing up walls. When we reached them, we found ten Paladins and..."
"And what?" demanded Daphne, feeling incredibly anxious, her heart beating faster.
"Oberon himself," scowled Harry in anger. "The other four engaged the Paladins while I faced Oberon. He was better and stronger than the last time I had dueled him, but I was stronger still, and he knew it. He ran, I pursued him, and he used more destructive spells around us and caused the ceiling to collapse on us. I was injured despite casting some protective charms and... Merlin, I can't do this, Daph. I just can't."
"Then show me," she begged, "I need to know."
Harry nodded and drew another memory from his temple, placing it in the Pensieve without saying another word. Despite her fears, Daphne could see that Harry was doing even worse. She grabbed his arm and went into the Pensieve with him, dreading what she would find.
Daphne found herself in a burning room, with debris from the ceiling all around her and a collapsed door on the floor. She heard a cough and saw memory Harry coming out from under some shattered debris, grabbing his own head and wiping the crimson flowing from his forehead. He shook his head and attempted to shake away the daze of the blast that collapsed the ceiling. He still had his wand with him, which proved to be useful, since he was still too dazed to dodge the blue spell that came flying at him.
"You son of a bitch," growled memory Harry, glaring at a strongly built man, wearing a white and golden hide armour with a white mask, walking towards him with his wand pointing at him. According to real Harry, that man was Oberon, better known as Neville Longbottom.
"This is the end of the line, Dark Lord," said Longbottom, casting a Stunner that Harry this time dodged, only to hiss in pain because of his leg.
"Oh, you can count on it, you bastard. You'll die tonight and your wife will soon follow," memory Harry hissed, casting a succession of several spells, engaging in combat with the masked man, constantly hissing in pain because of his injured leg.
They kept fighting for several long minutes, and real Daphne could see that memory Harry was feeling the pain and the aches on his body, as well as having problems with his vision because of his head wound. Yet, he refused to lose to the man before him, the same one that had caused him so much grief, and pressed his attack. Oberon, however, knew how truly powerful Harry Potter was, and was attempting to tire him out while waiting for reinforcements. He was unaware of the situation on the outside, though.
Neither of them noticed the small group that ran past one damaged door, memory Harry because he had his back to the door and Oberon because he was focused on his duel.
Real Daphne didn't notice it either, since she was watching the duel, but real Harry did, forgetting about the duel and focusing only on the newcomer that had entered the room.
"Why, Daphy?" asked real Harry in a tearful tone, attracting real Daphne's attention. She turned to him immediately, noticing where he was looking and almost having a panic attack when she saw Daphy standing at the door.
"What...What is she doing here?" demanded Daphne, and Harry shook his head.
"They passed by this door on their way out and she saw me, or at least is what Millie told me," replied Harry, seeing the awed look from his daughter as she watched the duel. He didn't need to look back to the duel, he had seen it once and had nightmares for years about what was about to happen. Daphne did, dividing her attention between the duel and Daphy, watching the spells flying.
Memory Harry's leg finally collapsed, and he fell on one knee. Oberon took his chance and cast a bluish spell against memory Harry, who threw himself on the ground and cast a Confringo at his opponent, who erected a shield at the last moment and was blasted against the debris, injuring himself. He activated his portkey, specially keyed to escape the wards that had been raised, and vanished.
Real Harry saw Longbottom's spell connecting, as well as his daughter's shocked face at being pierced in the chest by the spell. He just closed his eyes and growled in anger and sorrow, letting the tears fall. There was nothing he could do.
Daphne, however, only saw Daphy fall to the ground.
"NOOOO!" she cried out, running to Daphy at once. Nothing could be done but she didn't think about it, only wanting to help her daughter. She reached the child, seeing her already vacant eyes looking up, the final, shocked look on her face, and the piercing wound bleeding on her chest.
"Wha..." said memory Harry, dropping his wand. Real Daphne turned to him and saw his horrified and fearful face, looking at the body on the floor. "No... please, no... DAPHY!" he shouted, trying to run to their daughter, only to almost fall to the ground. He limped to the body and quickly tried to wake up his daughter, but to no avail. The child wasn't breathing.
"Daphy, princess, come on, wake up," he asked her, crying, and checking her pulse on the neck. "Daphy, please, baby, wake up."
Real Daphne had collapsed on the ground, holding her head and crying her heart out, tears falling from her eyes as she looked to her daughter's dead body, and memory Harry frantically trying to wake her up. Real Harry was on his knees, with his eyes closed but clearly crying and in great distress.
"Why were you here?" asked memory Harry between cries, holding his daughter close to him, rocking her limp body and sobbing, his wounds, his enemies, his allies, and his anger forgotten.
His daughter was dead.
"NNNNOOOOOO!"
Daphne and Harry were expelled from the memory and Daphne fell on her knees, still crying while Harry stood his ground, looking down.
"Why? Why?" she asked, having no answer. She got up from the floor and walked to Harry, grabbing him by the collar.
"WHY?" she demanded, slapping him hard. "WHY IS THAT BASTARD STILL ALIVE?" She slapped him again. "Why haven't you killed him yet?" she sobbed, burying her face in Harry's chest, crying her heart out, holding him tighter as he held her.
After crying for a while longer, Daphne finally spoke again.
"No...no, you're right," she whispered, "We shouldn't kill him yet. First, we destroy everything he holds dear. Then, we destroy him, his life and his reputation, and then, only then, after he's nothing more than waste of flesh and magic, an embarrassment and a pariah, then we kill him."
"Yes, nothing more than what he deserves," replied Harry, holding her tight.
"At least tell me you made him suffer," she asked, sobbing once again.
"I made him suffer. I made his wife suffer. I made his right hand suffer. All Paladins suffered. I had lost everything I loved, and I didn't care anymore. Peace, war, diplomacy, aggression, life, death... all that mattered from that point on was that I had my revenge, so I went for it. I had nothing to go back to, no one at home... My wife was dead, my child was dead... I just didn't care anymore, so I went forth and I made them all suffer for it..."
"How?" asked Daphne, looking at Harry, feeling his power washing over her and feeling protected.
"They called me a Dark Lord wannabee in my youth. They called me a Dark Lord because I opposed them, they relished the fact that I was a Dark Lord and they were the Light Lords... they wanted a Dark Lord so badly... I just spat on the Light side for the third and final time, and I gave them the Dark Lord they wanted so badly, one that would be their death and complete destruction."