Chapter 19

Arriving at Greengrass Manor was more sloppy than Daphne had envisioned, Truth be told the flight of alcohol they had done at The Lazy Irishman was hitting her harder than she anticipated. Her balance was not completely gone when she landed at the floo in her fathers office. Her friends that followed were about the same level of intoxicated, but Daphne already felt confident the night would go on just fine.

Daphne strode threw the manor as if she were a warrior princess returning from conquering a battlefield, "Mother I am home!"

When Daphne entered the foyer she was surprised to see a few more had gathered. Neville was chatting with her mother while Ron stood to the side with a glass of wine in his hand looking like he would rather be anywhere else on the planet. Astoria and Tracey were speaking to a tall familiar handsome man that wore dark green eyes speaking to them amicably. When Daphne and her friends entered the foyer Harry turned offering the softest smile to the birthday girl. When they made eye contact he excused himself from the two, and came over to the girl embracing her softly, "Happy Birthday Daphne. Tracey called us over whenever she got here. Think your mother was quite surprised to receive us, but we wouldn't miss it."

This made the girl laugh, "Yes I bet she was."

As they separated the girl, emboldened by alcohol kissed the man on the cheek, "Thanks for coming, Harry."

The man chuckled, "Thanks for bringing the entertainment. You girls look like yall had a good time. We would've pregamed had we known."

This made the girl offer him a smile, "Next time you can join us."

"Promises." The man said cheekily.

Daphne laughed perhaps a little louder than necessary, and her mother approached the chatting duo, "Hello Daughter. Happy Birthday."

The Greengrass heiress offered her mother a light smile, "Hello mother. Thank you for hosting my friends and I. Before I forget, allow me to formally introduce you to the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, and Lord of the Potter Family. This is Harry Potter."

Daphne may have turned up the pomp for her friend's introduction, but Harry took it in stride kissing the offered hand of Ophelia Greengrass, "A pleasure to formally meet you Lady Greengrass. Your daughter has become a dear friend to me these past few months."

Before the woman could comment back Daphne interjected, "Do we have any wine?"

Ophelia pursed her lips at her daughter's interruption to the introduction, "You know full well the family stores are quite extensive."

"Then it is time I return the favor to my friends who are always allowing me to indulge in their homes. Art!

An older house elf appeared, and offered a bow, "Happy name day Heiress Greengrass. What can art do for you?"

"Please bring out three bottles of wine. Something decent please, Art." Daphne commanded haughtily.

"Yes mistress." The elf answered with a bow, and returned almost instantly after disappearing with three bottles of wine. With a snap of his fingers ten glasses appeared, and he immediately began serving them.

Tracey came over to her best friend's side as the elf served out the dishes, "I am guessing I left before the shots came out? You girls look a little trashed."

Daphne sighed, but had a smile on her face as she wrapped her arm through her best friends, "Yes my dear we had a few shots, but it is my birthday! Susan is a horrible influence."

This made Susan come to grip Daphne's arm, "Nothing less for my girl!" The red head then had the chance to meet the Lady Greengrass who was frowning at the friendship in disapproval, "Lady Greengrass a pleasure to meet you in a less formal setting."

"Less formal indeed Lady Bones." The woman said through pursed lips.

Daphne had to fight back her laugh, but she was young, and her mother should have suspected this might happen if she opened the door last minute to her friends. Susan was quick on the uptake from her mothers light shot, "Don't worry Lady Greengrass I promise any other day we meet the terms can be much more formal. It has been an ugly few weeks for our friend group though, and the chance to relax in less stressful environments cannot be missed."

Harry was at her defense in a moment, "I couldn't agree more with my Head Auror Lady Greengrass. The time for formalities is not among friends, and possible allies on such a special day. You did after all bring the healer who would save my life into the world twenty four years ago. It is a special occasion to me at least."

Harry winked at Daphne causing her heart to flutter a bit, but shook it off quickly in favor of watching her mother's eye twitch at the word ally. It was clear the implications of their friendships had not really struck the woman before now, but having this gathering of lords and ladies in her home must've suddenly been a shock. Even the Weasleys had gained some serious notoriety after the war, and with Arthur sitting on the Wizengamot as the Under Secretary it was seriously possible the family could gain their seat back in the coming years. That put a lot of political power under the woman's roof, and they were all clearly as aligned with her daughter as she was with them. The woman's displeasure could not have been more clear as the thoughts seemed to trample her, "Well my daughter is a very special Lady Lord Potter. Now I am becoming an old woman, and I do not wish to get in the way of your celebrations so I will retire. This ancestral home is yours to use for celebrations as long as you treat it with respect."

Susan answered the subtle accusation, "You honor us Lady Greengrass. Thank you for your hospitality."

The woman nodded her head stiffly, and offered a weak smile to her daughter, "Happy Birthday Daphne. Enjoy yourself and send Art for me if I am needed."

With that the woman began to make her way out of the room, and Susan laughed as soon as the door closed, "Daphne you did not tell me how fun it would be to rile your mother up! Did you see her face when she realized that most of us are on the same political level as her or higher."

Daphne laughed merrily at this, "Yes it is not something common. Most of the ladies she has tea with are barely equal, and to be summarily outranked by you and Harry must've been quite the realization."

Astoria even chuckled, putting an arm through Daphne's, "I think the moment of clarity sank in when Harry said how special this day was to him now. Very sweet by the way, Lord Potter. Mind if I call you Harry?"

This made the dark haired young man chuckle, "Please do. I only use my titles to scare old Purebloods, or to flex on bigots that can't stand me."

This made the room laugh, while Susan said, "Please let us throw you a party next year at Potter Manor! We can have so much fun, just get us a guest list. You are lucky we found out so late, or it would've been a surprise party!"

Hannah answered that statement with, "That doesn't mean we didn't come with gifts though!"

"I would be happy to host a celebration at Potter Manor for your birthday Daphne." Harry offered kindly.

Daphne was seriously moved by the way her friends were treating her for her birthday, and was honored that Harry would allow their friends to celebrate her birthday like Susan's at his place, "Only if we can do a small group in the common room area. It will be a few years before I am ready for another Pureblood birthday party for myself. Inviting all my family's allies to my birthday would be compulsory for a formal party, and that is about as least appetizing as it gets. Especially mixed in with you lot it will be a bloodbath by midnight."

This made everyone chuckle, while Neville jokes, "Now Daphne Harry just took away the aurors right to lethal force so we can't just be spilling blood in the ball rooms anymore."

Susan wholeheartedly agreed, "We would be much more discreet than that!"

Ron chimed in, "Bathrooms, bedrooms, and attics are all still fair game!"

This led to more laughter, and Astoria looked on the group in faux outrage, "The leaders of the light talking about butchering outstanding members of our community. I'd never have believed Draco was right."

This made Ron and Neville choke on their drinks, and nearly sprayed them across the room in laughter, which led to more of an uproarious environment than before.

Wine was consumed throughout the night, and while it wasn't the same or as strong as drinking Firewhiskey Daphne still had quite the buzz going from the shots, and the combination of other alcohols she consumed. It was in the height of her intoxication when Susan insisted on the opening of gifts.

The first gift from the Weasley's was a book Hermione had undoubtedly found somewhere along the line about variation of career fields a healer could be in. Hermione wisely told her she should keep her options open, and it also came with an English National Team dress similar to one she had once seen Hermione in.

The gift from Hannah and Neville was next. One was a large wizarding photo frame the girls had taken together the night of Susan's party when they had all dressed in their best outfits. Hannah had smiled at the girl, "Thought you could hang this up on your wall in your flat somewhere. Give you some decorations!"

Daphne loved the picture of her group of girlfriends, and embraced the girl very happy with her gift. The next gift was a template of different formats. Neville offered words on this one, "That's for your potions. Hannah told me you like to experiment with different ideas, so if you come up with anything successful you can organize them in this. Herbologists use them all the time for plant breeding, so I thought it might help you as well."

Daphne was moved by the thoughtfulness of their gifts, and gave the couple another hug. This left Susan who was smiling cheerily, "Every woman needs her own collection of alcohol, and this will start yours. A bottle of firewhiskey I picked up for you. It is labeled May 1998, and I am sure you can figure out the significance of that."

Daphne did immediately pick up on that, and smiled gratefully at her best friend, and embraced the girl who whispered in her ear, "One more gift, but I will tell you about it later."

When they separated Daphne looked questioningly at her, but Susan winked making the girl wonder what the hell she might be talking about. That left Tracey and Astoria. Astoria had clearly decided she was done waiting though, and thrusted a small parcel into her hand, "Tracey and I have a two part gift for you. Mine first!"

Daphne smiled at her sister, and when she split the parcel open she looked surprised, while Astoria explained, "Three tickets for a muggle cruise ship. You, me, and Tracey. Gives us a chance to get away for a few days. Nothing too long don't worry. A long weekend at best. This is also a little bit of Tracey's birthday gift, but we can go anytime you can both manage to get some time off. Even if it takes a while. Just the three of us eating, drinking, and hanging out by a pool getting our tan on."

Tracey smiled at her best friend, while Astoria was practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. Daphne hugged her sister, "Thank you Tori. This is really sweet."

"Well open Tracey's gift now!"

Tracey handed her a small box, and she quickly opened it to find several different two piece bikinis, and some were certainly more than what her modest style would allow. Tracey however was full on grinning now, "Something to wear when we are out on the water, and when we land on the islands."

Daphne even in all her intoxication blushed a little when Susan whistled when she held up a string bikini with one finger, "I might have to get in on this trip if you are going to be wearing this Daph."

This made everyone laugh, and now Daphne was certainly scarlet. She tried to play it off by drinking a little wine, but failed at trying to hide her embarrassment. This was followed by good natured ribbing, and finally Harry came over to her, "Okay I think we all agree that building a pool at Potter Manor just became my top priority, but I do have a gift for you as well."

Out of his jacket pocket he pulled a long black box, and offered it to her with a smile, "Don't let any of these girls lie to you that they helped me pick this out."

Daphne glanced at the girls who were in mid eye roll about what he said, and she opened it and gasped. A beautiful quarter sized circular emerald was on a pretty silver necklace chain, and Daphne held it up in awe, "Wow this is beautiful. Thank you Harry."

Harry grinned at the girl, "May I?"

She quickly nodded, pulling her hair up, and Harry stepped into her space, putting the chain around her neck. She did everything she could to fight the blush that she was sure had colored her face, but merely smiled through it when he finished with a smile, "Happy Birthday Daphne."

The look on her face must've been quite comical, because the man laughed and pulled her into a hug when she said nothing. They separated and Susan called for another round of drinks.

The night wound down after the gifts had been exchanged, and slowly everyone trickled out until it was just Daphne, Tracey, Susan, and Harry. Astoria had been the last to leave, and Susan was on her way out promising to talk to her tomorrow for the second part of her gift. When it was Just Tracey, Harry, and Daphne the green eyed young man smiled at the girls, "Tracey would you mind if I had a few words with Daphne before I go?"

The young woman looked between the two for a moment as if looking for a reason to stick around, but she smiled eventually, and said her goodnites. The most surprising part was the hug she offered to Harry, and she whispered words into his ears, and he looked surprised but grateful when they separated. Tracey then left the room, and closed the foyer french doors behind her leaving them truly alone for the first time since they met in the hospital.

The Man Who Conquered gave her a grin as he moved towards the fireplace that sat against the far wall, "So I did have another gift for you."

Daphne looked at the man in interest as she walked to stand next to him, "Well don't leave me in suspense Potter."

"Back to the last name Greengrass? That's pretty cold after everything we have been through." Harry said cheekily.

"Don't leave a lady waiting, and you won't get demoted back to that level of familiarity." Daphne said as she picked up a glass of wine on a nearby table hoping to calm her nerves.

She had never seen Harry look nervous before, but she was fairly certain even in her fairly inebriated state that was what he was feeling. The silence that followed made her a little concerned, "Is something wrong Harry?"

This made the man chuckle, "No sorry it's just been a while since I've done this."

Daphne knew that wasn't true. He had been alone with Susan plenty of times, but maybe that isn't what he was referring to, "Since you've done what?"

Harry took a deep breath, and more in that moment since she had met him she saw the young man she went to school with when he turned to face her. He pulled out a pair of ticket stubs from his pocket, and looked at her with a crooked grin, "So I pulled some strings, and managed to find these tickets for a dinner tomorrow on this boat that goes down the Thames. There is music, and it's mostly muggle in nature. There are two tickets, so you could take whoever you want, but if you allow it I would like to escort you Heiress Greengrass."

Daphne felt her mouth dry at his words. It was a fairly formal gift, but she believed that she understood the reasoning, "Are you asking me on a date Lord Potter?"

The man seemed to fumble for a moment, but it was very brief when he offered her a confident smirk, "I do believe I am. If you turn me down though, the tickets are yours unconditionally."

Daphne wanted to return the smile, but enjoyed the thought of leaving him on edge a little, "Shouldn't you have asked my mother for permission since she is the head of my house?"

"I deferred to some experts on this matter, and they assured me that since you are by all legal rights the head of house whenever you desire to be that I did not need to ask your proxy." The Proud Gryffindor answered easily.

She appeared to think about it for a few moments before she actually began pondering the implications. It was true that this might throw off their friend group a little, and that was the first concern on her mind, "What about Susan?"

Seeming to know this question was coming Harry answered honestly, "She knew this was coming. She said if you accepted she would take you dress shopping tomorrow for a birthday gift part two. I assure you that should you agree to go on this date with me or any other after I will be only yours until we decide one way or the other if we like our odds."

"Our odds together?" Daphne asked carefully, a small smile forming at the thought. She could only begin to wonder what the rest of the girls would say. Tracey might have been thrilled at one point, but now she was unsure.

Harry nodded his head at her question, and she stepped closer to him, "Then I accept your invitation Lord Potter. I hope you will accept that my questions were in the interest of our friends. I do not wish to see anyone get hurt."

The young man before her looked like he wanted to cheer at her acceptance, but kept his visage calm on his face. His eyes however were a different matter, "I do not wish to see that either, but I think they will understand. Most of them knew about this before I asked anyway. I had actually planned to do something like this before, but things got a little side tracked along the way."

The Greengrass heiress nodded her head in understanding, and the two were still quite close, "Then I will look forward to seeing you later...today Lord Potter."

Harry took her free hand placing a soft kiss on it, "I will look forward to it, and see you at 6PM this evening. Good morning my lady."

With that he released her hand, and stepped into the fireplace offering her one last smile and disappearing in the floo network.

(A/N) A series of chapters developing Harry and Daphne's relationship is going to follow, so for those who originally came for romance the time for Haphne is finally upon us. I am sure some of you adults can understand it's rare for people to meet, and just suddenly be in love and start doing one on one dates, so I like to think this could've been a fairly accurate representation of two people who hardly knew each other coming together.

As a side note my fiance and I were two of those unusual people, we met at a Barnes and Noble, had a coffee together, and pretty much started one on one dating immediately after, so while it is less likely it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Love develops in all sorts of ways, and I have tried to show it differently in each of my stories.

Next week is likely to be our final chapter with weekly updates. For one reason I am coming to the end of writing this story, and as its popularity has waned severely, and another of my stories is on the rise. That does not mean this story will be abandoned! I am rapidly approaching the end around Chapter 30, and I think with just a few more I will close this story and possibly add chapters of epilogues like I did for a Dark Lords Rising at random. SO I PROMISE, you will all see an end to this story in a timely manner. I will not go slower than an every other week update.

My Percy Jackson X Avengers crossover is taking a lot of my attention right now, and I also am getting ready to drop a already completed FleurXHarry story. It will be Ravenclaw Harry, my first attempt at doing so, and an apprentice of Gellert Grindelwald story. It's got potential, and I hope all of you who have enjoyed The Survivors will pop in to give that story a shot. I am not sure when I plan on releasing my new story Titled Fleur De Lis, but at the latest the New Years, and possibly as early as next month, so stay tuned, and bare with me!

To answer some reviewers:

This first response comes out of all the people who have said this is a SusanXDaphne story. Guys, they are just having fun. I grew up with the popular girl who had all the beautiful friends in high school, and college, and it's not a joke they really act this way. I have minorly based these character interactions off girls my sister was friends with, and their relationship was just fun...I think lol. But really there will be no SusanXDaphne. They are playing the roles of best friends, and that's it.

Magic21:

Croaker I don't even think makes another appearance in this story, so I am unsure about what you were referring to lol. Thanks for reviewing!

F13R3d3ity:

THANK YOU! Someone who enjoys the minor saw shots. I love those movies, and the best part of those movies, and what I hope the best part of this story will be...how it all comes together at the end. I want everyone to read the ending to this story and think SON OF A BITCH! How could I have missed that? That's what I want, and with some luck that's exactly what's going to happen.

Emilysouza221b:

It's funny you talked about the horror trope and in the beginning as I was reading your review last week, I was like...What is she...Oh... You are really right. I did it self consciously as this story was inspired as I was watching Spiral, so I can see where you are coming from. One thing I will note though is Daphne is not a defenseless woman, and neither are any of Harry's friends. They will all fight tooth and nail to survive, or be victorious. There are no defenseless characters in this story, not even Tracey, who managed to survive the game on her own wits. Regardless I love to hear all feedback, and thought processes on the story so thank you for taking time to review, and I hope my answers show that I am always paying attention, and taking into account what you guys think.