Chapter 20

"I like the dark silver. It really makes your eyes pop." Susan said, smiling at the girl.

Daphne looked herself over in the mirror, frowning, and placing her small hand on the green pendant that Harry had gifted her the night before, "It does go with Harry's gift. Seems proper to wear it. I suppose it was no coincidence that this gift was not only a nice birthday gift, but a courting offer as well."

"You were lucky on that end. As you know usually Harry would've had to give a fairly nice gift to your head of house, but since technically that is you he was able to excuse an extravagant gift." The red head offered with a smirk.

Shaking her head the blonde began changing back into her original outfit content with the silver dress she and her friend had agreed upon. Susan and Daphne had made a whole morning of it, grabbing a late greasy breakfast to recover from their night of debauchery the night before, and then going in search of a new dress for her date with Harry that evening.

As the two young women were walking out Daphne finally posed her concern, "You're sure this is okay right?"

Susan rolled her eyes, "Daphne I've told you at least twice this morning it is okay. I told you the first night we met that there was nothing there between Harry and I anymore. Also Tracey holds him at least partially responsible for what happened to her, so I don't think that is ever going to turn into anything, while the other girls in our group are thrilled. I think they are hoping the two of you hit it off, and run with it. I count myself among those. Heaven knows Harry needs to start to settle down a little. He can't be jumping through windows going after bad guys forever."

This made Daphne frown, "Can't be much of that now that Tiberius Nott is in prison?"

Sighing at this the young Hufflepuff flipped her hair, "He doesn't think it's over. Nott said he was the first of many, and while personally I think he was blowing smoke Harry is taking it very seriously. He begs Kingsley at least once a day to move the Quidditch Cup to a different site, but our Minister isn't budging on it."

Daphne could understand the Minister's reluctance. England was still in the hunt, and no team had ever been given home field advantage during a World Cup before. The team led by Oliver Wood and Gwenog Jones could certainly be the first as they decimated their way through the bracket. The boost to the English economy and public morale couldn't be understated or dismissed out of hand. After all, it was early July, and tourists were already scouting where they would be staying during the most popular sporting event of the year. Magical England hadn't seen a boom like this since the Triwizard Tournament, and that disaster was nearly ten years ago.

"Harry survived the war against all odds by a fair amount of instinct. If he says it isn't over then I am inclined to believe him. We thought it was over last time, and look what happened. As much as I want this all to be over so our country can move on from this madness, we have to trust the man we chose to lead us through the ashes of the last war." Daphne said wisely.

Susan looked pained by her answer, "It has to be over at some point. It can't go on forever. I trust Harry with my life, but I want to believe this is just him being overly paranoid. We have beaten every enemy they have thrown at us, but at some point it has to end. Regardless, we can't stop living because an insurgency is still threatening our world. The days of us cowering in our homes are over. This is one of the few things I disagree with Harry on because the show must go on."

One of the things Daphne had liked about Susan was how passionate she was about her work, the politics she believed in, and of course her friendships. She had a point too. Whoever is running the show now in the Pureblood ranks can't be a powerhouse or they would've put a face to the resistance like Voldemort was. These people have to fight in the shadows because now the tables have turned, and it was Harry they were afraid of. That was an advantage they would have to continue to push to allow as much normality remain in the country as possible. Daphne sighed it wasn't the first time she wondered if this date was such a good idea, but knew she wouldn't back out until she at least gave the young man a chance.

"Harry, I think, just doesn't want to lose anyone else. I get that I really do. We have to cut him some slack; he just has our safety in his mind." Daphne defended lightly.

Susan snorted at this, "Maybe you just belong in Hufflepuff defending the man when he is losing his mind."

This made Daphne toss her hair and hold her nose high trying to appear as snooty as possible, "Oh please there is no need to be insulting."

The girls looked at each other then busted out with laughter. Susan embraced the girl tightly, "Are you sure you won't need help getting ready?"

Daphne shoved the girl lightly when she finished hugging her, "You seriously need a hobby. You already took me to lunch, and bought me my dress for tonight. I would think it was you trying to take me on this date tonight."

Susan gave her a devilish smirk in return, "If I thought you had been receptive to the idea I would've beaten Harry by weeks."

This made Daphne laugh again as the two walked towards the apparition point, and the girl bumped her, "If you don't have company afterwards you are welcome to come over and tell Hannah and I how it went. We will just be having a casual wine date for dinner and be listening to the wireless."

This made Daphne scoff, "I won't be taking Harry home with me on the first date. Plan on me coming over."

Susan held her hands up in defense, "I won't expect you. Heaven knows the man can be charming when he wants. See ya Daph, and don't do anything I wouldn't!"

With that the head auror turned on her heels and disapparated with Daphne following close behind. Arriving back at her flat the young healer took a deep breath trying to soothe her nerves, and dispense of the butterflies that had been forming in her stomach since Harry had asked her out.

Her first few nights back in her flat had been a little unnerving she recalled as she began waving her wand picking up a few things of rubbish, and plates left around. Susan and Harry for the first week seemed to drop by once a day to make sure no one had been prodding at her wards again, and each time they left with content looks promising that they were finally operational. It was touching to see how much her friends cared for her safety, but even still she had been struggling to sleep at night. She had debated returning to Greengrass Manor for a while just until her nerves returned to normality, but the thought that a Skeleton key was still out there made her very nervous.

Turning on the wireless as she continued through her deep clean while she attempted to tune out her nerves, worries, and frustrations. Her frustrations were few, but the biggest was currently her supervisor Gretchen Bullstrode. She had been giving Daphne the cold shoulder ever since she discovered that Harry and Susan had befriended the Slytherin, and she was worried to question it too deeply. Her fear that Susan may have had a hand in the death of her old roommate was something she hoped she never had to confirm, but all the suspicions were there, and the attitude she was receiving from the woman she considered her mentor was all the confirmation she needed. She knew that everyone did things that night they weren't proud of, and even if Susan had killed the young woman in the final battle Daphne knew she would forgive her, but obviously asking Gretchen Bullstrode to do so was beyond reasonable.

Sighing as she tried to force those thoughts away she continued her use of household charms trying to make the place as presentable as possible for when Harry would arrive to pick her up in a few short hours.

Sometime passed before the sound of her floo broke her concentration of the music on the wireless, and with a flick of her wand she silenced it, and answered the call coming in. The face of Aurora Greengrass immediately filled the fireplace, and her lips were already pursed indicating that Daphne may not enjoy the conversation that followed, "Hello daughter."

"Hello mother. I am glad you called, so I could thank you for hosting my friends last night. I think everyone had a splendid time."

"Your...friends are exactly what I called to speak with you about as a matter of fact." The woman said candidly, while Daphne said nothing, waiting for the woman to continue, "Do you think it wise to bandy about with the progressives, while your supervisors, and others within your chain of command may look down upon it? Don't you think that will hurt your career that you have decided would be so important to you?"

Daphne bristled with indignation as she composedly formed her response, "As a matter of fact I actually don't. Since I have become friends with the progressives I have dined with the Minister of Magic, was offered a spot in his office by the way, and many of the other leaders of the Ministry. While I have also befriended many ladies of the Sacred 28, and other women who I would be shocked if they don't one day end up on the Wizengamot. I was even asked on a date by Harry Potter himself. So tell me mother, do you really think fraternizing with them is hurting my reputation?"

The woman's pursed lips turned into a deep frown, and Daphne was immediately scolding herself for throwing the fact that Harry had asked her on a date in the woman's face, "I was unaware Lord Potter was seeking to court you. I should have been made aware."

Daphne was on that in a second, "You know damn well that you are only head of house by proxy, so no he did not need to seek your permission."

"This will damage our alliances, and our footing in the neutral faction." The woman insisted stubbornly as if that would change her mind.

Snorting in quite the unladylike manor Daphne retorted, "We are going on a date. It is hardly even courtship at this point, but if it evolves into something more then we can cross that bridge when we get there. Besides if you don't say a word among your circle then it will be quite sometime before our allies even discover that Lord Potter is courting me."

"What of your sister, and your brother in law? What might they think that you are being courted by the man who sent Draco's father to prison?" The woman spat furiously.

"Astoria was chatting Harry up last night, and they were on friendly terms. While I am sure there is no future where Harry and Draco will ever be friends, the animosity is not what it was five years ago, and I am every bit confident that the two will let water be under the bridge IF our relationship goes anywhere beyond the first stage of courtship." Daphne spat back.

It was clear the two women were not going to see eye to eye on this matter, and Daphne could really care less. The woman had not been a major part of her life since her father died, and if she caused her problem in the Wizengamot that was not something she cared for at the time being. The more time she spent with Susan, and the other girls the more like minded she became with them anyways. It was all but a certainty that when Daphne became the head of house Greengrass she would be aligning with the progressive faction the first time for House Greengrass in many generations. She could only hope her mother would forgive her, but if she didn't then she would just have to live with the decision.

"If you are going to forsake the alliances the House Greengrass has been forming for the last two centuries then I at least insist on being kept aware of the courtship process Lord Potter takes you through. I will need to be prepared for any backlash I may get in the Wizengamot when your date ends up on the front page." The woman said clearly trying to recompose herself.

Daphne gave a curt nod of her head, "Very well. I will keep you updated in a timely manner, though I doubt our date will end up anywhere in Wizarding Magazines. Lord Potter tonight is taking me on a muggle cruise ship down the Thames for what sounds like a very romantic evening. I am very much looking forward to it."

Daphne knew she was throwing gasoline on the flames at this point. Insinuating that a Pureblood heiress was being taken on a muggle date for the first step of courtship would be a huge insult to anyone in the traditional faction, but the young healer could care less. Her mothers nostril flared at the news, and Daphne said, "That will be all for now mother. Good evening, and we will speak soon."

With a flick of her wand the connection was cut off, and the angry face of the Greengrass Matriarch was gone. Daphne sighed as she took a seat on her couch glancing at the clock knowing she needed to begin getting ready before Harry arrived. The conversation with her mother had left her a little down trodden, and hoped the young man that was determined to court her this evening was up for elevating her mood back to a social level. Knowing that might be a challenge Daphne tossed her hair back as she walked towards her bathroom determined to not let outside influences affect her shot with the Man Who Conquered.

The doorbell rang at precisely 6:30, and Daphne was certain she was going to need to knock back a bottle of wine or firewhiskey to get the butterflies in her stomach to go away. She took several deep breaths mentally berating herself for being so nervous when she finally opened the door. Her wards had obviously told her that her date had arrived, but it did not prepare her to take in the handsome young man. He was wearing a similar outfit to what he wore to Susan's birthday. A dark black muggle sports coat, with a Gryffindor red button up shirt accompanied by dark grey pants that all appeared to be in such a style that perhaps only a wealthy Lord could afford.

Harry smiled brightly at the girl as he took her in. She was wearing the silver dress that she picked out with Susan along with a tall pair of heels that made her nearly as tall as her date for the evening. Her necklace hung perhaps tantalisingly low considering her current outfit, but her friend had assured her it was a great look. Harry seemed to agree as he struggled to find words before offering a slight bow, "You look the picture of beauty my lady." He finished this with a flick of his wrist, summoning a perfect bouquet of red roses.

Daphne smiled at the man as she took the flowers, "I am not sure if it is more romantic that you did this with magic, or less so for the effort that it would've taken to go purchase them from a florist."

The Lord of the Potter house merely grinned and winked at her, "Let's go with the first. Can't be that many people in Magical Britain that could conjure their dates flowers of this quality."

Daphne held a fake thoughtful look on her face, but the smile on her lips gave her away, "I suppose this is true, but knowing that it takes such a small fraction of your energy to do so makes me wonder how much effort you are going to put into this courtship...Lord Potter."

She said the last bit with faux awe, and Harry chuckled, "I guess you will just have to come along for the ride and find out."

"That I will. Give me just a moment while I grab my coat." The young woman said mentally congratulating herself for not appearing as nervous as she felt.

The time to depart came and went quickly as she left Harry standing in the door, and when she returned it was almost odd departing through the front door. She almost always apparted or used the floo network, so she was surprised when the green eyed young man offered his arm, and they began walking out of the building that held several other flats, and onto a main street in Muggle London. She felt the strong presence of a notice me not charm wash over, and had it been anyone else she would've been amazed at the casual activation of the magic when he hadn't even summoned a wand, "I know this place isn't far, but I imagine in your heels walking any sort of distance would be an annoyance. Are you ready to apparate?"

The young woman gave him a challenging smile, "Take you a minute to determine that the heels would be painful to walk in?"

Harry shook his head with a mischievous smile, "Of course not. Call it my muggle upbringing, but it is old fashion to walk with their date to a nearby destination. Of course it was a nice boost to my ego to be seen walking with someone as beautiful as yourself Lady Greengrass. However I will spare you further inconvenience if you are ready."

The formality in his voice was such a tease it made the girl want to laugh. It was amusing to hear how the man clearly knew his wizarding customs but didn't put much stock into them. Using them only for his own amusement. To any other pureblood it may have been insulting, but to Daphne who had obviously been spending lots of time around this type of people recently found it highly entertaining. With a nod of her head Harry pulled the woman slightly closer to him before he pushed them to the apparition point that dropped them off within a hundred yards of the boat dock with the notice me not charm still intact. With a subtle clenching of his hand the charm was lifted, and they blended into a small group of people that were heading towards the boat.

As they approached a young man was taking tickets, and Daphne was wondering if Harry was going to use the confundus charm on the man when he didn't reach to pull any out. However the man merely smiled at the pair when they approached, "Mr. Potter welcome."

Daphne raised her eyebrows as Harry greeted the man by name, and continued to board the boat. The girl challengingly questioned, "Oh so you bring all your girls here?"

The thought made the girl's stomach clench a little, but Harry just grinned at her, "Not exactly. I own the boat, and I promise you are the first girl to ever come aboard it with me. I can explain why to you if the thought bothers you."

She didn't want to have him explain it, but at the sametime she didn't want the thought to pick at her later or for the rest of the evening, so she nodded her head as they ascended a small flight of stairs slowly. Harry's smile never broke as they reached the top, "In a fit of honesty since only Susan and Ginny could even be considered as women I have actually attempted to court the answers are simple. Ginny is not comfortable in the muggle world, and honestly I did not know my family owned this business while we were together so I did not even try to convince her. Susan on the other hand never allowed me to attempt to romance her as she always said I should save that for any possible future Lady Potters."

The insinuation surprised her, but of course that was much more straight than most purebloods would be even if the intentions were obvious. Hearing Harry say it slowly and plainly however made the butterflies spring back into her stomach. His honesty was one of the things she truly enjoyed about the young man. No matter how it may sound or who it may hurt it always seemed he did his best to be truthful in answer to her questions. In the past she had asked questions that he just answered with a simple smile and refusal to break confidences or state secrets. These things at times frustrated her, but in a time like this it was relieving.

Deciding to leave the thought behind that Harry would have brought other women on a date similar to this one she just powered through with a grin, "First date and already thinking about me being Lady Potter huh?"

"I did say you looked beautiful." He teased back.

They found their seats at the front of the boat, and a waitress came by immediately with a bottle of wine greeting them and filling their glasses. Daphne noticed right away it was a rose. A call back from the first night they drank together. She had to admit the memory impressed her considering how much they had drunk that night. The grin he offered her made her fully aware of her line of thought, and she shook her head, "Okay Lord Potter clearly you are not as bad at this as you thought."

Cheekily the young man responded with, "I didn't say I was bad at it just out of practice."

The boat set sail after only a few moments, and the waitress returned almost immediately asking about food. When she departed Daphne opened up their conversation, "So there is a question I have been wanting to ask you for a while, and I promise it's nothing personal more of a curiosity." Harry sipped at his glass of wine as he nodded at her head to continue with the question, "Did you ever want to play professional quidditch? It's clear to me you had the talent while in school, and clearly you love the sport, so I don't understand why you never tried?"

The question seemed to surprise him for a moment, but then he just gave her a happy look, "You know what? No one has ever asked me that question. The truth is I love quidditch, and I would've loved to have played professionally, but the timing wasn't really ever meant to be. When school and the war was over I was left with responsibilities from Dumbledore, and of course the memory of all those who lost their lives to make sure that radical ideology died with Voldemort. I had the power, the tools, and the reputation to do some serious good in the world, so I plunged in with both feet to do as much as I could for the Wizarding World."

Daphne gave the young man a sad smile, "I asked the girls that once, and they didn't have an honest answer for sure, but Hannah suspected that it was something along those lines. If we are truly in peace though couldn't you give it a shot? Look at Gwenog Jones. She is still playing and she is almost 40. You could play for years even if you waited a few more."

Harry pondered that thought for a long time before answering, "It's true I could probably take it up. I am still in good shape from all the training I do with my magic, and I have played with the Weasley's in fun pickup games over the holidays to make sure I keep basic skills, but while I was good at Quidditch I don't think it arrogant of me to say I am excellent at magic, and my talents are better put to the betterment of our country, and maybe one day our youth."

She dipped her head in respect to the young man, and sipped at her wine before saying, "So no secret dreams of being a Quidditch star?"

This made the man laugh, shaking his head, "No...but I do have a Quidditch dream if you can believe it?"

"Oh this ought to be good. Let's hear it." Daphne said encouragingly.

The man's look of hope was endearingly painful to look at when he said, "The quidditch genes run through my blood. My dad was supposed to be something special on a broom, but he had the call of duty, and answered it during the first blood war. My grandfather, I have been told, was certainly talented enough to play professionally if he wished, but he was brought into the war with Grindelwald. My dream is that one day if my children wish to play the sport that nothing, but their own ambition could get in their way of doing so."

Daphne felt her chest swell with affection for the man as he spoke so easily of a dream he held for the future of his family. Nothing of politics or power, but just the desire that they do whatever they want to do, and have nothing stand in their way. She managed to get some words out after his powerful response, "That is a very admiral aspiration."

Harry nodded his head at the young woman, "Gives me a good reason to push myself as hard as I do. I will ensure no one gets in the way of my futures hopes and dreams...but enough about me what about you?"

Daphne thought on the question for a moment before answering, "My aspirations have changed a lot over the years. Near constantly to be honest. At one point it was to be the head healer at St Mungos. At another it was to be a potion maker. There is...somewhat of a curse that runs through my family." She swallowed thickly as she took in the environment around her. It was the first time she had really taken her focus off of Harry and took in her surroundings. It was quite beautiful. The sun was only just beginning to set, and they were passing through the middle of London surrounded by some of the prettiest architecture in the world. It was the beautiful environment, the wine, and her date that allowed her to flow some honesty into her spoken thoughts, "It's something that only pops up occasionally every few generations, but it is very real, and something I aspire to break."

Harry put a hand on top of her gently as he remained laid back in his chair, "A curse?"

She nodded with a severe look on her face, "A blood curse in particular. One that breaks you down and slowly withers you away. An old family placed it on our family, and no one has been able to break it in centuries. Our family is cursed to have it pop in and kill. My parents didn't have it, but my grandmother did...and now my sister."

She felt the young man's hand clench around hers, and refused to meet his eyes, "Do the others know?"

She shook her head while sipping her wine. It wasn't something she would cry over, but it was still hard to face people who learned of her family's curse. It was a testament to her comfort around the man before her that she shared such a thing on their first date. He however squeezed her hand before saying, "Well then if nothing else then we can say something very good came out of this date."

Her eyes shot to his, and he had a soft look on his face, before she could ask though he said, "You will find that our friends' families are quite knowledgeable in curses, blood magic, and obscure things that the world doesn't have general knowledge of, and that includes my own. Put them to the task, trust them, and see what they come up with. Confide in them, and believe. Heaven knows we put Hermione to the impossible, and she came out making it look probable when it came to her abilities in research."

Daphne was shocked by the support he offered, "You would just allow me to look through your family's spells, libraries, and knowledge?"

Harry looked at the girl as if she had grown two heads, "Daphne. If your sister's life is in danger then everyone in our group will want to help. No knowledge is worth a loved one's life. I hope you don't think any of us would not give up every bit of wealth, knowledge, or time to bring back one of the people we lost. If we could spare you the pain of ever losing someone you loved just by sharing some knowledge that we personally have hardly any stake in then we will do it. In this case I will speak for all our friends. They would do it in a heartbeat."

Daphne did feel a few tears sting the back of her eyes, but she blinked them out quickly, "That's infinitely kind of you Harry."

"That's the best thing about our group. It's how we keep beating all the odds. There's nothing we wouldn't do for each other, and you can be damn sure we include you, and by extension your sister in that group. Despite her less than stellar taste in men." Harry answered with a tease and a hope to lighten the mood.

The trick worked better than magic, and Daphne found herself laughing at his final comment. The remainder of the date was much happier conversations and topics. They spoke of the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, and the security nightmare it would bring. They spoke of the most forthcoming social event which would be Neville and his own birthday in just a few short weeks. They even touched on the trial of Tibeirus Nott that would take place just a few days before his birthday.

The dinner, drinks, and company were excellent in Daphne's opinion and it ended perfectly in a display of muggle fireworks. It was easily one of the most romantic nights of her life, and when it was over the two began walking back to her flight from the last place they had apparated away from earlier. It was only a few hundred yards away, and Daphne already wished the night wasn't over.

The final walk in the moonlight had her heart beating faster than normal again, and she spoke softly, "I had a great time with you tonight Harry. Thank you for all this, and your words about my sister."

The man squeezed the hand the way tucked into his arm keeping his eyes forward, "Yes this was very nice. Nice enough that I hope I can tempt you to go out with me again soon?"

Daphne left him waiting, but not for long, "Yes I think I would quite like that."

As they approached her flat she fought back every impulse that would invite him into her home, and turned to face him at the door, "This is where we say goodnight Lord Potter."

Harry offered her a lasting smile as he took the hand he had been holding and placed a gentle kiss on it, "Then I look forward to our next evening Lady Greengrass."

He held her eyes for a long moment, but he did not attempt to push forward and kiss her. She was disappointed when he let her hand go, and with a tip of his head began walking back towards the street. She couldn't believe he didn't even try to kiss her, and she wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or indignation that pushed her to do it, but she followed after calling his name, and when he turned she placed a hand around his neck and leaned forward pushing herself into a gentle kiss.

(A/N) A Haphne chapter has come and gone. Expect a few more of these in the coming weeks. Going to keep my note short today, so a thanks to James Marx for beta approving this chapter, and a reminder to everyone that the update will not come next week, but the week after as we move to bi-weekly updates. Cheers everyone, and I hope you enjoy the ensuing romance that will follow!