Chapter 10 – The Story of Harry and Daphne II

The following morning marked a blissful, tranquil, languid, sweet new beginning in Harry and Daphne's lives. Awakened by warm rays of sunshine, they turned to each other, their naked bodies covered only by their blankets. They had slept together before, but this felt different. More intimate. Happier. Not a coping of shared frustration, but a promise of a future together.

They looked at each other. Harry was at a bit of a loss as to what to say that he hadn't already said the night before. His heart was full to the brim, and he doubted his ability to hold a normal conversation. Daphne seemed to be in the same predicament. It was unclear who was supposed to go first, but after wavering for a moment, the two of them decided to exchange their usual greetings.

"Hey."

"Hey."

A perfectly charming smile spread across Daphne's face. Not realizing he was doing so, Harry replied in kind with his own. With that, the two of them gently pressed their foreheads together, causing their bangs to brush against the other's skin. It was ticklish and the two of them laughed like children. Right when they were about to exchange kisses, though, they were brusquely interrupted.

There were three loud knocks on their cabin door, and it was clearly audible that it was not a human hand knocking. Then the voice of Rudolphus rang out. "Your Majesty and ... er, Master Harry ... we will be arriving at the Port of London shortly."

The two exchanged a glance. Daphne raised her eyebrow. Then she called out, "Thank you, Captain. Master Harry and I will be with you shortly."

Then she could no longer suppress her laughter. Daphne started giggling like a schoolgirl, and after a moment's hesitation, Harry joined in. A loud snort sounded from outside, followed by distancing hoofbeats.

"Did you hear that?" said Harry with a laugh. "I've gone from boy to master." He straightened proudly and gave Daphne the most arrogant look he could manage, which meant he was trying to imitate Draco Malfoy.

Daphne playfully slapped him across the chest. "Don't you ever look at me like that again. Merlin, a real shiver went down my spine. Not a pleasant one." Her gaze bored into him until she had to smirk. "Now let's pick up where we left off, Master Harry."

She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. The kiss turned into a second, the second into a third, followed by a veeeeeeeery long, never-ending kiss as their hands explored each other's bodies, sliding lower and lower until –

KNOCK...KNOCK...KNOCK

Again there were loud knocks at their door and again Rudolphus' voice rang out. "Your Majesty, it really is time! We'll be right there."

This was followed by low murmurs from the reindeer, which Harry did not understand, but he thought he heard the word "Nanny" come out.

Reluctantly, Harry and Daphne disengaged from each other – damn, they really were like rabbits, Harry thought. Or teenagers in love.

The two rose from the bed and, after quickly washing off their bodies in the adjoining bathroom, hurriedly dressed. They then left their cabin and went out on deck, just in time to see them enter the port of London. The other passengers were already standing at the rail, many with nervous expressions on their faces. Who could blame them? They were refugees in a foreign land. Harry hoped that they could indeed find a new home here.

He himself also became a little nervous when he thought of the upcoming reunion with his friends, especially with a certain red-haired young witch. However, his nervousness dissipated as quickly as it had come when he saw his friends waiting for them on the jetty. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Kingsley, Astoria, Tracey. The other Weasleys had come too. And Hagrid's huge figure towered over all the others. The half-giant was also the first to wave wildly when he saw them. The others followed, and Ginny waved at them too, although Harry thought her smile was a little strange, as if she were feeling something else besides joy. So she had received his letter. Yet Harry also knew that he would have to speak to her in person very soon.

Harry and Daphne waved back and, when they finally docked, they were the first to step off the ship.

The first to greet them was Astoria. Like a blonde cannonball, she came rushing over and fell around her sister's neck. "DAAAAAAPHNEEEEE!"

Daphne laughed and returned Astoria's hug. "I'm glad to see you too, sis."

"Oh, Daphne! I've missed you so, so much. Finally, you're back! But, but how do you look?" Astoria's eyes slid over Daphne's changed appearance.

Daphne gave her sister a warm smile. "I may look different, but I am and I will always be what I have been all our lives. Your sister who loves you deeply."

Harry had followed the reunion of the two Greengrass sisters with a smile of his own before he was suddenly pulled into a fierce hug himself. His face was full of bushy brown hair.

"Hello, Hermione," he murmured.

Hermione continued to squeeze him tightly, so that Harry almost feared being crushed. Behind Hermione, Ron gave him an amused look, which Harry returned. Then Hermione broke away from him. With her hand, she wiped several tears of joy from her face.

"Oh, Harry, you really must tell us everything that happened. Is it really all true what the papers are saying, and –"

"Jeez Hermione," Ron said with a laugh. "Why don't you let him arrive properly first?" With that, he stepped up to Harry and hugged him too, but shorter and with a manly pat on the back. "We'll leave you alone for now, don't worry, but eventually you'll have to tell us how that happened with Greengrass. Good to see you, mate."

Harry nodded, a lump in his throat. He couldn't help but think back to the moment he'd knelt before Ron's grave, in another future that would now hopefully never come to pass.

"Hey, loverboy," a loud voice sounded from beside Harry. He turned to see Tracey just breaking away from an embrace with Daphne. She stepped up to him and embraced him as well. "Thank you for looking after my best friend."

"Of course," Harry said.

"Even though I'm mad at you for snatching her away from me, Oh, why do the good girls always go for the nice boys instead of a bitch like me!"

At this point Daphne interjected. "Trace, I think it would be better –"

"It's all right," said Ginny, who had overheard everything and now also stepped forward to hug Harry. Only very, very briefly, though. They looked at each other. Harry's green eyes looked into Ginny's brown ones. Harry opened his mouth, but Ginny shook her head. "No, let's talk later, okay? But I'm definitely grateful to you for writing me the letter first. Otherwise, this probably would have gotten really weird."

She laughed up, though it sounded forced and without joy. The smile she gave him afterwards, however, was full of sincerity. "But I'm glad you came back safely." Then she turned to Daphne. "And you too, Daphne."

"Thank you," Daphne said with an unsure smile.

After that, they were greeted by Mr and Mrs Weasley and Hagrid, as well as George and Percy. Hagrid assured Daphne, when she asked, that all preparations had been made for the arrival of the refugees from Everfrost on the Hogwarts grounds. An answer that clearly eased Daphne's mind.

Finally, Kingsley joined them, shaking Harry's hand. "Harry, a pleasure to see you. And Miss Greengrass – or should I say Your Majesty?"

"Daphne. Daphne's fine. Harry's friends are my friends too."

"Daphne, then." Kingsley shook her hand with a smile too. "I knew your mother, Daphne. She was a wonderful woman."

Daphne smiled as well. "Yes, she was."

"Now then, Harry," Kingsley said. "Tomorrow I expect a full report from you, but for now I want to give you the time with your friends. You look like you have a lot to tell them..."

And so it was that shortly afterwards they were sitting together in the living room of the Burrow, mugs of hot chocolate or, in Harry, Ron, and Tracey's case, butterbeer bottles in their hands. Harry and Daphne were sitting next to each other on a couch, the rest had spread out on the other couches and armchairs. It was so crowded in the room, however, that Astoria and Ginny had chosen to sit on the floor rather than squeeze in between the others.

The living room looked as it always had. There was no trace of the silver mirror that had stood here in the future, and Harry doubted he would ever see it here after recent events. It was still a little strange for him to be sitting here, since his last visit had been far in the future and everyone had been so much older. But he was confident that he would get used to it again very soon.

As these thoughts ran through Harry's head, Astoria's excited voice filled the room.

"...and then, from one moment to the next, I felt better. Healthy. I think I nearly gave Bibsy a heart attack when I slid down the banister" Everyone in the room laughed at her words. "But it just felt so wonderful. That was my first day without pain since ... Mum died. And that was your doing, Daph?"

Daphne gave her sister a smile that looked a little pained, Harry thought, but the joy in it was wholehearted. He squeezed her hand.

"Yes, Harry and I managed to break the curse together. But it's a long story." Daphne looked to him. "Would you like to tell it, Harry?"

"Yes, please!" said Ron and Hermione at the same time.

Tracey laughed, and the others present nodded too, eager to hear the whole story and not just what the papers had reported.

And so Harry began to tell. He told how he and Daphne had arrived in Yggdrasil, about the sheer size of the World Tree and all the wonders there. He told of their journey north and how they had finally arrived at the ski resort just before the border of Everfrost.

He left out some details, such as how he and Daphne had spent their first evening at the ski resort getting drunk and telling stories about their lives in front of the roaring fire. That had been such an important step in their growth from strangers to friends that he felt it was too personal to share in this large group.

Instead, he told how the Norwegians had made excuses as to why they could not travel on to Everfrost, so that they had finally decided to flee. When he then told of their feigned quarrel and the avalanche they had caused, Mrs Weasley gave him a shocked look.

"Harry! How could you think up something so dangerous!" she said. "The things that could have gone wrong. I don't even want to think about that." She buried her head in Mr Weasley's chest.

"Um, actually, that had been Daphne's plan..."

There was silence for a few moments until Tracey suddenly started laughing. "Woohoo! That's my girl!"

Daphne shook her head in embarrassment and Harry continued; about their walk north, the Polar Spirits, and their fight against Servant Rupert.

When he told about the fight, everyone listened with bated breath. Astoria started shaking violently when he got to the part when Daphne had been thrown against the wall by their opponent.

Daphne joined her on the floor to hold her and Harry heard her whisper, "Don't worry. I'm here and I'll never leave."

Harry went on to tell how he had finally been able to defeat Servant Rupert through a mixture of determination, daring, and Rupert's arrogance. However, he also told his friends about his suspicion that Santa Claus had maybe ordered his servant to die from afar. That would at least explain his sudden hesitation just before he had pierced him with the Sword of Gryffindor. After all, Santa Claus had told them later that he hadn't expected them until the future.

"Future?" asked Ron. "What do you mean?"

"We're getting to that now," said Harry.

He left out how Daphne and he had held and warmed each other after their fight, how they had comforted each other and also uncovered one or two unpleasant truths about the other – that also seemed too personal. He continued his tale with how they had awoken from their sleep to learn from a Muggle boy that thirty-seven years had passed.

At this point, a collective gasp went through the room. Harry could already see the gears working in Hermione's head. The reactions got worse when he told how they had then returned to England and found all their friends aged.

Harry stopped and exchanged a look with Daphne, who was gently stroking Astoria's head in her lap.

Astoria noticed their gaze. "It's all right," she said, "I can already imagine what happened. I wasn't alive, was I?"

Daphne swallowed. "Yes, but ... but you were supposed to have been happy. You got married and had a son."

Astoria straightened up, looking at her sister with wide eyes. "Married?" she asked, "Who?!"

Daphne shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you that. I don't want that knowledge to possibly influence your decisions in the present." She looked around the room. "That goes for all of you. Harry and I won't go into details about what we saw in the future."

"That's unfair!" complained Tracey. "At least tell me I've found the love of my life!"

Daphne fought her smile, but couldn't quite manage it. "Maybe sometime in private I'll tell you who you might spend more time with," she said, raising her finger. "If you're good."

Tracey snorted. "I'm always good..."

Harry was the only one who noticed the look Daphne gave Hermione and Ron as she said that. Well, this could get interesting, but he wouldn't interfere.

Then Daphne looked to him and asked, "Or do you see it differently, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. True, he would like to show Ron his gratitude for his actions in this past future, for the fact that he had never given up hope of finding them again, paying with his life in the end. However, hearing of his own death was probably not pleasant news and thus the complete opposite of what Harry wanted. He had to show him in some other way how much their friendship meant to him.

Harry cleared his throat. "I'll get on with the story then, shall I?"

"Please," Hermione said. "How did you travel back in time, then? Because you're here again now."

"I'd be interested to know that too," Tracey said.

"Well, I don't want to go into too much detail, because that falls under what Daph said. But we used a modified Time Turner, which – after a brief detour into a battle of flying ships – brought us back to our first night at the ski resort."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "You had to mention the battle, didn't you? I already apologised for that, didn't I?" But she smiled as she said it.

The others looked confused as they watched their exchange, and a shadow flitted across Ginny's face.

Harry decided to continue. He told them how they had come across the Muggles who had been driven into the realm of Everfrost by the Imperius Curse or some other magic that robbed them of their free will. At this point, the others reacted just as disgusted and shocked as Daphne and he had then. Next, Harry told how they had mingled with the Muggles and had finally been led by Servant Rupert to the Castle of the Eternal Frost.

As Harry recounted how they had then been uncovered in the castle and taken to the throne room, Daphne resumed her place beside him on the couch. They placed their hands in each other's. What followed now would not be easy for either of them.

In a faltering voice, Harry recounted how they had confronted Santa Claus and his vicious mistress and what terrible truths they had learned from them.

"No!" gasped Astoria. "That ... that can't ..."

"Yes, Tori, it was. Unfortunately it was just like that," Daphne said. "I didn't want to believe it either at first. But everything we had believed before was wrong. Our family wasn't cursed because our ancestress had resisted the desires of Santa Claus." Daphne's voice had taken on a harsh tone. "No, it was the exact opposite. And every generation, a member of our family was sacrificed in their madness of selfishness and twisted love."

Astoria sobbed. "So Mum died…"

Daphne nodded. "Yes, Mum died that way too..." She faltered, and it was obvious to Harry that she didn't want to take the subject any further here.

Harry was about to continue when Astoria raised her head and looked at Daphne with widened eyes. "Then, you also –"

Again Daphne nodded, albeit very slowly, as if she had to force her head to do so. "Yes, they gave me the same choice. And I have chosen to face that ordeal." She pronounced the last word with hatred.

"For me?" asked Astoria.

"...I meant it that I would do anything for you, Tori."

A heavy atmosphere settled over the living room and Harry decided to quickly continue with the story. He told of Daphne's transformation and why she looked different now. He told of Daphne's fight against the Great Cold and of the attack by the Norwegians, which had happened because Daphne had refused to sacrifice human life and therefore the Norwegians had not received any more crystal for their mirrors.

At this point, Ron began to curse. "Vile, greedy bastards. I've never liked the country."

"Ronald Weasley!" said Mrs Weasley. "No such words in this house!"

"But he's right, Mum. The Norwegians –" said Ginny, but was interrupted by her father.

"From what we know so far, only a small group at the top of government and business knew about it," Mr Weasley said. "We shouldn't condemn an entire country for the crimes of a few."

Wise words, Harry thought, after all, he was now dating a pureblood aristocrat and former Slytherin.

"Thank you, Mr Weasley," he said. "So, the Norwegians attacked. There was fighting all over the castle, but it was obvious that we were outnumbered. We ordered an immediate evacuation. I myself took Daphne out of the cave, while Servant Rupert fought off the attackers. He died in the process, which means that the last Alb has left this world. On Captain Rudolphus' back we were then able to escape and join up with the others who had fled.

"Meanwhile, the Great Cold has descended on Everfrost, freezing all remaining attackers to ice. The land is now uninhabitable. And you know the rest. We flew west until we came across the ICW task force. They took us to Iceland, where we were looked after and could rest. But the refugees from Everfrost were determined to stay with their queen" – he glanced at Daphne – "which is why they accompanied us to London. And now we are here."

Harry finished his tale. Again he had left out what exactly had happened between him and Daphne in the cave and afterwards. It was nobody's business but theirs.

Silence gripped the room. His friends were obviously struggling for words. Finally, it was Ron who broke the silence.

"Wow, mate. Will things ever settle down in your life?"

"I hope so, Ron," Harry said. "I hope so..." Daphne squeezed his hand tenderly and he returned it.

After that, the mood relaxed a little. Mr Weasley poured out his best firewhiskey – Harry could truly use a drink – and the others told him and Daphne what they had missed in their absence. He was glad to hear that Ron and Hermione were planning to travel to Australia together to bring Hermione's parents back. That would provide another piece of normality after all the horrors they had been through.

One by one, the group finally disbanded. George and Percy were the first to say they had a lot to do and Disapparated in the early afternoon. Mr and Mrs Weasley went for a walk together. Ron and Hermione showed Tracey and Astoria the garden and Ron tried to convince the girls to play a game of Gnome Throw. Daphne lastly stepped outside to join Captain Rudolphus and two other reindeer guards to discuss the next steps in settling into their new home.

That left only Harry and Ginny. They had just put their cups and glasses down in the kitchen and were now eyeing each other uncertainly. It was obvious that neither of them knew how to start the conversation that they both knew they had to have, however.

"They are impressive figures," Ginny finally said. She nodded towards the window through which Rudolphus could be seen talking to Daphne.

"Yes, they are," said Harry.

"Will they always be with you now?"

"I don't know. They take their job of protecting Daphne very seriously. Especially Rudolphus."

"As do you?"

Harry heaved a sigh. "Look, Ginny, I..." He faltered.

"It's all right, Harry. I can understand what you see in her." Ginny looked down at the floor. "From what you just told us, she seems like a really brave and loving woman. However ... I can't deny that I felt betrayed when I read your letter. We were still together when you left on your journey, and then suddenly I hear from you that you have fallen in love with another witch. Have you ever loved me, Harry?"

Harry's heart felt heavy in his chest as he answered. "I did like you, Ginny. I still like you, and our time together was wonderful, and without it, I probably would never have made it through the last few months and maybe our feelings would have developed there at some point, but...I..."

He stammered, not knowing how to put his feelings into words. But it seemed enough for Ginny. She nodded slowly, still looking down at the floor. Red hair covered her face.

"I see," she said, "and Daphne? Do you love her?"

Harry didn't want to lie to her. "Yes, I do," he said quietly.

Again Ginny nodded. "When you travelled to the future, you didn't go into detail. Was I happy then?"

"Yes, at least that's what you told me. And that was my impression too."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ginny lifted her head, and in her brown eyes, Harry could see tears shimmering. The sight hurt his heart. Ginny was still important to him, even if they weren't together anymore "I think I've always loved you more than you've loved me, Harry. No, don't say anything. It's all right."

She gave him a wry smile. "We all have to grow up sometime. Better now than later. And we can still be friends, can't we?"

"Of course, Ginny. I ... I'd like that too."

"Then I wish you and Daphne the very best for your future. You deserve it." Ginny wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and headed towards the door. "You coming?"

Harry followed her outside. When Daphne saw them, she gave him a worried look, but Harry shook his head slightly and her posture relaxed. She tensed again, however, as Ginny stepped towards them with quick steps. Rudolphus too began to paw restlessly with his hooves.

Ginny stopped just short of Daphne. "Harry and I talked," she said, "I don't hold a grudge against you. How could I possibly hold a grudge against anyone for falling in love with Harry. You will look out for him, will you? He has a way of putting himself in reckless danger."

For a second, confusion loomed on Daphne's face. The two witches looked at each other for several moments, and finally, Daphne nodded resolutely.

"We will look out for each other."

Despite her words, the next day brought Daphne alone to an altogether unfriendly place. For this one walk, she did not want Harry by her side, even if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him; however long that might last in the face of Santa Claus' cursed power she had absorbed.

Her heels clacked loudly on the stone floor. It was the only sound for miles around. Daphne wrapped herself tightly in her black travelling cloak. It was cold here, even without the Dementors. Probably this place would never be filled with warmth again after all the atrocities that had happened here. She should talk to Harry and Kingsley about building a new wizard prison. Azkaban no longer fitted into the new world they all wanted to build.

These were the thoughts that ran through Daphne's head and with which she tried to distract herself while her steps led her ever closer to her father's cell. Finally, she reached it.

It was the first time she saw her father since he had been brought before the magistrate. His stocky figure had emaciated in the last few weeks and his hair had lost its shine. It was strange for Daphne to see him, for once, not in splendid robes but in simple convict clothes, sitting on a wooden cot with the morning edition of the Daily Prophet on his lap.

Daphne didn't need to look closer. She knew whose face was emblazoned on the front page and what slanderous lies were reported there. It had taken all her powers of persuasion and several tender kisses earlier to dissuade Harry from storming off and burning down the Daily Prophet's office building. But she was Daphne Greengrass, daughter of a wonderful mother, queen of a vanquished realm, and the one who had won Harry's heart. What did she care about the lies of Rita Skeeter.

Her father looked up as she approached the bars. His peg-like eyes bored into her.

"It took you a long time to get here, daughter."

Daphne straightened her shoulders as she returned his gaze. "I've had a lot to do."

"Oh yes, I read about that." Her father lifted the paper and quoted, "For Harry Potter to leave his girlfriend Ginny Weasley, a widely loved war heroine known for her beauty, for the daughter of a convicted Death Eater, to the shock of all who know him, cannot be described as anything other than outrageous. We can only hope that the new administration of Minister Shacklebolt will look very closely at the sinister means by which Daphne Greengrass is attempting to wrap our hero around her finger."

He lowered the paper and let out a dry laugh. "What a rag. I wasn't a Death Eater, and I'm not convicted yet. But be that as it may. It's still an interesting story. You and Potter. Add to that the rumours from Everfrost, the fugitives you've brought here, and your changed appearance – you're really not unlike me, Daphne. Always eager to better your position."

"We are not at all alike, father." Daphne took a deep breath. "I have come to inform you that the curse on your daughter Astoria has been broken. I thought you might like to know..."

Her father's eyes widened. "What?!"

Daphne nodded at him. "It's true. Your daughter will live. Without you."

Her father slumped back on his cot. He leaned against the stone wall. "...Do you hate me, Daphne?" he asked softly. She replied nothing and her father continued to speak. "Is that why you betrayed me to the Ministry?"

"So you found out?"

Her father let out another dry laugh. "Who else could it have been? You were the only one who knew where I was. Because who else could I have trusted as much as my eldest daughter and heiress?"

"Then you didn't know me as well as you thought."

"No, I suppose I didn't."

Silence filled the prison wing, only from afar did the cries of other prisoners reach father and daughter.

Finally, it was Cyrus Greengrass who broke the silence. "Have I been a bad father, Daphne?"

"You've always been good to us," she replied, "but that alone doesn't make you a good father."

Her father nodded slowly, as if he understood. Daphne doubted it. He was a greedy man. He could claim as many times as he liked that he had accumulated all that gold just to look for a cure for Astoria. She didn't believe him. He would never have been satisfied with what he had, always wanting more. For that was the curse of greed.

Greed and selfishness. Daphne had seen their ugly grimaces so often lately. In her father, Santa Claus and Liv, the Norwegians and their mirrors.

All the more did she love Harry, the most selfless person she had ever met. Who, without being obliged to do so in any way, had accompanied her on her mad quest to the end of the world, the quest that had changed her entire life. Only slowly did she realise how much she had missed out on in her Hogwarts years and that she should have got on the right side of things much, much earlier, just as Tori had always wanted.

These thoughts ran through Daphne's head as she left Azkaban behind and returned to Elysium.

She also saw this place with different eyes by now. No longer did she see the magnificent tombs as reminders of the omnipresent death, of the burden on her shoulders to live up to the expectations of her ancestors. No, by now she recognised them for what they were: Evidence that there had been people in her family who had sacrificed everything, even their own lives, for the love of their children, brothers, sisters. Just like her mother.

The thought filled Daphne with a wonderful warmth. She would keep their memory in her heart forever.

Smiling, Daphne pushed open the front door of the mansion and entered. From the living room, she could hear Astoria and Harry laughing together. She knew that in Harry's case it was actually far too early for that, but they were her family. Her family that she would always return to happily.

"I'm home," she called out to them. And indeed she was.

Home.

AN:

This marks the end of the main story. Harry and Daphne have returned from their icy quest that thoroughly changed both their lives. They are no longer the same as when they left for Yggdrasil, but together and with their friends and loved ones they can now look forward to a new and hopefully happy future; as happy as the turmoil of life allows.

However, there will still be a small epilogue with a scene from Harry and Daphne's future life, which I really want to share with you.

A few days ago I also published my oneshot "Everything for You" with a Harry/Daphne pairing and a very determined Daphne who would do anything for her Harry (warning: horror elements!). If you find that interesting, please consider checking out the story on my profile.

Apart from that, I would like to thank everyone who has read, liked, and commented on this story! The same goes for all my other stories, of course. See you next time!