Daphne stared out the window at the large crowd of students, mostly from younger years, engaged in a vigorous snowball fight stretching throughout the castle's courtyard and out onto the grounds. The snowstorm that dropped over a foot of snow over northern Scotland finally passed, and the sun glinted off the untouched powder.

"How are you feeling?"

She turned around to face Madam Pomfrey. "Good, but I've said that every day for the last week and I'm still here."

The school healer waved her wand, the by-now familiar diagnostic spell displaying Daphne's vitals and health information. Pomfrey evaluated the results, nodding in satisfaction before replying, "Well, you're looking much better than when you arrived, so I'm inclined to actually believe you today."

"I do feel better, really."

"I think I'd feel better if you added another five pounds of weight, but we're trending in the right direction." Daphne rolled her eyes, positive she'd eaten at least five pounds of food for every day she'd been here, but chose not to argue.

"I really do feel fine. My stomach doesn't even hurt anymore."

Pomfrey scowled. "Hunger pains, honestly, in a castle full of food! I can't remember the last time I had to treat a student for malnutrition!"

She glanced out the window at the laughing and playing students. "Was it when Harry first came to Hogwarts?"

"Pardon?"

"Your last case of malnutrition."

Pomfrey cleared her throat, an apparently unsubtle decision that a change of topic was in order. "Well, you're cleared to return to your dormitory, but you will have a standing appointment twice a week for the next two months."

She let out a frustrated exhalation. "You already said I'm better, and I'm way behind in my classes-"

"Not for treatment with me, Miss Greengrass. For better or worse, you and I have very little history together, and it's been decided that - in light of your recent actions - you are in need of counseling from a member of the faculty. One of your professors has volunteered." Daphne narrowed her eyes, imagining sitting in awkward silence with Slughorn or Vector, expected to tell them all about her feelings. "You'll be meeting with Professor Snape after his last class of the day, just before dinner."

Snape? Snape volunteered? "Oh. Okay."

"Now, off with you. I believe apparition training is beginning in the Great Hall momentarily."

Daphne didn't need to be told twice, dressing and hurrying out of the Hospital Wing. She slipped in just before the doors closed, quickly finding Tracey and taking the spot next to her.

"Pomfrey finally let you out?"

"Yea. So you want to fill me in on what I missed?"

Tracey let out an annoyed grunt. "Not much to tell. The Ministry's instructors aren't exactly great at teaching. They just keep repeating the Three D's like that's all we need to know."

"Have you managed an apparition yet?" Tracey shook her head, and Daphne innocently looked around the Great Hall. "Has anyone else?"

"Bones splinched herself twice, that's the closest anyone's come," Tracey said. "You can quit acting so surreptitious; Potter's not here."

"What? I wasn't-" Tracey paused her recitation of 'destination, determination, deliberation' to roll her eyes. "Alright, fine. How does he look since he's been back?"

"Normal, I guess? He's not around very much. I saw him in the Great Hall a few times, but he hasn't come back to DADA or Transfiguration class. Now let me focus."

"Alright, alright. Sorry."

They stood there and concentrated in silence for a long moment before Tracey spoke again. "Daphne?"

"Yea?"

"I'm really glad you're okay."

Daphne smiled, reaching out to lightly touch her roommate's elbow. "Me too. Thanks, Tracey."

"-and anyway, I heard from Morag that Michael and Cho were fighting last week on their patrol, and they haven't so much as looked the other's way ever since."

"Oh my gosh, you can't think you have a chance with him! He was dating the Head Girl for Merlin's sake!"

"Why not? He dated Weasley last year, and she's our age!"

Luna spoke up, quietly interjecting, "Ginevra's my friend. We grew up together in-"

"Come off it, Sophie, everyone knows Corner's a dish! He's probably going to end up with someone like Brown, that cow, now that the other Weasley's thrown her over for Granger," a dark-haired girl said, talking over Luna like she hadn't spoken. "You should be more realistic."

Sophie Bishop, the ringleader of the Ravenclaw Fifth Years, scoffed at her friends' doubt. "It's Valentine's Day next week. Some of us still believe in the power of romance. All it will take is-" she abruptly stopped talking when Daphne stepped out from beside the suit of armour she'd stood near. "Yes? What do you want?"

"I was certain you'd have a wrackspurt infestation for the ages, but I can't make any out. Do you think these might be faulty?" Daphne asked, allowing the Spectre-Specs to slide down her nose as she peered at Bishop. "Then again, maybe you don't need any supernatural reason to be a minger."

"What are you-" Luna started to say, but Sophie, colour blooming on her cheeks, interrupted her once more.

"A minger, am I? And why should I care what an attention seeking slag like you thinks of me?"

"What do you think, Luna?" Daphne asked, ignoring the argument she'd deliberately provoked. "I've been reading back issues of The Quibbler, but it seems I don't quite have a handle on this subject. Want to talk it over while we work on this week's rune puzzle?"

"I…" Luna wore a conflicted, confused expression. "I don't know-"

"Come on, Lovegood," Bishop interrupted. "It's time for lunch."

"Okay," she agreed, but as the petite girl followed her roommates she cast a lingering glance over her shoulder at Daphne.

That was fine with her. Luna had every right to be suspicious of her, but Daphne wasn't going to give up so easily.

Daphne knocked on the frame of the open door. "Professor? Should I come back a little later?"

"Just a moment, Greengrass," Snape said, continuing to mark the essay in front of him with red ink.

"Alright," she said, making her way to the seat in front of his desk, pausing halfway when he held up a hand and motioned for her to stop.

Awkwardly, she stood and waited while he finished going over the - judging by the amount of red ink on the parchment - unfortunate student's essay. Once his task was complete, he rose and pulled on a cloak. "Shall we take a walk?"

"Okay, sure."

They began a leisurely stroll through the dungeons, slowly making their way to the castle's ground level. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

"You've been taking care of yourself?"

"I have."

"Going to all of your classes?" Snape gestured with his wand, opening the doors to the outside as they left the Entrance Hall.

"Yes… Um, sir, isn't it a bit cold for a walk outside?"

"Nothing a well-cast warming charm can't offset." Snape waited expectantly until Daphne drew her wand. It took two failed attempts before she managed it. Her Head of House didn't look at all surprised at her difficulty. "You've been having trouble with your spells," he stated, rather than asked.

"Just out of practice, sir." They walked through the courtyard, snow and ice crunching beneath her boots.

"I happen to know you're not so thick-headed that you actually believe that."

"What do you mean?"

The courtyard was left behind, the snow on the path growing deeper the further they ventured onto the grounds. "Strong emotion impacts spellcasting. Take the Patronus Charm, for example. Positive feelings are a necessity to successfully carry out such magic. The Unforgivable Curses are also rather famous for demanding specific and powerful emotions to cast. Similarly, great regret and deep anguish can handicap even the most powerful witch or wizard."

Daphne glanced at him, but her professor's face betrayed nothing, striding calmly through the snow, breath fogging the air in front of him. "It's been a trying year, sir."

"And young Astoria? Has… has she passed on?"

They'd reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "The healers, th-they say not much longer. A few weeks, perhaps a month."

Snape was quiet, coming to a halt in an unremarkable patch of woods. "But it is not just your sister's fate that weighs on you, is it?"

"No," she whispered. "I've made so many- I just want to fix things. Make them right again."

He looked up at the bare branches of the trees around them, a grim expression on his face. "I should think that's a natural desire, but sometimes things break beyond repair. Relationships, people; it's not so simple as casting a spell and making them whole again, is it?"

"No, it's not."

"Your wish to atone may seem a responsibility, a duty, but you should know - even if you were capable of 'fixing things', you can't force someone to forgive you."

She turned on him, frustration radiating from within her. "So I just give up, then? Accept that I hurt someone I love and move on with my life?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, I can't do that. I won't do that."

Snape arched a single eyebrow. "I see. And when you fail, then what? Drown yourself in guilt and self-recrimination for the rest of your life?" Her face heated up at the words 'drown yourself', but Daphne didn't reply. "You may officially be an adult, but you're still very young. If you unwind the shackles of grief you've ensnared yourself with, you might find a worthy and happy life past this quest for redemption."

She opened her mouth to respond, but Snape held up a finger to his lips, nodding for her to look in the direction he gestured towards. From deeper within the forest came the sounds of someone approaching, muffled conversation becoming more audible as they came closer.

Snape's wand tapped her on the top of her head, and Daphne felt the sensation of an egg yolk running down over her, the Disillusionment Charm taking effect moments before she was able to make out the identity of the people intruding on their conversation.

"You're coming along very nicely," Dumbledore wheezed, sagging heavily against Harry, who was shouldering the elderly man's weight, the two staggering through the forest.

"It's not enough, sir. I need more from you," Harry said, despite looking rather unwell himself. His cloak was in tatters, scorch marks and rips present throughout the garment, one arm limp against his side, dragging one leg as he kept the Headmaster upright.

"I'm afraid- our training is too taxing to increase in- frequency," Dumbledore said, his speech slow and halting. "Perhaps- some of the others might-"

"Mad-Eye and Shack are powerful wizards, no doubt, but there's a reason you're the only one he ever feared."

The Headmaster was silent while they continued to shuffle past. When they were nearly out of earshot, though, he said, "I have another memory to show you."

"Very well," Harry replied, and then they were gone.

Snape cancelled the disillusionment, leaning his back against the trunk of a sturdy tree. He patiently regarded her while she stared longingly in the direction Harry had gone. "Potter believes he can stand against the Dark Lord. His belief is misguided."

"Why did you show me this?"

"I wanted you to see that your regrets are worthless. Fate itself decided the course of that boy's life, long before you enacted your plan to save your sister. A life spent ruminating on mistakes is not a life worth living, Miss Greengrass. Believe me when I tell you that if that is the path you intend on walking, you may as well throw yourself back in that lake and spare yourself decades of misery."

At last tearing her gaze off of where Harry had walked, Daphne whirled around to face her professor. "Why don't you tell me the fucking truth, for once?"

His coal-black eyes flashed in warning. "Greengrass-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. You've been handing out this surreptitious advice for over a year now. If you expect me to give you any credibility, then level with me, right here and now. What's your great regret that you keep hinting at?"

He didn't say anything for a long moment, but eventually replied, "I need to attend to the Headmaster. We should head back."

"Hey! Ron!" The tall and gangly redhead looked around. "Weasley! Over here!"

"'Lo, Greengrass," he said, ambling over to her. "What're you doing hiding behind the corner like that?"

"Er, I, uh, didn't want to make things awkward for you."

He scratched the back of his neck, looking supremely unconcerned. "What, you mean Hermione? She's just worried about everything going on, you can't take it personally."

"Every time I see her she's glaring daggers at me."

Ron laughed. "I'll have a word with her. But I presume you weren't waiting outside of Flitwick's classroom to talk about her."

"I wanted to ask a favour." He nodded for her to go on. "I want to talk to Harry, but he's never in class anymore-"

"Oh, yea," Ron said, tone still easy but posture now more wary. "He's doing some independent study with the Headmaster. I'd be jealous, but it seems like he's doing twice as much work as before, the poor bastard."

"I already knew that. I have to talk to him, though-" Ron winced, but she continued before he could interrupt. "I want to tell him the truth, the whole truth. I never got a chance to explain, please!"

"Listen, Greengrass, I sympathise with you, I really do. But Harry's got a lot on his plate right now. He spends almost all his time working, and I'd rather not start an argument by mentioning you during the rare bits of time he's got to relax."

She shook her head. "That's just it, you don't have to say anything. I just need you to let me borrow his map, and I'll set up the meeting myself."

"Wha- the Marauder's Map? You must be barking if you think-"

"Please!"

"I can't. No, wait, hear me out. The map's not mine to loan out; Harry's got precious few things left of his parents, I can't hand it over without his permission. If something happened, he'd never forgive me, and frankly, I wouldn't blame him."

"Alright. I understand." Daphne stared down at her shoes, cuffing the stone floor with one toe. "Does he… does he ever talk about me?"

"Not since the end of last term, no. Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, fighting back feelings of defeat. "I'll find another way. Thanks, Ron."

"Sure. See you around, yea?"

"Hello, Luna." The small girl started, surprised by Daphne's greeting. "What are you working on?"

She hadn't planned this encounter, instead going to the library to actually study. Missing nearly an entire month of classes left her way behind on schoolwork, but after spotting Luna in the stacks, Daphne wasn't going to let another chance slip by.

"Transfiguration," the blonde said quietly, turning away to examine titles on the shelf.

"Maybe I could help? Give you some tips on what you might see on your OWL?"

"I don't think so," Luna said, taking a book off the shelf, then replacing it and moving towards the next row to continue her search. "Besides, I'm here with my friends."

Daphne followed. "I'll help them, too, then. I just want to spend some time with you."

"I'd rather you didn't." Luna found what she was looking for, pulling down a heavy book and heading back towards the study tables. "I don't think they'd want you there. You upset Sophie the last time you-" she suddenly fell silent.

"What is it?" Daphne asked, doggedly trailing after her. They stood in front of a table, empty save for a single set of blue-trimmed school robes and one bag. "Luna?"

"They left," she said in a trembling voice. "They- they left without me. Why…?"

She couldn't stand this any longer. Daphne took hold of Luna's shoulders, turning them so she faced her. "Because they're not your friends! Real friends wouldn't treat you like that, wouldn't ignore you, they wouldn't want you to change who you are!"

Luna bit her lip, her protuberant, silvery eyes filling with tears. "I- I just wanted to, to…"

Daphne wrapped her up in her arms, embracing her friend and stroking her hair. "I know that I hurt you, but I want you to know I didn't- it wasn't all about Harry. I care about you, I like you, and I want to be your friend. The real you." She pulled back to see Luna's face. "So what do you say? Want to work on some transfiguration?"

"Luna?" They both turned, seeing Weasley arm-in-arm with Dean Thomas. "What's going on?"

Luna wiped her eyes with her sleeve, looking between Weasley and Daphne. "I should go." She hurriedly gathered her bag and robes and fled the library.

"What did you do to her?" Weasley demanded, narrowed eyes aimed at Daphne. "Haven't you already caused enough trouble, Greengrass?"

"It wasn't me, it was her roommates. They left her here."

"Oh." Some of the suspicion eased from her features, before her expression hardened once more. "It was Bishop, wasn't it? That poxy little cunt!"

Daphne fully agreed with that sentiment. "Why is she spending time with them? Why not with you and the others?"

Weasley gave her a long, flat stare, as though evaluating the sincerity of her query. "There's no DA anymore, everyone's being pulled in a bunch of different directions."

She flicked her eyes between Weasley and Thomas. "Right. Well, I'll let you get back to, uh, studying."

Daphne started to head for the exit, no longer in the mood to study, but after a few steps turned around, a fire igniting within her. "Wait, we're not done."

Weasley heaved out a sigh. "What is it now, Greengrass?"

"It's fine that you all want to ignore me. I don't know what your brother told you about what happened, but I deserve it. What did Luna do to you? How can you all just forget about her?"

"I didn't forget her, none of us did!"

"She was always there for you, for everyone! And now, when she needs someone, you're what, off snogging your new boyfriend?"

Thomas coughed into his hand, looking intensely uncomfortable. Weasley, though, wasn't the sort to back down. "Like you have any right to lecture me after what you did!"

"This isn't about me, I'm actually trying! What's your excuse? Or Granger's, or your brother's?" Weasley clenched her jaw, glaring at her, and Daphne sighed. "Just- do more. Luna deserves better than she gets."

Her piece said, Daphne left to return to her dormitory.

Her first week back bled into the next, a hesitant routine settling in after her release from the Hospital Wing. Daphne studied with Tracey, went to all of her classes, ate every meal in the Great Hall, and dutifully attended her sessions with Snape.

She was relieved to see that her encounter with Weasley at least bore fruit. Two days after the events in the library, Sophie Bishop was handed off to Madam Pomfrey's custody after angry red boils appeared on her face and arms, bursting and showering her and her little tag-alongs with pus.

Apparition training continued, and she and Tracey both managed to transport themselves, albeit missing a few limbs along the way. It was slow in coming, but progress was being made.

Unfortunately, that was the extent of her good fortune. Harry remained as elusive as ever. She would occasionally catch sight of him and Dumbledore, coming and going from the Forbidden Forest, but she had yet to actually speak with him.

Although perhaps, she thought to herself as Hermione slid into the seat next to her at the start of Arithmancy, her luck was about to change.

They sat quietly throughout the whole lesson, neither speaking until Professor Vector gave them a set of equations to complete. It was like a reflection of the past, when she'd tried unsuccessfully to engage with the muggleborn girl.

"Hi. How have you been?"

"Good. Busy, but good."

"Good- I mean, that's great," Daphne said, fumbling over her words, suddenly nervous. "Listen, I just wanted to, you know, properly apologise. I know how you must have felt, hearing, um, hearing everything on the Express like that."

"It's fine," Granger said airily. "Ron mentioned you were trying to get your hands on the map."

Daphne sat straight in her seat, then looked around to make certain they weren't being overheard. "Do you have it?" she whispered urgently.

"No. Harry wouldn't want you to have it, and I'm not going to go against him."

"Oh. Okay, I understand." They both made a token effort at glancing over the equations before she went on. "How is he?"

"Scared and determined. And, I think, more than a little bit lonely."

"Really?" Daphne tried to remain calm, to not make demands or be overly pushy. "It might be good for him to relax, take a little bit of time for himself."

"I suppose you think you're the one to convince him of that?"

She winced at being so transparent. "Not necessarily-"

"No, you're right. Much as I might wish it weren't so, Harry needs a push, and you're the one to give it to him."

"I won't hurt him, or upset him," Daphne promised. "I just- I want to talk with him, clear the air, make him see that not everything was a lie, that-"

Hermione held up a hand, struggling not to grimace. "Right. Well, we've got a Hogsmeade weekend after tomorrow. Are you going?"

She almost dropped her quill as the realisation slowly dawned on her. Valentine's Day was two days ago, and this weekend was the Hogsmeade trip for the students to celebrate. A full year since she'd publicly started her pursuit of Harry, since she'd really put Elysant's ill-fated plan into action.

It was a full circle, bringing her right back to the start to do things right. To make things right. "Yea, I'm going."

"That's all for today, class, I'll see you next week!" Vector said from the front of the room.

Hermione began to pack her things. "Okay, well I'll meet you outside the Shrieking Shack at noon on Saturday."

Daphne felt… light, like she might float away from happiness. She reached out, placing her hand on Hermione's forearm before the other girl left, her vision slightly blurry. "Thank you, Hermione. I promise I'll do whatever it takes to help Harry. You don't know what your doing this means to me."

Hermione pulled her arm out of Daphne's grasp. "Just don't be late."

"How about this one?" Tracey held up a violet blouse with puffy sleeves. "You could pair it with that brown skirt."

"It's not all that, erm, you know. Sexy," Daphne said quietly, digging through her trunk.

"That's all well and good, but it's freezing outside! It's not like you're planning to have it off in the Shrieking Shack, after all." Daphne determinedly kept looking, feeling her cheeks grow warm, and Tracey gasped. "Merlin's balls! You are!"

"No! I just- like I said, I want him to want me." She pulled out a grey, long-sleeved sweater dress. "I'm going to try this on, I'll be right back."

Daphne popped into the lav, quickly stripping down to her knickers and pulling on the dress. For the first time, she felt regret over destroying her beauty potions and her new dresses. Going 'natural' wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Still, this dress was…

She stared at her reflection in the mirror, really seeing herself for the first time in months. The trauma of losing Harry and Astoria had not been kind. Her long black hair, which after a year of potions and oils had been vibrant, shiny, and thick, was now limp, flat, and tangled. Her skin, glowy before from her lotion and creams, was now shiny and oily.

The dress - intended to hug her figure tightly - hung off of her like it was a trench coat. Her cheeks were hollowed, her face gaunt. Her breasts, at her best not much more than a handful, were noticeably smaller. Instead of showing off her charms, the only standout part of her body seen through the dress were her ribs, everything about her too starved and too underweight.

How could- what had she done to herself?

"He'll never want me," she whispered to her reflection. "I'm-"

"You're still the same Daphne Greengrass, no matter how you might look on the outside," Tracey said, coming up behind her. "Stop thinking like that."

"Tracey, look at me! I'm- I'm hideous!"

"First of all, you're far from hideous. You've changed, yes, but you actually look a lot better now than you did a week ago." Daphne moaned in horror at that thought. "Look, Daph, you have two options. You can let me help you get ready to meet Potter, or you can stay here and feel bad about yourself. Those are your only two options. What's it going to be?"

She looked back at herself one more time. Tracey was right; no matter how she looked, she had to see Harry again. And… and her mum was also right, what she'd told her ages ago. It wasn't Madam Primpernelle's potions that made Harry fall for her. What mattered to Harry was that she'd changed who she was on the inside.

Daphne turned back to Tracey. "Can I see what cosmetics you have?"

Stepping out of the carriage, Daphne paused to look around Hogsmeade. Just like the year before, it was decked out in holiday decorations, but the snow on rooftops and above promenades made the village seem to glow in the winter sun.

Making her way along the main street, she paused to pop into Honeyduke's to buy some chocolate frogs for Harry, and on impulse, some sugar quills for Hermione. Her purchases in hand, Daphne set off for the Shrieking Shack.

For all her anxiety in getting ready for this meeting, she surprisingly felt calm and at peace now that the moment was finally here. She would speak from the heart, tell Harry how what began as deception quickly turned to affection; about how falling in love with him made her reevaluate the person she was, made her consciously think about who she wanted to be.

The liberation that came with total honesty put a bounce in her step as she turned off the main street, the hustle and bustle of the village fading away as her destination came into view. A familiar figure waited outside the decrepit house.

"Hi! Where's Harry?"

"This way," Hermione said, gesturing for Daphne to accompany her as they started walking into the woods, heading away from Hogsmeade.

They walked for several minutes. "Is Harry, uh, practising spells? What's he doing way out in the forest?"

"It's not much further," Hermione replied. Daphne drew her cloak more tightly around herself, the shadows of the trees adding an extra chill to the February morning.

They walked for another few minutes, finally reaching what was obviously an agreed-upon meeting spot. Unfortunately, it wasn't the meeting Daphne anticipated.

"What is this? You set me up?"

Hermione regarded her with her hands on her hips. "You won't leave well enough alone! You've already done so much damage, but you keep pushing for more!"

Daphne glanced between the two witches, taking stock of the situation she was trapped in. "So, what, you two hatched this scheme to scare me off?"

"I made you a promise, did I not?" Fleur said, nimbly spinning her wand in one hand, her beauty radiant even in the drab, barren forest. "I told you if you hurt him, I would repay every bit ten times over. I have come to collect."

A vibrant blue spell flashed out of the veela's wand, forcing Daphne to duck, the trunk of the tree behind her splintering on impact.

"Fleur, wait, what are you-"

Another spell fired off, this one sending a shower of dirt and snow into the air, knocking Daphne off her feet. "You can leave this to me, I will 'andle it from here."

"We were only supposed to scare her, you're taking it too far!"

Fleur didn't respond, waiting until Daphne regained her footing to fire off another curse. This one, a rust-coloured jet of light, struck her while she attempted to draw her wand. Daphne whimpered as all of her fingernails fell out.

She vaguely heard Hermione's flight from the forest back towards the village, more focused on trying to defend herself. Daphne called out 'Protego!' when Fleur next motioned with her wand, but the Bludgeoning Hex tore through her shield like it was made of paper, sending her tumbling to the cold, wet ground once more. The splintered remains of several of her teeth fell from her mouth alongside crimson-tinted saliva.

"Expelliarmus!" she tried to incant, the word coming out mangled, the red-coloured spell lancing out, a foot and a half to the veela's left. Fleur's reprisal was a transfiguration that turned a snow pile into a jet of boiling water splashing over her. Daphne screamed, instinctively curling into a ball to try and protect herself.

The missed Disarming Charm was the last of Daphne's resistance, but the French witch did not relent, continuing to pelt her with spells. Each curse brought another wave of fiery agony, Daphne losing control of her limbs, involuntarily jerking back and forth to cradle new injuries, the snow around her stained with her blood.

Distantly, she heard Fleur speak another incantation, but this time, there was no impact, no new torment.

"That's enough."

'It couldn't be!' She raised her head, darkened vision falling upon her saviour.

Harry stood above her, his wand at his side. A bright, vibrant barrier of energy barred Fleur from her, but the veela made no effort to breach the protection, choosing instead to dispassionately stare as he gingerly lifted Daphne from the snow.

"Don't ever do anything like this again," he hissed, seething fury evident in his voice. "Especially not in my name." She caught sight of Hermione, wearing an ashamed look on her tear streaked face, before Harry carried her away from them, to safety.

Far from the most direct route, Harry seemed to be taking her on a roundabout along the outskirts of the village. 'To protect Fleur's reputation,' she internally decided. He'd been walking for several minutes when she spoke up, her voice hoarse.

"She loves you."

"I don't know about that."

Even with the pain of her injuries, Daphne felt a twinge from her broken heart. He never was able to lie to her. "What did you do to earn her- that affection?"

He carried her silently, not responding, and she allowed herself the small comfort of being cradled in his arms, awash in his scent once more after going so long without. They arrived at the carriages, and he gingerly set her inside before hopping in himself to take the seat across from her. The thestrals began a trot back to the castle.

"Fleur doesn't love me, at least, not like that," he said quietly, staring out the carriage window. "She just thinks she owes me."

"For what?"

His eyes flicked from the window to her face. "Saving her little sister."

White-hot rage flared within her. Was he deliberately trying to be cruel? "You son of a bitch!"

"What?"

"So if I were a veela, or maybe just a little prettier, you might have saved Astoria, too? No problem rescuing little sisters, foreign and domestic, with the sole exception being-" her voice broke in an embarrassing fashion but Daphne did her best to hold onto her anger. It was better than the pain, after all. "Can't be arsed to help my sister. My- my baby… sister…"

She dissolved into tears, the salt stinging her wounds. Harry didn't move, didn't try to comfort her. "I thought you had your cure."

Clearing her throat, Daphne shook her head. "It didn't work. She's going to die." It was the first time Daphne had said the words out loud, and it made her cry that much harder. "Why? Why couldn't you love me? I tried- I tried so hard!"

The carriage came to a halt, and Harry opened the door, fluidly leaping to the ground and calling out Hagrid's name. She heard the half-giant's rumpled response, and closed her eyes in exhaustion. Daphne was so tired of the hurt, the pain; the first conversation she'd had with him since… that night, and it was worse than she could have ever imagined.

"Hagrid will take you to Madam Pomfrey," Harry said. She ignored him, keeping her eyes shut. "And- for what it's worth… I'm sorry. I don't know why your plan didn't work. Based on what your relative told me about the malediction, the cure should have righted Astoria."

Her eyes flew open at his words. "Then- if you'd just let the healers run some tests, maybe-"

Harry shook his head. "It should have worked then, but it wouldn't now. Stay put, help is on the way."

He closed the carriage door before she could reply, much less pursue him. Hagrid appeared shortly after, lifting her broken body out of the carriage with a gentleness she hadn't thought a half-giant capable of. "Good 'eavens, le's get you straight to Poppy!"

If the cure should have worked, that meant- She craned her neck, seeking out his familiar form, but there was no sign of him nearby or on their walk to the Hospital Wing.

It meant Harry really did love her.

And maybe, just maybe… he might again.

A/N: Had a few people guess that Daphne was pregnant after last chapter. Nope! She took the contraceptive potion, remember? If it seems unbelievable for Daphne to drastically change so much after a month or so of not eating, you'd be surprised how fast hunger takes a toll. There really are few things worse in the world than going hungry. In my late 20s, I ran into some bad luck - lost a job, stuck with rent i couldn't afford, working full time but not earning enough to cover my bills. I went to food banks when I could, but oftentimes they were closed by the time i got out of work. And I starved. In 6 weeks, I lost 14 lbs. When you're hungry, you can't sleep. Your stomach hurts all the time. Your drool *incredible* amounts at the mere thought of food. I looked like a skeleton. So... yea, it's actually terrifying how fast your body degrades when you don't eat.

Lots of you might be hating on Hermione after this chapter. I can see why, but I don't see her as being bad, necessarily. She wanted to humiliate and bully Daphne, sure, but didn't expect Fleur to put a pasting on her like that. Basically, Hermione planned to do to Daphne what Daphne did to Hermione for the first five years they were in school. One of my regular reviewers actually said Ron deserves better, which totally took me aback haha.

I'm taking a relaxed approach to NaNoWriMo this year. Didn't like how stressed I felt last year; writing like this is supposed to be a pleasure, not something I have to force myself to do. That being said, I've got the prologue and first two chapters done on my novel. I'm really enjoying it!

Believe it or not, I'm planning on putting out the next chapter for AMR by the weekend - that's the plan, anyway. Sixth year will be finished in the next chapter, another climactic moment similar to the end of 5th year and the start of winter break in 6th year. We'll catch up with some familiar faces, and meet some characters who've yet to make an appearance in this fic. I can't wait.

Oh, right: Astoria Death Watch - still alive!

Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles