Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; it belongs to JK Rowling. The title is taken from the book by Brigid Kemmerer.

Thanks to Webstriker and Honorversefan for editing.

"To you I am nothing more than a fox like a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world..."

-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Six years of being an auror and all he had to show for it was two boxes.

Harry Potter felt something between sadness and relief as he finished clearing out his desk in the DMLE office. He shrunk the boxes down and put them in his pockets before pushing the chair into the desk. He laid a hand against the desk one last time and then he walked out of the office. That took longer than it should have, given how his now former co-workers stopped him to say their goodbyes, shake his hand, tell him to keep in touch, and so on. Head Auror Robards watched him leave from his own office, a hard expression on the older man's face.

Harry nodded to him curtly before he finally stepped out the door and into his new future. I just wish I knew what it's going to be, he thought to himself, a rueful smile on his face.

That uncertainty was sitting in the back of his mind even before he packed his desk, even while he was having lunch with Ron; a lunch that was supposed to be a dinner with him and Hermione, but Ron had to change plans when Victoire got sick and he was asked to babysit once his shift at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was over that night. Harry smiled a lot, laughed at his friend's jokes, but Ron became quieter as the meal continued, even frowning briefly once or twice. Then he needed to prepare himself to do the same with Hermione, but it was a lost cause almost at the start.

Hermione met him in front of the muggle restaurant and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you," she said, voice warm. Harry tensed at her words and her smile turned into a frown. He smiled in what he hoped was reassuring, but she just sighed in response. "Oh Harry, please tell me that you're not second-guessing quitting."

"Of course not," he said, lying through his teeth.

Hermione just sighed again; she'd known him too long and too well to believe that, just like Ron had earlier. "You better not. This is the best decision you could have made, Harry, you'll see." She glanced back at the restaurant, shook her head, and then grabbed him by the arm. "Come on. I don't feel like eating out now. Let's go back to my place."

"Are you sure? You like it here-"

"Do you actually feel like sitting in a restaurant right now?"

Harry pushed his slipping glasses back up, looking through the windows of the well-lit restaurant, and at the many occupied tables. So many pairs of eyes, so much talking, and he and Hermione would be right in the middle of all of it. His skin itched at the idea of doing just that and he took a step farther from the door. "Er, I guess not. Theo won't mind?" he asked.

She shook her head, curls bouncing at the motion. "Of course not. Now, come on. There's a really good Italian place I think you'll like." She pulled him into the empty alley next to the restaurant and they apparated to a similarly secluded spot outside Hermione's town.

Despite his reluctance to go tonight, he found himself relaxing as he stepped into Hermione and Theo's home. It was big, yet still warm and welcoming, and it was a clear mix of muggle and magical. There was a television and computer right alongside moving photographs and a makeshift potions 'lab'. He sometimes missed Hermione as his housemate, but she'd gotten tired of London and wanted to live with Theo, which was only sometimes still weird for him to think about.

Harry only had the barest of memories of Theodore Nott in school, since the other man never made too much of an impression on him then. He remembered Nott laughing at some of Malfoy's jokes, him being able to see Thestrals during Care of Magical Creatures class, and a couple dark looks he shot Harry's way but that was it. His infamous Death Eater father certainly did the man no favors when Hermione finally introduced Theo as her boyfriend to him and Ron. After a lot of glowering and threatening, he and Ron slowly got to know Theo and now Harry supposed the former Slytherin was an alright enough bloke. He probably wouldn't have become friends with Nott on his own, but Harry liked him well enough and he made Hermione happy.

As long as he continued making Hermione happy, then he'd be in Harry's good books.

"Theo, I'm home," Hermione called brightly, carrying two bags of Italian take-in. Harry tried to take them from her earlier but she shrugged him off. "I brought Harry and dinner!"

"Oh wonderful, I was feeling a bit peckish. Feel free to come over with food anytime, Potter," Theo said and walked in from the kitchen. His former classmate had finally grown into his height, losing most of his awkward grown too quick look he had during Hogwarts. He was leaner now and had grown out his dark hair. He was dressed in a black shirt and Muggle jeans instead of the robes he wore around the Ministry.

He nodded to Harry but his attention was primarily on Hermione and he bent down to kiss her. Harry looked away to one of the pictures on the wall of Theo, Hermione, and a pretty brunette woman. Theo stood in the middle, an arm wrapped around Hermione's waist, and she laughed as he whispered something in her ear. The other woman stood slightly to the right, and rolled her eyes at them but he could see the beginning of a fond, little smile on her face.

He recognized her right away but it took a couple seconds to put a name to the face: Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin girl who'd made even less of an impression on him than Theo had. He racked his brain to try and recall if he'd said even ten words to her during school, but Theo's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Vix says hi, Hermione. You just missed her."

"Vix?" Harry asked, incredulously.

Hermione rolled her eyes and nodded to the picture he'd been looking at. "Daphne Greengrass. Theo calls her Vix." She tilted her head up to look at her stupidly tall boyfriend. "Why do you call her that anyway?"

"Inside joke. It wouldn't make any sense if I tried to explain. You know how it is," Theo said, shrugging. Amusement glittered in his moss green eyes and a smile tugged at his mouth like he'd remembered something funny just then. "It's too bad she had to run. I think you'd like her, Harry."

Harry shrugged, not really knowing what to say to that.

Hermione glanced at him thoughtfully. "You know I actually think you two would. Daphne is my favorite of Theo's friends anyway."

"She likes you too," Theo said cheerfully. "I'm going to get some wine. You want me to pour two more glasses?"

"Yes, please," Hermione said.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Harry answered. The other wizard walked into the kitchen and Harry walked into the dining room with Hermione. She waved her wand and the cabinet opened and plates floated onto the table. Cutlery came next from the kitchen and Harry started taking the food out of the bags as she set the table. "If you like Greengrass, how come I haven't met her?"

He tried to remember if Hermione, Theo had mentioned her to him before, or even from overheard gossip somewhere. He knew Malfoy had been starting charities and such, like some form of retribution, for the last few years. Goyle was back in prison after attacking two other wizards last year. He thought he heard Parkinson moved abroad — the one time they owled each other, he was almost positive her return address had been somewhere in Italy — but he didn't know where or what she was doing. That was about it really. Nothing on Greengrass.

It was Hermione's turn to shrug. "It was more a timing issue than anything. You worked so much and it was hard to make plans for you, so I suppose it just never worked out." Harry frowned in guilt and Hermione hurriedly patted him on the arm. "Of course, it wasn't your fault, Harry. That's just what being an auror is like."

Harry was not given a chance to respond as two glasses of wine floated towards himself and Hermione. Theo walked behind them, sipping his own glass. "Why the long faces? It's officially your first night of new freedom, Potter! We should be celebrating!"

Theo was right. Hermione was right. This was the start of a new chapter in his life and he supposed he should focus on the bright side. "I can't drink too much. I need to apparate home," he said, smiling.

After a few hours, he finally paid Hermione and Theo good night. He stood on their doorstep for a moment and titled his face upwards, eyes closed, and let out a long breath. The early September air was cool against his face, tempting him to stay outside a bit longer, to enjoy the fresh air. It's not like I have anything to do tomorrow or anyone waiting up at home. Even Walburga's portrait was silent once he spelled some curtains to cover her portrait unless he opened them himself.

He was nowhere near drunk enough to think it was a good idea to debate her like he did on his twenty-second birthday. His mouth curved into a faint smile as he remembered Hermione "helping" his argument, Ron's laughter, and Ginny throwing jinxes at the painting after losing her temper. His house felt livelier then, back when Ginny lived there or even when Hermione had moved in following his break-up with Ginny.

If he went home, he would just think and second guess his decision. Screw that. The town Theo and Hermione lived in bordered the woods and overall looked picturesque enough to be on a postcard. It was too dark for a hike in the woods so he headed towards the town center.

Until he heard a noise.

Harry paused as he heard what was unmistakably a whimper coming from somewhere behind the one of the houses neighboring his friends' home. It's probably nothing. It's time to go home anyway...but what if someone needs help? He pushed the thoughts of his home and bed away as he walked towards the mysterious noise. This particular house was close to the woods' tree line and he readily ignored the fact that he was trespassing on someone's property. The lights in the house were off, so cutting through their backyard wasn't a problem.

The closer he got, the more clearly he heard whines and whimpers laced with pain. He didn't have to walk too far past the tree line before he found the source of the noises; there was a white fox lying on the ground, its left foreleg caught in some sort of unfamiliar trap.

His breath came out in a hiss as he saw the trap had not only pinned the fox's leg, but the metal looked to actually be cutting into her. He frowned as he noticed the blood trickling down her leg, standing out vividly to him against the colour of her fur. So bloody cruel. He was distracted from his assessment of the damage by the fox letting out a pitiful wail and slumping over.

"Hey, I'll get you out," he said, inching forward. It would be really nice if he suddenly tapped into an undiscovered talent of his to speak fluent fox, but he wasn't holding his breath. Still, the calmness in his voice or just his slow movements seemed to put the fox more at ease, as it didn't react when he came closer.

Or maybe it was just in too much pain to care.

He knelt on the ground and noticed the leaves and dirt that stuck to the obviously homemade trap. Someone had taken care to make this thing hard to see and Harry felt his earlier judgement of cruelty was quite correct. "This can't be legal," he sighed before he took out his wand. "You're going to be alright, I promise." He shook his head as he cast the unlocking charm on the trap, causing it to spring open.

The fox cried out and curled up, cradling its leg close to its body. Harry hung back and waited to see if the fox would try and lash out at him, but the fox merely raised its head before slumping over. "Shit," he said as the fox passed out. Now what? He couldn't just leave it here, not with that kind of wound, but he didn't really know where he could take it. Is there an animal version of St. Mungo's?

Damn it.

He didn't want to disturb Hermione and Theo, and he didn't know anywhere else he could take it at this time of night; he was just going to have to try and do it himself. The fox was completely out of it as he got up and moved closer to it. He hesitated for a few seconds before he bent down and scooped her — he thought the fox was female anyway — into his arms. She let out another soft whimper at the movement but didn't wake up.

"Let's hope I can do this without splinching you," he muttered under his breath before apparating. He materialized in his living room in Grimmauld and checked to make sure she was still in one piece before gently laying her down on the couch.

"Acico The Magical Art of Healing," he said. A book flew down the stairs and into his outstretched hand. He hurriedly flipped through the pages to get to the wounds section and stopped as he located a spell he thought should take care of the worst of her injuries from that horrible trap. He knelt down in front of the couch, placed the book on the floor next to him for ease of reference, and held his wand out towards the fox.

She twitched and stirred before he could open his mouth.

Harry stilled as the fox's eyes opened, ready to move if she looked ready to attack him. She stared at him for what felt like a very long moment, then her body relaxed, however, her eyes remained fixated on him. He waited for another few seconds before he looked back down at her injured leg; he concentrated hard as he went through the wand movements and incantations and, slowly, her leg started to heal. The fox made a sort of sighing noise and any remaining tension in her body evaporated.

He frowned a little as he inspected her leg and saw that, while he'd taken care of the major damage, it was far from being fully healed. He ran a hand through his hair and said, "I'm glad you're feeling better, but I think this is the best I can do on my own. I'll take you to a real healer in the morning." The fox looked at him silently, but he knew better than to think she understood anything he said. "Let me just clean you up a little and then you can sleep." Her eyes closed as he vanished the blood and dirt from her fur. "That's better. You are one pretty fox."

She looked up at him, head held high, and for a moment he thought she looked pleased with herself. Merlin, he must be tired. "I've never seen a white fox before. I thought you lot only lived where there's a lot of snow." The fox tilted her head to the left as he spoke and he smiled faintly. "But what do I know about foxes?"

For all he knew there could be a large population of albino foxes in England. He'd only glimpsed the red and white ones himself, but he lived in London and didn't see a lot of wild foxes in the first place. None of this really mattered anyway. There wasn't a mystery to be solved here. All he needed to do was make sure the fox was taken care of until he could get an actual healer to take a look at her.

Shaking his head at himself, he picked the book up again and thumbed through it, until he found the spell he was searching for. He muttered another incantation and bandages materialized and wrapped around her left foreleg. The fox lowered her head and nosed at the bandages. "Sorry, but better safe than sorry."

That was one problem down.

He raked a hand through his hair. "Now where do I put you? I could get some bedding and put you in the kitchen," he said and blinked as the fox let out a whine. Coincidence. Still, he didn't have the heart to move her since she was still injured. "Or I'll just leave you here. It's only one night."

The fox stretched out on his couch and honestly, he thought she looked very relaxed, despite her injuries and the unfamiliar environment. She looked pretty un-bothered by him sitting so close to her as well. Was it normal for foxes to be this comfortable with humans?

Maybe people leave food out for her and she's not afraid of humans now? Maybe it's just because I rescued her. He frowned again as he thought back to the trap and he wished he knew who made it so he could give them a piece of his mind. She had been in so much pain and who knew how long she had been lying like that before he found her. It was possible his much gentler treatment of her was comforting in comparison.

Comforting.

That gave him an idea.

He slowly raised his hand and the fox looked at him lazily, remaining still even when his hand moved towards her head. He held his hand out for a moment, but once again she made no sign of wanting to lash out, so he gently patted her on the head.

Her fur was as soft and fluffy as it looked.

He was going to stop at one, except her fur was so soft and she nudged his hand with her head. His mouth curved into a smile. "You like this, huh?" The fox merely blinked at him with her big eyes. "You're a demanding little thing." He laughed, but he didn't really want to stop.

Harry gently ran his hand through her soft fur, his hand moving up and down her head. The fox closed her eyes and soon after made a sound that, if she'd been a cat, he'd call a purr. As he continued to pet her, her breathing slowed and her body stilled.

What a night this had turned out to be.

He closed his eyes and took a breath before he pushed himself off the floor. I really need some sleep. He hesitated before he reached down and gave the fox one last head pat. So soft. With that last thought, he exited the living room and headed straight to bed.

Harry woke up the next morning with the plan to eat a quick breakfast and then take the fox to an actual healer. He didn't bother with a shirt or slippers, but grabbed his wand as he left his room. His stomach rumbled but he was more concerned about the fox than food. Luckily, he could check on the fox on his way from the living room to the kitchen.

That plan fell apart within seconds of his stepping into the living room. Instead of the fox, there was a woman lying on his couch. She was lying on her side, facing him. Her clothes — a blue t-shirt and black skirt — looked obviously slept-in. Her long, brown hair fell in front of her face, but not enough to hide it completely.

She looked familiar to him, but his brain was more focused on the fact that a strange woman was in his house. His voice suddenly came back to him and he swore loudly.

His shouted curses woke her up and she sat bolt right up on his couch. Startled blue eyes stared at him and her skin paled. "Oh shite," she said.

He narrowed his eyes on her. Now that the surprise was wearing off, he registered why she looked familiar to him. If he'd suddenly forgotten her after years of school, then the photograph of her with Theo and Hermione he'd seen the previous night would have reminded him. "Daphne Greengrass? Why are you in my house?!" His hand tightened on his wand and her face paled further.

"I can explain, please let me-"

She let out a hiss of pain and grabbed her left arm.

Her bandaged left arm.

His eyes widened. "It's you," he said. "You're the fox?"

"Guilty," she said as she continued to hold her bandaged arm. "I meant to leave before you woke up, but I guess I was more tired than I expected."

There were a few things he could have said to that. He sighed before he settled on: "This better be some story."

Notes: The first two chapters of this are already written and I'm working on the third. Thank you for reading!

For anyone interested, there is a fund Harry/Daphne discord: discord. gg / pKSdvJQvhU