The Difference One Choice Makes
27th November 1998
Using his wand to light the candles on the small table in his kitchen, Edward put the finishing touches in place for his candlelit dinner with Daphne.
Feeling thankful that she had accepted his offer of a private dinner at his flat, Edward was hoping that getting to spend some time together away from their respective families would be the key to making Daphne open up to him, given that she had not told him much about herself when they had dinner with their parents.
Given that the two of them were workaholics, they had seldom seen each other since the dinner at Greengrass Manor nearly two weeks ago, with both working long hours at the Ministry Of Magic as well as being very busy at work. While that night was spent in the company of their respective parents, tonight would be their first chance to spend some alone time together.
As he placed the steaming bowl of beef casserole in the centre of the table, which had been made using his Aunt Andromeda's recipe, a firm knock at the door caught his attention.
Making sure he looked presentable in his white t-shirt and black trousers combination, Edward walked through the apartment to the door, unlocking and opening it.
Safe to say, he was stunned at the sight of Daphne standing in his doorway, dressed in a knee-length sleeveless black dress which went well with her straight blonde hair, with a pair of diamond earrings and a shiny gold necklace completing her attire.
She was also holding a thick travelling cloak around her shoulders to keep her warm in the cold November weather as well as hiding most of her figure from prying eyes.
It certainly made a change from her rather formal attire at dinner last week as well as the professional robes and skirts he would see her wearing at work on the odd chance that their paths crossed.
Whenever their paths did cross at work, the two found it rather easy to talk to each other, even having lunch together in the Ministry cafeteria yesterday, which is when Edward invited her to dinner.
As they enjoyed their lunch on that day, Edward found that her demeanour was far softer and kinder than it had been on that night at Greengrass Manor, mixing her sense of humour with the confidence to speak her mind.
Taking a second to compose himself, Edward stepped to one side.
"Come in" said Edward politely.
Looking her up and down as she walked through the door, Edward could not deny that he liked what he saw.
"You look very nice Miss Greengrass" said Edward as she removed her travelling cloak and turned to face him.
"You don't look half bad yourself Mr Potter" said Daphne flatly, though there was a small smile tugging at her lips.
Edward took the travelling cloak from her, placing it on the coat rack by his door before guiding her towards the kitchen.
"Thank you… it certainly smells nice, what is it?" said Daphne politely, sitting down in the seat he pulled out for her.
Edward removed the lid from the casserole, causing steam to escape.
"Beef casserole, my Aunt Andromeda gave me the recipe… wine?" said Edward, uncorking a bottle of wine on the table.
Sliding her empty wine glass towards him slightly, she looked up at him with a pointed look on her face.
"As long as it's not some cheap bottle" said Daphne sternly.
Edward poured a glass for her before filling his own glass and sitting down opposite her.
"Give me some credit… it's from a respectable vineyard in the south of France" said Edward taking a sip of his wine.
Daphne took a small sip and gave him a small, approving smile.
"At least you have good taste in wine" said Daphne.
"And somewhat adequate cooking skills I think you will find" said Edward, using a stainless steel ladle to scoop some of the steaming casserole onto Daphne's plate.
Daphne managed a small chuckle.
"It might smell nice Potter… but I will reserve judgement on your cooking skills until I have had a taste" said Daphne as Edward finished placing spoonfuls of casserole on her plate.
Using her spoon to have her first taste of the casserole served to her, Daphne could not hide her approving moan at the explosion of flavour in her mouth.
"I'll take that moan to mean that my cooking skills are up to your standard" said Edward amusedly as he filled his own plate with some of the casserole.
Daphne looked at him across the table with a pointed look.
"While this casserole tastes as good as it smells… I need to see so much more if you want a second date" said Daphne in a slightly teasing voice.
Edward chuckled and the two continued their pleasant conversation over dinner, enjoying the wine just as much as the food.
Two hours later…
"I am sooo druunnk" slurred Daphne as Edward had her arm around his shoulders as he walked her into his bedroom.
"Sleep it off Daphne" said Edward, feeling a little drunk himself but nowhere near as much as Daphne who could barely stand up.
She turned to him with a drunk but serious look on her face.
"If you think I'm going to sleep with you I'll hex your dick off" slurred Daphne before she promptly passed out and sagged in his arms.
Edward chuckled and pulled his covers up, getting her into bed and making sure she was in a comfortable position before covering her up so she could sleep.
Getting a Hangover Cure potion from his bathroom, Edward placed it on the nightstand by the bed in a position where it would be easily seen by Daphne, also placing his dressing gown on his bed in case she wanted to wear it in the morning.
28th November 1998
Rubbing her head as the morning light was blinding to her, Daphne felt a sense of dread and shock when she realised that she was alone in Edward Potter's bed.
Quickly lifting the covers up, Daphne felt a sense of relief wash over her body when she saw that she was still wearing her dress from last night.
Spotting the Hangover Cure potion on the night-stand, Daphne quickly picked it up and downed it before climbing out of bed and donning the dressing gown he had left for her.
Feeling her ringing headache subside, Daphne walked out of his bedroom back into his sitting-room where she smiled at the sight of him lying on his stomach on his settee.
Feeling slightly tingly inside, Daphne left him lying there and walked into his kitchen to make some coffee for both of them.
As she used her wand to fill his kettle up she felt thankful that he had neglected to take advantage of her when he put her to bed last night, even making sure there was a Hangover Cure potion and one of his dressing gowns waiting for her when she woke up.
Spending the next few minutes making two steaming mugs of coffee in his small kitchen, Daphne placed both cups on a small tea tray along with a jug of milk and a bowl of sugar.
Placing the tea tray on his small coffee table in front of the settee, Daphne sat down on the settee, playfully tapping his cheeks to wake him up.
Waking up feeling groggy and making noises of discomfort, Edward was surprised to see Daphne wearing his dressing-gown before he remembered how she had slept in his bed after getting drunk last night.
"Sleep well?" said Edward wearily.
Daphne shrugged her shoulders.
"Safe to say I was shocked when I woke up in your bed… coffee?" said Daphne softly.
"Please" said Edward still feeling slightly weary.
"Milk… sugar?" said Daphne.
"Milk and one sugar please" said Edward.
He slowly sat up as Daphne put the final touches on his cup of coffee.
"It looks good on you… my dressing gown" said Edward taking the cup of coffee offered to him.
He took a sip while keeping his eyes on her as she sipped her own coffee.
"And you make a fantastic coffee, I might have to keep you" said Edward teasingly.
Daphne smirked at him.
"Is that a promise Mr Potter?" said Daphne teasingly.
Edward chuckled and took a small step by moving closer to her, feeling relieved when she did not push him away or move away from him.
If anything, she moved a little bit closer to him.
"Maybe… maybe not" said Edward, raising his eyebrow at her.
He took another sip of his coffee.
"I had a good time with you last night… so does that mean I get a second date?" said Edward confidently.
Daphne flashed him a smile as she sipped her coffee.
"Maybe" said Daphne slyly.
She spent the next hour in his flat, during which he cooked her breakfast before offering to take her to the upcoming Falmouth Falcons game against the Tutshill Tornadoes this Sunday, with Edward telling her that it was going to be Harry's debut match at Seeker, with Brian Fenwick wanting to see Harry in an actual match instead of training sessions.
While she was not a great fan of Quidditch, she knew that this upcoming match would be a big deal for Edward and the other Potter's so she felt slightly honoured that he had asked her to attend with him.
Of course, she remembered her former classmate Harrison Potter quite well from her school years, having to watch year after year as he made sure that Gryffindor always beat Slytherin on the Quidditch pitch, even though her seventh year brought with it a victory for Slytherin over Gryffindor and a Quidditch Cup to boot.
Even back in her fifth year when she was attacked in Hogsmeade by Pansy Parkinson after the girl had been subjected to a joke by Harry and his girlfriend Katie Bell about how Lucan Malfoy was taking an interest in Daphne instead of Pansy.
Despite being victorious in her brief duel with Pansy Parkinson, Daphne was not too pleased when she realised that the entire situation had been Harry and Katie's fault though she neglected to do anything about it, feeling like it wasn't worth the time or the effort.
Reuniting with a young man that she barely paid any notice to in the last seven years, had Daphne feeling slightly uneasy, not knowing how he would react to her and Edward possibly developing a romantic relationship.
After a minute or two of thought, Daphne agreed to attend the match with him on the condition that he took her to see the Muggle musical play called "The Phantom Of The Opera" for their next date.
Though her mother and father were not happy at her fondness for muggle plays, they never made any real attempts to prevent her from attending muggle plays which pleased her greatly.
As she left his flat, ready to head back to her own flat and get ready for her afternoon shift at work, Daphne felt excited at the prospect of going on more dates with Edward Potter.
Their parents and his grandmother might have introduced them to each other in hopes of trying to push them towards a potential marriage with each other. But she would not lie to herself about the fact that she enjoyed spending time with the former Head Boy and Tri-Wizard Champion who had been a relative stranger to her at Hogwarts.
30th November 1998
Feeling Edward's hand on the small of her back as he guided her towards her seat in the large Falmouth Stadium which was a sea of noise and excitement at the upcoming match, Daphne felt excited and pleased that she had been invited to watch the match with the Potter's.
As she took her seat in between Edward and Narcissa, the latter of whom had a proud look on her face at the success of her younger son who was about to make his professional debut for one of the most successful Quidditch teams in the history of the sport.
The fact that it would be another half an hour before the match started, meant that Narcissa had plenty of time on her hands to think about her son and how much he had grown up.
Truthfully, she had been disappointed and slightly upset when Harry dropped the news on herself, James and Euphemia that he was going to move into Katie's flat that day.
Had her son not been so deeply in love with the Appleby Arrows Chaser, or if the two of them had not been dating for as long as they had, Narcissa and James might have questioned their son's decision to move in with his girlfriend so suddenly.
Instead, they just accepted the decision their son was making, knowing that he was growing into the man he was born to be and that he was not their little boy anymore.
Even Euphemia, who had been really upset to see her brother moving out, had eventually accepted the decision her older brother was making and she was happy for him, especially after he told her that she was welcome at the flat whenever she wanted and that they would come to Potter Manor for dinner whenever they had the chance.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Narcissa turned to Daphne with a small smile on her face, knowing that her eldest son might have found himself someone special to possibly build a life and a family with.
"It was nice of you to come Miss Greengrass… this match is a big deal for our family" said Narcissa kindly.
Daphne smiled at the older woman.
"Thank you, Lady Potter, I feel honoured that Edward would ask me to attend, knowing how much this match means to your family" said Daphne, surprising everyone, even herself when she gave Edward's hand a gentle squeeze.
An action that did not go unnoticed by Narcissa who was growing rather fond of the young woman sat beside her.
"Please… call me Narcissa, Miss Greengrass" said Narcissa softly.
"Only if you call me Daphne… Narcissa" said Daphne kindly.
The rest of the time leading up to the match was spent with Daphne and Narcissa enjoying their own conversation before the seven Falmouth Falcons players shot out onto the pitch, clad in dark grey and white Quidditch robes and riding brand new "Nimbus Superspeed" broomstick each, which was the required broomstick for all players in the British and Irish Quidditch League this season.
Moving into position opposite them, were the seven Tutshill Tornadoes players dressed in sky blue robes, each emboldened with a large dark blue "T" on their chests.
Among the Tornadoes players were two familiar faces that Harry recognised from his school days in the form of Roger Davies and Cho Chang, who were playing at Chaser and Seeker respectively, with Cho flashing Harry a congratulatory smile as she moved into position opposite him above the centre of the pitch.
After shouting out the names of the Tutshill Tornadoes players, followed by Harry's six teammates, the Potter's felt a rush of pride at what the Announcer said next.
"AND MAKING HIS PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AT SEEKER… IS NEW SUMMER RECRUIT HARRISON POTTER, WITH FALCONS HEAD COACH TELLING QUIDDITCH MONTHLY THAT THIS IS HARRISON POTTER'S CHANCE TO PROVE THAT HE CAN BE THE SUCCESSOR TO LONG-TIME FALCON'S SEEKER JACKSON MACDOUGAL… LET'S SEE WHAT THIS YOUNG MAN HAS TO OFFER IN THIS MATCH!"
Joining their cheers and applause to what was ringing around the stadium, James, Narcissa and Edward could not be more proud of Harry at this moment in time, knowing that this was his chance to showcase his exceptional Quidditch abilities.
Even Daphne with her limited knowledge and interest in Quidditch admitted to herself that Harry was one of the better Quidditch players she remembered from school, with the endless complaining aimed at Harry from the likes of Lucan Malfoy only serving to further reinforce her opinion that he was a talented player.
With the two teams involved in the match being two of the favourites to win the league this season, the match was proving to be an end to end contest as it went on, with every single player from both teams doing their very best to swing the match in their favour.
Nearly forty-five minutes passed with the score reaching 260 to 210 in favour of Tutshill before the crowd was on their feet as the Announcer shouted the words they had all been waiting to hear.
"IT LOOKS LIKE POTTER AND CHANG HAVE SPOTTED THE SNITCH… THEY ARE NECK AND NECK AS THEY CHASE AFTER THE SNITCH, KNOWING THAT CATCHING IT WILL SECURE VICTORY FOR THEIR TEAM!"
James leaned forwards in his seat, looking down towards the ground where Harry and Cho Chang were weaving past the other players with extraordinary ease and remarkable speed as they chased after the glittering golden ball, determined to seal the victory for their team.
The crowd roared with excitement and belted out songs and chants for their team, trying to spur whichever Seeker they were supporting on, hoping that the crowd noise would tip the circumstances in either Seeker's favour.
After another minute or so, showcasing the exceptional speed of a professional Quidditch game, the Tutshill Tornadoes supporters were reduced to silence while the volume of the Falmouth Falcons supporters increased dramatically.
"ARE YOU WATCHING THIS JACKSON MACDOUGAL… I HOPE SO BECAUSE YOUR SUCCESSOR HAS TAKEN A BIG STEP IN PROVING HIMSELF AS HE CATCHES THE SNITCH TO WIN THE GAME FOR FALMOUTH!" shouted the Announcer in a magically enhanced voice.
Daphne got to her feet applauding the victory as did the Potter's, feeling immensely proud of Harry as he soared high into the air, holding the Snitch he had caught high above his head as he soaked up the cheers of the crowd.
As they saw Harry get mobbed and congratulated by his teammates, Edward turned to Daphne.
"You should join us at Potter Manor tonight… Mum and Dad are having a party for friends and family to celebrate today" said Edward softly.
Daphne turned to him and slowly took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Sounds good… what time?" said Daphne softly.
Edward smiled and pulled her closer to him, which did not go unnoticed by his parent's.
"How about I come over to your apartment at about half six… we can go and have a few drinks in the Leaky Cauldron first and then go round for dinner at eight" said Edward softly.
"I'll see you at half six then" said Daphne.
Breaking away from their conversation, the two returned their attention to the Falmouth Falcons players who were flying their customary post-match lap of honour around the entire pitch.
Later that night…
Stepping out of the Floo as she held onto Edward's arm, Daphne looked him up and down in some of his finest dress robes, matching her own outfit in terms of extravagance and comfort.
As she looked him up and down, he was sneaking a few glances at her, loving the exquisite, plum-coloured, floor-length dress and matching elbow-length silk gloves she was wearing while she held onto a brand new, gold designer handbag.
Leading her away from the fireplace towards the open doors leading to the large ballroom, Daphne felt slightly nervous when she saw that the room was housing plenty of guests, some of whom she recognised from her school years with this dinner being more of a party than a celebratory meal.
Reinforcing this belief, was the fact that the ballroom had been heavily decorated with several round tables and chairs lined with white cloth, along with a large dance floor with accompanying party lights and music.
Among the guests she recognised were the Minister For Magic Amelia Black who was one of the familiar faces to Daphne with others being, Jennifer Black, Susan Bones, Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger, Josh Sloper, Ron Weasley and Janet Spinnet.
Also scattered around the ballroom were people Daphne recognised as being friends of the Potter's including, Sirius, Remus and Julia who were feeling the effects of an empty house now that all three of their children were at Hogwarts.
Other guests included Fred, George and their respective girlfriends Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Ted and Andromeda, Bill and Nymphadora Weasley, with Dora being pregnant with the couple's first child.
As Edward guided her through the ballroom, Daphne caught sight of Harry talking and laughing with Neville, Ron and Josh Sloper, presumably talking to them about the match while Katie was standing talking over glasses of wine with Jennifer, Susan, Hermione and Janet.
Having not seen his brother since watching the match this afternoon, Edward was keen to congratulate him on his victory and led Daphne towards where his brother was eagerly chatting away with his three male friends.
Getting her a glass of wine from the table near his brother as well as one for himself, Edward let her keep her free arm looped through his as he led her over to the four young men.
"Congratulations Little Brother" said Edward, getting Harry's attention.
Harry turned around to face Edward and gave him a one-armed hug.
"Thank you… Fenwick was pleased as well, he said that he might consider playing me a few more times over the rest of the season" said Harry.
"Congratulations Mr Potter… it sounds like you are certainly going places with Quidditch" said Daphne politely as she tried to make conversation with her former classmate.
Turning to her, Harry sent her a polite, thankful smile.
"Thank you Miss Greengrass… but please… call me Harry, Mr Potter just sounds too formal" said Harry kindly.
Daphne gave him a small nod.
"Then I must insist that you call me Daphne" said Daphne kindly.
Edward took her hand bringing her attention back to him.
"Why don't you go and mingle with some of the other ladies… leave the men to talk amongst themselves for a bit" said Edward.
Daphne gave his hand a squeeze before moving away from him, walking towards where Katie, Jennifer, Susan, Hermione and Janet were conversing with each other.
As she approached the five women, they all turned to face her, making her feel slightly nervous under their gaze.
Fortunately for Daphne, she had been somewhat acquainted with Jennifer at Hogwarts, sharing a few classes with the former Ravenclaw Prefect over the years.
"Daphne" said Jennifer kindly.
Daphne nodded to her before sipping her wine.
"It is a surprise to see you here… I was not aware that you and Harry really knew each other" said Hermione warily.
Daphne straightened up and glanced over her shoulder at Edward who was talking to Neville about something or other.
"I was invited by Edward… we went to the match earlier as well" said Daphne warily, knowing that the five girls knew little if anything about the arrangement she and Edward had.
Katie, however, who knew about Daphne and Edward thanks to Harry, decided to take the initiative and bring Daphne into their conversation which eased the Greengrass girl's nerves slightly.
Sipping her wine as she was brought into the conversation, Daphne allowed herself to open up and be sociable with the others, thoroughly enjoying the conversation she was having with them.
6th December 1998
Sat in one of the private boxes looking down at the stage of the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, Central London as they watched the Phantom of the Opera, Daphne moved one of her hands to Edward's leg, letting it rest there as they enjoyed the famous muggle musical play in silence.
Just like she had when she attended the party at Potter Manor last week, Daphne had donned one of her finest dresses for her date night with Edward while he had chosen to wear a fine muggle suit so the two of them could blend in with the muggles.
Feeling her hand on his leg, Edward turned to her with a knowing look in his eyes.
Sensing his eyes on her, Daphne gulped before leaning towards him.
Meeting her halfway, Edward brought his hand up to her cheek and kissed her, with both of them forgetting the play taking place below them as they savoured the taste and touch of each other's lips.
Given that she loved muggle plays and watching this particular musical was one of the things at the top of her wish list, Daphne was incredibly grateful that she was able to attend it with the man sitting beside her.
The man whose company she enjoyed greatly no matter what they were doing, a man who treated her not as a blonde-haired trophy for their collection. But treated her as an equal in all aspects of life where her father sometimes did not.
As they eventually broke apart, Daphne sent him a soft smile.
"It's about time Potter" said Daphne teasingly.
Edward pulled her closer to him, letting his hand drop down to her waist and rest there.
"What can I say… things built to last often take time to happen" said Edward softly.
Daphne smirked at him before giving him another kiss and returning her attention to the play.
"Whatever you say… but I have paid for these tickets and this box Edward, it would not do us good to waste the money spent by neglecting to watch the play" said Daphne softly.
Moving closer to each other, Edward followed her gaze down to the play below them so they could enjoy the rest of the play together.
As a couple.