The Difference One Choice Makes
2nd January 2000
Stepping out of the elevator on Level 2 where she worked at the Administration Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Daphne kept her arms folded with a slightly nervous pace to her steps, knowing that the latest development in her social life was about to be revealed.
The development that was evident by the sparkling diamond engagement ring given to her by her now Fiance Edward Potter at the stroke of midnight as the 31st of December 1999 turned into the 1st of January 2000 under the stars on the balcony of her family home Greengrass Manor.
With the lavish party, her parent's had been hosting that night in full swing, Edward had managed to get her away from the bustling atmosphere of the ballroom for some alone time where he finally popped the question before they retreated to her old bedroom for a private celebration.
Though she and Edward were still yet to decide on a wedding date, the general time frame the two wanted a summer wedding around July or August.
Opening the door into the large office occupied by several witches and wizards of varying ages working at individual desks, Daphne kept her head down and made her way over to her work desk, ready to quietly get about her work.
Like the rest of her colleagues, Daphne spent her workdays organising and filing the paperwork from all Divisions of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement including the Auror Office, Hit Wizards and Improper Use of Magic Office as well as ensuring all relevant information was sent to the right Division or other Ministry Departments.
Like her Fiance who still worked in the Administration Office in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Daphne had ambitions far beyond this menial job for her future, wanting to work in the Investigation Department which served as a subdivision for the Auror Office, tasked with tracking down criminals and known dark wizards.
As she sat down at her assigned desk, Daphne quietly started to tackle the mountain of paperwork waiting for her, doing her best to ignore the curious looks sent her way by some of her colleagues.
As she signed the first parchment sheet, however, a voice called out to her catching her attention almost instantly.
"Is that what I think it is?" called out the voice of one of her older colleagues named Lisa Wenlock who had been a fourth-year Hufflepuff when Daphne started Hogwarts.
Glancing down at the ring on her finger which had caught Lisa Wenlock's attention, Daphne let out a small sigh.
"And what do you think it is?" said Daphne passively.
This, however, drew the attention of the rest of her colleagues, one of whom dropped the news on the rest of them.
"Oh my god… he proposed, didn't he?" said the 20-year-old, light-brown haired, former Ravenclaw Lisa Turpin with barely contained excitement in her words as she approached Daphne along with some of the others.
With her cheeks turning slightly pink, Daphne nodded.
"New Year… at the stroke of midnight" said Daphne softly.
Hearing the noises of excitement resonating around the room, all of which came from the women while her four male colleagues merely shouted their congratulations before returning to their work, Daphne wished that she could just return to her work without distraction.
"Details Daphne… details?" said the short blonde-haired Sally-Anne Perks who had been a Hufflepuff in Daphne's year.
Knowing that there was no way of avoiding the conversation now, Daphne decided to just come clean and tell her colleagues what they wanted to hear.
Unable to hide the blush on her cheeks, Daphne told them about how Edward had proposed to her atop the balcony under the stars before they broke in the New Year under the sheets of her childhood bed.
To Daphne's slight relief, their conversation was brought to an abrupt halt when her older Supervisor, Glenys Cadwallader emerged from her office to tell them all to get back to work.
As she worked through the mountain of paperwork on her desk, Daphne would occasionally sneak glances at the wall-mounted clock, silently counting down the minutes until she could finish work for the day, having plans for her and Edward to have dinner at the Leaky Cauldron with Harry, Katie, Euphemia and the Potter girl's boyfriend Colin Creevey, both of whom worked at the Daily Prophet as a reporter and photographer respectively.
12th August 2000
Nearly eight months after Edward and Daphne got engaged, the long-awaited day where they would finally tie the knot had arrived with the wedding taking place on the grounds of Potter Manor while the ballroom would host the reception.
The now 20-year-old Jennifer Black, who was dressed in a deep-purple floor-length ballgown with her long reddish-blonde hair braided behind her head, was putting her diamond earrings in when she felt the hands of her 21-year-old Auror boyfriend, Eddie Carmichael encircle her waist and his hips pressing against her arse.
"Where is your wand?" said Eddie huskily as he dipped his head into her neck, inhaling the scent of her favourite jasmine-scented perfume.
With short black hair and a tall, muscular physique, Jennifer could not help but stare at him, considering herself lucky that she was dating such a handsome young man who looked like a million Galleons dressed in his finest dress robes for the wedding they were attending.
Reuniting with her former teammate when he was admitted to the ward she was working on with a broken arm and leg, Jennifer admitted to herself that she had not quite caught on what was happening at first when he would show up at St Mungo's at seemingly random times, wanting to speak to her.
Even when her colleagues teased her about how it was obvious that he liked her and was only coming to the hospital to see her, Jennifer remained stubborn in her belief that he held no romantic interest towards her whatsoever.
Her stubbornness remained even at times when she found herself looking forwards to his visits, hoping that he might at least ask her for a drink.
So when he finally did ask her if he could take her for a drink in the Leaky Cauldron that very night, Jennifer had not hesitated in her answer, saying yes before he could even finish his sentence which resulted in plenty of teasing from her colleagues.
Her close friend Rose Clearwater nee Snape gave her the worst of the teasing, making comments along the lines of how Jennifer wanted to "play private Healer to the Auror" among other sexually suggestive lines.
Thinking back to their first date, Jennifer found their entire evening thoroughly enjoyable even if it was just limited to conversations over drinks in the crowded Leaky Cauldron.
11th December 1999
Jennifer reared her head back in laughter with her glass of wine in her hand as Eddie made her laugh for what must have been the tenth time that night.
The two were sat in one of the small booths at the back of the Leaky Cauldron thoroughly enjoying their night.
Jennifer felt that the wine probably helped with her laughter as well as making the idea of giving in to her growing attraction for him more appealing by the second.
He was kind, handsome, physically fit and he made her laugh.
All of these qualities made him a fine specimen in her mind and her attraction for him was increasing with each passing moment, making her ready to act on those feelings at the slightest push.
Eddie took a large swig of his ale and moved closer to her.
"You know… I always had a thing for you back in school" said Eddie huskily letting the alcohol drive him on which did it for Jennifer.
Jennifer smirked and shifted closer to him remembering all of the male attention she used to get in school.
"Really?" said Jennifer teasingly.
Eddie placed his hand on top of hers.
"Would you run if I told you I wanted you?" said Eddie.
Jennifer took a large swig of her wine relishing in the taste.
"Would you chase me if I did?" said Jennifer teasingly.
Actions spoke louder than words as Eddie kissed her hungrily.
Jennifer shifted closer to him as his tongue sought entrance to her mouth and his hands came up to her back and on her thigh.
He was a good kisser too as Jennifer was discovering to her delight.
Jennifer smirked glancing down at her dress before turning her head to press a kiss to his lips.
"I'm sure you'll find it later" said Jennifer cheekily.
"I suppose I'll have to carry out a thorough search then… important part of an Auror's job that is" said Eddie huskily.
"Yes you will… a very thorough search" thought Jennifer naughtily.
"I'll submit to your search later Mr Carmichael… but right now we have a wedding to attend" said Jennifer biting her lip to steady her desire.
Eddie smirked and dipped his tongue into her ear making her coo.
"You know I'm gonna marry you one day love" said Eddie blowing hot air into her ear.
Jennifer smirked and took his hands squeezing them.
"I'll hold you to that lover boy" said Jennifer softly.
They might have only been together for eight months, but to her, that was long enough for her to let him say things like that and she was happy to hear it, knowing that he was special to her.
While he had not actually proposed to her as of yet, she knew it was only a matter of time before she finally had a ring on her finger.
"Come on, we'll be late if we don't get a move on" said Jennifer pulling herself from his embrace.
She took his arm and apparated on the spot, taking them to just outside the wards of Potter Manor so they could pass the wards and make their way up to the manor.
One and a half hours later…
Dressed in her exquisite white wedding dress with her matching veil and goblin-made tiara, Daphne could not be happier than she was at this exact moment as her father led her up the aisle between the columns of white chairs which seated the wedding guests.
Following behind her wearing stunning pale pink floor-length dresses with bouquets of flowers in their hands, were her 18-year-old Maid Of Honour Astoria Greengrass, along with her bridesmaids Tracey Davis, Jeanette Farley and Euphemia, deciding to include her future sister-in-law in her wedding party as well as her two closest friends.
As her father led her towards the alter where Edward was waiting for her, wearing a set of stunning Acromantula silk dress robes, Daphne swallowed the nerves rising in her throat as she was led towards the man she was about to be bonded to for the rest of their lives.
Stood next to her soon-to-be husband, were Harry, Colin Creevey, Bill Weasley and Edward's old school friend Darren Petrie who was one of the only people from his school years that he stayed in touch with to this day.
Not hesitating, even for one second, Harry had quickly agreed to serve as his brother's Best Man and did not hold the slightest bit of resentment or displeasure towards Daphne for not including Katie in her wedding party, knowing that she wanted her best friends and her younger sister by her side on this big day.
Looking down at the guests as she took Edward's hands, she saw that most of them were school friends of theirs along with their respective families as well as some of their work colleagues who had been invited.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne turned back to Edward as he moved to lift her veil revealing her face to him.
Later that evening…
Holding onto her husband's hands as well as the large carving knife they were holding between them, Daphne had a wide smile on her face as they carved their wedding cake before she twisted her head to give him a kiss, soaking up the applause and cheers around the massive ballroom.
Before the DJ could announce that it was time for the bride and groom to share their first dance, however, James and Narcissa stood up and walked around to the front of the table with Narcissa holding a rolled-up parchment scroll in her hands.
"Congratulations you two" said James softly.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Narcissa tried her hardest to prevent herself from breaking down at the sight of her oldest child and his wife.
"Your father and I want you to have this" said Narcissa, trying to hold back the tears of happiness in her eyes.
Taking the scroll from his mother with a wary look on his face, Edward unrolled the parchment allowing Daphne to see it as well.
Seeing the eyes of their son and daughter-in-law in law go as wide as dinner plates, James and Narcissa sent them supportive smiles.
"Now that all three of you have moved out… this place just feels too empty for us, hopefully, you can fill it with our grandchildren soon, so this is our wedding gift to you" said Narcissa softly.
Having planned this for the last three months, James and Narcissa had moved into a cottage on the cliffs of Dover last week, planning to give Potter Manor to their eldest Son so he could raise his own family there.
Originally wanting to give Harry and Katie the deed to Potter Cove where Dorea and Charlus Potter used to live, Narcissa had accepted Harry's desire not to live in the place where he saw the woman he looked up to as his Grandmother die, with Harry and Katie buying a cottage in Godric's Hollow back in June instead.
During her first visit to the cottage with James, the two could see why Harry and Katie chose to live there, with the cottage being extremely homely and what Narcissa described as a perfect place to raise a family.
"Thank you… Narcissa, James" said Daphne softly, reaching across the table to give each of her in-laws a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks Mum and Dad… for everything" said Edward softly as he too reached across the table to give his parent's a hug.
James patted him on the shoulder.
"You're a grown man now son… and I am so very proud of you" said James proudly.
"You've grown up so much… it felt like just yesterday when the Healer placed you in my arms for the first time, now I'm here at your wedding" said Narcissa, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief to wipe a few stray tears that had formed there.
Feeling slightly embarrassed at his mother's words, Edward was thankful when he heard the DJ finally give the announcement that it was time for Edward and Daphne to share their first dance as man and wife.
Taking Edward's hand as he led her around the table to the large open dance floor, Daphne felt like she had died and gone to heaven as the entire scene felt too good to be true.
"This is perfect" said Daphne softly.
Squeezing her hand as they stopped in the middle of the dance floor, Edward placed his hand on her waist and moved into a position opposite her.
"No… you are perfect" said Edward softly as slow, atmospheric dance music started to play setting the scene perfectly.
Daphne smirked at his compliment before leaning in to kiss him.
9th December 2001
As he stood nervously waiting at the altar in the small church near Potter Manor that he and Katie had chosen for their wedding, Harry thought back to the night he had asked Katie to be his once and for all.
15th June 2001
Katie smirked as Harry led her through the door to their hotel room.
The lighting in the room itself was slightly dark with only a roaring fireplace and a few candles illuminating the room. A large king-sized bed covered in petals, two wardrobes and two dressers matching in style with a fine oak table in the middle of the room.
As Harry closed the door and locked it Katie turned and wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him softly.
The reason for the celebrations tonight was due to Katie being a key part of the Appleby Arrows team that won the Quidditch League this season and had also been called up for the England National Team alongside Harry.
Harry had finished second in the league with last season's League winners the Falmouth Falcons where he had been named by Quidditch Monthly as the best Seeker in the League with some touting for him to get a call-up to the England national team after the Falcons League triumph.
While she was partying with her teammates and coaches following the Arrows first League Cup win for five years, Harry, who had once again been named as Seeker of the season with the highest number of Snitches caught had joined her for the celebrations and had eventually persuaded her to come back to their room with him as he had a surprise for her.
"What is this surprise Harry?" said Katie feeling a little tipsy from the wine.
Harry pulled her into him lowering his hands to her toned bum.
"The night of your life love" said Harry huskily.
Katie looked at him with a heated look in her eyes.
"You made me bail on celebrating with my teammates so you could get laid… give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex you and leave you on the bed while I party with the others" said Katie sharply.
Harry smirked and kissed her deeply before pulling a ring out of his pocket keeping it encased in his fist.
"What I have in mind is so much better than celebrating with your teammates" said Harry huskily.
"It better be worth it" said Katie sternly giving Harry a full show of her fierce attitude which only made him love her even more.
Harry kissed her and pulled both of them down to their knees as they fought for dominance.
Breaking their kiss, Harry locked eyes with her.
"Katie… make me the luckiest guy in the world" said Harry softly.
Katie raised her eyebrow at him.
"Will you marry me?" said Harry softly.
Katie froze up in shock as Harry held out his ring for her.
"I love you, I want to be proud to call you my wife, I want us to have a family, to see a few little boys and girls with your hair and my eyes flying around on their toy broomsticks in our back garden… so will you marry me?" said Harry softly.
Katie finally regained her senses and nodded.
"Yes" said Katie in an emotional voice.
Harry surged forward locking his lips onto hers causing them to fall back to the floor while Harry slid the ring onto her left ring finger as they kissed.
Breaking apart after several seconds, Katie wrapped her legs around Harry's waist and tightened her grip on his shoulders.
"Bed… now" said Katie huskily.
Harry smirked before standing up and pulling her to her feet, dragging her over to the bed.
"Still want to go back to the party?" said Harry with a groan as they dropped onto the bed exploring each other's bodies with their hands and mouths.
Katie hissed as Harry's lips latched onto her neck.
"Fuck no… I've got more than a League Cup to celebrate" groaned Katie as she lowered her hands to his belt hastily undoing it.
"And you got mad that I brought you up here to get laid" groaned Harry teasingly.
Katie nipped his ear with her teeth.
"Harry… if you don't start shagging me in the next thirty seconds I'm going to tie you to the bed and do it myself" said Katie in a forceful but playful tone.
"Such a naughty girl… and naughty girls deserve to be punished" growled Harry as he removed his shirt before claiming her lips once again.
When they eventually did get dressed and return to the party that night, it was still in full swing and the two found themselves waking up rather drunk the next day.
Having lived together since Harry left school, the two would endlessly have to usher each other out of the house whenever Katie was fitted for her wedding dress or planning her hen night with Harry doing the same when he was being fitted for his dress robes and letting Neville, Ron and Josh Sloper plan his stag night.
As the days passed by and the wedding itself drew closer, Harry and Katie would often find it difficult to sleep at night, endlessly conversing with each other about their nervous excitement at the rapidly approaching wedding date.
Settling for a winter wedding, the two had woken up excited to see that they had been blessed with gentle snowfall for their special day.
As he stood there with nerves coursing through his body, Harry felt the hand of his brother Edward on his shoulder.
"No need to be so nervous Little Brother… it's only the biggest day of your life" said Edward in a teasing but also reassuring voice.
Choosing Edward to be his best man, Harry had asked Neville, Eddie Carmichael and his brother-in-law Colin Creevey to be his Grooms Men and all three had eagerly agreed.
With his sister getting married to her long-time boyfriend back in February, Harry had felt like he had to get married to Katie sooner rather than later before his Father put his doubts to one side with a simple phrase that taught Harry a great deal.
"Just because your sister got married before you… does not mean you and Katie have to rush into anything Son, you should take your time and get married when you know you are ready" said James while watching Euphemia and Colin Creevey sharing their first dance as husband and wife.
Taking his father's advice, Harry had waited until what he was certain was the right time before finally popping the question to Katie back in June.
Having a close bond with Jennifer as they grew up, Harry had also asked her Fiance Eddie Carmichael to be one of his Grooms Men which pleased his cousin greatly.
Glancing at his oldest and closest friend Neville as they waited for the bridal party to arrive, Neville sent Harry a nervous but supportive smile knowing that his best friend was feeling exactly how he had felt on his own wedding day to Hermione last year.
After what felt like an age, Harry finally perked up as he heard the instrumental music start to play which announced the arrival of the bridal party.
Leading from the front was Katie who was holding onto the arm of her father, dressed in a white wedding gown suited for winter weather, followed by her Maid-Of-Honour Leanne Diggory nee Porter and her bridesmaids Daphne, Euphemia and Ellie Duggan.
As the bridal party entered the church, all of the guests including their friends, family, teammates and other friends they had from their Quidditch careers stood up to watch Katie and her father walking up the aisle towards Harry.
18th December 2001
Sipping the mug of delicious, steaming hot chocolate, Harry leaned back on the settee with one arm around the shoulders of his wife who like him, was dressed in her favourite Christmas jumper, enjoying her own hot chocolate as they relaxed in front of their roaring fire on this chilly winter evening.
Enjoying the feeling of closeness, Katie let her head rest leisurely on Harry's shoulder.
"I asked to come and play for England in the World Cup after training today" said Harry softly.
Katie smiled into his shoulder before pressing a kiss to his neck.
"At least now we get to experience it together" said Katie softly.
Having been asked earlier on in the week to come and play for the England National Team at the 2002 Quidditch World Cup, Katie had quickly said yes and was really looking forward to representing England on a national stage.
Now the great feeling of pride and excitement she was feeling about this opportunity had increased, knowing that her husband was going to be right there with her.
Losing themselves to the excitement of next years World Cup, Harry and Katie just cuddled as they sipped their hot chocolate for the next several minutes.
Shortly after they finished their steaming drinks, Harry glanced at his wristwatch.
"Fancy a drink in the Godric's Anvil?" said Harry turning back to her.
With Godric's Hollow being both a magical and muggle village, places like the Godric's Anvil pub, the entrance of which was hidden in the wall of one of the neighbouring buildings, with a small marketplace also being hidden from the muggles in the village.
Though they spent quite a bit of time in the marketplace and the Godric's Anvil, Harry and Katie also tried to spend some time in the muggle parts of the village, though this involved some careful lies to the other muggles so they would not draw suspicion to themselves.
Raising her head up to his height, Katie managed a small nod.
"Sounds like date night has come early this week" said Katie softly.
Harry smirked and readjusted their position so he was hovering over her on the settee making her smirk.
"Now, now Mrs Potter… does your husband really need to use date night as an excuse to take you out for a drink?" said Harry teasingly.
Katie smirked and pulled him down for a kiss.
"And now it looks like you want to get into my knickers instead of going for a drink Mr Potter" said Katie teasingly.
Harry smirked before kissing her again.
"Who's to say I can't have both… take you for a drink in the pub first… and then come back here so I can slowly remove every item of clothing hugging your sexy body" said Harry amusedly.
Katie blushed before sliding out from underneath him off of the settee.
"Come on then" said Katie getting to her feet and taking one of his hands to pull him up.