* ~ The Eighth Year Universe ~ *

Love Wins

Right Heart, Wrong Decision

The chapter title is from the song:

Road Between – Lucy Hale.


Harry was anxious, and everyone in the room with him knew it. He was watching the clock, his foot tapping absentmindedly against the drawing-room floor.

Lilly walked over to him and leaned on his legs, stopping him from tapping them.

Harry looked up at her, and she said, "Harry, I love you, and I know you are a worrywart, but I swear if you keep doing that, I'm going to curse your bollocks off."

Daphne bit back an amused smile and glanced over at her husband, "It is annoying."

"Almost as annoying as Neville clicking his cane against the ground when he's thinking," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes.

Harry ignored their comments and looked at the clock once more.

"I should be in that room."

Daphne flipped a file over and signed it, "Last I checked, you weren't a Department Head, so no, you shouldn't be."

"I have every right to be in there, Daphne!" Harry remarked, "I'm the one who has been tracking these people for the last six months."

"Obsessively," Lilly said sarcastically.

"And without authorisation from your boss, who also happens to be one of your best friends," Daphne said, giving Harry a pointed look.

Harry opened his mouth to argue, then the orb he was fiddling with buzzed. He looked down at it and sighed in relief when it shone silver. The orbs in Daphne and Lilly's pockets did the same thing.

"They've agreed to action a Wizengamot motion," Daphne said, pushing herself to her feet, "Happy now?"

Harry frowned up at her, "What do you mean by that?"

Daphne sighed and paused in the doorway, "Just that not all of us are quite so eager to be at war again, Harry."

Harry got to his feet, "You think that's what this is about? Me chasing glory, one last time? Because it's not, Daphne."

Lilly watched them cautiously, ready to wade in if she needed to.

"I think you're never going to give this up," Daphne said, spinning on her heel to look at him, "I don't know why. I don't know if deep down you feel you deserve it or that it's your destiny. But you want to die with your boots on, just like Jack did, and now you have another war to fight in."

Harry looked at her in disbelief, "I want to die with my boots on? Daphne, Jack had a grown-up daughter. I have two kids who are about to finish school and find their way in the world and Thea, who still has to finish Hogwarts. Why do you think I would throw that away?"

"I don't know, Harry," Daphne said, letting out a tired sigh, "But you turned 40 last year, and you still haven't retired, so what else do you want me to think?"

She shrugged and left the room.

Harry turned to Lilly and asked quietly, "Is that what you think too?"

Lilly bit her lip, "Honestly, Harry, I was beginning to think it would take a life-changing injury for you to retire."

Harry shook his head, "I'm not trying to burn myself out, Lilly. I don't want to die with my boots on, but there's still work to do, and-"

"And you've done enough," Lilly said softly, "This could be someone else's problem."

Harry frowned and shook his head.

"But that's not who you are," Lilly said, giving him a sad smile, "You can't hand this over to Ben when you know something bad is coming. You have to see it through."

Harry got up and looked back at Lilly, "All I can think about right now is what my life would have looked like if someone had killed Voldemort while he was still Tom Riddle. That's what this is, Lilly. That's why I'm pushing for a task force to tackle this at the source."

"And I understand that," Lilly promised. She took a few steps towards him and grabbed his hand, "But Harry, if Teddy ends up on that task force, you know that she might never forgive you."

"I know," Harry said, swallowing and pulling his hand out of Lilly's then leaving the room.


When Draco and Hermione got back to Blacknot Castle, Theo was sassy about it.

"Ah, the Minister for Magic and her favourite aid have finally returned!"

Almina, who was playing chess with him, rolled her eyes.

"Did it go okay?"

"Okay is probably the perfect word for it," Hermione replied darkly.

Draco glanced around, "Where's Sade?"

"Work," Theo replied, fighting down a yawn, "Apparently, some important assignment came in that requires late nights in the lab."

Draco looked sheepish, "Yeah, sorry about that."

"Oh, so it's all your fault, is it?" Theo joked.

"It's all the Statute Saboteurs' fault actually," Draco said, sitting down in an armchair.

"My orb buzzed," Theo mused, looking over at them, "So you got the full backing of the Ministry Council?"

Hermione nodded and leaned her head back against the sofa, "I had to use fearmongering to do it, though. I had to talk about how awful Muggles are."

Theo abandoned his chess game to frown at her, "That doesn't sound like you."

"Because it isn't me, Theo," Hermione said, sitting up to look at him, "But being in this family, surrounded by purebloods, has changed me."

Draco sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Once upon a time, I probably would have agreed with the Statute Saboteurs," Hermione admitted.

"Their mission to free witches and wizards from the oppression of Muggles probably would have appealed to me, but now…."

Hermione sighed and shook her head, "Sometimes the traditionalists are radical Nazis who support dark lords, and sometimes they are right. I would love to believe that we could reveal our presence to the Muggles and live harmoniously, but we can't. Religious groups will paint us as the villain. We will become targets…."

"Sometimes living in secret is for the best," Theo agreed, reaching across to take her hand.

"For us, and for them," Almina added wisely.

The three adults looked across at her, "For them?"

"They would live in constant fear that we would turn on them," Almina said quietly, "And yes, they would accept us eventually, but it would take time, and there would be wars. Look at how long it took for black people to be accepted worldwide in the Muggle world. To us, that's never really mattered, but just like it took us a long time to accept Muggle-borns as equal, it took them a long time to accept black people."

"Arguably, they still haven't," Theo said, looking over at the Muggle newspaper thoughtfully.

"If these people can't accept other humans simply because they look different, then how on earth are they going to accept us without seeing us as a threat?" Almina finished with a shrug.

Hermione smiled sadly and got to her feet, hugging Almina, "You're right, honey. Maybe I just needed to hear it from a different perspective."

Almina smiled back, "You're doing the right thing, Mum."

"For all of our sakes, I really hope you are right…." Hermione mused before slipping out of the room.

Theo looked at Draco, "The meeting was hard on her then?"

"That's one way of putting it," Draco said, running his hand through his hair, "She had to defend her right to be there from the minute she sat down, but she did it. Even if she did call me an upstart pureblood…."

Theo grinned, "Well, she's not wrong."

Draco shot Theo a glare, but his heart wasn't really in it.


When everyone else went to bed that night, Draco stayed awake because there was a conversation he needed to have.

He thought he was alone in being awake after midnight. But he was proven wrong when Almina stepped into the study. It was a cosy little room, stuck in-between two floors, with just one window. It was in a large circular tower, so that window was reminiscent of those in the Gryffindor common room. Ironically enough, it was one of Draco's favourite places to sit when there was a lot on his mind.

"Hey, Dad."

Draco looked over and smiled, "Hey, sweetheart. You want to sit?"

He pulled his legs up, and Almina sat down on the other side of the bay window seat. She looked out the window and said, "I'm scared."

"For Mum?" Draco asked.

Almina shook her head, "For Teddy. I mean, I'm not stupid, Dad. If this is going to the Wizengamot, then it's likely that a task force will be assembled soon, isn't it? That they will be sent out to Europe."

Draco looked over at her and nodded, "That's what Harry wants, yes."

Almina played with a locket she wore around her neck, which had belonged to her grandmother and namesake.

"When that happens…." She shook her head, "I could be saying goodbye to Teddy, and it could be forever."

Draco sighed and leaned forward, "Yes, you could be. And I will not lie to you, Mina, that is so hard. I never really had to go through it with your Mum. We didn't get together until after the danger had passed. But I went through the second war against Voldemort with your Pops, and…sometimes, one of us would leave on a raid, or to help a younger student, and we knew there was a chance we wouldn't see each other again."

Almina looked over at him, "How did you get through it?"

"By holding onto hope, even when that was the hardest thing to do," Draco said honestly.

"When he was in the dark tower, the only thing that got me through was the flicker of hope that we would get him out again. I can't speak for how he felt when I ended up back at Malfoy Manor, but for me, it was all about hope."

Almina sighed, and then a new voice spoke.

"Hope never dies, and when good people hold onto it, they will always find a way."

Almina smiled up at Sadie, "Mama, you're home."

Sadie smiled, "Some paper pusher sent me an assignment that's going to be taking up a lot of my time," she shot Draco an amused look.

"Sorry," He said, smiling half-heartedly at her.

"I know you're worried, Mina," Sadie said, brushing her daughter's hair from her face.

"But if the task force does get approved and Teddy is on it, all you can do is hope that someone up high is watching out for him, and with his parents being who they are? I'm almost certain there is."

"Still," Draco said, "If it's worrying you so much, just go over to Potter Manor and check on him. You know he'll still be awake. He's a night owl."

Almina nodded, "Okay, I will. Thanks."

"What has you up past witching hour?" Sadie asked after Almina left. She cocked her head and watched Draco from the doorway.

"I'm worried," Draco admitted, "About Hermione."

"Which is natural," Sadie confessed, "But she has always been as independent as she is powerful. She can look out for herself, Draco."

"She thinks she can," Draco agreed, looking up at Sadie, "That's what I'm afraid of."

Sadie smiled slightly, "Well, sitting here brooding won't help anybody, will it? Come to bed."

Draco pondered on her words for a moment before pushing himself to his feet with a nod.

They fell into step together silently as they ascended the staircase towards the very top of the castle. When they reached the halfway point, Draco grabbed Sadie's hand and pulled her into a secret passageway, hidden behind a tapestry.

Sadie frowned, "Draco, what are you doing? This isn't a shortcut."

The passageway did lead to the upper corridor, but it was narrow and awkward. It wouldn't get them there any faster than the main staircase would. They suspected it was only here as an alternative escape route in the case of a fire.

"I know," Draco said, lowering his voice and pressing Sadie against the wall so she couldn't wriggle out of his grasp.

Sadie looked at him, her eyes catching his, "We don't do this, Draco. You do this with Theo, but you and I? We don't do this."

Draco kept his eyes on hers, "You can disguise many things, Sadie. You can use a spell to distort your voice and a glamour to make your hand look all withered and dead, to hide those dainty fingers. But you can't disguise your wand."

Sadie swallowed.

Draco didn't break eye contact, "I know it was you," he whispered.

Sadie kept her eyes on his, "I can't tell you if you're right or not, Draco. The Unbreakable Vow-"

"Stops you from telling me verbally or by writing it down," Draco agreed, "But there are ways around Unbreakable Vows, and we both know that."

Sadie bit her lip because she knew what he was thinking.

"You know how to show me that I'm right," Draco said quietly. His voice had been low throughout this entire exchange but never menacing.

Sadie couldn't nod or shake her head, and she did know exactly what Draco meant. She kept her eyes on his and lifted her head just enough to kiss him. In the tight space, they were already pressed tightly together anyway.

Draco knew what that meant. They didn't do this, Sadie was right, so the fact she had kissed him confirmed his suspicions.

He pulled back and gave her a slight nod but didn't say anything further on the subject because he knew he couldn't.


Teddy was awake when Almina got to Potter Manor. She knew straight away when she saw the light on in his bedroom.

With a smile, she sent a Patronus up to him. She watched the silver rabbit bounce up to his bedroom window and disappear through it, and then Teddy's face appeared at the window.

He waved to her and grinned, motioning that he'd be down in five minutes.

Almina chuckled and sat down on a bench in the grounds to wait for him. Despite it being after midnight, it wasn't cold and remarkably, considering they were in the Lake District, it wasn't raining.

Teddy jogged out in jeans and a Winged Snitches t-shirt. Almina smiled. He looked like himself, which she loved. His hair was blue and messy, his eyes were brown. It was how he looked when he wasn't at work. At work, he looked like a Potter, but this was his true self.

He was covered in tattoos, a bad habit he'd picked up from Harry, who hadn't gotten any for a while, to be fair.

"Mum says he's getting too old," Teddy had joked when Almina had asked why.

Teddy's tattoos were all to signify different things. There were wolves for his biological father, constellations for his grandmother, Hufflepuff themed ones for his birth mother, and the symbol from the Marauders map that said "Mischief Managed". Harry had only found it right to pass the map onto Teddy, what with his father being a founding member of the Marauders, after all. Then there was the stag for his adopted dad and the crown over an ice-covered laurel tree for his adopted mother.

He grinned when he reached Almina, "What's the good girl doing sneaking in here after midnight?"

Almina raised an eyebrow, "The good girl who was sneaking out to meet you while she was Head Girl?"

Teddy chuckled, "Fair play."

There was an age gap between them, but it was marginal. They had started dating when Almina was 18, just about to finish her final year at Hogwarts. Teddy had been 20 at the time, entering his last year of Auror training.

Almina had only just graduated from the academy. She was barely a qualified Auror, but Teddy had been doing the job for two years now.

"What brings you to my humble abode then?" Teddy asked, slinging an arm around her.

"Honestly, Teddy, I'm worried about you," Almina admitted, "You know the Wizengamot has been called, right?"

"To discuss the Statute Saboteurs," Teddy said with a nod, "Yeah, Dad filled me in when I got in from work."

"Well, if the Wizengamot agrees, then your dad is planning on sending a task force to Europe, and I know you'll want to be on it," Almina bit her lip, and Teddy grabbed her hand.

"I don't want to lose you, Teddy."

"Hey," Teddy said softly, "You're not going to lose me, alright? Cause if you'll let me, I wanna be with you for the rest of my life."

Almina looked over at him sharply, "Are you…are you saying you want to marry me?"

Teddy's eyes widened, and he rummaged in his pocket, "Oh….shit. Just…just hold that thought, okay?"

Almina watched in amusement as he ran back into the house barefooted. She shook her head and bit her lip, waiting for him to re-emerge, which he did a few minutes later. He dashed back down the path and dropped onto one knee, pulling a box out of his pocket.

"Will you marry me, Almina?"

Almina couldn't say she hadn't been expecting it. He had been acting strange all week. Still, the words out of her mouth were…

"No."

Teddy panicked, "No?"

"I can't marry you just because there's going to be another war, and we're scared," Almina said, meeting his eyes.

"Look at what happened to Victoire's parents because they did that."

"I'm not asking you to marry me because I'm scared that I'll die," Teddy promised, "Because, whether you're my girlfriend or my fiancé, I'll always fight to come home to you. Nick and me, we'll always have each other's backs, and we'll always come home to you and Nina, I promise."

Almina gave him a sad smile, "Don't make promises you can't keep, baby."

"I can keep that promise," Teddy said, looking up at her, a fire burning in his eyes, "When I've got you to come home to, nothing and no one is going to get in my way."

Almina smiled again.

"So, what's the answer?" Teddy asked, smiling broadly at her, "Cause this is a gravel path, and my knee kinda hurts."

Almina laughed tearfully and nodded, "Yes."

"Yes?" Teddy asked, looking up at her with wide eyes, "You're sure?"

Almina pulled him up and kissed him, "Yes, I'm sure," she murmured against his lips.

Teddy slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, and Almina positively beamed at him.


Things were still a little icy between Harry and Daphne while they sat in the kitchen the following morning. Harry was scouring the newspapers for any signs of the Statute Saboteurs, and Daphne was drinking coffee silently at the other side of the table.

The frosty air was broken by Teddy practically skipping into the room with a massive grin on his face.

"She said yes!"

Harry and Daphne both looked up.

"What?"

"Really?"

"Almina said yes," Teddy said, throwing himself into a seat at the table, "She came by last night, and I asked her."

Harry grinned, "Congratulations, Teddy!"

Daphne smiled warmly and reached over to kiss his cheek, "We knew she would say yes."

"Well, she said no, at first," Teddy said, laughing nervously, "But then I talked her around, and she said yes."

Daphne frowned slightly, "Why did she say no?"

"Oh, well," Teddy shrugged, "She thought I was asking her for the wrong reasons. Because of the Statute Saboteurs and how you guys all seem to think there's a war coming."

"Hey," Harry cut in, "Nobody has said that, Teddy."

"I know," Teddy said, his eyes flitting between his parents, "But you all think it, I can see it in your eyes when you read the paper. I'm not stupid, you know, and you've all been whispering a lot lately."

Daphne sighed and looked over at Harry, "There's no use trying to pretend, Harry. There is another war coming."

"Not if I can help it," Harry said, pushing himself to his feet with determination.

Teddy nodded and fell into step with his dad as they left for work.

Daphne watched them go, the sense of dread in her gut growing as she did so.


The scene in Blacknot Castle was a little cheerier.

Almina walked into the kitchen with her hands behind her back and smiled brightly, "Good morning, family."

Draco looked up and raised an eyebrow, "Good morning…."

"Hm," Theo agreed, "Good morning, sunshine. Who are you, and what have you done with my daughter?"

Almina grinned.

Sadie chuckled, "He asked you last night, didn't he?"

She brought her hand around and wriggled her fingers, "Yes, he did!"

Charlus snorted, "And you said yes? What do you want to marry that loser for?"

"That loser is worth ten of you, Charlus," Almina said offhandedly, "Although I did say no, at first."

"What? Why?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Well, I thought he was asking me for the wrong reasons!" Almina exclaimed, "This war against the Statute Saboteurs is looking more likely to happen, and I was worried about him. But then he gave this romantic speech about how he would always fight to come home to me, so I said yes."

"Good," Theo said, smiling at her, "He's a good one."

"Yes," Almina beamed, "He is."

"And that is a nice ring," Sadie said, looking at the diamond on Almina's hand.

Theo got up and pulled her into a hug, without his cane, "I'm happy for you, baby."

"Thanks, Pops."

Almina looked at Draco, who historically was the more disapproving of the two.

He smiled and got up, opening his arms for a hug.

With a chuckle, Almina hugged him.

"I'm happy for you too, Mina," He promised, placing a kiss on her forehead and smiling over at Theo.

Sadie and Hermione shared a smile too. Despite the struggles Hermione knew she had ahead, their family had always gotten her through the hard times.


Signing the 'do not resuscitate' order and watching his parents die should have been hard for Neville. It should have torn him up with guilt, but it didn't. Somehow, it felt right.

It felt peaceful.

Lilly stood by his side, holding his hand and waiting for him to break down. But he never did. When they slipped away, silently and peacefully, he just nodded.

It was almost like he finally had closure.

Lilly talked about funeral arrangements when the Healers covered them with sheets and moved them to the morgue. Neville let her for a few minutes until the fog in his head cleared enough to allow him to speak.

"No."

Lilly stopped in her tracks, "…no?"

Neville shook his head, "No funeral. They've been gone so long, virtually everyone who cares about them is dead too."

"But, what about the kids?" Lilly asked quietly.

"They never knew them, Lilly," Neville said, turning to look at his wife, "I didn't know them, not really. What would be the point in dragging them to the funeral of two ghosts?"

Lilly sighed, "Neville, I just…I don't think you're really processing this at all."

"I'm fine, Lilly," Neville ground out, "I processed it years ago, okay? Let's just have them cremated and scatter their ashes in Godric's Hollow. I'm sure they would prefer that to a grand, pointless funeral."

Lilly looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't.

"Okay, they are your parents," She conceded, "And it is your choice at the end of the day."

With a nod, Neville took her hand and left the hospital room. Wishing he could feel something, some tug of guilt or pain.

He felt like a monster, incapable of shedding a single tear for the people who had brought him into this world. And for the first time, he had an inkling of how Harry had felt at times. How helpless, useless and undeserving of love he had felt when he spiralled into alcoholism.

With a sigh, Neville decided that he would talk to his best friend later.


Knock. Knock.

Without looking up, Harry called, "Come in!"

Neville stepped into the Head Aurors office and looked around. Harry was sitting at his desk, a pile of parchment in front of him and a whiteboard behind him. The room was lit by a few gas lights, and from the three half-finished mugs of coffee at the table, Neville guessed Harry hadn't stopped for a while.

"Have you eaten?"

Harry looked up at Neville, "No, I haven't had the time. It's not that late, is it?"

Neville raised an eyebrow and put a container of Chinese food onto Harry's desk, "I guessed as much, so I brought your favourite. And it's like 10 pm, Harry."

Harry looked at the clock and cursed under his breath, "Shit. Is this you coming here to tell me Daphne wants to kill me?"

"No," Neville sighed, "Daphne is drinking wine with Lilly right now. She's probably despairing about how awful a person I am, so I don't think she'll mind your absence."

Harry picked up the cardboard carton and frowned. Neville stabbed a piece of beef a little violently, and Harry asked, "Why on earth would anyone accuse you of being an awful person?"

"Because I signed a piece of parchment today that might as well have been a death warrant," Neville said. He frowned at his food.

"It was a 'do not resuscitate order, on my parents."

Harry's eyes widened, "Oh god, Neville. I'm so sorry."

Neville sighed, "See, this is why I'm awful, Harry. Because I don't feel anything. I don't feel sad. I did not shed a single tear. I watched my parents die, and I just stood there, disconnected from the entire thing."

Harry watched Neville for a moment before he spoke.

"Well, I suppose they died a long time ago for you," Harry said eventually.

Neville's head snapped up, "You don't think it makes me a monster?"

"I don't think anyone who knows you could describe you as a monster, Nev," Harry said honestly, "And I've seen so many things, both good and bad, I think that makes me a good judge of that."

Neville nodded thoughtfully.

"I've seen people whose children or partners have been missing for years, and when they come in to identify the body, they don't cry or scream," Harry said quietly.

"Because in most cases, they already gave up hope a long time ago. Seeing the body, all it does is give them closure."

Neville let out a shaky breath and nodded, his eyes filling with tears for the first time, "That's exactly how I feel. For the first time in 40 years, I finally feel like I have closure. I don't feel sad about it, I feel-"

He swallowed down a lump in his throat and blinked, a few tears spilling from his eyes, "I feel at peace with it."

Harry smiled sadly and reached across the desk to grab his hand, "Because they are at peace, Neville."

Neville sniffed and wiped his eyes, "Finally," he agreed, his voice breaking a little.


"…and he doesn't even want a funeral."

Daphne sipped her wine, then shrugged, "Well, that's fair enough."

"How is that fair enough?" Lilly asked in disbelief.

"We didn't have a funeral for my mother," Daphne pointed out.

Lilly gave her best friend a pointed look, "Your mother died alone in France, and not a single one of you gave a shit about it."

"She made her bed," Daphne said, shrugging and leaning back, "I feel exactly the same way that Sadie did about her father. She got out of Azkaban, and I gave her a chance. She threw it away."

"She couldn't cope with the fact your father had moved on, so she moved to France," Lilly said matter of factly.

"I invited her for Christmas," Daphne said, putting down her wine glass.

"And I know you disagree with how I handled the situation, but the fact I extended a hand to her at all is a lot for me, and she still ignored it."

"I know," Lilly said. She ran her finger up the edge of her wine glass thoughtfully, "I just don't think we can compare it to Neville's parents dying."

"Look, at the end of the day, if Neville is fine, then what's the problem?" Daphne asked bluntly, "His parents were sick for a long time. Neville probably did come to terms with this a long time ago, so he's putting them to rest now."

"By not having a funeral," Lilly added.

"Not everyone has a funeral," Daphne said simply, "Some people don't need a grand gesture. They don't want people crying and pouring out their hearts about how great they were. Some people just want to be let go, Lilly."

Lilly frowned, but before she could say anything more, the floo whirred to life. The recognition system didn't ask Daphne for access, which meant it was someone who was keyed into the wards.

"Harry wouldn't floo home, would he?"

Daphne shook her head, "No, he and Teddy would both apparate."

The floo turned green, and both women fell silent for a moment as they waited to see who would step out of the fireplace.

The moment red high heels hit the ground, they both knew who it was.

"Good evening, Astoria," Daphne said, fighting back a smile.

Astoria would usually dust herself down and smirk, but today she didn't even bother, and from the soot on her face, she had floo-ed here in a hurry.

Daphne realised that before Lilly, and a frown formed on her face, "What's wrong?"

"I've just come from the hospital," Astoria said quietly. She brushed her hair out of the way, "I was there with Charlie. He needed the skin graft checked. You know from where Sofia got him while she was giving birth?"

Daphne nodded. Charlie had gotten a severe burn a few months back. It had been a third-degree, straight to the bone, but he hadn't minded because it had happened while three baby dragons were born to a dying breed.

"While I was waiting, I saw Dad come out of the Potion and Plant Poisoning Ward," Astoria said.

Daphne frowned, "What would he be doing in there? Did he accidentally take something he shouldn't have done?"

Astoria shook her head, "I thought the same thing, so I went inside and spoke to the receptionist. She said he was in every week for his appointments and that he always talked about his two daughters while he was with the Healers. Then she said it was so sad that he didn't have long left to go because he was such a nice man, and he had been a great Minister for Magic."

"What?" Daphne asked quietly.

Astoria swallowed and nodded, "So I went to Greengrass House to ask him about it. But he was upstairs resting, and Narcissa said I ought to get you before she told us the news."

Daphne paled, "No…."

Lilly looked between the two sisters and said, "Maybe I should apparate you there."

Astoria shook her head, "We are perfectly capable of using the floo, even when we are upset. But you ought to come through too, Lilly."

Daphne nodded, and Astoria opened up a floo channel. She stepped through first, Daphne followed, and Lilly formed the rear.

When they stepped out into the kitchen of Greengrass House, Narcissa had poured out cups of tea for everyone. She had clearly anticipated Lilly joining them because there were enough cups for everyone.

"Sit down, girls," Narcissa said softly, gesturing to the chairs in front of her.

The three women did so, all of them looking at Narcissa expectantly.

"I know this will come as a shock to you, which was why we kept it quiet for so long," Narcissa said, her eyes flitting between Daphne and Astoria.

"When your father was under the effects of the draught of living death, he suffered severe damage to his organs," Narcissa said calmly.

"As a consequence of that, he recently discovered that he has a heart condition. His heart is deteriorating, and it is struggling to pump blood to the other organs in his body. The Healers have done all they can to make him comfortable, but last week, they informed us that he is terminal."

Daphne swallowed and reached over to grab Astoria's hand, "How…."

"How long does he have left?" Lilly asked quietly.

"A month, at best," Narcissa answered, her voice shaking very slightly, "He was advised to get his affairs in order."

Daphne frowned and looked up at Narcissa, "Is he in any pain?"

Narcissa shook her head, "No, but he is very tired. The small things exhaust him now. After his final press conference as Minister, he slept for two days."

Astoria took her hand out of Daphne's, "How long has he known for?"

"A year," Narcissa answered honestly.

"A year?" Astoria echoed, "An entire year, and he never told us?"

"He did not want to worry you unnecessarily," Narcissa said, "He was getting treatment, and he knew that you would put your own lives on hold to help him. That was the last thing that he wanted."

Astoria shook her head and got to her feet, "I can't…I just need a little time to process this, Narcissa."

Narcissa bowed her head, "I understand that," she promised.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Daphne asked.

"No, I can use the floo just fine, thank you," Astoria said stiffly. She threw some floo powder into the flames and disappeared, leaving the kitchen eerily quiet for a moment.

Daphne sighed and sipped her tea, "How does he feel about all of this?"

"At peace with it," Narcissa promised, "But I will let him explain why."

"You should go and sit with him, Daphne," Lilly said softly, "Even if he is asleep."

Daphne swallowed a lump that had risen in her throat and nodded, "Yeah…I just…I keep thinking about how I'm going to tell the kids."

Lilly grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, "You and Harry, and Neville and I if you need us. We'll tell them together, the same way we have handled everything else this world has thrown at us."

Daphne just nodded.

"Go and sit with him," Lilly said, letting go of Daphne's hand.

With a final nod, Daphne headed upstairs and abandoned her tea.

The moment she had left, Narcissa let out a slow exhale, and Lilly leant across the table to take the older woman's hand.

"How are you, Narcissa?"

"Managing," Narcissa answered. She gave Lilly a tired smile, "Almost, anyway."

Lilly nodded, surveying the older woman carefully, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Keep this from ripping Astoria and Daphne apart," Narcissa answered, her eyes on the fireplace that Astoria had disappeared through.

"One of them is mature enough to handle this with grace and dignity, and the other will channel her grief into anger."

"Astoria is lucky, in that respect," Lilly said, her eyes darkening, "She has never lost someone she loves like Daphne has. Losing Tracey broke Daphne's heart, and she was so young at the time."

"Indeed. It was a shame that Daphne had to experience that so young," Narcissa agreed, "But had she not, then you and she would not share such a beautiful bond."

Lilly smiled slightly, "As Tracey always said, and it's a rule that Daphne likes to live by – what's meant for you will not pass you by."


When Daphne walked into her father's bedroom, she was surprised to see him awake.

He saw the look on her face and sighed.

"Narcissa told you."

"Astoria saw you coming out of the Potions and Plants Poisoning Ward," Daphne said quietly, "She confronted Narcissa. It wasn't like she had much of a choice but to tell us the truth."

With another sigh, Cygnus patted the edge of the bed.

Daphne sat down and reached across to take his hand – it was cold, a sure-fire sign that his circulation wasn't great.

"You kept it secret for a year," Daphne said, frowning at her father.

"Your last year in office, with all of that pressure to act against the Statute Saboteurs….all the arguments we had about your political opinions, Dad. I wouldn't have treated you that way if I had known."

"And that's exactly why I didn't tell you," Cygnus said softly, "I did not want to be treated like an invalid. Yes, I was tired, and I was weak, but I could still be a good Minister for Magic."

"You were," Daphne said tearfully, "Don't doubt that. Just because you chose not to act, and our current Minister looks set to, please do not let that taint how you view your time in office."

Cygnus smiled sadly, "I don't. I am honoured to have served this country, but that isn't what I am reflecting on, knowing my days are numbered."

Daphne blinked and let her tears fall, "You're so calm about it all. Narcissa said you're at peace, but how can you be? You're 71. You are not old, by any means."

"But I got 22 years of life that I did not expect to get," Cygnus said, squeezing Daphne's hand gently.

"I got to be the father I always wanted to be. To you and Astoria. I got to marry the love of my life, and I got to see five grandchildren grow up."

Daphne let a few more tears fall, "I don't know how to tell them you're dying, Dad. Alastor admires you. He will be devastated."

"They need to learn how to deal with loss at some stage, love," Cygnus said softly.

Daphne nodded, she rested her head against his arm, and Cygnus felt her tears fall faster.

"I'm so sorry for the years I wasted hating you," Daphne half-said, half-sobbed.

"Don't be," Cygnus said, his voice breaking as his own tears threatened to fall, "The last 22 years have been a gift, but I have been living on borrowed time. It is my time, and I am at peace with that."

Daphne nodded, a small sob escaping her as she hugged her father.


When Harry got home that night, the house was in darkness. Assuming that Teddy was at Almina's and Daphne had crashed at Longbottom House with Lilly, he climbed into bed, unaware anything was amiss.

It was going on midnight, and he was exhausted. But his mind was in overdrive too. Every time he tried to sleep, he thought about the upcoming Wizengamot meeting.

He knew that he ought to get some sleep before he sat in that courtroom and fought his corner – against people who had formerly been his allies in politics and were still his friends. Many people were wary about another war, understandably so, but Harry had to make them realise why this mattered.

Every time he got close to falling asleep, another argument popped into his head, and he began to think of a way to counter it.

As such, he heard Daphne and Lilly's voices in the entrance hall when they got home later that night. He couldn't make out what was being said, but they spoke softly then Lilly left via the vanishing cabinet to Longbottom House.

Harry rolled over and muttered a lazy Lumos when Daphne stepped into the room. He was about to make a joke about her staying out all night with her mistress, then he saw the tear tracks on her face and the brightness of her eyes.

It made him sit bolt upright, "What's wrong?"

Daphne froze in the doorway.

"Daphne?" Harry asked, pushing himself out of bed, his heart racing, "Daphne, is everything okay?"

Daphne swallowed and looked Harry in the eye. He saw the pain swimming there before she was able to verbalise it.

"It's Dad," She choked out.

Harry's heart fell.

"He has a heart condition, and the Healers can't do anything more for him," Daphne whispered, "He has a month, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened, "He's dying?"

Those words made Daphne sob. She nodded and fell forward into his arms, breaking down and finally letting her tears fall.

- TBC -