The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
What Will Become of Us?
The chapter title is from the song:
Pioneer by The Band Perry.
Cygnus Greengrass coughed and pushed himself up in his bed. His entire body ached, and he knew somewhere deep in his soul that he wouldn't be on this earth for much longer.
Narcissa came into the room, having heard him struggling, "Cygnus, you should not exert yourself!"
"Last I checked, sitting up didn't count as exerting myself," Cygnus remarked.
Narcissa sat on the edge of his bed and sighed, "Your heart is failing, my love. Any kind of movement is exertion."
Cygnus sighed and looked at her, "I feel weaker than I have ever felt."
Narcissa swallowed and nodded, "Delphi suspects that you have a week, at most. She says that most likely, you will fall asleep one night and not awake in the morning."
Cygnus reached out for her hand. Narcissa looked at him, with tears shining in her eyes.
"You will be the second husband I have lost," She said in a whisper, "But the only one I have loved."
Cygnus smiled weakly, "I love you too, more than I ever thought possible. But we should not grumble too much. We had 22 years together that we did not expect to have."
Narcissa bowed her head, "Draco and Astoria are here. I called them, as you asked."
"Good," Cygnus said, "Bring them in, please."
Narcissa raised her wand and pointed it at the door. A knocking sounded then it swung open.
Draco stepped in first. He looked tired; there were bags beneath his dull eyes. Astoria looked tired too but in a different sense. She looked flawless, but it was in the way she looked at her father, the conflict that swam beneath the calm exterior.
"I must speak to you all about Daphne," Cygnus said quietly, "If Delphi is correct, and she is a wonderful young Healer, so I suspect she is. Then I have a week to live, and Daphne is currently going through hell as it is."
Draco cast his gaze down and shook his head, "We're doing everything we can to get the Statute Saboteurs to talk. Hermione is in Switzerland, trying to make this right."
"I know," Cygnus said softly, "But we must face the possibility that I pass, and Daphne also loses her husband. You all know what that will do to her."
Draco looked Cygnus in the eye as the man said, "You know what it is like to lose someone you love, Draco."
The older man then turned his gaze on Astoria, "You know about the pull of a love like that, Astoria."
Finally, Cygnus looked at Narcissa, "And you know how it feels to lose yourself in that pain, Narcissa."
Narcissa bowed her head, and Cygnus continued, "So I need you to promise me something. If I pass away and she loses him, be there for her – all three of you. Because she calls herself the Ice Queen for a reason. Ice is strong, unmoving, it takes so much to melt it. But it is also brittle and with enough force, it will shatter. If that happens, it will take all of you to heal her."
"You don't have to ask, Cygnus," Draco promised, "I love her like a sister. I'll do whatever it takes to help her through this."
"So will I," Astoria said firmly, "She is my sister. I would sooner die than let anything hurt her."
"And I love her like a daughter," Narcissa confessed, "I have done from the moment I met you, Cygnus. Of course, we will take care of her when you no longer can."
Cygnus smiled and nodded. He was flagging after his little speech. They could all see that.
"Get some sleep," Narcissa soothed, running her hand over his gently.
With a final nod, Cygnus's eyelids fluttered shut and sleep claimed him once more.
"We cannot let him die without Daphne saying goodbye," Narcissa said.
Draco sighed and hugged his mother.
"We won't."
Susan was in the hospital visiting Harry when Lilly decided to break the news to Daphne. She filled her in on everything that she and Michael had discovered, and Susan listened tentatively to it all too.
"But we don't know what it means," Lilly finished, "This is from an ancient text. Nobody alive knows who or what 'Osiris' or 'Thoth' represent. Nobody knows if it's a psychological condition or if it's real…if Death actually exists."
Daphne didn't say anything. She was too overwhelmed by all the information that Lilly had thrown at her.
But Susan frowned and looked between the other two women, "Well, if nobody alive knows, then why don't you try talking to someone who's not alive?"
Lilly frowned at her, but Daphne nearly dropped her coffee.
"Susan!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and grabbing her old friend, "You are brilliant. Oh, Merlin, you are so brilliant. I love you!"
Lilly's frown deepened, "Uh, excuse me, what is going on right now?"
"The portrait of Salazar Slytherin underneath the lower dungeon floor!" Daphne exclaimed.
"Right, cause that makes it clearer," Lilly muttered sarcastically.
Susan ignored her and nodded at Daphne, "He made Horcruxes. He's going to know a hell of a lot about this kind of magic. And you were a Slytherin; he'll talk to you, Daph."
Daphne reached forward and kissed Susan's cheek, then she dashed from the room without another word.
Lilly frowned from the door to Susan and said, "Uh…sub-floor? Beneath the dungeon?"
"It's a secret alcove," Susan said offhandedly, "With a downward crawl space into this neat little hidey-hole with a portrait of Salazar."
Lilly nodded slowly, "And you found out about this how…?"
Susan smirked at Lilly and said, "Great make-out spot."
Breaking into Hogwarts was stupidly easy when you had a Marauders Map, and you knew the Headmaster. Daphne snuck in via the tunnel from Honeydukes, then she bypassed the intent wards because she wasn't there to do anything bad. Once she got out on the third floor, she made her way through the empty school to the large hall in the dungeons where Nearly Headless Nick had once hosted his Deathday Party.
She stood in front of one of the stone archways and smiled at the memory it brought to mind.
"Shit!"
Daphne was trying her hardest not to laugh at Susan, who had just pulled them into this huge chamber in their effort to escape from Filch.
"Damnit, this is a dead-end," Susan muttered, "If Filch catches us, everyone's going to find out I've been snogging the Ice Queen. God, how will your reputation uphold itself?"
Daphne gave her a long-suffering look then pressed her against the wall.
Susan raised an eyebrow, "Well, if Harry Potter could see you now."
"Oh, be quiet," Daphne chuckled, "Harry Potter has a silly little schoolboy crush on me, that's all."
"Uh-huh," Susan said, entirely unconvinced.
Daphne pulled on the sconce on the wall behind Susan, and she made a slight noise of alarm as the whole wall spun around, throwing them into darkness.
"Also, the Ice Queen knows a thing or two," Daphne whispered in the darkness.
"Okay, that was hot," Susan said breathily.
Daphne laughed and pressed her lips against Susan's, and the other girl wrapped her arms around Daphne's neck and deepened the kiss. It was stupid, all of this. They had been friends when they were young, then the war had happened, and they had been on opposite sides.
"I'm on my own side," Daphne had said."That's the problem," Susan had returned.
Then they had fought together in the final battle, and a summer had passed. Now here they were, back at school, all of them in a shared common room, and everything was different. Harry Potter was speaking to her. Draco Malfoy was in stupid, crazy love with Hermione Granger.
And somewhere in the midst of all of that, Susan had become the person Daphne shoved behind tapestry's to make out with or snuck into her dorm room late at night. If she'd had to call it, then she'd have said it would have been Tracey, but it wasn't – not anymore, anyway.
She and Tracey had sort of tried that already. The friends with benefits thing wasn't really appealing to Tracey though. But Daphne and Susan were the same. They didn't trust easily, and they especially did not trust men.
In the end, that was why they fell back on each other.
Daphne let her hands wander, and Susan moaned against her lips, running her own hands up Daphne's legs until they slid under her skirt.
"We are not doing this with Filch in the corridor just there, are we?" Daphne asked breathlessly.
Susan smirked, "Oh, we are. And what's more, I'm not casting any silencing charms, so let's see how good you are at staying quiet."
Daphne groaned, "Sweet Salazar, Hufflepuff's are the kinkiest."
Susan chuckled and slid her hands even higher up Daphne's legs, making her breath hitch.
"Just wait until you sleep with a Ravenclaw. They're even dirtier," she teased, claiming Daphne's lips once again.
That felt like a lifetime ago now. Sneaking around, being stupid, sex and hook-ups that didn't mean anything. It had all been before Harry, obviously, and with Harry, everything had changed. That thought just made Daphne feel depressed.
Because everything was going to change again if he died.
She swallowed hard and pulled the sconce down, staying close to the wall as it spun around. Once it had done, Daphne murmured, "Lumos," to light up the space. The first time she had come here, she had just thought it was a secret alcove. It had been Susan who discovered the tiny crawl space at the other side.
Getting through it had been easy when she was 18 years old, but at 41, she wasn't quite as agile. Still, she managed to get into it and shuffle her body through. On the other side, there was a steep slope that Daphne slid down for a few minutes to reach a small area – no bigger than a broom closet. Water flowed down the walls on each side, but it was magical because it didn't make the space damp or cold.
In front of her was a large portrait of Salazar Slytherin. She smiled and said, "Hi Salazar. Long time, no see."
Salazar bowed his head, "Daphne Greengrass."
"You remember me?" Daphne asked in surprise.
"Of course. You were the first student to discover me in decades, and not many do. One does tend to remember those names."
Daphne nodded and looked at him for a long moment, "You know, I didn't work it out at the time. But then I met the man who became my husband, and I think I know now why you have a portrait hidden away down here, somewhere so difficult to get to."
Salazar raised an eyebrow at her. In his portrait, he was a handsome man in his late 20s to early 30s. He had high cheekbones, long dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. If Harry saw those eyes, he would probably say they looked just like Tom Riddle's; she supposed that was a genetic trait.
"You do, do you?"
Daphne smiled, "I think this is a secret entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and I suppose you would need to speak parseltongue to get in. I'm not a natural. I only know the basics because my husband can speak it."
"Your husband is my heir?" Salazar asked with interest, "Is he a Gaunt?"
"No," Daphne replied, "The Gaunt line died out a long time ago. There is one true descendant of yours left, but she's not a pureblood. Her mother was, but her father was a half-blood."
Salazar sighed, "Well, the world changes with every passing year."
Daphne nodded, "It does…."
She sat down on the floor and looked at his pastel-painted eyes, "He's dying now. My husband, that is, and everyone keeps telling me that he will survive because he's survived so many other things he shouldn't have. He had a Horcrux inside of him. A dark lord's soul clinging to his like a parasite, but he didn't let it beat him. He survived that, and now…his soul has been ripped apart by ancient, dark magic."
Salazar, to his credit, looked sympathetic.
"The soul-destroying curse," He said with an air of recognition.
"You know of it?" Daphne asked hopefully.
"Indeed," Salazar replied, "It is an awful curse for the afflicted and their loved ones. Watching someone that you care about losing a battle in their own head is discouraging to the soul."
Daphne swallowed, "Is there a cure?"
Salazar shook his head, "Not one that is easy to come by. They say that the soul-destroying curse is such ancient magic, it was created by Death himself. The only way to help the afflicted was to converse with Death himself."
"Converse with Death?" Daphne asked, "Like…summon Death?"
Salazar bowed his head, "Ancient magic, both dark and irrevocably linked to the blood of the sacrificing person. There was a tome about it in the library during my day, but I do believe all such texts were removed long ago."
"They were…" Daphne said. She pushed herself to her feet, "But I think I might know where they were removed to. Thank you, Salazar!"
"You are very welcome."
When Daphne stepped into Blacknot Castle, she was instantly cornered. But because it was for a good reason, she couldn't be too angry about that.
"Daph!" Theo said, crossing the room, without his cane, to pull her into a hug, "Hey, how are you doing?"
"I'm…" She stumbled over the word 'fine' and shook her head, "I'm coping."
Theo pulled back but gripped her shoulders tightly, "Look, if there's anything we can do. Just tell us, and you know we'll do it."
"I know," Daphne said. She smiled and kissed Theo on the cheek, "And I appreciate it, Theo. But right now, the best thing you can do is just check in on the kids every so often without making it look like you're checking in on them."
Theo smiled and nudged her, "Cool Uncle Theo can definitely do that."
"What's cool Uncle Theo doing - " Draco began to say, but he cut himself off when he saw Daphne.
"Daphne! Hey," He said, pulling her to him for a hug, "How are you?"
"Sick of being asked that question, Draco," Daphne said honestly.
Draco nodded and pulled back. He and Theo were both looking at her the same way – like she was a china doll who was about to break.
"How is…" Daphne swallowed, "How is Dad?"
"He's doing okay," Draco promised, "I was there this morning, and Astoria read to him for a while. He's not staying awake for quite as long anymore, and his strength is failing, but he's not out of time yet."
Daphne nodded and rubbed her eyes, "Good. I … I need to see him, but with Harry…."
"He understands," Draco promised, "I filled him in. But my mother thinks that you should visit sooner rather than later because his strength is failing."
With another nod, Daphne said, "I will."
She glanced around and asked, "Is it just you two?"
"Sadie's here," Theo replied, "Hermione's in Switzerland."
"Switzerland?" Daphne echoed.
"She's trying to make a deal with the ICW to pursue the case against the Saboteurs even though it's on foreign soil," Draco explained, "We haven't found the person who hurt Harry yet, and only she can tell us how to undo this."
"That's not true," Daphne said. She looked up at Draco, "I spoke to someone who…might be able to help. But I can't be sure until I talk to Sadie. Where is she?"
"In the library," Theo replied.
Daphne nodded and turned on her heel, heading across the hall for the library. She pressed the door open, slipped inside and saw Sadie sitting by the fire with her encrypted notebook in her hands.
She looked up when she heard the door, and her face fell when she saw Daphne.
"Daphne! Are you okay?" Sadie asked, rising to her feet to hug her friend.
"No," Daphne admitted weakly, "But I might have a lead that could help Harry. I can't do it without your help though, Sade. I don't even know if it's possible."
Sadie sat Daphne down in an armchair and said, "Explain, and I'll tell you what I can."
"I spoke to the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, at Hogwarts," Daphne began, "The one - "
"You and Susan discovered in what used to be your go-to make-out spot with Tracey," Sadie finished.
Daphne smiled sadly, "Yeah, that one. He…uh, he told me there's one way to fix this, which ties in with what Lilly found out from Egyptian mythology."
"I looked into it from that angle too," Sadie admitted, "All I could conclude was that Death is Osiris and Thoth is the messenger of Death. Every tale is stooped in truth, after all."
Daphne nodded, "But Salazar said that the only way to help Harry is to converse with Death. He said there was a text about how to do that in the library of Hogwarts, but it was lost a long time ago."
Sadie nodded slowly, her eyes giving nothing away.
"And I figured, if that was the case, then it must have been taken to the Department of Mysteries because that's where everything vanishes to," Daphne finished.
Sadie bit her lip, "As an active Unspeakable, I can't confirm nor deny that."
Daphne looked at her old friend desperately, "Is it true, Sadie? Can you summon Death?"
Sadie paused then chose her words carefully, "Legend foretells that you can, but that doesn't mean that you should. According to the old tales, the only way to make a deal with Death is to offer your life for another's, and if you died to save him…Merlin, Daph, Harry would be furious with you. In fact, I wouldn't put it past him to find some way to bring you back just to kill you again."
Daphne laughed weakly, despite herself.
"Why do I get the impression you know more than you're telling me?"
Sadie leant over and grabbed her hand, "I'm an active Unspeakable, which severely limits what I can and can't say. But soon, we'll talk more, and it will be different, I promise."
Daphne's eyes widened, "Sadie…you can't….you can't quit your job for me. We're…you and I aren't as close as we used to be. I…when Lilly and I…."
"We drifted apart because you felt like you got Tracey back, in some small way," Sadie said with a sad smile, "And I found a match in Hermione, but Daphne, I went through hell and back with you. The war, and everything before it, I'll never forget what you did for me."
Daphne smiled tearfully and closed the gap to hug Sadie.
"You're a good friend, and I love you."
"I love you too," Sadie murmured, pulling back from the hug.
"But I was going to quit anyway," Sadie added, a playful look in her eyes, "It's not all for you."
Daphne laughed and thanked her friend again. For the first time, she allowed herself to feel the tiniest slither of hope.
"Mum…"
Daphne looked over at her daughter. They were alone in Harry's hospital room. Daphne had found her eldest daughter to be good company throughout all of this. Teddy was in and out, but he was also working and trying to keep his own little family together through their grief. Alastor was spending more time with his grandfather, and Daphne couldn't begrudge him for that. Thea hadn't been around much, but Daphne knew why that was. She was the youngest, the most spoiled and probably the one who had been molly-coddled the most. She wasn't as equipped to deal with this as the other children were.
As such, Thea was staying at Ivy House with the Longbottom trio. Linda and Michael had been kind enough to take them in, so Daphne would have to thank them for that when this hell ended. It was natural that they were close; the Potter kids had been raised to think of the Longbottom kids as cousins, after all. The Longbottom twins were seven months younger than Thea, and Laurel was just under a year younger, so they were close even with a school year separating them.
Thea and Laurel, in particular, got on well, both being in Slytherin.
Andrea sighed and checked Harry's vitals, "No change."
Daphne smiled up at her, "You would make a good Healer, you know?"
"I know," Andrea said. She paused and looked over at her mother, "I've kind of realised that throughout this whole thing…."
"You want to be a Healer?" Daphne asked in surprise.
Andrea nodded, "I think so. But I have no idea what kind of Healer I would want to be."
"Nobody does. That's why you specialise towards the end of your training," Daphne said softly, "Unless you go into Trauma."
With a shake of her head, Andrea said, "No, I definitely don't want to do that."
Daphne smiled weakly, "I wouldn't have stopped you, but I am relieved. I don't think I could handle having a Trauma Healer and an Auror in the family."
Andrea sat down next to her and sighed, "I don't want to think about it right now anyway. Not with Dad like this and…the Prophet saying what it has."
"Yeah," Daphne said. She rubbed her eyes, "One of the Healers must have leaked the story to the press."
Andrea snorted, "Three guesses who."
Daphne let out a reluctant laugh, "Yes, I suspect Davies as well. I went to school with his son. He was as much of a pompous arse as his father."
"I went to school with a Davies too," Andrea said with a roll of her eyes, "Deveraux, he was a dick as well."
Daphne nodded, "Yeah, that's Rogers, kid. He had a couple with Gabrielle Delacour. She's Bill's ex-wife's sister."
Andrea snorted, "Do you know everyone?"
"Pretty much," Daphne admitted with a smile, "Try not to be so upset about the Prophet finding out about Dad being in here though, Andie. Your dad is famous. It was always going to happen."
"I'm not upset," Andrea said, her calm façade still there, "I'm fine."
Daphne nodded, "You say that you are, but you don't have to pretend with me. This whole 'Ice Queen 2.0' thing, you don't need to do that."
Andrea raised an eyebrow, "Don't you think that's a little hypocritical?"
"No," Daphne answered honestly, "Because you're not me, Andie. I didn't decide to be that person. The way I was raised, the things that happened to me when I was young, they made me into that person. It's something I embraced, but it isn't something to be proud of."
"But it's useful to mask your emotions," Andrea argued.
"It can be," Daphne agreed, "But not with the people you love. Everyone jokes that the Ice Queen in me melted when I fell in love with your father, but that's how it should be. You should have people that you can let your guard down around, and your parents ought to be amongst those people if they raised you well and are good to you."
Andrea nodded. She swallowed and shook her head.
"It's just…the only way I know how to deal with all of this," She said quietly.
"I mean…why is all of this so hard, Mum?" Andrea asked weakly.
Daphne reached over and took her hand, "Because this is life. Bad things happen, and it's hard."
"How do you get through it?" Andrea asked, frowning at her mother, "How do you keep putting one foot in front of the other through that?"
Daphne smiled, "You find your people. You rely on your family and your friends, or you make your own family. You lean on the people you love and on the people who love you."
Andrea nodded and took a breath, "Ella is the person I lean on, and she's going to Egypt."
"I know," Daphne said. She squeezed her hand, "But it's for a year, not forever. And right now, a year feels like the longest time in the world but trust me baby, when you're my age this year that you're fretting about now will seem so insignificant."
Andrea swallowed and looked over at her mum, "I have a boyfriend, you know?"
"I did wonder how long it would take you to tell us, sweetie," Daphne said with a slight smile.
Andrea looked up sharply, "How did you know?"
Daphne smirked, "Mother's know these things."
"Do you know who?" Andrea asked warily.
"Oh, I have a fair idea," Daphne said airily, "Older than you? Into dragons?"
Andrea groaned.
"I suppose your taste in men is more similar to your Aunt Astoria's than mine," Daphne joked.
"Please don't tell Thea," Andrea said. She smirked at her mother, "I'm having far too much fun letting her think I'm into girls."
Daphne chuckled and put an arm around her daughter's shoulder, "I always knew you had that Slytherin streak in you."
Andrea just laughed in response.
When Victoire eventually got discharged from the hospital, Fleur decided that it would be best for everyone if she stayed at Shell Cottage with her daughter. Bill had gone home to tell Lara that Vic was okay, then he went back to Shell Cottage.
With all that had happened, he didn't want to let Victoire out his sight for at least another 24 hours.
When he stepped into the kitchen of the house, he smiled at the sight. For the longest time, Bill had hated Shell Cottage. He had looked around and seen nothing but good memories – him and Fleur dancing across the floor after their wedding, laughing even though the world was falling apart. The night the war ended, they'd cried until they laughed, then they had shared half a bottle of Ogden's at that kitchen table.
Fleur had leant against counters in this kitchen, her hand on her stomach looking absolutely radiant while she was pregnant with Victoire. They had paced this floor with Victoire as a babe in arms, both of them exhausted but high on being parents to this incredible little girl.
And now that incredible little girl was cooking with her mother, two peas in a pod – both with blonde hair, blue eyes and matching carefree smiles.
It made a smile come to Bill's lips, but it was a nostalgic one. How many moments like this had he missed because Lara felt threatened by Fleur and because he was jealous of his ex-wife's handsome French lover?
"Oignon, Maman?"
Fleur threw an onion to Victoire, who sliced it with her wand halfway to the pot. It fell in, and he stepped into the room.
"What are we cooking?"
"Bouillabaisse," Fleur and Victoire replied in unison.
"Bless you," Bill joked, and both women gave him a long-suffering look because that was an old joke.
"Can I help with anything?" He asked.
Fleur handed him a leek and directed him on how to chop it, so he stood next to her and glanced along at Victoire, "Are you going to have Lilly tap into your magical core, then?"
Victoire nodded, "Once I've told Charlus, yes. I don't think showing up suddenly looking six months pregnant is the way forward, to be honest."
Fleur smiled at her daughter, "He will do the right thing by you, mon cherie."
"I don't want him to, though," Victoire admitted, "I don't want us to get married because there's a baby. If we ever get married, I want it to be because we love each other. You two are proof that rushing into marriage for the wrong reason is never a good idea."
Bill frowned over at Victoire, "Hey, for all my sins, I always loved your mother."
Fleur looked up at Bill in surprise, "Ah, bon?
Bill looked her in the eye and smiled, "Oui."
"By Merlin," Victoire muttered, "Who would have thought all it took to get you two talking to each other again was a grandchild?"
Fleur chuckled, and Bill smiled over at Victoire, "Well, it reaffirms some things, I guess. How do you think Charlie is going to take it?"
"Honestly? I think he's going to freak out," Victoire said with a shrug, "But I'll tell him tomorrow, anyway."
"Unless he finds out sooner than that about you getting hurt, then he might come in here like a battering ram," Bill joked.
Victoire shook her head, "He won't find out. Nevaeh doesn't run in the same circles as Charlie, and everyone is so concerned about Harry…they won't think to talk about me, which is fine."
"Yeah, it's bloody awful…what's happening to Harry," Bill said. He threw the leeks he had been chopping into the pot, and Fleur smacked his hand.
"Non, William! Le beurre n'est pas encore assez chaud! (No, William! The butter is not hot enough!)"
Bill raised his hands and looked at Victoire, who was struggling not to laugh.
"Désolé (Sorry)!"
Fleur shook her head, and Victoire chuckled, "Look at us, cooking dinner together as a family. Have we ever done this?"
"Not for a very long time," Bill admitted with a smile.
"It's kinda nice," Victoire admitted.
"Yes," Fleur agreed, "It is."
- TBC -
