Daphne paced in her room, waiting to be summoned by her father down to the parlor where he and Harry were having some kind of conversation. It couldn't have been about a marriage contract, her mother would not have allowed it. Her father had sequestered her to her room until he was satisfied with Harry's intentions for his eldest daughter.
She rolled her eyes as she recalled the discussion she and her mother had after her father told her she would wait in her room. "His intentions mother? His? I ambushed him in a broom closet for Merlin's sake. Daddy should be more concerned about my intentions if he is so worried about my future." Her mother, Elizabeth Greengrass, smothered a chuckle at her daughter's outburst.
"I think, my dear, he is worried about what kind of exposure you'll receive once word gets back to the Dark Lord. The kind of exposure we and your sister will receive as well…" she trailed off because they heard shouting from the floor below them. Cyrus Greengrass was never a fan of silencing charms, he felt that they were a crutch and keeping your cool and your secrets safe without them was critical to character development. The argument he found himself in with the young Potter heir made him regret his stance, however.
He started the conversation from a position of control, Harry was here to ask him to court his eldest daughter. He had played the consummate Pure Blood and spoke about contracts and bride prices. He had him for a minute too, but Harry must have read a tell because he had grown offended, almost a little too offended and began to raise his voice and indignantly refuse the pureblood tete a tete Cyrus had tried to trip him up with.
He heard footsteps racing down the stairs and as he turned to welcome the impending storm that was Daphne, he could have sworn he saw a grin flash across Harry's face. The door was whipped open and Daphne stood just outside. "Daddy! What have you done?!" Harry was definitely chuckling behind him as he put his hands up in a placating gesture. "I was just having a chat with Harry here as to his intentions for you, as is my right as your father and Head of House."
"His intentions father? His? His intentions are none of your concern. This is not the 1800's nor the 1930's! His intentions…" Harry cut her off. "His intentions are to court a beautiful young woman who would possibly, if things worked out, be appropriate to help with the administration and restoration of House Black, as the Lady Black."
All three Greengrasses, Elizabeth had followed Daphne at a more sedate pace, turned to face him. Daphne was shocked, Elizabeth was smirking quietly at Cyrus who was agape. "You were toying with me the whole time you were in here!" He accused, "You wanted to make a fool of me in front of Daphne!" he pointed his finger toward Harry in a lame gesture. "Actually dear," began his wife, "I think you did all of that yourself." Cyrus opened his mouth thought better about it, then closed it again, "Smart move dear," said Elizabeth, "come Harry, Daphne, dinner should be ready soon." The three of them left Cyrus to compose himself before he joined them.
In the dining room they found Astoria who was finishing her holiday homework. She smiled up at them as they entered, "Hello mum, Daph, Professor Potter." Astoria was one of his brightest students academically, though she wasn't a slouch on the practical side either. "Outside of class I'm just Harry, how have you been? Having a nice holiday?" He smiled back and took a seat close to her and listened as she prattled on about her classwork, the consummate Ravenclaw.
Elizabeth took her seat smiling, either the boy was trained and knew how to endear himself to her, which she doubted, or he was a genuinely caring young man and Professor, which was hopefully good news for her family.
Cyrus joined the group at the table as Astoria wrapped up her recitation of all that was new in her life. Before he could speak and attempt to regain control of his own dining room, Astoria shot one more question across to Harry. "What does Luna think about you being here Harry? She doesn't seem like the sharing type, definitely not one to follow Pureblood traditions when it comes to things like this." Cyrus decided to keep his mouth shut this time and let his younger daughter's quest for information collect the data he had been trying to gain earlier in his office.
Harry thanked the House Elf serving them and waited until the whole table had their food before answering. "Honestly? She pushed me into this position. I grew up with some unfortunate Muggles and had no concept of Pureblood propriety or conduct before this summer. I'm hyper focused on my short term plans; train, get stronger, prevent a psychopath from killing me, graduate Hogwarts. Luna is much more focused on my future, planning for me…us to be an economic and political powerhouse once we are out of school and I fully come into my lordship.
"She knows that, all things remaining equal and we marry, that maintaining two households the size of the Potter and Black estates is more than a two-person job. We both sort of stumbled onto Daphne's feelings and Luna pushed me towards finding out if Daph and I would be compatible. Cyrus," he turned toward the man, "this could be a giant trap she's laid for me, but if it isn't, I'm not telling my girlfriend no when she tells me to date the prettiest girl in Slytherin."
Three things happened as Harry finished talking. Daphne blushed, Astoria cooed, and their parents burst into laughter. Harry took the time the adult Greengrasses took to recover to enjoy part of his meal while it was still warm. "All of that being said," started Daphne, "Why don't the two of us go and talk after dinner and get to know one another a little better." She eyed her sister's mischievous look," Privately." Astoria stuck her tongue out at her sister in a very dignified manner and they both returned to their meals.
Elizabeth recovered first. "Well I for one am happy you'll be taking things slowly, but I'm more concerned with your short term goals. What can be done to keep us out of the line of fire for the Dark Lord?" Harry finished his bite and set his utensils down before wiping his face and answering, "If you're concerned about that Cyrus and I can discuss security before, if, Daphne and I go public. Your daughters are two of my best students in their years, they are capable of escaping and getting help." He waved his hand inclusively, "For your home I would be willing to invest in fortified wards from Gringotts, again dependent on how things end up between the two of us."
Elizabeth took a sip of her wine, looking at Harry over the rim of her glass. "That's it? No secret magical hideaway for us to abscond to?" Harry finished his meal, pausing to thank the house elf that took his plate away. "Sorry, no secret Boy-Who-Lived Clubhouse…I think," he paused, "I haven't gone to investigate the Potter homestead yet, but I assume if nobody else has been there in sixteen years then it is probably pretty safe." Now the whole Greengrass family was staring at him.
"Harry," Astoria whispered slowly, "The Potter estate was lost to the wizarding world when you parents died. From all repots the estate holds the biggest library and the rarest herb greenhouses outside of Hogwarts. So if you want to get me a Christmas gift, a trip to that library would go far with my approval for…whatever this is." She gestured from Daphne to Harry and back.
Harry sighed, muttering "Ravenclaws" as he shook his head. "At any rate, when I get to reviewing the estate and if it proves necessary I would of course open my home and resources to keep those I may put in danger safe, especially those that may become my family some day. But that is a matter for another time." Taking a final sip of his water, he pushed back from the table gently before standing and offering his hand to Daphne who stood and took it gracefully. "Why don't we let your family finish up and you can take me on a tour of the house and grounds?" She smiled softly and pulled him towards the door to the hall, ignoring the kissy faces Astoria was making behind their parents' backs.
While Daphne took him through the common areas on the main level of the mansion, they shared their points of view from their first few years at Hogwarts, comparing notes and sharing secrets. Daphne shocked at how close to the truth all of the rumors were, while Harry was pleased that there was a significant population of Slyherin that held little to no animosity towards him or the rest of his house. As it was in the Ministry, people tended to avoid annoying Malfoy, in that regard it was easier to stay silent when Draco started up against Harry and his friends. Their tour stalled in the kitchens as Harry was greeted enthusiastically by the house elves on the Greengrass staff.
"What is it," questioned Daphne, "with you and house elves?" As she prodded him, Harry begged off of dessert, asserting that he would be having pudding later with the Lord and Lady of the manor. It wasn't Harry that responded to her query however, "Lord Potter-Black saved the life of one of ours, and has always treated us with respect," squeaked Tippy, "Not that Miss or her kin have treated us poorly of course." Daphne smiled at the elf to reassure her before tugging Harry out of the kitchens and through the back door.
Wards on the home kept the air within a few feet of the house tolerable without melting the snow that was now crunching beneath their boots. "So, I don't want to be an obligation for you Harry, just because I snogged you in a side passage." Harry grinned as he thought of their meeting that day. "Well you weren't exactly the only girl I kissed that day…" she opened her mouth to protest but he held up his hand, "Aside from Luna, however, you were the only girl not aiming to song 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'."
Harry pulled her close and kissed her softly before wrapping an arm around her shoulder and looking up at the stars. "So, how do you feel about it?" Daphne gave him a puzzled look, "How do I feel about what Harry?" He smiled down at her and shrugged, "Sharing. I came up muggle so it seems a little archaic, but I'd like to know how you feel about it."
Daphne bit back her initial angry response that she had perfected in the Slytherin common room. More than one boy from a 'respected' family had propositioned her to join their family - be it for a business or political reason. Instead she took the time to consider what Harry was asking, no, offering. What he was offering was unique when it came to these types of situations. All those…boys back at school weren't offering a partnership, not like her parents had. They wanted someone the could control, a one sided relationship where they had all the cards and their wives were chattel — property.
She had seen the way Harry and Luna interacted. There was none of the subserviency she saw at the Pureblood parties she attended to keep Tracy company. There was an unspoken order to things as far as the Pureblood men were concerned. The women were barely thought above house elves in their eyes. They were dismissed from the dinner table so the men could talk shop, which in some ways benefitted those women, sure. Overall, however, they were treated like second class citizens. From her own observations at Hogwarts and tonight in her own home alleviated any worry that a relationship with Harry would be anything like that.
Then there was the matter of Luna herself. Her first few years at Hogwarts were wrought with bullying and abuse for the younger Ravenclaw. It never came from the Slytherins as the Lovegoods - while odd - were an old pureblood family. Since the start of the year she was a brand new person, calm and collected. Daphne even heard that she thwarted an attempt on her life single handedly a few weeks back. Protocol would state that Luna would be the 'primary' wife - both because she was there first and because the Potter line out-ranked the Black line, in age and wealth. She could live with that, it would probably give her more autonomy than if she was in Luna's position.
"Where is she tonight, Luna that is? At home waiting for a report on how things went?" she looked up at Harry uncertainly through her curtain of hair. She wasn't sure how long she had been thinking but he had let her go without interrupting. "No, as far as I know she's in the wilds of Sweden hunting the Crumpled-Horn Snorkak with her father." Daphne suppressed a grin, "Isn't that the creature she made up some years ago? Does she truly believe she will find it?" Harry shrugged, "Nobody saw a nundo until someone go lucky with a quick spell. No reason to believed this will be any different. Snorkak aside, she and I will discuss the results of this evening when she gets back. So what do you say, want to give this a go? This isn't a marriage proposal, just an exploratory mission to see how things evolve."
Daphne scrunched her nose, considering. "Tentatively, yes, until I can talk to Luna anyway. I trust you to tell me how she feels about all of this, but I still want to hear from her how she sees things going and what her point of view is on all of this. Why don't we have lunch together before we go back to school?" Harry readily agreed and then took the opportunity to kiss her again, she smiled into his lips and kissed him back. "Let's get back," she started, pulling him toward the door, "before Papa sends Astoria out here to find us."
"Too late, " came a small voice from just inside the house, "and no, I haven't been spying - I just got here. They wanted to reconvene over dessert before they call it an evening. Harry apparently your elf arranged with ours to take over that part of our evening. Insisted on making his special Treacle Tart for the occasion. I think he is on to something because that's mum's favorite." Harry flashed a smile, "Best. Elf. Ever. It is my favorite as well, but I'm sure he did his research and asked your elf if it would be a good choice. Let's get going." He ushered both Greengrass sisters towards the dining room, causing both girls to giggle at his urgency to get back to dessert.
When they arrived, however, the treacle tart quickly fled their minds. "Ron? What are you doing here?" he knew something was wrong, Ron wasn't trying to get his own plate of the tart. "Been trying to reach you for over an hour, I even had the guys at the Institute try and tap you but they said you weren't responding."
Harry frowned, "Cyrus, do you have any unorthodox wards against mind magics?" The older wizard shot him a an odd look but eventually nodded, "After all the talk of Imperius after the last war a lot of families updated their ward schemes to disrupt magical mental compulsions or influence. Theoretically it would break a victim free from the curse itself, why?" Harry waved him off, promising to explain later. "Ron, what couldn't wait until I got back to Headquarters?"
His friend frowned, "It's Luna mate. Xeno usually asks us to check on the house when they're out of the country, in case they left a potion brewing or whatever. Dad an I went over after dinner…Harry it was a war zone. Half of the house was a wreckage, and it looked like a serious battle had taken place. We didn't find any bodies, but there was a ton of blood and magical residue, and" Ron paused, hesitating to continue, "the Dark Mark was hanging over the whole thing. Dad called the aurors but I started trying to find you."
Harry looked like he had zoned out halfway through Ron's report. Both Ron and Daphne attempted to get his attention, and when Daphne touched his arm it triggered something. A powerful blast of magic ripped out of him and destroyed the room around them. Ron and the Greengrasses dove under the heavy dining room table for shelter. When the noise finally subsided and they looked out from safety, they saw Harry returning the room to its original state. "I'm..I'm sorry that caught me off guard. I'll pay to replace anything that I couldn't fix."
Cyrus waved him of and Harry returned his attention to Ron, "I assume the you also attempted to get ahold of Luna to no avail?" his best friend nodded, "Yeah, no luck. I thought maybe she was out of my range but Mark tried and couldn't find anything either." Harry frowned, biting his lip in concern."
"They were supposed to leave for Sweden two days go, so she's been gone at least that long. Signs of battle at their home, and nobody can tap her." He paused and sent his awareness out, over the entirety of Great Britain and beyond - as far as his power could take him. He sunk into a chair as he realized he couldn't sense her any more than Ron or Mark could. "I can't find her either, " Ron came over and put a hand on his shoulder, "She's tough Harry, we will find her and bring her home. I know we will - we don't back down."
Harry had a hard time being as optimistic. Tom would do whatever he could to get to Harry. He was working through a nightmarish scenario where Tom returned her to him piece by piece when Daphne's voice cut through his thoughts. "Harry, Ron couldn't find you because of some of our wards, right? So she's probably being held at some manor belonging to a Death Eater. Knowing that, is there anything you can do to circumvent those wards?"
Harry gave her a shrug but thanked her for the line of thought. Without wasting time, He tapped Elena, "Luna is missing. I think they have her under a ward scheme that blocks psionics from getting through. Have you heard of anything like that? Cyrus thinks it is an anti-imperious ward but that wouldn't be good on a Death Eater hole, its their trademark tool for subterfuge." He could feel there frown as she thought. "There could be a number of wards that would disrupt your attempts to contact or locate her, Even an open ended ward against scrying would do it if someone left it with the intent to prevent any kind of distant viewing or unauthorized communication, the effect would virtually neutralize your efforts. Have you tried asking Dobby for help? I bet he could get around whatever is blocking you." Harry nearly screamed his thanks back at her before returning his focus to the room around him.
"Elena said it wasn't unheard of for some vague wording around wards to stop psionics from working, she did have another idea though." He called for Dobby and the elf appeared instantly, dressed regally in his House Potter uniform. He looked at Harry with a kind smile, waiting for his master's order. "Dobby, can you please find Luna and tell me where she is? Be careful, we think Tom's people have her."
Dobby's eyes got wide and then determined. He snapped his fingers and his outfit changed to that of a ninja, a camouflage of grays and blacks before he popped away. "I…might need to start monitoring his TV time." Mumbled Harry in excuse for his friend's odd behavior.