AN:

And here the second chapter for today. I have two chapters this time for two reasons: First, Chapter 15 was quite unusual, which is why here is a "more conventional" chapter. And chapter 15 was not that long either. Together with this chapter, however, the update is large enough in my opinion.

Many thanks again to my great beta reader Verlor (id: 11113787).


Chapter 16 – Daphne's Gratitude

Harry awoke and looked into Daphne's horrified eyes, which reflected his own dread. From outside, the moonlight shone in, bathing the entire room in a fairytale, silver glow.

"Harry ..." her voice was barely audible.

"I know."

He put his arms around Daphne, and she hugged him tightly, her entire body shaking. Harry stroked her back comfortingly but also trembled at the revelations of their dream. Although it hadn't really been a dream...

Daphne raised her head, tears sparkling in her blue eyes. "We have to help them, Harry. We have to help him."

Harry knew who she meant. "We will! But ... but I still can't understand it. Is a part of Valeydis in Fawkes?"

Daphne put her head back on his chest, her breath brushing his skin as she answered. "I ... I think so. A part of her soul is in him. So she is still connected to the world and won't die. And ... and her soul doesn't vanish. But Harry, he's getting weaker, I can feel it!" He tightened his grip on his sobbing partner, feeling as if an icy cold had enveloped his heart. "Harry," Daphne continued, her voice still trembling. "Fawkes must have known..."

"What do you mean, Daph?"

"He must have known that I'm ... Voldemort's daughter. That I am a descendant of Slytherin ... That must be the reason he wanted to protect me."

"But he killed Salazar Slytherin?"

"Valeydor loved his sisters. Fawkes ... he's fighting Slytherin's legacy, not his descendants."

Silence fell. Harry thought about Daphne's words. "That's why he's with Dumbledore," he murmured quietly.

Daphne did not respond to his words but used the blanket to dab the tears from her face, before straightening up and looking down at Harry. "Harry, we must go to him!"

"Then you think he's still here?"

"I know it. I can still feel him. He's still..." Daphne did not complete her sentence.

Harry jumped out of bed. "Then let's go!"

They put cloaks over their sleeping clothes. Harry then took Daphne's hand and together they hurried out of the house and through the garden. Shortly afterwards they stood again in front of the entrance to the mausoleum. Daphne put her hand on the stone blocks and the entrance opened. In the light of the torches, they ran down the stairs, Harry's heart pounding like crazy.

In the crypt they saw Fawkes, whose wings still embraced the heads of the two figures whose names and stories they now knew. Fawkes did not look like he had moved since the afternoon. Harry realized that Fawkes must have waited for this moment for centuries.

Daphne let go of Harry's hand, falling to her knees in front of Fawkes. "Fawkes," she whispered. "You showed us all of this, didn't you?"

The phoenix looked up and for a brief moment, Harry saw his bright, sad, golden eyes. Harry felt a stab in the heart. Fawkes looked back at Daphne. Several seconds passed, seeming like an eternity. It was as if the world was holding its breath. All he could hear was the beating of his heart and the rushing of his blood.

"Thank you," Daphne's voice broke the silence. "Thank you, Fawkes. I am so deeply grateful! You ... you saw something of Valeydor in me, right? What my parents did to me ... Oh, Fawkes, we'll help you! We'll find a way for Valeydis to die without her soul vanishing. Then you can be together again!" Daphne's voice quivered with fiery determination, which also seized Harry. She was right! They would save them!

Daphne reached out. "Fawkes, may I touch you?" The look in Fawkes' eyes had to be the answer she needed because Daphne touched the red and gold feathers of the phoenix with her palm. Suddenly, Daphne leaned forward, putting her arms around Fawkes, her tears wetting his plumage. "Fawkes, you can come and see them whenever you want."

Fawkes uttered an ear-splitting scream and once again a magical melody filled the crypt; not quite as sad as the day before, but also not as encouraging as in the Chamber of Secrets. Rather, the melody sparked a sense of indomitability in Harry. The world wouldn't know what to expect!

Fawkes leaned forward, rubbing his head against Daphne's cheek. A single tear fell from the phoenix's eyes and mingled with Daphne's tears.

Fawkes spread his wings and with one stroke he rose into the air, looking down at them; he then turned his head slightly and looked Harry straight in the eyes, and Harry returned his gaze with firm determination. A final flap of his wings and Fawkes disappeared with a flash of lightning, leaving clouds of smoke behind.

Harry immediately ran to Daphne, throwing his arms around her. Daphne gripped his face with her hands and kissed him. It was a firm, hard kiss, her hands clawing into his cloak. Both gasped as they broke apart.

"We have another goal," Harry said, panting.

"Yes," replied Daphne. "We are no longer just fighting for ourselves."


Daphne Greengrass' shopping trip after the death of her parents

By Ophelia Parkinson

Harry snorted as he read the Daily Prophet. He and Daphne were enjoying the breakfast that Dobby had brought them at a small table in the garden. It was already a wonderful, sunny day.

"Anything interesting in the newspaper?" Daphne asked, pouring them both orange juice.

Harry handed her the newspaper, and she, too, snorted as she read the headline. "That was to be expected," she said drily.

"It will get worse."

Daphne looked up at his words, and Harry recognized the defiance in her ice-blue eyes. "Probably."

"Are you worried?"

Daphne took his hand, crossing her fingers with his. "It would be foolish not to worry. But you stand by me, don't you?"

"Of course, Daph!" Harry replied, squeezing her hand.

"Then I don't care."

The couple smiled resolutely. Even if the rest of the world ganged against them, they would overcome it together!

After breakfast they went for a walk through the ragged garden, flowers blooming everywhere and insects buzzing through the air. Everything pulsated with life. On a small hill they lay down in the grass, looking at the bright blue sky. Folding his arms behind his head, Harry closed his eyes, the sunbeams warming his skin. His chest rose and fell slightly.

At that moment, he felt completely carefree and happy, and he wished they could stay in the grass like this forever. Then, however, he remembered Fawkes' memories and their promise in the crypt.

"We have a lot to do this summer, don't we?" he asked with a sigh, looking at Daphne.

Daphne opened her eyes. "I fear so. Where do we start?"

"We must find a way to help Fawkes."

He heard Daphne sit up next to him. When Harry did the same, he looked at her partly thoughtful, partly worried face. "Yes, we have to somehow find a way that her soul won't vanish after death ... I didn't even know that that was possible," said Daphne with a desperate tone in her voice.

Harry put his hand on hers and said encouragingly, "Then we'll start to research. At some point we'll find a solution, I'm sure."

Daphne smiled at him. "But there will definitely be no books about such topics in our library."

"Then we just buy books. Dobby can get them for us. And when we're back at Hogwarts, we can also look in the library there." Suddenly, Daphne's eyes sparkled. Harry knew she must've had an idea. "What are you thinking now?" he asked his partner.

"We can of course look at Hogwarts, but tell me, Harry, what's the largest and oldest library in the world?"

"Um..."

"Alexandria!"

Harry hadn't known that, but he remembered something. He had once read about a library of Alexandria in a book from the school library when he had hidden from Dudley and his cronies.

"But ... didn't it burn down?" he asked hesitantly.

"Only the Muggle library." Daphne's eyes were beaming with determination. Harry sat up fully, putting an arm around her shoulders. "I've always wanted to go to the Great Library of Alexandria," Daphne continued enthusiastically. "Just imagine what knowledge and magic must be collected there..."

"And what do you want this knowledge for?" laughed Harry.

"Creating a better world?" Daphne's tone revealed that she wasn't serious.

"You idealist," said Harry, grinning. Daphne laughed slightly. Both enjoyed the warmth of the sun on their skin for a while.

"There is something else I want to learn," Daphne finally broke the silence.

"You want to try the spells in the books." It wasn't a question. Daphne nodded decisively. "Do you really think that's a good idea?" Harry continued, concerned. "For me it wasn't."

Daphne smiled warmly at him. "Could it be that I finally tamed your Gryffindor blood, my impulsive lion?"

"Even I won't repeat a mistake three times," laughed Harry. "But Daphne, I'm serious. If -"

"Nothing will happen to us," Daphne interrupted him, putting a finger on his lips. "This time we know what to expect. And we will be better prepared. We will decipher the rune text, as much time as it will take. There are definitely books on this."

"But I would have died with a little less luck." Harry just couldn't help worrying. He could never forgive himself if something happened to Daphne.

"We won't die. We're going to do it together, that's the key." Daphne closed the distance between them, kissing him gently on the lips, which Harry returned. He would never grow tired of their kisses.

Broking apart, they looked at the lonely clouds that moved along the sky. Daphne was right, Harry thought. They now knew much more about the origin of the books, and they would do it together this time. The spells were the result of both Valeydis and Valeydor, combining human magic, demonic magic, and Parseltongue. That would be far too much for a single human soul, but the two of them might be able to do it. They had already achieved so much together.

Neither of them said a word for a while until Daphne lifted her head from Harry's shoulders, smiling mischievously. "With all the reading and research, we shouldn't neglect our training. I bet you only lazed around last week!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you think that?"

"Yes, I think so, Harry Potter!"

"At least, I know that you should always be prepared for an attack."

"What do you -"

Before she could finish, Harry had already thrown his arms around her, pressing her to the ground. Daphne let out a shriek, as Harry pushed himself off the ground, and together they rolled down the hill. He laughed as they fell.

He even couldn't stop laughing when they stopped in front of the hill and he loosened his grip around Daphne. Her hair was disheveled, and she was panting like crazy.

She got up, giving Harry a murderous look. "I hate you, Harry Potter."

"No, you don't," Harry replied with a broad grin.

"No, I don't. But you still deserve a punishment." She gave him a wicked smile and raised her wand.

Oh damn, Harry thought when Daphne's tickling charm hit him.

They actually spent the afternoon productively and started learning runes. However, only now had Harry realized just how much work this would mean. Daphne, on the other hand, said that she quite liked learning the characters. Harry wasn't surprised at all, but for him, deciphering ancient texts was rather uninspiring.

One thing that they both enjoyed was their combat training afterwards. In the end, Daphne had to admit that Harry had not just lazed around, but she was also a tough opponent. They knew they still had a lot to learn, but Harry was confident that they were on the right track.

When they were huddled together in bed in the evening, Harry was completely exhausted. That had been an eventful day. Wearily, he closed his eyes and fell asleep within seconds.


"Freak!"

"Murderer!"

"Monster!"

The voices overwhelmed Daphne from all sides, but she couldn't see anything. Impenetrable, discarnate darkness surrounded her.

She ran away, trying to escape the voices, but to no avail. She tried to cover her ears, but that did not save her either.

"No one will ever love you. You worthless, disgusting abomination."

"No!" Daphne shouted. "Go away! You're wrong!" She crouched; made herself as small as possible.

"No one loves you. You don't deserve to live. Everyone will hate and loathe you!"

"No no no! That's not true. I'm not alone. I have -"

"He will leave you. Who could love a murderer?" Suddenly, her parents' bloody grimaces appeared before Daphne's eyes. She tried to close her eyes, in vain. She couldn't escape the hateful faces.

"You're a murderer, Daphne. Like your father. You are just like him. Harry Potter will never be able to love you."

No, that wasn't true! Harry loved her! And she loved Harry! Her parents were dead. They no longer had power over her.

A new determination erupted in Daphne. "You are dead," she called. "You are dead! I killed you! And I'm proud of it!"

Suddenly Daphne felt like she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Daphne ..."

She opened her eyes and saw only red everywhere. She tried to gasp for air.

"Daphne!"

She choked. Helplessly, she struggled in this endless sea of blood. She tasted the blood on her tongue; felt it fill her lungs.

"Daphne!"

She felt how strong arms grabbed her. Fear and terror were replaced by safety and warmth. Daphne opened her eyes, looking into the bright green irides of her desires.

"Daphne! It was just a nightmare. You're awake. All is well. I'm with you."

She heard Harry's words, felt his warm grip around her, and saw his worrying, loving look.

"Daphne -"

"Hold me. Hold me and never let go."

"I'll always be there for you, Daphne..."

She did not hear what Harry was saying. Just hearing his voice comforted her. She felt his arms and smelled the familiar scent of his body. Without his love she would have lost her mind long ago. He was her anchor, her bridge to life.

"I love you so much, Harry," she whispered, trembling all over. His grip on her tightened, and Daphne could slowly forget her parents' hateful voices and bleeding grimaces. Slowly everything was well again.


Harry looked at Daphne's silhouette against the rising sun. Neither of them had been able to sleep again that night. For hours, he had just held Daphne in his arms. She had not told him about her nightmares, but that was not necessary. He knew exactly what inner demons were plaguing her.

Daphne turned around, smiling at him, her long blond hair blowing in the morning wind, while the first rays of dawn adorned her like a crown. Harry was overwhelmed by a feeling of love for his partner.

"Thank you for being in my life, Harry," said Daphne.

Harry came up to her, taking her in his arms and kissing her. As long as there were bright mornings like this in their life, there was hope.

Hand in hand they went back to the house. Their stomachs had already growled with hunger. Dobby was probably already preparing breakfast. They actually paid him far too little, Harry thought.

There was one more thing on his mind, however. Now that he and Daphne had taken such a big step towards their personal freedom, there was something he would like to do, that he longed for.

"Daphne," he said to his partner. Her blue eyes looked at him, and he felt like she could look directly into his soul. "Daphne, there is something I would like to do today."

Daphne nodded. "I can already imagine what it is. You want to visit your parents' grave, don't you?"

Harry smiled sadly. "You just know me too well, Daph. Yes, I want to see it. I've never been there before…"

He felt Daphne squeeze his hand. Putting her other hand on his cheek, she now looked deep into his eyes. "We can do this right after breakfast," she said. "Dobby can take us there."


Daphne Greengrass and Harry Potter alone in Greengrass manor

By Ophelia Parkinson

Harry Potter, the boy who lived, now lives with Daphne Greengrass in Greengrass Manor, which Daphne Greengrass inherited after her parents' mysterious death. Of course, many are wondering...

Harry snorted as he read the newspaper article. That had already become his standard reaction when he opened the Daily Prophet. Blessed the land that had nothing else to report, he thought.


With a loud bang, they appeared on a small side street where nobody could see them.

"Dobby is leaving now," said Dobby, who had brought them here. Harry could have apparated, but they would rather not break the law unless necessary. "Mr. Harry and Miss Daphne just have to call Dobby and Dobby will come to pick you up."

"Thanks, Dobby," Harry said absently, his thoughts already on completely different things, his body trembling slightly. He was in the village where his family had lived. The place where he had had a family. A family made up of more than just him and Daphne. If it weren't for Voldemort, he would have grown up here in Godric's Hollow. Here he would have lived and spent his holidays. Here he would have invited Daphne, in a world where Voldemort hadn't killed his parents...

Harry heard Dobby disappear again. Daphne took his hand, squeezing it gently, and pulled forward. Harry was grateful for that because he did not know if he could have moved himself.

Dobby had apparently chosen the place of their arrival for a reason, for when they turned the corner, they saw a house surrounded by wild hedges. Most of the house was still standing, but it was entirely covered in dark ivy and the right side of the top floor had been blown apart. Right where Voldemort's curse must have backfired, Harry thought. His throat felt constricted.

He noticed Daphne's loving look, but she said nothing. Harry let go of her hand and approached the gate to the property, before reaching out his trembling hand and gripping the iron gate, which felt cold under his fingers.

As if touching the gate was the trigger, a wooden sign rose from the ground in front of them, on which was written in gold letters:

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family.

Harry saw that there were other words around these golden letters, which other witches and wizards must have written in ink or carved directly into the wood.

Thank you, Harry Potter.

You will forever be our hero, Harry.

We love you.

Harry felt the anger rise inside him. They thanked him and loved him? Then where had they been the ten long years, he'd spent with the Dursleys? Where had they been when he returned to the wizarding world, since when he only received aversion and fear?

He felt Daphne take his hand and stroke his back and realized how tense his body had become. Harry shook his head. He just wanted to get away from here. He could no longer bear to see this materialization of wizarding world's hypocrisy.

"Let's go," he whispered through his clenched teeth. Daphne squeezed his hand, and together they left his parents' house behind. Harry suppressed the impulse to look back.

They went further into the village towards a church tower that was visible from afar. Finally, the couple reached a small square next to the church, with a war memorial in the middle. They also saw a couple of shops, a post office, and a small pub. Few people were on their feet, but none of them paid any attention to Harry and Daphne, even if Harry somehow felt observed.

They walked across the square and when they passed the war memorial, it transformed into a statue of three people: a man with untidy hair and glasses, the splitting image of Harry himself; a woman with long hair and a loving, pretty face that Harry knew only too well from the mysterious mirror in his first year and Hagrid's photobook; and in the woman's arms was a little baby boy laughing up at his parents.

Harry felt like an iron fist was crushing his heart. The life he had lost seemed more palpable than ever before.

Holding Daphne's hand in his, Harry stepped closer to the statue, looking up at the faces of his parents and the happy baby with no scar on his forehead. Daphne pressed against his side. Harry was glad that she was with him today, as he was glad to have her in his life in general.

Harry turned away. They were just statues, he told himself, and they were here for something different. He headed for the cemetery next to the small church, again suppressing the impulse to look back.

A small metal gate blocked the entrance to the cemetery, which Harry opened with a pounding heart. Long rows of tombstones awaited them. Harry had no idea where his parents were buried exactly, so they had no choice but to walk the rows and look at every single one of them. So many dead buried here, Harry thought. Were they still remembered?

They found the graves of one Kendra Dumbledore and her daughter Ariana. Harry wondered if they were related to Professor Dumbledore.

Finally, they saw a white marble tombstone, and Harry could clearly read the words engraved on it.

James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981

Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Harry felt as if the world was spinning around him and lost his balance. Without Daphne holding him, he would have fallen to the ground. He looked at the earth that hid the last remains of his parents from him; his parents, who were now only dust and bones. Harry would never be able to hold them in his arms, feel their warmth, or hear them say they loved him.

Instead, he heard Daphne whisper, "Harry, if you want to be alone -"

"No," Harry interrupted. "Stay. Please."

Harry could see love in Daphne's sad look. "Of course, Harry." She stayed by his side and, through her presence and touch, she gave him the strength that Harry alone could not have mustered.

He looked at the tombstone in front of him, feeling a warm tear run down his cheek. He had so much to say to his parents, but where should he start?

"Mum, Dad," he said softly. "I'm not like you ... Hagrid, McGonagall and Flitwick told me a lot about you. They said you both have been such kind and honorable people. And so brave. And where are you now?" His eyes welled up, and Daphne hugged him, her face also full of tears. "I needed you! Mum, dad, I miss you. I miss you so much…"

For a few minutes Harry could not say anything; he just sobbed. Finally, he continued in a broken voice, "I know so little about you ... Mum, Flitwick says you were the best student he's ever taught. I seem to be very good too; I probably got that from you ... Dad, McGonagall says you were a natural talent in transfiguration. I'm quite good too, but Daphne is so incredible." He squeezed Daphne, who was looking at him with sparkling eyes. "Daphne is my girlfriend. She's in Slytherin, like me, and I love her more than anything else in the world." He felt Daphne quiver beside him. Harry continued to speak in tears. "I miss you, mum and dad. I am so proud of you and grateful that you saved me. I only live because of you. But I would also have loved to live with you. I miss you…"

Harry dropped to his knees. The tears in his eyes made his vision blur, but he saw Daphne step in front of him, leaning over the tombstone. She waved her wand, and beautiful yellow flowers spread over the white marble. Harry was too overwhelmed to express his gratitude.

Daphne knelt beside him, taking his hand again. She then began to speak in a trembling voice, "You don't know me. My name is Daphne and at Hogwarts I'm in Slytherin. I even think that your son is only in Slytherin for my sake. He is actually foolish and impulsive enough to be in Gryffindor. Sometimes ... sometimes I think Harry could be so much happier without me. But ... I'm so grateful to have Harry in my life ... I don't know how my life would have been without him. Thank you for giving me Harry. I love him ... I love him so much. I will be grateful to you forever; I would have loved to meet you..."

Harry stared at Daphne stunned. Her words had touched something in him. She loved him! She cared about him! He had already known that, but now it has become clear to him once again. Like he realized once again how much he loved her as well. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was his family.

He hugged his partner, who had become the most important part of his life. "I love you, my Daphne," he whispered in her ear.


As they walked hand in hand through the cemetery gate, they were greeted by flashes and roaring voices, countless reporters crowding around them.

"Harry..."

"Mr. Potter, one question…"

"What did you do in the cemetery?"

"Miss Greengrass, a comment on the death of your parents please..."

Harry was furious. What were these ... people doing here? Couldn't he even visit his parents' grave in peace?

He didn't know whether to maledict the assembled journalists or just disapparate. Harry felt his hand twitch and move slowly to his cloak where his wand was.

Suddenly Daphne stood in front of him and the roaring crowd disappeared from his field of vision. All he saw was Daphne's deep, ice-blue eyes, full of anger, but he also saw concern and affection in her azure orbs. Slightly, she shook her head, as if she wanted to talk him out of his idea. Harry stopped his hand while the reporters continued to yell at them.

"Dobby!" Daphne called out.

Just a fraction of a second later, there was a loud bang. Dobby seemed to have grasped the situation immediately and grabbed Harry and Daphne's arms. With another loud bang they disappeared from Godric's Hollow, leaving a disappointed mob of sensationalist reporters behind.


Next Chapter: Vow of Vengeance

Preview:

Dumbledore looked at them with his insistent, light blue eyes. "Daphne," he asked calmly, "do you have anything to do with the death of your parents?"


AN:

The chapter was titled "Daphne's gratitude". Did anyone count how many times Daphne expressed her gratitude in this chapter? ^^

The chapter was probably quite cheesy again, but I just like it that way.

Perhaps some of you thought that this concept of Fawkes is not so dissimilar to a Horcrux. And that's not really wrong. However, while a Horcrux requires the splitting of one's soul and ensures that one cannot die, Fawkes ensures that as long as he lives and thus carries part of the soul of Valeydis, Valeydis does not die. However, the goal here is completely different. The goal is that Valeydis can eventually die without her soul vanishing and she is being reunited with her husband and child. It's about buying time. A Horcrux prevents you from dying by clinging your soul to the world. Fawkes ensures that Valeydis stays alive until she can die properly.

I noticed that there were significantly fewer comments on Chapter 14 than on the previous chapters. Any specific reason for that? Please leave comments, positive or negative. This is the only way I know how you find the story. I always read all the comments and they are my great motivation.

I'm looking forward to hear how you found the revelations and developments in the two chapters today!