Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling

Chapter 1: The Last Goodbye

A loud, high-pitched noise hit his ears as he gently opened the creaky, rusty gate. It was extremely cold to the touch - as was everything else for that matter - due to it being the middle of winter season. With the glowing tip of his holly wand, Harry steadily made his way deeper and deeper into the enclosure.

The snow audibly crunched under his feet, providing him with some sort of calmness that he couldn't explain. The graves of various people, some known while others forgotten, went past him as he continued down his path towards a certain grave.

Having passed the age of fifty, he wasn't as strong or quick as he used to be, but he still was one of the strongest wizards alive. Due to lasting damage from his time as an auror, the solid oak cane that he grasped in his left hand was now just as much of a constant companion as his wand and glasses. While he found it irritating at first, he could not help but appreciate the usefulness of the stick, especially the older he got.

Today was the tenth time he would be travelling down this certain path, and just like the other nine times, it was just as cold and dark. The crunching snow continued to soothe his ears as his eyes remained fixated ahead - his timeless frames providing some minor protection against the falling snow.

It was the 31st of December, New Years Eve, and in a few hours, he would be celebrating alongside his wonderful family. Those being his children, grandchildren, and long-time friends. But there was one person missing, and that was his beloved Daphne. She was his angel, the light to his darkness.

Daphne had been a constant presence in his life ever since they had met many years ago. It had been around ten years after the defeat of Voldemort, when the two of them had run into each other in Madrid. Harry had been in Spain for a work-related issue as Head of the DMLE, while Daphne had been living there for many years, choosing to return to the country where her mother came from. Harry had been following a lead, and while talking to various people in an area of interest, he ran into Daphne, who ran a popular flower corner shop. The two of them hit it off, and the rest was history.

A few moments having passed, Harry had finally reached his destination. He was finally in the area of the graveyard, which was home to numerous magical people. The ancient magic that was in the air and ground provided a comforting feeling, lessening the sorrow that he currently felt. The effect was similar to that of a Phoenix's trill.

Arriving at his late wife's grave, he let out a deep sigh. It had remained the same as it had been last year, and the year before that and so on. The white marble glowed in the dark as the moon rose steadily directly behind the tombstone. The translucent light a whole new dimension to the area.

Today marked ten years since Daphne's demise. She had been a strong person, someone who was admired by everyone around her. Well-liked and loved, she was in the hearts of the entire magical population when she succumbed to the dreaded disease of Dragon Pox. Where she got it from, no one knew, but it was irreversible. However, she fought till the very end, resulting in her lasting much longer than everyone originally expected.

Conjuring a basic looking chair, Harry placed it in front of his late wife's grave and sat on it. Looking left and right, Harry scanned the area around him, making sure there was no one looking in his direction before erecting wards around him.

"Muffliato," muttered Harry before adding a disillusionment ward as well as a heating charm.

Taking another deep breath, he then reached for his neck and clasped onto the cold silver chain around it. Pulling the cold, goblin-made chain over his neck, he took a look at the impressive piece of craftsmanship whilst enjoying the numbness that his hands were feeling due to how cold the chain actually was. His eyes then eventually landed towards the main attraction, the object that stood out on the necklace.

It looked old, very old, in fact. The white symbol that stood out on the dark grey stone was immediately noticeable. It radiated ancient magic and was surprisingly not cold to the touch. Instead, it was relatively warm. The resurrection stone was one of the least sought after Deathly Hallows, but in Harry's opinion, it was the most impressive.

The Elder Wand and the Cloak of Invisibility were incredible relics, but they weren't one of a kind. While the Elder Wand was a very strong wand, so many other wizards also had wands that served them greatly. The same could be said for the Invisibility Cloak - many others had achieved making one, just not to the extent of the hallow. However, the Resurrection Stone was unique. It had the capability to bring back people from the dead, not completely, but enough for one to have a conversation with the dead person.

And that's what Harry intended to do. While the heavenly body of the moon slowly rose higher up the ominous black sky, he grasped onto the dull, grey stone. The nerves in his hands tingled as his hand made contact with the prism-shaped object. Closing his eyes, Harry pictured Daphne: he thought of her cerulean eyes full of love and determination; her infectious smile and laughter; the wonderful moments that they had shared, all the while steadily turning the stone three times in his hands.

"You can open your eyes, you know?" spoke a soft voice from in front of him.

He sucked in a deep breath when he saw her again. She looked just as beautiful as she always did. Standing tall and strong, she gave Harry a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She glowed ethereally - causing the surrounded area to glow in a fair shade of blue.

"Daphne," said Harry. "You came."

"I always do, mi amor." Her Spanish accent gently laced in her voice. "Did you think otherwise?"

"No, I didn't, mi vida," came his lightly chuckled voice. "But a thought or two did come to my mind…"

"Well you have nothing to worry about. I am here, aren't I?" grinned Daphne while the moon shone lightly through her.

Taking a few steps forward, Daphne raised her hand and gently laid it on top of Harry's. It felt like a bucket full of dry ice had been poured onto his hand when both of their hands made contact. He could feel his nerves react wildly, and his muscles tense up tightly, but he didn't let go. His hand was firmly enclosed with Daphne's and he would keep it that way for as long as he could. Any common person would have shuddered significantly at the touch and immediately moved their hand, but this was his wife, and he'd like to be as close as possible to her.

They stared into each other's eyes intently, waiting to see which one of them would break contact. Both of their eyes expressed remembrance as their eyes remained fixed on each other, but Harry's emerald green eyes also shone with mirth while Daphne's cerulean blue eyes expressed determination. This was their little game, one that no one knew about.

Eventually, as it had always been, it was Daphne who broke it.

"Ugh!" she huffed as her eyebrows knitted together in frustration before demanding, "How do you do it?"

Chuckling with mirth as he watched her frustration, he responded, "I haven't told you since the time we have met, and I won't be telling you now, mi ángel." The wink he sent in the end prompted the two of them to break out in laughter.

Once the laughter had died down, Daphne asked, "So tell me about everything. You. The kids. Everything."

Sitting back in his chair, he conjured another one beside him for Daphne. Immediately, ice started to form on the chair as soon as she sat on it, but neither of them paid any heed to it. Taking a deep breath, and with a small smile on his face, he told her everything that she wanted to know.

Time became nonexistent as they talked and talked through the night. They spoke about various things, and they laughed just as many times too. However, the longer they spoke and the more time that passed, the more it became clear that Daphne wasn't coping well.

She used to belong to the land of the living but not anymore. The glow that Daphne was emitting when she had been summoned had steadily been dying out as time passed. The features on her face had also started to blur, as did the liveliness in her eyes.

Sensing that their time was coming to an end, Harry said, "I really needed this talk with you, Daph. Being so stressed lately, this is exactly what I needed."

"I really enjoyed this talk too, Harry," whispered Daphne lightly. The strength in her voice was clearly going.

"Me too," smiled Harry. "Until next time, mi amor."

"No!"

Harry did a double take, "No?"

"You won't be calling me again, Harry," explained Daphne, her voice much stronger than before. "You have been calling me once a year every day since we parted ways. You need to stop doing it."

"But I thought that you enjoyed these talks?"

"I enjoy them a lot. Maybe even more than you enjoy them, but this isn't healthy. You need to move on, Harry; it isn't good neither for you nor for me. I don't belong here, and your health will deteriorate if you continue calling me."

"What if I want my health to deteriorate? I'll be with you sooner rather than later…"

"Get that thought immediately out of your mind, Harry! You have kids. We have kids. They may no longer be the fun, young children that they used to be, but they will need you. Especially our little Celestina. She's a fighter, but she needs you more than ever. So get that stupid thought out of your head!" rebutted Daphne with all the strength she could muster. "You have many years left. Don't waste them."

Feeling sufficiently told off and somewhat ashamed at what he had just said, Harry immediately gave her a hug. The coldness that immediately washed over him was similar to that of the thief's downfall, but it was as overpowering as it initially was. Daphne was also no longer as solid as she was beforehand. She felt a bit jelly-like.

"Promise me, Harry," said Daphne, "promise me that you won't do anything stupid. Promise me that you'll live your life to the fullest. Promise me that you'll continue looking after our children."

"I promise!" replied back Harry strongly before gently repeating, "I promise."

Daphne untangled herself from Harry's arms before lightly placing a kiss on Harry's forehead, letting him know that she would always love him, be there for him and to let him know that he would be fine and that he was strong.

"I must go now, mi amor," she stated gently before adding. "This world doesn't agree with me."

Harry gave a watery chuckle before leaning forward and giving Daphne an emotion-filled kiss on the lips.

"I love you, mi ángel," voiced Harry, his voice breaking.

"I love you too, mi amor."

The two of them shared a watery smile between each other before Harry once again got hold of the resurrection stone and turned it three times in the opposite direction on his palm. He kept his on the stone, not wanting to look up and see Daphne depart from this world once again - and forever. It was seconds later that he felt the stone ever so slightly vibrate, indicating that his beloved wife was no longer there. And sure enough, when he looked up, she wasn't.

Immediately, the surrounding area returned back to the dullness that the night sky provided. The moon was now high in the sky, peeking over the tall fruit trees surrounding Daphne's grave that were planted on Celestina's request.

It was only thanks to the light being emitted from his wand did Harry manage to see the surrounding area. The blue hue that had been present during Daphne's arrival had gone, and so had the chilliness that her ethereal form emitted. Not that he had noticed, it was only after she had gone did he realise how cold the surrounding area had become.

Releasing a deep shuddering breath, clouds of hot breath forming in front of his mouth, he cast several warming charms on himself. Relishing the immediate feeling of warmth and comfort, he took another glance around the area before heading back the way he had come from. The wards and spells that he had placed upon his arrival immediately fell once he was some distance outside of them.

Sparing a glance towards the goblin-made wristwatch that he wore, Harry immediately picked up speed. It was nearing nine p.m., and his family was due to arrive at Potter Manor any minute. He hadn't noticed how quick the time had passed, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

The snow had continued to crunch under his feet as he made his way through the trees and graves. It had steadily increased speed during his time speaking with Daphne, and was now falling down at quite the rapid pace, resulting in him having to stop a few times to make sure he was on the right path. Many would have opted to apparate immediately, not wanting to become a victim of the ice and snow. However, Harry enjoyed it. Winter was his favourite season of the year due to the many great memories he had that associated with this season.

Faint noises of laughter hit Harry's ears as soon as he was past the gate. The noises were coming from the numerous houses that were near him. People were clearly enjoying their time with family and friends as they waited for the start of the new year. An explosive sound came from the house to his right, which was then followed by various giggling and laughter.

"They are certainly having a great time," he mused. "And they are most certainly a few drinks down."

Hearing the laughter made Harry smile, as it reminded him of where he would be in a few moments. He would be with his children. The faces of Jaime, Henry, Mercedes, and Celestina flashed through his eyes as did their various children. Grinning ever so slightly, he took one more glance towards the graveyard before apparating away.

"Goodbye Daphne," was his final thought before he was whisked away.

Author's Note

So here it is, the first part to this short two part story! This story is actually part of the Haphne Winter 2022-23 Collection that is currently being hosted on the Haphne Discord server. I hope you all enjoyed this first part! :)

I would also like to say a big thank you towards Idefix and Wish_ for beta reading this. The input they provide, as well as the little things that they notice, is always appreciated.

Furthermore, if you wish to interact with me, or anyone else who loves the Harry/Daphne ship or just in general, feel free to join the Haphne Discord Server. There is chaos, mayhem, murder, game nights, author and general discussions, and much, much more! You can also meet some of your favourite authors and bully them into writing more chapters! If that has gotten your attention, just join anyway! :)

Discord Server Link: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU (just remember to replace 'dot' with '.')

You can also join my server as well!

Discord Server Link: discord dot gg/dQNSrjgC5t (just remember to replace 'dot' with '.')

Finally, feel free to leave a review, as I'd love to hear what all of you have to say. Also, make sure to follow and favourite so that you are notified when the next chapter is posted.

Until next time, have a good one!

Hydra