A big thank you to everyone who is following along with this story. I recently just looked back at my earlier stories from maybe 8+ years ago... and I was surprised I was churning out 8k chapters. Compared to what I'm writing now, I'm amazed that I was able to spin them without an actual plot point. Ah to have such a bigger imagination when I was younger.

Anyway, thank you for reading.

Her heart continued to hammer against her chest even as she walked towards the pub. This was silly. There was nothing to be nervous about. Daphne tried convincing herself that this wasn't a date. This was purely a business arrangement. She was trying to convince him to sign with her firm, not trying to get in bed with him.

Although the latter doesn't seem like a bad idea. Just imagine him naked between the sheets...

Daphne coughed and ignored the burning sensation on her cheeks. She was glad that he wasn't here or else it would have been another awkward encounter. She closed her eyes, trying to block out her memories of their earlier meetings. It was so embarrassing now that she had time to think about it. She must have looked like a lunatic.

A small groan escaped her lips as she contemplated banging her head against a nearby wall. It was a miracle that Harry even agreed to sit down with her. If their roles were reversed, she would have avoided him like the plague, chalking him up to be another deranged stalker.

"Focus Daphne." She told herself. "Yes, your first two impressions with Harry were terrible. No one is going to disagree but there's still time to salvage this. Just focus on the goal."

It didn't take her long to make it to Elmhurst, immediately recognizing the pub that Harry picked. Daphne wrinkled her nose at the place, noticing that it stood out from the rest of the neighborhood buildings. Her hand reached for the gold handle on the wooden door and yanked it open, a warm gush of wind brushing her face as she entered.

"Sit anywhere you want hun." The barkeeper greeted from behind the bar. "Someone will be right with you."

Daphne smiled in return and made her way to the back, picking a corner booth that overlooked the entrance. As she sat down, it was clear to her that this pub was a little outdated compared to the ones that she normally visited. It wasn't bad but her subconsciousness immediately came up with at least ten things that could benefit from an upgrade, like these booths for example.

It struck her as odd that Harry would pick a muggle establishment over one of their own. From what she could see, there was no set theme to this place. Objects were randomly placed all over the place. A painting of Elton John hung over the bar while opposite of a western cowboy and his cow. None of this made any sense to her but then again, neither did Harry.

He was as mysterious as they come. Even back during Hogwarts, they didn't have much interaction. He was a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin. It was scandalous to even fathom the idea of being friends with a lion. Despite the house prejudice, she wanted to meet him but it was the fear of being ostracized by her own housemates that prevented her from doing so.

It wasn't until his triumph over Voldemort did she finally understand that in the grand scheme of things, there was no such thing as blood purity. Harry proved that it wasn't blood that defined you. It was who you are. All those ideas that were instilled into her while growing up were shattered by one man who dared to defy the norm. She wanted to reach out and thank him but never quite found the opportunity. Every time she worked up the courage to go visit Harry, he was never in one place. She tried several times but he was either off on some mission or spending time with that girlfriend of his.

Ginny Weasley

The name left a sour taste in her mouth. Everyone knew Ginny Weasley. She was the envy of every woman because of her perfect life. She had it all. A career with the Winbourne Wasps and a relationship with Harry Potter. Everything was picture perfect until that scandal became public.

They painted her as a victim of a loveless relationship and she gave her story to the public. A story that was too perfect for Daphne's liking. There was something about it that didn't sit right with her but she couldn't put her finger on it. She dismissed it as biased reporting until she ran into Harry that made her question the narrative.

If he was the one that cheated, then why does he look so miserable?

"So what can I getcha?" A waitress asked, standing there with a notepad in hand. Her presence brought Daphne out of her thoughts.

"Two beers, please. Any will do." She replied, unsure of what Harry would like. The waitress held up her hand with two fingers towards the bar and walked away.

The bells then jingled from the door and Daphne looked up to see him walking in, his hood up and covering his head. It must have started raining outside because she noticed a few droplets of water on his hair. She resisted the urge to run her hands through it. It wouldn't be to her enjoyment of course. She just didn't him to catch a cold.

Harry took a quick look around and found Daphne sitting in a booth. He walked over and sat down on the worn-out leather seat, not bothering to remove his hood. He noticed her fidgeting in her seat and sighed. "Let's get this over with." He muttered, his voice a little raspy.

"I ordered two beers. I hope that's okay." Daphne replied, trying to keep her nerves in check. "So how was your day?"

Harry raised his brow, "You were there." He pointed out, his lips turning upward into a small smirk. "You tried to hex me remember?"

"Oh right." Daphne stuttered, her cheeks blushing. How should she have forgotten already? It literally just happened. She took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Are you happy Harry? Like truly happy with your legal representation? I know what you said earlier and I just want to understand your situation. If at the end of this conversation that you still don't want to sign with my firm then I'll happily accept that."

She momentarily paused as the beers arrived at her table and she took a quick sip before continuing. "If you heard about my company then you know that it was ranked the top law firm by public consensus. Our records should speak for themselves..."

"I know your firm very well Miss Greengrass." Harry interrupted, folding his hands on the table. "Several of your firm's partners have made that abundantly clear to me. I also know that most, if not all, of the pure-bloods, have already signed with your company. What I don't know is why you care if I sign or not. I'm just one guy. There's no difference between me and someone else."

"It's not about that Harry. It's about protecting your way of life. If you sign with us, it is basically telling everyone else that you're untouchable. With an army of the best lawyers standing behind you, only a fool would make an enemy out of you. There's no downside to this deal."

Harry shook his head. "You're misunderstanding me. I want to know why you, Daphne Greengrass, is so interested in signing me. Your firm has contacted me several times in the past, even going as far as sending several expensive gifts but here you are, sitting alone in a pub with me. What makes you think that if those guys couldn't succeed with their lavish presents that you would with just a beer? What are you expecting to gain from this?"

Daphne choked on her drink, coughing as the liquid went down the wrong pipe. "Nothing Harry." She said, quickly recovering from her initial shock. "This is just a friendly conversation. Like I told you earlier, there won't be any hard feelings if you decline."

She took another sip of beer, allowing the bitter liquid to calm her nerves. She didn't expect Harry to be so sharp, picking up on the things that she's not saying. Bumping into Harry might have been a coincidence but she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip out of her hands. If she was able to land the Harry Potter, then she could leverage that into a promotion that she rightfully deserves.

"I don't like it when I'm being manipulated." Harry finally spoke up, his tone devoid of any emotion. "I thought you were different. I could've overlooked the earlier incident because I thought you were curious but this? This is not something I can forgive." He pushed himself up from the table and slapped down several bills to cover the drinks even though he didn't touch his. "Do us both a favor and don't cross my path again." He murmured.

Daphne sat there speechless as she watched him walk out. This was not how she envisioned their meeting would go. She expected that there would be some tension and maybe some accusations but not this. "How did it go so wrong...?" She mumbled, staring at the now empty seat.

No answer was needed because Daphne knew where she went wrong and for some reason, seeing that disappointed look on his face hurt more than running head first into a Stupefy. She stifled a groan that threatened to escape her lips as she slumped down into her seat, wishing that this never happened.

The next morning, Daphne woke up disgusted with herself. She lost sight of who she was. Yes, she can be competitive, devious, calculating but she was not selfish. She would never hurt someone intentionally just to further her own goals but after what happened last night, she couldn't even look herself in the mirror. She strolled into the office, thinking of ways that she could possibly make it up to her cousin and Harry. She shouldn't have put them in such compromising positions.

As she sat at her desk, the voice of her manager echoed through the office. "Greengrass! Do you even know what you've done?" He angrily snarled, throwing the paper onto her desk. "What the hell were you even thinking?!"

From the corner of her eye, she could hear the whispers starting and everyone stood up, wondering what got their manager, Ricky, so riled up. Daphne paid them no attention, pulling her emotions back into her 'Ice Queen' facade.

"I don't know what you're talking about Ricky." She coolly answered. It was rare for him to be out of his office. In all her years of working here, the only time she's seen him out in public like this if there was anything that could jeopardize his position at the firm. It was no secret that no one liked the man. He was rude, selfish and if she was being honest, a short bald man who was used to bullying his way to the top.

Ricky turned the paper over, his finger now stabbing at the front page picture. "Why were you out with Potter last night?" He demanded. "Our senior partners were going to take another run at him but thanks to your meddling, they're scraping that plan! They think for some reason you were trying to sign Potter by yourself! Tell me that wasn't what you were doing."

"You need to get your facts right Ricky. What I do with Potter after company hours is my own business and it does not concern you or anyone else at this firm." Daphne countered. "I didn't see anything in the company bylaws that I couldn't go get a drink with my friend. We were classmates at Hogwarts you know."

"Is that a fact? You're honestly telling me that the both of you are friends?" Ricky asked. "How come I've never heard of you mention him once?"

"Maybe because you're an asshole." Daphne muttered under her breath. She then snatched the paper out of his hand. "What do you want me to say, Ricky? I like keeping my personal life far away from my job as possible."

Ricky pondered over her comment for a few seconds before smiling. "Yes... I think that's a good idea... a marvelous idea in fact..." He stopped in mid-thought when he realized that the entire office was staring at him. His face turned bright red from embarrassment. "What the hell is everyone staring at? I'm not paying you to look at my pretty face!" He barked out. "Get your asses back to work before I send you all to the unemployment office!"

Everyone quickly scrambled back to their desks, avoiding eye contact with their manager. Daphne turned her attention back to the papers, just wondering how her life was spiraling out of control so fast. Her eyes lingered on the photograph, showing their brief meeting at the bar. As she watched her manager stroll back into his office, she was starting to get a sinking feeling in her stomach.

A sixth sense that left her worried.

See you next chapter. If you like it, review it.