Three days had passed since their unfortunate date night. It would go down in Daphne's memory as one of the best, yet also worst, nights of her life. As much as she tried to remember it for the good that happened, the bad thoughts just couldn't be helped from seeping in and polluting it. It summed up her entire life really - she finally had something nice, innocent and healthy going, only for it to then be ruined by the mistakes of her past. It was exactly the same as what happened at Grimmauld Place over Christmas. And she was the sole one to be blamed for it.

She had been in an increasingly dark place since it happened - almost losing Tracey was one thing, but the fact she couldn't even trust Harry not to make the situation a million times worse on itself… She hadn't seen him since she split up his and Draco's duel. Not that it mattered, because the way she heard it, he'd been that busy with detentions that she wouldn't have gotten the chance even if she had wanted to.

"Do you think I could fit an entire bottle of skele-gro in my mouth?"

"Sit back in bed or I'll deduct house points!"

Tracey was back to her usual edgy and bubbly self, at least. Daphne had been making an effort to visit her each evening to bring her homework and snacks. The bed-bound lifestyle was driving her up the wall, which wasn't helped by the fact that outside of her, Dominique and Astoria were her only visitors. Blaise had attempted it, apparently trying to make peace after her unlawful boot from the Quidditch team, but had just ended up in the bed on the opposite side hers. She had hit him between the eyes with a stinging hex. She'd gotten a scolding and detention for it, but feeling her frustration was the tiniest bit justified, Daphne conveniently forgot to take house points from her.

There was an inescapable idea floating in her head. The acknowledgement that she was solely responsible for Tracey spending these nights in a hospital bed. Even if the poison had been intended for her, Professor Slughorn, Professor Dumbledore, or whoever-in-Merlin's-name they had decided it was for, the fact remained that it was her idea that lead them to the office that night. And the root of that reason was, she had gone back to Harry. She didn't regret that choice, not in the slightest, but was rapidly coming to learn there really was no separating the art from the artist. Endangering the ones you care for was apparently, simply part of the status quo in Chosen-One life.

Not being on chatting terms with Dominique anymore, Tracey's absence was a noticeable one. It took her back to the time that she was public enemy number one in Hogwarts. The difference now that the seething hatred towards her wasn't coming from others - it was coming from herself. The entire day she had a feel about her that if she were to stand up too fast, the entire contents of her stomach would coat whoever was unlucky enough to be within spraying distance.

When Professor Snape released them at the end of Defence Against the Dark Arts at the end of the week, she lingered behind. The students drained out around her and she caught Harry's eye. He nodded to her and though it took a second to decide, she nodded back. Normally she would have been able to keep up being cross with him a few days longer, but the gap left in her social life had weakened her. Her eyes then ventured to Dominique, who had stopped half way through approaching her. It was obvious she was itching to ask about Tracey, and was currently weighing in her mind if it was worth it.

The concern she had displayed for Tracey this whole ordeal seemed genuine, which conflicted with the image of the girl Daphne had built up in her mind. Looking embarrassed, she abandoned the attempt and left with the others. Daphne wanted to consider this further, but couldn't find the effort.

She came to Professor Snape's side, who was sorting through scrolls on his desk.

"Same as the rest of you. Chapter twenty-eight to thirty-one. So long as she reads them - actually reads them - there's no reason she can't hand in her work on the deadline."

He said all of this without looking her way. He was distracted by something, something that wasn't the paperwork he was fiddling with. In fact, he had seemed very distant from their lessons these days in general. More than once he stumbled over his words or repeated himself. Nodding, she picked up a few blank pieces of parchment and left. Her new revelation would probably have been of importance to him, but she still found herself too conflicted on what she believed his allegiance was. There was a part of her listening to the good sense he was putting out and urging her to trust him - that he really was the only one truly on her side, and though she may not readily acknowledge it, she was slowly starting to lean into that way of thinking.

But she wasn't willing to take that risk just yet. What she needed to do, she needed to do on her own. Tracey and Harry were about the only ones she would trust with that information and even telling them was a begrudging decision.

She went down for dinner, ate alone and in silent contemplation. A number of seats away from her was Draco. As far as she was aware, Professor Snape had gotten him off punishment for the duel with the excuse of him being provoked.

Since it happened, an insurmountable amount of rage rose inside her at the thought. It didn't make sense, considering Draco personally had done less to her than the likes of Pansy or Professor Snape, but it was hatred founded on principle. In many ways, he was in the same boat as her, working as a hand of the Dark Lord, but he didn't seem to have any qualms about obeying. If anything, he seemed eager to make up for his father's mistakes. He was in her situation, but choosing the direct opposite approach. He was continuing to make the same bad decision she had so many times in the past - meaning it was impossible for her not to see a little of her old self in him.

As hatred bubbled inside her, festering in the pit of her stomach like a brewing volcano, she tightened a hand over her wand. Secretly, she wished it had been her in the duel instead of Harry. And if Draco suddenly decided to target her for some revenge over it, she would greet his challenge with open arms. She would shatter every belief he held close and leave him quivering and begging for mercy. She wanted to prove to him, as painfully as possible, that her new way of thinking was the right way. She knew exactly how superior he felt over her and Harry - because it was the same exact delusion she used to hold over other people. She wished she could punch her old self; and now every bit of that frustration was going towards him now.

She finished eating and left the Great Hall quickly. When she reached the Hospital Wing, her palms were sweaty and she felt quite sick. Helplessness was not a feeling she was familiar with, and it was exactly how she felt thinking about him. She couldn't openly act against him - she could understand that, unlike some - but Merlin's Beard it was killing her every day she didn't.

As she approached the cordoned off bed, she heard not one voice, but two. One of them was expected, belonging to Tracey, but the other made her slow to a halt.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Though she cursed Tracey for never respecting others privacy, curiosity instantly got the better of her as she leaned closer to the curtain, trying hard to catch the next words said.

"Yeah. How'd you tell?"

"Well... if he was in Azkaban then he'd have broken out with the rest of 'em last year, wouldn't he?"

A slow but sudden gasp sounded from the other occupant, who it was now obvious, was Moria Davis - Tracey and Daphne's shared mother.

"You were hopin' that was the case, weren't you?" she asked, sounding both surprised and sad. "Tracey - I'm sorry - it didn't even occur to me you'd be looking out for that."

There was a sniff and Daphne realised that, despite them having known each other their whole lives and not witnessed it once, she was hearing Tracey cry for the second time this month.

"How'd he die, then?" she asked, her voice breaking.

She suddenly felt guilty overhearing this conversation, but making the effort to remove herself never occurred.

"Dunno, to tell you the truth... Sneaky as he could be, he had a good heart in him. I reckon he tried backin' out and You-Know-Who saw to him. Or others did on his behalf. Never found his body, see. He could still be out there I suppose, but I won't fill you with false hope about that… But, I never got to tell him I was pregnant with you…"

She took an audible breath.

" … Always hated that. Thought maybe if I did he would have been more careful or summat."

Though she couldn't see her face, the croaking in Tracey's voice let her know this was all a similar revelation to her.

"Who was he? What was he like?"

"Well… Gordon-Bennet, Trace… Good question. See, I was always worried about you endin' up in Slytherin, for Daffy it made sense - Benedict's bloody genes could make it through anything - but I was surprised with you… you couldn't be less like him if you tried. You always took after me... Except for your daft hair, that's on him."

Their mother then offered a cold laugh.

"He was a textbook Slytherin, to tell you. Could be a bit sleazy - caught him with another chick once - but god, I was head over heels for him. Absolutely. He always brought out the best in me. After he disappeared, if I'm honest… Benedict was a rebound. I was just scared to raise a kid on my own and he had been one of his good mates - just seemed natural."

At this point, they both became inaudible to her, in which Daphne could only presume one was whispering to the other.

She took a step back, going over the information she'd just learned.

That should have come as a bombshell to her - that her entire existence was just a side effect of her mother wanting comfort - but she was long past her families' drama. She was more intrigued to be hearing of Tracey's father, who, outside of the fact he was a Death Eater, was a figure their mother long shrouded in mystery. If their mother was actually aware of his identity and keeping it from them, that was all news to her. Daphne-Estelle Greengrass was often stopped achieving the fullest pure-blood designation because she was born out of wed-lock, but Tracey Davis had held the title of bastard child for years.

Morally, she was unsure if she wanted to hear anymore. She had already listened in on a very personal and private conversation as it was, that could be an excuse as an accident, but if she continued, then it was deliberate eavesdropping. As their voices got louder again however, Daphne quickly forgot her moral ambiguity and leaned back.

"Yeah, Daphne knows him. I've seen him with that Tonks bird around the castle. Why?"

"What you have to understand about him is - if I'd have known he was innocent… Well, as you know, I was a bit of a black sheep in my school days. Even back then Slytherins and Gryffindors din't much get on. All of my friends were in Slytherin... always said they put me in the wrong house. Then they all turned into murderin' psychopaths and to kill me and I thought, yanno, maybe being in Gryffindor wasn't so bad after all. If I knew how it was all going to end up, I'd have picked better friends, let me tell you. Some bridges just can't be rebuilt…"

Their mother stopped abruptly and Daphne thought for one terrifying second that she had somehow been caught listening. She took a panicked glance around the Hospital Wing and saw no one but a scattering of bed-bound patients, who to them, she would simply look like she was waiting for her turn to visit.

"Bugger!" their mother cursed, with a certain cracking in her voice that let Daphne know she'd just succumbed to a flood of tears.

There was a noise of shuffling fabrics, which was she guessed was Tracey embracing her. Daphne felt awkward on her feet, for more than a few reasons. A drawn out period passed where the only sounds were their mothers crying sobs, which drew the eyes of a few to the direction of their bed.

"You alright?"

She was only just able to hear that, and had to listen very hard to distinguish what was being said.

"Yes, yes, just… oh christ…"

"So…"

Tracey sounded unsure.

"... Sirius Black knew my dad, then?"

"Well - in a manner of speakin', yeah. I thought so, but then…"

She stopped - Daphne didn't know why.

She leaned in as much as she could get away with, pressing her ear against the seam in the curtains.

"Is there somethin' you're not tellin' me?"

"No! No! I just… oh, god…"

A loud noise emanated from their cubicle that sounded somewhere between a sob and a growl.

"... Daphne rocks up at ours in the middle of the night lookin' like hell, then not a few months later I get an owl sayin' they've nearly bloody poisoned you! I'm second guessin' every choice I ever made… I don't know who I can trust anymore..."

"There's some nasty stuff going on, mum. It's nothin' we can't handle, though. You can trust us. And our ability to handle ourselves. Yeah?"

The overwhelming urge to part the curtains and join in on their conversation, to reassure their mother she was here and fine and was finally on the right path, was becoming too much. She pulled abruptly away. Finally, she had heard enough. She either left now or joined them and for some reason, it didn't feel it her place to intrude. After hearing that she didn't feel her presence, after all she'd done, would be appreciated.

Not to mention, she still didn't feel she could look her mother in the eye. Soon, definitely, but not yet.

She left the scroll of Tracey's homework on the bedside table and left the Hospital wing alone.


The rest of the week came and went, but lessons were not Daphne's priority. Her anger at Draco set her on the right course, but overhearing Tracey and their mother and their exchanges of raw emotion had finally been enough. She had made this decision months ago and it was finally time... She had been putting it off, despite trying to convince herself otherwise. But now she was finally ready.

On Friday, she went about her schedule as normal as possible. More lessons passed of her and Dominique ignoring each other, and not a word was said between her and any of her other housemates. She didn't get to see Harry today - really, she could have done with it. That goofy smile could fill her with the confidence she needed. By the time she came out of her last lesson, her head was a rush of emotions. She needed a sit down, a long and encouraging chat with Harry, then probably some Pepperup Potion, and would then feel as confident about tonight as she had when planning it. But events were in motion that could not be undone now. What was done was done, and what she was doing was right.

Tea in the Great Hall ended and she joined the large group of Slytherins heading to the dungeons. It was easy to get lost and be undetectable in the large crowd. Normally she cut through with gusto, but this time she was slow and unnoticed. She took her time and when she arrived at the common room it was already full. Instead of crossing to her own dormitory however, she turned into one a few doors up from her own.

She was becoming quite the hypocrite, as she would also scold Tracey for entering someone else's dorm without permission. The room was it's usual mess with robes, shirts and sweet wrappers coating the floor and, rather tellingly, a pair of lace knickers dangling off a corner of her four poster bed.

"Tabitha, move. Good girl."

Daphne ushered the large white cat off what it was she had been looking for. Tracey's Siberian Arrow broomstick.

Tucking the broomstick under her arm, she locked Tracey's dorm behind her and retreated to her own. Normally she would spend the rest of the night revising here, but tonight her books and parchment lay untouched in her drawer. She rested the broom by her bed and got changed. She picked the most discreet clothes she could manage, then hid them all under a long hooded robe. It was the same one she had worn her evening out as a Death Eater, making its use tonight rather appropriate.

Now she just needed to wait.

Night time beckoned closer, and the nerves were speeding up and beginning to nip at her heels. Hours passed as she lay in wait, but it wasn't time enough. Despite trying to convince herself otherwise, she was nervous. Truth be told, she hadn't needed to wait until Friday, she could have done this any day earlier. She'd done it tonight because… she was trying to put it off again. Staring at the ceiling of her four poster bed, she thought of Tracey lying alone in the hospital wing. Then she thought of Harry, the legacy he didn't ask for and the fact he was probably serving detention right now for never ceasing to do the right thing, even when the universe had so consistently shit on him. She thought of Astoria and her mother. What would they do if something were to happen to her?

"Daffy, whatever's goin' on with you…" she leaned in, and a very serious tone said, "I'm askin' you, genuinely, as your blood, talk to me. Just tell me you're safe? Answer that - answer honestly - and I'll leave it."

"DAPHNE IS ONLY HERE BECAUSE I CONVINCED HER TO BE, IF YOU WANT TO ARREST HER THEN YOU HAVE TO ARREST ME TOO!"

"It's as easy as you make it, Daphne Greengrass."

Slowly, it was enough. That draining, sickly feeling in the bottom of her stomach was replaced by a hard determination. The fear and guilt drained out of her. It was finally time.

Tucking the broomstick under her arm, she went through to the common room. It was sparsely populated but none other than Blaise, who gave her a peculiar look, seemed to see her. Though then again, after the state she left Pansy in after their duel a few weeks after that, most of them probably tried deliberately not to see her.

There was a light on in Professor Hagrid's, but the Hogwarts grounds were otherwise silent. The night air was still, though thick with the scent of damp earth. She walked, her shoes squelching in the mud, until she was a good distance away from the castle.

Wobbling, she mounted the broom and kicked off hard from the ground. Her grip on the broom tightened exponentially as the the ground began to sink away. As the broom rose further and further into the air, she was very glad she hadn't had breakfast. She was over the moon when hearing flying lessons were option post-second year. No matter how many times she tried, no matter how many times her father pushed her towards it, she felt irredeemably unnatural on a broomstick. She suddenly had an all new-found respect for Harry and Tracey's Qudditch skills.

Then she made the mistake of looking down and found herself to be hovering a good fifty feet above the black lake

"Yog-Sothoth…" she swore to herself.

Her eyes watered in the chill she set off, moving slowly away from the castle and deeper into the grounds. It was so dark she could see nothing below but the tiny pinpricks of light that were Professor Hagrid's hut.

"I pretend I'm the best because I know that I'm the worst... and now it's finally caught up to me. I've done nothing but hurt people, I'm the opposite of how I want to be and... a-and I don't know how I let myself drop this low!"

It wasn't long before she started to shiver, and her hands grew numb on the Arrows handle. She wished she had the good sense to put on a coat - considering how much she nagged Astoria for that, one would have been mistaken for thinking she could take her own advice as well.

"Harry made me see who I really was…" her words were a contrasting calm, "... he opened my eyes to the world and as such, I developed a hyperfixation on him as a representation of my freedom. We started originally as a purely academic-based but developed interest in each other over time... It was the happiest period of my life, romantic-or-otherwise - as brief as it has been. Now my only intentions are to provide him with the same freedom and sense of being that he provided me with, as well as protect him from those that may harm him."

She altered her course every now and then whenever she figured out what her bearings were. She needed to get herself nice and lost, all while maintaining a general awareness of the direction she was heading. She kept having to screw up her eyes against the icy rush of wind that was starting up. Her ears were beginning to ache as well. She could only remember being this cold only once before, the night she had taken her role as a Death Eater and hiked across hillside in the dead of night. That whole evening stuck in her memory as the most unpleasant experience her entire life, but if she wasn't able to get off this broom soon, it was about to have a competitor.

Slowly, she started over the forbidden forest. She wondered how long she had been flying; it felt like an hour already at least. The trees below her were so thick she couldn't see the ground. She flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees looking for the right area. Eventually she came across a small gap in the trees. It had to be the spot. She landed noiselessly in the small clearing. Shivering, she dismounted, pulled her wand from her sleeve and lit the area up.

"Wotcher, Princess."

Her wand tip flared, illuminating the scene. She blinked. A trio stood before her. Professor Lupin, looking tired and ill; Sirius, who was looking at her like she was the biggest present under the tree on Christmas morning, and Tonks, who for once, didn't look ready for a fight. She straightened up as the three of them approached her. She hadn't been expecting company so soon - she'd specifically set off early to give herself time to psych up.

"Were you followed?" Professor Lupin asked, looking cautiously back up at the castle behind her.

"No. I flew around the grounds, nobody could have followed me," she said, lifting the broom for them to see.

"Good girl. Now, lower yer hood. An' wand," a new voice said.

Her heart thumped suddenly. She knew that voice, and made the careful decision not to lower her wand. She turned to see Professor Mad-Eye Moody appearing from the dark, squinting suspiciously back at her through his mismatched eyes.

"It's alright, Daffy. He's the real one. He's with us," Sirius said, reassuringly.

She lowered her hood, but did not relax the grip of her wand, nor move at all. She had reason to be suspicious; two years ago her class spent nine months in what they thought was the company of Mad-Eye Moody, only to find out he was a Death Eater imposter. This was probably the real Moody, she knew, but when he looked and sounded identical to the last one, that knowledge did not bring much reassurance, especially meeting him in the dark forbidden forest.

"Well? What do yer 'ave to say for yourself?" he barked at her.

A foot away from him, a tall dark wizard in unusual robes also made himself known. It took a second, but she was able to recognise him as Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head of the Auror office. She had seen him in pictures with her father, who was head of the Depart of Magical Artefacts.

Evidently, the fact the five of them were now blocking her exits was not a coincidence. Despite being at a disadvantage, she held her head high and confident.

"I have…" her voice cracked and she started again, after silently cursing herself, "... I have information that will be valuable to the Auror Office and the Order of the Phoenix."


They felt like another person's words. She could hardly believe this was real. Last year she was jumping through hoops and burning bridges left, right and centre to keep as far away from the war as she could. That felt like yesterday, now suddenly she was here with no going back now.

Professor Lupin brought himself closer to her.

"Daphne, this won't be an anonymous tip, you understand? There's no going back from here."

She glared hard at him, feeling very conscious of the fact she was still shaking from that broom ride.

"I've lost enough. You're doing your part to protect me... This is me, doing mine."

The Professor held her gaze. Behind him, she saw Sirius give her a nod. She took a shallow, steadying breath and shut her eyes.

"The Death Eaters involved in the Spear of Longinus heist on November Nineteenth were… Benedict Greengrass and Peter Pettigrew, who arranged the heist but did not accompany us there. The scout party was myself and the Carrow twins, known Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban last year. I saw them myself."

She opened her eyes to see Professor Moody looking unimpressed.

"That it?"

She chewed the inside of her lip impatiently. She had a fleeting vision of Merula staying behind to defend her, while the Carrows abandoned them. And then of her having to abandon Merula in that Muggle hospital.

No. It was all or nothing. It was as easy as she made it, as her mother said.

"... And Merula Snyde," she said eventually. "She was who I was partnered with."

Again, she found herself struggling to break eye-contact with Professor Moody. His magical eye occasion flickered in different directions, watching the surrounding area.

"We come all the way out 'ere for this? That's nothin' we couldn't 'ave taken educated guesses on ourselves! The only name there worth anythin' is yer father, and it's all well and dandy tellin' us, but it don't mean diddly without proof!" then he growled at the others, "... Told ya! Ah knew she wasn't 'owt to be trusted!"

Professor Lupin turned suddenly, as though someone had struck him across the face.

"Not true, Mad-Eye! This could still help get the blame away from the werew-"

"I have proof."

Letting Tracey's broom drop to the forest floor, she pulled a package out of her robes. Peeling open a corner of it, she revealed a dozen or so sealed, hand-written letters.

"Written to me, signed by my father. In these you'll find him make frequent mention to Death Eater activities, as well as confirming the names I mentioned. His signature is at the bottom of every one of them... which I'm sure Mr Shacklebolt will be able to compare to his paperwork at the ministry."

She inclined her head awkwardly to each of the circle, wishing they would look at something other than her, but using the attention to her full advantage. Shacklebolt gave her an impressed smile. Sirius moved to seal the space between Professor Moody and Professor Lupin, nodding with vigour.

"That could work! Mad-Eye, could that work?"

The ex-Professor kept up the long and hard stare he was giving her, in which both his magical and normal eyes bore into her very soul, then, unblinking, he answered.

"Aye. That it can."

Sirius and Professor Lupin gave huge sighs of relief. She wanted to feel their jubilation, but there was something stopping her. Sirius moved forward.

"Thank you, Daphne. You have no idea what this will mean for u-"

She flinched back suddenly, escaping the hand which had been coming in for a hug.

"There's more," she said quickly. "When I took the Dark Mark, Draco Malfoy did as well. He's a Death Eater just as much as I am. He was given a mission by The Dark Lord, as I was, but I don't know anything more definite than that. I have reason to believe, however... his task involves assassination. Myself, Harry Potter, Tracey Davis, Ronald Weasley and Katie Bell have already fallen victim, though unsuccessful."

Sirius chuckled merrily, as though he hadn't heard this, and tried again to pat her shoulder.

"You can stop talking all official-like now. We got what we need."

"When the Dark Lord gave us his tasks," she continued, "he made it clear we were not to tell anyone, and the only one who we could talk to about it was Professor Snape. He knows both of our mission briefs."

Sirius's smile dropped at this, but Tonks was the first to speak.

"Snape never said anything about that."

"Leave it with us Daphne. Thank you, again."

"What will you do with this information?"

Professor Moody waddled forward.

"Make some arrests, probably. We got the element of surprise, now. No good with the Carrows or Pettigrew, they're already wanted, but if the evidence against ol' Benny is as good as ya say, ah feel pretty confident sayin' he could be in Azkaban by this time tomorrow. 'Im, well as anyone else he incriminates in the process. There's no way even their scum on the inside could protect 'em from the likes of these."

The group all looked pleased with this proclamation, but Daphne wasn't letting the relief sweep her system just yet. Sirius stepped forward again, harder this time.

"Daphne, a quick word."

He took her by the arm and led her deeper into the tree line. As they moved, she glanced back and saw Tonks, Kinsley, Professors Moody and Lupin gathering into a circle. He brought them to a stop and faced her.

"Look - though I expect Dumbledore has already offered you a place to stay in the castle, I just wanted you to know that when terms over, you have a home with me and Harry in Grimmauld Place. Should you want it, that is. I know you're probably used to a lot more than that run-down old shack…"

She blinked.

"Me? Move in... with Harry?"

He gave a loose gesture.

"Well… the Order of the Phoenix, specifically."

She stared back at him, unable to find an emotion to suit.

"You're inviting me to join?"

"Well, get your NEWTs out of the way before we go that far, then maybe."

There was a vague voice in the back of her head calling out to her to bring up the conversation she had overheard in the Hospital Wing. Sirius knew their mother and Tracey's father? There had to be an important conversation there to be had. She tried to bring this up, but through her wand-light, she could see him looking critical all of a sudden. His face had transformed into something a lot more serious, and she now saw the happy-go-lucky attitude he had earlier had been a facade. He took a glance at the others in the clearing before he began.

"Listen, the others wouldn't want me telling you this. They're trying very hard to keep order, but there's not a lot of that going around these days, let me tell you. They're turning a blind eye to it, but it's important you know. It's important you and Harry are aware, so you can prepare yourselves."

His eyes found their way to the scar on Daphne's eyebrow. She resisted the urge to conveniently scratch her face and hide it.

"Something is wrong…" he continued. "Everyone can feel it. Nobody can explain it, but we've all sensed it. We're winning against You-Know-Who, more and more Death Eaters are being found out by the day and we're on the cusp of discovering his hiding place but… but…"

"Padfoot! We're leaving!" Professor Moody barked from the clearing.

Sirius gave a hard sigh - his frustration obvious.

"Dark times we're heading for, Daphne. Dark times. You and Harry need to stick together and trust each other with what's to come."

She blinked again. She understood his urgency and digression, but for as ominous as daunting as his words were, he hadn't actually told her anything yet.

"What is to come?"

"We don't know. Not yet."

"Padfoot!"

"Think about it. Not a word, now. Act happy."

He scooped her under his shoulder and began guiding them back to the clearing. She tried to fake a smile, but the news of what she'd just heard was too disturbingly overpowering.

"See you later, Daffy!" he said in an all-around brighter tone, which she could now recognise as fake.

It had the same air about it as the way Tracey spoke, that day by the lake-side. She could now see it for the forced positivism it was and felt her guilt worsen.

"Your information tonight will be very useful. Thank you, Daphne," said Kingsley, giving her a small bow.

Tonks mounted her broom and nodded.

"See you around, Princess."

It might have been a trick of the moonlight, but despite her sarcastic tone, Daphne was sure she actually saw a smile under that head of pink hair. A hard impact in her back knocked the thought from her mind.

"Yer did good today, Greengrass," Professor Moody waddled past her. 'Make a soldier out of ya yet!"

Her head a rush with what Sirius had said, she watched the group of Aurors disappear one by one into the darkness of the forest. She brought Tracey's Arrow off the forest floor and mounted it, but didn't kick off. As the others vanished, she remained there, distracted by how startling still the forest seemed now.

She held tight onto the words Professor Moody had said. An empowering rush was sweeping her being.

She did good today.

The leap she had been dreading was now leapt, and she was on the other side. Lady Daphne-Estelle of House Greengrass was a traitor to her family and the Death Eaters, and now an undercover member of the Order of the Phoenix. That was a lot to take in, but the truly strange and daunting thing about it was - she didn't feel the slightest bit bad about it. Maybe a year ago, Merlin's Beard, a month ago, and that would have been different. But now she had grown more powerful than she ever dreamed. If she could detach so absolutely and completely from her family, and without feeling bad about it... where did that leave her new limits?

She had none. She could do whatever it takes now. Anything so that her and Harry would get the future they deserved. The future she deserved.

Revelations were indeed underway. The change that was promised; from glory to glory. Authority was power, influence was responsibility and her redemption would come through betrayal. The terror of a wrong decision - that did not matter anymore - because she had made the right one.


A/N Daphne may be on the side of the angels, but don't think for one second that she is one. She's heading down a rabbit hole - but if it's for the right cause, who draws the line?