A/N: New chapter! I'm a bit behind on my writing, so I'm not sure if there's going to be a chapter next week. Still writing chapter 9 and we're already at 7. Happy early 4th of July if you live in the states!

Also, I'm going to do a quick rundown of the currency system since I got a few questions about it. 1 galleon = 100 sickles, 1 sickle = 100 knuts. I equated a galleon to about $100, and 1 sickle to about $1 (talking in U.S. Dollars because I'm American but you're free to convert it to whatever currency you wish). Why not use canon currency? Erm, have you all seen how complicated it is? No way. Nuh uh. Let's stick with this.

In chapter the Gringotts chapter, I did a subtle conversion there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any works by J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 7

The good thing was that they didn't kick her out immediately since Harry wasn't there.

The bad news was, it made no difference. The answers were all the same…

"We can't hire someone like you"

It was hard. No one wanted to hire someone so young. Add the ratty apparel, lack of shoes, and even lack of experience, Daphne knew how hard of a sell it would be just for someone to even consider her for a position.

Daphne had just left another shop, a book shop this time. This owner had said that along with Daphne's age, she doubted that Daphne would be able to help customers due to her lack of knowledge and education - something that would be necessary when selling school books.

So it was another problem. One after another.

"Education, age, experience, apparel…" Daphne muttered as she walked through the street, Astoria to her side. "Just what could I offer?" She asked frustratingly.

What could she offer? That was the question.

She didn't have a Hogwarts education.

She was only 12.

Therefore, she didn't have experience.

And apparel wise, she couldn't even afford to look half decent.

So what skill could she offer?

Well there was one skill…and she was sure that not many people had it.

But she didn't want to…it reminded her too much of everything that happened…

No. She had to. Harry was counting on her! And Astoria…Daphne's not going to let her go another night without food!

And so, Daphne ended up in front of the one shop that she had been so hesitant to enter since the past year.

'Botanical Magical Wonders' Daphne read out loud.

The plant shop in front of her stuck tightly to its theme. Wild plants were embedded on its cobble wall. Roots and flowers sprouted from trunks, as they encompassed the shop, all the way from the first floor, to the third.

"Wait outside for me, Tori." Daphne muttered. "Go back to the Leaky Cauldron if I take too long.

Astoria nodded, and took up her position against the wall, keeping an eye around.

As she stood in front of the door, she froze.

Could she do it? After everything that's happened?

Daphne had tried many times before. She knew that something like this was her best chance. But she'd never been able to make it past the door.

No. She had to do it this time. This time, it wasn't just her and her sister. It was Harry too. And she's seen how much he's grown on her little sister. Astoria would be devastated if they lost him at this point.

And to be honest, Daphne would too. He's not only grown on Astoria, but her as well.

So with much hesitation, Daphne forced herself to slowly open the door.

An instant wave of nostalgia immediately hit her. The smell dredged up memories of her time back at home, tending to these same plants.

Painful. That's what the memories felt like to her now.

Daphne navigated the rows of plants, her legs shaky until she eventually found the person she was looking for.

A tall slim middle aged woman tended to a few flowers. She had a pointy witch's hat on, covering most of her dark hair.

"Um, hello Madame? Are you the owner here?" Daphne asked nervously.

The woman stopped what she was doing and turned towards Daphne.

A slender face greeted her, with narrow eyes that quickly took in Daphne's appearance.

"Yes? Can I help you?" The woman's sharp voice replied brusquely.

"I was wondering if you had an opening? I'm quite adept at-"

"No. Not hiring."

Daphne was quickly cut off by the woman as she returned to tending the flowers. She frowned at the rudeness but it didn't deter her.

"Um ma'am? Belladonnas, right? Also called Deadly Nightshade. Used for medical potions. But poisonous when raw…"

Daphne started ranting off all the known qualities of the plants, their uses, and how to care for them.

"Make sure they get plenty of sunlight…moist environment…good soil…"

She trailed off when she saw the woman had suddenly stopped. Dangling in front of her were a pair of gloves.

"Show me." The woman simply said.

Although stunned, Daphne was not going to let an opportunity like this pass. She shook herself out of her stupor and grabbed the pair of gloves, putting them on.

The woman didn't give any further instructions, except to gesture at the Belladonnas. Daphne took in what was already done, seeing that the dried leaves were already cut. All that was left were the stalks, which she quickly grabbed the pair of shears on the table to get to work on it.

When Daphne finished, the woman inspected her work.

.

Would it be enough to get past her eye? She seemed like someone who would find a small infraction unacceptable based on what Daphne saw.

Nervously watching, Daphne held her breath in until she saw a slight nod from the woman.

"Acceptable. Come. I want to see you work with other plants."

The next hour, Daphne would find herself presenting the skills she learned growing up. From mundane flowers to dangerous magical plants such as Screechsnaps, Daphne did them all.

Daphne would find out that the woman was named Vera or called Madame Vera when Daphne addressed her. She was a stern woman who accepted nothing less but perfection.

Thankfully, the art of botany was something Daphne did since she was 7.

The only hard thing about it all, was the surge of memories from happier times whenever Daphne would touch a plant.

Dittany. The healing plant that her mother always grew in excess - both for selling and for the minor scrapes and scratches Daphne and sister would find themselves with.

Asphodel. One of the plants her father showed her how to care for, and a demonstration of the potency it possessed when used with the draught of death.

Mimbulus mimbletonia. She remembered how one sprayed a disgusting goo on her father when her parents tried to show her how to care for one. The smell didn't go away for the rest of the week and her mother constantly sprayed him with perfume to dampen the smell.

Daphne chuckled at the last one, but her face suddenly fell when she remembered that her parents were now gone.

Finishing up with the mimbulus mimbletonia, Daphne realized that she had tended to at least every type of plant in the shop. Looking at a nearby wall clock, two hours had passed.

Oh shoot. She had completely forgotten about Tori!

She needed to finish up here and get back to her sister. Hopefully, Madame Vera will deem her acceptable enough to hire…

"Madame Vera, are there any other plants you would like me to take care of?" Daphne asked politely.

Madame Vera inspected the plants that Daphne did and nodded. "There is one more I would like to see. If you show me proper handling, we'll discuss your hours."

Daphne's eyes lit up. One more plant and the job was hers? After months of searching?

She should've come here in the first place! She should've pushed aside her fears and just applied here! After spending an hour of plant work, the memories weren't so bad. In fact, Daphne was starting to slowly adapt to it, and they weren't as painful as they used to be.

"Which plant would you like me to handle, Madame?"

Madame Vera gestured for Daphne to follow her.

Daphne found herself being led into a back room, one that was much more hidden and out of the way. A plastic curtain covered the rest of the room, but Daphne could see white lights from behind it.

"Make sure that these stay far away from the customers and other plants," Madame Vera explained as they walked. "I trust you'll know what to do once you see them."

The mysterious comment piqued Daphne's curiosity, but she merely nodded, knowing that Madame Vera preferred to show rather than tell.

Drawing the curtains away, Daphne immediately froze when she saw what was in front of her.

"Mandrakes…" She whispered.

"Yes." Madame Vera nodded, handing Daphne a pair of earmuffs before putting on her own. "Show me that you know what to do with these and we'll be done here."

Daphne looked down at the earmuffs in her hands and shakily put them on.

Mandrakes. Daphne remembered. She remembered all too well.

She slowly took a step through the long lines of metal tables filled with Mandrakes, all of them carefully potted.

A flash of her family's greenhouse appeared in her mind. The sound of the man screaming echoed in her ears. His still body on the ground…

Madame Vera's voice shook her out the memory lane she walked. "Well? Are you going to get to it?"

Daphne quickly nodded, hoping that Madame Vera didn't catch her reaction. With a deep breath, Daphne grabbed a pair of shears on the table and picked out one of the mandrakes.

It was a fully grown one, ready for cutting. As her hands hovered over the plant, they began to shake violently,

The screaming got louder.

The image got clearer.

Her father's last smile to her.

'Clang!'

The shears fell onto the table, leaving behind a loud clang.

"I-I can't."

Daphne's vision was getting blurry as tears began falling.

"I can't." She repeated, taking off her earmuffs.

"…well, that's a shame."

Disappointment was evident in Madame Vera's voice. Daphne heard the flaps being moved as the woman's footsteps began echoing away.

Daphne just stood there with tears falling from her eyes. A wave of shame washed over her as she was unable to even take care of a single mandrake plant.

What would Harry think of her for being unable to keep her promise?

How would Astoria react when she realized that she wouldn't be able to have a proper meal tonight?

All because Daphne couldn't get over one simple fear.

Daphne felt herself balling up her fists.

"No. I can't. I can't let them down like that." She muttered.

Daphne angrily put back on the earmuffs and grabbed the pair of shears she dropped.

With a deep breath, Daphne pulled the mandrake right from its pot, eliciting a muffled scream from the plant.

This time, the image and memories did not stop her.

She pushed through the memories, she pushed through the trembling of her hands, and she pushed through the tears that fell.

'Click. Click. Click.'

The roots were cut.

Daphne immediately shoved the mandrake back into the pot, allowing the wailing to stop.

In her hands were freshly cut mandrakes roots.

A small chuckle escaped her lips.

"Hey…that wasn't so bad, was it?" Daphne whispered to herself.

She raised her head and looked at the 50 or so potted mandrakes in the room.

It didn't matter that she could finish one. She had to prove that she could do all of them.

And that's what she did for the next hour.

Each one would get easier and easier, until she felt nothing left of the memories.

When she finished with a whole bag of them, Daphne went back out front to present them to Madame Vera.

The woman raised an eyebrow at the large bag of mandrakes being placed on her counter.

"All of them?" Madame Vera asked.

Daphne nodded. "Every single one."

For the first time since Daphne met with the woman, Madame Vera gave her a small smile. She reached behind the counter and dropped some coins on top. Daphne's eyes widened at that.

"30 sickles for 3 hours of work, and an extra 10 so you can get some proper shoes. I will not have you barefoot in this shop, do you understand?" Madame Vera asked sternly.

Daphne nodded fervently. "Yes ma'am!" She exclaimed.

"I expect to see you tomorrow morning, six o' clock sharp. We will be going through how to properly attend to customers and then I'll see how you do when we open. Don't be late."

Another nod. Daphne grabbed the coins off the counter and took a second to admire them.

40 whole sickles. If she spent 5 sickles only on something like sandals, then it would cover their night at The Leaky Cauldron.

As Daphne walked out of the shop, she was feeling giddy with the coins in her hand.

She earned those 40 coins. She did! And she didn't even have to ask Madame Vera for an early pay!

But in that giddiness, Daphne was feeling like she forgot something…

Shoes? Well she's going to buy them right now.

Food? She wasn't that hungry…

Maybe she forgot a personal item? But she didn't exactly have any personal items…

Did she forget…oh.

Astoria! She forgot about her!

Daphne frantically searched around outside of the shop. To her horror, Astoria was nowhere to be found.

"Tori! Tori! Where are you?" Daphne shouted out into the street.

The only reply she got were the weird looks from the passersby.

Cursing herself for her negligence, Daphne began running around Diagon Alley, searching every nook and corner for her little sister.

"Tori! It's me, Daphne! Tori! Where are you?" she yelled frantically.

She tried all the shops they've been to. She searched high and low even in the smallest alleys just in case her sister was there.

Daphne even circled back and stopped at the bench where they parted with Harry.

Still, Astoria was nowhere to be seen.

An hour of searching had passed by, and the sun was already beginning to set. Daphne wanted to continue but she could already feel the exhaustion of the day catching up to her.

No. She couldn't stop. Even if she was tired, her sister's safety mattered more than anything.

The worst case scenario was if someone kidnapped her…

Daphne shook her head. The thought of Astoria being kidnapped absolutely terrified her. She didn't want to think about it like that.

Maybe it would be better if she met back up with Harry. That way, the two of them could comb Diagon Alley better. But to do that, she'd have to meet back up with him at The Leaky Cauldron.

Giving one last glance at the area around the bench, Daphne hurriedly made her way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Her heart fell slightly when she didn't see him waiting outside. No, it's too soon. Perhaps he was inside…?

When she opened the door, a voice called out to her and a breath of relief escaped her lips.

"Daphs!"

Astoria jumped into her arms, almost knocking her to the ground. "T-Tori? You went here?" Daphne asked in surprise.

The little girl looked at Daphne as if her brain had fallen out. "Um…yeah? You told me to go here if you took too long."

Daphne stared back at her, mouth agape. In her rush and excitement of getting the job, Daphne had completely forgotten that she did indeed tell her little sister that.

Instead of saying anything else however, Daphne just pulled Astoria into her embrace, tightening it even harder.

"Ermmmm Daphs?" Astoria squealed. "I know I'm cute but what's going on?"

Daphne finally let the girl breathe a little, and slipped from the embrace. She fully took the moment to brush a strand of hair from Astoria, taking in the little girl's features with care.

"I was just worried," Daphne said softly. "Tori, I love you. I love you very much, little sister."

Astoria tilted her head. "I know you do, Daphs. You don't have to say it for me to know."

"No, I don't." Daphne agreed. "But I want to say it. Even if you know, Tori. Because I want you to hear those words every day from now on. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

"But you won't…lose me?" Astoria just looked confused.

Daphne gave her a sad smile.

Astoria, still confused, moved on to ask the question that seemed to be on her mind.

"Sooooooo…Daphhhhhhsss…" Astoria dragged on. "Did youuuuu get the job?"

Daphne smirked and pulled out the sickles she earned, showing them off to Astoria. "I did. And got paid for the work I did today."

Astoria jumped up in excitement. "Yes! I knew you could do it, Daphs! I knew you could! You're awesome, Daphs!"

Normally, Daphne would chide Astoria for causing such a racket. But she couldn't bring herself to do it, considering she was just as giddy as her little sister was.

"I know!" Daphne shouted happily. She scooped Astoria up and spun the girl around. "I got the job, Tori! We have money now!"

"We can eat now!" Astoria exclaimed in the air. "Food, Daphs! We can have actual food! Everyday! We don't have to worry any more!"

"Ahem."

Their celebration was suddenly interrupted by the clearing of a throat. Daphne quickly set her sister down and turned to see the barman, Tom, staring at them. He stood behind the counter with a raised eyebrow.

"While the rooms are warded against noise, the racket you're making will scare off any customers coming through." Tom said awkwardly.

Daphne blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry." she mumbled abashedly. "We'll celebrate in our room. I have the money for tonight at least."

Tom waved them off. "It's already been covered for the rest of the week."

The rest of the week? Daphne blinked. "4 days? That's like…more than a galleon!"

"Aye. The lad came back and had it covered. He went up to the room, same one you had the night before."

The lad? Wait, that meant Harry's back!

Wait, but where did he get the money? And enough to cover 4 whole days? Something must've happened…she had to see him, now!

Daphne quickly thanked the man and grabbed Astoria's hand, dragging her along. "Harry's back!" Daphne explained hurriedly to the girl.

Astoria's eyes lit up as she quickly kept up with Daphne's dragging.

When they reached their room, Daphne immediately slammed the door open.

And her intuition was right.

Because Harry was collapsed on the floor in a pool of blood.

A/N: I used the name 'Vera' when I was going through plant names. Aloe Vera lol. And I think when I first wrote this like 2 weeks ago, I spent a stupid amount of time researching plants.

Thanks for reading everyone!