A/N: Yeah been a while. Took some time to write chapter 10, went through some stuff the last few weeks. Chapter 11 still in the progress of being written. Anyways, here it!

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


Chapter 10

"Daphne, this tastes terrible."

"You've said that the last 20 times. Now drink."

Harry gave her one last sour look before gulping down the potion.

Of course, Daphne sat next to him on their bed and stared.

And stared.

And stared.

"Good." She finally said after a full minute of staring, before getting up from the bed.

Harry just looked at her incredulously.

"What?" Daphne demanded.

"The staring? The whole 'death glare'?

"You spat out the potion before." Daphne shrugged. "Had you done it again, I'd just cover your mouth and pinched your nose until it went down."

"You'd go that far just to get me to drink it? It's tasted terrible, Daphne! Terrible!"

"Terrible and costly to make."

"…"

Harry didn'f saying anything. Instead, he chose to cross his arms and pout childishly, letting his resentment of drinking the potion be known.

Daphne gave him another glare when she saw his childish behavior.

"You wouldn't have to drink it if you weren't so insistent on this foolish dueling!" Daphne snapped.

Harry rolled his eyes. "And without my dueling, we wouldn't have extra money saved up to move on."

Daphne looked like she wanted to say more but merely let out a frustrated sigh. "What time is your appointment?" She asked.

"At 2. The teller I talked to said that was the only time."

"Good. Then you're going to pick up the groceries today." Daphne said, slapping a list onto his chest much to his surprise.

"G-groceries?" Harry sputtered, reading the list. "Into m-muggle London?"

"Yes. Muggle London."

"But I don't know how!" Harry protested. "A-and…muggles, Daphne! Muggles!"

"Oh shut it you big baby." Daphne rolled her eyes. "Take Tori with you. She's gone before with me."

Speaking of the little girl, Astoria appeared next to Daphne in a blink of an eye, with an excited look on her face.

"I get to go shopping with Harry?" Astoria asked excitedly.

"Yes." Daphne nodded, kneeling down to pull Astoria into a side hug. "And I expect you to be on your best behavior. Help Harry out. He hasn't gone shopping among muggles before."

"I will!" Astoria nodded enthusiastically.

"Good girl." Daphne gave her a quick kiss on the head, before giving her another one on the cheek. "I'm going to head to work now. Have fun today, Tori."

Daphne got up and went to grab her jacket. "The aging potion finished last night," she said to Harry. "It should last you long enough."

Harry nodded and moved to the front door to see her on her way out. Daphne was dressed in winter clothing, white fur coat and a wool knit beanie.

"Have a good day, Daphne." Harry said, embracing her in a hug.

Daphne returned it and pulled away after a few seconds. She beamed at him before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

Harry instinctively rubbed his cheek when she pulled away. "Um-erm-Um, what was that for?"

"For good luck." Daphne said with a smirk. "Bye Harry. Bye Tori!" She waved behind him.

Harry was still rubbing his cheek even after Daphne left.

That was weird.

It was normal for them to hug before she left. It was normal for her to give Astoria a kiss on the cheek before going.

But to give him one as well?

That was new.

But Harry wasn't complaining. Although too embarrassed to admit it out loud to any of the two girls, he did find it…enjoyable.

He turned around to see the other sister smirking at him as well.

What was she smirking about?

"Tori? What are you smiling about?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Astoria did her best to look innocent. "Nothinggggggggg."

"Really?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

The little girl nodded, maintaining her innocence. "Yuppp! Nothing at all!"

"Uh huh…" Harry said unconvincingly. "Well, anyways, get dressed in something warm. We'll be out for some time and it's pretty cold out there."

Astoria nodded and began rummaging through a cardboard box where they kept their clothes. After she settled on what to wear, she slipped into the bathroom to get changed.

Harry merely plopped down on their bed and sighed. He was already dressed in a navy wool coat and black pants, expecting to go down to the bank sometime today.

He took in their room. It had changed so much since a few months ago, beginning of August. Now it was December and already their quality of life had improved.

First and foremost, their room was no longer as empty when they first moved in. Books littered the room, with all the studying Harry did. He had to learn new spells on his off days just to improve his chances when dueling. Strewn across were a few toys for Astoria and a variety of blankets, pillows, and clothes.

Their room was starting to look like an actual home.

The most noticeable new additions however, were a standing stove, a small white fridge, and a potion brewing stand in the corner.

When their money started to steady, the first 2 investments they made were potions and food.

Potions because of Harry's 'profession.' It was much cheaper to learn how to brew potions to heal Harry rather than buying them all the time. Add to the fact that Daphne worked in a botany shop, access to ingredients at a cheaper price was readily available.

Daphne would use her knowledge of plants and Harry would use his knowledge of books to learn how to brew. They quickly figured out how to make a variety of potions that would benefit them.

Their next investment was the old standing stove and fridge. Daphne had come across it one day on her way back from work and the owner of the shop they belonged to wanted it sold fast - going for only 2 galleons, as long as both of them were taken off his hands.

She had quickly rushed back to tell Harry so he could

give her money from it - her own money already used up to take care of the room and food that week.

There wasn't even much to discuss between them. A magical stove and fridge for only 2 galleons? It was a no brainer.

And so, Harry went with Daphne dressed in incognito so no one would notice him, and helped her carry the items back once they paid. It took them two trips to get both of them but they did manage - albeit their backs were very sore afterwards.

They got weird looks as the scene of 2 teens carrying a stove and a fridge down Diagon Alley wasn't exactly normal.

But wizards weren't normal, were they?

Those two things turned out to be their best investment yet.

As it was a magical stove, it didn't need to be fueled at all. And it was also incredibly efficient at cooking.

They expected the fridge to be normal though, but they were pleasantly surprised to find out that the inside was much, much bigger than the outside.

Magical fridges apparently had a LOT of storage. Harry found that there was an entire section separate from the entire fridge where he could store any potions that required cooking.

That same day after they finished hauling the items, they would also both get their hands on a pot and a pan to begin their life of cooking.

And before they knew it, their savings was steadily growing.

Turns out, cooking your own food was a LOT cheaper - something that Daphne quickly made clear to him with her cooking.

Harry was brought out of his musings when the door to the bathroom opened to reveal Astoria in her winter outfit.

A cute white puffy jacket and black beanie along with fur mittens. Astoria was definitely ready to go.

"All set!" She exclaimed. She gave a little twirl and struck a pose for him. "How do I look, Harry?"

"Adorable." He laughed. "Maybe they'll give us discounts when they see you."

"That's the plan!" Astoria chirped happily.

Harry shook his head in amusement and strolled over to the potion stand. Indeed the age up potion had been poured out and prepped into a small vial.

He pocketed the vial into his robes and exited the room, ushering Astoria out.

Astoria's little hand held onto his' as he led her downstairs. Tom the barman gave him a small smile when their eyes made contact.

Harry stood before the door that would lead them out into the world. He knelt down before Astoria to give her the usual run down.

"Alright, do you remember what to do?" Harry asked.

Astoria nodded. "Yup! If anyone asks, you're my dad!"

"That's right. And if you see the potion start wearing off, you find a way to tell me immediately."

"Uh huh!"

Harry stood up and uncorked the vial. After taking a quick whiff, he downed it in one gulp.

The taste was terrible. It felt like he was drinking grape juice mixed with aged cheese.

But despite the taste, he could already feel the effects kicking in.

Astoria's figure suddenly started to get smaller and smaller. He was feeling as though he was lifting off the ground, but it was strange because he could still feel his fleet planted.

It was nice that he remembered to add a bit extra to the potion last night, so that his clothes grew with his body as well.

After a minute of adjusting to his new height, he turned the doorknob to the outside world and led Astoria out.

Instantly he was hit with the soft trickle of snow. Diagon Alley was frosted white with the snow already starting to pile up. Witches and wizards scrambled to get any last minute shopping before the Christmas holiday.

Speaking of which, Harry had to remind himself that he'd have to get Daphne and Astoria something for the holidays.

Harry led Astoria out near a brick wall where he pulled out his wand. Giving it a few taps, the wall opened to reveal muggle London, where the two of them stepped into.

The first thing that bombarded them were the moving muggle boxes - cars.

"I never understood why they had to develop such an inefficient method of travel." Harry muttered under his breath.

He turned to Astoria who was impatiently looking around. "Which does Daphne take you to the grocery store?" Harry asked.

Astoria began pulling him along. "It's down here," she said "Only 2 blocks."

The walk was short, but Harry was already feeling nervous being in the muggle city. They quickly reached a small shop with a sign outside, 'Tim's Grocers.'

Astoria led him inside where the door opened with a small beep, signaling a new customer.

There were only 2 registers due to the store size. A few customers were shopping, but Harry could see that they were all older people.

After grabbing a shopping cart, he nervously walked in and immediately made his way to the produce section. Harry had the list that Daphne gave to him in hand.

Grocery List

*Oranges

* Bananas

*Bag of apples

*Bag of potatoes

*Smoked Bacon

*Dozen Eggs

*2 Onions

*Corn

*CHICKEN. A WHOLE CHICKEN. DO NOT FORGET!

Harry raised an eyebrow when he saw the last item on the list written in big bold letters. Apparently this was going to be what Daphne was going to make tonight.

He began piling on fruits into their shopping cart, deciding to add a box of strawberries when he saw a heavy sale. Astoria cooed over the fruits, expertly picking them out from all the times she went with Daphne.

"This one. No. Papa, this one. Uh huh. This one is good…"

As he was packing up all the fruits needed, he stopped when he noticed a few items in the cart in which he didn't recall adding.

3 boxes of sweets.

And they weren't even small. In fact, they were probably about twicethe size of the box of strawberries in the cart.

He turned around to see Astoria doing her best to look innocent.

"Astoria…" Harry sighed. "Did you put these in?"

"…no..." Her voice was meek, guilt written all over her face.

"Astoria…" Harry's voice turned stern.

"…okay…maybe?"

"Maybe…?"

"Okay okay. I did." Astoria finally admitted. Her eyes looked up to him, giving him a pleading look. "Please? Can we please get them? Please, papa? Pretty please? Papaaaaa…?"

Harry tried looking away but found that he couldn't. Her eyes were kept locked onto him, as he face turned into a pout. Just when did she get so good?

After a full 30 seconds, Harry crumbled.

He let out a defeated sigh and picked up the boxes of chocolate to inspect them.

15 quid a box. Harry quickly did the conversion to wizarding currency which was 15 sickles…they were expensive alright.

He didn't have much left for shopping. It would be very tight but…

Harry pursed his lips. He set aside 2 of the boxes, much to Astoria's disappointment, but she quickly lit up once she noticed that one of them was still kept in the cart.

"Does this mean…?"

Harry gave Astoria a small smile and nodded. "I'm sorry Astoria, but we don't have much money to get mo-"

He was cut off when the little girl slammed into him, her arms wrapped around his torso. "THANK YOU, PAPA!" Astoria squealed.

Harry awkwardly patted her head but smiled nonetheless, especially when he was met with her beaming face when Astoria pulled away.

It was a bit weird to see how quickly she took to him acting as her father. She didn't have a single slip up so far, and the word seemed to roll off her tongue with ease.

He had to hand it to her though. She was very good at acting it.

Eventually she pulled away and had a permanent smile etched onto her face as she bounced around the store, helping him pick out the rest of the produce.

After they finished, they headed to the frozen section but were instantly stopped by one of the shoppers, an older woman, who immediately gushed over at the sight of Astoria.

"Oh my! Look at just how cute you are!" The woman squealed. She looked like she wanted to run over and pick Astoria up, but was refraining from doing so.

Harry gave her a small smile and tried to get on his way, but the lady began asking questions.

"Ooh is she your daughter?"

Harry forced a smile and nodded. "Yes."

"How old is she?"

"7."

"She must take a lot from her mother, hm?"

"Yes."

The lady frowned a bit at Harry's short answers. Harry tried to move around the lady but she was blocking his way.

Astoria's smile was gone, as a suspicious look had appeared the moment the woman began asking questions.

"Erm, excuse me miss…" Harry tried once again to move around her but felt himself instantly being shoved back. "Hey!" He protested.

Before anything else could be done, the lady had grabbed Astoria, eliciting a scream from the little girl.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" The lady screamed. "HELP! THIS MAN KIDNAPPED THIS LITTLE GIRL!"

What. In the actual. Merlin's Beard.

The few people in the store swarmed towards them, including an older big burly man with a name tag. 'Tim,' signifying himself as the owner.

Astoria looked like she wanted to protest, but the woman's hand was held firmly on the girl's mouth, and she didn't even seem to notice the action.

"MMPHHHH! MMMMMMMPHHHHHHHH!"

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM LADY?" Harry snarled. "Let go of her!"

He tried to get in between and pull Astoria out from her grasp, only to be met with opposition from the burly store owner, grabbing Harry's arm before it could reach towards the lady.

The store owner didn't say anything, but the disdain in his eyes conveyed more than enough.

Harry pulled away and growled. "Don't lay a hand on me." He warned.

"You're staying here until the cops come." The store owner said, a deep gruff voice. "Don't even think about moving."

Harry narrowed his eyes and pointed at Astoria. "If that stupid lady would move her hand and let Astoria speak…" Harry hissed. "You'd be apologizing to me right now!"

The lady hesitantly removed her hand from Astoria's mouth, and an uneasy silence passed them.

Then, she screamed.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Astoria ran into Harry's arms, sobbing. Harry rubbed her head as she cried into his shirt.

Strangely, it wasn't wet.

The crowd shuffled in unease.

"P-P-PAPA!" Astoria cried. "P-Please don't let her take me…"

Murmurs erupted. The lady who held Astoria had paled. She was frozen still in shock at the reveal.

Harry let out a sigh as he held her close. "I'm so sorry, Tori. I'm so sorry that something like this happened. What can I do? What can I do to make it better…my…baby girl…"

Harry said the last part hesitantly, but he knew that he had to play his part.

"I…I really…really… like…chocolate. Boxes. Lots of chocolate." Astoria sniffled.

"Oh…Tori…we don't have a lot of money, honey." Harry sighed.

Astoria turned away, keeping her face towards the crowd as her lips quivered.

And tears began pouring.

Of course, she had to make sure that everyone saw.


A/N: I know I know, cliffhanger lol. Same thing was said on the Discord server. I wrote the next part already, but had to cut it from this chapter because it would lead to be too long.

Anyways, I probably won't read reviews or anything for the next two days since it's my birthday today (well and sort of tomorrow. Technically today, but legally tomorrow, I was born in Vietnam so time zone difference it is very confusing hahaha), and I think some people are going to flame. I just want to rest because it's really been a long few weeks. I'll probably drop the full chapter explanation sometime this week or in the next chapter. I'm just tired.

Thank you for reading!