"Wait, so let me get this straight." Harry said to his best mate as he was trying to wrap his head around yet another obscure wizarding custom that he had never heard of. "When Bill asked to marry Fleur, he had to go to a veela colony and gain approval from the elders who hardly even knew her?"
Ron shot him a confused look from the armchair in Grimmauld's sitting room. They had gotten together after work for beers and to listen to the Cannons game on the wireless. The cannons lost and their bottles were empty, but they had somehow ended up on a rather strange topic.
"Yeah, that's the gist of it. Honestly, I'm not sure why you're so confused about it, lots of wizarding families have marriage customs; challenges, or dowers that need to be met for suitors to marry their daughters. Hell, some of the ancient and noble families require more than one." He replied in a semi-bored tone.
Harry nodded his head but was still struggling to comprehend the concept. "What if Ginny and I had stayed together? Would I have had to do something special if I wanted to marry her?"
Ron considered for a moment. "Typically, if you want to marry a Weasley woman, the head of house will demand a dower from the suitor." He said slowly. "But I really doubt mum or dad would have made you pay. They already saw you as a son and I'm sure they would have just let you marry her with no strings attached."
"I would have paid it anyway." Harry said automatically and Ron laughed.
"I know you would have mate, but that's not the point." Ron said and then contemplated for a moment before speaking again. "I will say that I'm happy the muggles don't have something similar in place. The new branch of WWW in Hogsmeade is doing well, but could you imagine how much Hermione would be worth? Or even worse, if her family had some knowledge-based challenge I had to complete to marry her?"
Ron shuddered at the thought and Harry laughed. "You would have figured it out, but it doesn't matter in the end. All you had to do was ask her and she said yes."
Ron smiled at the reminder. "She did, didn't she?" He said wearing the same goofy grin that he often did since their engagement nearly a year ago.
Harry allowed him a moment to appreciate their other best friend before breaking his reverie with a question. "What are some of the more obscure or weird challenges that wizarding families might have? For the marriage thing I mean."
Ron thought it over for a moment. "I know the Parkinson's require you to beat the bride's father and all her brothers in a duel to earn the right to marry a daughter, not at the same time mind you. The Black's have some of the highest asking prices in dowers and require the wizard to be proven in combat, and there's stories of the ancient days when families would require the head of a slain dragon or things like that."
Harry shook his head, but before he could respond, Ron continued. "Oh! George just told me recently that he overheard Theodore Nott complaining about Daphne Greengrass's bride price."
This piqued Harry's curiosity "We went to school with her. She's that blonde Slytherin in our year who's a Healer now." He responded thinking of the pretty young woman that had patched him up on more than one occasion.
"Yep, that's her. The Greengrass's are another one of those families known for having notoriously high dowers for their daughters, and very few can afford them. From what George told me Draco had been planning on paying it, but he found out that Daphne's dower had been replaced with a challenge instead."
Harry was intrigued and said nothing as he waited for Ron to continue the story. His best mate didn't disappoint. "I guess the challenge is simple, but also ridiculously hard. There's a cat with a key around its neck and whoever the suitor is has to get the key off of the cat without the use of magic."
Harry chuckled in response. "That doesn't seem too bad."
"That's what I said, but apparently Malfoy chased the cat for four hours before giving up and leaving sweaty and humiliated." Harry pictured the scene in his head and had to push back a sigh of happiness. Despite Malfoy becoming a less arrogant and even somewhat pleasant person following the war, it was hard not to be amused when he didn't get whatever he wanted just because of who he was. What could Harry say, old habits die hard.
"Anyway, I guess what happened was that he decided to pay the dower for Astoria instead, and everyone kept wondering why. Malfoy eventually let slip what had happened and now there have been guys over every day trying to catch the cat and get the key." He said with a laugh.
"Nott was the most recent one and he gave up after six hours. Apparently, there's been at least a dozen guys who have tried so far, but the kicker is once you give up, you can't try again." Ron said, getting to his feet.
Harry was silently contemplating what he had heard when Ron's voice broke through again. "Well mate, I'm going to head back home, Hermione will be back soon."
Harry stood too and grabbed the empty bottles. "Same time next week for the Cannons-Falcons match?" Harry asked and Ron voiced his agreement as he headed for the fireplace and threw a pinch of floo powder in, vanishing with a quick farewell.
Harry continued to clean the mess they had made while idly still thinking about what Ron had said. He hated to admit it, but he was intrigued by the situation with Daphne. He hadn't spoken to her much in school, but as an Auror he had found his way to St. Mungo's for broken bones and occasional curse damage quite frequently, and more often than not Daphne had been his designated healer.
In the short time they spent together they had quickly built up a fun banter and a back and forth that he had enjoyed. He had of course never thought of her romantically while he had been with Ginny, but he would be lying if he said he hadn't considered the possibility after they had split.
Be that as it may, he was still unsure how he felt about trying to win her like some prize, but the thought of other men trying to do that tied his stomach in a knot. He pushed those thoughts out of his mind for now and instead got ready for bed. That night as he slept, he dreamt of blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cat.
Harry Potter hadn't lost a practice duel in the six years since he had become an Auror, and that remained true today as well, but it was decidedly closer today than in most of his other duels. Neville had apologized for the damage dealt but Harry had waved him off and congratulated him on a hard-fought battle in response. He of course would never admit that he had allowed Neville to land a few more hits than he normally would have on purpose.
He would also never admit that he had done so in the hopes of going to St. Mungo's and running into a pretty, blonde-haired, blue-eyed healer, despite that being his plan all along. So, when Dawlish did send him to the wizarding hospital, he didn't complain like he usually did, and when he arrived in the lobby of said hospital a few minutes later and was sent up to the minor damage ward, he had to physically temper his excitement, especially after he spotted her sitting behind the healer's station.
When Daphne saw him however, she stood with a long sigh and rolled her eyes which brought a smile to Harry's lips that he couldn't quite quell. "What did you do this time Potter?" She asked not unkindly, her own lips quirking up at the corners as she began to walk towards the room Harry was often assigned when he visited.
Harry sent her his most winning smile in return as he made to follow her. "Just a practice duel with Neville, he landed a few more hits than I anticipated, and Dawlish sent me to get checked out." He responded as casually as he could.
Daphne nodded in understanding. She gestured for his to take a seat on the small stiff bed before beginning a series of diagnostics. He could feel her magic which had always felt comforting as she fired spell after spell at him and jotted down notes at the resulting colors that flashed back. "Sounds like you're losing your touch." She quipped after the last of her spells had finished.
Harry was about to reply, but before he could, she spoke again. "Two broken ribs and some bruising on the chest are the main issues. You also have a cut on your right shoulder, but that one is pretty minor, at least compared to what you usually come in with." She told him.
Harry nodded. He had anticipated as much when he had stepped into Neville's bludgeoning hex instead of putting up a shield. "It definitely felt like broken ribs." He said after a moment, and she laughed.
"Let me run out and grab a pain potion before I heal you up. We both know how much ribs can hurt without it." She said and Harry shuddered. She chuckled at his reaction as she made her way out of the room, returning a few minutes later with two vials in her hand.
"Pain potion and anti-bruising. She said in response to his unanswered question. Harry thanked her, took the vials and gulped them down quickly. Their texture was nearly as vile as the taste, but he had drunk worse, and he could already feel the pain abating. With the prep work done, he stripped out of his robes bearing his bruised torso to her. She gave him an approving once over and Harry couldn't help the heat that rose to his cheeks and neck. Daphne waited another few minutes for the potions to fully take effect and then began to wave her wand in an intricate pattern over his ribs.
Harry could hear them crackle as they repaired themselves, but the potion had done its job, and he didn't feel a thing. As she worked Harry began to speak as nonchalantly as he could. "So, I heard about a certain cat and key that have been linked to you lately." He told her and she froze for just a moment before glancing up with a slight look of surprise. She quickly dropped her eyes back down and started on the next rib.
She didn't speak for a few seconds longer, but when she did her face had taken on an entertained expression and he could hear the amusement in her voice. "Were you interested in seeing if you could catch it?" She asked with her eyebrows raised slightly.
Harry shook his head "Not necessarily." He told her. "I prefer to do things the old-fashioned way and I was interested in maybe taking you to dinner if you didn't mind." He said and was pleased to hear that his voice sounded much more confident than he felt.
She looked at him again and this time her surprise was clear to see. She regarded him for a moment as she stood, having finished healing both ribs. She considered him for what felt like an eternity and just as Harry was about to say that he had been joking, she finally spoke. "Okay, you can pick me up from my place at seven." She then reached into a pocket and pulled out a pad of paper and a self-inking quill "This is my floo address, I expect you to be on time. And I expect something fancy." She told him matter of factly. Ripping the sheet from the pad and handing it to him.
Harry nodded. "I can do that."
"Good, let me go and get your discharge paperwork so that you can start planning." She told him with a smile. Harry watched as she left already running through some possible plans for the evening. He hadn't been expecting her to agree, but now that she had, all of his attention shifted to making sure that he did not mess this up.
Harry tripped out of the floo to her flat, just managing to keep his feet. He thanked whatever god was watching over him that Daphne hadn't been present to witness his grand entrance and pulled his wand out to banish the soot from his sport coat.
Just as he was straightening his tie Daphne rounded the corner into the room. She was wearing a low-cut grey dress that accentuated her figure and made her light blue eyes stand out. Her hair was done in an elegant updo with a few loose strands framing her beautiful face. Harry's jaw dropped at the sight of her, and he had to remind himself to breathe.
"You look… wow." Harry told her after a moment, and she chuckled. Her expression showed that she was pleased with his reaction which allowed Harry to feel slightly less stupid.
"You don't look too bad yourself." She replied with a smile and an exaggerated once over. Harry puffed out his chest in an extravagant manner and she laughed. "I hope you don't waste my fancy dress with a bad date." She told him, with a smile and Harry shrugged back.
"I think I picked something sufficiently fancy, but I guess you'll be the judge of that."
She nodded and closed the distance between them. When she was right in front of him, she reached out and finished adjusting his tie before running her palms down his chest, smoothing his dress shirt. Harry sent her a small smile at the casual intimacy and was slightly surprised to see her cheeks color in response. He realized then that she was likely as nervous as he was. Before he could contemplate that thought further, she spoke.
"Are we flooing or apparating?" She asked after a moment prompting Harry to pull a bottle cap out of his pocket, causing her eyes crinkle adorably in confusion.
"Portkey actually, if you don't mind the long-distance portkey travel that is. I have a plan B if you would rather not."
"I can handle it." She replied instantly. "I'm surprised you managed to arrange something like that on such short notice." She replied with a questioning tone of voice.
Harry glanced at his watch. "Grab on, we're set to leave in 20 seconds. I'll tell you how I managed it when we land." Daphne reached out and instead of just touching the bottle cap like he had thought she would, she interlaced his fingers with her own pressing the bottle cap between their two intertwined hands.
Before Harry could blush, he felt a familiar tug in his navel and the uncomfortable spinning sensation that accompanied portkey travel. He found that holding Daphne's hand helped keep him calm and when they landed, he only stumbled slightly before her firm grasp steadied him.
He looked around and was pleased to see that they had arrived where they were supposed to. Harry had been to Italy a few times for his Auror work and once or twice with Hermione when she needed him to shake hands with stuffy politicians. While he had hated spending his time here chasing would be dark lords and shaking hands with old men that Hermione needed for one cause or another, he had loved the country.
The portkey had dropped them off at the reception area of the magical district near Rome. Harry looked to Daphne who was still holding his hand and saw her looking around curiously. "Come on, we have a little walking to do to get to our destination." he said as he began leading her towards the exit and into the muggle world beyond.
"Where are we anyway?" She asked as she fell in step with him.
"Italy. Rome to be more precise." He replied easily as he opened the door and walked into the warm evening air. "This is the entrance to the Piazza dei Maghi, which is like our Diagon Alley, but we'll be in the muggle world tonight."
"So, tell me again how you managed this on such short notice?" She said, and Harry thought she might have sounded a little impressed.
"I'm Harry Potter." He told her cockily and she snorted. "On a serious note, Kingsley owed me a favor and he didn't mind all that much when I told him it was for a date. He's been begging me to go out with someone for over a year now."
Daphne smirked at him. "Well, I'm not going to complain, but I will tell you that if this is all some elaborate scheme to get me out of the country so you can murder me, then I want you to know that Astoria knows I'm out with you and is expecting a floo call tonight."
It was Harry's turn to snort. "I know my love life is a disaster, but it isn't quite that bad." He said with a roll of his eyes. She gave him a skeptical look in return. "I'm not going to murder you I promise." He reassured and she gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Besides I'm an Auror. If I did want to do it, they would never catch me."
Daphne shot him a concerned glance but before she could respond he stopped and extricated his hand from hers pocketing the bottle cap that had remained enclosed between them throughout their walk. "Here we are." He told her opening the door to a restaurant.
A waiter greeted them, and Harry used the pour Italian he had learned on his previous visits to let him know about their reservation. The waiter replied quickly saying something Harry couldn't quite make out and then began to walk away.
Harry was debating if he should follow him when Daphne took his hand in hers once more and began to lead him. "He said he would take us to our seats." She told him. "And your Italian is impressively bad."
Harry shrugged in response. They exited out the back of the restaurant onto a terrace that overlooked the city. In the distance Harry could see the Colosseum. They sat down at a small round table and Daphne mercifully ordered them a bottle of wine while they looked over their menus.
Harry ordered an aubergine dish that Hermione had made him try the last time he had been to Italy and Daphne ordered spaghetti which she told Harry was her favorite. They fell into easy conversation as the food arrived and they ate, discussing their jobs, friends, and even a little bit of quidditch.
It turned out that Daphne was a Tornadoes fan, a team that were nearly as bad as the Cannon's this season. Harry had also discovered that she liked to fly and that she wanted to try out for the quidditch team in school but had decided against it with everything else that had been going on which included basilisks, dementors, and a resurrected Dark Lord.
The food and wine had been incredible and they had even shared some of their dishes at Daphne's insistence. By the time their meal ended they both had full stomachs and happy expressions on their faces. Harry paid for the food and then once again took Daphne by the hand. "We still have about an hour before the portkey will return us, would you like to walk around a bit? There's a gelato place not too far from here."
Daphne groaned in response. "I'm so full I could pop, but I can't say no to gelato." She said and Harry laughed. As they walked, they fell into a companionable silence. Harry shot her a furtive glance and couldn't help but let his mind wander back to the challenge for her hand in marriage.
Daphne seemed to catch that he was thinking about something and gave his hand a squeeze. "Knut for your thoughts?" She asked softly.
Harry decided to be honest with her. "I was thinking about the whole cat challenge thing actually. I didn't realize things like that existed until just yesterday."
Daphne nodded. "That makes sense seeing as you were practically raised a Muggleborn." She replied.
"It just feels… I don't know, archaic?" He said and was surprised to hear some heat his own voice. "It doesn't seem fair that whoever gets to complete that challenge gets to marry you whether you want to or not."
She gave his hand another squeeze. "Actually, you're wrong. If I had kept the dower then whoever came and paid the price, with approval from my father of course, would marry me. My father would consult me, but ultimately it would be his decision, and if Draco came knocking – which he did – my father would have said yes even if I refused.
"That was why I proposed switching the dower in favor of this challenge, and my father was kind enough to allow it." Harry still looked skeptical, but Daphne gave him a significant look. "Trust me Harry, there's a reason I chose that challenge and I'm nearly certain that no one will be able to complete it unless they're worthy." She told him firmly.
Harry searched her eyes and saw conviction in them. She believed what she was saying, but he still wasn't convinced. He allowed his shoulders that had tensed as he spoke to relax nonetheless and squeezed her hand back.
He nodded and then led her into a small parlor where they each got a cup of sweet dessert before heading back outside to find a bench to sit on. As Daphne ate, she placed her head on his shoulder and Harry in turn placed his arm around her and pulled her close.
They didn't talk much after that, choosing to just enjoy one another's company instead. Not long after, Harry felt his wand vibrate as the alarm spell he had set went off, and he wasn't quite able to bite back his sigh of disappointment.
"What's up?" Daphne asked in response to the noise.
"The Portkey is going to bring us back in 5 minutes, but I don't want the night to end." He told her honestly and she snuggled closer into him.
"Me either. Maybe I wouldn't hate it if we did this again sometime." She said into his coat and Harry smiled.
"I would like that." He said moving away from her slightly so he could pull out the bottlecap from his pocket. Daphne pulled out her wand and vanished their trash before taking his hand. They stood together and Harry led them into an alleyway where they were much less likely to be seen and a few moments later the portkey transported them back into Daphne's flat.
Harry felt slightly awkward as he stood there. It had been so long since he had gone on a date, and it felt like an eternity since he had gone on a first date. Would she be expecting a kiss? Would she hex him if he tried it?
Harry coughed once to clear his throat. "If you haven't changed your mind about doing this again, how would you feel about going out next Saturday at noon?" He said instead.
She smiled amusedly. "I think I'm free then."
"Great, that's uh… great." He tailed off awkwardly and then took a step closer to her. He bent down quickly and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek that Daphne didn't respond to. After another awkward few seconds Harry spoke again. "I'll owl you?" He asked awkwardly and then rolled his eyes as her façade cracked and she let out a chuckle.
"You could owl me," she told him as she took a step closer and pulled his head lower. "Or maybe you'll get hurt in a duel again and see me sooner." She said, giving him her own kiss on his cheek and pulling away with a smile. Harry debated if another bludgeoner to the chest would be worth it to see her and was surprised at how quickly his mind screamed in the affirmative. Before he could ponder it further, Daphne spoke again. "Thank you for tonight, Harry. I really did have a wonderful time."
"Thank you for saying yes, and I did too." He responded. Then he wished her a goodnight, took a pinch of floo powder, and floo'd back to Grimmauld Place with his cheek still tingling where she had kissed him and his mind in a pleasant fog.
Harry was waiting nervously in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place. Despite the temptation he had felt he didn't purposefully injure himself again and so this would be the first time since their initial date that he would be seeing her. They had kept up some correspondence through Hedwig who seemed to have taken a liking to Daphne and Harry knew even after only one date and a few letters that he was on a slippery slope.
Daphne was intelligent, witty, funny, and one of the most beautiful girls he had ever laid eyes on. He could feel himself falling and he couldn't bring himself to care, but not everything was perfect. Harry had been harboring a near constant feeling of anxiety that came courtesy of the other men pursuing her.
He hadn't realized just how many men there had been until she mentioned nonchalantly in a letter that she was getting tired of wasting almost all of her evenings while countless men tried to catch the cat. What made it worse was that the majority of her suitors were four or five times her age and had gone through multiple wives by this point, but Daphne had again shrugged off his concern and told him she had it under control.
He ran a hand through his hair as the thoughts again caused his agitation to rise but then the floo roared to life pulling him back to the present. As Daphne stepped through elegantly and banished the soot off of her clothes, Harry was once again taken aback by her beauty.
She had her hair up in a loose bun and was wearing athletic clothes like Harry had requested, but she was still stunning. He told her as much and she gave him a soft smile. "Please, I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts and have no makeup on." Was her response.
"I think you could wear a cardboard box and you would still be the most beautiful girl I've seen." He replied, and her cheeks colored.
"Ever the charmer Potter." She said, but her smile reached her eyes as she stepped forward to give him a hug.
"Just being honest." Harry replied as he embraced her back and breathed in the scent of her, vanilla and something that smelled like citrus. Grapefruit maybe? After a few moments she pulled back and Harry was pleased to note that she was still wearing a smile as she spoke again.
"So where to today? A portkey to Spain? Maybe you'll take me to Atlantis?" She joked.
"Nothing so fancy today." He said with a laugh. "Just some broom flying since you said you liked quidditch and then a picnic." He said gesturing to the basket he had packed earlier.
Her smile softened and she looked at him endearingly. "That sounds lovely, Harry."
He shrunk the basket then and placed a stasis charm on it before putting it in his bag and slinging the bag over his shoulder. "Are you okay with side-along apparition?" He asked and she nodded the affimative. "Ready to go?" He asked next and she replied with another nod.
Despite there only being a need for minimal contact to apparate with someone else, Harry engulfed her in another hug, and she wrapped her arms around him in response. With a soft pop they were gone and reappeared on a beautifully maintained quidditch pitch.
Daphne extricated herself from his grasp and looked around. "Is this…"
"The Tornadoes stadium? Yeah, it is." Harry replied and held back a laugh at the look of sheer excitement on her face.
"This is incredible!" She beamed at him. "How were you able to pull this off?"
"Oliver Wood got me in touch with the owner of the team and he was really cool about it." Harry replied, omitting that he would have to attend 5 games this upcoming season and show support as his part of the deal. He had figured that it would give him something to do with Daphne and it wasn't like he was abandoning the cannons forever.
"You're incredible." She told him and Harry blushed under her praise.
"Come on, the chasers said they would let us join them for some five a side and they should be starting soon." He didn't think Daphne could look any more excited, but she managed it before her expression dropped into one of panic.
"I didn't bring a broom!" She blurted out and Harry laughed.
"We'll borrow some of theirs. They're sponsored by Nimbus and have the 2010 prototypes that we can use." He said watching with amusement as Daphne's face shifted back into pure excitement.
They suited up then, donning pads and claiming a broom before shooting off into the air. The five a side consisted of two chasers, a keeper, a beater, and a seeker. Harry and Daphne were on opposite teams and Harry was having a great time watching her play. He was surprised to discover that she was a truly talented flier, while not on the level of the professionals, she would have easily started at Hogwarts.
Harry was planning on just having fun, but a little bit of trash talk from the reserve seeker Williams who was on Daphne's team brought Harry's competitive side out and an hour later it was him who caught the snitch and won the scrimmage. He was mobbed by his temporary teammates and funnily enough approached by the manager of the Tornadoes who offered him a tryout that Harry politely declined.
After a quick shower and change of clothes they found themselves back on the pitch with a blanket beneath them and the basket opened. Harry was pouring them each a glass of wine as Daphne bit into a croissant and made a happy noise causing Harry to chuckle.
They ate the food Kreacher had prepared with Daphne carrying the conversation as she gave him a play by play of the scrimmage they had just participated in as if Harry hadn't been there to witness it. Harry listened to her talk about all of the moves she had made and the goals she had scored, smiling at her enthusiasm and commenting when appropriate. She had even complimented his flying and admitted grudgingly that he was quite talented causing Harry to laugh.
As the afternoon faded into evening, he had somehow found himself holding her as he lay on his back. Her head was resting on the crook between his shoulder and his chest and Harry was running a hand idly down her back tracing shapes onto her shirt.
He was as content as he had been in a long time when Daphne suddenly gasped and got up. Harry sat up worriedly and looked at her. "Is everything okay?" He asked with concern.
Daphne nodded. "I didn't realize how late it was. I have another suitor who's supposed to be coming by this evening to attempt the challenge and he should be arriving any minute."
Harry felt the monster that had plagued him in his sixth year at Hogwarts rise up unbidden in his chest for the first time in years at her words. He tried to push back the jealousy, but he must have done a poor job of it because when she looked at him, she frowned.
"Harry, I've had a wonderful time today and you have nothing to worry about." She told him placatingly, but he didn't feel better at her words.
"You can't know that Daphne." He said as he stood trying to keep his voice calm. "What if he surprises you and thinks up some way to catch the cat? I… I really like you and I-"
She cut him off with a kiss. On his lips this time. When she pulled away Harry stood there dazedly with his eyes closed until she spoke again. "I like you too Harry and I need you to trust me that this will work out." She told him calmly.
She took his hands in hers and gave him an earnest look. "I'll owl you later, but I need to go now. Just trust me." Harry nodded and she gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and then another kiss. "I'll see you soon." She said, and with a crack she was gone.
Harry stood there for a few moments before he reached his fingers up to his mouth and touched his lips where she had kissed him. This was proving to be more complicated than he had hoped, but with his luck he should have expected it. He packed up the blanket and the basket and apparated back to Grimmauld Place where he took a pinch of floo powder and called out Ron and Hermione's address. He needed something to keep his mind off of another man attempting to marry the girl he was seeing and decided that an evening getting plastered with Ron would be his best bet.
Six months had passed since Harry had started seeing Daphne and things had been going great. In fact, if Harry could forget about the constant stream of wizards coming by her home in attempts to marry her, then he would even say that their relationship was almost perfect.
They had continued to go out on dates with one another and had learned a lot about each other. Harry had introduced her to Ron and Hermione a few weeks after their second date and she got on surprisingly well with them. In fact, her and Ron got along so well that it had amused both Hermione and Harry endlessly given his hatred for Slytherins in school, but her love of quidditch and her amusement at the pranks he was working on led to an easy friendship between the two.
Harry had also introduced her to Teddy who had fallen in love almost instantly with her and Harry could see that the feeling was mutual. Every time Harry stopped by to see Teddy the now six-year-old would ask for Daphne as he morphed his hair honey blonde and his eyes a startling shade of blue that matched Daphne's.
He found himself wishing that house rivalries didn't exist so he could have known her sooner but was grateful that he at least had a chance to know her now. He was currently sitting in her flat wearing a tuxedo as he waited for Daphne to finish getting dressed. They would be attending Ron and Hermione's wedding together in which Harry would be Best Man.
When she finally emerged from her bedroom a few minutes later Harry was once again blown away by her beauty. The effect had faded somewhat over time to Harry's dismay, but on days where she dressed to the nines, he couldn't help but lose his breath and drop his jaw. He would be embarrassed by his inability to think coherently around her for the first few minutes she walked out wearing something like this, but Daphne beamed at him every time that he had that reaction, so he didn't mind it too much.
"You look gorgeous." He told her and she smiled at him and gave him a little twirl. She was wearing a strapless blue dress that hugged her tightly until her waist and then flowed out elegantly to her ankles.
"You think so?" She asked shyly in direct contradiction to her reaction and Harry nodded insistently.
"You'll be the most beautiful girl there without a doubt."
"After Hermione." she reminded him.
"I'm not so sure." He told her and then quickly added. "Fine, yes. After Hermione." When he saw she was about to reply. Daphne smiled at him and took his hand.
"You ready to floo over?"
"Yeah, thank you again for coming so early with me even though you're not a member of the bridal party." He said, but she waved him off.
"I wasn't going to do anything else today and I love weddings. It's really no bother." She replied but Harry pulled her close and gave her a soft kiss.
"I know but still, thank you. You're incredible." He said sincerely and she gave him a small smile.
"I really am, aren't I?" She said cheekily and Harry rolled his eyes.
"And humble too." He said sarcastically. "But seriously, you've been such an incredible help. Hell, you even planned her bachelorette party when Ginny was out with the national team."
Daphne blushed slightly at the reminder piquing Harry's curiosity, but before he could ask why, she spoke. "Hermione is genuinely a really great person. It wasn't a hassle and I'm happy that I got to know her now since we never spoke in school."
"She feels the same way." Harry replied instantly. "You two are more similar to one another than I thought, and she thinks if it weren't for house rivalries you would have been a great person to spend time with considering all she has was Ron and me."
Daphne laughed. "I could imagine that it must have been hard making sure you both didn't do anything too stupid." She said with a smile. Harry protested but she just laughed again and straightened his bow tie before giving him another peck on his lips. "We're going to be late if we don't leave soon, so how about we discuss your stupidity at Hogwarts later Mr. I'll-fight-a-basilisk-with-no-help-when-I'm-12." She said as she took his hand and led him to the fireplace.
Harry pouted in response, and she chuckled at his expense again before throwing a pinch of the green powder at the flames and shouting "The Burrow!" Having her hold his hand made the trip much easier for Harry and he didn't even stumble when he stepped out of the fireplace on the other end.
He pulled his wand out banishing the soot from both himself and Daphne and had just slipped his wand back into its holster when he was engulfed in a smothering hug. "Oh Harry, you look so handsome!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. "Still much too skinny, these clothes are practically hanging off of you, but don't worry we'll get you fed at the feast."
She pulled away after a few moments and looked suspiciously at Daphne. She had met her on a number of occasions over the past few months and despite Harry, Ron, and Hermione all vouching for her, she was still suspicious of Daphne.
She put a forced smile on her face and held out her hand towards Daphne anyway. "Ms. Greengrass, it's a pleasure to see you again." She said cordially and Daphne wore an amused expression as she took the offered hand and greeted her back politely.
After the introductions they were quickly ushed outside and found that the lawn looked much the way it had for Bill's wedding all those years ago. Harry stiffened momentarily and Daphne gave him a concerned look, questioning him with her eyes.
"I'm alright." He told her. "Just wish Molly would warm up to you." He lied and Daphne laughed.
"I don't think that's going to happen." She replied. "My guess is she wanted you as an in law as well as Hermione, and she thinks you might be coming off the market soon.
"Hmm, and why would she think that?" He replied teasingly, but Daphne's smile faded.
"I'm not sure." She replied softly. Harry was about to question her reply when he heard a familiar voice call out his name. He turned and saw Ron walking towards him looking as nervous as before his first quidditch match. Daphne gave him a gentle push. "Go. He needs you right now." She told him. Harry wanted to refuse and ask her what was wrong, but before he could Ron pulled him into an embrace and Daphne had disappeared, likely to find Hermione.
"Listen mate, I'm panicking." Ron told him urgently and Harry took a firm hold of his shoulders.
"What's going on?" Harry asked him and Ron shrugged.
"I'm getting married Harry! I'm only 24 and I'm getting married!" He yelled out. "What if I'm too young, what if I'm rushing this and I wind up being pants at marriage and screw everything up like I always do?"
Harry squeezed his shoulders tightly causing his best mate to wince. "Do you love her?" He asked simply and Ron stared at him blankly.
"Hermione?" Ron asked incredulously. Harry nodded and he scoffed. "Of course, I do."
"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with her?" He asked gently.
"More than anything else in this world."
"We've known her since we were 11 Ron and she's the smartest person we both know. She wouldn't be doing this if she didn't consider every option, but she still chose you. Sure, you're young and yes you may have argued at times in school, but that doesn't change the fact that you guys chose to be together and have stuck it out through thick and thin." Harry told him
"Besides, you've been living together for over a year now mate. I hate to break it to you, but you two were married a long time ago." Ron gave him a small smile then and his shoulders finally relaxed.
"You're right, we have been, haven't we? And we get along great." He seemed to be talking to himself before his eyes snapped back to Harry. "I feel better, thanks mate." He said and Harry shrugged and clapped his shoulder. "So, where'd Daphne go off to? She looked a little sad when I got here."
Harry shook his head. "I'm not sure. She was talking about marriage and how your mum might not like her because she was holding out hope for me and Ginny." Harry replied and Ron nodded.
"That's definitely why she doesn't like her, but don't tell her I told you so." Ron whispered back looking around to make sure she couldn't hear them.
"Yeah, she mentioned that I might not be available much longer and I asked her why she would think that, and she seemed to get kind of upset." He replied and Ron groaned in response. "What?" Harry asked confusedly.
"Mate, you took her to a wedding as a date and she told you that she was hoping you wouldn't be available much longer and you acted as if it wasn't going to be with her." Ron said exasperatedly. "Come on, I'm as thick as they come and even I saw that one."
Harry panicked. "That wasn't how I meant it; I was trying to flirt with her." He said anxiously.
"Listen you gave me some good advice, so I'll give you some in return. You like Daphne and she likes you. I know the whole challenge thing is throwing you through a loop, but you need to just go and do it. I'm sure you'll pass it and then you can stop tiptoeing around her and getting all moody when some other bloke is trying." He said bluntly and Harry winced.
"She has mentioned once or twice about me trying the challenge." Harry replied and Ron nodded his head. "It just feels so barbaric. What if she resents me for it? Or worse, what if I give up and that's my only chance with her gone."
"That's the point of the challenge mate. You only get one shot to go out there and prove your worth. If you get it then great, if you don't then you can move on, but right now you have one foot in and one foot out, and as hard as it is for you, it's likely harder for her." Ron said and Harry felt like a hand was closing around his throat. He hadn't even considered her feelings in all of this, but it was the other part that Ron had mentioned that had pushed the air out of his lungs.
'If you get it then great, if you don't then you can move on.' The words echoed in his mind, but Harry didn't know if he could move on.
Before they could talk any further Arthur Weasley came out and asked Harry for help with some decorations, but even as he worked Ron's words ran through his head. Could he risk it? A chance to be with her forever up against the possibility of never being able to with her. He wasn't sure if he could chance it. He concluded that he would rather have what he had now and never have her fully than risk losing her, but that left the possibility of someone else catching the kitten.
Once everything was set up, Harry took a seat and looked around impatiently. People began filing in by the hundreds, but he was looking only for Daphne, yet she was nowhere to be found. Finally, with just a few minutes to go before the start of the wedding she appeared and sat next to him.
Harry was a bit frustrated but tried to keep his voice even as he spoke. "Hey," he said lightly "Where have you been?"
She shot him a quick glance, her expression stony, before looking away. "Just helping Hermione." She said a bit too casually. Harry felt his frustration flare again, but before he could respond, the music began to play, and he had to make his way to the altar to await Ron. He shot her one last glance, but she adamantly looked away.
He only just managed to push his frustration back down and forced his thoughts away from Daphne while he waited at the altar. The ceremony began shortly thereafter, and Hermione looked stunning as she made her way down the aisle following behind Victorie who was leading the way, throwing petals onto the floor before her.
The ceremony itself was beautiful as well. The aged wizard who led the ceremony did a wonderful job, and Harry felt his own eyes grow misty at the reading of their vows, Ron's more so than Hermione's surprisingly.
In the end after they had been declared bonded in magic, soul, and spirit, the room erupted and Harry had cheered louder than anyone else, but shortly afterwards, his thoughts turned back to Daphne. He found her seated where he had left her wearing a melancholy expression. When she saw him approaching her, her face shifted back into a neutral mask and Harry wanted to cry out in exasperation.
Before he could say anything, Daphne spoke up suddenly. "I need to know Harry, are you planning on attempting the challenge for my hand?" She asked softly. Everyone else had streamed over across the yard to another tent where the reception would take place and only they remained seated near the altar.
"I honestly don't know." He said taking a seat next to her. He saw a hurt expression pass briefly over her face before her mask was back in place. "I care about you, Daphne. More than I've cared for anyone in my entire life, and the thought of failing the challenge… of never being able to marry you scares me more than I care to admit."
"The point of the challenge is the risk, Harry." She said sadly. "You're supposed to risk everything and if you're able to complete it then you know you truly deserve it."
Harry shook his head and when next he spoke his voice had grown in volume unwittingly. "Why not just go back to the dower?" He replied desperately. "I would pay it today, and there would be no risk!"
Daphne looked at him sadly. "You don't get it Harry; I can't just change the rules for you."
"Why not?" He snapped back angrily. "Day after day I hear of all these men attempting to win your hand and failing, I sit here worried that they might succeed, and then when they don't my relief turns into anxiety when I realize that yet another person had tried and failed, making me wonder what chance I have?"
"If it's meant to be you wont fail." She replied stubbornly and Harry deflated. All his anger and frustration rushed out of him as wariness overtook him, and he sat back down.
"I would rather have what we have now and never fully have you than risk losing you. I don't think I could bear failing." He said softly and when he looked up at her, Daphne had tears in her eyes.
"I disagree. If you're not willing to risk everything, then you don't deserve anything." She said firmly as she stood quickly. And began to make her way towards the apparition point.
Harry leapt to his feet and began running after her. "Daphne wait!" He yelled out, panic in his voice, but she didn't wait.
With a sad look and a "Goodbye, Harry." She turned on the spot, apparating away with a crack. Harry stood there quietly for what could have been a few minutes or hours. His head was spinning, and his chest felt like it had been struck by a war hammer that had shattered his heart and left him gasping for air.
He couldn't say how much time had passed before Arthur came and found him, telling him it was time for his speech. He followed the older man as if in a trance and read his speech in front of those gathered for the wedding, all the while feeling as disconnected as he had ever felt from what was going on around him.
After he had stayed long enough to make sure not to offend Hermione or the Weasleys he got up and prepared to leave, planning to apparate to Daphne's flat to try and convince her to switch the challenge to the dower once more.
As he made his way out of the tent a hand closed on his shoulder and in less than a second Harry had his wand drawn and digging into the throat of the person behind him, a nonverbal curse already lighting the tip of his wand.
Hermione held her hands up in surrender and Harry lowered his wand quickly apologizing. She shrugged him off. "I should have known better after everything you've gone through, especially at weddings."
"Still." He protested, but Hermione once again shrugged.
"I just want to know what's going on with you." She said as she shot him a worried glance.
"Was I being that obvious?" He asked in response.
"No actually, if it weren't for us being best friends for more than a decade I wouldn't have noticed." She said and Harry was both annoyed and thankful that she knew his so well. "Go on then." She said after a few more moments of silence, but Harry shook his head.
"It's your wedding day Hermione." He told her. "Go enjoy yourself, I can tell you after you come back from your honeymoon." He told her genuinely, but she shook her head.
"You know me just as well as I know you, which means you already know that there's zero chance of you getting out of here without telling me." She replied and Harry sighed. After another minute of silence, she took a hold of his hand, and he began to tell her what had transpired.
"I honestly don't understand why she can't see it from my point of view." He said after he finished his story. "What if I fail Hermione and we can never be together, or worse… what if I succeed and she resents me for it later."
Hermione let go of his hand and engulfed him in a tight hug. "Oh Harry." She said softly into his jacket. "What a time for your Gryffindor courage to fail you."
Harry could feel the frustration rising back up at her words, "How could you be okay with something so… so… barbaric?" He said, his voice once again rising slightly despite him not intending it to do so. "A challenge that someone she's never even met could complete and then she would be stuck forever!"
Her soft voice spoke up again in reply. "This challenge was crafted for daphne to find the person that loves her and that she loves in return." She told him. "You and I have always been more skeptical, being raised like we were, but you seem to be forgetting the role of magic in all of this. If she says that whoever is meant to be her husband will complete the challenge than I believe her, and you should too." She said still hugging him.
At that Harry sighed and after another minute of silence, he spoke again. "You're right." He said simply.
"I usually am." She quipped back and Harry smiled hugging her back. "Now please come back inside, you're my best friend and I want you here on my wedding day."
"Harry had never been able to say no to Hermione and he allowed her to drag him back inside. He shot her a smile as they walked, but his head was already spinning as he planned his next steps regarding Daphne.
When Harry had left the wedding, he had attempted to floo Daphne only to find his floo access had been revoked. He wrote her letters in the following days asking to speak with her, but Hedwig returned back to him emptyhanded and if he wasn't mistaken, the beautiful owl appeared to be rather cross with him.
He had even tried to catch her at work only to find out that she had taken the week off. He had really been hoping to speak with her, but he knew Daphne was stubborn and would likely find ways to avoid him indefinitely if that was what she wanted, so the next letter that Hedwig had carried for him had been addressed to Daphne's father instead of her.
Her father confirmed his appointment for Saturday evening, a week to the day since Hermione and Ron's wedding, and Harry had spent the remainder of the week fretting nervously, finding what comfort he could in Hermione's words that if it was meant to be it would.
Finally, the day came, and Harry found himself in the drawing room of Greengrass Manor at exactly five in the evening. Cyrus Greengrass, a tall man with dark hair that was graying on the sides and a stern face greeted him coolly. Harry had met him a few times and the man had never been in favor of their relationship whilst Daphne had suitors actively vying for her hand.
"You will be let out onto the grounds." He said after the niceties had been exchanged. "There is a cat that will accompany you. To succeed you must retrieve the key from around the cat's neck without the use of magic. If you use any magic, you will be disqualified." Harry nodded and handed his wand to the older man.
"I would hate to use it by mistake." He said simply to which Cyrus gave a curt nod and took hold of it.
"If you succeed in the challenge, you will be granted my daughter's hand in marriage. There is no time limit, but once you give up you will no longer be considered for the position. Do you accept these terms?"
"I do."
"Very well, follow me." He led the way to a door that opened to the large gardens of Greengrass Manor. The gardens spread out for long acres in either direction with stone pathways leading to different hedges, trees, and all sorts of flower bushes. There was a large maze off to one corner of the garden and a quidditch pitch on the other and streams of water flowed throughout the gardens.
In the center of the garden was a large courtyard with several stone benches. A cat with fur shining gold in the late afternoon sun was seated on the bench in the middle. "Good luck." He heard Cyrus say and suddenly the door was shut behind him.
Harry walked towards the cat that eyed him warily as he approached and when he was within 20 meters she leapt aside and sprinted off towards the hedges and flowers, but instead of giving chase, Harry sat in the spot on the bench the cat had vacated just moments earlier.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty, and then an hour as Harry's nerves began to fray slightly. He kept telling himself that if it was meant to be this would work and finally after nearly ninety minutes of sitting and waiting and with the sun dipping lower in the sky the cat reappeared.
It looked at him curiously from a distance and Harry began to speak, loud enough that the cat might hear him even from the large distance where it sat. "I'm not going to chase you." He promised. "And I won't take that key from you by force. Daphne seems convinced that you know what's best for her, and like I should have done from the beginning I'm going to trust her."
The cat tilted its head slightly to the side but made no move to come closer. "I don't understand how you'll know who her perfect match would be, but I may as well tell you what I think, plead my case as it were. I'm not sure if you'll understand the words or even the emotion and truth behind them, but something tells me it'll work out the way it should in the end regardless."
Harry took a deep breath and steadied himself. "The first thing you notice about Daphne is her beauty, even in school she was hard to miss." He started looking away from the cat as he lost himself in memories. "She's easily the most beautiful girl I've ever seen with her hair like spun gold and her eyes an electric blue, but that doesn't come to close to comparing to the beauty she has on the inside.
"It's only been 7 months since I've gotten to know her, I mean really know her, and not once has she put herself before others. She could live at home for the rest of her life, not working a day, but she chooses to work as a healer because she wants to help others.
"She could have been part of the inquisitorial squad, and was offered the role of prefect in school, but she turned both down because of the injustices she had noticed. She never bought into blood status and even protected her best friend Tracey Davis from all of the other Slytherins who tried to harass her on account of being a half-blood.
That personality persists even now. It never mattered if she had hard days at work, she put me first, making sure I was okay and asking if I wanted to hear about what had happened to her before sharing. I've never met someone as thoughtful as her."
Harry glanced towards the cat and thought she might have moved closer but couldn't be sure. "On days when I had bad things happen to me or witnessed horrible atrocities, she held me and comforted me. She always makes sure I'm okay." He said and could feel tears springing in his eyes.
"She's the most intelligent person I know as well. Not like Hermione who can recite books at you, but she actually puts that knowledge to practical use. Like in Italy when she casually spoke perfect Italian which is one of six languages she knows! Can you believe that? I can barely speak the one.
"She's also the only person who has ever only seen me as me and not the chosen one or the boy who lived. Even Ron and Hermione at the beginning bought into that nonsense, but she doesn't. She holds me to the same standards she does everyone else, not higher not lower. She praises me if I do well but also let's me know when I need to be better."
Harry glanced up once more and the cat was definitely closer now, about half the distance she had originally been. In the fading light her fur darkened slightly. "She makes me laugh and she grounds me, she makes me smile and when I'm with her I feel whole. She's the first thing I think about when I wake up, the last thing on my mind before I sleep. I pray for her to be in my dreams so that even asleep I could be with her." He said his voice steady despite the obvious passion lacing his words.
"I made a mistake recently by not trusting her, and I feel so frustrated because she doesn't deserve to be dangled like some prize to be won. She merits more than some competition for her hand, she deserves romance and a right to say yes or no to whoever she wants. She deserves someone who would love her unconditionally, she deserves the world and I want to give it to her. If I do somehow win this challenge I promise I will give it to her, because I don't know how or when it happened, but I have fallen so deeply in love with her that it hurts, and I never even got the chance to tell her."
He felt something touch his leg then and saw that it was the cat rubbing itself against him purring. He reached down running a hand down her back. He could take the key now if he wanted but he would remain true to his word. "I never got a chance to tell her because I was a coward. I love her so much that it hurts but I was scared she might not feel the same way, so I bottled it up. I don't deserve her." The cat meowed then, and Harry looked down to her to see her looking at him with electric blue eyes.
Suddenly she leapt up into his lap and midway through the air transformed from a cat into the very same woman he had been describing. Before Harry could process what had happened, he felt a familiar pair of lips find his own as her legs simultaneously wrapped around his back. After a moment she pulled back so slightly that her lips still touched his as she spoke. "I love you too Harry Potter, and you are more than deserving." She said quietly but with so much emotion that Harry's head spun and then he pressed his lips to hers once more squeezing her tightly.
When the kiss ended a few minutes later Harry was still shocked by what had occurred, but suddenly everything made much more sense. "This is why you were so confident." He said and Daphne laughed. It all made sense now. She was certain she wouldn't be caught because she was the cat, and she knew this home better than any suitor could. For someone to catch her she would have to let them, meaning that whoever did win was someone she approved of. When he said as much Daphne agreed.
"Exactly, and it was also great fun to frustrate and annoy all of these men who were much more presumptuous and much less deserving." She replied with a smile and a kiss.
"How very cunning." He said with a smile of his own.
"Daphne puffed her chest and tilted her chin up. "I am a Slytherin after all." She said with a chuckle and then suddenly, "Oh! Before I forget." She said as she unclasped the key from around her neck and took his hand opening the palm. Much like their first date with the bottlecap she held it between both their hands for a moment until she placed it fully in his hand and closed it. "You won." she told him with a smile, "congratulations."
Harry kissed her again then, long and slow. When they broke apart at last, she stood and took him by the hand. Leading him back to the manor where Daphne's parents and sister Astoria were all waiting to congratulate them.
Hugs were given to everyone and Cyrus who seemed much nicer now that he had completed the challenge clapped him on the shoulder. "We are happy it was you who won." He said with a smile.
"I'm happy Daphne chose me." Harry replied honestly, but he had barely spoken the words when Daphne was tugging on his hand. "Where are we going?" He asked her with a smile as she dragged him along.
"To the dining room. I need a big table that we can work on." She replied as if it were obvious.
"Work on what?"
She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" She said, and at his confused look shot him an exasperated smile. "You're my fiancé now, I believe we have a wedding to plan."
Harry quite liked the sound of that and pulled her in for another kiss. "Yes," he said simply. "I believe we do."
AN: Another Reupload, thank you to everyone who has been reading these as I repost them, and a huge thank you to everyone who has reached out or commented. I appreciate you more than you know!