"T-There is nothing," Daphne shrugged. Harry looked at her for a while, before sitting on the bed, he took her hands in his.

And she stiffened at first but she allowed herself to soak in and go with it, "you won't let it go, will you?"

Harry smirked as he rubbed his thumbs on the back of her hands, she took a moment to think, his hands were rough but warm, did he hold this 2010 Daphne like this.

What is she supposed to say in this situation?

"For once, I don't have an answer, cause I'm living in a riddle," she sighed, before stepping up from the bed, while he just stared at her, she have two choices at the moment, speak the truth, or just go with it by herself until this mess is clear.

Then what if she may never go back, will she live with five missing years of her life, and with who? Potter! She can't!

She can't be a wife at the moment, nevertheless a mother! "I need you to fully cooperate here alright!".

Harry nodded at her, but she felt nervous, was his eyes always that green, why was she feeling nervous with him at the moment, she worked with him before.

"How would you feel, if your wife suddenly disappeared."

Harry blinked twice, and laughed, he tilted back on the mattress, "Well… I would probably freak out, than pull my shit together before searching till i find her," he stopped laughing,

Stood up and moved closer to her, she tried to step back a few steps, "you are not leaving are you?"

Daphne let out a nervous laugh, because apparently she already did but, a sudden arms were wrapped around her.

Like devils snare, she thought, just play dead, and he will let you go.

Potter was hugging her, she could feel his breath on the corner of her neck, as he inhaled, it made her flinch, it became uncomfortable.

She stopped struggling and his embrace loosened. His gaze lowering to hers, his hands shifted to her shoulders.

He gave her a light squeeze. "Daphne, please. What has gotten into you?"

Daphne realised her mistake just a few minutes too late. She had forgotten this wasn't her world- and now her next days would be spent in the loony bin.

Oh no.

She looked left and right, trying to recall the layout of the room. She needed to assess the situation and come up with a plan, but she needed time for that. Time, she knew, Potter wasn't going to let her have. Daphne threw her arms between his and pushed outward, removing his hands from her shoulders. Without waiting another moment she sprinted to the bathroom, locked herself in.

It wasn't the bravest thing she could have done, but she really did need to think of a plan. It was essential if she wanted to keep her freedom until she could get back to real time. She flipped onto her back, now staring at the ceiling emptily with her arms resting casually by her side. She replayed the conversation in her head countless times without coming up with a solution to make the situation better. After a few minutes it occurred to her, "I could just lie." Sure, it's not something that she would usually do, but desperate times...

After playing out a few different scenarios in her mind she decided the best way to fix this was to walk right out the room and tell Potter it was all a joke. A not very funny joke, but she could just say that she was just testing his love for her.

her acting skills. No explanation, rhyme or reason to her acting,

Daphne stood, and walked to the door،

Stealing a peak around the door before tentatively stepping into the room.

He was sitting on a chair now, his back hunched over.

His legs were spread wide with his elbows resting on his knees, and his hands were covering his face as if to attempt to shield himself from reality.

He looked distraught.

The floorboards squeaked lightly underneath her feet until she stood in front of him.

"H-Harry?" she stuttered, the words still feel unfamiliar on her lips, but she assured herself it was a good way to gain his trust.

At his name he spread his fingers, his eyes showing no emotion, peering through the space between his fingers, waiting for her to speak.

She cleared her throat and looked out the window behind him. "I was just kidding. You know that right?" She looked back to him, but his eyes still watched her expressionlessly. She gazed out the window once more. "Before too, when I yelled at you, it was just a joke."

After a few moments with no response Daphne looked back at Harry. He had dropped his hands from his face and they were now clasped together in front of him with his elbows still resting on his knees. His mouth opened as if to yell for a moment, but at the last minute had decided against it. She started to shift nervously under his scrutiny, and her eyes moved to examine the floor.

"Why are you lying to me?" he inquired. He looked as if he were trying to solve a particularly difficult equation rather than trying to understand why she was acting like a nutter.

"I-I'm not, it was just act-"

Cutting her off, he yelled, "Don't you dare lie to me! Don't you dare say it was a joke! I know you. Your eyes turn cold when you lie to others, because it makes you uncomfortable seeing them believe your dishonesty. You shield your vision to see what you want to see, And This is what you decide your first lie to me should be? And for what?" Taking a deep breath, he made a distressed noise.

"You Know this joke is not funny, not to me, not to Lena and worse to James!"

"Why! It's just a mere joke, what's wrong with that!?" When he mentioned those kids' names, it made her stomach sick. She may not be their current mother, but she was no cruel person.

He stood up somewhere during his outburst, with his tall, Broad shoulders form was now towering over her.

"You can't joke about this, not after what Ginny did! just… " he let out a frustrated sigh, that she realized that it meant much more, that this joke was a red line to him, he continued after pulling himself together, his eyes serious, and jaw tightened, "better speak the truth, right now."

Daphne refused to be intimidated, with or without her wand. She was stuck however.

"Listen here, Potter," Daphne said, narrowing her eyes while jabbing her finger at Harry's chest. "I. am. not. Lying. Or. joking!"

Ignoring her assault, his lips twitched while snorting lightly and rolling his eyes.

'It's happening all over again, she's doing the same thing like her.. The same stare, same words,' he thought, shaking his head a few times while looking at the floor. Lifting his eyes slowly to hers he repeated her words from earlier, "Potter, huh?"

Her eyes grew wide, realizing her slip up. He laughed humorlessly at her reaction and ran his hands through his hair.

"Well, Greengrass," he said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "We can do this one of two ways. You tell me the truth, or I will use Veritaserum." He shrugged his shoulders and folded his hands in front of him, "It's your choice."

"This is crazy… this is all is crazy, just forget about it," she whispered, defeated.

Harry lightly grasping her hands, he removed them from her face. Daphne looked into his eyes. They didn't make her uncomfortable like she had thought they would. If it were even possible, they reassured her.

"I love you, Daphne."

Daphne flinched and looked away. His eyes told her he wasn't lying, but it seemed so impossible that she could have fallen in love with Potter in her future, to give up on her career for him, a married man, and famous that she hated him for taking credits of all the fallings in the second war.

He waited until she turned back to face him. "You can trust me with anything."

She couldn't believe she was even thinking it, but he seemed like he really cared. Maybe she could trust him. However, making him listen to her about why she's behaving this way was a completely different story. She absently looked around the room. After a few seconds she decided it would probably make things easier if she told him the truth, on the off-chance he believed her. Maybe telling the truth would help her to better understand this future.

Daphne let out a short, jagged breath, "Well, it all started with a jest and a Gilbert's case."

They sat in silence staring at the floor for what seemed like an eternity. His silence tells Daphne that she would be locked up very soon.

"I believe you," he said suddenly. "Time travel or time turner, it may be a reversal spell. It never occurred to me that there is a reversal, but everything is possible with magick. But why would Tori cast it on you?" he said, more to himself than to her.

"Hey! Tori was young back then, And frightened…" she whispered to herself, how frightened she must have been to even look at her own future, to send her instead and see what happens in five years, was she afraid not to make it?

Harry looked like he was in deep thought. He stood and started pacing around the room while Daphne sat on the floor watching him through careful eyes.

Looking directly at her he kneeled down and smiled, a warm smile, "it's alright, just don't act on your own…" he patted her shoulders, promising her, "We will figure this out,"

He surprised her with the way he handled the entire story, even choosing to sleep in a separate room just to not make her uncomfortable.

Daphne could feel that it was difficult for him, but it was more difficult for her, while he slept next to her for five years.

She had never slept with him before.

Rather, everyone she slept with was a passing whim. She had never known that romantic morning that her friends would brag about or Her sister in front of her.

When she was worked alongside the lobbying, that was rather difficult period to the point that she was careful with whom she was having fun, or to whom she may talk in public places.

It was one of the reasons why she earned her name in the court.

So when she put her head on the pillow and slept in that strange bedroom, staring at the picture at the 2010 Daphne's on nightstand, she somehow envied that girl in the picture.

It seemed she was completely strange to her, already having lack of sleep she accio some family album photos around, to kill time.

And she searched, the first dates with Potter, the wedding, the family trips; gatherings, everything.

She noticed the lack of Potter's ex wife,she seemed to attend only James birthdays and few events, and then there was a picture that really caught her off guard, it was her, heavily pregnant and James sleeping on her stomach.

She will not lie, there seemed to be a strange bond between 2010 Daphne and James, friendship or co-parenting, she had no idea but the boy in the picture looked at her just as he looked at his real mother.

Daphne awoke to a sea of giggles, and yawned before groaning on her side from the way Lena had jumped onto the bed.

"Get up! Get up!"

Daphne looked over and smiled, still holding her side. "Yeah yeah,i'm up."

"Ahh! Yay!" Lena laughed, jumping on the bed.

Something came over Daphne , and it was instinct as she reached up and pulled the little girl into her lap, laughing along with her. "You've gotta stop jumping or you're gonna hurt someone."

"Too late," Harry chuckled, from the door, holding his side, it seems like he was her first victim, and by his appearance, he woke long before her and already in his work clothes, yet she somehow felt naked , even though she was wearing pajama.

Pulling herself up to sit, Harry watched her patiently, judging how she reacted with Lena. It seems that her shock has seized down as well.

He must admit that this came out of blue and he can't see his wife, act strangely to the kids and to him, he was frustrated.

what if his Daphne may never come back, he will have to go all over to the beginning, he remembered how he used the time turner back in hogwarts, you go back in time but there is no way to return, he needs to speak to Hermione as soon as possible. Daphne looked at him with confusion, he was zoning right at her, shit, "Uh … coffee? Strong coffee?"

"Please," Daphne chuckled.

"As my lady wish," he bowed his head, and disappeared to the hall.

James was already on the sofa watching TV, holding his cereal bowl.

"James," Harry called after his son to follow him to the kitchen.

James will notice that something was off, Daphne doesn't know their daily routines, he, himself doesn't know what his wife usually do.

"Listen, Daphne is… in her bad days, you know what that means right?"

"Aw man!" James groaned,

"aren't you the lion of this house?" he smiled at his son

"But…" James couldn't but nod at his father

Daphne got out of bed with Lena still in her arms. It was like she took a strong breath of motherly air, capable of comfort with the child on her hip. The ease made her smile as she walked around and looked into the little girl's adorably curious eyes. "What do you say for hurting Mommy?" She couldn't help but smile as she was coaxed by the child to lean down.

"I'm sorry Mommy," Lena said with all the heart she melted at how adorable that had been. It wasn't often she had such a sweet apology, and her smile was immediate. "It's okay baby."

"We have to make some coffee," She smiled, enjoying the comfort she felt with Lena as they made their way out of the room. Lena smiled and rested her head on her mother's shoulder, laughing when Bette tickled her side.

Walking into the kitchen, the aroma hit the sensitive bottom of her brain cell, she found Potter at the table with his coffee in hand and some files from work. And James holding his plate, to wash it.

"Too much work?"

"Gotta finish this today, or I will skip christmas," he sighed.

"What!?" James exclaimed, almost dropping his plate.

Lena snuggled against her mother, as if she understands what her father said and want Daphne to protest for her.

Strangely, she welcomed that behaviour, joining the family, "but you won't?"

"Of course not!" Harry frowned. Lena didn't calm down and started to cry.

"She does that when she doesn't have her morning milk," Harry waved his wand as he talked, accio a biberon to him sensing the heat before handing it to the little girl, "here you go, princess,"

Daphne smiled, "well now this is truly my daughter,"

James looked up at Daphne; which made her wanting to punch herself and sink in the damn nile of egypte, that was not good thing to say, especially in front of a stepson.

Harry coughed and turned the attention to him, glance to the window, this was awkward for him, Daphne doesn't know James, she has no bond with him.

"Well, the snow is here and with the snow comes a certain metamorphmagus.."

James tilted his head and jumped up, "Teddy! Finally!" He ran upstairs, forgetting all about his breakfast.

"Teddy as your godson?" Rubbing the back of her neck, Daphne leaned backward in the table chair.

"He lives with us after Dora's death, You were supposed to pick him up from king's cross, " he sipped his coffee, "but i will go,"

"What about your.. Work?"

"I will think of something…"

"Don't be stupid, you worked hard to became a head Auror, if you show up lack of responisibliy for a second, how will your employees see you?" She looked at Lena in her lap, that she was drinking her milk, and how she felt safe in her arms, like the world may crush but still she will stay there. Besides she was jut avoiding his gaze at her.

"And Stop gawking at me, i know that i'm beautiful to drops jaws, but not yours," she got up, giving him a satisfied smirk.

Harry stood up after her, "Are you sure?"

She gave herself a thought, fixing his tie and nodded, "never ask a woman if she was a sure,"

"never!" Harry laughed. He moved closer to her. And Daphne thought he looked amazingly handsome, his jawline was hard and wanted to touch it, was it like this for the other Daphne?

Harry's hand cupped her cheek. Daphne held her breath wondering if he was going to kiss her. Would she let him? She was not ready, breaking the atmosphere, "Also, I won't let Your Daphne's absence affect the children's life,"

Harry's smile weakened and his hand fell on top of Lena's head, kissing her forehead, "I know you won't" he whispered and Daphne gulped, walking away.

Harry run his hands through his tamed jet hair, messing it up, and letting out a frustrated breath. "Keep your shit together man,"

"Aunty Tori is in the fire!" James said as he put his sneaker on.

Harry quickly walked in from the kitchen.

"Well Well, good morning, to my dear sister-in-law,"

Astoria stiffened for a moment than laughed nervously, "Now do not be mad at me, am I not your favourite in-law?"

"That was not cool Astoria, of all times, you choose Christmas to do this," Harry hissed kneeling down in front of the fire, Lena dropping down next to him and waving at Astoria.

"is everything alright?" Tori asked, now concerned.

"For now! But you know her, we know her, we hope she doesn't explode at us at any moment, you better fix this!"

"Don't threat my wife, Potter,"

"Now you're also into this,"

"Believe it or not, I'm working on this too,"

Astoria nodded. "Sorry to call so early, To be honest, I didn't expect her to tell you. Anyway! I called to tell you not to forget about the dinner tomorrow, Bye!"

As The Malfoys disappeared from the fire, Harry quickly cast some cleaning charms on the sofa where James had spilt some milk, and on his living room.

Hermione was seated behind her large mahogany desk with a quill and a parchment.

Draco was standing next to Harry beside the desk. Draco was doing was Draco always did-he was staring off looking as if he had better things to do and better places to be.

"What do we know?" Hermione asked.

Harry cleared his throat and said," We know that sometime between 11:00 pm and 6:00 am last night Daphne's past self took over Her present body, The attempt was botched but it got her out the last five years."

"Potter…" Draco warned.

Hermione shook her head, "That makes no sense." she said. looking at Harry,

Harry made a noise and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Enough drama Potter, she is still Daphne just younger," Malfoy said.

Hermione sighed deeply, "Draco is right, as Astoria said, it called glimpse to the future, it's not like it's definitive,".she walked to him and held him by shoulders. "Try to enjoy the christmas, for the kids at least,"

Harry nodded and headed with Malfoy out, Hermione was one of the best Unspeakable he ever known, she would know a way out and Draco was Draco, they had long history together and also being a healer, he helped Harry way many times to be counted.

Harry and Draco headed, Draco stopped walking and grabbed Harry's arm. Draco was silent as Kingsley and others passed them. His face was serious as he spoke, "Stop this at once, I know that what Asoria did was wrong, we already how our own fight for this, but listen fo once, as much as i hate to say this but I'm looking into the spell and break it just wait couple of days," Draco said.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

Harry and Draco walked down the stairs."come on, i will buy you coffee,"

"Now hell just froze down,"

Daphne waited anxiously on the platform 9 ¾ that she didn't step foot into it in years, it had some nostalgic aroma.

She had aimlessly been staring around while holding Lena tightly to her arm, the cold was too much this year, and she saw James trying to act like the man of the family in the absence of his dad which was super cute.

With His brown jacket and trousers, and His red cheeks and nose, he was like a reindeer.

But he was shivering, so she reached up to him.

Pulling him closer, it was just a small gesture, keeping him under her wing, he didn't startle but instead calmed up.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

He nodded at her, which made her think of how Astoria behaved back when Daphne went to Hogwarts.

She kneeled down and put Lena on her feet, then turned her attention to the kid.

"Well, have you got him his christmas present?"

He nodded again.

"Teddy is going to stay for christmas, and he won't like to see you all grumpy, he will think that you are not happy to be with him around, do you want to let him think that?"

James frowned at her, she continued, "So when we see him, let's all run to him and give him a big hug!"

James laughed, "Teddy will run,"

"We will run after him!" she cheered, with Lena clapping at them.

"I thought you were mad at me…" Daphne was startled by the question, until someone screamed the kid's name

"Why would you think that?"

"Dad said you are going through your bad days,"

"he said that, didn't he?" she forced a smile.

"James!" They all heard a young boy shout, and with that Daphne saw a boy with white hair running to them, hugging James.

"Man! I missed you!" He played with his hair than before his own changed into a similar one.

"Daffy!" Teddy hugged Daphne tightly then kissed Lena's cheek, before taking her hand an James takes the other one,

"How was your hogwarts, Teddy?" she managed to ask.

"Great!"

And for the rest of the day, she got to know the children much more.

"-And than Laura screamed out loud it made professor Slughorn drops the entire bottle on the floor and everything turned jelly!"

Daphne laughed so hard as Teddy told her, about his adventures.

"What are we going to have for dinner?" James asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh about that…" she had no idea what Daphne bake or cook for the kids and she honestly was too damn tired to do any of that.

"would you gentlemen want to have a good delicious Pizza?"

When Harry walked all tired from the paperwork he had to finish for the day, he noticed the house calm, which usually was not with all the children all together under th same roof.

He removed his scarf and shoes for much comfore pantoufle, as he headed to the living room.

He noticed that his three-year-old daughter left her toys around the hall.

Harry entered the living room to see his family gathered. All in their comfy pajamas and blankets, watching with focus a film, not even noticing him.

Turning to him, Daphne asked with a grin, "Care to join us, Potter?"

The boys turned their attention to the screen finally.

"Hi dad," James barely turned.

"DADDY!" his princess jumped from Daphne's lap to her dad,

"HARRY!" and of course, Teddy couldn't but join the club, jumping on Harry,

Harry, Forgot all the weariness he had and received the hug, happily, "hey pup!"

"I missed you so much!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Same!" he said as he retreated to change, trailed by Teddy behind,

They waited until the rest of family returned before starting the film, James sat on his comfort matress on the floor, next to Teddy, each covered in their blankets.

"Any room for me on that sofa?" Harry asked, shortly as he placed the popcorn and wine on the table in front of them. He handed Lena the sippy cup and he eagerly took it. "Thank you, Daddy," she said, and Mark kissed her atop her head. "You're very welcome, my little princess."

Daphne pulled Lena in closer to her and patted the empty space on Lena's other side. "I do believe this spot is saved for you," she said, and Harry sank down next to his daughter.

"So, What film are we watching tonight?" Harry asked as Lena threw some of the blanket over his legs. "Daddy should be under here, too," she said solemnly, looking up at Harry with her green eyes. Harry smiled and affectionately ran his hand through Lena's curls.

"To answer your question, we've settled on Home alone."

"What?" He asked dramatically. "Are we having kevin mccallister marathon? "

Daphne let out a small laugh, if her memory serve her right, the main charchter of the film had a common thing with Harry Potter, the magnet to fall into trouble. "Does that unlock memories, Potter?"

"You know me," Harry answered drolly as he handed Daphne her wine glass. Daphne smirked at him. "Eww Gross! We're watching film here," James piped in.

"Sorry," The adults both said, before laughing silently.