The rest of the day passed quickly for the now family of five, the joy each of them felt palpable.
More gifts arrived from Hogwarts, a whittle flute for Harry and a magical photograph of the Unicorn family she had met for Daphne from Hagrid, a tin of Scottish shortbread for all of them from Professor McGonagall, and Harry received a book from Professor Dumbledore called The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Daniel advised him that it was a book of fairytales that magical children grew up hearing and Harry was very interested to begin reading it. Once all the present opening had been completed, they moved into the kitchen for a breakfast of bacon sandwiches whilst Marie, with the help of Harry, began to make a start on Christmas Dinner. Luckily, some things like the goose and chicken had been prepared the night before, but the vegetables and sauces still needed to be made. At the table, Daniel and his daughters played exploding snap, with occasional commentary from Marie when she had a break from the cooking.
It was during this game that Daniel noticed a somewhat pensive expression on Daphne's face, and once Astoria had won the game of snap, he asked his oldest to come and help him find a book that he wanted to give to Harry. Luckily, as Astoria was crowing at her victory and Marie and Harry were engrossed in their cooking, nobody questioned why he would need the help.
Daphne followed her father into his study, who immediately located the book he needed and took a seat behind his desk, inviting her to do the same.
"What's wrong, Princess?" Daniel asked her gently.
Daphne chewed on her lip, staring at the desk. She didn't know how to explain to her Dad what was wrong. It was...awkward to have to admit.
"Dad," She started, her cheeks beginning to redden. "Does this make Harry my brother?" She asked him, worry evident in her voice.
Daniel smiled at her, suddenly understanding what was wrong. The blush on her cheeks was adorable.
"No, Daph, it doesn't make him your brother. We haven't adopted him, he'll still be a Potter. Your mother and I are his guardians now, which means we'll look after him and act like his parents. It's up to you and Astoria if you want to think of him as a brother." Daniel explained softly.
Daphne shrugged, still worrying her lip. "But he'll be family, won't he?"
"To me, he will be, to your mum he already is, and Astoria? I imagine she'll start to look up to him as a big brother. Family doesn't have to be who you're related to, Princess." He said, thinking of his older brother. "What do you feel about Harry?" He asked her, watching for her reaction.
Daphne swallowed. "He's my best friend, my only friend. But..." She faltered, thinking about what she felt for Harry. The thought of him being her brother now just felt wrong, made her feel wrong.
"But you like him? More than you would a friend?" Daniel prompted gently, not wanting to push her too hard.
Daphne nodded slightly, not looking at her father. "I think so." She answered in a small voice, thinking of what she felt when she looked at him, how his magic made her feel, how she wanted always be near him. And finally, she thought of what she had seen in the Mirror of Erised.
"Then nothing needs to change, Princess. He'll still be the same Harry you like." Daniel told her reassuringly.
Daphne finally looked up at him and saw the sincerity on his face. She'd trust her Dad, trust that things wouldn't change between her and Harry.
Or at least, not yet.
"Thanks, Dad." She smiled, and when her father got up and walked around his desk with his arms wide she hugged him, happy that he had reassured her and not asked too many questions about her feelings toward Harry. That would have been awkward to discuss with her father.
It was as they were walking back down the corridor toward the kitchen that Daphne remembered the book he had taken from the shelves. "What was the book, Dad?"
Daniel smiled ruefully. "You know the one."
"Oh! Yeah, that's a good idea." She responded as they walked back into the kitchen.
Back in the kitchen, Harry had turned from his place at the counter to say something to Daphne to find that she and Daniel had both disappeared. More worrying, however, was that Astoria had also vanished.
He was thankful that the decision had been made to store his cloak in Daniel's study until it was time to return to Hogwarts.
Beside him, Marie hummed happily as she wrapped sausages in bacon to make pigs in blankets, but turned when she heard Harry's noise of surprise.
"Where did they all go?" He asked her.
She shrugged. "Who knows, they might have gone to find a new game to play. You can join them if you like?" Marie offered him, but Harry shook his head and returned to mashing the potatoes.
"I like cooking with you." He told her, and it was true. He'd always hated cooking for the Dursleys, but with Marie, it was a fun activity and he enjoyed spending time with her.
She smiled widely at him and ruffled his hair fondly. "You can cook with me whenever you want to, Harry." She told him, chest warm now that she knew Harry was here to stay, and she could tell from the relaxed, carefree look on his face that he felt the same.
Harry beamed at her words and the show of affection, imagining what it would be like living here from now on. If it was like it had been this holiday all the time, he rather thought that he'd never want to leave. How did he get so lucky?
Marie continued to smile at him as Daniel and Daphne returned to the kitchen, walking back to the table and taking a seat. Marie turned to them, immediately spotting the lack of Astoria.
"Where have you two been? And where is Tori? She asked her husband, who looked around himself, having only just noticed that he was missing a child.
"We went to the study for a moment, and I have no idea, she didn't come with us." He responded, a little concerned now. "I'll go and look for her." He said with a sigh, starting to rise.
Before he could, however, they all heard a short scream that soon turned into loud giggles of joy. Sharing a look, none of them knowing whether to be concerned by a scared Astoria or a happy Astoria, they bounded from the room to find Astoria whizzing through the house on Harry's brand-new Nimbus Two-Thousand.
Marie sighed, pulling her wand to halt her progress before she broke her neck. "Welcome to the family, Harry."
"It's too late to back out now," Daniel added with a smirk.
It was after they had eaten their delicious Christmas Dinner, all of them too stuffed to do anything other than sit in their chairs that Daniel pulled the book he had retrieved from his robes and handed it to Harry.
"What's this?" Harry asked, looking down at the book. The book was a deep red, and on the cover in gold lettering, he could see the title 'Mastering Your Mind: A Guide to Occlumency' by Eglentine Burke.
"That, Harry, is one of the most important books you will ever read," Daniel told him seriously. "It's what I used after...well, you know." He finished, trying not to think of what had happened to him, and what he had done because his mind had been weak.
"To help protect yourself?" Harry asked gently, and Daniel shook his head.
"To help protect my family." Daniel corrected. "Not only is Occlumency a defence against Legilimency, which is the art of entering another's mind and perusing their thoughts and memories, but it'll also help you organise your own thoughts better and will be helpful with your learning. Most importantly, however, is that it will help you resist the Imperius Curse, though I hope you'll never need it." Daniel explained, guilt evident in his eyes. "I wish I'd known about it sooner."
"People can do that? Read my mind?" Harry asked, alarmed. He really didn't like the thought of anyone knowing his thoughts, and even worse, seeing some of his memories.
"A crude way of putting it, but yes, there are some who, if trained in the art of Legilimency, can do so," Daniel told him. "But, if you study this book, we can teach you how to protect your mind." He said, indicating himself and Marie.
Harry frowned, a suspicion forming in his mind. "What does it feel like?" He asked.
Marie answered. "If you permit, I can enter your mind, only the surface level," She said quicky. "Just so you know how it feels?"
Harry nodded, and with a whispered 'Legilimens' she entered into his unprotected mind. Inside his head, she was immediately assaulted by a memory of Severus Snape standing before him in the Potions classroom, and Harry feeling the exact same pressure he had just felt from Marie.
Leaving his mind quickly, seething, she could see Harry scowling himself, angry. "Snape! He read my mind!" He burst out, clenching his fists. Daphne put her hand on his arm, rubbing it softly.
Marie looked at her husband. "He did. As soon as I got into Harry's mind, the feeling reminded him of another time, when that man used it on him." She growled, nostrils flared and eyes narrow.
Daniel was as angry as his wife, but turned back to Harry and tried not to let it show to the boy.. "Now that you know how it feels, you'll be able to tell if anyone is trying to enter your mind. And once you've learned this, you'll be able to defend yourself."
"It's really useful Harry, Dad taught me before I started Hogwarts. It helps you control your emotions too." Daphne told him, still rubbing his arm with her hand to calm him.
Harry frowned slightly as if he were remembering something. "Is that why you looked really blank? At the sorting, I mean. You were staring straight ahead for most of it and your face was emotionless."
Daphne nodded. "Yes, I was...scared, at the feast, and I didn't want to show any fear because of the way people think about our family. As I said, Occlumency helps you control your emotions. The blank look is kind of part of that."
"But I've only noticed it a few times." He said, trying to think of any other times he noticed the blankness.
"I don't have to hide with you, Harry." She told him with a smile, which he soon returned.
Harry nodded, turning back to Daniel. "This does seem really useful, when can I start learning?" He asked eagerly, but Daniel held up his hand.
"There's time enough to make a start before you go back to school, for now, let's just enjoy Christmas, shall we?" He responded with a smile, and so that is what they did, Astoria racing to get her Gobstones set to teach Harry how to play.
Harry found himself thinking, in between games, about Occlumency and Legilimency, and how it had felt when Marie had shown him what Legilimency was. It felt awful, having someone else in his mind, and he was determined to learn this as soon as possible so it didn't happen again.
His mind was his own, and he would share it with no one.
The hour was late by the time the excitement of the day had finally taken its toll on her children. Astoria was curled up next to her on the settee, for once at peace, whilst opposite her Harry was leaning on the arm of his seat, fast asleep, with Daphne lying on his side with his arm around her.
"Dan, get the camera," She whispered to him frantically, not wanting to lose the opportunity. "Don't they look so adorable?"
Her husband summoned their camera quickly and passed it over to her. She took a few snaps and handed the camera back to him. "You're better at developing them than me."
"I'll do it in the morning. Come on, let's get them all to bed." He told her, reaching down to pick Astoria up, who mewled in her sleep at the disturbance. It was left to Marie to apologetically wake up Harry and Daphne and send them to bed, following along behind them.
When they arrived at the upstairs landing, she watched as unobtrusively as she could as her daughter kissed him on the cheek and wished him a Merry Christmas, before leaving for her own room with a tired yawn.
As Daniel emerged from Astoria's room, shutting the door quietly behind him, he gestured with his head for her to go to Harry whilst he would say goodnight to Daphne.
Walking into his room, she found him just getting under the covers. She padded softly over to him, the thin light from the landing enough for her to see his eyes half-opened as he watched her approach.
"Goodnight, dear." She told him, bending down to brush his hair to the side and kiss him on the forehead.
"G'night Marie." He said tiredly with a smile on his face.
Her hand stroked his hair briefly, but soon she had left his room, meeting Daniel as he himself shut Daphne's door behind him. Together, they both finally entered their own bedroom.
Soon, the couple was in bed themselves, Marie hugging the side of her husband with her head on his chest. "I think this might have been the best Christmas we've ever had." She said happily as she closed her eyes.
Daniel chuckled, the sound causing vibrations through Marie's head. "You have always wanted a son." He said with a smile.
"Well, you got the daughters you wanted, it's about time I got what I want." She smiled ruefully. It was true that she'd always wanted a son, but they had had difficulties conceiving after Astoria and had decided that it just wasn't meant to be.
"He's a good boy," Daniel said with a yawn. "And he's been good for Daphne."
"What did you two talk about when you snuck off?" She asked, opening her eyes and looking at him.
"Are we not allowed our secrets?" He asked, and she gave him an unimpressed look. "She was concerned that this would make Harry her brother."
"Because she likes him?" Marie asked him knowingly.
"I'm not at liberty to say," Daniel replied unctuously.
"She likes him," Marie said firmly, "And he likes her."
"Has he said anything to you?" Daniel asked, interested.
"I'm not at liberty to say," Marie responded, rolling off him to go to sleep.
"Yeah, I deserved that."He told himself with a sigh.
The next day, Harry was in the training room with Marie, who was firing curses at him at a rapid pace, forcing him to dodge them. They had discovered that it was very difficult for them to break through Harry's shields, but they wanted him to not rely on them until he had no other choice.
Eventually, a stinging hex caught him on his left ankle and he fell to the ground, but the stunning spell that followed was absorbed into the shield he'd cast reflexively.
"Very good, Harry." Marie praised as he returned to his feet, his wand shooting into his hand from his new holster. "Now, let's take a short break whilst-STUPEFY!" She suddenly cast, but was proud when she saw Harry had not fallen for her trick, having learned to keep his guard up until her wand was stowed away.
She did so, holding up her hands to him to show that she was now unarmed, and his shield disappeared with a roll of his eyes.
"Explain to me again how you're the Ravenclaw and Daniel the Slytherin?" Harry asked with a smile.
"Because I was too cunning to get sorted into the house people would expect me to be." She said with a grin, causing him to laugh. She conjured two glasses of water and passed them to Harry, who filled them with a quick wave of his hand. With Harry's strange ability to change his internal temperature, he always provided the coolest water.
"Thank you, dear." She said once he'd passed her one of the glasses, taking a sip. "Have you read any of Mastering Your Mind?" She asked him, seeing him nod.
"Yeah, I read some this morning before Daphne came in. It looks really difficult but I know it's important to know." He said with a small frown on his face. "I don't want anyone reading my mind."
She smiled at him. "Luckily, it's not a well-known art, and not many are capable of it. As you said, it is very difficult to learn Occlumency, and even harder to master Legilimency."
Harry nodded, considering. "Is it...is it possible to learn without Legilimency being used on you?" He asked, hoping it was.
Marie shook her head slightly. "You can learn the basics, certainly, but without knowing what it feels like to have someone in your mind, you will never learn how to detect it and force them out."
Harry swallowed, nodding his head sadly. "Okay then, I just hoped..."
"That we wouldn't see your memories?" Marie asked gently, and when he nodded again, she walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Of your childhood?"
Harry shrugged and began to chew on the inside of his cheek, refusing to look at her.
"I know, from the little you have said, that it wasn't pleasant for you dear." Marie said, and reached out to cusp his chin gently, turning his gaze to her. "But I promise that you can trust us, that we won't judge you. We only want to help you, Harry."
Harry stared into her warm hazel eyes, seeing her sincerity, but the worry didn't leave him. "I just..." He started, before he looked away from her again. "I'm embarrassed." He whispered lowly.
"Why, dear?" She asked him softly, drawing him into a hug so he didn't need to look at her and trying to offer him as much comfort as she could.
He sighed into her chest. "Because I didn't stop them." He murmured, eyes distant as he thought of the Dursleys. "I know now that I could have made them stop, made them treat me better. But I would have hurt them, and I didn't want to."
Marie swallowed, picturing in her mind what it could have been like for him. "Well, I don't know exactly what it was like for you, but you can't blame yourself, Harry. And you not wanting to hurt them, that's just because you're a good person, with a good heart." She told him, squeezing him tight to her. "Don't be embarrassed, because you're better than them."
It took a few moments until Harry nodded slightly, but Marie didn't release him and instead continued to hold him, the two of them standing there for a long while until Harry finally broke away from her.
"Thanks, Marie." He smiled, cheeks red with happiness. "Would it-would it be okay if it was you? That taught me Occlumency, I mean." He said quickly, but she just smiled softly and nodded her head.
"Of course, dear. We can start whenever you like." She said, leaving the decision up to him.
"Can we start now?" He asked, determined. The thought of coming back to Hogwarts and having Snape rooting around in his mind made him feel sick.
Marie simply pulled her wand and conjured two comfortable armchairs for them.
"First, I want you to close your eyes..."
That night, Harry was woken in the night by a soft voice whispering to him.
"Harry? Harry, wake up, I need to talk to you." The voice whispered urgently, a hand shaking his shoulder lightly as she crouched in front of him.
"Wassat?" He murmured, still half-asleep.
"Harry, it's me. Wake up." Daphne said, but he still wasn't completely awake enough for her liking, so instead she groped for his wand on his bedside table, found it, and with a quick Aguamenti later, Harry was wide-awake, drenched in water and spluttering angrily.
"Shush, you'll wake everyone else up." She said, beginning to walk around to the other side of the bed whilst Harry dried himself and his pillow and bedsheets.
Daphne climbed into the bed beside him, and Harry was too tired and curious as to what she wanted to protest. "What is it?"
"I couldn't sleep, and when I was lying there I got to thinking. You know in Defence, you keep getting headaches?" She asked, and when he made a noise that indicated he was following she continued. "Do you think it might have been Legilimency?"
Harry thought about it. He had felt someone invading his mind from Snape and then most recently Marie, but didn't think he'd ever felt it in Defence. "I don't think so, it didn't feel like your Mum or Snape. It feels more like my scar is hurting and then I get a headache from it. Why, do you think it could be Legilimency?" He asked her, knowing she knew more about it than he did.
She shrugged, but then realised he likely couldn't see the motion. "Maybe? If it doesn't feel like it then probably not, but it's the only explanation that makes sense. And at the feast, when you looked at Snape, your scar hurt and we know he's used Legilimency on you, so I thought it might be the same thing."
Harry hummed as he thought about it. "Maybe it is then, but why would Quirrell be reading my mind? It doesn't seem like him, he's harmless."
Daphne chewed on her lip, considering. "I know what you mean, and when I think about it, I doubt he'd be capable of it. I mean, remember Halloween? He ran from the troll after he saw it and then fainted. Snape was the one who fought it and beat it." She said, thinking it didn't make much sense for the man to be incapable of beating a troll but becoming a master of Legilimency.
"I see what you mean. I'm not sure, but we can see when we get back to Hogwarts and I can use what little Occlumency I have. Was this really so important that you needed to wake me up for it?" He said, crossing his arms and huffing.
Daphne's affronted look was wasted on him in the darkness. "Does it upset you so much to have a pretty witch visiting you in the night?" She said in a hurt voice, and the instant choking from Harry's side of the bed meant she had to clamp her hands over her mouth so she didn't wake the house with her laughter.
"That's - I - You can't say things like that!" Harry stammered, mortified.
Daphne, still chuckling to herself, began to leave his room, but couldn't help but leave him a parting comment that was immediately followed by yet more sputterings.
"I didn't hear you say 'no', Harry."
Harry was nine years old, and today had been Dudley's tenth birthday. The spoilt boy had received mountains of presents, a big cake, and all the attention he could wish for.
Harry had received a vicious bite from Ripper, who was the dog Marge, Vernon's sister, had brought with her to visit her nephew. He was now up a tree, leg bleeding, and desperately holding on to a flimsy branch as the dog circled the bottom of the tree, waiting for him to come back down and take another bite. His relatives were all standing at the kitchen door and laughing at him, refusing to help.
It wasn't until past midnight that Marge finally called the dog off and Harry was able to limp into his cupboard.
Marie pulled out of his mind, closing her eyes as she thought about what she'd just seen. In the seat opposite her, Harry panted after the exertion of trying to keep the woman from seeing his memories. He had been doing well, but when she had begun to look for memories associated with dogs, he had been unable to stop her from viewing this memory.
Marie kept her eyes closed and tried to control her breathing. "Who was that woman, Harry?" She asked him in as clear a voice as she could.
"She was Marge, Vernon's sister. She was...worse than all of them, really. Luckily, she didn't visit all too often." He said in a low voice, rubbing his leg where the dog had bitten him, thankful that it had never scarred.
It had been like this ever since Boxing Day. Marie and Harry would sit together for a few hours to practice his Occlumency, and she would see memories from his childhood. Harry had shown great potential, but he was still unable to eject her from his mind himself and as of yet he was only capable of stalling her. She would look for memories associated with certain things, and he would instead think of something else, so she would then start to view what he had thought of in response, and then he would think of yet another thing. It worked, for a little bit, until eventually he was unable to continue throwing new memories at her and she saw one in its entirety.
By now, she had seen more than enough memories to get a clear picture of the life he had led, and it was only because she knew he wouldn't want her to that stopped her from finding where they all lived and ending their pathetic lives. Slowly.
Harry had been horrified at first when she had seen a memory of his cousin, Dudley, kicking him down the stairs after one of the few times Harry had been allowed to use the shower facilities, but rather than discuss it with him, she had gently encouraged his efforts to keep her out and said no more of it. But then, as she saw more and more memories, she found herself unable to stay silent. And so, she would ask him about the memories she had seen, and at first Harry had been hesitant to talk about them, but eventually, he began to open up to her and tell her about his relatives and how they had treated him.
It broke her heart every time she saw his memories, but all she could do now was show him that those days were over, and he had a family now that would care for him and would never treat him as those monsters had.
"Again?" Harry asked her as he rubbed his temples slowly, but she shook her head.
"No, dear, that's enough for today. You'll be exhausted for tonight." She told him, and he accepted her words with a nod. They both got to their feet and she hugged him, as she had done after each of their sessions. It was as much for her as it was for him at this point.
"You did wonderfully today, dear. It won't be long now and you'll be able to remove me yourself." She told him as she ran her fingers through his thick black hair.
"It's still not enough." He mumbled, sighing to himself.
"It is enough for you to know you're being attacked and to defend yourself, Harry," Marie told him firmly. They had had an incident on the second day when she had seen a memory that was particularly distressing to him, and he had lashed out with his magic and hit her with a stinging hex. He had been beyond apologetic, but she had told him that it was okay and that he was simply defending himself. If he couldn't remove her with his Occlumency alone, then blasting whoever was assaulting his mind with his magic was a good second option in her opinion.
"Now, go on and get yourself a few hours of sleep, you'll never make it to midnight otherwise." She instructed with a final pat on the head, and Harry was tired enough to do so without protest.
Once he had left her, she found herself returning to her seat and thinking of the memory she had seen today. Almost as soon as Harry had left, Daniel walked in with two cups of coffee in his hands and walked over to her, passing her one and sitting in the armchair Harry had vacated with his own.
"That bad?" He asked her softly.
She nodded sadly. "They all are, Dan. I don't think he had a single happy memory until he found he had magic." She told him with a shake of her head, feeling tears well up.
She had been strong for Harry because he had needed her, but after every session her husband had anticipated her needs and come to her, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold in her emotions once she was alone.
He reached across the space between them and took her hand. "We'll just have to make up for the lack, then." He told her with a gentle smile on his face, and Marie nodded, meeting his eyes.
"We will." She agreed with conviction, determined that she would right the wrongs those monsters had done to him.
Vernon, Petunia, Marge. She committed the names to memory, just in case.
That night, New Year's Eve, was a night of fun and games for the Greengrass family.
They introduced Harry to Monopoly, which he had been very surprised to see, but Marie explained that she'd shared a dorm at Hogwarts with a muggle-born girl who had introduced her to the game and eventually gifted it to her for Christmas after Marie had found she loved it.
And so, a table had been conjured and the board placed in the centre of the seating arrangements they usually sat in, the two settees and armchair being moved closer. The fireplace crackling and the piano playing created a relaxing atmosphere as Harry was introduced to Monopoly, Greengrass style.
It was carnage.
Immediately there had been an argument when both Daphne and Astoria had wanted to be the dog, during which Daniel quietly passed the airplane piece to Harry, telling him "It's not quite a Nimbus, but that'll do for you.", and took the top hat for himself.
"Tori I always have the dog, so stop arguing!" Daphne screamed across the table at her sister.
"No, you're not, I've been the dog the last four times I played!" Astoria screamed right back.
"Since when?! I'm always the dog!" Daphne replied, throwing her arms in the air in frustration.
"Since you buggered off to school and I could finally get the dog!" Astoria shot, crossing her arms as if she'd won the argument.
"Girls! For goodness sake, does it really matter?" Marie said in a tired voice, just wanting to start the game.
"Fine, then I'll be the cat," Daphne said, reaching out for the piece.
"No, I'm the cat," Marie said instantly, picking up her cat and holding it close to her chest possessively.
"Erm, Daphne?" Harry started, but flinched when she whirled to look at him so quickly he swore he could hear the crick in her neck. "You could pretend the rocking horse is a Unicorn?" He suggested quietly, pointing towards it.
Daphne looked at the piece, then back at him, then back at the piece, before finally settling on him. "Harry, it's the principle of the matter. I'm always the dog, Astoria knows that, and if I give in to her now I've lost for life." She told him and whipped back to look at her sister. "Tori, give me the damn dog!"
Harry had then turned to Astoria. "You could be the battleship?" He suggested, and she looked at him.
"Battleship? That's a boat." She said in a voice that suggested he was a simpleton.
"No, it's a battleship. Muggles use them in war. You know, to kill people." He told her, picking up the piece and holding it out to her enticingly.
She snatched it from his hand immediately and threw the dog at Daphne who yelped when it hit her straight in the forehead and began inspecting her new piece with a pleased smile. Daphne rubbed her forehead with a scowl. "Can we start now?"
Unfortunately, they weren't able to start as they then had to decide who would be the banker.
"I'm always the banker, someone else can do it this time," Marie said, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat.
"I'll do it!" Astoria cried, reaching out for the stacks of money and causing the rest of them to suddenly develop an immense sense of dread.
"Like we'd let you be the banker!" Daphne said, leaning forward and slapping her hand away. "I'll do it."
"Do you not remember the last time you were the banker and you decided the banker got commission on every purchase and ruined the game entirely?" Daniel pointed out to his eldest, immediately causing outcry as the other two remembered that blatant bit of cheating.
"What about Harry then? He's not corrupt." Daphne suggested, volunteering him and ignoring the panicked shake of his head.
"Absolutely not, you'll use your womanly wiles on him to get extra money." Astoria declared, pointing an accusatory finger at her sister, who reddened.
"The thought never crossed my mind." She denied in a tight voice.
"What are womanly wiles?" Harry asked Daniel, who just shook his head and told him he'd tell him when he was older.
"I'll do it." Daniel sighed, and luckily everyone agreed.
So, after a short explanation of the rules (no purchasing properties on your first go round, if you land on free parking you get all the taxes and fines that had accumulated, and no one is allowed their wand because Marie had a tendency to duplicate her money stacks), they finally were able to begin.
Poor Harry was out within the first hour after being swindled by, of all people, Marie, who found herself the proud owner of a full red set, two of them courtesy of Harry who had found himself unable to turn down the offer of £400 and both waterworks in return. Marie immediately made sure to have four houses on each property, and Harry, who had been on Vine Street and the final orange property, hadn't realised the trap he had just fallen into, rolled a five, landed on the final red property, and was bankrupted. Marie was slowly counting the money she received from him with a pleased smile, Harry was kicking himself for trusting her, and the rest were laughing their heads off.
"Tough luck, kiddo," Marie told him consolingly, grinning as if she had nothing to do with it.
"At least he's cute, eh Daph?" Astoria cackled, receiving a glare from her sister.
"Leave him alone, it was his first game!" Daphne defended him, but leaned in closer and told him "That was pitiful, when you're older make sure to consult me on any business deals before you make yourself a pauper." Harry had to agree with her assessment, patting his airplane piece mournfully.
Soon enough Daniel was out as well, having been unable to make a set of his own and slowly being crippled by the rest of them. Astoria found herself the lucky beneficiary, though sneered when she found she had only received £48 and two stations.
"Talk about going out with a whimper," Astoria said scathingly, throwing the small pile of money she had received onto her own, and Daniel covered his face with his hands.
"Don't look at me, Marie, I'm a failure." He cried dramatically.
Marie nodded absently as she rolled the dice and not even looking at him. "Of course you are, love"
However, it was Marie who was out next, falling to the 'death corner' Daphne had created, having full light blue and pink sets, having hit both of them in a row and losing everything.
"That was for you, Harry." Daphne smiled at him, causing Astoria to make a throwing-up motion.
And thus, it was the two Greengrass sisters who faced one another, and that was reflected on the board in front of them. Daphne, with the light blue, pink, orange and red sets, and then Astoria with the yellow, green, dark blue and brown sets.
"You're dead, sister, and when you are I'll take your money, your properties and your Harry." Astoria declared, her eyes staring into her sister's own and promising no mercy.
"Shut up and roll, demon-spawn," Daphne said through gritted teeth, unconsciously scooting closer to the bewildered Harry who was still mouthing 'your Harry' to himself.
Two hours later, after many back-and-forth large sum payments and a last-gasp free parking bailout for Astoria, the youngest girl was victorious, dancing in her spot with glee.
"Ha! And once again, Astoria is the winner," She crowed, pointing at each of them in turn. "Bow down to me, mortals!"
Daphne was despondent. "She won again, she always bloody wins." She moaned, and Harry patted her shoulder consolingly.
Marie and Daniel began packing away the board, but Daniel was the one who looked up at the clock and realised the time.
"It's almost midnight everyone, get ready." He told them, quickly running to put the game back into its place and returning to his wife's side. Together, they all watched the clock and began counting down the seconds until midnight and the new year.
"5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!" They all cried, and Daniel and Marie embraced each other with a hug and a kiss.
Astoria sauntered over to Harry. "And now for my prize..." She began, beginning to get onto her tiptoes and lean towards the confused Harry, only to find herself bodychecked into the Christmas tree with a crash and replaced by her older sister.
Daphne threw her arms around him and hugged him, whispering "Happy New Year, Harry," into his ear, before placing a quick peck on his lips.
Harry stood there, shocked beyond belief, but a wide smile slowly crept onto his face. "Happy New Year, Daphne," He said in return, his blush matched only by the girl in his arms.
Embedded in the tree, tangled in tinsel and stuck upside-down, Astoria was muttering angrily to yourself.
"Oh, don't mind me, take your time, just leave the ten-year-old to struggle, I understand completely..."
Five days later, the five of them found themselves once more on Platform 9 3/4, the loud call of the steam train ringing in their ears as they all hugged each other goodbye, shrunken trunks in each of their pockets and an empty birdcage in Daphne's. She had sent her owl along to Hogwarts already, not wanting to her pet to be cooped up on the train with them when she could fly there herself.
Marie was hugging her eldest, the two of them having a whispered conversation that for some reason unbeknownst to Harry resulted in Daphne shooting him thoughtful glances. He only noticed when Daniel hugged him and his face ended up pointed toward the two of them.
"Look after yourself son, and keep up your practice," Daniel told him in a thick voice, patting his back. He stepped back and was replaced by Astoria, who hugged him tightly.
"Don't worry Harry, it's only a few more months and you'll see me again." She told him in a light voice, but Harry could hear that she was upset that he and Daphne would be leaving again.
"I'll miss you too, Astoria." He told her, pretending not to notice when she hitched in his arms, and when he released her she clung onto her father's side, pointedly not looking at him.
Marie came over then and swept him into a warm hug. "Be good, dear, and write to us every week. If anything goes wrong we'll be there straight away, understand?" She told him, and when Harry nodded she placed a kiss on top of his head.
"We'll miss you Harry, but it'll be Easter soon and we'll be together again," Marie said, almost as much for herself as for Harry as she released him from her hold.
Meanwhile, Daphne was being hugged by Astoria and was kind enough not to tease her when she felt her shuddering in her arms. "It'll be alright Tori, we'll be back soon."
"I know." Astoria squeaked. "But what if something happens to you? I didn't really think about it before but you were hurt last term and now You-Know-Who might be coming back and Harry wants to fight him and you want to help him-" She began ranting, but Daphne shushed her frantically.
"Shush, it's fine, we'll be fine," Daphne said quickly, looking around to make sure nobody had overheard as Astoria lifted her head to lock eyes with her older sister.
"Promise?" She asked in a small voice.
"I promise." Daphne told her firmly.
Astoria peered at her through narrowed watery eyes as she looked for any signs of deceit, but in the end, simply nodded and stepped back to return to her parents, allowing Daphne to join Harry as he was released from Marie's hold.
They stood side-by-side as they gazed at the three remaining Greengrass', reminiscent of the last time Daphne had stood here waiting to get on the train, as they all smiled at each other sadly.
"We'd best be getting on, make sure no one has stolen our compartment," Daphne said with a quick glance at Harry, who nodded.
"Thank you all, this has been the best Christmas of my life," Harry told them earnestly, trying to show in his voice how much they all meant to him, but Marie shook her head at him.
"You just wait until next year, dear. We'll try to top it." She told him, laughing sadly as her husband wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Come on, Harry," Daphne told him, stepping onto the train and trying not to cry herself as he followed her. She turned back briefly, shouting over her shoulder. "Love you!"
"Love you, Daphne." They all responded in turn.
"Bye, everyone!" Harry called with a wave, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Bye, Harry." Each voice rang out clearly, Daniel's deep timbre, Marie's loving call, and even little Astoria's cheeky cry, though the sadness was still in her voice.
Together, they traveled the length of the train until they were back in their compartment, and when the train began to move, they both pressed their faces to the window. When they spotted their family, they placed their hands on the window to wave goodbye, until eventually, they were gone and their return to Hogwarts was fully underway. The two sat back in their seats and looked at each other sadly.
"I've never known what it was like to miss people before," Harry said, eyes looking out of the window to the passing world.
Daphne gave him a small smile. "It'll get easier, and you still have me."
"Always?" Harry asked, a small grin playing on his lips as he turned to her.
"Always." Daphne told him, smiling brightly.
And here's chapter 11, a bit of a shorter one but I wanted to end it with them returning to Hogwarts. Updates will potentially be a little slower as I get ready for my holiday, but potentially I might be able to write a chapter while I'm out there, and if not I'll try to get one fully written before I go so that I can upload it halfway through my holiday so you're not going over 10 days without an update.
The Monopoly scene had to be there, I remember reading A Seemingly Simple Game by Sarah1281 and being in fits of laughter so this is a homage to that story, as well as my own family playing the game and the arguments it caused.
Most of you will notice that out of the two Greengrass parents, Marie is definitely the one who is closer to Harry, and for me, that's probably because of the old adage 'fathers want daughters, mothers want sons', and it was natural to me for her to be the one Harry trusted to see his memories and teach him Occlumency.
Next, Harry and Daphne return to Hogwarts and they make a new friend. Who will that be I wonder?
Seems like the majority of you reviewers are guessing that Astoria will be a Gryffindor. Interesting, interesting...
It's only just occurred to me now I'm writing the A/N that I still haven't decided if Hedwig will be called that or not. Give me some suggestions and I might pick the best one.
Thank you so much for the response on the last chapter, every review you guys left honestly had me smiling ear-to-ear.
Enjoy!