The next morning, once they'd all finished the lie-in that Daniel had insisted upon they mutually decided to hang around the villa for a while, having spent little time there so far.
Marie and Daphne were beside each other sunbathing on the sunbeds whilst Daniel was lazily floating on his back in the pool, a serene, relaxed smile on his face.
A little further away from the two sunbathers, Harry and Astoria both sat crossed-legged facing each other on a sunbed, shaded by an umbrella.
"Are we agreed on the rules? Three seconds to answer, one challenge each per round, you won't get all mopey when I win?" Astoria asked, staring intently at the boy before her.
"Yes, three seconds, one challenge, you won't start crying when you lose, agreed," Harry responded.
"As I'm the reigning champion, you can go first." Astoria declared, waving her hand in his direction airily.
Harry tilted his head slightly toward her in acceptance and quickly began to rack his mind for a good start.
"Music." He began.
"Instruments." She shot back instantly.
"Torture," Harry answered immediately.
"Fun," Astoria said with an evil smile.
"I'm challenging that, I don't believe you think that's fun," Harry said, crossing his arms.
"Some people do, have you never heard of the Death Eaters, Harry?" Astoria responded with a raised eyebrow.
"But-" Harry faltered, before dropping his head with a sigh. "Fine."
"Three seconds starting now, challenge-waster," Astoria said, pretending to look at a non-existent watch.
"Duelling."
"Wands."
"Magic."
"Potions."
"Cauldron."
Astoria paused for a moment before she answered. "Leaky."
"Pipe."
"Dad."
Harry looked askew at her before he remembered the previous night and answered quickly before his time ran out. "Marie."
"Daphne."
"Beaut-" Harry began but quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes going wide and darting to the girl in question who was blessedly having a nap.
"Well, that was quick," Astoria said mirthfully. "I'd have thought you'd have lasted longer."
Harry eyed her warily. "Astoria, please don't-"
"HEY DAPH!" Astoria called before he could finish, turning to face her sister who jerked awake. "GUESS WHAT?!
"WHAT?!" Daphne called back, face angry after being woken up.
Harry's face grew desperate. "Tori, please-"
"Harry's even worse at this than you are." Astoria finished simply, her face the very picture of innocence.
Harry blew out a relieved breath as Daphne tiredly got up and walked over.
"Worse than me at what?" She asked wearily, sitting on the sunbed next to them with a huff.
"Word association, he didn't even last ten exchanges," Astoria said, looking at Harry with pity.
Daphne turned to him. "Have you never played before?" Harry shook his head and she turned back to her sister, crossing her arms. "See? You were taking advantage of someone who didn't know how to play properly. I bet he'd beat you if you tried it again."
Harry felt touched by her faith in him, whilst Astoria merely looked excited and sat up straighter. "The stakes?" She asked her sister, her tone all business.
"10 Galleons." Daphne offered.
Astoria rolled her eyes. "Wow, you're so confident in him."
"20 Galleons and Harry gets to start." Daphne ground out through gritted teeth.
"Done," Astoria said instantly, holding out her hand for Daphne to shake. Once she had, she turned back to Harry. "Same rules?" Harry nodded, focusing on the girl. "Get on with it, then."
Harry thought quickly before he alighted on an idea that would get him a sure-fire win, as long as he set the trap properly.
"County." He began, face carefully blank.
"Cheshire."
"Home."
"House."
"Slytherin."
"Snake."
"Parseltongue" Harry hissed with a confident smirk. Daphne quickly realised what he'd done and stared at her sister with a gleeful smile.
Astoria's eyes bugged out for a moment before her expression cleared and she smiled slightly. "Language."
Harry gaped at her. "How did-can you-?"
"Aaand there's three seconds." Astoria grinned, turning toward Daphne who was cradling her head in her hands. "I expect payment the second we get home. It was a pleasure doing business with you."
"I hate you," Daphne mumbled through her hands.
"How did you know what I said?" Harry demanded of the younger girl.
"I didn't know what you said, I just know you well enough to guess that you'd literally just say 'Parseltongue' in Parseltongue." She bragged, smirking at him. "You were really confident with that one, weren't you? I could see it in your eyes."
"Yeah, I was." Harry sighed in defeat as Astoria reached over and patted him on the head consolingly. The girl turned toward her sister who had finally lifted her head.
"Oh, get over yourself, Daph," Astoria said mockingly to her older sister. "It's not like you can do any better."
Daphne jumped to her feet angrily. "Move, Harry." The boy frantically dove to the side, landing on the tiled floor as Daphne immediately took up the space he had vacated not one second before, glaring at her younger sister. Harry quickly sat down on the other sunbed to watch.
"You first." Daphe bit out, refusing to break eye contact with Astoria.
"Age before beauty," Astoria responded, staring back at her older sister and taking up the secondary challenge.
"Nundu," Daphne said in response.
"Endangered."
"Basilisk."
"Snake."
"Open.' Daphne hissed out, and Harry whipped his head to look at her in shock, but she was still locked in the staring contest with her sister.
"Closed," Astoria said after a second's thought.
"Door," Daphne answered, not capitulating in shock as Harry had done.
"Knob."
"Snape." Harry burst out laughing at that, especially when Astoria didn't even challenge it.
"Teacher."
"School."
"Hogwarts." Harry was impressed at this point that neither of their eyes were watering.
"Dormitory."
"Slytherin."
"Harry." Astoria smiled a little to herself, unnoticed by her sister.
"Mine." Daphne blinked in shock at what she had unthinkingly answered, her face beginning to redden. Harry stared at the side of her head, his own tilted in confusion.
"Diamond," Astoria answered as soon as she had finished, grinning widely.
"J-Jewel." Daphne stammered after a second.
"Gem."
"Sapphire."
"Pretty." Daphne appeared to be recovering now.
"Handsome." Astoria's grin grew wider, knowing exactly what, or who, her sister would think of first.
Daphne opened her mouth to reply unthinkingly before quickly stopping herself by snapping her mouth closed. Her eyes darted around as she quickly tried to think of another word in time.
"Done," Astoria said as she clapped her hands together repeatedly as if she were dusting them off. "Well, I was wrong, sister. You certainly did better than Harry."
The two girls both looked over at the boy, who had a light frown on his face. "How is 'mine' associated with me?"
"Well, erm..." Daphne floundered.
"Because we've all said how your eyes are like emeralds, and emeralds are mined." Astoria cut in smoothly in a voice that suggested it was obvious.
"Really? You all say that?" Harry asked in a disbelieving voice.
"O-of course," Daphne answered, trying to keep the relief out of her voice. "You have...unique eyes, Harry." Astoria side-eyed her sister at that response, but Daphne just ignored her.
"Oh," Harry said before he smiled widely at her. "Thanks!"
"Don't mention it," Daphne responded weakly, absently reaching up and placing the back of her palm on her cheek to feel how hot her face was. She knew it had nothing to do with the sun.
"So, the parseltongue?" Harry asked of the girl, who grinned shakily at him.
"I've heard you say that word enough times in isolation that I could make an attempt at it," Daphne explained.
Harry nodded his head in acceptance. "It was almost perfect, you clearly said 'open'." Daphne's smile grew a little stronger at that, but before she could answer a new voice drifted over to the three of them.
"Hey, Harry?" The three of them turned to look at Daniel, who was standing waist-high in the water. "Do you want to come in now?"
Harry swallowed, his face clearly showing how unsure he was.
Daphne leaned forward and laid her hand on his arm gently. "Go on, Harry, you'll be okay." Harry's eyes found hers and he looked searchingly in the blue depths for a moment before he nodded weakly. When Daphne squeezed his arm in response he nodded again more firmly and got to his feet.
"Well, I'm just gonna...you know," Harry said to the two girls. Astoria just hummed in response whilst Daphne made a shooing motion with her hands.
"Go on, before you change your mind." She told him with a smile, and he grinned back at her before walking over to the edge of the pool.
Once he was out of earshot, Daphne flopped down until she was lying on her back. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. "I think the sun has scrambled my brain."
Astoria leaned back against the backrest of the sunbed, watching her with amusement. "'We both know it's not the sun, sister."
Daphne groaned again and turned her head to peer at the other girl. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Astoria smirked at her. "I'd have thought being in Slytherin would have made you a better liar."
"Shut up, Tori."
Harry hadn't realised how cold the water would be at first and had exclaimed in surprise the second he dipped his foot into the pool whilst climbing down the ladder.
Daniel chuckled. "You'll get used to it quickly, Harry. The pool is a good way to cool down when you're in the sun."
Harry nodded and began to climb further down until he was standing in the pool. The water rose up to his chest as he experimentally moved his arms through it, marveling at the strange feeling.
Daniel watched him patiently for a moment before he approached. "Okay kiddo, are you ready for the first step?"
Harry nodded as Daniel came to a stop in front of him. "What do I need to do?"
"First, I want you to crouch, as if you were trying to sit down," Daniel instructed calmly.
"Pardon?" Harry blinked and stared at him. "I'll be under the water!"
"I know," Daniel smiled. "That's the point. I want you to get used to being surrounded by it so you don't panic." Harry still looked dubious so Daniel reached out and held onto his smaller hands in his own. "Don't worry son, I'll be right here with you. We'll do it together."
Harry grimaced but nodded his head, trusting the man. Daniel smiled at his response. "You can keep your eyes open if you choose to, but make sure to keep your mouth closed this time, it'll make you panic if you swallow any water accidentally. When you're ready, Harry?"
Harry shuffled his feet slightly so they felt like they were firmly under him and took a few breaths. "I'm ready."
Daniel nodded. "Okay, deep breath, on three. 1..2...3."
Together they crouched down, and as soon as his head was under the water Harry panicked and shot back up. He gasped as Daniel emerged after him, still smiling. "Okay there, kiddo?"
"Yeah," Harry said shakily. "It just surprised me."
"That's fine, take your time. We'll go again when you're ready."
Harry breathed in and out slowly a few times and shook his shoulders slightly. "Okay, I'm good."
Daniel nodded and began the countdown again. "1...2...3."
This time, once his head was submerged Harry remained calm, though he kept his eyes firmly closed. For a few seconds, he simply concentrated on staying under the water and getting used to the feeling. Daniel's hands on his own felt like an anchor, and eventually, Harry felt calm with the situation and opened his eyes. He could see Daniel in front of him, though his features were distorted by the water. His eyes stung slightly and he blinked them a few times, but the feeling remained. After a few more seconds, he slowly returned to a standing position, emerging from the water again.
"How was that?" Daniel asked once he too had resurfaced.
"It was fine," Harry smiled, happy with his achievement. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. My eyes stung though."
Daniel chuckled. "Yes, something the muggles put in the water seems to do that. It's harmless though, and it's not as bad on the eyes as saltwater."
Harry accepted his words with a nod. "What now?"
"Now just relax for a bit and enjoy being in the water. Then, when you feel up to it, I want you to do it again but on your own this time." Daniel told him gently, moving away slightly to give him space.
Harry walked around a bit in the pool, amazed at how difficult such a simple act was with the weight of the water trying to stop him. A few times, he crouched down low enough that the water came up to his chin as if he were psyching himself up.
"But mum!" Astoria's distressed voice sounded, and Daniel turned to look at the disturbance. Astoria and Daphne had moved over to sit with Marie, and an argument appeared to be brewing. "I hate shopping! The only time you should go shopping is for birthdays and Christmas!"
Daniel turned around fully to watch the confrontation, smiling to himself and wondering who would win the old argument. He had been keeping score for years, and currently, Astoria was up 13-8. "Oh, Astoria, you need new clothes! Some nice things to wear for Hogwarts?" Marie responded to her daughter in a tired voice.
Astoria opened her mouth to retort but was stopped by Daphne who yanked her sister's head close enough that she could whisper furiously in her ear. When Daphne had finished, Astoria gave her a resigned look and turned back to their mother.
"Okay, Mum, let's go shopping." She said in a tight voice. Daniel's eyebrows were nearly in his hairline when he heard this, and he mentally updated the scoreboard to 13-8-1.
Marie gave her youngest a surprised smile. "Wonderful!" She exclaimed happily. "When your father and Harry are finished we'll be on our way."
"Wait, wait, wait," Daniel said from the water, causing the three women's heads to swivel toward him. "Why am I being dragged into this?" He whined pitifully.
"Because-HARRY!" Marie suddenly screamed, jumping up from her sunbed at the sight she had seen over her husband's shoulder. Daniel whipped around and froze for a second when he saw Harry, completely submerged under the water and unmoving.
"NO!" Daniel roared as he rushed over to the boy, absently noticing the three large splashes as Marie, Daphne and Astoria ran over and each jumped into the pool. Daniel grasped him under the armpits, lifting him high into the air and out of the water. "Harry!"
Harry, feeling rather like a fish that had been plucked out of the sea by a bird, looked down at the panicking man. "Err, hi?" He looked around at the three women close by, each of them wide-eyed and breathing heavily. "I was just doing what you said to do, getting used to the water and stuff."
Daniel stared at him for a long moment. "I thought you'd drowned," The man said, voice breaking as he pulled the boy close to his chest and hugged him tightly, quickly being joined by the rest of the family.
Harry, though he enjoyed the surprise affection, couldn't help but feel a little bit annoyed.
"I know I can't swim, but even I'd struggle to drown in water I can just stand up in."
After a long while the family ended their impromptu group hug and climbed out of the water, where Marie told the children to go and get changed into suitable clothing. Daphne explained to Harry what they were going out for as the three of them entered the villa, making their way toward their rooms, which the boy just accepted with a shrug. None of them noticed that Marie and Daniel had remained standing by the pool.
"I thought we'd lost him," Daniel said lowly to his wife, his voice rumbling in his chest as he stared at the water.
"I know love, I did too." She responded, stepping into his space and wrapping her arms around him. She began to rub circles into his back as he answered.
"I wasn't paying attention, Marie, he could have easily-" Daniel started, only to be interrupted by Marie, who raised her voice slightly.
"But he didn't, because you'd just taught him not to panic when underwater." She reassured him, reaching up with her other hand and gently grasping his chin with her hand, turning his head so he was looking at her. "You were the best Auror there was, Daniel Greengrass, and if our boy had been drowning, you would have noticed and you would have saved him." She brought his head down and kissed him deeply. Daniel poured all of the terror and uncertainty he was feeling into the embrace, and Marie took it and returned all the love and trust she had for him back.
Eventually, their kiss was broken when they heard their children returning and waited patiently for them to gather. Once they had, the family began to make their way from the villa and down the pathway toward civilisation in search of somewhere to shop.
Not one of them said a word about Daniel keeping his hand on Harry's shoulder the entire way.
A short twenty-minute walk and some helpful directions later and they found themselves at a sizeable boutique which Marie had made a beeline for the second she spotted it.
"Your Mum really likes shopping," Harry whispered to Daphne as they entered the shop.
Daphne nodded happily. "She enjoys it, but mainly because she likes dressing us all up in nice clothes." She explained to him, leading him over to a clothes rack. "And this?" She said, waving an arm around her. "A muggle store where the options are all on show? She's going to be in her element."
"Have you never been shopping in a muggle clothes store?" Harry asked, accepting Daphne's handbag whilst she held a cardigan to her body.
She put the cardigan back after deeming it unsatisfactory and answered. "No. Remember Madam Malkins? The shops are usually like that, you choose what you want from a catalogue and then she makes them to your size. Some lower-end stores will have things already made, but they can be resized to fit the buyer. Mum prefers those stores because she can browse for ages."
"Nice bag, Harry, it's very you," Astoria said, making her way over and standing next to him. "We'll be in here for hours." She sighed, looking resigned as they both followed Daphne toward the girl's dresses on the left-hand wall. "She's as bad as Mum." The girl told him, nodding to her sister. "You've got this for the rest of your life, Harry."
Harry didn't know what she meant but didn't have time to ask when they heard Daphne make a shocked noise. "Oh, look at this one!" She hurried over to the item in question. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Harry goggled at the frilly, lacy, mustard-coloured monstrosity, sharing a disgusted look with Astoria. Daphne pulled the dress off the rack and turned, meaning Harry had to quickly hide his expression. "I don't know how much this is in Galleons, though." She said, inspecting the tag attached to the thing.
Astoria rolled her eyes and walked over, taking the tag whilst Daphne moved the dress to look at the back of it. "You're lucky I went to Gringotts with Dad when he exchanged the money." She told her sister, screwing up her face as she did the math in her head. She dropped the tag suddenly and walked back to Harry.
"Forget it, Daph, even Dad doesn't love you enough to pay that much." She stated firmly, coming to a stop beside the boy and crossing her arms at her sister. Daphne glanced at the dress and then back to them, tilting her head.
"How much is it?" Daphne asked curiously.
"About 300 Galleons," Astoria said, wrinkling her nose as she looked at the dress. "You've got no chance."
Daphne pouted, looking at the dress longingly. "But I really want it."
Astoria shrugged, unconcerned. "Tough luck, sister." She turned around to wander off in search of any clothes that looked halfway decent.
"Astoria," Daphne called, and she span back around to find her sister looking intently at her. "I really want it."
The younger girl gaped at her for a moment before storming back over. "You can't be serious!" She exclaimed. "Look at it, Daph!" Astoria gestured with her arms towards the hideous garment. Harry was entirely on Astoria's side but, for his continued health, wisely decided to stay neutral, and more importantly, silent.
"What are you talking about?" Daphne said, nonplussed. "It's a lovely dress, and I think I'll look great in it." She turned her head toward the boy still holding her handbag. "What do you think, Harry?"
Harry blinked, panic beginning to rise inside of him. Both girls stared at him, one willing him to speak the truth, the other willing him to speak her truth. In the end, he couldn't lie and had to sigh. "Yeah, you'd look great, Daph."
So much for neutrality.
Daphne turned back to her sister and raised her eyebrow, clearly, in her mind the matter was settled. Astoria stared open-mouthed at her for a moment before shaking her head in disgust. She took the dress from Daphne who smiled happily at her and stomped away to go and find her father. She passed Harry and furiously whispered, "You coward."
Harry just nodded minutely to her, agreeing with her assessment of his character. Daphne walked slowly until she had reached him and together they followed after Astoria, who had found her father with Marie in a distant corner.
"You really think I'd look great in that dress, Harry?" Daphne asked, giving him a sidelong glance.
Harry swallowed, feeling a flush rise up the back of his neck. "I-I think you'd look great in anything, Daph." He answered, refusing to even glance at the girl next to him.
Daphne beamed and hooked her arm in his. "Oh, that's so sweet of you." They soon reached Astoria, who was only a meter or so away from her parents.
"What are you waiting for, Tori?" Daphne said in a normal voice. "They're right there."
Astoria made a frantic shushing motion, whispering harshly from the side of her mouth "Shut up, I'm thinking." But unfortunately for her, their parents had turned at Daphne's voice and noticed them all.
They both opened their mouths to greet them, but then they both looked down and saw the dress Astoria was holding at the same time. Daniel looked horrified, whilst Marie only looked confused and it was she who recovered first, looking up at her youngest.
"Why do you have that, baby?" She asked, glancing down at the dress again.
"I..." Astoria started uncertainly, looking between her parent's faces. "I want it." She finished unconvincingly.
"You want this dress?" Marie repeated, eyebrows raised to the high heavens.
"Yes, I want this dress," Astoria said again, more strongly this time.
"You want this dress?!" Daniel said, still staring at it with revulsion.
"Would anyone else like to repeat what I said?" Astoria snapped. "Yes, I want this dress!"
"Astoria," Marie said slowly as she walked over to her child. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Peachy," Astoria replied, fighting the urge to roll her eyes when her mum reached out and felt her forehead.
"She's not ill," Marie said to her husband who had walked over and was inspecting the tag.
Daniel was staring at the tag as if it had personally offended him when he answered. "She's mentally ill if she thinks I'm paying that much for this."
Marie gave him a filthy look and reached out to take the tag from him. "Daniel, don't call our daughter ment- wait, how much is this?"
"300 Galleons." Astoria answered her nonchalantly.
"300 Galleons." Daphne answered her helpfully.
"300 Galleons!" Daniel answered her indignantly.
Harry stayed silent, remembering how good neutrality had felt for those few short, blissful seconds.
Marie looked back at Astoria in disbelief. "Absolutely not." She stated firmly, receiving a smile and a nod of support from Daniel who agreed with her wholeheartedly.
Astoria pouted cutely. "But I really want it, Mum,"
"Astoria, baby," Marie started, crouching down in front of her daughter. "I know what we agreed, but this is too much! You hate dresses, I had to put you in a body-bind the other night just to get a simple blouse on you! Why do you suddenly want this dress so badly?"
For a moment, it looked like it was all Astoria could do to not suddenly burst out "I have no idea", but she remained committed to the part. She looked down at the ground sadly, her eyes watering just a touch.
"Because..." She started quietly, so quietly in fact they all had to lean in and strain their ears to hear her. "Because I wanted to look pretty."
Marie and Daniel both froze. "Say again?" Marie said in a near-whisper.
"I wanted to look pretty," Astoria repeated, a little louder this time. She hugged herself around the middle and looked away. "I just...I felt good when I wore what you made me the other night. Surprisingly good."
"Oh wow, she's really going for this," Daphne murmured to Harry, both of them unable to look away from the spectacle.
Marie frowned slightly at her youngest. "But Astoria, you wore your usual clothes last night."
Astoria shrugged her little shoulders a touch and nodded. "I wanted to compare, I suppose. I like my usual clothes, because they're mine, I chose them. But I liked the way the blouse and skirt made me feel." She looked at her mother's face for a moment, before looking at the dress. "I think if...if I could combine the two..." She sighed, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter, Mum, you're right, the dress is too much."
Marie suddenly wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her tightly. "You can have the dress, baby."
"What?" Astoria asked in a small, shocked voice.
"What?!" Daniel demanded in a loud, unbelieving voice.
Marie shot up and rounded on her husband. She leaned in closely until his face was inches from hers and growled. "Daniel Greengrass I have waited for this moment for years and you will not ruin it for me."
Daniel opened and closed his mouth a few times, until eventually all he could do was sigh in acceptance, his shoulders dropping. "Yes, dear."
Marie quickly spun around again to face Astoria with a wide smile. "Come on then, baby, let's go try it on!"
Astoria blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"
Marie continued to smile as she ushered her daughter towards the back wall where the changing rooms were held. "I want to see how it looks, you might find you don't like the feel of it once it's on, but there are plenty of other dresses to try if that's the case, we'll find you one you like."
Panic was etched across Astoria's face as she was ushered along in front of her mother, trying desperately to find a way out of this, but for once she could think of nothing and soon found herself pushed into a cubicle with the dress, under instructions that as soon as she was in it she was to come out so they could all see her.
They all waited patiently over the sounds of rustling fabric and indistinct grumbles, but after fifteen minutes even Marie in her blinding happiness noticed that her daughter was perhaps taking too long.
"Is everything alright, Astoria?" She called, taking a few steps forward.
"...yes." Astoria said back, sounding like she was present at her own funeral.
"Are you ready to come out now?"
"...yes."
Daphne turned to Harry, holding out her hand. "Give me my bag, Harry." She demanded quickly.
Harry, who hadn't even realised he was still holding it, jumped in surprise and quickly passed the bag over. Daphne opened it and peered inside, rapidly locating what she needed, but the sound of the changing room door unlocking meant Harry looked away from her just as Astoria stepped out.
She stood just in front of the changing room door, staring at the floor in front of her, wearing the frilly, lacy, mustard-coloured abomination and looking rather like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
She was broken from her stupor by Daphne, who called to her cheerily. "Smile, Tori!" Astoria looked up in time for a loud flash to go off, causing her to blink. Once her eyes had readjusted, she saw her sister standing there holding their father's camera.
"Oh, Astoria, you look beautiful!" Marie cried, smiling at her daughter. She turned to the others. "Doesn't she?"
"Oh, absolutely," Daniel replied, nodding his head.
"Oh, err, great," Harry said, mourning the loss of neutrality once more.
"Oh, she looks terrible, that dress is awful." Daphne grinned as she put the camera back into her bag. Harry turned to look at her in disbelief.
Astoria could only stare at her older sister, eyes wide and mouth wide open in surprise.
"Daphne, don't be cruel." Marie chided her eldest with a stern look, before turning back to Astoria who was still staring at Daphne "Well, how does it feel, baby?"
"I...I don't think this is the dress for me, Mum." Astoria intoned emotionlessly, unable to look away from her sister's gleeful face.
Marie walked over to inspect her closer. "Hmm, perhaps it is a little too much. Well, no matter, you get changed and then we'll look at some other dresses."
Astoria finally looked away from Daphne, slowly turning her head up to look at her mum. "Other dresses?" She repeated slowly.
"You have to consider all the options, Astoria," Marie advised in a happy voice. "We might find the perfect dress for you here."
"Maybe," Astoria said, her voice suggesting she thought her mother had taken leave of her senses.
"Where did you find this dress?" Marie asked, looking around. Astoria lifted a shaky hand to point at the far left-hand wall where her evil, twisted, demented sister had picked up this eyesore.
Marie went off in the direction she was pointing, calling back to her husband. "Come on, Daniel, a father should have input in these things too." Daniel groaned and trudged off after her, muttering to himself. "Like I've got the first idea about dresses."
Astoria walked dazedly back into the changing room, quickly getting changed back into her own clothes. When she emerged, she threw the dress angrily to the side where it fell to the floor, forgotten, and stormed over to Harry and Daphne, looking into her sister's face with a betrayed look. "Why."
Daphne leaned in close to her, grinning evilly. "You pushed me into the pool." She straightened and looked her sister up and down. "I'm just being a good older sister and teaching you that actions have consequences."
"By ruining my life?!" Astoria seethed, glaring at Daphne.
"Oh, my poor baby sister, all you have to do to get out of this is admit you lied," Daphne said in a mockingly supportive voice. She turned toward their parents and made a small noise of delight. "Oh, would you look at that, it looks like Mum has found a lovely gown for you!"
Astoria looked very much like she wanted to burst into tears when she spotted the pink gown her mother was holding in the air. With a distressed squeak, she quickly paced over toward her parents in hopes of forestalling her mother, leaving Harry and Daphne alone.
Daphne's smile was wide as she watched her sister go, whilst Harry was staring at her. "You planned that from the very start, didn't you?" Harry asked in a flat voice.
Daphne turned to him and hooked her arm in his once more. "The minute she offered me that deal, I had her." She told him in a satisfied voice. "I'm finally going to win."
Harry smiled at her, impressed despite himself as they began to walk slowly over to the rest. "How happy are you right now?"
"I'm ecstatic," Daphne answered, though her smile dimmed slightly. "There is one small thing ruining it, though."
"What's that?" Harry asked with interest.
"Why is it that she actually looked good in that dress?" Daphne complained, frowning to herself.
Harry chuckled at her, shaking his head fondly. "You'd have-" He started, but stopped when he realised what he was going to say, swallowing thickly.
Daphne looked at him, noticing that he was starting to blush. She said nothing and turned away, smiling to herself and imagining what the end of that sentence was supposed to be.
They rejoined the rest of the family, noticed only by Daniel who smiled at the pair of them. Marie was too busy inspecting the clothes racks for another dress that caught her eye, while Astoria stood with her arms straight out, a number of dresses laid out over them and a haunted look on her face.
Ten minutes and one cute little polka-dot dress later, Marie finally decreed that they were done and looked happily at Astoria. "Well, that's everything, unless there's something that's caught your eye?"
Astoria shook her head quickly and Marie just shrugged to herself and began to lead them all to the till. They all followed along behind her, and Harry noted that Astoria looked like she was walking to her own execution. They made it to the tills, waiting behind two women each holding a new pair of shoes.
Marie spotted them and blanched. "Oh, I completely forgot about shoes!" She turned to Astoria. "What do you think baby, some nice new shoes to go with your dresses?"
They all turned to Astoria, hanging at the back of the group, and watched her response. She was staring at the dresses on her arms, her chest heaving as she breathed in and out.
"No." She said quietly.
"No?" Marie repeated, leaning in slightly.
"No, I don't want new shoes," Astoria said louder, looking up angrily and dropping the dresses she was holding to the floor. "And I don't want these bloody dresses either!"
Marie looked down at the pile of clothing, nonplussed. "But I thought-"
"I LIED!" Astoria screamed, throwing her arms in the air. "I lied, okay! I don't like dresses, I hate them! I always have!"
Harry quickly glanced at Daphne, who looked like Christmas had come early.
"What do you mean, you lied?" Marie asked, her face a mask of confusion. Daniel just stared blankly at his daughter.
"I lied about wanting the dress, I never wanted it," Astoria told her, crossing her arms and scowling at the floor.
Marie cocked her head to the side, considering her daughter. "I don't understand, why did you lie?"
Astoria grimaced. "Because..." She trailed off, biting her lip.
Daniel stepped forward. "Astoria." His daughter looked up at him and he gave her a hard look. "Why did you lie to us?"
Astoria looked down again, face scrunching up as she thought quickly. She sighed, looking defeated, and spoke quietly. "Because I was trying to make you spend lots of money on me."
Daniel and Marie looked at each other, the silence around them growing. Daphne raised her eyebrows at her younger sister, surprised she had actually told them the truth, while Harry looked around at them all, not sure what to do in this situation.
Slowly, their parents began to smile before they turned to Astoria.
"I'm impressed, Astoria, I honestly thought you'd crack earlier," Marie told her mirthfully. Astoria's head shot up and she stared gobsmacked at her mother.
"Eh?" Astoria answered smartly.
"Did you really think we believed that you wanted a dress?" Daniel said, smiling through his teeth.
"I-I don't understand, why did you-" Astoria stammered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"Because it was funny." They answered at the same time.
"This is the best day of my life," Daphne breathed out, her cheeks aching with how wide she was smiling. Harry just watched on, wondering how this would all play out.
Marie stepped forward until she was just in front of her daughter and reached out to cup her cheek fondly. "We know you, Astoria, better than you know yourself. You were a fool to pretend you wanted that worthless necklace, did you not think we'd realise you were up to something?"
Astoria just looked silently up at her with wide eyes.
Daniel came forward and laid his hand gently on her shoulder. "And the dress? How could we not milk that for all it's worth?"
Astoria looked between them, looking as lost as any of them had ever seen her. "B-but Daphne-"
Marie looked back at her oldest daughter, smiling. "Oh, we forgot about you. Was the dress your idea?"
Daphne bowed dramatically in response, causing her parents to laugh. "Well done, princess. You sped things up immensely." Daniel told her, before turning back to Astoria. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Astoria continued to look between them for a moment before looking down at her feet with a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry, Mum. I'm sorry I tried to get revenge on you and I'm sorry I lied." She apologised sincerely, giving them a small, sad smile.
A flash went off and the three of them turned to see Daphne holding the camera again, an innocent look on her face.
"I just thought we'd all like to remember this moment."
They decided to give up on shopping for the day and head out to a nearby restaurant close to the waterfront as the sun began to set. As soon as they sat down at the circular table, a pretty young waitress came over to take their order, giving them all a happy, cheerful smile which they each returned - with the exception of Astoria, who gave her a half-hearted wave as she slouched in her seat, enduring the topic of conversation being focused on her own humiliation.
"Personally, I'm looking forward to getting home and developing the photographs Daphne took," Daniel said, leaning back in his chair and smiling happily.
"I still can't believe she actually got into the dress." Daphne laughed, shaking her head at her sister.
Marie grinned, looking proud of herself. "As soon as I suggested it, I thought there was no way she'd agree"
The three of them continued to laugh, whilst Harry, who was across the table from her, just sat watching Astoria, meaning he was the only one to see the hurt look that suddenly flashed across her face for a moment before she schooled her features. When she looked up and caught his eye he smiled encouragingly at her, but she said nothing and looked away.
Their food arrived as the conversation continued. "I think it's because she didn't want to admit she had lied," Daniel said idly as cracked open the shell of a mussel.
"I think it's because she's stubborn as an ox," Marie chuckled as she tore off a piece of her cheese baguette and dipped it into her soup.
Astoria cut into her lasagne silently.
Daphne rolled her eyes as she swallowed a mouthful of her garlic bread. "I think it's because she didn't want to lose." She turned to Harry, who had been quiet the entire time. "What do you think?" Harry turned to her, looking in her eyes for a moment, before he turned to Astoria, who had her head bowed as she chewed her food.
"I think this food is really nice." He said nonchalantly, separating a slice of his pizza from the rest. Daphne frowned at him, wondering if he'd even been listening to the conversation. "Harry, I meant-"
Harry picked up the slice of pizza and held it out to her. "Do you want to try some?"
Daphne looked down at the offering, puzzlement still etched across her face. "Erm, no, I was-"
"How about you, Tori?" Harry called, turning to the girl in question with a smile. Astoria looked up at him with a strange emotion in her eyes, but after a moment she nodded slightly and reached out to receive the offered slice across the table.
"Thank you, Harry." She said as she took it from him, meeting his eyes.
Harry continued to smile as he answered her. "Anytime." He looked down at his plate, separating another slice of pizza. "So what are we doing tomorrow?" He asked the table at large.
Daniel and Marie looked at each other and shrugged. "I'm not sure, really," Daniel said, cracking open another mussel as he thought. "Marie?" The woman in question answered him, suggesting ideas with occasional input from Harry.
Daphne heard none of it as she was thinking about Harry's strange behaviour. She watched from beside him as he spoke between mouthfuls to her parents, more lively than he had been for the entire time they had been at the restaurant. Then, she looked at Astoria, who was finishing off her slice of pizza calmly, a happy twinkle in her eye.
She still didn't understand it when suddenly, music began to play, and she looked around until she spotted a small raised platform she had not previously noted in the corner of the restaurant in front of a cleared-out space. Whilst Daphne had been in her own thoughts, a group of performers had arrived and begun to play music for the now-full restaurant to enjoy.
Daphne didn't know enough about music to know exactly what kind of music this was, but she could see couples had gotten to their feet and walked to the clear space in front of the band to dance together.
The Greengrass family watched the assembled couples contentedly for a few minutes until Daniel finished his glass of wine and rose to his feet, walking around the table to Marie.
He bowed low and held out his hand to her. "My lady, may I have this dance?" He asked in a well-to-do voice. Marie had a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she looked at him.
"Stop acting like a ponce and I might consider it." She responded, causing him to straighten up hastily. He held his hand out to her again and she took it with a full smile, letting him pull her to her feet and lead her to the dancefloor.
Harry watched them go and smiled to himself as they began to dance, laughing together as they spoke in hushed voices. He wondered idly to himself if his own parents had been like that with each other, remembering the photograph he had of them dancing together in front of a fountain.
Astoria had to turn awkwardly in her seat to watch as the stage has been behind her chair but she soon gave up on the position and got up to go and sit in Marie's vacated seat next to Harry for a better view. Daphne was torn from watching their parents when she did so and she frowned at her sister when she sat down, trying to catch Astoria's eye to question her, but her sister was too interested in watching their parents to look across the boy sat between them.
Daniel and Marie danced together for two songs before they returned, Marie sitting down happily in Astoria's seat whilst the man turned towards his daughters excitedly. "So, which one of you wants to dance with your old dad first?"
Daphne held up her hand immediately whilst at the same moment Astoria pointed across Harry's chest at her older sister. Daniel happily walked over and held out a hand to his eldest, who took it gracefully. Together they walked to the dancefloor, laughing with one another as they went.
The three remaining watched them as they danced, seeing Daphne smile widely as she looked up into her father's happy face. Marie stood from Astoria's chair and walked around to Daphne's without taking her eyes off the scene, quickly rooting through her daughter's bag until she had found the camera and taking a few snaps.
"I bet those pictures are going straight to you-know-where," Harry said absently, receiving an agreeing nod from Marie, but luckily Astoria either didn't hear him or didn't care as she continued to watch. The waitress came over to their table to take their plates and asked if they wanted anything else to drink. Marie looked at her for a moment, then back to the dancefloor as she answered. "Yes, I think we'll be staying for a while."
The waitress came back with two glasses of wine and three lemonades just before the song ended. Daniel bowed formally to Daphne, who giggled at him and then held her arm in his as he lead her back to the table. When they arrived Daphne sat down in Daniel's seat while the man himself walked around to Astoria who watched him coming with trepidatious eyes. He held out his other hand to his youngest daughter with a gentle smile on his face.
Astoria looked at the hand, then at Daniel's face, then back to the hand with a sigh and nodded her acceptance, reaching out and allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. Daniel lead his youngest daughter to the dancefloor, looking pleased as punch, and began to slowly sway as he held her close. Within minutes, Astoria was looking up at him and smiling as widely as Daphne had. Marie took even more pictures of this dance than the last.
A few songs later and Daniel was leading his youngest back to the table where he was met by his wife's expectant gaze. He continued to smile as he held out his hand once more, though he gave his waiting glass of wine a longing look. Daphne got up to sit back in her old seat next to Harry, leaving him between the two sisters once more.
Astoria leaned close to him with an amused grin. "Do you think they'd notice if I drank some of their wine?"
"Definitely," Harry answered as the girl began to look around the room, growing bored of watching people dance.
"Do you really want to push your luck after today?" Daphne said, tearing her gaze away from the dancefloor for a moment to look at her sister.
"I wasn't being serious." Astoria shot back at her with a scowl before returning to her inspection of their fellow diners. "Hey, look over there."
Both Harry and Daphne turned to look where she was and saw a family of four sitting at a table, each perusing a menu, evidently having just arrived. The father was a dark-haired jovial-looking man, somewhat heavy-set with a thick, greying beard. The mother was an almost inhumanly beautiful woman with silvery-blonde hair. The eldest daughter looked a few years older than Harry and Daphne and was clearly following in her mother's footsteps if her already gorgeous appearance was any indication, whilst the other sibling seemed to be a year or two younger than Astoria and was offensively cute. They both had inherited the long, silvery-blonde of their mother and were sitting giggling together. When the youngest girl noticed them looking over, she nudged her older sister who looked up at them. The girl looked over them with a bored look until she made eye contact with Harry, gracing him with a beautiful smile.
Harry blinked and raised his hand to wave back before he turned back to watch the dancers, forgetting about the family almost immediately. Daphne glared at the impudent older girl, who raised her eyebrow at her and turned away from her snootily, nose in the air. The younger giggled again before turning to speak in rapid French to her sibling.
Harry and Daphne both watched the dancers for another few minutes whilst Astoria continued to lazily look around the room, giving a filthy look to the older sister at the other table each time her gaze swept over her, before Daphne got to her feet suddenly, barely glancing at her table partners as she angrily informed them that she was going to look for the toilet.
Unfortunately for Daphne, the door to the women's toilet turned out to be close to the older girl's table. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked past, hearing the two sisters giggle to each other as they spoke, though the only words she was able to pick up with her untrained ear were "petite fille."
She didn't know what "fille" meant but she knew well enough what 'petite' did. Her ears were burning as she none-too-gently opened the toilet door, angry beyond belief. She went about her business quickly in the cubicle, but when she stepped out she was surprised to see Astoria standing in the room, leaning on the sink in front of her.
"You look chirpy," Astoria said lightly, stepping to the side to lean against the wall as Daphne walked over to the sink.
"You're supposed to wait outside until the occupant is finished." She growled in response as she washed her hands.
Astoria just rolled her eyes in response. "You're so easy to rile up."
Daphne turned off the tap and gripped the edges of the sink hard as she stared at her own face in the mirror. "What does 'fille' mean?"
Her sister shuffled her feet as she thought about it. When she remembered, she sighed. "It means girl, I think."
Daphne looked down at her body self-consciously, causing Astoria to frown. "What's wrong?"
Daphne just sighed and shook her head in frustration, before giving the other girl a suspicious look. "Aren't you going to use the toilet? Or did you just follow me in here to annoy me?"
Astoria narrowed her eyes at her older sister and kicked off the wall, walking to the cubicle. "Forgive me for trying to help."
Daphne whirled as the cubicle door closed. "Yes, well, it's one of the few things you're not good at, so just shut up and leave me alone." She glared at the closed door but received nothing but silence. Shaking her head, she walked over to the wall and took over Astoria's position, leaning against the cool tile.
It took a few minutes for her anger to clear, and when it did she began to feel guilty that she had lashed out at her little sister. She glanced at the cubicle door but heard no signs that Astoria was coming out any time soon.
Daphne moved away from the wall, walking over to the cubicle door again. "Tori?" She called softly, receiving no answer. After a few seconds, she tried again. "Tori, answer me."
"Go away, Daphne," Astoria said in a quiet, watery voice. Daphne's heart broke at the sound and her head drooped. She turned to walk out of the toilet when the door swung open.
"Excuse moi?" The older French sister was standing in the doorway. "Iz there-oh." She paused when she noticed it was Daphne standing there. She stepped into the room fully, allowing the door to close behind her, and looked at Daphne. Up close, Daphne could see that the girl was stunningly beautiful and much taller than she was, and a quick glance down she saw that she was bigger in other areas as well.
"Iz everything alright?" The older girl asked in a tinkling voice, her accent thick. "Iz the leetle girl having toilette issues?"
Daphne felt like her head was about to explode with how quicky her previous anger returned, but before she could even say a word the cubicle door was slammed open and Astoria stalked out directly toward the intruder, causing her to take a step backward. "Now you listen to me you jumped-up tart! If you ever insult my sister again I'll get the biggest wand I can find and ram it so far up your-"
"You are witches?" The girl interrupted in surprise as she looked at the two girls. Daphne's eyes widened when she realised what Astoria had let slip, which was noticed by the older girl.
"Well," The girl said, flicking her hair arrogantly. "I am Fleur Delacour." She declared as if that meant anything to them.
"Thanks for letting me know, I'll be sure to memorise it," Astoria said viciously, glancing back at Daphne. "Come on, the air is foul in here." She began to walk out of the bathroom, Daphne quickly moving to follow her.
"Does your leetle sister always fight your battles for you?" The girl, Fleur Delacour, said nastily as Daphne passed her.
Daphne stopped and looked up at her. "You get your wand, I'll get mine and then you can find out." She sneered, which the other girl just sniffed at, turning to go into the cubicle.
The two Greengrass sisters walked back to their table, passing the remaining Delacours and receiving a cheerful, innocent wave from the younger sibling when she spotted them. Daphne gave her a bewildered smile in response before hurrying along to catch up to her sister. Daphne coughed slightly to get her attention. "Thanks, Astoria. I-"
Astoria twirled on the spot and glowered fiercely at her, causing Daphne to stop suddenly so as not to crash into her. "This changes nothing!" She spat, jabbing a finger into her sister's chest harshly. "Take your own advice sister, and just shut up and leave me alone."
Daphne reared back slightly. "Tori, I-"
Astoria looked like she was seconds away from throttling her. "Don't 'Tori' me! What did I just say?" Before Daphne could say anything more Astoria turned and stalked away to their table, sitting next to Harry with an angry huff.
Daphne felt like her stomach had turned into lead as she sat down on Harry's other side. He turned and smiled at her when he noticed she had come back so she forced herself to smile in return, but Harry noticed how it didn't reach her eyes. She turned away to look at the dancefloor, where her parents had remained.
She sighed unhappily to herself, unaware that Harry had continued watching her. He frowned to himself, wondering why she was unhappy, and turned to look at the dancefloor as she was. Was that what was wrong?
Harry looked down at the table, wondering what he should do. He didn't know the first thing about dancing and was terrified of making himself look a fool, not to mention that she might not even want to dance with him. He was still undecided when something pressed down firmly on his right foot, and through the glass table, he saw Astoria's foot was on top of his.
He turned to her, wondering what she was doing, and found she was already looking at him. "Just ask her." She spoke, loud enough only for Harry to hear. Harry swallowed, opening his mouth to ask what she was talking about when Astoria pressed down on his foot a little harder and gave him a glare. "Ask. Her."
Harry frowned, turning quickly to look at Daphne and then back to Astoria who just gave him a look that suggested he might be the dumbest person she'd ever met and pressed down on his foot again, nostrils flaring in anger.
Harry decided to take her advice, his own fear of rejection and embarrassment a trifle compared to provoking the younger girl's ire any further, and got to his feet. Daphne didn't notice, continuing to stare into space, and Harry had to cough to get her attention. "Ahem, Daphne?"
She looked up at him, blinking in surprise. "Yeah?" She asked in a strangely emotionless voice.
He held his hand out, hoping his palms didn't feel sweaty. "Do you want to dance with me?"
Daphne stared at the outstretched appendage, her face blank with shock. Harry saw the look on her face and immediately began to panic, dropping his hand to his side. "N-nevermind, sorry I asked, I-"
Daphne reached out quickly and took his hand in hers, her eyes wide and brimming with emotion as she looked up at him. "You want to dance with me?"
Harry looked into her eyes and felt a jolt of something shoot down his spine. He swallowed thickly and nodded. "Yes."
Daphne's previous upset with herself for hurting her sister was forgotten in an instant and soon her face was awash with delight as she got to her feet, smiling ear-to-ear at him. Harry's mouth went dry at the sight as he held his arm out for her, which she quickly took. Harry looked momentarily to Astoria, who waved her hand in the direction of the dancefloor. "Have fun." Harry smiled at her before he turned and began walking with Daphne to the dancefloor, both of them feeling as light-headed, terrified, and excited as the other.
Astoria watched them go for a moment before she casually turned to look at Fleur Delacour. The girl was sitting at her table next to her sister, her parents absent, and was following Harry and Daphne with her eyes. After a few seconds, she must have felt the gaze of the other girl and turned to lock eyes with her.
Astoria raised her glass of lemonade mockingly.
When they arrived on the dancefloor, Harry suddenly realised a rather startling fact and froze.
He had no idea where to put his hands.
Daphne felt the motion and turned to look at him, wondering what was wrong.
"Err, where do I...?"
Hiding her own nervousness she chuckled, reaching out and placing his hands on her waist and wrapping her own loosely around his neck. Harry swallowed as he looked down to his hands, but when he looked back up he saw Daphne's face inches from his own, her brilliant blue eyes staring into his.
Together, they began to sway slowly to the music, in a world of their own. In Harry's opinion, nothing over the last year and a half had felt as magical as this.
The two of them were so lost in the moment that Daphne never noticed that the couple dancing next to them were the parents of Fleur Delacour.
Further away on the dancefloor, Daniel and Marie watched the two children dance together. Marie's head was resting on her husband's chest as she smiled at the sight.
"How long, do you think?" She asked her husband, feeling him chuckle through his chest.
"Not too much longer, if our Daphne has anything to say about it."
Marie hummed as she thought about it. "She needs to be patient."
Daniel sighed. "When has patience ever been her forte?"
Marie nodded as they continued to sway and watch the children, but she felt Daniel suddenly freeze. "I can't believe this...
"What? What is it?" She asked, looking up at him.
Rather than answer, he gently broke away from her and walked over to their children. Marie followed him quickly, panicking that she didn't have her wand when she may need it.
Daniel expertly stepped around the two children, who didn't even notice him, and approached the couple beside them. Daniel tapped the man on the shoulder, who turned to regard him.
"Patrice Delacour." The man suddenly stopped dancing, his arms dropping to his side as he stared wide-eyed at him.
"Daniel Greengrass." At this, Daphne jerked out of her happy little world and turned, blinking in shock when she saw the father of Fleur Delacour facing off against her own.
Suddenly, Patrice Delacour's face split into a wide grin and he held out his arms wide, receiving Daniel who gave him a hearty hug, both laughing at each other. They pulled away from each other, inspecting the changes since they last saw one another.
"My word, it really iz you!" Patrice said happily, taking him in. "'Ow long 'as it been?"
"Twenty years, maybe more," Daniel said, smiling widely. "How have you been, old friend?"
Daphne's mouth dropped open as she watched the reunion.
"Oh, no."
Hey again.
Yeah, not much in terms of plot progression but I love writing these characters so I'm happy to stay here with them for a bit.
Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter, it's really heartening to see people still like it after my time away.
Honestly, there were no plans when I started this chapter for Fleur to show up so early (I think some of you thought she would because they chose to go on holiday in France), but there's a scene I have planned in my head that I realised she would be perfect for so here she is in all her 14-year-old haughty glory.
So, Daphne and Astoria are at odds, how do you think that's going to play out?
I hope you've all enjoyed chapter (and looking at it now, it's somehow ended up as the longest so far), please let me know what you think in the reviews.
Enjoy!