Riding the train back to London without Harry felt wrong, even though that was always how she'd done it before. He'd become such a key part of her life so quickly, so effortlessly, she'd often forget it hadn't always been that way.
Of course, now he was lying in the Hospital wing, once more pushed to the brink of death. But he would be fine, he had to be, he'd promised.
But that didn't mean she was riding alone. Luna hadn't left her side since they'd left the hospital wing that morning, while Susan Bones had shyly joined their carriage down to Hogsmeade.
With the Weasley Twins then joining, with Ron and Neville waiting outside, they'd needed to expand the cabin. It was a first for Daphne, who'd often rode with just her sister and Tracy.
Letting the twins expand the cabin did give Daphne an opportunity to bring up something Harry had tasked her with, as everyone else had stepped out.
"Fred, George, could we talk for a moment?"
"What's up?" One of them asked, not that she could tell which.
"I assume you still want to start a prank store? Because Harry asked me to give you his Triwizard winnings as an investment." She quickly stated, having been warned they'd likely resist the money.
"Are you… is he sure? That's a lot of money." The other twin said, sounding almost nervous, exactly as Harry had predicted.
"He is, he was very clear. He doesn't think he'd have been able to beat the tournament without your help. Even if he wasn't, he's already given me the money, so you'll have to take it."
"Does he want anything in return?" They asked, very sincerely.
"Yeah, if he's offering that thousand, there's little we wouldn't do in return."
Harry hadn't said anything about what he wanted in return, he just wanted the twins to take the money, so they could bring joy to the world. But Daphne didn't want him to walk away with nothing to show for his investment, especially since he'd barely been able to get the words out before needing to rest.
"Make him a silent partner, earning maybe 30% of your profits? Oh, and you keep him up to date on what items you're making, and he gets to suggest new items you could look into." She negotiated, finding herself impressed at the twin's moral integrity.
The smart thing would've been to take the money without any strings, it was the Slytherin thing to do. A direct contrast to the twins being obviously pleased once given conditions for the money. But, it was obvious Harry had gained business partners for life, assuming the twin's integrity didn't lead to them losing everything.
"Deal! He'll also get to purchase our products for free, it wouldn't make sense for him to pay for his own stuff anyway."
With the deal struck, they didn't argue when she handed them the money pouch, quickly stuffing it out of view.
"Once you get set up, I'll also try and convince my father to get in a partnership with you. Even though his business is selling potions, I feel like he could be persuaded to make custom orders for you if required." Daphne offered.
"We'll consider it. Currently, we're making everything ourselves as we experiment, but we'll probably need to arrange production in the future."
"When we get settled, we'll remember what you said, Daphne." The other twin promised, right as the door rolled open and Ronald Weasley stuck his head through.
"Are you lot done yet? Cause we're getting bored out here."
"So, what is the plan?" Susan Bones asked nervously, as she and Daphne walked across the Greengrass grounds.
After Harry had agreed to train her if she'd improved, Daphne had offered her own private lessons for the redhead. While Harry was approaching the matter in his own practical way, Daphne couldn't let such an opportunity go to waste.
It was infuriating that the Daily Prophet had started smearing Harry, yet Susan had owled Daphne to make it clear she still wanted to learn from him, that she believed in him. Already, that level of loyalty would prove valuable to Harry, especially when Susan inherited the title of Lord Bones.
But first, Daphne needed to help Susan reach a level Harry deemed worthy, which was a considerably vague goal.
"Primarily, I think we need to work out where you are in relation to me. I know I won't be able to train you as well as Harry will, but I think I know enough to compare you.
"If I had to guess, he'll test you by how long you can last either against myself, or one of the boys in our group. That's what we'll work towards."
"I know Harry's good, but surely training from you must be comparable to that from Harry? He's already been training you the same way I'd assume."
"No. It's… Harry is extraordinary, and I mean that completely. I know I am good at magic, I've been second best in our year ever since First Year. But the gulf between me and Harry is like that between my father and Dumbledore. I've always been good at visualising how magic works, and can accurately predict how magic will react.
"Harry doesn't need that, he just knows it. Part of that is he studies magic at a scary rate, and it's not just books. In our first year, Harry was practising charms we've only just started learning about, and as far as I can tell he's never once stopped that dedication to learning.
"So, I may be able to show you what you're doing wrong in your spells, or show you what I do. But Harry can look at you and suggest an entire future for you, because any spell you could use he likely already knows."
"Is he really that good?" Susan sounded doubtful, which confounded Daphne. They'd both been there at school alongside Harry, especially during last year's Triwizard Tournament.
"Susan, Harry has already proven he's the strongest wizard of our generation. Dumbledore once told me Harry has more potential than he had at the same age. So yes, he really is that good." Even Daphne could tell she'd been rather sharp, but not undeservingly.
"Speaking of the Headmaster, isn't that him walking up your drive?" Susan suddenly asked, pointing him out.
Indeed, leisurely strolling across their grounds was Dumbledore, still dressed in his normal flowing robes despite the growing heat.
"It is… that's very unusual. Have you heard of him visiting any other students over the holiday?" Daphne asked, suddenly nervous.
"Nope, none. According to my aunt, he's normally too busy running the Wizengamot and ICW to play headmaster. Although, there were rumours of him possibly losing his position as Chief Warlock in the next session, because of what the Prophet has been saying, you know.
"I take it you won't want me to stick around, if you've been visited by him. Is it okay if I use your floo?" Susan offered.
"That's probably for the best. I'll owl you a next date, probably with some spells to study up on. Shields and stuff. We'll be running duels against each other, so prepare yourself for that"
The day Harry was due to arrive, Daphne was a bundle of nerves. While they'd communicated via letters, she wouldn't easily forget him lying in that hospital bed. She wasn't sure what to expect when he arrived, even when he'd written that he was fine.
But underneath her concerns over his health, was her general worry over his opinion on her home and parents. While her Family manor was smaller than most pureblood manors, they indisputably had the most land.
Even outside the single acre that made up the manor and garden, the surrounding thousands of acres of countryside were entirely Greengrass property.
Coming to a stop inside the manor's gates, she didn't have to wait long until Harry's portkey dropped him off just outside their wardline. Ensuring he was alone, she launched a quick snowball at the gates, causing them to swiftly melt away into water.
"That's a nifty entrance." Harry commented as he easily stepped over the damp earth, ignoring the water rising behind him, reforming into the gates. Now he stood in front of her, she barely refrained from gasping.
He'd changed considerably in their time apart, even though it had only been a month. For a start, his previously missing left arm was now a dull silver prosthetic, likely made from his mithril. But while most of his mithril artefacts had at least some aesthetical design etched in, this arm was plain and purely utilitarian.
It was also obvious his ankle's injury hadn't healed, as with every other step he limped. From there, his eyes had gained a dull haunted look, even as they had regained their glow of power. He'd also shot up several inches, almost towering over her.
Someone had cut his hair, making it much shorter than it had been during the Triwizard Tournament, which only exasperated its wild nature. But it was an attractive change, despite it helped emphasise his haunted look.
But even beyond that, there was a deeper change. It was hard to define, even when she tried to compare with what she remembered of him. He held himself smaller, lacking the casual confidence he'd first shown around her.
"Daphne?"
"Sorry, yes it's a good gate. You need Greengrass ice magic to unlock it, so it's really secure for us… Have you had a good summer so far? How was your birthday?"
"Yeah, it's been good. My birthday was fine I guess, although it's a shame I wasn't able to invite you. Now that I have my mithril again, I've been able to upgrade several of my weapons, along with improving my coat further."
Deciding to briefly ignore the 'weapons' line, Daphne looked closer at Harry's usual trench coat, which had indeed changed.
The most obvious was the long draping hood hanging down his back, where it had previously been a rugged collar. It was very familiar, especially as the hood still retained the same thin fabric from the Dementor's cloak.
Now that she knew what to spot, other changes jumped out. Where the coat had been a shiny blue-grey, it felt like some of the blue had been drained out of the coat. The more dominant grey helped hide the faint mist that oozed out of various folds, easily missable under the bright summer sun.
Finally, barely poking out under both of the coat's lapels were two unnatural green gemstones, which seemed to draw the mist towards them.
"You merged it with your dementor's cloak? I think you said you were planning that, right?"
"Yup. We figured out we could sacrifice a lot of my Dementor's ash to help transfer the cloak's properties over without destroying anything important. Then we needed to imbed these two mithraite crystals into the hood to control the aura. It's still quite cold to the touch, but it's full power will only be unleashed when I choose it to, so I can still wear this coat full time."
Running her fingers down the scaled leather arm, she couldn't help marvelling at just how icy the leather now felt. Her family's ice magic lent her a firm degree of cold resistance, a resistance that always failed against the Dementor's unnatural chill.
It was slightly unnerving to know that even after that aura had been transferred to the Dementor's clothing, and then magically transformed into a completely separate piece of clothing, that chill was still present.
"Must be nice in this heatwave, having that cold source." She joked, "Did you plan this having predicted the 'hottest heat-wave yet', or was it your usual luck?"
"Neither, this coat was always temperature controlled. No, the coldness was mostly unwanted, although we've learned it completely hides me from thermal detection. Anyway, I'd have thought your ice magic would've gotten you cool enough during this summer, you shouldn't need my coat to stay cold."
"I'm definitely aware of the heat, but my family is basically unaffected. My mother's been complaining about the heat for ages now, meanwhile me and my dad are basically fine."
"Makes sense. So, is that your family crest?" The sudden topic shift was jarring, but by now used to Harry's mannerisms, swiftly tried to figure it out.
Their talk had led them into the entrance hall of her manor, just inside the front doors. Between them and the twin sweeping staircases, was indeed her family crest, engraved into the floor.
"Yeah that's it. The physical mark of our Noble and Most Ancient family magic, stamping our claim upon this land. Why do you ask?"
"I don't think I've seen one before. I once visited Malfoy Manor, but if I did see their crest I was too young to know about it. It's fascinating."
"What do you see… like, the magic?" Daphne asked quietly, eyeing her crest. It had been there for as long as the manor had stood. To her, it was just the basic representation of her family's magic, the symbol that Astoria had thrown up on as a toddler.
"It's… so you know the official wax stamps on mail? It's like that, except it's made of pure magic instead of wax. It's such a dense collection of family magic, I don't think my magic would actually be strong enough to even touch the seal.
"From here it's hard to tell, but I think this is where your tie to your leyline comes from. Based on that, as long as there are enough Greengrass' alive to feed the family magic, this land will always belong to you. Nobody could come here and try to stake a claim, because you have the highest claim right here."
Descending from the floor above, her father nodded approvingly. "Exactly as you said, Mr. Potter. Our family has ruled these lands for many millennia, before many other families even settled on these shores. For as long as that crest remains, we shall rule millennia more.
"All us Noble and Most Ancient families have our own family seals, which cannot be copied or replicated. If you ever receive a letter with such a seal, you can be sure it is the genuine deal."
Having already spun to face her father, Harry offered a polite bow. "Lord Greengrass, I thank you for inviting me into your home."
"Nonsense, you are offering a monumental service to both myself as a father, and my House as a lord. Letting you into my home is the least I would do. But first, I'm afraid you must convince my wife. They're waiting in our living room, please follow me."
Despite her love for both her parents, she couldn't help the flash of irritation when they found her mother. Just that morning she'd been complaining about the heat, yet she'd taken the time to change out of her casual clothing.
Carefully lounging beside Astoria, her mother had changed into her most expensive velvet gown and bodice, one she usually reserved for gala balls. A dress which Daphne knew would be sweltering under the current heat. If she had just asked, Daphne would've gladly advised her it would've been a waste.
Harry lacked the background to understand such a powerplay, never mind being intimidated by it. He'd been attacked by Voldemort and lived with Dumbledore, her mother's fanciest gown would hardly be seen as a big deal.
But, unaware of this knowledge, her mother tried looking down at Harry sternly, channelling her strictest voice. "So, Mr. Potter, my husband seems to believe you can do what countless others have failed? Do I have that correct."
"I will be saving your daughter, if you will let me. I've got several abilities that countless others could only dream of. I am very confident I will succeed." Harry replied with conviction, clearly unmoved by her.
"Did you know Albus Dumbledore came to visit us? He seemed to believe that being seen with you could be dangerous."
"Mother! That is not what he said. He said we'd be targeted because Harry is in danger. In the exact same way we'll be targeted because father doesn't follow the Malfoys." Daphne defended hotly, truly angry now.
"Besides, while I'd hate to sound rude, what are your choices? To be frank, if I fail, Astoria will die, no? If I succeed, she lives. You can run from Voldemort, even I should be able to shield you enough. You can renounce any ties to me at a later point. Whatever.
"But would you rather sit through the guaranteed death, or take the gamble that you might be in danger?" There was a coolness to Harry's tone she had rarely heard, especially not directed to someone so close to her. But she agreed completely, and hoped to project that silently to her mother.
"Very well, do as you would. If you do save my daughter, I will remember my debt to you… Do not think that I do not love my Astoria, for I do, but I must protect my entire family… I bid farewell." With that, she swept grandly from the room. Most likely rushing to change out of her sweltering outfit.
"I apologise for Eleanor. I warned her I had faith in you, but she wished to test you. If you are still willing, you have free reign of my House and resources to save Astoria." Her father smoothly announced, diffusing the tension.
"Thank you. I'll need a vial of your wife's blood, and somewhere flat outside under direct sunlight to do the ritual."
Her father gave an apprehensive look towards where her mother had gone and asked, "Would my blood not suffice?"
"I'm afraid not. I need her blood because Astoria is a mix of you and your wife, and since the curse came from your blood, I must use the uncursed mother's to ease out her curse." Harry explained, before silently offering a crystal vial.
"As you say. Daphne and Astoria will show you to the gardens, you'll be sure to find a usable ritual site there." Unsaid, was the illegal nature of blood rituals. It was quite brazen of Harry to so casually mention them, but her family had long gone beyond the law to try and undo their curse.
Taking her cue, she led Harry out of the house, choosing the room's side door, which led directly onto a garden patio.
"So, any preferences? Any special flowers, trees?"
"Something stone, but it should be indifferent to any nature nearby."
"I know the perfect place, follow me!" Astoria exclaimed, bouncing her way down the path.
"So… Dumbledore visited you?" Harry asked as they made their way through the gardens, roughly following Astoria.
"He did, he kind of invited himself over. He basically just warned us that you-know-who had resurrected himself, and that because he'd be hunting you, I'd be in danger from being so close to you. He offered to protect us, by inviting us to some sort of secret safehouse."
"He never told me he'd gone to visit you… he's probably gone to everyone. But he's not wrong." Harry reasoned.
"I'll tell you the same thing I told the headmaster. Stuff. It. Being your friend is the best thing that's happened to me, even when you keep trying to get yourself killed. Besides, we're safe enough here. Our wards are some of the oldest around.
"The other thing he warned me about was contacting you, essentially saying I should only use your crow so our letters wouldn't be intercepted. I'm sorry, I had assumed you'd known about it, otherwise I would've told you before."
"No, you're fine, it's not like I'm entitled to know your every moment. I just wish Dumbledore had told me he'd gone to visit you. But I can hardly blame you for that."
"Will you two hurry up! I want to get cured as quickly as possible." Astoria yelled, jumping up and down beside the garden's water feature. Some time ago, one of their ancestors had built a large stone brick patio in a forgotten corner of the gardens.
Water ran through channels around the edge of the patio, all fed from a large water feature in the centre. But even with the water, the patio provided lots of room.
"This is perfect! Right, I'll need you two to step back while I set it up… It should go back to normal when we're done."
As he got to work, Daphne couldn't tell if he was deliberately showing off, or if it was essential magic. Knowing Harry, it could easily be both.
Standing in the middle of his chosen area, he'd directed his magic outwards, carving a great many strange runes into the stone beneath him. Alongside the runes were several basic geometric shapes, but how they related to the runes she couldn't say.
As they were carving, four strangely golden mithril spikes floated out of his pockets, moving themselves to the four corners, pointy side up.
Then with a flick of his wrist, they started growing, until they were easily 7 feet tall. Now that they were significantly larger, it was clear to see they had a slight curve, so that they all seemed to lean towards Harry.
"My, that was fast." Her father commented, coming up behind them, joined by her now sullen mother.
"It's a fairly simple ritual, at least when it comes to setting it up. Astoria, would you mind laying down on that cushion, please? Lord Greengrass, would you mind placing a drop of your wife's blood on each of the plates around Astoria?"
As her father did as instructed, Harry started activating the four spikes, which instantly infused the air with his power. Then, after her father left the ritual zone, four bright orange shields erected between them, trapping Harry and Astoria within.
Upon the shields, Harry began during even more runes, which glowed green once they connected with the spires. Then, with a deep breath, Harry stepped back and over to her sister.
"I'm going to stick a special crystal just above your heart. It will help pull the curse out of you, and will store it once done. But for that, it needs to take on your blood as you are now.
"I don't quite know what will happen when you are uncursed, but the theory is without the curse your magical signature will be slightly different. This crystal will then take on your old cursed identity."
"That's fine, as long as I'm uncursed. How much blood would it need?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but it'll be a fair bit. You'll know it's enough when the entire crystal changes, probably to an azure colour." Harry handed over a small, shimmering emerald-green crystal sphere, about the size of an inch, placing it delicately into Astoria's open palm.
From her distance, Daphne couldn't quite tell what it was, but it definitely had its own set of runes, which became easier to see as the azure light oozed into the crystal.
"Right, now we just need to start the ritual. So, this is your last chance to back out, once it begins the magic can't stop." Harry warned, directing his words to the entire family. Not that there was any need, as they'd already made their decision.
So, with the sun beating down on them from above, Harry began. Where before the four mithril spires had merely hummed with power, they now roared as blinding sunlight connected from the tips down to the crystal upon Astoria's chest.
In that exact same moment, the runes within the ground started to emit a coloured mist, which noticeably gravitated towards Astoria's form.
And then Harry raised his metal arm towards the sky, which subtly grew into his gauntlet. Unlike when he'd saved Luna's life after the second task, it seemed like his gauntlet had gained its own emerald, smaller than the one he'd given the Astoria.
This emerald glowed with an inner fire, making it easily visible on the silver surface. Only for it to begin emitting a grey fog, intune with the other translucent grey gemstone on the knuckles.
Under that mist, his hand became hard to see, right as he plunged it into Astoria's heart. She gave a slight gasp upon the contact, but gave no other signs of discomfort.
After that, there was little to see, as for several minutes nothing happened. Then with a sudden shift, hell broke loose.
A great whirlwind of ice and snow erupted from Astoria, most of which broke upon the shields Harry had placed. But there had been no shield above them, so soon the grounds were covered under snow.
Through it all, Daphne couldn't move, as she felt gravity itself shift and distort around them. While her feet remained firmly rooted onto the ground, her hair whipped around, while her heart did a flip every time gravity tried to pull her into the sky.
Even the light itself was affected, as the summer sun burned a cold blue and the snow became a swirling purple.
And then the world righted itself, reality shifting back into normality. The shields around Harry and Astoria were torn to shatters, hanging down as if made from fabric. The golden spires had great holes torn out of them, burned into a stony grey.
But there was Harry and Astoria, who both miraculously seemed untouched.
"It's safe!" Harry called, as he dispelled his magic and helped Astoria sit upright. Seeing as her parents were hogging inspecting Astoria, Daphne chose to sidle up to Harry, ensuring he was fine too.
Doing so gave her a prime opportunity to inspect the crystal he'd taken back from Astoria, which had noticeably changed.
Its once smooth surface was now fractured, each face forming sharp, angular planes that caught and fragmented the light into a myriad of dazzling shards.
In the heart of the crystal, a swirling mist of icy blue and white surged and pulsed, as if alive with some inner power. It was like Harry had captured the snowstorm that had just raged across the grounds.
Just looking at it reminded her of the darkest winter, when ice and wind hammered upon their manor and demanded to be let in, a time when she'd always felt strongest.
"Is… is that crystal safe?" Daphne asked, more than slightly alarmed.
"Yeah, it's perfectly fine. My mithraite has sealed it perfectly, so technically there is an infinite amount of space between the side I'm holding and the curse within.
"You saw how it reacted to being removed, but now that it's in a new 'host', it's not fighting back anymore." To demonstrate, Harry gave it a little shake, which did nothing for her nerves.
"Please, don't do that. Even if you say it's safe, it feels wrong to just wave it around. So, would I be right in thinking you already have a plan for that curse?"
"Well, I would've added it to the Gauntlet, but it's weaker than the Soul Gem. It would only do more damage at that point. I don't know, I might just use it as a paper weight."
Before she could respond, her father stepped in, shaking Harry's hand vigorously.
"Mr. Potter, I thank you, I thank you! You made your promise, and lo my daughter is cured because of you, anything you may ask for will be too little! For a long time my family has set aside a fund for whoever manages to cure our curse, a fund which will be transferred to you immediately.
"But you may ask for anything; loyalty, wealth… Daphne's hand -"
"Father!" Daphne broke in, blushing wildly.
"- which would of course unlock our archives. Please, make your request." Her father finished, paying no heed to Daphne's half-hearted protest.
"As… kind as your offer of Daphne is, I think there's only two things I might want. The first is this crystal, which now contains Astoria's curse.
"But the second is a book on your family's ice magic, should such be available. With your permission, I would like to see if I could use this crystal as a focus to channel your magic."
"They are yours. Should you prove capable of such, I'll let you have free reign of our library, along with granting Daphne permission to teach you. A few of our spells are under bequest, but most we solely rely upon the unique makeup of our magic."
"Thank you very much, it's a great honour. Do you want me to help clean up the ritual area before I go?"
"Mr. Potter, you have done more than enough! We'll get the house elves to clean up the mess later. But surely you cannot leave yet? We must celebrate!" Her mother protested, her earlier frostiness completely forgotten.
Daphne could instantly see he was uncomfortable with that idea, by his slight awkward shuffle, as his new crystal started spinning over his hand.
"I would love to, but I regret to say I've got a few over appointments I've got to get to. Besides, Astoria has her whole life ahead of her now, there will be plenty of time to celebrate again. But I thank you for your hospitality, and if you have any other esoteric illnesses, I'll gladly come back to take a look."
"Some other time then. I'll walk him to the gates, father." Daphne stated.
"Of course. Leave with the Greengrass blessing, Mr. Potter. You will find Greengrass Hall your home should you ever require it." Her father intoned, causing a flutter of melting snow as the land and family magic recognised Harry as a friend.
Even with that farewell, it took them a while to start walking away, but eventually it was just her and Harry. The prior snowstorm was already thawing at an impressive rate, leaving slushy footsteps in her wake. At first she'd feared that Harry would struggle in the slush, given his limp, but he somehow had it easier than she did.
"So you've upgraded your gauntlet then? Didn't you say you couldn't use it as it was?" Daphne prompted, indicating his mithril arm which had already changed back to its bland appearance, without her having noticed.
"Yeah, one of the first things I did." Harry replied, shaking his arm, which expanded into the full gauntlet. Where in the past it had stopped up his forearm, it now seemed to encapsulate his entire arm.
"Go on then, what have you done with it?"
"It's a whole thing, I'll leave the details to later, but mainly I've added a new stone. It's a more powerful version of the mithraite crystal I had Astoria hold onto, this tear drop one." He started, holding out his hand for her to see.
There, on the knuckle of his index finger, was indeed a green teardrop crystal. But while the one Astoria had held merely glowed from within, this had a clearly visible phosphorescent aura that extended out beyond the stone.
From it, she could feel the sheer weight of its power upon her, demanding attention. Even though she lacked the depth of magical sense Harry possessed, sensing the sheer power behind Harry's unleashed magic made it trivial to identify.
Between Harry and his new stone, there was an undeniable difference, as she tried her best to compare the two. Finally, she found her answer, the stone's magic had an unfamiliarity to it.
Where her magic subconsciously reached out and Harry's magic welcomed her unconditionally, his stone firmly rebuffed her. It wasn't doing anything beyond that, but it managed to unsettle her nonetheless.
But beyond that indifference, she'd struggle to differentiate them. Even now that she'd found the difference, it was hard to tell where his magic ended and his stone's started.
"It's… you? Like, it's exactly your magic, not a different feeling."
"Yeah, more so than anything else I've ever made. I can't go into much detail, but this will be a one off thing… I don't think I have it in me to make a new one. But yeah, it's me, or another me to be correct. It's why I'm calling it the Eidolon Core, since it's got my spirit.
"The problem was always that the Soul Gem was too uncontrolled without me there asserting my will, the red stone by itself wasn't strong enough. So, I made a stone that would allow for a version of my will to be asserted constantly."
"So, you have the Soul Gem and the Eidolon Core, still no name for that red one?" Daphne teased. She suspected the red stone already had a name, but Harry had always refused to name it, even when he'd explained to her the purpose of his gauntlet.
"Sorry, I still don't have permission to tell you what it is." She could hear the apology in his tone, not that she particularly needed it. Even if he could tell her, but just didn't feel like it, she didn't feel entitled for his explanations.
His artefacts were wondrous and she felt privileged that he shared his knowledge with her, but she didn't need his sometimes lengthy descriptions to feel that. As long as they worked as he needed, she was happy.
"Really, it's fine. So, was it just this Eidolon core that you've added?"
Holding up his arm so that he could inspect it himself, he gave a slow nod.
"Basically. Adding the core also cleaned itself up a bit, mainly with the green tint and the distortion the dementor's caused. See how only my palm is now that dark green?"
"Oh, yeah, the entire thing used to be green right?" She recalled, as she gently inspected his palm. The green was darkest right in the middle of his palm, which faded out as it spread outwards.
Then, where interlocking plates started sprouting around the wrist and fingers, red bands formed a hard stop to the green.
"Actually, it was originally pure silver, the green was added when I got stabbed by the basilisk. It seems like the core was able to reign in the venom, so I wouldn't lick it. Equally, when I grabbed a dementor, the mithril grew distorted.
"Apparently, the core decided this distortion looked better on the back of my hand. It was actually quite disconcerting. Like, I just placed the core on the Gauntlet and everything started moving around. I think that's the reason it changed from its old silk glove appearance, to this new armour plated design. Basically, it's showing off."
"So, is it this Gauntlet that allowed you to regain an arm?" Daphne questioned, eying him with curiosity. "Because I remember Madam Pomfrey saying your arm was badly cursed, that type of wound doesn't just get better"
"That's more complicated. I still haven't been able to remove the curse, not fully. But I was able to get advice on how to lessen its effects. My mithril was then able to make a basic arm. I actually based it off what Voldemort gave Wormtail in that graveyard.
"So it works by itself, but it's not good. Then, after adding the Gauntlet's ring to my arm, the two sort of merged. Now, this mithril arm acts exactly like my real one, but only if it's touching the Gauntlet. I can still detach the Gauntlet, but I'll likely keep it as my arm for now."
"Makes sense you'd build such a powerful artefact, then use it as a prosthetic. But your arm looked different earlier, is that just an illusion?" Daphne asked, motioning to his hand. While his arm had been pure plain silver, it now looked more like a typical gauntlet.
"Surprisingly, no. It doesn't matter whether the Gauntlet is in its true form, or condensed into its ring, as long as it's still on my hand. Then, it's just a notice-not on the ring when it's hiding. But, when my arm looks normal, its physically like that, not an illusion."
She'd mostly let his words wash over her, but it just felt nice to be able to spend time with him. Especially when a lightness entered his tone as he explained it, which she hadn't heard for a while now.
"So, you're sure you don't want to add that new cursed crystal to your gauntlet?" Given the precautions Harry had needed to spend to protect against that curse, Daphne felt it was a worthwhile enquiry.
"Oh, absolutely not. As this Gauntlet currently sits, the Soul gem is quite comfortably under the Eidolon Core's control. Adding something of similar temperament to a dementor would upset that balance.
"But I think it's worth pursuing what it can do by itself, since you saw the storm it was able to unleash by itself. Given some direction, alongside your family magic, it should be very powerful. Weaker than the Soul gem maybe, but with considerably less risks."
She nodded along, for once knowing exactly what he was talking about. She knew her family magic was incredibly strong, as it should be, given sacrifices they'd spent for that ice curse.
But, even the brief examples Harry had shown her of his Soul gem, she knew she couldn't compare. Their two powers manifested different powers, but at their base they were both frost magic.
"Do you think I could do that myself? Like, manifest a winter storm around me, using my ice magic?"
"Probably, given enough power. The curse in this crystal is most likely identical to the one within you, you just have to harness it without freezing to death. But for the most part, what's the point? A well cast ritual would do something similar, whilst giving you far more control over it."
"Last year you would've said the 'cool factor' would've been enough reason." Daphne pointed out lightly, giving him a small shoulder bump.
"Yeah well, that was last year. I've finally had it beaten into me that just because it looks cool, doesn't make it useful." Just like that, the darkness returned to his posture, while his eyes hardened in anger.
"I still think there's room for being cool… and didn't you say the illusion of power is what gives you power? That's what I've always noted about you, your negligent displays of power… Anyway, where are you going after this?" Now that they'd reached the gates, Daphne found herself postponing his departure as long as possible.
"Well, I had thought about heading to Gringotts, but what you said about Dumbledore visiting reminded me of something. I should check on my Muggle relatives, especially if I left anything behind that could be used against me."
"How are you planning on getting there? I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind dropping you off."
"Thank you, but I'm fine, Fawkes volunteered to give me a lift. I also have to have a guard when I'm out, so hopefully Fawkes will bring Tonks, and not someone else."
"Will I get to see you again this summer?"
"I doubt it, I was only able to come in today because of that Portkey. I suspect when I return home, I'll get in trouble for that. But I'll try to keep in touch via Corvus, he can't be tracked so it's safe to send letters that way."
After pulling him in for a hug, she couldn't help feeling like she was seeing him off to war. Which was silly, they were meant to be on school holidays, worried about homework and other trivialities.
On the other side of the gates, Harry gave a sharp whistle, right before a golden fireball exploded beside him. Almost immediately the fire cleared again, revealing Harry's auror orange haired bodyguard, with the Headmaster's famed Phoenix on her shoulder.
With one last wave, Harry vanished into that golden fire. Sighing, Daphne turned back to the house, putting it out of mind as she joyfully remembered her sister's newly healed state.
She heard of Harry far sooner than she expected, as she went down to breakfast the following morning, joining her sister and father at the table.
"Potter's gotten in trouble with the Ministry." Her father announced gravely, handing her the morning paper the moment she sat down.
'Potter breaks Statute of Secrecy' made a bold title, even as it failed to provide any substantial news on the matter.
All it could say was that Harry had been charged with casting magic in front of a muggle, and that he'd appear within a closed disciplinary hearing the following week.
"What did he do?" She asked, turning back to her father.
"We don't know for sure, although simple underaged magic shouldn't warrant such a large reaction. I'm certain there are political games going on behind the scenes, but I can't tell who the target is."
"Well, it's Harry, surely? He's the one in trouble." Astoria pointed out.
"Perhaps, but he doesn't warrant that type of political pressure, especially at his age. No, I'd say this is aimed more at Albus Dumbledore, someone who'd rush to publicly defend Harry.
"Regardless of the truth of the matter, or what the outcome ends up being, this will result in two things. Firstly, it will expose Harry's supporters, probably as targets. Normally I'd say these are trivial games… but if you-know-who has returned…"
"What's the second result?" Daphne asked, when her father seemed lost in thought.
"Oh, the second result is that it will taint Harry's reputation. Even if he's deemed not guilty, the public won't forget that this did happen. If something similar happens in the future, this time will get brought up. Equally, anyone who supports Harry will be affected by this too.
"If I had planned for this, I'd expect it to divide my enemies. Namely, I'd expect Harry to take note of who defends him and who stays quiet. Anyone who stays quiet will be defending their own interests, but will be less likely to gain Harry's trust in the future."
"Do you think that's what the Ministry is planning? Or was this planned by you-know-who?" Knowing her father was well versed in their country's politics, his insight only served to further Daphne's worry.
"Perhaps. Maybe there's elements we haven't been privy to… or maybe Minister Fudge only sees this as a chance to humiliate Harry. But just because Fudge can be short sighted, doesn't mean those behind him don't have their own plots."
"So what are we going to do? We can't just let Harry suffer through this, not after he saved Astoria."
"Well, first I need you to reach out to him, find out his version of events. I named him an official friend of the family, so I will always try my best to defend him politically, but knowing the truth would help. After that, I'll make sure I'm at his trial, and see how things goes." Finally, there was a sense of confidence present,
"That might not be very easy. He told me to only contact him using his special bird, and it only comes when he sends it. Hopefully he will send me a letter to say what happened, because otherwise I don't know what to do." Daphne replied mournfully, even as she looked at the window hopefully.
"Well, I'll see what I can find through my contacts in the Ministry. At worst, I'll be able to discover what they're planning on bringing against him. I might also be able to find out who will be at the trial, see if I can pull any favours."
Hearing her father talk, Daphne suddenly had an insight into Harry's future. He'd continue to help people, as was his nature, especially as his magic grew. And from that he'd gain influential favours, people exactly like her father.
It didn't matter what Harry's current political power was, or what the current regime tried to bring against him. Because just like Dumbledore before him, Harry's sheer power would be the cause of his political strength.
"No point wasting time, I'll be off to the Ministry. If Harry does contact you Daphne, send me a letter to say you've had contact. But do not mention Harry's name or anything in his message, we cannot risk anything being intercepted."
Harry's letter arrived late that night, after they were all lazing around after dinner.
"Dear Daphne,
As you most likely saw in the paper today, I've gotten in trouble with the Ministry.
I arrived at my Muggle relative's alright, but then six dementors were apparently waiting for me. They were the same ones that I fought at the end of my third year, judging by the blue marks that are still on them.
It's silly, but I got the sense they were there for revenge. Even when Tonks cast her patronus, the dementors didn't go away. But I also just learned I now seem to be immune to their aura, so there's that.
Fawkes had already left before the dementors had shown up, and Tonks would only be able to apparate one of us. So I did what I had to do and killed them all. The dementors, that is, not my relatives.
We think it was that which tripped the sensors, but I still haven't gotten a wand, so there shouldn't have been anything to have triggered. That or it was detecting Tonks' signature, which it definitely shouldn't have done.
While this was happening apparently Dumbledore's house was being attacked too. Nothing actually happened of course, but it scared everyone enough that I've been moved into another safehouse.
We're all hoping that seeing as she's an Auror, once Tonks gives her report my charges will be dropped, but unusually she's been unable to arrange a meeting.
Ron's here with me, him, the twins and most of their family, as is Luna and her father. Neville apparently is in the same boat you are, where he'd be safer under the Longbottom wards than we are. I haven't tried to contact Draco or Vincent.
Ultimately, this has messed up a lot of my plans, so I don't know what I'm going to be able to do. I'll try to uphold my promise of keeping in touch, but this has changed things.
Also, I should've said before I left, but if Astoria starts negatively reacting to having the curse removed, send me a normal emergency owl immediately. It'll be risky, but that's fine.
Hoping all is well with you, Harry.
P.S. I'm going to try and design a way for us to safely communicate safety. I've got something with Dumbledore, but only I can send messages."
After she'd thoroughly digested Harry's letter, she passed it to her father, who was clearly disbelieving.
"How can he possibly recognise dementors, they are all identical? I've never heard of any dementor that was marked. This will make defending him much harder if he won't tell the truth."
"But he isn't lying, father. He wore a dementor's cloak to the first Triwizard task. Since then, he'd used some magic to merge that cloak into the trench coat he wore yesterday. Did you not recognise the hood?" Daphne argued, instantly rushing to defend Harry.
"Even if I hadn't felt the dementor's aura on it myself, Ronald Weasley never shuts up about when they got attacked by those dementors. Apparently, Harry made a type of sword that could cut and hut them. That's likely the markings Harry's recognised."
"Truly? Well, I think it's worth formally offering my political support to Harry. Could you find out if he's willing to come back for a meeting? If he can't, I'd like to know what he's planning for his defence, as that will allow me to better work with him."
Hello Everyone. So, Time Heist still hasn't been finished, but its previous chapters are edited. I'd say the final chapter is about 20% done, before I remembered why I'd stopped writing originally.
So, I spent a month writing this chapter, so hopefully I can go back to writing Time Heist now. There is a second chapter to Daphne's summer that I've already started, which may come out before Time Heist, but may not.
Things I think need explaining:
- Phil's Stone; Daphne now knows of the Soul Gem and Eidolon Core, but only Luna, Snape and Bathsheda Babbling know about Harry owning the Philosopher's Stone (From those at Hogwarts).
- Eidolon Core; It's first appearance in the story. Will be shown more when Harry's perspective comes out.