Harry was sitting on a bench, waiting for Luna and Astoria to return to the stables. Earlier that day, the younger Greengrass sister took Luna out on a ride to cheer her up. Or rather she went along with Luna to keep an eye on her after Harry's friend practically rushed away to the stables, wanting to see the horseys as soon as she heard about them.
They were gone a while and were bound to be back soon and so Harry decided to wait for them in the stables rather that scour the grounds. He really needed to talk to Luna and there wasn't a good opportunity for it so far as both he and Daphne were very busy dealing with the aftermath of the rescue operation. Even though it was a complete success, there was the danger of Voldemort not falling for their ruse and they had to be ready in case that happened, especially if he had discovered Harry's involvement. Luckily, it seemed the dark lord bought their fabricated story in which the gross incompetence of Peter Pettigrew allowed all the prisoners to escape…
Harry chuckled darkly at the idea. He sure wouldn't want to be in that rat's shoes right now.
While Harry focused most of his attention on Luna in the last two days, he was also pleasantly surprised by some of the other faces he saw among the freed prisoners, such as his Gryffindor classmate, Dean Thomas. Unlike Harry and his friends, Dean ended up with a different group of snatchers which regularly brought their prisoners to the Malfoys instead of the Greengrasses. Curiously, rather than immediately handing Dean over to the muggleborn registration commission, the death eaters kept him imprisoned in the Malfoy manor.
Harry was puzzled by the death eaters singling Dean out like that when all the other captured muggleborns were thrown to the tender mercies of Dolores Umbridge. Or rather he used to be puzzled until Daphne presented him with a very disturbing theory – she suggested that Voldemort was deliberately gathering Harry's former associates.
Harry thought about it and was forced to agree with his girlfriend as the conclusion was quite inescapable. After all, over half of the rescued prisoners were connected to him in some way, even if that connection was remote at best, such as with the goblin who first took him down to his vault. It was all far beyond a coincidence. In the earlier days, he would have had missed the implications entirely. But now Harry felt Daphne's cunning was finally starting to rub off on him and he could see the invisible connections more easily.
Voldemort was collecting people who came into contact with Harry; that much was clear. Harry was still uncertain what it meant though. Perhaps it was simply Voldemort's method of searching for him. After all, every one of the former prisoners had been extensively questioned on Harry's whereabouts although Harry supposed that could very well be the case with every detained person in the Magical Britain at the moment. Daphne suggested the dark lord might have hoped to eventually use them as lure for Harry which also seemed plausible. She also mentioned some very old and dark magic which, in principle, could be used to locate Harry, by ritually spilling the blood of a sufficiently large number of people he cares about. Harry preferred not to think about that last possibility. In any case, whatever Voldemort's plans might have been, they were a moot point now. All the prisoners were rescued and would be safe in the Greengrass manor.
Of course, their presence wasn't without complications as many of them knew the Greengrasses as hard line death eaters and so they understandably figured they just got out of the frying pan and straight into the fire. Had Harry not been there to explain the situation, it was doubtful some of them would believe Daphne when she claimed her intention was to help them.
And even with the boy-who-lived present, there was palpable tension in the air, like with his friend Dean. Daphne's expression of disgust upon learning there would be yet another muggleborn living under her roof, someone she was taught to think of as inferior and completely beneath her in every way, spoke volumes. Harry could also remember her valiant efforts to hide her innate feelings and be at least somewhat civil to Dean, despite his blood status. Harry was very proud of her for that.
Of course, he suspected that if it wasn't for Daphne's earlier promises to him, Dean would have been given the same choice as all the other muggleborns who came into contact with her family – agree to serve the House Greengrass and embrace the pureblood supremacy. Or refuse and face the consequences, of which being thrown in the dungeons and left to rot was the most pleasant one.
But still, Daphne kept her word and so Dean was now recovering in a guest room instead of a prison cell. In fact, Daphne went to talk to him today while Harry was going to meet with Luna. Harry didn't know what that was about. Something to do with Dean's father, apparently, but he didn't know any details and didn't want to pry. He trusted Daphne and was certain she wouldn't do anything untoward in his absence.
Besides, as strange as it sounded, the latest Gryffindor muggleborn to have crossed her path wasn't the greatest target of Daphne's ire. Harry still shuddered at what happened when she saw Griphook among the rescued prisoners and what she told him about the goblins afterwards. It made her attitude towards muggleborns seem loving in comparison.
Earlier
"Daphne! What the hell was that?" Harry asked his girlfriend once he managed to pull her aside for a few moments after the prisoners arrived.
"What?!" she snapped at him angrily. She immediately looked guilty at having done so and tried composing herself. "I am sorry, Harry. What do you mean?" It was clear her temper was running short after all the excitement but Daphne seemed genuinely confused by his question.
"I mean with Griphook. You ordered your guards to execute him!"
The girl gave him yet another confused look before she suddenly understood. "Oh, you mean the goblin," she said and sneered. "You actually know its name. That's… cute."
Harry frowned at the comment. "So it's not just muggleborns… you hate goblins too?!" he said and rubbed his eyes tiredly while wondering whether there was any end to the senseless bigotry. What could Daphne possibly have against goblins? Sure, they were greedy as hell and tended to rebel from time to time if they felt their rights were not being respected. But Harry reckoned that didn't make them any different from regular people.
"It's a goblin, Harry!" Daphne exclaimed as if that explained everything. "I did what I had to. Besides, I told my guards to prepare its execution, not to execute it…"
Harry snorted at such semantics. It almost sounded like Daphne was making fun of him but he suspected it was rather yet another case of cultural differences. Daphne probably felt she had perfectly good reasons for her actions and Harry needed to understand what they were. "But why? What do you have against goblins? Against Griphook?"
Daphne looked at him strangely. "You need to ask? Have you never heard of the goblin rebellions?"
"Sure I did," Harry answered. "It's the only thing Binns ever talked about."
"Then I shouldn't need to explain my actions to you," the girl said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Eh, actually, to tell you the truth I never paid much attention in those classes," he admitted and Daphne rolled her eyes at that.
"Let me guess. Granger was taking the notes for all three of you while you slept?" the blonde asked and when Harry looked at her sheepishly, she seemed to have received her answer. "Seriously, that mudblood did a huge damage to your education," she said and tsked as she looked at him with clear disapproval.
Harry was about to take offense over her calling his friend a mudblood once again but before he could, the girl continued. "Well in that case, what you need to understand is that one of the bigger and lengthier goblin rebellions ended… right here," she told him.
"Here?" Harry asked while looking around in confusion. "What do you mean here?"
Daphne glanced sideways at the window. "The fountain in front where we first met? One of my ancestors beheaded a rebellious goblin king in front of it after the final battle. He then made a vow that any goblin trespassing on Greengrass property would be executed," she told him in grave voice.
Harry was staring at her with an open mouth at that point. "And you feel obliged to follow his wishes?" he assumed. "Daphne… it happened centuries ago. Griphook had nothing to do with that rebellion!" he protested loudly.
"You don't understand, Harry!" Daphne declared, matching the strength of his voice. "As a Greengrass, I am magically bound to follow the vow he made that day," she said sadly. "In fact, the vow was made part of the treaty that wizards signed with the goblin nation afterwards – I am contractually obligated to execute any trespassing goblins and they are not allowed to resist!" she told him and Harry's eyes went wide at the implications.
"But how- why? Why would goblins agree to include this in the treaty?!" he finally decided on the most burning question.
Daphne shrugged. "After losing the war, they didn't have much of a choice. I think the original intent was to humiliate them by putting it there. So they would be forever reminded they lost the war and to whom," she explained before laughing bitterly and making Harry look at her with worry. "You asked me before what I have against Griphook. The answer is nothing. For all I know, he could be a good… goblin. And yet as soon as I saw him here, I could feel a pull on my magic… urging me to kill him," she admitted before whispering. "Scheduling the execution at an unspecified time in the distant future was the only loophole I could think of in that moment. At least that gives me time to think of some other way out of this mess."
"Are you alright?" Harry immediately asked in concern, having his own experience with vows and magically bounding contracts.
Daphne smiled tiredly and stepped into his arms as they hugged. "Yes, don't worry," she assured him but Harry responded by holding the blonde tighter. Only after they finally let go of each other did he ask her. "Is there something you can do so you wouldn't be compelled by this vow?"
"There is," Daphne reluctantly admitted. "I would have to forsake my family's legacy. No longer consider myself a Greengrass… only then would I escape it," she told him before looking up at him with her gorgeous blue eyes and declaring solemnly. "I am not going to do that, Harry. I can't."
"I understand," Harry assured her and an uncomfortable silence settled between them for a moment.
"So… why did the goblin rebellion start?" Harry wondered. "The one which ended here at the manor, I mean," he clarified.
"Why did any of the goblin rebellions start?" Daphne asked philosophically and immediately answered herself. "They hate us and we hate them. I think in this case, it's as simple as that."
"But what is the reason for all the enmity?" Harry wondered. During his time in the Greengrass manor, he had read many books in their library (probably more than he ever did in Hogwarts) but nothing about the history of the goblins. It just seemed like something he didn't need to focus on right now. Also, he felt an aversion towards the topic thanks to Binns' mind-numbingly dull presentation. But from the occasional mentions in the books he had read, it was obvious goblins were never popular among wizards and witches and vice versa, though he was not sure why. Come to think about, he wasn't even sure how goblins came to be. Were they a result of some strange magical experiment or did they evolve naturally alongside humans?
"I think it all goes back to how wizards and witches first came to be," Daphne began and Harry shifted his attention entirely to her, thinking he was about to find the answers. "I told you it is believed the first magic users appeared about twelve thousand years ago, right? That magic was suddenly dispensed across the face of the Earth at that time?" she asked and when Harry nodded, she continued. "Well, not everyone had the same reaction to this gift. In fact, the majority of the ancient human population wasn't affected at all."
"Muggles," Harry guessed and Daphne confirmed it a moment later.
"Yes, muggles," she said with distaste before perking up at her next words. "And then, in contrast, there were those who accepted the gift well and gained the ability to do magic. They were found worthy and were chosen. They became us… the first purebloods," Daphne said proudly.
Harry nodded as he already knew that part. "So how do the goblins fit into this?"
It looked like Daphne had trouble finding the words to answer his question. Eventually, she said carefully, "It often goes unmentioned but there was a third type of reaction. Instead of not being affected at all, like the muggles, some people were changed too much," she explained, seemingly weighing every word. "So much so they no longer even looked human…"
"Wait a minute," Harry interrupted her, experiencing a sudden pang of existential horror. "Are you saying the goblins are… they are us… as in human?! Only with some weird allergic reaction to magic?!"
Daphne briefly smiled at the word he used before she conceded. "Yes, I suppose that is an apt metaphor. Bottom line, instead of gracefully accepting the gift of magic, their bodies and souls became twisted by it."
"But why the hate?" Harry wanted to know. So far, the goblins in Daphne's story were sounding more like victims, worthy of pity rather than hatred.
"The hate comes from the fact that goblins themselves do not see the things the same way," the girl explained. "You see, in their version of the story, it is us who failed to accept the gift of magic fully. They think they are what true magical humans ought to have become. They think it is us who are wrong and twisted!"
Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. "So who's right?" he blurted out before he could realize how naïve that sounded.
Daphne honestly laughed at that. "You know, a few months ago, I'd immediately answer that we are, of course. But I suppose the impartial and somewhat truthful answer would be that it's highly debatable. The goblins have magic we cannot do and vice-versa," Daphne told him. "Anyway, the question you just asked… who is right… was at the background of every goblin rebellion there ever was."
Present
What Daphne told him about the goblins proved shocking to Harry, not to mention the idea of being bound by oaths made by countless generations of your ancestors. That was something beyond Harry's imagination or comprehension. It actually made him admire Daphne even more because if she could handle all that history riding on her back without breaking under the weight, she had to be truly extraordinary. Harry only hoped he would be able to help her bear it.
A smile appeared on his face as he imagined their future together, something he very much looked forward to. It was clear to him life with a pureblood heiress of such an old family won't be easy, especially with a dominant person like Daphne. But it sure will be interesting and exciting, as he had already experienced.
Harry heard a noise in the stables and looked up to see Daphne's black horse standing in his stall and looking directly at him with its soulful eyes. Perhaps he was evaluating Harry's worthiness to be his rider's mate. Or perhaps it was a moment of kinship over their shared fate. After all, wasn't Harry just as much broken upon Daphne's will as the beast in front of him? Wasn't she a mistress to the both of them?
It sometimes still felt strange to Harry that he should find delight in what most men would violently reject, that he should experience joy at being dominated by his girlfriend. He was awed by how fulfilling it was to let her lead him wherever she desired and he relished how happy it made Daphne when he gave her the control she craved. He could honestly say the evening by the lake during which Daphne Greengrass made him into her boy-who-licked was one of the happiest of Harry's life.
It took him time to understand and accept but he now realized just how much he had always loathed the stupid legend people created around him – the boy-who-lived.
The three simple words now filled him with loathing. They were the symbol of everything he hated about his life – the fact he lost his parents and that his life wasn't his life at all! It was more like a plot from some adventure books he was supposed to follow. Harry tried to live up to it as best as he could but it was never something he wanted and he was happy for a chance to finally let it die. And he could not think of a better place to do that than at Daphne's feet because he knew the pureblood girl hated the idea of the boy-who-lived too and was positively delighted to be the one to permanently and irrevocably end it. It brought her immense joy and satisfaction that Harry was letting her do it and that he was not fighting back.
And why would he fight back? That moment when his lips first touched Daphne's shoe… Harry felt like his real life had finally begun. Finally, he knew what he wanted for himself after dancing to someone else's notes for as long as he could remember. Many people would point out he was now merely dancing to Daphne's tune and that the blonde was controlling him as surely as he had always been controlled. But this time, it was his choice!
In the future, as long as Daphne wanted him to, Harry will happily pretend to be the mighty boy-who-lived in front of other people. It did not make him weary anymore because he knew in his heart, he would proudly and above all chose to be Daphne's loyal boy-who-licked. And now, he even let her make him into the boy-who-was-whipped! Harry closed his eyes as he vividly recalled the evening two days ago…
Earlier
After dinner, Daphne ordered him to come to her bedroom at exactly 9 pm. Harry was positively giddy with excitement by the time he finally knocked on her door and entered the room. The sight which he greeted him was Daphne standing in the middle of the room and tapping her foot impatiently. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress that made her look gorgeous. The pureblood girl always preferred revealing dresses but she showed even more skin than usual, offering him an excellent view of her cleavage while the high slit of her skirt afforded Harry view of her leg. It also barely hid her shapely bottom, a sight of which almost made Harry's mouth water as he recalled the blonde's earlier promise that he would be kissing it tonight.
From top to bottom, from her sleek platinum golden hair to the strappy heels on her feet, everything about her was perfect and designed to utterly captivate Harry. A goal in which the girl succeeded completely. Seeing Harry's speechless expression, Daphne even twirled around to showcase her figure to him while running her hands down her curves. Harry felt like falling down on his knees in front of such beauty and the confident smirk the blonde wore as her icy blue eyes drilled into his told him she knew (and thoroughly enjoyed) the effect she had on him.
And then it started.
Daphne ordered him to take off his shirt and place the palms of his hands against a large mirror which adorned one of the walls of her room. Harry obeyed immediately. In that moment, he would do anything she asked of him.
He leaned against the mirror and then watched as Daphne walked to a nightstand behind him and proceeded to pick up a black hunt whip from it. She examined it for a moment before glancing in Harry's direction. He gulped down nervously as their eyes met. She then asked him if he wished to be whipped. Even now she was giving him a choice and Harry knew if he said no, that Daphne would respect that. But he didn't say no. Instead, he nodded sharply and braced himself, watching with fascination as his smirking girlfriend walked behind him with tortuously slow steps. Finally, the blonde stretched out her arm and then thrust it forward, letting the end of the whip she was holding touch his back.
Harry groaned at the sharp pain but held on, focusing on Daphne's beautiful image in the mirror and on how excited she was by this… and so was he, to be honest. It wasn't as much the pain that excited him but the situation itself – the idea of what was happening to him, the fact he let it happen, and the freeing sensation that came with it.
His girlfriend soon picked up on his feelings and the strikes of her whip became more symbolic while she stepped up the verbal humiliation instead. Daphne mocked him for being a half blood and a Gryffindor, telling him how much better she was while ordering him to agree with her words. But most importantly, she mocked him for being a powerful and armed wizard who nevertheless let's an unarmed girl trash his back with a whip. Who actually asks her for it!
And she truly was unarmed. Earlier, Daphne insisted Harry holds his wand in his hand the entire time she whips him. Meanwhile, she put her own down on the table. Harry was touched by the gesture as he knew well that Daphne kept a wand on herself at all times ever since the war started. Therefore, to make herself unarmed now, and in his presence no less, showed how much she trusted him.
At first Harry thought that was it but as Daphne intermittently explained during his whipping, it was also essential part of their power play as she didn't want to emasculate him with her domination. The opposite. She wanted Harry to be mighty and powerful so that when he submits to her whims, her triumph is all the more meaningful! The same idea was a massive turn-on for Harry as well. Here he was, a wand in his hand and able to put an end to it any time he wanted, but instead he was continuously choosing to obey Daphne's orders and letting her whip him even though he didn't have to. He could even attack Daphne if he really wanted to and there was nothing the girl could do to stop him! But she didn't have to. He wouldn't dare to raise his wand against this goddess made flesh, not even to save himself from her whip.
At one point, his girlfriend paused in the punishment and walked towards him, hugging him from behind and covering his aching back with her gentle kisses. Then she leaned towards his ear and whispered the most audacious words he ever heard.
"Go ahead, Harry. Use that wand and take your power back! I did such terrible things to you… so put me into my place!" she dared him before smirking and stepping back. "… or I suppose you could get down on your knees and kiss my ass!" she said while running her hands over her bottom before grabbing the skirt of her dress and rolling it up. She then looked over her shoulder and into Harry's eyes. "What will it be, lover? A kiss or a spank?"
Harry wondered if that was actually something she wanted on some level. Did Daphne want him to take charge? Or did she merely wonder if that was something he wanted and willing to play along for his sake? Harry wasn't sure. "And which do you want, love?" he asked her breathlessly.
The Slytherin witch smirked and said, "You know well which I want," she said and laughed at her intentionally unhelpful answer.
Harry pondered his next action for few more seconds… that is until his eyes fell on the gorgeous white skin of Daphne's butt, an object so beautiful and perfect it had to have been sculpted by higher beings. In that moment, he knew there was only one part of his body he yearned to touch it with. Perhaps in the future, he will try exploring the other choice and actually turn the tables on Daphne for a change. But it wouldn't be today. Not after he went an entire day with the fantasy of kissing Daphne's butt stuck in his head.
He let his wand fall down to the floor before walking over to the gorgeous blonde. He then slowly dropped to his knees while she looked at him over her shoulder with a proud smirk. "You have made the right decision, Harry," she told him before she ordered. "Now get to it! And thank me for the valuable time I spent whipping you today!"
Harry pressed his lips to her ass cheek and did just that, thanking her for the pain and every humiliating word. In addition to the boy-who-was-whipped, he has also become the boy-who-kissed-ass! Daphne even allowed him to get himself off while kissing her butt, an order Harry scrambled to obey. With how excited he was, it took only few strokes of his hand before he was done.
Afterwards, the pureblood witch ordered him to go lie on her bed while she collected the wand he dropped. She soon joined him on the bed, climbing on top of him and pointing the wand at his throat. "Now it's my turn," the blonde declared. She asked for his permission and when Harry gave it to her, she silently cast a spell on him and Harry felt his body freeze. A full body-bind, he assumed. He did not have much time to ponder what magic it was before Daphne straddled his head and then lowered her ass towards his face. She proceeded to just sit on his face while using her fingers to get herself off, with Harry frozen and unable to do anything about this situation.
Daphne would periodically shift her weight on his face but there were some instances where he actually had trouble breathing. If Daphne decided to betray him in that moment, Harry knew she could actually choke him. And what an ignoble end that would be for the boy-who-lived! To be choked to death under the ass of a pureblood supremacist after first kissing it and then willingly letting her freeze him. He would die like a fool while the girl brought herself to an orgasm over destroying her worst political enemy even as Harry takes his last few tortured breaths…
Fortunately, that didn't happen to him. Daphne did not betray him and once she brought herself to orgasm, she unseated herself from his face and canceled the paralyzing spell. The two of them then fell asleep cuddling, the first time they had done so. It was a perfect end to a perfect evening.
Present
Daphne's horse neighed loudly, bringing Harry out of his reverie. He stood up, walked over and gently patted the animals head. "Yeah, you and me both brother," he told it sympathetically.
It took about ten more minutes before the doors opened and the girls finally arrived… or rather a girl as Astoria rode in on her horse alone. Luna and the pony they loaned her were nowhere in sight. "She wanted to stay behind," the young girl informed him when she saw Harry standing there and looking at her uncertainly.
"Why? Is she alright?" Harry asked with concern while at the same time walking over and offering Astoria his hand to help her dismount.
"She's fine," Astoria assured him as she took his hand and hopped down from her chestnut mare. "Honestly, I think she's having more fun than she had in months."
"Why? What's she doing?" Harry asked with curiosity.
Astoria sighed and said. "She's… playing. It's difficult to explain. You better go see for yourself if you want to know. She's by the trident."
Harry blinked at that. "The trident is under fidelius. She can't possibly see it," he pointed out.
Astoria rolled her eyes. "I know that! That would be the difficult to explain part."
"Okay, I guess I'll go see her then…" Harry said and was about to walk out of the stables and go look for Luna by the trident when Astoria called out to him.
"Harry, wait!" she said and Harry turned just in time to see her leading her horse into her stall. "I tried to make her talk about what happened to her and… she told me some of it," Astoria said and lowered her eyes with sadness. "I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault," Harry responded.
"It was my future family that held her imprisoned. I can't help but feel somewhat responsible," Astoria insisted before furrowing her brows and declaring loudly. "I just want you to know that when I'm lady Malfoy, I am never allowing anything like this happening under my roof… ever!"
Harry blinked at her bold declaration before nodding and saying thanks. Then he quickly exited the building before his sudden inner turmoil showed on his face. He wasn't sure why but this was the first time he truly realized something awkward – Draco Malfoy was going to be his brother-in-law! In the future, Daphne and he would probably be expected to attend family celebrations at the Malfoys while also acting as hosts when Astoria and Draco would come over. Worse, he would have to socialize with Draco while their respective ladies conversed privately. He supposed he would eventually get used to it but right now, the thought made him ill. There was simply too much bad blood between him and Draco.
BUT, if having the blond ferret as his brother-in-law was the price for being married to Daphne Greengrass, Harry would gladly pay it thousand times.
The trident was several miles away from the stables. Harry didn't know how to ride a horse, he didn't have a broom and didn't want to walk all the way. So once he exited the stables, he turned on the spot while focusing on his memories of the area. He arrived at his destination with a loud pop, materializing on the side of the main road which went towards the circle of trees growing around the trident.
Harry looked up to see the wisps and tendrils of magical energy originating from the mighty ward stone and surging across the sky to power the various magics all over the vast Greengrass estate. He marveled at the sight for few seconds before lowering his head and looking around for his friend.
It didn't take him long to find her. Luna was standing motionless about twenty meters away from the road. The pony she rode here was also standing still and looking at Luna with curiosity. Harry was worried when he heard Luna wanted to go for a ride despite having no experience. But according to Astoria, the animal they selected for her was one of the nicest and gentlest they had – good with children and an excellent choice for beginners.
As for Luna, she was staring directly at the trees circling the trident as Harry walked over. Only he knew that she couldn't possibly see anything because Daphne was the secret keeper and she never shared the secret with his friend. "Hi Luna!" he called to her as he reached her position. "What are you doing here?" he asked in confusion.
The younger girl briefly glanced in his direction, "Oh, hello Harry!" she said kindly before turning back to stare fixedly in the trident's direction. "Look… it's a secret!" she declared enthusiastically while pointing ahead.
"Luna… you can see what's there?" Harry asked with interest, wondering if his friend was able to see past the fidelius. It didn't seem possible but then again, Luna was the most perceptive person he knew. If anyone was able to do it, it would be her.
The girl laughed at his question. "Of course not, silly! I told you… it's a secret!" Luna said before lifting one of her feet like she was about to step forward but then she froze, her right foot hovering in the air. "I want my feet to move me forward but they don't listen. Isn't that great?"
Harry did not think it was great at all. But Luna's enthusiasm about it was utterly contagious. "Sure… it's great, I guess," Harry said as he stopped and stood beside her, realizing they were standing right at the edge of the area covered by the fidelius. Before Daphne shared the secret with him, Harry could remember seeing something completely uninteresting thought curiously, he was unable to recall any details. He wondered what it was Luna could see right now.
The girl suddenly closed her eyes. "Maybe if I am not looking…" she mumbled while again trying to take the step. This time she succeeded but instead of stepping over the invisible boundary she for some inexplicable reasons turned sideways at the right angle. When she opened her eyes and saw what happened, she seemed even more joyful.
"Marvelous! Now what if I fall over?" she asked loudly. Whether she addressed him, herself or someone else, Harry wasn't sure. Luna closed her eyes, spread her arms in front of her body and then leaned forward to a point where she would fall over. Harry was about to lunge forward to catch her and arrest her fall even thought he knew it was too late. But it turned out to be unnecessary. Instead of falling face down on the ground as basic physics would dictate, a sudden gust of wind knocked Luna backwards and made her fall down on her butt into the soft grass.
"Wow… did you see that?" Luna asked him even as Harry rushed forward to help her.
"Are you alright?" he asked her but if Luna's smiles were anything to go by, she was uninjured. However, a shadow past across the girl's face as he asked his question. "Oh, it was awful, Harry," she told him even as he pulled her back to her feet. "But I think I am going to be better now."
It took Harry a moment to understand she wasn't talking about the fall she just took but about her captivity. "Luna…" Harry said quietly, suddenly feeling lost for words. "It's… it's good to see you again. I missed you," he finally decided on the answer, not wanting to make her sad again.
The girl responded by jumping into his arms and pulling him into a big hug. "Me too, Harry! Now, please… toss me."
"W-w-what?" Harry mumbled in total confusion as she let go of him and was now looking at him innocently with her silvery eyes.
"Toss me!" Luna repeated. "I want to see if you can toss me across," she explained while pointing in the trident's direction.
"Luna, that's…" he was about to say that perhaps it wasn't such a good idea but he saw her eager puppy eyes and found himself unable to deny her. With a deep sigh, her grabbed both her arms and as gently as he could, he half-tossed half-shoved her towards the trident. Two things happened at once. The first was that Harry got a cramp in his arm, reducing the force he applied on tossing Luna to almost nothing. The second was yet another strong gust of wind (which in itself was weird as the air was perfectly still otherwise) which send Luna backwards and crashing into him.
This time, they both fell down on the grass in a tangle of limbs.
"Luna… I really missed you," Harry told her after extricating themselves from each other. Afterwards, they just sat on the ground until they stopped laughing. Once they did, Harry started the topic he was dreading. He desperately wanted at least one of his friends to like Daphne. "So, you've met Daphne already. She and I…" he began uncertainly.
"The two of you are getting married," Luna finished for him and then asked in a serious voice. "Did you know about that?"
"I – I might have heard something, yes," Harry said and smiled. "But what do you think… do you like her?"
Instead of answering, Luna stood up and turned to look in the trident's direction again without saying a word. Harry feared the worst. "Luna?" he asked carefully as he stood up to.
Finally, the girl quietly spoke. "Harry… do you think Daphne would lend me a spade?"
Harry was glad she was speaking again although it definitely wasn't what he expected to hear. "A spade?"
"Yes," the girl confirmed and turned to look him in the eyes. "I want to see if I can dig my way over there," she said and pointed at the trident. "Unfortunately, I didn't know I would be digging today and so I didn't bring a spade… so do you think Daphne could lend me one?"
"Luna…" Harry said and sighed. Were he having this conversation with anyone else, he would be getting pissed off right now at their evasiveness. But he knew Luna was not trying to be annoying or to evade his questions. She was just being herself and it was part of the reason he missed her.
"Luna, I am sure Daphne would lend you a spade," he assured her.
His friend smiled at him brightly. "I think so too! I think she's just the kind of person who would lend fellow a spade," Luna told him, brushing away a stray wisp of hair before closing her eyes and leaning back, deep in thought. When she finally looked at Harry again, she spoke with certainty. "Daphne might not know me and the spade might've been in her family for generations but she's still willing to risk everything by lending it to me. There aren't a lot of people who would just lend you a spade like that. I think that's great."
Harry nodded, understanding the meaning behind his words. "Yes, she is… thank you, Luna. That means a lot to me."
Harry remained silent for a while after that while Luna loudly thought of other methods to get around the fidelius. She suggested getting knocked out and rolled over there, falling off a broom, and being shot out of a cannon. Meanwhile, Harry was about to ask Luna if she happened to know about any relics related to Rowena Ravenclaw. Not only was she a member of that House, she and her father were big fans of the obscure, firmly believing what most people considered only myth and legends.
"The only relic of Rowena Ravenclaw would be her lost diadem," Luna told him quietly.
Harry stared at her in disbelief. "Luna… I didn't ask you anything yet."
The girl flashed red with embarrassment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Harry. That was rude of me! It's just people ask me so many questions, I sometimes forget which ones they already asked," she explained though Harry would be damned if that explanation made any sense to him. Luna smiled at him brightly and said, "Please go ahead and ask."
For a moment, Harry pondered doing just that but then he thought there was no point to it and he shook his head. "No, I think I am good… I really did miss you, Luna. Have I said that already?"
"You have," his friend confirmed and smiled. "But it's always good to hear it again."
"What about this one my lady?" one of the workers from the glasshouses asked her, handing her the spade. "It's teachable and charmed to work on its own."
Daphne turned the spade over in her hands a few times before declaring, "It's perfect… thank you."
The man bowed and went back to his work. Meanwhile Daphne called for her house elf, "Flosy!"
The diminutive creature appeared in front of her with a silent pop and was looking at her mistress curiously after being handed the spade. "Please take this to Miss Lovegood. Inform her it's a gift from House Greengrass," Daphne said and paused before adding. "If she goes back to the trident with it, please assign someone to watch her so she doesn't hurt herself." The female elf nodded in acknowledgement of all her orders before apparating away to do her mistress's bidding.
Once the elf was gone, Daphne turned around to find Harry looking at her with amused smile.
"What?"
"You didn't need to do that, you know," her boyfriend told her but Daphne waved the comment away. "I felt like it," she said and shrugged. She then allowed Harry to take her arm and they went on a walk through the gardens. They enjoyed each other's presence in silent until Daphne spoke. "So, Luna suggested Ravenclaw's lost diadem…" she said and Harry nodded.
"That's not good. As the name suggests, it has been lost since Ravenclaw died. There's no trace of it in any historical records. Many researchers and treasure hunters tried to find it over the years without success," she said and sighed tiredly.
"So we are back to square one?" Harry asked with disappointment.
"Maybe, maybe not," Daphne said mysteriously. "I've been thinking… perhaps we are going about this the wrong way. Perhaps we should stop trying to learn what the object is and focus on where the dark lord could have hidden it," she explained. "And if it really is something related to Ravenclaw, then there is one place associated with her more than any other in the world."
"Hogwarts!" Harry cried out with excitement. "I was thinking that too! I always thought he would have hidden at least one Horcrux in the school. But…"
"But what?" Daphne wondered, sensing the sudden change in Harry's mood after the brief elation.
"Well… Hermione said that was impossible. She said Dumbledore would have found it already if that was the case."
Daphne narrowed her eyes and she instinctively squeezed Harry's hand more firmly even as they walked through the gardens. "And she just assumes Dumbledore knew absolutely every place there is in the castle?!" she snapped.
"Yeah, that's what I said too," Harry told her sadly and with a tone of wistfulness.
Daphne knew Granger's categorical dismissal of virtually all his ideas had hurt Harry deeply, especially when so far, he turned out to be right about every one of them. It made her blood boil with anger at that arrogant good-for-nothing mudblood. The girl was a never ending source of emotional pain for Harry and even an inner turmoil for Daphne as she constantly found herself on the fence between feeling sorry for the miserable cretin and wanting to hang her from the nearest tree.
"You know," Daphne said as she shook with suppressed rage. "Had I not seen her mind myself, I'd have thought Granger had been purposefully sabotaging your mission. I know that is not the case and that in her heart, she really thought she was helping. But sadly, the result is the same. Her pigheadedness and mudblood stupidity would have eventually caused you your life."
"I know," Harry admitted quietly but with only a brief pause, surprising Daphne that he accepted the idea so readily. As smart as Harry was, she knew he had a huge blind spot when it came to his friends. Of course, the mudblood had so many different failings (aside from being a mudblood) that perhaps even Harry Potter could no longer ignore them all.
"Make sure you remember that tomorrow, when she tries to make you feel guilty about the choices you made," she told him before taking a calming breath and going back to the topic.
"So, Hogwarts… it looks like we'll be heading there sooner rather than later. Have you given any more thought to my theory?" she asked Harry and as expected, the boy sighed and rolled his eyes.
"I have and I am sorry to say I still think it's preposterous. I mean what would it even mean? That somehow, despite murdering Dumbledore, Snape's been on our side all along?!"
"I didn't say that," Daphne objected to his skepticism. "All I said is that based on the memory you showed me, I am certain the silvery doe you saw in the woods was Professor Snape's patronus."
"Which means it was him who gave us the sword of Gryffindor," Harry extrapolated.
"He did have it in his possession for a very long time," Daphne pointed out. "Long enough to make a very convincing replica he could give to Bellatrix."
"But why would he do that unless he was on our side?" Harry asked before repeating his earlier sentiment. "Which is impossible, given what he did!"
'Which begs the question if he really did it,' Daphne thought with worry while saying instead, "Snape had been doing his best to become the dark lord's most trusted servant. There's a chance he is a genuine death eater and him giving you the sword was just a creative attempt to murder you. After all, you almost died trying to get it out of the ice pond."
"Which does not explain why he would use the real sword as bait or why he didn't alert Voldemort after his attempt failed," Harry rightly pointed out.
"True," she admitted before continuing. "Of course, another possibility is that Snape is playing both sides. He is a Slytherin after all. In that case, he would have given you the sword to balance the power and provide you with a chance to destroy the dark lord while hoping the two of you would destroy each other," she said before immediately furrowing her brows. "The big problem with that theory is that it does not explain how he knew you needed the sword in the first place."
"He knew Ginny and the others were trying to steal it for me but you are right, he would have had to know I was going to need it," Harry said and Daphne instinctively grasped his arm more firmly as he mentioned his former girlfriend.
"Right," she said. "Which brings me to the third option – that Snape does not serve the dark lord at all and is actually on your side… our side."
"But he killed Dumbledore!" Harry insisted.
Daphne stopped their walk and looked him in the eyes. "Did he really kill him, Harry?" she finally vocalized what she dreaded.
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"I know you did and I believe you," she assured him. "But let me ask you this… would creating an identical golem of himself and using it to fake his own death be beyond the skill of a wizard like Albus Dumbledore?" she asked him seriously.
Harry was silent for a long time until he finally said, "No, I suppose he could have done that…" he admitted. "So you're saying Dumbledore faked his own death and Snape helped him to do it?"
"It's possible," Daphne answered carefully. "It would explain why Snape gave you the sword… if he was acting under Dumbledore's direct orders."
To his credit, Harry did not dismiss her words out of hand and seemed to think about them for a long while. Finally, he said, "I don't know, Daphne. In my heart, I feel he really is gone."
"But if he's not, then we need to know… we need to know for sure what are Snape's goals, where his loyalties truly lie," she said and this time, she did not manage to hide the anxiousness she felt.
Harry picked up on it immediately. "This scares you, doesn't it? That Dumbledore might be alive?" he said and looked at her with surprise.
Daphne smiled at him weakly. "Can you blame me? For you, it would mean having your mentor back. But for me, it would mean my political cause is as good as finished. And…" she was about to speak her greatest worry but her voice failed her.
Harry sighed and grabbed both her arms. "I am not going to leave you, Daphne!"
"I didn't say you were," she retorted, astonished by how easily the boy could caption the fear she was experiencing in that moment.
"But it's what you're thinking about, isn't it? You think that if Dumbledore is alive, then I am going to rush off to join his forces and leave you. Well I am not!" Harry assured her as he gently took her hand into his. "For better or worse… I am now with you."
Daphne swallowed nervously. "I know that."
"You know and yet you are worried anyway... this seems familiar," Harry said and smiled.
It took Daphne a moment to understand he was referring to their earlier talk where Harry expressed his jealousy of her servants. She giggled at the reminder. "Perhaps you need to punish me too," she joked.
"Perhaps I will," he said while smiling mysteriously.
"But however would you do that?" Daphne asked in flirtatious voice and nudged his side. "I am afraid the idea of being whipped by you does not do anything for me," she admitted.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, they were sparkling with mischief. "Do you have any muggle clothes?" he asked her, seemingly completely out of the blue.
"Eh… yes. For the occasions when I am forced to go to the muggle world," she said, her face scrounged up in disgust. When Harry continued to smile with fake innocence, she became very worried. "Why are you asking?!" she demanded to know with a mounting dread.
"I want you to wear them for a few hours… for me," he finally told her.
Daphne stared at him with an open mouth in a very unladylike expression. "You would ask the Lady of House Greengrass to dress in muggle clothes… f-for your amusement!" she stuttered with genuine shock before she sneered at him. "I should punish you for such impudence, halfblood!"
"You are welcome to do so," Harry said. "But you are still going to wear those muggle clothes as you do it," he told her with unusual decisiveness as he looked into her eyes sharply.
Any protest she might have made died in her throat as she became completely lost in his enchanting green eyes. It was fate's nasty joke that she, a pureblood witch of the noblest descent, would be so enamored with a physical characteristic inherited from his mudblood mother. "Fine," she agreed with a pout. "I'll wear the stupid muggle clothes… for you," she emphasized the last part. In her mind, she was already planning to turn the tables on Harry and make him sweat by wearing something scanty. She then shook her head and said, "But I think we digressed again…"
"Right," Harry said and cleared his throat. "What do you suggest we do about Snape?"
"Best would be to interrogate him," Daphne suggested. "I'll try to see if I can get him to come here."
"He's not that stupid," Harry responded.
"Why would he fear coming to a residence of a loyal death eater family? He's been here before," she said before frowning. "But you might be right. He'd likely sense something was wrong. This will require some careful planning," she acknowledged Harry's point. "In the mean time, we can move ahead with the other projects… the ritual is ready," she told him and smiles appeared on both their faces.
"Believe me… I'm counting the hours," Harry said with eagerness she fully reciprocated.
