To say that Dumbledore was panicking would be an understatement.
When the relevant tracker on his desk flagged that the boy had left Privet Drive he hadn't been too worried as it wasn't odd for him to go for a walk, however when Dumbledore checked it the next day he started to worry. Dumbledore's panic hadn't been high, as the other items that tracked the boy's heartbeat and flagged serious pain or illness weren't indicating anything so he knew those Muggles hadn't killed him, however Dumbledore had thought with Black on the run that the boy's motivation to do anything rebellious would be low, he'd obviously been mistaken. Dumbledore had planned for him to join the Weasley's at the World Cup to help build his relationships with the two youngest Weasleys but that was looking less likely every day.
Dumbledore had contacted the Muggleborn and the Weasley's, the only people the boy interacted with, but none of them had heard from him. Dumbledore obviously didn't tell them that the boy was missing as they didn't need to know that, just answer his questions.
After four days, Dumbledore was left with contacting the boy's relatives directly. So, adopting his grandfatherly persona, he apparated from Hogwarts to an alley close the Number 4 Privet Drive. As he approached the house in question and before walking through the front gate, he cast a quick Homenum Revelio to confirm who was there, felt two people were in the house and assumed the uncle was at work. He firmly knocked on the door and waited, as he was about to knock again the door swung open.
"Hello how may I….Oh…it's you… What do you want?!" Petunia Dursley said with venom dripping from every word.
"I was wondering if Harry was about?" Dumbledore asked, trying to sweep aside the toxicity with kindness.
"No, he left a few days ago for a walk and never came back. His things are gone as well, good riddance I say. If he doesn't come back, my home will be a happier place." Petunia said with some finality.
"How can you say that Harry is your nephew and the last link to your sister, doesn't that mean something?" Dumbledore asked with some confusion. He hadn't been phased if the boy's relatives hadn't loved him but he'd not realised the level of animosity that existed between them.
"What, be glad that we had a small child DUMPED on our doorstep 13 years ago? No, I don't. My sister made a choice to leave us behind when she entered your freak world and as far as I'm concerned, she ceased being a relative then and there." Petunia crossed her arms when she finished that sentence, a look of defiance entering her eyes. "And that blasted boy is not welcome here either, this is my home not his. He has left and he ISN'T welcome back." Petunia went to slam the door in his face but he stopped it with his foot quickly.
"Mrs. Dursley, please we must find Harry as soon as possible. Could you please report him missing at least?" Dumbledore asked, hoping he could at least get support from the Muggle authorities.
"Why would I do that? We never registered the boy as ours so the only thing I'd be doing it opening my own family up to potential investigation. No, you freaks can sort it out yourself." She then forcefully shut the door and locked it, leaving a stunned Dumbledore unsure what to do.
After being unceremoniously shunned by the boy's relatives, he started discreetly enquiring about him over the few days. Never checking somewhere twice to try and avoid raising suspicions. Running out of places to check, he started reaching out to less friendly places, which is why he found himself outside the wards of Longbottom Manor. He gently prodded the wards to inform those within the property that he was there and waited.
As always, Augusta Longbottom made Dumbledore wait what he felt was an unnecessary length of time before being granted access, annoyingly she hadn't granted him apparition rights, nor did she send out an elf. So, Dumbledore had to walk the 250 meters from the front gate to the front door on foot. Grumbling all the way until he was right near the front step.
As he huffed his way to the landing, the front door opened, and a refreshed and energetic Augusta Longbottom stood there waiting for him.
"Yes Albus, what do you want?" Augusta asked with her usual brand of brashness.
"Ahh, Madame Longbottom, might I come in to speak with you about an important matter?" Dumbledore asked, annoyed that she hadn't offered.
"No, I've no time for idle chatter today. Speak your mind and then begone with you." At this surprisingly rude, even for Augusta, statement Dumbledore took a deep breath and began.
"I was wondering if you've seen Harry Potter by chance?" Dumbledore asked as neutrally as possible. "He vanished from his relatives house and they're quite worried about him." He continued, adding some of his grandfatherly persona to try and tug on an emotional string.
"Hmmm, Harry Potter. Do you mean Heir Potter?" Augusta asked pointedly. Dumbledore always hated the obsession some people had with the noble titles, it was tied too closely to the pureblood beliefs, and he had been working to remove some of the outdated traditions that existed around such things.
"Yes Augusta, Heir Potter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter." Dumbledore responded, starting to get annoyed with the women.
"Oh yes, he stayed here a few days before moving on. I've no idea where he is now though." Augusta responded in a matter-of-fact manner, stumping Dumbledore for a moment "He had a wonderful impact on my Neville while he was here though, the three of them have been studying together and I've never seen Neville so engaged with anything that didn't have roots."
Dumbledore, having finally collected himself, began questioning the matron "What do you mean he was here. Why didn't you tell me?"
"And why would I tell you Dumbledore?" Augusta asked, he realised he'd pushed to hard and annoyed the old women.
"I'm the boys magical guardian and I should have been told!" Dumbledore said forcefully, deciding that he'd pushed too far already, and subtlety wasn't going to work anymore.
"Ahh there we have it, you admit you had guardianship over Heir Potter?" Augusta asked. Dumbledore, his mouth moving faster than his brain responded regretting it the moment he did.
"Yes Augusta, since 1981 I have been his guardian. Now I demand you tell me where he is!"
"So, you admit to not informing Heir Potter of his heritage, or the connections he had with the Longbottom's including the Longbottom Alliance AND the fact my daughter-in-law is his godmother?" Dumbledore kept his mouth shut, as he realised he'd made a serious error coming here. "You also lied to me when I requested to take the boy in. Neville has told me the way those Muggles treat Heir Potter and I'm horrified that you not only let that happen but instigated the entire situation. I intend to take this to the Wizengamot Dumbledore and when I do I hope they hang you out to dry." With that last statement Augusta slammed her manor door shut, and a split-second later Dumbledore felt the wards forcibly eject him from the property. As Dumbledore lay on the ground just outside the Longbottom ward line, he realised that Augusta had said three people, who in Merlins name was the boy associating with now if not the Muggleborn and the Weasley boy?
*Page Break*
Harry had no idea life could be this good. They had settled on Potter Cottage in the end and was glad they had; it was surrounded on all sides by rolling hills but the wards sheltered it from the worst of the wind blowing in from the coast. Daphne had initially been unimpressed with the property, however once they'd gotten inside, she'd found the property was magically expanded in a similar manner to a wizarding tent, and with four bedrooms, a comfortable dining/sitting area and a quaint vegetable and herb garden fenced in at the back, her impression of the property was immediately reset. All three were surprised when they found the property well maintained and clean, that was until two house elves appeared in front of Harry.
They'd introduced themselves as Nod and Pod, Nod maintained the interior of the house and was also the chef. While Pod was the grounds keeper. Nod, recognising her as future-Lady Potter, instantly began peppering Daphne with questions regarding food and colour preferences, she was instantly enamoured with Lily and began asking after the baby's preferences as well.
Pod on the other hand looked at Harry and Sirius, offered them a tour of the property when they were ready and then bowed to Harry and in a very un-Dobby like manner, welcomed Harry as Heir Potter to the property and asked for apologies for its mate's behaviour.
Once they'd settled on the Cottage, they'd carefully explained to Neville that they'd found permanent residence and would be moving out of Longbottom Manor immediately. Neville had been devastated by this news until Harry casually continued with talk of regular visits and setting study days so that they could work together on homework.
Almost a week later, when Neville had come to join them for a study and training day, he'd detailed to them the interaction between his Gran and Dumbledore. They'd all enjoyed a laugh about the outcome, but it did highlight that Sirius' call to move on right away had been the right one.
Thankfully that had been the most exciting event at the cottage for the two weeks that they'd been there. Harry and Daphne had agreed when they first arrived, that although their relationship had certainly advanced quickly, they would settle in separate rooms. Daphne took the master bedroom, as the bed allowed her to have Lily join her when their daughter was especially grumpy, while Harry took the room opposite, allowing him to support Daphne when she needed it. Sirius took the room furthest away at Harry's insistence.
Sirius hadn't been happy with the choice but in the end had conceded to his godson, Sirius wanted to be close to Harry, but Harry and Daphne argued that Sirius needed time to recover from his time at Azkaban.
Halfway through the second week at the cottage Harry and Daphne having finally settled in a schedule of sorts, had a chance during one of Lily's naps to sit down and pick up that discussion they'd put off in Gringotts about the speed at which their feelings for each other were developing.
"I first realised something strange was going on with the way I instantly felt a need to protect Lily when she appeared in my room at Greengrass Manor." Daphne had told him. "Then when we first met and were spending time together at Longbottom Manor my attraction too you spiked the moment you walked into the room and for some reason, I just felt like I could trust you."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean, my life has been so hectic that I tend not to notice girls, but for some reason the moment I saw you, you took my breath away." Harry told Daphne with a blush. "Plus, for some reason if Lily isn't around I feel like I'm missing something…"
Harry was then cut off "Yes! Like there is a hole you need to fill right?" Daphne said, seemingly excited that they were both experiencing the same thing.
"Yeah. As I said in the bank, I'm not against us being together, we wouldn't have married otherwise, but I worry at the way I seem to be perfectly fine with the speed at which it is happening." Harry said.
"To be honest Harry, there have been quite a few nights, if not all of them, where I just wanted to bring Lily into your room and fall asleep with you." Daphne said with a blush on her face. "And rationally I know that's not normal… but in my heart it just feels right…"
"You're not alone in those feelings Daphne, trust me." Harry said, also blushing now. "But we need to work out what is going on."
They'd then spent a few days getting more comfortable mentally with their emotions for each other and by the end of the second week Harry had gotten used to feeling Daphne seated against him in the sitting room or resting a hand on his leg during meals. Even occasionally falling asleep in Daphne's room when he is helping put Lily to sleep, he really enjoyed waking with Daphne in his arms but the rational part of him knew he needed to work out what was driving them together. Therefore, during one of the next dinners, he raised the topic with Sirius.
"Hey Sirius, can I ask you something?" Harry said tentatively.
"Technically pup you already did, but I consider that one a freebie" Sirius said with a laugh. The two weeks at the cottage had done both his physical and mental health wonders. Though he'd spent quite a lot of time helping the couple with their study and duelling training, he often vanished into the hills exploring when Neville joined them. They'd all agreed that for the time being a time travelling baby and his godbrother getting married was enough weirdness for Neville, Sirius would stay secret for now. Those runs through the hills of Dover seemed to enable Sirius to process a lot of the damage and darker thoughts that still plagued him from Azkaban. His recovery was certainly helped by the wonderful food Nod prepared and playing with baby Lily.
Harry and Daphne giggled at his joke but quickly became serious again "Look, Daphne and I are really worried about something. We uh…" Daphne then chose to cut in at this point. "We haven't really known each other for very long but for some reason both of us seem to be quite happy for this relationship to move at what appears to be an unhealthy pace. Rationally we both know this but for some reason emotionally we're happy for this to be a sprint." Daphne said, providing clarity that she felt Harry would have trouble communicating. Harry then nodded to support her.
"Well to be honest guys, I was a little worried myself but didn't want to butt in just in case I was missing something. Most relationships don't advance at the pace you guys have, it's been what two and half weeks, you're already acting like a married couple most of the time and quite comfortably living with each other…" Sirius stopped to think for a moment. "How would you feel about me reaching out to one of my cousins? From what I remember before going into the Azkaban roadside inn she was training to become an Unspeakable and therefore might be able to help us work out what is pushing you two together." Sirius said.
"Uh, won't she still think you're an on the run convict and refuse to help?" Harry asked.
"Well yeah, that's why I was thinking you could send her the letter, but I can give you some coded language, as well as formatting and tricks to use that will tell her the request is coming from a member of the Black family."
And so, the three of them sat down to write out a letter.
* Page Break *
It was a week after their initial discussion and Harry and Daphne were standing in the living area of the cottage, Lily in Daphne's arms and Sirius in Padfoot form sitting at Harry's foot, waiting for Andromeda Tonks to arrive via portkey. Daphne was bouncing Lily and keeping her entertained while they waited.
"So… you still think this is our best bet?" Harry asked the black grim standing next to him.
"Woof!" came the response, making Harry realise that asking a question like that while Sirius was in his animagus form wasn't the best idea. Before he could follow up however there was a loud pop as Andromeda arrived. Daphne nudge Harry who quickly stepped forward.
"Welcome Mrs. Tonks, to Potter Cottage. My name is Harry Potter, this is my wife, Daphne Potter nee Greengrass and our… dog… Padfoot." Harry said, watching as Andromeda's eyes bounced from person to person, finally resting on the giggly bundle in Daphne's arms. "Oh, and that little lady is Lily Potter."
Andromeda's eyes went back to Harry before she spoke. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter. I must say, getting a Black style invitation from a Potter wasn't something I was expecting. I was quite worried when I saw the envelop, however once I saw who the sender was, I was more than happy to help out in any way I can."
"Well, please come this way. My elf has prepared an afternoon tea, which will hopefully make this conversation a little more comfortable." Harry continued on, leading everyone towards the dining area. Harry thanking Merlin for the etiquette lessons with Daphne.
The letter Harry had sent, highlighted the need for assistance but no details on the issue. They'd all agreed that the fewer people that knew about exactly what had happened the better. Had the letter been intercepted, no doubt their change in status and daughter would be all over the Prophet.
When they got to the dining area, Harry and Daphne sat opposite Andromeda, however Padfoot sat right near Andromeda's feet. Harry assumed he'd missed his cousin.
"Now Mr. Potter, why don't we start out with why you think I can help you with your issue and I'll ask questions from there."
Harry nodded, but before starting asked "That won't be an issue, however I will need a vow of secrecy regarding the information we're about to share. It could place my family and I at great risk were it to get out." Andromeda simply nodded and gave a simple vow to not sure share the information with anyone without Harry or Daphne's approval.
Once the vow was made, Daphne walked Andromeda through the last three weeks of their lives, how Lily had time travelled from the future and then the quickly developing feelings they had for each other, as well as Lily and their concerns associated.
Andromeda appeared to be sat there stunned as she listened, especially when Daphne spoke about Sirius' arrival. Harry noticed however that her interest truly peaked when Daphne started explaining their emotional situation, a quill and parchment materialising out of nowhere and the questions began.
"Mrs. Potter how would you describe your emotional connection to your husband prior to Lily's appearance?" Andromeda asked.
"Indifference, I knew he was the Boy Who Lived however besides that he was just a boorish Gryffindor." Daphne replied, no venom in the statement just truth.
"And Mr. Potter, what about you?" Andromeda asked, now turning towards Harry.
"I honestly barely knew she was there besides finding her attractive."
"Ok..." Andromeda then looked down at her parchment where she had been taking notes. "Now a quick question for both of you, what about your feelings regarding Lily?"
Harry and Daphne looked at each other and then back to Andromeda and Daphne spoke "It was immediate. Me a fourteen-year-old girl immediately leapt to comfort her and felt almost physical pain to be away from her."
Then Harry picked up "I'm the same, the moment I saw her I felt like I needed to protect and comfort her. I don't want to be without her."
Andromeda looked deep in thought, she then appeared to have a brain wave and quickly asked. "May I request approval to cast a spell on both of you?"
Both Harry and Daphne nodded, Andromeda drew her wand and then silently cast a spell using a complicated wand movements before a string of soft golden light sprung to life between Harry and Daphne. Its appearance confused Harry but Daphne's hand flew to her mouth.
"Well!" said Andromeda suddenly. "I believe that answers the questions regarding the sudden appearance of affection between the two of you. The question is how and why it formed…"
As Andromeda paced, Daphne was left in shock and Harry was left confused.
"I'm sorry Mrs. Tonks but could you explain what this means, why is there a golden thread between us?" Harry asked.
"Oh, my apologies Mr. Potter, I thought it was obvious. You and Mrs. Potter have formed a soul bond. I don't know when, however given these feelings suddenly came on after having known about each other and co-existing within Hogwarts for 3 years my current theory is when your daughter appeared."
Harry was floored, weren't soul bonds a thing of fairy tales?
"This is just fascinating. My running theory is that your daughter has come back in time and the timeline is simply attempting to right itself, your daughter can't exist without you together therefore it pushes you together and she had both of you in the original timeline, so it forces the emotions about your daughter. This is just amazing…" Andromeda continued, quickly falling deep in thought, ignoring the two teens completely.
Harry looked over at Daphne who was sat there, her hand still covering her mouth in shock. Harry leaned closer and began whispering "So, what do you think?"
Drawn out of her shock, she looked at him and whispered back "Harry, if we're soul bound then I've no reason to question anything that's happening. I'd say we still take things slow, we might be married but this stops at kisses and cuddling for now." Daphne said with a stern look on her face. "We should also ask someone we trust to go to the Ministry Department of Records and confirm that our soul bond has been registered. I know our marriage will, but if the bond is confirmed we'll receive extra protections."
Harry just looked at Daphne and smiled. "You know, watching you plan out things is one of the things I like about you. Over the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to just watch you think and it's beautiful." Harry said, before blushing once he realised he said it out loud.
"Thank you Harry…" Daphne said, blushing just as hard. Lily however chose that time to fill her nappy, completely ruining the moment.
"Ahhh, Mrs. Tonks." Harry said "We might need to cut our meeting short. Is there anything else you think we need to be aware of regarding this bond?"
"Huh?" Mrs. Tonks looked at the teens again, seemingly dragged out of some deep thoughts. "Oh, yes. You should confirm that it's registered with the Ministry, should be on the document confirming your marriage and I'd strongly recommend staying as close to each other as possible, even sharing a bed. No coitus required of course, you're too young for that!" The woman said, seeming to shift from her Unspeakable to Mother in a split second. The statement caused both teens to blush.
"That would explain why we both sleep better when you fall asleep in my room. I always thought it was just because we shared the Lily workload." Daphne said thoughtfully. "Oh, Mrs. Tonks, would you be able to confirm the bond for us in the ministry?"
Mrs. Tonks thought for a second but then shook her head. "Unfortunately not Mrs. Potter, to access something like that I'd need a legitimate reason and although I'm somewhat related to Mr. Potter, it's no where near close enough to justify the request."
"We're related?" Harry sat up straight suddenly, caught off guard by the statement.
"Yes, your grandmother was originally a Black and my great aunt, so we're third cousins and my dear Nymphadora is your fourth cousin, on the Black side of course."
"So that means I'm related to Sirius Black as well, right?" Harry asked with some hope in his voice.
Andromeda looked at Harry in confusion. "Yes, you are correct. It's what makes his crimes so abhorrent. He liked to call James his brother, and they were as close as, but they were legitimately family…" Andromeda now had a sad look on her face.
Daphne then stood "Well Mrs. Tonks, we appreciate you coming to our home and providing such useful information; however I believe we really must get some other things done today. You and your family are of course welcome to visit. We should become acquainted as some of the only family my husband has."
"Of course Mrs. Potter, I'll get out of your hair and thank you for the invitation. My schedule, as I'm sure you can understand, is rather packed but hopefully we can find a night before you both leave for Hogwarts. If you need anything or have questions, please just owl us, it must be hard living out here by yourselves as teens."
"Oh, we manage." Daphne said with a glance to Padfoot.
*Page Break*
To say that Daphne was nervous was an understatement, it was September 1st and they were getting everything ready to leave for Platform nine and three quarters. Thankfully their request for marriage quarters had been approved quickly. Given the revelations in the Potter vault, they chose to contact Professor Flitwick instead of Professor McGonagall, and certainly not her Head of House...
The half-goblin had been very excited to be getting marriage quarters ready, however was confused that he was being asked instead of either of their Heads of House. When Harry informed the professor that Gringotts had recommended they contact him instead, he stopped asking questions, though did apologise that while normally he'd tell them to skip the Express, that as he wasn't their Head of House, he couldn't do that.
While Daphne's nerves were being caused by many things going on, the primary source was the first meeting with their friends. Daphne had asked whether Harry wanted to reach out to Weasley or Granger when they first arrived at Potter Cottage, but he'd explained that the blow up would not be worth it and that there was no guarantee Dumbledore wouldn't find out once they returned to their homes. Daphne was surprised when Harry very calmly explained that though he cared greatly for his friends, Granger's deference to authority and Weasley's inability to keep a secret meant he'd just have to wait until September 1st to see them.
Harry had asked her the same, though not knowing who her friends were, so just asked generally. She had told him that there was only one friend she cared to tell but that she was currently travelling with family until two days before they leave and therefore she'd just wait as well.
The second major source of stress was that they'd both agreed to leave Lily at home with Sirius and the elves until they got to their marriage quarters setup. They were already going to draw a lot of attention travelling together and sharing a cabin, having a baby with them would set the entire platform on fire. Being away from their daughter was always unsettling for Daphne.
The final source of stress for Daphne was the thought of the attention itself. She had gotten used to boys and men gawking at her in a perverted manner, however, to have the level of scrutiny placed upon her that Harry seemed to have become accustomed was unsettling her somewhat.
"You two ready?" Sirius yelled from the dining room. It was 1030 in the morning, and they needed to leave quite soon if they wanted to secure a cabin to themselves.
Both Harry and Daphne gave Lily a gentle kiss before handing her off to Nod. Ever since meeting with Andromeda Tonks, Harry and Daphne had become a lot more relaxed around each other and even began sharing small moments of unprompted physical affection.
As suggested, they'd begun sleeping in the same bed and had even gotten over the embarrassment felt when they awoke snuggled together, which was happening more often than not.
Both of them dragged their school trunks out to the dining area, where the floo was located. "We're ready Sirius." Harry said as Daphne walked in behind him. "Part of me wishes you could come to the platform with us; however, the other part is glad you're staying here. I trust the elves, but having a human here lets me stress less."
"Not a problem Progslet, I'd never let ANYTHING happen to my little Grand-Goddaughter!" Sirius said with a smile. Daphne had watched while they stayed here as Sirius recovered from the exposure to Azkaban. When they first met, he joked but it felt forced, now he had a healthy amount of weight to him and a lightness that just wasn't there the first time they met in Gringotts.
"We both know that Sirius, and it means the world to us." Daphne said as she walked up to the man and hugged him.
"Yes, thank you Sirius." Harry said as he stepped into the space Daphne vacated as she let the man go. "For this and everything else, between you three I have a family, and this is legitimately the first time I'm not looking forward to leaving for Hogwarts." Harry said, Daphne noticing his eyes tearing up as he stepped back from his godfather. She reached out and took his hand.
Sirius coughed, trying to cover up how emotional the statement from his godson had made him. "Well, why don't I shrink those trunks for you to make everything a little easier. I'm guessing Hedwig has already left Harry?" Sirius asked as he quickly cast the shrinking charms on their trunks, Harry nodded in response.
"Then both of you have a safe and fun year yeah. Don't let anything anyone says get you down, just keep your heads down and get through your year making sure to have some fun! Oh, and look out for each other!" Sirius said, stepping away from the floo.
"Will do Sirius!" Harry called out. "Platform nine and three quarters!" He said while throwing floo powder into the flames.
Daphne went to step up to the floo, but felt a hand on her shoulder. "Daphne." She turned to Sirius. "From what Harry has said his friends are going to be full on. It's going to be hard for them to swallow everything you've had two months to process, so please don't judge them on their first reaction. From what Harry has told me, they can be rather protective of him…" the man said. "Oh and that mirror I gave you guys isn't just for Harry. If you need to talk to someone away from everything, don't hesitate to give me a call." Sirius said with a warm sincere smile on his face.
"Thank you Sirius, that means more than you can know." Daphne said, thinking back to the fact her own father had abandoned her. "Stay safe please, for both of us."
"Platform nine and three quarters!" and the flames engulfed her.
*Page Break*
It was nearing departure time and Harry was sitting there watching his wife slowly lose her mind. Daphne had dragged Harry on board the train as quickly as she could, he assumed to avoid interactions on the platform. This had the benefit of them finding an empty cabin quite quickly, however left her more time to worry about the upcoming interaction. He decided to try his best to calm her down.
Harry reached out and took her hand in his, Sirius had cast concealment charms on their rings, however they could still feel them. "Daphne, I think you're worrying about nothing. Ron might be a little…. confused… but Hermione shares quite a few classes with you already right, so I'm sure…" however before he could finish his sentence the door flew open.
"Fuuu, found you! We haven't heard fr…" Ron stopped the moment he saw Daphne and was bumped over as Hermione didn't stop for him. The two of them tumbling into the cabin, Harry saw past their fallen bodies Ginny and the twins standing outside.
"Oh Ron, Hermione are you alright?!" Harry asked, worried his friends had hurt themselves. He stood quickly to try and help them up, Hermione took his hand and stood quickly enough, however as Ron took his hand, his first friend started.
"Why is there a snake in here?" Ron asked, the anger in his tone evident.
Daphne had spoken with Harry and Neville, in great detail, about how to handle this conversation. They'd both agreed that it was best to hide their daughter and marriage until the initial shock had worn off, additionally, that Harry do most of the talking. "Hermione, I'm sure you know her already, however Ron, Ginny, Fred and George. This is Daphne, we met over the Summer break and have become quite close. She'll be joining us for the ride to Hogwarts and will be around a lot this year." Harry felt like he was rambling but knew if he gave Ron an inch, he'd likely take a mile so wanted to get as much out as possible.
"Daphne, it's good to see you." Hermione said diplomatically when it became evident that no one else was going to speak.
"You too Granger." Daphne said quietly, Harry realised that Ron's reaction was exactly what she was expecting, and it appeared to be affecting her quite a lot.
Harry looked up to the other Weasley's and noticed the twins waggling their eyebrows and Ginny staring at Daphne with a worried look on her face. Thankfully Hermione chose to be the more mature of them and took a seat opposite Daphne.
"Oh, Daphne did you get that Runes homework done?" Hermione asked, looking at Harry and back to Daphne, the amount of relief Harry felt was immeasurable he decided buying Hermione any book she chose the next time they were in Hogsmeade was the way to express his gratitude.
With Hermione taking a seat and engaging Daphne in conversation, the Twins took the opportunity to take a seat and chat with Harry, Ginny however chose to go looking for her friends immediately.
As Harry caught up with Ron and the Twins, he was reassured to see Daphne relax somewhat while engaging in an academic discussion with Hermione.
"So Harrikins, what's the story between you and the blonde?" Fred or George whispered loud enough for the boys but quiet enough for the girls not to hear.
"Well, I met her through Neville actually, I spent some time at Longbottom Manor and we spent quite a bit of time getting to know each other over the break." Harry knew that he couldn't lie but, taking a note out of Dumbledore's book, he chose his words carefully. "Our first meeting went so well that we've been in a relationship since the start of the Summer break. She has taught me a lot about my family history and we've both helped Neville with his studies. Some of the stuff she's taught me about Runes and Arithmancy has me tempted to try and switch actually."
"Oh come on Harry, don't leave me alone in Diviniation! Plus you've seen how much homework Hermione gets from those classes! You'd be giving up your free time!" Ron said, appearing horrified that Harry would think of taking on a challenge.
"Well, actually I likely won't have as much free time anyway this year. Some stuff happened over the holidays that I can't really talk about at the moment." Noticing the offended look on Ron's face, he quickly followed. "You and Hermione will be the first to know Ron, but I just can't talk about it now." Thankfully this follow-up statement seemed to placate Ron somewhat.
After about 20 minutes of banter the Twins left to find their friends, Ron spent the rest of the train ride bringing Harry up to speed on the Quidditch World Cup, they didn't end up attending, Arthur had asked Ludo Bagman for tickets however it turned out he couldn't swing them, so the Weasley's had ended up listening to it on the WWW. Ron had been angry at first, but when he heard about the riots he was actually thankful.
"So Harry…." Ron looked at Daphne and Hermione, who were still DEEP in conversation about some complicated topic Harry wouldn't even pretend to understand. "I get that there is more too this… but like… I mean, I know she's hot… but a snake?" Ron asked. Harry was somewhat surprised, he noticed that the anger that had been in Ron's voice when he first entered the room was gone, now it was just confusion and that gave Harry hope.
Harry felt something nudge his hand and he didn't need to know it was Daphne wanting to hold it, he gentled linked their fingers and then responded to Ron. "You're right, she is beautiful, but she is also intelligent and resilient. There is a lot I lo...like about Daphne and I'd ask that you get to know her. I know this is kind of sudden but just know that I will share everything with you the moment I can." Harry said, noticing halfway through his sentence Ron looking down at their hands.
"Is she… is she the reason you're so happy this year?" Ron asked, seeming uncomfortable asking the question.
"She is part of the reason Ron. I promise it will all become clear once we're settled at the castle." Harry said, smiling at his friend.
"Alright. If she makes you happy mate, then she deserves a chance. But Harry, if she betrays you in anyway, I'll curse her into the next adventure." Ron whispered with a stern tone.
"Thanks Ron, that means a lot, but I don't think you need to worry too much." Harry said, squeezing Daphne's fingers.
*Page Break*
Tracey Davis had been in for a rude awakening when she'd arrived back from France and reached out to Greengrass Manor to speak with her best friend. Daphne's mother had quietly whispered that Daphne no longer lived at the manor and that she unfortunately couldn't say where she was.
That had panicked Tracey, one of Daphne's biggest fears was her father selling her to some rich old man on the continent and Tracey's panic had gone into overdrive when she'd spied the Greengrass' wishing Astoria well as she boarded the train with Daphne nowhere in sight.
Tracey had stowed her luggage and then begun hunting for Daphne. She'd started with Slytherin, making subtle enquiries trying her best not to alert anyone, when she couldn't find her there, she moved onto Ravenclaw. She knew Daphne occasionally sat with them, as she could quietly and safely study however again she was nowhere to be found.
When her search in the Hufflepuff section ended with Susan Bones saying she hadn't seen her all Summer, Tracey began to truly despair. However, a passing comment by the Weasley Twins turned everything on its head.
"…. So yeah, we hadn't heard from little Harrikins all Summer break and then turns up with a hot blonde bird on his arm and Slytherin to boot!"
Tracey stopped; she hadn't even thought to check the Gryffindor carriage… Why would she… She quickly pushed past the twins and rushed towards the carriage in question, thankfully she wasn't in her uniform yet and, since she tended to hide herself in the background, no one looked at her twice. She went from cabin to cabin, squinting through the windows in hopes of catching a glimpse of her best friend. She rushed past one door in question and just as she stepped away stopped suddenly.
She opened the door quietly and looked in, zoning in on two sleeping forms. The first was her best friend and the other was the sleeping form of The-Boy-Who-Lived, the two of them comfortably slotted together with Daphne's head resting on his shoulder and his cheek resting on top of her head.
"Oh, you must be one of Greengrass' friends." A voice said from the opposite side of the cabin. Tracey looked over and finally realised there were two other people there.
"Uhh.. Yeah, Tracey Davis. A pleasure to meet you." Tracey said, reaching her hand out.
"Hermione Granger and this is Ron Weasley. Sorry about those two, we might have given them twenty questions and burnt them out. You're welcome to join us if you like?" Tracey realising that 'The Gryffindor Golden Trio' were of course going to be together…
"Uhh, yeah if you don't mind?" She replied, gently sitting down on Daphne's side, opposite the two conscious people in the cabin. "So uhh, did you two know about this?" she asked pointing her thumb at the sleeping…couple?
This time Weasley spoke up. "No, we hadn't heard from Harry all holidays and only found out when we found him here. What about you?"
Tracey noticed there was a worried look in the boy's eyes. 'Nope. I've been overseas all holidays and then when I floo called Greengrass Manor was told Daphne doesn't live there anymore… Had me right stressed out…"
Her response seemed to calm him somewhat, however it had the opposite effect on Granger. "Oh no, I hope Harry hasn't done something stupid…." Weasley looked at her shocked. "Don't look at me like that Ron, you know he has his 'saving people thing' and by the sounds of it Daphne has gotten into a tough spot and I wouldn't put it past Harry to move heaven and earth to save her…"
All three of them turned to the sleeping couple and Tracey then thought what had happened to her best friend over the holidays?
