A/N: Part 2! I wanted to clear one thing up before getting started. Harry's irrational mind, the one he has when he's in the heat of the moment is much sharper. He has shown time and time again that he is much more sure of himself when his adrenaline is pumping. This is why his angry rant contained a lot of the revelations that he was able to tie together later in the chapter. It took thinking about Dumbledore's words of wisdom for him to be able to make the connections for his rational mind. It's part of Harry growing up and was a big revelation for him. And he made a lot of progress on himself and realizing what his abilities as a Gamer truly means. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter!
Review answers below.
Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: Your review was so fast! This is the first review reply in a while that I've started before I've finished the chapter! Glad I was able to do something unique and glad you liked it!
Chaosknight199: Thanks for the review! This chapter is Daphne and Astoria coming to terms with everything and some of Tracey's reactions.
Frankieu: Thank you! It's been a long ride. These past 13 chapters have been an arc about Harry coming to terms with his new life and it felt so satisfying to finally bring it all together.
7: Thanks for the review!
Reader of Harry Potter: No, thank you!
Firetemplar415: Tom is Voldemort, sorry, that's Dumbledore's usual way of referring to Lord Voldemort aka Tom Riddle. Also the Gamer aspect doesn't control his emotions, Harry does. That was the lesson he learned.
George Cristian810: I'm sorry to hear that! Hermione actually is a potential match for our hero, as Ron and Hermione's relationship this go around is purely platonic. An old iteration of chapter 6 was actually a date between Harry and Hermione and when I rewrote it I left the option open. And in Chapter 10 Harry does flirt with her for just a moment. The only person she is guaranteed NOT to be with is Ron. As far as Ron's best friend status, nothing says that he will be but I also can't promise he won't be.
Navn Ukjent: Great review! I'll clarify just a bit though. 'Young love' is fierce and fast. It comes as fast as it goes. And you are correct Tracey is only 13 but that is exactly why she reacted that way. They both are mature enough to know that they probably didn't love each other but they were definitely fond of one another and enjoyed their times together. Tracey is featured in this chapter so hopefully that helps clear things up a bit! Also a good catch on the Character Sheet. It has been edited and future chapters will have the correct terminology!
Homarid: Thank you! I've edited the chapter to eliminate the underline issue. I agree that Harry could easily turn into an overpowered god and future chapters addressed this. I hope you kept reading past chapter 3!
Adrian King1: Thank you for your continued support! I am not sure what you mean by long path, hoping you'll clarify a bit. The Greengrass sister's are featured almost exclusively in this chapter so I hope you'll like the way I spun it.
Beccasullivanwrites1: You and me both! Yet another butterfly effect for Harry as Dumbledore starts to entertain the idea of another way to bring Voldemort to his end. Thank you for the continued support!
MonaTheGreat: Thank you so much! I love hearing that people are bingeing my story. Look forward to more comments from you!
Time313: Choice is a big concept. That paragraph took me so long to write because I wanted to get it as perfect as I could. I was happy with the finished product though! Thank you for the reviews, seriously!
TheGreatBubbaJ: Dude, meaty definitely describe your reviews! I always enjoy reading them though, so you're not pissing in the wind as you put it. Harry is still up for a Time Turner you are correct, as always your knowledge of the lore is impressive. I dabbled with the idea of breaking from canon and giving Harry the Time Turner early instead of during the Entrance Ceremony like Hermione did but honestly the summer has dragged on long enough. I am not sure what I will do with Divination quite yet, but Harry kept the class due to it being a genuine Skill and being curious. He may do a walk-out with Hermione.
Kyo: Thanks for the review!
Basilisk Girl67834: Thank you! I'm trying to keep them coming out!
Kayleneproctor94: Thank you so much! A previous review brought up using the Game as a vehicle for the story over having it be the focus and that is truly what I'm going for. Seeing Notifications all the time would be boring to write and probably boring to read!
Kairan1979: I try to keep the tone light in between the sparks of action and the all too real talks that my characters have. Thank you for the review!
And Away we go!
Chapter 14: Fallout Part 2
"Stupid Harry" Daphne grumbled at the door, unknowingly echoing Harry's own words. Her blush had yet to recede from Harry's unexpected appearance.
Astoria snickered behind her, "He's cute."
Daphne shot her sister a stink eye and stomped off to the bathroom as she was starting to feel a little cold from her wet hair and body. Astoria snickered once more and settled onto the bed where Balto was quick to jump up and happily accept pets from the young girl, tail wagging at full speed at the first sign of normalcy.
Astoria was confused with everything that had changed for her so suddenly. She still didn't fully understand what was happening but she knew that worrying about it would do her no good. And how bad could it be if she had her sister and dog right there with her? She hummed along with the songbirds still singing outside and refused to let the changes give her a negative outlook.
***Break***
Daphne welcomed the warmth of the bathroom that was still a bit steamy from her shower. She held herself up with both hands on the counter of the vanity and took a few deep calming breaths with her eyes closed. Okay. Time to assess the situation. Her sister was safe and sound, Daphne could hear her humming through the door of the bathroom. That was good. She was in an unfamiliar home but she knew that Harry had extensive wards and despite him catching her in a towel, Daphne fought down the blush that reappeared at the thought and pressed on, despite that she knew rationally that she wasn't in immediate danger. That was good. She was clean and warm, and other than a pang of hunger as she had not eaten in almost 24 hours Daphne was in good health. That was good. Okay. Releasing one final deep breath and opening her eyes Daphne almost screamed in fright and clutched her heart at the sight of the Elf that had appeared so quietly. Silent apparition was a talent of Dolly's and that along with the Elf's abnormally large eyes even by House Elf standards made her sudden appearances sometimes startling. Daphne was normally used to it but the sudden appearance of the Elf had surprised her.
"The Lady Daphne is okay?" Dolly asked looking up at the girl worriedly.
"Yes Dolly." And the truth of the confirmation reassured Daphne a little further and let her heart rate go down a bit from being surprised.
"Wonderful! I have some clothes here for the Lady. Master Harry has started on a fresh breakfast since mine had gotten cold and asked me to tell you to take your time getting ready" Dolly smiled up at Daphne sincerely, happy to be able to keep watch over her after almost losing the girls yesterday.
"Thank you Dolly, you may go. Astoria will need some clothes as well." Daphne adopted her usual mannerisms when dealing with the Elf. Old habits die hard, they say.
"Oh yes, Master Harry had me pull some clothes for her as well. I'll show her to the bathroom in the room next door so that she can get ready as well" Dolly popped away silently at that and Daphne had to bite back a giggle when a cry of surprise sounded through the door.
"Dolly!" Astoria's frustrated voice carried into the bathroom.
***Break***
Harry busied himself in the kitchen. The normal act of cooking, something he hadn't done in a while, actually relaxed him. In his time since he became the Gamer he had only cooked on rare occasions in favor of purchased food or letting Dobby cook. Dolly had technically cooked a breakfast spread but it was to Harry's extreme surprise that the Elf honestly wasn't that good of a cook. He had thought that cooking was a skill that all Elves were good at but the eggs had been gummy and tasteless and the toast slightly burnt. So Harry had decided to cook breakfast himself, indulging for once. Dobby had been offended for but a moment before Harry had set him to the task of quartering potatoes on the condition that he let Harry do all the cooking.
And so it was to the scene of Harry dancing a delicate dance around Dobby, flipping pans with practiced ease and managing multiple burners, that Daphne and Astoria walked in. The smell of roasting potatoes, fresh biscuits, and sizzling bacon easily drew Astoria to a seat on a stool at the bar on the other side of the sink. The girl happily contented herself watching the cute boy move through the kitchen tasting things and throwing seasonings around as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Daphne however was confused at the sight. Here was Lord Potter. The same Lord Potter that had faced her father in a duel on even footing and who had carried himself on multiple occasions with a confidence and air well beyond his years. Yes that Lord Potter. Only this one had an apron on and was currently slicing mangoes which he was happily snacking on as he threw them into a bowl while he waved away the help of his House Elf. It was so normal and yet not normal that Daphne honestly didn't know how to process.
"Do you do all your own cooking?" Astoria asked as she watched the redhead whisk the mangos he had just crushed into some sort of sauce, enjoying the sight of Harry's arms flexing with the motion in the sleeveless shirt he was still in.
"Hmm? Oh, err, no. Not normally. Dobby, put that down" Harry ordered his Elf who had started to take a spatula over to the eggs. Dobby appeared put out by the order and resumed his spot in the corner of the kitchen. It wasn't even a single moment before the Elf tried again with the bacon before Harry ominously waved his whisk at Dobby. Astoria giggled at the exchange. Daphne shook her head at the strangeness of the situation and decided that she could hardly do anything about it. She joined her sister at the bar, adjusting her skirt in an excuse to keep herself busy looking anywhere but at Harry, his earlier intrusion returning to her mind for a moment.
"So what are you making?" Astoria asked, accepting the tea that Dobby put in front of her and Daphne with a small thank you. Dobby just looked happy at getting something past Harry.
"Let's see. Errr. A little of everything since I didn't know what you 2 would like. Roasted potatoes and potato hash, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, biscuits, mango drizzle, I'm forgetting something" Harry scratched his head before he saw it. Dobby, the sneaky Elf, had stolen his parfait glasses. "And parfaits. Dobby. Give me those."
Harry set the glasses on the counter and squeezed a lemon he had sliced in one smooth motion over his bowl of sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries . He stepped over to the icebox for the yogurt for just a moment, just a single moment when he saw Dobby moving to the oven with a mitt that he had pulled from somewhere.
"Damn it. Dobby! Go paint the shed! By hand!" Harry issued the first order he could think of and Astoria giggled again. He had meant to have the Elf paint the shed about a week ago, Harry just hoped that it kept the Elf busy long enough for him to finish up. Harry shook his head at the spot the Elf had just vacated. With the Elf out of the way Harry was finally able to move freely and breakfast moved along at a faster pace.
"That sounds yummy. Why don't you use magic?" Astoria asked. She had read about Harry Potter's emancipation and heard about Harry's casual displays of magic from Daphne after the birthday party.
"Do you always ask so many questions?" Harry grunted from his place on the floor reaching into a cabinet. He was getting a cooking tray out to toast the granola just a bit for the parfaits but Dobby had the damn things so far in the back.
"Only when I'm interested in the answers" Astoria responded cheekily.
***Break***
Daphne could not believe it, Astoria was flirting with Harry. And ogling him! Daphne had chosen to watch Astoria over watching Harry and indeed had seen the girl's eyes wander over Harry more than once! How improper! The younger sibling had spent more days stuck inside than Daphne had wanted for her and as a result had read just about every book she could get her hands on but Astoria's favorites were romance novels she had pilfered from their Mom's private collection.
She swatted Astoria's arm and gave her a warning look, only for Astoria to stick her tongue out in response! They argued silently in a practiced exchange of facial expressions.
"Are you two alright?" Harry asked from where he was layering the parfaits carefully. Daphne's head whipped around at the question, but she cringed when she pulled something in her neck. She had definitely slept hard which surprised her quite a lot. Normally Daphne was a very light sleeper but she figured that the exhaustion from yesterday coupled with sleeping almost 16 hours straight had a lot to do with it.
In a flash, Harry was around the bar and suddenly very close to her. He looked worried and was craning his own neck to try and see if she was hurt.
"Are you hurt?" Concern colored his tone, but he did not move his hands to try and check the area. He respected Daphne too much to try and touch her so familiarly.
"No. My neck hurts but that's probably from sleeping so long. And to answer your question yes we are fine" Daphne responded and to her relief Harry backed off and got back into the kitchen. Astoria wiggled her eyebrows at Daphne making the older girl resume their silent battle behind Harry's back since he was busy putting the final touches on breakfast.
***Break***
The breakfast was delicious, to Astoria's total surprise and delight. Most of her young life had been under Dolly's care with only occasional breaks from the bland food when she was allowed out with Daphne or at the galas where the food was mostly hors d'oeuvres though she had only been once when she was younger. So the fluffy pancakes, the crunchy sweet parfaits, the buttery soft biscuits all of it was tried at least once by the young girl who ate until she could not.
Daphne was more reserved in her approach but also could not deny the culinary skill that Harry had literally brought to the table. Everything had flavor. She had been to fine dining restaurants, had eaten at the Davis's many times, but no meal had that … home cooked feel that the breakfast brought to her. She stuck to the lighter items like the parfait and the surprising potato hash, and only indulged on the pancakes with the mango drizzle that were amazing. A fact she kept to herself.
And Harry ate… a lot. Daphne's and Astoria's eyes had boggled slightly at his large plate. But he had cooked a lot of his own favorites and if he was being modest he was a good cook. Plus the food would go to waste otherwise and Harry wondered for a moment if he had cooked too much. Knowing you couldn't uncook it he polished off the menu items that you couldn't reheat very well or save for later so had a plate piled high with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages.
They sat at a small table just behind the bar, a small breakfast nook that Daphne had overlooked on her previous visits but one whose proximity to the windows at the rear of the home afforded a lovely view of the lake and grounds behind the house. Balto had snuck into the room at some point being announced by the clicking noise his feet made on the floor. The dog had settled beneath Astoria's seat and kept it cool when she snuck him some bacon and sausages from the platter. Daphne chose to ignore it, commenting on the improper behaviour would just draw attention to it. But Harry smiled at the younger girl when he saw the thievery from his spot at the table letting Astoria know he was fine with it.
The two girls were ravenous after their long day the day before, and used that hunger as an excuse not to talk. The only sound in the room was the scrape of cutlery on plates and a thump thump of Balto's tail as it smacked the leg of the table, the dog happily munching on the bacon and sausages that kept appearing in front of him.
It was new. It was strange. And to be honest it was a bit awkward and every human at the table had differing thoughts about how different this morning was to the previous one. The only theme that they all had in common was that it was actually pretty nice even if it would take some getting used to.
***Break***
The last bite was taken. The last fork set down. The last drink swallowed. Harry could put it off no longer. He inhaled deeply but quietly through his nose. Astoria was making kissing faces at Balto but apparently Daphne had had the same idea as Harry.
"I'm sorry,"Harry said at the same time that Daphne said "What happened?"
Harry cast his eyes down for a moment. That was right. All of his revelations, every bit of news from the day before after they had gotten to the Potter Manor had been missed by the two girls. Astoria probably hadn't been told much beyond what Tracey had had time to tell the girl before the Greengrass daughters were put to bed. Luckily Astoria seemed to handling the sudden change of scenery much more positively than Daphne's dark eyes indicated.
He sighed, "How much do you want to know?"
"All of it," Daphne looked at him with a strong gaze. She needed to know.
Harry nodded, "And Astoria?" Astoria stopped playing with Balto and looked up both at her name and at the sudden shift that the room's atmosphere had taken.
"She deserves to know as well" Daphne said fiercely. It was her sister's life too and the young girl needed to know what their life was going to be like now.
Harry nodded once more and stood up silently. He waved his hand idly and the plates and other dishes floated to the sink. He turned away and walked to the sitting room through the arch that separated the nook/kitchen from the sitting room. Daphne got up as well and Astoria hustled to follow.
Oddly, Harry motioned for them to sit on the couch but walked past the sitting room. Daphne almost followed Harry until he spoke.
"I need to get some things. I'll be right back" And waited for Daphne to sit down before he walked into the hall.
Astoria had lost some of her good mood and occupied herself petting Balto who had almost joined the girls on the couch before Daphne had snapped her fingers. This wasn't the time for antics.
After less than a minute Harry came in carrying a large stone basin that Daphne recognized as a pensieve. Also in his hand was a newspaper. He set the pensieve on an end table that he floated into the middle of the room. With another sigh he sat heavily on his armchair that he chose as his seat.
"I guess we should start at the beginning just to get it all out" Harry said with finality and leaned back for a moment before rolling forward and with elbows on his knees furiously scrabbling at his hair in frustration. What was he supposed to say? The moment of weakness lasted for only a few heartbeats before he took a deep breath and looked up at the two girls who were quiet but attentive.
"Yesterday, I threw the glove at your father, Lord Greengrass, in accordance with the Law of Rightful Challenge" At Astoria's confused look Harry explained, "The Law of Rightful Challenge is a very old law from when Britain was much younger. It was a way for Heads of House to settle disputes of honor and insult in the arena of battle. Traditionally these contests were fought with Seconds, champions of the House they were beholden to. Lord Greengrass and I had no Seconds and so fought the battle against one another" Harry began. His voice got a little stronger as he spoke. At his words that Harry and her father had fought, Astoria inhaled sharply but Harry pressed on.
"At the start of the contest, both Lords are allowed to name their cause for the duel as well as terms for their disputes. These terms are absolute and must be carried out at the conclusion of the duel or risk the Law of Forfeiture. I'll get to that in a moment. The terms must be agreed upon by both parties as equal in both risk and reward. Lord Greengrass called for the dissolution of House Potter as well as a fine of 100,000 Galleons" Astoria's hand covered her mouth in surprise, she knew what that meant.
Harry took a deep breath before he continued, the next part was one of the big changes in Daphne's and Astoria's life now.
"In response, I called for both of you to be released as Wards of House Potter, as well as matching his call of a fine by securing your names and inheritances, whatever they may be." Harry waited a moment to let that sink in before realizing that Astoria didn't quite understand what that meant. Daphne had a blank look on her face, knowing what was coming.
"To be a Ward of a House means that I am responsible for your care, your comfort, as well as your futures. In essence I become your Head of House and you would normally take on the name Potter. I did not want this, but the alternative would have been to call for the dissolution of House Greengrass and I did not want that either. I chose the option that seemed safer at the time and for that, I am sorry" Harry stopped to allow for questions.
"Is it permanent?" Astoria bit her lip, not quite sure what to make of it all. Daphne was the one who spoke up this time. Her voice was cold.
"It is not permanent, but its permanence is not decided by you and I. Wardship lasts until either the claimant releases us or we become of age and are matched in marriage in some way or another." Astoria gasped. She couldn't go home until Harry released them or they were old enough for marriage?
Harry nodded solemnly. He hoped his next words would help make the realization a little less harsh. He coughed into his hand to clear his suddenly thick throat. "Exactly. When I made the offer it was with the intent to keep you both safe from your father until he realized that his treatment of you both was unfair. This was why I made sure to secure your name and inheritances so that when, not if, I released you both from Wardship it would be into a hopefully better situation than the one I had aggravated by butting into Greengrass business"
Daphne had such a harsh, almost betrayed, look when she stared at Harry at his last words. She had trusted him, just a little more than she trusted most people but it had still been a measure of trust.
"What do you mean?" Astoria asked, confused. And it was suddenly apparent to Harry. Astoria didn't know. She didn't quite know the man that was her father, always being hidden in her bedroom and behind closed doors. A black mark on Jackson Greengrass's history and a symbol of both Jackson's greatest accomplishments and greatest failings. The dark secret.
Harry ignored the question, instead locking eyes with Daphne. Daphne was hurt, her desire to protect her sister fighting a battle against Astoria needing to know why their new situation was needed. She was betrayed. She had felt a kinship with Harry after his level of understanding he had shown and the revelations that he had shared with her in his Study, and his discretion in dealing with the signs of abuse. Now there was a need for it all to come to light and honestly? Daphne was scared. Scared of her sister's reaction. Scared of having her weakness shared. But there was nothing to do about it now. Daphne nodded once. The movement was tight and forced but final. Harry nodded in return, the message understood. Astoria deserved to know.
"Your father had grabbed Daphne's wrist in a painful manner, and in front of a packed store of patrons called her a whore. Repeatedly" Astoria's eyes watered and she looked at Daphne who was devoid of emotion and staring at the wall in front of her. "And it was not the first sign of abuse that I had noticed. I too have had a less than ideal childhood before I was able to get away from it so I knew the signs for what they were. Your father was an abuser, Astoria."
"No!" Astoria gasped. Her sister? The silent, perfect beauty that she loved so? She had noticed the oddities and ignored them. The obedience, the constant lessons, the lack of love. It differed so much from her stories but Astoria had known nothing else. But Astoria could not ignore the level of sense that it made. Daphne had been the poster child of the Greengrass family, the perfect Heiress, and took everything in stride and only asked for one thing in return. Astoria's exclusion. That meant. No. That meant that every hardship that had locked Daphne in her room where Astoria had often heard faint crying had been to protect Astoria. Astoria had chalked it up to her illness, thinking that her sister thought her frail and unable to keep up with the lessons and the noble upbringing. Astoria had yelled at Daphne for that on more than one occasion! And Daphne had taken all of that, and everything that their father had thrown at her, so that Astoria would be spared. "No…" Astoria whispered and she cried. Harry sat awkwardly and let the girl have her moment.
Daphne's cool demeanor, a careful constructed shell perfected over the years, was cracked at her sister's crying. An arm was extended and used to pull Astoria into Daphne's side and Daphne softly crooned to the girl, petting her hair reassuringly and let the girl cry. It lasted for only a few minutes, until a hiccoughing voice came from the small girl.
"What h-happened next?" Astoria was not weak, despite what others might expect of the girl. She had been told at a young age that her health would prevent her from a lot, and even make her life shorter than most witches but that had endowed her with a strength that was surprising. Astoria had been determined that even though her life would be short it would be happy, and her sunny disposition and quiet strength had often served as the rock of Daphne's life.
Harry hid a small smile at the obvious love the two sisters had for each other. It was their greatest strength and Harry thanked his lucky stars that he had included Astoria in his terms. Separating the two would surely had broken them both. But he knew his task and at the question he continued where he left off.
"For me to call for you both as Wards upon my victory your father was furious. The terms were agreed upon and we dueled. The battle was fierce and long." Harry glossed over some of the details of the duel, "In the end I emerged the victor. It was now on your father to meet the terms that we had agreed upon and I, along with Lord Abbott who had served as the mediator for the duel as well as a handful of Aurors accompanied your father to the house to get you" Harry thought about Lord Abbott. The man had been tended to after their arrival yesterday by Dobby and sent home after he regained consciousness along with a sincere 'thank you' to Harry for resolving the situation. Harry had been in the full throes of his melancholy and hardly remembered the exchange. He should probably send a letter or something.
Harry got back to where he was and continued, "The wards on the house rejected the Aurors. Your father clearly did not want to admit that he had lost and he destroyed the Floo. While I tried to keep him from doing anything he would regret the man was understandably distraught. Daphne and Tracey headed up to get you and I stayed downstairs and called Dobby when I noticed Dolly enter the room. The battle was just as fierce as the duel we had just fought. Only this time, I had to protect Lord Abbott from being caught in the crossfire and took a couple wounds in the exchanges," At this both girls gasped. Daphne remembered the blood on her clothes this morning but had thought that somehow it had been her father's. To think that it was Harry's!
"Where?" Astoria asked. The boy had shown no signs of injury cooking them breakfast and had been more concerned with Daphne's tweaked neck than wounds that he was hiding from them?
Harry hesitated. He hadn't rested and had honestly not even thought about the wounds he had sustained. He had used his Inventory to change yesterday when he had gotten home and again that morning instead of using a mirror. The wounds were still present.
"Where are you hurt, Potter?" Daphne's cool voice served to break Harry out of his thoughts, but just under it was a tinge of concern. Her tone brooked no argument and Harry knew that they wouldn't take no for an answer. He pointed to his chest, a cutting charm had caught it early in their exchange at the house but it also had taken the brunt of the Bombarda that Jackson had used to separate them in their duel. Then he pointed to his side, a bludgeoner had grazed him and mostly just bruised him. He pointed out a few scratches on his calves from shrapnel that had slipped under his shield charm.
"Show me." Daphne demanded.
Harry looked up in shock. Show her? "That's hardly appr-"
"I don't care. Potter. Show me." She had to know what he had gone through for them.
Nodding at the request Harry stood up and took a deep breath. Then, he pulled his shirt over his head. It was just over his head when he heard simultaneous gasps. Hidden beneath his sleeveless shirt was more wounds than even he had realized. They hadn't bothered him, even during his run, but they were there.
***Break***
Daphne covered her mouth with her hand after her gasp. On Harry's torso were multiple yellow-purple bruises and small scratches. The wounds had scabbed over but the most shocking wound of all was a cut across his abdomen parallel with the ribcage. It was deeper than the other scratches and much longer. It too had scabbed over but to think that Harry had hid it from them so well was shocking.
Astoria had much the same thoughts. On the otherwise impressive chest and stomach were a staggering amount of wounds that painted a picture of how extreme Harry's risk had been. The long wound across his abdomen had cracked at some point, probably when Harry had been reaching into that cabinet, and a single trickle of blood descended down his abs.
***Break***
Harry looked down at his torso. Well damn. Gamer privileges and adrenaline had made him unaware of the extent of his wounds and the events since had prevented him from thinking about them. A brief look at his health bar, a sight that he was so used to that he hadn't paid attention to it since the duel, showed that he was at 280 health out of 350. Double damn.
"Merlin…" came the breathless whisper of Astoria and the soft spoken word shattered the moment. Harry pulled his shirt back over his head and sat back down.
Harry cleared his throat and decided to continue the story for the sake of pulling attention away from the wounds, "After Daphne came back down to get your dog, she stopped Dolly who had been fighting Dobby and that served as enough of a distraction for Dobby to win his fight." Harry omitted Dolly being ordered to kill him for the sake of saving some of the Elf's dignity, "Then the aurors arrived to enforce the Law of Forfeiture. The Law of Forfeiture is what happens to a Lord when he breaks the terms set forth by the Law of Rightful Challenge and is the immediate seizure of the Lord's lands and holdings. Extreme, but has served to enforce the severity of Rightful Challenge for a long time. From there Daphne and I were able to escape and now… Now here we are."
Astoria processed it all. Land and holdings, that means their home and their money, right? Money had never been a concern of hers but then she realized that Harry had left something out.
"So we lost our home and money? And what happened to Father?" The girl asked the tough questions that Harry had hoped to have a bit more time before he told them about. He looked at Daphne who nodded, the older girl wanting to know the answer as well.
Harry sighed. He was too young for this. Much too young. He had the means to care for the two girls but honestly did he have the right? The Law said that he did but he hadn't planned on the situation becoming permanent like this. Again Dumbledore's words came to mind in the form of his new personal mantra. The only thing he could do was decide for himself what he was going to do and live with the choices he made. He knew he needed to just come out and say what needed to be said.
"Yes. Greengrass Manor is no more. As for money, that as well is gone except for whatever is in your father's latest iteration of his Will which was held from the seizure by my terms of the duel." Harry let that sink in for a moment for both girls before continuing, "As for Lord Greengrass…" Harry coughed. This was not easy. "As for Lord Greengrass he has been found guilty by the Wizengamot for High Crime, the act of breaking laws governing Heads of Houses, and sentenced to life in Azkaban"
***Break***
Harry sat in his armchair, alone in the sitting room. After he had told the Greengrass daughters the fate of their father Astoria had burst into tears and bolted from the room. Daphne had chased after her with Balto just behind and they were somewhere upstairs. He had had hours to process it all but it was fresh wounds for them. They needed time.
Dobby and Dolly had shown up a moment ago to ask what they could do. Harry issued a series of orders to them, orders that he had not yet had a chance to give them. As Head of the House the Elf's only listened to him unless ordered otherwise. So Harry ordered them to follow orders from Daphne and Astoria as if they were from his own mouth unless those orders conflicted with an order of Harry's own or risked harm to health or House.
Logistics skill has increased! It is now 24!
Then Harry ordered them to carry out their duties, after finding out where their strengths were. Dobby was clearly the better cook so that task was his. Decorating was also in favor of Dobby. Cleaning, hedging, and laundry was Dolly's forte so she was allocated those tasks. Harry hated the management of another living being's life but knew that House Elves were strange creatures. After he finished his last order to Dolly to get her on the same level as Dobby he laid back in his armchair and the Elves left the room.
Logistics skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked.
Harry ignored the Notification, he would get to it later. Right now he honestly just wanted to sleep. Deciding to do just that Harry carried the pensieve back to his study along with the newspaper clipping. The portrait of Allisandra was again deposited in the box on his desk. He would let the girls know of the rest of his failings later. He crept upstairs and past the girl's room carefully. Crying could be heard through the door but Harry knew there wasn't anything he could do about it.
His bed welcomed him with loving arms, and he set himself to Rest for an hour. Just enough to fix his wounds and let him have some blessed escape. Darkness descended.
***Break***
Tracey's teary eyes stared at the Daily Prophet Special Issue. She was in her room where she had been almost exclusively since she had left Harry standing in his sitting room. She had left him. It hurt, but not as much as seeing the photo for the special issue and the words within. Tracey had never put stock into the words of Rita Skeeter, her mom was wise to the utter lies that the woman put into all of her articles having been the target of a few articles herself and had taught her daughter to ignore them. The fact that Rita had said that Harry and Daphne were having some sort of affair behind her back actually did the opposite of what Harry had feared. Tracey realized that she had been wrong.
Reviewing the events of yesterday stung deeply. Tracey very clearly remembered the bravery that Harry had portrayed facing the furious assault of Lord Greengrass and how he had faced that anger, that hate, not with anger of his own but instead choosing to go for the arguably harder victory and forcing the man to yield. Harry Potter had made Lord Greengrass, an indomitable force in her friend's life, to yield. Then, when most people would be worried about their own wounds, Harry had immediately gone to check on Daphne. That was what Tracey saw in the photo. Harry's only concern had been the safety and security of Daphne no matter the poison that Rita tried to give the photo. Bravery and selflessness. And then they went to collect Astoria. Tracey still didn't understand how Harry had known about the girl but that was hardly the point.
At the manor Harry had tried to talk down the man, indeed even offering to argue on the man's behalf if Lord Greengrass stopped his rampage. Tracey had been so scared in that moment when they had seen the fireplace explode in front of their eyes. But she remembered Harry's arms wrapping around both Tracey and Daphne and using his own body to shield them from the blast. Harry had blocked every spell that Lord Greengrass had blindly thrown around the room in the man's rage. A few of them had almost hit Tracey and Daphne and Lord Abbott. Bravery, selflessness, and protectiveness. Tracey didn't know what happened after she had fled the hall with Daphne. But she remembered Harry's wounds all over his body when he had walked into that sitting room carrying a crying, no bawling, Daphne like someone out of a story book. And how despite his wounds Harry had only acted to bring her friend together with Astoria. It could not have been easy to carry Daphne up those stairs with wounds.
So where she had only given anger, jealousy, fear, and misguided judgements Harry had portrayed nothing that day beyond bravery, maturity, selflessness, and indeed righteous justice. Where Tracey had only seen an unequivocally inescapable fate of her friend's treatment by her father Harry had seen a grave injustice and immediately had moved to right it. In the face of that Tracey had only thrown false allegations at Harry and walked out on him.
Tracey felt terrible. She looked once more to her bedside table where a facedown frame hid the photo of the night in Spain. That was the Harry she should have seen from the beginning. Instead her immaturity had coupled with the dizzying amount of activity yesterday and she overreacted.
She knew. She knew that things between her and Harry were done. And it was her fault. Her actions and her accusations had burned the budding relationship down in the same fiery glory as the flames that had carried Tracey home. She remembered the sincerity Harry had put into his eyes when he said that the words of Lord Greengrass were untrue but in the moment, in the face of everything that had gone on that day, for one dark moment Tracey had believed the words. And that wasn't only a betrayal to Harry but to Daphne as well. The cool, proper, yet also timid and witty friend that she had had for years. Who lived vicariously through Tracey and used the days that she was able to visit the Davis's as an escape from her reality. They had shared thousands of thoughts and dreams with one another and through that trust Tracey knew Daphne's biggest dream, one that had seemed so impossible in the girl's situation, of falling in love and finding happiness outside of the grasp of Lord Greengrass. Daphne would never whore herself out. Ever. Not in a million years or for a billion Galleons.
Tracey cried.
***Break***
Daphne held her crying sister. They were in the room that they had stayed in overnight. For once, Daphne did not feel like crying. She… honestly she didn't know what she felt. But oddly she did not feel like joining her sister in her tears. Daphne too was reviewing everything that happened yesterday, and how Harry had been like an eye in the storm. Where the world around her was being destroyed the Potter Lord had been calm in the face of it all except for the anger that Harry had only shown at the sight of Daphne being hurt.
Daphne knew that her father was one hell of a duelist, having seen the man's precise practice when he was teaching Daphne the rules of dueling, and she had seen for herself that the duel had not been easy for Harry. Her relationship with her father was a complicated one. Obviously there was the abuse and it filled a lot of the interactions between father and daughter. But Lord Greengrass had accepted her rule that Astoria be spared from the training to be a noble daughter. The man was cold and ruthless but had instilled in Daphne every skill that the girl would need to be able to navigate high society. She couldn't forgive her father for his harsh treatment over the years and if Daphne was honest she was very relieved to be out from under the man's control. Still, though, there was a measure of almost… respect at the fact that her father had never laid a finger on Astoria. A harsh word, sure. Love? Not once. But the man had paid for Astoria's treatment without complaint. Had bought the girl Balto on her 9th birthday at Daphne's request. Daphne had been used as the scapegoat, the outlet, for whatever anger and darkness the man harbored but she had been given a modicum of control in sparing Astoria the same fate. The abuse had never turned sexual in nature, a fact that Daphne wasn't so much grateful for as relieved. Gratefulness was a feeling reserved for good men and she understood very well that her father was not a good man.
She realized then what the feeling was that was confusing her. It wasn't a feeling that she was used to having. One that she had caught glimpses of over the years as if sunlight through a break in the curtain of the barred window of her existence. A feeling that she associated with Astoria and Tracey. Daphne Greengrass realized that she was… happy. And like a dam breaking, her tears started flowing forth. But through it, even holding her crying sister, Daphne had a small smile on her face. She was free, her father was gone.
***Break***
Astoria finally got the tears to stop. She was so hurt. Her father, a cold and distant figure in her life now resided in Azkaban. That wasn't what had caused her tears though. It was the revelation that her sister had protected her from the man. Lord Greengrass was a man that no one crossed easily. Astoria understood at least that much about her father. For it to be revealed that Daphne had been shielding her from the man for years, years, so casually. A fact so obvious now but one that Astoria in her sheltered existence had been unable to see.
It only served to reaffirm Astoria's love for her older sister. Daphne, who usually hid behind a mask of detachment and propriety, was the one person that Astoria could without a doubt say that she loved. Sure she cared for Dolly, but Dolly was a House Elf. And she loved Balto, but Balto was a dog. The only love that Astoria had known in her short life had been Daphne. The only reason she knew what love was outside of a concept inside her beloved story books was Daphne. The late nights her sister had read to her despite exhaustion from that day's lessons. The many times that she had crawled into Daphne's bed after a nightmare. As much as Astoria was Daphne's rock so too was Daphne Astoria's. To find that Daphne had done all of that while protecting Astoria when lesser people would have harbored resentment was heart wrenching. It made the younger sibling love her sister all the more and Astoria's watery eyes met Daphne's. They shared a smile and Astoria hugged the girl tightly. Daphne was free, her father was gone.
No words were needed between the sisters. They both simply took comfort in the presence of the other. As strange as their new situation was there was also hope. Balto jumped onto Astoria once her crying had stopped and was making her giggle with licks to the face. His human was okay. They both got out of bed and refreshed themselves in the bathroom. Balto kept them both entertained with his antics and both were giggling as the giddiness of their realizations filled them. The two girls had each other, and Balto of course, and that was enough. Now they just had to thank Harry for what he had risked for them.
***Break***
Harry's eyes snapped open. His hour was up. He felt refreshed and healthy once more. The faint sound of giggling could be heard from the hallway and Harry got out of bed. A long stretch and Harry both heard and felt a satisfying pop from his back. He headed to the bathroom real quick and stripped off the clothes that he had slept in. His body was restored to its former glory as shown by his health bar. 350 out of 350. A quick rinse had him refreshed and he put on the boxers that Dobby had retrieved for him, the only clothing that Harry let the Elf pick for him. He preferred to dress himself, thank you. In the comfort of his own home Harry forewent the use of the Inventory changing system and would use his closet.
He rubbed the towel through his hair enjoying the feel of the soft cotton over drying charms. Something was weird though, and after just a moment he placed the noise he was hearing. Someone was bounding around the house like a madman.
***Break***
Daphne exited the bathroom composed and still giggling. Balto was bouncing around the room in the hyperactivity so common in his Husky breed. Astoria was jumping with him. The normally reserved girl was drawn into the scene but refused to join them even when Astoria tried to grab her hands and have the older girl jump with them.
"Astoria, settle down" Daphne said half-heartedly, not truly wanting to reign in the girl's happiness. Shaking her head as the girl and dog transitioned to the bed to text out the springiness of the mattress Daphne called for Dobby.
"Dobby, where is Harry?" Daphne asked the Elf. She knew that Dolly was now in service to House Potter but Dobby was the Head Elf and therefore would know where Harry was.
"Master Harry is in his room" Dobby answered clearly and accepted the dismissal that Daphne sent his way.
Daphne spared one more look at her sister in exasperation before exiting the room and heading down the hall. She knocked twice quietly, and then opened the door when her knock had revealed it to be cracked. She stepped into the room from the hallway at the same time that Harry stepped out of the bathroom. Daphne froze.
Wet hair being lazily dried with a towel. Skin lightly toned from regular time spent in the sun. Strong broad shoulders above a chest with obvious pectoral muscles. Abs free of their earlier wounds and toned from regular use but not in an unhealthy way. Tight boxers over runner's legs. Harry, who had spent a summer training Physical Skills and upping his Strength and Constitution cut a fine figure.
Harry looked up and locked eyes with Daphne who was just beginning to blush profusely from her frozen position. Confusion came across his face for a moment. He knew he had closed that door, he always closed that door. Then he realized the position he was in.
"Daphne! Get out!" Harry yelled and used his towel to cover what he could. Thank god he at least had his boxers on. Daphne let out a very uncharacteristic eep and swiftly exited the room. Harry walked over and slammed his door
From his position in the corner, unseen of course, Dobby grinned. That would teach Harry to kick him out of his kitchen.
In the hallway, very flustered, Daphne pinched her arm, "Stupid Daphne"
*Fin*
Ah, sweet revenge. Good job, Dobby.
This chapter officially brings us past 100,000 words! WOOHOO! Next chapter will be a long one. I will be combining the final bits of the fallout together and bringing the summer to a close. We will be headed to Hogwarts!