The Day After (Part Two) - Potter Chronicles

So this chapter is completely written by Dorothea Greengrass, whom I am honored enjoys the tales so much to add to it! My only input was editing and the odd idea here or there.

Enjoy the end of this mini story and look forward to the next installment of PC coming soon, don't worry some threat is on the way.

The morning after the Battle of Hogwarts, as historians soon would call it, Hermione Granger yawned and stretched her arms over her head in her four-poster-bed in the seventh year girl's dorm in Gryffindor tower. She let out a satisfied moan. You just had to love magic. She hadn't attended the school that year, yet when she had entered the dorm late at night yesterday, or maybe already this morning, her bed had popped up in its usual place next to Lavender's.

A shadow flickered across her face. She'd better not think about poor Lavender right now… or about Fred and Professor Lupin and Tonks… They just had a baby, and made Harry his godfather -.

Harry!

She opened her eyes wide. Sunlight trickled into the confines behind her bed- curtains through a small slit between the curtains. It had to be rather late in the morning already, and she hurried to sit up and swing her legs over the edge of her bed.

How was Harry doing? She knew her friend. He had killed yesterday, and even though he'd been dead on his feet afterwards and expressed a desire to retire and sleep, he most likely would have woken up at dawn and been tormented by his bad conscience and his feelings of guilt for not being able to save Fred, Professor Lupin and Tonks ever since then.

Harry needed her and Ron right now to put things back into perspective. Why had she listened to Ron and Harry, had Harry left to himself, and returned to the victory party in the Great Hall? She should have known that was a bad idea.

She hurried through her morning routine and pulled back her hair in a simple low ponytail that hung down her back. It was more frizzled than ever, betraying her frazzled nerves about Harry's state of mind.

Five minutes later she hurried up the stairs of the boy's side of the dorms and pushed open the door towards the dorm of the seventh year dorm.

Loud snores greeted her out of four beds. The curtains around the fifth bed were drawn shut, no sound escaped from behind them.

Harry had always been the quietest of the Gryffindor boys of their year.

Hermione tiptoed to his bed and tugged at the curtain, she didn't need the wolf whistles if a girl was caught in the boys' dorms.

"Harry!"

No response.

She tried a little louder.

"HARRY!" she said in a whisper-shout.

Still no response.

Hermione creased her forehead. Something didn't add up here, as a rule, Harry was a very light sleeper and should have responded to her calling him first already. Had he cast Silencing Charms around his bed?

She took a breath, hoping Harry was decent, she pulled the curtains slightly ajar and stuck her head through the opening. Her eyes needed some moments to adjust to the semi-darkness, however, the quietness already gave it away.

Harry wasn't in his bed.

Hermione took a closer look. In fact, it seemed as if he hadn't been in his bed at all last night.

Her heart jumped in her mouth as her stomach dropped. She had known it! Driven by his bad conscience and survivors guilt, Harry had found it impossible to sleep last night and had holed himself up in a hidden corner of the castle to lick his wounds. Why, oh why, had she left him to his own devices last night and hadn't insisted that she and Ron should stay with him?

She was a horrible friend.

She pulled her head back. What now?

"Hermione?"

She jumped and turned around.

A bleary-eyed Ron stuck his head out between his bed curtains, his hair ruffled from sleep. "Whadda you doin' at Harry's bed?" He slurred the syllables, followed by a huge yawn.

"Harry isn't in his bed. It looks as if he hadn't slept in his bed last night at all."

Ron's eyes widened, and he was fully alert within the blink of an eye. "What?" The next second, he stood next to her and peered into Harry's bed. "Fuck, you're right. Give me a sec."

He disappeared into the bathroom and returned not five minutes later, fully dressed. "He's probably gone to the Room of Requirement. You know he always hides there when something is troubling him."

Hermione nodded and allowed Ron to grab her hand and pull her with him.

A couple of minutes later they stood in front of the blank stretch of wall opposite of the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy on the seventh floor. By some miracle, this corridor had suffered little damage through the battle.

Ron marched up and down in front of the blank stretch of wall three times, and a door materialised.

"What have you been wishing for?"

"I asked for the room Harry Potter wanted last."

Hermione let out a deep breath. "That was very clever of you, Ron."

Ron puffed out his chest and took her hand once more. Together, they entered the room.

It was a very small room. Oriental rugs covered the floor, and a huge four-poster-bed with white silk curtains and silk bed covers, drawn back invitingly, took up most of the space. Hermione took a closer look. Was there a smattering of rose petals on the mattress? She frowned and tsk-ed. "You must have made a mistake when asking the room, Ronald. This obviously isn't the room where Harry hides."

Ron didn't listen. He gaped at the bed as if he'd never before seen one.

"Ron!"

"Uh… Yes, Hermione?"

He at last turned towards her, his earlobes a deep shade of red.

"This is the wrong room, Ron. Let's go to the Great Hall, hopefully, Harry is already down there for breakfast, or helping with the rebuilding. If not, we have to alert Kingsley that he's missing, I'm afraid."

"Uhm… Yeah, you might have a point there." Ron cast a last look at the bed, his ears turned an even deeper shade of red, though a hint of a grin was forming around his lips, and he followed her out of the room.

The hallways and stairs that led down to the Great Hall were littered with the debris caused by the battle, so it took them some time until they got here. The big room teemed with people: teachers, students and their parents who had stayed at the castle after the victory party, Aurors, and healers from St. Mungos who had come to support Madam Pomfrey with the care of the many wounded. They all crowded the place in hopes of a spot of breakfast.

At the far end of what once had been the Slytherin table lounged about a dozen reporters from different magazines, Rita Skeeter among them.

Hermione made a face and cast a strong Notice-Me-Not-Charm around herself and Ron. The press was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. She scanned the room for a sign of Harry.

Nothing.

Of course, she should have known that. The press would never have left Harry in peace and lounged about at the Slytherin table, had Harry turned up in the Great Hall for breakfast.

She grabbed Ron by the arm and pulled him out of the doorway, back into the entrance hall. "Harry isn't here, either. I'm afraid we have to inform Kingsley, Ron."

Ron scratched his neck, his ears still resembled two beacons, and he didn't quite look at her. "Uhm… Give the bloke some space, Hermione. Maybe he went to the loo, or he took a walk around the lake."

She dismissed his objections with a sharp harrumph. She loved Ron, really, but sometimes he was just being ridiculous.

The gravel on the floor of the entrance hall scrunched under heavy steps. Hermione turned around.

Kingsley Shacklebolt walked towards them, resplendent as always in his purple robes.

Just the man she needed! She cancelled the Notice-Me-Not-Charm and hurried to meet him halfways. Ron followed her at a much slower pace. "Minister Shacklebolt!"

"That's still Kingsley for you, Miss Granger." He held out his hand in greeting and smiled at her.

She shook it. "Call me Hermione, please. Mini… Kingsley, Harry is missing!"

His face didn't lose its pleasant smile at her announcement. "What gave you that idea, Hermione?"

Hermione wrung her hands. "Harry didn't sleep in his bed last night, and he isn't in his usual hiding spot, either."

"Maybe he's gone somewhere else?" Kingsley repeated Ron's suggestion.

His calm grated on her nerves. As if Harry would stray far away from Ron and her, they'd done everything together since the Troll incident in their first year… She shook her head. "You don't understand, Kingsley, Harry wouldn't do that. We three have always been together. We -" She broke off. How could she make Kingsley see reason?

Kingsley put a hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down. "I understand your concern, Hermione, and while I know that you three share a close friendship, Harry is still an individual. Maybe he just wants some space? I promise, if he hasn't returned by early afternoon, I'll send out a search party for him." He gave her a pat on the shoulder and walked on into the Great Hall.

"See? That's what I told you, too, but you wouldn't listen," Ron said.

She gave the redhead a withering glare. Traitor!

Her stomach sank, her shoulders slumped, and she looked to the ground and worried her lip between her teeth. What else could she do to find Harry, besides going on a wild goose chase?

Ron put a hand on her arm. "Come on, let's have breakfast. Harry will probably be back until we're finished."

Hermione's head shot up, and she glared at him. Had that boy any thoughts in his head except for food?

Her angry glare met his disarming grin, and she relaxed. Maybe Ron and Kingsley were right, Harry was a very private person and needed his solitude now and then. She'd keep her feet still, at least for the time being, but if there wasn't a sign of Harry until breakfast was over, she'd organise a search party.

Her mind made up, she followed Ron into the Great Hall. By long habit, their feet carried them to the Gryffindor table which was still fairly empty, compared to the other tables, and sat down. Food popped up in front of them, and Hermione's stomach gave an appreciative little jolt. There had not been much time for eating yesterday, and she was hungry. She reached out and prepared herself a bowl of cereals with fruit, while Ron already tucked in his bacon and eggs.

Their entrance didn't pass unnoticed by the members of the press. As one, they stood up and flocked to where she and Ron sat at the Gryffindor table.

At a sharp command of Kingsley, the Aurors in the room got up and held the reporters back.

Hermione sent Kingsley a thankful smile across the Great Hall, to which he answered with a nod and a grin, and then returned to his talk with Professor McGonagall.

About halfway through their breakfast, Ron's parents joined them.

"Good morning, Ron and Hermione," Arthur Weasley greeted them, while his wife just murmured a greeting as they sat down. Both Weasley parents were pale, with dark circles under their red-rimmed eyes that betrayed a night of no sleep but much grief about the loss of their son. Especially Mrs Weasley looked as if she had shrunk to half the woman she'd been the day before.

Her heart constricted in Hermione's chest, and a dull ache radiated through her body.

Mrs Weasley declined the eggs and toast her husband offered to her and poured herself a cup of tea. Both hands wrapped around the cup as if to warm them, she took a sip and looked around. "Where is Harry?"

"Uh, still sleeping, I guess," Ron said.

"We don't know," Hermione said at the same time.

The teacup halted halfway between the table and Mrs Weasley's mouth, and she narrowed her eyes at Hermione. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

A pang went through Hermione. Should she really burden Mrs Weasley, who already had enough on her plate, with her apprehensions about Harry's absence?

"I'm waiting, Hermione!"

That settled it. Mrs Weasley would understand her worries about Harry. While Ron and Kingsley were good friends, they were still males and not able to understand how lonesome and lost Harry must feel this morning.

The next moment she poured the events of her morning out to Mrs Weasley and didn't heed the kick in the ankles she got from Ron.

Mrs Weasley's face took on some colour while she talked, and a sparkle of life returned into her eyes. When Hermione finished, she jumped up and looked around until her eyes fell on her prey.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt!" she shouted across the Great Hall.

The cavernous room fell silent.

Kingsley jumped and ducked his head, then turned around in his seat.

"Yes, Molly?"

Mrs Weasley's face by now was red, and she stemmed her fists in her hips.

Ron had put up a Muffliato and had a frantic conversation with his father across the table. Mr Weasley's mouth formed a silent "oh", then he grinned, gave his son a nod, and put his hand on his wife's arm.

"Molly, dear, perhaps -"

She shook him off.

"Hermione here tells me that Harry didn't sleep in his bed last night, and nobody knows where he is right now, and you refused to send out a search party. By Merlin, what if he has been abducted by stray Death Eaters? I can't bear to lose another son, Kingsley!"

Shocked silence lingered in the Great Hall when she finished.

Then Rita Skeeter jumped up and rushed towards Molly, her colleagues close on her heels, and dismayed cries and loud talk broke out all across the Great Hall.

The Aurors also jumped to their feet but were a tad too late, the reporters already brushed past them. Though one or two reporters cried in annoyance when they were hauled back.

"Look what you've done, Molly, I don't think Harry will be happy with you when he returns." Mr Weasley sighed, got to his feet and pulled out his wand to cast a strong Shield Charm in front of them to prevent the reporters from getting at them.

Hermione and Ron also rose.

The reporters bounced off the shield. That didn't keep them from hurtling questions at them.

"Hermione, when have you last seen Harry?"

"Is it true he has run away because he couldn't bear being in a love triangle with you and Donald anymore?" That was, of course, Rita Skeeter.

Ron snorted. "Could she be any more far off?" he muttered.

Mr Weasley shook his head, as if in a warning. Beads of sweat pooled on his forehead as more and more people pushed against his shield, and Hermione readied her wand to help him.

A cannon blast from behind made the masses in front of them freeze.

Hermione's head shot up, her eyes searched over the heads of the crowd for the origin of the blast.

Kingsley stood on the Slytherin table, his wand raised in the air. The moment of shock abated, and the crowd whirled around to face him.

"I want to make an announcement about Mr Potter's whereabouts," Kingsley said.

The crowd rushed towards him. Mr Weasley lowered his wand with a deep breath and wiped his brow.

Protected from the onslaught of the crowd by a row of Aurors in front of him, Kingsley lowered his wand and cleared his throat.

"Contrary to what Mrs Weasley implied, Mr Potter is not missing. We had a conversation at the festivities after the battle yesterday, during which Mr Potter expressed his tiredness and his desire for some alone time. When… someone… offered Mr Potter a private place for the night, Mr Potter took that opportunity with both hands and asked me to cover for him. Of course, I agreed, it was the least I could do for the man who saved us all. So, when Miss Granger, alarmed by Mr Potter's absence, demanded action from me this morning, I knew there was nothing to worry about and tried to distract her." A rueful chuckle escaped his mouth. "Unfortunately for me, Miss Granger, as well as Mrs Weasley, are very persistent witches and were not content with my explanations."

Laughter rang through the room at that. Most people, satisfied with Kingsley's explanation, returned to their seats and continued their breakfast. The reporters were not that easily fobbed off, but at last had to admit defeat when Kingsley refused to answer their additional questions.

Hermione sunk back into her chair and let out a deep breath. An avalanche had gone off her chest at Kingsley's words. Harry wasn't in danger!

Opposite of her, Mrs Weasley mirrored her actions. The two women shared a look across the table. Mrs Weasley's eyes showed the same relief she felt. Mrs Weasley pulled out her wand, Summoned a tea-pot from further down the table, and poured both of them a fresh cup.

"I think we need that after the fright Harry gave us, dear. When he finally decides to turn up, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind about his thoughtless behaviour!" Mrs Weasley huffed and took a sip of tea.

Hermione also sipped at her tea. She couldn't agree more with Mrs Weasley's sentiment. What had Harry been thinking? Had he been thinking at all?

She snorted to herself, probably not, Harry was a typical male in that regard, he wouldn't understand why she was worried. And so were Kingsley and Ron. Her eyes wandered towards her friend.

He stood together with his father and Kingsley, who had got rid of the reporters and had come over. All three men were in a lively conversation, even with some laughter, although Ron and Mr Weasley were not completely into it, as their sombre eyes betrayed. No sound of their conversation could be heard, they must have put up a Privacy Ward. That was strange, nobody outside their circle was near them, so why that need for privacy? Didn't they want her and Mrs Weasley to hear what they were talking about?

Her eyes narrowed as another thought struck her. Why had Kingsley not come clean that he knew about Harry's whereabouts right away? He must have known she was worried, so why not tell the truth? What was he hiding from her?

Come to think of that, Ron's behaviour also had been strange ever since they looked for Harry in the Room of Requirement. He had talked to his father after that, and Mr Weasley seemed to have tried to keep his wife from raising hell about Harry's absence.

Why?

"What are the boys keeping from us?"

Hermione raised her head.

Mrs Weasley looked over her shoulder at her husband and son and Kingsley, a deep frown on her face. Obviously, she had come to the same conclusion. She rose to her feet, pulled out her wand, and shot a Cancelling Spell at the Privacy Ward around the three men.

The males turned their heads around. At the sight of Molly Weasley advancing on them, her wand in her hand, they blanched. Ron even gulped.

Hermione jumped to her feet and followed Mrs Weasley.

She already pointed her wand at Kingsly. "Kingsley Shacklebolt! What are you still hiding from us?"

Kingsley held his hands up in surrender and heaved a deep sigh. "I'll tell you, Molly, but let me put up a new Privacy Ward at first, this is not meant for everybody's ears."

Mrs Weasley nodded and stashed her wand in the pocket of her apron. With a tapping foot, she waited for Kingsley to put up a new Privacy Ward. "Well?" she asked, as soon as Kingsley had finished.

Kingsley sighed another time. "Harry stayed with a friend last night. I expect him to return any second now."

Hermione startled. A friend? What friend? Harry didn't have any friends besides Ron and her and the Weasleys. What load of dragon dung was Kingsley peddling here?

"I've heard enough of your half-truths, Kingsley. You'd better get a move on and bring Harry back home this very minute!"

It seemed as if Mrs Weasley was as unhappy as she was with Kingsley's explanation. Hermione permitted herself a smile at the expression of long-suffering on Kingsley's face.

"Alright, but it will be on your head, Molly! Harry will not be happy!"

Mrs Weasley just huffed to that and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm waiting, Kingsley!"

Kingsley cast a new Privacy Ward around himself, then produced a Patronus. He crouched down and said something to his silvery lynx.

Of course, why hadn't she thought of that sooner? Contrary to Kingsley, Hermione didn't bother with putting up an additional Privacy Ward as she conjured her Patronus. As soon as her otter appeared, she also crouched down and gave it her message.

"Harry James Potter, where are you? How do you dare disappear on us like this? Have you any idea how worried Mrs Weasley is, or Ron and I, for that matter? You'd better get going and return to Hogwarts from wherever you are now. It's not safe, and you know there is no safer place for you than Hogwarts."

That had come out a bit more forceful than she intended, but conveyed her meaning nicely, nevertheless. Her Patronus gave her a short nod and disappeared. Hermione straightened and looked around.

Ron had also conjured his Patronus and was giving him his message behind a Privacy Ward, accompanied by a lot of scratching of his neck and red ear lobes.

Hermione snorted, it didn't take a genius to know that Ron was sending another Patronus to Harry to warn him of Mrs Weasley and her. She waited until Ron had finished his message, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him with her out of the Great Hall. "Come on, Harry will turn up any second now, and I want to be first to get my hands on him."

"Oh no, dear, you've got to stand in line behind me." With that, Mrs Weasley brushed past them.

Ron exchanged a look with his father and raised his hands, palms up as if to say 'I've tried and failed'. Hermione pulled his arm once again, and he allowed her to drag him out of the Great Hall.

They settled down just outside the castle, next to the entrance door. Hermione stepped next to Mrs Weasley, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited.

...

The morning after the Battle of Hogwarts, as historians soon would call it, Tracey Davis woke up in the arms of her boyfriend in her four-poster-bed in the seventh year girl's dorm of the Slytherin dungeons.

Daphne had gone home with her parents, and Pansy, still shocked about the death of her father and the outcome of the battle, also had gone home to comfort her distraught mother. Millicent, the only one of the four seventh year Slytherin girls to take the Dark Mark, had been arrested right after the battle and was now waiting in the ministry holding cells for her trial.

This was why she and Blaise had the room to themselves, and they had made good use of it and celebrated the downfall of the Dark Lord a couple of times last night.

Tracey opened her eyes to look straight into the velvety, dark eyes of her boyfriend.

He smiled down at her. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

"Good morning." She reached out with her arm and pulled his head down towards her for a soft close-lipped morning kiss, and released him with a grin on her lips. "You know, I could get used to this." She made a motion with her hand that included the two of them and the four-poster-bed.

Blaise snorted. "Well, I see no cause for this to end now"

"No cause, indeed." Tracey grabbed for her wand on the night table, cast a Breath-Refreshing-Charm on both of them, and once again pulled Blaise's head down to her, this time for a much longer, heated kiss.

However, when Blaise's hand trailed down her sides and a delicious heat spread in her abdomen, she pushed him away, albeit with a pang of regret.

"Sorry sweetheart, we don't have time for that." With that, she extricated herself from his arms, cast the duvet back, and swung her legs out of the bed.

"Huh?"

She cast him a smile over her shoulder, already on the way to the bathroom. "I've got to talk to Daphne, Blaise."

He sunk back into the soft cushions with a frustrated huff, though admittedly he did look spent after the previous night. "Why's that? You know that she's safe with her family."

Tracey stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him. "You can't be serious, can you? It's about Potter, of course."

"Potter?" Blaise scrambled to a sitting position and quirked an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I know she shagged him to spite Malfoy when she found out of the proposed contract, but that was almost a year ago, and she never mentioned him since then. So, what interest could she possibly have in Potter?"

Tracey laughed. "You are such a boy, sweetheart. Did you never notice the surreptitious glances that two cast at each other all over our sixth year when the other one wasn't looking? With so much suppressed sexual tension I wasn't surprised at all it exploded right in their faces when they finally were alone with each other."

Blaise's eyebrows both shot up. "Wait, what? You told me Daphne shagged Potter as a means to get back at Malfoy. You never said a word about that she fancies him."

"As I said, such a boy." She blew her boyfriend a kiss to take the sting out of her words. "Sweetheart, you've been friends with Daphne and me since we met on our first train ride to Hogwarts. Do you really think Daphne is the kind of girl who will have a one night stand just to spite someone? She was upset and angry that night, yeah, but she never would have gone so far had she ran into, let's say, Finnegan. No, it took someone special for Daphne to lower her guards, you know that as well as I do."

"You've got a point but… POTTER? As in The Chosen One, or The Man Who Conquered? Daphne never struck me as one of his fangirls. And I never noticed that he paid any attention to her." He cast the duvet aside and got out of bed.

"She isn't." Tracey continued her way to the bathroom. "She never showed much interest in him before our sixth year. I've got no idea what changed then, other than the fact that Potter seemed to have grown a foot over the summer and had filled out nicely. She thought she was so discreet about it but she used to watch him in each of our shared classes when he wasn't looking. That made me curious, and I started watching him. He was even more discreet about it as Daphne, as good as any Slytherin, but he watched her, too. Though most boys did, so I am not really surprised."

"You're taking the piss?!"

"I'm not." Tracey stepped into the shower. "If the looks they cast at each other during our sixth year are anything to go by, their night together was just the beginning. Can you imagine the uproar that will cause, especially among the lions? So, hurry up and join me, sweetheart, I don't want to miss a single moment of the show!"

…

The moment they reached the Apparition Point in the secluded depression in front of the cottage, Daphne threw her arms around Harry and kissed him deeply.

"What was that for?" he asked when she released him and smiled down at her in a way that turned her insides to mush and made her want to kiss him again. "Mind you, not that I'm complaining."

"That was for taking my parents by storm. I can tell that Mother already loves you and is being protective of you, while Father is impressed by your magical prowess, if not a little wary of it."

"While he's less impressed that I stole his daughter."

"He'll get over it." Daphne laughed and hugged him to herself. "I was always the apple of his eyes, it's normal that he is a little concerned."

Harry raised his eyebrows as he looked down at her with a wry grin. "A little? I expected him to challenge me for a wizarding duel any minute. Though it is understandable, I imagine I would be the same if I had a daughter."

She rose to her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. "You're exaggerating, love. Now, won't you take me to Hogwarts? We have two angry lionesses waiting to give you a dressing down, and a scorpion's nest of reporters to deal with on top of that."

Harry chuckled. "You make that sound like fun." He looked down on her arms that still encircled his waist. "You know that it will suffice if you hold on to my arm?"

"Yes, but where's the fun in that?"

"As her ladyship wishes." The next moment he Apparated them to the gates of Hogwarts.

Daphne wobbled at the landing and had to hold tight to Harry not to fall. She gave him a mischievous grin. "I like that sentiment. Keep up with that, and we will have a long and happy time together."

The next moment, she sobered.

They stood in front of the gates to the school. As soon as they stepped into the school their relationship would be out, they wouldn't be able to have the typical new relationship feeling, as everyone would feel it was their right to be involved.

Why hadn't she listened to her parent's objections? They'd been right to warn her.

Because you didn't want to lose him, a small voice inside of her said. She hadn't voiced it back at the house; the reason she wanted to come with him was that she didn't want him to leave her sight, for fear something would happen to him if she wasn't with him. It was nonsense, of course, but she had been parted from him after that incredible night for far too long.

She never imagined falling for Harry Potter, hell, she never imagined having slept with a boy she barely knew to gain control over her life, it was funny how things turned out.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She turned to face him.

His warm emerald eyes rested on her, no longer was there a haunted and resigned look to them.

"I am." She squeezed his hand and showed him a calm face. Merlin knew she was anything but that, her stomach fluttered in the most uncomfortable way as they walked through the gates hand in hand. While she didn't care about what people thought, there would be some kickback, especially from witches. They'd consider the Saviour of the Wizarding World fair game and wouldn't take it kindly if he showed up with a girlfriend in tow.

"I'm glad someone is."

The grounds were quiet for the first stretch of their journey. That changed when the entrance of the castle came into view. A welcoming committee was waiting for them.

Granger stood in the middle, her arms crossed over her chest, and her bushy hair, although tamed in a ponytail that hung down her back, seemed to have a life of its own. To her right stood a small, pudgy woman with flaming red hair and mirrored her stance. Going by the colour of the hair and the similarity to the Weasley daughter that had to be Mrs Weasley.

Others stood in the background, Weasley, with an expression of dread and uneasiness on his face that almost made her burst out into laughter, and a balding man with amicable features, who looked at them with the same wary expression as Weasley. His father?

Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt blocked the entrance to the castle, together with some Aurors. Behind him, a gaggle of people tried to force their way past the Aurors.

The vultures from the press. What a bunch of idiots! If they had one ounce of cunning, they would have stopped trying to push their way past the Aurors and would have taken one of the many other exits of the castle to get to the front entrance.

"Harry James Potter! Where were you?"

The two daunting witches were eerily in sync.

Daphne snorted. "You're in trouble"

"You have no idea," Harry murmured and gave her a cheeky grin.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him beside her. She kissed his cheek, to encourage him as much as to mark her territory in front of those two witches right from the start. "What's the worst that can happen?" she whispered as they drew closer.

"Ever read up on the French Revolution?"

"Barely, my family are accepting of Muggle culture but learning about those conflicts didn't help much in our world."

"Let's just hope I keep my head, hm?"

Hand in hand, they stepped in front of the two witches.

Granger's eyes seemed to be bulging out of her head as she looked at them, while the older witch glowered at Daphne in a way that made her want to hide behind Harry.

"What is Greengrass doing with you?" Granger blurted out.

"Good morning, Mrs Weasley, Hermione. This is Daphne Greengrass, my girlfriend"

Both women made good imitations of fish on dry land. Hermione was the first to recover. A low growl escaped her lips, and she fingered for her wand. "What did you give him?"

Daphne's stomach dropped. She bit on her lip, how was she supposed to react? She was no slouch with a wand, but an open fight with Granger wouldn't endear her to Harry's friends, and Harry might resent her if she drew him into a fight with his best friend. So, she raised her hands, the open palms turned towards Granger.

"Put your wand away, Granger. I gave nothing to Harry."

Granger's hand gripped her wand a little harder. "Liar!"

Mrs Weasly moved, as if to add her piece, but was held back by the balding man, who put a restraining hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

Harry's eyes flicked between the two young women. At Hermione's last word he stepped in front of Daphne and covered her with his back. "Look, Hermione -"

Daphne put her hands on his hips and moved him to the side with soft pressure. "No, this is between Gr… Hermione and me, and we will settle it like adults and not in a school ground brawl."

Harry looked down at her, doubt in his eyes. "Are you sure?"

The true answer would have been no, however, she wouldn't allow Granger to intimidate her, and it wouldn't help her in the least if Harry fought her fights with his friends for her. She had to earn her place by his side on her own merits, or they would always regard her as Harry's decorative trophy, while she had every intention to become much more to him.

Granger's cheeks pinked at her words, and she gave a small hiss, much like an enraged cat. Yet she put her wand away and crossed her arms over her chest once more. "Alright, say your piece."

Her defensive stance didn't bode well for her willingness to hear her out. Oh well, for Harry's sake she had to try.

"Contrary to what you think you know, Hermione, the… attraction between Harry and me isn't new. There have been ... glances at each other whenever we had classes together or at meals for the better part of our sixth year, at least I know from my part."

Hermione huffed. "Nice try, but I don't believe you. I would have noticed something like that."

"No, you wouldn't, not with the way how sneaky those two were, doubtless they knew they were doing it themselves, and how busy you were observing that lanky redhead over there," a cheerful female voice chimed in.

Daphne's heart made a joyful leap and she whirled around. "Tracey!"

Her best friend grinned at her, her boyfriend by her side. The next moment her best friend embraced her firmly.

"I see you didn't lose any time to reunite with loverboy over here." Tracey's grin became even broader. She held her hand out to Harry. "Hi, I'm Tracey, Daphne's best friend. Nice to meet you at last, Harry."

Harry took her hand and bowed over it with a flourish. "The pleasure is all mine, Tracey. Daphne spoke very highly of you and Blaise."

"Did she? And there I thought talking was the last thing you two did." Tracey shot Harry her best saucy grin that had the heat rush into his cheeks.

"Tracey!" Daphne cast a concerned look to Harry's friends and glared at her best friend. She had to help Harry, he was no match for Hurricane Tracey.

Blaise came to his rescue, he offered his hand to Harry and said, "Don't mind my girlfriend, she loves to scandalise everyone with her outrageous talk."

"I'm not all mouth, I'll have you know."

"See what I mean?" Blaise rolled his eyes at Harry.

Harry took his hand with a laugh and shook it. "Yeah, I can see you have a hard fate, but what a way to go, eh?"

"You have no idea!" Blaise grinned.

"I'm still waiting." Granger watched their exchange with a deep frown on her face and a tapping foot. However, some of her aggressiveness seemed to have evaporated, due to Tracey's interference.

Daphne sent her friend a thankful smile.

Tracey replied with a small wink and turned to Granger again. "Gryffindors!" She threw her hands up in the air in an exaggerated manner. "I swear, you don't realise there's a Hippogriff in the room as long as it doesn't screech right into your face." She pointed at Harry and Daphne. "These two have been subtle making eyes at each other all through our sixth year, but due to house boundaries from some of us... It was just that, glances."

"That's true." Harry put an arm around Daphne's shoulder and kissed her cheek. "We ran into each other after Dumbledore's funeral and got talking. Well, the rest is history, as they say." He smiled down at Daphne.

She slid her arm around his waist, leaned against him, and nodded to his words, feeling relaxed and at home.

Granger huffed. "There's no need to lie for her, Harry, you can tell us what she did to you, and Ron and I will help you get out of that mess. As if you wouldn't have told us about her."

Harry narrowed her eyes at her. "Hermione, we were at war, and I was at the centre of it all. Any girl I would have expressed even the slightest interest in would have had a huge target painted on her back. Do you think I would have done that to her, or anyone for that matter? And as a Slytherin and a Pureblood Voldemort wanted to get under his thumb Daphne was more at risk as a girl from another house. The fewer people knew about us, the safer she was."

"Still, it's strange nobody knew about her until this morning." Granger's stance didn't waver one bit, however, there seemed to be a wavering in her resolve.

"I knew about them, and Blaise, too," Tracey said with a gleeful grin in Granger's direction.

Daphne shook her head and suppressed a snort. Her best friend enjoyed riling up Granger too much for her taste.

Blaise took one step away from his girlfriend. "Don't drag me into this! All I know is that you told me that Daphne shag-." the dark-skinned wizard swiftly stopped himself.

Heat shot into Daphne's cheeks, and she had no idea where to look.

Granger and Mrs Weasley both gasped and then gave her a look that spelt out "slut!" in huge letters.

Weasley, however, broke out into laughter. "I knew it when I saw the bed you asked the Room of Requirement for, mate. Guess we don't have to ask where you were last night, got lucky ag- ouch!" He whirled to Hermione. "Did you just kick me?"

"If she didn't, I was going to." Daphne glowered at him. Yes, Ron was right, she just didn't appreciate it being voiced so openly. She held not much stock in blood purity, however, callous remarks of that nature so openly would be eaten alive by rumours. A passionate night with one man would turn into a rumour mill of her being the trollop of the school.

"Or I," Tracey said. "Which reminds me." She stepped next to Blaise and gave him a soft slap over the head with her flat hand.

"Bloody hell, what was that for?" Blaise cringed away from Tracey and flattened his ruffled hair with both hands.

"For being an insensitive prat and blurting Daphne's secrets out."

Blaise shot her a sheepish glance. "Sorry, Daphne."

She nodded to show him she bore no ill-will but was distracted by Weasley, who stepped forward and offered his hand to her. "Hi, I'm Ron, it's nice to meet you." He gave her a lazy grin.

An avalanche went off Daphne's chest, and she let out a breath as she took Ron's hand and shook it. At least one of Harry's friends was accepting of her.

"Nice to meet you, too, Ron."

Granger lowered her arms and gaped at Weasley. "That's all you've got to say about this, Ron? She could have dosed him with Love Potions, or put him under the Imperius Curse, or -"

"Come on, Hermione." Wesley interrupted her tirade, stepped next to Granger, and put his arm around her. "I can't see how she possibly could have dosed Harry with a Love Potion to lure him towards her between the moment Voldemort fell and we talked to him last night, he's been under constant scrutiny during those hours, and didn't have the time to eat and drink something. While I agree with you that I've never seen such a sappy smile on Harry's face -" he shot Harry a broad grin, "he's still a far cry from how I acted when I accidentally ate that cauldron cake laced with a Love Potion that Vane gave to Harry."

He exchanged another look with Harry, and the latter broke out into laughter. "I sure hope so, you had really lost it under the influence of that potion, Ron."

"I sense a good story there," Tracey said.

"I'll tell you one day," Harry promised.

"No, you won't," Weasley said and shot his best friend a mock-glare. He turned back to Granger. "He isn't under the Imperius Curse, either. By Merlin's beard, Hermione, Harry resisted Voldemort's Imperius Curse. You're surely not implying that Daphne can cast an Imperius Curse stronger than Voldemort's?"

"She can't," Tracey said. "She was rubbish at the Unforgivables when we had to practise them at Defense last year, and got forever detention with the Carrows for her failure to perform to Death Eater standard."

Beside her, Harry stiffened. He jerked his head around and looked at her with a storm in his eyes. "Did they hurt you?"

A warm glow ignited in her chest, and she squeezed his hip gently. His protectiveness of her touched something deep inside of her. She shook her head. "No, they were lenient towards us future Pureblood broodmares, and they wouldn't have dared harm Malfoy property, either."

He relaxed somewhat. "Good."

Granger's stance also relaxed somewhat at Weasley's last words. She pursed her lips and stared ahead, as if in deep thought. "You're right," she said at last with a small smile at Weasley. "I should have thought of that myself. Although I'm right now wondering what became of the Ron I knew. He would have been furious at the thought of Harry with a Slytherin."

Weasley's earlobes turned red, he shuffled with his feet and looked to the ground. "I've been enough of a dick about Harry's decisions in the past, and I don't want to lose him, not after F...Fred. Given everything we have all been through, I think we all deserve a little happiness." The redhead turned to Daphne and Harry. "Wherever we find it, especially Harry."

"Thanks, Ron, that means a lot." Harry nodded in response, though the look they exchanged expressed more than words would.

Granger's gaze became soft, she tiptoed and gave Weasley a kiss on the cheek that made the heat spread from his earlobes all over his face. "I'm proud of you, Ronald, I always knew you had it in you."

However, when she turned back to Harry, her gaze became stern."Why didn't you tell us you were with Gree… Daphne last night?"

"Yes, that's something I'd also like to know," Mrs Weasley said with a glare at Harry.

Now it was Harry's turn to blush as he also shuffled his feet and looked to the ground.

Daphne's stomach gave a small jolt, and she had to suppress a snort. So, Harry hadn't been just joking around, he really was intimidated by the two witches in front of them. Either that or he just wanted a quiet life? The Vanquisher of the Dark Lord cowering in front of the wrath of his best friend and the mother of his best friend. At least it showed he had a modicum of self-preservation, how unlikely that seemed, considering Harry's adventures. Those two women were intimidating.

Of course, it wouldn't do to let them know that. She poked Harry into the side and whispered into his ear, "Treat them just like the Dark Lord and don't let them show you're afraid."

She got a snort from Harry in response, but he stopped his shuffling, straightened, and looked at the two witches. "You act as if I owe you an explanation, Hermione?"

"You do! You just ran off in the middle of the night after the battle. We thought stray Death Eaters had got you!"

"I already told you, Kingsley knew where I was."

"He didn't tell us." Her hair seemed to flare with her indignation.

Now it was Harry's turn to cross his arms and scowl. "Perhaps because I have a right to some privacy?"

For the second time that morning, Granger's mouth moved like a fish gasping for air. "But, but … Death Eaters..." was all she managed to get out.

"Are either dead or arrested, Hermione, give Harry a break." Ron jumped to Harry's defence.

Hermione whirled her head around and glared at the redhead. "Ron! You were as concerned as I was this morning when we discovered that Harry didn't sleep in his bed."

"Yeah, but that was before I saw the Room of Requirement." Ron's face again took on an interesting shade of red.

"And you couldn't tell me what you suspected?" Tears shot into Granger's eyes; she wiped them away with the back of her hand in an impatient gesture as if she was angry at herself that she was crying. "Merlin, Ron, you know how Harry is! How he tends to brood and takes the blame whenever something horrible happens, and how he retreats into himself at those times. He adores your family, so I was sure he blamed himself for Fred's death, and come to think of it, also for Remus' and Tonks'."

"Hermione... Have a care," Harry warned. He may have taken their deaths hard but he wasn't Fred's brother or parent, and Tonks not his family. No, they had relatives of their own who would feel their loss far more keenly than he.

Understanding shot through Daphne like a bolt of lightning, her stomach sank, and she glanced her eyes at Harry. How many times had she seen Harry in what Malfoy had called 'Potter in his spoilt brat mood'? Especially at the end of their fourth and fifth year. Malfoy was one to talk, yet that was beside the point. She had also witnessed how Granger and Weasley tried to get through to Harry, with little success.

Granger must have been out of her mind with worry when she found his bed empty, and so must have been Mrs Weasley when she heard about it.

She put her hand on Harry's arm, who was still glowering at Hermione, although a trace of unease had slipped into his glare.

He looked down at her.

"She's got a point, perhaps it wouldn't have hurt to leave a note or something? But the fault is mine also."

"What are you talking about, Daph?"

She didn't heed him, she already turned to Granger and Mrs Weasley. "I owe you an apology."

Both women startled, a slight frown on their face as if they hadn't expected that.

"When Harry told me last night that he had slipped away from Hermione and Ron, I should have realised that you'd be worried if he didn't turn up this morning. I should have insisted that he somehow let you know that he's safe and not to worry about him. However, so much had happened, Harry and I didn't see each other for almost a year, and we had so much to talk about that it never occurred to me."

Beside her, Harry went slack, and his mouth formed a silent 'oh'. "I never thought of that."

Daphne rested her hand on his upper arm. "I'm not surprised, love, from the little you told me I'm sure you're not used to thinking of yourself as being worthy of people caring for you. I'll see to it that that will change." She smiled and turned back to the two witches. "Although Harry had a point: he can take care of himself, and he has a right to some privacy. It seems to me with the way you two got about Harry missing you didn't think of the latter." She cast a meaningful glance towards the gaggle of reporters, still held back by the Aurors, and still trying to get through to them.

Granger and Mrs Weasley both had the good sense to look contrite.

"Seems I didn't think, either, " Granger said. "I'm sorry, Harry."

"I told you Harry wouldn't appreciate you meddling in his affairs, Molly," the balding man said to Mrs Weasley.

"I was worried, so soon after Fred…" Mrs Weasley's voice trailed off, and she seemed to shrink.

Harry disentangled himself from Daphne's arm. With one long stride, he was by Mrs Weasley's side and took her in his arms. "No, it's me who has to be sorry."

She engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug, from which both surfaced rather red in the face. Mrs Weasley patted Harry's cheek. "You are a good boy, Harry." She let go of him and turned to Daphne. "I can see you are good for him. We'll have to sit down soon with a cup of tea, and you'll tell me everything about your romance."

Heat shot into Daphne's face. She'd have to be very careful what to reveal to Mrs Weasley. Yet an avalanche went off her chest, the confrontation seemed to be over. Aloud she said, "I'd like that."

Mrs Weasley took her husband's arm and pulled him with her, down the path. "Come on, Arthur, let's give the young people some privacy. We've got a lot of things to do today."

Daphne's stomach sank. The Weasleys had lost a son yesterday, it was easy to imagine what would keep them busy today. Was it wrong of her to be that happy when others were grieving?

She looked up at Harry. A shadow flickered across his face. Were his thoughts going into the same direction? A war had ended, but the costs of that would be felt forever in those who sacrificed.

Their eyes met, his dark expression gave way to the easy smile she loved so much, and he bent down and gave her a small kiss. She allowed it, she never was fond of the idea of public displays of affection, but a kiss now and then was fine, and her relief replaced her wariness.

Tracey clapped into her hands. "Right, now that we're one big, happy family, what about breakfast? I'm starving!"

"I think I like her," Weasley said to no one in particular.

Harry and Granger exchanged a look and chuckled, that soon spread to the rest of their group.

Blaise grinned. "So do I." He motioned towards the gaggle of reporters that still tried to get past the Aurors. "Although I'm afraid Harry will have to deal with the press first before we can tend to Weasley's and Tracey's bottomless stomachs."

The young people turned around and faced the vultures.

When they realised they had got the attention of their prey, the reporters doubled their efforts to get past the Aurors and hurled questions at them.

"Mr Potter, will you be going for minister?"

"Harry, what will you do with the Dark Lord's body?"

Skeeter went right for Daphne. "Miss Greengrass, are you Mr Potter's girlfriend? When is the wedding?"

"Bollocks, I didn't think she'd recognise me," Daphne muttered under her breath.

"Do you really love Mr Potter or are you after his fame?"

At Skeeter's last question Harry let out a growl and made an involuntary step towards the obnoxious reporter.

Minister Shacklebolt held him back. "Don't, Harry, she just wants to rile an unguarded statement out of you which she would then twist beyond recognition. While I'm afraid you'll have to deal with the press soon, that can be to your own terms and after I had a talk to you three about your exploits during the last year." He gave Harry a meaningful look.

Harry ran a hand through his unruly hair and messed it up even more. His eyes searched Daphne's. "Your thoughts on this Daphne?"

Her heart gave a little skip, and she couldn't help her lips curving into a bright smile. He already relied on her advice! They had really come far in a short time. "I think Minister Shacklebolt's idea is sound, Harry. You can't escape them, so you'd better make the rules."

Harry thought about her words, then nodded at the minister. "Alright."

Minister Shacklebolt turned back to the gaggle of reporters, raised his wand, and cast a Cannon Blast Charm that silenced them.

"That's our cue." Harry grinned, put his arm around Daphne's waist, and pulled her with him. "Come on, let's take the scenic route to the Great Hall. A second breakfast sounds good to me after all that excitement."

…

The long rays of the late afternoon sun bathed the hidden depression in front of the Greengrass cottage in a golden glow as Harry Apparated there with Daphne. The warm breeze that ruffled his hair carried the smell of seaweed and salt, and the cries of seagulls in the distance and the twittering of a flock of sparrows that hid in the hedgerows along the street added to the almost unreal feeling of peace and tranquillity.

He took a deep breath and held his face into the sun. Had there been such a serene moment in his life ever before? He racked his brain and couldn't come up with a memory. Certainly not during his time with the Dursleys, and not at Hogwarts, either. And most certainly not during the last months in hiding.

"A Knut for your thoughts," the young woman beside him said.

He looked down into her smiling face, and his breath hitched. Had this beautiful girl really agreed to be with him? What, by Merlin's saggy balls, did she see in him? She could have any man she wanted just with a flick of her pinky finger.

Aloud he said, "You know the muggle expression is a penny? I always thought Knut was too much for a thought, but, I still can't believe that it is over, that I'm still alive and here with you…" He trailed off. How to put his vague feelings into words? He'd always been rubbish at that.

She gave him a long look, then hugged him to herself. "I imagine. You must've been under an impossible strain ever since the monster returned. I guess you can't let go of that from one second to the other."

"You have no idea," he murmured and ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't, but I'm sure you'll tell me about that one day." She accompanied her words with a tender smile at him, yet there was a hint of steel in her voice that told him that she expected him to come clean about his past.

His stomach sank, and his chest tightened as he braced himself for her questions to come. Would she still want to be with him if she knew the whole, ugly truth?

She gave him another long look, then grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. "It doesn't have to be today, Harry," she said as if she had read his thoughts. "Merlin knows this day has been hard enough. Come on, let's take a walk along the coastal path and clear our heads."

The weight lifted off his chest. Hermione never would have let him off the hook like this, she would have pried until he answered her questions, and she would have analysed his answers over and over again and given him good advice he didn't want to hear until he cracked and exploded at her. Daphne, however… She seemed to understand that he needed time to come to grips with what had happened before he could even think of opening himself to someone else. How was it possible that she could emphasise with him after such a short time together?

He followed her out of the depression and onto the coastal path that ran along the coast not far away from the small cottage. As they walked along the edge of the cliffs, Daphne described the landmarks to him.

"The island in the middle of the bay is St George's Island. The small village of Looe is a little beyond that, you can't see it from here. The bay there is fantastic, we ought to go there one day soon. It's still early in the season, so the bay won't be crowded with Muggles on their holidays yet. There's also a fantastic ice cream stand right by the port, you really miss out if you don't try their mint chocolate chip ice cream."

Harry turned his head and craned his neck to watch the spots of the picturesque coast she indicated. The last bit of information had him grin.

"Are you a sweet tooth, Miss Greengrass?"

She blushed and nodded with a small laugh. "I just can't resist their ice cream, neither a bar of Honeyduke's finest."

He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I suppose that's an important thing to know about your girlfriend."

They laughed and continued their walk arm in arm until they reached a rock on the peak of the highest cliff that made a comfortable resting place and provided some shelter from the wind that was surprisingly strong up here. Harry sat down, his back rested against the rock, and pulled Daphne down to sit between his knees. His arms around her, they looked out at the sea that displayed a range of greens and blues he until now had connected with the Caribbean and watched the seagulls riding on the wind and then diving down to the waves to catch their dinner.

Daphne's head tucked under his chin, Harry let the events of the day pass by. Kingsley had made good of his announcement and asked him, Hermione and Ron, to join him in a confidential talk as soon as they had finished their breakfast with the Slytherins. Daphne's eyes had darkened when Kingsley asked them to follow him, and she had opened her mouth as if she was going to object. At a small shake of the head from Tracey, however, she decided otherwise, and had given him a peck on the cheek and told him to find her in the Great Hall when he was finished.

She'd kept her word and sat still in the Great Hall with her friends when they returned from their exhausting meeting, just in time for a school meeting Professor McGonagall had appointed.

The board of governors, or what was left of it, had made Professor McGonagall headmistress right after the battle. She had wasted no time to make plans for the reopening of the school, and especially how to get the fifth and seventh years through their exams. That included the many students who had to go on the run last year. She had offered all fifth and seventh-year students the choice between returning in September and repeating the school year, or joining an accelerated course that would start as soon as the funerals were over and would end in September. That latter option included a lot of independent studies since the repairs were still underway then and they couldn't stay at the castle, although Professor McGonagall had promised that the library would be ready for them to study there during the day.

"I think I'm going to join the accelerated program," he said.

Daphne shifted in his arms and turned her head around until she faced him. "Are you sure about that? You always gave the impression to me that despite everything that happened to you there, you loved being at school. Don't you want to experience the last year without troubles?"

His stomach gave a small jolt. That would be nice, wouldn't it? And yet…

He shrugged, while he curled one of the gleaming locks that hung down her back around his fingers. "I don't know. Yes, I love the castle, it was the first place in my life where I felt at home. After all that happened, however, I'm not sure if I can go back."

She shuddered in his arms. "Yeah, the memories of the battle will be hard to overcome."

"That's only part of it. I doubt I can go back to being a schoolboy and care about curfews and house points after I've lived on my own for the better part of last year and didn't have to keep to any rules but my own."

Daphne cocked her head to the side and scrunched up her nose.

Had she an idea how cute she looked?

A mischievous grin appeared on her lips. "I can see your point. Given that you always had troubles to keep to the rules, that would be like inviting disaster, wouldn't it?"

"God, yes!"

He couldn't help the snort that escaped him, and she joined his laughter.

"Don't you want to accept Minister Shacklebolt's offer to join the Aurors right now, without getting your NEWTs? I heard him talking about that to you and the W… Ronald after the press conference."

"No, I don't." His laughter evaporated.

"Why? I thought you wanted to become an Auror. At least that's what you told Father when he asked you about your plans this morning."

That was a valid question. Why hadn't he grabbed the chance Kingsley had offered him with both hands? He leaned his head back against the hard rock and took a deep breath.

"Becoming an Auror was my plan ever since career advice in our fifth year. That, or becoming a professional Quidditch player, and I don't know if I'm good enough for that, so…" He shrugged.

"So, Auror is the sensible choice out of two careers you thought you were good at? It makes sense. But why don't you try out for a Quidditch team as soon as the league is back to playing? Many teams lost valuable members during last year, so there are more openings than usual, and you can bet the managers will queue to get the Man-Who-Conquered on their team." She regarded him with her head cocked to the side.

His stomach jumped, and he stiffened. "No, that's not acceptable. I don't want to make it on a team just because I'm a celebrity and will attract spectators to the games. I want to make it on my own merits because I'm good enough, you know?" His cheeks had become rather warm as he talked, and he let out a huff.

Daphne looked at him for another long moment, then smiled, as if he had passed a kind of test. "Is that the reason why you declined Minister Shacklebolt's offer?"

"Part of it, I guess." He took another deep breath to calm down. "I want to make it into the Auror Department on my own, yes, but I'm also not running to become an Auror straight away. I want more of this." He raised his arm and made a sweeping gesture that included the picturesque landscape as far as they could see. "This is the first time since I can remember that I truly feel at peace and content with my life, and I don't want to change that any time soon."

She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his jaw. "That's understandable, love, and you deserve some space. However, with the schedule Headmistress McGonagall lined out to us this morning I'm afraid we won't have much spare time for walks like this."

Harry's stomach gave another jump, and his heartbeat sped up. We? But her parents surely would want her to return to Hogwarts, wouldn't they? He opened his mouth to ask her just that when she put a finger on his lips.

"You don't think I will leave you and return to Hogwarts, now that we are together at last? I'll join you in the accelerated program."

"But… Your parents -"

"Will agree to everything I want." Daphne's grin became devious. "That's the advantage of the sacrifice I made for the family. Father has such a bad conscience that he had to force me into that contract, and he is so relieved that he doesn't have to do that anymore that he will agree to everything that makes me happy. Of course, it helps that he's thankful to you, too."

His mouth dropped, and he blinked at her. "Are you taking advantage of your parent's bad conscience?"

Daphne scrunched her nose. "It sounds rather calculating if you put it that way. Don't you think I deserve some compensation for putting up with the ferret all year and bracing myself for a marriage with him?"

"Devious little snake!" He couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he bent forward to kiss her. "Well, how can't I agree with you? Although, after what Astoria told us this morning, I'm sure the ferret won't have got as much enjoyment out of that contract as he thought."

"Huh?" A puzzled frown appeared on her face.

"Do Shrinking Charms to his bits ring a bell?"

"Oh, that." Daphne broke out into laughter and waved away Malfoy's bits with a dismissive gesture of her hand. "He asked for it, and I hadn't the time to come up with something more… uh… fanciful. Although that charm proved to be rather effective to keep him and his goons in line."

Harry's stomach gave a hard lurch, he tightened his arms around her and shuddered. What would have become of her had he failed in defeating Voldemort? No, he'd better not go down that lane, the mere thought was unbearable.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he said in what he hoped was a light tone and gave her a peck on the cheek.

She cupped his cheek with one hand and looked into his eyes with a tenderness that melted something inside of him. "It's over, love."

Merlin, how did she read his thoughts?

Daphne leaned forward, and their lips met in a long kiss that helped a lot to assure him that it was really over and that they were just at the beginning of something wonderful.

"Where would I be without you?" he said when they broke apart and he cradled her to his chest.

She snuggled up to him and snorted. "Probably still running away from the reporters."

That had him chuckle. "Most likely. You and Kingsley were spot on with the press conference, and it was also good that you insisted we should agree on what to answer, should they ask about our relationship."

He gave another shudder. The press, and especially one Rita Skeeter and her colleagues from Witch Weekly and Teen Witch, had been as curious about Daphne and him as about his defeat of Voldemort, and as relentless in their questioning as a pack of wolves on the hunt. He would have been out of his depth, and Merlin only knew what the harpies would have made out of that, hadn't Daphne prepared him for what was most likely going to come. It was obvious that she had been trained in dealing with the press.

He looked down on the blonde head of his girlfriend. Their backgrounds were so different. He had to learn so much to be able to keep up with her. Would she be willing to teach him, or would she become frustrated because of his lack of social skills and leave him one day?

His heart clenched, a life without her seemed unfathomable.

Daphne raised her head and looked straight in his eyes. "What is bothering you?"

"Are you a Legilimens?" he asked with a small laugh. "This is the second time you seem to know what I'm thinking."

"You tensed up, both times. Besides that, your eyes are rather expressive." She shifted in his lap and turned around until she faced him fully, and put her arms around his neck. "Don't think for one second I'll let you away with stalling, Harry. What is bothering you?"

He lowered his eyes to evade her searching gaze. Yet she had a point, if he wanted to make what they had work for more than just a passionate fling, he had to open up to her. Gods, he'd done that never before. How would she take it? He took a deep breath as if readying himself for a plunge into deep water.

"I wonder what you see in me. Part of me still feels as if I'm going to wake up in the cup… in my room at my relatives any second and find out this was all a dream. Are you really going to stay with me in the cottage, or was that just a means to get back at your parents?"

Her lips brushed his forehead, and the next moment the gentle pressure of her finger under his chin forced him to look up at her.

"That's a valid question, I guess, given that I sprung that idea at you without asking you before. I meant it when I told you yesterday that I missed you. I missed you so much that it hurt. When you returned to the castle, I was elated and terrified at the same time. Elated, because you came back, and terrified because there was a real chance V… Voldemort would kill you. You have no idea how hard it was when Professor McGonagall sent us Slytherins back to our common room and we had to listen to the sounds of the battle. At each scream, I prayed it wasn't you. And then he announced you were dead -" Her voice broke, and she buried her head at his chest.

"Shh, it's alright Daphne. After all, I came back." Harry rocked her in his arms.

Daphne raised her head. Her eyes held a light that made his breath catch. "Yes, you came back, and you defeated him in the end. Against all odds, we're given a chance of happiness. Do you think I'm going to waste a single second of that?" She gave him a strained smile. "You're going to be an Auror, that's a dangerous job, even in times of peace. There's a real chance I'll be losing you long before your time. However, no matter how long or how short our time together will be, I'm determined to make the most of it."

His heart hammered in his chest. Could it really be she wanted him the way he was, with all his flaws and insecurities and the dangers that came with being Harry Potter?

"I could drop the Aurors and try out for Quidditch instead."

Gods, she had to hear the beating of his heart, as close as she was to him.

"As if that's much safer." She snorted and tightened her arms around his neck. "I don't want you to change for me, Harry, you wouldn't be the man I fell for then."

His chest widened, warmth radiated through every vein of his body, and his lips curved into a bright smile. For the first time in his life, he dared to hope that his biggest wish was about to become true. Yet he had to be sensible, for the sake of both of them.

"Fair enough. I can see where you're coming from, it's the same for me. However, there'll be many who'll tell us that we're rushing in, Hermione and Mrs Weasley being the first of them."

Daphne scrunched her nose in that adorable way of hers. "You'd be surprised about Mrs Weasley. But I'd say, screw them. It's not their life. This is our life, and as long as we are on the same page, nothing can come between us." Her cheeks pinked. "Maybe I'm foolish, but something tells me you're the one and only for me, and I'm not going to let you out of my sight."

Harry let out a deep breath. She had voiced what he'd been thinking ever since he had left her that fateful night. Was it really that simple? He looked into her eyes that beamed at him and gulped. He was a Gryffindor, he could do this.

"I feel the same," he whispered and leaned his forehead against hers. "At the same time, I'm terrified I'll lose you because of some dumb mistake I'm going to make. There's no doubt about that, I'm pants when it comes to dealing with feelings."

She cupped his cheek with one hand. "I'll teach you. Just promise me to be open with me, and never hold back. Simply talk to me, love. It worked for us before, and we can do it again."

The blood rushed in his ears, and he gulped again. Had she an idea what she was demanding of him? Talking had never been easy for him, but for her, he would overcome his fears. He didn't want to lose her, ever. "I promise."

"That's what I wanted to hear." She leaned forwards and captured his lips in a sweet kiss that strengthened his resolution always to do right by her.

Daphne leaned against his chest with a contented sigh. Harry rested his hand on her back, his fingers played with the strands of her long hair that hung down her back. Together, they looked out on the sea in a comfortable silence once again.

A wistful smile played around Daphne's lips.

"A Knut for your thoughts," Harry said.

Her cheeks pinked. "I was just daydreaming."

"About what? Me, I hope?"

The pink of her cheeks intensified. She looked down, as if embarrassed. "In a way. I thought of children with blonde hair and green eyes."

Harry's heart missed a beat, then it seemed to jump into his throat, and a broad smile spread across his face. He tightened one arm around her and lifted Daphne's chin with the other hand so she had to look at him.

"I think that's a wonderful dream."

The End