Daphne let Harry's question hang in the air for a few moments before replying. "Even if I told you I don't think you'd believe me."
"You'd be surprised what I can believe, Miss Greengrass," Harry replied challengingly. "Who told you Sirius is innocent? I need to know, if you know who else knows? Please tell me."
"Daphne don't antagonise him. Harry loves Sirius, he's just trying to protect him," Hermione warned her.
Daphne crossed her arms under her chest and let out a breath. "I meant what I said, Potter. You won't believe me."
"Try me," Harry challenged her again.
"You have to tell them. We need their help," Hermione reminded Daphne. "Besides, I thought you wanted an opportunity with Harry. Don't waste it."
Daphne stubbornly ignored what Hermione said and instead focused on the pair in front of her. "Ok. I… my soul has travelled back from six years in the future."
Harry glanced at Hermione. "Is that possible?"
Hermione shrugged. "Maybe."
Daphne raised an eyebrow. "You believe me?"
"I'm not dismissing the idea," Harry explained sitting on the couch behind him.
"A time turner takes your body back a set number of hours. It stands to reason you might be able to go back further with more research. If not with your body, with your mind at least," Hermione reasoned.
"That's a reasonable deduction, but not how I came back. I used a ritual created by my mother to send myself back," Daphne explained.
"Why?" Harry asked.
'How much do I tell them?' Daphne asked the Hermione in her head.
"Everything,"
'I… I can't tell him everything…'
"…Ok, just the pertinent information," Hermione compromised.
'Thank you,' Daphne replied. "You defeated Voldemort, but the same purebloods in power now managed to hold on to their power. Including my father. They kept enacting legislation to curtail the rights of muggleborns and sentient creatures. You couldn't stand that and kept speaking out. So they had to do something. They framed you for necromancy, which carries a penalty of death. I couldn't save you in the future, so I decided to come back and make things right."
Daphne let out a long breath. "During the war you and Granger saved my sister from being sold into a brothel that housed muggleborn witches… My father was forced to hand over Astoria to the Death Eaters, to protect my mother and I, and his own life. Which was always the most important part," Daphne added as an aside.
"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly.
"Thank you," Daphne replied.
Hermione sat next to Harry levelling a piercing stare at Daphne. Said girl shifted from one foot to the other. "What?"
"You keep pausing when we ask you questions, and your eyes dart to the side. It's as if you're privately consulting with someone."
"Damn, I'm good," Hermione said smugly.
"Yes… you're right. The ritual I used required a sacrifice to power the circle. I intended to be that sacrifice to send someone else back. But circumstances intervened and we were forced to swap roles. They came back with me and are now lodged inside my head. Whether I like it or not."
"Who is in there with you?" Harry asked.
Instead of telling Harry, Daphne looked at Hermione. "Me?" She asked.
"Yes."
"You planned to send my older self back in time?"
"Yes."
"What changed?"
"A few weeks before the ritual you discovered a cancerous parasite attached to your magical core. You were worried that even with the boost of the ritual you wouldn't make it back."
"Why would you agree to this at all? Surely future Hermione had a family of her own. A husband and/or a career?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione, his eyes darting between them.
"Who did I marry?" Hermione asked.
"Do you really want to know?" Daphne countered.
"Yes."
"Ron Weasley."
Harry stood up and walked away from the couch putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, that makes sense…"
"Harry…" Hermione said getting off the couch and crossing the room.
"It's fine, Hermione. Really, I get it," Harry said with a pained smile. "I know you like Ron that way and I know he feels the…"
"Potter, Harry, I wasn't finished," Daphne said, starting sharply but softening her tone when she saw how bothered he looked.
"Oh, sorry, go on, please," he said, keeping his distance from Hermione.
"Granger… ended up with the wrong person. Someone who didn't love her for her. Who didn't respect her as a person," Daphne explained. "It ate away at her. By the time I approached Hermione about participating in the ritual, she was a shell of the girl sitting in front of you."
"Was it that bad?" Hermione asked, glancing hesitantly at Harry.
"As I said you were a shell of the person you are now. Being part of the Weasley family drained you. Being constrained from being yourself takes its toll. At least that's what your future self tells me."
"So, Hermione is the one who told you, Sirius was innocent?" Harry asked.
"No, I knew that before I came back. At the end of this school year Voldemort lures you to the Department of Mysteries…" Daphne explained proceeding to lay out events with Hermione's help. "At the end Sirius was dead, Hermione was hurt, and Voldemort was revealed. One of Fudge's last acts before being dismissed was to pardon Sirius posthumously."
"Oh…" Harry said quietly as Hermione hugged him.
"Hermione was my inside woman, to events of this year. I saw things from the outside looking in, but I didn't know the specifics. Not even years later. There was one other thing she helped me with. Getting rid of Voldemort's horcruxes."
"Whore what now?" Harry asked, staring quizzically at Hermione.
"I've seen mentions of them in some of the books I've borrowed from the restricted section in the library. But I couldn't find anything specific."
"Be thankful you don't," Daphne replied as she filled them in on what horcruxes are and what she'd been working on since she'd gotten back.
Harry ran his fingers through his hair and let out a breath, leaning back on the sofa. "Fuck…"
"You're sure he has this thing in his head?" Hermione demanded.
"Yes," Daphne replied.
"How do we get it out?" Harry asked.
"I'm still working on that. The method I used for the other horcruxes won't work on you. It would destroy the soul shard, but it would also kill you. And I did not come this far to have you die on me now Potter."
A cheeky grin lit up Harry's face. "It almost sounds like you'd miss me, Greengrass."
Daphne pouted and looked away, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Don't get ideas above your station, Potter. You're still a bullheaded Gryffindor brute."
Hermione's eyes narrowed. She'd bought Daphne's story, about why she wanted to come back. And she still believed that was part of the reason she'd come back. But this new facet of Daphne's personality was raising her hackles. Hermione promised herself that she wasn't going to make the same mistake as her future self. She was going to stake her claim for Harry's heart. She was going to get her man. And Daphne Greengrass the hot blonde with her nice big tits wasn't going to steal him from her. No matter how hot she was. Hermione stubbornly ignored the part of her brain that had decided to lust after another woman.
"I need your help destroying the final horcrux, except for the one in your head," Daphne said looking at Harry.
"Not today, I think we all need time to process our discussion today. I'll owl you a time to meet back up here again."
"Ok," Daphne agreed.
"I'll come too, for extra help," Hermione added.
"We'll be fine on our own," Daphne replied.
"I'm sure, but you can never be too careful," Hermione said.
"I agree," Harry interjected. The two girls turned their attention to him and suddenly Harry felt very small.
"Very well. Good day, Harry, Granger…" Daphne said acerbically.
"Greengrass," Hermione replied. Her eyes followed the blonde girl as she exited the room.
"I think my younger self figured out your other reasons for coming back,"Hermione commented.
"Do you think?" Daphne asked sarcastically.
"Yes," Hermione replied flatly.
"I never said I wouldn't pursue him. I merely put us on even ground. If your younger self loses Potter to me she only has herself to blame," Daphne said smugly.
"Oh brother…"
Hermione pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm not sure I trust her…"
"Hermione, I need her help. We can't do this on our own, she's from the future. She knows what's going to happen."
"Not necessarily, she's been acting in the background since she got back. We can assume the Death Eaters weren't killed off in the old timeline. Just being here alters the timeline in ways we may never realise…"
Harry chuckled. "You're jealous."
"W-what?? I am not!" Hermione protested shrilly.
"Yeah? You know, Hermione, you could give me a bit of credit. I'm not as oblivious as you think I am. I saw the looks you were throwing at Greengrass, after she got all pouty and flirty. And I won't deny she's extremely pretty, but I'm not going to ask someone out just based on their looks."
"Cho Chang?"
Harry coughed into his hand and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah well, I made an utter fool of myself the one time I tried. So that says I should focus on girls who I have more in common with. Like my beautiful best friend."
Hermione flushed bright pink as she looked away shyly. "You think I'm beautiful?"
"I do. And I'm crazy about you."
"Wh-what?"
Harry stood up and gently stroked Hermione's hair. "I'm crazy about you. When Daphne said you ended up with Ron, my heart stuttered. It felt as if the floor had been pulled out from under me. I know we'd always be friends, but not telling you how I feel, bottling up my emotions because I might upset Ron… I did that once and… I don't know what happened, but it wasn't anything good, I suspect. I mean, I ended up dead…" Harry said jokingly.
Hermione pouted. "That's not funny…"
Harry's face softened and he pulled Hermione into a hug. Hermione was a little surprised, she figured she could count the number of times Harry had initiated a hug on one hand. But she wasn't complaining as she wrapped her arms around him. "I like you, Hermione, a lot. I'd like it very much if you agreed to be my girlfriend."
Hermione grinned ear to ear pulling back from the hug to give Harry a peck on the lips. "Yes."
Harry beamed brightly at her. "Wicked."
The next morning the two arrived at the Gryffindor house table holding hands. This stirred much discussion among the other students. Ginny and Neville who sat opposite them both smiled. "So does this mean…?" Ginny said in a leading manner.
"Harry asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday," Hermione said with a bright smile.
"Congratulations," Ginny replied enthusiastically.
"You're um, not jealous, right?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Maybe a little," Ginny admitted. "But you and he compliment each other way better than I could have. It just seems right, you know?"
Hermione grinned. "I know."
Neville looked up and over Harry and Hermione's heads and frowned. "Can we help you?"
Harry and Hermione turned around to find Malfoy and his lackeys standing behind them. Malfoy's stare was still full of contempt but he looked equally exhausted. As if he didn't have the strength to taunt them.
Malfoy's shoulders slumped and shook his head. "No, never mind."
As they walked away Harry stood up. "Malfoy."
Malfoy glared at him as he turned around. "What?"
"My condolences about your parents. We hate each other, and probably always will. But no one deserves that."
Malfoy opened and closed his mouth several times before nodding stiffly. "Thanks."
When Harry sat down, Hermione gave him a peck on the cheek. "That was kind of you."
Harry shrugged. "Doesn't cost me anything. He's still a prick."
"Uh huh," Hermione agreed.
As they ate a school owl fluttered down to land in front of Harry. It stuck out its leg and looked at him expectantly until Harry relieved it of the note. He peaked at the parchment before slipping it in his pocket.
Hermione sent him a withering look. "Is it from her?"
"Yes, it's happening today."
"Ok."
Isabella Greengrass sat alone in Greengrass Manor, stirring her tea. Her mind kept replaying her last conversation with Sirius, as it had for the last several days. She'd made an utter fool of herself by running away like a lovesick schoolgirl.
Interacting with Sirius certainly stirred those old feelings. The school year she'd spent being one of Sirius's many girlfriends, had been an eye-opening experience for the naive and sheltered Isabella Rowle.
Whether accidentally or on purpose, Sirius had made her feel special. He'd romanced her, and too this day she wasn't sure if that had been for the express purpose of getting into her pants.
Sirius had made her feel special in a way no man had before or since. She wanted to believe he'd changed, that given the chance he wouldn't go back to being a cad.
The fact Isabella was pining for a man other than her husband bothered her little. Joseph Greengrass was a bore of a man. He espoused the pureblood mantra to his friends, while keeping a muggles girl as a mistress. Joseph was not subtle about cheating on his wife. Pureblood women were supposed to grin and bare it, it was the way things were done.
Given what Isabella knew now about the circumstances of Sirius's imprisonment. She knew there was only one way to help him. And ascertain whether he was a changed man.
Isabella moved upstairs to her husband's study. She removed the bottom draw of his desk and retrieved the box hidden beneath. Joseph Greengrass was not a skilled wizard, if he hadn't been born to an old pureblood family it was easy for Isabella to imagine him relegated to the outer edges of their society.
As such the protective charms around the secret stash of documents, Joseph was oh so proud of, did not prove to be an obstacle for a power witch such as Isabella. Joseph tended to be indiscreet around her, putting far too much faith in the vows of marriage for his own good.
The box contained the details of his muggle's holdings, the deed to the apartment where he kept his whore, and the records of his dealings with the Gnomes of Switzerland.
All of that didn't matter to Isabella today, perhaps sometime in the future. For now, she wanted the most recent addition to Joseph's secret stash. A list of all surviving death eaters.
Isabella's only hope was that the one person who could set Sirius free, had escaped whatever happened to the Malfoy estate. She copied the list and carefully put everything back as she found it.
Hermione and Harry entered the room to find Daphne and Dobby waiting for them. "Are you ready?"
"Hello to you too, princess," Harry said sarcastically.
Daphne blushed and glanced away shyly from Harry. "H-hello, are you ready?"
"Hermione?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Hermione replied, glaring at Daphne who ignored her.
"If you'll take Dobby's hand we can proceed down to the chamber," Daphne ordered.
"Ok," Harry replied.
Taking Dobby by the hand the three disappeared before Harry or Hermione said anything. Hermione stood in the empty room with her mouth open. After a few beats her hands curled into fists and a scowl formed on her face. Daphne's flirting irked her, but she understood it on an academic level. In the future Daphne shared some kind of relationship with Harry. It wasn't hard to imagine she wanted that again. But Hermione wasn't going to stand idly and let Daphne steal her man.
Harry flinched when they landed in the chamber of secrets and came face to face with the Basilisk, he'd slain years before. Harry took a deep breath and patted the snout of his fallen foe. "You're way less scary when you're dead."
"Speak for yourself Potter," Daphne muttered.
Harry glanced around the chamber and frowned. "Daphne…"
"Yes?"
"Where's Hermione?"
"Um, still in the room?" Daphne replied innocently.
Harry crossed his arms and frowned. "Bring her down here or I'm not going to help you."
Daphne pouted. "Harry…"
"Now."
Daphne scowled. "Dobby…"
A few seconds later Hermione's screams filled the chamber, as she came face to muzzle with a dead Basilisk. Harry ran over and wrapped her in a hug, letting Hermione bury her face in his chest. Daphne stared jealously at them before tearing her eyes away when she saw Harry turning his head.
"It's ok, Hermione, it's dead. You're safe. I promise it can't hurt you."
"Harry, how… how did you survive that thing?" Hermione demanded tearfully.
"I almost didn't. If it weren't for Fawkes I would have died down here," Harry explained, causing Hermione to sob harder into his chest. "Sorry…"
Hermione pulled away and wiped her face with a handkerchief, glaring at Harry. "You're a jerk…"
"I said I'm sorry…" Harry said, making puppy dog eyes at Hermione.
The corners of Hermione's mouth twitched upwards, but she turned away in a huff to hide her smile. "You're still a prat…"
"If you two are flirting, we have work to do…" Daphne said acerbically.
"Ah, right, we should get on with this before we're missed," Harry said walking over to Daphne.
Daphne opened the box in front of her and hooked the chain with a piece of metal dropping it on the ground between them. "I hate this thing; it gives me the creeps."
"It's tied to Voldemort, it's the same sensation I get whenever he's around… I don't like it…" Harry said as he backed away, grasping his forehead in pain.
Daphne pulled on her dragon hide gloves and took the Basilisk venom infused blade out of its sheath. "Are you ready?"
"Yes," Harry replied, walking towards her as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Granger, I need you to pull Harry away once the locket is open. I don't know how it'll react once it's open…" Daphne explained. She looked away as future Hermione filled her in. "Your future self said it was pretty bad."
"Ok," Hermione replied.
"Ready?" Daphne asked.
"Yes," Harry answered. He looked down at the locket and visualised a snake. "$Open$."
The locket burst open and black mist poured out into the space between the three Hogwarts students. Voldemort's hideous visage emerged from the mist and leered down at them. Daphne didn't give him time to taunt them as she drove the blade into the locket. Black sludge burst out of the locket, staining the floor. Daphne kicked the locket away leaving a trail of sludge as she backed away towards Harry and Hermione.
"Are you ok?" Daphne asked.
"I think so…" Harry replied, sweat was pouring down his face and his breathing was laboured but he looked unhurt.
"That was Voldemort?" Hermione asked quietly.
"Yeah," Harry replied.
"Does he look like that because of the horcruxes?"
Daphne nodded. "Splitting his soul so many times destroyed his humanity and distorted his appearance. I don't know why he looks like a snake."
"Let's get the hell out of here…" Harry said. He wrapped his arms around Hermione and Daphne as Dobby appeared. He apparated them out of the chamber and back to the Room of Requirement, landing them on a couch in the centre of the room.
Daphne blushed and backed away slowly, despite very much not wanting to. She knew she had to take the slow and steady approach with Harry, being too aggressive would alienate him and that was the last thing she wanted.
"Was that the last one apart from the one in my head?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Daphne confirmed.
"And you still don't know how to get it out, without killing Harry?" Hermione asked.
"No," Daphne admitted quietly. She'd asked future Hermione several times if she'd figured out a way to destroy the soul shard. But Hermione had been quiet for days. She only shared information when absolutely necessary. Daphne could feel Hermione working on something inside her head.
Harry let out a deep breath and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes. "I think we've done enough for today. We can come back another day and work out the next steps."
"Yes, goodbye, Harry, Granger."
"Goodbye Daphne," Harry replied.
Harry and Hermione sat quietly for a long time before he spoke again. "Mione, there's a real chance I might not survive this…"
"Harry don't…" Hermione said warningly.
"Let me finish," Harry said, once Hermione nodded, he continued. "I love you, Hermione, more than anyone else in my life. But I'm worried all I'm going to end up doing is hurting you. So, if you wanted to break…"
Hermione sat up and climbed into Harry's lap, putting her hand over his mouth. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. You're disallowed from ever talking like that again. I forbid it," Hermione said firmly. "I've waited far too long for you to tell me how you felt about me. I'm not walking away now. I will figure out a way to get that thing out of your head. I'm not losing you, not to Voldemort and not to Greengrass."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You really think I'd leave you for her?"
"She's incredibly pretty and smart. She also clearly has a crush on you. I won't deny it plays on my mind."
"You're right, Daphne is pretty and smart. And if I weren't with you, I might be interested. But that's just it, I'm with you."
Hermione visibly relaxed and smiled. "Thank you."
"But if you're interested in Daphne, I mean… I wouldn't say no…" Harry said with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked Harry on the chest.
"Come in, young Harry," Dumbledore said.
Harry entered the headmaster's office, crossing the room to sit in front of the old man. "Good afternoon, headmaster. Is something wrong?"
Dumbledore leaned back in his chair and glanced over at an empty display case near his desk. "First, please understand that I'm not accusing you of anything. But I was hoping you might know where the Sword of Gryffindor has disappeared too? I noticed it had gone missing a few weeks ago. I have asked the staff, and they haven't seen it."
"And I'm the only student who knows the significance of the sword?" Harry guessed, to which Dumbledore nodded. "No, sir, I don't know where the sword is. If I see it, I'll bring it back," Harry felt bad for lying to the professor, but they might still need it.
Dumbledore nodded. "Thank you, Harry."
"Is there anything else, professor?"
"How are you dealing with Mister Weasley being gone?"
Harry shrugged. "It's ok, I miss him but I'm glad to know he's getting the best care."
"And your relationship with Miss Granger?"
A half smile crossed Harry's face. "You're fishing, professor…"
Dumbledore chuckled. "Forgive an old man's curiosity, Harry. I mean no harm; I've noticed you've grown closer to Miss Granger recently. It warms my heart to see young people so happy in each other's presence. Regardless of if it causes me a headache with a certain Molly Weasley later."
"Thank you, professor. And yes, Hermione and I are very happy with our new relationship. She's my best friend and now something more. I hope it continues for a long time."
"As do I, Harry. Thank you for your time, I'm sorry for bothering you with my inane questions."
Harry shook his head. "It's fine, professor. Have a good day."
"You as well, Harry."
Daphne was lying in bed a few days after destroying the locket. After searching the library, she'd found some books about curse removal, but nothing that dealt with horcruxes specifically. That didn't surprise her, Hermione had warned her she wouldn't. Daphne had hoped Dumbledore hadn't been quite so thorough.
'Hermione, are you there?'
"I'm here, what's up?" Hermione asked absently.
'You've been quiet for days, what are you working on?'
"I'm not ready to say, I will be soon."
'Ok, goodnight.'
"Goodnight, Daphne."