Voldemort let out a long breath through his nose, as he watched the screen in front of him. It showed Daphne and Harry discussing their legilimency session. He walked away, approaching the crystal in the corner of the balcony, he ghosted his fingers over the hairline cracks as he glared at it. "You're meddling, again. You cannot seem to keep your nose out of my business."
"You may think you're helping, but the one who will suffer is Potter. That stupid girl is failing, as I knew she would. It is only a matter of time before I am forced to intercede. However, I will let this play out for a while longer, to see if that foolish mudblood can salvage the situation."
Joseph Greengrass lit his cigar, and leaned back in his chair. He had a list of names on the desk in front of him, all the surviving members of the Wizengamot. The list was split into two parts, those who supported him, and those he needed to bribe… or dispose of.
A knock at the door caused him to slip the parchment into the top draw of his desk. "Enter."
"Arianna Nott is here to see you," Isabella said from the doorway.
Joseph nodded. "Send her in."
Isabella stepped aside, allowing Arianna Nott to enter. Joseph had always admired Arianna, she was a beautiful older woman and a fearsome mind. She'd always been the true power in the Nott family. Her husband had been a useful idiot who'd fallen under the sway of the Dark Lord. Arianna had been smart enough to not take the mark, much as he had.
"You look well, Joseph," Arianna said sitting down.
"As do you. Beautiful as ever," Joseph replied.
"Hm, you want something. How can a former Slytherin be so unsubtle?" Arianna mused, cutting through Joseph with a piercing stare.
Joseph smiled back at her. "While I do appreciate your company, I am after something. Dumbledore is a senile old fool, his policies have set us back decades compared to the rest of the magical world. Now the dark lord is gone, seemingly for good, it's time to seize the moment and banish Dumbledore and his ilk from the halls of power."
Arianna lifted her chin, considering the younger man. "You sound like that fool Riddle. Do you intend to raise an army? You've seen how that ended."
"I am not quite that foolish," Joseph assured her. "I intend to wield the dark faction's political power to oust Dumbledore and install myself as the new Chief Warlock."
"You've had a high opinion of yourself since the day we met at Hogwarts. That has never changed, do you have the support to depose Dumbledore and guarantee your election?"
"I only need to collect two or three important votes," Joseph said, giving Arianna a significant look.
Arianna gave Joseph a cruel smile. "I could be persuaded to lean in your direction. For a price."
"Hmph, I can't say that's a surprise, how much did you want?" Joseph asked, lazily reaching for his Gringotts cheque book.
"No, no, I'm not asking for money. I understand your oldest daughter, Daphne, is yet to sign a betrothal contract."
Joseph let a small smile slip onto his lips. "Yes, that's right. Your son, Theodore, isn't betrothed either. Are you suggesting…"
"I want a betrothal contract between your daughter and my son in exchange for my votes in the Wizengamot."
Joseph nodded. "Very well, I'll have my lawyer begin drawing up the contract."
Isabella walked away from the door and slipped into a nearby room with a frown on her face. It wasn't a surprise Joseph would sell their eldest daughter for political power. He'd always been more interested in climbing the social and political ladder than taking care of his family. He'd only married her because her family name was Rowle.
Isabella waited until the pair left before exiting the room and walking downstairs. She heard Joseph say something about going to see his lawyer as they left the house. Isabella rested her head against the door in front of her and let a few tears run down her face. She reflected on how she'd walked out on Sirius, the man she loved. She didn't want to hear it from him, she didn't want those words to leave his mouth, because if they did, she wouldn't be able to walk away.
Now though, Isabella, wanted, no, needed to see him again. She wanted to be held in his arms, if only briefly. Wiping her eyes, Isabella took a long breath and spoke. "Dobby."
The little elf popped into the room and stood in front of Isabella waiting for her to speak with wide eyes. He didn't expect her to summon him again, and Sirius made it clear he didn't want Dobby to try when asked. "How can I help great master Harry Potter's miss Greeny's mum?"
Isabella chuckled. "I don't think Harry and Daphne have confirmed they're a couple."
"But Miss Greeny and great master Harry Potter like each other a lot, in the lovey way. But Miss Grangy and great master Harry Potter also like each other in the lovey way. It be complicated."
Isabella laughed. "That it is. Can you wait while I write a note to Sirius?"
"Dobby be doing that."
"Thank you," Isabella replied, she scribbled a quick note before handing it to Dobby and watching him disappear. She wanted to apologise, but she had to do it face to face. She couldn't put how she felt into a letter.
Harry and Daphne emerged from her memory of venturing inside his mind and Harry sat down again. They'd moved from her office to Longbottom House, the ancestral seat of the Longbottom family. There Daphne had brought out the Longbottom family pensive and showed Harry the memory of her time inside his head. Harry rubbed his face and glanced at Daphne questioningly.
"What is that thing?"
"A wall, something powerful, no normal wizard or witch could erect that. Walls are erected to keep something in, or keep someone out. And I think the latter is what we have here."
"Do you think we should leave it alone?" Harry asked.
"Do you? It's your mind, such as it is, I think we could force our way through, but it could be devastating, perhaps even fatal."
Harry sat quietly for a few minutes, weighing his options. "I… think I should go home and talk to Hermione."
"That's probably best," Daphne agreed.
After putting Zoey to bed, Harry joined Hermione in the lounge room, where she was reading a book. He sat down beside her and brushed some hair back behind her ear. Hermione smiled and nuzzled into his hand, her big beautiful brown eyes staring lovingly at her husband.
"I went to see Daphne today, in her official capacity as a mind healer," Harry explained, leaning back to give them space. Hermione nodded, putting her book on the dining table and tucking her legs under her, giving Harry her undivided attention.
"Are you ok?" Hermione asked worriedly.
"Uh, that's a good question actually," Harry replied evasively. "Daphne peered into my head, and she found something, some kind of wall. She thinks someone put it in my head to keep me from learning whatever they don't want me to know. Daphne thinks we can break through, but it could be dangerous, and I didn't want to make that kind of decision without talking to you first."
Hermione frowned and pondered the question. "I… know you feel strongly about not being told things, which is why we can never throw you a surprise birthday party," Hermione joked, earning a little chuckle from her husband. "How dangerous is it?"
"Daphne doesn't know for sure, but she thinks it could be devastating, perhaps even fatal," Harry explained grimly.
"Then you shouldn't do it. I know you might be worried someone did it for malicious reasons, but it could easily be something you did to yourself. Maybe it was a super embarrassing memory, like walking in on your parents having sex or something…" Hermione suggested.
Harry shuddered. "I guess…"
"Harry, we need you here with us, we're more important than some silly memory that's more than likely nothing," Hermione said probably more firmly than she'd intended.
Harry's shoulders sagged. "You're right, of course, I hope these nightmares go away on their own."
Hermione closed the distance between them and laid down against Harry. "I'm sure they will."
Daphne sat at her make-up table, brushing her long silky locks of blonde hair. She flinched when she heard the door to her room open, and Theodore Nott entered. He cruelly smiled at her as he swaggered into the room, holding a glass of firewhiskey.
"What do you want?" Daphne hissed.
Nott sneered at her as he drained his glass and slammed it down on the table. "I came to check in on my beautiful soon-to-be bride. You didn't join us to celebrate, what's wrong? Are you here mourning your crush?"
"Don't be ridiculous…" Daphne spat, turning away from her fiancée. "I loath Potter, you should know that."
Nott chuckled, moving around Daphne to stand in front of her and grabbing her by the chin. "I'll tell you what I know, you've been in love with Potter since we were at school together, everyone in Slytherin knew it. Why do you think I pushed for our betrothal contract?"
"You bastard…" Daphne hissed, wrenching her chin from his grasp.
Nott laughed. "Potter is dead, and so is your dream. A better use of your time would be learning how to be a good pure blood wife."
Nott walked out of the room, leaving Daphne alone with her thoughts.
Daphne awakened and sat up drenched in sweat, she glanced over and let the tension subside slightly seeing Neville in bed beside her. Daphne quietly got up and walked into the kitchen of Longbottom House, making herself tea. The nightmare had shaken her up, the idea that she would be bound to Nott was a horrifying thought.
Maybe it was because she'd been talking to Potter about his nightmares recently that had stirred this in her mind. The content of the conversation stuck in her mind though. The idea of having a crush on Potter was ridiculous, she loved Neville, they'd grown up together, and they'd always been close.
Daphne wondered if there was anything to the idea that she'd had a crush on Potter while they were at Hogwarts. She wanted to believe there wasn't, but her stomach had always felt funny around him. She'd always done her best to ignore it, given her best friend was in love with him. It had been years since she'd thought about those weeks after returning from holidays in fifth year. She did her best to ignore how butterflies fluttered in her chest whenever she saw him. Puberty had hit him like a sledgehammer during those holidays. He'd found his witch by then though; it was inevitable that Potter and Hermione would end up together. She'd had to bury…
Daphne stopped with her cup halfway to her mouth. She'd never had these thoughts before, not once. She'd always found Potter handsome, in a goofy, uncivilised, brutish Gryffindor sort of way. Though she'd never considered him as an object of romantic attention.
Pushing those thoughts away, Daphne finished her tea and went back to bed. Praying the nightmares did not return.
Daphne looked up; her concentration disrupted by a knock at her office door. "Hello, Potter."
"Hey, do you have a minute?"
"I suppose," Daphne said, putting down her quill.
Harry stepped inside, closing the door. "I spoke to Hermione about what you found. We've agreed it's too dangerous to try and reach those memories."
"I see," Daphne replied, she suspected that 'we' was more Hermione, but she wasn't going to call Harry out on it. "If that's what you decided, I can't force you to do it. Just know my door is always open."
Harry nodded. "Thanks."
It had only taken a couple of hours for Sirius to respond to Isabella's missive. They'd agreed to meet at the same hotel as their initial meeting, Isabella had even managed to secure the same room as last time. She sat waiting nervously until the door opened and a handsome dark-haired man entered. He removed the glamour after a few seconds, he considered Isabella evenly, remaining by the door. "Hello, Izzy."
"Sirius…" Isabella replied quietly.
The room fell silent for a few moments before Sirius spoke again. "You asked to see me, I assume you had a reason."
"I… yes, I did."
Sirius let out a breath and scuffed the toe of his shoe on the carpet. "I would be lying if I said I had somewhere else to be. But I don't want to waste my day waiting for you to tell me why you summoned me."
Isabella looked away from Sirius, letting the tears that had been building for hours run down her face. Sirius heard the sniffles and walked over, reaching out to bring her around to face him, holding her by the chin. "Izzy, who made you cry?"
"Joseph… he wants to sell one of my baby girls off in exchange for Arianna Nott's votes in the Wizengamot. He wants to become Chief Warlock and he's going to sell my daughters as if they're prostitutes to do it. I can't stand it, I hate him so much, but I feel so powerless, and I'm scared."
Sirius let go of Isabella's chin and pulled her to her feet. Sirius wrapped his arms around Isabella and pulled her close. Isabella closed her eyes and inhaled, his scent was nostalgic and conjured memories of a happier time. She still had misgivings about the longevity of a relationship with Sirius, but for right now, she didn't care. Isabella began to cry into Sirius's jacket as he held her and let her let it all out.
"Izzy, tell me what you want?" Sirius asked, stepping back but keeping ahold of the blonde.
"I… want your help, Sirius, I need to protect my girls from that bastard. I don't know how anymore, I thought in the past I could reason with him, but he's lost in a quest for power. There's nothing left of the man I married."
Sirius nodded. "Ok."
"But you… and I…" Isabella stuttered out. She'd come to ask for his help, but she had very little confidence that he would listen to that plea. She'd run away like an embarrassed schoolgirl when Sirius tried to confess his feelings for her. And now she was here, begging for his help.
"I won't say what you did, didn't hurt. But I love you, Izzy, I've been crazy about you for years. One of the thoughts that kept me sane through those dark years in Azkaban, were the memories of us together. Not just the sex," Sirius added with a grin, Isabella rolled her eyes. "Being with you, those secret study sessions, you, me, Lily, and James. It was all I had left, until I broke out. I thought about you, you know, about reaching out. I didn't know if you'd hand me over though…"
"I probably would have. Until Daphne told me you were innocent, I thought you'd embraced your family's legacy and turned dark. When she explained what happened, I wanted to cry. I wanted to curse those missing years, where you weren't by my side. I could have done something back then. The Rowle name may have been tarnished, but it still carried weight. I could have saved you…"
Sirius shook his head. "Crouch and Bagnold wanted a head for their wall. I was an easy target. Nothing was going to stop them sending me to Azkaban. All that would have happened is you would've upset your husband."
"I shouldn't have cared then, and I don't care now. The man I love is standing in front of me."
"Izzy…" Sirius whispered as Isabella stepped forward and kissed him on the lips.
"I've missed you so much, Sirius, I have to go home soon, or Joseph will suspect something. But could you, could you hold me, if only for a little while?"
"Of course," Sirius replied gently.
After a long day of providing expert commentary regarding the British and Irish Quidditch League draft, Harry had apparated to Pottermore to see his parents. James was away, Harry had forgotten he was attending a conference in Geneva all week, so it was only his mother there to greet him.
"How was work, love?" Lily asked as they sat down.
"Tiring… these nightmares won't go away…" Harry complained.
"I thought you went to see Daphne about that?" Lily asked as she poured tea.
"I did, but…" Harry began before pausing and looking away, letting out a breath through his nose. "Daphne found something, a block in my memories. She said it could be dangerous to try and break through, even life threatening. So, I talked to Hermione, and we agreed it wasn't worth the risk."
"And now?"
Harry shrugged, leaning back in his chair, playing with one of the spoons between his fingers. "I'm a little scared. What if something goes wrong and I leave Hermione a single parent, worse I leave Zoey fatherless. I can't do that to them…"
"But…?"
"I can't keep living like this. I'm tired all the time, and I wake up every night in a cold sweat. The nightmares scare the hell out of me, I need them to stop."
"It sounds like you've made a decision," Lily said.
"I guess."
"You're worried how Hermione will react?" Lily guessed.
"Yeah, she's going to be pissed if I go back to Daphne…"
"Harry, my darling," Lily began, cutting Harry off. "I love Hermione, I think she's a wonderful mother and I'm proud to call her my daughter in law. This is your mind we're talking about, not hers. Only you can decide what's best for you. I know you want to do what's best for them, but suffering in silence isn't the answer. Please, you need to go see Daphne, and get this fixed."
Harry nodded after letting out a breath. "You're right."
Daphne glanced up from her desk to see Harry slipping through the door to her office. She looked at him over the rim of her glasses, doing a very good impression of Harry's former head of house. "Is there a reason why you're sneaking into my office, Potter?"
Harry ducked his head as he dropped into one of the plush chairs in front of him. "Hermione is with Zoey getting her yearly check up. I told her I had to talk to someone about work so I could sneak away."
"You lied to Hermione, I guess there's a first time for everything…"
"Yeah…" Harry replied quietly.
"Are you still having nightmares?" Daphne asked.
"Yes. I barely sleep these days, I'm irritable all the time and I'm miserable to be around."
"No wonder Hermione hasn't been able to tell the difference."
"Ha, ha."
"I've explained the risks of trying to break the mental blocks in your head. You could die, Harry."
Harry smiled. "Is that concern I hear, Medi-Witch Greengrass?"
"Of course, it bloody is, you're my best friend's husband, I am the godmother of your child. If I do this and it kills you… I'd never be able to face them. Besides, I'd like to think we're f-friends…" Daphne said, she blushed when she realised she now had a hand on his and her other hand on his knee.
At that moment the door burst open, and a nurse entered. She saw the intimate position the two of them were in and blushed, leaving the room hurriedly. Daphne removed her hands from Harry and moved back in her seat. "You. Heard. Nothing."
"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied, he liked to be cheeky, but even he knew not to cross Daphne Greengrass.
Daphne sighed and scratched her forehead. "We don't have time to do this today. Come back when you have free time in your schedule, and we can try then."
Harry nodded. "Thanks Daphne."
"We can only hope your Potter luck holds out."
Harry and Daphne sat in her office once again, his glasses and wand were on the desk beside them. "What did you tell Hermione?"
"I said I had some work meetings. Which isn't entirely untrue, I did have several work meetings before I came here. I didn't mention I was coming here after though…"
"I won't try to piece the wall today. I need to find the weaknesses first, are you ready?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
Daphne leaned uncomfortably close, her cerulean blue eyes were beautiful and deep. Harry could understand how Neville fell in love with her. Beneath that icy exterior was a woman full of fire and passion, someone as smart and beautiful as…
"I can hear your thoughts, Potter," Daphne said verbally and mentally.
"Oh, uh, sorry…"
"The sentiment is appreciated though, although the assertion that Granger is as smart as me is dubious."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking the bait, Greengrass, you lost that argument a long time ago."
"According to you."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Greengrass," Harry said teasingly.
"Focus, Potter," Daphne said with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah," Harry replied, focusing on her eyes once again.
Seconds later, Daphne was inside Harry's head. She landed on the ground beside the wall and approached. She pushed down her apprehension and began ghosting her fingers over the surface. It was solidly built, with very few vulnerabilities. Her hypothesis was being proved correct, only a powerful wizard or witch could have constructed this.
Daphne reached out for the wall again, but this time it reached for her too. She immediately withdrew from Harry's head, snapping back in her chair and almost toppling over backwards.
It was only Harry's lightning-fast reflexes that stopped her from going over. He yanked her forwards, pulling Daphne out of her chair and into his arms. The two stayed in that position for a few seconds before Daphne pushed off him and found her feet. She cleared her throat and adjusted her robes, brushing some hair out of her face. She pretended to ignore the atomic blush that had erupted on her face. She was able to feel how much Harry appreciated her pressing against him. Neville was never quite that appreciative in all the time they'd been together.
"I'm sorry, something lashed out at me. I had to pull back in a hurry."
"Are you ok?" Harry asked worriedly.
"Yes, I think so," Daphne assured him, sounding surer than she felt.
"I should come back in a few days, let you rest." Harry said firmly. "In the meantime, I'll research a way to go with you. I mean, it is my head after all."
"You, studying? If we didn't need to keep it a secret from Granger, I'd ask her to save the memory for me."
Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?" Daphne asked as she returned to her desk.
"Call Hermione by her surname? Her maiden name at that. She hasn't been Hermione Granger in years, I thought you'd know that you were her maid of honour."
"Oh, uh, yes, of course… I… I don't know why I've been doing that…" Daphne commented, absentmindedly. She felt as if she knew why she did that. It was something she'd done in school a lot, but only to those she didn't consider friends. They were friends and had been since before Hermione started at Hogwarts. They'd met on the train, Daphne had been sitting with Harry and Neville… maybe, or had she been sitting with Parkinson and Malfoy? As part of the pure blood clique she'd been expected to join long before she went to Hogwarts. It was suddenly very hazy.
"So, I'll see you in a few days?" Harry asked hopefully.
"Hm? Oh, of course."
Voldemort sighed, shaking his head. "A disappointing, if entirely predictable outcome."
Voldemort walked away from the crystal and poured himself a glass of wine. "Please keep in mind that it is your intervention that cost your son his happiness."