The day after banishing Voldemort from Harry's head, Daphne and Hermione were summoned to Dumbledore's office. The two had woken up a few minutes after being knocked out by the magical backlash caused by the wraith's explosion. Despite both waking up, Harry hadn't. They carried him to the Medical Wing, where Madam Pomfrey had diagnosed him with magical exhaustion. She was planning to keep him in the medical wing until Harry's magic recovered.
Daphne strode confidently into Dumbledore's office, befitting her status as Slytherin's ice queen. Hermione trailed behind her meekly, never one who was comfortable with being called into the teacher's office.
"Good morning, Miss Greengrass, Miss Granger, how is Mister Potter this morning?" Dumbledore asked genially.
"Madam Pomfrey said he would sleep for a few days until his magic recovered," Hermione explained.
"I see, clearly whatever happened was a traumatic experience. I find it somewhat disturbing that young Mister Potter became incapacitated while within the grounds of Hogwarts and I remained blissfully ignorant to the cause."
Hermione's mouth dropped open but she promptly shut it again. She could recall plenty of times when events had gone on in the castle, and Dumbledore remained blissfully ignorant. And she was sure Daphne could recall even more. Hermione kept her eyes locked on the desk and away from Dumbledore. She knew now he would skim her mind in search of answers, whether she liked it or not.
"It is an unfortunate set of circumstances," Daphne said
"I was hoping as you brought young Harry into the hospital wing, you'd be able to illuminate me as to how he ended up in that condition."
Hermione glanced at Daphne who remained impassive in the face of the fearsome presence of Albus Dumbledore. "That must remain between us and Harry. For everyone's safety."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Hermione. "Is that your opinion too, Miss Granger?"
"Yes," Hermione replied.
"Miss Greengrass, I implore you to tell me what happened to young Harry. If there is a danger to the school I need to know."
"There is no danger to the school, that much I can assure you."
Dumbledore frowned and leaned back in his chair. "You may go."
"Thank you headmaster," Daphne and Hermione said before exiting the office.
Dumbledore sat quietly for a few minutes before reaching down and retrieving a box from under his desk. Inside were the ruined remains of the horcrux containers and an icor stained piece of gauze, wiped from Harry's scar. Along with the horcruxes Dumbledore had already acquired, there were seven total, a sacred number in magic.
Was this the end of Tom Riddle? Dumbledore asked himself. Without evidence in one direction or the other, Dumbledore decided he would hope for the best.
There was one small sliver of comfort, from the evidence in front of him, Dumbledore would never have to make the horrifying choice of whether to sacrifice young Harry for the greater good. It was a relief for the old man, that he wouldn't have another young life on his conscience.
Dumbledore retrieved an item from a secret compartment in his desk. It was a picture of his family, the last one before Ariana was raped by those muggle boys. A few tears ran down his cheeks as he stared at it. Even at over one hundred years old, he missed his family. His dream was for them to be reunited one day, and it looked as though it would only be in the afterlife.
"Thank you, Gran… Hermione," Daphne said as they emerged into the empty corridor, below Dumbledore's office.
Hermione smiled. "You don't have to thank me, we're on the same team, and I'd like to consider us friends. We certainly both l… care about Harry." Hermione said, stopping herself before she said the L word. She wasn't prepared to confront the idea that another woman felt that way about Harry yet, or what that could mean for her relationship with the raven haired boy. She needed advice and there was only one person she trusted for that kind of discussion.
"We certainly do, and yes, I would like us to be friends, that would be nice."
"Would you like to join me for breakfast, before we go see Harry?"
"Is that ok? That will certainly send tongues wagging in Gryffindor," Daphne pointed out.
Hermione shrugged. "I stopped caring what the rest of my house thinks a long time ago. It was about the time I got sent bubotuber pus in the mail and my dorm mates chose to believe Witche Weekly over someone they'd known for three years." Hermione explained, grabbing Daphne's hand. "Come on, let's go."
Isabella set her cup down on its saucer after hearing a knock at the door. She schooled her face into a neutral expression, hiding her disgust behind a wall of Occlumency. "Come in."
The slimy death eater from a few days before entered the room. It was a house owned by the Rowle family, it had remained in the family but had been empty since the end of the first blood war. To her annoyance, he was alone.
"Well? Where is Pettigrew? You were warned what would happen if you failed to deliver…"
The man waved his hand and reached into his coat. "Relax, I found him. It took a lot of convincing to get him here. He seems to think you've got a thing for Sirius Black. I almost had to knock him out."
Isabella snorted a laugh. "Sirius Black was a massive disappointment. I have no interest in him, or you, if you can't deliver."
"Calm down lady, here, look," The man said, dumping something from his coat onto the chair opposite.
Seconds later, a small weedy man with a noticeable paunch in an ill fitting suit appeared. His eyes darted around the room worriedly. "You! What do you want from me, I remember you, I know you were in lo…"
"What I was is immaterial, I am what I am now, Mister Pettigrew…"
Seconds later the two men were hit with half a dozen stunning spells to the back. Once it was over, Isabella lowered the shield she'd snapped in place. Amelia Bones and Mad-Eye Moody emerged from the invisibility cloaks they'd been hiding under for the ambush.
"Nice going girl, you almost had me convinced you hated Black," Moody growled with what could be considered a grin crossing his mangled mouth.
"My opinion has softened regarding Sirius, but I still have plenty of ire to draw on. Will this be enough to make the charges against him go away?" Isabella asked, looking at Amelia.
"Once we've extracted a confession, yes, it should be. As long as we can keep this rat bastard quiet in the meantime," Amelia replied, nudging the slimy man with his foot.
"I'll take care of that, you take Pettigrew back to the department and get the confession. You can trust Carlstrom and Tonks, they know how to keep their traps shut."
Amelia smiled and nodded. "I know, thank you Alastor."
"Go give your boy toy the good news," Moody said as a parting barb directed at Isabella.
Amelia grinned as the two women stared into the empty space Moody created when he aparated out. Isabella pouted and adjusted her dress. "He is not my boy toy."
"You do a very good impression of your daughter sometimes," Amelia commented before she to aparated back to the ministry.
Isabella sighed now sitting in an empty house. "Jerks."
In a white void, Harry Potter rested his head in the lap of his mother Lily. She smiled down at him, gently stroking his unruly hair. "Harry, it's time for me to go."
Harry sighed, sadly. "Ok."
"Remember, don't trust Dumbledore," Lily said alluding to a conversation they'd had in their time together.
"Got it, I love you, mum."
"I love you too, Harry, we're always watching over you, don't forget that."
"Hopefully not always…" Harry muttered.
Lily grinned and rolled her eyes. "You're just like your father."
Harry screwed up his eyes, raising his hand to block the sunlight streaming in from the large bay windows of the hospital wing. He slowly peaked out from behind his eyelids, peering around and quickly realised where he was. He sighed and let his head drop back to the pillow.
"Good morning, young Harry, how are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry opened his eyes again and looked down to the end of his bed. Dumbledore sat next to the bed, resplendent in Royal purple robes.
"Hello sir, I uh… May I be blunt?"
"Of course."
"I feel like someone tap danced directly on my damn head, sir," Harry replied honestly.
Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "I see, Madam Pomfrey left a vial of pain relief potion for you to drink. I suggest you down that before we talk."
Harry nodded. "Sure," He replied, sitting up he grabbed the vial on the bedside table and quickly downed it, grimacing at the taste. It was only then he realised he hadn't put on his glasses, he looked over at Dumbledore who stared back puzzled.
"That is an interesting development," Dumbledore commented. "Might it have something to do with whatever adventure put you in that bed?"
Harry shrugged. "No idea, my memory is a mess. I only vaguely remember what I had for breakfast whatever day that was. Sorry."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed for a moment, Harry stared back defiantly, but avoided looking directly into his eyes, as his mother had instructed. Dumbledore let out a breath through his nose and looked away after a beat. "I am glad you've recovered, young Harry. There are many who have been concerned about your condition. Sirius will be relieved to know you are awake."
"Uh, sir…?" Harry said, glancing around to see if anyone had heard him.
Dumbledore smiled. "I am not privy to the details, but Peter Pettigrew was captured by the Aurors a couple of days ago. They were able to extract a confession that exonerated Sirius, he is now a free man."
Harry's eyes lit up in excitement. "That's fantastic!"
"Yes it is. Sirius will be in recovery for some time, however, and I have no intention of sending you back to the Dursleys."
"Really?"
Dumbledore nodded. "That regrettable situation is at an end. I have spoken to Sirius and he has made several suggestions about your future lodgings. The Longbottom's and the Tonkses have both offered to open their homes to you. You are of course free to make your own arrangements, but I ask that you keep Sirius informed."
"Thank you, headmaster."
"You're welcome, young Harry. With that I think it's time I depart. Miss Granger and Miss Greengrass have been very patient with me, but I suspect their patience will only extend so far. Good day, Harry."
"Good day, headmaster."
Once Dumbledore was gone, Hermione rushed in ahead of Daphne tackling Harry to the bed and pressing her head against his chest. "Harry! I was so worried, you scared me when you didn't wake up. We had to float you down to the medical wing, it was embarrassing because people were pointing and muttering, but they didn't say anything because Daphne was glaring at everyone…"
Harry laughed and stroked Hermione's hair. "Breath, Hermione, it's ok."
"Goodness, Granger, I didn't know you were that eager to see your boyfriend," Daphne commented, with a hint of amusement and perhaps jealousy.
"Huh?" Hermione said looking back at Daphne and then down at Harry. She finally realised she was now lying on top of her boyfriend in a bed, and he was still in his pyjamas. "O-oh, s-sorry…" Hermione mumbled, getting up, her face covered by an almost neon blush.
"Maybe later," Harry said with a wink and a grin.
"Harry!" Hermione said, smacking him on the arm. Harry couldn't help but note the look in her eyes and the small smile as she did.
"How are you feeling?" Daphne asked, walking over to stand near the bed.
"My head hurts, other than that I'm fine…" Harry glanced over at Pomfrey's office. "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere more private. That's if Madam Pomfrey lets me go today."
"One last exam and you are free to go," Pomfrey assured him curtly, clearly unhappy with the noise in her domain. She waved her wand and made some notations before nodding. "Your magic seems to have recovered sufficiently. I have advised your teachers that they need to restrict your use of magic for at least the next two weeks. If I hear you're excessively using magic in or out of class you will be back in this bed until you are fully recovered."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey." Harry said despairingly.
"Don't worry Madam Pomfrey, we'll make sure he doesn't," Hermione assured her, glancing at Daphne who nodded.
"Thank you, Miss Granger."
Harry sighed. "Yes, dear."
Pomfrey smirked. "So there is someone you will listen to. Hold onto this one dear, he's a rare breed."
Hermione blushed. "Y-yes."
Daphne frowned and looked away, but not before Harry saw it.
Once Harry had showered and dressed, he pocketed his glasses rather than wearing them, and the three returned to the Come and Go room. Inside there was a single three seater couch. The couch could accommodate three people, but only if they pressed themselves together.
"I swear that wasn't my idea," Harry said.
"If you say so," Daphne said walking towards the couch.
"Are you two ok? What happened after I passed out?" Harry asked, looking between the two.
Hermione quickly explained what happened, while Daphne sat quietly. Harry nodded and walked over to the couch, sitting beside Daphne. "Is she gone?"
Daphne nodded silently. Harry reached out and took her hand, gently stroking it. "I'm sorry. She was your friend, and while I'm angry at what she did, I sort of get it. If it had been Hermione…" Harry said, adding, 'or you' mentally, he wasn't ready to voice those thoughts, not least because he was with Hermione. "I might have considered doing the same."
"But you wouldn't have…" Daphne mumbled.
"We don't know that, I didn't live the life she lived. I don't know what I would do if I were desperate to protect Hermione. I would walk into fire for you, Granger," Harry said looking intently at the brilliant brunette girl.
Hermione blushed and looked away. It made butterflies flutter in her stomach, while at the same time it annoyed her that he would make such declarations. She didn't want him to martyr himself for her. She wanted, needed, a living boyfriend more than a dead soldier, fighting in a war against a dark lord. She prayed to lady magic that he was gone once and for all this time.
"That's a nice sentiment Potter…" Daphne mumbled, she couldn't help but wish he would make those kinds of declarations about her. Now the crisis had passed and Harry's future was secure, regrets were starting to gather and she suddenly wanted to be as far as possible from both Granger and Potter. But she forced herself to stay, for now at least. She could slowly separate herself from them over time. They would eventually forget her, and she would live a life of lament.
"Thank you for not telling Dumbledore about what happened," Daphne said, regaining her voice.
"You should thank my mum. She was with me the entire time I was unconscious. She warned me not to trust Dumbledore and be wary of his legilimency. It wasn't a difficult lie to tell, a lot of what happened is pretty hazy. Still, I didn't want him to know what happened, let him speculate."
Daphne smiled and nodded. "Yes."
"So, is it over?" Hermione asked.
"Without his horcruxes Voldemort has no way to return. Even if his wraith survived the destruction of the Malfoy Manor, destroying the horcrux in Potter's head would have made it disintegrate. At least that's what your older self told me."
Hermione nodded. "Good."
Harry's stomach grumbled and he smiled shyly. "Uh, I guess I haven't eaten in a while."
"No, shall we go down to breakfast?" Hermione asked.
"You two go down together, I'm sure your friends will be happy to see you."
"You're not happy to see me?" Harry asked, giving her his best puppy dog expression.
"Yes, fine! I'm happy to see you," Daphne said, tearing her eyes away from Harry, trying and failing from hiding a smile.
"Then come down to breakfast with us. No one has minded so far, that won't change with Harry there," Hermione insisted.
"Agreed," Harry added.
"Alright, fine," Daphne replied in exasperation. She was beginning to realise that untangling herself from the two Gryffindors might not be as easy as she imagined.
Joseph Greengrass let out a breath through his nose. A copy of the Daily Prophet announcing Sirius Black's innocence was on the desk in front of him. The man in question mugged for the cameras in the picture, as if taunting him. Black made Joseph's road to Chief Warlock more difficult, the historical weight of his vote and the proxy vote of Potter would sway many in the chamber. And the dark faction was a shadow of what it was. It would be years before it returned to full strength, as the first born boys of those families became men.
It was an insult in another way, he was keenly aware that his wife continued to hold a torch for the younger man. He would almost have bet Galleon's that she was somehow involved in Black's exoneration. However, nothing he'd been able to gather about Pettigrew's capture pointed to her involvement. And it would be… dangerous to accuse her without proof. He still needed her support to press Daphne into the marriage he'd arranged for her. They would both co-operate, he was, after all, the head of the family.
Joseph consulted his list; if he could count on the votes of Ariana Nott he was still five votes short of voting Dumbledore out and installing himself. He had more votes for the former than the latter, there was considerable squabbling over who might replace Dumbledore, and much self promotion among the ranks of the Wizengamot. Everyone wanted Dumbledore's job, but only he would seize the day and install himself in that role, even if he had to resort to murder to get it. This was the thought that passed through Joseph's head as he ground his cigar into the picture, causing it to catch fire and burn the paper beneath.
"Damn it… I hadn't finished reading that…"
Harry was sitting at lunch with Daphne and Hermione, he was looking at his class schedule for the rest of the week, while the blonde and brunette were revising. His eyebrow quirked when he saw the notation for Saturday.
"Miss Granger, would you accompany me on a date to Hogsmeade this Saturday?" Harry asked with a smile.
Hermione put down her schoolwork to look at Harry. "I would love to, but I can't, I have other plans on Saturday."
"O-oh…"
"It's not bad, Harry, my mum is coming to visit," Hermione assured him.
Harry smiled and shook his head. "It's fine, you don't need to explain. I can hang out with Nev or the Quidditch team."
"Why don't you spend the day with Daphne?" Hermione suggested.
"Excuse me? What if I have plans for Saturday?" Daphne asked indignantly.
"Do you have plans for Saturday?" Hermione asked.
"Well, no…"
"Perfect, you two can spend some time together while I have lunch with my mum." Hermione proclaimed happily.
"Are you sure this is ok? People will see Daphne and I walking around Hogsmeade together, with you nowhere in sight. They're going to think I've dumped you for Daphne," Harry suggested.
"But you haven't, it will be fine," Hermione assured him.
"If you're sure…" Harry replied, sounding as unconvinced as Daphne looked.
Harry, Daphne, and Hermione walked into the village together from the carriages. They could hear the whispers of their gossiping classmates. A few Slytherin walking past, spat on the ground in front of Daphne. She pressed a hand on Harry's chest. "Don't, I don't care what they think."
Harry frowned. "You don't deserve that kind of treatment. This is the kind of shit that let Riddle rise to power."
"Then show them a better way, be your stupidly noble Gryffindor self and change the world," Daphne said quietly, her eyes shining proudly. Harry couldn't help but return that smile, with no small amount of admiration.
"Sounds like a big job, it would certainly be easier with a smart beautiful woman like yourself by my side."
"You already have a smart beautiful woman by your side," Daphne pointed out.
"Yes I do, but there's always room for one more," Harry replied.
Daphne smirked. "Not sure Granger agrees with that," She said, looking past Harry to where Hermione had been standing, except she was now gone. Daphne stepped back from Harry, not realising how close she'd been standing, almost pressing her exquisite bust against his arm.
"I guess Hermione slipped away while we were talking."
"It seems so."
"Where would you like to go first?" Harry asked.
"Book shopping."
"Hello, love," Emma Granger said with a smile as Hermione entered the private room she'd booked for them. The statuesque brunette was a vision of beauty and a peek into the future of how Hermione would look in a few years. She'd gotten plenty of attention for her perfect curves as she walked through Hogsmeade to the Three Broomsticks, but then she was used to it. She was grateful that her husband, Dan, was a patient and understanding man, those kinds of qualities were a boon for a dentist.
"Hi Mum," Hermione said, hugging her mother tightly. She knew Harry loved her, but seeing the way Daphne and Harry had interacted had shaken her confidence. The two looked natural together, almost as if they were destined to be together. She worried about being left behind and discarded by the man she loved so much.
"Are you ok?" Emma asked worriedly.
"Um, sort of…" Hermione said as the two sat down at the nearby table. "I can't tell you everything, it's pretty complicated… Harry and I made a new friend, a girl from Slytherin, named Daphne Greengrass…" Hermione gave her mother a redacted overview of how their friendship progressed and where it was now.
Emma sat quietly, nodding along to her daughter's story, it quickly dawned on her why Hermione asked for her to visit this weekend. "Hermione, are you worried Harry is going to leave you for Daphne?"
"That's part of it. I… found out recently that Harry's godfather named him his heir. That means he'll be the head of two houses in the Wizengamot, the magical version of the House of Lords. And um…" Hermione paused, a blush covering her face.
"Will Harry be responsible for continuing the bloodline of both houses?" Emma asked.
"Y-yes… w-which means…"
"He might need two wives?" Emma guessed.
Hermione nodded shyly, Emma reached out and gently stroked Hermione's hand. "How would you feel about sharing Harry with another woman?"
"I don't know… I saw Harry and Daphne interacting this morning and it scared me… they looked so natural together. As if they'd always been like that, I'm worried about being thrown away."
"Do you think Harry would be that callous?" Emma asked, she suspected the answer based on everything Hermione had written about him over the years. He had his faults, but she could tell his heart was in the right place.
"No, but… Daphne is gorgeous, and I'm just…"
"Stop right there, you are not just Hermione, you are beautiful, I seem to remember you telling me about how multiple boys were chasing you last year, including your beloved Harry. So don't ever say you're just Hermione. You're gorgeous in your own right. Has Harry ever made you feel anything but beautiful?"
"No, he thinks I'm the most beautiful girl in the world… he's told me many times he thinks that."
Emma smiled. "As he should," Emma paused. "Hermione, I can't tell you what the right path is. But you shouldn't be scared of something new. If Harry is interested in your friend, and there's an opportunity to explore a new aspect of your relationship, you need to consider whether that's something you want to miss out on."
Hermione nodded, she knew she had a lot to think about.