Ch 7
Astoria helped Harry stay on his feet as they settled after apparating, something he was very thankful for. He'd told her about his troubles with magical transportation—something which she took no small amount of delight in teasing him over—and he was grateful that she was helping him to not look like an idiot in front of her mother.
They had landed at the base of some stone steps that had carvings of ivy and flowers around the edges of them. They led up to a beautiful pale, whitish-yellow stone manor that loomed high above their heads. Each level of the manor was littered with windows that let in tons of natural light. It looked both cosy and intimidating at the same time.
"Home sweet home," Astoria smiled up at Harry as she took a step back from the group. The glow of the evening sun shone down around her like a stage light, illuminating her and making her skin glow healthily. It was times like these that Harry couldn't help but gawp at her sheer beauty.
"Close your mouth," Daphne mumbled to him as she walked by towards the front door to the manor.
"Ignore her," Astoria said, shooting a glare at her sister's retreating back. "Why don't I show you around the grounds?"
"Supper first," Anastasia said with a tone that said there'd be no arguing the matter. "You can show Mr Potter around tomorrow."
Astoria looked like she wanted to argue the point, but she seemed to suck in her feelings and just sigh instead. "Alright. But you should call him Harry."
Anastasia's lips curled upwards in annoyance. "Perhaps, once we've become more familiar. Until then, propriety should always be maintained."
As Anastasia strode off into the manor, Astoria let out a frustrated sigh. "Sorry," she said to Harry. "She's always been like this. Daphne gets it a lot worse than I do, but she still tries to maintain this 'pure-blood' formality around the manor."
"It's okay," Harry assured her. It wasn't the first time he'd dealt with a stuck-up pure-blood, and it wouldn't be the last either. "I don't mind putting up with it for our break. Besides, if we're going to be together, I'd better figure out a way to get along with your family."
That was the right thing to say because Astoria beamed at him and wrapped herself around his arm.
"Let's go inside," she said. "I'm sure that the table's already set and everyone is waiting for us."
The inside of the manor was just as grand as the exterior. The portraits littering the walls reminded Harry of Hogwarts, but the suits of armour were replaced by various busts placed sporadically down the long entry hall. A large, circular fountain sat in the middle of the entry hall with ivy climbing up the centre pillar towards the wide bowl, which had water spilling out of it into the base of the fountain.
Despite holding onto Harry's arm, Astoria guided him through the manor comfortably. It wasn't a far walk to the dining room, but there were several junctions that she took care to detail for him in case he ever got turned around while he was here.
The white double doors to the dining room opened of their own accord when they approached. Inside, the dining table was aglow with the warm radiance of a crystal chandelier that floated overhead. The crisp white tablecloth and beautiful green napkins stood out beneath the neatly arranged tableware.
Anastasia sat at the head of the table, and a man—Astoria's father, Harry supposed—was sat to her left. He was middle-aged, balding, but handsome and strong-looking. His robes looked velvety smooth and had the Greengrass family crest embroidered neatly along his shoulders. Daphne sat to the man's left, leaving two vacant seats across from her and her father.
"Mr Potter," the man said as Harry and Astoria entered the dining room, standing up and inclining his head slightly. "I am Cyrus Greengrass, Astoria's father. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Harry leaned forward across the table to shake the man's hand. "Likewise," he replied as he fought not to cringe from the strength of the man's grip.
"Why don't you sit here?" Anastasia said, gesturing to the seat on her right.
Harry felt a little bubble of nervousness form in his stomach as he sat down. He'd never had enough luck with a girl to end up meeting her parents before. All he had to base his knowledge of propriety on was from those old comedy shows Dudley and Vernon used to watch, and he didn't think they had much to offer him in his present circumstance.
Astoria smiled at him as she sat next to him. Suddenly, all of those nervous bubbles faded from his belly. Maybe her parents would like him, maybe they wouldn't. All he could do was put himself forward as he was and the rest was up to them to decide. It didn't really matter in the end anyway, not so long as he had Astoria with him.
Sirius's words to him flowed into his mind: 'Women love confidence.'
Well, if confidence was what had got him Astoria, it was what he'd use to try to impress her parents. He couldn't let any nervousness or fear cover up who he truly was.
Just as he and Astoria got settled, there was a gentle popping sound in the room. Instantly, everyone's plates were filled with roasted lemon chicken, smashed potatoes, asparagus spears, and a small herb salad with a lemony dressing. Their glasses were also filled with a deep gold-coloured wine.
"Thanks Hobsy!" Astoria called out cheerfully, earning herself a disapproving glare from Anastasia.
"You don't need to thank her for every meal, Astoria," Anastasia chided her. "She knows that she's appreciated."
"How will she know unless we tell her?" Astoria grumbled under her breath, but she didn't challenge her mother any further.
"So, Mr Potter," Cyrus said as he cleared his throat. "I must say that your performance in the Triwizard Tournament has been most exemplary so far. Few fully-grown witches or wizards would have managed to compete at the skill level you've shown."
"Thank you," Harry smiled kindly at him. Despite the rough first contact he'd had with Astoria's mother, her father seemed to be a much more agreeable sort than he'd expected. "It's taken a lot of hard work and practice to perform at this level."
"No doubt," Cyrus nodded. "Daphne tells me that the two of you have been working together on your defence skills as of late. Quite clever of you to rely on someone who can help support your theoretical knowledge in the field."
"Daphne's been a great help," Harry replied, shooting a brief smile over at Daphne, who seemed thoroughly uninterested in doing anything more than eating daintily and quietly. "But Astoria's been helping me for months now too. She does a lot of the research and planning for me."
"I hope that your final performance will be just as spectacular. I'm sure that Daphne's aid will help see you through," Cyrus replied.
Harry frowned in confusion. Why was Cyrus avoiding anything to do with Astoria? "Yes, both her and Astoria will be invaluable to me," he said, looking at Cyrus closely.
Cyrus turned and gave Daphne an approving nod, but then his gaze passed right over Astoria. Harry had been watching the man's expression, and there wasn't even a hint of care or acknowledgement in his eyes. Even worse was the fact that Astoria didn't even seem to notice. Or, if she did, she just ignored it. She'd told him that her parents focused a lot more on Daphne, but she hadn't quite made it clear to the extent that they ignored her accomplishments in favour of Daphne's.
"I imagine that Dumbledore must be helping to prepare you as well, no?" Anastasia asked after she took a sip of her wine.
"No, he isn't," Harry answered.
"Hmm," Anastasia hummed, though Harry couldn't tell if it was done in approval or disapproval. At the very least, she seemed more interested in him now. Her gaze finally lifted from her plate as she examined him critically. "Tell me, what do you plan to do after Hogwarts?"
Truthfully, Harry hadn't thought about it much. It was so hard to plan for the future when there was so much turmoil in his life. Though, he supposed that ever since Astoria had entered his world, he had started to picture the two of them together in the future, but that probably wasn't the answer Anastasia was looking for.
"I think I'd like to work as an Auror," Harry said honestly, or, at least as honest as he could be. Without having given his future profession more than a passing thought, it was hard to say whether or not he'd truly like to be an Auror, but the profession appealed to him nonetheless. Helping people and fighting against dark forces was all he'd ever known, and he'd gotten quite good at it if he said so himself.
"A respectable position," Cyrus nodded approvingly. "One of your progenitors, Abraham Potter, was one of the original twelve Aurors in America, and several other Potters have held notable positions within the Auror Department and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement here in Britain."
Harry perked up at the mention of his family's history. "I never knew that," he admitted, somewhat embarrassed that Astoria's dad knew so much more about the Potter family than he did.
"Your family has a long tradition of serving the Ministry faithfully, albeit outspokenly at times when they disagreed with official policy," Anastasia explained with a slight crinkling of her nose in disapproval. "Besides their work in law enforcement, many of your family also served in the Wizengamot. Your great-grandfather, Henry Potter, was the last Potter to serve on the Wizengamot."
"The Potters have always done well for themselves despite going against public opinion from time to time," Cyrus added with a slight smile. "I certainly believe that we can expect great things from you."
Harry felt a slight beam of pride in her chest at that. Things seemed to be going much better with Astoria's parents than he feared.
Naturally, that realisation caused his luck to change as it so often did.
"Perhaps," Anastasia began coyly. "However, I must say that it was quite reckless of you to have made yourself an enemy of the Malfoy family."
There it was. Anastasia was eyeing him curiously, watching him like Daphne did whenever she was looking for a chink in his armour.
"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Harry asked, keeping his cool.
"Rejecting young Draco's offer of friendship and then offending his father the year after," Anastasia answered. "I don't know quite what happened, but the man has made clear his opinion of you and your allegedly uncouth behaviour."
Harry knew that he couldn't buckle or shy away under Anastasia's accusatory tone. "Perhaps the animosity between myself and the Malfoys has more to do with the fact that they're devout followers of Voldemort than with any supposed behaviour on my part," Harry replied strongly. He did his best to keep his tone even but firm as he replied, but even his best couldn't keep out a slight bit of heat when he said Voldemort's name.
Cyrus let out a quiet gasp at Voldemort's name, but the rest of the table was silent. Anastasia held Harry's gaze, and he tried so desperately to figure out what she was thinking, but she had an even more unreadable face than Daphne did.
Under the table, Astoria squeezed his hand that had unconsciously balled up into a fist. "This isn't exactly proper talk over supper," she snapped sharply with a glare towards her mother.
Anastasia held Harry's gaze for a moment later before she broke eye contact. "No, I suppose it is not. My apologies, Mr Potter."
Harry dipped his head slightly in acceptance and that was that. The sound of cutlery scraping on plates filled the air for a moment before talk resumed, mainly Cyrus and Anastasia questioning Daphne about her year. Cyrus and Anastasia occasionally asked Harry about similar things as well, always sticking to safe topics. Anastasia's tone was much kinder than before too. Throughout it all, Astoria remained silent.
"Are you alright?" Harry whispered into her ear once the conversation shifted back to Daphne. She'd barely said a word all night, and he was starting to get worried.
Astoria just nodded her head in reply and continued eating quietly.
Harry grimaced and rubbed her back comfortingly for a few moments. Astoria brightened a bit at the physical contact, and it was enough to make Harry keep doing it for a little bit longer even with Anastasia's disapproving stare on him.
When the delicious meal finally finished, Harry felt full without being stuffed. As much as he enjoyed dining until he was stuffed at the Weasley's house, these were the portions he was more comfortable with. He polished off his glass of wine just as Astoria ate the last of her salad.
"Thank you for the wonderful meal," he said to Anastasia and Cyrus.
Before either of them could reply, Astoria suddenly stood up.
"I'll get you set up in one of the guest rooms," Astoria told Harry, ignoring the looks from her parents. She almost seemed anxious to get out of there, so Harry got to his feet too.
"That won't be necessary," Anastasia interjected before they could leave the dining room. "Hobsy has already prepared one for him. She can show you the way to it."
"Thank you." Harry smiled at her, but Anastasia had already turned away to whisper something into her husband's ear.
There was a gentle pop as Hobsy appeared before them. The young house-elf was wearing a set of finely-tailored robes that almost reminded Harry of a muggle butler's uniform. "Mr Potter," Hobsy bowed. "I can show you to your room now if you'd like."
"I would, thank you," Harry replied to Hobsy after a confirmatory nod from Astoria.
Hobsy led them out of the dining room and back through the manor. It didn't take more than one turn before a frown came over Astoria's face.
"Hobsy," she said slowly, getting the house-elf's attention. "Where exactly did mum set up Harry's room?"
"In the eastern guest wing," Hobsy answered cheerily.
"That witch," Astoria cursed.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"There's a few guest rooms close to my bedroom that could have been used instead," Astoria scowled. "Seems like she wanted to keep you away from me at night since she's put you on the other side of the manor."
"Clever woman your mum is," Harry replied playfully, but the effect seemed to be lost on her.
The rest of the walk was quiet as a storm cloud formed above Astoria's head. Once they reached the first floor and were walking down the long corridor lined with closed doors, Hobsy rushed ahead to the bedroom that'd been reserved for him. Naturally, it was at the very end of the corridor, as far away from the other side of the manor as possible.
Hobsy had barely reached the doorway when she suddenly popped away only to return seconds later. "Miss Astoria," Hobsy said carefully. "Lady Greengrass would like to speak to you in the family parlour."
"Okay," Astoria nodded. "Tell her I'll be there once I've made sure Harry's gotten settled in."
Hobsy grimaced awkwardly. "She said to say if you said that: she wishes to speak to you right this instant and that no dawdling will be excused."
"It's okay," Harry quickly said to Astoria. "You can go see what your mum wants. It's getting late anyway. Maybe we can meet up before breakfast in the morning?"
Astoria didn't quite look happy with the arrangement, but she didn't seem to have a better alternative. "Alright," she replied begrudgingly. "I'm sorry about my mum's behaviour tonight"
"It's okay," Harry assured her. Honestly, he'd feared that it'd go far worse than it had.
"I'll come get you in the morning, so just stay put round here if you wake up before then. Mum and dad don't like it too much when guests wander off by themselves."
"Noted."
Harry leaned forward and kissed Astoria then. It did a bit to brighten her spirits as she hurried off towards her mother.
"Please call for Hobsy if you need anything," Hobsy told Harry as she pushed open the door to his bedroom. Then, she disappeared before he could even thank her.
The bedroom was as grand and stately as the rest of the manor while still retaining a somewhat quaint charm with the various plants that hung from floating pots just below the ceiling. Thick green leaves with violet flowers blooming between them draped down the sides of the pots, creating a beautiful atmosphere above the grand window that would have a perfect view of the rising sun. A light canopy was draped above the bed with similar curtains tied to the four posts of the bed, allowing for some protection from the bright light that was sure to shine in. An open door in the far wall connected to a small bathroom with a glass-windowed shower, a free-standing porcelain tub, and the various other common implements of a bathroom.
Harry drew his trunk from within his robes and returned it back to its normal size before setting it at the foot of his bed. The rug scrunched up beneath his feet, moving the trunk right into the perfect position, before smoothing itself back out.
As Harry got changed into his bed clothes, he reflected that the night hadn't gone too terribly. He'd been worried that Astoria's parents would reject him given his status as the boy-who-lived. Even if they believed him to be a hero like so many others did, it could still be a dangerous thing to have him connected to their daughter, especially given the recent Death Eater activity at the Quidditch World Cup last summer. But, instead of pushing him away, they'd seemed relatively pleased with him. Cyrus had been kind from the start, and Anastasia had certainly warmed up to him as the meal went on.
Hopefully things would continue well in that regard. He knew that Astoria's relationship with her parents was strained to say the least, and that they'd caused much of the rift between their daughters, but if there was any hope of reconciliation, Harry hoped to do his part to further that goal. Astoria deserved nothing less than a happy family who valued her for who she was.
She deserved all the happiness in the world really. After all, that was what she'd given him.
A faint rumble woke Harry the next morning. He sat up in bed, bleary-eyed and confused, and quickly thrust his glasses onto his face. There was another rumble, only this time he spotted the door to the bedroom shake.
By the time he had quickly gotten dressed, the door had shaken four more times and then stopped. After a once over in the mirror to make sure he was decent, he turned the door knob. There was a near-silent click when he turned it, and then he heard the shouting coming from the corridor.
"—an't just lock me out like this!"
"Did you really think that they'd just let you sneak into your boyfriend's room after they deliberately put him on the other side of the manor from you?"
"I'm not trying to sneak in; I'm trying to go wake him up."
"Well, he is now."
Harry opened the door all the way up to see Astoria and Daphne standing there. Astoria had a look of fury etched across her face as her white-knuckled fist gripped her wand tightly. Daphne looked far calmer than Astoria as she stood with her arms crossed beneath her chest and a disapproving look on her face.
"Harry," Astoria huffed. "Let me guess: they put a silencing charm on your charm?"
"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Sorry, I didn't realise it until I heard the rumbling."
"That'd be Astoria's break-in attempt," Daphne explained. Her eyes locked onto the door, and Harry followed her gaze to see several large scorch marks on the front of the door. Then, her gaze returned to her sister. "You should have just waited for Harry to get up or you could have gotten me."
"Gotten you?" Astoria frowned. "For what?"
"To unlock his door," Daphne replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
You could practically hear a pin drop in the icy silence that followed Daphne's words. Astoria looked so mad like she was going to punch something.
"Why did they give you access to my boyfriend's room?" Astoria asked coldly.
"Because they have enough trust in me to not go cavorting about the manor as I see fit," Daphne retorted. "And besides, there was always the chance that you'd somehow sneak into Harry's room, and then we'd need someone to deactivate the security system that'd activate."
"A security system!" Astoria snapped.
"Maybe if you hadn't stepped off the train home looking freshly fucked, mother wouldn't have bothered with these measures," Daphne pointed out.
Astoria's cheeks reddened slightly. "It's none of her business what I get up to in my free time; I'm an adult."
"One who's grown all the more bold since you've started dating Harry," Daphne argued. "Don't think mum and dad haven't noticed the change in your letters back home. They've been worried about you."
"Because I'm not the quiet, demure princess they want me to act like," Astoria snorted. "That's not me."
"No, it's not anymore," Daphne replied slowly. "Last year, you were modest and reserved at home, albeit with a penchant for sarcasm. Harry's made you open up—and I'm not talking about just your legs."
Even Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Daphne's obscene, deadpan joke. Astoria looked like she'd just been struck by her sister's words, but then she just snorted and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said before she sighed. "I shouldn't be mad with you; it's mum and dad I should be mad at."
Daphne shifted uncomfortably at her sister's words. Harry wasn't sure if it was the apology that had gotten her like that or if it was the fact that she was feeling defensive of her parents.
"It's fine," Daphne said after a moment. "We should get going though; mum wants to see us in the duelling room downstairs."
"The duelling room?" Astoria repeated in confusion. "Why—?"
"Ostensibly it's to see how I've progressed so far this year," Daphne interjected quickly. "But," her eyes flickered over onto Harry, "I suspect that she has another person in mind as well."
Astoria realised what Daphne was getting at and sighed. She turned to Harry with a frustrated look. "You don't have to go along with this. I'll tell her—"
"It's fine," Harry said as he took her into his arms. She seemed to calm almost instantly as he hugged her, and she hugged him back in seconds. "I'm here to get to know your family better, and if this is what it takes, then I'm happy to go along with it."
"You're the best," Astoria murmured as she planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
"That's my line," he winked back at her.
As he pulled back, he spotted a familiar pain in Daphne's eyes. She didn't have anyone the way Astoria had Harry to cherish and support her, and it was clear that she wanted that in her life so badly. The look was gone in only a second, but it was becoming easier for Harry to recognise. Even if she wanted to hide it, she couldn't.
But Astoria had had her back to her sister and hadn't seen a thing. "Let's get this over with then," she said as she turned back to Daphne half a second after Daphne had gotten her expression under control.
It was easier to remember his way through the manor this time as they retraced last night's steps. Astoria kept pointing out the various junctions and where they led—particularly the one that led back to her bedroom on the other side of the manor. They descended the stairs back to the main floor and walked over to the western side of the manor where a large, open ballroom sat with open doors.
A series of huge glass windows ran down the length of the western wall. Harry imagined that this room must be beautiful at night when the sun was setting. Just like at Hogwarts, there was a raised rectangular platform in the centre of the room with the phases of the moon marked on it to indicate various positions. Anastasia stood in the centre of it in a set of light, form-fitting robes and wielding her wand in her hand.
"Good, you're all here," she said before focusing her gaze directly on Harry. "In my home, we do not allow breaks to be wasted. I expect my daughters and their guests to study and practise magic daily in order to maintain their proper standings in school."
"That's perfectly fine by me," Harry replied sincerely. The studying might be a bit rough, but actually doing magic was one of his favourite things in the world.
"Then you won't mind a little sparring to start the day?" Anastasia asked challengingly with a raised eyebrow.
"Not at all," Harry answered.
Astoria grabbed his arm before he could make his way over to the platform. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to," she told him.
"It's fine," Harry smiled back. He kissed her cheek before leaning in close to her ear. "I'll try not to kick your mum's butt too badly."
There was a maniacal glint in Astoria's eyes as Harry pulled back. "I'll be cheering for you," she grinned at him.
Harry climbed onto the platform as Astoria and Daphne moved carefully out of range from it. Anastasia had walked the length to the opposite side of the platform from Harry and had readied herself on the opposite side. As soon as Harry stepped onto the proper spot, Anastasia gave him a respectful bow, and Harry did the same in return.
Anastasia quickly shifted into a highly-refined duelling stance. Her legs were spread wide apart, giving her a solid foundation to block any powerful spells he sent her way, and readied her wand in a close defensive position. Seeing how she was positioned, Harry took on a more aggressive stance as he stood side faced with his wand up high and behind his head, ready to strike.
Suddenly, a small explosive went off in the centre of the ring. The surprising noise and puff of smoke caught Harry off-guard, and he didn't realise that it was the signal to start the duel until Anastasia's first spell was flying towards him.
Evidently, she had decided to take advantage of his distracted position by launching a Full Body-Bind Curse his way. The white-coloured jet of light soared right for his chest. Rather than block it and waste precious seconds that could allow Anastasia a follow-up strike, Harry leaned forward and to the side, allowing the spell to pass right by him. He stepped forward towards the edge of the platform and planted his foot solidly before he struck back with a devastating flurry of hexes and curses.
Whatever Anastasia had been expecting from him, it wasn't this. In the time Harry took to dodge, she had already flung her second spell at him, but it faded as Harry's first spell crashed into it. The rest of his chain of spells followed quickly as each wand movement flowed smoothly into the next. A steady stream of multicoloured lights flowed from his wand right towards her, and Anastasia barely got her shield up in time before the first one hit her.
Although Harry hadn't known what to expect with Astoria's mother, he hadn't expected her shield to hold up under the assault like it did. His four spells washed over her shield without ever breaking it. It was almost silly to watch a move he'd spent so much time practising have so little effect. However, when the lights faded and only the shield remained, he did see a noticeable spider web-like crack in the centre of Anastasia's otherwise perfect shield.
"Very good," Anastasia said approvingly. "Though, I had expected better given the wild rumours about you."
"Perhaps you shouldn't put such stock in rumours," Harry retorted, not unkindly.
"Perhaps," Anastasia agreed before suddenly lunging forward and sending a blast of crackling golden light. The spell travelled far faster than either Harry's or her previous ones, so he had little choice but to shield against it.
The second the spell collided with Harry's shield, he realised that he had made a mistake. There was such power behind the spell that it felt like his shield was going to cave inward and crash against his chest. But just as Harry felt like his shield was about to shatter, the spell faded.
Anastasia was panting lightly for air as she watched him with an appraising gaze. Harry was doing the same, but he was still standing strong and ready to fight.
A moment passed where Harry was waiting for Anastasia's next strike, unwilling to let himself get caught off-guard again, and Anastasia was watching him with newfound respect in what magical power and skill he had. But the moment had to break eventually.
When Harry saw Anastasia's wand hand twitch, he moved faster than her. His disarming charm fired quickly from his wand, nearly engulfing Anastasia in its scarlet light. She only managed to block it at the last moment, and then she was forced to block the stunner he followed up with.
Anastasia tried to shoot spells back at him, but Harry quickly realised that she'd put her all into that spell before. Her spells were weaker now, and Harry felt his confidence grow as the stamina he'd increased from his training for the Triwizard Tournament held up under pressure. He easily shielded against the spells he recognised and dodged the ones he didn't. His own spells forced Anastasia to block more than dodge. It was clear that she was trained at duelling, but her shields were far better than her offensive spells.
A minute passed, and then another before Harry managed to find an opening in Anastasia's defences. Her heavy breathing and slightly-sluggish wand movements left her with an imperfectly-cast shield when Harry sent a trio of low-powered blasting curses her way. The spells crashed against her shield and filled the air with thick, dark smoke for little more than a second, but a second was enough.
Harry closed some of the distance between them, intent on using this shorter gap to reduce the travel time of his spells so that Anastasia wouldn't have a chance to drop her shield. When the smoke cleared, she saw what he was doing, but she couldn't drop her shield without risking getting hit by one of Harry's spells. So, she bid her time and watched.
Despite his significant advantage, Harry made a mistake. He hadn't realised his mistake until Anastasia took advantage of it. His spellfire was too accurate. All of his training drills on small targets had helped him improve his accuracy to the point that he could hit a target no larger than a quarter of a metre across even when he was running at a light jog twenty-five metres away. At this short of a distance, there was no chance of missing the point he was aiming for, and Anastasia realised that.
So, when Anastasia dropped her shield and ducked, she knew that the three spells headed her way weren't going to hit her. They sailed overhead, and even though Harry was already readjusting his aim, Anastasia had sent a silently-cast spell his way.
It was a shock when a snake suddenly conjured in the air in front of him. The thick, heavy, dark-coloured snake crashed against his chest and started cursing up a storm as it crashed against the floor.
"It's okay," Harry told the snake. "You're safe."
Anastasia's wand soared out of her hand as Harry's disarming charm struck her. She hadn't even bothered to shield against his final spell; her eyes had been locked onto the snake who was currently curling up at Harry's feet.
"You really are a Parselmouth," Anastasia muttered to herself.
"I told you so," Daphne said, having apparently overheard her mum, as she went to collect her wand.
Astoria hopped up onto the duelling platform and kissed Harry soundly. The snake hissed and protested as it dodged out of the way from Astoria's incoming feet. When it was about to bite her, Harry intervened.
"Don't," he told the snake warningly.
"She tried to step on my pretty scales," the snake grumbled.
"She didn't mean to," Harry replied kindly. "She's sorry."
"What are you saying to it?" Astoria asked curiously as she glanced down at the snake.
"I'm apologising to him because you almost stepped on his pretty scales," Harry chuckled.
"Sorry," Astoria said to the snake, sounding genuinely a little remorseful.
"She said sorry," Harry translated.
The snake bobbed its head up and down. "I'll forgive the witch this time."
Harry glanced up at Astoria. "You're on your last chance with him," he said with an amused tone.
"Would a little mouse make you feel better?" Astoria cooed down at the snake.
Harry repeated the phrase in Parseltongue, and the snake eagerly responded. "He wants a big one," Harry chuckled.
"Got it," Astoria grinned as she pulled out her wand. A simple wave and flick conjured a fat, dead mouse in front of. As it dropped to the floor, the snake leapt at it and struck, opening its mouth wide and swallowing the mouse whole. It landed right at Astoria's feet and curled up happily as it let its food begin to digest.
As Astoria sat down beside the snake and began to gently pet it, Harry felt someone staring at him. He looked up and saw Anastasia's eyes on him. Unlike before, he saw what was on her mind plain as day. She was impressed with him. More than impressed.
But more than that, he could see a plan taking shape in her mind.
Ch 8
Why can't Daphne go deliver the stupid plants to all of your friends?" Astoria whined as she set down her cutlery on the table.
"Because I asked you to go," Anastasia replied evenly as she sliced off a piece of her eggy bread. "I've given Daphne things to do over the break as well."
Astoria glowered petulantly at her mother. "Like what?"
"Preparing for a ball later this summer," Anastasia answered. "She had plenty of dances to learn and dresses to try on and etiquette to remember."
Harry grimaced as Astoria rolled her eyes. He could see how annoyed she was. After the training session they'd had yesterday, they'd spent the rest of the afternoon keeping the conjured snake occupied. Astoria had built a little cage to keep him in, which was now sitting on a small table beside the large window in her bedroom. Naturally, her bedroom had the same protections that Harry's room had, barring him from entry. They'd planned to go out shopping for some necessities for taking care of the snake today, but it seemed as though their plans were on hold for now.
Across the table from him, Daphne was peacefully eating her bowl of diced fruit without a care. Ever the dutiful daughter, she looked even more the pure-blood princess here than she did at Hogwarts. Astoria had told him that her parents were particularly strict on Daphne…
"Fine," Astoria huffed before she turned to Harry. "Sorry, we can go to Diagon Alley tomorrow I guess."
"It's okay," Harry said with an easy smile. He didn't want to rock the boat here. In fact, his goal was to make Anastasia and Cyrus like him. He wanted their approval, especially if he and Astoria were going to be together for a long time.
"You had best be going soon," Anastasia told Astoria. "You'll need to do a lot of apparating around, and I'd hate for you to miss out on a delivery because you were too tired."
"I'll see you later," Astoria said to Harry petulantly as she planted a kiss on his cheek, much to Anastasia's disapproval, and hurried out of the dining room.
Harry felt a little awkward sitting there in the silence with the two women. Anastasia kept glancing at him out of the corners of her eyes when she thought he wouldn't notice, and it was making him feel like he was being examined for something.
"So, Daphne, got any plans today?" Harry asked her, hoping to strike back up some of that camaraderie they'd grown to have when they studied for Defence together.
"No," Daphne replied airily, not quite glancing up at him. "Perhaps I'll—"
"Why don't you show Harry the grounds, dear?" Anastasia suggested sweetly. "I don't believe he's had the chance to see them yet, and a nice walk through our beautiful gardens might give you two a chance to talk."
There was a strange undertone to her voice that made Harry frown. It was almost conspiratorial at the end there, like she was giving him and Daphne a chance to escape for a romantic walk.
"Okay," Daphne nodded dutifully. She set down her now empty bowl and stood up from the table, giving Harry a curious look. "Are you coming?"
Harry snatched the last rasher of bacon off of his plate and popped it in his mouth as he got to his feet too. "Yeah, let's go."
"Lunch will be at one o'clock, but feel free to take your time," Anastasia called out after them. "Be sure to show him around the rose gardens!"
Daphne was quiet until they were out of earshot from her mother. "Sorry," she told him quietly. "I know you'd probably rather be with Astoria doing this."
"No," Harry said quickly. "I mean, it'll still be nice going with you." Truthfully, he probably would prefer going with Astoria, but going with Daphne would be fun too.
Things had been a little awkward between them ever since she made that fake seduction attempt in order to test his loyalty to Astoria, so he was willing to take any chance he could to try to rebuild their friendship. Studying defence with her had been fun and good for his grades too. Most importantly though, he wanted to make sure that Daphne and Astoria could stay on good terms with each other. If he had to be the glue that kept them together, then so be it.
"I'm glad," Daphne replied. "I know that I haven't exactly been the most hospitable person lately."
"It's fine," Harry said. He wondered if maybe she was a bit embarrassed about her seduction attempt. Maybe she had just grown up expecting men to be pigs who'd jump into bed with her at the first possible opportunity, but Harry wasn't about to do that. "I get that all of this is a bit unusual."
"More than you can possibly imagine," Daphne replied as they exited the manor and started down the cobbled pathway that led behind the manor towards some of the gardens. "Astoria's never had a boyfriend before, and sometimes it's a little surprising to see how fast the two of you fell for each other."
"It was hard not to," Harry chuckled. "I still remember seeing her in the library at Hogwarts. She reminded me of a perfect porcelain doll: beautiful, elegant, but not boastful about her good looks or refined demeanour. It wasn't until I really got to know her that I learnt how spunky and playful she is."
"That'd be our parents doing," Daphne told him with a curious undertone that Harry couldn't quite place. It wasn't quite sadness, but it wasn't happy either. "They made sure that both of us would behave respectfully in public so as to not tarnish the family name. Astoria was never great at hiding her true feelings, so she isolated herself a bit. It's easier for her to follow our parents' wishes if she doesn't have anyone close enough to her to see what she's really like. You brought her true self back out of hiding."
"I didn't do that," Harry insisted.
"You did," Daphne argued. "At Hogwarts, she was always very quiet and a bit of a loner. It wasn't until you came around that I saw the Astoria from before Hogwarts. The one who loved to tease me and wasn't afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. It was always inside of her, I think, but you helped give her the courage to bring it back out, whether you intended to or not."
"Well, if I did that, then she changed me for the better too," Harry retorted.
Daphne nodded her head in agreement. "If nothing else, I doubt you'd ever have spoken to a Slytherin until you met Astoria. You also seem… I don't know… different from how you were before."
"Different?" Harry repeated questioningly.
Daphne hummed and glanced up at the blue sky above their heads. "It's hard to put into words. You're just different now, in a good way."
Harry wasn't quite sure what to make of that.
Finally, they reached the gardens. Thick, green hedges lined a small plaza that held a large fountain with a mermaid centrepiece that poured water out of a jug she was holding, sending it down the tiered platforms until it finally splashed down in the pool below. Pockets of plants dotted the cobble pathways that weaved their way around the colourful displays. Flowers of all sorts of shapes and sizes stood out against the green backdrop. If it wasn't for how meticulously organised they were, Harry would swear that Dumbledore visited this place to come up with all of the crazy and colourful combinations of robes he wore.
Daphne was watching him as he looked around the garden. "This is one of Astoria's favourite places," she told him. "When she was younger, she always dreamed about having a picnic with a cute boy in here."
Harry smiled at the thought of a much younger Astoria confiding that bit of information to her sister. "Thank you; I'll keep that in mind."
"I didn't do it for you," Daphne said a little brusquely, only for her to relax a moment later. "I want Astoria to be happy, and you make her very happy."
"So do you," Harry told her.
Daphne looked a little surprised at that. "Me?"
"Yes, you," Harry laughed. "She loves you a lot, you know. She told me that she misses how close the two of you used to be, and she really wants to be close with you again."
Daphne opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to find the words she was looking for.
"Did I just make the Ice Queen speechless?" Harry teased her.
Daphne's look quickly turned into a frosty glare. "Even if you are Astoria's boyfriend, that doesn't mean I won't hex you when you get lippy with me."
Harry laughed, and he saw just the slightest shift in Daphne's gaze that told him that she was just as amused as he was even if she didn't show it outwardly like him.
"My apologies," Harry said with a deep bow.
"Lower," Daphne told him.
Harry dipped his head even lower to the ground, only to suddenly find himself stumbling forward when Daphne hit him with a gentle tripping jinx.
"Oi!" Harry laughed as he caught himself on one of the nearby stone benches.
Daphne finally giggled. "You looked like an idiot."
"How cute," Harry cooed. "You and Astoria have the same pet name for me."
"Figures," Daphne rolled her eyes. "Us Greengrass women can tell a fool from a mile away."
"And yet, I still managed to win Astoria over," Harry winked.
"She might have just taken pity on you," Daphne joked.
Harry grinned. "That's good enough for me."
Daphne shook her, hiding the smile on her lips, and continued walking forward through the gardens. She showed him around the various muggle and magical flowers, explaining what each one was from memory. It always surprised him to see just how knowledgeable she was about so many things.
It didn't take long for them to reach the rose garden. It was at the far end of the plaza in an enclosed space. Hedges taller than the rest created a perfect ring around the flowering rose plants, and a beautiful trellis archway acted as the entrance into this stunning place.
Daphne broke away from Harry as she hurried inside. Rose bushes formed rings within rings here in a maze-like pattern that forced you to walk all the way around the ring several times over to reach the very centre of it. Harry trailed after Daphne casually as she hurried inside. He could hear her whispering something as a gentle gust of wind shot through the garden, kicking up dozens of rose petals that littered the ground.
Finally, when Harry reached the centre, he froze up at the sight before him. Daphne was spinning in the centre of the garden, her long blond hair flying out around her, as well over a hundred rose petals swirled around her. With the sun shining down on her from above, she looked like something out of a fairytale.
"Isn't it just so beautiful?" Daphne laughed as she snatched a pink petal from the air. She rubbed her thumb along its surface before she tossed it in the air once more and turned to Harry with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face.
He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and nodded. "It is."
Far beyond Greengrass Manor lay a lake. It wasn't particularly big or deep, but it was private and had beautiful blue water that begged to be swam in. Surprisingly, it didn't take much prodding from Astoria and Daphne to convince Anastasia that a trip out to it would be a perfect activity for them.
After walking through the gentle rolling hills behind Greengrass Manor for the better part of an hour, they finally reached the lake. It sat at the base of a couple larger hills, but the land around it was otherwise clear.
Harry was glad that he still had the swim shorts he'd worn during the second task in his trunk. He'd brought them alongside a fluffy towel and a big beach towel he'd gotten for the task as well. Anastasia had collected them from him along with swimwear and towels from the girls and had stuffed them all into a small bag with an extension charm placed inside of it.
To say that Harry and Astoria were excited for some time together was an understatement, but, as seemed to happen every day of their trip here, things didn't quite turn out as planned.
"Oh dear," Anastasia sighed in annoyance as she peered into a bag she had carried with her. She started riffling through it, pushing aside various things as she looked around. Finally, she turned back to Astoria. "I accidentally forgot your swimsuit."
Astoria and Daphne had been dipping their toes into the cool water when Anastasia announced this slight problem.
Astoria turned around and called back to her mum. "I'll just transfigure my clothes then."
"No you won't," Anastasia chided her. "You know that transfiguring clothes wears them out. You'll just have to go back to the manor to grab them."
Astoria huffed and stormed back over to her mother. "I'll summon them then."
"You know the wards won't let you summon anything from inside of the house," Anastasia reminded her. "You'd best just hurry home. We'll wait for you here."
"I'll go with you," Harry suggested, quickly coming up alongside Astoria.
"No," she sighed. "It's fine, just enjoy yourself. I'll be back in a bit."
And with that, Astoria trudged dutifully along back down the path they'd taken to get here. As soon as she was just out of earshot, Anastasia clapped her hands together excitedly.
"Alright then," she smiled. "I'll set up the changing booth."
With a flick of her wand, four opaque curtains flew out of the bag and arranged themselves in a square, creating a private room for anyone to get changed in.
"Here's your outfit," Anastasia told Daphne as she handed over her bag to her. "Go on and get changed now."
As Daphne disappeared from sight, Harry glanced back at the path Astoria had taken. He knew she said to stay here, but he didn't want her to feel left out. He knew that he should probably go after her.
"I'm—" he began to speak to tell Anastasia his intentions when she cut him off.
"Harry," she smiled kindly at him. "Won't you be a dear and come see me for a moment?"
"Sure," Harry grimaced, not wanting to get on Anastasia's bad side. He wanted to show her that he could be the perfect boyfriend for Astoria, and part of that meant showing her parents that he was a good and respectful man.
Anastasia waved him over to her side. "I've been trying to convince Daphne that she looks absolutely gorgeous in her new bikini, but she isn't so sure. So, I thought a male's opinion might be just what she needs to be proved wrong."
"Err," Harry hesitated. This felt like a bit too much like being told to ogle Daphne's body when his girlfriend wasn't around.
"Come on," Anastasia said as she walked up to the makeshift dressing room and pulled the curtain aside. "Just give her your honest opinion."
Honestly, Daphne was beautiful. It was something that everyone knew just by looking at her. Everything about her from her perfect blond hair to her curvy body was wonderful, and all of that only seemed accentuated right now.
Daphne stepped out of the dressing room in a white, floral-print bikini. The triangle top had halter neck straps. It was modest enough to cover everything important, but it still showed off Daphne's enormous cleavage. Her skin was flawless all over, and even though she had plenty of curves, her belly still remained perfectly flat. The bottoms were similarly modest with two ties on either side of her hips holding the fabric in place.
With the golden rays of the sun beating down on her, Daphne looked nothing short of a model come to life. Harry did his best not to let his gaze linger, but it was challenging, especially with Anastasia looking at him with a predatory grin on her lips.
"Well? What do you think?" She asked eagerly.
Daphne was just standing there like a mannequin on display for him to inspect, but something in her casual expression told him that she was just as interested in his answer as her mother was.
"It looks very good on you," Harry finally said, doing his best to avoid saying anything that would seem disrespectful to his relationship with Astoria.
"I told you, dear," Anastasia told Daphne. "You're stunning in it. Go on, give us a twirl."
Harry kept his gaze steady with Daphne's head as she twirled around once.
"Absolutely perfect," Anastasia said, clapping her hands together. "Now, why don't you two go have some fun in the water. I'll be here doing a bit of reading."
Cooling off in the lake sounded like just the perfect thing Harry needed right now.
"Harry? Are you in there?"
The gentle knocking at the door roused Harry up from bed. He went over and opened the door to his room to find Astoria standing there in a nightgown with a terribly sad look on her face.
"Are you alright?" Harry asked concernedly as he quickly stepped out of his room since the wards prevented Astoria from entering.
Astoria gave him a jerky nod before she sucked in a deep breath. "No, actually, I'm not," she admitted. "I'm just… just…"
Harry pulled her into his arms. She felt so cold against his skin, so he squeezed her even tighter to try to transfer over some of his body heat. Astoria clung to him just as tightly as her stammers faded into deep breaths.
"Sorry," she murmured sadly as she pulled back from the hug. "Being back home hasn't been as good as I hoped it'd be."
Harry grimaced. "I know it's been a bit rough, but maybe we'll have some more time to ourselves soon. We still have our trip to Diagon Alley."
"Somehow, I don't think my mum will give me the time to spare," Astoria replied bitterly. "Maybe Daphne was right that mum's really mad about how we looked coming off of the train. She seems to be doing everything she can to keep us away from each other."
"You could always try saying no," Harry suggested gently. "Worst case scenario, I've got enough gold to get us a room in the Leaky Cauldron for the rest of the break."
"If only it was that easy," Astoria sighed. "Saying no to my parents is hard for me. I… for all my life, I tried to get my parent's attention, but they only seemed to care about Daphne and making sure that she'd grow up to be the perfect pure-blood bride. I'd always go along with whatever they asked of me because it was the only time they'd pay much attention to me. I know what's happening now isn't fair, but saying no just feels wrong. I know it doesn't make a lot of sense…"
"No, it does," Harry said. "You want your parents to care about you, and you hope that by going along with what they want, they'll show you the same attention they showed Daphne, right?"
Astoria blinked as she looked up into Harry's eyes. "How did you…?"
Harry grimaced again. "My relatives, the Dursleys, were neglectful too. Even though I knew how they treated me wasn't fair, that didn't stop me from hoping that they'd show me the same love and care they did my cousin." A thought flashed through Harry's mind of him being Dudley's size, acting a spoilt brat as he tossed away birthday presents he wasn't happy with. "Maybe not exactly like my cousin," he corrected himself, shaking the thought out of his mind, "but something closer to it. I wanted them to be happy with me for who I was."
Finally, Astoria's sad demeanour brightened as a wide smile came across her lips. "At least we have each other."
Harry kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Even if your parents never give you the attention you deserve, I will. You're a brilliant woman, Astoria, and you deserve anything your heart wants."
Astoria pulled him in for another kiss before letting out a frustrated groan. "If it wasn't for the bloody wards on our rooms, I'd bring you inside and shag you rotten for being such a perfect boyfriend."
"There are other rooms," Harry suggested eagerly.
"Which have their own sets of wards and surveillance charms on them," Astoria sighed. "It'll just have to wait for now."
"We'll have plenty of time back at Hogwarts," Harry said with a wink. "I'll need some reason to stay motivated to study for the final task."
"And I'll need some motivation to help you study for it," Astoria winked back at him. "A little tit for tat seems fair."
"Absolutely," Harry agreed wholeheartedly.
"Wonderful," Astoria beamed at him. "I should probably head off to bed now. I have some thoughts in my head of a very handsome, green-eyed man that I need to work out somehow."
Harry groaned at the mental image he had of Astoria heading back to her room, slipping under the covers, and touching herself to the thought of them. "You're such a tease."
"I know," Astoria giggled cheerily. She leaned in and planted another kiss on Harry's lips before she danced out of reach before he could grab her and press her body against his. "Sweet dreams!" She called out as she ran down the hall, giggling the whole way.
Harry shook his head and smiled at his girlfriend's retreating form.
He slipped back into bed and eventually dosed off with dreams of him and Astoria together filling his mind.
When the morning came, Harry got up bright and early and got ready for the day. As much as he wanted Anastasia's approval, he was going to risk it all to confront her over this.
He wasn't blind to the way she kept putting him with Daphne while sending Astoria away for whatever reason she could come up with. Ever since he'd confirmed that he was a parselmouth, she'd been far kinder and more receptive to him than before. He knew that she was looking to find a proper suitor for Daphne, and he couldn't help but think that maybe Anastasia was trying to set him up to be that suitor.
It was ridiculous really. How on earth did she think that he'd just move on from Astoria so easily? Even if he really did get along with Daphne and see just how beautiful she was, he'd never throw away Astoria for her. He loved his girlfriend, and she was more important to him than anything else in this world.
So, after Harry showered and dressed in a nice set of robes, he hurried out of his room. He was familiar enough with the layout of the manor by now to easily travel down to the main level. He wasn't quite sure where Anastasia was, but it wouldn't be hard to find her.
"Hobsy," Harry called out.
There was a quiet popping sound as the house-elf appeared just a few feet away from him. "Yes, sir?" Hobsy said with a bow.
Harry smiled at Hobsy kindly. "Could you please tell me where Anastasia is?"
"Certainly," Hobsy replied eagerly. "Mistress is in the eastern parlour. Should I show you the way?"
"Please."
Hobsy cheerily led Harry through the maze-like corridors of the manor until they reached the eastern section. Then, it was easy to walk down the long corridor that ran parallel with the eastern wall until they came upon a set of finely-crafted doors that led into the parlour.
"Here we are, sir," Hobsy announced. "If you need anything, please call on me."
"Of course," Harry replied. "Thank you, Hobsy."
With another pop, Hobsy was gone.
Harry took a deep breath and braced himself for the confrontation that was about to happen. But when he took a step towards the doors, he hesitated. The doors weren't closed like they'd appeared to be; one was left slightly ajar, and Harry could hear voices coming from within.
Harry stepped closer to the door and peered inside.
"You need to stop this," Daphne said in a stern tone. She was standing in front of a small coffee table, and Anastasia was sitting on a sofa on the other side of it.
Despite Daphne's tone, Anastasia looked very casual as she sipped on her cup of coffee. "Stop what?" She asked innocently.
"You know what," Daphne replied, slipping into that ever-so-familiar ice-queen persona that made her famous at Hogwarts. It was a marked change from the more demure attitude Harry had seen her use around her parents.
Anastasia raised an eyebrow at Daphne's tone. "I can assure you that I have no—"
"You're trying to set me up with Harry," Daphne interrupted accusingly.
Harry watched and waited, wondering if Anastasia was going to deny it. To his surprise, she didn't.
"He's the heir to the Potter family line," Anastasia began to speak, only for Daphne to interrupt her again.
"That doesn't matter," she snapped. "He loves Astoria, and she loves him."
"I'm sure that she'll find another who's more suited to her," Anastasia replied easily. "Harry Potter has wealth, influence, and power. He's a capable man but not clever enough to usurp you in a relationship. He's an ideal match."
"I don't care if you think he's an ideal match for me or not," Daphne told her mother coldly. "I've seen how he and Astoria act around each other. They're in love! They would never give up on each other so easily, even if I actually tried to pursue him romantically."
As Anastasia opened her mouth to speak, Harry heard footsteps coming down the corridor behind him. He pulled back from the doorway guilty and tried to look as nonchalant as possible as he turned around to face whoever was coming down the corridor.
"There you are!" Astoria called out as she skipped over to his side. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Hobsy said that she showed you over here."
When Astoria leaned in to kiss him, he saw her gaze shift towards the doorway. She saw Daphne in there, arguing with their mother.
"Astoria," Harry tried to say kindly as he took her hands into his.
As perceptive as ever, she instantly realised that something was up. "What's going on?" She asked Harry carefully with a serious look that told him he'd better answer her honestly.
Even though the situation was delicate, he wasn't going to hide anything like this from her. It wasn't as though she didn't already have an inkling about what her mum was trying to do, but he knew that it'd hurt a lot to hear it first hand.
"Just stay quiet and listen," Harry whispered to her as he turned back to the doorway.
Daphne was glaring down at her mother. "I will not try to damage their relationship," she said firmly. "Harry is with Astoria."
"But you like him too, right?" Anastasia countered.
Daphne nearly froze in place, as did Harry and Astoria. Anastasia smirked like she'd just figured out a way to win her game.
"I've seen the way you look at him," she continued. "And the way you act around him. None of the other suitors we've met have sparked such a reaction in you. Even if you say you don't want to be with him, that's not really the truth, now is it?"
Harry was shocked when Daphne didn't deny it outright. Instead, she just shifted uncomfortably under her mother's knowing gaze. Even more surprising though was the lack of a reaction on Astoria's part. The look on her face told him that this wasn't exactly news to her, or, at least, she had already suspected that Daphne had some genuine feelings for Harry.
"Think about it," Anastasia told Daphne as she leaned forward. "We've finally found someone who meets mine and your father's criteria, and he obviously meets yours as well. We'll find another match for Astoria, someone who makes her happy too. And if she kicks up a fuss, your father and I will handle it. You've always said that you wanted us to match you with someone who makes you happy. Well, Harry is the perfect candidate."
Harry could sense Astoria growing more and more angry as her mother spoke about how easily she was going to separate her from Harry. He gently took her hand into his to try to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere, but Astoria didn't seem to even notice.
Daphne was shifting her weight between her feet as Anastasia smirked in victory. In that moment, it was clear to Harry that a part of Daphne wanted to say yes. Behind her icy-cold eyes was a yearning for something more in her life. It was the same look she'd had when she watched Harry and Astoria having sex together. But, even though her desire was strong, her resolve was even stronger.
"I love Astoria," Daphne said quietly. "More than you and dad ever did. I would never take away her happiness, even if doing so would make me just as happy. I care too much about her to ever do something as cruel as taking Harry away from her."
Anastasia's smirk twisted into anger as she got to her feet. "You will do as your father and I say you will."
Daphne shook her head after a moment's hesitation. "Not this time."
"You insolent—"
Astoria burst into the room with all the fury that'd been building up inside of her. Daphne and Anastasia both looked surprised to see her coming towards them and Harry standing just past the threshold of the doorway.
"You absolute bitch!" Astoria raged at her mother. "Are you really so damn selfish that you'd try to hurt me like this?"
Anastasia bristled at the accusation. "Don't speak to me with that tone," she snapped. "I'm trying to do what's best for this family."
"No, you're trying to tear this family apart!" Astoria shouted. "More than you and dad already have."
The two of them were so focused on their argument that neither of them noticed Daphne slowly slipping away, but Harry did. Daphne wouldn't quite meet his gaze as she retreated to the opposite side of the room where another set of doors allowed her to make a quick escape.
As Astoria and Anastasia continued to argue with each other, Harry couldn't help but wonder about what he heard.
Daphne liked him?
He couldn't deny the slight attraction he felt to her too, but he didn't love her like he loved Astoria. No matter what, he was going to stay loyal to his girlfriend.
He only hoped that this admission from Daphne didn't drive an even bigger wedge between her and Astoria.