<<<<<<<<<
Harry entered the Head's suite after the feast, with mixed emotions. While the deaths had not seemed to affect him then, he was wrong when he thought they wouldn't affect him now. So many people had died … when he looked at the House tables, it was a testament to how deadly the war had really been. The victory was costly for the country, all because of foolish old men like Voldemort and Dumbledore.
He sighed as he put Edmund in his crib after rocking him to sleep. Not able to fall asleep himself, he returned to the common room and sat by the fireplace. He had been lost in thought until he heard a female voice.
"Potter? What are you doing here? It's nearly midnight," said Daphne in surprise.
Harry turned and saw Daphne walking towards him. The first thing he noticed was that she was incredibly beautiful. She was dressed in a thin nightgown which highlighted her breasts and curves very well. She was about five feet nine inches in height and had long, wavy raven-black hair that framed her face. Her features were delicate, with heavy-lidded eyes and soft pink lips, and her hair was falling elegantly over the front of her shoulders. Her deep blue eyes were concerned at the moment, and she looked like Aphrodite herself as she sat down opposite to him.
"Potter, are you okay?"
"Huh?" said Harry as he snapped out of his daze. He blushed when he realised that he had been staring at her and quickly stammered an apology. "I'm fine, thanks. Call me Harry. We'll be living here for the next six months. I hope we can move past the last name business."
Daphne thought for a few seconds and nodded slowly. "That sounds reasonable. You may call me Daphne. So again, what are you doing here at this time? Hungry, are you?"
"No," he replied softly. "Coming back here reminded me of the people who died during the battle. I just couldn't go to sleep."
Daphne remained silent, not knowing what to say.
"I wonder if I could have avoided the Battle of Hogwarts. Maybe if I had done things differently, I could have saved needless people from dying. If I had not asked Neville to call for reinforcements; had I not asked McGonagall to make a stand against Voldemort that night, would it have been different?"
By this time, Harry felt like he was talking to himself and Daphne was intently listening to him. He was unconsciously muttering while staring at the fire.
"Am I to blame for what happened? But how am I at fault? Voldemort would have killed everybody whether or not I had been involved. If his attacks on the Muggles had continued, it would have only been a matter of time before we were exposed. And Merlin knows that would have easily destroyed our society, with endless war and destruction. Those bloody fools; didn't they realise they were essentially destroying themselves? A pureblood order is not established by killing purebloods themselves! It makes no sense!"
"But if I had taken the battle away from Hogwarts, would I have been able to kill him?" Harry exhaled and shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I was no match for his skill. I only had superior power at my disposal, not magical skill. But that wouldn't have stopped the Death Eaters or the Ministry, right? His support was from his Death Eaters primarily, which was why I asked for reinforcements. But did I force people to fight? I told them to use lethal curses. All are these deaths really my fault?"
"Stop," Daphne interrupted him and Harry jumped, not realising that she was still there.
"The battle was not your fault, Harry," Daphne said quietly. "You weren't here; you don't know how terrible it was, especially during detentions. The Carrows showed no mercy at all and it was infinitely worse in the Slytherin dorms. The junior Death Eaters were all forcing themselves on other girls. It made me sick! I stood up to them and they didn't like that. When I was caught protecting the first and second-year students by impersonating them during detentions with the use of Polyjuice Potion, they tortured me endlessly."
"Really?" Harry exclaimed in surprise. "You did that?"
Daphne signed. "Not the point. But the torture itself wasn't the only bad thing happening at Hogwarts. Malfoy kept trying to force me to sleep with him. I kicked him in the balls and after the Polyjuice incident, they decided that I needed to be taught a lesson."
Harry swallowed. "What did they do?" he asked, dreading the answer. Neville had told him about Alecto and Amycus Carrow, and he knew in his gut that this story was going to end badly.
"They went after my father," Daphne murmured in the same quiet voice. "They tortured him badly and he died a month later. My stepmother agreed with the Dark Lord's goals, so they spared her."
She looked uncomfortable with the admiring look that Harry gave her and the boy immediately averted his gaze, blushing slightly. Taking a deep breath, Daphne continued.
"I didn't tell you this story to make you see me as a good person or to answer your silent question as to why McGonagall gave me the Head Girl position. I'm telling you this because it's the truth. You took a stand when no one else did. Yes, many people died during the battle, but I believe it would have been much worse had we not fought. That battle wasn't only about you. It was a fight of freedom for us all. All of us suffered because of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, so don't blame yourself. Sorry for being candid, but it is pretty arrogant if you think the whole battle was about you. It wasn't."
Harry smiled softly. The battle wasn't about him. Yes, she was right, but that didn't make it any easier to accept; survivor's guilt.
"I'm sorry about your father. What happened to your mother, if you don't mind my asking?"
"My mother died due to unforeseen complications during my birth. It's no secret because until then, it was unheard of for a mother to die during childbirth in the magical world. It caused quite a stir back then, I'm told. My father remarried soon after and had Astoria, who is my half-sister."
Harry nodded. They sat in silence for a long time, both of them contemplating the conversation they had with each other. Suddenly, a child's wail pierced the silence as Edmund started crying again. Harry got up and headed to his room and gently gathered the infant in his arms.
"What's wrong, Teddy?" asked Harry in a soothing voice as he brought the baby to the common room. "You can't be hungry and you have the diaper on. Can't go to sleep?"
Edmund didn't understand what was being said, but he continued to cry. Harry sighed tiredly as he walked around the common room, pointing at various things to distract the boy. Daphne joined him a couple of minutes later, conjuring several fluffy animals to amuse the toddler. After nearly half an hour of running around and playing with the creatures, Edmund finally went to sleep, sucking on his thumb. Harry gently removed the finger from the child's mouth and placed the young boy in his crib.
"I'm really impressed, Harry," Daphne smiled faintly when he returned to the common room. She had already vanished the animals. "Not many seventeen-year-olds would be so caring towards a baby."
"I could say the same for you," Harry grinned at her. "I didn't even think of conjuring animals to distract him! It's a brilliant idea!"
Daphne reddened at the praise and immediately bent her head to stare at her feet.
Harry bit his lip awkwardly. "Anyway, thanks," he muttered.
She nodded, having regained control of her emotions. Hesitantly, she asked, "May I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"What made you adopt him? Who are his parents?"
"I'm sorry, Daphne, but I can't answer that," Harry said apologetically. "It's private. But what I can tell you is that he was orphan. He was my responsibility anyway, so I decided to blood-adopt him instead of being a regular guardian. I didn't want him to go through what I did as a child."
Realising that he had blurted out about his childhood to a stranger, Harry immediately wished her a good night and dashed to his room and shut the door, his face scarlet.
Daphne looked at Harry in surprise. The boy had probably revealed more than he wanted to. Her mind was buzzing as she went to bed. Harry Potter-Black was an enigma to her. Malfoy and Snape had clearly lied about him. The Harry Potter she had just spoken to was not a brash, arrogant idiot. He was a soft-spoken and kind-hearted boy. She wondered what other surprises he had in store.
<<<<<<<<<
The months passed by quickly. Since it was an intensive course of six months, the classes were crammed together. There was no Quidditch either, something which made Ron complain about constantly. They all had to work on their N.E.W.T.s which were just a few months away.
Harry also took his job as Head Boy seriously. He, with the help of Daphne, revamped how the student body operated so that there were minimum disputes. He also did his best to not be biased while enforcing the rules or awarding punishments. Some of the blood purists who remained in the school soon realised that they would be punished severely if they spouted Voldemort's propaganda. The war had cost them all too much and Harry wasn't willing to let the disease fester. It was going to stop here and now. He also spent a lot of his free time with Teddy, who was taken care of by his house-elves when he wasn't around, something which Hermione Granger found out much later.
"WHAT?!"
Many heads in the Gryffindor Common Room turned towards Hermione as she shouted at Harry, who looked annoyed.
"You made house-elves bond with you?" screamed Hermione. "How could you, Harry? It's slavery! I can't believe you condone slave labour! You –"
"Enough, Hermione," snapped Harry. "I've not ill-treated any of them. Dobby informed me why they needed to bond, and had I known that before, I would never have signed up for your campaign for their freedom. Do you know that elves need to bond with wizards in order to live? Without the bond, they die a horrible, painful death. They bond with witches and wizards so that they can use our magic to live and reproduce. In return, they cook, clean and take care of the children. In its truest form, the relationship between us is supposed to be of mutual aid, not slavery. It's not my fault that there are bastards out there like Lucius Malfoy who abuse their elves. The house-elves I bonded to were near death and only my magical transfer saved them. They remain with me because they want to do so, not because I force them to. I will not coerce them to accept clothes! I'm not a tyrant. It is their lives and their decision if they want to work for me. Yes, my elves are bonded to me and they are happy and there is nothing more I wish to say on the matter."
That incident made the gossip vine of Hogwarts run overtime as many wondered what happened to the so-called golden trio that drove a wedge between Harry and the other two. Ron and Hermione had started dating but Harry always claimed that he had no knowledge of the subject.
Harry had fought publicly with his ex-girlfriend as well. Despite their arguments at the Burrow, Ginny still thought she was entitled to Harry since they had dated the previous year, and that it was only a matter of time before they got back together. She had threatened many girls who were eyeing Harry, even though the boy was not interested in any of them. Finally, Harry, not being able to stand her behaviour anymore, had publicly lashed out at Ginny, saying that her love potions wouldn't work and that she should just give up. The redhead had turned white as a sheet at the accusation and when she tried to slap Harry, she was hit by a Stunning Spell by Daphne. That was the last time Harry ever spoke to Ginny.
But Harry wasn't interested in Ginny. Over the past several months, he had grown to like someone else ... someone with whom he was spending a lot of time with: the Head Girl, Daphne Greengrass. She was intelligent, beautiful, passionate, and actually took care of his son when he wasn't around. They also had similar backgrounds and interests that helped them form a strong bond of friendship.
They bonded over being orphans and their horrible childhoods. Never had Harry opened up to anyone about his life at the Dursleys, not even Ron and Hermione, but he had revealed it all to Daphne, who in turn told him about her experiences with her father, stepmother and Pansy Parkinson.
Best of all, Teddy had grown to adore Daphne. Harry found himself caring for her more and more but he was too scared to openly admit it. They had acknowledged each other as the other's best friend and Harry didn't want to do anything to spoil their wonderful friendship. As the days passed, he couldn't help but wonder if she would be interested in him, but not once could he muster the courage to confess his feelings to her. He still had self-confidence issues when it came to girls, even though almost all the girls in school openly fancied him.
July finally arrived and it was time for the N.E.W.T.s. Harry had chosen Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration. He no longer had the ambition to become an Auror. Instead, he had decided to take up his family seats on the Wizengamot. He wanted to help reshape the British magical world into a place worth living in. A place where Dark Lords could never gain power again. A place where all would be treated equally, and where magic thrived and blossomed.
In the past five months, Daphne had explained to him about how the magical world truly worked and how it was like to be born and raised as a witch or wizard. Knowing what he did now, Harry felt he was ready to take an active role in politics.
<<<<<<<<<
Harry groaned as he finished his final N.E.W.T. practical. While it had only been five papers, it was still bad. He was thankful for his Occlumency skills which he had acquired during the Horcrux extraction ritual because it was a boon during his written exams. The practical exams went smoothly, and he was confident that he could score an Outstanding in Charms, Defence, and Transfiguration, and he felt he had done reasonably well in Potions and Herbology as well. The last exam had been Potions, and it had been brutal. After the practical was done, Harry decided to head to his suite, intending to take a hot bath.
Just as he entered, he heard Teddy crying again. Wanting to soothe his young son, he rushed to his room, only to stop at the door. His eyes widened when he saw the spectacle in front of him.
"Shh, calm down Teddy," whispered Daphne as she gently rocked him, his face buried in the nape of her neck. Her hand kept rubbing his back soothingly. She frowned and Harry knew why that was. Teddy was always more well-behaved when Daphne was around. He didn't know if his best friend knew it, but Harry had known for quite some time now that Teddy adored Daphne. He was worried how his son would deal with not having the girl around him every day. What then?
"What is it, little guy?" Daphne whispered, bringing Harry out of his musings. "Do you want me to get Daddy?"
Teddy still cried heartbreakingly as he clutched Daphne's hair. "MAMA!" he wailed, his large green eyes filled with despair. "MAMA, no go!"
Harry stiffened. How could the toddler know that their time at Hogwarts was finished? That they would be leaving in a few days? Surely Teddy hadn't come to that conclusion simply by watching Harry pack, right? His son was less than a year old! How was that possible?!
Daphne felt tears sting her eyes as she hugged the nine-month-old baby to her chest. She had grown very attached to the boy over the past several months and she wondered if she would ever see him again.
Add to that, she had started developing feelings for Harry as well. How could she not develop feelings for Harry? They both had so much in common and had grown closer after spending a lot of time together. They were now close enough to verbally acknowledge each other as the other's best friend! He was also intelligent, handsome, kind, considerate and loving. She recalled all the times they had spent together alone in the common room, talking to each other as they played with Teddy and later fed him and rocked him to sleep. They had spoken to the other about their lives, families, experiences; she couldn't explain it, but she knew that she had fallen in love with him. But she was also not brave enough to tell him about it. She didn't know if he would return her feelings.
He was the Boy-Who-Lived! The Chosen One! The defeater of Lord Voldemort! He had girls following him all the time! Best friends or not, she wasn't even confident that he would keep in touch with her after school ended, so where was the question about being in a relationship with him? Why would he want to choose her, of all people, when he could have the pick of the litter?
"I'm going to miss you so much, Teddy," Daphne said softly, placing soft kisses on his face, not realising that tears were streaming down her cheeks too. "I don't know if I will ever see you again."
Teddy cried harder at that as he hugged her and screamed, "Mama! No go!"
"Daphne?"
She turned around in surprise, only to find Harry standing at the doorway, watching her. Daphne blushed deeply. She wiped her tears quickly as she stammered, "Sorry, Harry. He was crying and –"
"Hey, you have nothing to apologise for," Harry murmured soothingly. "Here, let me help."
He took Teddy from her, but the boy kept looking at Daphne, pointing his tiny hand at her as he screamed, "Mama! Mama! Dada! Mama! No go! Mama!"
Harry's heart skipped a beat as he realised what had happened. Daphne was the only girl who spent so much time with Teddy. Like Harry, she too fed him, changed him, played with him, and rocked him to sleep. She also laughed with him and spoke to him, practically the only motherly influence in his life since Tonks had died. He knew that Teddy adored her, but never had he realised that it was to this extent, that he had latched on to her and had come to regard her as his mother.
Harry fought back tears as he whispered, "Teddy, Mummy and Daddy are not going anywhere. We'll be right here, okay? Please don't cry, Teddy. Calm down. Look, Mummy's here," he said, pointing at Daphne. "And Daddy is here too. We're not going anywhere, all right?"
After several minutes of reassuring the baby that they were not leaving him, they quietly stepped out of Harry's room once the toddler was asleep. Daphne still had tears in her eyes as Teddy's calls for her echoed in her mind.
"I – I guess it's only natural that he sees you as his mother," Harry fidgeted. "I hope you weren't offended by it, Daphne."
"No, it's fine Harry," said Daphne softly. "I don't mind at all. I was honoured when Teddy called me that. In fact –"
She wanted to say that she had grown very attached to the boy too, but couldn't muster up the courage. After all, Harry was the boy's father. Who was she to claim the mother's spot when she and Harry weren't even together? It wasn't fair to either Teddy or Harry.
She looked up and stared into his emerald green eyes. Harry looked into her deep blue eyes, multiple emotions swirling in them. Teddy had called him 'Dada' before, but this was the first time he had called Daphne 'Mama'. Something had changed between them; both of them could feel it.
They didn't know how long they stood there, staring at each other, each gathering the courage to say something but failing miserably. The breeze from the window blew inside, making several strands of Daphne's dark hair fall over her face. Harry tentatively reached up and tucked the strands of hair carefully behind her ear. Now that he had touched her skin, he couldn't stop it. He ran his finger up and down the side of her face. He realised that her skin was so soft. She looked so beautiful and so perfect.
Daphne's breath was caught in her throat as she felt Harry's fingers caress her cheek. This wasn't a dream, was it? She could see the longing in his eyes. Tentatively, she leaned forward, very slightly, mustering all her courage in the process. Taking it as a positive sign, Harry too leaned forward; his fingers trembled as he delicately cupped her cheek. For nearly half a minute, they simply stared at each other as he ever so slightly leaned forward. Harry's thumb moved, gently caressing her cheek. Daphne reached out and took his other hand in hers. She could feel his breath on her face. She closed her eyes in anticipation.
Their lips touched briefly; once, twice, thrice . . .
It was slow and tentative when their lips met, but they didn't break it. Harry let go of her hand and grabbed her by the waist. Daphne slowly sneaked her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. Both of them involuntarily smiled into the kiss as they realised that the other truly did have feelings for them. When they broke apart, they were panting; Harry leaned his forehead against hers and grinned. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.
"This better not be a dream again, Daphne, because I would throw a fit if I were to wake up and find that it wasn't real," whispered Harry as he gently kissed her eyes.
Daphne smiled as she captured his lips again. "This is real, Harry," she assured him as they continued to kiss passionately. It started out slow again, but soon, Daphne moaned as she opened her lips, allowing Harry's tongue to probe her mouth. The two of them were too caught up to realise that they were moving inside Daphne's bedroom.
Harry grabbed her waist and pushed her against himself as he trailed kissed down her jaw and neck, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Daphne. He squeezed her arse, making her squeak and he immediately froze, looking unsure. Daphne immediately took control as she kissed him back, running her fingers through his hair. When her legs hit the bed, they fell against the mattress, with Harry on top of her. They kissed passionately for several minutes, neither wanting to move.
Finally, Harry broke the kiss and looked at her. Feeling a bit uncertain, he whispered, "Do you want to take this further?"
Daphne groaned. "Dear Merlin, yes!" she gasped.
Grinning again, Harry bent down to kiss her, before moving his attention to her ear, tugging at her lobe with his teeth gently. That elicited a loud moan from Daphne who was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt. A minute of awkward fumbling later, Harry was shirtless, with her warm hands exploring the hard muscles of his upper body.
Not wanting to let her remain dressed, Harry kissed his way down her neck. He unbuttoned her shirt but when he saw that she had a bra on, he stopped. He wasn't sure how to remove it, but thankfully, Daphne began doing it herself.
Seeing a girl's bare breasts for the first time was definitely a memory that was etched in Harry's mind forever. He stared at the beautiful girl beneath him, his lips parted in awe. Gently cupping her lush breasts, he felt them beneath his fingers and squeezed them tentatively. Judging by the sounds Daphne was making, he took it as a good sign and leaned down to kiss and fondle them.
It wasn't long before Daphne was panting and Harry was sucking her nipples quite enthusiastically, humping the bed to relieve the tension in his trousers. When he let go of the nipple with a loud, wet, pop, Daphne groaned and he took that opportunity to tug at her panties which soon landed on the floor.
"You're so beautiful," Harry whispered when her vagina was fully exposed to him.
Daphne reddened but before he could touch her, she pushed him on his back and straddled him. Unbuttoning and unzipping his trousers, she yanked them down along with his underwear, revealing his thick cock to her, the tip glistening with his arousal. Her eyes widened as she stared with wonder.
"I've never seen a naked boy before," she breathed out, carefully wrapping her fist around his shaft and giving it a few experimental strokes.
"You've never done it before either?" asked Harry in surprise.
"What do you mean?" asked Daphne, her sharp gaze immediately darting to his face in astonishment. "You mean this is your first time?"
"Yes," Harry answered, somewhat shyly. "I've never been comfortable with anyone else to go this far. In fact, you're the first girl I've kissed in a year."
Daphne was slack-jawed. The Boy-Who-Lived, who literally had dozens of girls willing to sleep with him at a moment's notice, had never had sex before?
"You're serious?"
Harry simply nodded. "Yeah," he answered truthfully.
"What about Ginny Weasley?"
Harry groaned. "Can we not spoil the moment by talking about her? She gave me love potions. I'd suspected it, but that confrontation the last time confirmed it for me."
"Well then, this is quite perfect!" teased Daphne, grinning broadly. "Who would have ever guessed that I'd be the one to take Harry Potter's innocence?"
Smacking her arse playfully, he shot back, "Who knew I'd be the one to melt the Ice Queen's heart?"
Laughing, she leaned down and kissed him lovingly. Harry kicked his trousers off the bed and summoned his wand, intending to cast the Contraceptive Charm. Once it was done, Daphne pounced on him again, kissing him like her life depended on it.
The afternoon was spent basking in the glow of their new relationship as they made love to each other for the first time.
It was one of the most memorable experiences of their young lives.
<<<<<<<<<
A few hours later, Daphne woke up and moaned softly when she felt Harry nibbling on her sensitive earlobe.
"Hello, beautiful," he whispered, moving lower to trail kisses along her neck and shoulder. "Nice of you to come back to the land of the living!"
Smiling with contentment, Daphne buried her face in his chest. "I like it here," came her muffled voice. "It's very comfortable."
Harry chuckled. Daphne quickly captured his lips and gave him a passionate kiss. After they separated, she cupped his face, gently brushing her thumb over his cheek adoringly.
"I think I'm falling in love with you, Harry," she confessed.
He started at her, eyes wide, looking overwhelmed. Did she just say that?
Daphne swallowed, feeling anxious. Had she been too forward? Curse the fates, she had ruined it! Her stomach began doing backflips and just when she thought she was going to be sick with worry, she saw Harry's eyes pool with tears.
"No one has ever told me that they love me before," Harry whispered in a choked voice. "My parents don't count as I don't remember them, but no one that I can remember has told me that they love me. Thank you."
"No thanks needed," Daphne murmured, finally relaxing. She placed a quick kiss to his chin and continued, "I was only stating the truth. I do love you, Harry. I love you very much."
Harry gently nuzzled her face against his as they cuddled, a lone tear sliding down his face. His lover kissed the tear away and before he knew it, she was kissing him again, this time soft and with full of love and adoration.
Just when things began heating up, the alert charm went off.
"Blast it," Harry cursed, as he got up with a groan and walked out of the room. Daphne chuckled as she searched for something to wear. Finding Harry's shirt, she summoned it and tried it on. She felt nice wearing it and decided to check on the boys in the next room.
When she entered, Harry had just finished changing another diaper and was rubbing Teddy's back gently. She giggled in amusement as she glided towards her boyfriend and smacked his bare arse.
"Go cover yourself, lover boy," teased Daphne. "You're not the baby here."
Harry pouted, making Daphne laugh. "Did you hear that, Teddy?" he complained, intentionally making his tone whiny to amuse their son. "Mummy thinks I'm the baby here, but we all know who the baby really is, don't we?"
Teddy laughed as he grabbed a fist full of his parents' hair in each of his little hands.
"MAMA! DADA!" he screamed happily.
"Yes," whispered Harry, beaming at Daphne. "We are your Mummy and Daddy."
Daphne smiled when he wrapped his arms around her. She snuggled into the embrace, resting her head on his chest. Harry gently placed a kiss on her forehead as the three of them enjoyed the moment as a family.
"I love you too, Daphne."
<<<<<<<<<
Harry and Daphne started dating from that day in July. Since school had almost ended, they didn't announce their relationship to anyone. Once they returned home a few days later, Ursula, Daphne's stepmother, indeed tried to make things miserable for her by attempting to force her into a marriage with someone who was three times her age.
Now an adult and more confident in herself, Daphne outright ignored her stepmother, knowing that the woman couldn't force her to do anything, let alone get married to the groom of her choice. Instead, Daphne had packed all her belongings and simply moved into Potter Manor the very next day, not wanting to live with Ursula or Astoria anymore. Of course, Ursula Greengrass didn't know where Daphne had moved into. Had she known, she would have done everything possible to lock Daphne up in Greengrass Manor, as Ursula utterly despised Harry Potter-Black for his role in Draco Malfoy's imprisonment and the poor state of the Malfoy fortune, thanks to the Ministry's heavy sanctions. Her precious daughter Astoria's life lay in ruins thanks to the actions of the Boy-Who-Lived.
After six months of living together, Harry had proposed to Daphne who happily accepted. To announce their engagement to everyone, they had given a small interview to Luna who had published the article in the Quibbler. The entire country was taken by surprise because none of them had expected the former Head Boy and Head Girl of Hogwarts to be a couple. Many were happy for them, but some were not, especially two people named Ronald and Ginevra Weasley.
Ron had ranted for hours about how Harry had betrayed them all by consorting with a slimy Slytherin, while Ginny had been furious at how the Slytherin bitch had taken her future husband away from her. Molly Weasley too was upset and had sent Harry a howler expressing her anger and disappointment about how he had 'cheated' on Ginny. Unfortunately for Molly, there were anti-howler wards around Potter Manor, making the owl return to the Burrow without delivering the letter. Her kitchen was destroyed due to the resultant explosion.
Ursula and Astoria Greengrass had thrown a fit when they realised that Daphne was getting married to Harry Potter-Black. Because of the nature of the contract that Ursula and the Malfoys had created for Astoria and Draco, the girl couldn't marry anyone else, forcing her to wait for her betrothed to be released from prison. Unfortunately, when Draco did get released from Azkaban after five years, the Malfoy vault at Gringotts contained so little gold that the goblins deemed it more profitable to draw up the account closing papers instead. Draco had not taken Azkaban well and his eyes and body reflected it. Unfortunately, even though the Dementors had been destroyed, the effects on the prison remained. The blond had been declared impotent years later, and the Malfoy line died with Draco and Astoria.
Harry and Daphne had gotten married on a beautiful winter morning on the grounds of Potter Manor. They had a simple wedding, inviting only their friends and well-wishers. Even though his friendship with Ron and Ginny had fallen apart, Harry was still on excellent terms with Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Fred and George Weasley. He had invited his old Quidditch teammates, D.A. members, some of the members of the Order of the Phoenix, and all the Hogwarts teachers. Teddy hadn't really understood what was going on, but he enjoyed the ceremony nonetheless, squealing with excitement when his parents bonded with the blessings of Mother Magic.
After graduating from Hogwarts, Harry immediately took his place on the Wizengamot while pursuing a higher education in Magical Law at the same time. Wanting to make a difference in the world, and due to the lack of good and honest politicians, Daphne had changed her mind about her career. She no longer wished to become a Healer, but instead, she joined her husband on the Wizengamot using the Greengrass Lordship that she had inherited from her father.
The couple soon began making progress. They were known for their powerful presence and many of the discriminating laws against Muggle-borns and magical creatures were removed. The relations between the Ministry of Magic and the Goblin Nation were at an all-time high due to the efforts of Harry and Daphne Potter-Black. Thanks to Harry's popularity, he was barely twenty-three years old when he was made the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
A couple of months after they got married, Daphne realised that she was pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to twins. The eldest was a baby boy who they named James Sirius Potter-Black, after his grandfathers. The youngest was a girl, who was named Lily Elizabeth Potter-Black, after Harry and Daphne's mothers. Five years after the twins were born, Harry and Daphne decided that any plans of having more children would be discarded immediately. Teddy, Jamie and Lily had all inherited their grandfathers' penchant for mischief and the couple had more than enough on their plates with the three boisterous children. Having been denied a good childhood, both Harry and Daphne made a conscious effort to raise their children well, showering them with love and affection and yet being strict when necessary. All three grew up to be revolutionary witches and wizards in their respective fields of profession, and ever better people.
When Edmund was ten years old, Harry did tell the boy about his birth parents. Surprisingly, he took it rather well. He had asked them the standard questions, for which Harry told him everything he knew about Remus and Tonks. Edmund had later hugged the couple and told them that adopted or not, Harry and Daphne would forever be his true parents, and no one could claim otherwise. They had been touched and reduced to tears at their son's confession.
Ron and Hermione had gotten married to each other, but even though they managed to make do due to their friendship, their marriage had not been the best. Hermione had realised a little too late that she was just not compatible with Ron to be involved in a long-term romantic relationship with him. She completed her Master's degree in Potion-making and built a career out of brewing potions for St Mungo's Hospital. Ron, after much reluctance, had taken a job at the Ministry, employed by the Department of Magical Maintenance. They had one daughter named Rose.
Fred and George had married their long-time girlfriends Angelina and Alicia respectively. McGonagall had retired after the last of their children had left Hogwarts, saying that she couldn't handle the chaos anymore. She was sent a large gift basket by the twins, full of her favourite goodies, thanking her for putting up with their children who were much worse than Fred and George had been at Hogwarts during their time.
Ginny tried to make it work at professional Quidditch and had been a popular player for the Holyhead Harpies. She tried to connect with several guys, but none of her relationships lasted long. She died alone in her mother's house, forever cursing Daphne's name.
Having been told the story of her husband's childhood, a vengeful Daphne eventually tracked down Vernon, Petunia and Dudley Dursley a few years after the final battle. The three of them had no idea that Harry's wife had found them and Daphne was quite content in letting them live in ignorance. She cooked up several delicious schemes for them over the years. The Dursleys suffered extensively as Vernon lost his job after several incidents of anger issues and accusations of embezzlement of funds. They defaulted on their mortgages and the banks were not merciful. They also lost their house and somehow, the people in Privet Drive realised that they had been lied to about Harry Potter who had lived there several years ago. Petunia couldn't show her face in public after Harry made a charitable contribution to a Muggle orphanage, his face appearing on national television and in the newspapers. Dudley was arrested for using and selling illegal drugs, and after several years of punishment, Vernon died of a heart-attack while Petunia died in bitterness and misery.
Harry also wrote an autobiography which detailed his life from the time he was abandoned at the Dursleys to his current life as Chief Warlock. The book was a best seller, not only in Magical Britain, but all over the world.
When Kingsley retired, Harry took over as Minister of Magic, having been voted in by an enormous margin, both by the public as well as the Wizengamot. Daphne stepped up to his previous position of Chief Warlock. Together, the couple was responsible for the development, and later protection, of the international magical world when new threats emerged.
At the end of their lives, Harry and Daphne Potter-Black were hero-worshipped throughout the international magical community for all that they had done, and they died peacefully in each other's arms at the age of two hundred and eleven, having served as the first and longest standing Supreme Chancellor and Chief Justice of the newly formed International Magical Republic.