Chapter 33. Myth or History?
Daphne blinked owlishly at suddenly finding herself standing in the living room of the Potter Manor.
The last she remembered was bleeding to death after she became a pincushion with arrows jutting out of her body. She recalled briefly glancing at the red evening sky before falling into the river.
She paled at the realisation, quickly running her hands over her chest and stomach, becoming more confused at not finding any injuries. Although her tattered clothes did indicate that she hadn't dreamed of dying, but really had glimpsed into the dark abyss.
Before she could continue her frantic inspection, Harry stepped forward and pulled her in a tight reassuring hug.
Daphne instinctively returned it, wrapping her arms around his back and sighing against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent and trying to calm her thumping heart. The one good thing that came out of Harry's sudden growth was that she could easily bury her face in his chest, which was her preferred way of embracing him.
She bit her lip and smothered her whimpers as the phantom pains came back where the arrows had sunken into her skin and organs. The miraculously healed wounds sent an imaginary flare of hurt through her body. She clutched the back of his shirt and shut her eyes, willing it away.
'I am fine, I am home. There are no more monsters.' She chanted in her mind, trying to forget what she had faced on that island.
Harry, as if hearing her thoughts, gripped her tighter, squashing her into him. The mild ache of his bruising hug distracted her from the morbid memories.
She sighed in relief and basked in the safety within his arms.
Today definitely had been an unusual day for Harry where he had to console all three Greengrasses. He didn't mind it, of course. They were practically his extended family. But unlike with Proserpina and Astoria, he didn't know what had happened to Daphne.
He led her to the sofa and sat her down beside him, frowning when she didn't let go of him and snuggled to his side, clutching his arm like a lifeline. Which was quite a rare occurrence.
Lily sat on the other side of Daphne and caressed her back, sharing a concerned look with him.
Daphne must have gone through something horrible since she seemed so desperate and scared. Obviously, the pool of blood in which she had been lying was a dead giveaway, but he didn't know the entirety of the situation. Which he needed to do if he wanted to understand her.
"What happened, Daphne? Where were you for the last couple of days?" He enquired tenderly when he thought she had calmed down enough.
She at once went stiff and her body began shaking. "I don't want to talk about it." she mumbled in a helpless tone.
"Okay." He immediately acceded, not wanting to give her a panic attack. He ran his fingers through her blonde hair and held her close, cradling her head against his chest.
After five minutes of clinging to him, she reluctantly broke the hug and faced him, meeting his eyes.
"Thank you." She whispered gratefully.
He just gave her a soft uncertain smile, wanting to ask her hundreds of questions but unwilling to make her uneasy.
"Daphne dear, why don't you take a relaxing bath to wind down?" Lily spoke up, placing her palm on her shoulder.
Daphne was startled, having forgotten that she wasn't alone with him.
She took a calming breath and looked down at herself. There were many holes in her muddied white shirt. Honestly, it was more of a rag than a shirt now. And the blood splattered on her clothes painted a macabre picture of her situation, making her realise why Harry seemed so worried and distressed. She would have been too if she was in his shoes.
Before she could think more about it, she noted how much skin she was showing. From her shoulders to her waist, her clothes were riddled with holes. And if that wasn't enough, her one nipple and half her breasts were visible through the rag which she once called her favourite shirt.
She blushed and covered up her front with her arms, turning away from Harry and nimbly getting on her feet. "Okay, Mrs. Potter. I will take up your offer for the bath."
Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the formal tone. She had forgotten how many times she had asked her to call her either aunty or by her name, but Daphne never listened, always stubbornly addressing her as Mrs. Potter.
"You know where the bathroom is, sweetie. Take as much time as you want, we'll be waiting here." Lily smiled disarmingly as the girl nodded, offering her own little smile in return before walking away.
"What the hell is going on, Harry?" Lily instantly asked once Daphne was safely away.
Harry wanted to tell her everything, but he had promised his aunt Proserpina not to reveal her secret to anyone. And he would abide by that and respect her decision to hide it.
Breaking that secret to Iris was, of course, different. His twin was an exception to the promise. She was an exception to many many things.
"I dunno, mum. Hopefully, Daphne will shed light on what is going on with her. I'm thankful that I had given her the silver necklace. It had teleported her here once she was injured. If I hadn't given her that, she would have been dying in some ditch at the moment. The necklace should have also protected her against all types of magic. But I don't know why it didn't." He mumbled, slumping against her side.
Lily slung her arm around his shoulders, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Because she wasn't attacked magically, Harry. I had to remove more than half a dozen arrows from her body before you came to the scene. You did all that you could do. I am proud of how you are looking out for your loved ones without intruding in their private lives."
Harry didn't say anything, opting to place his head in her lap and relax. While he could blame himself for not teleporting to Daphne and saving her sooner, that would be quite moronic and unproductive of him.
It wasn't his fault that Daphne was fatally wounded. No, it was due to her own foolishness and stubbornness. He wasn't the one who decided to leave his house and go on a dangerous adventure to find some mythical power.
"We also have the thankless duty to break the news of father's death to her." Lily mumbled sadly, idly combing his dark hair with her fingers.
This got an annoyed groan out of him as he shifted on his side, turning his head in her lap and pressing his face in her stomach, wanting nothing more than to hide away from that conversation.
He had almost forgotten that Daphne did not know about Tim Greengrass' death. Great, just great, as if the situation wasn't dire enough. He knew that Daphne was either going to go all silent and emotionless or explode angrily and become a sobbing mess.
He wasn't looking forward to that.
"Mum, I need some relief." Harry mumbled after a moment of silence, regaining his earlier position again with the back of his head nestled on her hips and his face up toward the ceiling. He felt a little bad for asking that after just what happened with Daphne. But the more he ignored it, the more it bothered him. It was like a fly buzzing around your ear that you just can't ignore. Until you kill the fly or fend it off, it won't stop annoying you.
Even the horrible thought of groping Daphne while she had been vulnerably embracing him had trickled into his mind like a dark tar marring a pure crystal clear water. It had been the last straw that made him ask his mother for 'relief' in a safe way and keep the dark intrusive thoughts away.
Was it weird that he was comparing his libido with a buzzing fly? Absolutely.
Lily shot him a sharp irritated look. "Really, Harry? Tim Greengrass is dead. Daphne was nearly dead. And what do you focus on? Your dick?"
Harry couldn't hide the amused smile that appeared on his face after hearing her scathing remark. He didn't know why it sounded so funny even when she was accusing him of being a heartless and brazen horndog.
"I'm sorry, mum. But I really can't concentrate properly with my erection throbbing every other second. It really took a massive amount of willpower to not stare at Daphne's exposed chest. You should be proud of the gentleman I am. Who else has the necessary control to not leer at nude girls when all their blood flows south?" He quipped, the corner of his mouth twitching up.
She gave him a bland look in return, unmoved by his excuse.
"Please, I'm not even asking for sex. Just help me ejaculate quickly before Daphne comes back." He pleaded, giving her his best cute look which always worked on her.
…
She sighed, breaking into a smile, not able to help but be amused by his overactive libido. She knew that it wasn't required of her since they already had sex in the morning and Harry wasn't in any danger of losing control and forcing himself on others. But she had stopped thinking of engaging in sexual acts with him as her duty. She didn't just let him fuck her because there was no other choice.
No, embracing him as he thrust into her and kissed her lovingly wasn't repulsive to her anymore. On the contrary, it was quite a pleasant sensation.
She could accept that she was enjoying sex once again. It had been years since last she had been sexually active. But now, thanks to Harry, she was once again relishing in the joys of physical intimacy and bodily pleasures. Although today her mood had been heavy after hearing bad news after bad news, Harry's antics had somehow lightened her heart.
She waved her wand and closed the door, locking it, not wanting to be walked upon by Iris or Proserpina's daughters. She also cleaned him up off Daphne's blood.
With that done, she leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips. Before he could deepen it, she broke it, but kept her mouth close to his and breathed on his lips. She smirked as he made a disappointed whiny sound. "What do you want me to do, Harry? Just name it." She mumbled, her mouth touching his lightly, sending a shiver up his spine.
"Give me a blowjob." Harry answered in a husky tone, lurching his head up to mash his lips against hers.
Lily smiled, kissing him back instead of craning her neck away like earlier. He slowly rose from her lap, moving his mouth over hers feverishly. He snogged her with passion, shifting until he settled beside her on the sofa.
They kissed wantonly, using their tongues and lips, trading salivas, filling each other with the sweet taste of their mouths.
Inhaling and exhaling through their noses to prolong the kiss, their breaths pooled between them, causing goosebumps and shivers.
Lily's hands crept down his stomach and she expertly unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers, all the while keeping his mouth occupied. She slipped her hand inside his underwear and pulled out his boner, giving it a gentle squeeze. She felt it pulse and throb in her fist.
It was warm, almost burning with heat.
As the lust filled his mind and she pumped his cock, Harry fumbled with her dress and tugged down her sleeves.
Her bra-clad tits popped out and he dug his fingers into the silky texture of her bra, cupping her boobs through it.
Moaning in his mouth, the redhead bit his lower lip when he roughly fondled her pillowy breasts and squeezed them.
Finally, their long languid kiss came to an end and their lips parted with a pop sound. Both panted audibly, staring at one another in carnal hunger.
Harry looked at her wet swollen mouth in satisfaction.
"Mum." He grunted as she caressed his crown with her thumb, her fingers firmly wrapped around his shaft.
She giggled at the affectionate way he called her 'mum'. She glided down the sofa elegantly and perched on her knees on the floor, between his legs.
Harry gulped at the sight of his sexy mum looking up at him from her knees. There was something wonderfully intoxicating and magical about the way she gazed at him lustfully.
She flopped down in a comfortable position with her legs tucked beneath her. It was fortunate that the sofa's height was low enough so she could still use her mouth without standing up on her knees. That would have definitely been a bother on her knees otherwise.
She unclipped her bra and let it fall in her lap, baring her full round breasts for his viewing pleasure. She raised her arms and arched her back, offering him the best view of her two pale mounds and the stiff rosy nipples, swaying alluringly before him like the forbidden fruits of Eden.
He was quite tempted to take a bite of it, no matter that he would be damned.
But since they were short on time, he kept his arms on his sides, choosing to just ogle her sinful curves.
She moved her mouth towards his member and exhaled over his bulbous crown, making it twitch. She poked her tongue out and gave a brief lick to his head, enjoying the way he squirmed.
She looked into his bright glassy eyes and traced the underside of his shaft with her wet tongue.
Harry curled his fingers into fists and resisted the urge to shove his dick down her throat and stop this painfully slow teasing game. But when she closed her lips around his dick head and snogged it as if it was his lips, he couldn't help it anymore and put his hands on top of her head.
He sucked in a sharp breath and moaned as she swirled her tongue around and licked off his precum aggressively.
She hollowed out her cheeks and sucked his cock masterfully while her hands took care of the shaft and the balls. It had taken her only a few tries to regain her oral skills and right now she was applying them, sucking the soul out of him.
The entire time she stared at him, her emerald eyes gleaming wickedly as she pleasured him with her mouth.
Harry unclipped her hairpin and let her beautiful red hair spill around her face. He ran his fingers through her hair and gripped it to find purchase.
Lily's eyes widened as her son grabbed her head, as his fingers curled into her bright crimson hair.
But she was ready. They had practised before.
She relaxed her jaw and let him push down her on his length. She slowly swallowed his cock, humming along his girth until he was balls deep inside her.
She gagged, spit trickling down her chin and neck. Darkness surrounded the edges of her vision as his dick occupied her throat, not leaving any space to breathe, as the pulsating menace bathed in the warmth and wetness of her mouth, blocking the air passage.
She tapped on his hips and he let her go, pushing her back.
She heaved in a deep breath once his member sprang free from the confinement of her lips.
Harry massaged her scalp and gave her a slight break.
Giving his head a loving kiss, she swallowed his cock back into her gullet. She braced herself against his knees, gripping his kneecaps, and signalled him to begin.
Already used to their play, he began face-fucking her. He kept her head in a hold and shoved in and out of her mouth, his balls smacking against her chin.
Lily gagged and slobbered all over his length as he thrust into her mouth. But she didn't close her eyes like she wanted to but kept them on him, proud that she could still do it, enamoured by the way her son's face scrunched with pleasure and the word that he kept on chanting.
'Mum, mum, mum, mum, mum…' he kept on mumbling.
She had gotten over how weird her son was and had come to appreciate and enjoy his kinks. If she was being honest, she was even loving it. His every 'mum' made her wetter and more turned on. But right now wasn't the opportune time to pleasure herself. No, at the moment, her only goal was to bring him some 'relief'.
After that, it didn't take long for him to climax. He buried inside her with a loud grunt, her tongue and throat laboriously working on him until he twitched and emptied his balls, shooting strings of semen down her throat.
Harry pulled out his softening cock and slumped into the sofa. He absent-mindedly zipped and buttoned his trousers.
After wiping her mouth, Lily swiftly put on her clothes and rearranged her hair. Then she silently settled beside him and cuddled into his side. Harry pulled her close, kissing her hair.
~xXxXx~
Lily briefly floo-ed to Greengrass Manor to get some clean clothes for Daphne and inform her friend about her daughter.
Proserpina had asked her many questions, but Lily hadn't been able to answer all of them. And the ones she did answer, only brought more stress. Proserpina was itching to march into the Potter Manor and see Daphne for herself, but Lily managed to make her see sense and ordered her to stay there.
After Daphne was dressed and relaxed, she came back into the living room and took a seat opposite the two Potters, feeling their intense curious gazes on her. She pondered about hiding the truth before banishing the thought. She wasn't going to lie to them, not to Harry, who had healed her and was worried for her. She could still see the tension in his eyes.
Without a prompt, she began before they could ask her questions. "I will tell you what happened to me if you promise to reveal how you healed my mortal injuries so quickly."
Her question was more directed at Harry than Lily. After all, she was aware that he was the Red Grim. The serial killer who had massacred thousands. It wasn't out of the question that he might also have the ability to heal.
Daphne had always been curious about this Red Grim thing after she had stumbled onto the truth.
She had admired and loved him for taking action and cleaning the filth from the world. She had wanted to ask him many things at that time. She had wanted to question why and how he was accomplishing all these. But she hesitated and never again got the chance to broach the topic.
Harry had even offered to reveal everything if she did the same. But at that time, she had declined and regretted it. Maybe now that she was going to tell him her story, she might get another chance to make everything right.
Presently, she stared at him until he nodded.
"Fine." He answered, not seeing any need to hide his [Healing Pocket] perk from her. Aunt Proserpina already knew, it wouldn't hurt if Daphne did too.
She smiled warmly at his agreement.
"To understand what I was doing, you must know about the history of my family. I will try to be brief and concise in my explanation, otherwise, we would be here for a while." Daphne began, her voice slightly changing as excitement seeped through it.
Lily and Harry sat up straight and focussed on her.
"A long time ago, before the creation of ICW, even before the time of Merlin, the Greengrass family was known by another name. The Atros Clan. They were a powerful magical family who reigned over a small piece of land somewhere in present-day Germany.
"They were fair and merciful to their subjects, both magical and non-magical, and were in return beloved by them. They kept their people safe and helped them to live comfortable lives. But soon, the then-new head of the Clan, Klaus Atros, suddenly migrated to the British Isles with his whole family and wealth. The reason for this abrupt decision was that they were trying to find the last settlement of elves. And they knew that the last of the elves were hiding on some island from their own family history."
Harry thought she wasn't really being brief and precise, he wasn't really interested to know about her family. He wanted to know what really happened to her, but seeing the happy glow on her face as she passionately talked about her ancestors made him smile. He thought she looked so cute when she showed her childish side and didn't try to mimic her mother.
Still, he had one burning question he wanted to ask, but before he could do that, his mother squeezed his arm, apparently somehow knowing that he was going to interrupt her storytime.
Heeding her warning, he kept his mouth shut and patiently listened.
Thankfully, Daphne answered the question by herself.
"They were after the elves because the Clan Atros was created thousand years before even Klaus' time by the great elf, Ellahin, and his human wife, Raya. These two were the progenitors of the Atros Clan.
"Klaus was ambitious. He had heard about the wonderful powers his ancestors had because they had the blood of the elves. He thought that the children produced from the union of an elf and magical human would be ridiculously more powerful than a normal wizard/witch and would also have various supernatural abilities. And Klaus wanted this, he wanted his children to be special.
"He searched for the last elves in the British isles to find an elven bride. Alas, he didn't find it here. Britain wasn't the island where the elves were hiding from humanity. But he didn't give up and decided to go further west in hopes to find the mythical island. But his family was done with the wild-goose chase that had gone on for decades and declined his order to accompany him. They wanted nothing to do with this unfruitful task anymore. They wanted to settle down and build a legacy.
"In a fit of fiery anger at their betrayal, he removed his entire family from the Clan Atros, leaving them all nameless. Although Klaus' younger brother, unperturbed by it, built a new family for them by the last name Black and married his older sister. And that's how the Blacks became a family in Britain. But we are not here to talk about the disgraced Blacks. No, we are discussing Klaus.
"The last member of the Atros Clan, Klaus, went on a mad voyage to search for the elves. Not caring if he died on his adventure. His only dream had been to have an elven bride and strong children and was ready to lose his life in its pursuit. As if some higher power was rewarding him for all his hard work and perseverance, he finally reached a random island, the last resting place for the elves. It was as if Elune herself had blessed him and offered a safe passage.
"Unfortunately, by the time he reached the mythical island, only half a dozen elves remained and they all were preparing to leave the human world for their home world, Alfheim, like others. But somehow, Klaus managed to convince the only female among them, Illiniya, to marry him. Illiniya agreed to become his wife since she was impressed by his story. And the newly-weds returned to the British Isles with a new clan name, Greengrass, in honour of Illiniya who loved nature. This was how the Clan Atros became extinct and two new families, Greengrass and Black, came to be. Even the Blacks have forgotten about Clan Atros, leaving only the Greengrass family to remember their rich cultural roots."
Daphne ended her story with a happy smile and unshed tears. Harry could feel her pride and joy from where he was sitting. It was overwhelming. She really loved her family name and was quite proud of it and didn't fear showing it. But Harry wasn't sure how much of it was true and how much of it was a myth. Although he wasn't going to ask her that. She might just start a fight for insulting her beloved ancestors.
"I see. I guess it does tell us about how Greengrass and Black are the oldest bloodlines in Britain. While it was all interesting and informative, what does it have to do with your nearly-dead state?" Lily asked, not letting her scepticism show. While Daphne might be right about the oldest English families, she might also be wrong.
Harry, who was aware that she had been on some foolish quest, remained silent, wanting to hear it from her.
"After Klaus Greengrass came back, he also brought with him a red ruby from that Island. He enchanted it and made it a tracker which would provide directions to the Greengrass family if they ever needed to go to that mythic Island. The land where the moon Goddess, Elune, resided. Although Klaus Greengrass never met her himself, he believed in her existence which was further fortified by his wife, Illiniya.
"I confess that I had always been mesmerised by this story. Which was told to me by my mother, who herself had heard it from my father. It has been my favourite fairytale since I first heard it. But in the end, it was just a story and nothing else. A true story, but nothing that would affect me. At least that's what I believed until I found the red ruby in my father's study.
"Since then, I realised that the goddess, Elune, might still be there. I wanted to go on a mighty voyage like Klaus Greengrass and return with my heart's deepest desire. But I was young and weak. It would have been a surefire way to die.
"So, I trained and trained, becoming stronger to survive the voyage to reach the land of the moon goddess. A few days ago, when I finally deemed myself strong enough, I attempted the voyage.
"I was wrong. I wasn't strong enough. I was too weak. While I reached the island without any problem, it changed once I stepped into that land. There are terrifying monsters there, Harry. Cruel and animalistic. Gigantic and ugly. Half-human and half-hellish. I kept running into them at every turn but was able to escape them until I didn't. I don't know where it came from, but I was suddenly showered with arrows. And that's it. That's how I came here. I know your silver necklace is a portkey, Harry, and might have portkeyed me here once it sensed my death. Honestly, I would have used it sooner to escape that hell if I hadn't forgotten about it."
Harry and Lily were quiet after hearing that, finally getting how she ended up being almost dead. He still thought it was foolish of her to attempt that, but now he couldn't call her story a baseless myth when there was really a monster-infested island.
He might go there someday to see what all this excitement was about.
QUEST!
– Go to the Island of Elune and save the last elf.
REWARD!
– Perk [World Jumper]
Harry kept his surprise in check and shelved it to think about later. Now was not the time to get lost in his musings.
"Why, Daphne? Why even try to go on that island? Why risk your precious life? What made you do something so moronic?" Lily questioned tiredly, not understanding why this child went on that suicidal mission. She had thought Daphne was smarter and more mature among her children's friends. But she might need to rethink that.
Daphne didn't answer her immediately but mulled over her thoughts before responding in a quiet forlorn voice. "I wanted to heal my father with whom I never had a single conversation. I wanted to know more about my great ancestors. I also wanted to gain supernatural powers so I could kill the dark lord when he comes to bother Harry and keep him from getting hurt. I wanted to protect everyone and keep them safe. I wanted to do so many things. But I failed. I was weak. I am weak. Too weak. I have always tried to become strong. But I am just not meant to be."
Harry stood up from his seat and went over to her, and sat beside her before pulling her into his arms.
Daphne readily cuddled to his side, throwing her arms around him and pressing her face on his chest.
"It is fine, Daphne. I am proud of how you tried even if I want to smack your head for being an idiot. Still, the thought counts. I'll make you one of the strongest witches of this era, Daphne. I promise you that. Just don't do anything stupid from now on. Can you promise me that, Daphne? Promise me you'll stop doing everything by yourself and I'll help you to become one of the mightiest." Harry mumbled softly, exposing how worried he was.
Daphne looked up from his chest and into his gentle green eyes.
She nodded. "I promise."
The loving smile that Harry gave her would become one of her fondest memories. She blushed when he kissed her tenderly on her forehead and brought her tighter in his embrace.
She sighed in comfort, burying her face in his chest, and hugged him close.
Lily looked at the sweet sight between the friends with a kind smile, approving of Harry's benign approach. But however much she wanted to keep the joyous atmosphere, it was her solemn duty to tell Daphne the news.
"Daphne, dear. I have some news that you must know."
Daphne sprang away from him, her entire face flushed red from embarrassment. She once again had forgotten that Mrs. Potter was with them.
A pit of dread opened up in her stomach at the sad look Harry's mother was wearing. Apprehension enveloped her and her red face turned deathly pale. With a trembling voice, she asked, somehow already knowing what Lily Potter was going to say.
"Your father passed away."