Hello everyone. Firstly I would like to apologise for posting the last chapter after such a long time. To be honest I couldn't find time. I will be rectifying that from now on. Thanks to everyone that reviewed. Unfotunately I could not satisfy everyone with the story so far but I am glad that a lot of you actually like this fic. This is my first time writing. Iam an Engineer by profession but I love stories and writing for me is like an unevolved passion which I am currently trying to evolve.

Enough said, this Chapter is dedicated to Harry and Daphne and will have a single scene where we will see the first one on one conversation between the two. As I said I am a newbie to writing so please don't hate if this chapter is a screw up. I'll learn and improve.

Chapter 6 – The Price of a Life

After Andromeda had left, a few moments of palpable silence had followed. Upon asking her the reason for her visit Daphne gave him a well-rehearsed version of the events that had led to her visit including Professor Lupin's hand is her survival, during which her voice got somewhat hoarse, but she managed to get a grip and finished her monologue in the same tone that Harry had heard her talk during the few formal conversations they had had. After that she had become completely silent and avoided his gaze.

Harry could not think of anything to further a conversation and Daphne had that usual look of indifference on her face which made it so much harder.

Giving a sigh Harry turned his attention to Teddy. 'If she can play the ignorance card then I can to'. He thought to himself.

From the corner of his eye he so Daphne sit down on the sofa across from him and Teddy.

"This rune installation must have cost a substantial amount." She remarked without making any sort of eye contact with Harry.

"I for one wasn't even aware that something like this was available in the market and I have a hobby of keeping up with the latest runic clusters." Harry wasn't sure if she was addressing him or talking to herself so he kept quiet.

"I wonder if it was installed by Krammer Runes?" Harry still paid no heed to her statement which could very well have been a question.

"Potter! I asked you something." Daphne glowered.

"Oh really? You were talking to me? Because I could've bet you were talking to the toy dragon you were so intently looking at." Harry retorted.

"Really Potter? Is there anyone else here apart from you who I could talk to?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well I wouldn't know would I? I have seen my fair share of self-obsessed people who enjoy talking to themselves." Harry replied without looking towards her.

"How dare you call me self-obsessed?" Daphne glared.

"Oh I didn't. You assumed that I did. I was just sharing my experiences." Harry replied with a sweet smiled plastered on his face, still not looking at Daphne instead watching Teddy with extreme fascination.

"Don't talk in circles. And look at me when you are talking to me." Daphne hissed angrily.

"Exactly what I was trying to say. Look at me when you are talking to me." Harry replied calmly, finally shifting his gaze upon her.

He had to admit she was extremely beautiful. The honey blonde hair. The perfect long lashes. Her cheeks with a hue of rosiness in all its splendor. Her luscious lips were a sight to behold. And yet, what captured his attention the most were her those piercing blue orbs. He shuddered at the intensity at which her gaze penetrated his own and not for the first time their eyes met.

Breaking contact after what seemed like hours but was merely seconds at most Daphne sighed.

"Okay. Let's start over. Can you tell be about the rune cluster?" She asked looking at Harry.

"Which rune cluster?" Harry asked looking back in confusion.

"The one responsible for this." She replied gesturing around.

"And what is the 'this' you are specifically referring to?" Harry asked for clarification.

"This. The setup of the room. They Stars, the toys and the fairies." Daphne replied.

"Oh this? Well this isn't a runic setup. More so a little mix of transfiguration and charms." Harry shrugged.

"You mean to tell me that this is all merely a result of some advanced transfiguration and charm work?" Daphne asked incredulously.

"Yes it is. Why is it so hard to believe though?" Harry asked surprised at the disbelieving look Daphne gave.

"Well to begin with just the amount of focus required to keep the conjurations and charms working is immense. Also you never displayed such an affinity towards transfiguration and charms during school." Daphne stated.

"So you were keeping tabs on me at school?" Harry smirked jokingly.

"What? No! That's not what I meant. I mean it was clear to all that you seemed to be the center of attention in all the classes so it was pretty hard not to have a look at your in class performance." Daphne stated.

"Hey! Half the time I wasn't even involved in situations which got me the unwarranted attention." Harry defended.

"Well regardless of your involvement, we, the actually genuine students, got to suffer the endless displays of the Harry Potter saga." Daphne piped.

"Ouch. I didn't know I was so insufferable." Harry quipped.

"There are many things you don't know. However, this isn't about that. You still haven't answered how you managed this?" Daphne asked not giving Harry a chance to change the subject.

"I don't know. My focus just got better after the war. Maybe because there wasn't a constant threat looming upon me. Maybe finally I could let the constant lookout for danger out of my mind. It could be one of many things." Harry stated. Trying to cover up the actual reason under the speculation.

"But don't you want to find out." Daphne asked earnestly.

"What will it accomplish. There are…" Harry started but the rest of his statement was interrupted by a cry from Teddy who had fallen asleep while the two were having the conversation.

"Come here little one. Feeding time." Harry smiled at his Godson as he picked him up and summoned his milk bottle.

With a wave of his wand the stasis charm was cancelled and Harry proceeded to feed his Godson. Daphne watched the little scene playing out and couldn't help but wonder the puzzle that was Harry Potter.

'How could one so powerful be so soft and gentle.'

Daphne couldn't understand why she was all of a sudden concerned about what Potter did and how he did it. She had made a silent promise that she wouldn't be affected by Potter and she sure as hell would see that promise through.

Yes, Potter was a decent person and surely she could have a civil exchange with him if the situation demanded. That didn't mean she was intrigued by him, did it? Well even if it did, who in the magical world wasn't intrigued by Potter. It was just a passing reaction, and as far as she was concerned, a reaction shared by the whole magical populous of Britian. After all, Harry Potter was the Boy Who Conquered.

"Can you hold him for a bit please." Harry asked pulling her from her thoughts.

"Here like this on your shoulder. Rub his back a bit to make him burp." Harry continued showing her.

"I will be back in a few minutes." Saying this he handed the baby to Daphne before she could react and left the room.

To say that Daphne was surprised was an understatement. She was totally clueless. That was the moment she realized that caring for a baby was so much different from caring for a Blast-Ended-Skrewt. She couldn't even imagine getting a Blast-Ended-Skrewt to burp.

Unsure on what to do Daphne remembered what Potter had told her and followed the instructions soundly. It took her some time to get the hang of how to hold him properly, but once she was done she found the task easy to perform. Gently rubbing Lupin Jr's back Daphne brought the little fella to burp. If the burp was anything to go by, Daphne would think Teddy had greatly enjoyed his lunch.

Turning him around Daphne couldn't help but get an amazing feeling of joy as she watched the small boy in her hands. Daphne smiled genuinely at the baby. A smile which Teddy returned before turning his jet-black hair the same blonde as Daphne's. This led to a look of surprised on her but before she could react a voice behind her caused her to look back.

"He's a metamorghmagus. Just like his mum." Harry said smiling at her.

She felt the warm feeling inside her increase as she watched the Boy-Who-Lived smile.

"You should smile more. It looks good on you." Harry said.

"What?" Daphne asked with a scowl.

"The way you were smiling at Teddy. It looked nice on you. You should do it more often." Harry replied.

"And pray tell me when did you see me smile?" Daphne asked suspiciously.

"Well I was here the whole time. Just outside the door. Do you seriously think I would've left Teddy alone with you when I already have the impression that you aren't very well acquainted with looking after a baby?" Harry posed a rhetorical question before continuing.

"I just wanted you to get a hang of what I observed was your first time holding a baby. And I strongly believe that if you want to teach someone to swim, you push them in the water." Harry stated.

"And what exactly were you trying to prove." Daphne huffed in irritation.

"I wasn't trying to prove anything. I saw a genuine emotion inside you to repay what you consider as a debt by doing something for Remus' son when you were relaying the reason for your visit. Now there are many people I know who if in your position would have sought other means to repay this supposed debt but you chose otherwise. You tried to make yourself available on an emotional level which is commendable. I was just trying to help you with that." Harry stated.

"I don't need your help. I know very well how, what and when to do things." Daphne retorted.

"Okay. If that's what you want then I won't." Harry stated calmly.

Daphne was in turmoil. Of course he was right that she didn't know anything about babysitting. When she had said that she didn't need his help, she hadn't actually meant it. It was just a muscle reaction. Below the calmness in his eyes she could clear see a tinge of hurt. It made her feel a heavy weight inside her chest. Here she was being ungrateful to the one person who helped her without any selfish reasons aside from her family.

But the fact was she wasn't actually trying to be ungrateful. She acknowledged his help and had already resolved to pay back the debt owed. She was just trying to be indifferent to him just like she was with everyone else outside her circle of friends and family. That was her automatic self-defense mechanism.

Didn't Potter understand how he made her feel? Didn't he realize that his mere presence had the capacity to shatter her walls? And only great effort on her part had prevented it to completely fall apart. She was afraid that if she stayed near him she would lose the little ounce of control that she still had on her emotions.

And yet that was the conflicting part. Because no matter how hard she tried to not to admit, it was his presence that filled up the empty void inside her. He was the reason for the warmth that she was feeling right now and all the other times he was close by.

However, the feeling of emptiness was subsiding as time went on. She could feel the intensity ebb away every passing day. Daphne had much better control and the feeling was loneliness wasn't as overwhelming as it used to be. She was sure that with time it will go away completely and any future meetings with potter would not leave her feeling like this.

"You should know that he likes you though. Teddy never mimics someone he doesn't feel comfortable with." Harry said breaking the train of thoughts.

Harry gestured for her to hand over Teddy who, while she was lost in thought, had fallen asleep on her shoulder. There was an angelic look on his face that was just adorable. She was amazed at the delicacy that Potter displayed while taking the sleeping child from her to avoid him waking up. Putting the baby in his cot nearby he turned to her.

"Listen, I understand that you don't like me. That much is clear. I can see that my presence infuriates you. I am cool with it. Sometimes we just don't like people. I get it. I'll try my best that we don't have any unplanned meetings in the future." Harry contemplated on his next words before continuing.

"I have a feeling that you will be, at least in the short term, a constant in Teddy's life therefore, I will discuss with his Grandmother and try to arrange my time with him in such a way that it doesn't overlap with your visits." Harry paused giving a glance towards the sleeping form of Teddy.

"Now that he is asleep, I will be heading out. Goodbye Miss Greengrass." Harry gave a small smile and turned towards the door.

"Potter! Wait! There is something I need to talk to you about." Daphne called after him. With a questioning look from Harry she continued.

"You saved my life. I am in your debt." Daphne stated.

"You don't owe me anything. Remus saved your life and your presence here spending time with Teddy talks volumes of your gratitude." Harry replied with a smile.

"Don't deny the fact that if it weren't for you, Professor Lupin saving my life would've meant nothing. I would have died under that rubble." Daphne replied with resolve and determination in her eyes.

"Regardless. I did not save you to get some kind of payment in return. I free you from your supposed debt." Harry replied turning away once again.

"Wait! Despite of what you think I do not like to be in someone's debt. And unless I repay you for saving my life I will not find peace." Daphne said imploringly.

Harry closed his eyes and cupped the back of his head in his hands. This girl was stubborn as they come. A small part of him slightly understood not wanting to be in someone's debt. But hadn't he just explicitly stated that he had freed her from any debt she assumed she had. Finally coming to a decision he addressed her again with an amused smile on his face.

"Okay. If that is the case then I will ask you for the payment owed." Harry stated.

Daphne tensed up. This was it. What if he asks for something she couldn't give? Gesturing him to go on she gathered all her resolve and commandeered a look of sheer determination on her face.

"As payment to me for saving your life, you need to smile more." He said.

Looking at a look of confusion on her face he continued.

"As I said earlier, it looks good on you. And when you do smile please make sure its genuine otherwise the payment will be incomplete. I trust you not to cheat on the payment. Have a good day Miss Greengrass."

With that he turned and left. Daphne was too shocked to even react. He could've asked for anything and yet he asked for something so trivial. Something that he only asked because it 'supposedly' would look good on her.

Harry Potter had just declared the price of a life, and Daphne could never have thought that it would be as simple as a genuine smile.