Harry was munching on his food, sitting in Salazar's office. He'd had to pry himself from the naked young woman who had been in his bed. He'd have loved to have had a repeat performance from the flexible ballerina but they both had places to be.

Today was the Minister's Inauguration Ball, and Harry wouldn't be allowed much peace there at all. Plus, he had his own agenda. This all meant that he had to be getting to his training early, particularly because some of it could only be done in the Chamber of Secrets.

As he was thinking about what he had planned on experimenting and endeavouring today, with his fire manipulation, Daphne and Natalia came in. Gryffindor quidditch jersey, altered to have a deeper than what was strictly appropriate v-cut neck, and, from the look of it, just some skimpy underwear underneath. Harry looked at them but wasn't seeing anything but the bottom of the jersey and a whole lot of legs.

"Morning, Harry," Natalia chirped. Daphne didn't give a verbal greeting, deeming her smirk and attire to be more than enough of a good morning.

"Morning. What's all...this?" he asked, gesturing at them with his hand with a lazy up-and-down movement.

"Daphne is going to be attending the ball with you tonight and I thought she might want to spend the day here. There is such a lovely bathroom and all the space she could ever need to use to prepare for tonight."

Harry looked at the girl he had spent the night with and saw the amusement dancing in her eyes. This had been a setup. Harry rolled his eyes and decided to just go with it. He wouldn't be complaining that Daphne had decided to keep him company and tease him while doing so.

"Did either of you eat yet? Dobby would be more than happy to whip something up." He wandlessly levitated another chair over, so both of them had a place to sit.

Natalia shook her head. "I've got to go. Just thought I'd tease you one more time, then get ready to go."

"You came in here just to tease me?" he couldn't completely hide his incredulity.

"I wanted to show you the jersey Daphne had tailored for me. It's a bit snug across the chest, don't you think?" Natalia asked with faux innocence, jutting out her chest to amplify the effect.

Harry just rolled his eyes again. He'd had his hands and mouth all over them, sans clothing, though there was something enticing with cleavage on display without seeing the full breasts, Harry thought.

He stood up and embraced Natalia, who had opened her arms wide for a hug, but, instead of wrapping his arms around her back, his hands went down to her pert arse, grabbing a handful and giving it a squeeze.

"I'll walk you out," Harry said after letting go of Natalia. "You need to get changed first?"

The ballerina flicked out her wand and summoned a bag that must have been just outside the door. She reached into it then slipped on some pants and a sweater.

"And you're staying here today?" he asked Daphne, the girl who had told him she was going to meet him at the ball.

She gave him a firm nod but said nothing else in reply. Harry took Natalia out and dropped her off back at the studio, promising to pick her up on Sunday as well. The whole trip lasted no more than twenty minutes, before Harry arrived back in the Chamber. He poked his head in to see Daphne quietly studying but he didn't join her.

Ever since his discussion with McGonagall, he had an itch in his mind that just would not go away, and he wanted to test it out. He quickly got changed into his training clothes and then called for Cuddles to join him in the large chamber.

Harry was just about to begin when he heard footsteps and turned to see Daphne was coming out to join him.

"Doing wand work out here today?" she asked in lieu of greeting him again this morning. Harry's eyes dipped down her body as he noticed she hadn't gotten changed, nor put on more clothes.

"Yeah, I wanted more space." Plus, a smaller enclosed space might get quite hot, he thought but didn't disclose it.

"What are you working on?"

Harry scratched the back of his head, his face scrunching as he did so. "I was working the other day with McGonagall, while Fleur worked with Flitwick, and she said something that kind of bothered me."

Daphne arched her eyebrow as she stopped walking, coming to stand close enough to converse, but far enough behind him that she wouldn't interfere with his training.

"She'd said that the dragon reserves only check the integrity of the dragon wards, but don't have to constantly re-apply them; I have to regularly update my fireproof charms and wards as Cuddles' fire burns through them."

"Leading you to assume you are either not setting your protections correctly, or something is different about her fire," Daphne completed his line of thinking. Her narrowed eyes shifted from side to side, though they were unfocused as they moved.

Harry hummed in agreement, and both teens' attention were drawn to Cuddles as she flew into the main part, something clenched in her jaws. As she flew closer, Harry smiled grimly.

"She's not going to eat that, is she?" Daphne asked, disgusted by the idea of it, as Cuddles landed in front of Harry and preened at her accomplishment.

Harry glanced back at her and smirked. He knew the fire spewing from Cuddles' mouth was to cook her dinner.

"At first I was a bit revulsed...but then I pictured it as Cuddles devouring the coward," he snarled the word, "who betrayed my parents." Every time since then, he had no issues imagining Pettigrew being shredded by Cuddles' sharp teeth and charred by her fire. The smell had even begun to be appealing to him, smelling of vengeance and justice.

Daphne scrunched her nose and let out a huff. Harry didn't pay her any mind. It was time to start his experiments. With a mental command, Harry had Cuddles shoot out a torrent of flames out toward the main part of the chamber.

Harry had already snapped his wand into his hand and was concentrating deeply on his task. Much like with his previous attempts with McGonagall yesterday, a yellowy-orange minotaur, born of flames, stood before them.

"A minotaur, really?"

Harry just grinned in reply.

"You're such a boy," she tutted, rolling her eyes.

"Do you know the fireproofing charm?" Harry asked as he conjured a test dummy.

Harry looked over and was pleased to see Daphne brandishing her wand and casting, though she didn't do it silently.

Harry nodded and had his animated minotaur turn, and hefted its large axe up over its head. With one large step, Harry's creation brought the white-tipped fiery axe down upon the shoulder with such force that was sure to bisect it.

Harry watched, with great interest, as the axe was stalled, for just a second, similarly as to when releasing an object, it appeared that gravity took a second before grabbing hold, and started its descent. Just as the falling object, the axe, pushed through the fireproof charm and sliced the mannequin in half, from right shoulder to left thigh.

Harry's green eyes flitted back over to Daphne and he saw she was looking at her wand. "Something wrong with your charm?" he asked, his voice smugly casual.

Daphne swiftly turned to him and gave him a withering glare. "Nothing was wrong with my wand work."

"Let's try again, this time I'll add mine to yours."

The mannequin was brought back to its previous condition, and they prepped it with their spells. This time, the bull-headed creature went to cut off its head but the result was much the same. For a fraction of a second, the two spells held before giving way to the flames, chopping off its head and setting it ablaze.

"That...shouldn't be...possible," Daphne said with a mix of disbelief and certainty.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The day had flown by, and Harry was glad Daphne had spent the day with him. She'd had some unique insights that he might not have come to, on his own. With so much progress being made it was nearly time for it to begin. Though she had gone to get ready well before him, he was waiting for Daphne.

This wasn't a night he was looking forward to. Politicking and socializing with people he didn't care to get to know, right now, wasn't appealing. Yet, he found himself still looking forward to walking in arm-in-arm with Daphne Greengrass, quite possibly the most beautiful girl her age.

Natalia was a drop-dead gorgeous girl, and he was kind of already married to a part-veela. While he still could appreciate how exquisite Daphne would look tonight, he felt some apprehension that the effects of beautiful women were becoming muted on him.

As he sat waiting for his date for the evening to come down, he thought back over the tests. Cuddles' fire wasn't ordinary dragon fire. It was plain to see. Daphne had even put on more clothes and had taken out a couple of books on dragons from the library, for reference.

None of them indicated having magical fire that would eat through flame retardant spells and wards, especially nothing that cut through them nearly as if they weren't there. Daphne had him create a fiery hamster and had it gnaw at the mannequin, citing that it may be the force of the blow that was disturbing the protection from fire, not the fire itself. But when that little devil of a hamster chewed right through the ankle of poor Marty, the Mannequin, it had shown it was, without a doubt, the flames themselves.

After hours of extensive testing, it had been time for Daphne to head off and get ready. What she did for hours in Slytherin's extravagant bathroom, he had no idea. At least Harry had been productive, working on what McGonagall had taught him about Elemental Transfiguration and incorporating it to work with Cuddle's flames.

The best part about the discovery was what it could mean to his plan. Originally, he had thought he'd need quite a bit of support, but that may simply not be the case now. Harry had planned to see how many competent wands Ivan could scrounge up but that aspect of the plan had always worried him greatly.

But all of these thoughts were driven out of his mind as soon as Daphne walked in. The girl was stunning in her evening gown, black with silver accents, that was formal enough for the party and yet, didn't expose skin unnecessarily. Instead, it hugged her body, something witches' robes generally failed to do.

"You look beautiful, Daphne," Harry said, as he stood up, stating how he genuinely saw her.

"Thanks," she murmured a little red tinge coming to her cheeks.

"Ready to go then?" Harry asked, offering an arm to her.

She took his arm and the two of them went through the floo. Within a couple of minutes, they were checked in and making their way to their table for the evening. Harry and Daphne were seated with Susan and Hannah, at the Minister's table, along with Rufus Scrimgeour and Stacey Parent. Rufus had stepped into the position of Deputy Minister while Miss Parent had taken the reins of the DMLE.

Dinner passed quickly, nothing of consequence happened, only polite conversation. It wasn't the right time for anything of substance to happen. Though, the polite and easy conversation was more enjoyable than Harry had expected his entire evening to go.

Daphne stood up as the music began, and looked at Harry expectantly. Harry took a sip of his water and then rose from his seat. "Care for a dance, Daphne?" The Greengrass heiress took the offered hand, and Harry led them onto the dance floor.

As they fluidly moved through the proper dance steps together Daphne spoke, "For your first major political dinner, you are doing well. I'm impressed."

Harry completed the side spin he put Daphne in, and then put his hand on her back as they continued moving to the music. "You've informed me well, Horace too. Act cheery and be polite through dinner. Dance with my date, and be ready for the politicking to begin."

Daphne leaned into him as they danced and let out a contented sigh. "Were you already going to be seated with your friends at the Minister's table, or was it decided after you confirmed me as your date to them?"

If Daphne was surprised by the question, she didn't show it, her face, just a few inches from his, had a charming smile, her bright eyes shining, letting anyone observing them think as though she was having the time of her life dancing with Harry Potter. Daphne could play her part well.

"I wouldn't have sat there if you hadn't been my date. Auntie Amelia needed to put on a show of power. She's got the whole hierarchy of the DMLE in her back pocket, she's, apparently, on good terms with Harry Potter, and her niece is good friends with two important neutrals. And this is all without showboating any of the political blocs that put her there from the Wizengamot."

Harry let that stew in his mind and compared it with what Horace had told him, allowing a few bars of music to play, as he considered her words. "Should I be expecting her to be asking for a dance with me shortly, then?"

Daphne gave a soft laugh, making it sound more like he had made a funny comment then, and having the time of her life with him as their conjoined bodies failed to miss a step. "No, when we take a break, I'm sure you'll have a chat with her."

Harry acknowledged her words and then just focused on enjoying the quiet part of the evening. Dancing with a beautiful girl in his arms, enjoying the nice music, and not having to deal with anything. The stupid part of his brain was thoroughly enjoying his evening with Daphne. She was pretty much everything you could hope for in a partner. If she could have more than one kid, Harry had no doubts Horace would have pushed for her, heavily.

Harry dipped his neck back, allowing him to get a better look at Daphne, giving his eyes and thoughts a chance to align, but her eyes were urging him to look in a direction. Thoroughly distracted from his previous plan, Harry followed her eyes and saw Cyrus and Mrs Malfoy dancing towards them.

"Father had said she'd be wanting to speak with you." she said.

Harry already knew that, based on her last blatantly tormenting words to her, oh so sadly, late husband. Harry sighed and knew his short reprieve wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. He steeled himself for the end of the carefree part of his night.

Having already previously greeted each other this evening, the four courteously switched partners. They had been dancing for less than a minute when Narcissa started their conversation, "I'd heard tales, holiday after holiday, about how talentless Harry Potter was. Draco and Severus were adamant there was nothing between your ears. Yet, all I've heard and seen of you, this year, after escaping Dumbledore's shadow, was effusive praise from the likes of which one could not help but take note of."

Harry kept his face blank, he was already having enough trouble with the awkwardness. He had been able to look at Narcissa but his first real interaction, after the wanton display to an unknown and hidden Harry, would've been better if it didn't involve close body contact and being able to feel her breath on his neck.

"Horace, Griselda, and Amelia all lavish you with praise; a stark contrast to what I had previously heard and...well...I thought it best to see you first-hand. I can't be on unfamiliar terms with the Regent of the House I was born and raised in, now can I?"

"And now that you've spoken with Cyrus and done some observing, have you come to any conclusion?" he asked.

Narcissa hummed and for a moment, Harry thought she was going to avoid answering.

"I'd thought Cyrus was running the negotiations. Now though, I'm not so sure," she dipped away from him, her eyes keenly focused on his own. "Cyrus has always been so pragmatic and conservative. Horace too. Yet their recent manoeuvres have had an aggressiveness to them, one I'm starting to understand."

Harry kept dancing and wondered if the song would end and relieve him of having this conversation.

"Have you ever heard of how to solve a problem that seems to have no answers or leads?"

"Can't say that I have."

The smile that came to her face made him slightly unnerved. "You look for who it benefits the most."

"Interesting theory," Harry gave a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"It is, isn't it? Just imagine knowing there is a burgeoning political bloc being put together and then the incumbent de facto political leadership is decimated by said bloc. The Minister sent off in disgrace and the man that had his ear, for everything, just died on his own, before he could retaliate."

"LIke I said, an interesting theory."

"I want my house and a good pile of gold. Cyrus can get all his terms for working with you, not against you, supplying information, and the business demands he has. I'm aware the Malfoy fortunes are taking a large hit but I want my liquid capital and my house."

"Cyrus already told you that term was non-negotiable."

"You wouldn't want me going and have a little chat with Madam Bones or Mr. Scrimgeour, now would we?" Her thin smile sent a chill down Harry's spine.

"I expect to have one myself; feel free to have one too, the house is non-negotiable. Speak with Cyrus further, he handles all this for House Black." Cyrus had clear directions, directions that had been made in conjunction with his own opinions, and the rest of Harry and his advisors' as well.

The song was ending, and Harry saw Daphne was being led back over to him, he'd be happy to dance with his date again. Narcissa was an excellent, elegant dancer but the company was less pleasant than enticing. The woman mere inches from him was a snake in the grass. She had nothing and was only trying to rattle him.

"Thanks for the dance," Harry said as he switched back to Daphne.

"Oh, and Harry, Horace had the better of it," Narcissa threw the comment over her shoulder and then turned her head back around and went off dancing with Cryus.

"That went well?"

Harry let out a deep breath, "I think so."

"Why don't we head off the dance floor after this one, we'll have a good opportunity to speak with our new Minister of Magic."

"Then the others?"

"Yes, after the Minister and her confidants."

Harry nodded, as much as this 'date' was one, the entire night was dominated by politics. Horace has been working overtime and setting up things for this night.

It wasn't long after that Harry had found himself arm-in-arm with Daphne and engaged in conversation by the new Minister of Magic.

"I'd like to thank you for your support," Amelia began, after them both exchanging pleasantries.

"And I'd like to thank you for not having a corrupt Minister."

Yes," the auburn-haired replied, smiling, her lips pressed in a thin line, "and I note you never followed through on the second requested meeting."

Harry heard the words and his mind worked furiously to recall what she had meant.

"Harry has just been busy, auntie," Daphne said from his side. "Besides, when you told daddy about it, we made sure you'd have a chance to chat now."

Both of Amelia's eyebrows raised and she let a soft huff of air out her nose. "You weren't lying when you said only your owl would find you," she said, shifting her eyes back to Harry.

"No, I wasn't. I stay in a highly secure place and am only accessible by a select few individuals." Harry doubted the shrewd woman would miss his significant glance at his date, nor the way she preened at his look.

"Well, I'll get right to the heart of the matter then but, first, Daphne, this stays between the three of us. Am I clear?" The final three words had been punctuated and the woman's eyes had hardened.

"Yes, auntie. Unless given permission, I won't utter the words to a soul beyond yourself and Harry."

Harry just waited and figured this was going to be about, though if it wasn't about his previous revelation of Tom Riddle's anagrammed name, he was going to be surprised. A few twirls of her wand later and Harry felt the privacy charms come into effect.

"Barty Crouch Junior survived long enough to be interrogated about any and all information that he might have had that had any value. It wasn't until his worth was extinguished that he was disposed of."

Harry took a second to let his mind dwell on that revelation. "Too many captured Death Eaters in the last war died, went missing or got off in the last war?" Cyrus and Horace had been educating him on what had actually happened in the last war.

Madame Bones gave a stiff nod. "What we now know is something I expect you've known all along, Mr Potter."

"That Riddle is coming back and the events of this year were orchestrated by him?" Harry said, and he could feel Daphne tighten her grip on him.

"You were put into the tournament, Harry, so they could capture you in the Third Task. Crouch Jr was to aid you into completing the tournament, and take whatever measures were necessary to ensure you won, and the cup was a portkey to him."

Harry had a hard time to keep from grinning. It was far more sensible to just capture him but Voldemort liked to be dramatic. Capturing the Boy-Who-Lived directly from the tournament that had the eyes of the entire Wizarding World on it, would grow his legend and make him even more feared.

"We know he is alive, and that you thwarted his first attempt at coming back in your first year."

Harry nodded, it wasn't something he'd discussed with them, but it was something they would have wanted to have been informed of.

"Where we will need to have further discussions is on how he is still around."

Harry took a moment to think about his reply. He obviously knew but wasn't about to just blurt that out, nor was he certain he wanted to reveal the information at all. The more it was spread around, the greater the chance of discovery. There were mistakes he could blame Dumbledore for but keeping the idea of horcruxes a secret just wasn't one of them.

"Headmaster Dumbledore would be your better bet for how. I just know that he is around and plotting something."

Amelia raised her eyebrow. "Plotting something?"

Harry dipped his chin, this was an opportunity he couldn't have baited any better than if he'd spent years devising it. "Yes, I can't reveal my source," he gave a pained smile as if it bothered him he couldn't reveal his source, "but the World Cup was just the opening salvo, with my Triwizard entry being the follow-up and precursor to the major events to come."

"Major events?" she made him clarify the plurality.

"Events," he replied, stressing the last consonant.

"Right. Follow me, please." She turned and indicated to her subordinates to come as well. She quickly led them out of the main area and off to a side room that looked as though it had been specifically set up for private meetings tonight.

Scrimgeour and Parent had joined them, and Daphne had stayed on Harry's arm.

"To bring you two up to speed, Harry has said he is not aware of how You-Know-Who is still around. However, he has intel to suggest there are major events, plural, coming."

With her words spoken, the new Head of the DMLE and Head Auror snapped their attention to him. "Yes, it's vague...but, the understanding I've been told is that there was a major thing planned before the Third Task. His capturing me would be the cherry on top, so to speak."

"And you have a source that you aren't willing to share, telling you this?" Scrimgeour growled, though Harry suspected that was more toward the revelation than him keeping secrets.

"I'm sure if Harry knew anything more, he'd be forthright with it," Daphne interjected with a calm, cool voice as she gave Harry's arms a squeeze.

Madame Bones took the monocle out of her eye and wiped it off. "I'm being entirely upfront with you, Harry. The three of us are the only ones at the Ministry who are aware Crouch Jr. lived longer than we'd said. Bringing you two in is a fair risk, to us."

Harry glanced at the other two senior members and saw they were in full agreement.

"Daphne, you are like family, to me, and your family has been a close ally of ours for years. And, Harry, you are caught up in the middle of this, and I want you to be informed, prepared, and to understand we are supporting you. All of us have lost friends and family to You-Know-Who and his forces. We won't take their return lightly."

"I...appreciate it, Minister."

"We've been following all leads on Tom Riddle," Stacy Parent began, turning the direction of the conversation back to their common foe. "We've found birth records, his time in an orphanage, Hogwarts records, and anything after it we'd been able to. Rufus and I are the only ones involved. Amelia is kept apprised, and Albus Dumbledore has already followed most of them, we've come to discover."

Harry sighed, of course the headmaster had. He and his advisors were going to have a conversation with that man. Dumbledore wouldn't know about their progress with horcruxes, and neither did they know about his.

"Are you planning on confronting the Headmaster about it?"

"No," Stacy answered Harry's question, "we will at some point; but we will continue our investigations and preparations first."

"Besides, Albus will start his vigilante group up again, and he'll recruit some of my aurors," Scrimgeour said.

"Keep us informed, and we'll do what we can to keep you apprised as well."

"I will...and thanks," Harry replied.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It felt great to kick off his shoes and get changed into an undershirt and shorts. Sinking back into the incredibly comfortable armchair in front of the fire was a perfect relaxing finish to his day.

Harry leaned his head back into the cushions and shut his eyes. He stayed that way until Daphne entered the room.

"Can you make a space for one more?"

Harry opened his eyes and used his wand to transfigure the armchair into a mix between a two and three-person sofa. Harry positioned himself in the corner, allowing his legs to stretch out and be at an even angle between watching the fire and Daphne.

"Thanks for tonight, Daphne. It may not have seemed much, but I appreciated you helping to smooth things over, your political acumen was astounding and, of course, you were the most beautiful date in attendance."

"Thanks, Harry. For your first political soiree, you did well, better than expected, I'd say."

Harry let out a tired sigh and let his eyelids droop as he did so. "It went well, especially with the Minister." Harry couldn't believe that stroke of luck. Bones had her most trusted looking into Voldemort still being around, and he'd planted a seed that would sprout into a huge boon for his plans.

"Auntie likes you, she's told Susan as much. The Bones and Potter families have been on good terms for centuries, without being close allies, and having your support, alongside with many of the neutrals, the Diggory's, and many of the moderates will bode well for her."

Horace had gone over his plan for their political positioning, and a Bones-led ministry was going to be highly beneficial for the bloc he was building out, it included many of her closest allies.

Harry let the conversation lapse. He was mentally fatigued and happy to just relax.

There was one niggling thought he couldn't force to stay out of his head. Daphne, the girl who had teased him with her selection of clothing and now, after their first big date, just comes in with conservative and comfortable clothes she'd be as likely to work out in as she would wearing them to stay warm on a cold night.

It bothered him and he cracked his eyes open. "What's going on with us, Daphne? If tonight was evidence of anything, we work well together. I find you attractive and politically we are a match…"

Daphne shifted and leaned forward, her legs crisscrossing underneath her. "I like you and think we can work well. I'd rather fulfil the contract than leave it to my child, grandchild or whomever next fits it. Things are good between us now, and I can make it work with Fleur and Natalia, if that contract goes through too."

"Is 'making it work' enough though? I have a hard time with the idea of being with you because it's 'convenient to fulfil a contract'."

"Harry, very few wizarding elites marry for love. The fact that we actually like each other sets us up far better than most get." She placed her hand just above his knee and gave him a gentle squeeze.

With a frown, Harry released a breath. Slughorn had been discussing it. He wasn't forcing Harry at all. It was just that two out-of-England marriages sent the wrong message. He needed to solidify and connect himself politically. It is not that he wouldn't be politically strong here, but tying himself to a local powerbase for a bloc, through matrimony, would set him up better.

"Are you not trying to entice me, physically, anymore?"

Daphne gave him a look he was unable to place. "Can I sit with you, I'll explain then."

Harry shrugged and went to move his legs but Daphne's hands were on both of his. "Let me lean against your chest?"

Harry nodded and Daphne moved, head back resting on his chest, her hips between his thighs and her legs stretched out with his. He wasn't sure where to put his hands but Daphne grabbed them and wrapped them around her middle.

She leaned her head back into him and then answered, "I tried that. I thought looks and showing some skin would get you interested in me. But, that didn't work. I...think, you appreciate a woman's beauty, but it's not the driving factor for you. Natalia told me she just wore like sweats around you, and you thought she was beautiful. Fleur was in her uniform and not flashing skin at you…"

"So you've given up on that idea?"

Daphne's shoulders pushed into him and then relaxed. "It wasn't working and it doesn't help the self-confidence to show off and not get the expected results."

"Makes sense. If it's any consolation, you were alluring. I just can't base things off looks, there's so much more to it than that."

"It's just how it was in Slytherin. Guys lusted after beauty."

"Yeah, you hear it in the Gryff dorms too."

Daphne shifted her hips, rolling so she was slightly leaning to the left, "I think we can work, Harry. I'd rather deal with this and be with you. I can play politics, Natalia can dance and Fleur…"

"Fleur?" Harry questioned.

"Natalia is going to be gone, a lot. Touring, practising, and be exhaustingly busy. She'll love it and get time with you here and there. Many married couples don't sleep in the same room, they don't even get physically involved beyond creating heirs. I won't want it to be that cold, but I don't expect you in my bed every night, or drowning me in affection and attention."

"That doesn't answer on Fleur though."

Daphne let out a breath and shifted her hair to flow down her right shoulder. "Fleur won't be like that. She wants you, just you. Fleur'll want to be in your bed every night. She'll want to spend her days with you, and be your partner in everything. A lot of the managing of the relationship will be about having Fleur relinquish time with you."

Harry took in those words, he could tell Daphne was being careful in how she approached this. Even the physical closeness was probably part of the tactic for bringing it up.

"You'd be fine having your own room and me sharing one with Fleur, so long as you had me to yourself from time to time?"

Daphne giggled. "I've never been with a guy before. I only know what I've seen in other relationships. If we all communicate well and want it to work, it can work; that is, if you plan to include me."

Harry squeezed Daphne around the middle and dropped his chin on top of her head. "I'm leaning towards it; I think I'll need you."

Horace had pointed it out. He needed connections locally and cementing Cyrus to him was paramount. With connections to the new Minister and a whole political bloc being created, he would set himself up well. Daphne wouldn't be a chore to be married to, not by any stretch of the imagination. It felt like a business arrangement that could work out well.

Besides, having three politically astute wives, and one of which wanted to make a career of it, could only be a good thing.

"You know I'm getting close to completing the ritual set."

"I know. I'd love to do the power-sharing one, but I'm not sure if it will affect my issue."

Harry nodded, plus she had the locket, Daphne didn't need parseltongue, though it would be quite a boon.

"Natalia and one more, or just two to go."

"Does that make you nervous?" Daphne asked, her body twisting so her back was being pushed more into the sofa than Harry.

"It's...not the rituals that worry me. It's the test, or whatever is coming. None who have trodden this path before me have been worthy."

"Not even Tom Riddle, the prodigious Head Boy, a wizard that became powerful enough to take on Albus Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic."

Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes, "I think it'll happen at forty-nine rituals, the test. If I fail and couldn't do forty-nine…"

"Your magic would destabilize or you'd do a ritual hoping to balance it but, more than likely, you'd be a squib or dead within a couple of years."

Harry took a deep breath in, opened his eyes, then exhaled, letting his worries and anxiousness out with the carbon dioxide. "My path is set, I move forward or I get that anyways... You'll be here for 49?"

"Definitely," she leaned her head towards him and pecked his cheek. "Is it going to be just me or are you going to have Fleur and Natalia too?" She moved her head back and rested it on his shoulder, her lips tantalizingly close to his neck.

"You and maybe the others. I've not thought about it yet. Though Fleur will be down here a lot more. She has access anytime and some of the books have some tutelage for her."

Harry could practically hear her frown. This was the place where she had almost sole access to him. In some ways, he would miss how it was just the two of them studying down here, but getting Fleur some parseltongue learning was important. She was going to be the wand that had his back.

"I'm going to turn in but I haven't read the journal entry yet. I'm going to do that now then head to bed, morning training starts early." Harry shifted so he could get his trapped leg out.

"That's how you're going to end the date night?" Daphne asked with a pout.

Harry shrugged. "I won't be able to stop thinking about it. I need to read it carefully and see if there is a clue for 49. You can stay as long as you like down here, you know that."

Daphne scowled but waved him off and Harry went to the book on his desk. Normally, he'd read these right away in the morning but he hadn't today. It had been on his mind all day, and he hadn't wanted to read it and then find out something about a possible worthiness test. He'd not be able to concentrate at the ball if that was the case.

As you've read, over and over, protecting your loved ones is the loftiest goal you can achieve. Live well, love well, and protect those that you do. Whether that protection is raising good children with strong morals and skilled wands, whether that is physically or magically protecting them from those that would do them harm, or whether that is by doing preemptive strikes to ensure your enemy can never raise a wand in malice against them matters not.

Protecting your family must be the primary goal.

Morals come after, your honour comes after it. There shouldn't be anything you can do, short of destroying yourself that you shouldn't do to protect them. There will be times where you will have to make ugly decisions, decisions between two brutal choices, and you'll have to take the most ghastly one to effectively protect your family.

If the muggles come trying to burn the heathen witchcraft-practising family, you need to be ready to burn them all. You'll have to stomach killing and ripping apart families just to protect your own. When they burn the crops, raze the barns, and come to the house with makeshift weapons, you are already a failure. You have allowed your family to be endangered.

Instead, you should have already slaughtered those who would rally others to harm, maim, kill, and rape your family. Believe me, when the mob is acting, no crime is too heinous. They will rape your wives, your daughters and, if you are particularly unlucky, yourself and your sons. Families show up at Hogwarts, and these truthful tales come out, eventually anyways.

You must learn of your enemies, you must predict their plans, expect their actions, and thwart them. Poison their food, slit their throat while they sleep. There is not an action too despicable to take to protect yourself and your family from those animals.

Now, you may be reading this and think that my earlier discussion on morals and being a person of high character conflicts with it. But let me ask you. What is character when your wife was violated, raped, and killed because you stayed your hand?

What value is your honour when your son is hewn in the field, your daughter's body is mangled so badly that you cannot even recognize your own kin?

This world is full of degenerates. There are scum that will stoop to the lowest level just to spite you. The man you unintentionally insulted festers the wound because he's upset that he is inadequate. He dwells upon it and stews in his anger. Only after his irrational brain comes up with the notion of taking something from you so you learn your lesson does he have the gall to act. The coward that he is, he awaits the moment you are away, that you are distracted, unavailable or when you have let your guard down. Only then, when you are vulnerable, does he strike, but not at you. No, the yellow-bellied son of a whore strikes at those who are innocent, pure, and deserve no harm to come to them. He goes for your wife, your children, your nieces, your nephews, your parents.

I've seen it. I've lived through it. There are countless that have attended our sanctuary of a school that relive it in harrowing dreams, on a nightly basis.

The reality of the world is that there are those that will do whatever is necessary, no matter how contemptible, reprehensible or revolting it is, so long as they get to strike back at you, they are content.

It is those men and women you need to worry about. It is them that you need to protect your family against.

You must learn that honour, morals and character are necessary unless it comes to the protection of all that you hold dear. When your honour costs you a niece, you will learn how bitter it is. When your morals cost you a daughter, you will taste how bitter honour can be, and when you lose a wife to your character, you will then understand just how loathsome you can become to take vengeance.

But, let me warn you, my heir. Vengeance cannot fill the hole of a lost loved one. Vengeance takes that hole and expands it. It is never enough to torture and murder those responsible. Only the return of them is acceptable - a magical impossibility.

Listen to me, my heir. Heed my words. Protect your family, do whatever vile thing you must to do to keep them out of harm's way. Whether it be muggle, magical or creature, protect your loved ones. Too many learn this lesson through practical experience; heed my words, learn it now, and the unbearable pain might just be avoided.

Protect your family, always. There is no higher calling.

Harry snapped the book shut. What was this leading towards?

That the process by which he protects his love ones was irrelevant, that it is the results that matter? There were times in wizarding history where entire family lines were wiped out, babies included. Could he do something like that?

He'd already had a mentally fatiguing day, and now he had to deal with this?

His mental capacity had been reached and his thoughts turned to mush. Perhaps his dreams could be more pleasant.

With that in mind, he pushed himself out from the desk and stood up. He let out a sigh. It would sure be nice to have Fleur or Natalia in his bed tonight. Not even for sex or anything. Just someone to grab, hold onto and be there when he fell asleep, and when he woke up.

It wasn't something he'd had a lot of experience with in his life.

Harry pulled his shirt over his head as he entered the bedroom and he let it fall on the ground as he used his thumbs to run down his hips and start to pull down his pants.

"And here I thought I'd put on a little show for you," Daphne's voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. His eyes snapped to where it came from and they saw Daphne seated in a chair, beside the bed, one leg crossed over another, with a robe on.

Harry's thumbs paused on his hips.

Daphne stood up, her long legs coming out of the robe, showing bare skin. "Are you going to drop those or do you want me to reciprocate first?"

Harry's hands came off the top of his pants. "No teasing, Daphne, no games."

"I'm not," Daphne frowned, "I won't go all the way but we can do some of the stuff you did with Natalia...or other things."

"When I said I thought we'd end up together; I hadn't expected it to be tonight."

Daphne sat beside him on the bed, their legs touching, "Harry, you knew I wanted to be your first so it shouldn't be a leap to think I want to be you third."

Harry went and sat down on the end of the bed. "There were things I wanted to sort out before talking contract."

She rolled her eyes. "Father and Slughorn, along with Delacour, already have an agreement in principle for altering the previous contract."

"Fine then. Will you admit that it was your family that removed Hermione from Hogwarts and have her in America, with her family, and refusing to contact me?" Harry's green eyes bored into her.

Daphne's chin began to dip before her eyes hardened and she jutted it out. "A war is coming, and no family facilitated more half-blood and muggleborn families than ours in the last one. Given her closeness to you, her family would have been targeted and killed."

"Right, that was the only solution," Harry replied, his voice full of sarcasm.

"It wasn't," Daphne admitted. "We wanted her out of the way so I could get close to you. We wanted you to get the Black family instead of the Malfoys. Hermione might have stood in the way and, instead of just removing her, we improved her life. She lives with her family, she's getting a great education, one where blood status isn't even a discussion point."

Harry relaxed his clenched hands. From all the reports he had, Hermione had new friends, she was close to her parents and she was away from all of this craziness. As great and smart as she was, Hermione couldn't keep up with Fleur magically. She didn't have the upbringing or connections Natalia did, nor was she so well connected and politically trained, like Daphne.

Hermione was better off in America.

The thought hit him like a sack of bricks. She could flourish there, there would be no trolls, no basilisk and no re-emerging dark lord to stand against.

"Does that answer your question then, or do you have more?"

"No, nothing more at the moment."

"Then, did you want to undress me? I'm the only girl down here not getting any action."

"Just like that then?" This business transaction type straightforwardness was strange. There had been no snogging sessions, no build-up. Just 'take clothes off and hop into bed together'.

Daphne stood up, took a step out from the bed and turned on her heel. In the same motion she dropped her robe and revealed she had nothing but undergarments on. She smirked down at him. "How bout you take care of the bottoms, I"ll sort out the top."

Harry complied without thought, his thumbs slid along her hips, between them and her knickers, and he slowly pulled them down. As they came off a curious sight caught his attention.

"Blonde?" Harry reached forward and touched the little blonde hairs.

"That's what you are going to focus on, not just below them or these?" She cupped her breasts with her hands.

That got Harry's attention and he reached with his hands to touch them but Daphne jumped into bed. "Join me, Harry?" she asked, sultrily.

"Sure thing, Goldilocks."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

AN:

It came out on discord that my username and Taliesin19's are pretty similar. Add an i to Salient and it's a perfect anagram of Taliesin. So, obviously, given Taliesin19's fic features Harry x OC and my fic has a prominent OC love interest, we're the same person on two different accounts. Given that our secret was blown, we released the fic we had been working on: Harry & Gabby - A Fanfic. It's under the username SalTalStudios. ~17k words, and I quite like it. Give it a read if you'd like- it's in my fav's list if that's easier for people to find it.

Thanks for reading the chapter update, reviewing, fav'ing and following!

Feel free to join the Discord server from the link in my profile.

And, as always, thanks to Nauze & Triage for betaing the chapter!