A/N: Wrapping it up here. I had plans to drag it out a bit, but, realistically it was filler. Cheap filler involving Delphini, a side character who isn't really relevant to the overall plot of the series. This little fic was me stretching my wings outside of the hardcore romance genre. Which I kinda failed at, as romance is pretty strong in here too. But I enjoyed the idea and I enjoyed typing it out.

Chapter 7

"Privo."

The ring that was laying flat on the small chair suddenly stood upright on its side. In the same breadth it began to spin and glow. At first the light was dim and the spinning was slow, but the both the brightness of the light and the speed of the revolutions intensified quickly.

"Depulso."

The ring was quickly banished into a bubbling cauldron and soon after there was a loud wrenching sound, and...

"Seems that I've been with her all along."

Emily was sitting next to Harry, sipping her coffee. It was a beverage she had only recently began drinking regularly, and she enjoyed it. She preferred it black, of course. Harry had not taken to the drink well and preferred hot chocolate or tea, if he was going to have a hot beverage. Not wanting to make him feel childish, she reigned in her instinctive laugh when he had told her and asked him why hot chocolate held his preference.

"First time I ever had it was at Hogwarts. Guess I'm making up for the times I missed it."

After learning this, she always made certain her borrowed house elf, from the Malfoys, always had one ready for him in the mornings. This morning was no different, but they had ignored their morning ritual in favor of viewing Delphini's memory.

"We did find it hard to believe that you just left us. Honestly, I found it more believable that I was the murderer, before I would believe you abandoned us."

Emily smiled into her drink. "Clearly, you are aware that I love you more than you love me."

Harry smiled back. "Depends on your point of view. Is my love stronger because I chose you, or is yours stronger because there was never any choice at all?"

"Obviously mine is, why even ask the question."

Harry leaned back in his chair, turning his head towards Delphini. His daughter was sitting quietly in the chair in the living room, gently holding the ring up to the sunlight and staring at it. The young girl hadn't said much since they had returned from the memory, and had the majority of her focus on the ring now, knowingly, in her possession.

"I think, that love is all about choice, Emily. For most of us, excluding you, of course, we have to commit to loving someone. We have to parse out whether or not loving them is even possible. And if it is, what we are willing to exchange for it. For you, I had to give up a lot. I had to give up my hatred and anger. It may sound as though it was a good thing when hearing it aloud, and it may have been, but it was difficult. What's more, is I had to accept you for who and what you really are. But the most difficult part, the decision, thankfully, I suppose, was taken out of my hands. In reality, you didn't give me any choice, either."

"Ha, so are you certain that love is still all about choice?"

Harry looked at her face and said, "Everyday I see you, I make the choice to see the best in you. I could choose to see the monster, the Dark Lord, but I choose to see Emily. Its an easy choice, though it wasn't always, and sometimes it still isn't. But I make it nonetheless. So yeah, I do."

Emily sighed, setting down her drink. "Maybe you have a point. I've made choices were you are concerned as well. I chose to win your heart, rather than steal it. I could have put you under a spell, or taken away your will with a potion, but I chose real love. I may have done so for my own selfish reasons, but I did make a choice."

Harry lightly laid his hand on her own. "We've got one more choice to make, and thankfully its another easy one. Lets bring you back."

Emily nodded and got up. Harry began to lead the way to the sitting room, before he heard his wife start to softly laugh. He could tell it was a rather dark laugh too. He didn't even look at her to ask.

"What's tickled you, then?"

"Oh Harry, can you imagine, soon there's going to be three of me running around."

"Ugh, don't even say that."

Gathering the ingredients was simple. The blood of Ginny Weasley was procured quickly enough by a trip to Hogwarts and some subterfuge. Harry transfigured himself into Ron as decently as he could and called out to her in near a secluded corridor. Harry knew his disguise wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny, so he stunned the girl as soon as she rounded the corner. He felt somewhat guilty about removing the single moment from her mind, but consoled himself with the fact that it wasn't tampering on a large scale and he was using a forgetfulness potion. He extracted the blood and revived her, before scurrying off under his invisibility cloak.

Emily went back to the grave of her father for the bones of a relative. As for the flesh of a friend, only Harry qualified. Emily waited a few days until Delphini was finally of age before doing what she strongly didn't want to do. She put him into a deep slumber and did the act cautiously. Every minute of it was nauseating and she was happy when she was done and quick to heal him. She didn't bother waking him until she had the potion ready for the final ingredient. She didn't want him to see the mound of skin and muscle she filleted from his arm. She did it that way so she could heal it quickly with magic, rather than replacing the limb which would have taken a long time. Bones took forever to grow, after all.

When Harry came to, he saw Emily standing over him. "Does your arm hurt anywhere?"

Harry was still very disoriented, but was certain he didn't feel any pain, so he shook his head no.

"Wonderful, everything is ready. Collect your wits and go behind the dining room table."

Harry nodded at her, not really comprehending her words. It wasn't until about a minute later, when he started doing what she asked that he saw their table... turned on its side.

"What are you doing with the table?"

"I've placed an unbreakable charm on it and flipped it to its side. We don't know what kind of reaction the potion will have with the ring, so I felt it best that we remain on the side of caution."

"You think its gonna blow up?"

Emily shrugged, nonchalant. "It's possible."

Harry rolled his eyes before taking his place. As soon as he got close enough he saw Delphini already seated behind it. He gave the girl a small smile, but she didn't return it.

"What's wrong?"

Delphini shrugged. "Mum sent me back here and told me not to look at what she was doing. I didn't listen. It... was really awful."

Harry knew she must've seen what Emily had done to his arm and tried to console her. "Maybe, but I'm right as rain, now. No lasting damage. Nothing to w-"

"Privo."

Emily's vision started to return quickly and she quickly made her way to the figure in front of her, listening to its soft words.

"Adequate work, I suppose. Then again, adequate for us is exceptional for others, so it was a job well done."

Lying on the floor was an older version of Emily Potter. She looked rather similar to the horcrux that was running around. Early thirties or so. She quickly rose to her feet and waited for the current timeline's Emily to speak.

"I take it that I retained some awareness in that locket? Or do you just remember this moment like Harry will?"

"Both are correct."

"Good then. Perhaps, then, you will know if the final thing I am worried about is going to become a problem?"

"I do not. I can't tell the future after all."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I will proceed. If things go awry we'll both know moments after it happens." The older Emily gave a pointed look to the table that Harry and Delphini were just beginning to rise from behind.

"MUM!"

Delphini launched herself at the woman like a silver haired bludger and the impact looked twice as hard. The newly bodied woman didn't even flinch as she enveloped the girl in her arms.

"Excellent work, dear. You've done everything perfectly."

"Of course, I'd never let you down, Mum. Not again."

The older Emily looked at her daughter. "You never have. This was never your fault, Delphini. It was mine. I made the choices that brought your life about in a state of peril. What's more, is that thanks to your time travel, I was fully aware of what I was getting into. And I did it all anyway."

"But Dad said you couldn't change the timeline."

"Your father's understanding of temporal magic is underdeveloped. It can be changed quite easily, though the main events have a way of happening one way or another."

At this, Harry spoke up, "So, all of this, doesn't have to happen?"

The older Emily began to make her way to Harry, gently pushing her daughter to the side, before she was cut off by her current self. Emily glared at herself hard, and the older her stopped.

"Possessive, much?"

"You should already know."

"I do. I just can't really fathom it."

"You should be able to. We should feel the exact same thing, and I don't like that another woman who loves my husband is walking to him, my future self or not."

"I can assure you, what I feel for Harry is much different than what you feel. You'll understand soon. This next year will change you from the person you are into... well, me."

Emily frowned. This was dangerous territory. Her newest self was hinting at the future, something she wanted to know nothing of, lest she enslave herself to it. But it regarded her relationship, and potentially even her love, with and of Harry. The one thing she couldn't survive without.

"You do love him more than anything else on this earth. Correct?

"Of course, that goes without saying."

Emily nodded, "Then keep it all to yourself and get back to your own time. You're ruining my honeymoon."

Older Emily sighed. "How is it that I used to be so irritating?"

"Stop arguing, its weird." This statement was even weirder as both Delphini and her father said it in tandem. Emily wanted to stay annoyed, but she was realizing that time was getting short. She made her way to her daughter.

"Take care, love."

She gave the girl a hug and left the room, wrangling her emotions down in the hallway. While Delphini was going to be her daughter, she wasn't yet, and Emily knew she had to let go now so she could have her later. Perhaps the rest of them knew her struggle, as she was left alone for almost three minutes before Harry joined her.

"They're gone."

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yeah, just like that."

Emily slowly sank to the floor. She was not overcome with grief or loss, but she had the innate feeling that something was missing. She knew what it was, of course, but the feeling didn't subside just because she knew its cause.

Harry's hand came to rest of her shoulder, and she looked up to his face. "I know what your feeling. She should be here. Why isn't she here? We got attached to our daughter quickly, but she'll come along, we already know that. Let's focus on what we need to do before hand."

"A sound plan. Have I ever told you that I love it when you assert yourself?"

"Not that I recall, because we're normally fighting when I have to do it."

Emily smirked, "We never fight Harry. That would imply that you have a chance of being right."

"Wow, your future self was right, how are you so irritating?"

A/N: I'm taking a break to relax a bit after this. Thanks for experiencing this with me. Ciao

A/N UPDATE: So... I thought I posted this a couple months ago, and finished the story... I must've screwed something up in the process. So this is going up with the first chapter of the final book. So... yay. Power is Control hit 900 Favorites a couple days ago. I am really in awe that so many of you enjoyed my story. That, in and of itself, has made the journey worth it. Those of you hitting the sequels with me, we are on the final stretch.