Chapter 89 - Meeting the in-laws pt. 1

***** Regular Chapter ***** A/N: I Was editing this over yesterday, and decided I didn't like it. So I re-wrote it last night/today after work. This counts as yesterdays chapters btw..... 2nd chapter for today to come later after im done editing... *****

"And from what I have researched in our family archives, it seems like its been in our family for only the last 100 years." Daphne continued her explanation of all the known details about her family's blood curse.

'That makers sense. The Greengrass family has been Established in England for nearly as long as the Khan family, and I don't remember hearing anything about 'blood curses' previously.' Khan thought to himself, as he sipped on his butterbeer. 'So it happened some time after I went into my coma looks like...'

Jordan and Daphne had spent the next bit of time discussing her family's blood curse not to mention all the relevant details that she had uncovered during her years of research.

And needless to say, Daphne had done a LOT of research.

Being Hermione's academic rival, she was very intelligent, Jordan later learning that she had naturally done a lot of research once she had learned about her family's curse.

'In fact, she's very similar to Sebastian in that regard.' Khan had thought to himself at the time, remembering his own best friend's obsession with trying to cure his sister.

Truthfully however, Daphne hadn't been able to find much NEW research on her own. All the research that she had currently relayed to Khan was simply an accumulation of her family's own research into the curse.

And with the curse being in her family for the last 100 years, there were at least 3 generations of Greengrass's that were affected by said curse, all of them adding their own research to the slowly growing pile of information that Daphne was currently working off of.

It was so much in fact, that they had decided to move locations from his shop, to the Three Broomsticks so they could at the very least, discuss the details surrounding the curse over a few snacks and some butterbeers.

"And it shows up in every generation?"

"Well.... not EVERY generation." Daphne explained. "My father was an only child, and with him not receiving the curse, it technically skipped his generation."

"And When I was also born without the curse, my parents had believed that it finally had worn off, and stopped affecting our family." She continued. "But when Astoria was born a year later, they were quickly proven wrong...."

"But how is it that Astoria is still able to attend school, with at least two of the researched symptoms already showing up?"

"Thankfully, they are both still manageable enough that she can still attend school. Her bouts of pain have only started recently, and are still rare enough that they only occur a few times a year. Not to mention, Astoria is not yet showing any signs of the other symptoms that have been recorded in our family records. " Although she answered Khan calmly, Daphne's furrowed forehead gave away her current worries.

"It is her other symptom, her growing up extremely frail, that has me more worried, truth be told. It has been the main symptom of the curse that has afflicting Astoria the longest, and although Professor Snape has been able to at least treat the worst of her fragility symptoms for now, brewing a unique strengthening potion to empower her constitution, allowing for her to currently attend classes, I am afraid that if it gets any worse, she will have to drop out of school."

Khan nodded in agreement, remembering the little girl he had seen Daphne dancing with at the Yule Ball.

While he had, at the time, successfully guessed that she was indeed Daphne's little sister, with her stature and appearance, Jordan believed that her sister was still a first year and had just recently entered school.

How wrong he was.....

Turns out Astoria was actually a third year! She was Thirteen, and if not for her frail condition, she would be here at Hogsmeade as well! He couldn't believe it!

Comparing Astoria to Luna or Ginny, who were also in their third year, was like comparing a little girl to a young lady for goodness sake!

And its not like they were the most 'developed' third years either, with a few other witches built similarly to Hannah Abbot, in the third year.... particularly in the chest department.

And that was with Snape brewing her some 'strengthening constitution potion'.

Although Jordan did not get along with Snape, with his mother being a potions master during his childhood, and Jordan himself being a budding one with his own skills in potions, Khan could definitely appreciate Snape's own mastery over the subject.

So he could only image how much 'frailer' she would appear, if Snape had not been such a skilled potions master as to create a newly undiscovered potion, just to treat her symptoms.

However, truthfully, Khan was finding a lot of the research and information regarding the curse and what had been done so far was irrelevant, the more he heard about it...

Much of the researched information found by both Daphne and her family, had apparently focused around the curse's many different symptoms and how to relieve them.

Not that relieving symptoms were not important to Jordan; They were! Just not as important as finding the cure, or at the very least, learning the cause or source of the curse.

Similar to how Anne's Uncle Solomon treated her Vs. how Sebastian treated her, While Anne's uncle simply focused on treating her symptoms, giving up on ever finding a cure since the healers at St. Mungos had deemed it not possible at the time, Sebastian (and himself) had not given up hope, and focused on trying to find a cure for her curse instead.

In fact, it seemed like Sebastian still might be trying, if that giant recreation of the artifact that Jordan had found in his DoM Lab was any indication. After all, Sebastian had thought that the smaller version of the artefact could cure his sister's curse, even when all it had done previously was summon inferi; He could only imagine what more would Sebastian have done with a giant version right in his lab....

"Well.... having seen your extremely cheerful sister, I do have to say, I am rather surprised to hear that she is suffering from a curse. You all do a really good job of hiding that secret.... although I guess I understand why." Khan responded thoughtfully.

Being a noble, Khan of course was aware of the various complications the Greengrass family would face should this knowledge become public.

Not only would their family be subject to intense scrutiny and blackmail, but with other noble families not wanting to join their own through marriage, for fear of said curse affecting their own bloodline, eventually there would come a point where the Greengrass family would face the inevitable extinction of their own family name!

"Yes.... that's the main reason I was so hesitant to ask you for help to be honest." Daphne confessed with a slightly red face. "It's a very guarded family secret, and truthfully, if Astoria wasn't getting worse, developing yet another symptom recently, I probably would not have asked anyone for help. Ever."

"Then I guess I should thank you." Khan took on a teasing smirk, finding Daphne's embarrassed, slightly red face, rather cute.

"For what?" Daphne asked slightly confused.

She was the one asking for his help, right? Shouldn't she be the one thanking him?

"For trusting me enough to show me that much emotion on your typically stoic face!"

"Wha...." Daphne was gob-smacked.

Noticing her reaction, he could no longer help himself, and burst out laughing, answering her a few moments later. "'For what?' she asks.... What do you think? For trusting me with your family secret! For trusting me not to take advantage and use that family secret for my own benefit." Khan responded. "For trusting me enough to actually come and ask for my help."

Seeing Daphne still look a bit untrusting with his words, he continued, with the assumption that Daphne was similar to himself, not to mention many of his Pureblooded classmates in the past; very prideful.

And while having pride wasn't inherently a bad thing in and of itself, having TOO MUCH, just like anything else, was detrimental to one's development.

"You know, I've often found personally, that asking for help is often the hardest thing that anyone like us, will find they will have to do. Because it takes vulnerability. It means admitting that you can't do it or figure it out yourself."

"And in a world of magic, where most spells/magical actions require only a single witch/wizard-"

"It is exceeding hard to admit something like that.... especially to yourself." Daphne answered, a bit shaken.

"Exactly. It feels almost..... shameful."

"....yes..."

That was exactly the issue that Khan himself had growing up. Similar to many other pureblooded heirs at the time, himself being the Heir of the powerful Khan family, he had grown up wanting for nothing, and thus grew extremely prideful over his family magical and political power.

In fact, If not for him entering school late due to his ancient magic delaying his core from developing at the age of eleven, like other witches and wizards, perhaps he would be just like the rest of the stuck-up, self-centered, pure-blooded heirs that he stereotypically met on a regular basis.

And although he was still working on himself, especially more recently with his emotions still slightly out of whack, Jordan had learned a lot from the ages of 11-14, when he thought he was a squib.

"Can I tell you something my Uncle told me in the past? Its something that helped me learn that asking for help is not actually shameful.... not in the slightest, regardless of how it might make you currently feel."

Daphne nodded.

"He told me, 'Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame.'"

"That really struck home and resonated with me. Although I am admittedly still working on not being too prideful myself." He finished.

"But how is Pride not the opposite of shame?" Daphne Followed up with a practical question. "If I am proud of my intelligence, but still require help with an intellectual task, logically should I not feel shame instead of pride at needing extra help?"

"Daphne.... Having someone help you doesn't mean you failed."

"Wha-"

"It just means you're not alone anymore."

*****

"I don't even know where he is right now!" Fleur protested as she made her way downstairs alongside her pestering family.

"Did you not just tell us he has a Phoenix?" Her mother responded with a teasing smirk on her face. "Just have her find him - She should respond to you, no?"

"I am not going to summon Sol Maman, just so that you can meet Jordan sooner rather than later! She is a noble phoenix, not a delivery owl!" Fleur rejected that idea, but not for the reason she had just stated aloud.

Although she had indeed met Sol, she was entirely certain that she would respond to her summons - and she definitely did not want to test that theory in front of her already teasing mother.

"Oh please, Fleur! I've always wanted to pet a phoenix! She didn't let me last time she came to pick up our presents!" Gabby decided to join in the begging, now that she had heard her mothers good idea of summoning Fleur's Boyfriend's Phoenix.

"No Gabby! You can meet Sol later on! You guys are staying here for 4 months after all!" Fleur ruthlessly rejected her little sister, Gabby pouting in response.

"Yes.... and I will be quite busy with my own work starting Monday." Louis joined in as well, as he too wanted to meet the bo- 'young man' (Apolline insisted he call him that instead of 'boy') as soon as possible. "So make sure he is here, so we can all have dinner together. I don't care how you find him, just make sure that you do!"

"Papa....." Fleur heard his tone, not to mention what he had just said about his work (growing up, Fleur knew that he truly did have a lot of work to do, and would probably not be around as much as her mother would be in the next few months as a result of his Ministry work) but was still feeling too nervous to not at least try to give him her best 'puppy-eyes' look, begging him to give her more time.

"Fleur! Don't give your father that look! You will listen to him, is that understood? Now go! We'll await for you here in this booth! No pouting!" Her mother's head appeared to grow a few sizes larger, as it typically does when she is demanding something, as she pointed at a nearby empty booth.

Fleur had been disciplined enough previously to know that when that happened, her mother was being serious, and she had no choice but to comply.

Sighing sadly to herself, and thinking about what she was going to tell her husband when she finally found him that evening, she was about to start saying goodbye to her family to begin her search, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice come from another booth close by.

"And just to be clear, other than it appearing in your family around 100 years ago, there are no other records or indications of what the curse might be, or how it even came to affect your family in the first place?"

It was Jordan, her husband! And he was in another booth close by!

She grew pale and stopped moving in place, looking like a statue standing in front by her family's booth.

'What the Fuck? Why is he here already!?! I don't even know what to tell him yet! And I still need a few more minutes to warn him about ev-'

"Fleur! Why are you still here? Stop wasting time and leave! You still need to search for him after all!" Apolline yelled with her giant head, much to the frozen Fleur's horror.

But the horror wasn't because of her mother yelling at her in French with her giant head. It was because Jordan had probably heard her mot-

"Fleur? What are you doing here? I thought you had some other plans today?"

Correction, Jordan had DEFINITELY heard her mother...

'.... Merde .....'