Chapter Four - Clearing the Air

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. Me, I'm just a PR professional. I don't profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world. However, its her sandbox and she's left the gate unlatched so we can go in and play a bit. Which, I've done.

Chapter Four - Clearing the Air

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-==(oIo)==-

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On returning late to The Leaky Cauldron, Harry retired directly to his room. There, he immediately drafted the first of two letters to go to Mesdames Longbottom and Bones about his experience with the Greengrasses. He kept the information light and was reticent in what he included that he felt were private between he and the Greengrasses.

He sent the first letter off to Madam Longbottom that night with Hedwig before he settled down to meditate, to sort his new memories - creating a new section dedicated to Daphne in the process - before going to sleep.

Early the next morning he wrote a similar letter to Madam Bones about the meeting and, as Hedwig had not yet returned, posted it off using one of the post office owls in Diagon Alley.

He returned to his room and packed everything up ready for his short-term move to Greengrass Estate. With his glamours in place he went downstairs to enjoy a quick breakfast, his last for the time being at The Leaky Cauldron, and headed back into the Alley proper on his way to Gringotts.

Quickly finding a teller he asked to be taken down to his heirlooms and trust fund vaults.

From the trust fund vault he refilled his coin pouch before moving on to the heirloom vault. From within he went to the section where the jewellery was stored. From memory he knew just what he was looking for, and found them as he remembered them. The family rings.

He picked out a feminine looking ring with a brilliant cut sapphire mounted in a white gold band, plus a single gold band with a smaller but similar stone mounted almost flush within it for himself. He felt the stone and white gold were fairly well matched to the eyes and hair colour of his betrothed.

Returning to the surface he visited Bloodfang to let him know he was enacting the betrothal contract between himself and Daphne Greengrass, and to ask for assistance in getting the current charms on the rings checked and or updated. Bloodfang recommended a jeweller not far down the Alley above the second hand robe shop and mentioned it was the Potter family preferred jeweller.

In the jewellers he showed the two rings and said, "I'd like to know what charms or wards, or whatever, are on these rings. Then, based on that information, what I can have placed on them if they're not already there."

Giving a nod the proprietor said, "Give me about an hour, young sir, and I'll have that information for you, alright?"

"That suits me fine, thank you," replied Harry. "I'll see you then."

Harry then left the jeweller and walked back up the Alley to Eeylop's Owl Emporium. Inside, he approached the counter and waited until he was spotted. One of the reasons he liked to come into the Alley early in the morning was because there was less traffic and other shoppers at that time.

"Good morning and welcome back, sir. How can I help you, today?" asked the shopkeeper, recognising Harry as an often repeat customer.

"Good morning," replied Harry. "I have, of late, become concerned my owl mail is being intercepted. I'm led to believe my own owl can be - warded or charmed, to ensure mail carried by her cannot be so intercepted. Is that true?"

Frowning, the shopkeeper said, "It's unheard of in this day and age for owl mail to be intercepted because the penalties for such are quite severe. Furthermore, it disgusts me that someone would do such a thing - invade someone's privacy like that.

"However, if your mail is being intercepted, or you're just worried it might be, I do have an answer to your dilemma," he replied. "Is your owl used by your Head of House?"

"Yes, sir," replied Harry. After a quick look around to ensure there was no one who could listen in, he flashed his Head of House ring to the shopkeeper. "The owl belongs to the Head of House Potter," he quietly said.

Looking a little surprised at the ring on Harry's finger, the shopkeeper said, "Well, it's good to finally know your identity, Mister Potter. And I can understand why you're concerned about your mail being intercepted. And, thank you for your trust. You'll have my discretion in this matter."

The old man walked into the back of the store for a few moments before returning with a small wooden box. Placing it on the counter between them he opened it to show what was inside.

Reaching in he withdrew a small harness with tiny buckles, leather straps and a blank shield on it. "This is the deluxe model," he said. "It's a harness that affixes to the chest of your owl and identifies it as the personal owl for official correspondence of a Head of one of the Noble and Ancient Houses.

"You strap it on to your owl and then touch the crest of your ring to the shield. The shield is charmed to them automatically display the crest of the House to which it belongs - in your case, the Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter - and also cause the straps to auto-size to the bird. I assure you it doesn't harm the bird in any way, and we've been using these for years.

"The harness is charmed to repel water, dust and damage. It also protects the bird from mail interception up to and including Ministry sanctioned interceptions, protects the bird from other raptors, provides some protection from spell damage and provides the bird with auto-healing of light injuries, an intent-based Notice-Me-Not charm from those who would do her harm, an energy boost similar to a Pepper Up Potion for those extra long flights, and aids in providing a Featherlight Charm to any packages over a quarter of a pound in dead weight up to twenty pounds."

"Are there any other charms that can be added you think might be useful?" asked Harry.

Shaking his head the shopkeeper replied, "No, after many years of trial and error we've found this particular combination to be the best available. The only thing more you can do is make the owl your personal familiar. That grants her, or him, a higher level of intelligence. And will mean she'll be able to better protect your mail, herself."

Nodding, Harry asked, "And how do I do that?"

The shopkeeper reached under his counter and drew forth a small fact sheet on the subject. He placed it on the counter next to the box. "You'll be surprised how many ask just that," he replied with a wry smile.

Harry grinned back and said, "Alright, then; I'll take it."

Nodding, the shopkeeper said, "That'll be fifty-seven galleons for the harness. The pamphlet is free. The harness has a lifetime guarantee to the life of the owl. If you need to replace either or both, come back and see me."

Harry paid the man after also picking up six months worth of owl treats as stock to take to Hogwarts with him.

Next, he headed for the Diagon Alley offices of the Daily Prophet and organised a year's subscription in advance to the newspaper.

Recognising that near enough to an hour had passed he returned to the Jewellers.

Bringing the rings back onto the main floor of the shop the Jeweller had them side-by-side on a black velvet cushion.

"These are beautiful rings," said the shopkeeper. "I hope you don't mind; but, I've also polished both back to looking like new."

"No, that's fine," replied Harry. "And, thank you. What can you tell me about them?"

"The ladies ring is charmed to auto-size, has an anti-theft charm, has an anti-peril feature - which monitors the wearers heart beat and adrenaline levels, so that if both suddenly shoot up it sends a vibration to a matching ring - it has the ability to be linked to that other ring to allow the wearer of it's partner to track them down by pressing on the stone and vice versa; and has a built-in potion, poison and mind-altering charm detector, which causes the ring to vibrate and stone to glow slightly when it comes into near contact with such. The ring will also provide a minimal protection from the Imperious, Confounding, Obliviation and similar Curses. But, it's not foolproof against those.

"The other ring is the matching ring and has the same charms. The only thing missing is a new charm which detects if the wearer is hit with a harmful curse or hex and alerts the other wearer the same way as the anti-peril feature," said the shopkeeper. "However, it only detects those curses and hexes that are common knowledge. Some hexes and curses, such as those that are part of family magics, it might not detect.

"Are there any other protections you think could be installed?" asked Harry. "I want my betrothed as safe as she possibly could be."

Shaking his head, the shopkeeper said, "No, but I can update the anti potion and poison detector, and harmful curses and hexes indicator, with a more modern list. I suspect they'll both be missing quite a few. Plus, you may want to be on my mailing list I maintain to advise my clients when either indicator charms are updated."

"Alright then," said Harry, coming to a decision. "Update what needs to be updated on both rings and add me and my betrothed to your mailing list."

The shopkeeper drew forth a ledger from under his counter and asked, "And what names do I include on the mailing list, young sir?"

"I'm trusting in your discretion in this, sir," said Harry before flashing his Head of House ring. "It's Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass."

Taking a moment to glance at Harry's forehead, the shopkeeper said, "Never fear in my discretion, Mister Potter. I've never broken faith with a customer yet in over twenty years of business." Then he said with a small smile, "And might I say congratulations on your betrothal, Mister Potter. I dare say there will be many a young witch - and possibly some young wizards - who will be most distraught when it is learned you are betrothed and off the market, so to speak."

Harry harrumphed a little and said, "At least that's something I won't have to worry about facing any more. And, thank you."

Nodding a little, though otherwise distracted, the shopkeeper said, "Give me - two hours? - with these rings and they'll be ready for you to collect, Mister Potter." Before he picked up the velvet cushion and turned to walk back out the back with them.

"Thank you," called Harry to the man's retreating back before he left the store once more.

Heading back to The Leaky Cauldron, Harry went straight back to his room and hoped Hedwig had returned. She had, and with a short reply from Madam Longbottom. She advised caution with dealing with the Greengrasses and said she'd meet him on the platform at Kings Cross to make sure he was still okay.

While Hedwig was resting on her perch with her little tray of owl treats and water, Harry brought the harness out of his pocket and showed it to her. "Feel like being gussied up a bit, Hed? This will identify you as the personal owl of the Head of House Potter, my owl." He grinned at her.

Hedwig looked at the harness with interest before giving a soft hoot and huff. Harry figured she approved so moved forward with it to fit it to her.

Working carefully, so as not to damage her feathers, Harry took his time in fitting the harness and making sure all the buckles were done up securely. Then he made a fist of his right hand and, holding the shield with his left hand, pressed the face of Head of House ring to the face of the shield.

The shield gave a little flash of light before the entire harness began to glow. He pulled the ring away from the shield and left go with his left hand as the entire contraption shifted until it shrank down to fit.

When it finished auto-sizing the shield gave a final flash with an embossed copy of the Potter crest appearing in the middle of it.

Stepping back, Harry said to her, "Wow, girl! You look great. It really suits you."

In response, Hedwig stood up a little straighter and gave a happy little hoot. Harry even moved her to his shoulder and then moved to stand in front of the room's only mirror so she could see it for herself.

When she saw the image she gave a couple of little huffs and nibbled on the top of Harry's ear in pleasure.

Harry chuckled and moved her back to her roost. "You'll be fighting the boy owls off now, Hed. You look gorgeous."

Next he pulled the pamphlet that described how to make Hedwig his familiar out of his pocket and read through it.

"Hmmm - this is pretty straightforward and easy," he said to her. "So, girl, how about it? Do you want to fully bond with me as my familiar?"

He received another happy hoot and huff in response.

With a grin, Harry drew his wand out of his left sleeve, held the parchment up so he could read it, and stood in front of the owl's perch. Pushing a little with his magic he made the required wand gestures and spoke the required incantations. When he was finished there was a light glow for a few moments around and between the two of them.

Stepping back and away a little, Harry closed his eyes and focussed on feeling his connection to Hedwig. It took a few minutes but he realised he could sense it quite easily. Plus, he also felt he could feel the – though, primitive - emotions coming from his avian friend. She was very happy.

Turning back to face her again, he said, "Now, according to this pamphlet, you should have a boost in your intelligence, had transferred to your mind some of my skills, be able to sense my thoughts and emotions similar to how I'm able to do the same with you, and it's extended your life expectancy somewhat. I think this will prove to be a very good thing for us both." He grinned at her.

"Now I'm pretty much all packed here, girl," he said. "I'll just give you a message to give to - Isabel to let her know I've sent you ahead of me and that I'm still on schedule to arrive at Greengrass Estate at 1.00pm, and you can be on your way."

He then sat down at the little table in the room and quickly wrote the message before using the little strap on the harness to attach it to the owl's leg. He sent her on her way before packing the last items up and stowing the portable owl perch in the lid of his trunk.

He shrunk the trunk down and pocketed it in his robes before leaving the room for the last time and heading back to the Jewellers.

As soon as he walked in the door the Jeweller shopkeeper spotted him, smiled, and reached under the counter where he was standing and brought out a small ring box of deep blue coloured velvet. Opening the box he showed Harry the two rings sitting within with the stones facing up. "All done, Mister Potter," he said.

Harry grinned at the box and said, "Thank you very, very much. How much do I owe you?"

"Just fifteen galleons, Mister Potter," he replied. "And might I say it was a pleasure to do this for you."

Harry quickly handed the man the coins and peered intently at the two rings nestled within the box. "You do very nice work, sir," he said. "I dare say that when I upgrade these in a few years to husband and wife rings I'll be back."

Nodding graciously, the shopkeeper said, "And I look forward to that happy day."

"Again, thank you," said Harry as he left the store. The ring box was now safely stored within one of the pockets of his robes.

Back at The Leaky Cauldron Harry finalised his bill for his stay and ordered a light lunch. He picked up a discarded copy of that morning's Daily Prophet and whiled away the time until he headed back to the Greengrass Estate perusing the paper.

While sitting there an owl arrived and dropped off a response letter from Madam Bones. As with Madam Longbottom she advised caution and said she'd try and meet him on the platform at Kings Cross before departure of the Hogwarts Express, just to ensure herself he was still fine.

It gave Harry a bit of a warm feeling to know that there were now people who were interested and caring enough to care about his welfare. It felt odd but nice at the same time.

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-==(oIo)==-

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At precisely 1.00pm Harry stepped through the floo into Greengrass Manor - and promptly fell on his butt again.

Climbing to his feet and grumbling to himself Harry heard the soft tinkle of feminine laughter coming from a few feet away.

Glancing up he saw Isabel waiting for him chuckling to herself. He gave a wry grin in response.

"My apologies, Harry," she chuckled. "But that, a dignified entry, does not make."

"I think it's now official," grumbled Harry, dusting himself off, "The floo system hates me."

Chuckling again, Isabel stepped forward and waved her wand over Harry. Instantly, the soot was vanished away. "Actually, there's a trick to it," she said. "I'll be happy to show you when we travel through it together to the old Midland Grand Hotel, if not before."

"Midland Grand Hotel?" asked Harry. "Why there?"

"The Midland is an old muggle hotel pretty much built almost right on top of Kings Cross station. We use a hidden floor and hidden rear entrance in the old hotel as the floo point to get onto the platform. Then it's only a short walk through the muggle side of the station to the barrier to Platform 9 ¾."

"Oh," said Harry. "I did not know that."

As they were talking Isabel was leading Harry upstairs to the second floor. She then turned to the right and entered the upstairs wing, which, Harry thought, would place him somewhere over the formal lounge.

Stopping at one of the doors to her right, and therefore at the rear of the Manor, she opened it wide and ushered Harry inside. "This will be your rooms for the next few days, Harry," she said.

Stepping in through the door, Harry saw a large four poster bed with side tables dominating the room. Off to one side he saw a small desk with a lamp and chair ready for use, and two other doors.

Isabel walked over to the one closest to the rear wall of the Manor and opened it. Inside Harry saw a neat and tidy bathroom with it's own separate bath and shower, toilet and hand basin with a mirror above it.

The other door, on the same wall as the door to the bathroom, was a small walk-in robe. With all the clothing he had, Harry didn't believe his entire wardrobe would fill even a tiny fraction of the space available.

"Now, set yourself up in here and come downstairs when you're done," Isabel instructed. "The girls and I are currently in the kitchen at the informal table in there."

"Thank you," said Harry as the older woman left.

He reached into his pocket and unshrunk his trunk placing it at the foot of 'his' bed. Opening it, he pulled out Hedwig's portable perch and set it up near the window. And refilled the owl treat and water bowls for her.

To burn off a few minutes he then unpacked his toiletries and transferred them to the bathroom.

All done, he walked out of the room and took the stairs back down to the Ground Floor, and went off in search of the kitchen. He figured it'd be near the dining room somewhere; and probably at the rear of the house.

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After leaving his room upstairs, Harry headed straight back downstairs and headed for the formal dining room. From there he heard the sounds of voices coming through another door so moved to that one and pushed the door open. He was greeted by a second, smaller dining room with the opposite wall wide open and showing a large kitchen.

Sitting at the table were Isabel, Daphne and Astoria.

As soon as Harry stuck his head through the door, Astoria spotted him. With a cry of "Harry!" she launched herself off the chair, covered the intervening few feet at a run and tackle-hugged him. "Welcome back!" she exclaimed.

With a grin, Harry hugged her back and said, "Thank you, Astoria. It's good to be back."

She then let him go, grabbed him by his hand and dragged him over to the table. Pulling a chair out for him next to her own she commanded, "Sit!"

With a chuckle, Harry sat. He was sitting opposite Daphne, who looked back with a wary half-stare.

Isabel spoke up and said, "We were just discussing plans for the next few days, Harry; and need your input."

"Ummm - alright?" replied Harry.

"Have you got all your supplies for Hogwarts yet?" she asked.

"Yes, Ma' - errr - Isabel. I think I'm right to go," he replied. "Leastwise, there was nothing on the list I received that I've not yet purchased and packed ready to go."

"What about the essentials that aren't listed? Toiletries; non-school uniform clothing for the weekends; extra quills, inks and parchment; owl treats for your owl; stuff like that?"

"Yeah, I think so," said Harry. "I can't think of anything else I might need."

Nodding, she said, "Well, Daphne feels she might need a few extra supplies so we were thinking of ducking over to Diagon Alley later this afternoon to allow the purchase of those items. You're welcome to come along, if you like. But, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I've got nothing better to do," he said. "Maybe I'll just come along and help carry bags, or something."

Smiling, she said, "There's no need for someone to carry bags in the wizarding world, Harry. That's what shrinking charms and pockets are for. However, we plan to head into the muggle world tomorrow afternoon. And, as we cannot shrink bags there, there's always a need for bag carriers until we can duck into a Ladies somewhere to shrink them."

"Then I can always just provide company," said Harry with a bit of a shrug. "That is, if no one minds..."

"Of course not," replied Astoria. "Besides, we might see some of my friends there. They'll be ever so jealous if they see me with you."

Harry smiled at the chipper young girl before turning to Daphne. "And what about you, Daphne? Do you mind me joining you on your trip to Diagon Alley?"

With a half-hearted huff the girl replied, "No." Before she straightened up a bit and said, "But, be warned, I may be meeting my closest friend, Tracy Davis, there. She'll be in our year at Hogwarts and you might not choose to be around us when we - girl-talk."

"That's okay," Harry replied with a shrug. "I can make myself scarce then, if you need me to. You need your friends and your secrets and I can respect that."

That received Harry another long look from the girl and a knowing smile from his future mother-in-law.

With another huff, Daphne half growled at him, "You cannot be that perfect; no one can. You're putting on an act; I can feel it."

With a sigh, Harry said, "My upbringing was not the stuff of those silly books supposedly about my childhood. You know the ones, 'Harry Potter and the Naughty Nundu', for example?"

When the girl nodded back, though reluctantly, he continued in a somewhat sad voice, "When I was growing up with the Dursleys. I was told all sorts of lies about who I was. I was denied having any friends of my own. I was treated like a slave while my fat whale of a cousin was treated like a prince in front of me. One of the things I promised myself, during that time, was never to even think about trying to control anyone else if I was ever able to escape that life; through word, deed or intent. I just will not do it.

"When I finally entered the wizarding world - or re-entered - one of the first things I discovered is that I'm contractually betrothed to a girl I'd never met, and had no idea even existed until the same moment. It took me quite some time to contain my anger and think of the situation in a logical manner. Of course, one of the first - revelations - of that introspective thought process was that the girl, though she may have known of me and the contract for some time, was just as trapped by it as I was. And it would be petty and unjust of me to hold her accountable for it.

"Furthermore, because the contract would trap her in one part of her life to be bound to me as my wife and mate, it - behoved me - to ensure that all other aspects of her life were given as much freedom as possible. This, I have vowed to do.

"And that's why you won't hear me trying to place any controls on your life. I will do my best not to gainsay you. I will do my best to, not only allow you to live your life, but assist you in living it as best I can. I'm willing, and I daresay want to, share my life with you. I hope you're willing to do the same with me."

After he'd finished his clearly emotional little speech, the table sat in silence for a few moments.

"Damn, Potter," said Daphne in a small voice. "Why do you have to be so bloody noble? Why do you have to be so bloody perfect?"

"Mind your language, Daphne," said her mother, though there was no heat in the words. It was almost as if she was just going through the motions of saying them.

"I don't know about being noble," replied Harry with a shrug. "I just know how I want others to behave concerning me, and try and behave like that towards others. Besides, I know I'm not perfect."

Hesitating a bit, he said, "When I was little I received a major - whack - to the side of my head. I also used to have a lot of trouble staying focussed on whatever it was I was doing at the time. Ever since the whack I've had difficulty maintaining control over my anger.

"I told a teacher about my trouble with both focussing and anger management and he recommended I learn how to meditate. He said that meditation, for some people, allowed them to better control their emotions, aided them in focussing their thoughts, and could also improve their memory retention.

"So, I went to the school library - and, later, the public library - and read through books on the subject. That led me into reading other books on controlling your own mind. All muggle techniques. And through those books I learned I have what is called an eidetic memory. Part of the problem I had was that I could remember everything. And that those memories were completely jumbled up and were forcibly intruding - or leaking - onto my consciousness.

"It took some time, but I was able to slowly learn how to meditate. After reaching that state I then attempted to build what Plato referred to as a 'mind palace'. That's something orators of the day would use to organise their thoughts before a major speech. However, instead of being able to build a mind palace such as Plato described, I found myself able to build a palace within my mind that was vividly detailed.

"I was then able to sort through my memories, which had appeared in my mind as books, and sort them into library shelves within that palace. It took me many, many months to reach that stage. I also found that the act of doing that helped me in being able to stop the memory intrusions, allowed me to discover the true power of having an eidetic memory, and aided me in controlling my temper.

"Since the day I first started researching meditation I've always been on the lookout for books on controlling your own mind. So, when I first entered the wizarding world almost six weeks ago; and after going to the bank and finding out I had plenty of money available to me, I stopped in at Flourish and Blotts to see if the magical world had similar books. Of course, they do. And I started with a book called 'Introduction to Mind Magicks'. From that I read about Occlumency.

"That led me to a self-study book on Occlumency and Legilimency. From that I learned that I was so successful at meditation and building my mind palace, because I was a wizard; and that such things come easier to those such as us. I also learned I could isolate that part in my mind where my anger bubbles away - I see it now as a seething giant cauldron, by the way - and I was able to wall it off separating it from the 'core' me, and put some basic controls on it.

"Now I can almost consciously monitor the condition of the cauldron and have a way to - calm the contents of it back down. But it's an ongoing process and I have to constantly set aside time to ensure that the cauldron doesn't overflow; that my anger does not get the better of me.

"So, I'm sorry to say, I'm going to come across as being quite - emotionless - when I should be showing signs of strong emotion. Some of the kids where I went to school in the muggle world thought I was turning into a robot; an android; something other than human. They picked on me, somewhat, for it.

"However, I'm not always successful. There has been the rare time where my emotions have nearly gotten the better of me. At those times I get a splitting headache and feel as if I'm being suffocated. But - I've never become violent with anyone during those times. I just tend to rant and rave for a while, until I can get my anger back into check - and calm that cauldron down again."

"Secondly, people who lie to me really upset me. When I was growing up my aunt and uncle kept telling me I was a worthless freak and that I should thank my lucky stars they were kind enough to give me a place to live; that my drunken bum of a father got he and my - whore - of a mother killed in a car crash. The same car crash they said..." he lifted his fringe to indicate the scar on his forehead, "...gave me this scar."

"During that time, and before I was able to organise my memories, I used to get these - flashbacks - of a time when I was a baby. A time when I knew I was loved by adults; a man who had similar hair to my own who wore aviator style glasses, a woman I instinctively knew to be my mother who had long red hair and bright green eyes, plus others.

"Before I was able to sort these memories, because of what my relatives told me, I thought they were just daydreams of what I wished my life was like. That they were, in effect, lies I was telling myself.

"However, after I was able to sort my memories, I learned it was my relatives that had lied to me, and not the other way around. It took me a long time to reach that conclusion because I just did not want to believe it to be true. I didn't want to believe that people, my own relatives no less, could be so cruel.

"My letter from Hogwarts I received on 26th July was the final conclusive proof. It was also the day I decided to - vacate - that house and find the wizarding world. My memories led me to Charing Cross Road and The Leaky Cauldron. It was the best decision I ever made."

When he'd finished, Harry sighed in some measure of self-pity. "So, you see, I'm far from perfect," he said. "I just do my best with what I have and hope it's enough."

Harry didn't even notice that, while he was talking - reminiscing - a cup of tea appeared on the table in front of him. Nor, that he'd been playing with it.

When he'd concluded he realised he'd divulged more than he had planned to. But that, in doing so, he felt a sense of release.

Looking up he saw Daphne looking back with an expression of - pity and sorrow. She reached out with her right hand and grasped his left in a sign of solidarity.

Astoria hoped off her own chair, slid it closer to his, and climbed back on it before wrapping her arms around him from the side. She just silently hugged him.

Taking a deep breath Isabel said, "Well - I think we can honestly say we weren't expecting to hear that."

Turning to look more fully at Harry, she said, "Thank you for sharing that with us, Harry. Clearly, it was difficult for you to do so. But, just as clearly, you needed to share it with someone. I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share it with us."

"I'm sorry, Harry," said Daphne, softly. "I've been behaving like such a beast to you and you've already had to endure so much."

Giving a bit of a sheepish shrug in response, Harry replied, "Like I said, I understand why you feel the way you do. I don't blame you for it."

"No, but I do," she said more firmly. "I now better understand this betrothal contract wasn't any more your fault as it was mine. I promise not to be angry with you over it from now on."

"Thank you," Harry said softly.

"And now I think it's time we all got some fresh air by making our way to Diagon Alley," said Isabel in a tone trying to lighten the mood. "I don't know about you, but shopping always makes me feel better."

And the four of them rose from the table and organised themselves for a trip to the Alley.

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-==(oIo)==-

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