Daphne Greengrass and the Importance of Intent

This Is The End: Part 2

The remainder of the day somehow passed simultaneously at a snail's pace and entirely too quickly until she and Harry were quietly entering the classroom where they would attempt to change the world. She took a seat and watched as Harry muttered every locking spell he knew on the door before pulling up a chair across from her.

"So we have one more thing to cover," she began, not wanting to waste a moment.

She could tell she had taken Harry off guard as his eyebrows rose, questioning what she was about to say.

She forced herself to maintain eye contact. "I need you to let me perform the spell without any help," she stated matter of factly. "You need to focus all of your magic on protecting yourself."

"No," he stated calmly. "This is too important to risk. You heard what Dobby said. The impact when I focused on the Horcrux was off the charts."

"It's not that simple Harry," she interrupted.

"No, Daphne," he countered, becoming much more intense. "We have at least six of these things to destroy plus Riddle. It's not worth the risk. I'm not worth the risk."

"Let me finish, Harry," she pleaded. "We've made it this far because we listen to each other. I need you to listen to me. Please."

Daphne watched as Harry sat silently, thinking on her words. Eventually he rose and dragged his chair to sit beside her as closely as possible, reaching for her hand.

She took a breath and began. "Things changed when I moved the magic away from Avada Kedavra and toward my feelings for you. I didn't realize the full impact of what that meant until talking to Flitwick. It's not only about you choosing to live Harry. You have to convince me that you will try to survive...that you want to survive or I won't be able to do it."

"Don't be ridiculous, Daphne," he spit out. "Of course I want to live."

"Do you really?" she countered. "Since I've met you I've heard a constant stream of jokes and offhand comments about you dying. The idea of you dying is always hanging over our heads but I've never seen you get upset, never heard you complain, never heard you raise your voice in anger."

"Daph, we talked about this...we've always known me dying is a possibility," he said kindly, desperate for her to understand.

"Could you do it Harry?" she barked back. "If you could kill me and end it by casting a simple spell would you be able to do it?"

He stared forward, a pained expression on his face. "That's what I thought," she answered.

"I thought about sleeping with you, you know," she continued. "Came up with a plan and everything last night. I'd get you to sneak into the Room of Requirement with me and I would seduce you to convince you to do what I wanted."

She had his attention now.

"But I don't think I'm ready for that yet and it's not how we work. We don't trick each other. You taught me that."

She suddenly realized she was gripping his hand very tightly. She didn't stop.

"Thinking about you is the reason I can cast a Patronus. Not a memory...but imagining a future with you. And it's not some grand fairy tale of us getting married and having children. It's just me and you doing something stupid this summer...something that would be meaningless to anyone else but means everything to me now."

"Remember what the spell translates to? I am your protector Harry," she pleaded. "You've done so much...made so many sacrifices. Let me protect you now"

She watched as Harry sat silently again, absorbing what she had said. Finally he spoke.

"What are we going to listen to first?" he asked inexplicably.

"What?"

"When I make you that cake...chocolate with buttercream icing...what Beatles album are we going to start with? I've only heard them randomly on the radio so I've not a clue."

"Abbey Road," she spit out through her relieved tears. "The last fifteen minutes is made up of bits and pieces of different songs that they've connected together. I love it. It's the first thing I listen to with Mum when I go home every summer. She enchants the speakers to be extra loud and it drives my father crazy."

"It sounds brilliant...I can't wait," he said simply "I want to do that. I really want to do that."

She knew that he meant it. He wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it.

The mood was broken as Dobby popped into the room. "Dobby is here just like Harry Potter and Miss Greeny asked," he said quickly. She could tell the elf was nervous but was doing everything he could to hide it. He was not doing a very good job of it.

"You ready, Dobby?" Harry asked calmly.

At the elf's quick nod he continued. "Let's go over it one more time to make sure."

"Dobby will go to Miss Greeny's house with the diadem and wait in Greeny's special room with Mister and Mistress Greeny and Winky. Dobby will wait until the bad wizard is out of the diadem and come back. If nothing happens Dobby will give the diadem to Mister Greeny and come back to check on you."

"But that will not happen," the elf continued, suddenly looking much more determined. "Harry Potter is a great wizard and Miss Greeny is a great witch."

"Damn right," Harry responded with a laugh as he handed the Horcrux over. "Thanks again for helping Dobby. We couldn't have done it without you."

Dobby quickly hugged them both and popped away,

Daphne realized they only had a few minutes left and quickly set to work inscribing the runes around Harry's scar. As she continued Harry began talking.

"Just because I'm willing to die doesn't mean I want to. I will do everything I can to protect myself Daph. I promise."

She wanted to cry, to hold onto him and forget about their plans and Voldemort and everyone else but she knew she couldn't. They were so close and Harry needed her to keep calm...keep thinking. She finished inscribing the runes and quickly looked at her watch.

"Ten minutes," she said, her voice shaking despite her best efforts.

Harry grabbed her hand, pulling her back down into her chair. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, wanting to remember this moment. No matter what happened she wanted to remember this moment.

"Three minutes," she heard him say all too quickly. She nodded into his shoulder and stood, leaning forward and kissing him gently.

Two minutes.

Daphne brushed back his fringe and carefully placed her wand tip on that wretched scar. The intensity of Harry's stare was her undoing.

"I need you to close your eyes," she said desperately as tears began to fall. "I'll never be able to manage this if you are looking at me."

One minute.

Her wand hand was shaking now. Harry closing his eyes unfortunately had done nothing to calm her nerves. She felt Harry grab her other hand and begin gently rubbing circles with his thumb.

"Giving you that note was the best decision I've ever made and it has nothing to do with what we are about to do Daph."

Daphne closed her eyes, absorbing his words. She vaguely heard music playing in her subconscious. The sun was coming. It felt like years since it had been there but it was coming.

She could taste the cake now. It was thoroughly underwhelming. It was under baked and the frosting was way too sweet for her liking but it didn't matter. Her hand had stopped shaking.

"I love you, Harry. Tuuso Patronum."