CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Family Meeting
June 1st, 1982

          Daphne opened her eyes to the sound of Harry's cries echoing in the flat. Groaning, she got out of bed and walked to the room where James and Harry were sleeping. When she opened, she noticed James was still asleep and snoring too, while Harry was on his feet, hands around the bars of his crib and tears streaming down his face. Daphne quietly reached for him and took him in her arms so she could leave James sleeping a bit more.

It was no secret that he had trouble finding sleep since that night and Daphne understood him. There were nights where all she did was lay in her bed, unable to close an eye, afraid she would relieve a painful memory of hers.

As she rocked Harry, she headed to the kitchen to fetch some food. If he was crying so early in the morning, it was probably because he was hungry. Sitting him down in the baby chair, she reached for the leftover plate in the fridge and handed it to him. Harry smiled widely at the sight of food, making Daphne snort.

Sirius–or Padfoot was sleeping on the couch. James and Daphne noticed he'd turn into Padfoot whenever it was time to sleep, none of them brought it up until Sirius apologised for the hair on the sofa. He explained that when he was in Azkaban, he would turn into Padfoot because it helped him stay warm and the Dementors couldn't feed off an animal. Daphne reassured him that it was okay and he could sleep as Padfoot as long as he needed to–besides, Harry loved to pull at his hair to wake him up which made Padfoot whine loudly.

"Are you feeling any better, Harry?" Daphne cooed, keeping her voice low to not wake up the two grown men in her flat.

"Yes! Yes!" He shouted as she grimaced, shushing him gently. Harry copied her, his finger on his mouth as he made the exact same sound as her. "Look, look, Daffy. Sshhh," he said.

Daphne laughed, "Oi!" Harry was in his copy phase. All he did was copy everyone and do the same thing over and over again. "Stop fooling around, alright? Eat your breakfast, Harry."

He did so and Daphne returned back to cleaning the kitchen. Thankfully, Harry wasn't fussy. He was rather calm and friendly which was a huge relief for everyone taking care of him. None of the adults, excluding James, had fully taken care of a baby before and it was a lot of work.

"Oh, we're meeting new people later today," she told Harry, recalling that James had agreed on letting Harry meet Nymphadora and Draco. "They're Padfoot and I's cousins. There is Andromeda, brown hair and a nice smile. Then there is Narcissa, she has black hair but also white–she is also very nice."

Yawns were heard from the sofa as she grabbed the cup of tea she had just made and headed to Sirius, "Oh, hello Sirius," she said, a smile on his face.

He groaned, pointing at the window, "Too much light in your bloody living room, Daffy. Get some blinds!"

"Well, I can't. There is no blind for an arched window."

"I say you're lying."

"Shut up and take this," she handed him the cup of tea as he mumbled a thank you. "Don't forget that we are visiting Andromeda and Narcissa today."

"Oh, right."

Daphne walked back to Harry and kissed his head, "Go wake up your dad, yeah? Aunt Daffy can't," she told him, putting him down on the floor again. "Isn't he adorable just wiggling around the flat?" Daphne asked Sirius as he hummed lowly. "I wish Fabian and I could have had one."

Sirius gave her a shrug, "You could still have one. What tells you that you won't find love again, eh?"

"Will I? I've already fallen in love twice. Can I really find love again?"

Sirius smiled at her softly, "Someone will always be willing to love you, Daphne. I am sure you will find someone again," he said. "How about John O'Malley? He seemed nice and flirty too."

"He was not!"

"Oh, but he was!" Sirius argued, leaning on the palm of his hand. He turned his head, catching James in his sight. "Hello, nice of you to wake up."

James groaned, running a hand through his messy hair and Daphne remembered when he would wake up by her side looking exactly like this, "Sorry. Took me a long time to fall asleep," he admitted softly, taking a seat. "Who's John O'Malley already?"

"No one," Daphne mumbled.

"He's the man that helped Daphne get into Azkaban. Quite a nice lad, actually. He even was a little flirty with our sweet Daphne," Sirius told James with a smirk as Daphne rolled her eyes.

"Sod off," she muttered under her breath. "He was not flirty. He was just being nice but apparently Sirius does not know the difference between kind and flirty, does he?"

Sirius scoffed with a snort, "Trust me, Daph. I do know when someone is being flirty or kind. I have been flirty my whole life—so I can recognise that. Kind, well it depends with whom but—" he stopped for a moment. "You do understand what I'm saying right."

"You're talking nonsense, Sirius."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"He was flirty," Sirius mumbled. "Give him a call, will you? You'll see from yourself that he was being flirty."

James sighed loudly, "Can we not talk about that John O'Malley please?" He pressed.

"Thank you! Finally someone with some common sense," Daphne exclaimed, turning the other way to wash the dishes.

Sirius stared at James with an arched eyebrow, he recognised that tone—that annoyed tone that James would use when he was jealous. He recognised it well. That time in fifth year, Lily Evans had been invited for Hogsmeade by William Murphy. It had sent James in a jealous phase where he almost swore that he would never try to catch her attention anymore. Surely, it failed because a week later James Potter was already declaring his flame to the red-hair in the middle of the common room.

"Quit staring, Pads," James muttered, sipping on his tea.

Sirius hummed, smiling lazily, "You are jealous," he commented.

James's eyes widened as if he had insulted Harry, "Bloody what?"

"You are jealous that someone was flirty with Daphne," he then whispered as James hit the back of Sirius's head. "Come on, Prongs! I know you like the back of my hand."

"Shove off, will you?" James said angrily as Sirius only laughed. "I'm not bloody jealous of a bloke that I never even saw, Pads."

"Mmh, right. So, if I push her to ask this John out, would you be okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Sirius shrugged, dropping the subject as he noticed James was avoiding his assumptions, "If you say so, Prongs," he replied, checking his watch. It was only now that James realised it used to be Regulus's. "We should get ready or Daphne is going to shout at us."

"We are leaving in ten!" Daphne's voice echoed through the house as they both shared a look, shrugging. "So, quick! Off you go."

...

The three of them had reached Andromeda's house a little later than expected, but Daphne couldn't get angry because it was Harry's fault. When Sirius walked through the house, he buried himself in Andromeda's arms. James felt a bit like an outsider—after all, he had never met Ted Tonks and he had only seen Andromeda a few times before she graduated. But Andromeda was quick to give him a hug as well, saying she was happy to see him there too.

"Daffy," Andromeda breathed out gently, wrapping her arms around the woman. None of them knew why it always felt so heartwarming and nostalgic when they'd see each other. "Salazar, we've missed you," she added, kissing her cheek as she pulled away.

Ted nodded his head, agreeing, "Letters aren't bloody enough," he told her as Daphne laughed. "Besides, Dora could not stop ask about you. We promised her that you would visit soon."

"Well, promise granted!" Daphne exclaimed. "Where is my little witch?"

As if she had been waiting hidden behind a wall, Nymphadora ran towards Daphne, her little arms wrapped around Daphne's legs.

"Dora," she cooed, leaning down to take her in her arms. "How are you?" She asked, booping her nose. "Have you met Sirius?" Dora offered a shy shake of head.

Sirius smiled, "It's a shame really. I'm the best cousin," he said. "I'm Sirius."

"Dora," she replied quietly.

Then Daphne walked over to James and Harry, "Look Dora, a friend," she pointed at Harry. "This is Harry and then this is James, his father."

"Hello!"

James smiled kindly, "Hello, little witch. Aren't you the cutest?" He said as Dora blushed lightly and squealed in Daphne's arms.

"Well, someone's fond of you, James," Daphne commented. "Want to go play with Harry?" Dora nodded as Daphne put her back down. 

Andromeda approached, "Isn't she going to flip as soon as she gets there?" Andromeda asked, her cigarette hanging loosely at the side of her mouth. "Daph, be honest."

Daphne grimaced, "I have no idea, Andy. She was just happy for Draco to meet Harry," she mumbled.

Andromeda gasped loudly, "So, you did not talk about Dora like you've told me!"

"Alright, you stop! Cissa has changed–she is much kinder now that Draco is here," Daphne argued, helping her cousin clean the place.

"Right," Andromeda snorted. "And you actually believe that?"

"Andy," Daphne pleaded softly as Andromeda's face relaxed. "I spent loads of time with her and I can assure you, she doesn't hate you. Not at all."

Sirius nodded, "She even told Daffy that she missed my cocky smile and your obsession with Muggles," he said.

Daphne groaned, stealing a cigarette from Andromeda's box. She turned on her heels, heading outside to breathe in the fresh air. She noticed James was chatting with Ted and they seemed to get along pretty well—it made her smile to herself as she walked out.

Daphne was still a bit jealous of Andromeda's house. It was small but it fit them. The air was pure and everything around them was so quiet, they could only hear the waves crashing down and it was so peaceful.

"Vile sticks, eh?"

Daphne smiled gently, "Do not tell Sirius. We had agreed on stopping together," she whispered, blowing the smoke away.

"I won't," James told her, joining her side. He gazed at her, he noticed how her face looked the same as years ago, maybe a little thinner. But, she was the same. "Are you alright?"

"Are you?"

James shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets, "I think I am okay. Today is one of the good days," he admitted quietly. "Ted is nice."

"He is..." Daphne took a pause, smiling to herself. "He's a precious man," she then finished, taking a drag of her cigarette, letting it travel to her lungs. "Isn't it perfect here?"

James hummed, looking around, "It's quiet."

"Exactly," she snapped her fingers together, still not looking at him. "It's quiet, so quiet. I feel like I am far away from all the problems back in London. Away from my flat that is haunted by the presence of Fabian. Away from it all."

James scratched the back of his neck, "Why don't you move out then?"

"I can't bring myself to," she whispered. "I fear that if I do move out, I will be alone again and if I stay here, I have you three. It does help."

"Why haven't you reached out to someone before?"

Daphne snorted sadly, her cigarette hanging between her lips, "No one would have wanted to help a Death Eater."

"That's not true. I'd have helped you."

"Yes, you would have helped, James. That is the thing, you out of everyone would have helped. Haven't I caused enough problems between Lily and you?" Daphne queried, turning her head to look at him for the first time since he joined her. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Lily would have been okay with it," he reassured her.

Daphne shrugged, "I don't know."

He nudged her quietly, grinning at her, "Don't be ridiculous. We would have helped you."

Just as she was about to respond, a pop was heard and she could recognise Narcissa's hair, flying in the wind. Draco held her hand as he walked by her side, he was already pointing at Daphne which made her smile instantly. When he reached her, he threw himself into her arms and Daphne wrapped hers around him tightly.

"Look at you. All grown up," she commented as he nodded proudly.

Narcissa smiled at her cousin, "Hello, Daph. How lovely it is to see you," she said, giving her a side hug. "And you are James Potter."

"Yes, that's right. Nice to meet you," he said nervously, moving his hand forward for her to shake.

With a satisfied hum, she shook his hand back and waited for Daphne to finish his cigarette. Nothing was said as they all appreciated the calm and the quietness of the little town. Narcissa had no idea why she was here really, Daphne had invited her and she decided it'd be a good way for Draco to be friend with Harry Potter.

Lucius disagreed at first because the Dark Lord had failed at his attempt to kill Harry Potter. Narcissa couldn't believe he would try to harm a little boy, the same age as Draco—it could have been Draco and the thought of it made her sick.

"Where are we?" Narcissa then queried, catching Daphne's attention. Daphne rubbed her hands on her pants, grimacing to herself.

"We—well, it is an interesting question," Daphne started and James knew by her tone that she hadn't told her Andromeda and Sirius were behind that door. "You see, there is not only Harry there. Nymphadora is there as well."

Narcissa frowned, the name sounded familiar but she couldn't quite put her finger on it, "Nymphadora?"

"Andromeda's daughter," she blurred out, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see Narcissa's face.

James could only see surprise but in a good way, a smile drew on her face as she looked back at the door and around her. Trying to reassure Daphne, James reached for her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. The familiar touch sent electricity throughout his whole body, as if it was connecting the dots with an old acquaintance.

"That's...brilliant," the cousin finally breathed out.

"Is it?"

"Of course! Shall we go inside?" Narcissa asked. "I'm sure Draco is delighted to meet Harry and his cousin, are you not?"

"Yes!" Draco cheered.

To their surprise, Narcissa smiled the whole day. She laughed at Sirius's jokes, she had a long but interesting conversation with Ted Tonks and even sat down to look at Andromeda's photo books. On the other hand, Draco and Harry got along perfectly—there were some yells and cries but it ended up in laughs and squeals around the house. Even Dora seemed fond of the two younger boys.

"Is it not too hard living with all of them?" Andromeda found herself asking as the women sat at the table, drinking their cups of tea. "I'm sure they're lovely but—"

"I think I like it," Daphne admitted softly, shrugging. "It is brilliant having other people at home. I've been mostly alone these past few months and they just make my days warmer."

Narcissa chuckled, "Isn't James Potter nice?"

"He's very kind," Daphne replied, setting her eyes on him. He was smiling a lot more than usual while he shared a discussion with Ted and Sirius. After a moment, he turned his head and they locked eyes. "He is just James, you know? He is bright and such a lovely person."

James seemed to not be able to look away and suddenly, he was taken back to the years at Hogwarts where he would find some trouble looking the other way because he was too mesmerised by her.

"Have you two shagged yet?" Andromeda queried and Narcissa gasped at the language. "What is it, Cissa? Is it because I've said the word shag? Where are you living, Salazar?"

Narcissa shook her head in disapproval, "Mum would have yelled at you for not using proper words!"

"Shag is a proper word. Am I supposed to ask if they've shared a bed or had sexual intercourses? Merlin..."

Daphne snorted, "Will you two stop? No, we haven't shagged. Why would he?"

"Because you two are fond of each other," Narcissa commented, noticing how he looked at her. "Am I mistaken?"

"Yes," Daphne breathed out, convincing herself that there was no way that he could fancy her—or that she could fancy him. They have changed these past few years, they were different yet so alike. "Yes, Cissa. You are mistaken because there is nothing between James Potter and I."

"If you say so," Andromeda mumbled, sharing a knowing look with Narcissa.

Was there nothing between James Potter and Daphne Rosier?

—————
authors note, sooo cute chapter i guess? i love the dynamic between all of them so yes it was fun to write.
7 more chapters to go and then it's over 🥹🥹🥹