Power Plays Chapter 68 (Patreon)

The state funeral for Harry Potter came as a shock to the wizarding world at large. The first couple of days that followed the explosion of Aurora Calderon’s flat had been rife with secrecy as the Ministry rushed to cover up what had happened, but the story of Harry’s demise leaked soon after. Daphne still suspected that Amelia Bones had something to do with that.

Minister Shacklebolt announced a five-day period of mourning for Harry’s death. It began the second day of his death and carried through to the weekend where, on the Sunday, the funeral was to be held at the Ministry of Magic. No one argued against it, not even the press.

All past grudges or tiny quibbles seemed to be forgotten during those days. Now, all that anyone could talk about was how good of a man Harry had been, what a powerful wizard he was, and how it was a shame that the Potter family was finally dying out.

Draped in black robes as dark as the night sky, Daphne lingered near the entryway into the grand ballroom that’d been set aside for the proceedings of the funeral. Over a hundred rows of chairs stretched out, covering nearly the entire floor except for walkways on either side of the seats and one large path down the middle of the room to the light-brown casket that sat atop the stage.

When Daphne had first seen that casket, she’d nearly smashed it to bits. The explosion that’d wracked Calderon’s flat had disintegrated everything within. Nothing more than ash was left behind, and even the typical magical residue that came from magical artefacts weren’t seen. It was complete and utter devastation. A token urn of the ashes from the flat had been placed in the sealed casket, but that was all.

Kingsley was somewhere within preparing to give his speech once the crowd started forming. He was officiating the funeral despite several offers coming in from various people all across the globe. Daphne was wary of many of these individuals simply hoping to cash in on a bit of fame, so she’d allowed Kingsley to take the lead.

It felt strange having to make all of these decisions, but Harry didn’t have anyone else to make them for him, so here she was.

At the far end of the corridor, the door cracked open and Tonks slipped inside. She was dressed in her black Auror robes and wore a face of pure depression now that she was virtually alone.

Daphne couldn’t even bother to offer up a sympathetic smile as Tonks slowly approached her. She’d need to save her energy for all of the guests later.

“Hey,” Tonks said awkwardly, as though she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Daphne wished that she could reply in kind and just have some lazy conversation that danced around the topic at hand, but that wasn’t how her mind worked. Ultimately, she was always focused on whatever came next.

“How’s the crowd out there?” Daphne asked.

“Busy,” Tonks answered. Her hair flickered from her natural brown to purple to black in an instant. “There’s been a lot of tears already, and a lot of flowers thrown all around the atrium. Cleanup is gonna be a pain. I don’t have to worry about that though.”

Quietly, Tonks turned away from Daphne and wiped at her face. Even though she knew that Tonks had known Harry for far longer than her, Daphne struggled to find any sympathy for her at this moment. Out of the two of them, Daphne was his true love. She should be the one being consoled, not anyone else. But this wasn’t the time for competition. She needed to swallow whatever bitterness she felt and get on with it. Maybe then she’d be able to get back home sooner and drink herself into oblivion.

“Any word on Amelia or Rhys showing up?” Daphne asked.

It took Tonks a moment to collect herself before she turned back around. Her eyes were raw and puffy. “They’re both here,” she said. “Rhys is with a bunch of his fucking idiot colleagues and Amelia is here with her team. They both… I don’t know. They don’t look particularly sad today. I bet they’re both trying to figure out how they can use this situation to their advantage.”

“That’s what all good politicians do,” Daphne replied, well aware of the fact that she’d do exactly the same if she was in Rhys or Amelia’s shoes, but that didn’t stop the anger from creeping up inside of her chest. “Just keep a close eye on them and make sure they don’t do anything too stupid.”

“You don’t need to tell me that,” Tonks replied a bit more harshly than she likely intended. “Gabrielle is out there right now keeping order and watching over them, and she’s more likely than me to curse either of them for saying the wrong thing.”

“Try to keep her under control,” Daphne told her. “We can’t afford anything to go wrong today.”

Tonks huffed loudly. “I know, I just wish…”

“Harry’s dream from a brighter future won’t happen if we can’t compose ourselves today,” Daphne reminded her. “I need to win this election, and if I have to listen to Amelia and Rhys’ silent taunts about Harry being dead or anything else of the sort, then I’ll do it. We can’t let ourselves lose control and forget what we’re fighting for, even if Harry is gone.”

“You… you’re right,” Tonks sighed, though she looked none too happy about admitting it. “I’ll make sure that everything runs smoothly.”

“Thank you,” Daphne replied with a slight smile. “Is Teddy doing okay?”

“I think so,” Tonks said, glancing away. “Andromeda’s taking care of him. I think he’s doing alright while Delphini is by his side.”

A small bit of pride filled Daphne’s chest. “If you see them, please remind Delphini that I’ll come sit with her once I’m done with my duties.”

Ever since word of Harry’s death had come through, Delphini had retreated back into herself. She hardly spoke or ate. Most of her time was spent in her bedroom staring at walls or the plush toys that she managed to conjure without the use of a wand. Andromeda tried to reassure Daphne that this was an unusual reaction for a girl so young but understandable enough to not be truly worrisome, but that didn’t truly calm Daphne’s nerves about the situation. Delphini was the closest thing to a child that she and Harry had, and Daphne truly cared about her wellbeing.

“I will,” Tonks promised her. She shuffled around awkwardly for a moment, kicking at nothing before looking back up at Daphne. “Everyone will be arriving within the next few minutes. Are you ready to deal with them?”

“Of course I am,” Daphne lied convincingly. “Don’t delay anything on my account. I’m ready, really.”

“Okay,” Tonks said, letting out another deep breath. “Thanks. It’s all been so hectic up there. The crowd’s already beginning to get a bit restless.”

“Send them in,” Daphne told her. “I’ll let everyone know that it’s about to start.”

“Thanks,” Tonks said with a half smile. She tried to give Daphne’s arm a comforting squeeze, but it was too rough and sudden to be such.

As Tonks retreated, Daphne sucked in a deep breath and headed through the doors into the ballroom.

“The guests will be arriving in a few minutes!” She announced loudly so that all of the workers could hear her. She hoped that at least one of them would rush off to inform Kingsley; she didn’t think that she had enough spare energy to do that herself.

As the cries of acknowledgement sounded off, Daphne retreated back out into the corridor and found her familiar position just off to the side of the doorway. She spent the last few moments she had straightening out her robes and touching up her hair until she saw the distant door crack open again.

At once, a steady stream of visitors began to flow into the corridors. Daphne recognised virtually everyone who stepped through the doorway. First came many of Harry’s friends and family: the Weasley clan, Hermione, Padma and Parvati Patil, his Hogwarts classmates who’d fought with him at the final battle, and several professors from Hogwarts.

“Welcome,” Daphne smiled as they passed by.

Their saddened eyes met hers, trying to express an amount of grief that they imagined would utterly overwhelm what Daphne was feeling. Yet nothing they imagined came close to the pain that had settled deep within Daphne’s chest.

And yet she continued to greet everyone as comfortably as she could manage. Those who’d been closest to Harry came first, and they were all effused with their praise for Harry and his character. Daphne accepted it all with the grace and poise that was expected of her positions.

While it was all terribly sad to face, Daphne didn’t come close to breaking until she saw Delphini approaching alongside Teddy and Andromeda. She had on her own black dress robes that were terribly cute and yet so solemn that a child shouldn’t be wearing them. She moved with timid steps, aware of what was happening and yet not truly understanding the significance of them.

Delphini dashed out from her place in the line to reach Daphne’s side to give her a tremendous hug. She barely reached her waist and yet she clung to her with everything that she had.

“It’s okay,” Daphne murmured soothingly, crouching down to wrap her arms around Delphini. “Everything will be alright.”

“Will it?” Delphini muttered as she pulled away.

Once again, Daphne was struck by the maturity in which Delphini spoke.

“What happens now?” Delphini asked Daphne.

She wished that she could offer some simple recompense or an answer that’d satisfy Delphini’s innate curiosity. But the longer she thought about it, the more tears that filled Daphne’s eyes. Her mouth opened as though it could conjure up the words that she needed, but she ended up looking like a flailing fish.

“Can I stay with you?” Delphini ended up asking.

All that Daphne could do was nod in agreement.

Once Andromeda and Teddy reached them, Daphne quickly sent them on their way, ensuring them that she’d keep Delphini safe and by her side through the rest of these greetings.

Just as Daphne got Delphini settled at her side, she heard the most uncomfortable clearing of one’s throat that she’d ever heard.

“My sympathies for your partner’s passing,” Amelia Bones murmured as she walked up next to Daphne.

Delphini cringed and dipped behind Daphne’s legs. Instinctively, she took up a protective position and narrowed her eyes at Amelia.

“Are they genuine?” Daphne asked her. “Or are you simply happy that you don’t have any more obstacles within the Auror Department?”

“I am truly sorry to hear of Harry’s passing,” Amelia replied, and as sincere as she seemed, Daphne couldn’t truly tolerate her presence enough to treat her words as such. “And I will have you know that I’ve never once wished to commandeer the Auror Department in any way. Despite our differences, Harry was a wonderful Head Auror, and I never wished him to meet his end in the line of duty.”

“Save face all you want,” Daphne retorted. “I’m well aware of your interference into his work. Spying on him. Trying to trick his subordinates into believing malicious lies about him. I can’t trust a word out of your mouth.”

“Once again, my condolences,” Amelia said, bowing her head slightly and moving past into the ballroom.

More members of the Ministry followed. Senior officials, department heads, and various members of the Wizengamot made their way inside, each stopping briefly to greet Daphne. Daphne was suspicious of quite a few of them. Many in the Wizengamot hated Harry for how he’d gone after pure-blooded families that hoarded dark artefacts. Still, this was no time to make a scene. She had a role to play as the grieving widow, and that was what she’d do.

Even when Rhys Orpington appeared, Daphne refused to let her mask slip. The man had the gall to smirk at Daphne as he gave her his sympathies. Daphne didn’t even bother to dignify him with a response. Due to his closeness with Aurora Calderon, he was still under official investigation as to what happened, but without any clear direct evidence linking him to the matter, he remained out of custody for now.

Once the crowd began to trickle down to only a few people left, the doors opened up again. Now, it was the general public’s turn to arrive.

Countless faces that Daphne didn’t recognise streamed past her and Delphini. Each of them offered sympathies for Harry’s demise, and virtually all of them looked on her with sympathy. For all of his critics in the Ministry, the fickle public did truly adore Harry at the moment. Even those who’d criticised his actions in France only a few months earlier were willing to disregard their feelings on that in favour of the overwhelming gratitude they felt over Harry defeating Voldemort.

Some of the mourners that arrived were already crying, some from the moment they entered the Ministry while others broke down at the sight of Daphne and Delphini standing alone. It was… difficult to deal with.

Daphne felt like she was doing well up until she spotted Harry’s eyes staring back at her in the line of mourners waiting to speak with her. That same charming sparkle that she always saw in his eyes was there. It was so striking that she literally stopped mid-sentence and stared until her eyes were forced to blink. Then she realised that those weren’t his eyes; these were blue.

A wave of sadness washed over Daphne as the man with the blue eyes passed her by. He said some small greeting to her, but she didn’t hear any of it.

It took another dozen visitors before Daphne managed to regain some of her composure and go back to thanking everyone again.

After nearly half an hour of this, the last mourner entered the ballroom behind her.

“Everyone’s inside,” Tonks confirmed for Daphne, sealing the doors at the far end of the corridor to stop any last-minute gate crashers. “It’ll still be a few minutes before everything begins.”

Delphini clutched at Daphne’s robes, trembling slightly without letting out a sound. Daphne tried placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“We’ll be right in,” Daphne told Tonks.

Tonks nodded, just as distracted by the funeral as Daphne was. She hurried into the ballroom, closing the doors behind her to give Daphne and Delphini a moment of privacy.

Crouching down, Daphne met Delphini’s sad gaze. “Are you okay?”

Delphini didn’t answer immediately. The heel of her Mary Jane flats squeaked against the floor as she twisted awkwardly. “I guess,” she finally muttered.

“You guess?” Daphne prompted her gently. “Something’s bothering you. Can you tell me about it?”

Delphini looked terribly uncertain. Her eyes flickered from side to side in a way that worried Daphne. What was she looking out for?

Slowly, Delphini reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out a small stuffed hippogriff that resembled the one that Hagrid owned. Buckbeak, Harry had told her its name was. The stormy grey feathers were incredibly realistic, and its orange eyes were especially striking without looking so real that it felt like they were actually staring back at you.

“That’s the toy that Harry made for you,” Daphne said knowingly. She ran her fingers along the feathers. Just feeling something that Harry made almost made it feel like she was touching him again. Harry had taught her a bit about sensing magic, and while she was nowhere near as proficient as he was, she was now able to recognise magic that was familiar to her. This hippogriff felt like Harry.

Delphini nodded and pulled it close to her chest. “He said that it was special to him, and that it should be special for me too.”

“He really loved you. You know that, right?”

“Uh huh,” Delphini smiled shyly. “He made this out of thin air, just like I make my other toys.”

Daphne wasn’t quite sure what Delphini was trying to say so she just went along with it, offering a sympathetic smile.

Delphini squirmed nervously. “Draco had me reading a book about magic. He teaches me just like his mum did. It was about Transfiguration.” She squeezed the hippogriff tighter and finally asked the question that’d clearly been bothering her all this time. “Aren’t things that people make supposed to disappear after they die?”

“Not always,” Daphne smiled weakly. “Transfiguration is permanent. They don’t go back to what they were before.”

“But Harry didn’t transfigure anything,” Delphini said. “He made this out of thin air.”

“Conjuration,” Daphne confirmed. “And those…”

Those didn’t last forever. Most creations only lasted a few minutes unless someone continued to fuel magic into it. Others would last longer. Days, a couple of weeks maybe. There were ways of making conjured objects last longer through enchantments or extra charms layered onto the object, but this hippogriff had none of them that Daphne could sense. And when a witch or wizard died, the things they conjured would disappear soon after.

Which meant…

“He’s alive,” Daphne breathed out.

She didn’t know whether to sob or storm out of here in a burst of fury trying to hunt down Harry Potter for all of the pain he’d put her through in these past few days.

Kissing the top of Delphini’s head, Daphne gave her a tight hug. “You brilliant, brilliant girl. Don’t you worry; we’ll find him.”

“Okay,” Delphini murmured back.

Taking Delphini’s hand into hers, Daphne opened the doors to the ballroom and stepped inside. Everyone’s eyes were upon the two of them as they made their way down the central aisle towards the front of the room where a pair of seats had been reserved for them.

But just near the halfway point, her movement hitched sharply.

The man with the blue eyes was sitting right beside the aisle, staring up at her. And for just a moment, his eyes flickered emerald green.