Black coffee, with sugar

Chapter 29

"I think I want to be an Auror,", Lilian started, and Daphne choked on her tea. Harry patted her on the back, looking wildly to Lilian, and the girl seemed unwavering, before cracking a smile. "It's a joke, don't worry."

"Don't make these sorts of jokes,", Daphne managed to spit out, still feeling her throat hurting from the tea. She stopped, considering for a moment. Lilian was going to her last year of schooling in one day, and that meant that soon, she'd be out of her house to search for a profession. "I don't mind if you do decide to change professions, but please don't announce that sort of thing at the table."

Daphne used her brief downtime to rise up and grab a glass of water as Lilian grumbled, eating her breakfast, and Harry went back to his newspaper.

"Then I probably shouldn't mention I'm getting a divorce,", Harry said, from behind his newspaper, and Daphne almost let the glass of water she was grabbing fall. Almost. She looked at Harry, grabbing through the newspaper a barely suppressed grin.

Lilian was the first to react, mostly because Daphne was still in shock. Harry? Getting a divorce? And there were no journalists after him like bloodhounds? Was she dreaming? Merlin, she had wanted that, but she never thought it would become true one day.

"Are you serious, father?", Lilian asked, jumping from her seat, hands slapping against the table. She looked at Harry, who folded the newspaper, a smile gracing his face. "Are you really going to marry mum?"

"If she'll have me, sure.", Harry seemed to blush a little, and he looked at Daphne. "Will you?"

He was full of hope, if the look in his green eyes was any indication, and Daphne blinked quickly, tears blurring her world for a moment.

"Do you ask me because you expect me to say no? Because I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed,", Daphne replied, and it was Harry's turn to rise up, approaching Daphne. Lilian made a quick exit from the kitchen, saying something about Molly or Astoria or whatever; she couldn't focus on anything but Harry. Harry touched her waist lightly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, waiting.

When the sound of the door closing resonated through the empty kitchen, Daphne decided to speak.

"What about your children?", she asked, voice with just the slightest of trembles. He put one hand on her cheek, thumb caressing her face softly, carefully. "Won't they mind?"

"I told them, and they didn't seem to mind. I think they knew, in a way,", Harry said, kissing her softly, and Daphne allowed herself to melt into it. Merlin, she never had thought that day would come - no, scratch; she had never even entertained the possibility of a divorce.

A divorce was absolutely scandalous, to proper wizarding society; it was believed a couple should stay together until death. Sure, divorces were available, but they weren't exactly common. To have Harry divorcing, especially so when the news reported a happy marriage, was unforeseen. Would he shut up Skeeter? What would he do? And what would Daphne do, most importantly?

"So... You're free, so to speak?", Daphne asked, hands lowering to play with the topmost buttons of his shirt.

"Well, I do have a bunch of repressed trauma, four children and a divorce on my back, but yes, I'm free as they come,", Harry replied, kissing Daphne once more. Daphne was almost sure Lilian wouldn't come home until later, so she decided to have her fun. She was allowed, wasn't she?

Separating herself from Harry for a brief second, she grabbed his hand, pulling him along to her room. She deserved a sick day - her experiments were all done with, and honestly, it was a time to commemorate. At least, for her, it was.