CHAPTER THIRTY-FIBE
First Man
July 2nd, 1979

Daphne stared at the letter she had just received. It had been over a week since she came home from St Mungo's, a week since Regulus had died--she still had nightmares about it but Fabian had been prioritising her instead of sleep to be there for her. Somehow she hoped she was still in one of her nightmares but the fresh ink on the paper brought her back to reality. Her mum's handwriting was on that paper, and it not only mentioned Daphne but Fabian too.

"Is there something wrong, love?" Fabian queried out, seeing she wasn't saying a thing.

"I don't know," she blinked slowly. "Fab, love, could you please come read this letter?"

"Sure."

He stood up from the couch and joined her side at the kitchen's table, he leaned over and read attentively the paper before gaping at it, "Oh, so I am not dreaming," she muttered, rising on her feet. "Salazar, are we supposed to go?"

"Well, your mum mentions your father is not here," he said. "That is probably why she's inviting us..."

"I don't even think I trust my own mother. What if it's a trap and she wants to capture us?" She ranted anxiously.

Fabian chuckled, taking her hands and steadying her, "Take it easy, Daph. Your wound is still fresh and I reckon it is safe to go. I doubt your mother would try to capture us, would she?"

Daphne raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't underestimate my mother if I were you—she can be wicked," she replied.

"Right. Well," he sighed, reading the letter again. "It says Evan will be here. Do you think he would try anything to harm you?"

"That, no," she answered, biting her nail. A bad habit she had picked on during the hard days. "He wouldn't dare hurt me and I the same."

Fabian clapped his hands together excitedly as he rubbed them together, "It is settled then, we are going to see your family and I am coming. There is no talking me out of this one, darling."

"Are you sure?" Daphne asked, taking a step closer and delicately brushed her lips against him as he released a shaky breath.

"Quite sure," he said, pulling away and clearing his throat.

Daphne cocked her head to the side like a curious kneazle would do, "You seem quite flushed, are you alright?"

"You—you really are a witch," he muttered, turning on his heels and heading straight to the bedroom. "No talking me out!"

Daphne sighed, knowing she didn't have much of a choice but to get ready as well. She wasn't particularly thrilled to see her mum again, she didn't know the real reason behind this invitation and she feared the worst. There were so many ways for Amalthea Rosier to harm someone in the most delicate way, which she feared because she wanted Fabian safe. Despite thinking as hard as she could, she couldn't understand how she had managed to know about her sweet Fabian.

"How could she possibly know about us?" Daphne asked as she got dressed.

Fabian smirked, throwing a few blueberries in his mouth before answering, "Well, I am a handsome man, my love. You are beautiful. Us together, it doesn't go unnoticed. I'm sure your mother holds tea parties, does she not?"

"Rarely but..."

"Relax, Daphne. Nothing is supposed to go wrong," he reassured her, kissing her forehead as she relaxed her muscles. "Now, hurry getting ready. I will be waiting."

...

Amalthea, on her side, was anxiously assisting Tilly as she cooked Daphne's favourite dish. She truly hoped she would see her daughter again and meet her lovely boyfriend as well. After a tea party with her friends, one of them mentioned Daphne with a red hair on her arm, surely Amalthea hurried to do some research on the man who was sharing Daphne's life. After a few, one name came up Fabian Prewett. So, she waited for Bacchus, her husband, to leave on a business trip so she could take the liberty of inviting them.

"Are you still watching Tilly to see if she is doing the right thing, mum?" Evan queried, walking into the kitchen.

Amalthea shushed him, "I just want to be sure it will be perfect, Evan. Your sister hasn't been here in a long time and—"

"You are too stressed," he remarked as she frowned. "Tilly has been making that dish for a long time, she knows how to do it."

Amalthea sighed, putting her hand on her hip, "Is it so wrong of me to want her to feel at home?"

"I can assure you that her home is not our manor anymore," he answered as he walked outside, grabbing a cigarette. His mother followed and scolded as soon as she saw him lighting one of his cigarette.

"I thought I had asked—no, ordered to stop this vile stick!"

Evan shrugged, "I know I promised but promises are meant to be broken in this family, are they not?"

Amalthea gasped softly, shaking her head, "I have already apologised for your father's actions and mine too," she whispered.

And that was true, Amalthea Rosier had come forward on a sunny Sunday and apologised for not stopping him, for breaking their family and for making Evan what he was today. Evan had forgiven her but sometimes he couldn't help himself but throw out some snarky comments, ones that had been buried for too long.

Besides, he missed his sister, dearly. It had pained him to send her away on Christmas Eve because he wanted to spend Christmas with her, not with his half drunk of a father, just her. Then, the dinner at Narcissa's wasn't a blast either—she had been invited but never showed up.

"I know, I'm sorry for bringing it up," he replied, blowing the smoke away. "But, don't be surprised when Daphne mentions it."

"Do you reckon she will?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then, I will apologise," Tilly popped in front of them but before she could utter a single word, Amalthea spoke up. "Aren't you cooking, Tilly?"

"I is here to tell that Mistress Daphne has returned!" She exclaimed excitedly before going back to the kitchen.

...

"So this is your...house. I mean manor?" Fabian queried as they reached the front door. "It is quite big."

Daphne ignored him, trying to not let the nerves settle in. After all, she was home. She knocked on the door and quietly prayed that Tilly would open the door and not her mother—she needed to see Tilly before her mum.

"Mistress Daphne!" Tilly squealed happily.

Daphne's face instantly lit up, "Tilly, hello! Meet Fabian Prewett, my lovely boyfriend," she presented him as Fabian whispered a shy hello. "Are you cooking my favourite dish?"

"I is cooking it for you. After Master Evan told me Mistress would come, Tilly started cooking," she explained, more like ranted but Daphne listened happily. "Tilly is coming back."

Fabian released a breathy chuckle, "She is quite enthusiastic, is she not?"

"Quite, yes," Daphne said softly. "She's a great elf."

"Seems like it."

The familiar footsteps grew louder and Daphne found herself grabbing Fabian's hand in hers, it helped to ease her nerves. Her mother appeared first, a wide smile on her face as if Daphne hadn't yelled at her months ago–almost as if nothing happened. Evan followed second, he was putting a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and she couldn't help but chuckle at it. It seemed like Amalthea Rosier had gotten nicer.

"Oh, Daphne," she cooed, relief washing over her as she walked towards her first born. "You look ravishing," she then added, stopping in front of her–boundaries perhaps? "May I?"

"What?"

"Hug you."

"Oh," Daphne said. She wanted to say no but Fabian's hand pressed a little harder against her back, pushing her towards her mum. "Sure, why not?" She added quietly, opening her arms to welcome her mother.

For the first time, it seemed as if her mum was the one in need of a hug, not the other way. She was clinging onto her daughter, scared to let go, "I–we are so delighted to see you."

"Mum thought you wouldn't come," Evan added, peeking over her shoulder.

Daphne shrugged, pulling away, "I wasn't planning on coming..."

Amalthea smiled softly, her eyes darting towards Fabian, "Well, I suppose we have to thank this fine gentleman for convincing you to come see your family. Am I right?" She asked as Daphne hummed, not ashamed of admitting she didn't want to come at first. "Amalthea Rosier, Daphne's Mother," she offered her hand.

Fabian took his hand in hers and shook it, "Fabian Prewett, Daphne's boyfriend," he replied.

"Evan, come say hello to your sister."

"Hello tosser," he muttered, hugging her gently. "Hello Fabian."

"Hey Evan," he smiled.

Evan smirked, "It was a nice game. The Cup, 1976. Gryffindor won. You and your brother did a really nice job."

Fabian flushed, slightly puffing his chest, "Thank you, mate."

Amalthea grinned, "Let's eat, shall we? I reckon Tilly is done with the dish. I will go see," she told the three of them as she headed to the kitchen, leaving Evan alone.

"Mum wants you to feel at home."

"Does she?"

"Yes," he snorted. "She has been stressing Tilly since last night and I almost thought she was about to nick one of my fags," he added as she laughed. "Be nice to her, alright? She's trying."

"But I haven't for–"

He cut her off, "But I have, okay? Mum is good, she realised her mistakes and–all I am saying is don't be too harsh, alright?"

"I'll try."

The three of them made their way to the dinning room as Daphne guided Fabian towards her seat, the one she always had in the house. It belonged to her somehow. Fabian sat obediently next to her as Evan took the seat in front of his sister.

"Ah!" Amalthea's voice echoed as she made her way to her seat as well. "I see you have taken back your seat, my love."

Daphne hummed, "I suppose I did," she replied. "No father, then?"

"He's away," Evan replied. "Finally," he added quietly as Amalthea frowned and slapped his arm.

Daphne snorted, "What for? Business, I presume?" Amalthea simply nodded.

"Enough chatting about your father," she told her. "How long Fabian and you have been together?"

Daphne cleared her throat, her cheeks burning a little more than usual, "A while," she replied. "He's...He's great."

"And, she's great. Your daughter, I mean. She is a wonderful partner," Fabian ranted shyly and Amalthea chuckled, despite trying to stop it. "Have I said something funny?"

"No, not at all!" She answered softly, calming herself. "You are the first man to ever come here, except for family, of course—what I mean is that you must be special if Daphne allowed you to come along with her. To our home."

"Mum..."

"Do not be ashamed of my words, Daphne," she pleaded gently. "I am merely trying to state the facts."

"Right," she replied.

Fabian's hand moved to Daphne's upper thigh as a way to calm herself down, "Well, I am truly honoured to be the first man to ever meet her family. I'm sure she knows that," he told Daphne's mum with a wide smile.

The rest of the dinner went surprisingly well—Daphne had laughed, had shared some jokes along with Evan. Fabian seemed to have a blast too. If she was totally honest with herself, she missed having a family—technically, her family was still here but she missed being parts of the jokingly dinners and the long chessboard games after dark.

Daphne's family, the Rosier, were far from being like the Black. They used to get along pretty good, even extremely good which wasn't common in pure-blood families.

As the dinner got to an end, Fabian nicely volunteered to help Evan clear the table. Perhaps, Daphne suspected him of wanting her to talk with her mum.

"Is life outside of the manor treating you alright, darling?" Amalthea was the first to speak, her eyes looking for Daphne's. "I haven't heard much from you since that day."

"Oh, well," she murmured, playing with her glass. "It has been...delightful. Actually, it depends on the day. It can be dreading and sometimes amazing," she admitted.

"Well, it is how life is supposed to be, is it not?"

"I wouldn't truly know," she replied. "I'd say I have been thrown into the world without much of...help. Didn't have much of a choice either."

"I am sorry," Amalthea blurted out. "I am deeply sorry for not stopping your father from making you both do this, I fail—I failed greatly at being a good mother."

Daphne frowned, cutting her off, "You did not fail to be a mum. You were an amazing one," she said softly. "You have your defaults, that is all."

Nothing much was said after that. Fabian and Evan came back, talking about Quidditch and Daphne decided to speak with them as well considering she loved Quidditch. After a long talk, Daphne decided it was time for them to go back home and stood up to head towards the door.

Evan was the first to wrap his arms around her, hugging her as tightly as he could, "Come back soon, will you?"

"I will. I promise," she whispered in his arms as he gave her a nod, pulling her away. She turned her body so she could face her mum and waited for her to do the first step, which she instantly did. "Thank you for today."

"No worries. Thank you for coming," she replied.

Daphne chuckled, "Thank him," she said, referring to Fabian. "I—"

"Please, don't push me out again," she begged quietly. "I will try my best to be here for you and...You know, I want to be here."

"I know, mum."

"Again, I'm very sorry, darling."

"Yes," she said, not wanting to repeat herself again. Her mum kissed her cheek, making Daphne close her eyes at the sweet gesture. "I will see you two soon, yeah?"

"Of course," Amalthea answered then looked at Fabian. "I hope we will see you again, Fabian. It was a pleasure."

"Ah, the pleasure was mine, Mrs. Rosier."

With one last smile, Daphne took Fabian's hand and headed outside. She released a breath she had been holding for quite a long time and perhaps, some tears too. But, it felt good. Good to know that she was still part of this family, that she was still loved by her Mother. All she needed was to feel at home again, to feel these familiar arms wrapped around her tiny frame to chase all her demons away. As needy as it sounded, she needed her mum.

Then, she looked at Fabian and smiled gratefully. The first man to ever meet her mum and Evan. The first man who proudly held her hand in front of everyone. The first man to fully love her and adore her for who she truly was. He deserved it all.

—————
authors note, finally we do love mummy rosier, she seems great! also fabian being the first man 🥹

also HELLO 4K votes on this book is crazy!!!!! thank you