CHAPTER TWO
Secret Lovers
January 2nd, 1978

"No, Mother, I will not get into any trouble," Daphne muttered under her breath, trying to shake away her mum's hands on her shoulders that were keeping her steady and close. "Don't you trust me?"

Amalthea scoffed, "I'm no fool, Daphne. It is not a question of trust," she spoke lowly. "You cannot go around and be a stupid silly girl, are we clear?" Her hand moved to her left forearm and she hissed at the pain.

Daphne removed herself from her mother's grasp, "Will you not?" She snapped, then turned to look at her father. "I will see you soon." Was all she said before turning on her heels and headed towards the train.

As soon as she stepped a foot into the familiar train, she felt as if a weight was lifting off of her shoulders and a smile replaced her grumpy expression. Her head drifted to the voices, she could recognise her cousin—Sirius Black—but also this Lupin boy. They were whispering things to each other and she didn't miss the blush creeping on Remus' cheeks. Looking up, he spotted Daphne and cleared his throat leaning away from Sirius.

"Don't let me stop you two," she smiled softly, waving her hand carelessly.

Sirius scoffed at his cousin, "Enjoying the show, Daffy?"

Daphne let out a grunt, inviting herself into their compartment and sat down, "You and your bloody brother still call me Daffy, fucking hell," she muttered.

Remus had wide eyes as Sirius looked a little surprised to see her having a conversation with them, or even the fact that she was in their compartment, "Are you okay?" Remus finally asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Daphne seemed offended by the question.

"Well," he shrugged. "You never sit with us," he added with a soft voice.

She sighed loudly, "I can sense that I am not wanted, it is fine, I will just leave," she mumbled under her breath. "It was nice to see you, Sirius."

"Wait," Sirius said softly, clearly conflicted. "How is Reg?"

"You mean Reggie," she responded with a smirk as he chuckled at the childish nickname. "He's...er, he could be better but I'll handle it, don't worry."

"Thank you."

"You two make a good pair, by the way," she commented as she watched their mouth open slightly in shock. Then, she faked to zip her mouth and to throw the key away. "I won't tell a soul, lads," she reassured with a wink before walking away.

Before she could reach her friends and family, she was pulled into a compartment and instant recognised the sweet perfume of the boy she had grown fond of these last few months. James Fleamont Potter was pulling the curtains down so no one would see them behind the glass, and turned on his heels to give her a soft loving smile like the ones he'd give to her, only to her.

"Hello, you," he breathed out, looking nervous as if she had stopped liking him over the holidays.

"Come here, you idiot," she whispered, tugging him closer as she swung her arms around his neck and he laid his hands on her waist. "Missed me, Potter?"

"Er, I plead the fifth," James replied as she let out a soft laugh. He leaned down, bopping his nose into hers and she could feel his hot breath hitting her lips. "Did you, though?"

"Mmh, I think I'll plead the fifth," she teased as he rolled his eyes.

"Too bad," he said softly, his lips grazing over hers as his forehead rested against hers. "Guess we'll never know."

Daphne decided she had enough of the teasing and pressed her lips on his, he brought her closer if that even possible and she could feel his glasses on the bridge of her nose. She didn't care, it reminded her who she was with. Pulling away, she bit his lower lip and he stared at her breathlessly. Daphne took a second to scrutinise him—his glasses, blue eyes, his curly messy brown hair, his wide smile and she felt herself smiling widely at the sight.

Pecking his lips once more, she walked to the door, "I have a gift for you. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, sure," he grinned at her and waited for her to leave the compartment before he could leave it too.

Leaving at the same time would be too problematic, it'd bring too many eyes on then and they couldn't risk it—at least, she couldn't risk it. Heading towards the end of the train, where some members of her house and friends would be, she finally perceived Regulus but before she could reach him, someone bumped into her.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry," apologised the red-hair girl.

Daphne suppressed back a laugh as she reached for her friend's forearm, "Lily, it's okay."

At the mention of her name, the Gryffindor looked up at Daphne and a sigh of relief escaped her lips, "Merlin's beard, I thought it was...er...another—" She told her.

"Calm down," she smiled at her. "How were your Christmas holidays?"

Lily sighed loudly, shaking her head as though she was trying to ignore the loud thoughts in her head, "They were different. Spent it with my sister and her Muggle fiancé, Vernon."

Daphne chuckled, "Vernon? Couldn't it be more Muggle?" She said as Lily bit back a smile. "I'll try to bring you something later."

"What?"

"A book from my own collection," she winked. "Wizards stories. You'll love them, trust me," was all she said before turning on her heels.

Daphne always liked Lily, from what she could remember. Snape had introduced her to Daphne, in the library, where they were studying. She still remembered the red-hair being all over the place, scared to be somewhere so magical. And Daphne had taken the role of friend way too seriously, she couldn't care less of what she was—Muggle-born, half-blood—it was all the same, really. Snape, on the other hand, had decided otherwise.

"Severus, Barty," she greeted the two before sitting down to Regulus. "So, Reggie, I think we need to have a little chat."

Regulus hummed, "Do we?"

"About Cissa," she responded as he cleared his throat, and nodded his head. "This is your clue to leave, lads."

Severus bowed his head apologetically as he dragged Barty away, Daphne moved to the other booth and sat down in front of Regulus. He tended to be away a lot lately, she couldn't blame him. Daphne was also feeling herself draft from reality, little by little. It wouldn't be long before the mark made her go crazy or something like this.

"So, Cissa told me you had requested my help," she started as he bowed his head, confirming her words. "Why?"

He shrugged, "Mostly because I didn't want to do it alone," he confessed, playing nervously with his ring. "And, because it wouldn't take so long if you were there. I know you're good at potion."

"I'm better at DADA, though," she argued back.

He smiled, "I know but Slughorn speaks of you so highly, I thought...I thought you could help," he told her.

Daphne smirked, "That will do, I guess," she replied. "Does Slughorn really speaks highly of me?"

"All the bloody time," Rebecca Goyle, her best friend and roommate, said dramatically before slouching down next to her. "Hey, Regulus."

"Hey, Rebecca," he told her, forcing a smile on his face. Lately, Regulus couldn't bring himself to be happy—but again, when had he been happy? "I'll go find Barty or Evan," he notified his cousin before leaving the empty booth to Rebecca.

"Do I scare your cousin? Bloody hell," she chuckled, resting her head on the palm of her hand. "Anyways, what's up?"

"Well," Daphne leaned closer to her friend, until their forehead were touching. "I've met Him."

Her friend's eyes widened, "You mean? He as..."

"Call him Tom," she answered as Rebecca nodded. "He's not as scary as I thought he'd be. He talks slow and it sounds like almost every word is calculated."

Rebecca Goyle came from a powerful family of wizards, who also were on the dark side, that was how people called it nowadays. Half of Slytherin wizards were from wealthy families with dark background. The Blacks, the Goyles, the Malfoys, the Rosiers, the Nott.

"Did it hurt?"

"A little," she admitted. "But I'm okay now, Becca," she added, noticing her friend's look. "I'm healthy, happy to see you obviously—and most importantly, I'm alive."

"For how long, though?" She whispered.

Daphne sighed, "As long as I can," she replied, looking away.

The Hogwarts Express reached the school around eight, it was already dark though the stars were shinning bright in the sky. Hurrying herself, she reached a carriage but was disappointed to see only one left. Rebecca must had left without her because none of her friends were around, she walked up to Professor Flitwick and smiled.

"Hello, Professor. May I ask where is Rebecca?"

He looked up, "Miss Goyle was forced to leave without you, Miss Rosier. Now if you'll excuse me, we have one last student."

Loud footsteps erupted behind them as she turned around, her eyes widened at the sight of James who was running towards them. He stopped in front of Professor Flitwick, his shoulder touching Daphne's slightly.

"Sorry, Professor. Ran late," he explained, waving his wand in front of his face. "Couldn't find my bloody wand."

Professor Flitwick rolled his eyes, "Language, Potter. You'd hate to get detention on your first day back, wouldn't you?"

James smirked cockily, "On the opposite, Sir. I'd be delighted," he teased as their Charms Professor ignored him, and pointed at the carriage.

Once they were both sat down, James let his eyes linger on the girl. His girl. She had told him multiple times and it didn't miss to make his heart go at an insane pace every single time.

"Did you do it on purpose?" She asked quietly, trying to ignore his eyes. "James, you kno—"

"I didn't," he cut her off, slightly offended he'd put them, her in any risk. "I had really lost my wand, Daph."

"Alright," she said softly. "I'm sorry for—"

He cut her off once again, but this time he put a hand on knee where it'd go unnoticed, "Don't. Don't apologise," he breathed out, smiling gently. "I've agreed to this."

Daphne put her hand on his and intertwined their fingers together, "We've agreed to this."

"Yeah," James said, a warm feeling submerging him. "Are we still meeting tonight?"

"Yep," she popped the 'p'. "Room of Requirement? I'll try to imagine something...homey," she told him as he chuckled.

Being in the Room of Requirement felt more like home than anywhere she had ever been, including her childhood home she had grown up in. It was something of hers, that came right out of her mind and it was the perfect spot to meet with James. Or, secret lover, like he used to call himself. The room itself was colourful and completely different to her—of course being a Slytherin made her appreciate green and dark place, but she appreciated to have some colours.

Staring at the gifts, yes, there were multiple gifts only because Daphne couldn't make up her mind when she went shopping. They were silly little things really, but she liked them. She turned around at the noise, only to see James walking in with a smug smile.

"Evening, my lady," he greeted her before giving her lips a gentle peck. "How are you?"

"I'm perfect," Daphne told him truthfully, because she was. She was feeling perfectly fine with him next to her. "Gifts?"

"If you want to, yeah," he replied excitedly as he plopped on the couch next to her. "You got me multiple gifts?"

Daphne blushed lightly, her lips formed a thin line, "To be fair, I couldn't choose so I bought them both," she admitted as he smirked down at her. "This is such a James Potter thing to do," she muttered.

He shoved her away playfully, "This is, indeed, a James Potter thing to do but I don't mind," he answered sweetly. "Only confirms that Daphne Rosier, a Slytherin, likes the hell out of me."

"Oh, you're so full of yourself," she snorted before lighting a cigarette. She handed him the first box as he opened it carefully.

"This is a pin badge," he commented, a smile drawing his face as he realised. "They're laurel leaves," he added as she rose her eyebrows in surprise. "Yes, I know that Daphne means laurel leaves. You have that amazing story around those Greek Gods."

She puffed the smoke away, "You really did your research, Potter," she shook her head after a few seconds of looking at him and he put the box down, grabbing her by the waist so he could pull her into his laps.

"I love it, Daph," he reassured her, his hand running smoothly in her hair.

Closing her eyes, she breathed out, "I just thought...I know I'm making this hard, on both of us," she mumbled, looking down at his chest. "And I just thought you could bring me wherever you want."

"And, I will," he replied, cupping her face. "I'll bloody bring you everywhere I go. Mine, right?"

"Yours," she confirmed with a small chuckle. "Wear it on your heart and if people ask, just tell them laurel leaves are a symbol of victory."

"Noted," he whispered, the pad of his thumb running on her cheekbone as he brought her face down and kissed her lips lovingly. "What's the other one?"

Daphne pulled away and grabbed the box excitedly, "Okay, this one is a bit...different. Well, I got the same in scarlet and gold."

"Scarlet and gold?" he chuckled. "The colours of Gryffindor?"

"Oh, shut it," she laughed. "Open it."

James' mouth opened wide as he started at it. A golden snitch with green lines all around it was in the box, he glanced between her and the gift. Daphne was smoking, waiting for him to say something as she stared at him. Wordlessly, he rose on his feet and circled her waist with his arms and spun her around. Her laugh echoed through the room and he found himself hoping to hear it forever.

He pressed a firm kiss to her lips as she let her fingers ran lazily into his messy curls, "You taste like cigarette and heaven," he murmured against her lips as she beamed at him.

"Are you happy?" She queried as he put her down. "Wanna see mine?" She added, noticing he wasn't answering.

He nodded his head as she reached for inside her pocket, and showed him the snitch, "It is beautiful," James said, staring at it. A feeling of proudness filling his chest at the sight, knowing she had his house's colours on her. "It's perfect, thank you love."

"Now, my turn, right?"

"You will excuse me, Miss Rosier but I had decided to not entirely act as James Potter and not get you multiple gifts," he told her and handed her the box. She waved a careless hand and smiled fondly at the velvet box.

"James," she started as she looked down at the ring. It was a beautiful lapis ring, and definitely a family heirloom. "I can't accept this..."

"Like hell you can," he responded with a frown. "I'm not asking you to marry me, I'm simply..."

"But," she breathed out, pointing at the beautiful ring in her hand, "This is a family heirloom, James. As far as I am concerned, I will never be a Potter."

Daphne knew about the meaning of it, she had heard Narcissa and Bellatrix talk about it all the times. Handing a family heirloom meant so much, a promise of engagement and she deep down knew she couldn't keep that promise. She gulped, her finger gazing at the jewel and she felt the tears pricking.

"My mum knows about it," he admitted as she gaped at him. His mum knew? "Not like that," he corrected himself rapidly, noticing her face. "She gave it to me. Told me I should give it to someone I cherish."

"Why not Lily, then?" Daphne asked.

She knew she was going too far, and probably pushing her luck but she couldn't let him give her a family heirloom knowing she would never have the chance to wear it proudly. Besides, Lily Evans did deserve to wear it—Cerci knew she did.

"Because I'm not in love with Lily Evans!" He argued.

He stuttered, trying to find the right words to explain what he had just said but Daphne stopped him, "And, I'm not in love with a bloody idiot. Am I?"

He sighed in defeat, "I could transfigure it into a necklace?" He proposed, reaching for his wand as he hoped she wouldn't toss it in his face. She could have done it.

"I would like that," she replied quietly, handing him the ring again. "James, I'm—"

"You love me and I love you. It's enough for me," he confessed, not bothering to look up as he watched the ring transform into a necklace. "You love me, right?"

"I do," Daphne whispered, clearly scared of that revelation.

"Alright, then," he motioned for her to move so he could put it around her neck. "You should know that I will be able to transfigure this back into a ring one day, if you still want it."

Despite the awkward tension that had settled between the secret lovers, she laughed, "I'll try to remember."

"Are you staying for sleeping?" He queried once she had turned back around to look at him.

Daphne hummed, "Come on," she grabbed his hand and led him to the bed where they both laid awake, staring at each other. "Just because I said I loved you,—"

"It doesn't mean anything," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Don't worry, I know."

"I know that, love. I know," she murmured, scooting closer until she was pressed against him. He moved his arm around her and rested his head on hers, while she laid hers on his chest.

Soon, he started snoring and Daphne took this as her chance to fall asleep soundly against him. Pushing back the bad thoughts that started to swirl in her mind, she let out a long and exhausted sigh before closing her eyes. She fell asleep instantly because she was finally home.

——————
authors note, hello! how is everyone?
first, thank you for all the reads, comments and votes! it means a lot x

this chapter is mostly my lovers because why not?! also, i know it's kind of weird to read them already together without knowing how they actually got together—but, trust me it is not how they got together that matters but how their relationship is going to evolve! i have so much things planned for the whole book!

if you have any questions, i'll happily answer them x

love you!! and if you see any mistakes pls don't pay attention, i usually don't re-read my chapters before posting pleaseee