*** UPDATE: Sorry! I forgot to post this... the timeline has been shifted forward two years, so the Triwizard tournament takes place during year 6. Relative ages are the same.

A/N: I'm sorry about the relatively slow start. Things head south quickly though, and Chapter 4 is where the story goes nuts.

Also, thank you to everyone who has responded in any form to this story. The response has completely blown me out of the water.

Word Count: 2973 (3030 including extras)

Chapter 2: The Approaching Storm

The next day dawned bright and sunny, and Daphne found herself being pushed and shoved in a mass of students all trying to get the best compartments on the Hogwarts Express. After being elbowed in the stomach for the fourth time, she let out a frustrated sigh and dragged Tracey to the back of the train. They found an empty compartment and went inside. Daphne made sure to lock the door as they sat down.

She glanced over at her friend, who was clearly still preoccupied with the news. "What are your plans for the summer?"

"Oh, nothing really. I think my mum wants to go to Paris, but I'm worried that my dad might insist that we don't come back."

That wasn't the distraction Daphne had been hoping for. Luckily, it seemed Tracey had one of her own in mind.

"By the way, did you hear about that group Weasley started?"

Daphne stared blankly at Tracey. "Um, no?"

"Oh! Well, I guess he refuses to believe that Potter is dead. So he started a group of people dedicated to finding him. Calls it Potterwatch."

That left Daphne feeling a mixture of sadness and amusement. "I bet Granger was pleased about that."

"Actually, she supposedly was the reason he started it. She's probably pretty depressed, but I heard she hasn't left Weasley's side since they heard the news." Tracey wiggled her eyebrows.

"Tracey! You can't honestly expect me to believe that they-"

"Yup. Parvati told Padma, who I heard speaking to Cho about it right before we boarded the train."

"Ugh. I did not need to know that, Tracey."

Tracey grinned. "What's the harm in a bit of gossip? C'mon, Daphne, you can't pretend you aren't at least a bit interested. I mean those two have been at each others' throats for years. Who didn't see this coming? You know, I heard the Weasley twins even had a betting pool about it before they left. I wonder who won..."

As Tracey continued her musings, Daphne's thoughts drifted to the confrontation with Malfoy the night before. Normally, she wouldn't give a second thought to anything that came out of his mouth, but still... No, nothing to worry about. She was just being paranoid after Potter's death. Although, what did surprise her was that he seemed to genuinely care about her joining the pureblood cause. She couldn't imagine why, unless- … Ew. There was no way he liked her. Right?

"... So I'd imagine that whoever did win won pretty big. Daphne, are you alright?"

Daphne looked up, startled. "Oh, yes. I'm fine. Just a bit preoccupied, you know..."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she mentally berated herself. That killed the atmosphere in the compartment pretty quickly, and the pair fell into silence. That silence ended up lasting for most of the train ride. Aside from a few casual comments, both girls remained quiet. When the train arrived at the platform, Daphne bid Tracey a quiet goodbye with promises to write her often, and began searching for her parents. She was dreading the meeting with her father, but there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Daphne spotted Astoria first, noticing her sister talking animatedly with their mother. Visibly hesitant, Daphne approached her family. Her father was the first to notice her.

"Ah, Daphne. There you are. I trust you had a good term?"

Daphne nodded and forced a smile.

Her father let out a deep laugh. "Come now, Daphne! Aren't you glad to be on break? You look like someone killed your puppy!"

"Honestly, father, I would much rather finish school right now. All the break is doing is keeping me from starting my career."

"All work and no play makes Daphne a dull girl. Keep that in mind." To everyone, he asked, "Are we ready?"

Astoria grinned. "You bet!" She grabbed onto her father's hand, while Daphne's mother took her own hand. The two pairs apparated away from the platform. As soon as they appeared in front of their home, Daphne's father's pleasant demeanor vanished. He turned to Daphne and said, "We are having a very important guest home tomorrow evening, courtesy of Astoria. I expect you to be on your best behavior, is that understood?"

Daphne nodded tensely. Before her father could reply, she walked past him went and straight up to her room. Her trunk was waiting for her at the foot of her bed. She flopped down on top of her soft pillows and closed her eyes. Stupid father. Stupid Astoria. She felt petty for blaming her sister, but it was hard not to. Astoria had always been the favorite. Maybe that's because Daphne was the complete opposite of her father. She could hardly say two words without offending the man in some way.

Before her thoughts drifted farther down that path, Daphne opened her trunk and grabbed her Transfiguration essay. She hadn't made nearly as much progress as she would have liked, and there was no time like the present to get some of it done. As she reached for a quill, her door burst open, and Astoria came running inside.

"Hey, Daphne!" There was a short pause, and then, "Ew. Homework already? Lighten up, sis. We've got all summer for that!"

Daphne frowned. "Astoria, I have N.E.W.T.s coming up next year. I have to be prepared."

"So what was your excuse for starting this early last year?"

Daphne chucked her Transfiguration book at her sister. Astoria ducked under and laughed as the book sailed through the door and knocked an old picture frame off the wall. Daphne swore.

"Well, anyway, my boyfriend is coming over tomorrow. Dad says to dress nicely."

That was unexpected. "Since when do you have a boyfriend, Astoria?"

"Since a boy asked me and I said yes."

Daphne sighed. "You know what I meant. How long?"

"Only a few weeks. But you're gonna be so jealous!"

Unlikely. "We'll see. Now let me work, okay?"

"Fine! Be boring. It's not like I want to talk to my only big sister in the world anyway."

Another sigh. "Alright then. What would you like to talk about?"

"Nothing! Have fun, Daphne!" Astoria skipped out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Somewhere downstairs, Daphne heard her father yell at her. She silently cursed her sister and went out into the hall to grab her book.

The essay wasn't a particularly difficult one. It was just a review of silent casting and Transfiguration. The trick was to make sure your attention didn't wander as you cast. If it did, that was when the trouble would happen.

It was only a few short hours later when Daphne set her quill down and leaned back. One down, four to go. She looked out of her window and was surprised to see the moon had already risen. Daphne quickly slid into bed and fell asleep.

...

The next morning, she went downstairs and greeted her parents for breakfast. Her father was already buried deep in the morning paper. Daphne had long ago learned to leave him be when he read. But this morning's title caught her eye.

Potterwatch claims Harry Potter alive! Truth, or conspiracy?

Her surprise came mostly from the speed at which the group had gotten into the paper. Hadn't it only been a few days? Must have been Granger. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit curious, though. She waited patiently until her father set down the paper. As soon as his face emerged, she asked, "May I read the front page?"

Her father stared at her for a long moment, then nodded and handed the front page to her.

Interview and Editorial By Jeremy Scrivener

The death of Harry Potter has shocked our world. We have witnessed the return of the very man thought defeated by Mr. Potter, and never before have we seen such a rapid shift in the direction of government. With Interim Minister Shacklebolt at the helm, Auror recruitment has gone through the roof, and many new policies have already been implemented to better protect the magical citizens of Great Britain.

However, some people believe that Harry Potter is not dead. After receiving a surprising letter, I met up with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger after their return from Hogwarts yesterday afternoon. For the uninformed reader, these two have been friends with the Boy-Who-Lived, and were rarely seen outside of his presence. They allowed me to ask a few questions, and seemed only too eager to answer.

JS: I must admit that I'm surprised to be here so soon after the death of Harry Potter. Undoubtedly it has hit you two harder than most.

RW: Actually, Harry isn't dead. That's why Hermione, er, we, asked you to meet us. With Voldemort back, we have to prepare ourselves for war, and I'm gonna make sure that when Harry comes back, we're ready to fight.

JS: Ah, so you deny that the body seen at the Ministry of Magic was that of Mr. Potter's?

HG: Um, well, sir, we believe that it may have been a trick. Voldemort's most powerful weapon in the last war was fear, and we believe that he is using it again.

JS: But surely that doesn't explain the disappearance of Mr. Potter?

RW: Nah, but you can bet that wherever he is, he's getting ready. That's just what Harry does. And we're gonna be ready too.

JS: Is that why you started your new group, ah-

RW: Potterwatch.

JS: Right. Is that why you started Potterwatch?

RW: Yeah. We're gonna be getting as many people as we can to join, and we're gonna train. We're gonna be ready for that [censored] when he comes for us. And we're gonna be ready when Harry comes back to finish that [censored] once and for all.

JS: Thank you. Is there anything else you'd like to say?

RW: Oh, yeah! If you want to join, send a letter to Hogwarts. Dumbledore will make sure we get it.

JS: Albus Dumbledore is involved in this?

RW: Well, not exactly. He just said he thought it was good to be prepared, and he'd forward mail to us.

After that, I exchanged a few more polite words with Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger before bidding them farewell. I was quite surprised at their insistence of Mr. Potter's continued existence. With overwhelming evidence stacked against them, they still believe he's out there, fighting the good fight. Is this all a conspiracy?

In this writer's opinion, no. I believe that Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger are suffering from shock. But do not be too harsh; they have undoubtedly suffered a great loss, and we must support them through this difficult time.

Editor's note: The current whereabouts of the body of Harry Potter is unknown. Witnesses report that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did not take the body with him as he vanished, however no trace of it has been found in the Ministry.

Daphne looked up from the paper and glanced over at her father, who was watching her carefully.

"What are your thoughts on this group, Daphne?"

Daphne carefully weighed her response. Slowly, she said, "It's hard to believe that Potter is alive. None of the evidence points that way, except maybe his body being missing."

"It is more likely that the Dark Lord took it with him. Eyewitness accounts during a battle are only so reliable."

"Yes, father."

"And what of the message? They are trying to stand up to the Dark Lord. That is a very dangerous thing to do, especially when you haven't even finished school."

Daphne chose to remain silent.

"Very well." Her father cleared his throat. "Please be ready by lunch for our guest. And I expect your best behavior."

"Yes, father."

"Dismissed."

Daphne was already halfway out of her seat by then, and she walked swiftly from the dining room and back upstairs. She picked out a modest outfit that she usually wore when going out to dinner with her family, and set it on her bed. But her mind had already drifted to the next assignment. She was not looking forward to Herbology. Why she had continued with that class after O.W.L.s...

There was a great struggle between her desire to get her work done, and a hatred of anything plant related. The hate won out, and Daphne sat down to write a quick letter to Tracey.

Tracey,

Nothing new here. Father's the usual, Astoria is just as annoying as ever, and mum hasn't said much. That'll probably change soon though. Astoria's boyfriend is coming over. Boyfriend. Ick. Tonight will suck. I'll add the name of the mystery man when I find out.

Hope your summer is better than mine,

Daphne

With that done, Daphne decided she may as well get ready. It was either that, or start on Herbology. She considered starting her other work first, but knew that Herbology would never get done if she left it for last. So, she wearily put on her nice clothes and made her way downstairs.

Her father and mother stood in front of the fireplace with their best dress robes on, which greatly surprised Daphne. She hadn't ever seen them wear those save for very important Ministry gatherings. Astoria stood beside them, looking very pretty in a summer dress. When she went to stand beside them, her father looked over at her and frowned. "I thought I asked you to dress nicely."

"I did. I didn't realize Astoria was dating the Minister himself."

"Cut the tone, young lady!"

He was about to say more, but the fire lit up, and out stepped an unpleasantly familiar figure.

"Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, it is a pleasure to meet you. Astoria has said such nice things about you."

Daphne wanted to gag as they made small talk, while Astoria fluttered her eyebrows at none other than Draco Malfoy. When Malfoy turned to her, he smiled at her and said, "Hi, Daphne. Looking forward to summer break?"

Daphne nodded tersely. She caught a warning glance from her father, and added, "Yes. It should be fun. You?"

His smile grew. "Oh, yes. It should be very eventful."

And that was it. The two couples went off on their own, leaving Daphne feeling like a fool by the fireplace. On the bright side, she figured that meant she was excused. She went up to her room and waited the afternoon out. Hours later, she heard the fireplace again, followed by footsteps on the stairs.

Her father entered her room and sat down. "Such a charming young man. Astoria couldn't have picked better."

Daphne stared at the wall.

"Have you considered-"

"No."

Her father sighed. "Very well. I would like to speak about something else. Something important. Draco has told me of your... association with a muggleborn student at Hogwarts. Tracey, I believe?"

This was not good. Daphne did not like where this was going at all.

"He expressed concern over your continued friendship with the girl, and I must say that I agree. It is unbecoming of one of your stature to associate with someone of lesser descent. Considering recent events, it would be wise for you to make new friends, and reconsider your past ones."

Narrowing her eyes, Daphne asked, "Is that a threat, father?"

"No." There was a brief moment of relief, but then her father continued. "It is an order. I am restricting your access to the owl, and you are not to communicate with this Tracey. I do not want to hear of you talking to her at all next year. Is that understood?"

"Crystal."

"Good."

Daphne glared at the man as he left her room. She wanted to scream in frustration, but that would only make things worse. A 17 year old throwing a tantrum was 'unbecoming' of someone of her stature, after all. Daphne walked over to her letter to Tracey. She grabbed it, crumpled the parchment in her fist, and threw it at the wall.

Mysterious Disappearances Begin Again! He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Increasing Activity?

By Abigail Petcher

July 24th

Things have been quiet since the return of You-Know-Who. Until now, that is. Last night, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement reported receiving dozens of calls from many families across Great Britain, most of whom reported a missing family member.

Most prominently, the niece of Amelia Bones (former Auror and current Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement), Susan Bones, went missing. Her current whereabouts are unknown. There have been rumors that people within the Ministry are uneasy with Madame Bones' ability to perform her job with this development. Additionally, the Junior Undersecretary to the Minister, Percy Weasley, was found dead in his flat. The cause of death is currently unknown.

Potterwatch fails to gain much traction; is Ron Weasley to be trusted?

By Rita Skeeter

August 12th

Determined to make a spectacle of himself shortly after the tragic death of our hero, Harry Potter, Mr. Weasley organized a group known as Potterwatch, dedicated to preparing to fight Voldemort and searching for Harry Potter. The group is currently comprised of five members, including Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger.

This reporter attempted to contact them, inquiring about any evidence to prove that Mr. Potter is not dead. The response was a very succinct, "Get loss, Skeeter."

Perhaps Mr. Weasley does not actually want to recruit members to his organization. After all, most people would be glad for the opportunity to promote their group and explain the advantages of joining.

I did have the privilege of speaking with an anonymous source who told me that Mr. Weasley had a falling out with Mr. Potter during the tournament. This, of course, makes me question the motives of Mr. Weasley, and leaves me to wonder what the real purpose of Potterwatch is.