I want to thank user mendokusei for helping me bounce ideas around. Because of them, I've realized that this story needs to be more character and emotion driven, rather than action and event driven.
I'd also like to remind people of what I had said at the beginning of last chapter; the story doesn't seem that dark yet, but trust me, it's getting there. This chapter especially will seem rather "fluffy", but consider it the calm before the storm. Next chapter will begin right off the bat with some much darker material.
I'd like to also mention that the poll on who you think Hermione should be paired with in this fic is no longer up. As it is, Neville is in the lead, but as much as I hate to say it, as it makes it seem as if I disregard your opinions, I most likely will not be pairing her with Neville. At the very least, it won't be the final pairing for the both of them (unless someone can give me, through either PM or a review, a really good reason why to put the two together). Soon after posting the poll, I came up with a really good idea for Neville, and one I have never seen in any fanfic I've ever read. (Or, at least I thought it was a good idea)
By the time this chapter is up, I will have already posted a poll for Ron. This time, no matter what ideas I think of, I will go with the results of the poll, I promise. If I don't you have my permission to lynch me, and fill the review page with insults.
(I'm so sorry, I really do care what you guys think, I swear!)
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Chapter 3: Introductions and Reactions
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January 28th, 2010
Nymphadora couldn't bear to watch as the boy she had helped grow into a man was sentenced to pay the ultimate price for doing what he thought was for the greater good. He had done it though; he had made the world a better place. Wasn't that worth it? He should be lauded as a hero, shouldn't he?
Try as she might, she could not prevent that one small corner of her brain from feeling relieved. As guilty as she felt for it, a small voice in her head told her he deserved it. He had betrayed them all, hadn't he?
But they had betrayed him, she reminded herself sharply. So, she stayed where she was; her head buried in the shoulder of her favourite teacher as she bawled her eyes dry, her emotional turmoil wreaking havoc on her mind.
Through it all, she couldn't help but remember the very first time she had actually met that young man.
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July 8th, 1995
Nymphadora smiled brightly at the sight of Harry and Lupin hugging brazenly in familial recognition right in the middle of the alley. Silently she cursed the so called family he had been living with for not showing him the same affection the old werewolf was.
Over the past week of security detail, she had grown somewhat attached to the young boy, who in different circumstances, could have been raised as her own brother. A few times, she had to reign herself in as she had watched the magic fearing muggles lash out him. From the regretful reports she had heard from Dumbledore, it had been much worse a few years ago.
Her heart went out to the young wizard. His treatment at the hands of his family reminded her of the horrible stories she had heard from her own mother's upbringing.
A sharp cough drew her attention to 'Mad-eye' Moody as he hobbled on his wooden leg towards the embracing wizards.
"This is all very touching, but what about the girl?" he asked in his usual gruff voice, gesturing to the regal looking blonde they had discovered brandishing a wand at Harry mere moments earlier.
The blonde glowered at Moody as Harry answered… well, tried to answer, "This is Daphne Greengrass. She's my… um… well She-She…"
He trailed off, unable to finish through the raging blush on his face.
Remus' face split into a wide grin as Tonks began giggling like a schoolgirl.
"Blimey! Lover boy's got a girlfriend!" she exclaimed, stepping towards the thoroughly embarrassed teen.
"Er…" said Harry intelligently, staring in confusion at the pink haired witch while trying unsuccessfully to fight down his blush.
"Oh, right," she said, "I haven't introduced myself yet! The name's-"
"Nymphadora," cut in Lupin.
"I will hurt you," She muttered, in mock threat as her hair flared a brilliant red.
"Sorry," said Remus with a shrug, "Sirius would have my head if I didn't."
"The name's Tonks, the friendly auror, at your service," she continued he introduction to Harry, accompanying it with an over-embellished bow.
"Tonks?" asked Harry, "As in Andromeda and Theodore Tonks?"
Before she could reply, Moody cut into the conversation. "That's enough chit-chat," he ordered sharply. Turning to Daphne, he asked, "You in Hogwarts?"
"Same year as Harry," answered the blonde, boredly examining the cuff of her sleeve, as if Moody wasn't worth the attention.
Growling slightly at her lack of respect, a fact that the other three had also noticed, he nodded to Lupin. "Confirm it," he commanded tersely.
With a nod, Lupin asked, "Alright, what form does a boggart take in front of you?"
Glancing up from her sleeve, Daphne replied, "Excellent choice, professor. As I did not get a chance at the boggart you showed the class on the first day, you and I would be the only ones who know the answer from your end-of-year practical exam."
With a small smile and a nod, Lupin encouraged her to continue. "A boggart takes the form of my father around me," she replied, earning a concerned look from Harry.
"I suppose you'll make me go back to the Dursleys?" asked Harry with a resigned sigh.
To his apparent surprise, Lupin answered, "No, actually, Dumbledore said that if you didn't want to come with us, we were to allow you to go where you pleased."
"In that case," said Daphne, possessively taking one of Harry's hands in her own, "We really must be leaving. We have big date plans, you see."
Harry nodded. "I'm not going back to the Dursley's any time soon."
"Actually," said Tonks with a sly grin, "We were supposed to take you to headquarters if you did want to come with us. I guess we'll have to tell Sirius that you won't be showing up any time soon…"
"Sirius?" asked Harry, "Sirius will be there?"
"He can wait," said Daphne, tugging on Harry's arm, "We really need to be-"
"Ron and the rest of his family are going to be there too," interrupted Remus.
"We're coming with you," said Harry, nearly instantaneously.
He was awarded an intense death glare from Daphne. "We'll talk later. Of that, you can be sure," she hissed venomously under her breath.
Remus smiled and glanced pointedly at Moody, who had his magical eye fixed directly on Daphne. Reluctantly, he drew a folded up scrap of paper from within one of his pockets.
"Remus, you take Potter, I've got the girl. Auror Tonks, go wake up Hestia," he ordered with a gesture at the downed figure on the pavement.
With chipper, Tonks bounded over to the fallen order member. An enervate later, and Hestia Jones sat up.
With a groan, she clutched her head and asked, "What happened to Harry?"
A quick glance over her shoulder told Tonks that the other four had already apparated away. "Oh, Remus and Moody just took him and his girlfriend to Grimmauld place," she replied?
"Girlfriend?" groaned out Hestia in confusion.
"Oh, remember that cute blonde that knocked you out?" Tonks asked with mirth, "That girlfriend."
Hestia groaned. "I attacked Harry Potter's girlfriend?"
"Well, tried to. The got your arse kicked by her," Replied Tonks with amusement, "Don't worry though; I doubt he'll hold it against you."
Hestia merely grunted and clutched her head in response.
"Uh oh," said Tonks with concern, "You may have hit your head on the ground when you got stunned. I'll help you to Hogwarts so you can get checked up on by Madame Pomfrey."
Hestia attempted to nod in thanks, but stopped with whimper of pain.
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Harry was in awe. The house he now found himself in was old and decrepit, and the stale air that filled it reeked of darkness. The disfigured shrunken elf heads that decorated the foyer unnerved him, and the hideous tapestries that littered the walls disturbed him. But over it all, the domicile radiated with magic, and on a subconscious level, Harry could feel the magic pulse through him. Harry felt at home here, even if the place could do with some redecorating.
"Harry!" an excited call drew Harry from his thoughts.
"Sirius!" he called in reply, throwing his arms open to admit the scruffy looking escaped prisoner.
As Harry and his godfather began catching up, Alastor Moody had pulled Daphne off to the side for a talk.
"So," He said, fixing both eyes on the Slytherin, "care to explain why you had your wand out at Potter when we found you?"
Most people would be unnerved, and even intimidated by the intense stare of Moody's electric blue magical eye. Daphne, however, was not most people, and she simply stared back with her two, equally unnaturally blue orbs.
"It was a joke," she replied coolly.
"A joke, eh?" he asked, skeptically.
"Yes, a joke," she confirmed.
"One hell of a joke," he grumbled. "And how did you say you met Potter?"
"I didn't," she replied with a shrug. At Moody's growl, she continued, "But, if you really must know, he needed help with the second task last year and came to me. As I wasn't busy locked in a trunk, I was able to provide my assistance."
Moody bore into her with his gaze for a few moments. "Watch your tone, Lassie," he warned before hobbling off in the direction of the kitchen.
"Creep," she muttered under her breath.
"Oh, Sirius, I want you to meet Daphne," She heard Harry say, and turned to face him and a long-haired man she recognized from several wanted posters sill posted in Diagon Alley. "She's my… er…"
"Really, Harry, how long is it going to take for you to be able to tell people that we're dating without turning into the Hogwarts Express?" she asked the now scarlet face wizard. "Daphne Greengrass," she said cheerfully, offering a handshake to the supposed criminal.
"Please to meet you, Miss Greengrass," He replied, returning the shake, "Sirius Black, mass-murderer, and public menace, at your service."
"If I didn't already know so," said Daphne with an amused smirk, "I would guess that you were related to the pink haired woman we met earlier."
"Ah, I guess you met my cousin," he replied with an equally amused grin. "So, how much money was it you just lost?" he asked, turning to Remus.
"Thirteen sickles," the werewolf replied with a slight chuckle, "but if I recall the wager correctly, I believe you've yourself lost 207 galleons."
"Wager?" asked Harry.
"Er… nothing important," answered Sirius hastily. "Anyways, I'd love to chat, but we have a meeting to get to," he said, gesturing between himself and Lupin, "Ron and the rest of them are upstairs. And Harry? Remember to use protection!"
The second the two adults were through the kitchen door, Daphne rounded on Harry, whose face was so red, she worried he may pass out at any moment.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?" she seethed, "We had places we needed to visit!"
"Relax," Harry said, his face returning to its natural colouration, "I figured the sooner we get here and meet everyone, the sooner they can get over the fact that I'm… I'm…"
"Dating?"
"Yeah, dating …a Slytherin," Harry replied.
"You really need to get over your whole embarrassment on the whole dating idea," Daphne said harshly.
Harry's cheeks tinged pink, causing him to silently curse himself for his inability to control his blushing.
"Sorry," he said, "I've never had a… a girlfriend before."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "Whatever the reason, it doesn't really matter; the sooner you get used to it, the better. Here; perhaps this will help you get over it quicker," she said forcefully.
Harry was about to ask what she was talking about when she grabbed the back of his head. All questions died on his tongue as she forced his lips against hers.
The kiss was hard and overpowering, and Harry's neck hurt from the sudden involuntary movement. All in all, it wasn't very enjoyable. Harry would have to talk with Seamus and Dean when he got to Hogwarts, as the two of them had both bragged about how many girls they had snogged, and how great it felt.
Daphne suddenly let go and pulled away. "Well that sucked," she said, a hint of shock and curiosity making their way into her voice.
Harry merely nodded in response.
"So, shall we go face the music?" she asked, gesturing to the stairs.
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"So, did you tell them about Harry's girlfriend yet?" asked Tonks excitedly, as she popped suddenly into the dining room of Grimmauld place.
Remus pulled out an empty chair beside him and offered it to the auror. "No, we were just about to," he replied.
"Girlfriend?" asked Professor Flitwick, with much the same level of excitement as the young metamorphmagus, "Who is it?"
Most of the order members at the table instantly leaned in, anxious to hear Lupin's response.
"Daphne Greengrass," he replied, earning many groans from around the table.
Immediately, coins were dropped onto the table, and passed around to a single member of the meeting, who gathered up the coins with a faint, thin lipped smile.
"Greengrass?" asked Daedalus Diggle, "Isn't that the name o' one o' the blokes who was suspected o' followin' You-Know-Who? One o' Malfoy's people, who had the money t' stay out o' Azkaban?"
"Cygnus Greengrass was one of the Dark Lord's closest followers," confirmed Severus Snape in a bored drawl, "However, if his word is to be believed, his youngest daughter has always gone against his wishes, and his eldest has recently begun rebelling as well."
"Starting some time last year, right?" asked Lupin. Snape nodded. "Then that helps confirm their story that they met last year."
"Her actions so far don't warrant any suspicion as far as I'm concerned," added Sirius.
"She's disrespectful," grumbled Moody, "don't like her attitude."
"If disrespect was grounds for suspicion as a death eater," commented Snape, "then Mister Potter would be our prime suspect."
"Severus," Dumbledore said, with a cautionary tone. "Very well, I would like you all to operate under the assumption that Miss Greengrass means Mister Potter no harm. If, however, you witness any activity meriting suspicion, then please inform us immediately."
Glancing around the table, he noted as everyone murmured in agreement.
"Kingsley, have you come across any evidence of Death Eater activity within the ministry?"
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As Harry advanced slowly down the hall he had arrived in upon climbing the stairs, he began to hear voices coming from behind one of the many doors that lined the hallway. Deciding that this must be where he'd find Ron and the other Weasley children, he approached it. With a quick glance over his shoulder at Daphne, he took a brief moment to gather up his courage before knocking.
The second his knuckles came into contact with the wood of the door, the voices on the other sided shushed. There were a few seconds before he heard a single set of footsteps draw towards the door.
"Harry!" shouted an excited voice, the second the door was opened. Before he could register what was happening, her felt himself engulfed in a tight hug, and his vision was obscured by a fiery orange mane of hair.
As abruptly as it began, the hug stopped, and a wildly blushing Ginny Weasley took a massive step back. "Sorry," she managed to squeak out, before turning tail and running back into the room.
Her spot at the door was very quickly taken over by a grinning Ron, who took a minute to mutter, "Bloody mental women," before embracing Harry in a brotherly hug.
"Come on in, Fred and George are here too. We heard you went missing, what happened?" He asked, allowing Harry to follow him into a musty smelling room, covered in black and orange quiddich posters. Judging by the decoration, he assumed this was Ron's room.
"Harry!" came the familiar voice of Fred. Or was it George? Harry still had trouble telling them apart.
"Our partner in crime!" the other said as they both ruffled his hair.
With a laugh, Harry sat down on the only bed in the room beside Ron. Fred and George elected to stand, while Ginny sat at a desk in the corner, burying her burning face in her hands.
A sharp cough drew the attention of the five occupants of the room towards the doorway, where a slightly amused looking Daphne stood.
"Who's that?" asked Ginny, the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar face causing her to forget her previous embarrassment.
"That's Daphne Greengrass," Ron replied calmly, before doing a double take. "That's Daphne Greengrass! What are you doing here?"
With a grin, Daphne replied, "I'm here with my boyfriend."
Ron's head swiveled towards the Twins, who both vehemently shook their heads. Slowly, he turned to Harry, who after a tense pause, nodded.
"You're dating a Slytherin?" Ron asked, his jaw hanging loose.
"Er… yeah. We met last year…" Harry replied slowly.
Ron glanced over to Daphne, then back to Harry. Looking like he swallowed a mouthful of skelo-grow, Ron spoke, "And, you're happy?"
Harry paused. Well that's a tough question to answer, he thought. He had only really just met her, and for the most part, her sarcastic quips and comebacks had gotten under his skin. But, her heart seemed to be in the right place, and she had already gone out of her way to help him.
He took a moment to look over to Daphne, who upon meeting his gaze, gave him a pointed look that said, 'well?'
"Er… yeah. Yeah I am," he said, with a hint of hesitancy.
Slowly, Ron's face began to relax. "Ok," he said slowly, much to the shock of Harry.
"That's it?" Harry asked, "No accusing her of being a death eater? No yelling about evil Slytherins? Nothing about her using love potions?"
Ron shrugged. "I reckon someone like Moody would have noticed if you were under a love potion, mate."
"B-but…" stuttered Harry, "You're ok with me dating a Slytherin?"
"Not what I would have expected, "replied Ron, throwing a cautionary look at Daphne, "But I figure if you like her, she must be ok."
"So…" said Fred. Or was it George? No, definitely Fred, Harry decided. "Why don't you come in here and introduce yourself?" he asked the girl at the door.
"Sure," she replied, casually striding over to Harry, taking a seat in his lap, much to his chagrin. At her bold display, the twins gave Harry identical mischievous grins and began giving the apparent couple wolf whistles.
A very red-faced Harry immediately grabbed Daphne by the waist, picked her surprisingly light form up from his lap, and deposited her in the free space on the bed beside him.
"Don't do that again," he muttered to her under his breath.
She merely gave him an impish smirk, before offering her hand to Ron, who shook it, followed by the twins. "Daphne Greengrass," she said in greeting.
When she stretched her hand out to Ginny, there was a pregnant pause in the air as the youngest Weasley stared at the Slytherin girl with an expression similar to that of a kicked puppy. After receiving a nudge in the ribs from one of the twins, Ginny managed to squeak out a "Hello," and briefly brush her hand against Daphne's
Harry and Daphne spent the next quarter hour relaying to the Weasleys the made up story about how they met.
"I came into the library one day, to look for research material for an ancient runes project," she said, "and there he was, at one of the tables, flipping desperately through all kinds of books. I eventually took pity on him and decided to offer him help."
From there, they continued piecing together a convincing story, with Daphne's quick thinking filling in the minor details.
At the end of their story, Ron's face split into an ear to ear smile, before he broke into a full-body laugh. It took him a full three minutes to calm down enough to answer their questioning looks. "Just imagine how Malfoy's gonna react once he finds out!"
Although Harry and Daphne both grimaced at the possibilities, the twins collapsed in fits of laughter, and even Ginny managed a light giggle.
It was to the sight of her four youngest children laughing that Mrs. Weasley entered the room. "As happy as I am that you are all getting along," she said, drawing the attention of all six teens, "It's getting quite late. Harry, dear, you're welcome to stay here in Ron's room if you like. Daphne, we have an extra bed set up in Ginny's room for when Hermione arrives in a few weeks that you're welcome to use for now."
With a polite shake of her head, Daphne declined the offer. "Thanks, but I really must be getting home. My sister is probably getting worried about me, and I promised I'd tutor her in potions. Harry, can I say a few words with you in private before I go?" she asked, batting her eyelashes, causing the twins to hoot at a groaning Harry.
Once the duo was out the door, and a ways down the hall, Daphne began to speak, "That was much better than I could have expected."
"So you're not mad any more about me ruining your plans?" he asked.
With a huff, she replied, "No, I'm still mad, but this presents us with an opportunity. It seems like you'll be here for the rest of the summer, so, you have plenty of opportunity to convince Weasley, and once she gets here, Granger, to join us. In the meantime, I'll carry out what I originally had planned to do while I had you with me."
"And what would that be?" asked Harry
"Something that you would have found out first-hand about, had you not chosen to come here instead," she replied with a smirk, before striding away to the front door.
"I thought we were supposed to be partners in this," he whispered, quickly chasing after her.
"We are," she replied with a very serious tone, "that's why I brought you to the ministry to see something that benefitted you, not me. I promise that I'll tell you about what I plan to do later, once it's done. Right now, it's not important. All you need to worry about is getting your friends on board."
"Fine," Harry acquiesced, "When will I see you again?"
"Whenever my father next takes a lengthy trip away from the manor," she replied, "If that doesn't happen again over the summer, then we'll meet each other on the train."
"Right, well, bye then," he said awkwardly.
Daphne cast a look over his shoulder before saying, "Is that any way to say goodbye to your girlfriend?"
At his confused look, she once again placed a hand at the back of his head and tugged his face towards hers. As their lips met, so did their noses, causing them both to wince in pain.
"Well, goodbye then," Daphne said, pulling back from their second unsatisfactory kiss.
With a soft pop, she disappeared, leaving Harry to mutter under his breath, "bloody mental women."
"She seems nice," said a mirthful voice from behind Harry.
Instinctively, he whipped around to see a smiling Sirius, casually leaning against one of the decaying banisters of the staircase.
"Er, yeah, she's great," Harry replied, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.
"You made a lot of people a bit poorer by going out with her," said Sirius.
Harry gave him a playful glare. "That has something to do with the 'wager' you and Moony were talking about earlier, doesn't it?"
"Um… well…" Sirius said, glancing around the foyer frantically. To his relief, Lupin soon entered through the door to the kitchen. "Remus, tell him about the wager."
"Oh that?" Remus asked with a laugh, "A bunch of the Order members placed bets a couple weeks ago on who they though you would go out with once you decided to start dating."
"And who did you bet on?" asked Harry, rolling his eyes.
"I put down thirteen sickles on Miss Granger. Sirius here was heavily intoxicated at the time and put down a ridiculous amount, stating that he was adamant you would put together your own harem of veelas," he answered with a chuckle.
"Might have said something like that…" Sirius said sheepishly.
Harry was interrupted from responding when the kitchen door once more opened, allowing Severus Snape to stroll through. Snape gave Sirius a look of distain as he walked past, and Lupin a rather terse nod of acknowledgement. When he approached Harry, the young wizard expected some sort of condescending remark, insulting either him or his father.
He was pleasantly surprised when Snape merely said, "Potter, you'll do well to learn from Miss Greengrass," before exiting through the front door with a billow of his cloak.
"Snape won the bet," Harry said, staring at the front door.
"Snape won the bet," Sirius confirmed.
"I believe his exact words were 'If Potter possesses any intelligence at all, he'll choose a companion from my own house. As he has yet to show indication that he does, I fear I'm wasting my money'," said Lupin with a grimace.
"So he just bet I'd be with someone from Slytherin then. He didn't bet on Daphne?"
"That's right," replied Sirius, "but we all figured it was so unlikely, we let him have it."
Harry remained in the foyer for nearly a half hour, catching up with his godfather and the friendly werewolf, until Mrs. Weasley tracked him down and ushered him into bed.
A few hours later, Harry found himself lying awake in bed, unable to fall asleep. Judging from the lack of earth-shattering snores being emitted from the bed on the other side of the room, Harry guessed that Ron was also still awake.
"Ron?" Harry called out hesitantly
"Yeah mate?" his friend responded
"Are you sure you're ok with me and Daphne?"
There was a moment of silence, during which Harry was worried Ron would answer with a 'no'. His fears, however, were for nothing as Ron replied with a serious tone, "I've had a chance to do some thinking; some real soul searching thinking. I let you down last year, mate. I should have believed you, but I didn't. I made the worst mistake of my life then.
"When I came crawling back, I had no right to be forgiven, but you forgave me anyways. It made me realize that you're the best mate a guy could possibly ask for. You've forgiven me when you shouldn't have, you saved my sister in our second year, when no one asked you to, and you've been there for me more times than I can count.
"If you say Daphne's a great girl, then I believe you."
Ron's answer took Harry a little off guard. Harry took a couple seconds to recover, before responding. "That means a lot, Ron. Thanks."
"Any time. You're my brother in all but blood," Ron replied. "Now, tell me, did you two snog yet?"
Harry's reply was to chuck one of his balled up socks at Ron's face.
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Yay! 3rd Chapter in 4 days! Hope you all enjoyed!
I'm currently working on drawing the cover picture for this story. It should be completed and uploaded within the week.