Only You

Chapter Four – First Session

7th November 2002

Harry and Draco leaned quietly against the desk of Professor Granger's classroom as they waited for their first group of students to arrive, as today was the first talk they would be giving to explain the career of an auror. Harry smiled knowingly down at his friends' desk, an ordered chaos of scrolls, books and picture frames littered the oak surface. He saw one moving picture of himself, Hermione and Ron taken from behind as they sat by the lake on a warm summer's day, Hermione with her books and Ron and Harry throwing a ball to each other. He remembered that the picture had been taken by Colin Creevey that day, reminding Harry of the pure joy he had when he was with his friends. At the memory of the younger Gryffindor boy he felt his throat tighten and eyes sting. He turned from the photo and held his eyes tightly closed, blocking out the image of his lifeless body and the screams of the battle.

"Harry?" came Draco's voice and a gentle weight on his shoulder. The blonde looked at him with concern etched onto his sharp features.

"Its nothing, don't worry, honestly" Harry smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. Draco nodded, now was not the time to push him for an answer, he would mention it later. A second later, the classroom door opened the room was filled with chatter and shoes upon the wooden floor as the students entered the classroom.

As per the headmistress's request, only those in their fifth, sixth and seventh years were permitted to attend, considering the fifth years would be taking their OWLS and the sixth and seventh preparing for their NEWTS, they would be the students that would need to know the requirements to become an auror. Harry sat anxiously as they waited for the students to take their seats, he was wary of what questions the they might ask, as they would've been first, second and third years when he had defeated Tom four years prior. McGonagall had promised both Harry and Draco that the students were sternly told not to bring up the war, this talk was a privilege and anyone who stepped out of line would be removed. Harry noted that the last few students entered the classroom follow by Hermione herself and, much to Harry's sudden alarm, Daphne, followed by McGonagall who looked at him proudly. He could hear Draco snickering quietly at the entrance of the blonde witch, taking Harry back to what happened at breakfast that morning.

Daphne Greengrass had yet to look up from the parchment she was reading, and Harry felt his stomach knot and twist as she came up the centre of the great hall. He could not believe he had not noticed her in his school years, despite her being a Slytherin, then again, given their respective houses perhaps it was for the better at the time. The dynamic of their relationship was an odd one, they had only spoken in person the once nearly a year ago, since then they had exchanged nearly forty-eight letter between thems, he felt like he knew her very well, yet at the same time barely at all. He was pulled from his thoughts when the lovely blonde witch lowered her paper as she went to take the steps up to the head table, her blue eyes looking up and catching his green as she did so. There was a moment pause, she held his gaze for a moment, several emotions raging behind those beautiful eyes.

"Lady Greengrass, it is wonderful to see you again" Harry managed to form his words as he rose from his seat. However, in his rather hastily effort to get up from his chair his knee collided with the table with a loud bang, tipping his juice over and splashing his trousers causing Harry to curse under his breath. He could hear McGonagall try her very best to stifle the laughter on her lips at the scene unfolding. Composing himself like nothing had happened, Harry returned his gaze to Daphne, who in turn looked somewhat indifferent.

"Lord Potter, likewise, it is good to see you again, I hope to speak to you at some point during your visit" she replied evenly before taking herself further down the head table to a spare seat. Harry promptly sat back down and swiftly dried himself with his wand, glaring quickly at Hermione who was sniggering quietly beside him. He did not fail to hear Draco howling with laughter further down the other end of the table, along with a perplexed looking Flitwick who could not recall telling a joke.

Perhaps what bothered Harry the most about that morning was how indifferent Daphne had been, had he been looking too much into their letters? He thought back to her last letter which at least implied she was fond of him, at least as a friend if nothing else. He fiddled within his pocket and felt the envelope which held his latest reply, he was meant to send it on his return to London, however when he was told that they were coming here he thought he would surprise her. Maybe that was the issue? Maybe she just wanted to be pen pals? Of course! Harry scolded himself for thinking that the beautiful and charming Daphne Greengrass would look twice at him. Drawing his mind back to the present task he looked out across the classroom, many of the faces looked back with eagerness. It was the headmistress that spoke first as she came to the front of the class, leaving Daphne and Hermione at the back.

"As you have been told already, we are fortunate that the ministry as spared these two gentlemen to discuss their careers as Aurors. You will treat them respectfully and utilise their time wisely" spoke the Scottish woman with a stern expression. "Any questions that are off topic, namely the war, will result in your being asked to leave. Am I clear?" McGonagall questioned the room.

"Yes headmistress" came the reply, causing the woman to smile and turn to Harry and Draco.

"Very good, the floor is yours gentleman" she added before slipping to the back of the classroom and taking a seat between Hermione and Daphne, whispering something Harry could not hear. Clearing his throat, he stepped up.

"Why don't we start with some questions?" he offered, and instantly nearly all hands went up. Catching the eye of a rather keen Ravenclaw girl who reminded him of Hermione, he called her out.

"Thank you, sir, I've heard that the auror programme has changed since the war. In what aspects I wonder?" she asked politely.

"You are correct, after the battle here at Hogwarts the number of surviving aurors were too few. Any survivors who fought in the battle above a certain age were permitted to enter the programme on that merit" Harry begin and slowly paced in front of the desk, Draco smiled slightly and let him take the lead. "Now since it has been four years since then, the new programme began at the start of this year. The major difference is the implementation of the physical tests" Harry continued. He went on to explain that whilst shielding charms were effective, they could only take so much and having the ability to dodge and maintain your physical stamina in the fight was paramount.

"Is the training really as bad as people make out sir?" asked one Hufflepuff boy.

"Its fairly brutal I won't lie to you, I believe Draco and I spent a good amount of time vomiting in the first few weeks and the drain n your magical core is something that takes time getting used to" Harry replied, causing many of the students grimace at the thought. "Britain boasts some of the best aurors in the world, therefore the training demands a lot from you" Harry said seriously. They took many questions, from NEWT requirements to daily activities, when the first session was nearly over the Ravenclaw girl raised up her hand once again.

"Ok last question before you all go" Harry said with a smile.

"What is the most dangerous situation you have faced in your career?" she asked. Harry stood still for a moment to think on her question, he didn't want to scare people without cause, but then he wouldn't lie about the dangers of the career. His recent mission, still plaguing his mind.

"Harry wait!" Draco called as he struggled to keep pace.

"Philip!" Harry yelled, ignoring Draco's call as they ran down the darkened underground coven.

"Wait! We don't know what's down there!" called the blonde. It mattered not, the dark-haired wizard kept running, even as the monstrous howl and scraping of claws could be heard.

"Sir? Are you ok?" Harry heard the young student ask, causing him to snap out of his thoughts, seeing the room all focused on him once more.

"Er, I, erm" Harry fumbled, the memory of that night still raw, even his wound at the side of his chest still burned as a reminder. He noted Draco step up beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder before smiling to the classroom.

"Well, despite my words to the contrary when we were at school about mr Potters abilities" Draco started and glanced up at Daphne and Hermione, the blonde witch casting look of indifference were as Hermione almost scowled. "But auror Potter here once attempted to tackle a werewolf who was about to have me for dinner, Harry had dropped his wand in the battle yet still went at it. Saved my life" Draco spoke and turned to face Harry with a wide smile. The room erupted into excited chatter at the tale. Harry smiled nervously and dared a look at the back of the classroom. Hermione looked like someone had slapped Crookshanks, McGonagall was looking upwards and shaking her head and Daphne, well she looked, a little less indifferent?

"What mister Malfoy is leaving out is that I was then shaken around the room like a ragdoll, whilst I clung on for dear life. Thankfully the distraction allowed Draco to cast a body bind curse" Harry added, trying to calm the room. The loud bell chim outside however, signalled the end of the session.

"Ok students, on to your next classes please!" the headmistress called out. The flurry of chairs being pushed out and shoes upon stone floors filled the room once again. Harry looked up to see Daphne rise from her seat and waited for the students to file out of the classroom, not even looking at him. He had no idea what made him do it, but he started to walk towards her, Hermione made to stop him however as he made to step around her with a smile.

"Harry was that story true?" she whispered grabbing his arm.

"I'll fill you in after lunch?" he quickly replied and bounded after Daphne who had just slipped out of the room.

"You aren't getting off that easy Harry!" Hermione called after him with a smile.

"Wonderful talk Harry" McGonagall commented as he dashed out of the door.

"Thank you, professor!" he called back, leaving a grinning McGonagall behind, shaking her head and muttering that he it was beyond doubt he was his father's son.

Harry weaved between the students as he followed the blonde potions professor through the corridor, a task made difficult when students stopped to stare at him as he did so, almost causing him to send a number flying.

"Professor Greengrass!" he called out, causing the blonde in question to pause suddenly and slowly turned to face him with a questioning look as Harry caught up to her, stopping just before her.

"Mister Potter, or do you prefer Lord or even Auror?" she replied casually, ignoring the looks from students as they walked by. Again, her indifference caused Harry to falter, she had been so different in her letters.

"Er, Harry is fine" he replied before shoving his hand into his pockets. "I meant to send this on my return from Paris, but when they told me I was too come here I thought I'd just see you in person" he said quietly, and for a moment he thought he saw her eyes soften.

"Its fine, I know you're a busy man, I" Daphne began.

"No it was rude of me, I should have at least sent a letter ahead to tell you I was coming, not that you'd care that I was coming, I mean. Not that I think you need to know …. You know what just take the letter" he chuckled as he handed it to her, running his hands through his hair. She gently took the envelope from his hand, staring at it for a moment before putting in within her robes.

"Thank you, I have to get to my class now. I have a bunch of second years to get into shape" she spoke, her voice soft and a smile gracing her lovely lips. "I will see you at lunch?"

"I believe you will" he smiled, and she made to turn away before pausing, and turned to face him once more, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"Did you really try to take on a werewolf hand to hand?" she quizzed.

"Yes … Not my smartest move, though when he turned back after we managed to subdue him, he was awfully apologetic" Harry explained, feeling even more of an idiot each time Draco told the tale. Much to his relief, Daphne chuckled, a sound he found he quite liked and vowed he would hear more of. "Turns out a colleague of his wanted his job, so swapped out his wolfs bane potion. He didn't think about how people could've gotten hurt, safe to say he is spending some time in prison for endangering the lives of others" Harry explained.

"Only you Mr Potter" she replied gently and her now warm gaze sort his own, causing his heart to skip for a moment as their eyes met. She forced them away and he could've sworn he saw a pink tint grace her cheeks. "Will you be at lunch later?" she asked, her tone might have been a little hopeful, she had become notably softer since he handed her his letter.

"I shall be indeed" he replied.

"Until then, and don't think we won't be discussing this reckless behaviour I believe I discouraged you from such in our letters. Thank you giving me this one" she replied touching her pocket before turning around, walking away. It took everything for Harry not to stare after her, especially when he found her slender form oh so alluring. At least she smiled he thought; maybe she wasn't indifferent to his presence here after all.

…

Draco had remained behind shaking his head as Harry all but sprinted after his former housemate at the end of the lecture, the dark haired wizard couldn't have been less obvious if he tried. He had been surprised when Harry had informed him that he had been exchanging letters with Daphne, as all throughout school she had kept her distance from most of their house, not that he blamed her in hindsight. Theodore Nott had made it his mission to bed her and make her his bride, with Nott's father having put a lot of pressure on Lord Greengrass during their first to fourth years, it only got worse when the dark lord returned. The eldest Greengrass daughter however was no push over, he lost count how many times Theo got hexed and cursed when he didn't take no for an answer, the dark lord had no interest in Nott Seniors requests. Thankfully.

He remembered she never dated throughout school, not so much as a fumble in the broom closet, dispite how many people tried to win her affections. He chuckled at the memory of Goyle earning a knee to the groin when he tried to get handsy after the Yule ball, but then frowned deeply, it was only in the last year or so he had truly seen how sexiest the wizarding world was, witches had to be very wary, especially purebloods. He often wondered what Harry must have done to even get Daphne to give him the time of day. He wasn't given the luxury of time to figure that out as he heard someone clear their throat, causing him to turn.

"Ah Professor Granger! Thank you for allowing us the use of your classroom.." Draco began, but was swiftly cut off.

"You can drop the pretence Malfoy, its just us left and my next class isn't due for five minutes" Hermione spoke, rather sharply as her brown eyes flashed dangerously. He wasn't surprised at her tone, he had been abhorrent to her and others during school and he imagined the only reason her wand wasn't drawn was because he was an auror. "I'd say you had Harry under an imperious curse, considering he threw off even Voldemort's attempts I imagine yours would seem like nothing" Draco flinched at the dark lords name, yes he was dead, yet what he witnessed at his family home during its occupation was harrowing still.

"Harry and I are friends" he started but again was cut off when Hermione burst into laughter at the notion.

"I very much doubt that given everything you did to him, and I'm shocked they even let you become an auror after everything else" she bit back once more, causing more than a little frustration on Draco's part.

"And how would you know who Harry calls a friend?" he replied simply, causing Hermione to flinch as though she had been stung. He was well aware of the rift that had been caused by the fallout of her ended relationship with Wesley and how Harry had distanced himself from both respectively at first. "Listen Granger, I was a prick, no worse I was a complete shite at school and I have no excuse to have behaved that way" he started softly; his words seemingly had no effect on the witch before him so pressed on further. "I became an auror to make up for everything I did, how I treated people at school, how I treated half-bloods and muggleborns, I can't take back what I did but in this career I can help ensure it doesn't happen again, and if it helps I am not popular amongst the aurors either" he finished and made to move around her to leave and just before he reached the classroom door, he heard her call out.

"You expect me t o feel sorry for you? What about your actions in the war? You think people would just forget because you joined the aurors?" he stopped at the door, before taking a calming breath and turned around to face her.

"You think for a moment I am proud of anything I did? He had my family Granger, he killed anyone who did not obey his command!" he replied, his voice a little strained. "I was told that if did not carry out duties then my father would've been killed and my mother …. Death would've been a blessing, she would've been past around the death eaters, the werewolves to be used for their sick pleasure. What you suffered at the hands of Bellatrix was awful, but it was nothing compared to what would've happened to her!" he added, struggling to keep his voice even. He saw that Hermione seemed to be in heavy thought at his words. "My father deserved death for what he has done, my mother however, she did not and I could not refuse my tasks knowing that horror that would await her. I would think that given what you did to spare your family, would understand my actions, as Harry has" he finished and exited the room, closing the door quietly and leaving a very pensive Hermione Granger.

…

No there will be no Draco/Hermione. Draco will not be excusing his school behaviour as he was a horrid individual back then, however this actions from year 6 onwards you can somewhat forgive. To have refused would've been a death sentence, not only his but his family. Draco did seem very reluctant to kill and even did not give Harry up. This story will highlight his efforts to atone.

Ah regarding the point that the wizarding world was sexist, I dislike the PC crowd as much as the next guy. Having said that any society that uses marriage contracts is sexist, lets face it the daughter is used as a bargaining chip to further the families status. As for Harry/Daphne it is difficult to write their interactions I'll admit, they have been exchanging letters for nearly a year but have only really engaged with each other twice so I will be using memories of said letters to explain their development and be using the flashback memory Harry keeps having to further the plot and bring them closer.

Your thoughts are most welcome, the favs and follows are great, but feedback would be great so I can see were I am going here.