Calling Daphne Selene Greengrass a rather calculating and detached young woman was equal parts truth & lie. Being raised as a traditional Pureblood Heiress to her House she was adept at what was coined as the 'Acceptable Pureblood Public Face' by her younger sister Astoria. 'Acceptable Pureblood Public Face' dictated' that the young blonde woman was seen with a purely neutral expression on her face, in her eyes and even in the tone of her voice even if within her own mind she felt or wanted to express herself differently in company of others. It was equal parts lie to believe that that was all there was to the Greengrass heiress. Those who truly knew her best, her family and her friend Tracy Davis, would tell you the detached calculating Pureblood Princess routine was not who she really was. They would tell you she was truly a vibrant person with a great sense of humor, a love of life a mile wide and a fierce loyalty to those she held dearest to her.
It was these contradictions that the girl in question was balancing that lead to the situation she was currently trapped in. With completely unattached Harry Potter of all people.
"Are you going to stare at me the whole time or are you going to help me figure a way out of here?" Harry asked bluntly. He was used to being trapped in dark confined spaces, he lived it for seven years before his blood mage abilitiies awakened, but being trapped with someone else was new. Even newer was being trapped naked with said someone being a girl. With the previous night being the sorting ceremony and his less than stellar introduction to some of his new houses power children he should have expected this really.
"Sorry, I'm just surprised at the number of..."
"Don't finish that sentence." Harrys voice was cold as sharp emerald eyes cut over to the blonde witch. The room they were in was not completely dark but lit enough that if you strained your eyes you could see well enough to make details out. He adjusted his glasses and rubbed his temples. Daphne was more interested in staring at his scarred form it seemed so it was apprently up to him to figure out how to get them free. 'I hate being smarter than most people my age group sometimes' he thought to himself. His primary school teacher had noticed it and given him a test meant for several grades up and to both their shocks he scored a perfect score when she noticed how he was reading text books meant for kids years older than him in his free time.
Daphne winced internally at how icy the tone Harry used was. She didn't want to stare like he was some animal on display but the amount of scars on his person was so morbidly eye drawing that she couldn't help it. "Theres a wall over the left where a door should be. A Finite should take down the transfiguration" she said rolling a stiff shoulder suddenly feeling too exposed to him like they currently were.
Harry barely nodded as he flicked his wrist and his wand was there from absolutely nowhere. "Finite." The wall shimmered before it melted back into the door that was supposed to be there. "Ladies first" he said with an expectant gaze. Following behind Daphne he found their clothes neatly folded up in separate piles on a chair. A dark look crossed his face as he snatched up the note that was folded neatly on top of the piles and opened it.
Every prominent Slytherin male by virtue of name and status is given a Slytherin bride upon his sorting. We have hoped you have enjoyed the first night with yours Mr. Potter. Yours and Ms. Greengrasses things shall be moved to a larger room the two of you shall share for the remainder of your Hogwarts education.
-Slytherin Welcome Committee
The note became cinders as Harrys eyes narrowed dangerously at the contents, his magic reacting not too particularly well to this ambush. "You know what... Fuck this. I'm switching over to Ravenclaw and not coming back to this pit" he muttered with a dark sneer. Snatching his clothes back on in a moment, not even sparing Daphne a single glance as she redressed, and not caring one iota of the wrinkles that may give people the wrong idea he stomped away with the express intention to do some damage before he left for the high tower of knowledge.
Daphne followed behind Harry with a sigh as she tucked her wand, left in her robe pocket thank Merlin, into her sleeve. "Let me guess, the Slytherin Welcome Committees work?" she asked. She had heard about there being an outgoing rite of passage for seventh year male students to determine the boys of worth and assign them a 'bride' upon first sorting into Slytherin and arranging them to click. She didn't understand the whole point since you can't make assumptions of two people being 'right for each other' when you know nothing of who they are. Of course she didn't say anything about it either she owed her own and Astorias lives to the same Welcome Committee had assigned their mother as their dads 'bride' when they were students: it was a miracle in a sense since the pair didn't humor the 'tradition' and actually fell in love.
"Mhmm" Harry said with a near grunt of frustration. "Basssilisk!" The word carried his annoyance as the growl that ripped from his throat as he said the password into the common room made the stone snakes disappear in the blink of an eye as just for a moment the s' seemed to roll together in a serpentine like hiss. The common room was empty as his eye shot to the clock reading six am. People would be getting up soon he imagined, good. Follwing another notes directions to his and Daphnes 'new room' he packed his stuff back into his trunk and ushered Zeus into his carrier.
"What are you doing?" Daphne asked with an apprehensive tone.
"Packing my things for a House switch, whats it look like I'm doing? Preparing for tea with the queen?"Harry asked sarcastically. "If this is going to be normal and accepted behaviour here in Slytherin I want no part of it! You can keep the room, I don't care." He slammed the trunk shut and locked it before he hefted it it down into the common room. He returned once more to Daphnes room and grabbed Zeus' carrier to bring it down as well. "You were sorted here, I can come and go as I so choose. Right now I choose not too if ever again while I'm here to complete my education."
A knock sounded at the doorway as one of the sixth year prefects, an attractive girl with brown hair and green eyes, cleared her throat. "Trouble in paradise with your new 'bride' Mr. Potter?" she asked raising an eyebrow. The boy looked suitably annoyed and she had only heard the tail end of the conversation, enough to hear he was going for a House switch after only one night and the Welcome Committees actions.
Harrys eyes cut over to the door where the Prefect stood. "My agitation is not with Ms. Greengrase but this 'Welcome Committee' you all seem to know is around and tolerate its little decision to play unnecessary match-maker" he said with a cutting tone. His eyes cut back to Zeus' carrier as the pup whined. Crouching down he stuck his fingers through the grate door gently brushing his fingers through pups fur. "Easy boy, as soon as we get down to breakfast and speak to the Ravenclaw head of house I'll let you out" he said in a warm tone that seemed to placate the golden eyed canine. For a moment he kept his gaze on the pup as he felt the weight of bothgirls gaze on him as he pulled out a plastic bag from his robe pocket and slipped a few bone shaped special Direwolf treats in for Zeus. "I'll feed you proper in the hall so bear with me Zeus."
"I don't suppose you understand the ties connected with being selected by the Welcome Committee or what it means for the 'bride' you're given" the Prefect said as she leaned against the doorframe.
"I don't frankly care. We are eleven years old. Waking up naked in a room only marginally bigger than a broom closet with someone I met for the first time the night prior will do that to a guy" Harry said with a scathing look aimed at the older girl.
"Even if you rejecting her means its free reign for Ms. Greengrass to be passed to around like a two knut slag to whoever wants to take a shot at her?" the Prefect asked.
Harry paused mid-stretch as his eyes hardened and darkened immediately "Say that again... I don't think I heard you right" he said with a deadly calm but edged words.
Daphne paled hearing that as her calm composure began to crack, panic showing in her eyes.
"By the time breakfast has ended all of Slytherin will know who the was selected by the Welcome Committee and who their 'bride' is. You are the primary protection she has right now. You turn her away you may as well strip her now and leave a sign around her neck saying open season. I don't approve of it but theres nothing I can do to change the so called rules of this tradition. Its barbaric, archaic amd demeaning but as you'll soon see its men in Slytherin who have the power. There is a legend that has circulated Slytherin for a long time now. Before the passing of Salazar Slytherin he supposedly instituted a treasure hunt of sorts." The Prefect paused herself as she made a motion with her hand. "Can I come in? When this room was set up for you these" she tapped runes carved into the interior of the doorway "were set up to recognize you two and allow you access as you please but everyone else is only allowed in by invitation only."
Harry made a motion of his hand and crossed the room closing the door behind the Prefect after she entered. "Whats so important about this levendary treasure hunt or whatever it is?" he asked tapping his foot impatiently.
"According to the tapestry sewn and hung in the common room he or she finds the treasure hidden by Slytherin will become more or less the true acknowledged heir of Slytherin since it is well known Salazar hadn't sired any children himself. If anyone were to find it and the legend is true, their word would be good as law." The older girl turned her gaze to the pale Greengrass heiress before looking back to Harry. "Mr. Potter, I do not assume to know your aims about what you wish to do with your life or whom you want to help see those ambitions accomplished. I do not assume to know anything about because quite frankly the Daily Prophet and Albus Dumbledore can't be trusted as far as they can be thrown. But what I think I can say with certainty id that by your reaction I know you're sickened by the idea as much as all us girls who dread the same fate as Ms. Greengrass. "
Harry said nothing as the older witch left and closed the door behind her. While Daphne was lost in her own panicked thoughts he retreated to the common room and retrieved his trunk before returning to Daphn- his and Daphnes room. With his trunk settled at the foot of the bed and Zeus' carrier opened letting the pup out he surprised himself with his next action. His arms were only slightly opened for a moment before the blonde girl took the silent invitation and launched herself into the offered embrace. Despite her tight grip around his waist and the repeated soft 'thank you for staying' mumbled against his chest he was quiet for a moment as he let his arms lightly squeeze around her to give some modicum of support. "I am a lot of things Ms. Greengrass but a heartless monster I am not" he said as his lips drew into a hard thin line.
Daphne chewed her lip as blue eyes closed. She was thankful they were alone and the foor was closed, if anyone saw her acting like this she's never be able to live it down publically. If the Prefect was right and all of Slytherin was going to know who the Welcome Committee selected as 'prominent males' and who their 'brides' were it would be a matter of time before her own family knew. There was no way of knowing how her parents would react since despite being labelled as 'Fencesitters' on the Wizengamot and staunchly neutral in political spheres many would be suspect that the last living heir of the Potters, a family that was at one point a grab bag of staunchly 'Light' or neutral politicians like her own, in a relationship of any type with her would reflect on the way the Greengrass politics would lie in the future. "What do you plan to do?" she asked extracting herself from Harry with a very faint blush as she smoothed her robes out with her hands as she looked anywhere but at Harry.
"The only thing that seems to be my option Ms. Greengrass." Harry knelt down as Zeus' bit at his robes and tugged. "I'll speak with our head of house to see if there is truth to this story of Salazar Slytherin leaving a hunt to a treasure, legacy or whatever it is. If there is I'll try to see if I can track it down" he said as he flicked the pup lightly on the nose. "If there is a treasure that allows for the person to find it to be acknowledged as the heir of Slytherin and I can find it I'll make pointed use of the position to end this... Excuse of a tradition."
Daphne coouldn't help the slightl twitch at the farthest edge of her lips as the canine barked and bit Harrys finger for its nose being flicked. "Well until you do I think at the very least we should be able to be somewhat more familiar with each other. At least if only for appearances sake" she said as she crouched down and cautiously offered her hand to the canine to smell. "What kind of dog is he? I haven't seen one like him before."
Harry watched cautiously as Zeus warily looked at the blonde witches hand before sniffing once. "He isn't a dog, not a domestic or commercially bred kind anyway" he said watching as the pup gave the dainty hand a tentative lick. "Hes a Direwolf pup. I would say its a miracle he chose me but we both know magic works in mysterious ways."
Daphne was surprised at that as she gently rubbed the small pups head. Direwolves were a dying breed hunted to the border of extinction due to the idiocy of 'Light' ideology claiming wizards saying Direwolves were the cause for the destruction of magical historical sights & deaths of innocent people. "How did you come across him? I would imagine him being so readioy found was a vast oversight on someones part" she said drawing her hand back to rub the pups back.
"Oh it was an oversight. When I went in to get my owl Artemis, beautiful bird she is and smart as a whip too, he was in a play area witb a batch of magical hunting dog puppies. Zeus didn't let anyone before me touch him for more than a second before he'd do something to draw blood. This would usually scare them but not me. You can say it was the tug that drew me to him. He bit me, drew blood and next thing I knew theres a golden glow." Harry chuckled as Zeus padded over a few paces and sat on his hind legs staring up at Daphne.
"Magic behaving in mysterious ways indeed" Daphne said as she looked back down into the golden eyed canines eyes feeling like he was searching her for something. Whatever it was that the pup had been looking for it seemed to find as Zeus offered a paw up. She took it and carefully gave it a light shake. "Think we can be friends here Zeus?" she asked the pup.
Zeus barked at the question taking his paw back and nodded his head as his tail wagged. He could tell that there was something between his bonded partner and this female human even if they were not aware of it yet.
"I'll make you a deal, we drop the formal address in public for say... I don't know, our first names? If we become friends in the process, better for it but you have to tell me now that you won't use this to yours or your families advantage like most would. I already know what it is to be used for others personal gain and I don't want a potential friend, if the cards fall that way, to be of that same mindset" Harry said casting his gaze to the clock. Six fifteen am, how was it that the passage of time was so slow when heavy discussion like what passed with the brief conversation involving the Prefect but so fast when unimportant things were about?
"I have motives to do things but its survival from the less than savory elements I know lurk in this house" Daphne said as she sfood back up to her full height. "Plus if theres one thing about me that my best friend Tracy and my family would say about me if you asked is that when it comes to people who matter to me for whatever reason you won't find another more loyal or fiercely protective." She offered a hand to Harry. "Or those who give me reason and confidence to trust them. So no Mr. Pot- Harry, you my word as the heiress of the Ancient House of Greengrass that I have absolutely zero intention to take advantage of you for either my own personal or my families gain in any way."
Harry nodded his head lightly seeing a muted silver glow encompass her frame signifying she told the truth. "Then I guess we have an accord Ms. Greengr- Daphne" he said taking her hand and pulling himself back to full height himself. Taking his hand back from her after a moment he snapped his fingers making Zeus' eyes shoot over to him. "Lets go down to breakfast then. You too buddy."
As the three of them made their way down to the common room they failed to notice the ghostly presence of a regally dressed man with sharp aristocratic features. "Perhaps the time has come at last" the ghost said to itself before sinking into the floor.
A/N: So I know I haven't been on this story for a long while but I'm happy with this. Some people will draw that something between Harry and Daphne is a strong case but don't trust what Zeus thinks is SOMETHING between the two, after all Zeus is only a pup. Who is the ghost? How will the kids in Slytherin deal with Harry being picked as a 'prominent male' of the house and his given 'bride' being Daphne? How will Dumbles and staff react to seeing all this go on?
READ ON AND FIND OUT!