Chapter 7: Trials of Separation and Close Ties with Friends
-A/N-
just a quick little thing here, I have received a few smart pieces of advice, such as adding some kind of subheadings or markings to show a scene is ending. I also wanted to work on my chapter length and give you more for your time, and hopefully something that is good and interesting and along with the story. After several reviews, personal messages, and votes, it was decided that Harry and Daphne are soul bounded. I will explain that in due time and work off of that. The first few chapters set the stage I needed, and there will be a lot more to come. This one, for example is quote free from the book, and will be entirely from Daphne's perspective. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
Daphne stomped out of the library, her face flush with embarrassment. Though it pained her to be away from her friend, Daphne couldn't find the way to show face yet. Of course Harry had seen her cry. By that was literally years ago, Daphne thought. She was by no means angry at the green eyed boy who saved her. She was mad at herself. Just like when the people attacked her home. Harry was the brave one, the one without fear. The Halloween of the attack, she'd frozen up and hidden, while Harry ran down stairs and see if he could help. And it just happened again, she thought miserably. She'd frozen up. The giant dog had been about to snack on them as the bite-sized morsels they were to it. Right after seeing it, Daphne had resigned herself to her inevitable end, unable to tear her eyes away from the monstrous creature in the corridor. She heard the growls, hell, she felt them. She didn't react. She was gripped by fear and gave in. And once more, Harry saved her. He held her while she cried, realizing that she almost died. Realizing that she almost got her best friend killed. And for what? Malfoy and his idiotic bantering, she thought miserably.
Daphne continued down the halls alone, not really caring where she went. Malfoy, she thought again, her fists clenching as she thought of the arrogant git. The blond rat had always hated Harry. Not just for being more interesting than himself, but because of what his existence meant. The dishonor and shame the Malfoy name earned after their Master and Lord was bested by a toddler. To Malfoy, Harry was a walking, breathing, living insult, one that must be crushed. It didn't help his overblown ego that Daphne had chosen Harry over him. It had been almost a year ago now. Or had it been more?
Daphne and Harry were with Cyrus, as Victoria had taken ill. They were on business at one of the shopping districts in West Wales where Cyrus did some of his work, running apothecary supply manufactures and import/export lines. Business had always been good, especially with the magical schools in Europe alone that required the right and best ingredients for their potions, big companies that mass produced various potions, such as skelegrow, and even the private sectors, where amateur and professional potioneers could get the items they needed for their new ideas or refining existing ones. It was on this same business trip that they first met Draco Malfoy. Cyrus walked off, asking the kids to remain near a sweets shop in the district while he attended business in the store next to it. Daphne led Harry into the candy store where they gazed upon the biggest collection of chocolates and sweets they'd ever seen. One wall was even cascading whole candy bars as they were made, landing softly in the bin below that seemed to empty just as it was filled by the hands of excited children and customers. They wandered the shop, hand in hand until Daphne spotted a quiet boy in the corner. He seemed to be looking down at rhe clientele for some reason, a smug sneer on his face as he took in the patrons.
Draco looked at the two kids. They seemed about his age, but what seemed odd wasn't them holding hands, but rather that they both seemed irritatingly uninterested in him. Daphne watched the boy approach while Harry checked a slightly tipped bin of every-flavored jelly beans. The boy stopped in front of them and offered his hand with a curious type of smile. "Hello," he said in a practiced tone. "I'm Draco, Draco Malfoy." Harry's ears caught this and instantly put himself between Daphne and the newcomer, glaring at the boy with such coldness that he took a forced step back. "What's your problem?" Growled the blond boy, glaring at the black haired boy but not taking a step closer."You are!" Harry almost screamed. "You're family with those freaks who cost Roland his foot. You're family with those monsters who attacked Greengrass manor!" Draco paled slightly, but recovered, turning to sneer at the boy. "So." He said, sizing the boy up. "You're the great Harry Potter. Shame, really. I expected someone better." The blond turned to Daphne, ignoring the boy who was between them. "With such a prominent family, Greengrass," said Draco, now understanding who the blond girl was, "you should have better friends than this shame here." He signaled towards Harry, whose glare could freeze a dementor in its flight. "You're right." Daphne said, giving Draco a false smile. Harry turned to his friend, shocked, while the Malfoy boy smirked. "I do need better company. Come, Harry. Let's find someone worth our time." She finished snobbily. Harry grinned at her, turning to give Malfoy the biggest victorious smirk a ten year old could manage. They walked past him, Draco staring after them in stunned disbelief. "My father will hear about this!" The boy roared at them as they walked out, laughing at Malfoy's weak threat.
Daphne came back to the present at the sensation of a poke in her ribs. She quickly spun around, reaching for her wand before seeing Tracey standing there, giving her a concerned look. "What?" Daphne asked. Tracey looked her friend over carefully. "Daphne, I've been trying to talk to you for almost ten minutes. You've had a blank look on your face this entire time and I've been worried! Are you okay? Are you feeling ill? Did something happen between you and your betrothed? Are you igno-mmmph!" The blonde girl put her hand over the brunette's mouth, her eyes wide. "Tracey!" She hissed. She looked around quickly, pulling her friend into a near by door. They entered the empty class, satisfied that it was person, portrait, and Peeves free, she let go of Tracey's mouth, the girl gingerly feeling her mouth. "Ow, that hurt!" She complained, glaring slightly at Daphne, who looked at her curiously. "What? " Tracey snapped. "Why did you call Harry my betrothed?" She asked, eyeing her friend curiously. Tracey's frown slowly melted away into a huge smile. "I knew it!" She said, her hands shot up in celebration. Daphne frowned and shook her head, getting Tracey to calm down a bit. "No, you don't get it. Betrothed. What does that mean?" Daphne asked, curious. Tracey blanched, staring incredulously at her friend. "Y-yoh mean..you two aren't..?" Tracey stuttered. Daphne frowned. "Aren't what?" She asked her shorter friend. "I dunno..like..engaged? Set to be married?" Daphne blushed, but gave her friend a skeptical look. "The the hell kind of question is that?" She shrieked, embarrassed that Tracey would ask that. "Tracey, we're ELEVEN. We haven't even dated yet!" She said quickly. Tracey smirked. "Dated yet? So you plan on dating." She said with a smile. Daphne shook her head quickly. "Wh-what? N-no! H-Harry and I- I mean, he- isn't!" Daphne tried, much to her own continued embarrassment while Tracey laughed.
Daphne took several breaths, trying quickly to relax. Tracey kept eyeing her with a smirk, feeling very proud of herself for flustering one half of Hogwarts' own Ice Rulers. Daphne had of course heard the monikers people had set for her and Harry. She didn't much care for them. The Ice King and his Ice Queen. The Frost Monarchs, the Ice Rulers. King and Queen Cold. Jack and and Jill Frost. All of the names ran into similar ideals. They were cold, was the general idea. And here, Tracey managed to burn the entire frosty exterior with a simple question. Definitely gonna have to work on that...Daphne thought, slowly more relaxed. She looked at her friend and her triumphant expression. "Tracey, why would you think that Harry and I are...betrothed?" She asked, using the word that Tracey had. "Oh dear, sweet, merciful Morgana. Where to begin?" The brunette asked excitedly. Without waiting for an answer, Tracey began rattling off a long, LONG list of reasons she believed Daphne and Harry were engaged.
Several long whiles passed, and Daphne began to worry about her friend, while trying to listen to the long winded explanation that Tracey had. It'd been. Nearly fifteen minutes and Daphne was sure her friend hadn't stopped to catch her breath. "...AAAAAND," Tracey concluded, finally taking a pause between her words, "you two are just so deliciously cute together!" She finished with a giggle. Daphne was staggered, looking awestruck by her friend, not just because of how long she'd taken to say everything, but because she'd made some very good points. "That's...wow. that's very thorough." She said lamely. Tracey beamed, her friend still processing all of what she'd been told. "So, what was it?" Tracey asked, still on a roll. "Did your parents set a marriage contract? That would make sense, that explains why you and Harry are always so near each other." Daphne glared at her friend, very annoyed that her glare was ineffective against the smirking girl."My parents hate marriage contract, first of all," Daphne said indignantly. "They threw a fit when they found out uncle Roland and aunt Jemma were interested in one for Astoria." Tracey looked at her friend with a raised eyebrow, not seeming convinced. "Why would they make a contract for me, and for that matter, why with a boy I live with?" Daphne asked. Tracey's smile shrunk down, slowly turning into a frown the more she thought about it. "I guess..." Tracey finally said, sounding oddly down. Daphne shrugged and continued walking, Tracey following her friend.
Daphne noticed the footsteps and turned to Tracey, giving her a questioning look. "Why are you following me?" Tracey looked at her friend with another raised eyebrow. "We're Slytherins. We can't wander around alone. You know how the school thinks of us." She told her inquisitive friend. Daphne shrugged again. "Alright then, Tracey." Was all she said. Tracey smiled and hugged her friend quickly, much to Daphne's surprise. "Let's go then, Daph!" She said with arounfvaunlright smile. Daphne stopped again, doing a double take. "Did...did you just call me 'Daph'"? She asked slowly. Tracey nodded, proud of herself. "Only Harry or my family call me 'Daph'." The blue eyed girl said. Her friend smirked, her brown eyes on Daphne's blue ones. "Not anymore."
Daphne made her way to the Great Hall, only to stop. She quickly turned and hid behind a suit of armour by the entrance as Harry and Blaise walked by quickly, holding a long, thin package shaped like a broom. "Where's your girlfriend, Pott-Hey! That's a broom!" She heard Malfoy from down the hall. She rolled her eyes and walked in, giving one last look at Harry before venturing into the Great Hall by herself. She knew she was eventually going to have to talk with Harry again. It oddly hurt her to not be. But best friend or not, he saw her in a vulnerable state. She couldn't be the weak one in the pair. Sure, she didn't have Harry's odd Gryffindor-like courage, but she was a Slyherin, damn it. She smiled to herself, proud of using the term correctly. "No, honey. That's an adult word. You can't use it because it's a swear." Her mother had said. I can totally be grown up, Daphne thought smuggly. She sat down at her usual spot and began putting lunch on her plate. "Harry, pass me the...pumpkin...juice..." She said, slowing down quickly. Harry wasn't there. He just left the hall. Daphne sighed and reached for the drink, just as a human colored troll of a girl picked it up from before her hands. "Pansy wants this, Greengrass." The girl rumbled. Daphne glared at the girl who stared back slightly shocked by the well practiced glare. Nervously the girl began to hand Daphne back the pumpkin juice jug before a hand stopped her. "Millicent. What the hell do you think you're doing, you rhino?" Millicent and Daphne turned to the stoney faced Pansy Parkinson, who took the juice from Millicent. The girl glared at her answer to Crabbe and Goyle before turning to Daphne with a smirk. "Troubles in Paradise, Greengrass?" The girl said rudely. Daphne raised an eyebrow and the girl cackled. "Ohh, did Daphy and Potty have a falling out already?" She turned with that, cackling right before it happened.
Daphne watched what looked to be happening in slow motion, watching Pansy suddenly trip, falling on her back before the jug of icy pumpkin juice burst over her, soaking the mean girl in the drink. Several loud laughs rang out from everyone who saw, others coming closer to try and get a better view. Pansy shrieked, tossing the empty container in the air. It landed behind her as she stoop up, enraged by her fall. She turned to walk out, almost falling over the previously discarded juice jug. With an angry scream, she fled the hall, enduring various jeers and cheers that rang up. Daphne was still in awe, but with a huge smile on her face. "Not very popular thay girl. Even for a first year." Said a familiar voice next to her. She turned to see Tracey sit next to her, putting her wand away with a huge smirk on the girl's face. Daphne blinked."What did you do?" She asked, eyeing Tracey's wand. The brunette smiled widely, looking around before leaning in. Daphne followed suit, curious about the answer. "Tripping jinx. Something I picked up from a book in the library." She whipsered, smiling at her friend. Daphne looked impressed, but asked none the less. "Why did you jinx her?" Tracey raised an eyebrow again, then the other, showing off her dexterity. "She messed with my friends." The girl said simply, gathering food to fill her own plate. Daphne looked at her friend, touched by the sentiment. With a smile, they dug in, enjoying the daily lunch feast provided by the school.
Tracey's laugh could be heard from the lowest dungeons to the highest towers of the castle they resided in. "And that's how Harry lost his glasses to a cat." Daphne said, laughing along with Tracey. They were walking back from the greenhouses by the Forbidden Forest to the castle, ready to get the books needed for transfiguration class when a familiar, and much disliked boy appeared. "Greengrass and Davis? Well, I guess filth really does stick." Draco said, looking at Crabbe and Goyle who chuckled at his remark. Daphne huffed and tried to walk past him, getting blocked off by Crabbe. "What are you-Hey!" Daphne said angrily as Draco grabbed her wrist, pulling her in. "Shove off, Malfoy." Tracey said, her wand drawn and pointed at the boy. Daphne struggled with Draco's grip as he moved himself to use Daphne as cover. Goyle pulled his wand out, pointing it at rhe girl who stood defiantly against them. "Are you halfblood filth this stupid you can't count? There's three of us against you." Draco sneered. Tracey narrowed her eyes, trying to copy Daphne's renowned glare. "You're giving your brick walls too much credit, Malfoy." She retorted. Draco replied with a snort, pulling his own wand against Daphne. "We just want to have a little chat with the young Greengrass...girl." Draco said slowly, as if he considered Daphne to be less than human.
The tense standoff continued, Tracey trying to judge which was the best plan of attack. Something caught her eye, as Daphne gave her a short, almost unnoticed nod. "Stupefy!" Tracey yelled, right as Daphne stomped on Draco's foot, making him swear and step back into Tracey's spell. The stunner, fueled by Tracey's anger at the Malfoy scion, knocked him into Crabbe, who fell over with an uncharacteristic effeminate scream. Goyle watched his compatriots fall, rushing to their aid as Daphne pulled her wand, stunning the large boy as he fell on the other two fallen boy's in a rather large three man pile. "Get off me!" Crabbe yelled, his hands pinned beneath both boys. "This will show you not to mess with your superiors, filth." Tracey said, mocking Malfoy's voice. "Trace, that was amazing!" Daphne said, hugging her friend tightly. Tracey looked stunned, glancing at the blonde girl. "Wow. Two firsts at once?" She chuckled. Daphne took a step back, clearing her throat. "Uh...sorry. I got a bit..carried away." She chuckled nervously at rhe shorter girl who smirked. "Are you kidding me?" Tracey said with a grin. "Not only did YOU hug ME, but you ALSO called ME Trace!" Said the girl, putting emphasis on several key words. Daphne blushed lightly and looked down at her feet, embarrassed by her actions. With a grin, Tracey led them to the castle, taking care to tread on Malfoy's hand on the way.
"Miss Greengrass, Miss Davis. Any reason why you are late?" Asked an irate Professor McGonagall. "We were held up by Draco and his friends, Professor." Tracey said with a sly grin. The show was not lost on McGonagall. "Held up?" The girls nodded. "Forcibly?" She asked, her eyes narrowed. "Yes, Professor." Daphne said, meeting the teacher's gaze. The class was paying complete attention to the two girls, Harry looking very worried while Blaise looked smug. "Is anyone hurt?" McGonagall asked, eyeing the girls for damages. "Only Malfoy and his lugnuts." Tracey said with a smirk. A smile very briefly flashed across McGonagall's face, so quickly that Daphne was sure she imagined it. "Very well. Take your seats. The lecture is in your book, page twenty two. We will be working in turning one eating utensil into anoth-" She was interrupted by Malfoy walking in, followed by Crabbe and Goyle. "Mister Malfoy," McGonagall began, making half of the class snicker, "Why are you late? Draco grumbled and sat down. "We had to finish some class work for Professor Sprout." The boy tried, confused when a few people began laughing. "Is that why you have grass stains on your clothes, the three of you?" She asked, cock in an eyebrow. Several more people began laughing before the instructor silenced them. Draco didn't understand what was happening until he saw Tracey grinning slyly, waving at him. "P-professor, they l-" he started. "That's enough, Mister Malfoy. You will be joining me for detention this Friday with both Messers Crabbe and Goyle." Draco groaned, his head dropping on his desk.
"Now as I was saying, we will be turning one utensil into another, and back." McGonagall said, Summoning various forks and spoons at everyone's desk. Daphne turned to Tracey, handing her a fork. Tracey smiled, taking it with a nod. Daphne noticed Harry looking at her with a confused and saddened expression. Daphne looked hurt for a second before smiling at him. He nodded with a small smile. Blaise smirked at them before turning back to his schoolwork. Daphne sighed, trying to get the spell right. So far she made a spork.
Daphne walked out into a courtyard, looking at the bright blue sky. The pleasant September breeze made the forest beyond the school grounds look like a waving green sea, going smoothly with the wind. She looked out, enjoying the serene scene, smiling pleasantly. "Well, that's a new look." Said a voice to her left. She looked over to see Tracey smiling back at her. "Hey, Trace. I'm just waiting for Harry.." She said, trailing off. "Want me to stick around? " Daphne shook her head and Tracey nodded. "See you in the hall later then." She said, walking away. Daphne watched her walk away, suddenly thankful for her new friend. She saw Harry walk by, stopping to say hi to Tracey on the way, who took Blaise with her. He ran to her, stopping at her side.
Daphne sighed, looking away into the sky. Harry tried to take her hand, but Daphne pulled away. She turned to him, seeing the confusion and hurt on his face. "Harry, don't misunderstand me. I've been talking with Tracey and people are...assuming things." She said nervously. Harry looked at her confused, the hurt slowly leaving. "What do you mean, Daph?" Daphne gave a quick look around before speaking, filling Harry in on the marriage contract rumors their closeness was inspiring.
"So...because of a few people believing something made up, you'd rather put a bit of space between us publicly." Harry said, basically summerizing the situation. Daphne nodded, understanding how daft it sounded. "That's...pretty stupid." Harry said, looking at his friend with a frown. Daphne signed and nodded. "I'm very aware, but it might help us out down the future." She said. "And how exactly is some space gonna help?" He asked her. "Well, what if down the line I wanted a boyfriend, and no boy would come near me because of a rumor that you and I are a couple?" She said. Harry looked confused. "So you want a boyfriend?" Daphne sighed and shook her head. "Not now, but I dunno. Maybe in a year or two. What if I start to fancy a guy out there and I can't be with him because he thinks I'm with you?" She asked. Harry looked at her with a frown, but nodded slowly. "I guess I get what you mean." He said slowly. "But what does 'distance between us' mean? We live together, and we've been friends since we were born, or at least since we've been old enough to be social for friends." He said. Daphne nodded slowly. "Well, maybe we start by letting go of the hand holding. We're not five anymore, Harry.." he nodded in agreement. "Alright then. With Blaise and Tracey in our circle, then your future lovers have nothing to worry about." Harry said with a smirk. "Prat." Daphne said, turning to walk back inside to get dinner.
They walked back into the school, up to the Great Hall. Daphne slowly inched away from Harry and Harry took a half step between as they walked, hearing the whisperings of the different students they crossed.
"Are those the Frost Monarchs?"
"Oh shit, is that the Slytherin couple everyone's talking about?"
"Aww they look so cute together!"
"Aren't they too young for a marriage contract?"
"No, marriage contracts can be made at any time between two magical people."
"Oh."
"Well, looks like they couldn't stay away for longer than a day."
"Are they back together already? Dammit, I owe Jordan a few galleons."
This uncomfortable walk continued until they got to the hall, but how much it actually bothered them, nobody knew but they. Both Daphne and Harry had clod glares for everyone they walked by, seeming to ignore every indirect word while walking through every direct one with an arctic shoulder. Harry made his way to the Slyherin table, sitting next to Blaise. Daphne watched him, about to head next to him and stopped. She sat next to Tracey, who gave her a funny look.
"What?" She said, looking at her friend who still had the same funny look. "Why aren't you sitting by Harry?" Tracey asked, trying to keep what looked like a straight face. "We talked about what you said and decided that we can publicly distance ourselves a bit." Tracey's face instantly fell, reaching into her robes to pull a small pouch. She handed it to Blaise who opened it with a smirk, pleased with its contents and putting it away. Daphne glared at her friends. "What the hell was that?" She demanded. Blaise turned with a smirk, taking a small pouch from Harry too, making Daphne look even angrier. "They both bet that it you knew what people thought about you, you'd still stick by Harry like you have. I knew you'd try and put some space between yourselves or at least act like you were. I won." The boy said, crossing his arms with a very pronounced smirk there.
"Wait, you knew?" She asked, looking at Harry who nodded. "Of course. I thought if I acted somewhat downcast, you'd stick with me. I should have known better than to try the pity play." Harry said, remarking his failed plan. Tracey giggled, and Blaise chuckled. Daphne wasn't even slightly amused. "That was...very Slytherin of you, Potter." Said Joshua Montague, a third year who was on the quidditch team. "Well done. Didn't think you really had it in you. But then again, I don't know who anyone was kidding. The hat's never wrong."
-A/N-
So this was the first chapter with Daphne as our lead. And they're taking a break from each other. Can anything but good come from this? Yes. Lots of bad and drama. There's gonna be more chapters like this where it's unrelated to the book events and more of their day to day lives, and some of their classes, more in depth. And don't worry, despite this small rift between them, this is still a bond story so expect that to take play.
eventually.
another thing is, I didn't use sub headers, but I did put some lines in between different scenes or scene changes to make the story a bit more legible. Let me know what you think?
Also, sorry for the late update. I ended a three year relationship yesterday with a beautiful girl who I very dearly loved, but the situation was not mutual. So...yeah.
And now the reviews!
Bella- Harry was told, but the people who told him ARE friends of Sirus. It's only natural to want to believe your friends over the truth, or so young Potter thinks.
KnowPein- thanks for the scene change advice, I hope this helps out. Also, Daphne's mood was explained in this chapter. I'm glad you like colder Harry, but being closed off always has its repricussions.
Teufel1987- Thanks, and first, as far as the wand gender goes, I couldn't remember if it was a brother or sister wand, so I kinda went with what sounded right to me. It wasn't a big change up, more just the luck of the draw. As for Malfoy's foul language, in the Harry Potter series, Draco's relation with Harry and his friends was a rivalry and they were more than anything annoying. In this, Draco really, and I mean REEEALLY hates Harry. Plus he made sure no adults of consequence were around to hear his words, so there's that. Draco isn't an idiot, and he's not a weak wizard in my story, but for now he hasn't really come into his own yet, and his arrogance is holding him back (hence what happened here.)
I hope you all enjoyed the story and I hope to see you soon!
-Vaine
