He Has Risen Above

Chapter 23

Review Responses:

supersandman86: Those are all really good ideas if I decide to redeem those 2. Still not sure about them, but I will definitely use those if I go down that route.

lipi: I've fixed both of those.

It was the week leading up to Valentine's Day and romance was in the air. Quite literally in fact. Somehow Fred and George had managed to make an odourless gas that whenever inhaled would make the inhalees very romantic all of a sudden. Luckily, the teacher had managed to clear all of it away but there had been some rather unfortunate incidents involving one with Hagrid and Flitwick. Some traces of said gas still lingered in abandoned parts of the castle where unsuspecting ghosts would sniff upon and feel bouts of love overtake them.

Harry walked in the hallways, the Defense class having just finished and he was on the way to the Great Hall with his friends to have lunch. A 4th year girl from Slytherin walked up to him all of a sudden and Harry noticed she was blushing lightly and wearing a touch too much makeup. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"Um," she stammered her confidence melting away when she came face to face with Harry. "Can I talk to you privately?" she asked.

"Oh no," though Harry inside his head. "Sure," was what came out of his mouth. "Excuse us for a moment," he said to his friends who were snorting and giggling, apart from Daphne who was looking at the girl like she had murdered her favourite pet. "So..." prompted Harry.

"I was wondering if-if-if-" She was having trouble with the last part of that sentence like it was stuck in her throat.

"Yes?" asked Harry hoping it wasn't what he thought it was.

"I was wondering if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me?" she said quickly her jaw clamping shut as soon as she'd said the words.

"So let me get this straight," said Harry slowly while his mind worked furiously trying to think of a way to break this to her gently. "You're asking me, Hadrian Potter, to go to Hogsmeade with you, on Valentine's Day?" he asked trying to make her realise that she was asking out a guy she had never talked to. Unfortunately for him, she nodded. "I'm flattered, honestly, I'm flattered, but the thing is, I'm already going with someone else," he lied.

"Oh," she said quietly. "I didn't know," she squeaked out and walked away embarassed. Harry's friends struggled to hold their laughing and Daphne's sudden frown turned into a smile.

"Having girl trouble?" asked Draco smiling evilly.

"How much did you hear?" groaned Harry.

"Enough," Draco shrugged. "So how did you get her to go away?"

"I told her that I'm going with someone already," said Harry. Daphne, who had lagged behind and was chatting with Tracey, heard the last few words of this phrase and her good mood vanished once more.

"And are you?" asked Draco.

"Not yet I'm not," said Harry but Daphne was out of earshot. "What about you? Has the charming Draco Malfoy got a date yet?"

"No," sighed Draco. "Most of the girls are airheads and I don't like anyone that isn't one."

"But has a girl actually asked you out yet?"

"Yes- several. Mostly from Slytherin since I'm a Malfoy." He said that last part sadly but Harry didn't pick up on it. "And a couple from Ravenclaw, though I declined. Why don't you accept an invite from someone else?"

"Because I'd rather date someone I actually know instead of a random girl that puts on a bit of lipstick."

"Well what about someone you know then?" asked Draco. "There's Daphne, Tracey, Susan, Hannah and there's even Granger if you're feeling desparate."

"I have standards Malfoy," retorted Harry. "And even someone who's life depended on it wouldn't go out with Granger."

"Fair enough," agreed Harry.

Daphne walked into her room, threw her bag on her chair and leaped onto her bed, burying her face under her pillow. So many girls had asked out Harry that afternoon that she had lost count of the number, though she knew it was because he was nice, friendly, good at magic, smelt like- what was she doing! She was thinking about a goshdamn boy that even think of her that way; she wasn't some schoolgirl with a gigantic crush! She wasn't, right?

"Can I come in?" asked Tracey knocking on Daphne's door. "Or do you just want to mope around for a while?"

Daphne raised her head slightly and turned it towards the doorway to see Tracey leaning against the frame with smirk plastered on her face. "Fine," he grumbled.

Tracey walked into her room and lay down on Daphne's bed beside her. "How come you're collapsed on your bed?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." Daphne shoved her head back under pillow and turned away from Tracey.

"Sounds like boy trouble Daph," Tracey teased trying to take the pillow away from Daphne. "Maybe you're jealous Harry hasn't asked you out yet?"

Daphne slowly removed her head from her pillow and glared at Tracey. "How obvious was I?" she asked sadly.

"Very obvious. You practically lit up when Harry rejected that first girl and you became even more sour whenever another girl tried to ask him out. And then you became happy again when he rejected them."

"It doesn't matter anyway," she whined. "He's already going with someone else."

"Since when?" asked Tracey. "He never said that."

"Didn't you hear? He told Draco that he'd going with someone else to Hogsmeade." Tracey suddenly started laughing leaving Daphne feeling very confused, and that confusion turned to annoyance. "Stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"I'm sorry," snorted Tracey. "But it's hilarious! You misheard Harry!" she laughed.

"Wait what?"

"You misheard him," explained Tracey in between giggles. "He only said that to that girl to make her go away. He's not going with anyone, yet."

"Really?" asked Daphne sitting up happily and Tracey nodded. "So I have a chance!" She leapt off the bed but suddenly stopped and flopped back onto it sadly. "It doesn't matter anyway. He doesn't like me like that."

Tracey snorted gently at this. "He doesn't like you? Please. Which girl does he spend the most time with? You. Who's his best friend that's a girl? You. And who does he practically tell everything to?" she asked.

"Me," said Daphne uncertainly.

"Exactly! There's no way he just likes you as a friend!" exclaimed Tracey happily.

"If you say so," said Daphne still not fully convinced but she would be lying if she said she didn't feel better. "Now, what about you?" she asked changing the subject. "Do you have a date?" Tracey blushed at this and clamped her mouth shut, and Daphne let out a victorous laugh. "So, who is it?" she teased.

Meanwhile, Harry sat onto a sofa in the common room with Draco; Daphne had stormed into her room as soon as they'd returned from their classes and Tracey had followed her.

"I'm tired," he complained stretching his arms. "I have had enough of girls asking me out."

"Then why don't you go find an actual date?" asked Draco. "You have plenty of choices."

"Well," said Harry unsurely. "There is 1 person..."

"Who is it?" asked Draco excitedly leaning forward.

"Pretend I didn't say anything," Harry said seeing his friend's excitement. "You're just going to make fun of me."

"I'm not!" said Draco. "I promise! So, who is it?"

"And you promise you won't tell her?" Harry asked first.

"yYes, yes I promise not to tell her," said Draco placatingly.

"Fine. I'll tell you," agreed Harry. "It's..."

"Yes?" asked Draco leaning in.

"It's...Daphne," he finally admitted.

Draco's previouslly excited face fell and he slumped into the sofa. "Oh," he said sadly,

"I kind of expected more of a reaction from you," said Harry. "Unless you liker her as well?"

"No, no it's not that," said Draco waving away his question. "I expected it to be someone more...interesting."

"You're saying Daphne's not interesting?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure she'd love to hear that."

"It's not that. With all the suspense you built up I thought it would be someone I didn't expect. Not Daphne."

"So you're saying I've been obvious about the fact I've had a crush on her?" he asked incredulously. "As if," said Harry.

"Please," said Draco. "It couldn't have been more obvious. Which girl do you spend most of your time with? Her. Which girl is your best friend? Her. Who do you tell everything to? Her."

"Ok fine I could have been a bit more subtle," conceded Harry grumpily. "It doesn't matter anyway- she doesn't feel the same way."

Draco actually snorted at this and began laughing. "You're so thick sometimes! Of course she feels the same bloody way about you!"

"No she doesn't," said Harry confusedly. "Does she?"

"Haven't you noticed how she lit up whenever you rejected a girl through the day? And whenever one of them approached you she got grumpy?" Harry nodded uncertainly at this but he could see where Draco was going. "And she tells you everything as well! She always comes to suuport you during a training session and haven't you seen the way she's been blushing around you for the past year and a bit?"

"Really?"

"Gosh damn it yes of course!" Draco said. "Now go to her room and ask her out already!"

"I'm still not sure about this," Harry said even though he wanted to do exactly what his best friend was suggesting. "Perhaps I should wait a bit more."

"Just go already!" shouted Draco happy yet frustrated.

"Alright, alright!" yelped Harry. "Wish me luck!" he said standing up.

"Trust me, you're not going to need it," said Draco confidently.

Harry knocked on Daphne's door gently, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden.

"Go away!" called out Daphne angrily and Harry's spirts fell, but before he could leave Tracey opened the door and rushed outside.

"She doesn't mean that," Tracey said. "Now come here," she ordered grabbing his arm.

"Hey, hey," protested Harry as she dragged him away from Daphne's room.

"So I'm guessing you're here to ask her out?" asked Tracey without any notice.

"Yes," said Harry still a little confused. "Wait how did you know that?"

"You're too obvious," she said placatingly. "Now go on!" she said leading him back to the door of Daphne's room.

"Wait! Did she tell you if she likes me?" Harry asked.

"She wouldn't tell me," lied Tracey. "You'll just have to find out yourself!" She pushed him into the room and shut the door and left, leaving Harry alone with Daphne.

"Who was it Trace? asked Daphne tiredly.

"It was Harry," said Harry casually.

"Oh," said Daphne sadly. "What did he- wait, Harry!" she said surprisedly, having recognised his voice.

"Took you long enough," Harry said coming over to where she was laying down on her bed.

"What are you doing here? How did you even get in?" she asked getting off her bed and trying to push him out the door embarassedly.

Harry dodged her arms and backed away from her amusedly. "Tracey let me in," he explained.

"That little-"

"Daph, chill. I wanted to talk to you anyway," he said getting more nervous as each second passed.

"Yeah? About what?" asked Daphne. She was trying her hardest not to blush but she could feel her cheeks heating up.

"I was wondering if you'd like to-" Harry clammed up at these last few words, realising that he was in way over his head. "Know what never mind. You'd have said no anyway." He proceeded to turn around and grasped the door handle hesitantly. "Screw it," he thought. He turned around as quick as he could and knelt on one knee, and Daphne's jaw dropped. "Will you, Daphne Camellia Greengrass, go to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked quickly, his occlumency doing nothing to stop his cheeks from heating up.

"So you're asking me, Daphne," began Daphne mimicking the way he had rejected that 4th year Slytherin girl, "to go to Hogsmeade with you, on Valentine's Day?" Harry nodded quickly, feeling that he wasn't about to like what was coming next. "I..." She paused dramatically and Harry's green eyes widened with nervousness. "...will."

"Yes!" shouted Harry happily, getting off his knee and hugging his date. "Meet at 11 outside the Great Hall?" he asked hopefully, letting her go.

"Sure," agreed Daphne happily. "But I want flowers," she reminded him.

"Roses or something different?" asked Harry.

"Surprise me," retorted Daphne and led Harry out of her room. Once he had left, she shut the door and and jumped into her bed face first, smiling all the way through her pillow.

"You're looking unusually happy," noted Draco when Harry came back into the common room.

"You would too if you'd seen what just happened."

AN/ New chapter! Hope you enjoyed this and Harry finally asking Daphne out. I added some mutual pining because why not, and as you can see I'm going down the 'dating only one person' route. I've also went back and fixed several of the small mistakes in my previous chapters thanks to those reviewers that nicely pointed them out.

I'm going to have their date in the next chapter, along with wrapping up 3rd year (at the rate I'm going). The summer will be longer because of the world cup etc, and then the tournament!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and feel free to leave a review.