So if you saw the fake chapter, the situation has been resolved, and all is well. It was a very VERY weird coincidence that had me scared for a minute. The story will go on. Now onto more important things, thank you to the first reviewer ARWilliams! I got the story idea while sleep deprived.
If you notice any minor grammatical mistakes, blame autocorrect. My phone hates me and I hate it.
Daphne woke at 6 on the dot with a yawn and a smile to herself, pulled her hair into a loose bun, and threw open her window to let the cool sumer morning greet her. After inhaling the breeze, she and went downstairs to make herself a cup of tea, the strong and smoky stuff preferred by the Irish over the typical weaker English blends, and returned to her room to read her newest novel, the second in a set of books that she had seen in the thriller section at the library, and opened to the first page. As the minutes passed by, she heard a loud hissing noise from outside the house, and looked out to see Harry Potter turning a handle on the water spigot, then pulling a long green rope behind him. She was amused to see it seemed to be spitting out water from the end and made a note to tell her mother about that one. It seemed that every day Cassandra Greengrass grew more and more like the head of the Weasley family in her odd fascination with muggle life.
She put down the book, and took a long drink of her peaty tea, then looked down to watch Harry work. If she had to guess, her initial estimate must have been wrong. She originally thought he did yard work and gardening for his own enjoyment, but it was becoming abundantly clear that not everything was normal at Number Four Privet Drive. Last night's dinner made that obvious enough to see, and apparently her mother though so as well when she orchestrated a summer job for Harry to help with garden work that didn't exist. After the dinner, Cassandra had went out back summoned a small garden of various flowers and row of blackberry bushes along the back fence. Astoria of course had thought it morbidly hilarious that her mother had silently confunded the horse looking woman under the table in the middle of dinner after days of hearing nothing but how ingenious the muggle society was, and had laughed progressively harder and harder each time their mother attempted to summon a garden - only to overpower each spell resulting in a small jungle at worst and a scene that could be described as the court of the fae queen at best. Finally however, they had a garden that appeared normal if slightly overgrown a bit.
Daphne, however, immediately set her mind to work. She often privately joked she was the only true Slytherin in her family, and had already began plotting the best way to observe Potter. After all it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on such a person of interest, and potentially gain the favor of the 'Light' side of the political isle. Internally she had always scoffed at the idea, nobody was either light or dark, and she would even be willing to bet for as goody goody as Potter was, even he would take a minute to step in if someone like Malfoy was being assaulted in a dark alley... A thought which brought her back to the present. Surely forming a friendship with the boy wouldn't hurt anything.
She would definitely have to drag him along when she planned to visit that funny smelling music store near the library. Daphne contemplated the day to come, and had to wonder what music Potter would bring with him to his first day on the job. She hoped it was something dirty.
Checking the time, she realized it was about time for her family to wake up, and subsequently for Potter to begin his first day on the job. Setting her book down, she closed the curtains and finished off the rest of her tea before changing into an outdoors attire, simple black shorts and a green v neck t-shirt.
Seven on the dot, Harry knocked on the front door of Number Six, and it was barely a second later before it was answered, by Daphne. He gave her a polite smile which she reciprocated. "Hello, Harry. please come in. Want some breakfast? Mother has just finished cooking, and we made a bit extra for you." She was delighted to notice the smile that crossed his face grew even larger.
"Thanks, Daphne. I only had time to snag a piece of toast this morning." He entered, removing his worn down trainers by the door, as Daphne motioned him to the kitchen. He noticed the older woman, Cassandra if he remembered correctly, carrying a plate of bacon to the table before noticing his presence and offering a motherly smile, almost reminding him of Mrs. Weasley's mannerisms, albeit infinitely more refined.
"Ah, hello Harry. Please do sit down, Astoria should be down soon to join us for breakfast."
As it turned out they only had to wait a five minutes before Astoria walked down the stairs looking like the most regal zombie in existence. Ignoring everyone in the room she walked to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and went straight to an empty chair at the table. "Quit smiling at me, Daphne. Mornings are not for happiness."
"How uncivilized, sister dear. At least show some manners in front of our guest, you brat."
The younger sister froze in place, her face immediately flushing tomato red with embarrassment as she turned to notice the extra person sitting at the table, eating a slice of bacon while concealing a grin. She let out a grown before her head hit the table then muttered, "I hate every single one of you." Much to her credit, she didn't even react as her mother swatted her across the back of the head with a copy of a muggle newspaper.
"Oh don't mind Astoria, Harry dear." Cassandra Green Grass rolled her eyes in amusement at her youngest daughter's antics, before walking over to the coffee machine and pouring a cup. "She's absolutely dreadful in the mornings unless she has a cup of coffee. Here dear, drink up now. You are far too pretty to be moping about like a homeless kitten. And Daphne, no teasing your sister."
Daphne just gave a small smile towards her sister before catching Harry's eye. "Well Harry, if you'd like I'll show you back to the garden. I believe I may just join you today. The weather is quite nice, isn't it?"
Harry blushed slightly at the girl but nodded in agreement with a smile of his own. The pair stood from the table, brought their dishes to the sink, despite Cassandra's protest that she would take care of it, and headed out the back door.
"So here is the garden, mainly decorative but there are a few food bearing plants. Herbology itself was never my strongest suit, but I am quite skilled with the medicinal effects of most plants." Daphne said as they circled the newly formed rows of plants, with a coy smile on her face. It was the truth after all, she was practically the equivalent of Longbottom in potions in Herbology class, but she was also the Longbottom in Herbology of Potions class much to her pleasure. Snape never commented on the top preformers so she was able to sit back and be ignored all class. "I believe all mother wants is some basic maintenance done, no extreme landscaping or anything, so don't worry."
Harry nodded in agreement after looking through the rows of plants. "Well it looks like some pruning will be needed, it's a bit overgrown, but nothing that's going to require more than one day a week." He paused and turned to Daphne, before motioning over to his own house. "Do you mind if I go grab my radio out of the shed?"
And that one question lit up her eyes with ill concealed happiness, shining like a star in the sky. "Oh, please do!"
"So it takes place in the future? the world is run by a council and there's no music?"
"Well only stuff the council approves I think."
"And how did a instrument survive behind a waterfall all this time?"
"I dunno... Magic?" Harry responded with a laugh, to which Daphne responded with the tilt of a head, before joining him in his laughter. it was a funny joke after all, even if they didn't know they were laughing for the same reason.
"So the entire is one big story, kind of like an opera? I must say the woman singing sure has the voice for it." Daphne observed, leaning over the CD player alongside Harry, as they sat in the shade underneath a small tree adjacent to the garden.
"Actually Daphne, I think that might be a man. Listen for the low notes."
"Who cares about the low notes, listen to the drums!"
Harry nodded in approval.
"What is this one?" Daphne picked up a CD featuring a dark street and gaunt red-headed man standing with a guitar under a street sign.
"Not sure, haven't heard it yet.I don't I think Dudley ever opened it. I suppose he only touched the ones that looked violent." Harry shrugged. "Want to find out?"
The look on her face answered the question for her.
"What if we do only have 5 years? I mean it's not that crazy to think that the ineffectiveness of government and society would be harmful to the overall health of the planet, right?"
Harry simply shrugged. "Well if my cousin is any model, simply by him throwing candy wrappers down on the ground we've probably only got a month at most. I wonder what the end of the world would be like for people that were immortal, or kept coming back from the dead?"
"Quite dreadful I imagine. Especially if there are no starmen that show up. What do you think Harry, life on other planets?"
"I've taken a bit of an astronomy class, most of the planets I've seen look pretty boring. Maybe outside of our solar system?"
Daphne went contemplative at that. I don't know if I hope for it or hope against it. on one hand they might be friendly, but then again they may be jerks. It would be pretty lonely it's not have any other beings in the universe with us, wouldn't it?"
He shrugged and leaned forward to pull up a few weeds. "I think I'd be fine with just a few friends, personally. My two best mates from school, one of them has some brothers and sisters, and I definitely take some of them. You and your family. my godfather and one of his friends that taught my third year. maybe even the headmaster of my school, he's almost like a grandfather. there's just one guy I go to school with named Malfoy, and I don't think I'd mind too much if he got abducted by aliens. he's just about as pretentious as they come. Large rich family, father does some sort of government work, extremely self-important. the type of person that would give himself an award for being born. Hermione, one of my friends I mentioned earlier, punched him in the a few years back and it was wicked!" Harry laughed at the memory, eliciting a smile from Daphne who clearly remembered Draco screaming about mudbloods that day.
"I know the sort. My father deals with the same ilk on his business dealings and it has become a family tradition to annoy them as much as possible, and force them to take a deal that greatly benefits the company. sometimes the best way to deal with them is play their own game against them." She remembered the many times she insulted Draco to his face, masking it as a statement of approval, agreement or praise. "Most of them are so dumb they won't realize you call them an idiot if you word it properly."
He looks thoughtful Daphne noticed. "Hmmm. that could be fun. I'll have to think on some. What would you like to listen to next?"
They spent the day together, enjoying the conversation and company well past the time Harry had finished the work, enjoying the shade of the tree and the music from the CD player. both Harry and Daphne shared similar thoughts at the moment - they had never had a friendship like this. Harry would always cherish the friendships he shared with Ron and Hermione, but it was his first time being able to just be a normal person around someone. For Daphne, sure she had Tracey and was friendly with Zabini, but never in her life could she act this way around them, and she would even hesitate on sharing some of the thoughts she revealed to Harry with Tracey, who was a halfblood herself. For one summer they were allowed to act as normal kids.
"Hey Harry, tomorrow I'm going into.town to get some music of my own. Want to come with me? Just tell your relatives that mother needed you to go pick up some supplies for the garden. They seem too enjoy having you do work, so the thought of you hauling potting soil on your back should have them salivating in their stupidity."
He grinned at the thought and nodded his head. "I'd love to. I never really get to go into town, so it should be fun!"
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow morning!" They both stood up, and began to walk towards the back door of Number Six Privet Drive, where Cassandra was in the process of cooking dinner, and had two large glasses of ice water waiting for them. "Hello, Harry! Beautiful work out there! Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Harry sighed shook his head. "I would love to but I need to get back home and start preparing dinner for Uncle Vernon. Maybe some other time?" He spoke regretfully, trying to avoid eye contact - a fact that was not lost on either of the women.
"Well dear, maybe next time then. You're always welcome over here." She gave him a pat on the shoulder, which he found he quite liked. it was less overbearing than Mrs. Weasley's death grip hugs, and felt a bit more respectful.
"I will if I can, I have to do most of the cooking at home so I'm fairly busy most nights. Speaking of which, I do need to get going unfortunately. See you tomorrow morning Daphne?"
She looked please and nodded her head. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Later that night Harry sat in his room, stroking Hedwig's feathers by the window when he heard a whistle from outside. upon looking he noticed Daphne wearing a loose shirt and shorts, sitting on her bed directly across from him looking out the window.
"Nice owl, Harry. Not the most common pet I'd imagine. She's very beautiful!"
As if she could understand the compliment, Hedwig puffed out her chest from inside the cage.
"Thanks, Daphne! This is Hedwig. She's honestly my best friend. A friend of my parents that works at my school gave her to me on my 11th birthday. Do you have any pets?"
The pair talked for a good three hours before finally falling asleep, both with the windows open, and both with happiness on their faces.
Here we go, Chapter Two is up, Chapter Three will be out much sooner than this update. Already got it planned out!
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