[Author's Note: Here be lemony content! Please skip this chapter if that makes you uncomfortable. The rest of the story is (relatively) tame. Also, I'm aware that there are some thorny consent issues in this chapter. I've attempted to write this in such a way that the characters are allowed to discuss those with each other and come to terms, at least as well as two mistrustful and emotionally damaged teenagers can. The discussion continues in Chapter 3.]

Chapter 2: Classes They Don't Teach

The corridors near the portrait of the Fat Lady were blessedly clear, so Harry hid them in an alcove so Daphne and Tori could say "goodnight" to each other.

Tori wasn't going to settle for just a word, though. She threw her arms around Daphne and said, "Thank you for everything. I love you."

Daphne hugged her back, and Harry thought he saw a few tears trickle down her face. "Tori, I...I tried to kill you tonight."

"You're still the bravest person ever," she said, "and I know you love me, too." She released her sister and gave Harry another quick hug. "Thank you, too. You'll be...good to her, won't you?"

"Of course." Harry nodded. "I'm sorry you even have to think about anything like this."

She smiled, but it came across as weak and wan in the flickering torchlight around them. "I've got the best sister and brother ever looking out for me. I'll be alright." She gently laid her hands on Harry's left arm and Daphne's right arm. "We'll be alright. Goodnight."

Astoria released them and strode over to the portrait. One last wave and she was gone, swallowed up by the wall, and the portrait swung shut again.

Harry looked over at Daphne and swallowed hard. "Are you...um...ready?"

"Not really," she said, "but that's not likely to change tonight. I guess we should go find an empty classroom or something."

Harry checked the map again, searching for the best route around anyone who might stumble across them. "I have a better idea," he said. "Come with me."

He led her up to the seventh floor and turned left. "It's clear."

"The corridor?" Daphne wrinkled her nose. Even in disgust, goddamnshe was gorgeous.

"Not the corridor." Harry chuckled and walked past the blank spot on the wall once, twice, thrice. "The Room of Requirement."

Daphne jumped as a door appeared in front of them. "What on...wait, I've heard rumors of this."

"It's amazingly handy." Harry opened the door and ushered Daphne into the comfiest-looking bedroom he could imagine. An overstuffed couch sat in front of a blazing fireplace, and just beyond was a four-poster bed with huge down pillows and a thick duvet. He carefully locked the door behind them, willing two more locks into existence just to be on the safe side. She leaned against the wall next to the door while he triple-locked it, taking the room in with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Impressive...wait." Daphne's eyes settled on the bed and narrowed dangerously.

"Is something wrong?"

She glared at the bed as if trying to set it on fire. "I thought you were going to make this quick, but that bed makes it seem like you intend to take your time about it."

"Oh, sorry," Harry said. "I...um...don't really know what I'm doing, and I thought a bed was just sort of a good place to do...well...that. Oh, and speaking of...um...inexperience, I heard somewhere that I should go slowly if it's your first time but, well...I don't think I know quite what that means."

Daphne smirked. "Why do you think I'm a virgin?"

"Oh! I'm sorry, I just assumed-"

"It's OK," she said. "You were right. My parents threatened me with severe punishment if I had sex before marriage, since doing so would make me a less valuable bride."

"Ugh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Daphne stretched, which suddenly became the most fascinating thing Harry had seen all week. "Just think of this as one more way for us to get back at them." She nodded to him. "Shall we get down to business, then?"

Harry swallowed again. "Um...I guess so."

She arched her eyebrows at him. "Is something wrong?"

"No...well, yes." He sighed. "I still feel like I'm coercing you, since your alternative to doing this is basically death."

"You're not wrong." Daphne shrugged. "That's more my problem than yours, though."

He shot her a glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're getting laid," she said. "Isn't that what you want?"

"If that's all I wanted, I could have just found a prostitute by now," Harry said. "I thought when I finally had sex I'd feel wanted, but neither of us wants this."

"I've seen how pretty much every boy in the school looks at me," Daphne replied. "Including you...when you're not brooding, anyway."

"There's a big fucking gulf between 'she's pretty' and 'I want to rip her clothes off,'" Harry said.

Daphne smirked. "Oh, really? So me taking off my robes," she slowly removed them as she spoke, making sure to throw her arms back far enough as she did so to push her chest out, "does nothing for you?"

Harry narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing?"

"Cut the sanctimonious shite, Potter," Daphne replied. "I know what you want. I've seen it in your eyes before."

"You know what I want, huh?" Harry asked. With three steps, he was close enough to feel her breath on his neck. "Enlighten me."

"You want…" she placed her hands on his lapels, "to know what I'll look like pinned beneath you."

She barely had time to gasp as Harry slammed his palms into the stone wall over each of her shoulders. "You're right," he hissed, "and that makes me sick. I could make you do anything, Greengrass, and all you could do would be to smile and ask for more."

There was that smirk again. He wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss or slap it off her face, and he wasn't sure which option he hated his subconscious more for proposing. "So," she said slowly, "how would you like to start?"

"I wouldn't," he replied, and despite the gravity of the situation, he still had to fight back a smile when that damn smirk finally vanished. "No one should have that kind of power over another human being. That's the world Voldemort wants, and for all I've lost fighting against it, here I am anyway. So do you want me to be that kind of monster? Because you're making it really tempting right now."

"Yes, I do," she snapped. "I have two options this week: sex with you now or Fenrir Greyback later. And you will never, ever be capable of the sadism he is, so yes, I am trying to make you just get on with it."

Harry chuckled a little. "Not much of a compliment, but they're so rare from Slytherins that I'll take it."

"Yes, yes," Daphne said grumpily, "Tori was right and you seem to be a decent human being. If you're quite done rubbing that in, could you just get on with things?"

"Oh, sure," he said, "let me throw myself at yet another person in my life who doesn't want me. You want Lord Black, just like Cho wanted the Quidditch hero and Ginny wants the Boy Who Lived. Everything you say just feeds that little voice in my head that says 'No one will ever care about you.'"

Daphne snorted. "Those are you, Potter. You're the famous, handsome athlete who's one of the richest wizards in the country and soon to be one of the most politically powerful, as well."

"Wait." Harry held up a hand. "I didn't necessarily agree with most of that, but I at least understood it. What do you mean by politically powerful, though? I don't even have my N.E.W.T.s yet."

"Are you having me on?" Daphne asked.

"I haven't had the slightest idea about most of what you've been talking about so far tonight." Despite himself, Harry grinned. "What makes you think I'd start now?"

Daphne facepalmed. "Merlin, you're serious aren't you? You really have no idea." She paused. "Wait, did you just win an argument by convincing me you were an idiot?"

"This is what you get for arguing with Gryffindors," Harry replied. "If Hermione were here, she'd probably say 'Welcome to my life.' Seriously, though, I have no idea what you mean about my political power."

"I don't believe I have to explain this," Daphne said. "You're a national hero, which gives you popular influence. Also, The Noble House of Potter has one Wizengamot seat of its own, and you have a second seat courtesy of your control of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. There are only sixty bloody seats total, Harry, and you control two! On top of that, you have access to the diminished, but still sizable fortune of House Black now, and while someone, probably Dumbledore knowing him, is currently managing your enormous House Potter holdings, you'll come into those once you're of age. My father only has one seat, less money than House Black by itself, and he's only moderately skilled in politics, but that combination still gives him enormous influence. You are a hero, insanely rich, and control one-thirtieth of the national legislature by yourself."

She gestured at herself. "For comparison, this is me. I'm pretty, and that's it. I'm not a hero, I'm not rich or well-connected anymore, and I'm not some kind of sports person. All I've got is my body and my mind, the latter of which is stuffed with the same courses on etiquette, contemporary inter-house politics, and managing a magical household everyone gets. So all I've got to...offer…" she trailed off as she realized he was staring at her. "Potter?"

"I don't know any of that," Harry said. "I was raised by muggles, remember? I know you probably think you're flattering me with that list of things you just mentioned about my power, but all I could think as you said listed them was 'I am so fucked.'" He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Um...if you're the temporary Lady Black now, could you help me handle all of this? I need someone to keep me from screwing up any more than I already have, and you know more off the top of your head about all of this than I've managed to learn in the last five years. I mean, I'll still help you even if you don't want to, but it would mean a lot to me if you did."

Daphne fell back against the wall behind her and put her hands over her face.

"Is everything-" Harry started, but stopped when she held up a single finger.

"One minute, Harry." Her voice shook. "I need one minute."

He nodded, so surprised he almost didn't notice she'd called him "Harry" for the first time.

She continued after another twenty seconds or so. "Did you know," she finally said, "I spent my first two years here hating Hermione Granger?"

"Um...no?" Why couldn't any of his conversations this evening just be normal? That would be nice.

"Well, I did," Daphne said. "I finally figured out why after our second year. I'm smart, Harry, nearly as smart as her, but my grades have never been more than mildly above average because my parents didn't want me intimidating any potential spouses with my brains. That's how I was raised, and I came into Hogwarts planning to do just that. Then this muggle-born witch strolls in here without a care in the world and takes over the subject leaderboards."

Harry considered pointing out that Hermione had quite a few cares in the world, but decided this was the worst possible time to do so.

"Initially, I hated her, but after telling Tori about her three summers ago, I realized it wasn't hate I felt, but resentment. There she was, acing test after test, and I'm just sitting around looking pretty and hoping I don't scare anyone off. And what would be my reward for the behavior? I'd be married off to whatever dumbass didn't notice that I was smart enough to make him nervous, and then I'd sit next to him and look pretty while he fucked up all of our major life decisions. I did it anyway, though, because I'm a coward who didn't want to upset her parents."

She laughed, but it sounded more like the echo of something snapping inside her mind than genuine amusement. "Suddenly, I'm married and my husband, my actual husband, is standing here begging me to do the exact thing my parents told me he'd never want. Well, fuck them. I know our relationship won't last forever, Harry, but right here, right now, I get to take on the challenge of running a major household as a real partner with you. And I can't wait. Without this chance, I would always have wondered if I really were capable of doing it, but now I'll know. I mean, whoever else I end up marrying eventually probably won't want me to, but fuck him, too."

Somehow, that was the saddest thing...no, second saddest thing Harry had heard that night (forced marriage was in a class by itself). The more he learnt of the Wizarding World, the more he wished he hadn't. "Won't it make you sad, though, knowing you could do it and never would again?"

"Maybe a little," Daphne said, "but I'll know I could do it, and nobody would ever be able to take that away from me."

Harry had to smile at that. "Damn straight. Thank you, Daphne. This means a lot to me."

Her expression shifted into something Harry had never seen before. "I was just going to shag you tonight, Harry." As she spoke, she gracefully crossed the two steps between them. "But now I want more."

She reached her hands behind his neck and pulled him into a kiss. Then her lips opened, her tongue darted into his mouth, and it was a lot more than just a kiss. The rest of the world vanished around them and there was only the sensation of her tongue, her hands running through his unruly mop of black hair, and his hands roaming across...

Harry nearly freaked out and broke the kiss when he realized what, exactly, his hands had been roaming across, but realized she didn't seem to be complaining and went back to it. After some wonderful eternity, they finally stepped apart again.

Daphne smirked at him. "You look as feel as I dazed. Wait..."

"It's OK," Harry said. "Words I not so good now with, either."

She laughed happily for the first time that evening. "Smooth, Harry. Come, let's get to the bed before you make my legs give out on me."

They walked hand-in-hand to the bed and stood staring at it for a moment before Daphne broke the silence. "Feeling a bit awkward?"

"A lot awkward," Harry said.

She smiled. "Me, too. This will work better if we're wearing less, though."

"I suppose so." He looked down at his clothes.

"Oh, fuck it." She pulled her jumper off. "Off with 'em, Harry."

That broke the spell of awkwardness somehow, and Harry focused on taking his clothes off just like he normally would. He didn't even cast a glance at Daphne till he was done, only to find out she'd beaten him by a few seconds and was staring at him appraisingly. He opened his mouth to say something cheeky, but then the stunning beauty of the gloriously nude blonde girl in front of him sank in and he forgot what he was going to say.

That wasn't entirely accurate, actually. Harry forgot words existed. He forgot everything existed. He just stood there staring.

"I take it you like what you see?" Daphne asked.

He didn't react.

She nodded primly. "That response is acceptable. Shall we sit?" She sat down on the bed and patted the spot to her right.

Harry waited for a moment while his brain functions came back online, then sat down as she'd instructed. "You...I didn't know it was possible for someone to look as beautiful as you do. I've never even dreamt of someone so beautiful."

She blushed, which Harry couldn't help but notice traveled down from her face to some...interesting places. "I always thought guys were complimenting me because they wanted to get into my pants. You're...well, already there, so I guess you mean it."

"Of course I do!"

"You're not bad yourself, you know." She let her eyes run up and down his chest.

Harry blushed even harder than he had been. "Um...no, I didn't know."

"Seriously?" Daphne asked. "From what I've heard, you star in the fantasies of at least a few of your classmates."

"Me?"

She smirked again. "I think you're still thinking of yourself as that scrawny little boy from our first year. But now..." She turned toward him and, leaning on her right arm, reached toward him with her left arm. "May I?"

Harry nodded. He didn't trust his voice just then.

Daphne gently laid her pointer finger on his chest and began to trace it downwards. "These are muscles, Harry, and my classmates like these." She licked her lips, and Harry didn't know if it was hotter if she had or hadn't realized she'd done so.

"May...um...may I..." Harry gestured at her breasts, which were tantalizingly close now that she'd leaned over.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Daphne asked with mock seriousness. "Go right ahead. "

He leaned over and gently cupped her left breast in his right hand.

"That's good," she said. "Not too hard, now. If you want-"

His forefinger brushed her nipple and she shivered. "Oh, that feels so much better than it does when I do it."

Harry paused. "You do it? I mean, girls...um...masturbate?"

"Of course we do." Daphne snorted. "My mother subtly but firmly implied that my husband would be unlikely to care whether I ever received any pleasure from our...interactions, so I did my best to learn how to handle that myself."

"Oh." A shadow passed over Harry's face, but he pushed those thoughts away and tried to focus on the present. "Well...is there anything else you'd like me to touch?"

"There most certainly is." Daphne gently guided his hand down, shivering again as it brushed her stomach, and into the cleft between her legs.

Harry gulped.

"Just be gentle," she said. "And rub here oh Merlin!"

He pulled his hand away as if he'd burned her. "Are you alright?"

"Very alright." She grabbed his hand and returned it to its proper place. "Just leave that right there, Harry." She gently pushed her hips against his hand. "Yes. Just like that."

She seemed to be enjoying that motion immensely, so Harry took the opportunity to get his other arm into the game by reaching around her and cupping her left breast in his left hand. She moaned and pushed harder against his right hand. Instinctively, his fingers curled in and entered her.

"Holy shit!" she said, panting. Her left hand slammed over his right hand and locked it into place while her right arm wrapped around his neck. "Just...keep doing that...and by Merlin I...swear I will give you...the best damn night of your life."

He nodded. The unbridled lust in the sapphire eyes that had locked onto his own was the single most erotic thing he'd ever seen, and he wasn't sure he could have denied her if she'd asked for his very soul just then. "You're beautiful," he said, and moved his left arm up to cup the back of her head while he kissed her.

She gasped, then moaned loudly into his mouth. The moans increased in tempo in time with the thrusts of her hips until she shuddered, screamed, and went still in his arms.

"You're sure you're alright?" Harry asked her.

Her eyelids fluttered open in a way that made Harry want to slam her down on the bed right then. "More than alright," she said, and a predatory gleam filled her eyes. She threw her left arm across his chest and pushed him down on the bed, then swung her leg over and straddled him.

"I promised you something," she whispered, and something in her tone made every hair on Harry's body stand on end. "And I keep my promises." With each word, she kissed him, starting on his lips and working her way down his chest. And down...and down...

Daphne Greengrass kept her promise that night.

Daphne flopped down onto her bed as quietly as she could, her wobbly legs thanking her for relieving them of duty. Muscles she hadn't even known she had were begging for sleep, but she had one more thing to do that night.

"Lumos," she whispered, calling forth a light from her wand so dim it could only have been seen in the utter blackness of her room. She fished a four inch by six inch piece of parchment out from under her pillow and placed the tip of her wand on it. On an identical piece of parchment in another bed far above, the following words appeared:

(Daphne Black) Are you still up?

(Astoria Greengrass) Yes! Are you alright? I've been worried sick about you. And did you know your name has changed on my parchment?

(DB) My name has changed? Damn. For some reason, that makes this all feel real now. Anyway, I'm fine, I promise.

(AG) I'm so glad you're safe.

(DB) Merlin, Tori, I tried to...I can't even bring myself to think about it. How can you still give a shit about how I feel?

(AG) Because I'm your sister and I love you. Besides, you heard what big brother said about Sirius Black's will reading. No one could have known he was the new Lord Black, not even him. You made the best decision you could have.

(DB) I love you, too, Tori, even if I'm shite at showing it sometimes. And please stop calling him "big brother." That's only going to make this more awkward.

(AG) Awww. I want to keep him.

(DB) I am not guilting him into staying with me out of pity.

(AG) He didn't seem to mind you staying with him for several hours tonight. What happened to the "minimum necessary"?

(DB) We came to an understanding.

(AG) "An understanding"? Oh, Morgana! You like him, don't you?

(DB) He's unfailingly kind and considerate, and we had a wonderful conversation.

...

(DB) I hope you haven't awoken your roommates with your squee-ing.

(AG) It's OK. I did it into my pillow. Are you sure you don't want to keep him?

(DB) Go to sleep, Tori. I'm signing off.

(AG) You're no fun. Goodnight, Daffy.