Chapter 2

Daphne Greengrass had been having anything but a normal year so far. The end of the last school year was normal, and for the most part her Summer was fairly tame except for one particular event that still had her shaken. The Quidditch World Cup was supposed to be a very safe place with all the Ministry Personnel and foreign delegations in attendance, but somehow, she had been caught in the crossfires, and had been roughed up pretty badly in the skirmish. Had it not been for the wizards who had interfered she may have been in some serious trouble, but thankfully two wizards had come to her rescue and deflected the out of control Death Eater wannabees and she was safe.

After that night she was shaken and cautious, but she tried to remain calm and keep some normality in her life. She had gotten on the express like everyone else on September first. Nothing exciting or interesting happened except her usual annual annoyance of having to greet Draco Malfoy and allow him to kiss her hand in greeting. Blaise Zabini hit on her like usual, but she deflected his attempts to her best friend Tracey Davis, and everything was right in the world and things were relatively normal, and nothing out of the ordinary. Then at the start of term feast the Triwizard Tournament was announced. No big deal, Quidditch was canceled and that was too bad considering she enjoyed watching the game, but the tournament was sure to bring some new entertainment. The dueling club was still going to meet even though there would be no tournament, this was definitely the most disappointing as Daphne was sure she would have made her house's top five duelists this year, but it was not meant to be.

The first few months of school had blown by in a hurry, and her classes were keeping her busy, and her friends were keeping her sane. Her best friend of course Tracey Davis had gone a little boy crazy allowing different boys to keep her company, but Daphne was not going to judge the girl and even partook in some friendly flirting with a select few older boys from Ravenclaw that had caught her eye and had been kind to her.

Daphne was a beautiful young lady which allowed her some room to flirt with older and more attractive boys in other houses. Her blonde hair was shoulder length that she braided occasionally and dressed her best on weekends. Many young men had sought her out trying to get a seat at the table, but the girl was cold to most and the ones she invited in were quickly shot down because they had been too forward. Her blue eyes begun piercing young men as she could easily read their intentions as a near expert in passive legillmency. They had even called her the ice queen as people misinterpreted why she would stare at them in the eyes for so long.

The classes were mostly the same as previous years even if the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was crazy. He had already helped her make her reflexes and reactions a little faster, so she was glad she had a man who knew what he was doing in the position. Even if he had tried to jinx her when she wasn't paying attention.

Then the night of the selection had happened, and things got a little crazy. The Hogwarts champion was a Hufflepuff, the ever-so good-looking Cedric Diggory was chosen, and while he was a sixth year, he was very talented, and a hell of a duelist as Daphne had seen first-hand over the past few years he was certainly capable of the position even if she had hoped a Slytherin would be champion.

While it was disappointing that the champion was not a Slytherin that isn't what made it all crazy, it was the fact that three names had not come out of the goblet but four. The entrance of the boy who lived into this tournament was interesting, but Daphne didn't have much care for it. After being hit by the killing curse he had to be a little more than a squib maybe, and that was why he didn't come to Hogwarts in the first place probably.

Her friends in Slytherin had gossiped and speculated about the boy's appearance and magical abilities it was nothing more than just idle talk. She knew none of them had actually seen him, and some still seem to believe the silly books that were written about him. She of course would deny having read them, but the truth was they were some of her favorites.

She had hoped if the boy came to Hogwarts and got sorted into any house, but Gryffindor then she would get her chance to meet the boy behind the legend. Because regardless of his magical prowess if he could just stay alive, he would be a serious political threat one day when he came of age.

Both of his parents were Gryffindors however, so if he had come to Hogwarts there was a high chance he would have followed into their footsteps, and that wouldn't have worked out for Daphne. It was simple math Gryffindors and Slytherins did not go together. Not in school at least. Not ever.

It seemed that just about every girl regardless of background had fantasized about Harry Potter at one point, hell even Daphne as a little girl had, even though she knew he had dodged meeting her and the other witches in their generation she was still curious about the boy. He was after all a living legend. With the Potter and Peverell family magic flowing through his veins the boy could have been a powerhouse. He could still be actually. Perhaps when she met him, he would be just a fraction of what the stories have said about him, and then maybe he could teach her some advanced dueling techniques. Dueling was after all her life.

She had a good foundation and could out duel just about everyone in her year, but she still had lots of work to do if she wanted to become a pro. Fillius Flitwick had even taken a liking to her in second year when she would always ask for the dueling application of a charm, which allowed for him to give her all sorts of friendly tips after class, and even go through some mock duels with the girl to help her progress even further. It didn't help that her parents weren't super supportive of such career endeavors, but it's what she wanted, and even Professor Flitwick said she had a natural talent for it, and if she got a coach or someone powerful to back her, then maybe she could pull off some of her dreams.

She shook her head out of her fantasies, and thoughts as she made her way down to the common room to meet up with her friends. When she made it down the stairs Tracey was making doe eyes at the Slytherin Head Boy who was way out of her league, but he seemed to be fairly receptive to her advances, and Daphne wanted to shake her head at her beautiful best friend's antics, but also wanted to congratulate her if she could pull the Head Boys attentions for an evening as he was quite good looking. Terrence Higgs was also extremely talented, and was the Slytherin pick for the Triwizard tournament, and it was a shame he didn't get it Daphne thought sullenly.

Millicent was probably the opposite of Tracey in every way. Tracey was petite, beautiful, and outgoing, while also being fairly good at practical's and not so good at theory, while Millicent was a blonde that was acne covered, very introverted, but an absolute genius at the theoretical sides of all magics that Daphne was familiar with. She loved both of the girls, and they were really her only friends, but while Millicent was a Pureblood and pretty much untouchable in the common room, Tracey was a half blood, and often a victim of cruel pranks and cruel jokes. This made Daphne quite protective over the girl and had often met boys in the dueling pit on her behalf.

When the three girls made eye contact, they all decided to go down to dinner together. She walked with Tracey and Millicent down to dinner as she thought of Pansy who was probably off gallivanting with Draco doing Merlin knows what. The girl had been down right obsessed with Draco and ever since puberty had hit the girl Draco had finally started paying her some attention, and unfortunately for Pansy it wasn't the good kind. That didn't mean the girl wasn't over the moon about it no matter what, but Daphne hoped her friend wouldn't do something she regretted with a boy that was honestly only slightly better than Ronald Weasley of Gryffindor. Daphne cringed as her thoughts passed over the pig-headed Gryffindor step child and hoped that the year would continue its good fortune and keep him out of her path.

When they made it to the great hall a tall young man was standing in front of the staff table chatting amicably with Professor Babbling and Professor Vector the Runes and Arithmancy professor respectively and they were both laughing over whatever the dark-haired young man said. When she caught a glimpse at his countenance, she knew immediately who it was, but she didn't understand why he was here. James Flamel? The dueling champion? He had just won the U17 Dueling World Championship, what was he doing at Hogwarts? Many others in the hall were whispering and she heard the Flamel name bounce around a lot, but she also heard the name Potter. This led to an unlikely conclusion and she let out an audible gasp that James Flamel, and Harry Potter were obviously the same person, and that he must have created the alias to protect himself on the international circuit. It was also clear to her that other people in the hall were making the same connection.

Daphne took in the boy from a distance noticing that he had put on some weight in muscle and height since she saw his photos in the newspapers. A growth spurt that easily would have allowed him to tower over her petite 5'3 frame, and some muscles that clearly indicated his dueling training was doing favors to his body if she could see them even in his black robes with the multiple house crests on them.

Tracey squeaked softly next to Daphne, "Holy Merlin Daph he is gorgeous. Think I have a shot with him?"

Tracey who clearly did not keep up with dueling instantly believed that it was Harry Potter before her and she didn't comment further than saying, "As long as he is not a Gryffindor, I think you have as fair of a shot as anyone."

Tracey swore in a very unlady like manner, "Both his parents and at least one of his grandparents were Gryffindors, and I think he will probably follow in their footsteps if any of the stories about him are true."

Daphne didn't think her response well very through but said, "You forget his grandmother however was a Slytherin and a Black to boot and he must have been raised by the reclusive family the Flamel's, also his Godfather is Sirius Black and if you keep up with the papers he may have been in a Gryffindor in school, but the last war has changed him, and if he brought up Harry anything like what he is now he could be a snake easily or even a Ravenclaw who knows."

Tracey raised an eyebrow at the girl, "When did you become an expert on the Potter family line?"

The girl blushed for the briefest moments but recovered quickly, "I used to read the books too. Sue me that I did a bit of research."

Tracey laughed lightly, "How you didn't end up in Ravenclaw will never cease to amaze me. I guess just like Granger you had other dominating traits."

Draco Malfoy however must have caught the end of the conversation, "Oh Davis please do not put me off my food like that. Comparing our Slytherin Pureblood Princess to that lowly Mudblood is disgusting. I know your sense of humor is warped, but please some of us are trying to eat."

This caused many at the table to laugh, but Tracey just scowled at the boy not saying anything in return to him but muttering under her breath about doing whatever she wanted.

As the hall continued to fill up Harry remained talking to the two female teachers and clearly winning their favor by the amount of laughter coming from the table. At some point Neville Longbottom had approached the staff table to greet the young champion, and Harry brought him in for a big embrace laughing as the boy had clearly said something funny in greeting to the dueling champion.

Daphne had heard that Neville was sitting in James Flamel's coaches' box at the U17 Dueling Championship over the Summer, and she would love to know just how that connection ended up working out. After all Neville wasn't the most powerful or popular student. He definitely had friends, but they were all mostly in Gryffindor and he seemed to be a bit of a leader in the house, but whatever the Lions saw she did not see it, because every class she had the boy in was less than spectacular in over all performances.

When most of the hall had filled up Dumbledore finally stood, "Good evening students and guests. We have another special guest who has come a long way to join us here tonight and for the remainder of the school year. Please give a hand for Harry James Potter as we welcome him back to Britain."

Harry held up a hand of acknowledgment as people politely clapped, and Dumbledore smiled cleverly, "While some of you may recognize him as James Flamel from the International Dueling Championship, I am sure you can approach Mr. Potter with any questions you may have, and I am sure he would be happy to clarify any confusion. Now however Mr. Potter has decided to room here on the Hogwarts grounds for the remainder of the year and tournament, so I have brought out the sorting hat to allow him to be placed into a home for the remainder of the year."

With that the headmaster motioned to a chair while the Deputy Headmistress walked around the table to take a hold of the hat and place it on Harry's head when he sat on the stool with his eyes closed. Daphne wondered just why he had closed his eyes and wondered what he thought the process would pertain.

Minutes passed, and the crowd became restless. Harry never once opened his eyes, and the hat remained completely inanimate during the sorting. A few more minutes passed before Harry opened his eyes with a slight smile and the hat roared out, "RAVENCLAW!"

This led to a storm of applause from the house of Eagles and many people stood up to greet him as he approached the table with the headmaster's dismissal. This gave the girl a bit of hope that she might be able to befriend the boy and convince him to give her some good dueling tips, and maybe even give Tracey another snogging partner if he or she so desired.

As if reading her thoughts Tracey whispered in her ear excitedly, "I have a chance!"

Dumbledore finished his announcements after the applause and greetings died down and Harry had taken a seat at Ravenclaw's table, "Now that all the champions are here the weighing of the wands will take place tomorrow, and the first task will be November 24th. Now let us enjoy our dinner and continue on with our pleasant evening. Cheers!"

Some people rose their glasses to the headmaster at his call, but others just went back to what they were doing. Daphne haphazardly kept an eye on Harry over at the Ravenclaw table as he was assaulted with barrages of greetings, and gestures if friendship. She even rolled her eyes as Lisa Turpin and Su Li blushed their way through an introduction as Harry gave them the standard Pureblood greeting of a simple kiss on the hand.

Daphne planned to approach the boy tomorrow or day after in hope of setting a time for them to meet, and possibly have lunch where they could discuss some training possibilities that would be beneficial to possibly both of them. After all the situation was far better than she could have imagined. Harry Potter wasn't just the boy who lived with decent magical power, he was also James Flamel the international dueling champion whose power was already becoming legendary.

Harry's POV

Harry had finally been allowed to start eating as the assault of questions and greetings ended and the food was fantastic. He usually dieted pretty hard during his dueling training in order to stay at the peak of physical condition, but right now he wasn't training for anything major so feasted on anything and everything he pleased. He had already met some friendly faces in the names of Anthony Goldstein, Lisa Turpin, and a pretty Asian girl named Su Li. He was feeling pretty confident in his choice of house so far and decided that his plan was solid.

When Harry had sat down for the sorting, he rose his Occlumency shields to a point that the hat could only read his surface thoughts which were that of intelligence, wit, and scholar level studying. This frustrated the hat as it could tell that he was not able to read all of the boy's thoughts and complained that this was the reason they sorted people at 11 instead of 14. In the end after several attempts to break through the hat conceded and put the young man in Ravenclaw where he wanted.

Harry had observed many of the students and had even planned on greeting each of the champions which was his current task as he finished up his meal standing and walking towards the end of the table. He gave a slight bow to the female in front of him, "Champion Delacour we meet again."

The girl gave him a pretty smile, "Enchante Monsieur Flamel, or do you prefer Potter?"

"I belong to both houses, but I definitely prefer Harry."

The girl smiled slightly at him, "Harry then. I hope we have the pleasure of dueling each other sometime this year even if it is a little exhibition match. Your friend Monsieur Cotton was a very talented duelist, and his stamina was the only reason he defeated me. I wonder if you have such stores that would allow you to last so long against someone like me."

The innuendo was there and Harry knew it, "While I am sure many others would fall short in terms of stamina I assure you I will not disappoint..." Leaving a slight wink at the end he continued, "After all I was still fully charged after dueling through nearly a dozen opponents and still had plenty of energy to wipe the floor with my competition. Though I agree I would love to have a bit of one on one dueling training with you. I am sure we could make it beneficial for us both."

This caused the girl to grin and her friends to blush a bit at the direction of the conversation, but Harry knew the girl was trying to fluster him and was impressed that he had not fallen for her trick and even seen right through it, "I look forward to your companionship and your competition then in the coming tournament."

"I wish the same for you as well." The young man said giving a slight bow, and then exited the hall with clearly no intention of greeting the other champions.

Daphne who was watching nearby briefly was jealous after catching part of the conversation. Delacour was going to get to duel the champ, and he was clearly looking forward to it. She needed to figure out how to get to him, possibly through her family, or other means. It was clear he had eyes for the blonde French girl, and Daphne was not above showing a bit of skin to get what she wanted...Those ideas were put on hold however as her housemates rose from the table clearly finished with their own meals, and ready to return to the common rooms for a night of rest and studying

(A/N) I updated this chapter grammatically today(02/06/2019), but nothing changed in the story line. Please read, review, and enjoy!