New chapter here. Real life stuff, mainly holiday related, delayed me. I was also revising my earlier chapters of my other fic, Invictus, and revising/adding new things is more difficult than writing new chapters. I'm about finished with the chapters, but it's taking a little bit because I have to keep internal consistency. It might take a little longer than I hoped to write more chapters until January, but no story of mine will get abandoned. Not much else to say other than that. Here's a new chapter.
"Keep moving, Neville," Harry barked, hitting the round faced boy with a stinging hex as he channeled the mentality of Alastor Moody, "You don't have permission to stop."
Neville was being run through an exercise course in an abandoned classroom Harry had warded to hell and back with privacy charms and a few runes to divert attention. Dumbledore undoubtedly knew they were placed, given that he was tied to the wards of the castle and could break any additions inside the current ones if he wanted to, but the older man seemed to know that Harry was doing it for a reason.
"I'm," Neville was huffing and puffing, redfaced as he twisted out of the way of another hex from the raven haired teen, "gonna... pass out."
Harry would've been merciful, but Neville did the exact thing he suspected he would accidentally do after the incident with Daphne about two weeks back.
Neville let it slip that Harry had a girl in his bed.
Constant whispers around him, a scandalized Hermione, and an amused Ron was the result of the entire school hearing the rumours that a girl was in Harry Potter's bed.
Fred and George were on his list of people to punish as well. A strand or two of Daphne's hair was found on his sheets and they, being the honourable and enviable friends they were, let it slip that it was a blonde with long hair.
So far, the rumour was that he either was shacking up with Lavender, Luna, or Hannah Abbot.
Hermione knew it had to have been Daphne, judging by her being very scrutinizing about him meeting with her each week.
So, being in a uniquely aggravated mood, Harry let his irritation bleed out with Neville as the outlet.
Casting an overpowered stinging hex that struck Neville in the center of his back, he got a yelp from the fifth year. He kept this up until for several minutes longer, until Harry decided to be a merciful person and stopped after that.
"Well done," Harry said, watching Neville almost collapse as he sucked in air, "You're moving quicker, more fluid."
"My legs feel fluid." Neville mumbled, his legs shaking. "I need a chair."
Harry flicked his wand and muttered an incantation under his breath, conjuring a chair behind Neville.
The round faced boy collapsed into it, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"I'll thank you when I can breathe." He said weakly, letting out a short cough.
Harry shrugged like it was nothing and disabled the wards he put up with a few swishes of his Holly wand.
"I'll need to cut it short," Harry said, trying not to sound uncomfortable, "I have something else to do."
"Hogsmeade?" Neville asked.
Harry nodded.
A combination of Hogsmeade and helping Daphne with training similar to Neville. The rumour mill made it uncomfortable for Daphne to be alone with him initially, but she got over it after a few days.
But Harry wasn't going to share the other half right now.
"You alright to get back to Gryffindor tower?" Harry asked, noting his fellow fifth year looking better after a couple minutes.
"Yeah," Neville nodded, stretching his legs so he didn't develop a cramp, "I'll be fine."
"Then I'll see you here next week," Harry turned on his heel and left, sparing Neville a look of pride, "You're a damned good wizard, Nev, and a decent person. Your parents would be proud."
The image of Neville's wide eyes was the last thing Harry saw before he left the room to meet up with Daphne.
"Why did you mention it to Astoria?" Daphne demanded, glaring at her best friend.
Daphne shared the inside knowledge of the accidental mishap involving Harry. The brunette found it hysterical when the Hogwarts rumour mill started up and embellished it further.
Daphne had been subjected to hearing everybody gossip about who the Mystery Blonde was and the insane rumours circulating.
She didn't doubt that it was the Weasley twins that spread the rumour that it was more than one blonde that Harry had hooked up with.
"Don't blame me," Tracey defended herself, backing up to her bed, "That little hellion you call a sister threatened me if I didn't tell her."
"Do not call her a hellion," Daphne frowned, taking up for her little sister, "And I expect more from you than her. You're my age!"
"It's not my fault she thinks she's going to be an aunt soon!" Tracey threw up her arms, "And tell Harry I said hi, by the way. I know you're planning a hook-up."
"I-it's," Daphne sputtered, caught completely off guard by that, "It's not a hook-up and you know it!" She planned on asking him to accompany her to Hogsmeade, but that was it! "And what do you mean Astoria thinks she's going to be an aunt?!"
Her friend shifted under her gaze, looking uncomfortable.
"Well," Tracey said uncertainly, "Astoria might have sent a letter to your mum about how gir-"
Daphne ignored everything else and raced out of the room, rushing towards Astoria's room.
"Tori!" She shouted, finally reaching the door and wrenching it open.
Her sister wasn't there, but a note was. Picking it up, Daphne's breath hitched at her sister's handwriting.
I'm negotiating a marriage contract with Potter because I couldn't reach Mum or Dad.
"Noooo." Daphne practically started hyperventilating, wondering what on earth made Astoria think this was even remotely rational.
The embarrassment could very well kill her... Not Daphne, no. Daphne's embarrassment would cause her to strangle Astoria for being the embodiment of everything that an annoying younger sibling did.
The blonde Slytherin raced towards the exit for the common room, taking off running to where she thought Astoria would look for Harry.
Harry was on the way to where he and Daphne usually met when it wasn't the Room of Requirement, noting that his right pocket was jingling from the galleons he had ready.
He casually flicked his wand to reapply the silencing charm and visualized what he was going to do.
Today was Hogsmeade for December and Daphne's birthday was on the 8th. He planned on surprising her that he knew her birthday and was willing to get her something.
Almost like it was a miracle/curse, Harry spotted a girl racing down the hall, looking around.
It wasn't the shoulder length brown hair that clued him in to who it was, it was the Slytherin robes and face that resembled Daphne's a great deal.
Astoria Greengrass spotted him and ran towards him, her breathing heavy.
"I found you," She gasped, clutching her side as she breathed in and out, "Please ask my sister to go on a date."
Out of everything that Harry could've heard from Astoria for the *technical* first time they met, he would never have expected that.
"Uh..." He blinked and tried to get his mind to reboot, looking down at the third year Slytherin, "What?"
"Daphne likes you," Astoria's face twisted in discomfort, "Like, likes you, likes you."
Daphne had told him that Astoria meant well, but had very little concept of privacy at times. Hell, she'd asked what her and Harry's private life was like when they got engaged.
"Daphne will need to ask me herself," Harry replied, still feeling from this being thrown at him, "Or I would. You shouldn't break her trust like that."
"I don't care," Astoria shrugged, a devilish grin slowly creeping up, "Your reaction says you like her too."
Harry now just rediscovered why Astoria Greengrass, for all her cuddly personality, was sorted into Slytherin.
"You really are Daphne's sister." He scowled, cursing himself for being manipulated that easily by his would have been sister-in-law.
"I needed to know that my sister wouldn't get hurt by you not liking her," Astoria said simply, "And I get to annoy her." She giggled.
Harry involuntarily shivered at the sound, knowing it meant nothing good.
"What did you do?"
The diminutive girl shrugged.
"I told her I was offering a marriage contract on behalf of our parents to you for her," Astoria said with a completely straight face, "She really hates jokes like that."
Harry felt himself pale at what Astoria admitted to. Daphne, whenever the subject of Pureblood traditions were brought up, defended and argued the reasoning for them. But when Marriage contracts were brought up, she'd tear into them with a fury that was frightening.
Harry would have to deal with an angry Daphne today.
Angry Daphne = Scary Daphne.
Said girl's voice echoed down the hall and Harry stared down it, biting back a groan.
"Tell her it was just a joke to mess with you two" Astoria said, reaching into her pocket.
Right as the furious blonde that was her sister rounded the corner, her eyes practically glowing, Astoria laughed and pulled her hand out of her pocket.
"He said yes!" She shouted, flinging what appeared to be a dungbomb at her older sister before running in the opposite direction.
Daphne yelped and tried to grab for her wand as she skidded to a halt, the projectile hitting in front of her.
To Harry's eternal relief, it wasn't an actual one. Astoria just did it to scare Daphne.
Speaking of said blonde, the girl kicked the dud aside and stomped towards him, looking up at him with an icy fury in her blue eyes.
"What did she say?!" She demanded, her face red from either anger, embarrassment, or both, "I'm going to strangle her."
Harry held up his hands, trying to calm her some so she didn't bite his head off.
"She decided to prank me," He lied, just as Astoria requested, "She said something about marriage contr-"
Harry couldn't even finish before Daphne started muttering very unladylike things under her breath, including threats of mortal harm on her sister.
"Why does she insist on butting into my life?" She asked herself, taking a deep breath and looking back at him, "I'm sorry you had to be introduced to it today. I hope you're not embarrassed."
Harry shook his head and waved it off.
"I could tell she was having me on about that. It's not a problem. And why call Astoria it?" He asked amusedly.
"Because she's a menace," Daphne growled, crossing arms tightly, "She terrorizes me when it strikes her fancy."
Daphne seemed to force herself to calm down, but she still looked on edge in a way that made Harry a little antsy.
"We, uh," She paused for a moment, grimacing visibly, "We still going to Hogsmeade?"
I can't help myself. Harry tried to not say anything, but never accuse Harry James Potter of not finding amusement and a thrill from being in a life or death situation.
"I don't think I have enough money for a ring yet." Harry replied sadly, forcing himself to not tense.
Sure enough, a red-faced Daphne punched him in the arm hard enough to make it sting.
"Prat." She glared up at him, the height difference noticeable.
Daphne definitely wasn't short, far from it, but Harry had jumped up in stature over the last few months from the freeing of his magic and the proper food, exercise, and nutritional potions he had. It made him adjust his balance quite a bit, but it was worth it.
"Sorry," Harry said, but the smile and tone said otherwise, "I couldn't help it." His face then turned a little more serious. "I was going to ask you to come with me to Hogsmeade so we could talk some and relax, but I don't want you dealing with any of those stupid rumours." Harry couldn't help but scowl at that.
A matching expression of irritation appeared on Daphne's face, but her eyes focused on his at his wording.
"I'm not cancelling because of a few rumours, Potter," She sniffed arrogantly, "I don't bother with the opinion of sheep."
"Even if the opinion is that I'm building a harem of delectable blondes to corrupt the wizarding world with my offspring outnumbering all the Purebloods?" Harry deadpanned, deciding to start walking towards the secret tunnel to Honeydukes.
Daphne rolled her eyes, following the raven haired teen.
"You made that up."
"Only the the last half," Harry admitted, mindful of his pace so she could keep up. "You can't imagine what I've been dealing with because of that."
"You?" Daphne asked incredulously, the two still walking, "Tracey is tormenting me about it and the offspring of my mother and father decided to have fun as well."
Astoria really annoyed her evidently
.
Harry paused his stride and stared directly at Daphne.
"When you are openly congratulated on your carnal prowess by Fred and George Weasley, in front of your entire House," Harry remarked flatly, "Then you can complain."
Daphne, despite her own inconvenience being made secondary by Harry, laughed at his predicament, not even bothering to be polite and suppress her mirth.
"The Boy-who-lived not living up to his legendary status?" She asked with a devious smile, knowing it would annoy him.
Harry grunted irritably at that as they got to the statue of the one eyed witch.
"I've ascended to being The-man-who-conquered," Harry said sarcastically, muttering Dissendium under his breath as he tapped the statue to open the tunnel, "I did have a queen in my bed after all... an Ice Queen."
Harry knew he won this little verbal duel because he saw her grip the end of her hair and her face looked like a statue from using Occlumency.
She's a little unhappy. Harry thought to himself, walking first.
With a muttered Lumos, the interior was visible and the duo continued on towards their destination.
The two stayed silent as they walked through the tunnel, focusing on not tripping from the confinement.
As Harry turned to say something, he saw Daphne's foot catch, causing her to stumble.
Reaching out to steady her, Harry gripped her shoulder as she pitched forward, stopping her from falling face first.
There faces were just inches apart and Harry had to shake his thoughts aside as he was reminded of when the two danced together at her parent's home the first year they had been together.
Focus. He thought stiffly. Don't think of that now. Don't drop that on her, mate.
Daphne's face turned a bit pink and she muttered a quick thank you, gently pushing his grip away.
"I need to watch where I'm walking." She stated, the two reaching the doorway.
Harry nodded slightly at what she said, but focused his attention on pushing the door up. With both hands, Harry pushed upwards and saw the interior of Honeyduke's back room, climbing out and freeing himself from the tunnel. He then turned around and helped Daphne up, looking towards the side exit.
"Well," Harry looked towards the girl, offering his arm part seriously and part jokingly, "Where to, my lady?"
Daphne shook her head amusedly at the display, but wrapped her arm through the crook of his, setting her head on his shoulder gently.
"Wherever Lord Potter wishes." She said sweetly, looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Harry smiled at the familiar light in her eyes, the sight assuring him everything would be okay.
Her death was a rumour. It didn't happen. It was only a nightmare now, a nightmare that gave way to what was now real.
With a smile that mirrored the happiness etched on his heart, Harry Potter walked arm in arm with the girl that had stolen his heart to a day of rest.
"Sooo," Harry said after the two had enjoyed a fairly enjoyable outing, "What exactly do you hate about marriage contracts?"
Daphne and Harry had alternated different subjects to talk about and stores to go to, and now her turn was up.
Snow had started to fall and she pursed her lips, trying to not be too vocal about it.
"I'll be diplomatic about it," She eventually said, frowning still, "I don't like the thought of love being coerced."
Harry nodded, but she wasn't sure he truly understood her depth of thought.
"It's a huge topic of contention with older Pureblood families," She clarified, "It was common among muggles even up until recent centuries and the wizarding world has kept to that."
"Don't change a perfectly acceptable recipe for societal stability?" Harry asked rhetorically, discreetly casting a wandless Impervious charm on his glasses to keep snow off.
"Exactly!" Daphne nodded, thankful that he understood, "It worked for centuries, but it feels like it's too imposing. Love is sacred and shouldn't be forced."
Harry was listening intently, judging by his eyes staying on hers despite him not slowing his walking speed.
"I'm not sure you understand." Daphne admitted, not being experienced in voicing her thoughts about this particular topic. Her parents had an arranged marriage, but it hadn't been a contract or one they were ordered to do. They'd been encouraged, but they had both been told they could back out if they didn't think it would work.
Her parents had been friends in school, and their marriage blossomed into a truly beautiful one, but Daphne had also heard of the ones that soured horribly.
"Love is viewed differently in Pureblood culture." Daphne started explaining to Harry, "Muggle culture, at least what I've seen, you can correct me if I'm wrong, puts romantic love on a pedestal above other types, like friendship and family."
"I don't deny the part about romantic love being put on a pedestal sometimes." Harry nodded, scratching the side of his head, "Poems, books, movies, they tend to prefer telling stories of sappy romances over anything else."
Daphne didn't know what had her being open about her thoughts on romance with the boy she had begun to fancy over the months they had known each other, but she didn't care.
"Purebloods are the opposite," Daphne said morosely, "To almost the extreme. Unity and cohesion is valued because that's what's kept us alive for centuries, and 'creature comforts'," She used air quotes, "Like a relationship built on love fall to the wayside in favour of a financially stable family."
Harry didn't seem to focus on the last part, but Daphne just chalked it up to a trick of the light.
"And marriage contracts codify the commercializing of a loving relationship." Daphne finished her explanation, looking at Harry a little apprehensively at sharing a fairly personal part of herself.
To her relief, Harry smiled and wrapped his arm around her, seeming to be at ease in her company.
"That sounds like something I'd also feel if I was raised in a Pureblood family," He said honestly, his eyes flicking towards a jewelry shop. "Do you mind if we head in there?" He asked, "I need to get a pocket watch for Sirius."
Daphne didn't mind at all. "That's fine, I want to get out of the cold for a bit anyway."
She sped up and walked into the store, hearing a soft clink of a bell above the door frame.
"Hello," A gravely voice said from underneath the counter, the owner of said voice being revealed as an elderly man with square rimmed glasses thin white hair, "What I can I do for two young customers?" He asked kindly.
"I need to see if you have a certain watch here," Harry said beside her, "My godfather saw it and wanted to know if it was still here."
"Well, if you know the watch, then they are in that case." The man pointed to his left.
"Thanks." Harry said, stepping away from her.
With nothing better to do, Daphne looked at some of the necklaces, one of them catching her eye. The necklace was a light silver, the pendant being a rather innocuous oval shape. But what caught her eye was the extremely tiny blue sapphires that formed a beautiful Celtic knot pattern on the outside of it.
Marvelling at how pretty it looked, Daphne groaned when she saw the pricing on it. Far too much for her to spend on a necklace for herself.
And worse yet, it matched her favourite pair of earrings.
Daphne eventually grew bored of looking and told Harry she'd wait outside, before exiting the store.
It probably wasn't even five minutes before Harry came out, looking rather pleased with himself.
"Was it there?" Daphne asked, enquiring about the watch.
"Yeah," Harry nodded, his hand in his pocket, "It'll be a Christmas present."
Speaking of Christmas, Daphne wanted to clarify that Harry and Sirius were still coming for a Yule celebration with her family.
"Will I be expecting you and Lord Black as guests of my family soon?" She asked quietly, glancing around the street even though no one was there.
Harry smiled and nodded.
"I think Sirius is more excited about it than I am. He's like a puppy sometimes meeting new people."
Daphne snorted amusedly at the visual of an otherwise 'dangerous' and 'cunning' Azkaban escapee acting like that.
"Are you not looking forward to it?" She asked innocently, trying to put him on the spot to mess with him.
"I would be," Harry stressed the one part, an identical look of amusement on his face that had her expecting another counter, "But I'm not looking forward to asking your father for his blessing."
Daphne groaned and shook her head.
"You're not going to let that go, are you?"
"Your sister is such a sweetheart to gift me that type of emotional blackmail." Harry laughed, "And it's not even my birthday or Christmas yet."
Daphne sighed, knowing she would've probably done the same thing if she was in the same situation as Astoria.
"What do you think of her, honestly?" Daphne asked, checking the time as they walked with a flick of her wand.
It was nearly time to head back and she didn't want it to end. This outing was genuinely fun and she could see herself doing it more often.
"Mischievous, intelligent, and far too adorable for any poor sod caught unaware by the monster lurking beneath." Harry intoned ominously, a faint smirk on his lips.
Daphne clicked her tongue. "Not incorrect."
Daphne truly loved Astoria, but she was such a annoying little beast at times. This time wasn't any different.
The two went the same route they did before, avoiding the traffic of students to not arouse suspicion.
"How good is you Disillusionment charm?" Harry asked her, holding his own wand between his thumb and index lazily.
The last few private teaching sessions involved Harry helping her with concealment and evasion, the only thing left out being Apparition for obvious reasons.
Being able to escape or hide in a disadvantageous position could save your life just as easily as immense power or skill.
"Better." She answered simply, arching a brow as she suspected why he asked.
"This is your first test on sneaking, my cunning little snake." Her Gryffindor friend didn't try hiding his smirk at the comment.
Daphne rolled her eyes and pulled out her wand, muttering the incantation under her breath as she tapped the top of her head.
A cold trickling sensation went down her body and she held out her hand, grinning at the success.
Daphne walked towards the door and waited for somebody to open it, casually slipping through without a problem.
She made her to the backroom and grinned, elated that she pulled it off.
"You try doing it that smoothly, Potter." She snickered, waiting for Harry.
A gust of air next to her ear had a practically jumping to the ceiling, a faint yelp escaping her.
"Jumpy?" Harry asked, materializing in front of her.
Daphne growled at him scaring her, and by the looks of it, he thought it was hilarious.
"How did you get here first?" She almost demanded, irked by the seamless effort he probably made.
Harry's face hardened uncharacteristically, his eyes seeming to glow faintly.
"Something my family has been capable of for centuries," He whispered, approaching her slowly, but steadily, "Something that most people alive don't know about."
She fought the urge to shiver under his gaze, enraptured by the mystery and power he seemed to radiate.
"Would you like to know, Miss Greengrass?" He whispered in her ear, drawing a shudder this time.
"Yes." She managed to whisper back, holding on to every word.
He didn't answer immediately, making it all the more enticing.
"The secret," His breath tickled her ear, making her blush lightly, "Is magic."
Her thoughts ground to a halt.
WHAT?!
He baited her. He enticed her with a secret and it turned out to be bait to mess with her.
"You." She hit his shoulder, seeing his face break out into a wide smile, "Are." She hit him again, causing him to laugh. "A." Her open palm smacked against his shoulder. "Prat."
"I couldn't resist," Harry kept laughing, his face red from holding it in, "You looked so sure that I was going to share a family secret that wasn't real."
"And I know why you worded it that way." Daphne grumbled, crossing her arms elegantly, definitely not petulantly. She was a lady, not an annoying girl like Astoria.
Technically, magic was a secret that most people, being muggles, didn't know. So Harry didn't technically lie.
"I get the feeling I'm in trouble." Harry admitted.
"Yes," Daphne traced her fingers up his arm, suddenly digging her nails in, "But you can make it up to me."
Harry winced at the action, his fingers clenching from her nails.
"How?" He asked.
Daphne definitely wanted a secret revealed, something that rankled her for the last several days.
"Can you tell me how you entered the Slytherin common room?" She asked, tilting her head up at him.
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment, nodding seconds later.
"Yes, but let's head through the tunnel first."
Daphne agreed and Harry, probably to show off, opened the door wandlessly, walking down the steps.
"Show off." She voiced her thoughts, hearing him scoff lightly.
"I don't need to show off, I'm brilliant enough." Harry said, amusement lacing his tone.
"How many wandless spells can you cast?" She asked, scowling at how narrow the tunnel was. She couldn't look straight at him properly.
"A few dozen minor ones," He replied, "But combat effective ones... maybe a half dozen."
Daphne was impressed. Her father could pull off a wandless summoning charm, but everything else was difficult.
The more she learned about Harry, the more she realized that everyone had been wrong about him.
"I can give you a few pointers." His voice broke her from that thought, "But not until you've gotten to a satisfactory level on the things we're doing now."
Daphne huffed at the reminder of what he was helping her with. Her speed of casting was excellent, her spell work superb, but she nearly passed out after he ran her through a basic obstacle course.
They reached the end of the tunnel and exited it, the statue sliding aside.
"So," Harry turned and looked at her, "Second year," He started walking towards where Daphne was going to go, meaning her common room, "It starts with setting off an explosion in potions class."
Harry went on to explain everything done to illegally brew Polyjuice potion.
"That explosion was ridiculous." Daphne scowled, "Of all ways to make a distraction, you picked the most stereotypically Gryffindor thing to do... an explosion."
"And I didn't know Granger could brew Polyjuice," She muttered, "That's NEWT level."
A thirteen year old muggleborn pulled that off! Daphne was no blood purist, but a girl who knew of the magical world for a year and a half at that point successfully brewed a NEWT LEVEL POTION!
What better way to irritate and hit the ego of the daughter of a successful potion brewer?
"How did you manage to pretend that you were Crabbe and Goyle?" She raised a brow, the heels of her shoes clacking lightly against the stone floor as they went down another level, "Weasley, I can see replicating their intellect, but not you."
"That's my friend your talking about." Harry pointed out, but didn't show any actual annoyance, "And you underestimate how obtuse Draco can be. Ron might have the emotional range of a spoon, but Malfoy has the awareness of a particularly dull witted goldfish."
Daphne snorted amusedly at the description, not finding any fault.
"I would've had you two caught within seconds. Darling Draco is definitely a fool, but I didn't think he was that stupid." Daphne admitted.
They finally reached the lower floors near the dungeons. Daphne could get the rest of the way blindfolded.
"I do wonder where the Chamber is." She admitted, fascinated by the idea of seeing it.
Few people ever had, and she'd never forgive herself if she didn't get to see it once.
Looking at Harry expectantly, the teen smiled reassuringly.
"A different day," He said, his smile looking a bit fragile, "It hasn't been cleaned."
Something was off, but Daphne wasn't going to press.
They reached the entrance to her common room and Daphne glanced at Harry, trying to word it delicately.
"Um," She mumbled uncomfortably, cursing herself for acting this way, "Do you mind?"
She trusted Harry to not say anything about the password, but it was still a little traditional to not let others hear it.
Harry shrugged his shoulders and stepped forward, wetting his lips.
"Open." He hissed in Parseltongue.
Daphne shivered involuntarily, a chill going up her spine from the sound.
To her shock, the door opened as if he said the password.
"I can't believe that actually worked." Harry said, looking genuinely surprised by it.
"Nowhere is safe." Daphne shook her head, glancing up, "Just, please take it easy on harassing us."
All it took was Malfoy not shutting his trap one time for the Weasley twins to bomb them.
"It's OWLS year," Harry said, glancing down the entrance, "I may be a prat, but I'm not a wanker."
Daphne didn't think he'd cause issues, now that they both knew he could get in no problem, but it was still a relief to hear it.
"We still on for this Friday?" Harry asked, causing Daphne to grimace.
She was turning 16 on Friday, and she didn't want to use the time up doing spell work.
"Could we do it on Saturday?" She asked, hoping he'd answer yes.
Harry ran his hand through his hair, his bangs looking completely tossed about.
Daphne didn't realize she was staring until he spoke.
"Sure." He said, 'I can make it work."
"Great," She said happily, smiling gratefully, "Thanks for giving me company. I look forward to the next one."
Daphne then turned on her heel, regretfully leaving Harry as the door swung shut.
Harry sighed as he saw the glint of blonde that was the back of Daphne's head disappear, the castle suddenly feeling cold.
Or perhaps it was this cold already, but he hadn't noticed when he was with her.
He intentionally asked about this Friday because he knew it was her birthday. He'd tried to fish for that response so he had an excuse for knowing it, but he'd need to rethink his plans.
Daphne was going to get a birthday she'd not soon forget, that's for damned sure.
Reaching into his pocket as he walked towards the Chamber of Secrets, he pulled out the necklace he'd seen Daphne gawking at.
He bought it after she left the jewelry store, much to the old man's amusement.
A few higher end charms, combined with a short brunette named Astoria acting as a bit of help, and Harry could make this thing into a treasured item like it should be.
List. Harry thought to himself. Move or hide the horcruxes temporarily, clean out the Chamber as best as I can, ask Sirius about some good wine fo- wait, she's turning sixteen, not seventeen. Bollocks.
No alcohol it seemed.
Harry might ask anyway, but the other part, the most important, revolved around whether Astoria would help him out.
Daphne told me what memory she used for her patronus already.
The last Christmas she had with her grandfather.
She'd told him after their first Christmas together and they had been a bit tipsy at that point.
Reaching the entrance to the Chamber, Harry hissed at the tap, opening it up. Jumping down, Harry used a levitation charm to slow himself enough to not break anything, his landing a steady one.
A brisk walk to the Chamber itself and he opened the main vault door, making a beeline towards the horcruxes.
"Merlin, even your soul shards are rancid." He hissed under his breath, disassembling the trap he set up.
Voldemort was a bastard, plain and simple. The only person Harry possibly wanted dead as much was Nott, but he simply had to swallow his rage and not rip his still beating heart out and feed it to him.
The bastard's death couldn't be covered up yet, so Harry simply ignored the twat.
Once the trap was disabled, he levitated the foul objects towards the other corner, switching the levitation to his hand.
With his wand, he carved out a chunk of stone and lifted it up, dropping the horcruxes in the hole.
He then cast a rather taxing illusion on it to make it look normal, his fingers twitching from his wand getting a little warm.
Quite frankly, he was terrible with illusions, needing to strong arm it into working.
But it was only temporary anyway. The trap would be redone after he made the Chamber presentable.
Presentable, ha, He scoffed. As if he could make a nest for a basilisk presentable in comparison to anything else.
If anything, Daphne would like it anyway.
Eh, Daphne's a little strange, but I won't judge her tastes. She said yes to marrying me, after all.
With that finished, Harry began cleaning up the Chamber with a wave of his wand, content with the solitude as he prepared for an amazing birthday for the girl that stole his heart.
"What does the letter say?" Roxanne asked from their bed, watching her husband read the unfolded sheet of parchment that just arrived.
It came via Astoria's owl, but it contained two notes in it.
"It appears," Cyrus paused, sounding rather surprised, "That Astoria talked with Harry Potter about Daphne's birthday. He wishes for a copy of a photo."
Roxanne gazed thoughtfully at the dresser in the corner, the one that had most of the family photos.
"It seems our daughter has had a very noticeable effect on Potter," She mused, "I know she said they had become friends, but this is strangely personal. I assume Astoria told him Daphne's birthdate."
Cyrus grunted in agreement, still looking at the letter.
"He probably wishes to gift her an additional photo, but framed beautifully. How thoughtful."
"Since it is nearly Christmas," Roxanne said, getting out of bed and walking towards the dresser, "I think this one would be appropriate."
She gently held the photograph of her parents and in laws gathered around them, the 8 of them smiling and waving.
Roxanne's brother and sister weren't in the picture, although they had been present.
It was the last one her father-in-law was with them.
The man carried too much weight on his shoulders. His younger son's death hit him hard and the fallout was nearly as bad.
The physical resemblance Cyrus had with his father was uncanny and Roxanne prayed he'd never look that horribly aged while he was in his fifties.
"I think the picture is perfect." Her husband said next to her, causing her to look up at him.
"Your father always had a soft spot for Daphne." She kissed her husband's cheek, gently taking the letter from her husband's hand to read it herself.
She slowly read the letter penned in unfamiliar handwriting.
To Lord and Lady Greengrass:
Your daughter, Daphne, has become a close friend of mine over the last few months. I recently discovered that her sixteenth birthday is soon and I would be a terrible friend to not give her a gift befitting how much I've appreciated her.
Your youngest, Astoria, has told me that Daphne adores Christmas and I would like to be able to give a good gift.
Would a copy of a photograph be acceptable?
Nothing special, simply a magical copy.
Thank you, and I hope this letter reaches you in good spirits.
Harry Potter.
"He didn't sign his titles." She murmured, secretly pleased.
It meant he was asking as a friend, and not in the capacity of his station.
"I think Daphne would appreciate it." Cyrus agreed, closing the letter.
Roxanne watched as Cyrus slowly and gently extracted the photograph from the frame, setting it flat on the dresser.
He pulled his wand from his pocket and muttered the proper incantation, creating a magical copy that would last for however long Potter needed it.
Cyrus walked towards the table that held the parchment and quill he used, wrote a quick letter, and enclosed both it and the photograph copy in a letter, and called for his personal elf.
After requesting the letter be given to Astoria, the elf disappeared in a crack, leaving the two alone.
"Aren't you so pleased that Potter is such a gentleman?" Roxanne asked, standing on her tip toes to set her chin on her husband's shoulder.
She felt and heard her husband huff, his hand running through her hair.
"I sincerely doubt that Potter is seeking to court her, if that's what you implying, Lady Greengrass." The way he said the last two words had her shivering in anticipation.
"I don't imply anything, Lord Greengrass." She gently spun him to face her, his eyes smoldering as he gazed at her just as he did when they first fell in love.
The smile he showed her was just as dazzling and bright as they promised themselves to each other.
"You are as beautiful as the day I married you, Roxy," He gently cupped her cheek, kissing her softly, "And I can never thank you enough for giving me two amazing and beautiful daughters."
Roxanne kissed him in return, wrapping her arms around him.
The simply swayed together, holding one other in total silence.
"Happy birthday, Daph." Tracey smiled, hopping on her bed, "Wake up." She nudged her.
Daphne groaned as Tracey woke her up, shifting on her side.
"5 more minutes." She mumbled, burying her face in her pillow.
Tracey yanked the pillow away as a response, causing Daphne to grumble more audibly.
"Alright, I'm up." Daphne peered at her friend, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
It took Daphne a few minutes, but she woke up completely and put her robes on, fixing her hair with a wave of her wand.
"How long do you think it takes for muggles to do what takes us thirty seconds?" Daphne asked Tracey, given that her mum was a muggleborn.
Tracey stopped tying her hair into a braid, holding in place with one hand.
"My mum still prefers the muggle way sometimes. It's sometimes annoying, but understandable."
"But," Tracey started smiling, giving Daphne a knowing look, "What's Harry got in store for a birthday present?"
"Nothing," Daphne replied, making sure her robes were on straight and her books were in her bag, "I didn't tell him."
Tracey looked scandalized at the proclamation.
"How is he supposed to sweep you off your feet if you don't tell him about your birthday?" She practically demanded, "I want godchildren to spoil, Daph."
Daphne didn't take the bait.
"I've known you for years, Tracey, I'm not taking the bait."
Tracey shook her head and snickered, holding up her hands to placate her.
"But it's so fun to see you squirm." She admitted, "But I really do mean it. Happy birthday, Daphne."
That was the Tracey Davis that became Daphne's best friend.
"So," Tracey grabbed her own bag, throwing it over her shoulder, "Breakfast awaits!"
Daphne smiled and followed along, hoping to blitz through the day to relax.
"You've been distracted, Harry." Hermione whispered, the three of them walking down the hall.
There final class for the weekday just ended and Harry was thinking over the preparations he made for Daphne, hoping she'd like it.
"I'm heading down to the Chamber." Harry whispered to the two of them, not completely lying.
The two had matching looks of confusion, Ron figuring it out first.
"Harry, you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, "The tunnel's caved in and that bloody snake probably stinks."
Ron's comment clued Hermione into what Harry meant by 'Chamber', her eyes widening.
"The Chamber?" She asked, looking horrified.
"It's not bad," Harry explained, making sure nobody was eavesdropping as they went to Gryffindor tower, "I went down there before to make sure the foundation wasn't unstable."
"When was this?" Hermione asked in a clipped tone.
"Fourth year." Harry said, "And I checked again recently."
"Why's it important, Harry?" Ron seemed to try to convince him not to, like Hermione seemed to be doing, "The stupid snake's dead and there's no point in it."
"It's a chamber of secrets, Ron," Harry's gaze settled on Ron, "I doubt ol Salazar only had a basilisk down there."
There was a study that was hidden behind where the basilisk came out, but Voldemort had evidently found it already because the bookshelves and everything of value was not there anymore.
Hermione still looked worried, Ron did as well, but the redhead knew he couldn't convince him to not go.
"Just don't get killed." Ron requested, "I don't want my mum killing me too for letting you do it."
Harry scoffed amusedly, knowing how Molly Weasley would almost strangle Ron for potentially getting him killed.
Hermione scowled at the comment made by their friend.
"You could sound a little less selfish than that." She scolded him.
"Nothing wrong with priorities, Hermione," Harry said in a singsong voice, "Some things are worse than getting killed."
Hermione shook her head, huffing at him.
"And those are?"
Harry smirked and looked directly into her eyes.
"Expelled." He mimicked her as best as he could.
That was something he'd never forget. The seriousness in her voice when she said that was unforgettable.
Ron, not caring about decorum, started laughing.
"That's a pretty good impression." He lowered his laughs to a snicker, looking at an irate Hermione.
"Harry Potter." She warned, pointing a finger at him, "Sirius has corrupted you."
Harry let out a bark of laughter, not admitting or denying anything.
"But, Harry," Hermione's voice got quiet, the sound of their footsteps almost deafening, "Try not to be too long. We care for you and we worry sometimes."
"I know," Harry smiled softly, "Friends care about their friends. I promise I won't be too long, but I need to check on things."
Hermione seemed pleased with the answer, her posture no longer as stiff as when he first mentioned entering the Chamber.
The three friends walked back to their common room, content with the companionable silence.
"Harry wants to talk with you." Astoria said, standing over her sister.
Daphne frowned and looked up at her little sister, wondering why.
She was content with laying around for the evening and eating some of the chocolate she got from her parents, several wrappers already surrounding her.
"About?" She questioned, still confused at Astoria acting as a messenger for the boy.
"I don't know," Astoria shrugged, "He said it's important."
Daphne sat up and got out of her bed, trying to look presentable.
"You have chocolate right-" Astoria pointed towards her lip.
Of course. She groaned, wiping it off with her sleeve.
"If this is a joke." Daphne warned her sister, whose eyes rolled sarcastically.
"It's not." Astoria didn't look pleased by the accusation, but younger siblings were naturally untrustworthy. It was in their nature to be destructive and chaotic.
Daphne decided to trust Astoria and walked out of the room, walking straight through the common room as well.
Sparing a glance towards the other Slytherins, the only two in her year she saw was Nott and Malfoy.
Nott wasn't much of a problem. He was mostly quiet, kept to himself when the internal politicking in Slytherin House wasn't going on.
A blood purist, but not an idiot that spouts it off like Malfoy.
But that made him all the more suspicious.
Daphne exited the common room and looked around, knowing Harry was nearby.
A faint shimmer in front of her gave it away and she walked towards it, noting it hadn't moved.
The Disillusionment charm dissipated and revealed a very pleased Harry Potter, his eyes practically shining.
"Happy birthday." He whispered, his attention focused on her.
He knows. She thought, a warm feeling overcoming her as she absorbed that knowledge.
"Who told you?" She asked quietly.
"Your sister," He replied, "I asked her a few days ago and she wanted to sort of apologize for embarrassing you."
Daphne nodded slowly, deciding she was going to thank Astoria for the thoughtfulness.
"Do you have something?" She asked curiously, suspecting that Harry wasn't here to just wish her a happy sixteenth birthday.
The raven haired teen leaned closer towards her, a smile firmly fixed on his face.
"Do you want to see the Chamber of Secrets?" He whispered.
Daphne's eyes bugged out, her breath catching at the offer.
Ever since she heard that the Chamber was real, she dreamed of seeing it. It was something all Slytherins wanted.
And Harry was offering it.
"Yes." She managed to say, the offer so beautifully enticing.
Harry's eyes still seemed to shine like two gemstones, his face radiating excitement.
"Then follow me." Harry said brightly, heading in a direction Daphne didn't recognize.
She followed the raven haired boy for a few minutes, until he abruptly stopped and walked into a girl's loo.
"Harry..." She said his name, but was a bit taken aback and trailed off, "What are you doing?"
"The entrance is here." He said simply, going towards the sinks and pointing at one in particular. The one specified had a small snake carving on the side.
Before Daphne could say anything, she heard a girl's voice behind her.
"Who's this, Harry?"
Daphne turned and saw a ghost, specifically Moaning Myrtle.
"A friend I'm going to show the Chamber to." Harry replied kindly, "She wants to have look."
Myrtle slowly glided away, heading towards the wall.
"Don't be a stranger." She vanished from sight.
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that." Daphne heard Harry mumble to himself, turning back to the sink.
Daphne silently watched as Harry backed away a bit, clearing his throat.
"Open." He hissed, again eliciting an involuntary shiver.
Stop it. She scolded herself. It's just Harry.
It still sounded creepy, even when she was prepared for it.
A grinding noise came from the center and the stone parted, revealing a gaping tunnel that was totally dark.
"That's it?" She walked forward, looking down to try and see.
"You have to jump down." Harry clarified, taking her hand.
Daphne jerked away, looking at Harry with a panicked expression.
"Jump?" She asked weakly.
Nothing was said about jumping. Daphne hated heights and extreme speed, both promising a bad death.
"I put cushioning charms at the base." Harry assured her, but that didn't help.
"Well what was there before you put them?" Daphne demanded clarification. She wasn't going down until she knew what was there to stop Harry's fall.
"Bones," He shrugged, "Lots and lots of bones."
That doesn't help! She thought internally, glaring up at him.
"They were animal bones," He laughed, making her glare harder, "The basilisk hunted in the forest and the bones were built up over the centuries."
"Snakes digest bone," Daphne countered, "The bones wouldn't be piled up on their own unless piles of another kind was there."
Unless the bones were from animals that got killed by some ward scheme that finally gave out.
I'm walking into a death trap. She realized. And my escort emulates the most Gryffindor traits of all.
Her ancestors must be rolling in their graves.
"Quit delaying," Harry's hand gripped hers tighter, "You wanna see it or not?"
Daphne groaned, eying the tunnel skeptically.
"If we die..." She muttered, leaving the threat unsaid.
"You can kill me." Harry offered, stepping forward so his foot was hovering over nothing.
"On three." Harry said, counting down.
At three, Harry grabbed her tightly and leaped forward, the two of them hurtling down in a blur.
Daphne couldn't help but shriek, clutching Harry like her life depended on it as her hair was flying in all different directions. The spinning and rush made her nauseous as they picked up speed.
Don't puke. Don't puke. She clutched Harry as hard as she could.
It mercifully ended seconds later and Harry held her as they landed, her legs wobbly.
"I didn't like that." She said queasily, her stomach trying to rebel against her.
Harry held her still while she recovered, her breathing starting to steady after some time.
"I think the founder of your House was insane." Harry commented, his arm still wrapped around her to help her stand.
Daphne didn't refute that. There was no way Salazar Slytherin could be sane if he enjoyed death spiraling every time he went to his secret chamber.
Once she gathered herself, Daphne looked around the area, noting part of the roof had caved in and rocks were all over the place.
"Lockhart caused a cave in." Harry said, scratching at his ear, "It took awhile to clear a pathway."
Daphne let go of Harry to signal she was fine, waiting for him to lead the way.
A thin corridor had been cleared out and Daphne followed Harry through it, a vault door at the end.
The craftsmanship was amazing. 7 metal snakes formed a lock that seemed to be lightly humming with power.
"Parseltongue?" Daphne asked Harry.
"Uh huh." He nodded, hissing the exact same way he did before.
The snakes seemed to spring to life, moving around and the clack of multiple locks disengaging were heard.
The vault-like door swung open with a groan and Daphne, for the first time in her life, saw the Chamber of Secrets.
Like a child in a candy shop, Daphne was visibly shaking in excitement, fighting the urge to bolt forward.
Harry chuckled next to her. "Go ahead, there's no danger."
Daphne darted forward, gazing around at everything she could almost greedily.
None of her housemates ever saw this. She was the only Slytherin in decades to see it, and possibly one of the only witches not related to Salazar to see it.
It wasn't until several seconds of excitement filled ogling that she noticed the basilisk.
"Merlin," She gasped, horror struck by the size of it, "You killed that with a sword?!" Her eyes darted towards Harry, who was walking towards her at a sedate pace.
"Luck," He said quietly, his expression hardly readable, "Lots of luck and courage stopped me from getting killed."
Harry's voice started to be more peripheral as she started walking towards the corpse, inspecting it.
It looked like a fang was missing, but it could just be from it being centuries old judging by the size of the beast.
Swallowing a lump down her throat, Daphne walked up to Harry and hugged him.
"You protected the school," She murmured, holding him close, "Thank you."
Harry was breathing quickly, his body stiff as a board.
He slowly relaxed and returned the hug. "I don't think anybody outside of Ron and Hermione thanked me personally." He said, his voice cracking.
Slowly letting go, Daphne started looking around some more.
"Salazar's office is through the mouth of the face," Harry pointed at the wall that had the massive carving, "It's been stripped bare, but it was still his office."
Well, I am the birthday girl. She thought smugly, nodding quickly.
Harry hissed in Parseltongue and the mouth opened, letting Daphne walk through.
Lighting the tip of her wand with a muttered Lumos, Daphne peered into the tunnel and saw a door, the lock not engaged.
She pushed it open, revealing the study of Salazar Slytherin.
It was rather anticlimactic, really. It was fairly spartan, a worn cot and a table being the only thing. She spotted a bookshelf, but it was completely empty, just as Harry said.
"Pity." Daphne muttered, turning around and leaving. If only there was something left.
Once she got out of the mouth, she blinked when she saw what Harry had done when she was gone for all of two minutes.
16 candles were floating in a pattern above him, a table with a cake on it and two chairs visible.
The display practically had her heart melting, her eyes suddenly itching a bit.
"Happy birthday." Harry sat down, gesturing for her to sit down.
Daphne walked to the empty chair and looked at the cake, failing to contain a laugh at what was written in icing on it.
Happy birthday, Mistress Daphy.
"The house elves made it." Harry said, his voice filled with mirth.
Daphne looked at the lone candle in the shape of the number sixteen on it, her eyes getting misty.
"You didn't have to go through with all this," She said, trying to keep her voice steady, "You could've just given me chocolate."
"You're more to me than that, Daphne." Harry murmured, his voice so very soft.
Daphne blinked away the blurriness of her vision and blew out the candle, lifting it out of the cake.
"What was your wish?" Harry asked, his brow raised.
"Not telling." She grinned, grabbing the knife to cut a slice for herself.
The next portion of time was just the two of them eating cake, the candles that were enchanted still floating around them.
Finishing her third slice, Daphne peered over the table and saw a small box next to Harry.
"Is that a present?" She asked, squinting her eyes.
Harry nodded, suddenly looking a bit nervous. He stood up from the chair and scooted back, holding the box in his left hand.
"I hope you like it." He gave it to her, the box not being overly heavy.
Daphne wondered why he'd be nervous, but she took the box and slowly opened it, lifting up the lid.
She gasped when she saw what it was.
The necklace.
It looked just as beautiful as when she saw it in the jewelry store.
"I..." She couldn't even find the words to describe what she was feeling right now.
He paid attention and got this... for her.
"Open it." Harry said quietly, standing just a couple feet away.
She gently opened the clasp and blinked when a light radiated from it.
Evidently, rune and charm work had been done on it to give a type of three dimensional image of a photograph that was about the size of her palm.
It was the specific photo that had her mind tunnel visioning though.
It was the last Christmas her grandfather had been alive. Her family was gathered around one another, her much younger self being held by her favourite grandpa, but she wouldn't ever say that aloud.
"H-how..." She tried to speak, but there was nothing to say.
"I asked Astoria and your parents to help me out a bit," Harry admitted quietly, "They sent me a copy to build a base image for the runes and charms."
She didn't think about how difficult it must've been for Harry to do this, she didn't think of where he learned it. One of the most precious memories she possessed had just been shown to her, and a boy she had started to truly care for had gone through the effort of doing all this.
Inviting her to explore the Chamber, learning more about what she saw as precious, the cake, and the gift.
Harry Potter did all this for her, Daphne Greengrass.
Daphne tried to unclasp it and put it on, but her hands were shaking so much from emotion that she couldn't.
"Here," Harry said gently, reaching out and placing his hands on hers, "Let me."
Daphne swallowed thickly, trying to keep a steady grip on her emotions as she turned around, a pair of arms wrapping around her as the necklace was put around her neck.
She heard the slight click of the necklace latching and she held the end in her hand, opening it again to look at the beautiful snapshot of joy and family.
Harry never had this. She realized, not turning around to face him.
He never knew his parents or grandparents, and his muggle relatives were only blood, not family.
I can never thank him enough.
Turning around as she let go of the pendant, she looked up at the emerald green eyes of Harry Potter.
Without caring about any consequences at all, she stood up on her toes and reached for his face, kissing him without any hesitation.
His lips were very soft, much more so than she imagined.
Harry froze and took a sharp intake of air, but he didn't move.
Daphne's first kiss ended as she backed away, worried that she overstepped.
"I'm sorry if I-" She began to say, but was cut off as Harry kissed her in return with much more earnestness.
She was lost in the haze of how good it felt, his arms reaching around her and pulling her flush against him.
Daphne felt like she was floating, nothing existi except the two of them in that moment.
The need to breathe took over and the kiss ended, her breath coming in pants as they both looked into each other's eyes.
Harry's eyes were dilated, almost to the point that she couldn't even see the green, and he was still holding her.
Harry managed to formulate his thoughts into something coherent before she did.
"Don't be sorry." He said, his hand on her cheek. "That was-"
"Amazing." She finished, subconsciously leaning into his hand. "Where, uh, do we go from here?"
Harry's eyes dimmed, his expression suddenly unsettled.
"Whatever you think is best," He said, slowly pulling his hand away, "I'm not sure what to do."
"I'm not sure either," She admitted as well, "I don't know anything at all about this."
She'd never had a boyfriend or even kissed someone until now, and she started internally freaking out.
She wanted to kiss him. It just seemed right, but the thought of rushing things terrified her like she couldn't believe.
"Let's," She groaned, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, "Let's just take it slow and see where it leads us."
Harry nodded his head, his expression looking odd.
"We still on for DA?" He asked, trying to not look awkward.
Daphne couldn't help but giggle as he seemed to fumble to try and find a less serious subject, the question being enough to bring a bit of levity.
"I can't wait to do more training." She said, her hand still being held by Harry. "And Christmas is two weeks away."
Harry's eyes lit up in remembrance at his and Sirius' invitation.
"Nothing's changed if you don't want it to." He said, still gently caressing her cheek.
The way he said made it sound like he was concerned that he pushed too much.
"Harry," She put her hand over his, smiling softly up at him, "You don't have to be worried. I was the one that kissed you first, so don't worry about it."
To be fair, Harry seemed to be much better at it. He practically made her toes curl, almost like he instinctively knew what she liked before she herself did.
"Okay." He seemed to fully relax, letting his hand drop. "So, what now?"
"Nothing," She shrugged, "I'm just fine with talking."
And that's what they ended up doing for quite some time. The next hour of conversation, a certain glow in how she and Harry interacted being evident, could very easily be a new cherished memory for her.
Once the cake had been mostly eaten and they exited the Chamber by Harry levitating them, which was much more enjoyable, they walked to her common room first, her hand in Harry's.
Once they got to the entrance, Daphne gave the password and turned to Harry as it opened, giving a peck on the lips.
"Best birthday ever." She then practically skipped into the Slytherin common room, positively elated.
She heard it shut behind her, but she kept on going, noticing Astoria on one of the couches.
Her sister spotted her and started to say something, but Daphne paid no mind as she picked the shorter girl up and practically squeezed the life out of her with a hug.
"You are the best sister I could ever have, 'Tori." She whispered, kissing her amazing and beautiful little sister on the forehead.
Astoria didn't have to help Harry out, but she did.
The other Slytherins looked a bit taken aback by her open display of familial affection. Most Slytherins didn't do that, and Daphne was one of them.
But she didn't care about that now. She loved Astoria, and by Merlin was she going to let the little hellion know it.
Harry was sitting outside of the Gryffindor common room, sitting in the corner under the Invisibility Cloak to mentally compartmentalize what had happened not that long ago.
He didn't expect Daphne to kiss him, not in a million years. It had been electric, a fire in his soul that he thought had been extinguished when he held her cold body in his arms seemed to roar in defiance, declaring its survival.
He would have been perfectly patient with waiting until Voldemort was killed before he'd truly pursue her, ready to simply be friends at this particular point.
But he shouldn't have underestimated how much he knew about her being a big factor in her growing to like him as she did a couple years in the future.
The whole situation felt off. It should've been the two of them learning together instead of the grim sense of deja vu he felt.
Don't start brooding. He cursed internally. You knew this was going to happen at some point.
Why was he even thinking about this? Daphne was the one who kissed him, not the other way around. It'll obviously be at her pace, and he'd ensure that.
Harry scowled at himself for being an idiot. It's not like his life needed more pointless issues to think of.
Between killing Voldemort, executing Nott, and a host of other things, juggling the emotions surrounding his future fiance was less than vital.
Harry stood up and removed the cloak of his forefathers, stuffing it in his pocket. He gave the password and entered the common room, making a beeline towards his bed.
I just hope her father doesn't notice anything. He thought as he collapsed in his bed. That'll make Christmas awkward.
Breaking News: Lord Greengrass challenges Lord Potter to honour duel over daughter's virtue.
"God, you're a stupid wanker." Harry mumbled in his pillow, wondering what disease of the mind he had to have a ridiculously stupid imagination.
End Chapter:
First thing, I'll be putting something similar in the next chapter of my other story on why I haven't updated in a couple months.
To put it simply, holidays are always chaotic on my free time. Relatives, family, and festivities will take precedent between October and December. I had a few free days to blitz through this when I wasn't revising earlier chapters of my other fic, which is kicking my ass.
Not much plot progression in this chapter. It was pretty much nothing but Harry and Daphne. I just wanted to write a nice fluffy chapter because I'm in a holiday spirit.
I was always going to have it that Daphne kissed Harry 'first' and that he was going to let her set the pace of their blooming relationship for obvious reasons.
The present, and the kiss caused by it, was either going to be in this chapter or the next one, which is the visit to Greengrass manor. It may have been more apt of a gift for Christmas, but with it just being Harry and Daphne in the Chamber, I thought that would be more appropriate because Daphne would likely be on guard for Astoria or anybody else catching them at her house.
(To those following my other fic: You might have been pinged that I updated. I updated chapters 10 through 34 and didn't realize it says that it was updated. Sorry. I'm finished writing the newest chapter, but it needs proofread. And it's 50k words. Kill me.)
So here's a new chapter and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season and God bless.
Raging.