Chapter Eighteen
~Boxing Day, Early Morning, No. 12, Grimmauld Place~
Sirius Black left his room, already dressed for the day. He was alone in the house, as Remus Lupin had departed for family business on Christmas Day, after lunch at the Tonks's. While he was alone, Sirius had decided to visit his remaining family, the Malfoys, only to be received coldly by his "dear" cousin Narcissa and her spawn Draco, the heir of the Malfoy family.
It was very unpleasant, for the two of them.
After a halfhearted and unpleasant tea, Sirius decided to visit one more person. He had no fun doing it, since he had to go to Azkaban...and also because of who the person was.
Ignoring his thoughts of the previous day, which happened to be Christmas, Sirius walked down the stairs in the direction of the kitchen, where he usually had his breakfast with Remus. Kreacher was already preparing his breakfast so Sirius took his time, knowing the old elf would take his.
Kreacher, that was a strange one.
The old elf hated him for breaking the heart of his mistress and being a shame to the Black name, or so he had claimed in their last meeting before his incarceration. However, even before Sirius took the Black lordship, Kreacher had acted mostly polite to him and his guest, just as he had ordered, which was strange to Sirius, but he wouldn't complain. When he claimed the lordship, the elf became even more submissive. It was really creepy, and Sirius wasn't sure he liked it. Sure, he hated the old crazy elf that his mother and brother loved so much, but he was concerned...maybe the old elf was dying.
Sirius reached the bottom of the stairs and caught only a glimpse of the frame in the entrance hall. He wasn't sure what possessed him to walk towards it, but before he even realized it he was standing in front of the portrait, meeting his mother's painted eyes, which were glaring at him.
"What do you want, boy?" she asked him with a cold and spiteful tone. "Is it not enough that I have to endure the shame of being the one who birthed you, and the shame of having you as the head of my ancestors' house? Must I still have to endure your sight this early in morning?"
"Eloquent as ever, mother dear," Sirius sighed, his grin vanishing from his lips.
"Would it be that you intend to shame me and your house further, that you intend to leave this house and live amongst the muggles?" she demanded, "Or is it that the Lord of House Black is going to act as a servant and open his door to his filthy werewolf lover?"
"My what?" Sirius asked, flabbergasted, earning a glare.
"A werewolf of all things?" the former Lady Black demanded, still glaring. "Has your deviance no bounds?"
"MY WHAT?" asked a stunned Sirius, his eyes suddenly widening at his mother's words.
"At least I can be assured that my line will end with you, boy," Walburga continued, "Narcissa's boy will succeed you and bring the Noble House of Black back to where it belongs..."
"Now that's enough," Sirius commanded, his demeanour cold and his voice full of authority. "First of all, good morning, you damn hag, or have you forgotten the so-called manners you forced me to learn?" Walburga glared at her son, but he just glared back, continuing his rant.
"Second of all, Remus, while a dear friend, is only that. My friend, my brother, even, furry little problem or not. More of a brother to me than my own flesh and blood ever was, and yes, I'm speaking of your precious Death Eater son."
Sirius was now angered, his glare equaling Walburga's. "So spare me your talk of deviance. Besides, it's none of your business. Third of all, your precious Narcissa's whelp will never inherit anything from me. For you see, unlike you, I have the power to make it happen, and I will make sure I use it. Be glad I don't cast them out of MY family."
"Oh, by the way, remember Andromeda, your niece that was disowned for marrying a muggleborn?" Walburga glared at him but before she could speak, Sirius was already talking, "Her daughter is a Metamorphmagus, the likes of which has not seen in our family in over three hundred years."
That was a surprise to the previous Lady Black, but she would never show it.
"But that doesn't matter at all, because what I wanted to say was that I brought the three of them back into MY family," Sirius shot back with a grin, taking delight in his mother's scandalized looks. "As I was saying, unlike you, I have the power to make it happen, and you will see it as they enter these very halls and pass next to you. You'll see your blood traitor son receiving his blood traitor cousin, her mudblood husband, and their half-blood Metamorphmagus daughter, and there is nothing you can do, only scream and shout, enraged... Let us see how long it will take you to learn that you have no power over this house or this family, and that you never did."
"YOUR FATHER CAST YOU OUT!" Walburga screamed and Sirius only grinned, mockingly.
"Then, how am I the lord of MY family?" he asked with a mocking chuckle. "Now, I have better things to do, despite how much how I enjoy this..." Sirius hesitated, "…banter...like having breakfast and starting to think on who I should court if I want to get a possible girlfriend and have a son to be my heir. I thought about making my godson my heir, but he's already the Lord Potter. No, I'm thinking of a nice mudblood witch, what do you think?" asked Sirius mockingly with a laugh, ignoring the glare of disgust on his mother's face.
"Cheer up, mother. I will leave you alone, but I want you to remember one thing: all that I am, all that you hate... It is all thanks to you, I am what YOU made me," he said with a chuckle. "And I will always love you for it," he whispered, still heard by the painting, who fumed. With the last parting shot and a loud laugh, Lord Sirius Orion Black left the hall and walked to the kitchen, his laughs blocking out his mother's rage-filled screams. Sirius sat at the head of the empty table and food popped onto it at once, a nice meal with cereal, eggs, bacon, and tea.
"Kreacher," he summoned, and the aged elf appeared before him, still wearing a new towel instead of his old and worn one. "Has the newspaper arrived yet?"
"Yes, Master," the elf replied, snapping his fingers and making the paper appear at the table.
"Thank you, Kreacher. You may go."
The elf popped away and Sirius opened the paper, only to have his eyes nearly pop out at the front-page picture, one depicting his godson, his beautiful girlfriend, and a giant snake looking threatening.
Violent Yule
Vicious Attack at Yule Ball
by Rita Skeeter
Sirius read the whole thing twice, just to be sure. He knew that Rita Skeeter had the penchant for overreacting and writing sensationalist tabloid stories instead of reporting the facts, but she had behaved ever since the pup sent his letter to the paper. According to Ms. Skeeter, Ginny Weasley attacked Ms. Daphne Greengrass, and Lord Potter's gift to his girlfriend summoned the giant snake that protected her and ripped the arm from the redheaded teen. After that, the festivities ended with Lord Potter sending the rest of Weasley family members present to the hospital, and the subsequent summoning of the Aurors, only to have most of the attendees defend Lord Potter and Ms. Greengrass.
Sirius didn't hide his laugh. He could see that the entire article was screaming Skeeter's frustrations and desire to imply that Harry used Dark magic or even call him a Dark Lord in training, but she couldn't because it would piss off too many people. Not only that, but Harry Potter also turning out to be a huge and very amusing surprise.
"Damn pup, you're good. Very good," he snickered, watching the picture. "What do you think of your son now, James and Lilly? Nothing like I ever imagined, that's true and yet..." Sirius chuckled. "Well, better finish my breakfast before going to Hogwarts. No need to rush. Besides, it's only nine. The kid's probably sleeping."
Sirius ate some bacon with a grin.
How the hell am I going to act concerned and admonish Harry when all I want to do is laugh my ass off?
~Boxing Day, Hogwarts~
Daphne rolled on the bed and opened her eyes, feeling the absence of her pillow. She sat on the bed and looked around, recognizing the living quarters in the Chamber of Secrets and remembering all that had happened and all she had learned the previous night.
She noticed she had an extra cover on her and she was comfortable, but she noticed the absence of Harry Potter in the bed.
"Harry?" she called in almost a whisper. She had no idea what time it was, but she still felt tired. Picking her wand from the nightstand, she cast the spell and discovered it was only fifteen to ten. Daphne laid on the bed again and yawned, thinking on what Harry had showed her the previous night, his war against Oberon and Titania, the artefact of Rhassel'Thoth, and the Meharjhai, with whom Harry had learned a lot, and thanks to whom he had been able to develop many spells throughout his life, spells that he had offered her the chance to learn.
Daphne hid a small smile.
Who knew that she would fall in love with Harry Potter, and that Harry Potter would be her husband traveling from the future to save her from death? Had anyone told her that months before, she would have laughed. Or more likely, act cold and aloof, ignoring the sheer stupidity of the statement. Now, she would smirk or even giggle...
She felt ashamed and a little angry at Harry. She had an image to uphold, she couldn't giggle.
With her thoughts going back at Harry, she decided to get up and look for him. If he wasn't around, nor in the bathroom division, he should be in the cavernous chamber.
She wondered what they would do, knowing what the future held. Harry was actively searching for Voldemort's Horcruxes, she could help with that. She wanted to deal with Oberon and Titania as well. She felt a pang in her heart, remembering Daphy. She had no idea what Harry wanted to do to them, but she wanted them to suffer. She would have her revenge for the daughter she had never met. Lost in her thoughts, Daphne reached the cave entrance, only to stop and stare when she saw what was happening in the chamber.
Naked from the waist up, Harry was casting spells against several training dummies, trying to cast as many as possible, silently, with as little wand movement as possible and always moving, not standing in the same place for more than a second. Daphne only realized there was a silencing ward at the door to the living quarters when she crossed it, now hearing the spell fire and the sound of the explosions, cuts, and melting of the dummies, which just kept reforming. She also noticed several craters and other proofs of damage to the ground and the snake heads.
Daphne stood watching in silent awe, trying to learn more about the green-eyed wizard, watching his movements.
"ENOUGH!" Harry shouted and cast a single blue spell that blew up all the training dummies. The dummies reformed but Harry just turned away from them, conjuring a towel and noticing Daphne for the first time.
"Good morning," he said, wiping his sweat. "Did you sleep well?"
She only nodded, still looking at him.
"You woke up and missed me, didn't you?" he asked, and Daphne looked amazed at him.
"How do you know?" she asked, raising her eyebrow, and Harry chuckled.
"Well, before," he tried and she nodded, understanding what he meant. "In our first year together, you missed me in bed if I got up earlier than you, and you didn't like it..."
"You know more about me than I know about myself," she mumbled with a blush, rolling her eyes, making him chuckle. "I have a couple of questions and a request for you. I will start with the request. Get a shirt. Then, what were those spells you were casting silently and with no movements whatsoever?" Harry chuckled, conjuring a simple dark robe out of thin air, and covering himself.
"What will we do now? I am not talking only about the squib and the beaver; I am also talking about Voldemort and Rhassel'Thoth." At that, Harry rose an eyebrow.
"Collect Voldemort's Horcruxes and kill him is the plan until May. The beaver and the squib we have time to deal with, and the Thoth... I hired Gringotts to find the cult, but it will take some time and I'm not overly concerned with him for now."
Daphne nodded in understanding.
"Then maybe we should start planning for Voldemort? You did mention all that is missing is the ring, the cup, the snake, and himself. How do you plan to get those? And when do you plan to deal with him?"
"To be perfectly honest, I don't know about the snake, but the ring is easy to get, and I have a plan to get the cup. To deal with him, I thought perhaps during the third task."
"Care to share that plan for the cup?" demanded Daphne, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Do explain your plan for the third task, as well."
"Sure, but are you sure you want to do this now?" Daphne raised an eyebrow. "We will probably have to deal with what happened last night and we should probably focus on it."
"What did... oh, Weaselette," she drawled, feeling her head hurting already.
"The paper already arrived," Harry informed her. "As usual, I am painted in darkish tones, but considering there were witnesses and who you are, I got of lightly. There was no mention of your challenge nor of more investigations."
"That's not all bad," she replied, massaging her temples. "What should we do, then?"
"We act as normal for most part, keeping up our lives. We train you as well and keep our defences up, just to be sure we're not attacked in the back," Harry replied with a shrug. "Personally, I'd prefer to wipe the Weasleys from existence," he replied in a mumble.
"After yesterday, you'd probably be the prime suspect and we don't want that," Daphne replied with a smirk while Harry snorted.
"Which reminds me, I haven't explained to you how to use Kael," Harry remembered, noticing the necklace still on Daphne's neck. The girl reflexively brought her hand to the necklace.
"What about it?"
"Nothing much," Harry replied, "Kael will be automatically summoned if you're in danger, as you can remember from yesterday. If you want to summon it, all you need to do is focus your magic on the necklace and call him forth by name."
"What about controlling him?" asked Daphne, "I am no Parselmouth."
"I keyed the array to your magical signature. Kael will obey you and only you, no matter what language you choose to speak. Besides, I only use Parseltongue with Zael for show." Daphne's eyes widened in surprise while Harry just chuckled. "Sometimes, all that is needed to hide the truth is a properly weaved illusion. If I want people to think these are real snakes and not golems..."
"You act as if they were..." Daphne realized, with a smirk. "Very good. Very Slytherin."
"I said it once and I will say it as many times as necessary. I was taught by the very best I ever met," he replied, pulling her into his arms. Before he could kiss her, however, Dobby popped in next to them.
"Mas...Oh..." he started, realizing what he had just interrupted when both humans looked annoyed at him.
"Sometimes, I really hate your timing," complained Harry, glaring at Dobby. "I hope this is important, Dobby."
"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin entered Hogwarts and summoned me, requesting to speak to you. Not only that, Jonathan and Persephone Greengrass arrived fifteen minutes ago and have been in a meeting with Snape and Dumbledore."
Daphne widened her eyes, hearing her parents' names, and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Let's get ready, then," he replied in an annoyed and defeated tone. "Would you like to have Dobby pop you into your dorm?"
"It would be preferable," she replied, also in a defeated tone. That was not what she wanted. "Meet me in twenty minutes in the common room."
"Sure," he replied, giving her a soft kiss in her lips. "See you soon."
Daphne smiled and felt the distortion around herself, along with the popping sound from Dobby, appearing in her own dorm. Her dormmates were already up, and they all shrieked when they saw her appear in the middle of the room.
"Daphne!" shouted Tracey, as she recognized her.
"Where have you been?" demanded Millie.
"You slept with Harry, didn't you?" asked Pansy with a grin, making Daphne blush. That was all the confirmation they needed, leaving Millie wide eyed and Tracey gaping.
"Did...did you...you know?" she asked, and Daphne shook her head.
"We talked about what happened, and after that I didn't want to sleep alone. We just slept, nothing else happened."
"Oh..." replied a relieved, but slightly disappointed Millie.
"We were talking when Dobby appeared and told us that his uncles and my parents are in Hogwarts. His uncles want to speak with him, and I guess my parents will want to speak with me as well..." she added, predicting the next question, starting to prepare for the shower. "Just what I needed."
The girls just laughed, and they too started to get prepared for the day. In twenty minutes, they were all ready and went to the common room, where they met Harry and the rest of the boys talking with none other than Alistair. The older boy was the first to see the girls and warned the younger ones with a nod, leaving them.
"Beautiful as always," Harry whispered to Daphne, offering her his arm. "Sirius and Remus are in the Great Hall, killing time, and your parents are with them. Alistair was sent by Snape to summon us, but he was smarter and called for Dobby way before he came back to the common room." Daphne chuckled and the group of nine left the common room to the Great Hall.
They saw no one on the way to the Great Hall, but the moment they entered it they felt all the eyes upon their group, especially Harry and Daphne, just as they predicted. They kept their cool and walked to the Slytherin table, where they were received by nods from the Durmstrang students and their own housemates. They notice Viktor Krum looking at them, but they didn't notice Fleur Delacour doing the same thing. Their attention was on Sirius, Remus, and the Greengrasses, who were still seated, but were watching them.
Curiously, Harry thought Remus looked preoccupied while Sirius seemed to have nodded slightly at him. Harry didn't care about the Greengrasses, they may be Daphne and Astoria's parents, but he had no illusions about the type of people they were. He remembered very well the betrayals towards him and their daughters. He recalled how he had to control himself not to curse the two after he conquered over Wizarding Britain...
"I miss Astoria and Jason…" Harry thought, recalling how the couple stopped him several times from cursing his in-laws. "I have to talk to Daphne about them, but they are still young. Maybe they can become friends...and who knows."
"Daphne!" a shout was heard from behind him, and he was able to see Astoria hugging her sister tightly.
Speak of the devil...
"Tori, what are you doing here?" the eldest sister asked, allowing Astoria to sit at her side.
"What do you mean, what am I doing here? Father, Mother, and I came to check on you," the youngest Greengrass replied with a huff, turning to Harry. "Thank you for saving my sister, Lord Potter."
"I did nothing but my duty as a devoted boyfriend, Ms. Greengrass," replied Harry with a smirk. "Besides, I barely did anything, all I did was offer my girlfriend a gift."
"Can I see it?" Astoria asked, turning to her sister, who raised an eyebrow. "I meant the necklace, although, what kind of snake was it? Was it like...what was its name...Zael?"
"Zael's younger brother, Kael, yes," replied Harry automatically, ignoring how everyone looked at him.
"Why are we not surprised?" asked Theo after a moment, going back to his breakfast. "I haven't seen the paper, but I imagine that you are nothing short of a Dark Lord now."
Harry chuckled and engaged in banter with Theo and Blaise while Astoria raised an eyebrow at Daphne.
"Are you alright?" the youngest Greengrass asked, and Daphne nodded.
"While it's true that I was attacked because of my relationship with Harry, it was also because of him that I am fine," Daphne replied, and Astoria accepted her sister's words and started engaging in conversation with the older girls. All of her friends had left for holidays.
Eventually, Sirius, Remus, and the Greengrasses walked over to them, wanting to speak with the two of them alone. It was Remus that guided them to one of the abandoned rooms on the first floor, and Harry was sure that the man was very worried.
"What were you thinking?" demanded Remus the moment the wards went up in the room, making sure no one would hear them.
"Merry Christmas to you too, Uncle," replied Harry with a snort, crossing his arms. The Greengrasses said nothing, only standing there looking at them while Daphne, standing with Harry, raised an eyebrow.
"Harry, this is serious," Remus replied.
"Yes, I know, we've met before," replied Harry, and while Remus and the Greengrasses looked baffled, Daphne snorted, and Sirius guffawed.
"Good one, pup," Sirius replied, putting his hand on Remus's shoulder, making sure he calmed down. "Easy, Moony. First things first. Ms. Greengrass, a pleasure as always. Would you do the honours?"
"Lord Black, Mr. Lupin," curtsied Daphne with a nod. "Harry, these are my parents, Lord Jonathan Greengrass and Lady Persephone Greengrass."
Harry did his part and acted as the lord he was, making sure the Greengrasses had no complaints about him.
"My Lord Potter, it is a pleasure," replied Jonathan with a smile. "We've heard much about your exploits."
"I'm sure you've heard the embellished version," he replied lightheartedly, making the two laugh.
"Now, to ease Moony's heart, would you mind explaining what happened last night?" asked Sirius, and Harry noticed the amusement in his eyes.
Harry and Daphne explained everything, and Daphne summoned Kael while Harry summoned Zael, just to show the two snakes. Daphne explained all that happened to her and how Kael intercepted the spell and saved her, biting Weaselette's arm off.
"You see nothing wrong with that?" demanded Remus, concerned.
"What, should I feel guilty about what happened to the little bitch that attempted to curse the woman I love out of jealousy?" was Harry's reply, ignoring the Greengrass's wide and calculating eyes, and Sirius's amusement. "She crossed a line and she paid for it."
"You maimed a child," was Remus reply.
"I did nothing but offer my girlfriend a magical necklace."
"That summons a bleeding snake that rips people's arms off," replied Remus.
"Only if you attack Daphne, which the bitch did. We have witnesses and the DMLE was here yesterday, taking statements from everyone."
"Which leads us to the other attack on the Weasleys," continued Remus, and Harry scoffed.
"They attacked me first."
"You sent them to the hospital with serious injuries."
"ENOUGH!" shouted Daphne, shocking everyone, taking control of the situation. "Mr. Lupin, as Harry explained and I was there to see, he was worried about me and was immediately attacked by the Weasleys. He simply retaliated, and I know he could have done worse."
"The Weasleys are no friends of mine," Harry added, crossing his arms with a smirk.
"The Weasleys are good people," tried Remus and Harry scoffed.
"Four of their number were my friends and betrayed me, while the others never did or said anything. I don't care about them."
"But Harry, what is happening to you?" demanded Remus.
"I'm protecting the people I love, Uncle. I did it for Daphne, I did it for Sirius, and I would do it for you as well."
"When?" asked Sirius.
"Who got you a trial?"
"Point taken."
"Anything else, Uncle?" Remus just sighed, shaking his head in defeat. Sirius and Harry looked at each other, and Harry thought Sirius had a lot to say, although there was some amusement in his eyes.
"Two of the more important figures in my life were my grandfather Arcturus and your grandfather Charlus, and from them I learned that there should be nothing more important than family," said Sirius, ignoring everyone else.
"That's one of the reasons I fled from my family, because I refused to put the Dark Bastard above my family. It's a shame that my family didn't see it that way... So, I got myself a new family, and we did defend each other from our enemies," Sirius said, looking at Harry, who just nodded, understanding what he meant. Curiously, Harry found himself grateful for Sirius's approval. "There will be problems, mostly with the DMLE, and the Weasleys and their allies."
"We know," replied Daphne, entwining her arm with Harry's.
"Good," replied Sirius, his seriousness vanishing, changing to a grin. "So, how was the ball? Any developments in your relationship?" he asked with a huge grin, and Daphne blushed while Harry widened his eyes, noticing the Greengrass' reaction...not good.
"Are you trying to get me killed?" whispered Harry, nodding to the Greengrasses.
"Lord Greengrass, do you feel the urge to grill my godson concerning the nature of his relationship with your daughter?"
"I do," Jonathan Greengrass replied, much to Daphne's surprise.
"Consider it payback for all the troubles and concerns you've given me since I saw the paper this morning," Sirius replied with his huge grin.
"I hate you," Harry whispered, but Sirius only laughed.
~BREAK~
Harry and Daphne said their farewells to their families and returned to the common room around noon, since none of them wanted to stay and have lunch at Hogwarts.
Daphne rejected her parents' offer to spend the rest of the holidays at home with them, as did Astoria. Harry did the same with Sirius and Remus, informing them of his examinations to change classes that were due in a few days.
Alone in the corridors, Daphne chuckled as she was remembering her father trying and failing to intimidate Harry. It was amusing, no doubt.
Daphne wanted to train and talk about Harry's plans for the future. However, their friends had other ideas and wanted to spend time together, probably because they were concerned. Not knowing exactly what to do, Harry and Daphne decided to introduce their friends to the Room of Requirement and maybe spend some time there, settling some issues and easing their nerves.
Their reaction, as always, was awe, especially when Harry explained them that the room could turn into anything they needed, and Daphne told them that the Room of Requirement was the room where Harry taught her.
"Can we use this room to practice?" asked Theo, and Harry nodded.
"I don't see why not," he replied, "Not many people know about the room, but we can use it and its resources."
"Could we learn any spell we want in here?" Theo asked again, hopefully, and Harry nodded.
"Are you planning to form a study group to come here regularly?" asked Tracey, and Theo shook his head.
"Not really, but in here we would have more freedom to practice our spells. We would have everything we need." He turned to Harry, "And you could help us."
"Me?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, let's face it, you're the best in Defence in our year, probably the whole school. You put on a show against the dragon, and you know more than you let on. We can tell." Quiet mumbling came from the mouths of everyone but Harry and Daphne. "You're even teaching Daphne, so why couldn't you give us some pointers as well?"
"You know, that's not such a bad idea," whispered Millie.
"True," replied Pansy, "Moody is a good teacher but I don't know, I'm not that comfortable around him. I think he hates us snakes."
"More likes he hates the children of the traitors..." thought Harry, turning to Daphne, who just shrugged.
"If you guys really want to, this room is open to all and I can try and help if you need... but no one else should know," Harry replied, noticing the satisfied looks from everyone.
"Are we a secret club, now?" asked Blaise with a scowl, "I feel like a kid again."
"Should we get a name for our club, then?" asked Tracey, and Daphne hesitated for a moment, thinking back to the DA during Harry's fifth year.
"Hold on, I don't think that's necessary, I mean, we are just a couple of friends doing some independent study..." tried Harry, only to be ignored.
"But with a name, it sounds more official," replied Tracey. "It should be something strong and powerful, not something dull like Defence Club, or something with our house in the middle, especially if we ever think of inviting anyone from the other houses in. It's too cliché and boring."
"Black Wands," suggested none other than Daphne, making eye contact with Harry, whose own eyes widened in response. "I say that if we really do want to give a name to our little study group, we can call it Black Wands."
"Why?" asked Pansy, curious, "What does it mean?"
"Black is always mysterious, even if it is associated with darkness, and wands because that's what we use. Besides, black is the Hogwarts colour we use before we are sorted, isn't it?" replied Daphne on the spot, and all of them wondered how long she had truly thought about it. Harry was still looking at Daphne, confused.
"Black Wands, you say?" he asked, while the others were deliberating, and she nodded, slightly embarrassed.
"I thought it was a suitable name..." she replied, and Harry nodded.
"I actually like it," he replied. No one had a better suggestion, and the only problem they saw was the similarity to Dark Wizard, something they were all considered to be anyways. So with those words, the group was officially named.
"Thank you," Harry whispered to Daphne, and she leaned on his shoulder as a reply.
Throughout the afternoon, the new 'Black Wands' started their studies. While some of them finished up any homework they still had due, others started on some practical work, with Harry Potter chosen as the leader.
Curiously, none of them complained when Harry suggested starting with very basic dueling spells, stating that they should all be able to do the Disarming Charm and the Shield Charm with as little effort as possible. Of course, they didn't work only on that. As each of them had their own skills and strong points, they too started offering help to their friends. Millie and Daphne helped everyone with Potions, Blaise and Pansy with Transfiguration, and Tracey with Charms. Vince shared some tips on Care of Magical Creatures, and Greg helped with Herbology. Theo lent Harry and Daphne a hand tutoring the others in DADA, and did the same for Tracey with Charms.
The arrangement worked very well throughout the rest of the holidays, with Daphne taking an even greater interest in Healing. She even requested some tips and instruction from Ursula Corwin and Madam Pomfrey so she could help heal minor training injuries. When Harry finished his exams for Runes and Arithmancy, it was a unanimous decision to take the day off and celebrate Harry's success. Dobby got the food and the drinks, and they had a small party in the Room of Requirement until long after curfew, popping back to the common room thanks to Dobby.
Alistair simply asked them if they were using the Chamber of Secrets as a meeting place, and Harry told him no, that they were using a seventh-floor room. With that answer, Alistair left them for the night, satisfied. If more people were using the Chamber, he wanted to see it himself.
In addition to their work with the new Black Wands, Daphne and Harry continued their training together in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry taught Daphne some of his spells and practiced her dueling, and she was quickly becoming a fearsome opponent. It was in one of those nights together that Harry explained to Daphne about the ring, where it was, and what they could expect. Knowing that Daphne would want to go with him, he insisted she train hard in order to be ready for them to go and collect the Horcrux together in the first week of the new term. Another surprise was when Dobby showed up one evening with three suits of basilisk hide armour.
"Three?" asked Daphne.
"Initially, it was one for me and one for Dobby. However, ever since I told you the truth about myself, I knew you'd want to be a part of it, so... the third armour is for you."
"How did you get my measurements?" asked Daphne, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow.
"Really?" he mumbled, sighing in defeat. "I had Dobby take your measurements from one of your school robes."
Daphne chuckled and examined her armour, a greenish-black hide shirt and trousers, boots, and gloves. There were also arm bands with no markings, on which Harry told her he intended to add a couple of runes for extra protection, and a dark robe with short sleeves, like the ones Harry used on casual occasions.
"Thank you," she said with a smile.
"For the armour?" he asked, smiling. "If you're going to be around me, I want you to be safe."
"For wanting me to be safe, for giving me a chance to be a part of it... For everything," she said, hugging him.
"I paid the triple for yours to be done on short notice and have the same quality. Let us hope the armour is as good as we need to be," Harry whispered, making Daphne chuckle.
"What did you want to tell me before Dobby arrived?" she asked.
"Right, remember what you saw in the memory, about Jason and Astoria?" he asked her, and Daphne raised an eyebrow. "They were happy, and I would like to give them a chance to be together again. Sure, they are still young for that, but in the future, we could introduce them or something..."
"Sure... but why?" she asked. If Harry vouched for the Hallys boy, she had no problem with him. Harry just shrugged.
"Astoria was my sister, Jason was my brother...and their son was my godson." That got Daphne's attention.
"Son?" Harry nodded with a smile.
"A good and cunning kid. You'd like him," Harry replied with a chuckle.
"I'm sure. But we won't force them nor give them potions."
"Never," Harry replied decisively.
~BREAK~
The rest of the holidays passed, and soon it was the first day of the new term and everyone would arrive in a few hours. The group decided to have a walk outside in the snow, despite many complaints from Blaise, where they met a few other people and made light conversation.
Harry couldn't help but notice that Daphne seemed anxious and even upset about something, not sharing what it was with him. In fact, she seemed to be acting weird for the past two days.
"He's coming back," said Pansy with a sigh. "Draco. He's coming back and... I don't know how long this peace will last or what to do with him."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"Have you wondered why me, Greg, and Vinnie are always around him?" asked Pansy, seeming a bit embarrassed.
"Well, before I thought it was because you shared the belief of pureblood supremacy, that you had been raised like that, but now..." Harry replied, and Theo snorted while Pansy looked amused.
"You spent enough time among the snakes to know that we are all bigots to a point," replied Pansy, "Yourself included."
"True enough," replied Tracey, earning a look from Harry. "Hey, I'm a half-blood and my mum is a muggleborn, but I like the Wizarding World much more."
"I didn't say anything," replied Harry.
"The truth is that by being raised in a traditional family, we are taught that we wizards are better than every other magical race and the muggles, that muggleborns are inferior to us because they come from outside our world and don't respect our culture, automatically being mudbloods that don't deserve to be a part of our world," replied Theo with a sigh. "Half-bloods aren't necessarily better, because they are tainted by their parents' blood and often show a preference towards the muggle world. You and Tracey are good examples of decent half-bloods."
"Thanks, I guess," joked Harry.
"But then you have the more radical fanatics, who think that the mudbloods should be eliminated, so that magic is owned only by the purebloods and the most ancient families, believing that the muggles have no reason to be a part of it. Not only that, pureblood human wizards and witches are superior to all..." continued Pansy.
"While I do agree that I am superior to a muggle and shall we say a centaur or other creature, I'm not so sure about being superior to a goblin, for example. They can be ugly, bad tempered, and greedy, but they have a lot of power and only a fool would challenge them or insult them when they have control of our money and the economy."
"I don't get it, what does this have to do with Malfoy?" asked Harry.
"You know that our parents were all part of the same group?" asked Pansy, nervously, "Theo's father as well."
"Yes, I do, and I have no problem with you because of that, you know that."
"Thank you, but that's just it. The Malfoys have money, and Malfoy senior was...responsible for keeping our parents out of Azkaban, even though our parents could have done it themselves."
Harry understood it.
"Ah, I get it. Because of that, your parents ordered you to be around the ponce?" he asked, receiving nods in reply. "But Theo, you're not that close to him..."
"Not now, true, but I was closer. I just found a reason not to be around the git..." he replied, looking at Tracey. "I couldn't care less about what my father wants me to do to pay his debts, we're not that close."
"So, as you see, we have to be around him, pamper him and..." Pansy sighed. "How he was sorted into Slytherin, I'll never know."
"His father would probably hear about it if he didn't..." joked Harry, receiving a couple of laughs in reply, although Daphne's were clearly halfhearted. As they weren't alone, Harry didn't insist on finding out what was happening with her, but he observed that as the evening approached Daphne was becoming more and more angry and bad tempered.
When the time of the feast finally arrived, the Slytherin fourth years were sat at their table, waiting for everyone. Greg and Vince were supposed to wait for Malfoy, but Pansy was able to convince them not to. They all chuckled when they saw an angry Malfoy entering the Great Hall, wearing much fancier school robes.
"Why the hell weren't you two waiting for me outside?" Malfoy demanded, glaring at Greg and Vince.
"Because you wouldn't get lost walking here," replied Tracey, earning a glare from the blonde.
"You better watch it, Davis," he told her with a glare. "I will soon be the Lord Malfoy, and then you will grovel at my feet where you belong."
"Care to repeat that, you blonde..." Theo rose from his seat, angered by Malfoy's words.
"Sit down, Theo," ordered Harry with a gesture, and while glaring at Malfoy, Theo sat down. "Malfoy, Greg and Vince are not your slaves and are free to do as they will. Now, sit down and shut up before you annoy me, and we all know what would happen then, don't we?" Malfoy paled and glared at Harry, but sat down next to Blaise, who simply ignored him when he went on one of his rants.
"Stupid git..." mumbled Theo, as his arm was being caressed by Tracey, who just smiled.
Harry changed his focus and searched around the Great Hall for familiar faces. At the Gryffindor table, he saw Jason sitting among the first years, talking about something. At the Ravenclaw table, Justin Smith sat with the third years and Hannah Callen was also wearing blue and bronze, sitting with the fifth years. Francis Talbot had once been a Hufflepuff, but he had graduated at least five years before. Harry had the idea of suggesting his fellow new Black Wands invite a couple of other people, but it was too early for that. Although, that would be the perfect solution to introduce Astoria and Jason... thereby having a never-ending source of entertainment watching them bicker all the time over the smallest things, before they realized their feelings for one another.
Harry smirked of the memories and turned to Daphne, surprised to see her glaring, her gaze filled with hate and loathing. At first he thought it was towards Malfoy, but as he followed her eyes he realized she was looking at none other than Neville Longbottom, who had entered the hall accompanied by the pig and the beaver. Only the pig and the beaver glared at the Slytherin table, as Longbottom was too scared. Weaselette entered the hall later and a lot of whispers began, most of them indicating the stump where her arm should be. Despite all that, Daphne's glare was still on Longbottom.
"Daphne..." Harry called, only to be ignored by his girlfriend. "Daphne."
"What?!" she hissed, glaring at him and raised an eyebrow as she scoffed and looked away, trying to find her sister in the crowd.
"What's wrong?" he asked her, and she ignored him, looking away. "Damn it, Daph, look at me."
"You know damn well what's wrong," she hissed, glaring at Harry, although she said it with a whisper, and no one noticed it. As Harry tried again to speak, she only waved him to shut up with a "Not now."
As the feast proceeded, Daphne's mood didn't get any better. In fact, it only got worse. At the end of the feast, however, Daphne got up and drew her wand, walking towards the mass of people. Harry saw it and held her wand arm down as he entangled his arm with hers and dragged her away, making sure Longbottom disappeared from view.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Daphne glared at Harry as the two walked to the common room along with the other Slytherins.
"Preventing you from doing something Gryffindorish," he replied as she freed her arm with a strong pull.
"I don't need your help," she replied, walking away from him. Harry chose an abandoned room in the dungeons and waved her into it, to which Daphne scoffed but nodded. The two stayed behind and entered the room, raising several wards for privacy.
Before Harry could say anything, though, Daphne slapped him.
"Why did you stop me?" she demanded in anger. "He was there. I could curse him and no one would know it had been me."
"Why?" he asked her, caressing the sting in his face.
"You know why," Daphne shouted in anger and tears. "For two days I haven't been able to think of anything else but that bastard and our daughter dying because of him. I can't endure him in classes knowing what happened, knowing that he has yet to pay for it."
"Will you please calm down?" ordered Harry, trying to hold her, only to be slapped away again.
"I will not let him strut around as if he has done nothing. He will pay for what he did to my daughter."
"He will but you can't just go around and curse him."
"Why, because I'm not you? All powerful Harry Fucking Potter?"
"We have a plan, Daph. You can't just throw it away and get yourself in trouble just because you're angry. There's nothing to gain from it and I don't want you to get in trouble because of it."
"There is all to gain from it. Longbottom would suffer for what he did to my daughter."
"Our daughter," replied Harry, his own temper flaring.
"Really?" Daphne asked defiantly. "You claim you cared for Daphy, but if you truly did you would have done more against that son of a bitch." It wasn't that Daphne truly believed her words, but at the moment she spoke them out of anger. "Or wasn't she important enough for you?"
When Harry's glare fell on her, she paled. His green eyes, which usually were so warm and loving towards her were cold and piercing, making her feel uncomfortable. His face was cold and stoic. He didn't say a word, he just passed through her and waved his wand, breaking all the wards and getting out of the room in moments, leaving Daphne alone, trying to understand what had just happened. When she fully realized what she had said she ran away in tears, trying to catch him to apologize, but failed to find Harry in the corridor.
"Dobby!" she called, intent on ordering the elf to take her to Harry, but for the first time, Dobby failed to appear. She waited and called for Dobby several times, but he didn't come. "I'm sorry," she whispered in tears, crying into her hands as she fell to her knees, alone in the corridor.
After crying her anger, fears, and regrets away, Daphne went back to the common room, angry and disappointed at herself with how she had acted. As soon as she walked through the door she was bombarded with questions about where she had been, why had Harry shown up alone and angry in the common room, traded some words and faded away in less than five minutes? What exactly had happened between them?
"I was stupid," was all she said, already in the safety of her dorm with her dormmates. "I almost did something Gryffindorish and snapped at him. I said some awful things, and...yeah."
"Was it because of Weaselette?" asked Millie, the group's attention now on her. "I saw you glaring at the dorks throughout the feast."
"Yes," Daphne replied with a sigh. She couldn't tell them it had been because of Longbottom and her daughter, so she took the opening offered by Millie.
"Do you need to talk?" asked Tracey, being supportive, but Daphne shook her head.
"I just need to apologize to him. I was unfair."
"Considering Harry was truly angry, I'd say you do," replied Pansy. "His magic was flaring as well..." Daphne hugged herself and all the girls knew she regretted all that had happened, whatever it might have been.
"Malfoy brought a pet snake with him," added Tracey, trying to change the subject. The other girls just rolled their eyes.
"Snakes are forbidden by the charter," replied Daphne, looking up.
"He got a special permission from his godfather," drawled Millie with a snort. "He was blabbing about it when Harry came in, saying he had it in an aquarium in his dorm."
"Great..." mumbled Daphne "With our luck, it will escape from him and scare or bite someone, venomous or not."
"Probably... but your boyfriend is a Parselmouth, so he could control it, couldn't he?" asked Pansy. She wasn't a snake lover.
"He might..." Daphne replied, looking down, thinking of Harry. "I'm really tired, girls. I think I need to sleep." The other girls understood her reasons and didn't say anything as Daphne went to the bathroom and dressed herself for sleep. Only once she was inside her sheets, under the safety of her wards, did Daphne allow herself to cry again, for herself, for the daughter she had never known, and for Harry.
Daphne was the first to wake up in the following morning. Knowing what she needed to do, she took a quick shower and dressed in her school robes, leaving her dorm intent on going to the Great Hall, both for breakfast and to speak to Harry. Hopefully, he would show up and they would be able to talk, and she would have a chance to apologize.
Considering it was little past seven in the morning, the castle was quite deserted, even if classes started in less than one hour. She got to the Great Hall and saw that Harry wasn't there. A little disappointed, Daphne sat at the table and started to have breakfast, eating slowly and paying attention to the doors.
Her perseverance paid off around half past seven, when Harry entered the hall and walked to their table. He didn't notice her at first, but when he did, he hesitated for a moment but continued to walk, sitting at her side, ignoring her smile.
"Good morning," she started, in a whisper, after raising privacy wards around them.
"Good morning," he replied in almost a whisper.
"I was unfair in what I said last night," she said, looking down, "I'm sorry."
"Yes, you were," he replied, adding some bacon to his plate.
"I...I know you loved her. Very much, as I know she loved you," Daphne continued, her eyes tearing again. "I..."
"No, you don't," replied Harry, looking at her, gaining her full attention, "You have no idea how much I loved our daughter. You have no idea what it was like to find out I had a daughter with you, to know that you were not completely lost to me, that there was something of you that I could cherish and love... You have no idea how proud I was of all she did, of how smart she was, of how she was able to cast spells with your wand at such a young age, how stubborn she was, and how she drove your sister mad..." Harry chuckled to himself.
"You have no idea what I lost that night, Daphne. That night I lost everything I had left. I lost everything that truly kept me going. After that night, no matter what I did, how strong I was, or how I pretended to be, all I wanted more than anything was to die and see the two women I loved the most in my life..."
He turned to her, and she flinched. "Don't you dare accuse me of what you did, because you didn't live it. You saw my memories of what I lived. You saw what happened and how I reacted." Harry picked up his glass, "Thank Merlin, Morgana, and all the gods you want to thank, because I won't allow you to go through the same feeling of helplessness and loss."
"Does this mean that you forgive me for being a stupid bitch?" she asked, and he sighed.
"No, this means I forgive you for being a bitch. I won't forgive you for wanting to do such a stupid thing." Daphne leaned into his shoulder.
"I'm really sorry," she said, holding back tears, "I didn't mean it. I was just mad and..."
"It doesn't matter anymore," Harry replied, hugging her around her shoulder and kissing her head. "You wanted to do something stupid, worthy of my former self, you got mad at me, said some hurtful things, and I got mad at you. If you truly regret it, that's enough for me."
"Something worthy of your former self?" she asked in mock anger, her eyes shimmering with amusement.
"Mmh, you may be right, not even my old Gryffindor self would do something that foolish," he replied, receiving a slap on his shoulder. Both of them laughed for a moment.
"I'm sorry. I really am," Daphne said again.
"Me too," replied Harry with smile, waving his own wand, breaking the wards.
"You two made up?" asked Tracey, who led Theo, Blaise, and Millie towards the table right at that moment.
"Good morning to you too, Tracey," Daphne replied, making Harry chuckle. The fourth years sat around them, satisfied with their friends' reconciliation, and soon started to banter, getting ready for their day.
"Where are Pansy, Greg, Vince, and Malfoy?" asked Harry, receiving a snort from Blaise.
"Malfoy was still getting ready and Pansy decided to wait for him. Greg and Vince are with her."
"What the..." mumbled Millie, looking at the hall doors. Malfoy was being dragged by Greg and Vince, while Pansy was giving the orders.
"If I say you need to hurry up, then you do it, are we clear Draco?" Pansy demanded with a glare, and Malfoy nodded, blushing furiously.
"Good, now sit down and have your breakfast," she told him, sitting with the rest of the fourth years, who just looked at her. "What, do I have something in my hair?"
"Who are you and what did you do to Pansy Parkinson?" asked Tracey with a giggle.
"I thought about what Harry said yesterday and I found myself agreeing. Draco needs to learn a couple facts of life." For his part, Draco Malfoy, sporting uncombed hair, mumbled something, ignoring the chuckles and laughs of his year mates. He blamed Potter; ever since the git had joined Slytherin, his life had plummet downward… He was no longer the leader he wanted to be, he was no longer respected...
As she was laughing at Draco's plight, Daphne noticed Longbottom, Granger, and Weasley entering the Great Hall, heading to their table. This time, she fought her own anger and ignored them. Harry noticed it and turned to her.
"What?" she asked with a shy smile under the inquisitive gaze of her boyfriend. Harry smirked and leaned into her softly. At first, she thought he wanted a kiss, only to feel slightly disappointed when he missed her lips to whisper in her ear.
"They are not important enough for you to risk yourself for vengeance," he whispered, making Daphne widen her eyes in surprise. "I will NOT lose you again because of them."
"Oh, what did he tell you?" taunted Tracey, who saw the two of them.
"Leave them be, Tracey, it's personal," Millie taunted back with a chuckle.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, LONGBOTTOM, YOU SON OF A BITCH! REDUCTO!" everyone turned to the Gryffindor table the moment they heard Ron Weasley shout at Neville Longbottom, only to see the shy, pudgy boy's head explode into a cloud of gore, splattering those around him with blood, flesh, bone, and brains.
The screaming started at once, only to intensify further when Ron Weasley turned his own wand into his mouth and cast another Reductor Curse, suffering a similar fate to the one he had just inflicted upon Neville Longbottom.
The whole hall was in pandemonium, people screaming in horror while Granger, who sat with the two dead boys, shrieked in shock and anguish. No teacher had been fast enough to stop Weasley, and now the two of them were dead. Everyone was either scared, appalled, simply gaping, or a combination of each.
For once, Malfoy had nothing to say. Millie buried her face in Blaise's chest while Tracey threw up on the floor in front of her. Theo was in shock, his entire body twitching. Pansy nearly fainted, held up by Vince, who looked as wide eyed as Greg. Harry looked at the commotion, wearing his best mask of shock, holding Daphne in his arms. One would think Daphne was crying in her boyfriend's arms, but that was far from the truth. With one glance at her boyfriend, Daphne's tearful eyes showed not sadness but happiness and vindication.
"For our Daphy?" she whispered, receiving a nod from the powerful green-eyed wizard in reply. "I love you."