Yo!

Aiight, let's pretend it's Friday…

As usual let's all thank the Great Webstriker!

Reviews:

Canuto-90: Thanks for the support! I tried your glitch by adding Daphne as character and guess what? 2k hits in one day! Whew it worked well. At first I did not want to do it because I'm still not sure for the pairing, I did not want to give fake hopes.

Xyz: Wow! That's really nice to read a review like that! Thank you really! And don't worry, I don't plan to abandon it, and it will be quite long so enjoy it!

For the guest review: That's too bad cuz I plan to make him as canon as possible, and canon Snape isn't really an angel… Thanks for the interest tho!

ENJOY!

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Slytherin Common Room

Daphne's face did not recover her initial colour for a long time. Since she kissed Harry Potter's cheek, hers were bright red; fortunately, it was late and the Slytherin's Common Room was not the brightest place in Hogwarts, so no one noticed it. Plus, it was almost empty, most of the students were sleeping while the more courageous ones were still in the Great Hall enjoying what was left.

She still could not believe she did that. At first her only intention was to bid him goodnight and thank him for accompanying her. She knew she forced herself on him for the ball, but when she saw him almost ask that Brown girl, she just lost it and threw him a stinging hex. There was no way she would let him go without her. When the ball was announced, she decided she would wait for him to ask her. But he did not, and he even asked Astoria, her little sister. She was angry at that time, but it was her fault, and she knew it. She was the one who was too scared to be publicly seen with him.

Daphne knew it was stupid since she was the one who really wanted to get to know him. Sure, now it was a mutual feeling, she knew it. But she was the one who did not forget their first encounter, he did. Before that moment, she saw in him only what others saw. A bragger, Gryffindor's star Quidditch player, a boy who loved being in the spotlight, the Boy-Who-Lived, there were a lot, but only a few were true. She knew it now because she learned to know him, the true Harry Potter. She knew he was still lying about some things, but so was she. It is perfectly normal to not say everything to a friend; everyone has the right to privacy. Still, she was happy she took an interest in him the previous year.

Flashback

Daphne rarely wanted to smirk; it was unbecoming. However, seeing how Malfoy was whining right now, she had a really hard time restraining herself from doing so. That dimwit just did the one thing their teacher told them not to do; insult a hippogriff. She was not the biggest fan of this professor, nor did she have the same love for creatures he had, but he for sure knew what he was talking about. Having a house near the entrance of the forest might have helped for that, she thought.

She never was one to laugh at someone else's expense, however, that Malfoy git really deserved it. Not only because he ignored the professor's instructions, but his actions in general were always displaced, he was arrogant but had nothing to support his arrogance except his name. And even that did not come from him. In short, Daphne was really pleased with what happened. Of course, Malfoy Senior would never let that affront pass, he would at least make sure the hippogriff was executed, which Daphne found a little sad. He really seemed to be a good beast, she thought, at least from what Potter was saying after riding it.

She was still amazed that a human being could accept to ride something like that without any preparations. Well, to be fair Potter did not really want to do it, it is just that he was the only one who did not take a step back, maybe because he was lost in thoughts. But when he looked around him, she saw his panicked eyes at the idea of flying a hippogriff, and honestly Daphne found it very funny. She was not kind enough to feel sympathy for someone like him yet.

"Are you alright, no one else is hurt?" A voice interrupted Daphne's happy thought. She did not recognize it and was willing to ignore it, but that person's plan was to ask every Slytherin still present how they were feeling. "And you? You're sure you okay? You seem a little out of it." A pair of emerald-green eyes popped just in front of hers; it was Potter's.

Daphne, being a future lady, did not scream, even if she really wanted to. She merely took a step back, looked at Potter weirdly and nodded.

"Alright, great." And just like that he walked off, leaving a dazed Daphne on the spot.

She looked around her and saw her comrades looking at the Gryffindor with either hate or incomprehension on their face.

"His eyes are really something." She whispered to herself.

End of Flashback

Daphne smiled at that memory, it all started because Harry Potter was concerned about their condition. Slytherin students' condition, nothing like what he was supposed to be, he was supposed to hate their guts, yet he did not. Since that day, she observed him, it became her hobby, some would call it stalking but she was just curious about him, and since Slytherins do not talk to each other without insulting each other, she did it from afar. Nothing too much really, she did not search for him in the corridors or whatever, she just looked at him when they were in the Great Hall or when they happened to be in the same class. Just to see if he really was like other people portrayed him. She concluded that he was not, and shared it with her sister, who was persuaded that if she asked him to teach her how to fly like him he would accept.

At first she laughed to her face saying there was no way he would do anything for a Slytherin, however after some time passed to observe him, she was not too sure anymore. He looked so kind and shy that she could not see him refuse to help anyone, she was sure that even if Malfoy asked for help he might hesitate.

Then came the World Cup; she was sure of it now, Harry Potter was a good person. It should have stopped here, her curiosity was satisfied, and she had no other reason to still be interested in him. However, when she saw her sister with him, she knew something was wrong, and she panicked. She thought Astoria was telling him that she was interested in him since last year and that was why she interrupted them. To further fuel her anxiety, her sister did not respond when she asked what happened; Astoria preferred to stay silent with a guilty expression on her face.

She managed to make Astoria talk during their walk just after and was relieved to hear it had nothing to do with her. She was only half-surprised when she informed her that he agreed to teach her how to fly. It was something inherent to him to be kind with everyone.

Well almost everyone, I still get chills when I think about what happened to Malfoy and Snape. Though they deserved it, especially Snape. Malfoy is a git, we all knew that, but for a professor to act like that. It's simply not decent.

She chuckled thinking about Pansy's face when she saw Hermione with Krum and imagining the face of their Head of House.

"What's so funny Daffy?" Tracey's voice came to her, she was lying on her bed, her dress hanging in her wardrobe. "You've been immobile since you came in, immobile and quite red too."

Daphne gulped silently; she knew it would happen. From the moment she started to hang with Harry, her best friend asked her what was going on and her answer was always the same; nothing. Tracey did not buy it, even more when Daphne told her she was going with Harry to the ball. She always had that smirk on her face when he was mentioned and today was no exception, her smile extended to her ears.

"I was thinking about Snape's face, when he realised who was with Krum tonight." She cleared her throat. "As for the red, I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe it was too hot in the Great Hall."

Again, that smirk.

"Oh yeah he should've been shocked" she paused for a moment, as if she was thinking about something, "Did you kiss him?" She asked bluntly.

Daphne was ready to be questioned, but nothing prepared her for that.

"Wha… What are you talking about, Tracey. I told you we were just friends. Friends don't kiss each other." She stuttered, not sounding very convincing.

Tracey literally jumped on her, from her bed.

"Oh… My… Gosh…" her face was only an inch apart from Daphne's. "You did kiss him! HA! Wait until I tell Tori about that one."

"It was only on the cheek!" Daphne protested, however the moment the words left her mouth, she knew she should not have said that. Tracey's expression passed from excited to literally hungry; hungry for details.

'She got me,' Daphne sighed internally and resigned to explain to her what happened.

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Harry decided it was time for him to go back to his dorm once he finally got out of his dazed state. He did not understand the gesture. Of course, he was not dumb enough to not recognize it was a show of affection, but it was his first. And he did not know what he did to deserve that.

It was not something he would have learned at the Dursley's obviously, but even Mrs. Weasley and Hermione never went that far, they only hugged him tightly. If it was not something normal for friends or for family, Harry could not understand why. Sure, there was always the 'lover' option, but Harry seemed to have unconsciously wiped that option off his mind.

When he finally was in his dorm, he noticed Ron was already here, and was smirking at him with something shiny in his hand.

"So," he started, playing with the Galleon in his hand. "Did the Ice Queen finally get you? I got to admit she was breath-taking today, almost as much as—" he interrupted himself. "Never mind, you'll never believe what I stumbled upon while taking some fresh air."

Harry knew who he was about to mention, Hermione. And he was right; she was absolutely beautiful tonight.

Then Ron explained to him how he saw Karkaroff, and Snape show their forearms to each other. According to him, they looked closer than how a Hogwarts teacher and Durmstrang headmaster should be. As if they knew each other from before. And suddenly, something clicked in Harry's mind.

"Ron," He interrupted his best friend. "Do you remember what Sirius told me about Karkaroff?"

Ron took his time to think about it and seemed to have come to the same conclusion Harry did, because he looked at the latter with a horrified expression on his face.

"You don't think…" he started quietly. "C'mon, there's no way Dumbledore would make him a teacher if he was…" Harry's expression made him rethink about that statement, they already had a criminal fraud and Voldemort's host as a teacher.

Harry got up quickly from his bed, took his map and left his dorm, quickly followed by his best friend.

"We need to talk with Professor Dumbledore. It's urgent." Ron said to the gargoyle in front of the headmaster's office, it did not budge at all though, it required a password, just like the Fat Lady portrait.

"Wait Ron," Harry was looking at the Marauder's Map. "He's not in his office right now, search with me." Ron quickly did as he was asked to.

They were still for some time, both scanning every inch of the map hoping to find their Headmaster.

"It seems that," a calm voice resounded behind them. "You both were too focused looking everywhere, that you neglected what was just before your eyes."

Professor Dumbledore was walking towards them, his blue eyes twinkling more than ever.

"The Yule Ball is now over, what could possibly make you come all the way here, at this hour?"

"It's about Snape—"

"Professor Snape." Dumbledore corrected him. "What about him?" His voice changed, not a lot, but Harry noticed he sounded less kind than he usually was.

"Professor, he was a Death Eater!" The two boys said at once.

The headmaster looked at them for a moment, before sighing and motioned them to follow him inside his office. "Chupa Chups" was apparently the password, seeing how the gargoyle opened the way when Dumbledore said it.

"Both of you may sit down," he made two chairs appear out of nowhere. "It should not be long, but we never know."

Ron and Harry quietly waited for him to talk, they already said what they wanted to, no use in repeating it now.

"I hope both of you understand that what will be said tonight between these walls is not something you should repeat." Harry frowned at that; he hated secrets. At least now he was part of it. "Even if a part of it is in fact common knowledge."

He sat down and put his hand together and posted both of his indexes on his nose and his thumbs were somewhere in his beard, probably his chin.

"Professor Snape was indeed a Death Eater in his younger years," He raised his hands, seeing that Harry and Ron were ready to interrupt him. "However, he did come to me, to repent from his actions, before the war ended. And helped fight against Lord Voldemort. I trust him with my life, and that should be enough for both of you to trust him."

Both young Gryffindors were still a little doubtful but could do nothing else than nod at their Headmaster's answer. Their minds were still processing the fact that they had an old Death Eater as a professor when Dumbledore talked again.

"Now, the common knowledge was that he was a Death Eater, the rest, however, is not. So, try not to disclose it, would you?" The twinkle in his eyes came back.

"I was, as everyone, very surprised by your choice of partner tonight." He said, looking at Harry's face. "A very charming girl if I may say," He turned to Ron. "And you Mr. Weasley were absolutely dashing tonight, your hairstyle was one of the best I have had the chance to see in the last few years."

Both of the boys were as red as the crest of their house as they stuttered their thanks to the headmaster.

"Now, I believe it is time for both of you to go and have a good night of sleep. I need it too, with my advanced age."

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"Squeeze it, damn it." Chaos's voice resounded. "How are you not able to squeeze it?"

"Well, maybe if you explained to me exactly how exactly am I supposed to squeeze my memory, maybe I could do it." Answered Harry's irritated voice.

He came back from his outing at Dumbledore's office, only to be harassed in his sleep by a crazy figure who seemed to only know two words; squeeze it. And when Harry asked how he was supposed to do that, his only answer was; "Just do it!".

Honestly, why do I still put up with him? He's so annoying. He thought for a second and remembered it was because Chaos, while being arrogant, annoying, mean and haughty, was actually competent. He managed to teach him how to become better, and he did not give him the direct answer, he showed him the path. That was how Harry progressed, however Harry wished the 'path' could become a little bit clearer because honestly 'squeeze it' was no help to him.

Maybe I shouldn't have accepted his request back then, I could've made him teach me before hearing his proposition.

Flashback

"Now we're talking." The faceless figure said. "Let's make it simple. I need help, and from what I know, you're the only one who can help me."

Harry almost laughed at that; it was exactly how a dream would start. Saving someone because he was the only one able to do it, making him the hero.

"It's not like that," the weird voice interrupted him. "I did not choose you or whatever little fantasies you've made up with your mind," Harry took offence to that, how could his dream talk to him like that. "Because I'm not a dream, and when you'll get that, we finally will be going somewhere with that discussion."

"Alright, sorry. Keep going."

"As I was saying, I did not choose you. The people who imprisoned me indirectly did."

"Imprisoned? You're in Azkaban?" The subject was still sensible in Harry's mind because of the latest events.

"Not exactly, no." The figure said to him. "My prison is far worse," with a wave of his hand a night sky appeared and showed a bright star from some distance. "See? That's me in there."

Harry scoffed; he was a prisoner of a star, in space. It sounded like the beginning of a bad sci-fi story.

"Not a star, no, it's just a globe. A golden globe, I've been here for a very long time, and I did not deserve it."

Harry considered what the figure just said, if it was last year he would just ignore it, however Sirius's story came to his mind, and he knew he could not let someone rot in prison if he was innocent. Be it a dream or not.

"Alright, what can I do?"

A smile appeared on the figure's face, a terrifying one.

"It's nothing really, the prison I'm in right now is powered by two seals. You just have to break both."

"Seals?"

"Just two rocks, nothing to worry about."

"And I just have to break them? Alright where are they?"

The figure laughed. "Not now, kid. Now I just need to know if you accept or not."

Harry was puzzled, if he really wanted to be free why not do it now, it was weird.

"Don't worry kid, now is just not the time." A mysterious smile on that featureless face.

End of Flashback

I'm too kind for my own good. Last time I was too kind to someone, it led to Pettigrew's escape and Sirius not being able to be free. Maybe I should've been wary of him. Never mind that, I'm becoming stronger thanks to him. If he uses me, so do I.

Harry shook his thoughts off and focused on the task in hand. Not noticing how quiet Chaos had become during his musing. Nor did he notice the approving nod coming from the prisoner. However, he did manage to squeeze his memory a bit.

"Oh, so I need to use magic? You should've told me before." He said in an excited voice.

"Did you think non-magical beings could use that skill?" He flicked Harry's forehead and it hurt Harry who was now massaging it. "Think before you act, that will help you not end up in a coffin."

"At least I'm not the one who's in space with no way to escape except to ask a teenager for help."

A silence followed his grumble. Maybe I went too far…

However, Chaos just smirked. "Keep training kiddo."

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The day after the Ball was a day off. Every student seemed to have come to a common understanding. Only the people who did not come to the Yule Ball seemed to have enough energy to start a snowball fight and Ron almost succeeded in making them join them. Instead, they talked about their ball yesterday. Harry told him about the kiss and saw Ron's expression become funny, he continued with his hypothesis and Ron's face looked even more funny. Harry did not get why; Ron just patted his shoulders and told him; "Great."

"So, how was it? With Parvati?"

Ron fidgeted awkwardly. "Not that bad actually, we had fun. Even if dancing is not my strong point, she did not get angry. Actually, she was smiling a lot, so I guess she had a great time too."

Harry did not press the matter further; he knew that even though his friend had fun, the 'Hermione' issue was still bothering him as much as it did yesterday.

"Hello, guys!" Hermione's happy voice came to them. "How was your evening?" She looked like the usual Hermione, with her usual bushy hair. She looked more approachable than yesterday.

"You won't believe what happened." Ron excitedly said, his awkwardness disappearing totally.

Ron explained the kiss first, much to Harry's displeasure. It made him even more shy to hear it from Ron's mouth. Hermione congratulated him and before he could ask why she did so, Ron changed the subject to discuss the issues with Snape.

"As Dumbledore said, he reformed before the end of the war and helped them greatly. There's nothing more to add." She concluded. "Even if his character is a bit…" She paused to search for an appropriate word to not insult him, something she would never do to a professor. "Lacking, but he's not a Death Eater now."

Ron and Harry looked at each other, still thinking Snape was not as good as everyone seemed to make him be.

Harry had now solved the egg clue. A quick passage to the Perfect bath was enough to listen to the creature's weird speech. He started looking for a way to survive inside the lake but had no such luck, so he decided to focus on something else since he still had time. His theory was confirmed when he saw Viktor Krum — that madman — swim into the lake as if it was summer.

His mind training was going well, he managed to squeeze his memories for some hours, but could not understand how he was supposed to keep that state indefinitely. And Chaos was not helping, not saying a word about it.

They talked about other things though. Harry asked him about what Dumbledore told him months ago, about using anger to fuel his magic. He still did not manage to cast silently without it, and it exasperated him to the highest point. According to the old being, it was a bad idea to start using it now. He said that Dumbledore was not wrong, that it could even corrode a perfectly protected mind. However, since his mind protection was unique in its own way, he could do it after perfecting his mental protection. Chaos also said that the solution was not the best, since focusing on anger was still more time consuming. It was better to master silent casting without resorting to that method. Other than that, his training was going smoothly.

School term started again, and Hagrid disappeared, replaced by Professor Grubbly-Plank. Harry did not want to admit it, but she was a good teacher and going with unicorns for her first lesson was a mastermind move. She had the girls wrapped around her fingers.

They found out later that the reason for Hagrid's disappearance was a Rita Skeeter's article. Apparently, Hagrid was a half-giant and was not entitled to teach. Some of the Slytherins were interviewed and made it even worse. The story of Malfoy's arm encounter with Buckbeak and something about Crabbe and a flobberworm were part of them.

"These articles are becoming worse and worse." Hermione had said.

A little part of it mentioned Harry in the Yule Ball, however it was weird to see that Daphne's name did not come out since she accompanied him publicly. Both were happy about it though.

Harry and his two Gryffindor friends tried to talk to Hagrid, but he was either outside of Hogwarts or hiding in his hut, refusing to meet anybody. That made Hermione angry, like, really angry. Harry only saw her once like that and what followed was her punching the blond git Malfoy.

While they were in Hogsmeade, they met Skeeter in the Three Broomsticks. Harry did not talk to her, not for lack of trying by the reporter though. He was just ignoring her completely while sipping his butterbeer. Hermione was not that calm, she called her a vile and old woman, and the latter merely snorted and went out, her nose pointed toward the sky.

After that, Hermione was on a rampage, so she took them to visit Hagrid. She looked scary, Harry and Ron took precautions to avoid her ire; they decided to not utter a single word until she was calm enough.

However, as she was shouting outside of Hagrid's cabin while pounding his door, it was not Hagrid who opened it, but Professor Dumbledore. Hermione went from a fierce tornado to an inoffensive hamster in a matter of seconds.

With the four of them reunited there was no way Hagrid would still be crying his eyes out in his cabin about that article. They managed to make him recover and earned some hard looking cookies, weird cakes, and the story of Hagrid's family.

One day, Harry was coming back from his training in the Chamber and was looking at the map. He often did that so no one would ask him questions about where he was. It was not curfew yet so he could not land in detention for it, but he preferred not being annoyed. However, something caught his attention on the map, a dot who should not have been here. Like last year with Peter Pettigrew, however it was now Bartemius Crouch who was moving near the D.A.D.A. classroom.

Harry was sure, he was supposed to be sick, so sick that Percy was now replacing him, and receiving directives by owls. Both Percy and Bagman confirmed it. However, Harry knew the map never lied. It did not with the rat, so he was sure it was not an error. Now the question was to know why Crouch was here when he was supposed to be bedridden. Harry decided to not go and see, but to go back to his dorm and ask Sadye to investigate.

However, Sadye was nowhere to be found. It was not something rare, he often went to hunt or explore Hogwarts or the forest, he found it interesting. So, Harry waited. After three full days, Harry understood something was wrong and decided he would ask Chaos if he knew something.

Maybe he did, maybe he did not, Harry could not know because of his expressionless mask. He merely told Harry to try and feel Sadye's magic since they were linked. It took him a few times, but Harry succeeded. And it seemed that Sadye was in fact inside him, and more precisely inside his core. He tried to contact him, but there was no answer.

Chaos then explained to him that being a part of his magic, he merely came back to his original place, he did not have enough magic to sustain itself.

"It works the same way as you mind training, once you figure out one, the other will naturally follow," he said. "I won't say anything else now, try to get it by yourself."

Harry was a little sad knowing Sadye was not here anymore, he helped him so many times, supported him, and trusted him.

His friends noticed he was not feeling well and were all asking him if he had some issue with the egg. Once, Daphne tried to cheer the mood when they were only the two of them and asked him where Sadye was. That made him even more depressed than he was, but he explained that he was not here anymore, not expanding on the matter. Daphne did not ask further details and just patted his back.

Talking about them, their relationship did not change too much after the ball. At first, they were a little awkward around each other, but the fact that most of the time they were accompanied by their friends helped a lot easing the awkwardness.

"Harry, I want to bring my best friend here, is it okay?" Daphne asked when they were all in an empty classroom. They decided it was too cold to continue their meeting outside. "Her name's Tracey Davis." She anxiously waited for Harry's answer.

"Of course," he quickly said. "Don't forget it's your spot, even if we're now in a classroom. I brought my friends here; you should not have to ask."

He received a bright smile for his efforts, and they resumed their chess game. Ron and Hermione were too absorbed in theirs that they did not hear anything. It was not really their games, it was in fact Astoria versus Ron, but since Ron was just too strong at chess, the girls teamed up.

"Aha!" Ron shouted suddenly. "Checkmate." A smug expression sat on his face.

Hermione merely sighed, as if it was an ineluctable ending to their match. However, Astoria cutely pouted and demanded a rematch. "I was not ready!". Daphne and Harry looked at each other and laughed. They knew what was going to happen, since it was not the first time. Astoria would get her rematch, pout continuously while looking at Ron, and the latter would give up the game.

It was always the same scenario. After seeing it the first time, Harry tried the same with Ron, because he found it humiliating that he never once won against his best friend after hundreds of games and Astoria did it in her first. Unfortunately, it seemed that his charms were not working on the redhead as he still lost. Harry could not say if it was because he was not cute enough or if Ron had a weak spot for Astoria.

Tracey Davies has to be Ron's lost twin sister. Harry thought the only Slytherin who could get along with Ron was Astoria, but he was obviously wrong. They were the same person; Harry was convinced of it. They liked the same things, talked the same way and even their senses of humour were similar. If she was not a girl and if Harry was not sure he saw both of them at the same time in the same room, he would think it was Ron who used Polyjuice with a random girl's hair. He shared his theory with Daphne, and she seriously considered it.

She was a little taller than Daphne and had auburn hair, and her nose was strewn with freckles. Her eyes were a mix between green and brown, with a little touch of blue in them. Harry was surprised when he noticed it the first time. She did not take any offence and called it her secret weapon. Honestly she was pretty, in a different way from Daphne though.

"I never noticed before, but now that they're in front of me, it's kind of weird." She had said to him one week before the second task.

Now the atypic trio composed of Astoria, Tracey and Ron was created, and it was quite a sight. The only person who looked a little put out by that was Hermione. She did not stay with them anymore, preferring Harry and Daphne's company.

Suddenly remembering the first task was only one week later, Harry jumped on his feet, feeling the panic rise in him.

"Anyone know how I can breathe in water?"

Everyone looked at him with a questioning look, and he remembered he did not tell anyone what the clue was about. Only that he got it. He gulped audibly, knowing full well what was waiting for him.

"Hah- em, hm - I-… I may - just maybe, I might, perhaps, we don't know, but I may have to dive in the Black Lake for the second task." He announced awkwardly.

They were all looking at him weirdly — except for Daphne. Her eyes bored into him and the blue in her eyes was dangerously glowing.

'Uh Huh. I'm dead.'

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I added a lot of things that shouldn't have been there at first, like Tracey and Snape things. The chapter was supposed to only focus on Harry and the "deal" with Chaos. I hope u enjoyed it anyways.

Thanks for reading, and see u next week!

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