A/N: Hey everyone and welcome to another short, this one is for Calamity!
For those of you interested in my other works, I currently have three stories in progress with the pairings of those being Harry/FemVoldemort, Harry/Delphini and Harry/OFC
As usual, a big thanks to my Beta's and Discord Staff - Alec, Alpple, Babo, CalamityXx, Champ, DorianGray, O'Neill, Seventh Son, SinisterFox and Xevier!
Feel free to join my Discord for updates, a chance to request your own short story and information; link on my profile. Without any more rambling from me, I hope you enjoy the story!
(Sorry if you don't like this!)
FOR REGULAR READERS; Yes, Guarder Snake will be delayed until this coming Friday, again. I apologise for such delays, and again, I'll make it up by posting four days in a row.
(Please join Discord for news on such delays, sorry again)
December 16, 1994
Friday
"Potter."
A vaguely familiar voice shook Harry from his thoughts, the boy looking up from where he'd been sitting alone in the Library to see a blonde girl standing just feet from his table. What caught his attention first when he took her in wasn't any physical feature, no, it was the colour she was wearing.
Green.
This girl was a Slytherin, and for whatever reason, she was looking at him with a soft smile on her face instead of the typical disgust or caution.
"Potter?" She tilted her head to the side at his lack of response, exposing a long, pale neck that led up to her sharp features. Objectively speaking, she was incredibly beautiful; it's a shame Draco was probably the reason she'd even bothered speaking with him.
"What?" he nearly winced at his tone — if it sounded that hostile to his ears, he could only imagine how rude an impression he'd just made.
Rather than back down or flee from his less than friendly voice, the girl straightened out her head, narrowed her eyes and sat down in the seat.
"You don't have a Yule date," the Slytherin beauty hadn't been asking, no, she'd stated that as if it were a fact.
Harry felt his cheeks heat up, "How would you know?"
She rolled her eyes at him, "If you had one, the whole school would know already," the Slytherin girl then leaned towards him and Harry couldn't help but let his eyes drift south for a second, taking in her… generous figure. His ogling didn't distract her, if anything, the slight uptick of her lips back into a look similar to her earlier smile showed her pleasure, "Are you waiting for somebody?"
"Yes." No.
Cho had turned him down on the grounds that she'd already agreed to Cedric, but it wasn't too late for him; Katie Bell, Fay Dunbar, Merlin even Hermione would do!
"Oh?" the girl tilted her head again, "I hadn't heard that you were… would you mind if I asked whom it is you're waiting for?"
Harry shook his head and looked pointedly back into the book that'd been left on the table upon her joining him.
Seeing that he wouldn't respond, the Slytherin witch leaned back in her seat and sighed. She continued sitting at the table with him for another few minutes, occasionally tapping or humming before eventually tiring of his avoidance. Thus, she stood up and walked off; but not before she gave him a promise.
"I'll speak with you again if you don't have a Yule date, Potter," she saw his eyes briefly dart up to take her appearance in one more time, the confusion on his face was likely palpable as he tried and failed to recall who she was beyond a vague sense of familiarity.
She didn't make it any easier by smirking and blowing a kiss at him.
December 21, 1994
Wednesday
"Excuse me, Harry Potter?" Another witch Harry wasn't overly familiar with was speaking with him. Similar to before, it was a Slytherin.
"Yes?" He'd replied more carefully this time, hoping not to make the same mistake with this brunette witch as he had with the blonde one before her.
"Could I bother you to walk with me to the clocktower courtyard? I understand should you say no on account of our not knowing one another, but I simply abhor being seen alone and considering we've never spoken, I thought to remedy that while serving myself," Her words were spoken with a level of fluidity that Harry rarely saw in those his own age — it wasn't overly surprising that the few who he'd seen it in wore Slytherin robes either.
Still, the politeness and soft smile on her face worked well enough for him to say 'sure'. Maybe the one in a million chance she'd become a friend had been a factor too, or the lingering annoyance and doubt from his friends earlier in the year had done something.
Regardless of why, he stood up after agreeing with the now smiling Slytherin witch and taking hold of her arm, the two started walking at a quick pace towards the clocktower courtyard. Considering he'd been seated in a hallway on one of the various benches near a window, it'd not be too long before they reached her destination.
It was the perfect amount of time for brief, light-hearted topics.
During that minute or so walk, the girl had asked and answered only pleasantries; favourite colour, holiday destinations and other equally as mundane topics rising while the two carefully avoided anything controversial.
As soon as they'd arrived at the courtyard, she smiled at him a second time, curtsied and bid him farewell.
He had all of a few seconds to think why she'd done so when an all too familiar blonde girl in Slytherin green emerged from a nearby opening, the first words out of her mouth alerting him as to what'd just transpired.
"I told you I'd speak with you again if you still didn't have a date to the Yule Ball."
Harry met her eyes, "And you're certain I haven't gotten one?"
She smiled knowingly and nodded, "Yes."
"How?"
She strolled closer to him in silence, stopping only a few feet from where he stood — her expression was one of amusement when she answered him.
"Did you forget everything I said during our last conversation?" she took another step towards him, the distance narrowing further, "All of Hogwarts would know the very same day."
Harry looked at the Slytherin girl awkwardly; why did she care so much about his Yule date?
"You're not getting my intentions are you?" She asked with a cocked head, noticing the look on his face and interpreting it correctly.
"No, most people usually say what's on their mind instead of beating around it," Harry knew his tone had gotten slightly more aggressive, similar to the first time he'd spoken with her — this time he thought himself justified.
"I apologise for not doing so, it's a lot harder to do than you make it out to be… still, I suppose I should give it a try," the girl took a breath and stepped one of the two remaining paces closer, looking him directly in the eyes with a slight blush to her cheeks, "I'm Daphne Greengrass, and I'd like to go to the Yule Ball with you."
Daphne Greengrass.
He remembered why she looked familiar but he couldn't place her name; she was sorted the same year as he'd been, their differences in social circles and houses keeping them far from acquainted with one another.
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
Harry looked around as covertly as possible for any sign of Malfoy or one of his goons. Surely a witch as beautiful as Daphne wouldn't be this persistent unless she'd get something from it.
"Why?" he asked her when failing to locate any of the usual Slytherin bullies.
Daphne blushed more so than she'd already been, the red spreading to her neck — still, she maintained eye contact and the soft smile, "I like you."
Harry didn't see any sign of deception nor disliking, and truthfully, he needed a date for the ball considering it was in four days; McGonagall would have his head otherwise.
"Alright."
"Alright?" Daphne parroted back.
"Yeah, I, uh, It'd be wicked if you went with me."
"Real-"
"Oh get on with it!"
Daphne and Harry both turned towards the voice that'd yelled to them, seeing the girl he'd escorted here hiding partially behind a tree.
He looked back to Daphne to question who the girl was and saw that she had her wand in hand — on instinct he itched for his, but he needn't worry when he saw her raising it in the direction of tree-girl who'd promptly made a run for it with Greengrass hot on her heels.
Seeing the way those two interacted, Harry knew his 'date' would be an interesting one.
December 24, 1994
Saturday
"Thanks for agreeing to picnic with me, Harry, I'd half feared Tracey's outburst had scared you away," Daphne looked a mixture of embarrassed and pleased; the latter emotion matching her words just as much as the former.
"Thanks for speaking with me about Yule more than once… sometimes being so stubborn doesn't always end up going too well for me," her persistence had been strange for a Slytherin, at least all the one's he'd interacted with.
He wasn't complaining either, Daphne was the epitome of a fit witch while lacking the usual stigmas of her Hogwarts house.
Daphne looked at him strangely, "Don't thank me. If anything, I should be thanking you for finally agreeing to take me rather than the countless other witches who'd had their eyes on you."
"What other witches? You're the only one that spoke to me regarding Yule, if not for you I'd still be dateless — Professor McGonagall probably would've had to be my dance partner!" Harry added the last bit to keep the mood light, this being the first date he'd ever been on and he desperately wished to avoid upsetting the Slytherin girl.
"You truly didn't notice all the glares I was being sent when we were speaking in the courtyard?" Daphne's eyes widened when he shook his head 'no', "Harry, you had dozens of witches hoping you'd ask them. Morgana, I'm sure half of the Beauxbatons or Durmstang girls were watching you too!"
Harry scoffed at her words and began withdrawing the packaged food that Dobby had prepared — the house-elf being as true a friend as he always was had provided help with preparations for the date, Harry knew he'd have to get him something special for such assistance; especially so when pulling out a bottle of Feywine.
Daphne lightly smacked his shoulder and shuffled closer on the already small towel they'd seated themselves on, "You dolt, they were waiting for you to ask them."
"Oh."
"That doesn't mean you're getting out of bringing me," she edged closer still, her shoulder brushing his as the lapping of the lake picked up with the breeze, "Like it or not, you're stuck with me, Potter."
Harry loved the teasing tone of the girl's voice as well as the way she stuck her tongue out at him; it was so out of the norm for Slytherin's that he almost pinched himself to make certain that he wasn't dreaming, but the girl stopped him from doing so when their hands collided atop the treacle tarts.
"Sorry," she apologised, retracting her hand and smiling at him.
He withdrew his hand from where it'd been, sliding the tasty treat towards her after doing so, "You first, this was your idea."
Daphne tutted at him, with her ever-present smile, "Such a gentleman, Harry," she took a piece of the treat, a napkin going under it with her other hand as she did so, "I fear such kind manners could result in losing a great deal of our single desert."
Was Treacle tart her favourite too?
"Not to worry, I'd planned for that if it comes to pass," Harry had asked Dobby for two, one being for his sole consumption during the course of the week. Needless to say, Harry wouldn't be opposed to sharing it if it kept him with Daphne for a longer time.
"Planning ahead is a wonderful habit to get into," Daphne said while nodding. She then took a small bite from her treat, dabbing at the corner of her lips to ensure the crumbs wouldn't stick when she made to speak after swallowing, "Could I ask you something? You're free to avoid answering if you wish."
Harry went in for a chicken drumstick, mimicking the girl's holding of a napkin under it as he did so, "Sure."
Daphne wasted no time and with her teasing look back, she asked, "Were you actually planning on asking somebody when we spoke in the Library or was that you playing coy?"
He sputtered, crumbs from the chicken falling into the waiting napkin as he did so, "I, well, er — I wasn't playing coy, it was more that I was nervous… you being in Slytherin—in Malfoy's year to boot—and that fact we'd never spoken before just had me on edge… does that make sense?" Harry had properly bollocksed it up, he knew as much when the girl's face steadily fell.
She paused and swallowed nothing, looking at him with the same nervousness he was most definitely portraying at the moment, "Malfoy has a lot of sway in our year and those below, he even has a level of control in the upper years, it's the main cause of our never speaking to Gryffindors unless absolutely required. Obviously, there's no way I can prove saying that I'd wanted to speak with you before this ball, well, not unless you asked Tracey — she's the girl who got you to escort her to the clocktower courtyard if you didn't know. I suppose my asking you after nearly four years was due to the fact that you'd still not had a date and neither had I; Tracey told me it was fate, my younger sister Astoria said something similar."
"And you? What do you think?" Harry was curious, enraptured even.
"I don't believe in fate," Daphne said, keeping her eyes locked with his, "I do believe in seizing an opportunity," she swiped her tongue across her lip, "when presented," her eyes then fell to his as she edged closer.
Harry's heart was beating a mile a minute.
Did she want him to kiss her? Was he reading too much into her words and actions? What if he kissed her and that wasn-
"Oh Morgana's sake, just kiss already!" Harry's attention snapped towards the source of the voice, locating the tree-girl, Tracey, crouched behind a bush with only her head visible. Looking back to Daphne, the girl was red in the face with balled fists and watering eyes.
Harry started to speak, "Daph-"
She closed the distance and kissed him softly on the lips, the contact lasting all of a second before she pulled back, "I'm sorry," she breathed, "I've wanted to do that since your name was pulled from the Goblet."
This time it was him that swallowed nothing, and grasping at the Gryffindor courage he knew resided within him, he asked a question that had her watery eyes burst with happy tears.
"Could we… could we do that again?"
