Chapter 25
"Ah Harry please come in, thank you for coming at such short notice, close the door after you please." Professor Babbling greeted him as he knocked on her office door. She had asked him to meet her first thing after breakfast on the first day of term. He was slightly shocked at the casual greeting, no Hogwarts teacher spoke like that to students.
"Um yes Professor." Harry quietly shut the door and took one of the plush sheets before her desk. The Runes Professor's office was much the same as he had seen it before. The walls were covered with posters of various rune arrangements, some of which he recognised. There were also a number of moving photographs, one in particular showed a young Bathsheda Babbling in Ravenclaw robes with who he assumed were her parents. There were two large bookcases behind her desk, one filled with books, the other a variety of objects.
Atop the object bookcase sat a large goblet. He had asked about it once, and discovered it had been her Runes NEWT project, for which she received an Outstanding. Once filled the goblet could change the content of its liquid to anything the drinker wished. Apparently no less than four attempts to borrow it had been made, including by the Weasley twins.
"I wished to set the ground rules for this apprenticeship." Babbling started, and passed him a sheet of parchment. It was a list of books, some of which Harry had already read. "This is my expected reading list for the year. We will not have formal classes or tests, however I may seek your assistance in projects of my own or even teaching classes in the years to come. Other than that this will be largely self directed learning."
"Yes, Professor." Harry responded, but she waved it away.
"We are master and apprentice now Harry. In some ways it's a more formal relationship, but we can afford to at least be more informal with each other, as we are not restricted to Hogwarts conventions."
"Do I call you Master, then?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Bathsheda will be fine I think. Master would be very old fashioned, don't you think?" Harry did think.
"Now, this year would have been your OWL year, and you are expected to complete your OWL and NEWT exams. So you are aware OWLs in Runes require both a theory exam as well as a completed project. I do expect that you will discuss any projects you are working on with me in advance and we can decide which will be suitable closer to the time."
Harry nodded in understanding, Ordinary Wizarding Levels having been covered last year briefly, then reached down into his bag to pull out his notebook. It had only grown and was filled to the brim with loose papers. He had had to start tying it together with twine to keep it closed. Perhaps Hermione had a new notebook he could have.
"Where would you like to start?" Harry asked, untying the book.
Fourth year Hogwarts students had a free period on Thursday afternoons following an enjoyable potions class with Snape. As the lesson drew on Harry found his attention waning, the professor's lecture failing to hold his interest.
"Potter!" The greasy haired potions master yelled a familiar expletive in the Hogwarts dungeons. "Ten points for not paying attention!"
"Sorry, Professor, did you have a question for me?" Harry bristled.
"Miss Greengrass has already answered." He wondered if there had even been a question at all. Looking over at Daphne he saw the corner of her mouth perk up as she caught his eye. "Time's up, get out." Snape ordered and stalked out the door to his office in typical fashion.
The students became more rowdy in his absence, throwing pieces of parchment and packing their work away. Harry felt someone brush against and pull slightly on his robe, a familiar floral perfume tickling his nose and turned to see dark red hair retreating to the exit.
"Let's go Harry, I need some fresh air." Ron said, with Neville scrambling after him, always excited to be out of the potions classroom.
"He was in rare form today." The blonde pureblood complained. "I even knew the answer to that question about the use of lotus seeds in stomach curatives!" Harry smiled at him in sympathy, understanding how tongue tied Neville got around Snape.
Reaching into his pocket Harry found a small but of ripped parchment. Withdrawing it Harry looked at his friends and found only Hermione looking at him, he raised an eyebrow at her. Trust detail oriented Hermione Granger to have noticed Daphne's note drop. She smiled at him slightly and rushed forward to catch up with the others.
Harry opened the parchment, 6th floor north side. With a smile he took off, telling the others he would see them in the Common Room.
The sixth floor north corridor was one of many in Hogwarts that was unused, flanked by numerous empty classrooms and study rooms. The walls were covered with numerous connected paintings involving a large ongoing joust. There was a large cabinet on one side and a statue of a hog at the end where it forked into two further hallways.
He had been slightly tempted to take out his map but decided instead to see what was happening the way Daphne had intended. Walking down the hallway he didn't see her until his robes were grabbed from behind the cabinet.
He was spun about and lips crashed into his, glasses being pushed askew, a soft body pressing against him. Harry's hands came to her waist and returned the kiss in full.
"Good afternoon." Daphne breathed heavily, coming up for air. Harry felt his chest swell at the flush of her face. She giggled slightly and reached up to right his glasses. "I have missed you."
"It's been rough being able to see you but not talk with you." Harry admitted. She dropped down from her toes that she needed to kiss him.
"I'm sorry." She said with a frown and seemed to be about to say something else when they heard voices coming from towards the direction Harry had come. Thinking quickly he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cupboard they were leaning against.
Moving Daphne behind him he kept the door slightly ajar and saw Malfoy, slicked back hair and all, with his cronies lumbering behind him, looking about furiously.
"I swear I saw him come this way." Harry had been deliberately dodging the annoying Ponce all week after thwarting his yearly train visit, just to see what would happen. He was personally hoping that his hair would fall out from the stress.
However it seemed like the game was up, four days, he would have to try better next year. As they approached Harry cast a sticking charm on one of the doors and manoeuvred Daphne deeper into the surprisingly spacious cupboard.
"He really does have something of an obsession with you." She whispered.
"You're telling me."
As the Slytherins approached, Harry quietly closed the door with a click, brought his wand up, and waited. He would have to surprise them, then distract them away from the cupboard so Daphne might escape unnoticed. Apparently he and Daphne were actually terrible at secrecy.
However, they held their breaths, waited, and waited. Draco should surely have checked the only hiding spot in the hallway before moving on. Yet the door remained firmly closed.
"What's happening?" She whispered his thoughts aloud.
Harry didn't answer, instead holding his hand up and slowly pushing the door open again. Through the gap there was no longer a long string of portraits of jousting knights, cold stone gothic architecture and no pesky Slytherin teenagers.
Instead he found a warmly decorated bedroom with green wallpaper framed by dark wooden panelled walls. A four poster bed, not unlike those found in Gryffindor tower, stood proudly against the far wall. There was a dresser covered in moving photographs to one side, next to a door to an ensuite and a large mirror against the other wall. There was a pleasant smell of baking in the air.
"What in Merlin's balls…" Daphne cursed behind him, having manoeuvred to lean pleasantly against his back.
"Daphne, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore." Harry muttered, pushing the door open wider and stepping out. They had clearly left Hogwarts. Yet Harry's best friend was Hermione Granger, and so he knew well you could not leave Hogwarts magically, not by apparition, portkey or any other method. At least, not according to Hogwarts: A history.
"What?" She asked, climbing out behind him. "Where are we?"
"Never mind. Old movie."
"What's a movie?" Harry grinned down at her but was quickly distracted from responding.
The door at the far end of the room moved and middle aged, slightly larger, witch pushed the door open with her back. She was dressed only in her undergarments with her hair up in rollers and was carrying what appeared to be a basket of laundry. As she turned she spotted the two stunned teens and shrieked bloody murder, her laundry taking to the air in her surprise.
"Uhm, sorry! We can explain!" Harry apologised. Thankfully his girlfriend thought faster than he did and pulled him by his uniform, getting him to follow her back into the cupboard.
By now the lady had covered herself with a towel from the laundry and had found a wand from somewhere.
"Sorry again!" Harry said and pulled the door closed. The sounds of a screaming angry witch disappeared. Pushing the door open once more, with no small amount of trepidation, he was relieved to find the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry once more on the other side.
"What just happened?" Daphne asked quietly.
"I'm not sure." Harry responded and lit his wand with a quick "Lumos." The interior of the cupboard was largely as expected, a cube of blank wooden panels. However, when he looked closer, across the border of each wall was a long string of runes. The purpose of some he could even understand, designating the space inside the arrangement for use in the arrangement, some about switching, an activation on the door.
"Harry!" A voice interrupted his investigation.
"I think this is a vanishing cabinet." He answered, finally remembering her question, and turned to look at his girlfriend. She was frowning.
"Do you often ignore people when you find something that interests you?"
"Sirius has said something to the effect." He scratched his hair, shifting it into ever unruly patterns. "And Neville, and Hermione, though it was a bit rich from her…" Another arrangement caught his eye, was that some sort of switching? There was a fake cough. "Sorry."
She sighed in exasperation. "Seems like I've lost you for the night. May as well get started on my charms assignment." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and moved past him to exit. "Tell me what you find out?"
Harry nodded and then a thought occurred to him. "Curfew is later tomorrow, come to the seventh floor after class, I've something to show you…bring the potions essay maybe?"
"It's a date." She said with a crooked smile, and with a last squeeze of his hand that warmed his chest, she hopped out of the vanishing cupboard and he was alone.
Harry spent much of the rest of the night inspecting the piece of furniture, making sure not to close the door again. There were still parts he would have to look into, but thanks to Moony's gift he thought he mostly understood what had been achieved.
The cupboard seemed, in essence, to be the reverse of his trunk. Where the trunk created multiple spaces that occupied the same location, switching between them. The cupboard created one space, for multiple locations, switching between them with the closing of the doors. There was something else weird happening with the doors, potentially when one opened the other closed, or the switch wouldn't happen if one door was open.
It was confusing, somewhat mind boggling really. But then magic could be like that, especially the more advanced it became.
Harry was happy that the week was finally coming to an end. It was by no means the most exciting or terrifying start to a year he had experienced, the flight of the Ford Anglia certainly won that prize. However, adventures to bedrooms with Daphne aside, it had mostly been stressful. He had been avoiding Ron, which he recognised was juvenile. But the more Hermione suggested Harry apologise, the less he felt like doing so. He hadn't said anything hurtful or mean, and he just couldn't be bothered dealing with it.
The first class with Mad-eye Moody had been highly unpleasant. The man's glee at explaining the dark arts and ever spinning eye was disconcerting and he seemed to have some fascination with Harry. Add the usual Snape, Malfoy and the buzz about the Tri-Wizard tournament and Harry was just glad that the weekend had arrived.
On Friday afternoon he ducked out of the Gryffindor Common Room after dropping his books away and switched them out for others he wanted to take to his study. He was thankful that the office he had commandeered was even still there, Dumbledore not having reverted it to something else over the holidays.
Making sure nobody was around on the map, he found Daphne waiting close to the empty classroom. She had let her hair out of the normal plait she wore for school, instead using a clip with small butterflies on it to keep it over one shoulder. He also noticed that she was wearing a small amount of makeup.
"It was difficult getting away from Tracey and Astoria." She said, sounding somewhat put out, though not at him. "I hope that this-"
She looked alarmed when he kissed her quickly in greeting. "It's okay, the coast is clear. Come on." Grabbing her hand he dragged the Slytherin into the classroom.
"You wanted to show me an empty classroom?" She raised an eyebrow at him inquiringly. "A bit brazen."
"Better than a cupboard." He rebutted with a grin. "But no, come, over here." He approached the wall and spoke the password. "Linfred."
Standing next to him, she jumped back slightly in surprise as the wall moved and shifted into a doorway. "This is amazing Harry! How did you find it?"
"There are plenty of secret passages I can show you, but this isn't one of them." With a tap of his wand the door opened. "I made it." Her hand slipped into his as they made their way up the stairs into the office. All of his furniture remained, the sturdy desk and chair, large plush seats by the fireplace and bookcases.
"I thought it might help us, you know, a secret place." Colour was rising to his cheeks, he could feel it, as he rubbed the back of his neck. Perhaps he was being too presumptuous. Things were certainly going well but, this was his first relationship and he really had no clue what he was doing.
She let go of his hand and ran over to the window excitedly, taking in the view. Apparently done with that quickly she spun about and leant against the bricks, a happy smile plastered to her face.
"It's perfect Harry!" She ran over to him and, gripping his collar, pulled him down into a searing kiss.
After he had unpacked the books he wanted to remain in the study, mostly non-school texts and older textbooks from previous years, they settled in to doing the potions assignment. Six inches on essences. Daphne proved to be highly knowledgeable on the subject, especially when it came to those used in healing, such as Essence of Dittany. She was part way through explaining the distillation of fruit essences when the door creaked open.
"Oh!" His bushy haired best friend exclaimed in surprise, clearly surprised that anyone was in the room, or maybe just that Daphne was and she had been looking for him. "Umm, I can come back later?"
His girlfriend was looking at him hotly, though not as aggressively as he had thought she might've. They really were not good at sneaking around.
"It's fine Hermione, come in." He said and looked to Daphne apologetically. "I'm sorry, I kind of did tell Hermione about us. I just, I needed someone to know, and I trust her the most. Though I didn't know she would be here tonight." Daphne sat back with a huff and then a sigh, the tension leaving her body.
"It's fine, I did assume you might tell someone. It's not like Astoria doesn't know and Tracey I think already has strong, highly founded, suspicions." She gave him another sharp look and he winced. "Who else can get in here?"
"Nobody, for now, just Hermoine I swear!"
"Let's keep it that way then?" She didn't even wait for his answer and turned to the new third wheel. "Welcome Granger, we were just doing our Potions homework. I'd offer you a seat but…" She trailed off, clearly suggesting that there wasn't room for the other female in the room at the moment.
"It's okay, I can just see you later Harry." Hermione turned to leave but the Slytherin in the room seemed to have a change of heart, the turn around almost gave Harry whiplash.
"No, stay, I'm sorry, you are Harry's friend and have a right to be here. Please would you join us?" Harry still wasn't sure by her slightly disappointed tone that Daphne actually wanted that, but he was somewhat cheered that she wasn't seeking to be outright mean. He would be lying if he had said the eventual integration of Daphne and his friends had not worried him. The need for secrecy had delayed those worries somewhat. Seeing Daphne reaching out though, it was, well, unexpected, but it also brought forward feelings he wasn't sure he could identify.
"I really wouldn't want to intrude…" The brunette trailed off.
"It's fine Hermione, perhaps with the both of you around I might actually get a Poor in potions."
"Books and wands away and stand up!" Professor Moody commanded as he marched in, wooden leg thumping on the floor. The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws all scrambled to comply, not willing to draw the ex-auror's ire.
With a wave of his wand, as gnarled as its owner, the desks and seats stacked themselves neatly against the right hand wall. It was an impressive display of magic by Harry's approximation, do so casually.
"Today I've got permission from the Ministry to let you experience the Imperius curse." There were shocked exclamations from the fourth year class, Su Li, who was standing in front of Harry, looked faint.
"Tell me, why might it be important to do this?" The professor barked. Predictably Hermione's hand shot up, along with one or two Ravenclaw's, and Harry's. Just as predictably, as it happened every time he would raise his hand in this class, the professor picked him.
"To know what it feels like?" He asked uncertainty, then the full answer came to him. "So that you might practice breaking it."
"Five points to Gryffindor. Exactly Potter. The best way to break the Imperius curse is to feel it, experience the sweet whisper of its commands, the power of the wizard over your very existence…and throw it off!" A shiver ran down Harry's back. There was a reverence to his lecture and Harry was not looking forward to being on the other end of the man's wand. It sounded almost as if he actually wanted to cast the spell.
"Now line up!" He commanded. Everyone shuffled about and scuffled to be at the back of the line. Unfortunately that resulted in poor unassuming Neville being pushed to the front. The boy gulped audibly and stepped forward, as brave as any Gryffindor. Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder and lined up behind him, showing he had his back.
Moody levelled his wand at the Longbottom and cast. "Imperio!" An almost invisible spell struck Neville and then nothing happened.
"Bark like a dog." The professor ordered, and Neville did just that.
"Walk in circles." The teen strolled about in a circle, looking more confident than any time Harry could remember.
"Tell us who you have a crush on." Neville went to open his mouth but stopped abruptly, conflict finally rising in the boy. He faltered as he went to speak but it came out anyway.
"H-Ha-Hannah Abbott." There was a tittering of laughter through the crowd and Harry glared back at them, silencing them immediately.
"Just wait till it's your turn." He hissed scathingly, furious on behalf of his friend. He turned to the professor. "I think he's had enough, don't you?"
"Finite!" The heavily scarred man cast and turned to Harry. "Volunteering, are we Potter? Very well, Imperio!" Harry almost made to avoid the translucent spell, as though it were a bludger, but forced himself to allow it to hit him.
A feeling of peace, bliss, washed over him, as though all his worries were somebody else's. He didn't have to worry about Sirius and Remus and their respective mental health, about Voldemort lurking out there, about upsetting his friends somehow or worse Daphne. The Dursleys were an afterthought, his parent's death suddenly irrelevant. It was nice, unnatural, strangely uncomfortable.
"Act like a chicken." A voice cajoled, whispering to him and all he wanted to do in that moment was fold his arms back and cluck. He was sure it would make him feel better. But why did he want to feel better? He was already doing pretty well, he didn't really need much more.
"Act like a chicken!" The voice said again, this time much more forcefully. Why would he want to do that though, he was nobody's slave, not anymore, he could do what he wanted.
"Tell the class who you have a crush on." It whispered again, once more attempting to convince him how much better things would be if he just said her name. But they wouldn't be, not at all, it would be much worse. He wouldn't let her down like that!
Suddenly the feeling broke, and he found himself panting on his hands and knees. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back. He felt cold and alone, there on the Defense classroom floor.
"Stop it! Can't you see he's had enough!" Hermione was crying at the professor, not realising that the curse had been broken. Harry turned his head and looked scathingly at the man.
"Alright, good job, ten points to Gryffindor." The eye swivelled away from him, going back to its normal erratic movements. "See that class, that's how you break the curse. Now, Granger, looks like you're next."
Hermione was standing next to him, and looked positively furious, her hands clenched and vibrating. Harry reached up and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.
The class continued, though Moody seemed to lighten up after Harry's turn, making lesser demands of the students, mostly cartwheels or other physical demands. Nobody managed to break the curse however. They were all immensely grateful when the class ended.
Little bit shorter in this chapter sorry, just seemed like a natural place to stop. There are a few things in this chapter that will have importance to future Harry projects, one of my philosophies for this story is to make sure ideas don't appear out of nowhere, that you can see how Harry reaches and expands on things.
Additionally lots of fluff and such for you all, a bit more fleshing out of the long awaited Daphne and Harry relationship, I hope it is living up to any expectations. It is not always going to be smooth sailing but I do want to get that foundation down and I hope this chapter really pushed that forward. Just like projects and ideas I have never wanted things with characters to come out of nowhere!
Next time we are getting into the arrival of the schools and everything that follows.