A/N. I was inspired enough to be able to upload another chapter this quickly. Also keep in mind that it'll take a few chapters to humanize Daphne.
Within three days Daphne, with the help of Tracey, had put the second phase of her plan in action.
"Nighty, I need you to take all this to this address. But be careful, the place is under surveillance, you mustn't be caught."
The tiny elf nodded its head vigorously and popped away.
Harry jumped out of his skin when he heard the pop behind him. The tiny elf squeaked in fright upon seeing a wand pointed at its face "Nighty be bringing Potty thingy's."
Harry narrowed his eyes "what things?" He didn't need the ministry sending him another warning for performing under-age magic nor could he trust the elf, for all he knew the elf was working for a death eater.
"A letter and papers." The elf said, snapping its fingers before Harry could react. A small trunk appeared with a letter attached on top.
He glared at the elf "you are not allowed to do magic here." He hissed "if the ministry finds out they'll skin me!"
The elf looked at him fearfully "Nighty is being sorry. Nighty be hiding her magic from everyone. Nighty be punishing herself."
Harry visibly calmed down and suddenly felt bad for causing the elf so much distress. "Nighty, you will not punish yourself. I didn't know that elves could hide their magic." The elf looking relieved popped away before he could stop it.
He stared at the trunk for an hour, debating on whether to touch it or not. Finally, curiosity got the best of him and he snatched the letter, relaxing slightly when he wasn't magically whisked away or attacked.
Tearing the letter open he began to read.
Harry,
I have been observing you for a while now and I dare say that I'm disappointed. I would have expected the heir apparent to house Potter to show a thirst to prove himself. I have attached copies of OWL and NEWT results from other members of your house. In the trunk you will find notes from some of the best students in each year. I hope you will make good use of them.
If you prove yourself next year, I shall procure the notes that you will require for your NEWT levels. These notes are being given to you in good faith, you will under no circumstance share them with anybody else.
Yours sincerely,
A concerned shadow.
He started shuffling through the other papers.
James Potter
OWL results / NEWT results
Transfiguration O / O
Charms O / O
Potions EE / O
Herbology O / EE
History O / O
Defence against the Dark arts O / O
Arithmancy O / O
Runes O / O
Care of magical creatures EE / —
Duelling — / O
Charlus Potter
OWL results / NEWT results
Transfiguration O / O
Charms O / O
Potions O / O
Herbology O / O
History O / O
Defence against the Dark arts O / O
Arithmancy O / O
Runes O / O
Creature language (goblin) O / —
Duelling — / O
Law & Politics — / O
Fleamont Potter
OWL results / NEWT results
Transfiguration O / O
Charms O / O
Potions O / O
Herbology EE / EE
History O / O
Defence against the Dark arts O / O
Arithmancy O / O
Runes O / O
Creature language (goblin) O / —
Foreign language (French) O / —
Duelling — / O
Healing — / O
Law & Politics — / O
He went over the other ten copies, all were similar when it came to their results, the only thing that changed was Hogwarts offering lesser courses as the years went by. At some point there had been something called Occlumency & Legilimency, Warding, Finance, Latin, Sanskrit, Druid Magic, The Dark Arts, Blood magic, Elemental specialities, Necromancy and one of his ancestors had even given an exam in parseltongue and beast magic.
He sat on his bed completely dumbfounded, why would anybody go through all this trouble? No matter how he spun it, he just couldn't see what someone would gain from his grades getting better. He opened the trunk and found it full of files, each one clearly marked with the subject and year.
Looking at the time he realized that it was well past midnight, getting into bed his mind was still reeling with questions but sleep eventually overcame him.
He woke up the next morning bright and early, it was barely 6 a.m. Normally he would have tried to go back to sleep but this morning guilt was gnawing away at him. From the look of things, he'd be the first Potter in history to scrape by in his schooling.
With renewed determination he took out the first file, labelled Charms year 1 and started reading. Around 9 a.m. his aunt called him to make breakfast, once everyone had eaten, he went straight back up.
It was the first time that he wasn't being forced to do any chores apart from helping prepare the meals and cleaning up after and he was going to make the most of all the new found free time.
A week had gone by and even though he was really busy reviewing his school work; he was frustrated at the lack of news from his friends. He had written to them only to receive vague replies. He had even been receiving a copy of the Daily Prophet and couldn't understand why they hadn't reported any attacks.
Daphne was writing another letter. Tracey had spent the weekend at the manor where they'd discussed their progress.
"Are you sure your dad didn't suspect anything?"
"Don't worry Daph, I told dad that you were doing a project on magical families. My parents know how weird you are. Apparently, you want to see if intelligence is hereditary, I have the records for the Longbottom's, Bones', Black's, Prewett's and Weasel's." She counted off her fingers.
"What? I just started sprouting out names that I could think of from the politicking classes that your dad used to give us. Are you sure that he'll actually bother though? It's not like he's bothered so far."
"If seeing how average he is compared to his ancestors doesn't make him better himself than I don't know what will."
Tracey went quiet, lost in thought.
"What's brewing in your mind?"
"It's just, look, I know why you are doing this. I totally understand and support you, but what side are you going to choose?"
Daphne simply shrugged.
"Daph, if Mr Flight from Death wins then we will all be slaves. Have you thought about that? You are doing this now, so no matter what, you are on the winning side, but have you thought of what will happen if he wins? He wants to rule over everyone, even his followers are just servants."
"So, what are you saying Trace? You want me to help Potter win? But what about Tori?"
"If you are the one pulling the strings then you decide the outcome. Didn't Narcissa tell you that every witch should have her wizard wrapped around her finger? Well, he's your wizard and if you play your cards right, he'll be eating out of your hand in no time."
"So now I have to keep Tori safe, break up the golden trio, ace my OWL's, get Potter to fall for me, delude myself enough to fall for him and win a bloody war?"
Tracey flinched at Daphne's attitude towards Potter. "Hey, no one said it was easy being a witch!"
Daphne scowled at her but she sat there tapping the quill deep in thought. "Trace," she said after a while "have you been reading the Daily Prophet?"
"Of course, what sort of aspiring journalist doesn't keep up with the news."
"Notice anything different lately?"
Tracey racked her brain as she tried to think of an answer. She hated how Daphne always expected everyone around her to know things, she didn't realize that not everyone over analysed everything like she did. Nor was their brain constantly working, the rest of the world knew how to shut off and relax. But not Daphne, then it hit her "there is a new column. It isn't marked or exclusive enough to be worth remembering though…"
"Exactly. The column light heartedly" Daphne said with air quotes "writes funny stories about Harry Potter."
"Isn't all publicity good publicity?"
"Not when you require a certain outcome. Tell me Trace, if I asked you to get a book from my bag would you, do it?"
"Yeah sure, what do you need?" She asked, walking to Daphne's closet.
"Any book really, though you should know that my new pet is resting in there." She said just as Tracey opened the latch of her bag.
"What pet sleeps in a bag?" Tracey asked, sticking her hand in.
"Inland Taipan." Daphne replied nonchalantly.
The effect was instantaneous. Tracey shrieked and flung the bag across the room.
Daphne sat back and watched Tracey get over the shock of nearly facing her biggest fear. "If I'd said there was a rope, would you have reacted like that?"
Tracey looked up at her best friend like she'd lost her mind. "Have you gone completely mad! You know I'm terrified of snakes; I should murder you here and now!"
Daphne though looked unfazed. "What if I'd said it was a grass snake?"
Tracey blinked several times. Then she sighed and plonked herself on the chair. "You know, there's a reason why I'm your only friend. A lot of times you do things for your own gratification without considering the consequences of your actions and that doesn't sit well with most people…"
Daphne frowned, it was true, Tracey had always been her moral compass but sometimes she thought that people were overly sensitive. When she was seven her aunt had given her a Muggle board game. It had simply changed her perspective on life, life was like battleships, you kept your moves secret and tried to figure out your opponent's plans. She had become very good at reading people thanks to that game and always managed to win.
Looking up at Tracey who still looked peeved she sighed. "Trace, I'm sorry. I just wanted to test a theory but honestly what else did you all expect? Every single one of you lined up to face the Boggart that Professor Lupin had brought, you literally aired out your biggest fears for the world to see…"
"Everyone except you! Honestly Daph, I'm just glad you are pursuing your dream in politics and are not trying to become the next super villain. You'd be terrifying, so what was the point of nearly causing me a heart attack?"
"When I said it might be a rope you felt like I was mocking you, mocking your fear of snakes. But had I said it was a grass snake, you'd still be weary enough to be worried right? But you wouldn't be outright terrified…"
Tracey looked over her shoulder as she started adding things to her list of things to do for Potter. "That's a good plan, you should also add character traits. Fudge, from what I've heard, is gullible but he needs to feel important. He may even meet Bones, from the way Susan talks about her aunt, she's a tough nut to crack but she's fair. She likes straight shooters… Wait, I'll make a separate list of possible people that he may encounter and how to tackle them."
"That's done!" Daphne said after half an hour.
Tracey frowned at the letter, "you know, I sometimes feel like he may not be very healthy. I mean, he's as tall as Nott, but when I was digging up information on the Potters, they were described as tall… he's pretty skinny as well, come to think of it but that may just be the baggy clothes."
"You are right, maybe some potions might make him easier on the eyes."
Tracey rolled her eyes as Daphne added another task. "I was actually talking about bettering his health, you know! Merlin, Daph! You are lucky I love you; you sure don't make it easy though!"
Daphne finished her letter and called Nighty, asking the elf to deliver it for her.
Harry looked up from the file he was reading when he heard the familiar pop. "Hello Nighty, I honestly hope you haven't brought more notes. I've just barely finished reviewing the first subject."
"No Mr Potty sir, Nighty be bringing a letter." The elf said, placing the letter on the night stand.
"Wait, Nighty. What if I want to write back to your master? How do I do that? I suppose you can't tell me who they are, can you?"
The elf shook her head "you can be calling for Nighty when you is wanting to send a letter."
"Thank you." He answered as the elf popped away.
Leaving the notes, he opened the letter.
Harry,
I don't know if you receive the Daily Prophet, but your revelations after the third task have gotten the minister worried. He is currently trying to slander your name; Nighty will be happy to assist you in any way that she can. I need you to do the following…
Harry was angry to find out that there were people keeping a watch on him, he understood that it was for his safety, but seeing how no one had come to actually see him, made him feel more like a prisoner.
Getting to Diagon Alley hadn't been easy but he'd somehow managed it, without being caught by death eaters or Dumbledore's people.
He headed straight for Gringotts where he asked to speak to his account manager. He was shown to the office of a goblin named Rubyaxe.
"What can I do for you, Mr Potter?" The goblin asked, skipping all the pleasantries.
"I was told that I am now considered of age seeing how I inadvertently upheld a magically binding contract that only applied to witches and wizards who were 17 and above."
The goblin started shuffling through some papers before finding the one he was looking for. "It seems that you were informed correctly, I assume you are here to regain control of the main vault?"
"Yes."
"Very well, you currently have a hundred thousand galleons in the main vault as it has been sealed ever since James Potter's demise. Should I transfer the 9,850 galleons that are in your trust vault into the main vault?"
"How much have I spent in the past 4 years?"
The goblin looked up the ledgers before replying "150 galleons."
"No, in that case leave the main vault as it is for now. I was told that the goblins can help invest my money so that it grows?"
"Yes, I can look up several options. Gringotts would charge 2% on your earnings."
"That sounds good. Is there a way that I can take out money without having to come to the bank?"
"You can send an elf."
"Err, I don't have one."
"I can give you a money pouch, we have different money pouches depending on the limit. The cheapest one will cost two galleons a year and can hold up to five thousand galleons, the most expensive one costs twelve galleons a year and can hold up to three hundred thousand galleons."
"I think the two galleon one is fine for now." Harry replied.
Half an hour later he left the bank with his new money pouch safely resting in his pocket. The back of his hand still felt itchy, he'd had to sign some papers that required a blood signature, apparently there was a special quill that used the signatory's own blood. He hoped he didn't have to see one of those again any time soon.
He headed straight to Madam Malkin's where he got a brand-new wardrobe of wizarding fashions finest. CS had specified that he needed to go to the exclusive section at the back of the store. He was pretty sure that Malfoy Senior would be proud of his choice in garments, the thought tickled him.
After that he went into Muggle London where he once again splurged on Muggle clothes and footwear. Exhausted, he was ready to call it a day when a shop caught his eye. Deciding to go all out he headed to the Opticians where he got fitted for lenses.
Finally, back at Privet Drive, he threw all of Dudley's hand-me-downs under the bed and placed his new clothes in his trunk. The Dursleys had barely acknowledged his existence this summer, it worked for him, especially now that he'd done such a radical change in appearance.
The next morning, he found himself sneaking back out. This time he was following the directions in the letter, he supposed it made sense, he'd never really thought about the magical world having hospitals.
He left St Mungos with a boatload of potions. He wasn't looking forward to taking them, knowing how horrible they tended to taste but the healer had told him that his malnourishment had caused his growth to stunt. Not wanting to be the shortest boy in class was motivating enough to down the disgusting potions.
The next day he found himself sneaking out yet once more. This time he was dressed to the tee and knew how important the meeting was. He followed the instructions in the letter and found himself entering the ministry of magic through a broken phone booth.
The guard at the entrance checked his wand before letting him through, telling him that the minister's office was located on the tenth floor. Hoping against hope that no one recognized him he crossed the atrium with determined but long strides. Reaching a set of elevators, he climbed into the first one that stopped.
Looking up he saw pink and yellow coloured paper birds that would zoom in and out on different floors. A few people glanced at him but he was mostly ignored.
Stepping out on the tenth floor he froze; a familiar red head was sitting at a desk furiously writing. Not knowing what else to do, he simply hoped that he had time to finish his business before Percy Weasley fetched someone who'd send him back to Privet Drive.
"Ahem, I'm here to see minister Fudge."
"Do you have an appointment?" He said without looking up.
"I don't but this matter will be of great interest to him."
Percy looked up, interested only to sneer. "Potter, what are you doing here?"
Harry was taken aback with the coldness that the man showed. He'd never been close to the boy, but he hadn't expected such animosity. Fortunately, the door opened and Fudge stepped out.
"Weatherby, I need… Potter?"
"Minister, can we talk? In private. It is of the utmost importance."
Fudge looked like he'd swallowed something nasty but nodded "two minutes Potter, I'm a busy man."
Harry followed him into his office and took a seat.
"What is it?" Fudge asked wearily.
"I wanted to start by apologizing for all the trouble that I've caused." Harry said watching the man perk up "as you can imagine, I wasn't in the right state of mind after living through such a harrowing experience. I just wanted to let you know that Voldemort isn't back."
Fudge flinched at the name but his face was positively radiant, all the weariness from earlier had evaporated.
"But there is a Dark Lord. A new wizard is trying to take Voldemort's place, he already has followers. He was the one who killed Cedric. He kept on saying that he will be greater and more terrifying than Voldemort was, that's why he targeted me. He wanted to kill the boy that caused Voldemort's fall." Harry added.
Fudge immediately paled, "Now see here young man, I will not allow you to..."
"Minister." Harry quickly cut in, adjusting the ruby ring on his left hand. "I remember how you personally looked out for my safety when I accidentally blew my aunt up and ran away. I am merely returning the favour, especially now that I can actively form part of the Wizengamot… I was hoping that you'd be around…"
"Are you saying that someone is trying to overthrow me as minister of magic?"
Harry had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. "Minister, don't make the mistakes that were made in the past when wizards like Grindelwald and Voldemort had gained enough power that they were practically ruling wizarding Britain. You are a great minister; I have seen first-hand how you ensure the safety of our people. We need to nip this upstart in the bud, you must immediately contact the head of the DMLE."
Fudge kept on looking at the ring that rested on Harry's hand, "Yes, yes. You are right. I cannot let some upstart Dark magic wielding fanatic destroy everything that I've created. Harry, I believe that together you and I can achieve greatness. We were all clearly confused, I will right it all."
From his face Harry could see that Fudge was already rehearsing his re-election speech. So far, he'd followed the instructions in the letter to the tee and things had gone smoothly, now it was time to improvise.
"Minister, there is one more thing. You might not like it though…"
"What is it, Harry?"
"It was Peter Pettigrew; he is the one who found this so-called Dark Lord and brought him. He was afraid of what Sirius Black would do to him if he was found. Or what I would do. He is the reason that I'm an orphan, after all. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it minister Bagnold who clearly made an error in judgement?" Harry just hoped the minister didn't notice all the buttering; the letter had pointed out that the man loved his ego being stroked.
Fudge seemed to mull over Harry's words but he could see the man bouncing with excitement. "Harry, I will call Amelia Bones to extract a copy of the memory of Pettigrew. But I will need something from you, this upstart clearly wants to prove himself by doing what you-know-who couldn't. I will set up a press conference in a week's time, but I will need you to stand by me. We will let the public know that we are working tirelessly to keep them all safe, together."
Harry kept his composure and simply nodded but inside he was doing a dance. Fudge accompanied Harry to the office of the head of the DMLE, giving her a brief explanation before leaving.
She watched the memory of Harry's third year, clearly not impressed by the injustice. "Sirius Black will be declared a free man in tomorrow's paper and I will make sure that Pettigrew is caught. Now this upstart Dark Lord that has our minister in a tizzy…"
"Would you like to see the memory?" Harry asked, hoping against hope that his secret writer was correct about the woman.
Half an hour later she sat on her chair seething "the fool wanted to cover this up? Mr Potter, this isn't an upstart, it is Voldemort."
Harry smirked "and a lot of good it did me to say it out aloud. I realized that fear makes people act stupidly. People are so scared of him that they'd rather hide than face him." In all honesty he'd been made to realize it by CS, they'd exchanged a few letters discussing all the possible scenarios that could play out at the ministry.
"But with this memory we can prove that your story is correct, that he's back."
He wanted to agree and later say I told you so to CS, but he knew that once again CS had a point. "Which would only escalate things. The one's in power who don't want to believe it will try to bury the story, the ones in power who want to keep it secret will bury the story. Voldemort himself seems to be in hiding now, which gives us time to prepare. How does it matter if you are preparing to fight a Dark Lord or the Dark Lord, the goal is the same."
The woman studied him through her glasses for several seconds, reminding him a lot of the strict Professor McGonagall and then she smiled "very astute Mr Potter, are you sure you aren't in Slytherin?"
Harry smirked. "Don't we all have a bit of Slytherin in us?"
"Mr Potter, I would like to apologize on behalf of the wizarding world, but not all of us are Cornelius Fudge. Unfortunately, he's the man who decides which department will do what. I had wanted to investigate everything that had happened after the third task, but my hands were tied. Don't worry, I'll be sure to only share the truth with a trusted few, you are right, it's time we all showed our Slytherin colours."
A blue haired witch bumped into him as he was leaving, she mumbled an apology, hardly looking at him as she hurried out. He was relieved when he managed to leave the ministry without being spotted and surprised that Percy hadn't gone running to someone to inform them about Harry breaking the rules.
Harry woke up from yet another nightmare. He'd barely had a good night's rest ever since his encounter with Voldemort at the graveyard. Rubbing his eyes in frustration he found himself contemplating the quill and parchment lying on his night stand. He knew it was risky, but no one had bothered asking him how he was the past couple of weeks. It was like, everyone had forgotten about him. Besides, this secret writer didn't seem to have any ill will towards him, not so far at least… shaking off any doubts for the first time in his life Harry Potter shared his innermost thoughts with someone.
Dear concerned shadow,
I thought that you'd like to know that I've finished reviewing the first year of charms. I think that I'm finally getting a grasp on the theory. I would also like to thank you for everything. I managed to talk to Fudge and Bones, you were right about both of them.
I know it's really late or super early, depending on what time you wake up or go to bed but I couldn't sleep…
Daphne Greengrass woke up to his letter. He was apparently having difficulty sleeping as Cedric's demise haunted his dreams, she was honestly surprised at how detailed his letter was. He'd simply poured his heart out to a complete stranger. Now, what was she supposed to do? Did he expect her to console him?
The paper caught her eye, she narrowed them at the headline and knew that it had been Potter.
Sirius Black Innocent.
Yesterday, the ministry received an anonymous tip on the whereabouts of Peter Pettigrew, a man who was considered dead. Murdered by Black's wand. "Of course, I immediately asked Amelia Bones to launch a full investigation. I will not make the mistakes of my predecessors; my ministry is just and fair. We uncovered evidence that absolves Sirius Black of all crimes." Minister Cornelius Fudge said in an exclusive interview. Madam Bones was not available for comments, we at the Daily Prophet are glad that the current ministry is upholding the law above all.
She found herself smiling, who'd known that a little snake was hiding in the lion's den. Taking out some parchment, she started jotting down a reply.
Harry,
I can't assume to understand what you've been through but I can lend an ear whenever you need it.
Imagine my surprise to find out that Sirius Black is declared innocent the day after you pay a visit to the ministry, did the sorting hat make a mistake with you?
A concerned shadow.
Daphne watched Nighty pop away with the letter. She traced a light finger down his letter, he sounded so vulnerable, maybe she'd been wrong about him. Maybe, for once the universe had sent a golden snitch her way. She remembered her grandmother's words "never judge a book by its cover, my darling flower." Of course, she was referring to Daphne not underestimating anyone that's why she called her, her flower. It was something she'd read by her favourite author who loved to disguise himself as a muggle. "Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it."
Greengrass was a matriarchal house, when her mother passed away her grandmother took over Daphne's training. Being the eldest daughter, the onus of representing house Greengrass fell on her.
"My darling flower" her grandmother's-tired voice called out. She shook herself out of her thoughts, she couldn't let her guard down. She wouldn't.