Harry woke up the morning of August 12th before the sun had even come up. He'd been so nervous about the upcoming trial that try as he might, he just couldn't enter a restful slumber. At 4:30 in the morning he gave up trying and decided to start his day.
He got out of bed quietly, doing his best not to disturb the sleep of others in the house and made his way out into the hallway. He quickly walked over to the bathroom where he proceeded to take a quick shower and complete his morning ritual. Once he finished, he quietly tiptoed to the library deciding to see if he could find any books he had yet to read regarding trials before the Wizengamot for some last-minute prep work. He found an old tome talking about the trial of some ancient ancestor of the Blacks and began to flip through it.
He had done quite a bit of research in the past few weeks with the help of Sirius and Hermione, so he could better understand what he was facing. No more going in blind he'd decided. But no matter how hard he tried; his brain was currently just too restless to let him focus on anything. After a few more minutes of staring at the same page and comprehending nothing, he gave it up as a lost cause and instead began to reflect on the prior few weeks since he had arrived at Grimmauld Place.
Hermione, after a quick shock that he had done his school work, had very quickly volunteered to help him edit his summer assignments, and thanks to her he was certain he would do well on the work they had been given over their reprieve from school. She had even convinced Ron to start on it, and although he grumbled and complained all the while, he was also making steady progress.
Harry had also gotten in touch with Professor McGonagall and let her know of his intention to drop divination and pick up ancient runes. She had been surprised when he informed her of his change of heart and let him know that he would have to pass an entry exam once back at school, but if he did, she would gladly allow the switch to happen.
Naturally Hermione had taken it upon herself to help him prepare. This consisted of letting him look over her meticulous notes from the previous 2 years and giving him a crash course on the subject. He was nearly certain that the reason Hermione was stepping up so much all the sudden was due to lingering guilt she felt from leaving him in the dark earlier on in the summer, but even though he had told her all was forgiven multiple times, she still insisted.
Besides schoolwork, Harry was doing his best to just have fun. They all still had to clean the house, but when they were finished with their assigned tasks, they would hang around together goofing off and laughing for hours on end. He had also been sure to spend as much time as possible with Sirius and soak up all the information Sirius so freely offered concerning his parents. Harry was beginning to feel like just maybe he was starting to actually know them, even though he couldn't remember them.
He had also had a short meeting with George and Fred where, to Harry's vast amusement, they seemed to be very serious and professional. They showed him what they'd been working on, and Harry was truly impressed. He was certain that most of their original inventions would sell out in no time, and they even showed him some handy things they were working on specifically for protection against Voldemort. Harry let them know that he was on board with everything that they were doing and told them that if they needed more money, he would gladly provide it until their products began to turn a profit.
Lastly, and if Dumbledore was to be believed most importantly, he had started his occlumency lessons with Sirius. They hadn't progressed very far yet, Harry was learning to organize his thoughts and control his emotions. Sirius had kindly given him some reading material which contained exercises that helped him to clear his mind, and once again Hermione made it her personal mission to work with Harry and help him. It had helped that his best friend was also intrigued and wanted to learn the practice herself.
All in all, Harry had been enjoying his time at Grimmauld doing his best to ignore the trial that hung over his head like a dark cloud on the horizon. However, the storm had arrived and right now he was trying to do his best to weather it.
Suddenly Harry heard the front door open and close quietly. He glanced at his wristwatch and saw that the time was half past six. Curious as to who would be arriving at such an early hour, he stepped out of the library to investigate. He relaxed when he saw none other than Albus Dumbledore wearing a garish pair of light blue robes covered in moons and stars standing in the front hall quietly observing the portraits which hung on the wall with interest. Without turning around, he greeted Harry conversationally "Good morning, Harry. Trouble sleeping?" he asked.
"Yes sir, I couldn't stop thinking about the trial." He answered honestly. After a brief pause, he continued in a questioning tone of voice "Sir I thought you'd be here a bit later seeing as the trial isn't for a few more hours yet?"
Dumbledore straightened and turned around to fully face Harry. He had a hard look in his eyes, as though there was something that was upsetting him, and was about to share it with Harry. "I wouldn't put it past the minister to try some sort of trickery, and I decided it would be best to be well prepared. Even if he doesn't Molly is an excellent cook, and you are quite pleasant company, and I wouldn't mind wasting a few hours away together if you don't." He finished, the hardness that was there moments ago fading into a kinder look.
"Not at all sir, I believe I hear Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen right now. Perhaps we could help her set everything up." Harry replied.
"An excellent idea, after you Harry." They both walked into the kitchen and wished Molly a good morning. Dumbledore set the table with a wave of his wand and the three held light conversation as Molly finished up breakfast. One by one the others slowly tumbled in after waking up to the delicious aroma that was wafting through the air.
They had just sat down and had hardly begun to eat when a ministry owl flew into the dining room through an open window and stopped in front of Harry holding out its leg. Harry quickly unfurled the parchment and once he had read it over, he handed it to Dumbledore to feeling slightly annoyed with the ministry for trying to do what they could to make him look bad.
Molly was the first person to ask what the letter was about, and Dumbledore was quick to inform her. "It seems as though the ministry has decided to push Harry's trial forward 2 hours. That means we must be there in ten minutes." He said in a calm voice. "Thank you for the marvelous meal, Molly, I am saddened it was cut short. I truly apologize we could not stick around longer, but alas duty calls. Harry, you and I must leave now, Arthur will we be seeing you there?"
"Yes, you will. Hermione asked if she could tag along and Ron as well, would that be all right?" The kind man responded.
Harry was quietly thankful for the support he was receiving from his two best friends, and he eagerly awaited Dumbledore's response. "Yes, that should be fine as it is a trial open to the public, and once this farce of a trial is over, I would love to take everyone on a quick trip so we can celebrate." He said, "I think some ice cream might be in order, if that's all right with you Molly, and the three of you of course?"
Once they had all responded affirmatively, Dumbledore stood and beckoned for Harry to follow. After they had made their way outside, Dumbledore informed Harry of a stop they would have to make as they needed to pick someone up. With Ms. Figg in tow, they apparated directly into the ministry, something Harry had thought was impossible, and they quickly began making their way down to the courtroom. Dumbledore's optimistic attitude had Harry feeling confident and hopeful that this would end well.
Daphne was quite annoyed. Her father had woken her up an hour earlier than she was expecting and had told her that if they wanted to get to the trial on time, she would have to get ready in the next few minutes. This presented a problem as Daphne liked to look her best when it came to public outings, but she couldn't do that if she only had five minutes to get dressed.
Due to the time constraints, she couldn't even dwell on it and be properly upset, instead she took a quick shower and brushed her teeth for a considerably shorter time than she would have liked. Her hair was already nearly completely dry (magic was such a wonderful thing), and because she didn't have time to do anything with it, she let it fall naturally over her shoulders. Grabbing clean underwear, a pair of dark jeans, and a dark green sweater she dressed quickly before donning a set of semi-formal robes and ran downstairs.
Once she arrived in the living room, she could see her father dressed in his official house robes waiting patiently next to the floo. "Ready to go sweetheart?" he asked kindly.
"Yeah, I am" She responded out of breath. Her father nodded once and began to make his way towards the fireplace where he was preparing to grab some floo powder out of the bag they kept on the mantle. He threw the green powder into the flames and beckoned for her to go first. With a shout of 'Ministry of Magic' and a flash of color she was gone only to appear moments later at the public ministry floo reception.
Quickly she moved out of the way and her father who had been following her, also stepped through. They began to make their way through the atrium of the ministry heading for the lifts. A short while later when they were halfway towards the lifts Daphne decided to voice a suspicion she had "Daddy?" she asked.
"Yes darling." He replied kindly, looking at her to show she had his full attention even as they continued their walk.
"Why the sudden time change? Do you think they're trying to purposefully sabotage him?" She asked quietly so that no one could hear what they were discussing. The ministry was full of lackeys waiting to report to whoever it was that cared about trivial things like a conversation that might make the ministry sound bad.
"That had been what I thought when I first received the letter as well, but who knows, maybe they just had a scheduling error or something else came up." He responded, though his voice sounded doubtful.
Daphne nodded and they finished the rest of their walk towards the lift in relative silence. After they had gotten in with a handful of people who also seemed to be heading to the trial, they made their way down and found the courtroom easily enough. However, once they entered her father got a rather annoyed look in his eyes and seemed to be suppressing anger. Daphne was also starting to get angry, in the countless books she'd read on wizarding law, many of them discussed this very courtroom which happened to be where the worst of people were tried.
The death eaters were prosecuted here, along with murderers, rapists, and the most despicable criminals. Now they were trying to send a message to the world. Harry Potter should be grouped with the others, a violent and vile criminal. They didn't have time to dwell on this however, as shortly after they had walked in Harry and Dumbledore entered the courtroom simultaneously, walking next to one another. Her father bid her farewell to take his seat amongst the Wizengamot as she settled into the guest area.
Daphne watched Harry as he made his way down to the defense section and noticed that he looked different. He had certainly grown taller since the school year ended not too long ago, easily half a head taller than her now. She also noted that for the first time ever he didn't look terribly skinny. Even through his robes she could see that his chest and shoulders had begun to broaden, and his upper body was starting to bulk up a bit. He was by no means an extremely muscular man, but he no longer appeared like a strong enough wind could knock him over either.
However, what stood out most to her was the confidence he now carried himself with. Ever since she had saw him for the first time in their first year, he had always walked around with his head down and eyes averted making him look timid and afraid. When he walked into the courtroom however, he did so with his back straight and head held high. This coupled with his elegant house Potter robes, and he looked... powerful.
Not long after they had seated themselves Minister Fudge entered the room and quickly ordered that Harry be bound to the defense chair. The aurors guarding him looked hesitant to do so and traded nervous glances with each other. Dumbledore looked livid at the request also, but before he could say anything Madame Bones beat him to it. "Stand down there will be no binding. The young man is just 15 years old and the last time I checked minister," she said now directing her ire towards the portly Minister of Magic, "I was presiding over this court not you."
Fudge turned red in anger or embarrassment at being spoken to like that, or maybe a combination of the two, but he wisely kept quiet and took a seat. One of his lackeys however wasn't as smart it seemed. "How dare you speak to the minister that way! He can do whatever he likes and if he wants the brat bound then he should be bound!" Screeched the women that looked like a toad dressed in all pink with a ridiculously annoying voice.
Amelia was not having any of it however, "Undersecretary Umbridge, should you speak out of turn again I will personally bind you and have you arrested for contempt of court. Do I make myself clear?" After she received a terse nod of the head from the toad looking lady Amelia continued. "Very well then. As everyone is present let us begin. This disciplinary hearing on the 12th of August into offenses committed under the decree for the reasonable restriction of underage sorcery and the International Statute of Secrecy by Harry James Potter, resident at number four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.
Interrogators Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister of Magic; Amelia Susan Bones, head of DMLE. Court scribe, Percy Ignatius Weasley-"
"Witness for the defense Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore" * Dumbledore broke in quietly.
Amelia nodded to show her consent and continued "Harry James Potter, you are found guilty of performing magic in a muggle neighborhood in front of muggles. This violates the statute of secrecy and also restriction of underage magic. What do you have to say in your defense?"*
Daphne watched as Harry looked over to Dumbledore who gave a slight nod in return, and that was all the encouragement he needed. Harry began to tell his story, and it was clear that the entire Wizengamot was riveted by his tale. When he reached the part about the temperature dropping and the feeling of dread washing over him Daphne and the majority of others knew what was coming next, but when he actually mentioned the dementors and how he had fought them off using a patronus charm which he'd learnt at 13, a loud uproar began in the courtroom.
Fudge was screaming about the impossibility of a 15-year-old casting such a difficult charm let alone a 13-year-old knowing how to, and the others were torn between being equally upset or awed. Harry calmly sat through the surge of noise and waited for the room to calm. After Amelia banged the gavel a few times the room finally quieted. "Obviously, there are doubts concerning your claim. Would you be willing to try to conjure a patronus now to prove whether you actually can perform this level of magic?" She asked not unkindly.
Daphne saw the Minister and his undersecretary share a look of smug superiority and laughed quietly to herself. Everyone at Hogwarts knew that Harry had been able to cast his patronus since the quidditch match when he scared Draco and his goons so badly that they had wet themselves. She saw Harry stand up and draw his wand from a wrist holster underneath the sleeve of his robes. With a clearly stated "Expecto Patronum!" a white stag leapt from his wand it walked around the front of the courtroom and looked at everyone in turn. Seeing no threats after a minute, the white vapor dissipated into the wind before fading completely.
This time the entirety of the hall fell into a shocked silence. Daphne especially liked the way that the minister sputtered as he tried to make sense of what had happened. Finally, he regained enough of his wit to shout out, "The level of magic which he cast does not matter! He still cast the charm whilst underage and in front of muggles!"
Daphne could hear some muttering of approval from a few people, but most were still shell-shocked over the casual display of immense power from the teenage boy. At this point Dumbledore picked up the tale. Now that the use of magic was deemed appropriate Dumbledore was left with proving the charm was not performed in front of any ordinary muggles and made sure to state that even if it had been, Harry was still justified in his actions. The Final nail in the coffin was when a squib who had apparently been present during the incident was called to testify. She praised Harry for saving lives and called him a hero.
When it came time to vote on a verdict Harry was set free and acquitted of all charges following a vast majority vote from the Wizengamot, and Fudge was even further humiliated when Dumbledore pointed out that dementors should be under ministry control. He said it in a way that didn't accuse anyone of anything but insinuated that this was either due to lack of competence from the ministry or them losing control over the dark beasts. Daphne was impressed, the old man really did know how to play to a crowd, and Daphne was sure by tomorrow morning the major news outlets would be discussing whether or not the ministry could control the vile creatures for any longer.
The room began to clear quickly after that and Daphne waited for her father who was discussing with Samuel Davis, the father of her best friend Tracey, in the reserved area for Wizengamot members. After a few minutes, he wrapped up his conversation and approached his daughter. When he reached her, he let her know that her presence had been requested at the Davis manor in the form of an invitation to a sleepover. Daphne laughed at the formal way he put it and quickly agreed making a mental note to floo call Tracey later and set up a date. It had been much too long since their last girl night.
Once they had exited the chamber Daphne looked back to tell her father something and didn't realize she was walking into someone until she hit a solid chest that nearly sent her spiraling to the floor. Lucky for her, or unlucky for her she hadn't decided yet, two strong arms reached out and steadied her, and attached to those arms was none other than Harry Potter himself.
"Sorry, my fault, I should've been watching where I was going. Greengrass right?" Harry said quietly looking quite embarrassed for nearly knocking her over. After a moment he realized he still had a grip on her and let go as he flushed even deeper.
"Really, it's no problem" she replied "that was just as much my fault as it was yours. And yes, I am Greengrass, but you could call me Daphne if you like." She finished, not sure what possessed her in the moment. It took a half a second for her to realize how corny that sounded and then she joined Harry in blushing, but she powered through and continued, "Congratulations on your win earlier Potter, that case they were trying to present against you was completely unsubstantiated, if there was ever a time for someone to use magic away from school that was it."
Harry looked slightly surprised at her statement. "Thank you, Daphne, and please call me Harry." He replied. He appeared to genuinely appreciate her support, but after a moment he glanced behind her, nodding at someone in that direction, and ended the conversation "Sorry to cut this short, but I really must be going. It was nice to see you." He said politely.
She answered back with a farewell of her own and a see you at school. She followed him with her eyes after he had left and watched him make his way towards Weasley and Granger. She then turned back towards her father to catch him looking at her with the slightest smirk on his face. She could see that he was ready to say some snarky and completely inappropriate remark, but she merely glared at him and with a muttered, "Not a word" as she led the way up towards the lift. Her father acquiesced her request and let the walk go by in silence, but his eyes betrayed him the entire while, letting on just how amusing he found the brief interaction between the two classmates.
When they got to the floo's Daphne once again went first, and when both father and daughter returned to her living room, he looked at her and started talking conversationally "So Harry Potter has been cleared of all charges. The young man can cast a patronus too, takes quite a bit of power that." He said in an overly conversational tone causing Daphne to roll her eyes, "He even catches young girls who nearly fall and embarrass themselves in public." He spoke. Daphne kept her face blank not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassed. "He's a pretty handsome fellow too, tall and-"
"Dad! Oh my god shut up!" she screamed, her stoic mask finally breaking into a look of mortification to her father's amusement. She sent him one last glare before heading to her room. No way was she going to stand there and allow her father to continue to tease her, which she knew he would continue to do. Besides, she missed an hour of sleep this morning, and now she was going to get it back dammit. As she walked away the last thing she heard was her father's distant chuckling.
Molly had decided that after all the excitement of the trial, and because they were working hard every day to renovate the old house they were living in, that they could have a lie in the following day which Harry took full advantage of. With the stress of the trial finally off his back Harry had his first restful sleep-in weeks. He woke up after ten and spent the entirety of the day lounging and reading with Hermione. He was nearly completely caught up in runes and he wanted to finish as soon as possible so he could begin reviewing the important subject matter which Hermione thought he would be tested on in his entry exam.
The relaxation however had come and gone, and now nearly a week later they were back into their daily routines. However, as they all settled at the kitchen table that morning their routine was disrupted by six large Hogwarts owls swooping into the kitchen one after another. After the mail had been checked and deemed safe the students in the room grabbed the envelopes addressed to each of them specifically. The owls, having done their jobs, promptly flew out of the window where they would presumably head back towards Scotland and Hogwarts.
Harry opened his letter and began to sift through the stacks of paper that were inside his envelope. He found his customary book list and his list of needed materials, happily noting that there was a book on ancient runes in his book list, and even better still, no book filled with the mumbo jumbo that is divination. After he sorted through all the ordinary papers, he saw that his envelope had one other thing in it. Pulling out the last piece of parchment folded neatly at the bottom, he unfolded it quickly and found a hand-written note from Professor McGonagall along with a gold 'P' pin. Clutching the pin in his hand he began to read the letter.
Dear Harry,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is with immense pleasure that I would like to request of you to take the role of male prefect for this upcoming year. You have proven yourself repeatedly as a trustworthy and fair individual, and I could not think of someone more suited for this position than you. Do keep in mind that this position will require you to put extra time into patrolling the school and helping others. This alongside your OWL exams this year could lead to you finding yourself stressed. However, having said that if anyone could manage this stress, it would be you, especially if you could convince your fellow prefect to help you in this regard. Do keep in mind also that this position would allow you to take and give points as well as assign detentions. Should this power be abused I would be terribly upset and would revoke your prefecture immediately. I have a feeling though, that you will make me proud.
With warmest regards,
Minerva McGonagall (Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor)
Harry fingered the pin and looked over at Hermione who he was sure would be made female prefect. In her hand, he saw that she also held a gold 'P' and was reading over her own letter. Once she had finished, she looked up quickly eyes immediately searching for Harry. When she finally saw him she shot him an inquisitive look and he responded by holding his pin up for her to see. With a bright smile and a squeal, she rushed over to him jumping into his waiting arms and squeezing him so tightly she knocked the air out of his lungs.
The others looked up to see what all the commotion was about, and Hermione got out of Harrys arms. Turning towards the other she proudly exclaimed "Harry and I have been made prefects for Gryffindor!" Harry saw that the others were genuinely happy for him and Hermione and so he began to let his own excitement show.
"Of course it would be the two of you, there's no one more deserving." Ron said with a smile and a clap on Harry's shoulder.
Harry replied with a modest "Thanks mate." As he ducked his head. He had never been one to appreciate praise. He had of course already known that he would be made a prefect after his conversation with Dumbledore, but to have it affirmed had felt rather nice as well. He swore to himself right there that he wouldn't abuse his power and do his best to make sure that he was fair to all students regardless of house or what their parents may have done in the past.
Molly soon after insisted that they should celebrate and had gotten to work setting up a nice little party for the afternoon, muttering to herself about what ingredients she would need for a cake. Harry had been quick to offer her his help, but she insisted that he go with the others and celebrate.
Harry finally left her when she promised she would let him know if she did at some point need him for anything, and he headed upstairs to the living room where everyone was settling in and discussing. The twins were giving him some good-natured ribbing at being made prefect and Ron was talking about how he could use his station to assign Malfoy detentions with Filch. Hermione had been quick to tell him that they would not abuse their power that way and Harry had broken up the oncoming row by saying that if the git deserved detention, and only if he deserved detention Harry would happily assign it, appeasing both.
Hermione then mentioned that it probably wouldn't matter anyways as Malfoy was sure to become prefect due to his father's close relationship to Snape. Harry told them that he wouldn't be so sure and refused to answer when they asked what he meant.
That afternoon Harry and the rest of the residents at number 12 Grimmauld Place, along with a few others including Tonks and Remus were celebrating the two students who had been made prefects. Harry was laughing at a story Moony was telling him about his own days as prefect and everything was going fine.
That thought scared Harry a bit. Usually when things were going good in his life that meant that they would suddenly get a lot worse. However, as he looked around and took in the smiling faces, he swore to himself he would do whatever it took to keep those he loved happy and safe.
Harry wasn't stupid and he knew that with Voldemort back, he would become the Dark Lord's biggest obsession and number one priority. He was resigned to the fact that he would most likely have to face the monster again at some point, and that he would probably not make it out alive, but that didn't mean that the meeting would have to be on Voldemort's terms. He was fairly certain that with enough training and a bit of luck he would be able to take Voldemort out with him.
These thoughts only strengthened what he had been feeling since the graveyard, he would have to try his hardest in his classes to accumulate as much knowledge as possible. One thing was for certain, Harry Potter was no longer the clueless and frightened first year that had entered the wizarding world five years ago. Now in his place stood a confident and determined Harry, ready for what he was sure would be thrown his way. He could hardly wait for the school year to begin so he could put his plans into action. With that though he turned back towards the others deciding to enjoy the rest of this summer, after all who knew how many more he had.
Daphne had woken up earlier than she would have liked this morning because Tracey had slept over and they had the entire day planned so they could make the most of their time together. These plans included of shopping for clothes for the upcoming school year, they would have gotten their books too, but the lists had yet to arrive, and lounging outside next to Tracey's swimming pool, working on their tans.
Tracey had been Daphne's best friend for as long as she could remember. They had known each other since they were babies and had gone to the same tutors prior to their Hogwarts education. In fact, Tracey was the reason Daphne had chosen Slytherin over Ravenclaw when the sorting hat had told her she would do well in both.
Tracey was a bit shorter than Daphne, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She had a very down to earth personality if you got to know her, and could make you laugh so hard you cried. Daphne felt truly blessed to have a friend like her to go through Hogwarts with. They both protected each other's backs and helped one another with any problems they might have had in the snake pit that is Slytherin.
Currently they were sunning themselves by the pool and Tracey was talking about what boys in their year she found cute, and which ones she might consider pursuing in the following school year. So far, she had decided that Blaise Zabini was the best looking Slytherin due to the whole tall dark and handsome thing he had going but was too much of a womanizer to merit any of her time. Daphne agreed, but didn't voice her thoughts aloud, allowing her friend to continue uninterrupted for the time being.
"Hufflepuff is lacking in cute boys, but If I had to pick one it would probably be Justin Finch-Fletchley. Now, having said that, I would never go for him, the kid oozes arrogance and is too full of himself." Tracey continued as though she were thinking aloud.
"Yeah, I've never really liked him," agreed Daphne "He walks around with a Malfoy-esque smug superiority, but doesn't have the influence or power, either politically or magically, to back it up."
"Exactly!" exclaimed Tracey "And he's not even that cute. I mean he's alright looking, but he doesn't even crack top ten in our year." Daphne just hummed in agreement, which Tracey took as a cue to continue. "Ravenclaw is definitely better in terms of good-looking guys, but if I had to pick one it would probably be… Michael Corner." She said after a moment of deliberation.
Daphne shook her head in response "I don't know, Corner is decent, but I would say Terry Boot is better looking. Not as stocky, and from what I've heard he's a nice enough bloke, helping younger years with homework and stuff like that."
"I'll agree to disagree, because I know you like your men wiry, but I think stocky is quite cute." Tracey said after a moment. "Now finally, we have reached Gryffindor, the cream of the crop, the best of the best when it comes to cute boys at our school."
Daphne had to agree. Gryffindor had five boys in their year and four of them were definitely top ten, maybe even all five if freckly tall gingers were your style. Firstly, there was Neville who had started to transform from the fat unconfident kid they had known in first year into a more confident (except when it came to Snape and potions) and rather good-looking young man. Couple that with him being the heir of a prestigious and Powerful Pureblood line and he rocketed even higher on the list.
Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas both were charming good-looking boys who knew how to talk to girls and compliment them, making them blush. And, if the rumors were true, they were rather skilled in the art of pleasing young ladies also. However, the number one spot for Gryffindor and the entirety of not just their year, but the entire school, undoubtedly went to the bespectacled black-haired green-eyed young man named Harry Potter. He was the youngest seeker in a hundred years, roguishly good looking with a knack for getting into trouble and saving people from trouble. Politically powerful with the magical skill to back it up, and that doesn't even touch the significant role he played in the downfall of the worst Dark Lord in centuries. Tall, skinny but covered in wiry muscle, famous, athletic, he was the epitome of a teenage heartthrob, and Tracey decided to not waste time listing the above-mentioned reasons.
"So," Tracey said "number one Harry Potter, obviously. Second place, however, is where things get interesting. I'd put Neville there; I'd even go as far as to say that by the end of this year he takes second place overall." She finished with a firm nod of her head, and a defiant look in her eye telling Daphne to try to disagree.
Daphne did not disagree however, at least not vocally. She didn't know about second place overall, but Neville was becoming more attractive, and she was fairly certain that her brunette friend harbored a crush on the shy Gryffindor. Before she could open her mouth to reply and say so, a Large Hogwarts owl landed next to Tracey carrying the customary start of term papers in a large yellow envelope.
"Of course, the owl gets here after we've done our shopping." Tracey groaned, and then after a moment looked at her friend hopefully. "We could stop by your place, pick up your list, and head back to the alley to finish our shopping today. It would save us making the trip later, and you would have more time to look over your books before the start of term you nerd." She finished with a playful smile on her face.
Daphne huffed but agreed. "Let's get dressed and we can floo to my place and pick up my list. From there we could floo to the cauldron and get everything done. We could even take Astoria with us if she likes."
Tracey nodded in agreement and with a "sounds good, let's go." They were on their way. They arrived back to Daphne's house and sure enough they found that her envelope had been left in the container in the living room where Missy left the mail that arrived when no one was around. As Daphne plucked her envelope out of the container, she saw Astoria's as well and decided to take it with her and do the shopping for her younger sister, she really did love her.
Grabbing the second envelope and setting it on the table next to hers, she went back to her own, tearing it open and sticking her hand inside the large envelope fishing through the papers when her hand came across cool metal. Confused she fingered what appeared to be a pin and pulled it out. She couldn't believe what she was holding.
"Holy shit, you've been made prefect! I wonder what Pansy did to not get it. I mean you're definitely more qualified and the most deserving person in our house, but Draco's been bragging about how he and Pansy would be prefects because of his influence with Professor Snape for years." Tracey exclaimed.
Daphne just stared dumbly at the pin. Tracey was right in more than one regard; she was the most qualified student in their house. She was typically second in all classes, behind only Hermione Granger, she had very few points taken away from Slytherin, and she had never served a detention in her four years at school. However, everyone thought it would be Pansy and Draco. Snape had made undeserving students prefects before based off his favoritism, and Daphne couldn't fathom why he would stop all the sudden, especially when it concerned the girlfriend of his favorite ever student. The only explanation was that Pansy had done something absolutely horrible, or someone had intervened.
Daphne knew that if that was the case, she would have to be careful as both Draco and Pansy would be upset with her, and she wouldn't put it past Snape to take out some ire at being vetoed by whoever made him change his pick out on her. She didn't care however, her dream when she had first entered Hogwarts was to work hard and to be made prefect and eventually Head Girl. The first of those two had been seemingly out of grasp, but now she had been bestowed the position, and she decided that she wouldn't act the way previous prefects had acted. She would be fair and bring respect to Salazars house, doing what little she could to amend for the long history of abuse by those in power from the Slytherin house.
She knew there was a high chance that Malfoy might still be prefect, but she hoped that he had been ousted by some miracle also. If the badge were to be given to who deserved it most off merit, it would likely fall to Zabini or maybe Nott. She could live with either of those as her partner, and she knew that Zabini, a half-blood, wouldn't care to antagonize students for no reason either.
Pushing these thoughts out of her head she decided that she would play her cards as they were dealt, all she could do right now was hope for the best. With that in mind she got up and started getting ready for the shopping trip. Hopefully by the time they got back her parents would be home. She had a lot to discuss with the two of them as they had both been prefects also, and if anyone could teach her to be fair and just, it was her mum and dad.
*Taken directly from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.