Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, just managing to keep his feet and hold back the curse on his lips. With his balance finally restored, he looked up and noticed there was a small welcoming committee that had witnessed his graceless entrance, causing his cheeks to color involuntarily.
He could see Daphne smothering a grin at his predicament while the woman that couldn't be anyone other than Daphne's mother, was also fighting her own amusement. Daphne's father looked stoic, but his mother, Grandmother Greengrass, was openly chuckling.
Harry brushed himself off as best as he could without magic and straightened his shoulders and back, walking the short distance to where they were standing. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, thank you for inviting me into your home." He said holding out his hand.
They voiced their welcomes as Harry firmly shook Daphne's father's hand before bowing and touching his lips to the back of her mother and grandmother's hands, just like Sirius had taught him. The adults looked at one another and then at him with what he thought might be approval and Harry internally thanked Sirius for the impromptu etiquette lessons he had given him yesterday.
After the adults, Harry looked towards Daphne and Astoria unsure what greeting would be acceptable for them. Astoria answered his question when she stepped forward and engulfed him in a hug. Harry hugged her back with a smile. "Hey Astoria, did you have a good Christmas?" He asked her pleasantly and she beamed back at him.
"The best!" She told him enthusiastically, breaking their hug. "Thank you for the book on the flying techniques and the broom maintenance kit." She said excitedly and Harry laughed.
"The Cleansweep 11 you have is a great broom, but sometimes with the Cleansweeps the bristles will have issues. Fred and George said properly maintaining it keeps away most of the problems though."
As he spoke Astoria had backed up and Daphne moved forward to give him her own hug. Harry blushed knowing her parents were watching, but hugged her back, nonetheless. "Hey Daph," He whispered to her, "I've missed you."
Daphne ended the hug and smiled at him. "Me too." She said back quietly.
Before Harry could respond Cyrus Greengrass spoke up. "Harry, we are happy you could make it to our home for the day. If you would be so kind, I would request but a brief word in private before my daughters demand your attention."
Harry saw Daphne glare at her father while Astoria looked amused. "Thank you again for the invitation, sir. I'd be more than happy to speak with you." He replied, following the tall aristocratic man as he led the way to what appeared to be a small library or a very large study.
Mr. Greengrass closed the door behind him and wordlessly cast what Harry recognized as an anti-eavesdropping charm on the door. Cyrus made his way to a large desk at the back wall and took a seat behind it. He beckoned Harry to the seat on the other side of the desk.
Harry made his way over noticing how the light filtered into the study from a large window on the back wall. There were bookshelves flanking the side walls of the room, filled to the brim with old tomes bound in leather. A soft and, what Harry assumed, expensive rug ran across the floor.
As Harry seated himself Mr. Greengrass began speaking. "As worried as my daughter looked, you have no reason to be nervous." He began, and the words immediately had the opposite effect of what he intended as Harry's agitation rose.
"I've heard much about you over the past week from both of my daughters. Astoria seems even more excited with yours and Daphne's relationship than Daphne does." He said with a chuckle and Harry couldn't help the smile that rose to his face. Cyrus seemed to notice it and nodded his head once sharply in approval.
"I just want to know from your perspective what happened. What's changed during this first term at Hogwarts and why choose now to begin a relationship with my daughter?" He said not unkindly. "These are turbulent times, and while what I've heard about you is generally glowing, you do present a… target."
Harry took a moment to compose himself as he considered his answer. He went through a quick occlumency exercise clearing his mind and schooling his features. "Those are fair questions, sir. You're not wrong that the times are turbulent, and I was wary of starting anything for those reasons as well." Harry began and noticed the very brief hint of surprise on Mr. Greengrass' face before he once again schooled his expression.
"The truth is that I'm not sure if I spoke more than 10 words to Daphne in our first 4 years at Hogwarts, despite sharing nearly half of our classes. With the house rivalry and us not sharing many electives we just never got that chance, and I doubt that would have changed much this year, but we had a chance encounter at my trial this summer." Harry said wincing, knowing that discussing a trial you recently attended was likely not something you should discuss with your girlfriend's father.
Mr. Greengrass just nodded in reply as if it were no big deal, so Harry continued. "That would have likely been the end of it, but then we both made prefect, and her partner was, uh, incapable of performing his duties rather early in the year."
Harry watched the older man's eyes flash dangerously for a moment and knew he must have heard the story. "I was chosen as the replacement, and I quickly found myself considering Daphne a friend. She's brilliant sir. She's funny, and incredibly smart. She helped me with ancient runes when I started the subject late this year."
Harry realized he was gushing and pushed his way back to the original point. "As we spent time together, I realized Daphne didn't treat me differently because of who I was. She held me to the same standards she did everyone else. She wasn't afraid to point out when I messed up or tell me what she was thinking.
"I'm not entirely sure when things changed, but I knew at one point that I liked her more than I did a friend. I wasn't sure how to handle it, but Daphne used all the Gryffindor courage I was shying away from and told me that she felt similar, and it's gone from there." Harry said fighting to keep his blush at bay thinking of the kiss he had given her after her admission.
Cyrus nodded and gave Harry a small smile. "She is her mother's daughter. I would have been clueless forever if Ashley didn't spell it out for me in our own time at Hogwarts. However, that does not change what is happening currently.
"You know better than anyone else the dangers our world is facing, and you are at the center of it all." Harry wanted to protest but knew he could not. "I'm not saying you deserve this criticism, but these are my daughter's, and I would do whatever I could to protect them.
"But like I said Daphne is her mother's daughter. Even if I did attempt to tell her to stop, she would not listen to me, and truth be told from what I know of you I actually like you." Harry fought to keep the surprise off his face.
"I will not tell Daphne what she can and cannot do. She is old enough to make her own decisions and I trust her, but I want a promise from you. I want you to promise me Harry, that you will do whatever you can to protect my daughters while at Hogwarts from those who may seek to hurt them." Harry nodded but Cyrus continued.
"I also want you to protect Daphne from herself. We know the situation we are in, and I want your word that if there is even a chance for her to be hurt, you'll put her first. She will be stubborn and refuse the help, she may even resent you thinking she can handle things on her own, but I need you to promise that you will do your best to protect her no matter the cost. Even if she hates you for it, I need to know you will prioritize her above all else."
Harry swallowed and reflected on his words, and then he nodded his head. "I promise you sir, you have my word."
Mr. Greengrass allowed his shoulders to slump then and looked less tense than Harry had seen him since his arrival. "Thank you, Harry, and please call me Cyrus."
"Yes, si- uh, Cyrus." Harry replied and Cyrus chuckled.
"Well, I've kept you long enough Harry, go and enjoy your day. If you need me, I will be working here in my study, but if not, I will see you this evening for dinner." He said standing and making his way to the door. Harry stood and followed behind him.
Before he opened the door, he stopped and looked at Harry. "I know we didn't touch on this, but it goes without saying if you hurt Daphne, I break your legs." Harry looked up at the man in surprise, but Cyrus clapped him on the shoulder and opened the door. "I'm only kidding!" He laughed and Harry let out a strained chuckle as he made his way out of the study.
Harry was walking out when the older man's voice cut in again, "I'm really not, though." He said quietly leaning down, and then with a smile closed the study door.
Harry stood there distractedly for a moment before he turned around and began to make his way back down the corridor they had come from. He barely walked five paces, before he saw Daphne waiting just behind the corner.
When she saw him, she pulled him back into a hug and pulled him down by his neck giving him a languid kiss. Harry broke it quickly and Daphne looked at him worriedly when she noticed him glancing towards the closed door of her fathers' study.
She rolled her eyes but smiled at him. "He's all talk." She said almost as if she knew how their conversation had gone.
Harry shrugged noncommittally and she laughed. "Come on let me give you a tour." She said breaking away from him and leading the way down a corridor. Harry knew that magical people lived differently than muggles and had gotten to experience a glimpse of that at Grimmauld but walking through Daphne's ancestral home was something different entirely.
The photos on the walls displaying the Greengrass family moved, showing a loop of the memory that was being portrayed instead of a still image. Portraits that hung in the sitting room were conversing with one another quietly as Daphne led him through, and Harry saw various brooms, dusters, and rags cleaning on their own, but most of all there was just a feeling of magic in the air.
Harry enjoyed spending time with Daphne and putting images to some of the stories she had shared that had taken place in her home. Quickly mid-day was upon them and after a quick but delicious lunch prepared by the Greengrass house elf, Astoria had convinced him to go for a fly in their large back garden. The sun and magic took care of most of the late December cold and Harry used Daphne's old broom while Astoria rode the Cleansweep.
Daphne stayed grounded, watching and yelling at Harry when the stunts he was pulling got too dangerous for her liking. After refreshments and a private check-in with Sirius, Daphne finally led him to her bedroom.
Her room was huge, as big as the entire ground floor at the Dursleys, and very tidy. There was a large bed against one wall flanked by two nightstands, and a wardrobe pushed against the side wall. A large desk and bookcase sat beneath a window that allowed light to stream into the room.
Harry walked and browsed the books, noticing many of them had to do with wizarding law which he knew interested Daphne. On the walls were a number of photos hung in their frames, and he noticed his gift next to a picture of Daphne and her grandfather.
No one spoke for a moment as Harry studied the room she had grown up in, so very different from his own, while Daphne in turn studied him. After a moment Harry broke the silence and told her about his encounter with Slughorn and their subsequent success.
He left out some of the more specific things in case someone who shouldn't have been listening was, but thanked her for her ideas, telling her he wouldn't have been able to do it without her.
Daphne had hugged him after he spoke. "That's incredible Harry!" She exclaimed before echoing Dumbledore's sentiment that he had done all of the hard work. "We'll make a Slytherin out of you yet." She told him and Harry chuckled.
"You know the hat wanted to put me in Slytherin originally?" He said, realizing he had never actually told her this before.
Daphne looked at him disbelievingly. "Are you having me on?"
Harry shook his head. "No, really. It said I would do well in Slytherin, but I had met Malfoy a few days earlier and again on the train and before the sorting. Ron also told me all Slytherins were evil and so I begged the hat to put me anywhere but there and it chose Gryffindor."
"You're telling me we could have been housemates all these years?" She asked in an annoyed tone of voice. "I swear… what hasn't Malfoy ruined?"
"He is good at ruining things for others, I agree. All poncey and self-centered." Harry began and then remembered something he had brought with him.
"Speaking of being self-centered and conceited, I have something for you, from Sirius." Harry said reaching into his pocket now that they were finally alone. He pulled out the mirror and handed it to Daphne who shot him a confused look.
"Uh, thank you?"
Harry laughed, "It's not just a mirror. When my father and his friends would be causing trouble at Hogwarts, they needed a way to communicate with one another across longer distances." Harry explained, but Daphne's confusion remained.
"Look into the mirror and say, 'I wish to speak to Harry Potter.'" Harry thought the phrase was a tad bit clunkier than being able to say a nickname like the mauraders did, or just his name, but Sirius had said they couldn't risk accidentally summoning the other person if they were to just mention a name.
She said it and immediately gasped as she felt the mirror warm in her hand much like their galleon for the DA. Harry pulled out his own mirror and accepted the summons and then his reflection was replaced with a very excited Daphne's.
"These are brilliant!" She cheered. "We'll be able to talk to each other after curfew from our dormitories, and we won't even need to write letters over the rest of the break!" She was gushing and Harry chuckled, but internally Cyrus Greengrass's words rang out.
"You should carry it all the time, just in case you get into a spot of trouble." Harry said attempting to sound unconcerned. He could see that Daphne thought she wouldn't need it based on the look she gave him, but she nodded her agreeance, nonetheless.
"These really are incredible; I'll need to thank him when I finally meet him in a few days' time." She put the mirror down and then stepped closer to Harry. "We've got some time to kill, and I haven't had a chance to kiss you properly in over a week." She said taking another step closer to him.
Harry felt nervous. "What about your parents? Or Astoria?"
"I told them you would go over my homework assignments and look for any mistakes, they won't be bugging us." She said taking yet another step and closing the distance completely.
Harry swallowed. "Are you sure this is-"
"Do you want to kiss me or not Potter?" She cut him off in an annoyed tone of voice.
"So much."
"Then shut up." She said pulling his head down by his neck and silencing him.
It was a blissful 45 minutes later that the Greengrass house elf Missy called them down for dinner. Harry and Daphne straightened their hair and robes out best they could and made their way down. Everyone else was already seated at the table when they arrived.
"Have a good day, Harry?" Asked Daphne's mother as they sat down, and the food began to serve itself.
Harry fought to keep the blush off his face. "Yes ma'am, thank you again for the invitation and your hospitality."
"Of course, dear, and please Ashley is fine. I trust my daughters didn't cause too much trouble for you?" She asked him.
Before Harry could answer Daphne's grandmother spoke up. "Oh, they caused trouble I'm sure, but I have a feeling young Mr. Potter didn't mind, at least not the kind of trouble Daphne was causing, or as the lad called it hospitality.
Cyrus' eyes shot up immediately and he glared at Harry who felt his cheeks flame red as he studied his meal intently. The air suddenly grew awkward and no one else was saying anything, and then Nana Greengrass broke out in a deep laugh and Harry only blushed harder.
Daphne was happy to be back at the castle. Her winter break had been lovely, one of the best she had ever had, but she missed seeing Tracey and even more she missed seeing Harry every day.
After Harry had come to see her at the Greengrass ancestral home, she had spent a day with him in his godfather's home; the ancestral Home of Black which Daphne was surprised to discover was a town house in the middle of muggle London and not a large Manor like home that most pureblood families preferred.
The trip had been lovely and although it had been quite jarring to see a man that the history books and more recently the papers had hailed as a mass murderer, she found him to be extremely charming and funny.
Seeing the way Harry was around him also made Daphne happy. It was very rare for Harry to look carefree or blithe, and even on occasions when they were alone, or he was doing something he enjoyed like flying or teaching the DA, he could never quite shake his serious nature and the tension that seemed to be coiled just underneath the surface waiting for something to go wrong.
Daphne didn't know if it all fell back onto his godfather or if some of the stress was eliminated because he was under a fidelius, but the results were refreshing. Harry looked like a teenager, joking, goofing off, and having a genuinely good time.
They had spent the day inside of Grimmauld, but Daphne had fun exploring the old and musty home and meeting Buckbeak again. She was sure to tell the hippogriff how lovely he was and how grateful she was that he had sliced Malfoy. She had also made sure to thank Sirius for the mirrors, but he had waved her off saying that if she wanted to thank him all she had to do was use them to prank somebody on occasion, adding cheekily that she would get bonus points in his eyes if it were a Slytherin.
After their day together Daphne had gone back home spending some time with her own family and Tracey, shopping for things she would need for the new term, while Harry had gone to the Burrow to spend a few days with Ron and his family for New Years. While Daphne lamented the fact that Harry was unable to spend New Year's with her so they could ring it in appropriately, she was happy they at least had a way to communicate.
They spoke every evening on their mirrors, which Daphne absolutely loved, whilst also continuing to send each other letters (Hedwig had insisted according to Harry). Before long, with the end of the break upon them, they had found themselves back on the Express heading for Scotland.
The return had been uneventful, and they had quickly gotten back into their routines, but one significant change was easy to spot. Umbridge, who the papers had been criticizing mercilessly, appeared to be out for blood. She was still refusing to teach any practical magic and would assign detentions and deduct points for the slightest infractions.
Daphne had also heard from Hermione that Umbridge would spend the majority of her classes with the fifth year Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's glaring at Harry and goading him in attempts to have him speak out. Harry had been able to ignore her so far, but Daphne feared his temper may beat out his occlumency one of these days and lead to an altercation.
They had been back for just over a week when Daphne made her way with Tracey to the Slytherin table for breakfast. She took a seat next to Astoria and pulled out her notes for Transfiguration so she could look over the latest living to inanimate transformation they were working on.
Tracey was speaking to Astoria quietly about something Daphne couldn't quite make out when Draco and his group strutted in smugly, as if they were the cats that had just gotten the cream. Tracey seemed to notice too because she broke off her conversation with Astoria and looked towards Daphne.
"I wonder what's got them all excited." She said softly.
Daphne shrugged, "Whatever it is it's probably not good." She replied and watched as they sat down and began chatting excitedly with a few of the older years.
Their answer came along with the morning post. On the front page of the paper the headline read "Mass Breakout from Azkaban! Ministry Fears Black is Rallying Old Death Eaters!" below the headline were ten black-and-white photographs that covered the remainder of the front page in its entirety.
Nine of the images showed wizards' faces and the tenth, a witch's. Some of the people in the photographs were silently jeering; others were tapping their fingers on the frame of their pictures, looking insolent. Each picture was captioned with a name and the crime for which the person had been sent to Azkaban.
"Antonin Dolohov," read the legend beneath a wizard with a long, pale, twisted face who was sneering up at Daphne, "convicted of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett."
"Augustus Rookwood," said the caption beneath a pockmarked man with greasy hair who was leaning against the edge of his picture, looking bored, "convicted of leaking Ministry of Magic Secrets to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
And so, the pictures continued. The most frightening of all of the images was the witch who had long black hair that looked unkempt and tangled. She glared up at Daphne through heavy lidded eyes with a smile that seemed almost arrogant playing on her lips. "Bellatrix Lestrange, convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom."
Daphne flipped open the paper and began to read the article to herself. Tracey looked over her shoulder and read quietly as well.
"The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.
Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.
"'We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped,' said Fudge last night. 'Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached.'"
Daphne schooled her features and glanced briefly around the table. Most of the students were finishing reading the article for themselves, and most, like Daphne, were keeping their faces clear. Those who weren't, including Malfoy and his group, looked positively ecstatic.
Daphne thought of the man she had met just a couple weeks prior who had been so kind and charming, and attempted to reconcile him with the man the papers were making him out to be, but she couldn't. She thought back to how Harry had proof for his innocence and how Fudge had wanted the man kissed anyway, and now they were using him as a scapegoat for something the Dark Lord had obviously engineered.
Daphne fought away a scowl and glanced around the hall. The majority of the students were discussing the article and Daphne could sense a general feeling of unease in the room. She looked towards the Gryffindor table and saw Harry consoling Neville Longbottom and again was blown away by his kindness.
10 more Death Eaters had rejoined their master and they, like him, would be hellbent on killing Harry, but instead of fretting for himself Harry was taking the time to console a friend. She felt her love for him rise in that moment and resolved herself once again to do whatever it took to help him beat Voldemort.
Harry was worth all ten of those Death Eaters, and their Master too.
She finished her glance around the room at the head table and observed the professors. Her head of house looked as unflappable and stoic as always, but around him the table was deep in conversation.
Professors Flitwick and Sprout were engrossed in a conversation that Professor Trelawney seemed to be listening to. Meanwhile Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were conversing in hushed tones. She could also make out Professor Umbridge glaring at the headmaster and deputy headmistress while they spoke.
She saw Harry stand and make his way out of the Great Hall and quickly told Tracey and Astoria goodbye. She intercepted him before he could make it to the grand staircase and after a quick greeting pulled him out to the grounds.
It was a Sunday, and they didn't have any classes, so she began a walk around the lake at a leisurely pace. The air was cold, and the sun was hidden behind a thick sheet of clouds, it looked like rain might be falling soon, but she cast a warming charm on them and continued to walk.
Once they were a safe distance away from the ancient castle Daphne began to speak. "Did you recognize any of the names in the paper?"
Harry nodded his head, "A few, I imagine Dumbledore will tell me more at our next lesson this evening. It's so frustrating how Fudge keeps trying to bury everything including his own head in the sand." Harry said frustratedly. "Although Dumbledore keeps telling me, it might help us more if we leave him be for the time being."
Daphne thought for a moment. "You aren't worried? That they might come for you I mean. What other reason does he have to break them out right now?"
Harry considered her question and then shook his head. "I don't think that's why. My guess is that he's planning something but needed more people and it's going to take them a while before they're in any shape to fight. It took Sirius years, but he wasn't in the best of circumstances.
"Besides, they fear Dumbledore too much and trust me the fear is warranted." He said his eyes glazing over slightly. Daphne knew he was thinking of their last lesson where according to Harry, Dumbledore had allowed them a real duel for the first time.
Harry said that the 'duel' had lasted less than 10 seconds, and he hadn't even cast a shield by the time it was over. "I'm sure they want to kill me," he continued after a moment, "but I doubt they would do it in an environment where he would have the upper hand.
Daphne snuggled herself closer to him at his words but did feel slightly reassured. "You need to make sure you do everything you can to live through this Potter." She told him.
Harry nodded and leaned his head against hers. "I'm trying Daph, believe me, and between you, Hermione, and Dumbledore, I doubt anything could happen, even if I wanted it to." He said into her hair and Daphne warmed at the compliment and the contact.
"That's what I like to hear." She replied. "Now do you have anything that you need to get done today?" She asked him.
Harry shook his head. "I was going to plan the DA lesson for next Friday, but that can wait."
"Okay good." She replied, "Your meeting with Dumbledore isn't until six this evening which gives you eight hours to make up for all the time you were too busy to see me this week." She told him petulantly.
Harry laughed. "You do know we speak nearly every evening on the mirrors."
"That doesn't count." She said with a frown. "I can't kiss you over a mirror."
"Kissing does sound wonderful, and I do miss spending time with you too. If you would like, maybe we could even skip lunch and dinner in the hall and eat with Dobby so we can spend our meals together?"
"That's not a bad idea. I knew there was a reason I kept you around."
"I thought it was the incredible sense of humor and the devastatingly good looks." He joked back. "And all that kissing you seem to like so much."
"Well, it definitely wasn't due to your humbleness." She told him pointedly.
Harry sighed contentedly and then whispered underneath his breath so lightly that she almost didn't hear him "You make me so happy Daphne."
She squeezed him. "You deserve it." She said sincerely, and then after a beat, "You make me happy too Harry, now let's get in the castle so you can spend your day doting on me.
Seven. Seven horcruxes. Well technically six, with the seventh piece residing in Voldemort, but still Harry felt like an impossible task had just become even more difficult. When they watched the non edited memory that Slughorn had provided, Harry was unsure of what to expect, but when the number seven was mentioned, Dumbledore nodded as though he had known all along.
Harry suspected that he did, but the confirmation really helped to contextualize and solidify exactly what it was they were dealing with. After Slughorn's memory, Dumbledore had gone over a few other memories highlighting what he thought the horcruxes could be. There was the diary, a cup, a locket, the ring, his snake maybe, and something else that likely belonged to a founder, but Dumbledore was unsure of what it might be.
Harry knew that they had already destroyed one of them in the diary, but that still left five more horcruxes and Harry didn't have a clue where they would even begin to search for them. He had voiced as much, but Dumbledore had waved off his concern. "Leave that to me Harry. With the memories complete we will now shift your focus completely to advanced magic, elemental magic, and dueling."
Harry listened. He pushed the thoughts of horcruxes out of his mind, allowing for Dumbledore to work through figuring out their locations, and he instead focused on magic. Harry knew he was a strong wizard for his age. He knew he could probably beat the majority of students at Hogwarts handily, but he was reminded of just who his tutor and mentor was at their first real dueling session.
They had lessons in the past, but never had they had a real duel, wand on wand with no restrictions. Harry knew Dumbledore was using this first duel so he could gauge just how far along Harry was and adjust his training accordingly, but he hadn't been prepared for what it would be like.
The duel lasted less than 10 seconds with Dumbledore having Harry stunned, disarmed, and even bound before he could attempt to put a shield up. The sheer speed, precision, and power behind everything he did left Harry amazed and Harry knew Dumbledore wasn't even close to using his full strength.
Suddenly it made perfect sense to Harry why Voldemort feared Dumbledore so much.
They had gone back and watched the memory of their duel – If it could even be called that – immediately after Dumbledore had rennervated him and given him his wand back, and Harry watched it back with rapt attention. The headmaster went over what Harry could improve and pointed out how he had cast nonverbally, allowing the end point for each spell to conveniently be the starting motion of the next spell which allowed him to chain them together at a blistering pace.
Harry also noticed just how concise and tight Dumbledore had kept his movements, allowing for faster casting and frightening accuracy. Harry took notes and immediately began practicing this in his spare time, even adjusting his lesson plans with the DA so they could also train accordingly.
In their next practice session Dumbledore had asked Harry to show him what he had learned, and Harry began to fire off spells quickly chaining from one to the next, just like he practiced. Dumbledore then prepared them for a second duel.
This time Harry was faring slightly better as he had been dodging and shielding for a half minute and he thought that Dumbledore might have even looked at him approvingly, but then the headmaster had cast a simple silencing charm that struck him, and then proceeded to simply stand still and watch him.
With Harry unable to incant the spells he had lost his ability to cast anything, even a simple finite curse to counter the silencing charm. Harry knew that Dumbledore was illustrating the importance of silent casting and he really drove the point home using a spell they learned in first year to utterly incapacitate him. It again showed how Dumbledore would use spells that Harry did not consider dueling spells in creative ways to create a clear advantage for himself.
Following that lesson Harry again incorporated what he learned into his practice and had started working on his nonverbal casting as well as teaching it in the DA. Harry also forced himself to use only nonverbal magic in all his lessons for the new spells they were learning. He found that using his occlumency was surprisingly helpful in learning to cast nonverbally as he could put away his other thoughts and focus solely on the intent behind the magic.
Before long he was comfortable enough with a few spells that he didn't even need to think their incantation and could cast them proficiently while simply willing the magic out of his wand.
Harry currently watched approvingly as Hermione and Susan Bones were making use of the dueling platform in the back of the DA. There were a handful of students who were practicing the latest spell they had learned, oppungo, which would direct any objects or animals that were hit with it to attack what the caster wanted it to, while the rest stood around Harry and watched.
Hermione was one of the better duelers in the DA, but Susan was also extremely proficient and rather creative with her spell work, courtesy of her aunt's training. Harry watched as Hermione conjured a handful of stones the size of a muggle football and banished them at Susan.
Susan had thrown up a reinforced shield which would block them, but before the stones could strike the shield, Hermione had hit them with a blasting hex that turned them to powder and clouded Susan's vision. Susan sent out a spell blindly in a desperate counterattack, but Hermione had already rolled out of the way and cast a silent expelliarmus, aiming to hit her low beneath her shield which was exposed thanks to the dust that was clinging to it.
Susan who had been unable to see her cast it, was unprepared for the silent spell and when it clipped her ankle her wand flew out of her hand and into Hermione's. Susan quickly yelped out a "Yield!" before Hermione could stun her and officially end the duel. Hermione graciously walked over and handed the wand back to her, congratulating Susan on a well fought battle.
"That was great." Harry told them both as they made their way down the elevated platform. Hermione beamed at him, and Susan blushed slightly, but whether from his praise or her loss he wasn't sure.
"Blasting the stones to dust was a great way to obscure her vision and show her shield more clearly." Harry told the class at large. "It's always important to be able to use your spells in more ways than one. For example, an Aqua Eructo can work well on its own by shooting a strong jet of water at an enemy which could incapacitate them, but you could immediately chain into an inciendo to turn the water to steam obscuring their vision and making it difficult to breathe, or a glacius which could freeze the water and them."
The class took notes as he spoke, and Harry couldn't help but shake the awkwardness that came up in him when they did. He didn't think he knew enough to teach others, especially the older years, but those two specific combinations had been taught to him by Dumbledore, so he knew they were good.
"That was our last scheduled duel for tonight." He continued after a moment. "Next week we will have Neville against Hannah, Fred against Lee, and Ron against Zacharias to start the class. We will also be covering some field healing charms that can be used quickly during battle to stop bleeding, mend broken bones, and conjure bandages. If we have time afterwards, we will begin the theory behind the Patronus charm."
The class broke out into an excited chatter at the prospect of learning to cast a patronus and Harry waited a few moments for it to die down. "You have all been doing great, and in just a few months we have been able to cover most of our OWL work. Keep up the good work everybody, I'll see you all next week."
Harry didn't feel comfortable dismissing the class but had quickly noticed that they would stick around until he did. He used the map and released the students a few at a time, waiting until everyone had gone to ensure the room would close behind them.
When just he and Daphne remained, he walked out, and the door disappeared leaving solid stone wall in its wake. He took her hand and began the long trek down to the dungeons. She leaned into his shoulder and sighed contentedly, and Harry couldn't help his smile.
"You really should let me duel Chang, or Weasley for that matter." She said after a moment and Harry looked down at her in surprise.
"Why's that?"
"I swear you're blind, but the reason they need so much help with all of their spells is because they want your attention." She replied. "Despite the whole castle knowing you're in a relationship." She said swinging their joined hands.
Harry considered for a moment. "I don't think that's why they need the help, but I can have Hermione help them in the next few lessons instead of me. I didn't realize you were the jealous type."
"Oh, I'm not jealous." She replied easily. "It's actually amusing watching and seeing how you pay them no mind, but I still wouldn't mind teaching them not to sniff around."
Harry laughed and made a mental note not to pair them for duels. Daphne was Harry's dueling partner and by necessity had gained a lot of skill quickly. She was probably top three or four in the DA save himself and a few of the 7th years. That coupled with her vindictive side and Harry thought she might take it a bit too seriously.
"Well, there's no need to be jealous because I wanted to ask you something." Harry pulled out the brilliant red rose that Neville had helped him pick from one of the Greenhouses. He had applied a stasis charm to it and kept it in his bag.
"As you know, there's a Hogsmeade weekend next Saturday and I would be honored if you would accompany me as my date." He said handing it to her.
She smiled brilliantly at him. "I would love to."
She took the rose and smelled it sighing contentedly before grabbing his hand once more and leading him down a different corridor. "I think this is the wrong turn." He told her.
"This is definitely the right turn." She replied, still tugging on his hand.
"I don't think so, the Slytherin common-"
"We're not going to the Slytherin common room."
"Where are we… Oh!" Harry said finally realizing that they were headed towards an unused classroom.
"Yes. Oh. Now shut up Potter." Harry dutifully did as he was told, allowing her to drag him along.
AN: The newspaper excerpts were taken either directly from or influenced heavily by OOTP. The story is going to begin moving slightly faster from this point forward. The remainder of the fic is completely outlined, and a solid portion has been written. I will attempt to continue the update pace I have been keeping thus far, but it may slow down slightly in the near future as I am getting busy in both my work and personal life. I continue to remain blown away by the support and appreciate everyone of you who have followed, favorited, and especially those of you who have reviewed and review consistently. Thank you! I wish those of you in America a safe and happy Fourth of July and I'll see you all next time.