A/N: Usual disclaimer. Please review if you have any feedback :).
Chapter 2
There was something unique about a quiet, solitary train ride. Watching the outside landscape zoom by, eating Bertie's Every Flavor Beans, and most importantly, curling up with a good Quidditch magazine. This would be the sixth time she took the Hogwarts Express to begin another school year and though each journey had been different in its own way, Daphne still treasured every single one of them. After all, there would come a time, two years from now actually, when she would graduate Hogwarts and begin her life as an adult and never be in the comfort confines of school life again.
Not all of her train rides had been so solitary though. Her very first time five years ago had been filled with excitement and nervous energy, feelings mirrored in every other first year on the train eager to begin their Hogwarts journey. She had shared a compartment with some of the other first year girls who had all gotten sorted into Slytherin in the end. Pansy, Millicent, Tracy Davis.
Two years later, her younger sister Astoria started her first year at Hogwarts and Daphne had spent part of the trip with her, before gently pushing Astoria to start getting to know her own future classmates. That hadn't lasted long though. The train had mysteriously stopped in the middle of its journey that year and Dementors were said to have boarded. She had frantically tried to find Astoria again and then spent the rest of the trip locked in a compartment with her little sister and her new friends, anxiously waiting out the remaining time it took to finally arrive at Hogwarts.
The other journeys weren't nearly as eventful as her third year's and Daphne had spent most of them either with her Slytherin dormmates or with Astoria or, like this year, by herself. Though they had spent five years living together, eating together, and going to classes together, Daphne wasn't really that great friends with any of the other Slytherin girls. Pansy was almost downright unbearable at times, especially when Malfoy was also in her presence. Millicent and Tracy were okay when Pansy wasn't around, but Daphne just didn't feel that close with them. She wasn't really interested in most of the things they liked to talk about and she didn't particularly share in their disdain for people they felt were beneath them. They were always civil with one another (most of the time) but Daphne always kept the other three at an arm's length.
And there was the fact that she just really wasn't that outgoing of a person. That was more Astoria's forté. The sisters had always been close growing up and Daphne always spent some of the train ride with Astoria. But Astoria had a lot of friends her own year and Daphne would always find herself alone afterwards when Astoria had gone off. Not that it really bothered her, but it did get lonesome from time to time. If there was a choice between being by herself and curling up with a good book (or even better, a Quidditch magazine) or joining the rest of the Slytherins, well...she knew her choice each and every time. And with that last thought, Daphne tore her eyes away from the window and back at the copy of Seeker Weekly open on her lap. Now that Umbridge was gone and all her ridiculous Educational Decrees abolished, it was shaping up to be quite an exciting year, at least Quidditch-wise. A lot of the older, more experienced players had graduated and there was a boatload of young talent in the lower years eager to fill their spots.
The Slytherin team wasn't as great as it had been in previous years (though she had to admit they played just as dirty on several occasions), but even with their current line-up, they would always be considered as serious contenders. Malfoy may be an arrogant ponce but he was objectively a fairly decent Seeker. His two goons Crabbe and Goyle lacked much in the intelligence department but when it came to Beating, they were a formidable force.
She kept a close eye on the other Houses as well. In an alternate universe, maybe she would have served as a good analyst or even spy when it came to the Slytherin Quidditch team. But as it so happens, she was a girl and with the way things were in her House, she doubted she would have been taken seriously. Nor would she even want to offer her services because while she would always support Slytherin to an extent, no player on the team inspired any form of loyalty or support that made her want them to win.
The Hufflepuff team was merely alright. Zacharius Smith (who was up there on Daphne's personal list of insufferable gits at Hogwarts) would most certainly fill the empty Captain position and they had put up some pretty decent showings last year.
Ravenclaw had lost their captain Roger Davies who had recently graduated. They were the runner ups for the Cup last year and would have won if not for the miraculous turnaround Weasley had pulled in the Finals. The energy from the Gryffindors after his first save in that game had been enormous and the morale boost it gave to the rest of the team was invaluable. She would have to pay attention to what happened at each of their tryouts and idly wondered who in Ravenclaw House would be the next Captain.
Gryffindor, on the other hand, was a whole other can of worms and something she was looking forward to seeing play out. They had lost Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet who, along with Katie Bell who was a seventh year now, had been Gryffindor's dominant Chaser trio for the past couple seasons. Umbridge had banned both the Weasley twins and Potter and now only Potter would be able to play again, the twins having left school rather spectacularly last year. Down two chasers and the best Beater duo Hogwarts had seen in years. The replacement Beaters last year, Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke, were abysmal to say the least and while Ginny Weasley had made a decent Seeker, she was no Potter.
As she idly flipped through the pages, Daphne wondered who the new Gryffindor Captain would be. While she hoped Potter would get the nod, the logical choice would be Katie Bell. She had been on the team longer and all around more reliable (she grudgingly admitted to herself) than Potter in terms of availability. But being Captain also had a lot to do with personality and Daphne wasn't sure if Bell had that, having never interacted with her before.
Oh well. I'll find out soon enough, Daphne thought. And she was eager to see how everything went down. From time to time, there would be scouts for professional teams who attended Hogwarts games and it was the sixth and seventh years who they were primarily focused on. Bias aside, Daphne knew that Potter would probably draw the most attention. Throw in the fact he was the Boy-Who-Lived and now supposedly the Chosen One, professional Quidditch teams would be all over him. They wouldn't ever give Potter an easy pass just because of his fame but his fame would at the very least attract attention and Potter's ability would warrant that attention justified. If only Potter would be even the slightest bit interested. After observing him for so long, Daphne doubted Quidditch was something Potter considered as a future career choice. Given the rapidly deteriorating political atmosphere of Wizarding Britain and Potter's prominent role in it, the chances of Potter going professional were almost non-existent. She had heard rumors that Potter wanted to become an Auror after the Career Advice meetings they had had last year. Quidditch aside, Daphne had to admit the Auror job was made for Potter.
"You would probably think that of any job he chose," a small voice in her head said teasingly (which sounded a lot like her mother), to which Daphne politely asked her to shut up.
She had seen the worry on her parents' faces all throughout the summer. She had read the news of the disappearances of Florean Fortescue, Ollivander, and seemingly dozens of others over the past months. She had heard about the murder of Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She had seen all the boarded up shops in Diagon Alley and how the once bustling, crowded shopping center had been reduced to a somber and gloomy place with shabby-looking stalls and harried, worried shoppers. Dark times were ahead.
With Potter foremost in her thoughts, Daphne thought back to the promise that she had made to herself at the end of last term, when she had resolved to try and talk to him this year. She really had no idea how she was going to accomplish that, not when their paths hadn't even crossed once in the past five years. Oh sure, they had shared classes like Potions since first year but there was never really an opportunity to get to know him then. The two Houses avoided partnering up with each other like the plague and it wasn't as if she could strike up meaningful conversation with him during a lesson.
A rapping at the compartment door shook her out of her thoughts and Daphne looked up from her magazine to see a third-year girl sliding the door open and stepping inside.
"Are you Daphne Greengrass? I'm supposed to deliver this note to you from Professor Slughorn." She held out a small scroll of parchment tied with violet ribbon.
Slightly bemused, Daphne thanked the girl as she left and opened the scroll.
Dear Ms. Greengrass,
I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C.
Sincerely,
Professor H.E.F. Slughorn
Horace Slughorn. So the old Potions Master had returned from retirement. Every year, it seemed, there would be at least one new professor introduced to Hogwarts, courtesy of the cursed Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position, and Horace Slughorn was the one Dumbledore had decided on this year.
He had been the Potions Master when her parents had been at Hogwarts and her mother had been a favorite student of his, most likely because she had been an exceptional potioneer as a student who had gone on to work at St. Mungo's after graduation. Slughorn liked to associate himself with the rich and powerful and liked to think he had a knack of handpicking the best of each class of students who had the most potential. Oftentimes, he was spot on.
And now it seemed he wanted to add Daphne to his little club. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it but it would be churlish to refuse the invitation.
Daphne tucked the note away and stuffed her copy of Seeker Weekly into her luggage. It was almost noon already and the corridors were packed with students waiting for the lunch trolley to come around, as she stepped out of the comfortable confines of her compartment. She nodded at Millicent and Tracy who she passed in the corridor further down the train and made a face to herself when she walked by Malfoy's usual compartment where he and his goons, along with Pansy, sat.
"Welcome!" came the booming voice of Horace Slughorn as Daphne opened the sliding door of Compartment C. His shiny bald head and great silver mustache gleamed brightly in the sunlight that filtered into the compartment and he was flamboyantly dressed in a green waistcoat studded with gold buttons with a velvet undershirt that covered his immense belly. All in all, he looked so very much like a walrus.
"You must be Miss Daphne Greengrass! You're the spitting image of your mother Isabelle. Come in, come in, we're still waiting on some folks to join." He waved her jovially inside and gestured to an empty seat.
As she sat down, Slughorn introduced her to the guests around the table who were already seated. Her fellow Housemate, Blaise Zabini, was there, along with two seventh-year boys who she identified as Cormac McLaggen of Gryffindor and Marcus Belby of Ravenclaw, both of whom nodded at her. Ginny Weasley was also present sitting right beside Slughorn and looking vaguely uncomfortable, as if she didn't know what had led her to be there at all.
"Come, come, I have some appetizers laid out while we wait for Mr. Potter and Mr. Longbottom to join us. Albus recommended these delightful sweets…"
Daphne looked up sharply when Slughorn mentioned Potter's name and whatever he was talking about was immediately tuned out. So, it seemed Potter had been invited as well. Now that she thought about it, she wondered why she had never thought of the possibility that he would be invited. If there was one person who would have been guaranteed an invite to Slughorn's little group, it would be Harry Potter.
She had just been musing about making an effort to talk to him this year and now, very soon, she would be having lunch with him (well, not with him in that sense but certainly together at the same table at least). Granted, she doubted she'd get much of a chance to talk to him here one-on-one, judging by how much Slughorn was currently prattling on about something or another.
"And how are your parents doing Miss Greengrass?" Slughorn's question jolted Daphne out of her thoughts and back to the present. "Last I heard, your mother was making waves at St. Mungo's."
"They're doing well Professor. My mother actually transferred to the Antidote research lab last year."
"How wonderful! I remember having your mother in my class when she was at school. Truly one of the most exceptional potioneers I've ever taught. There was a time when…" But before he could continue, the compartment door slid open again to reveal Potter and a nervous Neville Longbottom.
"Harry, m'boy!" Slughorn boomed, shaking the table rather violently in his haste to welcome the Boy Who Lived.
Merlin. Summer had certainly been extremely kind to Harry Potter. He was several inches taller and while he was still on the skinny side, there was a healthy amount of muscle that showed through the long-sleeved shirt he was wearing.
Daphne, suddenly aware that she was gaping, hurriedly snapped her mouth shut and snuck a glance at the people around her. Thankfully, everyone's attention was on Potter as Slughorn began making introductions once more. She breathed a tiny sigh of relief. How embarrassing would that have been.
"Pretty embarrassing dear. You were practically drooling," the tiny voice in her head chimed in once more. Daphne pointedly ignored it.
"And here we have Ms. Daphne Greengrass, also in your year of course!" Slughorn's voice boomed. Oh Merlin! She had zoned out again.
Potter's eyes, bright green emerald, fixed on her as Slughorn introduced her. Suppressing a shiver, she gave a hesitant, tiny smile at him.
Potter blinked. And then blinked again, as if he was slightly taken back by her response, before his attention was whisked away as Slughorn finished with Ginny Weasley.
Well, that certainly didn't go too bad. Considering how Potter had completely ignored Zabini, and vice versa, Potter had at least acknowledged her greeting (somewhat). Baby steps, Daphne, baby steps. Absolutely nothing to be worried about.
"Come, come! Sit! Harry, there's an empty seat right next to Ms. Greengrass. And you Longbottom…"
Oh sweet heavens.
Potter sat down in the open seat beside her, his thigh millimeters away from touching hers. She tentatively snuck a glance at him and was once more drawn to those emerald eyes as he quietly listened to whatever Slughorn was prattling on about now.
You're staring dear, the voice chided gently and Daphne hurriedly turned her attention back to the food that was being served. Right, don't focus on his eyes. But that turned out to be a mistake as now, she was even more sensitive to practically everything else about him. Like how nice he smelled. It was very faint, but Daphne felt as if her other senses were going overboard. It was a musky smell that reminded her of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Heavenly indeed.
"The 'Chosen One', they're calling you now!"
Daphne looked up, now properly paying attention. Everyone's eyes were on Potter, who was silent and looking distinctly uncomfortable at the prying eyes.
"Of course," Slughorn said, "there have been rumors for years...I remember when - well - after that terrible night - Lily - James - and you survived - and the word was that you must have powers beyond the ordinary -"
Zabini let out an amused cough at that and Daphne suddenly felt the urge to throw whatever it was she was eating at him. Zabini was very much up there on her list of gits along with Zacharious Smith and Malfoy. But of course, she didn't let any of what she was feeling show on her face. It would be rather problematic.
"Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented...at posing…" Weasley's angry voice burst out from behind Slughorn.
A tiny snigger escaped from her, which she hastily disguised as a small cough, placing one hand elegantly over her mouth. Once more, thankfully, no one seemed to notice her slip up as Zabini started glaring daggers at Weasley and Slughorn went off on another tangent about Bat-Bogey hexes. She glanced once more at Potter and started a little as she noticed he was looking right at her with a single eyebrow raised inquisitively.
Oh bugger. She felt her cheeks heat up and hastily returned her attention to her food, missing the faint smile that graced his lips.
The rest of the train ride passed by in a blur. Slughorn talked for most of the time, periodically asking one of the students a question before going off again on another tangent. Potter was questioned about the events that had taken place in the Department of Mysteries and he stoically refused to acknowledge anything that may or may not have happened there, with Weasley and Longbottom loyally supporting him.
In retrospect, listening to Slughorn drone on for the majority of the train ride probably wasn't the best use of anyone's time, but Daphne hardly noticed. This was the closest she had gotten to Potter in the past five years and she couldn't help but sneak the occasional glance at him. He looked every bit as bored as she felt and a few times, his eyes would meet hers before she quickly averted them, cheeks reddening at being caught.
"So much for trying to be calm, cool, and collected," Daphne thought glumly.
And so, the sun was already setting by the time Slughorn finally seemed to realize just how long he had been prattling on.
"Good gracious, it's getting dark already! I didn't notice that they'd lit the lamps! You'd better go and change into your robes, all of you. McLaggen, you must drop by and borrow that book on Nogtails. Harry, Blaise - any time you're passing. Same goes for you two ladies," he twinkled at Ginny and Daphne. "Well, off you go, off you go!"
Daphne stood up and stretched languidly, stifling a yawn. Merlin, that had been a drag. She glanced once more at Potter next to her, who had also stood up and was exchanging glares with Zabini as her Slytherin housemate pushed past him. Well, perhaps not totally a drag. She wondered idly if there'd be a chance to speak to Potter alone in any way, as she followed Potter, Weasley, and Longbottom out of the compartment. With his friends there with him, most likely not.
"...Strange man isn't he?" Longbottom muttered as Daphne slowly followed the three Gryffindors down along the train, staying a ways away just enough to eavesdrop without drawing attention to herself..
"Yeah, he is a bit," Potter responded, staring rather intently at something straight ahead. Daphne shifted a bit to look beyond them and saw only Zabini heading back towards Malfoy's compartment. "How come you ended up in there, Ginny?"
"He saw me hex Zacharias Smith," Weasley said, "you remember that idiot from Hufflepuff who was in the DA?..."
Daphne suppressed a snort of amusement. Anything that involved humiliating that git Smith was definitely something she could get behind. It was just a shame "being a git" wasn't something that was very easily cured.
"Better reason for inviting someone than because their mother's famous," Potter scowled. "Or because their uncle -". He broke off and suddenly stopped short, Weasley and Longbottom almost bumping into him.
Hovering back a little ways behind the trio, Daphne could almost see the gears turning in Potter's head and glanced around her. There didn't seem to be anything amiss. Most of the hallway was empty, with students in their compartments getting ready for their arrival.
"I'll see you two later." Daphne heard the faint murmur and just like that, Potter vanished. She blinked...and blinked again. She hastily rubbed her eyes and stared. Only Weasley and Longbottom were there, looking slightly startled.
"That idiot," she heard Weasley mutter to Longbottom, "hope he doesn't get into any trouble. C'mon, let's get going." And with that, the remaining two Gryffindors continued down the corridor.
So she hadn't imagined it then. Potter had really disappeared. She started down the corridor once more, looking into some of the compartments but didn't see any sign of Potter.
How did he just vanish in the blink of an eye? And what was he up to?
Did he Disapparate? That would require a license and they weren't at the age limit yet to do so. Or it could be a Disillusionment Charm, Daphne mused. But to cast a charm like that so strong as to disappear completely...that required some serious power and control. Not to mention how quickly and silently it was cast. And considering how Disillusionment Charms were N.E.W.T. level work, it just didn't seem likely...although she had to admit if there was anyone who could pull it off, it would be Potter.
The blare of the horns of the Hogwarts Express shook her out of her reverie. Just another mystery to add to the ever-growing conundrum that was Harry Potter.
"Oh don't pretend you don't love trying to unravel it dear," the tiny voice in her head said smugly.
Daphne ignored it once more. Oh well, if anything, it really wasn't any of her business. It was already dark outside and she still had to go and get changed. She hurried down the almost empty corridor towards her own compartment and shut the door behind her.
All in all, she thought idly as she rummaged around in her trunk for her Hogwarts robes, it wasn't such a bad train ride, certainly one of the better ones (if not the best). She glanced rather ruefully at the copy of Seeker Weekly that she had left open on her seat before she had left. Perhaps she'll have some free time before bed. Still, if having to endure a mind numbingly boring session with Slughorn meant being able to sit next to Potter, she'd happily have lunch with them every day of the year. Now that she'd thought about it, this surely wouldn't be the only gathering Slughorn would throw. And if that was the case, she'd have the chance to see Potter around a bit more often than she had in the previous years. The thought of that alone made her feel slightly giddy.
Daphne finished changing into her robes just as the Hogwarts Express finally slowed to a stop at Hogsmeade Station. She grabbed her Quidditch magazine and the half-eaten box of Bertie's Every Flavor Beans and hastily stuffed them inside her trunk.
She was just getting ready to leave when she heard a rap on her compartment door and saw Tracey and Millicent in the corridor gesturing at her. She suppressed both a sigh and the urge to roll her eyes and waved for them to go on ahead, vaguely gesturing towards her trunk as if to say she still had to get ready. Her dormmates really weren't that bad, but she didn't particularly fancy a carriage ride with them, especially considering there was a chance Pansy and Malfoy might join them. She would have to deal with them for the rest of the year anyways, so surely it wouldn't be much to ask for a last peaceful carriage ride.
As Daphne opened the door of her compartment, Pansy and Malfoy strolled past hand in hand, both of them nodding at her. As they passed by, Daphne this time did roll her eyes. Speak of the devil (or devils). How predictable indeed. Hopefully they don't pester her into joining them.
Dragging her trunk behind her, she followed Pansy and Malfoy as they got off the train and caught a drift of their conversation.
"What did you have to take care of?" Pansy asked.
"Oh, nothing important," Malfoy smirked airily. "Just a little Gryffindor problem."
"Gryffindor problem?" Pansy raised her eyebrows at that.
"Just taking care of a pest I found in our compartment." Malfoy had a rather evil grin on his face. "C'mon, I'll tell you and the others later." Pansy gave a pout as the two walked towards the waiting carriages, not noticing that their fellow Slytherin had suddenly stopped cold in her tracks.
No way.
Were they talking about Potter? He had disappeared hadn't he...and he had been staring right at Zabini when he had done so, who had been sitting with Malfoy and Pansy in their compartment.
Is that really where he went? And for what reason? To play a prank? That didn't really make sense. After all, their altercation (if it can even be called that) at the Slug Club meeting could almost be deemed civil compared to the usual Gryffindor-Slytherin interactions.
Daphne stood stockstill, still trying to process everything and racked with indecision. If Malfoy had been talking about Potter, then judging by what Malfoy had just insinuated, something had happened between them and Malfoy seemed to have gotten the better of it, if the sickeningly smug air he just had was of any reference.
The train horn blared once more.
Dammit.
The Hogwarts Express would be leaving soon. From what Malfoy had said, Potter was still onboard and if Potter was still onboard, then he would be left behind. What had Malfoy done? Knocked him out? Cursed him? Or worse? Despite how much Malfoy annoyed her, Daphne couldn't quite see him doing something worse. If anything, he was too much of a coward.
But on the other hand, she could be blowing everything she had heard out of proportion. If Potter wasn't still onboard and she went to check, she would be the one left behind as the train was leaving very, very soon. Even if her intuition was right, surely some of his other friends must have realized he was gone and tried to find him? She'd be a huge fool to check herself on a whim, especially with something that really didn't concern her at all.
Except...it did. She chewed on her bottom lip, a habit of hers whenever she was anxious. This was Harry Potter after all and with all things Potter, Daphne found over the years that those things concerned her very much.
The train gave a lurch and before she even realized what she was doing, Daphne dropped the handle of her trunk on the platform, turned around, and sprinted back onto the train.
Merlin's pants, I swear if I'm wrong I'm going to go smack Potter the next time I see him.
She raced past the compartment she had been sitting in. Malfoy's compartment had been just down the corridor. She glanced into each of the ones she passed down the train car but they were all empty.
Hang on…
She stopped in her tracks and looked at the compartment she had just passed. It was empty, just like the rest of them, but this one had its blinds all drawn down. She looked at the compartment number and tried to recall her trip towards Slughorn's compartment for lunch. She had seen Malfoy and Pansy as she passed hadn't she...but she hadn't recalled what compartment number it was. After all, why would it have been something she would notice? But the distance from her own compartment seemed right.
She opened the compartment door and glanced around inside. Nothing at all.
"Potter?" she hesitantly called out from the doorway. No response.
The train gave another lurch and the floor began to vibrate as the engine came to life.
The train was about to leave and Daphne suddenly felt like a fool. What was she even doing here? All the others were probably well on their way to the castle, Potter included, and here she was on a wild-goose chase.
She slammed the door shut in frustration and started to sprint towards the exit before another thought struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Potter had turned invisible hadn't he! What if he still was?
She turned on her heels and rushed back towards the compartment, flinging the door open. She'll poke around for a few seconds just to satisfy her nagging curiosity and then she would leave. It's not like it was a particularly big compartment. She stepped inside and yelped as her foot caught on something on the floor and she lost her balance, falling face-down on the floor. Only...it wasn't the floor. Swearing loudly, she picked herself up onto her hands and knees. She was on top of something. Something that felt awfully like a body and whatever it was, it was invisible.
"Potter?" she asked cautiously. She reached out gently with her hand and felt a velvety cloth that seemed to cover him. What is this? She tugged.
And there he was: Potter lying on the floor in what appeared to be a full Body-Bind curse, blood running down his nose, and palpable relief (and a bit of wariness) in his eyes.
Daphne gasped.
"Potter, are you alright?"
He made no response but his eyes flitted back and forth frantically.
"Right," Daphne said, almost smacking herself for being so stupid. "Can't talk."
She held up her wand, "Finite Incantatem." A burst of red light and Potter was freed from the Body-Bind. He scrambled up to his feet, wiping the blood off his face. He grimaced as he felt his bruised face and looked faintly embarrassed as he straightened himself before turning his vivid green eyes on her.
Merlin. Even blood and bruises on his face did nothing to lessen his appeal.
"Are you alright?" Daphne asked once more.
Potter gave a grimace, "I've had worse...and it would have been much worse if not for you. So thanks, I owe you one." Sincere gratitude filled his vivid green eyes as he gave her a hesitant smile.
Daphne flushed and felt her voice catch. What he's doing with those eyes should be illegal.
They were suddenly interrupted as the train gave another lurch and finally began to move.
Daphne cursed once more. "C'mon, we'd better get out of here fast."
Potter nodded and the two of them ran out of the compartment and down the darkened corridor towards the exit door, just as steam began to obscure the train windows as the Express pulled out of the station.
They reached the exit and Potter dragged the door open.
"Jump!" He yelled. Daphne leapt onto the train platform as the train began to gather more and more momentum. She staggered on the landing before catching her balance and saw Potter land right next to her just as the train cleared the platform and disappeared around the corner in a cloud of smoke.
They staggered forwards, panting and trying to catch their breath.
"That was close," Potter said with a little laugh.
"More than close," Daphne responded as her breathing slowly returned to normal. "Merlin, is this how you always start your school years Potter?"
Potter snorted in amusement. "You'd be surprised. C'mon, let's see if there's a carriage left for us to take."
"Hang on," Daphne said firmly, "First things first." She pulled her wand out and pointed it at him. She saw Potter flinch violently and before she could even register what was going on, there was a flash of light and her wand flew out of her hand. She found herself staring down the point of his own drawn wand.
"I-," Daphne stuttered, eyes wide in surprise and a bit of fear. Potter's countenance had gone from one of amusement to almost terrifying in the blink of an eye. Damn, it was no wonder that he had gone fighting Death Eaters last year. And she had forgotten just how fast he was with a wand. He practically emanated raw power and his eyes seemed to bore straight into her soul. She inwardly gave a shiver of both nervousness and...to her shock, a bit of desire. If only this hadn't been directed at her.
Merlin Daph, pull yourself together. She chided herself.
"I was just going to help fix your nose Potter. You have blood everywhere." Daphne said, her voice surprisingly steady.
Still Potter made no movement, eyes still trained on her, trying to assess if she was telling the truth.
"Oh come on dammit. I literally just saved your arse," Daphne added, this time her frustration clear in her voice, "Why would I attack you now instead of doing it when you were in a full Body-Bind?"
At that Potter wavered and slowly lowered his wand.
"I'm sorry," Potter muttered. To his credit, he looked slightly apologetic. "I-." He broke off, ducking his head and looking at the ground.
"Stupid reflex is all," he said roughly, looking back at her, "I didn't mean to turn it on you."
He picked up her wand which had fallen on the ground when he had disarmed her and handed it to her.
How could someone turn from terrifying one moment to looking almost like a kicked puppy the next? Daphne mused as she took her wand back.
"Merlin Potter, you sure know how to thank a girl."
Potter looked up and finally gave a rueful grin as he caught the teasing tone in her voice, the tension dissipating somewhat.
"Are you alright? I...I didn't hurt you did I?" Potter asked worriedly.
"No, I'm fine. Just remind me never to sneak up on you Potter," Daphne smiled back before frowning once more. "But I did mean what I said. If you'll allow me, let me take a look at your nose."
Potter paused for a brief moment before silently nodding.
She raised her wand once more, this time much more deliberately, and pointed it right at his nose.
"Episkey." She saw him tense slightly before relaxing once more as he gingerly felt his nose.
"Oh wow!" Potter exclaimed. "Thanks! I don't think Madam Pomfrey could have done it any better."
Daphne almost preened at his praise. If there was one thing she liked to take pride in, it was her spellwork (well...that and Quidditch of course). And to have Harry Potter acknowledge made was just icing on the cake.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Potter asked curiously, still feeling his nose.
"My mother works at St. Mungo's," Daphne explained. "She's not a Healer or anything but a potioneer. She picks up these useful spells though here and there and passed it on to me just in case."
"Ah I see," said Potter. "Well I'm very grateful. You saved me another trip to the hospital wing. I owe you one...er...well I guess I owe you two now."
Daphne grinned, "I'll hold you to that." She glanced at her watch and winced. "Shoot. We really need to get going or we'll be in trouble."
Potter nodded in agreement. She walked over to her trunk that she had left behind when she went back onto the train and picked it up.
"Harry!"
A voice called out in the night and Daphne turned to see a young, mousy-haired woman come running toward them.
"Wotcher Harry, you had us worried when we didn't see you come off the train. Ron and Hermione were beside themselves." She stopped in front of him and carefully looked over him.
"Nose looks recently healed, are you alright? What happened?"
"I'm okay," Harry said apologetically, "Sorry about that. Got caught up in something is all. And Daphne here healed me," as she walked up with her trunk and joined them. Who was this woman? She looked slightly older than the average Hogwarts student.
The mousy-haired woman looked over at her critically before giving a small grin and saying, "Wotcher Daphne, name's Tonks." Turning to Harry, she added, "well, you had best get going, there's still one carriage left for you two. When I finally saw you, I held one up."
Potter nodded gratefully, "Thanks Tonks, I owe you one. Seems to be a trend these days," he murmured ruefully as he glanced at Daphne. He gave her a quick hug and with a few parting words, Tonks left.
"Friend of yours?" Daphne asked curiously, trying to keep a slight edge out of her voice, as the two made their way towards the carriage. Merlin what's wrong with you. Calm yourself, she inwardly chided herself.
"Yes, a friend," he answered simply, "she's an Auror." And he left it at that.
An Auror. Daphne couldn't help but be impressed, especially one as young as Tonks had looked, although she supposed looks can be deceiving. Potter wanted to be an Auror himself didn't he? Perhaps another piece to add to the fascinating puzzle.
They reached the last empty carriage that Tonks had held up, stowed their trunks away, and climbed inside.
As the carriage began its journey towards Hogwarts, Potter looked over at her, "You know, I don't think we've actually done any introductions or anything. Well, anothing proper anyways. Er…, I guess you know who I am," he said sheepishly, "Greengrass right? From Slughorn's lunch earlier."
She nodded in response, feeling a tiny flutter in the pit of her stomach. Just how her luck had changed. Who would have thought that this would be how her day would have turned out. Not just having the chance to be alone with Harry Potter, but rescuing him as well.
"Thanks again for getting me out of there," he said. "Didn't get a chance to say this properly earlier. But if it weren't for you, I'd probably be halfway to London before anyone had noticed I was missing."
"Oh most likely," Daphne replied drily as she gave him an amused look. "Don't mention it Potter. Really though, don't mention it," she added as an afterthought. She could only imagine what the Slytherins would say if word ever got to them.
As if Potter was thinking something along similar lines, he looked at her curiously and asked, "You're in Slytherin right? If you don't mind me asking, why did you help me? I'd thought all of you hated me on principle or something. And on that note, how did you know what had happened to me?"
Daphne remained silent as she pondered his questions. She knew that eventually, they would get to this point. Problem was, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. She sure as hell was NOT going to tell him just how much she admired him. She liked to think she had a bit more dignity than potentially sounding like another fan girl.
"Well, I guess I'm just the exception then, luckily enough for you," Daphne said lightly. "And for the record, I don't hate you, nor have I ever hated you. Whatever the rest of my House thinks of you, I don't share that. I just...keep it to myself is all. Don't need them hounding me all the time. They can cause more trouble than I'm willing to deal with.
Potter stared at her in surprise and a tiny bit of skepticism. "You don't?"
"No," Daphne said firmly, "I don't hate you." Quite the opposite really. "Why?" she cocked her head at him, "do you hate me?"
Potter shook his head, "No! Of course not! I mean, you saved me didn't you? I'm just...surprised a Slytherin rescued me is all. Besides, I hardly know you."
Daphne smiled at him, "Well, there you go right? I can say the same thing."
Potter paused at that before the realization hit him. He chuckled ruefully, "Yeah, I suppose I just blindly assumed. Well...I'm glad I was wrong in this case. But honestly, you can't blame me, with all that's happened between your Housemates and me over the years."
Daphne tipped her head, "That's an equally good point," she admitted.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own musings, before Potter broke it once more.
"What about my second question? How did you even know I was there?"
"Oh that," Daphne said. "Um...well I was walking behind you guys when we left Slughorn's compartment and I…" she broke off feeling slightly abashed, "I might have overheard what you were talking about. And then you just vanished." Another thought hit her. "Hey! Speaking of which, how could this have even slipped my mind!" she whirled on him and said almost accusingly, "you have an Invisibility Cloak don't you?"
Potter looked taken aback by her sudden exclamation before giving her a rather impish grin, "Yeah, I might."
That would explain a lot. She knew it couldn't have been a Disillusionment Charm.
Daphne shook her head, "You're lucky Potter. Those things are incredibly rare. Where did you get yours?"
"It was my dad's originally actually," he said fondly, "Dumbledore gave it to me for Christmas our first year here. My dad was quite the troublemaker apparently." There was a definite wistful tone in his voice and Daphne felt herself smile.
"Well, looks like that's definitely something you inherited then," she said teasingly. Potter snorted at that but his eyes shone with laughter nonetheless.
"So what happened after you saw me vanish?" Potter prompted her once more.
"Nothing really, I was wondering where you had gone but couldn't see any sign of you. It honestly wasn't until I'd left the train that I overheard Malfoy talking about a 'Gryffindor pest' that he had found in his compartment. And from there on I put two and two together and here we are."
Potter scowled at the mention of Malfoy. It was clear that the fact that Malfoy had managed to pull one over him still rankled.
"Figured he'd be spreading it far and wide as soon as he could," Potter muttered darkly. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. "But in this case, I'm glad he did. Why did you decide to come back?" he asked her curiously.
Daphne felt her cheeks heat up. This was the one question she did not want to answer.
"Well can't I be nice too?" Daphne replied evasively, outwardly trying to school her expression. "Malfoy's a dunce and I thought it would foil his plans nicely."
Potter stared at her. Daphne was sure that he didn't buy it but to her immense relief, he smiled gratefully once more and didn't press the issue.
"He is at that. I would never have thought I'd hear it from the mouth of a Slytherin though," he laughed. Daphne grinned in response.
As the carriage came into view of the Hogwarts gates, Potter looked out and swore softly all of a sudden.
"What is it?" Daphne asked curiously. She looked out and saw the dark shape of a person silhouetted in the night, cloak billowing out behind, looking almost like a bat.
"It's Snape," Potter groaned. "What a way to start off the year."
"What's wrong? We're in the carriages and we're not that late. I don't think we're in trouble," Daphne asked confusedly.
Potter looked at her wryly. "You're not in trouble. Trust me, he'd put me in detention for breathing too loudly." Daphne had to admit that probably wasn't far off from the truth.
"You have your Cloak still with you?" she asked, mind whirling as an idea popped into her head.
Potter nodded slowly as he saw a grin appearing on her face.
"Well put it on then. As you said, I won't be in any trouble. If you're quiet, you should be able to slip past him with me." Daphne couldn't believe she was suggesting this. She'd never really stepped a toe out of line in her whole time at Hogwarts. But there was just something about having Potter with her.
Potter stared at her in what looked like amazement before he laughed. "Are you sure you're not the troublemaker here Greengrass? Well, if I'm going to get detention anyway, I might as well earn it." He took out his cloak and disappeared as the carriage pulled up to the gate and began to stop.
The door opened and Daphne grabbed her trunk and gingerly got out.
"Ms. Greengrass, you're late." The voice of Professor Snape sounded out as he made his way over to her, black eyes looking past her and into the carriage.
"Sorry Professor," Daphne said apologetically, "I was having trouble with my luggage and got slowed down."
Snape nodded slowly and gestured inside. "Whose trunk is that?"
Daphne looked behind her and saw Potter's trunk and inwardly cursed.
"I don't know. A woman named Tonks at the platform placed it inside and said someone had left it behind." Daphne answered smoothly. She found in her short life that the best way to lie was to mix a bit of truth into it.
Snape's black eyes bore into her and she fought the urge to look away or fidget. She was a Slytherin though and fortunately, a lifetime of practice at Hogwarts came to her aid. Daphne felt a small flare of triumph as Snape nodded again and looked away.
"Well, Mr Filch will come and ensure it's returned to its rightful owner. You'd best go inside Ms. Greengrass, the Feast is about to start."
Daphne thanked him and walked past inside. No doubt Snape was still prowling hoping to catch any latecomers (or perhaps one particular latecomer).
She had felt more than heard Potter slip out of the carriage while Snape's attention had been on her and hoped that he was now safe inside.
The thought had barely passed her mind as she passed the Entrance Hall when she felt a small tap on her shoulder.
Daphne whirled around and had to barely suppress a small scream as she saw Potter's head emerge out of thin air, floating in the air.
"Shhhh," Potter hissed though he looked on the verge of laughter at her expression. The rest of his body appeared as he took his Cloak off and stuffed it away.
Daphne smacked his arm lightly as her heart rate slowly went back to normal, "Merlin Potter, warn a girl next time. Is this how you repay me after everything I've done for you?"
Potter grinned, "Sorry about that, I couldn't help myself. Getting one over Snape always puts me in a good mood"
His amused expression grew serious though and he looked at her intently, "I owe you three now and I mean it. Whenever you need a friend for anything, just come find me."
Daphne was going to brush his thanks off but whatever light remark she was going to make died as she saw those intense green eyes. She gulped. That is not fair.
"I'll hold you to that then," she said softly and smiled. They stood there staring at each other intensely before they both looked away, sheepish and awkward.
"Come on," Potter said, "Let's get inside before anyone else catches us. You'd better go in first, lest people notice the two of us together."
"Ever the gentleman Potter," Daphne quipped but gave him a grateful smile and went into the hall, feeling as if this year could not have possibly started off any better.
What a delightful train ride that was, Daphne thought dreamily. She had a feeling this year was going to be something special.