A/N: Hey! I'm back from my writing break. I actually spent a lot of it writing another story, lol. It's called "A Lovestruck Flower" and basically is a Yandere Fleur story. If you're into that, it's in my profile's 'My Stories'. The writing style is quite different.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any works by J.K Rowling.

Chapter 14

"Yuck!"

"Argh! Tori! Why are you awake so early?"

"Because…mama and papa were too loud!"

A flushed Daphne sat on the bed, her arms around Harry's neck, who was equally blushing hard. Astoria was standing on the side, glowering at them with her hands on her hips.

Harry quickly broke away from their embrace, much to Daphne's disappointment. However, she took this as her cue to get her 'mom' face on and quickly began straightening out herself.

"So…did something happen last night…?" Astoria asked curiously, glancing between the two of them.

"Well…" Harry started sheepishly. "Daphne and me…uh…well we-"

"We're together now," Daphne interrupted, interlacing her fingers with Harry's. "Harry is mine, just as I am his."

Astoria just stared at the two of them, looking a bit lost.

"Uh…so mama and papa…are just being mama and papa…?" Astoria said slowly, trying to comprehend what happened.

Harry leaned over towards Daphne, whispering into her ear. "I don't think she ever thought of us as not being together," Harry whispered.

"What do you mean?" Daphne furiously whispered back. "How could she not know?"

"Because she's 7, Daphne!"

"Well what do you want to tell her then?"

"Nothing! It'll only confuse her."

Astoria's voice interrupted their whispering. "Hey I'm right here you know!" She pouted angrily, crossing her arms.

"What I'm trying to say," Daphne started, "is that me and Harry made up now. So nothing's changed, okay?"

Astoria gave a bright smile and jumped onto the bed and startled the two of them when her arms pulled them into a three way hug.

"T-Tori?" Harry asked.

"I'm just happy mama and papa are no longer fighting," Astoria mumbled into Harry's shirt.

Harry just chuckled at Astoria's reaction and began stroking her hair.

Daphne's eyes softened when she saw Harry's reaction. She couldn't even remember why she was so mad at him in the first place. This whole time she had the most wonderful person next to her, and she didn't take the chance to go further.

"-papa! But I'm soooo bored!"

Astoria's voice interrupted Daphne from her thoughts. She blinked for a second before turning to see Astoria once again pouting.

"Tori…" Harry was saying. "If you run around in the castle, we'll all get into trouble! They'll ask too many questions!"

"But papaaaaaaa…it's so boringgggg here!"

Daphne's eyebrows furrowed, as her mind processed Astoria's frustration.

She couldn't really blame the little girl. After all, being stuck in this room all day must've really taken a toll on the girl. Daphne had to remind herself that Astoria was only 7, and kids that age probably should be out and about - not being stuck in a room days on end.

Suddenly, Terry Boot's words appeared in her mind, reminding her what tomorrow was.

"What if we all go out to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Daphne interrupted.

Harry's face morphed into a puzzled expression as he turned towards her. "Hogsmeade?" He asked. "What's that?"

"A village, right outside Hogwarts ground," Daphne explained. "I-um heard around from people. Apparently, we get to visit every two weeks or so…"

Astoria jumped on the bed, bouncing up and down.

"Yes!" She shouted. "I get to finally go outside!"

"Daphne!" Harry hissed. "Won't they see us walk around with Tori out there?"

Daphne shook her head. "We'll figure something out. We have all of today, and I bet Penny has an idea anyways. Honestly, that girl is too smart for her own good…"

Astoria at this point was skipping around the room and singing, "I get to go outsideeee, I get to go outsideee - with mama and papa!"

Harry let out a sigh. "Okay, fine." He caved. "I'll ask Penny for any ideas. In the meantime, why don't you get our things ready for classes. I'll go look for Penny downstairs."

Daphne nodded, but then quickly blushed.

"Y-y-yeah," she stammered. "I'll see you downstairs."

This caused Harry to stare at her curiously as he was putting on his shoes.

"Daphne? What's wrong?" He asked.

"Oh um…nothing…" Daphne said nervously, chewing the corner of her lip. "It's just…well…I realized this is going to be our first date."

It took Harry a second, but when the idea processed in his mind, he blushed as well.

"Oh - um…well…" Harry stammered. "I guess it is, huh?"

Daphne watched as Harry stood up and got ready to leave. A part of her suddenly felt worried, as Penny came into her mind.

What was she thinking, telling him to ask Penny? That girl was all over Harry! What if she loses him? What if…what if…

She slowly made her way up to him to try something. Something almost desperate.

Daphne turned Harry's head around, surprising him with a passionate kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, she could feel the both of them out of breath.

"I love you," Daphne whispered.

A small smile crept upon Harry's lips.

"I know," he whispered. "I love you too, Daphne."

Harry gave her a quick peck on the lips and left, going off to look for Penny.

Daphne still felt a bit nervous, but thinking about the kiss they shared allowed her to smile, as she began preparing their things for classes.

He loved her, just as she loved him. What was there to worry about?

＊＊＊

If you asked Harry a couple days ago if he was looking forward to Friday, you'd probably just get a grunt, or be

cursed at.

But after what happened the night before, Harry couldn't help but be in a good mood. His smile was almost infectious, as people around him began smiling back for a few seconds.

But then they would remember who he was, and that smile morphed into a scowl.

It didn't really matter to Harry though. The only opinion he ever mainly cared about was Daphne's anyway.

And sometimes Penny, he guessed. Which was exactly who he needed to see.

He found Penelope at her usual spot in the common room. Sitting on the couch by the fireplace with a book in her lap.

"Morning, Penny!" Harry cheerfully greeted.

Penelope looked up to see Harry slide into the seat next to her, causing her to scoot slightly to the left.

"You're in a good mood this morning," she commented. "I take it that everything went well?"

Harry nodded happily. "Better than just well," he said. "It was amazing, Penny. I mean she just came up and-"

He paused for a second, a small frown changing his expression. "How did she know I was there in the first place?" Harry mused out loud.

Penelope stifled a small cough and nervously looked away from him. "N-no idea." She managed to get out. "Stroke of luck I guess."

Harry's eyebrow raised, as Penelope did her best to avoid eye contact.

"Really? You told her?"

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, Harry," she said hurriedly.

"Oh come off it. I know you did. How'd you even get her to come?"

Penelope slumped, looking a bit annoyed at being found out. "Okay okay," she relented. "I just sort of ran into Daphne in the halls and thought it would be nice if she needed a little…push. It also helped that I found out she was already looking for you. Really it was nothing…"

Harry shifted a little bit, leaning into Penelope and startling her for a second. "I'm still glad you did that," he muttered. "Being able to be with Daphne…I've never felt happier. It's worth going through everything to be able to find her…"

Penelope chuckled at the statement, then pinched his cheeks which caused Harry to protest. "You should tell her that then," Penelope said. "A girl's gotta hear how her guy really feels about her every now and then."

"I will…" Harry mumbled. "I just…I just hope I can make her happy."

The two of them sat in their usual comfortable silence, Harry's head leaned against Penelope's shoulder as she furiously skimmed through a book.

Suddenly, Harry broke the silence.

"Hey Penny?" Harry called softly.

"Yeah?"

"I want to apologize…about yesterday…about what I said to you…"

Penelope waved her hand, dismissing his apology. "Oh it's nothing, Harry. I'm just glad I could be there for you…albeit only as your very good friend. Besides! It was an expected feeling, so don't worry about what you said, okay?"

Harry allowed himself a small awkward chuckle. He was thankful Penny was so understanding. Honestly, he really hit the gold mine when he met her that day. She's seriously been a huge help…

Speaking of huge help, Harry had to mentally remind himself why he was here in the first place.

"Oh, and Penny? I've been meaning to ask you this as well."

"Hm? What is it? And no, you can't grope me like you did last time."

"Huh? Penny! What are you talking about?" Harry blushed. "When have I EVER done that?"

Penelope cackled with laughter when Harry's face turned red. She calmed herself down after a few seconds, finally allowing Harry some dignity.

"Okay, I'm just messing with you! I mean first years…you're just too easy!" Penelope snorted. "But seriously, what is it you need?"

"Before your ahem, 'comment'…I was going to ask if you had any ideas for Tori."

Penelope frowned, her curiosity seeming to have peaked, as she leaned closer into Harry.

"What do you want to do with Tori?" She asked.

"Well, Tori's been bored lately, and tomorrow is Hogsmead," Harry started. "And Daphne and I wanted to bring her with us tomorrow…"

Realization showed on Penelope's face as she let out an 'ohhhhh' moment.

"I have just the perfect spell!" Penelope exclaimed, grabbing his hands. "It's something I've been practicing! Don't worry, Harry. Tomorrow in Hogsmeade, no one's going to be able to tell who she is! Actually, I'm going to go practice it right now! Before I got my prefects duty."

Sweat began to fall from Harry's brow, as he watched Penny excitedly gather her stuff and hurry off to Merlin knows where.

He shouldn't be worried right? She is…practicing it after all. Practice. So she doesn't have it down.

Hopefully nothing bad happens to Tori. Hopefully.

＊＊＊

Daphne let out an out-of-character giggle as she walked hand in hand with Harry towards dinner.

It was their first day as an actual couple. She thought that they'd get a lot more reactions than they actually did, but apparently people weren't too surprised or just didn't pay attention.

But the opinions of those around them never really bothered Daphne. Sure, she now had to put up with some glances now and then, especially from the fakes who hung out with her a few days ago; but she didn't care.

Truly being with Harry made her feel like she was the happiest girl in the world.

"Um Daphne? I need to eat."

The girl blinked, as the world suddenly reappeared before her. They had already reached their dining table and her hand was still holding onto Harry's.

"Oh…sorry, Harry." Daphne mumbled embarrassingly. She quickly let go of his hand and took a seat next to him.

Harry gave her a small grin as he began piling food onto his plate. "It's fine," he whispered to her. "I'm happy about us too. I um…it's just…"

Daphne watched as Harry blushed slightly, and began tilting his head away from her. She leaned a bit closer to him, causing him to move back slightly. "What is it?" she asked softly.

"Well…it's just I've never felt happier than I have today," Harry awkwardly said. "It was worth everything. Everything I went through."

His words quickly earned him a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Daphne.

"Thank you, Harry." Daphne whispered back. "It was worth it for me too."

The Great Hall was chaotic around them, but it didn't really cause a distraction. The two of them were locked in embrace, as their eyes were once more locked onto one another.

However, it would be Terry Boot who would interrupt them.

"My, my, my. You're back with him already?"

Daphne annoyingly turned behind them to see Terry Boot and a few other Ravenclaw first years glaring at them.

"What do you want, Boot?" Daphne grumbled.

"Oh nothing," he snickered. "Just checking in to see how House Greengrass has fallen by associating themselves with trash like this."

Daphne growled and half stood up. "It's just Daphne now, Terry."

"Is it now? Well, I guess it would be. I mean, after all, Malfoy told me all about it. His family is quite close to your…grandfather."

Hearing about her grandfather caused Daphne to slam her fists on the table and stood up facing Terry. "What does that man have to do with this?" She snarled.

Terry feigned a look of mock surprise on his face as he pretended to gasp. "Absolutely nothing," he said. "I just needed to confirm. And your reaction tells it all."

Eyes began to wander towards their direction, all curious to see what the commotion was about.

Daphne froze as a smirk appeared on Terry's face. She inwardly cursed at herself for her stupidity.

She had been played. Her emotions got the best of her, and they revealed her past.

How much it revealed…she had to be careful. It wasn't clear how much Terry knew.

"What an unfortunate situation it was…" Terry continued, his soft voice almost taunting. "It's a shame that such esteemed members of our society met such an untimely demise…"

Daphne's fist curled up into a ball, as she began hearing whispers from several onlookers around them. Her body was shaking, as the memory of her parents popped up.

She felt her eyes start to water, as the whispers got louder.

"Who's he talking about?"

"House Greengrass? They're a prominent family, aren't they? She was a part of their house?"

"Untimely demise?"

Terry's next words almost caused Daphne to choke up.

"Or perhaps, their untimely demise was met because…it was found that they weren't such esteemed members after all."

"How dare yo-"

Before Daphne could finish her sentence, a blur of movement halted her. She realized that it was Harry, as he had somehow already stood up, his eyes red with anger.

Then, she noticed something in his hand.

A steak knife.

Time slowed down for Daphne, as she stared in horror at what Harry was about to do.

His knife hand was already moving towards Terry's throat, as his eyes widened in a look of surprise.

Daphne wanted to shout. She wanted to scream at Harry to stop. But her voice didn't work.

Instead, she closed her eyes, too scared to see what would happen.

＊＊＊

A strong hand stopped Harry's arm.

Penelope forcibly pushed away Harry's arm, causing it to fall harmlessly towards his side, and the knife disappearing from his grip.

"Harry! There you are!"

Penelope suddenly appeared at Harry's side, her face holding a forced smile.

"I've been looking all over for you!" She exclaimed. "Come on," she waved, tugging on his arm. "Let's go. And Daphne, you come too!"

Daphne would slightly jump in surprise when Penelope quickly grabbed her hand as well. The older Ravenclaw girl forcibly dragged them towards the double doors leading out of the Great Hall.

"H-hey just wait a minute!"

Terry Boot and his crew intercepted them, blocking their way. Harry's eyes widened when he noticed all of them holding their wands discretely to their sides.

"Boot." Penelope said through her gritted teeth. "Can I help you with something?"

Terry's red face morphed into a snarl.

"You're going to ignore that? He just tried to stab me!"

Penelope scoffed. "You've had too much to eat, Boot. Perhaps you're seeing things."

She brushed him to the side and continued on her way. However, he once again moved in front of her, this time putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Penelope asked in a dangerous tone.

"Are you playing games with me, Clearwater?" Terry hissed. "Are you playing games with the heir to the Boot's Company?"

Penelope forcibly removed his hand from her shoulder, and shoved him back, causing him to fall. His buddies behind him caught him, and moved forward towards Penelope.

However, her angry face immediately stopped them from doing anything.

"Heiress Clearwater!" Penelope snarled. "My family fortune might not be as it once was, but I am still a part of a proper house, unlike you! Curry whatever favor you may want with your gold, play pretend calling yourself an heir…but you'll never be nobility! Touch me again and I'll see you lose that hand!"

Penelope yanked Harry and Daphne and stormed out the doors of the great hall.

"YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO AVOID THE TEACHERS! EVERYONE SAW IT!" Terry's voice rang out from behind them.

Penelope turned around. Immediately the Ravenclaw bully froze when he saw her face.

A cold, deadly smile.

"Did they, now?" Penelope asked sweetly. "You should have your eyes checked. After all, no one's done anything, have they?"

Terry Boots stood baffled, as the people around them continued eating their dinner. No one seemed to make a move or even showed any sign of noticing anything that's happened ever since Penelope showed up. It seemed her presence had made everyone drop their attention and continued their dinner.

Not a single eye had batted their way during the knife commotion.

Penelope's voice rang clear, giving him one last warning.

"Oh, one more thing. It's a prefect's word against a first year. And if you find some other way, your hand won't be the only thing missing."

And with that, Penelope led an equally stunned Harry and Daphne out of the Great Hall.

＊＊＊

Harry found himself being led into an empty classroom. Penny's face was red with fury, as she shoved him in and slammed the door shut.

Penelope turned towards Daphne, who was already in the room, and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Daphne? Are you okay?" Penelope asked, her tone becoming worried.

Daphne nodded her head. "I'm fine," she muttered. "He just…caught me by surprise is all."

"Well, you tell me if he bothers you again. Why don't you take a second to rest, okay?"

Daphne nodded again, and stepped to the side and leaned against the wall to calm herself down.

Harry stepped towards Penelope. "Penny, thanks fo-"

'SLAP'

Harry's head whiffed to the side, as a sharp sting was felt on his cheek.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Penelope hissed. "A knife? A KNIFE, HARRY? ARE YOU STUPID?"

Penelope's eyes glowered at him, demanding an explanation.

This was the first time he saw her so angry. He knew should've backed down.

But he didn't.

"He insulted her, Penny!" Harry argued. "What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to stand there and let him?

"NO!" Penelope roared. "BUT YOU DON'T USE A KNIFE ON HIM EITHER!"

Penelope pulled out her wand and flicked it. The steak knife Harry had appeared into her hand and she shoved it in front of his face.

"This…" Penelope growled. "This would've gotten you expelled and promptly locked up in Azkaban. Do you want to leave Daphne and Astoria here by themselves? Huh? DO YOU, HARRY?"

Harry slowly backed up, a shiver running up his spine. Her face was mere inches from his, her eyes directing all the anger she had at him.

"N-n-no…" Harry whimpered.

But she didn't stop there. Her tirade continued as she shouted at him.

"YOU'RE A RAVENCLAW AREN'T YOU?" Penelope roared. "SO USE THAT HEAD OF YOURS! He insults her? Okay! In this situation…USE YOUR WORDS, NOT THE KNIFE, YOU IDIOT!"

She angrily threw the knife onto the stone floor, its steel clanging throughout the classroom, causing both Harry and Daphne to yelp in surprise.

'CLANG!'

"I'm…I'm sorry…" Harry said meekly, trying to appease her.

Penelope just let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes. She took a few deep breaths before she continued.

"It's not me you should be sorry to," Penelope muttered, taking a step away from him. "Get your anger under control, Harry. I'm not always going to be around to cover for you…"

And with that, she let out another sigh and made her way to the classroom door.

"I'm going to head outside…and clear my head."

Penelope opened the door and left the room, leaving only Harry and Daphne with each other.

It would be Daphne who took the first step. Harry watched as she shakily walked up to him, her fist raised.

Harry held his breath and closed his eyes, standing there, allowing her to hit him. He deserved it for his stupidity after all.

'Tap.'

He felt a small bit of pressure on his chest, and opened his eyes to see her fist resting on it.

"Don't ever do that again," Daphne whispered. "Don't ever do something so stupid again. I could've lost you. They would've taken you away from me."

A shameful look crossed Harry's face. "I couldn't stand to see him insult you like that, Daphne." Harry muttered. "A-and I needed to…I needed to show you that you picked the right one…"

Daphne looked taken aback at what he said. "What do you mean 'you picked the right one'?" She asked sharply.

"I saw you talking with him a few days ago," Harry confessed. "I-I know that you could've been with someone better than me…so I had to - I had to show that I…"

He trailed off, looking down at the ground shamefully. But his eyes trailed up again when he heard Daphne's voice.

Laughing.

Of course. He was weak, he knew that. And Daphne thought so too. His insecurity got the best of him after all. And now she was going to leave-

Suddenly, Daphne's lips slammed in his, causing his eyes to widen.

"Hrmphh?"

Daphne pulled away and glared angrily at him.

"You idiot!" She hissed. "Why would you think that you need to prove something to me? I love you! And only will I ever love you. We've been through so much together!"

Harry just stared incredulously at her until a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I'm really an idiot, aren't I?" He muttered. "I'm sorry, Daphne. For doubting you."

"Oh just shut up and kiss me again."

Harry gladly obliged as he pulled her closer, and their lips met once again.

This time it lasted longer, as the two of them truly savored it. After a few seconds that left them breathless for air, Harry finally felt Daphne's face buried into the crook of his neck.

"I was worried too, you know?" Daphne mumbled.

"About what?"

"About…Penny."

Harry gently moved her facing towards him, his facing holding a quizzical look.

"Why are you worried about her?"

Daphne quickly blushed and glanced away from him.

"She, uh, told me what you said to her last night…about having feelings for her."

Harry's eyes widened, as he quickly tried to explain to her. "I didn't mean it! I don't have any feelings like that for her, I swe-"

Daphne interrupted him. "I know you don't, Harry. Penny explained it to me. It was actually a relief, really. I guess in a way, because you couldn't really say the words to her like it was me…

"But I mean, a part of me was still worried." Daphne continued hurriedly. "But after hearing what you said tonight…"

"I guess we're just both being stupid in that department, huh?" Daphne admitted, allowing a smile grin to appear.

Harry chuckled at her statement. "I guess so. From now on we talk to each other more?"

"We talk to each other more." Daphne confirmed

"…"

Then, Harry felt another sharp sting on his face, as Daphne's hand left a small print on it. He turned to stare at her questioningly, silently asking why she slapped him.

"Now that," Daphne growled. "That was for almost getting yourself expelled and locked up tonight. That…was for almost leaving me AND Tori."

"…sorry?" Harry said meekly.

"…"

Harry felt Daphne peer into his eyes for a few seconds before she let out a satisfied 'hmph'.

"Apology accepted," Daphne nodded. "Now, let's go find Penny-"

The door suddenly slammed open causing both Harry and Daphne to flinch, as Penelope stormed into the room.

Harry let out a gulp as Penelope stood in front of him, intense stare locked into his eyes.

"Harrrry…" Penelope purred sweetly. "I just heard from Professor Potter that she was looking for you. Apparently, you have detention with her…tonight."

"I-I do," Harry stammered nervously.

"Oh that's just wonderful! Detention, Friday night! Do you know what else is supposed to happen Friday night?"

"N-no idea!"

"Your lessons with me. At a specific time in which we both agreed on a few days ago?"

"Penny…I can explain…"

She took another step forward, causing Harry to slightly move back. He glanced to the side, to see Daphne just looking at him pitifully. Apparently, she wasn't brave enough to step in between Harry and the angry older Ravenclaw girl.

"Oh you better explain," Penny growled. "And you better explain fast!"

Harry groaned inwardly. Was it really fair for this to happen right now?

A/N: I know I have a lot of trouble with pacing, so I hope this was paced slower.

Harry's supposed to be more self conscience and unsure about himself, as he's always thinking that Daphne could do so much better than him (I tried showing it when they were about to leave the train to step into Hogwarts). Daphne's worried about Harry falling for Penny instead. I just wanted to show their insecurity towards this situation in this chapter.

Also, I kinda just wanted to bash Terry. Why? Cause I needed someone to bash. Also I have some plans for him as well so stay tuned for that hehe.

I'm also seriously also a bit worried about making Penelope a Mary Sue character. If you have any thoughts on that, please let me know!

I'm going to start slowly shifting my writing style over the next few chapters. I've been finding it more enjoyable to write a different way, and this story I feel like is outdated in terms of my style. A Lovestruck Flower is basically me showcasing what I've learned in the past 2 and a half months.

Thanks to Palkey, Liberty1Prime, and DJKopper, over on discord for giving me ideas on deciding what to do with the new writing style! They've also written stories on this ffn, and they're MUCH better than me, so I would recommend you checking them out!

Thanks for reading my story so far!