Chapter 7

Training Days

Not much changed for Harry and Daphne over the next months. They still avoided most potential contact with each other, though their greetings were slightly more enthusiastic. And Daphne definitely snuck more glances at him during the classes they shared. She would claim to have caught him staring at her a handful of times as well.

Ron and Tracey, on the other hand, were less discreet and Daphne knew Tracey's excuses for going places alone were just covers for meeting up with Ron.

On a day in early June, with only a few weeks left before the final task a very small yet very energetic owl came with the morning post, landing in front of Tracey. It was a game of "catch me if you can," for Tracey to even retrieve the note from the owl and she had to clean off specks of food from her robes after she had accomplished her task; along with anyone in the vicinity.

Finally, she was able to read her letter.

'It involves you,' Tracey said to Daphne, not far into reading and without looking up from the letter.

Tracey had a pensive look for most of the letter but her cheeks went pink as she read the end. Daphne snatched the letter out of her hands before she had even looked up from finishing the letter.

'Hey,' Tracey cried.

'That was too long a letter for you to remember everything and I don't want you to leave anything out,' Daphne explained. 'Besides, you said it involved me.'

Tracey huffed and pouted, but relented. 'Go ahead, read it.'

Tracey,

I have a favor to ask of you, and perhaps Daphne as well, on behalf of Harry. We have been doing some training to help Harry prepare for the final task. It's basically helping him learn as many new spells as we can but I know he feels guilty taking our time when we have revising to do. Anyway, I was thinking he might feel less guilty if a few others helped split the time. Or maybe he'll feel more guilty by having more people help him, he has issues with guilt for things he can't control. I'm sure he'd be ok with you and Daphne helping him but I don't think he'd ever ask you himself. So make sure not to tell him, or Hermione, that it was me that asked you.

Daphne read and tried to keep her expression neutral as it talked about helping Harry with the final task. The full range of emotions swept over her; excitement about helping with the task; irritation about helping Harry; anticipation about throwing spells at Harry without the worry of retaliation; nervousness about being with Harry for extended periods of time with others present; annoyance at how Ron portrayed Harry as so selfless; unsure if her thoughts of Harry were more correct than Ron's.

'Don't tell Hermione. Wonder what that is all about,' Daphne said suspiciously. She had a good idea but wondered if Tracey had caught in or was pretending not to notice that detail.

'Yeah, I don't know why he would say that other than she'd be sure to tell Harry,' Tracey postulated.

'Oh, I think it's more than that,' Daphne replied and she cast Tracey a knowing look.

'You think he still fancies Hermione?'

'He would deny it but I think so. And even though she might already know about you, having you and her together will be another thing altogether. He might even think it would upset her if she knew he invited you.'

'But he has no idea what that would mean,' Tracey suggested.

'And we obviously wouldn't tell him,' Daphne added.

'Ok, so I won't tell. I'll be honest, I was thinking about saying something,' Tracey admitted.

'No, you won't tell. . . but you can show,' Daphne said with a devilish grin.

'You have a wicked streak,' Tracey stated.

'Just helping my friend claim her man.'

'Are you going to let me in on what you are talking about?' Millicent asked.

'Yes. One second though.' Daphne looked down and read the end of the note before passing it to Millicent.

We meet in the Transfiguration classroom at lunch, so you could just pretend that you accidentally came upon us. But no pressure if you don't want to or can't. See you later tonight, at our spot ;)

Ron

'So, Trace, where's your spot?' she asked teasingly.

'I'm not telling you. You might steal it,' she accused.

Daphne scoffed. . . if Tracey only knew.

'Do you think I could come to help with the training?' Millicent asked.

'I don't know,' Tracey said glumly.

'Well, what's Granger going to say? Didn't you and her get into it during second year?' Daphne asked.

'Yeah, but I apologized earlier this year. She didn't act as if it was even that big of a deal, come to think of it.'

'Then I think you'd be more than welcome. Harry already told me he likes you,' Daphne said encouragingly.

'He did?' Millicent asked in shock.

'Sure did,' Daphne confirmed.

Millicent smiled so brightly it nearly blinded them.

At lunch, they made their way to the classroom and could hear voices coming from the room. Tracey went to the door and looked back at her friends with some trepidation.

'Here goes nothing,' Tracey said as she pushed the door open. Daphne and Millicent followed her in.

The three heads of those already in the room snapped towards the door, two looked genuinely surprised and one tried to look surprised.

'Ron!' Tracey cried as she ran towards him. They had debated for some time how she'd act and they'd decided on. . . completely infatuated.

'Tracey—' was all Ron was able to get out before her lips silenced him and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Harry smiled while Hermione's eyes widened before she turned away.

Daphne couldn't help but smirk at everything that happened. She approached Harry, he had been picking himself up off the floor when they'd walked in. 'Hey there, boyfriend,' she said sweetly, placing a kiss on his cheek.

'Hi, what are you doing here?' he asked.

'We were just wandering a bit and thought we heard voices. Tracey just couldn't let it go. She had to check it out. What are you doing in here?'

'Why else would I be wasting my lunchtime throwing spells around?'

'Preparing for the final task?' she asked even though she didn't have to.

'I don't care what anyone says about you, you do have a brain in there,' he deadpanned.

'Why you—'she started to scowl before she noticed Hermione making her way over—'you could surely use some more help,' she suggested.

'I don't think that will be necessary,' Harry stated.

'What won't be necessary?' Hermione asked as she joined their conversation.

'I was just offering to help him prepare for the task,' Daphne explained.

'Which is completely unnecessary,' Harry proclaimed. 'I don't need more people taking time out of their schedules right before exams, just to help me.'

'Well,' Hermione said pensively. 'If we took shifts, we wouldn't all have to miss as much revising. That is if your new volunteers don't mind,' she added, eyeing Daphne and Millicent who had recently joined the group; probably in an attempt to ignore the sounds coming from Ron and Tracey.

'We don't mind at all. Anything to help Harry win this thing!' Millicent said confidently. She was far more excited and willing than Daphne, but no one needed to know that.

'Yeah, and another few sets of eyes is never a bad thing,' Daphne added.

'That's true, Harry,' Hermione agreed, much to Harry's dismay.

'Like it or not, we're helping, Harry,' Daphne stated with all the authority of a girlfriend.

'Wuh-pssh.' Ron's voice rang out from across the room and as everyone looked over to him he made the motion of cracking a whip.

Daphne chuckled a little while Ron and Tracey laughed uproariously at his jest.

'And. . .' Hermione started. 'One more thing you should know. . . this training. . . is mainly letting Harry practice the spells on you.'

Harry couldn't hold down his little smirk and Daphne could only give him a subtle side-eye in response.

Millicent had no reservations. 'That's ok! If it helps Harry, we're in!' Apparently, she felt that whatever they'd decided before meant they were all in no matter what and she felt comfortable speaking for the group.

'Ok, so what are we working on right now?' Daphne asked.

'Well, actually, right now, we've been casting spells at him. He's working on the Shield Charm,' Hermione said. Harry's smirk disappeared and found itself on Daphne's face. 'It might even be helpful to have some new people doing different spells.'

'Are you sure Hermione?' Harry asked.

'Quite. And I can evaluate your technique from a different angle.'

'You could do that with Ron casting spells.'

'Didn't think about it before.' Hermione waved off his concerns.

'I'll go first,' Daphne volunteered. And she marched to a safe distance while the others took their places as well. 'Now, so I go first, or do you?'

'You cast your spell, then Harry will try to block it,' Hermione answered.

'Morsusio!' Daphne cried.

Harry put up his shield but it didn't hold and the jinx hit him and knocked him to the ground.

'Oh!' Ron cried out. 'In the face! In. The. Faaace! Nice shot, Daphne.'

Harry sat up and his eyes were already swelling shut. She'd hit him with the same Stinging Hex she'd used before.

Daphne didn't let her satisfaction show on her face, but oh, did she feel it inside.

'Daphne! Why'd you have to be so vicious?' Tracey scolded.

'I don't know that many offensive spells and besides, nobody's going to be going easy against him. He needs to be able to defend against stronger spells than that.'

'Daphne's absolutely right,' Hermione said while nodding and shaking her head. 'There's no point in taking it easy. And now, with his eyes swollen shut Harry can rely more on his other senses. This might just be beneficial for his training.'

'What? You're not going to reverse this?' Harry cried.

'No, didn't you hear, silly? This will help you focus on your shield and not be distracted by what you see,' Daphne explained. 'And I might be the only one who thinks this. . . but you look kinda cute with your eyes swollen shut.'

The other girls in the room let out a chorus of, 'Aww.'

They took turns casting their choice of hexes and jinxes at Harry.

Tracey hit him with a hex that had him growing antlers. Millicent caused leeks to sprout from his ears. Ron completely removed his hair. Daphne took her turn again and made his face erupt with pimples. A toenail growing hex from Tracey triggered growth that went protruded from his shoes. Millicent reversed his knees, making even walking a chore. And Ron essentially finished him off with a Vomiting Jinx that made him puke his guts out.

'Nice, Ron, now we have to clean up,' Tracey chastised.

'Sorry, I just didn't see any other body part I could mutilate. He's a wreck,' Ron answered.

'Thanks, Ron,' Harry mumbled as he was still doubled over.

Daphne placed a consolingly hand on Ron's shoulder. 'Don't let him guilt you into taking it easy on him. It'll do him no favors,' she said matter of factly.

'She's right. A little pain now could be the difference between winning and losing out there,' Hermione added. She shared a look with Ron that said it was even more serious than that.

Harry could only manage a groan.

'We should get him to Madam Pomfrey to get all these reversed,' Millicent suggested. 'I'll help since I reversed his knees.'

'I'll go too,' Tracey said.

'And I better go too. Madam Pomfrey won't doubt I had something to do with this,' Ron said.

'So kind of you, Ron,' Hermione said sarcastically. 'Anything to get out of cleaning up. Just go, we'll clean up and plan our schedule going forward. Oh, and Harry, I think I saw something in your wand motions, so I think you'll get that shield up next session.'

Harry gurgled out something that sounded vaguely like, 'Why didn't you say something?'

Hermione seemed to understand. 'Can't be too certain about these things. I needed to see multiple attempts to be sure.'

Daphne smiled inwardly. This has been more fun than she could've predicted. But then some trepidation arose as she thought about the retribution she might have to deal with in the future. Meh, enjoy the now. Cross that bridge when it comes.

'Just be glad Ginny isn't here or you'd have bat bogeys flying out your nose,' Ron said to Harry as they left the classroom.

Hermione chuckled at the comment and looked at Daphne. 'He's not wrong. That probably would've hurt worse than anything you all hit him with.'

'Now I don't feel as bad,' Daphne replied, trying to sound sorrowful.

'You don't need to feel bad at all,' Hermione said. 'You were right about not taking it easy on him. Even if he has to get knocked down a few times. And if I can be honest, after all the times I've let him knock me over during the last month, this was oddly satisfying to watch.' She grimaced slightly as if she was saying something that was never to be heard.

'Don't worry, I never heard a thing,' Daphne said conspiratorially. Hermione gave a nod of appreciation at Daphne's offer of discretion.

They cleaned up the mess and set up a rotation for everyone to take turns working with Harry and revising for exams.

'So. . . You and Harry. . .' Hermione said tentatively.

'Yeah?' Daphne asked somewhat defensively. She couldn't say she wasn't expecting some sort of conversation on the topic.

'Sorry, he's just my best friend and. . . well, you don't seem to have a typical boyfriend/girlfriend relationship.'

'Is there such a thing as a typical relationship for kids our age?'

'I suppose not,' Hermione said in agreement, though Daphne could feel that she wasn't convinced.

'It's probably a combination of a lot of things; neither of us has been in a relationship before; the House animosity isn't nothing; this tournament, I don't know my place. I don't know what he's like with you, but he isn't always the most forthcoming about things.'

'That sounds like Harry,' Hermione said with a knowing smile.

'Has he not said anything about us?'

'No. We. . . we don't talk much about this stuff. And by much I mean, at all,' Hermione answered slightly abashed.

'Because you don't want to talk to him about Krum,' Daphne presumed. And though she didn't say it, she was thinking it was Ron who Hermione didn't want to hear about her and Krum.

'Yeah, I guess no one wants to bring up the topic, so it never comes up.'

'It feels like you need to let something out. . . Do you not talk to the girls in your dorm?'

'Oh, no!' Hermione gasped. 'Don't get me wrong, I like them enough, but there's no way I'm telling them any spicy details about me and Krum. I don't need that getting out.'

'So there are some spicy details then?' Daphne asked mischievously.

Hermione flushed. 'I suppose I can trust you not to start any rumors after everything that was said about you and Harry. . .'

'Rumor was all that it was,' Daphne confirmed. 'I'm surprised people haven't said stuff about you two though. Krum is just as famous as Harry.'

'Thankfully, meeting up in the library isn't the same as going into a broom closet after snogging in the middle of the Great Hall.'

'There's hardly a difference,' Daphne deadpanned.

Hermione looked at her in disbelief before she saw Daphne smile and Hermione laughed. 'Oh my! I thought you were serious at first.'

They both laughed together.

Using Hermione's pointers, Harry was able to pick up the Shield Charm without taking much more punishment. That meant it was back to Harry using his friends as practice dummies as he attempted to learn more spells.

This was the part Daphne was not looking forward to, especially after how much she'd encouraged everyone to be so ruthless on Harry before.

It turned out not to be so bad. Getting knocked over into some padding over and over again didn't hurt all that much. And Harry couldn't exactly treat her any different than the rest of the group so she never got it worse than anyone else. Though she suspected he put a little extra into the spells he sent at her from time to time.

The morning of the third task arrived and Daphne's friends were far more nervous than she was. They had become heavily invested in Harry's success. Daphne on the other hand didn't care how well he did. She was as sure as she could be that he wasn't at any risk of dying. So while she wouldn't mind if he got injured, his winning wouldn't do anything for her. She would have to subdue that disinterest if he did win though.

They were discussing—again—all the different obstacles that might be within the maze as they walked to breakfast. Just before they reached the entrance to the Great Hall something caught Daphne's eye.

'Hey, my mum's here, I'll catch up with you later,' Daphne said to her friends as she started towards her mother.

'Why's your mum'—Tracey started as Daphne looked over her shoulder and answered the unfinished question with a shrug.

'That's what I'm about to find out,' Daphne added as she left her friends and walked towards her mother.

Raquel embraced her in a big hug. 'It's good to see you, Daphne.'

'You too, Mum.'

'Do you think we could have some time alone?' Raquel asked Professor McGonagall, who was standing nearby. 'I've got some news for you,' she then said to Daphne.

'Absolutely, I'll let you know when he's ready for you,' Minerva answered with a hint of a mischievous grin.

'I have someone I want you to meet,' Raquel said as she opened the door to one of the chambers off of the entrance and allowed Daphne to enter.

Once the door was closed Daphne broke into a run and jumped into her father's waiting arms. 'It's good to see you, dad,' Daphne said. 'Did you come together? Does Professor McGonagall know?'

'Slow down, Daphne,' Raquel said soothingly. 'Yes, she knows. Much to your father's chagrin, your relationship with Harry has given us the perfect cover story for how our acquaintance turned into something more. That's why I had to pretend to be introducing you to my new boyfriend.'

'Yes, your mother has made me see the glass-half-full view of the situation. We don't have to be so secretive anymore, so that is nice,' Sirius added.

'Well, good. So, you're here for the task. . . but that isn't until this evening. Why are you here so early?' Daphne asked.

'They are letting families spend the day with the champions. Professor McGonagall should be fetching Harry as we speak.'

'Do we get to see Harry?' Daphne asked excitedly. 'You know we've been training a lot? I think he's going to do great! I hope he wins!' She continued with the excited tone and expression.

A low rumble came from Sirius and Raquel put a calming hand on his forearm to soothe him.

There was a knock at the door and Professor McGonagall poked her head in. 'You can go over and visit whenever you are ready,' she said to the group before focusing on Sirius, 'Be sure to thank Harry. If it weren't for him—and Daphne—you never would have met that charming lady.'

Sirius took in a sharp breath. 'Yes, yes, I'll be sure to thank him,' he said begrudgingly.

'Yes, and it's time for me to meet this boyfriend of yours,' Raquel said sweetly.

'You know the way,' McGonagall said. 'Daphne, you can visit for a moment but only the champions are excused from examinations. So be sure not to lose track of time.'

'Yes, ma'am,' Daphne said politely while adding a downcast look.

They crossed the hallway and entered another antechamber. Harry was speaking with a couple of redheads, they had to be Weasleys by the shade of their hair.

She walked up behind her boyfriend and placed her hands over his eyes. 'Guess who,' she said playfully. Hopefully, Harry would catch on and act appropriately, for a boyfriend.

'Oh, that sounds like the dulcet tones of my precious girlfriend,' Harry said.

'Good answer,' she purred as she loosened her grip and allowed Harry to turn around and envelop her in a hug.

'Raq—' Harry started. Daphne's foot stomping on his cut off Harry's near slip of the tongue.

'Harry, let me introduce you to my mother. I've already met your godfather. This is my mum, Raquel,' Daphne said.

'Very nice to meet you Miss Greengrass,' Harry said, extending a hand.

'Please, call me Raquel, dear,' she said, shaking Harry's hand.

'They started talking after they found out we were together. So in a way, we got them together,' Daphne said victoriously.

'Oh. . . Ohhhh,' Harry exclaimed in understanding. 'Well, you're welcome then,' he smirked, mostly towards Sirius. 'If Raquel is half as lovely as her daughter, you've got yourself a catch.'

Sirius was fighting his scowl. 'Yes, she is wonderful,' he forced out.

'A pair of flatterers we have here, Daphne,' Raquel stated.

'And you must meet the Weasleys,' Harry declared. 'Molly has been like a mother to me, and this is her son Bill. I actually just met him. This is Daphne and her mother, Raquel.'

'A pleasure,' Molly said politely.

The adults chatted for a minute and Daphne stayed glued to Harry's side. 'I better get going,' Daphne said softly to Harry.

'You're leaving me alone with them?' Harry asked in a whisper.

'You've got the Weasleys here too. Don't be a baby.'

'I'm not being a baby.'

'Yes, you are. And I didn't get excused from exams. So, good luck.'

'With them or the task?' Harry smirked.

'If I don't get to see you again. . . both.' And she placed a soft lingering kiss on his lips. That drew the attention of Sirius and in turn the other adults. 'Sorry, I have to get to class. Nice to meet you all.'

'I'll see you at lunch,' Raquel said as Daphne started out of the chamber.

'I don't know about you kissing girls yet, Harry.' Daphne could hear Mrs Weasley say in a motherly voice.

'Oh, we've done more than just kiss, Molly,' Harry replied proudly.

'Oh my!' Mrs Weasley gasped.

Daphne didn't hear anything else but she felt the ground tremble as she walked out of earshot.

Raquel was waiting for her when she came to lunch with her friends.

'Didn't want to sit with them?' Daphne asked her mom while indicating the group surrounding Harry.

'And sit at the Gryffindor table? Heavens no!' Raquel responded.

'Why would you sit at the Gryffindor table?' Tracey asked.

'Turns out, me and Harry getting together indirectly sparked the flame between my mum and Sirius Black. . .' Daphne answered.

'Really?' Tracey asked in shock. 'Is he?' Her question trailed off as if she were nervous to say the words.

'He's nothing like you would've guessed,' Raquel supplied.

'That's two boyfriends Daphne and Harry are responsible for,' Millicent stated. She answered Raquel's questioning look, 'Tracey is dating Harry's best friend, Ron.'

'A regular matchmaker,' Raquel said proudly.

They ate and said goodbye until the task that evening.

For the third time that year, the entire school migrated to the grounds to prepare to watch the Triwizard Tournament. Daphne excused herself from her friends to go watch the happenings with her mother and Sirius.

'Are you ready for this?' Raquel asked Daphne.

'Am I ready? I don't have to do anything,' she answered calmly.

'You're not nervous for Harry?'

'Not really. He's prepared as much as he could. I give him as good a shot as those others. Should be fun,' Daphne said with a smile.

'Fun?' Raquel questioned.

Daphne's gaze darted between her mother and Sirius. Neither seemed to be as nonchalant about the task as Daphne was. Sirius' concerned expression unnerved her more than anything. For someone who showed no sign of worry during the second task, he seemed awfully worried, and the task had yet to begin.

'Why are you so worried?' Daphne directed her question to Sirius. 'You barely blinked while Harry was underwater well beyond the time limit.'

'Dumbledore had assured me there was nothing to worry about before that task.'

'And he hasn't before this one?' Daphne asked.

Sirius and Raquel shared a look.

'Harry hasn't told you?' Raquel asked.

'Told me what?' Daphne replied, irritation starting to build. Why were they being so cryptic?

'About how he got entered into the tournament,' Sirius said, finally addressing something specific.

'Yeah, he said he thought it was someone basically playing a joke on him.'

'Aww, he's protecting her,' Raquel cooed.

'Protecting me from what?' Daphne fumed.

'Well. . . there's no reason not to tell you now,' Sirius stated. He glanced at Raquel for support and she nodded for him to continue. 'We are almost certain that Voldemort, in whatever form he is in, is behind Harry getting into the tournament. And our best guess is that he had or has some sort of plan to have Harry killed.'

Daphne waited for the smiles but they never came, so she broke the somber mood with a laugh of her own. 'That was a good one! And you guys were great. You really sold it,' she said, continuing her laughter.

'Daphne,' Raquel said sternly. 'This is no joke. Harry is in real danger. Not a silly Bubble Head Charm filling with water danger but a real, true threat on his life, danger.'

'You're not joking?' Daphne asked.

'We're not,' Sirius soberly.

'Ok, so what are you going to do to prevent it?' Even if she still told herself she didn't like the brat, she wouldn't stand by and let him get killed if there was something she could do.

'That's the trick. We don't really know, so we're just going to be on our guard. My main suspects are Karkaroff and—Karkaroff is my main suspect,' Sirius said.

'And I'm more inclined to think it's someone less obvious, which makes it much less specific,' Raquel added.

'So just keep my eyes out for anything suspicious?' Daphne thought aloud.

'Yes, and whatever you do, don't do anything without telling us first,' Sirius said almost threateningly. 'Do you understand?'

'Yes, dad. I'll just stay by you so that shouldn't be an issue,' Daphne said. She didn't have any premonitions of her being some sort of hero, so she had no inclination to run off on her own.

The task started and what had begun as a joyful reunion with her parents and the potential to watch Harry get beat up a little, had turned into a fretful affair of nerves and anxiety.

Much like the second task, there was little visually that could be seen of the task. But in contrast to the silence the water provided, there was the occasional sound that could be heard; a loud roar or scream; a boom or a crash. This wasn't necessarily a positive for Daphne, now that her imagination was running wild with what each sound could mean.

Then, the first set of red sparks were in the air. There was a part of her that wanted it to be Harry, to get him out of the maze. She knew there were professors patrolling to make sure the combatants would be safe, but there was a level of doubt at how much they could actually do.

It wasn't Harry.

It was Krum. That was a bit of a shock. He was taken to Madam Pomfrey and Daphne couldn't get a good look at him. He didn't look dead, so there was that.

More time passed, more ominous sounds were heard, and the anxiety level continued to rise.

A loud boom sounded and a bright blue light came from the middle of the maze. A champion had reached the cup, perhaps?

The reactions of the professors patrolling the perimeter of the maze eliminated any thought that that was a planned part of the tournament. Many of them quickly entered the maze; shouting and yelling ensued.

Hagrid emerged with a limp Fleur Delacour. Had the worst happened? Dumbledore saw to her and with a wave of his wand she seemed to regain consciousness. Not dead. . . stunned, perhaps?

'The Cup is gone,' Moody's booming voice was heard all around as he emerged from the maze.

'Any sign of Potter or Diggory?' Fudge asked.

'None,' Moody replied. 'Anyone else find anything?' he asked loudly.

His petition was met with a whole lot of shaking heads.

'The Portkey was supposed to bring the winner right to the front of the maze,' Fudge declared.

Daphne looked to Sirius, he was wiping sweat from his brow. 'Where's Harry?' she asked for lack of a better question. She felt like she had to say something.

'I don't know,' he replied. There was no resemblance to the man that watched the second task so serenely.

'You should speak with Dumbledore,' Raquel suggested.

Just then a wave of people knocked into them, jostling them around. Daphne got knocked to the ground and her hand landed on what looked like a pen. When she got up, Sirius was already making his way through the crowd. Daphne looked down at this interesting pen she'd found, her mother followed her gaze.

'What is that?' Raquel asked.

'Looks like a pen,' Daphne stated.

'That looks like Sirius'. May I see it?' Daphne handed her the pen. With a flip of a small switch a small blade appeared. 'Yes, this is Sirius' penknife. He must've dropped it. It will untie any knot and unlock almost any door, regardless of the locking mechanism.'

'He must not have had it at the Yule Ball,' Daphne said with a wicked grin.

'No, he didn't and he vowed to not be caught without it again to prevent any recurrences,' Raquel responded with a chuckle. 'You keep it. He gave Harry one just like it.'

Daphne sheathed the blade and stowed the pen in her pocket.

'You were right, mum,' Daphne said solemnly.

'What do you mean, dear?'

'It was someone we didn't suspect. . . Diggory. I never would've guessed him.'

'Why—Well, I guess that's possible, given the circumstances. But we don't know anything for sure yet,' Raquel cautioned.

'Mother, the other two champions are here. There are three things missing, Harry, Diggory, and the Cup. Isn't it obvious?'

'The Cup! Daphne, you're brilliant!' Raquel proclaimed.

'What?'

'If the Cup was a Portkey. . was intended to land them at the front of the maze. . . and then Diggory changed it to take them somewhere else. If Harry can reactivate the Portkey it should bring him back here,' Raquel explained.

'If he can get away. . .' Daphne added ominously.

'Don't give up hope, dear,' Raquel encouraged.

Another crash sounded, not nearly as loud as the first but enough to draw their attention. Cries of 'Potter' and 'Diggory' were heard amongst the crowd.

Daphne moved to get a clear shot of the entrance of the maze. There he was, sprawled out on the ground, Diggory in a similar position, and the Cup clutched in Harry's hand.

Harry wasn't moving.

Daphne was frozen in place.

Why wasn't he moving?

Dumbledore reached Harry and turned Harry's body over. She couldn't see his eyes but she could see him move and Daphne let out the breath she'd been holding.

Diggory still wasn't moving. That was bad, that was very bad. She didn't want to ponder on that but it made her question her suspicions, and realize she still had no good idea who was orchestrating this chaos.

She looked to her mum, but she was already gone. She hadn't hesitated a beat and now, there was no chance of Daphne catching her through the crowd that was even growing denser by the second.

Sirius hadn't even made it to Dumbledore yet. That would be even tougher now that the Headmaster had rushed to Harry's side and other people were crowding the area.

Daphne walked around the periphery of the throng of people. She kept an eye on Harry as best she could. She could see some more of his injuries. He looked like he'd been run over by the Knight Bus, and it backed over him for good measure. That was a pleasant sight. He wasn't dead and he got tossed around a bit, a more perfect scenario she couldn't have imagined.

Then she saw Moody leading him away, supporting Harry who had a severe limp. Where could he be taking him?

Madam Pomfrey was right there. . .

And why didn't Sirius have him?

Daphne began to follow as they headed towards the castle, then she stopped. She couldn't go alone, she had to get somebody. . . She thought she could see the heads of her parents but there was no way to be sure it was them. And with the multitude of people that had completely overwhelmed the staging area, getting down and back was not an option.

She looked in time to see Harry and Moody enter the castle.

She had but one choice; she tried not to dwell on it for fear of chickening out. She followed at a safe distance which wasn't hard with the clanking of Moody's wooden leg echoing down the hallway. And their progress towards the professor's office didn't exactly make their destination a surprise. From down the hallway, she heard the door close and the sound of a key locking it.

At her current location, she could just make out the words that were being shared inside the room, so she stayed put. She knew Moody's magical eye might catch her if she were too close to the door. And she wanted to find out as much as she could before doing anything.

She listened intently, hoping to get to the bottom of the situation. It didn't come without some queasiness on her part though. The Dark Lord taking Harry's blood to return from the dead. She almost retched right there.

Then Moody admitted it; straight up told Harry, he was the one; the Death Eather in the castle. Moody? It didn't make sense. Moody always sounded crazy but he sounded especially off his rocker tonight.

As she listened to Moody explain his story, her mind wandered a little, I knew Harry couldn't pull all that off without help.

But that thought didn't stay long as another, more pertinent one sparked, If Moody is telling Harry all his secrets, there is no way he is planning on letting Harry walk. No, he's going to kill Harry. . . and I cannot allow that.

She started creeping closer to the door, adrenaline giving her the courage to do something she would never imagine she could. Surely, if Moody's magical eye didn't notice her, his ears would, just by the thundering of her beating heart.

As Harry began to talk back to Moody she knew it was time to act; Harry was going to get himself killed. Voices were growing louder in the office.

She pulled out the penknife and opened the blade. Then, with knife in one hand and wand in the other, she made her way to the door, hoping Moody wasn't paying attention to it or this would be a quick failure.

She inserted the knife and sure enough, the lock was instantly picked. The spell was already on her lips as the door opened and Daphne didn't wait to be seen.

'Stupefy!' she cried.

The spell drew Moody's and Harry's attention as it whizzed across the room. . . and well over Moody's head. He didn't even have to flinch to avoid it.

'Nice shot,' Harry snarked sarcastically.

Moody's face turned into a feral grin. 'Be careful who you're sending spells at, little girl. Avada Ked—'

'Stupefy!' Amongst the distraction, Harry had retrieved his wand and was able to get his spell off faster than the professor.

Moody collapsed.

Harry stood and turned to Daphne who was mindlessly walking towards Harry. He used the desk for some support; all color had drained from his face. He looked like hell. She kinda liked that, but now was no time to comment on that.

'You saved my life,' she said, stunned at the events that had just taken place.

'Well, I think you saved mine first so I just didn't want to be in your debt,' Harry deadpanned.

Daphne smiled. 'So, that means we're even? No one owes anyone anything?' she pondered aloud as she walked towards him.

'Right,' he agreed.

'So, I can give you this without feeling guilty,' she said in a sultry tone.

Harry smiled and nodded.

'Good,' Daphne said as she made a fist and socked him in the shoulder.

Harry took a step back and then stumbled forward, grasping Daphne by the shoulders to steady himself. 'Ow.'

'That's what you get,' she declared.

'Oh, it's not your punch that hurt. It's my leg,' he smirked.

'You prat,' she said, hitting him a couple more times.

'Why are you hitting me?' Harry asked in between laughs.

'For making me worry about you. If anyone gets to kill you, it's going to be me.'

'You were worried about me?'

'I've told you, I'm going to hold off on killing you until the time is right. I was only worried someone was going to mess that up,' she explained unconvincingly.

'Oh, ok,' Harry smirked again.

'If you won't wipe that stupid smirk off your face, I will.' She slapped him on the cheek, though given their proximity, she wasn't able to put as much force behind it as she would've preferred.

'Now that's better.' Sirius' satisfied voice came from the doorway.

Harry and Daphne looked and saw Sirius with Raquel, Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall.

'Now,' Harry started, drawing Daphne's attention back to him. 'Is that any way to tell your boyfriend you're happy to see him alive?'

'I'm sorry, I'm still learning how to express my emotions,' Daphne replied sweetly. 'I can think of a more pleasant way.'

'I'm listening,' Harry prompted.

There were no words said as their lips met.

'They remind me of James and Lily,' Dumbledore commented.

'I said the same thing,' McGonagall added exuberantly.

Sirius growled, 'Do you keep saying that just to get under my skin?'

'Not until now,' Minerva smirked.

'We better get Madam Pomfrey up here,' Dumbledore stated. 'Minerva, will you retrieve her? It looks like we have some things to sort out here. . .'