(A/N): Alright, exposition time! So, In regards to this story, it's gonna be a mix of Haphne and Hatracey, a small little triangle and that's it. I'm trying to steer clear of any harem tropes, I.e having literally every Hogwarts student, Tonks, Hermione, etc, etc, throw themselves at Harry; it's strictly Daphne and Tracey. That doesn't mean that Harry will only be interacting with just those two, seeing as how Ron and Hermione are no longer in the picture (for now anyway) I might have Harry interact and become friends with other, not so used characters, I.e Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot, etc. Secondly, much like other stories, the Dursleys are horrible people in this story. Their treatment was so bad that Harry has serious PTSD from his time with them, worse than in canon, and that will be shown in this chapter briefly. This is going to tie into some major plot points I have planned for this story which leads to me our third revelation. Thirdly, even though the category states that this story is more book lenient for canon, there will be movie moments implemented too, so I pray that it won't become too confusing. Finally! All the bashing in this story is necessary for the plot only, I love almost every character in this series and I hate having to turn them into monsters. I should also specify that Dumbledore is not undergoing any hate in this story.
Anyways, enough of my rambling, I've kept you here for too long. I hope you all enjoy chapter 2!
He sat in an endless void; nothing but the familiar cold emptiness encompassing him. It was quiet; peaceful yet terrifying. He sat alone.
Alone.
Such a funny word, he thought, no one truly knew what it meant to be alone. They all thought they did: Losing a loved one, having no friends, stuck in an endless ocean with no help. No, they weren't alone. They still had other living things with them.
But here, with no sound, no light, no life. Yes.
He was truly alone.
And it scared him.
"Meet me outside your dorms at nine. Don't be late."
Daphne stood in a daze in the middle of the busy hallway. Harry had grabbed her arm - rather roughly she might add - as the two passed by each other; Harry walking with Neville while she had been with Tracey. Despite being rather annoyed that Harry had ordered her around, she nodded. Giving her a small smile, Harry let go of his grip on his arm and turned around to continue walking with his dorm mate, the taller boy giving Harry a peculiar look before falling into stride beside him. Daphne noticed Tracey giving her a similar look, her friend twirling a lollipop around in her mouth in a miffed way.
It had been three days since Daphne presented her offer to Harry and even though both of them were rather incommunicado throughout the days, Daphne was already buzzing with excitement. She didn't show it openly for all of her classmates to see, but her consistent smile tipped Tracey off to her joyous attitude. Tracey herself had become easily excitable in return, skipping down the hallways while humming uplifting tunes to herself. Their elation was so prominent, that both Daphne and Tracey found it hard to concentrate during class, much to the displeasure of their professors.
By eight o'clock, Daphne had begun pacing in the Slytherin common room, biting her nails nervously. Tracey sat on one of the many couches nearby, watching her friend walk back and forth with an exasperated expression.
"Daffy, Harry's probably done this a million times, just calm down," Daphne shot a glare towards her friend, spitting out the nail she had chewed off.
"Calm down? We're most likely going to be out after curfew. What if we get caught?" Daphne asked, her voice ripe with apprehension. Tracey rolled her eyes, taking her lollipop out of her mouth to point it at Daphne.
"Caught smaught, Harry's gotta have some way to keep us hidden," Placing her lollipop back in her mouth, Tracey leaned against the arm of the chair she sat on, pressing her cheek into her hand as she continued to watch her friend panic. She could barely contain her giggle of amusement.
"Merlin, forbid I fear to disappoint our head of house," Daphne choked out between clenched teeth, her scowl deepening as she sent a disappointed look, Tracey's way.
Rolling her eyes at the expression, Tracey slid her head off of her palm and onto the arm of the chair she sat on. Watching Daphne walk in circles, Tracey lazily followed her path with her eyes, a pout forming with each passing second. It was with a sudden jolt that Daphne stopped her movements.
"Wait… you said, us," Daphne's mouth flew open as she whipped her head to the side to look at Tracey, her eyes widening to the size of saucers as Tracey pushed herself up off the couch.
"Well yeah, I'm coming with you guys," Tracey's eyebrow rose, her expression daring Daphne to say otherwise.
"No… no, absolutely not!" Daphne turned her body to face Tracey, crossing her arms over her chest. Tracey let out a sound of protest, her jaw going slack at the proclamation.
"Why not!?" Tracey mimicked Daphne's posture, crossing her arms and eyeing Daphne with a scrutinizing gaze. Her blonde friend let out a low growl at the question.
"Because Harry told me to meet him tonight. Not you, not us, me," Daphne kept her voice as stern as possible, poking herself in the chest to help solidify her claim. Tracey let out a whine of disapproval. "We don't need your loud mouth to get us into detention!"
"Oh come on, Daffy! That's hardly fair! I have just as big a part in this as you," Tracey let out a huff as she plopped back down onto the common room couch, letting herself sink into the cushions.
Daphne let out a choked noise at Tracey's declaration. "Hardly fair?! I'm the one who's going to be helping him, you're just tagging along for the ride!"
Tracey seemed to wince at Daphne's assertion, her eyes suddenly becoming downcast as her bottom lip trembled ever so slightly. Daphne noticed her friend's state. Taking a handful of deep breaths to calm herself down, Daphne placed a hand on Tracey's shoulder.
"Tracey," Daphne started gently. "I'm not saying you're stupid or have no right to help Harry, I'm simply stating that I'm the one who offered my assistance, not you."
Tracey's forlorn look turned more into a cartoonish pout once Daphne finished. Turning her head to the side, Tracey muttered out a soft "I know," while nibbling softly on her lollipop.
While not looking at her best friend, Tracey conjured an endless amount of plans to secure her place in Harry and Daphne's nighttime escapade, Daphne herself merely shook her head. Tracey's pout fell away as she scrunched her nose in concentration, ignoring Daphne's questioning look as a myriad of schemes flew through her mind. One stuck out in particular, however. Suppressing a snicker and grin, Tracey put her plan into action.
Letting out an overly dramatic sigh, Tracey leaned against the arm of the common room couch, resting her cheek in her palm. "Fine, I'll stay here while you show Wonder Boy your broom closet techniques." She gestured flippantly with her hand as Daphne let out a relieved sigh, a small smile gracing her features.
"Thank you, now I nee -" As Tracey's statement registered fully in Daphne's ears, the blonde-haired witch turned beet red, her smile faltering as her jaw unhinged itself. Her eyes widened in embarrassment as she stared mortified at her best friend. "Tracey!"
"Hook," Tracey bit down on her lollipop in victory, just barely repressing her laughter. Standing up quickly, Tracey made a show of walking up to Daphne, putting her hands on her friend's shoulders, and pushing her to the entrance of the Slytherin house.
"Don't let me stop you, Daffy! Now go have fun!" Tracey's growing smile was one of pure delight. The sight of her best friend turning beet red and stammering added to every sliver of amusement in Tracey. "Line."
"Tracey what are you talking about!? This probably has to do with the tournament! Not… not… that!" Daphne tried prying the smiling Tracey off of her, failing with each step she was forced to take. Tracey's smile turned into a mischievous grin as she grabbed Daphne's wrists, pulling her close to look directly into her friend's pine green eyes.
"I'll believe it when I see it," Daphne's eyes became even wider and Tracey's declaration, her brown-haired friend grinning devilishly towards her. "And sinker."
Biting her lip anxiously, Daphne peered up into her friend's amber eyes, mentally fighting herself to make a decision. It was after five minutes that Daphne let out a groan of defeat, Tracey shouting in victory right after. Muttering out a "fine," Daphne watched as Tracey cheered and jumped around the common room. The brown-haired girl raced back up into her dorm-room, returning moments later with her black beanie held tight in her grip. Daphne let out a sigh at the sight of the article of clothing.
"Do you really need that hat?" Daphne frowned as Tracey placed her beanie on her head, tearing the wrapping off of a fresh lollipop and placing the blue raspberry flavored treat into her mouth.
"I'll have you know, that this hat is a part of my identity," Tracey smiled proudly as she started walking towards the Slytherin house door. Patting Daphne on the shoulder, she gave her best friend an innocent look. "Now, it'd be rude to leave our guest waiting, no?"
Opening the dormitory door, Tracey quickly turned back around, her merciless grin still plastered on her face. "Five sickles says he doesn't mind me being there."
All Daphne could manage was a dejected sigh.
A shiver ran up Daphne's spine as she stood idly in the hallway just outside her dormitory, the urge to rub her arms with her hands grew stronger by the minute. Despite the extra layers she wore, the cold wisps of Hogwarts still caused her muscles to stiffen and her bones to shake. Glancing at Tracey, Daphne questioned how her friend was seemingly unaffected by the temperature. Tracey was standing next to her, lollipop still hanging from her mouth as she rocked back and forth on her feet idly.
"How are you n-not c-cold?" Daphne asked through chattering teeth, her entire body was almost vibrating to keep itself warm.
Tracey gave Daphne an incredulous look, her eyebrow-raising as she removed her lollipop from her mouth with a distinct pop.
"A warming charm? The ones we learned in our second year?" Tracey couldn't contain the tone of amusement that coated her voice as her lips quirked up into a smirk.
"S-Shut up, you know I've always b-been rubbish at those Miss. I'm letting my friend freeze to death, " Daphne gave Tracey a sharp glare, daring the girl to say something about the subject. Tracey merely snickered in response, placing her lollipop back in her mouth as if she hadn't said a word.
"Rubbish at warming charms you say?" Daphne let out a shriek of surprise at the new voice, clamping her hand over her mouth just as quickly afterward. Chancing a glance to her best friend, Daphne noticed that Tracey was just as surprised if her wide amber eyes were anything to go off of.
Turning around cautiously, Daphne was met by the grinning form of Harry. His eyes were glistening with mischief while his shoulders shook with mirth. Daphne rolled her eyes at the boy while letting out a sigh; no longer shaking from the cold, she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Now that we're all here. Potter, what exactly are we doing?" Harry's roguish smile dropped in an instant as he took two glances down both sides of the hallway the trio stood in.
"I'll explain on the way to Hagrid's," Harry's eyes flickered over to Tracey, the girl in question giving a small wave and smile. As his eyes moved back over to Daphne, he raised an eyebrow in questioning.
"I see we have a tag along?" Harry's lips turned up in a skittish smile, giving Daphne a curious expression as she huffed out a breath.
"I'm sorry about her, she used some rather… dirty methods to get here," Harry raised his eyebrow at her before turning his attention to Tracey. Following his gaze, Daphne saw Tracey smiling warmly as if nothing happened, still rocking on her feet while twirling her little lollipop with her tongue.
"What counts as dirty methods?" Harry asked as he worked his way in between the two girls, not bothering to respond to their questioning glances. Turning to focus on Daphne, he found the girl wringing her hands nervously as a light dusting of pink colored her cheeks.
"She… she was… insinuating that we were meeting up in… in rather unsavory locations, among other things," not bothering to look at Harry after her explanation, Daphne barely had the time to see his confused frown.
"What exactly does that mean?" Harry looked between the two girls. Confused at the contrast of their expressions. Daphne appeared embarrassed while Tracey had an almost delinquent like shine in her eyes. Tracey took the opportunity to turn to Harry, smiling impishly as she took her lollipop out of her mouth.
"Basically, under a span of five minutes. I both guilt-tripped and tricked Daffy here to bring me along," Tracey grinned proudly, sticking her lollipop into the corner of her mouth while puffing her chest out in pride. Harry however, just looked at her with the same confused frown. Tracey in turn rolled her eyes at his naivety.
"I guilt-tripped her by making her claim that I wasn't worthy of helping you, and tricked her by accusing you two of heading out for a good snog, forcing her to bring me along so I could be proven wrong," Tracey has been so proud of making Harry turn a shade of scarlet that she had hardly noticed the thin veil that had begun to cover the trio.
"That wasn't tricking me, you merely made a false accusation and forced me to prevent evidence to deny that claim," Daphne's once bashful tone gained a much sharper edge to it as she leaned over Harry's arms to glare at her best friend.
Tracey shrunk in on herself as she scoffed, sending her own glare towards Daphne as she mumbled out "whatever, just let me have this win."
Harry shook his head in bewilderment as he began to lead the two girls down the winding hallways of Hogwarts, wondering if he had chosen the right people to help him.
"'Ello Harry!"
It had taken all of about twenty-five minutes for the trio to reach Hagrid's hut, Tracey and Daphne asking questions and bickering the whole way through. Harry had to remind them to be quiet more times than either of them would care to admit, but arriving to see Hagrid waving jovially had made up for the lack-luster trip.
"Hello Hagrid, hope you don't mind but I brought some company."
"Nonsense! I knew you'd bring Ron an' Hermione, jus' as long as yer gonna stay quiet," Hagrid's beetle-like eyes squinted, nearly being encompassed completely by his bushy hair. "Where are ya hidin' em?"
Harry gave a weak smile, gesturing with his hand for the occupants of his invisibility cloak to come out into the open. "I… brought some others instead."
Daphne gave Hagrid an uneasy smile while Tracey was practically bouncing with excitement, hopping on the balls of her feet while her lollipop shifted between the corners of her mouth.
Tracey let out a cheerful "Hello, Professor!" As Hagrid stared at the three gobsmacked, his eyes going wide before he quickly put on a smile.
"Miss Davis an' Miss Greengrass! Well ain' this a surprise!" Hagrid's normally chipper tone was plagued with an underlying feeling of worry and concern. He eyed Harry carefully as he fiddled with his bow tie.
"You two arn' plannin' to corrupt poor 'Arry here now are ya?" Genuine concern caused his joking tone to fall flat, Hagrid's beetle-like eyes flicking between the two girls cautiously.
Tracey snorted at the question, shaking her head in amusement while Daphne gave Hagrid a hurt look. Harry looked at his companions, giving them a contrite smile.
"Don't worry Hagrid, they're trustworthy," Harry patted the half-giant on the arm, putting on a much warmer smile than the one he gave Tracey and Daphne. Hagrid gave the girls another once-over, noticing Daphne's downcast look, he let out a guilt-ridden sigh.
"Sorry 'bout that, girls. Just, Harry an' I… well neither of us 'ave had the best experiences with yer house," Hagrid shook his head once before straightening up quickly, fixing the sleeves of the suit he wore. "Right, off ta business then. Put yer cloak on an' follow me, quietly now."
Harry was quick to toss the cloak back over the shoulders of his associates and himself, the trio quickly falling into a rhythmic stride. Chancing a look to his left, Harry saw Tracey shaking in excitement; a wide grin had split her face as she bounced on her toes. Harry could practically feel the joy radiating off of the girl. Letting out a bubbly cackle, Tracey was quick to turn her attention to Harry. Her eyes were as round as dinner plates, and Harry feared her cheeks would be torn in two if her smile continued to grow.
"What do you think it's gonna be!? Oh, there are so many possibilities!" Tracey let out a squeal as Daphne tried desperately to hush her friend.
"Would you quiet down? This is exactly what I feared would happen!" Daphne said with a harsh whisper, trying to swat Tracey's arm over Harry, much to his displeasure. Tracey scrunched her nose as she gave Daphne a lukewarm glare.
"Sorry," Sarcasm oozed from the word. Daphne scowled at her friend, her teeth baring in annoyance. Tracey stuck her tongue out in a childish manner.
"You should be! Every time you get excited you start making these… these obnoxious noises, we're going to be cau-"
Harry abruptly stopped walking, giving both girls a heated look as his lips pursed.
"If you don't stop bickering, neither of you will be excited as I drag you back to your bloody dorm rooms," Harry said. Both girls paled at his growl, their cheeks pinking in embarrassment.
Tracey muttered a genuine "sorry," this time while Daphne just looked away in shame. Harry seemed to blanch at his own words, his eyes flickering between the two girls fearfully as if he were expecting something to happen. When nothing occurred, Harry let out a tentative breath before he continued walking, letting his steps quicken to catch up with Hagrid. An awkward silence surrounded the three as they walked deeper within the forbidden forest. As they reached a clearing, a thick French accent cut through the silence.
"Ils sont magnifiques," Harry's eyes widened at the voice.
"That's Beauxbatons headmistress, Olympe Maxime," Daphne mumbled under her breath, looking at the two beside her in confusion. Harry nodded at her assessment, his lips tightening once more.
Harry followed the trail of voices to a second large clearing, Hagrid stood off to the side with Olympe, the two of them admiring something off in the distance. Following their gazes, Harry, Daphne, and Tracey all blanched at the sight.
Dragons.
"D-Dragons?" Tracey managed to stutter out, placing a hand over her slack jaw, the stick of her trademark confectionary dangling haphazardly out of her mouth. Daphne and Harry bore similar looks.
"Seventh years or not; fighting a dragon is practically suicide!" Daphne gave Harry a panicked look, her eyes ballooning out rapidly. Harry reigned in his emotions, clearing his throat he tugged on the sleeves of the girls' respective sweaters.
"Then we better start planning," Bending over, Harry picked up a rock and tossed it at Hagrid. The half-giant jumped at the impact, turning around to see Harry giving him a wave, announcing his departure. With a stiff nod, Hagrid once again focused his attention on the reptilian creatures, Olympe at his side.
"How the hell are you supposed to fight a dragon?" Tracey mumbled quietly, gnawing nervously on her lollipop, eventually breaking it with a loud crack.
"Never mind that for now, let's just focus on sneaking you two back to your dormitory." Harry adjusted his grip on the invisibility cloak, making sure all three occupants were safely under before starting their trek back to the school.
The walk back was quiet, unnervingly so. Whether it was out of uneasiness or a mutually agreed silence, the three students didn't know. Tracey had fiddled with her candy, letting her eyes wander about the forest. Daphne held her hands in front of her, interlocking then in front of her navel as she looked down at the ground. Harry was the first to break the silence, taking in a deep breath as they neared the edge of the forest.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper at you two, you didn't deserve it," Harry's apology came out quietly, just barely being above a whisper. Daphne and Tracey shared a confused glance, both girls oblivious as to why Harry was apologizing.
Tracey placed a soft hand on Harry's shoulders, not missing the way he tensed at the contact. Gazing curiously at his face, Tracey noticed Harry's jaw grow taut, seemingly preparing himself to be shouted at or ridiculed.
"Harry," Tracey's normally boisterous tone came out much softer than normal. Harry looked up at Tracey warily, his jaw was still tense. "It's okay. What you said was justified, we were being rather…"
"Childish," Daphne finished for her friend. Looking down at the ground in defeat. Another bout of silence encompassed the trio, none of them quite knowing what to say as they snuck through one of the many secret doors the Weasley twins had shown Harry in his third year.
Clearing his throat, Harry began. "We have just under three weeks until the first task, I suppose we should start discussing where and when we'll be meeting up."
Daphne's defeated frown was quickly washed away by a look of determination; placing a hand under her chin, Daphne began listing off possible options.
"Tomorrow is Saturday, we could meet up at the library around noon to talk about this in more detail," Daphne gave Harry a raised eyebrow. When he gave a curt nod in response, she smiled softly.
"Why don't you just eat lunch with us? Ya know, talk and eat at the same time," Tracey suggested as the trio stopped just outside of the Slytherin dormitories in the dungeons. Both Harry and Daphne gave her a gobsmacked expression in response, earning a confused "what?" From the brown-haired girl.
"That might not be the best idea, Tracey," Daphne said. Tracey pouted at the remark, crossing her arms indignantly.
"And why's that? Oh, wise one," Tracey raised an eyebrow at the two, tapping a finger on her elbow impatiently. To her surprise, it was Harry who answered.
"We don't need the Hogwarts rumor mill to start up just because I'm sitting with you guys. If we can keep quiet about this," Daphne gave Tracey a very scrutinizing glare at Harry's words. "Then we should be able to work without any distractions."
Tracey rolled her eyes at the two, letting out a huff as she unwrapped a fresh lollipop from her pant pocket, placing the confection in her mouth before speaking again.
"People are gonna find out eventually, might as well just rip the band-aid off," Tracey's crossed arms unfolded as she shrugged, dragging her lollipop out of her mouth with a pop in the process. Eyeing Harry and Daphne curiously, Tracey was pleasantly surprised when Harry nodded his head to the side with a surprised smile.
"band-aid?" Daphne's muttered question was barely audible to her two companions, the blonde-haired witch looking down at the ground with a confused pout.
"Muggle thing," the two answered in sync, Tracey gave Harry a pleased grin. Seeing Harry barely paying attention to her caused a small ripple of annoyance to flare within Tracey's head.
"She has a point," Harry mumbled. Another few minutes passed in silence before Harry let out a sigh. "Looks like I'll be eating with you two tomorrow."
Tracey cheered silently, pumping her fist at her side in victory before grabbing Daphne's elbow as if she were about to drag her somewhere. Daphne shook her arm free, frowning at her friend before turning to enter the Slytherin dorm password. Tracey cocked her head to the side as she waved goodbye to Harry.
"See ya tomorrow, Wonder Boy."
With a curt nod, Harry wrapped his invisibility cloak back around his shoulders, making his way back to the Gryffindor dormitories in the dead of night. Tracey lost sight of him before she had even finished closing the door to the Slytherin house. Turning around, Tracey was met with a bewildered frown.
"What's wrong?" Tracey asked as she cocked an eyebrow up, watching as her best friend opened and closed her mouth repeatedly.
"You never told Harry where our dorms were, right?" Tracey thought about the question, her nose curling upwards in thought. After a few minutes, she shook her head. Daphne gave her a curious look.
"Are you sure?" Daphne's hands clasped together in front of her, her thumbs twiddling anxiously.
Tracey nodded her head this time, but her confused frown made her less confident in her answer. "Positive, why?"
Daphne's gaze fell to the floor, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly as she mumbled incoherent sentences to herself. Tracey's glower deepened.
"Daffy quit mumbling like an idiot," Tracey said quickly, earning a sharp glare from Daphne as she stopped her incessant muttering. Taking a breath, Daphne stared Tracey down with a steely gaze.
"If neither of us directed him, how did Harry know where the dorms were?"
True to his word, the next day at lunch, Harry sat beside Daphne at the Slytherin table at lunch; Tracey sitting in front of the two.
"Afternoon," he said cheerfully, already filling his plate with the various food items prepared by the Hogwarts elves. Being so preoccupied with the dunes of cuisine, Harry didn't notice the two girls sending fiery glares his way.
Looking up, Harry locked eyes with a miffed Tracey. He knew that look, he was well versed in its known intention. Harry's eyes bulged ever so slightly as his jaw tensed. His fingers curled around the edge of the table they sat at, his fingers going white from the pressure put upon them. Chancing a look in Daphne's direction, Harry was met with an equally as daunting look.
"What?" he asked quietly, slowly curling in on himself as the girls stared at him.
Daphne placed her cutlery down gently before turning her body fully in Harry's direction, her scowl not faltering for a second. Leaning in close, Daphne poked a finger into Harry's chest. Watching him recoil so drastically caused Daphne's glare to falter; Tracey's had vanished completely, the lollipop obsessed witch now looking at Harry with a worried curiosity.
"Care to explain how you know the location of the Slytherin dorms?" Daphne growled out, not missing the way Harry winced away from her. Watching the boy act the way he did, made Daphne regret her choice of tone. Harry took a few cautious glances down the great hall, swallowing large lumps of saliva each time he did so. Looking back at the girls with his still fearful expression, Harry swallowed one last time.
"Follow me," his voice was still as quiet as a mouse. Harry moved to stand up, only to be grabbed at the forearm by Daphne; her glare having faded, a look of worry replacing it.
"But you just got here, you haven't even eaten," The genuine concern that laced her voice threw Harry for a loop, his bulged eyes narrowing for mere seconds before he shook his head. Daphne swore she could hear the "wouldn't be the first time," he muttered under his breath. Shaking his arm free, Harry was quick to walk away from the Slytherin table.
Giving Tracey a wary look - only to earn a shrug in response - Daphne quickly ate the remaining items that sat on her plate. Standing up quickly enough that she nearly fell over the bench she once sat upon, Tracey not far behind her. By the time the two had started moving, Harry was already out in the main hallway, just outside the massive doors of the Great Hall. By the time the two had left the great hall, Harry was already rounding a corner into the next hallway.
Daphne cursed under her breath, grabbing Tracey's forearm - earning a disgruntled "hey!" in the process - to force her best friend to match her speed. Weaving through the hallways and students, muttering sorries and apologies when they needed to, Tracey and Daphne caught up to Harry quickly. He stood near a doorway, his hand carefully pressed against the old oak. Jerking his head to the side, he motioned for the girls to follow him into the barren classroom.
Daphne dragged Tracey into the empty classroom with her, ignoring the bouts of protest that erupted from her friend.
The room was dark, sunlight entering in beams through the tall windows on either side, a light layer of dust flew through the air. Tracey had been constantly murmuring rude sentences up until now. Reaching into her pocket to grab a treat, - bubblegum this time, Harry noticed - Tracey gave Harry a comical pout.
"I was rather enjoying my lunch, Potter. This better be worth it," Tracey said curtly, tossing her bubblegum into her mouth. Harry gave her a small grin as he tipped his head to the side, furthering her annoyance.
"Are you always eating some form of candy?" The levity of his voice helped alleviate Tracey's anger, but her pout remained. To Harry's surprise, it was Daphne who answered his question.
Giving her friend a flippant gesture, Daphne explained. "She has a sweet tooth that rivals the Headmaster's, but that's beside the point."
Harry nodded his understanding, his gaze falling downwards to the cobble flooring. Harry seemed to lose himself in thought, leaving two bewildered Slytherins in his wake. He paced around the room in silence, his chin cupped in his left hand as he thought about his problem.
"I didn't let myself get dragged in here to sit in silence, Wonder Boy," Tracey gave Harry an impatient look, blowing a large bubble that exploded with a loud pop.
Harry nodded again, stopping dead in his tracks to turn towards the two other occupants of the empty class. Taking in a quick breath, Harry stared down at the two girls with stony determination.
"Since we're going to be working together for the foreseeable future, I think it's only common sense to want to trust each other," Harry started, pulling three chairs out from behind the old wooden desks in the classroom, placing them in a triangle near the center of the room. Harry sat down in the chair at the apex of the shape, gesturing for Tracey and Daphne to choose one of the other two.
As the two girls sat down, Harry let a soft smile grow. He leaned back in his chair in a relaxed manner, crossing his arms over his chest.
"To accomplish this, I've created a rather foolhardy solution."
Tracey let out a loud snort, covering her mouth with her hand to try and stifle her laughter.
"I doubt you'd be in Gryffindor if you hadn't," she remarked, trying her hardest to contain her incessant chuckles. Harry merely gave her a soft smile.
"Right here, right now, I'll allow you to ask anything you want, and I'll answer truthfully," Daphne, who at first seemed both irritated and uninterested in the conversation, suddenly perked up. Snapping straight up in her seat, Daphne grew a wry grin.
"Anything, you say?" She asked, her eyes gleaming with mischief and a hint of intrigue. Harry gave her a nod in reply.
"Anything, no holds barred," He said, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees, watching the two girls just over the brim of his glasses. Daphne's humorless smile faded in an instant, being replaced with a cold and calculating mask of indifference.
"How do we know you won't outright lie, Potter?" Daphne asked, doubt lacing her voice like poison. Harry's warm smile shifted into a pleased grin, his eyes glossing over in pride.
"You'll have to trust me," Harry accentuated the keyword in his sentence, his grin widening.
Daphne could feel her lips quirk up into an amused smile. Harry was right, it was a rather foolhardy idea, but it did make a modicum of sense. She craned her neck to her left, looking at Tracey with a quirked eyebrow. Tracey held a similar look, blowing another bubble with her confection while shrugging. Daphne focused her attention on Harry once more. Straightening her posture, she gave a nod of approval. Harry's smile grew tenfold.
"Where do you want to start?"
(A/N): Who's ready for more exposition? Starting off, I want to quickly go through the whole bashing situation. So far, the only character who is going to be undergoing serious bashing is Ginny. Boo me if you want, but unfortunately, it's necessary. I also apologize in advance if these beginning chapters are dreadfully boring, I want to move on to the romance just as badly as I bet you guys do but jumping straight into that in this kind of story would make no sense. Even if I'm garbage at it, the building blocks of the relationships must be built before anything serious can happen, and I hope to improve my writing throughout. This story is as much as a journey to me as it hopefully will be to you guys. I will say however, that stuff should pick up shortly after the first task, so not too much longer… hopefully.
I should also mention that all chapter titles are going to be lyrics from songs that I enjoy. If you recognize them, congratulations, if you don't, don't worry about it. They do, however, tease the premise of each chapter, if you don't fully understand immediately, don't sweat it, you'll catch on!
As always, I hope you enjoyed chapter 2, and I hope you stick around! Criticism is always welcome!
