Harry woke from a rather pleasant dream of him flying with Daphne, to the sight of a rather peculiar hallway. The walls were made of black opal and the floors were a checkerboard of black of white marble tiles.
The weird part of this altered reality was that Harry was walking down this hallway. There was door after door after door all identical. He or who ever he was turned down a hallway revealing the same identical hallway with even more doors.
Harry tried to read the names on the doors, except they didn't appear to written and form of language that he had ever seen.
Harry felt that he was getting more and more frustrated as he continued down the hallways until he saw a door that was different than all the others.
This door at the end of the hallway was made of gold and had a black marble trim. As he approached the door Harry's scar began to burn brightly and an overwhelming sense of fear and violence overcame him.
Suddenly the hallway vanished and Harry was laying in his bed back at Greengrass Manor. He was covered in his own sweat and his head was pounding. As his vision came too and he put on his glasses he notice Daphne standing over him with a very worried look on her face.
"Harry, are you ok?"
Harry grunted, "Yeah, just a bad dream." He rolled back over noticing that the sun wasn't even up yet.
Daphne eyed him carefully. She had been woken up rather suddenly by him almost screaming. When she looked over he was thrashing in his bed.
Harry lay awake for a few minutes calming down before falling back into a restless sleep.
Daphne however stayed awake and made sure he eventually went to sleep. She stayed in bed for about a hour till light started to creep through her window.
She got up soon after that and got into the shower to prepare for the hell that was coming. As she opened the stall into her private bathroom she reached for small lever that was fixed into the wall and turned it all the way to the left. She then closed the stall as the water started to pour out.
Daphne turned around and closed the door and took off her t-shirt and threw it into the small blue hamper that was on the floor. As it hit the bottom it vanished to another room on the first floor where Trixie would do the laundry later
Daphne walked over to the vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. Daphne really did hate waking up regardless of what time it was and it showed. Her eyes had big black rings under them and her hair was frizzy and everywhere.
Daphne sighed loudly and as the steam began to fill the room. She pull her shorts off and opened the glass door and stepped into the warm shower.
The stall was actually quite large and had three shower heads on the three walls opposite the glass door. They all had really nice enchantments that allowed the water to adjust in pressure and temperature individually.
As the hot water hit Daphne she just stood there hands at her sides, knees bent slightly and just enjoyed the hot water. "Ahhhhhhhhh" She moaned as her shoulders rolled back.
Daphne stood there for about twenty minutes enjoying the warmth as it relaxed almost every muscle in her body.
She was startled by a voice much louder than she expected, "Daph?" Harry called.
"Just a moment!" Daphne called back as she tapped one of the stones next to the door.
The glass door became opaque and cloudy with a dark mist. "What's up Harry?" She asked.
Harry walked up to the door and cracked it open slightly, "Can I come and use the restroom?" He said hesitantly.
"Yeah…. I guess…" Daphne called out loudly as the water was pretty loud.
With the glass the way it was, she couldn't see Harry and vice versa so it didn't matter that she was naked in the same room as him.
Daphne heard the unmistakable sound of someone using the bathroom and quickly was done. However she did not hear the door close or the sink turn on.
"Harry?" She said a few moments later.
"There was a doorway." Harry responded quickly. "In a hallway of black and white checkered marble."
Daphne's shoulders dropped, this time in disappointment. She figured that Harry's dream wasn't just a typical bad dream. Heck nothing was typical when it came to Harry. "What kind of doorway?"
There was a long pause, "I don't know just that someone cared about it greatly and my scar hurt like someone was taking a drill to my head." He said with a bit of anger.
Daphne turned off the water, "What's a drill?" She asked in honest curiosity. She heard a faint laugh.
"It's a muggle invention. It spins a pointy piece of metal real fast and is used to put screws into walls or furniture to hold them together." Harry walked over to the sink and began to wash his hands.
Daphne walked over to the glass doorway, "Can you do me a favor?" she asked as she opened the door just enough for her hand to reach out, her face getting a bit red. "Can you hand me that green towel?"
Harry finished drying his hands and reached over to where the green and silver towel was floating. As he pulled it off its hanger the towel got warmer, obviously it was charmed to heat up when pulled off the hanger. He walked over and handed it to her outstretched hand.
"Thanks." Daphne replied politely. A few moments later she was wrapped in the towel and walked out of the shower. "Have you ever had this happen before?" She walked over the vanity and grabbed a pink and yellow razor.
Harry walked over to the now vacant shower as he did he turned his head backwards, "I've had visions or dreams but never as vivid as this, and my scar has never hurt like this except a few weeks ago in the graveyard."
Daphne heard the water turn on as she saw his pajamas get thrown over the glass doorway. "How about the doorway, can you remember anything about it?"
Harry let the already heated water crash into him and a soft smile crept across his face, "It was gold with black trim." He said a few moments later in a much more relaxed voice. "There were hundreds of doors all the same except for this one." He yelled as the his voice was being drowned out by the sounds of the shower.
"Do you think this was more than just a dream?" Daphne asked curiously.
Harry sighed loud enough for Daphne to hear, "Likely, I mean it's me. Nothing that happens to me happens by chance." Harry shrugged mainly to himself as he dipped his head getting his hair went as the water cascaded down his neck and back relaxing him further.
"Well maybe later today we can look into this hallway and door after we go flying." Daphne said finishing shaving her legs.
"We are going flying?" Harry said as he turned off water.
"Yeah, you mentioned it yesterday. I mean I thought we could do it after breakfast…" She had thought of it while she was in bed this morning.
"Brilliant!" Harry said much to loud now that the water was off. "Uhh is there an extra towel…?" He said as he peeked his head out of the stall.
Daphne was standing facing the mirror with her leg still up on the sink. Harry was stunned by the sight he saw.
Daphne's towel only went to just below her hips, however the way she was leaning over mean that her arse was exposed. Daphne was gorgeous, she had just started developing that hourglass figure and the curves were mesmerizing to Harry.
Daphne figured that when Harry stopped talking suddenly that he got distracted. Daphne smiled and saw his reflection in the mirror. She giggled to herself as she blushed hard, "Your really going to give a girl an ego if you keep doing that." She said playfully.
"Why? Your ass is perfect…" He said softly as his brain screamed at him to look away. He had no idea where it came from, Harry was always polite and respectful, not that he wasn't now just he'd never have been that forward last year.
Daphne smiled and stood up normally and turned around to face Harry who was still just a disembodied head peeking out of the shower. She bore the most wonderful smile Harry had ever seen. Her hair was still wet and two locks of her hair framed her face in almost golden halo. Her brown eyes halfway open but staring right at him blazed a fiery path straight to his core.
"Wow…." Harry said slowly and softly.
Daphne stared back at her boyfriend and the butterflies that were fluttering in her stomach began to expand to her entire body and she felt a comforting warmth radiate to her fingers and toes.
"Yeah…?" She said timidly. She was staring at his bright green eyes and she could swear they were begging and pleading her to come over and kiss him. The voice in the front of her head was screaming to wait, while the rest of her brain and body were edging her to walk over and claim what was hers.
Both teens were saved as a loud knock on the door startled them both. "Daphne, Harry time to get up!" It was Hermione.
"Meet us upstairs in ten minutes." Daniel Greengrass said just after.
"OK dad!" Daphne called. She turned back towards Harry who was transfixed by his girlfriend. "Time to get dressed." She said regaining some of her composure.
"Yeah..." Harry said with a bit of disappointment. Daphne quickly tossed him the blue and gold towel that was across the room.
Daphne walked out of the bathroom and heard the shower turn on for only a minute before turning back off. It caused Daphne to giggle and smile, Harry liked her. She knew it and it felt good. She liked him too.
Ten minutes later Harry and Daphne walked into the large ballroom that was on the third floor.
Daniel and Nathaniel were both standing in the middle of the room with Hermione and Astoria.
Mr. Greengrass nodded, "You're late." He said coldly while suppressing a smirk.
Daphne growned, "Sorry dad…" Astoria started giggling. She loved watching her sister in the morning, it always proved to be entertaining.
Mr. Granger turned towards Mr. Greengrass, "Want me to start or you?" he said with a grin.
Daniel nodded affirming that he should start first, "You know more about this than I do."
"Excellent, Kids." He turned to face them arms crossed, "We are here because the world we live in isn't safe anymore. Starting today we are going to training you how to defend yourself." He paced in front of the four teens. "Now just because I may not be magical doesn't mean that I can't hurt someone or even kill them. Hermione knows this already however you three do not."
He turned back around and faced the four of them, "I was in the navy for 12 years before I went to school to be a Dentist and while there I was," He smirked. "Taught many way to defend myself, some of which I'll impart on you but for right no we need to get you into shape."
At which point Daniel did a complex series of wand movements and muttered a few incantations and the ballroom they were in transformed into a large oval track with various obstacles in the center. Harry and Hermione were in awe by the magic while Daphne and Astoria sighed loudly. It was clear that neither Harry or Hermione grew up in a magical household.
"We are going to start every one of our workouts with conditioning and because of the reality of things your father and I are going to join you." Nathaniel said which forced a small grimace from Mr. Greengrass. "Today we are going to run two miles, now I understand that some of you." He said while looking at the two Greengrass daughters. "Have been doing athletics for quite some time."
Daphne spoke up, "We did Gymnastics till we start at Hogwarts." She said begrudgingly.
"Really?" Hermione said looking down the line of the four teens. "That's awesome."
"If you say so." Daphne said through a yawn.
"Anyway." Nathaniel said getting their attention back. "The idea behind this is to get your body use to prolonged strenuous activity so you should start off easy. Hup hup." he said as he and Daniel began running around the dingy orange track.
The four of them started jogging after their fathers. Its was no surprise to anyone that Harry was the fastest of the six of them. He was certainly in the best shape out of all of them, combination of his training from the Tournament and his Quidditch training that he did despite it not being competed last year.
Nathaniel and Daphne were next, which surprised Mr. Greengrass that his daughter was faster than him. It made sense though he hadn't been working out seriously for the last thirteen years. Up until recently he believed the world to be safe, however with Voldemort's revival that all changed. Daniel made a promise to himself and his wife that he would do whatever it took to keep his family safe, and that included Harry Potter.
Next was Daniel followed shortly by Hermione, who turned out to be quite athletic for the bookish Gryffindor. Nathaniel noted that his daughter would likely have the greatest improvement curve because she was starting from scratch, while almost everyone else had a physical base of which they could fall back on.
Finally was Astoria who was only last because she was only twelve and much shorter than everyone however for her age and size she was quite gifted.
After the two mile run the group of six walked over to a table that was in the center of the field. "How's everyone feel?" Daniel asked.
"Decent actually." Harry said slightly out of breath while stretching out his calves.
Daphne and Hermione both shot daggers at him with their eyes, they however were both gasping for breath.
The two fathers watched and noted that their respective daughter while tired were both still able to do more.
Nathaniel grabbed one of the glasses of water and drank it quickly and when he placed it back on the table. It filled up instantly. "Nice. Drink up because we have a bit more to do today."
The group spent the next ten minutes drinking water and doing light stretches.
Daniel and Nathaniel gathered everyone back up around one end of the field, "The last thing we are going to do today is an Obstacle course which is designed to test your reflexes and strength. I can't tell you how many times I've had to use these basic skills in the field." Mr. Granger said.
Daniel raised his hand, "I too trained on an obstacle course while at the academy albeit we were using our wands and magic to help us navigate it, we also had a non-magic part incase we ever got separated from our wands."
"We are only going to run the course today to get use to the obstacles but from tomorrow on we are going to run it for time. I assure you that if you do well, there will be rewards." Nathaniel said looking over at Mr. Greengrass who nodded.
The four of them all groaned loudly, "That's the spirit now who's gonna try first?"
After a few moments of silence Harry stepped forward. "I'll do it, I guess." He said shrugging his shoulders and walking forward.
Daniel was excited, Harry was already the most fit one of the group and ha no problems going first to do something that certainly would be painful. He found himself thinking about Harry quite a bit since he found out that he and Daphne might be going out. The boy already showed many of the qualities that he looked for in boys that he would be ok with his daughters dating.
"Now we are going to time you today only to use it as a baseline for the future." Daniel said flicking his wand towards the end of the course. A huge digital clock appeared in gold writing. "Are you ready Harry?" He asked with a bit of anticipation.
Harry ambled up to the startline, "Sure… I guess." He leaned forward and waited for his signal to start.
Daniel shot a red flare into the air and the clock started ticking. Daphne and Hermione both watched closely hopefully able to learn something from what Harry did.
Harry jogged forward towards the first obstacle which was a slatted wall about twenty feet tall. When he got a few steps away he took four quick steps and jumped about a third up the wall and while using his momentum climbed the rest of the wall with ease. He then pulled himself over the top on his stomach.
"Good Harry way to use your speed." Nathaniel said while following along side the course.
Harry then turned around and when his foot found a slat launched himself off the wall towards the next obstacle. Harry landed a bit hard on one of his ankles and winced slightly but when the pain receded he straightened up and walked forward.
The next task was much simpler however took more time. There was a low sitting wire mesh net that ran about forty feet. Harry looked towards Nathaniel as if to ask what he was suppose to do.
"You need to crawl under the netting." He said with no emotion in his face.
Harry nodded, "Fine." he was a bit annoyed but figured it was for the best not to argue.
He then dropped onto his hands and knees and began to crawl his way under the netting. After a few easy feet his back arched up and hit the wire and he was shocked with a small amount of electricity.
"Owww" Harry said sharply and he instinctively lifted his head and in the process shocked himself again, "DAMIT!" He said glaring at Nathaniel.
"Take your time, don't panic. When you panic you tend to do things without thinking." He said trying to reassure the boy.
Harry grunted and kept crawling. Daphne meanwhile felt bad for him and it showed on her face.
"Don't worry about him. I've seen him go through much worse." Hermione said standing next to her.
"I just don't like it. He's suffered enough." She said angrily.
A few minutes later Harry had crawled out from under the netting and as he got to his feet he was congratulated by Nathaniel, "Good job kid, it's no wonder you're still alive." He said admiring the boy.
"Thanks Mr. Granger." he said tiredly.
Nathaniel motioned him towards the next obstacle.
Harry trudged forward and saw the next task was a rope wall about thirty feet tall with a small opening at the top. Harry sighed, his legs were already burning from the last two tasks and this one proved to be even more tiring.
As quickly as he could he started to climb the wall using his arms as much as he could since his legs were already tired.
"Are you getting tired Harry?" Nathaniel asked much too happily.
Harry just shot him a glare, "No Sir." He said as he spit off to the side. He was about half way up the wall when he lost his grip and his hand slipped causing him fall backwards.
His Seeker reflexes kicked in and his quickly pushed his feet out and caught himself upside down. "Uffff!" Harry emitted as he hit hard against the wall with his back and head.
Daphne and Hermione both gasped while Daniel took a small step forward. "You ok?" Nataniel asked with a hint of emotion. He may have been a drill instructor for the Navy but Harry was just a boy.
Harry hung there for a moment trying to catch his breath, "Yeeah." he said through a grimace. Harry grabbed ahold of the ropes with his hands and righted himself and proceeded to climb the rest of the rope wall quickly. As he climbed through the hole he considered just jumping down, but remembered how he felt after he jumped off the earlier wall and decided to climb down a bit first.
As he got about halfway down he jumped off the wall and walked with a bit of smugness towards the next obstacle. "That all you got?" he spat towards Mr. Granger.
He laughed, "Almost kid, you're doing great." He motioned towards a series of slanted platforms.
Harry looked at them cautiously, "You want me to jump across those right?"
"Jump, run, climb it doesn't matter as long as you don't touch the ground until you get to the blue flag." Which was located about a hundred feet away on the other side of the large assortment of stones platforms and rails. "If you fall and hit the ground you will have to start it again from the start."
"Perfect!" Harry shouted sarcastically. He walked up to the first platform which was at about a 45 degree angle. There were about ten of them leading towards a hanging rope with a few large knots in it.
Harry then took a few steps backward. He took a deep breath and then inhaled quickly and sprinted off towards the small wooden platforms and jumped between them and when he reached the final one he pushed hard off and jumped towards the rope.
Harry misjudged his strength and hit his face against the rope however his hands held strong while his lower body flailed against the rope. He gritted his teeth and pulled himself back to a more stable position and wrapped his legs around the rope. He took a few quick breaths and then looked around and found a thin almost three inch beam a few feet away.
He also saw a set of metal bars suspended several feet apart. They were about eight or nine feet off the ground. He thought that might be the easier path till he realized that his arms were now burning from holding his entire weight on the rope.
"Hurry up Harry. The longer you wait the more tired you will get." Mr. Granger said helpfully.
Harry was now breathing pretty hard and his hands were starting to get sweaty so he decided to try and balance on the beam, but first he would have to jump from the rope and land on the beam without hitting the ground. He started swinging the rope toward the beam.
Daphne saw what he was trying to do, "Relax your legs Harry!" She shouted as he launched himself from the rope. His left leg landed on the beam successfully while his right foot landed and slid forcing him to slide forward and his chest crashed into the beam.
Daphne and Hermione both cringed as they saw him hit the beam. "I can't do this…" Hermione said as she turned away knowing that she'd have to do the same thing.
"Sure you can, Hermione." Daphne said trying to bolster her new friends courage.
Hermione smiled brightly until now she'd only ever called her by her surname, "Thanks Daphne."
Harry finally got back to his feet after several moments he was however favoring his left leg as he inched across the beam.
The beam zig zagged for about fifty feet and ending with a larger diamond shaped platform. The finish line was only about four hundred feet away.
"This last part is pretty easy just sprint to the finish." Nathaniel said loudly and full of excitement.
Harry quickly hobbled off towards the finish line. "In the future we'll try and add some obstacles to this last part but it'll only to be improve you ability to evade attacks and other obstacles while running at full speed."
Harry wasn't listening all he thought about was the pain coursing through his body and his leg. He saw the line only a few feet away and he felt his vision blurring slightly as a numbness spread up his chest and down his torso. He crossed the line and promptly fell to the ground.
Nathaniel walked over and handed him a towel and a glass of water, "17:43.38 a VERY good time."
Daniel walked over and helped Harry to his feet, "Harry that was amazing, I never knew you were such a good athlete."
Harry downed the glass of water quickly and shook himself out as feeling began to return to his entire body. "Well… With the… Tournament… and Quidditch… I guess I am in decent shape." Harry's breathing quickly returned to normal.
"Harry I didn't know you played Quidditch!?" Daniel said very excitedly.
"Yeah, I've been Gryffindor's Seeker for four years." Harry said before finishing another glass of water that had refilled itself. "Professor McGonagall said that I am one of the best Seeker's that Hogwarts has seen in over fifty years." He said with a smile emerging onto his face.
Daniel wasn't the least bit surprised, "You know you dad was a pretty good Seeker himself."
"Yeah, even Dumbledore told me how good a Seeker he was. He also told me that he was shocked that he didn't play professionally." Harry said a bit depressed, he would love to be able to play professionally. However a voice in his head told him that he would never be able to do that because he'd likely end up dead before age seventeen.
"Your dad got a few offers after his seventh year, however he was insistent on becoming an Auror and fighting in the war, much like Sirius." Daniel said with a bit of guilt.
"Don't blame yourself for their deaths, I know Sirius would kill you if he thought you felt bad for him." Harry said with a laugh. He didn't really know his father, but if he was anything like himself then he'd hate being pittied.
Daniel laughed a bit then his face darkened, "Yeah… Anyway." He said shaking his head and smiling, "17:43.38." He said as he flicked his wand towards the left wall which manifested a leaderboard and had three faces on it with times to follow.
1st) Harry Potter - 17:43.38
2nd) Daniel Greengrass 19:57.44
3rd) Nathaniel Granger 20:34.12
There were three blanks presumably for Daphne, Hermione and Astoria. "Ok Daphne you're up next." Daniel yelled from the far side of the course.
Daphne's shoulders dropped and her heart rate shot through the roof she was terrified still about hurting her back. "You got this Daphne." Hermione said hitting the girl softly on the shoulder.
"Yeah sis you can do this!" Astoria said excitedly
"Thanks…" Daphne said apprehensively.
Daphne ran the course much more carefully and slower than Harry, however she was able to pass each obstacle on her first attempt she was however very tired and sweating all over by the time she finished. Her time was 28:21.17.
Astoria went next as she wanted to better her sisters time, she quickly regretted it when she realized it was much harder than Daphne made it look. She managed a time of 29:05.44.
Hermione surprised herself and her dad by finishing just behind Daphne despite being obviously more out of shape and finished 28:40.08.
The four teens were grouped up near the end of the course when Daniel walked over waving his wand and collapsing the course and returning the ballroom back to its original state.
"Ok children that's enough for today." Daniel said while looking at his watch. "It's just past ten so run along and enjoy the rest of your saturday." He smiled and ushered them out of the room kindly.
Once the four of them left he turned towards Nathaniel, "So what do you think?"
Mr. Granger uncrossed his arms, "I think you have two very gifted daughters Mr. Greengrass." He said coldly. "However, it's your son I'm most impressed by."
"He's not my son." Daniel said watching as Harry turned around and cold face nodded towards the two elder gentlemen.
"Never have I seen a man or women with that much determination and fight. He'll make for a great man." Nathaniel said slapping the man on the shoulder.
"If he lives that long Nate." Daniel said with a tear forming in his eye.
Harry walked into his and Daphne's room several minutes later and just sat down exhausted.
Daphne walked in a few minutes behind him after talking to her sister. She noticed the same emotionless expression on his face as the day he first arrived.
"Harry?" she asked cautiously
He did not respond he merely climbed under the covers of his bed fully clothed and wrapped himself into a ball.
Daphne walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Harry, do you want to talk about it?" she asked hopefully.
Harry remained still, "Leave me alone." He said speaking into his pillow.
Daphne had no idea what to do, nothing had happened between working out and coming back to the room. She thought that he was fine as they left, they were all having a good conversation talking about breakfast and maybe going flying later.
She sat next to him for a while before getting the idea to talk to Hermione. She walked out of the room and down to the next doorway in the hallway. She looked inside the open door and saw the room was empty.
"Now where could she be?" she asked herself softly. "Where would I go….?" She asked out loud thinking that she and Hermione were a bit the same in many respects. Daphne had an idea and jogged down the stairs and sure enough she found Hermione sitting in the study reading a book about Magical Visions off all things.
She walked into the room, "He told you about the dream?" Daphne asked a bit pissed off that he told Hermione before her.
"Huh? Who told about what dream?" Hermione responded, "Is Harry having nightmares again?"
"Again?" Daphne asked relaxing slightly and sitting next to the brunette. "He's had them before?"
Hermione sighed, "Yeah, last year he had these visions almost of Barty Crouch Jr and of Voldemort. I think they weren't visions but Harry seeing through Voldemort's eyes." She said worriedly.
Daphne thought hard for a moment, "Last night he had another one of these visions, except it was about door made of gold and has a black trim."
Hermione closed the book suddenly, "Gold with a black trim? Did he say anything else?" She pressed.
Daphne shook her head, "No we didn't really get a chance to talk about it further as you and my dad interrupted."
Hermione stood up and smiled at the blonde girl, "I hope we didn't interrupt anything too important." She said while grinning from ear to ear.
Daphne smiled and blushed bright red, "Nothing that we can't do later." This caused both girls to laugh. "I actually came down to see you for another reason." Daphne said while remembering her original purpose for coming down stairs. "Harry's gone quiet and won't talk to me or even at all. He just went into bed and pulled the sheets over his head." Daphne said still worried about her new boyfriend.
Hermione thought for a moment, "I've never seen that kind of behavior from him, but I don't sleep in the same dorm as him. I usually hear about stuff from Ron or Neville." She shrugged. "Even then the information is scarce at best. You know just as much about this as I do."
Daphne shrunk her shoulders in defeat, "Well can you at least try and talk to him, maybe we can figure out together what's bugging him." She pleaded.
Hermione walked over and put a comforting hand on Daphne's shoulder, "I will but this is your one freebie." She smirked at the blonde girl, "He's your boyfriend after all." She walked out of the room with Daphne closely behind, speechless.
When the two girls got upstairs they found Daphne's room empty along with Harry's. They even asked Astoria if he was in her room. She shook her head and made fun of Daphne for losing her boyfriend in her own house.
Hermione and Daphne went back downstairs to find Mr. Greengrass. He was sitting in Den reading the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet.
"Daddy." Daphne said with a bit of urgency, "We can't find Harry."
Daniel got nervous for a second before calming back down, "He's somewhere still on the grounds, no one has come or gone since your mother left for the store a few hours ago." He said reassuring both himself and the two girls.
Daphne breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks Daddy." She walked up and kissed him on the forehead.
Daphne walked over to Hermione, "Come, I think I know where he might be." Hermione nodded.
Daphne hoped that she understood the boy enough to know that he'd be outside flying his broom.
They both walked outside and heard a loud "WAHOO!" as Harry was riding his Firebolt just above the trees.
Daphne's shoulders dropped and she relaxed, "Why didn't I think of that…" Hermione said somewhat softy.
"Not everyone's perfect, Hermione." Daphne said with a snicker.
The brunette looked over at Daphne, "Have you realised that you've been calling me by my first name all day?"
Daphne's eyes opened big and a small smile crept on her face, "No… Not until you said something just now. I guess…" she paused for a second. "I guess it's because I realised that your not just a know-it-all bookworm and my… friend…" She said with a soft smile.
Daphne really didn't have friends outside of Tracy, sure she had all the other kids that she spent time with at large social functions but none of them were people she would consider friends. Even at school she didn't really hang out with anyone other than Tracy. That was mainly to avoid Draco Malfoy and his cronies. This year would prove to be different and much more difficult and not just because of a black hair, green eyed troublemaker. Daphne was changing whether she liked it or not.
Hermione pondered the thought, she too never really had friends. Before she found out she was a witch she was always bullied by the other kids at school because she was always answering all the questions. When she got her letter telling her she'd be accepted to Hogwarts, she didn't really believe it until Professor Mcgonagall came over and explained everything.
Hermione's parents had hoped that things might be different in the magical world, and that their know-it-all daughter might not stand out as much. Hermione hoped that as well, it was just by sheer chance that she stumbled upon Harry and Ron on the Hogwarts Express. Outside of them, Hermione didn't really have friends either. Most of the other Gryffindors ignored her when Harry wasn't around, and the other house just made fun of her. Even the Ravenclaws who were suppose to be knowledge driven, weren't accepting of Hermione's want to know everything.
"I accept!" Hermione said while forcefully hugging Daphne.
Daphne was taken aback by the brunettes reaction. "Ok Ok." She said trying to push Hermione off of her. "HARRY!"
Harry's head turned and saw Hermione and Daphne staring up at him. He really didn't want to deal with them but they both meant a lot to him. He sighed and flew over to them, "Yeah?" He said slightly out of breath.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going flying?" Daphne practically yelled.
Harry scrunched his face, "Why do I need to tell YOU what I'm doing. Your not my mother!" he spat out.
Daphne couldn't understand she just stood there shocked. "HARRY!" Hermione screamed at him. "What on earth…" she stopped because Harry had already taken off and flew into the trees.
Hermione went over and hugged her new friend. "What did I do wrong…" Daphne said while crying.
"Nothing Daphne. You did nothing wrong." she said while rubbing the blondes back. "Your just now seeing the real Harry. The one that blames himself for everything. You should have seen him the last three years. Once he got back to Hogwarts there was a period for a day or two where he'd be happy and excited and then like clockwork he'd shut down for like a week. He wouldn't talk to Ron or I and he was really snappy with the other Gryffindors."
Daphne sat down, or really she fell down and dragged Hermione with her. "What do I do?" she said tears flowing down her face.
"Nothing." Hermione shrugged. "He's come back to us every time before." Hermione tried to believe her words but she somehow knew that this was different. She wondered if this was about Sirius' death or if this was just the monumental amount of stress he was under.
Daphne cried for about ten minutes before Hermione was able to help her calm down and they both walked into the house and made there way over to the kitchen table.
Daphne's stomach rumbled which caused both girls to laugh for a moment. "I guess we never ate breakfast."
"Well let's find something to eat." Hermione said while beginning to look through cabinets. She stopped when she heard Daphne laughing. "What's so funny?"
Daphne was sitting in one of the high top chairs laughing so hard she almost fell off the chair. "Hermione, this is a magical family. We don't keep things in cupboards. Trixie keeps it all in the cellar under a permanent freezing or warming charm."
Hermione sighed, "Fine then we'll go to cellar and find something to make." She redoubled her efforts to make lunch without the use of magic or house elves.
"Or… We can just ask Trixie to make us some food." Daphne said in a kind of know-it-all voice.
"That's not fair to Trixie!" Hermione shouted as she closed the cupboard she was looking in and stomped her feet.
Daphne nodded her head finally understanding what was going on, "You don't like house elves do you?"
"I like them just fine!" Hermione said back sharply. "I just don't think its fair that they don't have a say in working for us especially for no pay or compensation." She said a bit more timidly.
Daphne kicked up off the chair and walked over to Hermione, "Mum said the same thing twenty years ago. She believed that it was wrong to use house elves as slaves. However when Trixie told her that she wanted to work for the Greengrass family. Mum was furious, she tried all the things that you can think of. She tried firing the elf, which didn't go over well since Trixie just kept helping us. She even tried to free her which actually succeeded." Daphne said leading the distraught Gryffindor over to the table.
"Trixie is a free elf?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"Of course she is. After mum freed her Trixie came back to the house and made dinner for her and Dad. After that mum just gave up. Trixie is just as much a part of this family just like Harry is, she likes helping us. We even try to pay her." Daphne shrugged. "I don't know what you pay an elf because they can get whatever they want anyway. However we do force her to take a vacation during the end of the summer when we go camping."
Hermione was much more calm now that she knew Trixie was free. "Well… Alright then. Trixie?" she called nervously.
With a soft pop the elf in question appeared, "Yes Miss Hermmonny." The elf said cheerfully.
Hermione giggled, "Would you be able to get Daphne and I some lunch?"
The elf nodded, "Of course Miss Hermonieee."
Daphne walked up and raised a hand, "Trixie can you also make something for Harry and put it outside… He's not eaten all day…"
Hermione admired how much Daphne cared about him. She was even more surprised at how quickly it had happened. She hoped that this summer would be better for Harry as he wasn't living at the Dursley's.
"Yes Mistress Daphne, I's get foods for yous both and has it ready ins the dining room." With that he disappeared with a puff of dust.
As the two of them walked into the dining room, Aurora Greengrass walked through the Floo and directly into the dining room. "Hey dears! How was training this morning?" She asked happily.
Daphne sat in her usual chair and Hermione directly across from her, "It wasn't that bad…" Daphne said still a bit sad.
"Your husband is a kind man Mrs. Greengrass." Hermione said with a smile, "Him and my dad get along quite well."
Aurora put down her bag and sat down next to her daughter, "Well it's no surprise there from what Nathaniel and Andrea have told me. They both are quite similar."
Two large plates of squared sandwiches and sliced fruit appeared on the table. The three girls quickly filled their plates and ate quietly for a few minutes.
"Daphne? Where's your sister and Harry?" Aurora asked noticing that none of the other plates at the table had been used.
"I think Tori's over at Emelyn's and I hope Harry's still outback…" She said a bit a sadness.
"What do you mean you hope?" Mrs. Greengrass said her voice getting a bit less airy.
"Well." Hermione started, "After working out this morning he kinda closed off from everyone. Then when we tried to talk to him about it he yelled at Daphne and then flew off." Hermione said also worried about her best friend.
"That's awful, are you ok sweetie?" Aurora asked out of courtesy knowing how Daphne would respond.
"I am fine mother." she mumbled.
"Hermione, you said he was out back flying? Did he use one of our brooms?" She asked the second part to Daphne.
"No Mrs. Greengrass, Harry got a Firebolt at the end of his third year from Sirius after the a Dementor attacked him during a Quidditch game and fried his Nimbus 2001." Hermione answered both questions.
"I see…" Aurora said. "Hermione do like flying?"
"Not really…"
"Me neither, however Daniel and Daphne both do."
Hermione finished the last sandwich on her plate, "Harry loves to fly. I can't tell you how many times I've found him flying over the lake at Hogwarts or doing drills over the Quidditch pitch."
"Interesting… Daphne can you go get your father for me please, and go change into your racing clothes. I have an idea." Aurora commanded her daughter.
Daphne first was annoyed being commanded to do something however once she processed what it was she smiled. One of the best ways for her to get out of a shitty mood was to fly and to fly fast. Maybe Harry would like it even though it wasn't Quidditch.
Daphne politely excused herself and went into the Study where her father was sitting, "Daddy? Mom wants us to get ready to fly."
Daniel peeked up over his book, "Does she now…" He grew a big grin and hopped up quickly. "Well then, we shouldn't make her angry." He walked over and put an arm around her shoulder.
A few minutes later Daphne walked out through the back porch and found her dad dressed in a bright yellow and green set of robes that were very tight fitting. He had a set of goggles on his head and was just putting on his dark green gloves. "Ready Daph?" He said cheerfully.
Daphne was wearing a similar set of robes except hers were purple and white with black trim. She had her own goggles and matching gloves which were both in her pockets. "Yup!" She said excitedly.
Aurora and Hermione were sitting at one of the tables with a few glasses and small fan that was floating over the table keeping them cool. "Have fun sweetie!" Aurora said loudly as she took a sip of her beverage.
Daphne and Daniel both held out their hands and two brooms appeared from nowhere. They were both Nimbus 3000's.
"Ok, let's make this simple. We'll find Harry convince him to race us and then end at the Y Tree." Daniel said to his daughter.
"Yup, but only if you can keep up." Daphne said as she kicked off and tucked her broom down and she raced down the three flights of stairs. She felt the rush of air flowing past her face and it felt amazing.
She saw ahead of her the stone fence that marked the end of their wards and property. She smirked and pushed her broom faster. As she approached the fence she rolled herself to the left and pulled the broom straight up then pushed it right back down. The result was a sideways roll and her ponytail gently brushed against the top of the fence as she rolled over it.
She was now in a large open field with rolling hills. Daphne liked to stay close to the ground as it amplified the excitement made things a bit more real. Daphne was, under all the ice armor and pureblood upbringing, an adrenaline junky. It was the reason her father was able to convince her to do Broom Racing from the beginning that and paired with her gymnastics skills meant that Daphne was a very skilled flyer.
She however did not seem to notice the black haired boy who was flying over head watching her as she sped across the field to a cluster of trees.
Harry was shocked to find Daphne of all people out on a broom however what was more impressive was how fast she was going and the sharpness of her turns made him wonder if she was a better flyer than him. Harry grinned, "Let's find out." He said under his breath.
Harry tucked into a shallow dive and leaned heavily into his Firebolt and soon began to catch Daphne. A few feet behind Harry was Daniel Greengrass who was watching from afar. His wife had told him how Harry was feeling and he hoped that Daphne would be able to make amends. He would however take this opportunity to see how good the boys flying skills were.
As Harry sped towards Daphne she turned her head around quickly and saw him right behind her. "Think you can keep up?" she said devilishly.
Daphne's taunting only spurred him on even more. Harry was now laying almost flat against his broom and angled the broom further towards the ground just as the two of them entered the cluster of trees.
Daphne took a quick left followed by a quick right to swerve through a set of two trees.
Harry was able to match Daphne's agility although he had to pull his broom up a half an inch which caused him to lose some speed. "You won't catch me flying like that!" Daphne shouted backwards as she moved further into the forest. Daphne had flown these woods hundreds of times and knew them like the back of her hand.
The gap between them grew to almost ten feet after Harry managed to get back on the same line as Daphne. "I'm not that easy to get rid of Daph!" He shouted up.
Daphne smiled,'There's my Harry.' she thought to herself. The warmth quickly faded as she remembered that she was flying. She saw a large log in front of her it was maybe four feet in diameter and was completely hollowed out. Daphne lined herself up and pulled her legs up and shot through the tree.
Harry watched as Daphne compacted herself and dived into a log. There was a loud crack as she entered the log. Harry replicated the same movement and as he also entered the log he felt little twigs and piece of bark hitting him in the face.
They both shot out of the log like two rockets being fired from a missile launcher. Daphne quickly pulled her broom up as there were three trees in a cluster right in front of her. She was flying straight up and losing speed so she had time to look down. She was not surprised to see Harry right behind her.
Daphne focused back on her task and had an idea. She pushed herself closer to the trunk of the tree she was climping and in one motion pulled her broom away from the tree as she stuck her legs out and kicked them both hard off the truck.
What resulted was Daphne doing a 180 turn and flew right past Harry. She tucked into her broom and leveled out heading back towards the house.
Harry was flabbergasted at the maneuver he just saw Daphne perform. He had hardly any time to react because he had to turn around if he wanted to catch his girlfriend. Harry tried to replicate the same maneuver however when his feet hit the tree they skidded a few feet and slowed him down. It made it easier for him to do the u-turn however he lost several precious seconds. Harry quickly corrected his form and sped off back towards the house.
Daniel was flying circles around the field waiting for his daughter and Harry to come out so he could watch them race home. He had heard the crack of the two of them flying through the log and smiled. His smile grew wider when he saw a blonde speck dart out from the treeline.
"That's my girl." He said to himself as he moved to get behind and above her. He was however surprised to see another speck fly out from the treeline.
Harry was completely flat against his broom as he entered the flats. He was slowly gaining on Daphne, the Firebolts top speed was a bit faster than Daphne's Nimbus however Daphne was clearly more skilled in reaching that top speed faster.
Daniel turned around and let the two teens speed ahead of him as he angled his broom down to stay within sight range.
Daniel pulled out his wand and through his amplified voice, "Finish is at the Y Tree in the backyard."
Both Harry and Daphne nodded to themselves and continued their race across the gently sloping field. As they reached the top of the hill Daphne pushed her broom further down to gain as much speed as possible and use the ground to help deflect as much of the wind as she could.
Harry had a different idea he shot straight into the air and kept climbing to almost a hundred feet over Daphne. He was a few feet further behind since the winds were a bit rougher at the altitude he was flying at.
As the reached the next Valley, Harry angled his broom straight down and using the hills on his left and right to block the wind he accelerated to much faster than Daphne's broom could handle.
Soon they were side by side. When Daphne looked over at her boyfriend his eyes were that of desire and determination and it only made her heart race faster. She grinned and tucked as far down onto her broom as she could.
They reached the stone wall of the property and Daphne did the same roll she did when she left. Much to her surprise Harry did a similar roll and now only a few feet separated them as they flew neck and neck towards the large Y shaped tree across the yard from Aurora and Hermione.
"There!" Aurora said to Hermione as she pointed towards the back wall.
"They're neck and neck." Hermione said as they both stood up.
Aurora noticed for the first time in the almost fifteen years since Daphne was born that she was truly happy. At that moment her daughter didn't care about tests, didn't care about homework, or anything except for the boy that she was racing against. "GO DAPHNE! COME ON HARRY!" She shouted loudly as the both shot past.
As they both crossed under the Y tree two sets of sparks flew up one red and one purple. The two teens looked back instantly as they crossed hoping that they would see just the color of their shirt. They both pulled up and circled back around to the front of the tree where Aurora and Hermione had walked over to.
Daniel landed a few feet from them clapping loudly, "Well I'll be damned." He proclaimed as he walked over and wrapped an arm around his wife. "I think we may have found a match for our dear Daphne."
Daphne blushed slightly, "Daaad…" She groaned loudly as Harry walked over and put an arm around her shoulder. He leaned in a kissed her gently on the lips.
"That was one hell of a move with the tree." Harry said slightly out of breath. He was very impressed with Daphne's flying. Hell he was very impressed by Daphne as a whole. She was smart, caring, athletic, attractive and just as stubborn as he was.
Daphne saw stars for a few moments, "Huh… What? Tree?" She said in confusion as warm feelings radiated from her chest to her face.
Everyone laughed including Harry, "Come on Daph let's go inside." He said while chuckling.
Harry lead Daphne back up to their room. As they both walked in Harry closed the door which was a bit of shock to Daphne. "Daph…" Harry started.
Daphne smiled while shaking her head, "You don't have to say anything…"
"Shhhh!" Harry stammered out, "I want to say this." He took a deep breathe, "Daphne, I am a broken kid right now. For fucks sakes I just watched my Godfather die in my arms after fighting the most powerful dark wizard of all time." He was starting tear up, he wiped his face. "Even though I may not say it, I need you to know." He hiccuped slightly. "You mean a great deal to me, something about the way you held me a few nights ago. You didn't know anything about me except that I was Harry fucking Potter, Boy-Who-Lived."
He walked slowly over to her as he saw Daphne starting to get very emotional. "You showed me that people care about me. That day in the graveyard, I was prepared to die. When I walked out from behind that broken tombstone, I had made my peace and was ready for the next great adventure, to quote Albus Dumbledore." He and Daphne both chuckled slightly "When the Priori Incantatem happened I was so overwhelmed with love and joy that I think it open my heart for that moment so I could escape. However after watching Sirius die…" Harry lost his composure and he started crying full out.
Daphne pulled him so his head was resting against her shoulder. "Harry… That's terrible." He fell forward, which caused Daphne to stumble backwards. She softly lead him to his bed and sat next to him.
Harry inhaled quickly, "I am sorry… I'll understand if you don't want to go out anymore." Harry said his eyes red and watery.
"HARRY JAMES POTTER!" she yelled.
Harry jumped up straight and opened his eyes the biggest he could. He had seen her temper only a little bit but this was the first time it was directed at him.
"Stop! Just stop." she said cupping his hands into hers. "I never thought I'd find someone while I was in school. Hell I kinda assumed that because of daddy's politics that I'd be Betrothed by the time I graduated Hogwarts." She swallowed as she mentioned the Betrothal. "However that night I saw something for the first time in my life. I can't even explain it. I looked into your eyes and I saw nothing at all." She said getting worked up. "I've looked into many people's, mostly students, eyes and I can always see something: ambition, anger, happiness, fear, lust, desire, sadness, you name it. However that was the first time I saw nothing at all." She turned to face Harry, pulling her leg up on the bed and he did the same. "That night my heart broke, and I felt this incredible pull, a need to be close to you. It was as if someone or something commanded me to hold you." Harry looked like he was about to speak but Daphne stopped him, "Hang on, I'm not done." She took a steading breath. "That morning I woke up and had the best sleep I'd ever had and there was this feeling of warmth all over where you were resting against me. That warmth has been growing constantly over the past few days. Harry I won't let you get rid of me that easily, not after you've shown me what it's like to like someone and be liked by that same someone." She smiled and hugged him lightly.
Harry enjoyed the contact and the gentleness of the hug. It was a very intimate action and Harry liked it.
Just before Harry could say anything there was a knock at the door. "Harry, Daphne open up." It was Daniel Greengrass.
"Coming dad." Daphne said while wiping a tear from her face, her eyes still red from crying.
She opened the door and her father was standing outside wearing his dress robes and the Family Crest on. "Daphne sweatie what's wrong?"
Daphne suddenly got very worried, her father only wore those robes and the family crest when he was going before the Wizengamot. "Nothing" she brushed off quickly, "What's wrong, what happened?" She asked frantically.
Harry got up his eyes still red from crying."They moved your appointment to tonight, specifically in 45 minutes." Daniel said in a rush. "Hup hup Harry you need to change quickly into your best robes."
"Oh… Ok." Harry said as he quickly walked to his room and just opened the door, which startled Hermione who was reading on Harry's bed.
"Ahh" Hermione reacted to Harry opening the door suddenly she quickly saw his face and expression, "What's wrong? What happened?" Almost in the same tone and voice as Daphne a few seconds ago.
Harry walked over to his closet, "They moved my appointment up to tonight." Harry said now getting frustrated.
"Shit!" Hermione exclaimed as she got up and headed over to her small bag.
She and Harry separately, while still in the same room both, dressed into their best robes. They both finished about the same time five minutes later. "Ready?" Harry asked quickly before just walking out the room.
Hermione nodded and followed him out. Daphne and Astoria were waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Aurora and Andrea. "Don't you look handsome." Aurora said admiring how her godson looked in his new robes they bought a few days ago.
A voice from the Den called in, "Quickly we'll have time for goodbyes later." Daniel said.
A quick kiss from Daphne, and Harry and Hermione jogged lightly into the study where they found Nathaniel in his blue and white Royal Navy Uniform.
"Let's go." Daniel said keying in the combo into the locking mechanism so they could Floo out.
Hermione went over to her father and they both grabbed so Floo powder and were off in a flash to Ministry of Magic.
Harry walked over to Daniel who lead them both quickly through the Floo.
They arrived in a huge atrium of marble and obsidian. There were thirty or so Floo's all it people walking towards them. It was just after six in the evening and most of the employee's were leaving for home.
Daniel quickly and quietly lead Harry, Nathaniel and Hermione through the crowd and to an elevator.
Nathaniel would normally have been asking many questions and very interested in all of the magical things he was seeing, but he knew they needed to hurry.
As they got into the elevator that was about five times as big on the inside as it looked from the outside, Daniel pressed the button for the 6th floor.
A few other people walked into the elevator before it took off and they too pressed different buttons.
The quartet took a deep breath, "Now Harry, this is a Wizengamot Trial. You are not to speak unless spoken to. Got it?"
Harry nodded, "Yes dad." He said for the first time. Which made Daniel VERY happy and proud.
The elevator opened for the first time and chimed, "Fourth Floor Department of Mysteries", and a man walked out.
Harry looked out and saw the same Hallway and same set of doors as he had in the dream. He tapped Hermione on the elbow and jolted his head towards the hallway and nodded.
Hermione saw his shocked expression and looked and saw the same hallway that he described earlier. The door closed quickly before lurching back to its normal track down further.
Daniel wasn't able to notice either of the kids reactions because he was too excited over Harry calling him dad. He shook himself out of his trance as he remembered why they were hear. "Now Hermione you and your father will be called as witnesses before the court. There is a small waiting room just outside the room we will go into. An Official should call you in. Just like with Harry only speak when spoken to. I imagine Fudge will be running the trial himself however because he moved the trial date up, I don't know if we'll be able to get the same kind of help we would have on Monday." Daniel said this last part with a great amount of hatred and venom.
The door opened for the last time, "Sixth Floor Wizengamot Court Chambers."
The hallway was made of Jade and Opal and was a very Slytherin green. As Harry walked out, Daniel lead them down the corridor and stopped at a set of doorways. "Nathaniel, Hermione you two will have to wait hear as you are not members of the Wizengamot and thus not allowed in the chambers until summoned.
Hermione quickly dashed over and gave Harry a hug, "You'll do great. You've done nothing wrong."
Harry smiled at his friends hopefulness, "Thanks Hermione, see you soon." He said squeezing her tightly. He always loved Hermione's hugs much more than Mrs. Weasley's, however the hug that Daphne had given before they were interrupted was by far the best hug he had ever experienced.
Daniel waited a moment and exchanged a warm smile with Nathaniel before both men took on serious faces and nodded silently. Daniel led Harry out of the small featureless room and back into the Hallway.
They were standing next to a set of gold and bronze double doors that had a smaller black doorway on the side leading up. "Now Harry I won't be able to stand with you as I have to take my house seat. However, that does not mean I won't be with you. You did nothing wrong and if I were in your shoes I'd have done the same thing. I am so proud of you, and I know James would too. I see him in you everytime I look at you."
There was a soft bell-like chime that announced the beginning of the meeting. "Thanks dad." Harry said giving Daniel and hug before he walked off through the smaller door of to the side.
Harry waited in front of the big double door for what felt like forever. He paced back and forth in the empty hallway waiting to get called in.
After about ten minutes the doors opened revealing a non-descript man in a black robes with the Wizengamot emblem over his chest. "Mister Potter?" he asked coldly and without emotion.
Harry nodded, "Come with me." The man said while pointing him towards the large room.