AN:

Thank you all for more than 1,000 favorites! That's incredible and more than I ever hoped for! Thank you!

So, we have now reached Chapter 24. If this story were an advent calendar, today would be Christmas Eve. How fitting that in this chapter, among other things, the Yule Ball will take place :)

There will be a lot of cheesy scenes with Harry and Daphne again – and I really mean that! So be warned! – but you know the drill.

By the way: The alternative titles for this chapter were "Masquerade" and "Swan Lake" ;)

Finally, many thanks to my great beta reader Verlor (id: 11113787)!


Chapter 24 – King and Queen

"I'll kill Dumbledore," Harry shouted as soon as he was back on the water's surface, his trembling hands letting go of the golden egg that had just revealed the next task of the Tournament. What he would sorely miss would be taken from him. And if he did not recover it within an hour, it would be gone forever.

These cryptic words could only mean one thing: They would abduct Daphne, for he would miss nothing else as much as her. They would take her deep into the Black Lake full of dangers. And if he could not save Daphne within an hour, he would lose her forever.

An image creeped up in Harry's mind. A pale, dead Daphne floating on the water, her eyes empty but full of condemnation. Why, Harry? Why didn't you save me?

No! He would never allow that! He would kill them all, he would –

Harry winced when suddenly a cold hand lay on his bare chest. Daphne looked at him with her sparkling and, above all, lively eyes, wet hair sticking to her face.

"Your heart is racing."

Only now did Harry notice that his heart was pounding so fast that he felt like he was about to explode. A terrible heat had gripped his body, which for once was not due to the proximity of their naked bodies.

Daphne moved even closer to him as her hands stroked his torso. All of a sudden, she bowed her head, and her soft lips kissed his chest, right where his heart was.

Harry shivered, but the pain subsided.

"Better?"

"Daphne ..." Harry started, before stalling. What spell did she put on him? He felt as if he were in a dream world, far apart from the profanity of earthly realms.

"I'm here, love. Nobody will ever tear me away from you."

Her warm breath caressed his lips, promising, alluring. Harry felt like he was losing himself in the vortex of her ice-blue eyes. A spell. There was no other way to explain this moment.

He felt Daphne take his hand and put it on her cheek. His fingers stroked her soft skin, which was so warm and yet so cool.

"Aren't you scared?" he whispered.

"I'm terrified," Daphne replied quietly. "Every single day. I'm afraid that one day I could lose you. You're the last thing I think of before I fall asleep. And the first thing when I wake up. Before you, I didn't know what love was, and now I can't live without it. So yes, Harry James Potter, I'm scared. But I also know that you would leave no stone unturned to save me. And you're much, much better than the other pathetic champions."

"But the lake –"

"Is just a puddle. Please, Harry. Please be confident and strong. I ... I don't know how long I can keep up this masquerade..."

Daphne paused, and Harry noticed that she had actually started to tremble. At that moment, everything became clear to him.

"Daphne ... I love you, with all my heart", he put his feelings into words, leading her lips to his.

It was a beautiful, tender kiss that was still full of passion. It was a testament to hope and a promise to be there for one another forever.

Harry had to muster all his self-control not to ask Daphne right then and there. Since their fight against the dragon, his decision had been made, but it wasn't the right time yet. Before that, he had to make sure that his idea was not completely crazy.

But would Daphne even agree? What if she only agreed for his sake, but didn't really want to?

No, he could worry about that later. First, he had to figure out how to save Daphne from the lake.

Hand in hand, Harry and Daphne walked back to the dungeon. It was already close to curfew and apart from them, only the torches' flickering shadows moved in the deserted corridors.

Suddenly, Harry thought of something he hadn't thought of before. "Uh, Daph," he asked his partner. "Can you swim?"

Daphne stopped, giving him an incredulous look. "Are you serious? Can you imagine my parents teaching me? After all, that would've only increased my chances of survival."

Once again, Harry regretted leaving Daphne take care of her parents alone. If it had been up to him, their death would certainly not have been as painless...

The past was in the past, he admonished himself, pushing the thought aside. He had to focus on the future.

"Then I'll teach you," he replied. "I learned in primary school, but I haven't swum since then, so we'll have to practice every day."

A sly smile fell on Daphne's face. "You just want to see me naked again, don't you? You pervert."

"If there's a pervert here, it's you, Daph," Harry laughed, and before Daphne could protest, he hurried on, "But no, I would prefer if we put on bathing suits. This time we won't go swimming in our hideout, but in the lake."

"You're kidding, aren't you? Swimming in the lake? In the freezing cold?"

"Sure, what else are warming spells for?"


And how thankful he was for warming spells, Harry thought, as he straightened up in the icy water a few days later, his breath freezing. He preferred not to know how he would otherwise freeze his arse off in the morning cold of late November.

Harry heard the water splash behind him as his partner slowly caught up with him. With an amused smile, he turned around, looking over the lake, which at this time was still mostly hidden in blackness. Seconds passed in which Harry felt nothing but the water that washed around his feet and trickled down his body, and heard nothing but Daphne's swimming movements in the dark.

The early morning, when Hogwarts and the whole world seemed to be still asleep, was truly Harry's favorite time of the day. In these wonderful, albeit far too short moments, he was able to forget all his worries – the broken friendships, the public distrust, the fear for Daphne's life. In those moments he felt alive and free.

Daphne's red head emerged from the darkness as she swam towards him. Whether her face was flushed with exertion or anger, however, Harry could not tell.

"I won," he called to her, suppressing a laugh.

"Because you're a bloody cheater," Daphne hissed at him as best she could while trying to keep her head above water. "You had a head start. That wasn't fair!"

"Who always tells me life isn't fair?" Harry replied with a grin.

Daphne had meanwhile reached him and was walking straight to her folded clothes on the stone beach. "I see, the student trumps the master," she muttered, grabbing her wand to dry herself.

Harry did the same and shortly afterwards they were both dried and dressed. Hand in hand, they walked back to the castle, with almost no lights on in the windows. It would be at least an hour before sunrise, but for the early risers – like Harry and Daphne – breakfast was already served at that time.

Hagrid seemed to be one of those early risers, too, because after they had circled a small group of trees, they saw the half-giant striding along the path in front of them, Fang at his side. Harry's insides tensed at the sight. But perhaps Hagrid had calmed down by now…

He would only find out if he tried. "Hey, Hagrid," he thus called as loudly as he could.

Hagrid stopped and turned to look at them but made no move to return Harry's greeting. Fang, however, wagged his tail with joy and would probably have run to them if Hagrid hadn't grabbed the dog by the collar, pulling him quickly behind him. Before long, Hagrid and Fang were out of sight again.

That was clear.

A deep sadness filled Harry. Hagrid had been his first friend in this world and now he too had turned away from him, like so many others.

Damn, he hadn't wanted to kill the dragon either, it just ... happened. Or would Hagrid have preferred him to die instead of the bloody beast?

He was torn from his sombre thoughts when he felt Daphne squeeze his hand. She was right in front of him now, so their faces almost touching.

"Eventually, he will come to his senses," she said tenderly. "He just needs time to process what happened. He saw a part of you that he didn't know existed before. And at the moment he's also swayed by Maxime, the stupid, lovestruck fool."

She was probably right, Harry thought. In the eyes of the world, he had unmistakably revealed his own moral depravity during the first task. It was no longer just rumored that he was a budding Dark Lord but seen as a proven fact. Still, Hagrid's betrayal hurt. He could live with the hatred of his enemies, but he needed the support of the people he cared for, otherwise...

Harry shook his head. These thoughts came to nothing.

Noticing Daphne's worried face, he forced himself to smile. "Yes, you're probably right," he replied.

Daphne frowned. "Harry, if you're sad, I try to comfort you, of course, but I don't want you to lie to me. Please. I want us to always be honest with each other."

Harry nodded and stopped smiling. "Yes, I'm sad," he admitted. "But I also know that I can't force anyone to like me. Maybe ... maybe Hagrid and I are no longer friends..."

"Then it's his own fault for having lost the best friend he could wish for," said Daphne, bowing her head forward. However, instead of kissing him, she nudged his nose with hers. "You'll always be my first and best friend."

"Friend, huh?" Harry chuckled.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Friend, partner, lover, lifesaver, pillow. You know the drill."

"Pillow, I'm flattered."

"Must you always get into a huff? You're the most comfortable pillow in the world."

"It just keeps getting better!"

Laughing, the two teenagers made their way back to the castle as the stars of the night slowly faded on the horizon.

They were still laughing and joking as they stepped through the large oak front doors into the Hogwarts entrance hall, which was bathed in orange light by several torches. When Harry heard faint footsteps, he looked at the marble staircase on the other side of the room.

There stood his favorite teacher, Professor McGonagall, motionless, pausing in her movement. It was not uncommon for them to meet the deputy headmistress so early in the morning, as she seemed to be just a morning person like them. However, since the first task six days ago, nothing was normal in Harry's life anymore.

Unlike Hagrid, McGonagall had not yelled at him. Instead, however, she stopped speaking to him at all. No questions about how he was doing, no invitation to private tutoring lessons, no friendly chats.

Was she disappointed with him? Was she scared? Or was she disgusted, like so many others?

Harry tried to make eye contact with McGonagall, but she turned her head and quickly hurried down the rest of the stairs before disappearing into the Great Hall.

Harry sighed. By the looks of it, he had destroyed all his friendships in one fell swoop when he had revealed that previously hidden part of himself. It had felt so good, so intoxicating, but every happiness had its price...

"You're not alone," Daphne whispered in his ear, her hair tickling his neck. "Never forget that."

He smiled gratefully at his girlfriend and together they stepped into the Great Hall, in which only a few students and teachers were sitting. The Slytherin table was even completely empty, which surprised Harry a bit, but he didn't really care.

The students at the other three tables cast some suspicious, some frightened glances at them, but he was used to that. Harry knew what people called him behind his back. And Daphne has also been vilified as "kinslayer" or "legacy hunter" since last year.

Idiots, all of them. If they had lived like Daphne for even a single day, they would crawl on their knees and beg for forgiveness. The idea brought a smile to Harry's face.

His gaze wandered to the staff table, in the middle of which was Professor Dumbledore, already absorbed in a conversation with Professor McGonagall. Since their encounter in the hospital tent, Dumbledore had not looked for him or spoken to him. Harry didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign, but they definitely had to be careful.

They sat next to each other in their usual place at the end of the Slytherin table. Immediately, Harry shoveled large portions of bacon, toast, and eggs onto his plate, after all, morning swimming training made you extremely hungry. Daphne did the same and they fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying their breakfast.

The morning quiet was interrupted when Snape entered the hall, with several chattering Slytherin students behind him. His angry twinkling eyes fixed on Harry, who was already preparing for the worst, even if he had no idea what it might be about this time.

Snape hurried to their seat at the Slytherin table, like an irascible bat with greasy hair. "Potter," he hissed, spitting so hard that Harry feared some of his body fluids might spill on his food. At the thought, he lost any appetite. "Where have you been?"

Unimpressed, Harry returned Snape's look. After facing a basilisk, a mass murderer, and, more recently, a dragon, confronting a potions master with anger problems really wasn't that scary anymore.

"Swimming," he replied with a shrug. "Why? Is this forbidden?"

"Another cheeky remark and you'll have detention, Potter," Snape hissed. "This morning was the mandatory house assembly, which you have of course missed. But I suppose that attending such an ordinary event was beneath you. Not a surprise at all, considering who your father was."

Harry exchanged a questioning look with Daphne. There were house assemblies like this every now and then, but so far nobody had cared that he and Daphne never participated. Therefore, he hadn't even known that another one had been scheduled for today.

"And?" Harry asked, eyebrow raised.

"And, Potter, if you had been there, I wouldn't have to have this conversation. It still eludes me how you got into Slytherin, but as your head of house" – here Harry had the feeling that Snape almost had to vomit – "as your head of house it's my duty – as the headmaster told me – to inform you that there will be a ball at Christmas. And the champions have to open the ball with their partners. So don't you dare disgrace Slytherin, even more than you already did anyway."

With that, Snape turned around and hurried off, his black cloak blowing behind him.

It did not take long for Harry to grasp the meaning of Snape's words. Actually, he should have expected it, as he had already read in his research on the Triwizard Tournament that it also included a Yule Ball to strengthen the ties between the schools. Thus, he also knew what a certain person expected of him now.

He peered at Daphne, who was pretending to be studying her fingernails. So she wanted to make a game out of it, Harry thought, imaginary rolling his eyes. Pampered princess.

"Um, Daphne," he approached her, but she still wasn't looking at him. Harry sighed. So then the full show, it seemed. "Milady," he said, taking Daphne's hand. "Would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the ball?"

Now Daphne looked at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, milord, how do I deserve this honor?" she replied with mock surprise. "Of course, I would be happy to accompany you to the ball, milord."

"Splendid, milady," Harry responded before he couldn't pull himself together anymore and burst into laughter, earning him a lot of confused looks.

"Of course, I'll go to the ball with you," Daphne whispered, also grinning as she put her arms around his neck. "After all, the Dark Lady can't leave her Dark Lord alone, right?" And with that, she pressed her lips on his.

Harry returned the kiss, pulling Daphne even closer to him so that she was finally sitting on his lap. Completely blind and deaf to those around them, their kiss became more and more passionate, as they explored each other's mouth with their tongues. Daphne was so delicious, Harry thought intoxicated. How could someone who had just eaten bacon and eggs taste so sweet?

He had completely lost track of time when suddenly a loud coughing right next to him ripped him out of his bliss. Reluctantly, he tried to break away from Daphne, but she clutched his shirt with her hands and pressed her mouth even harder onto his.

There was another cough. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry could see a familiar silhouette next to their table. Forcefully, he pushed his girlfriend away from him. "Daph", he laughed, "we have to stop."

Daphne pouted before turning to Lupin, who, as Harry now discovered, smiled slightly. "Professor, I think my boyfriend likes you more than me."

"Well, as long as he doesn't throw himself at me like that, everything is fine," Lupin replied, shaking his head. "The whole hall was watching you two, you know."

Harry, who could still feel many looks behind his back, just shrugged. "Nobody talks to us anymore anyway, so we don't have to be considerate of others either."

A shadow crossed Lupin's face as he nodded slowly. Unlike Hagrid and McGonagall, he had not broken contact with Harry, although it was obvious that he was not comfortable with the magic he used to kill the dragon. However, he hadn't probed and accepted Harry's excuses that he had found the spell in Alexandria, for the time being. He actually took his vow to protect his best friends' son quite seriously, for which Harry was grateful. Sometimes he just needed someone to talk to without beguiling lips, soft blonde hair, and beautifully shimmering eyes...

Harry shook his head. What's been going on with him lately? It couldn't just be his teenage hormones, could it?

Daphne, who was still on his lap, gave him a meaningful look before resting her head on his shoulder.

"So you wanted to preserve decency in this elite educational institution?" Harry asked Lupin. "Or is it about tonight?"

For a few days now they had been meeting Lupin for private lessons in the evening, during which he taught them how to defend themselves against various aquatic creatures. Because Lupin had – after making sure of their well-being – recovered the golden egg that Harry had not been able to get before he had passed out. It was quite trivial for a proven expert on magical creatures of all kinds to determine that the shrieking noise, caused by opening the egg, was indeed Mermish. That was why Harry had opened it underwater in the first place.

"Exactly," replied Lupin. "Come an hour earlier than usual today. We have to work a bit more on yesterday's spells."

"I'm not coming tonight," interjected Daphne. "I have detention with Sprout. Apparently, I skipped too many lessons."

Harry laughed. If it were up to them, they would drop out Hogwarts as soon as possible. Why should they be bothered with anything when their grades didn't matter anyway. As if they would find a job somewhere in the wizarding world after graduation.

"Okay, then I'll just see you, Harry," Lupin replied and said goodbye to them.

The Great Hall was now well filled, and it was time for the morning post. Hundreds of owls flew through the openings under the ceiling, bringing letters, packages and newspapers to their respective recipients. It did not surprise Harry anymore that several of the animals landed right in front of him and Daphne. With a swivel of his wand, several dozen letters were detached from their legs, before they took off again.

Daphne waved her wand over the letters, causing them to shimmer in different colors.

"Oh, how nice, only seven with little surprises today," Harry commented as he poured himself more pumpkin juice. In the meantime, Daphne had opened some of the letters and started reading them. "Why are you still reading those?" Harry asked her.

"Because I'm curious if they'll come up with something new. But it doesn't look like it. You vile bitch, stop depraving our Harry with your wickedness. Oh, this one seems to be from a child. Yor an eevil wich. How cute."

Harry was torn. On the one hand, he wanted to laugh out loud, on the other hand, he wanted to hex the senders into the afterlife. Nobody was allowed to insult his Daphne.

"You don't read yours anymore?" Daphne asked as she reached for the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.

"No. It's always the same anyway. You're a disgrace. Your parents would be disappointed in you. Blah blah blah." With another swivel of his wand, the remaining letters caught fire. "What are the newspapers writing today?"

"Skeeter and Parkinson don't have an article today, so they'll probably have to come up with something new first. Too bad. I liked the last few articles. The title Dark Lady suits me. It has an underlying indecent tone, don't you think?"

Harry almost choked on his pumpkin juice.

"Whoa! Careful, my Dark Lord. Don't get too cocky," Daphne laughed, slapping him on the back. "But here's actually a more or less factual article. Apparently, Madam Bones has dismissed requests for your arrest, as killing the dragon as part of the tournament isn't a crime. The same applies to the use of unknown magic."

"Thank Merlin," Harry muttered. "I would've found it very difficult to fit a trial and jail term into my schedule."

After finishing their meal and taking care of their mail, Harry and Daphne left the Great Hall. They knew that they had been watched the entire time and had therefore acted much more relaxed than they felt. The hostile atmosphere that was heating up around them worried Harry. Too many threats hidden in the shadows. Too many potential enemies. Especially since they still didn't have the faintest idea who had arranged his participation in the tournament.

Their doom could lurk anywhere. At the moment they just sent letters with corrosive acid, but who knew when someone would resort to more drastic means – incited by the agitation of the media. They had to become much, much more powerful to be able to live in safety. More powerful than even Dumbledore and Voldemort. Until then, however, it was still an infinitely long, rocky road, if it was at all possible to achieve this goal.

In any case, they had to use any advantage they could find. That was also the reason why Harry pored over their transcripts from Alexandria that Dobby brought him every night in his bed. That and his own selfish desires.

They stepped onto a flight of stairs, which started moving and flew to the next floor.

"What are you doing tonight then, after detention?" Harry asked.

Daphne took a deep breath before answering. "I've decided to write a letter to Astoria." At Harry's questioning look, she continued, "I still think it was right to send her away. I mean, just look at us." Harry nodded. They were broken. "But she's still my sister, isn't she?"

Harry squeezed her hand, but otherwise they fell into a pensive silence until they reached the seventh floor.

Once there, Daphne asked, "Which class would we have right now?"

"Charms, I think," Harry mused. "What a shame, I've always liked the class. And Flitwick has always supported me too. I don't even know what he thinks about all of this."

"Even so, he doesn't stop his students from insulting you and bitching about you," Daphne interjected in a cold voice. "Chang and Co. Of course, they didn't know that I was also in the bathroom. I guess they won't make this mistake a second time."

Harry chuckled. He didn't want to know the details, but he knew his girlfriend could turn into a fury when she was angry.

Arriving at the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, Harry paced up and down in front of the stone wall three times while he thought of their hideout, which only the two of them could enter. Full of anticipation for a day of magic, the couple then stepped through the door that appeared in the masonry.

Just before the door closed behind them, a small beetle tried to get into the room as well but bounced off some kind of invisible force field and tumbled to the floor in a daze, without Harry and Daphne noticing anything.


Greengrass heiress terrorizes other students – Dumbledore doesn't care

By Rita Skeeter

Sighing, Harry placed the Daily Prophet on the table in front of him. Apparently, the muckraker still hadn't learned her lesson.


"How do you like this one?" Harry asked as he passed the prospectus to Daphne.

Daphne's eyes scanned the images before finally nodding in agreement. "Matches your eyes. Very nice."

"Don't you need a dress too?"

"I've already taken care of it."

"But you didn't show me any–"

"Just let yourself be surprised," Daphne interrupted, before kissing him on the nose, a mischievous smile on her face.


"Ouch! Harry, you stepped on my feet again."

"Why were your feet there?"

"Because you don't lead me properly!"

Harry groaned inwardly. They had been so distracted with their magical training and the contempt of the whole world that they had only realized this morning, three days before the ball, that neither of them had ever learned how to dance.

Dance! Who would have thought that dancing was part of a ball?!


The mother laughed brightly as she hurriedly got out of the way of her little daughter, who excitedly chased after a black cat. "Ariana, I've already told you a thousand times to leave Mona alone."

But Ariana made no move to pause in her pursuit. Amused, Kendra shook her head and turned to her eldest son, who was sitting on the couch, deep in a book.

"Albus," she called to him. "Take your sister and feed the chickens. Before she knocks anything over."

Groaning in exasperation, Albus looked up from his book. "Do I have to? Can't Aberforth do that?"

"He's getting the Christmas tree with your father. And I have to take care of the food. Hurry up!" Her stern look made it clear that she would not accept any further arguments.

Grumbling, Albus got up and took the hand of his little sister, who was clearly looking forward to the chickens.

"Yeah, chickens!" she exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands.

Tears streamed down Dumbledore's face as he rose from the pensieve, having watched once again the last Christmas together with his then happy family.

Letting himself slide down, he now sat with his back leaning against the wall, the portraits of the former headmasters looking away, touched. With shaky hands, he took a small medallion from one of the numerous pockets in his robe. Opening it, he looked into the face of a little girl with blond hair and blue eyes who was laughing joyfully. Dumbledore sobbed.

Oh, Ariana. I'm sorry. So dreadfully sorry.

In moments like these, Dumbledore just felt lonely. What use was all his prestige and all his power which he had previously strived for, if in the end, he was still the most helpless person on earth? Alone, full of pain and guilt, for almost a century now.

Suddenly, there was an all to familiar call and shortly afterwards Fawkes landed in the headmaster's lap, his golden eyes a source of compassion. A pleasant warmth emanated from the flaming bird, which made Dumbledore think of cozy evenings in front of a blazing open fire.

"Thank you, Fawkes," he whispered, while wiping tears from his face with the back of his hand. "You're a true friend and companion."

The phoenix cooed softly and rubbed his head against Dumbledore's cheek. The latter sighed, leaning his head against the stone wall behind him, his eyes fixed on the silently fluttering snow outside the tower window.

"Is there something you deeply regret, Fawkes?" he whispered, stroking the soft feathers of the phoenix. "Something you regret so much that you wish you could turn back the clock to undo it?"

Fawkes gave him an unfathomable look with his golden eyes, which shimmered mysteriously in the candlelight. Dumbledore hoped that his friend would eventually trust him enough to reveal his past.

At the moment, however, Dumbledore was mostly struggling with his own feelings of guilt. Everyone had their own remorse to shoulder, but few as much as he. He had made so many mistakes in his life that it would be enough for ten mortal spans. One would think that at 113 years of age he had a certain wisdom, but the older he got, the more helpless he felt.

How much suffering and pain did his past decisions cause? How many lives had his mistakes cost?

Would thousands upon thousands of witches, wizards and muggles still be alive today if he hadn't encouraged Gellert in his madness? And what about their descendants, who never saw the light of day?

Would countless of his friends still be with him if he had shown Tom more love and affection? But he had only been his teacher ... Still, he could have got him out of the orphanage, he could even have allowed him to stay at Hogwarts.

The same thing he had allowed young Harry three years ago, after he had watched him and Daphne in front of the Mirror of Erised.

Did his decision change anything? Had he been able to dissuade Harry from this dark path that could only lead to his own doom?

What about Daphne? How could he have allowed parents to torture their own daughter? Not knowing could not be an excuse for him. If he wanted, he could just know everything.

But he had purposely turned away from that power...

Was that one more of his mistakes that other people would pay for? Could he do anything right at all?

Harry ... He hadn't lied when he yelled at him. He shuddered when he looked at young Harry. His coldness, his lack of empathy, his apathy towards the harm of others. And the dark magic that he already commanded at the age of just fourteen.

Would he become like Tom? Would history repeat itself? Was humanity doomed to make the same mistakes for ever?

However, there was one thing that set Harry apart from Tom – Daphne. Was she his last stop before the fall, or the one that threw him into the depths? Was she the hope or the ruin of the world?

Dumbledore sighed. Questions, so many questions, but so few answers.

He looked at Fawkes, whose ancient golden eyes were still on him. "You trust them, don't you?" he quietly posed the question he had already asked the phoenix many times before. "Harry and Daphne."

The phoenix's eyes flashed briefly, but this was probably just another reflection of the candlelight. Then, however, Fawkes moved his head so that it almost looked like he was nodding, while Dumbledore felt a renewed comforting warmth, relief for his troubled soul.

"They're not like Tom?" Was that hope in his voice?

Another affirmative movement of the phoenix's head.

"You know a lot more than you tell me, don't you?"

This time Fawkes remained silent, and Dumbledore was about to ask another question when suddenly there was a loud knock on the wooden door to his office. He hastily got up from the floor, removing all traces of tears from his face with a wave of his wand, so that he looked like the venerable headmaster again, the one that most people looked up to. Fawkes had meanwhile flown back to the metal perch by the desk.

"Come in," Dumbledore called.

The door creaked open and Minerva McGonagall, his deputy and friend, stepped through.

"Albus," she greeted him. "We have to go down. It starts soon. The house-elves have just finished with the decorations."

"Very well", replied Dumbledore, and together the two teachers let themselves be carried down the stone spiral staircase.


Satisfied, Harry looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn't managed to tame his unruly hair, but other than that he thought that he made a more than acceptable impression in his greenish shimmering robe. But what would Daphne look like? She had been in the adjoining bathroom for over an hour now, preparing for tonight. Their big night, in several aspects.

His heart raced at the thought of what he would ask Daphne later. Damn it, why did that frighten him more than fighting the dragon? It was just Daphne. His Daphne.

Harry forced himself to take a calm breath, while looking at the clock on the wall. They still had a few minutes before they had to go down to the entrance hall. With nothing better to do and certainly not wanting to disturb Daphne in her final preparations, he strolled over to the window, where he could see the Hogwarts grounds, which looked as if they had been dusted with powdered sugar. Everything shimmered white in the freshly fallen snow. Hagrid's hut and the large carriage next to it even looked like they had ome from a storybook. At that moment, Harry would not have been surprised if the Snow Queen's sleigh would slide through the winter landscape to kidnap cursed children into her palace of ice. In the end, life was just a fairy tale; the only question was whether you were the hero or the villain.

"Harry," a soft, all-too-familiar voice tore him from his thoughts.

He spun around and the sight took his breath away. In front of him stood Daphne in an elegant blue dress that appeared to have been modelled on the Greek-Egyptian fashion from Alexandria. She had put on just enough make-up to emphasize, rather than cover, her natural beauty. And her long honey-blonde hair framed her smiling face before falling over her shoulders and back.

Beautiful. That was the only word Harry could use to describe his partner. Now he was finally certain that this was all a fairy tale. It could never be reality that he, the little freak from Privet Drive, was loved by this princess.

Daphne's smile widened as if she could read his mind. "Do you like it? I asked Ganda to get me this dress."

"Wow, Daphne," Harry tried to put his feelings into words. "You look incredible. Good incredible, I mean. You're beautiful."

Daphne's eyes shone with joy as she stepped over to him, putting her arms around his neck. "You also look good, my Prince Charming," she laughed before kissing him gently on the lips.

Harry was overwhelmed by a feeling of love for his partner. Should he ask – No, he admonished himself, fighting against his inner desire. Not yet. Now wasn't the right time. After the ball!

When they broke away and just smiled happily at each other, Harry suddenly remembered that he had another surprise for Daphne, which now that he had seen her dress fit even better.

Letting go of his partner, he hurried to his bag, which was still on the wall by the mirror. From this he took out an object wrapped in a red cloth.

"I have a little present for you," he said, turning back to his girlfriend, who looked at him curiously.

With that he removed the cloth, revealing a round, metallic object that glistened golden in the light of the magic lamps.

"H-Harry, what's that?" Daphne asked in disbelief, even though she must have recognized what his present was.

"That, my love, is a diadem," Harry replied. "I also had it sent to me from Alexandria. It's very old. Who knows, maybe it was once the crown of an ancient pharaoh, maybe even Cleopatra herself."

Daphne didn't seem to be able to turn her gaze away from the diadem in Harry's hands. With sparkling eyes, she reached out her slightly trembling hand to stroke the ancient metal.

"But Harry," she whispered. "That's way too showy. That's –"

"Rubbish," Harry interrupted her, putting a finger on her lips. "It's just right for the whole world to see that you're my queen."

With that, he took the diadem again in both hands and placed it on Daphne's head. It was a bit too large, but the piece of jewellery glowed briefly, before adapting to the shape of her head.

"Perfect," Harry announced proudly.

Daphne's hand went to her head while she looked at herself intently in the mirror. Abruptly, she turned back to him, her eyes flashing like gems. "Oh, Harry, thank you. Thank you! Not for the diadem itself. No, for your intent behind it. If I'm your queen, then you're my king. And so much more."

"Then, my queen, let's not keep our subjects waiting any longer," Harry replied overjoyed, offering Daphne his arm. So far, the evening has gone perfectly.

"Subjects?" Daphne laughed as she linked arms. "Then I just hope we won't fare like some former rulers. I prefer to have my head on my neck."

Harry joined in her laughter and together they left the Room of Requirement, making their way down the corridors.

The entrance hall was already packed with people who were looking for their dates or stepping on each other's feet in an attempt to get as close as possible to the still locked gate to the Great Hall. However, as soon as Harry and Daphne stepped down the marble stairs, all eyes were on them. Harry even saw some of the students pointing at them both as they whispered agitatedly to their friends.

"They're all overwhelmed by your grandeur, my queen," he muttered.

Daphne gave him an amused smile. "By yours too. You really look good enough to eat."

The couple positioned themselves beside the wall, waiting with the other students for eight o'clock when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. Even if Harry could feel the looks of the other students the whole time, they kept their distance as usual, as if they were afraid that Harry would do the same to them as he did to the dragon.

Shortly before eight o'clock the huge oak portal opened and the students from Durmstrang streamed into the hall, making it even more cramped for everyone except Harry and Daphne. Harry was surprised to see that the girl at Krum's side was their well-known bookworm Granger. That was something he didn't expect. She looked much prettier than usual, beaming all over her face, but Harry granted her that. After all, anyone who had to deal with deadheads like Weasley every day deserved a pleasant evening for once.

Through the now opened entrance portal, Harry saw that the entire area in front of the castle had been enchanted. Instead of cold snow, there was now a kind of grotto with rose bushes, small sculptures, benches, and hundreds of fairies flying around. He wondered if that had been one of Lockhart's ideas.

Suddenly, Professor McGonagall's magically amplified voice rang out, "Champions over here, please!"

Daphne linked arms with Harry again and together they both walked in the direction McGonagall's voice had come from, to the right of the Great Hall. The crowd parted in front of them and a girl from Harry's year (Abboot? Abbit? He wasn't sure.) even fell to the ground as she hurriedly backed away. Longbottom – apparently her date for tonight – helped her get up again, but not without glaring at Harry as if it was all his fault! Idiot.

They were the first champion couple at McGonagall who wore a dress robe decorated with a Scottish pattern and also had arranged a wreath of thistles around the brim of her hat.

When McGonagall saw them, conflicting emotions flashed across her face. Fear, sadness, worry. Eventually, she took a deep breath, before giving them a slight smile, even if it seemed a bit forced.

"Miss Greengrass, you look really dazzling," she said. "You look nice too, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, Professor," Daphne replied politely, while Harry just nodded gratefully.

It was as if McGonagall wanted to say more, at least she opened her mouth, but then hesitated for a few moments before finally closing it again, choosing silence. Meanwhile, the other three champions had also arrived with their partners, so McGonagall turned to them. She told them to wait here while the other students went into the now open Great Hall and took their places. Only then they were to enter the hall in a ceremonial procession.

Harry eyed the other champions with interest. Fleur Delacour caught the attention of most male students in her silver-gray satin dress. In any case, her companion could not take his eyes off the Frenchwoman.

Krum and Granger stood a little to offside, talking quietly. Diggory and his partner, an Asian-looking Ravenclaw student, finally smiled nervously at each other (even if Harry had the feeling that the Ravenclaw student occasionally cast nervous glances in their direction). They actually seemed to have feelings for one another, as far as Harry could tell. After all, he and Daphne were far from typical examples of teenage dating behavior. Quite the contrary.

Once all the students were settled in the hall, McGonagall told the four champions and partners to get in line in pairs and follow her. At the front were the foreign guests, then Diggory and finally Harry with Daphne by his side.

At that moment, Harry resolved to put all his worries aside for the next few hours. He wanted to spend a carefree, wonderful evening with Daphne, as if they were two normal teenagers in love and not the pariahs of the entire wizarding world.

They smiled at each other and, amid general applause, entered the Great Hall behind the others. The hall was decorated with sparkling ice crystals, garlands and mistletoes. Instead of the house tables, there were now dozens of smaller, round tables, where the students had sat down and applauded the champions.

Following his resolution for tonight, Harry ignored the frowns that he and Daphne were given. He even made fun of copying the other champions by waving cheerfully to the students, especially Malfoy, who looked like a penguin in his black velvet dress robes. Parkinson, his partner, perfected this illustrious little zoo because in her pale pink dress she looked like a pig.

On their way to the large round table on the dais, where the judges were already seated, they also passed Harry's favorite Gryffindor, Weasley, who, as always, scowled at his surroundings. Did the boy even know anything like joy in his life?

The would-be lion quickly vanished from Harry's mind when they reached the stairs to the dais. He helped Daphne walk up before they finally took the last available seats at the table. Harry sat next to Krum and Granger and Daphne next to Diggory and his partner. Opposite them sat Dumbledore, who gave them an unfathomable look, as well as the other judges. As usual, Karkaroff looked pale and tired, with deep circles under his eyes. Crouch, too, looked sickly as he listened to Bagman's chatter, clearly bored. Madame Maxime was already talking to Delacour in French, as if she hadn't even noticed Hagrid's languid looks from one of the other teachers' tables.

All in all, Harry was now in a completely unknown situation, surrounded by people he could not assess. However, they probably thought the same about him, which he in turn found very amusing.

He looked at Daphne, who was already studying the menu in front of her. Harry suppressed a laugh. It was now after 8 p.m., of course his girlfriend was hungry. But he saw no waiters anywhere. How should they order their food?

He was not the only one wondering that, because the others were also puzzlingly looking at their menus. All but Dumbledore, who, after putting the menu back on the table, said very clearly to his plate, "Pork chops!"

And indeed, pork chops appeared on the golden plate. Now the others at the table understood the procedure and also ordered from their plates. Harry scanned the menu and didn't take long to decide.

Daphne had apparently come to the same decision, because just as Harry was looking on his plate and loudly ordering pigeons and quails, she did the same with her plate. They exchanged a look before bursting into laughter as two identical portions of food appeared in front of them.

"Would you like to let me in on the reason for your amusement?" Dumbledore asked from the other side of the table in an emphatically friendly voicen is light blue eyes fixed on Harry's face.

Harry looked at him in surprise. So these were the first words Dumbledore spoke to him since accusing him of being a killer? A question about their amusement?

He felt Daphne squeeze his hand gently under the table before she replied in an equally friendly tone, "Of course, Professor. Harry and I just found it funny that we both ordered the same food at the same time, pigeons and quails. As you might know, this is an Egyptian delicacy and we also found the dish in Alexandria quite delicious."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "I can still remember the delicious food there, definitely a change from British cuisine. What other impressions did Alexandria leave on you, apart from the negligent security concept?" At his last words, his eyes sparkled through the half-moon-shaped glasses.

Harry frowned as he tried to see what their headmaster's intentions were. Was he just going to have a harmless conversation or was he following a plan? They had to be careful.

"It's a fascinating city," he replied with a shrug. "Very old. Millennia of magical history have left their mark, especially in the Library. I've already told you what incredible magic you can find there if you just look properly." Dumbledore's face betrayed no emotion except well-intentioned curiosity. On the spur of the moment, Harry continued, "I think that even if you spend your entire life there, you won't be able to learn everything you can learn and discover all the secrets the Library has to offer. For example, because you don't have the opportunities, or rather the skills, to reach certain places, which the Library has in common with Hogwarts. Indeed, the wizards, secretive folk."

Understanding flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. Attentively, he leaned slightly forward, while trivial conversations continued around them. "Places?" he asked. "Do you happen to mean places like the Chamber? And by skills you mean –"

"I think you get what I mean," Harry replied simply as he started to eat. Inwardly, however, he rejoiced. Dumbledore had fallen for his lie. Should he think that he had found some ancient Parselmouth's secret stash, if it led him to finally believe that he had learned the spell for the corrosive fog in Alexandria.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, apparently deep in thought. Daphne ate her food in a relaxed manner and did not let it show that Harry had just hoaxed the supposedly wisest wizard in the world, even though he noticed a slight smile around the corner of her mouth. He also had to pull himself together to keep from grinning. Thus, he concentrated on his occlumency exercises, while turning to his food, which was indeed delicious. The Hogwarts house-elves had once again outdone themselves.

When everyone had finished eating, Dumbledore rose from his seat and asked the students to stand up as well. Harry held out his arm to Daphne and together they watched as Dumbledore waved his wand to move the tables back along the walls, leaving the floor clear. He then conjured a stage with several instruments, including drums, guitars, cellos, lutes and bagpipes. Harry couldn't help but be impressed by Dumbledore's display of power, for he gave the impression that none of this bothered him more than straightening his glasses. They really had to practice much, much more to be able to take on Dumbledore one day.

Apparently, the band that stormed onto the stage afterwards was very popular, as the students started screaming and clapping. Harry only hoped they were good musicians, because it was hard enough for him to dance to the right beat at all, even with perfectly played songs.

He forced himself to breathe calmly as he followed the other champions into the center of the hall with Daphne at his side. He didn't care if he was going to make a fool of himself in front of the other students, but he wanted to dance well to make Daphne happy.

Daphne.

Harry felt his stomach cramp as he thought again about what he would propose to her after the ball. He prayed to God – whom he didn't believe in – that she would say yes.

"Harry!" Daphne's voice tore him from his thoughts.

The music had already started; a slow, mournful tone. Great, he had already messed up the beginning.

He hastily put his right hand around Daphne's waist and took hers with his other hand before starting the slow waltz. After a few dance steps, he thought he had got the hang of it but noticed that he was only staring at his and Daphne's feet. Looking up, he was greeted by mischievously shiny, ice-blue eyes.

"You're a terrible dancer," Daphne grinned at him.

"Luckily, you dance as badly as I do," Harry replied, careful not to tread on his partner's feet. He noticed that Daphne was still grinning widely at him. "What?"

Daphne shook her head slightly, but her eyes were shining. "I can't help myself. I'm just happy."

Her words made Harry's heart sing. What a long way they had both come, from the little children in Diagon Alley, who had suppressed their joy, to the two lovers they were now, closely entwined, dancing waltzes, and above all grinning blissfully.

From then on, Harry spent the evening in a frenzy. They did not leave the dance floor after the first song, nor after the second or any of the other songs that followed. Together, they danced, like the black swan and the prince in the fairytale. They danced in a sea of colors that Harry had long since lost sight of, lost in the blue irides of his dreams and desires. They danced as if they were the only people in the world, two restless souls who had found peace in one another.

When, after several hours, the last note went out and thunderous applause erupted, Harry looked at his partner, breathing heavily. Now was the moment he had been looking forward to for the past few weeks, the moment that would change his entire life.

"Daphne," he gasped. "I must tell you something."

With that, he took her hand and started running, passing surprised faces, happy couples and laughing students. Daphne also laughed out loud, her long hair flowing behind her. They passed Crouch and Bagman, who both looked like they had a drop too much; and Lupin, who had his arm noticeably low around Professor Sinistra's waist.

They ran up stairs and through deserted corridors until they finally reached their hiding place on the seventh floor. Harry hurriedly slammed the heavy oak door behind him before turning to the waiting Daphne.

His partner gave him a sly smile and a raised eyebrow. "What's going on, Harry?" she teased him. "I hope you don't have any naughty intentions?"

Harry just shook his head silently, because he suddenly felt like he had forgotten everything he had ever learned about speaking. His heart was pounding like crazy, his palms were sweating, he was feeling more nervous than ever before in his life.

Damn, he had practiced his words so often in the past few days, had come so close to throwing all common sense overboard and just asking Daphne right away, and now he couldn't open his mouth?

"Harry?" Daphne asked quietly as she slowly approached him. Her concern was clearly audible. "Is everything okay? Is –"

Harry gathered all his courage, grabbed Daphne's hands, who winced in shock, and looked deep into her blue eyes.

"Daphne, I must tell you something," he said so quickly that he was afraid to swallow his own tongue. "I ... I actually memorized something, but ... but I don't remember." Daphne just looked at him with wide eyes, her face a look of surprise. Harry went on hastily. "Today was one of the most beautiful evenings of my life, Daphne. I ... I can't lose you, I can't –"

"You'll never lose me, I will –"

"No, no, no, you don't understand. I thought we were going to die ... When we killed the dragon ... I thought you were going to die, and me too. Because you connected your mind to mine, because we used that magic. The magic is too much for us, Daph. I won't let you die trying to save me! I can't. I can't let you put yourself in such a danger for me."

Daphne's blue eyes reflected shock. Shock and terrible fear. Harry felt like his heart had been pierced by a dagger.

"No, not what you think," he hurriedly continued. Hell, why was it so difficult for him to express his feelings? "Daphne, I love you. I love you so much that I can't even put it into words. Without you, my life would be empty. And meaningless. You're the only thing that gives my life purpose." He paused. The moment of decision had come. "I'm selfish, Daph. So incredibly selfish. I want us to be together forever. I want to spend my life with you. Even more. So ... so I've looked at all of our transcripts again. I ... I think I found a way that we can stay together forever, how we can use the magic in the books too. Therefore, I want to ask you ... I want to ask you..." His voice failed.

"What do you want to ask me?" Daphne whispered so softly that he almost couldn't hear it.

Harry took a deep breath, tightening his grip on Daphne's hands. Now or never.

"Daphne, do you want to bind your soul with mine?"

It felt like time had stopped. He did it! He had asked the fateful question on which all his future life depended, the question he had gone through his head countless times over the past few days. And now it all depended on Daphne. She could take everything – his heart, his soul, his life. If she wanted to, she could crush him in her fist, because from that moment on he would always be hers.

All the sounds around him fell silent, except for the wild pounding of his own heart, as he watched his beloved's reaction.

Daphne's hands trembled, almost imperceptibly, but for Harry, it was obvious like the moon in the starry sky. A myriad of different emotions flashed across her face – surprise, pain, longing – while tears streamed down her painted cheeks. She closed her eyes and it seemed as if her body was being gripped by a violent crying fit, but when she opened her eyes again, they beamed with the purest form of happiness he had ever seen.

With a sudden movement, Daphne jumped forward and threw her arms around Harry's neck almost causing him to fall to the ground. "Yes, Harry! Yes!" she shouted. "A thousand times yes!"


Next chapter: Bound Souls

Preview:

To bind two lives, another life has to be sacrificed.


AN:

How do you like the chapter? My problem with many soul bond stories is the missing deliberateness. Thus, I wanted to do it differently here. Here Harry and Daphne made the conscious decision to bind their souls in a ritual and thus, from the perspective of magic and the universe, become one. What is your opinion? And how do you think the ritual will go in the next chapter?