Chapter 21: Terms of Service

Harry had agreed to meet with Daphne, but it didn't stop the nerves from creeping in when it came time to actually go and do it. His anxiety about the whole situation was justified in his opinion. Up until now the only Slytherins he had really dealt with were Malfoy and his gang. While it only stood to reason the entire House wasn't like that, it was what he had experienced up until now. The fact she had even agreed to meet with him had surprised him, though. The least he could do was try to go into things with an open mind. Luna seemed to think she might help, and even though she often seemed like she was in another world he'd come to learn she was a pretty good judge of character. Stepping out of the common room, he headed towards Ravenclaw tower to meet up with Luna.

Since today was a Saturday he had decided to forego his Gryffindor robes in favor of jeans and a long-sleeved blue shirt. Since it was still a bit chilly in the old stone castle he had added a black jacket on top of that. It didn't take him long to get to the Ravenclaw tower and Luna was already outside waiting for him. She was bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet and smiled when she saw him. Bouncing over to him she kissed him on the cheek and grabbed his hand. The comfort from the gesture eased some of the tension in him and he squeezed her hand in a silent thank you. Without a word between them she simply began leading him down through the castle. They made it to the old third floor corridor that once upon a time housed Fluffy in a locked room, and led him to an abandoned classroom.

Luna stepped forward and knocked on the door firmly. "Daphne, it's Luna with Harry. We've come for the arranged meeting I talked to you about the other day." she said loudly.

For his part Harry was surprised she hadn't simply walked in. The girl should know they were coming, but he was following her lead on this and stayed back a couple steps. A full minute passed with no answer before the door slowly opened. To his surprise the pureblood wasn't wearing her school robes either in favor of a blue skirt with a white top that had delicate flowers of blue and silver stitched into it. She was the same height of him in flats, with her long blonde hair done up in a neat bun, and after giving Luna a smile her dark brown eyes fixed onto him. "Well, well, well...you actually showed up. Come in, and close the door behind you." she told them both, stepping back into the room. She went inside and went back to an old desk where she had apparently been working on an essay for some class in. She blotted the parchment with sand before rolling it up and putting it neatly in a bag before sitting down gracefully and waiting for her guests to get settled.

Harry looked at Luna nervously for a moment before steeling himself and walking in after her. Gryffindors forward, and all that. Luna came in last, shutting the door behind them with a resounding thud. This part of the castle was deserted, and the sound seemed to echo in the quiet that pervaded this area. Once upon a time Hogwarts was a much busier place, with more students to teach and a larger staff to accomplish that task. Daphne had set up two desks a short distance away from her own, and Harry slipped into the one on the left while Luna took the right. He waited for somebody to speak, but neither of the girls did, both simply turning to look at him like he was forgetting something obvious.

Wincing a little, Harry realized what it was. "Right, sorry...I'm Harry. It's a pleasure to meet you, Heiress Greengrass." he said, bowing his head slightly to her. He scratched his head briefly before letting out a sigh. "I'm not sure how much Luna has told you, but we have reason to believe Malfoy is trying to accomplish a task for the Death Eaters. We suspect he may have even had something to do with what happened to Katie Bell in Hogwarts. I've expressed my suspicions to the staff, but without proof...they say there's nothing they can do." he explained, cutting right to the chase. Looking at Daphne, he met her clearly intelligent brown eyes and held her gaze. "I've come to ask for your help in getting that proof." he told her bluntly.

Out of seemingly nowhere a tinkling laugh echoed in the room, coming from Daphne who quickly put a hand over her mouth and controlled it. "No beating around the bush, I see. Luna gave me an idea of what you might need, but I appreciate the specifics." she said, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the table before folding her hands and resting her chin on them as she regarded him. "Believe it or not Malfoy isn't appreciated by all of us Slytherins. If we can be rid of him once and for all you would have our gratitude. However, considering the times...this does have an inherent danger in what you're asking me to do." she said, trailing off. "What's in it for me?" she asked him.

What she said made sense, and he had been expecting she would want something in return out of this. "I have gold I'm" he began to say, before being cut off by a shushing sound from Daphne.

"I come from an old pureblood family of my own, I don't want or need your gold. Did you think I was someone you could buy, Potter?" Daphne asked, her eyes narrowing at him as an iciness entered her tone. She glanced to Luna briefly, her expression saying she expected more from someone she was so close to before she focused back on Harry. "What else do you have to offer?" she asked, making an effort to rein her tone back in to a slightly more amiable level. "Try to be a little more thoughtful this time." she added, rolling her eyes. It seemed Harry wasn't any different from other teenage boys, he could be a bit of an idiot.

Harry gulped, not really having thought about the implications of what he had tried to do. "You have my deepest apologies, Heiress Greengrass. I wasn't thinking about how that might come across." he said, before pausing as he thought. Pulling out a piece of folded up paper, he set it on the table in front of him and Luna let out an audible gasp. Pulling out his wand, he tapped it and spoke clearly enough for Daphne to hear. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." he said, smiling as the writing and artwork began to appear. He unfolded it so the full map of the castle and the dots moving on it before waving his wand again. "Wingardium Leviosa." he said, with the swish and flick. He slowly levitated the Marauder's Map over to her and set it down on her desk. This time he didn't need to say anything, the map spoke for itself and Daphne's eyes widened as she began to examine it.

She took a good five minutes muttering to herself as she examined it, but neither could fully hear what she was saying. Eventually she looked back up from the map and smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and clearly well cared for. "This certainly explains how you get around the castle so well, it's incredible. Do you know who made this?" she asked him. Daphne knew enough about the magic involved to realize whoever had done this would have been highly skilled. It was the painstaking work of long hours and complicated spells, the like of which she'd never seen before.

Clearly this had captured her interest and he smiled, letting out a chuckle of his own. Harry raised his head and looked at her with a feeling of pride in what his father had been able to accomplish. "My father and his friends made that map. You remember Professor Lupin from third year?" he asked, getting a nod from her. "He was one of them." he explained, though not specifying which of the names belonged to who. "As I'm sure you can appreciate that map is important to me, and is the only possession outside of mere gold that I have from him. My offer is this, Heiress. You may have that until you get the proof I need, it should prove useful in procuring it. Once that's done, you must give it back. When you are finished using it, tap it with your wand and say the phrase 'Mischief Managed'." he told her.

Curious to see what that would do, she did as he instructed and the map folded itself up, appearing blank once more. Daphne took a solid minute weighing things in her head, before a wicked smile appeared on her face. "This will do for part of the deal, but as it's not something permanent that I'm gaining I have another request. The room you used for Dumbledore's Army last year, teach me how to use it." she told him. "Living in Slytherin house, there's never a chance to actually relax. You never know who is spying on you or what plots might be in motion, it's taxing. Admittedly it has helped make me stronger, but everyone needs a place to escape to. Give me that, and you have yourself a deal." she explained.

Even Harry could see that admitting to some of the difficulties she had to face was like pulling teeth, but Daphne had voiced them in spite of that. He understood better than most how it felt to not be safe where you lived, having been a victim to abuse from his aunt, uncle, and cousin up until the time he came to Hogwarts. His eyes softened a little as he gave her a nod. "You have yourself a deal. Thank you, for taking the time to teach me not all Slytherins are like Malfoy. For what it's worth, you're welcome to join Luna and I whenever you like. It may not be exactly safe around me, but I could always do with another friend." he told her, making her raise an eyebrow at the gesture.

"Easy there, Potter. Allying to take down a mutual problem is one thing, being friends is another entirely. Meet me at seven tomorrow in that corridor where the room is. If you deliver on that room, I'll get to work." Daphne told him. She wanted there to be no illusion about why she was helping him, it was to benefit her as much as possible, plain and simple. Some might consider it a callous way to behave, but she considered it practical and effective. There was a reason she was considered the Ice Queen of the school, and it was because she used her head instead of letting her emotions run the show. It didn't hurt she could also stare down just about anything, but Potter hadn't done anything yet to experience that firsthand.

Nodding, Harry got up and reached over to shake her hand. She paused for a moment before taking it and he gave her a smile. "Now it's a deal. You have my word I'll deliver on that room. I'll see you tomorrow, Heiress Greengrass." he told her, before taking Luna's hand as she got up as well and together they started to leave the room. However as he began to push open the door Daphne's voice stopped him briefly.

"Harry, you've earned the right to call me Daphne. Heiress Greengrass is a bit of a mouthful to keep using if we're going to be working together on this." Daphne told him with a wink. She pocketed the map and began packing up her things, ready to leave the room herself.

The offer to use her first name was definitely one he hadn't been expecting but he appreciated it. "Daphne, it is." Harry told her, giving Luna a thumbs up as she waved to her before they left.


Deciding to get a little fresh air, they headed outside and began walking towards the black lake. It was beautiful out, with the leaves changing colors in the forest and the real feeling of fall starting to hit home with it. They found a nice grassy area that was fairly level and sat down on the grass, his arm slipping around her and holding her close. "This was a good idea, thanks for pushing me to do this." he told her quietly.

Luna turned her head so she could see him and shook her head. "Harry, I didn't push you to do anything you didn't want to. I think you've known for a while now that not all Slytherins were bad you were just afraid to admit it to yourself. It's a lot more work looking at each person on case by case basis instead of lumping them into one big group that you can write off together." she pointed out, leaning up and giving him a kiss. "I'm proud of you for going outside of your comfort zone. That's the only way you grow as a person." she explained.

It wasn't hard for Harry to see why Luna had been placed in the house of wisdom. She saw things so clearly, and even when she was unsure of how things would turn out like in the battle at the ministry she had the courage to forge ahead in spite of the fear they had all felt that night. A sad smile appeared on his face as his thoughts briefly turned to Sirius but her kiss distracted him from becoming too melancholy quick as a flash. What did I ever do to deserve someone like her in my life? Nothing, really...but that's the thing, everyone deserves love. You aren't really supposed to earn it, are you? That question sent a warmth running through him along with a sense of contentment and belonging that caused a wide smile to appear on his face. "I love you so much, Luna. No matter how things turn out between us, you've helped me grow so much as a person. I don't think I can ever repay the debt I owe you." he told her seriously.

Smiling back at that, Luna placed her hand on his cheek before pushing his hair back as she moved closer to stare right into his green eyes. "I love you, too Harry. You don't owe me a damn thing, though. You gave your heart freely as I did mine, nothing else matters. Anybody who tells you otherwise is either too dumb to realize what's really important in life or selling something. Trust your instincts and you'll do just fine." she told him, wrapping her arms around him again as she gave him a big hug. After about a minute she pulled back and got up. Without another word she started walking towards the Forbidden Forest. "Come on slow poke, the thestrals need feeding." she said, as she started walking towards the place they usually were at this time of day.

There was nothing for it but to get up and follow after her. She knew she had spoken the truth as she felt it and all Harry could do was respect that. Maybe in time he wouldn't need reminding so much of the things that should be obvious. He was a slow learner, but he was learning...and he knew in the relatively short amount of time they had been together that he had made a lot of progress. "Do you have food with you or do we need to swing by the kitchens?" Harry asked after he rushed to catch up with her.

Luna looked over at him and let out a giggle before reaching over and grabbing his hand as she started skipping. He was forced to keep pace with her or be left behind so chose to skip as well. "Don't be ridiculous Harry I always carry around some food for them. Had this special pouch charmed so that it even keeps the food for them the way they like it." she explained like it was obvious. They liked meat but it wouldn't do to be carrying around a bunch of rotting meat unless you had something designed for such a purpose which she did. It was a small bag that was also enchanted to be larger on the inside so it would hold a good amount. The house elves were more than happy to help when she made a request with them to deliver a certain amount every so often. That arrangement made it easy to care for her favorite creatures here at Hogwarts.

Harry should have probably expected something like that by now but Luna always had something there to surprise him with. "Of course, silly me." he said, chuckling to himself as they quickly skipped their way to the clearing the thestrals were almost always in.

Sure enough, they found them there and Luna handed him a handful of meat before pulling some out for herself to feed them with. As usual the meat was raw since that was what they liked. Taking some, he began to toss it in a wide semi-circle on the ground in front of him. After taking a few steps back they cautiously came forward and sniffed the meat before eagerly diving in. He looked over to see Luna had taken a different approach, actually feeding them one at a time by hand. It was obvious they were quite familiar with the blonde witch and were comfortable being that close to her. Harry wasn't confident enough with them to be doing something like that any time soon, but he felt he was making a bit of progress with them. Moving forward, he carefully reached out his hand towards one. Seeing what he was doing, the rather intelligent creature moved forward and nuzzled against his hand. Harry let out a sigh of relief and looked over to Luna with a smile as he began to pet it. "This was a fantastic idea." he told her.

She reached over and petted her own once it was done feeding before looking over at her and giving him a nod. "I told you. I always have the best ideas, would think you'd know that by now." she told him. Both of them quickly ran through their supply of meat before she cleaned off her hands with a spell. When Harry asked what she had used she taught him the rather simple cleaning charm. The spell was 'tergeo' and was one most parents taught their children rather shortly after they got their wands in the wizarding world because it helped them keep the house clean if they could actually get them to use it on a regular basis. Moving to Harry's side Luna slipped her arm around his waist as they made their way back to the castle, leaning her into his shoulder as the walked.

When she moved into him Harry was more than happy to slip his arm across her shoulders and smiled. It was little things like feeding thestrals together and the simple touches that helped remind him just how much she cared for him. She made him happier than he had ever been before, and a part of that scared him. There was always a voice whispering in the back of his mind telling him this wouldn't last, that it couldn't last. Now he was simply telling that voice to sod off whenever it tried to rear its ugly head. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, but at least he was making the effort. Before they got inside the castle he stopped and turned so he was facing her. Before she could ask what he was doing he pulled her in for a long, slow kiss. By the time he pulled up for air both of them were breathless and he just shot her a wink. "Sorry, had to do that. Now we can go back in." he told her.

Luna simply beamed at him as they walked past the large doors of the entrance hall. "Oh, don't you go apologizing for that. I always want your kisses, Harry." she told him. Reaching into the bag with her school things she pulled out a copy of the Quibbler. "I think I'm going to read the latest edition of daddy's paper. If you need me I'll be in Ravenclaw tower. See you later, Harry." she asked, giving him a much shorter kiss before walking towards her house common room.

While not quite ready to call it a day yet, Harry decided to go back to his own common room and start working on his homework. Harry had begun getting in the habit of working a little bit ahead to make things easier. He didn't go quite as far as Hermione did but he found himself much more prepared for each of his classes this year than he had in previous ones. Now that he wasn't spending as much time with Ron he'd started to develop better study habits and was proud of the changes he'd made in that area. Taking out his transfiguration book, parchment, ink, and quill, Harry began the long arduous process of keeping up with his newt classes.

A/N: So sorry about the long break between updates. Switched jobs so life has been a bit hectic but starting to settle back into my routine. I have not forgotten this story I swear!