11. Aftermath
Harry went to McGonagall's room just before breakfast. His mother has informed him that she would be sending Astoria now, and McGonagall hid her surprise at seeing Harry pretty well. Moments later, Astoria stepped out of the green fire.
She looked like she hadn't slept much and her eyes were red and puffy. As soon as she saw Harry, she ran into him and he enveloped her in a hug.
"Miss Greengrass, you are excused from classes today. Your prefect duties are also on a temporary hold. You can resume whenever you feel comfortable." McGonagall said kindly. "If you need anything or just need to talk to someone, my door is always open for you. Mr. Potter, kindly take her to Madame Pomfrey to check if she needs any medical attention, can you?"
"Of course, professor." Harry nodded, rubbing circles on the back of Astoria's back, who had let go of Harry but was standing close to him while McGonagall talked to them. The professor nodded kindly once more as they left her office, Harry carrying her trunk.
"Did you have any breakfast?" Harry asked her and she nodded. Mrs. Potter had given her some toast and bacon before sending her. She wanted Astoria to have more, but she didn't have the appetite.
"Do you want to go to your common room, or do you want to come and rest in the Head's dorm for a while?" he asked softly.
"Your dorm." She replied in a broken voice and Harry nodded as he held her hand and walked towards their destination. As they reached the entrance, Harry saw Hermione was talking with the portrait of the Blue Mistress, the woman who guarded the entry to the Head's dorm.
"Hello Hermione, were you looking for me?" Harry asked, as he gave the password and entered the dorm, gently leading Astoria in. Hermione gave him a questioning look.
"Oh this is Astoria Greengrass. I think you know her from the prefect meetings. Astoria, this is Hermione, my friend." Astoria nodded absently Harry saw Hermione was about to ask some questions and silently mouthed 'I'll explain later' and she nodded in understanding. He led Astoria to Daphne's room, and asked her to wait here for a moment and that he would be right back. She nodded and sat on Daphne's bed. He gently squeezed her shoulder before going back to the common room where Hermione was waiting.
"Where's her sister? What happened?" Hermione asked in a hurried whisper as soon as he came down.
"Her parents died in the attack. Daphne is dealing with some legal issues. She should be back by next week, hopefully." He explained. Hermione looked like she wanted to ask more, but was restraining herself and Harry was glad because he didn't know how much Daphne planned on telling everyone, and although they were familiar with each other, Daphne and Hermione weren't exactly friends.
Hermione had some Head business to discuss with Harry, and Harry patiently answered all her queries before she took her leave and Harry went back to Daphne's room.
Astoria was dozing off, but jumped as she heard him. He put a reassuring hand on her shoulders.
"You look tired. Get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." He said gently. Astoria looked like she would protest, but she knew she was tired as hell. So she swallowed back her protest and nodded. Harry looked around and found the blanket he gave Daphne last term. Suddenly it felt like a million years ago. Astoria threw off her shoes and climbed on the bed and curled up to a ball. Harry draped the blanket over her and she silently mouthed 'thank you' before closing her eyes.
Harry set up a ward to alert him right before she woke up and dimmed the light before leaving the room. He left the door slightly ajar, not knowing how she would react to a locked door. He asked the entrance guardian, the Blue Mistress, to not let anyone except Dumbledore and McGonagall enter if they were not accompanied by Harry himself, even if they had the password. Also, she was not to bother the girl in the Head Girl's room at all.
He thought about skipping a few classes to stay with Astoria, but later decided to skip one if she woke up before his class time was over.
Thankfully, it was 5 in the evening when Astoria finally woke up. Harry was in his room, completing his homework when his wards alerted him. Quickly pouring two cups of coffee (he got himself a thermos in the holidays) he knocked on the door and a faint 'come in' could be heard.
"Coffee?" he offered the cup to the girl and she nodded. She looked much better after the sleep as she propped herself up against the headboard.
"I should get back to my dorm. I have bothered you enough for one day." Astoria said, making no attempt to move.
"Hey, if you were a bother I would have thrown you away by now. Stay as long as you like, and just tell me whenever you want to go back to your dorm. And I want you to know that you can come here anytime you want. Although Hermione is acting as the temporary Head Girl, she doesn't live here, so that room is yours until your sister returns. If you feel like getting away from your friends and housemates, the portrait outside is instructed to let you in anytime, even if I'm not here. You understand?"
Astoria nodded. "Thanks, Harry. But I really need to go back to my dorm, because I want the questions and whispers to be over with as soon as possible." Harry frowned.
"You want me to scare them off?" he asked seriously and she looked at him sceptically. Harry might be the Head Boy, but he always seemed like such a nice person. She couldn't imagine him being intimidating.
"I don't think you can do that." She commented and he laughed.
"We'll see. Do you want to go now, then?"
Astoria nodded and got off the bed. Although she liked her own dorm, she was absolutely sure that she would be taking up on his offer of spending her time in Daphne's room. It was very nice, Harry was nicer, and most importantly, it didn't have the other Slytherins pestering her.
She freshened up at the washroom attached to the room and when she came back, Harry was already carrying her trunk.
"So you were serious about trying to scare off other Slytherins?" she asked dubiously and he smirked in return. They walked together for a while and some passing students stared at them, wondering where Astoria came from and what on earth was she doing with Harry Potter, because as far as they knew, these two had never been spotted together except for a prefects meeting.
Reaching the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was, he simply entered as the door didn't demand a password from the Head Boy. The slightly cold common room became silent as they saw Harry Potter enter their common room and Astoria Greengrass followed him.
"As you can see, one of the missing students have returned and for those who already know her, you might also want to know that Daphne Greengrass, the Head Girl and a member of your house would return shortly as well. Now, it goes without saying that this girl over here has been through a traumatic time, and as Head Boy, I ask you all to give her the time and space to collect herself before bombarding her with questions. If I hear anyone has been badgering her about what happened, I will hand you detentions." Harry looked around to see some older students, including Malfoy and Parkinson smirking, as if a mere detention was a matter of laugh.
"However," he continued, now looking straight at Malfoy and his tone suddenly getting ice cold and the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees, a tangible feeling of foreboding hanging in the air. "That was my stance as Head Boy. As Harry Potter, I promise you this. If anyone harasses her even in the slightest capacity, I will personally make sure they are taken care of and believe me, at that time, detention will feel like the best thing that could have ever happened to you."
The room was deathly silent and Astoria could feel the hairs on her body rising up in goosebumps as she could almost smell the magic coming out of Harry, his eyes cold as a stone. Even Malfoy looked nervous.
Making sure that the message was received loud and clear, Harry handed the trunk back to Astoria, now with a featherweight charm on it and sent her to her dorm and left the Slytherin common room. He hoped his warning was enough, but if it wasn't, he would have to make good on his promise.
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Astoria came back to the Head's dorm the next day as soon as her classes were over. Harry was not here, but she didn't mind. She wanted to be alone for a while anyway. Although Harry's speech has worked very well so far, and even her dorm mates did not ask her about what happened.
She wondered exactly when did she prefer to be near Harry Potter than with her friends and house mates. In her first year, she absolutely hated Harry Potter because he hurt her sister often. As she grew older and realized that it was a two-way war and Daphne was not exactly a saint either, her hatred toned down to disliking, and as she caught him coming to check on Daphne on the hospital wing after a particular prank, her dislike quietly went away to be replaced by mainly indifference and a slight curiosity. As she became a fifth year and Daphne became Head Girl and had to share a dorm with Harry Potter, Astoria found it quite hilarious. In prefect meetings, Harry was always an image of professionalism, as was Daphne. As the term progressed and she got to know Harry as a person, he seemed like a cool guy, and before Christmas, he was her sister's friend. When she received the Christmas present from Harry, her opinion of him skyrocketed and she began to consider him as a kind-of older-friend.
She couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when Harry Potter turned from a friendly guy to a brother-like figure, but it had happened. She felt secure when she saw Harry waiting for her when she stepped off the floo, just as safe she would feel when Daphne was around.
She admitted to herself that Lily Potter rescuing them might have something to do with that as well. The Potters took care of them and the nice man who everyone called 'Padfoot' was charmingly kind and helpful as well. She didn't know who he was exactly, but never did he let them feel that they were strangers.
Thinking about the Potters and the Padfoot bloke, she wondered how Daphne was holding up. She knew her sister was one of the toughest people she knew but when her extended family, who she never saw in her life, came over to get a piece of their fortune, Astoria knew that Daphne was thrown in the middle of a pack of wolves. Thankfully, Lily Potter arrived before things got out of hand, and she took control of the situation immediately, berating the extended 'family' for wanting to talk about financial matters so soon after the girls found out that their parents were no more. The vultures left, grumbling about family matters, but promised to return the next day. She didn't know exactly how the next day turned out, but she knew that 'Padfoot' had managed to hire the best lawyer in business to handle matters and the Potters were hopeful that the matter would be dealt with. Unfortunately, Daphne had to be present for a lot of paperwork since she was now the acting head of family.
She thought about her parents, and she realized that she didn't miss her father at all. She was appalled at herself at the thought, because no matter how indifferent he was to his daughters, he still worked hard to provide for them, and he never treated them or her mother wrong as far as she knew. Still, she could not find any emotion for her deceased father, except for a little sympathy that he lost his life in such a horrible way.
As if compensating for her father, her insides felt hollow and aching each time she thought about her mother, and she knew Daphne felt the same way as well. She was the one who cared about them, listened to them, praised them when they did something right, and loved them unconditionally. She didn't know how she was going to survive without her and the thought caused her eyes to start leaking again. She only had Daphne now, and despite being so strong, Daphne was barely an adult. Astoria knew Daphne wouldn't abandon her, but the fact remained that it would be quite some time before Astoria could consider living alone on her own, and till then she would have to be a burden to Daphne, and the thought caused her to sob uncontrollably.
She did not know when he came, but she soon found herself being comforted by Harry, and she cried on his shoulders. He put an arm around her, and took her hand with his free hand and squeezed it, softly whispering "It's alright".
Eventually she calmed down and her crying toned down to occasional sniffs. Harry silently conjured a napkin and handed it to her.
"Did anyone bother you?" he asked softly and she shook her head. He nodded and squeezed her shoulder again. She noticed that his shirt was all wet from her tears. He must have been looking at her eyes because he followed her line of sight and noticing the large wet spot, immediately cleaned it up.
She gave him a quick hug before going to the washroom to clean up.
"Where does Daph keep her parchment and quills? I should write to her." She said, as soon as she came out. Harry went to Daphne's desk and pulled out the second drawer where he knew she kept her stationery.
"Do you want to talk to her now?" he asked, handing her the parchments, quill and ink bottle.
"Do you have a floo?" she asked, looking around.
"No, not a floo. Hang on, let me check."
He pulled out his mirror and called his mother.
"Harry, what's up?"
"Hi mum, is Daphne around? Astoria wants to talk to her."
"I'll have to check if she is available. How about I call you back in a few moments?"
Harry nodded and the connection went off. Astoria was staring at the mirror.
"Where did you get one of these?" she asked enviously.
"My dad and his friends made it when they were at school." He explained. Astoria remembered another question she had.
"Who is Padfoot? Is he a relative?"
"No, he's not a relative, but he is family. He is my godfather, actually, and my dad's best friend. His actual name is Sirius Black. Padfoot was just his nickname at school and he likes to make a serious/Sirius pun so often that we call him Padfoot more often than Sirius. You met him?"
Astoria nodded. That explained a few things.
"Wait, did you say Black? I thought Blacks were a dark family?" Harry chuckled.
"They are, mostly. But Sirius is an odd egg. He was in Gryffindor and ran away from his home when he was a little older than you. He was the rebel of the family."
Astoria was about to ask more about the running away part, when Harry's mirror called out his name.
"Mum?"
"Daphne's here." Lily Potter said as she passed the mirror to the girl.
Daphne looked on the verge of breaking. The bags under her eyes were enormous, and her normally pretty face looked like it had been dragged through hell and back. Her eyes were cold and indifferent, just like the mask she put on in public.
"Hi Daphne." Harry said in an uncertain voice.
"Hello." She replied, her voice slightly cracked, but void of emotion.
"Astoria wants to talk to you. I'll put her on." Harry passed the mirror to Astoria and whispered, "I'll be downstairs' before leaving to give her some privacy.
It broke his heart to see her like this. She looked absolutely devastated, both physically and emotionally. He shivered as he thought about her empty, cold eyes. He wished he could help in some way, but also knew that this was her battle and she had to fight it alone if she wanted to really assert herself as the head of family. He still wished he was there to show his support, but also knew that it was not possible.
Astoria came down after a while, the connection already gone. He was hoping he could talk to Daphne for a while, but she must have been busy. Or upset. Or both.
"I never thanked you for the CD player, did I?" Astoria said as she sat down beside him, handing the mirror back to him.
"You don't have to. How is Daphne?" he asked, turning the conversation away from little things like Christmas presents. Astoria looked down.
"She is holding up for now. I think she will explode soon."
"Why do you think so?" Harry asked curiously.
"You know how Daph puts on this face of cold indifference to people, right?" Harry nodded in confirmation. "Well, I think this time she put it on to hold up herself without breaking down in front of anyone, and she hadn't let anything out and kept that face on all the time. I haven't seen her cry even a little bit since we heard the news. I know she will have to explode sometime or the other." Astoria explained.
"The longer the wait, the bigger the explosion." Harry nodded in understanding. He understood perfectly well why she did that and to be honest, he probably would've done the same thing in her position.
Soon, it was getting late and Astoria had to go back to her common room. Harry, like the big brother she thought him to be, went with her, softly talking to her on the way. Reaching the Slytherin common room, he silently watched her go in, not wanting to enter the snake hole again. As she was out of sight and Harry turned around, he saw a yellow curse coming at him. Smartly sidestepping the curse, he looked around for the offender, when five more curses flew at him and his quick shield deflected four of them, but he got caught by a full body bind and fell down, hard.
A group of seventh year Slytherin students, with Draco Malfoy in front, came out of the shadows, smirking evilly.
"So you thought you could come to our common room, threaten us and then get away with it?" Draco Malfoy sneered, his foot very close to Harry. He pulled it back to kick Harry in the face, but let out a yelp when it got stuck behind him. Regaining his balance, he turned to look back at his feet and saw no one nearby.
"As a matter of fact, yes. That is exactly what I thought." Harry said, standing up. Malfoy yelped in surprise once again, seeing Harry Potter throwing off a full body bind on his own. He looked around to see why no one has attacked him yet and to his shock, he realized that everyone else was now in a full body bind. As soon as he realized that, he suddenly felt that he was petrified as well. The only thing he could move were his eyes. Harry lazily walked forward and pulled the left arm of Malfoy's robe up, revealing a Dark Mark. He checked the five other students as well, and found that three of them Dark Marks on their left arms as well.
He put a disillusionment charm on all of the stiff bodies and floated them in front of him, not really caring if they bumped on walls or pillars. He floated them right in front of the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office and then erased their memory of the whole day just before disillusioning himself and dispelling the disillusionment charm from them. They looked confused for a few moments but after they realized that they were petrified in front of Dumbledore's office, with their robes rolled up to reveal the Dark Mark, they had looks of panic in their eyes.
Good. Let them spend their time in fear until Dumbledore found them.
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Aurors arrived just after curfew, and arrested the four Death Eaters. Harry knew that they would be released within two days because of the level of corruption and infiltration at the ministry, but Harry was still glad to get rid of them from the school, at least. He had already reported the incident to his dad.
Unfortunately, the other two students were let go, but kept under probation since no one knew why they were here with their Death Eater friends.
Next day, there were whisperings everywhere as the expelling of four students were announced. Some Slytherins, who knew that those students were planning on giving Harry a lesson were shooting wary glances at the Head Boy, but Harry ignored them. He was happy to see that Astoria was talking to her friends again. He didn't mind her spending time in his dorm, but he knew that she had to eventually talk to her friends.
The Daily Prophet brought news of 'accidents' befalling some muggleborn families and Harry knew that Voldemort and his minions were active again. There was no mention of students arrested for being Death Eaters. In fact, the word 'Death Eater' did not appear on the paper at all. It appeared that The Prophet was breached as well.
Having a free period, Harry sought out Neville. He knew Neville had a free period as well.
"There you are." He called at Neville, who was hanging around a greenhouse, to absolutely no one's surprise.
"Hiya Harry." Neville called back, gently brushing off the dirt off a purple plant. Harry wasn't entirely sure, but it seemed that the plant was purring.
"Busy?"
"Not really, what's up?"
"Not much. Wanna hang around? I have a free period." Harry offered. Neville shrugged.
"Sure. Ginny is in class as well, so I have nothing better to do."
"Apart from touching plants, apparently." Harry teased lightly. Neville rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. Just don't eat your words when I raise up an army of plants." Neville laughed at his own joke.
"I'd pay to see some Death Eaters getting defeated by plants." Harry said and they both broke into laughter.
"How's Daphne?" Neville asked once they were composed again.
"Not that well, I suppose." Harry replied solemnly. "I really haven't got the chance to talk to her. She is kind of in the middle of a legal shitstorm, and with all that's happened, I don't blame her for closing herself off."
"You really care for her, don't you?" Neville asked in a quiet voice. Harry chuckled dryly.
"Of course I do. I know it's crazy considering everything, but she is one of my closest friends right now." He confessed.
"Only a friend?" Neville pried. Harry scowled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, a bit defensively.
"Nothing. I'm just asking if you see her as a friend only, or something more." Neville replied calmly. Harry sighed.
"Look Nev, I know what you are trying to say, and while I admit she is a great girl once you really get to know her, but I hardly think I would be thinking anything along those lines at this time. She is a good friend and now that she is going through shit, I will give her all the support she needs as a friend. Just like I would do for you." Harry finished. Neville raised his hands as a gesture of surrendering.
"Hey mate, I didn't ask you to do anything you are not comfortable with. I'm just asking if you are sure about what you are doing. I don't want you to get hurt."
Harry smiled. Despite the world sitting on his shoulders, Neville still worried about the people around him. That was part of what made him a great friend. A great man.
"Don't worry about it mate. I know you are just looking out for me, and I appreciate it." He said, slapping Neville's back. "While we are on the topic, how are things going with Ginny?"
A smile broke out on Neville's face, that told Harry everything he needed to know.
"Gin's brilliant. Absolutely fantastic. I am not even mad at you for forcing us to date anymore."
"To be honest, I just forced you to sit down together for a few minutes. You didn't even have to talk, you know." Harry said with a grin and Neville grimaced, but his eyes were shining all the same.
"Can I tell you something?" Neville asked after a while.
"Of course Nev. What's up?" Harry asked.
"I think I just don't fancy Ginny anymore." Neville confessed. Harry frowned for a moment before he started to realize what his friend was trying to say.
"You mean you're-"
"Falling for her." Neville finished in a small, shy voice. Harry stared at him for a second.
"That's fantastic mate! Have you told her yet?" He asked. Neville smiled nervously.
"Not yet, but I want to. Is that normal? We haven't been together for long."
"Since when have you started caring about normal?" Harry teased. Neville rolled his eyes.
"You know what I mean. Things are going too fast, and I am a little bit scared and thrilled at this same time."
"Nev, don't take this the wrong way, but with everything that goes around you, I think falling in love with Ginny is the last thing that should scare you." Harry joked and Neville laughed, grateful for Harry's attempt at lightening the mood.
"I know right! Screw Voldemort, this is the real shit." He joked.
They chatted idly for a while, Neville telling Harry how great Ginny was, but Harry was only half listening to most of it. He really felt happy for his friend, but what stood out the most was how different Neville seemed than he was a few weeks back. Just before Harry set him up with Ginny, Neville was severely depressed, and seemed to be giving up on life. He was glad that his friend looked much happier and confident now. Merlin knew he deserved it.
Later that day, Astoria came by his dorm and asked if she could talk to Daphne again. Harry called his mother and gave the mirror to Astoria, letting her explain that she wanted Daphne, and went out of the room again to give her some privacy. Once again, Daphne didn't ask to talk with him and although he understood that she was very busy and preoccupied, he still felt a little hollow. He did his best not to dwell on it though.
"How is she holding up?" Harry asked as Astoria, who was now sipping coffee.
"Not well. She has closed herself off completely." She replied sadly. Harry nodded.
"And what about you? Are you okay?"
"I'm okay, I guess. People have been whispering around me a bit, but nothing that I cannot handle." She assured him.
"No one giving you any trouble?" He asked and Astoria smiled.
"Not after your speech. Which reminds me, most Slytherins think that you are behind the expulsions of those Death Eater kids."
"And what do you think?" Harry asked her carefully. Astoria shrugged.
"I don't care either way, but if it was true, thank you."
Harry smiled at her, neither confirming, nor denying his involvement. Astoria was a clever girl. She could figure things out herself.
"C'mon, let's get you back to the snake hole." Harry said, getting up. "Don't want to break the curfew."
"I am a prefect and you are the Head Boy. We both have extended curfews." Astoria pointed out cheekily, but stood up all the same. "Also, I can walk back to my common room by myself."
"Alright, then. See you." Harry said, turning back. Astoria grabbed his hand.
"Didn't say I wanted to walk back myself."
Harry lightly yanked on her ponytail for the trouble before firmly grabbing her hand and dragging her towards the portrait, Astoria laughing, after what felt like ages, at his antics.
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The week went on like that pretty fast. Hermione was doing well as the Head Girl and Astoria came to talk with both Harry and Daphne every evening. Harry occasionally spent time in the Gryffindor common room, but he mostly studied ahead and trained according to routine. More families were attacked by the Death Eaters and Sirius informed him that numerous muggle villages were destroyed all over the country. The Order had been able to save a few families, but it was not much.
Daphne's legal obligations were almost over, and they went as smoothly as one could hope, thanks to the lawyer Sirius hired. Apparently Daphne had tried to pay for the lawyer's hiring fee, but Sirius had explained that neither the lawyer, nor he himself would accept her money, so she had better get rid of that idea.
Daphne arrived at Hogwarts on Friday evening. Harry and Astoria both were present when she appeared and although she looked better than what Harry saw in the mirror, she still looked exhausted and emotionless. When Professor McGonagall explained that Hermione was acting as the temporary Head Girl and that she could retain her duties whenever she felt comfortable, she just nodded blankly and thanked her with a bland tone.
She thanked Harry for taking care of Astoria in the same emotionless voice and did not speak at all through the journey to the dorm. When they entered, she bid him goodnight and went to her room, without turning back at Harry. It was 7 p.m. on the clock.
Daphne did not come out of her room the next morning and Harry brought a basket of breakfast for her and knocked on her door. After a long time, she opened the door and seeing the food basket, she thanked him emotionlessly and went back to reading a book, ignoring the food and Harry. After a few seconds, Harry left the room, closing the door behind him.
Lunch was more or less the same, and Harry saw that the breakfast basket was still untouched and he took it away while leaving the room, and he didn't think she even noticed that. In the evening, she came out of her room and sought out Harry, who was in her room. She didn't enter the room and asked Harry if he could give her an overview on the lessons she missed since they were mostly in the same classes. Harry gave her his notes and she thanked him and left the room. Harry called after her that he could explain if she faced a problem with anything, but he wasn't sure if she heard it.
Astoria dropped by later, and she didn't look happy when she got out of Daphne's room. Harry escorted her to her common room again, and on his way back, he stopped in the kitchen to take two dinner baskets with him.
Harry had a Déjà vu as he knocked on Daphne's door for the third time that day and immediately noticed the lunch basket sitting in the exact spot he left it earlier. Like a programmed robot, Daphne took the new basket and put it away and thanked him in that emotionless voice again.
Harry was not entirely sure if leaving her alone would be the better option. He knew she wanted him to leave her alone, but he didn't know if that was what she needed. Throwing caution to the wind, he decided to be a Gryffindor.
"Daphne?" he called tentatively.
"Yes?" she replied without looking out from the book. He remained silent for a while until she looked at him.
"You have to eat." Daphne nodded.
"I will."
"You didn't touch your breakfast or your lunch." He pointed out. She looked at him with expressionless eyes for a long time.
"I wasn't hungry." She replied.
Harry closed his eyes for a moment. Then he went and softly held her hand.
"Daphne?"
Her blank expression fluttered for the tiniest fraction of a second before going back. Her hand was as cold as her eyes.
"Yes?"
Harry grasped her hand with both hands.
"Can you please eat something? For me? Please?"
She was silent and Harry saw the opportunity to summon the basket to his hand and hand her a sandwich. She stared at the sandwich for a long time before slowly taking a bite. Harry smiled encouragingly and she took another bite.
Gradually she finished the whole sandwich and Harry handed her another one. She shook her head and Harry considered insisting, but he thought better. She would be exhausted later, but he was trying to take small steps. He gave her some pumpkin juice and she drank a few sips before returning it. Harry was willing to count it as a small victory and seeing that she did not attempt to speak to him, he left the room.
The next day was almost similar, except that Hermione came over and greeted Daphne when saw her and asked her if she would be resuming her duty as Head Girl, but Daphne simply shrugged a little and went back to her room. Harry had promised Hermione that he would talk to her and give her a definite answer.
As Hermione left, he knocked on her door for the fourth time that day and it was a long time before she opened the door. Her eyes were colder than usual, and her blank expression was leaking hints of anger.
"What?" she asked, her voice colder than ice. Harry knew he was about to bear the burn of that explosion Astoria was talking about, but he knew he could take it, and more importantly, he knew she needed to explode before it was too late.
"Let's take a walk. Come on." Harry said casually and she looked surprised for a moment before her expression was unfriendly once again.
"Thanks, I'll pass."
Harry knew he was literally poking a sleeping dragon in the eye, as he grabbed her hand and said, "I insist."
Daphne dropped all pretence of keeping a blank face and her face was red with anger.
"Why don't you leave me alone?" she said with gritted teeth, trying unsuccessfully to shake her hand away. He silently summoned her wand and pulled her along.
"I'm just annoying like that." He replied as he cast a full body bind on her and floated her all the way to the Room of Requirement, which became Harry's training room as they entered.
He gently placed her gently on the ground before throwing her wand at her feet and removing the body bind from her. She looked absolutely murderous.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shouted, her face red. Harry knew he was risking it big time, but he saw no other way.
"Just wanted to duel for a bit." He answered casually, twirling his wand between his fingers. She picked up her wand and looked at him for a long time before turning to leave. Harry cursed mentally. He really didn't want to do this. Aiming his wand at her, he fired a jelly leg jinx on her, followed by an Impedimenta.
As soon as she looked at him, he knew he had switched it on.
She let out a stream of curses, ranging from stunners and reductos to blood freezing curses. Harry sidestepped or blocked the more dangerous ones, and got hit by a number of cutting and bludgeoning curses. He knew that she was far more skilled than the Death Eaters he fought on the night before returning to Hogwarts, but he was fairly confident that he could block or dodge almost all of her curses. He sent back a few underpowered stunners and harmless curses silently, to give her the illusion that he was fighting back. It was a dangerous game, because he could easily see that her eyes were screaming murder and her curses were becoming darker and more dangerous. He was quite alarmed when he noticed what looked like an organ boiling curse wheeze past him. He considered scrapping the whole thing and try to take her out before he placed himself in mortal danger. He was getting hit with more curses than he was comfortable with, and he started to think that this was probably not a well-thought out plan.
Suddenly, she screamed and Harry's eyes went wide as a pulsing curse came right at him before he could raise a shield or dodge.
There was a loud snap and Harry couldn't stop himself from crying out loud as he felt the bone on his right leg break into two.
Harry clutched the broken leg and re-aligned it before quickly conjuring a cast over it. He rolled over just in time to see a horror-struck look on Daphne. He tried to get up, but his leg gave out, causing him to fall over again, as Daphne ran for the exit, tears streaking on her pale face.
Well that plan went to hell pretty quickly, he thought bitterly.
A/N: My beta slucas123 is not feeling well, so this chapter might have a lot of mistakes, which all belong to me. Many among you have told me that this chapter would be crucial to see my capacity as a writer. Well, do let me know how I did.