Hello! I am sorry for the delay but life got in the way. This chapter is long overdue and I hope you enjoy it. This story is not dead, as well as the other story I have. I will continue them now as regularly as I can. Thank you for the feedback and it is all taken into account. Happy New Year!
J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I do not.
As both Daphne and Ron continued to work, without noticing they started to inch closer and closer to each other. They were practically working with the same jars, both with a lot going through their minds. They did not talk, they could not talk. Their minds were going a mile a minute, both yearning for detention to be over. Snape seemed to go in and out of the room from time to time, so they would have to wait for detention to be over.
Ron worked silently, his hands doing the work, his mind elsewhere. A side of Ron's mind was focusing on Hermione mostly, how bad he felt that he could not feel the same as her. This thing with Daphne was magic, not in the sense that they should get married right away or that it was instant, but in the sense that there was a literal magic pull that he felt from her and would like to explore. Only a few instances had they interacted this year, and he felt more at ease as with anyone, including his female best friend. He would have to find a way to resolve his feelings for her right away.
The other side of his mind was worrying about the war, how he still had his doubts about Daphne's family. They were not under the Ministry's shadow, but still they could have helped in some other way. Her parents were bankers, something that Ron knew little about. Ron needed to know about the Greengrass' stance on the war. He would have to investigate on his own, maybe dip into the library to know more. This would attract attention since he was known to not go into the library on his own, so maybe with either Harry or Hermione.
Daphne on the other hand was trying to focus on her own feelings for the boy next to him. She was attracted to him; a literal magical attraction did not hurt as well. She felt as though her arms were pulsing with magic, itching towards Ron's direction. She had never felt that in her life, a reason to not hide behind her Ice Queen persona. Her father taught her to think critically, even though she did not want to go into the family business.
"It will do you well in life to seem nonchalant, to not show emotion, because then…you hold all the cards and could move any situation to your advantage," Jonathan Greengrass had said to his eldest daughter. She was young when her father said this, but nonetheless she had listened and done well.
When Daphne first arrived at Hogwarts she realized quickly that in Slytherin she was nothing more than a price to marry. Boys from all ages tried to get court her, to get to her family's money. She then acted like her father had taught her, and the Ice Queen persona was born. She seemed aloof to all situations, just responding in a simple yes or no to any questions she encountered from possible suitors, never meeting their eyes. This seemed to do the trick, the many boys then retreated, thinking her weird, and moved on to the next price.
Tracey and Theo were the only ones that really stood beside Daphne, knew her true persona, nothing could go wrong if she was with them. Blaise seemed to keep to himself always, therefore Daphne could be a little more comfortable around him.
Then this situation with one Ronald Weasley happened. Ron did not intend to break her persona, he had just infuriated her at the start by being a git and she felt her mask give away. This was all it took for him to break her persona and show her true self to a man. Ron did not intend to do it, he had just done it.
The hour passed by quickly and they were done with the set of jars for the day. They still had a lot to go through but they figured if they worked this way, they would be done on time.
"Detention over. Out now." Snape said suddenly as he entered the room, making both students jolt in surprise.
They put their work down and hurried towards the exit together. Snape sat down without giving them a glance and got to work on grading.
"Students are getting worse each year Lily." Snape muttered to himself, to seemingly no one, the sounds of different potions bubbling his only companions.
As the door closed behind the students they just stared at each other. Both seemed hesitate to speak first, so they just stood there in front of each other. Daphne took a chance to look him up and down, to analyze him.
Ron had his shirt untucked, as usual, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. His tie loosened and a few buttons of his shirt opened. It was early in the year so sweaters could be avoided at this time of the night. His trousers seemed to not fit him properly, his ankles showing a bit. His hair was trimmed as it was early in the year, but she suspected that by the end of winter it would be longer and unrulier. Ron was uniquely handsome as the other Weasley's were she then realized. His electric blue eyes, which she was starting to like a lot, seemed to do the same to her and she felt suddenly shy but could do nothing to hide as it would probably scare him. Freckles then seemed to disappear in a red blush that took over him, and his gaze on her stopped.
Ron could not speak, he was not one to initiate conversations or at least intimate ones. He just stared at Daphne, waiting for her to do something or say something. Ron then noticed that she was eyeing him as if analyzing him, not in a strange way, just looking him over. Ron then decided that if she was doing that, then he could too.
Daphne had her shirt tucked in her skirt, which seemed to fit her perfectly, probably new fitted robes. The uniforms at Hogwarts did little to aid the girls' body, not really revealing their bodies, just making them a little unflattering really. Ron supposed that was the point, to hide them from rowdy boys from school.
Daphne's hair, honey blond Ron decided, was up in a ponytail in order for her to work freely. It accentuated the features from her face. She was pretty, not overtly so, but still pretty. Her grey eyes normally aloof, now held full emotions. Wonder was the most present, and if he was imagining things, then longing was there in the mix of emotions. His ears then started to heat up and his blush became ever present.
"We should go to an unused classroom to talk," Daphne suddenly said, not really knowing where the sentence came from. Ron only nodded and started to think of one available.
"I know of one that is close to the Astronomy Tower, but it would have to be quick, since curfew is approaching and I don't have Harry's means to get around school undetected." Ron said, not really thinking, not knowing that the comment made Daphne raise an eyebrow.
"Lead the way." Daphne then said, following Ron who seemed to be already on his way. The cordial thing would have been to offer his arm to her and lead the way, but she supposed that a Slytherin and a Gryffindor arm in arm would attract unwanted attention if they encountered anyone.
The way to the Astronomy Tower was quiet, only the sound of their footsteps heard in the quiet halls. Some of the portraits looked their way, murmuring to themselves at the sight of a ginger Gryffindor and a blonde Slytherin together. Other portraits seemed to not pay any attention to them, some even sleeping.
"This way," Ron said suddenly, grabbing Daphne's hand quickly and leading her towards a door next to the stairwell, a room reserved to some Herbology lessons. Herbology was usually taught at the greenhouses in Hogwarts, but from time to time there would be a lecture on some dangerous plants and this classroom was used.
"Brilliant, you are." Daphne said smirking, surprised at Ron's quick thinking.
The door opened with a simple Alohomora and then they both entered, hands still together. A simple blue fireball spell, courtesy of Hermione's teaching, and the room was illuminated Ron seemed to notice their conjoined hands and blushed hard, removing his hand quickly.
"Sorry I did not mean to offend you by taking your hand without permission Ms. Greengrass. I would like to also apologize for not offering my arm to lead you earlier, but I did not want to raise any suspicions." Ron said with a slight vow, his cheeks and ears red as his hair. His mother would kill him if she knew that Ron had touched a lady of her stature without her permission.
To say Daphne was surprised would be an understatement. Ron offered an apology, and a cordial one at that. Maybe he was not as alienated to the old customs as she thought. It did not help that she could still feel his hand on hers, pulsating with magic and heat.
"Apology accepted Mr. Weasley," Daphne said, quickly composing herself. "but I think I agreed to you calling me Daphne and I could call you Ron. Formalities are really overrated nowadays." Daphne finished with a genuine smile and crossed her arms.
"I know Daphne, but I know what I did was wrong to a lady such as yourself. My mother taught me to always respect a woman, and she would kill me if she knew I did what I did." Ron said, clearly still embarrassed.
"No harm was done Ron, just stop worrying, I will not order my father to duel you or anything. Besides, I am not so fond of the old ways as my family seems to be. So, let's just discuss what we know happened on detention. Sparkling touch..." Daphne said, leaving her sentence open ended in order for Ron to continue.
"We both know what sparkling touch means. It means that two individuals have great magical chemistry, the stories we were told embellish it in order for them to sell books. I hope you know this as well," Ron paused, and continued once Daphne nodded.
"I won't deny that my magic feels a pulse or even a "pull" when I am next to you. I hope I am not the only crazy one," Ron stopped once again, and continued once Daphne shook her head, hearing him with intent.
"So, what I would propose to do is to tell each other about our lives in order to know each other more. There is a definite magical attraction working here, so I would like to see if we could start as friends and maybe see where that leads us." Ron finished and then leaned on a desk, his arms holding most of his weight.
"I think that we should do that as well, I already feel as we can be friends too. We have two problems though…" Daphne said, getting closer to Ron as she held two fingers up.
"One: Granger and Blaise. Granger seems to want something with you and it is making it so obvious that it hurts." Daphne said and by Ron's reaction, she could tell that he knew this as well. It irked her a little bit, but she put that feeling of jealousy down.
"Blaise asked me to Hogsmede this weekend, I did not really want to go, but my mother pressured me to find a suitor this year to enact a contract and Blaise is a good friend of mine…" Daphne trailed off, waiting for Ron's reaction. Ron seemed to frown at this information but nodded for her to continue.
"I was going to see how things with him worked out, but I am more interested in how this would play out between us Ron. I want to be friends first, I will hold that above everything…" Daphne stopped, Ron nodded with a smile and she made to continue but was stopped by Ron.
"Hermione asked me to Hogsmede as well, and I was going to do the same thing you would with Blaise. She has been dropping some heavy hints that she likes me, but I think of her maybe more as a sibling or a cousin. If things worked out then I would move from there." Ron stopped and waited for Daphne's reaction.
Daphne nodded, a small frown on her face and her eyes showing a little jealousy, but Ron thought he had imagined seeing that.
"Then what we are agreeing to is to go to Hogsmede with our respective dates and telling them that we thank them for their attention, but we do not feel the same as them?" Daphne said to Ron, a little hope in her tone.
When Ron nodded Daphne smiled and blushed. They had practically agreed to court each other the proper way. She would hug him but she was afraid that it would be too much for now.
"Ehem…And the second problem?" Ron asked, his ears feeling warm, eager to distract his feeling of elation at what the hidden significance of this "meeting" of sorts meant.
"Right…" Daphne said shaking her head as if to waking up.
"We need to meet privately outside of detention. Snape enters the room to much and we cannot talk properly then. So, we need to find a time and place in order to not bring attention to ourselves." Daphne said to Ron, who as she talked, had already started thinking about something.
"Harry is having detention with Umbridge same hours we do, and Hermione is waiting for us in the Common Room after in order to talk. Right now, I will have to come up with something in order for her not to ask many questions. Maybe something about Snape wanting to talk to me or McGonagall stopping me to ask about my parents. Harry practices every day in the pitch with the team, and I was trying to practice in order to be Keeper but I feel is better to try out next year. Hermione then goes to the library and I am usually playing chess with someone in the Common Room then, or trying to start my homework. So, any time between Harry's practice I am good to meet." Ron said, spouting his thoughts, letting Daphne see his analytical mind at work. She was surprised with this, thinking that Ron had a way with analyzing situations. Daphne could only nod at him, secretly astonished with him.
"And you?" Ron asked her, hopeful that they could meet.
"I can meet anytime you can, I need to tell only my friends that I am in the library studying. I do that most afternoons anyways. So, we can meet somewhere, but where?" Daphne asked, wondering if Ron somehow had a more intimate knowledge of the school.
"How about right now we meet by the lake? The weather is warm enough to be enjoyable, and from there we can go to our detention. Then on the winter we will have to change locations inside the castle because the teachers give more lectures. I will let you know as we go." Ron finished and looked expectantly at Daphne.
"Perfect. After classes we can go to the lake on the other side, it seems quieter there, and we can speak freely. Then we go to detention and go to our separate Common Rooms." Daphne finished and stood up, motioning for Ron to do the same and went towards the doors.
"Daphne, wait!" Ron said as he stood up and got closer to Daphne. Daphne turned around and looked up to Ron's face. He seemed much taller when he was really close.
"I am glad we can get to know each other better." Ron said honestly with a smile, brightening up the dim room.
Daphne immediately felt her insides melt and an equally bright smile appeared on her face. She blushed and dipped her head in embarrassment, not wanting Ron to see the effect his statement had on her.
"Let's go Daphne. You leave first and I will wait until you disappear and I will go. I don't want anyone to find out right now, please not be offended. Our house rivalry is big enough as it is, and I am the most vocal about it, I apologize for that too. Damn…I have to do things a bit better don't I?" Ron finished with a little chuckle, opening the door for Daphne.
Daphne just smirked and shook her head lightly, amused at his antics. He was cute when he rambled on, she thought. Daphne then went towards the hall going towards her section of the castle.
Ron watched as she disappeared from his sight and waited a bit until he thought no one would be in the halls. He then proceeded to get out towards his own Common Room's direction.
"Mr. Weasley a moment please!" Ron heard a voice behind him say. Ron halted and turned around to find McGonagall looking at him.
"Shit" Ron muttered, clearly expecting to be admonished. He smiled and went towards the Transfiguration professor.
"Yes Professor?" Ron asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
"What are you doing here almost before curfew? Not getting into trouble like your brothers or your friend Mr. Potter, I suppose?" McGonagall asked, a serious look on her face.
"Not at all professor…" Ron said quickly thinking and coming up with an idea "…just sending a letter to my parents about the coming Hogsmede visit. I need their signature since I forgot to ask it over the summer." Ron hoped that what he said would be enough to distract her, relying on the fact that she thought Ron had forgot to ask for permission.
"Ah I see Mr. Weasley, very well…" McGonagall said not seeming to stop and motioning to him to walk in the direction he was going "...tell me now then. How is Molly doing? I haven't had the chance to visit or have a cup of tea this summer…" McGonagall went on and on, and Ron answered her questions along the way to the Common Room.
Ron entered the Common Room after leaving McGonagall and realized how tired he was. He hoped that Daphne got safely to hers, hoping that she would not get any questions as to where she was. He looked around and saw that only Hermione was there, obviously waiting for him.
"Ronald Bilius Weasley. Where were you right now?" Hermione said, in a tone reminiscent of his mother Ron just realized. Ron then felt something that made him change his point of view completely towards Hermione. He felt attracted to her because it reminded him of his mother, weirdly enough. He thought he wanted someone just like Molly Weasley, but he was floored to find out that he did not. He smiled internally and cheered up at the thought of him moving on his childish antics, well, one aspect of them at least.
"After my detention McGonagall stopped me to ask me about my parents 'Mione. That's all" Ron said with his hands up in defense, honestly not wanting to fight when he was this tired.
"Oh…" Hermione said a little embarrassed "…Fine then. Then come here and tell me about your detention with Greengrass, I want to know more about what you do there." Hermione said as she grabbed his arm in order for them to sit. She automatically grabbed his hand and started rubbing.
To Ron, the touch felt alien, it felt awkward for him and wondered if it was the same to Hermione. He needed the weekend of Hogsmede to come quickly in order to stop this from going any further.
"Well, we do not do anything more than organize Snape's many ingredient cabinets…" Ron explained to Hermione all he had to do, careful not to mention anything about Daphne. Hermione would be suspicious if he mentioned her at all.
"I wish I could stay all night talking but I am falling asleep as I speak 'Mione. I hope you understand?" Ron said, careful not to offend her, he wanted to end this in good terms so he would have to act accordingly.
"Of course, have a good night's sleep Ron." Hermione said and pecked him on the cheek. Ron did not blush but did smile at Hermione.
"Night 'Mione." Ron said and stood up, hiding his yawn behind his hand. He then went up to his dorm room, noting that Harry was not there just before falling to his bed, not bothering to change. Sleep quickly claimed him, his last thought being of one blonde witch.
Daphne arrived to the Slytherin's dungeons without a hitch. She encountered no one in the halls and she was grateful for that since she had a smile on her face the whole way back. She thought she was floating and had to wait a bit to compose herself before entering the Common Room. She opened the room and saw the entire house gathered around Malfoy. Tracey and Theo saw her enter and quickly motioned for her to stand beside them. No one seemed to pay her any mind as they surrounded Malfoy.
"…That is why this year will be the best for this House. We will try our best to stop the other houses to win the House Cup. Father will aid me with the tools necessary to win the Quidditch tournament this year. Umbridge works for him so Slytherin will have the advantage this year, already humiliating Potter on the first week? Brilliant…" Malfoy rambled and Daphne was quick to drone him out.
She turned to Tracey and nodded for her to accompany her to the dorms. Most students were leaving Malfoy's little gathering, dismissing him quickly as he started to boast and sing his own praises.
"Good night Theo." Daphne said teasingly as she waited for Tracey and Theo to finish their embrace and goodnight kiss.
"Night Daph." Theo replied dumbly, not responding to Daphne's tease, and went towards his own dorms.
Tracey and Daphne said nothing as they entered the dorm. Each doing their nightly routine, applying night creams and everything that they normally did.
"So why were you late today Daphy?" Tracey asked as she settled on her bed waiting for her friend, worried that something had happened.
"I went with Professor Flitwick to help me with today's charm assignment. I had difficulty with it yesterday and wanted his help. It was quick and easy." Daphne said, not looking at her friend as she applied moisturizer to her legs. She was proud of her legs and hoped that a certain wizard would see them someday. She blushed quickly but hid it well.
"Stupid Umbridge, making it more difficult to us this year. I wonder when…" Tracey went on, and Daphne quickly stopped paying attention. Tracey tended to rant before feeling tired and going to sleep. Apparently, venting her anger relaxed Tracey before falling deeply asleep.
Daphne only smiled as she felt drowsy as well. The next day would be interesting and she hoped that a certain redheaded wizard would make it special.
Here you go! One more chapter! Thank you if you have read this story and liked it and followed it. I will continue it.
Please review!