As I've said, updates won't be frequent XD. But I'll do my best to write a chapter every now and then. Answering a few comments: Yes, the main plotline will change, but it will take time, so please just be patient a little XD. I'm sorry if this is boring right now; I'm doing my best to, slowly, get it rolling, but you have to give me time. As always, please leave a review; I always appreciate those.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 6

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Harry had to bow down to avoid being hit by a rock that was sent flying at him with the Accio spell. He groaned heavily as the small object bounced off the floor a few times before coming to a halt. His wand had already slowly started irritating the skin of his hand; he dried it off against his pants and sighed loudly.

"The intonation of the incantation affects the outcome of the spell," Daphne reminded him. Her arms crossed over her chest as she stood motionlessly a few meters away from him. After a few attempts, she increased the original distance between them in order to avoid getting hit with a rock. "If the object you're trying to summon is nearby, you don't have to yell like that," she added, earning herself another groan from Harry.

"Maybe the Conjunctivitis Curse would be easier to learn," he commented, sitting down on the floor. For the past hour, he hadn't done anything other than practice the Summoning Charm. He wiped his face with his hand, already feeling the exhaustion slowly creeping into his body.

"I seriously doubt that," Daphne countered immediately, leaving her spot at the nearby wall and approaching him. "Besides the fact that we are not supposed to learn it until our seventh year, you have nothing to practice this spell on."

"I could always practice it on you," Harry replied with a small chuckle. Daphne rolled her eyes at that.

"And risk making me permanently blind or causing some other harm to me? No, thank you," she countered, pulling out her own wand. She pointed it at the rock lying a few meters behind Harry. "It's not that difficult. Accio rock," she said gently, yet there was a certain firmness in her voice. Harry turned his head to watch as the small object flew directly into Daphne's outstretched hand. "See? It's not that difficult," she repeated before allowing the rock to fall from her grasp. "Now, get up."

"That's easy for you to say," Harry muttered, getting up to his feet. "Flitwick has already taught you that spell, but he hasn't discussed it in our class yet," he added. Daphne raised one of her eyebrows.

"Are you implying that I'm an inadequate teacher?" she asked challengingly, taking a small step in his direction. Being shorter than he didn't stop her from glaring at Harry. He only shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm just saying that you've been taught by a professional teacher, while I am being taught… well, by you," he said, gesturing at her. Daphne's second eyebrow joined the first one high on her forehead.

"Do it again," she ordered, kicking the rock. The sound echoed from the walls of the Chamber of Secrets before the small object stopped. "As Ms. Hooch taught us to summon the brooms in our first year," she added. "If I recall correctly, you had no problems doing it on your first try."

"That was different," Harry countered swiftly.

"Really?" Daphne queried. "Enlighten me then: how is that any different to what we're doing right now."

"Well, the broom is more like a living thing than a simple object," he started explaining after a short moment of silence. "I can't exactly pinpoint it, but it's just… it's what it feels like."

"Then think about that rock as a living object if that helps," Daphne suggested. "Besides, you will want to summon your broom, after all, so you might as well get some practice with that."

"Rock isn't a broom," he countered, shaking his head.

"Try it, Potter," Daphne replied, crossing her arms over her chest once again. Harry sighed heavily once more before raising his wand.

"Accio rock," he said the incantation, performing a semicircular movement with his right hand. Following Daphne's suggestion, he tried saying those words softly, almost lovingly, just as he had done it three years earlier when he was first introduced to Quidditch.

The object lying a few meters away from him rose from the ground and started flying towards him. However, as opposed to all his previous attempts, at that moment, it wasn't threatening to crush his head as it was approaching him. Harry's eyes widened, and he reached out with his left hand, preparing a landing spot for the rock. After what seemed like hours, though in reality, it wasn't more than two seconds, the small object landed in the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, it surely is different," Daphne commented sarcastically as she observed the outcome of Harry's spell. It took him a few seconds to register her words before he turned around to look at her.

"How?" he stuttered out, not able to believe that it worked after so many failed attempts.

"Because you were taught, well… by me," she replied, echoing Harry's words from a few moments earlier. The dark-haired boy chuckled at that and shook his head before turning his attention back to the rock lying on his hand. After a few seconds, he threw the object as far as he could before summoning it once again. Just as before, the rock landed in his left hand after a short moment. He chuckled again and tossed it into the air before catching it again. "I hate to spoil your fun, but it's only the beginning," Daphne informed him, effectively wiping away the smile from his lips.

"What?" Harry asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Your broom won't be with you when you go against that dragon," she reminded him. "You have to learn how to summon the objects that aren't within your eyesight. Now, give me that," Daphne ordered, reaching out with her left hand expectantly. After a short while, Harry handed her the small rock. "Vingardium Leviosa," she said, pointing at the object with her wand. The stone started levitating, and she directed it towards the entrance of the Chamber. Harry followed the rock with his gaze, helplessly watching as it disappeared in one of the tunnels, swallowed by the omnipresent darkness. "You know what it looks like, and you know what it feels like in your hand," Daphne said after allowing the rock to drop on the floor, far beyond their sight. The sound echoed throughout the entire Chamber, slowly disappearing after a few seconds. "Focus on it, visualize it as you summon it," she instructed him, taking a few steps backward, probably to avoid accidentally being hit by the rock.

"Doesn't the spell have some kind of limited distance?" Harry queried, remembering as the Levitation Charm was unable to keep an object flying over long distances. "I mean, most of the spells have something like that," he added as if he wanted to defend his argument. Daphne shrugged her shoulders.

"It doesn't if I recall correctly," she replied immediately without even thinking twice. "However, the object's path can't be blocked by anything, and you have to know precisely what you want to summon," Daphne informed him, recalling everything she knew about the Accio spell. "Furthermore, the greater distance will require you to focus much more on the object you want to summon, and it will affect the speed at which it comes to you. And once again, think of it as if it was your beloved broom," she added; for a split second, Harry wondered if it was a hint of sarcasm that he had heard in her voice. He decided not to think about that, though. At least she's not yelling like Hermione, he couldn't help but notice.

The sudden thought caused him to stop dead in his tracks, just as he was going to say the incantation of the spell. Subconsciously, he allowed his right arm to drop; the grip on his wand became slightly less firm, causing it to slide a little through his fingers. His gaze became unfocused as he thought about his bushy-haired friend. A former friend, he corrected himself, feeling an icy hand clenching itself around his heart. Ron had always been short-tempered, and it didn't take much for him to jump to wrong conclusions or make a hasty decision, which would later turn out to be wrong, but Hermione has never been like that. While more than a little crazed about the education, she's always managed to keep a cool head in the worst situations, and that's why her behavior towards him hurt so much. It's as if she forgot everything we've been through, he thought.

"What's the delay?" Daphne asked from the spot where she was standing, seemingly patiently waiting for him to keep practicing. It took Harry a second to remember that he wasn't alone in the Chamber. Normally, Hermione and Ron would be here with me, he thought. It was only then that he realized that neither of the two Gryffindors had seen that part of the Chamber of Secrets.

"Nothing," he replied.

"You're a terrible liar, Potter," she commented immediately, not failing to notice how the words left his mouth a little too quickly. Harry rolled his eyes at that and shook his head slightly. Instead of replying to her comment, the young boy raised his wand and recited the incantation of the Summoning Charm, focusing his attention entirely on the rock that was hiding in the dark tunnels.

The small stone flew towards him at a reasonable speed, not threatening to crush his head again, though it was still approaching rapidly. However, the Snitch was capable of moving much faster. After three years of playing Quidditch, calculating the trajectory wasn't even something he was doing consciously anymore. Instead, Harry adjusted his body, moving his left arm to the front, ready to catch the object he had just summoned.

However, the small stone has never reached him, nor has it fallen to the ground, if the lack of sound was any indication. A gentle clearing of a throat caused him to turn his head and look at his companion. With a frustrated sigh, he spotted the rock in Daphne's palm, as she was throwing it up and down effortlessly and carelessly.

"I've asked you a question," she said, finally dropping the stone. Harry rolled his eyes again. No matter how much time he had spent with the Slytherin during the past few days, it was still impossible for him to understand her sometimes.

"And I've told you that it's nothing," he replied, shaking his head.

"And I've said that you're a terrible liar," she reminded him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I thought I wouldn't have to spell it to you, but I meant that I wanted you to answer me honestly," Daphne added. Harry raised his eyebrows at that. He couldn't stop himself from chuckling when he realized how much the Slytherin girl reminded him of his cousin, who was unable to take a 'no' for an answer. For a split second, he wondered how she would react if he said that out loud. "I don't understand what's so funny about that," she commented.

"That you're acting like a child who's been refused a second dessert," Harry informed her, crossing his arms as well; a small smirk was dancing across his lips. If there was one thing he'd learned about Daphne Greengrass during the short time they've been spending together, it was that the whole 'Ice Queen' persona was nothing more than an act, a mask. Just like a small puppy that barks at everyone and everything, though deep in the heart, it knows that it can't do much. And to think that I'd trembled beneath her gaze, he mused, barely stopping himself from chuckling. Despite his revelation, Harry did not doubt that the Slytherin girl was a skilled witch, and she wouldn't have a problem finding a painful way to hex him. Neville's words about what happened to Marcus Flint resurfaced in his mind.

Although not even a single muscle twitched on her face, her gaze became significantly colder. "You're either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish, Potter," she slowly commented; the tone of her voice was reflecting the coldness of her gaze, appropriate for her title. He didn't fail to notice that one of her hands was gripping her wand tightly. Still, her small smirk remained on her lips, causing Harry to wonder, once again, if it was a permanent blemish on her face or if she was permanently keeping the left corner of her lips raised. "Or both," she added, causing Harry to roll his eyes.

"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot for the past three years," Harry replied, nodding his head a couple of times. Daphne's wand moved slightly; its point slowly edging towards him. "I was simply thinking about what you had said some time ago," he added quickly; his smile once again disappeared from his face. "About Hermione, I mean," Harry clarified upon noticing her raised eyebrow that urged him to elaborate further. "It's just… you remind me of her in a way. She's also used to help me to get a better grip on the new spells or something like that. It's still difficult to see her turn her back on me so easily," he muttered.

"I see," Daphne commented slowly, nodding her head in understanding. Her wand disappeared from her hand, making Harry wonder where she was keeping it. "And who is a better teacher?" she asked suddenly, seemingly forgetting about Harry's previous comment regarding her attitude. The young boy blinked a few times, caught off guard by her words.

"At least you're not screaming at me when I fail," he answered honestly; a chuckle followed his words. Daphne's gaze softened a little after hearing his response, though once again, none of the muscles on her face moved. "So, you're definitely much more patient with me than she," he added before a smirk found its way on his face. "Although, I guess we'll see in two weeks how effective your tutorship is," Harry said with a chuckle, causing Daphne to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm quite sure you would have caught that stone if I hadn't interfered," Daphne replied. "So I assume that it's safe to say that my teaching methods are effective," she added. "You have learned the spell, and now it's only up to you whether you're able to use it properly. If I have to be honest, I'd say I've already done my part," the Slytherin girl said, gently shrugging her shoulders; a few strands of her hair abandoned her carefully prepared hairstyle, falling on her hands that still remained crossed over her chest.

"You're not wearing that badge," Harry said, recalling his observation from earlier as his eyes followed the movement of her hair, stopping just above her chest on the spot where many students were wearing the badges. Daphne followed his gaze with her own eyes before shrugging her shoulders once again.

"And would you want me to wear it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Before Harry managed to reply, the Slytherin girl bent forward, searching for something in her school bag. It didn't take her long to straighten herself up, causing Harry to flinch instantly, as he noticed the badge that spread throughout the Castle so quickly.

"No," Harry muttered, hiding his hands in the pockets of his trousers, still glaring at the small object in Daphne's hand. "How were they even distributed so quickly, though?" he asked, unable to fake indifference. It wasn't difficult for him to guess how those badges ended up spread throughout the Slytherin House so quickly, but how they've appeared everywhere else was still a mystery to him.

Daphne shrugged her shoulders again. "I have no idea," she said simply, eyeing the badge that she was holding between her fingers; due to their close proximity, Harry's distorted face was visible on the small plaque. "One morning, everyone seemed to find it at their beds," Daphne said before turning her eyes to look back at him. "Though I have no idea who created them nor how were they distributed throughout the Castle during only one night." She sighed loudly, once again examining the badge with her eyes. "However, the idea behind it makes me believe that it had to be a first-year," she added.

"I wouldn't put it past Malfoy to be behind it," Harry commented, drawing his wand. With a quick movement of his right hand, he cast the Summoning Charm, yanking the plaque from Daphne's grasp. "I mean, it's not that complex, as you've noticed."

"Which makes me believe that your friend Weaselbee might also be their creator," Daphne said, continuously staring at the badge that Harry was fidgeting between his fingers; she didn't say a word about him practically stealing it away from her. The boy's eyes fell to the floor as he remembered how proud his Housemate looked that morning in the Potions with the badge clasped firmly above his heart.

"I guess you're right," he muttered slowly as he allowed the badge to fall on the marble floor of the Chamber of Secrets; it cluttered against the tiles before coming to a halt. With a quick 'Incendio,' the plaque shared the fate of the copy of the Daily Prophet that Harry had brought with him there a few days prior. However, it wasn't he who unleashed the torrent of flames at the badge. The young boy quickly raised his head in surprise, staring at Daphne's outstretched hand; smoke was slowly rising from the tip of her wand.

"I didn't like it either," Daphne replied to his unasked question after she noticed him staring at her with a puzzled expression.

"Thank you," Harry whispered, unsure of what else he could say or do at that moment. He didn't know why, but that small action and Daphne's words afterward made him feel much better than he had during the past few days. "For this, and… for everything," he added quickly, rubbing the back of his head. "I never would have thought that speaking with someone might actually help," Harry said with a nervous chuckle.

"Hadn't Granger always tried to make you talk when she sensed something wasn't right?" Daphne countered. Harry shrugged his shoulders.

"She had, though it rarely did any good. Usually, it was just a reason for us to argue," Harry informed her, sitting down at the floor of the Chamber. He performed the semicircular movement with his wrist as he muttered the incantation. Almost instantly, a small rock landed on his hand. "I guess that Hermione believes that she can fix everything that's wrong with the world."

"And now that she doesn't understand something, she tries to isolate herself from it," Daphne commented, slowly nodding her head as she squatted down next to the boy. "Perhaps it would be easier for her to understand if she decided to listen to you for once."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you really noticed that?" Daphne asked, raising one of her eyebrows. "How she treats both you and Weaselbee almost all the time – with superiority because she believes herself to be the most brilliant and the smartest woman out there. One can read every book in the entire world and still have little to no knowledge about anything," she added, earning herself a chuckle from her companion.

"Is that jealousy speaking through you?" Harry countered with a small smirk. "I mean, everyone knows about your silent and unmentioned duel with Hermione when it comes to classes," he clarified, earning himself a huff from the blonde Slytherin as she shook her head. "I guess you won't be thrilled if I tell you that she had done better than you last year?"

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked, echoing his words from just a few moments before; her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at his face without understanding. "Both me and Granger have scored straight 'O's in every subject."

"And what if I told you that Hermione had scored two more 'O's than you?" Harry challenged her with an amused expression. "She was also attending Divination and Care of Magical Creatures with us. I'm not sure about the Muggle Studies, though," he revealed.

"Impossible," Daphne replied immediately. "Divination was at the same time as Ancient Runes, while Care of Magical Creatures was at the same time as Arithmancy, and I have shared both of these subjects with Granger," she explained carefully; her eyes didn't leave his face for even a split second, and she huffed once again as Harry smirked upon hearing her words.

"Yeah, it took Ron and me some time to figure that out as well," Harry commented, nodding his head. "And in the end, it was Hermione who explained to us what she's been up to for that whole year. Though to be honest, she was quite good in hiding it – I think only Ron has noticed that something was off."

"You're babbling, Potter," Daphne said as she continued to listen patiently to his words, wanting to know how was it possible that Granger attended two more subjects than she has.

"Sorry," he answered with a chuckle. "She had received a Time-Turner at the beginning of the last school year from Professor McGonagall, and she was using it to attend every single class possible," he said, chuckling once again.

"Please, tell me you're joking," Daphne muttered. She clenched her teeth tightly when she saw the boy shaking his head a few times, and the left corner of her lips dropped slightly. "Are you sure of that?"

"I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't travel with her via the Time-Turner," Harry replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But, after seeing it in action myself, I didn't need much convincing to believe that Hermione's been using it simply to attend every class."

"One of the most dangerous items in her hands, and she uses it to take more subjects," Daphne commented under her breath; she slowly closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And what was the purpose of you using the Time-Turner?" she asked after a moment.

"We had… stuff to do," Harry mumbled, deciding not to look at her. There was no way he could explain what had happened a few months earlier with mentioning, and endangering, Sirius. Luckily for him, Daphne seemed to buy his explanation.

"If Granger is supposed to be the most rational of your Trio, then I have absolutely no idea how you have managed not to get killed for the past three years," Daphne commented, once again earning herself a chuckle from Harry.

"I guess that someone has attempted to fix that mistake for me," he countered, shaking his head. "The Tournament, I mean," he clarified upon noticing a questioning look on Daphne's face. "Thank you again for teaching me that spell," Harry said after a moment of silence, standing up from his spot on the floor.

"You're welcome," Daphne replied, mimicking his actions. "But make sure to practice it as much as possible before the Task," she added, picking up her school bag. With a quick flick of her wand, the Slytherin girl dried the spot that was touching the wet marble floors. "And make sure to pay attention to Professor Flitwick's class as well. I'm pretty sure his explanations and tutorship are much better than mine."

"Has the Ice Queen just admitted that she's not best in everything?" Harry teased her with a small chuckle, earning himself a cold glare from the Slytherin girl. However, according to his previous observation, it didn't have as much strength as it used to have.

"I'm simply aware that there are others who can have a greater knowledge regarding a subject than me," she replied before turning around. She quickly started walking towards the exit of the Chamber, with Harry following her closely behind. The curfew was already approaching.

Still, the Gryffindor had decided to listen to Slytherin's advice about Flitwick's classes. The next day, when the tiny Professor introduced the topic of the Summoning Charm to them, Harry made sure to write down every single word that left his mouth in an attempt to learn everything there was to learn about that single spell. Confirming Daphne's words, the Accio spell didn't have any distance limit, or, at least, it hadn't been discovered yet. It has managed to somehow ease Harry's mind about the rapidly approaching First Task.

Near the end of the class, Professor Flitwick has made them practice the newly learned spell. As Harry was leaving the classroom, he couldn't hide the smirk that found its way onto his lips as he noticed that he had cast the spell successfully even before Hermione; he could feel her gaze on his back. The fact that he had been practicing that spell for over an hour the previous day never bothered him.

That's it for today; I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry for the long pause, but life has been throwing things at me at supersonic speed recently, and I just can't find time to sit down and write as I'd like to. And when I do, I find myself facing writer's block… So yeah, the past few months haven't been the best for me when it comes to my productivity. Nevertheless, thank you for your patience, and please, let me know what you think of my work. I'll try to increase the ratio of updates, though I'm not sure how that's going to end up. Currently, I'm focused on reading as many 'Haphne' fics as possible to get a better understanding of the dynamics between those two characters, so if you have any good stories to share, feel free to mention them in the comments or PMs. Anyway, see you next time.