Act 3 Chapter 2: With the New Rising Sun II

AN: All rights to JK Rowling and Warner.

She grew over the summer. Her brown hair still framed her face well, with her gold tinted green eyes penetrating as a sword seeped in a tear laden poison. Seeing her in such a state of emotional unrest placed him back in Hagrid's hut over the winter holidays, as he gripped her shaking form, emotion overwhelming her fragile ego. Since she was not alone, he did not.

Not unlike a shadow, Daphne Greengrass stationed herself just behind her friend. Strait blonde hair dancing through nonexistent wind. Her face usually held little emotion, but she drew her lip thin and firm with a tiny unnatural wrinkle coming around her nose. Her eyes, like a panther, stalked with intent to end the confrontation in a single bound.

Harry had spent scant time in Daphne's presence. He hated her somewhat. She reappeared in Tracy's life and took her from him. But that is what Tracy had wanted. He was the replacement for something better. Daphne, during interactions at school, wanted nothing to do with Harry. After his initial introduction to his house, he spent very little time with any of them. All but Tracy during those cold weeks. He valued his time with her, but after spending a summer surrounded by people, some of whom would write back to him, the sting of her betrayal was less painful.

Or so he had believed.

Seeing her again, draped in sadness and despair, brought back the emotions of abandonment that he had previously thought gone. The reminder he was no one's first choice, that feeling Nic and his mother had erased, only covered, not gone.

Her coming to his cabin hoping to see him had his heart leaping and a celebratory woop waiting to escape his quivering lips.

He also wished to ignore her. To shut the door in her face and have her feel the rejection she so cheaply handed him. To smile as her pain led her to isolation.

Harry was like a drawn bow. The meeting with the frozen fey called Luna Lovegood had him poised to attack.

"Hello, Davis," his voice decided before his thoughts. It came out detached and cold. When they broke forth, her shoulders seemed to drape forward with a loss of tension, though her eyes spoke of betrayal. Her companion's face however, only drew into further extremes for the young girl. Why did he change to the formal way of addressing his classmates? This was Tracy. His first friend. She also was the first friend to leave him. Harry stood, shielded before Selphie, waiting to see a purpose in her visit. He could not recall one.

"Is this all a game to you, Potter?" Daphne interrupted the silence which lingered over his greeting. Her voice sounded like it was trying to be a winter wind. However, when faced with true brisk, the hollow imitation shown as clear as the stars in a cloudless sky. Despite attempting to hold back her emotions, the genuine anger and hatred she held for him came from an edge she tried adding. She had taken a position like his over Selphie in front of the brunette girl. A sweet paladin for the wounded princess.

Harry's head tilted at the accusation. "Is what a game?"

"I am tired of this, Potter," she seethed. The façade of detachment, of social superiority, abandoned. For the first time, Harry had seen raw emotion decorated her. It suited her well. As her face grew in emotion, it also grew in beauty. Color flew to her once white cheeks, adding a sign of life in an almost vampiric attachment at color. Piercing blue eyes roared like a cracking glacier and clashed against his own with violent and raw strength. Harry wanted to dive into them and see what was there. It was powerful, and he wanted it. "The fake ignorance." Harry wondered what it was he was ignorant of. "The attention seeking behavior." She must mean the troll. "The acting like you are better than everyone," her breathing was erratic. Her shoulders heaved as she worked herself into a tizzy. "And the worst part is your lying." She added with a stomp.

He stared blankly at her as Tracy put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I told you that is not the case."

"Tracy, he is obviously manipulating you." Daphne deflected. A practiced routine played between the old friends. They began an argument that appeared to go through motions of repetition played out as Selphie's soft hand grabbed at the back of his cloak.

Harry held back a cry of relief as he turned to the silent plea of his charge. The anxiety of the previous meeting was no longer present on her face. "Are you better?" he asked, barely above a whisper, to which she nodded. Harry smiled at her as Alastair moved from his cloak's shoulder to the young girl, causing her to flinch. "I have to take care of this," he pointed to the scene behind, were the two girls still argued, "is that ok?" Selphie answered with a small nod, still too weak to speak, and sat back on the compartments seat.

The movement did not escape Daphne's wandering eye. "Potter, you are not even listening."

"Can't say I have," he replied, bringing a hand to his neck. More rage spilled as she was about to start again. Harry cut her off before she could. "Could we please calm down and have a seat? It is becoming a little much for Selphie," he said, pointing to the offended party.

It appeared that was enough, as all the previous signs of hypertension and aggression faded as Daphne sat across from the frightened girl, that her state was not at all because of the blonde not mattering. "Well, Potter. I am waiting for an explanation."

Harry watched back cocking his head again, "for…?"

"I told you this was a waste of time." Daphne stood up only for Tracy to grab her arm, halting any more movement.

"I keep saying it's not like that." Tracy whispered. Still seated, she looked at him. "Why didn't you reply to my letters, Harry?" Her voice cracked. Wisp of tears threatened to descend upon his reaction.

"What letters?"

"You have some nerve." Daphne started again. It was strange. Normally she was composed, but right now her actions were closer to what he would see Tracy's own as; forthcoming.

"I started writing to you around midsummer," Tracy said in an even tone.

"Oh. I did not get a single letter this year, not even my Hogwarts letter. Albus had to send it to Nic."

"Albus?" Daphne started.

"He means Headmaster Dumbledore," Tracy informed her, causing the taller girl to scoff.

"There you go, lying again," Daphne started.

"Daphne, I have told you quite a few times. I think he and Headmaster Dumbledore are close. He even invited Harry to sit at his left hand for Christmas." Tracy argued for him, moving Daphne to sit again.

"It made sense when I was overseas, but when I finally got home, still nothing," he continued his story unfazed.

"Wait, you really traveled to Atlantia?" Daphne questioned.

"I did. How did you know?"

"Harry, did you write in a journal?" Tracy asked him.

"As a matter of fact, I did." As he said that, she reached down and grabbed a leather bound. Flipping it open, the words 'Dear Tracy' led at the top of the page. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Right?" Harry asked to Alastair, who failed to answer his question, content to sit on Selphie's lap.

"You are crazy. Talking to a toad." Daphne snorted, before catching herself and putting on a frown again.

"Albus talks to Fawkes,"

"That's the headmaster's phoenix," Tracy added.

"Why shouldn't I talk to him? I would argue he is better for conversation," he added with a smile.

"You are crazy, Potter," Daphne said in disbelief.

"Crazy is a matter of perspective," Harry countered her. "Well, Tracy," he said almost questionably. When she nodded her head, he continued, "Apparently, you know all about my summer. How about we talk about yours?"

"I think I'd like that," and then it hit him. Her beautiful and pure smile, for the first time that day, shone like the sun. It called him like an oasis to a thirsty man, or bread to a starving man.

"I'd like that too,"

"Well, it all started when we left on the Hogwarts Express. I didn't see you anywhere, so me and Daphne…"

The train ride to Hogwarts ended a few hours later. Harry never stopped smiling the entire way.

A really short chapter. When I broke it up originally, I was thinking of including a few more interactions on the train, but I thought, "lets save them for Hogwarts!" Thus, a super baby chapter before we head to the castle proper next time.

I would like to apologize for the long break in chapters. Three funerals in the last three months are to much and has eaten into my will to write quite a bit.