Serpentine Virtues Chapter 6

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get flamed because of how I have portrayed Harry so far. But honestly, what would be the point of a story if Harry and Daphne fell in love immediately and got pregnant by like Chapter 6…? Just wait and see what happens.

An explanation about Skele-Grow is in this Chapter. However, I have very little experience in the medical field. So… I highly doubt my reasoning and inferences in this chapter are realistic and/or correct. But I try…

Really, REALLY torturous chapter to write. I know what I want to happen before and after this chapter, but…this one just came really slowly. And it was incredibly difficult to write properly.

Need a beta. Please PM if interested. Enjoy Chapter 6.

oOo

Harry Potter had spent about three months in the hospital fixing up both his spinal cord and his destroyed arm. It was quite an unpleasant experience.

The Healers had decided against using a Vanishing Charm to Vanish all the broken bones in his arm, before using Skele-Grow to repair it.

This was mainly due to the fact that Harry, while being well-fed for the most part of his adult life, was still suffering the long-term effects of malnourishment that he'd suffered at the hands of his relatives in his early life.

While they weren't affecting his performance when he was healthy, his bone structure was significantly weaker due to his body developing in a malnourished state. The Skele-Grow that he'd used in his Second Year to regrow the bones in his arm due to Lockhart's ineptness had taken much longer than it should have to work.

When Hermione had taken Skele-Grow at Shell's Cottage back when they were hunting Horcruxes, her bones had mended within a few hours. It took him a full night to regrow all his bones in the Hospital Wing.

In fact, after his bones had been regrown, Madam Pomfrey had warned that it would be quite a toll on his body if he were to use Skele-Grow in the future.

Now, he was trying to get his Quidditch career back on track. Damn the Healers for saying that it was impossible. Nothing was impossible, especially if you were named Harry Potter.

As he pored over recent studies about bone growth and bone-strengthening potions that pioneer potioneers were studying, he got one clear message. It was possible, but incredibly expensive for him to play Quidditch again.

It was a good thing, then, that he'd received the combined fortunes of the Potter and Black families. Still, looking at the treatments, it was clear that they weren't exactly…pleasant.

He heard a sharp tapping on the window, and turned. Outside, a school owl was tapping on the window, a letter tied to its leg.

Harry smiled. It was the same owl that he'd sent out to Daphne a few days ago.

Quickly crossing the room, he threw open the window, shivering a little as a blast of frigid, February air. After letting the owl in, which proceeded to shake off all the ice and snow clinging to it right onto his newspaper, he quickly shut the window before moving towards the fireplace. The owl flew after him, and settled itself on the arm of the armchair that he sank into. He untied the letter, gave the owl a few Knuts, thanked it, and watched it fly towards the window. It gave him a reproachful look.

Harry groaned, walking to the window once more, and opening it to allow the owl out. Why the stupid bird wanted to fly in the frigid weather instead of heading towards the Owlery from the inside of the school he'd never know.

Sitting down again, he opened the letter, written in Daphne's usual neat, elegant script.

Dear Harry,

It was so nice to hear from you again. We've been out of touch.

Harry winced at this. He really shouldn't have abandoned Daphne after he left for Hogwarts. He'd spent nearly two months without contacting her. Some friend he was.

Anyways, there's no need to apologize. I totally understand you had problems at the time. I hope you are getting better. Life moves on. If you want someone to talk to, I'm always here.

Harry smiled at that. There was his Daphne, always caring about him, being there for him when he needed her.

And I'd be thrilled to see you over Easter. I heard there was this fancy new Italian restaurant that opened up a few blocks from the Leaky Cauldron, and I've received nothing, but rave reviews for it. If you're up for it, we could go there. I know Easter this year is April 8, so if you want, we could meet up for lunch that day? Or perhaps dinner? We can set a date via Floo call or something.

As for Flint, I was really scared. I don't know how much you've heard, but he was ready to rape me. I thought that I'd really be giving up my virtue, Harry. I was so scared.

Harry mentally kicked himself. He should've been there for her.

But I'm okay. No damage done. Please stop worrying about me, Harry. I know you will. And don't get into trouble because of me with Flint alright? He's not worth it. I'm sure I can handle him the next time he shows his face in front of me. I just got overconfident last time, and underestimated him badly.

I miss you, Harry. See you during Easter.

Love,

Daphne

'I miss you, Harry.' Harry traced those words with his index finger, his emotions a storm within him.

He missed Daphne desperately. Missed her sarcasm, her wit, and how she always knew him. Really knew him. She knew when to leave him alone, when to be there for him, and generally what mood he was in. She was one of a very select few people that treated him like Harry, not Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Conqueror of Voldemort, Leader of the Light, and International Quidditch sensation. Those were just a few of his many titles that he was absolutely sick of.

He checked his schedule. He was due to show off his Patronus Charm to the Fifth Years in a few minutes, so he decided that he really didn't have the time to Floo call Daphne, no matter how much he wanted to. But he knew that he'd be calling her later that day.

He knew, in his heart, that he really liked her, loved her even. But his brain was fighting him every step of the way. His nightmares at night, which, more often than not, ended up with various scenes that showed Ginny's death, kept preventing him from making the first step towards any sort of romantic relationship with his former agent.

And now there was Kevin Entwhistle. Harry remembered him to be a quiet, studious, Ravenclaw back in Fifth Year, who was quite likable and easy to get along with. He certainly wasn't the most popular person in Ravenclaw, but he had his own select group of friends who were as tight as ticks.

Harry knew that there was a very real possibility of Kevin "snatching Daphne away", as Hermione had put it.

Harry shook those thoughts from his mind. He needed to think happy thoughts. Heading out the door, he focused on the memory of his first kiss with Ginny, back in Sixth Year. As he headed towards the Defence classroom, he mentally prepared himself for the Patronus Charm.

Recently, his Patronus had been quite weaker, although it was still a corporeal Patronus that would drive off quite a few Dementors. He suspected it had something to do with Ginny's death, which made all of his happy memories dimmer, and less joyful. Thus, he'd had to spend a few extra minutes really conjuring up a happy memory.

He entered the Defence classroom, nodding respectfully to Narcissa Malfoy, who was standing by the blackboard.

After exchanging pleasantries, he began his demonstration. He thought back to his memory of Ginny. Somehow, he felt that it wasn't sufficient. He didn't feel truly happy. Sifting through his memories, he suddenly found one. Thinking 'why not?', he focused on the memory, and let it fill him up.

Raising his wand, he cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

Prongs burst forth from his wand, looking much more radiant than he'd been before. In fact, Harry hadn't seen his Patronus shining this brightly since his Third Year, when he'd saved Sirius from a hundred Dementors.

Harry wasn't surprised that he'd produced such a powerful Patronus. No, he was surprised by the memory that conjured it.

It was a memory of Daphne.

oOo

Kevin Entwhistle lived in a modest London apartment. He didn't earn much, working as a mere clerk in a nearby store.

He was studying law, hoping to be a lawyer, trying to make a name for himself. His parents had been Muggles, so he had a foot in both worlds. Magic made schoolwork a lot easier, which gave Kevin a lot of time to roam the streets.

He hadn't expected to see anyone from Hogwarts when he walked into a Muggle Pub a few days ago. In fact, he'd been looking forward to a quiet drink at the bar, before heading home to finish his homework. Kevin traditionally frequented this bar after his shift at the store, and found it to be an excellent stress reliever that he'd need before really working on his homework.

He'd entered the bar, and had been heading towards the bar, when he noticed a little commotion in the corner. A man looked to be carrying a young woman outside. At a first glance, it looked like the young woman had just drank too much. However, two things piqued his interest. First, the young woman's face was very familiar, although Kevin couldn't quite put a name to the face at first. Second, the woman's eyes did not look like the eyes of an intoxicated person. They were clear, alert, and full of fear.

Upon further scrutiny, Kevin realized that the young woman was Daphne Greengrass, the former Slytherin Ice Queen. Kevin wasn't incredibly connected to the Wizarding World, but the last thing that he'd heard about Daphne Greengrass was that she'd become a sports agent, and was representing some of the finest players in the sport, including the legendary Harry Potter.

Knowing something wrong was happening, Kevin placed his hand in his pocket, fingering his wand as he silently followed the man carrying Daphne out of the bar.

When Kevin saw the man taking Daphne down a darkened alley, he knew something was wrong. He'd followed, silently, watching events unfold, and saved Daphne once he'd realized what the man, who turned out to be Marcus Flint, was going to do.

Once he'd saved her, and they'd gone back to the pub, Kevin had found Daphne to be a beautiful, smart, and most importantly, single young woman.

He wasn't the type of person to take advantage of someone in their emotional state, which was why he'd held back when they'd gone drinking together after the incident.

She'd hurried off after a quick goodbye an hour later or so, and Kevin had watched her go wistfully. She'd definitely caught his attentions.

Now, he found himself unable to concentrate at school. Ever since that night at the pub, it had been increasingly difficult to sit through two-hour law classes that he'd once found enrapturing. His mind was filled with images of the gorgeous blonde that he'd met, and he was mentally kicking himself for not noticing her back at Hogwarts.

His grades were suffering because of it, but that was alright. He'd done well for most of the course, and he was now seeking an internship at a popular law firm. He'd managed to get one to a fairly famous firm, McLaggen Enterprises, which specialized in representing all types of clients, most notably athletes.

Kevin would be lying if he'd claimed that Daphne's own job occupation hadn't affected his decision somewhat.

He'd gotten an interview with the boss, who turned out to be the giant prat Cormac McLaggen. He'd never been fond of the arrogant, overbearing, blonde Gryffindor, and it seemed that his swagger and arrogance had not diminished a bit.

He'd been assigned to work for another former classmate of his, Blaise Zabini, who had secretly confided in him that he would be leaving the company soon due to McLaggen's unbearable attitude.

Today, he was told that he would be meeting a good friend of Blaise's who was an outstanding agent. Apparently this friend had once also been a part of the firm, and had quit due to McLaggen's attitude. Then, Blaise's friend created a firm, and proceeded to do quite well, earning a load of money representing various athletes. It sounded like a pretty awesome "spit in your face" type of action against McLaggen. Blaise himself was seriously considering joining his friend.

Kevin was quite excited to meet this friend of Blaise's, as it sounded like the person was quite skilled in the agent field, and he wanted to learn as much as he could.

He followed Blaise into the fancy French restaurant. Apparently, his friend was quite rich as well. That just made it an even bigger reason for Kevin to learn as much as he could today.

He coughed, straightened his tie, checked again to make sure he looked presentable, and, deciding that he looked fine, followed Blaise to where a young woman was waiting at the table.

Still, he sure as hell wasn't prepared when the young woman lifted her head, and Kevin caught a glimpse of the face. In fact, his mouth dropped open, and he was pretty sure he made a total fool of himself.

He was also mentally cursing himself for never finding out much about her back when they'd had a few drinks in the bar.

After all, if he'd known that Blaise's friend was Daphne Greengrass, why, he'd have done a lot more, should have done a lot more, to get ready for this meeting.

oOo

March had finally arrived at Hogwarts, and finally, finally, most of the snow had melted off the grounds. There were still spots of it here and there, but most of it was gone.

It was still fairly cold, though, and Harry and Neville were wearing hats and scarves as they took their morning jog around the lake.

Honestly, Neville hadn't gotten this much exercise in a while. Normally, he would work on his plants in the morning, and prepare for his classes that day. Still, when Harry had approached him with the idea of a jog around the lake every morning, Neville didn't refuse. He recognized it as an opportunity to talk and reminisce with Harry, and he'd learned a lot about his friend, and what happened to him after the war.

Evidently, Harry hadn't decided to go the Auror route he'd pursued throughout his school career. Quite understandable, considering the life he'd led. His love for Quidditch also seemed to be a major factor.

Neville felt bad for his friend, who no longer could play Quidditch professionally due to his injuries. It was like taking away someone's life dream before they could complete it.

Something was up with Harry recently though. Neville noticed that his friend had become quite distant and distracted. He was still friendly and everything, but it seemed that Harry always had his mind elsewhere. Neville wasn't normally one to pry, but it got a little out of hand when Harry nearly ran into the lake, and probably would have if Neville hadn't shouted a warning.

"Harry, what's up with you lately?" Neville asked, finally unable to keep his silence. He was worried about his friend, seeing how distracted he was. The last time that Harry had been this distracted, he'd wound up attempting to kill himself by giving himself over to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.

"Huh?" Harry asked, almost as if he was just waking up from a really long, strange dream.

Neville grabbed Harry by the shoulders, and shook him hard.

"Harry! Hello!? Are you in there? What's wrong?"

Harry was jolted out of his reverie. He'd been daydreaming about a certain blonde agent recently, and it was showing in his absent-minded actions.

"Geez, Neville, there's no need to shout." Harry said, running a hand through his hair.

Neville just raised an eyebrow skeptically at him.

"Alright, alright…" Harry acquiesced, "I'm just a little distracted, okay?"

"Really? I didn't catch on to that at all." Neville said sarcastically.

"Sorry, mate." Harry said sheepishly.

"So, what's going on? Is there some new Dark Lord that's after your blood?"

"Erm, no. It's nothing dangerous actually." Harry replied.

Neville snorted. "That's a first."

Harry didn't respond, choosing to let the silence draw longer, hoping that Neville would drop the topic.

He was not that lucky.

"So, what's got the Great Harry Potter's knickers all in a twist?" Neville asked a few moments later, grinning.

Harry glared at him. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Neville shrugged. "I'll get it out of you eventually."

"Look, there's just something that I need to figure out over Easter break. Stop worrying about me." Harry said, trying to dissuade Neville from the topic.

"What is it? Girl trouble?" Neville joked.

Harry spluttered at the implication. "No, no, of course not!" His voice was an octave higher than usual.

Neville grinned like the cat that got the canary.

"So it is girl trouble? Who's the lucky lady, eh?"

Harry groaned, and jogged faster, trying to outrun Neville. When he'd first gotten here, Neville wasn't very fit, having spent most of his time working in the greenhouses, and having little time to really exercise. While working in the greenhouses could be exhausting, and required a lot of energy, it just wasn't the same as a run around the lake.

Nowadays, however, Neville had managed to keep up with Harry most days, and a winter spent cooped up in a castle had certainly diminished Harry's fitness a little.

But when Harry really went all-out, Neville still found himself huffing and puffing, trying to keep up. Still, he resolved to make Harry's life a living hell until he fessed up as to exactly who was the cause of his recent behavior. He wanted to make sure that Harry was okay, especially the whole tragedy with Ginny.

After all, he was a Longbottom, and he would always stick by a Potter.

oOo

She hadn't known that he would be Blaise's intern. In fact, it was almost as if Fate was intervening, pushing her towards him.

Really. What were the chances that the very same man who'd saved her from a horrible fate would then be assigned to her best friend as an intern. Especially considering how Blaise had no idea that he was the savior that night.

Daphne was incredibly confused, surprised, and even a little distressed after the lunch meeting. Kevin had been incredibly eager to learn, and Daphne had provided him with as many tips as she could. All the while feeling incredibly conflicted, especially when she caught Kevin's eyes wandering a little bit farther south than needed.

Normally, she'd get quite angry if she caught someone ogling her inappropriately, but…he had saved her, and it was only that one time. He'd been a polite gentleman nearly all throughout, and his enthusiasm for law shone through clearly. Daphne genuinely liked him.

Which was why she was currently conflicted, and confused about her own feelings.

Harry had finally started to take notice of her. It had taken nine long months, but he was coming, making a special trip out of Hogwarts, just to see her. But this whole…thing she had with Kevin just made it incredibly confusing, and Daphne wasn't sure now where exactly her affections lay. Did she love Harry? Definitely. The dense, idiot of a hero had wormed his way into her heart years ago, and had stayed there. Sometimes she wished she'd never met him, but sometimes she felt that she couldn't live without him.

Then, a new hero emerges, saving her from a ghastly fate at the hands of Marcus Flint. While she wasn't sure if she felt anything for him, she did owe him everything. Kevin was kind, charming, handsome, everything that Daphne had seen in Harry.

So she was really, REALLY confused. Oliver had been quite worried about her, especially when she missed their monthly lunch meet. She'd always gone to the monthly lunch meet. Oliver always picked a new, fancy restaurant, and Daphne had always enjoyed being pampered, even at the expense of Oliver's horrible jokes and sporadic attempts at flirting.

This time, though, she just up and forgot that it was going to happen, and Oliver was worried because of that. She just wasn't herself, and Oliver had been pestering her for days now, trying to get her to tell him what's wrong.

Which she couldn't, obviously. Daphne never told anyone about her relationship problems; not even Tracey. She didn't want to appear weak. She knew, deep down, that this notion was silly, but it was a part of her Ice Queen façade that she'd never been able to completely give up. She was an independent young woman, and she wanted to show it to the world.

She was currently lounging on the couch, reading the recent sports news absently without really taking in the information, still absently trying to figure out her feelings for the men in her life, when her fireplace roared, and a head appeared in the fireplace, jolting Daphne from her thoughts.

As she took in the appearance of the head, she realized that it was her sister calling. She hadn't expected her, but the sisters did keep in touch and were quite close, especially after their mother's death.

"Astoria? What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in school?" Daphne asked, walking over to the fireplace.

Astoria had pursued a career in literature after Hogwarts, especially Muggle literature, since she was disillusioned with the Wizarding World, and was seriously considering putting the Wizarding World behind her and "going Muggle." It was only the thought of leaving Daphne and her father behind that kept her from that decision, but she was very interested in Muggle literature.

At first, their father had tried to dissuade Astoria from dabbling in Muggle literature, but Astoria would not be stopped. She'd gone on to Oxford pursuing a degree in Classical Literature, and was currently studying there.

Hence, why Daphne was confused.

"Classes are over, Daph. It's like seven." Astoria said, looking at her sister strangely. She'd been quite distracted recently, and wasn't herself.

"Huh? Well, how are you even talking to me in the Floo? The Muggle University can't have Floos."

"I Apparated home for the weekend. I'm back at the Manor." Astoria responded.

"Oh…" Daphne said, trailing off.

"Alright, Daph, what's wrong with you. You're… you're acting different. And it's not a good different. You seem to be incredibly distracted, and I imagine that that can't be good in your line of work."

"Huh? Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine, Stori."

Astoria glared at her through the fire. She hated that nickname.

"How many times do I have to say that I hate the name 'Stori'? And I know you, Daph. There's something bothering you, and you're not telling anyone about it."

Daphne sighed. "Look, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Uh huh!" Astoria said, getting excited that perhaps finally, finally, her sister was going to tell her something.

Daphne leaned in, and whispered, "I'm in love."

Astoria made a high-pitched squealing sound. "I KNEW IT! Who is it?"

Daphne smirked. "Tracey."

Astoria's elation abated in a second.

"Daph." She whined.

Daphne merely said, "Astoria, I'm fine. I just have some things on my mind. I'll be back to normal soon. Don't worry about me, alright?"

This was so frustrating. It was like Hogwarts all over again, with Daphne never telling her anything. She was always the younger one, the less mature one, the one that didn't need to know everything.

Well, she sure as hell did. She wanted to know what her sister could have been thinking when she stayed to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. What was going through that head of hers when she became a sports agent.

But, her sister would never tell her anything.

Well, if she wouldn't tell her… Astoria would just have to be annoying enough that Daphne would relent and give her something. And then Astoria would be able to figure out the rest. She prided herself on figuring out mysteries.

But first, she knew that she needed to talk to Blaise Zabini. Because if anybody knew anything, it was him.

oOo

The most god-awful filler chapter I've ever written.

Thank you for reading. Please review.