A/N

LuxEterna1/SedureMaikeru: Quidditch-cup and questions about Harry's former adventures. I originally didn't plan to write more than a few sentences about them. But perhaps I can use these themes to intensify the descriptions of the interactions with the Greengrass and Weasley families. A difficult question had been for me: how much does an average student know about those adventures? Or a Slytherin? How much would Dumbledore explain especially about the chamber of secrets? My answer: only the barest, provable and unconcealable facts.

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Family Banter (Interlude at the request of SedureMikeru)

Pinegrew Manor – 14th of August

Restless, Harry picked at his food. Another two weeks had gone by since his birthday. In the beginning he had hoped that after the quarrel between Roxanne and Dumbledore his relation with Daphne would improve, that after her minute sign of compassion she would open up to him. But quite the reverse was happening. The more he tried to be her friend, the more she pulled away, hiding in a shell of gloom. He really regretted her attitude. A part of him had hoped that the Daphne he had seen for a moment one year ago would be the real Daphne – kind, sweet and compassionate.

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It had been a fantastic lesson so far. Hagrid had not only shown them a number of majestic Hippogriffs; indeed he had given Harry the chance to ride on Buckbeak, the strong lead stallion of the herd. But then it went south incredibly fast. Draco Malfoy the git felt too high and mighty to follow Hagrid's instructions. Instead he insulted the proud creature and got a kick in return.

"Draco!" Pansy yelled, perhaps the only person around who really cared about the prat's welfare, not that he ever appreciated it so far.

"Back, Buckbeak, back," Hagrid stepped between the agitated Hippogriff and Draco, who was lying on the ground, moaning and making a show of being near death. Hagrid's head went from Malfoy to Buckbeak, not really knowing what to do, and conflicted between calming his beloved Buckbeak and tending Malfoy's wounds.

"Calm down, Buckbeak," someone suddenly stepped forward. Small, black hair, girl… he noticed in that order. Harry needed a while to connect the face with a name: Daphne Greengrass.

"Calm down, Buckbeak," she repeated, before she cast a soothing spell. Harry didn't need to hear Hermione's comment or see Hagrid's face to know how unlikely it was, that she would succeed with the spell. The common calming spell was hardly meant to be used on an animal, a lot less on a magical creature like the Hippogriff.

"That won't…" Hagrid stopped as Buckbeak suddenly stopped to resist. He calmed down within seconds and even didn't shy away as the girl – after a short bow – stepped at his side and started to caress his fur. "Calm down, Buckbeak. He is no threat anymore. It's not your fault."

Apart from Draco everyone was staring at her, unbelieving how the creature reacted. Very carefully it put its head against her chest, obviously urging her to fondle its neck. Daphne complied and after a minute only Draco's exaggerated moans told of the events before.

"I'm dying. He killed me."

"Sorry, Buckbeak, I'm right back," Daphne whispered, before she turned around and walked towards her housemate. She sighed deeply: "Stop whining, Draco. Or shall I tell Astoria what kind of pansy her fiancé is? No offense, Pansy," she added after a second.

Draco showed his bleeding arm. Harry had to admit that it was a deep cut. "I nearly lost my arm to that murderous beast." Buckbeak clicked its beak angrily.

"Don't be pathetic!" Daphne started to cast a healing spell, but Draco hastily stopped her.

"No, I need to go to the Hospital Wing. Only Madam Pomfrey can heal this."

"You behave like a five-year-old, Draco. Even Goyle could heal this." She pondered for a moment. "Okay, perhaps not. But as you want, be on your way."

She watched Draco, who made a show of being carried away by his goons, with Pansy holding his hand. "This will cause trouble, Hagrid. Perhaps you should whisk Buckbeak off, before his father overreacts."

To their regret Hagrid didn't listen back then, put too much trust into Dumbledore.

And so it was their duty – Hermione's and Harry's – a few months later to rescue Buckbeak.

.

With her mood darkened, her voice snippier and her patience shorter than before it wasn't surprising that Harry longed for the day he could go to the Weasleys. In two days he would be there. In two days he would see them again: Ron, Ginny, the twins, motherly Molly and Hermione.

Roxanne looked around at the dinner table. It was the first meal they partook together since Astoria returned from her three-week-vacation in Italy with the Malfoys. The girl had gotten a golden-tanned skin and seemed healthier than before, more alive – and more self-confident, perhaps too much. This could mean trouble, something they certainly could have done without now.

With an increasing sense of doom she had watched the interaction of Daphne and Harry. While Harry had opened to her, the contrary had been the case in regard of Daphne. It nearly was as if she had formerly hoped Harry's visit would only be a kind of 'phase'; that she had only to wait before he left her life again. Now, with the relation between Roxanne and Harry steadying, growing into something more than cautious friendliness, apparently her daughter had started to battle this, turning from passive ignorance to active resistance.

Roxanne pondered about the reasons of her daughter's actions. Sure, there had been events in the past that caused no small amount of antipathy. While Daphne – apart from Tracey Davis and to a lesser degree Blaise Zabini – had no love for most of the Slytherins, she had shared their opinion about the 'golden boy' in the past.

Roxanne remembered quite well their agitation about the Gryffindors winning the house cup in Daphne's first year. They had been furious not only about Dumbledore handing out this large amount of points for preventing the theft of a magical artifact – how precious it may be – but especially about the chosen amount. 165 points Dumbledore had handed out – what an odd number and exactly the amount needed to beat the Slytherins by 5 points. Even Roxanne, normally quite supportive of the Headmaster and an opponent of Lucius' pathetic attempts to get him replaced, regarded that action as an unfair support of the Headmaster's former house. She knew about Snape's partiality with regard to house matters. But obviously he wasn't the only one. And certainly it hadn't to occur like it had: as a public humiliation to the House of Slytherin.

Sometimes she wondered whether Flitwick wouldn't be a better Headmaster: Unbiased, less interested in politics and, as someone with goblin-blood in his veins, a positive sign for many, something especially needed in this world with too many 'Umbridges' having influence on the legislation in the recent years.

Yes, Roxanne was able to understand her daughter's suspicion towards Harry. In the last three years he apparently obtained quite some preferential treatment from the school staff and now she feared that it would be the same at Pinegrew Manor. Or perhaps it was simple envy. Until now she had her mother's attention mostly for herself with her sister clinging to her father all the time. She never had to share her mother's time. With Harry slowly stepping into a brother's place it shouldn't have been a surprise that he was handled as such.

But knowing these problems and finding a solution were unfortunately totally different things.

She had tried to integrate both, but every time she had planned another excursion her daughter had become more difficult. Even Roxanne's renowned pout hadn't been able to get Daphne around. Convincing Harry to use the gymnasium with the Pinegrew ladies had been another disaster. Being blissful ignorant to the fact of her daughter slowly growing into a beautiful young woman, Roxanne had struggled with words as she saw Harry ogling Daphne in her gym clothes. Ogling had always been a sore point for Daphne, as her mother knew. The other Slytherins had started to behave like pubescent teenagers around her two years ago and Daphne battled them with a sharp tongue and her ice-queen behaviour.

This ice-queen behaviour had been Daphne's shell and shield for years, more or less since she went to Hogwarts, to avoid unwelcome attention of her classmates. She only allowed her real inner self, the warm and compassionate side of her that her mother loved immensely, to show at home. That she had started to be icy like this now around her mother and Harry had been quite a shock for Roxanne.

At least Agatha had been a bright spot. More than one afternoon she had spent in Pinegrew Manor, likewise to be a pain in the arse for Cyrus – the mutual aversion increasing from year to year – as to spend time with Harry. Apparently the elder lady had taken a liking to the boy and he seemed to enjoy simply sitting at her side, browsing photos or listening to her youth stories. But Roxanne knew that this sympathy wouldn't be enough to win Harry over. Without at least a hint of friendship between Harry and Daphne it would be only a question of time before he regretted his stay.

.

"Will he be here?" The sudden words of Astoria startled them all. The younger girl made a motion with her chin towards Harry. "Will he be here at Daphne's birthday party?"

Harry blinked silently, feeling himself out of words. Distant but polite had been Astoria's behaviour in the beginning. It had been the politeness used towards a salesclerk but politeness nonetheless. But since her return she glared at him and avoided to address him directly. "I'm here, you know," he grumbled. "You could ask me myself."

Roxanne responded to her daughter, her voice scolding: "And 'He' has a name, Astoria. Use it. Your stay with the Malfoys certainly didn't improve your manners." She sighed to her daughter's pouting. "Harry will depart in two days. He wants to visit his friends for a week." Roxanne hadn't been happy about this, had hoped for another two weeks to win Harry's trust. But he had been quite eager to see the Weasleys, to watch the Quidditch Cup with them.

And Daphne's birthday party would be a huge event, similar to a summer ball, with many friends of the family attending, mostly Slytherins and many of them more tending to Lucius's side than to Dumbledore's. With Harry leaving before the party it would be less strained and Roxanne assumed that he wasn't too eager to meet these people. At least he wanted to come back afterwards for a few days to calmly prepare for the next school year.

"Good," Astoria mumbled more to herself than anybody else. "It is better this way."

Roxanne saw the ire rising in Harry. There hadn't been many opportunities to experience his anger in the month of his stay but it had become apparent to her that the boy had a little 'temper problem'.

"What do you mean," he snarled at Astoria, not only attacking her but in the same moment putting Daphne in her sister-protection-mode. That squaring of her shoulders, that lifting of her head – Roxanne knew the signs all too well. Irrespective how different both girls were, irrespective of their continuing quarrels – both sisters had always been fiercely protective of each other.

"Draco will be here." The mention of Draco's name only deepened the frown on Harry's brow. "And I would hate to see Daphne's party disturbed because…" She hesitated and waved indeterminately.

"Because of what?" Harry snarled.

"Because Draco and you aren't exactly friends," Daphne offered, her face showing clearly how agitated she was.

"It's not my fault," Harry growled back and glared at both girls. "Draco is a git."

"Pshaw!" Astoria put her silverware down and shot an icy glare towards Harry. "Whose fault should it be then? You've always tried to belittle him, even after he tried to befriend you in the beginning. He told me how he offered his hand in friendship and you rejected him publicly. Always provoking, always hiding behind the Headmaster – it simply hasn't been fair. No wonder that he doesn't like you."

Harry stared at the girl, aghast that she could be so dense to believe this bull. Yes, it was quite believable that Malfoy vomited such nonsense around his friends, but even Draco couldn't really believe this whisked grunge.

Astoria on the other hand gathered pace and closed in for the kill. "Then there was this incident with that bloodthirsty beast. Poor Draco nearly lost his arm and you and your disgusting red-headed friend tried to rescue him from his deserved fate."

Harry wasn't able to stay on his place any longer and shouted back, his face red with anger: "Malfoy, that blasted git, never tried to be anything than despising towards my friends and me. He called Hermione Mu… that ugly word more than once only to hurt her. And it was his own fault that Buckbeak hit him. He was damned lucky only to receive that little scratch. Running around with his arm in a sling was only a pity ploy. He was milking it for weeks, the stupid prat."

"He's right and you know it," Daphne interjected to everybody's surprise. Astoria looked betrayed, but for once Daphne didn't bow back. "Draco should have known better how to behave and not to insult him. And it was inacceptable how he tried to get that marvellous creature killed later."

Astoria threw her napkin in Harry's direction, the piece of cloth falling down on his plate. Angry tears were now running down her face. "The vicious beast should have been killed. And we're certain that nobody else than you has been the one to free him. "

Seeing Harry hesitate at this accusation, Astoria obviously felt convinced that she was right about the accusation. Roxanne was a bit confused because of the direction this hassle went. She remembered the stories of the third year, about Professor Lupin getting sacked because of his Werewolf nature. And then there had been the case of Sirius Black. Roxanne was certain that she only knew half of it and this had exactly been why she forbade any discussions about the matter. "No half-truths," she had explained to her daughters.

But this Buckbeak – Cyrus had spoken about it once and she had heard some rumours about Lucius pressing the case, trying to get the beast executed. But she had never had any interest in the case and this part of Harry rescuing the beast was totally new and unexpected.

"I really hope that it was Harry who rescued Buckbeak." For a moment the quarrel stopped and everyone stared at Daphne, who had spoken surprisingly soft. "He didn't deserve to die. If Harry saved him, he did a good deed."

Astoria looked very disappointed about Daphne taking Harry's side and Harry was likewise surprised. But Astoria wasn't finished with her accusations. "And then this thing with the chamber of secrets." She wiped her tears away and smirked as if daring Harry to interrupt her. Seeing nothing about the chamber what he could have done wrong Harry stayed silent, a confused expression on his face.

"I don't know if it was you or that Weaslette who opened the chamber, freed that beast which nearly killed several students and nearly led to the closure of Hogwarts," she crossed her arms in front of her chest and spitted in Harry's direction "but certainly it had been the ultimate proof of your insolence to blame Draco and his father for this deed." Harry stared at her, unbelieving that someone could utter such a bullshit. Obviously, Malfoy had filled her head with quite some nonsense. Looking at her parents for support Astoria ended her little prosecution speech: "It is only thanks to Headmaster Dumbledore that you're still allowed to stay at the school. Not that anyone would expect him to…"

"Stop it right now." Abashed Astoria stared at her fuming mother. "I don't allow you to behave like a little girl throwing a temper tantrum in this house." The snort of Cyrus was hastily suppressed as Roxanne death-glared him. Massaging her aching temples with her fingertips Roxanne tried to gather her thoughts.

The story about the chamber of secrets had been a curious one, told only in parts and with many details missing. The official story had been that the Basilisk had been hiding under the school for a very long time, now breaking free of his bindings and attacking students randomly. That all off the attacked had been half-bloods or Muggleborns was an ill-kept secret. Officially nobody had been responsible and even unofficially it had been impossible to learn the truth. The closest to the truth – at least in her believe – had been that the 'Weaslette' had somehow opened the chamber, influenced by someone. This would at least be much more believable than an eleven-year-old girl doing this on her own accord and abilities.

According to the Daily Prophet it had been Professor Gilderoy Lockhart – with a little help of Harry Potter and his friends – who battled the Basilisk and killed him, only to be wounded so seriously in the fight that he was still recovering – with the best wishes of his immense fan following.

Roxanne had her doubts about Professor Lockhart's heroic action. She had met him several times and reckoned him to be a pompous cock and mendacious wimp and washout. She had been very surprised that someone like Headmaster Dumbledore even agreed to confide the position of DADA teacher to him. But the fact was that Lockhart was still a permanent resident of St. Mungo. Nowhere in that story occurred any hint of Draco or Lucius Malfoy being part of it.

Sitting down again and waving the teenagers to follow her example Roxanne asked, her voice as calm as possible: "Harry, what's that about the Malfoys being part of those events? I never heard such a rumour before."

"Yes," Daphne agreed "I would like to hear his side as well. I certainly heard the 'official Malfoy' side often enough."

Harry was still quite agitated but seeing Roxanne more relaxed and apparently interested in the truth he tried to calm himself. It helped that Daphne for once took his side in a conflict. "There had been this rumour about 'the heir of Slytherin' opening the chamber. For a while the two most often assumed to be that heir had been Draco and me. Me because I'm a Parseltongue" Roxanne blinked shortly at this announcement but stayed silent. "And Draco because he's Draco, self-announced prince of Slytherin and all."

Astoria started to interrupt but was stopped by a commanding wave of her mother's hand.

"But then we found the Basilisk. Ginny Weasley had been there, abducted. She had been under the influence of a dark book, forced to open the chamber against her will."

A sneer of Astoria, a glare of Roxanne, and a thoughtful look of Daphne were all direct reactions to this announcement. "Tori," Daphne calmly uttered. "I really love you, but for once simply shut up and listen." Harry threw her a thankful look and continued.

"That book… it formerly belonged to Lucius Malfoy. He smuggled it into Ginny's cauldron just at the beginning of the school year."

"What nonsense. A book influencing a girl – never heard such a bull. And why would he have done it? What reason would Lord Malfoy have to do such a thing?" Astoria tried to ignore her mother's glare, but apparently felt quite uncomfortable.

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "We're not sure about the book's origin. Or why he had done it. Perhaps simply to cause havoc and kill Muggleborn."

Harry looked around, his face telling Roxanne that he didn't expect anyone to believe him. And wasn't his story a bit… far-fetched? Certainly he hadn't told everything. And with 'we' he doubtless didn't mean only his friends and him but the Headmaster too. On the other hand, the official story had so many gaps – with this part about Lucius the explanation became more believable.

Roxanne watched Harry sinking into his chair under the onslaught of harassing uttered by Cyrus and Astoria and just opened her mouth to support him as the sudden voice of Daphne startled all around: "I believe him."

Wide-eyed Astoria and Cyrus stared at her, but nobody was more surprised than Harry. Calmly Daphne continued, looking at Harry with a very small smile on her lips:

"He didn't tell us everything. And he doesn't know everything that happened or the reasons behind it, I'm certain. But what he said, he at least fully believes. Harry isn't able to lie. It simply isn't in his blood to lie without showing it way too openly. Until someone has convincing proof otherwise, I'll believe his story: That Ginny Weasley opened the chamber under the influence of a book given to her by Lucius Malfoy. And about the reason: Please don't act so surprised to hear that he could be willing to kill Muggleborns or would like to start problems at Hogwarts. Such a thing would be completely according to his nature."

Roxanne patted her daughter's hand and smiled assuredly in her direction, but Daphne withdrew her hand. Shortly she glanced at her mother before turning towards Harry again: "Despite believing your story, I share the opinion that you should leave the school. You're somehow a magnet for trouble, Harry. Around you and because of you bad things happen. You aren't responsible for the chamber; that was someone else. However, without you being at Hogwarts, Malfoy wouldn't have executed that lousy plan. If you excuse me now, please, I would like to take my leave." Silently she stood up and under the thoughtful eyes of Harry and Roxanne Daphne left the room.