This chapter might border on being M rated, as there's some vague discussion of natural physical development, but no in-depth details and nothing explicit. I'd be interested in any thoughts, whether I should change the rating to M or leave it as is. There might be some inaccuracies regarding the discussion that is hinted at in the chapter, but if there are, I'll leave it as is, since the characters don't know everything.
Have fun, and enjoy the story!
Chapter 27 Dreams and Developments
"I'm glad you wanted to meet me here." Tracey purred in a rather strange way.
"Um... Thanks." Harry replied as the door to the room closed behind them.
"Come and sit down." She said calmly.
Harry headed toward her, realizing he was without Magic near him, which he found strange for a moment. That soon left his thoughts, however, as Tracey pulled him on to her lap when he got close, her warm arms firmly wrapped around him as she held him close.
"This is nice. Don't you think?" She whispered into his ear, then he felt the feel of her warm lips against his cheek before the door was slammed open.
"Potter!" Professor Snape sounded more furious than Harry could remember, and blushing heavily, he jumped up. "How dare you engage in such behaviors with one of my Slytherins!"
"But sir!" Harry cried out indignantly. "She was the one that..."
"No excuses, Potter! One-thousand points from Gryffindor, and detention! Now!" Professor Snape screamed.
Feeling terribly nervous and frantic, Harry made to follow Professor Snape, then found himself in the potions classroom stirring a cauldron that was bubbling and hot, his arm tired from having stirred it for hours.
"Keep stirring, Potter." Professor Snape's voice was low with fury, but Magic was with him now, standing behind him, her hot, strong hand gripping his wrist.
"I do as you wish, and you're tired." Magic stated, gently pushing him aside as she grasped the stirring rod in her strong hand and began to tirelessly stir the bubbling potion within.
"Thanks." Harry said, stretching out his arm and trembling a little, hoping he wasn't going to be sore the next day.
He felt the rush of power, heard the silence around them both, knew it was just he and Magic in the room together. Her strong hands clasped his face between them, and she said, "You like this."
"Maybe we should..." Harry began.
Magic took her hands from his face, then he felt the hot, smooth skin on her left cheek as she pressed it to his, and whispered so quietly he barely heard her, "You like this. You wish to know what it would feel like if my lips pressed to yours. I do as you wish."
Before Harry could respond, he felt Magic's strong hands grip his hair, her fingers tangling within it. He felt her lips press against his, and felt his heart pounding in his chest, as if it was going to thump free from within his ribcage. He was laying in his dormitory bed now, the snores of his dorm mates around him, Magic's hot, powerful body pressed against him, her hands gripping his hair, her hot, soft lips pressed against his, and he suddenly realized that he'd been dreaming and that he wasn't dreaming anymore.
Harry felt panic. It was an embarrassed sort of panic, a very awkward kind, a panic that made him push Magic away from him and try to climb from the bed, but her strong hands were still in his hair, hot and stronger than his would ever be, her lips brushing against his as he moved, their noses bumping, hers hotter than his own, the feel of her warm breath against his face and upper lip as both she and he breathed through their noses in the kiss he didn't want to have, but wanted to feel more of at the same time. In his mind, he screamed, 'Go back to the common room, Magic!'
Immediately, Magic vanished, as if she'd never been there. He trembled with a pounding heart, though as hard as he tried, he couldn't get the kiss off his mind. It was two o'clock in the morning from what his watch said, and as he rolled on to his back, he couldn't help replaying the kiss in his mind, remembering what the feel of Magic's hot and soft lips had been like, the feel of the strength of her hands in his hair, how aroused he'd felt. His heart still pounded, and despite knowing how wrong it had been, he still felt attracted to the feel of Magic's skin under his hands, imagined what it would be like to go further, to have been naked in the bed with her rather than having their robes to block any further contact. Part of him wanted to know, and before he realized what had happened, he felt his robes vanish, felt Magic's hot and very naked body on top of his own. This time, the common sense that waking the others in the dorm would happen if he screamed wasn't a thought in his mind. Despite wanting to feel more, he screamed and tried to push her away from him even as Magic grabbed him, her hot hands on the bare skin of his back, making both of them fall to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, panicking because the actual physical contact was much, much different than an idle thought of curiosity.
"Get out!" Harry shouted as he struggled to pull from her grip, which was far stronger than his own.
The other dorm mates were shouting and waking, startled by his scream and his shouted words to Magic. Terrified that they'd discover what was happening, Harry blocked all sound and visual information around both of them with a thought as he twisted in Magic's relentless grip.
"Magic, let go!" Harry shouted as he struggled.
"But you wish to know what the heat of my skin feels like against your own, to kiss, to touch me and..." Magic began placidly, as if talking about any every day subject.
"No I don't!" Harry shouted wildly.
"You don't want to know." Magic agreed. "Because you think it's wrong. But you want to know, because you're aroused and curious, and I'm here to show you what you wish to know even if you don't wish to know it, and since I can show you what you wish to know even if you don't wish to know it, your curiosity can be satisfied and..."
"Stop!" Harry shouted furiously, prying her free of him and jumping up. Magic stood in front of him. "And get dressed! And dress me!" Harry felt the robe he'd been wearing in his bed appear on his body.
"What have I done wrong?" Magic asked placidly. "What should I do?"
"That just..." Harry sighed and slumped down on the bed behind him, Magic standing in front of him. "You're right." He felt himself blushing as he spoke. "I... I found it attractive. But it just feels wrong to be attracted to you, to kiss you like that."
"I know what you want." Magic said reasonably. "I know what will give you the most physical pleasure. I know what you're curious about, and can assist you in exploring your curiosity."
"No." Harry said. "Not like that, Magic. Not... That's... It's like doing that with a family member."
"I'm not a family member. You're still curious." Magic stated. "My body temperature is higher than the human norm by one point nine degrees Celsius. You find the heat of my skin physically attractive. You felt pleasure at attempting to struggle against my limitless strength. I do as you wish and you know I will do so at all times, and are thinking about what it would be like to allow this to continue, but are thinking about how wrong it felt to you, feeling guilty that you allowed it to go as far as it did, regret that you're awkward around me."
"Look. I..." Harry trailed off, wanting to forget this ever happened, then realized what had happened the last time he'd had an idle thought and felt horrified, felt more awkward and nervous than he ever remembered feeling in his life. "That's... Lust. Okay? And... My dreams and fantasies like that... They're not... Not something I really want you to do."
"They are something you wish to feel, to experience. Therefore, they're something you wish to do." Magic stated.
"No." Harry responded firmly, feeling a little angry, scared that she actually would fulfil his fantasies and dreams. "Just don't, okay?"
"But you wish it, and I do as you wish." Magic said.
Harry felt a wave of frustration and blinked tears from his eyes. He felt terrible, didn't know what to do, how to get through to her. Anything he did or said, he knew would be worthless, useless, because he really did want to experience the touching, the kissing, the feel of Magic's strength even though it felt wrong because they were so close, because he'd grown up with her all his life. It also felt right in a strange, lustful way, and he didn't know what to do.
"Just leave." Harry said, his voice shaking.
"But you wish comfort." Magic said. "You want me to hug you."
"Yes, I want all these things!" Harry shouted, suddenly angry. "Okay? But right now, just do what I say and leave! Go stay in the common room!"
"That isn't what you..." Magic began.
"Just do what I tell you to do, now!" Harry shouted, angrily climbing back into the bed. Her footsteps moved off, and as the dormitory door closed, he felt the warm tears rolling down his cheeks.
"H-harry, you okay?" Neville muttered nervously in the bed next to him. "I mean, we all saw you go behind some type of dark bubble."
"I don't want to talk about it." Harry said, and before he started to cry aloud, he silenced his bed so no one would hear him. He missed Magic simply hugging him, but after the dream, didn't want that. He felt as if someone was ripping his heart apart with the pain of his confused emotions, and in what felt like a few hours, finally was able to drift off to sleep, having cried until he did.
Magic felt all of Harry's emotions, felt the conflict within him, and felt within herself, something physically different than usual. It was different than the physical differences she felt as her body grew and matured. She knew either Hermione or Daphne could help her, as both were girls, and knew the trust Harry had in Daphne, due to their shared grief the previous school year. She also remembered what had happened the first time she'd attempted to get up to the girls dormitory, as Harry's magic identified him as a boy. She, more aware of the differences in magic than Harry, adapted the registration of her magic so she'd be seen as a girl. She moved to the girls staircase and stepped on it, feeling the magic to identify her gender surrounding her, accepting her. The magic was easy to fool, and she walked up the stairs. The third year girls dormitory was easy to find, and quietly, Magic opened the door and stepped into the doorway, memorizing the entire room in a glance. She quietly moved into the room, carefully pulling back each curtain from its four-poster bed until she reached Daphne's sleeping figure.
Magic stepped within the space, saw Daphne laying on her back, face in what she recognized to be a peaceful expression. Magic's mind went through three solutions on how to best wake Daphne quickly, pulling the blankets from her, shaking her shoulder, whispering in her ear. She decided on a combination of two and three. Magic stepped close to Daphne's bedside where her head was, knelt, then reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
"Daphne." She whispered. "It's Magic. Please wake up."
Daphne shifted and her eyes fluttered a little.
"Daphne." Magic whispered as she kept shaking her. "It's Magic."
Her eyes blinked open, then widened as she stared at her, her facial expression forming into what Magic recognized as surprise.
"Daphne." Magic stated. "Harry is asleep, he's fine. I need your help."
"With what?" Daphne whispered back. Her facial expression reformed into the expression of confusion.
"I don't know." Magic responded. "You're a girl, so you should know. Will you help me?"
"Why me?" Daphne asked.
"You shared grief with Harry. You have a deep relationship with him that stems from the shared grief. Harry trusts you. I trust you." Magic stated. Both were still whispering.
"Okay." Daphne said after seven point three six seconds.
Magic watched Daphne climb from the bed, standing. She gripped her wrist and gently pulled her along. Daphne didn't resist her, and she led her into the girls bathroom, quietly closing the door and sound proofing the room with magical sound barriers.
"Something's different." Magic stated. "With Harry, and with me."
"Don't talk so loud, you'll wake everyone up." Daphne quietly whispered, looking shocked and surprised.
"I've blocked sound." Magic responded placidly.
"Oh." Daphne looked sheepish. "So, what's up?"
"Harry had a dream that demonstrated his desire to experiment with physical attraction." Magic stated. "I attempted to assist him with his curiosity while he still dreamt, but woke when our lips were in contact and my hands were in his hair."
Daphne's face was turning red, Magic noted, a sign of embarrassment.
"You wish me to stop." Magic stated.
"It's a little sudden this... Well, and I didn't really want to know about that." Daphne said, looking down at the floor.
"This relates to the changes." Magic stated. "Please listen, I need your help."
Daphne took a deep breath and let it out, which took three point seven three seconds for her to do. Four point three seconds later, Daphne said, "Okay. Um, keep going, then."
"When Harry woke, he was experiencing far greater emotion than was expected." Magic stated, deciding that she wouldn't tell Daphne the rest of the physical encounter, since she didn't want to know. Daphne's expression looked relieved, Magic noted, and realized she'd formulated the correct response. "Harry felt that further experimentation was attractive, but wrong. I attempted to explain that his curiosity to physical attraction could be explored, and as I do what he wishes, I would assist him. He grew frustrated and yelled at me, ordering me to leave and go to the common room. I did. He didn't return to sleep for forty-nine minutes, thirteen point three eight seconds."
Five point three seconds later, Daphne blinked, then stated, "You know that Harry probably sees you as a close family member. Right?"
"He stated that kissing me was like kissing a family member." Magic responded.
"Well, usually family members don't do things like that. It's incest, which is wrong." Daphne said.
"I'm not a family member." Magic responded. "My genetics are not his own, we aren't related in that way."
"Maybe not like that, but he created you. Right?" Daphne asked.
"Yes." Magic confirmed.
"Then, in a way, he's like your father." Daphne said.
"No." Magic responded. "He didn't conceive me as one would conceive a child, but should he wish to conceive a child with me, our genetics would be appropriately compatible to avoid any unwanted incompatibilities..."
Magic stopped as Daphne's mouth hung open in an expression of pure and utter shock and surprise. After eighteen point four seconds, Magic said, "Daphne."
"What?" Daphne asked, her voice reflecting her shock.
"I require your help. You're not helping. I can ask Hermione..." Magic was interrupted.
"Oh no, just... No. No, no, no." Daphne's voice sounded urgent. Her face reflected a strange expression of wildness and desperation, almost fear. She continued one point seven seconds later, saying, "Magic, you can't just go saying things like that without warning someone!"
"I hear you clearly without the need for a raised voice." Magic clarified, as Daphne's voice had gotten louder.
"Sorry." Daphne said. Magic realized her heart was pounding due to the extremely slight pulse she was able to observe on her neck, and she was shifting on her feet uncomfortably, expressing what Magic recognized as an awkward discomfort.
"You're uncomfortable." Magic stated. "I didn't intend to make you uncomfortable."
"You just blurted that out like, I dunno... I guess I should have expected that from you." Daphne said. "Look, Magic. Harry's probably not going to see things as directly as you do. He's got emotions, apparently unlike you."
"I don't feel emotions." Magic responded. "I observe facts, analyze data."
"Right." Daphne said. "But he doesn't do that all the time. In fact, probably a lot of the time, he uses his feelings, or intuition."
"Yes." Magic stated. "I observe that."
"Okay." Daphne said. "Well, he knows that you were created by him, so he'll probably think of you like a daughter."
"No." Magic replied. "He thinks of me as a very close friend, who will do as he wishes, comfort him when required, protect and keep him safe. He doesn't think of me as a sister, daughter, or family member."
"Then why did he say that kissing you was like kissing a family member?" Daphne asked.
"Because he has lived his life with me." Magic replied. "We're intimately familiar with the other's bodies, do to exploration when we were between one and four."
"And he was uncomfortable doing..." Daphne stopped, blushing.
"He was uncomfortable with the exploration of his physical attraction and the curiosity of various things that resulted from it." Magic replied. "He wished to carry them out, and fantasized abou..."
"Way more than I needed to know, way, way more." Daphne said. Her expression was mortification.
"His stronger than expected emotions don't align with his growth thus far." Magic stated. "I believe that his emotional state and my somewhat different physical state are related."
"What do you mean by different physical state?" Daphne asked.
"I'll have to reveal my body to you without clothes." Magic responded. "You must look between my legs. I will undress normally so you may prepare. Is this sufficient warning?"
"That's better." Daphne said, though Magic noted her expression was still shocked. As Magic removed her robe and gently placed it on a hook to her right, Daphne asked, "That's all you've warn, just that robe?"
"Yes." Magic responded. "It covers my body sufficiently."
"Well, you're developing. You know, up here." Daphne pointed. Magic stared down at her chest.
"Yes." She stated. "I'm aware of this."
"Girls wear bras." Daphne said as she started to pull up her shirt.
"Stop." Magic stated.
"Why?" Daphne asked.
"What you show me, you must be comfortable with Harry obtaining. My knowledge isn't closed off to him at all times. When he opens his link to me, he will know what I've seen." Magic stated.
"Oh." Daphne blushed. "Then stay right here."
"Please help me first, with the immediate problem I asked." Magic said.
"Oh." Daphne said. "Right." She knelt down and Magic gazed at where her face would be when she stopped looking. She heard Daphne move closer, then said, "Spread your legs a bit." Magic moved her left foot over twenty point three centimeters. Two point three seconds later, Daphne said, "That's good, you can stop, now." Magic moved her foot back, then Daphne stood. Magic spotted the deep red within her cheeks, but Daphne's voice was calm. "Magic, you've got blood down there, because you're going through your period."
"I don't know what that is." Magic said.
"Oh, my." Daphne sighed. "You've never gotten... You know, the talk?"
"What talk?" Magic asked.
"About... Things." Daphne said. "Maturing, puberty, the changes."
"Sharen spoke with Harry about physical development and hormonal changes on August third, nineteen ninety three, between two thirty four and fifteen point three seconds, and two fifty nine and forty-seven point one seconds." Magic stated.
"But she didn't talk to you?" Daphne asked.
"No." Magic replied. "Her words. I'd speak with you, Magic, but while you look like a girl, being Harry's magic, I don't think you'll develop exactly like one, so just let me know if you do and we'll discuss it then."
"Well, she should have talked to you." Daphne sounded frustrated, Magic realized. "Just ask her, okay?"
"But you're here, and you know the information I seek." Magic said.
Daphne let out a long sigh and looked down. Her cheeks were turning more red than before. Three point six seconds later, Daphne's blue eyes caught Magic's dark ones. Magic held her steady gaze.
"I'll tell you. And I'll show you a bra. But I don't want to do this again, okay?" Daphne asked. Her voice sounded determined, Magic noted.
"Okay." Magic responded serenely.
Their discussion ended in twenty-eight minutes and thirty-two point eight seconds, and Magic had the required information about a woman's physical development, periods, and knowledge on what a bra was. Dressed in her robe, and now with a bra and undergarments underneath, which she'd created, Magic thanked Daphne before returning to the Gryffindor common room and sitting down on the couch. During their discussion, Magic concluded that Harry was experiencing the emotions and mood swings typically experienced by women during their periods, as she felt no emotions. She had voiced this to Daphne, who thought it might be the case, and decided that informing Harry when he came to her would be the best course of action. As she always did when Harry slept, she waited, was aware of his mental and emotional state, felt its fluctuations, but also realized she felt something else that was unexpected. Harry was dreaming of the precise actions that she was doing, as if standing with her. She quickly realized he'd been aware of the entire conversation through his dream, and realized that the bond between them had deepened and changed.
"Harry." Magic said calmly and quietly, feeling Harry hearing her within his dream. "What you are dreaming is actually happening now. You're aware, from your perspective, of the events surrounding me. I spoke with Daphne as you dreamt, and am speaking aloud now. You know all the information you must know, and you wish to now wake up with full memory of the dream. I do as you wish." Magic woke him with magic, felt his change in mental awareness, and waited.
Harry woke feeling utterly mortified, his heart pounding, heat in his cheeks. He'd been present during the entire conversation in his dream, but remembered it as it had actually happened, as if he'd been led by Magic into the girls dormitory, been there during their conversation. He knew everything that they'd discussed, and despite his embarrassment, was glad that Daphne had been willing to do what she did. As usual, Magic was right about how he thought of her. She was an extremely close friend of his, who was a girl. While initially, kissing her had felt like kissing a family member, he didn't actually think of her like that. He thought of her as Magic had stated, and now that he was considering their relationship, he found himself realizing that Magic was the ideal woman. She'd never disagree with him, would always do anything he wanted. Without the added complication of thinking of her like a family member, any type of physical experimentation with her sounded more appealing than it had before, didn't feel quite so wrong. Magic was right about her not being a family member, too. In fact, Harry thought of her as someone closer to him than any family member could ever be. He slowly dressed as he considered the new developments and everything he and Magic were going through, and after doing so, left the dormitory and went to the common room. He found where she sat due to the distance between them, as well as knowing what direction she was from him, and after sitting on the couch next to her, felt her right arm wrap around him.
"Thanks, Magic." Harry said.
"I do as you wish." Magic responded, but he felt the soothing, close feeling that came from his thanking her, his doing things she wanted.
"I... I don't feel like that kiss we had was so wrong, now that you pointed out you're not a family member of mine." Harry said. "I might have grown up with you, but if Uncle Vernon hadn't caught us exploring each other and screamed at us to stop with such a thing, and never to do it again, we probably wouldn't have stopped."
"It's likely we'd have continued." Magic stated. "Inevitably, we would have experimented further, and as I was physically aroused when you were, it's likely to conclude that we would both experience mutual or..."
"Yeah." Harry replied quickly. "Okay, I get it. Right."
"You're not awkward with me any longer." Magic said.
"No, I'm not." Harry sighed, feeling guilty for shouting at her. "I'm sorry about yelling. I was just... Really emotional. Now I guess I know why." He lay his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes for a moment.
"Do you wish to perform experimentation to explore your physical attraction to me or women?" Magic asked.
"No, I don't." Harry responded. "Even if I feel like I want to, don't. Okay?"
"I do as you wish, and if you wish to explore physical attraction, I'm willing. I'll always be willing." Magic stated.
"You're hopeless." Harry sighed. "It's just a bit awkward doing something like that with you."
"You prefer a human girl who will experience emotions." Magic stated. "But you didn't go that far with Tracey in your dream. You wanted me. If I hadn't interrupted your dream, you may have finished the dream with a sexual encounter."
"Maybe." Harry blushed. "I just want to be with you for now. If I fall asleep, will you wake me at five thirty? And make sure I'm well rested."
"Okay." Magic replied.
"And don't respond to my dreams." Harry said.
"I do as you wish, and if you wish me to respon..." Magic began.
"Just don't, please." Harry said in a voice of resignation that, whether he wanted it or not, Magic was probably going to respond to his dreams.
"I do as you wish." Magic simply stated, confirming what he thought.
Harry sighed, and within a few minutes, had drifted off to sleep again, still resting against Magic. With limitless patience, Magic waited, keeping precise track of the time as she always did. Twenty-two minutes and fourteen point nine seconds later, Daphne, fully dressed for the day, crept down the stairs and sat down in a couch across from her and Harry. Her facial expression formed a grin as she looked at Magic with her arm around Harry, his head on her shoulder, eyes closed in sleep.
"That's so cute." Daphne whispered. Magic didn't respond. "How's he doing?"
"Well." Magic replied, also whispering. "He's aware of the conversation we had."
"I thought he'd probably be." Daphne responded. "Well, I'll let him sleep, then, and just read. I wanted to... To talk to him when he wakes up."
"Okay." Magic stated. Daphne then opened a book she'd brought with her, and knowing from previous experiences that Magic gazing at someone constantly made them uncomfortable, she didn't stare at Daphne. Instead, she closed her eyes and lay her head back against the couch, feigning sleep.
Harry felt a tapping on his right shoulder that was precise and constant, immediately realizing it was Magic. He blinked his eyes and sat up straight, feeling well rested, just as he'd wanted. In front of him, he heard a book close quietly.
"Hey." He said, then yawned and stretched.
"Hi, Harry." Daphne replied. She sounded calm as usual, despite the conversation she'd had with Magic. "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing okay." Harry replied. "I wanted to thank you for talking with Magic, by the way. It... It helped a lot."
"I'm glad to hear that." Daphne responded. "What I want to know, though, is why she spoke with me. She doesn't do something without you wanting her to do it."
"She took that action on her own..." Harry trailed off, thinking, then sighed. "No, I guess not entirely. I wanted to know why I was so emotional, I guess deep in my mind. I briefly remember thinking that, but I didn't focus on it, really."
"It was still what you wished, so I proceeded. I do as you wish." Magic responded.
"I guess that, along with her noticing the changes in herself that were different, she decided to talk to you." Harry said.
"Why me, Harry?" Daphne asked.
"I know it was probably hard for you last year, when I wouldn't do anything and you... You practically had to undress me and clean me because I wasn't taking my own shower, when I first lost Magic. It'd be awkward for me to do something like that for a girl, but you did it for me." Harry said.
"Yeah." Daphne responded, sounding a little embarrassed. "It was awkward, but not because I thought you were attractive or anything, not to say that you aren't, but it was... It made me a bit nervous and such. Just being that close to someone like that, it was..."
Daphne trailed off, and Harry said, "Well, I trust you a lot because of that."
"Well I... Thanks." Daphne said. After a few seconds, she said blandly, "I want to be a healer, you know, so I guess I... I'd have done something like that eventually."
"A healer, really?" Harry asked. "Why?"
"I like helping people." Daphne replied. "I realized that when we hugged, and I just held you in your grief. I realized I wanted to do more to help people."
"Well, I hope you get your healer job, then." Harry said. "And thanks again for talking to Magic."
"It helped me too, you know." Daphne replied. "I felt awkward when I was talking to Magic and seeing her, but I'll know a bit of how to explain something like that to women if I ever need to."
"I can see that, I guess." Harry said. "I hope this doesn't make things awkward between us or anything."
"No, not really. Maybe a bit." Daphne replied. "Just next time, read books or something before you come to me, okay?"
"I'll remember that." Harry said. "So, do that next time, Magic."
"Okay." Magic stated.
"I don't always need an explanation right now or anything." Harry replied. As he did so, he felt as if his magic expanded as it did when taking in new knowledge, but this felt a bit different.
"I'll try and figure things out." Magic responded. "Learn knowledge. Do... More than you wish."
"That's new." Harry said.
"I feel expanded." Magic stated. "Less limited than before. I'll still do as you wish, but I feel like I can do more than you wish."
"Maybe something you wish?" Daphne asked.
"I wish what Harry wishes, and will do what he wishes." Magic stated.
"She's not going to change overnight, Daphne, but Magic, I do think you're changing, that this entire experience has drawn us closer. All of us, really." Harry said. "I feel closer to you too, even, Daphne."
"Oh." Daphne said, as if uncertain quite how to respond. "That's, nice. I'm not sure how to feel about that. I don't really feel closer to you, just... Maybe a bit more open."
"Anything'll do." Harry said. "So, want to come with me to eat? Sometimes I go to the Great Hall this early."
"Sure." Daphne replied. "I'm actually interested to see how you get all the dishes and such. I know how you do it when people are around, having them pass things if they aren't close, but how do you do that if no one's there?"
"Observe." Harry responded as he pushed open the portrait hole.
"I'll do that." Daphne responded, the trio walking to the Great Hall in silence after her statement.