This is a very long, serious and deep chapter. I didn't realize how deep it was until I finished it.
This chapter speaks on various kinds of child abuse. If this is a trigger, don't read past Daphne taking Harry into the classroom. It isn't 100% important, but it does shed more light on how Daphne came to have the feeling she had developed for Harry. You can pick up when she starts talking about Voldemort talking to her like he was courting her if you want.
I wrote this for my prettiest friend
But while trying not to prove that I care
I was trying not to make all my moves in one motion and scare her away
She can't see she's making me crazy now
I don't believe she knows she's amazing how
She has me holding my breath
So I'd never guess
That I'm a none such unsuitable, suited for her
And if you ask me
The feeling that I'm feeling is complimentary
And oh, it goes to show
The moral of the story is boy loves girl
And so on but the way it unfolds is yet to be told
Jason Mraz -Prettiest Friend
Chapter Sixteen: Daphne's Secret
December came in with a mighty roar, and as Hogwarts was located in the mountains of Scotland, snow came earlier than the winter session itself. The castle looked as beautiful as it always did when it snowed, and Harry couldn't help but appreciate it. However, the beauty of the snowy castle and the iced over lake couldn't block something that was definitely missing from his love that all this white reminded him of.
Hedwig.
He missed his snowy owl. His first connection to the wizarding world. She was a wonderful friend to him. Even though she was an owl, he and she had their own ways to communicate. He understood her, and she understood him. She was there for many a lonely night when he would return to Privet Drive, she helped out in many important messages, especially to Sirius, and she was something they he could confide in. Hedwig knew all of his secrets.
But she was gone now. Killed, trying to protect him. When Hedwig died, a lot of him died with her.
Harry sat in one of the more comfortable windows of the fourth floor after his last class of the day and simply watched the snow fall gently onto everything. Moments like this was far and few between these days. Some of the returning seventh years along with George were cramming to test out their N.E.W.T.S. before the holiday break so they wouldn't have to come back next term, so the halls that would normally be crowded at this time with seventh years was all but deserted.
Harry looked down at the courtyard where he seen Luka, Ginny, Blaise, Parvati, and some students he didn't know having a snowball fight. He watched annoyingly as he witnessed Luka picking a hysterical Ginny up, spinning her around, and throwing her into the snow. He didn't know what it was about the bloke that rubbed him the wrong way, but Luka was someone that Harry just could not trust. He would observe him without Going being around him and he would see that he and Viktor had limited interaction with each other, and when they did, they seemed distant. Like he used to be with Dudley. As if they weren't even related.
He was so into the action that was going on outside that he didn't notice the striking brunette that had been trying to get his attention.
"Ahem? Hello?" said a voice that finally registered with Harry. He turned around to face Daphne's sister Astoria.
Harry did well to hide his disappointment of this being the person that wanted to speak to him. He still had yet to get along with the girl. And in all honesty, the way she carried herself, he had no real desire to.
"Astoria. Fancy seeing you here." said Harry.
"My Divination class just let out." she said matter of factly as if Harry should have known this.
"Oh. Well, what's going on?" asked Harry.
"I've been meaning to speak to you. About my sister." said Astoria, sitting down on the bench beside him.
Harry felt himself go on alert. "What about her? Is she okay?" asked Harry quickly.
"Keep your trainers on Potter, she's fine. I'm just trying to figure out you and my sister."
"What do you mean me and your sister?" asked Harry.
"Well it's no secret that you fancy her. You look at her like a lovesick puppy dog." said Astoria, scrunching up her nose.
Harry felt insulted. "Daphne is my friend. A close friend, but a friend."
"So you are denying that you like her?"
"I'm not denying not confirming anything because really it isn't of your business." said Harry defensively.
"It most certainly is. She's my sister!" said Astoria in dramatic anger.
"Yes that's true but she is also grown and can take care of herself."
"You just better do right by my sister. I heard how you were with Granger and Cho Chang and Weasley. Player if I ever laid eyes on one." said Astoria crossing her arms.
Harry stood up, the statement pissing him off. "You don't know a damn thing. Hermione is like my bloody sister and has been in love with my best mate for years, Cho and I weren't even that serious, and Ginny and I have moved on. I've never played anyone and have no intention on doing so. Especially Daphne!"
"Humph. We shall see." grumbled Astoria. "My sister doesn't need to be around some half blood so called hero boy anyways. Especially someone who mind you caused our father to get locked up!"
"Is this what it's about then? The fact that your father did some shit for Voldemort, got caught, and is now in Azkaban? That wasn't my fault. I didn't put a wand to his head and tell him to do Death Eater shit!"
"My dad wasn't a Death Eater! But so what if he worked for the Dark Lord? Maybe he had the right idea!" shouted Astoria.
That statement there solidified his hatred toward the girl. He wouldn't even attempt to get along with her ever again, even for Daphne's sake.
Fuck her.
"You're too nosy for your own good. Nosy about shit that you don't even know about. Why don't you concentrate on your shit and I'll sorry about mine, yeah?" said Harry eyeing the girl with as much hate as he could conjure up.
"Well you heard what I said. You won't hurt my sister. I know magic that will have you writhing, begging for me to stop. My dad taught me everything." said Astoria, sinisterly.
"Is that a threat, Greengrass?"
"Take it however you want, Potter." said Astoria as she bore assn invisible hole into him with her eyes and them got up and walked away.
"Crazy bitch." mumbled Harry.
Dinner was very much awkward. Daphne had sat beside Harry like she had been doing lately, but Harry would hardly talk to her unless he absolutely had to.
She knew something wasn't right. She was starting to put two and two together when she seen that Astoria was staring too intently as Harry and vice versa. She decided not to speak on it until after dinner, the time where Harry and her usually talked the most.
After dinner and after her sister was long gone Daphne approached Harry to see what was bothering him.
"So, what was with the silent treatment Harry?"
Harry glanced at her and then back down at his feet as they walked toward the common room.
Daphne had always been the type of girl that hated being irked and revised to have it happen. And she was not going to have Harry carry on like that.
She grabbed Harry by the arm ("Hey!") and dragged him in the other direction towards an empty classroom. She pulled him inside and locked the door behind them.
"What the hell Daph?"
"I should be saying the same thing. Why are you ignoring me?" said Daphne, hands on her hips, annoyed.
Harry couldn't help but think of how cute she looked angry. He shook the thought elsewhere and continued to stare at her.
"Harry Potter you will answer me." warned Daphne.
"You don't need to threaten me Daphne. I've heard enough threats from Grrengrasses today already."
"Astoria? She threatened you?"
"In a manner of speaking."
"Stop being so cryptic Harry, what did she say?"
"She doesn't like me around you. Apparently I'm some Playboy git half blood hero boy who doesn't need to be near you." said Harry sitting on one of the tables.
Daphne rolled her eyes. "I can't believe this."
"Gets better. She also blames me for your father getting locked up."
Daphne looked absolutely appalled. "Harry I am so sorry. Astoria has always idolized Father. She was Daddy's little girl. He was always innocent in her eyes and vice versa. She knew he was a Death Eater. Not a high ranking one mind you, he just took care of money and sorts, so people thought. But it was no denying what he was And I'm glad he is locked away. Far away."
Harry noticed that Daphne had started to shake as if she was afraid of something. He got up immediately and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.
"He treated you differently didn't you?" he asked the trembling girl. He felt Daphne nodding against his shoulder slowly.
"He didn't... He-"
"Let's just say that I knew about things at a younger age that I probably shouldn't even know about now. All taught by my father. Under... under Voldemort's orders."
Harry's eyes widened. He loosened his grip on Daphne, holding her out so he could see her face.
"Talk to me." said Harry.
"I...I can't..." said Daphne, starting to feel afraid.
"Daphne please." said Harry, tucking a piece of her sunny locks behind her ear. "He's not here. Neither one is. Just talk to me, you're always helping me. Let me help you."
Daphne smiled slightly and nodded. She then sat on the table, Harry standing in front of her.
"When I was born, Voldemort was very much in power. My mother wanted nothing to do with him nor the Dark Arts, but my father had foolishly crossed him. And I was the bargaining chip."
"Voldemort was ready to wipe out my entire family. He had came to do it and everything. And then he had seen me. My mother said I had to have been at least 6 months old. She told me how he said I was as a lovely baby and would grow up to be a gorgeous witch. A gorgeous witch that he would gladly take on as his wife when I became of age.
My mother begged and pleaded for him to leave me alone. She even went as far as to tell him to kill my father and to leave us alone, as he was the one that had wronged him. But Voldemort had already made his mind up about me. He told my father the only way to save us and any hopes of the Greengrass line continuing was to groom me to be his wife when the time came. My mother begged him to say no, but my father agreed.
When Voldemort disappeared, my mother was ecstatic. My father on the other hand, felt as if he wasn't fully gone. He feared him and so secretly, he decided to fulfill his wishes. He would yell at me, curse at me, call me all types of horrid names."
"Astoria was forced upon my mother. She didn't want to have any note children after me, but my father insisted so he forced her to drink a potion that ensured fertility and...and raped her. Nine months later Astoria was born and my father was excited. He saw her as 100% his. A child he didn't have to give up to the Dark Lord. He spoiled her, pampered her, treated her like a little princess."
"He started beating me when I turned six. He would tell me that it was all a part of my training. He told me he was teaching me to be a submissive wife. For the longest, my mother suspected but didn't know that he was hurting me. And I wouldn't tell her. She didn't find out until after I came home my first year of Hogwarts. He had struck me because I had bragged about how I loved being at school to Astoria. My mother caught him. She was prepared to leave him immediately but he said that he wouldn't let her take Astoria. And she didn't want us to grow up in separate homes. So...so she stayed."
Daphne started to breathe quickly, her mind replaying the harsh events as if they were about to happen. Harry gently rubbed her thigh, his touch soothing to her body, his voice telling her everything was okay, calming her nerves.
"Of course you know the Dark Lord returned the end of 4th year. He hasn't forgotten about me. I remember coming home from Pansy's and seeing him in our parlor, sipping on scotch. My sister was not there. She had spent the summer with one of her new friends, my father didn't want him knowing anything about her. I'll never forget it. His breath smelled like death. His eyes were as red as the Gryffindor banners hanging up just there. He was hideous, snake like, but his voice was like velvet. He spoke on how gorgeous I was, he...he ran his fingers through my hair, smelling it. He smelled my hair Harry." she said shuddering at the thought.
"He would visit and actually try to talk to me as if he was courting me. I was disgusted. And then when Dumbledore was murdered it seemed as all hell would break loose. And I had just turned 17. I thought I was done for. I had to escape to Hogwarts. Even though it was ran by Snape, Voldemort couldn't step a foot here. The other professors had made sure of that. And in a way so did Snape I imagine."
"The war happened, you defeated him, and three days later, my father was arrested. I'll never forget that day. It was the happiest day of my life. No. The happiest day of my life is when you killed the Dark Lord." said Daphne blushing.
"And ever since then, without knowing it, you had became my hero. So when Astoria told you I didn't need a hero boy, she was sadly misinformed. That was one of the biggest things that drew me to you. You saved me. So now, I want to save you."
Harry felt as if he was going to cry. Daphne had opened up to him in a way he could tell she had not opened up to anyone else. She had let him into the deepest and darkest parts of her world. And she had did it so effortlessly. The least he could do, was to try to do the same.
"You know a way you could save me?" he asked grinning.
"What way is that?"
"If you would go to the Ministry Ball with me? Save me from going alone like I did the Halloween one." asked Harry with a wink.
Daphne's cheeks turned a pretty crimson as she found herself giggling like a firstie. "That was your fault Mr. Potter. You didn't ask me soon enough."
"I know. That's why I'm asking you now before some other bloke comes along."
"Sure, I'll go." said Daphne smiling from ear to ear.
"Brilliant!" said Harry excitedly.
"Oh and Harry? Can you please. It say anything about what I told you? Astoria doesn't even know. And I would like it to stay that way."
"I promise."
