"Harry Potter's friend returns!"
Daphne smiled with her teeth, doing her best to reciprocate the unstable elf's emotional greeting. "Hello, Dobby, right?"
"So kind and considerate to remember Dobby!"
"Really, it's nothing," she said, leaning down to pat him on the back before he broke down crying. "I need your help with something."
It looked like he'd picked up a new hat to add to his collection since the last time she'd seen him. "What does Harry Potter's friend need from Dobby?"
"Could you deliver this to Harry?" She held out a scrap of parchment. "Please make sure-"
Dobby vanished with a pop, then returned less than thirty seconds later, pulling on his ears nervously. "Harry Potter asked Dobby to return the message."
"It's okay. If I ask you to deliver another message, can you make sure to do it when no one else is around him?"
Dobby nodded fervently, and Daphne thanked him once more before leaving the kitchens. She wondered if Harry had read her message before sending the elf away, and decided it didn't particularly matter. She wasn't going to give up, no matter how he felt about her.
The note was nothing more than a request to meet in the kitchens again. Even though he'd sent Dobby back without a reply, she'd still return here later, just in case he came down. Besides, the section of the castle where the kitchens were was near the Hufflepuff dorms, so it gave her an excuse to watch out for any situations like the one she'd found Luna in the week before.
Events at Hogwarts were quickly spiraling out of control. The Weasley Twins' departure yesterday, after they'd rendered most of the Fifth Floor impassable, had been the opening salvo of a student rebellion ready to boil over.
In response, Umbridge had encouraged the Inquisitorial Squad to escalate their own abuses. The other professors seemed content to let the students resist however they decided; this, along with Peeves' renewed determination to sow chaos, meant that the school was a cracked wand, ready to explode at any moment.
For Daphne, though, opportunity lurked in the tense atmosphere. Pausing in front of a polished suit of armour to ensure her appearance was flawless, she resumed her slow patrol through the corridors. She might just have a date tonight, after all.
"Stop staring."
"I wasn't!"
"I said stop!"
Daphne kept her eyes locked on the parchment in front of her, determined not to glance in Pansy's direction again. She might very well hex next time. For a while, she succeeded through sheer grit, but when her roommate muttered a curse as the curtains on her four-poster caught the antlers growing out of her hair, she couldn't resist.
"It- uh, it's really not that noticeable," she offered.
"The hell it isn't! I'm sure I saw that mudblood Granger smirking after Potions, just before these started growing out of my head. I'm going to settle with her, first chance I get, that's a guarantee... " Pansy trailed off, noticing Daphne's attention on the antlers once more. "Take a picture, why don't you!"
"Sorry. Hey, listen, I need to grab a book from the library, do you need me to pick up anything for you?"
Pansy, careful to keep her head out of range of the bed curtains, rejected her offer and Daphne made a stop in the bathroom to touch up her cosmetics before leaving the dorms. Rather than go to the library Daphne instead headed for the kitchens, to once more engage Dobby as a messenger.
OWLs and NEWTs were only a week away and Daphne's expectations had been spectacularly fulfilled. The school was a madhouse, with three-quarters of the student body armed with pranking materials and the other quarter retaliating with increasingly harsh force. At first, Umbridge drew the brunt of the resistance, but as more and more students took part in the simmering conflict, the Inquisitorial Squad quickly shared her humiliation - as Pansy's current circumstance ably demonstrated.
Though Harry stubbornly refused to meet with her outside of class, Daphne kept pushing. Somehow, she'd managed to avoid the worst of the pranks, likely due to the handful of times she'd managed to deescalate several situations involving younger students from other Houses.
Dobby excitedly agreed to send her message, and Daphne couldn't help but grin as he vanished with a pop! The crazy elf was starting to grow on her, showering her with compliments for visiting so frequently, all the more so when Daphne presented him with a fedora she'd owl-ordered. She'd scarcely begun her circuit through the lower levels of the castle when raised voices caught her attention.
"Ow! Leave us alone!" Three young Ravenclaws, likely Second or Third Years, cried out while the Carrow Twins leisurely jinxed them.
"Run along, girls, they've had enough."
Hestia (or was it Flora?) turned. "These little shites almost took my head off with one of their stupid Fanged Frisbees!"
"And you've got your revenge, haven't you?"
The other twin sent a Stinging Hex at one of the younger students before speaking. "We don't take orders from you, Greengrass. We decide when they've had enough."
"No," Daphne said, crossing her arms to hide grasping her wand. "I'm deciding for you."
The first one looked ready to keep arguing, but her sister pulled on her arm and the two wandered off, shooting her a withering glare as they did. Relaxing her hold on her wand, Daphne breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the three children.
"You should go and head back to your-"
There wasn't even time to finish her sentence before one of them mashed a candy of some sort into her mouth, another arming a dungbomb and pulling open her robes to plunge it inside. In her shock, she bit down on the item and almost immediately began to retch, feeling vomit rise in her mouth. The dungbomb exploded, and the scent of manure was so overpowering that Daphne could practically taste it.
They ran off laughing together, and if she weren't already falling gagging to her knees, Daphne might have chased them down and continued where the Carrow twins left off. Those little shites!
Still throwing up everything she'd eaten that day, she took two steps in the direction of the stairs before collapsing to her knees, the vomit quickly turning to bile as her stomach ran out of contents to expel.
Merlin, what was it they'd gotten her with? Her robes by now were beyond ruined, trails of vomit lining her clothes as she crawled at a flobberworm's pace through the corridor.
"Hello, Daphne!" Luna's cheerful voice greeted her, "Are you searching for Umgubular Slashkilters?"
"No, I-" A dribble of vomit escaped her lips, and she loudly retched once more, yellowish bile splashing onto Luna's shoes.
"Here, hold still. That's it, just bite down on this-" Luna pressed something between her lips, and just as quick as it begun, her vomiting ceased. "There now, all better!"
Pushing a strand of sweat-soaked hair out of her face, Daphne grimaced at the liberal coating of sickness that covered it. "Those Ravenclaws, they did something to me- how did you know how to cure it?"
"It's part of the Skiving Snackboxes the Weasley Twins sold before they withdrew from Hogwarts. They cause various illnesses - one half of the sweet makes you sick, the other cures you."
"It's a rotten prank," Daphne said irritably. "I didn't think you the sort to walk around with something like that."
"Oh, I don't use them on other people. But providing your system with a rush like that can be quite invigorating. Nothing flushes out your sinuses like a Nosebleed Nougat!"
"I can't believe I helped those little twits! And this is how they repay me!"
"I'm sorry. They probably didn't know that you're on our side," Luna said, the casual assurance in her words taking Daphne by surprise. "I'll tell as many as I can, but not all the students were members."
"Members of what?"
Luna took her wand from behind her ear and incanted the Bubble-Head Charm. "My friends. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but you are rather smelly."
Daphne, being unable to do anything about the dungbomb, ignored that last part. "Your friends- you mean Harry?"
"And Ginevra, and Ronald. I grew up near the Weasleys, you know."
"But you'll talk to Harry? About me, uh, being on your side?" Daphne asked, wondering if she sounded as desperate to Luna as she did to her own ears.
Luna tried to tap her chin, but the charm interfered so she settled for tapping the edge of the transparent globe around her head. "Okay. It wouldn't feel right to say no to a friend."
This time, it was Daphne who initiated the hug, dungbomb and all.
As her roommates grew more and more worried over the impending OWL examinations, talking with Elysant became almost impossible. There was always someone in the dormitory, poring over their notes and trying to cram in as much studying as they could.
It was funny, even a few weeks ago Daphne likely would have been right alongside her roommates, tearing her hair out in desperation. But now, well; Astoria's visage flashed in her mind's eye. She'd do well enough on her OWLs. And if not, she'd just retake them someday, once her sister had recovered.
"I'm telling you, it's like night and day! It's a huge relief to not have to worry anymore." Pansy was currently lording her recent purchase of powdered dragon claw, much to the envy of the other girls. "I told Draco that the stress was going to cause my skin to break out, and he gave me the eighteen galleons straight away."
"Can I have some?" Millicent asked.
"You're going to do fine, Milly, I heard that stuff doesn't work anyway," Tracey interjected.
"It does so! Not like you'd know, anyway!"
Tracey shrank away following Pansy's exclamation, and Millicent continued to listen intently to Pansy's boasting. Daphne thought about saying something, but a faint pop drew her attention. She took a glance around, and spotted a scrap of parchment on her pillow that hadn't been there when she sat down.
Kitchens?
That one word sent a shiver down her spine. The note was unsigned, but she recognized Harry's scrawl from his DADA notes. This had to be Luna's doing - Daphne decided that the barmy Ravenclaw was going to get a very extravagant birthday gift this year.
Still, it was nearly curfew, the night before their exams began. It would be beyond suspicious for her to put on makeup and a dress. She gave herself a once-over. Her hair was loose, unbound, and she wore a plain and uninspired set of pyjamas. One her mother bought her, she absently recalled, and certainly not the sort of thing a young woman wears to a late-night rendezvous with a young man.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked.
"Just to the loo. I drank too much tea earlier, trying to stay up."
"What do you need from your trunk to go to the loo?" Pansy's question drew the attention of the other girls, and in the midst of surreptitiously pulling out some clothes, Daphne froze.
"Nothing. I was just- nothing." Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she closed her trunk's lid and left for the washroom.
It wasn't hard to sneak down the stairs to the common room, and Daphne hardly thought twice about venturing out into the school. Filch didn't have the stones to hassle the Inquisitorial Squad, and the chances of running into anyone else tonight seemed unlikely.
Besides, Harry had a much farther trek to the kitchens from Gryffindor Tower.
When she arrived, he was easy to spot; it helped that he was the only person amid the sea of elves. He was talking to Dobby, and she took a moment to observe him in silence. Harry looked slightly ruffled, as though he'd been running his hands through his hair frequently. Despite looking tired - backed up when he rubbed his eyes under his glasses - his smile was bright as he chatted amiably with his house elf friend.
Daphne took a step forward, and the movement caught his attention. How she wished he'd given her more notice, more time to prepare, she thought as his eyes swiftly flicked up and down over her figure.
"I like your slippers."
"My- oh. Right," She wiggled her toes in the fuzzy unicorn slippers, complete with a plush horn protruding from the arch of her feet. "My sister picked these out for me, for my birthday last year."
"That's nice. How old is she?"
"She'll turn thirteen this summer."
"Wait - she's at Hogwarts?" She could practically see his eyes unfocus, trying to remember her sister.
"I'm almost sure you're never met her. She's a Slytherin, after all. Her name is Astoria," Daphne said, to forestall any more questions about her sister. "How are your exam preparations going?"
"I don't know. It feels like all I've done is study the whole week, but then I talk to other students and suddenly I don't think I've prepared anywhere near what's needed. How about you?"
"Probably about the same," she said, then gave into her curiosity. "Why did you decide to meet with me? Why now, but not before?"
He toyed with a glass of pumpkin juice for a moment before answering. "I don't get you, Greengrass. You spend years picking on my best friend, and then come back from the Christmas hols with your sights set on me. What's different? Why the sudden shift?"
She'd expected this for quite awhile, and had practiced a response with Elysant several times. "When you first got Sorted into Gryffindor, didn't you hear things about the other Houses? Didn't anyone tell you how Slytherins can't be trusted, how we're all a bunch of cutthroats?" He nodded. "Well, I got the same lectures you did, just in reverse."
"That's crap. Regardless of House rivalries I never picked on anyone. And Hermione never did anything to you," Harry paused, his voice hardening. "I don't like bullies. And I don't date them, either."
"Then it's a good thing I'm not a bully," 'Anymore' "Look, Harry, I have had to face a lot of unpleasant truths since we started talking. I've acknowledged what I did, how I acted, and I do things differently now."
"Greengrass-"
"Don't you think people can change? I was a bully, fine. Don't you think it's possible that I might not always be one?"
Her argument was well-rehearsed, but she was nonetheless taken aback by the stricken expression he wore after she spoke.
"I- I believe people can change."
"Good, I'd hate to think I did all this just for you to call me a slimy snake and storm out of here."
He let out a half-hearted chuckle, then gestured for her to take a seat. "Luna told me about you helping out the students your Housemates are targeting. Thanks."
"I wanted to tell you the last time we were here, but…"
"But what?"
"I forgot. I get nervous around you." Harry laughed, a real laugh, and she frowned at him. "What's so funny?"
"It's just- that seems hard to believe, given the very public way you've tried to get to know me. Remember Valentine's Day?"
"Yea. I also remember that we never did get a chance to practice Defence together. Sorry about that, by the way."
He waved away her apology. "If there's one thing that I've learned from five years of friendship with Hermione, it's that I don't know anything about girls. How do you think you'll do on the DADA OWL?"
"I'm not worried," she replied.
"You do look pretty relaxed compared to everyone else."
"I think I'm prepared. Plus, it helps that I'll be going into the family business after graduation."
"Your father, he's some kind of supplier?"
She nodded. "You could say that. He finds items and ingredients overseas and imports them. My parents expect me to do well on my exams, but it's not like working for my father has a prerequisite number of NEWTs. What do you want to do?"
"I'm going to be an auror," he said quietly.
There was a darkness settling over him, whether it be cognizance of the high scores he'd require for that career path, or something else entirely. "I mean, if you ran an illegal dueling club this year, I'm sure you've got what it takes to catch dark wizards."
"Who told you that?" He asked.
"Who didn't? It was all anyone talked about in Slytherin that weekend, not to mention the Headmaster was sacked the same night."
"Oh. Right, I guess that makes sense."
She reached across the table to lightly touch his forearm. "I can't believe I missed out on the chance for a personal lesson."
Her tone was light and flirtatious, but rather than reciprocate, Harry seemed uncomfortable. "I had a lot of help."
"Our Defence OWL isn't until Thursday."
"Yea, I remember Professor McGonagall saying that."
"We should meet before then, so you can give me a few last-minute pointers."
"I don't know, Greengrass…" he started, but she swiftly interrupted.
"I wish you wouldn't call me that. I liked it when you said my name. You don't call your friends 'Granger' and 'Weasley'."
Harry's lips quirked, and a crooked smile appeared. "We're friends now, is that it?"
"Got to start somewhere," she replied, then yawned despite her best efforts. "Sorry."
"It's okay, we should probably get some rest. Big day tomorrow."
"Yea," she agreed, raising her arms and stretching. "You'll make it back to your dorms okay?"
He didn't respond right away, eyes focused on something else - on her, she realized. Stretching in such a way had lifted the hem of her shirt, exposing a small section of her midriff. "Harry?"
A blush broke out on his cheeks, and he met her eyes for a brief second before looking away. "Sorry, what?"
"I asked if you have a way back to your dormitory safely. It's got to be half-past curfew by now."
"I'll be fine. Want me to walk you back?"
"I doubt my Housemates would appreciate me showing a Gryffindor where the location of our dormitories is."
"About six feet past that tapestry with the men on horses, in the second sub-basement."
Daphne stared at him in shock. "How-?"
He just grinned. "Goodnight, Daphne."
The whole morning after their first date (how could she think of it in any other way?) Daphne couldn't contain her smile. Things were finally moving in the right direction, after months of frustration and setbacks.
Pansy was looking a bit green during breakfast, and Lily teased her mercilessly that the powdered dragon claw was responsible for her queasiness, much to Tracey and Millicent's quiet satisfaction. Daphne didn't join in, more grateful that Pansy's nausea prevented her from asking why she spent almost an hour in the toilet the night before.
After breakfast, the students milled around the Entrance Hall while the examiners prepared the Great Hall for their testing. She caught sight of Harry, rubbing a circle into Granger's back, and returned his smile when she caught his glance in her direction. Filing back into the Great Hall with her classmates, Daphne was disappointed to see that the desks bore nametags, arranged in alphabetical order. Harry was probably fifty feet behind her.
Professor Flitwick cast a spell, and questions for their Charms OWL appeared on the blank parchment sitting on her desk. Daphne inked her quill, unrolled her own parchment, and began.
She should have studied. She liked theory, and considered herself to be a quick learner when it came to understanding the 'how' and 'why' of spellcasting. That didn't mean she was smart enough to waltz in and recite specific aspects of charms without preparation, though.
Forcing down the upsurge of panic, Daphne took a deep breath and tried to focus on doing her best.
It was much the same for the rest of the week. She thought she did okay in the practical portions, but was utterly adrift when it came to the theoretical examinations. Of course, her confidence wasn't helped by the fact that, by virtue of their last names, she was tested alongside Granger every time. She'd tried to say hello or wave a few times, but the Gryffindor was more melodramatic about her test anxiety than the worst Wireless serial.
Through it all, she kept her priorities in order, pretending to study with her roommates while actually keeping a brief correspondence with Harry. Scraps of parchment asking how his exams went that day turned into longer letters about her roommates, questions about his friends, the first thing he'd do after their last OWL was finished, and more.
Harry responded to the notes she sent via Dobby, but he begged off another meeting, claiming the exams were every bit as difficult as advertised. He couldn't be doing that badly, though, given the way that Pansy (who was tested with him just as Daphne was with Granger) never had any substantive criticism about his performance in the practicals.
With the presence of so many officials from the Ministry in the castle to administer the exams, Professor Umbridge loosened many of the more restrictive Educational Decrees. While the pranks against her continued, much of the tension that had been so unbearable for the last month gradually tapered off. As the second, and final week of testing began, Daphne felt that, at last, things were finally going her way.
Tuesday was blessedly test-free, as it was the designated exam day for Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies. Daphne took neither, and she used the opportunity to wait out her roommates, finally able to update Elysant on the exciting recent developments.
"Very good, child. Did I not assure you that my plan would bear fruit?"
"Our plan seems to be going well, yes. I'd really started to worry."
Elysant accepted Daphne's correction without comment, pacing back and forth within the confines of her portrait. "Still, the timing is most unfavourable. You don't have much longer before the summer holiday."
"I know." It was something she'd been thinking about. "I could always send him letters, though."
"That's far from enough. Someone with his fame and reputation surely already has a flood of well-wishes awaiting his departure from the castle. Think harder."
"I- maybe we could meet? Have a proper date somewhere?"
Elysant mulled this suggestion over, but eventually shook her head. "Not until we're more certain of the situation with his guardians. You wouldn't want to embarrass him by taking him somewhere he couldn't afford."
"But I've got gold-"
"Certainly! Emasculate the pitiful boy by paying his way, that will endear you to him. No, we need more information. You have nearly three months away from this castle, away from House rivalries and your new Headmistress and his friends."
Merlin, she hadn't even considered what school would be like next year! Umbridge didn't seem to be going anywhere, and she would certainly continue to try and isolate Harry; not even mentioning the way she'd empowered Daphne's Housemates, presenting an even greater impediment to openly spending more time with him. Elysant was right - letters wouldn't be enough. Astoria was fading fast, she didn't have the time to take things slowly.
"He's never talked about his life outside of school."
"Then find out for yourself."
Daphne mulled this over, quickly coming up with and dismissing ideas that felt unreasonable before settling on a proposition. "I could, I mean, after we get off the train, I could follow him to his home."
"How? And what about your parents?"
"I'll tell them I'm going to Pansy's, they'll buy it."
"And the other part? What if his guardians apparate him?"
"I'll figure something out. I've got a few days to come up with a plan."
Wednesday brought with it the Astronomy and Arithmancy OWLs, and maybe it was due to the break she'd had the day before, but Daphne felt both of them went better than all of last week's combined. Arithmancy was her favourite subject, after all, and Astronomy was mostly an exercise in rote memorization.
The mood over dinner was relaxed, even with their practical impending in the Astronomy Tower just before midnight. After more than a week of testing, the sense that, for better or worse, it was nearly over left students in higher spirits. Among the Fifth Years, conversation flowed regularly and next to no one had books out to cram for last minute preparation.
Daphne quite enjoyed being out in the open air of the Tower. It was a lovely night, just cool enough to require a jumper without any actual chill. The sky was clear and bereft of clouds, so filling out her star chart merely required careful positioning rather than any luck or chance.
Harry was two rows in front of her, leaning over his telescope, occasionally scribbling on his parchment. She wondered if his glasses interfered with the observation; now that she thought about it, she'd never actually seen him without the bulky frames. He did have very nice eyes, and she idly wondered if they were an even brighter shade of green unencumbered by-
She was jerked out of her musing when he stood straight up, peering over the parapet not up at the sky, but down over the grounds. Granger, beside him, leaned forward to look as well.
"Thirty minutes remaining, children," One of the administrators chided, and the two Gryffindors slowly got back to work, only to abandon their exams once more when the distant sounds of an argument drifted up to the Tower.
Something was happening.
"Children, please! This is an exam!" The witch from the Ministry pleaded, but the entire row of students nearest the edge of the Tower stood like statues, peering down into the moonlit grounds.
Setting aside her star chart, Daphne secured her telescope and approached the parapet, squeezing in between Harry and Granger, who surprisingly didn't so much as spare her a glance. As she identified what it was they were staring at, Daphne understood why.
Hagrid, the gamekeeper-turned-professor, was under assault from a half-dozen wizards and witches. Bathed in the crimson light of Stupefying Charms, he roared in anger and swatted at his attackers with his massive arms.
Daphne didn't take Care due in large part to her opinion of Hagrid, but it was clear that Harry didn't share that perspective, the tension in his posture obvious, his muscles taut and quivering. She heard Granger whimper when a streak of red light struck the dog barking amidst the battle below, and then Hagrid seemed to lose his mind, crying out in rage.
"You must come back and finish your exams! Pay no mind to- oh, my…" the examiner said as, before the students' collective gaze, their Deputy Headmistress stormed onto the scene below, demanding a halt to the battle and was summarily struck down by no less than four stunners. "The louts! Not so much as a warning!"
Several of the Gryffindor girls were in tears seeing their Head of House attacked in such a manner, and Brown even screamed out loud when it happened. Daphne reached between them, brushing her hand against Harry's clenched fist and delicately held his wrist. His pulse throbbed angrily beneath her fingers.
Hagrid didn't let McGonagall's sacrifice serve no purpose, downing nearly all his attackers and scooping up the dog to make his escape into the Forbidden Forest. Professor Umbridge's angry voice shouting for him to surrender was clearly audible.
Once he'd made his escape, Harry seemed to deflate next to her, and she slid her hand into his now that it had relaxed from a clenched fist. He gave a sharp look at her, as though noticing her for the first time, but didn't pull away.
"Five minutes left," one of the examiners said, clearly just as shocked by what they'd witnessed. "Return to your seats."
Daphne stepped away from the parapet, from Harry, and went back to her star charts, sharing in the dark and disturbed mood of the rest of the students. It was horribly frightening to see open combat on the school grounds like that. What had happened that caused the faculty to attack each other in such a way?
Back in the dungeons, the Fifth Years quickly relayed the scene they'd witnessed to the other Slytherins, and while there were a few jokes and giggles, Daphne knew that most of them were rather half-hearted. The prank war, the bullying and fights among the students were one thing; it was quite another to see their professors assaulting each other and left lying in the dirt outside the Forbidden Forest.
Eventually, the excitement faded and the reality that it was well into the early morning set in. Daphne went to bed, forcing herself to try and relax. If violence descended on Hogwarts, things were much worse than she'd thought. The sense of calm she'd felt earlier in the week must have been imaginary, a lie dispelled by the attack before their eyes.
'No' she thought, commanding herself to calm down. 'Stay focused' There was only her sister; everything else was a distraction. She'd promised Astoria a cure, and no matter if the world burned around her, she was going to deliver. Cool determination flowed like ice water through her veins, and Daphne closed her eyes.
One more OWL left.
Daphne set down her quill to read through the parchment one more time.
'Ron and I are going to go flying; we'll share his broom since Umbridge still has mine. I can't wait for this year to end.'
She'd asked what his plans were once their OWLs were completed, and assumed he'd understand that she wanted him to make plans with her. Honestly, was it so much to ask that he display even the tiniest interest in her?
"C'mon, let's get to the Great Hall. Don't want to face History of Magic on an empty stomach, do you?"
Pansy stood near the foot of her bed with one arm cocked on her hip, waiting expectantly. "Right, give me just a moment," Daphne said, tucking the parchment away inside her bag before standing up to join her roommate.
Together, they made their way to lunch and Daphne couldn't help but enjoy Pansy's biting wit, her friend making predictions on which students would need to retake their OWLs. As they sat down to fill their plates, though, conversation turned to more mundane (and safer) topics.
"What are you going to do over the summer hols?"
Daphne pretended to focus on the cucumber sandwiches, making a show of selecting one. "Just stay home with my family."
"And Astoria? How is she?"
Her eyes flicked to Pansy's face, searching but finding only what seemed genuine sympathy. Pansy hadn't asked after Astoria in months, since well before Yule Break. "I'm looking forward to spending time with her."
"Maybe I could come by and visit. It's been awhile since I've seen the little squirt."
"I'm sure she'd like that," Daphne replied in a neutral tone. "What will you do for the summer? Plans with Draco?"
Pansy leaned forward, her voice lowering. "Have you noticed he's been a bit… off as of late?"
"He's your boyfriend," Daphne pointed out, pausing for a bite before continuing. "How do you mean?"
"Just- he seems excited. He usually complains about how boring it is at home, but this year-" Pansy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he misses his mother."
Seeing her friend so vulnerable and concerned should have inspired some feeling in Daphne, but she was unable to muster even a mask of sincerity. Instead, she shrugged and turned back to her meal.
Their other roommates joined them, and before long they found themselves waiting once more in the Entrance Hall to take an exam, their final OWL and the last test of the year.
Was it possible that Binns was somehow haunting this exam? Daphne never felt much affection for his subject, and found herself unable to muster much in the way of urgency to do well on this test no matter how high the stakes may be.
'Was there anyone interested in NEWT History, after all?' Surely the only reason to try was for bragging rights. Or perhaps, she mused while staring at the back of Granger's head, out of a compulsion to be perfect. Regardless, Daphne allowed her mind to wander rather than pay the questions on her parchment any attention.
She was imagining Astoria, Head Girl badge pinned to her robes, giving the commencement speech at her graduation from Hogwarts when a yell and a thump interrupted her fantasy. Someone behind her was screaming, but among all the students and administrators she wasn't able to identify what was going on - at least not until one of the Ministry workers helped Harry to his feet, escorting him out of the Great Hall.
What had happened? Harry was clutching at his head as he was helped out. Maybe it was just a migraine? Too little sleep and too many tests?
Somehow, that didn't check out. She'd seen him suffer before and he never acted like that. Harry never came back.
A/N: Here we go! You all know what's coming next chapter!
On Harry 'forgiving' her - this is tied up with his attitude towards his father. Harry wants to believe that people can be redeemed, because he wants to believe in his father. Fortuitous timing for Daphne (who isn't aware of any of that).
Had several reviewers comment about the love potion not solving Daphne's problem; if you go back to last chapter, Daphne points that very thing out to Snape. But after seeing Astoria, as she said, 'everything is on the table' - better to have it and take the chance it might not work than not succeed in seducing him, after all. Think of it as a last gasp insurance policy.
Fic rec: "Serious Black" by LoveSync11. A super creative fic with colorful OCs and a unique POV mix. A first-time author, so go send some encouragement his way. Nothing makes a writer want to update like reviews!
Hope everyone's doing well. Stay safe, healthy, and happy! ~Frickles
