Harry reeled around, showing the snitch held tightly in his hand.

"YES!"

Through the snow it took the crowd around him a second to realise what had happened, then a great shout went up, almost drowning out the whistle signifying the end of the game. The Gryffindor team landed at the centre of the pitch and met in joyous embraces while the onlookers shrieked and laughed.

The Slytherin team landed a second later and were less enthusiastic to say the least.

Harry dismounted his broom and met Ron with a hug; he nights spent playing Quidditch with Fred and George had finally paid off, it had been his last-minute save that kept them leading in the finale round. The team piled around the Weasley, slapping him on the back and dragging him into group hug. Even Ginny seemed reluctantly impressed by her brothers performance, and gave him a rough but playful punch on the shoulder.

Though the night sky was dark, the crowd was still visible going wild around them. The Gryffindor team stomped through the snow arm-in-arm, punching the air and waving up at the supporters. This match had started in the freezing cold and with miserable faces, but then ended with adrenaline-pumping cheers.

As Harry entered the changing rooms, his smile was tingling and the atmosphere inside was jubilant.

"PARTY UP IN THE COMMON ROOM, SAMUS SAID!" Dean yelled.

The fastest he had ever seen, his team members were changed and gone in seconds. Ron and Harry were the last two in to leave, and just as they neared their exit, Hermione entered, twisting her Gryffindor scarf in her hands and looking troubled.

"I would like a word, Harry."

He turned instantly, moving away to straighten the lines of brooms his teammates left behind. Or at least, that's what he appeared to be doing.

Really it was so neither of them would see his shit-eating grin. He had been deliberately delaying getting changed to prepare for this exact moment.

"What about?" he asked innocently.

"You know perfectly well what about!" Hermione partially shrieked. "You spiked Ron's drink! You could be kicked off the team for cheating! The entire match could be disqualified!"

"Yeah…" He turned back to face them both, now grinning broadly, "... except, only, I didn't."

"Yes, you did, Harry! That's why there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

"I didn't put it in!"

He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and brought out the same tiny bottle of Liquid Luck that Hermione had seen him with that morning.

"I needed Ron to think that I had, so I faked putting it in when I knew you'd be there. I was going to tell you later but didn't get a chance."

It wasn't lying, he was just influencing the situation. There was nothing morally wrong about that. He double checked with Sirius first.

He looked at Ron and smiled.

"That was all you out there, mate. Everything was you."

Ron stared back at him in disbelief.

"There really wasn't anything in my pumpkin juice?" he asked, astonished. "But the weather… and Malfoy couldn't play… you honestly haven't given me anything?"

He shook his head, still grinning. Ron gaped at him for a minute and then rounded on Hermione, imitating her voice.

"Ughh, you spiked Ron's juice this morning, that's why he was good! See, I can save goals without your help, Hermione!" he shot back in a surprisingly passive aggressive tone.

Hermione groaned.

"I never said you couldn't, Ron! I just thought on principal -"

Ron barged past her and left the room abruptly, with his broomstick over his shoulder and still in partial-uniform.

He left behind a startling silence in his wake; the adrenaline pumping atmosphere of the match now gone from the room.

Harry's mouth dropped from his smile and fell open uselessly. That definitely hadn't been the reaction he was hoping for.

"What was… that about?" he asked into the silence.

"Nothing..."

Hermione blinked back sudden tears from nowhere.

"I am just so sick of Ron at the moment."

"Right… "

An awkward silence lingered around them, and Harry was suddenly very aware of his own breathing. He hadn't expected his plan to backfire like this, and suddenly felt there was something critical that he was as of yet, not informed of.

"Has something... happened between you guys? I know we don't get to talk as much anymore… is everything okay?"

Hermione groaned again, this time directed at him.

"You really don't know what you've just done, do you Harry?" she spat.

Before he had a chance to answer, she stormed out of the changing room and left the door to slam shut behind her.

It took him a full ten seconds of just standing there to properly process what had just happened. Ron and Hermione were all but practically seeing each other during the summer. Sure, now he only ever got to see them during breakfast or an occasion lesson, but what the hell could have happened in his absence to make them be at each others throats? And, pray tell, what had he just made worse?

Now troubled, and debating if he should make a break to go after Hermione, Harry's movements were slower as he returned to stripping his uniform off. He suddenly didn't feel like going to any party anymore.

His thoughts were that clouded deciphering his friends actions that he didn't notice the changing room door open and close again behind him.

"Very nice."

It was a voice he recognised, but that did nothing to stop him flinching out of his skin at the sound of it. He dragged his Quidditch uniform across his bare chest.

"You shouldn't be here!"

"And why not?" Tracey smirked, leaning back against a storage box. "Scared I might see somethin' I'll like?"

"What do you want?!" Harry snapped back, still shielding his bare chest.

She broke broke into an obnoxious cackle of laughter.

"Calm down, I wanted to congratulate you! Your team just won, mate!"

Harry felt his muscles untense.

"Yeah… erm, you guys did great, as well…"

Tracey laughed, lulling her head to the side.

"Not good enough, clearly! But it's fine... we're goin' up Hufflepuff in May, we still have a chance to wipe the floor with them."

While she was talking, Harry quickly dragged his school shirt over his head. Her wandering eyes didn't go unnoticed by him. He let out an uncomfortable cough, the room suddenly very warm around him.

"Don't let one loss get you down," he said, more attentively. "That triple no-handed loop-de-loop you did was incredible."

"Oh, you flatter me!"

Harry finished dressing himself and sat on an old storage box, opposite her, to tie together his shoelaces. The second he settled down, however, Tracey bounded herself up and took a seat next to him.

"So why aren't you celebrating with the rest?" she asked, now a lot more closer.

Harry breathed out.

"I think I might have just…" he paused to consider his wording, "... messed up something."

"Wanna talk about it?"

He bit his lip.

"Not particularly. Thank you."

"That's cool. Hey, mind if I get changed in here?"

"Well, actually…"

Tracey bounced up and before he knew it, he was staring right at the girls nude back.

Choking on his words, he quickly averted his eyes. Blood pumped into his cheeks and other places. Why did this girl always enjoy making him uncomfortable? Tracey gave a knowing chuckle at his expense.

"You know, I'd be up there partyin' with 'em if I was you!" she said, just out of Harry's peripheral. "Just because you're Captain doesn't mean you shouldn't also have some fun."

There was a dip in her tone that Harry decided he didn't like. What was she playing it? Did she take pleasure from teasing him like this? Was this another one of her games or was she genuinely trying to instigate something? And why, probably the foremost question in his mind, was she always so difficult to read?

He never had this problem with Hermione or Cho, but with Daphne and Tracey, they always seemed to have total control of the situation whenever they spoke. They definitely earned their place in Slytherin house.

"Everyone's celebrating with Ron…" he mumbled, "... he deserves tonight more than me."

"Oh, how noble of you, proud Gryffindor!"

His hands shot to his collar. He thought he'd just done it up too tight, but no, his difficulty breathing was nothing to do with his shirt.

"Are you just here to tease me, or do you actually want something?" he finally stammered out.

He felt a presence beside him and, cautiously, turned his head back. Tracey was, thankfully, now fully in her uniform and stood by his side.

"Both. Get dressed and meet me outside, mm'kay?"


Stepping into the cold night air, Harry didn't realise how thankful he was to be out of that changing room. Tracey marched out of the room behind him, and then took the lead, surprisingly, not up towards the castle, but back onto the Quidditch pitch

"Where are we going?"

"For a walk. Might be a while."

Still feeling vastly out of his comfort zone from whatever Tracey just tried to pull, he couldn't find it in him to argue with her. He followed suit behind the girl.

Incredibly, the audience of the Quidditch game had drained out in no time. Left behind was a large feeling of emptiness, which was aided by how small the two were compared to the overall size of the pitch.

Their ears were full of a natural chorus; wind, the snow crunching beneath their feet and the occasional indistinguishable splash from the black lake. If his heart wasn't still pounding from the game he'd just played, he'd almost call the atmosphere serene.

"So… what's up?"

"We need to talk about Daffy."

He nodded, an unintentional sigh escaping his lips.

"Of course we do..."

"You guys had an argument, right? That's what Blaise is saying."

Her tone had shifted yet again. Now she was talking with her serious voice. It was the same one she used when talking about Malfoy and Daphne last time. It seemed to be coming from a completely different person than the one who'd just been teasing him in the changing rooms.

"Yeah, the other week, at Slughorn's party."

"What'd she say?"

Harry thought for a second. His mind was still alive with the Quidditch game, Ron and Hermione, and whatever Tracey had just put him through. A lot had happened that night, which was over a week ago. A lot of it blurred together, and not a lot of it made sense in words.

"Not much, really…" he tried. "I think she was just trying to clear the air. Told me she didn't have any hard feelings…"

"What did you say back?"

"I told her she was mental for leaving me and I deserved more than that."

Tracey winced, taking in a sharp inhale of breath, then letting out a slow cackle.

"Yeah… that'll… that'll make her mad."

"I didn't mean to," he sighed, "I was annoyed and came on too strong… What is it you want to talk about?"

Tracey fell quiet for a second and he stared at her. She didn't look back at him.

The sound of snow crunching beneath was now loud in his ears. He was thankful for the adrenaline still in his system to keeping him warm. As they began to approach the centre of the pitch and the stands began disappearing into the darkness, she began to slow. He didn't know where she was leading him, or if she was truly leading him anywhere.

"Did you get to speak to her about the necklace?"

Harry nodded and rubbed his neck.

"I tried but she wasn't having it… and I didn't really think she was anything to do with it, anyway."

"You don't?"

"No. I don't think she's malicious like that. Not her style."

"Well, you've never seen her in a fight."

She laughed at her own joke, but Harry didn't see the humour in it.

"Do you think it was her?"

Tracey shot him an ugly grimace.

"Absolutely not, don't be stupid!"

Then, less passionately, she said, "But I had to be sure and I'm not exactly gonna ask her that myself."

So, he was set up then.

It was Harry's turn to scowl at her.

"Oh gee, thanks!"

"What? She's already mad at you, you've got nowt to lose!"

Though he smiled in response, he still didn't quite feel to laughing.

"But no, I'm not worried it was Daphne," he explained. "I'm worried about who it was. Malfoy, almost definitely."

"You and him really don't get on, do you?"

"Do you?"

"Well, no, but still… He's a dick, he just never struck me as that kind of dick. Daphne's always been edgy with her politics but she's not a bad person... Can't really say I see enough of Draco to really say. We barely have any lessons together. Nobody sees him in the common room, anymore. I don't think we've had a full-on conversation since last year."

Tracey spoke dismissively of him, like this suddenly wasn't a serious matter, but her words did nothing but fuel Harry.

"You don't see him around the common room?"

"I mean, not really, but I can't say I've been lookin'. Barely any of us actually like him, anyway, it's just easier being his friend than his enemy. Why? Is that important?"

Harry thought careful about her words and nodded.

"Maybe. He's up to something, I know he is. I'm just scared Daphne is involved with it."

"Thought you said you didn't think she gave Katie the necklace?"

"I don't, but I do know there's something going on she's not telling me."

Tracey gave a stifled laugh and moved her hands into her pockets.

"That we can agree on… "

She looked up, blissfully into the sky. They had long reached the middle of the pitch and at this point had taken to gently wandering around the same patch of grass in conversation.

She took out her wand and cast a charm over a section of the snow, which sizzled out for a second before becoming completely dry. She plonked herself onto the grassy patch and gestured to the spot beside her.

"I was raised with Daphne, I know when she's hiding somethin'. Her problem is that she thinks she's a lot smarter than she actually is. With books, you know for sure, I'll give her that, but not with life. She and Astoria got the looks, but I got the brains in there."

Harry nodded.

"Definitely wouldn't have guessed you guys were related. You're very…"

"Yeah?"

He elected to keep his choice of wording gentle.

"Different. Not bad, just different."

Tracey threw her head back in a chuckle.

"I'm the black sheep, you can say it!" she half-cheered. "To Astoria, I get to be the cool Aunt... even though we're not actually related. But then compared to Daphne I'm just, well… you know! Daphne is Daphne! She's tall, gorgeous, talented. And then there's little 'ol me. I was raised muggle-born, so that probably answers a lot of questions for you."

If Harry hadn't had already been sat down, he'd have struggled to keep on his feet.

"You're muggle-born?"

Tracey noticed his sudden reaction.

"No, God no!" she laughed, raising her arms defensively. "But Mum is."

It took Harry another second to connect the dots in his mind.

"Daphne's mum is muggle-born!?"

"She never told you?"

Tracey finally ceased laughing and stopped to consider herself.

"Mind you, I can understand why... It doesn't actually affect her bloodline, and it's pretty easy to get targeted for things like that."

Harry's mouth bobbed open and closed.

How had he and her not spoken about this before? Daphne never outwardly mentioned her mother to him, but you'd think that a Slytherin having a muggle-born parent would surely have come up in conversation at some point? He just presumed she and her were not on good terms and that's why she never mentioned her, but was that why? Did Daphne resent her mother for being muggle-born?

"Hey, if you want one hell of a roller-coaster ride, make Daffy tell you the story of how her dad ended up knockin' up a muggle-born chick! Hard-right fell for hard-left! You guys would probably have a lot in common!"

Harry shook his head in incredulity.

"I don't get it, how is she… how does she…"

Tracey held a hand up in silence, as she began to give Harry his much-needed context.

"I'm technically her older sister by a few months, but don't bring that up 'cause she hates it. Our mum had us with different blokes. She left my dad for her dad. They lived together for a bit then split, she kept me and Daphne's dad took her. Mum and her don't really get on now. Or her and anyone, actually. She's lovely, but... a bit of an acquired taste. So yeah, that's why me and Daffy are so different. It's also why she's always been a bit iffy on the blood purity thing, her dads influence, I reckon... I've never really seen the point in it. She's not problematic with it, though. I mean she has no problem with Blaise, or me being bisexual, so it doesn't really come up in conversation."

Harry considered the girl in subject. He was learning so much about Daphne within one night. For the first time this year she was no longer just a source of burden in his mind, now she had returned, however briefly, to a point of curious interest. It was a long time since he thought about Daphne without a sweeping of anxiety in the pit of his stomach.

He brought his knees up to his chin.

"She hasn't spoken to me in months… I still don't know why she's mad at me…"

Tracey let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Harry… We both know she's not actually mad you."

"She isn't?"

"What?"

"You just said she isn't mad at me, why isn't she?"

"Oh, I thought you - okay!"

Tracey struggled with her words suddenly. She brought a hand up to scratch the top of her beanie, and if Harry couldn't tell any better, he'd say she was intentionally avoiding his eye-line.

"It's not really what you say out loud but… ah, well, as far as I can figure out; Daphne had gotten involved with some not-very-nice people. She's practically admitted that much. Whether it's her choice or not, I can't tell, but I doubt it was. She's not like that, like I said. But yeah, I very much doubt she left you 'cause she wanted to."

Despite this, realistically, not being news to Harry and just confirming all the thoughts he'd already been having, hearing it come from another person's mouth still hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Death Eaters?" he asked quietly, his breath barely a whisper.

Tracey rubbed the base of her neck awkwardly, now looking the most unsettled he'd ever seen her. She leaned forward.

"Daffy is by no means a good person, but she's also not a bad person, and I mean that," she said firmly. "But it can't be denied that she deffo has some bad people in her life. Whether that's Draco or not, doesn't matter. I'm worried about her 'cause despite what she says, she is very susceptible to manipulation and influence. I would know, she's been under my little finger pretty much since we started Hogwarts!"

She must have noticed the look Harry was giving her, as she then made to amend her words.

"Oh, it's not that bad! I get her to do things for me all the time and she doesn't realise it. I make her think it's her choice... It sounds bad, I know, but I have good intentions. I can't say that about others. Given what she's been driven to in the past, if she feels like she's actually in danger, or if the people she loves are, I'd dread to think what her limits could be."

Unsure if her words were as trustworthy as they seemed, Harry struggled to find his own. He didn't know much about that side of things, he'd only grown to know Daphne on surface level and had yet to see this so-called bad side of her.

"She said that she was trying to protect me when she left me…"

Harry replayed the images in his mind, as he had done so a thousand times before.

"When I asked her what from… she said... who do you think? Honestly I was hoping somewhere our wires had gotten crossed. She wouldn't get involved with Voldemort willingly, I know that she wouldn't! She even told me, when we got together, that she doesn't agree with their methods. It doesn't make any sense!"

Tracey's nose crinkled.

"Daffy rarely has ill intentions, but she gives half truths at best, intentional deceptions at worst. The Dark Arts and the Greengrass family go way back. I've been there to hear the way she talks about it. She's not above getting her hands dirty if she believes it's for her own best interest. The only side that she's on is her own. I don't think she gave the necklace to Katie, but I don't think she has completely innocent intentions all the time, either. The only difference between Daffy and the other girls in our house is they're upfront about how much of a bitch they are - Daphne hides it and pretends she's above that behaviour."

"But she's not like the other girls?"

"Oh, trust me, she is! She just get a temper when you remind her of that! Claims she don't care what others think, yet spends her whole time trying to shape people's opinions of her! She looks down on almost everyone, thinks she's smarter than half the teachers and only gives me the time of day when it's convenient for her! She said she was going to be here today, actually! Did you see her in the stands?"

Tracey phrased the question like it was rhetorical, but he had in-fact been keeping an eye on the stands as he'd flown around the pitch. She didn't wait for a response.

"I knew she wasn't listening, because she was revisin' and, you know, god help anyone that comes between Daphne and her revisin'!" she said with an aggressive smile. "But, yeah... I told her the match was on tonight and that I was in it, how it was my first time playin' a game as part of a proper team and how excited I was. She said she'd come, and then... well, I don't know. I wasn't actually expectin' her to show but, I just thought that, maybe with you here... you know, she might have done."

Tracey's rant petered out and she dropped her head into her lap.

Silence and the sound of gentle wind took the scene. Harry felt the need to say something to comfort her, but his words refused to budge from his throat.

He was never good at talking about his feelings, it was about the only thing he inherited from the Dursleys. Arguments were solved by shutting up and waiting for it to blow over. Being surrounded by so many people now who were willing to not only talk about how they felt, but enjoyed sharing almost struck him as an alien concept. It left him on the spot, unable to reciprocate but wishing desperately he knew how to. It was why breaking up with Cho had been so difficult, and why Tracey had been leading the conversation up until now.

But there was a feeling around him, the isolation of being so far from everyone, that helped gather his thoughts coherently. He didn't feel like he was put on the spot out here. He had learned by now Tracey was shameless and words bounced off her like a brick wall. Between her and the vast emptiness of the environment around them, no embarrassment struck him as he opened his mouth, and when he finally spoke it was with the comfort that his words would most certainty float aimlessly into the distance to be forgotten.

He began to slowly work his words from his brain and through his mouth.

"We were barely even together for that long. It was like… half a year, I think? Something like that. And the whole time we were sneaking around behind people's backs."

Tracey lifted her head and seemed to notice he'd finally taken a lead in the conversation. She steepled together her fingers and resided herself now to listening.

"I didn't even get to know her properly," he continued, "she was just this mad desire I kept having in my head. She had it too, so we decided to follow it through, I guess. Just jumped straight into it. But then I started to lie. I ruined so many friendships to be with her, I was a twat to so many people close to me and I really don't deserve the friends that I have now. So, I do wish that I could move on from her and appreciate what I've got now, but… there's still this feeling I can't shake about her - about Daphne - that we just have this unfinished business. I think it's 'cause we never got a chance to be properly together, together, it was just always about keeping secrets. The thrill of the secret... It started like that, but it definitely didn't end that way."

A blush fought its way to his cheeks that Harry was defenceless to fight off.

"She made me happy, I see that now. I actually felt wanted when I was around her. A girl like that, interested in me… It felt good, honestly, I miss that feeling. We didn't need to go on proper dates or be public about it, just having her in my life was enough and well, now I miss that... Not a day goes by where I don't."

With each word on the subject, his face burned and his chest began to grow tighter and tighter. He sealed his grip around a handful of grass.

"And when I think of her in some kind of trouble and having to go through it on her own, I get… I get angry - at her! She's trying to fight it all alone. but that doesn't work. I know it doesn't work, I wouldn't be alive right now if I tried to do it all myself! She's making the same mistakes I made but won't listen to me when I try and explain that! I don't know what she's up to, I don't know what she knows - or what she thinks she knows, but I don't care! Whatever it is, it doesn't matter! I didn't ask for this life, neither did she. I just wanted something normal, for once. This stupid war and the Death Eaters shouldn't matter, they didn't when we got together and they shouldn't now. Every day that I'm away from her, when I know what she's going through, makes me feel like shit. Like I can't make her as happy as she made me. I'm meant to be the Chosen one, but if I can't protect her, then what good even am I?"

He pulled the grass from the ground beneath him. Tracey scooched in closer to him, their knees now touching. She leaned in with a jaded expression.

"Harry... Daphne Greengrass is the dumbest smart person you'll ever meet. She is self destructive, always thinks she knows best and is utterly impossible to prove wrong. If she is dead-set on doing this alone, you won't be able to stop her. That's on her, not you. Don't blame yourself for her ego."

He clenched his fists at her.

"I just need to prove that she doesn't have to go through what she's doing alone! If she's scared of them, if the Death Eaters are torturing her - blackmailing her - whatever it is they're doing, I can help, she knows I can help! Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, I just don't see why she's being so… so…"

"Secretive?"

"Yes! If she's in danger, I don't see why she seems so willing to go along with them! I can help her get out, I don't know why she doesn't see that!"

"Well, that's just it. The part that makes this all so messy. Have you considered that maybe that is a question we wouldn't like the answer to?"

Quietness again took the scene, and then he realised Tracey had no plans of following up her cryptic proclamation.

"What does that mean?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Nothing, probably nothing…" Tracey shook her head, and then suddenly looked around them. "Hey, don't know about you, but it's starting to get cold. Probably a mistake coming out here in the snow."

The snow had been gentle all night, and with the practically non-existent wind and their hearts still pounding from the Quidditch game, it hadn't been difficult to stay warm, even while out in the open like this. Now a thin layer of snow had made itself home on their clothing and the chilly night air was beginning to snake inside their robes.

"I was just following you."

"Needed somewhere private... Wanna cuddle?"

He stared at her. Tracey narrowed her eyes for a second and then burst out laughing. He deflated.

"Or we could go inside?"

"Sure. If we hurry we can try and make the feast."

They moved identically to their feet. Harry stood up and brushed himself off, then looked around to marvel at the stillness around them.

"Are you in love with her?"

He stared at Tracey, expecting to see another cheeky grin. This time she was being serious. Whatever boundary had been broken earlier that allowed him to say those things was now back in its place, and his heart did a somersault on the spot.

"Cause…" she added quickly, "I did nothing but bitch about Daphne just then, and all you had to say good things about her."

"Well… I mean, that's a… well…"

She stopped him.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer. But... I do love her."

Harry was silent. He was thankful Tracey didn't force a reply, but there was also a part of him that wanted to give an answer.

"I know you do too, and th-"

"Don't interrupt! I'm building to somethin'!"

She hit him with the same flare Daphne did when she was annoyed, giving him first-hand evidence that the girls were in fact related.

"I love Daphne... More than sister should love a sister, if I'm honest. Probably more like the way you feel about her, actually."

Harry didn't catch her meaning.

"But aren't you two...?"

Tracey closed her eyes, looking not unlike a condemned man confessing their sins. A lot of things suddenly clicked together uncomfortably inside Harry's head. He suddenly felt extremely unqualified to be having this conversation. It was hard for him to come up with a response to that, but knew he needed to give one.

"... Ah."

That was the best he could manage after having that bomb dropped on him.

"So..." Tracey started again, suddenly a lot more solid on what she was saying, "... despite everythin' I've just told you, I'd still lay down my life for her any day. I'm going to be there on her wedding day, even if you aren't. Over my dead body is she actually succeedin' pushing me away. And I think it would be nice if you would could give her that, too."

He shrugged desolately.

"I will try."

"You do make her happy, if that's any consolation?"

"I like to think I did, sure."

"No, not did! You do! Daffy's always been up her own arse, I've only ever seen her enjoy herself around you! I'm her best friend and even I don't get to make her feel the way you do. Imagine how that makes me feel."

He couldn't quite tell if he was meant to feel guilt about that.

"I'm... sorry?"

"No, no, don't be!" she said with a smile. "I'm not saying it's anythin' bad! That's not what I'm getting at. We're the only people Daphne has. If we're really not just overthinkin' things and she's genuinely gotten herself into trouble, it's our help she needs to get out of it."

"Yeah…"

Together, the two started to walk off the pitch. They stopped off again in the changing rooms along the way to gather their things, and then began the tiresome trek uphill to the castle. They would probably be too late to catch the feast, but Harry still might have a chance to join the party in the common room. Though then again, he also didn't feel much like celebrating right now.

Somewhere along the way up, Tracey noticed how awkward the silence was.

"If you ever tell anyone I'm gay for my sister, I know how to dispose of a body."

Somehow, he didn't doubt that.

"We'll never speak of it again."

"Good. And hey, look, Daphne's not in any immediate danger. You've heard Dumbledore go on about how safe Hogwarts is! So don't worry, she's probably long tucked up in bed right now."