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October 28, 1995
Harry's eyes danced around the room full of mirth as he watched Daphne pair off against Olivia while Hermione was put up against Susan. Without Zach, they had been relegated to an odd number which meant all of their training and sparring would be uneven, and this time, Harry had opted to sit out so the others could get their practice in. It didn't help that he loathed to face off against any of the other witches. That wasn't meant to put them down, not at all, but they weren't Daphne — none of the three could hold a candle to her abilities, and after all of the time she had invested in him the previous year, he needed to go against her if he wished to continue climbing in terms of combat proficiency. He simply couldn't do that against them.
As strange as it was, he had to be one of the best duellists, or rather, fighters, in the entirety of Hogwarts… if you discounted the Professors. After nightly lessons that would tend to bleed into the early hours of the morning, dozens of books, the tournament and more, Harry had come leaps and bounds from whence he had started. Daphne could still trounce him if she didn't limit herself, the spells that she knew were beyond his capabilities and more often than not would be banned from ever being witnessed in Hogwarts. In truth, others from his house likely could say the same. Harry wouldn't put it past the likes of Draco or his ilk to know spells that they shouldn't on account of their parents.
"Nice dodge," Daphne complimented, Harry's gaze from the tome before him momentarily directed her way; Olivia, Clover, whichever she preferred had danced away. It was impressive how quickly she could move, and not the least bit impressive how quickly she'd grow tired.
Susan and Hermione were the opposite of that, and Daphne most definitely was, but none could compare to him when it came to the quickness of action or the ability to manoeuvre out of harm's way. Quidditch had certainly done him a favour there even if Daphne did so hate the sport for that ever-present danger that she insisted could see him grievously wounded in the blink of an eye. Maybe when next he duelled with one of the other witches, he would let them shoot whatsoever they liked at him while he tried to dodge all the while. That could make for quite an interesting match and it'd be mutually beneficial so long as they didn't take offence to him doing so.
If it were a bloke, especially one such as Zach, an argument would likely come as a result of such actions. Speaking of blokes too, Harry wished there could be one more to join the group. It felt odd being the only wizard with four witches, and while he knew Daphne wasn't the jealous type, Susan's occasional lingering gaze or Olivia's touches — she was a hugger if ever he'd known one — would eventually lead him into trouble. It was the Potter luck or Potter unlock, there was never any middle ground so long as he'd lived.
"How'd you do that?" Harry heard from Olivia's mouth after a soft thud, the girl seemingly collapsing to the ground at the same instant her wand flew through the air to a triumphant-looking Daphne.
Daphne gestured for the other girl to rise, and she did, slowly. While Olivia did so and the other two continued their bout across the room, Daphne summoned a chair and sat as if she were the epitome of primness, she even went so far as to fold her hands in her lap with both her wand and Olivia's resting in her lap.
"You were entirely too focused on my hips," Daphne said, one dainty hand tapping the upper portion of her thigh. "I know I said to watch, for you can predict a person's movements by doing so, but you can't solely focus your attention on a person's lower body. If you do, you'll allow me to catch you off guard with a few well-placed spells, and as I did, you'll be on the ground and I'll disarm you. You need to maintain an equal focus on my wand, my eyes, and my thighs. If you can watch my eyes to gleam what I'm thinking, my thighs for my movement and my wand to tell where my spells will go, you'll be far better off for it."
"She's right. It's a bit hard at first, but you're in Ravenclaw, Clover. If anybody's bound to get it quick, it's you," Harry added, hoping that the other girl wouldn't dwell on her defeat and instead focus on how she could improve as she finally climbed back to her feet.
Clover looked contemplative when he saw her face, but not angry. That was a relief even if he knew the girl was unlikely to grow angry; she was as calm, soft-voiced and mannered as Daphne. Well, more so when it came to a soft voice. Daphne could be loud and commanding if she so chose, but he'd begun to see a bit less of that from their earliest days of friendship. Maybe his boyfriend status helped him.
"When the others finish, we'll meet at the table, refresh ourselves and finish with the study of the muscle-spasm spell you'd found," Daphne said after a few seconds of the three watching Hermione and Susan's struggle for victory.
Both of the other girls fought in a similar fashion. Neither was incredibly mobile, and neither had a great deal of speed or power, but both were precise and measured and didn't rush forward to make a mistake that the other could capitalize on. They were very easily the two most defensive fighters of the five, whereas Harry and Daphne favoured offence whensoever they could. That should come as no surprise considering the number of lethal spells Daphne knew, and for Harry, who his teacher was.
"It looks interesting, would you agree?" Clover asked, her eyes focused on the fight as she spoke.
Harry nodded, more so for his benefit than hers or Daphne as the latter especially watched with a critical, careful gaze. "Yeah," he said aloud for her to hear. "If you can cause your opponent to have spontaneous muscle spasms throughout their entire body, disrupting their aim and causing that annoying sensation, I imagine it'd be deadly helpful… come to think of it, where'd you find that spell? I didn't think something like that existed."
"I found it thanks to my mum. She was a Medi-Witch that worked at a hospital in Canada, three in the United States and finally, Saint Mungo's here, where she currently works. I've been studying every book she's brought back, but those that were too difficult I just push off until I'm older. With all of you, I thought combined we could understand it, and it looks helpful," Olivia finished, her answer not the least bit what Harry had been suspecting.
He and Daphne really had gathered quite the group, he reckoned as the fight finally came to an end with Susan only narrowly besting Hermione. It was so close and luck played such a large part that one could consider calling it a fluke if they wanted to.
Anyways, and whilst Daphne urged the others over so they could begin the studious portion of their day, he thought about the collection of people he was with. Daphne, he knew her story well enough. Susan was the niece of a powerful woman in the Ministry who had climbed the ranks of the Auror Corps, and it showed. She was strategic, politically knowledgeable and very commanding… it was sometimes too much, but she often apologised when that leaked out. Hermione, a girl that Daphne had begun to spend a modicum of time with since the two were in Gryffindor together came from Muggle dentists, hence her intellectual capacity and desire to learn as well as a constant urge to brush her teeth and floss them.
He snorted at his joke.
Olivia had finally given him a bit of information about her backstory now too. Enough so for him to realise that their little team had two people that liked medical spells and healing potions. At a later date, maybe he and Daphne could study those specific fields with her, for if her mother had worked in so many different hospitals and under dozens of different witches and wizards, there had to be a wealth of knowledge in her mind the likes of which would make him jealous.
"Harry?" Daphne called, her fingers brushing his hand and grounding him from his errant thoughts.
"Yeah? Sorry, I was spacing out a bit — thinking about how lucky I am to have a girlfriend like you. It happens pretty often you know," he said with a grin when Daphne's cheeks flushed, her freckles standing out beautifully against the redness.
"You're lucky you're my dork," she muttered, slapping his rear and pointing to the table. "Go on, Snake-boy. If you don't, I'll have to snog you until you're not able to make any more attempts at flattery."
I wouldn't mind, Harry nearly said, and he would have if it weren't for the three others watching in amusement.
Thus, with their eyes on him, he bowed to Daphne, kissed her cheek quickly and sprinted towards the table before she could get on him for the public affection… if she minded. It wasn't something they typically did and so he didn't know if it bothered her all that much, and if it did, he imagined the kiss on the cheek before the others that she was practically teaching might very well be why.
But, it was a simple kiss on the cheek and based on her amused, still-flushed look, she hadn't minded in the slightest.
Merlin he really loved her beyond belief.
October 31, 1995
"Hey," Daphne said softly as she gracefully slid into the seat beside his, the fire flickering against her pale skin and blonde hair. Today of all days, and with the dress that she was wearing, she looked the part of an angel.
Harry smiled at her and gently took ahold of her hand, the closer of the two, intertwining their fingers. "Hey," he parroted back to her.
"You arrived early. I had hoped to surprise you," Daphne said, her eyes doing a once over of the room they were in. "Was this a design you went for purposefully, or one the room invented on a whim?"
"On a whim, I think. I might have been thinking about them in the background, it's hard not to, but I didn't get specific with anything. I just wanted a warm, comfortable room away from all of the fuss," Harry answered, his eyes falling to the Gryffindor-coloured furniture, the tapestries that hung from the wall, the sheets of the bed in the back with a canopy that looked similar to the one in the Slytherin dorm. Everything looked very similar.
He wondered if Hogwarts had granted him a view of what the Gryffindor dorms looked like. The room was incredibly powerful, and it never failed them. It wasn't a stretch to think that there was something more than layers of charms and enchantment magic. Perhaps one of the theories that claimed magic itself was sentient to a degree was true.
Maybe he was one of those fools that bought into that on account of his personal wish to do so.
Daphne suddenly climbed from her chair to his, falling into his lap and wiggling until she was comfortable. It was very improper of her, and as a result, he couldn't help but laugh as he wrapped his hands around her waist. He could always count on her to brighten any day that he felt down on.
"You're very comfortable," she said by way of an excuse as her head rested against his chest, her long, blonde hair brushing against his neck and the underside of his chin. "Yes, I think I'll keep you again this summer, and Christmas too. Perhaps, finally, you'll meet my guardians and visit Astoria."
"I've seen her from time to time. She tends to keep away from me and most of the others in Slytherin. There's typically her and three other girls from the same year or one further below her," Harry said, evidently surprising Daphne by the way she pulled away to look at him with raised, delicate eyebrows.
"Oh? Should I be worried about being traded in for my younger sister?"
Harry snorted and used his grip around her waist to pull her more tightly against him. "You'd have to banish me if you think I'm letting you go, and even then, I've come back from worse odds — you're the only Greengrass for me."
She patted his cheek with a smile, her dimples forming and her freckles dancing. "Good answer," a kiss followed, and then a second, each on the corners of his lips.
"Is that Lioness on the prowl again?"
Daphne laughed melodically, the sound reverberating through his body thanks to their bodies pressed as close together as they were. "I suppose she is," she responded. "Don't worry. I hear you're quite safe assuming you don't need those lips of yours to be serviceable for anything for a few days."
"I can live with that," he responded immediately, grinning like an idiot when she closed what little distance remained between them.
And like that, his lingering, festering thoughts of the day were banished as Daphne kissed him. Her lips, pink and as lithe as the rest of her, moulded into his own. Slowly and affectionately, they kissed with their tongues caressing one another and the heat of the fire relaxing whatever tension had been in their muscles.
When they broke apart, breathless and with a slight sheen from the temperature, they smiled at each other.
There was no stress this year. No fear of death nor of Voldemort's imminent plans to slaughter him. For a change, they could be a witch and a wizard, a boyfriend and girlfriend. It felt right.
November 3, 1995
"I think I'm going to steal your broom and hide it away next year," Daphne said, speaking at him with a huff and folded arms. "You're far too reckless when you play Quidditch, especially when it's against Gryffindor. I understand the rivalry, but if the need arises and if it means stopping you from jumping off of your broom to catch the Snitch, I'll tie you down in the night so you'll miss the game."
"Gree—"
Daphne's eyes, narrowed dangerously as they were, snapped to Harry's teammate. He seldom spent time with the Slytherin Quidditch Team, but they were about apolitical as one could be in Slytherin. There was a camaraderie that existed between the lot of them, but not in the face of the fierce blonde girl.
"Flint," she said, the boy's name coming free from her lips as if it were a curse. "I'd like to spend a modicum of time alone with my boyfriend, thank you."
The finality in her tone caused the other boy to snort, shrug at Harry, and then he left, his feet taking him back to the direction of their locker room.
"I didn't get hurt. I was only a few meters in the air," Harry said, smiling at her as best as he could in the hopes it would cause her to be a bit less angry with him.
It didn't. She narrowed her eyes further at him.
"You fell nearly ten meters to the ground and the only reason you're not hurt is because a Professor got involved. If they hadn't, whoever they were, your injuries would have been far worse and you know it," Daphne tutted, shook her head and gestured ahead of her. "Come. We're going to the Room of Requirement. You can bathe in it, I'm sure there's a bath."
"What else are we doing? I didn't think we had a study session tonight," Harry asked as he followed after her still dressed in his Quidditch uniform; Daphne was wearing a spare jersey of his despite the looks it got her from some of her more fanatic, Weasley-like housemates.
"We're going to relax away from the looks and gossip of our schoolmates. I'll be able to scold you without others overhearing it and after, when I've forgiven you, I'll be able to snog you as much as I'd like without having to worry about the Creevey boy's camera. I've seen you in your bathing wear anyhow, so it's not as if that'll be embarrassing," Daphne gestured to herself, her nose raised and a defiant look on her face. "I'll join you too, that way I can be sure that there's no damage from where you were hit before you recklessly jumped from your broom."
Harry normally would have tried to defend his actions, especially when it came to his passionate love, Quidditch. This time, however, he wouldn't. That wasn't because he couldn't, but rather, because it meant he could share a bath with Daphne again.
What sort of fool would throw that chance away?
Certainly not him.
December 17, 1995
The smell of tea, biscuits and other snacks made by Dobby was in the air. Gingerbread, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon were the predominant scents that truly gave the air a Christmas — or Yule — like smell. He loved it. Harry also loved the allotment of food that Dobby had spread out for them.
He would have to get his little friend another sock, maybe a fresh one this time.
"Dobby's wicked," Harry said aloud and to the room at large, where the others were sat around reading, snacking or simply lounging in the case of Susan and Daphne.
Daphne was the first to respond. "We'll have to thank him for all of his assistance this year."
"We could get him a whole pack of socks?" Harry suggested, grinning when Daphne rolled her eyes at him.
"Perhaps a whole drawer full of socks, or a wardrobe. It's not as if they're expensive and he's done quite a lot for us. It's astounding how helpful he's been, and more astounding how little the average witch or wizard values a house elf," Daphne sipped from her cup in thought when she finished, and Harry could all but see the gears moving as she did so.
There was a thought going on that he wasn't entirely certain he'd like… if it involved buying more of them. Then again, if he knew Daphne and him combined would grant another house elf a good life, wasn't it worth it? Merlin, moral dilemmas a few days before Christmas were tough.
"I'd quite like the recipe for these gingerbread cookies," Clover said after she swallowed, her eyes fluttering. "This… Dobby, do you think he'd grant the recipe to others or is it a secret of his?"
Harry exchanged a look with Daphne, but before either could respond, Susan did. "If Harry or Daphne wished for the recipe, he would tell them, and then he could tell you," she raised a hand to calm Hermione when the girl made to speak, and then she continued. "He's not a slave, nor is he owned by them — you heard the tale as much as the rest of us, I'm sure. Those two freed him with one of Harry's socks, the Malfoys were miffed, but he still sees himself as their elf."
"He was affronted when we offered to pay him," Daphne added.
Harry nodded at her words. "It's true," he said. "We're still paying him because that's what's right, but we have to do it with items and what have you. He doesn't really know what to do with Galleons anyhow."
"We could make a class to teach house elves. It'd be brilliant, I bet we could have doz—"
"Hermione," Susan said not unkindly, her eyes going to all of the others at the table.
"What?" Hermione asked, blinking as she got interrupted, her eyes darting to Susan.
Susan looked around as if she were seeking support, and after a few seconds passed, she put a hand on the smaller girl's nearer shoulder. "The house elves don't want and wouldn't want to do anything with Galleons. You can ask any of them, they love working for witches and wizards that treat them well. The Malfoys are outliers — think of the house elves as butlers and maids, if you will. They receive a place to sleep, food and the other necessities of life without any risk. If you started to teach them, they could very well have many an issue, though that isn't to say a few wouldn't try and learn. It would be best to speak with them yourself, especially those who haven't bonded."
"Bonded as in the metaphorical bond to a family, not a bond by blood or bond by romance," Clover added.
"What?" Hermione asked, her train of thought entirely railroaded by the other girl's comment after Susan's long speel.
"I was referencing the type of bond Susan was referring to — Harry and Daphne have a romantic bond, me and my brother have a blood bond, and house elves create within the confines of their mind a metaphorical bond. Some even claim their magic feeds on the ambient energy of ours, though there's been no proof to make that claim," Clover said, smiling when she finished and deftly snagging another gingerbread cookie.
Silence fell as the others looked between themselves, especially Daphne who seemed nonplussed.
Eventually, the conversation gradually resumed. This time, their relationship and house elves weren't at the centre of it, thankfully.
"This is really our last meeting of the year, isn't it?" Susan asked with a touch of sadness in her tone.
"It is," Daphne said. "Yule will pass quickly, and when the New Year comes, we'll meet the first weekend, both days. It would do well to visit one another and have our own time to give gifts or share any new tomes we've managed to find during the holiday."
"Harry's going to get quite the goodbye, isn't he?" Susan snickered with Hermione gaping and smacking at the girl's upper arm, clearly abashed by her forwardness.
Daphne cocked her head and tutted at the taller girl. "Why would he need any form of goodbye? He'll be staying at mine for the course of the holiday."
Hermione looked as if she were ready to die when Daphne said that. Susan laughed it off, perhaps thinking it was a joke or content to let it stop there. Clover was still far too invested in her cookies to notice anything else.
"Merlin, I still can't believe the year's been this tame," Harry said, steering the conversation towards something he enjoyed. "Right? Just me? There's been no Death Eaters, no horrible Professor, and no drama from Malfoy. Everything's weirdly normal."
"You've just jinxed yourself," Hermione said, speaking up and shaking her head as if she'd only just cleared herself from Daphne and Susan's small bout of banter.
At that, Clover scoffed. "I can see his wand up his sleeve, clearly he didn't."
Harry and Hermione shared a laugh while the other girls looked at them as if they were fools. That was a distinctly Muggle phrase, it would seem; there were so many phrases that were like that too, but weirdly enough, that one felt as if it shouldn't be Muggle-made.
"I, for one, am glad that the year has gone as it has. It's taken until our fifth year for a 'break' so to say," Daphne said. "We do have to keep in mind, as well, that the year is only half over. There's plenty of time for your luck to strike, Harry."
"Ah, well, my luck got me you and that's worth any amount of bad luck to come," he said, shrugging and going to clear his plate of the final few sweets that remained.
The chorus of 'aww' that followed made him snort. He would never understand witches.
December 20, 1995
Harry was home… sort of. It wasn't technically his home, not in any way shape or form, but it felt like far more of one than living with the Dursleys ever had. Daphne's guardians as she called them were either fine with his visits, or they weren't asked their permission. She was confident that they wouldn't care and more confident that they'd like him. Time would tell, and that time would be very soon.
Until it came in the next day or so, however, it wouldn't be just him and Daphne alone in the house as it had previously been. The place was repaired with 'extra' security that had been added after their stay, and the investigation — private — was still ongoing. Daphne assured him that when they found out who was directly responsible with irrefutable proof, that person would find themself in more than a small spot of trouble. He wouldn't stop her from whatever it was that she wanted to do either. The person deserved it, be it incompetence or Voldemort's involvement.
"You two aren't going to, like, snog on the couch or something, right?" Astoria asked, her nose raised in a fashion that was very Daphne-like, but the teasing, girlish lilt in her voice was anything but.
"No, Tori, we're not going to 'snog' on the couch. You don't have to worry about anything like that," Daphne responded snarkily before she pulled Harry, indicating that he should follow her down the nearest hall. "If you need us, we'll be studying in the library."
"Can I come?"
Harry watched Daphne with a near-stumble. Evidently, the question from her little sister hadn't been anticipated. Astoria wasn't especially studious so long as he could recall, but he could be wrong too. It wasn't like he knew the girl very well.
"You'll study?" Daphne asked, speaking over Astoria when the girl tried to continue. "I mean it too — if you plan on disrupting our time together for the sake of questioning him away from Hogwarts' ears, I'll be very cross with you."
Astoria huffed as if she were offended and crossed her arms; it was another action of Daphne's that looked odd on a brunette, younger-looking version of her. "Obviously I'll study if I say I'm going to study… and I won't disrupt you guys unless I have questions. You're a year ahead of me, and so that means this will be helpful."
"Tori."
Harry had to suppress a snort when he heard Daphne's knowing tone and saw the fact that went with it.
"Fine! I want to ask him a few questions on the walk there and maybe a couple more before you pick the book since we both know that takes you ten minutes anyways," Astoria responded, her voice heavy with a whine-like quality as she dropped her arms and jutted out her bottom lip in a pout.
Daphne knows her really well, Merlin.
Daphne sighed as Astoria settled down across from them, her books pushed off to the side without a care in the world as her eyes flickered between Harry and Daphne. The young girl had asked basic questions the likes of which were typically made during the course of small talk. They ranged from his favourite colour — which was blue — to other mundane questions in that same ilk. None had been what he had expected from the girl, least of all when Daphne seemed suspicious towards her.
He figured that was about to change based on the mischievous look that manifested on Astoria's face.
"So, Harry," Astoria started, smiling innocently at him. "While I was gone with Iolene and Andre for the summer, I heard you were here with Daph. Our guardians added to the security of the place, and they insisted on cleaning up one of the older wings from the time their family was larger… does that mean you'll be living with us until we're allowed to live in the old Greengrass Mansion?"
Harry looked to Daphne, and she simply shrugged. They hadn't discussed the future, or rather, the future that was that far ahead of them. In truth, he only knew that he would be staying with Daphne and her family for the summer after she'd insisted he did so. Christmas was much the same, for he would have stayed at Hogwarts otherwise without so much as a complaint. He reckoned Daphne knew that too, which he assumed was why she insisted in the first place.
"I don't know. I didn't even know one of those old wings was cleared out," he said honestly, shrugging as Daphne had.
Astoria frowned at him. "That's no fun."
"He's not here to amuse you," Daphne responded, rolling her eyes as her left hand grabbed his right one.
"Aww, that's no fun, Daph. He could be your husband one day, and if that's the case, I'd very much like to get to know him — would you prefer brother or Harry?" Astoria moved from Daphne to Harry in an instant, her latter words directed at the latter person.
"Harry's fine," he said quickly as Daphne's eyes narrowed and her grip grew tighter. "Astoria… do you have a nickname or something you'd want me to call you? I don't think I've heard anything in the Common Room, but I don't tend to spend a lot of time in it."
"You're smart not to, it's practically a festering pit of sickly snakes that are shadows of their parents," Astoria scoffed, her nose twitching; that was one of the first quirks that she didn't have in common with Daphne.
"And here I recall you mentioning that I should be in Slytherin," Daphne butted in, amused. "You claimed that I belong in Slytherin, that I would do well in it and would do much to ensure it stayed as renowned and full of prestige as it 'currently' is. You just missed your big sister, didn't you, Tori?"
"Astoria works, I hate the nickname Tori," Astoria said, answering Harry's question as she narrowed her eyes in turn at Daphne. "No, I didn't miss you. I was just saying you should be where we belong instead of in a house full of Weasleys and other idiots that value their pranks more than their year's marks."
"Ravenclaw would have suited Daphne well, but she's just the bravest person I know," Harry said, Daphne's eyes immediately breaking away from her sister to look at him with a mixture of happiness and love; he did so love such a combination from his friend turned girlfriend.
"Yuck," Astoria said with a fake cough.
Daphne rolled her eyes and rested her head against Harry's shoulder as she looked back across the table at Astoria. "You would be very lucky to find a wizard that was half as sweet, powerful and well-mannered as Harry, little sister. Unfortunately for you, I doubt such a man exists, least of all in Slytherin. Maybe Malfoy would do well for you."
"Malfoy?" Astoria's eyes widened, and then she faked being sick with a turn of her head as she looked at the floor. She came back up after a few seconds, her point made, and her eyes were staring daggers at Daphne. "If I wanted any boy, I'd just steal your Harry — Malfoy? He likes older women, so you'd be more his dream witch."
When Daphne's eyebrows raised and she chuckled, her left hand reaching down towards her waist, Astoria raised her eyes and pouted.
"I was kidding, Daph," the younger girl said hurriedly before she stuck her tongue out at her older sister.
"Good," Daphne responded. "This Harry's mine, you're more than welcome to go and try to find one across the pond or the channel. Now, go on, Astoria. I have a feeling there's a specific question you've been waiting to ask for quite some time."
"No there isn't," Astoria huffed, crossing her arms.
Harry had to blink a few times at the rapid pace the conversation had taken and how well the two sisters could read one another. He had seen the Weasley Twins do much the same, but seeing it from Daphne, a witch that he thought he could understand more so than anybody, was strange. It was very clear that he still had a ways to go before he could read her as expertly as the little brunette clone of hers could.
Merlin, that was still incredibly strange too. Those two had the same pale, freckled skin that was more likely to burn or redden in anger than it was to tan. Their eyebrows were thin and sharp and matched the colour of their hair, their noses were just as sharp, their eyes were blue — the very same shade as one another, and finally, they had nearly the same height and build. If Astoria changed the style and colour of her hair and maybe grew an inch, she would be nearly an exact replica of Daphne.
"... -ight, Harry?" Daphne asked, the tale end of her statement breaking through his errant thoughts as he continued to look between the two girls.
"What?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as his attention fell solely on Daphne. "Sorry, I was a bit zoned out."
Astoria giggled, but Daphne ignored it, clasped one of his larger hands in both of her smaller, daintier and softer ones, and smiled at him. "There's no need to apologise. I was asking if what I said was right, that being that I'm able to read most people very well. Little Tori doesn't seem to think that's true."
He snorted and looked across the table at 'Little Tori' who had her arms folded petulantly and her nose upturned at Daphne. She looked like a child when she did that.
"Daphne's definitely one of the best people I know when it comes to reading your mind," he agreed, a grin forming when Daphne's smile grew wider, more beautiful and most importantly to her, victorious.
"Of course, Harry will take your side, he's your boyfriend. That doesn't mean anything," Astoria responded.
Daphne sighed. "You're such a brat. Ask your question before I silence you — Harry and I truly do wish to study before dinner. "
"Is it true you two found a secret place and hide away with other people in it? I heard you'll vanish to snog so people can't find you, but nobody agrees on what you're really doing," Astoria asked, the words flowing from her lips rapidly with an almost vicious journalistic eagerness reflected on her face.
Astoria should work for the Prophet when she's out of Hogwarts. She's got the natural ability to work wonders if she did.
"You've heard that we'll hide somewhere so we can snog without anybody finding out, but at that same time, that others are with us to some degree… if we meant to keep it a secret, don't you believe those 'others' would make doing so incredibly difficult?" Daphne tutted at her little sister and reached across the table, one finger tapping on the younger girl's nose. "You're smarter than that, Tori."
Harry lowered his head so that he could whisper to Daphne when she pulled back to rest against him as she'd been doing, his lips moving directly against her ears. "She's not entirely wrong, we do fit in a snog here and there."
Daphne's response was a light, jesting smack of his arm under the table.
"What'd he say?" Astoria all but demanded to know.
"You didn't hear him?" Daphne asked, feigning surprise.
"Nope."
Daphne smiled in a fashion that was belittling at the younger girl. "Then, I suppose it wasn't for you to hear, was it?" before Astoria could pipe up in response, Daphne turned to look back at Harry's face. "What do you say, Harry? Should we tell her the truth about what we've been getting up to in private? How vivid should we be?"
Astoria looked smug and embarrassed, but she leaned forward, eager for the gossip that she would be able to lord over all of her friends. He supposed that was one key difference between the two sisters. Where Daphne always avoided drama, gossip and anything similar to that, Astoria seemed to thrive on it; maturity had to be the greatest factor between them, and one that Daphne had in spades whilst Astoria had little of it.
"I suppose we could tell the truth," Harry said, playing along with Daphne as their conjoined hands rested on the table for Astoria to see. "Vivid as you'd like to."
"We could bring her in if she'd behave, it'd be good for the group if we had a replacement to bring us back to six. An odd number is very unfavourable," Daphne nodded once as if her decision was made, and she looked back at a red-faced, victorious and incredibly impatient Astoria. "We're running a secret club since the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts is terribly ill-prepared and without knowledge. I know, he's a good friend of the family lest you bring it up, but you know just as well as I do that he's horrible at his post."
Unsurprisingly after such a build-up, Astoria's face fell. "That's it?" she asked.
"What did you think we were getting up to, little sister? Did you think it was something scandalous, illicit, illegal?" Daphne used her free hand to pat the girl on the cheek. "We hide away so that we're not disturbed, and you should know by now that I'll never kiss and tell. I wouldn't wish for any of those other witches to learn about Harry in such a way. Witch Weekly and its fan writing does more than enough to fuel the nation's desire for him — that's right, we should launch a complaint to have them cease such activities."
"We can do that?" Harry asked, furrowing his brow. "Wait. What's Witch Weekly and why are they writing about me? And Nation's desire?"
"I'll tell you later save for the whole 'Nation's Desire' portion. That isn't necessary, but having their writing stop would be very beneficial. We wouldn't want some witch to try and potion you," Daphne pressed one kiss to his cheek, the scent of whatever it was she swore on her lips smelt of fruit and when it mingled with her perfume, it was a dose of bliss.
Astoria made to speak again, but Daphne shook her head, pointed at the books on the table and opened the one she specifically had picked for her and Harry to read from. "You'll not disrupt our time in the library any longer, Tori. You're welcome to join us, but the gossip stays at the entrance."
Harry snickered at the younger girl's expression, but after a few seconds pout she caved and moved to sit on Daphne's other side. Even Harry could see that she was still caught on the conversation they'd been having. Still, when Daphne began to read aloud and explain the theory, and origin and recited the incantation of the newest spell they would be adding to their repertoire, she focused.
When he looked between them, the two girls focused as they were and wearing the same expression, he could see the resemblance in a new, eerie light.
December 24, 1995
"Is your room clean?" Daphne asked Astoria impatiently, her hands on her hip and matronly energy about her.
Astoria rolled her eyes. "Yes."
"Did you ensure that the library was spotless when you left after your morning study session?" Daphne asked again.
"Yes," Astoria responded, flopping down on the nearest chair that was a good few feet away from Harry; he had to hide a snort, and he failed to do so when she continued once she was comfortable. "Wait. Why aren't you asking Harry if his room is clean?"
Daphne scoffed. "Harry's been staying with me, and before you accuse me of impropriety, we've only been sleeping. As such, with him and I sharing a room, it's impossible for it to be dirty when it's constantly kept to my level of standards, which yours are far from in both boys and cleanliness."
Harry's laughter promptly stopped as he winced and Tori cowed in her chair.
Ouch, he thought. There had to be some story there that he certainly wouldn't risk dredging up. No, he was more than content enough to stay well away from Astoria's love life and the struggles therein. He already had his Greengrass girl, or rather, she'd already secured him.
"What do we have, five minutes? Nearly?" Harry asked, withdrawing his pocket watch rather than his wand; the Muggle-made utility was far more appealing than the time charm was.
"A little less, yes," Daphne responded as she fluidly swept across the carpet and over to him, whereupon reaching Harry, she sat down slowly and with as much grace as when she walked. It was like she was constantly swimming but in the air. "When it's about time for them to arrive, we'll stand and greet them the way we should."
Astoria groaned from her chair. "Come on," she whined, stringing out the latter word. "You made me dress up, put on makeup, put in jewellery — you know they'll greet us and say that we didn't have to do what tradition dictates, and then they'll go to their chambers and come back dressed casually, and then we'll do the same and that'll waste an hour."
"Would you rather forsake tradition, or live up to it, impress them as we've done since they've taken care of us and have them smile as they do every time we do this for them?" Daphne asked as she folded her hands in her lap and lifted her nose at Astoria.
Astoria's huff was the only response that the older girl got, and Harry shook his head, more than a little amused before he slung his arm around Daphne's shoulders. She leaned into him, disregarding to a certain degree if her hair grew a little messy from being pressed up against him.
"I know I've met them once before," he said quietly so that Astoria didn't overhear him while she twiddled her thumbs and rocked back and forth in the chair impatiently. "But, I'm still a bit nervous. They were pretty nice the last time I met them, yeah, but it's been a while."
"Please, Iolene loved you and Andre was rather impressed in the short span of time they had with you. They'll not interfere in our relationship either if that's what you fear. They've protected, cared for and raised Astoria and I from a young age, but they have boundaries they respect," Daphne responded, speaking just as softly as he did.
Harry hoped that she was speaking the truth, that Iolene and Andre truly didn't dislike him. They had seemed very kind, though it was incredibly difficult to gauge in such a short amount of time; he supposed, in a way, he was finally getting his wish to well and truly meet with her guardians — parents — now he only had to hope he didn't muck it up.
Ah well, he supposed only time would tell… that time would come in another few minutes.
The Floo burst; Harry, Astoria and Daphne were all standing, lined up and ready to receive the two adults that had taken care of the girls for years upon years as Daphne had requested.
Iolene, the older woman that had been incredibly sweet, stepped through first followed very shortly thereafter by Andre, the tall, muscular man who this time, lacked any sort of limp as he wrapped an arm around the older woman.
"Daughters," Iolene said in a buttery, loving tone of voice.
"Astoria, Daphne," the man said after Iolene had spoken. "And Harry Potter."
Astoria and Daphne smiled in sync, with Astoria's so wide that she was nearly split ear to ear. He knew the girls were meant to curtsey and what have you, but Astoria must have forgotten, for she dove towards Iolene and wrapped her arms around the taller, more filled-out woman. Daphne tutted, shook her head, and then strolled forward with Harry pulled after her until she stopped to hug Andre.
"I'm glad you've both returned," she said, speaking through the embrace. "You could rest more than you do."
Iolene shook her head and extracted Daphne from Andre's arms, trading Astoria to the man as she ran a hand through Daphne's long, flowing hair. "I've told you before, there's no need to worry about us. We'll always return from whatsoever venture we've set out upon. Leave the worrying to us older folk, won't you?"
"You're still in your thirties," Daphne scoffed despite the little contented sigh that followed shortly thereafter from the woman's affection.
"You, come on — you're practically family now," Iolene said, speaking over Daphne's head and gesturing with the hand that was wrapped around Daphne's back for Harry to step forward. "I expect a hug from everybody."
"I don't," Andre said in that deep gruff voice when Astoria extracted herself from him and made a noise of wonder when he withdrew a wrapped-up box from his satchel, handing the item over to her.
Iolene laughed at the man's words in a way that sounded musical, but she insisted, and Harry relented, albeit slowly and under the watchful gaze of the giant that was Andre. Once Harry was close enough, the woman reached out with that hand and pulled him into the huge that she was sharing with Daphne. It lasted for a few seconds, and the woman didn't pet him as she had the girl she treated as a daughter, but the embrace was nice; it felt like one that he would have received if he had a mother of his own.
When the greetings were finished and Astoria's prediction came true, the hour flew by as if he were on a broom.
In fact, time only seemed to return to normal after that hour was over and he found himself seated between Daphne and Astoria, and across from the older couple that likened themselves as parents to the two girls. Everybody was dressed in casual, comfortable wear that was especially warm on account of the snowy conditions outdoors; it wouldn't have felt like Christmas Eve if there wasn't snow.
"You've agreed to stay with us for the summer, is that right, dear?" Iolene asked, a fork loitering in her right hand as she looked between him and Daphne constantly, her eyes not focusing on one of the pair as a smile seemed constant upon her face.
Andre looked at him through more narrowed eyes, but even he wasn't unkind. Harry understood his behaviour more than he did Iolene's, in truth. The man cared for Daphne just as Harry did, and he probably was sizing Harry up to see if he'd hurt Daphne or otherwise do something that would anger or upset her. He could respect that and it didn't set him on edge nearly as much as Iolene's constant happy attitude did.
"It is," Harry agreed, but he followed that up with more words, and quickly. "Well, assuming that neither of you has a problem with that… ma'am."
Iolene practically cooed and when she spoke, her words were directed at Daphne. "You've found yourself a perfect young man, Daphne — keep him," and when she'd thoroughly caused Daphne's face to flush, she turned her attention back to Harry. "It's not remotely a problem. You're very kind for checking with us, and you're more than welcome to stay. We've more than enough room and besides, you've stayed before whilst we were away, didn't you?"
Andre agreed with a small nod as he reached forward to grab the platter of bacon that was nearest to him. They had brought a small group of house elves with them, or rather, they'd summoned them and the house, as a result, was abuzz with activity as the happy, kind little creatures went about decorating, cleaning and otherwise doing the work they had been ordered to do.
Daphne finally found her voice about the same time she grasped his hand under the table, away from the eyes of her guardians/parents. "He'll do so until we've finished Hogwarts."
Iolene's grin grew as she looked between them, and then she clapped in a way that was decidedly girlish, but at the same time, filled Harry with a sense of impending doom. "Wonderful."
Harry rubbed the back of Daphne's hand with his thumb as the meal continued, and the older woman had been right, thus far, everything had been wonderful. Now, it only needed to stay that way.