Chapter Seven

3:51 AM.

That's what the clock on the common room wall displayed. Harry was glaring at it like it had personally hurt him. He had already gotten dressed for the day. What the hell did that dream mean? What was that symbol? Why did he feel a sense of dread whenever he recalled it? The more he thought about it, the more questions appeared on his mind. His eyes were getting heavy again, and he just wanted to...

A slight kick to his leg woke him from his impromptu sleep.

"Wake up, Potter." Draco said as he walked by.

Harry grunted and stood up. He saw his friends were headed towards the door, so he stood up and followed after. Oh, right. He had to talk with Daphne today. He walked through the halls, mostly alone, and turned into the Great Hall. He took a seat next to Blaise who winked. Theo and Leon were chuckling at him slightly.

"What's got you lot in such a good mood?" He asked as he began eating.

Blaise's smirk only got wider, "You had a visitor outside the bedroom this morning."

"A visitor? Who could-"

Daphne sat down next to him, "If I didn't know any better Potter, I'd say you were avoiding me."

"Ah, of course. You meant stalker." She wrinkled her nose in response, "Alright then, Miss Greengrass, let's talk about what's been bothering you."

"Oooo the plot thickens." Theo mock whispered.

"Hush, Theodore. Let us see what our playboy friend here has gotten himself into." Leon smirked.

"Can you morons shut up?" Daphne demanded.

"Watch it, princess. They may be morons, but they're my morons."

"Oi!" Came three indignant responses.

She almost smiled. Harry saw the briefest glimpse of a smile hover over her face for a second. But she returned to her normally stoic expression. That's it, he decided in this moment that he was gonna get her to laugh at least once before they graduated. It would be the biggest undertaking in his entire life, but he would do it. Daphne looked down at her food and began to eat it. To Harry, it looked like she was trying to find a way to break it to him as gently as possible.

He was honestly content to just sit here and wait for the reveal. Whatever she had to say was clearly important to her. All of his friends stared at her expectantly, just as he was about to tell them off, she spoke.

"So, you know very little of the way wizarding culture works?" She asked.

"Mhm. If it's not in our textbooks I haven't really took the time. I figure I would learn on the way." He shrugged.

"That's certainly... one way to go about it." She said with a frown.

Harry glanced at her as she finally worked out exactly how to see it. He wasn't in any rush, and it seemed this internal battle she was fighting was finally decided.

"I had wondered ever since I was first told about you, what kind of person you were. I was hoping it wasn't some arrogant ponce like Malfoy."

"Malfoy won't exactly be a problem anymore after last night." Blaise snickered.

The boy in question threw a piece of bacon at Blaise who ducked under it and stuck his tongue out at him. Draco simply scoffed and rolled his eyes. He was clearly eavesdropping on the conversation, though. As his eyes were glancing back and forth between Harry and Daphne. His eyes narrowed at Daphne and then widened. He started to chuckle, which eventually evolved into a full-on laugh.

"What are you cackling about, Malfoy?" She glared, her face flushed red.

He held his hand up, and took deep breaths, calming down from his impromptu laughter.

"You're telling everyone here that you're in a marriage contract with, Potter?"

If possible, her face got even more red, and she huffed and looked away. Harry's face got red too, and his face scrunched up. Marriage? That was for old people, like his aunt and uncle. And they weren't exactly the happiest couple. He was still in school and wasn't exactly sure how comfortable he was with the idea of being forced into a marriage. Especially with her. Someone who he barely knew. Even though she was undeniably cute, and he didn't actively despise her, he wasn't exactly a fan of this idea. Contract implies that it was bound already and there wasn't really anything he could do about it. It's already set in stone.

"What exactly is this contract?" He muttered.

She glanced at him, having calmed down, and shrugged, "I wasn't allowed to read it until I turned fourteen."

He groaned. Great. So not only was he bound in this contract with someone he barely knew, but he also had to wait until they were fourteen to figure out what exactly this contract entailed. That was actively annoying. Curse whoever drafted and signed this contract. He looked at the cold food on his plate and decided he didn't really have an appetite and glanced at the people surrounding him. Draco was still grinning and looked smug. Blaise and Theo were confused, and Leon had moved back into his book. Apparently, he lost interest the moment wizarding culture had been brought up. Daphne was wringing her hands nervously and seemed to be looking anywhere but at him.

He looked back at his food and shrugged.

"That's a problem for future us." He said confidently.

Everyone looked at him bemusedly (even Leon looked up from his book).

"What?"

The five boys sprinted through the halls, trying to make it to their next class. They stood on the stairs as they turned towards a corridor.

"I swear Malfoy, if we're late because of you. I'll... do something!" Theo growled.

"Good one, mate."

"Yeah, you sure told him."

"He got you there."

"Yes, I'm honestly so scared."

The four boys broke into laughter.

"I hate you all." Theo said with a smile.

Harry trailed behind everyone else, his eyes narrowed. He didn't recognize this hall at all. Just as he was about to open his mouth, Theo swung open a door and froze. His face was pale, and his jaw dropped.

"What is your issue, my dear Theodore?" Draco scoffed and peeked over his shoulder.

He then promptly fainted. Blaise and Leon made their way to help the young boy up, and Theo hadn't moved a centimeter. Which intrigued Harry, so he followed Draco's lead. With a glance over his friend's shoulder, he saw a massive three-head dog the size of bus. Who was waking up to due to the commotion in the hallway. As in, Blaise shrieking and backing up once he noticed the creature. Its massive yellow eyes opened abruptly, and it lunged for Theo. With some quick thinking, Harry managed to push his friend out of the way and slam the door in the dog's face. His practice with his Aunt Marge's dogs coming in handy here. In the loosest possible terms, mind you.

Leon glanced at Draco slowly waking up, Blaise hyperventilating, Theo still standing in the same stance, and Harry using all of his meager body weight to keep the door shut. He then looked back at Theo.

"I think we might be late to class."

Alrighty. Now they've discovered Fluffy, which means the events of their First Year will be amping up here pretty soon. There's gonna be a timeskip to Halloween next chapter, probably about halfway through it. Nothing much else to say here.