Chapter Nineteen – Harry and Daphne's Magical Adventure

Light and Darkness were two sides of the same coin, one could not exist without the other.

This thought flashed through Harry's mind as he flew through the sky in his crow form. He didn't know where he'd picked it up, but it seemed very appropriate at the moment.

Above him, the dark, cloudless night sky stretched like a velvety black veil that had settled over the world. But it was only in the darkness that the stars became visible, and like countless candles, these eternal lights broke through the darkness and smiled at him, distant yet omnipresent.

Beside him flew Daphne, only a few wing-lengths away, her plumage as black as sin, yet her magical aura shone like a golden beacon in the night. And her amber eyes, which she never lost even in crow form, reflected the light of the stars.

And below them, too, there was a play of light and shadow as they flew over the Forbidden Forest, which at this hour of the night was a sea of dark treetops as far as the eye could see. But even in that darkness, he could always see the auras of magical beings flashing, some stronger, some weaker. Some were almost invisible. Those were the most dangerous, Harry knew.

Yes, there were dangerous beings down there, but he wasn't afraid. They had made many such excursions into the Forbidden Forest, though they had never gone as deep as today. But today was also a special day. It was Halloween, and exactly one year ago, on Halloween before that, they had found the Room of Requirement. Maybe that was the reason why they wanted to go exploring again this year instead of celebrating with the other students in the Great Hall.

And even if there were dangerous creatures down there, they weren't harmless either. Harry knew it would probably sound pretentious and arrogant if he said it out loud, but Daphne and he were good with a wand. Very good, in fact. And even without wands, they had killed a Basilisk. How dangerous could the forest be by comparison? He doubted there were two Basilisks lurking somewhere down there.

It was a cold but pleasant autumn evening, and so they just flew alongside each other for a few minutes, enjoying the moment. Until he heard a caw beside him.

"Caw, caw, caw." To the outside world it sounded like the cawing of a crow, but Harry understood Daphne's words. "Do you feel that?

"Caw?" he croaked back. "What?"

"I'm not sure. My beak is tingling and my feathers are ruffled. Don't you feel anything?"

Harry was about to reply in the negative when he suddenly felt something. A tickle in his right claw, followed by the sensation of a warm wave of wind sweeping over him, ruffling his feathers. Only it was still as cold around them as it had been all the time.

"I feel it," he said. "But what is it?"

It felt a bit like the first time he held his wand at Ollivander's. Or when a whole class had been busy practising spells. Or when he and Daphne lay exhausted and sweaty on the floor of the Room of Requirement after a duel, unable to move. So there was only one possible explanation for this feeling.

"Magic," Daphne spoke his thoughts.

"Do you think it's coming from the forest?" He looked down at the dark canopy of leaves, but there was nothing to see. But ... maybe he was imagining it, but he thought he could feel a vibration in the air coming from below. His right claw tickled again, then his left.

"There's only one way to find out," Daphne said. With that she flew into an arc and began a descent.

Harry followed, but they had to search for several minutes before they found a gap in the dark canopy. They flew through it and landed in a small clearing, hardly bigger than his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. But Harry knew immediately that they were in the right place. The magic was even stronger here than in the air. A faint smell of iron filled the air. He could almost taste it on his tongue.

They turned back into humans and exchanged glances.

"There's definitely something here," Daphne said. "Which way do you think?"

Harry let his eyes wander over their surroundings. Not that there was much to see in the darkness. He struggled to make out even the black outlines of the trees around them. But in one direction, the trees were particularly close together, and that was where the sense of magic seemed to be strongest.

He pointed in that direction. "There. North."

Daphne nodded slowly, and together they walked to the northern edge of the clearing. The trees there were not only close together, Harry realised now, they formed a veritable wall of trunks, branches and darkness. It was a natural or unnatural bulwark, but either way it seemed insurmountable.

Daphne frowned. She stared at the trees as if she could make them disappear with her thoughts alone. Or burst into flames. His best friend was capable of both elegance and destruction, depending on her mood, and Harry couldn't be sure.

He, too, glanced at the dark forest wall in front of them. There was undoubtedly a powerful magical source behind it, but he doubted that it was a secret cult of witches and wizards performing sinister rituals in the dark of night, nor did he believe that the Ministry had secretly built a second Diagon Alley in the forest. So the source could only be natural, and that was a thought that sent him into a tizzy.

Harry pulled out his wand to perform some magical tests when he suddenly heard something. To his right, a crackling sound in the undergrowth. And the crackling grew louder. It was coming closer.

Alarmed, he turned in the direction the sound was coming from. He could make out an aura approaching, but he couldn't tell what kind of creature it was. The aura was strange. Dull and bright at the same time, small and large, as if it didn't know what it wanted to be. The aura reminded Harry most of the Boggart in Lupin's class, but that didn't quite fit either.

Harry raised his wand and assumed a fighting stance.

The next moment, the creature ran out of the forest and into the clearing. It was a huge, shaggy, black dog. He hadn't expected that, but then neither had the dog.

The animal stopped as if frozen when it saw them, but Harry remained alert. The dog looked wild and emaciated. Who knew what it was capable of.

The dog looked at him. Its dark eyes bored into Harry's. Then the dog took a step forward – Harry clutched his wand tighter, preparing to cast a spell. If the dog took another step towards them, he would kill it.

As if the dog could read his mind, it stopped. Its dark eyes were still boring into his face. Harry was considering killing the dog anyway, just to get the matter over with, when the animal suddenly turned and ran out of the clearing, heading south. After a few seconds its body was swallowed up by the darkness again.

For a few more moments, Harry's eyes followed the receding aura until it too disappeared into the distance. Taking a deep breath, he turned back to Daphne. She hadn't taken her eyes off the dark forest wall in front of them, her face still as pensive as before.

"Thanks for your support," he said sarcastically.

Daphne clicked her tongue. Still not looking away, she said, "If you couldn't handle a dog, I'd have to reconsider our relationship, Sir Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "So what do we do now?"

Daphne finally looked at him. She shrugged. "Let's follow our hunch and see where it takes us."

"Open plans, those are my favourite kind. But those trees ahead look pretty insurmountable to me."

Daphne turned back to the forest wall in front of them. "Oh, that won't be a problem. Won't it, dear trees? You will let us through, won't you?"

Harry couldn't believe his eyes, but after Daphne had finished there was a sudden change. Slowly the branches retreated, bushes and trees swaying like dancers in the wind, and a narrow passage in nature's bulwark appeared before them. It was a gateway into darkness, for no starlight or moonlight could reach it.

Daphne raised her wand and a bright light appeared at the top. After a final glance back, as if to make sure he was following her, she stepped into the darkness.

With quick steps, Harry followed her until he was at her side. Their arms touched, so close they had to walk on the narrow path. He also raised his wand to create a magical light, but it didn't go far. It was as if the darkness around them was swallowing up all the light; the darkness and a grey mist that wafted over the forest floor and shrouded their legs.

The path led slightly downhill, Harry realised now, and although he couldn't see far, he had the uncanny feeling that the creeping plants, the clinging bushes, the thorns and spines and prickles were pulling back; that the smothering, tangled nature had made a decision to let intruders through on this particular day. He wondered if this was the result of some spell he and Daphne had perhaps cast unconsciously, but he couldn't imagine it. They hadn't used magic, he knew, but that didn't mean there wasn't magic at work here. Harry could feel it more and more clearly, like a sweet, iron taste spreading not only across his tongue but throughout his entire body. But though he could feel the magic clearly, he could see nothing.

He was not sure what he had expected to see. Little fairies hiding under toadstools, as in fairy tales, or grinning, long-toothed gnome faces poking out of the undergrowth, or a unicorn emerging from the mist and shadows with unworldly, melancholy eyes? But as it was, there was only the black cloak of night, and the path that led deeper and deeper into the mysterious thickness of the forest.

At last, the ground flattened out, and as if it were indeed at the mercy of some enchantment, the curtain of mist receded, and they found themselves standing on the edge of a dark, deep pool. One more step and its waters would have swallowed boy and girl alike. Harry staggered for a moment, then found his balance. Daphne stood motionless beside him.

As the shreds of mist parted, other landmarks began to appear: squat, lichen-covered stones set around the pool like animals crouching to drink from the inky water; a creeper winding and binding all around, its leaves dark as jewels, its flowers tiny specks of the purest white. Other than that, the earth was bare. No ferns or bushes grew here, no weeds lined the banks or the rocks.

The stillness was complete. Not an owl called anywhere, not a creature stirred in the undergrowth, not a fly disturbed the mirrored surface of the dark pond. It was like another world, a realm untouched by human hands, untrodden by human feet. It was so still that Harry thought he could hear his own heart beating.

"Wow," he whispered softly.

"Wow," Daphne agreed. They exchanged a look. Her eyes were wide, as if trying to take in every detail. "This is something special, Harry."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I think... I think it's a wound in the magic. Powerful spells were cast here a long time ago. The barrier between our world and the world of spirits and demons is weak here, I'm sure of it. And considering what day it is..." She shrugged.

Harry nodded. It made sense. The two worlds were especially close today, and so this place was a source of natural magic for a day.

"This is magic in its purest form, with all its might," Daphne said in awe, then shook her head slightly. "No, magic is might. And it's up to us to take it."

With that, she began to remove her boots.

"What are you doing?" asked Harry, startled.

"We're going for a swim," Daphne said as she put her boots on the ground and took off the warm cloak he had bought her in Hogsmeade. "We need to bathe in the pool, in the magic."

"You're mad," Harry said, but did as she did and took off his shoes and cloak as well. He knew that once Daphne had made up her mind, there was no changing it. And he would never let her swim alone in the eerie, cold, haunted pond.

The night air was freezing and he stifled a curse as he stood there in his socks and t-shirt. At least he still had his trousers on, because he certainly wasn't going to take them off in front of her. Daphne was still wearing black tights and a black shirt. They must both look really stupid, Harry thought, but he seemed to be the only one who thought that. Daphne was already standing at the edge of the pond, her body shivering, but not from the cold as he suspected. She was about to step into the dark water when he grabbed her shoulder.

"How dangerous is it?" he asked.

"Not very," Daphne said. "I would put the chances of something happening to us at no more than one in ten."

"That's not very small!"

She smiled teasingly at him. "Then let's make a sacrifice. To appease any evil spirits so they don't eat us for dessert."

"And what do you have in mind?"

"What do you think?"

Daphne raised her wand and pointed at her hand. Harry understood immediately. He too pointed his wand at his palm and at the same time they cast a cutting spell. Deep red blood dripped from their hands into the dark water of the pond.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the colour of the water suddenly changed. It became brighter, clearer, and Harry could clearly see red streaks in it, much, much more than just the blood they had just sacrificed. Above the water, it became noticeably warmer, and golden steam began to rise from the surface, as if from a hot spring. It was like a picture from another world.

"That seems to have done something," he murmured.

"Are you ready?" asked Daphne.

"No, but let's do it anyway."

They put one foot in the water at the same time. It was warm. They paused for a moment, but nothing happened. It was still perfectly still around them, as if they were the only living creatures for miles around, and the water was still, except for the golden steam that still rose from the surface.

They felt their way forward with their feet. The water was not deep here on the shore, so they put their second foot in as well. They were now knee-deep in the pond. It was a contrast like heaven and hell, the warm, almost hot water flowing around their legs and ankles on the one hand, and the nocturnal autumn air on the other, especially as they were only dressed in shirts. They exchanged glances and, seeing the agreement in each other's eyes, began to feel their way forward with their feet.

The water quickly deepened. After a few steps it reached their thighs, then their hands, and after a few more steps their chests. They stopped. The pond was not large and they were already in the middle of it, in the centre of the dark circle.

The golden light of the rising steam surrounded them. Harry's glasses fogged up, but only briefly, before Daphne's enchantments on the lenses did their work and his vision cleared. A heavy, iron smell rose to his nose and tongue. It was the smell of this source of natural magic, it seemed.

For several heartbeats, Harry and Daphne stood like that in the water, but nothing happened.

"Is this it?" he asked. "Magic with all its might?"

A hint of disappointment showed on Daphne's pretty face. "I'm not sure. There aren't really instructions for all this in the books. I don't know if we need to do anything else or not."

Her voice sounded uncertain, and it hurt Harry to see her like that, so he gave her a confident smile. "Maybe we need to give ourselves over to magic completely. What did you say? We need to bathe in the magic. So let's bathe." With that, he took a deep breath and dove in.

The blackness of the water enveloped him. But it wasn't all darkness. He could still see the golden glow of the surface. Then he felt a movement in the water as Daphne also went under. He could only make out her outline, but it was as if she was looking at him. And so he returned her unseen gaze.

Several seconds went by without anything happening. The water washed over Harry's body, soaking into his clothes and sticking his usually unruly hair to his head. His legs began to ache as he struggled longer and longer against the buoyancy.

Soon he would have to surface to catch his breath, but he wanted to delay that moment as long as possible. It was getting harder and harder. After a few more seconds, his lungs began to burn. He clenched his jaws to keep his mouth from opening, gasping for air in vain.

More seconds passed. Harry was starting to go black, literally, but he was still not going to give up. He would unravel the mystery of this magical pond, no matter what the cost.

Suddenly, the dark silhouette of Daphne's body began to move. It twitched and flailed its hands and arms.

Harry screamed for her, but no sound came. Water rushed to his mouth and throat. He swallowed – and everything changed.

An overpowering heat shot through his body. The darkness exploded in a blaze of colour and light. His ears screamed, his heart raced, a thousand tastes assaulted him, the most distinct of which was the iron taste of blood on his tongue.

Harry straightened up and emerged from the water. He gasped for air, which rushed through his lungs like an icy river. But he did not freeze.

In front of him stood Daphne, also gasping for air, but it was more his mind than his eyes that told him it was Daphne standing there. She was radiant with light, a bright, golden light. But the light was surrounded by dark fumes, like smoke over a bonfire.

Harry looked down at himself. He too was glowing with a bright light, but like Daphne, he was surrounded by a dark smoke that seemed to penetrate him and emanate from him at the same time. The smoke was thickest in front of his head, just above his forehead.

He looked back at Daphne and she back at him. Their eyes met. A new wave of overwhelming heat washed over Harry. But it wasn't just heat. He felt... he couldn't quite describe it. It was pleasant. More than pleasant. It was like the feeling of dawn on a still day after a dark night. It was like a thunderous storm after too long a drought. It was like a fire in winter and the melting of the snow in spring. It was happiness and greatness, confidence and affection. It was, it was... Daphne. He had no other words for it.

At the same time, they began to move. Their movement created a rush of air that raced from them in all directions, knocking over the ancient trees around them like toothpicks in the wind. The canopy of leaves cracked open, letting the distant light of the moon and stars shine through to them. But Harry had eyes only for the way the silver light swept across Daphne's cheeks, her pitch-black hair and her smile.

His arms wrapped around her, holding her close. Her body was warm, so warm, as if liquid fire was coursing through her veins instead of blood. But Harry had no doubt that it was her blood and not fire. Blood was of great importance to wizards like them. Their magic emanated from their hearts and travelled through their blood to the rest of their bodies. And through their repeated indulgence in blood magic, through the bond that bound their magic together, and not least through the magic of this place, on this day of the year, which they had absorbed with the inky water, through all of this, their blood was especially magical, especially hot at this moment.

Daphne put one hand on his neck, the other stroking his cheek, the line of his jaw, brushing a few stray wet hairs behind his ear. They looked deep into each other's eyes.

Suddenly Harry felt a violent rush of dizziness. "Daphne, I..."

"I know, Harry. I feel the same way."

And then she closed the gap between them and kissed him on the mouth.

Harry blinked in surprise, and for a second he couldn't move. Then she tightened her grip around his neck, pulling him even closer, and everything in the world but her mouth and her arms and her scent and her feverish warmth vanished.

It was some time later that the kiss ended, and Harry felt a little wobbly.

Daphne looked up at him with languid, pleased eyes. "I've wanted to do this for so long."

"Certainly not as long as me," Harry said. His heart pounded in his chest, he felt dizzy and warm and happier than he had ever felt in his life. He smiled at her, afraid he looked rather silly, but he didn't care. He knew he didn't have to pretend with Daphne. With everyone else, but not with her.

"I've been so close to just grabbing you and kissing you so many times." Her hands caressed the back of his neck and Harry felt goosebumps spread all over his body. He shivered. "To show everyone that you are mine and I am yours and that –"

Harry couldn't stand it any longer. He hugged Daphne even tighter, so tight that no distinction remained between where his body ended and hers began. Daphne made a sound of obvious pleasure before Harry's lips closed over hers. This kiss was wilder, more passionate than their first, as their suppressed desire finally broke free like a bursting dam.

Eagerly, Daphne opened her mouth and surrendered her tongue to him. As their lips continued to gently get to know each other, Harry followed her lead. Immediately, Daphne's tongue movements became even more confident.

Lascivious sounds filled the air as the young couple surrendered to their kisses and to each other, both knowing they would never forget this moment for the rest of their lives.

Hand in hand, Harry and Daphne later returned to Hogwarts. They were laughing and grinning, and Harry felt as if he had drunk too much butterbeer with hot chocolate, as they made their way across the castle grounds, bathed in darkness, towards the entrance portal. It was just before curfew, so they didn't have to sneak in.

But waiting for them at the entrance was the serious figure of Professor McGonagall. And behind her stood Professor Dumbledore with a visibly relieved expression on his old face.

"Where have you been?" asked Professor McGonagall in a sharp voice.

Harry and Daphne froze. They hadn't expected to be praised for returning to the castle at this hour after skipping the feast, but they hadn't expected to be scolded either. After all, no one was usually interested in their excursions, if they knew about them at all.

"Where were you?" continued Professor McGonagall, and only now did Harry notice that she was holding her wand, even though it wasn't pointed at them. Her whole posture was very tense and her face was pale in the flickering light of the torches.

Dumbledore didn't look much better, but their headmaster had looked increasingly exhausted since he had begun his mental battle with the imprisoned Voldemort.

It hadn't taken Harry more than a split second to notice and reflect on all this. He met their teacher's gaze and lied, "We went for a walk."

"Around the lake," Daphne added.

"We searched the whole grounds, including the lake, and couldn't find you anywhere," Professor McGonagall said.

"You must have missed us," Harry commented.

Daphne nodded. "With our black hair, we're easy to miss in the dark."

Professor McGonagall opened her mouth again, but now Dumbledore spoke for the first time. "The important thing is that you are back," he said, giving them a knowing look. Harry knew that their headmaster didn't believe for a second that they had gone for a walk by the lake. But then again, he was the only one who knew they were Crow Animagi. "You are probably wondering what all the commotion is about."

"Yes, that was actually a question on my mind," Harry said.

Dumbledore continued to speak. "Sirius Black tried to break into the Gryffindor common room. He managed to escape. Teachers, Aurors and Dementors have spent the last few hours looking for him. And for you two."

"What?" asked Harry and Daphne at the same time.

"Professor Dumbledore told you that Black was probably after you, Potter. So I think it would be best" – Professor McGonagall's gaze fell on their joined hands and the closeness with which they stood side by side – "if you cut back on your clandestine rendezvous, or at least move them to a place where the two of you can be kept in sight."

Harry felt a little blood rush to his cheeks, but much less than it would have been a while ago if someone had suggested that there was anything like that going on between Daphne and him. But then again, it was the truth now, and their rendezvous had been truly breathtaking, so why should he feel embarrassed?

He nodded to his Head of House. "We'll keep it in mind."

"Let's go inside," Dumbledore said. "All students will sleep in the Great Hall tonight while the castle is searched. But the fact that you two are safe is a great relief to me."

With that, their two teachers led them into the Great Hall, where indeed all the students of Hogwarts were gathered. The excited murmur of hundreds of voices filled the air and the tension was almost palpable, a little more and it could have been cut with a knife. The floor of the hall was covered with hundreds of snug, crimson sleeping bags, but no one seemed to be in the mood for sleep.

"Harry!" he heard his name called and saw Hermione rushing towards them. Ron was right behind her. "There you are! We were so worried!"

"We're fine," Harry said as their friends reached them. "We were just out for a bit. We didn't even notice what was going on."

Hermione looked at him, stunned. "How could you not have noticed? The whole castle was on alert."

Harry just shrugged. He didn't want to lie to his friends any more than he had to.

"You two are standing very close together," Ron said then, his eyes fixed on him and Daphne. They were still holding hands, standing shoulder to shoulder.

Harry grinned. "You could say that."

Daphne smiled too. But instead of saying anything, she stepped in front of him, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the mouth.

The kiss only lasted a second or two, far too short for Harry's liking. Then she pulled away, her pretty face a picture of complacency. Her lips silently formed one word: Mine.

Harry's grin widened, but Hermione snorted. "That's what you did?! We were so worried and you were amusing yourselves like, like two monkeys in heat! How could you?"

She had clenched her hands into fists and her body was shaking. Harry had a feeling she was about to burst into tears. He thought of what he could say to calm her down, but Daphne was quicker.

"What Harry and I do in our spare time is none of your business," she said.

Hermione turned her back to them, her body still shaking. "Then do what you want." With that she hurried off and was soon swallowed up by the crowd.

Ron gave them both an apologetic look. "Don't take it too hard, she's been a nervous wreck for the last few hours. I'm sure she'll be different tomorrow."

Harry just nodded. Several pairs of eyes had been on them since they arrived, watching what was going on. He could even see a few students pointing at them and talking quietly to each other. No doubt the whole castle would soon know that Daphne had kissed him. Not that she seemed to mind, if her still smug expression and the happiness he felt from their bond were any indication. But she wasn't the only one. What did he care if people talked about him? They didn't matter.

And so he smiled gratefully at Ron. "I see. Do you want to look after her?"

Ron nodded, his eyes already on where Hermione had disappeared into the crowd. "Yeah, that might not be such a bad idea. And I need to talk to Ginny as well. I'm afraid she won't take it well." He gestured in their direction. "That. She never gave up her hopes, no matter how far-fetched they were. But you two make a lovely couple. I'm happy for you."

He smiled at them and Harry smiled back.

Daphne smiled as well and said, "Thank you, Ron."

With that, the three friends said goodbye to each other and Ron disappeared into the crowd.

Harry and Daphne exchanged a look before finally taking two of the sleeping bags and finding a spot against the wall. They sat down on the floor next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, legs stretched out.

It was only now that Harry began to realise all that had happened today. Not only had they ventured further into the Forbidden Forest than ever before on their little adventure, found an eerie pond with a presumably gruesome past and bathed in pure natural magic, no, the magic had also helped them to see what had been right under their noses all along. Finally, they had given themselves the jolt they had longed for so long.

"Are we together now?" asked Daphne next to him.

Harry looked at her and found her golden eyes looking back at him. "If you want."

"Do you really think you have to ask me that?"

Smiling, Harry shook his head. "No. No, I don't think so," he said. "So we're together now."

Daphne nodded. "Boyfriend and girlfriend. Does that sound weird?"

"We'll get used to it." He smiled. "My girlfriend Daphne. Yes, I like the sound of that."

Daphne giggled. "Then come here, my boyfriend, so we can get even more used to it."

She grabbed his collar and pulled him in for another kiss, her lips so soft and warm it made Harry dizzy. Oh yes, he could get used to this.

Tenderly, he kissed her back.

And as they kissed, his thoughts returned for a brief moment to Sirius Black, who had tried to break into the Gryffindor common room. To kill him.

Let him try, he thought. I'm ready.

As if Daphne could read his mind, she pressed even closer to him. Her hands clawed at his neck, as if to tell him that she would never let him go.

The thought filled Harry with a strange confidence. For he knew that even if he had to face a wizard as ruthless and cunning as Black, he would have a witch at least as ruthless and cunning at his side.

Now more than ever.