Harry was looking over his shoulder as he ran down one of the ancient castles corridors. "Harry Potter!" The stern voice of Hermione Granger rang out from somewhere behind him. "We have work to do and if you think you can skive off just because you're a champion then you have another thing coming!"

He continued to rush forward hoping to turn into a nearby alcove and don his invisibility cloak, giving him a higher chance of escape. He knew Hermione meant well and that without her help he likely would have died during the first task which he had recently completed, but her constant nagging was wearing thin.

He just needed an afternoon to himself. An afternoon where he could laze around and do- "Oomph." The grunt pulled itself out of his lungs unwillingly. He had walked – or rather ran – into someone in his haste to escape his best friend. With seeker-like reflexes he reached both of his arms out and steadied the body that he had nearly knocked over.

"What the hell is your problem?" A voice that sounded vaguely familiar spat out at him. "Do you not know how to look at where you're – Oomph!" This time the grunt was not Harry's. He hadn't even had time to figure out who he had run into before he had slapped a palm over their mouth and dragged them into the aforementioned alcove.

Without a moments hesitation he pulled out his cloak and pulled the body that he belatedly realized was most definitely female close to his and enveloped the both of them in it. "Shhh" he said desperately pleading with his eyes at the person that he still couldn't quite place. His look was met by another pair of eyes glaring back at him. They were a striking shade of light blue that reminded Harry of the blue glaciers in the arctic that he had seen pictures of at the library.

The eyes, glaring as they may be, were framed beautifully by a few wayward strands of honey blonde hair that had made their way out of a loose bun atop her head, likely from the collision that had taken place just moments earlier. Her mouth was still covered by his hand but before he could make to remove it the sound of footsteps grew louder as his pursuer was approaching. He shot those striking eyes one last begging glance and then looked out into the corridor.

A head of bushy brown hair stomped forward before halting a meter away from them. "Agh! When I get my hands on you Harry Potter!" Hermione shouted, allowing the threat to hang unfinished in the air. She stood there for another second before storming off once more, one last exasperated sound escaping her mouth as she did.

Harry stayed completely still, fearing that if he moved, she'd find him and only just bit back a shriek as something wet slid across his palm. He pulled his hand back quickly and shot a look of shock at the girl that was still tightly pressed to him. "You licked me!" He accused indignantly.

"Yeah, well you nearly ran me over, shoved your hand over my mouth and then tried to kidnap me." She shot back. Harry noticed that those eyes were locked onto his own and she seemed to be holding back a slight grin, not seeming as offended as her words would imply she was.

"But… you… you licked me." He said again lamely. Her eyes finally broke the standoff that she and Harry had been seemingly trapped in as they rolled in exasperation.

"Yes, I did, and if you don't stop squeezing me, I'll do it again." She shot back. Harry only then realized he still had her pressed tightly to his chest with his other arm. He quickly pulled it away and took off his invisibility cloak.

"I'm sorry." He said genuinely. "I wasn't looking where I was going, and I was just trying to get away from her. I know she means well but she can be a bit…"

"Overbearing? Wound up? Crazy?" She supplied.

"Much." Harry finished.

"Why was she chasing you anyway?" Asked the girl who Harry now realized was a Slytherin from his year. He thought her name was Daphne but couldn't be sure.

"She wants me to attend creatures this afternoon, but I was going to try to figure out the egg instead. Because I'm a champion I technically don't have to attend classes." He answered.

Daphne nodded her head. "So that you can train, I'm aware. It's a nice perk." She said, but Harry only shrugged.

"I'm so far behind the other champions that most of the time just attending my normal classes is better than any training. Honestly, I just didn't want to deal with those blast-ended skrewts." He said with a slight blush. He loved Hagrid, but they seemed to be growing exponentially and last week one had nearly taken his finger off.

"Why you would choose to take that class over something more useful is baffling to me." Daphne said crinkling her nose.

"It's not that bad." Harry instantly shot back defensively, and Daphne raised her hands in mock surrender.

"I'm not the one skiving, am I?" She countered quickly and Harry realized she had a point, so he just sighed in response looking at his shoes. Before he could respond her voice rang out once more "Would you like some help?" She asked, "With the egg I mean?"

Harry looked back up suspiciously. He had never spoken to Daphne prior to this encounter, but all Slytherins were evil as a rule, at least according to Ron. She seemed to understand his hesitation and rolled her eyes once more. "I promise the big bad Slytherin isn't trying to secretly murder you." She said flatly and Harry squinted suspiciously.

"That's something that someone who was trying to murder me would say." He shot back "Trust me, I would know."

Daphne laughed. She had a pretty laugh Harry noticed. "I guess if you accept, you'll find out." She told him raising her eyebrows.

"If the second task is anything like the first one, then I guess death by pretty girl would be preferable." He said without thinking. When he realized just what he had said he felt heat rise to his cheeks instantly, but he was somewhat comforted by the fact that Daphne also had a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

"I wouldn't be so sure Potter." She answered after a moment. "I have a twisted imagination."

Harry laughed. "Well, I guess I'll have to risk it." He said deciding that he did indeed want to spend his afternoon with this pretty blonde Slytherin he had just met. "Would you like to meet me in the abandoned classroom by transfiguration in let's say 15 minutes?" He asked, "I need to go grab the egg."

He noticed a slight look of shock on her face before she composed herself. "That should be fine, but wouldn't you prefer the library?"

"Trust me, if we did this in the library, we would get kicked out instantly." Daphne looked intrigued but instead of asking about it, she turned on her heel and called over her shoulder. "I'll see you in 15 minutes Potter."

They both went their separate ways before reconvening a quarter of an hour later and getting to work. The time they spent together went extremely well. Not only did they get along well due to their similar sarcastic personalities and quick banter, but Daphne had proven worth her weight in gold when she immediately recognized the screeching as Mermish. She had conjured a tub that Harry filled with water and sure enough the screeching turned into a melodic singing.

Once they had gotten the entirety of the song transcribed, they quickly realized what it meant, and Daphne began to go over some of the basics of a bubblehead charm with him. The spell was extremely advanced, and she didn't know how to cast it, but Harry felt like he was in a remarkable place with months left to prepare for the next task. And on a side note, Hermione wouldn't be able to yell at him for missing Beasts because he had made significant progress.

"Thank you, Daphne. Really." He told her sincerely as they began to pack up their belongings.

"Don't thank me, thank my mother for planning that trip to Atlantis when I was 12." she said humbly with a shrug.

"I will." Harry promised and daphne chuckled. "But still, I feel like I need to make it up to you somehow." He told her and she waved him off.

"Really Harry, it was no problem."

"I insist, surely there's – "

"Don't worry about it, Potter. If something ever comes up, I'll let you know." she said with another roll of her eyes. Harry wondered if she always rolled her eyes this often, or if that was a cute mannerism that he brought out of her.

"Okay." He agreed "I'll owe you one."

Daphne walked out of potions carefully setting her expression to one of haughty disinterest. Inside, however, she was feeling quite happy. Today was the first day of December which meant that the entire castle had been decorated overnight for yule with trees and streamers and other festive decorations. They had also just gotten an announcement that there would be a ball this year, and while she was sad that she wouldn't get to see her family and spend Christmas and her birthday with them, she was excited at the prospect of a real-life dance. What teenage girl didn't want to attend a ball after all?

She was going over hairstyles that would compliment the grey dress she had brought with her when an arm suddenly reached out and grabbed her. She had her wand in hand and a curse on her lips instantly, but faltered when she saw emerald green eyes looking back at her.

"Don't do that!" she whisper-shouted as he covered her with his cloak and huddled closer to her. Was it her imagination or was he taller than the last time they had spoken? He seemed to be sprouting like a weed this year, she thought absent mindedly before his voice pulled her back to the present.

"Sorry, I just wasn't sure how else to speak to you." He said with a sheepish grin. I've tried a few times since, well you know," She nodded, realizing he was referencing their lone afternoon spent together when she helped him solve the clue for the second task. "But I haven't been able to. I figured since the first time we met this way and it worked, why not try again?"

"I'm sorry about that." She told him sincerely. "I've been meaning to speak to you as well, but it's hard when my housemates are ever so fond of you." She told him and in a rare role reversal Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm practically a rockstar." He deadpanned before continuing. "Listen, I know this may seem slightly out of the blue, but I wanted to ask if you would like to accompany me to the yule ball later this month?" His voice sounded slightly nervous and hopeful in a way that made Daphne's heart melt just a little bit and she realized he was holding a single pink rose.

She could feel her face morph into an expression of surprise followed quickly by one of sadness before she could school her features into the neutral mask she so often wore. "I'm really sorry Harry, but I can't." She told him softly.

Harry's head dropped. "Because of your housemate's fondness?" he asked sadly.

"Actually, I already have a date." She told him, plucking the rose out of his hand and admiring its beauty. She realized that Harry had removed the thorns in a thoughtful gesture.

"Damn, I figured you'd get asked quickly, that's why I dragged you into this dark corridor now." He said and she could see he was attempting to lighten the mood despite her rejection. "So, who's the lucky guy that beat me to it?" he asked with a tight smile.

"Actually, you were the first person to ask me, and you'll likely be the only one to ask me." She told him and bit back a smile at his confused expression. "You see, I'm betrothed to Theodore Nott and so it is expected that I attend all formal gatherings like the yule ball on his arm.

Harry shot her a confused look. "Betrothed? As in to be married? Aren't you a little young for that?"

Daphne allowed herself to smile this time. "In pureblood culture oftentimes, marriages are arranged when children are very young or sometimes before they're even born." She informed him. "I've been betrothed to Theodore for as long as I can remember, and even though he's a slimy little weasel, he will be my husband one day. So, while I appreciate the offer, I must unfortunately decline." She told him sadly.

Harry shot her a genuine smile that made her stomach flutter just slightly. "I understand, and I'm sorry for asking, I didn't realize."

She waved him off. "It was sweet, don't be sorry." she said truthfully.

"Well how about you get to keep the rose, but you save me a dance?" He asked and she smiled.

"That I can do."

Theodore Nott was an ass. Harry had the emotional intelligence of a mountain troll, and even he could see that. He constantly left Daphne on her own, was openly flirting with other girls, and now, a few hours into the night, he was practically ignoring her.

Harry snapped his eyes off the pretty blonde who was chatting with another Slytherin with black hair named Stacey or Tracey or something and back to Hermione. "Would you like any more punch? Or another dance?"

Hermione shot him a smile. "No, thank you Harry. Tonight's been lovely and you've been a great date, but I think I would like to sit for a while." She said with a smile.

Harry nodded. "Would it be okay if I asked someone else to dance?" He asked her, unsure what the protocol was in a situation like this.

Hermione laughed. "Of course. Go have a good time, just come back after a couple songs. I still want to dance." She told him and Harry beamed at her promising he would before he rose from his chair and made his way towards where Daphne was seated.

Her friend noticed him first and smacked Daphne, pointing at him and shooting him a mistrustful look, but Harry hardly noticed because when Daphne looked up, she smiled, and it was almost as if the entire world dimmed around her.

She looked stunning in an elegant grey dress that accentuated her figure in a way school robes simply couldn't and made her eyes glow. She gave him a small shy smile as he finished the rest of the short walk to where she was seated, and Harry felt his heart flip in his chest. "Hullo" he said lamely. "You look stunning."

He could see a hint of pink color her cheeks as she looked down and smiled modestly. "You look great too, Harry. Those robes really compliment your eyes." She said gesturing to the bottle green dress robes Mrs. Weasley had helped him choose during the summer.

"It was Harry's turn to blush, but he pressed on. "If you hadn't changed your mind, I was hoping to cash in on that dance." He told her, turning slightly to the dance floor. When he turned back around to face her once more, he saw Daphne's expression had shifted into one of anger and thought back quickly, trying to realize what he had said to upset her.

She seemed to realize what had happened and her expression softened. "I would love to dance Harry. I was just thinking bout how we've already been here nearly three hours and yet you were still the first person who has asked me to dance." She said shooting a dirty look to her left. Harry followed her gaze and saw she was looking at Theodore flirting with a disinterested Ravenclaw chaser who Harry thought might be a sixth year.

"I'm really sorry." He said and she waved him off, pushing her chair back and standing gracefully.

"It's not your fault. Just because he's a selfish idiot, doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself." She said, stepping forward and taking his hand in hers, leading the pair of them to the dance floor. She took them to a quiet corner of the dance floor as the music shifted into something slower. Harry was unsure what to do now that the music had slowed, but thankfully Daphne took the initiative, closing the distance between the two of them.

Harry's arms reached around her back and pulled her tight into his chest as she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. They didn't do any fancy dance moves, but rather just swayed back and forth as the piano, cello, and other assorted instruments wove their music together into a sad slow song.

After a minute Harry chanced a glance down at her face and noticed a small tear drop work its way down her cheek. He wiped it away quietly and held her tighter. "I'm sorry." He said again, unsure what else to say.

She pulled back slightly and once more her intense gaze locked onto his own eyes. "You have nothing to apologize for. This dance was the highlight of my evening." she said, attempting a small smile.

"Mine too." He promised and pulled her back into his chest so they could sway for a little while longer until the song ended. When it did end, Harry was preparing to ask if she would like to dance to another song, but she spoke up before he could.

"Thank you, Harry." She said, before tiptoeing slightly and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "Goodnight." And with that she turned on her heel and made her way out of the great hall.

"Goodnight Daphne." Harry whispered to no one, touching his hand to his cheek where her lips had been just moments earlier.

She didn't know why she made her way to the abandoned classroom near the transfiguration corridor. She hadn't been there since she had helped Harry solve the egg puzzle, but something seemed to draw her to it. As she neared the classroom, she could hear, or rather feel, a soft thudding. A pretty good indicator that there was magic being used behind a hastily cast silencing charm.

She tried the door with no luck, but a quick alohamora and the lock clicked, allowing her to push the heavy oak door open. Inside was Harry Potter with his wand in hand and scattered remains of what were once desks and chairs strewn around him in smoking splinters. His glasses were off, and he had tear stains on his cheeks.

"Daphne?" He croaked out, and Daphne's heart broke in her chest. "What are you doing here?"

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I thought you might be here. I – I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She said, her voice small. Harry grimaced and then turned away from her, wiping his face with both hands.

"I'm alright." He told her unconvincingly, "Just needed some time to myself. Thank you for checking in." He told her quietly, looking at the door and then the ground.

Daphne ignored the implied dismissal and instead closed the distance between the two of them. When she reached him, he looked up and seemed surprised that she was suddenly so close to him, but she erased the last few feet that remained between them and enveloped him in a hug before he could stop her. He was tense at first, but after a few seconds his body melted into hers and then a few seconds later the tear began anew.

Daphne wasn't sure how long she stood there holding and comforting him as he wept, whispering that it wasn't his fault. That he did everything he could have, and that Cedric's death was on Voldemort's hands and no one else. After what could have been two minutes or two hours, he disengaged himself from her grasp and wiped again at his eyes. "I'm sorry." He told her.

Daphne waved him off. Her hand reached up to her throat where she fiddled with the small sapphire that hung around her neck, secured into place by an elegant strand of white gold. Ever since her grandfather had gotten her the gift for her birthday just a few months earlier it had become a bad nervous tick to play with it when stressed.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Harry." She told him sincerely. He tried to smile at her, but it was more of a grimace.

"Then thank you." He told her instead. His green eyes locked onto hers and for a moment the fear and despair and anguish that she had seen earlier were wiped away and instead she saw gratitude and kindness, looking at her and trying to prove that he meant the words he had just spoken.

Daphne didn't know if it was the look, or the words, or the fact that she had just held him while he sobbed, but almost without realizing what she was doing her hand left the necklace she was fidgeting with and instead found its way to his face. She cupped his cheek gently, breaking eye contact only to glance down at his lips.

His lips were dry, and she watched as his tongue darted out quickly to wet them and then the next thing, she knew his lips were on hers. She wasn't sure if she had initiated it or if he had, but at this moment she didn't care. Daphne was fairly inexperienced, and she assumed Harry was as well, but the kiss felt electric, and she tingled from the top of her head down to her toes and back up again.

After a moment the kiss became more intense, and she could feel his desperation and panic as he pulled her close to him and deepened it. in response Daphne tried her best to comfort him. She ran soothing hands up and down his back and tried to pour into the kiss that everything would be alright. She wasn't sure if it was working, but at the very least she could distract him for a while.

They broke only to take gasping deep breaths until Daphne took a step back. She had to hide a smile as Harry took a step forward trying to resume their activity but placed her palms on his chest to keep him at bay. "Everything is going to be okay." She told him again.

Harry closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them and nodded back to her. "Okay." He said simply.

This time Daphne let her smile break across her face and her palms that were still on his chest snaked their way behind his neck and pulled his face closer. "Okay." She agreed, and her lips found his again.

Harry hadn't spoken to Daphne since the night she had comforted him following Cedric's death. In fact, he oftentimes thought he had dreamt the entire encounter, but then his eyes would find hers across the great hall or in a classroom and the faint blush that would paint her cheeks would confirm that it had been real.

He had thought about it on occasion, what was going on between the two of them. They seemed to run into each other every few months and he had only spoken to her less than a handful of times, however when they were together it seemed as though they had known one another for a lifetime.

Yet, he never spoke to her in public. He never spoke of her in private. Even the keenest eyes would be hard pressed to see what was there. Because of this she drifted in and out of his thoughts. On this particular evening as Harry was hurrying up the dark corridor, trying to keep his footsteps quiet and apply enough pressure that the letters etched into his hand would stop their profuse bleeding, Daphne was the last thing on his mind. Yet as he rounded the corner, he nearly ran straight into her.

"Harry?" She said inquisitively, the bright gold "P" pinned to her chest glinting in the torchlight. "It's after curfew, what are you… are you bleeding?" she said as she looked him over and spotted the bloodied handkerchief that he was using to cover his hand.

"Its nothing." He told her instantly, attempting to make his way around her and the rest of the way up to Gryffindor Tower, but Daphne sidestepped and blocked his path. She crossed her arms over her chest and in that moment, Harry wanted to scream. He had been doing his best to get Hermione off his back and now it looked as though Daphne would be interrogating him too.

"That doesn't look like nothing." She pressed gently and reached her hand out to his, but he pulled away quickly. He saw a brief flash of hurt color her face, but the expression was gone as soon as it had arrived.

Harry took a deep breath and softened his tone. "Really, it's nothing. I have some potions that will help, and I'll be fine." He told her thinking longingly of the essence of murtlap and how it would take the sting away.

Daphne's brow furrowed. "Harry what happened?" She asked. Harry panicked. He couldn't tell her what was going on, but he also wasn't prepared to lie to her. She must have mistaken his silence for fear. "Harry, I'm a prefect now." She told him. "I can get whoever did this to you in trouble.

Harry didn't mean to laugh bitterly, but he did. At her confused expression he decided to just answer the unasked question. "I don't think you can punish our esteemed high inquisitor, as much as I wish you could." He told her, his tone as bitter as his earlier laugh.

"Umbridge?" she asked quietly, taking his hand in hers as Harry finally succumbed to her. She unwrapped the handkerchief that he had tied securely around his hand and gasped at the cuts, still opened and bleeding underneath.

She turned his hand so she could read the letters he had spent the last four hours carving into his own skin. "I must not tell lies." She whispered and then looked up at him, tears and a look of fury in her blue eyes.

"She thinks that if she makes me write it into my own skin enough times that it'll keep me quiet." He said softly. As he spoke Daphne withdrew her wand and cast a spell with a whispered incantation he couldn't quite make out. The bleeding stopped immediately, and his hand felt better, but still not great.

"And because you're you, you're being even louder just to spite her." She said as she conjured a roll of gauze and rewrapped his hand gently. Harry put his head down and said nothing in response. "Come on." She said putting his injured hand down and reaching instead for the other.

Harry gave her his hand and said nothing when she interlaced her fingers with his own. He let her lead him back the way he had come and down to the Slytherin common rooms. When they arrived, she gave his good hand a squeeze. "I'll be just a moment. You stay right here." She told him and he nodded.

A few minutes later she arrived, two vials in hand, and took him once again by his hand leading him. Harry knew they were headed to their classroom the second she took his hand, and sure enough a short walk later she opened the door and lit the torches on the walls.

She seated him at a desk and unwrapped the gauze she had just placed on his hand and got to work applying the potions, not speaking as she took care of him. When she finished, she lifted his hand to her mouth giving him a brief kiss where the letters were still pink and raised, but no longer opened or bleeding, before wrapping it once more in gauze.

Harry looked at her and saw the concern in her eyes. "Thank you." He said finally. "Whatever you did, it helped a lot."

Daphne smiled softly. "I've always wanted to be a healer; I know a thing or two." She replied humbly as she took a seat in the chair next to his. Once seated, she reached once more for his good hand and interlaced his fingers with her own.

"What she's doing to you is illegal you know." She said a little while later and Harry sighed.

"I know it is, but it'll be her word against mine and everyone already thinks I'm a raving lunatic." He replied angrily. Daphne gave his hand a squeeze and he closed his eyes, suddenly overwhelmed by all she had done for him.

"I don't." She replied simply.

Harry opened his eyes and looked towards her. She was looking at him, her eyes sincere and pleading. "Thank you," he said in response. "it's rare these days." She ran a thumb over his hand and Harry squeezed her own hand in response.

"There's got to be a way we can kill her and make it look like an accident." Daphne said deep in thought and Harry couldn't help but laugh. It felt like his first real laugh in ages. "What?" Daphne responded slightly embarrassed. "Is that not something that you've been considering?"

Harry laughed again. "Oh, believe me that's how I spend all my defense classes."

They sat in a companionable silence for a while longer, both thinking of imaginative ways to kill Umbridge. After a few minutes Harry gathered up his courage and began speaking. "Hey, Daphne?" he asked.

"Mhmm."

"What exactly are we?" he said gesturing between the two of them with the hand that wasn't holding hers.

"How do you mean?"

"Well, we see each other from time to time, but only every few months. Usually, I'm struggling with something, and you swoop in and save the day, but then we also hold hands," he said, raising their joined hands to prove his point. "And we've kissed before as well. Are we acquaintances? Friends? Are you more than a friend?"

Daphne seemed to consider for a moment before letting go of his hand. Harry missed its warmth immediately, but he said nothing as she stood from her chair and moved so she was standing directly in front of him. She cupped his face with both her hands and leaned forward. "I don't know." She said when her mouth was an inch away from his, "But I care more about you than just about anyone else." she admitted, and then her lips were once again on his.

Daphne looked up from her uneaten breakfast as if in a daze. She blinked once, then twice, and then a third time before the hall finally came into focus. "Daphne, please eat something." She heard Tracey say quietly from next to her.

She looked back down and noticed that her plate was still full. She sighed and let go of her necklace to instead pick up her fork and push her eggs from one side of the plate to another. The sapphire on her throat seemed to sting her skin where it had settled, and then before she could stop it her eyes began to sting as well.

She blinked furiously, trying to will the tears away and just managed to keep them at bay. She rose shakily to her feet and coughed to clear her throat. "I'm not hungry." She told her best friend. "I'll see you later for lunch maybe." She said, grateful that it was a Saturday, and she wouldn't have to endure classes.

She thought Tracey might have been saying something, but her voice sounded muffled as she made her way from the table and out of the hall. She walked absentmindedly as her mind raced back to just a few weeks earlier.

She had woken up in her own bed at home, excited that her grandparents would be visiting today and spending the week with them so they could spend Christmas with one another. Daphne had loved her grandparents dearly since she was a child and cherished any opportunity to spend time with them.

She was especially excited as her grandfather would always get her a wonderful gift and wink at her saying how he'd forgotten how close her birthday and Christmas were and that he hoped one gift would be enough. Daphne loved the joke and every year the gifts became more and more extravagant. Last year, he had gotten her a lovely necklace that she wore daily.

She made her way downstairs cheerfully and into the dining area where their house elf winky had breakfast spread out on the table, but instead of the joy and slight anticipation she had been expecting from her family, she was met with tears and quiet sobs.

"Is everything okay?" She asked the room in general, and it was her father who answered her as her mother sobbed once more.

"Daphne, darling." He began, his voice as sad as she had ever heard it. "Your grandfather died last night."

Daphne felt her feet shake and thought she might fall but her father reached for her and led her to a chair. "I – I don't understand." She said through her tears. "I wrote to him just a few days ago, he was fine." She said hoping if she sounded sure enough, she could will it to be true.

"He was." Her father agreed, and Daphne was surprised by the sheer anger in his voice. In all her life she had never heard such hatred come from her father's mouth. "The death eaters paid him another visit last night. He attempted to postpone it again, but those who visited him wanted a yes or no.

"He told them no and they didn't like that answer." He finished with hatred in his eyes and Daphne felt her whole body go numb.

"What about grandmother?" She asked quickly.

"They let her go and told her to pass the message on to me as the heir of house Greengrass. She was given a calming draught and a dreamless sleep potion and is resting in the guest chambers." He told her as her mother sobbed once more.

"Daphne?" A familiar voice called, pulling her away from the horrid memory she had been reliving day after day.

"Harry?" She replied, her voice hoarse. Only then did she realize where her feet had carried her. She was standing just outside of their classroom, and it seemed as though Harry was making his way there also.

"Are you alright Daphne?" He asked and she immediately straightened her back and attempted to neutralize the emotion on her face.

"I'm fine." She lied, "I should be going." She made to turn but before she could, Harry's hand reached out and took a hold of her own. She tried to pull away, but he held onto her tightly. She turned towards him, ready to yell that he let her go, but when she turned back around, she finally took him in properly.

He looked like she felt. Despite his continued growth spurt and standing nearly a head taller than her, he looked as though he weighed less than he had last year when they were the same height. He was pale and haggard with dark blue-purple bags underneath his eyes, which still shone like emeralds in the torchlight. His cheeks were sunken and his collarbones prominent, but his expression was what truly stopped her as he looked at her with genuine concern and care.

Before she could stop herself, she launched herself into him and began to cry. He held her tightly and she couldn't help but notice how boney he was compared to the last time they had held one another a few months earlier. After a few minutes Harry, still holding her tightly, managed to get her inside the classroom and seated on a bench.

She continued to sob into his shirt, and he played with her hair while whispering soothing nothings into the air around them. After a few more minutes, she was finally able to compose herself and she pulled away noticing that Harry had tear tracks along his cheeks as well.

"I've been meaning to speak to you." He said as her sobs quieted. "I noticed how upset you looked and wanted to make sure you were alright."

"You've been looking at me?" She asked, her heart warming at the thought that he cared enough to notice.

"Sometimes you're all I can look at." He replied simply. "Did you want to talk about it?"

She looked at him and considered for a moment. "I don't know." She said finally and looked away from him, scared that he would push her to tell him.

Instead, his hand found hers and he interlaced their fingers. "I understand." He said quietly. "If you change your mind I'm here." he told her, squeezing her hand softly.

She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes and without meaning to, began to speak. "My grandfather was murdered. By the death eaters." She began and Harry squeezed her close.

"Oh, Daphne. I'm so sorry."

She felt the tears start anew as she told him the story, but she managed to get it out. Harry comforted her throughout the entire process, and she leaned on him to get it all out. "The worst part." She said after she had explained everything. "Is that Theodore fucking Nott found me on the train back to school and told me that he was sorry, but my grandfather deserved it. He told me that he was hoping to join the death eaters this summer and that I should ensure my father does the same."

Harry said nothing, but when she looked up at him, his green eyes were filled with a fury that she had never seen in them before. "Will you be safe?" He asked her and Daphne nodded.

"I'm still his betrothed, he can push all he wants but he won't hurt me." She said and Harry nodded stiffly. "Harry?" She said after a moment and he looked down at her, his eyes softening. "Do you remember how you said you owed me one last year?"

He nodded his head. "Mhmm."

"Well, I'm ready to cash in."

He considered her curiously for a moment. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure everything that's going on with you and he-who-must-not-be-named, but its clear he's after you and he won't stop until you're dead." Despite the gravity of her statement, Harry laughed. Daphne shot him a questioning glance but continued. "I want you to live." She said simply and Harry's laugh softened into a smile.

"Believe me, I'm trying my hardest."

"Well, you need to try harder!" She said suddenly with a passion in her voice that she would be hard pressed to explain where it had come from. "Kill him if you must, but I want you to promise me that you'll live and then when this is all over you and I can be together, and I won't have to marry Theodore Nott. Promise me Harry."

Harry looked at her for what felt like forever and then nodded. "I promise you, I'll try. And when this is all over, if you still want me then I'll be yours. I promise you Daphne." With that he pulled her close again and once more started running his hand through her hair. "I promise."

Another year had passed and like clockwork every couple of months Harry and Daphne would meet up in their classroom. They would talk about whatever it was that was going on in their lives, conversations so deep and dark that they had never shared them with anyone else, or things so trivial it wasn't worth mentioning to friends.

Every meeting started the same way. Daphne would ask him how his promise was going, and Harry would reply that he had every intention of keeping it. Sometimes their relationship was physical, and they held one another or kissed, other times it was purely intellectual.

Harry had ended up sharing with Daphne just about every part of his life. The abuse he suffered at the hands of the Dursleys, how he had found out he was a wizard. Professor Quirrell and the Basilisk, and just about everything else he had endured. The only two things he had never told her were about Sirius' death because of the guilt he still harbored, and the horcruxes which he had promised to keep to himself.

Daphne had in turn shared her own life with him. He found out about her family, the trips they went on, and the love they shared. It was true that Daphne's life had been a walk in the park compared to Harry's, but that didn't stop him from being supportive and caring when she discussed difficult aspects of her own life.

Harry was making his way once again to their classroom. He was there most days on the off chance that Daphne would stop by, but today he had shot her a look in the great hall, and she had nodded back and sure enough when the door opened, he saw her seated at a desk, a book opened in front of her.

She glanced up at him and gave him a soft smile that he had come to adore. She placed her bookmark inside the book and closed it gently as he made his way to the desk next to hers, but not sitting down. "How's your promise going?" She asked with a grin and Harry took a deep breath.

"That's actually why I wanted to speak to you." He started ambiguously, not sure how to say what he needed to without giving away too much information.

"What's going on, Harry?"

"Dumbledore and I are going to be doing something this evening, related to my promise to you." He began and Daphne nodded. She had known about his lessons with the headmaster since they had begun, despite not knowing the specifics. "It may be a bit dangerous and –"

"But Dumbledore will be there, wont he?" Daphne cut in worriedly.

Harry nodded. "Yes." Daphne's concerned expression turned into one of relief and Harry could understand why. Dumbledore was the strongest living wizard in Britain. "I just got to thinking about worst case scenarios that might happen and I just wanted to tell you something now, in case I couldn't later."

Daphne gave him a confused look but gestured that he continue. "I just – what I mean to say is that – I just thought you should know that I… I love you, Daphne." Harry watched as her eyes widened and then her expression turned to one of joy.

"Oh, Harry! I love you too!" She said jumping from her seat to engulf him in a hug. "I have for a long time, but I didn't want to scare you away." She said into his chest and Harry nuzzled into her hair in response, breathing in the scent of her, vanilla and grapefruit. She broke the hug a moment later and took a step back, taking out her wand and casting three locking charms in succession at the door and finally a silencing charm. "Take off your shirt." she commanded.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Take off your shirt Potter. I'm going to show you just how much I appreciated you telling me that." Harry took a deep swallow and his hands fumbled with his tie. If he had known this would be his reward, he would have told her much, much sooner.

Just a week prior Daphne had felt as though she were on top of the world. Harry had told her that he loved her and then they had given themselves to one another on a hastily conjured bed in their classroom. That night Headmaster Dumbledore had died, and poor Harry had been there to witness it.

She hadn't seen him since it had happened. Today had been the funeral and in a few hours, they would be boarding the train home, so Daphne waited anxiously in the abandoned classroom that had become their place. When she had just decided to give up and go grab her bags the door creaked open, and Harry walked in still clad in his black dress robes from the funeral.

He looked devastated and Daphne's heart broke for him. She stood immediately and ran over to him, pulling him into an all-to-familiar hug, that he didn't reciprocate. "I'm going to be leaving." He told her softly and Daphne stiffened.

"Where?"

"I can't tell you. This is going to break out into another war, like the one that got my parents killed. I'm going to go do everything in my power to end this quickly, but there are steps that need to be taken. I need to finish what Dumbledore started." He told her.

"You need to finish what got him killed?" Daphne asked incredulously, panic causing her voice to rise.

"It's the only way." He responded sadly.

"You promised me you would live!" She said angrily, pulling away from the hug and pressing an accusatory finger into his chest.

Harry took her finger gently and brought her hand up to his mouth so he could kiss it. "I have every intention of keeping my promise." He told her using the same words he had so often used to reassure her.

"But if Dumbledore got killed because of this, how can you expect…" She trailed off, realizing just how what she was saying sounded. "I'm sorry, I'm just… worried is all."

Harry gave her a small smile. "I am too Daphne, but I have no other choice. I wanted to let you know that I won't be back next year, but I am going to finish this and I'm planning on sooner rather than later so that I can marry you and we can leave this God-forsaken place." He said with such passion that Daphne nearly believed him.

She reached around her neck and unclasped her necklace holding it out to him. "Take this with you." She commanded.

Harry hesitated. "That's the last thing your grandfather gave you, it's so important to you I –"

"Exactly." Daphne cut him off. "You know how much this means to me so you should know how upset I'll be if you don't return it to me."

"Daphne I really couldn't"

"Damnit Harry, take the necklace!" She snapped. "You're borrowing it and I fully intend to get it back once you win, do you understand?" She finished with a tone of voice that left no room for argument. Despite her tone, Daphne was trying desperately to hold back tears.

"I love you Harry Potter and I swear to all the gods that if you die, I will become a necromancer just to revive you so I can kill you again, do you understand?" Harry nodded and closed the distance between them causing Daphne's heart to flutter.

He took the necklace from her hand and withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket. He wrapped it gently and placed it back inside his pocket before cupping her face. "I love you Daphne Greengrass and I'll do everything in my power to return this necklace to you." He bent down and caught her lips with his own in an intense but brief kiss.

When he pulled away Daphne let out a noise of annoyance that made him laugh and which caused her to pout. "We'll finish this when I return your necklace." He told her and Daphne's pout deepened.

"So many promises." She complained, but Harry just smiled at her, a sad smile filled with the grief of losing his mentor and the last meager bits of his childhood. A sad smile anticipating the war and struggle to come and what he must do to survive.

"I'm good for them." He said and Daphne nodded.

"You better be."

Harry was cold, so cold. The water around him stung like ice and the locket squeezed tighter and tighter until he was ready to just give up, but he remembered what he had promised daphne. A nonverbal blasting hex caused the locket to loosen enough that he could slip it off and swim up for air. He was almost positive that his jaw was broken where the hex had clipped him and he could feel blood dripping down from where the locket was strangling him, but he had the sword now.

With a whispered "open" in parseltongue, Harry stabbed the locket before the mist that escaped it could form into a shape and then collapsed onto the ground. He reached into his pocket and unrolled his handkerchief. The white gold and sapphire glinted beautifully back at him as he brought it to his lips. "I promise." He whispered to no one, standing and collecting the sword and broken locket and making his way back to the campsite where Hermione would be waiting for him.

"You will either cast Crucio or I will have the others cast it on you." Amycus Carrow said with disdain to Daphne. "We do not take kindly to blood traitors' little girl. Now go on and cast the spell on the vermin that dared to steal our magic."

"I can't." Daphne replied. "I'm not strong enough to cast such an advanced spell." Amycus glared at her and for a moment she thought she would spend the rest of the afternoon being tortured by her less apprehensive classmates.

"Figures. You women weren't made for battlefields." He said with a suspicious look in his eye. "Stand over there and observe. This is something you will need to learn if you are to join the Dark Lord." Daphne walked away quickly as her betrothed stepped up next and tortured the poor muggleborn Hufflepuff that was chosen as today's practice.

'Hurry, Harry.' She thought to herself. 'Please hurry.'

"I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter?"

The words kept replaying in his head on a loop. All this time he had allowed himself to hope that he might survive. After they had destroyed the cup, he had even allowed himself to believe they could do it, but it wasn't meant to be. He had lived his life for one purpose and that was to die.

He thought back to everything he had promised Daphne. How he told her he would live for her. That he would marry her. It had all been a lie. Sure, he could go find her, run away, and leave this world that had treated him so unjustly behind, but he knew that wasn't the person that he was. Dumbledore knew it as well.

The lives of everyone else were more important than his own. He wished he could have apologized to her for breaking his promise. He wished he could have explained to her why he had to do this, but he would never be afforded that opportunity. He fingered the necklace in his pocket. He was so close to returning it to her, she was somewhere on these very grounds. He hoped one day she might learn how hard he'd tried, maybe Hermione could tell her.

He continued forward and touched the snitch to his mouth. Inside he found the resurrection stone and he walked the rest of the short distance with those he had loved and lost until he neared the clearing where he dropped the stone. He took off his cloak and called out to Voldemort. He would not be afraid. He would die, but not as a coward. He stood, his back straight and looked into the red reptilian eyes of the man who had caused him so much pain, if he could still be regarded as a man.

They seemed to weigh one another for a moment until Voldemort finally raised his wand. "He hesitated for the briefest of seconds and cocked his head slightly. Harry thought he may have nodded almost imperceptibly as if to show his respect and then with a shout of Avada Kedavra and a flash of green light the world faded into still blackness.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

'No.' Daphne thought as the other Slytherins around her cheered wildly. 'No Harry, you promised me.'

"The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anybody who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

The other Slytherins rose as one and pushed their way past whoever it was that had been watching over them, making their way towards the castle entrance and the courtyard. Daphne followed as though in a daze. They made their way out of the castle just as Professor McGonagall let out a blood curdling shriek and Daphne snapped out of her thoughts to see what had brought it on.

She followed the deputy headmistress's eyes and saw Hagrid sobbing as he cradled the thin, frail, and broken form of Harry Potter. Daphne dropped to her knees, tears blurring her vision. 'You liar.' She thought bitterly. 'You promised me, damnit. You told me you would do whatever you could to come back to me and you lied.'

There was a commotion going on in the crowd as Neville Longbottom was saying something to Voldemort, but Daphne couldn't hear what was being said. 'You promised that you would marry me, that you would return my necklace. You told me you loved me and that you would come back, and you lied.'

Daphne knew her anger was unjustified. She knew that he had told her he would try, and not that he would. She knew he had likely kept his promise to the end, but he was dead, and she was broken.

Suddenly a cacophony of noise broke out. Centaurs and giants emerged from the forest. There was the slicing of a sword as Neville beheaded a snake and Voldemort's ensuing scream of fury. Daphne barely noticed any of it until she heard Hagrid scream out. "HARRY! HARRY—WHERE'S HARRY?"

Her head snapped up instantly and she looked to where his body had been only to see it was gone. Panic overtook her. Someone had stolen his body?

Daphne began to scan the crowd as chaos erupted around them. Spells began to fly so she ducked down, not wanting to be struck by a wayward curse, but she continued to look for Harry all the while. The battle seemed to migrate, and it eventually made its way inside the great hall. Daphne followed the chaos once again falling into a trance as she searched for any sign of the man she loved. How cruel was fate, that she couldn't even mourn his body?

The intensity of the battle grew, and the death eaters were losing slowly but surely. She heard a redheaded woman who she thought was a Weasley scream "Not my daughter you bitch!" before killing Bellatrix Lestrange, and then lots of things happened very quickly.

Voldemort blasted back all three people he was dueling before taking aim at the woman. He fired off a curse in her direction that was going to strike her square in the chest when a familiar voice shouted out "Protego."

She watched as Harry slipped off his invisibility cloak and felt relief flood through her body like water bursting through a dam. 'He's alive.' She thought, feeling light-headed. She watched enraptured, as did everyone else, while Harry and Voldemort circled one another discussing wands and Dumbledore and Snape. Finally, they cast their curses and it was Harry who was left standing while Voldemort lay in a heap, as dead as the cold tile his body had thudded against. Harry was mobbed at that moment as everyone celebrated his victory, and Daphne waited patiently. They could have him now; she would have him for a lifetime. After a few minutes she saw him scanning the room and his eyes finally locked onto hers.

She watched as he excused himself and made his way towards her slowly as everyone wanted to congratulate him. When he finally made it to her, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a dirty and torn handkerchief. "I believe this is yours." He said unfurling the handkerchief and showing her the necklace that lay wrapped in it. She smiled at him and turned around so he could clasp it around her neck.

When he finished placing it on her, she grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down into a kiss. "You're alive." She whispered. "Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry." He said and she waved him off.

"You kept your promise Potter, well almost all of it. We have one more thing we can take care of soon enough, but for now go celebrate the victory and mourn those who need to be mourned. I'll be here when everything settles down."

Harry nodded and gave her one last kiss before returning to the Weasley's who were all shooting her suspicious looks. She smiled their way and gave them a small wave. They would find out soon enough.

AN: This story initially had a sad ending because when I wrote it I was using it as a tool to vent out my own emotions, but I decided to end it happily instead for all of your sakes haha.

This is the first story I'm posting that isn't a reupload! I was still writing during my hiatus, although most of my work during that time is not the best and also not the fluffiest, but I may upload more of them if you guys enjoy them. As always, I'd love to hear what you guys think if you feel inclined to share. Thanks everyone 😊