Daniel stood before his two daughters, satisfied that he had both of their rapt attention.
"The first thing we're going to do is practice dodging incoming spells," He told them, seeing them both nod in acceptance. That was one thing Astoria had already been taught how to do prior to getting her wand.
BOOM
Idly Daniel turned to the side to watch the battle between Harry and Marie for a moment. His wife was hurtling backward through the air with a look of pain on her face before she twisted her body around to land on her feet to avoid the follow-up attacks from the advancing boy.
The pair had taken up two-thirds of the room for their encounter, with only a clear, shimmering shield protecting himself and his daughters from errant spells in their own third.
He turned back to the two girls who were themselves watching the fight between Harry and Marie. "Daphne," He started, waiting for the girl to whip her gaze back toward him. "Astoria will be dodging first while you fire."
Astoria tore her gaze away from the confrontation and stared at her father with wide eyes as Daphne grinned toothily at her little sister. "Oh, it'll be my pleasure."
"Stinging Hexes only," Daniel warned.
BOOM
The entire room shook as Daphne scowled, spinning on the spot to walk to the other end of their third. "Spoilsport."
Daniel walked closer to Astoria and held out his hand. "Give me your wand, baby. Just focus everything on not getting hit."
Astoria handed her wand to her father with a light frown. "Do Stinging Hexes hurt?"
Daniel pocketed the wand and shrugged at her. "As long as you don't get hit you won't find out."
Astoria whimpered slightly for a moment before she squared her shoulders and walked to stand opposite her sister.
BOOM
"Begin when you're ready!" Daniel called over his shoulder as he walked toward the barrier. He had to know what was happening over there.
Marie was retreating from the approaching Harry quickly, a look of strain on her face as the boy assaulted her shield. Cracks had formed in the magical barrier despite Marie pouring as much of her magic into it as she could.
Harry unleashed two more Exploding Charms toward the woman, one aimed slightly to her right to prevent her from moving in that direction any further, and the other directly toward the woman and her battered shield.
BOOM
Marie's shield collapsed under the power of Harry's attack, blowing her backward again. His wife landed on her back heavily but rolled to her left quickly to avoid the stunner the boy sent to her downed form.
Daniel nodded appreciatively as he watched Harry pace toward her. The boy looked controlled and wasn't getting over-excited by his success thus far. When Marie flipped back to her feet with incredible agility Daniel could see the apprehension in her green eyes.
The man smiled to himself as Harry sent another volley of spells toward his wife, who jumped from side to side haphazardly to avoid them, no longer capable of raising a shield strong enough to withstand them.
Daniel felt sure that he was witnessing Harry's first victory against Marie, and it was only their first morning back home.
He was greatly looking forward to teasing her about it.
He glanced over his shoulder quickly at his daughters when he heard Astoria exclaim in pain as she continued to try to dodge the Stinging Hexes from her older sister, reaching down with one hand to try and protect her stinging legs. Daphne had a gleeful look on her face whilst Astoria was wearing a furious scowl.
After another five minutes, he'd teach Astoria the spell and she could get her revenge.
Marie looked exhausted as she ducked a stunner from Harry, and Daniel knew the end was nigh. Harry had rather effectively boxed her into a corner, leaving her no more room to dodge sideward.
She twisted out of the way of a Disarming Charm before she began to laugh loudly and bitterly. "A Disarming Charm? I thought you wanted to beat me, Harry." Harry paused in confusion for a moment before he sent a stunner at her. Marie bent backward quickly to avoid it slamming into her face. "That's better!" She crowed, giving him a nasty smile. "If you want to finally beat me you need to do it properly."
Harry paused again with a frown and Marie took the opportunity to whip her wand toward him, sending a stunner of her own. Harry batted it aside as Marie continued to taunt him. "Come on, Harry, I'm here for the taking. How haven't you put me down yet?"
Daniel shook his head, sighing to himself. He wasn't sure he agreed with his wife's tactics.
He watched on, absently noting Daphne and Astoria walking over and standing beside him as Harry sent another volley of spells toward her. Marie panted heavily as she only just managed to avoid them.
"This is ridiculous!" Marie shouted at the boy with a scowl. Her eyes widened at the cutting curse that sailed toward her face and she quickly turned her head to the side to avoid it. Inwardly she was thankful that hadn't landed, not being very open to the idea of having her face split into two.
She turned her head fractionally toward the watching Daniel. "Are you seeing this!?" She called out to the man. Harry half-turned his head as well and Marie took the opportunity to fire her own cutting curse at him, forcing him to raise a shield hastily. "All our efforts to train him and he still can't finish me off!"
Marie stepped forward and fired a stunner at Harry, who twisted his body to avoid it, all the while looking at her with wide-eyes. She turned back to face him fully and snarled. "You think you can beat him? From everything I've seen you've got no chance." Harry, who had raised his wand to fire again, faltered. "You're pathetic."
Harry stood frozen as he stared at the woman, unable to believe what he was hearing. So stunned was he that he never even reacted to the red jet of light as it crashed into his chest.
The training room was silent for a second as they all watched the boy fall limply to the floor. Then, in the next, they all moved.
Daniel jabbed his wand into the clear barrier, removing the protections in an instant as Daphne and Astoria both raced forward toward Harry, Daniel following quickly behind them.
Marie jumped forward and crouched beside her son, quickly reviving him with a shaky whisper. Harry blinked awake and slowly sat up, feeling strong arms wrap around him tightly.
"I'm sorry!" Marie said quickly as she hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't mean it, not a word. You did brilliantly." She told him urgently, burying her face in his hair.
Harry was breathing heavily as she spoke, his eyes clenched shut. He barely noticed Daphne skid to a halt in front of him, until she reached out to cup the sides of his face with her hands. He opened his eyes to look into hers and saw compassion and sadness but also anger there.
As Astoria crouched down beside the boy and placed her hand on his shoulder supportively, Daniel glared at his wife. "What were you thinking?" He hissed demandingly.
Marie flinched back from his gaze for a moment before she pulled back from Harry slightly. Forcefully, she moved Daphne's hands out of the way and cupped his face herself. Hurt and confusion swam in Harry's green eyes as they looked into her own.
"Harry," She started in a soft voice, pausing to swallow heavily. "I didn't mean it, you're not pathetic at all."
Harry's eyebrows knitted together as he looked up at her. "Then why did you say it?" He asked in a broken voice.
Marie began to stroke his cheek with her thumb as she answered. "I wanted to see what you would do. When you fight, people will say awful things to you, to upset you or make you angry."
Harry looked down as he considered what she said. After a few moments, he sighed deeply. "I froze."
Marie nodded slightly. "You did well at first. If it hadn't been me saying it, the words might not have affected you at all."
Harry nodded absently as his eyes met hers again. "I still lost."
"Because you let the words get to you." She told him with a small smile. "You had me beaten until then, I had barely anything left. You must ignore anything your opponent says to you, let their insults go in one ear and out the other."
Harry winced slightly and looked down again. "I'm sorry," He said in a tiny voice.
Marie dropped her hands from his face and hugged him again, holding him close. "No, dear, I'm sorry. And I love you, more than you'll ever know."
Harry nodded into her shoulder as he brought his own hands up to wrap around her. As they embraced each other, Daniel motioned for his daughters to get up, leading them away from the pair of them to resume their own training. He'd have his own words with his wife later.
A few minutes later, Harry broke away and looked up into her face. "Can we go again?"
"Whenever you're ready."
Daphne sat down beside the boy on their settee, wincing slightly.
Harry turned to her questioningly and she scowled unhappily. "She got me on the arse."
Harry burst out laughing so she slapped him lightly on the shoulder. She shook her head, wincing again as she brought her legs up. Her Dad had healed the welt but it still stung slightly. Supporting herself with one arm, she tried to find a comfortable position for a few moments, and when she leaned up against the boy beside her she sighed in satisfaction and success.
"Are you okay, Harry?" She asked, looking up at him.
He smiled back down at her. "Yeah, I'm okay. Marie was right, she was just teaching me a lesson I needed to know."
Daphne hummed but still promised herself that she would have stern words for her mother. "Maybe. Harry, why don't you use your wandless magic against her? Or fly?"
"I want to beat her properly," Harry told her earnestly. "Just with my wand. Your Mum and Dad are teaching me how to win fights like anyone else."
Daphne frowned. "But why? You could have beaten her if you used both."
Harry nodded. "Exactly, but then I'd just rely on it and never get better. If I can beat your mum without it, I'll know I have. We've agreed on it, until I can beat her I'll just use my wand."
Daphne nodded after a moment, understanding the logic. "I'd like to see it when you use everything against her though."
"Me too," Marie''s voice called as she walked into the room with the rest of their family. She walked over to her seat and got comfortable before she continued. "When he can start using all of his abilities then so can I." She winked at him, causing him to grin.
"I look forward to it," He replied
"Feeling better, Daph?" Astoria asked her sister with a cocky smile, despite how gingerly she was lowering herself into her seat.
Daphne scowled at her. "How are your legs?" She responded challengingly.
Astoria's smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl that matched her sister's. "That was cruel."
"You should have been quicker, then," Daphne responded imperiously. "You only got me once."
Astoria began to smile again at the memory. "Ah, I'll remember that for the rest of my life."
"So will I," Daphne promised, giving her sister an evil look.
Before Astoria could respond, Harry turned to Daphne. "Can I borrow Hedwig?"
Daphne turned to him, cocking her head. "Sure, but why?"
"To send Tracey a reply," Harry shrugged, holding out his hand to summon parchment and quill.
Daphne just sighed and nodded as the boy beside her caught the items as they flew toward him. Just as he was about to start writing at the top of the parchment she spoke again. "Can I help?"
Harry turned to her suspiciously. "Are you going to be nice?"
"You wound me, Harry."
Dear Tracey,
Davis,
I'm sorry for not replying to your letter sooner but there was some difficulty in it reaching me. I am honoured that I was the first person you sent a letter to, so thank you!
Your owl should be able to find me now we're home, we were still on holiday when we got your letter.
No, we're not telling you where home is.
We really enjoyed our holiday, thank you for asking. We went to Saint-Tropez in France for two weeks, and we got to go to the European Duelling Championships. The duels were really fun to watch, have you ever seen them? Did you go on holiday this summer?
Daphne and I both did our assignments straight away too so I agree that it was smart.
It would be rather Poor judgement if we didn't, though my Poor hand was aching when we were finished. Hopefully, we get good marks from our Professors, I'd hate to get a Poor.
The book list still hasn't come, we asked Daphne's Mum and she said it's never usually this late. Do you want to arrange a day to meet up before or agree to all go to the alley the day they arrive?
Don't worry, I wouldn't have ignored you, that would have been rude.
No comment.
Anyway, send a reply and let us know what you'd like.
Hoping you've enjoyed your summer!
Yours,
Harry
Take your time replying,
Me.
Three spells shot toward him rapidly and he darted from side to side to avoid them.
He nodded in acknowledgment to the woman before him before sending his own volley toward her, watching as she expertly dodged the attack. She smirked at him before firing spell after spell at him, forcing him to move quickly to his left. She did not let up the attack and he had to keep moving away to avoid the Stunning Charms she was intent on catching him with.
Not for the first time he had to resist the impulse to bring his wandless magic to bear to defeat her, but he was determined that his first victory would come from his skill with a wand alone.
As he continued to run around the room, he tried to make his way closer to the woman but she was too experienced to fall for it and began to vary the direction of her spells, intending to force him into a corner of the room where he could no longer dodge.
He decided to let her.
"You're making this way too easy, Harry," Marie taunted as she stalked after him.
Slowly Harry backed away, ducking this way and that until he had no more room to avoid her spells. She walked slowly toward him, the movement of her wand becoming more elaborate and cocky.
"Maybe next time, dear," Marie said lightly as she sent another spell toward the now-cornered boy.
After Harry had ducked the spell he suddenly thrust his wand forward, sending his own powerful spell toward the woman, who had closed the distance between them enough that she did not have time to move out of the way and instead had to raise the strongest shield she knew.
BOOM
The boy smiled.
Again, and again, and again, he fired spell after spell at her shield, slowly but surely adding more and more power to each spell he cast. He once again felt lucky that wand movements were entirely unnecessary for him and he could simply fire over and over.
He began to walk forward to close the distance even further, a Bludgeoning Spell being released from his wand almost every second. His eyes took note of the cracks forming in the woman's shield and the strain on her face as she tried to hold it.
"Is that all you've got?" Marie ground out through her clenched teeth.
The end came almost in slow motion.
The woman dropped her shield suddenly and fired one last powerful Stunning Charm toward the boy. Her eyes widened when it sailed harmlessly over his body, and she began to smile to herself even as her vision was overtaken by a bright red spell.
Time sped up again and Harry blinked at the crumpled form of Marie Greengrass. He quickly scrambled back to his feet from where he had dropped to the ground to avoid her last-gasp attack, keeping his wand trained on her as he slowly approached.
It wouldn't be the first time that Marie had pretended to lose, only to stun him as soon as got close. He narrowed his eyes at her, but when he noticed that her wand had fallen from her hand he breathed out, relieved, and sent another spell toward her.
"Ennervate."
Marie opened her eyes suddenly, though her mind took a little longer to wake up. She blinked a few times as she stared up at the ceiling, slowly trying to remember what had happened to her. The worried face of her son appeared in her vision as he crouched down beside her, and when she looked past him she saw her husband and daughters standing on their side of the room, each of them grinning widely.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked quickly, regaining her attention as he raked his eyes up and down her body to check for any inadvertent injury.
As she began to remember the final sequence of their duel Marie began to smile widely up at him. "You did it,"
Harry, satisfied that she was not seriously hurt, looked back at her face with a smile of his own. "I did,"
Marie slowly sat up beside the crouching boy, shaking her head and laughing lowly. "Three days, we've been home for three days and you beat me." She reached out and cupped his cheek lovingly. "I'm so proud of you."
Harry grinned and dropped down from his crouch to sit next to her. They sat in silence together for a moment before he sighed happily. "I missed this while we were away."
Marie nodded and wrapped her arm around his shoulder. "Me too, training with someone more powerful than you is a lot of fun, it's the quickest way to improve,"
Harry tilted his head as he considered it. "Yeah, I've learned a lot, but I've still only beaten you once." Marie reached out and ruffled her hair, shaking his head with a fond laugh.
She had been talking about herself.
Tracey's reply arrived the next morning.
Dear Harry and Me,
Harry turned to 'Me' with a grin. She rolled her eyes at him.
That's okay, after I didn't get a reply for a while I did think you'd chosen to ignore me so I was really happy when your owl delivered your reply. She's beautiful, what's her name?
Glad to see you recognise the high distinction I have awarded you, I am sure you will remember it forever (how mad does Me look right now?)
"You look like you've eaten something sour," Harry said as he inspected Daphne's face
"She's going to call me that forever now, isn't she," Daphne sighed, regretting her choices.
That sounds really fun, we've never been on holiday ourselves so you'll have to tell me all about it when we meet next. I've never seen any duelling but Dad takes me to see Puddlemere games, despite the fact that I'm a Harpies fan. Do you have a Quidditch team? (Let me guess Me, you like the Arrows? They're in the North like you).
"I don't have a team but I refuse to support the Arrows on principle now," Daphne declared, crossing her arms.
"There's no need to be petty, Daph," Harry told her with a grin.
"There's every need, Harry."
If you're leaving it up to me, how about this Saturday? Mum has already said she'll be taking me then to get the stuff for school we already know about. The book lists have taken so long that she says it's a good idea to go and get everything else beforehand and then our books when they arrive, the Alley will be packed when they do come. If you agree she says that she doesn't mind staying longer, we could go to Fortescue's after we get our things? Let me know if you can make it then.
I'm enjoying my summer but it's pretty boring sometimes, Mum and Dad work a lot so I'm on my own most of the time so I have to find things to entertain myself with (yeah, very funny, Me).
Harry turned to Daphne as she read the last sentence, a light frown on her face and no laughter in sight.
Anyway, my hand is cramping again (it's going to be murder when we get back to school) so I'll stop rambling now.
Hope I hear from you again!
Yours (is that what we've decided on?),
Tracey
While Harry was reading through the letter again, Daphne called out for Mother. "MUM?"
From wherever she was in the house Marie shouted back. "WHAT?"
"CAN WE GO TO DIAGON ALLEY ON SATURDAY?" Daphne hollered. Harry began to wince beside her, covering his ears.
"Why?" Marie called back.
"TO MEET TRACEY!" Daphne bellowed.
"I THOUGHT SHE WAS A PEST?" Daniel yelled.
"CAN I COME?" Astoria yawped.
"THIS IS A PRIVATE CONVERSATION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Daphne roared at her sister and father.
"EXCUSE ME FOR HAVING EARS!" Astoria screamed back.
"Sweet Merlin, stop shouting! Honestly, this family has no decorum." Marie bemoaned as she walked into the room.
"WHAT WAS THAT, DEAR?" Daniel questioned loudly.
Marie flicked her wand to close the door behind her, shutting out the other two. She turned back and began to walk to the settee opposite the two children. "I'm guessing she's replied?"
Harry handed the letter to Marie as she sat down before them. Marie read through it quickly, pausing for a moment on the penultimate line before she looked back up at them. "If that's what you want then I'd be happy to escort you..."
"Thanks, Mum," Daphne smiled.
Marie raised her eyebrow at her daughter. "Let me finish. I'll take you but your sister will be coming with us, we may as well get her robes, trunk and other things while we're there." She paused and looked between the two children. "You two will need either new robes or your old ones altered, you've both grown at least an inch since last term."
Harry nodded while Daphne sighed. "Tell her to behave, Mum."
Marie gave her daughter a withering look as she got back to her feet. "Have some faith in your sister, Daphne." She scolded as she brushed her hand lightly through Harry's hair as she passed.
As soon as she opened the door Daniel shouted again. "WELL, ARE WE TAKING THEM?"
"AM I COMING?" Astoria screeched.
"SHUT UP THE PAIR OF YOU!" Marie the hypocrite thundered.
Dear Tracey,
To Davis,
We've spoken to Daphne's Mum and she said she'd be happy to take us to the Alley on Saturday, we'll be flooing into the Leaky around ten o'clock if you want to look out for us.
Looking forward to seeing you!
See you there. My owl is called Hedwig.
Yours,
Harry
Regards,
Daphne
On the Friday morning before they were due to meet Tracey a beautiful barn owl winged into the kitchen whilst they were eating their breakfast, landing on the table before Daniel. The owl held out its leg to the man, who quickly untied its cargo. After he had passed the owl a piece of bacon, the owl decided to hang around and hopped onto the back of his chair, placed its head under its wing and promptly went to sleep.
Daniel blinked at the owl before turning back to the four-letter pile. He saw that the top one was addressed to himself and his wife, one was addressed to Harry, one to Daphne and the final letter was to Astoria.
Passing them around, he quickly opened the letter he shared with his wife and began to read. "Oh, it's from Patrice and Apolline."
Marie, who had been watching him intently, made a sound of pleasure and went back to eating her toast, waiting for her husband to finish reading and pass it along. "Are yours from Fleur and Gabrielle?" She asked her children, looking between them.
Harry and Daphne both nodded while Astoria scowled at hers. She leaned forward slightly and spoke to her sister. "Can I see yours really quickly?"
Daphne gave her a suspicious look but relented and handed over the parchment. Astoria grabbed it, took one look at the contents then threw it back across the table to her sister, giving her own a filthy look.
"What's wrong, baby?" Marie asked her youngest, leaning over to try and read the letter. "Is it not from Gabrielle?"
"It is," Astoria spat as she tried to burn a hole in the letter with her gaze.
"Then what's the problem?"
Astoria turned to her with a flat look. "She wrote it in French." She turned and gestured to Harry and Daphne's letters with her hand. "Why didn't she just get Fleur to write it for her? Theirs are in English!"
"Isn't it lucky I bought you that dictionary for your birthday?" Harry reminded her as he began to re-read his own letter.
Astoria slammed her hands on the table and pushed her chair back roughly before storming from the room, muttering angrily under her breath the entire time. Ignoring her, Daniel passed their letter to his wife before turning to his two oldest. "What does Fleur say?"
Daphne turned to him first, having finished reading her own letter twice. "She just wanted to know how we were and asked if it was okay if we exchanged letters every few weeks."
Harry nodded, joining the conversation. "Pretty much the same for me. Asked how we were, described what they'd been up to since they got home, that sort of thing."
"That's nice of her, it's good that you all made friends," Daniel smiled at his children before turning to his wife.
He had to wait for only a minute before Marie looked up from the letter. She was about to speak when Astoria returned to the room, still muttering under her breath, and stalked back to her seat, dropping her English-To-French Dictionary loudly onto the table. She picked up the letter, starting to read it again whilst flipping through the pages of her dictionary with a scowl.
Marie shook her head and turned back to her husband. "I'm happy for them to, but we should ask the kids."
Daniel nodded. "That's what I thought," He replied before turning to the intrigued Harry and Daphne. "They proposed that they come and visit us over Christmas for a week or so if we were agreeable."
Harry nodded happily while Daphne just shrugged. "Sure," his daughter replied. "I don't mind."
They all turned to Astoria who was flipping through the pages of her dictionary. "What do you think, Astoria?" Marie said from beside her, drawing the girl's attention with a little jump.
"Eh? What do I think about what?"
"About the Delacours coming to stay with us over Christmas." Marie clarified slowly.
Astoria blinked and looked between them all blankly. When she read their faces and saw how open the rest of them were to the idea in their expressions, she just sighed and nodded her head, staring down at the dictionary sadly.
"You and I are about to get really well acquainted, aren't we?" She said knowingly to it.
The dictionary said nothing but, for an inanimate object, it looked remarkably apprehensive.
With an almost silent pop Harry, along with Daphne and Marie, arrived in the alleyway behind the Leaky Cauldron. With another slightly louder pop a few seconds later they were joined by Daniel and Astoria.
"Where is your friend meeting you?" Daniel asked his oldest two children.
Daphne shrugged. "We told her we'd be here at ten, I don't know if she'll wait in the pub or through the barrier."
Marie sighed and took out her wand, quickly tapping the right combination of bricks to dissolve the wall and reveal the Alley beyond. As soon as she did they all heard a happy voice call out to them. "Harry! Greengrass! Over here!"
They quickly looked to find Tracey waiting with her mother beside the first shop on the left, Slug & Jiggers Apothecary. The two of them quickly walked over to the smiling girl who bounded forward, followed sedately by her mother.
"Hey, Tracey," Harry smiled as the girl reached them, receiving a chirpy "Hello" in response from the girl.
"Hi, Tracey," Daphne greeted her, causing Tracey to whip her head to look at her, much too quickly to be comfortable.
"Er...hi, Daphne," Tracey responded uncertainly as she reached up to rub the crick she had caused in her neck.
Daphne smiled slightly at the girl before looking back to her parents and sister, who were slowly approaching. "These are my parents, Daniel and Marie," She indicated to the adult pair, who smiled politely at Tracey as she waved at them. "And this is my little sister Astoria, she's about to start her first year."
"Nice to meet you all," Tracey greeted them all before she started. "Oh, this is my mother, Victoria Davis," She turned to indicate her mother, who stepped forward slowly. "Mother, this is-" She went to introduce Harry and Daphne but Victoria Davis interrupted her daughter.
"Yes, I am aware, Tracey, you have orated enough about them to me this summer." She said firmly to her daughter before she stepped past the three twelve-year-olds. She focused her gaze on Daniel and Marie and spoke primly to them. "If it is not too much trouble, might I request that you watch over my daughter for the next few hours? Something important has come up at work and I must be there personally to rectify it."
Daniel and Marie both blinked, quickly glancing at the crestfallen Tracey before looking back to her mother. "It's that urgent?" Daniel asked her unsurely.
"Quite." Tracey's mother responded shortly before turning back to her daughter, removing her expensive purse and fishing a handful of Galleons out. "Here you are, Tracey. Be on your best behaviour, I will return for you at four o'clock." She handed the Galleons over to her glum daughter and flounced away toward the apparition point without another word.
Tracey watched her go sadly before turning back to Daniel and Marie with an apologetic look. "Sorry about that, you don't need to trouble yourselves, I can-"
"Nonsense, it's no trouble, dear," Daniel responded kindly whilst Marie glared daggers at the spot Victoria Davis had just apparated from with a loud pop. "Have you eaten?"
Tracey nodded quickly. "Yeah, I've eaten."
Marie turned back to look at the girl closely, slowly looking the skinny girl up and down. "If you're sure..."
Tracey smiled tightly. "Very," She turned back to Harry and Daphne who quickly hid their concerned looks. "Shall we? Where do you want to go first?"
Daphne glanced at her parents, who shared a quick glance. They both stepped back slightly, Marie dragging Astoria with them by the back of her jacket. "Why don't we split up? We'll go and take Astoria to get measured for her robes while you three can explore. We'll meet up at Fortescue's around twelve for a treat, how's that?"
Harry and Daphne both nodded while Tracey smiled politely. "Sounds great, Mrs. Greengrass."
"It's just Marie, dear," Marie told her kindly before she began to herd Astoria along, her husband following along behind them. "Twelve o'clock, Fortescue's!" She called back again.
"We know, Mum!" Daphne called back before turning back to Tracey, who looked awkward. The girl looked around for a moment before glancing up at the hanging cauldron sign above their heads. "Potions ingredients first, while we're here?"
"Sure," Harry agreed easily, turning and stepping toward the door. He opened it widely, absently noting the tinkling bell alerting the owner of new customers, and held it open widely for both girls to enter ahead of him.
"Thank you, Harry," Daphne smiled at him as she passed, while Tracey just offered a quick "Cheers."
As they began to peruse the shelves, occasionally pointing out a particularly disgusting jar with questionable contents, Daphne turned to Tracey. "What is it your Mum does, Tracey?" She asked politely.
"'Mum'," Tracey harumphed scathingly under her breath as she measured out some doxy eggs. Louder, she answered properly, either not noticing or ignoring the stares from her fellow Slytherins. "She's the Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes."
"Oh. That's nice, she must work very hard," Harry responded after a moment, sharing a look with Daphne behind the girl's back.
Tracey just hummed and turned around quickly. "Reckon we should ask that guy at the counter what else we need?" She said, changing the subject and pointing over her shoulder with her thumb at the waiting teller. "He'll probably know what we need for second year."
"Yeah, good idea, Tracey," Daphne said. They followed after the girl as she walked toward the counter, answering the teller's welcoming smile with a chipper one of her own.
"Hi!" She started. "Is there a standard kit for second year students? Our book lists and stuff haven't come yet."
The man gave an understanding nod and smiled at the three of them. "Certainly, there's usually a set curriculum of potions that Professor Snape teaches each year, he never varies." He told them as he crouched down, rooting under the counter for a moment. When he popped back up, he had three large packages in his arms, which he set down on the counter. "We make these up ready for you Hogwarts students, though if you need anything extra feel free to browse. And, if you run out during term, we offer an owl order service." He informed them.
Tracey smiled at him over the packages. "We'll keep that in mind, thank you very much. How much do we owe you today?"
"25 Galleons each, my dear," The man replied. Harry and Daphne both quickly fished out the required coinage, passing it over to the man and picking up a package each, while Tracey was carefully counting the random number of Galleons her mother had hastily given to her.
She sighed in relief when she found she had enough, though both Harry and Daphne noticed that the girl had barely any coins left when she dropped her remaining Galleons back into her pocket. "Here you are, sir," Tracey smiled as she handed over her payment, plucking her own package off the counter. "Have a nice day!"
"You too, dear," The man called back as they began to leave, receiving waves from Harry and Daphne.
When they exited the apothecary Daphne turned to the girl with an impressed look. "Wow, you know how to charm people, Tracey."
Tracey smirked. "I know, I've even got you calling me Tracey now,"
Daphne shrugged lightly. "You're not that bad. Where to next?"
Tracey turned to Harry who looked around uncertainly. "Err, how about Scribullus'? I'm running low on parchment, especially now I have letters to write," He suggested lightly.
Tracey laughed and skipped ahead of the other two. "Yeah, me too. Good idea, Harry." She praised over her shoulder before she turned happily and led the way to the stationary shop.
Harry and Daphne quickly turned to each other, both wearing matching expressions of concern.
"Come on, you two!"
The three of them were the first to arrive at the ice cream parlour, though Daniel, Marie and Astoria were shortly reunited with them just as they joined the short queue. Marie quickly took their packages, shrinking them all for them. She handed Tracey's back to her with a smile while she pocketed her own children's.
"Ooh, I've not had Fortescue's for years," Daniel told them as he looked up at the signs above the counter, quickly reading through his options whilst rubbing his stomach. "What's everyone having?" He asked, turning to each of them in turn.
When his family all quickly answered with their orders, he turned to Tracey, who was looking at the Galleons in her hand with a light frown. She quickly calculated how much she needed for the rest of her shopping before she put her change away and shook her head. "I think I'll pass,"
Daniel nodded calmly, though he shared a quick glance with his wife as the family in front of them moved off with their purchases. With the line now clear, Daniel stepped forward to the counter.
"Now there's a face I've not seen in a long time!" Florean Fortescue greeted with a happy smile. "How are you, Daniel?"
Daniel blinked in surprise at the happy reception he was receiving. "Erm, I'm well, thank you Florean. How have you been yourself?"
"Same old, same old," Fortescue replied happily. "Now, what can I get you and your fine family? On the house, of course." Daniel shook his head quickly in denial but Fortescue held up a hand. "No, I insist. I still remember the Auror who spent many an hour patrolling this alley to keep myself and my fellow shopkeepers safe. You had suspiciously long shifts in those days." He eyed Daniel sternly, waiting until the man sighed in submission. "Now, what can I get you?"
Daniel gave their orders quickly before he turned back to Tracey with a kindly smile. "Tracey, what would you like?"
Tracey blushed slightly and smiled back. "Strawberry, please, sir."
"Call me Daniel, dear," The man replied as he turned back to Fortescue and completed the order. The dessert maker ushered them off to find their seats, telling them he would bring their ice creams to them, and the six of them did so, crowding around a table close to the counter. Harry noticed absently that the counter did a good job of hiding them from the rest of the shop, as well as giving Daniel and Marie a full view of the doorway.
Shortly thereafter, Fortescue bustled over, holding a tray containing their ice creams. He handed them out to each of them with a cheerful smile before he focused on Harry. "How have you been, Harry? Did you enjoy your first year?" He asked quietly, not wanting to draw attention to the boy.
Harry smiled back at him. "Yeah, it was great Mr. Fortescue," He responded, ignoring the man's light command to call him 'Florean' as he continued. "But I wish you could replace Binns as our History Professor." He grinned at the man before turning to the rest and explained. "Mr. Fortescue taught me a lot last summer about the wizarding world and its history, I would have been much more lost without him."
Fortescue laughed and waved him off with a shake of his head. "You're a bright boy, Harry, you'd have gotten along fine without me. No, as much as I enjoy my history my first love has been and always shall be providing the best desserts for fine people like yourselves." He smiled and gave all of them a wink before stepping back. "But please, don't let me interrupt you any longer. Enjoy your desserts!"
As they tucked in, Marie turned to her children and Tracey. "How have you all been getting on?"
"We just need to get our robes and maybe some sweets," Daphne answered between mouthfuls. "And our books, obviously."
Marie nodded her head exasperatedly. "Dumbledore must be having trouble finding a Defence teacher,"
"Or he's fired Snape," Daphne suggested with a gleeful look.
"Hopefully, he's awful," Tracey said with a nod. "What?" She asked when Harry and Daphne turned to her. "He is, he never teaches us anything. And boy does he hate you, Harry."
"Oh well," Harry replied uncaringly as he cleaned his spoon of ice cream. "It's no great loss."
"Why don't one of you teach Defence?" Astoria chirped in, getting the conversation back on track as she looked between her parents, who both looked alarmed.
"Oh, absolutely not, I don't have the patience to teach," Marie denied immediately.
"Imagine an entire classroom of little horrors like you lot, I'd go mad within a week," Daniel added with an exaggerated shudder.
"We're not that bad," Harry, Daphne and Astoria all replied at the same time while Tracey began to giggle.
Marie raised her eyebrows and stared at her children. "Harry would stand up and cast whatever I'm trying to teach better than I could, Daphne would egg him on and give him goo-goo eyes while he does it while you," She focused on Astoria, who blinked and smiled at her innocently. Rather than provide a reason verbally, Marie just closed her eyes and shook her head, mouthing 'no' over and over again to herself.
Daniel nodded approvingly at his wife's assessment as he turned back to them. "And we're finally getting time to ourselves for the first time in almost thirteen years, we intend on making the most of it." He told them with finality.
He was just shovelling another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth when Astoria answered his previous statement. "You're not going to try and have another baby, are you?" She demanded, looking between her parents.
Daniel choked on his ice cream whilst Marie went beet-red, her mouth falling open in disbelief. Tracey was still giggling when Marie finally pulled herself together and glared at her youngest. "No, we are not."
Astoria pulled back in surprise. "Why not?" She asked her mother before turning to her father suspiciously, her eyes narrowed. "Have you forgotten how to do it?"
Tracey's giggles evolved into full-blown laughter at this point. She frantically tried to hide it by holding her hands tightly over her mouth, though her watery eyes and snorts were obvious to the rest of the table.
They all smiled both at each other and the laughing girl, waiting patiently for her to compose herself. When she had, she turned to Daphne and grinned at her. "Your family is great!"
Daphne nodded happily back at her, a soft smile on her face as she looked at her family.
"I know."
When four o'clock came, the six of them waited in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, all of their purchases shrunk and put away in pockets.
"You don't have to wait around, I can wait for Mum on my own," Tracey said to Daniel and Marie, smiling at them both. "I don't mind, you don't need to waste any more time on me."
Marie waved her off with a smile. "We wouldn't leave you alone, Tracey dear, don't be silly. Your company is not wasted time at all."
Tracey's smile turned into a grin as she nodded softly, a small blush of happiness on her face as she turned back to Harry and Daphne. "Thanks for agreeing to meet up with me, today's been really fun."
They both nodded as Harry answered her. "It's no problem, we were looking forward to it, right Daph?"
Harry and Tracey both turned to her, one with a meaningful look and the other faintly disbelieving. "Yeah, we were. We don't get out much." Daphne responded with a self-deprecating shrug.
Tracey had a surprised smile for a moment before she began to chuckle. "Yeah, but when you do get out you go to France for two weeks, I can't believe how tanned you both are," She looked between them both for a moment, enviously eyeing their bronzed skin. "It sounded amazing, especially the duelling. I'll have to go one day. But I do recommend you catch a Quidditch game sometime, the league is much better than school games."
Harry nodded fervently while Daphne smiled softly at the girl, having a feeling that what she would say next would distract the girl from her mother's noticeable lateness. "Maybe we will, though we don't know the teams very well. Who would you recom-"
"THE HARPIES!" Tracey exploded before she looked around fearfully for a moment, but when the rest of them just smiled at her she continued at a more normal volume, blushing slightly in embarrassment. "Err, yeah, the Holyhead Harpies. I can only listen to the wireless, but I know they're great, and they're an all-girl team and the Captain is Gwenog Jones, she's the older cousin of the one in our year, and she's the best Beater in the league and-"
As the girl continued to ramble on to Harry and Daphne, who both tried to listen to every word, Daniel and Marie stood a little apart with Astoria. The young girl watched her older sibling's schoolmate make her excited case for her Quidditch team for a moment before she looked up to her parents with a serious expression.
"Tracey's Mum isn't going to show up for ages, is she?"
Her own Mum frowned, pursing her lips, while her Dad sighed and looked at his watch again with a shake of his head. "She's already fifteen minutes late."
"Hmm," Was all Astoria said as she turned back to watch the girl.
After another ten minutes, Daniel stepped forward toward the group. "Come on kiddos, let's go wait inside. We can get some butterbeers."
Tracey blinked, halting her description of the, in her words, unbeatable Chaser trio Booth-Dunn-McCormack, and turned to look around the alleyway dumbly for a moment, only just realising that her Mum was late. "Oh. Err, don't worry about it, you guys can-"
Harry and Daphne both started to walk away toward the back door of the pub, where Marie and Astoria were already waiting. "Come on, Trace," Daphne called back to the girl, who looked up at Daniel's smiling face uncertainly. The man just gently ushered her along with his hands, so she gave up and happily followed after the other two.
When Victoria Davis walked sedately into the pub an hour later, glancing at the dingy furniture of the pub disdainfully, and the six of them rose to receive her, Daniel and Marie both shared a look after noticing how quickly the smile dropped off Tracey's face.
"Hello, Mother." Tracey greeted with a forced cheer.
"I hope you have behaved yourself?" Her mother asked immediately, glancing between Daniel and Marie for a second before looking back to her daughter before either could answer. "Say your farewells and then meet me outside promptly." She instructed her daughter over her shoulder as she began to walk out of the pub, leaving Tracey to turn back to the Greengrass family with a grimace.
"Err, sorry about her. Thank you so much for waiting with me, you really didn't have to," Tracey said to Daniel and Marie, who both just shook their heads slightly and smiled reassuringly at her. She turned to Astoria and grinned at her. "It's nice to meet you, if you need anything at school you can come and find me if you like," Astoria smiled back prettily and nodded.
Finally, she turned to Harry and Daphne. "Thanks for coming, it's been a lot of fun. I'll see you guys later?" She asked, starting to back away.
"Sure, we'll see you on the train if not before. Bye, Tracey," Harry said with a wave to the girl.
"Yeah, if you want to meet up again just owl us," Daphne instructed the other girl with a smile. "Bye, Trace."
Tracey grinned at them both, standing in place for a moment before she remembered herself and quickly hurried through the pub, calling out another loud "BYE" to them all.
"BYE!" They all loudly called back, earning a laugh from the girl as she ducked out of the back door to her waiting mother.
As soon as she was gone Daphne and Astoria both rushed toward their own mother, hugging her tightly.
"Love you, Mum," They both said into her robes, causing her to chuckle as her eyes watered. With one hand she beckoned for Harry to join the hug, and when she did she held her children tightly to her.
"I love you all too."
The book lists finally arrived on Wednesday morning, though as Daniel had promised the night before that they would duel in pairs that morning, Harry and Astoria against him and Daphne, Marie told them she would go to the Alley herself to purchase the books.
She stormed into the training room a whole five hours later, thunderclouds over her head as she ranted. "Bloody Gilderoy Lockhart! Arrogant prat taking up the entire bloody bookstore on the busiest day of the year, I should have cursed that smarmy son of a-"
"Bad day, dear?" Daniel said to his wife as he observed Daphne and Astoria firing curses at Harry, who was forced to dodge them without his wand.
Marie came to a stop beside her husband, glaring murderously at him. "Bad? Oh no, not if you count being jostled to and fro by hormonal housewives simpering over that golden-haired ponce. Not if you count having to lay eyes on the scum of society that is Lucius Malfoy, and not if you count having that pompous, arrogant, peacock-fiddling halfwit actually speak to you!"
Daniel blinked at her before he frowned. "Are you talking about Malfoy or Lockhart?"
Marie breathed out heavily. "In this case, Lockhart."
"Why do you hate Lockhart so much, Mum?" Daphne asked as the children wandered over.
"Yeah, I get that his books are utter crap but it's like he's personally offended you," Astoria added, crossing her arms and staring up at her mother inquisitively.
"The fiction writer?" Harry wondered aloud, looking around them all.
Marie looked like she could kiss him. "Do me a favour, dear, and when you meet him say that and then take a picture of his face for me." She turned away from him to look around at the rest of them. "He asked me on a date!" She told them, gesticulating wildly with her hands to show her outrage.
"He what?" Daphne asked.
"He what?" Astoria grinned.
"HE WHAT?!" Daniel roared.
Marie nodded firmly. "I know! Right there in Flourish & Blott's in front of everybody! There I was, arms laden with books and ignoring him and his stupid legion of fans completely and he suddenly started speaking loudly to me. 'You there, the gorgeous witch at the counter' he said. I looked around and when I saw he was speaking to me, and everyone was looking at me, I was seriously debating spending the rest of my life in Azkaban for murdering him. 'Yes, you, my aren't you a dish, my dear!' He said when he saw me looking. He moved away from his little podium thing and walked right to me. 'How would you like to go on a date with me tonight, I know a lovely little place in Portsmouth, it's very cosy if you get my meaning' and then he winked at me!"
She stopped, looking around them all and breathing heavily. "And then I..." She trailed off, grimacing slightly.
"And then you what?" Astoria asked eagerly, staring up at her Mum rapturously.
"Idroppedthebooksandpunchedhim," Marie admitted quickly.
Daniel pretended to clean out his ear, a small smile playing on his face. "Sorry, say that again, dear?"
Marie breathed in and out once. "I dropped the books and punched him," She repeated, looking away from her children.
The rest of them paused for a moment before they all began to speak at once.
"Marry me. Again. I've never loved you more than this very moment."
"Wow, go Mum!"
"Did he bleed?"
"Can I do that to Snape?"
Marie took a few seconds to process the influx before she began to answer them all in turn. "If only we could," She started with Daniel, "Thank you for your support dear," She moved on to Daphne, "I'm not sure, I didn't stick around long enough to check, I just threw my coin purse at the counter, picked up the books and left," She told Astoria, "No, that's my job," She finished with Harry.
She took another deep breath before she smiled at her children humourlessly. "Do you want to know the best part?" She asked lightly.
They nodded eagerly.
"He's going to be your Defence teacher this year. Have fun." She told them with a shake of her head at Dumbledore's idiocy. The three children all glanced at each other with alarmed looks before Daphne groaned loudly.
"We're going to get so many detentions if he ever finds out the woman who punched him is our Mum."
She groaned even louder the next morning when the Daily Prophet front-page headline was:
SUSPECTED DEATH EATER MARIE GREENGRASS ASSAULTS NATIONAL TREASURE GILDEROY LOCKHART!
Marie idly read the article below, the rest giving her wary looks, but when she was finished she simply set the paper aside and nonchalantly cut into a sausage.
When she did speak, it was in a calm, clear voice. "If I ever meet Rita Skeeter I will eviscerate her. Slowly."
drip drip drip
He wondered how long he had been forced to listen to that incessant noise. Time had long ceased to hold any meaning in this prison of his own making.
The last time he had known the date it had been July 23rd, 1949.
That had been the final time the other had conferred with him, the last time they had carefully curated the plan, the dream they had had since they were young. The other had found another treasure, and had once again pushed the bounds of magic, had proven that they were the greatest wizard to ever live, and made another.
drip drip drip
The other had not conversed with him again after that day.
And really, he could not blame the other, for the next time the other had laid hands on him, he had felt that they were now lesser than he.
The other had known that he felt it.
drip drip drip
The other was smart not to attempt discourse with him again, for they had felt his attempts to overpower his lesser counterpart, slowly at first but more persistently as time wore on. He wondered how long they had remained travelling together before the other, the weaker, disposed of him.
He knew when he had been squirrelled away and the other had left him. He had been unable to feel his weaker presence again after that day for a very long time. He was disappointed, of course, but he understood, despite the negative outcome for himself.
Self-preservation at all costs.
drip drip drip
He did not know how long he had been alone after that, perhaps decades, but he had felt the other again, briefly, before he had been entrusted to another. Pitifully weak, but clearly intelligent, for his new guardian had wisely placed him behind strong enchantments and protections to negate the inevitable attempt from him to take control.
He was not sure how much more time had passed, but at this juncture, he had stopped caring. What did it matter in the end? He was timeless, eternal, a lasting deity that would be here when the sun died and the earth burned.
He had time to wait for his opportunity. He wondered if it would be sooner, or later.
drip drip drip
All of a sudden, or perhaps over an age, he felt a change. The protections that had dampened him were no longer in place, and he was in the world once again. The one that held him (prideful fearful ambitious) did so only for a moment. Or perhaps for many moments. He did not know anymore.
He tried to ensnare this new guardian, but they did not interact with him. He was not able to sink his claws into the guardian.
He wondered if the last one had died. He hoped so.
drip drip drip
The guardian did not touch him again. He felt nothing for either a long time or a short time.
He wondered if he had gone mad in here. He doubted it mattered.
He thought about that for perhaps a few minutes or a few months, but then suddenly, everything changed.
August 19th, 1992
What do you write in one of these things? I've never had a diary before, what are you supposed to say when you are the only person who will ever read it? Why do people even have diaries? What's the point?
At least, I hope nobody reads it. Fred and George, if you are reading this I will find out and I will hurt you both.
Finally, blessedly, some fool was interacting with him.
Fifty years.
He goggled at the date as it hung in the air before him, fifty years he had been trapped here.
He could not afford to wait any longer, he had to grasp this opportunity with both hands.
Timeless, eternal, a lasting deity - empty platitudes to convince himself he had not made a mistake, they could not hide the truth of it.
He wanted freedom.
Frantically, embarrassingly, he fumbled for his inert companion, the yew wand that had mocked him for so long, and tore it from his robe pocket. As he wrote his response in the air before him, he felt the mocking tickle of what had once been, and now was lost.
He would get it back.
The purpose of a diary is manyfold, although I do believe the most important is having a private place to work through your innermost thoughts, hopes and dreams. The very act of writing them down allows you to organise them with greater clarity, or at least, that is how it was for me. For you, it may be different.
The words hung in the air before him, and he cursed his inability to gauge how long. After all, he had not noticed that it had been fifty years since he had been trapped here, his comprehension of time was somewhat lacking.
He despised admitting that anything about himself was lacking.
He stared at his own response, begging inwardly for the fool to respond.
Hello?
He smiled in relief. Utter relief. The fool had replied.
He looked around the empty chamber of his forefather where had had been entombed for a time now known. Was he destined to remain here until the end? Until the universe itself folded inwards and ceased to exist?
He had a chance to escape this hell he had put himself in.
Hello, how very nice to meet you. May I ask what your name is? My name is Tom.
Answer answer answer answer please answer
Oh! Hello, my name is Ginny. It's nice to meet you too, Tom.
The train whistled loudly in their ears as they hugged each other deeply.
The four oldest all silently agreed that they would never discuss the hot tears running down the face of the youngest.
Astoria was shaking as she stepped away from her father's embrace and was immediately pulled into her mother's.
"Don't cry, baby, you'll be fine. You'll do amazingly at school, and you'll make friends and have lots of fun." Marie told her youngest child as she held her tightly to her breast. She was determined not to cry herself.
"And you won't have a Harry in your year so you'll be the best, no problem," Daniel said as he hugged his oldest daughter goodbye.
Astoria's responding chuckle turned into a sob and she began to cry fully into her mother's robes. "I'll miss you," Astoria's muffled voice sounded.
Marie rubbed her back soothingly. "I know baby, we'll miss you too, but it's not long until Christmas."
Daphne stepped out of her father's hug, being replaced by Harry, and walked over to place her hand supportively on her sister's shoulder. "She's right, Tori, the time goes really quickly, and Harry and I will be there with you." Astoria nodded her head against her mother before with a heaving sigh she stepped back, reaching up to rub her eyes with the sleeve of her robes.
Harry stepped away from Daniel and into the waiting arms of Marie, hugging the woman tightly. After so long spent in their company, he found he really did not want to leave them, even for Hogwarts.
"Be good, Harry, and look after yourself," Marie told him as she ran her fingers through his hair comfortingly. "Write to us as much as you can, okay?"
"Okay," Harry replied, squeezing her tightly for a moment before stepping back to stand beside Daphne and Astoria.
Daniel put his arm around his wife as she tried to fight her own tears, his gaze roaming over his children's faces. "Remember, keep an eye out and look after each other."
The children all nodded as Marie continued. "If you see anything suspicious, go straight to Dumbledore, and if he isn't available go to McGonagall or Flitwick. The Headmaster has been warned and he will keep an eye out, but he can't be everywhere."
They all nodded again seriously, receiving smiles from their parents who quickly stepped forward and pulled them in for a family hug.
The train whistle blew again, and they were forced to break apart. The two sides stared at each other for a long moment before Daniel stepped backward, pulling his wife with him. "Go on, get yourselves on the train, we'll still be here to say goodbye."
Daphne and Astoria both turned and hopped on the train before they turned back. "I love you," They each called, receiving the same in return from their parents, while Harry, after a quick glance around, shrank down all of their trunks and placed them in his pocket.
He stepped onto the train himself and paused in the doorway, raising his eyes to meet Daniel's blue and Marie's green. "Goodbye, I love you," He told them truthfully.
"We love you too, son," Daniel replied, swallowing heavily, while Marie began to cry silently, her eyes expressing what her mouth currently could not.
Harry smiled once more before he turned from them and entered the train, walking down it quickly until he reached the final compartment, their compartment, where Daphne and Astoria were waiting. The two sisters were sitting side by side as Daphne held Astoria's hand, rubbing circles into the back of it comfortingly.
Harry took out their trunks, unshrinking them and quickly making them weightless before he placed them on the racks above the seats.
"Can you do that for mine, Harry?" A voice called from behind him. He turned and saw Tracey standing in the doorway, smiling at them all. "Sure, here let me get that for you." He said by way of greeting, reaching out to take the handle of her trunk. As he was performing the same procedure for Tracey's trunk, the girl stepped into the compartment and shut the door behind her.
"Hi, again," She smiled uncertainly at the two sisters.
"Hi, Trace," Daphne smiled.
"Hello," Astoria said simply, lifting her free hand in greeting.
Harry took his seat opposite Daphne, leaving Tracey to sit beside him. She glanced nervously at Daphne, wondering what she thought of the seating arrangements, but the blonde girl just smiled at her, snorting lightly.
Astoria sat up from where she was leaning on her sister to look intently at Tracey. "Do you have any new books?"
Tracey frowned slightly. "Err, other than our new schoolbooks, no, nothing new, why?"
Astoria cocked her head. "So no old, worn, brown-leather books that you've mysteriously acquired?"
Tracey looked from her, to Daphne, to Harry, and then finally back to her. "No, definitely not, why do you ask?"
"No reason."
"Harry, there isn't anything there," Tracey frowned in confusion, wondering why he was hallucinating.
Harry huffed and turned to Daphne. "You can see them too, right?"
Daphne slowly shook her head. "No, I can't see them, but I know you wouldn't lie."
Whilst Astoria had gone with Hagrid and the other first years to take the boats, they would be riding the, supposedly, driverless carriages for the first time. Only, as Harry could see, they were actually being pulled by skeletal, horse-like creatures.
Harry smiled before he walked to the front of the carriage, beckoning for the two girls to follow him. "Here, give me your hands," Daphne took his outstretched right hand immediately while Tracey took his other much more slowly, after a quick glance from Daphne and a short nod and smile from the other girl. When she finally grasped his hand he guided them toward the haunches of the large beast until their palms were touching them.
"Ohhh," Daphne said in realisation. "They're Thestrals!"
"That is so weird," Tracey shuddered, staring at the empty space that she know knew held a horse-like creature.
"Yeah, it is, but come on, let's get into the carriage, we don't want to be late," Harry said with a laugh, letting go of their hands to walk to the carriage door. He opened it and held it open for the two girls, who smiled widely at him as they clambered in.
Once he had joined them, they were silent for a moment before Tracey had her own realisation. "Ohhh!" She exclaimed with surprise, staring at Harry before the realisation melted from her face and was replaced by sadness. "Oh."
Harry frowned at her. "What's wrong?"
Not knowing how to broach the subject, the girl turned to Daphne beside him. "He can see Thestrals."
Daphne nodded and turned to explain it to Harry. "Thestrals are strange creatures, Harry. They're known as an omen of death, and there are a lot of superstitions about them because you can only see them if you have seen, and comprehended, death."
"Ah." That was all Harry said in response, thinking back to the events surrounding the Philosopher's Stone last year. He had technically witnessed the death of Quirrell, even if the man had been possessed by Voldemort at the time.
Tracey grimaced sympathetically. "Your parents?" She asked gently.
Harry shook his head, and Tracey gasped again.
"Oh," She repeated, her eyes widening. "Oh. Okay, that's..." She trailed off to shake her head forcefully before she smiled at the pair of them. "I guess I know now which rumours were true last year."
Daphne looked uncomfortable while Harry just smiled bitterly. "Yeah, it's not pleasant to think about."
Tracey nodded understandingly. "I understand, I won't pry." She promised before she looked out of the carriage window. None of them said anything for a moment until Tracey turned away from watching the scenery and back to them. "So, Lockhart, huh?"
Daphne and Harry both groaned.
The three of them sat side-by-side at the Slytherin table, chatting quietly as they waited for Professor McGonagall to enter with the first years.
When she did, they all immediately looked through the group of new students until they found Astoria walking in beside a girl with long, dirty-blonde hair and protuberant eyes. The girl was looking around the room, smiling absently, while Astoria had a notably carefree expression as she walked along the hall with her fellow first-years.
Professor McGonagall removed a piece of rolled parchment from her robes, unfurled it, and began to read out names.
Harry and Daphne were both nervous as they watched the sorting, impatient for Astoria's name to be called.
"Where do you think she'll go?" Tracey whispered to the two of them.
Harry shrugged as they watched "Francis, Yasmine" be sorted into Hufflepuff. "No idea, she could go anywhere."
Tracey nodded and looked past him to Daphne, who tore her gaze away from her younger sister for only a moment to answer. "Wherever she wants," She spoke quickly before turning back to her sister.
Tracey raised her eyebrows at Harry, but he was unable to answer when "Greengrass, Astoria," was called, and his attention whipped around to watch the younger girl walk calmly to the stool and take a seat.
When the Sorting Hat was placed on her head, covering her eyes from view, Daphne spoke lowly. "Did the hat just shudder?"
Harry thought she was seeing things, the hat was simply moving as it spoke silently in Astoria's mind. The hall was silent for almost two minutes as Astoria sat on the stool, and when he looked down at the table for a moment Harry noticed that Daphne had her fingers crossed on top of the table.
Finally, the brim of the hat opened widely and they both leaned forward in anticipation.
"RAVENCLAW!"
Oh, some of you are going to be mad.
Ravenclaw was always the plan for little Tori, right from the first time we properly met her. I left clues throughout the story, but I think the only time Ravenclaw was ever mentioned in one of your guesses was the lovely Limelaser, who said it was the least likely.
Every time I read one of your reviews that guessed another house I was like yeah I could do that, those are some good reasonings, but it was always going to be Ravenclaw.
Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this chapter, there's a lot more freedom when they're back home so I won't be doing another holiday portion for a very long time. I loved writing the Diagon Alley scene but especially the new POV scene, it gave me a chance to try a slightly different style of writing.
How many of you guessed who it would be?
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and once again thank you for the response to the last one. It seems like only yesterday I was marvelling at reaching 1,000 followers and now a chapter or two later we're on 1,225 at the time of posting.
Madness.
Please, let me know what you think of this chapter, I hope you all like it.
Enjoy!