Setting down his fork, Harry rose from his place at the Gryffindor table. His bushy-haired friend looked up to him.
"Off to the head table?" She asked, with a small smile.
The black-haired boy nodded. "Yeah. I will swing by Daphne, collecting Dawn beforehand though."
Hermione returned his nod. "All right, see you in class."
Harry nodded and started walking around the tables towards the Slytherin one. It was full but quiet, no one seemed to really notice his advance. The boy realised that even though he was in his fourth year at Hogwarts, he for the first time went to a different table than the Gryffindor one. And to think that it was the Slytherins, it made him smirk a little. Finally, he drew a few pairs of eyes, but Daphne sat near the head table and therefore most just glared at him, not wanting to cause a scene right under the teacher's eyes. Also, since Professor Sinestra has become the new head of the house of the snakes, they all still tried to gauge her really and trod carefully.
Still, it surprises Harry when the pale blond Malfoy heir looked up at him, he didn't sneer or puff his chest or anything. The boy just noticed him pacing returning to stare into his food. His eyes looked tired and he seemed stressed. Whatever it was that was going on, Harry didn't really care about it. Malfoy left him alone that was good enough in his book.
Daphne sat as straight and poise as she always did, eating delicately and careful. From time to time, she lifted her wand and hovered a mealworm from a plate next to her own up to her shoulder, where a beak snapped it out of the air. A soft smile tugged on Harry's lips. The two of them seemed so at ease with each other, just like Dawn was with Sirius and Narcissa and sometimes Hermione. This was obviously the bond at work. He sometimes wondered what they felt in it. Did they feel it tugging on them? Could they feel Dawn's emotions? Could Dawn feel theirs? He hoped it was that way, as he thought being bonded to that small ball of feathers was the best thing in his life.
Stepping closer, he cleared his throat, which made Daphne turn her head and stand up.
"Lord Peverell, good morning." She said with a perfect curtsy.
The boy nodded. "Good morning to you too, Heiress Greengrass. Miss Davis." He also nodded to the brown-haired girl next Daphne, who in turn waved her hand not even turning her head towards him.
"Monin 'arry" She mumbled around whatever she was currently eating while her head was propped up by her free hand. Daphne waved in her direction. "Don't mind her rudeness, Lord Peverell. Tracy is not a morning person."
Chuckling, Harry nodded. "I get it, no offence taken. I know someone who is the same way." And he meant it. You couldn't even talk well with Ron until he had his breakfast and was awake for an hour. Currently, he was sitting at the Gryffindor-table in a very similar pose to that of Tracey.
"I hope the last evening was to your satisfaction Heiress Greengrass." Harry changed the topic, looking back into dark green eyes. Like so often Daphnes face betrayed none of her emotions as she nodded curtly.
"Yes, I enjoyed last night very much, thank you. You have been a complete gentleman Lord Peverell."
Harry let out a held breath and swept away none existent sweat from his brows. "Pew, that is good to hear. Now I can write Narcissa, so she doesn't have to worry about me grievously insulting house Greengrass." There was a smirk on his face which took the throne our of his words.
Still, her face an emotionless mask, Daphne raised one eyebrow, not knowing how much she looked like a younger smaller version of Narcissa when she did so. "Very well. I will tell my father the same, so he can pull back the assassins he had hired just in case."
Harry blinked at her, eyeing her closely. "You are joking, right?"
The faintest of smiles appeared on her lips as she tilted her head. "I wouldn't dare Lord Peverell."
Harry chuckled shaking his head. "Touchè Heiress Greengrass. I will keep it in mind and treat very careful. I wouldn't want to wake up one night with a rose on my chest and a dark knife armed person on the foot of my bed."
Still only smiling very slightly, Daphne spoke softly while tapping her house sigil. "Oh Lord Peverell, we don't send roses. A horsehead would be more like it."
Harry laughed shaking his head. "Did you just reference the movie godfather on me?"
Daphne shook her head, her smile a little wider. "I will deny ever even hearing about it."
They shared that delighted moment, then Daphne turned back to her mask. "But I keep you here as you have something to attend to. I take it you came over to collect this pretty lady." Her hand rose to her shoulder, the delicate index finger stretched out and Dawn hopped on it chirping at him animatedly while fluttering her wings.
Smiling Harry nodded. "Yeah even though she seems to like you more." As if she wanted to answer his words, Dawn fluttered from the finger, landing on Daphne's chest snuggling against her with a gleeful coo. Daphnes smile returned as she petted the phoenix back.
"So it seems." He words were more spoken towards the blackbird than the black-haired boy.
He smiled, looking down at his companion, before shaking his head. "You are such a diva Dawn. Sure you want to stay here? I will leave the room and I think we both know what happens when I do that."
Dawn turned her head to him, starring for a moment, then turning her head again rubbing once more before she fluttered over to his shoulder, looking at him a little grumpy. Raising his hand, Harry rubbed her belly in an attempt to placet her.
"Yeah yeah, I know, but you know as well as I do that we both would not be able to bear it and you would start a mini feathered riot out here." With somewhat of a pouting face, Dawn chirped back at him, making him laugh. He then turned back to Daphne who waited with a patient look on her fac.e Harry bowed slightly to her. "Thank you for watching and feeding her. I would have had a very grumpy familiar if she wouldn't have gotten her fill this morning I just know it."
Daphne smiled at Dawn as she nodded. "No Lord Peverell, it was my pleasure."
Once more Harry bowed before the girl, taking her hand and placing his lips on her knuckles. "Very well. Good day to you Heiress Greengrass. Miss Davis."
He turned and walked down the table away from the two girls, seemingly talking to his familiar. Dark green eyes followed the back of his head as he moved to the head table.
"Are you alright Daphy?" Tracey's voice brought her back to her senses as she sat down again.
"Yes of course. And don't call me Daphy."
Tracey smiled at her with a toothy grin. "Of course Daphy."
Climbing the stairs to the head table, Harry was still speaking with Dawn. "Yes, of course, I love you, little one so stops pouting. You know I would have been unfocused if I didn't have you there with me you know that." Chirping back at him. Dawn fluttered her wings as someone stepped up to them.
"Good morning Harry." The gruff raspy voice was indicator enough as Harry looked in tired eyes.
"Morning Ulrich. How was the dance for you?" He asked.
A rare smile crept to Ulrich's face as he looked over at the Gryffindor table, where his girlfriend was at the moment talking to Katie Bell. "It was fun. Svenja loves to dance and I love having her happy." A wistful expression came to his face and for a moment he looked a lot younger, not as hollow and tired. He looked almost like the young adult he was. Then his gaze returned o Harry and the tiredness returned into his eyes.
"And you? I seemed like you had a good time."
A smile came to Harry's lips. "yeah, it was fun. If you would have asked me yesterday I wouldn't have believed you if you said I would have fun on a ball but it was quite nice."
their conversation was cut short as the last two champions arrived at the table and Professor Flitwick waved them to the side door. They moved in the same room they had been led to at the beginning of the tournament, with Headmistress Greif, Captain Grungnison and Sensei Tokugawa. Takeda Nobunaga seemed to trail after those but rather slow and Harry wasn't sure it the man followed them or were just wandering into the same general direction. But then he was through the door and had other things to focus on. The hearth wasn't burning at the moment and the portraits were all sleeping. Ludo Bagman was already waiting for them together with a man Harry had never seen before. The man was a head shorter than Bagman, with white hair and he was quite older. In fact, uncertain about Captain Grungnison's age, he was probably the oldest man in the room. Bagman grinned, waving his hand in a more dramatic gesture than it was needed.
"Ah wonderful, wonderful. All the champions just on time, perfect. Come in Come in and sit." Four chairs were placed in the middle of the room and all the champions took a seat, with Dawn fluttering of Harry's shoulder as there were a few flies in the room to hunt. Bagman looked a little irritated at the fluttering bird but then turned back to them getting his bearing.
"Yes, all right. The last few weeks have been quite a spectacle. we would almost forget that there is still a tournament to be held. First of all, this is Rudolf McGrady, from the department of international relations. Since Dolores can't enter the school grounds, Rudolf will take her place on the judge's panel as Professor McGonagall will take Dumbledores. With him on the run it will probably be quite hard for him do come and sit as a judge so we thought-"
Mr McGrady coughed a little, shooting the rambling Bagman a pointed look. Bagman stopped in his speech, blinking then he nodded with a still bright smile. "Of course, you don't need to know all that, thank you Rudolf. Now, for the second task. It will creep up on you fast, you know? It will be on the 10th of February and as you already know it will challenge your wits. The first one was about your prowess to overcome a problem with your power and skill, now it is your head that is needed. I take it you all got the hint out of your egg?"
Three heads nodded and one shook his head. Harry frowned. "I uhm well lost it, right after the first task..." He spoke unsure, looking at the man. Bagman's smile froze a little, before nodding slowly.
"Ah yes, that whole affair. Well, hmmm. Rudolf what do you say, we give him one don't you think?"
Warrington growled at that. "How is that fair? We all fought to get ours and you want to hand it simply to him? It is his own fault when he lost it."
Harry glared at the Slytherin. "Hey, I didn't ask to be kidnapped by Voldemort you know?"
It was weird to only see a few people flinch at the name. None of the foreign people blinked an eye but then again the Blood War had been a rather British thing so for them the name was nothing special.
Cassius turned his nose up. "Great excuse. Everybody knows that is just a made-up story."
Harry gritted his teeth. "It is not! I saw him. Want me to take Viritaserum to prove it?"
Cassius snorted. "Think I don't know how family magic works? You could tell me the sky was green with that backing you no matter how much Viritaserum people would give you so-"
"Enough!" Flitwick spoke loud enough to make both of them pause. "I say we let the judges decide on that."
Grungnison pushed himself off the wall he had leaned against. Like so often he was smoking a pipe as he stared at them with his one eye. "The grobi-blood is right. Even a blind dragon finds gold sometimes." His gaze turned rather nasty as he looked over at the short charms professor who turned quite red in the face but kept his mouth shut. Grungnison turned to Madam Greif.
"What do you say, girl?" He asked with a gruff voice.
The tall red-haired woman frowned before nodding. "He can have an egg in my opinion." She said briskly looking annoyed by the Dwarven Captain, who turned to Bagman and McGrady. "You too?"
Both nodded in agreement. Without even being asked, Nobunaga smiled, nodding at Harry in a slow motion.
"The heir of the three will get an egg before the second task." He said his voice brittle and his accent thick, before turning back watching Dawn fly around.
Bagman looked at the man for a moment before turning back. "Riiight. As Professor McGonagall is not here she can't vote, but on the other hand, it wouldn't matter really. So here Mister Po...I mean Lord Peverell." He reached into his pocket and after rummaging around he pulled the shrunk golden egg of it handing it to the black-haired boy. Walking back to the middle of the room, Bagman smiled.
"All right. The eggs, like said before will give you a hint on what is to come. Like before none of your teachers is allowed to help you, but I am sure you will figure it out. Well, I think that is it. Thank you for your time and good luck you all."
Whistling Bagman started leaving the room, the other people there watching him a little confused due to the abrupt end of the entire thing. Harry lifted the egg looking at it. Only now did he notice the small grooves around it like something was supposed to be wrapped around it. On top was a knob. Harry tried turning it and pushing but it didn't move. The other people around him got to their feet moving out the room, but Harry was still focused on the egg.
"Excuse me?" A frail voice asked. As Harry looked up he looked into the eld watery eyes of Takeda Nobunaga. Only now he noticed that they were alone in the room, well except Dawn and Sensei Tokugawa, who was waiting politely at the door for the old headmaster.
"Yes, sir?" Harry asked, rising as the old man smiled. His white raven had settled down next to Dawn on the back of a chair and the two birds were watching each other with interest. Takeda watched them in turn.
"You have a beautiful companion their young man." The frail voice was laced with a smile. Harry also could only smile.
"Yeah, she is something else. Is that your raven?"
The older man chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh Shiro is owned by himself. I just have the privilege of being his friend."
That only broadened Harry smile as he nodded in agreement. "Dawn is the same way. She likes to think of herself as independent herself."
His emotions must have filled the bond as the black phoenix took flight and landed in his arms to be hugged against his chest. Nobunaga chuckled a little when Shiro landed on his own shoulder and started pulling on his thin hair.
"Ah yes. The youth. Life is still ahead of you."
Harry frowned a little. "I'm not sure. I don't like to think about the future. It seems kind of dark to me."
Takeda laughed a little, shaking his head. "Let me tell you something young friend. When you are as old as me, you will know that the future always seems darker than it really is. You are too concerned with what was and what will be. There is a saying. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present." With a soft smile, the old man reached out and rubbed Dawn once under her chin like he knew she loved that. The phoenix cooed.
Harry wasn't sure what to make of that saying, so he looked a little confused to Sensei Tokugawa. But the woman didn't move at all giving him anything.
"Thanks, I guess. But I don't think that will help. I mean, if have the most dangerous wizard in the world after me and I worry about those around me. My godfather, my friends, my family and Dawn. I don't want any of them hurt. And now with Dumbledore gone, I just don't know." He looked down at the golden eyes.
Harry felt a shivering hand on his shoulder and he looked back up at the watery eyes of the old Japanese man, who still had a soft smile on his face.
"I know young man. The future can be daunting even for someone like me, who can see it. But will you fight for your friends, your family?"
Harry nodded. "Of course."
Takeda's smile broadened showing a few missing teeth. "Then that is all you can do. Worrying and letting it dominate your life will neither help them nor you. So let me help you a little, at least as I can."
He rubbed Dawn again under her chin. "This one will live a long life, I can see it. Her string is long and strong and stretched out into the far future. And no snake will change that."
Harry smiled. He didn't believe in prophecies but then again it was comforting to hear that. Yet that was the moment Sensei Tokugawa stormed into the room.
"Nobunaga-san you should tell him about the snake. He is supposed to figure the egg out on his own."
The old headmaster smirked at the stern woman, shaking his head. "I wasn't talking about that. But also, I'm not one of his teachers so I can tell him whatever I want. Now, I wish you a good day, young man. And one last advice, take the station to the right, the other one will explode." And with those cryptic words, the old man let Tokugawa lead him out of the room. Harry looked down at his phoenix friend.
"Did you get any of that?"
He only got a chirp as an answer.
Hermione waved at him as Harry jogged down the corridor to the potions classroom. His familiar flew ahead of him and landed on the bushy-haired girl's hand. "Hi, you two." She said as Harry caught up with his companion.
"Hey Mione, seems like I am not too late." He said with a grin. The girl nodded, rubbing Dawns feet.
"Yeah. We wait here for about ten minutes now. No idea what is going on."
Harry shrugged also. "No idea eith...er." His speech slowed as he saw Ron coming up to him and Hermione.
"Harry, can I talk to you for a second?" He looked nervous, rubbing the back of his neck. Harry swallowed hard, nodding. Moving a few feet to the side, they stepped closer to each other.
"Okay, listen, mate, I...this is so strange. But I think we have to talk about Ginny."
Harry sighed nodding. "Yeah, I guessed that much. I'm sorry I hurt her, but I don't think it would have been nicer staying together with her without loving her, you know? I told myself I love her, but you know..."
Ron looked at him with a frown shaking his head. "No, I have no idea really. I mean I never was in love so, what do I know. The thing is Harry, I know you are a good guy and I know you didn't want to hurt my sister. Also, I'm kind of glad you two broke up."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why?"
Ron snorted. "come on mate, you are my friend and she is my sister. It was totally awkward."
Harry frowned confused. "But you said in the Infirmary you were fine with it."
That made Ron laugh a little. "Of course I said that. We just had apologised to each other, I didn't want to jump right ack on the not talking train you know?"
"Guess so," Harry said, still a little doubtful. But hey, he wasn't yelled at, something he had expected from Ron so beggars can't be choosers and all of that. "So we are fine?"
Ron sighed nodding. "Yeah, we are fine. I will not haunt you for that but I will stay a little bit away from you for now. Ginny would gut me if I didn't and the twins...oh boy...by the way, watch what you eat for the next few weeks, they are a tiny bit miffed, saying they told you they would act on that."
Remembering the talk in the secret passage, he nodded. "Yeah, they mentioned it. I guess I will deserve it. Just tell them that it shouldn't be harmful, attacking a Lord of the Wizengamot can get you into serious trouble, even if I don't say anything."
Nodding Ron stuffed his hands into his pockets. "I will tell them." He then looked down the corridor to Dean and Shaemus. "What is it with my sister and my friends? First you now Dean."
The black-haired guy also looked over. "Don't know, how did that happen?"
Ron shrugged. "Dean came over during the holidays, visiting. We played Quidditch and when he went inside to use the loo, he didn't come back. Found them snogging in the kitchen." His tone was carefree yet thoughtful.
Harry felt extremely awkward and wished he hadn't asked. He still thought it was a good idea that he and Ginny broke apart but still it was weird talking about this so he only gave a non-verbal respond by humming.
The redhead ruffled through his hair, shrugging. "No idea what happened there. But she stopped crying all the time, that I think helped. Now I think that...oh look I think we start."
Down the corridor, Nicolas Flamel had just opened the door to the Potions classroom and smiled, waving them closer. Yet he kept standing in the door.
"Good morning everybody. Before we get inside and I say a few things, I would like to say something so there isn't huge shuffling around later. Since I don't like the divide into houses, each of you will take a partner from the other house, to strengthen inter-house unity."
His words were answered in absolute silence as neither Gryffindors nor Slytherins were really happy about this. Harry as one of the few with somewhat of a relationship to someone from the house of snakes was the first to move and stepped to Daphne. His example led to people following in his wake. A quick shuffle and a few words until most were settled with someone, with the sole exception of Malfoy and Neville. Former as no one wanted to work with him and letter because everyone dreaded having Neville as potions partner.
To Harry's still surprise the Malfoy heir didn't even so much as blinked but instead just turned to Flamel, waiting for new orders.
"Very well, no come inside." He stepped back letting them move in. Daphne and Harry were amongst the first and moved in, having a free selection of stations. Once more the room was brightly lidded in sharp contrast to the twilight that Snape prefered and filled with clean air. Harry led Daphne to the front and turned to the right, as the old Japanese man had said to him. The station on the left was occupied by Dean and Goyle. Harry shot the other Gryffindor a look but when their eyes connected both turned to their stations quickly.
Walking slowly down the ilse Flamel reached the front, leaning on his walking stick. "Wonderful. Now I know a lot of you were quite fond of your former potions teacher." Someone, probably a Gryffindor snorted. "But sadly he has moved on, finding his luck somewhere out there. No, I don't know why he left but I will do my very best to make up for his absence. Today we will start working on the Draught of Peace. This will take us the next four sessions to finish, so please be careful in your preparations. We begin with grinding..."
From there out on it was a fairly interesting lesson, as Professor Flamel was quite a good teacher. Sometimes he was a little hard to understand, as he spoke so quietly and sometimes his thoughts seemed to jump around but all in all at least in Harry's book he was a vast improvement to Snape. And judging by the fact that no one seemed to have melted their cauldron, not even Crabbe or Neville, seemed to indicate that too. The young Wizengamot Lord himself worked really well with Daphne. Each knew what part of the brewing they would do and what not. Harry was the better preparer of the ingredients as Daphne was better at handling the cauldron. The double lesson potions flew by faster than any before and it felt like only a few minutes when the bell ended their class. Dawn who had to spend the class by flying between Daphne, Hermione and Harry, returned to the boy who just saw off the Blond girl.
Together Harry, Neville and Hermione left the potions classroom.
"That was a nice change of pace." The black-haired boy said, turning once more to look at the open door. Hermione nodded.
"Yes, I agree. He can explain so much better than Snape and working with Tracey was very easy I mean-" She cut herself off to look at Neville. He and Draco had sitten in the back. "How was it with Malfoy?" She asked.
Neville looked at the floor, thinking. "Strange. He didn't say a word during the entire lesson. I thought he would make fun of me or anything but he just worked, answering with grunts and nothing more. It was really bizarre."
Looking at his friend, Harry turned around a corner. "That is strange. You would think he would do something in that situation."
"Maybe he was worried Professor Flamel would punish him. I mean Snape isn't here anymore to hold his hand over him." The bushy-haired girl seemed thoughtful as she said this, but Harry shook his head.
"I don't know he is strange ever since we came back."
"What do you mean?" Nevills question was spoken a little more quiet than before. Harry looked around but seeing no one who would be listening.
"I mean, he seemed to be brooding all the time. He didn't dance yesterday and he left early as well as this morning he just looked up when I walked by and then looked down again."
Hermione shrugged. "Maybe he isn't feeling well."
"I think he is up to something." Harry stated while Dawn fluttered on his shoulders. Hermione groaned. "You always think he is up to something."
"Because he is a git." The boy wasn't having any other. Malfoy was a nasty git, there had to be something.
"Yes I know but that doesn't mean he is up to something all the time."
"Hrmmm." They moved on, walking up the stairs.
"What did they say about the second task?"
Harry told them about the date, what Bagman told them and showed both his friends the shining golden egg as well as the words of Nobunaga. Hermione picked it out of his hand, turning it. "A snake you say?" She turned the egg, looking at it.
"Have you tried parseltongue?" She asked. Harry blushed a little shacking his head.
"I mean it is unlikely as you are the only parselmouth out of the champions but you should try it." The egg was held back to him.
He took it and lifted it to his lips. With a little concentration, he started hissing.
The egg didn't seem to care.
Somewhere far away from golden eggs and potions classrooms, there was a house. Standing at the end of an alley of trees. White walls, Dark roofs. A house old and only recently in use again. A house once muggle and now so not. A man was running down the gravel path that led to the door, as fast as he could. He wore a dark robe and a mask, showing no features. Under his arm was a thick tome, old and bond in leather.
The man came to the doors and without knocking stormed inside. A few people turned looking at the man, but no one pulled their wand. They knew that no one could come to this house, as long as he wasn't allowed to come here. The owner had used a trick from an old foe and hid the house under an ancient and powerful spell, so no one could betray the location.
The man hurried down the central corridor until he reached two massive dark doors. Composing himself for a second the man raised his hand and just for a moment he froze, before shaking himself and knocking.
"Come in." A cold and almost hissing voice spoke from the other side of the door. The man hurried inside.
"My lord." He whispered, falling to his knees. The man in the high back chair lifted his gaze from the fire in the hearth and turned his head.
"Come closer, servant."
The man crawled on his knees closer, kissing the hem of the man's robes.
"What do you want Yaxley? Is there a reason you disturbed my thoughts? Speak quickly."
The man in front of the Dark Lord shivered in fear and adverted his eyes, holding out the book he held under his arm.
"It was hard to get my lord, as the only copy is locked away in the ministry, but with a lot of effort and-"
"Quite!" The Dark Lord hissed out, waving the man off. Yaxley hurried back and out of the room because as he looked up his master was smiling and that was the most disturbing thing the man had ever seen.
Voldemort brushed with his thumb over the symbols on the front of the book. Three ravens, a Horse, a staff and wizards head in a circle.
Finally, what he had hoped for. Penned in the ancient past. A book that depicted the life of a single man and he held it in his hand.
The tome of Merlin.
A new chapter and new fun. I like writing this one it wasn't all that hard.
Now a few things like always. I totally forgot that Harry doesn't have the egg and that he needs it so that is taken care off. I will use the egg but it is different as you know. I first wrote it like Hermione figures it out instantly to give her more positive screentime as she falls on the back foot a little in this fic but that didn't feel right. Don't worry she will figure it out. Also maybe someone can figure out what has to be done with the egg? My tip it is something mythological.
As for Daphne, yes she feels something but we are well away from romance right now. Slowly, this should develop slowly. Says the man who is almost half a million words in and only halfway through his story :D. But what can I do I like to take my time?
I wanted a little banter between Daphne and Harry, I hope it fitted into this well.
Ron, I'm still on the fence about him. He comes off as pretty mature here but then again I don'T want him to fight Harry again, that gets tiring and we only now got them back on track, so yeah, he sees it differently. Also in Rons worlds, Ginny has a new boyfriend so everything is fine again. Simple thinking.
We all know why Draco is the way he is but I think something like that would change you so here is my take on it obviously inspired by canon.
Of course Takedas saying is stolen from Oogway from Kung-Fu-Panda. I love that old turtle and there was no way around it. Having a true seer in the story is difficult as he would know the future but I take the approach that he is a weird old man who talks mostly in riddles and only half notices the real world. Like Luna a little bit only more. He has lost touch to the now which is funny as he said to Harry he shouldn`t do that. So he speaks out of the experience.
Next up: The riddle will be solved.