8. Slytherin Trouble
Harry hurried towards Gryffindor Tower, unwilling to be caught out after curfew. He paused when he heard taunting voices.
"You're a disgrace to the Greengrass family, getting sorted into Gryffindor! You're lucky Androcles hasn't disowned you…yet! But I promise you, it willhappen, because I will make sure of it!"
It was Astoria Greengrass who spoke; she and some Slytherin girls had Daphne backed against the wall, and Astoria was holding her sister so tightly that her fingers were white.
"Let's make her roar like a lion!" Pansy held up Daphne's wand. "And then maybe, just maybe, we'll give this back!"
Harry had seen enough.
He cast a stinging hex at Pansy that made her drop the wand and yell.
Astoria whirled in his direction long enough for Daphne to pull free of her sister and try to pick up her wand.
Instead, Tracey Davis stepped on it and it splintered. "Oops!" she smirked.
Harry saw red.
Sirius' lessons stood him in good stead; he cast a painful boil-erupting curse on the Slytherins, and watched them shriek as they raced away.
It would take a full week before anyone would vanish those boils, Harry thought in satisfaction.
Daphne burst into tears, and flung herself into his arms. "My wand!"
Harry winced. "Sorry." He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "We'll get you another! When we tell McGonagall…"
"No!" Daphne raised her tear-filled eyes to his. "Please don't say anything, Harry! Promise?"
"But they shouldn't get away with stuff like this."
She shook her head. "It will be worse for me if they get suspended, or expelled. Please!" She sounded so desperate that Harry reluctantly agreed.
He had cause to regret that later, when he found himself in Dumbledore's office, facing three Slytherin girls and their angry Head of House.
"He attacked us! For no reason!" Pansy had the shrillest voice Harry had ever heard.
"It's true! We were merely walking down the hall, and he started to hex us." Astoria glared at him.
Tracey simply nodded.
"That's not true. They were tormenting a Gryffindor girl, and deliberately broke her wand."
"In that case," Snape sneered, "Why not produce the poor victim? Surely she'd back up your story."
Harry was in a quandary. He couldn't break his word to Daphne, but otherwise the punishment would fall on him. "I'm telling the truth!"
"But you can't name the girl?" Dumbledore asked, his voice stern.
The Slytherins were all smirking, well aware of Harry's dilemma.
Just then the door opened, and McGonagall led Daphne into the office. On Dumbledore's desk, she placed the broken pieces of a wand.
Dumbledore leaned forward to survey it. "Yours, Miss Greengrass?"
Daphne jerked her head in affirmation. She was shaking so much she could scarcely speak, but she managed to whisper, "Harry saved me after they attacked me."
"She's lying!" Pansy shouted.
"Would you…all of you…be willing to take veritaserum to confirm your stories?"
"That's illegal for minors!" snapped Pansy.
"Also for purebloods," said Astoria loftily.
"I'll take it," Harry said.
Daphne couldn't speak, but she nodded in agreement.
Harry took Daphne's hand to help her walk steadily back to the tower. It seemed to calm her.
"That was brave. You're a true Gryffindor."
She didn't answer, but clasped his hand tightly.
Neville was waiting, and handed each of them a chocolate frog. "What happened to those Slytherins?"
"Not much," Harry grumbled. "Ten days detention, with Snape so it means nothing. And they each have to pay five galleons so Daphne can buy a new wand. They ought to be expelled!"
"That would make my brother and Portia furious, and then they'd blame me." Daphne paled at the thought.
"Anyway," Harry concluded, "McGonagall is taking us to Diagon Alley tomorrow after breakfast, so Daphne can get another wand."
Neville's eyes widened. "Think she'd let me come? I was using my father's, but it doesn't work too well."
"I bet she would."
"And I have enough galleons to pay for both," Daphne offered happily.
"Cherry and unicorn hair." Neville waved his new wand happily.
"Birch and phoenix feather," explained Daphne, holding hers out.
Harry grinned at them. "Good. I found a nice book of hexes in the library; time to practice."
Practice they did, and Harry observed that both Daphne and Neville improved by leaps and bounds.
"This wand suits me much better than my grandmother's ever did," Daphne confided.
"Me too. I had my father's but it never chose me." Neville said regretfully.
"You both had legacy wands?" Harry gaped.
The others nodded solemnly.
"That accounts for it." Harry nodded. "I think they were holding you back."
"They won't anymore," vowed Neville.
The school year ended without more trouble from the Slytherin girls, but Harry knew the problems weren't over.