A/N:
Welcome back :) Thank you to everyone who has read the story so far, I hope you continue to enjoy it.
As always, feel free to leave a comment, I take them all to heart and use them to improve as a writer.
Big-ups to BingBong for his continued help editing this fic.
Monday morning found Harry sitting in the Great Hall eating breakfast with his two best friends Ron and Hermione, eyes frequently flicking to a certain witch at the Slytherin table.
Astoria Greengrass had thrown him off with her friendliness that weekend, but he couldn't deny that he found her personality refreshing. She was energetic and funny, didn't seem to hold an intense prejudice against him like most Slytherins did, and the prospect of possibly making a new friend did excite him.
And it was for those reasons that his eyes kept drifting to the Slytherin dining table while he ate his toasts.
Definitely for those reasons, and not because he thought she was really pretty.
"Harry!" Ron shouted, breaking Harry out of his reveries. "Are you even listening to me?"
"Oh, sorry Ron." Harry replied. "I was a bit distracted."
"You've been distracted all morning," Hermione chimed in. "And why do you keep staring over at the Slytherins? Has Draco been bothering you again?"
I wasn't staring, was I?
"No, it's not Draco. I haven't heard much out of him yet this year actually."
"Then what's up Harry? I've been trying to tell you about the Chudley Cannons new lineup for the past ten minutes and you're not even listening." Ron whined.
To be fair, even at the best of times, Harry only pretended to entertain Ron's ravings about his favorite quidditch team. While Harry liked flying, his interest in professional quidditch was only in passing.
As Harry heard a clear laugh ring out through the noise of breakfast at Hogwarts, his eyes once again landed on a particular third year witch. She was laughing at something someone said, and started to reply in turn with animated gestures and rapid-fire speech. He couldn't hear what she said, but it must have been funny, because all of the students around her started laughing as well. Even her normally taciturn sister Daphne couldn't help a small smile from beside her.
Hermione turned around in her seat to follow Harry's eyes. When she saw the source of Harry's distraction, her eyes widened in shock.
"Greengrass? That's who you've been staring at Harry?" Hermione inquired in an alarmed hush.
"Uh, no..?" Harry got out sheepishly, knowing he'd been caught. But still. He hadn't been staring, had he?
Taking this deficient denial as admittance of her suspicion, Hermione shared a glance with Ron.
"What?" Harry asked, knowing that exchange always happened right before they told him something they thought he ought to have already known.
"I get it mate," Ron started conciliatorily. "Daphne Greengrass is one of the prettiest witches in our year. But she has a reputation, you know?"
Hermione frowned at this, but nodded. "She's a diligent student, and her grades are behind only Padma's and my own. It's just, she can be a bit mean when she rejects boys."
Wait. His friends had mistakenly thought the target of his distraction was Daphne, instead of Astoria. And more importantly, they were already assuming he was interested in her.
And most importantly, they were already assuming he'd get rejected!
"Hold on a second! Even if it was Daphne that I was staring at," at this Ron and Hermione grimaced, "Who's to say I'd be rejected?"
Harry realized something and continued. "And wasn't it you two in the first place that said I should get better at talking to girls? Shouldn't you be encouraging me instead of discouraging me?"
Hermione turned to Ron, hoping he'd say what she didn't want to.
Ron shrugged diffidently. "We're just saying, maybe you should set your sights a little lower for your first crush?"
Hermione cringed at this tactless display from Ron. She should've handled it herself.
Before Harry could respond in justified irritation, Hermione cut in.
"No, that's not what we're saying." She glared at Ron before turning her attention back to Harry. "But have you ever even spoken to Daphne? She barely talks to anyone other than Tracey Davis, and when she does, it's usually not to exchange niceties."
Harry wasn't sure if he should feel offended or flattered by the concern his friends were showing for him.
Harry sighed. "I'm not rushing off to ask out Daphne Greengrass. So you guys don't have to worry about that." His friends took on guilty expressions at this, realizing their attempt to help him may have come across a bit rude. "I don't even have a crush. I was just…looking."
Harry felt no need to correct his friends about the girl he had really been looking at.
As they finished their breakfast, Harry made a conscious effort to keep himself from stealing glances at Astoria. He did however, notice when Professor Snape made his way down to Astoria's spot on the table, cloak billowing all the while, to have a brief conversation with her. Unfortunately he was much too far to hear what the man said, but it didn't seem to be a pleasant topic, if Daphne's expression was any indication.
"Miss Greengrass." Snape intoned, staring directly at Astoria so there would be no confusion as to which sister he was referring. "I have been informed that despite being a mere month into the semester, you are already falling behind on assignments for Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Herbology, Divination, and Potions." He said this last word with a distinctive 'pop' at the front.
While the length of the list was almost comical in nature, the students didn't make so much as a sound as the intimidating man spoke, and any hint of good humor disappeared from Astoria's face.
One of Astoria's friends gawked at her. "Isn't that every class?"
"No, I'm still keeping on top of Care of Magical Creatures." Astoria replied timidly.
Snape's eyes narrowed until only a hint of his dark irises were visible. "While you may find this funny Miss Greengrass, let it be known that I do not." Snape said, traces of irritation creeping into his monotone.
"I've already informed your parents about your…substandard performance. But as your head of house, I highly recommend you start to pick up the pace. It would be a shame for both of us if I had to see you in my third year potions class again next year."
Snape's tone made it abundantly clear that his 'recommendation' was much less discretionary than his words would suggest.
As he left, Pansy Parkinson spoke up from halfway down the table.
"How did you fail Divination? I would have assumed even you were capable of drinking tea and reading fortunes, Astoria." Pansy said mockingly. A few of the older students laughed at this.
While Astoria had no clue why, Pansy had been getting increasingly more hostile to her ever since the end of last year. Daphne had told her it was out of jealousy, but she wasn't so sure. What did Pansy have to be jealous of after all?
As Astoria looked down at her empty plate in shame, Daphne gave Pansy a sharp look from across the table that promised retribution later. Pansy quickly shut up at that, knowing better than to continue to provoke the ire of the elder Greengrass girl.
"Come on Astoria, let's go." Daphne said, holding her sister's arm gently as she got up from the table.
As they walked out of the hall, Daphne turned around to face Astoria seriously.
"Don't listen to Pansy. She's a petty b-" Daphne caught herself. "She's petty, and would kill for your brains, let alone everything else you have."
Astoria giggled at her sister's near slip-up. "Thanks Daffy." She said, cheering up slightly at her sister's display of protectiveness.
"Having said that, Astoria."
Uh oh. She had seen this one coming a mile away.
"You need to start being more disciplined with your studies. You're not a first year student that can wing it anymore, you need to spend time on your schoolwork now."
Astoria looked away, feeling guilty. She had heard this speech before, and had ignored it every time.
"Snape may be a moody, melodramatic teen trapped in a grown man's body, but he doesn't make threats idly. If you want to avoid repeating a year, or worse, being expelled, you need to start taking your classes more seriously."
Daphne looked at her younger sister, deciding she had been sufficiently chastised. She knew Astoria would inevitably be getting some sternly worded letters from their parents anyway. She ruffled her sister's hair gently. "If you need help, you let me know, okay?"
"Okay Daffy, I will. Thanks." Astoria smiled up at her sister.
"Now off with you!" Daphne said teasingly, patting her sister on the back. "Straight to class, no distractions."
And with that, Astoria ran off to her first class, sincerely hoping she wouldn't encounter anything interesting along the way.
Harry sat in Defense Against the Dark Arts, listening to Professor Moody describe the ten worst dark wizards of all time, including their crimes and how they were defeated, in excruciating detail. When the grizzled war veteran got to the final wizard on his list, Lord Voldemort, Harry paid extra attention.
As he described all of the rituals Voldemort had been speculated to have performed to increase his strength, as well as the spells and methods he had been known to use, Harry realized how utterly outclassed he was.
Voldemort was a powerful wizard with decades of experience improving his craft relentlessly, and Harry was a teenage boy who had been learning magic for a little over three years. While he had so far been able to prevent Voldemort's attempts at returning, how long until he made a mistake? How long until one of the Dark Lord's followers succeeded in bringing him back and he had to face down one of the strongest wizards of all time? If the visions Harry had been having over the summer were any indication, it might not be very long at all.
Harry turned his attention back to the lecture at an opportune time.
"That's it for today. This week's essay will be twelve inches of parchment on how YOU would go about defeating Lord Voldemort, if he returned."
The class looked around at each other, exchanging glances, trying to figure out if their teacher was joking or if he had just gone insane.
"HA! Stumped already? Well don't worry, let's ask our resident specialist on slaying Dark Lords for some advice! How would you go about defeating Voldemort, Harry?" Moody inquired, looking intently at the stunned boy.
"Honestly sir," Harry began as respectfully as he could manage. "I did it last time, and I'd prefer if someone else did it next time."
Astoria woke up bright and early on Sunday morning. She had finished all of her assignments for the coming week the previous day with Daphne's help, and had already told her friends she would be busy today. It wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, as they had already had one the week before, so they would likely have just lazed about in the courtyard anyway.
There's no time for lazing about today, Astoria thought. I have some investigation to do!
Astoria had met Harry Potter the previous weekend, and the stark contrast between the borderline psychopathic boy she had heard about and the rather nice and respectful boy she had met had awakened her curiosity. While her own experience told her he was a kind boy who she would love to be friends with, she was hesitant to dismiss the rumors she had heard entirely.
Which was precisely why Astoria had blocked off this day in her schedule to do some 'covert investigation'.
Astoria was speaking to a painting in the hallway just outside the Gryffindor common room when the door opened and her target emerged, walking with his two friends she knew to be Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. She wished the painting a good day, and followed after the trio as inconspicuously as she could manage.
Meanwhile, the painting was left confused, wondering what sort of girl would be interested in talking to him for twenty minutes straight on a Sunday morning.
Astoria tracked them down to the Great Hall, and set herself up at the end of the Slytherin table where she would be able to observe the boy while he ate. She mindlessly spoke to her housemates to avoid drawing suspicion, but in her head she was entirely focused on the behavior of her potential future friend.
Two pieces of toast, two fried eggs over hard, and a sausage. Nothing suspicious yet, but maybe that's just what he wants everyone to think, Astoria considered. What's this? He's taken a strip of bacon, but seems to be avoiding eating it? This is important, I can feel it.
Astoria took note of the boy's eating habits and mannerisms, including how he placed an egg on top of a piece of toast before eating them both together. She wasn't sure how this was relevant to the question of the quality of his character, but she would leave no stone unturned.
She was distracted from her analysis as many owls flew into the hall, delivering letters and packages to the students around her. She shuddered as she remembered the three separate letters she had gotten that week from her parents regarding her poor grades.
Returning her observations to Harry, she noticed that a gorgeous snowy owl flew down to Harry, dropping a letter in his lap. Harry patted the bird as it affectionately nibbled his finger, until eventually he gave the owl the strip of bacon he had been saving on his plate. With a quick kiss on the head, and what looked to be a 'thanks for your work' (Astoria wasn't great at lip reading), Harry sent the beautiful avian back into the air, presumably back to the Hogwarts Owlery.
Aww, the bacon was for his bird! Astoria observed fondly. Now I want an owl…Maybe if I become real friends with Harry he'll let me feed her too?
After several more minutes had passed uneventfully, Astoria saw the trio of friends stand up and part ways. Ron headed further down the table to where a few other Gryffindors were sitting playing chess, and Hermione left the hall with a stack of books in her arms, leaving little question as to where she might be headed.
Harry left a few seconds later, and after wrapping up the rest of her breakfast in a napkin and putting it in her pocket, she followed after him.
In this case, having a great many friends around the school was a serious boon for Astoria. She navigated from group to group, greeting and speaking to people in a way that made her movements tailing Harry seem natural. She eventually settled down with a group of people sitting on the grounds outside of the school, which conveniently gave her a view into the groundskeeper's hut she had just seen Harry walk into.
Harry came out of the hut a couple minutes later, and she watched as he helped Hagrid with various tasks, including weeding the flowerbeds, feeding the mooncalves, and watering the nifflers.
Well that's just adorable! When I become real friends with Harry I'll help him feed the mooncalves and water the nifflers too!
After an hour or so, Harry vanished the dirt off his clothing using his wand, said a quick goodbye to Hagrid, and took off once more.
Astoria continued to shadow Harry for the rest of the morning as he went about the school, doing a bunch of incredibly mundane activities such as talking to his friends and doing his homework in the courtyard.
After lunch he flew around the empty quidditch pitch, doing tricks on his broom that Astoria found quite impressive. Sometime later he descended, and entered the changing rooms that lay just off the field.
While even Astoria wouldn't follow someone into a changing room, she did press her ear against the door, just a little bit. She heard Harry's out of tune singing over the sound of a shower running, and instantly backed away, realizing how creepy she was being.
Still, she had come away with valuable information, and was now certain that Harry Potter was, in fact, just a normal boy.
After all, what sort of evil dark wizard would sing muggle pop songs in the shower?
Astoria ate dinner with Daphne in the Great Hall like usual that night. Her eyes kept landing on a particular green-eyed boy at the Gryffindor table as she thought about her discoveries that day.
Now that I know he's not dangerous, I can be his friend for real! Astoria thought happily. Making a new friend was truly one of the great joys in Astoria Greengrass's life, and to make one as interesting as Harry Potter was especially exciting.
Wait, I may have decided I want to be his friend, but he hasn't necessarily decided if he wants to be my friend! Astoria realized with a start. I know I asked him if he wanted to be my friend last week and he said yes, but at the time I meant it more as acquaintances, and now I mean actual friends, and also when he said yes it was less of a 'Yes!' and more of a 'Uh, okay…' so it's possible that-
"Astoria!" Daphne grabbed her sister's arm.
"Oh! Sorry Daffy, I was a bit distracted, what were you saying?"
"I was asking," Daphne started, eyeing her sister carefully, "why are you staring at the Gryffindor table?"
"I was staring?" Astoria asked, turning to face her.
"For the past five minutes. And then you suddenly got this horrified look on your face, like the one you made last Christmas when Dad ate the last cinnamon bun and didn't save you a piece."
"Hey! To be fair, he promised I could have the last one…"
"So? Why were you staring?" Daphne repeated her question.
"No reason."
Daphne didn't believe her younger sister for a second, but knew from experience the reason would come out eventually.
It probably wasn't a big deal anyway.
"Hey, you know, I don't think Harry Potter is actually as bad as everyone in Slytherin makes him out to be."
Damn it! Daphne mentally smacked herself in the forehead. That's a much bigger deal than I thought!
Astoria was in her room getting ready for bed when she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in!" She yelled, as she finished braiding her hair. Daphne walked in, greeted her quickly, and then sat on her bed.
"Astoria, I wanted to talk to you about something." Daphne began slowly.
Astoria gulped. Usually her sister only took this tone with her when she was about to ask her to do something she didn't want to.
"It's about what you said earlier, about Potter." Daphne continued. "I know you want to be friends with every witch, wizard, and muggle you meet, but I really think you should stay away from him."
Astoria frowned at this. "But why? He's a nice guy, and all those stories the Slytherins tell about him are made up!"
"Of course those stories are made up," Daphne replied with a scoff. "They make him sound like some sort of evil deity when he's really just a dorky teenage boy. That's not what this is about though."
"What's it about then?"
Daphne sighed. "Politics."
At Astoria's confused look, she elaborated.
"Relations between Slytherins and Gryffindors are rocky at the best of times. While you might be able to maintain your friendships with Romilda, and that little boy with the camera, you can forget about Potter. If the other Slytherins see you hanging around him, you'll never hear the end of it. They won't even let you sit at our table anymore."
"But that's not fair." Astoria pouted.
"Sometimes life isn't fair, Tori." Daphne said, putting her arm around her sister. "Besides, what makes you want to be friends with Potter so badly anyway?"
"Well," Astoria started, listing off reasons on her fingers. "First of all, he has lots of interesting stories. He's also really good with animals, I saw him feed his pretty owl this morning. I know he's kind because I saw him helping Hagrid with some chores, and he also knows a bunch of neat broom tricks. I saw him practicing them after lunch!"
Daphne paled. Just how closely had her sister been watching Harry Potter?
"Oh! And I know we share an interest in muggle music, because I heard him singing in the shower!"
"..."
Much later that night, Daphne sat on her bed back in her own room with her head in her hands.
Where did I go wrong? Was there something I could've done?
Daphne's hands shook as she thought back to what Astoria had told her she had been doing that day.
My little sister is a stalker!
The following weekend, Harry was changing in his room after breakfast when he heard a voice call out from behind Ron's curtain.
"Hey Harry!" Ron's voice said. "I was thinking it would be fun if we had a picnic this afternoon in Hogsmeade. You know, before you meet with Padfoot?"
"A picnic?" This surprised Harry a bit, as he didn't take Ron for a picnic kind of guy, but it didn't sound bad to him so he had no reason to disagree. "Sure, why not. What do we need?"
"Don't worry about that! Just go down to the kitchens and ask the elves for a basket. I'll meet you around eleven, you can set us up in that little clearing behind the black lake we found last year."
"Okay, sounds fun." Harry replied, a little confused as to why Ron had this planned out so well. "By the way, is there a reason your curtains are closed?"
Ron laughed. "Oh, you know, a boy needs his privacy."
Harry wasn't exactly sure what had gotten into Ron this morning, but deciding to ignore the strange behavioral patterns of his best friend, he headed off to the Hogwarts kitchens to prepare their…picnic.
A few seconds after Harry left, the curtains around Ron's bed were pulled aside to reveal his older brothers, the twins Fred and George.
"Nice work, George! Your Ron impression is spot-on. Harry is surprisingly gullible isn't he?" Fred said to his brother.
"He most certainly is Fred." The other brother replied. "Let's hope target number two is just as easy a mark!"
While the twins weren't absolutely sure why they were requisitioned for this particular 'prank', they had put the pieces together and figured they had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Besides, who were they to reject a personal request from one of their idols, 'Padfoot' of the Marauders?
And perhaps most importantly, who were they to reject the notebook full of the Marauders' designs he had given them as payment?
"Hello?" Harry called as he entered the kitchens in the Hogwarts basement. "Is anyone there?"
"Harry Potter sir!" A familiar voice shouted, as Dobby came running out into Harry's field of view. "Does Harry Potter need something from us elves?"
Harry watched as other house elves started to appear from behind corners and through hallways to congregate at the door where he stood.
"Um, yes, in fact." Harry began awkwardly, suddenly feeling nervous from all the eyes staring up at him. "I was hoping I might be able to get a basket, with some food, for a picnic?"
"Of course sir! Dobby would be honored to prepare a picnic basket for Harry Potter!" The little house elf was bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement at the prospect of being able to help the young wizard who had freed him from his previous master. "Dobby will bring a blanket, and a pitcher of cold tea for Harry Potter as well!"
"Thank you Dobby, that would be a tremendous help." Harry thanked his small friend earnestly.
At these simple words of appreciation, Dobby, overcome by emotion, sniffled and blew his nose into the rags he wore around his body, and ran away to prepare the basket.
As he waited, Harry looked around the kitchens, and noticed that many of the other elves were still staring up at him, unmoving and unblinking.
"Um, hi?"
A dozen sets of big eyes stared back up at him, silently.
"It's um, a nice day today isn't it?"
They continued to stare.
Harry tried to think of something to say to fill the space that he was starting to feel quite uncomfortable in. "Oh! Before I forget, now would be a good time to tell you, thank you so much for preparing our meals every day. They're always delicious."
It was at this moment that all of the assembled house elves burst into tears.
As Harry floundered wondering what he possibly could have said that would cause this reaction, Dobby came back with a basket in hand. Seeing Harry's troubled expression, Dobby hurried to reassure his human friend.
"Don't worry, Harry Potter sir. They is just overwhelmed by the kindness and compassion Harry Potter shows them." Dobby explained, handing Harry the basket which was filled to the brim with food, as well as a blanket and a closed pitcher of tea.
"If you say so Dobby." Harry said hesitantly, glancing at the still sobbing mass of elves in front of him. "Do they not get thanked for their work very often?"
Dobby shook his head. "Dobby believes that many of the students don't even know that the food is prepared by the house elves."
At this Harry frowned. "Not that we mind sir!" Dobby rushed to add. "We is happy to be serving the young witches and wizards of Hogwarts! But to be appreciated is nice sometimes, Harry Potter sir. That is why the elves is crying."
"Huh." Harry considered what Dobby had just told him. "I'll keep that in mind, Dobby, and see what I can do."
With a final thanks for the basket, Harry left the kitchens and crying house elves behind to catch a carriage to Hogsmeade.
Astoria was walking through Hogsmeade with her friends when she passed by a pair of redheaded boys she recognized to be the infamous prankster twins of Hogwarts.
"It's a shame about Harry Potter, wouldn't you say Fred?" One of the boys said to the other, rather loudly.
"Whatever are you talking about George?" Fred replied, equally loud.
"That our dear brother Ron wasn't able to make it to the picnic they had planned today! That poor Harry boy is probably sitting all by himself at that little clearing behind the lake."
"Ah, such a pity. That little clearing that you can get to by continuing down this road, turning right at the Three Broomsticks and then left when you hit Hogsmeade Station?"
"That's the one. It's a shame we're too busy to stop by, wouldn't you say Fred?"
"I most certainly would, George."
Astoria watched as the two boys passed by and out of earshot.
What luck, Astoria thought. I've been waiting for an opportunity to speak to Harry ever since last week!
"Sorry guys! I have something to do, I'll catch up with you later." Astoria said to her friends as she ran off.
Astoria's friends exchanged glances.
"She totally went to go look for Harry Potter didn't she?"
After 30 minutes of waiting, Harry realized he had likely been set up.
How did I fall for that? Harry thought, shaking his head. Ron would never spontaneously feel like having a picnic! And if that didn't tip me off, he stayed behind the curtains the whole time. I wonder who it was then…?
Feeling like a bit of a fool, Harry looked over at the picnic basket he had brought.
Oh well. No point letting Dobby's food go to waste.
With his decision made, Harry lay out the blanket on the grass and spread the food across it. He sat down and picked up a sandwich, looking out across the black lake to where he could see the profile of Hogwarts.
All things considered, this isn't so bad, Harry told himself. Someone gets to have a laugh at the idea of me eating my lunch alone on a picnic blanket, and I get to have a nice lunch alone on a picnic blanket. Everyone wins, I suppose.
"Hi Harry!"
A few seconds after coming to terms with his solo lunch date, Harry was interrupted by a bright voice from behind him. He turned to see Astoria Greengrass, standing amongst the trees in the entrance to the clearing.
"I overheard George Weasley telling Fred that Ron canceled on you." The girl said. "If you don't mind, can I join you instead?"
Harry sighed as he made the connection in his head. "I'm now under the impression that Ron never knew about these plans in the first place." He replied, turning away from the girl to help with his nerves. "I think I've been set up by the twins to take my lunch alone today. They were probably having a good laugh about it when you overheard them."
"Oh. That's kind of lame for a Weasley twins prank isn't it?" Astoria said, clearly unimpressed.
"My best guess is they were in our room to rig Ron's bed when they took the opportunity to get a quick one over on me as well." Harry explained. "It's my fault for falling for it. It was pretty obvious, in hindsight."
"So can I sit?"
"Oh, sorry about that. Of course, wherever you'd like."
Astoria cleared away a small spot on the blanket and sat down a few feet away from Harry. Now that the conversation was over, Harry wasn't sure what to say to start it back up again. He grabbed another sandwich and took a large bite.
"Can I meet your owl?" Astoria asked.
Harry was still chewing his sandwich, so he rushed to swallow so he could answer the girl's question. In his haste he started choking on the food, and needed to take a swig of tea before he gathered himself enough to speak, red from both the shortage of breath and the embarrassment.
"Hedwig? Sure, if you'd like." Harry eventually replied. "As long as you bring her some treats and give her lots of attention she's super friendly. You can pet her on her chin and back, but nowhere else. Not unless you want to get bitten, that is."
At Astoria's silence, Harry took another bite of his sandwich.
"What's your favorite muggle band?" She asked, as soon as he started chewing.
Is she doing this on purpose?
Learning from his previous mistake, Harry suffered through the awkward silence this time as he took his time chewing, suddenly very self-conscious about the sound of his eating.
Eventually, he swallowed. "I, uh, I really like Weezer, if you've heard of them."
Astoria made a face. Oh well! No one's perfect, she thought.
"Can I hear you speak Parseltongue?"
That caught Harry by surprise. This girl sure has a lot of questions. And some strange ones at that.
"Are you sure?" He asked. "Last time I spoke Parseltongue in public I got accused of being the Heir of Slytherin for the rest of the year."
"Not by me! I actually spent that whole year terrified that the Heir was actually me and I just didn't know it."
Harry tried to imagine the inquisitive little blonde girl as the Heir of Slytherin.
Nope. Definitely not.
Harry stared off into the distance, pretending he was speaking to a snake. He figured if he could visualize it, his instinctive Parseltongue would come out instead of the English he heard it as.
"Hello. I am Harry Potter."
To Astoria's ears, Harry had just hissed menacingly for a couple of seconds.
And she found it super cool.
"Wow! Tha-" Astoria's words were cut off as a small green viper slithered into view from the long grass and onto the blanket.
"Well met Harry Potter. I was not expecting to be seen by a Speaker as young as yourself. You have a very discerning eye."
Harry tried to hide his surprise, as he honestly had no clue there was a snake nearby.
"Oh my gosh it's a snake! Hello Mister Snake your scales are so pretty and your eyes are such a beautiful shade of red-"
"What does this one speak of, Harry Potter?" The snake asked Harry while Astoria babbled away about the snake's appearance.
"She finds your aesthetic pleasing." Harry replied.
"-can I pet you? Do you have a name? You look like a Cory. If you don't have a name and would like a name you should consider Cory-"
"She also wants to know if she can touch you, and if you have a name." Harry translated. "…She says you look like a Cory."
The snake hissed in a rhythmic way that Harry guessed was the Parseltongue equivalent of a laugh.
"This one seems to be filled with energy. Reminds me of my own mate, back when I was still a snakelet."
Harry blushed at the snake's insinuation. "Actually we're just friends." Harry replied. "Though come to think of it, I'm not even sure if we're friends yet…"
The snake raised an eyebrow at him, which was a surreal experience for Harry as he hadn't actually known a snake could raise an eyebrow, and then slithered over to Astoria to be petted.
Astoria squealed in delight as the snake wrapped itself around her arm, graciously allowing her to run her fingers over his scales and tap the top of his head in a vaguely affectionate manner.
"Even for a Speaker such as yourself," the snake spoke to Harry, "my true name would be near impossible to pronounce."
Astoria watched in fascination as the small reptile hissed at Harry. "So you and your not-quite-friend may refer to me as 'Cory' if you wish."
Harry watched quietly as Astoria played with the snake, translating for them when one or the other had a question. Eventually the snake disentangled itself from the girl's arm and turned to face the two students.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Harry Potter and not-quite-friend of Harry Potter. I now have things to which I must attend, but should you need to find me in the future, return here and call for me. I will hear you."
With that parting remark, which Harry translated for Astoria, the snake disappeared back into the grass from whence it came.
"That was incredible!" Astoria shouted. "I wish I could talk to snakes too! Do you think you could teach me?"
Harry was relieved Astoria had reacted so well to both his speaking Parseltongue, and the unexpected presence of the snake.
"Definitely not." Harry said, loath as he was to let her down. "I don't even know how I learned it myself."
"I figured as much." Astoria sighed. "I just wish I was as good with animals as you are. Most of the time they run away from me on sight, and when they don't, they bite me when I try to pet them."
Harry thought about this. With what he knew of the girl, he had a sneaking suspicion the source of her problems was that she came on too strong. When he told her as such, she nodded in confirmation.
"I figured it was that." She admitted. "But I just can't help myself! They're all so cute, each and every one of them! I can't resist hugging them and loving them and petting them and feeding them and brushing their hair…"
Harry cringed as the girl rattled through a ridiculously long list of all the things she wanted to do with animals, many of which were things no animal would ever want to do. Deciding that they could reopen this discussion later when he figured out a way to help her, Harry tried to change the subject.
"Animals are great and all, but personally I wish I was as good with humans as you are." Harry said as Astoria got to the end of her list. "I always see you surrounded by friends, and the ease you have talking to strangers is equal parts impressive and troubling."
Astoria frowned. "We're not strangers. We're friends."
"Really?" Harry replied.
Astoria's frown deepened. "I mean, unless you don't want to be?"
"No! I mean yes! Which is to say, I would love to be friends with you Astoria. Let's be friends." Harry stumbled over his words in a rush as he tried to ensure he didn't offend the girl. After all, he did want to be her friend.
Astoria smiled in relief. "Great!"
Harry took a sip of tea to collect himself. Realizing he was being rude, he offered her some as well.
"Would you like some tea? Help yourself to the food and snacks as well, Dobby packed enough for two."
"Dobby?" Astoria asked in confusion.
As Harry explained his connection with the unique house elf, he also told Astoria about the Hogwarts kitchens and the house elves that worked there.
"How come we've never been told that the food was made by house elves?" Astoria queried. "And how do I get into the kitchens to thank them?"
"I'm thinking it's because house elves are taken for granted in wizard society, and the older generation doesn't even think twice about their involvement with everyday tasks like food preparation." Harry answered. "I don't think they mind working, but it would definitely be nice if we found some way to thank them for their effort."
Astoria looked thoughtful.
"We need to take things slow though," Harry added. "Receiving appreciation is so foreign to them that they started to cry when I thanked them earlier. So, er, maybe you can leave this one to me? I have a feeling anything you came up with would involve a lot of tears, for better or for worse."
Astoria pretended to look offended at this, but she knew Harry was probably right. Discretion was not her strong suit.
After a couple minutes of eating together in silence, Astoria spoke up.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"How come you haven't looked at me once since I got here?"
Harry blushed. "Oh, um, actually I'm shy."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, er, it's just the two of us here, and I don't know you that well, and so I'm kind of nervous, and if I look at you it'll be worse." He got out apologetically.
Astoria sat up on her knees and tried to move into Harry's field of view.
Harry turned his head away so he wouldn't be looking at her.
Astoria shuffled around again, circling him.
Harry quickly turned his head back around the other way, avoiding looking at her all the while.
Astoria's eyes narrowed. It's on.
Sirius watched the two teens play their strange game of…whatever it was they were doing. He wasn't too sure to be honest, but it looked like they were getting closer, and that's what mattered.
He was set up at another small clearing by the lake, with an angle from where he could 'observe' his godson covertly. He was staying in his dog form just in case someone stumbled upon him, but he had brought some jerky to eat while he watched.
As Sirius was just getting to the good part, where Harry finally turned to face Astoria and they both burst out laughing at the silliness of the situation, Sirius heard a noise from behind him. Turning around in a flash, he saw a small dog with dirty golden hair. A puppy? He thought. What's a puppy doing here?
The little canine whined, and Sirius realized it was staring at his pile of jerky. Sirius' eyes narrowed.
Oh no you don't. That's my jerky.
The puppy continued to stare pitifully at the jerky, but Sirius refused to budge. After 12 years in Azkaban eating gruel, Sirius appreciated every good meal he could get, and under no circumstances would he be willing to share with some young upstart.
Suddenly, the little dog stared over Sirius' shoulder across the lake, it's eyes going wide.
Harry!? Sirius thought in a panic, whipping around to see what had caught the other dog's attention.
Too late, Sirius realized he had been had. Harry and Astoria were sitting peacefully talking, slightly closer than before and with Harry averting his gaze less often.
Meanwhile, his jerky pile was one piece smaller.
I can't believe I got duped by the oldest trick in the book! Sirius mentally berated himself for his mistake.
Enraged, he swallowed the rest of his jerky in one gulp and set off to find the little thief.
Harry spoke with Astoria a little while longer as they finished up the food, and he was quite proud that he was able to look at her for most of their conversation without freezing up. Their silly antics from earlier went a long way in dissolving the awkward tension, and Harry could feel that the girl was being patient with him as he slowly got more comfortable with her.
"Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" Astoria eventually asked him.
Harry started as he realized he had almost forgotten about meeting Sirius. "Oh! Actually yes, I'm meeting with someone in just a few minutes." Harry said, starting to pack up the basket. "It's a good thing you reminded me, I was having so much fun talking to you that I almost forgot."
Astoria beamed at the indirect compliment. "I had fun too! We should do this again sometime."
"I'd like that." Harry replied, giving the girl a smile of his own.
As Harry and Astoria walked back from the clearing into the village, she turned to him with a question.
"Who are you meeting, by the way?"
Uh oh. I can't exactly tell her I'm meeting the wanted criminal Sirius Black now can I?
"Oh, um, one of my family members." Harry said nervously.
"Cool! Where are you meeting them? I'll walk with you."
I can't tell her that either…The Shrieking Shack is supposed to be abandoned and I can't risk anyone investigating it.
"You don't need to do that! I'm just meeting them at, um, a place." Harry answered tactfully.
Astoria looked at him suspiciously. "You're meeting them at a place?" She repeated.
"Yes."
"And where is this place?"
Harry was deeply lamenting his inability to improvise a compelling cover when he was saved by a group of girls in the distance, who waved at them and ran over.
"Astoria!" One of the girls said excitedly. "We've been looking for you, you won't believe what we just saw."
Harry backed away as the girl continued speaking.
"Sean Finch from Hufflepuff was supposed to go on a date with Veronica Knowles from Ravenclaw, but then we saw him in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop with Gab-"
"Bye Astoria!" Harry said quickly as he hurried away from the group, using the distraction of her gossiping friends to slip away from her.
Her eyes narrowed at him in a way she probably thought was threatening, but he just found incredibly cute.
I really have to get better at lying, Harry thought as he ran off.
"Hi Sirius!" Harry said cheerfully as he walked into the Shrieking Shack, taking a seat on the armchair.
Sirius raised an eyebrow from the couch he was seated on. "You seem to be in a good mood. Something happen?"
"Well," Harry started, smirking. "I made a new friend today. The girl I mentioned last time, Astoria Greengrass. And contrary to popular belief, I was able to talk to her perfectly fine."
Sirius looked at the smug expression on his godson's face and rolled his eyes. He knew for a fact that it was not perfectly fine, as he had watched Harry avoid making eye contact with the girl for the first 15 minutes of their meeting. He also knew that Harry would likely not have spoken to the girl again after their previous run-in had he not gone to the trouble of recruiting the Weasley twins to set up this one. Not to mention the fact that they wouldn't have met the first time had Sirius not orchestrated that encounter as well!
But Harry couldn't know any of that, so Sirius kept his mouth shut.
"What about you Sirius?" Harry asked. "You seem rather cross, is something troubling you?"
Sirius lay down on the couch, head propped up on one armrest, feet resting atop the other. "If you really must know Harry, I spent the past hour chasing a thief. Unfortunately the little bugger proved more crafty than I gave it credit for, and I had to call off my search to make it back here in time to meet you."
"A thief?" Harry inquired worriedly. "What was stolen, Sirius? Nothing that could be traced back to you I hope?"
"No," Sirius shook his head sadly. "Worse. It was my jerky."
Sirius explained the incident from earlier, leaving out the fact he was essentially spying on Harry at the time, and neglecting to mention that the dog who stole his jerky was a little puppy no more than a few months old.
They then gave each other the highlights of their previous two weeks, after which the conversation headed in whatever direction they felt like, touching a lot of bases. At a certain point, Sirius tried to get a feel for where Harry was at regarding Astoria.
"So, you've mentioned this Astoria girl twice now." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Is there something your godfather should know about?"
"No! It's not like that at all," Harry began, waving his hands in embarrassment. "She's really nice, and she's fun to be around, but I've only just met her. I'm glad to have made a new friend, and I'm enjoying getting to know more about her."
"If you're interested in getting to know more about her, I highly suggest the broom closet on the fifth floor by the North Tower."
"Sirius!" Harry yelled, blushing furiously.
"Right, right. I forgot." Sirius said, sighing. "You're an innocent little angel who thinks holding hands is limited to married couples on their wedding night. I can't wait to brag to all of my friends about how great of a priest my godson is when I'm older."
Harry rolled his eyes at this exaggerated depiction of his maturity level. They talked for a while longer about subjects that Harry was more comfortable with, until eventually the time to part ways had come.
After seeing Harry off, Sirius switched back to his dog form and started down the streets of Hogsmeade. It had started to rain an hour or so earlier and he was making haste to the portkey he had set up just outside of the village when something caught his eye.
Huddled in a cardboard box, underneath a shop awning in a futile attempt to stay out of the rain, was the little puppy from earlier. The pitiful animal looked up at the sound of Sirius' footsteps, and its eyes widened in fright as it recognized the much bigger dog that it had stolen from just a few hours before.
So the thief was a stray, huh? Sirius thought.
As Sirius walked by, he narrowed his eyes at the shivering dog but made no move to get revenge for his lost jerky.
You're forgiven, pup. You lead a tough life, and you probably needed that snack more than I did.
Sirius took one last look at the stray, who was so dirty it looked more brown than blonde. Watery eyes looked back at him, filled with fear and the calculating cunning that was required to survive on the streets. Sirius could count the ribs poking out of the malnourished dog, and he could spot the fleas that he knew from experience must have been driving it crazy.
For what it's worth, I wish you all the best, Sirius thought as he walked away.
"Master, what is that?" Kreacher asked when Sirius got home to 12 Grimmauld Place.
"This, Kreacher, is a puppy." Sirius answered, holding up the filthy bundle of dirt and fur. The little dog was dripping mud all over the floor, and had flies buzzing around it like a street lamp in the evening.
"Kreacher will not allow that wretched beast in the ancestral home of the Black family!" The house elf shouted, stamping his foot in protest.
Sirius frowned. "First of all Kreacher, that home you speak of belongs to me, and it is therefore my decision what is allowed in and what is not."
Kreacher lowered his head, realizing he had spoken out of turn.
"Second of all, look at it! It's cute, in a mangy kind of way." Sirius set the dog down, and it trotted over to Kreacher.
Up close, the little life form was even more revolting than Kreacher had originally thought. It was dirty, had a limp in one leg, and was missing hair from several parts of its body.
Kreacher knew his master was mad, but this was another level entirely. Disgracing the noble house of Black with this repulsive-
Kreacher's train of thought was interrupted as the dog licked his face.
Kreacher froze in shock and disgust.
The dog wagged its tail, and licked Kreacher's wrinkly face once more.
And then again.
What was this feeling?
Kreacher didn't even notice he had reached out to touch the animal, and his hands felt fur that was tangled and knotted, mixed with patches of skin where the hair had fallen out.
Kreacher hated it. It was all wrong. This mutt was an atrocity, clearly not even of purebred lineage, and yet he couldn't stop his hands from petting it.
Through the dirt and the grime, Kreacher couldn't help but feel the warmth that radiated from the dog and found its way straight into his heart. As he looked into its eyes, Kreacher could've sworn the corners of the dog's mouth turned up in a soft little smile.
Kreacher never smiled. He knew that, and Sirius knew that. But to an outside observer, it might've almost looked, for a second, like a tiny grin reached Kreacher's cracked and weathered lips.
"It is despicable." Kreacher said.
Sirius opened his mouth to reply but Kreacher kept speaking.
"These feelings, that is."
Sirius quirked his head sideways at the old house elf.
"This varmint will not be walking these hallowed halls looking like this. First a bath, then a trip to the potioneer for some remedies. After that, a few weeks of proper eating and regular exercise and Kreacher may be able to turn this little cur into a noble hound worthy of the Black family."
Sirius watched in shock as Kreacher hobbled away with the puppy in his arms, a pep in his step that he had never seen as long as he knew the elf.
Well I'll be, Sirius thought. I think Kreacher just made a new friend.