Daphne Greengrass was a typical Pureblood princess, at least to anyone who had seen her in Hogwarts. Haughty, cold, and utterly ruthless with her wand, but if anyone asks her close friends and family, they'll vehemently disagree. If you ask Harry about her, he will tell you she is a warm, kind-hearted person and a hard worker.
Daphne was a quiet child, spending time in books or observing people. When her father started teaching her duties related to heirship, she quickly found that she had an uncanny ability to judge a person's character. When she had started schooling, it became apparent to her that she might have been sorted into Slytherin because of her ambitious nature, but she would never fit with the so-called house of cunning and guile. Slytherin was a cesspool of bigotry, arrogance, and posturing.
So, she developed her ice queen persona, not interacting with anyone other than a half-blood from her house, Tracey Davis and Blaise Zabini who was more interested in males than females. She was coasting through Hogwarts, handily achieving top positions in multiple subjects. Her competition was a muggle-born witch, Hermione Granger, and Padma Patil from the Minor House of Patil, a branch family of 'Patil Khandaan' from India.
She had always prided herself on being a pureblood, She was no bigot, but the whole dogma had come crashing down with the achievements of Granger and getting familiar with the muggle world through Tracey. She was never allowed to visit the muggle world, but the wonder and knowledge she had experienced just from visiting Tracey's home was a big shock.
Then in the 4th year, whatever trajectory she had envisioned her life path would have been on, came crashing down. She was sitting in her regular corner, tucked to the side in the Hogwarts Library, reading a book on Ancient Runes. Granger may have scored better scores in theory, but she was better with the creation of runic sequences.
A heavy book was dropped in front of her, and someone took a seat. She looked up, a glare on her face for another wizard who had probably come to ask her out to the Yule ball. Her face froze upon seeing who was sitting in front of her, Gryffindor's Golden Boy, Harry Potter, was looking at her. His eyebrows raised as if she was barmy for being shocked at his appearance.
He looked around them, "Muffliato", he intoned under his breath. "No one can hear us now", at her raised eyebrow, he continued, "Yes, I will teach you the spell. In return, let me sit here in peace. I have had enough of glaring, and people coming up to me for a date to the Yule Ball. With your reputation, and myself sitting with you, no one will come to disturb me. Hermione has been on my case to learn Herbology and Astronomy because they are important for my grades, not understanding their irrelevance to the Triwizard Tournament, which has been my main focus".
Daphne looked at him for a second, studying him intently. There was no change of expression on her face, but her mind was filled with different thoughts. She had known obviously about Boy-Who-Lived, but upon seeing a skinny kid with untameable hair in her first year. Her expectations were tempered with the realization that there was no way he was the one who had killed the Dark Lord. He was average in theory, but a whiz with a wand. The rumors floating around him about Trolls, Dragons, Unicorn hunting, killing Basilisk with a sword, and being the true Heir of Slytherin were wildly entertaining. His feud with Malfoy was legendary, she had thought that he held the same bias towards the whole Slytherin House.
She had not noticed that it was the first time whose behavior she had deduced, was not acting as she had expected them to. "Okay, Potter. But don't think this is a signal for you to ask me out to the Yule Ball"
"Won't dream of it, milady", he winked at her good-naturedly.
And that was it, every day afterward they started to sit together in the library. Both content to study in silence. Surprisingly, it was Daphne who initiated the conversation after several days.
"Have you figured out the clue for the 2nd task?", she asked. Her curiosity towards him had steadily increased each day, she had expected him to hate all Slytherin. When that didn't happen, she had expected that approaching her was a ploy, a long-term plan to soften the reaction when he asked her out to the ball. Harry Potter was shaping up to be an interesting person, befriending someone of his station would be beneficial for her. She was a true Slytherin, only idiots like Malfoy don't consider insulting the heir to the Potter house would come back to bite them in the arse later in life.
He looked her in the eyes, before shaking his head dejectedly. "No, when I open the latch of the egg, all I hear is a shrill scream. Hermione has been in a tizzy to understand what it means", He looked around for eavesdroppers, before deciding that telling her wouldn't be overheard. "I decided there was no point in bashing my head on the same wall, so I focused on my wand work. No matter what happens, an increased repertoire of spells would help"
It made sense to her, that the better researcher was on to looking up for clues in the books while the actual competitor would focus on spell-casting. "Do you want my help with something? Granger may be a better choice for researching, but I am someone whose family has been part of Wizarding Britain for centuries. There might be something obvious to me, that you would not think". She didn't know why she impulsively provided help to him. There was something about Potter that was intriguing, Heir to an old storied House, dressed in rags with soulful green eyes, and a strength to him that was not obvious at first glance.
Harry stilled for a couple of seconds, truly shocked that a stranger would offer help to him. This doesn't happen to Harry, the number of people who have actively tried to help him can be counted on a single hand. He didn't think that she could help him with the task, but there was something which he thought she might be the best person to ask for help.
"I know how things work in Slytherin, there is no way you are giving me help without reciprocation. What do you want in return?"
Daphne's expression didn't change, but she was getting more and more impressed by Potter. How had she missed so much about him, he never seemed much of a thinker. "Yes Heir Potter, I do have an ulterior motive for providing my service. I want a favour that you owe me, that I can cash in the future for your help with something". At his continued silence, she continued, "Of course, the favour cannot be illegal or unbalanced in proportion to my help"
Harry deliberated for a few seconds, before deciding that it didn't matter, if she had asked for his help then he would have helped her out even without the favour.
"Okay, I agree with your conditions", he gave her a lopsided smile.
"Call me Harry, by the way, I feel we are going to be friends", she gave him a small smile in return. "I want your help with something, but it is about the 2nd task. Tell me about the Ministry, the various department heads, and their responsibilities. And I want to know about Wizengamot, how is a law passed and ratified? Lastly, what can you tell me about Wizarding Britain, not the obvious things but the unspoken rules and etiquettes?"
Yes, she was correct, Harry Potter was too intriguing for her. That conversation has been a segway to multiple interactions throughout the years. The topics were wildly ranged- from Wizengamot, Potters, Wizarding Britain, and Muggle World. At one point, she had easily found herself telling him about her family and home life, It was so easy talking with him. He was an intelligent listener and attentive person. As years passed by, her interest in him had changed. If he was like a case study previously, now it was romantic interest. She had never met anyone like him, so wildly contradicting and unique.
She had cashed in on the favour in the 6th year for Defense lessons for her and Slytherin friends. It had become increasingly obvious to her that knowing spells and being able to defend oneself in an actual fight, were two wholly different things. In return, he had requested her help in giving him Occlumency lessons.
The Occlumency lessons took place privately, just between the two of them. Their closeness began to border on intimacy, She had been hoping that finally, he would ask her out. But it never happened, he started dating Weaslette instead. She never understood his choice, until the end of the year when he told her the truth. They were to depart the next day, for their respective homes. When she was about to leave the Room of Requirement, which they had commandeered for the lessons, Harry had taken her arm and cornered her into the wall.
Daphne had looked up into his eyes, she could feel his body. His arms were around her waist, her body molded into hers. She could his length pressing into her groin, his chest crushing her breasts. Their breaths mingled, "You are a tease, Daphne Greengrass, bouncing around me in tight tops. Swishing your skirt to show off your legs". His hands were wandering through her body, marking their path with a trail of heat.
He groped her breasts harshly, then trailed down to grab her waist before dropping down and pawing her cheeks. "Beguiling me with your intellect and sinful body. It was such a hard choice to not make you mine, but I couldn't do that to you. Your present life in Slytherin would have been destroyed, and your future thorny. I have a destiny to kill the Dark Lord or be killed, my future is uncertain. So, I took the easy route by not being with you"
She bit her lips; his words were like a balm to her soul and fire to her body. The way he was playing with her body was wrong, she shouldn't allow him such liberties. Even while continuing to speak with deep affection, his wandering hands never stopped toying with her.
She moaned loudly and mewled in reaction, "I can understand, but now that you have claimed my body you have to return to me. Promise me, Harry, whatever happens, you will return. I will either be yours or no one else in this life"
Harry kissed her, plundering her mouth with his tongue. She fought back with the same passion, grabbing his cock over his pants. He moaned deeply in her mouth, 'the little minx will be the death of me', he thought.
"I promise, Daphne. Whatever happens, I will come back. You will be mine, and the whole world will know it. I will mark your body, steal your soul, and use you in ways that you will never again think about another male"
That was the last time she had seen him; she had prayed throughout the year for his safety. She had been a silent leader of resistance against Carrows and Snape, with Neville and Ginny. She had helped patch up the injured, squirreling out whoever was locked in the dungeons, and passing information from her house.
When Harry had returned, she was overjoyed. She had nothing more than to bound across the Great Hall to hug and snog him. But she had refrained, it was too early and too public. They needed to defeat the Dark Lord and his army first.
The fight between Harry and Voldemort was breathtaking. The Titans of magic, clashing with spells from myths, the earth had sundered, and the sky had trembled. The lethal charms and the astounding transfiguration were a sight to behold, she had always known Harry was powerful but until now she had never in her mind how strong his casting was.
Battling the most powerful Dark Lord of the last century before even 20 years of age was shocking. And he was not just fighting, but edging up on him. She could his magic, the aura that it generated was a force in itself. Whoever came close to disturbing his duel would suddenly fall unconscious. The most shocking thing that she noticed was the use of Dark spells by Harry. She knew that he was considered the paragon of light, and Dumbledore's apprentice so his usage of Dark spells was astonishing.
She had watched the battle with bated breath until the Dark Lord used the killing curse, Avada Kedavra and Harry replied with a disarming curse, Expelliarmus. The killing curse somehow rebounded and the Lord Voldemort died by his own hands.
She had celebrated with her family and friends deep into the night, and as usual, was eating quietly the next morning. She could see everyone in the Great chattering quietly, the gloom that had been present throughout the last year was absent. There was a lightness that had been absent in Wizarding world after the Dark Lord's return.
Then the doors to the Great Hall had opened and a blanket of magic was released. A sudden hush fell over the whole hall, she looked towards the door to see Harry Potter had entered. Her core had dampened and her nipples had hardened. It was an involuntary reaction from her body to his presence, her body had recognized its owner, her magic throbbing and pulsing to meet its other half.