Chapter 18 - Back to Hogwarts

Harry sighed at the familiar warmth of Hogwarts Castle as he made his way from Myrtle's bathroom to the Great Hall for the start of term feast, with its array of tapestries and portraits, winding corridors and trick staircases. There was always something astonishingly magical waiting around each corner, from the enchanted suits of armour (that occasionally kicked the crap out of each other) to the random rooms you might find on familiar corridors but for some reason had never shown up when you'd passed through before. He couldn't deny it, he loved being back in that crazy place and was very much looking forward to the feast.

The Hogwarts Express usually arrived at Hogsmeade at about eight pm, so that was when Harry had said his goodbyes to Sirius and the Weasleys and portkeyed to the Chamber of Secrets, thinking he would have just enough time to make his own way up the chute and to the Great Hall before the students started arriving. Thankfully, the portrait of Slytherin had told him he could just ask the chute for stairs rather than having to try to fly up it on his Firebolt or something. Harry's timing had been perfect, and he arrived in front of the open door of the Great Hall just before the first Hogwarts students filtered towards him through the Entrance Hall. Harry leaned against the wall next to the main doors and waited for Ron and Hermione to come through. He didn't have to wait too long, presumably because Hermione would've hurried Ron along, knowing he would be waiting for them.

"Hiya mate," Ron said, while Hermione waved, and they fell into their familiar step and made their way into the Great Hall to take their seats at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey," Harry replied, "How was the train?"

"Boring without you, to be honest, Malfoy didn't even make his annual visit," Ron said.

"That kind of boring is the kind I like," Hermione said, taking a seat opposite them, "It meant I could read my book in peace."

"Yeah and ignore me the whole way," Ron grumped.

"When you're more interesting than an arithmancy textbook, Ronald, I'll stop ignoring you," Hermione replied with a smirk.

"Alright ladies?" said the familiar voice of Seamus Finnegan as he approached, with Neville and Dean in tow. Harry, Ron and Hermione chorused their greeting as the newcomers sat next to them.

"Had a good summer everyone?" Neville asked, "I heard you have, Harry."

"You too, Neville," Harry replied smirking, "I hope you enjoyed my birthday present."

Neville blushed and sat down with the others watching the different students coming in. Dean and Seamus were doing their annual 'Inspection of the Talent', as they called it and at Hermione's indignation had once again reiterated how important it was for them to see how the lovely ladies of Hogwarts now looked after the summer. There was only one girl Harry was waiting to see, and he didn't have to wait too long. He'd been ever so jittery about seeing her again, excited to see what their "new normal" of Hogwarts life would be like this year. Weirdly, there was a small part of him that still didn't quite believe it and feared that their relationship would be nothing different from the moment she entered, that her previous mask of indifference would still be well and truly in place.

"Here she comes," Dean said lowly, "Best arse in the school, I hate these damn robes, you can't see anything."

Daphne came strolling through the Great Hall, clad in her Hogwarts robes, long golden hair draped over her shoulders, casting her eyes around the room.

"Yeah and an amazing chest and pair of legs but there's no point even tryin'" commented Seamus. She's called the Ice Queen for a reason."

Then Daphne's eyes met Harry's, and they smiled at each other.

"If anyone can thaw her heart, it's Harry," said Hermione, grinning while looking up from her book.

"Don't tell me the papers were right, Harry," Seamus said, with an excited but suspicious smile.

"Alright, I won't then," Harry replied with a smirk.

"Harry, mate, come on, share the gossip." pressed Seamus.

"Oooh there's gossip," said Lavender, the last of their year to take her seat, "Sharing is caring!"

"Well it seems like Harry here might be -"

But the hall fell silent and at least for now Harry was given a welcome reprieve as the Sorting Hat opened the rip at its brim and commenced its annual song. It was entertaining as usual, much more so than watching the sorting itself, but Harry clapped along as each of the first years was called forward by McGonagall and sorted into their various houses.

Mid-sorting, Hermione leaned over to him and whispered "Isn't that Malfoy's mum?" and nodded towards the head tables. Surely enough, sat next to Snape, was Narcissa Malfoy.

"Defence?" Harry mouthed, to which Hermione shrugged. Their suspicions were confirmed soon enough though when Professor Dumbledore stood up to commence his start-of-term speech.

"Welcome all, to another year at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said, "Before we all tuck into yet another delicious feast, I have several start-of-term announcements. Firstly I must remind you that Forbidden Forest remains out of bounds, as it holds a variety of creatures capable of setting one free of this mortal coil. Mr Filch has once more updated the list of banned items which will be posted on the noticeboards in your house common rooms. This year, we once again have a new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher. The position will be held by Lady Narcissa Malfoy, please treat her with the respect that she deserves as the Lady of a House of noble standing. Now, one last thing. I will give a hundred house points to the house that brings me the most bags of sherbet lemons by week's end. One can never have enough. Now, let the feast begin.

Harry didn't think he would ever get used to the sight of so much delicious food appearing all at once in front of him as it so often did at Hogwarts. He was very hungry. The conversation at the Gryffindor table was of course mainly people catching up about what they'd done over the holidays. Seamus and Dean grilled him on what it was like in Diagon Alley that day, but Neville, seemingly having quite a bit more confidence these days, told them to remember that over seventy people still died and that the topic was not suitable for dinner conversation. As desserts were served, Angelina shouted over that she'd been made captain of the Quidditch team, and would be holding tryouts for the keeper position this week. Ron's ears pricked up at this, and he asked Harry if he thought he should try out. Harry told Ron to go for it, but if Harry were honest he wasn't really bothered about Quidditch this year. He planned to play the first game against Slytherin, to honour the bet with Draco that had been made at the party, but he'd been considering leaving the team after that. Harry was just tucking into a second slice of Treacle Tart when Professor McGonagall approached from behind him.

"Lord Slytherin-Potter," the Deputy Headteacher said in her Scottish brogue, "Professor Dumbledore requested for me to ask you to wait outside the hall after the feast."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry replied, "And call me Harry."

McGonagall pursed her lips in a slight smile, nodded and walked further down the bench to speak to some of her other students.

About ten minutes later Dumbledore announced the feast was over and requested the Prefects lead everyone to their house dormitories. Hermione was in her element and pretty much had to drag Ron from the table, who complained that he still wasn't done after his third portion of sticky toffee pudding and custard. Harry waited for everyone to leave before leaving himself to wait for Dumbledore in the corridor.

"Hello Harry, my boy," The Headmaster said, as only the teachers were now filtering out of the Great Hall, "It's good to see you here. I apologise for making you miss the train. I know it's a wonderful way to catch up with your friends about the happenings of the holidays."

They started walking towards the Entrance Hall as Harry replied, "Not a problem, Professor, I understand the reasons, though I wondered why you didn't just ask to meet me in your office."

"Well, I simply wanted to show you something, and there are a few things we need to discuss," Albus replied.

"Ah, yes, I wanted to talk to you about the column," Harry said.

"We should not. Not yet, let us get to where we are going." Dumbledore replied. They strolled in silence through the Entrance Hall, and rather than turning left to go up a staircase towards the Grand Staircase and either Dumbledore's office or Gryffindor Tower, they turned right and began to walk down towards the dungeons. It wasn't long before Harry recognised where they were and turned his head to the Headmaster with a questioning look.

"I hesitate to ask how you know that we're outside the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, my boy, but alas, here we are," the Headmaster said, "The password for this term is "Heritage."

As he spoke, the bare stretch of stone wall moved and the archway to the common room was revealed. Dumbledore said nothing and began to walk down a half spiral staircase that led down from the archway into the common room proper.

"Why are we here, sir?" asked Harry.

"You are Lord Slytherin-Potter now," Dumbledore said, "And so while you will attend your classes with Gryffindor, you will not be staying in Gryffindor tower."

"I don't have the best relationship with a lot of the Slytherins, Professor," Harry said.

"I understand that, but this will be a good opportunity to remedy that and allow you to spend more time with Miss Greengrass," Dumbledore replied.

They then turned a corner and Dumbledore led him into the main common room, where many of the Slytherins were mingling and chatting, that is until Harry and Dumbledore entered. Harry caught the eyes of Daphne, Draco, and Tracey, who were looking at him confusedly while many others just stared. Harry caught sight of a tall, sandy-haired boy sneering and beginning to reach into his pocket before another gave the boy a nudge. A palpable tension filled the room and Harry felt quite nervous as Dumbledore led him past several students and to a large tapestry to the right. The headmaster waved his hand and the tapestry rolled up like a scroll from base to top, revealing a grand oak door adorned with a silver plaque of a snake. As the tapestry reached the top, the silver snake slithered from its plaque, moving down and left before it turned into a door handle.

"In future, you must ask the tapestry to open in Parseltongue. Only you and I have the ability to open this room." Dumbledore announced, loud enough for those warily watching in silence to hear him, "After you, Harry."

Harry pushed open the door to his new bedroom and after first being greeted by a short passageway, lit by a single torch, stepped into what was clearly the rich splendour of the bedroom of his founding ancestor. A large window to the right would give a view beneath the lake in the daytime, but with it being night, the light of several pale-lit torches was the main source of illumination. In the centre was a large four-poster bed, with a luxurious green bedspread. The dark bedposts were adorned with the spiralling forms of snakes, whose heads formed at the tops before merging into the top frame from which hung fine silver curtains. To his right, there was a door to an en-suite bathroom as well as an empty bookcase, a desk, his new monogrammed trunk and a wardrobe and chest of drawers for him to place his clothes. Around the large bay window to the left was a small seating area with a low coffee table, a large pale green sofa and a cushioned armchair. Harry could scarcely believe this was all his, but he wasn't sure about having to come into the Slytherin common room to go to bed every night.

"Quite the room, isn't it, my boy?" Dumbledore asked, before walking over to sit in the armchair by the window, "I believe you also wanted to discuss some things with me, but first I wanted to ask something of you. I informed Madam Pomfrey of your work in healing, and after your assistance with Miss Greengrass last term she agreed to offer to train you in the art of healing if you so desire. If you remember, it was her who recommended the medical textbook to me for your birthday gift."

"Really?" Harry said, smiling in surprise, "I would love that Professor."

"Wonderful, I had hoped as such. She asked me to request that the day after tomorrow, after classes, for you to go and see her in the few hours before the feast."

"I'll be there, Professor."

"Good. Now, I believe you said you had some things you wanted to discuss?"

Yes, Professor," Harry replied, walking over to sit opposite him on his new, but very old luxurious sofa, "There are a couple of things. First, do you have any news about the next article?"

"Ah yes," Dumbledore replied, sitting back, "I've approved it and sent it to Amelia who of course now must also approve it as you are now technically a voice within the Ministry. I'm sure it will be in the Prophet any day now. I wouldn't have sent it to her in its current state if I didn't think the Minister would approve it as well."

"Brilliant," Harry said.

"Anything else?"

"Narcissa Malfoy as Defence teacher was a bit of a surprise," Harry said.

"It was to me too," Dumbledore agreed, "I had a candidate in mind but was overruled by the Board of Governors. I'm afraid Voldemort found a way to threaten them into letting Lady Malfoy take the position."

"So she's here as a spy then," said Harry.

"Oh very much so, but that doesn't mean we can't feed her a little bit of…false information," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, "Once you're settled a bit more in this common room I'm sure I can have you discuss quite a few more "confidential" things within earshot of a few, shall we say…darker inclined students. On that note, there are a few in here who were directly affected by your actions over the summer. Tread carefully and do not go anywhere without your wand. As Lord of the House of Slytherin, you are exempt from detentions and also have same the responsibilities as the Head Boy. Rest assured that you won't get in trouble if you feel the need to defend yourself, or others, from the likes of Draco Malfoy, perhaps, but I must ask that you not cause permanent injury if at all possible. Remember, we must exercise restraint."

"Professor, I think Draco may be a little less "dark-inclined" than previously thought. We had an interesting chat over the summer. Without his father's influence and more of his mother's, I think he could act quite differently this year."

"I see. Well, I will look forward to observing him in due course, then. It is always heartening when one previously thought of as lost to the darkness is brought towards the light," Dumbledore replied before stretching and getting to his feet, "And with that, I must be going. The sheets of my own bed are calling and I'm afraid I've got three letters to write before I can allow myself to slip betwixt them."

"Okay, Professor," Harry said, "See you later."

Dumbledore nodded and a moment later Harry was left in his new room. It felt weird being here and not in Gryffindor Tower. He wondered what Ron, Hermione and the others might be saying. Surely they'd be discussing the reasons why he thought he wasn't there. He walked over to his trunk, pushed a button engraved with a small number "1" and opened it, thinking about how Ron would surely be annoyed by Harry getting a room all to himself. Harry guessed he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

The 1st of the five "trunks" within his new trunk, Harry had filled mainly with clothes and he began to hang up his various sets of school robes in his wardrobe and unpack his various items of muggle clothing as well as his boxers and socks into the chest of drawers next to it. When he was finished he sat on his bed, feeling quite alone. Maybe he should go and see if Daphne was still in the common room? He decided against it. It had felt quite tense out there and it was already pretty late. Instead, he opened the second part of his trunk and unpacked his Memorandus tablet. To his pleasant surprise, he could see Daphne writing to him in real-time, so he fished a quill out of his trunk and lay on his bed with his tablet and quill in his lap, ready to have a conversation.

– *As before - Daphne in italics, Harry in bold.* –

So are you going to tell me what that was all about?

Well, it turns out I'm not staying in Gryffindor Tower from now on. I'm in Salazar Slytherin's Personal Quarters.

I had an inkling it was something like that. What are they like?

Lovely. It's about as big as your bedroom, lots of fancy furniture, en suite bathroom and this bed is HUGE!

Nice! I might come and join you at some point…

I like the sound of that.

I thought you might.

Listen. If you're staying down here you need to be careful. There was a compartment filled with eight of the older lads, all who are clearly working with the Dark Lord if they aren't Death Eaters already. Two of them are Liam Avery and Dominicus Yaxley, both in their seventh year. I don't need to tell you who their fathers were and what you did to them at the Ministry.

Got it. Thanks for the warning. Constant Vigilance as Moody would say.

Right…

Just as a point of curiosity, was Draco in there with them?

No actually. He was in my compartment with me, Tracey, Astoria, Blaise and Millicent. It was how we found out about them. Six of them stood outside our compartment while Liam and Dominicus came in, grilled me about if I knew where you were and then offered for Draco to join them. Draco refused and said he was spending time with his girlfriend.

Wow, so they're together then? And what did you tell those seventh years?

Apparently so, though Astoria kept it quiet from us. And I just told them you were already at school. They disappeared sharply after that.

Probably to send an owl to someone and tell them I wasn't on the train.

That was my thinking as well. Probably a good idea for you not to travel with us after all.

Definitely

So…maybe wait a little before you come into the common room to go down for breakfast in the morning.

No need, I'll just portkey into the Chamber and walk to the Great Hall again, dunno how that will work on a night though.

Good plan. Anyway, I'm really tired and writing this by wandlight. I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we'll have a class together. Night, I love you xxx

I hope so. Night, I love you too xxx


Harry was very nearly late to breakfast the next morning, though it wasn't for the reason Daphne had suggested. It was instead because of the incredible night's sleep Harry'd had. He'd still woken in the night from one of his regular dreams about the Ministry but had less trouble getting back to sleep, purely because his bed was so damn comfy, like sleeping on a cloud.

He'd been quite peeved when he did get to the Great Hall however, because Ron's first greeting wasn't "Hiya mate" or "Hi mate, how's it going?" as usual, but instead his best mate gave a slight sneer and greeted him with "Where the bloody hell were you last night?"

Ron's sneer had deepened when Harry had explained about his new sleeping quarters, and it wasn't until Harry said that it was quite lonely being there in Slytherin all by himself and that he would've preferred it in Gryffindor Tower that Ron was able to school his expression. After a hearty breakfast, McGonagall worked down the Gryffindor table, handing out their schedules as she did every year, and Harry found that he had double Potions with Slytherin in the morning and Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins in the afternoon. Of course, Ron had groaned at this, but Harry's mood brightened, thinking he might at least get to spend some time with Daphne that day.

Potions with Snape, to begin with, wasn't that bad. The bat-like teacher had given them a short speech on how the workload for OWLs this year was beyond anything they had done before and he expected half of "you dunderheads" to be lucky to get a D. Then he set them all to brewing their first potion of the year, the Draught of Peace, which he expected very few of them to brew perfectly. Harry, unfortunately, didn't get the opportunity to work with Daphne as he'd hoped. She was already sitting next to Tracey when he entered, but she gave him a soft smile and a little wave, which unfortunately got her the first five points from Slytherin she'd ever had in Snape's class, for what he described as "a warning to not let arrogant distractions stop her from producing her usually exemplary work." Harry didn't want to get Daphne in any more trouble, so he kept his head down and worked as diligently as he could. Today, Ron, who was still in a mood with him, had chosen to sit with Neville, which was a good thing for Harry as he got to work with Hermione, but a bad thing for Neville and Ron. After class, Hermione said that she thought it was going well for them, but then Ron had forgotten to add enough powdered Moonstone and Snape simply vanished the potion in its entirety, saying that their grade was a "T, for the troll-brains that you are." This had left Ron in a distinctly bad mood and he didn't speak to them at all through lunch.

Their next class, which Harry was anticipating the most was Defence Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Malfoy. After all, it was his favourite subject, but Harry wasn't sure that Narcissa would be up for the task of teaching, or how she might behave towards him.

It was because of this that Harry upon entering the classroom, chose to take a seat at the back of the classroom, not wanting to draw attention to himself. It wasn't until the students were all seated that Narcissa walked in, her thin, white-blonde hair floating slightly as she walked and the pre-class chatter abated.

She waved her wand and from her desk floated a pile of textbooks, each distributing itself to a student of the class. The thick blue tomes were embossed with gold title text that read, "Arcane Protection for Duelling and Home Defence, by Ursula Enfortard."

"My apologies for this title not being on your reading list, class," Professor Malfoy said in a high, posh tone, "For I did not receive confirmation of my position here until after the letters were sent. As such, I have purchased these books for you all."

Hermione, who was sat on Harry's right, wasted no time in pulling open the front cover to search for a contents page.

"This year will be your OWL year, and while I am aware that you had a very competent teacher last term who was well-versed in dark magics, this year we have a lot to cover. There will be homework twice a week, after every class. Now, I'm sure many of you are aware of the actions of my husband and so we will get this out of the way first. Regardless of what you have heard of my husband's…affiliations, I take your education seriously. Whether the Dark Lord wins or loses the magical population must be able to defend themselves, must be made of capable witches and wizards or we are no better than squibs."

"Or muggleborns," Draco added aloud to the class, looking behind him and sneering at Hermione, who looked as if she was about to say something in return but she caught sight of Harry slightly shaking his head to the left of her and stayed quiet.

"That's five points from Slytherin, Heir Malfoy, for speaking out of turn in my class," Narcissa called, giving her son a challenging look before continuing to address the class, "This will be standard for all students. You get two chances. Speak out of turn in my class, you lose five points. Do it again, you get detention. A third time, you leave the class. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Professor Malfoy," the class intoned.

"Good. Now, turn your books to page three. For the first half of this term, we will be working on spells used for defence that can be added to lend protection to a particular location. Can somebody give me an example?"

"You mean like wards?" asked Pansy.

"No, Heir Parkinson, something that can be cast with a wand, and please raise your hand before speaking in the classroom."

Harry raised his hand.

"Yes, Lord Slytherin-Potter?"

"The caterwauling charm," Harry said.

"Very good, and what is it used for?" Narcissa asked.

"It sets a boundary around a place and when someone steps within the area an alarm goes off."

"Correct, ten points to Gryffindor."

Harry and Hermione looked at each other in surprise.

"Can someone give me another one?" Narcissa asked. Several hands shot up at this point and Narcissa gave a small smile, "Heir Greengrass?"

"Salvio Hexia, Professor." Daphne said, from three seats ahead of Harry, "It's used around an area to protect it to deflect hexes."

"Very good, ten points to Slytherin. And one more question. Who can tell me the limitations of these charms? Miss Granger?"

"Some location-based spells that are cast with a wand, aside from dispelling when the caster leaves the area after a short period of time, are also based on a person's magical core. They can drain the caster as long as they remain active."

"Well done, that's another ten points to Gryffindor. Now, we're going to discuss the spell that we will be practising in class today, Cave Inimicum."

For the next forty minutes, Professor Malfoy then gave a very detailed lecture on casting the charm, which would produce a boundary that would keep the caster and all within it hidden from view. She went through everything from incantation to wand movements and even added a sprinkle of arithmantic theory and gave some more unusual examples of when the spell could be used. After she was finished, she asked the class to pack their things away and line up against the back wall before she floated all the desks to one side of the classroom, in a similar fashion to what Professor Lupin had done with their class on the Boggart in their third year.

"Very well then," Narcissa intoned, "This is how quite a few of our practical portions of our classes will take place. You will put yourselves in alphabetical order, and when I call out your name, you will stand before the class and cast the spell. If you succeed, you gain a point for your house. If you do not, your house will lose a point. I will be ticking off who succeeded and who didn't on my list, which I will have at the next class. At the beginning of our next class, you will attempt the spell again. If you can cast it, you will get two points for your house. If you can't, you lose a further eight. Is that clear?"

Some very surprised looks were sent between both the Slytherins and the Gryffindors but all called out "Yes, Professor Malfoy."

"Good. First up is Lavender Brown"

And so one by one they all went forward to cast the spell, while Narcissa stood with her students at the back of the classroom. The vast majority of the students were able to cast the spell, including Harry, Daphne, Tracey and Hermione. Even Neville managed to cast it to, quite a few people's surprise and Harry gave him a little pat on the back when he returned to the lineup. When the Professor called for Draco, he managed to cast it the first time as well, but Ron spoke out of turn, whispering to Seamus that of course, he would've been able to cast it and that he bet Professor Malfoy even taught him the spell before the class. Narcissa, of course, heard everything and wasted no time in giving Ron his first detention of the year. What's more, when it was Ron's turn to cast, he failed spectacularly, much to Draco and several other Slytherins' delight.

When they'd all finished, Professor Malfoy stood once more before them all.

"You've done well today, class," she said, "Those who did not cast the spell correctly will get the opportunity to try again at the double class on Friday. The surnames of those people are Brown, Bulstrode, Goyle, Parkinson, Patil and Weasley. Please practice the spell and if you are still struggling, ask one of the others to help you. Furthermore, for Friday's lesson, all of you, not just those six, will bring me this week's assignment, which will be twelve inches on the location-based protection spell of your choice, though it can't be any of the spells in your new textbooks. That's everything. Draco, wait here I need to speak to you."

Picking up his bag, Harry joined Ron, Hermione and Neville as they left the classroom, but he asked them to wait for a second once they'd gotten outside.

"Do we have to?" said Ron, "I'd rather spend as little time outside that bitch's classroom as necessary."

"Honestly, Ronald, what did you expect?" Hermione pointed out, "She was fair in her class, you insulted her integrity in front of everyone."

"Whatever," Ron snapped and leaned moodily against a stone column, looking away from them.

"Neville!" a voice called, and Harry, Hermione and Neville turned to see Daphne, Tracey and Blaise stepping out of the Defence classroom. Tracey darted towards Neville, who smiled and wrapped her in a hug, before giving her a rather intense kiss.

"Woah, guys," said Daphne, walking to Harry and giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek before reaching out for his hand, "Keep it in your pants, alright?"

Tracey broke the kiss and rolled her eyes at her best friend, but took Neville's hand in hers and all of them started to walk down the corridor.

"Ugh, first we had Harry and Daphne and now Neville and…Tracey was it?" said Ron, grumpily slinging his bag over his shoulder, "What's next? Hermione and Malfoy?"

"Nah, Draco's with Astoria," said Blaise, "But I wouldn't mind a shot with the smartest witch in school."

Hermione blushed right to her ears and stuttered…"B-Blaise, I'm flattered…but we've got OWLs this year and…"

"So would you like to do some homework together soon? I could meet you in the library after classes sometime?" Blaise asked.

"I'd…I think I'd like that." Hermione replied.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Ron moaned and turned a sharp left down a corridor that was not in the direction they were all going. Harry and Daphne just looked at each other in understanding. They'd spoken a few times on the tablet over the summer about how if Ron didn't book his ideas up someone would ruin any chances he had with Hermione soon.

There was a lot of pointing and whispering going on as they walked down the corridor before a voice came from behind them.

"I knew it! You did tame the Ice Queen," called Seamus, who was walking with Dean, Lavender and Parvati.

Harry stopped dead on the spot and the others did in turn.

"Seamus, I'm asking you to please not call her that," Harry said to Seamus, looking at him seriously.

"Alright, alright, I meant no offence," said Seamus, holding his hands up. Daphne gave Harry's hand a short squeeze in appreciation.

"Does that mean you and Daphne are together now, Harry?" asked Lavender, who was looking somehow torn at having something to gossip about and looking slightly peeved.

"It does," said Daphne sharply, "And I saw how you were looking at him in class, Lavender, so hands off."

"Ugh fine," Lavender replied, and then muttering to Parvati said, "All that growing up he's done over the summer and I don't even get a shot with him."

"That's right you don't," said Daphne, hearing the muttered words.

"Did it sound like I was talking to you?" asked Lavender, testily.

"Guys, cool it alright?" said Neville, "Let's not get into an argument on the first day."

"He's right," said Tracey, "It's been a good first day and we've got a few hours to spend before dinner. What do you wanna do?"

"Well I wanted to ask Daphne if she wanted to go to the library and work on our project," said Hermione.

"Sounds like fun," Daphne replied, I'll need to go to my dorm to grab my notes. Meet you there in twenty?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Hermione with a smile.

Blaise said something about wanting to get a quick start on his homework and Neville and Tracey announced they were going to go for a walk around the greenhouses.

"Harry, what are you gonna do?" asked Daphne.

Harry shrugged, "Probably go and do some training. Work on that spell I showed you at the end of the holidays. I'll see you in the common room after the feast."

Daphne smiled and nodded, before giving him a quick peck before heading off with Hermione and the rest of the group down towards the Entrance hall and library. As they were already near the second floor, Harry didn't bother portkeying to the chamber and decided to just go in via Myrtle's bathroom.


Several hours later, Daphne had left the feast with Tracey and headed back to her room, wanting to refresh her makeup before she met Harry in the Slytherin Common Room. The feast had been weird for her. She usually had quite a few of the boys staring, but news travelled fast in Hogwarts, so with the fact that seemingly every other person had stared at her at some point through dinner, she surmised that everybody knew about her and Harry's relationship by that point. Pansy hadn't spoken a word to her, so she'd just had to endure Neville and Tracey giving each other goo-goo eyes from across the Great Hall and had talked quietly with Millicent about the homework that Snape had assigned them - twelve inches on the uses of Syrup of Hellebore. Potions was always something she found easy, having the family business being a chain of apothecaries would do that.

Happy with her reapplied makeup, she ran her fingers through her hair and made her way down into the common room. Astoria was sitting on Draco's lap by the fire. Millicent and Pansy were gossiping off in a corner, while Blaise sat at a table, trying in vain to finish his homework while Tracey was busy chatting at him, asking him what he thought about Neville. Daphne started to walk over, looking to save Blaise from the discussion about her best friend's new obsession when a voice called from the staircase.

"Oi! Heir Greengrass! Stay where you are!"

It was the eight sixth and seventh years that had invaded their compartment from the train, and it was Dominicus Yaxley, a beefy boy with a thinning tuft of moustache hair who led the group towards them, stopping less than a metre away. Daphne instantly schooled her expression and stood still, grasping her wand in her pocket, while her heart began to thump in her chest. The room went quiet.

"What is it that we hear about you being in a relationship with my father's killer?" Yaxley said, glaring at her.

"And mine," said Liam Avery, a tall sneering student with a hooked nose and thin straw-like hair.

Tracey was instantly at her side.

"What of it?" asked Daphne, narrowing her eyes.

"Well is it true?" asked Yaxley.

"Yes, Harry is my boyfriend. Is that a problem?" Daphne asked, projecting a voice that was much less nervous than she felt.

"Of course, it's a fucking problem," snapped Liam Avery, "Have you no fucking respect?"

"For Death Eaters or the sons of them? Absolutely not," said Tracey at her side.

"You shut your damn mouth, you half-blood whore. I've heard you're going with Heir Longbottom as well." called another tall Slytherin from the back of the group.

"You don't talk to my sister or Tracey like that," said Astoria, getting up from Draco's lap at the fireplace and raising her wand, "Step away from them both, now."

"What are you gonna do? Hurt us with your little third-year spells. Can you even cast a stunner?" Yaxley called with a sneer, raising his wand at her, making Daphne and Tracey draw their own."

"I'll be casting a lot worse than stunners if you try to hurt Astoria," said Draco, standing and raising his wand to Yaxley.

"You, Malfoy?" said Avery, "Now I am surprised. Going against your own father. The Dark Lord will not be pleased."

"I'm defending my girlfriend, who is defending her sister, you moron," Draco said through gritted teeth.

"Her sister who has chosen to stand with Heir Slytherin-Potter against the Dark Lord." Avery replied, "I wonder how the Dark Lord might reward me for bringing him our new resident's girlfriend."

A voice called from the top of the stairs entrance to the common room, and as Daphne saw the glow in Harry's eyes, she couldn't help but smirk.

"You better drop your wands and take a big fucking step back." called Harry, "Or you'll meet the same end as your fathers."