A/N: I have no excuse for this tardy update. I found another manwha to read and I've been engrossed in it. But then this site decided to throw all the alerts it hadn't sent out yet to me at once and it was like a sign to get back to writing so I finished two chapters in one go. You'll get the other with a delay, though.
Enjoy!

But yet sufficient for us left

Chapter 20

The rest of the day had been interesting, to say the least. The Slytherins didn't seem to know what to make of Harry's progress in Transfiguration. There were a few feeble attempts to mock his fleeting feathery state but it was obvious that none of their hearts were into it. No, in their hearts of hearts, they were jealous, Harry knew. He could sense it as clear as day. A Slytherin was nothing if not ambitious and it was clear to everyone that becoming an Animagus was no small feat. And it was very useful when it came to sneaking around. Unless you were a lion or something, of course.

As McGonagall had predicted, Snape knew just the spell to prevent Harry's moulting feathers to fall into his potion. When Harry had entered the classroom, he had looked him over and had asked 'Accident or intentional?' When Harry explained that it was because of their Animagus classes, Snape had merely nodded, cast the spell and let Harry be.

There was no praise for the fifty points Harry had gotten but for all he knew, the dour man hadn't seen the hourglasses yet.

At least the feathers were completely gone by supper time so Harry could eat in peace.

"I do wonder what animal you will turn into, Harry," Daphne had said, trying to strike up a conversation again. A few of her friends chuckled and Daphne shot them a nasty look.

Harry ignored her and focused on Hermione who was sitting at the next table over. She was also eating – which Harry was happy to see – and casting furtive glances in Harry's direction. Whenever their eyes met, Harry tried to smile at her to put her at ease, but her gaze never lingered. She certainly seemed awfully nervous. Harry supposed that she didn't know just how much he knew. In her mind, she needed to share this big secret with one of her best friends. Harry knew what that felt like and he wondered if today was the day to reciprocate. If she could put her trust in him, surely, he could do the same for her.

Harry didn't want to admit it, but it would be nice to have some emotional support around Christmas from someone that was not Snape. No matter how well-intended he wasnow, it was still hard to feel at ease with him.

When Hermione finally got up, so did Harry. He glanced at Snape – who was looking at him – and gestured subtly in Hermione's direction. Snape nodded once, signalling that he understood. Harry took that as permission and walked over to the waiting Ravenclaw.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

"The astronomy tower?" Hermione offered. "I like the breeze."

They shared an amicable silence on the way up. It almost felt like old times again in which words weren't even necessary. There was no awkwardness and no need to fill the void with empty small talk. For now, they were just content existing next to each other while taking a leisurely walk towards their goal.

"I've missed this," Harry said when they were almost at the top. "When people are too quiet in Slytherin, it always means that something is up."

Hermione chuckled. "I know what you mean," she said. "You would think that Ravenclaws would be quiet but they never are. It's always debates, study sessions, tutoring,… Honestly, I can't even get a moment of peace in my own room."

"Sounds exhausting," Harry said.

Hermione nodded, her expression suddenly sullen. They scaled the final steps to find themselves in the tower. Luckily, it was completely empty. It was not yet late enough for the stars to peek through but the sun was already low in the sky, subtly colouring the clouds. The gentle breeze brought a kind comfort against the last days of sunshine. It was both foreboding of a winter Harry was not looking forward to and a beautiful ending to the life he had and the person he was up until this point.

Hermione leaned with her elbows on the balcony, overlooking the school grounds. Harry took the same pose next to her.

"I know you've been struggling," he said, trying to ease her into the conversation. "Ron noticed it first and talked to me about it."

Hermione sighed. "He tried to talk to me too," she replied. "But I didn't care to make time for him. Just like I ignored you, before. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"What's going on with you?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure," Hermione said. There was a pain in her voice that Harry didn't recognise to be hers. Itshouldn'tbe hers. "I just wanted to do my best, you know?" She was wringing her hands together. "I know it's not nice to think this way but I'm used to being the best of my class. In Gryffindor, I never faltered. But Ravenclaws operate on a whole different level."

Hermione started to pinch the skin next to her fingernails. She seemed so anxious but she found the courage to continue.

"I need to be the best," she said. "I'm muggleborn and some people never let me live it down. I have to study twice as hard and be twice as good to even get noticed. If I'm not the best of my class, I feel like I'll just… disappear."

"Hermione," Harry said softly. "Stop." She was starting to draw blood on her fingers so Harry took her hand into his. "There's no need to cause yourself this kind of pain. It doesn't matter how good some of the Ravenclaws are, you will always be the brightest witch of your age. And more importantly, you'll always be my friend."

Hermione sniffed miserably. "But I've been a horrible friend," she said. The tears she had been holding back were now starting to fall. "I don't know what to do, Harry. I don't want to lose you and Ron but I also don't want to let my parents down. Going to Hogwarts is not inexpensive, you know?"

"Aren't your parents dentists?" Harry asked a bit too callously.

"That doesn't mean it's right to waste their money!" Hermione said.

"Who said you're wasting anything?" Harry asked. "You are asking way too much of yourself. What would you think if I suddenly started doing what you're doing?"

"I know, alright?!" Hermione yelled as she pulled her hand back. "I know it's not okay. It was made clear by Professor Flitwick, in any case. He took away my time-turnerandmy extra classes."

Harry frowned. "Er… I'm not sure what that means," he said blankly.

Hermione sighed. "Never mind," she said softly. "Let's just say they don't want me to study as much anymore."

"I know you're bummed about that right now," Harry said. "And it doesn't feel fair but everyone just wants you to be okay. I'm just happy to see that you're taking care of yourself again."

Hermione looked down, seemingly embarrassed. "Thanks," she said softly.

Harry smiled at her. "If you ever need my help with something, or you just want a friend to kill the time with, I'm your guy, okay?"

"Thanks, Harry," she said. "I really do appreciate that."

They stood next to each other in silence for a while, gazing at the sun as it set. Once the final rays disappeared behind the horizon and the first stars came out, Harry balled up his fists and steeled his resolve.

"There's something I need to talk to you about as well," he said.

Hermione frowned when she saw how tense Harry was. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know how to say this," Harry said. "I don't even know where to begin but I have to tell someone."

"Is this about what you wanted to tell me that time in the Ravenclaw common room?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed. He really wanted to do this. Now was the perfect time. But he couldn't help but feel his heart get heavy. He really didn't want his friends to treat him differently after all of this.

"Harry?"

A soft hand engulfed his own and he finally released his fist.

Harry took a couple of deep breaths before finally looking closely at one of his best friends. In her eyes, he saw nothing but kindness and compassion. Patience and understanding. He knew that she would be good about this.

"It's about my home," he said. "And about my family. And I'll tell you now that you won't like this story very much."

If she understood what she meant, she didn't show it. Instead, she leaned into the breeze and looked at him expectantly. Her eyes were still a bit puffy from her own confession and there were still tear streaks staining her cheeks. But right now, she was just showing up for Harry.

"They hurt me," Harry blurted out. Because that was the gist of it. The essence he was really fighting against sharing. But once that was out, he felt so relieved. Hermione looked horrified, though. If only Harry could say something to make her feel better about that but only a lie could do that for her.

"And not just once or twice," Harry continued. "It was a daily thing, I'd say. Especially my uncle but my aunt wasn't innocent either. They would hit me, not feed me often and sometimes lock me up. I could never really do anything to stop them."

Hermione seemed to want to hug him but she was keeping herself at bay. It was obvious that she was trying to stay calm and collected for Harry but the sadness and horror in her eyes were hard to keep hidden.

"The real problem is," Harry then said, "that Snape found out. He didn't mean to, I suppose but he does this thing where every Slytherin needs to go through a check-up every year and since I ended up there, I had no choice in the matter. He madethatvery clear."

Harry tried to muster up anger for that fact but found it hard to come by.

"Anyway," he said. "He found out and is trying to get me away, I guess. I don't think it'll be that easy but at least he's trying. The real problem is what's going to happen during the Christmas break."

"What's going to happen?" Hermione asked. Her voice was barely a whisper but it was still obvious that it was trembling.

"Well," Harry said. "Apparently I have a few injuries that were healed with my magic back in the day but they didn't heal correctly. Snape and Pomfrey want to heal all of those during Christmas break but it will take a week at least and it won't be… pleasant, I suppose."

Hermione was crying again, though this time it was for him, Harry supposed.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Harry then said. "But I think I'm going to need a friend here during that week. Only having Snape there for me will be too awkward. And I just… I need your help. So, please –"

"Oh, Harry, of course!" Hermione said. She didn't hold herself back any longer and hugged Harry close. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you before. I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"I understand," Harry said. "You had your own thing going on."

"That's no excuse," Hermione said, her voice slightly muffled because her face was buried in Harry's chest. "If I had known, I would never have –" She sobbed. "Is there anything else I can do for you? The Professors probably didn't think about calling the police. My parents could help with that."

"No, don't do that," Harry said, taking a step back to look his friend in the eye. "I don't need this kind of thing to leak out. And I really don't want you telling anyone about this. Not even your parents. Not Ron either. Not until I tell him myself, alright?"

"Of course, Harry," Hermione said easily. "Whatever you want. I just really hate the idea that thosebastardswill get away with this."

Harry shrugged. "They usually do," he said. "Even if we told the police, they would likely just send them away with a sob story about how horrible I really am. I'd rather just skip that part altogether. Besides, they'll be that much angrier when I go back this summer."

"Didn't you just say that Professor Snape was trying to get you out of there?" Hermione asked. "Why would you expect to go back there?"

"Because I'm a special case," Harry said. "Because Voldemort is after me and because the adults never believe me when push comes to shove. And let's face it, Snape's always believed me to be an arrogant troublemaker so he'll likely be swayed easily."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Hermione asked.

Honestly, Harry didn't. And it felt kind of wrong to talk about Snape like that after everything that happened.

"Maybe not," Harry confessed. "But it still feels that way."

Hermione nodded sagely. "That, I can understand. But Harry, if you would have to go back, you can be damn sure that I'll come and get you. I don't care what anyone else says, you'll be staying with me!"

"But Voldemort-"

"And I'll personally end Voldemort – in whatever form he decides to show upthistime - if he dares to intervene!"

Harry chuckled.There was Hermione's furious personality. She might have been down in the dumps – and probably still somewhat is – but she would go to war for Harry in an instant.

"Thank you," Harry said.

Hermione took his hand and squeezed it. Together they stared at the now dark night sky as the stars shone brilliantly overhead. The moon was winking at them as an owl flew across its silhouette.

This wasn't that bad. Hermione hadn't forsaken him. She hadn't mocked him or patronised him. Sure, she had gotten sad and angry on his behalf but she hadn't reduced him to only the idea of an abused little boy. He had the feeling that he was still 'Harry Potter' in her eyes, with everything that meant. And sure, his image probably got an extra layer or two in her mind now but that wasn't so bad. It was nice to be known completely. To not have to hide a thing.

Why did Harry so often find himself running? With Hermione still by his side, he raced through the castle floors. How had he not noticed how late it was? Snape had been good enough to allow him to breakonerule. To go off with just Hermione. It wouldn't do to break another in the process. It wasn't time for curfew yet but he was almost due to be back in his common room.

When they arrived at the stairs leading to the dungeon, they both came to a halt when they saw Daphne stand there, two girls in tow that Harry hadn't even bothered to get to know. But they clearly didn't want to be there.

"Oh, there you are," Daphne said coldly. "Since you're almost late, I thought I'd come get you."

Harry looked at her strangely. "Why would you dothat?" he asked.

"Isn't that what friends do?" Daphne asked.

"It is," Harry agreed. "But last time I checked, you were no friend of mine."

"How brash," Daphne scolded lightly. She then looked at Hermione, her expression as neutral as Harry had ever seen from her. "We'vegot him now," she said. "There's no need for you to come all the way down from your tower, sweetie."

Hermione looked slightly taken aback but didn't falter. "I'm here with my friend," she replied. "And I'd rather not hand him over as if he were a hot potato."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Daphne replied. "I'm not going to turn him into potions ingredients or whatever it is you think Slytherins do when you're not looking. Your boyfriend will be fine."

Hermione turned bright red. "My – excuse me?!"

Harry sighed loudly. "Could you cut it out?" he asked sharply. "Daphne, I don't know what you're trying to do now but if you're trying to get me to forgive you, this is not the way."

"I can see that you won't see reason," Daphne said. "Millicent, Tracy, why don't you two head back without me? I'll be fine."

When the two didn't move yet, Daphne glared at them which finally got them to leave.

"You trained your puppets well," Harry said.

"As one should," Daphne replied. "If that was supposed to be an insult, you really don't understand the Slytherins very well just yet, do you?"

"You're going to make us late," Harry snapped. "Come on, Hermione, ignore her."

He took Hermione's hand to get her to start walking again as they headed towards the dungeons.

"You know, he neverdidtell anyone he was romantically involved," Daphne told Hermione as she fell into step next to her.

"And you never told anyone me you were engaged to Malfoy," Harry said sharply. "But here we are."

"Who told you about that?" Daphne asked in bewilderment.

"You just did," Harry said. "I only had a suspicion until now."

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "Tell her we're not dating!" She turned her head towards Daphne while she was still getting dragged along. "We're not!"

"You seem entirely too close for that to be true," Daphne pointed out.

Harry stopped abruptly, causing Hermione to crash into him. "Look," he said. "You obviously don't know what it's like to have friends.Realfriends. Not lackeys who owe you favours or peopleyouowe favours to. You even treat yourengagementas a transaction! Honestly, people are not a commodity and if you genuinely can't see that, I doubt that we can ever be friends again."

For once, Daphne actually seemed gobsmacked. "Let's go," Harry added and left in a hurry with Hermione while Daphne trailed behind them.

"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

"Harsh?" Harry asked softly. "Shetricked me into having that check-up."

"Oh," Hermione said, and then after a small moment of silence, "I'll have to thank her for that."

Now it was Harry who was gobsmacked.

"You are truly testing the boundaries of my patience, Mr Potter."

Snape was standing next to the doorway to the Slytherin common room, an elegant pocket watch opened in the palm of his hand as if to signify his tardiness. "Ms Greengrass, I advise you to pick up the pace as well, please. The two of you have mere minutes left before you're required to be inside."

"Sorry, Professor," Harry said. "There were a lot of things we needed to talk about. Both of us." He hoped that Snape understood what he meant and would cut him some slack for it. Luckily, the man nodded his approval and opened the passageway for him.

"Ms Greengrass," he urged when Daphne was still walking at a normal pace.

"You said I have some minutes to spare, Professor," she said. "I prefer not to run when there is no need for it." And she walked inside with her head held high. With a loud click, Snape closed the pocket watch. He glanced one last time at Hermione who looked a bit lost now.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Harry called out right before the door closed. He didn't think Hermione would have any issues finding her way back. Hopefully, the Ravenclaws were told to keep a better eye on her or something.

Once inside, Daphne raised her chin and stepped away. She walked past Harry and as she did so, she whispered, "Could you please talk to me for a moment?" She then walked to a quiet corner of the room. The few people that were in its vicinity were quickly sent on their way with one icy look.

Harry sighed. He didn't really want to talk to her. She betrayed him no matter how you looked at it. But he was taken aback by what Hermione said in passing. Thank her? He supposed that he could somewhat see that her interference might have looked like a good thing. At least to an outsider. Just maybe, she really hadn't understood the gravity of what she was doing. So fine, he would listen.

He approached her and sat in the chair opposite her. He opened his mouth to speak when Daphne raised her hand. "Just a moment," she said. She elegantly flourished her wand, then cast a silencing charm around them. A spell most valuable for any Slytherin, Harry imagined.

"What is it?" Harry asked, his tone still harsh enough to convey his feelings.

"I wanted to apologise," Daphne said.

Harry frowned. "Apologise?" he asked. "And what scheme are you plotting now?"

"I suppose I deserved that," Daphne said. "Look, I er… made a mistake." She actually looked ashamed when she said that. Ashamed and very uneasy. "I am quite used to dealing with Slytherins, you see. Obviously not only in this Hogwarts setting but also at home. Slytherin sort of runs in my family, you see."

As it usually did, Harry thought.

"Slytherins are usually not allthatconcerned for things like loyalty. Not when it can be bought or forced through fear and the likes. It is a small hurdle to us or something to be used to our advantage."

"Charming," Harry said sardonically.

With her right hand, Daphne tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Why was a conniving Slytherin like her so bloody enthralling?

"What I'm trying to get at," she continued. "Is that I severely underestimated the damage a betrayal would do to a Gryffindor. For people like myself, the slight would be very minor. I can't believe that I made such a large oversight to not realise that… well, that people aren't a hive mind."

She reached out and grabbed Harry's hand. He let her. The ice queen's touch was compellingly warm.

"I'm truly sorry," she said. "I understand now that what I did was wrong. I know that you don't like Professor Snape much and even thoughItrust him, I realise that the same can't be said for you. And I know that you have your reasons."

Well, Harry did have his reasons. But all in all, he had to admit that Snape had been decent ever since he had been sorted into Slytherin. Of course, that also meant that all of that would stop when he went back to Gryffindor, he supposed. But he could see why his own house would trust him.

"Just one more thing," Daphne said. "I'm not an idiot. I know that he probably wanted to see you for a check-up and that you had been avoiding it."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. Wait…

"And I realise that you probably had some embarrassing things happen to you in the past that you didn't want Professor Snape to know about but he does these for a good reason. You have no idea the things he found out about some of the kids."

She suddenly looked quite sad and Harry didn't think she was acting. He also realised that she likely didn't know what was found out. After all, how could she have?

"But that's not for me to share," Daphne then said. "Let's just say that there's a reason for all of Professor Snape's rules and they're never there for nefarious reasons. That's why I thought it was safe to have you go there."

Harry sighed deeply. As for as apologies went, that was probably one of the most well-thought-out ones he ever got. "Alright," he said. "As long as you realise you were wrong."

"I do," Daphne said. She smiled widely and Harry felt his heart flutter at the thought that it was because of him.

"Then I forgive you," Harry said. "But just this once."

"I will not betray your trust again," Daphne said solemnly. "Thank you. And as a favour to you and a token of my trust, I'll share with you the details of my betrothal with Draco."

"Oh, you really don't have to," Harry replied, already feeling a bit guilty.

"But I must," Daphne told him plainly. "And I insist that you take me up on my offer."

"Well… alright," Harry said.

"As you correctly mentioned, I am indeed locked in a betrothal contract with Draco Malfoy," she said. She looked a bit pained and glanced over at the groom-to-be in question before addressing Harry again. "Well done of you, by the way, tricking me into a confession. That was quite Slytherin. As it stands, this contract was formed when we were both two years old because by then our families were rather certain that we would grow up to be healthy people. You wouldn't want your promised son or daughter to die before you can give them away, right?" she added angrily but then quickly composed herself. "My apologies. That was unbecoming of me."

"It's cruel!" Harry said.

Daphne sighed. "That is just not how it is seen. Not in my kind of circle," she said. "When it comes to ancient bloodlines, this is quite common. The agreement is that we shall be wed by the time I'm sixteen years old."

"Sixteen?" Harry exclaimed. "But that's so early!"

"It's rather late, actually," Daphne told him. "My parents made certain to convey to me just how lucky I am that they managed to secure me a free childhood at least." The timbre in her voice made it clear just what she really thought of that statement. But then she gave Harry a much too meaningful glance. "But don't worry, Harry, there are clauses for both of us that allow for us to have a beau or belle - if you will - on the side."

Harry frowned. "But that's -"

"It's nothing to be concerned about just yet," Daphne told him kindly. "Though I do hope that you'll keep this information to yourself for the time being. It is proof of my trust in you."

She leaned forward and embraced Harry lightly. Over her shoulder, Harry locked eyes with Malfoy. He had expected a sudden burst of anger from his rival but he saw nothing. Nothing but a deep darkness that felt oddly familiar.

A/N: With thanks to my beta Pagemaster4TW especially for helping me write this last bit.