" Mr. Potter, can you please explain on that?" Penelope said. That was not the answer anyone was expecting. No one really expected it. What did Daphne Greengrass, the pureblood princess, do that influenced the training of the Dark Lord's right hand man.
" Well I could tell you. Or I could show you." Hadrian said the smile on his face was gone. Penelope quickly agreed to view the memory that Hadrian wanted to provide. Thinking that there could be something that she could use. Hadrian could lie, but a memory could never be faked. An Auror pulled the memory out of Hadrian's head and placed it into the silvery basin. The memory swirled in the clear liquid until it projected across the court for everyone to see.
The first image that appeared was one of Hadrian on the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts. He appeared so much younger and youthful, his eyes were tired. Evan had guessed that this was his fourth year. He clearly remembered his first year. He loved Hogwarts and just remembering how he laid eyes on the castle for the first time, he had been star-struck by its beauty.
Evan was broken by his thoughts when a voice from the memory spoke. Yet the voice wasn't Hadrian's. " Come here often?" The voice was soft and unforgetful. Yes it was the Daphne's.
Hadrian gave a chuckle as if he knew the entire time she was there." Nice to see you too Greengrass." he said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and his lighter. He faced the edge of the tower. Looking out into the beautiful first that surrounded the castle. He lit the cigarette and took a long drag from it before placing it between two fingers.
Daphne stepped forward and was now visible in the memory. " Uhh how did…." She was confused as to how he had been able to guess or even know it was her.
Hadrian chuckled again and turned. Their eyes met in the dark tower, illuminated by the shining moon. Her eyes were full of curiosity and his full of mirth and humor.
He took a quick drag once more " Well from your steps I could tell it was someone feminine, Plus you smell like you just stepped out of the potions lab and the only one Snape allows to do that is one of his snakes. But I also happen to know that a certain ice princess likes to come up here." He finished with just a tad bit of playfulness.
Daphne didn't let her face show what she was truly speaking. Her face full of calmness and emotionlessness. " Impressive." She said with sincerity that many hadn't been able to detect. For those that knew her would have caught it immediately.
Hadrian shrugged. He flicked the ash of his cigarette into the rough breeze of the night.
Daphne slowly approached him and came up to the edge of the tower right beside him. " So where does the Gryffindor Golden Boy learn to smoke?" She asked mockingly.
Many had expected Hadrian to take the bait and get mad or say something back. But he didn't. He stared back impassively. " Why are you up here Greengrass?" He said his eye's returned back to their normal state.
Daphne was quite taken aback by his sudden rudeness and wondered where the playful boy she had just met was. " Like you said I come up here a lot. So that makes me ask, why are you up here?"
Harry shrugged again. " It's quiet up here." It left him alone with his thoughts, his problems, and his demons. Something that he needed to overcome to survive. He took another drag, the cigarette almost out.
Daphne stared at him and there was silence for a minute. He stared out at the forest; Daphne stared at him. " Can I try one?" She asked, pointing at his cigarette. curious about the strange obsession he had with them.
He didn't respond, but pulled out his pack and handed it to her. She grabbed it and put it in her mouth. He lit the tip and she took a deep breath and inhaled. She started coughing up a storm. Her eyes became watery. She passed it to him and he took a drag of it.
Daphne, who seemed to come out of her coughing fit, said " That was vile," she wrinkled her nose, "How do you smoke them?" genuinely curious.
" It calms me down." He said and turned away again. " And Gryffindor Golden Boy, I mean really, it's so unoriginal." Harry said with a small smirk.
Daphne caught just the smallest outline of his smile and she mirrored his smirk. " Unoriginal, yet still accurate." She asked and tilted her head slightly.
Hadrian stood up and started to walk away. Daphne turned to face him wondering where he was going. " I was almost placed in your house Greengrass." He finished and turned to exit the tower.
Daphne, curious by his statement, wondered how. He was the quintessential Gryffindor. He was bold, brave, reckless and defying. " Why weren't you?" She said almost desperately.
Harry turned to face her. Blue eyes met green eyes and there was absolute silence for a moment. The howling winds died as the two teenagers locked eyes. " Because I asked for Gryffindor." he said and the memory faded.
All attention was back on Penelope who sat trying to process what she had watched, but quickly she was back on her feet and attacking Hadrian once more.
She approached Hadrian and asked the question that had been on her mind. " What happened after that night?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Hadrian's glaze flickered to Daphne before shifting back to his prosecutor, "Daphne decided that she wanted to figure me out. To see what makes me tick. I was an enigma to her. She despises enigmas. It's easier to predict what someone will do when you know how they think. Something she was great at. She would predict people's reactions and fit them into boxes." Harry explained.
Penelope tilted her head. " Do you have an issue with that Mr. Potter?"
Hadrian grew an amused look on his face. " I don't think people fit into boxes very well."
A few more questions were asked, but they didn't have any impact. Madame Bones dismissed court for the day and Hadrian was dragged back to a holding cell. With court dismissed, The Potter family chased after Daphne. They had been confused and shocked at what happened in court today. They thought that Hadrian was a Death Eater through and through, yet today they realized that he had been a spy for the light, he had given up his childhood and all of his adult life without telling anyone. They hadn't noticed, hadn't helped. No, they had condemned them. Now they couldn't help him. His fate would be decided by the court. Hadrian Potter would either be free or he would be executed.
" Daphne, Daphne!" Lily yelled, hoping to get her son's lawyer's attention. She turned to face the family of four, a sad smile on her face. " Daphne, How? Why?" James asked, confused.
" I don't know," She replied with sincerity. "I never asked why." It was true. She had never asked him, though she knew why.
Evan looked at his father and saw that he was visibly upset. His mother looked like she wanted to say so many things, to ask so many questions, but she didn't. She was mad at her son, she was mad at Dumbledore, she was mad at Severus, at everyone who encouraged her son to go with this stupid and suicidal plan. Most of all, she was mad at herself.
It was silent for a moment, before Rose spoke up. The first time since the trial began. Her eyes were teary. " Why didn't you stop him?" She questions with disparity in her voice.
Daphne locked eyes with the young girl. " Have you ever tried to stop Harry from doing something? He was the most stubborn person I have ever met in my entire life." She finished. The Potter family remembered a young boy who would never eat his vegetables as a baby and all of the stunts that Hadrian would do, despite being told not to. If he wanted to do it, he would, regardless of the consequences.
" Come to my flat later tonight, all of you, I'll explain everything." Daphne said and she walked away.
The Potter family arrived at Daphne's flat shortly after seven. It was in a nice and quiet apartment building. The inside was very nice and decorated. It was formal looking, but had a way that just made the family feel inviting. Daphne greeted them and the four of them entered. They sat down in the main sitting room and Daphne poured them all a cup of tea. When she sat down they sat in silence, the tea untouched. Finally Daphne spoke "What do you want to know?"
To her surprise, it was neither the parents that had spoken, but the youngest Rose. From what Hadrian had told her, she was rather shy and quiet growing up around those she didn't know. But he also told her that she was tough, a lot tougher than many expected. " What's your relationship with my brother?" she asked with both curiosity and demand.
Daphne let out a small sigh. " After that night in the tower, I couldn't stop thinking about Hadrian. Nothing he said fit together or made any sense. I was curious about him, so I kept going back to the tower. He'd smoke and I'd stand. Sometimes we talked, other times we didn't. But it wasn't necessary. I loved those nights. They were peaceful and calming. Then one night, he just leaned over and kissed me. I wasn't surprised, but I asked him why and he just said that he had been wanting to for a long time." She paused and took a breath. "Things were simple after that. We'd meet up in the tower or an empty classroom and just spend time together, but getting information out of Hadrian was like pulling teeth. Neither of us wanted something serious or complicated, but then we uhh, we fell in love and…"
"Things got complicated." Lily finished for her. She remembered her own relationship with her now husband and how everything she knew about him got complicated when he and his friends revealed some of their more hidden secrets.
Daphne nodded. Evan stared at her with disbelief. " Why did he only tell you?" He blurted out without thinking. " He had family, friends, why did he only tell you?" Daphne thought that this was what probably bothered the young boy the most. His brother hadn't told anyone except her. Evan didn't know whether to believe that his brother was a double agent or not. He had always trusted Hadrian as a kid and he was hurt that he hadn't trusted him like he had.
Daphne stared at him, with a sad look in her eyes. " Hadrian wanted to protect you, all of you. He wanted to keep you safe. That's why he didn't tell anyone. I only know because I forced him to tell me." She replied.
Evan glared at her hatefully. "Why should we believe you?" He growled.
Daphne shrugged off the looks that the youngest Potter male was sending her. " You have no reason to believe what I am telling you." She said sadly. "But I can show you". She finished and gestured for the family to follow her. She walked into a side room and pulled out a pensieve and poured some memories in. "Go on." She urged.
Evan was the first to go in, followed by Rose, then Lily, then James. Daphne was the last to go in. The entire Potter family entered hoping to find answers. Daphne entered hoping that Hadrian would forgive her for sharing these memories with his family without his permission. It was essential that if Hadrian was free, that he was happy. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was him, according to Daphne.