Colours of Obsession
A story of how the meeting of three colours finally manages to bring together an unknown romance between an obsessed, in-denial Daphne Greengrass and an equally obsessed, and less in-denial, Harry Potter.
*O*O*O*
"I couldn't utter my love when it counted.
Ah, but I'm singin' like a bird 'bout it now."
*O*O*O*
It had only been moments ago that he had told Ron to head on without him. That he'd go back down to get his forgotten notes before meeting him in the next class. Rushing down the stairs, he had just reached the archway entrance to the room he had just exited moments ago when—
—Bam!
One of the prettiest girls in Slytherin walked right into him and collapsed in a heap. While Harry had been completely unshaken by the collision, it was clear that the Slytherin was not.
Thus, now here he was, ferrying her to the hospital wing on his back. And she had been the one to have suggested this too, much to his surprise!
Harry could not have predicted this turn of events, truth be told. No amount of Divination classes could have probably seen this one coming. He could not have fathomed that forgetting his notebook would have led to such a chance encounter with her, of all people.
Daphne Greengrass.
He knew her well. Or rather, he knew her, as well as any other guy who liked looking at pretty classmates when they weren't looking at him, could know. He didn't know all the little details, but he had his eye on her for a very long time now.
She had caught his attention the second or third time he realised they had classes together. It wasn't very hard. She was awfully cute after all, mixed with the posture and grace of a Pureblood witch that had been taught from birth on all manners posh and princess-like, though she never did give him the impression of a haughty, pretentious Pureblood like Malfoy did.
It was in the little things. Like the way her back would straighten as she sat. The way she presented herself when she walked. The way she'd carefully lower herself to the ground to pick anything off it.
Her straight blonde hair stopped short of her lower back, all bright and smooth and pretty… He remembered that they reminded him of the shards of moonbeams he had seen jutting through the gaps in the Forbidden Forest's canopy during his first detention at Hogwarts.
And she had a pair of gleaming, icy-blue eyes that could feel like a wicked blizzard when something upset her, or like being lost in the clouds when she was deep in thought, her eyes hazing over in a dream-like state.
From when they had been placed in classes together, it was very hard not to pay any attention to her, especially for a student like Harry, who found theoretical classes rather mundane in comparison to all the magic out there that they could be interacting with.
At first, he had been far too shy to approach her. It was difficult. Very much so. He had no experience with girls prior to starting Hogwarts. And having been placed into Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively had made it near impossible to interact without any form of backlash from one of their peers. And the last thing he'd want was to trouble her.
So he had settled on watching her from afar, which was a lot easier.
Quick into their first year, he had personally seen the pretty young girl shoot down a romantic proposition from a boy in the year above them.
Rumours swirled from the mouths of jealous witches that the boy hadn't been rich enough, or handsome enough, or come from a weak lineage of wizards... yadda, yadda, yadda. The truth of the matter had eventually been twisted rather wildly out of hand.
She had actually rejected him because she wanted to focus on her studies. It was her first year after all. And then she even had the decency to thank him for his interest in courting her despite the outcome. However, scorned and embarrassed by his junior, he hadn't helped in quelling any of the lies that had spread like wildfire.
Thus, that had cemented her reputation as Slytherin's supposed 'Ice Queen'...
Meh, Harry had shrugged it off at the time. She didn't seem to be phased by it all. And it wasn't his place to step in to change things if he didn't need to.
After all, Gryffindors and Slytherins weren't supposed to get along, right?
In the second year, when the Chamber of Secrets had opened, Harry had noticed that she was one of the few that didn't fear him. Even after the whole 'Heir of Slytherin' business and the accidental reveal that he was a parseltongue.
She had treated him like always, passing him his handouts in class without an ounce of fear or hesitation that he'd 'get her next!' as others had warned her.
Their fingers had brushed during one of these moments and Harry felt a tingle in his body like he had never felt before. For a moment he had thought that she had stung him with a hex of some kind, but then it was clear that was not the case, and had kept it to himself.
That sense of normalcy was something he had been very grateful for, especially since his circle of friends seemed to have shrunk with all the suspicions cast upon him. It had been especially disappointing that Harry thought better of Daphne, a Slytherin, over the Gryffindors who he had shared a house with for the last year. But that had just raised her up in his books significantly.
It was then he knew that Slytherins weren't so bad. Definitely not her.
It was sometime during the start of the third year that he realised that the feelings he might have developed were actually a crush on her. But alas, he felt as though he could do nothing about it now. By the time he noticed that they had never been properly introduced to each other, it was already too late to do so and far too awkward to ever address.
During this period, his developing body was bringing in hormones that he'd have to contest with every day. He had grown considerably too, a growth spurt knocking him about two dozen centimeters taller than he was before. Far taller than he had been, but was still hadn't really filled out in terms of muscles.
That would change when he overheard the Slytherin pair in class behind him, muttering in a one-sided discussion about boys while Professor Binns droned on and on to a disinterested class of witches and wizards.
That had definitely piqued his interest.
*O*O*O*
Harry had leaned back as far as he could in his seat, feigning disinterest as he focused his hearing on their conversation.
"—tell me what you like in guys, Daph. It isn't that tough of a question." Tracey had whispered.
"Alright," Daphne seemed to have raised her hands in defeat after Tracey's constant pestering, relenting to her friend's torrential barrage of questions, "Fine, give me a moment to think it over…"
Harry could hear Tracey tapping her feet in anticipation as Daphne thought it over. Harry swore no subject in Hogwarts, a school of wizardry and witchcraft, had ever gripped him as hard as the conversation taking place just behind him.
"Hmmm…" Daphne hummed in thought, "Someone who's relaxed, and funny. Smart, but not a know-it-all kind of smart. And someone that's soft with me, but can stand strong in the face of danger…"
Harry's eyes widened behind his glasses ever so slightly. He sounded much like those things! Very much so, he'd think!
Well, kind of. He definitely wasn't smart, but that was like just one component. For the rest, just ask Voldemort and his stupid basilisk from last year!
Maybe this was his chance!
"What else?"
"Cute and fit, I guess?" Daphne sighed, "Some toned muscles would be easy on the eyes. And…" She trailed off.
The boy immediately deflated in his seat, looking dejectedly at his scrawny arms. There was a brief pause as the two Slytherin girls seemed to stare at each other.
"Muscles, huh? Who have taken you for a hunk-lover… And… what?" Tracey implored, performing a gesture for Daphne to 'get it out with'.
"And I'd…" Daphne trailed off, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. Then, she scrunched her nose and spat it out. "Well, I'd… I'd like to be picked up."
He could imagine the flushed look on her face from just the way she had whispered that one out. Just hearing that had made Harry himself flustered.
"Ooh, you naughty girl, you." Tracey clucked her tongue, fanning herself with her hand as if Daphne had just dropped the spiciest of news.
"Oh hush you." And then the conversation had led elsewhere. But by the end of it, Harry's green eyes were ablaze with newfound determination.
*O*O*O*
Thus he set to work last year. He had put in more hours into his studies, as well as his physical exercises. Every spare moment he had was dedicated to building both his mental and physical strengths.
He recited his previous night's homework to himself as he ran miles, lapping around the castle through the seasons.
He had surrounded himself with books and tomes while he performed push-ups. Occasionally, they'd pile up so high that he had even begun doing push-ups on them to make it more challenging for him.
He'd even resorted to performing wand movements in one hand while he worked out with dumbbells he had created from spare parts around the castle. His bunkmates hadn't really gotten the concept but didn't pester him about it. With the way he was packing on the pounds, there was no need to prove anything.
Harry had also spent more hours than anyone else on a broom, working on increasing his core strength while playing Quidditch. He had sweat buckets and worked himself to the bone during his third year, all the while playing hide and seek with his supposed godfather prior to the revelations at the Shrieking Shack, and all the other occurrences involving those damned Dementors.
Even Hermione had to admit that he was shaping up to be an excellent student at the end of the year, much to Ron's chagrin.
And at night, when it was time to sleep, Harry would draw the curtains around his bed and work on his facial features in a small, handheld mirror. He'd work on various types of smiles and did his best to raise his charisma. He had spent many a night pretending that the mirror was Daphne, and though he did not do anything as embarrassing as kissing it, he did practice a lot of lines he thought were 'smooth' in preparation for the day they would interact.
Fit as a fiddle now, Harry was hoping that Daphne would start casting some of her wayward glances when he wasn't looking because he definitely still did.
And it wasn't just him that had really been changing rapidly too. A few months later, he noticed that Daphne had started to mature a lot too. Her face had lost a lot of the baby fat too. Gone were the soft features of a cute girl, now replaced with the sharp, angular looks of one of those models he had seen in the magazines in his old room under the stairs.
He didn't really know the words to describe it but she appeared a lot prettier to him too. Whenever she was in a room, she'd stand out - like the first flower blooming after the winter. Wherever she went, the lights seemed to beam down on her, spotlighting her like she was the main actress on stage. Perhaps that too was just the hormones at work.
Plus, with all the growing the girls were doing, Harry realised that never really had a set preference for girls and their bodies. So long as they were slim or fit, and about the same height as him, that was good enough in his books. He didn't really mind if they had a chest, big or small.
He did like a girl with a nice bum though. And wouldn't you know it; out of all the other girls in Hogwarts he found attractive, Daphne had the nicest one out of them all.
Harry would know after that particular incident halfway through the year.
*O*O*O*
The same dementors that had attacked him on the train were now patrolling the outskirts of Hogwarts for Sirius Black, the alleged killer that had somehow made his way onto Hogwarts grounds. Harry sighed. It wasn't like he could see them given the weather outside, but it didn't make him feel any better to know that they were there.
Black storm clouds roiled in the distance, the heavy rains beating down onto the castle's exteriors. Gusts of wild winds blew through the halls of the school, scattering anything that wasn't properly held down. Dozens of sheets of paper were already left abandoned, soaking in puddles of rainwater that had pooled from the open-air areas of the school. Lightning flashed, and for a split second, if you looked hard enough, you could see faint, spectral figures littering the skies in droves.
He wondered if it was a good idea to carry on with his exercises, all things considered. Right now, his body was aching as he trudged forwards to his next class. The exercises he had put in this week had been particularly strenuous. And, all in all, things hadn't really been progressing between him and Daphne like how he had planned. Even after packing on a bit of muscle and improving in his studies, he hadn't really done anything to earn her attention yet.
And juggling his studies alongside his exercises was really starting to wear on him. And he was getting pretty sick of eating just white rice, grilled chicken breast, and broiled vegetables while the rest of his peers dined on the finest dishes Hogwarts had to offer around him for every meal.
Again, he briefly wondered if it was even a good idea to carry on with the exercises that left him in such a state, what with an alleged serial killer on the loose. And those damn Dementors definitely didn't help assure him to feel any better about the situation. The thought of having to run from an Azkaban escapee and his ghostly guards, all while having to lug his aching body around, in what would undoubtedly be another wild-goose chase through Hogwarts this year filled him with some trepidation.
After all, he was going nearly three for three in terms of bad things happening to him each year. Surely it was bound to happen.
Speaking of Daphne… His green eyes peered back up off the granite floors, catching sight of the two figures ahead.
Daphne and Tracey were in front of him, both of whom had also taken the same path. They were far away enough that Harry could still see them, but couldn't hear them thanks to the storm outside. It didn't seem like they had noticed him behind them either. And that was fine. He still didn't have a plan to approach her properly yet.
Then there was a thunderous boom, another flash of lightning, and the winds howled with heightened fury. Skirts were whipped up high as the pair screamed in embarrassment and surprise, giving Harry a complete view of both girls' bottoms, though he only really paid attention to one in particular. The sight had made his eyes nearly jump from their sockets. The pair struggled against the winds, trying to shove their skirts down with their hands full of books, notes, and other important class materials that they desperately didn't want to get wet.
Harry couldn't look away.
Okay, fine. It was really more like he didn't want to.
That was a pretty bad look for him. But in his defense…
It was… uh… Well, it was a fantastic ass.
Was it wrong of him to look? Yes.
Did he regret doing it? No.
It had been absolutely worth it.
Plump pale cheeks wrapped in a set of tight green panties greeted his wide green eyes. It was like he had automatically burned the sight of which into his mind. He had been far too interested staring at Daphne's pine-green-clad butt, which had been far bigger than he had been expecting, to have noticed Tracey's thought.
Subconsciously, he was starting to really love the colour green more and more.
And peaches. Oddly enough.
And her legs… boy, he didn't even realise that he had liked legs that much! Seeing those had awoken something in him.
They were great to look at. Toned, yet supple, mile-long, and as smooth as a still lake. They looked like the legs of an acrobat. It seemed like he wasn't the only one putting in the work to get in shape, based on how they looked.
Harry's mind had almost started to wander at the thought of those…
He snapped out of it, admonishing himself as if he hadn't shamelessly stared at her bottom just moments ago.
By the time the winds died out, and they got their skirts back down, the pair had spun around looking ready to obliviate any boys that had caught a glimpse of that rather naughty sight. Blue eyes were as stormy as the weather as they scanned the perimeter for any signs of life.
However, finding not a soul they quickly left their shame behind, not realising that the emerald-eyed boy had ducked into a nearby open-air alcove to hide from them.
His eyes cast to the dark skies above, he had been soaked to the bone standing out there in a daze.
Suddenly, he didn't really feel that exhausted after all. Hm. And that chicken breast and vegetables didn't seem to taste too bad now either.
And maybe he'd start including a nice, juicy peach on the side in his future meals too.
*O*O*O*
And it had led him to this very moment. It had taken four very long years, but now they were finally in contact with each other! It was like the stars had aligned just for him!
Sure, breaking her nose hadn't been part of any sort of plan. But it definitely gave him the avenue to open things up with her. And all things considered, Daphne seemed to have been taking things in stride, having joked around with him, which had eased some of the tension he felt from hurting the girl of his dreams.
There was absolutely no way he was going to drop her. Breaking her nose had already left him incredibly embarrassed.
Dropping her down the stairs? Yikes.
Now that would've been terrible.
A sight to see, for sure. But definitely terrible.
As Harry began to place his footing tentatively on the first step of the stairs, he instinctively knew that the center of gravity was off by a significant margin. Years of experience in riding a broom at high speeds had left him with the obvious tell. He could clearly sense that if he continued up, he'd have to worry about falling backward down the stairs and on top of his hapless rider.
So, he decided to tell her before he started climbing.
"Try and lean on me instead, it'll be easier for the both of us, and you can rest easy while we get there."
Daphne was silent. She seemed to pause for a moment to consider his proposition. Considering he couldn't see her face, he had no idea what she was thinking. She seemed to be weighing her options, and ultimately, after another moment, gave a quiet 'okay' and settled in against him.
She had draped her arms around his shoulders too. He could feel her breathing ever so slightly against the nape of his neck, warm puffs of air tickling his skin.
Harry felt his skin start to get goosebumps.
A slender tummy pressed up against his lumbar, and a pair of fairly-sized lumps squished into his upper back. Potter blushed when he felt the soft flesh against his back.
Harry thought he felt the universe unfold its secrets to him at that moment.
He could feel things!
Despite being at that age, he tried his best not to think about it. About how just two shirts away, Daphne Greengrass was basically lying bare against him.
He bit back the stiffness he was starting to feel and prayed it wouldn't affect his ability to walk.
Behind him, Daphne Greengrass prayed he couldn't feel the burning heat she was emanating from her cheeks. She felt like she was radiating enough heat that she could be mistaken for a fireplace. Despite this, she had a large smile on her face, her eyes slightly hazed over from all the same reasons Harry felt.
A cold sweat started to break out on his forehead as he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. This was as intense as trying to catch the game-winning Snitch. He had never had this much intimate contact with a girl before, and no one had ever primed the Potter heir on such topics, so a lot of this was extremely stimulating to a teen at the peak of his developing puberty.
This time though, he had the decency to flush red, thankful that Daphne couldn't see how flustered his face looked right now. He had already made a fool out of himself earlier, what with how awful he had floundered about trying to apologise to her.
Then he started his climb, making sure to plant his foot into each step before moving on to the other. Slow and steady was the way to go, really. While it had not been his intention to take his time, with the situation as it was, he sure wasn't complaining.
As he scaled the steps, he spoke to her.
"Again, I'm really sorry, Daph." He said, glancing behind himself even if he couldn't see her.
That seemed to have caught her attention.
"I'm sorry… 'Daph'?" She had asked curiously, "When did we get close enough for you to skip the pleasantries and get right to the nicknames, Potter?"
If it had come from any other Slytherin, Harry would've known it to have been a snark remark. Yet, there wasn't a hint of venom behind that voice. Instead, her voice had turned sweet as honey.
Even after he'd done her nose in unintentionally. If anything, she seemed far more amused at his use of a nickname. Actually, all the jokes, like treating him as a horse, had come so naturally from her that he hadn't even noticed really. His knowledge of the pretty girl he was carrying on his back now grew more.
He hummed, "I'd reckon it was probably when you broke your nose on my shirt."
"Witty." She had remarked with a roll of her eyes. Harry felt an invisible counter go up, finally earning a point from all those nights he had practiced for.
"And it wasn't your shirt, it was your chest!" She snorted, as painful as it was, at that remark. She gave his back a light jab at that, feeling all the muscles he had hidden underneath his shirt. "Merlin, I thought you were supposed to be half-pureblood-half-muggle born, I didn't think you were going to be half-brick-half-wall."
They shared a chuckle, the torch-lit stairwell casting their combined shadow across the curved walls as he continued to climb.
"Ah, comes with playing Quidditch and eating well at the Great Hall. I'm sure you must've noticed how scrawny I was a few years ago. Didn't get much nutrition at my muggle 'home'. I managed to eat well in the last few years and eventually developed myself physically to stay on the broom."
There was also the matter of impressing her, though he didn't dare to voice that one out loud.
While his current diet hadn't changed much since he had started working out last year, the food was far greater in nutrition than what was ever served in the Dursley household for him. After all, they wouldn't really have wanted him to grow larger than Dudley, lest he not only have a magical advantage, but a physical one too. Imagine their surprise last summer when he returned. The sight of a much larger and fitter Harry had made it difficult to bully him and the family gave him a wide, newfound berth.
During that summer, he had also received an invitation to visit the Quidditch World Cup alongside the Weasley family while he had been boarding with the Dursleys. But despite his immense interest in the event, he had told himself that he would spare no distractions this summer, and was going to dedicate his time spent with the Dursleys to exclusively exercising and training, which was what he did.
And for once since joining Hogwarts, it seemed like Harry had actually dodged a bullet. It had been Death Eaters, of all things, that had descended upon the event with a whole heap of chaos and havoc for the unexpected crowds, based on what Ron and Hermione had told him. While everyone he knew had turned out to be fine, it had been a close call — what with all the destruction the group had wrought upon the campers.
Harry pushed the thought of the event out of his mind.
"Wouldn't have beaten Slytherin all those times if I could be knocked right off my broom that easily." He taunted her, sticking his tongue out.
Daphne waved her hand dismissively, "Yes, yes. We all know you to be the stupendous Seeker you are, Mr Youngest-House-Player. You truly are Gryffindor's greatest weapon and Malfoy's greatest bane in the skies."
Her sarcastic remarks had Harry pretending like he was losing his foot, eliciting from her a quick squeak as she hugged him harder. The arms that had hung loose around his shoulders were now an iron vice grip around his waist. Harry burst out in laughter and realising that she was not in any danger of being dropped, Daphne released her hands and started thwacking him in the back of the head. The soft hands bounced right off with little effect on him.
Still, what she had said made Harry kind of excited. Knowing that Daphne had been keeping track of his endeavours was surely a good sign, no?
"You don't sound too upset that Slytherin keeps losing to us." The last few times Slytherin had seen defeat were all mostly at the hands of Grffindor's finest Seeker. He had to admit that it had been satisfying seeing Malfoy publicly lose it over the losses he had handed them over the years.
"If it helps keep the Slytherins, especially Malfoy, humble, then I think I'm honestly all for it."
"A woman after my own heart."
If only he knew.
And with that, they finally made it to the first floor.
*O*O*O*
The pair were now perched at the landing of the archway at the top of the stairs, Harry leaning forwards ever so slightly so that both their heads were poking out of the arch. The two heads swiveled left and right twice, making sure that no one was there like they were about to cross a muggle street before Harry stepped out.
"Ugh, we're going to be seen by everyone." Daphne bemoaned quietly behind him, to which Harry snickered.
"Why, Greengrass?" He shifted her weight around on his back to get her into a more comfortable position to hold. "Scared to be seen with a Gryffindor?"
"I'd also hate to think what this would do for your stellar reputation, Potter." She prodded the boy in the back of the head with a dainty finger for his comment, "The last thing we need is for our respective houses to give us grief over this. Need I remind you that Slytherins and Gryffindors get along about as well as oil and water? "
"And yet, here we are getting along."
"I'm sure if you hadn't snapped my nose clean in half—" She had exaggerated.
"—snapped might be overdoing it—" He cut in. Daphne had ignored him.
"—We wouldn't be so well-acquainted right now. Never mind, not important." Daphne cast an expectant look down upon her human steed, "So, Potter? What are we going to do?"
"You could hide your face against my neck with your arms. I could tell them that you're sick, and I'm helping you to the infirmary." He suggested, "They won't know what House you're from. Your tie's already hidden anyway."
Harry didn't need to think about where the tie was now pressed up against. He could feel it.
At that, Daphne made a sound that was a mix between a groan, a moan, and a sigh. He could see that she had quickly realised that they didn't have a better solution, though even Harry had to admit that she had submitted to the idea rather quickly, despite her vocal protests. Then, she lightly wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face into his neck, making sure that her aching nose had the space it needed.
"I'm gonna end up bloodying your shirt…" He could hear the frown in her whisper, to which he simply laughed at. He appreciated her kind and thoughtful consideration, even after what he had done to her.
"You know, you're a lot sweeter than you let on. Besides, you'll just be evening things up a bit. Plus, at some point, I'm going to have you punch me in the face."
Daphne giggled at that thought. The sound made Harry happy. Within the periphery of his vision, he could make out Daphne's elegant fingers under his chin forming a small fist.
"Quite the charmer, aren't you Potter?"
Then the fist unclenched, and Harry could feel her finger trace the underside of his chin as if she were assessing the possibility of taking up his offer. Harry's skin tingled once more at the sensation.
"I'll pass. I'm sure I'd only hurt my hand doing so."
Harry didn't trust himself to speak, lest he make a fool out of himself again. He simply started moving, while Daphne burrowed the lower half of her face into a comfortable position in the crook of her elbow. Her position gave her the option to see past her arm, and with the added height of Harry, as well as being carried on his back, gave her a much taller view of the school around her.
As so, Harry marched forth.
*O*O*O*
"I'm surprised you're not the least bit tired."
"Needless to say, I'm quite motivated at the moment."
"Oh? Care to share why?" She teased.
"It's not every day I get to pick up pretty girls."
"Just pretty, am I?" Daphne had retorted, sounding almost offended. He knew she was joking, of course.
"Slip of the tongue, your highness." Harry had immediately played along. Suddenly taking on a more noble tone, as if he were prostrating himself to an actual queen. "What I meant to say was 'beautiful'. Even 'gorgeous' would be too modest. Perhaps even 'divine', if you'd allow it. Though, I know words cannot capture the full scope of your beauty."
She sounded like she was biting back a laugh.
"Alright, Potter," One of Daphne's hands kindly tapped the left side of his lightly, as an owner would to their loyal, loving dog. "Your flattery has been noted. I'll be sure to write a good review to your superior."
"And who would that be?" Harry smirked.
"Why, none other than Tracey Davis, of course." Daphne giggled again, "She's going to be mighty upset with you if I tell her that the trip was anything less than satisfactory. And trust me, you don't want to have Tracey Davis angry with you." If Tracey hadn't been sorted to Slytherin, she'd probably have entered Gryffindor. She had a natural knack for pranks that would have made the Weasley twins very fond of her, though she had significantly better self-control than the pair.
The last person that had upset her had to spend weeks with itching powder in all of their clothes. Even their undies.
Not fun.
Meanwhile, the odd pair of students had started to enter the parts of the castle that were far more populated than where they had been before.
It was an understatement to say that they were drawing attention to themselves. In fact, they were receiving looks as if they had been painted bright red and were screaming uncontrollably for help to gain the attention of everyone nearby. It was that bad. After all, it wasn't usual that students ferried each other like Harry and Daphne were doing. Mutters developed in regards to the pair as Harry proceeded forth with no shame.
She was sure that no one would be able to discern her from anyone else in the school, even with her blonde hair. They'd all think it so unlikely that a Gryffindor and a Slytherin could ever be this intimate.
As he passed them, he could hear people discussing just who it was on his back, and why. As well as what their relationship was. Harry paid little attention to them. He had become quite good at ignoring all the looks he received. It was pretty much commonplace for the last few years.
As he made his way through the castle, he walked past the room containing the Goblet of Fire. From within the goblet, azure flame spilled out, burning in quite a mystical fashion. The blue flames illuminated the room it had been stored in.
He didn't even spare it a glance. Harry had zero interest in it.
From the moment it had been mentioned by the Headmaster in the Triwizard Tournament, he had completely ignored it and wanted nothing to do with it. He knew that the other two wizarding schools would be coming in about a month's time. He was determined to make sure he got through the entire process of the Goblet selecting its champions without a hitch.
He already had a track record of getting involved with nearly every major event that happened in the school so far, even if it was against his will.
The last thing he wanted was to be blamed (yet again!) for something he didn't do.
If fate was feeling kind this year, he'd like to ask it to give him a nice, calm year at school as nothing more than a spectator, as well as making advancements in his relationship with Daphne. The latter which seemed to have been coming true gave him hope that the year really would go better than the last three.
Daphne's eye was drawn to the bright blue flames as they passed it by.
"If you could, would you join and try your hand at becoming Hogwarts Champion for the Triwizard Tournament?"
"I think I've had my fill of getting into trouble for a while." Harry managed an unamused chuckle. A lot of students did not know the full, true stories of what Harry had gone through over the last three years. Last year's ordeal of having to go back in time and save a whole host of people, including himself, from dying was enough for Harry for a while.
"Given your reputation? You'd probably get chosen against your will." Daphne had seen the patterns too. Bad news always seemed to do its best to land in Harry's lap.
"I know you're a great witch, but please don't jinx me now." He begged, earning a rather cute giggle from Daphne.
*O*O*O*
Peering over his broad shoulders, she could see that they were close to the infirmary now.
"You can let me down now, Potter." Daphne said as soon as they stopped outside.
Harry lowered himself to a squat, gently lowering his arms so that Daphne's shorter form could find her footing on the floor.
The pair stood awkwardly outside for a brief moment before Daphne realised that they had never actually formally introduced themselves to each other. Years and years of observing, and not once had they spoken more words than they had today. They had already broken the cycle of silence between them. Now it was time for her to put a pin in that and prevent things from going back to the way things were before today.
"Daphne Greengrass. Fourth Year. Slytherin." With that said, she stuck her hand out expectantly.
He glanced from her hand, then into her eyes and met her steely blue gaze, and with a beaming bright smile, he tentatively reached his out to hers, stopping short of grasping it.
Daphne cocked a well-trimmed brow at him at this, staring back between his hand and right into his soul.
"Harry Potter. Fourth Year. Gryffindor. It's nice to finally meet you, Greengrass." He introduced himself. Then he paused, "I'd shake your hand, but the last thing I'd want to do is hurt my pretty classmate again."
Daphne openly flushed at that. Now breaking eye contact, glancing to the side to avoid his.
"Ugh… I'm soft, Potter, but I'm not that soft." Daphne protested before she reached her hand out and initiated a friendly shake. She took his hand, and Daphne had to repress the shudder that ran through her body when the slightly larger hand grasped itself around hers.
It was thick and calloused from all his physical training. His grip was firm, yet somehow conveyed a level of softness in him, and it was so very warm.
And, while she couldn't tell why, something about the way he had gripped her hand felt… very, very attractive to her.
In the depths of her imagination, she could see them now. Gripping her, pinning her down and—
—Oh my!
Though she didn't outwardly show it, Daphne stopped her eyes from widening and bit down on the inside of her cheek to repress a scream.
After observing their hands for just a second longer, Daphne shot him a pleasant, controlled smile.
"Well, Harry Potter," She gave him a small smile, "It's about damn time."
And just like that, although four years late, they were finally formally introduced.
*O*O*O*
The pair had entered the infirmary, and fortunately for both teens, Madam Pomfrey wasn't around.
Daphne had tried to shoo Harry off. She hadn't wanted to impose on Harry to stay when all she had was a hurt nose and he had classes to attend to. Of course, Daphne had wanted Harry to stay. But she wasn't going to say that out loud.
Harry, on the other hand, wanted to stay. He claimed that he wouldn't know what Tracey would do to him if he had left Daphne unattended while she was 'severely injured', and that 'it would look terrible on my report if you complained to Tracey'. She had let out a rather ungraceful chortle at that, which she immediately clammed up at in embarrassment.
The pair had then made their way to the middle of the infirmary where a row of beds Harry was quite familiar with was to be found. Ah yes, he had spent much time in these beds, if not his own in the Gryffindor common rooms.
From fighting trolls to killing Voldemort's host in the first year, to breaking his arm and having the bone in it winked out of existence by an idiot's spell and getting into a swordfight with a Basilisk, to falling out of the skies thanks to a Dementor attack… It was safe to say that his second home was basically with Madam Pomfrey.
Daphne, with all the grace of an Olympic diver, sat on the thick bedding, her knees together and her feet angled slightly to the right. Her hands had settled on top of her knees.
Very, very posh.
Harry stood in front of her with his arms crossed, unintentionally flexing his arms. With his sleeves rolled up, she could see the year's worth of effort he had put into his body. Daphne's gaze lingered on them for a bit too long before she caught herself staring.
She cleared her throat.
"Please sit, Potter." She patted the spot next to her, expectant of him to acquiesce to her request.
"I think I'll abstain, if you don't mind, Greengrass." He raised a palm up to her, "The beds are only meant to be used by the 'wounded'." His hand had mimicked the air quotations used.
Stormy eyes brewed once again, this time behind a set of furrowed brows. The green eyes stared back with a sparkle of playful defiance behind them.
"Think you're better than me?"
"Would never dream of it."
"Then sit."
"It would be rude of me to."
She ignored him.
"Sit." Daphne insisted.
"I think not." Harry protested.
"Potter. You will sit." She jabbed at the spot next to her, "Down here. Next to me." She insisted with a bit more force in her tone, matching him and crossing her arms under her chest.
Harry couldn't help but notice how they accentuated her bosom. Wow. He had never noticed, but it wasn't like she was really lacking in that department either.
He glanced back up to her eyes.
"Make me, Greengrass."
She scowled at him.
He grinned at her.
One thing led to another, and the pair ended up in a tug-of-war. Daphne was grappling with a singular arm, using both of her much smaller and thinner ones to pull him towards the bed. All sense of poise and grace seemed to have been forgotten by her as she grunted to down Harry like he was a stout oak. Harry didn't seem too phased by this. He simply let her grab onto his wrist, while he leaned back ever so slightly.
From afar, it looked as though they were roleplaying David and Goliath with each other.
To her credit, Harry was actually trying not to be pulled forwards. She had a lot more strength than he thought she had.
Eventually, the Greengrass girl realised that using just her arms was not enough. And with a small jump back, had yanked on his arm with the entirety of her weight, pulling him forwards and down onto her.
Harry yelped as he reached out his hands to break his fall.
"Oof!" The pair cried as they tumbled onto the hospital bed together.
Finally, Goliath had been toppled, right onto David.
Now, Daphne was on her back, her lovely hair splayed out all around her, falling between the grooves of the now-disheveled sheets of the bed. Her arms were held above her head, the rich crimson tint on her face betraying her embarrassment while contrasting heavily with the vulnerable blue in her eyes.
It was quite clear to both of them that neither had ever been placed into such a flustering position before.
Yet, neither made any moves to get up.
It felt like she was simply waiting for Harry to make a move. Like it was his turn on the chessboard.
Harry's hands propped him up just an arm's length above her. One was right next to her head, and the other by her hip. His left knee had caught the edge of the bed, helping with the distribution of weight. However, his right had landed in the gap between her legs.
Both were breathing heavily after their little tussle, as well as the rather… compromising position they were in now.
Harry found that the words had died in his throat as two pairs of softened eyes were staring at each other. And both seemed to be in a daze, lost in each other's eyes, as it was Daphne that had finally spoken up after a few moments of heavy breathing and silence.
"This is not a good look, Potter." Her whispered words were not lost on the Gryffindor teen. Right now, if Madam Pomfrey had walked in, they would be in quite the pickle. It would've looked like they were getting frisky, what with the far larger form of Harry appearing to have pinned her down against the bed.
The heavy breathing didn't help either.
But Harry really didn't care about that right now.
"Hah, I'd say." He snickered, yet still maintained direct eye contact with her, "Well, if anything, I'd reckon we're breaking the traditional boundaries between Gryffindor and Slytherin, Greengrass."
All the pain in her nose was gone now, replaced with the utter concentration of keeping eye contact. It was silly, but on an instinctive level, she felt like if she blinked, he would just devour her right there.
The pair fell into silence yet again before Daphne, whose whole face now resembled a crisp, ruby apple, spoke up again.
"Daphne… You can call me Daphne…"
Somehow, she sounded even more quiet than before.
Harry smiled at that.
"Then you can call me Harry."
*O*O*O*
"Honestly, you should watch your step next time, Ms Greengrass." Madam Pomfrey shook her head, her drawn wand now slipping back into the pocket of her vermillion and white robes. "And despite your appearance, I see no signs of fever, so you should be alright."
Daphne's nose felt much better. And her face, still being quite red, had subsided significantly.
The woman then turned to Harry and waggled a finger.
"And you, Mr Potter, I understand it was an accident, but you ought to be careful next time too. Please try your best not to hurt any more of your classmates when they walk into you if you could." The raven-haired teen gave the lady a chagrined smile, scratching the back of his head.
"Right. I'll leave you two to it. I need to attend Madam Hooch's class. Seems it was an uncontrolled mid-air collision between two new students. Please head to classes soon." The healer walked to exit the infirmary, vanishing behind the entranceway, leaving the two who were now sitting side by side on the bed alone once more.
Daphne twitched her nose, testing it out again after it had been repaired with magic.
"How's it feel?" He asked.
"Much better. But I better look as pretty as I did before or there'll be Hell to pay." She shot him a smile that could freeze Hell.
"I dunno…" Harry's eyes twinkled with mischief, he leaned back on his arms. "Seems kinda crooked to me…" He reached a hand out slowly and pretended like he was going to gently pinch and twist her nose to the left. No longer feeling any pain from it, she snorted incredulously and lightly slapped his hand away.
"Owwwww…" Harry mock-whined, before suddenly proclaiming aloud to the empty medical wing, "Madam Pomfrey, I require medical assistance!"
Embarrassed by the sudden outburst, Daphne brandished the nearby pillow. From her seat on the hospital bed, she began to strike Harry with the pillow. The teen raised his hands defensively and protected himself from the rather vicious, yet unsurprisingly ineffective, assault.
"Oh! Will! You! Shut! It!" An embarrassed Slytherin was punctuating each of her words with strikes of the pillows. But her wide, embarrassed smile and tone betrayed her actions. "What if she's still here?! You're gonna get us in trouble! Again!"
"Help!" He continued to cry aloud, "This pretty Pureblooded Slytherin is attacking an innocent, handsome, smart, and totally single half-blood! Help!"
*O*O*O*
Around the corner of the entrance, unknown to them, Poppy Pomfrey was watching the pair interact as if they had known each other for years.
Strange. She hadn't known Harry to have been this close to any Slytherins.
She rolled her eyes as Harry began to scream for her to dispense aid from the pillow attack.
She did smile though. After all the boy had been through in the last few years, she knew that he deserved this happiness that Daphne Greengrass seemed to have been providing him.
And the two looked cute together too!
She figured she could spare them the time to have a little fun, and didn't interrupt the two she could hear laughing loudly now. The boy deserved that much from her.
With a satisfied smile, she headed off to Madam Hooch's class, her sprightly heart filled with a youthful warmth that could only be earned from watching two young lovers interact.
She corrected herself.
Oh, they weren't lovers, of course.
She corrected herself again.
At least, not yet.
*O*O*O*
The pair were still laughing, now situated side by side on the bed on their backs, telling each other stories, as an amused Tracey spoke up.
"Having a lot of fun, are we?"
They sat up, wiping tears from their eyes, finally noticing their classmate. Tracey was leaning by the great archway that made up the entrance of the hospital wing, her arms crossed and a very, very entertained smile on her face.
Harry's uniform had been greatly disturbed by Daphne's pillow attack, his shirt now one button undone from the top, and his tie tossed over his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Daphne's hair was a mess. Far from the straight nature she normally wore it, it was now frazzled in some places. The blond girl started to brush her hair back into place with her hands, while Harry clapped his hands together and stood.
"Tracey!" He exclaimed happily, before narrowing his eyes at her, "How long have you been watching?"
"Oh long enough to know you two have been having a swell time. If I hadn't… well, I'd have thought you too to have been getting a little naughty." Tracey's huge grin has the pair blushing up a storm again.
"Well…" Daphne stood too, clearing her throat and brushing her skirt down as she did, "I think it's best I retire to the dorm for tonight. Thank you for assisting me to the infirmary, Potter."
"Oh stop pretending, Daph." Davis waved her off, before glancing back to Harry, "I passed your stuff to your dopey friend already, Potter."
"Right…" Harry made a move to leave, before remembering that just moments ago they had been laughing all about Lockhart and how he obliviated himself in the Chamber of Secrets. Now that Tracey was standing there watching them, Harry felt extremely shy again.
"So… I— uh…" Harry stood there awkwardly, unsure of where things would be going from now on, "I guess… I'll see you around?"
With a sigh, Daphne reached for his tie. It was still lying on his shoulder, and she brought it back to where it was supposed to be, straightening it for him.
Then, all of a sudden, she yanked it forward, drawing his face close to hers.
"You will. Don't think for a second that things are even between us just because you ferried me here, Harry." Daphne waggled a finger, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "You owe me, so you better make it up to me for what you did to my nose." She gently punched him in the chest and released him from her grip.
Harry laughed before he collected himself and gave her a deep, deep bow.
"Yes Milady, this humble servant will be at your beck and call for as long as it takes to fulfill my owed favour." The mockingly noble tone in his voice was back in full force.
Tracey watched as Harry practically hopped, skipped, and jumped out of the hospital wing.
Then she glanced back to Daphne.
Daphne met her eyes and felt startled.
The look Tracey gave the Greengrass heir was no laughing matter.
It chilled even the 'Ice Queen' down to the spine.
Tracey looked like she had just witnessed Voldemort himself return before her.
All she said were two words.
"Details. Now!"
Daphne blushed yet again. It certainly wasn't going to be the last for today either.
This was going to be a loooooong night.
*O*O*O*
Chapter 2: End.
*O*O*O*
A/N:
Hello all, I hope you've enjoyed the second chapter of this series.
There won't be another chapter so soon, sorry to disappoint. But I hadn't expected my first story back after years of not writing to be a story as long as this. CoO had been planned to be a short story with about 5k words in total split into 2 chapters, but as I wrote I couldn't help myself from adding more details.
As it currently stands, this chapter alone is already 8.6k words long.
I guess I had more fun than expected. Hopefully, you enjoyed seeing them interact too.
I also hope it's made clear in the chapter what period of time the story was supposed to take place. I understand I made it vague in the first chapter, it has to do with the fact that the story was supposed to be short, so those particular details wouldn't have truly mattered. Of course, things changed and I added a lot more details as I wrote.
But I do have plans to continue the story. However, past this chapter, I cannot realistically guarantee any sort of accurate writing based on canon events as I do plan on changing things (like I did in this chapter with Harry avoiding the Quidditch World Cup) so I'm hopeful things will go smoothly as I change some things.
I should also mention that it will be extremely unlikely that this story will have a 'true' ending with the defeat of Voldemort and everything. So, please keep that in mind. I may not have the capacity to write a fic that long based on a number of realistic reasons.
I'm also looking for someone who's experienced in the series to bounce ideas off of. You won't need to be an editor or a beta, but I'd like to know if any of my ideas would realistically make sense, and if you could suggest improvements to my ideas. No promises I'll stick with suggestions, but I will definitely appreciate the help.
If you're interested, feel free to reach out to me via review/PM, and we can discuss details there, or through Discord's PMs.
Thank you all, and until next time!
Edit 1: Just replaced all the linebreaks with '*O*O*O*' instead as I realised it was next to impossible to see them on mobile. Hopefully this new style works better for mobile users.