Chapter Seven. Relationship
Harry Potter is having a relationship. It's not entirely a trouble-free process.
Harry works out how to use the Room of Requirement to supply more than pencils,
Daphne will get a bed-robe, Harry will solve some relationship problems ( not with Daphne ) and the phrase 'Bloody hell!' will get overused.
Hermione was up to something, thought Harry. She was dipping into that rituals book at every opportunity like it was Hogwarts, A History, and making notes. That was, well, normal behaviour for her, anyway, but every time Harry casually walked over she'd shut it on the notes.
Harry leaned over and whispered to Ron in Herbology, which was always a bit chaotic. Or a great time to have a chat, depending on if you took it seriously or not. Hermione was doing battle with a fire-thistle, bent over it, with secateurs. The thistle spat out puffs of flame from the leaves. Professor Sprout had said it was a protective measure to uh – protect it from being eaten. Harry had been preoccupied when she'd given the talk.
"Ron, we have to work out what Hermione's up to," said Harry.
Ron tilted his head and eyed Harry "Why?" he asked.
"Because the you know… can be dangerous. And this is Hermione. She's got no sense of self-preservation," said Harry, hypocritically.
"Self preservation?" asked Ron "I was thinking more balance. You know, on a broom."
Harry rolled his eyes. Obviously that too.
"Who went troll hunting as a firstie, basilisk hunting with just a mirror as a second year?" asked Harry.
Ron nodded, playing along with Harry's unique take on history. "I'll give you basilisk hunting" he agreed.
"So that witchcraft book. We need to find out what's in it" said Harry.
"It's not like her to keep secrets," agreed Ron, eyes narrowing. "Unless Krum's involved." he added in a slight growl.
Harry nodded, and took a pencil out of his robe pocket "So, this is my idea"
"A pencil?" asked Ron.
"I got it in the room."
"Well yeah, that's where she got the book."
"We'll go tonight after dinner," said Harry. "I have a plan."
"Only if it doesn't involve spiders," said Ron, half joking.
"Not a one," said Harry honestly.
"Deal," said Ron, picking up the secateurs "Better get that seed head off this thing."
"It's on fire, Ron."
"You grab the leaves, pull them to one side" said Ron.
Harry went to grab the leaves.
"With your gloves on," said Ron.
Harry's blush was invisible because of the soot from the disturbed thistle.
-=0=-
'I want the room where things are hidden' thought Harry, walking back and forth.
The door opened up into the vast room full of junk he'd seen before, with adult supervision. But it was just him and Ron tonight.
"Searching this is going to take ages," said Ron.
"I've got an idea" said Harry.
"An idea?"
"Well… I got a pencil from the room, and I've still got it in my robe pocket a day later." said Harry.
"It's not like we can just go 'accio galleons,'" said Ron.
Harry nodded. "You're right" he agreed. "Besides, I don't think you can summon multiple objects at once."
Mum can do two shoes," commented Ron.
"Anyway," said Harry, concentrating. The room blurred out and suddenly shrank to a small stone room with a wooden table.
"How'd you do that?" asked Ron.
"Just thought of needing the room to change to a study room" said Harry. "Last time I could make the books come and go."
"Huh. So, um what? Pencils?"
"I was thinking about the witches book" said Harry, and he closed his eyes. With a thud, a battered copy of 'The sisterhood of Artemis' landed on the table.
"Bloody Hell!" said Ron, already reaching for it.
Harry opened his eyes and grinned. "This is actually easier than summoning things" he said.
"Well that's great" said Ron, flicking through the book "Cos that sounded – oh God no." And he slammed the book shut.
"What?"
"You don't want to know," said Ron.
Harry looked in the book anyway and after looking for far longer than Ron, he closed it. "Oh" he said. "Bloody hell," he added.
"I'm not sure Hermione should be reading that," said Ron.
"It's… medical. I think," said Harry.
"Well, given things Ginny's said it makes sense," said Ron, shivering.
"Wot?"
"If there are rituals for… witch stuff," said Ron, grimacing. "My sister will want them. She gets quite snippy about it."
"Oh NO!" said Harry, inhaling. "Daphne Greengrass!"
"Wot?"
Harry pulled his robe-sleeve up and showed Ron the name on his wrist again. "Daphne Greengrass. She hasn't got this, she could be … it looks painful."
"Ginny did mention that as she hit George with a beaters bat, yes," said Ron mildly.
"When?"
"Last summer," said Ron. "Mum said to be nice to her, and well. That was like telling the twins to have a go really."
Harry picked up the book and frowned "It's a pity Hermione has the nicer copy," he said.
"What?"
"Well, I want to give this copy to Greengrass, help her out" said Harry.
"Harry, you were told not to do rituals," said Ron. "You can't go telling some Slytherin. They'd tell everyone, teachers, just to get you in trouble."
"No she wouldn't," said Harry, imagining handing a gift-wrapped copy of 'The Sisterhood of Artemis' to a smiling, back-lit Daphne Greengrass, who would smile beatifically.
"Snap out of it!" said Ron, shaking him. "Bloody awful thing's probably cursed," he muttered.
"What?" asked Harry.
"You were staring at nothing, smiling," said Ron.
"Was I?" asked Harry.
His attempts at getting wrapping paper from The Room of Requirement were less successful.
But he did manage to get plain paper, and for four sickles, Dean drew a pattern on it. That left Harry with custom wrapping paper, a slightly dog-eared and fixed rituals book, and spell-o-tape. He took his time, and what came out the end of the process, while not resembling a professionally wrapped present, certainly didn't look like some old rubbish wrapped in newsprint, which had been the majority of Harry's presents from his family. Harry made a little card out of parchment, labelled it 'To Daphne, From Harry' unaware just how banal that was, and stowed it for tomorrow.
Ron had watched the whole process thoughtfully. One Harry was completely done, he asked "So, I think tomorrow night we should get some presents for Hermione. Oh, and maybe Bill."
"Bill?"
"My brother's a curse-breaker, he likes old books" said Ron dismissively.
"Right" said Harry. "You mean… get Hermione's presents early… and wrap them?"
"Well that way, if she goes rummaging in your trunk, say, looking for the old family rain-cloak, she won't know what her present is. And it'll be quite," Ron stopped and Harry mentally filled in 'cheap.'
"Cookbook for your mum," said Harry idly, and Ron stared.
"Are you doing that?" asked Ron.
"Thought you could… you know… hand out an interesting variety of things. Lord knows there's loads of different stuff in there." said Harry, who suddenly had the idea of asking the room for a first edition of Qiudditch through the ages, and giving to Ron. Or Ron and Ginny, and letting them fight it out.
But regardless of his plan to gift away some of the lost property office to Weasleys, he had the book wrapped and ready in his book-bag before Potions. So, as Gryffindor and Slytherin queued on opposite sides of the dungeon corridor, he rummaged in his bag and found the present.
He got it out, found Daphne Greengrass – which was easy as her hair stood out among the girls, and walked over, holding it.
"I got you a present," he said.
Daphne Greengrass, who'd been looking in his direction intently, frowned slightly. "Why?" she asked. "Is it a new dressing gown?"
A previously dormant part of Harry's brain activated and eagerly memorised that as a thing Daphne Greengrass wanted. A few hasty plans to fly to Hogsmeade before lunch and snag one were made and discarded.
"It's … it might be interesting. And um. Useful" said Harry, and he felt his cheeks heating up. The problem with the whole Daphne Greengrass situation (not the scar on his arm, the actual, real, live soulmate girl standing right in front of him who, he had the distinct impression smelt rather nice,) was that a minute in her presence was enough to reduce him to a blushing, speechless imbecile.
Daphne held out her hand (which Harry noticed was particularly beautiful) and Harry put the parcel into it.
"You might want to open in privately" said Harry, and instantly, Daphne Greengrass's cheeks flushed pink. Harry, having faced a troll, a sixty-foot Basilisk, a werewolf, and an angry Hungarian Horntail dragon, squeaked in fright and ran back to his previous position by Ron.
"Up to the bit where you freaked out that was quite gutsy," said Ron. Harry elbowed him crossly.
The Slytherin girls had gathered around Daphne and were chattering, while she put the book away.
Draco Malfoy sneered at him.
"If you'd said, I'd have made it little snakes," said Dean.
Harry decided that as he had a free period before lunch, he'd get all the way up to the seventh floor, retrieve a dressing gown, and get it wrapped up for her by lunchtime. He was fairly sure, by the way Hermione might have mentioned that Daphne did Runes, that Daphne was going to be outside the Runes classroom this afternoon. A perfect time for a present.
At no point did Harry feel that he was being obsessive, because, after all, he was more cursed than the Chudley Cannons by this point.
Daphne Greengrass saw him coming as she and precious few others waited for Runes class. Dean waved. Daphne however, walked over to the door to another classroom and went in. Harry barged in, to find a disused classroom and a tense Daphne Greengrass.
"What are you thinking!" she asked, sounding a bit miffed.
Harry didn't say 'Oh, you're not going to kiss me,' but that was actually what he had been thinking. He closed the door quietly.
"That it um, had stuff witches might want to know in it," said Harry. "Hermione got a copy and she's been obsessing over it."
"Ritual magic!" she said "It's practically illegal."
"It's dangerous, hard to regulate, and Professor Dumbledore told me not to do any, but the um writing on my back has a reference to some rituals on it." said Harry "It's for secret stuff right now, but you'll know eventually." his cheeks felt warmer and warmer.
"How did you even get this?"
"I'd rather not say just yet," said Harry, and he got out his second parcel; this time wrapped in a piece of what had started out as a velvet curtain. "Your dressing gown," he said, holding it out.
Daphne Greengrass stopped, looked at the parcel and then Harry's face "You went to Hogsmeade after Potions?"
"Not exactly." said Harry. "I um, know where the lost-and-found room is. Well, um, Snape and Professor Dumbledore do too, they read my back."
"You got me a dressing-gown from the lost-and found" she said slowly.
"I got all the dressing gowns and took the best one."
"Defined HOW" she said in a way suspiciously reminiscent of pissing Hermione off.
"The cleanest, not ripped, made of the um… that looked most expensive. There were plain fluffy ones but," Harry's voice chose that moment to fail him into little more than a whisper. "I thought you might like the… one with the white fur trim."
Daphne tore the parcel open and flopped out the ermine-trimmed blue watered silk dressing gown.
A dressing gown her mother would like. It was a trifle adult, but not salacious, more that is was just bloody expensive. She valiantly resisted pulling it on to try it out.
"Oh," she said, and sniffed it. It smelt a little musty.
"You um, probably have to get it washed, so it'll need a name tape," said Harry.
"Oh I'll just take the name off my old one," said Daphne hurriedly, and she folded up the gorgeously silky, undoubtably warm dressing gown. Which he'd wrapped in blue velvet, for Merlins' sake. Was he a secret hedonist? The wrapping-paper on the rituals book this morning had been hand-made by an artist. For a boy with terrible dress sense, he seemed to have surprising depths of character. Well, and he was easily the best Quidditch player at school, but that was fairly boring really.
"Why on earth was it in the lost property office?" she asked.
"Well, I found traces of thread in the collar, where a name-tag would be sewn on," said Potter unexpectedly. "So someone lost it and without a name tag, it couldn't be returned."
She gave him a careful look. He didn't appear to understand that someone had stolen this gorgeous thing, cut the name-tag off it, and hidden it. Probably a jealous room-mate. She sighed; people could be so dreadful.
"Um, Hermione's planning a secret club to do witches rituals," Harry added.
Greengrass's eyes became large as saucers, and her mouth gaped.
"Good grief! A Coven!" she exclaimed.
"Um. I guess" he said "You do runes, so that will help. I think."
"Are you suggesting I'd do anything as legally dubious at ritual magic?"
"Of course not. It'd be a um, secret coven. Just girls, obviously. She can work out some oaths or a cursed sign-on sheet." said Harry. "She said that everyone needed to know some of them."
Daphne Greengrass pursed her lips and gave Harry a look that felt like disapproval. He felt awkward.
"Really, I had no idea a Prefect was such a rule breaker!"
"Oh you've no idea," said Harry blandly, relaxing. "She's a good prefect, but you're all witches, and that's witchcraft. It's in our school name, after all. Just um. Be careful, because ritual magic can be hazardous." Harry hesitated "I'd feel better if you were in the club, actually. Hermione can get a bit, um, over-eager. And you're from a magical family, so you know stuff. Like Ron knows stuff."
"My mother will have to be told," said Daphne.
Harry tried to swallow and couldn't.
"Your mum? About … the us stuff?"
"For Merlins' sake! She already knows That! No, the coven. She really loathes dark magic, she'll want to check everything beforehand."
"Does she um. Know anything about rituals?"
"She was a transfer student from Durmstrang in sixth year, they have a different curriculum, and she didn't want to be at a school that taught Dark magic." said Daphne. She didn't mention that mother had also said 'because it makes you skin so dreadfully sallow,' as that made her sound a bit superficial. She didn't like dark magic for multiple reasons, and that was just one of the more trite ones.
"Oh" said Harry, and he realised she'd said 'yes' without admitting that, for example, mum did rituals. He felt it was time to share. "I um, skimmed a few years of ritual textbooks this week, even some of the first year stuff is good. There's one to prevent burns from hot pots or um, cauldrons."
"You skimmed several years textbooks?"
"There's a rituals classroom with all the textbooks" said Harry concisely. "But no ingredients, and they look expensive." Sirius had mentioned several thousand galleons.
"There is? But that would make the coven really decent" said Daphne, looking thoughtful. "Where is it?"
"Secret," said Harry. "Can't tell you yet. Also, Hermione doesn't know I told you."
Harry opened the door to leave, to find Hermione waiting.
"Hello," said Hermione. "Had a good snog?"
Harry felt his cheeks heating up.
"Oh please! Granger, If I'd been snogging him, he'd look dishevelled and… happier," said Daphne from behind him. Harry's face felt like it had been jinxed with a rash.
"And you need to learn to cast privacy charms on doors," said Hermione to him.
"Usually you're the one doing that," snapped Harry. He turned to Daphne "When we have team meetings."
"Team?" she asked.
"Team, we do secret cool stuff," said Harry, and he felt immediately stupid, and fled.
He still heard Hermione behind him saying "So, Greengrass…" as he ran away.