It had been the better part of a month since the first D.A. meeting, and those three weeks had been the best of Harry's year so far. Everything - literally, everything - had been going well for him since. His performance in his classes was the best it had been since his very first day at Hogwarts; even in Potions he was excelling, a fact that made Snape seethe with rage. Not even the Defence lessons with Umbridge could shake him of his happy state - quite the contrary; knowing that they were practising defensive magic against her wishes and right under her nose had only added to his pleasure.
Sometime during the last week, Hermione and Daphne had developed an ingenious way of communication that had saved them from the anxiety-inducing meetings in the halls of Hogwarts. Hermione had originally made several fake Galleons with a Protean Charm on them. Harry had been given the original Galleon and he could alter the serial number on the coin to show the members of the D.A. the date and time of their meeting. When Harry altered the coin, the rest of the fake-Galleons owned by the members of their group would also change and grow hot in their pockets to grab their attention. When Daphne saw the trick, she further developed it by adding a modified Compulsion Charm that would trigger the moment of alteration, to ensure that the owner looked at their coin at the earliest opportunity. For further protection, the coins had been additionally enchanted with modified Notice-Me-Not Charms that affected everyone who looked at the coins except for the members of the D.A.
When they did have meetings, the performance of his students continued to improve in leaps and bounds. Even the students who had not necessarily been as skilled or as confident as others such as Colin Creevey, or Neville, had begun to improve and were slowly catching up to even his best students. At the very top of the class though were Hermione and Daphne, who were on another level completely from their peers. After learning a spell or technique that Harry wanted to teach them, they would usually soon after be found circulating the class alongside him, helping their fellow students in their own efforts. There had been no further scenes, fights or challenges to his authority either following his defeat of Zacharias Smith in their first meeting, even the recurring conflict he had expected from the Slytherin presence in the group had not arisen, and the four snakes had largely integrated into the group quite nicely. It wasn't uncommon to find Ron, Neville and Dean hanging out with Blaise, talking about Quidditch - or football in Dean's case - whilst Tracey was kept company by the other gossip queens of the group, Lavender, Parvati and surprisingly Ginny and her friend Luna Lovegood.
At some point, the Twins had taken Astoria under her wing, and much to the disapproval - publicly at least - of Daphne, they had begun teaching her the ways of a prankster, skills that Daphne had confided in to Harry that the younger Greengrass sister was using routinely against her teachers and Draco Malfoy and his posse. It was apparently the happiest that Daphne could recall her younger sister being since just before she left for Hogwarts. Apparently, Astoria had long admired the Twins so learning from them was a dream come true, although Daphne slightly dreaded the thought of the arsenal of pranks that her sibling had begun to accrue. The Twins too were happy with finally having an apprentice to pass their skills on to in their final year, and had told Harry that she was well on her way to becoming a prankster extraordinaire.
Speaking of Daphne; the blonde had also integrated into the group seamlessly. She was often found chatting to the other members, although it was only really Hermione and sometimes Luna Lovegood that could keep up when they began to talk about academic subjects - conversations that, at least when Luna was there, Hermione always came out of slightly befuddled as if she had been stampeded by a herd of erumpents - when not in deep academic conversation or chatting to other members of the D.A, the blonde usually found herself by Harry's side, as was the case today.
It was the night before the official start of the Quidditch season, something highly anticipated as the season last year had been cancelled due to the Triwizard tournament. As always it would open up with the annual Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, something that had caused Hermione to get into an argument with Angelina the previous night over being allowed to hold a meeting on the night before the match. Eventually Angelina had conceded, agreeing that the team needed a small break before the match after several weeks of hard training. Much to Harry's horror and chagrin though, per his lesson plan, today he would be teaching them the Reductor Curse. A highly destructive spell, it could be used to seriously wound opponents, although it was not usually fatal to wizards if they immediately sought treatment. Due to the danger, especially to the Quidditch team, of casting it on their fellow students, Harry brought out the enchanted target dummies to practise upon.
Harry gave a demonstration first on a target dummy, his curse strong enough to reduce it to dust without a single lump of wood left. He then lined everyone up opposite from a target and gave the signal to start before walking around to observe his students. As always when they took up a new spell, no one could pull it off perfectly. The failed attempts ranged from a merely shaken dummy to a ruptured one. To his surprise, Neville broke his dummy into ten lumps of wood on his second try, although the dummy repaired itself shortly afterwards. As per usual, Harry made his rounds amongst the students, giving them tips, whilst working on fixing their posture and hand movements; a practice that proved efficient, if the rate at which the students were improving was anything to go by.
Twenty minutes into the lesson a great bang from one end of the room nearly perforated his eardrums. Hermione and Daphne had in unison cast the Reductor Curse at their dummies which were shortly after reduced to tiny splinters - still not as effective as Harry's was, but still a great success nonetheless. Happy with their achievement, the two witches smiled at each other and after a brief chat Hermione started to circulate around the room, observing their fellow students and helping them as she did so, leaving Daphne to join Harry at the front of the room.
"I have to say that I never expected you to be such a great teacher, Professor Potter," congratulated Daphne as she neared the raven-haired boy, causing him to wince.
"Come on, oh Ice Queen. I already told you to treat me just like you would anyone else," he responded with a sly smile. During their last few meetings, Daphne had made it her personal goal to tease him as much as possible by calling him Professor Potter. Whilst he didn't like feeling like he was on a pedestal, he couldn't deny that he was flattered by the remark. For his part, he took to calling her Ice Queen, which had been her nickname at Hogwarts since their second year, knowing that it irked her to no end.
"You call me Ice Queen, but you've not seen just how icy I can get, Professor," Daphne bit back, shooting him with one of the iciest looks in her repertoire. Harry locked eyes with her and slowly raised an eyebrow.
"You should do it more often then; you might turn me into a great ice sculpture. Maybe they could put me up somewhere in the Great Hall, call me the Boy-Who-Froze," he responded sarcastically and both of them fell silent as they tried to stare each other down. Their impromptu staring contest didn't last long, as Daphne blinked and burst out into a fit of giggles, bringing a smile to his own face.
"But in all honesty, one month ago I was trying to fight you with schoolyard hexes and weak curses," said Daphne with a fake shudder, as she looked at him with a ghost of a smile. "Don't get me wrong, I could already beat the majority of our year as it were, but now I'm way better. You really have helped everyone here learn things that they would have never learnt this year otherwise, maybe not even the next. You have taught us plenty of useful spells already, as well as to perfect them as best as possible and it's only been a month," her eyes never left Harry's face and she noticed as a faint blush crept onto his cheeks; something that she observed with curiosity and a certain amount of pride.
Harry cleared his throat. "Th-thank you, Daphne. I appreciate it. I really do." Harry responded with some hesitation. "I am happy to help people avoid a fate like..." Harry's words trailed off and he shut his eyes. A flash of worry passed through Daphne's expression but vanished the moment Harry took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Suddenly, a tray with a teapot and two cups appeared on his open palm and he turned to her with a smile. "Tea? Courtesy of Dobby, of course," he chimed.
"Dobby?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow and Harry chuckled.
"Dobby is a free house elf that works in Hogwarts. He is a friend," he added honestly, his hand still extending the tray to Daphne. "Tea?"
Daphne's eyes lit up in a strange way - a mixture of amusement, curiosity and respect.
"Yes, please," she finally responded with a giggle and took a cup of tea, from which she took a long sip. "It is delightful. Thank you, Heir Potter." She watched Harry through the corner of her eye as she sat in a chair provided by the Room of Requirement, sipping her tea; the neutral mask on her face was more than enough to mask her curiosity and genuine worry she felt for Harry's condition. It wasn't the only time that Harry had shown grief and pain after certain remarks. She knew that he witnessed Cedric Diggory die in front of his eyes, but she felt like that wasn't the only thing that was plaguing Harry Potter's mind. The impulse to actually try and help him wasn't helping her either.
The tray vanished from Harry's hand as he turned to face her. "You know, I have been meaning to ask you," said the boy and paused to consider his words. "You have been telling me about my family and I know that it is some kind of old Pureblood house, but I have no idea what Pureblood traditions are exactly; especially the traditions of my family and pure blood conduct as a whole."
Daphne, for her part, regarded Harry's tone and expression and she noticed that he was feeling very awkward; the tiny amount of Legilimency she possessed helped her figure that much out. She took another sip of her tea and spoke. "Well, mannerisms are something that are common across wizards and witches of a Pureblood lineage, being especially apparent in Noble and Ancient Noble families. Things like introductions, greetings and other basics of social conduct are shared by the Pureblood society of Magical Britain. The Houses themselves differ though when it comes to their internal workings," said Daphne as she glanced at Harry to make sure he was following. Much to her pleasure, Harry looked like he was digesting everything with vigour.
"Most families have some form of House law, rules, often unwritten, that are followed across generations by the family. Often these cover things like the family succession, titles and behaviour, as well as who is eligible to be considered part of the House. On a similar note, different families possess different Magical Contracts. The difference between Contracts and House laws are simple; Magical Contracts are made and tailored by the Head of House to be invoked by a witch or wizard and bind their magic like oaths, whilst House laws involve no magic at all. House laws can be broken, yes, but if broken the Head of House can exact punishment - that differs on the nature of the law, of course." With a mere glance, Daphne noticed that Harry was gazing intently at her in curiosity, obviously wanting to be told more. Daphne mentally chuckled, but kept going.
"Another thing - a fact that will surely fascinate you - is that all Ancient families possess a book that contains unique spells, potions and techniques made by the family and shared only within the family; Most families call these books The Family Grimoire, but some families use different names. The House of Greengrass owns the Greengrass Archive, while the Potters own the Potter Tome," said Daphne and turned her head to look at him properly.
"How do you know about the Potter Tome? Even I don't know about it," said Harry with a small frown, causing Daphne's heart to inexplicably skip with worry.
"The only reason I - and everyone in Magical Britain, for that matter - know of the Potter Tome is because it caused a Wizengamot Trial that spanned two full months in 1982," explained Daphne, but Harry's look of increasing confusion made her explain further. "When your parents died and you disappeared from Magical Britain, a member of the Wizengamot brought forth the matter of the Potter Tome to the chamber; the subject of the trial was the choice between destruction of the tome or access to it by the Ministry. Traditionally, when a family line dies off, the contents of their vaults and their houses are destroyed, while their money goes to Gringotts. So, it was a massive scandal that the Ministry tried to obtain a family grimoire, something that is considered sacred. Theft of a grimoire is such a big deal that it can lead to a death sentence," Harry shuddered to that and Daphne giggled. "Well, Dumbledore was then forced to come forth two months after the trial had begun and reveal to the world that you were alive and under strict protection for your own safety, thus immediately ending the Wizengamot trial in an instant because an heir existed." Daphne finished. She looked at Harry expecting a reaction. She expected reactions from shock to awe, happiness to curiosity; the look of absolute pain written on his face was not something she expected.
"Strict protection huh... Just keep the 'strict'," the boy muttered under his breath, turning his frozen emerald gaze to his class.
"Harry, I wanted to ask you," started Daphne, now worried more than anything. Harry turned his gaze back to her. "You have no knowledge of the wizarding world, do you? I mean, except Hogwarts, the classes, Quidditch and the Dark Lord," she said quietly. Harry looked at her motionless and silent for a moment before shaking his head. Daphne straightened her posture unnecessarily - it was already straight like an arrow, as always - and declared. "Well then, I will teach you everything you want to know about the wizarding world."
Harry's eyes widened a tiny bit as he heard her declaration and he felt a warmth enveloping him. For the first time in his life, someone had offered to teach him about his roots. He was offered knowledge on the world he adored so much. That same happiness caused him to hug Daphne. It wasn't a proper hug - he only used one arm, in fact - and he was as stiff as a brick wall. Yet, the message was conveyed. "Thank you, Daphne," the boy whispered, before letting the flustered and slightly red Daphne go free.
"Th-...Th-...That was not proper Pureblood conduct," whispered Daphne, breathless. Inwardly, she frantically tried to find her lost bearings caused by the simple act of appreciation, lifting her Occlumency shields in the process.
"REDUCTO!"
Before Harry could even laugh at her remark, his reflexes kicked in. With a swift motion he leapt out of his chair and moved in front of Daphne, his right hand cradling his wand, reflecting the stray spell, while the left hand gestured at Daphne to stay behind him. The stray Reducto Harry reflected rushed back up the room, narrowly passing by the head of the offending caster - close enough to cause gasps of horror from those nearby - landing squarely on a target dummy, reducing it to a fine dust before knocking aforesaid dust back in a whirlwind.
Silence descended over the Room of Requirement, broken by the echoes of the Reductor Curse lingering in the vast, vaulted space. The blonde behind Harry shuddered as a feeling of unchecked magical energy swept over her.
It was common knowledge that magic was often affected by emotion. Depression could render even the most powerful of wizards and witches as powerless as a muggle, or cause them otherwise to struggle in channelling their magic. Happiness often led to powerful and refined magic, whilst love had a habit of creating overpowered spells in its exuberance. In a state of rage, a wizard or witch's magic became unstable and had the tendency to leak out of them uncontrolled, it was why anger was the primary cause of accidental magic in children. Harry's magic was more than leaking, it was like a deluge pouring out of him from rage. That wasn't even the worst of it; a skilled witch or wizard could feel the complexities of magic, and in Harry's, Daphne could not help but feel two auras. The majority of the magic was from what she could tell was Harry's regular magic, calm, caring and protective. There was another though, deep within Harry's own, almost hidden by it, but something that still managed to rage like a maelstrom despite being just a trace. She could feel its desire to rip, to tear, to kill, to commit horrendous and unspeakable acts as it worked to further whip up Harry's fury.
The dark-haired boy started pacing slowly. Aiming his wand at the offender he began to cast a spell unknown to most of them. "Partis Temporus," the boy whispered in a hoarse and cold voice. The plethora of students were moved out of the way and pushed to either side of the room, creating a path between Harry and his target. Someone tried to interrupt him.
"How dare you attack one of us-..." began Marietta Edgecombe, but with a flick of his wand, Harry launched a series of silent spells at the girl, silencing her mid-sentence. With barely a glance, the Ravenclaw's mouth was removed by an Oscausi, as she was pushed back into the arms of Anthony Goldstein, petrified. Even as the spells hit her, Harry continued stalking towards the target of his initial ire.
The Gryffindor stopped several feet in front of Cho Chang. His emerald eyes shone brightly as he stared at Cho, freezing her to the spot. The girl stared at him, fear present in her gaze as she stared into his red-tinged eyes, the only one close enough to see the difference in his eyes.
"Do you have anything to share with the class, Cho?" Harry asked with an emotionless whisper that echoed throughout the silent room. "Anything that would explain why your spell was cast at Daphne's head?"
"It- It- It was a m- mistake..." Cho whispered as tears started flowing down her face.
"A mistake, you say?" Harry asked coldly, venom clear in his voice, before he hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder what kind of mistake it was. Was the mistake that you missed your target so badly, to the point it must have somehow curved around the dummy itself? Or was the mistake that you targeted Daphne's head purposefully, willingly attempting to murder your classmate?"
"I j- just missed!" Cho cried out in vain, provoking Harry's rage ever further.
"Don't lie to me, Cho!" Harry yelled, the reverberations of his voice off the stone walls causing some people to flinch. "You don't 'miss' when you are looking at the 'wrong' target from the start! I know you targeted Daphne from the start! I told you I would not-" Harry's tirade came to an abrupt stop, courtesy of a delicate hand grabbing him by the shoulder.
"Please, calm down. There is no need for you to be this enraged, I am completely fine," Daphne said evenly in a calm, yet frosty voice as she grabbed his shoulder. Harry turned to look at the blonde, and his demeanour relaxed as he looked at her. Something that Hermione found interesting, as Daphne was the first to successfully calm the Gryffindor boy since he had witnessed the death of Cedric Diggory.
Harry slowly relaxed as he looked into the Slytherin's eyes, and took a deep breath, his shoulders slumping in the process. Nevertheless, he turned to look at Cho again, calmer now but still quite angry with the Ravenclaw student. "The fact you are okay, Daphne, does not mean that this wasn't an attempt to assault you, or worse. I said I would not condone any kind of hostility inside this classroom, Cho. I am disappointed and be thankful I am not expelling you from this group," Harry turned around and patted Daphne's hand, still on his shoulder, in appreciation before gently pulling it off and walking away.
"I seriously hope this never happens again," announced Harry as he released the charms from Marietta - thankfully, the girl was smart enough to not act in any way - and moved to the front of the classroom. "Tomorrow is Quidditch and many of us will be up early, so make sure to get lots of sleep. Class dismissed."
With that last announcement Harry left the Room of Requirement, as Hermione and Ron ran out after him.
Daphne didn't follow, instead, she was left standing almost completely still, trying to process the spectacle that had unfolded in front of - and because of - her. One thing she was certain of was that the man who had ended the lesson was not Harry. Not entirely.
xxx
"Well, I should have expected an attack at some point. But I still wouldn't have expected it from Chang, of all people," Tracey commented nonchalantly after they had sat in their corner of the Slytherin Common Room.
"I stopped expecting any hostility from the rest of the group a couple of meetings ago," Blaise responded with a shrug. "Even the Weasel's now largely on friendly terms with us. I have to say though; his horrendous manners aside, Ron is a pretty nice guy," said Blaise as a ghost of a smile briefly appeared upon Daphne's face.
The combined gaze of the three fifth years landed on Astoria, who was paying no attention to their conversation, instead studying a weird, hand-written page that seemed to contain some sort of Potions recipe.
"Anything you want to share, Tori?" Daphne asked to no avail. "Tori? Earth to Tori," continued Daphne, her patience dwindling. Rolling up a piece of parchment, the blonde gave her sister a quick tap upon the head, startling the young girl, and forcing her to pay attention to her companions.
"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly!" Astoria squealed, trying to hide the page that she had been studying as she did so.
"What are you reading, Tori?" Tracey inquired.
Daphne reached over and plucked the piece of parchment from Astoria's grip, as the fourth-year tried to shove it into one of her pockets.
"What even is this?" she asked, "It looks like a potions recipe, but it's like none that I have seen before."
"It's not a recipe that exists - yet!" Astoria responded with excitement. "The Weasley Twins are geniuses!"
"Two of the worst students in Hogwarts?" Blaise inquired with a raised eyebrow. "How exactly, are they geniuses?"
Astoria cleared her throat and showed them the recipe. "This is a recipe that they made from scratch; it is a work in progress for a potion that changes the body to have the properties of rubber, from elongation to shrinking to twisting to everything that rubber can do; with the person that drank the potion having unlimited control over their new rubber body. The intended result is a potion that lasts for around two hours and reverts the body back to the original shape before wearing off," explained Astoria under the shocked and surprised gaze of her friends. "This is not the only recipe they've created either; they have more than 15 unique, never-before-seen recipes that have wildly different effects. Not only that, they have made some custom, enchanted items with full rune formations and they have even patented a couple of spells!"
"Then why..." Daphne whispered as her eyes continued to look over the recipe.
"Because they don't care about the exams! They hate being restricted by the curriculum and restrictive Ministry diktats. When they graduate from Hogwarts, they're planning to open their own shop full of prank items, tricks and charms!" The excitement oozing off Astoria was palpable - a fact that caused Daphne to smile. "And I haven't even talked about the altered potions and spells and runic arrays that they have created for already existing stuff; the sheer amount of material they have for their shop is insane!"
By the time her sister finished her impassioned tirade, Daphne was smiling brightly along with their friends. "I am very happy for you, Astoria; it seems that you have found your perfect accomplices. I suppose you have also shared your own works?" Astoria feverishly nodded in confirmation, before she excused herself, leaving for her dorm to continue working on the Twins' recipe. Daphne watched as her little sister ran off to her room with a smile.
"I am very happy for Tori, but we still haven't discussed the attack properly," spoke Blaise, as he summoned some tea for the group.
"There is nothing to discuss, really. There is no hostility against us in that group, I would almost say it is the exact opposite in fact. The D.A. members have accepted us wholly and warmly," said Daphne before sipping some of her own tea. "Cho Chang simply exploded in a fit of jealousy, it seems."
"Jealousy? Why?" Tracey asked with a frown.
"Because she likes Harry, of course," Daphne responded nonchalantly, sipping more of her tea.
"But why would she explode like that?" questioned Blaise.
"My guess is that Harry hugging me was too much for her," she answered with a shrug.
"Harry hugged you? When?" Tracey asked with a teasing curiosity that made Daphne shift uncomfortable in her seat. The amused gaze their male companion sent Daphne's way didn't help, either.
"I offered to teach him a little bit about wizarding traditions. Apparently, that meant a lot to him." Daphne of course knew that Harry was hiding a lot of pain regarding his upbringing, but it wasn't her place to bring it up.
"So you don't intend to steal him away from Chang, right Daphne?" Blaise asked with obvious amusement. Daphne had a very hard time swallowing her tea when he asked her that question, but she focused on keeping her mind clear, which thankfully kept her expression calm.
"I mean, Harry is one of the better looking men at Hogwarts; certainly above the abysmal average," Tracey added, much to Daphne's dismay.
"I would rather not hear remarks like those, thank you," spoke Daphne in both a haughty and embarrassed tone, after she managed to finally swallow the tea that would not go down.
"Sure, Daph, whatever you say Daph," Tracey shot back with excessive cheeriness. "We will have this discussion again though when we see little Potters running around the halls of Hogwarts."
Daphne who had been mid-sip choked on her tea, before sending a weak Stinging Hex at her best friend between her coughs; something that only caused Tracey to laugh even harder, as Blaise joined in the laughter.
"For what it's worth, I believe you, Daph," Blaise said when he stopped laughing. "But honestly, you should expect words like that from Miss Davis over here," he added with a nod of his head towards the Muggleborn who only giggled in response.
Daphne sighed deeply and slumped in her chair. The relaxation could not last, however; courtesy of two unexpected guests.
"Honestly, have you kept the Muffliato around here active since third year, Daph?" a simpering voice asked as Pansy and her companion sat down around their table. Daphne shot her a frozen glare; she really couldn't stand Pansy Parkinson, not after second year. She couldn't fathom her unyielding desire to be Draco's girlfriend, but she supposed that shit attracted... well, shit.
It hadn't always been like that between them, in fact, they had once been very close during their younger years. Daphne blocked off those errand thoughts though as soon as they popped up in her mind. "I don't see a reason to broadcast my discussions to prying ears."
Blaise's face tensed as Malfoy sat down on the armchair next to him. "I am counting on your support tomorrow during Quidditch, dear Daphne," said Malfoy with a smirk, "and after I humiliate that useless Potter, you will finally have to accept our date."
Several years ago, during their second year of Hogwarts, Daphne had told Malfoy that she would only go on a date with him if he managed to beat Potter in Quidditch. Malfoy had been bothering Daphne without stopping at the time and she had needed some way to get rid of him. Thankfully, she was a massive Quidditch fan - something that nobody in their year besides Tracey knew - and she knew Malfoy didn't even have a fraction of Harry's skill as a Seeker from what she had seen. Over the past three years, Daphne had only seen Harry's skill with a broom increase, as Malfoy got ever farther from the goal that she had set. In her eyes, a declaration like that was akin to declaring that she would never date Draco Malfoy.
Daphne laughed humorlessly in front of Malfoy. "You honestly believe you can beat Potter? Get real, Draco, you have no chance," declared Daphne with a haughty look, causing the blonde boy to turn red in anger.
"Since when are you Potter's fan, Greengrass?" Malfoy spat.
"I'm not a fan, I am merely stating the facts," she responded with a frosty glare, ice lacing her voice. "You cannot beat Potter in Quidditch. None of the current House Seekers can beat him, in fact."
Malfoy abruptly stood up from his chair, Parkinson following suit. "We'll see what you say after I tear your filthy little halfblood apart in front of you," the boy spat, storming away from their corner - with Parkinson following suit, only taking a moment to briefly glance back towards the trio.
Daphne's frozen mask slowly crumbled, as a seething expression formed on Daphne's rapidly reddening face. "How dare he?! The little piece of shit-" Daphne spat and Blaise shot her a serious look that stopped her tirade prematurely.
"It won't do you much good if you respond to his disrespect, Daph. I know how you feel about the little shit, but you must be calm. If you don't want to listen to me, then remind yourself that these are orders from your father. Ever since he refused Lucius Malfoy's offer of a betrothal contract between you and Draco during our first year, your father warned you that Malfoy would be a pain in the arse. Please, don't rise to his bait."
Daphne slowly calmed down. Blaise was right. One breath, two breaths... Malfoy's disrespect wasn't what bothered her, she realised.
She just couldn't stand him bad-mouthing Harry.
xxx
The morning of the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin was not a nice affair. That much was obvious from the moment they stepped into the Great Hall. Harry hurriedly seated Ron with his back towards the entire Great Hall - in a failed attempt to help him ignore everything - while he took a seat in front of him. The duo of Quidditch players witnessed Luna's showcase of an actual Lion on her head that could roar and Harry started speaking as she left.
"Pull yourself together Ron," Harry hissed while Ron was trying - and failing - to eat more than two bites of his breakfast. Ron didn't respond. Harry tried to continue speaking to Ron but Hermione and Ginny got a hold of him, giving him the opportunity to eat his own meal.
Harry wasn't in the best of moods himself. Last night's D.A. meeting was replaying in his head over and over again. He was honestly very disappointed with Cho. Disappointed enough to reduce the tiny flame he had for her to mere sparks. He honestly thought Cho was a mature and overall nice girl, as well as being very pretty; yet her actions showed immaturity that was appalling. To think that she would actually attempt to assault Daphne...
Without even noticing it consciously, his gaze was shifted to the Slytherin table. His emerald eyes landed on a blonde head that was eating from a plate filled with a traditional English Breakfast. She was sitting elegantly and her actions had an air of confidence around them. Even the simple action of lifting her fork to eat a slice of bacon; even that was dignified when she was doing it. Harry never expected to find such a mundane action fascinating.
While he was observing Daphne he was also eating from a plate of English breakfast. Without even realising it, he was copying Daphne's elegant posture and soft movements. Another thing he didn't realise; Daphne had felt him looking at her and was now looking straight in his eyes. He slowly turned his gaze to meet hers. How could he not have noticed how beautiful her eyes were before? Those sapphire oceans were really a sight to behold even at this distance... A few moments of eye contact later, Daphne shot him a warm smile.
Thankfully, Harry wasn't as dumb as last year; the smile he returned to Daphne didn't release the contents in his mouth. Quite the contrary, in fact; He managed a very charming smile.
He couldn't dwell on that thought, however, as the rest of their Quidditch team approached and they left for the Stadium.
xxx
The road to the stadium was thankfully uneventful - thinking that walking to the stadium without incident was a blessing in itself was a sign of how shitty things could get, Harry realised with a shudder - and they finally entered the pitch. With their brooms shouldered, the Gryffindor team marched to the centre of the field, stopping right in front of the Slytherin team. Much to Harry's amusement, Slytherin's new Beaters under Montague's leadership were Crabbe and Goyle.
On the right side of the Slytherin team, a very obviously annoyed Draco Malfoy was scowling at the sight of Harry.
"Prepared to lose, Potter?" he spat, completely ignoring his team's glares.
"That won't happen as long as I am flying, Malfoy," Harry coolly replied.
"Then pray you won't have any accidents, filthy son of a mudblood," he spat in a retort, a feat that cost his team a point penalty by Madam Hooch - much to the dismay of the Slytherin audience.
"The Slytherins are already behind by 20 points - and the match didn't even start yet!"
Madam Hooch calmed everyone down and started her commands.
"On your brooms! In three- two- one!" A high pitched whistle signalled the start of the match; 4 balls were released and 14 players shot upward in the sky. Harry sent a single glance at Ron and realised his friend was holding up much better. With that happy thought he started searching for the golden blur that was the Snitch.
"And it's Johnson, Johnson with the Quaffle, what a player that girl is, I've been saying it for years but she still won't go out with me -"
"JORDAN!" yelled Professor McGonagall.
"Just a fun fact, Professor, adds a bit of interest - and she's ducked Warrington, she's passed by Montague, she's - ouch - been hit from behind by a Bludger from Crabbe... Montague catches the Quaffle, Montague heading back up the pitch and - nice Bludger there from George Weasley, that's a Bludger to the head for Montague - with no lasting damage, sadly -"
A smacking sound resonated through the stadium as McGonagall hit Jordan with a rolled newspaper.
"- he drops the Quaffle, caught by Katie Bell, Katie Bell of Gryffindor reverse passes to Alicia Spinnet and Spinnet's away -"
While Harry was a big fan of Lee Jordan's commentary, he couldn't spare a single thought on it while he was frantically searching for the Snitch.
"- dodges Warrington, avoids a Bludger - close call, Alicia - and the crowd are loving this, just listen to them, what's that they're singing?"
Lee paused to listen to the song the same time Harry was swerving above the Slytherin stands.
Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why Slytherins all sing:
Weasley is our King.
Weasley was born in a bin,
He always lets the Quaffle in,
Weasley will make sure we win,
Weasley is our King.
Harry, seething with rage, shot a glance toward his best friend once more. What he saw surprised him; his friend was completely calm - as if he didn't hear a thing.
"- and Alicia passes back to Angelina!"
Both Bludgers shot towards Harry at the same time, forcing him to dodge between Slytherin's rings, providing enough of a distraction for Angelina.
"ANGELINA SCORES FOR GRYFFINDOR! THE SCORE IS - wait, what happened to the song?"
The stadium erupted into laughter. Harry, being near the Slytherin stands, saw Pansy's shocked expression as she kept guiding her chorus that now consisted fully of chicken clucks. And she couldn't stop. Harry quickly realised that this was a combination of Cantis and Confundo. But who-
His eyes landed on a beautiful blonde that wore a Slytherin Quidditch vest. The blonde in question then smiled at him and winked. After that, without a moment's notice, Daphne Greengrass kept following Pansy's song, acting confused.
Bolting off to search for the Snitch, Harry also noticed that the members of the Slytherin team were about as confused as Pansy; that lapse of judgement cost them three more goals in favour of the Gryffindors.
"The Gryffindor team that keeps on giving! The score is 40 to -20!" Lee Jordan roared, the rest of the stadium roaring along with him.
Harry realised that he needed to finish this parody. A tall order, in all reality. With a nosedive he dodged another Bludger. That same Bludger was shot towards him again, forcing him to pull a dangerous turn near the grass.
"Crabbe and Goyle are harassing Potter with a tag team!"
While annoyed, Harry was a tad bit thankful - his sharp turn led him right behind the Snitch. He accelerated, narrowly dodging the Bludger once again. The Bludger shot past him, narrowly missing him from the right side in its erratic path, yet it was hit once again by Goyle, forcing Harry to dodge again.
The crowd was roaring with insults and screams aimed at Crabbe and Goyle. Lee Jordan had his microphone confiscated because he started cursing the Beaters and the Slytherin team was doing their best to hold on. The score was -20 - 70.
Harry also saw the bright side of this assault; he was gaining distance on the Snitch and Malfoy had no idea - everyone simply thought that Harry was trying to escape the Bludgers. Thankfully, Crabbe and Goyle were too dumb to realise that they were being played.
A sharp left saved Harry once more and he started ascending.
"Malfoy, he is after the Snitch!" Montague screamed; indeed, Harry was about one metre away from the snitch that was ascending fast.
One more time, the Bludger made him duck, yet he was only closer to the snitch. Just a little more... Just a little more...
A Bludger connected to the small of his back, knocking him off of his broom and launching him high in the air. Harry managed to close his fist, feeling the cold metal and the madly fluttering wings. He rotated his body in the air to look at the stadium and show that he caught the snitch; but the last thing he managed to make out was that he was free falling before the second Bludger hit him squarely in the torso - knocking the air out of him and bringing him to the edge of consciousness.
He thought that he was hearing screams; yes, those were screams. It wasn't easy to differentiate between screams of horror, roars of rage and the howling wind that was impacting his ears as he was falling to his death. What happened? Did we lose? Did I miss the Snitch and Malfoy caught it? These foolish thoughts swarmed his mind even as he was tightly holding the Golden Snitch. He felt someone grabbing him. He could make out two identical voices near him - were those the Twins that caught him? Oh, he felt grass. He touched the grass softly, it seemed. Just how did-
"Rennervate."
Harry opened his eyes in horror as he was pulled back to consciousness and he sat up to look around him. The worried faces of Hermione, Luna, Neville, their Quidditch team. He also spotted a blonde head moving away through the crowd.
"What happened?" Harry asked madly as he saw the Slytherins scoring - again, and again, and again. He also saw Malfoy searching for the snitch.
'Huh. I'm hallucinating?' Harry thought before speaking. "W- what... Wait," he and stood up, taking Ron's hand that was extended to help him. "Fuck, the world is spinning."
"You're not going anywhere!" Hermione hissed but a glare from Harry shut her down. He was honestly fine, he was simply dazed from the impact that knocked the wind out of him. Perhaps concussed. A dull pain from, well, his whole upper body probably meant that he was worse than he initially thought.
But the man had unhealthy priorities.
"MADAM HOOCH!" His yell caused everyone to abruptly stop as he ran to meet the referee. He then realised that the Gryffindors were all sulking. Also, he realised that he was outside of the bounds of the pitch. Did everyone think that their team abandoned the match and that the Snitch was free?
Madam Hooch landed near him. "It is grim Potter, you are behind 70 - 190, you need to hurry-"
"No no, what was the score when I was knocked off?" Harry interrupted and his team gasped. They realised.
"70 to -20, what does that..." Madam Hooch's voice trailed off as Harry opened his hand to reveal the Snitch.
One whistle. Two whistles. Three whistles and the stadium exploded in cheers.
"POTTER GRABBED THE SNITCH BEFORE BEING HIT! I REPEAT, POTTER CAUGHT THE SNITCH BEFORE BEING HIT! AS PER REGULATIONS, THE MATCH ENDED THERE, WITH THE SCORE OF 220 TO -20!" Lee Jordan screamed in his microphone, yet barely audible under the screams of the stadium.
Of course, the Slytherin protested wildly, yet Harry couldn't care; they made history. For the first time in Hogwarts history, a match ended with a negative score on one team. His team had already grabbed him and carried him in the air with their brooms, ignoring Malfoy's caustic remarks.
Harry spared a glance toward the circle that was made by his friends that rushed from the stands - much to his unexplainable sadness, Daphne was already gone. Perhaps she wasn't even there in the first place. He would speak with her later; they needed to schedule their tutoring anyway. For now, he focused on the celebrations with a dazed expression and an unfocused gaze.
Said celebrations lasted 15 minutes. They would have lasted longer, but Harry got a notice that he was invited to Professor McGonagall's office. With some parting farewells to his team, he made his way to her office.
xx
"Come in!" said McGonagall beyond the closed door of her office - her excitement for the clean win obvious. Harry entered the office.
"You asked for me, Professor?" Harry inquired as he neared her desk. Thankfully his injuries were easily healed; the difference between a normal bludger and a cursed bludger was that it simply didn't have the same strength or speed upon impact.
"Why yes, Potter! Please, sit!" spoke McGonagall as she pointed to one of the chairs and Harry obliged. "I simply wanted to congratulate you on making history! This is the first time a Quidditch match ended in such a fashion - and against Slytherin, no less!" McGonagall made an attempt to open her drawer, but stopped before speaking again. "As such, as the Head of The House of Gryffindor, I wanted to reward-"
"Hem, hem."
A dreadful, nightmare-inducing high-pitched voice made Harry spin his head around to look at the entrance. Dolores Umbridge was standing in the doorway wrapped in a disgusting pink cloak, smiling her sickly, ominous smile.
"What do you need in my office, Dolores?" McGonagall spoke with a very fake smile.
"I am here to deliver Mr. Potter's punishment, of course!" said Umbridge, her sickly smile never leaving her face.
"You will do no such thing! You have no reason and no authority over my students!" McGonagall bit back as she shot up from her chair.
"As a matter of fact, Minerva, I do have such authority,'' Simpered Umbridge. "It's a happy little occasion today as Cornelius - I'm sorry, the Minister - sent me this useful piece of paper..." Umbridge continued with a disgustingly cheery tone as she searched through her purse. "Ah, yes! Here it is!" she announced as she pulled out a parchment which she unfurled.
"Hem, hem... 'Educational Decree Number Twenty-five...' "
"Again?!" McGonagall yelled violently, her eyes seething with rage.
"Well, yes," said Umbridge, still smiling. "As a matter of fact, Minerva, it was you who made me see that we needed a further amendment... You remember how you overrode me, when I was unwilling to allow the Gryffindor Quidditch team to re-form?" McGonagall didn't even twitch, yet Umbridge kept speaking anyway.
"Remember how you took the case to Dumbledore, who insisted that the team be allowed to play? Well, now, I couldn't have that. I contacted the Minister at once, and he quite agreed with me that the High Inquisitor has to have the power to strip pupils of privileges, or she - that is to say, I - would have less authority than common teachers! And you see now, don't you, Minerva, how right I was in attempting to stop the Gryffindor team re-forming?"
"You have no reason Dolores!" McGonagall almost screamed.
"But I do! Anyway, I was reading out our amendment... hem, hem... "
" 'The High Inquisitor will henceforth have supreme authority over all punishments, sanctions, and removal of privileges pertaining to the students of Hogwarts, and the power to alter such punishments, sanctions, and removals of privileges as may have been ordered by other staff members. Signed, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, Order of Merlin First Class, etc., etc. . . .' "
She rolled up the parchment and put it back into her handbag, still smiling.
"So!" she continued with a tone that made both Harry and McGonagall gag. "Let me elaborate. Today's showcase was a terrible example of violence... Did you see those poor Beaters trying to kill dear Mr. Potter?"
"Exactly!" McGonagall responded with a yell. "It was they who tried to assault Potter and he did noth-"
"Hem, hem..." Dolores interrupted, causing McGonagall's nostrils to flare up. "I didn't finish talking, Minerva." the toad hissed. "As I was saying... hem, hem... Mr. Potter is the reason for this agitation. If Mr. Potter didn't play at all, there would be no violence! As you already know, Mr. Potter is the root of all the problems in our great school."
Harry started shaking in his chair. He knew where she was going with it. She would-
"As such, I hereby ban Mr. Potter from playing Quidditch for the rest of the year," the toad announced with unbelievable amounts of glee. Harry wanted to speak, to move, yet he found himself bound in his chair.
"But I am not unreasonable, Minerva. The rest of your little team can play, of course. They will be calm with Mr. Potter out of the picture," she spoke as she turned back to Professor McGonagall who was now standing as still as though carved from ice, staring at her. "Now, I will need Mr. Potter's broom to make sure there won't be any infringements of my ban." with a silent Accio the broom landed in Dolores' open hand. She carefully observed the broom before speaking once more.
"Actually, I think that won't be enough. Hem, hem..." she pointed her wand to the broom and...
"Reducto!"
Harry screamed. Harry screamed until he tore his lungs out at the sight of his broom - the gift Sirius sent him at the end of his third year - being reduced to dust. Yet, he made no sound. He didn't even twitch. He moved his eyes towards the Transfiguration Professor.
If Dolores was a minion of hell, Minerva McGonagall was the warden. Harry witnessed a scowl so unsettling and terrifying - he thought he would get burned alive if he stared at it too much.
"Are you done?" McGonagall's hissed whisper was heard across the office.
"I am!" Dolores announced and turned around. "Well... Good afternoon to you." And with a look of the utmost satisfaction Umbridge left the room, leaving a horrified silence in her wake.
McGonagall was standing still for almost two full minutes before setting up Privacy Charms and releasing whatever spell she used on Harry. As soon as he realised he could move, he jumped up and tried to run to the door; murder in his emerald eyes. And yet, his plans were foiled once more as he found himself flying backwards towards McGonagall.
"That is quite enough, Harry," she spoke gently.
"But Professor-"
"No. Buts. Harry." McGonagall bit back and Harry shut his mouth. With a sigh, she sat back on her desk. "Please, don't grieve. Umbridge... She is not well in the head. But regardless, if I am to be thankful for one thing, it's this," with a quick motion of her hand, the drawer opened and a tiny package that looked like an odd pen landed on her desk. Harry eyed the package curiously before Minerva restored it to the real size. Harry gasped; it was a broom under the wraps.
"This - is the gift I wanted to give you for your match," explained McGonagall with a bit of sadness. "I know that Padfoot gifted you your Firebolt... But please. Don't grieve," she said and with one more flick of her wand the wrap was torn and revealed a shiny, brand new broom. Well, more than brand new. On the side of the wood, in gold lettering were the words 'Nimbus Millenium'.
It was a near prototype.
"This was donated to Hogwarts by Nimbus Corporation. We couldn't think of anyone better to use it. Keep in mind that it will stay at the school, but it is yours while you are a student here."
"Pr- Professor, this..." Harry tried to speak but was at a loss for words. Conflicting feelings welled inside him; pride clashed with rage, happiness clashed with grief.
"I will keep it for now," she announced as she shrunk it again and hid it in her drawer. "We both know that this... this tool of the Ministry will destroy it as well. And you can't play Quidditch anymore. But I implore you Harry, don't try to fight her. Do it for me, please."
Harry looked at his Professor's eyes, trying to reign in his wild emotions. He felt a tug in his mind - his soul - soothing him. He shut his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he was calm. "Alright, Professor. But I don't know how to break the news to the others..." he trailed off and Minerva stood up.
"Well, we'll find out, won't we?" Minerva walked up to Harry and grabbed his forearm. "Willy!"
With a pop, a Hogwarts House Elf appeared next to Minerva.
"What can Willy do's for Mistress Lion Professor?" the elf inquired with a squeaky voice.
"Teleport us in the Gryffindor Common Room please - I will return on foot after that so you may not be seen."
Suddenly, Harry's ears burst with the loud cheers of the common room. Yet, McGonagall stepped on all noises with the use of Sonorous.
"Attention, students," the noises abruptly cut off and silence plagued the Common Room. Professor McGonagall canceled her spell and spoke normally.
"With great sadness I announce that Mr. Potter has been banned from playing Quidditch for the rest of the year."
"WHAT!?"
"WHAT DID YOU DO POTTER?"
"HOW DARE-"
"CHILDREN!" McGonagall screamed on top of her lungs - her patience was obviously gone before they even apparated in the common room. She cleared her throat.
"Dolores Umbridge banned Mr. Potter from Quidditch because, I quote, 'Mr. Potter is the reason everyone is violent in the school and he disgraces Quidditch by having everyone attack him.' "
Silence.
"After issuing the ban, she destroyed Mr. Potter's broom."
The silence was broken by some stray gasps of horror.
"I know how you all feel," spoke the professor. "But I will make one thing clear. No one will act against Umbridge! She is already trying to destroy us as is. Do not make this worse on us. I will try my best to change some things. But the Ministry's clutches dig deep..."
"Professor?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes, Harry?" she responded in a friendly tone.
"Can I roam the castle to get some air?" he asked seriously. Minerva regarded him for a moment before deciding.
"I trust you. Go on," spoke McGonagall in a soft tone. He didn't need to be told twice.
He left the common room and almost ran to the Room of Requirement.
xxx
"REDUCTO MAXIMA!" A Target Dummy was blown to dust before the dust itself vanished completely.
A Severing Charm cut uit almost halfway through, provoking an irritated growl. "DIFFINDO MAXIMA!" That same Target Dummy was cleanly cut in half.
Another Target Dummy was subject to a violent Gouging Curse, becoming a subject of experimentation and rage; the spell carved a hole its torso. "DEFODIO MAXIMA!" That same Target Dummy earned a gaping hole in its chest for its efforts.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" The ultimate version of the Exploding Charm crashed on the wall, almost destroying it completely - thankfully, the Room of Requirement could not be destroyed from the inside; even from the outside all destruction would be restored in a timely manner.
"CONFRINGO MAXIMA!" A very impressive - and highly destructive - explosion of fire slammed on the wall, producing results of a slightly lower caliber compared to Bombarda Maxima. Much to the caster's amusement, he figured out the basics of the Maxima variable on spells and could apply it properly.
In reality, the reason the variable wasn't used in most cases was because the enhanced spells could become lethal - or in worse cases, lethal for the user, as the modified spells tended to be fickle during casting, often backfiring if used by a wizard of a lower caliber. Other spells ranging from Wingardium Leviosa to Avada Kedavra didn't have variables. The spells affected by the variables of Duo, Tria and Maxima were limited to spells that revolved around the elements or applied physical, mundane effects on the world like the Severing Charm, the Blasting Curse and the Fire-Making Spell.
A valid comparison is blades. Blades are either tiny knives used for precise work, while swords could cut down humans like butter. Spells like that work in the same vein. A Diffindo could be used by a tailor to cut clothes accurately; A Diffindo Maxima could be used by a warrior to cut down his foes.
Those were facts that didn't bother Harry Potter in the slightest since Target Dummies and walls weren't living beings - he wouldn't use spells dangerous to himself anyway.
"EXPULSO MAXIMA!" An explosion of pressurized air destroyed yet another wall.
Harry kept launching Exploding Charms all around him, not caring anymore whether he could destroy the room or not. That also made him deaf to anyone trying to gain his attention.
"Harry...?"
He kept casting, oblivious to the voice.
"Harry?" The female voice insisted.
If anything, his spells ramped up in intensity and speed.
"HARRY!" The girl screamed, breaking Harry's concentration and causing the spell he was attempting to cast to backfire on him, sending him flying to the wall with a grunt of pain. "Harry no!" The girl yelled before running to the sprawled form of the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Are you alright? Please tell me you're ok; You have already been wrecked today, you don't need more of it," the girl's soothing voice whispered almost in his ear as her hands were checking his upper body for damage.
"I- I'm..." *cough* "Fine," Harry stammered as he tried to stand up. The backfired spell made his vision blurry and the fact his glasses were knocked off made things worse. The only thing he could tell was that a very yellow head was above him.
"No you are not fine, Harry James Potter!" The girl bit back and shoved him back on the floor before she started chanting an unknown spell.
"Wh- what..." Harry mumbled as a green glow enveloped him. He felt his head getting heavy and closed his eyes. He felt an incredible warmth covering his body, soothing his pain and restoring health to his body. Slowly, but surely, he felt his body - including his mild concussion - being fully healed and he stood up. He casted an Accio on his glasses with the wand he was still miraculously holding and put them on. His vision was graced with Daphne's big blue eyes staring at him with worry.
"Are you alright?" She asked, her tone laced with the same worry he could see in her eyes. As an answer, he gave her a wide grin.
"Yes. Better than before, actually. Whatever you did to me, it was incredible," he exclaimed. "What did you do to me? What was that spell?"
Daphne observed him silently for a few moments, then giggled. "Thank Morgana it worked. That was Redintegro Corpus, a spell from the Greengrass Archive," she explained as she stood up to face him. She was quite tall; the top of her head reached Harry's eyes.
"Can you teach it to me?" He asked with barely concealed excitement, but much to his disappointment Daphne shook her head.
"Most Family Magic can only be used by members who have the blood of the family running in them and their spouses. This spell was one of them," she calmly explained.
"Then I'll just have to marry you to get them," he jokingly said as he turned to the Room to attempt to fix the utter destruction he caused in his fit of rage.
Unbeknownst to him, Daphne turned strawberry red behind him as she tried to gather her bearings. While she appreciated a good joke, that specific joke impacted her in a way she could not explain.
Thankfully for Harry, the Room didn't need him to use spellwork to fix itself; a mere thought was more than enough. Even the ripped and burned books were repairing themselves. 'Thank Merlin for that, Hermione would surely kill me if she found them destroyed,' he thought to himself. The Room slowly returned to its prior state.
"So. Care to explain why you were using enough spells to destroy half of Hogwarts?" Daphne asked as she approached him; her calm mask once more applied.
"Before I explain that; How did you find me?" Harry shot a question back at her with an imposing tone, throwing her off balance.
She narrowed her eyes at him; she wasn't used to someone taking hold of a conversation in such a commanding manner. Worst part was that she didn't know if she actually liked that or not. "I met Hermione in the hallways and asked her where you are and if you are alright after those Bludgers hit you. She told me that you stormed off somewhere, probably here, and that I shouldn't disturb you," she explained.
"And why did you disturb me?" he asked in the same tone as the last question. Oddly enough, despite his commanding tone, Daphne didn't feel like he was aggressive against her. He merely sounded curious to her, his tone slightly altered by the incredible amounts of rage he was withholding.
"I thought a companionable discussion would be most appropriate," she explained in a frosty tone accompanied by a shrug of her shoulders.
He turned his head and locked his eyes with hers. "That's all?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I was worried," said Daphne before she could reign in her thoughts, causing herself to blush a tiny bit.
"About what? I'm completely fine. Seems those little pawns of Malfoy weren't enough to give me an accident before I won, as he promised," Harry spat and turned to face the room once more.
"But that isn't why you're mad, is it?"
Harry didn't respond to her question immediately.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" He yelled and an explosion destroyed the surface of the empty wall yet again before it repaired itself. He took a breath to calm himself down and spoke.
"I was banned from Quidditch and my broom was destroyed," he explained in a low voice.
"Well, that was exp- Wait, what?" Daphne spat as her mask broke. "How?! Why?"
"Because, Umbridge decided-" he snarled as he launched another Exploding Charm "- that I -" que Exploding Charm "- am the reason - BOMBARDA MAXIMA! - this school is filled with uncontained fucking hostility!" He gave up on trying to withhold his rage and started creating more explosions without stopping. The Room of Requirement was once again a wreck and started repairing itself.
"Please stop; I swear that the more I hear that spell, the more unnatural it sounds. It sounds like a cow's pained howl after a point," Daphne drolly remarked, causing Harry to turn around and look at her incredulously. Then, after a few moments of shocked silence, Harry began laughing. Daphne slowly joined the laughter that broke off between them and it lasted for five whole minutes before they finally calmed down.
"A cow's pained howl! Honestly Daphne-" said Harry, out of breath. "But yes, that's basically the reason for my rage. Satisfied with your findings, Detective Greengrass?"
"Very much so. Thank you, Professor Potter," the blonde coolly responded and they started laughing again. "But seriously, calm down. That much rage is bad for anyone," she calmly said.
"That would actually have some effect some minutes earlier. Right now I just can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all," said Harry as he sat on a chair that appeared inside the room. "When can I fucking catch a break? From the first year I stepped in Hogwarts I've encountered all manner of things, Voldemort being the first."
Daphne shuddered at the mention of the Dark Lord's name but she let him speak.
"But even before that, living with those people I called family..." His voice slowly trailed off and he shut his eyes once more as if he was in pain. A flash of worry passed Daphne's eyes.
"Do you want to speak about it?" She asked seriously and grabbed his shoulder - in a very awkward manner.
He opened his eyes and looked at the extended hand curiously before turning his gaze to meet hers. He pondered his words for a moment before he opened his mouth. "I grew up with Muggles. You know my mother was a Muggleborn." Daphne nodded. "Well, I lived with her sister and her fat husband and grew up with this whale of a child. They... hated magic. Or feared it. I'm not sure..." his words trailed off once more and he gulped. "I'm sorry Daphne. I don't feel ready to speak about them," he declared with a steady voice and Daphne smiled.
"That's alright. You can speak to me whenever you feel like it; I will be there," she declared as she inwardly screamed. What was wrong with her? Why did she lose her bearings just by being close to him?
Harry, for his part, simply shot her a wide grin. "Thank you Daph," he said in a soft voice and casted Tempus. "We have more or less half an hour before curfew. Wanna give me a first lesson on traditions?" He asked with a wide grin.
"Well, which topic do you want first?" she inquired.
"How about Magical Contracts?"
"Ah, that is easy, even if it is lengthy," Daphne started and Harry's wide grin gave her enough confirmation to continue. "Magical Contracts are exactly what you would imagine; binding oaths between people. The most used of them are the Magical Marriage Contracts. Each family has a different Marriage Contract that binds the spouse to the family and gives them the name of the family. If, for example, you married a witch into your House, the Marriage Contract of the House of Potter would be invoked. If I married a wizard into my family, the Greengrass Marriage Contract would be invoked. Each family has a marriage contract that has different rules and different punishments; The most common of the punishments across Pureblood families is the loss of magic."
"The loss of Magic?" Harry asked in shock.
"Oh yes!" Daphne responded. "Marriage contracts are made by magic and most are bound by magic. Some families are very strict with their rules, often limiting the freedom of the couple as a whole. Other families are very loose with their contracts, giving the couple excessive freedom. Other families favor one party more than the other; commonly the bride is the oppressed party in the contract, hence enabling the notion of concubines." The fact that Harry gagged when she spoke of concubines made her oddly happy. "Breaking marriage contracts bound by magic severs the connection of the offending party to their own magic. Sometimes, the magic is even siphoned to the innocent party of the broken contract."
"There are also other kinds of contracts. For example, The Greengrass Oath of Secrecy. Our Oath is invoked exclusively by members of the Greengrass Family as a way of security when we need to keep our secrets. Other families have Oaths of similar fashion; most of them require both parties to partake in the Oath, however. Another difference between us and most families is that other Oaths sever the connection of the offender's magic; while our Oath inflicts a Blood Curse upon the one who broke it." Seeing Harry's confused look, she explained further. "A Blood Curse is an unbreakable curse that afflicts the user's body, slowly destroying it from the inside like a disease that never fades but spreads."
Daphne continued explaining different examples of oaths over the centuries, making sure Harry was following. Indeed, Harry was sucking up knowledge like a sponge. The fact that Daphne was just as passionate about teaching that knowledge helped matters a great deal.
Before they even knew it, curfew went into effect and they rushed to their feet.
"Look, Daphne," Harry started awkwardly. "I- Um. Thank you."
"For what?" Daphne asked with obvious curiosity.
"For everything today. I am fairly certain you also casted that Ennervate on me in the stadium."
Daphne giggled. "It was nothing, Harry, really. I was just helping a friend-" She couldn't finish her sentence however as Harry suddenly enveloped her in a hug.
In truth, he had no idea how the impulse came over him, since he wasn't a fan of physical touch. Yet he initiated it and didn't regret it in the slightest.
"I couldn't ask for more," he whispered near her ear and released her as fast as he hugged her. "Use the opposite door, we don't want to be seen here, after all," he continued with a grin as he rushed towards a tiny door in the Room of Requirement. "Goodnight Daph!"
And just like that, Harry was gone. Daphne kept standing still for a few minutes after he left, trying to process the absurdly quick parting interaction they shared. After a night full of destruction and a lecture on Magical Contracts, the last thing they shared was a hasty yet warm hug and a sudden disappearance. Yet, why did she feel so satisfied with so little?
"Goodnight, Harry.." the blonde whispered to no one in particular.