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On The Hunt: Chapter 21
🕑 Added 2023-08-02 16:30:48 +0000 UTC“Alright then, let’s get on with it,” Harry called out and immediately ducked under the bolt of deep crimson that shot toward him before weaving around the emerald one, raising an eyebrow at her choice of spells.
“Starting with the heavy-hitters already?” He asked, dodging another bolt of emerald. “Those take quite a lot out of you, you know?”
“I know,” Daphne called out, sending a bolt of dull yellow which he batted away. “But this is simulation, so I can cast as many as I want. Why? Can’t dodge quick enough?”
Harry chuckled and returned fire, sending tens of red bolts careening toward Daphne who swatted them all away. He raised an impressed eyebrow.
“Try better, mister,” she taunted with a smirk. Harry slashed his wand, sending three massive bolts at her. She swatted the first one aside before frowning when one of the bolts flew past her. Recalling the time when he had pulled a similar stunt, she quickly cast a shield behind her just in time to repel the weak blasting hex that hit the wall and ducked under the third bolt.
“Won’t work every time,” she grinned.
“Almost did again,” Harry replied. “Mix up now.”
Daphne nodded and waved her wand. Immediately, mist enveloped the classroom as Harry looked around. It was undoubtedly part of the Greengrass family magic and Harry tried to see through it.
Suddenly, multiple bolts of red, green, yellow, and orange came speeding toward him, taking him by surprise for a second before he quickly regained his composure and either swatted them away or dodged them.
“Playing hide and seek now?” He called out, amused, as he saw a little shadow inside the mist. His wand flicked forward without any hesitation, a bolt of red shooting toward the shadow as Harry smirked. However, his smirk turned into a frown when the bolt phased through where the shadow was, striking nothing.
“Missed by a long shot,” Daphne’s amused voice called out, and Harry immediately shot another bolt in the direction he thought the voice had come from. It phased through once again.
“Another miss,” Daphne called out, this time from the opposite end of the classroom. He shot another bolt, cursing under his breath when it missed as well.
“What happened?” Daphne asked with a smile as she appeared in the middle of the mist, and Harry quickly fired another bolt right toward her. He frowned when she made no move to shield herself before his eyes widened when she vanished the moment the bolt hit her.
“That was not me, Harry. You can’t tell the difference after all this time?” She called out in a faux-hurt voice as Harry looked around.
“This is a tricky little spell,” he admitted, coaxing a giggle from the blonde. “Let me try out something as well.”
He drew his wand in an arc and thrust it forward, and a powerful gust of air flew throughout the room. Inside the mist, Daphne sighed as the mist vanished, rendering her visible. Harry smirked at her.
“Tricky, but not so tough to counter.”
“Still enough to surprise an opponent,” Daphne replied. “And the biggest perk is that I can create illusions inside the mist as well. As you saw, it’s close to impossible to tell them apart from the original.”
Harry nodded. The illusions were indeed spot on.
“I surely didn’t expect something like that from you,” he admitted, and Daphne looked at him with a smirk. However, her smirk vanished when Harry whipped his wand and cut the little vine that was slowly creeping toward him from behind.
Harry smiled. “You really thought I didn’t see that little flick you gave back then?”
Daphne chuckled. “That’s not all though.”
Before Harry could respond, a massive ball of slime appeared in front of him and exploded, sending the sticky substance in all directions. Harry conjured a shield in the nick of time, keeping himself away. Wide-eyed, he looked at the mess in the middle of the classroom before he looked at Daphne who gave him a smirk.
“The twins were kind enough to let me test out a new prototype they’ve been working on. Said you’d told them not to test products out on volunteers. I thought I’d help out a bit as well.”
“And you decided to try it out on me!?” Harry asked in disbelief as Daphne laughed.
“You’re complaining too much today, love,” she called out. “It was a little trial, and I believe it worked out just fine. I’ll tell them to keep this one and see if they can improve upon it even more.”
Harry shook his head in amusement and flicked his wand, frowning when the slime didn’t vanish.
“Looks like they need to work on a version that can be vanished with a simple charm,” Daphne pondered out loud, earning a disbelieving look from Harry.
“Imagine if I didn’t cast the shield in time,” he said.
“Hey, I’m not that cruel,” she replied and cast a quick warming charm on the mess. Harry watched as the slime solidified until it started to break down into a powdery substance which Daphne vanished easily.
“Those two are geniuses,” she declared.
“What is it though? A charm? Product?”
Daphne walked over and took out a small transparent ball from her pocket, handing it out to him. Harry looked at it keenly. It was the size of a button and squishy to the touch.
“I bet their inventions will help us a lot in the battles to come,” Daphne said with a small smile as Harry gave the ball back to her. He nodded and took her hand, leading her over to the desk in the middle. As was usual after their practices, they sat down and Daphne immediately leaned against him. Harry wrapped his arm around her, enjoying the closeness with the fiancée.
“Have you thought of the future?” Daphne asked softly. “What you want to do after the war?”
“I never did,” Harry replied honestly as Daphne ran her hand over his chest. “I was always trying to get past one obstacle after another. Every year there was something new. It was always the same. Until this year.”
“Hmm?”
Harry smiled. “Until now, I had no one to live for. I was alone, after all. Nothing would’ve happened if I’d died. However, things changed this year.”
Daphne’s hand was gently caressing his chest as she smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. “Go on.”
“Well,” Harry cleared his throat. “I’m not alone now, am I? I’ve got you in my life. We’re connected in this, and now I have someone to live for. So yeah, I’ve thought about what the future might be like when we win this war.”
“When we win this war,” Daphne smiled and looked at him. Harry turned his head, staring into her blue orbs shining like crystalline water under the sun. His hand came up and gently caressed her soft cheek.
“How did I get so lucky to have you?” He whispered, making her smile prettily.
“That’s funny,” she replied, taking his hand gently in hers. “I often ask myself the same question.”
“Is that so?” Harry asked, their lips mere millimeters away from each other as their eyes closed. “Guess we’re both lucky then.”
Daphne’s hands caressed his chest as he kissed her, and she kissed him back, moving her lips against his. She grabbed the front of his shirt in her fist as Harry wrapped his arms around her, caressing her back and arm. The feeling of his touch over her body sent a thrum of pleasure through her and she happily let his tongue access her mouth when he probed her.
Soon, they were kissing each other heatedly, and Daphne couldn’t hold back a moan as their tongues danced inside her mouth with far more intensity than ever before.
“I love you,” Harry whispered against her lips as he pulled away for a second. Daphne’s response was to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him closer.
“I love you too,” she whispered back and mashed her lips against his.
Harry’s hands gently grabbed her by the waist and he heaved her up, pulling her on his lap sideways as Daphne kissed him furiously. This time, it was she who pushed her tongue into his mouth. Her hands weaved through his dark hair, caressing his scalp as she enjoyed the feeling of his hands over her.
Harry caressed her back with his left hand, feeling her body over her shirt as his right hand caressed her belly. Slowly, his right hand began trailing upward with each stroke until he gently touched the underside of her breast. Daphne’s hold around his neck tightened, and that was all the sign he needed.
The blonde moaned into the kiss when she felt him touch her breast for the first time. Never before had someone touched her so intimately. Half of her top was out of her skirt and she knew she must look as if she were snogged senseless, which she honestly had been. Both of them were new to this, but both knew they wanted this and much more from each other.
She felt him pull away and was about to protest when he latched on to her neck, and her back arched as he sucked firmly. She was sure it would leave a mark, but she didn’t care. An approving sigh left her lips when he began kissing her throat, and Harry cupped her cheek, helping her tilt her head backward so that he could have more room. His right hand was gently squeezing her soft orbs, one after the other, and as Daphne moved her leg slightly, she felt his hard-on against her thigh. That excited her even more, and she pulled him closer.
She didn’t know how far they would go right now, but she found she didn’t care. She loved this man, and she would happily give herself to him, just as she knew he loved her and would give himself to her. They belonged to each other for all of eternity.
However, before the situation could further escalate, the door to the classroom suddenly slammed open, and Daphne jumped in alarm. Harry recoiled as if struck and they abruptly turned as one to look at the entrance.
Their eyes widened when they saw it was none other than Gabrielle, staring at their disheveled selves in shock. Her eyes quickly took stock of the situation, and before they could even move, the blonde veela turned around and ran away, leaving a shocked couple in her wake.
Harry and Daphne stared at the entrance before they slowly turned to look at each other, faces flushed.
XXXXX
Dinner had been a tense affair. An uncomfortable silence had set in as Harry and Daphne kept silent, each recalling their time in the abandoned classroom.
It wasn’t as if they regretted it. In fact, both of them knew that they loved every bit of it and even wanted more. However, the way their time in the classroom had ended was not pleasant at all.
Gabrielle was nowhere to be seen, and the sight of her, shocked into stupor before she turned around and ran away kept replaying in their minds as they got up and walked out of the Great Hall.
“You two seem weird,” Tracey commented as they walked toward the Grand Staircase, earning similar frowns from the couple. “Hey Nev, aren’t they acting weird?”
Neville looked at them and nodded.
“Did something happen?” the brunette asked inquisitively, staring straight ahead. Harry and Daphne exchanged a look.
“Nothing’s weird, Trace. You two are overthinking,” Daphne replied as they reached the stairs. Tracey shrugged and eagerly kissed Neville, making the boy blush as he grinned.
“Goodnight. I love you,” Harry said with a small smile. Daphne’s eyes softened as he cupped her cheek and kissed her.
“Love you too. ‘Night,” she whispered.
Harry smiled before he leaned closer and whispered in her ear, “And despite how it ended, I loved our time together.”
Daphne flushed slightly and gave him a shy smile. Heartened that the tension had been resolved, Harry kissed her again and walked away with Neville.
“And now you’re back to yourself again,” Tracey grinned before grabbing her friend’s arm and dragging her toward their common room. “And I want full details of what you two did.”
Daphne looked at her friend, surprised. The brunette gave a wicked smirk.
“Should’ve tried harder to hide this,” she said, touching the spot on her neck. Daphne looked down and saw a prominent mark on her neck and flushed brilliantly, recalling how Harry had firmly sucked her neck. Tracey looked at her friend’s face and laughed.
XXXXX
“Harry, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Harry paused and looked over in surprise at Ron who was staring at him apprehensively. They were in the middle of the common room and he could see everyone pause to look at them.
“Sure,” he nodded and walked up the stairs toward their dormitory, asking for Ron to follow. No way was he in the mood to make a spectacle out of nothing.
Dean and Seamus were already inside, and the Irish quickly averted his eyes away when Harry looked over at him. Sighing, Harry walked over to his bed and sat down. Ron took his seat on his.
“What is it, Ron?”
The redhead held out a piece of parchment in response.
“I got this before dinner today,” he said, and Harry took the parchment, folding it open.
Dear Ron,
I have only just heard, from a person none other than our esteemed Minister for Magic himself, who heard it from your new History teacher, Professor Umbridge, that you have been appointed as the fifth-year prefect for Gryffindor.
Firstly, allow me to extend you my congratulations. I was pleasantly surprised when I came to know about it.
I must admit I was afraid you would follow in Fred and George’s footsteps of disregarding rules instead of mine, but I could not be happier to know that you have stopped flouting authority as you were prone to do in your initial Hogwarts years and have decided to shoulder some real responsibility. Thank you for restoring my faith in you.
I also heard that you cut ties off with Harry Potter, and although I felt bad at the fact that you lost one of your few friendships, it made me feel immense relief in light of recent events.
I have a small piece of advice for you, Ron. That is why I am sending this letter right now instead of the usual morning owl. Hopefully, you shall be able to read this letter in solitude and away from prying eyes.
Now that you have seen the true face of Harry Potter and the danger he poses to people like us, I feel obligated as your brother to tell you to stand firm by your decision. There is nothing that could put you in more danger of losing your prestigious badge than fraternization with that boy. It should not come as any surprise to you now that you have your eyes opened, but I would implore you to not let Potter influence you anymore.
I know you might think that with Potter, you would be safe at Hogwarts. After all, he has always been Dumbledore’s favorite. But I must remind you what has happened around you since your first year. The nasty business with Professor Quirrell, then the affair in the Chamber of Secrets, and the whole Sirius Black ordeal. You should have never been involved with any of that.
However, I digress. I feel bound to tell you that there is a very high likelihood that Dumbledore might not remain in charge of Hogwarts for much longer, and the people who truly count, and whose views are far more accurate and important, have a very different perception of Harry Potter.
For too long has Dumbledore let Harry Potter run amok in the castle, flaunting rules and doing as he pleased.
I shall not speak on it any further. You should know what I am talking about when you read the Daily Prophet tomorrow morning. It should tell you which direction the wind is truly blowing, and what you should do to ensure you sail smoothly.
Yet again, I implore you to affirm your mental fortitude and stand by the decision you have made. Association with Potter will bring nothing but hardship for you, and not only in Hogwarts too. Remember, there is a life beyond that castle.
I believe you know that Potter was charged with murder this past summer. It was based on pure luck that he managed to walk away scot-free. There are people I have talked to who are convinced of his guilt. They truly believe that the jury was compromised, which allowed Potter a certain degree of leeway to slither out of the hands of justice like the true snake he is. Do you know who Cyrus Greengrass is? He is the father of Potter’s betrothed, and he was on the jury panel. I don’t believe I should need to explain how it was a conflict of interest. After all, marriage negotiations take weeks, so it seems obvious that the man had a vested interest in ensuring Potter walked away a free man.
You do not want to be involved with a person like that. I would also implore you to be vigilant around Potter. After all, if he can get away with murder once, there is no telling if he won’t once again, particularly considering Dumbledore is still in charge.
If you have witnessed any peculiarities in Potter’s behavior, I would ask you to get in contact with Madam Umbridge at once. She is at Hogwarts at the Minister’s behest to ensure Potter and Dumbledore do not step out of line. Alas, she is but a lone woman, and it falls on responsible citizens to aid her in this endeavor. She is receiving very little cooperation from the Hogwarts staff, who are all loyal to Dumbledore, and as such, it has been very challenging for her to implement the changes the Hogwarts education system so desperately needs. Although she shall find her task a bit easier soon, as you will read in tomorrow’s edition of the Daily Prophet, I shall tell you only this — any student who approaches Madam Umbridge, showing his willingness to aid her, may find himself very well placed for Head Boyship in a couple of years.
I know you’ve held Dumbledore in high regard, as most of our family does, but I implore you to see reason just the way you have with Potter. Your loyalty should lie with Madam Umbridge, and consequently, the Ministry.
I would also like to apologize to you for the lack of time we spent together during the summer holidays. I do not like to criticize our parents but I’m afraid I can no longer live under the same roof as them when they eagerly break bread with the criminal that is Potter and the other bunch of dangerous crowd around Dumbledore. Just this morning, a man named Podmore who is known to be a great friend of Dumbledore was found trespassing at the ministry and has been sent to Azkaban. You should tell our parents about all of this. Perhaps that would open their eyes to the kind of criminals they rub their shoulders with. However, something tells me they choose to remain blind to all of it. After all, they know about Potter’s involvement in the murder of a muggle boy, but they chose to believe his side of the story and turned a blind eye to the truth.
Finally, I would like to ask a favor from you. If it is possible, I would like you to make Ginevra see reason. She is young, and she is immature. She does not know what is wrong or right and often lets her heart make the decisions for her. As her elder brothers, it falls upon us to ensure she chooses the path that is right for her.
I sincerely hope our parents see the light soon and do what is right for their children instead of blindly trusting figures like Dumbledore and Potter as if they were mere puppets. Once they realize how mistaken they were, I shall, of course, be ready to accept a full apology from them when the day comes.
After all, it pains me to see strife within the family and I await the day we get together once more.
Please think over what I said, particularly choosing the right side, and once again, congratulations on becoming a prefect.
Your brother,
Percy.
“Fucking hell, that was some long ass letter,” Harry muttered as he folded the parchment back and handed it to Ron, who looked at him with a weak grin.
“Listen Harry, I just wanted to tell you that I will do no such thing,” the redhead said seriously. “Things have happened between us, and I understand you cannot trust me anymore. I can’t say I blame you either. But I know what is at stake here. Percy is a prat and I don’t want to be like him.”
Harry nodded. “I’m glad you’re making the right decision. As for taking away Dumbledore’s power and putting me in my place… looks like Umbridge and the Ministry is getting desperate. Quite understandable too. After all, they have been doing all they can to take away any power Dumbledore has, from his titles to his reputation. It only makes sense that they would try to remove him from Hogwarts. As for me… well… Fudge’s fear of me must have increased since I slapped the ministry with that lawsuit. With only a few months until the trial, he must want me under control.”
“What do you think they’re planning?” Ron asked with a frown.
“Knowing them, something that would make it very obvious that they are trying to amass power and abuse it,” Harry chuckled as he started to get ready for bed. “Sleep tight, Ron, and don’t think about it. We’ll know what it is tomorrow anyway.”
XXXXX
“And it looks like I was right,” Harry muttered to himself as he stared at a large photograph of Umbridge smiling widely and blinking slowly from beneath the headline on the front page of the Prophet.
He was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Daphne at breakfast with Neville, Tracey, and their new associates apart from Smith, Macmillan, and Zabini who had chosen to sit at their respective house tables with their friends, and Gabrielle who was not present. Harry and Daphne pointedly avoided thinking about her after what happened the day before.
MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM!
DOLORES UMBRIDGE NAMED THE FIRST-EVER HOGWARTS “HIGH INQUISITOR”
“High Inquisitor?” Daphne asked curiously. “Sounds fancy.”
“Must have some fancy powers too,” Harry replied with a chuckle as they started to read.
In a surprising move, last night the Ministry of Magic, under the purview of the Department of Education, created a new position independent of the Hogwarts charter. The post of ‘High Inquisitor’ has been created as part of the Department of Education under Minister Fudge’s administrative powers.
The Junior Assistant to Minister, Percival Weasley, had the following to say:
“The Ministry of Magic has been getting increasingly concerned about the quality of education and the well-being of Hogwarts students, which have only been exacerbated by frequent complaints from concerned parents. As such, it has been deemed necessary to create a position independent of the influence of the Headmaster with extraordinary powers.
“The Headmaster of Hogwarts has been noted to be annually struggling to find a replacement for any post that opens at the school, which has most notably been Defense against Dark Arts. As such, Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, allowing the ministry to appoint a professor should the headmaster fail to do so by a certain date which was decided to be the Thirty-first of August, subject to ratification by the head of the Department of Education.
“Following the complaints of numerous parents and students alike, the exorcism of former Professor Cuthbert Binns was approved, following which the ministry appointed Madam Dolores Umbridge as the new professor for History of Magic, and she has been an immediate success, breathing fresh air into an otherwise obsolete subject that used to be the students’ nap time until a few months ago. Furthermore, Madam Umbridge has been providing the minister with on-the-ground feedback on what is actually happening at Hogwarts.
“It is with the aforementioned in mind that the ministry, with the ratification of the Department of Education, has decided to create the post of ‘High Inquisitor’ under Educational Decree Twenty-three, who shall be independent of everything associated with Hogwarts and shall be answerable directly to the Minister.
“It is Minister Fudge’s understanding that he needs to be personally involved in nurturing the future of Wizarding Britain, and as such, important matters like this require his personal input. He is of the firm belief that the ‘falling standards’ of Hogwarts that some are calling it are taken care of at the earliest, lest they worsen even more.
“The High Inquisitor shall have certain extraordinary powers, including, but not limited to inspecting fellow educators to ensure they are up to the task and forming special regulations to ensure the standards of discipline are maintained in accordance with what Hogwarts should ideally be.
“Madam Umbridge has humbly accepted this immense responsibility and Minister Fudge has full faith in her abilities to restore Hogwarts to its former glory.”
The new Educational Decree Twenty-three has been met with enthusiastic approval from the parents of Hogwarts students.
“I feel much at peace now that there is an authority in place to subject those to fair and objective evaluation who had previously been allowed to do as they pleased. Many of us parents with our children’s best interests at heart have been concerned with the happenings around the castle in the past few years and we know we shall be glad that the ministry is keeping a vigilant eye on the situation,” said Lord Lucius of House Malfoy, 41, from his Wiltshire mansion last night.
It is to be noted that there have been several events that have happened in the past few years. Quirinus Quirrell, the Defense Professor, was suddenly found missing from his post in 1992, while the 1992-93 school year saw students being petrified for months as the rumors of the Chamber of Secrets ran amok. There was no confirmation of the aforementioned chamber’s existence. Another incident occurred in the year 1993-94 with Lord Sirius Black who was finally found innocent of any wrongdoing while the previous year saw Hogwarts host the Triwizard tournament during which one of the champions was imperiused and forced to curse a fellow champion with the Cruciatus.
When asked for his comments, Minister Fudge was a man of few words:
“I believe the appointment of the first High Inquisitor is a step toward ensuring Hogwarts reclaims its place as the premier institution for learning magic, with a headmaster at its helm who people can place their full faith in.”
It remains to be seen how this unfolds, but one thing is for certain. This will remarkably shift the status quo.
“Indeed it will,” Harry nodded once they finished reading.
“I’ve never seen so much bullshit in one place before,” Daphne remarked as she folded the paper back and put it away.
“I read one that would give a tough fight to this one yesterday,” Harry replied with a chuckle. “Percy Weasley sent Ron a letter. Full of crap.”
“You and Weasley are on talking terms again?” Daphne asked curiously. Harry shook his head.
“I told them I’d be cordial. That’s all I plan to do.”
Daphne nodded.
“This is outrageous, to be honest,” Cho muttered, staring at the article on the front page.
“Indeed it is,” Daphne nodded. “But it shows how desperate for control the ministry is getting. It won’t be long before more and more people start asking questions.”
Tracey grinned over at them.
“I just had a thought,” the brunette said with a wicked look on her face as they turned toward her.
“This will be fun,” Daphne smiled, nodding for her friend to go ahead.
“Well, the article says toady will be inspecting the professors, right?”
Everyone snorted.
“Looks like you’ve taken a page out of Moody’s book,” Neville teased his girlfriend, chuckling.
“You bet I have,” she smirked, nudging him with her shoulder. “Back to what I was saying. She’ll be inspecting the professors, right? Imagine her inspecting McGonagall and Snape.”
“Oh Merlin!” Daphne giggled. “I can already imagine the look of utter disgust on Snape’s face, as if he can’t wait to force feed her poison.”
“And McGonagall will give her that stare of hers that freezes everyone in place, no matter who you are,” Susan replied with a grin.
“Still, this could turn out very serious,” Anthony Goldstein remarked with a frown. “With power like that, there’s no telling what she can do. The article said something about special regulations. That could mean anything.”
Harry nodded with a small frown. Indeed, as much as it could benefit them in the long term by turning public perception toward them, it was not guaranteed. Furthermore, Umbridge could do anything now apart from getting rid of Dumbledore, whose appointment was governed by the Hogwarts charter.
“She is indeed a vile woman,” Daphne nodded. “And someone like her should not have so much power.”
“What can we even do, though?” Tracey asked with a sigh.
“Nothing quick, that’s for sure,” Harry replied with a smirk before his eyes hardened. “You all know what she tried to do this summer. An innocent lost his life and nothing’s happened to her. She’s tried to pass the vilest of laws over the years. Someone like her deserves to suffer.”
“Harry’s right,” Daphne nodded. “She deserves prolonged suffering. To see her name tarnished, everything she wanted taken away from her, and everything she tries to inflict on others returned to her with interest.”
“Let her do what she wants,” Harry said with a dark look toward the Head Table where the toad was sitting with a smug look on her face. “We’ll make sure she suffers even more.”
“All in stealth though,” Susan warned. “It won’t do to get caught in the act.”
“Don’t worry, Susan,” Daphne smirked. “Umbridge won’t know what hit her.”
XXXXX
To be continued…
Comments
GhostnKC
yet another cliff hanger. Here's hoping that the Twins get some good ideas with some help from Harry, Daphne, and a few others. I'm also looking forward to the lawsuit against the ministry.
