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On The Hunt: Chapter 19
🕑 Added 2023-06-02 17:30:01 +0000 UTC“I don’t think I’ve seen you smiling so much in the last four years, Neville,” Dean remarked from his bed as he looked at the boy who couldn’t keep the grin off his face even if he tried. Harry looked over and chuckled.
“And why wouldn’t he? Bloke’s been getting some action lately,” he teased.
“You’re one to talk,” Neville retorted with a flush. Harry simply held his arms up in response.
“Well, good for you, I guess,” Dean muttered. “At least not everyone’s moping about.”
Harry frowned and looked over at Seamus and Ron who were sitting on their respective beds, not saying anything. He knew what was up with Ron, but Seamus was confusing.
“Hey Seamus, what’s with the long face?”
The Irish didn’t respond for a while, instead opting to stare at the letter in his hand. Then he replied, still looking at the parchment, “My Mum didn’t want me to come back to Hogwarts.”
“What? Why?” Neville asked in surprise. Meanwhile, Harry stared at the boy keenly. He had a little suspicion as to why that was the case.
Seamus didn’t bother replying to Neville and finally looked up at Harry.
“Let me guess,” Harry began with a derisive chuckle. “She thinks Dumbledore and I are playing some sick game and trying to gather more power and fame. I am an attention-seeking brat and Dumbledore is a senile old coot. Did I miss anything?”
Seamus shook his head and sighed.
“Listen Potter… I’m not an idiot. They said someone used the Imperius on Krum and then a Moody impostor jumps you. Enough to say something fishy is going on. But you can’t expect anyone to believe that You-Know-Who has come back from dead! Mate, no one comes back from the dead.”
“And what if he never died, hmm?”
Seamus looked at Harry with a confused frown. “What d’you mean? That You-Know-Who was alive? How’re you alive then?”
“Beats me,” Harry shrugged. “Tell you what, Seamus? Try to tell your mother not to put too much stock into what the Prophet prints. One week I’m an attention-seeking liar and the next I’m a victim of the ministry. Their job is to publish whatever sells, no matter what the truth is.”
“And what’s the truth? That You-Know-Who came back and you fought him? Mate, you might be good but this is You-Know-Who we’re talking about. No way you could get one over him.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. You’ll know soon enough. Fudge has already planted a stooge here, and a very mediocre one at that. She’s bound to slip up and give her game away,” Harry chuckled and got under his covers. “Think, Seamus. Why run a slander campaign, try to frame me for murder, and go after Dumbledore’s titles?”
The Irish had no answer to that.
XXXXX
“Harry!”
Harry turned around in the middle of the common room and tilted his head, looking at the dark-skinned girl who walked over toward him briskly.
“What’s up, Angelina?”
“Listen,” she started. “I’ve been made the captain, and with Wood gone, we need to begin the tryouts soon. This is the last year for me, Alicia and the twins too, so replacements for them will be needed as well.”
“Makes sense,” he nodded. “What do you want from me?”
“Tryouts will be tomorrow evening at five. I’ve got the pitch booked. We will get a keeper and if there’s time, reserve chasers and beaters as well. Don’t be late.”
“Look at you,” Harry chuckled. “Wood’s gone but the bloke’s left his spirit intact, hasn’t he?”
“Oh hush you,” Angelina chuckled. Harry smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there,” he replied before suddenly looking toward Ginny who had just come downstairs. “Hey Gin!”
The redhead looked over and smiled at him.
“Hey Harry, Angelina,” she greeted.
“Good thing I found you here. Tryouts are tomorrow, so make sure to go for a spot, alright?”
Surprised, Ginny looked at him. “A spot is open?”
“Only for a Keeper this year, but we’re also looking for chasers and beaters to fill in for when Alicia, your brothers, and I graduate this year,” Angelina replied. “You’re any good?”
“Well, I’ve been secretly practicing for a few years now. Chaser,” Ginny replied.
“Alright then. The notice is posted, so be there on time,” Angelina nodded toward Harry and walked away.
“You’re going to be part of the team? I thought you’d be leaving with… you know…”
Harry chuckled as he walked out of the common room with Ginny following him.
“Initially I thought of resigning, but Daphne told me to keep at it. In her words, it won’t do to give up on every fun activity and let this situation control how we live.”
“Pretty philosophical, I must say,” Ginny snorted. Harry smiled.
“She’s like that sometimes,” he replied. They walked downstairs and reached the ground floor where Daphne had just come with Tracey and Astoria. The latter quickly joined Ginny and the two girls started talking to each other excitedly.
“Morning,” Harry greeted Daphne with a soft kiss which she happily returned.
“Morning.”
“And that’s enough sweetness for the morning. Wait until I’ve got my boytoy here as well and then you can continue,” Tracey snarked, coaxing a chuckle from Harry.
“Don’t worry, Nev will be over soon as well,” he replied. Ginny looked at him in surprise before turning toward Tracey.
“So that’s why he was smiling so much yesterday,” she remarked in realization. Tracey puffed up in pride.
“Glad to see my charming self works so well.”
Daphne rolled her eyes before looking upstairs and she smirked.
“Looks like your wait is over,” she chuckled as Tracey grinned up at Neville who returned her grin with little uncertainty.
“See y’all soon,” the brunette announced and ran up the stairs, grabbing Neville’s hand and dragging the boy behind her.
Harry and Daphne looked at each other and sighed before smiling softly.
“Let’s get going then,” he said, taking her hand and leading them toward the Great Hall.
XXXXX
“I’m surprised.”
Gabrielle looked up with a small frown at the girl sitting opposite her.
“About what?”
“You not sitting with Potter and his friends. I remember seeing you so many times with them last year. Come to think of it, even Potter doesn’t sit with his friends now. Looks like Greengrass and Longbottom have taken their place.”
Gabrielle looked over at the Gryffindor table where Harry was sitting with Daphne beside him. Ginny and Astoria were sitting opposite them and the Weasley twins had taken their seats beside their only sister.
Indeed, there was no sign of Ron and Hermione. She remembered Harry mentioning in one of his letters that there was some issue between him and his two friends, but she had thought that it was simply some regular argument that could have been easily resolved. It seemed that was not the case. For Harry to completely abandon the company of his two friends meant that whatever had happened between the three of them was serious.
“Come on, Lisa,” Gabrielle chuckled as she looked at the girl. “It’s been only a few days since I joined Hogwarts and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Makes sense to stay with my housemates, doesn’t it?”
Lisa chuckled. “Hey, I’m not complaining. You’re fun.”
“Aw, thanks. You too,” Gabrielle smiled and stared keenly out of the corner of her eye at Hermione who had just entered. The brunette pointedly took her seat as far away from Harry’s group as possible, and she was surprised when she noticed she had not joined Ron either.
When she had been at Hogwarts last year, Gabrielle had gotten this funny feeling that Harry had been the one who had held Ron and Hermione together like a glue. It seemed there was indeed some truth to that. Ron was sitting with two other boys who she knew were in his year in Gryffindor while Hermione was sitting by herself. As usual, a book was open in front of her which she read while absently eating.
“Yeah, I’ve observed that too,” Lisa muttered as she followed Gabrielle’s gaze. “Those three look like complete strangers this year. You are friends with them, right? Did something happen?”
“No clue,” Gabrielle shook her head and continued to eat. Lisa nodded.
“Say, what do you think about the professors so far? I mean, you should already know most of them, but what about the new ones?”
Gabrielle thought about it for a moment. There were only two new professors this year, and to be honest, both gave her the creeps. She admitted as much to Lisa who chuckled.
“I know what you mean. To think we were taught by a fake Moody last year. Merlin, he showed us the Unforgivables, you know? Not that surprising now that we know who it truly was.”
“I don’t think the real one is much better either,” Gabrielle muttered, recalling the first class they had with the Hufflepuffs. “He really was an accomplished auror and a vicious taskmaster.”
“Sent so many Death Eaters to Azkaban, that one,” Lisa supplied. Gabrielle nodded.
“Umbridge doesn’t seem like a good one though,” she stated with a small frown. “Her class felt more like propaganda.”
“Potter had one hell of a confrontation with her in his first class,” Lisa informed her. Surprised, Gabrielle looked at the young man before turning toward her.
“What?”
Lisa nodded. “Potter wiped the floor with Malfoy in Defense when they were pitted against each other. Butthurt as he was, Malfoy went and complained to Umbridge that Potter used Parseltongue to make a snake attack him. She didn’t even bother to listen to Potter and took away two hundred points from Gryffindor. She also gave him detention for two months.”
Gabrielle’s eyes widened.
“But then Potter quickly turned the tables on her and asked for proof. Obviously Umbridge couldn’t prove that Potter had made the snake attack Malfoy and had no choice but to take the punishments away.”
“I see…” Gabrielle muttered. “Looks like she has it out for Harry.”
“That she does. You know how the ministry and the Prophet targeted Potter and Dumbledore all summer, right? I didn’t believe them fully but with the way things have been developing, I think for sure that Potter and Dumbledore are telling the truth. Afterall, why would the ministry try so hard if they didn’t have something to hide?” Lisa asked softly.
Gabrielle nodded. They were indeed telling the truth. Voldemort had indeed returned and Harry had fought him. She had known the entire story for months now, hearing it directly from the source at that.
“Possible. I was there when the minister came to the Infirmary the morning after the final task. The man was arguing so much that nothing had happened before he all but threw the bag of galleons on Harry’s bed,” she remarked, recalling how the old man was huffing and puffing as he glared at everything around him.
She saw Harry get up with Daphne before the two of them made their way out of the Great Hall together.
“It was such a shock when I read it, you know?” Lisa remarked as she stared at their retreating backs. “No one was aware that those two even knew each other, let alone so well that they decided to marry.”
Gabrielle frowned. Indeed, they had no idea who the other was until halfway into this summer, and already they were so close. She shook her head and got up.
“Come on, we have potions class to attend first.”
XXXXX
It was an hour after their classes ended and Harry was leaning back against the wall, staring at his lovely betrothed as she went about the basic exercises to prepare for her upcoming venture into the abyss. At least that was what he liked to call it, believing it sounded cooler.
Dumbledore had permitted Daphne to peruse the tomes he had loaned out to him, and it required her to reach a certain level of power and finesse first before beginning her foray.
When another conjuration failed, Daphne sighed and sat down on the chair, looking at the botched result with a frown. Harry walked forward and picked it up. However, the moment he touched it, the conjuration withered away into dust.
“Won’t conjuring Copper and Bronze be enough?” Daphne asked, and just like the way he had after the previous five times she had asked the same question, Harry vanished the dust and shook his head.
“You know I would not insist so much if it was not important, Daph.”
The blonde released a deep breath and nodded, conceding the point. Harry had set the task of conjuring a block of silver if she wanted to proceed, but so far the best she could do was conjure a small chuck of the metal, and even that was as brittle as a powder brick which Astoria used to play with when they were little.
Harry looked at her with a gentle smile.
“Don’t be so down. You’ve been at it for only a few days. Even this much progress is commendable. I’m sure you’ll have it down in no time,” he encouraged. Daphne gave him a small smile in return.
“Come on, let’s take a walk,” he said and took her hand. Daphne let him pull her up to her feet and stowed her wand back into the holster. Together, they walked out of the room they had been practicing in and made their way to the grounds.
The Sun had set and the sky was strewn with red hue. There was a slight chill in the evening air and they looked at the various students who were wandering the grounds or sitting on the cool grass. If one looked at the scene, there was no way one could guess that the situation outside the castle walls was that of a cold war.
Voldemort was biding his time, gathering his strength. Meanwhile, the Order was also doing the same while undertaking as many measures as possible to discourage more and more people and creatures from joining the Dark Lord’s army.
“I was thinking of beginning the process of approaching different students for our personalized sessions,” Daphne began as they walked together near the Black Lake.
Harry nodded. “Makes sense. The Dueling Club will begin in a few days. Why waste that time when we could get started now?”
“It would also be better if we did it together,” she continued. “Why approach them one by one? We should simply send letters and ask them to meet us somewhere. We can take care of the formalities easily while telling them what this would entail.”
“Would save us a lot of time and effort as well,” Harry agreed. “All four houses then?”
Daphne nodded.
“Not to mention the fact that Umbridge is a wildcard. Given what we know of her so far, she is scheming, vile, and the most worrisome of all – impatient. There is no telling what she might do if she doesn’t get her way,” Daphne remarked, looking at the tranquil water. “You are already her biggest target.”
“I’m planning on talking to the twins tonight,” Harry looked at her with a grin. “They have been developing some very interesting prototypes. We could possibly get them to try a few out on her for, you know, test purposes.”
Daphne chuckled, “And maybe a few works in progress as well? Who knows? Maybe a few would prove useful without further work.”
“Think so?” Harry asked with a smirk and pressed her back against the trunk of the tree. The angle was such that his back was facing the Black Lake, keeping them entirely hidden from the view of the students still wandering about the grounds. Daphne looked up at him with a smirk.
“I didn’t know you had such a vindictive streak, Miss Greengrass. Testing unfinished products on Umbridge? Truly diabolical,” Harry whispered as he leaned closer, and Daphne clutched his shirt in a fist.
“Those are prank items anyway. Any difference would simply be a new prank,” she replied, and eagerly met his lips with hers. His hands came to her waist, holding her close as he leaned forward, pressing her between his body and the trunk. Meanwhile, Daphne’s hand unclenched and she started to slowly caress his chest. Their lips moved in perfect harmony, the kiss intensifying with every second and their passion mounting with every breath they voluntarily missed.
They had no idea how much time had passed as they continued to caress each other over their clothes, kissing lovingly and with as much passion as they could muster. The red hue in the sky had given way to the dark, starry night when they finally pulled away after Merlin knew how many repeated kisses. As Harry looked down at her face – lips swollen with their combined passion and the alluring look in her blue orbs, he had to admit that he had never seen a sight more breathtaking.
“Come, I think it’s time for dinner,” he gave her a loving smile and with one more chaste kiss, they starting walking back toward the castle, hands clasped with contented smiles on their faces.
XXXXX
Across the castle, a few select students woke up to an enchanted letter right beside their pillows. Confused, this group of students opened the letters and read, growing confused as to who had sent them and for what purpose. Harry and Daphne had left the letters purposely vague, looking forward to seeing how many of these students would be willing to take a leap of faith and show up.
Their objective behind setting up this little group was simple – every student would be attending the dueling club and their renewed classes will instruct them in spellcasting, but there was something different about personalized training which Harry and Daphne had undergone. Even if they were not going to impart the same level of proficient knowledge, these students will learn enough to become capable of holding their own in a real battle situation. It would be their responsibility to then instruct other students, thus creating a chain of instruction and forming a tier-based system so that they could coordinate when the war escalated to a martial one. They were under no delusion that the situation won’t worsen, and they wanted as many students to learn as much as possible so that they could defend themselves.
It was almost 7 o’clock, and Quidditch tryouts had concluded only fifteen minutes ago. They had invited the students to meet in an abandoned fifth-floor classroom which was a little ways away from the direct route. Luckily, a hidden passageway opened in the adjacent corridor and Harry emerged from it with minutes to spare. Daphne was already present, waving her wand over the threshold and he walked over, greeting her with a soft kiss before the couple made their way inside the classroom.
Grabbing a couple of chairs, they placed them near the opposite wall and took their seats. A silent disillusionment charm courtesy of Daphne rendered them invisible and they waited patiently.
It didn’t take long for a commotion to reach their ears and the couple watched as the door opened and a small group of students entered. Uniforms assorted with various colors, the students looked around for any hint as to why they had been invited in this detached classroom.
“You sure this is the one, Gred?”
“Aye aye, Forge. The map says so, look.”
The Weasley twins looked around and easily recognized all the students. Apart from them, Gryffindor was represented by Gin-Gin, their lovely Gryffindor chasers, and Neville. They also recognized Amelia Bones’ niece and her friend Abbott as well as that loudmouth Smith and his lackey Macmillan. Diggory’s girlfriend Chang was also there, and so was the little Frenchie who was not so little anymore, the Indian girl who had a twin in their house, and two blokes from fifth year – Goldstein and Corner, if they were not mistaken. They saw the latter and Gin-Gin sneaking glances and decided to have a little talk with the bloke soon. Slytherin was represented by two students – Daphne’s friend Tracey, and a dark-skinned bloke named Zabini who never said a word. All in all, a little group of sixteen, with most of them from Gryffindor.
“It better not be a prank,” Tracey walked forward and stared the twins down.
“Please,” one of the twins waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no way we would have such a lousy prank. Inviting a few students to an abandoned classroom? Super boring.”
“Too true, brother o’ mine.”
“Then what’s going on? We all got that letter, right?” Susan asked, fishing out the letter from the pocket of her robe. Everyone took out theirs and looked around.
Harry tapped Daphne, signaling that it was time, and she nodded. Their disillusionment charm came down and Harry clapped his hands twice to get their attention.
“Potter? Greengrass? You sent these?” Chang asked in surprise. Daphne nodded.
“Please take your seats. Everything will be explained,” she gestured toward the chairs and one by one, everyone sat down.
“I won’t bother to beat about the bush,” Harry began as he and Daphne sat on their chairs. “Believe it or not, Voldemort has returned, and he won’t stop until he has either wiped out all the witches and wizards whom he deems unworthy of living or subjugated them under his thumb. I want to form a group capable enough to hold its own against his thugs who can also teach others so that they could do the same.”
A few students stared at him in surprise. Those already in the know, namely the twins and Ginny, gave them understanding nods.
“There is one thing all of us have in common,” Daphne took over. “All of us have suffered at the hands of this madman and his followers. Friends, family, relatives, you name it. Either they were killed, maimed, or tortured. You don’t have to feel any shame in this. We all share this wound, and the least we can do is to prevent it from happening once again.”
“Is that so? Who have you lost, if you don’t mind me asking, Greengrass? If I recall correctly, didn’t your family stay neutral during the war?”
Daphne’s eyes hardened.
“Just because my family stayed neutral doesn’t mean we didn’t suffer, Smith.”
Harry took her hand and Daphne calmed down slightly. It was a sore topic for Daphne and her parents, and they never discussed it. Until the moment he died, they had held Daphne’s grandfather in contempt. Coward as the man was, he had declined from taking a side even when his wife had been killed in a raid. Their family was not targeted, but Cyrus had lost his mother before he had even gotten married.
As far as the Wizarding World knew, she had died of Dragon Pox, and that was the lie the family had maintained all these years.
“We are not here to compare grief and suffering,” Harry commented with a firm glare at Smith who looked away, properly chastised. Meanwhile, Gabrielle glared at the blonde-haired young man for the insensitive remark and looked back toward Harry when he started speaking again.
“Everyone you see in this classroom is among some of the very best wands, with a temperament to improve much further and also impart knowledge on others. The agenda is simple – we will practice advanced spells and you will in turn teach other students who need it. You should know that you will definitely be fighting actively in the upcoming war, and believe me when I say it that war is coming.”
Apprehensive looks were shared around the classroom at that remark. Harry could understand it. He knew he was asking too much of them, but it was necessary. They needed as much help as they could get.
“Listen,” Daphne sighed. “I know it is a big ask, and no one will begrudge you if you want to decline this proposal. You can leave right now and nothing will change. You will go about your life as if nothing happened. But I would ask you to seriously consider this. Remember all the sacrifices, everything you have seen taken away from you, people you have seen suffer due to that madman. The goal is clear, and you know it.”
“Can I ask why I am here?”
Everyone turned to look at the boy who had spoken in a soft voice, and Harry nodded.
“Because you are not involved with the likes of Malfoy. That is a big enough reason,” he replied. “And if I’m right, your family suffered at the hands of Voldemort as well.”
Zabini merely gave a nod and sat back. Harry exchanged a look with Daphne, who looked back toward the gathered students.
“The ministry will not acknowledge Voldemort’s return,” she began. There were the usual flinches at the name once again which they ignored. “And they have decided to treat those who are speaking of his return as enemies. This past summer should be enough proof for you all that the ministry is trying to silence any voice that speaks of things they don’t like. They have even resorted to planting a stooge of theirs at Hogwarts.”
“Aunt Amelia says the same,” Susan remarked with a frown.
“And she is spot on,” Harry nodded. “Look, you may choose to believe us or you may choose to sit with your eyes closed hoping that everything is fine when it isn’t. I just hope you make a choice which you won’t regret in the upcoming years. You are familiar with how the last war unfolded. Think about it and tell me the signs are not there for all to see.”
No one had any rebuttal to that.
“Assuming we agree to this,” Gabrielle began for the first time. “What would this entail? How will we learn what we need to?”
“We will work together,” Daphne replied, prompting the other blonde to look at her. “All of us are capable witches and wizards. I’m sure among ourselves, we will be able to do enough. Not to mention the fact that we have unlimited access to the Restricted Section for a few… choice spells we might want to learn.”
Gabrielle nodded while a few students looked at them in surprise.
“Just how did you manage to gain unlimited access to the Restricted Section!?” Goldstein asked with an impressed whistle. Harry smiled but didn’t bother to reply.
“So, can we count on your contribution? If someone would like to leave, please know that no one will hold it against you,” Daphne said, looking at everyone at large.
“I assume you have taken safeguards to ensure that no one will be able to divulge everything that was said just now to anyone outside this little group?” Susan asked with a raised eyebrow. Daphne smirked at the redhead.
“Naturally. Once you step out of this room without taking the oath you all are required to take if you join, the enchantment on the door will take care of your memory. You won’t remember anything that happened in this room and you can go about your day like normal. It would be as if you never received that letter.”
Impressed looks were directed at the blonde as Tracey stood up.
“Just tell me this oath and we can get to dinner. I’m starving,” she complained. Daphne looked at her friend in exasperation and they saw Neville gently pull the girl back on her seat beside him. Harry chuckled at the look his friend gave her.
Meanwhile, Daphne picked out a piece of parchment from the pocket of her robe and looked at them.
“Please come here one by one and recite this oath. It is non-negotiable.”
To almost everyone’s surprise, Gabrielle was the first to approach them. Harry gave her a small smile when she looked at him and she took the parchment from her cousin, raising an eyebrow at the wording.
“Seems pretty comprehensive,” she commented before she brandished her wand and recited the oath for all to hear. A few pairs of eyes widened at the seriousness of the oath.
“You are free to leave if this is too much for you,” Harry said firmly. “But given the gravity of the situation we are facing, I hope you understand why we are not taking any chances whatsoever and why the consequence of breaching this oath is so severe.”
“B-but what if someone does something by mistake?” Macmillan asked, worried.
“A magical oath judges your intent,” Daphne explained. “Just because you did something does not mean the oath will punish you. We are aware that it is not possible to stay within the limits of the oath in every situation. It cannot be denied that someone could be tortured for information. Just because you were forced to divulge information does not mean you will be punished. It will happen only when you are consciously doing something to betray the cause. As long as you have no intention of doing that, you have nothing to fear.”
Harry saw the apprehensiveness on several people’s faces, including the three chasers, Smith, Macmillan, Susan, Hannah, Goldstein, and even Zabini’s faces, but all took their oaths.
“Thank you,” he said to them once they were done. “By becoming a part of this little group, you have become some of the most trustworthy individuals for us. You have shown that we can trust you with confidential information that could play a massive role in taking on Voldemort.”
There were a few winces at the name which prompted a sigh from Harry.
“Listen, I understand why you people act like that whenever his name is mentioned, but you need to learn to get used to it. How can you expect to fight against him when the mere mention of his made-up name scares you so much?”
They watched as Harry stood up and started tracing letters from his wand in the air.
“Tom Marvolo Riddle,” Harry stated once he finished tracing the name in the air. “That’s his real name – the name his mother gave him.”
Everyone stared in surprise when Harry flicked his wand and the letters rearranged themselves.
“As you can see, he made up this name from the letters of his given name. I’m not telling you to call him by that made-up name or anything, but get over this fear. It is Tom’s greatest weapon. Don’t give it to him. Call him Tom if you like, or better,” he smirked. “An insult should do as well. I’m sure you’re all creative enough to come up with a few.”
“I personally like the one you called him in that graveyard,” Gabrielle remarked with a smirk. “Nonosemort. He really doesn’t have one, right?”
Harry snorted as he took his seat. “Not the cartilages. He has two slits though, like a snake.”
“Ugly. I’ll take that one,” she said, revolted.
That did it. Everyone started laughing as Gabrielle looked around, smirking.
“Whatever suits yourself,” Harry chuckled. “He is only human, everyone. With the same flesh and bones, only uglier than almost everyone. Think of someone you find utterly disgusting.”
“That Umbridge woman,” Corner quipped instantly, and immediately everyone grimaced.
“Yeah, even she’s a ten compared to Voldemort,” One of the twins remarked.
“Merlin… and there goes my appetite,” Tracey groaned as she leaned against Neville. The boy merely wrapped his arm around her in comfort.
“All this foolish talk aside,” Zabini interjected. “When do we start on whatever this is?”
“Tomorrow,” Harry replied. “Daphne and I will divulge some more important information which you all should know. Shortly, we will begin with spell practice. In the meantime, I would like you all to start working in advance. There is no use in going at a snail’s pace and keeping up with Hogwarts’ curriculum. Read in advance and master spells as quickly as you can. This is hard work, people. Half-assed approach won’t do anything.”
“We will also be practicing how to fight in a battle situation,” Daphne took over. “Knowing how to cast spells is all well and good, but having a battle sense is what we all need. Even basic spells which one would never think of using in a fight can tip the scales in your favor.”
“Correct. We all will learn as much as possible. I’m not delusional enough to believe that I can do everything on my own or with the help of a couple others. Everyone needs to contribute. It is your life on the line as much as mine. As such, you all will also need to help as many students out as you can, who will in turn help others so that all those students can be better prepared should something happen. I’ll leave it up to you to decide who you want it to be.”
Everyone nodded at that, and Harry stood up with a light clap.
“That’s all for today. We’ll meet at the same time tomorrow.”
Everyone stood up and one by one, they started to leave.
“Fred, George, could you two wait for a minute?”
The twins stood back and once everyone left, they joined Harry and Daphne in the middle of the classroom.
“Listen guys,” Harry began. “Remember what I told you about those Extendable Ears?”
“To make it wireless,” one of the twins nodded.
“You’ll be surprised to know, partner, that we’re already managed that. Extendable Ears 2.0, coming anytime soon.”
“Nice,” Harry smiled. “I have another idea about a product. It’s more about sending long-distance messages. You know how we use owls or send messages using the Patronus? How about a product that lets you send messages to anyone irrespective of distance so that only the person for whom the message is intended can see or hear it?”
“Hmm…” the twins looked thoughtful as they rubbed their chins. “You have some serious demands, partner.”
“True, brother o’ mine. Makes me wonder what he must demand from his lovely lady here,” the other twin mused.
Harry and Daphne flushed slightly.
“Can you do it or not?” Daphne asked quickly.
“Ouch, you wound us, Miss Greengrass.”
“You really do. Who do you take us for? There’s nothing we can’t do!”
“Perfect. Get to it, then,” Harry nodded and took Daphne’s hand as they walked out of the classroom.
“Don’t make so many tough demands of your lady there, Harrykins!”
The retreating footsteps of the couple hastened as the twins laughed evilly.
XXXXX
To be continued…
Comments
GhostnKC
I don't know what it is about the way you write the "twins" but I am amazed by it. I think in some ways it's better than cannon.
Robert
Always love to see this story updated. Great job with the Tracy/Neville pairing. The way you characterize Tracy is perfect for helping Neville become who he can be. I really like how you are writing Harry and Daphne’s relationship. They are growing together as their relationship is and while Harry is obviously the much stronger of the two magically speaking. They are working together and taking the reigns together. I look forward to the next chapter next month and can’t wait to see how the story continues to unfold! Cheers!
