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On The Hunt: Chapter 14
🕑 Added 2023-01-02 17:30:01 +0000 UTCMASS RETIREMENT AT THE MINISTRY; ELDER EMPLOYEES RELIEVED OF THEIR DUTIES
In a very surprising move from the Ministry of Magic, every ministry employee over the age of one hundred has been relieved of their duties, with pensions awarded on the spot.
Over sixty-five employees and three department heads have retired, with Madam Griselda Marchbanks being the most well-known name in Wizarding Britain. Almost every witch or wizard currently living in Britain has been subjected to her evaluation twice in their Hogwarts years, and the decision surely marked an end of an era.
When asked for his comments, Minister Fudge was a man of a few words:
“As the caretakers of the British Wizarding Society, it is my responsibility as the Minister for Magic to ensure all the operations of the ministry are carried out with the highest of diligence. This requires prioritising the youth and sadly, allowing our elders to finally take some much-earned rest. Many ministry employees who have retired today are people I’ve known for years, and they have my deepest gratitude for their service to our society. I wish them nothing but my best regards and a very healthy future.”
The ministry’s decision has been met with mixed reactions, and opinions are divided.
While many notable individuals have praised the approach of forward-thinking, a few retired employees have not taken well to forced retirement.
A former employee who wishes to remain anonymous was critical of how abrupt the decision was.
“The Minister should have at least consulted us before making the decision, and even if such a decision was coming, the least he should have done was given us prior notice. The pension certainly helps, but it would have been better if they were more transparent.”
Madam Griselda Marchbanks, who held the office of the Department of Education for over a century, has declined to comment.
We at the Daily Prophet express our deepest gratitude to all those who have retired and wish them the best in their future endeavours.
The headline screamed at Harry Potter who was sitting at the dining table with Daphne and a few members of the Order. The pair was reading the article with similar frowns on their faces.
“The news has come as a surprise to everyone,” Arthur Weasley remarked, sipping from his glass.
“Why now though?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Daphne interjected, looking around the table when she saw everyone turn to look at her, “thanks to our voting bloc, ministerial appointments at Hogwarts are required to be approved by the head of the Education Department. Marchbanks was never going to kowtow with Fudge, so they came up with something that would not cause much backlash and get rid of her.”
Cyrus Greengrass smiled, “I have to give it to him though. He chose a way that would not require him to obtain the approval of the Wizengamot. After all, internal policies of ministerial appointments are outside the purview of the Wizengamot, and Fudge can frame such operational policies. In this case, we cannot even accuse him of abuse of authority since only old witches and wizards have retired. Overall, the decision has been received much more positively than even he would’ve expected.”
“Getting Marchbanks to agree to exorcise Binns and now passing this policy. I agree, those two were positive moves, regardless of my opinion of the man,” Sirius remarked with a bitter smile.
“All this to plant his stooge at Hogwarts?” Harry asked incredulously, “Just what does he think is going to happen there?”
Moody snorted to the side.
“You know something, Mad-Eye?” Harry looked at the man with a frown.
Moody chuckled.
“Word around the grapevine is that ol’ Fudge thinks Dumbledore is raising an army at Hogwarts to take over the ministry, with Potter as its General.”
There was a moment of silence as everyone digested this. Harry looked cynically at Daphne, who gave him an incredulous stare.
“You’re not joking?” Sirius asked finally. Moody snorted and shook his head.
“Wow!” Sirius breathed, leaning back in his chair and looking at Cyrus, “Your son-in-law is going to be an army general, Cyrus. How does that make you feel?”
Daphne fired a stinger at Sirius, who yelped and looked at her with surprise. “Et Tu, Daphne? I thought you liked me!”
Daphne simply gave him an unimpressed stare.
“In all honesty, it’s not a bad idea,” Cyrus pondered out loud, looking at Harry who gave him a surprised look.
“What? You want me to form an army!?”
“Not exactly. Think about it. There is a war coming. You know it, we know it. And you can be sure every single one of those students will have to fight or run. They should be prepared.”
“Are you mad!?” The hysterical voice of Molly Weasley sounded out as she glared at the Greengrass patriarch. “You want children to fight in a war!?”
“I know this doesn’t sound good, Mrs Weasley, but I’d rather they be prepared than not. I would love nothing more than for them to live a happy life and never worry about war, but we don’t live in a world of fairytales. This world is cruel, and most of them will have to pick a side.”
“I agree with you Cyrus, but I don’t think an army is a way to go about that.”
Cyrus shook his head. “You took my words too literally, Harry. I didn’t mean you have to become a drill master and conscript them. Just do something to make them capable enough to cast spells so that they might defend themselves should the need arise in the future. I think your future DADA teacher would help you out in this case.”
Moody shrugged.
Harry turned towards Daphne who had a conflicted look on her face. They had discussed it only a few hours ago. It was early morning and he was getting ready for his daily practice with Moody, and Daphne had stumbled upon him right outside his room. After watching him duel with Moody, she had also expressed interest in personal training.
“As you said to Mrs Weasley, I’m going to be among the prime targets. I need to be capable enough to fight as well.”
At his nod, she had simply smiled.
“Don’t worry, Harry. I’m not some damsel who is not capable enough or will drag you down. I’m the heiress of the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass. Our house has produced highly capable witches and wizards every generation, and I won’t be the one to shame the pride of my ancestors.”
If he didn’t admire her before, this side of her attracted him even more to her. He had never wanted a woman who would simper over him. A confident woman, one who would stand shoulder to shoulder with him as they faced their challenges together – that was the kind of woman he wanted to be with. The more time he spent with Daphne, the more he realised that she checked all the boxes.
They had a practice duel this very morning, and he had to admit that she was capable, frighteningly so. Certainly not at the level that she would pose a challenge to Death Eaters, she had managed to challenge Tonks, who had to try hard. Although Daphne had eventually lost their ten-minute duel, he knew that with a few weeks of intense practice that she had agreed to go through with them, she would be well on her way to being there in no time.
“What do you think?” He asked her quietly as the others went about their way to discuss various things, and Daphne stood up before gesturing for him to follow. He looked around the table and exchanged nods with Sirius and Cyrus, who were engrossed in some official talk and looked over at them, before following her out of the room.
“I think the idea has merit,” Daphne replied as they walked down the corridor, her face thoughtful. “A few years ago, Hogwarts had a Duelling Club. It was disbanded after a former DADA professor left his job. Since then, there has been no DADA teacher who has lasted more than one year, so the club was never revived properly.”
“What are you saying? We should restart the Duelling Club?”
Daphne nodded. “Even though fighting is different from duelling, it would at least help students learn to cast the spells in combat situations. Currently, the most we do is cast spells in classrooms, which is very regulated. Some purebloods and half-bloods in magical households do circumvent ministry restrictions and practice spells at their homes, but many of them as well as muggleborns do not have that privilege either.”
Harry sighed. This was a very familiar argument to him.
“Hermione has been saying this for years,” he muttered.
Daphne frowned for a moment before she sighed.
“She’s not wrong either. I don’t like her, but I can admit when she’s right. Muggleborns are certainly at a disadvantage. But there is a reason for it. In magical households, there is someone who can mitigate any disastrous consequences should things get out of hand. There are no muggles around either. We cannot say the same for muggleborns and their neighbourhoods.”
“That makes abuse of rules right in your eyes, doesn’t it, Greengrass?”
The pair sighed as one and turned around to look at Hermione, who had just come downstairs and was looking at them with a glare.
“Daphne didn’t say it was right. You would’ve heard it if you chose to, Hermione.”
“Thank you, Harry,” Daphne quickly interjected, grabbing his hand, something which Hermione noticed if the frown on her face was any indication. Harry sighed again.
“But I can speak for myself,” Daphne smiled at him, before turning to look at Hermione. “You know Granger, this is exactly your problem. You carry preconceived notions about others and refuse to even hear what they said, instead forming your conclusions. You’ve been doing it for years to me, as you did right now. I never said it was right. I even said that muggleborns are at a disadvantage, but you certainly chose to disregard it, instead choosing to isolate one statement and targeting it out of context. Tell me, Granger, I’ve never spoken more than two sentences to you before today, and even those two sentences were in my defence of your accusations. What have I ever done to offend you so much that you spent years attacking me in this manner?”
Hermione stared at Daphne with a glare, but the blonde gave her no quarter. Harry dared not stop her, knowing she was releasing years of pent-up frustration and his interference would only worsen the matter. Her grip was tight on his hand, and he simply stood there with a stoic look on his face.
“For someone who complains so much about unfairness, you seem to do an awful job at carrying the right torch, Granger. What right do you have to mentally harass someone when the person didn’t even speak a word to you?”
“How dare you, Greengrass,” Hermione retorted with a glare, “I’ve never spoken to you, ever. Mentally harassing you? Don’t you dare accuse me of something like that!”
Harry saw the door to the far end of the corridor open. Sirius and her parents were standing there with frowns on their faces before Evelyn looked at her daughter and whom she was speaking to. Her eyes drooped slightly before she gestured for him towards Daphne. Harry nodded.
“I’ve seen it, Hermione,” Harry replied with a sharp glare, tightening his hold on Daphne’s hand and pulling her slightly closer. The brunette looked at him with a surprised look on her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. I made my opinions of you quite clear a few weeks ago, and what I’ve come to know since then has only reinforced that belief. As a former friend, I would only suggest you broaden your mind. This behaviour might not be much harmful to you in school, but when you graduate and go to the real world, I’m afraid you’ll bite off more than you can chew. Deep down, I know you are aware of what I’m talking about. Have a good day, and once again, I ask you not to approach me and Daphne in the future. I would appreciate it.”
His bit said, Harry pulled Daphne behind him and the pair walked away from the stupefied brunette who kept staring at their retreating backs before gritting her teeth and walking upstairs.
“What was that about?” Sirius asked, surprised. Evelyn sighed.
XXXXX
“You okay?” Harry asked as they walked down to the basement where their practice chamber was situated.
“I admit I am a bit agitated. Can I bother you with a spar?”
Harry chuckled and walked over to take his place on the opposite end of the court.
“Ready when you are,” he smirked before brandishing his wand and holding it to the side. The first bolt of red was swatted aside, but Daphne was already on the move. Harry furiously ducked under her assault, bolts of blue, pink, purple and an occasional green flashing by his head. They had devised this routine in the morning where they would only cast bolts of colour resembling original spells, and at the end of the fight, they would be analysing how to improve further.
Harry chuckled. Daphne certainly had some wonderful ideas.
He smirked when he saw her slowing down slightly. Her biggest asset was her agility, and he knew the perfect way to counter that.
A blasting curse left his wand and struck the floor in front of him, and Daphne abruptly swerved and threw herself to the side.
“I thought we agreed not to use any actual spells!?” She shouted behind the smoke. Harry laughed.
“That was only for spells that would strike us directly. We didn’t agree to that for spells that would affect our surroundings!” Harry shouted, before freezing the entire floor. “Now run, my dear!”
“You cheater!” Daphne shouted with a shake of her head, before jumping slightly when she saw the floor freezing.
She fired a low-powered blasting hex a little distance away from her feet and smiled when the ice cracked and the floor came up once again. Pointing her wand ahead, she started to fire blasting hexes all over the court. Harry’s eyes widened and he smiled when he saw the ice crack and the floor get restored to its original state.
He chuckled when the woman emerged from the smoke, dust clinging to her slightly sweaty face and clothes, before pausing as he stared at her.
“What?” She asked, confused. Harry shook his head and muttered something inaudible, before raising his wand and firing a purple bolt at her. Daphne quickly raised a shield that blocked it, before yelping in surprise when a root emerged from the ground and grabbed her leg.
A cutter got rid of it, and Daphne jumped when another shot out of the floor and made to grab her. A quick cutting curse cleaved it in half as well.
“Oh damn,” she whispered as she realised she had entirely forgotten about Harry, and a quick bolt of right to her stomach made her sigh.
Harry smiled and walked over to her before casting a quick cleaning charm on her to get rid of all the dirt.
“What was that spell?” She asked, smiling at him as she took the bottle of water from him and gulped it down, unaware of Harry’s eyes on how her throat bobbed as she drank it.
“I’ll tell you sometime in the future. Not that I don’t want to, but because I can’t. I’ll have to obtain someone’s permission before divulging such knowledge.”
“A promise. I understand,” Daphne nodded and handed the bottle back. The couple walked over to the couch near the wall and sat down, sighing softly. Harry glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and he couldn’t help the smile that came over his face as he took in the sight of her. She was leaning back with her eyes closed, taking soft breaths, and he reminisced how she had looked when she had first emerged from that smoke. Still smiling, he leaned back as well and closed his eyes.
“We don’t know much about each other, do we?” Her voice cut through the silence, and Harry turned to look at her. She was peering up at him through her eyelashes, and he smiled.
“I remember telling you quite a lot about my Hogwarts years,” he replied. Daphne chuckled.
“I’m not talking about that. I meant about us – our experiences, how we grew up, that kind of stuff. If we are to be married one day, don’t you think we should know all these things about each other?” She asked with an expectant look.
However, a frown came over her face when she saw his reaction.
“I’m sorry if – “
“No, it’s not your fault,” he cut her off, before looking at her, “you’re right. We should know everything about each other, no secrets. But there are some things about me that I’m not ready to talk about yet.”
Daphne looked at him in concern, before she smiled.
“It’s okay, I understand,” she replied, before slowly leaning her head on his shoulder. Harry looked at her head before hesitantly wrapping his arm around her shoulder, smiling when she shifted closer and sighed softly.
“One day. I’ll tell you everything.”
“I’ll wait until you’re ready to.”
Cyrus and Evelyn Greengrass smiled at each other as they looked at the pair from beyond the door to the basement, before quietly turning around and walking upstairs.
“We chose right.”
“We did.”
XXXXX
Hermione Granger was walking to her room, agitated after the ordeal with Daphne Greengrass. She had been surprised at first when she had first seen the woman at #12 Grimmauld Place, and her surprise had turned to shock when she saw her holding hands with Harry.
She had no idea the two even knew each other. She had been further taken aback when Harry told her that he was dating the woman before he pulled her after him into the room, shutting the door right in her face.
His behaviour hurt, but even more than that, the fact that she seemed to have no friend hurt even more. Ginny had distanced herself from both her and Ron after that incident in the basement, and Ron was Ron. Hermione had been left to her lonesome self, and schoolwork was all she had done since then.
The arrival of Daphne Greengrass in their life was something she had taken negatively. To her, it was a new scheme of those supremacists to entrench themselves with the light side. She firmly believed that they had cut some deal with the other faction as well, perhaps promising their second daughter to one of them. After all, it was common knowledge that the Greengrass family was neutral in political affairs, known to toe the line.
If that was true, she had to warn Harry somehow. He needed to be aware of what was unfolding behind the scenes. She had been trying to talk to him ever since she had seen him together with Greengrass, but he seemed to entirely avoid her. She couldn’t even find him after breakfast, as he was gone before she could even arrive.
She had been walking downstairs when she heard what Greengrass said, and red clouded her vision. However, what she had not expected was for Greengrass to confront her so brazenly and accuse her instead. She had wanted to tear the woman down verbally before Harry took the wind out of her proverbial sails. She could only gape at his retreating back as he all but told her to get out of his life before she gritted her teeth in frustration and walked back upstairs.
She was done now. If Harry wanted to stay bewitched by the first pretty face he found, he could face the consequences. She had tried her best to approach him and talk some sense into his lust-addled brain, but if he was so hellbent on not even giving her the time of the day, then she didn’t have any obligation to force him.
She opened the door to the room she shared with Ginny and was immediately pulled inside forcefully.
“What do you think you’re doing!?” Hermione shouted as she was all but thrown on her bed.
Ginny glared at her.
“What did you do to Daphne Greengrass?”
Hermione looked at her with a frown.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw everything. I was behind you on top of the stairs, and I heard it all. Greengrass was furious with you, even I could tell that. Just what did you do to agitate her so much?”
Hermione’s eyes widened.
“You too? First Harry, and now you? Why do you think I did something to her!?”
Ginny frowned. “Because she’s not the type of woman who would behave this way with someone without any valid reason.”
“Oh? And you know her very well, do you?” Hermione retorted with a glare that didn’t even faze the redhead. She was confused when Ginny smiled.
“As a matter of fact, I do. Because for the past three years, I have been talking to her at least once every week.”
“W-what?” Hermione stammered with wide eyes as Ginny smiled ruefully.
“When I was in the Hospital Wing after the Chamber incident, Greengrass visited one evening for some potion from Madam Pomfrey. Turns out her friend had fallen sick. While she was waiting for Madam Pomfrey, we talked for a bit. She was quite nice. When we arrived at Hogwarts the next year, she asked me how I was doing. I was honestly surprised because I didn’t expect a Slytherin to be nice. Every few weeks, we would meet sometimes in the library where she would help me with some doubts I used to have in my classes. That is how I know she is a good person, and she would never be so agitated if something had not happened.”
Hermione’s eyes were wide in shock.
“Why didn’t you tell us you knew her?”
Ginny frowned. “I fail to see how it was any business of any of you. It wasn’t as if we were best friends. She was just someone I used to talk to sometimes.”
She walked over and leaned against the wall, staring at Hermione who was sitting on her bed.
“I am asking you once again. What did you do to her?”
“I did nothing to her! I don’t know what her problem is. Ever since the first year, she’s had it for me. Always interrupting whenever I seem to get an answer right, trying to one-up me in classes, behaving uptight as if the world should revolve around her, and looking down on everyone as if they are beneath her somehow. She is one of the biggest blood purists there is, even if she doesn’t overly act like it. Her façade might fool others, but not me.”
Ginny stared at her disbelievingly, before a loud laugh tore its way out of her. Hermione bristled.
“Just what do you find funny about that?”
Ginny shook her head, trying her best at stifling her chuckles, before sitting down and looking at the irate brunette.
“You’re serious, aren’t you? Well, news flash, Hermione. Daphne Greengrass is not a blood purist, and she hates them with a passion. In fact, she hates any form of discrimination. You are so wrong that it’s honestly laughable.”
Hermione glared. “I know what I’ve seen, Ginny.”
“Then you saw wrong!” Ginny glared, “Or you chose to see what you wanted to see. Daphne Greengrass once froze Malfoy’s bits when she found him harassing Luna. Boys in Slytherin are scared of her, even calling her the Ice Queen because of how many of them she’s hexed when she found them bullying someone else. There’s not a worse person you could accuse of being a blood purist than her,” she said firmly, before her eyes widened.
“Don’t tell me the harassment she was talking about was you constantly treating her like a blood purist. Because if you did- ”
“I’ve never even talked to her in my life! The only time we have talked before is when she told me one day that she was not a blood purist. As if I’d believe that!”
Ginny looked at the brunette sadly, shaking her head.
“You truly can’t look past your preconceived notions, can you?” She asked with a sigh, looking at Hermione’s surprised face. “I have gotten a pretty good picture of what the issue is between the two of you, and I’m telling you once again. Daphne Greengrass is not a blood purist, and if I were you, I would really stay away from both her and Harry. I’ve seen how protective Harry has become of her, and I would hate to be in your shoes if you incur his wrath. Remember that he’s not the gullible Harry that you liked so much to order around.”
“I never!”
“Save it, Hermione. Your denial means nothing to me. Learn before you do something you will sorely regret. That is all I will tell you,” Ginny said as she turned around to walk out.
She took a step forward before she stopped. Hermione looked at the woman in surprise when she turned around and smiled sweetly at her.
“And Hermione, if you ever dare to do something to either Harry or Daphne, you can be sure you’ll be answering to me first. We might not be friends anymore, but I don’t want to hex you. So please don’t make me do it,” she said, before adding belatedly, “unless Tonks gets to you first. After all, Harry’s become like her little brother.”
Hermione could do nothing but stare at her in shock as the youngest Weasley shut the door behind her and walked away.
XXXXX
Ever since Daphne had arrived to live with them until the end of the holidays, Harry had spent almost the entirety of his waking hours in her company. They talked, they studied, they bonded and they duelled. So it was a bit disconcerting at first to be away from her company for what seemed to be a few hours to him but was barely an hour in reality.
It was after dinner when Daphne had been basically stolen away from him by Nym, and ever since then, he had been leaning against this wall. His mind had been occupied with many thoughts, all of them connected in one way or another with the blonde woman who had so quickly become such an integral part of his life.
Not even a month ago, his only thoughts regarding fair sex concerned Gabrielle and whether their relationship would change into something else. Fast forward and here he was, betrothed to her cousin and feeling very optimistic about it. His discussion with Daphne was fresh in his mind, but he found, to his surprise, that the prospect of being with Gabrielle didn’t fill him with as much excitement as it did before.
Frowning, he recalled the time he had spent with Gabrielle. They had become very good friends, but never breached the veil of friendship. There were slight feelings on either side; he had gathered that much, but he didn’t know if it was enough to be called romantic.
Furthermore, what he had once felt for Gabrielle paled in comparison to what he was starting to feel for Daphne now. She had an air about her that seemed to attract him, and it filled him with feelings he had never felt for anyone else before.
The more time he spent with Daphne and the more he got to know her, the more he realised she had all the attributes he found attractive in a woman he wanted to pursue.
Harry was looking down at the street when he heard someone walking up the stairs. Turning around, he smiled at his godfather.
“You really love this spot, don’t you?” Sirius chuckled as he looked at him.
“It’s very quiet. Feels relaxing,” Harry replied with a chuckle. Sirius looked at him and frowned.
“What was that with Hermione today?”
Harry sobered.
“I’ll spare you the details, but there are some things Hermione has done to Daphne over the years, and that was Daphne letting it all out finally.”
“I can ask Dumbledore to take her back to her family if that’s what you two prefer,” Sirius replied in a grave tone, looking at him. Harry stayed silent.
“Look Harry, I know she was your friend, but we both know what it truly was. And Daphne is your biggest priority right now, apart from yourself. And if you ask me, I would think about it if I were you since she seems to be affecting Daphne so much.”
“It’s fine, Sirius,” a voice came from behind the old marauder, and the two men turned to look at Daphne who came upstairs with Tonks and, to his surprise, Ginny, right beside her.
“It doesn’t have to be, Daphne. I’ve come to know you as a very respectful woman, and for you to be so agitated means there must be something… well… serious between you and Hermione. It would take one floo-call to Dumbledore and he would arrange Hermione’s travel.”
Daphne shook her head.
“I can tolerate her, Sirius. It was a weak moment on my part today, and it won’t be repeated. I will try to control my temper in the future.”
“You are not at fault here, Daphne!” Harry interjected with a frown, taking her hands in his and looking her in the eyes. “If anyone is at fault, it’s Hermione. First for her treatment towards you, and second for her conduct today. So don’t blame yourself.”
“Look,” Sirius intoned with a small frown, “I honestly don’t care what happens to the majority of these people as long as the people I care about are alright. I know it’s a shitty thing to say, but I’ve lost too much in my life and my care is somewhat limited. If there is any single thing you two have any problem with in this house, I would urge you to tell me at the earliest and I would get it resolved.”
Daphne smiled, before leaning over and lightly hugging Sirius, who was surprised for a moment, before returning her hug.
“Thank you, Sirius. It means a lot to me. But no, you don’t need to do anything about Granger. We don’t have too much time until school starts anyway. Two weeks is nothing.”
Sirius sighed.
“If you’re sure…”
Daphne nodded.
“Alright then. It’s getting late, so I’ll be going to bed now. Goodnight,” Sirius smiled.
They wished the older man a good night and watched as he went downstairs.
“I heard what happened today and I talked with Daphne about it,” Tonks started the moment Sirius was gone, and Harry looked at her.
Tonks looked at his face and chuckled.
“Don’t worry. I don’t need to give her any lecture. Someone already took care of it,” she smiled, nudging Ginny with her shoulder.
“Ginny?” Harry asked in surprise, who nodded.
“You guys don’t know this, but I’ve known Daphne since the Chamber incident. I know her well enough to understand that she won’t act out like that without any serious reason. There is no use in reasoning with Hermione either. She’s made up her mind and she’s not going to change it, whatever may happen. I’ve warned her not to do anything.”
Harry stared at the redhead in disbelief, before shaking his head.
“Wow,” he uttered, before smiling softly at the redhead. “Thanks, Ginny. It’s nice to see that we have you watching out for us.”
The three women chuckled.
“Well, we should be getting some sleep as well. Don’t forget, early morning training tomorrow,” Tonks reminded Harry and Daphne, who nodded.
“Hey Tonks, can I room in with you? I’d rather not share with Hermione.”
“Sure, come on then. Goodnight, you two.”
Harry and Daphne wished the pair goodnight and watched as they walked down the stairs, before turning around to look at each other.
“You coming?” Daphne asked him as she turned to walk downstairs as well. Harry smiled at her and nodded. Hand in hand, the pair walked downstairs until they reached their respective rooms.
“Goodnight, Daphne,” Harry intoned, softly smiling down at her. Daphne looked at his face for a moment, before her eyes fell on his lips. Harry’s eyes widened when she stood on her tiptoes and leaned upwards.
His eyes closed involuntarily and he felt her soft breath against his lips before she brushed hers against his chin.
“Goodnight, Harry,” she whispered, and he looked into those glittering sapphire orbs that looked particularly enchanting tonight.
He could only stand there as Daphne smiled at him before she turned around and walked inside her room. She looked back at him over her shoulder, before slowly shutting the door behind her.
Dazed and mind running wild with an emotional discharge, Harry walked inside his room and dropped back on his bed. His eyes stared at the darkened ceiling until they started to droop slightly and he was out in no time.
In the other room, her heart beating fast, Daphne Greengrass held her pillow tightly against her chest as she went to sleep, a lovely smile on her lips and the thoughts of a certain emerald-eyed wizard on her mind.
XXXXX
To be continued…
Comments
GhostnKC
I've always liked the Harry/Daphne pairing.
john haycock
Wonderfully written chapter. The story gets better and better. Looking forward to the next instalment
I am lord dems
Loved it. Hopefully Hermione gets her head together
Erinnyes
Great chapter, I'm really interested to see whether Hermione just crashes and burns, finally gets a clue, or both in that order.
