"If I didn't know any better, I would swear the boy defies me
intentionally," Cassiopeia muttered to herself as she viewed the
photos printed in The Daily Prophet.
Many simply depicted those in attendance, some sharing a dance, or
conversing with others, but there were several of Harry and his date
for the evening, a few of which were not favourable.
"Oh, I'm going to throttle him," Cassie vowed as she slammed the
paper onto the kitchen table.
"Who?" Sirius questioned with a frown.
"Your godson!"
Sirius's frown deepened as he retrieved the newspaper, his eyes
widening as he read the article and saw the pictures for himself.
"Go on, Harry," he cheered.
"It is not something to be celebrated!" Cassiopeia snapped.
"I disagree," Sirius replied as he slid the paper to his werewolf friend.
"Tell me who she looks like."
The werewolf chuckled amusedly.
"That is Miss Greengrass, the daughter of Ophelia Yaxley and
Jonathan Greengrass. I remember you trying to date her, even
though she was a Slytherin."
"Looks like she married Greengrass then," Sirius grumbled.
"So, Harry has not only slighted the Greengrass's, but also the
Yaxleys," Cassiopeia sighed.
"Neither, actually," Sirius snorted. "It says here that the girl kissed
him."
"Do you think that will matter to Greengrass?" Cassiopeia snapped
irritably.
"It will matter to everyone else because there is nothing he can do
about it," Sirius pointed out. "Harry is not in the wrong. If he would
have publicly rejected the girl, it would have been worse."
Cassiopeia didn't like to admit it, but Sirius did have a point.
"Still, I told him to behave. Does this look like behaving to you?"
"Compared to what he could have done, yes," Sirius replied. "With
James as his father, I'd expect much worse from him."
Cassiopeia grimaced, remembering the various letters she had
received from Durmstrang over the years informing her of Harry's
antics, his pranks, and his run-ins with other students.
She was not especially happy with how he had conducted himself at
the ball, but it could indeed have been much worse.
"Will Greengrass attempt to cause any problems?"
Sirius shrugged uncertainly as he looked towards Lupin.
"He might," the werewolf sighed, "even if it is just for show, I expect
he will make his way to Hogwarts to have words with Snape and his
daughter."
"Snivellus," Sirius muttered unhappily.
"Then I suppose I should do the same with Harry, if only to make
sure he doesn't get himself into any more trouble," Cassie sighed as
she stood, shaking her head in frustration.
Why could Harry just never do exactly as he had been asked?
Because it was in his nature to be defiant.
She had seen it in him from when he was a baby and she had
attempted to feed him vegetables.
He had been a stubborn infant and had grown to be an even more
stubborn teenager.
Not that the memories of his formative years didn't bring a smile to
her lips.
Cassiopeia merely lamented that he had also contributed to her
ever-increasing amount of grey hairs she now sported.
Harry woke with a groan; his sleep having been intruded upon by
something hitting him in the face. For a moment, he refused to open
his eyes as he enjoyed the moment of bliss between waking up, and
clarity.
"Bloody hell," he grumbled, pulling his pillow over his face as the
memories of the previous night came flooding back.
"You made the paper," the gleeful voice of Viktor sounded from
somewhere in the room. "Come on, up you get stud."
"Piss off," Harry muttered as he pushed the pillow away, knowing he
could not simply remain in bed to avoid the questions.
"So, what happened?" Viktor asked immediately. "You both left
before the end of the ball and no one saw either of you again."
"You're like a gossiping woman," Harry huffed. "Nothing happened,
well, not much."
Flashback
They had taken their leave of the Great Hall after sharing a few
dances, the prying eyes of several others affording them no privacy,
not even to share a simple conversation.
At Daphne's suggestion, they had made their way to the lake where
they shared a walk along the edge.
"I probably shouldn't have kissed you, should I?" the girl sighed.
"Probably not," Harry agreed. "How much trouble do you think we
will be in?"
Daphne grinned in response as she nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh, my father will be furious, but my mother will set him straight.
She will think it is sweet. What about you?"
"I expect I will get quite the lecture about treating a pureblood girl in
such a way," Harry snorted. "It was worth it."
"Was it?" Daphne asked, quirking a brow at him.
Harry nodded.
"It's not every day a beautiful girl kisses me," he replied. "Usually, the
beautiful girls I know threaten me with violence."
Daphne laughed.
"I can't say I'm surprised. You do have a tendency to wind people
up."
"What can I say, I'm rather good at it."
"True," Daphne acknowledged, "but from what I have seen and
heard of you so far, you're really kind and sweet too."
"Who said that?" Harry questioned with a frown.
"Pansy," the girl clarified. "She says that you pay for all the
werewolves at your school to have wolfsbane every month, and that
you look out for your friends to make sure they're not bullied."
Harry shrugged in response.
"I don't like to see people suffer needlessly."
Daphne offered him a bright smile.
"That just makes you a good person. There aren't so many of those
in our world, not ones who could truly make a difference."
"I'll make a difference," Harry declared. "When I return, I will change
things."
Daphne nodded.
"I find it really difficult to not believe you," she murmured, shivering
as an icy wind blew around the lake.
"Shit, I didn't realise it was past midnight," Harry groaned as he
checked his watch. "I'd better get you back to the dungeons before
old Snape tries to have me murdered."
"How did you know where the Slytherin common room is?" Daphne
questioned suspiciously.
"I know more about this castle than you would believe," Harry
returned with a wink.
Daphne rolled her eyes at him and threaded her arm through his,
resting her head against his shoulder as they walked back towards
the castle.
"Thank you for inviting me," she said sincerely.
"You're welcome," Harry snorted. "It wasn't such a bad experience,
was it?"
Daphne shook her head.
"No, you did well, Potter."
"I'll take that," Harry mused aloud. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
Daphne paused before they reached the steps leading into the
Entrance Hall and stepped in front of him.
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.
Daphne said nothing, but shook her head before kissing him once
more, this time not so chastely.
"What was that for?" Harry asked when they broke apart.
"Well, we're already in trouble," she replied with a shrug. "I figured
we may as well make it really worth it."
"Was it?"
Daphne hummed thoughtfully.
"I'm not sure yet," she replied.
Harry took the hint and kissed her again, and Daphne wrapped her
arms around his neck and the two of them melted into one another.
"It was worth it," she whispered against his lips.
The two were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their
throat and they turned to see an unimpressed Minerva McGonagall
staring pointedly at them.
"If it is not too much trouble, Miss Greengrass should be in bed by
now. Do not worry, Mr Potter," she continued as Harry moved to
escort the girl, "I will make sure she gets there."
Harry could only nod as he and Daphne shared a grin of amusement
before she was led away.
With the evening over, Harry made his way back towards the ship,
relieved to find that his schoolmates were already sleeping,
something he felt the need of after such an eventful evening.
End Flashback
Viktor shook his head as Harry finished recounting what had
happened, an enormous smile threatening to split his face wide
open.
"How much trouble do you think you're in?"
Harry shrugged.
"I don't expect my Aunt will be pleased," he sighed.
"But she did kiss you first," Viktor pointed out.
"Somehow, I don't think that will appease Lord Greengrass," Harry
deadpanned.
Viktor laughed amusedly, and Harry threw his pillow at him.
"So, what happens now?" the Bulgarian questioned. "Are you
dating? Do you want her to be your girlfriend?"
His tone had taken on a mocking edge that Harry did not appreciate,
but as he felt his irritation rise, Viktor held up a hand to placate him.
"I'm joking," he chuckled. "Honestly, it's about time you spent some
time with other girls, but you're lucky you're here. When the news
breaks at Durmstrang, there will be some very unhappy witches."
"Do you think it will make it that far?"
"Oh, I bet it will be in the morning editions all across Europe," he
snorted. "There were a lot of cameras there last night, and some
journalists I recognised."
"Bollocks," Harry muttered.
Viktor shook his head.
"It's not that big a deal," he soothed. "You kissed, and nothing else
happened. Or did it?"
"Of course not," Harry huffed. "I'm not that stupid."
"Then you have nothing to worry about," Viktor shrugged. "You can
both say that you got caught up in the moment, that it was just a
mutual gesture for a wonderful evening spent together."
"Is that what your public relations manager would say?"
Viktor nodded unashamedly.
"Exactly," he confirmed.
Harry released a deep breath as he got out of bed.
"It's not that bad?"
"it's not," Viktor assured him. "Even pureblood teenagers kiss each
other, just not usually in front of the media, their professors, and
other students."
"I get your point, you git," Harry grumbled. "Now, go away. I want to
get dressed."
"Would you like me to send for the lovely Miss Greengrass to help
you?" Viktor quipped before ducking out of the room narrowly
avoiding the curse Harry sent his way.
Alone, Harry couldn't help but wonder just how much trouble he was
truly in.
Could Lord Greengrass try to insist on a marriage contract between
him and Daphne?
Harry shook his head of the ludicrous thought.
He didn't know Lord Greengrass, but he didn't believe that any Lord
could be that expectant.
No, he would probably receive a letter of displeasure from Cassie
and may have to apologise for Lord Greengrass for his part in what
happened, but it should go no further than that.
He allowed himself to relax having thought through what would likely
come to pass, and even smiled at the memory.
"Definitely worth it," he murmured to himself.
Still, it would not do to not be prepared for any and all eventualities.
He did not know Lord Greengrass, nor could he predict the reaction
of the man.
With that in mind, he did what he knew Cassiopeia would suggest.
If someone could not be negotiated with, then there were other
means that could be explored, and for the first time since he'd
received the package, he began trawling through the contents,
smirking as he found the page he was looking for.
He nodded to himself when he was satisfied with the information he
had found and returned the slip of parchment into the stack where it
belonged.
Rita Skeeter may be a vile woman, but she was proving to be quite
useful to have on side.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts by a pounding on his door.
"Potter, you have a visitor," the voice of Professor Karkaroff spoke.
"Your Aunt would like a word with you."
"Well, the peace lasted," Harry muttered to himself. "She can come
in."
The door opened immediately and a rather unimpressed Cassiopeia
Black entered the room.
"There is no need to stay, Professor Karkaroff," she said pointedly. "I
will deal with my nephew."
The man nodded before closing the door, and Cassiopeia merely
stared at Harry for a moment, clutching a copy of The Daily Prophet
in her right hand.
"I don't suppose you've come to bring me a late Christmas present,
have you?"
Cassiopeia narrowed her eyes at him, and Harry released a deep
sigh.
"I know," he assured her. "It doesn't look good."
"It doesn't," Cassiopeia agreed, "but I didn't come here to give you a
lecture. It might surprise you to know, but Sirius pointed out that you
are all but in the clear if Miss Greengrass kissed you first."
"She did," Harry confirmed, "but I didn't try to prevent it, and I kissed
her later in the evening."
"Something that is not mentioned in here," Cassiopeia replied,
holding up the newspaper. "Do you know how you will handle
Greengrass if he decides to attempt to make something of it?"
Harry nodded.
"I will attempt to be polite and courteous about the situation at first,"
Harry explained. "There is no need to make enemies unnecessarily,
but if that doesn't work, I take further action."
Cassiopeia nodded approvingly.
"Good," she declared. "It will be the perfect practice for you to
discuss a point of contention with another Lord."
"You're letting me handle this?"
Cassiopeia nodded.
"It seems to be the right situation," she replied. "At worst, you'll have
to explain your future positions to placate or quell the man's
foolishness, should he display such."
"And at best, we can become amicable."
"Exactly," Cassiopeia praised. "I expect one or the other from you.
Regardless of what you do, he should not leave any conversation
believing he got the upper hand in any way."
"Of course," Harry agreed. "I will do what is necessary."
"That is all I ever ask of you," Cassie sighed as she wrapped Harry
in her arms. "Why do you have to be such a pain?"
Harry chuckled amusedly.
"It's in my nature," he answered with a grin.
Pansy pulled the brush through her hair as she took in her reflection
in the vanity, her gaze shifting to the awful pink dress she had worn
the night before.
It truly was a hideous garment, and though she suspected it would
have been enough to deter Draco on its own, it had proven to be
unnecessary.
His focus had been on only two others, and he had barely said a
word to her.
Not that Pansy was displeased by such a thing, but it had still been
embarrassing to be slighted so publicly.
She released a gentle sigh as she placed the brush down.
Draco may have slighted her, but what bothered her was how good a
time that Harry and Daphne seemed to have.
Pansy, like everyone else in the Great Hall had seen the kiss, the
undeniable chemistry between the two as they chatted and danced
away as though they had known each other for years.
It should have been Pansy.
If Draco wasn't such a jealous, petty prat, it would have been.
She didn't know how she felt about Harry and Daphne kissing.
It wasn't jealousy as such that had filled her at the sight, but she
didn't feel any sense of elation for her two friends.
Maybe it was that she was so close to Harry that seeing him so
intimate with another girl was hard to accept. Maybe it was that there
was a part of Pansy that wished it was her.
She shook her head of the thought.
Did she even see Harry that way?
It was difficult to ascertain what she felt.
The two of them had grown together from being small children, but
they had not seen one another for the past couple of years, not until
he had arrived at Hogwarts.
Pansy couldn't deny that she found him attractive, that she looked at
him differently than she once had.
Still, she could not be sure what it was she saw him as now.
"Morning," Daphne greeted her sleepily as she entered from the
bathroom.
Pansy offered the girl a weak smile.
She wasn't angry with her for what she had done.
It was not as though Pansy could blame her for being attracted to
Harry, and if she was honest with herself, they suited each other
well.
"Are we okay?" Daphne asked.
Pansy deflated as she nodded.
"We are," she assured the girl.
Daphne smiled.
"I didn't plan for that to happen," she explained. "It just felt right in the
moment."
"And now?" Pansy pressed with a frown.
"It still feels right," Daphne admitted with a blush.
Pansy nodded.
"Good."
For a moment, she had thought that Daphne was going to say that
what had happened had been a mistake, and she had felt a stab of
anger towards the girl.
More than anything else, and despite how strange she found the
situation, she did not wish for Harry to be hurt or used in any way.
"You're like a protective sister," Daphne snorted.
"I care about him," Pansy replied. "More than I care for anyone else.
Harry is special, and I don't just mean to me."
"What does that even mean?"
Pansy released a deep breath.
"It's not my place to say," she sighed. "Just trust me, Daphne, there
is much more to him than you know."
"Is it bad?" the blonde asked.
Pansy shook her head.
"No. If anything they are all good things."
Daphne merely nodded in response and didn't press the matter
further.
"I guess you didn't have such a great time?"
Pansy smirked to herself in the mirror.
"No, and I'm pleased for it," she declared. "Maybe now my father will
forget any notion of attempting to have me married off to him."
"Would he do that?"
Pansy shrugged.
"He's considered it."
"But not Harry even though you're already close?"
Pansy shook her head.
"I think my father would be very pleased with the match, but it is
unlikely to happen, not unless Harry himself pushed for it."
Daphne frowned confusedly, but before she could ask, the door to
the dormitory opened and a scowling Professor Snape entered.
"I have just received a message from your father, Miss Greengrass,"
he informed Daphne. "Your parents will be arriving this afternoon and
wish to speak with you."
With his message given, he turned and took his leave of the room,
his cloak billowing behind him.
"Will you be in trouble?" Pansy questioned.
"Probably," Daphne answered with a shrug, "but it was worth it. I just
hope my father doesn't try to blame Harry."
Pansy chewed her lip worriedly for a moment.
Harry would not take kindly to Lord Greengrass attempting to exert
anything over him.
"You cannot let your father do that," she urged. "Whatever you do,
do not let this be blown out of proportion. It would not do your father
good to make an enemy of Harry."
"I hardly think it will come to that," Daphne huffed. "Should I be
worried?"
"You know I can't say much more, but just trust me, Daphne."
The blonde seemed to be concerned, as she should be.
If Lord Greengrass did come on strongly with Harry, it would not
likely end well for the man.
Although not returning home for Christmas had been odd, Eleanor
found that Durmstrang was a much more pleasant place to be during
the holiday, mostly because the pureblood students weren't here.
It was Cain who had been the first to opt to stay.
Something was undoubtedly bothering the werewolf, so much so that
he didn't wish to be at home. Not that he had told any of them what
had happened.
He had merely withdrawn into himself over the weeks since the
beginning of the school year.
With Cain staying, Jonas and Hugo both decided to also, and the
three girls followed suit.
The former would unlikely share what was bothering him with the
others, but they wouldn't leave him alone here. Not when he was
seemingly struggling as he was.
If Harry was here, he would get it out of Cain, but without him, the
boy would say nothing.
Harry had a way of getting people to open up.
There was just something about him that made everyone in the
group gravitate towards him and seek his help when they needed it.
Eleanor felt that Cain needed it now, but he was too stubborn to
admit it.
"Are you going to eat that?" Jonas asked, pointing towards the last
sausage on Cain's plate.
The werewolf shook his head and slid it towards the son of a hag,
who did not hesitate to bite half of it off in one mouthful.
"I've never met anyone who eats so much," Ana commented in a
mixture of admiration and disgust. "Is that a hag thing?"
Jonas shrugged as he all but inhaled the second half of the sausage.
"It might be," he answered when his mouth was empty. "My mother
eats a lot. I'm just always hungry."
Eleanor shook her head amusedly.
It was interesting to watch the eating habits of those she lived with.
Jonas would eat just about everything that was put in front of him,
his only requirement being the raw liver he needed to eat
occasionally to prevent himself falling ill.
Ana mostly lived on fish and berries but would sometimes help
herself to some dessert.
Cain preferred his meat to be bloody, particularly when the full moon
was drawing nearer.
In truth, Eleanor had never seen the boy eat anything other than
meat.
Lucinda's diet, however, was the most fascinating to her.
The vampire would drink the blood that was provided to her, and
nothing more other than frequently sucking on the Blood-Pops Harry
had left for her.
Eleanor did not understand how the girl could be sustained by it, but
she was seemingly content.
Herself and Hugo were humans, so would eat the same as the
purebloods were given, as would Harry, though he had sampled the
food of every creature in the school by now.
Eleanor grinned at the memory of him eating raw liver.
He had not enjoyed that at all.
"Post is here," Jonas declared, nodding to the wizard that delivered
the mail.
With most of the students absent, the few letters and newspapers he
carried were handed out in record time before he took his leave of
the hall.
Cain was the only one of the group to receive a letter, but he did not
read it.
Instead, he pocketed the missive before frowning thoughtfully at his
empty plate.
Eleanor shared a questioning look with the other girls, but before any
of them could speak, Jonas broke out in a fit of laughter.
"Go on Harry!" he said encouragingly, nudging Hugo and Cain and
pointing to the newspaper he was reading.
Whatever it contained, Cain's expression brightened immediately, a
wide grin forming as he nodded.
"Of course he would get someone that looks like her, the bastard,"
Hugo grumbled, though he too was undoubtedly amused.
"I'll get myself a girl like that one day," Jonas declared.
"In your dreams," Hugo scoffed. "You're an ugly shit. They don't look
bad together though," he added, pointing at the newspaper.
"Would any of you care to explain what you are talking about?" Ana
huffed.
"Harry's only gone and got himself quite the beautiful lady," Jonas
informed them as he laid the paper on the table so they could see
the article. "No wonder he didn't write to any of us today."
Although she couldn't read what had been written, the pictures were
more than enough to the tell the story.
The first few were innocent enough.
The pretty blonde Harry had been photographed with was stood
beside him, their arms linked, or they were dancing.
The last picture, however, left no doubt as to the nature of the
relationship they shared.
There in front of them was Harry kissing the mystery blonde girl, and
Eleanor felt a stab of envy.
She, as had many other girls within the school, purebloods not
excluded, had wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and here
he was, kissing an outsider, someone not even a Durmstrang
student.
A part of her felt betrayed, but Eleanor knew that it was the jealousy
that made her feel that way.
She didn't think that she and Harry would ever date, had even
accepted it, but she had not been prepared to see this.
Nor had Ana judging by her own expression of displeasure, but it
was Lucinda who had the most worrying reaction.
Her face was too neutral, but her almost glowing eyes could not hide
the inner turmoil she was experiencing.
Carefully, she ran her tongue along across the width of her teeth
before she stood and left without saying a word.
"What's wrong with her?" Jonas snorted.
Despite her own feelings on the matter, Eleanor shared a look of
concern with Ana, and the two silently agreed to follow the vampire,
though neither were looking forward to dealing with her temper if she
lost her composure.
Lucinda was terrifying, but she needed them.
They found her in the common room on the seat she usually
occupied when those that needed it were sleeping, her eyes fixed on
the roaring fire.
"Are you okay?" Eleanor asked as she and Ana sat either side of her.
Lucinda nodded.
"I'm fine."
She wasn't.
Her already thick, Russian accent grew noticeably stronger
whenever something was bothering her.
However, the girl was just about the most stubborn person Eleanor
had ever met, including Harry.
It was frustrating to say the least, but as he felt her patience begin to
wane, two red tears rolled down the vampire's cheeks.
Lucinda wiped them away furiously and shook her head.
"I don't even know why I feel like this," she huffed.
"Like what?" Ana pressed.
Lucinda shrugged.
"I don't know," she sighed.
"Jealous?" Eleanor interjected.
Lucinda swallowed deeply as she shook her head.
"No, the jealousy thing I understand. I don't know why I care so
much."
"Because you care about Harry," Ana pointed out.
Lucinda nodded.
"I do, but I've always done what I can to not care about him too
much," she huffed. "He makes it so damned hard."
"He does," Eleanor agreed.
Lucinda deflated.
"It's different for me," she murmured, wiping away another tear. "We
haven't studied my kind in our creatures classes yet. What do you
know about us?"
"Other than the thirst for blood, the never sleeping, and now crying
blood? Nothing," Ana answered.
Lucinda rolled her eyes at the girl.
"There's much more to us than that," she sighed.
"Then why don't you tell us?" Eleanor urged. "If we know then we will
understand."
Lucinda fell silent for a moment, evidently considering how to voice
her thoughts.
"We are quite apathetic for the most part," she murmured. "Usually,
our bloodlust takes precedence over everything, especially where
humans are concerned. We see them only for blood, and ones we
take a liking to something as a pet at best I suppose is the best way
to explain it."
Eleanor frowned as she nodded her understanding.
"But you don't see Harry that way?"
"Sometimes I do," Lucinda admitted, "but the older I am getting the
less it feels that way."
"You care about him," Ana broke in.
Lucinda grimaced as she nodded.
"For us to care for a human like that is rare in itself, but when we do,
it is intense. We become frighteningly possessive over them. I'm
trying to prevent that from happening. It is not good for me, not when
I know Harry cannot return the affection."
"Why can't he?" Eleanor pressed gently.
"Because I am a vampire," Lucinda said simply. "I am immortal, and
he will die. It would be devastating for me to experience that, and
something that I would never recover from. It would eat away at me
until my anger manifests itself into an insatiable bloodlust that will not
be satisfied by any amount of feeding. My hunger would be as
eternal as my pain."
"Well, shit," Eleanor murmured.
Lucinda smiled sadly.
"Besides, it is not something that would ever be accepted," she
sighed. "He is Harry Potter, and I'm just a creature with nothing to
offer him. I do not come from a wealthy family with titles, and I do not
think I could give him children."
"Can vampires have children?" Eleanor questioned curiously.
"Usually not in the traditional way," Lucinda snorted. "We can, but
only if the magic to create a life is strong enough to withstand the
nature of the vampiric magic. I have my witches magic too," she
reminded them. "Children born to vampires like that are rare. In the
last thousand years, there haven't even been five."
Eleanor didn't know what to say, and neither seemingly did Ana.
"Now do you understand?" Lucinda asked, chuckling humourlessly.
Eleanor offered the girl a sympathetic smile.
"Do you not think you should explain it to Harry?" she suggested.
Lucinda shook her head.
"It wouldn't change anything," she sighed. "This is just my nature,
and something that I have to deal with. My mother warned me this
could happen, but I didn't believe her, not until I met Harry. He's the
most frustrating, annoying, and irritating person I have ever met."
"But you wouldn't have him any other way."
"I wouldn't," Lucinda murmured. "The closest I have come to
experiencing warmth is when he is around. I fight it off because I
know what allowing myself to feel it would do, but it just get harder."
Eleanor shared a glance with Ana and the two of them nodded.
Both felt a level of affection for Harry, more than they certainly did
any other boy, and were even attracted to him, but what Lucinda was
experiencing went beyond a simple crush.
What was worse was that neither knew how they could help her and
judging by the expression of defeat that adorned the vampire's
features, she knew it too.
Daphne followed in the footsteps of Professor Snape as he led her
towards his office where her parents were waiting for her. She had
no doubt that her father would be quite furious.
Her mother on the other hand would be the calmer of the two, and
would likely find amusement in the situation, or so Daphne hoped.
She had never pushed the boundaries in such a way, and with each
step she took, she only felt more nervous about the conversation to
come.
"Hi," she greeted her parents brightly.
Despite the evident severity of the situation, she was pleased to see
them.
"Do not hi me, young lady!" her father snapped irritably.
Daphne's mother rolled her eyes at the man and offered her
daughter a smile.
"What on Earth were you thinking, Daphne?" her father huffed. "I
thought you knew better than to conduct yourself in such a
disgraceful manner. Your mother and I did not raise like that."
Daphne allowed the man to vent.
She had learned as a child to not interrupt the man.
Doing so would only result in a longer tirade.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Jonathan Greengrass
demanded.
Professor Snape too seemed interested in her answer, but all
Daphne could do was shrug.
"I only kissed him," she sighed. "It's not that big a deal."
"Not that big a deal she says," her father snorted humourlessly. "A
picture of you only kissing him is spread across every newspaper
known to wizardkind. I knew you could be rebellious, but this?"
"Calm down, Jonathan," Daphne's mother urged.
Lord Greengrass released a deep breath.
"We cannot even spin it to appear as though it was him that kissed
you," the man groaned. "What am I supposed to say to any
prospective matches for you?"
"You mean Lucius Malfoy," Daphne grumbled, narrowing her eyes at
her father.
"Lucius has expressed an interest in marrying you to his heir," her
father admitted unashamedly.
"I would sooner be exiled!" Daphne returned heatedly. "Draco is a
monster, and I will not be subjected to his cruelty for the rest of my
life!"
"A monster?" Jonathan asked, his gaze shifting towards Professor
Snape.
"Draco has occasionally exhibited some troubling behaviours," the
man admitted wryly. "Nothing that maturity will not fix."
"He is an evil little shit, just like his father!" Daphne snapped. "I will
not be married to him."
"No, you will not," Ophelia Greengrass interjected firmly, shooting
her husband a glare, "but this business with Potter…"
"The boy is as arrogant as his father," Snape muttered.
"He is not arrogant," Daphne sighed. "Harry was nothing but a
gentleman. I kissed him, and he did the right thing by returning it."
Her father shook her head.
"Be that as it may, you are both very much in the wrong, and I would
have a word with the boy and whomever it is raising him," Jonathan
demanded.
"I do not think that wise," Professor Snape replied. "Potter is not
cooperative, and I expect doing so would only exacerbate the
situation."
Daphne's father shook his head.
"I will not be leaving until I speak with the boy."
Professor Snape deflated.
"Very well, I will have him sent for," he conceded. "I would not expect
an apology, Lord Greengrass."
"We will see about that!" Daphne's father retorted stubbornly.
"It has to be a language of some sort," Harry mused aloud, rubbing
his ears in an attempt to soothe the ringing the screeching of the egg
had left him with.
"Karkaroff said the same thing," Viktor muttered, "but her wouldn't
give me any other clue."
Harry frowned thoughtfully as he eyed the egg.
According to Viktor, in the month that he'd had it, he tried everything
he could think of to discern apparent, to no avail, as demonstrated
by the many dents and scratches that adorned the surface.
"Did you bite this?" Harry asked as he spotted some indentations
that appeared to have been made by human teeth.
Viktor cursed under his breath.
"I might have," he admitted sullenly.
Harry laughed as he slapped the Bulgarian on the shoulder.
"Honestly, my life would be much emptier without you in it."
"Oh, shut up," Viktor grumbled as he snatched the egg away. "I'll
figure it out."
"You will," Harry agreed. "I have good money riding on you winning
this thing."
"You're betting on me again?" Viktor groaned.
Harry nodded, a grin tugging at his lips.
"The Weasleys gave me good odds," he explained. "They seem to
think Diggory and Delacour are the favourites."
"Are they?"
Harry shook his head.
"Don't get me wrong, they're both stiff competition but they aren't as
well rounded as you. Diggory is good at Transfiguration, and
Delacour is good with Charms and Enchanting, but that's all they
really have going for them that they may be better than you at."
"How do you know this?" Viktor asked with a frown.
Harry grinned at the older boy.
"I wanted to make sure I was betting on the right person," he
explained. "I did some digging on the other champions. They're
impressive, and definitely the best that the other schools have to
offer, but neither of them know what it is like to have to dig deep to
overcome adversity. When they face it, they will crumble."
"And I will not?"
Harry shook his head.
"You won't because you were not raised with a silver spoon in your
mouth and given everything. You worked damned hard to get to
where you are and losing just isn't something you do."
Viktor offered Harry a rare smile.
"Thanks," he said sincerely. "I needed that."
"Thank me by winning, you prat," Harry sighed. "Now, let's get back
to figuring out this egg, and if you get hungry, I can get you a snack
instead of you trying to eat the bloody thing."
Once more, Viktor cursed under his breath but before the two of
them could begin speculating on the egg, a knock at the door
interrupted them.
"Who is it?" Harry called.
"Potter, your presence has been requested at the castle by Lord
Greengrass," Professor Karkaroff explained as he entered the room.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this for you."
Professor Snape was standing behind the headmaster who did not
look impressed with the summoning of his student.
"It's alright, Professor," Harry replied with a smile. "I will handle the
matter myself."
"Are you sure?" Karkaroff questioned.
Harry offered the man an appreciative nod.
"I can manage."
A slight smirk tugged at Karkaroff's lips as he returned the gesture.
Greengrass had no idea what he was getting himself in for if he
decided to kick up a fuss about what happened, and even Karkaroff
knew that Harry had plans within plans to hand.
"Very well," the headmaster allowed. "You know where I am if you
need me."
With that, Karkaroff left the room and Harry followed the silent
Professor Snape towards the castle, the only sound to be heard
being their footfalls across the grounds, and then upon the stone
floor as they entered the school.
"Lord Greengrass is rather unimpressed with the way you and Miss
Greengrass conducted yourselves," the Potions master finally said
as they made their way down the stairs and into the dungeons.
"Well, I didn't expect a pat on the back and an invitation to dinner,"
Harry quipped, taking no small amount of glee from the way Snape's
eye twitched at his response.
The man said nothing else and pushed open the door to his office
where he gestured Harry to enter.
He was greeted by the sight of a fair-haired man pacing irritably back
and forth across the breadth of the room, and a blonde-haired
woman that Daphne had inherited almost all of her looks from.
Daphne herself was leaning against the fireplace and shot him an
apologetic look as he entered.
"Potter here to see you, Lord Greengrass," Snape announced before
he mingled in with the shadows in the corner of the room.
Greengrass hummed as he took in Harry's appearance, and he
stood at his full height.
"What do you have to say?" he asked.
The man's demeanour irked Harry immediately, and his bristled at
the tone he was addressed with.
"What is it you would like to hear, Lord Greengrass?" he replied.
"An apology would be a good place to start, young man."
Harry nodded thoughtfully.
"Then you have my apologies if you feel that I have slighted you in
some way," he offered.
Greengrass snorted, his nostrils flaring in irritation.
"That's all? You may have jeopardised Daphne's future prospects for
finding a husband!"
Harry quirked an eyebrow in Greengrass's direction.
"I may have jeopardised her future?" he questioned. "You speak as
though I forced myself on her. You read the article, and your saw the
photos."
"I told you that I kissed him!" Daphne broke in.
"You will be quiet, girl!" Greengrass demanded.
Daphne opened her mouth to speak, but a hand on her rm from her
mother quelled the urge to comment further.
"My daughter is a pureblood," Greengrass whispered. "She has a
reputation to uphold. Kissing the likes of you has sullied that."
The words spoken caused Harry's irritation to flair, and any notion
he'd had of dealing with this amicably was all but forgotten as his jaw
tightened.
"Fine," he murmured. "I offered what I believed was a suitable
apology, but if you want posture like a proud prick, then we will take
that route and I will see you fall limp."
"Excuse me?" Greengrass sputtered in disbelief.
"You heard what I said," Harry returned evenly. "You stand here
talking of sullying reputations when it was you that was caught in a
broom cupboard in this very castle with a certain Alison Fawcett,
were you not? The same Alison Fawcett who now carries the name
Fudge. Tell me, Lord Greengrass, were you aware that a contract
already existed between the girl and the young man who is now our
Minister?"
Greengrass gawped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of
water.
"How did you know that?" he croaked.
"I make it my business to know all I can," Harry replied simply. "I
would be a rather poor politician if I didn't, wouldn't I?"
Greengrass said nothing, and Harry knew he had him exactly where
he wanted him.
"Potter, you will not speak to your betters in such a way in my office,"
Snape interjected angrily.
"Unless your name is Potter or Greengrass, you will keep your nose
out of our business!" Harry returned.
Snape's jaw tightened.
"It is as I said. The boy is uncooperative, just like his father."
Harry's eyes narrowed as his gaze shifted towards the man.
Up until now, he had been willing to leave the past where it was, for
the time being at least, but now that Snape had the audacity to insult
James Potter in front of him, Harry was no longer of such a mind.
"And who got the last laugh in the pathetic rivalry you and my father
shared?" he questioned dangerously. "My father is dead, and you
still cling on to the bitterness you feel that my mother chose him, but
it's like I said; who got the last laugh, Snape? I bet you wept with joy
hearing of your master murdering him, didn't you? But then you
remembered who else was there that night, and that you were the
very reason he was there in the first place. Oh, I know what you did,
Snape. Born as the seventh month dies. Those are the words you
passed on to him, weren't they?"
"H-how?" Snape choked.
"I know more than you could ever imagine," Harry chuckled darkly,
"and do not think for one minute that I have forgotten of all the vile
acts that were carried out in his name, and by whom. I can promise
you this, Snape; every last one of them that served him will get
exactly what they deserve, for my mother that you claimed to care
for, and my father that died to protect his family."
Harry's glare did not waver as he spoke, and the others in the room
had fallen into a stunned silence.
"A reckoning will be coming to Britain soon, and those that wronged
my family will pay for it in blood and suffering. You can take my word
for it, and if you are foolish enough to not heed the warning, then that
is your problem. You see, Lord Greengrass," Harry continued turning
towards the shocked Lord, "it is not the snivelling cowards of the
world like Lucius Malfoy that should concern you. No, it is those that
will boldly look you in the eye when they plunge a knife into your
heart. Remember my words, because I will not be repeating them to
you."
Greengrass nodded dumbly, and Harry turned his attention towards
Daphne.
"You do have my apologies for all of this," he murmured. "I did not
come here with the intention of leaving on such poor terms with your
father, but he was intent on doing so. Lady Greengrass," he added
with a bow. "It is clear to see where your daughter gets her beauty
from."
The woman offered him a polite a smile, and Harry took his leave of
the room.
Perhaps he had said too much, but he didn't care.
He would not be bullied by the likes of Jonathan Greengrass, and
certainly not a man of the calibre of Severus Snape.
No, the man needed to hear the truth, and what he chose to do with
that was his business.
It mattered not to Harry who already had more enemies than he
could count. Adding Snape to the seemingly unending list meant
nothing.
"I bet you'd be proud of that, Cassie," he muttered under his breath
as he left the castle, the pouring rain and chill in the air matching his
own maudlin mood.
Despite having perhaps saying too much, he'd meant every word of
it.
A reckoning would be coming to Britain, and Harry would be the one
to bring his enemies to their knees.
He would bow to no one.
Neither the Blacks nor the Potters did, and he wouldn't either