Chapter XXXIV: End of Term
(Daphne P.O.V)
Daphne sat nervously outside of the Defense Classroom, her exam concluded but her heart still pounding in her chest. Defense had never exactly been a strong suit for her, but she had hoped she'd earned at least an E for her efforts, though Harry had insisted she was on the path for an O. She smiled as she reminisced on their training sessions where he showed her a variety of spells ranging from hex-deflection, a fifth-year skill, and tricks to help improve her shield charm. Still, despite her normally level-headed nature, she couldn't help but get nervous during exam times.
Those thoughts were pushed out of her head though as she heard the creak of the Defense Classroom door open and watched as Harry walked out with an easy grin. Instantly, their eyes locked and Daphne couldn't help but return a smile as Harry's grew before they interlocked hands, "How do you think you did?" Daphne asked cautiously.
"I think I did fine," Harry said with a shrug, "Proctor seemed nice enough and the written part of the exam wasn't that bad."
"Just fine?" Daphne queried, "What did you get on the Kappa question, I said that they tend to be attracted to shallow ponds and feed on human blood, but I'm not sure if I'm confusing them with Grindylows, they are both water demons and-"
But before she could finish her tirade, she felt Harry's lips press against her, silencing her as she allowed a sigh release from her lungs, "Relax Princess," Harry spoke gently as they broke apart, "I know you did amazing, you had a great tutor after all."
"Somehow, I knew you'd find a way to make it about you," Daphne said with a grin as shook her head playfully.
"Isn't everything?" Harry teased and Daphne couldn't resist from smacking him gently on the shoulder, "Alright, alright," Harry spoke with a chuckle, "But it looks like we're the first ones to finish all our exams, come on, let's get some fresh air."
Daphne couldn't resist allowing a chuckle to leave her mouth as she followed her boyfriend out of the castle and onto the Hogwarts ground. Signing up to take the exams at the earliest allotted time had been her idea, and while Harry was initially opposed to the idea due to the fact of having to get up at six in the morning, the fact that the grounds were so much less crowded than normal seemed to make all the early onset nerves worth it.
Daphne would never admit it aloud, if she did then she feared Harry's head would grow so big that he wouldn't be able to stand upright, but as she walked around the grounds hand in hand with her first boyfriend ever, with nobody there to interfere, she had felt happier than she could ever recall in recent history. She listened to his stupid jokes about magical creatures and she cursed to herself as she let out a laugh at his awful vampire pun, "Why did the vampire break up with her boyfriend? Because he wasn't her type."
It was something about Harry's light-hearted nature that really seemed to balance out her constantly on edge attitude. Soon, however, they had found themselves beneath the large tree crawling with bowtruckles that overlooked the Black Lake, and Daphne had allowed herself to lean back into Harry's chest as he wrapped his arms around her and rested his head atop hers as they looked blankly into the distance. His jittery fingers that were normally so focused on catching the snitch she had gifted him had found a new activity in rubbing her hands gently, and despite the fact that she couldn't see his face, she knew he had his patented lazy grin adorned upon it.
"I still can't believe it's been five months," Daphne spoke just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"That almost makes it sound like you didn't believe we were going to last this long," Harry returned but in a playful tone.
"I mean, to be fair, I hated you for about as long as we've been together now," Daphne spoke with a smile, "I think it's safe to say that this was certainly unexpected."
"Maybe for you," Harry spoke, wrapping his arms around her tightly, "But I always had a feeling that it was going to end up this way."
"Oh really," Daphne said looking up at him with a smile, "And please tell me how you knew Flyboy? Are you a secret seer?"
"Nothing that fantastical, I'm afraid," Harry said with a chuckle, "It was just this feeling I had the moment you bumped into me at Diagon Alley. It felt like there was a spark."
"I don't know how you got that impression," Daphne said with a smile, "I'm pretty sure all that happened was I rudely turned you down after you offered to buy me more mint-chocolate chip ice cream."
"We've come so far," Harry said with a laugh, causing Daphne to smile as he saw his rune-inscribed wrist. Harry must have seen what she was looking at and with a smile he spoke, "This year's been pretty crazy, hasn't it?"
"We fought a death eater, took down 100 hundred dementors, sat through a trial, and dove into a soul," Daphne said as she recounted the events, "Not to mention you scared the crap out of me when I saw you jump off your broom. It's almost like you're trying to give me a heart attack. I'd say crazy is a bit of an understatement."
"Aww, so you do care," Harry teased.
Gently, Daphne nudged him with her elbow as she growled lowly, fighting the blush off her face, "Shut up."
"Sorry, hopefully, next year will be a bit easier on you as my girlfriend," Harry said with a grin, "I solemnly swear to stay out of too much trouble."
"The fact you had to put a modifier on your promise is worrisome in itself," Daphne said with the soft shake of her head, "And how can you be so sure this isn't going to be something that fizzles away over the summer? I mean, I don't know the first thing about a relationship, and while I don't want this to end, sometimes I can't help but think about it."
"Yeah," Harry spoke as gentle as always, "That's not going to happen."
"How can you say things like that with such confidence," Daphne said turning to lock her eyes with his, the concern apparent in them.
"Because I plan on being with you for as long as you want me around," Harry said with a smile, "Whether that be one year, five years, fifty years. I'm all yours Princess." Harry then focused once more on his runes, "Runes or no runes, we share a connection, I have faith in that."
"You idiot," Daphne said with a watery smile. She had always carried a concern in her heart that Harry would be like everything else in her life, placed on a timer. Astoria, the absent love of her parents, the time until Blaise and Tracey moved away, everything just seemed so inevitable and yet, the way Harry smiled down at her had felt so permanent. He was right, they shared a connection, something special, and while Daphne may not have known the first thing about being a girlfriend, or operating as a couple, maybe like Harry, she could have faith in their bond. She wrapped her hand around his tie, and slowly, she placed her lips against his, the two melded together as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They broke apart slowly and Harry's gentle smile warmed her body, before slowly, she spoke, "You better not forget to write me this summer."
"Not a chance, Greengrass," Harry responded and Daphne couldn't help but grin at the line Harry had stolen from her, "In fact, I'll do you one better." From his pocket, Harry pulled out two tickets and smiled, "I was going to wait until we were on the dinner, to be honest, but after you told me about how much you loved stargazing, I ended up buying us tickets for a star show at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich."
Here eyes opened in shock, "I've always wanted to go there, but Tracey never really cared much for Astrology and my parents- well, they aren't exactly pro-muggle. This is-, you're amazing, you know that Flyboy?"
"Can you run that by me again?" Harry teased, "I missed it the first time."
"Well then too bad," Daphne said with a smirk, "If I gave you too many compliments your head would explode."
"Fair enough Princess," Harry teased, kissing her forehead gently, "Fair enough."
(Astoria P.O.V)
The end of the school year was a strange experience for Astoria. Hogwarts had become so much like her home over the past months, and she wasn't too excited about leaving to return back to the Greengrass Manor. It was bad enough that Daphne rarely spent any time in the house, but Astoria also felt saddened that she'd be losing connection with Harry as well. Despite the fact that he and her sister were dating now, Astoria couldn't help but look up to Harry as her older brother, and the recent time they had been spending together with Harry helping her tweak some of her spells for the exams had only made how much Astoria would miss him over the summer abundantly clear.
Yet, there were some good things. According to the point chart, while Hufflepuff did come close, Harry and the Gryffindor's Team victory over Ravenclaw had secured the House Cup victory for the lions, and seeing as it was the first time this had happened in years Astoria knew the last night in the castle would be eventful, to say the least. Before she even noticed, a hand was soon placed atop her head and with a calm and recognizable tone, the person said, "Why do you look so glum, Short-Stack?"
"I guess it's just strange," Astoria said with a sigh, "For the first time, I'm not all that excited about Summer. Normally, it makes me happy because Daphne would come for two weeks or so, but now, it's going to be like she isn't even around anymore."
"Wait," Harry spoke softly, "Don't you two live together, why would you only see her for two weeks?"
"Oh," Astoria spoke, "Sorry, I thought Daphne would have told you. Our family relationship, primarily between our dad and her, it isn't so great. Normally, she lives with Tracey for most of the summer, it's sort of better for everyone that way."
"Except you," Harry spoke kindly.
"Yeah," Astoria said with a glum smile, "It's not that I hate my parents or anything, but- I don't know, it's just complicated. Daphne already does so much for me, I don't want her to move back in just so she can be miserable for me to not feel so alone."
"Have you talked to her about it?" Harry spoke, "And what caused this rift in your family if you don't mind me asking?"
"I, um, sorry. I don't really want to talk about what happened," Astoria said, and while she tried to project a smile, she feared that Harry saw the falseness inside it, "But no, I haven't really talked to Daphne about it, and I'm begging you not to either. It's actually why I'm so excited you two are together now. She's always so stressed out and worried about problems that are much bigger than she is, I don't want to add any more burdens to her, it wouldn't be fair."
"Well, I guess you'll tell me what's wrong when you're ready," Harry said the same lazy grin that Astoria had come to admire, despite any difficulties, even if it was faked, Harry would never allow anyone to see him depressed. However, as Harry rested his hand atop her head she heard Harry continue, "But if your older sister's hands are tied, maybe your older brother can help. I already have Corner staying with me over the summer, but if you ever need me, just call for my elf and he'll bring me right over, or maybe I'll see if you can come to visit me."
"You'd do that for me?" Astoria asked happily.
"Sure, you're like my little sister Short-Stack," Harry said still grinning, "I'm always here for you. Plus, we're going to need to work on those flying skills if you want to join the Quidditch Team next year."
"You think I could join the team next year?" Astoria said, her eyes sparkling in her eyes with wonder.
"I wouldn't have given you my old broom if I thought you were hopeless now would I?" Harry said with a smile, and before Harry could even prepare himself. Astoria pounced him hugging him tightly as Harry momentarily struggled to breathe. Slowly, Astoria removed her arms from around Harry, though, before she even had a chance to respond, the clinking sound of a spoon against a chalice filled the Great Hall as Dumbledore rose from his seat.
Instantly the room grew silent as Astoria watched the elderly Headmaster survey the landscape of children. Before he cleared his throat and began to speak, "Welcome everyone to the end of term feast!" The crowd applauded before slowly dying down to allow Dumbledore to continue, "It is the deepest hope in my heart, that each and every one of you found your year at Hogwarts enjoyable and fulfilling. The journey to a proper magical education is a long one, but I am proud to say that with the end of the year exams concluded, you have all come one step closer to accomplishing your goals in the Wizarding World."
Once again, applause rang from each table as Dumbledore continued, "For those students leaving us this term, and moving on to their next adventure, we wish you the best and hope you feel prepared and excited to take on the world as the adults you have become. However, before the feast can begin and the night ends, there has been one long standing tradition, and it is one that I as Headmaster am proud to have the duty of. It is time to award the House with the most points, the House Cup!"
A hushed silence filled the room, something that Astoria found strange as most people knew who would win before even entering the Great Hall, but she had to give it to the Headmaster, he was very good at drumming up the suspense. Astoria couldn't help but grin as the grandfatherly warm smile appeared across Dumbledore's face as he lifted the House Cup and turned to Professor McGonagall, "The Winner of This Year's House Cup Is… Gryffindor!"
Instantly the table of lions cheered at the top of their lungs, and even though both she and Harry didn't exactly care much about the competition between the houses unless it was quidditch related, they too clapped as the Gryffindor's allowed the joy of winning the cup for the first time in years fill their hearts. She couldn't help but smile as she watched Harry turn to Daphne who mouthed 'Nice Job,' to him in silence among the angry snake pit. It was hard to believe but as the food appeared on the table commencing the End of Term Feast, Astoria had no choice but to accept that this year was finally coming to an end.
(Harry P.O.V)
Harry slung his arm around his girlfriend and smiled as she leaned into his shoulder to rest as the train bumped along the tracks on the way back to King's Cross Station. How the year had passed so fast, he never would have guessed, but as he looked the way seeing Michael looking back at him, he couldn't help but reminisce about the time they had first met. "The first train ride this year was a lot less crowded," Michael said with a chuckle.
"You sound like you're complaining," Harry teased, "Are you afraid of an audience when you lose at Exploding Snap."
"I love Exploding Snap," Tracey spoke in excitement, "I've never lost a game."
"It's true," Daphne spoke bitterly, "One time I watched her so carefully to see if she was cheating, but got nothing. Tracey is just insanely good at the game."
"Want me to deal you in?" Harry asked with a smile as Tracey quickly nodded, "Nev, Hermione?"
"I'm out," Nevile said shaking his head, "I don't have the money to afford to play against Tracey."
"I'll give it a try," Hermione spoke, "Both no bets yet, I'm still figuring out how this game works."
Harry nodded before turning to the Greengrass sister sitting on either side of him, "Princess, Short-Stack?"
"Pass," Daphne said, "I already know how this is going to go. Wake me up when Tracey wins, I'm exhausted."
"I'll play," Astoria spoke happily before Blaise too asked to be dealt in.
With cards in hand, they played and Harry's jaw nearly dropped as Daphne's asserition proved to be correct. Five times they had played, and five times Tracey had won. With a bright grin on her face, Tracey spoke, "Anyone wanna put money on it?"
"No," The cabin responded at once.
"You're no fun," Tracey said pouting like a child forcing Michael to laugh.
"You know Tracey," Michael said with a grin, "If you want to hustle people out of money, you lose the first game, then you wager."
"I know that," Tracey said, "But if I lost, even if it was on purpose, I wouldn't be undefeated and that's not worth it." Harry chuckled as he watched Neville shake his head in amusement as Hermione seemed about ready to burn a hole through her cards with her glare. She only seemed to calm down when Neville had placed his hand on her shoulder pulling her back into her normal posture.
With a yawn, Daphne awoke from her short nap, and Harry smiled as he softly kissed her temple, "Morning, Princess? Have a nice nap?"
Daphne nodded, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she spoke, "So, did Tracey win?"
"Of course I won," Tracey said with a smirk, "What kind of question is that?"
The cabin laughed once more as Harry listened to each of his cabin-mates talk about how they were spending their summer vacation. And while Harry knew Daphne was hiding some things about her true summer plans, Harry knew it wasn't out of malicious intent but simply a desire to not want to share. A desire while he knew to be unhealthy, was something he understood.
The train continued barrelling down the tracks as Hermione described in great detail about how she was going to Rome and gave everyone a detailed history of a surprising amount of Roman Emperors and while Michael, Astoria and himself struggled to keep their eyelids open, he was surprised at how engaged not only Neville, but Daphne was in the conversation. Thankfully, however, by the grace of God, the compartment door slid open and behind it, the Weasley Twins.
Before even asking, they ushered Harry out of the compartment leaving his confused Girlfriends and the others behind before he was brought to a nearly empty cabin with only Angelina Johnson in it. "Harry," Fred started, "We want you to have these."
"Thanks, um," Harry started a bit lost, "What exactly are these?"
"What are these," George mocked, "Can you believe this, Fred? What do you think they are?"
"Knowing you two," Harry said with a grin, "Probably explosives."
"Please," Fred said waving it off, "We aren't one-trick ponies, there is only one exploding gag in there. The others are a few new inventions we're trying to pilot for when we open our store one day."
"We've got a screaming yo-yo," George said.
"Boxing Telescope," Fred continued.
"Weather in a bottle."
"Sticky Trainers."
"And even an electric shock shake," The twins said in unison, "We want to test them out, let us know what you think. You are our apprentice after all, and seeing as you and Michael will be spending the summer together, it's a perfect opportunity."
"Speaking of which," Harry said, "Why didn't you drag Michael out here?"
"Well, with law-abiding Granger in there, we didn't want to draw too much suspicion," The twins said with a bright grin, "Just bringing you means you can lie about it being a Quidditch Meeting. Try them out okay, please?"
"Fine, fine," Harry said with a laugh, "I'll give you both my unbiased review, but when you do start planning locations and things, let me know, I'd love to invest in the start-up."
The twins nodded eagerly before pushing him out of the compartment back towards his own, and with an awkward wave towards Angelina he returned to his friends in their crowded box. As Harry returned to his compartment, instantly, all eyes fell upon him and with a charismatic grin answering the unspoken question he replied, "Quidditch Stuff."
The cabin nodded and Harry returned to his seat between the Greengrass Sisters as he wrapped his fingers around Daphne's hand while nestling his hand atop Astoria's. Michael grinned in amusement as Hermione absent-mindedly leaned into Neville, and though a smile laced his faced, a fire erupted in his belly, I'm not going to let anything destroy this.
Harry yawned loudly as he leaned back into the comfy train cushion, and slowly, he drifted off to sleep, his head resting gently against Daphne's, his consciousness only lasting long enough to get a quick glance at Tracey's smug grin. He wasn't sure how long he slept, but he was awoken by the whistling of the Hogwarts Express entering the station and the soft nudge of his girlfriend, "Time to wake up Flyboy, I thin you got enough beauty sleep."
"You can never get too much beauty sleep, Princess," Harry spoke in a raspy voice before clearing it as the group slowly began to depart the Hogwarts Express.
One by one, Harry watched as the group departed. Tracey running towards her father that was waiting for her at the platform followed by Blaise whose mother once again seemed to be notably absent. Next was Hermione, she quickly wrapped both himself and Michael in a hug, but the one she gave Neville did last a bit longer before she strode off towards her parents, two very well dressed muggles.
"Granger must be loaded, huh?" Michael teased as he nudged Neville playfully.
"I um, I guess," Neville stuttered, knowing he'd been caught by his friends staring a bit too long at Hermione as she departed the station with a wave. However, it wasn't long until they had all found themselves face to face with Augusta Longbottom.
"It's good to see you again Harry, Michael," She spoke with a friendly nod, "I do hope you'll be spending some time at Longbottom Manor this summer."
"That's the plan Granny," Harry spoke before Daphne nudged him.
"She's Lady Augusta Longbottom," Daphne spoke, "You shouldn't be so casual in formal settings."
"For the most part," Augusta said with a smile impressed by Daphne's aptitude for social climates, "She would be correct. But seeing as the Potter's and Longbottom's have been allies for so long, too much formality wouldn't make very much sense." Harry turned grinning at his girlfriend before Augusta continued, "My floo is always open to you, both of you."
"Thanks, Granny," Harry and Michael replied together leaving Daphne looking a bit appalled as the elderly woman and Neville began walking away, "We'll right you real soon Nev! Keep up your training, you're gonna be a killer keeper come next year!"
Neville turned around shyly giving a thumbs up before he too left the station leaving only Michael, Harry, Astoria, and Daphne alone, with Daphne getting looks that screamed Get a move on from Tracey and Blaise.
"Hey Astoria," Daphne spoke, "Have you seen Mother or Father?"
"I um," Astoria spoke looking around only to have a hand placed on her shoulder from behind.
"Astoria," A tall man called from behind her.
"Father," Astoria replied a bit shocked, and instantly, Harry felt his mindstate switch to the defensive. The Greengrass Patriarch was tall, with hair much like Astoria's except will a streak of silver-grey running through it. But it wasn't so much his stature that intimidated Harry, his magic, for lack of a better word, it felt… foul.
"Ah, you must be Harry Potter," The man said standing over him, "You've brought my little girl into quite a bit of trouble this year haven't you. All that business with Death-Eaters and Dementors. I must admit, I'm not a fan of your involvement with my daughters, either of them."
"I'm not your daughter," Daphne spoke her eyes piercing her father as their icy-blue stares fought each other in silence for dominance.
"My blood runs through your veins young lady," Mr. Greengrass spoke, "I may have given you a long leash, but I will not tolerate disrespect." Mr. Greengrass then sighed, "Well, I suppose you'll be returning to the Davis household this summer as usual, is that correct."
"Yes," Daphne responded curtly.
Once more his hand returned to Astoria's shoulder, and despite any force, Harry saw a reflexive twitch in her body. Even Astoria seemed worried, she had told Harry that her relationship with her father wasn't great, but at the moment, Astoria seemed to be afraid of her father. Instantly, Harry reached for his wand, only to be stopped by Daphne's hand on his wrist and Astoria's quick shake of her head, "Not here," Daphne spoke with her eyes, and with gritted teeth, Harry nodded.
He watched closely as Mr. Greengrass walked Astoria away from the platform and Daphne spoke, "He seems different, during the Easter Holiday Astoria had written me saying that he was a bit off, but my father, while always been a rather unpleasant man has never been someone I was frightened of, at least, not until now."
"We can't just let him take Astoria," Harry spoke lowly, "That man, his magic felt cruel."
"I'll take care of it," Daphne spoke slowly, "Another house getting involved in Pure-Blood business would cause more harm than good. I'll figure it out, and I'll write to you if I learn anything."
Against his will, but knowing now that he was more of a public figure than ever, he nodded though his anxiety didn't seem to shrink in the slightest. Harry shifted to see the impatient look from Tracey who seemed to be bubbling to return home and relax after the long voyage, and softly he heard Daphne whisper, "Flyboy."
"Yeah Prince-," Harry started only to have his lips lightly touched by Daphne before she pulled away embarrassed slightly by her public action.
"Tracey's giving me the death stare so I've got to go," She said with a soft smile, "Trust me, I'll make sure Astoria stays safe, and you better not forget about me over the Summer with the third wheel over there."
"Hey, not cool!" Michael replied with fake offense, "I'm more like the fifth wheel, at most."
Harry shook his head as he promised his princess before he watched as she walked away to join her friends, his heart already missing her the moment she vanished from sight. He smiled though as soon as a playful punch from Michael snapped him out of his daze, "You going to keep staring like an idiot or are we getting a move on? I see Sirius and Professor Lupin over there."
Harry nodded and with a grin, he and Michael approached the two men who smiled down at them, "Have a good school year pup?" Sirius asked with a smile to which Harry nodded happily before Sirius grinned, "Good. Come on now, we've got a lot of work to do this summer."
"Right!" The two boys spoke with enthusiasm, and with a crack, they apparated.
Book 1: End