Pettigrew watched with great interest from near a dumpster.
Around him families were enjoying a slightly chilly early-August afternoon.
' Any second now…' He thought to himself. The calm before the storm was always oddly relaxing.
A half a minute later he saw Rookwood's signal from across the Alley and started his timer. Marcel DuPont's small contingent of dementors had arrived. 'I wonder what Lucius had to pay to get DuPont's help with a second attack?'
The sunny alley began to darken as grey clouds followed the hideous creatures into the public alley.
" He's - he's dead?" Peter's voice quivered. The rat shivered in fear, recalling that fateful moment.
Pettigrew focused on his meager occlumency skills, pushing the dreaded thoughts from his mind, and checking his timer.
' Not the quickest response time.' He noted as the timer approached 90 seconds with no auror in site.
Thirty seconds later a half-a-dozen auror's appeared in front of Gringotts with a soft ' pop.'
Writing down the response time, and descriptions of the auror's he saw.
Pettigrew fought the feeling of dread forming in his stomach and noted the time before signaling to Rookwood and preparing to leave.
' What the hell?' He thought to himself, distracted by a scene deeper into the alley.
Trotting across the street towards a group of dementors was a familiar, bright silver stag.
"Prongs?" He muttered to himself, staring transfixed at the impressive patronus charm in front of him.
Pushing aside the thoughts of his old friend, Peter noted the appearance of the patronus in his journal before trying to catch site of his friend's son.
He smiled as he caught a glimpse of messy black hair leading an athletically built blonde haired girl towards 'The Leaky Cauldron.'
Pettigrew's smile grew larger, and with a light ' pop.' He was gone.
"That one looks like a goblin!" Her sister giggled, causing her to smile.
"I don't see it, Astoria."
The brunette girl wrinkled her nose in thought.
The two sisters were laying on their backs looking at the sky, a rare respite from her increasingly intense training schedule.
' I cannot allow Potter to beat me again.' She thought with a soft smile.
"Right there!" Her sister pointed towards the sky excitedly; "that one looks like a big dog!"
On that one Daphne could agree with her frail, little sister.
Astoria Greengrass was sunshine on a rainy day; she could find something nice to say about the Lestrange family, she was certain.
It was incredible, considering the curse placed on the Greengrass line.
A large eagle-owl interrupted her musings as her little sister greedily reached towards the familiar owl.
Daphne's eyes narrowed as she recognized that owl.
"What is Draco Malfoy doing owling you?"
The Malfoy family was important, yes, but more than that they were dangerous.
Kind hazel eyes met her own. "Draco has become a good friend recently." Her sister smiled. "I have daddy's permission."
' What is father playing at?' She wondered.
Her own budding relationship with Harry Potter was bound to get out, and Astoria couldn't deal with the cruel Slytherin when that happened.
"What do you two talks about?" She asked, hoping to pry some information from the younger girl.
Astoria smiled. "Everything!" She yelled, before composing herself; "potions mostly, though."
Outwardly she smiled at her younger sister. Because of her affliction, the brunette had never been the strongest caster and had therefore thrived in her other classes.
"That's nice, Stori."
The twelve-year-old beamed at her, and Daphne's heart leapt; the small lie was worth her sister's happiness.
Daphne stood up, walking slowly down the hill, providing her with a beautiful view of her family's home; while it wasn't much, there was no doubt that it was situated on a beautiful piece of land.
She walked slowly towards her father's study, taking the time to enjoy the beautiful weather.
She sighed as she entered the gloomy corridor, pausing at the last door on the left.
"Come in!" The rough voice of her father called out, prompting her to step into the cozy study.
Alfred Greengrass motioned for her to take a seat.
"What is it, Daphne."
The slim girl composed her thoughts and rid her face of emotion; petty, emotional arguments would only disappoint her father.
"I was just enjoying a wonderful afternoon with my sister when a letter from Draco Malfoy arrived."
Her father perked up with interest, and it took all her focus to keep the anger off her face.
' Astoria wasn't lying.'
"So quickly?"
There was a sense of eagerness to her father's voice that didn't sit well with her.
"Why would you encourage that particular friendship?"
Her father gave her a strange look; "why wouldn't I?"
' Is he really this stupid? Or does he just not care?'
Hoping it was the former, she pressed on.
"Draco Malfoy. The same Draco Malfoy that is closely related to Bellatrix Lestrange."
Her father frowned; "the same Draco Malfoy that is heir to one of the wealthiest families in Europe."
' He doesn't care.'
"Encouraging a relationship with Draco is encouraging a relationship with the family that killed gave her that curse!" She screamed, allowing every ounce of anger to erupt out of her.
Alfred Greengrass remained calm. "I am fully aware of that." He raised his hand, cutting off another tirade from his daughter. "But aligning with the Malfoy family has its benefits, and it makes Astoria happy ." He ended with a smile.
Daphne wasn't ready to give up; "Draco spent our childhood mocking me, and now you're okay with him?"
Her father gave her a disappointed look; "people change, Daphne. You aren't the same girl you were five years ago."
She scoffed. "My relationship with Potter is going to become public eventually. It's a conflict of interest, you're putting Astoria and the family in a difficult situation."
It was her father's turn to get mad. "Daphne Queenie Greengrass;" he said with power, using her full name; "you have no right to lecture me about the affairs of this family."
She met her father's stare. "If the rumors are true then we will have to pick a side sooner or later." She began with confidence, her gaze never leaving her fathers; "don't expect me to support the same side as the Lestrange family."
Daphne stood up and walked confidently towards the door, expecting her father to stop her at any second, but he never did.
' Shit.' He thought to himself as he checked the time. 'Moody is going to kill me.'
"Corpora Aditum." He whispered the notice-me-not charm quietly, unable to cast the spell silently.
Running out of the library and to the training room he had to dodge a dark red spell as soon as he entered.
"You're late." The scarred auror said.
"A cutter? Really?" He countered.
"You survived." Was the sadistic man's reply.
"I was reading up on large area wards." He lied easily; Moody would be livid if he found out he was late for reading up on Hogwarts.
Mad-Eye nodded, and immediately began quizzing him.
Since their initial duel, Moody had been coming by several times a week to either fight or teach him how to manipulate magic.
The lessons were incredibly interesting, and on several occasions Sirius had saw fit to join him.
If you could properly manipulate magic; you could curve spells to hit their target, narrow your spell to be as precise as a pinprick or widen it to cover a slightly larger area.
Unfortunately, all of that was far too advanced for him.
"Make a light but make it green." His instructor demanded in a slightly bored tone.
"Lumos." He whispered, concentrating on the image of a green light emanating from his wand.
A green light jumped out, and he held it silently, waiting for Moody to motion for him to continue.
"Good." He barked. "While still holding the spell, change the light to purple."
He visualized the green light beginning to fade, only to be replaced by a dark, violet light.
Slowly violet overtook green and Harry smiled triumphantly.
"Not a bad first attempt, Potter!" He snapped. "But much too slow!"
The pair spent the next hour trying to improve his speed, showing minimal progress by the end of their time together.
"I want you to practice in Italy, boy!" The old auror snapped.
"Yes Master Moody." He replied obediently.
The old man nodded his head in satisfaction and left the room, leaving Harry alone to practice.
Albus looked around the cozy professor's lounge, idly listening to Pomona's funding requests for the upcoming year.
He smiled as the dumpy witch finished with her requests, chancing a glance at Minerva he could tell that she was dutifully taking notes next to him.
"Thank you, Pomona. We will have an answer for you by the end of the week."
The head of Hufflepuff offered him a kind smile and he stood up to address the room.
"As you all know, with the loss of Filius," he paused, glancing at the somber faces around the room, trying to determine who may be the spy in the castle; "we need a new Head of Ravenclaw."
There was very little commotion at his proclamation, most had been expecting this.
He motioned for the young witch to say a few words.
The brunette witch stood up, and the slightest smell of apricot touched his nose.
"Thank you, Headmaster." She beamed at him, and he noticed the lack of a ring on her finger.
' That can't sit well with Septima.' He thought.
The woman was incredibly strong-willed, if Septima Vector wanted something, she got it.
"It's an impossible role to fill, but between myself, and Professor Avery." The ancient runes professor motioned to her new colleague in charms, and he eyed the young man with mistrust.
If there was a spy in the school, and he highly suspected there was, then Daniel Avery stood at the top of his list.
Forced upon him after the death of Hermione Granger, the man was an extremely capable young wizard, and if it wasn't for his family history he would have no issue hiring the man. But Malcolm and Emery Avery were in Azkaban for a reason, and Emery remained Tom's longest active follower.
"Yes, yes it is, Septima." He said with a sad smile. "But I know you'll do your best.
The meeting wrapped up several minutes later and he motioned for Severus to stay behind.
When they were all alone, Albus cast several privacy spells and turned to his potion's professor.
"What can you tell me about last week's attack on Diagon Alley?"
During the first war, Voldemort's attacks were large, violent displays. The small dementor attack last week had thankfully injured nobody.
"It was planned by Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange." The ornery man started. "Marcel DuPont, controlled the dementors, while Pettigrew and Rookwood observed."
Albus stroked his beard in thought.
"What do you think the purpose of the attack was, Severus."
The spy stared blankly at him for several long moments; "If I were to guess, I would say that Pettigrew and Rookwood recorded the Ministry's response time."
The headmaster offered Severus a small smile.
"I agree with that conclusion, Severus. But why would they need to with Octavius as Minister."
The master occlumens offered him a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Octavius is fond of his post. He's more than happy to help, but not in such a direct manner. If there's an attack he must respond or risk being run out of office, he's already upset with the attack."
Albus smiled, that could play to their advantage.
"You came to me a while back suspecting that there may be a spy in Hogwarts, do you have any suspects?"
"I do not." Snape responded immediately, causing him to frown.
"What about Daniel Avery?"
Severus took a moment to respond. "Avery should not be overlooked…" he began cautiously. "But the information Bellatrix's spy knows isn't anything Daniel would know."
Albus sighed. "We must keep looking then."
Severus nodded in agreement. "One last thing, Albus."
The old headmaster silently told him to continue. "I believe that the Quidditch World Cup will be attacked, but I'm not sure when."
"Thank you for the information, Severus."
The surly man stood up to leave, and Albus headed back to his office.
"Everlasting Gobstoppers." The statue jumped aside, and he made his way up the winding stairs, and into his office.
Making his way to his fireplace, he grabbed a pinch of floo powder, and, calling out for his old friend he stuck his head in.
The scarred man appeared before him a second later.
"What is it, Albus?" Was his gruff response.
"Gather a small group that you trust, Alastor." He said with an eerie calm. "It's time we go on the offensive."
He hummed to himself softly, a slight grin marred his handsome features as he twirled the dagger in his fingers.
Antonin Dolohov glanced at the light emanating from the house in front of him and checked his watch again.
' 23:42' He had been standing across the street from his targets home at the southern tip of 'Whisper Alley' for nearly two hours now, unable to pounce on his prey.
' It will be worth the wait.' He reminded himself, relishing the opportunity to seek revenge on the man who put him in Azkaban.
Ten minutes later the Abercrombie's extinguished their lights, making the slender man tremble in anticipation.
The Death Eater waited another half an hour to ensure that his victims wouldn't hear his approach.
' Я богу смерти смерти.' He thought to himself as he displaced of the basic security wards and slipped into a cheaply decorated foyer.
Antonin silenced himself before making his way up the spiral staircase towards the master suite.
Like a cat he silently made his way into the and was greeted by a lightly decorated bedroom, highlighted by a giant four-poster bed in the center.
He took a second to watch the couple sleep peacefully; Claudia Abercrombie had a content smile on her soft face as she slept in her husband's arms.
The suffering he was about to cause aroused him.
He smiled ruthlessly as he grabbed a small camera from his bag, taking a second to take just the right picture.
Satisfied with his work, he silently stunned his two victims.
Binding them with rope, he floated them down to the living room, placing them softly on the floor before returning upstairs to the houses second bedroom.
He silently opened Euan Abercrombie's door, camera ready to snap his next photo, only to be met with disappointment at the empty bed.
"His parent's will have to do." He said to the empty room before taking a few minutes to cast a silencing ward over the house. 'We don't want to wake the neighbors, do we?'
Jovially making his way downstairs, he made his way back to the living room, taking a moment to eye his entertainment for the evening.
A second later an idea came to him, and with a malicious smile he conjured a plain desk chair.
Before positioning Sebastian's body in the new chair, he turned to Claudia before un-freezing her.
The woman's eyes snapped open, and he reveled in the slow recognition that overcame her ugly face; confusion as she opened her eyes and stared at him.
Fright as she realized she was unable to move her arms or legs.
And finally, terror as she caught eye of her husband across the room.
"Shh, shh, shh, my sweet." He said softly, making himself visible for the first time.
Crouching down, Antonin Dolohov brushed the curly red hair out of the woman's face.
"We wouldn't want to wake your husband." He said softly, bending in to kiss her softly on her dry lips.
He smelt urine, and he let out an amused laugh and checked his watch again.
"4 minutes!" He shouted with a genuine smile, planting another chaste kiss on her lips, he softly cupped her cheeks in his hands.
"You, my dear, are a marvel." He smiled.
' I haven't been this aroused in years.'
He turned his attention back to the unconscious body in front of him, quickly applying a sticking charm to the conjured chair, he revived the pudgy, middle-aged man in front of him; enjoying the same range of emotions come over him as did his wife.
Only this time Antonin saw recognition in his eyes.
"Welcome to the party, Sebastian!" He shouted jovially.
Gesturing to the man's shaking wife, he continued. "Your wife and I were just getting to know one another."
The man squirmed in his bindings, and he unsilenced him.
"You sick son of a bitch!" Abercrombie spat out.
He let out a wicked bout of laughter. "You have no idea!"
"What do you want with us?" Sebastian quivered as he made eye contact with his wife.
"I want to watch you suffer, suffer as I did." He roared in anger, remembering the man's testimony like it was yesterday.
"I - I should have killed you!" He shouted.
Dolohov looked him in the eye, and with a cruel smile retorted; "yes, you should have."
He smelt urine for the second time that evening and laughed at the pathetic man in front of him.
"Do you like games, Sebastian?" He asked conversationally.
The other man gulped; "y-yes." The balding man managed to get out.
Antonin smiled, and quickly conjured a porcelain cup.
"Here's the rules to my game." He said softly, placing the cup on his head.
"If I hear this cup break, I kill your wife."
The larger woman started thrashing around on the ground, while he hit her husband with another silencer, it would appear the man wasn't going to test him; good.
He turned sharply towards Claudia Abercrombie and cast a minor cutter, leaving a large gash on her chest, staining her now ripped nighty.
From behind him he heard her husband thrash, but the cup didn't break.
He quickly removed her clothes ravenously, taking in her disgusting, flabby body, and the large patch of curly red hair between her legs.
The site was nearly enough to make him lose his erection, but the terror, the terror in her eyes brought him all the way back and he removed her silencing charm.
The woman screamed and he punched her, causing her to whimper.
Still no broken cup.
He grabbed her neck tightly, causing her to gag.
Fully erect he entered her forcefully.
' Crash!' He stopped, turning around to see the broken cup spattered across the wooden floor.
In front of him Sebastian was crying.
His hand twitched towards his wand, but he steadied himself. 'Remember your plan.'
Instead, he flipped the woman around, so she was facing her husband.
Grabbing her by her thick, red hair and yanking her head back he entered her again, bringing his mouth close to her ears, and speaking just loud enough for her husband to hear him, Antonin whispered.
"Your husband didn't want to save your life."
He grabbed her by the neck again and flipped her around.
He looked her in the eyes as he worked, feeling the life draining out of her - he slipped into her mind, capturing her last, painful thoughts before succumbing to death.
He climaxed right then.
Pulling out and turning to a weeping Sebastian he smiled. "This is all your fault, Sebastian."
The man wept silently.
A sudden idea sprung to his mind, and he let out a malicious smile.
Removing his dagger, he walked over to the lifeless form of Claudia Abercrombie.
He pushed some red hair away from her forehead and began to carve.
A few minutes later, he stood back and admired his work with a smile.
"All this work has made me hungry, Sebastian." He said as though he were speaking to an old friend. "Mind if I grab something from the icebox?"
Rummaging around for a second he found a plate of leftover roast.
Antonin glanced over his shoulder; "do you mind?" He said, looking directly at Sebastian.
The man was still crying so he shrugged and grabbed the plate.
Walking back into the living room he conjured himself another chair, as well as a small table and hit the plate with a heating charm.
He ate silently for a moment, savoring the delicious roast.
"Your wife may have been fat as fuck, Abercrombie. But she was a damn good cook." He said, mouth full of food.
Finishing the plate, he turned his attention back to the man in front of him.
"Where was I?" He contemplated loudly. "Oh yeah." He said, allowing a sadistic grin to grace his features, he grabbed his bloody dagger and began to carve a matching lightning bolt into Sebastian's forehead.
With a final touch, he floated the corpse of Claudia Abercrombie, and placed it on top of her horrified husband, adding a sticking charm for good measure.
Satisfied with his work, he took another picture, before leaving out the front door.
Moody shrunk his trunk and took one last look around the now empty office that had been his home for the last thirty years.
"I'll miss this place, Kingsley." He said to the man that had snuck up behind him.
With a low-pitched voice the younger man responded, "what will you do now, Alastor?"
He weighed the options in his mind; Kingsley was a skilled auror, and an up-and-comer in the auror department.
"Dark times are coming, Kingsley, would you agree?"
The younger man sat quietly for a minute. "Crime has certainly gone up over the last several years." He agreed.
Mad-Eye came to a quick decision.
"Kingsley, let's do lunch at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow and we can talk more."
The tall auror offered him a warm smile. "As long as you're buying."
Moody scoffed and grabbed a pinch of floo powder; "I'm unemployed, it's your treat."
The recently retired auror mumbled some words, then stepped into the green flame, emerging in a grandiose study across London.
"Alastor!"
Was the surprised response from Sirius Black.
"I wasn't expecting you; can I get you a drink?"
Moody gave the man a crooked grin and declined; "no need Sirius!" He said, shaking his half-empty flask.
Sirius gave him a nod. "What brings you to Grimmauld Place?" He said, his voice containing the slightest bit of suspicion - it wasn't like him to show up unannounced.
"I was just fired."
Black gave him a slightly shocked look; "Bones let you go, why?"
"On Nott's orders, but yes." He started. "They said I was getting too old."
Sirius frowned.
"It's just as well, Dumbledore wants my talents focused elsewhere." He let out a sadistic smile as he thought about actively fighting the Death Eaters.
He had the man's attention, now; "I was hoping you would join a strike group I'm forming for the Order of the Phoenix."
Sirius smiled; "the Order's getting back together?"
"It will be, eventually, for now it's just me, Dumbledore, and you."
Sirius contemplated the offer for a minute.
"I'm hardly a fighter, anymore." Black complained.
Moody frowned; "I turned you into a capable auror once, I can do it again."
Sirius smiled. "Okay; who else do you have in mind?"
"Emmeline Vance, Bill Weasley, Nymphadora, and Remus."
Sirius nodded in agreement at almost every name; "why Bill Weasley?"
He could hear the skepticism in the man's voice; the Weasley family weren't known for producing capable wizards.
"He's a Gringotts trained master cursebreaker."
Sirius smiled. "He should talk to Harry."
At this Moody perked up; "the boy wants to be a cursebreaker?"
Sirius smiled; "no clue. But he loves runes, wards, and dark magic."
"That boy is special." Moody agreed.
"Alright." Sirius agreed. "I'm in."
Mad-Eye offered him a harsh smile and shot a stinging hex at his former student.
"To the basement!" Moody yelled out.
Sirius yelped but complied. 'No time like the present to start training.'
The sun setting over the Mediterranean was breathtaking, she thought as she tightened her grip on Blaise's hand.
The last few weeks had been the best of her life, and for the first time she dreaded returning to Hogwarts.
"What time are you meeting Harry for lunch?"
Lily smiled; she hadn't seen the boy since school ended and was looking forward to having lunch with her friend.
"We're meeting at the cafe in the village tomorrow at noon."
The couple sat down in the sand, letting the waves wash over their toes as they sat in silence, enjoying each other's company.
"Did you hear about the Abercrombie's?" Blaise asked, breaking the silence.
At her confused look, Blaise continued. "Claudia Abercrombie was found murdered, she had a lightning bolt carved into her forehead, the killer left her husband alive."
She grimaced. "Do you think I should mention it to Harry?"
Her boyfriend thought for a few moments. "I would want to know if I were him."
She nodded in agreement. Harry would want to know.
Checking the time, Lily grimaced, she was late. Turning to Blaise, she gave him a light kiss. "I'm running late for dinner."
The boy smiled and returned her kiss. 'How did I get so lucky?'
Tying her hair back in a ponytail, she ran through the sand, back to the path leading to her family's villa.
The path ran adjacent to main street, which was starting to come alive with the setting sun, she could hear music emanating from the various pubs and friends met for a drink on a Friday night.
She loved Florence.
As she walked the winding path towards her destination she grinned to herself as she began to think about her upcoming lunch with Harry. 'I wonder if he realizes how much he talks about Daphne in his letters?'
The thought of her two powerful friends getting together excited her.
Lily Moon was so lost in thought, she never saw the pale blue light heading towards her from the bushes.
Harry made his way down the cobblestone street towards the cafe, fully aware that Lily would scold him if he were late.
' Dammit, Sirius.' He thought to himself. 'You just had to hide my robes.'
His godfather, he had realized, tended to get mischievous when he was bored.
"You're late." A confident, feminine voice called out.
He smiled as he made his way to the table, stopping to give her a brief hug.
"I blame my godfather." He said with a shrug.
She just smiled. How's your summer going?
She listened half-heartedly to Harry's answer.
' Ask him more about his godfather.'
The thought appeared out of nowhere. 'Why would I want to ask him about his godfather?' Lily thought to herself, confused as to where the thought came from.
"And how is Sirius doing?" She asked.
Harry smiled and began to talk about how Sirius was planning on rebuilding Black Manor in Yorkshire.
' That's interesting.' She thought, though she didn't know why.
Lily quickly answered some questions about her and Blaise.
' Harry's dating Daphne, right? Ask if he's met her family.'
"How's Daphne doing?"
Harry smiled. "She's doing great!"
Realizing she had chosen the right topic, she smiled.
"Have you met Alfred and Victoria yet?" She said without thought.
Harry looked confused.
' Why did you say that? You know he met Alfred…'
"I mean since the Invitational."
Harry relaxed. "He came and watched us duel a few times."
' Ask if he has been to their home.'
"Have they invited you to dinner?"
Harry shook his head. "No, why?"
"Just curious." She asked
The voice in Lily's head left her alone after that, and she quickly forgot its existence a few moments later.
Bellatrix burst through the doors and into the study. 'How dare that man attack without consulting me.'
The blonde man in front of her looked up from his stack of parchment.
"Good evening, Bellatrix."
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Malfoy?"
She seethed. She oversaw attacks; he was supposed to run things by her.
"It needed to be done."
The sense of finality in his tone would have cowed most people, but not Bellatrix Lestrange.
"You have free reign of the Wizengamot and international affairs." She started. "I am in charge of military operations, not you. "
He offered her a sneer. "I did it for our lord, Bellatrix. Your opinion hardly matters."
Her hand twitched towards her wand, but Malfoy looked unconcerned.
They both knew she wouldn't touch him… yet.
"Did he tell you to run a highly visible reconnaissance mission in the middle of the bloody day?"
"That is none of your concern."
Bellatrix wanted to retort, but held her tongue, choosing to leave the den she headed back to the guest chambers and grabbed a quill and some parchment; there was something she needed done.
He itched his skin in irritation as the salt water began to dry.
He, Remus, and Sirius were enjoying their last day in Italy, spending their morning as muggles trying to learn how to surf.
"Can we get gelato?" He asked hopefully. Over the last week and a half, he had become quite fond of raspberry gelato, despite the beauty of Italy, he would miss the creamy desert when they returned to England.
"Of course!" His godfather responded.
The trio chatted amicably as they wandered the shops of magical Florence.
For the fifth day in a row, Harry was eager to see the newest flying carpets.
"I can't believe they're illegal in Britain!" He exclaimed as he eyed a beautiful violet and gold persian rug.
"Can we get one, Sirius?" He asked. "Please." He added, giving his godfather his best puppy-dog eyes.
His godfather smiled. "If you can come up with a way to sneak it back into Britain by the time we leave, I'll buy you one as a belated birthday gift."
He smiled; he had anticipated this question and had done his research.
"You're the Head of 'The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black.'" He started. "You have diplomatic immunity."
The ability to smuggle things in and out of the country with ease was important to the 'Most Ancient and Noble' houses, so in the mid-1600's they made themselves diplomats and gave themselves a degree of immunity when it came to importing goods.
The idea was that these 'Noble' houses could be trusted.
It was all bullshit, but if it got him a flying carpet he would gladly bend the rules.
Sirius smiled. "Good, you're learning."
He took his time, settling on the grandiose dark violet and gold rug he had been eying a moment ago.
The rug was elegant, fast, and could fit four; he imagined flying it over the 'Black Lake' at Hogwarts, Daphne by his side.
"You sure do have expensive taste." His godfather grumbled.
Remus laughed; you shouldn't have made the wager if you weren't willing to shell out a few hundred galleons.
Leaving the store, Harry turned around, back towards the doorway as he took his turn to taunt Sirius.
"I hope -" He never got to finish his sentence as he felt himself walk into a solid.
Hearing a girlish shriek, he felt the body behind him crumble to the ground.
"I'm so, sorry…" He began, but never finished what he was saying.
Lying on the ground in front of him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen; long, athletic legs gave way to a tight torso and a generous bust.
Light silver hair and blue eyes met his; the girl seemed to radiate beauty; he had to use his occlumency shields just to look at her.
The girl - who looked to be around his age - offered him a brilliant smile, and with a moderate French accent waved off his apology with a beautiful laugh.
"It is okay."
Her soft hand grabbed his own as he helped her to her feet.
The girl gave him a curious once-over.
"I am Gabriel Delacour." She said looking him in the eye, offering him a soft hand.
Harry remembered his lessons ongoing lessons with Madam Glass.
Grabbing the hand softly, he allowed his lips to lightly graze her knuckles. "I am Harry Potter." He said with a smile.
Turning to Remus and his godfather.
"This is Lord Sirius Black, Head of the Most Ancient and Noble house of Black." His godfather offered her a smile and a bow; "and this is our friend Remus Lupin." Remus offered his own slight bow.
The girl offered them each a smile, and out of the corner of his eye he saw his godfather and Remus sneak off back towards the path leading to their villa.
Gabrielle ignored the disappearing adults and returned her attention to him.
"Well Harry Potter." She purred, grabbing his hand. "You can make it up to me with gelato."
He laughed, ignoring the guilt building up in his stomach as he thought of Daphne. 'It's not as if we are dating.' He thought to himself.
But was that true? He thought back to the London Invitational, their lunch at the 'Sneaky Serpent' and all the time they had spent together over the past month.
' We haven't had that talk.' He rationalized. 'Hell, we haven't even kissed!'
They held hands as they chatted, getting their gelato, and grabbing a table facing the tyrrhenian sea.
"So 'Arry." Gabrielle started. "What do you do for fun?" She asked, her foot rubbing his calf.
He fought his blush.
"I'm a Hogwarts champion dueler." He said proudly. "I also like flying."
She gave him a charming smile. "Will you try out for the 'ogwarts dueling team for the tournament?"
He didn't know the rules of the tournament, but he was sure he would be, and he said as much.
They fell into a light banter as they enjoyed each-others banter.
"Gabrielle…" He started; there was a question he had been dying to ask her all afternoon.
She gave him a questioning look that somehow managed to be seductive.
"I can tell you're not completely human."
"Does that bother you, 'arry?" She asked.
"Not in the slightest." He responded immediately, thinking of Remus.
"I am part veela." She spoke.
He smiled, having read up on veela.
It was getting late, and he was disappointed when she put an end to her conversation.
"I have to go 'arry." She said, and he frowned, he had really enjoyed the French witch. "Can I write to you?"
He smiled. "Of course! You will be at Hogwarts this year, right?"
She nodded cutely. "You will have to give me a tour then."
"You can count on it." He smiled confidently at her.
She looked in his eyes, and he sensed her tense up in uncertainty for a moment before taking a couple of steps towards him.
Leaning in she beautiful veela placed a soft kiss on his lips. "I look forward to it, Harry."
That night, as Harry examined his new flying carpet, he smiled, picturing a ride with a silver-haired veela.
"Harry can you meet me in the kitchen?"
His godfather looked serious, and with a nod from Tonks he headed up the staircase. A left and a right later found him in the kitchen with Sirius.
He cleared his face of emotion.
"What is it, Sirius?" He asked neutrally.
At his response his godfather's charade shattered.
"Happy belated birthday!" He said, pushing an envelope his way.
Breaking the seal and opening the envelope, he let a giddy smile cross his face.
"Thank you Sirius!" He said excitedly.
"Who are you going to bring?" His godfather asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
He rolled his eyes; but on the inside he had to respect his godfather's cunning, two tickets to the Quidditch World Cup final forced him to confront the Daphne situation, of course he could ignore it and bring Terry….
He sighed. "Daphne…"
"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked.
"It's Gabrielle."
His godfather smiled mischievously; "what about her, Harry?"
His cheeks reddened, and suddenly he found the clock in the hallway a hell of a lot more interesting.
"She kissed me."
His godfather howled in laughter.
"You have a beautiful girlfriend here in Britain and a French veela pinning after you? I have sympathy for you, Harry."
He frowned at Sirius's sarcasm. "Do I tell Daphne?"
Black got serious; "do you want to date her? Or do you just kind of like her?"
He thought about it for a second. 'Daphne is smart, vicious, funny, and beautiful.'
"I want to date her."
Sirius smiled thoughtfully. "You need to tell her now. While things are still easy; you don't even need to tell her the entire truth; the important thing is she hears it from you."
"I can't believe Septima puts up with you." He deadpanned.
Sirius smiled; "I know. I'm a lucky guy."
His godfather got contemplative look on his face; "what do you think of Septima, Harry?" He asked sincerely.
He didn't need to think too long before giving his answer. "She's amazing, Sirius." He said with a smile.
His godfather let out a sigh of relief. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."
Harry smiled; "when?"
"When the time is right." Was his godfather's response.
' I should've cast a damn cooling charm.' She thought, a foul looks on her disillusioned face.
"Does your dad ever talk about the Wizengamot?"
Draco's drawl made her want to puke.
Astoria seemed oblivious to the prat's attempt to uncover information and offered him a pretty smile.
Her little sister let herself get distracted by a butterfly sitting on some lavender somewhere behind Malfoy, and to her left.
"Father doesn't generally bother me with such tedious things;" the younger Greengrass girl responded. "Daphne takes on that burden for me."
She could almost hear Draco frown.
"It's quite hot out, isn't it?" The older boy asked her sister.
Ever the hostess Astoria stood up and offered her guest her arm.
"Then let me show you the house."
Daphne stalked the pair silently as Astoria showed Draco their home.
"And this is our library, it's nothing, compared to yours, I'm sure."
Draco offered her sister a brilliant smile. "I love it."
Astoria blushed.
' Bless her heart.'
"I've heard your family has an extensive collection of memories from your Aunt Ophelia, I'd love to see one."
Astoria sighed. "I don't have access to those without fathers' permission until I'm fourteen." She said with a frown. "Daphne says they're brilliant, though."
Draco frowned, and she quietly stalked off, she had her own date to prepare for.
He fidgeted nervously as he pushed the eggs around his plate.
"What's the matter, Harry. Nervous for your meeting with Daphne?" Sirius teased, as Septima scolded him.
"Don't be, Harry. She'll understand."
He smiled at Septima. He was nervous, and more than a little frightened; Daphne Greengrass was gifted with a wand in her hand.
' Maybe I shouldn't have invited her over to duel?' He thought to himself.
It wasn't the first time over the last few days he had regretted inviting her over for a fight, but he thought giving her a chance to punish him in the pit would go a long way in the healing process.
An hour later found a still nervous Harry hugging a chipper Daphne Greengrass.
She released him from the hug; "what's wrong, Harry?"
She said with the slightest hint of concern in her voice, amplifying his guilt even more.
"Before we duel, can we talk for a few minutes?"
A ghost of a smile played at her full lips. "Want to get me all alone, huh?"
' When did Daphne become so flirtatious?'
"I - I want to tell you about something that happened in Italy, it's no big deal, but I thought you should know since, well, you know."
"Since I'm your girlfriend." Daphne deadpanned.
' I guess that mystery is solved.'
He wiped some sweat from his brow nervously.
"Now remember, we hadn't had this talk a few days ago, and it's really not my fault…"
She frowned, "you're rambling, Harry." She hissed.
"Yes. Well. In Italy, I ran into this girl - a veela actually - and, well, she kissed me."
Hurt flashed across her face briefly, only to be replaced by her usual, stoic facade a second later.
"How did you feel?" She asked.
"What - what do you mean?"
"Did you enjoy it? Did she ensnare you with her veela charm? I want some details."
The brilliance of Sirius's words caught up with him. 'I can write the narrative.'
"She didn't ensnare me, although she is beautiful; and the kiss was unexpected, and disappointing."
He could tell he scored some points with Daphne with that last part.
"What was her name?"
"Gabrielle Delacour." He said nervously. "And she'll be at Hogwarts next year for the Triwizard Tournament."
"Daphne." He began. "I don't want to date her, but Gabrielle was really nice, I'd like to remain friends with her after I explain things to her."
His girlfriend put on a fake smile.
"I'm not worried about it, Harry. Let's duel."
She jetted ahead of him by a few steps so he couldn't see her wipe a tear from her eye.
' I was supposed to be his first kiss.'
There's nothing she could do about it now. 'At least he told me.' She thought sadly. She honestly didn't know if she liked knowing, ignorance could be bliss.
' For some.' She thought, dismissing the saying.
Daphne took her place across from Harry as Tonks and Mad-Eye watched on with interest from the sidelines.
The two, along with her tutoring with Apollo Carrow, had pushed her to the limits this summer.
She opened fire first, sending a series of pain and trauma curses at her boyfriend.
Harry easily batted them away before sending a wide-area stunner her way, forcing her to shield.
When she turned her focus back to the arena Harry was gone.
' Two can play that game.' She thought as she silently cast a disillusionment charm on herself, slowly moving around the arena looking for her opponent.
' Gotcha.' She thought, sending a series of bone-breakers and blood-boilers his way.
Potter howled in pain as his disillusionment charm disappeared.
He unleashed a series of concussion hexes her way and she dodged easily. ' He's not holding back.' She smiled, welcoming the challenge.
Several metal projectiles crashed into her ribs with a sickening crunch, and she felt blood beginning to pool in her mouth.
She botched the healing charm on her ribs and howled in pain as she ducked another curse, firing back with an overpowered 'debiles fulminen.'
"Impressive, Daphne!" Harry said, apparating out of the way of her lightning spell.
"But not good enough!"
She growled.
"This is how it's done, 'fulminis!'"
Multiple tangents of violent black lightning erupted from his wand, hitting her in the chest.
She screamed in pain and the curse was lifted.
"Good one, Potter." She choked out as Tonks and Moody descended upon them.
"Great fight you two!" Moody shout out in approval. "Show no mercy!"
Tonks gave them a bemused look; "is this how you treat your girlfriend, Harry?"
Harry shrugged the pink-haired witch off; "she would kill me if I held back."
Daphne smiled and downed the potion Moody offered her, feeling her pain disappear moments later.
"It's true." She smiled, grabbing Harry's hand.
' I'm better than some stupid, delicate veela. Harry knows that.'
Her hand still in his, Harry turned to her.
"I want to show you something!" He said, as they made their way upstairs and to a familiar doorway.
"You move fast, don't you Harry?" She said, cocking her head slightly to the side and offering him a half smile.
She didn't need legilimency to see the effect her look had on him.
He blushed cutely but led him inside.
The room was lightly decorated, with a small bookshelf and a desk acting as the highlights.
The Ravenclaw made his way over to his desk, hissing something at his mirror, she saw it begin to shimmer as Harry reached in, pulling out a small box.
"Impressive concealment, Harry."
He smiled at her; "I read about it and thought it sounded interesting, I had to master it."
Not many people had the internal drive that Harry had. When he wanted to do something, he did it.
He opened the box up and pulled out a beautiful rug.
"Is that a flying carpet?" She asked him, greedily grabbing it from his hands, giving the artefact a look-over. "It's beautiful."
He gave her a grin, and her heart skipped a beat. "I got it in Italy." He spoke. "Do you want to fly it?"
She accepted with a certain level of giddiness; "I know the perfect place to fly it, too." Daphne said, grabbing Harry's hand.
The hills surrounding Daphne's home were brilliant, he thought as he and his girlfriend hovered twenty-five feet off the ground.
"I can't understand why these things were outlawed." Daphne grumbled as they ate from the picnic basic sitting between them. "They're so convenient."
The pair had spent the last few hours jetting around the Greengrass family's property, dipping and diving, enjoying each other's company.
He enjoyed his sandwich in silence as he gazed over the lush flower gardens beneath him.
"It's beautiful." He said absentmindedly.
"I've always enjoyed this view." Daphne admitted from next to him.
"Sometimes I grab a broomstick and hover above the gardens as the sunsets. It's so peaceful."
He smiled and their eyes met.
Without giving it much thought, he leaned his head closer to hers, invading her personal space.
Catching on to his idea, Daphne fluttered her eyes, leaning in closer to his approaching lips.
Both their breaths quickened as their first kiss rapidly approached, shutting his eyes softly, Harry went to close the last couple of millimeters between them.
' Crash!' His nose hit hers full-on, and the blonde girl giggled.
He opened his eyes and smiled softly, staring at Daphne as she laughed.
' She looks so carefree.' He thought with a smile.
While she was laughing, he reached out with his hand and grabbed the collar of her shirt, smashing his lips against hers.
He felt her smile into his lips, returning his kiss awkwardly.
They held the kiss awkwardly for a moment before he remembered Madam Glass's lesson on etiquette and pulled away softly.
The pair recovered, and he landed the carpet with a smile.
"Come on, I'll show you the rest of the property." Daphne said grabbing his hand.
He couldn't help but compare the Greengrass family home to Grimmauld Place as she gave him the grand tour.
Where Grimmauld Place was a grandiose, three-story townhome; Daphne's home reminded him more of the Dursleys, but slightly larger.
She led him into the family's small library.
"I want to show you something." She said, her casual smile replaced with a sly grin as she walked over to the pensieve sitting in the corner.
"Since you've already read a few of her books, I thought I'd show you one of my great aunt's memories."
He perked up in interest and greedily made his way to the pensieve and dipped his head in.
He watched silently as an attractive woman with black hair silently moved through the war-torn village.
Harry and Daphne moved closer to the woman who was taking stock of her position from behind a still-smoking building.
"You're surrounded, Greengrass, give it up!" A man's voice shouted.
With a flick of her wrist, Ophelia Greengrass silently cast 'hominem revelio' on her surroundings.
He observed the woman - who had to be in her late 20's - as her intelligent eyes moved about her surroundings.
" Six." The woman scoffed under her breath. "Do they really think so little of me?"
A quick wave of her wand produced a thick black smoke, and the woman disappeared.
Unable to see, he shot a glance at Daphne, only to see the blonde grinning.
A sickly yellow light dashed through him, and an enemy he hadn't noticed behind him exploded in a show of gore.
The smoke disappeared a second later, and a spear impaled another man a few meters away.
"You should have brought more men, Yaxley." The newly visible Ophelia Greengrass taunted.
The overweight man returned fire, and the witch didn't even try and move as the spell passed through her.
' Impressive illusion.' He thought to himself as a familiar dark flame whip decapitated several more men.
"Enough of this, Ophelia." A powerful, familiar voice said firmly.
Turning to its source, Harry took in the man in front of him.
Not much older than the woman he was talking to, the man with dark red hair, a goatee, and a ponytail radiated power.
"Headmaster Dumbledore?" He mumbled to himself, and Daphne gave him another smirk.
"Albus!" The witch replied conversationally as she ducked into a familiar dueling stance. "My old friend, how good to see you!"
Albus Dumbledore didn't respond, choosing to duck into his own dueling stance.
"Interesting." He mumbled as he observed Dumbledore's squarer stance.
"It's a better stance for transfiguration and countering." Daphne said from next to him, her eyes never leaving the scene playing out in front of her.
He didn't respond as his headmaster opened with a cutter.
Ophelia batted away the spell, and the duel began in earnest, neither duelist giving an inch.
Ophelia Greengrass was brilliant as she relentlessly attacked, deftly dodging spells as she did so.
The battle raged on with the two locked in a stalemate.
"I don't want to hurt you, Ophelia, but you're leaving me little choice." Albus said between spells.
The black-haired-beauty laughed, tacking a piercing curse to the shoulder to finish her spell.
"That's the difference between us Albus, I have no qualms hurting you, if you continue to stand in my way."
With a twirl of her wand, the sky began to darken, and Albus Dumbledore's eyes widened.
Large balls of ice began to fall from the sky, violently exploding as they hit the ground.
Explosions pushed Albus Dumbledore backwards, as the warlock was forced to shield from Ophelia's display of might.
While Albus worked to counter the spell, Greengrass shook from exhaustion, and with a satisfied smirk on her face, she gripped her necklace, and disappeared.
A familiar tug on his navel deposited him at the campsite for the Quidditch World Cup Final.
"Having trouble staying on your feet, Daphne?" His godfather remarked, smirking at the blonde girl who was currently on the ground.
"Watch it Black." His girlfriend growled back.
Sirius smiled innocently; "do purebloods no longer teach their children how to travel by portkey?"
"These days proper purebloods apparate. You'd know that if you hadn't gotten yourself thrown in jail for a decade."
Sirius flashed her a look of faux hurt; "you wound me." He deadpanned.
"Alright you two, cut it out." Remus said with a smile.
At his questioning look, Remus turned his way; "someone has to be the adult here."
Sirius rolled his eyes and grabbed Septima's hand. "Alright you two." He said, handing them their tickets. "We will meet you in the box half hour before the match, please stick together."
He smiled at his godfather; "we will, don't worry."
The campground was full of life as various vendors offered both Irish and Bulgarian merchandise.
"He is kind of cute." Daphne giggled as she examined the miniature model of Bulgarian seeker Viktor Krum as he paced around the table.
"Only five sickles, miss." The middle-aged vendor remarked.
"No thank you, I'm pulling for Ireland."
The vendor smiled; "we have Aidan Lynch models as well." The vendor said, motioning towards a smiling model waving at people as they passed by.
"I don't know about a model, but if you sell jerseys, I'll take one."
Daphne glanced at him, and he sighed; "make that two, please." He said pulling out a stack of galleons.
Tossing on their jerseys, he put his arm around his girlfriend's waste as they chatted idly and wandered aimlessly.
"Krum is better than Lynch, but Ireland has the better team, you keep ignoring that fact, Harry." Daphne pointed out for what seemed like the hundredth time.
He smiled; until he had invited her to the final, he hadn't realized the girl knew anything about quidditch.
"Yes; but if you have a talented enough seeker, it doesn't matter what your Keeper's save percentage is, or that Troy, Mullet, and Moran have been playing together for almost a decade."
She shrugged. "Krum's superiority only matters if he catches the snitch in the first hour, after that the Bulgarians have no chance."
The couple picked up some food at a vendor and Harry conjured a blanket for them to sit on to enjoy their impromptu picnic.
"How difficult were the OWL's?" Daphne asked as she took a bite of his egg-salad sandwich.
He frowned at her theft; "disappointingly easy. If you have kept up in class they are no more difficult than a final."
"What did they focus on?" She asked in curiosity.
He thought for a moment, finishing his sandwich. "Combining high-level concepts, mostly. Both exams had a couple theoretical questions about some of the things we learned in first or second year, but for the most part the writing portion combines theories from the first five years of classes. The practical side of things focused on newer material."
She nodded as she positioned herself between his legs, leaning back to rest her head on his chest.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while; watching the various groups of people pass by.
From the corner of his eye, he grinned as his godson did his best to completely ignore the Bulgarian cheerleaders dancing on the pitch.
"Your French friends a veela, isn't she Harry?" Daphne asked.
Sirius grinned to himself; everyone in their box knew who Gabrielle Delacour was.
To his credit, Harry looked unfazed. "Part veela, but yes."
He tuned the pair out and glanced towards the south end of the stadium where he knew Kingsley and Tonks were keeping watch.
Despite his differences with the filthy man, Severus Snape was a reliable source of Death Eater information - if he says the Quidditch World Cup is going to be attacked, it probably was.
If there was to be an attack, the final was the perfect place, the attack would be blamed on the Bulgarians and the Irish since England wasn't in the final. A strange rule that would keep the ministry clear from blame.
He lost his train of thought as Lynch fell for one of Krum's feints. 'Kid sounds dumb-as-a-doorknob, but damn, can he fly!'
Next to him Septima was cheering screaming obscenities at the Bulgarian beaters for not providing Krum with enough protection. 'I wonder how much she put on Bulgaria?'
He smirked; Septima didn't know he knew about her little gambling problem - it was one of those imperfections that made him love her.
" And Krum has caught the snitch!"
Sirius smiled as the Bulgarian seeker, covered in blood from a rogue bludger, hoisted his arm in the air, allowing the crowd to see the snitch in his palm.
"Losing with honor. I can respect that." Daphne said with approval from next to his godson.
"Alright, kids, time to get you home, I promised Alfred that Daphne would be returned after the game."
Daphne chatted amicably with Professor Vector as they made their way towards the entrance of the gigantic stadium.
The game had been magnificent. Despite not catching the snitch, the Irish had won, and at the end of the match, that's all that matters.
She lurched forward as someone's forearm drove into her back.
"Watch it asshole!" She began to yell, only to be shaken by a loud explosion from somewhere nearby.
"Remus! Get the kids outside so they can portkey home!"
Before the other man could respond, she felt herself flying, landing on the hard cement floor with a 'thud.'
Her ears were ringing as she took in the chaos around her as Bulgarian and Irish auror's fought with black robes and bone-white masks.
' Death Eaters.' She thought as a hand pulled her to her feet.
"Let's get out of here!" He boyfriend shouted through the noise, brandishing the quill that served as their portkey home.
"Where are the others?" She asked out of curiosity.
She could see Remus off in the distance, but Vector and Black eluded her.
"I'm sure their fine, let's go!"
Outside the stadium they were met with more chaos at the campsite as more Death Eaters were fighting with the Bulgarian and Irish auror's.
' Where are the British?' She thought as he watched another tent go up in flames.
"Let's move, Daphne!"
Despite the situation she shuddered at the calm power in her boyfriend's voice.
The couple stood on the edges, heading towards the ward line.
She let out a painful howl as she felt her left arm break, blocking the pain, she immediately ducked into a crouch, noticing that Harry was doing the same.
Automatically they had their backs to each other, and she attempted to take stock of their situation.
"There's six of them!" Harry yelled, letting loose a barrage of entrail expelling curses into the dark trees in front of them.
Daphne ignored the pain, delivering a series of blood-boilers and bone-breakers towards her anonymous attackers.
' Where the hell are they?' She thought as she cast a disillusionment charm on herself.
Behind her she felt Harry do the same thing.
" Ignem Aestifer!" She shouted, unleashing a torrent of dark fire into the woods.
She had to end her spell a few seconds later, dodging to avoid an unknown dark orange curse.
She dipped and dodged with abandon as her disillusionment charm fell.
' We're losing.' She realized as she took an organ rupturing curse to her chest.
He felt liquid hit his face as he attempted to fight off their attackers and took a second to brush it away.
' Is that blood?' He thought, glancing to check on Daphne.
To his horror, she was on the ground wheezing, coughing up blood.
Rage and desperation coursed through his veins.
Turning to Daphne, he cast a quick bubblehead charm on her before doing the same to himself.
" Venenum Mortem!" He shouted, turning himself in a circle, covering the area in a thick, mustard yellow haze.
Not taking the time to admire the grizzly poison gas, he stunned Daphne and levitated her through the poison and past the wards, quickly portkeying home.
"Kreacher!" He yelled as he entered the main hallway.
The elf appeared a moment later.
"Stabilize Daphne and take her to my room. I will be back in a few minutes."
The elf nodded, grabbing his girlfriend, and silently disappearing.
Making his way to the fireplace he grabbed a pinch of floo powder. "Greengrass Estate!"
A blonde-haired blue-eyed woman answered the floo immediately.
"Mr. Potter." The woman said softly. "Is there something wrong?"
"The final was attacked by Death Eaters! Daphne's been injured, she needs to be moved to St. Mungos."
The woman turned serious, let me through.
The attractive older woman made her way through the floo, and he took her to his room.
"Where is Lord Black?"
Harry didn't break his pace.
"We got separated. Daphne and I were ambushed but fought our way out."
Despite the situation, Victoria Greengrass smiled. "My daughter is a fighter, Harry."
It was his turn to smile as they turned into his room. "Of course, she is."
Victoria quietly examined her daughter before coming to a decision.
"Plunk!"
A slightly overweight elf appeared in front of them a second later.
"Take Daphne to see Hestia, tell her she has been hit by an organ exploding curse, I believe it hit her kidney's."
Plunk nodded in acknowledgement and disappeared with Daphne.
"Ma'am." He began. "I'd like to sit with Daphne."
The attractive witch smiled. "Lord Black would want you here, Harry. Daphne will be fine, although she may be a few days late to Hogwarts. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Harry." She said somberly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go inform her father."