As Harry entered the Great Hall he bumped into Daphne and Hermione having a conversation in French.
"Wait a minute, do the two of you speak French?" He asked.
"Oui, je parle francaise." Daphne answered.
While Hermione answered, "Yes."
"What would it take for me to get you two to teach me?"
"Sorry, Harry. I'm taking too heavy a course load this year." Hermione answered.
Daphne asked, "Why?"
"Because I want to learn it. I've actually studied it some already, and I know about conjugation and structure. I can write and read it if I have a dictionary handy, but to be fluent I need to practice listening and speaking it."
"Okay, I'll help."
"Brilliant. Let's set up a time."
"Okay, but I want you to help me in defense and transfiguration in return."
Harry struggled to contain a wince; defense wouldn't be bad, but Daphne struggled with transfiguration. Harry figured it was because Daphne was a kinesthetic and auditory learner and transfiguration was ninety percent visual. But then again, helping her would mean lots of time with her… he inwardly groaned as his body reacted to that thought. Blushing slightly he said "Okay."
....
Harry did visit Professor Snape after dinner to check with him about the detentions.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, as much as I agree the detention is not warranted, Hagrid is now a professor and to cancel his assigned detentions would undermine my own position."
"I figured as much. Thanks anyway, Professor." Harry thought that was the end of it, until during his detention Professor Snape showed up while he was cleaning a chicken coop and gave Hagrid what for.
"Hagrid, what is this I heard: you endangered students in their very first class!"
"What? I wouldn'-"
"I understand Potter here is serving a detention for casting a petrificus totalis on a hippogriff."
"That's righ' He cast it and it coulda hurt Beaky."
"Did you ask him why he did it?"
"Wha'?"
"Did you ask him why?"
"No."
"Potter, annoying though he can be, never does anything without a reason. Perhaps you should ask him."
After a half a minute where Hagrid opened and closed his mouth several times trying to think of a protest, he finally got a resigned expression on his face and shouted. "Potter!"
"Yes, sir?"
"Why did yeh cast a spell on Buckbeak?"
"He was about to attack Mr. Malfoy, sir."
"Beaky wouldn' hurt someone!"
"Malfoy insulted him, sir. I think he was talking when you warned us about that. I figured it was better to petrify the hippogriff than for him to attack the son of one of the governors. After all, with Mr. Malfoy's connections, he probably would have had the animal destroyed."
Hagrid turned red and said, "Thank yeh, Mr. Potter, you're through. And I think yeh don't have to come for the others."
"Professors."
As he was leaving he heard, "And now, Hagrid, I believe we need to discuss the content of your class."
....
As Halloween approached Harry settled into his demanding study schedule that was lightly punctuated by quidditch, his bi-weekly chess games, and the odd half an hour spent sketching. Hagrid's class improved after Professor Snape's visit although Harry still found the book the Monster Book of Monsters more annoying than informative. He left it tied in his trunk and used alternate sources in the library.
The cadre had been slightly surprised when two weeks into school Luna Lovegood had trailed in after Michael Corner for their morning workout. The girls weren't exactly welcoming to the younger Ravenclaw, her reputation of being out there making them withdraw slightly. Neville, Michael, and Ernie interacted mostly normally with her. Blaise was perpetually smirking, while Aaron shook his head. Harry just did his best to ignore her and treat her the same as everyone else but it was difficult. His magic was very aware of her, just as his body was very aware of Daphne's curvaceous form. Between the two girls Harry frequently indulged in cathartic screaming in his bed behind silenced curtains before even attempting occlumency exercises and sleep each night.
Harry and Daphne's study session were both wonderful and embarrassing. Harry was learning French and Daphne was getting better grades in defense and transfiguration, but Harry found himself distracted at odd moments by Daphne's smile or by watching her run her hands over the objects he had found to help her with transfiguration. He had figured out the reason for the encompassing student robes, they did a good job of hiding the attributes of the students' bodies so it was easier to pay attention in class. But since Harry had seen Daphne in workout clothes, his imagination all too readily supplied him images when he looked at her. Harry was embarrassed because he would be talking normally to her one minute and the next he would get an erection or his voice would crack. When his voice cracked she always smiled and reassured him, but Harry felt self-conscious because none of the other boys in their year had voices that were cracking yet and he had only started his teen growth spurt.
Although Christmas was months away Harry had decided to give each of his friends in the cadre a group portrait in chalks for Christmas but that meant he had to get individual sketches that he would meld into the whole. Most of the group was easy but Hermione was difficult. Harry finally settled for sketching her while she worked in the library. He really wondered about her, she was somehow taking all the electives offered. And he couldn't figure out how that was possible since both divination and arithmancy coincided and ancient runes and muggle studies coincided. Thankfully, though, it wasn't his problem.
Harry had reluctantly agreed to meet with his Godfather over the Christmas break, putting it off until then by citing the desire not to be distracted from his studies. But first he had to get through autumn term and what he hoped would be his first date with Daphne. The first Hogsmeade weekend had been announced and he was finally allowed to go.