elf led him through the beautifully decorated entrance hall that
was largely neutral colours. The thing that set it apart from most
other houses was the amount of family portraits and photos that
were on the walls.
They eventually came to a dining room and Harry was taken aback
by the number of people waiting for him, he had expected 4 but there
were seven.
"Mr Potter.. It is Mr potter isn't it?" a tall and mousey haired man
addressed Harry. "Welcome to our home" he said approaching with
his hand extended.
"Technically it is Lord Potter, but please call me Harry" the teen
insisted. "And thank you for your invitation Lord Greengrass it is
much appreciated" he replied and shook the mans' hand firmly.
"Well you are very welcome Harry, let me introduce you to the rest of
the people here" he said leading Harry to the assembled group.
"This" he explained indicating to the other man in the room, "is Lord
Robert Davis and his wife Lady Susan Davis" he finished.
Harry shook the mans' hand gave the lady a bow and a gentle kiss
on the back the hand as was custom.
"It is a pleasure to meet you both" he intoned.
"The pleasure is ours Lord Potter" the man replied with a warm smile
which Harry returned.
"And this" Lord Greengrass cut in. "is my wife, whom you have
already met I believe" he finished with a raised eyebrow.
Harry recognised the woman immediately and took her hand and
brushed his lips across the back of her knuckles.
"It is nice to meet you in much more pleasant circumstances my
lady" Harry greeted her with a bow.
"Likewise Lord Potter" Ophelia replied with a smile and a slight
curtsey.
"And finally the three young ladies here are my daughters Daphne
and Astoria" he introduced, gesturing to the two blonde girls who
looked very much like their mother. "And Tracey the daughter of Lord
and Lady Davis" he finished indicating the final girl who had brown
hair and seemed to take more after her father in looks.
"Ladies" Harry acknowledged with a bow.
"Lord Potter" they replied in unison with a curtsey of their own.
"Ok now that is strange for me, Please call me Harry or Potter if you
prefer" he requested to the group.
Jonathan laughed.
"Of course Harry, Tilly would please take Harrys' coat" he asked of
the elf.
Harry removed his coat, folded it and handed it to the elf.
"Thank you Tilly" he said looking her in the eye causing the elf to
blush again.
"Please have a seat" Jonathan offered to which Harry accepted the
indicated chair.
The group sat in silence before it was broken by Ophelia.
"I just wanted to thank you Harry for helping me and Daphne the way
you did" she spke to the teen genuinely.
"You're welcome" he replied. "I was just in the right place at the right
time" he explained. "You haven't had any more trouble have you?"
he asked. "I have been keeping an eye on the alley but I can't be
there all the time" he added.
"Well there are very few who would intervene, almost anyone else
would turn a blind eye, so I am truly grateful" she responded with
another warm smile. "And no there hasn't been any other problems
thankfully" she finished.
"Yes I would like to thank you also Harry, if it wasn't for you then I
may have lost my wife and my daughter" Jonathan added with a look
of concern.
"I just did the right thing sir" Harry reiterated.
"Well then I'm grateful that you were there to do it aren't we
Daphne?" he said shooting his eldest daughter a look.
"Yes, thank you Potter" the girl replied somewhat coolly.
It was then that Tilly brought in the first course of dinner and the
group ate their soup in silence for a minute until Susan Davis broke
the silence.
"I must say Harry you are, er, very developed for a fifteen year old"
she pointed out.
"Mum" Tracey gasped horrified by her Mother's comment.
Harry just laughed.
"I had my magical maturity last year" he explained casually " and I
train a lot" he added.
"Really, already?" Ophelia asked with raised eyebrows. "How long
did it last?" she questioned further.
"Now dear, that is a very personal question to ask a young man"
Jonathan chided.
"It's ok sir" Harry replied chuckling. "It lasted 11 days" he informed
the lady.
He was suddenly startled by the sound of several spoons clattering
against bowls as the adult occupants at the table dropped the cutlery
they were holding.
"11 days?" Jonathan choked.
"What's the big deal?" Tracey asked unsubtly.
"The average wizard goes through their maturity between 17 and 21
years old" Jonathan explained. "And it usually last between 3-5 days,
the fact that Harry has already had his and it lasted that long makes
him quite the exceptional wizard" he concluded.
"His patronus is definitely impressive" Astoria piped in.
"And the bludgeoner he hit the Death Eater in the shop with was
very powerful" Ophelia added. "And the magic he used afterwards
too" she continued with a frown. "Where does a fifteen year old learn
such things?" she asked Harry.
"Out of necessity mostly" Harry answered a little dismissively.
Ophelia took the hint and changed the subject.
"What about your wand, that was the only thing I remembered about
you because you certainly didn't look like you do now" she said.
"You're not wearing a disguise now are you?" she questioned.
Harry chuckled.
"No it would be quite rude to wear a glamour now" he replied. "And
my wands" he said flicking the one in his wrist holster in to his hand
and summoning the other to his left hand, "are quite unique" he
pointed out with a frown.
"Two wands?" She questioned. "May I?" Ophelia asked holding out
her hand.
Harry nodded and handed her one of the wands keeping hold of the
other firmly.
"A back up is definitely useful" Harry said.
"It is beautiful" she said appraisingly. "What is it made from?" she
asked.
"White ash and Obsidian" Harry explained indicating the two
separate elements.
"What about the core?" she questioned further.
The teens at the table were paying rapt attention waiting for the
answer.
"Hungarian Horntail Heartstring and Golden Griffin claw" Harry
answered.
"Typical" Daphne mumbled.
"Basilisk venom and phoenix tears" he added ignoring the girl.
Jonathan let out a long, low whistle.
"That's quite a combination" he intoned. "I'm guessing that's why the
wood and the crystal are fused like that" he observed questioningly.
Harry just nodded in reply.
"Does it have basilisk venom because you killed one?" Astoria piped
up.
"Who told you that?" Harry asked suspiciously.
"Granger and Weasley" the girl replied with a shrug
"I didn't know you were friends" Harry replied with a frown. "It looks
like I'll have to have a word with them when I see them about
keeping their mouths shut" he added clearly annoyed by his friends.
"Wait a minute, killed a basilisk?" Ophelia asked with a raised
eyebrow.
"Yup, in our second year" Tracey cut in. "Someone opened the
chamber of secrets and Potter went in and killed it with a sword" she
told the adults who blanched.
"Surely that's not true Harry" Susan stated to which Harry sighed.
"I'm afraid it is" he replied. "But they shouldn't have told you that" he
added looking at Tracey. "And the reason I have the venom in my
wand is because it bit me and I have the venom in my blood" he
explained to Astoria.
"But you would be dead" Jonathan pointed out knowingly.
"It was healed by a phoenix, hence the phoenix tears" Harry
responded.
"You are quite the marvel" Ophelia acknowledged handing Harry
back his wand which he immediately replaced.
"I have heard that a few times" Harry replied with a chuckle.
Tilly brought in the second course of the meal and the table was
quiet again while the occupants ate.
"May I ask you something Harry?" Ophelia asked.
"Of course" Harry responded.
"You said that there is always some truth in rumours that day in the
shop, does that mean he is really back?" she asked a little nervously.
Harry noticed that everyone was watching him waiting to hear his
reply.
"He is" he answered simply.
"How?" Jonathan asked curiously.
"I know how but it is not something that should be discussed at
dinner" Harry advised. "It is very disgusting and a very dark and very
rare type of magic" he explained.
The group heeded the warning that the teen gave and carried on
eating.
"Why didn't you come back to school?" Tracey asked. "What have
you been doing all year?" she questioned further.
Harry looked at her calculatingly for a moment before he answered.
"The night I was kidnapped he thought he killed me and he still
thinks I'm dead" Harry explained. "And I have been training mostly
and hunting" he added.
"Then why are you here?" Daphne asked irritably.
"Well after tomorrow I won't be hiding anymore" Harry replied.
"Why tomorrow?" Tracey asked.
"Because I will be at the wizengamot meeting in the morning making
sure my godfather is set free and no doubt Lucius Malfoy and the
rest of his cronies will be there and will go running to tell his master"
Harry responded.
"But there isn't a meeting tomorrow" Jonathan pointed out looking
confused.
"An emergency one will be called" Harry assured him.
"And what do you mean your godfather?" Robert cut in.
"Sirius Black" Tracey whispered.
"They told you that too?" Harry asked to which Tracey nodded.
"Sirius Black is your Godfather?" Susan questioned with raised
eyebrows.
"Yes and he is innocent" Harry retorted firmly. "Peter Pettigrew is the
one who was my parent's secret keeper and he is the one who
helped bring him back" he added.
The adults were shocked at what they had just heard.
"That's what you meant by hunting, you were looking for Pettigrew"
Ophelia cut in knowingly.
"I caught up with him eventually" Harry explained. "He is now
currently sat waiting to be brought to trial tomorrow, that will be quite
the shock to Malfoy and his master" he added with a dark chuckle.
"The rat" Astoria interjected. "That's why you were at the village" she
stated.
"You're right" Harry confirmed with a nod.
"What are you going to do about You-Know-Who?" Tracey asked.
"Surely you could just run away if he thinks you're dead" she pointed
out.
"I'm going to kill him" Harry answered darkly his eyes lighting in a
gentle fury. "I'm not going to run from him, he killed my parents and
my grandfather" he growled.
"You can't be serious" Ophelia stated. "Regardless of how grown up
you look you are just a child" she said trying to appeal to the young
mans' sense of self preservation.
"I've never been a child, he took that away from me" Harry returned
quietly.
"The muggles" Astoria chimed in knowingly.
"Do you know everything?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Pretty much" the girl replied with a grin.
"What does she mean the muggles?" Jonathan questioned.
"Harry was raised by his aunt and uncle and they were horrible to
him" Astoria answered.
"And lets leave it at that" Harry interjected silently cursing his friends.
"You said he killed your grandfather?" Robert stated questioningly.
"Yeah he attacked him in the middle of the night and caught him with
a curse that killed him slowly, but my grandfather kicked his arse and
sent him running" Harry explained with a grin.
"I didn't know that" the other man replied. "In fact I don't know much
about your family at all" he added.
"What do you know?" Harry asked curiously.
"Your Grandfather was a Baron and he killed giants" Astoria piped up
with a smirk.
"That's general knowledge. The Potters have always been a
reserved family and very private" Jonathan explained.
"That's what Granger said" Astoria grumbled irritably.
"Well my family are famous for their fighting skills" Harry began. "And
fighting for people who can't fight and sticking up for people in need"
He explained giving Ophelia a look. "My family motto is: Honour Thy
Blood" he continued. "It means carrying on the family tradition of
standing against tyranny and doing the right thing, fighting the fights
for the people who need help". "I'm still learning about them but that
is the gist of it" he finished with a shrug.
"So you're going to fight You-Know-Who because that's what is
expected of you?" Daphne asked disbelievingly.
"No" Harry replied. "I'm going to fight him because I can't live my life
knowing he is out there, tearing families apart the way he did to
mine" he explained.
"Then you're an idiot and you're going to get yourself killed" Daphne
replied shaking her head.
"I didn't know you cared so much" Harry retorted.
"Like I care what you do" Daphne returned heatedly.
"Daphne" her mother hissed warningly to the girl.
"Well obviously he's going to get himself killed isn't he?" she asked
as though it was an obvious conclusion.
"I should already be dead" Harry mumbled bitterly.
"What was that?" Jonathan asked.
Harry sighed.
"What do you know about the night I was kidnapped?" he
questioned.
"Nothing much, just that Diggory got killed" Tracey shrugged.
"Well when I explain what happened you'll understand" Harry sighed.
He then went on to explain everything that happened that night and
actually found it to be therapeutic. The only detail he left out was the
fact that it was Arcturus who rescued him. By the time he was
finished the females at the table were crying except Daphne who
refused to let her guard down and the men were looking horrified.
"You got hit with another killing curse?" Jonathan asked
incredulously.
"Yeah I'm guessing that's what started my magical maturity early, my
body and magic need to be ready" he said with a shrug.
"And he really tortured you?" Astoria asked to which Harry just
nodded.
"And you still want to fight him?" Ophelia asked disbelievingly.
"I have to" Harry replied. "Who else do you know that will?" he
asked.
"What about Dumbledore?" Tracey asked.
"He's too old" Harry responded. "You saw how he struggled with the
Dementors" he pointed out.
"So the Gryffindor golden boy has to save the day as usual" Daphne
cut in in an annoyed tone.
"I didn't hear you complaining the other day" Harry retorted.
"Well I didn't ask you for your help" Daphne responded hotly.
"Because you were unconscious" Harry pointed out. "Would you
rather that I left you to the Dementor" he asked.
"Yes, then I wouldn't have to live with the shame of being rescued
by" She shouted and stormed from the room to the shock of the
other occupants.
"I'm sorry for my daughters behaviour" Jonathan apologised to Harry.
"I don't know what came over her" he added.
"It's ok" Harry assured the man.
"It's because she's embarrassed about what she said the other day"
Astoria chimed in. " About you having beautiful eyes" she explained
seeing Harry looking confused.
"Ahh" Harry said. "Then I should apologise, I didn't exactly help the
situation" he pointed out.
"No harm done Harry, she will get over it" Ophelia said shooting a
worried look at the door her daughter just left through.
"I guess I should go, I will be having an early start in the morning"
Harry explained. "I'm sure I will see you both there" he said to the
two men who nodded.
"I wouldn't miss it" Jonathan replied.
"Thank you for inviting me and it really was nice to meet you all
properly" Harry spoke while putting his coat on that Tilly had just
handed him.
"And you too Harry, see you in the morning" Jonathan replied
shaking the young mans' hand.
After a chorus of farewells Harry made his way out of the house and
apparated home, tomorrow was going to be a long day.
(BREAK)
Daphne left the room feeling furious, furious at herself. She had
been doing so well. She managed to keep her guard up even when
Potter smiled at her and she wanted to smile back, she managed to
keep control.
She entered her room and threw herself on to her bed and buried
her head in to the pillow and began to sob uncontrollably but she
couldn't figure out why. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so
angry or the effort to keep herself from crying when Potter explained
what had happened that night had finally caught up to her. It had
taken all of her willpower not to cry as the others had at what the boy
had gone through to the point that it actually made her heart ache.
She was mad at him for making her feel that way and was mad at
him for thinking that it was him that had to fight the dark lord. A part
of her wanted to hit the prat for thinking that way and the other part
just wanted to grab him and comfort him the way he had her after the
attack. No, she shook her head. She just wanted to hit him for being
a prat.
The teen was experiencing a maelstrom of emotions that she had
never felt before and it confused her. She was upset, angry and
confused all at the same time. She had tried to convince herself that
the feeling she had the other day for the boy had all been because of
the situation but the moment she saw him this evening she had a
desire to be held in those arms again, a feeling that she quickly
fought down. Try as she might she couldn't help but look at the boy
and imagine the things she promised she wouldn't dwell on and it
had finally gotten too much for her to the point that it frustrated and
angered her to the point that she lashed out, hoping that it would
make her feel better if she angered him the way she that she felt
angry.
What is so great about Harry Potter anyway?
He is handsome and caring. He is selfless and he gave her that
feeling of safety and comfort without even having to try. He gave her
that immediate feeling that left her awestruck and warm throughout
her entire being.
She shook her head again.
No. She could not have those feelings for him, it could never work,
could it? No it couldn't, he would never look twice at a snake.
Daphne resigned herself to the fact that she would just have to
ignore what she felt for the boy, it just wasn't to be. He was Harry
Potter, Gryffindor golden boy and he planned on fighting the dark
lord.
She was Daphne Greengrass, Slytherin. Someone who Harry Potter
would never look twice at.
Daphne Greengrass tried to be logical in her approach but even logic
made no sense. All she knew for sure was that the boy infuriated her
yet, she wanted him to hold her in his arms, even if it was just for
one more minute just so that she could feel that warmth and comfort
again and savour it, imprint it into her very soul so that she could
remember it for the rest of her life.