Daphne's Gift

"RRAAAAAAUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!"

The blood-curdling screams, horrifying to all but the most hardened of hearts, echoed in the empty Manor. These same screams might have been heard across the countryside...were it not for the powerful wards lain upon the Manor and surrounding grounds. Wards lain by the illegitimate son of the Manor's last master. But they were heard by the coward who betrayed his friends to save his hide—the coward who was now in service to a master both ruthless and cruel.

"Master! What's wrong!?"

Pettigrew was prepared to say more, but he barely had time to do so, as the sickly green light of the Killing Curse came flying at him. Only his increasingly short luck meant his master deliberately missed, aiming for the top of the doorframe into his room, rather than directly at the pudgy rat-faced man. As the wooden frame shattered above him, raining chunks of rotting wood on his trembling form, the coward looked at his master with apprehension.

"M-m-master??"

"SILENCE WORMTAIL! RRGGHH! Ready the potion, NOW!"

As his cowardly servant rushed to fulfill his orders, the mangled body known as Voldemort sat and pondered the meaning of this latest development, even as fresh pain tore through his body.

'ARGH, damn that mudblood witch! Even from beyond the grave, Lily Potter seeks her revenge and manages to torment me. Old Magics, what a fool I was not to see them coming. But why-RGH! But why now? A side-effect of the Tournament? This pain, it's been growing ever since this damned Tournament began. If only I could- ARGH! If only there were a way for me to block out this pain! Even if it wasn't agonizing, though far less than what awaits her son, it's been degrading this body! I need to adjust the recipe before it crumbles into nothingness!'

"AAUUUGGH! WORMTAIL! HURRY UP!"

'I don't know what you're doing now, Potter, but enjoy it while you can. You cannot imagine what awaits you at the end of this Tournament. And soon, Lord Voldemort will return. Not even that fool Dumbledore will stop me!'

"RRRAAAAGGGGHHH!"

In Hogwarts, as the Yule Ball continued, two students sat in the courtyard of the ancient castle. One, a muggle-born witch with a brilliant mind, and the other a half-blood wizard unfortunate enough to be chosen of prophecy. But right now, that mattered so little to either of them. Right now, sitting beneath the midwinter moon, surrounded by ice sculptures, and illuminated by enchanted flames, they were simply two young souls who had finally found love.

"You don't know how long I've waited for you to do that, Harry."

"I can't believe I waited that long to do it."

Smiling at each other, each proud of the other, and themselves, for taking the chance, the pair leaned in to kiss again. Here, there were no Dark Lords to contend with, no Tournaments to prepare for, only them and the love they felt for each other.

"Hermione...will you be my girlfriend?"

"Harry, I'd love to be your girlfriend."

And she proved it by kissing him again. Time had no meaning for this pair, as it served only to distract them from what was in the here and now. The two of them, content in each other's company, could have sat there all night long, as they only had eyes for each other. But their moment was interrupted, not by clumsy students, or by overly vigilant teachers, but by the sound of a whining dog.

Looking towards the source of the noise, and found themselves surprised by the sight of a large black dog approaching them.

"Padfoot!?" Harry whispered, shocked by the presence of his godfather, but grateful he had the sense not to parade around in his human form. Andromeda might be pushing for his trial, but he still had the Kiss On Sight order to contend with.

The mutt in question, however, rather than look abashed at getting caught, simply wagged his tail, and woofed softly at them. Reaching his godson and his now-girlfriend, the animagus rested his head on Harry's knee, giving him a look that would have made a stone softer than butter. Unable to resist the look, Harry reluctantly began scratching the dog behind his ears, leading to further tail-wagging, as Hermione moved to follow suit.

"What are you doing here?" Harry softly asked, careful not to raise his voice. Before Sirius could respond, the trio heard the sounds of doors being opened rather forcefully. Startled by the sound, Harry hurriedly whispered "Hide!" to his godfather.

As fortune would have it, Sirius listened, ducking in between the sculptures and foliage, while Hermione and Harry looked toward the source of the sound. There, walking into the courtyard, was Snape and Karkaroff. The pair were so distracted by their seemingly animated conversation, that neither of them noticed the presence of two students. This worked to Harry's advantage, as he pulled Hermione behind one of the dragon sculptures, and put his finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet. Nodding her head, Hermione craned her neck, hoping to hear better, as they listened to the most disliked professor in Hogwarts and the 'former' Death Eater.

"It's happening again! Like before!" Karkaroff's tone was urgent, and the pair could hear the panic in his voice.

"Keep your voice down." Snape, by contrast, was as dry as ever. Whatever they were discussing was either meaningless to him, or he was simply in control of his emotions.

"You can't deny it, Severus! You know-"

"I told you already, Igor, I have neither the reason nor the desire, to discuss it."

"No reas-?! The Mark is growing dark again! It's a sign, Severus!"

Harry looked at Hermione, his eyebrow raised in confusion. In response, she quietly mouthed 'later' promising answers to his questions.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? Then I don't suppose you'd mind rolling up your sleeve?"

That got Harry's attention, and he turned sharply to Hermione. Hermione, by contrast, looked shocked at that, and only repeated her prior action of 'later'.

"You can't keep playing pretend, Severus! He's coming back! You know that as well as I!"

"I will not run, Igor. I've told you that already. If you wish to flee, then you will do it on your own."

That seemed the end of it, as Snape and Karkaroff left the courtyard. Emerging from their hiding place, Harry and Hermione shared brief looks of confusion, before turning to the sound of Padfoot emerging from one of the bushes. Seeing that he had his godson's attention, he motioned with his head they should follow him, and Padfoot took off for the Hogwarts grounds.

Stepping out of the courtyard, and into the Hogwarts grounds proper, Harry was momentarily stunned by the beauty on display. A blanket of snow, clear and glittering, like a thousand tiny diamonds, awaited them. Like islands in a sea of white, Christmas trees with house-coloured ornaments hanging off them were dotting this magnificent expanse. Bushes, decorated with ribbons and garlands of holly, clustered around the trees, while crystalline lamps with enchanted flames, offered comfort and warmth to those who might fancy a stroll in this majestic winter wonderland.

Padfoot, however, was determined to lead them away from it. Wasting no time with subtlety, Padfoot was treading a path directly into the Forbidden Forest. Hermione, still wearing dancing shoes, struggled to keep pace with the quick-paced pooch. So much so that Harry, ever the gentleman, began carrying her bridal style to keep pace. The glow in her cheeks might have been from embarrassment, but she offered no resistance, so Harry was willing to chalk it up to the cold.

Finally, when past Hagrid's Hut and after finding a clearing deep enough in the Forest to be out of sight of the castle, Padfoot stopped running and changed back into Sirius. Setting Hermione down, and clearing a few rocks of snow, Harry noticed his godfather had changed outfits. Rather than the tattered black robes he'd been wearing in the cave, now he was wearing brand-new robes of a deep crimson with gold trim. Very Gryffindor, and from the looks of it, very warm, as he showed no signs of being bothered by the cold.

"Merry Christmas, pup."

"Merry Christmas, Sirius. I see Andy got you your Christmas gift."

"Yes, thank you Harry, and be sure to tell Andy 'thanks' for me. She always did have good taste." His smile faded after he finished. "But, I didn't bring you here just to talk fashion."

"I would hope so." Hermione, seated next to Harry, had regained her voice after her initial embarrassment. "Why are you here, Sirius? You know it's risky to come to the school, especially with the Kiss On Sight order still in effect."

Sirius smirked at Hermione in response. "True, but James and Lily would have moved heaven and earth to see Harry's first Yule Ball. Given that, I felt I should at the very least try and pop in, to see the festivities. But, after what we just heard, I think we need to talk."

"What was Karkaroff saying, 'The Mark is growing dark again'? What does that mean?"

"I told you how Karkaroff was a Death Eater, right?" Harry nodded at Sirius' question. "Well, old Moldyshorts gave each of his Death Eaters the Dark Mark. Think of it like a magical tattoo, one that signified where their loyalties lie. Apparently, after what happened in Godric's Hollow, the Mark faded on the surviving Death Eaters. It was still present, and naturally, none of them ever tried removing it, but faded all the same. If it's getting dark again, that can only mean one thing."

"Voldemort is getting ready to return," Harry stated matter-of-factly. "But...why was he trying to get Snape to roll up his sleeve?"

"Harry, the Dark Mark is a tattoo...on the forearm."

Sirius' words made Harry's blood freeze. A tattoo...on their forearm. All this time, he'd been taught potions...by a Death Eater. Then, his blood began to boil with unimaginable rage. All this time, one of the 'people' his parents had fought against, a servant of Voldemort, his enemy, had been right in front of him! Now it made sense. Snape...no, Snivellus, trying to get Sirius Kissed by a Dementor, while he, Hermione, and Ron, had tried telling the Minister Pettigrew was alive. Snivellus was protecting one of his old buddies.

He might have even known the rat was alive and well this whole bloody time!

Rising from his seat, Harry instinctively reached into his robes to grab his wand, Andromeda drilling into him the virtue of never going anywhere without it. The greasy dungeon bat would pay for what he had done! He would storm back to Hogwarts, and get his answers! Even if he had to do it in the damned Great Hall!

But before he could go anywhere, he felt a pair of hands pulling him back down. Looking at the source, he looked Hermione in the eyes and could see the resolve behind them. No matter how hard he tried, she wouldn't let him do what she knew he was thinking. She would keep him out of trouble, as best as she could all things considered, even if she had to Sticking Charm him to the rock overnight.

Slowly, her comforting presence soothed his rage, and he felt his anger fade, now feeling calm and collected.

"Yeah, that was my reaction when I learned he was teaching here." Sirius attempted to deflate the tension with some light humour, but his face showed his true thoughts.

"What is Dumbledore thinking having a Death Eater teach!? Better yet, why is a Death Eater the Head of House for Slytherin!? Is he trying to help Voldemort!?"

"Harry!" Despite her shared disbelief at Snape, not Professor Snape, being a Death Eater, she was shocked at Harry's words. Dumbledore might have his faults, true, but even he wouldn't do something so risky...right?

"Trust me, Hermione, this tame compared to what I thought." Wanting to prevent an argument between his godson and his girlfriend, Sirius returned Harry's attention to himself.

"But...why?? Karkaroff's bad enough, but he's the Headmaster of another school, so it's out of his hands. But why the bloody hell would he hire one?"

"From what I've learned, our greasy... well, greasy switched sides during the War and acted as a spy for Dumbledore and the Order. As near as I can figure, it's to keep an eye on him. At least, I hope that's the reason."

"The Order?" Harry's anger and frustration were replaced with confusion, having never heard of this 'Order.'

"The Order of the Phoenix, a group Dumbledore formed to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters when the Ministry can't, or won't fight them. Me, Moony, your parents, even Wormtail, we were all part of it."

"Harry, please don't go picking a fight with Snape. I don't like him much either, but I don't want you getting in trouble over him."

Harry looked at Hermione, briefly, before sighing in resignation.

"Alright, Hermione. I'll leave it alone. But if he decides to start something, I won't hold back."

"Sounds like a plan, pup. But what's this I hear about you two?" Sirius couldn't fight the grin on his face as their faces went red. "Something about, boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"I...I asked Hermione to be my girlfriend. She said yes. Is there...anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"I would have thought you two were already dating. After all, you seemed so well coordinated when you came to rescue me."

Before Harry could speak, tell Sirius that they weren't dating then, Hermione answered.

"That night...was the night I fell for Harry." The boy in question turned to look at her. "When we rode Buckbeak...I wasn't afraid of flying...because I was with Harry. That was when I knew...that I was in love with him."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, at least it didn't take you too long to realize you two were perfect for each other. James spent most of his time here trying to impress Lily."

"I...I...we...um..." Harry was turning brighter red than the Gryffindor common room. His blush grew so pronounced Sirius started laughing. When he calmed down, he continued.

"I'm proud of you, Harry. I know James would be too. And Hermione, Lily would have loved you to bits. So long as you two are happy together, I know they'll rest easy."

"Thank you, Sirius." Harry's words were quiet but sincere. Hermione, in response, simply wrapped her arms around him in another hug. On this cold night, it warmed him better than the fireplace in the common room.

"You two should get back to the castle before anyone starts wondering where you are." Sirius rose from his seat, with Harry and Hermione following his example. Wrapping Harry in a hug, he continued, "Give Andy my love, and write me whenever you can."

"I will, Sirius."

After a hug from Hermione, Sirius turned into his animagus form and disappeared into the night. Walking back to the castle, the couple took it slow, so Hermione could walk without problems. With their steady pace, the night grew silent, as though they were alone in this winter wonderland. As they went back to the courtyard, aiming to return to the Great Hall for one more dance, Harry wondered what could be-

"Mr.Potter."

The suddenness of the words made Harry jump, instinctively grabbing his wand as he whipped around to see who it was. Internally, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Professor Moody, not someone like Snivellus.

"Hmph. Good instincts, lad, going right for the wand. But get yourself a proper holster, saves time on the draw. Course, if I was a real threat, I wouldn't have called out to you."

"Right. Uh...sorry."

"Don't apologize for good thinking. That'll get you killed in the long run. And Ms.Granger, good to see you."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I trust you two have been enjoying the Ball?"

"Yes sir. It's a beautiful night, and I couldn't have asked for a better date." Harry was trying to be humble, but the joy he felt bled through, as Hermione blushed.

"Good lad, but remember, you still have a Tournament to worry about. Any luck with that egg?"

"Yes sir, I've already deciphered the clue, and I'm working on a strategy for it."

If Alastor was surprised by this, he didn't let it show. "Good lad. Make use of the time you've got properly. No telling what these idiots have cooked up."

"Understood."

"Well, that's all I've got. I'll let you two get on with your night. Oh and, Mr.Potter, 20 points to Gryffindor, but remember CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

With that, the grizzled ex-Auror turned and walked away.

"Did...did he give you points for figuring out the clue already, or for pulling your wand on him?"

"Can't it be both?"

With the two perplexed/mystified by their latest Defence teacher, the pair went back into the castle proper. On the way, Harry noticed Daphne Greengrass approaching them with Tracey Davis.

"Potter. Granger." The infamous Ice Queen, dressed in a beautiful green gown, greeted them, though her words were not as cold as Harry had expected. Whether this was because of a newfound appreciation for the two Gryffindors, or simply the lack of witnesses, he couldn't guess.

"Hello, Daphne, Tracey."

"Hey." Tracey simply waved at Harry's words.

"I trust you two have been enjoying yourselves?"

"Absolutely. Harry's been a wonderful date and is a fantastic dancer. But who did you come with, Daphne?"

"No one, Hermione. The handful I might have gone with asked someone else, and the ones who asked were lucky I only turned them down."

Tracey chuckled. "Pucey was the worst of them. The idiot tried asking her three times before she gave him her trademark threat."

Harry snorted at that. "I'm pretty sure he asked Fleur at least twice too."

Hermione chimed in. "Oh he did, and I admire your restraint, Daphne. The first time was in the library, and she turned him down flat. The second was in a hallway, and she cast a charm that left him with ears the size of a Quaffle. Kept losing his balance because of them."

The four of them laughed at the image of the idiot Adrian with such oversized ears, stumbling around from the added weight. But before they could continue, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Do you want to head into the Hall? There's something I've been meaning to talk to Daphne about."

Hermione blinked at that. "Uhm...sure. I'll see how Lavender and Ron are doing."

Accepting a kiss on the cheek from Harry, she went on ahead, leaving Harry with the two Slytherin witches.

"You two seem comfortable with each other."

"Is that a problem, Greengrass?"

"Not at all. My family might be purebloods, but unlike that git Malfoy, my father raised my sister and me to see past a person's blood status. In any event, you wanted to talk?"

"I did. Mainly, I wanted to thank you for that book you got me. Without it, I highly doubt things would be going so well for me this year."

Daphne blinked in surprise. "My pleasure, Harry. I'll admit, most of the purebloods, myself included, were surprised by you. You've never acted like the Heir to a Noble House, even one traditionally aligned with the Light."

"Like I said, I didn't know magic existed until I received my Hogwarts letter. My relatives, who are about as pleasant as the Malfoys, tried burning my letters. Things got so bad that Hagrid himself had to deliver it in person."

"Hagrid? He wasn't a teacher then. Why would he be the one to visit you, rather than McGonagall?" Tracey was surprised by this information.

"Well, he had another task to complete that day as well. Maybe McGonagall was otherwise preoccupied."

Daphne looked thoughtful at that. "Curious. Well, in any event, I am glad things have been going so well for you. If you ever need any assistance dealing with the formalities expected of you, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Daphne. And if you ever need someone to make Malfoy miserable, you know where to find me."

Daphne smirked while Tracey laughed. "I'll be sure to remember that. Goodnight."

As the witches departed for the dungeons, Harry made his way to the Great Hall, and quickly sight of Hermione, sitting with Ron, Lavender, Neville, and Ginny, along with the twins and their dates. Making his way over to them, he was surprised when she quickly pulled him to the dance floor for one more slow dance.

"So, is everything all right?"

"Of course. I just wanted to thank Daphne for some good advice she gave me earlier. And to let her know if she wanted help making Malfoy miserable, she knew where to find me."

Hermione chuckled. "Good to know. I'm glad I don't have to worry about other girls."

"Other girls? You mean some other girls would have gone to the Ball with me?"

"Plenty. And I know I'll be answering all kinds of questions from girls who had their eyes on you."

"Well, too bad for them." Harry lifted Hermione's chin, looking her in the eye. "Because you're the only girl I have eyes for."

Hermione didn't respond. She simply smiled and rested her head on his chest. Whatever else this year could throw at them, they had each other. No one could take that from them.

Miles away, hidden in the mountains of Wales, stood a castle older even than Hogwarts. It was a massive structure, a true testament to the power and wealth of the family that had called it home for centuries. This, was Potter Castle, and in its glory days, it had served as the seat of power for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, housing a small army that had been led by some of the most powerful wizards in the history of the Isles. Here, the black banner of the Potters, with the roaring blood-red dragon, still flew as proud as the day the castle had first been finished.

Now, it was occupied by the elves of that family. Within, Gnarl, Chief House Elf for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter, watched his master through a mirror that allowed him to see and hear everything that his master did, so long as he wore the amulet he had given him earlier in the year. And he did.

Of course, this also meant that every house-elf who could, had insisted he move the mirror to the Hall of the Castle, so they had room to watch their master at the Yule Ball.  With no other option, and after being swayed by the promise of smoked beetle being served, he did just that and had spent the last few hours listening to them coo as the night unfolded. The elves who had been assigned to serve Lady Lily, may she rest in peace, were thrilled to see who the 'future Lady Potter' was, and couldn't wait to properly meet her.

Of course, Quaver nearly ruined the mood by singing, but the other elves had convinced him not to interrupt their moment...by blasting him with enough force we nearly went through a stone wall. That didn't stop the resilient house-elf from popping back into his seat to watch the rest of the night. And swipe some smoked beetle from the elves who blasted him.

But of all the elves, only Gnarl had been keeping quiet. Because the information he had learned meant he could better serve the House of Potter. And this information would prove invaluable.

'So, the Dark Mark is getting dark again. That means Voldemort is getting stronger the closer we get to the end. But how did he even survive? Hmm...I'll have to talk to Mortis about that. If there's something in the library, he'll be able to find it.'

But that was for the future. For now, he would simply sit back, and enjoy the show. And collect the candied slugs he'd won that night. Seriously, why did they insist on taking that bet against him? He hadn't had a loss in 300 years, he wasn't going to start now.