Shattered Dreams
Daphne walked through the dungeons with trepidation.
Surprisingly, December had been mostly quiet so far. Harry had continued to tutor her in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and she'd been steadily doing far better than in past years, even with Umbridge. The professor didn't hide her dislike of Daphne, but it wasn't comparable to her open hatred towards Harry.
Neither of them rose to her bait anymore though.
Daphne had also been taken out a few times by him, and even though they were smaller outings, the trips never failed to raise her spirits and recharge her from a draining week. They'd been to Edinburgh, throughout Dublin, and back to Bristol.
Today was the first day of the holiday break. It was also the first time that she'd put herself down to stay at the castle over the break. For her, it was a no-brainer. She wouldn't leave Harry lonely over Christmas, especially not their first one together. Spending Christmas and her birthday with her family would also be equally depressing.
On the other hand, Daphne was looking forward to her sixteenth birthday.
She'd not told her father about her decision, and that was the likely reason why she was now outside Professor Snape's office. The warm weight in her breast pocket shifted, a small black head peeking out of her robes. Daphne patted it reassuringly, taking a deep breath. It licked her finger, and she smiled down at it fondly.
Harry had insisted on being there. He didn't seem to trust her father, and she couldn't blame him for that. Initially, she'd resisted, saying that she could handle it herself, regardless of what her gut told her. It was as close to an argument as they'd ever come.
Already being in a bad mood after getting the letter that morning hadn't helped, but one sentence had immediately defused her.
"You aren't alone anymore, Daphne," he'd said
It made little sense for her pride to get in the way of their plans.
Glancing back down at her finger, she admired her emerald engagement ring once more, sighing as she rubbed it with her thumb. The gesture had quickly become soothing to her.
She'd not failed to notice the attention it got either; there were more than a few suspicious looks directed towards it from the girls in her year. It bothered her not, though, as they'd all kicked her to the curb when her father had turned her life upside down.
Now she'd gotten Harry, and they had nothing.
She almost wanted to slap herself for her previous thoughts.
Just because Daphne thought she could face her father alone, didn't mean she had to. Harry had even come up with a plan to only intervene if necessary, and that was why he was currently nestled in her robe pocket in cat form.
Bless him.
She knocked on the door as Harry jumped out of her robe pocket, seeming to melt into the long shadows around her.
It swung open, and Daphne walked in with her chin held high. Something furry brushed past her legs, hugging the darkened walls of Professor Snape's office. She averted her gaze, not wanting to give Harry away.
"Daughter," her father greeted coolly from where he sat. "I presume you have had some time to come to your senses?"
The narrowed, dark eyes staring at her nearly made Daphne flinch as she took a seat opposite him She now felt incredibly grateful that Harry was there. Her Head of House stood to her father's side, gazing at her with indifference, though she thought he looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"My senses?" she asked tonelessly. "I wish to spend the Yule break at Hogwarts this year with my betrothed. What is wrong with that?"
He didn't answer her question.
"You must break your betrothal contract with Potter. He gave you an out. You would be a fool not to use it."
"No," Daphne ground out, hiding her shaking hands in her robes.
She'd never openly opposed her father like this, and it felt terrifying.
"So you would miss Christmas and your birthday with your family for some boy?"
"Can you call yourself family?" she retorted. "What have you done for me?"
Her father's expression hardened, his frustration becoming visible.
"I raised you," he replied bluntly. "I financed your education, your upbringing, the clothes on your back, and much more."
Daphne heard a quiet, angry hiss from the shadows to her right. She couldn't blame him. Manipulation was her father's forte. Just years ago, she likely would've fallen for it.
Truth be told, she also wanted to spend her birthday as far away from the man as she could. It fell four days after Christmas, on the 29th of December.
Judging by the gleam in his eye after Harry had asked for the date, it would be one to look forward to.
"That isn't even the bare minimum," Daphne replied, raising her voice. "You can't just throw galleons at me and expect me to be grateful. Harry is more family to me than you are, especially seeing as we are now betrothed, and I will not break it off."
Daphne knew exactly what he wanted. Her breaking the contract would take away the reason for Harry's emancipation, and then both of them would be backed into a corner again.
Whilst she remained betrothed, her father also couldn't force her to do his bidding. It was a central theme of every betrothal contract, designed to avoid interference once signed. Otherwise, the purpose of the contracts would be easily invalidated.
"You were cared for, and that is more than enough," he insisted coldly. "Be grateful for what you have, you silly girl."
Her tone wavered as she responded, but Daphne didn't let it phase her.
"But you didn't love me. You never have and never will. I'm not even sure you like me, do you?" she pressed, her voice rising as she continued. "Mother probably lives in terror with you around, and I can't imagine what Astoria is going through, having to obey your orders and play her part! She's barely a THIRD YEAR! I SHOULD BE THANKFUL THAT YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AWAY FROM ME!"
By the time she finished, Daphne was on her feet, shouting, with hot tears flowing down her cheeks and a lump in her throat. She angrily brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face.
Her father stood in response, towering over her with a barely-concealed look of rage. Only the small wooden table in between the separated them.
"Your bitch of a mother couldn't even give me a real heir," he hissed, "and all I got for my troubles was an ungrateful whore of a daughter?"
Daphne gasped, rooted to the spot. She'd never expected to hear such a thing directly from her father, regardless of how he was, and it'd taken the air out of her lungs.
He took a step towards her, and she flinched back, bracing herself and shutting her eyes.
The slap never came.
There was a grunt, followed by a sickening crunch. Something thudded to the floor, and Daphne opened her eyes to see Harry standing in front of her. She didn't have to see his face to know that he was fuming. The air surrounding him felt electrically charged as if the slightest flare in temper might ignite it. Daphne could see his chest heaving from behind as he stared down at her father, who was sprawled out on the floor.
Oh no.
Professor Snape stood to the side with his wand out, his beady eyes surveying Harry and her father cautiously.
"I believe it would be best if we were to draw this meeting to a close, Lord Greengrass," her Head of House stated in a clipped tone. "The Wizengamot wouldn't want to hear about such matters within the school, would they?"
The man sat up, spitting out a glob of something red whilst glaring at Harry. His nose was bent at an unnatural angle.
"Resorting to muggle duelling now?" her father mocked, ignoring Professor Snape. "If not for your position as the Head of House Black, I'd have you sent to Azkaban for that. Shame, and to think we're in-laws to be…"
He turned his attention to her.
"And if not for that contract, I'd strike you from the family tree, daughter."
"As I see it, she's not the idiot with their nose plastered across their face," Harry retorted through gritted teeth.
He seemed to be making a great effort to restrain himself.
Rising, her father dusted himself off and retrieved his wand. He only paused to fix his nose, wincing as it snapped back into place. He didn't bother to clean the blood off his face, skirting around Harry towards the door.
"I offered you an out, daughter," he muttered as he grasped the handle. "You chose not to take it, and now you may as well kiss everything else goodbye. I no longer care enough."
"You never did," Daphne answered quietly as she sagged against Harry, who had come to her side and offered her an arm. "You're no father of mine, so don't call me daughter."
It hurt her to say, as she'd always held out a smidge of hope that her father would come around, but now that dream had been shattered.
"I'll get you for this, boy. Good riddance." he sneered at Harry, then turned his back to her and slammed the door.
"I believe it would be prudent of me to not question how you got here, Potter," Professor Snape drawled after a moment, walking to the door and pulling it back open. "I shall see that Lord Greengrass leaves the grounds. Try not to assault the heads of any other families before I return."
Daphne knew that Harry had taken a great risk with what he'd done, and she hoped that it didn't come back to bite him. He was afforded certain protections by his status as the Head of House Black and still being a student at Hogwarts. Whether that was enough to save him from whatever retaliation her father planned, she couldn't say. All she could do was hold out hope that they'd find a way through.
Once he'd left, she felt Harry tighten his hold on her.
"I knew your father was an asshole," Harry grumbled. "I guess I'll need to wait and see what the consequences are for that, but I can't deny that it wasn't satisfying."
"Language, Harry, and please be more careful," she scolded quietly as she turned to him, looking up and resting her chin against his chest.
"Did he slap you before?"
"Not often, no, just if I did something really bad," Daphne replied.
"He'll never lay a hand on you again, I swear it."
She didn't know how to reply to that, so she chose to stay quiet. His ardent support of her meant more than she could put into words, anyway.
"You're okay?" he asked gently.
Daphne mustered a small smile, despite her wet cheeks.
"I will be."
Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead. She felt a tingling sensation, shivering as warmth cascaded down from the point of contact. Her eyes fluttered closed as the sleeve of his robe came up, gently patting her cheeks dry. Daphne unconsciously widened her smile.
"The dimples return," he teased, poking her cheek.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Harry strode through the dungeons the following day, stewing. He gripped Daphne's hand tighter in his, annoyed that his plans for an otherwise quiet winter break with her were being interrupted.
There's always something, he thought wearily.
At least the castle was mostly empty, though more of his classmates had stayed behind than ever before. Davis was one of them.
"So you said Tracey wanted to meet with you? Do you think she has something to tell you?" Daphne questioned, tugging on his hand.
"I do," Harry replied, slowing down for her sake. "Last time, it was nothing good."
"Maybe she wants to wish us an early 'Merry Christmas'?" she asked. "Birthday wishes, even?"
Her remark helped to clear some of the red haze in his mind.
"I'm sure she does, Daphne," he responded, failing to hide a grin that tugged at his lips. "Do you think she'll bring chocolate, too?"
Daphne nodded vigorously.
"She'd better if she wants to take up our time like this, and if she wants me to forgive her."
"To be fair, she wanted to meet with me alone."
"Too bad," she said.
He'd told Daphne about the letter he'd received that morning, and she'd immediately asked to come. He wasn't one to deny her.
"Do you think you'll ever forgive her?"
"Maybe in time," Daphne replied neutrally. "I still can't get over what she did, and the decisions she made even with her circumstances. She'll need to earn it."
"She'll really have to earn it with me," Harry said, glancing over at Daphne. "What she did to you was terrible."
"It was," she admitted. "Even worse, though, was that she tried to steal you."
Harry snorted at that, recalling who had given the girl the order.
"A hopeless endeavour," he mumbled. "Malfoy is an idiot."
He saw Daphne wearing a smug look, and she squeezed his hand.
They found the empty classroom on the first floor that Davis had wanted to meet him in, with the door ajar.
Harry walked in first, spotting Davis sitting on top of a desk. Only her silhouette was visible, the gloomy winter sunlight casting long shadows across the room through opaque windows behind her.
"Davis," he acknowledged as he moved towards her. Daphne seemed to tense beside him.
When she looked up, Harry nearly gasped.
Her brown hair hung limply around her face, and her pale skin made the rings underneath her eyes more prominent than they already were.
"Hello," she answered softly, offering them a strained smile.
There was no other way for Harry to put it. The girl looked utterly defeated, and she made for a rather pathetic sight.
He closed and locked the door behind them.
"What did you want with Harry?" Daphne prompted sternly.
"Straight to business with you now, isn't it," she muttered. "I have something I need to tell him, but I guess it's appropriate that you're here."
"Why?" Harry interjected. "What's Daphne got to do with this?"
"I-" she started, but faltered, clenching her hands together on her lap tightly enough for the knuckles to turn white. It looked like she was fighting with herself, and her eyes were a little glazed over.
Strange, he thought.
"Speak, Tracey," Daphne prodded.
Harry could tell she was becoming more agitated by the second.
"You know how I was told to um… do that with Harry?" Davis asked tentatively, staring at the ground. "Well, now that I've failed, they want me to…"
"Get to the point," Daphne snapped.
It seemed that her patience had run out. He stroked a thumb over the back of her hand, trying to reassure her.
Given their history, Harry was worried about what Daphne saw in her former friend. It couldn't be anything good to prompt this reaction from her.
He saw the tension in her shoulders. The girl looked like she would shatter at any moment, yet seemed equally resigned to her fate.
"I was told to kill or be killed."
It was delivered in a whisper, yet her words filled the room.
"Who?" Harry demanded.
Her earlier words thrummed around his head. He didn't want to believe it.
"D-Daphne," she croaked, staring back at him. "They told me to kill her. I can't do it."
Harry stepped forward, pulling his wand out with record speed.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't stun you right now."
He wasn't willing to risk anything in a situation like this. These were the same people who'd taken Sirius from him half a year ago, and he couldn't lose Daphne, too. It would break him.
"Harry…"
Daphne's whisper caught his attention, and he saw the fear in her eyes as he glanced over.
Davis sunk to the floor, clutching her knees to her chest.
"They told me it was because of what you put in the betrothal contract," she mumbled, staring back at Harry with bloodshot eyes. "Lord Malfoy wanted to 'eliminate' Daphne first to stop her from getting everything from you and running off with it. My deadline is the 29th."
"My birthday?" Daphne asked quietly, her voice rough.
The other girl's response was interrupted by a deafening explosion.
Harry turned and immediately levelled his wand at the door. Or rather, where it used to be. His shield charm was not quick enough, and he raised his left arm, trying to protect his face from the incoming shower of wood splinters and stone. He winced as he felt something slice his cheek.
"-arry?" Harry?"
Daphne's frantic whisper came from behind him. His ears were still ringing, he could barely see through the dense cloud of dust and debris that now hung in the classroom. It stung at his eyes painfully.
"I'm okay," he whispered back, coughing violently as he inhaled. "You?"
He could barely hear himself speak.
"I'm fine."
The dull light struggled to penetrate through the thick cloud, but he could vaguely make out several shapes stepping in.
"Ever heard of a privacy charm, Davis? Potter?" A cold voice taunted.
He caught a glimpse of yellow, slicked-back hair and his stomach dropped. Not because of who it was, but rather what he thought this meant.
They were making their move already.
"Nott," Harry spoke through clenched teeth. He could still feel the stinging sensation on his cheek, and it was a struggle to breathe.
"Please don't," Davis whimpered from elsewhere in the room. "Please!"
"Quiet, you pathetic wretch," he hissed, stepping forward with the other silhouetted figures.
Harry let his shield drop and waved his wand through the air, only clearing the air directly in front of him.
"Do you have a death wish, Nott?"
Nott stopped, appearing to obey his command. Now that his face was visible, Harry was unsettled by the uncharacteristically cocky grin on the boy's face. He was flanked by Zabini and another boy on either side, and Harry recognised several other sixth and seventh-year Slytherins behind them. His wand remained trained on the other boy.
"A death wish, eh?" Nott repeated, looking amused. "By all means, go ahead and try. I'd love to see how it turns out for you."
"What do you mean?" he asked slowly, lowering his wand.
Nott looked like he was trying to stifle a laugh.
"Well," Nott began, "that might be true in a fair fight, I'll give you that. However, this is anything but. Just because you're handy with a wand doesn't mean you can't be outsmarted, regardless of what Malfoy might say. A little bit of cunning, Potter, is all it takes."
Outsmarted? He wondered.
"You've got to be a special brand of stupid to pull something like this," Harry remarked. "Why would you take matters into your own hands?"
They were outnumbered at least two-to-one, there was no doubt. It didn't help that his lungs felt like they were full of sawdust, either.
"It's funny that you think you're in a place to question me," Nott replied, cocking his head. "Unlike you, I don't go barging into empty classrooms without preparing. I'd wager that if you tried to cast a dangerous spell in here, you'd discover just how good Avery here is with his warding. Maybe I should've let you, but then we wouldn't be having this conversation, either. Malfoy is too complacent — you should be dealt with, and now."
"You're a fool, Potter," one of the taller figures taunted from behind the boy, prompting sniggers from the rest.
It suddenly hit him just how careless he'd been. No detection spells on the classroom, and the wards must've been placed skilfully enough to not even feel them upon passing through. He'd not thought to, with most of the students being gone for the holidays.
Harry realised that his foolishness had also placed Daphne in unimaginable danger. He refused to go down without a fight.
"A trap?" he asked quietly, staring impassively at the blond boy. "Did Davis set this up?"
"She did," Nott confirmed, still wearing his infuriating grin and ignoring another gasp from Davis, "not that she knew what she was doing. You did receive her letter after all, did you not?"
He only nodded in response.
"I'm not that obtuse, you silly girl," he sneered, looking past Harry once more. "I knew that you didn't dare to do what you needed to do. After leaving that letter out for you to conveniently discover, it was expected that you would rat us out to Potter. We already suspected as much. That let me know that you had to go at once, regardless of what Malfoy thought. What better way to do it than this? Three birds, one stone. All it took was a simple Confundus charm to ensure that you specified this room to meet in."
Another sob came from behind him.
"What now, then?"
"You don't expect us to just let you waddle on out of here, do you, Potter?" Nott asked. "I'd hope that you at least have the intellect required to realise what we're here for. No professor is coming to save you either, as they're unfortunately enjoying a healthy dose of sleeping draught."
"Spell it out. I want to hear it."
He received another amused look from the boy.
"An understandable last wish…" Nott drawled. "Well, the girls are to be erased from the picture, and you are to be captured and taken to the Dark Lord. Some… prophecy, that you may be familiar with. Satisfied?"
As Nott spoke, Harry felt a trembling palm touch his back.
Daphne…
He hoped that her frame was small enough to hide her from view. The rest of the classroom was still shrouded in dust and soot, so she had a chance. It was beyond him why Nott was suddenly running his mouth. Still, he wouldn't turn down a prime source of information and an opportunity to stall for Daphne.
She was muttering something quietly, even as she struggled to breathe. The air behind him still hadn't been cleared, but rather seemed to be thickening. He suspected that she had something to do with it.
Then there were Avery's wards, which Harry could feel now that he had been made conscious of them. They seemed to press on his senses lightly, constantly reminding him of their presence. He didn't even want to know how the boy had been able to get past the Hogwarts wards in order to place them.
"I thought you'd come to your senses after the thrashing I gave you last time, Nott," Harry commented lightly. "Of course, you can't help but gloat with that inflated ego of yours. Maybe you should've gone to Gryffindor?"
Nott's expression turned sour.
"A house of mudbloods, blood-traitors and idiots. I suspect the three of you would be more suited to it. Particularly that Greengrass bitch."
Harry felt his blood boiling at the disrespect the other boy was showing towards Daphne but somehow managed to reign his anger in. Daphne seemed to have something in mind.
An escape route?
He desperately hoped so.
"Better than being a Slytherin," Harry shrugged. "Apparently they allow magical creatures into that house these days. Those trolls behind you are enough evidence, I'd think, and you might find one if you happened to look in a mirror, too."
It seemed that he'd struck a nerve, with some of the boys having shifted from smirking at him to glaring daggers. Nott looked murderous
Ah, someone's insecure.
"Hilarious, Potter. You're truly a comedic genius. Shall we get this over with?"
"On three, Harry," Daphne whispered from behind him.
Harry trusted Daphne's judgement immensely, though he wasn't quite sure what she had in mind. She wasn't the type to take the lead often, but when she did, he knew he would follow without question. Even now, when he was effectively placing his life in her hands, he knew that she would cradle it with care, like a precious object. The realisation provided him with an unmatched sense of security, sweeping through his mind and clearing it of errant thought.
He tried to bob his head as subtly as he could.
"Over with?" Harry replied blankly.
"One."
"You're thicker than I had anticipated," Nott retorted, rolling his eyes. "On second thought, I might take a look at what's inside that dense head of yours first."
"Two."
"And how will you do that?" he responded warily.
The other boy cocked his head, surveying him coldly.
"I wonder," he muttered sarcastically. "Legilimens!"
"Three!"
It became apparent that Nott had been somewhat shortsighted in both revealing the nature of the wards placed on the classroom, as well as where his group had chosen to stand. Daphne's wand came up under his arm just as he wrenched his eyes away from Nott's.
"Depulso! Accio!"
Her spells came in such quick succession that their opponents had no time to react. The thick cloud of dust behind them rushed past him, staggering the group and causing a few of them to begin coughing. A half-second later, the large chalkboard at the front of the room was wrenched off the wall and crashed into them. He saw at least a few of the boys suddenly go limp from the force of the impact, like puppets with their strings cut.
Harry realised what she was doing and quickly levitated a table, sending it careening towards Nott and Zabini, who'd both had enough time to avoid the chalkboard. He had to duck a sickly purple spell from one of them at the same time.
If only I could give you a taste of your own medicine.
Daphne tugged on his left hand.
"The door!" she whispered, throwing another desk and chair towards the group. A muffled groan came from beneath the chalkboard.
He moved with her along the wall, seeing his table catch Nott on the shoulder and send him spinning.
Amateurs, he thought as he sent a banishing charm towards Zabini. What were they thinking? That we're completely stupid?
Harry tugged Daphne to a halt as none of them made to rise, either because they had admitted defeat or were knocked out, the murky cloud that Daphne had sent their way covering them like a blanket. There was one exception, however.
Nott sprang to his feet again, his wand levelled at him.
"You'll not get out of this so easily, Potter", he snarled, sending a piercing hex his way.
Conjuring a shield, Harry allowed the spell to splash against it, before chaining together a dancing jinx, tongue-tying curse and another banishing charm.
Harry found it hard to concentrate on using only spells that he didn't think would trigger the wards. Were he not so preoccupied with carefully thinking up non-violent curses and jinxes, he likely would've already put the other boy down. If he slipped up, his death would undoubtedly be unpleasant.
At the same time, Daphne threw another table at Nott. Somehow, he managed to avoid all of them by ducking and shielding himself.
He's better than I thought, I'll give him that, Harry thought, dodging a cutting curse.
He was about to retaliate when he heard a manic laugh from the back of the room, and his heart stopped. Daphne froze beside him.
Tracey.
He'd nearly forgotten about her in the chaos that had ensued.
"You bastard! LEAVE THEM ALONE!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "Confring-"
"Tracey, no!" Daphne shouted as she saw the girl twirl her wand.
In the blink of an eye, Harry wordlessly disarmed the both of them. He aimed for Tracey first, and whilst her wand zoomed towards him, he caught off-guard Nott as well, who seemed to have been distracted for a split second by Tracey's outburst. Both wands clattered to the floor by his feet. Having braced himself, Harry looked up and saw that the two were both frozen, staring down at their empty hands.
Snapping to action once more, Harry simply banished Nott into the wall. The boy didn't stir again.
Just in time, he realised as he turned to the girl in the back of the classroom.
"Tracey…" Harry muttered.
She was still standing and hadn't seized up by the looks of things. He breathed a sigh of relief. Her spell hadn't been cast. She'd been one letter away from a likely gruesome end. By the look on her face, she seemed to have had an idea of what she'd done.
The girl seemed to fold in on herself, staring at her feet.
"I wouldn't have minded if that was how it ended," Tracey muttered in a small voice. "I'm so sorry for what I've done."
Daphne raced towards her and enveloped her in a hug, sobbing.
"We'll be here for you," she said. "There's no reason to throw your life away like that. You should always have hope."
After casting a few subtle spells on Tracey from a distance to ensure that she didn't have anything to harm Daphne with, Harry turned away. With a summoning charm, the Slytherins' wands all flew into his waiting hand. He grimaced as he snapped them, dropping the broken pieces onto the stone floor beside the other two wands. Even if their wielders deserved much worse, Harry felt a measure of guilt at breaking them. They hadn't done anything explicitly wrong beyond serving their owners.
Yet, it was the way of the world. Harry touched a hand to his cheek as he contemplated Tracey, prodding at the light laceration from earlier.
He felt even worse about how coolly he'd treated her. The girl was clearly in a terrible predicament, even if she'd done some distasteful things. He'd try to make it up to her.
Above all, they needed to leave. As soon as possible.
Hogwarts was no longer safe.