Chapter Text
This was gonna be a oneshot but dangit I love this too much. So yeah. This is gonna be a Harry x Daphne fic, starting platonic and developing as things go on.
Obvs nothing belongs to me. All of Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
(Forgot to note that in terms of timeline this is advanced by 10 years, soz for forgetting. Plot events will still happen in the right order, but technically it is 2003, not 1993.)
Potential CW for confronting friends, but otherwise this is pretty positive and fluffy.
~~~~~Harry~~~~~
"Potter? What are you doing here?" An incredulous voice asked from behind Harry, and he whirled around to see a girl with long, straight pale blonde hair and wearing muggle clothes - some ripped black jeans and a graphic tee for a band called 'Black Sabbath'. He recognized her as Daphne Greengrass, probably one of the only Slytherins in his year who didn't follow Malfoy like a lemming. She was also fairly tall, which of course made her practically tower over Harry.
"Er… Never got my Hogsmeade slip signed. Just as well, anyway, with Black on the loose. Or so Hermione tells me." He answered stiffly, idly rubbing his right arm with his left. He never knew how to talk to anyone other than Ron and Hermione, and even then he usually just let them talk and mostly soundboarded.
She nodded in understanding, "Makes sense, I guess."
"Er… What about you? I'd have thought…" he trailed off, realizing he wasn't sure what he had thought.
She arched an eyebrow, "What, that I'd be with Malfoy and his cronies? No thanks. I get enough of them in the Common Room. No, I chose to stay behind. I've seen Hogsmeade before, and it's hardly impressive unless you're not used to the magical world."
Harry was kind of surprised at that answer, but supposed it made sense. Daphne probably had a lot of privileges, so of course she'd be used to stuff like that. "Er, right. Well, I was going to just… um, study."
She chuckled, "Well, I don't recommend using your Commons, then. Don't think I haven't noticed how Weasley and the other 2nd years fawn over you. You'd never get any studying done there. How about you join me in the library?"
Harry's eyebrows shot up at the invitation, "Er, you-you mean… um, you sure?" He had been about to ask if she didn't hate him because he was Gryffindor, but thought better of it. She was the only one who was indifferent towards him at worst, and the invitation itself made it clear she didn't hate him.
Daphne gave a light laugh in response, and Harry flushed, "I wouldn't have invited you if I wasn't sure, Potter. Come on." She offered her hand to him, and after a moment of hesitation, he accepted.
She then led him away from the hall and towards the library, though despite her much longer legs she adjusted her stride so he wouldn't struggle. Not for the first time Harry realized she was really… regal was the only way he could put it. She wasn't as big on all the manners and was more straightforward than the other Slytherins, but her posture, the way she carried herself, her appearance. She was… well, impressive.
"So what work do you have left?" She asked, a slight smirk on her face.
"Er, just the essay for Charms and the reading for Transfiguration. Everything else is mostly done. Hermione's been having me stay on-track. Oh, and I guess some Divination work." He replied, flushed. He finally realized it was a bit odd that she'd grabbed his hand.
"Well, I can't help with Divination - I chose Runes, Care and Arithmancy - but the other two shouldn't be too hard. I finished those the other night." Her answer was quite lighthearted, and Harry found himself smiling in spite of his awkwardness. She really was pretty nice.
"Uh… thanks." He managed as they arrived at the Library, he'd thought she'd let his hand go, but instead she held on tight and opened the door, so they entered together. A few moments later they arrived at one of the tables and she placed her bag down, and Harry did the same.
She then finally let go of his hand, but before he could sit down she pulled a seat out for him, to which he stammered, "Er, um- uh, isn't that- well, shouldn't I-?" He gestured a bit helplessly at the seat she'd set her own bag down at.
Daphne seemed to fight back a smile, and then giggled, "Come on, Potter. It's just a seat." And he flushed, before eventually he smiled as well. Her laugh was infectious, he couldn't stop himself.
Surrendering, Harry sat down, and Daphne sat next to him. Now that they were so close, he couldn't help but notice she smelled like ginger and cedar, and he absently remembered Parvati and Lavender talking about perfume and cologne once. Inwardly he was thankful he'd at least showered well that morning, even if the Twins often complained that Harry never seemed to have B.O. even after a Quidditch match.
He pulled out the roll of parchment he'd started his Charms essay on, and saw Daphne had pulled out a textbook on Healing Magic. Considering he'd never looked much into it, Harry found himself curious.
"Healing Magic? Were you thinking of becoming a Healer someday?" He asked, gesturing to the book she had.
Daphne raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Yeah, actually. I do really well in Potions, and Healing Magic is pretty interesting. Lots of ways to help people, though I've had to put extra work into Care and Herbology, since lots of magical creatures and plants are useful for developing cures." She sounded passionate, and Harry couldn't help but feel envious.
"That's nice– amazing, really. I've never thought much about my future…" he trailed off, feeling awkward. The last two years had been spent acclimating to Hogwarts and dealing with Voldemort, he felt lost at sea.
To his surprise, Daphne chuckled, "That's fine, you know. I'm pretty sure I'm the weird one for already having future plans. We're 13 for Morgana's sake." She was now grinning ear to ear, and Harry found himself sporting a rueful smile in spite of himself.
"Alright, fair point," he conceded, "but I'd hardly call you 'weird'. It's impressive you already have plans. At best… maybe I'd join a Professional Quidditch team? Not sure if that interests you much, but I don't suppose you know any good ones? Ron only ever goes on about the Chudley Cannons, and they're not too good." He remembered a tirade Ron had gone on about the Cannons, and remembered feeling rather unimpressed.
Daphne snorted at that, "The Cannons? Merlin, I think I'll have to hex Weasley on principle, now. The best teams I know of are the Irish, Bulgarian and Italian teams, they're all very heavy into Quidditch. But I'm actually pretty fond of the Holyhead Harpies. You could probably get on their team if you put in the effort." She looked at him studiously, "You've got talent. Their Seeker wouldn't hold a candle to you."
Harry frowned, remembering something Ginny mentioned, "Aren't they girls-only? Pretty sure I'd be disqualified on principle." To his surprise, Daphne rolled her eyes.
"They're an all-girls team, yes. But they're not girls-only. Men just don't apply because they think girls aren't as good at the sport, and being on a team named after 'Harpies' wounds their ego." The derision in her voice was pretty clear, though Harry was pretty similar in opinion.
"Seriously? What in the world… The Gryffindor Chasers are probably the best in all of Hogwarts, and they're the only all-girls Chaser set. And don't the Harpies have a good record? How could anyone…" he shook his head in disbelief, thoroughly disappointed.
And from there, the two got into a pretty long discussion about the Holyhead Harpies, Gwenog Jones, and also the other good teams, like the rising star of the Bulgarian team, Viktor Krum. Harry found it quite fun, because Daphne made solid, fair arguments, listened to opinion, and actively engaged him in the conversation. Ron and Hermione were great, but generally they tended to steamroll conversations and get emotional. This was calm, pleasant and even.
Harry also worked on his Charms work as they talked, finding it oddly easy to focus on both. Maybe it was how calm the library was, or maybe it was just that he liked having someone to talk to while he worked.
"Who would have a heart attack first, you think, if they saw us? Malfoy, Weasley, or Weasley's little sister?" Daphne asked after Harry finished the Charms essay - and she'd checked it over for grammar. Harry raised an eyebrow as he thought about it.
"Hmm… Ron, probably," he admitted with a grimace, "he's my best friend, but… well, he hates Slytherin about as much as Malfoy hates Gryffindor, but Ron's got a worse temper." He hated saying bad things about his friends, but somehow he knew Daphne wouldn't tell anyone. "Why Ginny, though?"
Her expression immediately said 'seriously?' "You can't tell me you haven't noticed the crush she has on you. You're oblivious, Potter, but not that oblivious."
He shook his head, "I noticed, believe me. But I always thought it was just a celebrity-type crush. You know, something more like… admiration, not attraction."
The blonde girl seemed to consider that for a moment, "Alright, fair enough, I'll grant you that. Honestly I haven't seen much of how she acts beyond looking starstruck whenever you enter a room." She teased, and he returned her grin with a roll of his eyes.
"By the way, just call me Harry." He commented to change subjects, and now it was her turn to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"Alright," she smiled, looking just as mischievous as the Weasley twins, "but that means you have to call me Daphne. Deal?"
"Deal," he answered, grinning. This really was fun, though he wondered how he'd break the news to Ron and Hermione that he'd befriended a Slytherin. They'd probably lose it.
"What in the name of…"
Harry and Daphne's heads both sharply turned to face the source of the noise, and then they paled at the same time when they saw who it was. Lavender Brown.
"Um, Lavender-" Harry tried to say something but she'd already ran out. Leaving Harry and Daphne to exchange a look as they realized at some point they'd ended up mostly facing eachother, their legs on eachother's chairs.
"... Well," Daphne replied, "I guess we don't have to worry about telling anyone we're friends now." She tried to be lighthearted, but Harry noticed the undertone of worry.
He took a deep breath, "You're not wrong. But how about we hide out here a while longer? Maybe… until an hour after they're supposed to return from Hogsmeade? Give them some time to… not explode on us, yeah?" He couldn't hide the fact that his tone was shaky.
"... Harry, if you don't want to be–" he raised a hand to stop her before she could finish.
"I do. You're too cool a person to not want to be your friend. And eventually Ron and Hermione will come 'round. Just… it'll take time." He tried to smile confidently, but had a feeling it came off more as nervous.
Daphne seemed surprised, but smiled and flushed a bit at the compliment, "Thanks… you're pretty cool, too. And besides," she managed a shaky smile of her own, "if they give you the cold shoulder, it just gives us more time to hang out and get to know each other better." She managed to come off as lighthearted, and Harry returned her smile with a rueful one of his own.
"Sounds like a plan. So… what do we talk about next?"
Eventually they both managed to relax, and thankfully the Library remained pretty quiet and peaceful. Of course, they still had an hour until the Hogsmeade visits ended. They eventually got to other topics, too. Talking about the last couple years, what classes they liked best, and even Muggle bands, foods and entertainment. Harry was surprised to learn just how into Muggle Culture Daphne was - apparently despite being pureblood she thought they were pretty clever, or at the very least creative.
Eventually after a discussion about Star Wars where they concluded that Obi-Wan Kenobi was probably stronger than Mace Windu, Harry checked the time and saw it had not been one, but two hours after the Hogsmeade visits were supposed to end. He'd totally lost track of time, and it seemed Daphne had as well. He couldn't remember ever having such a fun time just talking to someone. But now they probably had to go.
The Boy-Who-Lived ran a hand through his hair after they got their bags packed back up and had gotten up from the table, and looked to Daphne, "Well, I guess it's time we go."
She nodded, "I guess so… how about I walk you to your Commons?" She asked lightly, though he could see she was a bit nervous. But Harry managed a brave grin and held out his hand to her this time.
"I'd like that." She blinked in surprise, but smiled and accepted his hand.
Their nerves steeled, the two of them left the Library, and the walk to Gryffindor Tower felt incredibly long. Some of the other students saw them and gave strange looks, probably confused as to why a Gryffindor and Slytherin would be friends.
"You know, they'll probably think we're dating," Daphne warned him, and he nodded acknowledgement.
"Yeah, probably. I'll explain that we're just friends, but they'll probably not believe me. But honestly, I think…" he chewed his lip a bit, trying to think of the right words.
"Is it more comfortable?" she supplied, and Harry nodded, "I get it. A boy and a girl can be friends and also hold hands and be physically close? Scandalous," she rolled her eyes after that, clearly thinking the same as Harry. That it's ridiculous for other people to judge them.
And then they were in front of the Fat Lady, and Harry took a deep breath. "Alright… I'll see you?" He asked, looking hopeful.
Daphne grinned and, after they let each other's hands go, poked his forehead, "'Course you will." And then she turned and walked away, and Harry let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding before turning to the Fat Lady.
"Password?" The magical portrait asked, raising an eyebrow with the question.
"Ranae Pedes," Harry replied, briefly wondering why the Latin words for 'Frog Legs' was the password to begin with. As the portrait opened he silently thanked Merlin that he didn't hear any shouting, though that would surely come before the night was up.
So he entered the Gryffindor Common Rooms… and as expected, Ron and Hermione were there, and so were Ginny, the Twins, and for some reason the Gryffindor Chasers. They were all on the couches around the main fireplace, and… well, none of the Weasleys looked particularly happy, while Hermione seemed pensive - moreso than usual - and the Chasers seemed relatively normal. Knowing he may as well get it over with, the Boy-Who-Lived headed over to his friends. "Uh… hi, everyone."
They all looked over at him, and Ron was of course the first to say something, "So you do have time to spare for us, then," he groused, and Harry felt a flick of annoyance rather than guilt.
"You were almost all at Hogsmeade, Ron, so I'm not sorry that I ended up finding different company," he replied, sitting down in one of the armchairs. "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves, yeah?" He actually managed to make it sound polite, and honestly he genuinely did. Hogsmeade hadn't been on his mind at all while chatting with Daphne.
Hermione spoke up before Ron could grumble again, though his stormy expression betrayed the coming tirade, "Yes, we did. Everything was really great! We were worried about you, and…" she bit her lip, before Ginny stepped in.
"You started dating her after one day?! Seriously?!" She raised her voice but, to her credit, didn't shout. Even so Harry couldn't help the grimace.
"Not dating, Ginny," he answered firmly, as he realized that after talking so comfortably with Daphne, he didn't really like being confronted like this. It wasn't fair to him. "Friends. Daphne and I are friends. Nothing more, alright?"
Ron scoffed at that, "Oh yeah? Then what's this I hear about you two practically sitting in each other's laps then, yeah? Seriously mate? You expect us to believe you?" He rolled his eyes in derision, clearly not done but Harry took hold of the pause regardless.
"Yes. I do. Because you're also my friends, and I'd appreciate it if you'd respect that and maybe not doubt me for once?" His reply was sharp, and he noticed the Twins seemed surprised.
"My oh my, looks like…" Fred began.
"Ickle Harrikins…"
"Has begun to stand up for himself!" They both gave him a wicked grin.
"Gotta say, mate, friends with a Slytherin? Brave indeed. Now that's real Gryffindor courage, yeah?" George sauntered over and gave him a strong pat on the back.
"But really? Lying in eachother's laps and not dating?" Fred gave him a mock frown.
"We have taught him poorly, Gred." George held his head in mock shame.
"That we have, Forge. That we have."
"Oh, please," Harry rolled his eyes, "I just liked… the closeness. It was comfortable. Safe, alright?" He shot them both warning looks.
Everyone seemed a bit taken aback at that, but while Ron seemed disgruntled, Hermione was the one to speak first, "You… prefer being physically close?" She asked carefully. No surprise, Harry didn't often share what he wanted.
But the Boy-Who-Lived took a shaky breath and gave a determined nod, "Yeah. I mean… It depends on the person, I guess. Sometimes I don't like it if someone puts their arm over my shoulder, but…" he took a deep breath again as he flushed with embarrassment, "I… I like holding hands with friends… sitting right next to them… it feels… right, okay? I've never asked any… any of you because, well… I thought it'd be weird." He fought back the wetness in his eyes, and swallowed the lump in his throat. Though it came right back when he saw Ron's look of… disgust.
"You should've kept it to yourself, mate. Bloody hell, that is weird. And you're doing that stuff with her?" He shook his head in disgust and stalked off to the Boy's Dorm stairs, and Harry looked down. He knew Ron would react poorly… and apparently that meant really poorly. Was it really that strange? Was Daphne wrong, and nobody would feel comfortable with that?
But then Katie was hugging him, albeit a bit awkwardly. It was a surprise, but he returned it tentatively.
"I'm sorry, Harry. We should have tried to ask you what you wanted from us as your friends," she murmured before pulling back, a small smile on her face. "I always wondered why you kept fiddling with your hands whenever we were walking."
"It's… not weird?" He asked uncertainly, but aside from Ginny - whose expression was unknown to him - everyone seemed to have some sort of understanding dawning.
Angelina shook her head as she booted Fred off the arm of Harry's chair - "Hey!" - and ruffled his hair as she sat, "Not even close. It's normal for girls because we're taught it's okay to show emotion. I'm guessing as a boy, you haven't really had that, have you?"
Harry shook his head, "No… no, uh. I didn't. Ron and the others, they uh… kinda said it was girly and wrong, and… made it seem bad, so I never tried. And… well…" another deep breath, "Daphne, she… she grabbed my hand to match my stride, because she's so much taller than me. It felt… nice."
And then Hermione was there, hugging him fiercely, "Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry!" She sobbed, and he hugged her back, slightly confused. "We should have asked you, Harry. I'd seen you look so uncomfortable whenever we sat separately, but I never realized…" she pulled back and shook her head before wiping away some tears.
"It's alright… um, just… maybe we can work on it?" He asked, not sure how to deal with the sudden acceptance. Though he had to admit it felt nice to finally be so forward and open about something with his closest friends.
"Our Ickle Harrikins…" Fred drawled as he placed a hand on Harry's left shoulder.
"All grown up and honest!" George completed as he placed one on his opposite shoulder.
"Absolutely!" Hermione responded, smiling before she grabbed Harry's hands and led him over to the couch, sitting right next to him. And he just… relaxed. His shoulders felt less tense, and his breathing felt easier.
"Thanks, Hermione. Really. Thanks to all of you." He managed, a bit surprised at how much calmer he sounded. He absently noticed that Ginny was gone - she must have left when Hermione hugged him - but Angelina had a thoughtful look on her face.
"You really do look calmer," she remarked, a bit surprised, "guess Daphne really helped you learn a lot about yourself, huh?" Her smirk was teasing, he could tell.
"Yeah, she did. And… she's probably going to get flak from the school, and so am I. I'm used to it, but… can you guys um, you don't have to be friends with her, too, unless you want. But… help her out or just be polite? She's really nice, and a good person. She's nothing like Malfoy and his friends." He was surprised at the determined edge in his voice, but knew it was good. Daphne would be in for hell with Slytherin and Gryffindor, but she didn't have the support system he did. Probably.
"I'm sure we can do that much. Maybe we have something in common. What did you two talk about?" Katie asked, steering the conversation to something less emotional and serious. Which was good, because the mood had been getting pretty heavy.
"A lot, really. We finished our homework," Hermione gave an approving nod to that, "talked about Muggle Culture - she's really into it, actually! And as it turns out she's really into Quidditch. Did you know that boys can join the Holyhead Harpies? It's just because of a misconception and some fragile egos that they don't." He smiled broadly at the surprised looks on everyone's faces. "I was actually thinking maybe I'd apply someday. Gwenog Jones is amazing, and Daphne said I'd blow their seeker out of the air if I went pro."
After that the conversation exploded, and they talked at length about Quidditch, especially the Holyhead Harpies. And then it came time for dinner, which was relatively peaceful thanks to the Twins, Chasers and Hermione forming a sort of bubble around Harry. Though he noticed Daphne over at the Slytherin table was mostly alone save for another boy - he was kind of scrawny with brown hair, but Harry couldn't remember his name. Idly, Harry wondered if it mattered what table one sat at during mealtimes. He'd have to ask someone - maybe Percy, since as Head Boy he would know for sure.
Ron had sat as far from Harry as possible, with Seamus and Dean, though Neville didn't seem to be sitting particularly close to or far from any of them.
Either way, once dinner was done, they returned to the Common Rooms and Harry ended up chatting for hours with Hermione, Katie, Fred and George about Hogsmeade - Angelina and Alicia had leftover homework to finish and headed to their dorms early. It was nice, being able to talk with them more comfortably, and learn about Hogsmeade. He still wanted to go, sure, but he also thought that maybe next time Daphne would stay back again. And in that case, it would be fine.
Hermione had lots to say, especially about the historic sights and the museum they had. Fred and George of course gushed about Honeyduke's and Zonko's, while Katie told Harry about the Quidditch stores they had, and also warned them all about Puddifoot's - apparently it was extremely over-the-top and fancy. Eventually though it late and they all needed to turn in, and the girls hugged Harry goodnight - which felt nice - while the Twins ruffled his hair before they headed above, leaving him in front of the 3rd year boys' door. After a deep breath, Harry opened the door to his dorm.
Neville was up reading, but the rest of the guys had gone to bed - their curtains all drawn, for once. With a grimace and a nod to Neville, Harry grabbed his pyjamas, showered and brushed his teeth, and then went to bed. Today was a pretty good day. And tomorrow… he'd tackle tomorrow when it came.