Chapter 13

Harry entered a compartment of the Hogwarts Express. The past few days had been a roller-coaster ride. He was so glad that Aquila had calmed him down during that confrontation with Lupin. He had spent the next half an hour flying in the storm, while the large Thunderbird tried to calm him down. The next few days were spent in isolation, with no contact from anybody as he worked on his Occlumency. He didn't want to lose control like he had. And he had started accessing small parts of Voldemort's memories which showed his wide range of spells he had learnt from all over the world. He would have to learn them himself, but at least he knew where to look and could easily master them. Completely receiving Voldemort's knowledge was too easy. Harry still had a long way to go, but he was confident he would get there.

He sat down on the seat, enlarged his trunk, and removed Tango, his Crup from the cage. The puppy barked and licked Harry's face. He smiled and petted the dog. Slowly, people started entering the train. A few minutes later, Daphne entered with a wide smile. "Hey Harry, I lo-wait, is that a Crup? When did you get one? He's so cute!" she said.

Tango wagged his tail and licked Daphne's fingers. "This is Sirius's gift to me. I named him Tango. He really is adorable, isn't he? By the way, did you like my gift?" he asked.

Daphne's eyes lit up. "I love it. Thank you so much, Harry. I wear it every day, see?" she said showing the heart shaped diamond bracelet that Harry had got her. "And the wand holster was incredibly thoughtful. Did you like our gift?" she asked.

Harry's smiled "I loved it. But you didn't have to spend so much and buy me a Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick. I would have been happy with a simple book or candy" he said. Harry still wasn't used to receiving presents. He had been really touched when his godfather had got him a dog and the Greengrasses had bought him a broomstick. While he preferred to use his eagle form to fly, he couldn't play Quidditch without the broom. Aquila had more than once said how odd it was that broomsticks didn't have wings.

When the rest of them started to arrive, both Harry and Daphne went back to their expressionless mask. They may have decided to show their true selves to each other, but that didn't mean they would do so in front of their friends. They had discussed that a few days ago. While they considered the others friends, it didn't discount the fact that Harry and Daphne preferred to be alone. They may consider the others as friends, but to Harry and Daphne, it meant they were closer to them than the others in school, nothing more. The others all found Tango to be very adorable, and that's when Neville came in holding a newspaper.

"Guys, is it true that you're betrothed? The whole train is buzzing. The Prophet came out just now, and its front page news. Here, take a look" he said handing the paper to them. Harry and Daphne groaned when they saw the paper. They had been hoping it would stay secret for some more time.

BOY WHO LIVED BETROTHED TO GREENGRASS HEIRESS

By Rita Skeeter

It has come to the notice of this reporter that Hadrian James Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter is betrothed to Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass, Heiress Presumptive of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass.

The marriage contract seems to have been drawn up in the year 1824 by William Potter and Steffen Greengrass and it seems to have been implemented by the two eleven-year-olds. The exact nature of the contract has not been revealed, but many have speculated that it took effect due to Lady Daphne being the Heiress of House Greengrass.

Are Lord Potter and Lady Daphne happy being betrothed to each other? Or will this relationship cause problems for them as well as the power chain in Wizengamot? This reporter will work towards finding out more about how our beloved hero feels about being trapped in a contract with a girl he might not be interested in.

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Daphne's eye twitched. "It looks like Rita's quill strikes again. I can't believe it. She makes it sound like I've blackmailed you into the contract or something to that effect" she said.

Harry nodded. It looked like he had to be careful with this woman. He needed more information about Rita Skeeter before he did anything. One wrong move would send him back a long way. She was far more dangerous than he had anticipated. She could very easily turn the entire country against him with one article, as she used the sheep mentality of the wizarding public to her advantage. He couldn't let her do anything that would undermine him in the future.

Before he could reply, the door of the compartment was yanked open and Draco Malfoy came in, with a furious expression on his face. "What is the meaning of this Greengrass? I told you that I was going to be your future husband! Now you've gone and betrothed to Potter behind my back! Just wait till my father hears about this, he'll ensure you and I are together" he said pompously.

"Draco, Draco, Draco" said Harry. Malfoy swallowed, as he looked at the taller boy. His father had punished him during the holidays for the incident with Potter in September. The Malfoys could not afford to antagonise the Ancient families and Draco had allowed Potter to twist his words, making it difficult to approach Lord Greengrass for the betrothal contract. Not that it mattered now, he thought morosely.

"Cousin, you seem to be under the delusion that Daphne would have agreed to your pathetic attempts to get her to agree to your demands. But if you had bothered to read that article, you would have seen that our betrothal contract is give or take a few decades, two hundred years old and unbreakable. So there is nothing you or your father can do. Run along now" he said, patting Draco on the cheek and closing the door, locking it with a Colloportus charm.

Neville snickered. "It looks like the Malfoys are pissed" he said.

"Oh, he definitely is. My dad was laughing his arse off when he told me that he was avoiding Malfoy like the plague. It seems Lucius wanted some business that our family owns and he was pestering my dad about it. But Harry's stunt made him very cautious while dealing with my dad. Father was ranting about how Harry should have been in Slytherin and not Ravenclaw" said Tracy grinning.

Harry smirked. They spent the next few hours talking and playing games, and in Harry and Daphne's case reading a book. But the peace was not to last as Granger and Weasley tried to open the door. After Weasley couldn't open it, Granger cast the unlocking charm. He grinned when it didn't open, but knew it would after a few more attempts. Just as he had suspected, after trying five times, the door opened and Granger and Weasley let themselves in.

"You're not allowed to lock the doors! It's against the rules. I'll be reporting this to the prefects" said Hermione in her bossy voice.

"How could you treat my mother like that Harry? In front of everyone at the station no less?" shouted Weasley.

Harry snorted. "Look Weasley, I'm not the one who lied to your mother about me bring your best friend. You did that on your own. And excuse me if I retaliate when some stranger tries to suddenly drag me to their house without my permission. That's called kidnapping Weasley, and you could have ended up in a DMLE holding cell for it. And why in Merlin's name did she think I would need a place to stay? What have you been telling her anyway? But the last straw was when she thought she had the right to take my mother's place. Let's make one thing clear, Weasley and make sure you tell this to your mother as well. Family is everything to me, and I won't stand by while she insults the memory of my deceased mother. Now get out. I was reading a book and you're disturbing me" he said.

Granger heard a growl and turned to look at the puppy who was sitting on Daphne's lap. "What is a dog doing here? You're not allowed to bring dogs! The letter specifically mentioned only an owl, cat or toad. You're going to be in so much trouble for this!" she screeched.

"What is your problem, Granger? Why do you keep trying to annoy us like this? Can't you just go away and read some book like you always do? And stop screeching like a harpy, you'll damage our hearing" said Tracy.

"Shut up you filthy snake! Don't speak to Hermione like that" shouted Ron.

Just as Harry decided to just send them away, Granger had read the headlines on the front page of the Daily Prophet lying on the seat. "You're getting married? You can't do that! It's illegal!" she screeched.

Everyone groaned, so Harry took out his wand, and sent silencing spells at Granger and Weasley. He then sent a low powered banishing charm on them which made them stumble out of the compartment. He waved his wand again and the door locked itself with a very strong locking charm. Hermione Granger would not be able to break it this time.

Everyone laughed when they saw the two shout and throw a tantrum but no sound came out of their mouths. They finally had enough and stomped away to their compartment. Once they reached Hogsmeade, they rode the Thestral drawn carriages to the castle. The others found it creepy that only Harry and Neville could see the creatures and they couldn't. Many people were staring at Harry and Daphne, no doubt wondering if they were indeed betrothed. After the feast, they went to their dorms for the night. He removed the doggy bed from his trunk and placed it in the corner and applied the standard cushioning and warming charms on it. Tango wagged his tail, barked and settled himself in his new bed.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

The next day at breakfast, Professor McGonagall called him to her office where Harry found Hermione Granger sitting with a superior expression on her face. Harry rolled his eyes; he was really getting tired of this. Professor McGonagall sat down and stared at Harry and said, "Mr Potter, I have received disturbing complaints about you threatening students, reading books on the dark arts, cursing fellow students and taking part in an illegal activity. Care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Yes Professor. I would like Miss Granger here to tell you in her own words exactly what she thought was her reasoning behind all those allegations. Care to elaborate Miss Granger?" asked Harry.

Hermione sniffed and said, "Professor, during the train journey to London, Harry pointed his wand and threatened Ron and I saying that he would curse us. He was also reading a book that I didn't recognise, so the book he was reading was obviously unauthorised and it may be the dark arts as he gets every spell right before I do. He obviously is getting extra help for that right? It's cheating and I told him that I would report it. Yesterday, he silenced Ron and I and pushed us out of the compartment and locked it! He shouldn't have locked the door, it's against the rules. He has brought a dog as well Professor, while the letter we received said we could only bring an owl, a cat or a toad. And he's going to marry that Daphne Greengrass girl. He's not of age, it's illegal!"

Professor McGonagall closed her eyes and sighed. She looked at the amused expression on Harry's face and asked, "Mr Potter is all this true?"

"Yes Professor" he said much to the shock of Granger. "But I have to clarify. During the first train ride, Weasley and Granger barged into our compartment and started calling my friends evil for being Slytherins. I got annoyed but didn't use any spells. Yesterday, they came in and started shouting again, and so to preserve my sanity I cast the silencing charm on them and locked the door. The door could have been opened by any prefect. And yes, I do own a Crup, he's a gift from Sirius and I have a license as well. His name is Tango and is still a puppy. Daphne and I being betrothed is self-explanatory, and as for the book I was reading, here" he said, giving the book to McGonagall.

The Professor looked at the book and said, "Battle Transfiguration? 'Property of James Charlus Potter'. Wait, isn't this the same book that I gifted James for his seventeenth birthday? I'm surprised that you can even understand what is in this book Mr Potter. If you have trouble understanding the concepts, don't hesitate to ask me. You clearly have a gift when it comes to this subject. Anyway, five points from Ravenclaw for using the silencing charm on a fellow student. And twenty points to Ravenclaw for using a spell taught in the fourth year! I'll be sure to mention this to Filius. He'll be ever so pleased!"

She returned the book to him and addressed Granger and said, "Miss Granger. While I admire you for coming to me about a student breaking the rules, you really should have done your research. Reading a book isn't a crime. Only if the staff believe that the student is reading explicit dark material do we intervene, but even then, the student might probably be studying for an apprenticeship or mastery in Defence against the Dark Arts. While owls and cats and toads are recommended, many of them don't exactly follow it. We witches and wizards have more of a connection with animals than our muggle counterparts so there are no rules against bringing a crup, a magical dog to the school. Only if the animals are dangerous will the staff punish the student. Just because Mr Potter gets a spell right before you do doesn't mean that he has dwelled into the dark arts. And about the betrothal between Mr Potter and Miss Greengrass, as your Head of House, I would deeply advice you not to involve yourself in the affairs of the Ancient Houses; it won't end well for you. I suggest you read more of them in the library. I would also like to tell you now that the laws in the wizarding world are different from those in the muggle world. Please don't accuse someone without knowing what you're talking about. You may both go now."

Hermione looked betrayed, and she furiously marched away. Harry simply shook his head at her stupidity and went to attend Potions. He hoped that she would not try it again. At the end of the day, Professor Flitwick informed him that the Headmaster wanted to meet him. So Harry found himself seated opposite to Albus Dumbledore.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

Albus looked at the boy in front of him. His plan for him to befriend the Weasleys hadn't worked. But he should have known better. Molly Weasley wouldn't know subtlety if it bit her in the arse. But it was the incident with Remus Lupin that troubled him. He knew the werewolf would never betray him. Ah, it was so nice to have loyal pawns. If only Severus had not been sent to Azkaban, he mused to himself. The test he had set for Harry Potter seemed useless now, as Quirrell had died in the attempt at getting past the Cerberus. His mangled body showed signs of dark magic, and it had confirmed his suspicions that Voldemort had indeed possessed him. But he expected him to be smarter in acquiring the stone. 'Ah, how far you've fallen, Tom. You were probably the best student I've ever taught. But not to worry old boy, you and I still have time. After Harry's death, I'm sure you'll regret everything you have done and take back the name Tom Riddle. Maybe I can convince you to take the name Tom Dumbledore instead. I've always wanted a son. Then I can prepare you to become the next leader of the light and I'll be the most famous and powerful wizard since Merlin' he thought.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Harry saying, "What can I do for you Headmaster?"

Albus cleared his throat and said, "Ah yes my boy. I've heard disturbing rumours that you're studying and practicing the dark arts. This is a serious allegation Harry, and I'm bound by the rules to check your possessions to ensure that it is not the case."

Before Harry could speak up, Flitwick spoke up. "Those allegations were made by a jealous, eleven-year-old girl Headmaster. Minerva has already spoken to both Miss Granger and Mr Potter and has verified that he wasn't reading any dark arts books. The book in question was actually a birthday gift given by Minerva to James Potter. So there is no need for an enquiry as it has already been done."

Albus was annoyed. Here was a perfect opportunity to search Harry's belongings and it had been snatched away. He could search them without cause of course, but if he did find something, he would have to explain why he was searching the boy's trunk in the first place. The old families would not hesitate to pounce on him as their heirs probably had family heirlooms with them, and they were secret and not to be shown to others.

"I watched the Pensieve memory of your meeting with Remus Lupin and I must confess that I'm very disappointed in you Harry. He was one of your father's best friends and attacking him like you did was not fair. Your parents would be very disappointed in you. You must learn to forgive my boy. The world is filled with sacrifice and unless you are willing to do that, life is going to be tough indeed." he said, choosing his words carefully. After all, Harry had to sacrifice his life for the greater good, so Harry had to forgive Dumbledore and listen to his advice.

To Dumbledore's immense surprise, Harry smiled. "I should have known that he would show you the memory Professor, it was foolish of me not to. But you have to understand that he was my father's friend, not mine. And you're right. My dad would probably be disappointed in me for the way that meeting turned out. But I doubt he would be so forgiving after discovering how his son had lived his life during his childhood. I would also like to point out that I distinctly remember telling my godfather that I would not come between him and Remus; that they could remain friends, just not to involve me. But I have to disagree with your last statement sir. We don't have to sacrifice everything to live. Our life is filled with choices. It is our choices that make our life the way it is. And we can live happily if we make the right choices, and if we do, sacrificing something to get another isn't needed. It becomes minimal and a part of life" he said softly.

Dumbledore's eye twitched. How dare his pawn not accept what was told! He was Albus Dumbledore, his philosophy was always right. What did an eleven-year-old boy know about life anyway? "You have given me a lot to think about Harry. You may go" he said. Harry nodded and left the office.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

It was now the middle of January and Hedwig still hadn't returned. Harry was beginning to get worried. Before he was about to get hysterical, Hedwig arrived at night on the 16th of January, carrying a letter. Harry sighed and stroked her feathers. "You gave me a fright girl. I was so worried. But you did an amazing job. Go get some rest. I'll make sure to save you some crunchy bacon tomorrow morning" he said to the bird.

Hedwig hooted tiredly and headed to the Owlery to get some well-deserved sleep. Harry opened the letter and smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Lord Potter,

It is a pleasure to correspond to the decedent of William and Isabel Potter, as they were both exemplary students of ours. But we would like to get to the point and confirm that no property of ours has been taken. Albus had requested the stone to study it, but let me assure you that it is not the real one. He is not the first person to try to take the artefact away for his own gain, not will he be the last.

We also greatly admire your character. You had the opportunity to steal the object believing it to be genuine, but you chose to contact us instead. You are a very interesting boy, Lord Potter and we look forward to more letters from you in the future.

Speaking about something interesting, your owl is very special indeed. We have strong anti-mail wards around our home and we were shocked to find this beautiful snowy owl holding a letter. We have allowed her into the wards so that we can keep in contact. And please write to us in the future. It is difficult to find smart, idealistic boys these days.

Best Regards,

Nicholas and Perenell Flamel

PS: We already knew about Albus's trap before we received your letter. Here's a tip for you from two old mentors, start working on a spy network. You can never start too early.

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Harry thought about the spy network. The Potters had impressive devices to spy on people. Both the Potters and the Blacks had a knack for taking out their opponents. The Blacks were feared because they were known assassins, but no one could pin the blame on them as there was no proof. But the Potters didn't bother with killing. Instead, they robbed their opponents until the other party was destitute. The best part was that no one even now knew or even suspected that the Potter family was behind it. There were large vaults in Potter Castle filled with treasures from enemies. What no one realised was that both families relied primarily on house elves.

House elves had their own brand of magic and could not be easily tracked by wizards. They used this to their advantage to track down their enemies. This was the reason behind the large number of elves bonded to the Potter family. Elves needed the bond, it was the only way they could survive and reproduce. Without the bond with a witch or wizard, they would grow weaker and die.

But right now, that wasn't his concern. He was extensively training in the Room of Requirement for the upcoming U-13 Duelling Championship. He showed Daphne the room and she was all for it. It gave her a place to study and at the same time watch him train. He had started teaching her some defence spells as well. She had received some hate mail and howlers after the Daily Prophet article, the loudest one from Molly Weasley and he didn't want her to be defenceless. He had also started training her in Occlumency.

HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP

The rest of the year went by without any problems. He was still the best in class; Horace Slughorn was still praising him and buttering him up; his training continued and the final exams were rapidly approaching. What else happened was that Harry and Daphne's relationship continued to deepen and now considered each other as best friends as well.

On Daphne's birthday in March, Harry took her to the Room of Requirement. "Close your eyes" he said to her and opened the door to the room.

Daphne, amused by his antics decided to humour him. Harry stood behind her, covered her eyes with his hands and gently led her inside the enchanted room. Daphne couldn't help but smile at Harry's effort in making it a special birthday. She could feel his warm hands on her face and it gave her Goosebumps. They may be betrothed, but Harry was also her best friend and that made her heart swell. She may be friendly with others in their year, but she considered all of them to be friendly acquaintances and she knew it was the same for Harry as well. It was quite shocking how close they had become since Yule. Unknown to her, because of the vow she had made to Harry, magic itself was helping them form an unbreakable, intimate bond with each other.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now" said Harry softly in her ear. Daphne opened her eyes and gasped. It looked like she was standing on the top of a very high cliff and there were fireworks in the sky above. She had to admit it was a very beautiful sight. Just then, another bunch of fireworks exploded in the sky, forming the words 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAPHNE' in the air.

"You did all of this for me?" she whispered with tears in her eyes. While her parents and Astoria celebrated her birthday with her, no one had ever done anything so special for her. She had never expected Harry to do anything of this sort as they didn't know each other so well. After all, they had met only last September, and there was no need for him to go that extra mile to make it so special.

"Of course I did. You deserve it, Daphne. You may be forced to marry me, but I promise you that I would go to the ends of the earth to make you happy. It may sound very cliché, but I sincerely mean it. If not for this contract, you probably could have found a guy who truly deserves you. But instead, you ended up with, with a freak like me" he whispered silently, looking away from her.

Daphne stood there stunned, but her instincts took over. She grabbed Harry in a hug. He stiffened as usual, but his arms slowly went around her waist. After a minute, she pulled back slightly and cupped his cheek and said, "Listen to me very carefully Harry. You are not a freak! Forget what those stupid muggles told you. You are a very special boy. I never realised you had self-confidence issues; you do such an amazing job of hiding it. But it isn't necessary."

"Harry I have watched you duel. You are way ahead of your peers. You said that if not for the contract I could have found someone better. And pray tell who that person is? I assure you there is no one better! Harry have you looked in a mirror lately? You are considered by almost the entire student population as one of the most handsome boys in the school! And you're only eleven! So tell me, who could be better?"

"Let me also make one thing very clear. We may be forced to get married to each other but that does not mean we have to live happy lives. We could have chosen not to talk to each other and just tolerate each other for life. But we chose not to do that and decided to accept each other. You don't have to do anything special for me because you feel obligated to or because of guilt. I'll accept any special gestures only if your heart is in it. Do you understand me?"

Harry smiled slightly and said "Yes ma'am". Daphne chuckled, kissed him on the cheek softly, rested her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. Harry blushed madly but decided to enjoy the moment.

At the end of the year, Harry practically sailed through the exams and as usual, stood first in their year while Daphne and Padma Patil were tied for second and Hermione Granger took the place of third. Hermione was furious that she had not come first, but no one paid much attention to that. While Slytherin managed to win the Quidditch cup much to Gryffindor's dismay, Ravenclaw managed to win the House Cup because of all the points Harry had been awarded during the year. There was a huge celebration as Ravenclaw hadn't won the cup for many years now.

On the last day, when they got into the train, Harry smiled when he realised that he was returning home; he was returning to Potter Castle after finishing his first year at Hogwarts.